Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Archives: Reviews

Don’t Bother to Knock 04/07/18

“Wash your face, brush your teeth, and say your PRAYERS.” Marilyn Monroe’s first plunge into a dramatic starring role casts her as a dangerously unstable babysitter in a hotel-set suspense thriller co-starring Richard Widmark and Anne Bancroft. Ms. Monroe may not be Ethel Barrymore (thankfully) but the role suits her well — to play a woman unhinged by low self-esteem and melancholy romantic reveries, she may have tapped personal experience. With Elisha Cook Jr. and Lurene Tuttle. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
4/07/18

Danger Signal 04/07/18

Ah romance! A handsome stranger takes a room in your house, lets you feed him and doesn’t pay the rent — of course he’s the perfect man of your dreams. Excellent WB players Faye Emerson and Zachary Scott enliven an odd mix of moods in a tale of a murderous Bluebeard- boyfriend. Director Robert Florey’s thriller is half stylish spook show, and half romantic sitcom. With Dick Erdman, Rosemary DeCamp and perky Mona Freeman as the little sister who needs to be told, ‘Don’t you do what your big sister done.’ On DVD from The Warner Archive Collection.
4/07/18

The Age of Innocence 04/03/18

Martin Scorsese commands the screen without a single profane word or gunshot to the head. His adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel is a marvel for its year, a highly entertaining, dramatically involving epic that takes us to a world lost to time, the high-toned society of New York in the 1870s. For adult viewers, Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder form a stunning romantic triangle. With excellent extras, including an exceptional interview with the director. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
4/03/18

Three Video Nasties 04/03/18

Guest reviewer Lee Broughton covers a trio of video nasties. The Toolbox Murders, Blood Harvest and A Cat in the Brain each feature a pop culture icon in a leading role. Hollywood actor Cameron Mitchell, oddball 1960s crooner Tiny Tim and the Italo horror director and all-round enfant terrible Lucio Fulci find themselves caught up in their own gory and disturbing splatter show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all three films fell foul of the British Board of Film Classification at the time of their original release in the UK. Separate releases, on Region B Blu-ray from 88 Films (UK) Slasher Classics Collection.
4/03/18

Red Planet Mars 04/03/18

It’s a review. No, it’s a rant. Stop, you’re both right.  CineSavant’s overt mission is to demonstrate that old movies, especially old Science Fiction movies, are more relevant than ever. There is at present no authorized home video release of this amazing 1952 politico-religious pretzel of a movie. The surprise is that it accurately presages the media hysteria that underpins our present day Info Wars. Fake News comes from the sky, and a major world revolution results — for the better? Will religious fundamentalism rule all? This may be the most radical faith-based picture ever to get a major release. Starring Peter Graves and Andrea King. Not on Home Video.
4/03/18

While the City Sleeps & Beyond a Reasonable Doubt 03/31/18

The love for Fritz Lang doesn’t quit!  As Lang’s biographers point out, his American films consistently focus on moral and psychological questions in crime. Lang saw murder as more than a dramatic tool as he probed for weaknesses in the legal system. His final American pictures — two separate disc releases — make excellent use of good actors. Dana Andrews stars in both, backed by freelancing name stars: Joan Fontaine, Rhonda Fleming, Ida Lupino, George Sanders, Howard Duff, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Sally Forrest. Separate Blu-ray releases from The Warner Archive Collection.
3/31/18

Joan of Arc (1948) 03/31/18

Does every great actress see Joan of Arc as the ultimate serious role? Ingrid Bergman ran into serious career trouble while this picture was still in release. Its cast and credits are packed with star talent — is it a misunderstood classic with a great central performance? Ms. Bergman was so enamored with the character that she played it twice. Co-starring José Ferrer, Francis L. Sullivan, J. Carrol Naish, Ward Bond and Shepperd Strudwick. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
3/31/18

Hotel Berlin 03/31/18

“Grand Hotel. Nazis come. Nazis go. Nothing ever happens.” That’s a paraphrase from 1932’s Grand Hotel, indicating that the hallowed halls once occupied by Greta Garbo are now overrun with Warner Bros. contract players. As defeat looms, German officers, crooks, fugitives and ordinary citizens fumble for a way to survive. Writer and fervent anti-fascist Alvah Bessie almost didn’t — he would later be politically scourged as a member of The Hollywood Ten. Get set for a soap opera with swastikas. Starring Faye Emerson, Andrea King, Helmut Dantine, Raymond Massey, George Coulouris and Peter Lorre. On DVD from The Warner Archive Collection.
3/31/18

An Actor’s Revenge 03/27/18

It’s Yukinojo henge, something completely different in Japanese drama. When Yukitaro isn’t studying for his next part, the cross-dressing Kabuki star is hunting down the thugs responsible for the death of his parents. Charlie Largent takes a look at the new HD disc of Kon Ichikawa’s theatrical extravaganza, one of the most beautiful color films in the history of Japanese cinema. Starring Kazuo Hasegawa, Fujiko Yamamoto, Ayako Wakao and Shintaro Katsu. Filmed in DaieiScope; on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
3/27/18

The New Centurions 03/27/18

Joseph Wambaugh’s breakthrough novel went through a blender to fit George C. Scott into the narrative, but it’s still a great cop show with terrific work from Stacy Keach and Scott Wilson, not to mention Jane Alexander and Rosalind Cash. The pro-cop agenda has a definite tone of personal experience, and the grim finish is anything but feel-good puffery. With Erik Estrada, Clifton James, James Sikking, Isabel Sanford, William Atherton, Ed Lauter, Dolph Sweet and Kitten Natividad. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
3/27/18

The Black Scorpion 03/27/18

Wow! Prime stop-motion animation from the heyday of monstrous science fiction, in a new restoration that puts a brilliant shine on those creepy crawly critters. Richard Denning fights giant arachnids while Mara (swoon) Corday frets and wrings her hands, waiting for the next kissing scene. The new scan clears up a lot of flaws, and gives us a much better look at the Lost Art of stop-motion magic. With Carlos Rivas. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
3/27/18

The Seven-Ups 03/24/18

Forget All Singing! – All Dancing!  Tonight’s bill of fare is wall-to-wall high grade crime action. Roy Scheider leads a great cast in an all-New Yawk tale of gangsters, kidnapping and betrayal. The police tactics of Scheider’s special felony crime squad would today land them all in jail, but they’re all stand-up guys. And buckle up for one of the best, most realistic pre-CGI auto chase scenes ever filmed. With Tony Lo Bianco, Victor Arnold, Jerry Leon, Ken Kercheval, Larry Haines, Richard Lynch, Bill Hickman and Joe Spinell. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
3/24/18

A Trip to the Moon 03/24/18

What a great way to discover the fabulous French magician-turned-pioneer-filmaker Georges Méliès! Trailers from Hell’s Charlie Largent examines the incredible restoration of the original tinted color version of the 1902 movie sensation. Arguably the first science fiction film, its story ideas were filched from Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, but transformed into a crazy theatrical extravaganza that could only work on the new medium of film. Only fifteen or so minutes in duration, the restoration is accompanied by Lobster Films’ excellent career documentary, on both the brilliant Méliès and the restoration’s one source, a roll of film petrified into a solid block of celluloid. Forget Hugo — this is the best introduction to filmdom’s first master of fabulous eye-candy fantasy. On Blu-rayfrom Flicker Alley / Lobster Films.
3/24/18

Otley 03/24/18

Not many oddball spy movies were big successes. This amusing Brit effort sank without a trace, perhaps taking with it the career of the talented Tom Courtenay as a leading man. The comic tale pits an underachieving, cheeky London lad against an intelligence conspiracy that wouldn’t be doing anybody much harm — if they didn’t insist on murdering people. Romy Schneider leads a quirky supporting cast, with Freddie Jones, Alan Badel, James Villiers, Leonard Rossiter, James Bolam, Fiona Lewis, James Cossins and Ronald Lacey. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
3/24/18

Basket Case 03/24/18

Classic Midnite Cult movies were a mini-phenomenon chosen by the public, created only by word of mouth approval. Frank Henenlotter’s wild ‘n’ weird ‘separated at birth’ story is a thematic mashup of horror ideas, plunked down in the middle of America’s sleaze capital, 42nd street in the early 1980s. The audience-pleasing telepathic siblings Duane and Belial look fantastic in a new MoMa restoration, and the extras let the flamboyant director recount a great making-of story. His first distributor decided to ‘fix’ the movie by removing most of the gore! Starring Lance VanHentenryck, Terri Susan Smith and Beverly Bonner; on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
3/24/18

Underworld U.S.A. 03/20/18

Sam Fuller turns the crime film inside-out with this tale of on infiltrator taking down the syndicate. Vengeful Cliff Robertson uses both the mob and the cops to wipe out the hoods that killed his dad, with the help of two women, one of them a hooker with a heart of gold. The show feels like a ’30s throwback with a precociously violent streak, spiked with a healthy helping of what the critics would call Fuller’s ‘Cinema Fist.’ With Richard Rust, and Dolores Dorn as ‘Cuddles.’ On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
3/20/18

Ingrid Bergman’s Swedish Years 03/20/18

No, the movie star Ingrid Bergman was never a starlet with a seven-year contract, and her stellar career didn’t begin opposite Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. It all happened in Sweden, where she turned herself into a screen sensation in just a couple of years. Eclipse’s six-disc set shows the immediate success of the daring Bergman, but also her acting range — her sterling qualities seem fully formed even in her first features. On DVD from Eclipse.
3/20/18

The Colour of Pomegranates 03/20/18

Guest reviewer Lee Broughton assesses the Armenian director Sergei Parajanov’s poetic and metaphor-filled biopic about his countryman Sayat Nova, the Armenian poet-troubadour. This new disc edition offers both versions of the picture, Parajanov’s original and the Soviet-approved version cut by seven minutes. As we learn, if a Soviet film director found favor internationally, they often landed in trouble back home. On Region B Blu-ray from Second Sight (UK).
3/20/18

Women in Love 03/17/18

Finally — a satisfying home video edition of Ken Russell’s absorbing, argument-starting classic, in which D. H. Lawrence’s quartet of bohemians attempt to live out their progressive theories about love and sex. The intellectual arguments may be cold but the characters are warm and vivid. Exceptional performing from all — Alan Bates, Glenda Jackson, Oliver Reed and Jennie Linden, and outstanding cinematography from Billy Williams. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
3/17/18

Liquid Sky 03/17/18

Remembered as a briefly hot quasi- avant-garde title, then a cult item, Slava Tsukerman’s brightly colored movie is said to capture a New York fashion ‘n’ drugs scene that could be called Neon Punk. It certainly extended model Anne Carlisle’s fifteen minutes of fame. Oh . . . technically it’s also a Science Fiction movie. On Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
3/17/18

Robert Altman’s Images 03/17/18

Do we sometimes ‘grow into’ movies? This one now seems a minor masterpiece. ’70s auteur Robert Altman proves himself an expert practitioner of psychological hallucinations, in the intense tale of a schizophrenic children’s author who can’t keep her husband and two (imagined?) lovers sorted out. It’s one of the best, and best-looking puzzle pictures ever. It’s a top title for Susannah York, and features Rene Auberjonois, Marcel Bozzuffi and Hugh Millais. On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
3/17/18

The Outer Limits Season One 03/13/18

Where were we in ’63? Wow — we finally have a quality Blu-ray set of an entire generation’s favorite Sci-fi / monster TV show, an attraction that lit up our humdrum lives. Respected stars and good writers contributed to a weird-oh winner that can boast at least fifteen classic hours of Sci-fi delight, in velvety black and white. Thirty-two hourlong episodes on seven discs, with informative new audio commentaries. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
3/13/18

The Passion of Joan of Arc 03/13/18

This time around Criterion pulls out all the stops to offer an ‘Ultimate’ La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, even going so far as to present it at two frame rates. Carl Dreyer’s ultra-intense study of martyrdom and the human condition is known for eliciting rapturous responses — don’t be intimidated by its lofty cinematic reputation. The newly remastered 24fps version has been given three music scores, and new essays, interviews and video pieces, including one on its ‘versions history.’ The immortal Renée Falconetti stars; Michel Simon is one of her inquisitors. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
3/13/18

Dragonwyck 03/13/18

Before Vincent Price haunted houses, he chalked up plenty of experience as a Broadway star and a versatile character actor. This superb Joseph L. Mankiewicz gothic romance assigns him major leading man duty as a ‘dark and troubled’ soul — the kind that intimidates cowering leading ladies. The show is technically a vehicle for Gene Tierney, with fine work by Walter Huston, Vivienne Osborne, Spring Byington, Jessica Tandy, Anne Revere and Glenn Langan. With typical good humor, Price called it the first of his ‘dead wife’ movies! On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
3/13/18

The Drowning Pool 03/13/18

‘Harper Days Are Here Again,’ reads the advertising tag line for this worthy follow-up to Paul Newman’s first outing as Ross Macdonald’s jaded private eye. The movie is certainly worthy, but how did the producers let the terrific song Killing Me Softly with His Song get away? Newman’s fine cast is topped by Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa, Murray Hamilton, Gail Strickland, Melanie Griffith, Linda Haynes and Richard Jaeckel. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
3/13/18

King of Jazz 03/10/18

Make room for a genuine rarity, come back from the cinema graveyard in excellent condition: a lavish color musical extravaganza from 1930 that’s effectively been MIA for generations. Universal undertook a daunting restoration of this ‘revue-‘ style spectacle, which includes a full presentation of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in its original orchestration. Starring bandleader Paul Whiteman, John Boles, Bing Crosby (unbilled), Laura La Plante, Glenn Tryon, Slim Summerville and Walter Brennan. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
3/10/18

The Dumb Girl of Portici 03/10/18

We may not have film of the legendary actresses Lily Langtree or Sara Bernhardt to enjoy, but now we can see the famed Anna Pavlova dance and act, in an epic-length revolutionary saga inspired by a Grand Opera. In conjunction with the BFI and the New York Public Library, The Milestone Cinematheque gives us the full 2015 restored feature. A second disc offers more vintage film clips of the world’s first ballerina with an international touring company. On Blu-rayfrom The Milestone Cinematheque.
3/10/18

Ship of Fools 03/10/18

Secure one major book with a serious subject, sign up a wagonload of stars (including a legend or two) and make sure every cookie-cutter character explains themselves to the camera in close-up. That formula worked well for Stanley Kramer in 1965; his film hasn’t much of a reputation but the cast is gold. A bright new transfer makes the picture look very good. Starring an undeniably impressive cast: Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Michael Dunn, Lee Marvin, José Ferrer, Elizabeth Ashley, George Segal, Barbara Luna, Gila Golan. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
3/10/18

Hammer Volume Two: Criminal Intent 03/06/18

Reviewer Charlie Largent turns his pen toward a quartet of Hammer Films’ efforts to corner the crime thriller market on UK screens. The Snorkel and The Full Treatment (Stop Me Before I Kill) are Jimmy Sangster potboilers not without points of interest, but the others are two of the finest efforts ever from the Boys at Bray. Peter Cushing delivers one of his best film performances in Cash on Demand, a nail-biting, twisty heist thriller. And Never Take Sweets from a Stranger is an intelligent, mature yet chilling look at the taboo issue of child molestation. One doesn’t remember that it’s a Hammer film until the terrifying conclusion begins to close in. The imports are Region-A compatible, happily, on Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator UK.
3/06/18

The Housemaid 03/06/18

Guest reviewer Lee Broughton has found a unique Vietnamese horror film set on a French plantation towards the end of the First Indochina War. Is the ghostly killer a revenant of colonial evils, or the strange result of interracial tension? It’s a new point of view on a familiar subject, beautifully filmed in wide screen by director Derek Nguyen. On Region B Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment UK.
3/06/18

Great Balls of Fire! 03/06/18

Director Jim McBride puts retro magic into a rock ‘n’ roll bio about a big talent who was probably more fun on stage than in person. Dennis Quaid hits the right note of insanity for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis’s rise to fame and fortune. Winona Ryder’s hilarious, almost scary bobby-sox Lolita becomes Jerry’s girl bride. Everything’s ducky until the real-life story goes sour, leaving the comic characterizations high and dry. Also starring Stephen Tobolowsky, Trey Wilson, and Alec Baldwin as an unlikely Jimmy Swaggart, this one deserves a second look. On Blu-ray from Olive Films.
3/06/18

Duck You Sucker (A Fistful of Dynamite) 03/06/18

Savant leaps into yet another look at this Sergio Leone favorite, that’s probably the least popular of his big-scale westerns. The review is another chance to put forward a pet theory about “what it all means” — I’m convinced that Leone’s confusing continuity leave many viewers up in the air about basic plot point! The new disc re-reverts to what Savant thinks is the wrong title, but includes a tall stack of good extras, including two audio commentaries. James Coburn, Rod Steiger and Romolo Valli star; Ennio Morricone’s most expressive music score overwhelms Leone’s visuals! On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
3/06/18

Highway Dragnet 03/03/18

Here’s something odd: the formative feature in Roger Corman’s proto- career. Roger gets credits for Story and Associate Producer, and learned what he needed to learn to produce two movies of his own in the same year. The modest crime thriller sees Richard Conte involved with three women during a chase on dusty desert roads: noir star Joan Bennett and young Wanda Hendrix are a suspicious pair, but special guest Hot Number Mary Beth Hughes all but steals the show. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
3/03/18

Colossus: The Forbin Project 03/03/18

This nearly forgotten Sci-fi masterpiece should have been a monster hit. For some reason Universal didn’t think that a computer menace was commercial — the year after 2001. The superior drama sells a tough concept: the government activates a defense computer programmed to keep the peace. It does exactly that, but by holding the world hostage while it makes itself a God above mankind. Starring Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent, William Schallert and Georg Stanford Brown. On Blu-ray from Medium Rare.
3/03/18

Elevator to the Gallows 03/03/18

Louis Malle’s French thriller is cooler than cool — his first dramatic film is a slick suspense item with wicked twists of fate and images to die for: 1) Jeanne Moreau at the height of her beauty 2) walking through beautifully lit Parisian back streets 3) accompanied by a fantastic Miles Davis soundtrack. Murder in Paris doesn’t get any better. Photographed by Henri Decaë; with Maurice Ronet, Lino Ventura and Charles Denner. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
3/03/18

The Hallelulah Trail 03/03/18

Blown up to Road Show spectacular dimensions, a fairly modest idea for a comedy western became something of a career Waterloo for director John Sturges. But it’s still a favorite of fans thrilled by fancy 70mm-style presentations. A huge cast led by Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton and Pamela Tiffin leads the charge on a whisky-soaked madcap chase. It’s all in a fine spirit of fun. . . so where are the big laughs? With Donald Pleasence, Brian Keith, Martin Landau, John Anderson and Robert J. Wilke; on Blu-ray from Olive Films.
3/03/18

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice 02/27/18

What’s it all about, Ma-zur-sky? Is this an honest look at the free love movement of the late sixties, or a shallow investigation of affluent, bored pre-Yuppies infatuated by the new permissiveness regarding sex? It generated a new buzz about a micro-trend that re-branded what was once called wife-swapping. Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon are hip & happening, after being inspired to welcome ‘full honesty and emotional openness into their lives.’ It certainly sold tickets. By Charlie Largent. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
2/27/18

The Outlaw 02/27/18

Louise Brooks once said that the movies were invented to give rich men access to desirable women. The Outlaw is the stuff of legend less for itself than for Howard Hughes’ creation of the sex star Jane Russell, and his battle with the censors and Hollywood itself. We’ve always gotten the impression that nobody has told the full story behind Hughes, Russell and this ultra-hyped notorious western. Starring Walter Huston, Thomas Mitchell, Jack Buetel and various and sundry anatomical attractions. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
2/27/18

The Incident 02/27/18

New Yorkers of two centuries ago surely complained loudly about rampant street crime, but in the 1960s the media really ramped up the reportage paranoia. Had a new age of senseless violence begun? A New York play about terror on the subway is the source for this nail-biter with a powerful cast, featuring an ensemble of sharp new faces and undervalued veterans: Tony Musante, Martin Sheen, Beau Bridges, Jack Gilford, Thelma Ritter, Brock Peters, Ruby Dee, Ed McMahon, Diana Van der Vlis, Mike Kellin, Jan Sterling, Gary Merrill, Robert Fields, Donna Mills. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
2/27/18

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds 02/24/18

Of all the ‘depressed relationship’ dramas of the early ’70s, this may be the most rewarding. It also sports one of the longest titles on record. Paul Zindel’s award-winning play gets a marvelous adaptation for the screen, thanks to Alvin Sargent, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. There’s also the stealth input of the star couple’s daughter Nell Potts, whose restrained performance is the happy opposite of mawkish and maudlin. With Roberta Wallach, Judith Lowry and David Spielberg. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
2/24/18

Shoes 02/24/18

Some movies attempted to change social attitudes from the very beginning, and director Lois Weber made that goal her specialty, with a great many enormously popular films of the ‘teens and ‘twenties. Milestone’s disc of a Dutch restoration of this 1916 gem is a major find in terms of film culture: it helps write women filmmakers back into the historical record. With silent star Mary MacLaren and appointed with numerous extras. On Blu-ray from The Milestone Cinematheque.
2/24/18

No Orchids for Miss Blandish 02/24/18

Devotees of crime and film noir will get a kick out of this Brit attempt to capture the American style, that now comes off as screamingly funny. It was both a huge hit and a big scandal in London, 1948, where the censors came down hard on the film’s flagrant immorality and over-the-top violence. Former pre-Code second-banana thug Jack La Rue tries hard to be Humphrey Bogart. Leading lady Linden Travers’ role is as non-PC now as it was then: an heiress falls in love with the gangster, who has raped her, because she likes it. But the film’s maladroit hardboiled dialogue is hilarious fun. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
2/24/18

Inferno: L’enfer d’Henri-Georges Clouzot 02/20/18

A cinematic puzzle and a filmic detective piece, Serge Bromberg’s examination of a world-class filmmaker’s catastrophic, never-finished production fascinates and dazzles. If the particulars of H.G. Clouzot’s experimental epic of internal torment remain clouded, the astonishing visuals he created are a total knockout. Working with hours of uncut dailies and precise collaborator memories, Bromberg gives us the most interesting filmic autopsy on record. Incredible stuff! Starring Romy Schneider, Serge Reggiani, and Dany Carrel. On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
2/20/18

Tom Jones 02/20/18

Tony Richardson’s New Wave-inspired romp features Albert Finney in an 18th century pastoral with the lovely Susannah York as the apple of his eye and David Warner as the worm in that apple. With a brilliantly animated cast including Hugh Griffith, Joan Greenwood and Dame Edith Evans, the movie comes to us in a splendid edition sporting a gorgeous transfer. With Joyce Redman, Jack MacGowran, Diane Cilento, Peter Bull, Freda Jackson, Lynn Redgrave, & David Tomlinson. Trailers from Hell’s Charlie Largent is the reviewer. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
2/20/18

Night of the Living Dead 02/20/18

Talk about Zombies We’ve Known and Loved — this famed shocker is now worshipped as the father of the modern horror film. It’s no museum piece but a taut thriller that hasn’t diminished one wit — it still pays off in real chills. George Romero was a genuine original when it came to inspired independent filmmaking: if you haven’t seen this in a while, you’ll be impressed with the quality of his direction. With Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, this the best movie ever to come out of Pittsburgh P.A. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
2/20/18

The Mercenary (A Professional Gun) 02/20/18

Guest reviewer Lee Broughton is back with an in-depth look at Franco Solinas and Sergio Corbucci’s ‘committed’ political Spaghetti western, a large-scale drama about revolution, compromise and opportunism. Tony Musante is an honest peasant, Franco Nero a Polish military advisor, and Jack Palance a memorable villain; the music score is by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai. Also with Giovanna Ralli and produced by Alberto Grimaldi, straight from Leone’s ‘Dollars’ films. On Region B Blu-ray from 88 Films.
2/20/18

The Silence of the Lambs 02/17/18

Talk about staying power — Jonathan Demme’s riveting, ultimately humanistic horror thriller raked in a full house of Oscars and is still scaring new viewers. Even those that chose to avoid it know what it’s all about. My review bows to the film’s superiority and remarks on some of its finer points of cinematic splendor. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster can do no wrong; Scott Glenn, Ted Levine and Diane Baker provide formidable support. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
2/17/18

Nowhere in Africa 02/17/18

Caroline Link’s wonderful, woefully obscure Best Foreign Film winner is an entertaining story of the perils of wartime emigration. It hits hard right now, with our own immigration crackdown underway. A Jewish family smartly escapes Nazi Germany at the 11th hour, only to find themselves imprisoned in detention camps by the British — who ironically consider them dangerous enemy aliens. The show is a glorious growing-up tale for a German tot transplanted to Kenya, and becomes an edgy romantic story when the mother repurposes her amorous needs to help rescue her family. With Juliane Köhler, Sidede Onyulo and Merab Ninidze. On Blu-ray from Kino Lorber / Zeitgeist.
2/17/18

The Killing of a Sacred Deer 02/17/18

There’s a point at which unnervingly harsh and disturbingly irrational movies become more trouble than they’re worth. This groaner is two hours of jeopardy to children and perversely cruel storytelling that never rewarded this viewer. And director Yorgos Lanthimos chooses a style of performance and presentation that all but bypasses recognizable human values. I hold the film no particular grudge. It may be a masterpiece, but if I didn’t need to review it, I wouldn’t have stuck it out to the end. With Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan and Raffey Cassidy. On Blu-ray from Lionsgate.
2/17/18

Threads 02/13/18

Hey kids! Learn about the great time we’ll be having if the nuclear powers plunge us into a nuclear winter! This post-atomic horror show traumatized England in 1984, and even saw some airings in the U.S. thanks to the liberal media magnate Ted Turner. The most extreme prime-time response to Ronald Reagan’s heating up of the Cold War standoff, it remains the most honest look at a possible grim future, that rubs our noses in the full consequences of a nuclear exchange. Together with America’s The Day After and Testament, this TV show shouted a big ‘no’ to pro-nuke programs like the Strategic Defense Initiative, cynically marketed as ‘Star Wars.’ On Blu-ray from Severin.
2/13/18

Harper 02/13/18

Ross Macdonald’s Cool Cat detective — originally Lew Archer — comes alive in Jack Smight’s smart SoCal kidnapping mystery, thanks to a charismatic Paul Newman and a hot cast of bright, smart actors. It’s the first screenplay sale for the celebrated William Goldman, and the crisp cinematography by ace cameraman Conrad Hall doesn’t hurt either. With a great cast: Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris, Shelley Winters, Arthur Hill, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Pamela Tiffin and Robert Webber. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
2/13/18

The Witches (Le streghe) 02/13/18

The strangest Italian portmanteau picture of the sixties features glorious Silvana Mangano in dozens of costume changes, directed by big names (Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica, Pier Paolo Pasolini) and paired with a woefully miscast Clint Eastwood. The other major attraction in Dino De Laurentiis’ production is a delightful music score by Piero Piccioni, with an assist from Ennio Morricone. With an audio commentary by Tim Lucas. On Blu-ray from Arrow USA.
2/13/18

Charley Varrick 01/20/18

It’s the loose-censored early 1970s, and screen bandits shootin’ up the American movie landscape are no longer suffering the once-mandated automatic moral retribution. Walter Matthau launched himself into the genre with this excellent Don Siegel on-the-run epic, about an old-fashioned independent bandit who accidentally rips off the mob for a million. It’s great, wicked fun with Joe Don Baker, Andy Robinson, John Vernon, Felicia Farr, Sheree North and Jacqueline Scott. On Region B Blu-ray from Indicator (Powerhouse).
1/20/18

Blade Runner 2049 01/16/18

After 35 years Philip K. Dick’s brainstorm returns in a film sequel worthy of the original; Denis Villeneuve does right by the concept, but the show will be tough sledding for ADD-plagued modern viewers. Ryan Gosling follows in Harrison Ford’s replicant footsteps, surrounded by an impressive group of supporting actors. It’s long, it’s moody, it’s not for babies — but it is rewarding. Also with startling appearances by Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Carla Juri, Jared Leto, Sylvia Hoeks, Mackenzie Davis, Sean Young, and Hiam Abbass. A Dual-Format edition on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
1/16/18

From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses 01/16/18

Take a trip into the depths of German silent film in a documentary that links expressionist cinema with dark political undercurrents. Director Rüdiger Suchsland’s essay adapts a famous & worthy but slightly outdated book, yet is an excellent overview of movies in the Weimar period. On the dark side of the force is the black-gloved master criminal Schranker from “M”. On the side of the angels are the carefree picnic girls from People on Sunday. The Golem, Nosferatu and the False Maria are in the thesis, too! On DVD from Kino Lorber.
1/16/18

The Hanging Tree 01/13/18

“To really live, you must almost die,” sings Marty Robbins, a lesson learned by Austrian import star Maria Schell. Delmer Daves’ best western puts virtue and faithfulness to the test: Gary Cooper’s distrustful, manipulative doctor hides his dark secrets and punishes those that admire and love him. Yet the ultimate reckoning demonstrates that sins can be forgiven and goodness rewarded, even in a corrupt and lawless community. That’s a fairy tale I still want to believe in. Also starring Karl Malden and, in his first feature film, George C. Scott. On Blu-rayfrom The Warner Archive Collection.
1/13/18

Bend of the River 01/13/18

The second Anthony Mann / James Stewart western displays excellent direction and impressive Technicolor location photography high in the high mountains of Oregon. A matinee staple, it delivers everything — Stewart’s mostly good hero and Arthur Kennedy’s mostly bad hero spar and tangle and eventually fight to the death near the timber line. And the handsome Rock Hudson receives prime billing, mostly for flashing his incredible ‘Dazzledent’ smile. With Julia Adams, Lori Nelson and Jay C. Flippen. On All-Region Blu-ray from Explosive Media.
1/13/18

Raw Deal 01/09/18

Special Edition.  Style can be the star in Classic Noir, making a less prestigious film more entertaining than one with bigger names. Dennis O’Keefe, Claire Trevor and Marsha Hunt spin an excellent crime-love-murder triangle, for a road picture that’s one of the best Noirs not made by a big studio. Director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton dial up the intensity for an experience as rich as the best pulp crime fiction. With expert extras input from Alan K. Rode, Max Alvarez, Jeremy Arnold and Julie Kirgo. On Blu-ray from ClassicFlix.
1/09/18

Jabberwocky 01/09/18

Charlie Largent takes on Terry Gilliam’s followup to Monty Python and The Holy Grail and ambitious and creative medieval romp suggested by Lewis Carroll, turning it into a low-key mud ‘n’ rags farce. Michael Palin is the only Python in sight and most of the comedy is in droll observations and muted satire — Palin’s sad sack hero just wants a job, not rewards, but he must go out and face the fearsome monster Jabberwocky anyway. Gilliam made the movie to establish his brand as a director, and Cinema 5 Distributing slapped ‘Monty Python’s Jabberwocky’ on the posters against his wishes. From The Criterion Collection.
1/09/18

Not as a Stranger 01/09/18

What? Doctors aren’t perfect? And some practicing doctors are incompetent? Stanley Kramer’s All-Star medical soap opera takes two unlikely students (Robert Mitchum and Frank Sinatra) through med school and confronts them with a number of pat dramatic complications. But the movie belongs to top-billed Olivia de Havilland, who lends a touch of class to the entire iffy enterprise. The picture also stars Broderick Crawford, Gloria Grahame, Charles Bickford and Myron McCormick. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
/1/09/18

The Executioner’s Song 01/06/18

Reviewer Charlie Largent assesses Lawrence Schiller’s film of the Norman Mailer book about Gary Gilmore, a death row convict who petitioned not for a reprieve, but to have his sentence carried out. The famous TV movie was photographed by Freddie Francis and stars Tommy Lee Jones, Eli Wallach, Christine Lahti and Roseanna Arquette. This is a good call to remaster classic TV movies before they disappear: if available at all, too many can be seen only in wretched quality. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
1/06/18

Young Mr. Lincoln 01/06/18

Viewers looking (desperately) for American leaders to admire can’t do better than to reflect on John Ford’s folksy, at least partly authentic honorarium to one of the greats. Henry Fonda is 100% dead-on as a vision of Abe Lincoln to bring tears to our eyes. Imagine . . . there’s such a thing as political integrity, or simply a person that puts the public good ahead of personal advantage. Criterion’s older extras are augmented with a fine new feature commentary by John Ford authority Joseph McBride. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
1/06/18

Legend of the Lost 01/06/18

America’s top box office star John Wayne sneaks away to a remote corner of the Sahara Desert with the top Italian sex symbol Sophia Loren … and foolishly brings an entire camera crew with him. Henry Hathaway’s impressive desert adventure boasts a fairly amazing, bona fide Lost City, made even more impressive through the Technirama cinematography of the legendary Jack Cardiff. Rossano Brazzi co-stars as a treasure hunter, who can’t handle the truth about his explorer-father. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
1/06/18

The Hospital 01/02/18

A story of murders in the ER becomes, courtesy of writer Paddy Chayefsky, either a preview of social breakdown or an impassioned examination of why we invest our lives and souls in imperfect institutions. George C. Scott is the doctor coming apart at the seams, who meets his match in a New Age hippie from a New Mexico commune. My instinct is that such a person would not look like Diana Rigg, but everybody needs a dream girl. With Barnard Hughes and Richard Dysart. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
01/02/18

Matinee 01/02/18

A scary monster movie comes to Key West just as a nuclear crisis breaks out! Joe Dante’s incomparable paean to monster kid culture has finally arrived on Region A Blu-ray, with the great extras we expect from every Dante-involved home video offering. The picture only gets more charming and funny with time, with its great cast of teens to the perfect pitch of John Goodman and Cathy Moriarty’s bigger-than-life characters. On Blu-ray from Shout Select.
01/02/18

Cadillac Man 01/02/18

The irrepressible Robin Williams is Joey, a trash-talking Cadillac salesman with three women on the line, who becomes an involuntary hero when Tim Robbins smashes his motorcycle into the car showroom and threatens to kill everybody. Roger Donaldson’s crisis-farce black comedy is still funny — and my favorite Robin Williams feature. With Pamela Reed, Fran Drescher, Lori Petty and Lauren Tom as the abrasively funny Helen. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/02/18

The Apartment 12/30/17

Savant’s vote for the best romantic comedy ever goes to a sordid fable about problems in the big city Rat Race: keeping both a job and one’s self-respect. Picking up where 1930s pre-Code movies left off, Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond’s ‘how to succeed’ thesis divides people into two groups, Takers and those that Get Took. And yet the message it delivers is life & love- affirming. Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray top an impeccable cast. With an excellent selection of extras, old and new — I learned new things about the picture. On Blu-ray from Arrow Academy.
12/30/17

Forever Amber 12/30/17

Meet the lusty Amber St. Clare, an ambitious 17th century social climber determined to sleep her way to respectability. Gorgeous Linda Darnell gets her biggest role in a lavishly appointed period epic; Otto Preminger hated the assignment but his direction and Darryl Zanuck’s production are excellent. George Sanders, Cornel Wilde, Jessica Tandy, Richard Haydn . . . and it has an all-time great David Raksin movie score, Isolated on its own track. On Blu-rayfrom Twilight Time.
12/30/17

The Whales of August 12/30/17

This look at the ‘adjustments’ of old age and the pain of nostalgia is a prime opportunity to admire a pair of legendary actresses. David Barry’s play observes the intersection of several interesting personalities on one glorious late-summer day. Bette Davis and Lillian Gish earn our full attention, backed by memorable turns from Ann Sothern and Vincent Price, directed by Lindsay Anderson. Packed with interview extras, on Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/30/17

The Garden of Allah 12/23/17

One of the first full Technicolor features is a romantic fantasy about an innocent beauty’s encounter with an equally innocent fugitive monk … all surrounded by sensuous, confected Hollywood exotica, courtesy of producer David O. Selznick. Marlene Dietrich and Charles Boyer steam up the screen, but dancer Tilly Losch steals the show with just one scene. With Basil Rathbone, Joseph Schildkraut & John Carradine. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/23/17

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 12/23/17

Still looking sharp 26 years since its premiere, James Cameron’s picture completely masters the mass audience thriller while pushing the effects envelope far beyond the industry’s horizon. Technically slick, conceptually brutal, Cameron’s style is what still prevails in action-based Sci-Fi. All this, and Ah-nold too. With Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Joe Morton and Jenette Goldstein. On Ultra HD and Blu-ray from Lionsgate.
12/23/17

Ruby 12/23/17

A major horror hit from ’77, Ruby surprised all that made it including its director Curtis Harrington, who struggled with an interfering producer for control of the set. Despite everything, star Piper Laurie still shines, and there’s some good atmosphere — for an Exorcist rip-off, it’s not bad. With Stuart Whitman, Roger Davis and Janit Baldwin. On Blu-ray from VCI.
12/23/17

Dunkirk 12/19/17

A huge summer hit and a righteous blow struck for positive, non-comic book entertainment, Christopher Nolan’s account of a WW2 crisis is a major war picture with amazing, full-scale visuals that we are told were only slightly augmented with CGI effects. Hallelujah. With Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, this is a must-see war picture that entertains everybody. The new UHD format delivers the full theatrical experience, for our fancy home-theater friends. A Dual-Format edition on Blu-ray + Digital and Ultra HD from Warner Home Video.
12/19/17

Pulp 12/19/17

A spoof? A black comedy? Michael Hodges and Michael Caine’s hardboiled ‘foreign intrigue’ comedy lays on the movie references and clever dialogue, going the distance in the arcane, hipster-noir subgenre. Caine is always good in that mode, and Mickey Rooney gets a supporting role that can only be called bizarre. Featuring a gallery of noir-lite suspects: Lionel Stander, Lizabeth Scott, Al Lettieri. And Hey, Richard A. Smith, it’s filmed in Malta (personal reference). Available on Blu-ray; reviewed on DVD from Arrow Video.
2/19/17

CineSavant 2017 Favored Disc Roundup: Restorations 12/16/17

It’s the end of the year — Savant’s taken a look back at twelve months of discs, 304 reviews in toto, to pull forward not the twenty ‘best’ — who needs my opinion on that? — but twenty of the most appreciated Restorations, rediscoveries and rescues that made it to video disc. Some titles represent years of work, while others are perfect copies simply discovered in a vault. And then there’s representative discs from genres and countries that need more attention. All this, and unwanted personal asides as well.
12/16/17

Four Faces West 12/12/17

Westerns are all about values: good and bad, law and lawlessness, etc. Joel McCrea and Frances Dee’s ‘bad man’ saga isn’t faith based, exactly, but it’s great for humanitarian values, the simple notion that the good in people should be encouraged. And one important detail may make Four Faces West unique. Hint: John Milius might be strongly prejudiced against this picture. Co-starring Charles Bickford and Joseph Calleia. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/12/17

Night Passage 12/12/17

 ‘Die Uhr ist abgelaufen’.  It’s the great Anthony Mann-James Stewart western that Mann didn’t direct: Stewart goes it alone, over-filling a good western idea with ‘cute’ scenes and conservative messages Mann had no use for. But it’s an exciting picture, and one of co-star Audie Murphy’s best — and it’s the first feature in the splendid oversized format known as Technirama. The cast sprawls as wide as the screen: Elaine Stewart, Dianne Foster, Brandon De Wilde, Jay C. Flippen, Robert J. Wilke and Hugh Beaumont. On All-region  Blu-ray from Explosive Media (Germany).
12/12/17

Letter from an Unknown Woman 12/12/17

This devastating romantic melodrama is Max Ophüls’ best American picture — perhaps because it seems so European? It’s probably Joan Fontaine’s finest hour as well, and Louis Jourdan comes across as a great actor in a part perfect for his screen personality. The theme could be called ‘No regrets,’ but also, ‘Everything is to be regretted.’ Produced by John Houseman with Mady Christians and Art Smith; the extras are excellent. On Blu-ray from Olive Signature.
12/12/17

Casualties of War 12/09/17

Charlie Largent takes the pulse of Brian De Palma’s true-life Vietnam story of an appalling ‘Incident on Hill 192.’ Combat is combat and boys will be boys, they say, and their horrible crime against a young woman is good ‘for the morale of the squad.’ Michael J. Fox is a throw back to the Audie Murphy-style of soldier: fresh-faced, optimistic and decidedly the odd man out in his own platoon. Sean Penn and John C. Reilly co-star; the music is by Ennio Morricone. On Region B Blu-ray from Explosive Media (De).
12/09/17

Maigret Sets a Trap & Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case 12/09/17

Welcome to a pair of vintage mysteries with George Simenon’s popular Inspector Jules Maigret, a gumshoe who gets the tough cases. Top kick French actor Jean Gabin is the cop who keeps cool, until it’s time to rattle a recalcitrant suspect. In two separate cases, he tracks a serial killer in the heart of Paris, and travels to his hometown to unearth a murder conspiracy. With Annie Giradot and Michel Auclair; on Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
12/09/17

A New Leaf 12/09/17

Filtered through her experience as an unequalled comic performer, writer-director Elaine May scores a bulls-eye with this grossly underappreciated gem, fashioned in a style that could be called ‘black comedy lite.’ And that’s the release version mangled by the producer. What might it have been if May had been allowed to finish her director’s cut? Elaine May and Walter Matthau star, with major help from Jack Weston, George Rose, James Coco, Doris Roberts, Renée Taylor and William Redfield. On Blu-ray from Olive Signature.
12/09/17

The Complete Monterey Pop Festival 12/09/17

Criterion lavishes a major upgrade to its older box set celebrating the first major rock concert event, the ‘California Dreamin’ idyll that some say marked the beginning of the Summer of Love. Get ready to hear and see some history-making performances from Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and The Who. Plus two more features and a bundle of ‘extra’ music sets . . . including Tiny Tim. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/09/17

Deathdream 12/05/17

Casual fans of A Christmas Story likely don’t know that Bob Clark had once made creepy horror pictures with Alan Ormsby, but this independent shock effort of the early ’70s still casts a spell of dread. Listed as deceased, Richard Backus’s infantryman returns to his hearth and home on a fiendish mission. Although Vietnam is never mentioned, the war’s shadow strikes deep into the heart of a small-town family. John Marley and Lynn Carlin lead a fine cast; an exacting new transfer brings renewed life to the dead. A Dual-Format edition on Blu-ray and DVD from Blue Underground.
12/05/17

General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait 12/05/17

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a precedent! Barbet Schroeder’s documentary gets up close and personal with a narcissistic dictator consumed by his own ego. Idi Amin rants and raves incoherently and demands to be the center of all attention while taking his country down a road to ruin. This is Africa in 1973, where Uganda has been converted into ‘The Idi Amin Reality Show’ — and where a minion in disfavor might be fed to the crocodiles. Schroeder is fearless — he asks the dictator on camera to explain his support for Adolf Hitler’s ideas — and Amin just laughs. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/05/17

Election 12/02/17

We’ve all met Tracy Flick — the eager-beaver student that charms the right teachers, wins all the awards and corners the big scholarships. Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor’s witty, perceptive look at High School shows the predicament of a model teacher who can’t help but sabotage a pupil’s run for class president. Reese Witherspoon’s wholly original characterization scores big, and Matthew Broderick plays what is probably his best screen role. On Blu-rayfrom The Criterion Collection.
12/02/17

Stay Hungry 12/02/17

Are ’70s auteur pictures liberated and loose, or flaky and undisciplined? Bob Rafelson’s Alabama escapade places Jeff Bridges amid a wide range of choice-quality nuts, with Sally Field and Arnold Schwarzenegger staking their first claims on the big screen. What do the changing face of The South and competition-level body building have to do with each other? You tell us! With R.G. Armstrong, Robert Englund, Helena Kallianiotes, Roger E. Mosley, Woodrow Parfrey, Scatman Crothers, Kathleen Miller, Fannie Flagg, Joanna Cassidy, Ed Begley Jr. and Joe Spinell. On Blu-ray from Olive Films.
12/02/17

Operation Petticoat 12/02/17

Tony Curtis grew up idolizing the suave and funny Cary Grant, emulated his romantic moves as an actor and then performed a brilliant impersonation of Grant for Billy Wilder. The next step had to be co-starring with the great man himself. Blake Edwards’ amiable, relaxed submarine movie allows Grant to play with ladies’ under-things, while Curtis wrestles with a pig. With Joan O’Brien, Dina Merrill, Gene Evans, and Arthur O’Connell; on Blu-ray from Olive Signature Collection.
12/02/17

Hangover Square 11/28/17

No, it’s not a the-day-after sequel to The Lost Weekend but a class-act mystery-horror from 20th-Fox, at a time when the studio wasn’t keen on scare shows. John Brahm directs the ill-fated Laird Cregar as a mad musician . . . or, at least a musician driven mad by a perfidious femme fatale, Darryl Zanuck’s top glamour girl Linda Darnell. With George Sanders and featuring a famous Guy Fawkes funeral pyre. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/28/1

Wolf 11/28/17

Aooowww — Woo! Jack Nicholson summons his inner dog — and dons the makeup and scary contact lenses — to go the Larry Talbot route. Unfortunately, his moon-howling nighttime life isn’t as interesting as the dog-eat-dog infighting in the publishing house where he works – where feral instincts and sharp lupine senses are a major aid to ‘getting a leg up’ on the competition. I know, cheap metaphors are the ruin of promising writers. With Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Christopher Plummer, and Richard Jenkins. On All-Region Blu-ray from Indicator (UK).
11/28/17

Little Big Man 11/28/17

Arthur Penn’s under-appreciated epic has everything a big-scale western could want — spectacle, interesting characters, good history and a sense of humor. Dustin Hoffman gets to play at least five characters as an ancient pioneer relating his career exploits — which are either outrageous tall tales or a concise history of the taking of The West. Also starring Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George, Martin Balsam, Richard Mulligan, Jeff Corey and Aimée Eccles. A German import on Region B Blu-ray from Koch Media (De).
11/28/17

The Wonderful Worlds of Ray Harryhausen Volume 2 1961-1964 11/25/17

From the bottom of the sea to the surface of the moon, and from Greek legend to the fabulous future of (gasp) 1966 – the Harryhausen/Schneer Dynamation features were pushing the limits of film fantasy. Mysterious Island, Jason and the Argonauts and First Men IN the Moon run the whole gamut of Harryhausen effects wonderment. Charlie Largent gives these all-time favorites a close inspection – they’re import discs but they play in Region A. On Blu-ray from Indicator (UK).
11/25/17

Scarecrow 11/25/17

We’re on the road again with a pair of eccentric new-age hobos, the kind that just can’t hack it in polite society. Gene Hackman and Al Pacino’s acting styles get a workout in Jerry Schatzberg’s tale of drifters cursed with iffy goals; Vilmos Zsigmond’s Panavision cinematography helped it earn a big prize at Cannes. With fine support from Dorothy Tristan, Ann Wedgeworth, Richard Lynch, Eileen Brennan, and Penny Allen. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/25/17

The Yellow Handkerchief 11/25/17

Ready for some full- on Japanese sentimentality? Superlative tough guy Ken Takakura takes us deep into heartbreak territory in search of a happy ending. Yoji Yamada’s Hokkaido road epic throws together a trio of ‘drifters of the heart’ to see if they can solve each other’s romantic dilemmas. Also starring Chieko Baisho, Kaori Momoi, and Tetsuya Takeda; this has to be the far-East equivalent of a three-hankie picture. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
11/25/17

Fritz Lang: The Silent Films — 12 Disc Set 11/21/17

“The Complete Silent Films of German Cinema’s Supreme Stylist.” Kino Lorber shows its faith in the Blu-ray medium with an extravagant collection of its entire silent holdings of the Fritz Lang library of silent classics. Mythical heroes, sacrificing heroines, criminal madmen and uncontrolled super-science are his themes; it’s a paranoid’s view of the first half of the 20th Century, expressed in fantastic creative innovations that literally re-write the rules of cinema. Metropolis, Die Niebelungen, Mabuse, Spies, Destiny — they’re all here in handsomely appointed packaging. On Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
11/21/17

Sayonara 11/21/17

“What are you rebelling against, Marlon?” This time Brando has more to say than merely “Whaddaya got?” Back when interracial marriage was a shady topic (are those dark days coming back?) the U.S. military had some adjustment issues. Full integration of the ranks didn’t remove the anti- Japanese bigotry. James Michener’s novel has been transformed into a big-scale romance, with Marlon Brando coming to terms with a split in loyalty between the flag and his private life. The big shock is that the Paul Osborn’s screenplay doesn’t let the military off easy. With Miiko Taka, Patricia Owens, Miyoshi Umeki and Red Buttons. On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
11/21/17

Ulzana’s Raid 11/18/17

Keine Gnade für Ulzana. Many great Blu-rays unavailable in the U.S. can now be found in Europe. One of the best westerns of the ’70s is this jarringly realistic cavalry vs. Apaches drama from Robert Aldrich and Burt Lancaster, which used the ‘R’ rating to get serious about the savage details. In this case it works — the genuinely scary movie is also a profound meditation on violent America. With Bruce Davison & Richard Jaeckel; written by fave scribe Alan Sharp. A Dual-Format edition on All-Region Blu-ray and PAL DVD from Explosive Media (De).
11/18/17

The Madness of King George 11/18/17

It’s great when a fancy costume picture really has something to say — Alan Bennett’s crazy tale of a king’s episode of mental illness becomes a highly entertaining comedy of errors, but with serious personal and political ramifications. Nigel Hawthorne is exceptionally good as the sovereign whose brain has de-railed; Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Rupert Everett and Amanda Donohoe try to help him — or steal his crown. Director Nicholas Hytner does a fine job on this one. On Blu-ray from Olive Films.
11/18/17

Attack of the Puppet People 11/18/17

All hail Bert I. Gordon, who singlehandedly carved out his own niche in ‘fifties monster folklore, and even won a battle or two against those sharpies at A.I.P.. His puppet people were originally just ‘Fantastic,’ but they had to be made into a menace with the “A” word usually reserved for icky poo Giant Leeches, Crab Monsters and 50-Foot Women. John Hoyt holds the movie up with his bare hands, like Atlas; John Agar and June Kenney look clueless and Laurie takes a bubble bath in a coffee can. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
11/18/17

The Sissi Collection 11/14/17

Sissi / Sissi: The Young Empress / Sissi: The Fateful Years of an Empress How about “I Was a Teenage Empress?” The film trilogy tells an optimized version of the life of a 19th century Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. It’s fuzzy history designed to prop up German morale, but the film is graced with the incredible presence of a teenaged Romy Schneider, whose beauty and personality became a sensation in the European film world. Also starring Karlheinz Böhm. With two more added feature films. On Blu-ray from Film Movement Classics.
11/14/17

The Miracle Worker 11/14/17

Why is this incredible movie fading into obscurity? Anybody that appreciates good theater and good moviemaking will be in awe of Arthur Penn’s marvelous visualization of this tale of a determined woman achieving the impossible — teaching a child that can neither see nor hear. The knock down, drag ’em out scenes between Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke are unique, to say the least. With Victor Jory and Inga Swenson. On Blu-ray from Olive Films.
11/14/17