Glenn Erickson's
Review Page and Column

CineSavant Column

Saturday September 7, 2024

 

One is married to Joan Crawford and the other is leaving his wife to be with her.  Maybe he markets quality clothes hangers?
 
Photo Link
 
Hello!

A change of plans for a few days at CineSavant … Charlie Largent will be uploading a new CineSavant article or two — not necessarily reviews — that will appear normally at Trailers from Hell. I’m not present to monitor things or run a real CineSavant Column, but if new writing is uploaded to the site, the place to find will be TCM’s  CineSavant Archives Review Log,  inside the TCM website. Everything we publish immediately pops up there.

That link’s single column is also a good to scan through the procession of older reviews and their attendant artwork. If plan is to post on the usual days, so if you wish to see what’s next, check in on Tuesday, September 10.

All is fine; CineSavant ree-vyoos and CineSavant bizz-ness will ree-zoom soon enough. Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Tuesday September 3, 2024

Recognize him?  It’s his first credited movie, directed by Michael Powell.

Perfect Days 09/03/24

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Wim Wenders’ tale of one man’s attainment of personal harmony is halfway between documentary and drama, with a strong dose of clear-headed philosophy. A focus on a Tokyo toilet attendant becomes a positive, life-affirming meditation on coping with the modern world’s false goals and confining ‘lifestyle demands.’ The star Kôji Yakusho won a Best Actor award at Cannes; the show received a warm theatrical welcome here in the States. Writer-director Wenders’ interview extra is a gem. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
09/03/24

Le Doulos 09/03/24

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Enjoy one of Jean-Pierre Melville’s finest, remastered on 4K and looking good. It’s a complicated story of thieves betraying thieves, the wrinkle being the contrast between weary ex-con Serge Reggiani and the slickest of slicksters, Jean-Paul Belmondo. ‘Doulos’ is slang for ‘informer,’ but Belmondo appears to be engaged in a massive con job, framing his confederates, fooling the police and double-crossing more than one woman. Everything he says can’t be a lie, or can it? On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
09/03/24

CineSavant Column

Tuesday September 3, 2024

 

Hello!

We don’t yet have any specs or a release date, but the word is out that Mario Bava’s unmatched comic-book supervillain thriller  Danger: Diabolik is coming to 4K Ultra HD. The last round of releases for this title was in 2020, with Shout! Factory and [Imprint] giving us excellent remastered editions that got everything right — the correct dialogue, good color, properly mixed music. We were very happy. Hopefully the people who remaster this new 4K package won’t encounter any problems.

If it’s a winner, all that will be left for us fans of John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell is to find out how different the original Italian version might have been. Also, Kino announced back in February of ’23 that they had also acquired the  three recent Diabolik features made in Italy.  We wonder if those are still in the works…

 


 

Having been gainfully employed through the 1990s (those were the days…), a lot of TV shows I shoulda saw slipped by, including this one from 1991- 1992 … that I later learned employed directors Joe Dante and Bob Balaban.

It’s a Sci-fi horror show about creepy phenomena afoot in a neighborhood, and only two young friends have the ‘vision’ to see what’s a-happenin’. One fan described it as ‘The Outer Limits for kids.’  Dante directed five out of 19 episodes, including the opener; I see that actor John Astin participates, and Belinda Belaski and a 16-year-old Tobey Maguire do an episode or two as well. The leading player is Omri Katz, who we love in Joe Dante’s  Matinee, produced not long afterward.

The point is that the whole season of shows is now viewable online for free on Tubi … until some super remastered disc comes along, the quality looks pretty good to us.

Eerie Indiana — the Full Series
 

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Saturday August 31, 2024

We want it!  All versions, with deleted scenes and that great Jean Prodromidés music!

Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet 08/31/24

Deaf Crocodile
Blu-ray

Adéla jêstê neveĉeřela. One of the most accomplished Czech fantasies comes to Blu-ray — nostalgic pulp fiction set in 1900 Prague. Yankee detective Nick Carter finds himself in a life & death struggle against his old arch-nemesis ‘The Gardener,’ the seductive femme fatale Irma, and a monstrous carnivorous plant with the fearsome name Adéla. Cartoonish inventions and weird animation compete for attention with the 8-foot people-eater, that chows down only when its appetite is aroused by a classical lullabye. Among the actors is Prague’s answer to Brigitte Bardot, Olga Schoberová, who Hammer fans know as Olinka Berova. It’s a key collaboration between filmmakers Oldrich Lipský and Jiří Brdečka; the beautifully-remastered disc also carries four of Brdečka’s impressive animated short subjects. On Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile.
08/31/24

Bad Company 08/31/24

Fun City Editions
Blu-ray

Fans of westerns will love Robert Benton’s takedown of wild west mythmaking: Civil War draft evaders Jeff Bridges and Barry Brown learn the hard lessons of frontier outlawry, scavenging their way across Kansas and falling prey to established outlaws. The experience could be called character-building, except for the part about starvation and getting one’s head blown off for stealing a pie. From the creators of Bonnie and Clyde, it’s funny and wickedly believable, and co-stars Jim Davis, David Huddleston and John Savage. On Blu-ray from Fun City Editions.
08/31/24

CineSavant Column

Saturday August 31, 2024

 

Hello!

The Australian outfit [Imprint] has announced four new 4K + Blu-ray discs, two of which are tagged on CineSavant’s disc radar. I reviewed Richard Attenborough’s  A Bridge Too Far twenty years ago but only remember its enormous scale; a deluxe edition might be really special. Wolfgang Petersen’s  The Neverending Story should look sensational in 4K Ultra HD … it was one of my most successful ‘parenting’ outings with my 5 year-old daughter.

A Bridge Too Far is newly scanned 4K disc + two Blu-ray set of the all-star epic war movie.

The Never Ending Story is a 40th Anniversary Limited Edition four-disc set in leatherette book packaging … in addition to other extras, it carries the original German Extended Cut, also on 4K and Blu-ray — it’s a full ten minutes longer.

Both discs are due on November 11. Being offered at the same time are 4K / Blu-ray sets of  The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Sam Peckinpah’s  Convoy. Imprint’s website has full details.

 


 

And good Halloween news just arrived from The Warner Archive Collection:

The label’s October Blu-ray releases start with the musical  Sweethearts with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, the 1965 TV series  A Man Called Shenandoah with Robert Horton; and Christopher Guest’s  For Your Consideration with Catherine O’Hara, Harry Shearer and Parker Posey.

What with the Val Lewton double bill coming from Criterion, their new Halloween-themed releases all but clean out the bag of WAC horror titles from the 1940s: the classic Michael Curtiz / Boris Karloff zombie picture  The Walking Dead (1936); the odd Humphrey Bogart mad doctor picture  The Return of Dr. X, and Robert Florey’s  The Beast with Five Fingers, with Peter Lorre.

It actually might be a belated Halloween treat — street date isn’t until October 29.

Gary Teetzel wonders if next year the WAC will move on to chillers from the ’50s and ’60s, like  Macabre,  The Disembodied,  Black Zoo,  The Frozen Dead, etcetera.

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Tuesday August 27, 2024

She may have indeed been guilty … to what degree does that matter?

We Still Kill the Old Way 08/27/24

Radiance Films
Region B Blu-ray

It’s a paranoid murder thriller without shoot-outs or car chases. The ‘we’ administer an entirely corrupt system of law and justice that has held for hundreds of years. And heaven help those that rock the boat. Gian Maria Volontè’s academic seeks the truth about his two slain friends, but is distracted by his attraction to the new widow, Irene Papas. Elio Petri’s unnerving movie plays out beneath the bright Sicilian sun. Co-starring Gabriele Ferzetti; the extras have a wealth of in-depth interviews. On Region B Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
08/27/24

Doubt 08/27/24

Paramount
Blu-ray

Doubt and uncertainty have a life of their own. John Patrick Shanley’s film of his powerhouse play studies the cloud of suspicion over a priest in a church school who refuses to kowtow to unreasoning persecution … or are the schoolmaster’s instincts correct, and the priest’s gentle ways with his students evidence that he’s a predator?  Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep’s battle of wills is witnessed by Amy Adams and Viola Davis. All four actors received Oscar nominations. Shanley presents something not often seen on movie screens — pulpit sermons that strike to the heart of an important issue. On Blu-ray from Miramax/Paramount.
08/27/24

CineSavant Column

Tuesday August 27, 2024

 

Hello!

Wartime motivational inspiration is the subject of a link sent by advisor Gary Teetzel. World War II saw lots of morale-building entertainment; this short subject reminds the hundreds of thousands of defense plant workers that they’re soldiers too, with a duty is to stay fit to keep those assembly lines moving. The 8-minute film is called Keeping Fit. It’s in the form of a lecture to 4,000 aircraft workers … gee, the company president is talking about workers wasting time, but his tirade has shut down the entire plant.

The Universal picture has an all-name cast: Robert Stack, Broderick Crawford, Lon Chaney Jr., Andy Devine, Anne Gwynne, Dick Foran, Louise Albritton, Don Porter, Ralph Morgan, Mary Wickes. Handsome Stack is the star of the day, and shirtless for part of his 90-second appearance. Universal’s stock company Adonis faints on the assembly line, and is scolded by the factory doctor to get in shape. Nobody’s about to suggest that the men at the plant might be being overworked. As Gary noted, the movie blames wives for not serving nutritious meals. That can’t have been easy when everything desirable is rationed.

Gary sent the link because it’s yet another rare and unusual appearance by a horror star. ‘Fat ‘n’ Lazy’ Andy Devine licks a giant lollypop at work; neighbor Lon Chaney Jr. talks him into taking up bowling or playing horseshoes. Chaney appeared to age 15 years between 1945 and 1950, so maybe Andy should have been coaching Lon … in real life, Devine outlived Chaney by a few years.

Too bad Broderick Crawford and Lon Chaney Jr. had no scenes together — they could have kicked each other in the shins!

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Saturday August 24, 2024

The most excellent Baron Munchausen acquitted himself very well in this Sci-fi oddity.

The Shape of Night 08/24/24

Radiance Films
Region A + B Blu-ray

Yet another eye-opener from 1960s Japan — the story of a young woman’s downfall is told with truth and conviction, with an especially powerful performance from star Miyuki Kuwano. Director Noboru Nakamura’s intimate account is bathed in the neon of the vice district; the fine script makes us realize how easily girls are ensnared in sexual exploitation. Not really seen here until a restoration ten years ago, the show just dazzles — it makes no compromise with sensationalism. On Region A + B Blu-ray from Radiance.
08/24/24

High Noon — 4K 08/24/24

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

It’s the most over-analyzed and over-interpreted western ever. Postwar politics may be quicksand, but it’s still about Gary Cooper’s Marshall Kane getting caught in a three-way taffy pull: how does The Code Of The West prioritize his conflicting pledges to his community, to law and order, to plain survival, and to his Quaker bride Grace Kelly? Fred Zinnemann got his second of 7 Best Director noms with this grandly OPO (Over-Performing Oater). It’s still a winner. Coop took home a Best Actor prize. The 4K remaster glows; two new commentaries dish the controversy. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
08/24/24

CineSavant Column

Saturday August 24, 2024

 

Hello!

You didn’t derive enough nightmares from  August 10th’s  CineSavant Column dose of AI horror?  Never despair:

The Vape is back with more dreadful visions, this time leaning toward enormous, Kaiju-like rude beasts slouching toward Bethlehem. Giant ill-defined silverfish-things floating in the sky, anybody?  It’s as if the hinges busted on Julian Karswell’s portal to Hell, setting free Satan’s entire demonic menagerie.

Quick, gather up little children that you want to see scarred forever — why should the illusion of a benign universe be quashed only for adults?

‘Village Live’ epizode 99530 zoology special.
 


 

And we confess to having purloined a link circulated by Joe Dante, a quite satisfying video lecture by matttt about a legend of comic books.

The Hunt for the Anonymous Cartoonist who Transformed Pop Culture.

Many of us already know about this great talent, but the real issue here is his suppression by a publishing company with illusions to maintain — and a desire to pay peanuts for the genius of ‘hired help’ that brought in millions in profits. This particular story has a happy ending … the bona fide great artist wasn’t acknowledged until he was retired and no longer working, but he could have remained unknown, thinking that his life’s work wasn’t significant or appreciated.

The video is really sentimental and inspirational, and the art shown is wonderful.

 

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson

Tuesday August 20, 2024

It’s like I’m 8 years old again, and everything on TV is wonderful…

Risky Business — 4K 08/20/24

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

This big hit from the yuppie decade launched a career that won’t die: with digital de-ageing, Tom Cruise can now throw out that portrait in his attic. What other 62 year-old enters via parachute at the Olympics? Paul Brickman brought the pubescent sex fantasy to the mainstream, with the spectacle of Cruise dancing in his underwear; Rebecca De Mornay’s slick hooker is admittedly irresistible. The screenplay is frequently witty, too. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
08/20/24

Navajo Joe 08/20/24

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

Burt Reynolds was among the first American actors to ‘do a Clint Eastwood’ and rush to Rome, but in his case the career boost didn’t happen. Sergio Corbucci turns out a Spaghetti with neither rhyme or reason, just continuous action, stuntwork and slaughter. Burt’s impressive athleticism is a kick but what really brings us back is Ennio Morricone’s wrenchingly radical soundtrack music, with a great chorus backing a main vocal that’s mainly screaming! On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
08/20/24