Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: August 2024

Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet 08/31/24

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

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

We Still Kill the Old Way 08/27/24

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

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

The Shape of Night 08/24/24

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

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

Risky Business — 4K 08/20/24

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

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

Marie: A True Story 08/17/24

This excellent true story of political bribery in Tennessee has a genuine heroine at its center. Sissy Spacek plays a governor’s aide set up to grease pardons for violent offenders, who blows the whistle in her own defense. Jeff Daniels is the fixer running the scheme; attorney and future Sentator Fred Thompson became a film actor in this show, playing himself. This almost-forgotten but worthwhile drama was photographed by the great Chris Menges. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
08/17/24

Bob le flambeur — 4K 08/17/24

Take a trip to the ’50s roots of French crime cinema, now redubbed ‘French noir.’ Obsessed with American cars and movies, Jean-Pierre Melville nevertheless brings original flavor and philosophy to his first thriller. ‘Bob the Gambler’ is a friend to all in the Paris underworld and a gent when it comes to women. But he’s still a slave to his addiction to cards. It’s a heist movie with characters more colorful than Hollywood’s, filmed with a street sense that inspired the French New Wave. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
08/17/24

Northwest Passage 08/13/24

Want to follow Spencer Tracy in search of the elusive Northwest Passage?  Not in this movie!  Taken from American history and treated like gospel, Kenneth Roberts’ story gives us Spencer Tracy as a colonial ‘special forces’ Major whose troop marches hundred of miles to wipe out an Indian encampment near the Canadian border … it’s the Apocalypse Now of 1940. MGM’s gigantic production lugged giant Technicolor cameras all over Oregon and Idaho under the direction of famed director King Vidor. Robert Young is the artist who becomes a guerilla fighter; the whole movie plays like propaganda to prepare American boys to fight Nazis. The digital Technicolor restoration is excellent. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.

08/13/24

World War III 08/13/24

Once again an Iranian film yields an experience found nowhere else. Houman Seyedi’s allegory of exploiters and the exploited never takes a false step, building in tension as it goes. Festival critics praised the performance of Mohsen Tanabandeh as an Everyman laborer driven to a radical extremes. The well-made picture plays with elements we expect to see in a Black Comedy, but the last thing offered is laughs … what we get is 107 wrenching minutes of Truth In Motion. On Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile.
08/13/24

Alphaville 4k 08/10/24

Jean-Luc Godard’s pop Sci-fi masterpiece jumps to 4K … and the splendid 2023 remaster on the 4K disc finally nails Raoul Coutard’s gritty-beautiful B&W cinematography. Agent Lemmy Caution rockets through intersidereal space to fight the computer Alpha 60 in Dr. Nosferatu’s ‘Capital of Pain’ … and to help Natacha Von Braun re-learn the word ‘love.’ The pulp saga is the story of our times, circa 1965. Stars Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Akim Tamiroff. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
08/10/24

The Hell with Heroes 08/10/24

We wanted to cover a Universal product from the late ’60s, and this one has stars we like — Rod Taylor, Claudia Cardinale, Harry Guardino and a lot of angles to discuss — the TV-movie production values, the Techniscope format short cut. Kino’s disc comes with a good commentary from Steve Mitchell & Steven Jay Rubin. The story is about smugglers in Europe, but everything we see looks Los Angeles- local. On the other hand, any excuse to see Claudia Cardinale is a good excuse. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
08/10/24

Goin’ South – 4K 08/06/24

Jack Nicholson’s shaggy, sloppy, not-particularly-well-organized western comedy is often hilarious, especially in the early stages. With a half-dozen capable funny men given little to do — John Belushi, for one — the movie is ultimately saved by its leading lady. The marvelous, 100% charming Mary Steenburgen helps the film earn its label ‘romantic comedy,’ even if the result leaves a lot of loose ends hanging. Nicholson did hire the best, though — Richard Bradford, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morris … and his cameraman is none other than Néstor Almendros. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Cinématographe / Vinegar Syndrome.
08/06/24

The Lady from Shanghai – 4K 08/06/24

Practically disowned by Columbia when new, Orson Welles’ baroque noir thriller is now regarded as one of the studio’s top achievements, and Sony has released it as a solo 4K attraction. Starring Welles’ ex-wife Rita Hayworth and a raft of eccentric players in strikingly effective roles, the film fronts a pretzel-twisted storyline that takes multiple viewings to untangle (we’re still working on that). Welles noir tale is a crazy-house of romantic delirium, and not even Harry Cohn’s editorial interference can dull its impact… it’s still a classic. On 4K Ultra HD (only) from Sony.
08/06/24

Ernie Pyle’s The Story of G.I. Joe 08/03/24

General Eisenhower reportedly praised this movie as best representing the real experience of American foot soldiers; director William Wellman’s cast gives it believability and the writers stick close to the de-glamorized plain reporting of war correspondent Ernie Pyle. The real combat footage intercuts well; the sentiment is heartbreakingly direct. Burgess Meredith is excellent and budding star Robert Mitchum earned his one acting nomination. The restored Blu-ray comes with first-class extras, including a fine Alan Rode commentary. On Blu-ray from Ignite Films.
08/03/24

The Last Emperor – 4K 08/03/24

Cecil B. De Mille and David Lean get the glory for historical epics on a giant scale, but Bernardo Bertolucci’s saga of an empire overturned equals them in sweep and spectacle. The complex era on view would seem a political minefield, yet the production received full cooperation from the Red Chinese. The digital restoration presents the theatrical version in 4K, plus an SD encoding of the expanded RAI television cut, which is almost an hour longer. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
08/03/24