THIS WEEK's RELEASES: Czech New Wave, naughty Franco in 4K, Michelle Yeoh as female Indie Jones, French serial killer, Linklater hilarity in 4K, Steve McQueen as bounty hunter in his last film, James Ivory 4K, Hideo Gosha and a political werewolf......
THIS WEEK's CALENDAR UPDATES (NEW): Arsène Lupin, 50's Obsession, silent Joe May, George Cukor, William Wyler, Otto Preminger, Daniel Mann, Edward Dmytryk, George Stevens, Anatole Litvak, Michael Curtiz, Jacques Rivette, Ernst Lubitsch, Mervyn LeRoy, Darren Aronofsky, Lina Wertmüller, Curt Siodmak, Mario Bava, Julien Duvivier, Umberto Lenzi, Stuart Rosenberg, Jerzy Skolimowski, John Huston, Terry Gilliam, Adrian Lyne, Tobe Hooper, Krzysztof Kieslowski (more 4K UHD!), , Jonathan Demme, David Cronenberg, Nicholas Ray, Ingmar Bergman, Jim Jarmusch, Jean Rollin, François Truffaut, Elio Petri, Kinji Fukasaku, Jean Renoir, Todd Field...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: supernatural stories with Edward G., Stanwyck, Boyer by Boyer by Duvivier - Yeoh with bullwhip battles 1930's spies - Czech mood-ring cat turns village on its head - confusing Reno and Cassel serial killer investigation...
Enjoy,
Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of February 20th, 2023 (Recommended titles have "**")
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**Vojtech Jasný's "The Cassandra Cat"** Blu-ray - Emília Vásáryová @SecondRunDVD
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Vojtech Jasný's The Cassandra Cat is delightful. It involves the shattering of a ‘black and white’ life view - that had the children's imagination hindered. Enter a visiting circus cat who exposes the villagers true nature via color like a full-body mood ring. Jonathan Rosenbaum referred to The Cassandra Cat in the Chicago Reader as a "genuine oddity from 1963 Czechoslovakia" and described it as "whimsical, likable, and inventive" and likened it to a cross between the Pied Piper and Bye Bye Birdie. He also wrote that it is "one of the best early examples of the Czech New Wave". Notably - Ivan Passer (Cutter's Way) worked on The Cassandra Cat as an assistant director. The Second Run Blu-ray is exceptional - a 4K restoration, max'ed out bitrate, edifying commentary, short animated Czech film and a booklet. Absolutely recommended!
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**Mathieu Kassovitz's "The Crimson Rivers"** Blu-ray - Jean Reno @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Mathieu Kassovitz's The Crimson Rivers is based on Blood-red Rivers - a novel by Jean-Christophe Grangé. In the extras we can hear Vincent Cassel admit "I can't help explain the film because I didn't understand it!" There are many fans of The Crimson Rivers. The mystery of the vagueness of plot details may work as a strange positive - existing on the action, darkness, gruesome effects and kinetic camera. There is a Luc Besson-penned sequel; Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse, also starring Jean Reno but without involvement 2000 film's creator Jean-Christophe Grangé. I suspect the original was a one-off with its infused style and energy - making it difficult to replicate. The Crimson Rivers can evoke David Fincher's Se7en or Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose, however this is majority in the build-up not the mystery resolution. The Kino Blu-ray seems worth the wait for fans of the film - 1080P, commentary and plenty of featurette extras. I consider this a keeper.
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**Dazed and Confused [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Richard Linklater, 1993) Criterion
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: America, 1976. The last day of school. Bongs blaze, bell-bottoms ring, and rock and roll rocks. Among the best teen films ever made, Dazed and Confused eavesdrops on a group of seniors-to-be and incoming freshmen. A launching pad for a number of future stars, the first studio effort by Richard Linklater also features endlessly quotable dialogue and a blasting, stadium-ready soundtrack. Sidestepping nostalgia, Dazed and Confused is less about “the best years of our lives” than the boredom, angst, and excitement of teenagers waiting . . . for something to happen.
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Eugenie... The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Jesús Franco, 1970) Blue Underground
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COMMENTS: Marie Liljedahl (the luscious star of INGA) is Eugenie, an innocent young woman taken to an island paradise where she is initiated into a world of pleasure and pain controlled by the sinister Dolmance (the legendary Christopher Lee). But when she surrenders to her own forbidden fantasies, Eugenie becomes trapped in a frenzy of drugs, sadomasochism and murder. Can a frightened girl in the grip of carnal perversion find sanctuary in the orgies of the depraved?
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**The Hunter** [Blu-ray] (Buzz Kulik, 1980) Kino
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COMMENTS: The final film of screen icon Steve McQueen (The Great Escape, Bullitt, The Getaway) shows the dynamic talent of the late, great actor in one of his most memorable roles: the true story of Ralph “Papa” Thorson, a modern-day bounty hunter. Thorson’s exploits are detailed as he pursues a number of fugitives who have skipped bail. The chase comes full circle when he becomes the quarry of a vengeful psychopath (Tracey Walter, The Silence of the Lambs). McQueen’s multi-dimensional performance as Thorson, a man born in the wrong age, is counterpoint to the explosive action in The Hunter. Directed by Buzz Kulik (Warning Shot, Shamus) and featuring Eli Wallach (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly), Kathryn Harrold (Raw Deal), LeVar Burton (TV’s Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Ben Johnson (The Wild Bunch).
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**The Magnificent Seven [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (John Sturges, 1960) Shout! Factory
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COMMENTS: Academy Award® winner Yul Brynner stars in the landmark Western that launched the film careers of Steve McQueen (The Great Escape), Charles Bronson (The Dirty Dozen), and James Coburn (Affliction). Tired of being ravaged by an army of marauding bandits, the residents of a small Mexican village seek help from seven American gunfighters. The only problem? It's seven against 50! Also featuring Eli Wallach (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) and Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), and set against Elmer Bernstein's Oscar®-nominated score, director John Sturges' thrilling adventure comes to stunning 4K UHD!
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Magnificent Warriors [Blu-ray] (David Chung, 1987) 88 Films US
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CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
Eureka UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW

COMMENTS: Magnificent Warriors is a high-flying action romp! International sensation Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies, Supercop) stars in this incredible adventure set against the backdrop of World War II. Yeoh portrays a wisecracking mercenary pilot with a leather jacket, gun, and bullwhip who sets aside personal greed to defend a small town and free its leader from the clutches of the invading Japanese army! Filled with spectacular action sequences, Magnificent Warriors seamlessly blends sly humor with thrills. Yeoh's martial arts prowess, comedic flair, and dramatic skills are fully brought to bear in this incredible follow-up to the classic Royal Warriors. The finale, in which the town, armed only with spears and stones, rises up against the heavily fortified Japanese forces is not to be missed! Aerial battles, gunfights, hand to hand combat, Michelle Yeoh... Magnificent Warriors has it all!
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Marie Antoinette [Blu-ray] (Deborah Davis, 2022) RB UK ‎Dazzler Media
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Marie Antoinette is a story of a female rebel with a cause in late 18th Century France. Marie Antoinette begins her life at Versailles as a “fresh bouquet of wild flowers,” morphs into a teenage rebel and emerges as Queen of the Zeitgeist. When the very young Marie Antoinette is dispatched to Versailles to marry the Dauphin, she has no idea what she is letting herself in for. Her only duty as Dauphine is to consummate her marriage to Louis and deliver the next Bourbon heir. But this proves to be her greatest challenge when her awkward, teenage husband refuses to play ball. Louis would prefer to kill a hare than kiss his wife. First, she must make her hostile prince her friend.
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Marquis de Sade's Justine [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Jesús Franco, 1969) Blue Underground
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CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Romina Power (18-year-old daughter of Tyrone Power) stars as Justine, a nubile young virgin cast out of a French orphanage and thrust into a depraved world of prostitution, predatory lesbians, a fugitive murderess (Mercedes McCambridge), bondage, branding, and one supremely sadistic monk (an outrageous performance by Jack Palance). It's a twisted tale of strange desires, perverse pleasures and the ultimate corruption of innocence as told by the Marquis de Sade.
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**The Remains of the Day [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (James Ivory, 1993) Sony
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Oscar(r)-winners Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Emma Thompson (Howards End) reunite with the acclaimed Merchant Ivory filmmaking team for this extraordinary and moving story of blind devotion and repressed love. Hopkins stars as Stevens, the perfect English butler - an ideal carried by him to fanatical lengths - as he serves his master, Lord Darlington, beautifully played by James Fox (The Servant). Darlington, like many other members of the British establishment in the 1930s, is duped by the Nazis into trying to establish a rapport between themselves and the British government.Thompson stars as the estate's housekeeper, a high-spirited, strong-minded young woman who watches the goings-on upstairs with horror. Despite her apprehensions, she and Stevens gradually fall in love, though neither will admit it, and only give vent to their charged feelings via fierce arguments. Marvelously acted by a supporting cast that includes Christopher Reeve and Hugh Grant.
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The Slumber Party Massacre I and II 1982-87 [4K UHD Blu-ray] Double Feature - Shout! Factory
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CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: You know the drill. Put on your PJs and say your prayers…it's time for one nightmare of an all-nighter with a double dose of slashtastic cult classics: The Slumber Party Massacre and Slumber Party Massacre II! In The Slumber Party Massacre, Trish (Michele Michaels) invites her high school basketball teammates over for a night they'll never forget—or survive—when an unexpected guest crashes the party: an escaped psychopath with a portable power drill. And in the freaky follow-up Slumber Party Massacre II, Courtney (Crystal Bernard) is tormented by dreams of the infamous Driller Killer returning to wreak havoc…only to find that (bad) dreams really do come true when the murderous monster is reincarnated as an evil rocker.
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**Triangle of Sadness** [Blu-ray] (Ruben Östlund, 2022) RB UK Lions gate
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: In Ruben Östlund’s wickedly funny Palme d’Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.
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**Violent Streets** [Blu-ray] (Hideo Gosha, 1974) RB UK Masters of Cinema
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: A former yakuza member, Egawa (Noboru Andô) is now a brooding world-weary nightclub owner. Some of his former associates are released from prison and want to regain a foothold in the criminal underworld by igniting a gang war between the local yakuza, and an out-of-town clan led by veteran actor Tetsurō Tanba (Harakiri.)
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The Werewolf of Washington [Blu-ray] (Milton Moses Ginsberg, 1973) Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Watergate-era governmental corruption inspired this cinematic howl of anger from boundary-breaking auteur Milton Moses Ginsberg (Coming Apart). The Werewolf of Washington is a biting satire that savagely attacks beltway politics while paying playful homage to the wolfman pictures of the past. Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet) stars as a presidential aide whose rise to power is exacerbated by the bite of a wolf, transforming him into a bloodthirsty beast with the rising of every full moon. As history has shown, a monster in the White House is not strictly a 1970s phenomenon, and so, half a century later, The Werewolf of Washington is as eviscerating and relevant as ever. This edition includes a special director’s cut prepared by Ginsberg shortly before his death in 2021, as well as a 2K restoration of the 1973 theatrical release version.
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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES (CLICK TITLES FOR MORE INFORMATION):

February 27th, 2023

**Arsène Lupin Collection** - The Adventures of Arsène Lupin (1957), Signéd: Arsène Lupin (1959) and Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin (1962) - Kino

**Obsessed** (Maurice Elvey, 1951) Classicflix
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March 6th, 2023

**Asphalt** (Joe May, 1929) Kino

The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (John Berry, 1978) Imprint

**Camille** (George Cukor, 1936) Warner Archive

**Carrie** (William Wyler, 1952)‎ Imprint

Hurry Sundown (Otto Preminger, 1967) Imprint

**I'll Cry Tomorrow** (Daniel Mann, 1955) Warner Archive

**The Mountain** (Edward Dmytryk, 1956) Imprint
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW

Something to Live For (George Stevens, 1952) ‎Imprint
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March 13th, 2022

Body and Soul (George Bowers, 1981) Ronin Flix

**Confessions of a Nazi Spy** (Anatole Litvak, 1939) Warner Archive

**Flamingo Road** (Michael Curtiz, 1949) Warner Archive

Secret Defense (Jacques Rivette, 1998) Cohen

Sumurun (Ernst Lubitsch, 1920) Kino

**Tonight or Never** (Mervyn LeRoy, 1931) VCI

The Virgin Suicides 4K UHD (Sofia Coppola, 1999) UK Studiocanal

**The Whale** (Darren Aronofsky, 2022) Lionsgate

Who'll Stop the Rain (Karel Reisz, 1978) Ronin Flix

**The Wildcat** (Ernst Lubitsch, 1921) Kino
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March 20th, 2023

The Belle Star Story (Piero Cristofani, Lina Wertmüller, 1968) Raro Video
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March 27th, 2023

**Curucu, Beast of the Amazon** (Curt Siodmak, 1956) Vinegar Syndrome Labs
BEAVER REVIEW

**The Devil's Game** (Mario Bava, Lamberto Bava etc, 1981) Severin

**Flesh and Fantasy** (Julien Duvivier, 1943) Vinegar Syndrome
BEAVER REVIEW

**Violent Streets: The Umberto Lenzi/Tomas Milian Collection** (Almost Human, Syndicate Sadists, Free Hand For a Tough Cop, The Cynic, The Rat and the Fist and Brothers Till We Die) Severin

**Women of Twilight** (Gordon Parry, 1952) RB UK Studiocanal
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April 3rd, 2023

**100 Years of Warner Bros. - Classic Hollywood 5-Film Collection (1930s - 1960s) [4K Ultra HD]** (Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Singin' in the Rain, Rebel Without a Cause, The Wizard of Oz) Warner UK

**Cool Hand Luke 4K UHD** (Stuart Rosenberg, 1967) Warner US
US PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
UK Steelbook PURCHASE LINK

**EO** (Jerzy Skolimowski, 2022) RB UK BFI

**Little Buddha** (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1993) Imprint

**The Maltese Falcon 4K UHD** (John Huston, 1941) Warner
US PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
UK Steelbook PURCHASE LINK
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April 10th, 2023

The Fisher King 4K UHD (Terry Gilliam, 1991) Criterion

**Flashdance 4K UHD** (Adrian Lyne, 1983) Paramount
US PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK

**The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K UHD** (Tobe Hooper, 1974) UK Second Sight Films
UK PURCHASE LINK
UK Limited Edition PURCHASE LINK
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
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April 17th, 2023

**Creeping Horror** - Murders in the Zoo (1933), Night Monster (1942), Horror Island (1941) and House of Horrors (1946) - RB UK Eureka

**The Double Life of Véronique 4K UHD** (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991) RB UK Curzon Film

**Married to the Mob** (Jonathan Demme, 1988) Fun City Editions UK
BEAVER REVIEW

**Naked Lunch 4K UHD** (David Cronenberg, 1991) Arrow UK

**Rebel Without a Cause 4K UHD** (Nicholas Ray, 1955) Warner

US PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
UK Steelbook PURCHASE LINK

**The Seventh Seal 4K UHD** (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) Criterion

**The Street Fighter Trilogy** (The Street Fighter, Return of the Street Fighter and The Street Fighter’s Last Revenge) RB UK Arrow

The Sunday Woman (Luigi Comencini, 1975) RB UK Radiance Films

**Three Colors: Blue, White, Red 4K UHD** UK Curzon

**Wanda** (Barbara Loden, 1970) Criterion UK
BEAVER REVIEW
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April 24th, 2023

**Bullet Train** (Jun'ya Satô, 1975) RB UK Eureka
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW

**Full Circle - The Haunting of Julia 4K UHD** (Richard Loncraine, 1977) UK BFI

**Mystery Train** (Jim Jarmusch, 1989) RB UK Criterion
BEAVER REVIEW

**The Shiver of the Vampires** (Jean Rollin, 1971) RB UK Indicator
UK Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK

**Small Axe** (Steve McQueen - Mangrove; Lovers Rock; Red, White and Blue; Alex Wheatle; and Education) Criterion

**Triangle of Sadness** (Ruben Östlund, 2022) Criterion

US Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK

US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK

**Twilight (Szürkület)** (György Fehér, 1990) R0 UK‎ Second Run

**Two Films By Jerzy Skolimowski** Identification Marks: None (1965), Hands Up! (1981) - RB UK BFI

**Two Orphan Vampires** (Jean Rollin, 1997) RB UK Indicator
UK Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
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May 15th, 2023

**The Bride Wore Black** [Blu-ray] (François Truffaut, 1968) RB UK Radiance Films
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW

**The Working Class Goes to Heaven** (Elio Petri, 1971) RB UK Radiance Films

**Yakuza Graveyard** (Kinji Fukasaku, 1976) RB UK Radiance Films
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May 22nd, 2023

**The Rules of the Game** (Jean Renoir, 1939) RB UK BFI
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June 30th, 2023

**Tár** (Todd Field, 2022) Universal Pictures UK
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August 7th, 2023

**100 Years of Warner Bros. - New Hollywood 5-Film Collection (1970s - 1980s) [4K Ultra HD]** (Enter the Dragon, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Lost Boys, Gremlins, The Goonies) Warner UK
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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

**Mathieu Kassovitz's "The Crimson Rivers"** Blu-ray - Jean Reno @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Mathieu Kassovitz's The Crimson Rivers is based on Blood-red Rivers - a novel by Jean-Christophe Grangé. In the extras we can hear Vincent Cassel admit "I can't help explain the film because I didn't understand it!" There are many fans of The Crimson Rivers. The mystery of the vagueness of plot details may work as a strange positive - existing on the action, darkness, gruesome effects and kinetic camera. There is a Luc Besson-penned sequel; Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse, also starring Jean Reno but without involvement 2000 film's creator Jean-Christophe Grangé. I suspect the original was a one-off with its infused style and energy - making it difficult to replicate. The Crimson Rivers can evoke David Fincher's Se7en or Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose, however this is majority in the build-up not the mystery resolution. The Kino Blu-ray seems worth the wait for fans of the film - 1080P, commentary and plenty of featurette extras. I consider this a keeper.
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David Chung's "Magnificent Warriors" Blu-ray - Michelle Yeoh @88_Films
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: David Chung's Magnificent Warriors was set in 1930s during the Second Sino-Japanese War - primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. In China, this conflict is often known as the "War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression". The story involves spies and espionage. Michelle Yeoh is Malaysian usually credited as 'Michelle Khan' in her early films frequently performing her own stunts. As many are aware - last year (2022), she was critically praised for her role in the absurdist comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All at Once. She is the first Asian actress to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress! Magnificent Warriors is kind of fun with a lot of action - plus we get to see Michelle Yeoh acting and performing martial arts in a film made 35 years ago! The 88 Films Blu-ray has good a/v, a commentary, interviews, poster and booklet. Recommend to fans of the genre - this is a complete package.
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**Vojtech Jasný's "The Cassandra Cat"** Blu-ray - Emília Vásáryová @SecondRunDVD
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Vojtech Jasný's The Cassandra Cat is delightful. It involves the shattering of a ‘black and white’ life view - that had the children's imagination hindered. Enter a visiting circus cat who exposes the villagers true nature via color like a full-body mood ring. Jonathan Rosenbaum referred to The Cassandra Cat in the Chicago Reader as a "genuine oddity from 1963 Czechoslovakia" and described it as "whimsical, likable, and inventive" and likened it to a cross between the Pied Piper and Bye Bye Birdie. He also wrote that it is "one of the best early examples of the Czech New Wave". Notably - Ivan Passer (Cutter's Way) worked on The Cassandra Cat as an assistant director. The Second Run Blu-ray is exceptional - a 4K restoration, max'ed out bitrate, edifying commentary, short animated Czech film and a booklet. Absolutely recommended!
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**Julien Duvivier's "Flesh and Fantasy"** Blu-ray - Edward G. Robinson / Barbara Stanwyck @VinegarSyndrome
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: I love Julien Duvivier's Flesh and Fantasy. Edward G.? Stanwyck? Boyer? Duvivier is the most neglected of the "Big Five" in the era of classic French cinema which includes Jean Renoir, Rene Clair, Jacques Feyder, and Marcel Carne. I really enjoyed the director's Panique from 1946. Flesh and Fantasy is an anthology involving three supernatural stories introduced by two friends in a private club - one sharing his nervous dream to the other. The camerawork is brilliant with low angles and ominous shadows throughout. The Vinegar Syndrome Labs Blu-ray is a huge advancement over SD - includes a new commentary, hour-long featurette and reversible artwork. Strongly recommended!
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DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of February 20th, 2023