DVDBeaver Newsletter - April 7th, 2014

Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF April 7th, 2014

	This Week's Highlights

	Ka weru! - A little lean with some back-end work done to the site these past seven days. Sam Peckinpah, Franklin J. Schaffner, Sidney Lumet, Robert Rossen films on Blu-ray, classic animation feature, two Blu-ray Audio albums reviewed and plenty of DVDs. I've relented and added some Google banner ads. I hope you don't find them intrusive and please don't be afraid to click on them if you deem appropriate. The *Release Calendar* has no new updates from last week. We have our FEATURE Blu-ray and DVD of the MONTH selected for APRIL and there is a new CONTEST posted with a new Blu-ray prize - best of luck! FOLLOW US on TWITTER! (where we post important reviews, contests - prizes, calendar updates - plus much more...) FEATURE Blu-ray and DVD of the MONTH selected for APRIL!
	(Week of) April 7th CONTEST identify the clip on the CONTEST PAGE to win a brand new Brand NEW Criterion *Blu-ray of The Great Beauty*
	BIG THANKS!: DVDBeaver would not exist without the support of many patrons - those who generously donate, and especially those who use our Amazon(s), CD Japan, HKFlix and YesAsia links. That's it. When you go to Amazon - PLEASE use one of our links to get there (they are on every page - top and bottom - and we have 5000 webpages). It costs you absolutely nothing and we get a small commission on items you purchase. This helps pay our bills - in fact it's the only thing that pays our bills.
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NOTE:_	If there are DVD titles you'd like us to cover - please feel free to recommend! Gary at 2ze dot com

LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE RELEASE CALENDAR:

The Vanquished (I Vinti) [Blu-ray] (Michelangelo Antonioni , 1953) Kino

The Outsiders: The Complete Novel Edition [Blu-ray] (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983) Warner Brothers

Home Before Midnight [Blu-ray] (Pete Walker, 1979) Kino

Stalingrad [Blu-ray] (Fedor Bondarchuk, 2013) Sony Pictures

Killing Them Softly Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Andrew Dominik, 2012) Anchor Bay

Death Spa [Blu-ray] (Michael Fischa, 1989) MPI

The Ringer [Blu-ray] (Barry W. Blaustein, 2005) Fox Home Entertainment

Hearts and Minds [Blu-ray] (Peter Davis, 1974) Criterion Collection

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection [Blu-ray] 8-discs (State Fair, Oklahoma - Todd-AO, Oklahoma - Cinemascope, Carousel, King and I, South Pacific Theatrical, South Pacific Extended roadshow version and Sound of Music) 20th Century Fox

True Detective - First Season [Blu-ray] (Nic Pizzolatto, 2014) HBO

Vertigo [Blu-ray] (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Rear Window [Blu-ray] (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Psycho [Blu-ray] (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Bram Stoker's Dracula [Blu-ray] (Dan Curtis, 1974) MPI (BEAVER REVIEW)

Memphis Belle [Blu-ray] (Michael Caton-jones, 1990) Warner

Her [Blu-ray] (Spike Jonze, 2013) Warner

Reality Bites [Blu-ray] (Ben Stiller, 1994) Universal

Open Grave [Blu-ray] (Gonzalo López-Gallego, 2013) New Video Group

McCanick [Blu-ray] (Josh C. Waller, 2013) Well Go USA

Sybil Danning Double Feature (Cat in the Cage/French Pussycat) - Substance

Tokyo Stray Girls ( Hisayasu Sato, 2010) Pathfinder

Broken Side Of Time (Gorman Bechard, 2013) What Were We Thinking

The Monkey's Paw [Blu-ray] (Brett Simmons, 2013) Shout! Factory

L’Eclisse [Blu-ray] (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1962) Criterion Collection

All That Heaven Allows [Blu-ray] (Douglas Sirk, 1955) Criterion Collection

Picnic at Hanging Rock [Blu-ray] (Peter Weir, 1975) Criterion Collection

Judex [Blu-ray] (Georges Franju, 1963) Criterion Collection

A Hard Day’s Night [Blu-ray] (Richard Lester, 1964) Criterion Collection

Ealing Blu Ray Collection Volume 1 [Blu-ray] (Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man in the White Suit) RB UK Studio Canal

Play Dirty [Blu-ray] (André De Toth, 1969) RB UK 101 Films

Ladyhawke [Blu-ray] (Richard Donner, 1985) RB UK 20th Century Fox

Kagemusha [Blu-ray] (Akira Kurosawa, 1980) RB UK 20th Century Fox (BEAVER REVIEW)

Caliber 9 [Blu-ray] (Fernando Di Leo, 1972) RB UK Arrow

The Island of Dr. Moreau [Blu-ray] (Don Taylor, 1977) RB UK 101 Films

The Killing Fields (30th Anniversary Steelbook Edition) [Blu-ray] (Roland Joffé, 1984) RB UK Studio Canal

Svengali [Blu-ray] (John Hardwick, 2013) RB UK Universal Pictures

The Toxic Avenger [Blu-ray] (Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman, 1984) RB UK 88 Films

Point Blank [Blu-ray] (John Boorman, 1967) Warner Home Video

The Lady from Shanghai [Blu-ray] (Orson Welles, 1947) RB IT Studio 4K

The Time Machine [Blu-ray] (George Pal, 1960) Warner Home Video

Great Expectations [Blu-ray] (Mike Newell, 2012) 20th Century Fox

Ray Donovan: Season 1 [Blu-ray] - Showtuime Entertainment

The Evil Dead Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Sam Raimi, 1981) Anchor Bay

That's What I Am [Blu-ray] (Michael Pavone, 2011) Image Entertainment

Odd Thomas [Blu-ray] (Stephen Sommers, 2013) Image Entertainment

Beneath [Blu-ray] (Larry Fessenden, 2013) Shout! Factory

An Angel at My Table [Blu-ray] (Jane Campion, 1990) RB DE Koch Media

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): Franklin J. Schaffner's The War Lord looks so impressive on Blu-ray, and I feel it's deserved of top spot this week. A wonderful adventure to boot. Not far behind is Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia on a stacked Twilight Time Blu-ray with two commentary tracks. Fill the Void is an amazing film effort and heads-up for the Artificial Eye Blu-ray. It's hard not to be impressed with Thunderbean's Blu-ray of Fleischer's Gulliver's Travels - a gigantic improvement over the previous 1080P video. I enjoyed Sidney Lumet's Equus - another excellent Twilight Time Blu-ray loaded with extras. All the King's Men is a classic drama on power and corruption and we now can own it on Blu-ray. I wasn't as keen on Jess Franco's torturous The Demons - but horror fans and the director's fanbase may appreciate. Daniel covers two Blu-ray Audio packages this week and gives a loud recommendation for The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed with a more middling response to Carla Bruni - Little French Songs. On DVD I compared the Koch release of Anthony Mann's fantastic The Black Book very favorably to past editions. Check it out. Eric covered the interesting Andrew Parkinson Trilogy, as well as the amusing-looking Klown out of Denmark, Angel Express and Junk. Spring feel like Autumn so far - hope yours is progressing better!


	THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
	The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed BD Audio - One of the Stones' most beloved albums, 1969's Let It Bleed was a benchmark for several reasons. First, founding guitarist Brian Jones died during the recording process. Second, the Stones take their last significant look at pure blues (Robert Johnson's spooky "Love in Vain") and country ("Country Honk," the two-stepping alter ego of "Honky-Tonk Women") before folding both styles into a cohesive rock & roll vision. Third, it contains some of the band's most eerie hits, such as the flame-enveloped "Gimme Shelter," the drug-reality anthem "Monkey Man," the epic "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and Mick Jagger's menacing "Midnight Rambler." Blu-ray Audio Release date: March 11th, 2014 Equus BD - Richard Burton plays a psychiatrist who attempts to discover why young Peter Firth has taken to mutilating live horses. In probing Firth's psyche, Burton discovers that the source of the boy's obsession is his mother, Joan Plowright, who has raised Firth with a convoluted set of values. Even as he gets closer to the reason behind Firth's horrendous acts, Burton discovers many previously locked-away secrets within himself. Equus was based on the play by Peter Schaffer who received an Academy Award Nomination for his adapted screenplay. Blu-ray Release date: March, 2014 The Demons BD - In the wake of the massive controversy surrounding Ken Russell's The Devils, several filmmakers rushed to create their own 'Inquisition' horror films, inspired by the true story of satanic possession at the convent Loudun. The Demons is Jess Franco's stellar entry in the nunspoitation canon, with a degree of sadism and sexual explicitness that overshadows his competitors. Blu-ray Release date: April 29th, 2014 Fleischer's Gulliver's Travels BD - Max and Dave Fleischer's animated classic. At the time of the release of "Gulliver's Travels" in late 1939, the full-length animated motion picture had reached its zenith. This great American art form turned to the retelling of Jonathan Swift's magical tales as the Fleisher's marvelous animation perfectly complimented the story. The gags were clever and the characters endearing, the music perfect, but it is the animation which remains as a lovely visual memorial to two of the men who pioneered this great art! ThunderBean Blu-ray Release date: January 2014 Carla Bruni - Little French Songs BD Audio - Carla Bruni's fourth album that's written and performed in French, English and Italian. It is the follow up to Carla's 2008 critically acclaimed 'Comme si de rien n'etait (As if Nothing Had Happened)' which debuted at #1 in both the Billboard European Top 100 Albums Chart and the French Albums Chart. Bruni's touch is immediately apparent in these new compositions that once again focus on raw emotions and love. Blu-ray Audio Release date: April, 2013 Fill the Void BD - The film offers a fascinating glimpse into an unfamiliar culture that's not often explored on screen. Consequently, it comes as something of a surprise to find that the film does not take a position against arranged marriage, instead presenting it unchallenged, as a positive thing (although the brilliant final shot introduces a thought-provoking note of ambiguity). Accordingly, in the press notes for the film, Burshtein cites Jane Austen as a major influence and it's easy to see the similarities between the two worlds. Blu-ray Release date: April 14th, 2014 The War Lord BD - One of the finest historical adventure films ever made, The War Lord dramatises with uncommon intelligence and integrity the brutality, difficulties and injustices of the Middle Ages. Charlton Heston stars as Chrysagon, an honoured knight who takes over a castle tower in the swampland of Normandy to strengthen his duke's authority. But his struggles to maintain power in the face of Pagan villagers, barbarian attackers and his brother's jealous counsel are shaken by his growing weariness with bloodshed in a cruel world. Blu-ray Release date: April 14th, 2014 All the King's Men BD - [All the King's Men] has to be sort of a borderline Noir, although Spencer Selby's bookplaces it in the Noir canon. The style of the movie is sort of semi-documentary, with the story being told mostly through the eyes of Jack Burden (John Ireland), a newspaperman who became a "true believer" in Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) when he was a poor but honest (and ultimately unsuccessful) County Treasurer candidate several years before running for Governor. Blu-ray Release Date: March, 2014 Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia BD - Reviled on its release, reassessed today as a masterpiece, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) is pantheon director Sam Peckinpah’s nihilistic yet poetic tale of Bennie (Warren Oates, iconically great), a wastrel sometime piano player lost in the wilds of Mexico. He and his beautiful, tragic lover (the fragile/strong Isela Vega) stumble across one last, perilous chance at happiness: in order to claim more money than they’ve ever dreamed of, all they have to do is retrieve the head of a wanted man. But the path to their ultimate escape is littered with dangers—some, of course, of the fatal variety. Blu-ray Release Date: March, 2014 The Andrew Parkinson Trilogy - Billed by its American distributor as "The Andrew Parkinson Trilogy" - although only tenuously related and only sold separately - the first two films I, ZOMBIE and DEAD CREATURES are considered zombie films, but they're more the "talking dead" than the "walking dead"; and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The most recent film VENUS DROWNING is a departure from his undead films towards surreal psychodrama. Having attempted suicide after her miscarriage and the death of her fiancé from cancer. DVD Release Date: February 14th, 2014 Angel Express - A top photographer, a hooker, a businessman and a novice gun-runner united by their common mood, feelings and attitude to life are suddenly caught up in a whirlpool of deadly events as they seek the ultimate experience in the newly reunified Berlin. DVD Release Date: February 18th, 2014 Junk - Kaveh and Raul are two B-movie co-writers who have suffered a bitter falling out. Kaveh's lost his girlfriend, and spends his days getting high in his apartment, while Raul is off studying at Columbia University. But when one of their films (Islama-rama 2) is accepted by a film festival, the two ex-friends are forced to tentatively re-connect in order to pitch their script to the mysterious producer, Yukio Tai (James Hong). Along the way, they will have to brave brutish bodyguards, cutthroat colleagues, inept agents, romantic entanglements, prima donna actors, and the trials of their own bitter friendship. DVD Release Date: March 25th, 2014 The Black Book - Set during the French Revolution, this romance is laced with conspiracy, with both sides vying for a tome loaded with vital information. The story is of the little people caught in a ruthless dictatorship and their struggle to win their freedom from persecution and oppression. Koch Media DVD Release Date: December 6th, 2013 Klown - Feature-length spin-off of the Danish comedy series. The immature Frank (Frank Hvam) goes away on a canoe trip with his friend Casper (Casper Christensen) and takes his pregnant girlfriend's 12-year-old nephew Bo (Marcuz Jess Petersen) along with him, hoping it will give him a chance to prove that he is capable of being a responsible father. Casper, however, is more concerned about meeting women and having a good time and the three of them end up getting involved in a series of misadventures. DVD Release Date: March 31st, 2014

Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

April 7th, 2014

55 Days at Peking [Blu-ray] (Nicholas Ray, Guy Green, 1963) RB UK Anchor Bay UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

The 400 Blows [Blu-ray] (François Truffaut, 1959) Criterion Collection (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Bamboo Saucer [Blu-ray] (Frank Telford, 1968) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Bang Bang You're Dead [Blu-ray] (Don Sharp, 1966) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Black Jack [Blu-ray] (Ken Loach, 1979) Cohen Media

Circus World [Blu-ray] (Henry Hathaway, 1964) RB UK Anchor Bay

Cry Danger [Blu-ray] (Robert Parrish, 1951) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

A Field in England [Blu-ray] (Ben Wheatley, 2013) New Video Group

Funny Face [Blu-ray] (Stanley Donen, 1957) Paramount

Grudge Match [Blu-ray] (Peter Segal, 2013) Warner

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug [Blu-ray] (Peter Jackson, 2014) New Line Video

The Night of the Hunter [Blu-ray] (Charles Laughton, 1955) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Nurse 3D [Blu-ray] (Douglas Aarniokoski, 2013) Lions Gate

Pit Stop [Blu-ray] (Jack Hill, 1969) RB UK Arrow (BEAVER REVIEW)

Sabrina [Blu-ray] (Billy Wilder, 1954) Paramount (BEAVER REVIEW)

Svengali [Blu-ray] (John Hardwick, 2013) RB UK Universal Pictures

A Touch of Sin [Blu-ray] (Zhangke Jia, 2013) Kino Lorber (BEAVER REVIEW)

Young at Heart [Blu-ray] (Gordon Douglas, 1954) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

April 14th, 2014

Alice [Blu-ray] (Jan Svankmajer, 1988) First Run Features

The Adventures of the Wilderness Family Boxset [Blu-ray] (Stewart Raffill, Frank Zuniga, 1978) RB DE Pidax film media

The Andromeda Strain [Blu-ray Steelbook] (Robert Wise, 1971) RB DE Koch Media

The Atom Egoyan Collection (7 Disc Set) [Blu-ray] - Exotica, The Adjuster, Family Viewing, The Sweet Hereafter, Calendar, Next Of Kin and Speaking Parts - RB UK Artificial Eye

Bad Blonde (Reginald LeBorg, 1953) VCI

The Bletchley Circle: Season 2 [Blu-ray] (2012) PBS

The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi Limited Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Takeshi Kitano, 2003) RB UK Artificial Eye

Breaking the Waves [Blu-ray] (Lars von Trier, 1996) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Celluloid Man (Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, 2012) R2 UK Second Run

Double Indemnity - 70th Anniversary Limited Edition (Blu-ray + DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet) (Billy Wilder, 1944) Universal Studios

Great Expectations [Blu-ray] (Mike Newell, 2012) 20th Century Fox

Fill the Void [Blu-ray] (Rama Burshtein, 2012) RB UK Artificial Eye (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Invisible Woman [Blu-ray] (Ralph Fiennes, 2013) Sony

Man Bait (Terrence Fisher, 1952) VCI

The Making of a Lady [Blu-ray] (Richard Curson Smith, 2012) PBS

Men in War [Blu-ray] (Anthony Mann, 1957) Olive Films

Möbius [Blu-ray] (Eric Rochant, 2013) Lions Gate

Reality Bites [Blu-ray] (Ben Stiller, 1994) Universal

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty [Blu-ray] (Ben Stiller, 2013) 20th Century Fox

Sleep, My Love [Blu-ray] (Douglas Sirk, 1948) Olive Films

Stolen Face (Terence Fisher, 1952) VCI

A Story of Yonosuke [Blu-ray] (Shûichi Okita, 2013) RB UK Third Window Films

Terror Street (Montgomery Tully, 1953) VCI

Touch of Evil - Limited Edition (Blu-ray + DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet) (Orson Welles, 1958) Universal Studios

The War Lord [Blu-ray] (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1965) RB UK Eureka (BEAVER REVIEW)

April 21st, 2014

An Angel at My Table [Blu-ray] (Jane Campion, 1990) RB DE Koch Media

Bettie Page Reveals All [Blu-ray] (Mark Mori, 2012) Music Box Films

Big Bad Wolves [Blu-ray] (Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado, 2013) Magnolia

Conspiracy Theory [Blu-ray] (Richard Donner, 1997) Warner Home Video

Four Fast Guns (William J. Hole Jr., 1960) VCI

Get Carter [Blu-ray] (Mike Hodges, 1971) Warner Home Video

Gila! (Jim Wynorski, 2012) Polyscope Media Group

Hellgate (Charles Marquis Warren, 1952) VCI

The House on Sorority Row [Blu-ray] (Mark Rosman, 1983) Scorpion Releasing

Inspector Lavardin Collection [Blu-ray] - Chicken With Vinegar (Claude Chabrol, 1985), Inspector Lavardin (Claude Chabrol, 1986) Cohen Media

Koyaanisqatsi + Powaqqatsi [Blu-ray] (Godfrey Reggio) RB UK Arrow

Master of the House [Blu-ray] (Carl Th. Dreyer, 1925) Criterion Collection (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Pawnbroker [Blu-ray] (Sidney Lumet, 1964) - Olive Films

Riot in Cell Block 11 [Blu-ray] (Don Siegel, 1954) Criterion Collection (BEAVER REVIEW)

Scream Park (Cary Hill, 2012) Wild Eye Releasing (BEAVER REVIEW)

Seven Samurai [Blu-ray Steelbook] (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) RB UK BFI

Seven Warriors [Blu-ray] (Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Terry Tong, 1989) Well Go USA

Silent Running [Blu-ray Steelbook] (Douglas Trumbull, 1972) RB DE Koch Media (BEAVER REVIEW)

Sorcerer [Blu-ray] (William Friedkin, 1977) Universal Pictures

Stranger on the Prowl [Blu-ray] (Joseph Losey, 1952) Olive Films

The Tarnished Angels [Blu-ray] (Douglas Sirk, 1957) RB DE Koch Media (BEAVER REVIEW)

That Sinking Feeling [Blu-ray] (Bill Forsyth, 1979) RB UK BFI

Yeti - Giant of the 20th Century (Gianfranco Parolini, 1977) CFS Releasing

April 28th, 2014

Ace in the Hole [Blu-ray] (Billy Wilder, 1951) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Approved for Adoption [Blu-ray] (Laurent Boileau, Jung , 2012) New Video Group

Army of Shadows [Blu-ray] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1969) RB DE Studio Canal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Au hasard Balthazar [Blu-ray] (Robert Bresson, 1966) R2 UK Artificial Eye

Bad Country [Blu-ray] (Chris Brinker, 2014) Sony Pictures

Bastards [Blu-ray] (Claire Denis, 2013) RB UK Artificial Eye

The Belles of St. Trinian's [Blu-ray] (Frank Launder, 1954) RB UK StudioCanal

Belle de Jour [Blu-ray] (Luis Buñuel, 1967) RB DE Studio Canal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Betty Boop: The Essential Collection: Vol. 3 [Blu-ray] - Olive Films

Breaking the Waves [Blu-ray] (Lars von Trier, 1996) RB UK Artificial Eye

The Delta Force [Blu-ray] (Menahem Golan, 1986) RB UK Arrow

The Demons aka Les démons [Blu-ray] (Jesús Franco, 1973) Redemption (BEAVER REVIEW)

Film Noir Classics [Blu-ray] (Ministry of Fear, The Big Clock, The Dark Mirror) RB DE Koch Media

Gimme Shelter [Blu-ray] (Ron Krauss, 2013) Lions Gate

Hallucination Strip [Blu-ray] (Lucio Marcaccini, 1975) Raro Video

Man of Marble (Andrzej Wajda, 1977) R2 UK Second Run

Notes on a Scandal [Blu-ray] Amazon Exclusive (Richard Eyre, 2006) 20th Century Fox

Nymphomaniac Vol I. & Vol II. [Blu-ray] (Lars von Trier, 2013) RB UK Artificial Eye

Roar [Blu-ray] (Noel Marshall, 1981) RB DE VZ-Handelsgesellschaft

One Touch of Venus (George Schaefer, 1955) VCI

The Selfish Giant (Clio Barnard , 2013) MPI (BEAVER REVIEW)

Sisters [Blu-ray] (Brian De Palma, 1973) RB UK Arrow

Sophie's Choice [Blu-ray] (Alan J. Pakula, 1982) Shout! Factory

Il sorpasso [Blu-ray] (Dino Risi, 1962) Criterion Collection

Theatre of Blood [Blu-ray] (Douglas Hickox, 1973) RB UK Arrow
Theatre of Blood Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Douglas Hickox, 1973) RB UK Arrow

To Be or Not to Be [Blu-ray] (Ernst Lubitsch, 1942) RB DE Studio Canal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis, 2001) Kimstim

Up the Junction [Blu-ray] (Peter Collinson, 1968) - Olive Films

Wrinkles [Blu-ray] (Ignacio Ferreras, 2011) RB UK Anchor Bay

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