Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Archives: Reviews

Colt .45 – The Complete Series 04/16/24

Swing back with us to 1958, when all three TV networks were crammed with westerns, each of which needed a gimmick. Wayde Preston IS Chris Colt, a secret agent who takes on various bad guys every week, pretending to be an ordinary traveling gun salesman. The three seasons are jammed with favorite actors and actresses — wanna see Charles Bronson and Lee Van Cleef handling workaday villain chores?  With its emphasis on gunplay, the show now looks like a template for Tarantino’s Rick Dalton — you know, before Rick duked it out with Sexy Sadie and Tex Watson. The WAC’s restoration work couldn’t be bettered. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
04/16/24

The Scarface Mob 04/13/24

Charlie Largent reviews the tough guys, see?  Nyaahh!   Desi Arnaz made TV history with this thriller about Federal Cops playing rough to nail that bootlegging Chicago gangster Al Capone. With his paint-peeling stare, Robert Stack’s special Agent Eliot Ness seem more obsessed than Ahab — he can’t wait to go all Carrie Nation on an illegal brewery with a fire axe. Neville Brand jumped from villainy in westerns and noirs, right into Al Capone’s shiny spats. The mobsters include Bruce Gordon as the enforcer Frank Nitti and Frank DeKova as Jimmy Napoli, a hit man assigned to ‘murderize’ Ness; Keenan Wynn and Barbara Nichols are fringe benefits. We’re curious to see if this 102-minute cut is the uncensored International Version that came out on a much older DVD.

Accidentally Preserved Volume 5 04/13/24

Silent screen variety: it’s what a real movie marquee might have offered in the second half of the 1920s. Disc producers Jon C. Mirsalis and Ben Model give us four ‘rescued’ attractions, which include a western, a soap opera, a zany comedy with bathing beauties, and a jungle adventure featuring a woman raised by a gorilla. Each was scanned by the Library of Congress, and each comes with a stereophonic piano or organ music score by Mirsalis. Who can resist these titles?: Lorraine of the Lions,  Love at First Flight,  Hoofbeats of Vengeance, and  The Fourth Commandment. On Blu-ray from Undercrank Films / Library of Congress.
04/13/24

3 Godfathers ’48 + Three Godfathers ’36 04/09/24

John Ford’s outlaw trio rescues an orphaned baby, evoking the sentimental innocence of silent-era westerns. With John Wayne, Ward Bond and Pedro Armendáriz on board, and photographed in blazing Technicolor by Winton Hoch, little else is needed to wow Ford fans. Plus hymns, home cooking, genuine Death Valley locations and a Christmas miracle. It’s a double-bill disc: the 1936 Chester Morris – Walter Brennan version is here as well. It’s very different, and just as good. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
04/09/24

Snapshot 04/09/24

Pegged as a slasher-type horror, Simon Wincer’s drama hews closer to the emerging ‘artful’ trend in Australian filmmaking — with some of the bigger names associated with fancier exploitation fare, too: Everett De Roche, Brian May. Chantal Contouri gets top billing but the film is carried away by the magnetic Sigrid Thornton, who would later receive plenty of U.S. cable play in the ‘Man from Snowy River’ movies. Also making a solid impression is Hugh Keays-Byrne, in a role much different than the ones he played for George Miller. The disc includes a longer director’s cut. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
04/09/24

They Drive By Night 04/06/24

Warners star power triumphs in a patched-together screen classic about the hard life of truckers on the road — that turns into a murder ‘n’ madness melodrama. It’s a special picture in terms of career advancement for Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino. The somewhat sexist dialogue feels edgy for 1940, and Ann Sheridan is at her most adorable. Does director Raoul Walsh deserve special credit for keeping this one on its feet?  Even George Raft comes across with a good performance. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
04/06/24

Suits: The Complete Series 04/06/24

It was slick, glamorous, sexy — the cable series tickled TV viewers with fantasies of Wall Street wealth and power, adding extra fun with a gate-crashing imposter and his photographic memory. This is how the one percenters wished they lived: beautiful people in killer fashions, in a law firm that settles most disputes out of court — they’re too cool and too talented. When Netflix picked it up in mid-pandemic, there was no surprise that its ratings skyrocketed … a major role had been played by the future Duchess of Sussex, now one of the best-known women on the planet. On Blu-ray from Universal.
04/06/24

The Panther Women — The Bat Woman 04/02/24

Lucha libre lives!  Mexican matinee madness goes daffy-surreal!  Already reeling from masked wrestlers, Aztec mummies and carboard robots, the screen reels from a pair of director René Cardona’s pop-thrillers featuring luchadoras enmascaradasthat battle monsters, gangsters, and mad doctors. The Bat Woman is a jaw-dropping provocation to DC copyrights, while The Panther Women pits two lovely luchadorasagainst a squad of female assassins. The well-researched extras offer substantial background information. Who else but Charlie Largent could interpret this wealth of cinematic treasure?  On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
04/02/24

The Dresser 04/02/24

Directed by Peter Yates and performed with great finesse by Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay, Ronald Harwood’s adaptation of his own play is great entertainment. Touring the provinces in wartime, an eccentric Shakespearian legend is falling apart in mind and body; only the star’s dedicated, put-upon dresser can get him into a mental shape allowing the show to go on. The approach isn’t satirical or ironic, but affecting and compassionate. The freqently hilarious show is also a worthwhile account of a long-gone slice of British theatrical history. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
04/02/24

To Die For – 4K 03/30/24

Buck Henry’s screenplay slams monstrous celebrity careerism in the most entertaining way: because Nicole Kidman’s TV weather lady wants to climb the ladder of on-air celebrity, her inconveniently unglamorous first husband has to go. It’s the most blatant murder scheme ever, with a woman who considers herself to be perfection recruiting and seducing high schoolers to do the dark deed. Gus Van Sant’s satirical thriller gets high marks from our reviewer Charlie Largent; Kidman has a terrific backup cast in Joaquin Phoenix, Matt Dillon, Casey Affleck, Illeana Douglas and Dan Hedaya. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/30/24

Sayonara 03/30/24

This import shows what’s uniquely terrific about a Home Video disc done well — the combined audio commentaries tell us much we didn’t know about a movie we thought we knew well. It’s one of Marlon Brando’s best and most committed performances … sidestepping some of the conventions of its time, what it does right far outweighs some outdated issues. James Garner, Patricia Owens and even Red Buttons are excellent — and Ricardo Montalban minimizes the damage of some genuine ‘what were they thinking?’ casting. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
03/30/24

Phase IV – 4K 03/26/24

The celebrated filmic designer Saul Bass took on a tall cinematic challenge, directing a cerebral sci-fi thriller designed to rely heavily on his graphic communication techniques. He lost the faith of a studio along the way, and perhaps his own sense of ‘directorial imperative.’ What’s left of his unique, post-2001 mindblower barely holds together, even as we recognize the genius in its conception. The 4K Ultra HD encoding of Ken Middleham’s insect macrocinematography still amazes; a second, longer HD of Saul Bass’s Preview Version restores the legendary, lost end montage. With Michael Murphy, Nigel Davenport and Lynne Frederick. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
03/26/24

The President’s Analyst 03/26/24

Now available in a domestic Blu-ray — if The Phone Company doesn’t suppress it — is one of the smartest, funniest political satires ever, and James Coburn’s finest hour as an actor & project-chooser. Writer-director Theodore J. Flicker’s movie transcends the spy-craze politics of 1967: the White House shrink knows too many Presidential secrets, making him a prime target in a giddy international spy chase. Everything leads to an absurd Sci-fi conspiracy that nevertheless is now quickly becoming our reality. Coburn’s hipster cred holds up well, abetted by a lineup of great talent led by improv pioneers Godfrey Cambridge and Severn Darden. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/26/24

LOLA (2022) 03/23/24

It’s an ‘alternate future’ time warp tale of the kind that seldom works … but this is an exception. Andrew Legge’s modest found-footage movie serves up a rich dose of sci-fi ideas. What would you do if you could listen in on radio and TV signals from the future?  In 1940, two women use their ‘impossible’ information to thwart Germany’s bombing of England, but inadvertently set into motion unforseen time-twist problems. The way the story is told may not appeal, but it does hang together as an unusually imaginative, refreshingly rewarding time-paradox tale. Starring Emma Appleton and Stefanie Martini. On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
03/23/24

Noir Times 3 with Eddie G. 03/23/24

Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema XVII  17th time is charmed! Kino’s long running noir series hits a winner: all three pictures are strict-definition noirs and two of them haven’t been easy to see on video. The set is also an Edward G. Robinson festival, charting three years when the grey-listed star was taking jobs where he could find them. Vice Squad is an amusingly ironic day in the life of a Los Angeles police captain; Black Tuesday a bleak and brutal gangster picture directed by Hugo Fregonese, and Nightmare is a remake by Maxwell Shane of his own Cornell Woolrich thriller from ten years before. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/23/24

All That Money Can Buy 03/19/24

William Dieterle’s film of Stephen Vincent Benét’s Faust-like folk tale is both traditional and experimental, part of a brief wave of ambitious, artistic RKO filmmaking. The agrarian horror-show pits an American statesman against what may be the screen’s best-ever Satan, a rustic tempter of farmers facing hard times. The cast is sensational: Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, Jane Darwell, Anne Shirley, John Qualen — and RKO’s red-hot French import Simone Simon. Intense restoration work rescues both the original version and one of Bernard Herrmann’s all-time best film scores. Criterion and the UCLA film experts are to be congratulated for this one. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/19/24

Abbott and Costello Show Season 2 03/19/24

Following up on 2021’s Abbott and Costello Show Season 1 disc set, Charlie Largent gives his take on the comedy duo’s popular TV show, shot on film and now restored to a brilliance never seen on 12-inch B&W TVs from 1953. The 3-D Film Archive did the restoration work on all 26 episodes. ClassicFlix says that this Second Season is less a variety show and more of a sitcom. The two discs have audio commentaries, plus all kinds of extra goodies — a Lost Episode, commercials, etc. On Blu-ray from ClassicFlix.
03/19/24

The Whip and the Body 03/16/24

Charlie Largent was knocked out by the terrific transfer on this dazzling restoration of Mario Bava’s most psychologically-sound terror show — the story of Christopher Lee tormenting the dark beauty Daliah Lavi rises a step or two in Il Maestro’s filmography of gothic greatness. We don’t know what to look at — the compelling, haunted Ms. Lavi, or the delicate web of colors that Bava drowns her in. Now in release for our domestic Region A. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/16/24

Faithless 03/16/24

Leave it to MGM to begin its dark Depression-Era pre-Code drama amid the top hat, silk gown & marble hall crowd. Talulah Bankhead is the wild heiress who loses her millions and then her self-respect; handsome Robert Montgomery is the pink-slipped ad man injured while driving a truck as a scab. Notorious stage personality Bankhead apparently didn’t click as a movie star — Variety said she had an ‘inability to command sympathetic response,’ even with a glamor quotient in the Garbo-Crawford-Dietrich range. On Blu-rayfrom The Warner Archive Collection.
03/16/24

The Playgirls and the Vampire 03/12/24

It’s vintage, it’s trashy, it’s Italian. Bellissima!  A vampire prowls in a castle, but all emphasis goes to cheesecake coverage of the five sexy showgirls he wants to bite, one of whom is the reincarnation of his original victim. By modern terms the ‘just for adults’ horror content is tame, a little silly, maybe endearing. The fangs are big on both a vampire count and a spirited vampire bride — who may be the screen’s first nude vampire. The handsome restored print has both the original Italian soundtrack and the English-language dub, plus three additional title sequences. On Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
03/12/24

A Fistful of Dynamite 03/12/24

MGM reissues Sergio Leone’s least loved epic Duck You Sucker, a movie he didn’t want to direct, yet also the one with the most ambitious theme. The opposites-attract teaming of an Irish rebel and a Mexican bandit is a vulgar, violent fable preaching that revolution is little more than mass murder; our ‘hero’ is a dynamiter looking to atone for his sins back in Ireland. Leone detonates one of the biggest movie explosions every, and stages the rest of his picture on a scale worthy of Luchino Visconti. The movie also qualifies as a bravura Ennio Morricone concert. KL Studio Classics’ disc is basically a reissue, again under United Artists’ replacement title. On Blu-ray.
03/12/24

Nothing But a Man 03/09/24

This dramatic masterpiece is perhaps the most accurate and compelling account of American racism in the 1960s, despite being made by two Jewish filmmakers from New York. Filming at the height of the Civil Rights movement, Michael Roemer and Robert M. Young stick to a personal story and refrain from viewing the black experience through a white filter. Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln’s young hopefuls must work through extra layers of disadvantage and discrimination. The landmark movie features early film work from actors Julius Harris, Gloria Foster and Yaphet Kotto. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/09/24

The Shootist 03/09/24

John Wayne’s final movie is a somber, blood-soaked farewell trimmed with sentimental guest-star cameos and closing-the-book gestures. Wayne is terrific as the gunfighter-at-sunset; Lauren Bacall makes the best impression amid a gallery of old friends that includes James Stewart. Audiences didn’t know what to make of the gory final gunfight … was Wayne giving in to changing times?  The polished production leads with Don Siegel’s assured direction; Arrow pours on the extras, with profiles of Siegel and author Glendon Swarthout. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
03/09/24

Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe 03/05/24

Charlie Largent has returned from da terra brasileira dos mortos to report on Zé do Caixão, otherwise known as Gool Old Coffin Joe, the sickest maniac South of the Tropic of Cancer. Arrow Video’s monster box of Brazilian horror would be a challenge for anyone, and we’re hoping that our Charlie has returned with his mind intact … his initial remarks were that, as a cumulative experience, the films do indeed generate a mind-warping weird state of mind. So beware all that enter here — the menu includes at least 11 synapse-rupturing titles, including the carefree lark At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, the spirited Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind, and the fun-loving The Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures. Let the good times roll. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
03/05/24

The Mystery of Marie Roget 03/05/24

Hiding in a box marked Noir is one of Universal’s horror-adjacent ’40s mystery thrillers, in a terrific new transfer. The talky adaptation retains some of Edgar Allan Poe’s complicated detective ratiocinations, and spices things up with personalities like prickly Maria Ouspenskaya and star-to-be Maria Montez. Paul Dupin must juggle a mysterious disappearance, plus mutilation murders and a feline red herring in the form of a pet leopard. Also starring Patric Knowles, Nell O’Day and Lloyd Corrigan. Kino gives it dueling commentaries headed by Tom Weaver and Kim Newman. On Blu-rayfrom KL Studio Classics.

Allonsanfan 03/02/24

All failed revolutionaries take heart: the Taviani brothers’ downbeat yet creatively magical story of the wrong rebels in the wrong insurrection at the wrong time features a disillusioned fighter-of-the-good-fight determined to betray his comrades and abscond with their money. The three women that support and/or double-cross him are Laura Betti, Lea Massari and Mimsy Farmer. It may be the best movie about the urge to revolt, and how harshly history treats idealists. The Tavianis’ cinematic play with color and illusion is first-rate, as is their use of music, dance and Ennio Morricone’s rousing main theme. With one of the most rewarding audio commentaries ever, by Michael Brooke. On Blu-ray from Radiance.
03/02/24

McCabe & Mrs. Miller 4K 03/02/24

Warren Beatty and Julie Christie help Robert Altman fashion one of his best pictures, a story of the Building of the West that meanders off in its own revisionist direction. The West, sayeth Altman, is just the evils of the East transplanted into the wilderness, a massive property grab. The free-form direction and cluttered soundtrack is a new look for the genre — the Oregon town is a dreamy mix of snowflakes, opium and the music of Leonard Cohen. And it’s now been remastered in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
03/02/24

Contagion 4K 02/27/24

If any motion picture can still be called important, this one qualifies. Scott Z. Burns and Steve Soderburgh’s superb ‘extrapolated’ pandemic thriller imagines a virus that spreads like wildfire and kills in 48 hours. Well-cast stars fill a variety of crucial roles: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Marion Cotilliard, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle and Elliott Gould. The parallels to the world’s recent experience are jarringly accurate: why the &$@#%! can’t we learn from our mistakes?  This one may make you very nervous … and rightly so. Now out in 4K Ultra HD + Digital from Warner Bros..
02/27/24

Cause for Alarm! 02/27/24

It’s a micro-scaled domestic noir: Loretta Young’s frantic housewife is tormented by a deranged husband, an invalid gone paranoid and determined to frame her for murder. Tay Garnett directs to spotlight Young’s increasing distress, with Barry Sullivan providing the psychotic menace. As a ‘woman alone’ picture it’s not bad — in Young’s frenzied state, even the neighborhood mailman seems to be against her. All she wanted was babies and a little garden! On Blu-ray from ClassicFlix.
02/27/24

The Roaring Twenties 4K 02/24/24

It’s all about James Cagney — his every expression commands our attention. Writer Mark Hellinger recaps a decade of gangster tropes in a Cliff’s Notes tour through the underworld racketeering of the Prohibition years. The message is that Crime Does Not Pay, yet audiences love Cagney’s reluctant mobster, carefully adjusted to sidestep Production Code no-nos. Frank McHugh is once again the happy sidekick and Humphrey Bogart a rat, but the film’s heart belongs with the unsung Gladys George. Director Raoul Walsh finds the poetry in a Big Shot’s downfall: it’s both sentimental and spectacular in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/24/24

Blood on the Sun 02/24/24

Now it can be told — even if it’s total fiction!  James Cagney takes his rough & tumble ways to Tokyo to scoop the existence of a world domination conspiracy 11 years before Pearl Harbor!  It’s The Front Page meets Yojimbo circa 1945, except that Cagney’s scenarists have Tokyo militarists behaving like Chicago mobsters. Yes, most of the villains are played by Hollywood actors in yellowface makeup. A staple of old-time TV broadcasts, this independent production looks good in a new HD remaster, and vintage Cagney never disappoints. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/24/24

Afire 02/20/24

Aka Roter Himmel.  Christian Petzold’s movie wields a big impact on a deceptively modest scale. The problems of a young man sharing a summer house form a self-contained meditation on How To Live. Thomas Schubert’s Leon is an insufferable jerk who can’t understand why he feels so alienated from others. One of his tolerant housemates is Nadja (Paula Beer), the kind of bright, positively-oriented person who can change one’s life … if one isn’t so stubbornly self-obsessed. Trouble is coming, in a fiery form. Can Leon be redeemed?  This one grabbed us and didn’t let go. On Blu-ray from Janus Contemporaries.
02/20/24

Burn, Witch, Burn 02/20/24

We’re re-posting this review from 2015, because its original pre-CineSavant host page has been taken down . . . . What is worse, a demon from hell or academic politics?  One destroys your soul with unimaginable horror, and the other involves the supernatural. A duel of diabolists is underway at a small English college: Janet Blair’s spell-casting faculty wife employs charms and tokens to promote her reluctant professor husband, Peter Wyngarde, but the battle becomes murderous. It isn’t all Pomp and Circumstance, just your average college competition for Tenure.  On Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
02/20/24

Red Planet Mars 02/17/24

Faith-based madness!  This 1952 sci-fi thriller is not a space opera, but a talky propaganda sermon. Peter Graves and Andrea King exchange radio messages with God, who lives on Mars, and a Nazi madman is eavesdropping on them. The show predicts that a Christian revolution will destroy Godless Communism, and advocates the replacement of our Democracy with a Theocracy — a very real concern in the political chaos of 2024. And get set for an endorsement of Eisenhower for President — he’ll be the Reverend-In-Chief!  This time around we offer some hints about the content of the original Broadway play from 1932. On Blu-ray from MGM/Create Space (Amazon).
02/17/24

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 4K 02/17/24

Big stars, big action and a big sky canvas give Hal Wallis’ super-western everything we love in vintage oaters. Burt Lancaster & Kirk Douglas compare testosterone levels, with Rhonda Fleming and Jo Van Fleet cheering from the sidelines. The fabled showdown gun-down is embellished with VistaVision, Technicolor, and a classic clippety-clop soundtrack by Dimitri Tiomkin, aided by Frankie Laine. It was director John Sturges’ biggest picture yet, and it looks sensational in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/17/24

Gentleman Jim 02/13/24

This near-perfect Errol Flynn movie became a timeless classic the moment it hit television. The story of boxer Jim Corbett stands as a prime example of studio-based filmmking that knows what the audience likes. It’s so good we don’t mind the thick Irish humor, and we’re forced to shed a tear for Ward Bond, too. Flynn was never better, and his chemistry with Alexis Smith strikes real sparks, thanks to sharp dialogue by Horace McCoy and Vincent Lawrence. Some pretty fancy boxing footwork from Flynn, too. Raoul Walsh could be proud of this one. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
02/13/24

Blood Simple 02/13/24

Neo-noir really hit big in the Coen Bros’ breakthrough thriller, with a new kind of hardboiled rural naturalism. A lonely dive bar, a rotten marriage and a three-way murder & blackmail scheme criss-crosses a fistful of fresh characterizations. The festival independent launched the star career of Frances McDormand, but also did great things for Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh and the clever cameraman Barry Sonnenfeld. It’s quite an experience — it’s as if the Coens could rent a camera lens customized to give their film a ‘visual drawl.’ On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/13/24

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians 02/10/24

What’s the Czech word for eccentric?  Oldrich Lipský’s comic fantasy ribs 1890s thriller conventions in a story that combines gothic romance, sci-fi marvels and serial thrills. Welcome to the weird world of Czech filmmakers, and their affection for silly characters, low comedy and operatic delirium. We aren’t surprised that it was never imported . . . descriptions don’t suffice. Fans of Czech cinema magic will be hooked at the mention of the film’s special designer: Jan Svankmajer. On Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile.
02/10/24

The Russians are Coming the Russians are Coming 02/10/24

Alan Arkin and John Philip Law are lovable Russkies in this Cold War satire that goes heavy on the slapstick & sentiment. Reviewer Charlie Largent weighs in on the feel-good liberal vibe from writers William Rose and Norman Jewison, in yet another hit from Walter Mirisch. Let’s not forget editor Hal Ashby, either. The stellar cast has memorable roles for Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Keith, Jonathan Winters and Theodore Bikel. If only ideological harmony was this easily won. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/10/24

He Walked by Night 02/06/24

The little studio Eagle-Lion Films was at the forefront of noir violence in 1948, skating on the edge to tell the story of a particularly vicious real-life bandit. Richard Basehart excels as the trigger-happy psycho killer whose antisocial estrangement evokes an eerie noir vibe of existential amorality. The filmic approach pioneers the semi-docu style that would dominate noir in its final decade, but expressionist touches persist, through the fine cinematography of John Alton. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/06/24

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 4K 02/06/24

Michael Cimino must have impressed Clint Eastwood — the screenplay for this tough guy crime caper was so good, Eastwood didn’t mind interrupting his progress as a director. Also great fun for Jeff Bridges fans, the show is writer-director Cimino’s least problematic picture — its only aim is non-stop action and agreeably vulgar comedy. And does it look good!  All that Montana scenery is dazzling in the upgrade to 4K. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/06/24

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 4K 02/03/24

The story of the wooden toy puppet that comes to life is given a new spin in stop-motion animation, and a new interpretation as an anti-Fascist parable in GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO, an Oscar winner for best animated feature and a visual-musical delight. Co-director Mark Gustafson heads up the animation and effects team that puts Pinoochio in conflict with Il Duce’s soul-crushing blackshirts. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/03/24

Conan the Barbarian 4K 02/03/24

We kids ogled the ’60s pocketbook covers that promised forbidden adult content, but a full-blown sword & sorcery Conan film adaptation wouldn’t come along for twenty years. Dino De Laurentiis’ second stab at a Star Wars– style franchise hit paydirt: body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger became a bona fide star as the Cimmerian swordsman, ‘fleshing out’ John Milius & Oliver Stone’s adolescent fantasies of sex and violence. Designs by Ron Cobb and music by Basil Poledouris are a major asset. Arrow goes to town on this 4K special edition. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
02/03/24

The Prince and the Pauper 01/30/24

We’re told that the fancy coronation scene that concludes William Keighley’s 1937 movie served as a substitute for the real thing happening in England, which was not being filmed. Errol Flynn cuts a fine figure even though he arrives only at the mid-point, coming to aid of two young boys that ‘trade places’ — a palace for the streets — and are victimized by Claude Rains’ treacherous knave. Twins played the Prince and the poor boy Tom — saving Warners a steep optical & special effects bill. Reviewer Charlie Largent explains how The P and the P measures up to the studio’s great titles. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/30/24

House of Bamboo 01/30/24

This isn’t a new disc; you might not even be able to find a copy. We’re reposting a 2015 review because its original page was taken down (explanation at today’s CineSavant Column ↓  ). Samuel Fuller’s Japan-filmed thriller is a fanciful vision of Yankee crooks functioning on the streets of Tokyo. As pulp fiction it can’t be beat — Robert Stack is the obsessed new hood in town and Robert Ryan disturbs as a sexually ambiguous mobster. Fuller flexes his cinematic muscles in an ‘exotic’ location! On Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
01/30/24 (08/13/15)

The Facts of Murder Un maledetto imbroglio 01/27/24

The homicide detective in Pietro Germi’s classic thriller knows the score: “A crime investigation is like when you lift a stone and find worms underneath.” The murder of a beautiful woman coincides with an unsolved burglary, and every inquiry reveals another layer of sordid wrongdoing, criminal and moral. Germi plays the lead as an exemplar of masculine honor. His ensemble cast is remarkable — a young Claudia Cardinale and Nino Castelnuovo, Claudio Gora, Franco Fabrizi and Eleanora Rossi Drago. We need more Euro crime noir from the 1950s!  On Blu-ray from Radiance.
01/27/24

The Outside Man 01/27/24

Une homme est mort.  Jean-Louis Trintignant’s reluctant gambler and Roy Scheider’s professional hit man shoot it out in the streets of Los Angeles in Jacques Deray’s loopy crime-time travelogue from sunny 1971. Ann-Margret and Angie Dickinson join some old noir favorites and Georgia Engel — yes, that Gloria Engel — for a mob double cross that pits an amateur assassin against a professional. The action drifts from Venice to the Sunset Strip and back to Pacific Ocean Park. This new release features both the French and U.S. versions of the film, and is 6 minutes longer than United Artists’ PG theatrical cut. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/27/24

Danza Macabra Volume Two 01/23/24

The Italian Gothic Collection.  Charlie Largent takes on Severin’s challenging 8-disc compendium, featuring quattro terrificanti racconti dell’horror italiano!  The refined lineup has ‘Jekyll,’ a 4.5-hour TV miniseries of surprising quality; Adolfo Celi in ‘They Have Changed Their Face,’ a political shocker interpreting capitalism in vampire terms; ‘The Devil’s Lover’ with Rosalba Neri and Edmond Purdum . . . and the new uncut restoration of Margheriti’s ‘Castle of Blood’ with Barbara Steele, in two language versions, and in 4K Ultra-HD as well. On Blu-ray (+ 4K Ultra HD) from Severin Films.
01/23/24

Two War Films by Lewis Gilbert 01/23/24

Fans of Brit war fare will like these mid-’50s look-backs at daring exploits in uniform, directed by Lewis Gilbert. Albert R.N. is a little-seen but rather good POW tale taken from real life. Anthony Steel, Jack Warner, Robert Beatty & William Sylvester try out a brilliant but risky escape plan, utilizing a ‘new’ prisoner in their barrack, ‘Albert.’ Then, suspense in a life raft is the subject of The Sea Shall Not Have Them. Air-sea rescue in the English Channel is performed by Royal Air Force personnel — in boats. The cast is even more stellar: Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde, Nigel Patrick. On Blu-ray from The Cohen Collection.
01/23/24

Cabin in the Sky 01/20/24

One of the most entertaining musicals ever, MGM’s ‘All Black’ Broadway extravaganza wins over audiences with its big heart, tuneful song list and wickedly funny comedy. The all-star cast bursts with unique talent: Ethel Waters, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Lena Horne, for a fantastic Film Blanc morality play. Additional musical magic is provided by Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong; it’s Vincente Minnelli’s first solo directing credit. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/20/24

Lone Star 4K 01/20/24

Texas becomes a battleground for change: the law ‘n’ order image of the Texas Rangers, the attitudes of established immigrants, a soldier trying to instill older values and a teacher trying to inspire new ones. How do we deal with the controversial past, public and private. Director John Sayles’ vivid screenplay benefits from excellent performances by Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey, Miriam Colon, Joe Morton, Clifton James, Ron Canada — the list goes on. Sayles’ most satisfying drama puts the conflicts of the cultural divide in clear terms. History plays ironic tricks on all of the characters, no preference given. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/20/24

Jinnah 01/16/24

And we thought we knew Christopher Lee. This rarely-seen national epic gives him an excellent, highly unusual role, as the Father of Pakistan who is sober and authoritative — and also sheds a tear. We didn’t know our fave actor had it in him. The well-made picture is a fast tour through postwar Indian history, that avoids total superficiality with an inventive scriptwriting: the Great Man reviews his life from the Great Beyond. With Shashi Kapoor, Shireen Shah, Maria Aitken and James Fox. On Region-Free Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
01/16/24

Odds Against Tomorrow 01/16/24

Tomorrow may only be ‘A Day Away,’ but the important thing to remember is that it is a bleak gamble. Harry Belafonte produces and stars in an angry, unsettling heist noir with little chance for a happy outcome. The heavy-duty race theme comes across well, and sparks fly between Belafonte’s desperate musician and Robert Ryan’s intensely bitter comrade in crime. It’s Robert Wise’s last and least hopeful ’50s noir, backed by a mournful jazz score and subtle visual experimentation. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/16/24

Castle of Blood (Danza Macabra) 4K 01/13/24

Wow, Severin’s killer 4K restoration boosts Antonio Margheriti’s bloodsucking ghost chiller nearer the apex of classic gothic Eurohorror. Barbara Steele seduces, swoons and shudders as one of several phantoms cursed to repeat their murderous crimes, and lure new victims to join them in undead Lust. The original Italian version is an uncensored knockout, and generates an erotic charge that transcends exploitation. Can you tell that this disc impressed us?  Reviewed separately here, it’s one title in a new boxed set: Danza Macabra Volume Two: The Italian Gothic Collection. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Severin Films.
01/13/24

The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse 01/13/24

The Albert Lamorisse ‘children’s classic’ is simply great cinema, a visual fable with a touching lesson to impart. Reviewer Charlie Largent sings the film’s visual delights, its original use of color, and Lamorisse’s knack for making an inanimate object seem alive. It’s the only short film to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Also included is the directors’ Le cheval sauvage some good interview extras and a booklet with an essay by David Cairns. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/13/24

Tarzan the Ape Man 01/09/24

Hopefully this release is just the beginning of a new WAC series of Tarzan remasters.  The original pre-Code classic has everything we want: innocent/lustful sex in the jungle, terrific work from Johnny Weissmuller & Maureen O’Sullivan, bloody savagery . . . plus race attitudes stuck in the white supremacist 19th century. The monkey acrobatics and animal mayhem are non-stop. You TOO will see the dreaded Mutia Escarpment, and the forbidden Lost Elephant’s Graveyard! Olympic swimmer Weissmuller scores big as the sound era’s first bare-chested pulp action hero. Watch out for that Tree!  On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/09/24

Devil’s Partner + Creature from the Haunted Sea 01/09/24

A pact with Satan!  A pop-eyed sea monster!  The lurid artwork for this fairly obscure 1961 horror double bill looks like adult fare, with a naked she-devil riding a centaur, and a giant claw hefting a typical female victim above the briny Caribbean,  ????  or Carribbe-an Sea!  ????  They form an anti-blockbuster Filmgroup drive-in release, and Film Masters gives them extras to appeal to both aficionados of the fantastic and the beer & wisecracks party crowd. Each film comes in a choice of Aspect Ratios, so no fighting on this one — the collectors will have to argue about chapter stops. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
01/09/24

Cushing Curiosities 01/06/24

Severin gathers a fistful of Peter Cushing odds ‘n’ ends, and dazzles us with excellent transfers and detailed extras. Reviewer Charlie Largent chalks up the pros and cons of six separate items, ranging from items in Cushing’s ‘let’s avoid horror’ years to some truly unusual items. The tally totals up the thrillers Cone of Silence, Suspect, The Man Who Finally Died, four episodes of a BBC Sherlock Holmes TV series, and the horror items Bloodsuckers and Tender Dracula. Actor-critic Jonathan Rigby dominates the extras and contributes a book to the boxed set. On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
01/06/24

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz 01/06/24

The film adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s book retains the original’s richness and feeling for character, thanks to fine direction by Ted Kotcheff and spot-on supporting performances by Micheline Lanctôt, Jack Warden, Randy Quaid, Joseph Wiseman, and Denholm Elliott — and a fearless starring effort by Richard Dreyfuss. Intent on getting rich fast, the ‘pushy’ punk Kravitz alienates both his family and the people that trust him — he’s learned all the wrong lessons about getting ahead in a dog-eat-dog world. Rated one of the top Canadian films ever, it plays exceptionally well in this newly remastered edition. On Blu-ray from Fun City Editions.
01/06/24

Oppenheimer 4K 01/02/24

Christopher Nolan’s biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer is a welcome departure from present film trends. The story of the ‘father’ of the atom bomb prioritizes the scientist’s dilemma — the nation wants Oppie’s expertise to make a super-weapon, but won’t tolerate his opinions about the atomic future. Was there ever a 3-hour epic devoted mostly to security clearances?  The intelligent screenplay makes sense of dozens of historical figures, embodied by a cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Kenneth Branagh, Gregory Jbara, Tom Conti, David Krumholtz, Josh Hartnett, Florence Pugh, Matthew Modine, James Remar and Gary Oldman. On Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Universal Home Video.
01/02/24

The Man in Half Moon Street 12/30/23

Charlie Largent rings out the old year with one of the least-seen vintage chillers. This murderous ‘love out of time’ fantasy features a sort-of Haunted Painting, yet is arrayed in the form of a gothic horror. Paramount mostly stayed away from the genre after the pre-Code era; this effort avoids shock effects in favor of a strange tale of fate. Nils Asther and Helen Walker star; the Barré Lyndon screenplay was later remade by Hammer Films, as ‘The Man Who Could Cheat Death.’ On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
12/30/23

Essential Film Noir Collection 5 12/30/23

An eclectic stack of B&W thrillers — Island of Doomed Men, The Red Menace, The Burglar, and 13 West Street — is given [Imprint]’s deluxe packaging treatment. The organizing factor for their fifth noir box is a star associated with noir classics: Pete Lorre, Dan Duryea, Alan Ladd, Rod Steiger and . . . Commies?  The contents include one odd prison camp thriller, an anti-Red exposé, a genuine noir written by a celebrated hardboiled crime novelist, and a juvenile delinquency revenge drama. The leading ladies ‘in peril’ include Rochhelle Hudson, Hanne Axman, Betty Lou Gerson, Jayne Mansfield, Martha Vickers and Dolores Dorn. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
12/30/23

The Warriors 4K 12/23/23

This is a Christmas movie?  The 1980s began early with this high-concept, edgy-but-silly urban fantasy dreamed up by Walter Hill when an original realistic concept was rejected: ads about ‘Armies of the Night’ glamorizing street gangs worried the old folk, while the exhibition rollout was disturbed by violence in theaters. Essentially one long foot chase across New York City, it boosted visibility for some fresh faces — Michael Beck, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Lynne Thigpen, Dorsey Wright — even Mercedes Ruehl. The remastered edition includes the original cut and a 2005 alternate version, that’s a bit different. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
12/23/23

Blast of Silence 12/23/23

This once-obscure item has accumulated a solid cult following. Allen Baron writes, directs and stars in a gritty on-the-streets tale of a hit man having difficulties lining up his latest score. The over-achieving tiny independent feature bursts with arresting storytelling and eye-opening visuals. It’s holiday time in the Big Apple, and the camera records the Manhattan streets in full yuletide regalia. Good on ya, Criterion — in this new remastered edition, the sordid story of Frank Bono is finally formatted in its original 1:85 theatrical screen shape. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/23/23

The Life of Emile Zola 12/19/23

Does it Creak?  Not at all. Paul Muni brings this revered biographical drama to life, even if it’s less about Zola and more about the notorious Dreyfus Affair, the kind of subject normally too touchy for Hollywood. Warners’ prestige offering nabbed a well earned Best Picture Oscar — everything connected to the crucial trial is riveting, with Muni contributing an oratory tour-de-force. Plus winning performances from Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden, Joseph Schildkraut, Donald Crisp and Vladimir Sokoloff — and some interesting disc extras. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/19/23

Diamond Head 12/19/23

Take a full-blown soap opera and add scenery to die for . . . statehood brings changes to the islands, and a major problem for the hereditary Howland empire, all of which involve (gasp) multiracialism. Fear not, the conflicts find a traditional, Production Code- approved resolution. Charlton Heston strains to humanize a role that plays like Big Boss Bigot, and everybody else just tries to stay afloat: Yvette Mimieux, George Chakiris, James Darren. The big thrill is finally being able to see the show in its full Panavision proportions. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
12/19/23

The Last Picture Show 4K 12/16/23

Peter Bogdanovich’s crowning achievement gets the 4K nod from Criterion, with additional Blu-ray extras plus the entire belated sequel Texasville — in its color theatrical version or a B&W director’s revision. The oil boom has passed, and Anarene, Texas is dying out. Its isolated, bored teenagers are eager to test the rules. Bogdanovich faithfully transfers Larry McMurtry’s small-town drama to the screen with a score of terrific characterizations. Newcomers Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ellen Burstyn and Randy Quaid shine, while deserving favorites Eileen Brennan, Cloris Leachman and Ben Johnson get the best roles of their careers. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/16/23

The Quatermass Xperiment 12/16/23

It’s the one and only original Hammer Sci-fi thriller that changed the genre, inspiring good filmmakers and copycats alike. Val Guest adapts Nigel Kneale’s teleplay with Yankee Brian Donlevy as a belligerent Professor Quatermass, the rocket project director and red-tape bulldozer. The movie is prime sci-fi gold, and genuinely disturbing: Richard Wordsworth is the courageous first man into space who comes back infected by a gruesome, horrifying parasite. Thora Hird writes his epitaph: “Walking? It was kind of … crawling!” The enhanced reissue carries a new commentary. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/16/23

Our Town (1940) 12/12/23

A new video remaster makes us want to ring bells — ClassicFlix’s improvement over earlier eyesore discs is like night and day. We can finally see the discretion and artistry with which Thornton Wilder’s stage classic was adapted for the screen. Sam Wood elicits a score of great performances, led by the Oscar-nominated Martha Scott. William Cameron Menzies’ visual direction concludes with an unforgettable fantasy sequence set in an afterlife-limbo. With William Holden, Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi, Thomas Mitchell and Guy Kibbee. The disc extras include Ray Faiola’s excellent audio commentary. On Blu-ray from ClassicFlix.
12/12/23

The Conformist 12/12/23

Bernardo Bertolucci re-introduced high style and intense period stylistics to the political thriller, in Alberto Moravia’s autopsy of the perversion that was Italian fascism. Jean-Louis Trintignant is the ambitious lickspittle who seizes the job of assassinating an inconvenient academic — all the while wooing his girlfriend Stefania Sandrelli. More complications come with the target professor’s beautiful young wife, Dominique Sanda. The icy cold masterpiece has one of the better thriller endings ever. Charlie Largent reviews. On Blu-ray from Raro Video / Kino Lorber.
12/12/23

The Exiles 12/09/23

Take a trip to Los Angeles in the late 1950s . . . but to the low-rent district of Bunker Hill, where a transient Native American population pursues an aimless lifestyle on the nighttime streets. It’s a time machine to Angels Flight, the Grand Central Market and a ‘Bukowski-land’ of skid row bars. USC grad Kent McKenzie’s 35mm independent feature was never picked up for distribution. He died before it was rediscovered, restored and premiered to critical acclaim. The special edition contains more Mackenzie films and docus about Native American heritage. On Blu-ray from The Milestone Cinematheque.
12/09/23

The Last Tycoon 12/09/23

Elia Kazan and Harold Pinter’s classy adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished novel looks and plays better than ever, with a fine script that refuses to ‘fix’ what Fitzgerald wrote. Robert De Niro’s excellent Monroe Stahr is surrounded by a powerhouse cast: Jack Nicholson, Robert Mitchum, Tony Curtis, Jeanne Moreau, Theresa Russell, Ingrid Boulting, Donald Pleasance, Ray Milland, Dana Andrews, Peter Strauss, John Carradine, Jeff Corey, Seymour Cassel and Anjelica Huston. It’s quality filmmaking, with some original surprises we don’t expect in a ‘Hollywood exposé.’ Kino offers a new commentary by Joseph McBride. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/09/23

Messiah of Evil 12/05/23

How did two hot film students pass the time while waiting to become immortal as the writers of American Graffiti?  Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck wrote, produced and directed this minor horror classic, that along with its zombies and ghouls delivers intelligent art-movie cinematics. Marianna Hill, Royal Dano, Michael Greer, Joy Bang, Anitra Ford and Elisha Cook Jr. bring it all to life — and even its post-production woes couldn’t destroy its uniquely dreamlike charms. Have you ever bled from the eyes?  Been pursued by cannibals in a midnight supermarket?  You’ll be able to relate to the terror of the ill-defined ‘Blood Moon.’ On Blu-ray from Radiance.
12/05/23

Halloween at Aunt Ethel’s 12/05/23

This is the first DVD we’ve reviewed since — I’m not sure.  UK correspondent Lee Broughton returns with coverage of a low budget comedy-horror flick from Florida about a seemingly harmless old lady who displays psychopathic tendencies every Halloween. The humour is crude at times but the show’s knowing horror elements, spirited performances and decent production values result in a curiously engaging little film. Of course, with this cover, someone might confuse it with John Carpenter’s Halloween. On DVD from High Fliers Films.
12/05/23

Horrors of the Black Museum 12/02/23

Hey Gail!  Let me look through your new binoculars!”  The third entry in the ‘Anglo-Amalgamated’ horror trilogy is a truly sleazy Herman Cohen concoction with Michael Gough’s nastiest performance. A.I.P. imported it, slapped on a ‘Hypno-Vista’ prologue and let it loose to traumatize audiences. They showed it at matinees, Mandrake, children’s matinees! VCI gives us a handsome new Studiocanal remaster — Charlie Largent reports on its quality and completeness — will it be A.I.P.’s cut, the uncut original, or the censored version originally shown in the UK?  On Blu-ray from VCI.
12/02/23

The Terror + The Little Shop of Horrors 12/02/23

“Feed Me!”  Female ghosts and man-eating plants!  It’s another good disc of Roger Corman favorites, especially for collectors hungry for an improved presentation of Corman’s comedy classic The Little Shop of Horrors, the hilarious off-the-wall original. Also looking good is his semi-pirated ‘add-on’ entry to the Poe cycle THE TERROR, starring Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson and Shirley Knight. As usual, our concentration is on producer-director Corman’s amazing ability to evade the industry’s Guild rules to produce under-the-radar fantasies of remarkable quality. It’s a double-disc presentation, on Blu-ray from Film Masters.
12/02/23

Dance, Fools, Dance 11/28/23

In this racy MGM pre-Code, the stock market crash dumps society playgirl Joan Crawford into the working class. She toils at a newspaper but her brother consorts with bootleggers — and both of them are targeted by gangster Clark Gable. Sparks fly in Crawford & Gable’s first screen teaming, which has a bit of everything — a gangland rubout or two, glamorous Depression details, and Woo-Hoo naughtiness. Favorite Cliff Edwards co-stars. The restoration is excellent and the disc comes with a good TV show about MGM’s history. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/28/23

Hustle (1975) 11/28/23

Robert Aldrich’s second hardboiled detective tale is filtered through Steve Shagan’s style of whining nostalgia. Cop Burt Reynolds wants to fix his problematic relationship with call girl Catherine Deneuve, but he’s caught up in an ugly case involving sex trafficking, corruption and a dead teen runaway. Eddie Albert and Ben Johnson provide different kinds of threats. It’s by turns glamorous, moody and violent — but it didn’t steer Reynolds’ career away from Good Ole Boy action pix. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/28/23

Days of Heaven 4K 11/25/23

Terrence Malick and Néstor Almendros rewrote the rule books for imagery and narrative on this story of quiet desperation in the agrarian America of a bygone age. We discovered Richard Gere, Brooke Adams and Sam Shepard; Linda Manz joined the ranks of cult names. The new 4K remaster is dazzling. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/25/23

The Criminal Acts of Tod Slaughter 11/20/23

‘Eight Blood-and-Thunder Entertainments, 1935-1940.’  Charlie Largent dips his wicked fingers into the FIENDISH adventures of England’s most dapper, most DASTARDLY villain, heretofore just a footnote in American texts on film horror. Actually born with that last name, Slaughter wow’ed ’em on the stage before taking his murderous skills before the cameras. The boxed set contains eight killer-thrillers: Maria Marten of the Murder in the Red Barn, The Crimes of Stephen Hawke, It’s Never Too Late to Mend, The Ticket of the Leave Man, Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror, The Face at the Window, Crimes at the Dark House, and yes, the original Sweeney Tood, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. As Sweeney says, “Come to my tonsorial parlor, and I’ll polish you off!” On Region Free Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
11/21/23

Le combat dans L’île 11/18/23

‘The Fight on the Island’  Nine years before Bertolucci’s The Conformist, Jean-Louis Trintignant played another right-wing zealot dispatched on a murder mission. Filmed in Paris and Normandy, Alain Cavalier’s gem of a thriller daringly identifies the pro-Colonial OAS as nothing less than fascists — when the OAS was still active. The basis of the story is a different kind of love triangle, a credible portrait of a woman married to an upscale assassin. Romy Schneider takes an early ‘adult’ role, alongside Henri Serre of Jules and Jim. On Blu-ray from Radiance.
11/18/23

Barbarella 4K 11/18/23

It says so in the song: when Barbarella and I get together the planets all stand still!  Arrow and Paramount bring Roger Vadim’s intergalactic bande-dessinée to 4K, for the enjoyment of Home Theaters equipped for the high-resolution format. Jane Fonda’s fille de l’espace spreads Free Love to the ends of the Galaxy, while thwarting Milo O’Shea’s attempt to conquer the perverse planet ruled by Anita Pallenberg’s leather freak. John Phillip Law is excellent as the blind angel Pygar, and a few more guest stars drift in and out in glorified bits. Arrow’s sumptuous extras focus a Positronic microscope on Vadim’s disrespected yet pretty-darn-influential slice of sexed-up space opera. On Blu-ray from 4K Ultra HD.
11/18/23

Terms of Endearment 4K 11/14/23

Everybody likes this picture. James L. Brooks’ major hit movie, adapted from the novel by Larry McMurtry, charts the rocky relationship of a Texan mother and daughter. Audiences loved the clashing personalities and quirky interaction between stars Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger and especially Jack Nicholson as the discipline-problem ex- astronaut next door. Name an award, this show won it; the combination of warm comedy and serious drama took top honors everywhere. The movie’s positive aura persists — it and its writer-director were just covered in the L.A. Times Calendar. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Paramount Presents.
11/14/23

The Great Train Robbery 11/14/23

Adventuresome crime generates high thrills in Michael Crichton’s entertaining heist picture, adapted from his own novel set in 1855. Charming crook Sean Connery, light-fingered ‘screwsman’ Donald Sutherland and saucy Lesley-Anne Down pull off a slick caper in the age of gaslight and Victorian elegance. The lavish production puts Connery through some incredible real-life stunts atop a moving train; the elegant music score is by Jerry Goldsmith. We always loved this one and welcome the opportunity to review the reissue Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/14/23

It! The Terror from Beyond Space 11/11/23

Have you heard The Word, NASA?  The other name for Mars is Death. The nifty screenplay by Sci-fi scribe Jerome Bixby lends the horror chills a basic logic, when Marshall Thompson & Shawn Smith battle a Martian stowaway on board a homebound spaceship. This Kino disc of the monsterrific ’50s favorite improves the transfer and loads on the extras. Three new commentaries feature Craig Beam, Gary Gerani and Tom Weaver. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/11/23

The Scarlet Letter (1934) 11/11/23

Hollywood’s first talkie version of the Nathaniel Hawthorne classic was also the final film of silent superstar Colleen Moore. The dramatization of the Puritan ABCs (what do the B & C stand for?) is also a post-Code downer that puts the shame on Mame Hester Prynne even as it exposes the hypocrisy of colonial intolerance. The disc extras by commentator Jason A. Ney explain how a Poverty Row movie managed such high production values, and why it was reissued in 1965 — as an exploitation shocker. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
11/11/23

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock 11/07/23

An MIA ‘film prodigal’ has been returned to the fold, thanks to this well-curated restoration and remaster. We can finally enjoy Riccado Freda’s Gothic masterpiece as it should be seen, in glowing color and with a choice of language tracks. The tagline “His candle of lust burnt brightest in the shadow of the grave!” only hints at the taboo of necrophilia, but the movie doesn’t play coy: mad surgeon Robert Flemyng loves Barbara Steele not for herself, but as a body on which he can project memories of transgressive sex games with his previous wife. Bring the kids!  It’s told with powerful expressionist images — and playful hommages to Alfred Hitchcock. On Region B Blu-ray from Radiance.
11/07/23

Stalag 17 4K 11/07/23

William Holden earned his Best Actor Oscar as J.J. Sefton, a POW who runs the rackets in the prisoners’ barracks, and whose cynical opportunism attracts the hatred of his fellow prisoners. Suspected as a traitor collaborating with the Germans, Sefton doesn’t hide his contempt for his comrades. Adapting this Broadway hit was a career-saver for Billy Wilder, who goes all out with the burlesque antics AND the grim reality of captivity. Comedy highlights include Otto Preminger’s turn as the Camp Commandant and the lowbrow clowning of Harvey Lembeck and Robert Strauss. It joins Paramount’s proud roster of top titles, newly remastered in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/07/23

T.R. Baskin 11/04/23

This overlooked and orphaned drama presents Candice Bergen as an alienated newcomer to Chicago. James Caan contributes a carefully modulated performance, and Peter Boyle feels real in a part that we’d expect to be pitched for comedy. Writer Peter Hyams presents a dark tale of Woe in the City, director Herbert Ross emphasizes the gloom and isolation, and it’s not recommended for the lonely or depressed. Critics found it thin and unbelievable, and had little good to say about Bergen’s performance, either. The disc’s best feature is an in-close talk with writer-producer Hyams, about his entry into feature filmmaking. On Blu-ray from Fun City Editions.
10/04/23

World of Giants the Complete Series 11/04/23

Sci-fi completists and diehard fans of ‘fifties TV fun will want to know about this remastered disc containing all 13 episodes of the short-lived 1959 TV series, starring Marshall Thompson as America’s ‘tom thumb in a suitcase’ superspy, and Arthur Franz as his full-sized secret agent partner. Vintage special effects see them battle oversized animals and giant telephones, to keep us safe from enemy agents. The guest actors are a fun bunch and the directors include Byron Haskin, Nathan Juran, Jack Arnold and Eugène Lourié. On Blu-ray from ClassicFlix.
10/04/23

Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers 10/31/23

It’s a triple dose of macabre thrills from the mysterious, unheralded master of horror Tod Browning: the silent Lon Chaney classic THE UNKNOWN restored with a new reel of footage, the heretofore obscure silent THE MYSTIC, and a new remaster of Browning’s uncanny masterpiece, FREAKS. We’ll be looking forward to reviewer Charlie Largent’s take on this release, the most notable horror item for Halloween ’23. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
10/31/23

The Devil-Doll 10/31/23

Tod Browning’s final fantastic film is . . . totally bonkers. Humans are reduced in size and dispatched like zombies to take revenge on a prison escapee’s enemies. It’s all to enable the escapee to reunite with his beloved daughter, so why not paralyze some chumps and condemn the puppet people to a strange living death?  Maureen O’Sullivan remains oblivious to the plot, Rafaella Ottiano rocks a deranged Bride of Frankenstein hairstyle, and Lionel Barrymore goes in drag as kindly ‘Mrs. Manderlip.’ MGM’s high-gloss special effects are the real star. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
10/21/23

The Giant Gila Monster + The Killer Shrews 10/31/23

Behold this mindless monster duo from the Feelin’ Fine summer of ’59, Texas- produced and ready to tear up drive-in screens. THE GIANT GILA MONSTER is truth in advertising, plus you get hot rods, non-rebellious teen rebels, and gospel-folk ‘rock’ music to accompany the hungry lizard with the flippidy flippidy tongue. The second show is a tense ordeal: seven unlucky folk withstand the onslaught of THE KILLER SHREWS, the really nasty kind that chew through walls with razor teeth to reach their prey. They’re like piranhas out of the water, with rat tails! James Best and Ken Curtis battle shrews and fight over Swedish Ingrid Goude, too. It’s a two disc set with a wealth of extras. On Blu-ray from Film Masters.
10/31/23

The Others 4K 10/28/23

Alejandro Amenábar made a strong English language impression directing Nicole Kidman in this creepy mood-piece about ghostly threats that garnered awards and big box office worldwide. The big prize earned for writer-director Amenábar should be for pulling off in fine form the kind of story repeatedly fumbled by M. Night Shyamalan — this one caught audiences with a lump in their throats, as a classic ghost story should. Reviewer Charlie Largent praises both the fine moviemaking and the class presentation, in 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
10/28/23

The Edge of the World 10/28/23

Wow, this truly inspirational film sees modern realities vanquishing a traditional way of life — and doesn’t pull the usual reverential heartstrings. Michael Powell’s breakout feature combines ethnographic docu-realism with the cinematic image-communication he learned in silent movies, and the result is a masterpiece — an adult art film that needs make no excuses. The HD remaster fixes many old flaws, and brightens the beautiful soundtrack with its choral compositions. The stars are Niall MacGinnis, John Laurie, Finlay Currie and Belle Chrystall, all giving beautiful performances under difficult conditions. On Blu-ray from Milestone Film and Video.
10/28/23

Cujo 4K 10/24/23

He’s a plush toy — no, he’s a maniacal killer!  Here’s a Stephen King adaptation that makes the grade in the horror sweepstakes: reviewer Charlie Largent found it suspenseful and very well directed. Poor Cujo, a big, gentle St. Bernard, gets rabies and becomes a monstrous threat. Dee Wallace toplines a capable cast. Could there be a more ideal movie for militant cat lovers?  A lot of critics found it scary. On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
10/24/23

The Night Runner 10/24/23

Horror fans will want to check this one out for ‘academic, historical’ purposes . . . it’s an overlooked psychological ‘horror of personality’ tale that predates Psycho and uses some of the same building blocks: a motel setting, a psycho killer who can be pleasant when he’s ‘normal.’ We can see why it wasn’t a hit — but could it have been an influence on Robert Bloch?  Colleen Miller and Merry Anders are the dames in distress; star Ray Danton gives the character a low-key interpretation. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
10/24/23

Paramount Scares Collection Vol. 1 – 4K 10/21/23

Paramount’s contribution to Halloween ’23 — and its signal of support for hard video media — comes in the form of this horror gift box with five very different flavors of Scary: Rosemary’s Baby,  Pet Sematary,  Crawl,  Smile and a  ‘mystery title’ we’ve been asked not to reveal. All are in 4K with Digital codes; three include Blu-ray copies of the features. The takings range across a bona fide classic, to a Stephen King adaptation, a ‘nature run amuck’ survival epic, a haunting, darker-than-dark conceptual shocker, and a muphlepylammerpough … ptooey … why didn’t the last part of that sentence get through? Yep, they’re thinking gift, what with the fancy box presentation and extra goodies. On 4K Ultra HD + (partial) Blu-ray + Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment.
10/21/23

Black Sabbath 10/21/23

Kino reissues one of Mario Bava’s best!  Il maestro’s first full-on gothic horror in full-on color is a feast for the eyes, equating Fear with Chromatic Splendor . . . death was never a beautiful. This is the A.I.P. cut with Boris Karloff’s interludes in English and the episodes reordered — A Drop of Water, The Telephone, The Wurdulak. This time out reviewer Charlie Largent tackles the artistic horror puzzle that is Bava’s appeal. Karloff gets one of his best late-career roles as a very original supernatural menace. It’s an original ‘see it alone on a dark night’ wonderment. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
10/21/23

The Woman in Black 10/17/23

Charlie Largent gets Up Close and Creepy with a UK TV production not yet released here, that has a scary reputation — it’s not ‘horror movie’ scary, but REALLY scary. The haunted house tale was written by the great Nigel Kneale, from a book by Susan Hill. The revived Hammer Films company tried out a remake in 2012 with Daniel Radcliffe, but this 1989 show is the real deal. Not On U.S. Home Video.
10/17/23