Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Archives: Reviews

Behold a Pale Horse 04/15/25

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

The Time Traveler’s Wife 04/15/25

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

I’m All Right Jack 04/12/25

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

Lady of Vengeance 04/12/25

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

The Cruel Sea 04/08/25

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

Blue Sunshine — 4K 04/08/25

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

Donovan’s Reef — 4K 04/05/25

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

Sadie McKee 04/05/25

Glamorous Joan’s screen image is now fully defined, and her improved acting carries her pictures with grace and assurance. Director Clarence Brown makes a soapy story play like high drama. It’s rags to riches again, as one woman captivates the three men in her life. Sexy Sadie elopes with one man, marries another and resents a third, but guess who ends up the winner?  Edward Arnold’s performance is the standout; Franchot Tone and Gene Raymond do well enough, but we prefer the smart comic touch of Jean Dixon. And it takes a minute to accept the sight of Arnold, Akim Tamiroff and Leo G. Carroll looking far younger than we ever thought they could. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
04/05/25

The New Adventures of Tarzan 04/01/25

Known to Tarzan fans and almost nobody else is this four-hour serial filmed parallel with MGM’s series, and officially produced by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs himself. The one-movie Tarzan is Herman Brix, later known as Bruce Bennett; his interpretation of the role is solid and his physical presence is excellent. Filmed in Guatemala, it’s as patchy and repetitive as most serials, but some of the scenery and stunt work is very good. This one takes Lord Greystoke to Central America, on a Safari to a Mayan ‘Dead City’ ruled by a savage Queen. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
04/01/25

The Saga of the Viking Women and their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent 04/01/25

Not on Blu-ray…  Reviewer Charlie Largent commemorates yet another Roger Corman classic from the wild year 1957 … when he directed or produced 9 separate features. On this last one he seeming broke his own rule: it has a large cast, big props, lots of costumes, lots of special effects. But a legendary cast gives it their all: Abby Dalton (swoon), Susan Cabot, June Kenney, Richard Devon, Betsy Jones-Moreland, Jonathan Haze, Sally Todd, Gary Conway, Michael Forest. It’s a big mess but a wonderful sight for Corman fans … now somebody needs to put out a remastered widescreen disc release! Not On Authorized Blu-ray.
04/01/25

Night Moves — 4K 03/29/25

It’s the best detective movie of the 1970s, now on 4K. Arthur Penn and Alan Sharp give us a ‘Southern California Sordid’ tale of a sleuth doing his best to return a missing girl, not knowing that her delinquency touches on larger crimes and vices by Hollywood fringe folk. It’s a superb performance from Gene Hackman, with Jennifer Warren, Susan Clark and Janet Ward; the seductive brat on the loose is played by a very young Melanie Griffith. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/29/25

Topkapi 03/29/25

A heist caper classic just got a new lease on life — after languishing in so-so encodings for 50 years, Jules Dassin and Melina Mercouri’s colorful escapist thriller dazzles once more. Peter Ustinov, Maximillian Schell, Robert Morley and Akim Tamiroff help Melina knock off the Topkapi museum in Istanbul, in a breathtaking midnight raid involving an insane acrobatic trick. Manos Hadjidakis’ wonderful music score puts the right feeling of fun and excitement on the lavish enterprise, filmed entirely in Turkey. The new video remaster is more like a revival, a resurrection. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/29/25

Cannibal Girls 03/25/25

From the Canadian branch of exploitation filmmaking comes this quirky stab (and chop, and bite) appetizer, an early production by Ivan Reitman. Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin are the ‘cute’ couple that wander into the wrong snowbound hamlet, too innocent and trusting to recognize a horror setup when they see it. The future maker of Ghostbusters cooks up a modest little item that steers more toward droll comedy than gory shocks. It’s beautifully remastered; the extras include an even earlier Reitman short subject that won a theatrical release. On Blu-ray from Canadian International Pictures.
03/25/25

Murder by Decree — 4K 03/25/25

The directing chameleon Bob Clark scores with this classy thriller that pits Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson against Jack the Ripper, featuring a knockout cast: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, Donald Sutherland, Anthony Quayle, Geneviève Bujold, David Hemmings … the list goes on. Has the Ripper has gone undetected because of a coverup conspiracy?  Sleuth reviewer (or reviewing sleuth?) Charlie Largent covered the other Holmes vs. Ripper saga A Study in Terror;  how does this one shape up — in 4K Ultra HD?  On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/25/25

The Wages of Fear — 4K 03/22/25

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s suspense ordeal is back, with additional minutes of footage and remastered in flawless 4K. Few films express such a poisonous attitude about humanity: for four desperate men, the only way to escape a South American backwater is to volunteer for a veritable suicide mission, driving truckloads of nitroglycerine up a punishing mountain road. Clouzot’s film so strongly indicts economic exploitation by multi-national companies, that the U.S. release was held up for two years, and even then censored by twenty minutes. Star Yves Montand’s career got a fresh start with a film acknowledged as an incomparable masterpiece of misanthropy. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/22/25

The 10th Victim 03/22/25

This is the movie with the spiky bra that doubles as a gun. Pop Art meets progressive social Sci-fi in a wicked satire about a future where wars are replaced with an organized murder game. Contestants alternate the role of hunter or victim; the goal is to score ten kills. Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress are celebrity players, angling to consummate their kills on live TV, to tie in with sponsors’ commercials. The prophetic Reality Show vibe is hard to miss. Taken from a famous Robert Sheckley short story, director Elio Petri gives everything a high-fashion look. Piero Piccioni provides the quirky music score. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/22/25

Godzilla vs. Biollante  — 4K 03/18/25

It’s Chlorophyll in Motion, writ large: in Godzilla’s most interestingly stylized franchise entry, the mean-tempered monster faces off with a colossal surrealist vision, a gene-spliced amalgam of a rose plant, high-vitamin Godzilla cells, and the genetic-spiritual essence of a scientist’s daughter. Director Kazuki Ômori’s frenetic thriller is all over the map, with industrial assassins, more fantasy weaponry and (very colorful!) nonsense science. “What you see is no ordinary plant!”  Criterion’s Curtis Tsui cultivates some fascinating extras. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/18/25

Outpost in Malaya 03/18/25

The territorial imperative gets a curious workout: English planters in Malaya defend their homesteads against ‘bandits’ with undefined aims. Ken Annakin contributes deft direction to a ‘colonial conflict’ story with the postwar politics filtered out, and replaced with domestic anxiety. Will planter’s wife Claudette Colbert look for love somewhere else, or will hubby Jack Hawkins realize how much he needs her?  Couples therapy arrives in a bloody fight to the death against machine guns and machetes. With Anthony Steele and young Peter Asher, who gets to witness a nifty cobra versus mongoose brawl — in his bathroom. On Blu-ray from MGM Amazon.
03/18/25

Monster from the Ocean Floor 03/15/25

How can such a tiny production be so noteworthy?  Roger Corman’s cleverly-assembled monster romp has simplicity and sincerity going for it, not to mention Floyd Crosby’s handsome cinematography and a winning leading lady in Anne Kimbell. It’s a producer’s picture, made on a shoestring just as the studios’ domination of the industry was on the wane. Much more than a curio, and quite satisfying in its own way. Tom Weaver’s commentary features great input from producer Corman. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
03/15/25

Two-Way Stretch 03/15/25

Charlie Largent examines a British comedy about a wild jewel robbery committed by prison inmates while incarcerated: Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins and David Lodge, aided and abetted by outsiders Wilfrid Hyde-White, Maurice Denham, Lionel Jeffries, Irene Handl, Liz Fraser and Beryl Reid. All they have to do is break jail, pull off the caper, and get back before Lights Out. The director is Robert Day, of fare like Tarzan the Magnificent and Hammer’s She: considering those pictures, we’re interested in Day’s approach to a comedy farce. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/15/25

Arch Oboler Resurrected, Part One 03/15/25

Writer, researcher and biographer Matt Rovner offers the first of three articles on the writer-producer Arch Oboler, the radio legend and notable filmmaker. The second and third installments will continue with his film career and an overview of his unusual personal life, but this first part focuses primarily on Oboler’s early career and stellar career in radio drama, with research from his personal archives. Matt Rovner can be heard on audio commentaries for Arch Oboler’s Five and Domo Arigato.
03/15/25

The Mansion of Madness — La mansión de la locura 03/11/25

Juan López Moctezuma’s bizarre Edgar Allan Poe adaptation gets new life in a new 4K transfer with a correct widescreen aspect ratio. An entire corps of Mexican artists and actors designed and staged this macabre happening, the old tale of maniacs that take over the asylum. It stars Claudio Brook and sounds good in both Spanish and English language versions. This is one of those remasters that causes us to reevaluate a show that didn’t appeal on first viewing … plus, the authoritative extras include direct input from some of the filmmakers and a full documentary on the director. On Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
03/11/25

The Killer is Loose 03/11/25

Late-cycle noir introduces us to Leon ‘Foggy’ Poole, a new kind of polite psychotic menace who kills because, ‘sigh,’ people just don’t give him a choice. Wendell Corey is a fugitive seeking revenge against cop Joseph Cotten … and determined to take ‘a wife for a wife’ justice. Rhonda Fleming and Michael Pate co-star in this very modern chain-of-violence tale; director Budd Boetticher and ace cameraman Lucien Ballard turn a modest production into an efficient and frequently stylish crime thriller. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/11/25

The Spectacular Sci-Fi Visions of East German Director Gottfried Kolditz 03/08/25

We love the handful of fantastic Soviet-bloc space pictures from the Yuri Gagarin era; this exacting disc release gives us two East German space operas from the 1970s, heavily influenced by Kubrick’s 2001 and TV’s Star Trek. Polite cosmonauts investigate a missing spaceflight in Signals: A Space Adventure, a visual effects showcase filmed in 70mm. And intrepid space diplomats respond to a distress signal in In the Dust of the Stars and land on the very odd planet of TEM 4, in the midst of some suspicious politics. The disc set comes with authoritative essays and extras assembled by the DEFA Film Library of Amherst, Massachusetts. On Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile.
03/08/25

The Glass Web — 3D 03/08/25

Universal’s second 3-D picture of the classic era has an edge on its competition: direction that takes full advantage of the depth effect in almost every shot. It’s not a bad whodunnit, either, with Edward G. Robinson in a tailor-made part and John Forsythe sweating out the hours as an innocent man framed by his own foolish decisions. Director Jack Arnold applies himself to the possibilities of 3-D, coming up with one of the more pleasing entries in the short-lived fad. Of special note is actress Kathleen Hughes, the center of attention in the cleverly scripted suspense picture. On Blu-ray 3-D from KL Studio Classics.
03/08/25

The Naked Maja 03/04/25

This one is for fans of Ava Gardner — an expensive Italian production we have never seen in a decent video copy, now remastered from the original Technirama negative. Anthony Franciosa is an emotional, altruistic Francisco Goya, caught up in the court intrigues of 18th century Madrid. Neither his tempestuous romance with his rumored muse (Ava) nor the story of his famous and controversial paintings are strictly historical — but the artist was indeed investigated by (whisper) The Spanish Inquisition. Also with Amedeo Nazzari and Massimo Serato. On Blu-ray from MGM.
03/04/25

Don’t Torture a Duckling — 4K 03/04/25

No, it’s not about the secret life of Scrooge McDuck — reviewer Charlie Largent takes the measure of Lucio Fulci’s delirious giallo about horrible crimes and the ugly human responses they bring about — undue suspicion, false accusations, hysteria, more violence. Some pretty twisted people are involved, played by a Class-A cast: Florinda Bolkan, Barbara Bouchet, Tomas Milian, Irene Papas; the new UHD transfer is a beauty. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
03/04/25

The Keep — 4K 03/01/25

Michael Mann’s WW2 horror disaster is still a fascinating item, especially in 4K. We marvel at its moody ‘architectural’ atmosphere, that generates dread even when the movie just plain ain’t workin’. The interesting actors include Jürgen Prochnow, Gabriel Byrne, Scott Glenn and a very different-looking Ian McKellen. Elijah Drenner’s full stack of extras digs deep into the hows and whys of this ‘Nazis versus Golem’ opus; we’re still short on guesses as to exactly what writer-director Mann was after. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
03/01/25

Paint Your Wagon — 4K 03/01/25

This great-looking (especially now) super-musical splits opinions right down the middle. It charms many who love the songs and the rustic comedy; others find it an overlong departure from the original stage musical. Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood sing, which for some invalidates the whole show. Yet after a few viewings we can see that they’re croaking and squeaking by — Harve Presnell is on hand to belt out the big tune. The great Jean Seberg carries more than her weight throughout. She makes the ‘liberated’ rewrite work, at least for the stellar threesome in that mountain cabin. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/01/25

Joan Crawford: Toxic Times Two 02/25/25

She said she preferred to play ‘bad’ women because they were more interesting than virtuous characters, but it’s tempting to speculate that Joan Crawford, the ultimate Hollywood survivor, was expressing her own conflicted personality. With the help of two trusted directors, one her lover, Crawford ruled the roost in a pair of indictments of American womanhood turned vicious, Harriet Craig and Queen Bee. Or, as Powerhouse Indicators’ essayists suggest, did these stories just highlight the anxieties of women in a patriarchal social system?  Each heroine is a prosperous homemaker-turned-control freak, tormenting their husbands and wrecking lives left and right. But Harriet and Eva really know how to dress, so what’s the big problem? On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
02/25/25

Blood and Lace 02/25/25

It’s bloody havoc at the orphange … the deadly Mrs. Deere presides over horrible mutilations by a scarred maniac, visited on the likes of Melody Patterson, Milton Selzer, and a young Dennis Christopher. Reviewer Charlie Largent confirms that “Terror Strikes AGAIN and AGAIN!” — The big star is Gloria Grahame, who expects her charges to overlook a few random hammer murders, with bodies stashed away in a freezer. Oh yes, a meat cleaver is involved as well. That’s what you get when the state will pay only $2 a day for warehousing orfinks. On Blu-ray from Kino Cult.
02/25/25

The Cat  — Die Katze 02/22/25

Düsseldorf is ground zero for a superior Deutscher Kriminalfilm that never made it to the U.S.. Heist mastermind Götz George guides a bank hostage standoff from afar, stage-managing the details of an amorous inside job. Director Dominik Graf winds up the tension for this precise ‘puzzle-crime:’  Only ‘The Cat’ knows the full plan, and he’s the one who must scramble to improvise when the cops change their tactics.  Excellent extras tap the director, the screenwriter and the producer. On Region A+B Blu-ray from Radiance.
02/22/25

The Conqueror 02/22/25

This Golden Turkey embarrassment is far too entertaining to be dismissed as a mere Bad Movie — Howard Hughes’ ode to Mongol barbarians does have perhaps the worst-cast star role of all time, and every third dialogue line is fall-down hilarious, but it’s great fun. John Wayne, Susan Hayward and Pedro Armendariz give it their best. So do a dozen tough guys from westerns and war films, outfitted in the weirdest costumes imaginable. The joke’s not on any of them — we applaud their commitment. Dick Powell’s second units whip up fine action sequences, churning up that red Utah dust — that was lethally radioactive. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/22/25

Performance  — 4K 02/18/25

Donald Cammell’s collision of gangster brutality and drug-soaked decadence steps up to 4K clarity. Excellent extras properly credit the writer-director, whose name is sometimes omitted in favor of co-director Nicolas Roeg. Mick Jagger’s first dramatic role is as a recluse who interrupts his drugs ‘n’ sex lifestyle to shelter a mobster on the run; James Fox is excellent as the sadistic thug in hiding. A psychological transformation takes place when two personalities begin to merge. Also starring Anita Pallenberg and Johnny Shannon. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/18/25

Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles 02/18/25

The Complete Series  Reviewer Charlie Largent takes on Hanna-Barbera’s catch-all cartoon subject goulash: monsters, superheroes and rock music. Kid genius Buzz Conroy fights crime with his super robot Frankenstein Jr.; and ‘The Impossibles’ is a rock group composed of super-freaks with weird superpowers — ‘Coil Man,”Fluid Man,’ etc. It’s the whole show, 18 half-hour episodes on two discs with an extra animated short subject thrown in for good measure. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
02/18/25

Fade-In 02/15/25

This movie sat on a shelf for 5 years, and was shown on TV only when Burt Reynolds became a big star. A romance heats up on a movie location in Utah, between a local guy and an assistant editor. It’s a ’70s ‘new Hollywood’ slice-of-life character study, but 5 years too early … and relying too much on ‘pretty’ travelogue shots. But the young Reynolds is excellent, and it’s a rare opportunity to see a very special actress, Barbara Loden, in a well-intentioned film role. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/15/25

Cronos — 4K 02/15/25

Guillermo Del Toro’s first feature is a mini-masterpiece that revitalized the Mexican fantastic film. Inventing his own macabre horror concept, Del Toro envisions a bizzare fountain of youth with an unforseen side effect that’s akin to vampirism without supernatural powers. Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman and Claudio Brook star in a beautifully designed and directed scare show. Extra treats include a brilliant del Toro short film, and a tour of his eye-opening ‘Bleak House.’ On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/15/25

Yojimbo + Sanjuro — 4K 02/11/25

Kurosawa’s witty samurai classics are back, in 4K Ultra HD. The master of cinema greeted the 1960s with American pulp cynicism in Japanese period costume, creating what was essentially a Japanese western. Toshirô Mifune is a riot as an amoral sword for hire in Yojimbo, promoting a turf war for fun and profit. In the sequel Sanjuro he shows a touch more moral fiber. Never one to be outshone, Kurosawa gives the movies a sense of humor as well as occasional shocks — nobody forgets the second film’s surprise conclusion. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/11/25

Invasion of the Bee Girls 02/11/25

Is it exploitative junk or a radical feminist manifesto?  Or just an out-of-control genre mashup between Sci-fi and a skin flick?  It’s Denis Sanders’ final feature and Nicholas Meyer’s first script, but the real auteur may be the producer who put voyeurism above all other concerns. Scores of males in Peckham are dying in the act of sex … are those weird entomology experiments involved?  Could Bee…  William Smith, Victoria Vetri and Anitra Ford don’t know whether to Bee or not to Bee. Okay I’ll stop. On Blu-ray from Kino Cult.
02/11/25

Gabriel Over the White House 02/08/25

With the economy in collapse and millions out of work during the Great Depression, a few Hollywood thrillers proposed radical political changes. William Randolph Hearst was the impetus behind this bizarre tale of a President ‘possessed by an Angel’ who assumes dictatorial powers. The Cabinet and Congress are pushed aside, labor camps are set up for the unemployed, and the crime problem is easily solved: gangsters are summarily executed by an extra-legal court. Foreign nations are promised violence if our demands aren’t met. Walter Huston, Karen Morley and Franchot Tone star in this polished fantasy of political delirium. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
02/08/25

Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema XXIII 02/08/25

Kino keeps finding noir thrillers for its Dark Side series; classic-era stars decorate collection Number 23. Paul Henreid tortures Burt Lancaster for diamond secrets in Rope of Sand, witnessed by Claude Rains, Peter Lorre and sultry Corinne Calvet. Ruthless crook James Cagney woos Helena Carter and foolishly doublecrosses Barbara Payton in Horace McCoy’s Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye. And John Drew Barrymore and Steve McQueen grow up on opposite sides of the law in Harold Robbins’ gangster meller Never Love a Stranger. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/08/25

Il posto + I fidanzati 02/04/25

Italian neo-realism and humanitarian sentiment meet in writer-director Ermanno Olmi, whose docudrama style wins over all that see it. In Il posto (The Job) a meek Milano goes through the humiliating process of applying for a career as a civil servant; in I fidanzati (The Betrothed) we witness the long-distance suffering of a young engineer relocated to Sicily for months, while his fianceé worries back home. The prolific, energetic Olmi has a knack for recording a living reality, reflected in Radiance’s excellent extras for this double-bill release. On Blu-ray from Radiance.
02/04/25

Alice, Sweet Alice — 4K 02/04/25

It’s the notorious slasher horror noted for ‘starring’ Brooke Shields … although she exits the picture very quickly. New York filmmaker Alfred Sole turns in one of the better psychodrama efforts of the 1970s, a bloody murder tale in a Catholic context. Awful events on a First Communion day point suspicion toward a surviving daughter. The subject is Catholic guilt of all kinds, and neither the estranged father, a good priest or a dogged cop can detect the killer … who commits crimes disguised in a plastic mask and raincoat. It’s a new remaster in 4K Ultra HD. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow USA.
02/04/25

The Spanish Main 02/01/25

The Warner Archive Collection comes through with a splendid restoration of this great pirate picture. Paul Henreid is a superb Dutch colonial-turned buccaneer, Maureen O’Hara devastating in Technicolor, and Walter Slezak a marvelous villain, given dialogue by Herman J. Mankiewicz. Errol Flynn may still be king but he’s also not missed; every frame of this dynamic winner pops in digitally-restored color. It’s great fun, well-directed by Frank Borzage, with Binnie Barnes, John Emery, Nancy Gates and Mike Mazurki. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
02/01/25

The Undead — CineSavant Revival House Review 02/01/25

Charlie Largent comes up with an exotic winner from 1957, a Roger Corman horror gem we haven’t reviewed because decent restored discs are unavailable. Charles B. Griffith concocted a macabre twist on the Bridey Murphy craze, that ‘regresses’ Pamela Duncan to the middle ages — where she finds herself condemned as a witch. Corman’s first supernatural horror item is a beatnik precursor of his later Poe pictures, minus Vincent Price but plus Allison Hayes, Bruno Ve Sota, Mel Welles and Billy Barty. All the speeches are weirdly stylized, and our host is Satan himself. C’mon, folks, free the American-International features being held hostage by rights holders!  Not on authorized Blu-ray.
02/01/25

Domo Arigato — 3-D 01/28/25

The 3-D Archive continues its quest to revive our heritage of stereoscopic features with Arch Oboler’s obscure romantic travelogue. That the movie falls short of most of its aims won’t make a difference to connoisseurs of the process. Two Americans in Japan fall in love while seeing the sights, but the real interest is in the back story of the production and its creator, through Oboler biographer Matt Rovner. Plus two 3-D short subjects. On 3-D Blu-ray from Bayview Entertainment.
01/28/25

Teacher’s Pet 01/28/25

Clark Gable and Doris Day shine in an overlooked, bright romantic comedy: Kay and Michael Kanin’s elegant screenplay gets in some punches for education and good journalism, and overcomes most dated story aspects. A crusty news editor is forced to attend night school, and discovers that his teacher knows things about newspaper work he didn’t pick up on the street. Gig Young is excellent in the thankless Ralph Bellamy role; Gable mugs too much but demonstrates that he still has what it takes to interest females. Ms. Day’s lecturer goes literally ‘weak in the legs,’ yet doesn’t come off as a ninny. Newly remastered from VistaVision. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/28/25

The Lion in Winter – 4K 01/25/25

Katharine Hepburn gets one more first-class filmic go-round, in James Goldman’s highly entertaining story of home life with those wild and crazy Plantagenets … how do three angry sons, one imprisoned Queen, the King of France and a frustrated paramour decide who gets the throne? Peter O’Toole is likewise excellent under the fine direction of Anthony Harvey, as are Nigel Terry, John Castle, Jane Merrow and new film personalities Timothy Dalton and Anthony Hopkins. Douglas Slocombe’s cinematography and John Barry’s music score are a big boost, in 4K Ultra HD from Studiocanal Vintage Classics.
01/24/25

Hatari! — 4K 01/25/25

Howard Hawks’ relaxed ’60s filmmaking style saw everything as a 2 hour-plus man’s world Time Out for Fun. This Africa is a heaven where boss males lord it over creation and express their macho souls around jungle cats like Elsa Martinelli. John Wayne is a great safari vacation guide; the action cinematography in pursuit of animals is breathtaking and Henry Mancini’s music turns the veldt into one big cocktail lounge. Reviewer Charlie Largent asks if Hawks’ gallery of tough professionals make the grade: Hardy Kruger in his short-shorts, Red Buttons groveling for another Oscar, Gérard Blain, Bruce Cabot, Valentín de Vargas. Get yer baby elephants walkin’, in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/25/25

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell 01/21/25

While gearing up to take on the hypocrisy of the Production Code, producer-director Otto Preminger hired out for Milton Sperling & Gary Cooper’s ode to an aviator-warrior who fought against the War Office. To air his grievances and promote Air Power., General William Mitchell forced a military trial that destroyed his career; his superiors almost succeded in silencing him. The big trial scene hands the stage over to Rod Steiger. Other notables are Ralph Bellamy, Charles Bickford, Jack Lord, and in her first film, Elizabeth Montgomery. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/21/25

Miracle Mile — Special Edition 01/18/25

Los Angeles bursts into flames, total disaster, no mercy …. but it’s not a firefighting problem. Steve De Jarnatt’s classic apocalyptic thriller comes back in a remastered edition, with an entire disc devoted to the writer-director’s career story. Anthony Edwards’ and Mare Winningham’s ill-fated 24-hour romance in the City of the Angels is more poignant than ever. Even the cast seems miracle-chosen: John Agar, Mykelti Williamson, Kelly Minter, Kurt Fuller, Denise Crosby, Robert DoQui, O-Lan Jones, Danny De La Paz, Jenette Goldstein. And for locals that know the Miracle Mile neighborhood, it all feels very personal. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/18/25

Mr. Lucky 01/18/25

Whoa — RKO’s wartime hit is a bright spot for mainstream filmmaking: major studio talents turn an unpromising idea into a sweetheart film everyone loved. Cary Grant has total control of his ‘bad’ gambler-grifter, while the unsung but wonderful Laraine Day gives him a reason to reform. The Damon Runyon-inflected tale is frequently hilarious, with a cute romantic angle that saves the day. It’s also beautifully designed … by none other than William Cameron Menzies. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/18/25

Winchester ’73 — 4K 01/14/25

What at first seems a plain-wrap generic western is actually anything but; Borden Chase’s circular storyline pulls in a bit of every theme the genre had going before 1950. This first James Stewart – Anthony Mann collaboration is one of their toughest; something violent or despicable happens in every reel. Mann gets to adapt Shakespearean ideas to the sagebrush; Stewart roughs up his ‘aw shucks’ nice guy image. Terrific input comes from a big supporting cast: Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally, Millard Mitchell, Charles Drake, John McIntire, Will Geer, Jay C. Flippen, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis. 4K Ultra HD restores William Daniels’ moody B&W cinematography. From The Criterion Collection.
01/14/25

Mountains of the Moon 01/14/25

It’s an excellent ‘thinking man’s safari picture’: Bob Rafelson’s beautifully produced epic examines the partnership of two of the 19th century’s greatest explorers. They jointly found the source of the Nile, but after their amazing adventure, London politics and malicious interference broke them up. Patrick Bergin and Iain Glen are the intrepid explorers, Richard E. Grant a duplicious publisher, and Fiona Shaw gives the most appealing portrait of a vibrant Englishwoman ever. It’s certainly the best safari movie we’ve seen, realistic and harrowing. And it comes from the producer of Easy Rider. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/14/25

Conclave – 4K 01/11/25

Wow, we review a picture just a couple of months old. Good director Edward Berger guides some fine performances in a drama about dark secrets and backroom deals in the voting to elect a new pope. The movie looks lavish in 4K — entire Vatican chapels were duplicated at Cinecittà — and the ensemble acting is first class: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Brían F. O’Byrne, Carlos Diehz, Lucian Msamati, Isabella Rossellini, Sergio Castellitto. On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
01/11/25

The Grifters – 4K 01/11/25

What a great picture to see bumped to 4K … when that grinding Elmer Bernstein cue launches the titles, we know we’re in for a hardboiled experience. Roy, Lilly and Myra are highly attractive ‘poison’ people in their own cheap rackets — hooking, fixing racetrack odds and grifting — practicing petty con-man ripoffs on unsuspecting ‘suckers.’ They’re bad enough separately but any combo is toxic. The great director Stephen Frears guides John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening into some of the best performances of their careers. It’s the best filmic adaptation of Jim Thompson. On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/11/25

Nora Prentiss 01/07/25

It’s another intense film noir with a strong woman dealing with a weak man. Ann Sheridan comes through with a great performance in her most promising Warners star vehicle. ‘Accidental Homewrecker’ Nora is the anti-femme fatale, who can only watch as her doctor-lover Kent Smith throws away his practice, his family, his upscale lifestyle and finally his own identity. A striking new remaster showcases James Wong Howe’s glowing images, that create moments of existential horror. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/07/25

Inglourious Basterds – 4K 01/07/25

It’s one of Tarantino’s best: Arrow Video repackages his celebration of absurd wartime action thrillers with a battery of new featurettes and interviews. We take the opportunity to revise a review that still gets mail. Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender and Diane Kruger star in a genre wish-fulfillment fantasy that could be called ‘Once Upon a Time in World War II.’   On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
01/07/25

Russ Meyer’s Vixen! 01/04/25

Whoa!  What was once ‘raw adult’ fare now plays as quaint — yet still hot. Voyeurism becomes entertainment — America’s mammary-obsessed independent filmmaker Russ Meyer did as much for naughty male daydreams as did Hugh Hefner. The entire ‘Vixen trilogy’ is being released, but we concentrate on Meyer’s breakthrough picture with Erica Gavin, the one that the young critic Roger Ebert helped make into an undressed success. On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
01/04/25

Weak Spot 01/04/25

aka Le faille.  Radiance comes up with yet another exotic Eurothriller. Author Antonis Samarakis’ first-person experience informs this sophisticated study of the psychology of detectives operating in a police state. An apparently ordinary guy is snatched from the street and accused of being a subersive; two cops take him ‘for a ride’ in hopes that he’ll talk. Ugo Tognazzi is the pigeon and Michel Piccoli & Mario Adorf are the ‘friendly’ potential torturers. Peter Fleischmann’s sly direction underscores a number of story twists and surprises. The music score by Ennio Morricone seals the deal. On Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
01/04/25

Sahara — (1943) 12/31/24

Where has this one been?  The excellent war drama features Humphrey Bogart in one of his most satisfying roles, as a get-it-done tank commander surrounded by Germans on the African Sands. It’s solid storytelling with something of a United Nations appeal. Bogie’s tank crew is Bruce Bennett and Dan Duryea. Rex Ingram’s Sgt. is a standout, and J. Carrol Naish won a Supporting Actor nom for his soulful Italian. And the M3-Lee tank Lulubelle has great personal appeal. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
12/31/24

A Bridge Too Far — 4K 12/31/24

Joseph E. Levine’s multi-star WWII epic is one of the last Road Show blockbusters: Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Kruger, Ryan O’Neal, Laurence Olivier, Maximilian Schell and Liv Ullmann carry substantial roles in a detailed re-enactment of an ill-fated Allied attempt to break into German through Holland. Richard Atteborough directs from William Goldman’s script; the 3-hour 4K package is loaded with extras. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayfrom Viavision [Imprint].
12/31/24

The Searchers — 4K 12/28/24

The Warner Archive Collection’s first 4K Ultra HD release is a glowing digital restoration of John Ford’s unequalled western classic, considered to also have one of John Wayne’s best performances. The movie is remarkable in that it embraces so many different tones: tragic drama, buffoonish comedy, and a full examination of racial hatred as a tribal force … It’s the story of America, in a way, rooted in Fords’ worship of Family. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayfrom The Warner Archive Collection.
12/28/24

Incubus — 4K 12/28/24

One of the strangest American films of the ’60s is Leslie Stevens’ occult thriller starring William Shatner — who speaks all his dialogue in Esperanto. A ‘once upon a time’ country has a healing well, but its forest and beaches are overrun by female demons that harvest wicked souls through seduction and murder. The weirdness is amplified by Conrad Hall’s cinematography and the eerie music of Dominic Frontiere. The once-obscure film was scanned in 4K from the only surviving projection print. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
12/28/24

The Tall Target 12/24/24

An 1861 plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln is smartly styled as a ‘film noir in costume.’ Southern secessionists want Abe dead, and many in the Union hate him as well; detective Dick Powell races ny train to Baltimore to stem the conspiracy. The tension now feels topical …. only in the Civil War era was the country more divided than it is now. Director Anthony Mann’s stark approach to violence caps a smart screenplay that interweaves fiction with historical fact. Able performances are contributed by Adolphe Menjou, Marshall Thompson, Will Geer and Ruby Dee. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/24/24

Panic in Year Zero! 12/24/24

Charlie Largent dives into Radiance Films’ new Blu of Ray Milland’s topical Sci-fi from the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Milland both directs and acts in the leading role of Harry Baldwin, a family man who goes on a three-hour cruise on a weekend camping trip, only for World War III to break out. Survivalists take note: be sure to steal all the available gas and groceries before your neighbor can. Jay Simm’s ruthless screenplay blames all the lawless rape and pillage on punks hopped up on dope; the extras repeat Richard Harland Smith’s excellent commentary. On Region B Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
12/24/24

No Country for Old Men — 4K 12/21/24

The Coen brothers’ modern classic adapts Cormac McCarthy’s book about drug violence on the border. Welcome to supply & demand economics at its most basic: human values are absent in a bloody scramble for a cache of drug money. Tommy Lee Jones is the old lawman with a defeatist outlook and Josh Brolin is a daring Texan who gets more danger than he bargains for. Javier Bardem won the prize for the most original movie villain since Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter. The violent thrills subvert audience expectations — and remain true to McCarthy’s nihilistic vision. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/21/24

The Hunted — 4K 12/21/24

William Friedkin whips up some terrific action and nasty knife-fighting with solid input from Tommy Lee Jones and Benecio Del Toro. Despite delivering on the promise of action, the characters and storyline never rise above trite clichés. So this one’s for fans of hairy chases and gritty one-on-one combat. Friedkin’s fast-paced action is enhanced with the cinematography of Caleb Deschanel, which looks better than ever in a new 4K remaster. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/21/24

The Beast with Five Fingers 12/17/24

Charlie Largent’s disc review goes mano a mano with this neat horror item from Robert Florey. The nervous presence of Peter Lorre elevates a spooky idea about a severed hand. When the will of a rich man is contested, his left hand detatches and goes looking for victims. Where will it turn up next?  Florey’s expressive direction, Max Steiner’s music and startling visual effects enhance Lorre’s frantic performance. With Robert Alda, Andrea King and J. Carrol Naish; it’s a fondly-remembered late-late show attraction that creeped out countless little kids. On Blu-rayfrom The Warner Archive Collection.
12/17/24

Revenge of the Zombies 12/17/24

The living dead didn’t hunger for brains back in the 1940s, but they did walk with Frances Dee, elect a King and perform on Broadway. Monogram’s second microbudgeted Zombie opus gives John Carradine one of his first mad doctor roles. The fine actor dignifies inconsequential plot complications, mixing chemicals to create Zombie storm troopers for Hitler. The drama is tepid and the zombies goose-step when they march, but the camera direction by Steve Sekely is above Monogram’s usual standard. The most fun is provided by the talented Mantan Moreland, whose comedic antics steal the show. With an audio commentary by Tom Weaver. On Blu-rayfrom KL Studio Classics.
12/17/24

Slap the Monster on Page One 12/14/24

Some Italian thrillers post-1968 became very political. Marco Bellocchio’s outright accusation against the power elite of Milan all but drops the thriller aspect to concentrate on exposing the evil of partisan media manipulation. Sound familiar?  Scheming newspaper editor Gian Maria Volontè leverages a sex murder to smear the left and throw an election. With police approval, he railroads a suspect by browbeating reporters and influencing a witness. Screenwriter Sergio Donati also wrote ‘political’ westerns; Italy was so caught up in divisive violence that the filmmakers were able to film actual demonstrations. On Blu-ray from Radiance.
12/14/24

Body and Soul 12/14/24

Abraham Polonsky and Robert Rossen’s ringside classic is a key film noir and a key social issue film; John Garfield and Lilli Palmer make big impressions with the aid of Anne Revere, Canada Lee, Lloyd Gough, William Conrad and Joseph Pevney. James Wong Howe brought a new, raw look to his cinematography of a boxing match; Garfield has his defining role as an outsider who refuses to bow to corruption: What are you going to do, kill me?  Everybody dies.”  The show has a high number of actors and crew later blacklisted by the HUAC witch hunters. Alan K. Rode tells all the connected stories in his excellent commentary.  On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/14/24

Scarface — 4K (1932) 12/10/24

Howard Hawks’ ferocious, never-bettered gangster saga has the best of pre-Code thrills — sex and violence at the service of basic All-American ambition. Paul Muni’s Tony Camonte is a near-Neanderthal egoist crazy about Karen Morley but also his own sister, slinky Ann Dvorak. George Raft has his most famous role and Boris Karloff delights as a nervous bootlegging mobster. The big issue with this release?  It’s in 4K Ultra HD, which at first glance strikes us as format overkill. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/10/24

Pulp Fiction — 30th Anniversary 4K 12/10/24

How soon will it be before Quentin Tarantino’s films are considered ‘old man’s movies?’  This time-twisted crime tale made a big dent in film culture back when The Lion King and Forrest Gump were the biggest hits of the year. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson’s hit men, Uma Thurman’s coked-up party girl, Bruce Willis’ cagey Palooka, Ving Rhames’ gangster and Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth’s lovebird stickup artists have all become indelible icons; Tarantino’s storytelling style inspired a hundred copycats. The 30th Anniversary release has no shortage of extras, Daddy-O. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment.
12/10/24

Interstellar 10th Anniversary 4K 12/07/24

Competing for gift box attention this holiday is this impressive 4K Ultra HD anniversary release of Christopher Nolan’s intelligent answer to 2001, a cosmic journey literally to the other end of the universe. Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway star in a warm ‘n’ human contemplation of human limits ‘beyond the infinite.’ Nolan gives it his best — big pieces of his grand epic lift our spirits above gloomy thoughts of doom for our species and the unthinkable dimensions of outer space. Plus, we love those robots. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment.
12/07/24

The Return of Doctor X 12/07/24

Distasteful medical horror gets a trial run as lightweight thriller fare in Warners’ genre catch-all about ‘artificial blood’ that can raise the dead. Did Warners use this show to test contract talent for loyalty & obedience?  Young leads Wayne Morris and Dennis Morgan are also the comic relief, Rosemary Lane looks pretty, and none other than Humphrey Bogart is Marshall Quesne, a sort-of Zombie, with a hair-do fit for the son of the Bride of Frankenstein. Charlie Largent performs the transfusion Blu-ray review. The new restoration is dazzling. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/07/24

Little Women — 4K  (1994) 12/03/24

This Winona Ryder version of Alcott’s venerated page-turner is the most satisfying to date, as adapted by Robin Swicord, directed by Gillian Armstrong and embodied by an ideal cast: Gabriel Byrne, Trini Alvarado, Christian Bale, Claire Danes, Susan Sarandon, Eric Stoltz, plus Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis sharing a character between them. The show looks and sounds fantastic in remastered 4K Ultra HD. It’s not all smiley faces as on the box top; in this case great entertainment just happens to be family friendly. It’s an excellent Christmas story, as well. On 4K Ultra HD + Digital from Sony Home Entertainment.
12/03/24

Galaxy Quest 4K 11/30/24

Never give up, never surrender!  A comic spoof of Star Trek and Trekkie worship does not sound promising, but this bright and funny space adventure is enlivened by an able cast — Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell and Daryl Mitchell. Especially good are the goofy aliens that need help in a galactic war – interpreted by Enrico Colantoni and smartly performed by Colantoni, Missi Pyle and Rainn Wilson. The movie is kind to fan convention culture, too. On 4K Ultra HD + Digital (no Blu-ray this particular package) from Paramount Home Entertainment.
11/30/24

Top Cat — the Complete Series 11/30/24

Back in the 5th grade we had never heard of Damon Runyon, whose spirit animates Hanna-Barbera’s second network TV show. Reviewer Charlie Largent jumps into the one-season-wonder’s 30 episodes, all fully remastered from 4K scans. There’s this laid-back con-man cat named T.C., see, and his back-alley associates Benny the Ball, Choo Choo, Spook, The Brain and Fancy Fancy. Believe it or not, it was a big deal in the fourth grade, even though all I can remember is the theme music. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/30/24

Nothing is Sacred: Three Heresies by Luis Buñuel 11/26/24

Three Buñuel masterpieces arrive in remastered Blu-ray presentations, accompanied by excellent new extras. The Exterminating Angel clobbers elitist complacency. The irreverent Simon of the Desert skewers the notion of blessed martyrdom. Viridiana is the shocker that gave Franco’s Spain a slap in the face — and it’s here in a much improved video transfer. Among the new goodies are a commentary from Michael Brooke and video intros from Richard Ayoade, Alex Cox, Guillermo del Toro, and Lulu Wang. On Blu-ray from Radiance.
11/26/24

Paper Moon — 4K 11/26/24

It’s a seriocomic fable from the Great Depression: Ryan O’Neal’s Moses Pray runs a predatory racket hawking expensive Bibles, and the only one to see through the con is the orphan Addie Loggins, played by O’Neal’s own daughter. What could have been a big casting mistake is a sensation — Tatum O’Neal carries the movie and then some. Peter Bogdanovich’s most endearing picture won over the 1973 audience despite being in B&W, to better resemble a show from 40 years before. Production designer and co-everything Polly Platt recreates the visual look of the past as seen in John Ford films. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/26/24

The Walking Dead (1936) 11/23/24

The Dead Walk — and accuse!  One of the best non-classic horror films of the ’30s is a polished production: Michael Curtiz and cameraman Hal Mohr give star Boris Karloff a spooky spotlight for a macabre tale of justice from beyond the grave. Karloff is brilliant as an executed convict resurrected by science, who becomes an avenging angel against the crooks that framed him. The glossy new video remaster is sourced from the film’s original nitrate — and looks it. Also starring Ricardo Cortez, Edmund Gwenn and Barton MacLane. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/23/24

Funny Girl — 4K 11/23/24

Barbra Streisand’s movie debut takes a slot in the Criterion Collection, and jumps to 4K Ultra HD. Opened up from Broadway and slimmed down to focus on its incandescent star, it persists as a superior musical, alternately funny and touching. Streisand showed can’t-lose intuition when it came to the big decisions: knowing that her emotional singing style would be flattened by lip-sync to a pre-recorded track, the finale partly records a direct performance. Barbra came across as The Real Deal, up close and personal; audiences continue to be riveted by her. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/23/24

El Vampiro: Two Bloodsucking Tales from Mexico 11/19/24

This fanged Drácula Mexicano predates Christopher Lee!  Germán Robles cuts an aristocratic profile as Count Karol de Lavud, vampiro extraordinario, in two films that marked Mexico’s full embrace of traditional gothic horror. Before masked wrestlers, Aztec mummies and baggy pant comedians took over, director Fernando Méndez styled the genre after the Universal tradition. The research in the disc’s extras — thank you Jesús Palacios, Eduardo de la Vega Alfaro & Carmen Serrano — opens new veins of thought in horror movie history. Charlie Largent reviews El vampiro and its followup El ataud del vampiro — and survives.  On Region Free Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
11/19/24

The Proud and Profane 11/19/24

Deborah Kerr shines as an emotionally troubled war widow who volunteers to do Red Cross work in the Pacific Theater of WW2. William Holden is the he-bull Marine colonel who claims her almost as a right of rank. Not a combat film, it’s nevertheless a polished production with a gallery of fine acting support — all somewhat hampered by so-so direction and a script that opts for ‘easy out’ solutions to sticky emotional problems. Another VistaVision winner in a sterling presentation. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/19/24

Seven Samurai — 4K 11/16/24

Behold a ‘world cinema classic’ that needs no defending, no way, no how … a review isn’t really necessary, just see it!  This new 4K remaster is a real beauty, doing additional cleanup and brighten-up work. Otherwise it’s still the same fantastic epic, with marvelous characters, a gripping storyline and spectacular battles. Toshiro Mifune’s flea-bitten almost-a-samurai has everything needed to fight with the pros; he completes the most ‘magnificent’ defense team in combat film history. Kurosawa’s direction is inspired — his action montage ideas were so advanced, they couldn’t be imitated. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/16/24

Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema XXII 11/16/24

22 is a lucky number for noir:  D.A. Humphrey Bogart defies Murder Incorporated in The Enforcer.  Sexpot Carol Ohmart lures Tom Tryon into a web of crime in the VistaVision The Scarlet Hour.  And thieves try to slip through interstate roadblocks carrying millions in gold bullion in the fascinating Plunder Road.  It’s a good selection of 1950s noir titles made by both old pros and a creative independent, covered with expert commentaries by Alan K. Rode and Jeremy Arnold. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/16/24

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas — 4K 11/12/24

???? Let’s all get up and dance to a song movie that was a hit before your mother was born ???? … or your grandmother, maybe. Does anybody under 50 know who Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye were?  1954’s biggest hit may not be today’s current fashion, but it’s got fine music and some great choreography: Rosemary Clooney sings, Vera-Ellen dances. When new it was already nostalgic, and now it’s a time capsule from a completely different era of show biz. In the glory of VistaVision and Technicolor, the Christmasy sentiment pops in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital. From Paramount Pictures.
11/12/24

Seven Chances + Sherlock Jr. 11/12/24

They’re not listed as Buster Keaton’s best silent comedies, but we think they’re fantastic, from the peak of his directorial genius. Seven Chances exaggerates the dilemma of a fellow who must marry on a deadline to inherit a fortune, precipitating an onslaught of women in wedding dresses, a (comic) nightmare horde. In Sherlock Jr. Keaton plays fast and loose with film form. The story involves treacherous girl-nappers, but Buster expresses his hero’s romantic yearnings with fantasy sequences that deconstruct cinema: he ‘enters’ a movie screen and joins in the storyline. The restoration is a collaboration between Kino, Blackhawk Films and the French company Lobster; the music scores are by Robert Israel. On Blu-ray from Kino Classics.
11/12/24

Godzilla — 4K 11/09/24

The original Japanese super-dragon is back, for the first time in the USA in an improved Toho remaster that restores the awesome majesty of Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya’s overachieving Kaiju fantasy. The 500-foot leviathan’s debut feature will be a surprise for folk expecting him to scrap with Mothra or dance a jig on the Moon: just 9 years after Japan became the first atomic-age target, the somber horror fantasy reopened an un-healed national wound. Also included is the U.S. recut we’ve all seen 100 times, that re-frames the story through American eyes. It’s Hollywood’s most successful re-shoot & re-edit revision job. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/09/24

The Invasion — 4K 11/09/24

This fourth remake of Jack Finney’s mind-bending Sci-fi horror tale didn’t click at the box office, but our Pandemic experience has made it more relevant. Nicole Kidman and a good cast can’t be faulted, but if a powerful thriller with something big to say was intended, it didn’t come off. As a tense chase picture, it has its good qualities — and we get a pre-007 Daniel Craig in the bargain. The extras point out textural hints that may have been the focus of director Oliver Hirschbiegel. The Ultra HD endcoding really pops — even tiny samples of the ‘alien slime’ look creepy-crawly alive. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
11/09/24

Night of the Blood Beast + Attack of the Giant Leeches 11/05/24

This ’50s cult monster double bill was produced by the Corman brothers Roger and Gene. The first re-plays ideas from several Sci-fi classics on a shoestring budget, and squeaks by with a novel wrinkle of its own. Using some of the same crew and actors, the second item is even cheaper. It hasn’t a single original idea, yet occupies a proud roost in cult circles owing to the opportune casting of hottie Yvette Vickers. That there Liz Walker would still be steamin’ up the swamp, if them consarned scum-Leeches hadn’t-a sucked up all her fine bayou blood. Durn pests. The extras include full commentary coverage by Tom Weaver. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
11/05/24

Creature with the Blue Hand + Web of the Spider 11/05/24

aka Die Blaue Hand.   Is a German krimi a murder mystery, a horror film, or what?  Reviewer Charlie Largent checks out an adaptation of an Edgar Wallace page-turner about a series of ghastly murders; as it features Klaus Kinski, the disc company has coined the not-bad term ‘Euro-Kinski.’ We’re eager to know how it looks. Included is Web of the Spider, Antonio Margheriti’s remake of his own earlier ‘Danza Macabra.’ The special edition adds an alternate version of Creature with the Blue Hand and an audio commentary by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
11/05/24

Circus of Horrors — 4K 11/02/24

Dr. Rossiter will give you something to scream about!  Sidney Hayers’ Big Top terror flick is luridly oversexed, excessively gruesome — and great fun. Mad plastic surgeon Anton Diffring creates his own harem of facially-restored women who also happen to be criminals. Circus acts provide the ‘accidents’ to remove any that become a liability. It’s a garish display of good filmmaking, crazy thrills and questionable taste … and a non-guilty pleasure we’re proud to praise. Now more wickedly delightful in 4K Ultra HD from KL Studio Classics.
11/02/24

Enough Rope 11/02/24

aka Le Meurtrier.   Taken from a story by Patricia Highsmith, director Claude Autant-Lara’s murder thriller can boast an attractive cast: Maurice Ronet, Gert Fröbe, Robert Hossein, Marina Vlady and Yvonne Furneaux. The slick production, good music and committed performances can’t be faulted, but the point gets lost amid a lot of yelling. Just the same, Hossein and Fröbe know how to enliven a scene, and the location work is a travelogue to Nice of 1963. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/02/24

Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger 10/29/24

David Hinton’s documentary celebration of the ‘Archers’ team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger is a feature-length rumination filtered through Martin Scorsese’s narration, emphasizing his first awakening to the Power of Film. The collaboration was so rich and the films so impressive that it takes over two hours just for a cursory pass through the Archers’ career: The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death. The curatorship is excellent and the film clips good; the main focus is not biography or thematic analysis but the sheer Love of Movies by a supremely talented filmmaking team. On Blu-ray from Cohen Media Group.
10/29/24 On Blu-ray from Cohen Media Group.
10/29/24

I Remember Mama 10/29/24

George Stevens’ back-from-the war masterpiece honors family vaues and stability with the near-reverent story of a Norwegian immigrant family subsisting in San Francisco of 1910. The filmmaking is fastidious and the performances exemplary — Irene Dunne is the Hanson matriarch, young Barbara Bel Geddes the teenager who wants to write, and Oscar Homolka the overbearing Uncle who ‘lives in sin.’ The family situation is humble, yet idyllic when we factor in the plight of immigrants and refugees today: a reasonably secure place to live, a reasonable level of peace. The new remaster gives the film an added luster. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
10/29/24

The Tenant — 4K 10/26/24

Roman Polanski’s twisted ‘apartment horror’ creepshow melds supernatural and psychological possession — a meek clerk finds himself being possessed by the previous occupant of his apartment: a woman who committed suicide. It might be all in his mind, but the spook-show trimmings are compelling too: the new tenant plays his cross-dressing new role to the bitter end. Polanski’s razor-sharp direction piles on the unpleasantness and paranoia, abetted by Sven Nykvist’s cinematography and a battery of stellar performances by Melvyn Douglas, Shelly Winters, Isabelle Adjani, Jo Van Fleet and Lila Kedrova. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
10/26/24

The Bat — (1926) 10/26/24

From the dedicated label Undercrank Productions comes a restored Blu-ray of Roland West’s original haunted house horror farce, the first silent adaptation of the stage classic by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Welcome to the realm of creaky doors, secret passageways and clutching claws!  Reviewer Charlie Largent will settle the big question — is it really a Dark and Stormy night?  Louise Fazenda, Jack Pickford, Jewel Carmen and Arthur Housman star, and the film boasts art direction by William Cameron Menzies. On Blu-ray from Undercrank Productions.
10/26/24

Columbia Horror 10/22/24

This collector’s box of Columbia odds ‘n’ ends has a couple of movies that are only marginal horror, but all have at least one or two horror elements. A gangster picture with Boris Karloff dips into mad doctor territory, and the mad scientist in an aviation thriller has cooked up an anti-aircraft death ray. Peter Lorre runs a slave labor camp that features torture. A werewolf movie dabbles in feminist lycanthropy, while a ‘back from the dead’ thriller is stylish but vague. The hot discovery is a beautiful remaster, complete with original tints, of the obscure Voodoo epic Black Moon starring Fay Wray. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
10/22/24