Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF December 18th, 2017
  This Week's Highlights
 
 

Jeeka, ma chi uula! A modest week of Blu-ray reviews with packages by Criterion Collection, Kino, Second Run, 101 Films and others of films directed by Bob Clark, Burt Lancaster, Juraj Herz, Lindsay Anderson, Ken Loach and others. Our Calendar has updates of films-to-Blu-ray, including March Criterions of works by Carl Th. Dreyer, Martin Scorsese, Ken Russell, Volker Schlöndorff, SABU, Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kramer, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Serge Bromberg, Dario Argento, Federico Fellini, , and we have our Feature Blu-ray is posted for DECEMBER plus a new CONTEST with a BRAND NEW CRITERION Blu-ray prize. Enjoy!!

LISTING PAGES:

CREATURE-FEATURES (on Blu-ray!), PRE-CODE FILMs (on Blu-ray!), SILENT ERA FILMs (on Blu-ray!), HAMMER Studios (on Blu-ray!) The 100 BEST Neo-Noirs (on Blu-ray!), The GREATEST 100 Westerns (on Blu-ray!), Giallo on Blu-ray!, ESSENTIAL NOIR on Blu-ray!, Shopping Guide for Blu-rays at Amazon.FR (France), Shopping Guide for Blu-rays at Amazon.DE (Germany) and our LATEST ARTICLES: Movies From... the End of the World,  The Beauties of Star Trek (TOS)

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Feature Blu-ray chosen for the Month of DECEMBER!

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(Week of) December 18th, CONTEST  identify the still HERE to win a prize of a BRAND NEW CRITERION Blu-ray of The Complete Monterey Pop Festival Best of luck!
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Gary at 2ze dot com

LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE RELEASE CALENDAR:

The Passion of Joan of Arc [Blu-ray] (Carl Th. Dreyer, 1928) Criterion Collection

King of Jazz [Blu-ray] (John Murray Anderson, 1930) Criterion Collection

The Age of Innocence [Blu-ray] (Martin Scorsese, 1993) Criterion Collection

Women in Love [Blu-ray] (Ken Russell, 1969) Criterion Collection

Baal [Blu-ray] (Volker Schlöndorff, 1970) Criterion Collection

Blade Runner 2049 [3D Blu-ray] (Denis Villeneuve, 2017) Warner

Christopher Nolan Collection [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Dunkirk, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Inception, The Prestige, The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar) Warner

The City of the Dead - Remastered, Limited Edition [Blu-ray]  (John Llewellyn Moxey, 1960) VCI

Batman Begins [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2005) Warner

Interstellar [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2014) Warner

The Diabolical Dr. Z [Blu-ray] (Jesús Franco, 1966) Redemption

Dark Knight Trilogy [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises) Warner

The Dark Knight [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2008) Warner

The Dark Knight Rises [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2012) Warner

10 Cloverfield Lane [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Dan Trachtenberg, 2016) Paramount

Tom of Finland [Blu-ray] (Dome Karukoski, 2017) Kino International

Miss Zombie [Blu-ray] (SABU, 2013) Redemption

Inception [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2010) Warner

Hammer Volume Two: Criminal Intent [Blu-ray] (The Snorkel, Never Take Sweets from a Stranger, The Full Treatment / Stop Me Before I Kill, Cash on Demand) (1958-1961) Indicator UK
Ship of Fools [Blu-ray] (Stanley Kramer, 1965) Indicator UK

The Gruesome Twosome [Blu-ray] (Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1967) Arrow Video US (BEAVER REVIEW)

Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno [Blu-ray] (Serge Bromberg, 2009) Arrow Academy US

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1970) RB UK Arrow (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1970) Arrow US (BEAVER REVIEW)

Orchestra Rehearsal [Blu-ray] (Federico Fellini, 1978) RB UK Arrow Academy US
 Scalpel [Blu-ray] (John Grissmer, 1977) Arrow Video US
Basket Case (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] (Frank Henenlotter, 1982) Arrow Video US
Chaos (2005) / Don't Look in the Basement (1973) [Blu-ray] (David DeFalco, S.F. Brownrigg) Code Red / Kino Lorber
Grizzly (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] (William Girdler, 1976) Scorpion Releasing / Kino Lorber
Serpent's Lair [Blu-ray] (Jeffrey Reiner, 1995) Code Red / Kino Lorber
Where the Boys Are '84 (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] (Hy Averback, 1984) Scorpion Releasing / Kino Lorber
Pom Poko [Blu-ray] (Isao Takahata, 1994) GKIDS
Tales from Earthsea [Blu-ray] (Goro Miyazaki, 2006) GKIDS

The Thomas Crown Affair (50 Anniversary) [Blu-ray] (Norman Jewison, 1968) Kino Lorber

Assault on Precinct 13 (Limited Edition Steelbook) [Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1976) Shout! Factory

The Way West [Blu-ray] (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1967) Kino Lorber

The 'burbs [Blu-ray] (Joe Dante, 1989) Shout! Factory
Nightmare at Noon [Blu-ray] (Nico Mastorakis, 1988) Shout! Factory
The Wilby Conspiracy [Blu-ray] (Ralph Nelson, 1975) Kino Lorber

Fangs of the Living Dead Blu-ray] (Amando de Ossorio, 1969) Shout! Factory
The Strangers [Blu-ray] (Bryan Bertino, 2008) Shout! Factory
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon [Blu-ray] (Scott Glosserman, 2006) Shout! Factory 
Prince of Darkness (Limited Edition Steelbook) [Blu-ray] (John Carpenter, 1987) Shout! Factory

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture [Blu-ray] (Carroll Ballard, 1986) Olive
Angie [Blu-ray] (Martha Coolidge, 1994) Kino Lorber
The Aviator [Blu-ray] (George T. Miller, 1985) Kino Lorber
Boys [Blu-ray] (Stacy Cochran, 1996) Kino Lorber
Sinbad of the Seven Seas [Blu-ray] (Enzo G. Castellari, 1989) Kino Lorber
Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend [Blu-ray] (Bill L. Norton, 1985) Kino Lorber
The Last Hunter [Blu-ray] (Antonio Margheriti, 1980) Code Red / Kino Lorber 
V.I. Warshawski [Blu-ray] (Jeff Kanew, 1991) Kino Lorber
The Master - Complete TV Series [Blu-ray] (1984) Kino Lorber
 Crossing the Bridge / Indian Summer - Double Feature [Blu-ray] (Mike Binder, 1992-1993) Kino Lorber
The Outlaw [Blu-ray] (Howard Hughes, 1943) Kino Lorber
The Ambulance [Blu-ray] (Larry Cohen, 1990) Shout! Factory
Downfall [Blu-ray] (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004) Shout! Factory
Rockula [Blu-ray] (Luca Bercovici, 1990) Shout! Factory

Intermezzo: A Love Story [Blu-ray] (Gregory Ratoff, 1939) Kino Classics

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid [Blu-ray] (Carl Reiner, 1982) Universal Studios

Magnificent Doll [Blu-ray] (Frank Borzage, 1946) RB UK Arrow Academy

The Housemaid [Blu-ray] (Derek Nguyen, 2016) RB UK Eureka Entertainment

Michael [Blu-ray] (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1924) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Preston Sturges Collection (Christmas in July, The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, Hail the Conquering Hero, Unfaithfully Yours) [Blu-ray] (Preston Sturges, 1940-1948) RB FR Wild Side Vidéo

Legend of the Mountain [Blu-ray] (King Hu, 1979) RB UK Masters of Cinema

The Barefoot Contessa [Blu-ray] (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1954) RB UK Masters of Cinema

Der Todesking: The Death King [Blu-ray] (Jörg Buttgereit, 1990) RB UK Arrow Video

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids [Blu-ray] (Umberto Lenzi, 1972) Code Red / Kino Lorber

Night of the Living Dead [Blu-ray] (George A. Romero, 1968) Criterion UK

Once Were Warriors [Blu-ray] (Lee Tamahori, 1994) RB UK Second Sight Films

Hell or High Water [4K UHD Blu-ray] (David Mackenzie, 2016) Lionsgate

Something Wild [Blu-ray] (Jonathan Demme, 1986) UK Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Heimat: A Chronicle Of Germany [Blu-ray] - RB UK Second Sight

Berlin Alexanderplatz [Blu-ray] (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1980) RB UK Second Sight

Gothic [Blu-ray] (Ken Russell, 1986) Lionsgate 
 

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): With the commentary and Podcast, Juraj Herz's The Cremator gains a whole new appreciation and the Blu-ray improvements dynamically augment the viewing experience. What a deeply layered, entertaining and visually appealing film. Bravo to Second Run! The Whales of August is an exceptional film, dare I say - a masterpiece. Kino really do it justice after the bare-bones DVD from 2003. The commentary and extensive extras add great value - this is a very impressive Blu-ray release. Criterion's Blu-ray package of Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake offer this touching, melancholy, masterpiece by one of Britain's greatest, living, directors. and with the extras - this package has immense value. Two strong westerns from Kino, on Blu-ray, this week; Four Faces West has Charles Bickford as the legendary Pat Garrett and Joel McCrea is a flawed protagonist while The Kentuckian is a superb, pioneer, adventure produced, directed and starring Burt Lancaster. Bob Clark’s horror masterpiece Black Christmas deserves a place in every collection and gets a Region 'B' Blu-ray release from 101 Films. Brannigan has the Duke as Detective Jim Brannigan, an Irish-American detective at large in London, and on new Blu-ray from Kino. Plenty of DVDs to cover - see if we can get to some next week!

"All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people". - Eugene Pallette (as Alexander Bullock), My Man Godfrey (1936)

Have a fun week!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

The Kentuckian BD - Produced and directed by star Burt Lancaster, The Kentuckian is a leisurely western occasionally punctuated by spurts of startling brutality. The recently widowed Lancaster heads towards Texas with his son Donald McDonald. Most of the folks he meets, notably winsome schoolmarm Diana Lynn, bondslave Dianne Foster, and Lancaster's down-to-earth brother John McIntyre and sister-in-law Una Merkel, are pretty good souls, despite the raging family feud that motivates the plotline. Blu-ray Release date: December 19th, 2017

The Cremator BD - On one level The Cremator can be enjoyed simply as something truly strange and different. Although it is live action, the film has much of the oddness and Gothic trappings of Czech animation. Director Juraj Herz actually studied puppetry rather than film, and is a friend of the Czech surrealist filmmaker Jan Svankmajer. This is a film full of strange angles and odd ways of looking at the world. At its heart is Karl Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrusínský) the cremator of the title. Though he loves his job dearly, his strangeness is emphasized in one of the film's key early passages, a trip to a fair during which he s perked up by a visit to an exhibition of gruesome waxworks. Blu-ray Release Date: December 11th, 2017

Black Christmas BD - This truly is a classic horror film that acts as a bridge of sorts between the horror movies of old and what was to come in the more modern ones. It is a throwback in that it never reveals many things, such as the killer’s past, their motives, or even shows the killings themselves. It’s all left to you to decipher. But while its means are of the old school, the story is all too modern – a male killer stalking young women, a loved holiday turned violent, and a heroine who must overcome her own fear to survive a madman who seems inhuman. 101 Films Blu-ray Release Date: November 20th, 2017

Brannigan BD - John Wayne is the eponymous Chicago cop in Brannigan (1975), sent on a fish-out-of-water journey to England to pick up a bail-jumping thug (John Vernon) for extradition. But to the chagrin of Scotland Yard, handsomely represented by Richard Attenborough, the mobster is abruptly kidnapped from under their noses, and Brannigan has to join forces with a whole different breed of cops—including Judy Geeson as a fetching if no-nonsense Detective-Sergeant—to track him down…all over a gorgeous 1970s-era London. Kino Blu-ray Release Date: December 12th, 2017

Four Faces West BD - An honest man turned outlaw and running for his life... A marshal with a conscience more just than the law... A gambler whose greatest risks are taken for a friend... A woman whose love for a fugitive knows no danger... These are the four unforgettable characters facing the challenge of their lives when their paths cross on an innocent outlaw's compelling flight to freedom. A one-of-a-kind sagebrush saga, this tough and touching classic is as emotionally charged as it is action-packed. Blu-ray Release date: December 19th, 2017

The Whales of August BD - Screen legends Bette Davis (All About Eve), Lillian Gish (Duel in the Sun) and Vincent Price (Tales of Terror) unite their iconic talents in this beautifully photographed, intensely emotional drama that offers unexpected and quite marvelous rewards. Libby (Davis) and Sarah (Gish) are widowed siblings who have vacationed for half a century at a seaside cottage in Maine. Now in their eighties, the sisters have unexpectedly arrived at an impasse: While Sarah embraces change and the possibility of romance with a courtly Russian suitor (Price), the stubbornly bitter Libby rages at the inevitability of death. Blu-ray Release Date: December 19th, 2017

I, Daniel Blake BD - An urgent response to the political realities of con­­tem­porary Britain, this bracing drama from celebrated filmmaker Ken Loach takes a hard look at bureaucratic injustice and ineptitude through the eyes of an unassuming working-class hero. After a heart attack leaves him unable to hold a job, the widowed carpenter Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) begins a long, lonely journey through the Kafkaesque labyrinth of the local welfare state. Along the way, he strikes up a friendship with a single mother (Hayley Squires) and her two children, at the mercy of the same system after being evicted from their home. Imbued with gentle humor and quiet rage and conceived for maximum real-world impact, the Palme d’Or–winning I, Daniel Blake is a testament to Loach’s tireless commitment to a cinema of social engagement. Blu-ray Release date: January 16th, 2017

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

December 18th, 2017

 

   

 

American Gothic [Blu-ray] (John Hough, 1988) Shout! Factory

The Amicus Collection [Blu-ray] (Asylum, And Now the Screaming Starts, The Beast Must Die, The Vault of Amicus) Severin

And Now the Screaming Starts! [Blu-ray] (Roy Ward Baker, 1973) Severin Films

The Apartment [Blu-ray] (Billy Wilder, 1960) RB UK Arrow

Asylum [Blu-ray] (Roy Ward Baker, 1972) Severin Films

Batman Begins [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2005) Warner

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

Christopher Nolan Collection [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Dunkirk, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Inception, The Prestige, The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar) Warner

The Complete Monterey Pop Festival [Blu-ray] - Criterion UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Dark Knight Rises [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2012) Warner

Dark Knight Trilogy [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises) Warner

The Dark Knight [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2008) Warner

The Diamond Mercenaries [Blu-ray] (Val Guest, 1976) RB UK Stratx

Dunkirk [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2017) Warner

Four Faces West [Blu-ray] (Alfred E. Green, 1948) Kino Classics (BEAVER REVIEW)

Inception [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2010) Warner

Interstellar [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Christopher Nolan, 2014) Warner

The Kentuckian [Blu-ray] (Burt Lancaster, 1955) Kino Classics (BEAVER REVIEW)

mother! [Blu-ray] (Darren Aronofsky, 2017) Paramount

Pulp [Blu-ray] (Mike Hodges, 1972) Arrow UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

Pulp [Blu-ray] (Mike Hodges, 1972) Arrow US (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Spider's Web [Blu-ray] (Godfrey Grayson, 1960) RB UK Stratx

Stronger [Blu-ray] (David Gordon Green, 2017) Lionsgate

Suspiria Three disc (2 Blu-rays + 1 CD) LE [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1977) Synapse Films

Tomorrow Is Forever [Blu-ray] (Irving Pichel, 1946) ClassicFlix

Valdez Is Coming [Blu-ray] (Edwin Sherin, 1971) Kino Classics (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Whales of August [Blu-ray] (Lindsay Anderson, 1987) Kino Classics (BEAVER REVIEW)

 

December 25th, 2017

 

 

The Amazing Mr. Blunden [Blu-ray] (Lionel Jeffries, 1972) RB UK Second Sight

American Made [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Doug Liman, 2017) Universal Studios UK

The Apartment [Blu-ray] (Billy Wilder, 1960) Arrow US

Brawl in Cell Block 99 [Blu-ray] (S. Craig Zahler, 2017) Image Entertainment

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid [Blu-ray] (Carl Reiner, 1982) Universal Studios

Flatliners [Blu-ray] (Niels Arden Oplev, 2017) Sony Pictures

Fletch Lives [Blu-ray] (Michael Ritchie, 1989) Universal

Killing Gunther [Blu-ray] (Taran Killam, 2017) Lionsgate

Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne: The Early Works - R2 UK Artificial Eye

Manhunt: Unabomber [Blu-ray] (Greg Yaitanes, 2017) Lionsgate

One Dark Night [Blu-ray] (Tom McLoughlin, 1982) RB UK 88 Films

The Paper [Blu-ray] (Ron Howard, 1994) Universal

 

January 1st, 2018

 

 

Battle of the Sexes [Blu-ray] (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2017) 20th Century Fox

Blame It on Rio [Blu-ray] (Stanley Donen, 1984) Kino Classics

The Breakfast Club [Blu-ray] (John Hughes, 1985) - Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Executioner's Song [Blu-ray] (Lawrence Schiller, 1982) Kino Classics

Ken and Kazu [Blu-ray] (Hiroshi Shoji, 2015) RB UK Third Window Films

For Love of Ivy [Blu-ray] (Daniel Mann, 1968) Kino Classics

Hell Night [Blu-ray] (Tom DeSimone, 1981) Shout! Factory

Miss Zombie [Blu-ray] (SABU, 2013) Redemption

Rebel in the Rye [Blu-ray] (Danny Strong, 2017) Shout! Factory

Seven Blood-Stained Orchids [Blu-ray] (Umberto Lenzi, 1972) Code Red / Kino Lorber

The Stolen [Blu-ray] (Niall Johnson, 2017) Universal Studios

 

January 8th, 2018

 

 

3:10 To Yuma [Blu-ray] (Delmer Daves, 1957) UK Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

Across the Universe [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Julie Taymor, 2007) Sony Pictures

Bad Day for the Cut [Blu-ray] (Chris Baugh , 2017) Well Go USA

Bitch [Blu-ray] (Marianna Palka, 2017) MPI

Bullet Head [Blu-ray] (Paul Solet, 2017) LionsGate

The Cat o' Nine Tails [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1971) Arrow UK

The Cat o' Nine Tails [Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1971) Arrow US

Emmanuelle and the Deadly Black Cobra [Blu-ray] (Joe D'Amato, 1976) Kino

The Garden of Allah [Blu-ray] (Richard Boleslawski, 1936) Kino Classics

Inherit the Wind [Blu-ray] (Stanley Kramer, 1960) Kino Classics

Intermezzo: A Love Story [Blu-ray] (Gregory Ratoff, 1939) Kino Classics

Judgment at Nuremberg [Blu-ray] (Stanley Kramer, 1961) Kino Classics

Matinee [Blu-ray] (Joe Dante, 1993) Shout! Factory

Not as a Stranger [Blu-ray] (Stanley Kramer, 1955) Kino Classics

Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years. Vol. 1 Seijun Rising: The Youth Movies Limited Edition [Blu-ray] The Boy Who Came Back (1958), The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass (1961) , Teenage Yakuza (1962), The Incorrigible (1963) and Born Under Crossed Stars (1965) - Arrow UK

Silver Bullet [Blu-ray] (Daniel Attias, 1985) Imports

The Witches [Blu-ray] (Mauro Bolognini, Vittorio De Sica, etc.,1967) Arrow UK

The Witches [Blu-ray] (Mauro Bolognini, Vittorio De Sica, etc.,1967) Arrow US

The Young in Heart [Blu-ray] (Richard Wallace, Lewis Milestone, 1938) Kino Classics

Young Mr. Lincoln [Blu-ray] (John Ford, 1939) - Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)
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