Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF April 8th, 2013
  This Week's Highlights
Inh nam ngoi to ih! - We have Criterion, Quentin Tarantino, Samuel Fuller, Pierre Etaix, Laurence Olivier and Alex Cox this week plus on the Calendar; Shout! Factory, and more, releases with Ki-duk Kim, John Carpenter, Francis Ford Coppola, James Whale, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Terence Fisher, Freddie Francis, George A. Romero and Ralph Bakshi on Blu-ray!

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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:

Pieta [Blu-ray] (Ki-duk Kim, 2012) Image Entertainment

Graceland [Blu-ray] (Ron Morales, 2012) Image Entertainment

Into the White [Blu-ray] (Petter Næss, 2012) Magnolia

The Fog (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1980) Shout! Factory

Peggy Sue Got Married [Blu-ray] (Francis Ford Coppola, 1986) Image Entertainment

Beautiful Creatures [Blu-ray] (Richard Lagravenese, 2013) Warner

The Incredible Melting Man [Blu-ray] (William Sachs, 1977) Shout! Factory

Creature From the Black Lagoon [Blu-ray] (Jack Arnold, 1954) Universal Studios (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Invisible Man [Blu-ray] (James Whale, 1933) Universal Studios (BEAVER REVIEW)

Phantom of the Opera [Blu-ray] (Arthur Lubin, 1943) Universal Studios (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Mummy [Blu-ray] (Karl Freund, 1932) Universal Studios (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Time Tunnel [Blu-ray] RB UK Revelation Films Ltd

A Hijacking [Blu-ray] (Tobias Lindholm, 2012) RB UK Arrow

Eyes of the Spider / Serpent's Path (Kiyoshi Kurosawa) - R2 UK Third Window Films

The Brides of Dracula [Blu-ray] (Terence Fisher, 1960) RB UK Final Cut Entertainment

The Evil of Frankenstein [Blu-ray] (Freddie Francis, 1964) RB UK Final Cut Entertainment

Knightriders [Blu-ray] (George A. Romero, 1981) Shout! Factory

House On Straw Hill [Blu-ray] (James Kenelm Clarke. 1976) Severin Films

Gattaca [Blu-ray] (Andrew Niccol, 1997) Image Entertainment (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Kentucky Fried Movie [Blu-ray] (John Landis, 1977) Shout! Factory

Warm Bodies [Blu-ray] (Jonathan Levine, 2013) Summit Entertainment

The Shadow [Blu-ray] (Russell Mulcahy, 1994) Universal Studios (BEAVER REVIEW)

Jackie Chan: Battle Creek Brawl / City Hunter [Blu-ray] - Shout! Factory

Cohen and Tate [Blu-ray] (Eric Red, 1988) Shout! Factory

Heavy Traffic [Blu-ray] (Ralph Bakshi, 1973) Shout! Factory

Dead Souls [Blu-ray] (Colin Theys, 2012) Shout! Factory

Tower Block [Blu-ray] (James Nunn, Ronnie Thompson, 2012) Shout! Factory

The Producers (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] (Mel Brooks, 1968) Shout! Factory

Last Summer Won't Happen (Tom Hurwitz, 1968) Icarus Films

The Philadelphia Experiment [Blu-ray] (Paul Ziller, 2012) Starz / Anchor Bay

The Land of Hope [Blu-ray] (Shion Song, 2012) RB UK Third Window Films

Shane [Blu-ray] (George Stevens, 1953) Paramount

The File on Thelma Jordon [Blu-ray] (Robert Siodmak, 1950) Olive Films

French Masterworks: Russian Emigres in Paris 1923-1929 - 5 Iconic Films Albatros Productions - Flicker Alley

Dark Command [Blu-ray] (Raoul Walsh, 1940) Olive Films

Lady from Louisiana [Blu-ray] (Bernard Vorhaus, 1941) Olive Films

Breaking Bad: The Fifth Season [Blu-ray] Sony

Fernando Di Leo: The Italian Crime Collection: Vol. 2 (Shoot First, Die Later, Kidnap Syndicate & Naked Violence) - Kino International
 

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): Unlike last newsletter, where there were some definite 'passes' - I enjoyed just about everything I saw this week. Criterion's 2-Blu-ray disc package of Pierre Etaix is pure joy and it is fabulous to now have the opportunity to own some of his work in 1080P. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Tarantino's Django Unchained which covers a spectrum of genre homage. Lions Gate in the UK have produced a complete digital Blu-ray package of the Hammer horror Dracula (1958) with Cushing and Lee as the Stoker stalwarts. The restoration of Olivier's Richard III is brilliant and certainly a worthy choice of film for an upgrade from SD. I never seem to tire of Alex Cox's Repo Man - it gets better with re-visitation ('Society made me what I am...') and Criterion's Blu-ray set is loaded with value. Olive Films' Blu-ray of Sam Fuller's China Gate delivers a memorable presentation and the Noir Hell's Half Acre is seething with shadowy aura. Eric covered DVDs of the controversial Baise-Moi and an early 80's horror with Cassavetes; The Incubus. Take long walks - breathe fresh air!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

Pierre Etaix BD - A French comedy master whose films went unseen for decades as a result of legal tangles, director-actor Pierre Etaix is a treasure the cinematic world has rediscovered and embraced with relish. His work can be placed on the spectrum of classic physical comedy with that of Jacques Tati and Jerry Lewis, but it also stands alone in its good- natured delicacy. These films, influenced by Etaix’s experiences as a circus acrobat and clown and by the silent film comedies he adored, are elegantly deadpan, but as an on-screen presence, Etaix radiates warmth. This collection includes all of his films, five features, The Suitor, Yoyo, As Long as You’ve Got Your Health, Le grand amour, and Land of Milk and Honey—most of them collaborations with the great screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière—and three shorts, Rupture, the Oscar-winning Happy Anniversary, and Feeling Good. Not one of these is anything less than a bracing and witty delight. Blu-ray Release date: April 23rd, 2013

Hell's Half Acre BD - Hell's Half Acre is a 1954 film noir set in Hawaii; John H. Auer (City That Never Sleeps) directed this tale of Ex-racketeer, Chet Chester (Wendell Corey) who is blackmailed by his former criminal partners. Chester's girlfriend Sally (Nancy Gates) kills one of his enemies, but Chester takes the blame, assuming that he has enough clout to escape with a lighter sentence. Meanwhile, Dona Williams (Evelyn Keyes) arrives on the scene, certain that Chester is her long-lost husband. When Sally is murdered, Chester escapes from Jail intending to find her killer and clear his name. Written by film noir veteran, Steve Fisher (I Wake Up Screaming) and shot by legendary cinematographer John L. Russell (Psycho). The stellar cast includes Elsa Lanchester, Jesse White and noir goddess Marie Windsor (Force of Evil). Blu-ray Release date: March 26th, 2013

Dracula (1958) BD - Dracula is the first in the series of Hammer films inspired by the Bram Stoker novel Dracula. It was directed by Terence Fisher, and stars Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Carol Marsh, Melissa Stribling and Christopher Lee. Dr. Van Helsing, investigating the death of his friend Jonathan Harker concludes that Harker was the victim of a vampire. When Harker's fiancée, Lucy, becomes affected by the terrifying force and hypnotic power of Count Dracula, Van Helsing releases her tortured soul by driving a stake through her heart. But Dracula seeks revenge, targeting Lucy's beautiful sister-in-law, Mina. Van Helsing, now aided by Mina’s husband Arthur, swears to exorcise this evil forever by confronting the vile and depraved Count himself. Blu-ray Release date: March 18th, 2013

China Gate BD - Samuel Fuller (The Big Red One) wrote, produced and directed this raw-boned action-packed war film - Near the end of the French phase of the Vietnam War, a group of mercenaries are recruited to travel through enemy territory to the Chinese border, to blow up an arms depot. A Eurasian smuggler, Lucky Legs (Angie Dickinson), agrees to use her connections to help them, in return they agree to take her illegitimate son to America. The racist father of the boy, Sergeant Brock (Gene Barry), is also part of the multinational group. Lucky Legs must use the love of a Eurasian guerilla leader, Major Cham (Lee Van Cleef), to get access to the base. The other members of the patrol are also haunted by past memories - Goldie (Nat "King" Cole) is a veteran of Korea and World war II who hates war and wants to see peace at all costs; Corporal Pigalle (George Givot) is an ex-French gendarme who doesn't like taking orders; Captain Gaumont (Paul Dubov) is the mercenary leader; Charlie (James Hong) is an Vietnamese-American private; and Private Andreades (Gerald Milton), is a hard-nosed Greek expatriate. Beautifully shot in black-and-white by legendary cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc (It's a Wonderful Life). Original score by Victor Young (Johnny Guitar) and Max Steiner (Casablanca) with a title song written by Victor Young and Harold Adamson and performed by Nat "King" Cole. Blu-ray Release date: March 26th, 2013

Richard III BD - With Richard III, Laurence Olivier—as director, producer, and star—transfigures Shakespeare’s great historical drama into a mesmerizing vision of Machiavellian villainy. Olivier’s performance, viewed as the greatest of his career, charges Richard with magnetic malevolence as he steals his brother Edward’s crown through a murderous set of machinations. His inspired direction brings to the screen superlative performances by veteran theater actors Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud and the young Claire Bloom. Filmed in VistaVision and Technicolor, this is the the restored full-length version for which Olivier received the 1956 British Academy Film Awards for Best Actor and Best Film. Blu-ray Release Date: April 23rd, 2013

Repo Man BD - A quintessential cult film of the 1980s, Alex Cox’s singular sci-fi comedy stars the always captivating Harry Dean Stanton as a weathered repo man in a desolate Los Angeles, and Emilio Estevez as the nihilistic middle-class punk he takes under his wing. The job becomes more than either of them bargained for when they get involved in repossessing a mysterious—and otherworldly—Chevy Malibu with a hefty reward attached to it. Featuring the ultimate early eighties L.A. punk soundtrack, this grungily hilarious odyssey is also a politically trenchant take on President Reagan’s domestic and foreign policies. Blu-ray Release Date: April 16th, 2013

Django Unchained BD - Not that you need, at this point, to choose. Among Mr. Tarantino’s achievements has been his successful argument that the maligned and neglected B movies of the past should be viewed with fresh eyes and unironic respect. His own tributes to the outlaw, outsider film tradition — flamboyant in their scholarly care and in their bold originality — have suggested new ways of taking movies seriously. “Django Unchained” is unabashedly and self-consciously pulpy, with camera moves and musical cues that evoke both the cornfed westerns of the 1950s and their pastafied progeny of the next decade. (The title comes from a series of Italian action movies whose first star, Franco Nero, shows up here in a cameo.) It is digressive, jokey, giddily brutal and ferociously profane. But it is also a troubling and important movie about slavery and racism. Blu-ray Release date: April 16th, 2013

Baise-Moi - Sex and shooting assault the senses in Baise-moi [literally Fuck Me or Kiss Me ], a bloody buddy movie that s like Thelma and Louise on acid. Banned on release in France, the film has provoked as much horror as it has debate. Manu a part time porn star - and Nadine a hooker set out to leave their town for Paris after witnessing and being subject to rape and violence. They rage against societal expectations in a fury of robbery, orgiastic lust and murder. One of the most controversial movies of the last 20 years, Baise-moi was described as the most sexually explicit film to ever reach British screens by the UK press, the film offers the complacent viewer a cinematic slap in the face. DVD Release Date: March 25th, 2013

The Incubus - From the director of the cult classic THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, and acclaimed actor/director John Cassavetes, comes a new kind of terror! The summer peacefulness of the New England community of Galen is suddenly shattered by a series of murders. Dr. Sam Cordell (John Cassavetes), a newly arrived surgeon and pathologist, tries to help veteran police chief Hank Walden (John Ireland) investigate the baffling crimes. Jenny, Dr. Cordell's daughter, tells her father about the terrible recurring nightmares suffered by her boyfriend, Tim, which seem to coincide with the slayings. DVD Release Date: January 22nd, 2013
 

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

April 8th, 2013

 

Accident [Blu-ray] (Joseph Losey, 1967) RB UK Studio Canal

Le Beau Serge (Claude Chabrol, 1958) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Le Beau Serge [Blu-ray] (Claude Chabrol, 1958) RB UK Masters of Cinema (BEAVER REVIEW)

Les Cousins (Claude Chabrol, 1959) R2 UK Masters of Cinema
 Les Cousins [Blu-ray] (Claude Chabrol, 1959) RB UK Masters of Cinema (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Dick Van Dyke Show: Season 1 [Blu-ray] - Image Entertainment

Gate of Hell [Blu-ray] (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1953) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Gate of Hell (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1953) Criterion

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

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

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

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

Love Crime [Blu-ray] (Alain Corneau, 2010) RB UK Arrow

Massage Parlor Murders [Blu-ray] (Alex Stevens, 1972) Vinegar Syndrome

Naked Lunch [Blu-ray] (David Cronenberg, 1991) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Scanners (Limited Edition Steelbook) [Blu-ray] (David Cronenberg, 1981) RB UK Second Sight

Schindler's List Digibook [Blu-ray] (Steven Spielberg, 1993) Region FREE UK Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Servant [Blu-ray] (Joseph Losey, 1963) RB UK Studio Canal

Womb [Blu-ray] (Benedek Fliegauf, 2010) Olive Films

 

 

April 15th, 2013

 

A Monster in Paris [Blu-ray] (Bibo Bergeron, 2011) Shout! Factory

Captured [Blu-ray] (John Krish, 1959) RB UK BFI

Django Unchained [Blu-ray] (Quentin Tarantino, 2012) Weinstein (BEAVER REVIEW)

Eclipse Series 38: Masaki Kobayashi Against the System (The Thick-Walled Room, I Will Buy You, Black River and The Inheritance) Criterion

French Masterworks: Russian Emigres in Paris 1923-1929 - 5 Iconic Films Albatros Productions - Flicker Alley

Jacob: Unrated Director's Cut [Blu-ray] (Larry Wade Carrell, 2011) Kino Lorber

Jackie Chan: Police Story / Police Story [Blu-ray] - Shout! Factory

Repo Man [Blu-ray] (Alex Cox, 1984) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Repo Man (Alex Cox, 1984) Criterion

Vulgaria [Blu-ray] (Ho-Cheung Pang, 2012) RB UK Third Window Films

You're Human Like the Rest of Them [Blu-ray] (B.S. Johnson, 1967) RB UK BFI

 

April 22nd, 2012

 

Bakumatsu taiyô - den [Yûzô Kawashima, A Sun - Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era] RB UK Masters of Cinema

Bakumatsu taiyô - den  [Blu-ray] [Yûzô Kawashima, A Sun - Tribe Myth from the Bakumatsu Era] RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Blood on Satan's Claw [Blu-ray] (Piers Haggard, 1971) RB UK Odeon Entertainment

Champion [Blu-ray] (Mark Robson, 1949) Olive Films

The City That Never Sleeps [Blu-ray] (John H. Auer, 1953) Olive Films

Copacabana [Blu-ray] (Alfred E. Green, 1947) Olive Films

The Fighting Seabees [Blu-ray] (Edward Ludwig, 1944) Olive Films

Flirt [Blu-ray] (Hal Hartley, 1995) Olive Films

Gangster Squad [Blu-ray] (Sean Penn, 2012) Warner Home Video

Grapes of Death [Blu-ray] (Jean Rollin, 1978) Redemption

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

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

Last Summer Won't Happen (Tom Hurwitz, 1968) Icarus Films

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

Meanwhile [Blu-ray] (Hal Hartley, 2011) Olive Films

Night of the Hunted [Blu-ray] (Jean Rollin, 1980) Redemption

La notte [Blu-ray] (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1961) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Pierre Etaix [Blu-ray] (The Suitor, Yoyo, As Long as You’ve Got Your Health, Le grand amour, Land of Milk and Honey) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Pierre Etaix (The Suitor, Yoyo, As Long as You’ve Got Your Health, Le grand amour, Land of Milk and Honey) Criterion

The Red Pony [Blu-ray] (Lewis Milestone, 1949) Olive Films

Richard III [Blu-ray] (Laurence Olivier, 1955) Criterion

Richard III (Laurence Olivier, 1955) Criterion

Sante Fe Stampede [Blu-ray] (George Sherman, 1938) Olive Films

Wake of the Red Witch [Blu-ray] (Edward Ludwig, 1948) Olive Films

War of the Wildcats [Blu-ray] (Albert S. Rogell, 1943) Olive Films

 

April 29th, 2013

 

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

Black Sabbath [Blu-ray] (Mario Bava, 1963) RB UK Arrow Video

Broken City [Blu-ray] (Allen Hughes, 2013) 20th Century Fox

Cloak and Dagger [Blu-ray] (Fritz Lang, 1946) Olive Films

The Complete (EXISTING) Films of SADAO YAMANAKA - R2 UK Masters of Cinema

The Enforcer [Blu-ray] (Bretaigne Windust, 1951) Olive Films

Funny Girl [Blu-ray] (William Wyler, 1968) Sony

Hoodlum Empire [Blu-ray] (Joseph Kane, 1952) Olive Films

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

Lifeforce [Blu-ray] (Tobe Hooper, 1985) - Shout! Factory

The Lonely Trail [Blu-ray] (Joseph Kane, 1936) Olive Films

The Men [Blu-ray] (Fred Zinnemann, 1950) Olive Films

The Miracle of the Bells [Blu-ray] (Irving Pichel, 1948) Olive Films

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

Night of the Scarecrow [Blu-ray] (Jeff Burr, 1995) Olive Films

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

Ozu Collection - The Gangster Films - Walk Cheerfully (1930), That Night's Wife (1930), Dragnet Girl (1933) and A Straightforward Boy (1929) - R2 UK BFI

Pals of the Saddle [Blu-ray] (George Sherman, 1938) Olive Films

Parked [Blu-ray] (Darragh Byrne, 2010) Olive Films

The Revisionaries (Scott Thurman, 2012) Kino Lorber

Silver Linings Playbook [Blu-ray] (David O. Russell, 2012) Weinstein

Three Faces West [Blu-ray] (Bernard Vorhaus, 1940) Olive Films

The Unbelievable Truth [Blu-ray] (Hal Hartley, 1989) Olive Films

The Vampire Lovers [Blu-ray] (Roy Ward Baker, 1970) Shout! Factory
     
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