Newsletter - FOR THE WEEK

OF November 18th, 2019

  This Week's Highlights
 
 

A HUGE thanks to all who support us - especially all the generous donations and Patreon subscribers as well as positive messages. I will always be indebted to you, my friends.

What do you get? OUR Patreon Benefits Page is HERE.

Salvete! Barnes and Noble's 50% OFF SALE is ON for Criterion, Cohen and Arrow! This has been a strong 2 weeks worth of Blu-ray reviews in this newsletter of packages from Criterion, Kino, Masters of Cinema, Network, Synapse, Severin, Warner Archive, Shout! Factory, Rimini Editions, Dark Sky Films, Arbelos Films, Mondo Macabro, of films directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, Preston Sturges, Roman Polanski, Michael Cimino, Guillermo del Toro, Phil Karlson, Wim Wenders, Paul Wegener, Pawel Pawlikowski, Ronald Neame, Kelly Reichardt, Don Siegel, Nietzchka Keene, Jean Herman etc. .Our Calendar has NEW updates of Blu-rays (including February Criterion) by directors Alfonso Cuarón, Karel Zeman, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Hiroshi Teshigahara, Henri-Georges Clouzot, David Mamet, Joseph Losey , Charles Crichton, James Ivory, Basil Dearden, King Hu, Preston Sturges, Robert Siodmak, Fritz Lang, Ernest B. Schoedsack, Jack Clayton, Enzo G. Castellari, Franklin J. Schaffner, Lewis Gilbert, Robert Aldrich, William Wyler, Arthur Hiller,... and more. We also have our Feature Blu-ray and 4K UHD posted for NOVEMBER Enjoy!!

LISTING AND LARGE REVIEW PAGES:

Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954–1975 (on Blu-ray), Cinema of Japan, Discs of the Year for 2018,  The TOP 100 DISCS Ingmar Bergman's Cinema HAGSPloitation, BLAXPloitation, OZPloitation, 'WOMEN IN PRISON' CINEMACREATURE-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)

Feature Blu-ray and 4K UHD chosen for the Month of NOVEMBER!

FOLLOW US on TWITTER! (where we post important reviews, contests - prizes, polls, calendar updates - plus much more...)

 

  BIG THANKS!: DVDBeaver would not exist without the support of many patrons - those who generously donate, and especially those who use our Amazon(s), Barnes & Noble, TCM, Warner Archive 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 Prime
_

NOTE: If there are DVD or Blu-ray titles you'd like us to cover - please feel free to recommend!

Gary at 2ze dot com

LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE RELEASE CALENDAR:

Roma [Blu-ray] (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018) Criterion

Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman [Blu-ray] (Journey to the Beginning of Time, Invention for Destruction, The Fabulous Baron Von Munchhausen) Criterion (ALT Blu-ray REVIEW)  (ALT Blu-ray REVIEW)  (ALT Blu-ray REVIEW)

An Elephant Sitting Still [Blu-ray] (Bo Hu, 2018) Kimstim

Paris Is Burning [Blu-ray] (Jennie Livingston, 1990) Criterion

Teorema [Blu-ray] (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1968) Criterion (ALT Blu-ray REVIEW)

Antonio Gaudí [Blu-ray] (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1984) Criterion

Manon [Blu-ray] (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1949) Arrow

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

Heist [Blu-ray] (David Mamet, 2001) Sony Pictures

X the Unknown [Blu-ray] (Leslie Norman, Joseph Losey , 1956) Shout! Factory

Rasputin: The Mad Monk [Blu-ray] (Don Sharp, 1966) Shout! Factory

Passport to Pimlico [Blu-ray] (CHenry Cornelius, 1949) Film Movement

The Titfield Thunderbolt [Blu-ray] (Charles Crichton, 1953) Film Movement

Paranoia aka "A Quiet Place to Kill" [Blu-ray] (Umberto Lenzi, 1970) RB UK 88 Films

Macabre [Blu-ray] (Lamberto Bava, 1980) RB UK 88 Films

The Remains of the Day [Blu-ray] (James Ivory, 1993) Sony Pictures

The Square Ring [Blu-ray] (Basil Dearden, 1953) RB UK Network

Come Drink with Me [Blu-ray] (King Hu, 1966) RB UK 88 Films

Downton Abbey: The Movie [Blu-ray] (Michael Engler, 2019) Universal

Downton Abbey: The Movie (Special Edition) [Blu-ray] (Michael Engler, 2019) Universal

Brothers Till We Die [Blu-ray] (Umberto Lenzi, 1978) RB UK 88 Films

Asylum [Blu-ray] (Roy Ward Baker, 1972) RB UK Second Sight (BEAVER REVIEW)

Freaks [Blu-ray] (Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein, 2018) Universal Pictures UK

Night Tide [Blu-ray] (Curtis Harrington, 1961) UK Indicator (ALT-BEAVER REVIEW)

The Great McGinty [Blu-ray] (Preston Sturges, 1940) Kino

Cobra Woman [Blu-ray] (Robert Siodmak, 1944) Kino (ALT-BEAVER REVIEW)

Seance on a Wet Afternoon [Blu-ray] (Bryan Forbes, 1964) RB UK Network

House by the River [Blu-ray] (Fritz Lang, 1950) Kino

Dr. Cyclops [Blu-ray] (Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1940) Kino

Room at the Top [Blu-ray] (Jack Clayton, 1959) Kino

Kill Them All and Come Back Alone [Blu-ray] (Enzo G. Castellari, 1968) Kino

The War Lord [Blu-ray] (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1965) Kino (ALT-BEAVER REVIEW)

Harpoon [Blu-ray] (Rob Grant, 2019) Arrow UK

The Whisperers [Blu-ray] (Bryan Forbes, 1967) Kino

Cyrano de Bergerac [Blu-ray] (Jean-Paul Rappeneau, 1990) RB UK BFI

The Slasher (aka Cosh Boy) [Blu-ray] (Lewis Gilbert, 1953) Kino

Orphans [Blu-ray] (Peter Mullan, 1998) UK Indicator

Resurrected [Blu-ray] (Paul Greengrass, 1989) UK Indicator

ONE VOICE (not Ellsworth Monkton Toohey): With the newsletter in a kind of limbo life-support, we're going to try a shorter-sweet method of exporting info... we hope you like:

 

Woman Chasing the Butterfly of Death BD - horrible-looking HD image but a cooly wacko-premise from 70's South Korea that could be watched with "fava beans and a nice Chianti".
.
Der Golem BD - must own - brilliant 4K-restored transfer of German Expressionist Silent - a Jewish horror with sorcery, persecution and a giant benevolent savior made of clay - what more could you possibly want? Year-End Poll stuff. Buy with confidence.

Kansas City Confidential BD - Rimini (France) Blu-ray is the one to own for this engaging Noir. I threw my HD Cinema Classics BD in the snow and urinated on it. Nu'ff said.

Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory BD - better than you might expect - Italian werewolf yarn dominated by German krimi style and minor sexploitation. Commentary too. I say "sure!" to a purchase.

Killer Crocodile BD - ItaloSleaze breeds with crocsploitation creating offspring for adoption by schlock-fest devotees. Meh.

Watch Me When I Kill BD - one of the most dramatic Blu-ray comparisons yet - Synapse wins - a extreme Giallo for the completists.

Christmas in July BD - short but worthy prototypical Sturges film filled with comedy, with smatterings of pathos and joy. Commentary added. Thumbs up.

Pan's Labyrinth 4K UHD - brilliant film with exceptional commentary but the 4K transfer raises suspicions and, essentially, underwhelms. Adopters should keep expecttaions on the low side.

Farewell Friend BD - Hidden Neo-Noir - a surprisingly strong Bronson / Delon Euro 60's crime-drama with homoerotic tendencies. Great commentary - we FULLY endorse.

Cold War BD - Criterion Blu-ify Pawlikowski masterwork. If you didn't indulge in the first BD - this gets our strongest recommendation. Do.Not.Miss.This.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot BD - Michael Cimino's directorial debut - a buddy pic with Eastwood and Bridges gets better each time I see it. Kino's 4K-restoration receives the very positive nod.

The Holly and the Ivy BD - Heart-warming Christmas tale set in post-war Britain - 7.6 on IMDb - deserves higher. Comes with commentary. Get it. Watch it.

Tunes of Glory BD - Hitchcock's favorite film? Not Criterion's best-looking 4K-restored image but has two magnificent British actors (Guinness, Mills) at the peak of their craft. "That's pure barry!" (look it up)

Konga BD - Incredibly improved BD image over SD. We love Drive-In specials; modest creature-feature-esque productions like these. Tagline should have been "Big Ape. Sweater staring cast".

The Juniper Tree BD - Ohh yeah. Icelandic masterpiece evoking Dreyer and Bergman. It stars expressive Björk if you need more enticement. Strong recommendation.

Bliss BD - Yeah, we're not buy'in all the hype. Pass on this non-objective dog's breakfast.

The Rebel BD - Impressive 1080P here. Some like Tony Hancock, others... less so. A moderately amusing escapist comedy. Brit nostalgia may factor-in for some.

Un Flic BD - Jean-Pierre Melville's last film - an engaging heist-thriller with Delon, Crenna, Deneuve. Definite step-up from the DVDs and strong commentary and other extras. Another endorsement for a French Neo-Noir.

The Gun Runners BD - Widescreen-ing of Don Siegel thriller from Hemingway novel reaches Blu-ray. Audie Murphy gives further enticement to bare-bones disc. Your call.

Old Joy BD - Kelly Reichardt's earthy Indie brilliance - a fascinating film of male-re-bonding with an outdoorsy spirit. Criterion Blu. Understated and worth a spin... or six.

Road Games BD - 80's Ozploitation looks modest on Blu, but genre fans will appreciate the stacked Shout! disc.

Until the End of the World BD - Wenders' apocalypse epic (shy of 5 hours) gets the Criterion-treatment. This highly-memorable work gets the package it deserves and 'must own' moniker from DVDBeaver.

The Story of Temple Drake BD - Shocking and controversial Pre-Code looks fabulous on Criterion Blu-ray. Crime-romance-courtroom-drama tale with hypnotic Miriam Hopkins. Go for it.

The Fearless Vampire Killers BD - Hard not to enjoy Polanski's genre-mixer vampire adventure. "Amusing horror with Hammer-esque cleavage." Warner Archive don't fear fangs but rather seem terrified of adding new extras. Still, a keeper.

 

“The most incredible thing about my career is that I had one.” - Preston Sturges

 

Buy a friend one coffee this month. Make DVDBeaver the friend, and do it monthly. Please? HERE

Next 2 weeks on the Calendar

November 18th, 2019

 

 

Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection [Blu-ray] (Various, 28 Films) Shout! Factory

The African Queen [Blu-ray] (John Huston, 1951) RB UK Masters of Cinema Eureka (ALT-BEAVER REVIEW)

American Me [Blu-ray] (Edward James Olmos, 1992) Shout! Factory

The Bad and the Beautiful [Blu-ray] (Vincente Minnelli, 1952) Warner Archive

Betty Blue [Blu-ray] (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1986) Criterion

Blinded by the Light [Blu-ray] (Gurinder Chadha, 2019) Warner Bros

The Boys Next Door [Blu-ray] (Penelope Spheeris, 1985) Severin

Charlie's Angels - The Complete Series [Blu-ray] (Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, 1976–1981) Millcreek

Chernobyl - Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Craig Mazin, 2019) RB UK RLJE International (BEAVER REVIEW)

Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll [Blu-ray] (Taylor Hackford, 1987) Shout! Factory

Clockwise [Blu-ray] (Christopher Morahan, 1986) RB UK Studiocanal

Cold War [Blu-ray] (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2018) Criterion (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Dead Don't Die [Blu-ray] (Jim Jarmusch, 2019) Region Free UK Universal (ALT-BEAVER REVIEW)

Delivery Boys [Blu-ray] (Ken Handler, 1985) Scorpion

Diabolically Yours (aka Diaboliquement vôtre) [Blu-ray] (Julien Duvivier, 1967) Kino Lorber

The Divine Fury [Blu-ray] (Joo-hwan Kim, 2019) Well Go USAThe Duke Wore Jeans [Blu-ray] (Gerald Thomas, 1958) RB UK Network

Experiment in Terror [Blu-ray] (Blake Edwards, 1962) Region Free Indicator UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

A Faithful Man [Blu-ray] (Louis Garrel, 2018) Kino Lorber

The Fan [Blu-ray] (Ed Bianchi, 1981) Shout! Factory

Farewell, Friend [Blu-ray] (Jean Herman, 1968) Kino Lorber (BEAVER REVIEW)

Fawlty Towers - The Complete Collection [Blu-ray] - RB UK BBC

First Men in the Moon [Blu-ray] (Nathan Juran, 1964) Region Free Indicator UK (BEAVER REVIEW

Un Flic [Blu-ray] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1972) Kino Lorber (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Golem [Blu-ray] (Carl Boese, Paul Wegener, 1920) RB UK Masters of Cinema Eureka (BEAVER REVIEW)

Green for Danger [Blu-ray] (Sidney Gilliat, 1946) RB UK Network

Gwendoline (aka The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak) [Blu-ray] (Just Jaeckin, 1984) Severin

Happy Ever After [Blu-ray] (Mario Zampi, 1954) RB UK Network

Hitch Hike to Hell [Blu-ray] (Irvin Berwick, 1977) Arrow Video US

Holy Man [Blu-ray] (Stephen Herek, 1998) Kino

The House in Nightmare Park [Blu-ray] (Peter Sykes, 1973) RB UK Network

Intimacy [Blu-ray] (Patrice Chéreau, 2001) Kino

Killer Crocodile / Killer Crocodile 2 Boxed Set [Blu-ray] (Fabrizio De Angelis, Giannetto De Rossi, 1989, 1990) RB UK 88 Films (ALT-BEAVER REVIEW)

Moonrise Kingdom [Blu-ray] (Wes Anderson, 2012) Criterion UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

Moulin Rouge [Blu-ray] (John Huston, 1952) RB UK BFI

Mysterious Island [Blu-ray] (Cy Endfield, 1961) Region Free Indicator UK (BEAVER REVIEW)

Peter Pan [Blu-ray] (P.J. Hogan, 2003) RB UK Final Cut Entertainment

Rock 'n' Roll High School - Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Allan Arkush, Joe Dante, 1979) Shout! Factory

Someone Behind the Door [Blu-ray] (Nicolas Gessner, 1971) Kino

The Stone Killer [Blu-ray] (Michael Winner, 1973) Region Free Indicator UK

Suspiria [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Dario Argento, 1977) Synapse Films

Upgrade [Blu-ray] (Leigh Whannell, 2018) RB UK Second Sight (BEAVER REVIEW)

Werewolf [Blu-ray] (Adrian Panek, 2018) RB UK 88 Films

Yentl [Blu-ray] (Barbra Streisand, 1983) RB UK BFI

 

November 25th, 2019

 

 

All About Eve [Blu-ray] (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) Criterion

Aya of Yop City [Blu-ray] (Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie, 2013) G Kids

The Bells of St. Mary's [Blu-ray] (Leo McCarey, 1945) Olive Signature (ALT-BEAVER REVIEW)

Catherine the Great [Blu-ray] (Philip Martin, 2019) RB UK Spirit

Christmas in July [Blu-ray] (Preston Sturges, 1940) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

Coincoin and the Extra-Humans [Blu-ray] (Bruno Dumont, 2018) Kino

Das Boot - Season One [Blu-ray] (Johannes W. Betz, Tony Saint, 2018) RB UK Spirit

Dracula [Blu-ray] (John Badham, 1979) Shout! Factory

Eegah [Blu-ray] (Arch Hall Sr., 1962) Film Detective

Great Day in the Morning [Blu-ray] (Jacques Tourneur, 1956) Warner Archive

Hammer Volume Four: Faces of Fear [Blu-ray] (THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL, TASTE OF FEAR, THE DAMNED) (Various, 1958-1962) Region Free Indicator UK (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)

Hammer Volume Four: Faces of Fear [Blu-ray] (THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL, TASTE OF FEAR, THE DAMNED) (Various, 1958-1962) Region Free Indicator UK (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)  (BEAVER REVIEW)

The Holly and the Ivy [Blu-ray] (George More O'Ferrall, 1952) Kino (BEAVER REVIEW)

Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans [Blu-ray] (Dominic Brigstocke, 2019) RB UK Altitude Film Distribution

Hotel by the River (aka Gangbyeon hotel) [Blu-ray] (Sang-soo Hong, 2018) Cinema Guild

I Live in Grosvenor Square (aka A Yank in London) [Blu-ray] (Herbert Wilcox, 1945) RB UK Network

The Lady with a Lamp [Blu-ray] (Herbert Wilcox, 1951) RB UK Network

Mary [Blu-ray] (Michael Goi, 2019) Image Entertainment

The Name of the Rose [Blu-ray] (Giacomo Battiato, 2019) RB UK Spirit

Now, Voyager [Blu-ray] (Irving Rapper, 1942) Criterion

Olivia [Blu-ray] (Jacqueline Audry, 1951) Distrib Films

Prophecy [Blu-ray] (John Frankenheimer, 1979) Shout! Factory

The Protector [Blu-ray] (James Glickenhaus, 1985) RB UK 88 Films

RoboCop [Blu-ray] (Paul Verhoeven, 1987) Arrow UK

RoboCop - Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Paul Verhoeven, 1987) Arrow UK

RoboCop [Blu-ray] (Paul Verhoeven, 1987) Arrow Video US

Secret Ceremony [Blu-ray] (Joseph Losey, 1968) RB UK Indicator (BEAVER REVIEW)

Watchmen - The Ultimate Cut [Blu-ray] (Zack Snyder, 2009) Region Free UK Paramount

Where'd You Go, Bernadette [Blu-ray] (Richard Linklater, 2019) 20th Century Fox