Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: April 2026

Symphony for a Massacre 04/28/26

We finally caught up with this superb French crime thriller about a gang of cultured crooks that trip up on their own sense of sophistication. Kingpin Charles Vanel collects a fortune from four partners to initiate a drug deal; but one of the group is cheating with his ante and another intends to steal the bundle and run away with another’s wife. Director Jacques Deray plays the entire movie as actions, not speeches; the cagey thief dashes back and forth across France to establish his alibi. The classy cast plays it all low-key: Jean Rochefort, Michel Auclair, Jose Giovanni, Claude Dauphin, Michele Mercier and Daniela Rocca. The surface pleasures are a fine jazz score and marvelous location shoots circa 1963 — just seeing the cars is a thrill. On Blu-ray from The Cohen Film Collection.
04/28/26

Trouble in Paradise  — 4K 04/28/26

Some movies appear to approach perfection. Ernst Lubitsch ditched operettas for saucy pre-Code romance with this winning, hilarious look at high class thievery and honest lust. Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins are larcenous high-society outlaws, preying on continental swells that can afford to be bilked for millions. Kay Francis is the wealthy widow who teaches them both a lesson in love, forming a ménage à swindle. Critics go nuts for this picture’s formal beauty and wickedly clever insinuations of sex; Criterion has rounded up input from four of the best. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
04/28/26

International House 04/25/26

The FUN never stops in this pre-Code Paramount variety show, with a rudimentary plot, bizarre performers and plenty of risqué humor. It’s the 1933 equivalent of Wild and Crazy — with a sensational cast, some of whom need explaining: W.C. Fields, Rudy Vallee, Stuart Erwin, George Burns & Gracie Allen, Cab Calloway, Bela Lugosi, Baby Rose Marie, Franklin Pangborn and Sterling Holloway. Top billing goes to the then-scandalous tabloid sensation Peggy Hopkins Joyce. You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced this hour of off-color jokes, flirtatious nudity, booze humor, Cab Calloway singing about marijuana, the spectacle of Baby Rose Marie, an incredible television invention and the Six Day Bicycle Race!  It takes place in Wu-Hu, China, but don’t let the posy fool ya. On Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment.
04/25/26

The Maid  (La nana) 04/25/26

Sebastián Silva’s domestic drama is Upstairs-Downstairs for the 21st century, a story that involves class difference and social isolation, yet doesn’t push the usual buttons of comedy or tragedy. When the exhausted maid of an upscale Chilean family begins behaving strangely, we fear that this beautifully-acted film may be turning into a horror picture. We instead get a believable, absorbing and funny tale of personalities we can understand. These days, just showing a situation that doesn’t devolve into chaos or bloodshed is good news. Catalina Saavedra is remarkable as the unhappy, rebellious maid Raquel; the picture generates a good feeling about people. On Blu-ray from Shoreline Entertainment.
04/25/26

Danger: Diabolik  U.K. import — 4K 04/21/26

We once again have sprung for a pricey Mario Bava import — this time to finally be able to hear this Italian show with its original Italian-language audio. That’s basically what’s covered in this abbreviated review of an all-time CineSavant favorite. Can you hear Alessandro Alessandroni’s sitar yet? “Adesso è il momento giusto — Di stare pìu vicino a me!”  It’s in 4K, has a treasure trove of video extras and good text essays by Roberto Curti, Troy Howarth and others. On 4K Ultra HD + Region B Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment.
04/21/26

Gambling Ship 04/21/26

There’s nothing like discovering a ‘new’ movie by a favorite star. Cary Grant took time out from playing cinematic arm candy for Mae West to try his luck starring as a reluctant mobster. The gangland context is a turf war between illegal gambling ships. Benita Hume is Cary’s love interest, with Jack La Rue as the nasty rival gangster and Glenda Farrell and Roscoe Karns as comic relief. Cary Grant’s screen persona isn’t yet fully formed — he’s not fully comfortable as an ambiguous Good/Bad Guy. On Blu-ray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
04/21/26

Gilda  — 4K 04/18/26

Our interest in this noir must-see has never faded. Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford remain one of the hottest screen couples of the 1940s in this surprisingly adult, surprisingly sophisticated love/hate tale in a casino in Buenos Aires. Their romance is one for the books, with perverse angles that must have sailed over the heads of the censors. Criminal husband George Macready and international postwar scheming raises the tension even higher. Hayworth’s song and dance performances include an all-time sexy cinema highlight, ‘Put the Blame on Mame.’ On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
04/18/26

The Crawling Hand  +  The Slime People 04/18/26

A popular DVD combo is back for more, this time remastered in Blu-ray quality. Diss these no-account drive-in cheapies if you must, but they made their producer a lot of money, being produced for peanuts and playing theatrically and on TV for almost two decades. Rod Lauren is a mixed-up teen possessed by part of a dismembered astronaut, accompanied by actors and a hot music theme lifted from top-40 radio. Then a horde of slug-like monsters covers all of Los Angeles with a slimy force-field dome, trapping a few hapless survivors. The title creatures look pretty good, but only from one camera angle. Tom Weaver’s interview with Susan Hart puts a blessing on the creepy-creepy double bill. On Blu-ray from VCI / Kit Parker.
04/18/26

Catch-22  — 4K 04/14/26

We remember plenty of movies that got chalked up as failures, yet now seem more interesting than most new Oscar nominees. Mike Nichols’ ambitious anti-war epic, from Joseph Heller’s satrical novel, impresses greatly in multiple ways, with a dream cast in quirky, imaginative roles. Alan Arkin’s Yossarian is an airman, a sad sack everyman. He wants to survive his combat posting, but the Army Air Corps seems determined that he become a battle statistic. Paramount’s new 4K encoding is a beauty, and the extras include an all-time favorite commentary track, an audio discussion between Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh. On Blu-ray from Shout Select.
04/14/26

The Gay Divorcee 04/14/26

Some movies just knock us for a loop. This first official starring vehicle for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers is delightful entertainment, the kind of psychological medicine that makes the world seem right again. The cast is so good, the guy playing the waiter deserves star billing. All that and a giant musical number — plus the introduction of one of the top romantic melodies of the 20th century, Night and Day. Fred and Ginger’s dancing duets are pieces of heaven guaranteed to cheer up most anybody. A new digital restoration makes the images look as if they were filmed yesterday. Includes a battery of surprise extras. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
04/14/26

Innerspace   — 4K 04/11/26

We’re certainly happy to revisit this favorite in 4K … Joe Dante’s Sci-fi comedy taps several genres for its laughs, and every one of them scores. Astronaut Dennis Quaid is the pilot for a ‘Fantastic Voyage’- like journey into micro-minidom, but his micro-sub ends up in the bloodstream of Martin Short, a neurotic’s neurotic. Meg Ryan brings more Screwball comedy complications to the ensuing havoc with sinister conspirators Kevin McCarthy, Fiona Lewis and Robert Picardo. It’s like a Jerry Lewis comedy, but with amazing ILM visual effects. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
04/11/26

The Man Who Reclaimed His Head 04/11/26

We can’t say we were even aware of this one. Universal’s between-the-wars pacifist melodrama edges a bit into horror territory, with an insane Claude Rains walking through Paris with his baby under one arm and a satchel in the other … that might contain the body part mentioned in the title. Rains, Lionel Atwill and Joan Bennett are excellent even if the screenplay is weak. This is what passed for ‘Twilight Zone-ish’ anti-war social comment during the Great Depression. With two commentaries, no waiting! On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
04/11/26

Point Blank   — 4K 04/07/26

Is it a classic?  We think so. Organized crimeland is invaded by the New-Wavish visual grammar we associate with Alain Resnais. Thriller fans loved the bizarre stylized performance of Lee Marvin as Walker, a vengeful mob victim out to claim the 93 thousand dollars he’s owed. A crystal clear Los Angeles is the setting. Marvin brandishes his .44 magnum; Angie Dickinson wears herself to a frazzle slapping, hitting and pounding him, with no visible effect. It’s  “Last Year in Marienbad City of the Angels.”  Steve Soderbergh, Jim Jarmusch and Dick Cavett get in on the plentiful extras. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
04/07/26

Runaway Train   — 4K 04/07/26

Kino Lorber has a gem in this dazzling 4K remaster that gives Andrei Konchalovsky’s classic a new lease on life. Accessing prime film elements strips away a veneer of greyness and detail-dulling grain. The live-action no-CGI thrills feel even more like gritty reality. Jon Voight, Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay are sensational. Investing in filmmaker Konchalovsky might be the best move that The Cannon Group ever made — the show seems to come from another dimension of action excitement. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
04/07/26

Tea and Sympathy 04/04/26

Quick, adapt this hit Broadway play for the screen!  But remember the guidelines — you can’t directly say what the play is about or use certain words to describe its subject. In fact, you’ll need to eliminate direct references to the play’s strongest statement. The ‘tamed’ film adaption of Robert Anderson’s play gets the glossy MGM treatment, retaining its stage stars Deborah Kerr, Leif Erickson and John Kerr. We were pleasantly surprised that the story still works, despite dated aspects and the inability to, you know, speak its own name. Edward Andrews is also very good, as is the unheralded young actress Norma Crane. So we’ve decided to ‘Be Kind.’ On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
04/04/26

Dead Kids  Aka Strange Behavior — 4K 04/04/26

A bizarre favorite returns in a crystal-clear 4K encoding. Michael Laughlin’s eccentric ‘Middle America’ horror item was actually filmed in New Zealand, yet eerily correct in every detail. Michael Murphy and Louise Fletcher top the cast list, but Dan Shor, Fiona Lewis and Dey Young all make strong impressions. In 1981 it was odd and audacious, helped mightily by some excellent makeup work and a wholly convincing, very disturbing hypodermic gag. Fiona Lewis will forever be the scary syringe lady! On 4K Ultra HD from Powerhouse Indicator.
04/04/26