Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF June 3rd, 2013

  This Week's Highlights
Uipfo kura? - A good week with 4 Criterion Blu-rays including films directed by Ingmar Bergman, František Vláčil, starring Harold Lloyd plus a Robert Siodmak noir and many more. We have our chosen our FEATURE Blu-ray and DVD of the MONTH and posted and a new CONTEST Enjoy!

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 JUNE!

 

TOOLBAR THE 'DVDBeaver Toolbar'! Give it a test drive! I've created a very simple toolbar for Film-Fans/DVD-o-philes/cinephiles. It embeds effortlessly within Internet Explorer 5.0+ (Windows Vista/XP/2000) and Firefox 1.0.1+ (Windows, Mac, Linux). It offers quick links to Searching both the Net (via Google) and DVDBeaver directly, Amazons, Asian etailors, Forums (Criterion, Home Theater, AVS, Rotten Tomatoes, Film Noir), IMDb, DVDBasen, Beaver links, Blu-ray information, Cinephile Blogs/Journals (Rosenbaum, Kehr, Acquarello etc.). What do you think? FOR MORE INFORMATION / AVAILABLE HERE *** (We can adjust this to suit popular opinion - on-the-fly - no re-install required!)

 

(Week of) June 3rd CONTEST  identify the clip on the CONTEST PAGE to win a Brand New Criterion Blu-ray of Life is Sweet

 

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.
STRATEGIES: The best way to take full advantage of Amazon is to use...
PRE-ORDERs - lock in at the discount price by ORDERING - if perchance you decide against the purchase you have until the release date to cancel - at no charge AND if you will purchase more than 35 DVDs (or anything) in a 365 day period (and live in the Continental US) it makes excellent financial sense to subscribe to Amazon
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:

Cry Vengeance [Blu-ray] (Mark Stevens, 1954) Olive Films

From Up on Poppy Hill [Blu-ray] (Goro Miyazaki, 2011) Cinedigm

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell [Blu-ray] (Otto Preminger, 1955) Olive Films

Angel and the Badman [Blu-ray] (James Edward Grant, 1947) Olive Films

Bullfighter and the Lady [Blu-ray] (Budd Boetticher, 1951) Olive Films

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds - The New Generation: Alive On Stage [Blu-ray] [2012] RB UK Universal Pictures UK

That Touch of Mink [Blu-ray] (Delbert Mann, 1962) Olive Films

The Talented Mr. Ripley [Blu-ray] (Anthony Minghella, 1999) Paramount

Django, Prepare a Coffin [Blu-ray] (Ferdinando Baldi, 1968) RB UK Arrow

A Field in England [Blu-ray] (Ben Wheatley, 2013) RB UK Channel 4

Twelve O'Clock High [Blu-ray] (Henry King, 1949) RB UK 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Pit and the Pendulum [Blu-ray] (Stuart Gordon, 1991) RB UK 88 Films

To the Wonder [Blu-ray] (Terrence Malick, 2012) Magnolia Pictures

Lore [Blu-ray] (Cate Shortland, 2012) Music Box Films

Hands Of The Ripper [Blu-ray] (Peter Sasdy, 1971) Synapse Films

Broken [Blu-ray] (Rufus Norris, 2012) RB UK StudioCanal

Best Laid Plans [Blu-ray] (Mike Barker, 1999) Starz / Anchor Bay

Hanging For Django (Una lunga fila di croci) [Blu-ray] (Sergio Garrone, 1969) Raro Video USA

Summer and Smoke [Blu-ray] (Peter Glenville, 1961) Olive Films

Once Is Not Enough [Blu-ray] (Guy Green, 1975) Olive Films

Sleepwalker [Blu-ray] (Saxon Logan, 1985) RB UK BFI

Harlow [Blu-ray] (Gordon Douglas, 1965) Olive Films

WUSA [Blu-ray] (Stuart Rosenberg, 1970) Olive Films

Shoot First Die Later (Remastered) [Blu-ray] (Fernando Di Leo, 1974) Kino

Marathon Man [Blu-ray] (John Schlesinger, 1976) Paramount

And Then There Were None [Blu-ray] (René Clair, 1945) VCI

Seconds [Blu-ray] (John Frankenheimer, 1966) Criterion Collection

Seconds (John Frankenheimer, 1966) Criterion Collection

The Big City [Blu-ray] (Satyajit Ray, 1963) Criterion Collection

The Big City (Satyajit Ray, 1963) Criterion Collection

Charulata [Blu-ray] (Satyajit Ray, 1964) Criterion Collection

Charulata (Satyajit Ray, 1964) Criterion Collection

Eclipse Series 39: Early Fassbinder (Love Is Colder Than Death, Katzelmacher, Gods of the Plague, The American Soldier, Beware of a Holy Whore) Criterion Collection

To Be or Not to Be [Blu-ray] (Ernst Lubitsch, 1942) Criterion Collection

To Be or Not to Be (Ernst Lubitsch, 1942) Criterion Collection

The Earrings of Madame de... [Blu-ray] (Max Ophuls, 1953) Criterion Collection

Mahapurush: The Holy Man [Blu-ray] (Satyajit Ray, 1965) RB UK Artificial Eye

Kapurush: The Coward [Blu-ray] (Satyajit Ray, 1965) RB UK Artificial Eye

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

Exotica [Blu-ray] (Atom Egoyan, 1994) RB UK Artificial Eye

Calendar [Blu-ray] (Atom Egoyan, 1993) RB UK Artificial Eye

The Awful Dr. Orlof [Blu-ray] (Jesús Franco, 1962) Redemption

Assault on Wall Street [Blu-ray] (Uwe Boll, 2013) Peace Arch Trinity

Perry Mason: The Ninth and Final Season, Vol. 2 - Paramount

The Jack Benny Program: The Lost Episodes - Shout! Factory

Life After Death Project (Paul Davids, 2013) Indieblitz
Jennifer Eight [
Blu-ray] (Bruce Robinson, 1992) Paramount

Snake Eyes [Blu-ray] (Brian De Palma, 1998) Paramount

A Virgin Among The Living Dead [Blu-ray] (Jess Franco, 1973) Redemption

Nightmares Come at Night [Blu-ray] (Jess Franco, 1970) Redemption

Calendar [Blu-ray] (Atom Egoyan, 1993) RB UK Artificial Eye

Journey to Italy [Blu-ray] (Roberto Rossellini, 1954) - RB UK BFI

Niagara [Blu-ray] (Henry Hathaway, 1953) Fox Home Entertainment

 

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): I made Criterion's Blu-ray of Safety Last! the Feature of the Month because I was so impressed with its improvement over the old DVD image. Super enjoyable silent! I was torn to give the accolades to František Vláčil’s Marketa Lazarová - another pristine Criterion Blu-ray and a must-own. Brilliant. And what type of fabulous week is it where Bergman's Wild Strawberries on Blu-ray gets 3rd billing! The 1080P is heads-and-tails above the past SD transfers. Arrow in the UK does another impressive Blu-ray with Foxy Brown starring Pam Grier in this prime Blaxploitation essential. Siodmak's iconic Noir The File on Thelma Jordan is imperfect on Olive's new Blu-ray but I'm not making any big complaints - we surely recommend even beyond lovers of the Dark Cinema. I still get a kick out of Alec Baldwin as The Shadow and the US Blu-ray notches up in the technical but remains bare-bones. I wasn't bowled over by Things to Come but gained appreciation with criterion's extras. Blowing Wild has Cooper, Quinn and vintage hotties Stanwyck and Ruth Roman - no masterpiece but worth a spin. The Girl Who Knew Too Much is really too much cheese unless you are hell-bent on it kitsch value. Some DVDs next week - enjoy your time till then!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

Foxy Brown BD - When Foxy Brown's undercover-agent boyfriend is gunned down on the orders of evil drug kingpins, she stops at nothing to exact a thrillingly brutal revenge. This is one of the all-time great blaxploitation films, pulling out all the stops at a time long before anyone thought of inventing political correctness. Pam Grier was given the role of a lifetime as the street-smart yet intensely sexy Foxy, modelling a stupendously varied range of Seventies threads while righteously kicking villainous white butt at every opportunity. She s also given sterling support from Antonio Huggy Bear Fargas as her no-good younger brother and a memorably funky soundtrack. Blu-ray Release date: June 24th, 2013

Wild Strawberries BD - Traveling to accept an honorary degree, Professor Isak Borg—masterfully played by veteran director Victor Sjöström—is forced to face his past, come to terms with his faults, and make peace with the inevitability of his approaching death. Through flashbacks and fantasies, dreams and nightmares, Wild Strawberries dramatizes one man’s remarkable voyage of self-discovery. This richly humane masterpiece, full of iconic imagery, is a treasure from the golden age of art-house cinema and one of the films that catapulted Ingmar Bergman to international acclaim. Blu-ray Release Date: June 11th, 2013

The Girl Who Knew Too Much BD - Adam West (Batman) plays Johnny Cain, a suave retired CIA agent and nightclub owner. After the murder of a crime boss at his nightclub, Cain is pressured by both the CIA and the crime syndicate to take on the case that may be a threat to the national security. He reluctantly agrees and soon realizes that he got much more than he bargained for, as the case becomes a conspiracy between the communists and the underworld involving a stolen Tibetan statue worth $500,000. With the help of his tough-as-nails detective friend (Nehemiah Persoff) and his beautiful ex-mistress (Nancy Kwan), he manages to stay one step ahead of the villains as he races against time to stop the communist's evil plan. Directed by Francis D. Lyon (The Great Locomotive Chase). Blu-ray Release date: May 28th, 2013

The File on Thelma Jordan BD - Robert Siodmak (The Dark Mirror, The Killers). No one is as good as Barbara Stanwyck (No Man of Her Own) when she's bad - the legendary actress play Thelma Jordon, a woman who seduces the married Assistant District Attorney (Wendell Corey, Hell's Half Acre) and pulls him into a web of theft and murder. Her aunt's mansion is burglarized and the woman is murdered, Thelma calls the Assistant DA to help her cover up evidence that may incriminate her. When she emerges as the prime suspect, the infatuated Assistant DA tries to sabotages the prosecution. The File on Thelma Jordon is a romantic and unusual mystery with great performances and superior direction. Beautifully shot by George Barnes (Spellbound) with a haunting score by Victor Young (The Quiet Man). Blu-ray Release date: May 28th, 2013

Blowing Wild BD - In 1930s South America, bandits led by El Gavilan (Juan Garcia) destroy the wildcat oil well owned by Jeff Dawson (Gary Cooper) and his partner, Dutch Peterson (Ward Bond). The two desperate men accept a dangerous job of transporting nitroglycerin, but are swindled out of their payment. Broke and nowhere else to turn, Dawson and Peterson are hired by their old friend, Ward 'Paco' Conway (Anthony Quinn), now an oil baron and married to Dawson's ex-love Marina (Barbara Stanwyck). The bandits threatens to dynamite Paco's eighteen wells unless he pays them a bounty of $50,000 as the predatory Marina still in love with Dawson will stop at nothing to get back the only man she ever loved. Ruth Roman also stars and adds to the romantic entanglement. Frankie Laine sang the memorable title song "Blowing Wild (The Ballad of the Black Gold)" with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster and music by Dimitri Tiomkin (High Noon) who also scored this one-of-a-kind classic. Beautifully shot in black-and-white by Sidney Hickox (Three Secrets) and directed by Hugo Fregonese (Man in the Attic) with a screenplay by Philip Yordan (Johnny Guitar). Blu-ray Release date: May 28th, 2013

Things to Come BD - A global war begins in 1940. This war drags out over many decades until most of the people still alive (mostly those born after the war started) do not even know who started it or why. Nothing is being manufactured at all any more and society has broken down into primitive localized communities. In 1966 a great plague wipes out most of what people are left but small numbers still survive. One day a strange aircraft lands at one of these communities and its pilot tells of an organization which is rebuilding civilization and slowly moving across the world re-civilizing these groups of survivors. Great reconstruction takes place over the next few decades and society is once again great and strong. The world's population is now living in underground cities. In the year 2035, on the eve of man's first flight to the moon, a popular uprising against progress (which some people claim has caused the wars of the past) gains support and becomes violent... Blu-ray Release Date: June 18th, 2013

Marketa Lazarová BD - In its native land, František Vláčil’s Marketa Lazarová has been hailed as the greatest Czech film ever made; for many U.S. viewers, it will be a revelation. Based on a novel by Vladislav Vančura, this stirring and poetic depiction of a feud between two rival medieval clans is a fierce, epic, and meticulously designed evocation of the clashes between Christianity and paganism, humankind and nature, love and violence. Vláčil’s approach was to re-create the textures and mentalities of a long-ago way of life, rather than to make a conventional historical drama, and the result is dazzling. With its inventive widescreen cinematography, editing, and sound design, Marketa Lazarová is an experimental action film. Blu-ray Release Date: June 18th, 2013

Safety Last! BD - The comic genius of silent star Harold Lloyd is eternal. Chaplin is the sweet innocent, Keaton the stoic outsider, but Lloyd—the modern guy striving for success—is us. And with its torrent of perfectly executed gags and astonishing stunts, Safety Last! is the perfect introduction to him. Lloyd plays a small-town bumpkin trying to make it in the big city, who finds employment as a lowly department-store clerk. He comes up with a wild publicity stunt to draw attention to the store, resulting in an incredible feat of derring-do on his part that gets him started on the climb to success. Laugh-out-loud funny and jaw-dropping in equal measure, Safety Last! is a movie experience par excellence, anchored by a genuine legend. Blu-ray Release Date: June 18th, 2013

The Shadow BD - Based on the radio and pulp-magazine series of the 1930s, 'The Shadow' Universal movie never really had a chance at the box-office competing with the likes of comic book superstardom in 'Batman' or trampy Madonna in 'Dick Tracy'. Alec Baldwin is his usual arrogant self in full bravado while playing Lamont Crantson and his alter-ego 'The Shadow'. I truly enjoyed this film with limited special effects, not attempting to overshadow (pun) the narrative that harkens to that pulp era many moons ago. I was truly captivated, but it is probably showing my age so I won't recommend it to all, just those who like an innocent, young boys adventure story with mystery and a sci-fi element lurking behind every corner. Crackerjack... Blu-ray Release Date: June 4th, 2013
 

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

June 3rd, 2013

 

Alfred Hitchcock: The Essentials Collection [Blu-ray] (Psycho, Rear Window, North By Northwest, Vertigo, Birds) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

Clint Eastwood: 20 Film Collection [Blu-ray] - Warner

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

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry / Race With The Devil [Blu-ray] - Shout Factory

Earthquake [Blu-ray] (Mark Robson, 1974) Universal Studios

Electra Glide in Blue [Blu-ray] (James William Guercio, 1973) Shout! Factory

In The Name Of The Father [Blu-ray] (Jim Sheridan, 1993) [Region Free] UK Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

In Old Arizona [Blu-ray] (Irving Cummings, 1928) 20th Century Fox

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

The Long Riders [Blu-ray] (Walter Hill, 1980) RB UK Second Sight (BEAVER REVIEW)

Mad Max: Complete Trilogy [Blu-ray] - Warner Home Video

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [Blu-ray] (John Ford, 1962) [Region Free] UK Paramount (BEAVER REVIEW)

Marathon Man [Blu-ray] (John Schlesinger, 1976) UK Region Free Paramount

Midway [Blu-ray] (Jack Smight, 1976) Universal Studios

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

The Odd Couple [Blu-ray] (Gene Saks, 1968) Warner Home Video

Perfect Understanding [Blu-ray] (Cyril Gardner, 1933) Cohen Media

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

Rope [Blu-ray] (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Sand Pebbles [Blu-ray] (Robert Wise, 1966) RB UK 20th Century Fox (BEAVER REVIEW)

Scum [Blu-ray] (Alan Clarke, 1979) Kino Lorber (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

True Grit / The Searchers [Blu-ray] - Warner (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

 

 

June 10th, 2013

 

Beyond the Hills [Blu-ray] (Cristian Mungiu, 2012) RB UK Artificial Eye

Django, Prepare a Coffin [Blu-ray] (Ferdinando Baldi, 1968) RB UK Arrow

Enter the Dragon: 40th Anniversary [Blu-ray] (Robert Clouse, 1973) Warner Home Video

Fear Not [Blu-ray] (Nicolo Dominick Gullo, Jameel Saleem, 2011) Kino Lorber

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters [Blu-ray] - Rated and Unrated Versions (Tommy Wirkola, 2013) Paramount

The House of Seven Corpses [Blu-ray] (Paul Harrison, 1974) Severin Films

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

Michael H - Profession: Director (Yves Montmayeur, 2013) R2 UK Artificial Eye

Next of Kin [Blu-ray] (Atom Egoyan, 1984) RB UK Artificial Eye

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

Simple Men [Blu-ray] (Hal Hartley, 1992) RB UK Artificial Eye

Wild Strawberries [Blu-ray] (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) Criterion Collection (BEAVER REVIEW)

 

June 17th, 2013

 

Flame of Barbary Coast [Blu-ray] (Joseph Kane, 1945) Olive Films

Hangar 18 [Blu-ray] (James L. Conway, 1980) Olive Films

Hell's House [Blu-ray] (Howard Higgin, 1932) Kino Lorber

The Howling [Blu-ray] (Joe Dante, 1981) Shout! Factory

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

The Naked Island [Blu-ray] (Kaneto Shindô, 1960) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Marketa Lazarová [Blu-ray] (František Vlácil, 1967) Criterion Collection (BEAVER REVIEW)

Marketa Lazarová (František Vlácil, 1967) Criterion Collection

Of Human Bondage [Blu-ray] (John Cromwell, 1934) Kino Lorber

One Touch of Venus [Blu-ray] (William A. Seiter, 1948) Olive Films

Perfect Friday (Peter Hall, 1970) R2 UK Network

Retreat, Hell! [Blu-ray] (Joseph H. Lewis, 1952) Olive Films

Safety Last! [Blu-ray] (Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, 1923) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Safety Last! (Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, 1923) Criterion Collection

Showdown at Boot Hill [Blu-ray] (Gene Fowler Jr., 1958) Olive Films

Stoker [Blu-ray] (Chan-wook Park, 2013) 20th Century Fox

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas [Blu-ray] (F.W. Murnau, 1931) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (F.W. Murnau, 1931) R2 UK Masters of Cinema

Things to Come [Blu-ray] (William Cameron Menzies, 1936) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Things to Come (William Cameron Menzies, 1936) Criterion Collection

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

Upside Down [Blu-ray] (Juan Solanas, 2012) Millennium

The Brass Teapot [Blu-ray] (Ramaa Mosley, 2012) Magnolia

 

June 24th, 2013

 

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

The Big Lebowski (Steelbook Blu-ray) (Joel Coen, 1998) Universal

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

Charulata [Blu-ray] (Satyajit Ray, 1964) RB UK Artificial Eye

Comment Ca Va [Blu-ray] (Jean-Luc Godard, 1978) Olive Films

Crashout [Blu-ray] (Lewis R. Foster, 1955) Olive Films

The Curtis Harrington Short Film Collection [Blu-ray] - Flicker Alley

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

Family Viewing [Blu-ray] (Atom Egoyan, 1988) RB UK Artificial Eye

Fernando Di Leo: The Italian Crime Collection: Vol. 2 [Blu-ray] (Shoot First, Die Later, Kidnap Syndicate & Naked Violence) - Raro (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

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

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan [Blu-ray] (Hugh Hudson, 1984) Warner Bros

Home (Muzaffer Özdemir, 2011) R2 UK Verve Pictures

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

Keep Your Right Up [Blu-ray] (Jean-Luc Godard, 1987) Olive Films

Kuroneko [Blu-ray] (Kaneto Shindô, 1968) RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Man Who Haunted Himself [Blu-ray] (Basil Dearden, 1970) RB UK Network

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

Neighbouring Sounds (Kleber Mendonça Filho, 2012) R2 UK Artificial Eye

No [Blu-ray] (Pablo Larraín, 2012) Sony Pictures Classics

One. Two. One (Mania Akbari, 2011) R2 UK Second Run

Paul [Blu-ray] (Greg Mottola, 2011) Universal Studios

A Place at the Table [Blu-ray] (Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush, 2012) Magnolia

Shark [Blu-ray] (Samuel Fuller, 1969) Olive Films

Shoah [Blu-ray] (Claude Lanzmann, 1985) Criterion Collection

Shoah (Claude Lanzmann, 1985) Criterion Collection

Simon Killer [Blu-ray] (Antonio Campos, 2012) RB UK Eureka

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

Upside Down [Blu-ray] (Juan Solanas, 2012) Millennium

The Woman on the Beach (Jean Renoir, 1947) R2 UK Odeon Ent.

     
Contact Us   Weekly Newsletter Archive
To unsubscribe send a message to DVDBeaver-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com