Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: June 2019

Morituri 06/25/19

Marlon Brando had few if any hits in the 1960s but this wartime spy picture is a not-bad thriller with some tense moments. Both Brando and Yul Brynner have been blackmailed into a risky mission as spy and sea captain; they’re more than a little disillusioned to find themselves transporting a boatload of Nazis and political prisoners headed back to Germany. Persecuted victim Janet Margolin is beyond caring — she’s a victim on a voyage of the damned. A fine cast is an added asset: Trevor Howard, Martin Benrath, Wally Cox, William Redfield and especially Hans Christian Blech. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
06/25/19

The Golden Arrow 06/25/19

It’s Tab Hunter as you’ve never seen him before. Antonio Margheriti’s limp but colorful Arabian Nights adventure romance is a real head-scratcher — it’s an entirely generic kiddie show, filmed on nice locations, and devoid of style or flash. Some of the sub-Bava effects are clever, but the only ‘magic’ element is the decision to dub the star Hunter with an off-the-shelf voice artist… it’s as if Tab has been sucked into a ‘scimitar & sandal’ episode of The Twilight Zone. Second viewing pleasure opportunity is the gorgeous Ms. Rossana Podestá. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/25/19

Universal Horror Collection Vol. 1 06/22/19

Universal has done pretty well with their classic monsters (except for hanging The Creature out to dry), but this first Blu-ray foray away from the franchise winners has been farmed out, with excellent results. Lavish, well-researched and illustrated extras accompany exemplary restorations of The Black Cat (’34), The Raven (’35), The Invisible Ray and Black Friday; all star Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Monstrous Charlie Largent does the honors review-wise this time, with his expected insights and humorous side-angles. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
06/22/19

War and Peace 06/22/19

Amazing! Colossal! And it’s good, too. “Gone With the Wind” is a tempest in a teacup compared to this jaw-dropping adaptation of the Tolstoy classic: seven hours of artful splendor, passionate characters, map-altering politics and the biggest, most spectacular battle scenes ever filmed. Sergei Bondarchuck has it all under control; the new restoration gives Soviet show color and clarity we’ve never seen before. Four parts, two discs, no waiting. Cover charge may apply. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/22/19

The Silent Partner 06/18/19

This, bar none, is one of the most satisfying, well written and acted thrillers since the heyday of Billy Wilder. Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer play against type as a conniving bank teller and a brutal, psychopathic holdup man; the curious Susannah York and seductive Céline Lomez are the women between them who may have agendas of their own. As directed by Daryl Duke, Curtis Hanson’s screenplay adaptation may be the most tightly constructed (plus intimate and convincing) movie of its kind. Can’t recommend this one highly enough … it’s a sure bet for a great discovery. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
06/18/19

Swing Time 06/18/19

George Stevens brings the comedy chops he learned with Laurel & Hardy to the world of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. It’s the fifth teaming of the peerless song, dance & comedy duo, and with RKO backing them up with even more lavish production values, the formula shows no sign of aging. Charlie Largent delves into the soft-shoe, tap, and ballroom of this Astaire-Rogers classic, the first to be remastered for HD. It’s about time. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/18/19

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini 06/15/19

It’s the umpteenth film in the Beach Party series, which for a few years in the 1960s ran neck and neck with E.A. Poe over at A.I.P.. Buster Keaton is the deadpan highlight, while the pregnant Annette, an absent Frankie, Dobie Gillis, Andy Hardy and Professor Quatermass join forces to keep Eric von Zipper in line. Charlie Largent puts the A.I.P. picture to the Cowabunga test. Winner of seven Academy Awards, and given special honors by the Nobel Committee, who were Annette Funicello fans from way back. On Blu-ray from Olive Films.
06/15/19

Cinderella 06/15/19

After five years of combining animated short subjects, and a combo live-action/animation feature, Disney dove into full feature animation fantasy again with the most basic of Fairy Tales. Just because he learned to create animation for a price doesn’t mean that the quality slacked off — the wondrous design and animation is augmented by terrific songs. Yes, half the picture is about cute mice and birds and other critters … which are done so well, the show is worth seeing multiple times. This handsome Signature Collection release follows earlier Diamond and Platinum releases … and don’t ask me to decode that classification system. On Blu-ray from Disney.
06/15/19

The Running Man 06/11/19

Sir Carol Reed takes on a movie about insurance fraud in sunny Spain — with a great trio of actors for 1963. Laurence Harvey scams an insurance company and looks forward to continuing to beat the system in a happy life of chicanery; Lee Remick finds her affections turning to Alan Bates, an insurance man who might also be on vacation, or might have come to uncover Harvy’s crime. How does Harvey hide out while waiting for the big payoff in Málaga? He buys a huge white convertible too big to fit through the streets! On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
06/11/19

The Bostonians 06/11/19

Henry James novels have made terrific movies; this precise, strongly-felt adaptation expresses interior feelings that James — the master of ambiguity — may not have intended, yet seem essential to the story. A dynamic young female public speaker transfixes all around her, and is taken in and mentored by an activist for the women’s movement. But will a conventional, confining, repressive romance undo a perfect political relationship? The Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala combination does a powerful book full justice; Vanessa Redgrave got the awards attention but it’s also one of the best films by Christopher Reeve.. On Blu-ray from The Cohen Group.
06/11/19

Blue Velvet 06/08/19

David Lynch’s first non-period non-fantasy is more weird and twisted than his mind-trips into other dimensions, distilling creepy perversity and deranged terror from the underworld of hometown, U.S.A.. Kyle MacLachlan returns from Arrakis, supported by Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, and Hope Lange, and terrorized by Dean Stockwell and especially Dennis Hopper, as the hopped up drug fiend Frank. Crime, mutilation, sex slavery!  No, it’s not the life story of Trailers from Hell’s fearless reviewer Charlie Largent. David Lynch attacks his sordid storyline and scary characters with style, spirit and his peculiar brand of intense creativity. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/08/19

A Patch of Blue 06/08/19

Sidney Poitier’s films of the 1950s and ’60s almost always put a statement about race in the forefront, and even when the message was obvious, his work as ambassador across the race divide made a big difference. This sweet tale of a possible romance across social barriers came at a time when interracial pairing was still illegal in some states. Poitier is his sweet self, but the film was stolen by young Elizabeth Hartman, a major talent with a tragic life story.. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/08/19

Earthquake 06/04/19

‘I Got The Quivers in My Knee Bone!” Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Geneviéve Bujold and George Kennedy must duck and cover to avoid the slings and arrows of everything Universal’s outraged visual effects people can throw at them. Yep, a titanic temblor hits Hollywood (must be because of our loose morals) and big name stars have their choice of being crushed to death, electrocuted, drowned, or shot by a perverted Marjoe Gortner. This 2-disc edition contains the full TV version, stretching our stamina for soap opera antics to the limit. Remember Sensurround, the low frequency audio gimmick that give patrons a rumbly in the tumbly?  The show may be tacky, but it’s definitely “Shakin’ All Oh-ver!” On Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.
06/04/19

Warlock 06/01/19

As the first wave of ‘adult’ westerns began to fade, 1959 gave us a burst of genuinely adult stories about the famed lawless towns of the frontier. Henry Fonda is at his moody best in a replay of his earlier Wyatt Earp, de-mythologized as just one more self-oriented opportunist in a land where even lawmen have an angle to play. But Fonda’s gun skills are impressive, and he’s halfway to becoming the soul-less ‘Frank’ from Once Upon a Time in The West. Edward Dmytryk almost rights his capsized directing career, and Robert Alan Aurthur’s screenplay delivers both an intense drama, & great gunslinging action. The backup performances are excellent too: Anthony Quinn, Richard Widmark, Dorothy Malone, Dolores Michaels, and Tom Drake. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
06/01/19

The Snake Pit 06/01/19

Hollywood takes a hard look at the mundane horrors of mental asylums, and Olivia de Havilland scores another career high with her portrayal of a housewife experiencing a nervous breakdown. Some people found the show scary and a few felt it was tasteless, but Ms. de Havilland’s performance is riveting, 71 years later. Anatole Litvak’s intense direction makes good use of expressionistic visual devices, without veering into dippy Salvador Dalí psycho-surrealism. With Leo Genn, Mark Stevens, Celeste Holm and scores of impressive character actresses. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
06/01/19