Glenn Erickson's
Review Page and Column

Saturday January 11, 2025

Bigger-than-life, talented, funny, friendly … Michael Schlesinger is gone.

Conclave – 4K 01/11/25

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital

Wow, we review a picture just a couple of months old. Good director Edward Berger guides some fine performances in a drama about dark secrets and backroom deals in the voting to elect a new pope. The movie looks lavish in 4K — entire Vatican chapels were duplicated at Cinecittà — and the ensemble acting is first class: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Brían F. O’Byrne, Carlos Diehz, Lucian Msamati, Isabella Rossellini, Sergio Castellitto. On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
01/11/25

The Grifters – 4K 01/11/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

What a great picture to see bumped to 4K … when that grinding Elmer Bernstein cue launches the titles, we know we’re in for a hardboiled experience. Roy, Lilly and Myra are highly attractive ‘poison’ people in their own cheap rackets — hooking, fixing racetrack odds and grifting — practicing petty con-man ripoffs on unsuspecting ‘suckers.’ They’re bad enough separately but any combo is toxic. The great director Stephen Frears guides John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening into some of the best performances of their careers. It’s the best filmic adaptation of Jim Thompson. On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/11/25

CineSavant Column

Saturday January 11, 2025


 

Hello!

Thanks for all the notes and emails. CineSavant Central is not close to any of the fire sites (the ones up ’til now), although the Hollywood (Sunset) Fire a few nights back had us checking the news every twenty minutes. As of this writing the firefighters’ battle rages. The winds in some places have subsided enough to allow effective firefighting.

Wednesday morning we woke to some really strange lighting … dark billows of smoke directly above (from Altadena, we think) but clear skies to the West. The combination threw colors off — white things had a bluish cast. The ‘key light’ was from the side, which added to the artificial look. Definite End of the World lighting. The photos are just as they came off my phone; they enlarge.

We don’t make light of this — entire communities burned, so many lives kicked into the street — and the threat continues mostly unabated. Some really good firefighting saved West Hollywood. Lots of power outages; so far we’re not affected. Can’t let this lucky feeling make me feel complacent … most everything burns under the wrong conditions.

 


 

And our friends at Classic Flix have finished several years of work on their disc set

The Little Rascals – The Restored Silents, Volume 1.
The Classic Flix ad copy tells us that there were 220 Our Gang comedy short subjects, later re-titled Little Rascals. This is the silent series begun in 1922.

The company has put a restoration comparison up on YouTube. The shows had to be rescued from 16mm copies, and the demo shows how improved they are:  The Restored Silents, Volume 1 Restoration Comparison.

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Tuesday January 7, 2025

See the 30 frames-per-second Todd-AO version — it’s fresher and brighter!

Nora Prentiss 01/07/25

The Warner Archive Collection
4K Ultra HD

It’s another intense film noir with a strong woman dealing with a weak man. Ann Sheridan comes through with a great performance in her most promising Warners star vehicle. ‘Accidental Homewrecker’ Nora is the anti-femme fatale, who can only watch as her doctor-lover Kent Smith throws away his practice, his family, his upscale lifestyle and finally his own identity. A striking new remaster showcases James Wong Howe’s glowing images, that create moments of existential horror. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/07/25

Inglourious Basterds – 4K 01/07/25

Arrow Video
4K Ultra HD

It’s one of Tarantino’s best: Arrow Video repackages his celebration of absurd wartime action thrillers with a battery of new featurettes and interviews. We take the opportunity to revise a review that still gets mail. Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender and Diane Kruger star in a genre wish-fulfillment fantasy that could be called ‘Once Upon a Time in World War II.’   On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
01/07/25

CineSavant Column

Tuesday January 7, 2025

 

Hello!

David J. Schow sent along this link to a CBS Sunday Morning interview with  Werner Herzog — an uncut extended conversation with TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz. Herzog’s not in fun-curmudgeon mode this time. He loves America, and even Los Angeles!

Herzog starts out explaining that he’s never owned a cell phone. The talk segues to the subject of AI and takes off from there. It’s apparently part of an effort to promote a book named after a familiar Herzog tagline, Every Man for Himself and God Against All.

The 90-minute talk is not all gold, but there’s a gem of a thought every couple of minutes. We get to hear the story of how Werner stole expropriated his first movie camera. About half an hour in he discusses the legacy of Naziism in Germany… not soon afterward he talks about meeting Klaus Kinski!

We still haven’t seen all the films in the giant Blu-ray box  Herzog: The Collection.

 


 

Ah yes — upcoming CineSavant reviews. The choice is daunting. I’ve put together a quick list of what’s in the review hopper, as they show up on my chronological chart. In hand are tempting discs of . . .

 

 Tattooed Life (Radiance, September 9),

 The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell (Kino, November 5),

 The Visitors (Kino, November 19),

 Mountains of the Moon (Kino, November 26 Curious about this one),

 Paris Texas (Criterion, December 3),

 Blood and Lace (Kino Cult, December 10),

 Hatari 4K (Kino, December 10),

 Mr. Lucky (Warner Archive, December 17),

 The Killer Is Loose (Kino, December 17),

 The Spanish Main (Warner Archive, December 31),

 Yojimbo + Sanjuro 4K (Criterion, January 7),

 The Grifters 4K (Criterion, January 21),

 Underworld Beauty (Radiance, January 25),

 Winchester ’73 4K (Criterion, January 28).

 

I’m thinking of buying-to-review the much-praised  Godzilla Minus One, but I’m not at all sure that I have anything interesting to say about it. Expected in the review hopper soon but not yet here are discs of . . .

 

 Monk’s Last Case (Kino),

 The Lion in Winter (Lionsgate Vintage Classic),

 Miracle Mile (Kino),

 Invasion of the Bee Girls (Kino Cult),

 The Wages of Fear (Criterion),

 Godzilla vs. Biollante 4K (Criterion),

 Night Moves 4K (Criterion),

 Shattered Glass ([Imprint]),

 

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Saturday January 4, 2025

🎶  Just Ask Alice Pandora. 🎶   2025 is going to be like a certain mythical box.

Russ Meyer’s Vixen! 01/04/25

Severin Films
Blu-ray

Whoa!  What was once ‘raw adult’ fare now plays as quaint — yet still hot. Voyeurism becomes entertainment — America’s mammary-obsessed independent filmmaker Russ Meyer did as much for naughty male daydreams as did Hugh Hefner. The entire ‘Vixen trilogy’ is being released, but we concentrate on Meyer’s breakthrough picture with Erica Gavin, the one that the young critic Roger Ebert helped make into an undressed success. On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
01/04/25

Weak Spot 01/04/25

Radiance Films
Blu-ray

aka Le faille.  Radiance comes up with yet another exotic Eurothriller. Author Antonis Samarakis’ first-person experience informs this sophisticated study of the psychology of detectives operating in a police state. An apparently ordinary guy is snatched from the street and accused of being a subersive; two cops take him ‘for a ride’ in hopes that he’ll talk. Ugo Tognazzi is the pigeon and Michel Piccoli & Mario Adorf are the ‘friendly’ potential torturers. Peter Fleischmann’s sly direction underscores a number of story twists and surprises. The music score by Ennio Morricone seals the deal. On Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
01/04/25

CineSavant Column

Saturday January 4, 2025

 

Hello!

Here we are trying to begin the New Year on a positive note, and the favored discs in the review hopper are about war, crime, and tragedy. Well, at least Russ Meyer gets to express his idea of bliss in a new release. Nirvana is where you find it.

Hey,  CineSavant correspondent Edward Parker Bolman has sent along a really interesting link item. Way back in our Famous Monsters days, Forry Ackerman’s articles about the original  The Lost World highlighted the film’s ape man, played by actor Bull Montana. For sixty years we’ve been seeing references to a Bull Montana performance in another silent film, First National’s Go and Get It (1920) …. and been told that the movie was lost.

Fear not, for an Italian copy turned up intact in the Italian Cineteca archives, and is now on Youtube. It’s a full 90 minutes long. The Italian title is “Le avventure di un reporter.” It was restored in 2022 at the Cineteca Milano MicLab.

We’re shocked at how good the show looks … like, pristine. I even like the text style of the handwritten Italian intertitles.

A mad scientist (Noah Beery) transplants the brain of a vicious criminal (Hal Roach regular Walter Long) into the head of a gorilla (Bull Montana). This can’t be the movies’ first ape-man brain transplant, later a goofy horror sub-genre … pop culture liked nothing better than to associate Darwinian ideas with medical atrocities.

Mr. Bolman explains:

“The director is Marshall Neilan. The gorilla’s murders are entirely off screen; perhaps the Italian distributor censored some more horrific scenes?”

“The hero jumps onto and off of boats, biplanes, and moving trains in a notable action sequence.”

“Writers Ring Lardner and Irvin S. Cobb are said to be in there somewhere, as actors.”

“Dinty the newsboy is played by Wesley Barry, a child actor who 42 years later produced and directed … wait for it …  The Creation of the Humanoids.

The ninety-minute feature looks great!

 

Go and Get It
 


 

We’re boosters of everything to do with The Film Noir Foundation. Their newsletter for January has promotions for everything from the booming Noir City screening programs, their ongoing film restoration program, and various publications.

The new Noir City Magazine is out — read about it (and get involved) at the bottom of the Foundation’s main web page:

 

The Film Noir Foundation
 


 

And we’re always grateful to David J. Schow for sending us such interesting links, and jumped at the opportunity to help promote his latest film book. I was a reader of David’s original long- OOP Outer Limits Reader; unfortunately, my copy disintegrated many moons ago. Did I loan it out too often?

David is the authority on all things Leslie Stevens, The Outer Limits, etc.. My Mac calendar informs me that it was November 23, 2010 that I had David over to view a rare copy of a TV show nobody had seen in 40 years, that had become little more than a rumor. It was the only Outer Limits- related show David had never seen.

But mostly the good favors have come in the other direction, my way. This week’s blurb is that the publishers Cimarron Street Books new release

 

Incubus
Inside Leslie Stevens’ Lost Horror Classic
 

has been obtainable since January 1. The website just above has a full description and some sample pages.

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Tuesday December 31, 2024

Sahara — (1943) 12/31/24

Powerhouse Indicator
Region B Blu-ray

Where has this one been?  The excellent war drama features Humphrey Bogart in one of his most satisfying roles, as a get-it-done tank commander surrounded by Germans on the African Sands. It’s solid storytelling with something of a United Nations appeal. Bogie’s tank crew is Bruce Bennett and Dan Duryea. Rex Ingram’s Sgt. is a standout, and J. Carrol Naish won a Supporting Actor nom for his soulful Italian. And the M3-Lee tank Lulubelle has great personal appeal. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
12/31/24

A Bridge Too Far — 4K 12/31/24

Viavision [Imprint]
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Joseph E. Levine’s multi-star WWII epic is one of the last Road Show blockbusters: Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Kruger, Ryan O’Neal, Laurence Olivier, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann carry substantial roles in a detailed re-enactment of an ill-fated Allied attempt to break into German through Holland. Richard Atteborough directs from William Goldman’s script; the 3-hour 4K package is loaded with extras. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayfrom Viavision [Imprint].
12/31/24

CineSavant Column

Tuesday December 31, 2024

 

Hello!

No link and no faux-clever teaser line accompany today’s CineSavant ‘top photo’… we just admire the man and the President. If statesmen of his conscience and moral fiber come back, we hope that somebody will vote for them.

And that’s about all the non- Blu-ray sentiment I’m entitled to. We all have soapboxes to stand on, its just that some people do it better than we do. A good 2025 would be really welcome, I’m sure we all agree.

…. I compensate with an exclusive view of the CineSavant Sci-fi shelf … late 1954 through early 1957. Wow! What could be less relevant?  But I like poking through other people’s disc shelves …

– – – About this time  we once used to do a full rundown of favorite films, singling out about 15 ‘best of’ choices. Several years ago we just opted to make a pick of discs from the year that we’d not hesitate to see again, no hesitation.

So here’s a tall stack of disc covers from the year, each containing a review link. Charlie Largent, Lee Broughton and I keep pretty busy and we still can’t review everything we should. To tell the truth, I just like the long stack of badge-like disc covers …

I’m really happy with the response to the CineSavant review for  The Searchers — film-school opinionizing from the past still has some appeal. We’ve gotten some nice notes and read some kind words – “Kind words, Ethan” — on Facebook. If I had a rocking chair I’d take a picture of myself by the fire.

More odd links and quotes next time maybe … still have a stack of desirable discs to write up. Here are the really good movies and impressive restorations that grabbed our full attention in 2024:

 

 

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Saturday December 28, 2024

One of Cannon Films’ best: it earned Barbara Hershey a top award at Cannes, but it received almost no release.

The Searchers — 4K 12/28/24

The Warner Archive Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

The Warner Archive Collection’s first 4K Ultra HD release is a glowing digital restoration of John Ford’s unequalled western classic, considered to also have one of John Wayne’s best performances. The movie is remarkable in that it embraces so many different tones: tragic drama, buffoonish comedy, and a full examination of racial hatred as a tribal force … It’s the story of America, in a way, rooted in Fords’ worship of Family. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayfrom The Warner Archive Collection.
12/28/24

Incubus — 4K 12/28/24

Arrow Video
4K Ultra HD

One of the strangest American films of the ’60s is Leslie Stevens’ occult thriller starring William Shatner — who speaks all his dialogue in Esperanto. A ‘once upon a time’ country has a healing well, but its forest and beaches are overrun by female demons that harvest wicked souls through seduction and murder. The weirdness is amplified by Conrad Hall’s cinematography and the eerie music of Dominic Frontiere. The once-obscure film was scanned in 4K from the only surviving projection print. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
12/28/24

CineSavant Column

Saturday December 28, 2024

 

Hello!

Here’s some nostalgic New Year’s fun: Michael McQuarrie sends along a great feature documentary that we reviewed when it was packaged with the feature  Alfie … with terrific film clips and even better music, it lets Michael Caine explain the Brit Revolution of the ’60s, swinging London, the entire scene.

Helping Caine are Roger Daltrey, David Hockney, Jean Shrimpton, Donovan, Paul McCartney, Marianne Faithful, Mary Quant and even Twiggy, plus other models, fashion photographers, fashion designers, etc.

It’s all there with excellent color and sound on tubi.tv:

 

My Generation
 


 

Here’s something I wish I could have looked through with my father: a full Pilot Training Manual from the Army Air Corps in World War II, for the B-25 Mitchell Bomber.

It’s 171 pages that can get YOU ready to join Doolittle on his big raid!  Or something to that effect.

It reads like a New Car manual crossed with a Boy Scout manual … with a technical explanations for everything, and operative instructions for imagined missions. It’s pretty exacting.

 

Pilot Training Manual
 

How strange, my dad had to fight that war for a little less than four years … but I’ve been imagining his experience for 60 years. The questions I wish I could ask him …

 

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson