Western
Rod Lott
Two Westerns from the days when Hollywood relied on them pull into the DVD-R outpost from Warner Archive. Neither is essential, but its wide landscapes and reliable tropes make for comfortable-enough watching.

Drama
Rod Lott
My wife barely can stand — and sometimes refuses — to watch TV shows like The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm because they make her too nervous. Therefore, she would hate Michael and Silver Tongues, two new-to-DVD entries in discomfort cinema. I recommend them both, while acknowledging they are far from the easiest of watches.

Thriller
Rod Lott
Straight out of South Korea, No Mercy shows exactly that. But too bad it's only for the first act.

Comedy
Rod Lott
I'm torn between whether the horror comedy Girls Gone Dead is misogynist or merely plays pretend. That it’s written by a woman boggles the mind.

Comedy
Rod Lott
Hopefully, the new-to-DVD Three Stooges movie — which is actually pretty decent, unless you're a humorless mother-nyuk-er — spurs more viewers to try the real thing. For those wanting to sample their black-and-white brand of slapstick with minimal investment, many bargain-DVD collections exist containing only their material that has fallen into the public domain.

Horror
Rod Lott
While I'm glad to see that the horror cable channel Chiller is now making original movies, its first offering, the sci-fi "comedy" Alien Opponent, was nearly unwatchable. That film's director and writer, Colin Theys and John Doolan, return to helm the outlet's second, Steve Niles' Remains. Springing from rosier pastures — Niles' original comics — it's automatically better, rising to the level of mediocre. Perhaps their third time at bat, October's Dead Souls, will prove the proverbial charm?

Sci-Fi
Rod Lott
"Let's do it," says Arnold in the opening minutes of Total Recall. "Let's go to Mars."

Horror
Rod Lott
I remember vividly when I first read "Casting the Runes," one of several suspense classics to pour from the pen of M.R. James, the master of the ghost story whose supernatural bent became a huge influence on H.P. Lovecraft. Just because the short story is old (1911) doesn't mean it wasn't chilling to read, and so it is with this 1979 presentation, an episode of the UK's ITV Playhouse anthology series.

Horror
Rod Lott
For me, the more desperate Hammer Film Productions got as audiences’ tastes changed in the early 1970s, the more fun their flicks became. That’s why 1971’s Twins of Evil is now one of my favorites from the legendary British studio, after digging into its Blu-ray debut from Synapse Films.

Thriller
Rod Lott
Presented as a story in the nonexistent Dark Mystery pulp mag, The Girl from the Naked Eye respectively refers to a call girl and the club where she worked.

Sci-Fi
Rod Lott
No matter in what capacity, if Luc Besson's name is on a movie, I will not hesitate to watch. Why? The Transporter, District 13, Kiss of the Dragon, Taken, Unleashed, Ong-Bak, The Professional, La Femme Nikita and most sequels that spawned from those, that's why. (I'll forgive and forget From Paris with Love.)

Comedy
Rod Lott
Even if you hate it — and plenty will — you have to admit Casa de Mi Padre is a unique slice of cinema. Will Ferrell stars in this spirited parody of the Mexican telenovela. Not only is the comedy set in Mexico, but performed almost entirely in Spanish. Name one other A-lister who would dare commit to such an audience-limiting undertaking, foreign language and all. For a star of his stature to spoof something his fan base likely knows nothing about is so ballsy, it bounces.

Thriller
Rod Lott
Among independents, a recent movement has proven you can do an awful lot with very little — especially when limited to one set, as ATM and Brake nearly do.

Thriller
Rod Lott
You hear a title like Some Guy Who Kills People and think, "Is that all the energy and enthusiasm they can muster?" Well, this little thriller is a surprise, all underpromising and overdelivering, mostly due to a deft performance by '90s indie-film mainstay Kevin Corrigan (The Dictator).

Thriller
Rod Lott
Despite Inspector Morse enjoying a dozen-season run on TV, I’ve never seen an episode of the mystery series spawned from Colin Dexter’s novels. In no way did this detract from my enjoyment of Endeavour, a feature-length prequel, and is indeed enjoyable.