YEAR END POLL - Best Physical Media of 2023 - submit your ballot! HERE

THIS WEEK's RELEASES: Terrence Malick 4K, grassroots dark cinema from Criterion, Blackadder, HK horror, Chaplin Criterion to the UK, Piotr Szulkin tri-fecta, Kent Mackenzie 60's, Paul Morrissey, Henri Verneuil X 2, Felix and Oscar, Wim Wenders, Kathryn Bigelow 4K, Jackie Police Trilogy 4K, Meathead 4K...
LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES : Henri-Georges Clouzot Gold 4K UHD, Chantal Akerman Criterion box, 1971 Willy Wonka gets 4K UHD, Danny Boyle 4K UHD, French Revelations, Harrison's The Fugitive 4K UHD, Nolan's epic Oppenheimer, Kinji Fukasaku, Jean-Denis Bonan, Canuxploitation 4K UHD, "Flesh" Trilogy, Ben Rivers, Blackadder, Paul Morrissey X 2, Henri Verneuil X 2, Wim Wenders, more Danza Macabra - now in 4K UHD, Pete Walker, Fruit Chan, Franco's Nymphomaniac Diary, Feuillade silent gold, Bronsons by Lee Thompson and Siegel, Marty 4K UHD, De Palma 4K UHD, John Frankenheimer, Hideo Gosha, Tessari, Damiani, Katô, Kôhei Oguri...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: One of the last of Yūzō Kawashima's fifty feature films. "One of the nastiest film critiques ever produced of the film industry itself...", 80's Giallo upgrade, Richard Dreyfuss' Duddy is driven by an insatiable desire to be a "somebody" in 1948 Montreal. The most beloved and appealing disheveled detective characters in network television history. Science-fiction, noir, crime and romance - seeking a medical solution to become ageless...
Enjoy,
Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of November 27th, 2023 (Recommended titles have "**")

**The Ballad of Little Jo** [Blu-ray] (Maggie Greenwald, 1993) Kino
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COMMENTS: Acclaimed writer-director Maggie Greenwald (Songcatcher) adds a modern twist to the classic western in The Ballad of Little Jo, starring Suzy Amis (Two Small Bodies, Blown Away, The Usual Suspects) in a trailblazing performance. After bearing an illegitimate child, society girl Josephine Monaghan (Amis) leaves home in disgrace. On the road west, she discovers that a woman alone is sexual prey for any man—so she disguises herself as a boy. As Little Jo, she confronts all the dangers the Wild West has to offer—from deadly winters to murderous outlaws. But her most treacherous enemy is her own heart—when she risks everything by falling in love with the one man who discovers her secret. Featuring dynamic supporting turns by Bo Hopkins, Ian McKellen, David Chung, Heather Graham, Anthony Heald, Melissa Leo, René Auberjonois and Carrie Snodgress, this gorgeously crafted film inspired by a true story proves that our heroes have sometimes been…cowgirls.
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**Blackadder: The Complete Collection** [Blu-ray] - RB UK BBC Studios
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Starring Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Duke Of Edinburgh with Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Brian Blessed as King Richard IV, Tim McInnerny as Percy, Elspet Gray as the Queen and Robert East as Prince Harry WITH Peter Cook as Richard III, Miriam Margolyes as Princess Maria, Rik Mayall as Mad Gerald. Music by Howard Goodall, Directed by Martin Shardlow, Produced by John Lloyd.
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**Allen Baron's "Blast of Silence"** Blu-ray - Molly McCarthy @Criterion
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Blast of Silence was made on a shoestring budget - it was written, directed by, and starred Allen Baron and was produced by Merrill Brody, who doubled as the cinematographer. Many of Baron's friends and family appear in various scenes of the film. Blast of Silence was shot using equipment that had been abandoned in Cuba after the shooting of Errol Flynn's final film, 1959's Cuban Rebel Girls because the crew had to flee due to the Cuban Revolution. The serious Lionel Stander documentary-style narration facet of Blast of Silence adds another layer qualifying the suspense. It could also represent and alter-ego for contract killer Frank Bono or categorize the film as a quasi-procedural. measure dialogue and curious subtext. It is such grassroots dark cinema; bleak yet Christmas time in New York. It was such a pleasure to revisit Blast of Silence that strongly deserved 1080P. I'm super pleased with the Criterion Blu-ray - the dual-ratios is a nice touch - and this is a keeper for me.
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Kai-Ming Lai's "The Blue Jean Monster" Blu-ray - Fui-On Shing / Gloria Yip @88_Films
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COMMENTS: Kai-Ming Lai's The Blue Jean Monster is in the latter part of a trend to supernatural Hong Kong 70's - 90's films like The Mr. Vampire series, The Oily Maniac, Bewitched, Black Magic, Black Magic 2, The Bride From Hell, The Enchanting Ghost, The Ghost Lovers, HEX, The Seeding of a Ghost, Magic Cop etc.. The Blue Jean Monster is listed as a 'Hong Kong Category III film' - for 18-years of age and older - but there is some visible blood injuries and cold-blooded murder early in the film but no nudity. Like many of this genre there is always a humorous edge keeping much of the film light - occasionally silly. I have come to appreciate this genre - they are not great films but never seem to take themselves too seriously. You can enjoy this one for the crime element, the supernatural or the cute demonstrative characters. The 88 Films Blu-ray has done an admirable job of this less-discussed film - probably better than The Blue Jean Monster will ever get on digital. To each his own.
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**The Circus** [Blu-ray] (Charlie Chaplin, 1928) Criterion UK
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Already out in:
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COMMENTS: When we first meet Chaplin's Tramp in this comic gem, he's broke and hungry. Mistaken for a pickpocket and pursued by a police officer into a circus tent, the Tramp becomes a star when delighted patrons think his escape from the law is an act. Highlights include a frenetic fun-house seqeunce, the Tramp turning a magical skit into mayhem and his teetering tighrope walk while monkeys cling to his head.
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**Days of Heaven [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Terrence Malick, 1978) Criterion
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US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW
COMMENTS: One-of-a-kind filmmaker-philosopher Terrence Malick has created some of the most visually arresting films of the last century, and his glorious period tragedy Days of Heaven, featuring Oscar-winning cinematography by Nestor Almendros, stands out among them. In the mid-1910s, a Chicago steelworker (Richard Gere) accidentally kills his supervisor, and flees with his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and his little sister (Linda Manz) to the Texas panhandle, where they find work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer (Sam Shepard). A love triangle, a swarm of locusts, a hellish fire—Malick captures it all with dreamlike authenticity, creating a timeless American idyll that is also a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.
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**The End of Civilization: Three Films by Piotr Szulkin** [Blu-ray] - Radiance Films UK
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COMMENTS: Masquerading as both works of science fiction and horror, Piotr Szulkin’s satirical, surrealistic apocalypse trilogy is Polish cinema’s best-kept secret. These highly imaginative works of fantasy are bound by a preoccupation with the machinations of power and a distinct, visual sensibility. In a radical reworking of the H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds: Next Century, tells the story of Iron Idem (Roman Wilhelmi), a television host, who finds himself contending with a Martian invasion, whose takeover involves collaborating with the state and manipulating the populace through a media apparatus made up entirely of fake news… Meanwhile, in O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization, the survivors of a claustrophobic, subterranean world in ruins are pacified by Soft (Jerzy Stuhr), who engineers a mass collective dream of escape through means of a mythical vessel, The Ark… Finally, in the darkly comic Ga, Ga: Glory to the Heroes, Scope (Daniel Olbrychski) must be tried and convicted of a heinous crime for him to participate in a bloody, televised gladiator contest… Frequently butting heads with Polish authorities both before and after the collapse of Communism, writer and director Piotr Szulkin remains a unique visual stylist whose parables of power transcend easy genre pigeonholing.
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**The Exiles** [Blu-ray] (Kent Mackenzie, 1961) Milestone
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COMMENTS: THE EXILES chronicles one night in the lives of young Native American men and women living in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles. Based entirely on interviews with the participants and their friends, the film follows a group of exiles — transplants from Southwest reservations — as they flirt, drink, party, fight, and dance. After graduating from USC in 1956, Kent Mackenzie began to hang around with a group of young Native Americans in downtown Los Angeles. He then asked them to collaborate on a film that would present a realistic portrayal of life in the community. In 1961, it was finished, but it was rarely seen for nearly fifty years. With UCLA Film & Television Archive’s magnificent restoration and Milestone’s release, THE EXILES stunned the film world. It introduced a filmmaker of incredible talent and insight and revealed a subject that had not been seen before or since: the Diaspora of Native Americans who had left the reservations for the city. Gritty, realistic, beautifully photographed, and energized by the brilliant rock-and-roll score by Norman Knowles and The Revels, THE EXILES is a cinematic miracle.
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**Flesh for Frankenstein** [Blu-ray] (Paul Morrissey, Antonio Margheriti, 1973) Screenbound
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COMMENTS: The eccentric Baron von Frankenstein (Udo Kier) partners with his peculiar assistant, Otto, to craft a superior master race, with the Baron as its leader. He assembles two flawless 'zombies' from assorted body parts, intending them to produce offspring. Amidst this, a web of complications unfolds as Nicholas, a farmhand, engages in an affair with the Baron's unsatisfied wife. Simultaneously, Nicholas seeks his vanished friend Sacha, whose head and brain have been employed in the creation of Frankenstein's male 'zombie'.
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I... For Icarus [Blu-ray] (Henri Verneuil, 1979) Kino
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COMMENTS: From Henri Verneuil, the acclaimed director of The Sicilian Clan, The Body of My Enemy and Mille Milliards de Dollars, comes one of the most unique and compelling conspiracy thrillers of the ’70s. Following the assassination of President Marc Jarry, an investigation commission comes up with questionable conclusions about a lone gunman. The commission’s findings are not good enough for dogged State Attorney Henri Volney, played by screen great Yves Montand (The Wages of Fear, Z, Le Cercle Rouge). Volney reopens the case and unspools a tightly wound conspiracy plot in I… for Icarus, Verneuil’s icy-cool and intelligent investigative thriller that will grip you like Oliver Stone’s JFK. Boasting a terrific performance by Montand and a riveting score by the maestro Ennio Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Le Professionnel).
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The Inspector Wears Skirts [Blu-ray] (Wellson Chin, 1988) 88 Films UK
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COMMENTS: A team of high-kicking female super cops prove themselves a match for any man alive as they tackle foes from terrorists to jewel thieves. Action icon Jackie Chan put together a supreme team of lethal ladies including Shaw Brothers icon Wai Yin-hung (‘My Young Auntie’) and American martial arts star Cynthia Rothrock (‘China O’Brien’). The action scenes for these beauties on the beat are delivered by Jackie’s own stunt team, who also co-star in the film. ‘Inspector Wears Skirts’ blends slapstick comedy with high impact action to deliver more fun than should be lawful!
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Mille milliards de dollars [Blu-ray] (Henri Verneuil, 1982) Kino
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COMMENTS: From Henri Verneuil, the acclaimed director of The Sicilian Clan, The Night Caller and I… for Icarus, comes a captivating conspiracy thriller about a young journalist, Paul Kerjean (Patrick Dewaere, Going Places), who stumbles across something far more sinister than a simple suicide in the death of a politician—he uncovers an assassination plot hatched by an American multinational company intent on taking over several French industries. Kerjean aims to gather enough evidence to expose the American corporation for what it really is, before French companies start to disappear—along with their employees. The superb cast features Michel Auclair (The Day of the Jackal), Caroline Cellier (Year of the Jellyfish), Charles Denner (Bluebeard), Anny Duperey (Les Compères), Jeanne Moreau (The Bride Wore Black) and Mel Ferrer (Blood and Roses).
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**The Odd Couple: The Complete Series Box Set** [Blu-ray] - Allied Vaughn
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COMMENTS: Revisit all 5 hilarious seasons of The Odd Couple! Based on the play by Neil Simon, this Emmy-nominated series features the antics of two divorced men living together in New York City. Felix Unger (Tony Randall) is an uptight photographer, continually at odds with his unkempt sportswriter roommate, Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman). This classic comedy series has plenty of laughs and plenty of trouble when two unlikely friends share one small space! Bring home the side-splitting 15-disc set today!
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**Point Break [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991) Shout! Factory
US PURCHASE LINK https://amzn.to/46IA6qt
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BEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW
COMMENTS: Hang ten and hang tough, Johnny. Rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah is learning to ride the waves. His mission: infiltrate a group of extreme surfers who may be the bank robbers known as the Ex-Presidents, and whose MO includes wearing masks of former White House denizens. Keanu Reeves portrays Johnny, Patrick Swayze plays charismatic thrill seeker Bodhi, and Oscar®-winning director Kathryn Bigelow delivers an adrenaline rush of gnarly rides, skydives and danger in Point Break!
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**Police Story Trilogy [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Police Story, Police Story 2, Police Story 3: Supercop) UK Eureka
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Featuring some of the most dangerous stunts ever performed on camera, these three films represent the pinnacle of Jackie Chan’s unique style of Hong Kong action filmmaking. A dazzling blend of gritty action cop drama, impeccably choreographed martial-arts sequences, and bone-crunching stuntwork – this series of films revitalised the Hong Kong action genre and established Jackie Chan as a worldwide superstar.
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**The Quaestor Tapes** [Blu-ray] (Richard A. Colla, 1974) Kino
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COMMENTS: Follow the incredible journey of one seemingly superhuman android as he attempts to find his creator in Gene Roddenberry’s fascinating sci-fi telefilm, The Questor Tapes, from the visionary minds behind Star Trek. Project Questor (Robert Foxworth, Ants!, The Black Marble) is cutting-edge technology at its finest: brilliant, resilient and able to take on humanity’s greatest minds. The one question this amazing android cannot solve, however, is the location of its genius inventor, Dr. Vaslovik (Lew Ayres, Donovan’s Brain), and half of the tapes that provide detailed instructions on how his creation can best guide humanity. With a nuclear time bomb counting down in its chest, Questor must rely on the help of another scientist, Dr. Jerry Robinson (Mike Farrell, M*A*S*H), to solve the secret of its origins. Directed by Richard A. Colla (The UFO Incident, Fuzz).
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**Stand by Me [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Rob Reiner, 1986) Sony
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COMMENTS: In a small woodsy Oregon town, a group of friends--sensitive Gordie (Wil Wheaton), tough guy Chris (River Phoenix), flamboyant Teddy (Corey Feldman), and scaredy-cat Vern (Jerry O'Connell)--are in search of a missing teenager's body. Wanting to be heroes in each other's and their hometown's eyes, they set out on an unforgettable two-day trek that turns into an odyssey of self-discovery. They sneak smokes, tell tall tales, cuss 'cause it's cool and band together when the going gets tough. When they encounter the town's knife-wielding hoods who are also after the body, the boys discover a strength they never knew they had. Stand By Me is a rare and special film about friendship and the indelible experiences of growing up. Filled with humor and suspense, Stand By Me is based on the novella 'The Body' by Stephen King.
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**Until the End of the World** [Blu-ray] (Wim Wenders, 1991) RB UK Curzon Film
UK PURCHASE LINK
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: Wim Wenders’ ultimate road movie Until the End of the World is presented in its 287-minute Director’s Cut, digitally restored in 4K under the director’s supervision. In 1999, the life of Claire Tourneur (Solveig Dommartin) is forever changed after she survives a car crash. She rescues Dr. Sam Farber (William Hurt) and starts travelling around the world with him. Writer Eugene Fitzpatrick (Sam Neill) follows them and writes their story, as a way of recording dreams is being invented.
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**Worlds: Selected Works by Ben Rivers** [Blu-ray] - Second Run UK
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COMMENTS: The British artist and filmmaker Ben Rivers is internationally renowned for creating a body of bold experimental docufictions that search for an escape from modern society. Rivers shoots in various film formats and film stocks, often using an old Bolex wind-up camera, and self-processes the films, giving the appearance of found, aged or archival footage. Breaking the conventional rules of documentary filmmaking, Rivers' films are evocative and sensory, and are an entirely unique personal vision. Second Run are proud to present the first comprehensive Blu-ray collection of Ben Rivers' award-winning and critically acclaimed films.
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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES (CLICK TITLES FOR MORE INFORMATION):

December 11th, 2023

**Danza Macabra: Volume Two ― The Italian Gothic Collection 4K UHD** [Castle of Blood, Jekyll, They Have Changed Their Face, the Devil’s Lover) Severin

**House of the Long Shadows** (Pete Walker, 1983) Kino
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

The Man Who Wasn't There (Bruce Malmuth, 1983) Kino

**Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 4K UHD** (Mel Stuart, 1971) Warner UK
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December 18th, 2023

Made in Hong Kong (Fruit Chan, 1997) Metrograph Pictures

Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac (Jesús Franco, 1973) Kino Cult #4

**Les vampires** (Louis Feuillade, 1915) Kino
DVDBEAVER REVIEW
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January 9th, 2024

St. Ives (J. Lee Thompson, 1976) Shout! Factory

**Telefon** (Don Siegel, 1977) Shout! Factory
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January 15th, 2024

**Mean Streets 4K UHD** (Martin Scorsese, 1973) RB UK Second Sight Films
4K UHD UK
4K UHD UK LE
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January 22nd, 2024

**Carrie 4K UHD** (Brian De Palma, 1976) Arrow UK
DVDBEAVER BLU-RAY REVIEW

**Chantal Akerman Masterpieces, 1968–1978** (Saute ma ville; L’enfant aimé, ou Je joue à être une femme mariée; La chambre; Hotel Monterey; Le 15/8; Je tu il elle; Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles and News from Home) Criterion

Impossible Object (John Frankenheimer, 1973) Indicator US
US BLU-RAY
UK BLU-RAY

Samurai Wolf I & II (Hideo Gosha, 1966 - 1967) RB UK Masters of Cinema

When Taekwondo Strikes (Feng Huang, 1973) RB UK Eureka
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January 29th, 2024

**Death Occurred Last Night** (Duccio Tessari,1970) Radiance UK

Goodbye & Amen (Damiano Damiani, 1977) Radiance UK

**I, the Executioner** (Tai Katô, 1968) Radiance UK

**Mudbound** (Dee Rees, 2017) Criterion

Sting of Death (Kôhei Oguri, 1990) Radiance UK

**Trainspotting 4K UHD** (Danny Boyle, 1996) Criterion
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February 5th, 2023

**The Wages of Fear 4K UHD** (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953) UK BFI
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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

**Ralph Murphy's "The Man in Half Moon Street"** Blu-ray - Helen Walker @imprint_films
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OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Ralph Murphy's The Man in Half Moon Street has never even been released on DVD to date. The idea of seeking a medical solution to become ageless is not new from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray to The Wasp Woman. The Man in Half Moon Street is based on a 1939 West End play of the same title by Barré Lyndon. I enjoyed Helen Walker (my favorite Impact, plus Heaven Can Wait, Lucky Jordan, Cluny Brown and of course, another favorite Nightmare Alley.) There are science-fiction, noir, crime and romance elements in The Man in Half Moon Street. Eternal youth is not what it's cracked up to be as it always seems to go hand-in-hand with murder. I enjoyed this Imprint Blu-ray of a film I would never have seen if not for this release. Very dark atmosphere abounds. I'm keeping it.
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**Columbo: The 1970s (Seasons 1-7)** Blu-ray - Peter Falk @KinoLorber
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COMMENTS: Kino's Columbo: The 1970s (Seasons 1-7) Blu-ray package is the ultimate Holiday present for a friend or for yourself! 60+ hours of the great detective surrounded by a cavalcade of transitioning cinema stars. These remain endlessly rewatchable entertainment with many stellar episodes; season two's A Stitch in Crime has Leonard Nimoy as a surgeon who has an ingenious plan for murdering his partner. Season three's Any Old Port in a Storm with wine connoisseur Donald Pleasence and A Friend in Deed has Richard Kiley as a police commissioner who provides a false alibi for a wife killer, expecting quid pro quo. Swan Song is a classic with Ida Lupino - it has Johnny Cash as a gospel singer wants to be rid of his zealous wife. But a murder made to look like an airplane accident does not fool the wily Lt. Columbo. In Negative Reaction of Season Four, we have a Pulitzer Prize wining photographer, Dick Van Dyke, who murders his wife and blames her death on a bungled kidnapping. In Forgotten Lady from season Five - Janet Leigh plays a faded dance star of film and stage who murders her husband and makes it look like a suicide with a perfect alibi. In season seven's Try and Catch Me, with Ruth Gordon and Mariette Hartley, a mystery writer suspects her niece's husband of murdering her, and she exacts revenge... Some of the best 70s TV... or of all time! - and now on 4K restored Blu-rays. Our highest recommendation! NOTE: It is 19% OFF, HERE, at the writing of this review.
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**Ted Kotchef's "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz"** Blu-ray - Richard Dreyfuss @FunCityEdition
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OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Ted Kotchef's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is based on Mordecai Richler's 1959 novel of the same name. Duddy (Richard Dreyfuss) is always seeking respect from his Montréal-based Jewish community especially his unappreciative father. He's a tireless hustler - with a variety of get-rich-quick schemes from a resourceful gopher busboy to filming bar-mitzvah home movies to pinball machine mogul. All with the goal to purchase land on a nearby picturesque lake and develop a resort. Ted Kotcheff (First Blood, Wake in Fright) adeptly realizes The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz while the titular character exasperates us as Dreyfuss still allows him to hold a modicum of worthy sympathy. It's a film I've wanted to have on digital for as long as I can remember and I am very pleased with the Fun City Editions Blu-ray. This, almost, 50-year old Canadian film deserves an audience. Certainly recommended!
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**Riccardo Freda's "Murder Obsession"** Blu-ray - Anita Strindberg / Laura Gemser / Martine Brochard / Silvia Dionisio @FilmsRadiance @Raro
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
COMMENTS: In 1969, Fabio Piccioni (once assistant director to Lucio Fulci) wrote a short story titled Il grido del Capricorno (The Cry of Capricorn), which he later adapted into an adult comic book. Dario Argento bought the rights and some elements would appear in his films The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Deep Red. Piccioni modernized his original story and with Antonio Cesare Corti + Riccardo Freda it would evolve into Murder Obsession, as an Italian and French co-production. It's a Giallo that leads with fantastic imagery including torture, misleading and distracting clues, murder plus titillation with Indonesian-Dutch Laura Gemser (Violence in a Women's Prison,) famous for erotic cinema, Swedish beauty Anita Strindberg (The Case of the Scorpion's Tale,) who started her career in gialli, sexy French actress Martine Brochard (Tinto Brass' The Voyeur) and luscious Italian actress Silvia Dionisio (Waves of Lust.) The new Raro Blu-ray has the improved video and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas commentary. Fans of this genre should add this wild entry to the library.
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**John Schlesinger's "The Day of the Locust"** Blu-ray - Donald Sutherland / Karen Black @ArrowFilmsVideo
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
COMMENTS: In his book, From Box Office to Ballot Box: The American Political Film, M. Keith Booker wrote that The Day of the Locust is "one of the nastiest film critiques ever produced of the film industry itself," that it depicts Hollywood as a "nightmare realm dominated by images of commodified sex and violence." He says that that the film aims to show Hollywood and greater Los Angeles as a "dumping ground upon which broken dreams can be discarded to make way for the ever newer dreams constantly being turned out by the American Culture Industry." Yes, The Day of the Locust is quite the brilliant and biting satire, indeed. Nice to have Arrow provide it with the Blu-ray package it deserves. If you have not see this - you should... and the Arrow is the way to go. Absolutely recommended!
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**Yûzô Kawashima's "Elegant Beast"** Blu-ray - Ayako Wakao / Yûko Hamada @FilmsRadiance
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Elegant Beast was one of the last of Yūzō Kawashima's fifty feature films. He was Yasujirō Ozu's assistant on The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family. Elegant Beast was written by Kaneto Shindô (Kuroneko, Onibaba, Naked Island) who wrote over 200 screenplays for the likes of Kenji Mizoguchi, Kon Ichikawa and Seijun Suzuki. Before his death in 1963, Yūzō Kawashima made three more films after the release of Elegant Beast. It was almost exclusively shot in a small apartment focusing on the family's (parents, son and daughter) unscrupulously eavesdropping and working financial schemes regarding bribery, extortion scams, avoiding taxes and skirting laws for financial gain - often against each other! This is all to satisfy their materialistic desires. Elegant Beast is an absurdist comedy satirizing the consumerism of post-war Japan - and what it would lead to - a more common theme in Kawashima's cinema. What makes it even more unique is the unusual use of camerawork - intentionally unbalanced with odd angles - as if to identify that this family lifestyle... ain't right. Ayako Wakao (playing accountant Yukie Mitani) is quite the eye candy (a favorite actress of director Yasuzo Masumura, starring in 20 of his films including Red Angel and Mizoguchi's Street of Shame.) She plays a ruthless self-serving femme-mercenary. The Radiance Films Blu-ray marks their continued expansion into lesser-exposed, worthwhile, world cinema. They also add new, self-produced, viable supplements. I found Elegant Beast a highly interesting film and this is another exceptional package from them. Yes, we strongly recommend.
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DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of December 4th, 2023