Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: December 2024

Sahara — (1943) 12/31/24

Where has this one been?  The excellent war drama features Humphrey Bogart in one of his most satisfying roles, as a get-it-done tank commander surrounded by Germans on the African Sands. It’s solid storytelling with something of a United Nations appeal. Bogie’s tank crew is Bruce Bennett and Dan Duryea. Rex Ingram’s Sgt. is a standout, and J. Carrol Naish won a Supporting Actor nom for his soulful Italian. And the M3-Lee tank Lulubelle has great personal appeal. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
12/31/24

A Bridge Too Far — 4K 12/31/24

Joseph E. Levine’s multi-star WWII epic is one of the last Road Show blockbusters: Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Kruger, Ryan O’Neal, Laurence Olivier, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann carry substantial roles in a detailed re-enactment of an ill-fated Allied attempt to break into German through Holland. Richard Atteborough directs from William Goldman’s script; the 3-hour 4K package is loaded with extras. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayfrom Viavision [Imprint].
12/31/24

The Searchers — 4K 12/28/24

The Warner Archive Collection’s first 4K Ultra HD release is a glowing digital restoration of John Ford’s unequalled western classic, considered to also have one of John Wayne’s best performances. The movie is remarkable in that it embraces so many different tones: tragic drama, buffoonish comedy, and a full examination of racial hatred as a tribal force … It’s the story of America, in a way, rooted in Fords’ worship of Family. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayfrom The Warner Archive Collection.
12/28/24

Incubus — 4K 12/28/24

One of the strangest American films of the ’60s is Leslie Stevens’ occult thriller starring William Shatner — who speaks all his dialogue in Esperanto. A ‘once upon a time’ country has a healing well, but its forest and beaches are overrun by female demons that harvest wicked souls through seduction and murder. The weirdness is amplified by Conrad Hall’s cinematography and the eerie music of Dominic Frontiere. The once-obscure film was scanned in 4K from the only surviving projection print. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
12/28/24

The Tall Target 12/24/24

An 1861 plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln is smartly styled as a ‘film noir in costume.’ Southern secessionists want Abe dead, and many in the Union hate him as well; detective Dick Powell races ny train to Baltimore to stem the conspiracy. The tension now feels topical …. only in the Civil War era was the country more divided than it is now. Director Anthony Mann’s stark approach to violence caps a smart screenplay that interweaves fiction with historical fact. Able performances are contributed by Adolphe Menjou, Marshall Thompson, Will Geer and Ruby Dee. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/24/24

Panic in Year Zero! 12/24/24

Charlie Largent dives into Radiance Films’ new Blu of Ray Milland’s topical Sci-fi from the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Milland both directs and acts in the leading role of Harry Baldwin, a family man who goes on a three-hour cruise on a weekend camping trip, only for World War III to break out. Survivalists take note: be sure to steal all the available gas and groceries before your neighbor can. Jay Simm’s ruthless screenplay blames all the lawless rape and pillage on punks hopped up on dope; the extras repeat Richard Harland Smith’s excellent commentary. On Region B Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
12/24/24

No Country for Old Men — 4K 12/21/24

The Coen brothers’ modern classic adapts Cormac McCarthy’s book about drug violence on the border. Welcome to supply & demand economics at its most basic: human values are absent in a bloody scramble for a cache of drug money. Tommy Lee Jones is the old lawman with a defeatist outlook and Josh Brolin is a daring Texan who gets more danger than he bargains for. Javier Bardem won the prize for the most original movie villain since Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter. The violent thrills subvert audience expectations — and remain true to McCarthy’s nihilistic vision. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/21/24

The Hunted — 4K 12/21/24

William Friedkin whips up some terrific action and nasty knife-fighting with solid input from Tommy Lee Jones and Benecio Del Toro. Despite delivering on the promise of action, the characters and storyline never rise above trite clichés. So this one’s for fans of hairy chases and gritty one-on-one combat. Friedkin’s fast-paced action is enhanced with the cinematography of Caleb Deschanel, which looks better than ever in a new 4K remaster. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/21/24

The Beast with Five Fingers 12/17/24

Charlie Largent’s disc review goes mano a mano with this neat horror item from Robert Florey. The nervous presence of Peter Lorre elevates a spooky idea about a severed hand. When the will of a rich man is contested, his left hand detatches and goes looking for victims. Where will it turn up next?  Florey’s expressive direction, Max Steiner’s music and startling visual effects enhance Lorre’s frantic performance. With Robert Alda, Andrea King and J. Carrol Naish; it’s a fondly-remembered late-late show attraction that creeped out countless little kids. On Blu-rayfrom The Warner Archive Collection.
12/17/24

Revenge of the Zombies 12/17/24

The living dead didn’t hunger for brains back in the 1940s, but they did walk with Frances Dee, elect a King and perform on Broadway. Monogram’s second microbudgeted Zombie opus gives John Carradine one of his first mad doctor roles. The fine actor dignifies inconsequential plot complications, mixing chemicals to create Zombie storm troopers for Hitler. The drama is tepid and the zombies goose-step when they march, but the camera direction by Steve Sekely is above Monogram’s usual standard. The most fun is provided by the talented Mantan Moreland, whose comedic antics steal the show. With an audio commentary by Tom Weaver. On Blu-rayfrom KL Studio Classics.
12/17/24

Slap the Monster on Page One 12/14/24

Some Italian thrillers post-1968 became very political. Marco Bellocchio’s outright accusation against the power elite of Milan all but drops the thriller aspect to concentrate on exposing the evil of partisan media manipulation. Sound familiar?  Scheming newspaper editor Gian Maria Volontè leverages a sex murder to smear the left and throw an election. With police approval, he railroads a suspect by browbeating reporters and influencing a witness. Screenwriter Sergio Donati also wrote ‘political’ westerns; Italy was so caught up in divisive violence that the filmmakers were able to film actual demonstrations. On Blu-ray from Radiance.
12/14/24

Body and Soul 12/14/24

Abraham Polonsky and Robert Rossen’s ringside classic is a key film noir and a key social issue film; John Garfield and Lilli Palmer make big impressions with the aid of Anne Revere, Canada Lee, Lloyd Gough, William Conrad and Joseph Pevney. James Wong Howe brought a new, raw look to his cinematography of a boxing match; Garfield has his defining role as an outsider who refuses to bow to corruption: What are you going to do, kill me?  Everybody dies.”  The show has a high number of actors and crew later blacklisted by the HUAC witch hunters. Alan K. Rode tells all the connected stories in his excellent commentary.  On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/14/24

Scarface — 4K (1932) 12/10/24

Howard Hawks’ ferocious, never-bettered gangster saga has the best of pre-Code thrills — sex and violence at the service of basic All-American ambition. Paul Muni’s Tony Camonte is a near-Neanderthal egoist crazy about Karen Morley but also his own sister, slinky Ann Dvorak. George Raft has his most famous role and Boris Karloff delights as a nervous bootlegging mobster. The big issue with this release?  It’s in 4K Ultra HD, which at first glance strikes us as format overkill. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/10/24

Pulp Fiction — 30th Anniversary 4K 12/10/24

How soon will it be before Quentin Tarantino’s films are considered ‘old man’s movies?’  This time-twisted crime tale made a big dent in film culture back when The Lion King and Forrest Gump were the biggest hits of the year. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson’s hit men, Uma Thurman’s coked-up party girl, Bruce Willis’ cagey Palooka, Ving Rhames’ gangster and Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth’s lovebird stickup artists have all become indelible icons; Tarantino’s storytelling style inspired a hundred copycats. The 30th Anniversary release has no shortage of extras, Daddy-O. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment.
12/10/24

Interstellar 10th Anniversary 4K 12/07/24

Competing for gift box attention this holiday is this impressive 4K Ultra HD anniversary release of Christopher Nolan’s intelligent answer to 2001, a cosmic journey literally to the other end of the universe. Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway star in a warm ‘n’ human contemplation of human limits ‘beyond the infinite.’ Nolan gives it his best — big pieces of his grand epic lift our spirits above gloomy thoughts of doom for our species and the unthinkable dimensions of outer space. Plus, we love those robots. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment.
12/07/24

The Return of Doctor X 12/07/24

Distasteful medical horror gets a trial run as lightweight thriller fare in Warners’ genre catch-all about ‘artificial blood’ that can raise the dead. Did Warners use this show to test contract talent for loyalty & obedience?  Young leads Wayne Morris and Dennis Morgan are also the comic relief, Rosemary Lane looks pretty, and none other than Humphrey Bogart is Marshall Quesne, a sort-of Zombie, with a hair-do fit for the son of the Bride of Frankenstein. Charlie Largent performs the transfusion Blu-ray review. The new restoration is dazzling. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/07/24

Little Women — 4K  (1994) 12/03/24

This Winona Ryder version of Alcott’s venerated page-turner is the most satisfying to date, as adapted by Robin Swicord, directed by Gillian Armstrong and embodied by an ideal cast: Gabriel Byrne, Trini Alvarado, Christian Bale, Claire Danes, Susan Sarandon, Eric Stoltz, plus Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis sharing a character between them. The show looks and sounds fantastic in remastered 4K Ultra HD. It’s not all smiley faces as on the box top; in this case great entertainment just happens to be family friendly. It’s an excellent Christmas story, as well. On 4K Ultra HD + Digital from Sony Home Entertainment.
12/03/24