DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of
January 11th, 2021
http://www.dvdbeaver.com
Still not fully back - the calendar hints of
better weeks to come. We have a full 14 new reviews including brilliant Paul
Schrader neo-noir with Willem Dafoe and Susan Sarandon, 4K UHD William
Lustig's best with Robert Forster and Fred "The Hammer" Williamson seeking
revenge!, Early 70's horror Zombie-arthouse gem, Dino (Martin) as a rare bad
asss, a Criterion skateboarding documentary ?!?, Scary serial murder docu-drama
from Arrow, Terence Young's story of a Mafia informant played by Charles
Bronson, Don Chaffey's gripping psychological drama with Richard
Attenborough, Walter Hill's fascinating western recounting the proud history
of a famous Apache warrior, Paul Leni's restored silent era horror mystery
thriller, Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Robert Duvall in a
comedy/drama involving mental health, Western buddy film with Dino and Alain
Delon, Paul Newman in a Jack Smight comedy, a fun late 50's British
sex-comedy with some of the Carry On gang and an 80's horror in the forest
with George Kennedy. Ohhh good week for review coveage!
OUR YEAR END POLL
is still here:
Gary
RELEASES the WEEK of January 11th,
2021 (Recommended titles have "**")
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Black Book
[Blu-ray] (Paul Verhoeven, 2006) RB UK 101 Films
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews30/black_book_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: September 1944. Rachel Stein (van Houten), a Dutch-Jewish woman in
the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, joins fellow refugees in their attempt to
reach Allied territory by boat after her safehouse is destroyed by a bomb.
The voyage ends in disaster when the escape is discovered by a Nazi patrol,
with Rachel the sole survivor as her fellow refugees, including her own
family, are ruthlessly killed. Set on revenge, Rachel joins the Resistance,
adopting the identity of Ellis de Vries to mask her heritage, and
infiltrating the German Security Service by seducing senior officer Müntze
(Koch). As the war enters its final stages and the fight for survival
intensifies, Rachel becomes entangled in a deadly web of deceit and
betrayal.
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Buried Alive
[Blu-ray] (Frank Darabont, 1990) Kino
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/buried_alive_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Frank Darabont's Buried Alive obviously isn't as polished as his
later features (although has atmosphere evocative of The Mist), but you can
see some of the director's effective storytelling - even in this slap-dash
quickly produced TV movie. I liked the 'mood' and the lead performances;
Matheson, Jason Leigh, Atherton and Axton. The Kino Blu-ray was a popcorner
viewing - expectations were low and it was pleasing, if purposely lacking
back-story details. It's a relatively satisfying keeper for me - there is
certainly value here.
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The Devil's Wedding Night
[Blu-ray] (Luigi Batzella, 1973) Code Red
________________
The Freshman
[Blu-ray] (Andrew Bergman, 1990) Mill Creek Entertainment
COMMENT: A naive film student accepts a job
working for Carmine Sabatini, a powerful New York importer. He finds himself
drawn deeper and deeper into an ingenious scam involving an endangered
Komodo Dragon, Sabatini's daughter, and a group of eccentrics.
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Just Before Dawn
[Blu-ray] (Jeff Lieberman, 1981) Code Red
OUR COMPARISON:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_133/just_before_dawn_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: What can I say about "Just Before Dawn" other than it is one of
the strangest and most enjoyable pictures of the 'backwoods slasher'
sub-genre. What else can you expect from the director of "Blue Sunshine" and
"Squirm"? Both Code Red and 88 Films have transfers that are restored from
the original 35mm Internegative, yet I would give Code Red the slightest
edge, if not just for their somewhat more cleaned up extended international
version, and better colors for the U.S. cut. That said, I much prefer the
extras on the 88 Films Blu-ray release, as the commentary is a must-listen
for fans. Since both Blu-rays are Region 'Free', the choice is up to the
fans. - Colin Zavitz
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**Liberté**
[Blu-ray] (Albert Serra, 2019) R0 UK Second Run
UK:
https://amzn.to/37SeYkx
COMMENTS: France 1774. Expelled from the puritanical court of Louis XVI, a
group of aristocratic libertines pursue an ideal of enlightenment through
the rejection of conventional morality. At a time when hypocrisy and false
virtue reign, they seek a place to indulge their quest for pleasure,
inhabiting a libidinous twilight world dedicated to realising unfulfilled
desires. Albert Serras explicit and opulent exploration of the limits of the
erotic imagination is one of the most radical and subversive works of recent
times, making Liberté a singular cinematic experience.
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**Minding the Gap**
[Blu-ray] (Bing Liu, 2018) Criterion
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/minding_the_gap_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: "Minding the Gap" was so much more than I was expecting, achieving
the same level of interest in the viewer as the legendary "Hoop Dreams" (in
much less time, no less). Criterion's fantastic Blu-ray presentation will
hopefully expose this documentary to an even wider group of people. Fans are
also encouraged to get this release as the extras are plentiful and
enjoyable. Recommended. - Colin Zavitz
________________
Rituals
[Blu-ray] (Peter Carter, 1977) Scorpion Releasing
US:
https://amzn.to/35bXr5L
COMMENTS: Adventure-seeker Mitzi (Lawrence Dane, Scanners, Happy Birthday to
Me) invites fellow doctor (Award winning Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild,
Capricorn One, The Fog) and three other physician friends to go on their
annual camping trip in the middle of the unexplored Canadian mountains. The
five of them thought that they were alone in the middle of nowhere on their
ritual camping trip, but this time someone was watching them. A crazed
psychopath wants to play a psychological game of survival with the five
campers and it soon becomes a horrifying game of kill or be killed. Robin
Gammell (Lipstick) co-stars. Special make-up by Carl Fullerton (Friday the
13th Parts 2 & 3). The film is presented completely uncut and uncensored
from a vault element from the producer!
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**Satantango**
[Blu-ray] (Béla Tarr, 1994) Arbelos Films
COMMENTS: One of the greatest achievements in
recent art house cinema and a seminal work of "slow cinema," SÁTÁNTANGÓ,
based on the novel by László Krasznahorkai, follows the members of a humble
agricultural community living in a bleak and punishing backwater after the
fall of Communism. As a few of the villagers secretly conspire to take off
with all of the community's annual earnings for themselves, a mysterious
messiah, long thought dead, returns to the village and alters the course of
everyone's lives forever.
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Stretch
[Blu-ray] (Joe Carnahan, 2014) Kino
US:
https://amzn.to/3lVvoOv
COMMENTS: From Joe Carnahan, the acclaimed director of Narc, Smokin’ Aces,
The A-Team, The Grey and Boss Level, brings you into the world of Stretch, a
Hollywood limo driver with a dark past. When Stretch (Patrick Wilson,
Watchmen) is in need of some quick cash to pay back his debts to a notorious
gangster, he takes a job with a billionaire client (James Badge Dale, World
War Z) in hopes of a big payday. His client’s eccentricities soon escalate
into a wild night of adventure, sex and danger, which begins to make the
fate of returning to the mob empty-handed seem reasonable. With an all-star
cast featuring Chris Pine (Hell or High Water), Ed Helms (The Hangover),
Brooklyn Decker (Just Go with It), Jessica Alba (Machete), Ray Liotta
(Goodfellas), Randy Couture (The Expendables trilogy) and TV legend David
Hasselhoff (TV’s Knight Rider and Baywatch), you won’t want to miss out on
this ride of a lifetime.
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Thursday
[Blu-ray] (Skip Woods, 1998) Kino
US:
https://amzn.to/35lrk4V
COMMENTS: Thomas Jane (Deep Blue Sea), Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight),
supermodel Paulina Porizkova (Anna), James Le Gros (Drugstore Cowboy),
Michael Jeter (Open Range), Glenn Plummer (South Central) and Mickey Rourke
(Sin City) star in this no-holds-barred, erotically charged thriller that
packs a lifetime’s worth of action into one day. Casey Wells (Jane), a
former shakedown artist from the mean streets of L.A., has gone straight—or
so he thought. When his ex-partner-in-crime (Eckhart) appears one day with a
mysterious suitcase, Casey’s comfortable suburban life is turned upside
down. Suddenly, murderous drug dealers, a gorgeous, sexually voracious
brunette (Porizkova) and crooked cops are trying to kill him. If Casey
lives, he may wind up with hidden millions his old pal stole in a drug scam.
But if he wants to survive until Friday, Casey’s going to have to revert to
his old lethal habits. Written and directed by Skip Woods, the screenwriter
of Swordfish, Hitman, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The A-Team, A Good Day to
Die Hard and Sabotage.
________________________________________________
NOTABLE NEW CALENDAR UPDATES:
January 18th
**The African Queen**
(John Huston, 1951) RB UK Masters of Cinema
**The Don Is Dead**
(Richard Fleischer, 1973) RB UK Eureka
January 25th
**Forgotten Gialli: Volume #1**
- Trauma (1978), The Killer Is One of 13 (1973) and The Police Are
Blundering in the Dark (1975) - Vinegar Syndrome
The Pajama Game
(George Abbott, Stanley Donen, 1957) Warner Archive
Room for One More
(Norman Taurog, 1952) Warner Archive
Silent Madness 3-D
(Simon Nuchtern, 1984) Vinegar Syndrome
**The Swimmer**
(Frank Perry, Sydney Pollack, 1968) Grindhouse Releasing
February 1st
**Kidnapped**
(Delbert Mann, 1971) RB UK Network
February 8th
**Hill of Freedom**
(Sang-soo Hong, 2014) Grasshopper Film
February 15th
A Hard Day's Night
(Richard Lester, 1964) Nippon Columbia
February 22nd,
Castle of the Creeping Flesh
(Adrian Hoven, 1968) Severin
Port of Freedom
(Helmut Käutner, 1944) Kino
Shoot Out
(Henry Hathaway, 1971) Kino
State Secret
(Sidney Gilliat, 1950) RB UK Network
The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan
(Sidney Gilliat, 1953) NB UK Network
March 1st
**My Favorite Blonde**
(Sidney Lanfield, 1942) Kino
Nothing But the Truth
(Elliott Nugent, 1941) Kino
March 8th
The Choirboys
(Robert Aldrich, 1977) Kino
**The Don Is Dead**
(Richard Fleischer, 1973) Kino
**Kagemusha**
(Akira Kurosawa , 1980) RB UK Criterion
**Little Fugitive: The Collected
Films of Morris Engel & Ruth Orkin** - Kino
March 15th
**The Invisible Man / The
Invisible Man vs The Human Fly** - RB UK
Arrow
Lialeh (Barron Bercovichy, 1974) Dark Force
**VIY**
(Konstantin Ershov, Georgiy Kropachyov, 1967) RB UK Masters of Cinema
March 22nd
The Bloodhound
(Patrick Picard , 2020) Arrow Video
Crossed Swords
(Richard Fleischer, 1977) Kino Lorber
'Doc'
(Frank Perry, 1971) Kino
Showdown
(George Seaton, 1973) Kino
March 29th
**Lost In America**
(Albert Brooks, 1985) RB UK Criterion
Lust, Caution
(Ang Lee, 2007) Kino
Rosebud
(Otto Preminger, 1975) Kino
**Tales From the Urban Jungle:
Brute Force and The Naked City** - Arrow
Photo Archives" for Patrons:
Gloria Grahame:
Monica Vitti:
Paul Newman:
Susan George:
Jacqueline Bisset:
Suzanne Pleshette:
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS:
**Messiah of Evil**
BD
OUR COMPARISON:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_133/messiah_of_evil_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: I love Messiah of Evil - before the film even gets off the ground,
we get a young Walter Hill (director of Hard Times, The Driver, Streets of
Fire etc.) running for his life and killed - then the title appears. Let's
look at the hottie gals involved; Marianna Hill (Medium Cool), Joy Bang
(Night of the Cobra Woman), and Anitra Ford (Invasion of the Bee Girls) plus
two of the classic era guys; Royal Dano (Moby Dick) and Elisha Cook Jr. (The
Maltese Falcon, The Killing, Don't Bother to Knock etc. etc.) It's a
Zombie-ish Arthouse film and the grocery store sequence is worth the price
alone (well, if you can find it.) The Code Red Blu-ray is a treasure - great
to visit every couple of years. Early 70's horror GOLD. Get it - if you
still can.
________________
Just Before Dawn
BD
OUR COMPARISON:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_133/just_before_dawn_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: What can I say about "Just Before Dawn" other than it is one of
the strangest and most enjoyable pictures of the 'backwoods slasher'
sub-genre. What else can you expect from the director of "Blue Sunshine" and
"Squirm"? Both Code Red and 88 Films have transfers that are restored from
the original 35mm Internegative, yet I would give Code Red the slightest
edge, if not just for their somewhat more cleaned up extended international
version, and better colors for the U.S. cut. That said, I much prefer the
extras on the 88 Films Blu-ray release, as the commentary is a must-listen
for fans. Since both Blu-rays are Region 'Free', the choice is up to the
fans. - Colin Zavitz
________________
Please Turn Over
BD
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_133/please_turn_over_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Gerald Thomas's Please Turn Over is sexy fun - well, as far as
1959 could take it. I'd say its above average with the remarkable HD
presentation. Julia Lockwood (who played Jo Halliday) was playing a 17-year
old - but was actually 18 in real life and the daughter of glamorous British
film star Margaret Lockwood from Carol Reed's Night Train to Munich and The
Star Look Down, Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, The Man in Grey and the
Hammer film Captain Clegg (Night Creatures.) . Julie glows onscreen - bright
eyes - extremely attractive. Aside from this film she did mostly TV shows.
Anyway - I liked Please Turn Over more than I expected and it was a visual
treat to watch it on the Network Blu-ray. It's like a classy Carry On with
some of those regulars; Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey plus the
always enjoyable Lionel Jeffries (First Men in the Moon.) Recommended!
________________
**The Last Warning**
BD
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**Geronimo: An American Legend**
BD
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/geronimo_an_american_legend_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Walter Hill's Geronimo is a rich, visual western filled with star
performances from Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Matt Damon, Jason Patric and,
of course, Wes Studi - brilliantly stoic and commanding as the titular
Geronimo. This is somewhat of an underrated masterpiece. The edifying
portrayal of the Chiricahua Apache is fascinating. The first scene involving
them is awe-inspiring. Indicator have outdone themselves with a totally
stacked Blu-ray package. They are alone in creating the very best of this
format. Our highest recommendation!
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**The Man Upstairs**
BD
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/the_man_upstairs_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Sometimes a film perfectly sates your entertainment appetite. The
Man Upstairs did this for me last evening. I loved my viewing - very much.
Don Chaffey (One Million Years B.C., Danger Within, Jason and the Argonauts)
realizes this character study exceptionally well - kudos to Attenborough and
the supporting cast - Bernard Lee ('M'), Dorothy Alison etc. and you will
notice Edward Judd (The Day the Earth Caught Fire, First Men in the Moon) as
one of the policeman. But I loved the interplay of the neighbors as well.
Just a perfect and surprisingly strong film experience. Not a full British
Noir - but not far off. The Network Blu-ray gets a big endorsement from me.
I hope you enjoy The Man Upstairs as much as I did.
________________
**The Valachi Papers**
BD
OUR COMPARISON:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/the_valachi_papers_blu-ray.htm
OMMENTS: The Valachi Papers is a fascinating Bronson / prison / mobster flic
- brimming with curious history - a highly intriguing film documenting the
history of a mobster turned informant - named 'Joe Valachi'. The Indicator
Blu-ray provides the best package; a/v, commentary, extras etc.. I enjoyed
seeing this again - especially via the Indicator Blu-ray. We remain kind of
obsessed with the mob films - many concerning the Mafia; The Godfather saga,
Goodfellas, Casino, etc. The Valachi Papers leans more to the docu-drama
feel. It's well-made and Bronson is very good in the lead role.
________________
**The Vigilante 4K UHD**
OUR COMPARISON:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/vigilante_4K_UHD.htm
COMMENTS: One of the best of this lesser genre with stark New York street
realism and helping to engender the 'revenge factor' theme of a society
pushed too far. My 2010 Blu-ray review stated: "If I ever do a stint in the
'Big House' (not totally out of the question, I suppose) - I can only hope
that a grizzled, leather-skinned Woody Strode type is watching my back. The
Vigilante has strong appeal - we are exposed these days to so much
criminal-activity news and individual human violence that tends to make for
sellable, human-interest, copy. So, yes we can all get fed-up with the
injustice that surrounds us. Who better to play the distraught everyman from
the early 80's than Robert Forster and who better to lead the vigilante's
than stalwart "The Hammer" Fred Williamson. I only wish there was more..."
Vigilante is my personal favorite the Lustig oeuvre - by quite a margin. I
have watched this many times. It captures this particular down-and-dirty
genre so quintessentially. The 4K UHD is magnificent. If I had it in 2020 it
would have made my year end Top 10. I'm thrilled with this package and can't
wait for similar effort for Antonioni and Bresson's cinema in this newer
format.
________________
**Light Sleeper**
BD
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/light_sleeper_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Paul Schrader's Light Sleeper is one of those films I had never
seen... and I loved very minute of it! Right form the start it totally felt
like a darkish Schrader neo-noir with characters on the fringes.. of
legality and soul-searching. Many consider it the director's best film. The
performances are so great - how the story weaves through the film, there are
themes of redemption, lost love, confusion, hope, prophecy etc.. The
Indicator Blu-ray is brilliant - a top-shelf a/v transfer, stacked with
extras including the essential commentary, interviews and booklet. Our
highest recommendation!
________________
The Secret War of Harry Frigg
BD
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/the_secret_war_of_harry_frigg_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: "The Secret War of Harry Frigg'' perhaps took some people aback,
with Paul Newman making his first outing into a comedic role. As Kremer and
Segaloff mention in their commentary, it is hard for Newman to play this
somewhat aloof, silly character, without his intelligence shining through.
Kino's Blu-ray certainly benefits from said commentary, and features a solid
transfer of the picture. While personally I found it to drag in sections, it
is worth seeing for Paul Newman trying something different. The cast is also
full of superb comedic character actors.
________________
Texas Across the River
BD
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/texas_across_the_river_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: "Texas Across the River" is a rather silly take on the Western
genre. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray is surely the best that the film has looked to
date. This isn't my cup of tea, though surely Dean Martin and Joey Bishop
fans will want to pick this one up. The cast is absolutely stacked (Alain
Delon, Rosemary Forsyth, Peter Graves etc.).
________________
Captain Newman, M.D.
BD
David Miller's "Captain Newman, M.D." Blu-ray -
Gregory Peck @KinoLorber
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/captain_newman_MD_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: David Miller's Captain Newman, M.D. has a great cast with Gregory
Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Eddie Albert, James Gregory, Robert
Duvall etc.. But it proved difficult to broach the gap between mental-health
and comedy - especially coming out of the 60's and beyond. Yet, on many
level it achieves. It identifies the conflict of curing patients who would
inevitably mean returning them to the violence of the war. The Kino Blu-ray.
has this enigmatic film - that is genuinely entertaining - plus the edifying
Samm Deighan commentary.
________________
Cold Light of Day
BD
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/cold_light_of_day_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Opening with the title card; "This film is based on actual events,
but not on an account. Names have been changed to protect innocent parties."
"Cold Light of Day" will certainly not be everybody's cup of tea. This is
not an exploitation picture, however the lurid subject matter (it is based
on the real serial killer Dennis Nilsen), it has more in common with Fatih
Akin's "Der Goldene Handschuh (The Golden Glove)", Ulli Lommel's "Tenderness
of the Wolves" and John McNaughton's "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer"
(three fantastic, tough-to-watch masterpieces that avoid the typical lurid
trappings so common in the subgenre). Arrow Video's Blu-ray release is
loaded with bonus material, from the commentaries to the short films, this
is a rather solid release for an oft-overlooked film. Highly recommended to
more mature filmgoers that aren't turned off by the subject matter. - Colin
Zavitz
________________
**Minding the Gap**
BD
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_132/minding_the_gap_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: "Minding the Gap" was so much more than I was expecting, achieving
the same level of interest in the viewer as the legendary "Hoop Dreams" (in
much less time, no less). Criterion's fantastic Blu-ray presentation will
hopefully expose this documentary to an even wider group of people. Fans are
also encouraged to get this release as the extras are plentiful and
enjoyable. Recommended. - Colin Zavitz
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