Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: March 2026

Excalibur  — 4K 03/03/26

Not every John Boorman film landed on target, but this fantastic take on the Arthur legend is a big winner. Beginning the story a generation back with Uther Pendragon deepens our understanding of Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot. Excess romantic bathos is dropped in favor of a return to the mystical roots that would underpin epics to come, including Tolkien. Merlin and Morgana (Nicol Williamson & Helen Mirren) are the really crucial characters, and the ensemble of knights and knaves is chosen for acting ability: Nigel Terry, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Gabriel Byrne, Katrine Boorman, Liam Neeson, Corin Redgrave, Patrick Stewart, Ciarán Hinds. It’s a beautiful remaster, for the first time at its original 1:66 aspect ratio. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
03/03/26

Stranger on the Third Floor 03/03/26

The stylized visuals in this RKO mini-masterpiece are more extreme than any of the German expressionist classics said to have influenced it. A cub reporter experiences a nightmare of crazy injustice, a psychological payback for his own testimony that convicted a killer on circumstantial evidence. The pale and forlorn face of Peter Lorre haunts this very strange melodrama, pitched somewhere between horror and a new style yet to be identified: film noir. Lorre is great, but so are the leading players Margaret Tallichet, John McGuire and especially Elisha Cook Jr.. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
03/03/26