Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: January 2026

The Narrow Margin 01/31/26

Quite a few films noir approach perfection: this almost-perfect RKO production was abused by Howard Hughes, only to bounce back as one of Hollywood’s most notable ‘sleepers’ — word-of-mouth made it into a solid box office hit. Gravel-throat detective Charles McGraw is suspected of being on the mob’s payroll, a charge that is tested when he must protect a hoodlum’s widow (Marie Windsor) from assassination — on a moving train. It’s a taut thriller with smart & saucy dialogue; under the direction of Richard Fleischer, the McGraw-Windsor verbal sparring approaches legendary status. Plus, the film has a powerful James Bond 007 connection. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/31/26

A Shot in the Dark  — 4K 01/31/26

The second and perhaps best Peter Sellers Inspector Clouseau comedy introduces Bert Kwouk’s Cato, Herbert Lom’s Commissioner Dreyfus, some playful direction from Blake Edwards, and a kooky music score my Henry Mancini. It was actually adaptated from a pre-existing play, with the Clouseau character shoehorned in. The follow-up to The Pink Panther lacks the same star-power, but Edwards has more polish on his slapstick, so to speak. Reviewer Charlie Largent gives it a critical once-over. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/31/26

Barry Lyndon  — 4K 01/27/26

It’s an epic seen through the eye of an artist. We know the past of Europe through great paintings, but Stanley Kubrick uses fine art as a filter to stylize a bygone era. His adaptation of the Thackeray novel uses new approaches to low-light cinematography. We are witness to a rogue’s progress through troubled times; actor Ryan O’Neal comes through with exactly the performance Kubrick wanted. The images positively glow on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/27/26

Libido  Region B 01/27/26

Italo pioneer in Gothic horror Ernesto Gastaldi stepped up to directing with this not-bad murder thriller for the Euro exploitation market circa 1965. It’s Giancarlo Giannini’s first film, as an heir to a fortune with inconvenient psychological issues … he can’t say for certain that he isn’t a latent sex killer apt to strike any minute. Mysterious happenings at a fancy clifftop beach chateau lead to murder madness … mayhem happens so often, you’d think these Continental hipsters would see it coming. On Region B Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
01/27/26

The Dead  — 4K 01/24/26

John Huston’s final film is a personal production filmed under ideal conditions, with an ideal Irish cast. Screenwriter Tony Huston adjusts the acclaimed short story for film but keeps it more or less intact — a single dinner party covers most of the running time. Anjelica Huston is James Joyce’s Gretta and Donal McCann is Gabriel; the warm group of players include Dan O’Herlihy, Donal Donnelly, Sean McClory, Marie Kean and Colm Meaney. Snow still falls ‘faintly through the universe.’ On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/24/26

Tank Girl  — 4K 01/24/26

Is it a filmic disaster or just your average post-punk Sci-fi Riot grrrl epic that got lost in the margins?  Lori Petty nails the title character with a stylishly manic-defiant hellraiser battling the forces of repression. Naomi Watts and Ice-T co-star, but the functioning auteurs may be production designer Catherine Hardwicke and costumer Arianne Phillips. The lavishly appointed boxed set has a stack of new extras, with input from Ms. Petty and director Rachel Talalay. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome Ultra.
01/24/26

The Godless Girl 01/20/26

‘Kill the Bible!’ — according to Cecil B. DeMille, that’s the agenda of Godless atheists destroying America’s youth. His beautifully directed yet jaw-droppingly exploitative ‘meller-drammer’ condemns teenagers to a hellhole reformatory, for more defiance, escapes, and a typically spectacular DeMille crisis. That’s not counting the scene where cross-shaped ‘electrocution stigmata’ are burned into the young lovers’ hands. It’s excellent silent filmmaking, as restored by Kevin Brownlow and Photoplay Productions. Where’s the sequel, where those rascally atheists try to cancel Christmas? On Blu-ray from Kino Classics / Photoplay.
01/20/26

Punishment Park  Revival Review 01/20/26

As long as we’re feeling restless … we return to 1971, and a Peter Watkins political fantasy that arrived looking for trouble. The invocation of a forgotten Cold War security act motivates police to target anti-war dissidents with a murderous initiative. The premise of this grim desert ordeal always seemed farfetched, paranoid … but maybe its time has finally come. We’ve dusted off our old review from 2005. This particular disc is long out of print, but releases from other regions exist. Was once on DVD from New Yorker Video.
01/20/26

Yi Yi  — 4K 01/17/26

Edward Yang’s sentimental family masterpiece is back, now in 4K Ultra HD. It’s New Taiwan Cinema at its best, and an ideal introduction to Asian cinema for those averse to action and fantasy. One year in the life of a home in Taipei begins with a wedding and ends with a funeral; the emotional journey in between takes in a middle-aged romance, a dangerous teen fling, and the adventures of a curious boy with a camera. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/17/26

The Snow Creature 01/17/26

It’s a lowly Z-grade independent monster show of the 1950s, made by Billy Wilder’s talent-challenged older brother. We can’t get enough of pictures like this: Bronson Caves subs for the wilds of the Himalayas, but desperation editing can’t compensate for the lack of real action scenes. Mister Snow Creature is not particularly memorable either. But there’s something about seeing an old all-night movie turnip in such pristine condition … where every production failing stands out in relief. The generous extras include input by Jonathan Rigby, Kevin Lyons and Kim Newman. On Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome Labs.
01/17/26

Captain Blood  — 4K 01/13/26

He was the biggest unknown-to-major-star sensation of the Golden age of Hollywood. Errol Flynn’s screen breakthrough is unique, as his ‘dashing rogue’ persona wasn’t fully formedl his Doctor Blood is no superman, and surprisingly vulnerable. The show also introduced one of the movies’ most appealing romantic couples, with the casting of the still-teenaged Olivia de Havilland. The production goes all out for the pirate battles, Michael Curtiz’s direction couldn’t be bettered, and the symphonic music score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold adds epic scope and class. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/13/26

The Ghost  (Lo spettro) — 4K 01/13/26

Barbara Steele is back and Dr. Hichcock’s got her, but it’s not that Dr. Hichcock. The producers of The Horrible Dr. Hichcock return with the same director and much the same crew, with their fake anglicized names. Ms. Steele’s unfaithful and duplicitous spouse gets a full acting workout, even with a story devoid of Taboo content, and less exciting direction from Riccardo Freda. Perhaps the real excitement is in Severin Films’ restoration of this previously ‘lost’ movie. The 62-year-old picture was re-launched at two European film festivals, giving the all-time Queen of Horror some well-earned extra time in the limelight. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Severin Films.
01/13/26

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure  — 4K 01/10/26

Tim Burton’s debut feature elaborates on the alternate-universe world of Pee-Wee Herman, the alter-ego creation of comedian Paul Reubens. A non-conformist original with a good heart, Pee-Wee’s DNA could have come from a TV kiddie show host. He’s an infantile / streetwise child prodigy with lofty values: he believes in fair play, inclusivity and special privileges for himself. Pee-Wee is oblivious to romance but consistently attracts good friends. On an epic quest to retrieve a stolen bicycle, he suffers a traumatic disillusion at the hands of a tour guide at The Alamo. Adding to the magic are playground colors from cameraman Victor Kemper and catchy circus music by Danny Elfman. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/10/26

Twilight Zone: The Movie 01/10/26

Steven Spielberg’s ill-fated celebration of Rod Serling’s legendary TV show delivers mind-bending fantasy and horror, and maybe slips a bit when reaching for poignant charm and moral preaching. The stories aren’t all winners, but they build to two of the best omnibus entries of all time, Joe Dante’s It’s a Good Life and George Miller’s Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. Audiences of 1983 responded much as do Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks in the spooky-spooky prologue, a Midnight Special of delighted screams. The plain-wrap release appears to be an HD reissue. On Blu-ray from Warner Bros Entertainment.
01/10/26

Sirius  (Szíriusz) 01/06/26

Dennis Bartok’s Deaf Crocodile Films keeps coming up with surprises from Eastern Europe. This Hungarian fantasy throws us for a loop — it’s a time travel story using an actual mechanical time machine, but filmed way back in 1942, in the middle of WW2 when the country was fighting alongside the Nazis. Ninety percent of the show is a costume romance set in 18th-century Austria-Hungary — with songs and dancing, in grandiose studio sets. The extras explain how it came to be, but it’s still difficult to take in. On Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile Films.
01/06/26

Illustrious Corpses 01/06/26

Watergate prompted Hollywood to launch a wave of paranoid thrillers about vast conspiracies, but Italian filmmakers long before presented the status quo as corrupt from the inside out. Director Francesco Rosi’s adaptation of a fiction novel skips the escapist thrills. Incorruptible detective Lino Ventura intuits that his superiors don’t want him to solve a series of killings of high-level judges. Impeccably directed for a kind of nagging, uneasy suspense, Rosi’s picture draws Ventura’s dogged hero into a bigger, more sinister frame. With Charles Vanel, Max von Sydow and Fernando Rey, and music by Piero Piccioni. The original Italian title is not reassuring: Cadaveri eccelenti. On Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
01/06/26

Alfred Hitchcock Presents  The Legacy Collection 01/03/26

The best suspense TV of the 1950s has been released again, in a monster set with dozens of discs … and its just the kind of thing that collectors need when streaming options are nil. Hitchcock, Joan Harrison, and Norman Lloyd combined Hollywood experience, good taste and a wicked sense of humor to make murder a weekly household pastime. The 263 (!) episodes in this Legacy Collection put a wealth of talented star power to excellent use; each 24-minute drama has character depth, and often a powerful narrative twist. Hitchcock’s mordant introductions are a feast in themselves. “Good Evening!” On DVD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
01/03/26

Scars of Dracula  –4K 01/03/26

Any 4K Hammer release gets special attention; this one has Christopher Lee as Dracula so will spike the radar of collector completists. Its reputation is not high, but it does predate the company’s woeful attempts to update the franchise in a contemporary setting. Kino & StudioCanal’s presentation can’t be faulted — the 4K remaster flatters the film’s cinematography, and the main new extra is a Tim Lucas commentary. Jenny Hanley, Patrick Troughton, Anouska Hempel, Michael Gwynn and Michael Ripper co-star. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/03/26