Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: June 2024

Strangers Kiss 06/29/24

Independent filmmakers attract attention by using a Kubrick semi-classic as a movie-within-a-movie! Blaine Novak’s tale of love on a movie set mirrors the jeopardy of the story being filmed: the leading lady’s gangster boyfriend bankrolls the movie only to see her attracted to someone else. Stars Victoria Tennant, Peter Coyote and Richard Romanus take the leads in this thin but cleverly concocted inside-out Hollywood story; the disc extras tell the much bigger story of how it came to be made. On Blu-ray from Fun City Editions.
06/29/24

The Man I Love 06/29/24

Ida Lupino really shows ’em how a movie star takes possession of the screen in Raoul Walsh’s excellent romantic drama set among night clubs in Long Beach. The war is over and Lupino’s Petey Brown can’t stop drifting, looking for the right man. A chance trip to visit her siblings entangles her in their personal issues, plus a lecherous new boss. An unhappy jazz pianist might be the man of Petey’s dreams — if he can shake off an old flame. Supporting Ida are Bruce Bennett, Robert Alda, Andrea King, Martha Vickers and Dolores Moran. The soundtrack melodies adapt classic standards, starting with the title tune. This new restoration is said to restore 6 missing minutes to the movie. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/29/24

Victims of Sin — Víctimas del Pecado 06/25/24

Mexican showbiz from the wrong side of the tracks: it’s big, it’s vulgar, it’s overcooked: but it’s highly effective cinema with sensational authentic music, terrific images and a vivacious star to promote. Cuban fireball Ninón Sevilla dances up a storm for her star vehicle, reportedly insisting on Mexico’s best behind the camera: director Emilio Fernández and cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. But get ready for some wrenching melodramatic absurdities, from a different cultural tradition. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/25/24

The Soldier’s Tale 06/25/24

Originally made for Public Television, R.O. Blechman’s adaptation of Stravinsky’s theater piece combines a score of animation techniques within his eccentric, expressive personal style. A soldier returning from war makes a deal with the Devil, trading his violin for a book that tells the future. The message is ‘You can’t go home again’ with an added element of ‘No second chances.’ Presented here full length for the first time, with five minutes of prologue and epilogue. Plus extra R.O. Blechman animated shorts, TV commercials, etc. On Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
06/25/24

Bandits of Orgosolo 06/22/24

This in-the-wilds thriller about Sardinian shepherds that become outlaws is an almost perfect movie experience, and truer to Italian neorealist theory than the accepted classics. Director Vittorio De Seta filmed on location with almost no crew, using actual shepherds for actors — and comes back with a masterpiece hailed by film festivals as the best debut feature of its year. Everybody liked it, especially the Italian Left — it demonstrates how a backward system of laws forces ordinary men into criminality. On Blu-ray from Radiance.
06/22/24

Ennio 06/22/24

Morricone fans and students of music will discover a real treat in Giuseppe Tornatore’s exhaustive, comprehensive epic documentary of All Things Ennio. With Il Maestro’s full cooperation, we get a life history and direct coverage of his greatest accomplishments, from the ‘musique concrète’ works that show up as coyote screams in ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.’ We also hear from an army of admirers and collaborators, but it’s the music that knocks us out — it’s an artist’s life turned into a full-on concert. On DVD from Music Box Films.
06/22/24

Columbia Noir #6: The Whistler 06/18/24

Reviewer Charlie Largent takes the dangerous assignments, in this case Columbia’s daunting ‘Whistler’ mysteries, mostly starring the strangely intense Richard Dix. The series has dedicated fans — some of the stories and situations are just plain weird, atypical for crime/detective fare at this time. Take notes, because there’ll be a quiz: The Whistler, The Mark of The Whistler, The Power of The Whistler, Voice of The Whistler, Mysterious Intruder, The Secret of The Whistler, The Thirteenth Hour and The Return of The Whistler. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
06/18/24

2001: A Space Odyssey — 4K 06/18/24

No, it’s not a new disc … CineSavant updates an older review to take in Warner’s 2018 4K edition — but mainly to wax enthusiastic about the long-gone thrill of Road Show moviegoing. We have the exact story of when (and where) Stanley Kubrick trimmed the movie by a reel, in its first week of release in 1968. It’s also a chance to reprint a nice reaction from an old friend, now gone, a notable authority on Science Fiction cinema. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
06/18/24

Blue Velvet – 4K 06/15/24

David Lynch’s dark vision of vice and cruelty beneath a quiet rural town solidified his rep as The Most Out-There big-studio director. Kyle Maclachlan’s curious Jeffrey can relate to Laura Dern’s sweet teenager, but he’s also drawn to Isabella Rossellini’s disturbed victim of sexual tyranny. With his tank of amyl nitrite gas, Dennis Hopper’s Frank became the decade’s slimiest, most deranged villain. Lynch’s creepy balance of wholesomeness and horror has not diminished, especially when remastered in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/15/24

Man’s Castle 06/15/24

Old-school Hollywood romance is back in force. This pre-Code dazzler by Frank Borzage is one of the best, emotionally valid despite its dated gender assumptions. The innocent Loretta Young adores Spencer Tracy’s charming lout — their meet-cute finds them homeless and helpless in a Manhattan shanty town at the bottom of the Depression. The new disc recovers several minutes censored by the Production Code, restoring risqué content not seen since 1934. On Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
06/15/24

Chinatown 4K Ultra HD 06/11/24

This masterpiece qualifies as a ‘period neo-noir’ despite being produced before the noir craze found traction. The murder of a city commissioner reveals a dark, greedy chapter in the history of Our City of the Angels. Robert Evans’ studio production found a perfect roster of collaborators for Robert Towne’s screenplay. Romantic and suspenseful, it’s a crowning achievement for stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, and very much a Roman Polanski movie … don’t hold your breath waiting for a happy ending. Terrific music by Jerry Goldsmith. In 4K Ultra HD only; the sequel The Two Jakes is included in HD. From Paramount Presents.
06/11/24

Obsession – (1949) 06/11/24

aka The Hidden Room.  The most accessible of the pictures director Edward Dmytryk made during his brief political exile in England is this tight ‘perfect crime’ murder thriller. A jealous husband plots to do away with his wife’s lover — keeping him alive in a ‘Hidden Room’ (the American release title) until he’s sure Scotland Yard has lost the scent. Then he’ll dispose of the body in a shudderingly horrible way — the title could be Dial ‘A’ for ACID.  Robert Newton is excellent as the cold, clever murderer, and Naunton Wayne is the engaging detective snooping for clues. Dmytryk’s excellent direction communicates some of the damp economic misery of postwar London. On Region Free Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
06/11/24

Republic Pictures Horror Collection 06/08/24

What a round-up!  Republic is mainly known for westerns, but also tried their hand at horror now and then. Charlie Largent tries ’em on for size, as new remasters make ’em look like they never looked before, Pardner — I mean, “Ygor.” It’s a wide range of attractions: The Phantom Speaks, The Catman of Paris, Valley of the Zombies — and The Lady and the Monster, the first film version of Curt Siodmak’s ‘Donovan’s Brain.’ It’s a real keeper, with Erich von Stroheim as the mad doctor who speaks the immortal words, “Bring me the Giggly Saw!” On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
06/08/24

City of Hope 06/08/24

A previously scarce John Sayles films surfaces in a beautiful widescreen edition. Cynicism and frustration pits Hudson City against itself, in a story of civic trouble that echoes Bruce Springsteen’s laments for America’s crumbling towns and cities. Builder Tony Lo Bianco is in hock to the Mob, and can’t pretend he’s not part of the fix; activist councilman Joe Morton is marginalized by the politicos, while his constituency accuses him of selling out. Disaffected yout Vincent Spano turns to petty crime. John Sayles’ sprawling but smartly-told story gathers his regular actors in an ensemble with at least 30 speaking roles that flesh out a portrait of a city ‘divided against itself.’ On Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
06/08/24

The Nun’s Story 06/04/24

It’s the kind of movie we get dragged to see … which then becomes a respected favorite. Robert Anderson, Fred Zinnemann and Audrey Hepburn’s interpretation of Kathryn C. Hulme’s book is a stunningly mature woman’s odyssey, about a young nun’s attempt to find fulfillment in a a demanding social-spiritual vocation, that seeks to reconstruct its postulants. Young Sister Luke has a difficult time conforming, in school, in an asylum, in the Congo, and finally back home during the WW2 Occupation of Brussels. We can’t think of another film with as many memorable roles for so many great supporting actresses, topped by Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft and Mildred Dunnock. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/04/24

Fear and Desire – 4K 06/04/24

Stanley Kubrick’s early work tells us a lot about the artist, like a collection of Da Vinci or Renoir sketch books. Kubrick’s tentative first feature has big problems — a ponderous script and war-movie ambitions it can’t deliver — but it qualifies as a noble first effort. The exacting B&W cinematography is arresting, especially in this 4K restoration. The new disc adds 9 minutes to the film’s running time, and includes all three of Kubrick’s short films, in excellent new remasters. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
06/04/24

You’re a Big Boy Now 06/01/24

Come back to the middle 1960s, when America’s hottest film student Francis Ford Coppola started on his path to directorial glory by parlaying his UCLA film school thesis film into a full-on studio production. A canny synthesis of youth trends and Coppola’s own weird sense of humor, the free-form comedy announces ‘I’ve arrived.’ The music is by The Lovin’ Spoonful and the cast is stellar: Peter Kastner, Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, Rip Torn, Julie Harris, Michael Dunn, Tony Bill, Dolph Sweet — and introducing a delightful Karen Black. Plus a close-up look at Times Square in ’66!  On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/01/24

Sci-Fi Chillers Collection 06/01/24

Good news for Sci-fi fans; Kino’s newly remastered trio of monsterrific thrillers looks great. The favorite Paramount semi-classic The Colossus of New York still impresses with its its haunting piano score and solemn direction by Eugène Lourié. The gooey fungus freakout The Unknown Terror is available domestically for the first time in its full ‘Regalscope’ glory. And the latter-day Destination Inner Space is… is… an underwater thriller with an appeal that’s, uh, difficult to put into words. We’ll be polite. Kino’s audio commentators certainly were polite — Steven Bissette, Tim Lucas and Tom Weaver among them. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
06/01/24