Parallax View

With the exception of “The Woman” (which is still in limited theatrical release), all of the films from “Bloody Disgusting Selects” are currently available on multiple platforms including Netflix, Amazon.com and most VOD providers including Comcast, DirecTV, Amazon, iTunes, CinemaNow, VuDu and Verizon FiOS. Check your VoD provider listings, or go to www.bloodydisgustingselects.com for more [...]

“Lives Worth Living” premieres on the PBS series “Independent Lens” on October 27th at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT). For more information, visit the film’s PBS website and filmmaker Eric Neudel’s website. To be disabled in America, in 2011, is to occupy the midpoint of a metaphorical highway, some stretches smooth and evenly paved, others rocky and [...]

“Pearl Jam Twenty” is available On Demand (check your satellite or cable listings) and premieres on the PBS series “American Masters” at 9 p. m. (ET/PT), Oct. 21. It will be released on Blu-ray and DVD Oct. 25. For additional viewing, the grunge documentary “Hype!” is available on Netflix (DVD only). Here in Seattle, we [...]

Eyes Wide Open: A Single Artist’s Vision Ask anyone who’s devoted their life to the study and appreciation of movies and they can probably tell you exactly when they were “bitten by the movie bug,” that moment of personal epiphany that sparked an all-consuming passion for what is arguably the greatest, most powerful medium of [...]

I’ve been encouraged to write autobiographically in this forum, so bear with me, dear reader. We’ve barely been introduced, and this time it’s personal. I’ll be sharing some thoughts about HBO’s extraordinary new documentary How to Die in Oregon, but first, allow me this indulgence: When my father died four months ago at the age [...]

Shannon on Demand is a new column devoted to films available via Video on Demand in all its forms, written by Jeff Shannon for Roger Ebert and the Chicago Sun-Time online. Here is his first feature. “How to Fold a Flag” “We Are the Night” To say that Javorn Drummond, Jon Powers, Michael Goss and [...]

POP QUIZ: In which Powell & Pressburger classic did Bob Hope and Bing Crosby make a cameo appearance? ANSWER: They didn’t, but The Road to Hong Kong led them (sort of) to the setting of Black Narcissus. Allow me to explain. One of the great pleasures of watching older movies is that you can frequently spot [...]

This is the first entry in an ongoing series by Parallax View contributor Jeff Shannon, written in appreciation of lesser-known films, performances, film-related achievements or other newsworthy items that haven’t received the attention they deserve. Don’t get me wrong: Red is a not great movie, or even a very good one. But if you’re looking for a minor [...]

I was tempted to title this posting “When the f**k did we get ice cream?” to honor one of the funniest, most surprising lines of dialogue from The Ringer, the underrated, frequently hilarious Johnny Knoxville comedy from 2005. Like many of the best lines in the film (and kudos to screenwriter Ricky Blitt for providing [...]

Many thanks to Roger Ebert and his website editor Jim Emerson for posting my letter to the editor regarding the protests by some disability advocates over the “retard” humor in Tropic Thunder. As stated in my letter, I think most people will see the film and understand that its target of satire is not the [...]