Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: June 2020

Hair 06/30/20

Bring back the Age of Aquarius! Olive Films returns with the company’s best Signature Edition ever. The show is an excellent choice for a special edition, as seen by the simply terrific interviews in its battery of added value featurettes. Top creative contributors have been tapped for some great memories. Rather than filming a simple adaptation, Milos Forman reinterprets the hit show, allowing Twyla Tharp’s choreographic genius to soak into most every scene — the result is a marvelous melding of theatrical and cinematic effects. Starring John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D’Angelo, Annie Golden, Dorsey Wright, Don Dacus, and Cheryl Barnes. On Blu-ray from Olive Signature.
06/30/20

The Reluctant Debutante 06/30/20

Vincente Minnelli took time out from expensive MGM shows like Gigi to knock off this tale about the London debutante season, a light-comedy Cinderella story without satire or social comment. Young Sandra Dee and John Saxon come off well, but the show belongs to stars Rex Harrison and especially Kay Kendall, whose comedy timing and finesse lift the tame, weightless material. With Angela Lansbury and Diane Clare. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/30/20

The Spider 06/27/20

Bert I. Gordon rides again, with an excellent encoding of one of his more popular sci-fi monster-ramas.  Pert ‘n’ perky June Kenney is so brave that she keeps going back to ‘that old cave outside of town,’ despite not knowing how many giant spiders are on the loose. Teenagers in their thirties and their bebop-crazy rock ‘n’ roll are no match for Gordon’s titanic, screaming arachnid. This spidey is just plain shifty, the kind of unscrupulous fiend that colors his crayons outside the (matte) lines … in crimson B&W blood! June Kenney’s mom knows her girl only two well: “… I hope she hasn’t gone back to that cave.” With some excellent extras, namely about a million rare behind-the-scenes stills from Tom Weaver. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
06/27/20

Dark and Stormy Night 06/27/20

It’s a Larry Blamire film, and it’s composed of entirely NEW and UNIQUE elements: a lonely mansion, strange servants, the reading of the will, weird heirs, death threats, snoopy reporters, a midnight seance, mysterious locked rooms, the clutching hands of a phantom menace, and the ultimate terror, Kogar the mighty ape. All new, right?  This ‘nothing you’ve ever seen before’ is performed by Blamire’s nimble acting clan, all competing to immortalize some of the silliest dialogue ever written. Two versions of the screwball-nostalgic farce are present on this special edition disc, along with the usual disturbingly offbeat selection of Blamire extras. On Blu-ray from Hydraulic Entertainment.
06/27/20

Wildlife 06/23/20

The beguiling short-story feel of Paul Dano’s intimate family drama makes us share the experience of a teenager whose parents are ‘going through a rough patch’ that may break up the only security he’s known. The performances of Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan and especially young Ed Oxenbould are low-key and high-intelligence; each seems a study of people we know, or people we might be. The observance of what rural America was like in 1960 Montana (or many places, even now) is acute. Highest recommendations. With Bill Camp; highest recommendations for this very satisfying piece of 21st Century moviemaking. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/23/20

Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection 06/23/20

He really wanted to review it!  Actually, lovers of the strange and arcane in film history are applauding this enormous, if anything OVER-curated box of exploitation errata from the ’60s and ’70s. Everything extant is here as regards the Al Adamson oeuvre, such as it is. I can scarcely believe the reconstruction effort — some of the titles had to be Frankenstein’d back together from random surviving prints. The intrepid, dauntless Charlie Largent digs deep into this monster box, enough to glean a reasonable overview. He earns every nickel of his exorbitant CineSavant salary (and stock options). It’s all here: Fourteen discs!  Thirty-one films!  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!  After looking at the list of titles one more time, I confess I want to get the box back to check out John Carradine in The Fiend with The Electronic Brain. I think I actually saw that title on a marquee once back in the day. At the present moment Amazon has ONE of these sets in stock — for a generous $6.00 off its stratospheric retail price! On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
06/23/20

Tokyo Olympiad 06/20/20

Will there even be an Olympics in our foreseeable future?  Kon Ichikawa’s 1964 masterpiece is still the the most spectacular/intimate film about human athletics ever, a celebration of the human body and its abilities. An epic for people that don’t necessarily like sports, it’s less a documentary of the event than a collection of moving impressions. Who knew that sports could be so emotional?  Criterion’s beautiful 4K restoration disc comes with extensive interviews with director Ichikawa. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/20/20

The Specialists 06/20/20

From guest reviewer Lee Broughton: French rock ‘n’ roll singer Johnny Hallyday joins actresses Francoise Fabian and Sylvie Fennec in Italian director Sergio Corbucci’s best looking Western, filmed in the Dolomites mountain range. The previously scarce 1969 picture is a mystery-revenge tale, on the talky side but beautifully produced. And they have the nerve to give Hallyday’s hero the name ‘Hud.’ With Gaston Moschin and Mario Adorf. On Region B Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment.
06/20/20

Horrors of Spider Island 06/16/20

Don’t call them Bad Movies — when something’s this enjoyable, other verbal put-downs are more appropriate. This low-grade German sexploitation horror pic spent its full budget on a roster of frisky Berlin showgirls. After years of study, experts have finally proven that it was filmed with a camera. Severin’s special edition does justice to a cult non-classic with an uncut original German version, plus a second American version and extra alternate scenes. Alexander D’Arcy’s scary horror-face is a childhood monster magazine memory. The creepy title critter looks like a land crab morphed with a really pissed-off Woody Woodpecker. On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
06/16/20

Sunday in New York 06/16/20

Romantic comedies became coy sex chase comedies by the early 1960s, once Doris Day made ‘professional virgin’ a Hollywood career. This mistaken identity/crossed prevarications farce is better than most, thanks to charming performances by Jane Fonda and Rod Taylor, and a fine script by Norman Krasna, from his play. The story doesn’t dance around the issue of should she or shouldn’t she — the frustrated young heroine asks the question right out loud: ‘Am I supposed to sleep with a steady boyfriend?’ Also starring Cliff Robertson, Robert Culp, Jo Morrow and Jim Backus. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/16/20

Toho Sci-Fi Double Feature 06/13/20

Mill Creek again dips into exotic Japanese sci-fi fantasy, and this time scores with the desired language choices and subtitle configurations for these spectaculars from the beginning of Toho’s strongest period. The H-Man is a stylish gangster-horror melange about a radioactive slime that cheerfully transforms Guys ‘n’ Dolls alike into living goo. Then, a Battle in Outer Space is the result when a two-rocket expedition to the moon uncovers an imminent alien invasion, and flying saucer vs. rocketplane dogfights break out in low Earth orbit and in the skies over Tokyo. Was matinee moviegoing ever better than that?  CineSavant writes, uh, at lengthabout all the fan concerns over this disc. On Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment.
06/13/20

Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema III 06/13/20

Today’s noir forecast is vice, kidnapping, murder, suicide, narcotics and a sleazy stolen baby racket!  — Abandoned, The Lady Gambles, The Sleeping City — Kino’s third volume of Universal-International pix contains two seldom-screened quality urban noirs. Expect genuine dark themes in these sizable-budget location noirs filmed before Universal pulled most production back onto its one-size-fits-all backlot sets. Barbara Stanwyck dominates one show, while noir stalwarts Richard Conte and Dennis O’Keefe anchor the other two dramas, with dynamic showings by Coleen Gray, Edith Barrett, Peggy Dow, Jeanette Nolan, Meg Randall and especially Gale Storm. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
06/13/20

The Last Valley 06/09/20

This thinking man’s epic got left behind in the collapse of Road Show movies, which is a shame. A beautifully made, uncompromised story of warring 17th century Germany, it plays like a fine epic, with great performances. Audiences didn’t want to see Michael Caine playing this kind of character in a costume drama that wasn’t glorious escapism. Everybody’s good — it’s a great picture for Omar Sharif and the underappreciated Florinda Bolkan, plus Nigel Davenport, Arthur O’Connell, Madeleine Hinde, Brian Blessed and Michael Gothard. The (originally) 70mm cinematography looked incredibly good in 1971. PLUS … an extended footnote-article from “B.” On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
06/09/20

An Unmarried Woman 06/09/20

Talk about a film whose time has come … Paul Mazursky’s ode to womanly liberation takes a sensible, gentle approach. Yes, the husband was a total jerk, and so is the first man Jill Clayburgh’s Erica turns to in need. What’s more important is the feeling of empowerment on the personal intimate level: it’s okay for a woman to have personal priorities; it’s okay to decline commitment to the whims and wishes of a male companion. Forty-two years later, the premise holds — especially the film’s emphasis on social support from one’s friends. With Alan Bates, Michael Murphy, Cliff Gorman, Pat Quinn, Kelly Bishop and Lisa Lucas. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/09/20

Sixteen Candles 06/06/20

John Hughes’ breakthrough writing-directing hit still carries a glow (a very square, safe glow) that defuses its rougher edges, making it one of the best of ’80s Teen comedies. Even the savvy Soraya Roberts cuts it some slack, thanks to the authentic presence and fine performance of Molly Ringwald. Hughes’ amusing script comes up with at least ten moments that would have made Preston Sturges laugh, and his perfect casting for personalities young and old makes his direction look inspired. With great turns by Anthony Michael Hall, Haviland Morris, Debbie Pollack, Gedde Watanabe, Paul Dooley, and Michael Schoeffling. On Blu-rayfrom Arrow Video.
06/06/20

Alice in Wonderland (1933) 06/06/20

Paramount gives Lewis Carroll’s classic the Full Hollywood Press, assigning production designer William Cameron Menzies to bring the book’s original illustrations to life, sharing screenplay credit with Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The result is an all-star curio, with every contract player at the studio donning elaborate costumes — some big names we can only recognize by their voices, if that. It’s a star-spotting coffe table game for old movie fans: YOU pick out W.C. Fields, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Sterling Holloway, Edward Everett Horton, Roscoe Karns, Mae Marsh, Louise Fazenda, Richard Arlen, Baby Leroy, Polly Moran, Jack Oakie, Edna Mae Oliver, May Robson, Charles Ruggles, Ned Sparks, Ethel Griffies and Billy Barty. Reviewer Charlie Largent navigates the controversial course between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. On Blu-rayfrom KL Studio Classics.
06/06/20

The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse 06/03/20

Look out — a deranged reviewer can’t control his enthusiasm. By adapting his Weimar-era cinematic lexicon to the Space Age, Fritz Lang circles his career back to the core genre thrills he invented a hundred years ago. Superstition and sinister technological advances combine to make the 20th century an Age of Terror; it’s the dawning of a brave new world of total surveillance, mind control and paranoid conspiracies. I could talk for hours about the directing/editing in this show — it’s so sophisticated, and yet so simple. Starring Dawn Addams, Peter van Eyck, Gert Fröbe, Wolfgang Preiss, Werner Peters, Andrea Checchi, and Howard Vernon. On Region B Blu-ray from Eureka/Masters of Cinema.
06/03/20

Husbands 06/03/20

John Cassavetes’ breakthrough picture (filmed in 35mm, wow!) gets the Criterion treatment, with fine new extras that take us back to a moment when the American Independent movement broke through to the big theaters, with bigger stars. It’s 142 minutes of intense improvisation during which Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk challenge, tease and bully fellow performers into the director’s vision of performance artistry. The full title on-screen raises the bar pretty high: Husbands: A Comedy About Life, Death and Freedom. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/03/20