DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of January 31st, 2022

http://www.dvdbeaver.com
 

THIS WEEK RELEASES include David Lynch in UK 4K UHD, Czech New Wave Jan Nemec, Criterion Douglas Sirk, Cameron Crowe, Ghostbusters galore in 4K UHD, Preston Sturges, Philip Kaufman,...

THIS WEEK's CALENDAR UPDATES - (Previous): Criterion does Alex Cox, Frank Tashlin, Vittorio De Sica, Bertrand Tavernier. Billy Wilder in 4K UHD, Howard Hawks, Freddie Francis, Godfather Trilogy 4K UHD,  Peckinpah and Winner... F/X Double Feature, David Lynch, 4K UHD, Peter Watkins, , Remo Williams, new Ming-liang Tsai, Bruno Dumont, Frank Darabont in 4K UHD, Ridley Scott, Lynne Ramsay, Orson Welles in UK 4K UHD, Frantisek Vlácil, more...

THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: Claude Chabrol times Five from Arrow, premium Lynne Ramsay, Sturges, Buñuel-ian Czech forest bashes, Bob Hope X 2...

 

OUR 2021 Year End Poll is POSTED!

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/2021_blu-ray_4K_UHD_of_the_year.htm

Enjoy,

Gary

 

RELEASES the WEEK of January 31st, 2022 (Recommended titles have "**")

 

**Almost Famous [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Cameron Crowe, 2000) Paramount

US: https://amzn.to/3y1zRXm
 

COMMENTS: Restored and remastered under the supervision of Oscar-winning* writer/director Cameron Crowe, ALMOST FAMOUS is the semi-autobiographical odyssey of 15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit), whose writing talent and earnest passion for rock music earns him an assignment for Rolling Stone, interviewing and touring with Stillwater (Billy Crudup, Jason Lee). Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) is the young groupie who guides him through the wild world of rock heroes, all-night parties, and the most dangerous intensity of all—love. Featuring both the original theatrical cut and the beloved “Bootleg Cut,” and a motherload of all-new features.

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Censor [Blu-ray] (Prano Bailey-Bond, 2021) RB UK Second Sight Films

UK: https://amzn.to/3KDvUOv
 

COMMENTS: Enid is a film censor during Britain's infamous ‘video nasty’ era of the 80s. After her latest viewing has a disturbingly familiar storyline, she attempts to solve the past mystery of her sister's disappearance and embarks on a quest that dissolves the line between fiction and reality.

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**F/X | F/X 2** Double Feature [Blu-ray] - Kino

US: https://amzn.to/3FREFRh
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/3rd7oMf
 

COMMENTS: F/X (1986) – Bryan Brown (Tai-Pan) and Brian Dennehy (Gorky Park) command the heart-pounding action in this first-class thriller, crackling with excitement. Rollie Tyler (Brown) is the best special effects artist in showbiz, but this time it's not the studios seeking him out... it's the Justice Department. F/X2 (1991) – Bryan Brown (Cocktail) and Brian Dennehy (Legal Eagles) are back as Rollie and Leo in an all-new action-thriller that continues the F/X saga with stylish wit, unrelenting suspense and amazing high-tech action. Five years after his first deadly adventure, Rollie Tyler (Brown) has left the special effects business and now designs sophisticated electronic toys for a living. But when his girlfriend's ex-husband, a police detective, persuades him to devise an illusion to capture a serial killer, Rollie is once again lured into the lethal world of make-believe. 

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Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection [4K UHD Blu-ray] - Ghostbusters (1984) / Ghostbusters II / Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Gift Set - Sony

US: https://amzn.to/344P4Ma
 

COMMENTS: Capture all the generation-spanning ghost-trapping and slime-fighting fun with the GHOSTBUSTERS ULTIMATE COLLECTION! Go back to the beginning with the classic supernatural comedies that defined a generation: GHOSTBUSTERS and GHOSTBUSTERS II, featuring the superstars of the supernatural battling ghosts and other spooky foes to save the world! Then experience the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe with GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE. When a single mom and her kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the legacy their grandfather left behind.

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Ghostbusters: Afterlife [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Jason Reitman, 2021) Sony Pictures

US: https://amzn.to/3KyJoe8
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/3g8DXoa
 

UK: https://amzn.to/3471Jyx
 

COMMENTS: From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman (Director of the original Ghostbusters and Father of Jason) comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

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**Preston Sturges' "The Great Moment"** Blu-ray - Joel McCrea @KinoLorber

US: https://amzn.to/3g838Yk
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/3KN9J8q
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/preston-sturges-61816397
 

OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/the_great_moment_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: Preston Sturges' The Great Moment is not the director/writer best work, but it is touching and historically fascinating as a biographical film about 19th-century Boston dentist Dr. William Thomas Green Morton, who discovered the use of ether for general anesthesia. The film incorporates an interesting flashback structure and includes many of Sturges stable of strong character actors including George Anderson, Al Bridge, Georgia Caine, Chester Conklin, Jimmy Conlin, William Demarest, Robert Dudley, Byron Foulger, and many others. The Kino Blu-ray has plenty of value beyond Sturges-completists with a well-realized story, strong a/v transfer and impressive extras. Absolutely recommended!  

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**Invasion of the Body Snatchers** [Blu-ray] (Philip Kaufman, 1978) Kino 

US: https://amzn.to/3zq4Mgz
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/3uaVbcO
 

COMMENTS: Philip Kaufman's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is as rewatchable as the original. I never tire of it. It has a great many horror elements and can be quite a scary film experience with shocking transformation effects. Performances are top notch - Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, the stoic Nimoy (a bit heavy-handed) and I always thought Veronica Cartwright (yes, she was 'Cathy Brenner' in Hitchcock's The Birds!) was great in her limited appearances. Always pleasing to see the respect shown the original with brief cameos with Kevin McCarthy and Don Siegel. Look close enough and you will see cinematographer Michael Chapman as a janitor, Robert Duvall as the 'Priest on Swing' and the voice of Philip Kaufman as the 'City Official on Phone'. Don't hesitate. 

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The Matrix: Titans of Cult Steelbook [4K UHD Blu-ray] Warner UK

UK: https://amzn.to/3oorjW8

COMMENTS: That world is a hoax, an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us. Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne lead the fight to free humankind in the see-and-see-again cyberthriller written and directed by The Wachowskis and the winner of four Academy Awards. Neo seeks the truth about the Matrix. Only one man has the answer, an elusive dangerous man who is known as Morpheus. A stranger called Trinity invites Neo to follow a white rabbit which guides him into a parallel world. Reality is a world run by artificially intelligent machines who control the human slaves in a simulated 20th Century...

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**George Marshall's "Monsieur Beaucaire"** Blu-ray - Bob Hope @KinoLorber

US: https://amzn.to/3o9LXtE
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/35oo0YW
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/george-marshalls-61807666
 

OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/monsieur_beaucaire_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: George Marshall's Monsieur Beaucaire is a highly amusing Bob Hope period comedy. Hope is in fine form defining his delightful, often selfish and cowardly, everyman persona that would last for decades through hosting the Academy Awards show 19 times and a USO career in which he headlined 57 times. He survived past his 100th birthday in a remarkable life. Fans will appreciate Monsieur Beaucaire. I'm pleased it was released Kino Blu-ray and despite the bare-bones status, there is value here. 

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**Mulholland Dr. [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (David Lynch, 2001) Studiocanal UK 

UK: https://amzn.to/3fRQv3s
 

ALT-BEAVER REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_156/mulholland_dr_4K_UHD.htm
 

COMMENTS: The many fans of the film should rejoice at this new 4K UHD format transfer. The film occasional ambiguities, unique dream-like affectations and doppelganger themes make it ultimately rewatchable as an unsolvable puzzle of cinema brilliance. You don't require my endorsement - this 4K UHD is a must-own for new adopters and to push those over the edge to indulge in this format.

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**Jan Nemec's "The Party and the Guests"** Blu-ray - Ivan Vyskocil @SecondRunDVD

UK: https://amzn.to/31xoREY
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/jan-nemecs-party-61855517
 

OUR COMPARISON:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/the_party_and_the_guests_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: Jan Nemec's The Party and the Guests is a great film to embrace. Second Run have treated us to another masterpiece of the Czech New Wave in 1080P with this astute political satire on Communism/Socialism. There are also elements defining the human condition with some surrealistic curiosities. A very unique, Buñuel-ian, film that we strongly recommend. Second Run's Blu-ray from the 2021 restoration is a huge update in a/v and has valuable extras including two commentaries and more. Absolutely recommended! 

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Wayne's World - 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray] (Penelope Spheeris, 1992) Paramount

US: https://amzn.to/3lylxQW
 

COMMENTS: Acclaimed for its entertaining, whimsical (and yet relevant) underlying revisionist conceit belying the film’s emotional attachments to the subject matter, WAYNE’S WORLD celebrates 30 excellent years with this limited edition (schwing!) steelbook. Based on the popular SNL characters, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) made their big-screen debut in this hysterical send-up of pop-culture featuring Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere and, (we’re not worthy!) Alice Cooper directed by Penelope Spheeris (SUBURBIA).

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"Where There's Life" Blu-ray - Bob Hope @KinoLorber

US: https://amzn.to/3FRrWPe
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/3IRGP59
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/where-theres-blu-61857270
 

OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/where_theres_life_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: The Bob Hope comedy-thriller Where There's Life is very fun. The title comes from a line in Don Quixote - the Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. "Where there's life, there's hope" references the star Bob Hope. While not one of his best of this genre it still has appeal with the protagonists on the run as they eventually fall in love. The bare-bones Kino Blu-ray suits fans of Hope and it works well as the start of a double feature with one of the 'Road' pictures or The Cat and the Canary (which would be one of my personal favorites.) You know what you are getting with one of these entries and that can be comforting if you are in the appropriate mood. 

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**Written on the Wind** [Blu-ray] (Douglas Sirk, 1956) Criterion 

US: https://amzn.to/3rIuI54
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/3KZQEAe
 

ALT-BEAVER REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_75/written_on_the_wind_blu-ray_.htm
 

COMMENTS: The Technicolor expressionism of Douglas Sirk reached a fever pitch with this operatic tragedy, which finds the director pushing his florid visuals and his critiques of American culture to their subversive extremes. Alcoholism, nymphomania, impotence, and deadly jealousy—these are just some of the toxins coursing through a massively wealthy, degenerate Texan oil family. When a sensible secretary (Lauren Bacall) has the misfortune of marrying the clan’s neurotic scion (Robert Stack), it drives a wedge between him and his lifelong best friend (Rock Hudson) that unleashes a maelstrom of psychosexual angst and fury. Featuring an unforgettably debauched, Oscar-winning supporting performance by Dorothy Malone and some of Sirk’s most eye-popping mise-en-scène, Written on the Wind is as perverse a family portrait as has ever been splashed across the screen.

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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES:

 

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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

 

"Where There's Life" Blu-ray - Bob Hope @KinoLorber

US: https://amzn.to/3FRrWPe
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/3IRGP59
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/where-theres-blu-61857270
 

OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/where_theres_life_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: The Bob Hope comedy-thriller Where There's Life is very fun. The title comes from a line in Don Quixote - the Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. "Where there's life, there's hope" references the star Bob Hope. While not one of his best of this genre it still has appeal with the protagonists on the run as they eventually fall in love. The bare-bones Kino Blu-ray suits fans of Hope and it works well as the start of a double feature with one of the 'Road' pictures or The Cat and the Canary (which would be one of my personal favorites.) You know what you are getting with one of these entries and that can be comforting if you are in the appropriate mood. 

____________________________

**Jan Nemec's "The Party and the Guests"** Blu-ray - Ivan Vyskocil @SecondRunDVD

UK: https://amzn.to/31xoREY
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/jan-nemecs-party-61855517
 

OUR COMPARISON:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/the_party_and_the_guests_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: Jan Nemec's The Party and the Guests is a great film to embrace. Second Run have treated us to another masterpiece of the Czech New Wave in 1080P with this astute political satire on Communism/Socialism. There are also elements defining the human condition with some surrealistic curiosities. A very unique, Buñuel-ian, film that we strongly recommend. Second Run's Blu-ray from the 2021 restoration is a huge update in a/v and has valuable extras including two commentaries and more. Absolutely recommended! 

____________________________

**Preston Sturges' "The Great Moment"** Blu-ray - Joel McCrea @KinoLorber

US: https://amzn.to/3g838Yk
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/3KN9J8q
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/preston-sturges-61816397
 

OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/the_great_moment_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: Preston Sturges' The Great Moment is not the director/writer best work, but it is touching and historically fascinating as a biographical film about 19th-century Boston dentist Dr. William Thomas Green Morton, who discovered the use of ether for general anesthesia. The film incorporates an interesting flashback structure and includes many of Sturges stable of strong character actors including George Anderson, Al Bridge, Georgia Caine, Chester Conklin, Jimmy Conlin, William Demarest, Robert Dudley, Byron Foulger, and many others. The Kino Blu-ray has plenty of value beyond Sturges-completists with a well-realized story, strong a/v transfer and impressive extras. Absolutely recommended! 

____________________________

**George Marshall's "Monsieur Beaucaire"** Blu-ray - Bob Hope @KinoLorber

US: https://amzn.to/3o9LXtE
 

CAN: https://amzn.to/35oo0YW
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/george-marshalls-61807666

OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/monsieur_beaucaire_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: George Marshall's Monsieur Beaucaire is a highly amusing Bob Hope period comedy. Hope is in fine form defining his delightful, often selfish and cowardly, everyman persona that would last for decades through hosting the Academy Awards show 19 times and a USO career in which he headlined 57 times. He survived past his 100th birthday in a remarkable life. Fans will appreciate Monsieur Beaucaire. I'm pleased it was released Kino Blu-ray and despite the bare-bones status, there is value here. 

____________________________

**Lynne Ramsay's "Morvern Callar**" Region FREE Blu-ray - Samantha Morton @FunCityEdition

US: https://amzn.to/3AFLtAp
 

UK: https://amzn.to/3g6uGx4
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/lynne-ramsays-61781987
 

OUR COMPARISON:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/morvern_callar_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: Lynne Ramsay's Morvern Callar is my favorite of her films along with Ratcatcher. Her cinema's themes deal with grief, guilt, death, and there eventual repercussions. It is very much pure filmmaking with limited dialogue and the use of well-established visuals and choice music to express the emotional complexities of the story. I was so happy that Fun City Editions have brought Morvern Callar to Blu-ray. Especially with the commentary and visual essay. Absolutely brilliant. Very strongly recommended! 

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**Lies and Deceit - Five Films by Claude Chabrol** Blu-ray - Emmanuelle Béart @ArrowFilmsVideo

US: https://amzn.to/3H5CI52
 

UK: https://amzn.to/35e9tPu
 

BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/lies-and-deceit-61683052
 

OUR COMPARISONS:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/lies_and_deceit_5_films_by_claude_chabrol_blu-ray.htm
 

COMMENTS: Arrow's Lies and Deceit - Five Films by Claude Chabrol is going to get some criticism for the 1080P image appearance(s). I was surprised at the high level of color difference between the recent Cohen renderings. The films themselves remain impacting and brilliant in the director's keen understanding of screen adaptations occasionally varying from his trademark thriller signature. His films have been popular for his entire 1/2 century career. L'Enfer (1994), Betty (1992), and Madame Bovary (1991) standout here as exceptional cinema. The first two films, with Jean Poiret playing Inspecteur Jean Lavardin, are both above-average police mystery dramas. The most prominent attribute of this Lies and Deceit - Five Films by Claude Chabrol Blu-ray boxset are the extensive extras; a new commentary for each film, plus visual essays, Chabrol input, interviews and the 80-page collector’s booklet. Fans of the director shouldn't hesitate even with reservations on the image as the extras make this a must-own. Certainly still recommended!

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