Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF January 30th, 2012
  This Week's Highlights
Eleat awoh - A couple more Best-picture winners to Blu-ray this week. Minghella, Spike Lee, Norman Jewison, Fernando Di Leo, - Antonioni on DVD.. Added to our calendar we have David Cronenberg, Luchino Visconti, Antonioni, classic Noir from Billy Wilder, vintage Alfred Hitchcock, Leo McCarey,  Mizoguchi, Cimino and more... plus our CONTEST clip with another brand new Criterion Blu-ray prize!

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DVD and Blu-ray of the Year 2011

 
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Today's DVD & Blu-rays (Amazon)

Blu-rays Under $10 (Amazon)

Blu-rays Under £6 (Amazon UK)

Blu-rays Under £10 (Amazon UK)

Movies & TVs (Amazon Canada)

LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE RELEASE CALENDAR:

A Dangerous Method [Blu-ray] (David Cronenberg, 2011) Sony Pictures

Bellissima (Luchino Visconti, 1951) E1 Entertainment

Chung Kuo China (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1972) - US Mr Bongo

The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942) Warner

Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials - Shout! Factory

Columbus Circle [Blu-ray] (George Gallo, 2010) Universal Studios

La Terra Trema (Luchino Visconti, 1948) E1 Entertainment

Roger Corman's Cult Classics: The Nurses Collection (Candy Stripe Nurses, Private Duty Nurses, Night Call Nurses, Young Nurses) Shout! Factory

The Terrorists [Blu-ray] (Caspar Wrede, 1974) Anchor Bay

Crime After Crime (Yoav Potash, 2011) Virgil Films

Dark Shadows: Complete Original Series - MPI

Titanic [Blu-ray] (Jean Negulesco, 1953) 20th Century Fox

Confucius [Blu-ray] (Mei Hu, 2010) Funimation

Virgin Witch (Remastered Edition) [Blu-ray] (Ray Austin, 1972) Redemption

Requiem for the Damned [Blu-ray] (Johnny Bones, 2011) Hannover House

4 Movie Marathon: James Stewart Western Collection (Bend of the River / The Far Country / Night Passage / The Rare Breed) Universal Studios

Double Indemnity [Blu-ray] (Billy Wilder, 1944) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Double Indemnity [Blu-ray] Steelbook (Billy Wilder, 1944) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Lifeboat [Blu-ray] (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944) RB UK Masters of Cinema
Lifeboat [Blu-ray] Steelbook (Alfred Hitchcock, 1944) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Ugetsu monogatari [Blu-ray] (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953) RB Masters of Cinema

Sansho Dayu [Blu-ray] (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954) RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Lost Weekend [Blu-ray] (Billy Wilder, 1945) RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Lost Weekend [Blu-ray] Steelbook (Billy Wilder, 1945) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Ruggles of Red Gap [Blu-ray] (Leo McCarey, 1935) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Island of Lost Souls [Blu-ray] (Erle C. Kenton, 1932) RB UK Masters of Cinema
Island of Lost Souls [Blu-ray] Steelbook (Erle C. Kenton, 1932) RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Deer Hunter [Blu-ray] (Michael Cimino, 1978) Universal

Harvey [Blu-ray] (Henry Koster, 1950) Universal

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers [Blu-ray] (Lewis Milestone, 1946) Film Chest

The Red House [Blu-ray] (Delmer Davis, 1947) Film Chest

The River [Blu-ray] (Jean Renoir, 1951) FB FR

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): Minghella's Cold Mountain and The English Patient are ravishing epics - films that were meant for the higher resolution format. Speaking of epics - Spike Lee's Malcolm X is an incredible Blu-ray package of historical importance. For those who aren't aware the Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection have merit beyond their earthy crime-drama kitsch. The Blu-rays are easily worth of $4 increase over the SDs. I enjoyed the new version of The Thing - a highly competent prelude to John Carpenter's cult classic. Shakespeare in Love remains a satisfying romp - in glorious 1080P at a giveaway price. As most films fans are aware Norman Jewison doesn't make bad films and A Soldier's Story is another triumph. On DVD still no improvement for Antonioni's Story of a Love Affair - Eric covers the UK miniseries Who Pays the Ferryman?. Have a super week!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

Who Pays the Ferryman? - After the board of his boat-building company outvotes him on a buyout from another company, Alan Haldane (Jack Hedley, NEW YORK RIPPER) retires and decides to visit Crete in search of Melina, the woman he loved while stationed there during WWII. Alan's war buddy, Babis (Neil McCarthy, WHERE EAGLES DARE) receives him coldly and informs him that Melina died four years before. Alan reveals that he wrote to Melina, but Babis tells her that she never received any letters from him. Babis reveals to Alan that Melina was pregnant with Alan's child and that he helped her write a letter to him, but Alan swears he never received it. Babis tells Alan that another fellow soldier guessed Melina's dilemma and took responsibility with her parents and married her (only to be killed in combat a few years later). Although Babis is reluctant to tell him any more, Alan wants to meet his daughter Elena even if he can't reveal his true identity to her. DVD Release Date: February 20th, 2012

The Thing (2011) BD - Paleontologist Kate Lloyd has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. Joining a Norwegian... scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, she discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about to wake up. When a simple experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate must join the crew's pilot, Carter, to keep it from killing them off one at a time. And in this vast, intense land, a parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish. Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012

Malcolm X BD - Filmmaker Spike Lee, star Denzel Washington (the New York, Boston and Chicago Film Critics' choice as 1992's Best Actor) and other talents vividly portray the life and times of the visionary leader. "One of the decade's best and most important films." (Arch Campbell, WRC-TV/Washington D.C.) One of the most charismatic and politically controversial voices in history, Malcolm X burst into the public consciousness with a radical perspective on race relations in America. His inspiring and enlightening ideologies touched and continue to influence the lives of millions. The New York Film Critic's Circle awarded Denzel Washington Best Actor for his role in what Newsday calls "an extraordinary movie...powerful and compelling. Denzel Washington's performance is a tour de force!" Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012

A Soldier's Story BD - Tensions flare in this gripping film about a murder on a black army base near the end of World War II. Captain Davenport (Howard E. Rollins, Jr.), a proud black army attorney, is sent to Fort Neal, Louisiana, to investigate the ruthless shooting death of Sergeant Waters (Adolph Caesar). Through interviews with Sarge's men, Davenport learns that he was a vicious man who served the white world and despised his own roots. Was the killer a bigoted white officer? Or could he have been a black soldier embittered by Waters' constant race baiting? Directed by Norman Jewison from Charles Fuler's Pulitzer Prize- winning play, A Soldier's Story is both a spellbinding mystery and a superb drama that transcends race. Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012

Shakespeare in Love BD - In this well-conceived Elizabethan comedy, writers Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman ask the question: Who was William Shakespeare's muse? The answer: Viola de Lesseps, a young noblewoman who dreams of acting on a man's stage. The screenwriters deliver a cleverly crafted scenario which beautifully illustrates both the early aspirations of the playwright, and a glimpse into the culture of Elizabethan theater. Colourful characters, like the Globe theater owner Henslow (played by Geoffrey Rush), the lead player in the troupe (Ben Affleck), and the Queen herself (Judi Dench), give the cast charm, wit, and feasibility. The young playwright who at the start of the film is experiencing writer's block bursts forth with a lyrical text inspired by the lovely and passionate Viola. Ultimately this film is about the making of a great play, but most importantly it is about the power of words. Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012

Story of a Love Affair - A rich older man's belated desire to investigate his beautiful willful young wife' mysterious past reignites old passions with tragic consequences. For those viewers who are uncertain of Antonioni's capacity to make enjoyably great films, this may be a revelation especially if you have a penchant for post-WW2 film noir with its attendant malaise and melancholia. With suitable B&W photography and accompanying musical score and boasting one of the screen's great beauties, Lucia Bose, in her prime, this film is a masterpiece. DVD Release Date: February 7th, 2012

Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection BD - The inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s early films, Fernando Di Leo is the master of garish, intricately plotted, ultra-violent stories about pimps and petty gangsters who perfects the genre with an uncanny accuracy. For the first time digitally restored and remastered in collaboration with the Venice Film Festival, 4 of Fernando Di Leo’s masterpieces in one box set. Mr. Di Leo's characters are compulsive social animals, surrounded by friends, family and sexually aggressive women. Includes CALIBER 9, THE ITALIAN CONNECTION, THE BOSS, and RULERS OF THE CITY. Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012

Cold Mountain BD - As he did with “The English Patient,” director Minghella performs a miraculous juggling act, balancing his epic, sweeping story with the subtleties of character and detail that make “Cold Mountain” breathe. We feel the unsettled tension seething inside of Inman, as he ponders whether Ada will even recognize his weathered skin, let alone accept him as her soul mate. Comedy relief is embodied by Philip Seymour Hoffman as a disgraced, lusty clergyman, and a similar lightness shines forth courtesy Brendan Gleeson as Ruby’s cheerful, fiddle-toting father. Even minor supporting roles such as Charlie Hunnam as a villainous, acrobatic albino flavor this cinematic potion with added vitality and depth. Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012

The English Patient BD - Anthony Minghella wrote and directed this award-winning adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel about a doomed and tragic romance set against the backdrop of World War II. In a field hospital in Italy, Hana (Juliette Binoche), a nurse from Canada, is caring for a pilot who was horribly burned in a plane wreck; he has no identification and cannot remember his name, so he's known simply as "the English Patient," thanks to his accent. When the hospital is forced to evacuate, Hana determines en route that the patient shouldn't be moved far due to his fragile condition, so the two are left in a monastery to be picked up later. In time, Hana begins to piece together the patient's story from the shards of his memories... Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012

 

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

January 30th, 2012

 

Adaptation [Blu-ray] (Spike Jonze, 2002) Image Entertainment

Cleopatra [Blu-ray] (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1963) RB UK 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Cold Mountain [Blu-ray] (Anthony Minghella, 2003) Miramax Lionsgate (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Double [Blu-ray] (Michael Brandt, 2011) Image Entertainment

Drive [Blu-ray] (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011) Sony

Drive [Blu-ray] (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011) RB UK Icon Home Entertainment

Dream House [Blu-ray] (Jim Sheridan, 2011) Universal Studios

The English Patient [Blu-ray] (Anthony Minghella, 1996) Miramax Lionsgate (BEAVER REVIEW)

Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection [Blu-ray] - Caliber 9 (1972), The Italian Connection (1972), The Boss (1973) and Rulers of the City (1976) - Entertainment One (BEAVER REVIEW)

Four Flies On Grey Velvet [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1971) RB UK Shameless

Frida [Blu-ray] (Julie Taymor, 2002) Miramax Lionsgate

Grand Canyon [Blu-ray] (Lawrence Kasdan, 1991) Anchor Bay/Starz

The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942) Warner (BEAVER REVIEW)

Malcolm X [Blu-ray] (Spike Lee, 1992) Warner Home Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Mill and the Cross [Blu-ray] (Lech Majewski, 2011) Kino

Night Train Murders [Blu-ray] (Aldo Lado, 1975) Blue Underground (BEAVER REVIEW)

Nothing in Common [Blu-ray] (Garry Marshall, 1986) Image Entertainment

Outrage [Blu-ray] (Takeshi Kitano, 2010) Magnolia

The Piano [Blu-ray] (Jane Campion, 1993) Lions Gate (BEAVER REVIEW)

Rolling Thunder [Blu-ray] (John Flynn, 1977) RB UK Optimum Home

Shakespeare in Love [Blu-ray] (John Madden, 1998) Miramax Lionsgate (BEAVER REVIEW)

A Soldier's Story [Blu-ray] (Norman Jewison, 1984) Image Entertainment (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Thing [Blu-ray] (Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., 2011) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Tin Drum [Blu-ray] (Volker Schlöndorff, 1979) RB UK Arrow (BEAVER REVIEW)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Ltd Edition Blu-ray Steelbook) (Tomas Alfredson, 2011) RB UK Optimum

To Kill a Mockingbird [Blu-ray] 50th Anniversary Special Edition (Robert Mulligan, 1962) Universal Studios (BEAVER REVIEW)

To Kill a Mockingbird [Blu-ray] (Robert Mulligan, 1962) Universal Studios (BEAVER REVIEW)

Win Win [Blu-ray] (Thomas McCarthy, 2011) RB UK 20th Century Fox

 

 

February 6th, 2011

 

Casino Royale [Blu-ray] (Ken Hughes, John Huston etc., 1967) MGM

China Girl [Blu-ray] (Abel Ferrara, 1987) [Blu-ray] RB FR Inconnu

Dangerous Liaisons [Blu-ray] (Stephen Frears, 1988) Warner Home Video

The Deadly Spawn [Blu-ray] (Douglas McKeown, 1983) Elite Entertainment

The Elephant in the Living Room [Blu-ray] (Michael Webber, 2010) First Look

Garden State [Blu-ray] (Zach Braff, 2004) RB UK Optimum

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World [Blu-ray] (Stanley Kramer, 1963) MGM

Lady and the Tramp [Blu-ray] (Clyde Geronimi, 1955) Disney

Love Story [Blu-ray] (Arthur Hiller, 1970) Paramount

La Jetee/Sans Soleil [Blu-ray] (Chris Marker) Criterion

October (Diego Vega Vidal, 2010) New Yorker Films

On The Bowery - The Films of Lionel Rogosin, Vol. 1 [Blu-ray] (Lionel Rogosin, 1956) Milestone

Sleeping Beauty [Blu-ray] (Julia Leigh, 2011) RB UK Revolver Entertainment

A Star is Born [Blu-ray] (William A. Wellman, 1937) Kino

Story of a Love Affair: 2-Disc Special Edition (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1950) Lorber (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Sunset Limited [Blu-ray] (Tommy Lee Jones, 2011) HBO Studios

The Woman with the 5 Elephants (Vadim Jendreyko, 2009) Cinema Guild

 

February 13th, 2011

 

388 Arletta Avenue [Blu-ray] (Randall Cole, 2011) RB UK Optimum

All Quiet on the Western Front [Blu-ray (Lewis Milestone, 1930) Universal

The Big Trail [Blu-ray] (Raoul Walsh, 1930) RB FR

Boeing Boeing [Blu-ray] (John Rich, 1965) Olive Films

Elite Squad [Blu-ray] (José Padilha, 2007) New Video Group

The Geisha Boy [Blu-ray] (Frank Tashlin, 1958) Olive Films

The Getting of Wisdom (Bruce Beresford, 1978) R2 UK Contemporary Films

The Lorax [Blu-ray] (Hawley Pratt, 1972) Warner

Mozart's Sister [Blu-ray] (Rene Feret, 2011) Music Box Films

Rock-a-Bye Baby [Blu-ray] (Frank Tashlin, 1958) Olive Films

Take Shelter [Blu-ray] (Jeff Nichols, 2011) Sony

Tales From the Golden Age (Cristian Mungiu, 2009) Zeitgeist Films

The Theo Angelopoulos Collection Vol 3 - The Suspended Step of the Stork (1991) Ulysses' Gaze (1995) Eternity and a Day (1998) The Weeping Meadow (2004) and The Dust of Time (2008) - R2 UK Artificial Eye

Three Outlaw Samurai (Hideo Gosha, 1964) Criterion
 Three Outlaw Samurai [Blu-ray] (Hideo Gosha, 1964) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Tiny Furniture (Lena Dunham, 2010) Criterion
 Tiny Furniture [Blu-ray] (Lena Dunham, 2010) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

We Need to Talk About Kevin [Blu-ray] (Lynne Ramsay, 2011) RB UK Artificial Eye

Woody Allen: A Documentary (Robert Weide, 2011) Docudrama

 

February 20th, 2012

 

Anatomy of a Murder (Otto Preminger, 1959) Criterion
 Anatomy of a Murder [Blu-ray] (Otto Preminger, 1959) Criterion

Blank City (Celine Danhier, 2010) Lorber Films

Contagion [Blu-ray] (Steven Soderbergh, 2011) Region Free DE Warner (BEAVER REVIEW)

Fort Apache [Blu-ray] (John Ford, 1948) Warner

La grande illusion [Blu-ray] (Jean Renoir, 1937) RB FR StudioCanal

Her Private Hell [Blu-ray] (Norman J. Warren, 1968) RB UK BFI

The Insect Woman/ Nishi-Ginza Station [Blu-ray] (Shohei Imamura) - Dual Format RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Invisible Man - Complete Series [Blu-ray] (Steven Bochco, Harve Bennett, 1975) First Look

J. Edgar [Blu-ray] (Clint Eastwood, 2011) Warner

Kansas City Confidential / The Stranger (Karlson / Welles) [Blu-ray] - Film Chest Inc.

Martha Marcy May Marlene [Blu-ray] (Sean Durkin, 2011) 20th Century Fox

Puss in Boots [Blu-ray] (Chris Miller, 2011) DreamWorks

Puzzle of a Downfall Child [Blu-ray] (Jerry Schatzberg, 1970) RB FR Carlotta

Repo Man [Blu-ray] (Alex Cox, 1984) RB UK Masters of Cinema (BEAVER REVIEW)

Repo Man [Blu-ray] (LTD Edition Steelbook) (Alex Cox, 1984) RB UK Masters of Cinema (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Student Comedies (The Ozu Collection) - Days of Youth, 1929, I Flunked, But... 1930, The Lady and the Beard, 1931, Where Now are the Dreams of Youth, 1932 - R2 UK BFI

To Be or Not to Be [Blu-ray] (Ernst Lubitsch, 1942) RB FR StudioCanal

Underdog: The Complete Series - Shout! Factory

The Way [Blu-ray] (Emilio Estevez, 2011) ARC Entertainment

Who Pays the Ferryman? (Michael J. Bird, 1977) R2 UK Eureka Entertainment (BEAVER REVIEW)

World on a Wire (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1973) Criterion
 World on a Wire [Blu-ray] (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1973) Criterion

The Yellow Sea [Blu-ray] (AKA The Murderer) (Hong-jin Na, 2010) RB UK Masters of Cinema
     
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