Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Archives: Reviews

The Fiancée & The Invisibles 03/23/19

Why do stories about resisting the Nazis seem so important right now?  Here are two discs from different labels, with one subject. Both stories are set in Germany during the war, but the approaches are quite different. A political prisoner struggles to subsist in The Fiancée an East German classic from the part-educational DEFA Film Library. Then the recent The Invisibles from the reunited Germany chronicles the true story of four Jewish Berliners, who went underground and hid right through the war. It’s two views of resistance, from different political perspectives. Separate releases on DVD from DEFA Film Library, Kino Lorber/Greenwich.
03/23/19

The Man Who Killed Hitler and then The Bigfoot 03/19/19

The man who did what and then what?  Robert D. Krzykowski’s first feature isn’t a throwaway joke, but an elegantly crafted and designed fantasy grounded in human values. Sam Elliott’s crusty sixty-something secret agent comes out of retirement to save the world again — will the slaying of another bizarre horror lay to rest disturbing memories of a secret WW2 mission?  This thing will be a pleasant discovery for those in pursuit of ‘something completely different.’ The intentionally awkward title is jarring, but it fits because I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. On Blu-ray from RLJE Films.
03/19/19

Cleopatra Jones 03/19/19

The devastatingly gorgeous Tamara Dobson is a highlight of the blaxploitation subgenre, although the emphasis in her starring debut shifts away from innercity vice to bigger-than-life comic book fantasy. Trailers from Hell’s Charlie Largent lays out all the reasons to celebrate this original, before she invaded The Casino of Gold. Co-stars are a gallery of favorites: Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Bill McKinney, Esther Rolle and Shelley Winters enjoying herself mightily as the evil druglord, ‘Mommy.’ On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
03/19/19

The Glass Bottom Boat 03/19/19

It’s wacky, daffy and incredibly square, yet Frank Tashlin’s late career Doris Day romp has a certain gotta-watch interest factor: the male cast of clowns performs the sexist comedy well, and Ms. Day’s unbeatable screen personality brightens everything. Space-age executive lothario/sexist Rod Taylor hires Doris just for romantic purposes, while Arthur Godfrey, John McGiver, Dom DeLuise, Edward Andrews, Paul Lynde and Dick Martin execute dated slapstick amid ‘futuristic’ gadgets from the days of Buck Rogers. I suspect that Tashlin was prevented from employing his subversive brand of surreal excess — the gags are all quite literal. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
03/19/19

Wanda 03/16/19

The work of a great, original, natural filmmaker, Wanda continues to confound viewers that don’t recognize honest human reality when they see it. A woman dispossessed, uprooted and adrift no longer has a self-definition, just a basic drive to subsist and find someone who values her. Morals? It’s hard enough just to survive. Director-actress Barbara Loden isn’t Wanda, yet she is — her film erases the distinctions between movies, theater and reality, something John Cassavetes never quite accomplished. Co-starring Michael Higgins. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/16/19

The Deadly Mantis 03/16/19

It’s big, it buzzes, and it screams like a banshee. So why is the Mantis monster so ho-hum? Universal-International tries to squeak out another boffo big bug epic, but 1957 screens were already crowded with grasshoppers and scorpions — and the screenplay is derivative — and somebody allowed producer William Alland to throw in every stock shot that wasn’t nailed down. Craig Stevens, William Hopper and Alix Talton wait 78 minutes to finally get a photo op with the insectoid monster. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
03/16/19

Detour 03/12/19

This is a big one, the restoration we long thought would never come. CineSavant tries to explain what makes Edgar G. Ulmer’s masterpiece uniquely memorable, how it works its Loser Noir magic, and why this particular restoration bodes well for a certain class of picture mired in murky rights issues. Meet Al Roberts, a hard luck case happy to bend your ear for an hour, explaining how Fate has Done Him Wrong. This PRC gem transcends Noir pessimism, because a sensible read forces us to conclude that Al is his own worst enemy, a self-made misery man. This hitch-hiking epic carries an extra added jolt: Ann Savage delivers what has to be the boldest, most caustic hell-to-pay performance of ‘forties Hollywood. Plus a supporting cast that … well, there really isn’t a supporting cast. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/12/19

The Tarnished Angels 03/12/19

Douglas Sirk took our heads off with this intense, thematically adult tale of love and obsession in a Depression-Era flying circus that’s the open air equivalent of the marathon dance craze — pilots die to thrill the crowd. The terrific-looking show provides career near-best roles for some deserving actors: Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone, Jack Carson and Robert Middleton … but the newly-minted star Rock Hudson seems miscast. Taken from a novel by William Faulkner, this impressive B&W + CinemaScope film is the one Douglas Sirk decided was his favorite. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/12/19

The 50 Foot Art Of Reynold Brown 03/12/19

For two decades poster artist Reynold Brown defined the moviegoing experience as much as the movies themselves, creating One-Sheet masterpieces for Universal, American-International and special projects for other studios including Walt Disney. The Illustrated Press, an offshoot of Illustration Magazine, published Reynold Brown: A Life in Pictures in 2009 and followed up in 2017 with an expanded edition adding eighty new pages of art to an already voluminous project. Charlie Largent offers an illustrated look at both the book and its subject. A Book Review from Charlie Largent.
03/12/19

Jivaro 03/09/19

Verily, Blu-ray 3-D is better than most theatrical 3-D!  Paramount’s fourth and last 3-D production went out to theaters only in 2-D, so for all practical terms this Kino/3D Archive restoration is a depth-format premiere. Expect a kissing scene or two: lusty Fernando (¿Quién es más macho?) Lamas and demure Rhonda Fleming succumb to the sweaty allure of the tropics. He pushes the sex appeal more than she does!  Together they take a 3-D trek to where the headhunters roam, into a jungle to secure a golden treasure. With Brian Keith, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Denning, Rita Moreno, and Marvin Miller. On 3-D Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/09/19

Psyche 59 03/09/19

Director Alexander Singer helped produce Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing and directed A Cold Wind in August; this show is a stab at artful psychodrama before Singer’s career turned to more conventional fare. The complex story examines blindness, infidelity, and the dark secret of a forbidden underage affair. It also hints at Greek Tragedy: the straying husband counts on his blind wife staying blind. The cast is All-Star: Curd Jürgens, Patricia Neal, Samantha Eggar, Ian Bannen. CineSavant’s reviewer is Charlie Largent. Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
02/09/19

The Return of the Vampire 03/09/19

CineSavant contributor and advisor Gary Teetzel revisits a film he reviewed for us seventeen years ago. Instead of continuing to play his greatest role for Universal, Bela Lugosi ‘returns’ as a generic vampire in a very Dracula-like tale for Columbia. He’s still the best fiend for the role. The show introduces a novel demise for Lugosi’s creature of the undead, plus a furry-faced werewolf to compete with Universal’s Wolf Man… a werewolf that talks. With Frieda Inescort, Nina Foch, and woofy Matt Willis. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
02/09/19

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? 03/09/19

With his exaggerated visuals, eye-popping color and frantic characterizations, Frank Tashlin has been promoted to a genuine ‘fifties icon. This freewheeling comedy hits on the Top Tashlin fetish subjects: Hollywood glitz, Madison Avenue neurosis, dynamic women, wimpy men and… and… bosoms, dammit. As the bubbly yet calculating sex symbol Rita Marlowe, Jayne Mansfield places career issues way ahead of anything to do with sex. Tony Randall receives his first leading film role as a Mad Man who’ll jump through hoops to keep an account. But the surprise is Betsy Drake, who more than anyone represents the conflicts facing the pre-feminist ’50s woman: she defines success her own way. With Joan Blondell, John Williams, and Henry Jones. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
02/09/19

Der Hund von Baskerville 03/05/19

Sherlock Holmes fans have another good version of a favorite Holmes tale to savor, a late German silent film in full expressionist mode, set in an impressively moody English moor. One can see the influence of silent action serials and then-recent haunted house horror hits. And it is said that this is the first picture that presents Holmes and Watson as a fraternal ‘buddy’ team. A major reconstruction of a film once thought lost; presented with informative extras and (on the Blu-ray) a second encoding of a much earlier film version. On Blu-ray from Flicker Alley.
02/05/19

The Doctor 03/05/19

William Hurt, Christine Lahti and Elizabeth Perkins do excellent work in this superior drama which delivers an important, unforced life lesson. An emotionless hotshot surgeon gets a dose of his own medicine when he’s hit by a cancerous tumor, and is put through the same wringer that so humiliates his patients. What might be a cynical critique becomes a curiously uplifting drama about the need to include some humanity in one’s profession. Asserting the importance of kindness and empathy to people in need, director Randa Haines’ show is more uplifting than a faith-based film. With Mandy Patinkin, Adam Arkin, and Wendy Crewson. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/05/1

Phantom Lady 03/05/19

Robert Siodmak’s first film noir is a visually expressive masterpiece in the lush romantic tradition that imposes a dreamlike mood on a nightmarish story. Ella Raines goes to extreme lengths to break the conspiracy that’s sending her boss to Death Row, aided by the Kafka-like indifference of modern Manhattanites. Franchot Tone is the man with the weird hands, but Woody Bredell’s chiaroscuro cinematography is what puts this proto-feminist tale in the top tier. Co-starring Alan Curtis, Thomas Gomez, Elisha Cook Jr., Aurora Miranda and Fay Helm. On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
02/05//19

The Admirable Crichton 03/02/19

The oft-staged satire of class differences, sort of a genteel precursor to Joseph Losey’s The Servant, maroons a millionaire and his three daughters on a tropical island. Naturally the unfazed butler (Kenneth More) not only takes charge of their survival, but sets himself up as the new boss. The charming comedy features many beloved faces: Diane Cilento, Sally Ann Howes, Martita Hunt, Jack Watling, Cecil Parker, Miles Malleson and Eddie Byrne. Plus, it’s directed by Lewis Gilbert and shot by Wilkie Cooper, in Technicolor. And the CineSavant review is by Charlie Largent. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
03/02/19

The Mark of Zorro 03/02/19

(Im Zeichen des Zorro)   Hollywood classics don’t have to be stuffy — this 1940 swashbuckling adventure has style, great action, laughs and one of the most attractive screen couples of their day, Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell. And that’s not mentioning a superb fencing match, a great, quaint Spanish dance, and a smart cast directed by Rouben Mamoulian at his best. This German import is fully compatible with U.S. players, and carries an extra colorized version. Co-starring Basil Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard, Eugene Pallette, J. Edward Bromberg, Montagu Love. On Blu-ray from Explosive Media GmbH.
03/02/19

The Third Secret 03/02/19

This moody, unsettling whodunnit benefits from sensitive cinematography, fine direction and a perfectly-cast group of players. Stephen Boyd gets a worthwhile starring role, backed by some good names and a nice debut from Judi Dench. What I don’t understand is why Pamela Franklin, possibly the most talented and versatile young English player ever, didn’t become a major star. She’s more than half the picture here. Co-starring Diane Cilento, Richard Attenborough, Jack Hawkins, Freda Jackson, Nigel Davenport and, in her first film, Judi Dench. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
03/02/19

Bedazzled 02/26/19

(1967). All hail the memory of Stanley Donen! We also appreciate the razor-sharp satire of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, whose genius Donen preserved in this hilarious Faustian comedy. Poor pitiful Stanley Moon bargains with the Devil for seven chances to win the woman of his dreams, which naturally turns out to be a big mistake. Who could make a wise decision with Raquel Welch’s ‘Lillian Lust’ climbing into their bed?   Co-starring Eleanor Bron as the real object of all this lust, and featuring Barry Humphries, Robert Russell and Michael Bates. Insufficiently appreciated: Dudley Moore’s elegant, jazzy music score. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
02/26/19

The Mole People 02/26/19

Not enough love is set aside for this ambitious, under-budgeted Lost Civilization epic. John Agar and Cynthia Patrick find love in an ancient citadel of albinos that worships a Death Ray and enslaves a race of Subterranean Humanoid Underground Dwellers — Mole Men, what else?   It’s unconvincing and the production lacks polish, but it’s also got clever story gimmicks and sympathetic monsters, so it gets a warm reception at CineSavant Central. Plus it co-stars Hugh Beaumont, Alan Napier and Nestor Paiva, gentlemen all. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
02/26/19

Audition 02/23/19

Some pretty scary shockers launched J-horror, and this may be the scariest.   Takashi Miike shook up a lot of festival attendees and theatergoers with this creepy tale. A widower ‘auditions’ a new wife, and gets far more trouble than he ever expected. Miike may also have kicked off the ‘torture porn’ subgenre here. The violent events at the twisted finish tie time and reality into knots. It’s the most aberrant Japanese horror film since Moju. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

02/23/19

Mad Dog and Glory 02/23/19

What can you say about a hybrid gangster picture that generates a good feeling about people?  We really like this show — Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman and Bill Murray’s characterizations are fresh and surprising — and refreshingly non-PC. Everything’s in fine form under director John McNaughton, as filmed by Robby Müller. And there’s a fascinating story about how parts of the story were re-written and re-shot, after a preview screening. Co-starring David Caruso, Mike Starr and Kathy Baker. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/23/19

Death in Venice 02/23/19

High class Italo filmmaking slips into the ’70s with Luchino Visconti still on top. This handsomely appointed period drama recreates Venice of 1910. Make that a highly stylized recreated Venice. As curiously enacted by Dirk Bogarde, Thomas Mann’s story of a composer’s inner turmoil over a maddeningly attractive teenaged boy becomes a one-man ordeal. With Romolo Valli, Mark Burns, Marisa Berenson and Silvana Mangano. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/22/19

What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? 02/19/19

It’s cold-blooded murder, I tell ya!  Feisty Ruth Gordon goes undercover to uncover evidence of homicide at Geraldine Page’s desert home, where companion-housekeepers keep disappearing. It’s a Grand Guignol but with fine acting taking the place of overt gore. Robert Aldrich produced this marvelous, E-Ticket battle between celebrated actresses, and the result is a creative new solution for retirement finance problems! Also starring Rosemary Forsyth and Robert Fuller, the disc is given an informative audio commentary by Richard Harland Smith. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/19/19

The Vengeance of She 02/19/19

Olinka Berova is as sexy as Ursula Andress, but even with a new woman producer Hammer’s She sequel doesn’t give her new She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed much of a chance — the story just sits there and the kingdom of Kuma is woefully under-produced. Good photography and acting help, but one doesn’t earn high marks for the Boys from Bray. The Czech import Berova is backed by John Richardson, Edward Judd, Noel Willman, Colin Blakely and everyone’s favorite André Morell. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
02/19/19

Ecco + The Forbidden 02/19/19

Those scurrilous Italian ‘mondo’ films are difficult to see in original versions; this Something Weird double bill yields an American hybrid of one of the better (?) examples, given the classy touch of a narration by George Sanders. A second oversexed psuedo- docu is a homegrown mongrel (careful, don’t touch) with all the credibility of today’s Reality TV — it doesn’t even try to be legit. Once again, Severin comes through with a doubly guilty pleasure, for sex-starved carnival suckers everywhere. Contains a new interview with a colleague (co-defendant) of producer-writer Bob Cresse. On Blu-ray from Severin Films/Something Weird.
02/19/19

The Wrong Box 02/16/19

Director Bryan Forbes tries his hand at comedy. His nostalgic Victorian farce features an eclectic choice of Brit stars — established greats John Mills & Ralph Richardson, the freshly-minted Michael Caine, reigning jester Peter Sellers and even a debut for the collegiate pranksters Peter Cook & Dudley Moore. It’s a beaut of a production with a charming John Barry music score… but the result yields more indulgent smiles than out-and-out laughs. The supporting cast is marvelous: Nanette Newman, Tony Hancock, Wilfrid Lawson, Thorley Walters, André Morell and many more. On Region A+B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
02/16/19

Untamed 02/16/19

Fiery dame Susan Hayward carries this far-flung ‘women’s epic’ to delirious romantic extremes, as her Irish heroine defies nature and exploits admirers to claim the hunky Dutchman of her dreams — Tyrone Power. Using apartheid-ridden South Africa as a background for a cheerful white conquest wasn’t as touchy an idea in 1955 as it is now, but it should have been. Just the same, Henry King’s film is an impressive production from the early years of CinemaScope. Richard Egan, Agnes Moorehead, Rita Moreno, John Justin, Hope Emerson and Brad Dexter play hardy pioneers. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
02/16/19

La vérité 02/12/19

(The Truth) Brigitte Bardot proved her mettle as a dramatic actress in H.G. Clouzot’s strikingly pro-feminist courtroom epic, that puts the modern age of ‘immoral’ permissiveness on trial. Is Bardot’s selfish, sensation-seeking young lover an oppressed victim?  Clouzot makes her the author of her own problems yet doesn’t let her patriarchal inquisitors off the hook. It’s great ‘old school’ filmmaking, co-starring Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel and Sami Frey; the extras include a fascinating career documentary on the director Clouzot. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/12/19

Tarzan Goes to India + Tarzan’s Three Challenges 02/12/19

Jock Mahoney was the umpteenth actor to play the Lord of the Jungle, and is on record as the oldest Tarzan, leaping and slugging his way through two feature films at age 44. In Tarzan Goes to India he fights burly Leo Gordon to save 300 elephants from drowning. Then it’s off to Thailand for Tarzan’s Three Challenges and its grueling series of endurance and skill rituals, climaxing in a battle with Thai Chieftain Woody Strode. It sounds like a lot of wear and tear on the old Tarz-carcass; why couldn’t Mahoney be cast in Tarzan Relaxes on the Beach?   Reviewer Charlie Largent does the honors on this one; I remember seeing Three Challenges at age 12, and thinking it pretty intense. Separate purchases on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
02/12/19

A Star is Born 02/12/19

Last Fall’s audience-pleaser is indeed a pleasant surprise, not because it’s a classic but because it isn’t plain awful. An unnecessary third remake of a Depression-era Cinderella story has been concocted to showcase the special talents of Lady Gaga, who indeed comes off as the most personable and deserving star-to-be-born since Judy Garland. Bradley Cooper stunned the industry by wearing almost all the creative hats on this thing — and producing an entertainment that will enhance the careers of all involved. On Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.
02/12/19

Private Snafu Golden Classics 02/09/19

Make way for the ribald, very non-PC adventures of the GI doofus Private Snafu — demonstrator of the wrong way to do everything. This alternative-press edition of Snafu delights contains all of his adventures and more — they’re mostly animated by irreverent Warners talent. Some have rhyming dialogue and narration by Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. The compilation disc contains 34 complete shorts: 26 specific Private Snafu cartoons, plus all eight of his appearances in a related War Department series called A Few Quick Facts. On Blu-ray from Thunderbean Animation.
02/09/19

My Name is Julia Ross 02/09/19

Is this any way to treat a lady?  Lovely Nina Foch just wanted a job, but she instead becomes the fall-gal in a psychologically perverse plan to deny her very identity. Cult director Joseph H. Lewis makes deft use of cinematic suspense techniques to compel our involvement in a bizarre conspiracy: not just convincing a woman that she’s insane, but also that she’s literally not herself. Neck deep in the skullduggery are the capable Dame May Whitty, George Macready, Roland Varno, and Leonard Mudie. On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
02/09/19

Horror Express 02/09/19

It’s a spooky, snowy train ride across thousands of miles of Siberian rails — trapped on board with a victim-possessing creature from outer space, with eyes that kill! Actually, ‘Pánico en el transiberiano’ is a fine show for Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, a Spanish-made chiller with a smart script, some effective shocks and a fun guest performance from Telly Savalas as a Cossack officer — make that a Bald Cossack officer. This new edition adds good extras to the excellent featurettes sourced from an earlier release. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
02/09/19

The Midnight Man 02/05/19

Murder strikes at a private college, and the new security guard’s efforts to find the killer uncovers sordid secrets and multiple unsavory conspiracies. Triple-threat Burt Lancaster directs, stars and heads a large, exemplary cast of suspects in a mystery that implicates practically all of them in something illegal. This is only part of the sprawling usual suspects list: Cameron Mitchell, Morgan Woodward, Harris Yulin, Catherine Bach, Robert Quarry, Joan Lorring, Lawrence Dobkin, Ed Lauter, Charles Tyner, Quinn K. Redeker, Linda Kelsey. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/5/19

Beyond the Limit (The Honorary Consul) 02/05/19

Retitled from The Honorary Consul and sold in America with one of Paramount’s sleaziest ad campaigns, John MacKenzie and Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of a Graham Greene novel about terrorist goings-on in dictatorships in Argentina and Paraguay features a fine Michael Caine performance, but prefers to stress sex scenes between star Richard Gere and Elpidia Carrillo. Just call it ‘Lust in the Argentine Littoral’ — but performed in English. Also starring Bob Hoskins. The Falklands War prompted the show to relocate filming to Mexico. This is a German disc, but it’s fully compatible with U.S. equipment. On Blu-ray from Explosive Media GmbH.
02/5/19

Yanks 02/02/19

A million American GIs are bivouacked in the English countryside, awaiting debarkation to France… and the green fields are loaded with young English women, whose own men have been off fighting for years. John Schlesinger puts together a good drama, with an excellent cast; he also avoids the expected ‘please wait for me!’ clichés attendant to this subgenre of war film. The exemplary cast finds a fine role for Richard Gere, while the lovely Lisa Eichhorn takes the acting honors. Especially good are the unusual pairing of William Devane and Vanessa Redgrave. Co-star Chick Vennera helps with a commentary track. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
02/02/19

Jack the Ripper 02/02/19

“Is your name Mary Clark?”  The notorious English Baker-Berman team take on Whitechapel’s most notorious fiend, proposing that a mad doctor is responsible for slaughtering a score of streetwalkers in dark alleys, and throwing the city into a state of mortal terror. Writer Jimmy Sangster doesn’t do much with the parade of killings — — but he does think up a nasty fantasy finish for London’s most famous gut-ripper. More than a rescue than a restoration, Severin’s deluxe Blu-ray slipped out with just a few copies a couple of years ago, and now it’s getting a full release. The disc includes one version from a battered film print and another that looks like it’s been rescued from video. The extras include the ‘naughty bits’ alternate Continental scenes. I hope reviewer Charlie Largent gives us a full report on that. “Is your name Mary Clark?”  On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
02/02/19

Television’s Lost Classics Volume One: John Casssavetes 02/02/19

John Cassavetes springs forth as a major 1950s talent in these two ‘Primetime Special’ dramatic plays broadcast live on ABC and CBS. Crime in the Streets is the Reginald Rose classic directed by Sidney Lumet; No Right to Kill is a ‘culture for the masses’ adaptation of Crime and Punishment. Cassavetes’ co-stars are Robert Preston, Glenda Farrell, Terry Moore and Robert H. Harris. The restoration of original Kinescopes is quite good in HD, and the producers Sabucat includes a racy ten-minute blooper reel from The Defenders and The Nurses. On Blu-ray from VCI.
02/02/19

In the Heat of the Night 01/29/19

Stirling Silliphant and Norman Jewison give Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger two of the best roles of their careers within a — shhh, better whisper — a powerful social statement. Down home racism meets its match in a murder mystery that helped calm the country in an explosive year. Warren Oates, Lee Grant and Larry Gates fellow-travel for this gem as well, and don’t forget the barrier-crossing song by Quincy Jones and Marilyn & Alan Bergman, sung by Ray Charles. Reviewed by Charlie Largent, on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/29/19

Gardens of Stone 01/29/19

Francis Ford Coppola’s get-out-of-debt directorial assignments of the ‘eighties may not be his most personal movies, but this one is satisfying just the same, with its marvelous, mellow ensemble cast: James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, D.B. Sweeney, Dean Stockwell, Mary Stuart Masterson, Dick Anthony Williams, Lonette McKee, Sam Bottoms, Elias Koteas, Laurence Fishburne and Casey Siemaszko. It’s a movie to admire, as it’s not easy to attract an audience to a show about the Army’s burial detail. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator UK.
01/29/19

Posse from Hell 01/29/19

Wow — a good Audie Murphy movie! The most decorated infantryman of WW2 might not emote professionally, but he did nail down a winning screen persona, and this show gives Audie a solid character to play. Clair Huffaker’s screenplay should take credit, as well as the workmanlike direction of former Wilder and Hitchcock assistant Herbert Coleman. Even John Saxon comes off well, plus the film can boast good work from favorites Zohra Lampert and Vic Morrow, and fine support from Rodolfo Acosta, Royal Dano and Lee Van Cleef. The import disc plays on domestic Blu-ray players. On Blu-ray from Explosive Media GmbH.
01/29/19

Shame (Skammen) 01/26/19

War no longer recognizes ‘innocent bystanders’: a married couple seeks to sidestep ‘civil disturbances’ by relocating to a rural island, only for the war to descend on them from all sides. Forget escapist post-apocalyptic fantasies: Ingmar Bergman demonstrates how the terror of war obliterates human values at the personal level. Human trust and morals fall fast under pressure — atom bombs aren’t needed to return us to the stone age of dog-eat-dog. Bergman stages impressive large-scale ‘action’ scenes, yet always relates the terror without, to psychological traumas within. It’s one of the director’s most affecting films. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/26/19

The Giant Behemoth 01/26/19

“Brace Yourself For A SHOCK!…200 Feet of Living Burning Horror!”  Eugène Lourié’s second feature about an irate sea monster wrecking a city features sober eco-preaching, good performances by Gene Evans and André Morell, and several minutes of exciting stop-motion animation nirvana. One just needs to overlook a few lunkhead effects scenes and concentrate on the key Willis O’Brien / Pete Peterson material. It’s a SHOCK all right — do you prefer to be stepped on like a bug, or fried by a zillion volts of ‘projected radiation?’  On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/26/19

Desert Fury 01/22/19

The murky crimes of sordid characters come to the fore in the wide-open Nevada spaces… producer Hal Wallis’ Technicolor noir concentrates on the possessive and perverse competition for Lizabeth Scott’s luscious blonde — the mother that wants to corral her, the gangster who thinks she’s an escape and the local hunk who wears a badge. Robert Rossen’s edgy screenplay depicts its violent action on a psychological level. Burt Lancaster, Mary Astor, John Hodiak and Wendell Corey co-star in what Eddie Muller calls the gayest noir of them all. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/22/19

The Plague of the Zombies 01/22/19

A budget Hammer programmer becomes one of the studio’s most pleasing horror romps, thanks to Peter Bryan’s crackerjack screenplay, John Gilling’s creative direction and a fine cast — André, Jacqueline Pearce, Michael Ripper — breaking free of a number of Hammer clichés. The pre-Romero premise features an eerie dream sequence, while turning the Zombie theme into a management-labor conflict: those one percenters will stay on top if they have to use black magic. Charlie Largent views this ’60s gem through nostalgia-colored glasses. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
01/22/19

Beat the Devil 01/22/19

The star lineup sparkles in this witty, lighthearted tale of a gang of international schemers and cutthroats trying to — well, what they’re trying to do is all but irrelevant. John Huston throws his picture together like a party, for a droll ‘thriller’ that yields off-kilter comic riches. It’s Bogart, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre and Gina Lollobrigida, plus Jennifer Jones as we’ve not seen her before or since. Truman Capote’s sly, unbeatably hip dialogue — reportedly written on the fly — celebrates the underhanded ambitions of greedy fools everywhere. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
01/22/19

Satan Never Sleeps 01/19/19

Pearl S. Buck and Leo McCarey give it to ya straight: Red China is BAD. This strange mix of Cold War truth-telling and mawkish, ethics-challenged church sentiment may have meant well, but it overstates everything. A top-flight cast works hard to make it compelling: William Holden, France Nuyen and in his last film, Clifton Webb. Wales stands in for Southwest China, with shaky traveling mattes doing the hard work. Also with Martin Benson and Athene Seyler. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
01/19/19

Screamers 01/19/19

Screaming, flying ‘Autonomous Mobile Swords’ have decimated the enemy in a war on a far-off planet, but now the pesky smart weapons are self-evolving into ever more cruel & deadly new iterations. Peter Weller and Jennifer Rubin head a cast of desperate soldiers in this adaptation of an early story by Philip K. Dick — that perhaps addresses an aspect of the arms race? The show remains a cult favorite of fans of violent sci-fi adventures. Disc extras interview the filmmakers on Screamers’ decade-long path to the screen. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
01/19/19

Popeye The Sailor: The 1940s Volume 1 01/15/19

Reviewer Charlie Largent proves that he yam what he yam Yis what he Yis with this look at the second generation of the sailor-boy’s adventures, without the brothers Fleischer. The first fourteen color 1940s Popeye cartoons make their Blu-ray debut, including a ‘banned’ color cartoon entitled Pop-Pie a la Mode. Interesting that the ‘Famous Players’ color cartoons would drop all the weird, great Fleischer characters, but add offensive ethnic stereotypes now and then … or is my memory faulty? The set is billed as sourced from 4K scans from the original negatives. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/15/19

The Last Command 01/15/19

The ‘other’ Hollywood studio version of the Alamo story is quite good, with strong production values, exciting stunt battle action and something Republic didn’t manage very often, a solid screenplay. Sterling Hayden is Jim Bowie, this version’s central hero, with great backup from Anna Maria Alberghetti, Ernest Borgnine, J. Carrol Naish, Ben Cooper, Jim Davis, Eduard Franz, Otto Kruger and Slim Pickens. But best of all is that old hay-shaker Arthur Hunnicutt, as the movies’ best and most natural Davy Crockett. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/15/19

Forty Guns 01/15/19

Cult favorite Samuel Fuller explodes the mid-range Hollywood oater with elements we can all appreciate: a ritualistic fetishizing of the gunslinger ethos, and a reliance on kinky role reversals and provocative tease dialogue. It’s as radical as a western can be without becoming a satire. Playing it all perfectly crooked-straight is the still- formidable Barbara Stanwyck. Her black-clad ‘woman with a whip’ keeps a full forty gunmen to enforce her will on a one-lady town. Barry Sullivan, Dean Jagger, John Ericson, Gene Barry, Eve Brent. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/15/19

The Wasp Woman 01/12/19

Roger and Gene Corman’s first ‘The Filmgroup’ production is a slick little programmer that belies its drive-in monster movie heritage: the trim tale is no minimalist effort, but a well-developed drama sourced in the twin drives to succeed and stay young. This deluxe edition contains both the Theatrical and TV versions, plus a Tom Weaver commentary that tells the incredible true-crime tale of Corman’s impressive leading lady Susan Cabot. The Corman-approved cast of favorites includes Barboura Morris, Michael Mark, Lynn Cartwright, Bruno VeSota, Roy Gordon and Frank Wolff. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
01/12/19

Bent 01/12/19

Too edgy for the mainstream movie audience, Martin Sherman’s influential play is nevertheless transformed into an admirable, well-crafted show. In Hitler’s Berlin of 1934, being gay means death, or a living death in a ‘protective custody’ camp. Clive Owen, Lothaire Bluteau and Brian Webber find themselves on the way to Dachau, a new Circle of Hell. Yet even in a forced labor camp, the human spirit prevails. The British-made picture features Ian McKellen, Mick Jagger, and several other notable stars in their salad days. On Blu-ray from Film Movement Classics.
01/12/19

The Prize 01/12/19

Already eclipsed by James Bond and sexier European films, Paul Newman does his best to energize this derivative but lively spy-chase thriller set during Nobel season, in a Stockholm populated by the glamorous Elke Sommer, Diane Baker, Micheline Presle and Jacqueline Beer. Toss several Hitchcock pictures into a blender, and what comes out is reasonably engaging… and more than a little dated. With an enormous cast — Sergio Fantoni, Kevin McCarthy, Leo G. Carroll, Sacha Pitoëff, Virginia Christine, etc.. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/12/19

Willie Dynamite 01/08/19

Here’s something I never expected to see: I ran to the blaxploitation attraction Willie Dynamite because I like actress Diana Sands, and it’s her last picture in a too-short career. But the main character on view, a gaudy fur-wearing pimp, is played by none other than Roscoe Orman, well known to a couple of generations of kids as none other than ‘Gordon’ in the long-running TV show Sesame Street. It’s like watching MisterRogers play Hannibal Lecter! With Thalmus Rasulala, Joyce Walker, Roger Robinson and Albert Hall. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
01/08/19

Foxfire 01/08/19

Jane Russell heats up an Arizona mining town but she’s just trying to help her new husband with his ethnic identity issues, Jeff Chandler. Superb color cinematography (forget the B&W photos here) and beautiful desert locations help, but the real appeal is seeing Russell and gorgeous co-star Mara Corday in all their glory. With Dan Duryea, Barton MacLane, Frieda Inescort and Celia Lovsky. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/08/19

Panique 01/05/19

For directing skill and sensual sophistication this psychologically intense murder tale equals or betters the most sophisticated American noirs. Julien Duvivier gives us Michel Simon as Monsieur Hire, a strange man loathed by his neighbors. Entranced by the woman he spies through his bedroom window, Hire doesn’t realize that she’s helping to frame him for murder, and then set him out like bait for a vengeful mob. The restored French classic is a beauty in every respect; the extras include a highly educational, must-see discussion of movie subtitling, by Bruce Goldstein. With Viviane Romance and Paul Bernard. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/05/19

Symbiotic Earth 01/05/19

Just when we thought the world was doomed by the rejection of scientific rationalism, this lecture docu about the theories and discoveries of researcher Lynn Margulis gives us hope again. Formerly denounced as a scientific radical, Margulis’ ideas supplant the established ‘Neo-Darwinism’ notion of natural selection through competition, with the idea of cooperation on the level of cells and bacteria. For those of us educated in the old ways it’s a real eye opener; John Feldman’s fine direction makes these important scientific concepts easy to understand. On Blu-ray from Bullfrog Films.
01/05/19

The Black Windmill 01/05/19

Secret agent Michael Caine must take on both the kidnappers of his son and his own suspect Army Intelligence colleagues in Don Siegel’s efficiently filmed, curiously tame suspense thriller. Delphine Seyrig is enticing and Donald Pleasance an unlikeable security bureaucrat, while the capable Janet Suzman and John Vernon fill out a top-flight cast that performs well. But the thriller is surprisingly lacking in dramatic impact. Handsomely filmed in England and Paris. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/05/19

CineSavant’s 2018 Favored Disc Roundup 01/01/19

Savant picks The Most Impressive Blu-rays and DVDs of 2018. Yes, pilgrims, yes: it’s the 21 pictures that most ensnared my attention this year, plus a long list of pix that measured up as well. Yes, I’m still swayed by unusual and contrary films, and genre favorites that come back in ever-better presentations. Here’s hoping for a terrific 2019 for one and all. Plus, a selection of personal pictures. Okay, I confess, it’s fun to post the personal pictures.
1/01/19

Anne of the Thousand Days 12/29/18

A movie for people who don’t normally like costume dramas about kings and queens, this adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s play is great entertainment from head to toe. Richard Burton gives one of his better late-career performances, and Geneviève Bujold is a dynamo in a tiny package. It’s an impressive portrait of male power run amuck. With Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle, John Colicos and Michael Hordern. On Blu-rayfrom Twilight Time.
12/29/18

Notorious 12/29/18

Alfred Hitchcock’s nearly perfect romantic spy thriller teams Cary Grant with Ingrid Bergman to yield just what audiences wanted in 1946, an adult drama with menacing political themes… and an unusually adult approach to a perverse sex relationship! With the marvelous Claude Rains, Louis Calhern, Madame Konstantin, and Reinhold Schunze; photographed by Ted Tetzlaff. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/29/18

Dracula: Prince of Darkness 12/25/18

How to shake up a mid-sixties slump at Hammer Films? It’s back to basics time, with Christopher Lee returning in a most unusual way: there wasn’t much left of Dracula at the finish of his first outing as the number one supernatural public enemy. Terence Fisher is also back, enlivening the third film in the series with some surprisingly excessive gore. Barbara Shelley’s superb performance makes her Hammer’s most self-possessed heroine.. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
12/25/18

Disney Classics On Blu-ray 12/25/18

The resourceful Charlie Largent surveys a swath of Disney classics available on Blu-ray only through a special club, and discovers perhaps not classics but ‘boomer perennials’ that deserve a second look: Davy Crockett, Old Yeller, Treasure Island and Pollyanna! It’s a great article that acknowledges that the cultural effects of these Disney landmarks are more lasting than the films themselves. With interesting thoughts on Robert Newton, Fess Parker and Hayley Mills. But we aren’t shills for the club — you’ll have to find that for yourself. Blu-ray from Disney Movie Club.
12/25/18

The True Story of Jesse James 12/22/18

Nicholas Ray’s CinemaScope detour into outlaw Americana is yet another sincere artistic effort muffled by studio interference. Ray sought to examine a legend in terms of folklore and celebrity; Fox gave him Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Hope Lange and spectacular scenes repurposed from a 1939 Tyrone Power movie. Yet it still shows director Ray working his magic, in a revisionist western years before Sam Peckinpah — it has a violent robbery set piece that looks forward to The Wild Bunch. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
12/22/18

The Sea Hawk 12/22/18

Grand action entertainment bursts forth on the high seas, showing us how much production value Golden Hollywood could lavish on an exciting, artful swashbuckler. Errol Flynn is at his glorious best, backed by greats like Flora Robson, Henry Daniell and Claude Rains in fine form. The special effects and full-sized ship sets impress in ways that computer generated images never will. And the rousing music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold seals the deal — the term ‘Timeless Classic’ was invented for marvels like this. Co-starring the underrated Brenda Marshall. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/22/18

The Magnificent Ambersons 12/18/18

Hollywood’s most tragic ‘mangled masterpiece’ gets a new lease on life with this special edition of what could have been Orson Welles’ greatest film, had RKO not intentionally destroyed it to obliterate the stature of the unlucky Boy Genius. The movie can’t be reconstructed but its reputation can be restored — the story of the demise of a powerful industrial family would have been a dramatic powerhouse, perhaps more impressive than Citizen Kane. Terrific acting work here, from Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Ray Collins, Anne Baxter and particularly from Agnes Moorehead and Tim Holt. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/18/18

True Stories 12/15/18

It’s a film straight from the incredibly creative & earnestly searching mind of musician-composer David Byrne, complete with marvelous songs, bizarre staging, John Goodman, Spalding Gray, Annie McEnroe, Swoozie Kurtz, Jo Harvey Allen and other weird personalities from the wide expanses of Texas — the kind of people that answer the telephone. Intrepid TFH reviewer Charlie Largent insists that this isn’t a rental car. It’s a privately owned automobile. I think David Byrne and David Lynch need to meet, like Alien vs. Predator. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/15/18

The Atomic Cafe 12/15/18

Duck and Cover! And while you’re down there, enjoy a Flaming Atomic Cocktail! Loader, Rafferty and Rafferty’s influential documentary-satire uses authentic ’50s films and songs to illuminate the lies and myths about Cold War civil defense. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be like children in the face of a horror being promoted as an inconvenience to Americans insufficiently willing to Love the Bomb. And don’t forget to SING: “Nobody’s worried ’bout the day my Lord will come, When he’ll hit, great God a-mighty, like an atom bomb!” Included are a number of very impressive uncut ‘atomic’ propaganda films. On Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
12/15/18

Dark of the Sun 12/15/18

It’s tendon-biting combat, with guns, planes, trains, chainsaws, and an indestructible all-terrain vehicle (that still couldn’t stand the potholes in the street of Los Angeles)! Rod Taylor, Jim Brown and Yvette Mimieux blast their way through one of the roughest of the ’60s action spectacles, as mercenaries on a mission of mercy that’s really a venal grab to ‘rescue’ a fortune in diamonds. Director Jack Cardiff pushed the limits of acceptability on this one — legends persist about longer, more egregiously violent cuts. With Kenneth More and André Morell. It sparkles, booms and bleeds on Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/15/18

De Niro & De Palma The Early Films 12/11/18

No 1960s film student had more on the ball than Brian De Palma, who enlisted a smart group of collaborators to pull together his voyeuristic student-filmmaking, Alfred Hitchcock-worshiping early experimental pictures — especially budding actor Robert De Niro. In these three early features The Wedding Party, Greetings and Hi, Mom! we can feel the director being influenced in multiple directions — do ensemble comedy and Godard-esque minimalism have a future? Jill Clayburgh, Gerrit Graham, William Finley, Charles Durning, Jennifer Salt, Allen Garfield, Paul Bartel and Rutanya Alda think so. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
12/11/18

Sawdust and Tinsel 12/11/18

Ingmar Bergman’s ‘sad comedy’ finds desperation and adultery in his favorite milieu, the theater. He also gets to to contrast the self-important thespians with those dubious circus nomads, even as both groups are shunned by civilian society. Ake Grönberg and Harriet Andersson star as married performers considering ditching each other for a more secure future. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/11/18

Sunshine 12/08/18

Before TV movies were dissed with the put-down phrase ‘disease of the month,’ this 1973 film surprised and moved audiences with the realistic story of a young mother facing a fatal illness. It’s directed by the great Joseph Sargent and graced with the music of John Denver, but its impact rests upon the remarkable, affecting performance of actress Cristina Raines, then just twenty years old. With locations in the ‘country roads’ of British Columbia, and co-starring Cliff De Young, Meg Foster, Brenda Vaccaro, Bill Mumy and Corey Fischer. On Blu-ray from Redwind Productions.
12/08/18

Mamie Van Doren Film Noir Collection 12/08/18

Charlie Largent looks back at three crime-themed shows featuring the platinum blonde bombshell Mamie Van Doren. In The Girl in Black Stockings she’s a possible target for a serial killer at a Utah resort. Guns Girls and Gangsters sees her involved with high-stakes armored car robbery. And in Vice Raid she’s a good-time-gal trying to protect her younger sister from nasty hoodlums. I guess there’s some noir in there somewhere!  Plus an interview with Mamie herself — where she discusses bullet bras and reminds us that she once played opposite Clark Gable! 3 features on Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/08/18

Horror of Dracula 12/08/18

The best of all Hammer horror pictures finally comes to Region A Blu-ray, with a bright transfer made to look like original Technicolor prints. This is where Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing came into their own as international stars, as the undead Count Dracula and the no-nonsense vampire killer Van Helsing. It’s the bridge between old-school gothic horrors and the modern age of sex and gore, and it’s as exciting as a breakneck action serial. Also starring Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, Janina Faye and Michael Gough, whose performance is unfairly dissed. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/08/18

The Thing from Another World 12/06/18

An EXTRA off-day special review!  Intrepid soldiers and scientists battle a bloodsucking alien invader at the top of the world! The Warner Archive Collection releases Howard Hawks’ incomparable Science Fiction thriller, a long-desired favorite. Long handicapped by missing scenes, this RKO classic is intact again, complete with its nerve-rattling bombastic Dimitri Tiomkin music score. CineSavant lays on a full review essay. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/06/18

The Outer Limits Season Two 12/04/18

It’s here, the second half of the science fiction TV series from the 1960s, restored and remastered. It’s really only half a season and the creative team has been swapped out, but several gems are every bit as good as episodes from year one. Plus acting disc producer David J. Schow ladles on the extras like thick gravy … including promos and TV spots not seen since 1963 and ’64. This season includes the Harlan Ellison episodes Soldier and Demon with a Glass Hand, and the double episode The Inheritors. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/04/18

The Puppet Masters 12/04/18

Robert Heinlein’s frighteningly brilliant sci-fi horror novel was a conceptual original that spawned an entire generation of biological invasions from outer space. Director Stuart Orme’s faithful, authorized 1994 adaptation has a lot going for it, including sensationally good, gloppy special makeup effects, and a commanding performance from a dour, authoritative Donald Sutherland. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/04/18

A Coffin for the Sheriff & Blood at Sundown 12/04/18

Guest reviewer Lee Broughton returns with more vintage Spaghetti Westerns. Prolific Italo western star Anthony Steffen shoots first in Alberto Cardone’s gothic vengeance drama Blood at Sundown, and plays the revenge game straight up in Mario Caiano’s A Coffin for the Sheriff. The double bill disc also features appearances by genre stalwarts Gianni Garko, Erika Blanc and Eduardo Fajardo. On DVD from Wild East Productions.
12/04/18

Hallelujah the Hills 12/01/18

Adolfas Mekas made his mark in American independent filmmaking with this avant-garde comedy that shook up film festivals circa 1963. Although it is said to have inspired Andy Warhol, it’s its own animal entirely, eighty minutes of cinematic frivolity that’s too sincere to be a parody of the filmic conventions it so happily celebrates. With rare extras, including a 1963 TV discussion between Adolfas Mekas, Richard Roud, Amos Vogel and Joseph Losey. On Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
12/01/18

Gosford Park 12/01/18

At least twenty fine actors and stars make Robert Altman’s period piece about a party in a big English country house into a gala occasion. The show is also a fascinating entree into a classed world of masters and servants. The drama of manners could also be described as a mystery who-dunnit. Either way, we’re floored by excellent work from a stellar cast: Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Emily Watson, Clive Owen, Michael Gambon, Alan Bates, Derek Jacobi, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jeremy Northam, Bob Balaban, Kelly Macdonald. On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
12/01/18

Age of Consent 11/27/18

A dreamy tropic idyll … or a dirty old man’s movie? Our verdict chooses the first option for Michael Powell’s retelling of the old tale of the artist’s innocent yet sensual creative adventure with his young model. Producer James Mason eases nicely into the part, but then- newcomer Helen Mirren takes the prize as the most fearless and liberated woman in filmdom circa 1969. With Jack MacGowran, the Great Barrier Reef when it was still Great, and a very talented dog, Lonsdale. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
11/27/18

A Man Alone 11/27/18

Ray Milland directs a fine western drama, strong on character and tension; it garnered enough praise to set him on a second, minor career behind the camera. Milland also stars as a gunman in the wrong place at the wrong time — framed for a mass murder in an unforgiving frontier town. Who ya gonna blame? That nasty sidewinder villain Raymond Burr, of course. Also starring Mary Murphy, Ward Bond, Raymond Burr and Lee Van Cleef. Now, of those actors, which do you think doesn’t live to see the ‘The End’ card?  On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/27/1

Clouzot The Early Works 11/24/18

A master of suspense admired even by Hitchcock, Henri-Georges Clouzot is famous for acid-tinged thrillers about cold-blooded murder and ugly politics, whether in a French town or a Latin American oil field. But his early writing career was quite different: he provided the scenarios and dialogue for ten years’ worth of clever farces and affecting melodramas, often with musical numbers. The set’s titles are My Cousin from Warsaw, Dragnet Night, The Unknown Singer, I’ll Be Alone After Midnight, The Terror of Batignolles, Tell Me Tonight and Dream Castle. On Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
11/24/18

Brewster McCloud 11/24/18

Robert Altman’s first opportunity to cut loose with an entirely personal film is this scattershot comedy that satirizes the American scene, taking pokes at patriotism, greed, and silly police movies. To his favorite eccentrics from M*AS*SH Bud Cort and Sally Kellerman he adds the new discovery Shelley Duvall; the movie’s like a bag of absurdist jokes that spilled onto a Houston Highway. Also starring Michael Murphy, William Windom, Rene Auberjonois, Stacy Keach, John Schuck, Margaret Hamilton and Jennifer Salt. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/24/18

The Best of the Three Stooges 11/24/18

Duck while you can still see: this collection rounds up enough short subjects for a 13-disc set, including all 87 of the Columbia Pictures Shorts produced between 1934 and 1945; also television, stage shows, cartoons and four Three Stooges Feature Films. Are you getting the message — it’a LOT of stuff! Plus those awful pokes in the eyes. Reviewer Charlie Largent has tried them for real, and reports from the state reformatory that the sound effects are different, but people do end up blinded. On DVD from Time-Life.
11/24/18

Crazy Rich Asians 11/20/18

A surprise hit? This ultra-glamorous rom-com about life among the Singapore 1% would be a fantasy, if everything we see weren’t real. Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh head an all-Asian cast in a celebration of ostentatious excess — yep, some folks aren’t hurting at all. As an expression of Asian ascendency and female power, the show may have opened a door to a whole new empire of crossover ethnic fantasies. With Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu and Awkwafina. On Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.
11/20/18

Georgy Girl 11/20/18

Lynn Redgrave burst to stardom with this fine study of romance vs. reality in swinging London circa 1966. Georgy thinks of herself as a plain Jane next to her popular roommate, played by Charlotte Rampling. Alan Bates is the flighty boyfriend and James Mason the old millionaire making Georgy indecent proposals. How can a good girl get somewhere in life? As sometimes happens, the song has retained more fame than the movie. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
11/20/18

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood 11/20/18

Matt Tynauer’s frank, unrated documentary about the wild times of gay and straight hustler-procurer Scotty Bowers is built around his 2012 tell-all book about the Hollywood sex underground of the late ’40s and ’50s. Scotty tells his own story in a way that compels belief. It’s a fine docu, sort of an exposé item but more credible than Hollywood Babylon. But it’s also not for all audiences, as some hardcore content is included. On DVD from Kino Lorber/Greenwich Entertainment.
11/20/18

Nothing Sacred 11/17/18

Whaddaya know, this new disc of the Carole Lombard / Fredric March comedy hit looks great, besting by far all previous videos and prints I’ve seen of the early (1937) Technicolor production. Hazel Flagg’s Madcap Manhattan Weekend now pops with brilliant hues. And a little digging tells us that Ben Hecht’s morbid premise is based on a real-life scandalous workplace tragedy called ‘The Living Dead Women.’ Also starring Charles Winninger, Walter Connolly, Sig Ruman, Margaret Hamilton, Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom and Troy Brown as a non-PC Eastern potentate. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/17/18

The Princess Bride 11/17/18

William Goldman and Rob Reiner’s unchallenged modern classic captures the magic of fairy tales about noble lovers, loyal warriors and low-down villains. Everybody’s terrific, all the characters are hilariously magical and Goldman’s writing glows with love for happy storytelling leavened further by sly wit. Criterion presents the Blu-ray in a lush storybook package with a treasure chest of extras. Starring Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Peter Falk, Mandy Patinkin, André the Giant and Wallace Shawn. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/17/18

Gas, Food Lodging 11/13/18

Welcome to the West, long after the frontier has closed. Allison Anders’ marvelous drama of a three-girl family is a big step for indie cinema, a highly entertaining examination of women’s aspirations and frustrations out on the non-glamorous working class fringe. Writer-director Anders wastes no time with a terrific cast — Brooke Adams, Ione Skye and Fairuza Balk’s family lacks a father, and ‘men who walk’ becomes the central issue in their lives. Filmed in a gloriously believable New Mexico desert. On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
11/13/18

Sword of Sherwood Forest 11/13/18

Hammer takes time off from horror to ‘Speak Treason — Fluently!’  TV’s Robin Hood Richard Greene goes Eastmancolor and MegaScope to oppose the Sheriff of Nottingham on the big screen. The cast is certainly attractive: Peter Cushing, Niall MacGinnis, Richard Pasco, Jack Gwillim, Sarah Branch, Nigel Green, Vanda Godsell, Desmond Llewelyn and Oliver Reed. Reviewer Charlie Largent sorts things out — and adds a fascinating mini-history of the ‘lefty’ TV show we all watched as kids. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
11/13/18

Blondie The Complete 1957 Television Series 11/13/18

‘Hey Blondie!’ Dagwood, Blondie, Mr. Dithers and a victimized postman return for a stab at a TV revival of the 1940s series from Chic Young’s never-ending comic strip. It’s not bad, with Arthur Lake clowning up a storm and Pamela Britton a charming new embodiment of a character who began as ‘Blondie Boopadoop.’ It’s the entire one-season series. Guest stars include Barbara Nichols and Pamela Duncan. On Blu-ray from ClassicFlix.
11/13/18

The Last Movie 11/10/18

Dennis Hopper’s legendary follow-up to Easy Rider ended his Hollywood directing career for at least fifteen years. Barely seen again after brief premiere bookings, it hasn’t built up a reputation as a suppressed masterpiece. So what is it exactly? A new spotless restoration gives a dazzling rebirth to Hopper’s Perú- filmed deconstruction of Hollywood. The astonishing number of notables in the cast list may in itself demand a viewing: Julie Adams, Tomas Milian, Don Gordon, Donna Baccala, Sylvia Miles, Rod Cameron, Severn Darden, Sam Fuller, Peter Fonda, Henry Jaglom, Michelle Phillips, Kris Kristofferson, Dean Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn, John Phillip Law, Richard Rust, Toni Basil, Michael Anderson Jr.. On Blu-ray from Arbelos.
11/10/18

Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure 11/10/18

Tarzan got a new lease on life when a film company finally went to Africa to pit Gordon Scott’s excellent ‘Lord of the Jungle’ against a formidable phalanx of villains. Anthony Quayle, Sean Connery and Niall MacGinnis are perfect Dastards of the Darkest Continent. Also top-flight are the women in this jungle combat, wicked Scilla Gabel and naughty Sara Shane. Fun for adult kids of all ages! Poor Al Mulock gets no respect, but he’s in there slugging as well. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/10/18

Mr. Capra Goes to War: Frank Capra’s World War II Documentaries 11/06/18

These wartime docu-propaganda films are fascinating, but critic Joseph McBride’s critical accompaniment is even better, nailing the meaning of five groundbreaking works of ‘indoctrination’ and giving us a refreshing revisionist take on one of America’s more revered film directors. The films are Prelude to War, The Battle of Russia (1&2), The Negro Soldier, Tunisian Victory and Your Job in Germany; get ready to hear plenty of ‘why we fight’ rhetoric and see all those dramatic animated maps, with swastika daggers making entire countries bleed. On Blu-ray from Olive Films.
11/06/18

Andrei Rublev 11/06/18

Want to get serious about Russian cinema? Andrei Tarkovsky’s 15th-century epic portrays the travails of an artist at odds with his world — a medieval nightmare far more cruel than the Cold War indifference and suspicion that Tarkovsky experienced in his own industry. It’s perhaps his masterpiece, a ‘safe’ historical story that nevertheless was too personal and religious to escape Soviet censorship. Both versions are here, the 3-hour director’s cut and the longer The Passion According to Andre. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/06/18