GEORGE WASHINGTON - CRITERION COLLECTION [BLU-RAY]: (2000) "George Washington exists as a self-indulgent film exercise. All attempts to pretend otherwise appear destined to misfire." Starring Candace Evanofski, Donald Holden, Damian Jewan Lee. Criterion, $39.95, 3/11/2014.

THE MALTESE FALCON [BLU-RAY]: (1941) "Despite my teenage dislike of the film, as an adult I found The Maltese Falcon to provide a tight and intriguing story. The movie told its tale in a vibrant and concise manner and seemed to deserve its reputation as a classic." Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor. Warner Home Video, $19.98, 10/5/2010.

THE HIDDEN FORTRESS - CRITERION COLLECTION [BLU-RAY]: (1958) "Perhaps I need to watch The Hidden Fortress again without Star Wars in my head. Whether due to comparisons between those films or not, Fortress doesn’t do a lot for me; it offers decent entertainment but never quite comes to life as vividly as I think it should." Starring Toshiro Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki. Criterion, $39.95, 3/18/2014.

THE BIG PARADE [BLU-RAY BOOK]: (1925) "Nearly 90 years after its release, The Big Parade gives us a good but not great war movie. While it boasts some interesting elements and strong performances from its leads, it lacks consistency and moves too slowly." Starring John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, Hobart Bosworth. Turner Home Entertainment, $27.98, 10/1/2013.

THE WOMEN: (1939) "In the 75 years since its release, The Women has developed a very loyal following, but I can’t say I understand its appeal. The movie seems like little more than a long look at characters who mix cruelty and dullness without much between those sides." Starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell. Warner, $19.97, 6/14/2005.

THE COUNSELOR [BLU-RAY]: (2013) "Somehow The Counselor manages to gather ample talent on both sides of the camera and flush it down the toilet. Burdened with a painful script and a lack of any form of cinematic vision/creativity, the film fails in virtually every possible manner." Starring Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz. Fox, $39.99, 2/11/2014.

Colin Jacobson (Publisher and Senior Reviewer): colinjacobson@dvdmg.com

David Williams (Webmaster and Reviewer): dwilliams@dvdmg.com