Reviews – CineSavant

Burn! 12/31/22

Viavision [Imprint]

Region Free Blu-ray

aka Queimada. This Region-Free import gives us both versions of Gillo Pontecorvo’s fictional tale of colonial misdeeds that sums up old Europe’s attitude toward the New World. Marlon Brando’s agent provocateur and freebooting soldier of fortune foments revolution against the Portuguese and then hires out to reverse everything he’s done for English interests. The big scale production was filmed in several locations across the globe; it has a standout performance from Evaristo Márquez as a charismatic peasant eager to become a conqueror. On Region Free Blu-rayfrom Viavision [Imprint].
12/31/22

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Sergeant Ryker 12/31/22

KL Studio Classics

Blu-ray

Lee Marvin, Vera Miles and Bradford Dillman shine a military courtroom drama, a TV movie released as a theatrical feature five years later (pretty sneaky, Universal). It’s small-scale but effective, with strong performances and a reasonably credible storyline. Marvin’s Ryker is on trial for his life, with the entire U.S. Army convinced that he’s a traitor. Attorney Bradford Dillman stumbles in his defense — other officers catch him consorting with Ryker’s wife. It’s a treat for Lee Marvin fans, provided they don’t expect the action epic depicted on the posters. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/31/22

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Three Films by Mai Zetterling 12/27/22

The Criterion Collection

Blu-ray

The ex- movie star Mai Zetterling found more satisfaction in directing. In interviews she denied that she is an intellectual, but more intelligent films about male-female emotional politics are hard to come by. Unusually frank and intense, these dramas for the 1960s art film circuit pack a visceral impact — the extreme situations and content disturbed critics concerned with Good Taste. It’s a trilogy of respected works: Loving Couples, Night Games and The Girls. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/27/22

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The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K 12/27/22

KL Studio Classics

4K Ultra HD + Blu Ray

A superb thriller is now better than ever on 4K. We’ve always known why it rewards viewings: it’s both thrilling and funny. When Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo hijack a subway train, Walter Matthau must scramble to collect a ransom while trying to figure out how they’ll make their escape. Peter Stone’s dialogue is delightful — the loud & mouthy ’70s New Yorkers are hilariously abrasive — and lovable. “Who wants to know?!!!” Includes a Blu-ray disc and a new commentary. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/27/22

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The Night of the Iguana 12/20/22

The Warner Archive Collection

Blu-ray

John Huston has great fun with Tennessee Williams’ tale of a failed minister who tangles with romantic terrors in a pre-developed Puerto Vallarta. He gives his stellar cast full freedom to seize the screen: Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Grayson Hall and Sue Lyon. The fun ranges from ribald comedy to poetic glimpses of what lies beyond human desperation. Charlie Largent reviews; the hapless Burton doesn’t know what these women will do after the sun sets. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/20/22

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Directed by Roland Joffe 12/20/22

Viavision [Imprint]

Region Free Blu-ray

Directors looking for important, ambitious subject matter didn’t disappear with the rise of the Star Wars Generation. Roland Joffé’s first four features are all admirable efforts, with a couple of gems right up front: powerful pictures that tell truths that we ought not to forget. The star power is here as well — Robert De Niro, Paul Newman. The deluxe collector’s box caps a presentation with new extras for each title: The Killing Fields, The Mission, Fat Man and Little Boy and City of Joy. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
12/20/22

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Invaders from Mars 12/17/22

Ignite Films

Blu-ray

The disc of the year has finally arrived and it’s 1000% worth the wait. William Cameron Menzies’ flight into schoolboy paranoia now really looks like it ought to hang in the Louvre; the entire show is inspired Modern Art. When Martians conduct a brain-snatching takeover of Middle America little David MacLean must save the day, with an assist from an astronomer buddy and a sexy city nurse. The review is mostly concerned with how the new Ignite release looks and sounds. The rejuvenation of this fantasy masterpiece will turn fans of the 1950s sci-fi boom back into delighted ‘Gee Whiz’ kids. On Blu-ray from Ignite Films.
12/17/22

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Remember the Night 12/17/22

Powerhouse Indicator

Region B Blu-ray

Mitchell Leisen’s great Christmas-time tale has a brilliant screenplay by Preston Sturges and letter-perfect performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, threading the needle between light cynicism and well-earned sentiment. Sturges’ celebration of ‘country values’ is sincere and heartfelt, as is his affection for the supporting cast. The presentation includes two radio broadcasts plus a star-studded Paramount short subject for war bonds. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
12/17/22

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Dersu Uzala 12/13/22

Viavision [Imprint]

Blu-ray

What a great way to encounter such an unusual masterpiece — Akira Kurosawa reenergized his creative career with this ambitious, uncompromised historical epic, filmed for Mosfilm on location in the wilds of far-East Siberia. A local woodsman becomes a guide for a Russian survey team, and a great friendship is formed. It’s like nothing Kurosawa made before or since — an adventure that stresses nature-friendly philosophy over action. The good extras are topped by Stuart Galbraith IV’s expert commentary, which includes three additional specialists to cover this film and its director in full fascinating detail. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].

12/13/22

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The Girl on a Motorcycle 12/13/22

KL Studio Classics

Blu-ray

Welcome to 1968, and a burst of creative direction from one of the greatest film artists of the 20th century, Jack Cardiff. An attempt to make pop star Marianne Faithful into a cinematic sex symbol is an uphill struggle, even with Alain Delon playing opposite. Psychedelic effects are poured over a tale of desire that plays out in tony surroundings and out on the open road. Cardiff had a hand in the script, working for erotic effects. The American release recognized it as exploitation, and slapped on the more direct title ‘Naked Under Leather.’ On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/13/22

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It Always Rains on Sunday 12/10/22

KL Studio Classics

Blu-ray

All those British crime films once deemed undesirable for the National Image are beginning to get the attention they deserve. This story of a single day in a working class section of London has plenty of criminal activity but blends it in with the everyday crimes of desperation and boredom. The Sandigate girls are flirting with trouble but Googie Withers’ Rose Sandigate has gone much further: she’s hiding an escaped fugitive who was once her lover in the vain hope of recapturing her lost youth. Director Robert Hamer examines a dozen distinctive characters on the edge of respectability, in one of the most original ‘Brit noirs’ we’ve seen to date. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/10/22

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Pulp Fiction 4K 12/10/22

Paramount Home Video

4K Ultra HD + Blu Ray + Digital

A 4K Steelbook! Haven’t seen this one lately, and discovered that it holds up remarkably well. Mr. QT’s sophomore outing made an indelible mark on American movies — the darling of hipster crime filmmaking dazzled viewers with show set-piece scenes, entertainingly profane dialogue and ultra-hip inside-out time-shuffling narrative tricks. Add to that genuine star turns, especially Uma Thurman and John Travolta’s iconic dance scene. It’s old-fashioned movie-going in an avant-garde pattern, with raw violence and even rougher language. The stars include Samuel L. Jackson, Harvy Keitel, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer and Bruce Willis. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code from Paramount Home Video.
12/10/22

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Twilight 12/06/22

KL Studio Classics

Blu-ray

Robert Benton and Paul Newman’s show-biz detective tale is one of the best-looking thrillers of 1998. With its star lineup of Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Reese Witherspoon, Stockard Channing and James Garner, its the equivalent of a dog-eared comfy mystery paperback. The classic themes and stylistics are here, but in a new Hollywood where movie stars can get away with murder, and nobody seems to care. Everyone is excellent and the show quite enjoyable, even if it seems we’ve seen a lot of it before. A solid academic extra is the audio commentary by Alain Silver and James Ursini. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/06/22

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The Molly Maguires 12/06/22

Viavision [Imprint]

Blu-ray

It’s Labor vs. Capital, in basic terms! Sean Connery is the tough, embittered miner looking to strike back against the bosses, and Richard Harris the underdog who sees a way out by becoming an agent provocateur for the Pinkertons. An admirable true-life history lesson, Walter Bernstein & Martin Ritt’s downer of a drama didn’t grab the public’s imagination. But there’s no better vision of the time and place, thanks to James Wong Howe’s realistic, nearly monochromatic cinematography. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
12/06/22

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Attack of the 50 Foot Woman 12/03/22

The Warner Archive Collection

Blu-ray

Only once in a generation do we behold a classic such as this! The ’embiggened’ adventures of Nancy Archer lack technical sophistication, but good direction and a very direct story — female revenge writ large — grab us every time. Let the absurdities pile up, because Allison Hayes cuts a mean fifty-foot figure in that white two-piece, and saucy Yvette Vickers can really warm up the clientele down at Tony’s place. It’s a terrific piece of late ’50s exploitation anti-art, and its fantastic Reynold Brown poster is a key expression of an entire monsterrific worldview. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/03/22

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The Blood Beast Terror 12/03/22

KL Studio Classics

Blu-ray

The horrible Dr. Mallinger is experimenting on his own daughter to create a species of blood-sucking super-moths, and the good police Inspector Quennell is determined to catch him, using his own daughter as bait. This head-scratcher about daughter abuse stars Robert Flemyng, Peter Cushing and some handsome period scenery; Tigon films takes a spin with Hammer-style gothic thrills, directed by Vernon Sewell. No, it’s not a prequel to Mothra, and the insectoid threat isn’t neutralized with moth balls. The moth monster is a first special effect credit for Roger Dicken. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/03/22

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