Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Archives: Reviews

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The Snow Queen   Treasures of Soviet Animation Vol 2 10/14/25

Deaf Crocodile
Blu-ray

Reviewer Charlie Largent snaps up the opportunity to review the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale released here in 1959 as ‘The Snow Queen,’ with an added prologue with TV host Art Linkletter. Directed by Lev Atamanov, the original Soviet feature Snezhnaya Koroleva is a real beauty of classic animation. Gerda struggles to rescue her beloved Kai, the prisoner of a queen who is turning Kai’s heart to ice. It’s part of the set Treasures of Soviet Animation Vol 2, with ‘The Scarlet Flower’ and ‘The Key,’ produced between 1952 and 1961. The films come with commentaries by Rolf Giesen. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile.
10/14/25

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Eyes without a Face  — 4K 10/14/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

It was the impossible, intolerable taboo horror of its day … does it still shock as it once did, or are audiences now too jaded to appreciate its brilliance?  George Franju & Eugen Schüfftan ride the divide between clinical brutality and dreamy surrealism.  Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli and Edith Scob brought horror up to date with this one, initiating an international flood of medical horror cinema. Friend Steve Nielson once noted the film’s seminal effect, comparing it to the rock band Velvet Underground. Not very many people bought their records, but everyone who heard them started a band. Now on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
10/14/25

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Ms .45   — 4K 10/11/25

Arrow Video
4K Ultra HD

An ‘almost’ icon and a vivid memory from the New York cinema front of the early ’80s, Zoë Tamerlis graced exploitation screens in Abel Ferrara’s minimalist ode to sisterly vigilantism. The victim of two brutal rapes in one night, a meek mute seamstress is transformed into an avenging angel — ambushing the men that would abuse her. The concept should be offensive, but the treatment makes us question which attackers do and which don’t deserve a bullet to the brain. The new remaster makes Ferrara’s Manhattan grit look very attractive. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
10/11/25

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The Strange Woman 10/11/25

Film Masters / Allied Vaughn
Blu-ray

The independent-minded Hedy Lamarr put this ‘Americana noir’ into motion with director Edgar G. Ulmer and excellent talent on both sides of the camera; the result is a superior, fairly uncompromised tale of beauty and ambition, spun into the realm of the ‘Evil Woman’ genre. It has a telling resemblance to a similar film from the same source author, masking misogyny in Bible prophecy instead of modern psychology. The supporting cast is excellent: George Sanders, Louis Hayward, Gene Lockhart and Hillary Brooke. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
10/11/25

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The Hard Way 10/07/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Underdog Warners actress Ida Lupino could hold her head high, turning out pictures like this — a Bette Davis reject that proved a winner. It’s a backstage musical soaper using some of the studio’s ‘A-minus’ talent, and definitely an overachiever. Lupino moves heaven and earth to carve out a starring showbiz career for her younger sister Joan Leslie, only to make everyone miserable. With a screenplay rooted in real-life anxieties that the actors knew well, Vincent Sherman’s direction makes everybody look good: Gladys George, Dennis Morgan and especially Jack Carson. When Crawford ‘went noir,’ she must have seen this movie as something to emulate. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
10/07/25

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Nate and Hayes 10/07/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

This New Zealand pirate adventure had bad luck theatrically, but we welcomed its old-fashioned thrills when it appeared on cable TV. It now looks super on widescreen Blu-ray. A young Tommy Lee Jones is Bully Hayes, a South Seas adventurer competing with Michael O’Keefe for the hand of Jenny (sigh) Seagrove. His piratical crew fights no end of colonial despots, cheerful cannibals and his own former partner, the villainous Ben Pease (Max Phipps). It’s got exciting sailing ships, handsome location photography and all manner of corny but energetic action scenes, wrapped up with a music score that would win Errol Flynn’s approval. CineSavant doesn’t really have Guilty Pleasures but this one comes close. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
10/07/25

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The Cinema of Powell & Pressburger Collection One 10/04/25

Viavision [Imprint]
Blu-ray

This impressive import collection of ‘Archers’ pictures is just one classic after another, including three of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s Technicolor masterpieces. The boxed set also carries good extras, new input from experts plus a selection of the best existing documentaries on P&P. Plus, a couple of the transfers are big improvements on older discs: The Spy in Black, 49th Parallel, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Canterbury Tale, A Matter of Life and Death and Black Narcissus. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
10/04/25

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The Quatermass Xperiment  — 4K 10/04/25

Hammer Films
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Wonder of wonders — Hammer’s massive boxed sets seem unreasonable until one sees the depth and breadth of the extras. Nigel Kneale’s original ‘organic invasion’ scare show hasn’t lost its power, thanks to Richard Wordsworth’s compelling performance and the dogged intensity of Brian Donlevy. The 4K encoding is superb; they’ve added the U.S. version plus an extra stereophonic mix. Aimed at wealthy Sci-fi addicts, I suppose, but it is a thing of beauty. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Hammer Films.
10/04/25

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High AND Low  — 4K 09/30/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Akira Kurosawa’s modern crime masterpiece takes the leap to 4K. It’s a classic kidnapping tale in a context of social friction — the perpetrator is maddened by the gap between haves and have nots. A superb detective story balances that irony with the commitment of an ethical businessman and a police force we wish we had here. Toshiro Mifune is sensational, as are Tatsuya Nakadai, Yutaka Sada, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Hiroshi Unayama and Tsutomu Yamazaki. The excellent music is by Masaru Sato. It’s in original 4-track stereo, as well. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
09/30/25

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Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter  — 4K 09/30/25

Hammer Films
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Hammer horror rides again, or actually, for almost the last time! ‘The Avengers’ alumnus Brian Clemens mixes swashbuckling and bloodsucking. Horst Janson’s blond do-gooder dispatches vampire fiends whose victims prematurely age; the most positive fan reaction was for femme star Caroline Munro. Released on a double bill with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, this was the last Hammer show to resemble their classic monster rallies. Charlie Largent reviews the king-sized import box, from England. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Hammer Films.
09/27/25

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1984  (1956) 09/30/25

A Missing on Blu Review
Not on Home Video

CineSavant highlights a film for our times: England’s 1956 Michael Anderson version of George Orwell’s legendary book dropped (mostly) out of sight long ago, and this was the first time I’ve seen it intact as an adult viewer. Edmond O’Brien, Jan Sterling, Michael Redgrave and Donald Pleasence are excellent, and the production impresses in every way. We think we have the ‘true story’ of the film’s two versions, with two contrasting finales. “This is not a story of space ships and men from other planets, but the immediate future.”  A Missing on Blu Review Not on Home Video.
09/23/25

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WB ’50s Sci-Fi Collection 09/30/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Reviewer Charlie Largent gets a chance to put forward his own observations and insights regarding these diverse favorites from the years when Radioactivity and Alien Mutations were an opportunity for marvelous movie matinee chills. Each is a classic: the abundant Allison Hayes blossoms into King-Sized proportions in Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, the future hold grotesque mutants and calendar girls in World Without End, a rip-roaring Rhedosaurus thaws out for a madcap Manhattan weekend in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and a film noir menace turns out to be an onslaught of creepy crawly insectoid abominations in the classic Them!  All in their best HD transfers, all together and ready for popcorn thrills. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
09/20/25

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Fires on the Plain  — 4K 09/30/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

It’s a chronicle of defeat and doom, hopelessness and horror … yet director Kon Ichikawa turns it into an engrossing experience. Footsoldier Tamura is one of thousands of Japanese troops left behind after military defeats; surrender risks execution by partisan Philipinos, and the alternative is slow starvation in the hills. Desperation and madness take their toll, yet the show says a lot about the human spirit — we’re impressed, even if we’re not uplifted. The new restoration looks sensational in B&W Daieiscope by Eastman — it’s one of the most attractive B&W Japanese films we’ve seen. The extras include special input from the director. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
09/16/25

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Get Carter  — 4K 09/13/25

The Warner Archive Collection
4K Ultra HD

Crime movies have grown a lot more vicious since 1971, but few pack the hard crime impact of Mike Hodges’ gangster revenge tale. Michael Caine’s Jack Carter is a London hit man who returns to his roots in Newcastle, to sort out the sudden death of his brother. It leads to the expected trail of dead bodies, as Carter out-maneuvers the Northern hoods at their own game. The sordid context and grisly mayhem intensify going forward; Caine strips the glamour from his star persona and lets the bad times roll. Also starring Ian Hendry, Britt Ekland, John Osborne and Tony Beckley, speaking in authentic regional accents. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
09/13/25

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Airport  — 4K 09/13/25

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

The blizzard looks real and the big stars are flashy, but Ross Hunter’s 70mm ode to supermarket best sellers still plays like a TV movie. Both airport manager Burt Lancaster and pilot Dean Martin are straying from their marriages, with Jean Seberg (sigh!) and Jacqueline Bisset (wow!). But the direction dotes on cute geriatric stowaway Helen Hayes, mad bomber Van Heflin and crusty facilities troubleshooter George Kennedy. The screenplay sings the praises of American know-how and Boeing aircraft in particular. The biggest trauma for today’s audience is looking back at 1970’s wholesome in-flight meals and the spacious seating in coach! On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
09/13/25

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Four Sided Triangle 09/09/25

Hammer Films
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Hammer Films’ Terence Fisher tries on a human duplication tale, and his chosen human duplicatee happens to be the notorious Hollywood star Barbara Payton. Charlie Largent reviews the recent monster special edition box with all its bells and whistles; we just want to know why Payton would worry about choosing between Stephen Murray and John van Eyssen. Surely she really wanted Dirk Bogarde. You can’t give a minor Sci-fi tale a better showcase than this. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Hammer.
09/09/25

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Patterns   . . . of Power 09/09/25

Film Masters
Blu-ray

Is this writer Rod Serling’s best teleplay ever?  It’s almost too good for Serling, even. Van Heflin, Everett Sloane and Ed Begley are at the center of a business power squeeze, in a postwar business world with ruthless new rules. Is it all about staying competitive, or is it corporate murder?  With terrific early performances from Elizabeth Wilson and Beatrice Straight. Director Fielder Cook opens up his celebrated live TV production for the big screen. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
09/09/25

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Saraband for Dead Lovers 09/06/25

Powerhouse Indicator
Blu-ray

A striking digital Technicolor restoration brings Ealing Films’ unique costume romance to vivid life. The tragedy of Princess Sophie Dorothea has a fine cast: Stewart Granger, Françoise Rosay, Frederick Valk, Peter Bull, Anthony Quayle, Michael Gough, Megs Jenkins, Miles Malleson, Guy Rolfe — plus superb work from ‘the voice’ Joan Greenwood, and a performance by Flora Robson that betters anything she did in Hollywood. The artful production is even stronger: Douglas Slocombe’s cinematography is as creative as that in Powell & Pressburger’s pictures. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
09/06/25

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They Died with their Boots On 09/06/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Whoa!  We saw this endlessly as kids and pretty much set it aside in favor of later revisionist westerns of the 1950s. Raoul Walsh’s pseudobio of George Armstrong Custer is nevertheless a stunning, action-filled epic with humor, romance and a smashing star performance by Errol Flynn. Olivia de Havilland bounces back as the faithful wife, in a production that gives Flynn exactly what he needs to maximize his appeal. The staging of the action is still breathtaking, and the digital restoration makes it look like it was filmed yesterday. Also starring Arthur Kennedy and Anthony Quinn. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
09/06/25

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Invasion USA  + Rocket Attack U.S.A. 09/02/25

Film Masters
Blu-ray

This atom fear thriller grabbed audiences by the Conelrads. Albert Zugsmith spun Cold War hysteria into gold with this cheap but effective exploitation of nuclear war jitters. For once it really happens — ‘unnamed enemies’ overrun America with atom bombs, parachuting troops into cities even as the bombs fall. The absurd script sees excellent work from Peggie Castle & Dan O’Herlihy, with special guest victims Phyllis Coates, Noel Neill and William Schallert. Get ready for a full-on 50-megaton onslaught of vicious stock film footage. The paranoia is contagious: “Bombs Ay-Vey!”  Also included: the sub-awful 1960 stinker Rocket Attack U.S.A.. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
09/02/25

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Lost in Space   — 4K 09/02/25

Arrow Video
4K Ultra HD

Irwin Allen started a franchise with his 1965 TV show: there has even been a second TV series with Parker Posey as Dr. Smith. This very, very expensive 1998 space opera must be the result of millions of hours of digital labor, as the whole thing is a digital effect just as CGI wiped out conventional optical effects. It’s ‘Star Wars’ but for the whole family, get it?  The old formula comes back with a massive production and a stellar cast: William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Gary Oldman, Matt LeBlanc and Jared Harris. It’s a 2-hour audiovisual barrage, and slightly less violent than the average space extravaganza. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
09/02/25

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7 Women 08/30/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Now back in a dazzling remaster, John Ford’s final feature is a ‘problematic masterpiece.’ The director reaches back to the expressionist 1930s for a grim tale of a Christian mission outpost overrun by savage bandits. His cranky traditionalism in this case sides 100% with core feminist values, thanks to Anne Bancroft’s sterling performance as an outspoken, unapologetic doctor banished to a Chinese backwater. The daring, uncompromising result may not please religious zealots or minority advocates. It’s a must-see, both for Ford advocates and for fans of Bancroft. At present, there’s an appeal for a restoration of the film’s longer version. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
08/30/25

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Out of the Clouds 08/30/25

Powerhouse Indicator
Blu-ray

Aviation buffs will see plenty to admire in Basil Dearden’s drama of events at London’s Heathrow Airport. The show comes off as a low-stress precursor to our Airport, back when the notion of routine air travel was a glamorous and romantic novelty. It also functions as an institutional advert for British aviation and good PR for the shrinking Empire. Film fans not impressed by the simple & sincere personalities depicted may be tickled by the score of actors we associate with Ealing comedies and Hammer horrors. Anthony Steele and Robert Beatty are tame male leads, but there’s plenty of charisma with James Robertson Justice, Eunice Gayson, Gordon Harker, Bernard Lee, Marie Lohr, Abraham Sofaer, Melissa Stribling, Sidney James, Megs Jenkins and Katie Johnson. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
08/30/25

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Mr. Peabody & Sherman: The Complete Collection 08/26/25

Universal
DVD

You’ve got EVERY episode?  Strap yourself into the WABAC Machine, because a brainy dog and his human pal are going into the past. It’s Mr. Peabody’s Improbable History: 91 excursions into the 4th Dimension, to learn about old civilizations and important personages. It’s like Rocky & Bullwinkle, but educational, sort of. The whole kerfluffle is clumped together in one DVD set, reviewed with aplomb by dapper Charlie Largent. Some of the historical facts are correct, too!  Our favorite bit is the opening, a reverse on sentimental fluff for kids — an academically illustrious dog adopts an ordinary boy. On DVD from Universal.
08/27/25

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Sense and Sensibility  — 4K 08/26/25

Sony
4K Ultra HD + Digital

Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet shine as Jane Austen heroines that endeavor to maintain their composure while swooning over the highly eligible swains Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman. Please don’t tell us that nobody got along on this production, because the result seems all so pleasant. Emma Thompson’s adaptation could hardly be improved, and Ang Lee’s gentle direction is exemplary, and. This 1812 version of a modern pop romance still works because we can identify with Austen’s vivid characters; a terrific production doesn’t hurt either. On 4K Ultra HD + Digital from Sony.
08/27/25

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The Cobweb 08/23/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

William Gibson’s multi-character soap about a psychiatric clinic has a severe case of Caligari Syndrome: the doctors need more counseling than do the patients. Richard Widmark leads an impressive cast (Lauren Bacall, Charles Boyer, Gloria Grahame, Lillian Gish, John Kerr, Susan Strasberg, Oscar Levant, Paul Stewart) as everybody goes crazy over various manias, staff rivalries, and the biggest issue of Our Times: who will choose the new curtains for the clinic library?   Director Vincente Minnelli keeps it all running smoothly enough, considering the psychic strain placed on the narrative line. It looks great, remastered in HD. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
08/23/25

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Sands of the Kalahari 08/23/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

Cy Endfield’s intense African survival adventure purports to teach lessons about the Territorial Imperative and the easy slide to savagery when civilization is far away. Plane-wreck survivors in a remote African desert must fight the local baboon population for food and water. Stuart Whitman, Stanley Baker and Nigel Davenport are tempted by the female castaway, Susannah York. It’s certainly realistic, if too insistent in its thesis that humans are No Damn Good. But it will delight nihilistic survivalists. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
08/23/25

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Sylvia Sidney pre-Code Classics 08/19/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

The early pre-Code era yields two star vehicles from the dawn of Sylvia Sidney’s long career. In Confessions of a Co-Ed her college girl falls for Phillips Holmes’ thoughtless student and gets herself ‘in a family way.’  In Ladies of the Big House she and her new husband Gene Raymond are framed by a gangster and a corrupt politician. She’s handed a life sentence while he lingers in the Death House. Also along for the ride are future director Norman Foster, Louise Beavers, Wynne Gibson, Jane Darwell and a singing Bing Crosby. Ms. Sidney will forever be the long-suffering Belle of the Depression … she can break hearts with a single close-up. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
08/19/25

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Frantic  — Reissue 08/19/25

Warner Bros.
Blu-ray

Another reissue disc that we wish were revived in an extras-laden 4K edition. Roman Polanski’s exceedingly rewarding thriller gives us Harrison Ford at his very best as an American doctor trying to recover his wife kidnapped at the outset of their Parisian getaway. Was the appeal more for middle-agers than kids?  Not funny enough?  Not ‘Indy’ enough?  If you skipped this one back in the day, you’ll now find it an intense, richly rewarding experience. The soundtrack is one of Ennio Morricone’s best of the 1980s. It’s on a double bill disc, with another Harrison Ford mystery drama. On Blu-ray from Warner Bros.
08/19/25

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The Enchanted Cottage 08/16/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Is it a Gothic fairy tale, a fantastic romance, or a backhanded comment about wounded war veterans?  Mutilated flier Robert Young and the ‘unacceptably plain’ (?) Dorothy McGuire find each other in a seaside love nest out of a Harlequin Novel, overcome their self-loathing, and experience a miracle. Why not?  The only witnesses are a blind composer (Herbert Marshall) and a maybe-witch (Mildred Natwick). Poor Hillary Brooke is the fianceé shown the door before you can say ‘Julie Andrews!’  It hasn’t dated well, but it’s still an exceptionally popular romantic fantasy. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
08/16/25

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Bonjour Tristesse 08/16/25

Powerhouse Indicator
Region B Blu-ray

Otto Preminger’s take on the Françoise Sagan’s novel finds the right tone despite the drawback of censorship limitations and Englanders and Americans playing French characters. CinemaScope and Technicolor on Saint-Tropez locations help, but the big plus is the radiant presence of Preminger’s discovery Jean Seberg as Sagan’s amoral heroine Cécile. David Niven is the father Cécile adores, and Deborah Kerr the romantic interloper that she can’t abide. We have to imagine the decadent details, yet the picture feels like something new, progressive. Music by Georges Auric; Juliette Gréco sings. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
08/16/25

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Hearts of Darkness  — 4K 08/12/25

Studiocanal
4K Ultra HD + Region B Blu-ray

One of the best-ever documentaries about the making of a movie returns in a fresh 4K restoration, with its feature film clips rendered in full widescreen resolution. New interviews and featurettes are provided by Francis Coppola, and the late Eleanor Coppola is represented with a new documentary piece and encodings of several of her short films. It’s a 3-disc set, and its two Blu-rays are Region B. On 4K Ultra-HD + Region B Blu-ray from Studiocanal.
08/12/25

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The Wild Bunch  — reissue 08/12/25

Warner Bros.
Blu-ray (from 2007)

No, it’s not a new disc. This is also not exactly a disc review, but Warner’s reissue allows us to write about Sam Peckinpah’s film for the first time in years. We’re happy to recount the film’s twisted release history, and its path on home video. The point of course, is to encourage Warner Bros. to undertake a new remaster, perhaps reinstating some additional trims here and there. The title is still Gold in the WB vault, and few commercial titles as good as this one are begging to make the jump to 4K. Very little in it dates — we even love cameraman Lucien Ballard’s liberal use of the zoom lens. This time Sam ‘did it right’ as he never quite did again. On Blu-ray from Warner Bros..
08/12/25

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Sorcerer  — 4K 08/09/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

William Friedkin follows up on The Exorcist with a harrowing remake of The Wages of Fear that expands on the crimes that strand a cross-section of international outlaws in a jungle hellhole. The only path to survival is an mission transporting unstable nitroglycerin across an impossibly rugged landscape. Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal and Amidou are the thieves with nowhere to go; Friedkin drops romantic concerns to concentrate on the hair-raising jungle ordeal, all now boosted to 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray clarity, from The Criterion Collection.
08/09/25

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Town without Pity 08/09/25

MGM
Blu-ray

MGM’s in-house Blu-ray label is back with another worthy remaster: a Mirisch- supervised West German production that leads with a Gene Pitney smash hit single and gives Kirk Douglas another tough-guy attorney to play. A brutal gang rape in Germany puts four U.S. soldiers on trial; to save their lives, Kirk must demolish victim Christine Kaufman on the witness stand, with tragic results. E.G. Marshall and Barbara Rütting co-star; the slimeball defendants include Richard Jaeckel, Robert Blake, and Frank Sutton. Collectors take note: the Blu-ray disc is a correct widescreen, not 4×3 as noted by MGM and the websellers. On Blu-ray from MGM.
08/09/25

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Strange Freedom  Arch Oboler Resurrected Part II 08/09/25

Special Article by Matt Rovner
Not a Review

Matt Rovner’s thoroughly annotated academic history of the life and work of Arch Oboler continues. Part 2 covers Oboler’s trouble with conservative politics, before, during and after World War II, when the radio genius struggled to speak out about the Nazi menace. His radio show about a fascist takeover of the United States is bankrolled by General Motors as a movie version PSA starring Claude Rains, but then it is suppressed as well. Other correspondence reveals the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright chiding Oboler for being concerned about the world’s Jews. It’s key source research on a fascinating subject. A special CineSavant Article from Matt Rovner.
08/09/25

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The Citadel 08/05/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Once restored, old movies with ‘creaky’ reputations can yield surprising qualities, especially when the filmmaker is as earnest and creative as the great King Vidor. This English production sees the director engaged by the controversy of medical ethics. The approach may be emotional, but the film makes its points well. Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Richardson are excellent, aided by a battery of good support from Rex Harrison, Emlyn Williams, Francis L. Sullivan, Mary Clare, Cecil Parker, Edward Chapman, and Athene Seyler. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
08/05/25

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Senso 08/05/25

Radiance Films
Region B Blu-ray

Italian maestro Luchino Visconti set the ’50s high mark for epic period reconstruction and historical authenticity. Alida Valli and Farley Granger’s doomed affair plays against a backdrop of civil war in the 1865 il Risorgimento. This new restoration brings out the feel of original Technicolor prints. It includes the English-language version, with dialogue written by Tennessee Williams and Paul Bowles; a delightful extra is a half-hour discussion between director Visconti and opera star Maria Callas. On Region B Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
08/05/25

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The Diabolik Trilogy 08/02/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

Italy’s anarchic master thief gets a Covid-era trilogy of films that hew fairly closely to stories from the original Giussani comic books: Diabolik,  Diabolik: Ginko Attacks!,  Diabolik: Who Am I?  It’s all very serious, literal and evenly paced, but can boast terrific art direction and a couple of intriguing characterizations. We’re impressed by the faithful adaptations — the producing-writing-directing Manetti brothers go out of their way not to look like modern attention-deficit overkill action fare. And they can’t be accused of copying Mario Bava. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
08/02/25

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Ultimate Gangsters Collection: Classics   — Reissue 08/02/25

Warner Bros.
Blu-ray

A Warners reissue puts the cream of American gangster epics within easy reach, and at a better price. Robinson, Cagney and Bogart each found stardom in crime, just before the Production Code banned the genre outright. The four-disc set tells the rags-to-riches-to-gutter tales of Cesare Rico Bandello, Tom Powers, Duke Mantee and Cody Jarrett. That quartet of thieves, thugs and killers caught the imagination of the American public — glamorizing the ‘flip side’ of the American Success Story. The high-def remasters are also restorations, which for the earliest pictures are true revelations. On Blu-ray from Warner Bros..
08/02/25

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Quatermass 2  — 4k 07/29/25

Hammer Films
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

The second Quatermass adventure sees Brian Donlevy’s pushy Professor singlehandedly quash a totalitarian takeover of England in just 36 hours — an incredible interplanetary conspiracy! The most exciting chapter of the classic series is given a massive boxed set by the ‘new’ Hammer Films, a full five discs plus the entire original BBC serial and a deluge of worthwhile extras, video and text. The resulting product is a clever ambush for Sci-fi fans, pushing the $ limit for what true believers will buy. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Hammer Films.
07/29/25

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H.M.S. Defiant  aka  Damn the Defiant! 07/29/25

Powerhouse Indicator
Region B Blu-ray

We’re always interested in movies about ships, and Lewis Gilbert’s accomplished Napoleonic battle epic is back in a Region B disc with some new extras. Alec Guinness’s captain is up against mutinous sailors and Dirk Bogarde’s troublemaking executive officer, a sadist who takes his anger out on the captain’s young son. With excellent visual effects by Howard Lydecker. The supporting cast is impressive too: Anthony Quayle, Maurice Denham, Nigel Stock, Tom Bell, Murray Melvin, Victor Maddern. This English movie’s been on disc for twenty years, but never from an English company. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
07/29/25

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Carnal Knowledge  — 4K 07/26/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Jules Feiffer’s caustic look at two selfish, abusive American men makes us happy that we’re all not like that, or a mass extermination would be justified. The combination of infantility and hyper-boorishness is appalling, but too often true. Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel are the male misery makers; Candice Bergen, Ann-Margret, Rita Moreno, Cynthia O’Neal and Carol Kane are women who deserve much better. The reviewer is Charlie Largent. Mike Nichols’ movie, filmed by Giuseppe Rotunno, looks dazzling on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
07/26/25

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Fire Maidens of Outer Space 07/26/25

Vinegar Syndrome
Blu-ray

Modest Z-picture Sci-fi groaners are an American staple, but this English effort is just as desperate. Landing on a moon of Jupiter, Astronauts find a verdant valley just like England, and encounter an Atlantean society with nymphs that dance to Borodin. We watched it 20 times as kids, and it never made much sense; perhaps the extras on this release will rank it in film history just behind 2001: A Space Odyssey. Or maybe not. On Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
07/26/25

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Splendor in the Grass 07/22/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

William Inge’s intense drama of teenage romance comes to HD with rich Technicolor hues. Elia Kazan’s film of the ill-fated teen romance of Deanie and Bud (Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty) has only improved, with performances that couldn’t be bettered. Sexual suppression leads to emotional hysteria, all against a 1929 backdrop of prohibition and a stock market boom. Pat Hingle, Audrey Christie and especially Barbara Loden sculpt superb characterizations — the cast includes Zohra Lampert, Jan Norris, Gary Lockwood, Sandy Dennis and Phyllis Diller. It’s a powerful, relevant slice of Americana. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
07/22/25

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The Adventures of Antoine Doinel  — 4K 07/22/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Back in the early days of DVD, the Criterion Collection found it could group films in boxed sets where appropriate. This new upgrade of a 2003 disc set gathers François Truffaut’s entire Antoine Doinel cycle, four features and one shorter piece, filmed between 1959 and 1979. All star Jean-Pierre Léaud. The Adventures of Antoine Doinel shapes up as an excellent introduction to Truffaut’s world. The boxed set also includes a short subject, many interview clips and a couple of additional documentaries, plus text essays in an accompanying booklet. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from he Criterion Collection.
07/22/25

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Shane  — 4K 07/19/25

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Resuming his career after WW2, George Stevens assumed the mantle of Hollywood’s most serious producer-director. His ‘super-western’ is a beautiful piece of filmmaking with an optimistic view of American virtues in conflict. It’s a visual delight, and a genre throwback to unrealistic fights and a hero who may as well be the god of Pioneer justice. Alan Ladd, Van Heflin and Jean Arthur star, and Jack Palance makes a huge impact as a slimy villain. Kino got the nod to debut the show in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, with a transfer that accurately translates its glowing 3-strip Technicolor hues. From KL Studio Classics.
07/19/25

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His Kind of Woman 07/19/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Howard Hughes’ meddling fingerprints are all over this resort-set noir thriller. Even with RKO’s dynamite stars Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell above the title, the mogul’s endless rewrites and re-shoots guaranteed that it couldn’t earn a profit. Vincent Price, Tim Holt, Charles McGraw and Raymond Burr toil in a show split between light comedy and grim gangland torture. The production is lavish, but it’s one of the biggest cases of producer interference on record. If Hughes’ airplanes were made the way he made this movie, none of them would have flown. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
07/19/25

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The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost 07/15/25

Radiance Films
Blu-ray

The Japanese horror tale ‘Yotsuya Kaidan’ has been re-interpreted many ways on film; Tai Katô’s 1961 version dials the macabre meter higher with a complex storyline and creepy disfigurement effects. Loyal wives suffer horribly in these things — Oiwa has the misfortune to marry an unscrupulous ronin who’ll seemingly commit any crime to get what he wants. Ghostly revenge evens the score. The nasty husband is played by Tomisaburo Wakayama of the later ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’ series. Director Katô really knows how to wind up the tension, in rich B&W ToeiScope!  On Blu-ray from Radiance.
07/15/25

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Executive Suite 07/12/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

When the big boss croaks, veepees maneuver to take the top slot in a furniture company. Ernest Lehman’s first big screenplay was brought to the screen by Robert Wise and a cast of All Stars: William Holden, June Allyson, Barbara Stanwyck, Fredric March, Walter Pidgeon, Shelley Winters, Paul Douglas, Louis Calhern, Dean Jagger and Nina Foch. Things get rough in the board room, but don’t worry — sound judgment and good ethics prevail, as always happens in American business. On home video for the first time in its original screen shape. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
07/12/25

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The Big Heat — 4K 07/12/25

The Critewrion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Crime fighting gets personal in Fritz Lang’s progressive police vengeance saga. It’s Glenn Ford as an ex-cop against the mob, and his only assists come from a doomed bargirl, a handicapped woman, and the moll of mobster Lee Marvin. Every scene has tension or implied violence, much of it directed toward women. It was a big picture for everyone involved, especially star Gloria Grahame. Her revenge makes an ironic connection with the ’50s homemaker ideal of womanhood: she serves her man his 2nd cup of coffee fresh and hot. Criterion brews it up in 4K Ultra HD. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray.
07/12/25

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Danger: Diabolik  — 4K 07/08/25

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Mario Bava’s big-scale fumetti adaptation hits 4K, an event of major interest in the fantasy fan-scape. John Philip Law, Maria Mell and Terry-Thomas are as brilliant as ever, and Ultra HD makes the picture even brighter and sharper. Ennio Morricone’s music is still a delight — the movie doubles as a psychedelic concert. Paramount or somebody has elected to go beyond digital cleanup, to perform a little audiovisual revisionism … which luckily is not too severe. Is it ‘can of worms’ time? This is a straight reaction to a first viewing, and a comparison with previous releases. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
07/08/25

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The Stuff  — 4K 07/08/25

Arrow Video USA
4K Ultra HD

Let’s clear up a common misconception. Unlike The Blob, ‘The Stuff’ doesn’t eat you. You Eat It … and then it eats you!  Larry Cohen takes a page from Professor Quatermass for this satirical slap at blind consumerism and unregulated commerce, in a thriller packed with ooky glob-monsters and people hollowed out like Halloween pumpkins. It’s the smart side of ’80s Sci-fi: Cohen finds the genre perfect for transmitting his anti-establishment themes. Arrow’s 4K package contains an early version of the film in HD, that’s a half-hour longer. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
07/08/25

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Gwen  and the Book of Sand  — 4K 07/05/25

Deaf Crocodile
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

And now for something completely different — an art-film creation that’s a surreal delight. Jean-François Laguionie’s allegorical animated fable extends what conventional, ‘organic’ animation could do in 1985. The still images alone fire the imagination. It’s an art-house short subject writ large, that we’re grateful to have seen, especially so handsomely remastered in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray. Thanks Deaf Crocodile!
07/05/25

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I, Madman 07/05/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

Reissued for the delight of ’80s horror fans is Tibor Takács’ and Randall William Cook’s ode to bibliophile terror, subcategory facial mutilation. David Chakin’s screenplay allows a demented anti-hero from a scary book to invade our reality: Malcolm Brand gives himself a surgical mix-match appearance by straight-razoring features from the faces of his victims. The humble movie carries some good chills thanks to a macabre concept, clever direction and some really disturbing special makeup effects. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
07/05/25

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Cheyenne  The Complete Series 07/01/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

We didn’t know that this seven-season success had racked up so many ‘TV firsts’ on its scoreboard. Clint Walker clicked with America as a roving cowboy do-gooder, solving problems and perforating bad guys on a tri-weekly basis. The series is now more impressive in this deluxe remaster; Warners entreé into broadcast TV emphasized quality in all departments. The 107 episodes co-star seemingly every supporting actor in Hollywood. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
07/01/25

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Unknown World 07/01/25

Severin Films
Blu-ray

Take a cinematic trip 2,500 miles into the depths of the Earth, courtesy of a Cold War- era retelling of Jules Verne. Seven scientists search for a haven from the coming nuclear holocaust ‘deep deep down’ by traveling in a drilling submarine-tank they call a Cyclotram. Produced by effects specialists Jack Rabin and Irving Block, this early ’50s Sci-fi adventure is wrapped up in anti-Nuke anxiety and even the blacklist: the industry wouldn’t allow its main star to get screen billing. The extras by Stephen R. Bissette and C. Courtney Joyner are fascinating. On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
07/01/25

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Brazil — 4K 06/28/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

It was amusingly dystopian in 1985, but it’s terrifyingly normal now: Terry Gilliam’s elegant gloss on ‘1984’ opens with armed, masked government agents whisking away a citizen ‘invited’ to help the government with an ‘inquiry.’ It’s an epic of creativity and imagination, and now much more profoundly disturbing. Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Pam Greist & Michael Palin star; this one should have taken all the awards for design and art direction. Now in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/28/25

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Some Like It Hot — 4K 06/28/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

A second 4K release of the Billy Wilder-I.A.L. Diamond classic?  Yes, but the advantage goes to the extras, which include unique input from the stars and especially the director. It’s a career best show for Marilyn Monroe, and Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis give everything they’ve got to a pair of cross-dressing musicians, roles that could easily have been a career disaster under anyone else by Billy Wilder in his prime. One of the extras is an expert analysis of the film’s costumes, about which we naturally think, ‘how did Monroe’s sheer gowns ever get past the censors?’ On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/28/25

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The Gentle Gunman 06/24/25

Powerhouse Indicator
Region A locked Blu-ray

What a terrible title … but it does describe a playwright’s effort to solve the ‘Ireland problem’ with a single cheerful thriller about anti-English terrorism during World War 2. Basil Dearden’s direction is mostly good, and we love the cast: John Mills, Dirk Bogarde, Elizabeth Sellars, Robert Beatty, Barbara Mullen, Eddie Byrne, Joseph Tomelty, Liam Redmond, James Kenney and Jack MacGowran. But expect a lot of speechifyin’ and earnest position speeches. Can’t we all just get along?  We can all agree that the transfer of this B&W Ealing production is dazzling. On Region A locked Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
06/24/25

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Sabrina — 4K 06/24/25

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

This gem is too charming to ever become old or creaky; a new viewing confirms it as a pleasing confection for Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, a fairy tale with a slightly caustic edge. Filmmaker Billy Wilder caught a lot of flak for ‘brutalizing’ his actresses, when he’s really a romantic softie … with a telling sour note here and there. Along with the music, the storytelling hails from 1930, with Hepburn’s elegant French fashions bringing us back to 1954. Big star William Holden plays comic support in gratitude for director Wilder’s career support earlier on. The 4K remaster brings out the elegance in this May-December romance … or is it more of a May-October fling?  On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
06/24/25

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Black Bag — 4K 06/21/25

Universal Home Entertainment
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital

Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp fashion a thinking-fan’s spy picture about a hunt for traitors among a group of agents that socialize together… Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are a warm couple in a ‘cool’ business, with a marital arrangement that makes room for ‘professional mistrust’ … no agent should be expected to trust anyone on faith alone. It’s packed with interesting detail and smart dialogue; the suspense is all ‘who knows what,’ not gimmicks or action gadgets. Don’t expect anything warm & fuzzy — the show has a ‘cool’ surface, and the leading players don’t try to be lovable. On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Universal Home Entertainment.
06/21/25

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Midnight — (1939) 06/21/25

The Criterion Collection
Blu-ray

This gem of a romantic comedy is as fresh now as it was 86 years ago. Mitchell Leisen’s lightest farce is also a comic triumph for the writing team of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, John Barrymore and Mary Astor make the most of delightful characters and a glowing Paris created on the Paramount back lot. Criterion’s extras include input from Michael Koresky, David Cairns, plus a vintage audio interview with director Leisen. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
06/21/25

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Law and Order — (1932) 06/14/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

What a surprise … an early sound western that’s solid gold genre entertainment. John Huston adapted W.R. Burnett’s violent retelling of the Wyatt Earp story without an ounce of moralizing. Walter Huston is magnificent as the lawman ‘Saint Johnson,’ a town-taming killer who can’t abide thugs and despots. The show is serious, and so is the body count. Terrific input from Harry Carey, Andy Devine and in a bit part, Walter Brennan. It’s a flawless 4K restoration with perfect audio. The director is none other than Edward L. Cahn, of ’50s exploitation fame. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
06/14/25

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Three Comrades 06/14/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Filmed in the high MGM style, this polished tragic romance stars Robert Taylor, Franchot Tone and Robert Young as Germans having a rough time in the 1920s Weimar Republic, while Margaret Sullavan’s disillusioned beauty succumbs to a dreaded Movie Disease. It is also a prime example of the negative effect of Hollywood’s Production Code. MGM wanted the name value of Erich Maria Remarque’s best seller, but not his message: conservative politics forbade any mention of (shhh!)   Nazis.   It’s still a very good movie, but it needs to be known that its content was changed to please a Nazi influencer. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
06/14/25

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Oliver! — 4K 06/10/25

Sony / Columbia Pictures
4K Ultra-HD + Digital

One of the more prestigious ’60s movie musicals was extremely popular roadshow item, but late-career director Carol Reed wasn’t treated kindly by the critics. It certainly looks attractive on Sony’s new 4K remaster… the stylized art direction comes across well. Ron Moody, Shani Wallis and Oliver Reed star, with Mark Lester and Jack Wild leading the pack of orphinks as the heroic Oliver and The Artful Dodger. The disc comes with a Digital Code, but not a 2nd Blu-ray encoding. On 4 K Ultra-HD + Digital from Sony / Columbia Pictures.
06/10/25

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Dark City — 4K 06/06/25

Arrow Video
4K Ultra-HD

Let’s go back to the days of ‘The Matrix’ when the newfangled CGI toolbox was employed to visualize virtual Sci-fi fantasy dystopias, the kind that operate by the rules of an all-powerful writer … we can almost hear the ghost of Philip K. Dick rattling its chains, just off-camera. Alex Proyas’ enclosed virtual domain may corral 10 ideas too many, but several are very nicely rendered. It suffers from exposition overload, and it may be too art-directed for its own good, yet we really enjoy a lot of what we see. Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly and Richard O’Brien star; this new 4K disc has both the theatrical and director’s cuts. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
06/06/25

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007 James Bond Sean Connery 6-Film Collection — 4K 06/06/25

Amazon MGM Studios / SDS
4K Ultra-HD

It’s a ‘first look’ review: we’ve managed to borrow a copy of the 4K remasters of the Sean Connery 007 blockbusters. The average reader mostly wants to know what the new remasters look like, so we’re skipping a lot of the review-essay business. We’ve seen them all on screen and in every possible video configuration, and have some thoughts about the new transfers, which are loaded with pleasant surprises. One feature has an original alternate soundtrack. What’s it all about, CineSavant?  How do they hold up?  On 4K Ultra HD from Amazon MGM Studios / SDS.
06/06/25

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World Noir Vol. 3 06/03/25

Radiance Films
Blu-ray

This is exactly how Blu-ray boutique labels like Radiance help collectors find great foreign films beyond the top acknowledged classics. This 3-disc collection gets our attention with a notable item we have heard of, Peter Lorre’s one stab at feature film direction, The Lost One. But the other two films are what carried us away: Not Guilty and Girl with Hyacinths. Both are excellent, and one is a genuine masterpiece. On Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
06/03/25

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Steppenwolf (2024) 06/03/25

Arrow Video
Blu-ray

We’re glad we were steered toward this violent 2024 film from Kazakhstan, as it’s not one we would have chosen for ourselves. Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s dystopian bloodbath is a reality check on ‘Mad Max’ glamour: not a post-apocalyptic fantasy, just a reflection of the world beyond our national newsfeed. A traumatized woman wants to retrieve a kidnapped son in the midst of appallingly merciless street fighting; an involuntary police torturer goes freelance to help her. Yerzhanov makes up his own rules in this suspenseful, very stylish tension piece … the killing quotient is so high, it’s a marvel either of survives more than a few minutes. The disc has good extras plus an entire second Adilkhan Yerzhanov feature, Goliath. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
06/03/25

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Prophecy — 4K 05/31/25

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD

Known as a major critical disaster, John Frankenheimer’s eco-horror picture is conventional monster exploitation given high production values and a screenplay laden with environmental lectures. Tossed into a credibility-challenged wilderness ordeal, Talia Shire, Robert Foxworth, Armand Assante and Richard Dysart battle a 12-foot mutant bear on an urgent ursine killing spree. The film’s fixation on horrible birth defects is appropriate to the context, yet still unpleasant. One compensation is cinematographer Harry Stradling Jr.’s impressive Panavision forest vistas. On 4K Ultra HD from KL Studio Classics.
05/31/25

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Mystery Street 05/31/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Terrible title, excellent noir: certain movies just seem to come out perfect. This mainline noir finds suspense and excitement in a police-lab manhunt that begins with just one clue: a human skeleton picked clean. John Sturges had an early hit, directing Ricardo Montalban in the starring role and shaping memorable parts for Jan Sterling, Elsa Lanchester, Bruce Bennett, Edmon Ryan, Marshall Thompson, Sally Forrest and Betsy Blair. The focus on forensics and autopsy detail may be a Hollywood first; it’s now required on every TV crime show. Filmed by the master cinematographer John Alton, on location in and around Boston. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
05/31/25

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Lili 05/27/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

MGM’s surprise hit has remained one of their more beloved musicals — a musical with one song!  Leslie Caron is inspired casting as the lost orphan who drifts into a circus, is charmed by illusions but finds her place in life and love. Jean-Piere Aumont has his best Hollywood role and Zsa Zsa Gabor and Mel Ferrer possibly their best roles ever. Don’t let the ‘Hi Lili, Hi Lo’ song fool you; writers Paul Gallico and Helen Deutsch work some excellent theatrical effects here, and the romantic message comes off as sincere. Digitally remastered from 3-Strip Technicolor. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
05/27/25

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Tales of Adventure Collection 5 05/27/25

[Imprint]
Blu-ray

This 5th [Imprint] collection is in truth a varied Sci-fi sampler, with one bona fide classic, an ultra-cheap Sam Katzman item, a marvelous Camp hoot, a worthwhile idea turned into a terrible mess, and yet another weird expression of gonzo 50’s politics. In other words, fans of filmed Sci-fi will find these remastered oddities irresistible: Devil Girl from Mars, This Island Earth, The Gamma People, The Night The World Exploded and The 27th Day. Plus a bonus feature. On Blu-ray from [Imprint].
05/27/25

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The Silent Star 05/24/25

Eureka!
Region B Blu-ray

Aka Der schweigende Stern.  East Germany’s interplanetary Sci-fi epic is finally remastered to Blu-ray quality, with original stereophonic soundtracks. What we once knew as the re-edited First Spaceship on Venus is now 14 minutes longer and laden with ponderous anti-American sermonizing. The sleek spaceship Kosmokrator is a marvel of design, and technical tricks pioneered for Metropolis turn images of the blasted surface of the planet Venus into a vision of Hell. Yoko Tani is the ship’s doctor in the international crew… the Reds even allow a Yank on board, while dissing America’s deplorable atomic aggression. It’s one feature in the four-title disc set  Strange New Worlds: Science Fiction at DEFA. On Region B Blu-ray from Eureka!
05/24/25

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Themroc 05/24/25

Radiance Films
Blu-ray

Claude Faraldo’s absurdist ode to anarchy indulges in some gleeful taboo-breaking. A working man finds relief from daily dehumanization by converting his apartment into a primitive cave and rejecting every social convention, starting with his relationship to his own sister. The film has no screenplay credit and no dialogue, just grunts, gibberish and screams of the Primal persuasion. Michel Piccoli is brilliant as the nonverbal caveman-revolutionary. His rebellion proves to be contagious — women find his uncouth liberation irresistible. On Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
05/24/25

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Side Street 05/20/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

MGM’s ‘noir lite’ puts Farley Granger into a murderous bind involving blackmail and his own sticky fingers: he thinks he’s stealing $20 and then finds he’s walked away with $30,000. Director Anthony Mann and some eye-popping action direction on location in New York City make the show a must-see. The surprise is that the efforts of a great cast — Farley Granger, Cathy O’Donnell, James Craig, Paul Kelly, Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens, Harry Bellaver — are topped by the standout new talent Jean Hagen. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
05/20/25

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Killer of Sheep 05/20/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Charles Burnett’s most acclaimed film comes to 4K in a special edition that adds new interviews and documentaries to Milestone Films’ excellent restoration extras. The first chronicle of the Los Angeles Black experience creates an intimate portrait of how life is lived, how feelings are suppressed and how attitudes are passed on to the next generation. Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore and Charles Bracy star; Charles Burnett produced, wrote, photographed, edited and directed. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
05/20/25

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I’m Still Here 05/17/25

Sony Pictures Classics
DVD

Brazil’s Academy Award winner is the most emotionally affecting picture of 2024, the true story of a Rio de Janeiro household during the 20-year military dictatorship (1964 – 1985). Rubens Paiva thinks moving his family to the safety of London is unnecessary, until agents of the police state are at his door. Fernanda Torres’s performance is gold — her Eunice Paiva shows great personal strength against the regime’s interrogators. Our only domestic disc release appears to be a DVD.
05/17/25

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Springfield Rifle 05/17/25

The Warner Archive Collection
Blu-ray

Gary Cooper’s best oater for Warner Bros. may be this sharp action-espionage western directed with real verve by the dependable André De Toth. Coop must play traitor to get the lowdown on horse thieves in Civil War-era Colorado; the on-location action is exciting and the cast is capable — Phyllis Thaxter, David Brian, Paul Kelly, Philip Carey, Lon Chaney Jr.. It’s pretty sneaky politically — the under-theme supports military spending and a military counter-intelligence agency. The storyline is almost a replay of a Warners anti-Commie film … but we’ll just enjoy it as an exciting, superior thriller. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
05/17/25

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Devil Doll + Curse of the Voodoo 05/13/25

Vinegar Syndrome
Blue-ray

V is for ventrioloquist, and Vorelli is a voice-thrower who, thanks to an Eastern Cult, knows how to transfer souls. Little wonder that his wooden theatrical prop Hugo takes on a life of its own. One of producer Richard Gordon’s better films emphasizes fantasy and lechery in equal measure. “It walks. It talks. It kills”…”Can a Beautiful Woman Be Enslaved Against Her Will?”  Reviewer Charlie Largent recalls a promotional gimmick from the original release. It stars Bryant Haliday, William Sylvester, Yvonne Romain and Karel Stepanek. The disc includes uncut and clothed versions, and also the film’s original co-feature Curse of the Voodoo. On Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
05/13/25

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The Andromeda Strain — 4K 05/13/25

Arrow Video
4K Ultra HD

The COVID pandemic has given new relevance to an entire category of Science Fiction thrillers, and Robert Wise’s original tale of a ‘germ invasion’ from outer space is especially vivid. Michael Crichton novel task scientists Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson and Kate Reid with cracking the secret of an alien life form — only to find that it can mutate into newer and deadlier forms. The new 4K edition brings new textures to Boris Leven’s bold color designs; Douglas Trumbull headed up sophisticated visual effects that mix film and video. “The suspense will last through your lifetime!” On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
05/13/25

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The Three Musketeers / The Four Musketeers Two Films by Richard Lester 05/10/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Richard Lester’s superb epic succeeds in every way — with a glorious production, dazzling swordplay, witty comedy, and fidelity to the spirit of the Dumas novel. It’s a showcase for a wonderful cast, and is probably the best movie of both Oliver Reed and Raquel Welch. Criterion’s massive box includes a feature-length, 4-part making-of tale that’s the most engaging piece of its kind we’ve yet seen — two solid hours of fascinating behind-the-scenes stories. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

05/10/25

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The Iron Rose 05/10/25

Powerhouse Indicator
Blu-ray

Jean Rollin takes a break from nude vampires à la française for a direct-from-the-crypt meditation on morbid romanticism. Inspired by a 19th century poet, he locks two impressionable young lovers in a cemetery, where an emotional response to the maze of crypts and tombstonestakes over. Françoise Pascal has a starring role as la femme seduced by a death wish. The show almost attains its goal of annihilating delirium; it’s an honorable stab at art horror for Rollin. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
05/10/25

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The Good German — 4K 05/06/25

Warner Home Video
4K Utra HD + Blu-ray

We just got finished praising a picture by the ace filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, but have little choice but to be honest with this 2006 homage to postwar intrigue movies set in divided European cities. It stars George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire, and we’re sad to report that it’s a real catastrophe. Expect brief, sympathetic coverage, accompanied by ‘what happened?’ questions. Is what’s wrong as obvious as it looks, or does everybody love this picture?  On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.
05/06/25

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Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema XXV 05/06/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

Volume 25 in Kino’s long-running noir series could be called ‘The John H. Auer Collection’ — the trio of thrillers include Auer’s almost-a-classic City that Never Sleeps, the odd Hawaii-set noir Hell’s Half Acre and the newly remastered ‘annihilating romance’ The Flame. The trio does not lack for interesting noir personalities: Marie Windsor, Gig Young, Mala Powers, William Talman, Evelyn Keyes, Wendell Corey, Elsa Lanchester, Edward Arnold, Broderick Crawford, Nancy Gates, Chill Wills, Constance Dowling. All are newly remastered. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
05/06/25

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Sands of Iwo Jima — 4K 05/03/25

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Once upon a time the reigning WW2 battle action movie was this rough & tumble Republic offering, that cemented John Wayne’s glowing image as THE movie star who won the war. The production scored plenty of defense department cooperation to become an efficient recruitment tool — its leathernecks are no-nonsense killers but also complete gentlemen with the ladies — Adele Mara and Julie Bishop. John Agar gets a place of pride in the credits, with solid input from Forrest Tucker, Wally Cassell, and familiar faces Arthur Franz, Richard Jaeckel, John McGuire and Martin Milner. The finish is an impressive recreation of the flag-raising on one of the bloodiest battlefields of the war. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
05/03/25

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The Informant! — 4K 05/03/25

Warner Home Video
4K Ultra HD

This Steve Soderbergh true-life ‘comedy’ drove us nuts: the audience I saw it with wanted to leap up and kill Matt Damon’s insultingly fraudulent corporate Veepee. The ‘nice guy jerk’ poses as a whistleblower while betraying everyone who crosses his path. Yet he squeaks by with an ‘oh I’m so innocent’ act. It’s more a comment on a new kind of business vermin that cover their greed and chicanery with oh-so-sincere personality quirks. It’s another worthy Soderbergh creation, now on 4K Ultra HD from Warner Bros..
05/03/25

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Ugetsu — 4K 04/30/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Japan’s art film exports began with Kurosawa but also included masterpieces by Kenji Mizoguchi, of which this costume drama is the finest and most respected. A potter tries to survive and subsist in a time of feudal civil war, but it’s not all historical realism — a streak of spiritualism leans in the direction of a ghost story. Starring Machiko Kyo, Mitsuko Mita ans Kinuyo Tanaka; Reviewed by Charlie Largent. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
04/29/25

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Crack in the World 04/30/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

Another fine Sci-fi overachiever bounces back in a new encoding, much improved. Andrew Marton’s daring adventure / disaster / eco-apocalypse sees scientists attempting to exploit the heat at the Earth’s core — and almost splitting the planet in two. It’s high jeopardy for Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore and Alexander Knox; Eugène Lourié’s designs and special effects are breathtaking. With good extras from Gary Gerani, Tim Lucas and Stephen R. Bissette. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
04/26/25

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Anora — 4K 04/30/25

The Criterion Collection
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Charlie Largent reviews a favorite: Sean Baker made out like a bandit at the Oscars with this breakthrough feature. Mikey Madison is the title character, a prostitute in a swank gentleman’s club. Anora becomes a different person when separating high rollers from their money; the conflict comes into focus when she becomes enamored with — and marries — the hopelessly immature and spoiled Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch. How is Anora supposed to deal with her new husband’s ‘enforcers’ and come out of the bargain in one piece? Vanya’s father is fearsome but the mother’s potential for spiteful harm knows no bounds. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
04/22/25

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Girl with a Suitcase 04/19/25

Radiance Films
Blu-ray

Claudia Cardinale’s first major starring role was a big success in Europe, even if our New York critics seemed primed for more ‘intellectual’ film art. She’s a sensation as Aida, a showgirl ditched by a dishonest lover … whose more gentlemanly but acutely underage brother comes to her rescue. It’s a hard lesson in survival and romantic incompatibility. Young Jacques Perrin is the decent kid who falls head over heels in love; Cardinale displays big talent as the vulnerable woman who knows the kid is just too young. Excellent direction by Valerio Zurlini, plus terrific pop music and a nice early career appearance by Gian Maria Volontè. On Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
04/19/25

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The Savage Eye 04/19/25

Severin Films
Blu-ray

What does one call a film this original?  It’s a poetic documentary-investigation of Los Angeles culture circa 1958; it’s also a powerful proto-feminist essay. Ben Maddow, Sidney Meyers & Joseph Strick collaborated on this rare attraction. Barbara Baxley stars as a disaffected divorceé who sees the city as layers of Hell. She and Gary Merrill deliver a stream of consciousness on the progressive soundtrack. It’s sane, humanist and compassionate, and also quite adult; the credits are a roll call of talented individualists: Haskell Wexler, Irving Lerner, Verna Fields, Jack Couffer. One disc in a four-disc set, on Blu-ray from Severin Films.
04/19/25

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Behold a Pale Horse 04/15/25

Powerhouse Indicator
Region B Blu-ray

Fred Zinnemann’s superb thriller has suspense, fine characterizations and a potent anti-fascist theme. Gregory Peck is excellent as an embittered lost-cause warrior who takes on one last mission into Franco territory to kill an old enemy, Anthony Quinn. Emeric Pressburger’s very modern story benefits from Zinnemann’s precise direction and impressive production design by Alexandre Trauner; the costars are Omar Sharif, Paolo Stoppa, Mildred Dunnock and Christian Marquand. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
04/15/25

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The Time Traveler’s Wife 04/15/25

New Line / Warnerblu
Blu-ray

What can you expect when the hero of a story is a Special Collections librarian?  Audrey Niffenegger’s scrambled-time romantic fantasy shouldn’t work, but it squeaks by — fashioning a ‘life metaphor’ that doesn’t get tangled up in its own sci-fi plot complexities. The picture-perfect cast, especially Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, sell the illusion 100%. It may not be Oscar nomination bait, but it’s a crowd-pleaser that revives the good old romantic film blanc fantasy. On Blu-ray from New Line / Warnerblu.
04/15/25

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I’m All Right Jack 04/12/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

Labor madness finds new extremes in Roy Boulting’s acidic satire pitting scheming bosses, a Bolshie provocateur and would-be arms smugglers against each other in a munitions factory. Terry-Thomas, Richard Attenborough, Margaret Rutherford, Liz Fraser and Peter Sellers’ Comisar of the assembly line all torment the upperclass twit Ian Carmichael; some of the hilarity is in thoroughly rotten taste. The double-entendres are so frequent, one starts looking for dirty meanings in every line of dialogue. Can’t wait to read Charlie Largent’s take on this one. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
04/12/25

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Lady of Vengeance 04/12/25

MGM Amazon
Blu-ray

A wronged beauty commits suicide, and Dennis O’Keefe’s hero plans a killing-for-hire to avenge her. Director Burt Balaban’s murder tale has a twisty surprise or two but not much else going for it. Star O’Keefe looks unhappy and Ann Sears is just a beautiful observer, which gives Anton Diffring’s sneering, slimy villain the opportunity to run away with the picture. His fans will want to take note. It’s a minor oddity from 1950s England … hearing O’Keefe and Diffring voice the agenda for a perfect torment-slaying is pretty weird. On Blu-ray from MGM Amazon.
04/12/25

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The Cruel Sea 04/08/25

KL Studio Classics
Blu-ray

It’s a top-rank war movie, the best of its kind. The Ealing Studios, writer Eric Ambler and director Charles Frend transpose Nicholas Monserrat’s best seller to the screen with honesty and realism. Little-known now, the show was a hit in America, too. It made a star of Jack Hawkins and raised the profiles of Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker, and Virginia McKenna. It’s superior filmmaking all around — we forget details and invest ourselves in the fates of these brave people facing uncertain lives … hmmm, that hits home. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
04/08/25

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Blue Sunshine — 4K 04/08/25

Synapse
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + CD

Having an LSD flashback?  Can you really remember every controlled substance you regularly imbibed in your wild days?  Freaky homicides figure in Jeff Lieberman’s horror thriller, but the uneasiness builds on everyday fears we all understand: why is my hair suddenly falling out?  Am I losing my mind?  Zalman King, Deborah Winters, Mark Goddard and Robert Walden are 30-ish adults re-experiencing hallucinogenic blasts from the past … that turn them into hairless, murdering maniacs. It’s a highly original thriller, boosted to the top home video format. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + CD from Synapse.
04/08/25

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Donovan’s Reef — 4K 04/05/25

KL Studio Classics
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

John Ford and John Wayne’s best ‘old man’s movie’ is deceptive — on the outside it’s as square as can be, an easy-chair comedy vacation for all concerned. But Ford imbues the proceedings with poetic formalism, and a nostalgia for a generation in retirement. John Wayne was never so at-ease charming, Lee Marvin does some marvelous clowning, and Elizabeth Allen’s pluck & spirit defuse the rampant paternalism in the screenplay. Peter Wollen was right: this South Seas island is a fantasy Valhalla for the western combatants of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
04/05/25

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