Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Archives: Reviews

Something to Live For 03/14/23

Hollywood’s postwar shift to social consciousness addressed familiar issues like bigotry and discrimination. On his way to making his gargantuan, serious epics, famed director George Stevens paused for this almost entirely forgotten contemplation of American anxiety in the business rat race, with a side order of alcoholism and potential adultery. Ray Milland is the troubled ad man who tries to help the drink-impaired actress, Joan Fontaine. Wife Teresa Wright waits patiently back home, but for how long?  Is Stevens just dabbling in neorealistic doldrums, or did he feel the wave of dull existential despair as well?  It’s one of his least-known films. On Region Free Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
03/14/23

Mississippi Mermaid 03/11/23

François Truffaut is back with another Hitchcock-influenced adaptation of a Cornell Woolrich murder thriller. Stars Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Belmondo are lovers – criminals – fugitives. Partly filmed in a remote French island in the Indian Ocean, it’s a tale of a mail-order bride, larcenous deception, and irrational amor fou run amuck. The things we do for love sometimes obey no logic. Also starring Michel Bouquet. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
03/11/23

Third Man on the Mountain 03/11/23

An old DVD of this Disney favorite exists, but it’s pretty bad; Charlie Largent reviews a nice new remaster not yet available on disc. James MacArthur dodges dirty dishes and saccharine dish Janet Munro, and dares to follow in his family footsteps as a mountain climber. Michael Rennie encourages his quest with both help and obstruction from a gallery of English actors we know from fantasy films: Herbert Lom, James Donald, Laurence Naismith, Lee Patterson, Ferdy Mayne, Roger Delgado. Don’t jump on Amazon or contact the Disney Video Club, because it’s Not on Home Video.
03/11/23

Death of a Gunfighter 03/07/23

Richard Widmark reportedly used his clout to amp up this revisionist western, but the result seems forced at best, and hampered by Universal’s TV-grade production values. The sober screenplay brings in good ideas but the execution can’t quite hold its own with the more progressive westerns of the genre-changing years 1968-’69. A cast of familiar faces makes much of it look fresh: Carroll O’Connor’s venal saloon keeper steals the show, while interesting casting gives us Lena Horne as Widmark’s romantic partner. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
03/07/23

Obsessed (1951) 03/07/23

This very traditional chamber murder mystery starring David Farrar and Geraldine Fitzgerald has been beautifully restored by Studiocanal and bears the original U.K. title The Late Edwina Black. When the sickly wife Edwina dies in bed the bitter housekeeper accuses the husband and another very attractive servant; all the Scotland Yard Inspector need do is stir the pot, and paranoid suspicions take over. Is Edwina’s spirit still present in the house?  The housekeeper thinks she communicates through a wind chime by the window . . . On Blu-ray from ClassicFlix.
03/07/23

The Lady is My Wife 03/04/23

Wow, a ‘new’ Sam Peckinpah western!  While we await the rumored Blu-ray of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid to surface (or was Alex Cox misinformed?), correspondent Darren Gross has come across a watchable web encoding of a Peckinpah TV drama that seems to be more or less ‘lost.’ Good star performances (Jean Simmons, Bradford Dillman, Alex Cord) and intense characterizations prove once again that Peckinpah could deliver superior dramatics. The home video companies should do some investigating — there’s a market out there for this one. Not on Home Video.
03/04/23

Thrillers from the Vault: 8 Films (part 2) 03/04/23

Charlie Largent finishes off his two-part review of the classic horror set — his second installment gives us a strange Karloff, an odd Lugosi (with a werewolf), a Karloff + Peter Lorre party, and a Sci-fi classic that doesn’t fit yet is welcome anyway. Take your pick of electric shocks, stakes through the heart and atomic radiation!  The final four titles are The Devil Commands, The Return of the Vampire, The Boogie Man Will Get You and Arch Oboler’s FIVE. On Blu-ray from Mill Creek.
03/04/23

Thrillers from the Vault: 8 Films (part 1) 02/28/23

Charlie Largent tackles the first half of Mill Creek’s 8 title ‘Thriller’ set, which deals out 6 Karloffs, one Lugosi and a wild card Sci-Fi classic from the well-tended Columbia Pictures vault. For this ‘part 1’ review, we get the lowdown on four Karloff madman pix — a study in character diversification if there ever was one. Boris plays twins in The Black Room, and mad doctors that those unenlightened authorities keep trying to execute in The Man They Could Not Hang, The Man with Nine Lives, and Before I Hang. I hear the set has some good extras, too. Creeping your way on Blu-ray from Mill Creek.
02/28/23

The Mountain 02/28/23

The French Alps in VistaVision and Technicolor really sell this inspirational thriller. Spencer Tracy stars is the utterly ethical mountaineer, and young Robert Wagner his venal, verminous, just plain no damn good younger brother. Make that MUCH younger. Edward Dmytryk directs for big dimensions and strong emotions, and Paramount’s remaster makes the special effects of the mountain climb look good again. It’s a morality tale pitched at grade school level, and one of Tracy’s better late-career pictures. With Anna Kashfi as a plane crash victim deserving of rescue, and William Demarest as a French priest with a Preston Sturges accent. On Region Free Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
02/28/23

The Green Room 02/25/23

Part of a 4-title François Truffaut Collection.  Writer-director Truffaut goes deep and morbid adapting a Henry James story about a man who chooses to ‘devote himself to his beloved dead.’ He builds an altar-shrine to a departed bride and comrades that didn’t survive the Great War. A sympathetic woman considers aiding him, but his obsession keeps choosing life-negating directions. It’s a weird, morbid but highly understandable tale from the edge of the fantastic. The cinematographer is Néstor Almendros. The other titles in the collection are The Wild Child, Small Change and The Man Who Loved Women. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/25/23

Sci-fi from the Vault: 4 Films 02/25/23

Mill Creek’s latest disc collection gathers three Columbia Sci-fi faves and throws in a Blu-ray debut for a fourth. It’s a good selection: two giant Ray Harryhausen monsters, one marginal bad-taste Sam Katzman zombie epic, and a quirky Lou Costello comedy with Dorothy Provine doing a wholesome take on Allison Hayes’ biggest role. Do these encodings measure up to fancier editions?  We give them a spin: Creature with the Atom Brain, It Came from Beneath the Sea, 20 Million Miles to Earth and The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock. On Blu-ray from Mill Creek.
02/25/23

The House that Screamed 02/21/23

La residencia.  What makes Franco-era Spanish horror so horrible?  The unnecessary cruelty and emphatic nastiness, a combination that’s led to more than a few essays about political repression. Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s shocker puts psycho headmistress Lilli Palmer in charge of a twisted girl’s boarding school. Get ready for ice-cold Women-In-Prison intrigues, with macabre carnage for a chaser. Arrow Video’s pristine new encoding is already being applauded — it far surpasses edited, color-challenged older releases, revealing a beautifully-produced thriller with fine lighting cinematography. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
02/21/23

Romeo and Juliet ’68 02/21/23

Franco Zeffirelli apprenticed to Luchino Visconti, stage directed operas and directed several movie hits, the biggest of which was this exuberant, attractive Shakespeare adaptation, filmed like an opera with sumptuous sets and sunswept Italian locations. The novelty for 1968 was casting the Bard’s star-crossed young lovers with actual teenagers. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting are attractive kids directed to give spirited performances; the critics may have had mixed reactions but the public received the film well. If memory serves, Criterion’s new remaster looks better than Paramount’s original release prints. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
02/21/23

Carrie (1952) 02/18/23

This expensive production was dismissed as a flop, and literary critics scorned it for diluting the famed novel by Theodore Dreiser. But it plays well now: William Wyler gives star Laurence Olivier what may be his best film acting role ever. Jennifer Jones’ title part suffers from script changes that censor and sentimentalize Dreiser’s intentions, but the film remains a shattering tragedy. Eddie Albert co-stars in one of his first dramatic roles; this encoding includes a scene dropped from the original release. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
02/18/23

If I Were King 02/18/23

It’s a nearly perfect tale of identity swaps and royal intrigues: Ronald Colman’s voice is velvet smooth as poet-rogue François Villon, who uses his wits when dealing with Basil Rathbone’s (very strangely played) Louis XI. The real charm comes with lady-in-waiting Frances Dee (swoon) and the peasant firebrand Ellen Drew (double swoon). And don’t forget the sophisticated, semi-satirical screenplay by Preston Sturges. This refreshing discovery comes with a commentary by Julie Kirgo. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/18/22

Marathon Man 4K 02/14/23

William Goldman’s difficult-to-follow international conspiracy thriller provides Dustin Hoffman with an outright ‘action man’ star vehicle. The public applauded supporting star Laurence Olivier, who with just a few gestures creates a terrifying villain: “Is it safe?” William Devane and Marthe Keller co-star. We wish Roy Scheider’s character could have continued in a series of crime thrillers — he brings genuine movie star charisma. The story is by William Goldman, from his own book. On 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/14/23

Dazed and Confused 4K 02/14/23

Enter Santo: The First Adventures of the Silver-Masked Man 02/11/23

Charlie Largent reviews a fascinating two-feature Lucha-rama sensation: the first two original Santo thrillers. The appeal of the fearless masked wrestler becomes clear through PI’s extras, which include a longform featurette exploring the Mexican cinema empire of the Calderon family. The first films were actually shot in Cuba: Santo vs. “Evil Brain” and Santo vs. “Infernal Men.” Give a big cheer for Santo, el Enmascarado de Plata!  On Region Free Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
02/11/23

Goodbye, Mr. Chips 02/11/23

Robert Donat snagged an Oscar for this sentimental crowdpleaser, a Best Picture nominee in Hollywood’s ‘Golden Year’ of 1939. The genteel chemistry between Donat’s shy schoolteacher and the charming personality Greer Garson broke hearts, and made Ms. Garson one of MGM’s top names for the next decade. It’s one of the studio’s English productions, filmed in the shadow of the coming war. A glowing new digital restoration redeems 70 years of not-so-good TV prints. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
02/11/23

The Big Gundown 02/07/23

Quentin Tarantino crowned Sergio Corbucci as the second-best director of Italian westerns, but our vote goes to Sergio Sollima — this is the most satisfying Spaghetti oater outside the Leone corral. In his first starring role, Lee Van Cleef is lawman Jonathan Corbett, who pursues Tomas Milian’s killer into Mexico for an American millionaire. Political screenwriter Franco Solinas helped cook up the story, which pitches frontier ethics against ‘establishment’ corruption. The two-disc special edition presents the show in 4 versions, if we count a clever English-Italian language hybrid. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
02/7/23

A Rage to Live 02/07/23

It’s a hot soap from ’65, when movies promised raging passion but delivered cheap teases and hypocritical judgments. It’s Suzanne Pleshette’s only starring role, but it doesn’t exploit her bright personality, her sense of humor. John O’Hara’s tale hasn’t much pity for a promiscuous young wife who breaks the rules. Does nymphomania make her a social menace, or is she victimized by a script determined to put the blame on Mame?  Costarring Ben Gazzara, Bradford Dillman and Peter Graves. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
02/07/23

The Lady from Shanghai 02/04/23

Charlie Largent is back, checking out a new release of Orson Welles’ screwy noir murder mystery, which was shredded by studio interference yet still came out a winner. Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth star and the director provides superb parts for Everett Sloane, Glenn Anders, Ted de Corsia and Erskine Sanford. Who else but Welles could get away with the finale’s crazy-house kaleidoscope mirror montage?  It leaves us speechless — and obliterates the full explanation of the twisted storyline. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/04/23

The Bride Wore Black 02/04/23

François Truffaut’s ode to Hitchcock and Cornell Woolrich is an ice-cold femme revenge tale. Jeanne Moreau exacts retribution from five men who made her a widow on her wedding day. Truffaut winds it as tightly as a mousetrap, leaving Ms. Moreau’s psychology a mystery — feminists can debate whether the film is misogynistic. Raoul Coutard’s color cinematography is deceptively warm and inviting; the film’s biggest boost comes from Bernard Herrmann’s powerful music score. Potential special guest victims include Michel Bouquet, Jean-Claude Brialy, Charles Denner, Claude Rich and Michael Lonsdale. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
02/04/23

Rancho Notorious 01/31/23

We love this Fritz Lang western even though it’s not particularly good; only in hindsight do we realize that the brilliant director’s intentions may have been compromised. High-key lighting does Marlene Dietrich no favors, but she scores good scenes performing with Arthur Kennedy (revenged crazed cowpoke) and Mel Ferrer (tranquilized gunslinger). Lang fans will be impressed by the gaudy, over-bright restored Technicolor, and we can always blame Howard Hughes. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
01/31/23

Marco Polo 01/31/23

You can’t argue with disc collectors eager to rediscover movies they loved at age 10, in terrific kiddie matinees. Cowboy star Rory Calhoun makes a perfectly fine Italian vagabond ladies’ man for this very un-serious ‘oriental’ adventure, and Yôko Tani is the requisite princess who needs kissing lessons. Tim Lucas’s welcome, info-packed commentary satisfies our curiosity about the long-unavailable title — it’s different than the A.I.P. release we (barely) remember. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/31/23

Monsieur Hire 01/28/23

Highest honors go to this stylish, cinematically refined adaptation of a George Simenon thriller. Michel Blanc’s disliked and anti-social tailor becomes a person of interest for a murder investigation; Sandrine Bonnaire is the neighbor that he peeps at nightly, to stir his secret passion. Director Patrice Leconte directs with almost perfect control, turning the show into an emotional workout; it plays like a modern masterpiece. On Blu-ray from The Cohen Group.
01/28/23

Death Wish, 4K 01/28/23

Locked and loaded with a decent screenplay, Michael Winner and Charles Bronson acquit themselves well in this brutal 1974 hit that launched a decade’s worth of nasty vigilante movies. The lynch-mob formula presents crimes so awful that the audience demands violent retribution. The shock is that this incitement to ‘fight back’ is not direct right-wing propaganda — vigilantism is glamorized but not endorsed. A fine supporting cast includes Vincent Gardenia, Steven Keats and unexpected treats like Olympia Dukakis and Jeff Goldblum. “Fill your hand!” On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/28/22

The Asphyx 01/24/23

Awkwardly plotted but chilling just the same, this beautifully-filmed tale of Victorian experimentation with death has nightmarish qualites that won’t go away. Class actors Robert Stephens, Robert Powell & Jane Lapotaire bring believability to a deadly-serious idea that scores the ‘phantom-trapping’ concept years before Ghostbusters. The cinematographer was Freddie Young; both versions are included, along with a commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/24/23

Pretty Baby 01/24/23

Brooke Shields became a star and attracted mild controversy in this show, director Louis Malle’s first American production. Co-writer & producer Polly Platt and cinematographer Sven Nykvist collaborated on Malle’s fascinating look at life in a New Orleans brothel early in the 20th century. Prostitute Susan Sarandon raises two children in the upscale bawdy house, and art photographer Keith Carradine becomes an artist in residence. It’s a non-moralizing portrait of a bygone lifestyle. The handsome remastered release co-stars Diana Scarwid and Barbara Steele — and comes with a new interview with Brooke Shields. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
01/24/22

The Italian Job 4K 01/21/23

Michael Caine’s heist comedy has been rated one of the top UK movies ever. It’s a flip Swingin’ England slapstick thriller, lavishly produced and with an emphasis on fancy cars. Caine is a cockney crook with an insane scheme to steal millions in Red Chinese gold en route to a Turin bank. Slick stuntwork combines with ‘Team Brit’ humor for a wild escape in a rush hour traffic jam. The production goes for show-off spectacle — its real stars are a trio of undersized, underdog UK automobiles. With Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley and Rossano Brazzi; on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
01/21/23

Big Time Gambling Boss 01/21/23

What a discovery . . . I’m glad this was recommended to me. Kôsaku Yamashita’s powerful 1968 yakuza drama belongs to the semi-chivalrous ‘honor and code’ tradition. Crime clan blood brothers Kôji Tsuruta and Tomisaburô Wakayama are good men caught between conflicting loyalties to family, friends, and the yakuza credo. Clashes of honor lead to unavoidable ‘knives out’ confrontations. It’s as intense as the Japanese classics. The extras offer a refresher in yakuza customs and protocol, with expert guidance from Chris D. and Mark Schilling. On Region A + B Blu-ray from Radiance.
01/21/22

Imitation of Life ’34 01/17/23

John M. Stahl’s superior melodrama is a focus point for the study of African-Americans in Hollywood. Businesswoman Claudette Colbert and housekeeper Louise Beavers raise their daughters together for a story that expresses the racial divide in simple terms. Determined to pass for white, Beavers’ daughter Fredi Washington rejects her mother outright. The tale of motherly sacrifice is in some ways more honest than later ‘social justice’ films about race, yet it sticks closely to Hollywood’s segregationist rules. Costarring Ned Sparks, Warren William and Rochelle Hudson. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/17/23

Cloverfield 4K 01/17/23

15th Anniversary Steelbook.  We’re happy to report that this Goddard – Abrams – Reeves monster thriller holds up, when most everything else from the years of shaky-cam nausea and ‘found footage’ boredom disappoints. The clever ‘found’ recording of the end of NYC brings the panic for a you-are-there night of mayhem, chaos and destruction. The show was engineered to look like low-grade amateur video footage . . . so . . . why a 4K presentation?  Curious format-philes will want to know. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code from Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment.
01/17/22

The Avengers: The Emma Peel Collection (1965-1967) 01/14/23

Imprint’s third Television release is a killer, duly commemorated in Charlie Largent’s CineSavant review coverage: a 16-disc collector’s boxed set of the entire run of The Avengers TV episodes starring Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, both the B&W and color seasons. Emma and Patrick Macnee’s John Steed still cut fashionable figures, in spy adventures directed with wit and panache — all clever camera angles and knowing looks. The lavish release promises all-restored transfers and a tall stack of extras. On Blu-ray from [Imprint] Television.
01/14/23

Pork Chop Hill 01/14/23

Hollywood finally decided to get serious about the Korean War debacle with a pro-Army, anti-politics battle epic that blames our own negotiators as much as the enemy. Director Lewis Milestone and star Gregory Peck lead a full company of favorite actors in a gritty story of ugly combat under absurd conditions: die taking territory today, give it back to the enemy later. With an incredible supporting cast: Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, George Peppard, James Edwards, Woody Strode, George Shibata, Norman Fell, Robert Blake, Biff Elliot, Charles Aidman, Martin Landau, & Gavin MacLeod. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
01/14/22

Last Night in Soho 4K 01/10/23

Have a yen for the music, style and glamour of ’60s Swinging London?  Edgar Wright’s hybrid time capsule / music extravaganza / horror thriller is an audiovisual delight from one end to the other. Young women from different decades seek to conquer London by different means — they meet as soul twins in a ghost world, where bloodsoaked murders haunt their dreams. Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy are the psychic twins; stars Rita Tushingham, Terence Stamp and the late Diana Rigg make it all authentic. Soho can boast the most creatively ‘alive’ visuals of 2021. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Universal Home Entertainment.
01/10/22

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 4K 01/10/23

Terry Gilliam’s grandest, most joyful fantasy is still a marvel, a fully adult adventure that will spark younger imaginations as well. Creative tricks and eye-popping Italo designs bring us a magical, satirical world of absurd wars, sultan’s hareems and a flight of fancy to the moon. John Neville’s ideal Baron is abetted by spunky Sarah Polley and a gallery of winning characterizations, from Eric Idle, Oliver Reed, Jonathan Pryce, Uma Thurman, Jack Purvis, Robin Williams, Valentina Cortese, Sting. So what if the Baron is history’s most notorious liar: we understand his complaint when performing a technically preposterous trip through outer space: “This is PRECISELY the sort of thing nobody EVER believes.” On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
01/10/22

The Working Class Goes to Heaven 01/07/23

A big welcome to the new disc company Radiance!  This first Radiance review at CineSavant is a knockout political drama from Italy’s Elio Petri, with one of the best performances ever by Gian-Maria Volontè. Model factory machinist Lulù Massa offends his peers on the assembly line with his individualistic egotism. An injury on the job makes him a focus for Unionists and student radicals. Petri’s warmly humanist picture is also blunt in its outlook — our imperfect hero is adrift in an unsatisfactory system, and the politicals’ agenda isn’t helpful either. It’s compelling filmmaking, co-starring Mariangela Melato and driven by an excellent Ennio Morricone music score. Aka La classe operaia va in paradiso. On Blu-ray from Radiance.

The Eagle Has Landed 01/07/23

Director John Sturges’ final feature is a handsome production that fumbles and stumbles in unexpected ways. Michael Caine and especially Donald Sutherland lead an impossible commando mission to kidnap Winston Churchill right from English soil. Tom Mankiewicz’s dialogue is witty but the tone is all over the place. We don’t know whether it’s the script, the direction or the editing that muffs so many potential bravura moments. On the other hand, every scene with Sutherland and Jenny Agutter is gold. [Imprint] gives us both a theatrical cut and a more satisfying extended cut. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
01/07/22

The Dunwich Horror 01/03/23

Arrow swings into 2023 with a disc of a horror thriller ‘with issues’ — but appointing it with intriguing extras. Sandra Dee gets her perky nose all tangled up in an inter-dimensional conspiracy run by sneaky occultist Dean Stockwell — and we know that it’s all going to lead to a sacrificial altar. Roger Corman designer Daniel Haller directed this cross between a Poe picture and a psychedelic epic, for good old American-International. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
01/03/23

All CineSavant Capsule Intros 2022 01/03/23

I’m trying out something new here — the old DVD Savant had four or five different ways to look up old reviews, and so far CineSavant has only its Review Indexes. Readers say they liked to peruse by year and by disc cover box, which this Chronology for 2022 does. So here’s hoping more people find it useful. (I promise to get the bugs worked out of the normal Review Indexes this year) . . . Yet another dubious extra benefit from CineSavant.
01/03/22

Burn! 12/31/22

aka Queimada. This Region-Free import gives us both versions of Gillo Pontecorvo’s fictional tale of colonial misdeeds that sums up old Europe’s attitude toward the New World. Marlon Brando’s agent provocateur and freebooting soldier of fortune foments revolution against the Portuguese and then hires out to reverse everything he’s done for English interests. The big scale production was filmed in several locations across the globe; it has a standout performance from Evaristo Márquez as a charismatic peasant eager to become a conqueror. On Region Free Blu-rayfrom Viavision [Imprint].
12/31/22

Sergeant Ryker 12/31/22

Lee Marvin, Vera Miles and Bradford Dillman shine a military courtroom drama, a TV movie released as a theatrical feature five years later (pretty sneaky, Universal). It’s small-scale but effective, with strong performances and a reasonably credible storyline. Marvin’s Ryker is on trial for his life, with the entire U.S. Army convinced that he’s a traitor. Attorney Bradford Dillman stumbles in his defense — other officers catch him consorting with Ryker’s wife. It’s a treat for Lee Marvin fans, provided they don’t expect the action epic depicted on the posters. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/31/22

Three Films by Mai Zetterling 12/27/22

The ex- movie star Mai Zetterling found more satisfaction in directing. In interviews she denied that she is an intellectual, but more intelligent films about male-female emotional politics are hard to come by. Unusually frank and intense, these dramas for the 1960s art film circuit pack a visceral impact — the extreme situations and content disturbed critics concerned with Good Taste. It’s a trilogy of respected works: Loving Couples, Night Games and The Girls. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
12/27/22

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 4K 12/27/22

A superb thriller is now better than ever on 4K. We’ve always known why it rewards viewings: it’s both thrilling and funny. When Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo hijack a subway train, Walter Matthau must scramble to collect a ransom while trying to figure out how they’ll make their escape. Peter Stone’s dialogue is delightful — the loud & mouthy ’70s New Yorkers are hilariously abrasive — and lovable. “Who wants to know?!!!” Includes a Blu-ray disc and a new commentary. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/27/22

The Night of the Iguana 12/20/22

John Huston has great fun with Tennessee Williams’ tale of a failed minister who tangles with romantic terrors in a pre-developed Puerto Vallarta. He gives his stellar cast full freedom to seize the screen: Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Grayson Hall and Sue Lyon. The fun ranges from ribald comedy to poetic glimpses of what lies beyond human desperation. Charlie Largent reviews; the hapless Burton doesn’t know what these women will do after the sun sets. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/20/22

Directed by Roland Joffe 12/20/22

Directors looking for important, ambitious subject matter didn’t disappear with the rise of the Star Wars Generation. Roland Joffé’s first four features are all admirable efforts, with a couple of gems right up front: powerful pictures that tell truths that we ought not to forget. The star power is here as well — Robert De Niro, Paul Newman. The deluxe collector’s box caps a presentation with new extras for each title: The Killing Fields, The Mission, Fat Man and Little Boy and City of Joy. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
12/20/22

Invaders from Mars 12/17/22

The disc of the year has finally arrived and it’s 1000% worth the wait. William Cameron Menzies’ flight into schoolboy paranoia now really looks like it ought to hang in the Louvre; the entire show is inspired Modern Art. When Martians conduct a brain-snatching takeover of Middle America little David MacLean must save the day, with an assist from an astronomer buddy and a sexy city nurse. The review is mostly concerned with how the new Ignite release looks and sounds. The rejuvenation of this fantasy masterpiece will turn fans of the 1950s sci-fi boom back into delighted ‘Gee Whiz’ kids. On Blu-ray from Ignite Films.
12/17/22

Remember the Night 12/17/22

Mitchell Leisen’s great Christmas-time tale has a brilliant screenplay by Preston Sturges and letter-perfect performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, threading the needle between light cynicism and well-earned sentiment. Sturges’ celebration of ‘country values’ is sincere and heartfelt, as is his affection for the supporting cast. The presentation includes two radio broadcasts plus a star-studded Paramount short subject for war bonds. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
12/17/22

Dersu Uzala 12/13/22

12/13/22

The Girl on a Motorcycle 12/13/22

Welcome to 1968, and a burst of creative direction from one of the greatest film artists of the 20th century, Jack Cardiff. An attempt to make pop star Marianne Faithful into a cinematic sex symbol is an uphill struggle, even with Alain Delon playing opposite. Psychedelic effects are poured over a tale of desire that plays out in tony surroundings and out on the open road. Cardiff had a hand in the script, working for erotic effects. The American release recognized it as exploitation, and slapped on the more direct title ‘Naked Under Leather.’ On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/13/22

It Always Rains on Sunday 12/10/22

All those British crime films once deemed undesirable for the National Image are beginning to get the attention they deserve. This story of a single day in a working class section of London has plenty of criminal activity but blends it in with the everyday crimes of desperation and boredom. The Sandigate girls are flirting with trouble but Googie Withers’ Rose Sandigate has gone much further: she’s hiding an escaped fugitive who was once her lover in the vain hope of recapturing her lost youth. Director Robert Hamer examines a dozen distinctive characters on the edge of respectability, in one of the most original ‘Brit noirs’ we’ve seen to date. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/10/22

Pulp Fiction 4K 12/10/22

A 4K Steelbook!  Haven’t seen this one lately, and discovered that it holds up remarkably well. Mr. QT’s sophomore outing made an indelible mark on American movies — the darling of hipster crime filmmaking dazzled viewers with show set-piece scenes, entertainingly profane dialogue and ultra-hip inside-out time-shuffling narrative tricks. Add to that genuine star turns, especially Uma Thurman and John Travolta’s iconic dance scene. It’s old-fashioned movie-going in an avant-garde pattern, with raw violence and even rougher language. The stars include Samuel L. Jackson, Harvy Keitel, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer and Bruce Willis. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code from Paramount Home Video.
12/10/22

Twilight 12/06/22

Robert Benton and Paul Newman’s show-biz detective tale is one of the best-looking thrillers of 1998. With its star lineup of Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Reese Witherspoon, Stockard Channing and James Garner, its the equivalent of a dog-eared comfy mystery paperback. The classic themes and stylistics are here, but in a new Hollywood where movie stars can get away with murder, and nobody seems to care. Everyone is excellent and the show quite enjoyable, even if it seems we’ve seen a lot of it before. A solid academic extra is the audio commentary by Alain Silver and James Ursini. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/06/22

The Molly Maguires 12/06/22

It’s Labor vs. Capital, in basic terms!  Sean Connery is the tough, embittered miner looking to strike back against the bosses, and Richard Harris the underdog who sees a way out by becoming an agent provocateur for the Pinkertons. An admirable true-life history lesson, Walter Bernstein & Martin Ritt’s downer of a drama didn’t grab the public’s imagination. But there’s no better vision of the time and place, thanks to James Wong Howe’s realistic, nearly monochromatic cinematography. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
12/06/22

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman 12/03/22

Only once in a generation do we behold a classic such as this!  The ’embiggened’ adventures of Nancy Archer lack technical sophistication, but good direction and a very direct story — female revenge writ large — grab us every time. Let the absurdities pile up, because Allison Hayes cuts a mean fifty-foot figure in that white two-piece, and saucy Yvette Vickers can really warm up the clientele down at Tony’s place. It’s a terrific piece of late ’50s exploitation anti-art, and its fantastic Reynold Brown poster is a key expression of an entire monsterrific worldview. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
12/03/22

The Blood Beast Terror 12/03/22

The horrible Dr. Mallinger is experimenting on his own daughter to create a species of blood-sucking super-moths, and the good police Inspector Quennell is determined to catch him, using his own daughter as bait. This head-scratcher about daughter abuse stars Robert Flemyng, Peter Cushing and some handsome period scenery; Tigon films takes a spin with Hammer-style gothic thrills, directed by Vernon Sewell. No, it’s not a prequel to Mothra, and the insectoid threat isn’t neutralized with moth balls. The moth monster is a first special effect credit for Roger Dicken. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
12/03/22

Testament 11/29/22

To the short list of ‘classics’ of nuclear horror on Blu-ray we now add the one that hits closest to home. Lynne Littman’s harrowing film stays small-scale and Big Emotion, enduring a slow extermination on the family level. A little California town loses contact with the rest of the world, as hope fades and the awful reality sinks in. Jane Alexander, Lukas Haas, and William Devane star in a TV movie so affecting, that Paramount gave it a theatrical release. The disc has two commentaries and a selection of 20th anniversary features. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
11/29/22

The Hallelujah Trail 11/29/22

John Sturges’ Road Show comedy western has more in common with 1941 than The Magnificent Seven, but Kino has MGM’s new remaster and the visual result is spectacular. The Ultra Panavision 70 epic is still a favorite of fans of out-of-control Hollywood filmmaking. Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin and a huge cast lead the charge for for a convoy of frontier whisky. It’s all in a fine spirit of madcap fun. . . so where are the big laughs? On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/29/22

Great Expectations 11/26/22

David Lean’s near-perfect Charles Dickens adaptation was the movie that sold us on ‘everything English’ in films. As embodied by John Mills, Pip’s hopeful progress expanded the book as no movie had before, with characterizations that are weird (Francis L. Sullivan, Finlay Currie, Bernard Miles) amusing (Alec Guinness) and entrancing (Jean Simmons). And everything about Miss Havisham and her haunted rooms suggests a horror movie. Charlie Largent looks back at an older UK Blu-ray (probably OOP) of inspirational quality. What-sa-matter Criterion, is this stone classic insufficiently trendy to qualify for Blu-ray?  On Region B Blu-ray from ITV (U.K.).
11/26/22

Reservoir Dogs 4K 11/26/22

Quentin Tarantino’s first feature may not be to all tastes, but it is an admirable feat of commercial filmmaking — what other director has broken into the front rank with such panache?   The fifth time through, the splintered, elliptical structure still impresses, and there’s always something new to see in the performances of Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, and Steve Buscemi. The (rather bargain-priced) 4K disc set has everything — two formats, a digital code and those deleted scenes to ponder. And a Pulp Fiction 4K is due in just a week or so.  On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Lionsgate.
11/26/22

El vampiro negro 11/22/22

The Black Vampire!  The most impressive Spanish-language noir restoration yet, Román Viñoly Barreto’s superior serial murder thriller hails from 1953 Argentina. It re-interprets Fritz Lang’s “M” from a different, more emotionally engaging perspective: star Olga Zubarry’s nightclub singer hesitates to tell what she knows about a child-killer, because she might lose custody of her own young daughter. The expressionist noir owes little to Hollywood. Some find it more satisfying than Lang’s classic version. The Film Noir Foundation’s extras are excellent. On Blu-ray + DVD from Flicker Alley.
11/22/22

Warning Shot 11/22/22

This mid-60s detective story has the right ingredients — a good mystery and interesting characters. David Jannsen gets to play a ‘Bosch’- style lone wolf investigator given a public thrashing for a ‘mistake’ that he knows was no mistake at all. Can a ‘bad cop’ redeem himself?  The parade of mid-level guest stars — Stefanie Powers, Joan Collins, Lillian Gish, Steve Allen — may resemble a TV movie, but the tense show has a good feel for Los Angeles and the new swingin’ singles lifestyle. It might be Buzz Kulik’s best job of direction, and it has a great music score by Jerry Goldsmith. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
11/22/22

French Noir Collection 11/19/22

Hungry for those wet Parisian streets, the city lights, and cadavres en lambeaux in the pale moonight?  Enter three highly atmospheric, star-studded Crime Noirs, one of which is an stealth classic of Gallic Pulp. Stars Jean Gabin, Jeanne Moreau, Lino Ventura, Marcel Bozzuffi, Gérard Oury, Sandra Milo, and Annie Girardot bring the tales of à sang froid malice and mayhem to life. The films featured are Gilles Grangier’s Speaking of Murder (Le rouge est mis) and Édouard Molinaro’s Back to the Wall (Le dos au mur) and Witness in the City(Un Témoin dans la ville). Beware of French husbands when cucklolded — they show no pity.  Bonne chance, victimes! On Blu-ray from Gaumont/Kino Lorber.
11/19/22

Putney Swope 11/19/22

The New York Underground invaded the mainstream with Robert Downey Sr.’s completely irreverent Madison Avenue satire, in which a token black executive takes over an Ad agency, renames it ‘Truth and Soul’ and goes on a mad reign of creative terror. Arnold Johnson, Stan Gottlieb, Allen Garfield, and Antonio Fargas star in a farce that some critics found intolerably crude — but an independent distributor gave it a national release. 1969 was the year that the Production Code took a tumble — and Downey’s picture proved that freedom of expression was alive and well in the U.S. of A.  On Region-Free  Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
11/19/22

Silent Running 4K 11/15/22

Newly remastered in 4K! Bruce Dern’s (literally) tree-hugging forest ranger Freeman Lowell commits space piracy to save the trees, dude, and becomes lost in space. But he’s got only Huey, Dewey and Louie for robotic companionship. The only soul back on Earth who seems to care is Joan Baez. Douglas Trumbull’s technically-accomplished first feature film does 2001 on a tiny budget, and creates something original, if a bit mushy — the bittersweet ending depresses more than it uplifts. On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
11/15/22

The Count Yorga Collection 11/15/22

The Macready family — George, Michael & Erica — put together this traditional, energetic vampire romp. The arresting Robert Quarry is the Lugosi substitute, a European spiritualist with a sweet tooth for Type O. It’s the ‘new’ American-International this time out, in search of a PG for a show initially planned as X-rated. A sequel followed immediately, giving us Count Yorga, Vampire, & The Return of Count Yorga. CineSavant’s Charlie Largent takes a peek at the favorite bloodsucker of many a horror fan — is the main emphasis on violence, or sex?  On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
11/15/22

Storm Center 11/12/22

The first movie to directly confront McCarthyism!  Or so said the editorials touting this ‘Long-Awaited Screen Event’ in which ‘Bette Davis Hits the Screen in a Cyclone of Dramatic Fury!’  The storm of the title was based on a real activist in Oklahoma who lost her job for promoting equal rights. Bette’s polite librarian is victimized by small-minded civic types; a subplot depicts the traumatic reaction of one of her patrons, a child expected to despise her as a traitor to the country. Daniel Taradash’s movie is an excellent starting point to discuss the thorny dramatic subgenre of liberal social issue movies. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
11/12/22

Going Places 11/12/22

Bertrand Blier’s edgy romp about a pair of ne’er-do-well petty-crooks will go too far for many viewers — they’re antisocially chauvinistic in some really outrageous ways. Are they jolly adventurers or just terminally obnoxious?  The twisted social comedy really needs its talented cast: Gérard Depardieu, Patrick Dewaere, Miou-Miou, Jeanne Moreau, Brigitte Fossey, and a very young Isabelle Huppert. The new presentation includes a commentary by Richard Peña. On Blu-ray from The Cohen Film Collection / Kino Lorber.
11/12/22

Blue Hawaii 4K 11/08/22

Elvis Presley’s handlers found the formula that would keep his stardom solvent through the 1960s in this well-confected, calculatedly vacant vehicle that EVERYBODY liked and enjoyed in 1961. The coolest celeb in America ended up in some of the squarest, least-hip films of the era. Why do we like it so?  Cutting through the fog of nostalgia reveals the appeal. The Hawaiian scenery is a knockout, plus there’s good support from Joan Blackman and especially Angela Lansbury, who humbles herself to play an idiot mother caricature for Mister ‘Rock-a-Hula.’ On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from Paramount Presents.
11/08/22

WALL•E 4K 11/08/22

Pixar’s save-the-world eco-epic actually begins with the world destroyed, before a pair of cute robots help put it back together again. Andrew Stanton’s animated comedy finds hope and cheer in a post-apocalyptic scenario, a tall order for any speculative science fiction tale. Meet WALL•E, the nuts ‘n’ bolts super-janitor, and EVE, the sleek next-generation seeker of terrestrial plant re-birth. Good satire and social criticism comes in the brightest package possible in this endearing charmer. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/08/22

Le Soldatesse 11/05/22

Rarovideo is back, with an excellent Italo war drama that finds humanist values in an appalling situation: a young Italian lieutenant is tasked with distributing 12 Athenian prostitutes to garrisons on the road back to Italy, to ‘service’ the troops. It’s a mixed group — a couple of the women have signed up to avoid starvation. The trek takes them directly into partisan conflict. Sympathetic director Valerio Zurlini assembles a terrific international cast: Mario Adorf, Anna Karina, Tomas Milian, Marie Laforêt, Lea Massari, Valeria Moriconi and Milena Dravic. On Blu-ray from Rarovideo / Kino Lorber.
11/05/22

Universal Noir #1 Collection 11/05/22

Powerhouse Indicator’s first foray into the Universal library yields six noir thrillers, all crime-related and all different: the list introduces us to scheming businessmen, venal confidence crooks, black-market racketeers, a femme fatale, a gangster deportee and baby stealers. The B&W features are enriched with some of the best actors of the postwar years, and the titles themselves are a litany of vice and sin: The Web, Larceny, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands, Abandoned, Deported and Naked Alibi. On Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
11/05/22

Arsenic and Old Lace 11/01/22

Charlie Largent wades into Frank Capra’s atypical comedy farce about the mass murder spree perpetrated by Cary Grant’s cute little old aunts, with Peter Lorre and Raymond Massey along as baleful creeps worthy of a Halloween show. It’s packed with the director’s favorite character actors, led by cute poisoners Josephine Hull and Jean Adair. And don’t forget Teddy Roosevelt’s charge up San Juan Hill. We’re told that Capra filmed it at Warners in the Fall of 1941, but it sat for three years due to a contractual hold — the play continued to run on Broadway. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/01/22

The Diamond Wizard 3-D 11/01/22

Yet another 3-D Blu-ray treat — the 3-D Film Archive restores a rare English production, an international crime tale in 3-D. Dennis O’Keefe’s T-Man helps Scotland Yard track down a gang of smugglers that kidnaps and murders to force an Atom scientist to perfect his manufacturing formula for synthetic diamonds. You know, just like the silicon chip business. The widescreen 3-D is excellent, especially in two action set pieces. Margaret Sheridan co-stars. It’s almost a premiere, as the movie was never publicly exhibited in 3-D. Kino also provides an anaglyphic encoding with a pair of red-cyan glasses as an alternate 3-D option. Plus good extras about the 3-D process. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/01/22

I, the Jury (1953) 4K + 3-D 10/29/22

Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer hit the big screen early in the 3-D craze, in a much tamed-down adaptation. The camera legend John Alton handled the lighting and likely called the shots on the camera setups as well. As a detective noir it’s definitely flat-footed, with a bum script, weak direction and a miscast Biff Elliot as the vengeful tough-guy hero. But compensating are the seductive Dran Hamilton, Margaret Sheridan and especially Peggie Castle — the key ‘dame’ in the pulp fiction finale. The United Artists release has been mostly MIA for decades, and this release presents it three ways: flat in both 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, plus a beautiful restored 3-D Blu-ray encoding. From ClassicFlix.
10/29/22

Lonelyhearts 10/29/22

Dore Schary’s post-MGM personal production is a class act in every respect — Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan and Myrna Loy are well cast in a story of intimate emotional cruelty. It’s from a play derived from Nathanael West’s soul-crushing novella, and despite the talent involved, it can’t shake the feeling of an overheated TV drama. The acting and characterizations are riveting. Young Dolores Hart is a beacon of light amid the gloom and misery, and in her first movie, Maureen Stapleton’s’ fireball of anxiety and malice all but steals the show. The fine cinematography is again by the great John Alton. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
10/29/22

Die Nackte und der Satan (The Head) 10/25/22

Another classic-era Eurohorror title has surfaced on Blu-ray. This crisp remastering of an elusive mad surgery opus is straight from the exploitation trenches of postwar Germany, and jangles plenty of nerves with its tale of crazy transplants. Partly a girlie show — most every scene involves some form of disrobing — it’s nevertheless an intriguing horror cocktail with top production values. The capable cast is really into the melodramatic shocks — it may not be Georges Franju but it’s several cuts above other ‘severed head’ epics — an insane carnival of flesh confusion that’s technically tame but truly adults-only by 1959 standards. On Blu-ray from Anolis Entertainment.
10/25/22

Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror 10/25/22

Arrow’s latest horror collection is a classy foursome of Italo chillers, in a beautifully designed gift box . . . presented with the company’s full line of extras and commentaries, we get new remasters of Lady Morgan’s Vengeance, The Blancheville Monster, The Third Eye, and The Witch, six hours of supernatural thrillers with an adult viewpoint. The stars include Gordon Mitchell, Erika Blanc, Gélrard Tichy, Franco Nero, Richard Johnson and Rosanna Schiaffino; one of the films is an adaptation of a story by Carlos Fuentes. Charlie Largent reviews; Arrow’s copy describes the films as containing madness, obsession and messed-up families! On Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
10/25/22

La Llorona (2019) 10/22/22

With human justice absent in the awful political bloodshed in Central America, Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamente finds payback in cinematic fantasy. A crooked government exonerates a genocidal general, but his estate is besieged around the clock by Mayan-Ixil Indio protesters. Into the house comes a new maid — a tiny young woman who may nevertheless wield supernatural powers. The moody art-horror show is as delicate as The Innocents or a Val Lewton chiller — horror once again becomes an excellent means to address political evil. Slow and deliberate, it reverberates with horror history without copying the classics. On Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
10/22/22

The Bat (1959) 10/22/22

This old-fashioned haunted house thriller was a moderate 1959 hit in writer-director Crane Wilbur’s creepy re-imagining. Vincent Price and Agnes Moorehead headline a time-honored tale of buried treasure and the bloodthirsty fiend who’ll stop at nothing to get his claws on it. “Predictable but light-hearted entertainment that remains ghoulish fun for the whole family.” And who can go wrong with Vinnie?  His doctor has a delicious scene with a shotgun. Charlie Largent’s review is of a new release, with new extras. On Blu-ray from The Film Detective.
10/22/22

Zerograd 10/18/22

A truly fascinating rarity from the U.S.S.R., Karen Shahknazarov’s wickedly droll satire proves that the country Reagan called an ‘Evil Empire’ was radically changing in the late 1980s. Half Kafka paranoia and partly a Valentine to American freedoms, it takes the psychological temperature of a society that just plain no longer functions. Leonid Filatov’s unflappable engineer arrives in a rural Russian town and might as well be a Soviet Alice dropped down a rabbit hole — things get crazier and crazier, and nobody wants to let him in on the cosmic joke. The weird tale’s strength is its impressive visual creativity, but it also generates an unexpected affection for its characters, nice people caught in a frustrating system. On Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile.
10/18/22

Cutter’s Way 10/18/22

Ivan Passer’s superb coda to the ’60s counterculture generation now enjoys a formidable reputation; this new Fun City Editions release packs it with terrific extras. It may have the best performances by top stars John Heard, Jeff Bridges and Lisa Eichhorn. Disaffected 30-somethings in Santa Barbara investigate a murder and then try to blackmail a corporate CEO.  Heard is the maimed, one-eyed veteran already judged unstable, Bridges the yacht bum who gets by on his good looks, and Eichhorn the most forlorn woman of the early ’80s, looking for a reason to give a damn about something. Jordan Cronenweth’s cinematography and Jack Nitzsche’s music track couldn’t be bettered; the movie deserves the place of honor granted to Easy Rider. On Blu-ray from Fun Cities Editions.

10/18/22

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) 10/15/22

Still by far the best adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson story, Paramount’s glossy pre-Code is also one of the most prestigious horror shows on record. Fredric March won an acting Oscar and it’s one of Miriam Hopkins’ best performances. The film is sexually daring and technically astute — with the help of cameraman Karl Struss director Rouben Mamoulian makes use of every cinematic trick he can conjure. The horrible Mr. Hyde is conceived as a near-simian primitive man, equating unrestrained lust and desire as something ‘society’ must repress. The disc packaging says it’s two minutes longer than the 2004 Warner DVD . . . but it’s not. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
10/15/22

Night of the Living Dead 4K 10/15/22

Anticipating new interest in one of the most influential horror films of all time, Criterion gives George Romero’s zombie classic the boost to 4K. The most famous movie to be produced in Pittsburgh returns American horror to its down-home roots, with excellent docu-drama direction and enthusiastic performances. It’s like a Disney film: every seven years a new generation will arrive to debate whether the beseiged victims should have fought upstairs, or all retreated to the basement. It’s a 3-disc set, one 4K UHD and two Blu-rays. Where’s the Bill ‘Chilly Billy’ Cardille theme song? On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
10/15/22

Mark of the Vampire 10/11/22

MGM’s remake of a Lon Chaney horror silent is a ‘class’ MGM production apparently designed to neutralize everything horrible in horror. You’ll understand when you see it: Bela Lugosi and Carroll Borland are genuinely chilling, and the show abounds in fantastic gothic imagery, much of it eerie and unexplainable . . . until they explain it. The actual star is the pompous Mr. Potter Lionel Barrymore. We do admit that — talky sections aside — there are as many classic vampire images here as in Lugosi’s original Dracula. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
10/11/22

House of Psychotic Women 10/11/22

Severin’s October offerings include this investigation of Euro-weirdness curated with academic purpose and clarity by Kier-La Janisse, evoking the name of her book from 2012. The thesis is the representation of women in filmic horror — except that in these strange experiences, hysteria transforms into a liberating form of empowerment: Identikit, I Like Bats, Footsteps and The Other Side of the Underneath. Elizabeth Tayor and Florinda Bolkan are the top stars in the collection, two of which bear the cinematography of Vittorio Storaro. The final film is a totally different, experimental experience. Ms. Janisse’s introductions connect the dots for these filmworks that envigorate and disturb. On Blu-ray from Severin Films.
10/11/22

The Raid (1954) 10/08/22

This Civil War thriller has so much truth to say about War, Patriotism and combatant-vs.-civilian terror that we can hardly believe it was released in 1954. It’s based on a true event from 1864, a daring undercover mission that hit the Union far away from the conventional fighting. Van Heflin is the vengeance-seeking advance agent, Anne Bancroft a war widow, Richard Boone a maimed Union veteran and Lee Marvin a loose cannon with a hair trigger. The anti-war message is stronger than anything from the Vietnam years!  The 20th-Fox release is not on home video, and is in great need of restoration. On Not on Home Video.
10/08/22

Creatures the World Forgot 10/08/22

Yes, it’s Hammer’s grimy rags ‘n’ rock prehistoric saga, the notorious third caveman vs. dinosaurs spectacle that has no dinosaurs, leaving the ‘creatures’ of the title as a no-show. Director Don Chaffey does his best with a screenplay that Michael Carreras must have sketched on the back of a cocktail napkin. If you like rugged terrain and dusty dirty cavemen exposed to the elements — or you’re a Hammer completist — you’ve come to the right place. On Region B Blu-ray from Powerhouse Indicator.
10/08/22

Blow Out 4K 10/04/22

CineSavant’s Charlie Largent takes on Brian De Palma’s paranoid conspiracy re-think of an Antonioni picture with an almost identical title, adding creepy touches from similar Alan Pakula and Francis Coppola chillers. Hipster sound recordist and editor John Travolta gets into the middle of a nefarious scheme mixing elements of both JFK and Teddy Kennedy; Nancy Allen is the woman who tries to help him save both their lives. Plenty of visual pyrotechnics; in 4K some of Vilmos Zsigmond’s ultra-sharp Panavision images almost look like 3-D. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
10/04/22

Barabbas 10/04/22

Richard Fleischer’s Biblical epic is a class act all the way, one of producer Dino De Laurentiis’s greatest accomplishments. Anthony Quinn’s guilty, perplexed bandit survives and subsists but never understands the import of the man crucified in his place; the view of early Christianity is respectful but free of pious clichés. It’s an excellent image of the ancient world, with gladiator scenes that are possibly the best ever. Fleisher does exceedingly well with the enormous sets and a well-chosen international cast: Ernest Borgnine, Valentina Cortese, Vittorio Gassman, Katy Jurado, Arthur Kennedy, Silvana Mangano, Jack Palance. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
10/04/22

In Bruges 4K 10/01/22

Martin McDonagh’s cult hit man feature comes to 4K looking extremely good: fans of low-key black humor and droll sentimentality, kinda-like-the-Coens, kinda-like-Tarantino, love this picture. Cute characterizations from Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson & Ralph Fiennes bring light to a ‘killers with a heart’ story. It keeps us watching to see what happens next, that’s for sure. And when’s the last time that 13th century European art and architecture figured so heavily in a mob saga?

Murder at the Vanities 10/01/22

Saucy pre-Code entertainment routinely served up risqué dialogue and edgy content like promiscuity and drug use, but Mitchell Leisen’s murder mystery goes straight for a supposed family-industry no-no: Broadway-revue near-nudity featuring Earl Carroll’s ‘Most Beautiful Girls In The World’. Victor McLaglen is an inept detective and Jack Oakie a wise-cracking impresario. Gertrude Michael and Kitty Carlisle carry the musical numbers, the most famous being an ode to the still-legal Sweet Marijuana. Showgirls like Lucille Ball possess the daring to don the skimpy costumes, even if they hadn’t yet learned what Marijuana was. Duke Ellington and his orchestra sit in for Ebony Rhapsody, a mixed-race musical number with room for ‘guest dancers from Harlem.’ On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
10/01/22

Secret of the Incas 09/27/22

Behold — it’s Indiana Jones in embryonic form. Paramount’s South American adventure exploits Peruvian scenery and the ’50s exotica phenomenon that was the unique songstress Yma Sumac. The production receives hearty input from Charlton Heston, Nicole Maurey and Thomas Mitchell, but it’s mostly a relic today. Not because the Raiders films have stolen its thunder . . . because it’s plenty hokey, even for 1954. The filmmakers did send a camera crew to the remote Andes, to film in the ‘lost city’ of Machu Picchu. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
09/27/22

Married to the Mob 09/27/22

Jonathan Demme’s mix of high spirits and murder is the best gangland satire ever. The comic tale of Mafia spouse Angela de Marco comes with an edge of economic reality: how does one newly-impoverished New Yawk widow make a living for her orphaned son, while avoiding the ‘interest’ of the slimy Big Boss who had her husband iced?  Michelle Pfeiffer came into her own, Dean Stockwell has his best adult role and Matthew Modine is uniquely charming as a clean-cut FBI agent. The supporting performances go every which way: Mercedes Ruehl, Alec Baldwin, Oliver Platt and a slew of Demme regulars. Plus a music score by David Byrne. The disc features three new video interviews. On Blu-ray from Fun City Editions.
09/27/22

George Pal Sci-fi Double Feature 09/24/22

It’s one of the year’s most awaited discs: the recent restored and remastered The War of the Worlds ’53 in a glorious 4K Ultra HD edition. A second Blu-ray disc of When Worlds Collide ’51 is too good to be called a bonus extra: this edition looks better than anything seen since original Technicolor prints. In one show we endure scurvy invaders from The Red Planet; in the other a rogue Astral Body threatens Earth with obliteration, necessitating escape on a space ship. Don’t bother checking online for tickets, the flight is sold out. CineSavant has the lowdown for collectors: how good does the new release look?  On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray + Digital from Paramount Presents.
09/24/22

Twice-Told Tales 09/24/22

United Artists substitutes Nathaniel Hawthorne for Edgar Allan Poe, but even with Vincent Price on board Sidney Salkow is no Roger Corman. Three famous tales play out: Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment, The House of the Seven Gables and the best, Rappaccini’s Daughter. Reviewer Charlie Largent sorts it all out: we like the cast, some of whom are survivors of earlier exploitation pix: Mari Blanchard, Sebastian Cabot, Richard Denning, Jacqueline deWit, Beverly Garland, Brett Halsey, Abraham Sofaer, Joyce Taylor. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
09/24/22

The Scarlet Hour 09/20/22

Producer-director Michael Curtiz’s femme fatale noir has a lot going for it — high production values, VistaVision, and new film talent in Tom Tryon, Carol Ohmart, Elaine Stritch & Jody Lawrance. Excellent location shooting and a Nat King Cole song provide authentic Los Angeles atmosphere. But the storyline is ten years out of date. The advertising promoted Ms. Ohmart as a new ’50s sex symbol. She may have caught fire, but the show didn’t. On Blu-ray from Viavision [Imprint].
09/20/22

Rain (1932) 09/20/22

The effort to restore neglected films doesn’t get more rewarding than this 4K rebirth of Lewis Milestone’s version of the acclaimed Somerset Maugham story. Loaned from MGM, Joan Crawford tries on the role of Sadie Thompson and holds her own opposite Walter Huston’s fire & brimstone preacher. It’s still a major achievement of the pre-Code era, an adult story that doesn’t water down its ‘dangerous’ themes: it’s exactly the kind of show that the censors didn’t want made. On Blu-ray from Mary Pickford Foundation / VCI.
09/20/22

Elvis 4K 09/17/22

CineSavant reviewer Charlie Largent is back in action, swingin’ and a shakin’ & rockin’ and a rollin’. The subject is Baz Luhrmann’s gaudy, circus-like Elvis Presley biopic, which stars Austin Butler as the pelvic title idol but gives equal emphasis to Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Tom Parker, the Machiavellian manager who spelled ‘Elvis’ as A-T-M. The deluxe 4K presentation reveals a carefully orchestrated riot of moods and colors — Lurid Luhrmann may be creatively scattered but this is a good-looking show. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
09/17/22