Peter Lorre

CHICAGO – Humphrey Bogart is one of the most beloved and iconic movie stars to ever grace the form. The legend of Bogart built through caricatures, impressions, and the rarified air in which some of his films exist can sometimes disguise his unbelievable talent. “Casablanca” may be his best film and we’ll be back with a discussion of more Bogie works in our review of the new box set later this week, but arguably the two best Bogart performances have recently been released on Blu-ray in 1941’s “The Maltese Falcon” and 1948’s “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”

CHICAGO – When does a great film become less powerful? We’ve all seen movies that worked wonderfully for us at one point in our lives and had less impact when we saw them again a decade or two later. The movies that not only remain powerful but, in some ways, improve upon repeat viewing are rare. They’re the true classics. Fritz Lang’s “M,” recently released on Criterion Blu-ray, is one such movie.

CHICAGO – An edition of The Hollywood Reporter in January of 1942 announced that Warner Brothers was moving forward with a film called “Casablanca” and that it would star Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and Dennis Morgan.