Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF August 13th, 2012
  This Week's Highlights
Seri otso - A modest week with Criterion, Noir, Rock Opera, supernatural thriller, Blaxploitation - and more on Blu-ray. New listings on the Upcoming Calendar with Blu-rays of films by Billy Wilder, John Carpenter, Tim Burton, Ridley Scott, Jane Campion, Luc Besson, Ken Loach, We continue with our CONTEST clips with another brand new Criterion Blu-ray prize!

FEATURE DVD and Blu-ray of the MONTH chosen for AUGUST! HERE

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August 13th CONTEST - identify the clip on the CONTEST PAGE to win a brand new Criterion Blu-ray of Aki Kaurismaki's Le Havre

 
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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:

Sunset Blvd. [Blu-ray] (Billy Wilder, 1950) Paramount

Klown [Blu-ray] (Mikkel Norgaard, 2010) Image Entertainment

They Live [Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1988) Shout! Factory

Dark Shadows [Blu-ray] (Tim Burton, 2012) Warner

The Duellists [Blu-ray] (Ridley Scott, 1977) Shout! Factory

The Portrait of a Lady [Blu-ray] (Jane Campion, 1996) Shout! Factory

Natural Selection [Blu-ray] (Robbie Pickering, 2011) Cinema Guild

Cheeky [Blu-ray] (Tinto Brass, 2000) Cult Epics

A Cat in Paris [Blu-ray] (Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnol, 2010) New Video Group

The Lady [Blu-ray] (Luc Besson, 2011) Ent. One

Family Guy: Volume Ten - Fox

The Brain (Le Cerveau) [Blu-ray] (Gérard Oury, 1969) Olive Films

Le cinéma de Max Linder [Blu-ray] - Editions Montparnasse

The Angels' Share [Blu-ray] (Ken Loach, 2012) RB UK Entertainment One

Greed in the Sun [Blu-ray] (Henri Verneuil, 1964) Olive Films

Taxi for Tobruk [Blu-ray] (Denys de La Patellière, 1960) Olive Films

A Thousand Cuts [Blu-ray] (Charles Evered, 2011) Lorber Films

A Simple Life [Blu-ray] (Ann Hui, 2011) RB UK Spirit Entertainment

Hans Christian Andersen [Blu-ray] (Charles Vidor, 1952) HBO

Long Day's Journey Into Night [Blu-ray] (Sidney Lumet, 1962) Olive Films

Twilight's Last Gleaming [Blu-ray] (Robert Aldrich, 1977) Olive Films

Many Wars Ago (Francesco Rossi, 1970) Raro Video

Zombie Flesh Eaters [Blu-ray] (Lucio Fulci, 1979) RB UK Arrow Films

The Great Gatsby [Blu-ray] (Jack Clayton, 1974) Region FREE UK Paramount

Dark Star - Thermostellar Edition [Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1974) VCI

Blade Runner 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition [Blu-ray] (Ridley Scott, 1982) Warner

Cut to the Chase - The Charley Chase Comedy Collection - Milestone

Friends: The Complete Series Collection [Blu-ray] Warner

Samsara [Blu-ray] (Pan Nalin, 2001) MPI

My Father's Glory / My Mother's Castle [Blu-ray] (Yves Robert, 1990) RB UK Second Sight

Christmas Evil (Lewis Jackson, 1980) R2 UK Arrow Films

Super Bitch (Massimo Dallamano, 1973) R2 UK Arrow Films

The Night Child (Massimo Dallamano, 1975) R2 UK Arrow Films

Guys and Dolls [Blu-ray] (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955) Warner

The Dick Van Dyke Show: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] - Image Entertainment

Beauty aka Skoonheid (Oliver Hermanus, 2011) TLA Releasing

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians [Blu-ray] (Nicholas Webster, 1964) Kino

The Postman Always Rings Twice [Blu-ray] (Bob Rafelson, 1981) Warner

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): Not a stacked newsletter but Criterion's Quadrophenia Blu-ray made my week - great video, audio and supplements. Another must-own disc. Classic Noir on Blu-ray is always something to get excited about - Don Siegel's Private Hell 36 with (and co-written by) Ida Lupino fits the bill. The Hunger Games looks interesting (screen garbs thanks to Henrik) - I'll try to complete the review in the future. I was pleasantly surprised at Fallen with Denzel - I can't believe I had not seen this 14-year old excellent occult thriller until now. Shaft is still a decent cop-drama and the blaxploitation element gives it a nostalgic edge - worth seeing in 1080P. Kill List is intriguing and the director shows some real promise. Only some die-hard Alan Ladd fans might appreciate Captain Carey USA. On DVD, Gregory covered some appealing vintage film fare including Diplomatic Courier - a strong mystery thriller with Tyrone Power. The Guilt of Janet Ames has mystery and romance with Rosalind Russell and Slattery's Hurricane has Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell and Veronica Lake - bonus. Eric's covered some films from the other side of the tracks with Dolph Lundgren in Pentathlon, a self-explanatory titled The Paranormal Incident and the crass re-titled Lesbian Vampire Warriors. Keep cool!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

Quadrophenia BD - The Who’s classic rock opera Quadrophenia was the basis for this invigorating coming-of-age movie and depiction of the defiant, drug-fueled mod subculture of early 1960s London. Our antihero is Jimmy (Phil Daniels), a teenager dissatisfied with family, work, and love. He spends his time knocking around with his clothes-obsessed, pill-popping, scooter-driving fellow mods, a group whose antipathy for the motorcycle-riding rockers leads to a climactic riot in Brighton. Director Franc Roddam’s rough-edged film is a quintessential chronicle of youthful rebellion and turmoil, with Pete Townshend’s brilliant songs (including “I’ve Had Enough,” “5:15,” and “Love Reign O’er Me”) providing emotional support, and featuring Sting and Ray Winstone in early roles. Blu-ray Release date: August 28th, 2012

Captain Carey USA BD - Alan Ladd (Appointment with Danger) plays the title role in this film noir about a former OSS operative who returns to Italy after the war to avenge the death of resistance worker Giulia (Wanda Hendrix), but only to find out that his "deceased" lover is not only still alive, but also the wife of a powerful Italian baron (Francis Lederer). Carey decides to stick around, hoping to flush out the traitor who'd caused the wartime deaths of several of his OSS colleagues and resistance fighters. Enhanced by the incidental musical number "Mona Lisa", which subsequently won the 1951 Academy Award for Best Original Song and later became an all-time classic. Directed by Mitchell Leisen (No Man of Her Own). Blu-ray Release date: August 21st, 2012

The Hunger Games BD - Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister’s place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she’s pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. Blu-ray Release date: August 18th, 2012

The Guilt of Janet Ames - Rosalind Russell plays a war widow whose husband threw himself on a grenade and saved five of his platoon. Angry and bitter, she has the names of the men, and sets out to meet each one to see if any of them were worth her husband sacrificing his life. En route to see one of them, she is hit by a car and has an hysterical paralysis so that she is confined to a wheelchair. One of the names on her list is recognized as that of a reporter, Smitty (Douglas), and he goes to the hospital to identify her. Though he has lost his job, is an alcoholic and due to leave for Chicago soon, he does a mental exercise with Janet that is inspired by the story of Peter Ibbetson. Ibbetson was an imprisoned man in a DuMaurier novel who was able through his imagination to leave the prison and reunite in dreams with his true love. DVD Release Date: September 21st, 2010

Slattery's Hurricane - Will Slattery is a hotshot fighter pilot reduced to inactive duty for defying orders in a crucial battle and recklessly engaging in a solo aerial dogfight. The stunt did help secure victory, and the brass has delayed a decision on whether he deserves the Medal of Honor . . . or a court-martial. In the meantime he’s taken a job piloting cargo flights in the Caribbean for a Miami-based “candy manufacturer,” a job arranged by his loyal girlfriend, Dolores (Veronica Lake). DVD Release Date: June 20th, 2012

Diplomatic Courier - Tyrone Power plays a diplomatic courier called out on a special assignment which seems fairly simple: pick up some documents from an agent and take them to Washington. But of course, in a film like this, things don't work out right the first time. The "drop" doesn't go according to plan, so Power has to improvise, surrounded by an increasing number of characters whose loyalties are questionable. A couple of femmes fatales, a cross-dressing night club entertainer, some MPs, and the obligatory little bald pawnshop owner all liven up the plot, with plenty of twists en route to the finale. DVD Release Date: June 20th, 2012

Pentathlon - When East German Eric Brogar (Dolph Lundgren) wins a gold medal in the pentathlon, he escapes to freedom in the west with the help of a beautiful American athlete. But his demanding coach, Heinrich Mueller (David Soul) vows revenge and Eric's best friend and his father pay the ultimate price for his freedom when they are killed by the Secret Police. In Los Angeles, Eric starts to train for the gold again. But when Mueller comes to America, Eric must win the most deadly game of all… the fight for his life. DVD Release Date: July 30th, 2012

Kill List BD - Eight months after a disastrous hit job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, ex-soldier turned contract killer Jay (Neil Maskell) is pressured by his partner Gal (Michael Smiley), into taking a new assignment. But as they descend into the bizarre, disturbing world of the contract, Jay's reality begins to unravel until fear and paranoia send him reeling towards a horrifying point of no return. From director Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace), KILL LIST is a mind-blowing psychological horror film that plunges into the heart of human darkness. Blu-ray Release date: August 14th, 2012

Private Hell 36 BD - Ida Lupino co-wrote and stars in this classic film noir about a desperate cop (Steve Cochran) straying off the straight-and-narrow, falling for a world-weary lounge singer (Lupino), and betraying his honest partner (Howard Duff). Directed with grim, artful efficiency by Don Siegel (Charley Varrick), Private Hell 36 is a thriller that revels in the claustrophobic tawdriness of its characters and is much smarter and potent than its gears-turning plot first reveals. The stellar cast includes Dean Jagger as the detectives' Captain and Dorothy Malone as Duff's understandably worried wife. Blu-ray Release date: August 21st, 2012

Shaft BD - "Hotter than Bond. Cooler than Bullitt," movie posters proclaimed. John Shaft was indeed a shut-your-mouth detective to reckon with, a fact emphasized from the film's start by Isaac Hayes' Academy Award-winning Best Original Song and Oscar-nominated score. Richard Roundtree plays the smart, tough, confident lead, a private investigator whose hunt for a kidnapped woman puts him in the middle of feuding syndicates. Gordan Parks directs from a screenplay that Ernest Tidyman (that same year's Oscar-winner for The French Connection) co-scripted from his own novel. John Shaft is an icon of change from an era of change. Today, Shaft still tells it like it is. Blu-ray Release date: August 14th, 2012

Fallen BD - Directed by Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear), Fallen is a blend of the police drama and supernatural thriller genres. Homicide detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) narrates, taking the audience back to "the time I almost died." This sets a flashback in motion, beginning at the prison cell of serial killer Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas), who grabs Hobbes' hand and sings the Rolling Stones' "Time Is on My Side." After Reese is executed, Hobbes and his partner, Jonesy (John Goodman), find a seeming copycat killer, committing murders in a manner not unlike Reese. Hobbes is drawn into the occult after he meets theology professor Gretta Milano (Embeth Davidtz), the daughter of a dead police officer. Hobbes becomes a suspect himself, but he continues his search for the truth. Blu-ray Release date: August 14th, 2012

Lesbian Vampire Warriors - Vampire hunter Ar leads a simple life, slaying the un-dead whilst simultaneously spending time with a family of non-lethal "vegetarian" vampires. That is until the mysterious and ruthless vampire Mung comes to town, causing all kinds of carnage and feasting on fellow vampires whilst stealing their power. With the bodies piling up and her vampire friends under threat, Ar has no choice but to face Mung, fang to fang. But as Mung becomes more and more powerful, Ar will have to make the ultimate sacrifice if she is ultimately to triumph become one of her very own most revered adversaries the un-dead! DVD Release Date: June 25th, 2012

The Paranormal Incident - The infamous Odenbrook Sanitarium closed after a mass suicide occurred within its walls. Sixty years later, six college students armed with cameras and recording equipment venture into the asylum to prove the existence of the paranormal. Thrills turn into nightmares as members of the group go missing without a sound, cell phones mysteriously vanish, corridors turn into mazes, walls appear where doors once stood, flashlights fail and something or someone begins toying with the group. Days later, when five of the six friends turn up missing, the lone survivor must go through the recovered footage in order to clear his name and find out what happened to his friends. DVD Release Date: July 23rd, 2012

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

August 13th, 2012

 

Dexter: The Complete Sixth Season [Blu-ray] Showtime (BEAVER REVIEW)

Fallen [Blu-ray] (Gregory Hoblit, 1998) Warner (BEAVER REVIEW)

Fernando Di Leo's: Madness (Vacanze per un massacro - 1980) Raro

The Hunger Games [Blu-ray] (Gary Ross, 2012) Lions Gate (BEAVER REVIEW)

Jaws [Blu-ray] (Steven Spielberg, 1975) (Blu-ray + DVD + UV Digital Copy + Digital Copy) (Universal's 100th Anniversary) - Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Kill List [Blu-ray] (Ben Wheatley, 2011) MPI (BEAVER REVIEW)

Korczak [Blu-ray] (Andrzej Wajda, 1990) Kino

New Jack City [Blu-ray] (Mario Van Peeples, 1991) Warner

La promesse (Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 1996) Criterion

La promesse [Blu-ray]  (Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 1996) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Romeo Must Die [Blu-ray] (Andrzej Bartkowiak, 2000) Warner

Rosetta (Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 1999) Criterion

Rosetta [Blu-ray] (Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, 1999) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Royal Tenenbaums [Blu-ray] (Wes Anderson, 2001) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Shaft [Blu-ray] (Gordon Parks, 1971) Warner (BEAVER REVIEW)

Les Vampires: 2-Disc [Blu-ray] (Louis Feuillade, 1915-16) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

 

 

August 20th, 2012

 

The Alexander Sokurov Collection - 3 Disc Set R2 UK Artificial Eye

The AristoCats [Blu-ray] (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1970) Disney

Black Magic Rites [Blu-ray] (Renato Polselli, 1973) Redemption

Captain Carey, U.S.A. [Blu-ray] (Mitchell Leisen, 1950) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Elles (Malgorzata Szumowska, 2011) [Blu-ray] RB UK Artificial Eye

The Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth (Juan Piquer Simón, 1977) R2 UK Odeon Entertainment

Faust [Blu-ray] (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2011) RB UK Artificial Eye

If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle (Florin Serban, 2010) R2 UK Artificial Eye

Man of the Story (Kathapurushan) (Adoor Gopalakrishnan, 1996) R2 UK Second Run

My Son John [Blu-ray] (Leo McCarey, 1952) Olive Films

Night of the Living Dead Re-animation [Blu-ray] (Jeff Broadstreet, 2012) 101 Films

Payback (Jennifer Baichwal, 2012) Zeitgeist

Post Mortem [Blu-ray] (Pablo Larraín, 2010) Lorber Films

Private Hell 36 [Blu-ray] (Don Siegel, 1954) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Pursued [Blu-ray] (Raoul Walsh, 1947) Olive Films

Sailor of the King [Blu-ray] (Roy Boulting, 1953) RB UK Odeon Entertainment

Santa Fe Trail [Blu-ray] (Michael Curtiz, 1940) Intergroove

A Separation [Blu-ray] (Asghar Farhadi, 2011) Sony

The Soviet Influence Volume 2: Potemkin / Drifters [Blu-ray] - RB UK BFI

Stephen King's Thinner [Blu-ray] (Tom Holland, 1996) Olive Films

Vamperifica [Blu-ray] (Bruce Ornstein, 2011) RB UK Los Banditos Films

Visions of Ecstasy (with Sacred Flesh) [Blu-ray] - Sacrament

WarGames [Blu-ray] (John Badham, 1983) MGM

Weekend (Andrew Haigh, 2011) Criterion

Weekend [Blu-ray] (Andrew Haigh, 2011) Criterion

 

 

August 27th, 2012

 

The Avengers [Blu-ray] (Joss Whedon, 2012) RB FR Disney

Death Watch [Blu-ray] (Bertrand Tavernier, 1980) Shout! Factory

Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) Universal Studios

Eclipse Series 35: Maidstone and Other Films by Norman Mailer - Criterion

The Living Dead Girl [Blu-ray] (Jean Rollin, 1982) Redemption

Lonesome (Pál Fejös, 1928) Criterion

Lonesome [Blu-ray] (Pál Fejös, 1928) Criterion

Monsieur Lazhar [Blu-ray] (Philippe Falardeau, 2011) Music Box Films

Quadrophenia (Franc Roddam, 1979) Criterion

Quadrophenia [Blu-ray] (Franc Roddam, 1979) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Ro.Go.Pa.G. [Blu-ray] (Jean-Luc Godard, Ugo Gregoretti, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Roberto Rossellini - 1963) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Rumble Fish [Blu-ray] (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983) RB UK Masters of Cinema (BEAVER REVIEW)

Rumble Fish [Blu-ray] Limited Edition Steelbook (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983) RB UK Masters of Cinema (BEAVER REVIEW)

Two Orphan Vampires [Blu-ray] (Jean Rollin, 1997) Redemption

The Viral Factor [Blu-ray] (Dante Lam, 2012) Well Go USA

 

 

September 3rd, 2012

 

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein [Blu-ray] (Charles Barton, 1948) Universal

Airport [Blu-ray] (George Seaton, 1970) Universal

Anna Karenina (Julien Duvivier, 1948) R2 UK Studio Canal

Arachnophobia [Blu-ray] (Frank Marshall, 1990) Walt Disney

Child's Play [Blu-ray] (Sidney Lumet, 1972) Olive Films

The Dark Mirror [Blu-ray] (Robert Siodmak, 1946) Olive Films

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle [Blu-ray] (Curtis Hanson, 1992) Walt Disney

Harvey [Blu-ray] (Henry Koster, 1950) Region FREE UK Universal

The Incredible Shrinking Man (Jack Arnold, 1957) Universal

Jaws [Blu-ray] (Steven Spielberg, 1975) Limited Edition Steelbook (Blu-ray + UV Digital Copy + Digital Copy) Region FREE UK Universal

King of New York (LE) [Blu-ray] (Abel Ferrara, 1990) RB UK Arrow Video

King of New York (Steelbook) [Blu-ray] (Abel Ferrara, 1990) RB UK Arrow Video

Man on a Swing [Blu-ray] (Frank Perry, 1974) Olive Films

The Navigator [Blu-ray] (Donald Crisp, Buster Keaton, 1924) Kino

A New Leaf [Blu-ray] (Elaine May, 1971) Olive Films

That Obscure Object of Desire [Blu-ray] (Luis Buñuel, 1977) RB UK Studio Canal

One Hundred and One Dalmatians [Blu-ray] (Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, 1961) RB UK Walt Disney Studios

The Pinochet Case (Patricio Guzman, 2001) Icarus Films

Le quai des brumes [Blu-ray] (Marcel Carné, 1938) RB UK Optimum

Secret Beyond the Door... [Blu-ray] (Fritz Lang, 1947) Olive Films

Sleepwalkers [Blu-ray] (Mick Garris, 1992) Image Entertainment

A Thousand Cuts [Blu-ray] (Charles Evered, 2011) Lorber Films

The Trial [Blu-ray] (Orson Welles, 1962) RB UK Studio Canal

The Turin Horse [Blu-ray] (Bela Tarr, 2011) RB UK Artificial Eye

Umberto D. [Blu-ray] (Vittorio De Sica, 1952) Criterion Collection

 
     
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