Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF September 9th, 2013
  This Week's Highlights
Manantaw si kayu? - Getting back into the swing of things with Jean-Pierre Melville, Steven Soderbergh, Anthony Minghella, Maurice Pialat, Hammer Horror and more on Blu-ray. In our new Calendar Listings we have the aforementioned Melville, Mizoguchi, Fritz Lang, Philip Kaufman, Mario Bava, Giuseppe Tornatore, Brian De Palma, Wes Craven, and more. We've posted a new CONTEST Enjoy!

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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:

Two Men in Manhattan [Blu-ray] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1959) Cohen Media

Late Mizoguchi Limited Edition Box [Blu-ray] - Oyu-sama (1951) Ugetsu monogatari (1953), Gion bayashi (1953) Sansho dayu (1954), Uwasa no onna (1954), Chikamatsu monogatari (1954), Yokihi (1955), Akasen chitai (1956) - RB UK Masters of Cinema

Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler Ltd Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Fritz Lang, 1922) - RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Attack [Blu-ray] (Ziad Doueiri, 2012) Koch Entertainment

Blackfish [Blu-ray] (Gabriela Cowperthwaite, 2013) RB UK Dogwoof

The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection [Blu-ray] (Dark Journey, Fire Over England, Sidewalks of London and Storm In a Tea Cup) Cohen Media

Invasion of the Body Snatchers [Blu-ray] (Philip Kaufman, 1978) RB UK Arrow Video

Intolerance [Blu-ray] (D.W. Griffith, 1916) Koch Entertainment

Rabid Dogs/Kidnapped [Blu-ray] (Mario Bava, 1974) RB UK Arrow Video

Cinema Paradiso [Blu-ray] (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988) RB UK Arrow Video

Passion [Blu-ray] (Brian De Palma, 2012) Koch Entertainment

Tous les Matins du Monde [Blu-ray] (Alain Corneau, 1991) Koch Entertainment

The People Under the Stairs [Blu-ray] (Wes Craven, 1991) RB UK Arrow Video

Harlequin [Blu-ray] (Simon Wincer, 1980) Scorpion Entertainment

Red River [Blu-ray] (Howard Hawks, Arthur Rosson, 1948) - RB UK Masters of Cinema

Nosferatu [Blu-ray] (F.W. Murnau, 1922) - RB UK Masters of Cinema
Nosferatu Ltd. Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray] (F.W. Murnau, 1922) - RB UK Masters of Cinema

Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler [Blu-ray] (Fritz Lang, 1922) - RB UK Masters of Cinema

Nosferatu [Blu-ray] (F.W. Murnau, 1922) Kino Lorber

Before Midnight [Blu-ray] (Richard Linklater, 2013) Sony

Russian Ark [Blu-ray] (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002) Kino Lorber

Martin Scorsese Presents: World Cinema Foundation: Volume One [Blu-ray] (6 discs) - RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Canyons [Blu-ray] (Paul Schrader, 2013) IFC

Museum Hours [Blu-ray] (Jem Cohen, 2012) Cinema Guild

Epic of Everest [Blu-ray] (J.B.L. Noel, 1924) RB UK BFI

Cinerama: South Seas Adventure [Blu-ray] (Carl Dudley, 1958) Emphasis Entertainment Group

Cinerama Holiday [Blu-ray] (John Marsh, 1955) Emphasis Entertainment Group

Leviathan [Blu-ray] (Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel, 2012) RB UK Dogwoof

Darkman [Blu-ray] (Sam Raimi, 1990) Shout! Factory

Night Train To Terror [Blu-ray] (Jay Schlossberg-Cohen, 1985) Vinegar Syndrome

Halloween Steelbook Edition: 35th Anniversary [Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1978) RB UK Anchor Bay Entertainment

Shoot the Sun Down [Blu-ray] (David Leeds, 1978) Kino Lorber

The Beast Within [Blu-ray] (Philippe Mora, 1982) Shout! Factory

Crawlspace [Blu-ray] (David Schmoeller, 1986) Shout! Factory

City Lights [Blu-ray] (Charles Chaplin, 1931) Criterion Collection

Tokyo Story [Blu-ray] (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953) Criterion Collection

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman [Blu-ray] (Entire Collection - 27 discs) Criterion Collection

Frances Ha [Blu-ray] (Noah Baumbach, 2013) Criterion Collection
 

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): I don't know that I could chose one top pick this week as there was so much I enjoyed but I realty appreciated the Masters of Cinema Blu-ray of Maurice Pialat's Van Gogh - a super package. The memorable 1958 science-fiction/horror The Fly comes out in a new 1080P transfer that fans will relish. It was also a pleasure revisiting Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley - now in a new Blu-ray transfer. Vintage horrors like the 1966 Dracula: Prince of Darkness are pure Hammer fun and we look forward to comparing to the European Blu-ray. Jean-Pierre Melville's Two Men in Manhattan is soaked in Noir visions and fans of the dark cinema will want to indulge. Although I wouldn't call them masterpieces I liked two Olive Films Blu-rays we reviewed this week; The Atomic City is a keen early 50's thriller and the jail-break film Riot with the likes of Jim Brown and Hackman makes for gritty machismo cinema. Behind the Candelabra held my interest as a slanted bio-pic and the performances of Douglas and Damon - Soderbergh has detailed a very watchable film. While I can see the appeal of An American Hippie in Israel, it didn't do much for me personally although I can respect the effort that Grindhouse Releasing made in the production of the Blu-ray. On DVD Eric covered The Dyatlov Pass Incident - about the investigation of a still-unsolved disappearance mystery. Have a marvelous week!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

An American Hippie in Israel BD - Israeli counter-culture movie about hippies and the inherent destructive forces in man, with touches of surrealism. An American Hippie lands in Israel and is picked up by an actress. He rants about the horrible state of the world, what governments made him do in Vietnam, and about his dream of living free in a secluded spot. They hit it off, but he is hounded by strange white-faced men who always appear to spoil his fun or shoot down his friends. When they run off to a tiny rocky island, their utopia deteriorates faster than you can say 'Lord of the Flies'. Mostly a boring movie with endlessly long scenes of hippies 'being happy', dancing, having sex, and taking a road trip. The metaphor works, but its crude, and there is a surreal dream sequence involving various strange communes, violence, and a huge hammer applied to 'tape-recorder-men'. Blu-ray Release Date: September 17th, 2013

Two Men in Manhattan BD - A French UN delegate has disappeared into thin air, sending reporter Moreau (Jean-Pierre Melville) and hard drinking photographer Delmas (Pierre Grasset) on an assignment to find him. Their only lead is a picture of three women. Set against a smoky jazz score and featuring stunning black and white cinematography that beautifully captures the gritty streets at night, this is director Melville s love letter to New York City and homage to the American Film Noir. Blu-ray Release Date: September 17th, 2013

The Dyatlov Pass Incident - In 1959, a group of nine Russian hikers in the Ural Mountains - on a specific peak called the "Mountain of Death" by the local Mansi tribe for its history of disappearances and deaths - were discovered dead two weeks later, two with their skulls crushed, one missing a tongue, two simply frozen to death, one with radiation burns, and the others seemingly of hypothermia. Various explanations have been offered from hypothermic dementia, paradoxical undressing, or an avalanche, to more sinister explanations like aliens, a yeti, or government experiments. That event came to be known as "The Dyatlov Pass Incident" named after the lead hiker Igor Dyatlov, and the Russian government has been very hush-hush about the incident since (conspiracy theories have it that the author of a fictionalized account was murdered and his death made to look like a car accident). DVD Release Date: August 26th, 2013

Behind the Candelabra BD - Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and executive produced by Jerry Weintraub, this HBO Films drama recreates the glittering private world of Liberace (Michael Douglas), the flamboyant, phenomenally successful entertainer whose extravagant costumes, trademark candelabra, and elaborate stage shows made him the most bankable entertainer of his time. The story focuses on Liberace's tempestuous relationship with Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) in Las Vegas from 1977 to 1982 - a time when Liberace was at the peak of his popularity but remained closeted as a homosexual. Featuring a pair of electrifying performances by Douglas and Damon (the first time either has starred in an HBO production), Behind the Candelabra captures the essence of Liberace's appeal while reminding viewers how different attitudes were at the time, as few high-profile entertainers (including Liberace) could admit they were gay, at least in front of the public which made them stars. Blu-ray Release Date: September 17th, 2013

The Fly BD - When a scientist (David Al Hedison) attempts to transfer matter through space, things go horrifically wrong and two grotesque man-fly hybrids are created. Now, with the head of a fly and a wing in place of one of his arms, the scientist desperately hopes that he, his wife (Patricia Owens) and his brother (Vincent Price) can capture the other mutant and reverse the experiment. Blu-ray Release Date: September 17th, 2013


The Talented Mr. Ripley BD - After the Oscar-winning The English Patient, writer/director Anthony Minghella attempted another tricky literary adaptation with The Talented Mr. Ripley, which features heartthrob Matt Damon cast against type as a psychopathic bisexual murderer. Tom Ripley (Damon) is a bright and charismatic sociopath who makes his way in mid-'50s New York City as a men's room attendant and sometimes pianist, though his real skill is in impersonating other people, forging handwriting, and running second-rate scams . After being mistaken for a Princeton student, Tom meets the shipping tycoon father of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), who has traveled to the coast of Italy, where he's living a carefree life with his father's money and his beautiful girlfriend, Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). Dickie's father will pay Ripley 1,000 dollars plus his expenses if he can persuade Dickie to return to America. As Ripley and Dickie become friends, Tom finds himself both attracted to Dickie and envious of his life of pleasure. I n time, he decides that he would rather be Dickie Greenleaf than Tom Ripley, so rather than go back to his life of poverty, Ripley impulsively murders Dickie and assumes his identity. The Talented Mr. Ripley was based on the first of a series of novels featuring Tom Ripley written by Patricia Highsmith; the story was previously filmed in 1960 as Purple Noon, with Alain Delon as Ripley. Blu-ray Release Date: September 10th, 2013

Dracula: Prince of Darkness BD - In this sequel to 'Dracula' (1958), four English tourists are holidaying in the Carpathians when they meet the unconventional Father Sandor (Andrew Keir) at an inn. He warns them to avoid the local castle if they value their lives, but the next day the quartet find themselves stranded in the mountains after their driver abandons them. When a driverless carriage arrives they board it, intending to travel to the nearest village. However, the carriage instead takes them to the very castle which Sandor warned them against, where they are welcomed by Klove (Philip Latham), sinister manservant of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee)... Blu-ray Release Date: September 17th, 2013

Van Gogh BD - In late spring, 1890, Vincent moves to Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, under the care of Dr. Gachet, living in a humble inn. Fewer than 70 days later, Vincent dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We see Vincent at work, painting landscapes and portraits. His brother Theo, wife Johanna, and their baby visit Auvers. Vincent is playful and charming, engaging the attentions of Gachet's daughter Marguerite (who's half Vincent's age), a young maid at the inn, Cathy a Parisian prostitute, and Johanna. Shortly before his death, Vincent visits Paris, quarrels with Theo, disparages his own art and accomplishments, dances at a brothel, and is warm then cold toward Marguerite. Blu-ray Release Date: September 23rd, 2013

Riot BD - While the warden (real-life warden Frank A. Eyman) of a state prison is away, the isolation block erupts and 35 of the most violent criminals (led by Gene Hackman) stage a riot and take over their portion of the prison. Cully Briston (Jim Brown), in for five years and awaiting his eventual parole, wants no part of the riot. He impulsively gets involved, defending a prison guard and protecting him from the maniacs in the block. This tense drama is based on a Frank Elli’s novel, which chronicled an actual riot that took place in a Minnesota prison. A prison break is planned as knives slash, fists fly and blood is spilled. Directed by Buzz Kulik (Brian’s Song). Blu-ray Release Date: September 17th, 2013

The Atomic City BD - After the dawning of the nuclear age with the unveiling of the atomic bomb and the subsequent "Cold War" that developed between the United States and Russia, American movies began to reflect the growing fear of nuclear annihilation, Communist infiltration and the paranoia generated by the House Un-American Activities Committee investigations of the late forties. Among the many features inspired by these concerns in the early fifties were sci-fi thrillers such as Red Planet Mars [1952] and Them! [1954], allegories (Five [1951], Invasion, U.S.A. [1952]), crime dramas (Split Second [1953], The Woman on Pier 13 [1949]) and even comedies (Mickey Rooney as The Atomic Kid [1954]). Yet one of the most overlooked and underrated features in this unique group was The Atomic City [1952], a superior B-movie melodrama set in Los Alamos, New Mexico, within the high security and insular community of working scientists and their families. Blu-ray Release Date: September 17th, 2013
 

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

September 9th, 2013

 

An American Hippie In Israel [Blu-ray] (Amos Sefer, 1972) Grindhouse Releasing (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Bird With the Crystal Plumage [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1970) VCI (BEAVER REVIEW)

La Cage aux Folles [Blu-ray] (Edouard Molinaro, 1978) - Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

La Cage aux Folles (Edouard Molinaro, 1978) - Criterion Collection

The Conspiracy [Blu-ray] (Christopher MacBride, 2012) Anderson Merchandise

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

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

The Fly [Blu-ray] (Kurt Neumann, 1958) 20th Century Fox (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

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

Jennifer Eight [Blu-ray] (Bruce Robinson, 1992) Paramount

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

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

Nayak: The Hero [Blu-ray] (Satyajit Ray, 1966) RB UK Artificial Eye

Parade's End [Blu-ray] (Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Roger Allam, 2012) HBO

Scum (Alan Clarke, 1979) [Blu-ray] RB UK Odeon Entertainment (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold [Blu-ray] (Martin Ritt, 1965) - Criterion Collection (BEAVER REVIEW)

Star Trek Into Darkness [Blu-ray] (J.J. Abrams, 2013) Paramount (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Sweet Hereafter [Blu-ray] (Atom Egoyan, 1997) RB UK Artificial Eye (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

 

September 16th, 2013

 

The Atomic City [Blu-ray] (Jerry Hopper, 1952) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Autumn Sonata [Blu-ray] (Ingmar Bergman, 1978) - Criterion Collection (BEAVER REVIEW)

Autumn Sonata (Ingmar Bergman, 1978) - Criterion Collection

Behind the Candelabra [Blu-ray] (Steven Soderbergh, 2013) HBO (BEAVER REVIEW)

Day of the Living Dead [Blu-ray] (George A. Romero, 1985) Shout! Factory

The Devil Bat [Blu-ray] (Jean Yarborough, 1940) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

Dracula [Blu-ray] (Tod Browning, 1931) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

Dracula: Prince of Darkness [Blu-ray] (Terence Fisher, 1966) First Look Pictures (BEAVER REVIEW)

Escape From Zahrain [Blu-ray] (Ronald Neame, 1962) Olive Films

The Fly [Blu-ray] (Kurt Neumann, 1958) RB UK 20th Century Fox (BEAVER REVIEW)

Frankenstein [Blu-ray] (James Whale, 1931) Universal (BEAVER REVIEW)

A Letter to Three Wives - 65th Anniversary [Blu-ray] (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1949) 20th Century Fox

Riot [Blu-ray] (Buzz Kulik, 1969) Olive Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Slacker [Blu-ray] (Richard Linklater, 1991) - Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

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

Two Men in Manhattan [Blu-ray] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1959) Cohen Media (BEAVER REVIEW)

World War Z [Blu-ray] (Marc Forster, 2013) Paramount

 

September 23rd, 2013

 

Ambush at Cimarron Pass [Blu-ray] (Jodie Copelan, 1958) Olive Films

Americano [Blu-ray] (William Castle, 1955) Olive Films

Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Vol. 2 [Blu-ray] Olive Films

The Big Combo [Blu-ray] (Joseph H. Lewis, 1955) Olive Films

Blockade, Landscape, Revue: 3 films by Sergei Loznitsa - R2 UK New Wave Films

Classic Ghost Stories (The Mezzotint, A School Story and The Diary of Mr Poynter, 1980) R2 UK BFI

Cowboy Bebop Collectors Edition Part 2 [Blu-ray] RB UK Anime Ltd.

The Fighting Kentuckian [Blu-ray] (George Waggner, 1949) Olive Films

From Up on Poppy Hill [Blu-ray] (Goro Miyazaki, 2011) RB UK Studio Canal

Guest Wife [Blu-ray] (Sam Wood, 1945) Olive Films

Halloween  - 35th Anniversary [Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1978) Fox/Anchor Bay

Hannibal [Blu-ray] (Bryan Fuller, 2013) Lions Gate

In the House [Blu-ray] (François Ozon, 2012) Cohen Media

Ikarie XB-1 aka Voyage to the End of the Universe (Jindrich Polák, 1963) R2 UK Second Run

Iron Man 3 [Blu-ray] (Shane Black, 2013) Walt Disney

Lost and Found: American Treasures from the New Zealand Film Archive - Image Entertainment

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

Playing for Time [Blu-ray] (Daniel Mann, 1980) Olive Films

Plunder Road [Blu-ray] (Hubert Cornfield, 1957) Olive Films

Prince of Darkness [Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1987) Shout! Factory

Riddles of the Sphinx (Laura Mulvey, Peter Wollen, 1979) R2 UK BFI

Shack Out on 101 [Blu-ray] (Edward Dein, 1955) Olive Films

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

Squirm [Blu-ray] (Jeff Lieberman, 1976) RB UK Arrow

3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman (Stromboli, Europe ’51, Journey to Italy) [Blu-ray] - Criterion Collection

3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman (Stromboli, Europe ’51, Journey to Italy) - Criterion Collection

Stories We Tell [Blu-ray] (Sarah Polley, 2012) RB UK Curzon Film World

Tam Lin [Blu-ray] (Roddy McDowall, 1970) Olive Films

A Time To Love And A Time To Die [Blu-ray] (Douglas Sirk, 1958) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Van Gogh [Blu-ray] (Maurice Pialat, 1991) RB UK Masters of Cinema (BEAVER REVIEW)

Voyage of the Damned [Blu-ray] (Stuart Rosenberg, 1976) Shout! Factory

 

September 30th, 2013

 

Bob and the Monster [Blu-ray] (Keirda Bahruth, 2011) R1

Convoy [Blu-ray] (Sam Peckinpah, 1978) RB UK Studiocanal

From Here to Eternity [Blu-ray] (Fred Zinnemann 1953) Sony

The Frozen Ground [Blu-ray] (Scott Walker, 2013) Lions Gate

House of Wax [Blu-ray] (André De Toth, 1953) Warner Home Video

Lifeforce [Blu-ray] (Tobe Hooper,1985) RB UK Arrow Video

Lifeforce [Blu-ray] [Limited Edition Steelbook] (Tobe Hooper,1985) RB UK Arrow Video

The Medusa Touch [Blu-ray] (Jack Gold, 1978) Henstooth Video

Paradise: Love/Paradise: Faith/Paradise: Hope Trilogy - R2 UK Soda Pictures

Philadelphia [Blu-ray] (Jonathan Demme, 1993) RB UK Sony

This Is The End [Blu-ray] (Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, 2013) Sony
   
     
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