Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF December 31st, 2012

  This Week's Highlights
Panoltij - Most of the past week was spent in Holiday-Cheer mode but we did cover a new Criterion Blu-ray Hitchcock effort, Gregory reviewed two vintage films on DVD but MOST IMPORTANTLY we have our Poll Results for the Blu-ray and DVD of the Year 2012!. We continue with our CONTEST clips with a brand new Criterion Blu-ray prize. Please ring in the New Year with the same responsibility you practice the entire year!

Blu-ray and DVD of the Year 2012!

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December 31st CONTEST - identify the clip on the CONTEST PAGE to win a brand new  Criterion Blu-ray of Les visiteurs du soir  

 

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LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE RELEASE CALENDAR:

A Man Escaped [Blu-ray] (Robert Bresson, 1956) Criterion Collection

A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson, 1956) Criterion Collection

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp [Blu-ray] (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1943) Criterion Collection

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1943) Criterion Collection

Monsieur Verdoux [Blu-ray] (Charles Chaplin, 1947) Criterion Collection

Monsieur Verdoux (Charles Chaplin, 1947) Criterion Collection

The Blob [Blu-ray] (Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr., 1958) Criterion Collection

Ministry of Fear [Blu-ray] (Fritz Lang, 1944) Criterion Collection

Ministry of Fear (Fritz Lang, 1944) Criterion Collection

Badlands [Blu-ray] (Terrence Malick, 1973) Criterion Collection

Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973) Criterion Collection

Beyond the Clouds (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1995) Olive Films

The Diary of a Chambermaid [Blu-ray] (Jean Renoir, 1946) Olive Films

Lady for a Night [Blu-ray] (Leigh Jason, 1942) Olive Films

A New Life [Blu-ray] (Alan Alda, 1988) Olive Films

The Red Menace [Blu-ray] (R.G. Springsteen, 1949) Olive Films

She Devil [Blu-ray] (Kurt Neumann, 1957) Olive Films

Strangers in the Night [Blu-ray] (Anthony Mann, 1944) Olive Films

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

The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1942) R2 UK Masters of Cinema

The Murderer Lives at Number 21 [Blu-ray] (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1942) RB UK Masters of Cinema

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

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

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

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

That Cold Day in the Park [Blu-ray] (Robert Altman, 1969) Olive Films

Argo [Blu-ray] (Ben Affleck, 2012) Warner Home Video

Wild River [Blu-ray] (Elia Kazan, 1960) 20th Century Fox

Gentleman's Agreement [Blu-ray] (Elia Kazan, 1947) 20th Century Fox

Searching for Sugar Man [Blu-ray] (Malik Bendjelloul, 2012) Sony

The Confrontation (Fényes szelek) (Miklós Jancsó, 1969) R2 UK Second Run

That Obscure Object of Desire [Blu-ray] (Luis Bunuel, 1977) LionsGate

Taken 2 [Blu-ray] (Olivier Megaton, 2012) 20th Century Fox

 

 

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): Loved the Blu-ray of The Man Who Knew Too Much. The Criterion 1080P transfer is a huge advancement over past DVDs. Thanks to Gregory for his coverage of The Uninvited  - I'm VERY keen to see it. Close-Up also sounds intriguing! Let's have a great 2013!!

  THIS WEEK's REVIEWS / COMPARISONS
 

The Uninvited - With its atmospheric Cornish locations and all-star cast, The Uninvited is a highly effective and spine-tingling ghost story in the classic Hollywood tradition. Seeking respite from the bustle of London life, writer Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland, Dial M for Murder and The Lost Weekend) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey, The Philadelphia Story) move into a neglected clifftop mansion and set about making it their home. However, it isn't long before an unnerving presence makes itself felt: an eerie chill lingers in the rooms and distant wailing is heard at night. Despite Roderick's cynicism, it becomes increasingly clear that the house is haunted - but why in such a snug haven would the dead trouble the living? Martin Scorsese and various critics, including William K. Everson and Leonard Maltin, regard The Uninvited as one of the best ghost stories ever filmed. DVD Release Date: October 29th, 2012

Close-Up - Without realizing it, two newsreel reporters took pictures of a surviving nazi-leader in front of a bank, while filming fashion mannequins in the streets of New York. The German, who was thought to have died during the war, was inquiring if he could recuperate a large sum of money. He needs it, to be able to continue Hitler's dream after the dictator's death. He is helped by a criminal gang, which is only in it for a slice of the money, not for political reasons. Hal Ericson's description in the All Movie Guide of the gang as being a "secret neo-nazi gang" is therefor incorrect. The gang will make several attempts to recuperate the film and its negatives, including by kidnapping one of the reporters. The boss of the two reporters however discovers whose face has been captured on the newsreel, and contacts the authorities. DVD Release Date: July 31st, 2012

The Man Who Knew Too Much BD - An ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination. This fleet and gripping film is the first of the early thrillers the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, made during the fertile phase of his career spent at the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation. Besides affirming Hitchcock’s genius, it gave the brilliant Peter Lorre his first English- speaking role, as a slithery villain. With its tension and gallows humor, it’s pure Hitchcock, and it set the tone for such films as The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes. Blu-ray Release Date: January 15th, 2013
 

 Next 4 weeks on the Calendar

December 31st, 2012

 

Berberian Sound Studio [Blu-ray] (Peter Strickland, 2012) RB UK Artificial Eye

Cosmopolis [Blu-ray] (David Cronenberg, 2012) Ent. One

The Thompsons [Blu-ray] (Mitchell Altieri, Phil Flores, 2012) Anderson Merchandisers

 

January 7th, 2013

 

Driving Miss Daisy [Blu-ray] (Bruce Beresford, 1989) Warner

Forbidden Games [Blu-ray] (René Clément, 1952) RB UK Studio Canal

Game Change [Blu-ray] (Jay Roach, 2012) HBO Studios

Grand Hotel [Blu-ray] (Edmund Goulding, 1932) MGM

Hit & Run [Blu-ray] (David Palmer, 2012) Universal Studios

House at the End of the Street [Blu-ray] (Mark Tonderai, 2012) Relativity Media

The Imposter [Blu-ray] (Bart Layton, 2012) RB UK Revolver Entertainment

The Jazz Singer [Blu-ray] (Alan Crosland, 1927) Warner

Lost Films Of Herschell Gordon Lewis [Blu-ray] - Linda And Abilene (1969), Ecstasies Of Women (1969), and Black Love (1971) - Vinegar Syndrome

Mrs. Miniver [Blu-ray] (William Wyler, 1942) Warner

My Dog Tulip [Blu-ray] (Paul Fierlinger, Sandra Fierlinger, 2009) New Yorker Films

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

Two-Lane Blacktop [Blu-ray] (Monte Hellman, 1971) Criterion Collection

 

 

January 14th, 2013

 

About Cherry [Blu-ray] (Stephen Elliott, 2012) MPI

The Blood Beast Terror [Blu-ray] (Vernon Sewell, 1968) AIS

Castle Freak [Blu-ray] (Stuart Gordon, 1995) RB UK 88 Films

Death Watch [Blu-ray] (Bertrand Tavernier, 1980) AIS

Farwell, My Queen [Blu-ray] (Benoît Jacquot, 2012) Cohen Media Group

Gentleman's Agreement [Blu-ray] (Elia Kazan, 1947) 20th Century Fox

Hannah and Her Sisters [Blu-ray] (Woody Allen, 1986) 20th Century Fox

The Late Mathias Pascal (Feu Mathias Pascal ) (1926) - Flicker Alley

Lightning Bug [Blu-ray] (Robert Hall, 2004) Image Entertainment

The Man Who Knew Too Much [Blu-ray] (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934) Criterion Collection
The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934) Criterion Collection

The Paperboy [Blu-ray] (Lee Daniels, 2012) Millennium

Perry Mason: The Eighth Season, Vol. 2 - Paramount

Sleeper [Blu-ray] (Woody Allen, 1973) Sony

Tabu [Blu-ray] (Miguel Gomes, 2012) RB UK New Wave Cinema

Taken 2 [Blu-ray] (Olivier Megaton, 2012) 20th Century Fox

The Tin Drum [Blu-ray] (Volker Schlöndorff, 1979) Criterion Collection

The Tin Drum (Volker Schlöndorff, 1979) Criterion Collection

To Rome with Love [Blu-ray] (Woody Allen, 2012) Sony

Wake in Fright [Blu-ray] (Ted Kotcheff, 1971) Image Entertainment

Wild River [Blu-ray] (Elia Kazan, 1960) 20th Century Fox

 

 

January 21st, 2013

 

Cujo [Blu-ray] (Lewis Teague, 1983) Olive Films

Deadly Blessing [Blu-ray] (Wes Craven, 1981) Shout! Factory

Django [Blu-ray] ( Sergio Corbucci, 1966) RB UK Argent Films (BEAVER REVIEW)

Don Giovanni [Blu-ray] (John Macurdy, 1979) Olive Films

Frontier Horizon [Blu-ray] (George Sherman, 1939) Olive Films

The Imposter (Bart Layton, 2012) Indomina

Indiscreet [Blu-ray] (Stanley Donen, 1958) Olive Films

It's in the Bag [Blu-ray] (Richard Wallace, 1945) Olive Films

Ivan's Childhood [Blu-ray] (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1962) Criterion Collection

King of the Pecos [Blu-ray] (Joseph Kane, 1936) Olive Films

Les Misérables [Blu-ray] (Jean-Paul Le Chanois, 1958) Olive Films

The Nest [Blu-ray] (Terence H. Winkless, 1988) Shout! Factory

New Frontier [Blu-ray] (George Sherman, 1939) Olive Films

Night of the Devils [Blu-ray] (Giorgio Ferroni, 1972) Raro Films

Pina [Blu-ray] (Wim Wenders, 2011) Criterion Collection
Pina (Wim Wenders, 2011) Criterion Collection

The Quiet Man [Blu-ray] (John Ford, 1952) Olive Films

Searching for Sugar Man [Blu-ray] (Malik Bendjelloul, 2012) Sony

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution [Blu-ray] (Herbert Ross, 1976) Shout! Factory

The Sex Thief [Blu-ray] (Martin Campbell, 1974) Redemption

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

Ticks [Blu-ray] (Tony Randel,) Olive Films

Trust [Blu-ray] (Hal Hartley, 1990) Olive Films

 

     
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