Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: December 2025

The Pink Panther 12/30/25

This solid hit generated numerous sequels, a truckload of cartoons and a key character for Peter Sellers, who slipped into the movie at almost the very last second. David Niven, Robert Wagner and Capucine carry the slapstick comedy, while the newcomer Claudia Cardinale made a fantastic American debut. Everyone had the original soundtrack album. Blake Edwards’ big screen comedy has been remastered from glorious big-format Technirama, yielding an even sharper, more colorful image. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/30/25

On Borrowed Time 12/30/25

For the sensitive, this high-toned tale of Death trapped in a tree can be an emotional sledgehammer, with enough weeping and wailing for ten sad stories. To avoid being transported to the great beyond, Lionel Barrymore uses a magic tree to neutralize Mr. Brink — Death Himself. But that means that nobody dies anywhere, leaving thousands in a state of agony. Sir Cedric Hardwick is a cultured bringer of Doom; Beulah Bondi and Henry Travers co-star. The little boy in the story is Bobs ‘Waterworks’ Watson, a child prodigy who can cry gallons of tears and not perish from dehydration. Mr. Brink is no friend to you and me — watch out for that tree! On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/30/25

Laurel & Hardy  The Definitive Restorations Vol. 2 12/27/25

Stan and Ollie live again! … CineSavant reviewer Charlie Largent takes a looksee at these classic short subjects, compiled and newly restored by Kit Parker Films, SabuCat and The UCLA Film and Television Archive. The 8 sound-era shorts on board are Men O’ War (1929), Perfect Day (1929), Blotto (1930), Another Fine Mess (1930), Dirty Work (1933), Going Bye-Bye! (1934), Them Thar Hills (1934) and Tit for Tat (1935). Plus some alternate versions, trailers, bonus films and a This is Your Life show. On Blu-ray from MVD Visual.
12/27/25

The Beggar’s Opera 12/27/25

It’s a movie musical ripe for rediscovery … a film version of a classic ballad opera from 1728, a satircal lampoon of ‘noble highwayman’ tales. Laurence Olivier is Macheath, a rogue repeatedly rescued by the women that love him; with society so corrupt, Macheath’s stylish thievery feels heroic. Some of the vintage songs and lyrics are said to be period- authentic. They’re wickedly witty and clever, as is a stellar lineup of talent that makes the musical farce fly high and funny: Hugh Griffith, Dorothy Tutin, Stanley Holloway, Daphne Anderson, Athene Seyler and Yvonne Furneaux. Digitally remastered, picture and audio, on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/27/25

His Girl Friday  — 4K  +  The Front Page 12/23/25

When the ‘talkies’ arrived, Broadway’s smartest wordsmiths wasted no time mining Hollywood gold. Hecht and MacArthur’s cynical newspaper saga defined a brassy new American style; a decade later, Howard Hawks’ ‘gender spin’ on the material became an equal comedy classic. Criterion reprises their newspaper classic double bill, bumping one of the features up to 4K Ultra-HD. Newbies to the world of ‘old movies’ will be charmed by the will be charmed by the snappy smart talk that became synonymous with street sophistication, and everybody will admire Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell’s superb comedic skills On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/23/25

Dead of Night  Region A — 4K 12/23/25

The StudioCanal restoration of one of the creepiest and most elegant fright films ever made comes to Region A on 4K Ultra HD: five classic horror tales, filmed by four of Ealing Studios’ best directors. The tale’s insane elliptical framing story captures the uncanny quality of a nightmare; Georges Auric’s music score sets the viewer on edge. Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers, Michael Redgrave and Sally Ann Howes star, along with Britain’s horror mascot Miles Malleson: “Room for one more inside, sir!”  See it in one go, in the dark. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/23/25

David Byrne’s American Utopia   — 4K 12/20/25

“Maybe we can make some sense.” David Byrne & Spike Lee’s joyous concert film is just as energizing as Stop Making Sense; it offers a theme of peace, inclusivity and social justice, and ponders the personal challenge of finding one’s way in the chaos of modern living. The songs are a mix of new pieces, borrowed raps and vintage Talking Heads hits that will Burn Down the house; David Byrne’s speeches are soothing. Made just as the COVID crisis arrived, the show still carries a positive, hopeful message. The technical production behind the show is a marvel in itself — nothing gets between us and the performers. On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/20/25

Law & Order  The Complete Original Series 12/20/25

Among monster boxes this one takes the prize: 104 DVD discs, holding twenty years of a series that’s been in constant TV rotation for (cough) 35 years. They’re all here — Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterston, S. Epatha Merkerson and Benjamin Bratt. I imagine this is prime gift box bait, and an opportunity for casual fans to experience it all in its proper order, without commercials. Is it a worthy purchase?  Pre-sold readers can go straight to the review’s evaluation section. With all of his TV residuals, I wish Mr. Wolf would act on the letters I send asking that he adopt me. On DVD from Universal Home Video.
12/20/25

Red Planet  — 4K 12/16/25

This decent space adventure might have been a hit, if another Mars-themed movie hadn’t bombed a few months before. Cocky astronauts journey to what is supposed to be a partly terraformed Mars, only to experience mission snafus that make survival unlikely. The plot complications cherry-picked from the best of Sci-fi are mostly exciting; the actors remain lively and engaging: Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Baker & Terence Stamp. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
12/16/25

The Miracle  — 1959 12/16/25

Sold like an action spectacle, Irving Rapper’s religious epic is about a novice nun who spends most of the film on a wild romantic spree — men, dancing, bullfights — before a glorious finale with a show of reverence. Carroll Baker is the ‘spirited’ novitiate and Roger Moore the gallant officer she loves. This prime example of Hollywood piety gets pretty thick with violence & sin against an historical background, but we keep our comments polite and positive. The good-looking disc is remastered from Technirama elements — and includes two Bugs Bunny cartoons! On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/16/25

Columbia Noir #7:  Made in Britain 12/13/25

Noir goes English, with American talent looking for acting opportunities and tax breaks!  These Columbia releases show English talent on the rise as well. Ken Hughes, Mark Robson and Terence Fisher direct Arlene Dahl, Richard Widmark and Victor Mature, opposite Mai Zetterling, Elizabeth Sellars, Eunice Gayson, Herbert Marshall, Faith Domergue, Diana Dors and Jack Hawkins. The extras include several rare short subjects, always a delight with PI. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
12/13/25

Kansas City Confidential 12/13/25

Phil Karlson’s nervous noir throws tough guy John Payne into the middle of a Pulp Fiction tangle, crashing the meet-up of four thieves who have used him as a patsy in a million dollar bank heist. The script served as a partial blueprint for Quentin Tarantino, what with criminal colleagues that don’t know each other’s names or identities: Neville Brand, Lee Van Cleef and Jack Elam. Throw in Coleen Gray as a romantic distraction, and the stage is set for a violent finale. Karlson’s excellent direction makes it one of the best crime caper pix ever. On Blu-ray from .
12/13/25

I Know Where I’m Going!   — 4K 12/09/25

Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger’s imaginative romance is so good, it justifies a lifetime spent seeking out obscure movies. When bad weather stalls a headstrong young woman’s journey to be wed one island short of her goal, she is compelled to reassess everything she wants for her life. Wendy Hiller’s determination to make the smart choice is complicated by an ideally attractive man she meets en route. The film also brings a playful supernatural curse to bear on the proceedings. As an escape to a ‘civilized’ time and place, IKWIG! is absorbing, enchanting, and grandly positive about life. It’s also been beautifully remastered, in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/09/25

Silent Adventure: Grass + Chang 12/09/25

Milestone Film and Video re-premieres a double bill of landmark silent-era documentaries filmed in far-off lands by the dauntless adventurers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. Grass takes us on a spectacular trek with Irani nomads on a migration in search of greener pastures. Chang investigates life in rural Thailand, with an emphasis on dangerous tigers. Scenes may be staged, but never falsified: the filmmakers strived for truthful reporting, a notion not yet established in documentary filmmaking of 1925. A new 4K remaster job was the work of Milestone, The Museum of Modern Art, the Library of Congress and Kino Lorber. On Blu-ray from Milestone Film & Video.
12/09/25

Alec Guinness Masterpiece Collection  — 4K 12/06/25

He’s Sidney Stratton, Henry Holland, Professor Marcus and a full eight members of the lofty D’Ascoyne family — it’s the best of Alec Guinness’s comedy showcases. The chameleon actor first seen in David Lean classics graduated directly into the class-act comedies of Ealing Studios, working with witty filmmakers that made the words ‘droll and understated’ shine. For American audiences, these UK comedies became an entryway to the finer corners of English filmmaking. The set gives us four hands-down masterpieces, remastered in 4K Ultra HD: Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man in the White Suit and The Ladykillers. From KL Studio Classics.

12/06/25

The House with Laughing Windows  – 4K 12/06/25

La casa dalle finestre che ridono.  It’s an Italo horror with a surprising agenda … the central theme is still sadism and torture, but the approach is a slow-going mystery without exploitative diversions. An art expert arrives in a backwater Italian town that would like to forget some bad wartime history and some unpleasant business about a murderous mad artist. He has a hard time getting anybody to tell him the truth about the painting he’s come to restore. It isn’t the usual series of clues leading to an obvious conspiracy. Curious writer-director Pupi Avati presents an intriguingly nervous series of sinister situations … without the usual thriller trappings. The new remaster looks sensational in 4K Ultra HD, from Arrow Video.
12/06/25

“Él”  — 4K 12/02/25

Luis Buñuel’s most personal drama billboards a ‘strange obsession’ yet ends up expressing the full injustice of the sexual status quo in polite society. A pillar of the community marries but finds his skewed notion of a romantic ideal betrayed from the start. Paranoid machismo and toxic jealousy is an entryway to full-on mania. The surreal is present but always at the service of truth. Matinee idol Arturo de Cordoba externalizes Buñuel’s internal contradictions for a character most men will recognize as at least partly in themselves. Filmed by Gabriel Figueroa; with excellent extras including a full half-hour of Buñuel in a candid interview. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/02/25

A Summer Place 12/02/25

Look at She, she’s Sandra Dee!  1959’s most sexed-up soap drama came with beautiful actors, Technicolor scenery and a tune that the radio wouldn’t stop playing. In a Place not too far from Peyton, is it always summer?  The sordid fun includes divorce, frigidity, alcoholism, class snobbery, teen angst, teen sex fears, a teen sex drive, and music that says grab a blanket and find someplace secluded. Sandra Dee became America’s teenaged doll, and Troy Donohue more than a flash in the pan; the advertising tried to make it all seem as salacious as possible. Gosh, what do Good Kids really get up to on summer vacations? On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/02/25