Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF February 18th, 2019

  This Week's Highlights
 
 

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Another slow review week with inclement weather delaying screener delivery but we are working on a massive article on Japanese Cinema - stay tuned! We have reviews of Blu-rays by Kino, Eureka, Universal... of films directed by Richard Attenborough, Joshua Logan, John Farrow with such stars as Maureen O’Hara, Cliff Robertson, Anthony Hopkins, Kim Novak, Debra Winger, William Holden, Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah, Claire Bloom, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze  our Calendar has this week's updates of films-to-Blu-ray, including including work by Edgar G. Ulmer, Joseph Pevney, Bill Morrison, Michael Cimino, Anthony Mann, Robert Bresson, Wim Wenders, Ridley Scott, René Clément, Henry King, Billy Wilder, James Ivory, Charlton Heston, Blake Edwards, Terence Young, Enzo G. Castellari, Rouben Mamoulian and more. We also have our Feature Blu-ray posted for FEBRUARY Enjoy!!

LISTING PAGES:

Discs of the Year for 2018, The TOP 100 DISCS, Ingmar Bergman's Cinema, HAGSPloitation, BLAXPloitation, OZPloitation, 'WOMEN IN PRISON' CINEMACREATURE-FEATURES (on Blu-ray!), PRE-CODE FILMs (on Blu-ray!), SILENT ERA FILMs (on Blu-ray!), HAMMER Studios (on Blu-ray!) The 100 BEST Neo-Noirs (on Blu-ray!), The GREATEST 100 Westerns (on Blu-ray!), Giallo on Blu-ray!, ESSENTIAL NOIR on Blu-ray!, Shopping Guide for Blu-rays at Amazon.FR (France), Shopping Guide for Blu-rays at Amazon.DE (Germany) and our LATEST ARTICLES: Movies From... the End of the World The Beauties of Star Trek (TOS)

Feature Blu-ray chosen for the Month of FEBRUARY!

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LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE RELEASE CALENDAR:

Detour [Blu-ray] (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945) RB UK Criterion

Bend of the River [Blu-ray] (Anthony Mann, 1952) Kino

Fantomas 1960s Collection (Fantomas / Fantomas Unleashed / Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard) [Blu-ray] (André Hunebelle, 1964-1967) Kino

The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire [Blu-ray] (Riccardo Freda, 1971) RB UK Arrow

The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire [Blu-ray] (Riccardo Freda, 1971) Arrow Video US

The Strange Door [Blu-ray] (Joseph Pevney, 1951) Kino

The House of the Seven Gables [Blu-ray] (Joe May, 1940) Kino

Dawson City: Frozen Time [Blu-ray] (Bill Morrison, 2016) RB UK Second Run

Wheels on Meals [Blu-ray] (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, 1984) RB UK Eureka

The Virgin Soldiers [Blu-ray] (John Dexter, 1969) RB UK Indicator

Immaculate Conception [Blu-ray] (Jamil Dehlavi, 1992) RB UK Indicator

Year of the Dragon [Blu-ray] (Michael Cimino, 1985) Warner Archive

A Dandy in Aspic [Blu-ray] (Anthony Mann, Laurence Harvey, 1968) RB UK Indicator

The Triple Echo [Blu-ray] (Michael Apted, 1972) RB UK Indicator

Au Hasard Balthazar [Blu-ray] (Robert Bresson, 1966) Criterion UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman [Blu-ray] (Entire Collection - 9 discs) RB UK Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Submergence [Blu-ray] (Wim Wenders, 2017) RB UK Lionsgate

Alien [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Ridley Scott, 1979) Region Free UK 20th Century Fox

Rider on the Rain [Blu-ray] (René Clément, 1970) Kino

The Song of Bernadette [Blu-ray] (Henry King, 1943) RB UK Eureka

The White Reindeer [Blu-ray] (Erik Blomberg, 1952) RB UK Eureka

One, Two, Three [Blu-ray] (Billy Wilder, 1961) RB UK Eureka

Heat and Dust [Blu-ray] (James Ivory, 1983) RB UK BFI

Shakespeare-Wallah [Blu-ray] (James Ivory, 1965) RB UK BFI

Antony and Cleopatra [Blu-ray] (Charlton Heston, 1972) RB UK 4Digital Media

Wild Rovers [Blu-ray] (Blake Edwards, 1971) Warner Archive

Flying Clipper (aka Mediterranean Holiday) [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Hermann Leitner, Rudolf Nussgruber,1962) Region Free Flicker Alley

Midnight in Paris (aka Monsieur La Souris) [Blu-ray] (Georges Lacombe, 1942) Cinetrove International

Cold Sweat [Blu-ray] (Terence Young, 1970) Kino

Brief Encounter [Blu-ray] (Alan Bridges, 1974) Scorpion

Keoma [Blu-ray] (Enzo G. Castellari, 1976) Arrow Video

Becky Sharp [Blu-ray] (Rouben Mamoulian, 1935) Kino

The Boris Karloff/Bela Lugosi Collection [Blu-ray] - (The Black Cat, The Raven, The Invisible Ray and Black Friday) Shout! Factory

The Witches [Blu-ray] (Cyril Frankel, 1966) Shout! Factory

The Last Temptation of Christ [Blu-ray] (Martin Scorsese, 1988) Criterion UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

Escape from New York [4K UHD Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1981) Region Free UK Studiocanal

The Fog [4K UHD Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1980) Region Free UK Studiocanal

Prince of Darkness [4K UHD Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1987) Region Free UK Studiocanal

They Live [4K UHD Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1988) Region Free UK Studiocanal

This Gun for Hire [Blu-ray] (Frank Tuttle, 1942) Shout! Factory

Diamonds of the Night [Blu-ray] (Jan Němec, 1964) Criterion

A Face in the Crowd [Blu-ray] (Elia Kazan, 1957) Criterion

My Brilliant Career [Blu-ray] (Gillian Armstrong, 1979) Criterion

Night on Earth [Blu-ray] (Jim Jarmusch, 1991) Criterion

Stranger Than Paradise [Blu-ray] (Jim Jarmusch, 1984) Criterion

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): I enjoyed all the Blu-rays I viewed this past week... but despite it's very bare-bones status Richard Attenborough's Shadowlands on Region FREE Universal Blu-ray was such a satisfying presentation for this beloved bio-pic. Get it. It was a pleasure to see the unique, fantasy, romance Charly obtain Blu-ray status from Kino. It's a fascinating film, brilliantly acted and the package includes a commentary. Joshua Logan’s Picnic get a UK Blu-ray release and it gave me the opportunity to watch this slice of Americana with fueled desires on Labor Day weekend in a small Kansas town. 1982's Summer Lovers has obvious exploitive elements but it rises above any cheapness capturing freedom of the spirit enhanced by the lush surrounding of the Greek isles. The Kino Blu-ray has an audio commentary by writer/director Randal Kleiser. While it would be easy to be dismissive of sports films chocked full of the obvious clichés, Youngblood is an entertaining popcorn'er - especially for hockey fans who want to let their hair down and the new Blu-ray has a director commentary to boot. Even though 1940's Bill of Divorcement is the inferior cousin to the 1932 film, it still has some merit, on Blu-ray, with a hypnotic Maureen O’Hara. Vintage film fans may appreciate.

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  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

Shadowlands BD - This lavishly mounted adaptation of the play by William Nicholson tells the true story of the doomed love affair between novelist and noted Christian scholar C.S. Lewis and a Jewish-American poet. Anthony Hopkins stars as C.S. "Jack" Lewis, an Oxford professor and successful author of the Chronicles of Narnia series of children's fantasy novels. A confirmed bachelor, Jack's existence is an inward life of the mind. Somewhat detached from the world, his only social outlet is evenings out at a local pub discussing philosophy and religion with his fellow lecturers. Jack has been corresponding with a bluntly intelligent American woman, Joy Gresham (Debra Winger), who arrives to visit him, with her young son Douglas (Joseph Mazzello) in tow. Blu-ray Release Date: February 12th, 2019

Picnic BD - Director Joshua Logan’s superb adaptation of William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play focuses on a golden-boy-turned-drifter (William Holden) whose unexpected arrival in a small Kansas town ignites explosive passions in a discontented beauty queen (Kim Novak), a waspish schoolteacher (Rosalind Russell), an insecure bookworm (Susan Strasberg), and an ambitious mother (Betty Field). Featuring stunning ‘Scope cinematography by James Wong Howe and George Duning’s memorable romantic score. Eureka Blu-ray Release Date: February 18th, 2019

Bill of Divorcement BD - After fifteen years in a mental asylum, Hilary Fairfield (Adolphe Menjou) has suddenly regained his sanity, escaped from the institution and come home. But a few things have changed in his absence. For one, his strong-willed daughter Sydney (Maureen O’Hara) has grown up and is planning to marry. For another, his wife (Fay Bainter) has divorced him and is planning to re-marry. It’s enough to drive a man crazy – or a woman, for that matter. Especially when Sydney learns it wasn’t “shell shock” that send her father to the asylum, but family madness – and now she’s sure she’s inherited it. Blu-ray Release Date: February 26th, 2019

Youngblood BD - Rob Lowe stars as the title character, a young hockey prodigy with a gift for scoring, but no such penchant for pugilism -- when the gloves drop, so does he. Despite his fragility, Coach Chadwick (Ed Lauter) takes him on the roster for his stick-handling ability alone. However, he ends up being sent home after being singled out by a particularly nasty goon, Racki (George Finn), who pummels the "pretty boy" in brutal fashion. Disheartened, Youngblood heads back to the rural Canadian farm he calls home, where his father (Eric Nesterenko, a former player for the Chicago Blackhawks) and older brother (Jim Youngs) teach him the invaluable lesson that hockey is "no place for a nervous person" (to quote a famous NHL announcer). Blu-ray Release Date: February 19th, 2019

Charly BD - Charly Gordon (Cliff Robertson), who has an IQ of 69, is constantly derided by his boss and fellow employees at the bakery where he works. His efforts to read and write prove fruitless. But when Dr. Straus (Lilia Skala) offers Charly an opportunity to participate in a radical medical experiment, he becomes a certified genius. The newly educated Charly develops feelings for his teacher, Alice Kinian (Claire Bloom), but their happiness is threatened by an unforeseen complication. Blu-ray Release Date: February 5th, 2019

Summer Lovers BD - Michael Pappas (Peter Gallagher) and his girlfriend, Cathy (Daryl Hannah), are enjoying the white sand beaches of a Greek island as well as the freewheeling nature of the locals. When Michael meets Lina (Valerie Quennessen), who is in Greece from Paris doing archaeological work, he is enamored with the beautiful foreigner. Cathy, unhappy about Lina getting close to Michael, confronts the woman -- only to be unexpectedly wooed by her charms as well. Blu-ray Release Date: February 12th, 2019
 

Next 2 weeks on the Calendar

February 18th, 2019

 

 

Backbeat [Blu-ray] (Iain Softley, 1994) Shout! Factory

Backtrace [Blu-ray] (Brian A. Miller, 2018) Lionsgat

Barb Wire [Blu-ray] (David Hogan, 1996) Mill Creek

Buck Privates [Blu-ray] (Arthur Lubin, 1941) Universal

The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach [Blu-ray] (Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub, 1968) Grasshopper

Color Me Blood Red [Blu-ray] (Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1965) Arrow Video

Cry-Baby [Blu-ray] (John Waters, 1990) Universal

Dawson City: Frozen Time [Blu-ray] (Bill Morrison, 2016) RB UK Second Run

Death in Venice [Blu-ray] (Luchino Visconti, 1971) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Dracula [Blu-ray] (John Badham, 1979) Universal

Dracula's Fiancée / Lost in New York [Blu-ray] (Jean Rollin, 2002, 1989) Kino

First Man [Blu-ray] (Damien Chazelle, 2018) Region Free UK Universal
First Man [4K UHD
Blu-ray] (Damien Chazelle, 2018) Region Free UK Universal

The Flintstones [Blu-ray] (Brian Levant, 1994) Universal

Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask [Blu-ray] (Isaac Julien, 1995) Film Movement Classics

Freak Show [Blu-ray] (Trudie Styler, 2017) RB UK Network

Human Desire [Blu-ray] (Fritz Lang, 1954) RB UK Eureka

The Legend of Billie Jean - Retro VHS Cover [Blu-ray] (Matthew Robbins, 1985) Mill Creek

My Name Is Julia Ross [Blu-ray] (Joseph H. Lewis, 1945) UK Arrow (BEAVER REVIEW)

My Name Is Julia Ross [Blu-ray] (Joseph H. Lewis, 1945) Arrow (BEAVER REVIEW)

Neighbors - Retro VHS Cover [Blu-ray] (John G. Avildsen, 1981) Mill Creek

Picnic [Blu-ray] (Joshua Logan, 1956) RB UK Eureka (BEAVER REVIEW)

Prince of Darkness - 4K Collector's Edition [4K UHD Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1987) Region Free UK Studiocanal

The Return of the Vampire [Blu-ray] (Lew Landers, 1943) Shout! Factory

Sheena - Retro VHS Cover [Blu-ray] (John Guillermin, 1984) Mill Creek

Shoah: Four Sisters [Blu-ray] (Claude Lanzmann, 2018) RB UK Eureka (BEAVER REVIEW)

Skinner [Blu-ray] (Ivan Nagy, 1993) Severin

Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin [Blu-ray] (Chi-Hwa Chen, 1978) RB UK 88 Films

So Dark the Night [Blu-ray] (Joseph H. Lewis, 1946) Arrow UK

So Dark the Night [Blu-ray] (Joseph H. Lewis, 1946) Arrow US

Songwriter - Retro VHS Cover [Blu-ray] (Alan Rudolph, 1984) Mill Creek

A Star Is Born [Blu-ray] (Bradley Cooper, 2018) Warner Bros.

Tokyo Drifter [Blu-ray] (Seijun Suzuki, 1966) Criterion UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Watcher [Blu-ray] (Joe Charbanic, 2000) Universal

World on a Wire [Blu-ray] (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1973) RB UK Second Sight

Year of the Dragon [Blu-ray] (Michael Cimino, 1985) Warner Archive

Youngblood [Blu-ray] (Peter Markle, 1986) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman [Blu-ray] (Entire Collection - 9 discs) RB UK Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

 

February 25th, 2019

 

 

A Bill of Divorcement [Blu-ray] (John Farrow, 1940) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

Border [Blu-ray] (Ali Abbasi, 2018) Universal

Class of 1999 [Blu-ray] (Mark L. Lester, 1990) RB UK Lionsgate

The Day After [Blu-ray] (Sang-soo Hong, 2017) Cinema Guild

Derek Jarman Volume Two: 1987-1994 [Blu-ray] (Derek Jarman, 1987-1994) RB UK BFI

Desert Fury [Blu-ray] (Lewis Allen, 1947) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

Double Impact [Blu-ray] (Sheldon Lettich, 1991) MVD Rewind

Dynasties [4K UHD Blu-ray] (David Attenborough, 2018) Region Free BBC

Halloween [4K UHD Blu-ray] (David Gordon Green, 2018) Region Free Universal
Halloween [
Blu-ray] (David Gordon Green, 2018) Region Free UK Universal

Maurice [Blu-ray] (James Ivory, 1987) RB UK BFI

Mausoleum [Blu-ray] (Michael Dugan, 1983) Vinegar Syndrome (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Midnight Man [Blu-ray] (Roland Kibbee, Burt Lancaster, 1974) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Mole People [Blu-ray] (Virgil W. Vogel, 1956) Shout! Factory

Next of Kin [Blu-ray] (Tony Williams, 1982) Severin

Night of the Demons 2 [Blu-ray] (Brian Trenchard-Smith, 1994) RB UK 88 Films

Parents [Blu-ray] (Bob Balaban, 1989) RB UK Lionsgate

Psyche 59 [Blu-ray] (Alexander Singer, 1964) Indicator (UK)

Rampant [Blu-ray] (Sung-hoon Kim, 2018) Well Go USA

Redcon-1 [Blu-ray] (Chee Keong Cheung, 2018) RB UK 101 Films

The Rover (a.k.a. L'avventuriero) [Blu-ray] (Terence Young, 1967) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

Schindler's List - 25th Anniversary Edition [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Steven Spielberg, 1993) Region Free UK Universal
Schindler's List - 25th Anniversary Edition [
Blu-ray] (Steven Spielberg, 1993) Region Free UK Universal

A Severed Head [Blu-ray] (Dick Clement, 1971) Indicator (UK)

Showdown [Blu-ray] (Robert Radler, 1993) MVD Rewind

Stand-In [Blu-ray] (Tay Garnett, 1937) Classicflix

Stranger in the House [Blu-ray] (Pierre Rouve, 1967) BFI

Take a Girl Like You [Blu-ray] (Jonathan Miller, 1970) Indicator (UK)

The Third Secret [Blu-ray] (Charles Crichton, 1964) Indicator (UK)

To Sleep with Anger [Blu-ray] (Charles Burnett, 1990) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Unholy [Blu-ray] (Camilo Vila, 1988) RB UK Lionsgate

Used Cars [Blu-ray] (Robert Zemeckis, 1980) Shout! Factory

The Vengeance of She [Blu-ray] (Cliff Owen, 1968) Shout! Factory

La vérité [Blu-ray] (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1960) Criterion UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

Wild Rovers [Blu-ray] (Blake Edwards, 1971) Warner Archive

The Wild Pear Tree [Blu-ray] (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2018) RB UK Drakes Avenue

Willard [Blu-ray] (Glen Morgan, 2003) Shout! Factory