Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF February 11th, 2013
  This Week's Highlights
Haileo! - Fighting illness and technical difficulties this past week we still have three Criterions, Fritz Lang, Elia Kazan and a couple more. On the upcoming Calendar listing we have a mess of new films coming to Blu-ray by the likes of Robert Bresson, Roberto Rossellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Peter Jackson, Hal Hartley, Ang Lee, Anthony Asquith, Michael Mann, Brian De Palma and more. We continue with our CONTEST of the week with the prize of a Warner Blu-ray of Easter Parade.

DVDBeaver's eBay store HERE has 18 new listings - check them out

 

FEATURE Blu-ray and DVD chosen for February!

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February 11th CONTEST  identify the clip on the CONTEST PAGE to win a Warner Blu-ray of Easter Parade

 
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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:

Au hasard Balthazar [Blu-ray] (Robert Bresson, 1966) RB UK Artificial Eye

Mouchette [Blu-ray] (Robert Bresson, 1967) RB UK Artificial Eye

Stromboli [Blu-ray] (Roberto Rossellini, 1950) RB UK BFI

Alfred Hitchcock: The Classic Collection [Blu-ray] (Notorious, Rebecca, Spellbound) MGM (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)   (BEAVER REVIEW)

Life of Pi [Blu-ray] (Ang Lee, 2012) Fox

Theorem [Blu-ray] (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1968) RB UK BFI

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Limited Edition Steelbook (Exclusive to Amazon.co.uk) [Blu-ray + UV Copy] (Peter Jackson, 2012) [Region Free] UK Warner

The Unbelievable Truth [Blu-ray] (Hal Hartley, 1989) RB UK Artificial Eye

Amateur [Blu-ray] (Hal Hartley, 1994) RB UK Artificial Eye

Lore [Blu-ray] (Cate Shortland, 2012) RB UK Artificial Eye

Life of Pi - Limited Edition Steelbook (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + UV Copy) (Ang Lee, 2012) RB UK 20th Century Fox

The Big Picture [Blu-ray] (Eric Lartigau, 2010) MPI

Hyde Park on Hudson [Blu-ray] (Roger Michell, 2012) Universal

The Burning [Blu-ray] (Tony Maylam, 1981) Shout! Factory

Sommersby [Blu-ray] (Jon Amiel, 1993) Warner Home Video

The Impossible [Blu-ray] (Juan Antonio Bayona, 2012) Summit Ent.

Chronicle of a Summer [Blu-ray] (Edgar Morin, Jean Rouch, 1961) RB UK BFI

Jurassic Park (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (Steven Spielberg, 1993) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Monsters, Inc. (Three-Disc Collector's Edition: Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (Pete Docter, 2001)Disney

Masterpiece Classic: Mr. Selfridge [Blu-ray] (2013) PBS

Underground [Blu-ray] (Anthony Asquith, 1929) RB UK BFI

The Insider [Blu-ray] (Michael Mann, 1999) Touchstone

The Intouchables [Blu-ray] (Olivier Nakache, 2012) Sony Pictures

Spider Baby [Blu-ray] (Jack Hill, 1968) RB UK Arrow Video

Blow Out [Blu-ray] Steelbook (Brian De Palma, 1981) RB UK Arrow Video

Foxy Brown [Blu-ray] Steelbook (Jack Hill, 1974) RB UK Arrow Video

Zeta One (aka The Love Factor): Remastered Edition [Blu-ray] (Michael Cort, 1969) Redemption

Gorgo [Blu-ray] (Eugene Lourie, 1961) VCI

Rolling Thunder [Blu-ray] (John Flynn, 1977) Shout! Factory

Captain America [Blu-ray] (Albert Pyun, 1990) Shout! Factory

The Town That Dreaded Sundown Blu-ray] (Charles B. Pierce, 1976) Shout! Factory

Marvin's Room [Blu-ray] (Jerry Zaks, 1996) Miramax

Spiders (3D/2D Blu-ray) (Tibor Takács, 2012) Millennium

Skyfall [Blu-ray] (Sam Mendes, 2012) Twentieth Century Fox

In Another Country (Sang-soo Hong, 2012) Lorber Films

Night Tide: Remastered Edition [Blu-ray] (Curtis Harrington, 1961) Kino

Heaven [Blu-ray] (Tom Tykwer, 2002) MiraMax

The Grifters [Blu-ray] (Stephen Frears, 1990) MiraMax

Jurassic Park 3D [Blu-ray] (Steven Spielberg, 1993) Universal

Ship of Fools / Lilith (Double Feature) [Blu-ray] (Stanley Kramer, 1965) Mill Creek

Elena [Blu-ray] (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2011) RB UK New Wave Films

Late Bloomers [Blu-ray] (Julie Gavras, 2011) Olive Films

The Dynamiter (Matthew Gordon, 2011) Film Movement

Looks and Smiles (Ken Loach, 1981) R2 UK Park Circus

Fatherland (Ken Loach, 1986) R2 UK Park Circus

Living Apart Together (Charles Gormley, 1982) R2 UK Park Circus

My Name Is Joe (Ken Loach, 1998) R2 UK Park Circus
 

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): Short and sweet - Criterion's Blu-ray package of Kazan's On the Waterfront may be regarded as one of the best of the year - a very easy recommendation. Elena is the real deal - brilliant and a very worthwhile Blu-ray purchase. Fritz Lang's Ministry of Fear is an enigma but Criterion's new 1080P transfer certainly bolstered my appreciation. Quintessential Drive-in fun The Blob gets a Criterion Blu-ray treatment and retains its inherent 50's charm. Pete Walker's Die Screaming, Marianne is a pass for most - but a few may be intrigued by Susan George's goofy Go-go dancing. Enjoy your week!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

Ministry of Fear BD - Suffused with dread and paranoia, this Fritz Lang adaptation of a novel by Graham Greene (The Third Man) is a plunge into the eerie shadows of a world turned upside down by war. En route to London after being released from a mental institution, Stephen Neale (The Lost Weekend’s Ray Milland) stops at a seemingly innocent village fair, after which he finds himself caught in the web of a sinister underworld with possible Nazi connections. Lang was among the most illustrious of the European émigré filmmakers working in Hollywood during World War II, and Ministry of Fear is one of his finest American productions, an unpredictable thriller with style to spare. Blu-ray Release Date: March 12th, 2013

The Blob BD - A cult classic of gooey greatness, The Blob follows the havoc wreaked on a small town by an outer-space monster with neither soul nor vertebrae, with Steve McQueen playing the rebel teen who tries to warn the residents about the jellylike invader. Strong performances and ingenious special effects help The Blob transcend the schlock sci-fi and youth delinquency genres from which it originates. Made outside of Hollywood by a maverick film distributor and a crew whose credits mostly comprised religious and educational shorts, The Blob helped launch the careers of McQueen and composer Burt Bacharach, whose bouncy title song is just one of this film’s many unexpected pleasures. Blu-ray Release Date: March 12th, 2013

Elena BD - The corrupting power of money runs through the veins of this superb Russian film like formaldehyde flowing through a corpse. The story has an eerie, powerful simplicity: a well-meaning former nurse from a modest background, Elena (Nadezhda Markina), lives with her wealthy husband, Vladimir (Andrey Smirnov), in a luxury, modern home. Her penniless son from her first marriage, Sergei (Aleksey Rozin), wants money for his son’s schooling, but Vladimir is uninterested: he controls their finances with a calm, iron will. His own virtually estranged and difficult daughter, Katerina (Elena Lyadova), from his earlier marriage is a drain on his emotions already. When Vladimir falls ill, and questions of inheritance arise, Elena must act to secure her future. Blu-ray Release date: February 11th, 2013

Die Screaming, Marianne BD - The first horror film from notorious British director Pete Walker, this is a brutal but rather pedestrian pulp thriller about a fetching young go-go dancer (Susan George, in her first starring role) who is stalked in and around an isolated house by ruthless assassins determined to prevent her from reaching her 21st birthday. It seems Marianne is in line for a sizable inheritance from the man she claims is her father -- a crooked magistrate whose career is threatened by her very existence. As if that weren't enough, knowledge of the girl's newfound wealth inspires a team of would-be kidnappers who show up at the villa to beef up the body count. Fans of Walker's blood-drenched thrillers might detect a glimmer of burgeoning talent here, but the suspense is hampered by a clunky script and silly dialogue, and the lovely George is probably just warming up for the following year's Straw Dogs. Also known as Die Beautiful, Marianne. Blu-ray Release date: February 12th, 2013

On the Waterfront BD - Marlon Brando gives the performance of his career as the tough prizefighter-turned-longshoreman Terry Malloy in this masterpiece of urban poetry. A raggedly emotional tale of individual failure and social corruption, On the Waterfront follows Terry’s deepening moral crisis as he must decide whether to remain loyal to the mob-connected union boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) and Johnny’s right-hand man, Terry’s brother, Charley (Rod Steiger), as the authorities close in on them. Driven by the vivid, naturalistic direction of Elia Kazan and savory, streetwise dialogue by Budd Schulberg, On the Waterfront was an instant sensation, winning eight Oscars, including for best picture, director, actor, supporting actress (Eva Marie Saint), and screenplay. Blu-ray Release date: February 19th, 2013
 

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

February 11th, 2013

 

Bully [Blu-ray] (Lee Hirsch, 2011) Weinstein

Die Screaming, Marianne: Remastered Edition [Blu-ray] (Pete Walker, 1971) Redemption (BEAVER REVIEW)

Elena (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2011) R2 UK New Wave Films

Elena [Blu-ray] (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2011) RB UK New Wave Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Ginger & Rosa [Blu-ray] (Sally Potter, 2012) RB UK Artificial Eye

The Kid with a Bike [Blu-ray] (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, 2011) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Kid with a Bike (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, 2011) Criterion

The Lickerish Quartet [Blu-ray] (Radley Metzger, 1970) RB UK Arrow Films

Midnight Son (Scott Leberecht, 2011) R2 UK NTSC Eureka Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

Score [Blu-ray] (Radley Metzger, 1974) RB UK Arrow Film

Skyfall [Blu-ray] (Sam Mendes, 2012) Twentieth Century Fox

 

 

February 18th, 2012

 

Argo [Blu-ray] (Ben Affleck, 2012) Warner Home Video (BEAVER REVIEW)

Best in Show [Blu-ray] (Christopher Guest, 2000) Warner

Easter Parade [Blu-ray] (Charles Walters, 1948) Warner (BEAVER REVIEW)

Highlander II: The Quickening [Blu-ray] (Russell Mulcahy, 1991) Olive Films

Innocent Bystanders [Blu-ray] (Peter Collinson, 1972) Olive Films

The Insider [Blu-ray] (Michael Mann, 1999) Touchstone

Julius Caesar [Blu-ray] (Stuart Burge, 1970) Olive Films

Live Nude Girls [Blu-ray] (Julianna Lavin, 1995) Olive Films

Les Misérables [Blu-ray] (Jean-Paul Le Chanois, 1958) Olive Films

The Monster Squad [Blu-ray] (Fred Dekker, 1987) Olive Films

Monsters, Inc. (Three-Disc Collector's Edition: Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) (Pete Docter, 2001)Disney

The Nest (BluRay/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray] (Terence H. Winkless, 1988) Shout! Factory (BEAVER REVIEW)

Night of the Demons 2 [Blu-ray] (Brian Trenchard-Smith, 1994) Olive Films

On the Waterfront [Blu-ray] (Elia Kazan, 1954) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954) Criterion

Petit Nicolas (Laurent Tirard, 2009) R2 UK Soda Pictures

Prison [Blu-ray] (Renny Harlin, 1988) Shout! Factory

The Running Man [Blu-ray] (Paul Michael Glaser, 1987) Olive Films

Seeds of Destruction [Blu-ray] (Paul Ziller, 2011) Anchor Bay

The Terminator [Blu-ray] (James Cameron, 1984) MGM

TerrorVision / The Video Dead [Blu-ray] - Shout! Factory

That Cold Day in the Park [Blu-ray] (Robert Altman, 1969) Olive Films

The Thief of Bagdad [Blu-ray] (Raoul Walsh, 1924) Cohen Media Group

 

 

 

February 25th, 2013

 

A Simple Life [Blu-ray] (Ann Hui, 2011) Well Go USA (BEAVER REVIEW)

Babette's Feast [Blu-ray] (Gabriel Axel, 1987) RB UK Artificial Eye

Beyond the Clouds (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1995) Olive Films

Chronicle of a Summer [Blu-ray] (Edgar Morin, Jean Rouch, 1961) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Chronicle of a Summer (Edgar Morin, Jean Rouch, 1961) Criterion

City of Women [Blu-ray] (Federico Fellini, 1980) RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Claire Denis Collection - R2 UK Artificial Eye

The Diary of a Chambermaid [Blu-ray] (Jean Renoir, 1946) Olive Films

The Eye of the Storm [Blu-ray] (Fred Schepisi, 2011) Sycamore

Holy Motors [Blu-ray] (Leos Carax , 2012) Indomina

Lady for a Night [Blu-ray] (Leigh Jason, 1942) Olive Films

The Master [Blu-ray] (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) Weinstein

McCullin [Blu-ray] (David Morris, Jacqui Morris, 2013) RB UK Artificial Eye

Monsieur Gangster [Blu-ray] (Georges Lautner, 1963) Olive Films

My Name Is Joe (Ken Loach, 1998) R2 UK Park Circus

Nanook of the North / The Wedding of Palo (and Other Films of Arctic Life) [Blu-ray] - Flicker Alley

A New Life [Blu-ray] (Alan Alda, 1988) Olive Films

La poison [Blu-ray] (Sacha Guitry, 1951) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Onibaba [Blu-ray] (Kaneto Shindô, 1964) RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Red Menace [Blu-ray] (R.G. Springsteen, 1949) Olive Films

Sansho the Bailiff [Blu-ray] (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

She Devil [Blu-ray] (Kurt Neumann, 1957) Olive Films

A Simple Life [Blu-ray] (Ann Hui, 2011) Well Go USA

Spy Vs Spy [Blu-ray] (Georges Lautner, 1964) Olive Films

Strangers in the Night [Blu-ray] (Anthony Mann, 1944) Olive Films

 

 

March 4th, 2012

 

Argo [Blu-ray] (Ben Affleck, 2012) UK Region FREE Warner (BEAVER REVIEW)

College [Blu-ray] (James W. Horne, 1927) Kino Lorber

The Intouchables [Blu-ray] (Olivier Nakache, 2012) Sony Pictures

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (David Gelb, 2011) R2 UK Soda Pictures

Phantasm II [Blu-ray] (Don Coscarelli, 1988) Shout! Factory

Schindler's List [Blu-ray] (Steven Spielberg, 1993) Universal

Waiting for Lightning [Blu-ray] (Jacob Rosenberg, 2012) First Run Features

Westworld [Blu-ray] (Michael Crichton, 1973) Warner

Wreck-It Ralph [Blu-ray] (Rich Moore, 2012) Buena Vista

 
     
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