DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of July 12th, 2021
http://www.dvdbeaver.com
THIS WEEK RELEASES include John Farrow Noir, Márta Mészáros, Cameron Crowe, Bill Duke Criterion, Kubrick 4K to the UK, Howard Hawks, Erich von Stroheim mad ventriloquist, George Sherman, Rian Johnson, Raoul Walsh, Roman Polanski, Basil Dearden, Huillet + Straub, Guy Ritchie, Val Guest, Lizzie Borden, gets the Criterion treatment...
THIS WEEK's CALENDAR UPDATES Kelly Reichardt, Lucio Fulci, Sang-soo Hong, Roger Corman, Juraj Herz, Stanley Donen, Claude Chabrol, Basil Dearden, Carl Reiner, Joseph Losey, John Carpenter in 4K UHD, Francesco Rosi, Peter Brook, Shawscope giganto...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: Criterions X 2, Double Noir, Hungarian cinema, Pre-Code musical and more Mae West...
Enjoy,
Gary
P.S. Criterion 50% OFF SALE is still going:
https://amzn.to/3dHXUl7

RELEASES the WEEK of July 12th, 2021 (Recommended titles have "**")

**Márta Mészáros' "Adoption"** Blu-ray - Katalin Berek @SecondRunDVD
UK: https://amzn.to/3k0Gswf
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/marta-meszaros-53490542
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/adoption_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Fabulous job by Second Run to bring Márta Mészáros' Adoption to Blu-ray adding to their catalogue of desirable East European film transfers to region FREE 1080P disc. The character-centric film is driven by themes of loneliness, sexual identity, strength via a thought-provoking feminist resilient bonding. It is through a lens of dour 70s Hungarian economic hardship. I really enjoyed it. Adoption won a number of awards including the Golden Berlin Bear for Mészáros. Absolutely recommended!
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**Alias Nick Beal** Blu-ray - Ray Milland @KinoLorber
US: https://amzn.to/3vyDOjr
OUYR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/alias_nick_beal_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: John Farrow's Alias Nick Beal is a unique entry - retelling of the Faust myth using great sets (seedy bars the lavish apartment) and plenty of fog and shadows. I have actually grown to appreciate it more - each time I view it. The Kino Blu-ray. is stand-alone and gives a marginally higher video, plus keeps the Eddie Muller commentary. Strongly recommended if you don't have Imprint's Essential Film Noir: Collection 1 set.
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**Almost Famous [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Cameron Crowe, 2000) Paramount
US: https://amzn.to/2RuESH7
COMMENTS: For the first time in 4K Ultra HD, the Golden Globe Best Motion Picture winner, restored 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, this limited-edition Steelbook is a must-have for collectors and rock ’n’ roll fans alike.
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As the Earth Turns [Blu-ray] (Richard Lyford, 2019) Indie Rights
US: https://amzn.to/3vB2LdP
CAN: https://amzn.to/3ennLzh
COMMENTS: “As the Earth Turns”, is a never-before released 1937 silent Sci-Fi film that predicts WWII, future-technology, climate change, and the extreme need for peace. The 20 year-old Seattle filmmaker, Richard H. Lyford went on to work for Disney, and directed an Academy Award winning documentary. (New score by Ed Hartman)
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**Bill Duke's "Deep Cover"** Blu-ray - Laurence Fishburne @Criterion
US: https://amzn.to/3xDm3Rp
CAN: https://amzn.to/3vIaYwR
UK: https://amzn.to/3gS18Vj
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/bill-dukes-deep-52794934
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/deep_cover_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Bill Duke's intense Deep Cover treats the viewer in respectful, non-pandering terms with realistic but subtly expressed themes of inter-city drug use, its effect on children, a conscious look at the drug trade explosion, greed, immoral criminals etc. Larry Fishburne, Clarence Williams III and Charles Martin Smith were excellent, - Jeff Goldblum - maybe not his best role - but director Duke realizes the film exceptionally well while maintaining a very Neo-Noir-ish thriller hold on the viewer. It's exciting and riveting with excellent characters driving the suspense of unforeseen interpersonal decisions and moral conflicts. The 4K-restored Criterion Blu-ray provides a dynamic 1080P presentation and is stacked with over 2-hours of valuable supplements. This film is strongly recommended!
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**Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" 4K UHD** - Peter Sellers
UK: https://amzn.to/3hwH1ed
Already Out in:
US: https://amzn.to/3hwFNj7
CAN: https://amzn.to/3hggSRY
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/stanley-kubricks-53289384
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/dr_strangelove_4K_UHD.htm
COMMENTS: Sony's 4K UHD release of Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" has a demonstrative upgrade in video - especially for those who appreciate film grain. It's stacked with extras and for lovers of the director's work, this seems a no-brainer purchase if you didn't nab the Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection 4K UHD package. Dr. Strangelove is a film you watch repeatedly and it this 3840 X 2160 transfer has a special place in my digital library despite the audio stasis. It, of course, has our highest recommendation and its rightful place in our Feature disc of the Month.
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**El Dorado** [Blu-ray] (Howard Hawks, 1966) Paramount (BEAVER REVIEW)
US: https://amzn.to/2RfQYDl
CAN: https://amzn.to/3yMDuzg
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_61/el_dorado_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: I'm paid to risk my neck. I'll decide where and when I'll do it. This isn't it. Now a two-disc presentation with all-new special features, this Paramount Centennial Collection edition of El Dorado delivers the goods. Legendary producer-director Howard Hawks teams up with two legendary stars, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, in a classic Western drama. Mitchum plays to perfection an alcoholic but gutsy sheriff who relentlessly battles the "dark side" of the Wild West – ruthless cattle barons and crooked "businessmen." The Duke gives an equally adept performance as the sheriff's old friend, one who knows his way around a gunfight. Featuring a supporting cast that includes James Caan, Charlene Holt, Paul Fix, Ed Asner and Christopher George, and filled with both brawling action and unexpected humor, El Dorado is pure gold.
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**"The Great Gabbo"** Blu-ray - Erich von Stroheim @KinoLorber
US: https://amzn.to/3AC4ymL
CAN: https://amzn.to/3xqmD55
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/great-gabbo-blu-53419326
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/the_great_gabbo_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Watching The Great Gabbo, especially in the first half, made me think of Richard Attenborough's "Magic" with Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margret or Alberto Cavalcanti's segment "The Ventriloquist's Dummy" from 1945's Dead of Night. It evolves into more of a musical with some impressive numbers with a huge cast of dancers. Certainly The Great Gabbo is a unique, and interesting, film. It's history is discussed by the valuable commentary and the Kino Blu-ray is recommended to fans of vintage cinema, Stroheim or ventriloquist movies.
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House of Wax [Blu-ray] (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2005) Shout! Factory
US: https://amzn.to/3gBHrkS
CAN: https://amzn.to/3r04SY5
COMMENTS: Thrills and chills ooze all over you in House Of Wax, from Dark Castle Entertainment and legendary horror producers Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis (Ghost Ship, House On Haunted Hill). When their car breaks down on a road trip, six college friends are sidetracked into an eerie backwoods town. Curiosity gets the better of them when they are intrigued by its macabre House of Wax. They soon find out that the town is not what it seems, and that they must find their way out before they fall victim to its ghoulishly inventive killers.
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**The Krays** [Blu-ray] (Peter Medak, 1990) RB UK Second Sight Films
UK: https://amzn.to/3gDlCAN
COMMENTS: From their humble East End beginnings, Ronnie and Reggie Kray became the most notorious figures in London’s gangland underworld. From extortion to murder, their horrific brutality became legendary and, throughout the 50s and 60s, they ruled by fear, until life sentences in 1969 ended their bloody reign of terror.
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**George Sherman's "Larceny"** Blu-ray - John Payne / Dan Duryea / Shelley Winters @KinoLorber
US: https://amzn.to/2TCT3e7
CAN: https://amzn.to/2STXQaQ
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/george-shermans-53335325
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/larceny_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: I really enjoyed George Sherman's Noir Larceny. It surely must have influenced David Mamet's House of Games - especially the portrayal of lead character incorporating seduction into the long confidence game. There is deception, sexual-tension, suave John Payne, bad-girl Tory ('Torrid Tory' in the book) played by Shelley Winters, the war-widow 'mark' (Joan Caulfield), mastermind criminal Silky Randall (Dan Duryea), support from familiar Percy Helton, sexy Dorothy Hart and flirty Patricia Alphin... It's great to have on Kino Blu-ray as I don't recall it even being on DVD before now. The informative commentary adds more value. Strongly recommended to 'Dark Cinema' aficionados.
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Looper [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Rian Johnson, 2012) Universal Pictures UK
UK: https://amzn.to/35ZRUQc
COMMENTS: In the year 2044 time travel has not yet been invented. But in 30 years it will have been... In director Rian Johnson’s sensational action thriller, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works as a looper, a futuristic assassin who eliminates targets sent back in time by a criminal organisation. The only rule is that you do not let your target escape – even if that target is you. The rules are put to the test when Joe is called upon to “close his loop” and assassinate his future self (Bruce Willis). In failing to pull the trigger, so begins a desperate race against the clock as Joe begins to unravel his own future and older Joe’s past. LOOPER stars Bruce Willis (Die Hard), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises), Emily Blunt (The Adjustment Bureau), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Piper Perabo (The Prestige) and Jeff Daniels (State of Play).
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The Monster Collection [Blu-ray] (Mad Dreams and Monsters, The Frankenstein Complex) - Doppelgänger Releasing
US: https://amzn.to/2RHHHV4
COMMENTS: A creature double-feature from the depths of the drive-in, The Monster Collection features two impressively comprehensive documentaries by Alexandre Poncet and Gilles Penso, Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters, a portrait of the man behind some of the most recognizable movie creatures of the modern era, and The Frankenstein Complex, profiling the workaday wizards who turn rubber, latex, and resin into cinema’s most memorable and terrifying creations. Extensive interviews with genre luminaries Rick Baker, Joe Dante, Guillermo Del Toro, John Landis, Dennis Muren, and Paul Verhoeven illuminate the evolution of special effects and stop motion animation in such classics as Star Wars, An American Werewolf in London, Gremlins, Robocop, Jurassic Park, and Starship Troopers.
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The Night [Blu-ray] (Kourosh Ahari, 2020) Shout! Factory
US: https://amzn.to/3ngcfbU
CAN: https://amzn.to/3e63T3d
COMMENTS: After a night out with friends, an exhausted married couple, Babak (Shahab Hosseini) and Neda (Niousha Jafarian), and their baby take shelter in the grand, but eerie Hotel Normandie. Throughout a seemingly endless night, mysterious disturbances ruin their rest as Babak and Neda soon realize they're locked in with a malevolent force that hungers for the dark secrets they've kept from one another. With The Night, director Kourosh Ahari made history for being the first U.S.-produced film to receive a license for theatrical release in Iran since the revolution. The psychological thriller follows in the footsteps of The Shining, luring viewers into a hotel that is both ominous and inviting, where the ghosts of the past still linger around each corner. The horrors that haunt these corridors are real and terrifying…The Night will make you reconsider ever spending a night away from home again.
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No Man's Land [Blu-ray] (Conor Allyn, 2020) Shout! Factory
US: https://amzn.to/3xfu5R7
CAN: https://amzn.to/2UBZgY3
COMMENTS: On a Texas ranch sharing a border with Mexico, two families are about to collide. While out on a border patrol, rancher's son Jackson Greer accidentally kills a Mexican immigrant boy. When his father tries taking the blame, Jackson flees south on horseback, becoming a gringo "illegal alien" in Mexico. Pursued by both Texas Rangers and Mexican Federales, he journeys across Mexico to seek forgiveness from the dead boy's father…only to fall in love with the land he was taught to hate. Inspired by the real-life "no man's land" along the Texas-Mexico border, this thoughtful modern Western explores an engrossing and potent new twist on a hot-button issue.
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**Objective, Burma!** [Blu-ray] (Raoul Walsh, 1945) Warner Achive
US: https://amzn.to/35BmXSn
CAN: https://amzn.to/3e4Ujh9
COMMENTS: Mission accomplished! Errol Flynn, who brought boyish bravado to The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dodge City, Gentleman Jim and other screen yarns, turns in a mature, acclaimed performance as the leader of a paratrooper patrol stranded in Burma. It’s “one of the few features of which I am proud,” Flynn later said. There’s reason for pride. “This is one of the finest World War II films made during the war,” The Movie Guide says. “One of the best war movies,” Guide for the Film Fanatic’s Danny Peary wrote, “and among the grimmest.” Raoul Walsh directs the hard-hitting action, shot in rugged California locations so similar to Burma that veterans of that campaign refused to believe the crew hadn’t somehow sneaked into Asia.
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**The Pianist** [Blu-ray] (Roman Polanski, 2002) Shout! Factory
US: https://amzn.to/3eucpZb
CAN: https://amzn.to/3xxPLaO
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare/pianist2.htm
COMMENTS: Director Roman Polanski won both an Oscar and a BAFTA for this compelling film which is based on a true story. They were degraded, they were hoarded up, and they were sent to die. A brave few fought back, but one man would not be beaten, would not be taken, and would remain defiant. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody in an Oscar-winning performance), a brilliant Polish pianist, a Jew, escapes deportation. Forced to live in the heart of the Warsaw ghetto, he shares the suffering, the humiliation and the struggles, and manages to escape and hide in the ruins of the capital
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Queen of Spades [Blu-ray] (Patrick White, 2021) Epic Pictures
US: https://amzn.to/3oC6Z3a
CAN: https://amzn.to/3xCEqWY
COMMENTS: According to legend, an ominous entity known as The Queen of Spades can be summoned by drawing a door and staircase on a mirror and saying her name three times. Four teens invoke the evil entity and find out too late she won't stop until she gets their souls.
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**The Rainbow Jacket** [Blu-ray] (Basil Dearden, 1954) RB UK Network
UK: https://amzn.to/3wJvpdT
COMMENTS: Ealing Films' exciting horseracing drama features a memorable performance from Bill Owen as a jockey with a troubled past. Also starring Kay Walsh, Robert Morley and Fella Edmonds as a young boy with dreams of being a professional jockey, The Rainbow Jacket was filmed on many of the country's key racecourses – including Newmarket, Epsom and Sandown Park. Sam Lilley, a champion jockey who has lost his license, trains young George – a keen racegoer with ambitions to ride professionally. But when George gets his first race it comes down to a photo-finish – and Sam has bet heavily on the boy winning.
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**Sicilia!** [Blu-ray] (Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub, 1999) Grasshopper Film
US: https://amzn.to/3zAqdey
COMMENTS: Something as simple as a herring roasting on a hearth, or a meal of bread, wine, and winter melon takes on the humble aura of a Caravaggio painting in this masterful film. That is to say, Straub\-Huillet extol ordinary Sicilians who are poor of means but rich in spirit. Filmed in Syracuse and Messina, Sicilia! is a tragicomedy involving an orange peddler, an Italian recently returned from America, two police officers, a guilt-stricken landowner, a traveling knife sharpener and, perhaps most unforgettably, an indomitable peasant mother who reminisces about meals of snails and wild chicory, her husband's philandering and cowardice, and her own father's belief in an honest day's labor, socialism, and St. Joseph.
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Snatch [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Guy Ritchie, 2000) Sony Pictures
US: https://amzn.to/3qLCwPC
COMMENTS: Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
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Two If by Sea [Blu-ray] (Bill Bennett, 1996) Morgan Creek
US: https://amzn.to/3uFT3GU
CAN: https://amzn.to/3enoi4f
COMMENTS: Roz (Sandra Bullock) has pretty much had enough of her thieving boyfriend, Frank (Denis Leary), but he persuades her to accompany him on a road trip to a quaint New England village where, incidentally, he will be fencing a painting he...
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Frank De Felitta's "The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan" Blu-ray - Lindsay Wagner @kinolorber @ScorpionDVD
US: https://amzn.to/3beECm3
CAN: https://amzn.to/3yqh1Ii
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/frank-de-two-of-51024166
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_138/the_two_worlds_of_jennie_logan_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Wholesome Lindsay Wagner is perfect in The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan. It rises above more schmaltzy, soapy, TV movies, but many won't appreciate the superiority. Frank De Felitta (writer for Robert Wise's Audrey Rose and author of the book based on The Entity) made a very watchable, romantic film with the 'ghost/supernatural' angle. Certainly suitable for a Mother/young-daughter viewing (with studly Marc Singer with his shirt off.)
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**The Weapon** [Blu-ray] (Val Guest, 1956) RB UK Network
UK: https://amzn.to/3cJouKZ
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_reviews_65/the_weapon_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: A gripping manhunt through the post-war ruin of a still bombed-out London, this rarely seen Brit Noir stars Hollywood cause celebre Steve Cochran and legendary film noir siren Lizabeth Scott. Directed by BAFTA-winning Val Guest and co-starring George Cole and Nicole Maurey. Ten-year-old Eric finds a handgun while playing on a bombsite with his friends. The gun accidentally goes off and, as one of the boys lies seriously wounded, Eric takes the gun and hides. When ballistics on the bullet determine the gun was used in an unsolved murder case, the race is on to find Eric before the owner of the gun catches up with him.
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**Michael Gordon's "The Web"** Blu-ray - Ella Raines / Edmond O'Brien @KinoLorber
US: https://amzn.to/2T74GcU
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/michael-gordons-52960556
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/the_web_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Michael Gordon's The Web is at the higher end of the Noir cycle of films. Because it has been out of the conversation for so long it's something to celebrate to have this forgotten and underrated gem surface on Kino Blu-ray. Ella Raines, Edmond O'Brien, William Bendix, Vincent Price... in a tight frame-plotted thriller with wonderful dark cinema characterizations from the bold ambitious everyman, the independent wily female, the studious cop and the nefarious criminal mastermind. Our highest recommendation!
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**Lizzie Borden's "Working Girls"** Blu-ray - Louise Smith @Criterion
US: https://amzn.to/3hHfl6x
CAN: https://amzn.to/3hLF1Pf
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/lizzie-bordens-53422888
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/working_girls_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Lizzie Borden's Working Girls is almost vérité in its depiction of the subject of sanitized prostitution. It has a 'backstage' feel approaching documentary status. It carries some of the themes of Borden's earlier, and first film, 1983's Born in Flames as a documentary-style feminist fiction exploring racism and sexism. I was interested to see Working Girls and there was no better way than Criterion's Blu-ray with the older commentary and an hour's worth of new interviews as supplements. Recommended.
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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES:

July 26th, 2011

**Beauty and the Beast** (Juraj Herz, 1978) R0 UK Second Run
https://amzn.to/3k5qsc3

August 9th, 2021

**Brief Encounter** (Alan Bridges, 1974) RB UK Network
https://amzn.to/3hU19Hh

**First Cow** (Kelly Reichardt, 2019) RB UK MUBI
https://amzn.to/3r1WoQ9

**The Psychic** (Lucio Fulci, 1977) RB UK Shameless
https://amzn.to/36tkTMQ
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_77/the_psychic_blu-ray.htm

August 16th, 2021

**The Power of Kangwon Province** (Sang-soo Hong, 1998) Grasshopper Film
https://amzn.to/3ANJ6eD

August 30th, 2021

A Touch of Love (Waris Hussein, 1969) RB UK Network
https://amzn.to/3AZ97YC

September 6th, 2021

**Star Trek: The Original Four Movie Collection 4K UHD** (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV The Voyage Home) Paramount
https://amzn.to/3e325rZ

**Theater of Blood** (Douglas Hickox, 1973) Kino
https://amzn.to/2VxNChn
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_61/theatre_of_blood_blu-ray.htm

**The Tomb of Ligeia** (Roger Corman, 1964) Kino
https://amzn.to/3k5kZC3
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_reviews_64/vincent_price_six_gothic_tales_blu-ray.htm

September 13th, 2021

**Arabesque** (Stanley Donen, 1966) Kino
https://amzn.to/3yNyafl

**Blue Panther** (Claude Chabrol, 1965) Kino
https://amzn.to/3AXYMw7

**Bluebeard** (Claude Chabrol, 1963) Kino
https://amzn.to/3AH3HBc

**Classics Columbia Collection Volume 2 [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Anatomy of a Murder / Oliver! / Taxi Driver / Stripes / Sense and Sensibility / The Social Network) - Sony UK
https://amzn.to/2UE1R3o

**The French Conspiracy** (Yves Boisset, 1972) Kino
https://amzn.to/3e4Jcoq

**Masquerade** (Basil Dearden, 1965) Kino
https://amzn.to/3i1tifU

**Rififi in Paris** (Denys de La Patellière, 1966) Kino
https://amzn.to/36pDYPQ

September 20th, 2021

**Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid** (Carl Reiner, 1982) Kino
https://amzn.to/2TTKRWU
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_61/dead_men_dont_wear_plaid_blu-ray.htm

**The Servant** (Joseph Losey, 1963) RB UK Studiocanal
Blu-ray: https://amzn.to/3yITNgO
4K UHD: https://amzn.to/3k4QsVk
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare3/theservant.htm

September 27th, 2021

**Halloween** (John Carpenter, 1978) - Collector's Edition [4K UHD] Shout! Factory
https://amzn.to/36sZa7G

**The Hunter Will Get You** (Philippe Labro, 1976) Kino
https://amzn.to/3e4ZdL8

**Illustrious Corpses** (Francesco Rosi, 1976) Kino
https://amzn.to/3AH60US

**Lucky Luciano** (Francesco Rosi, 1973) Kino
https://amzn.to/3e49Bmcr

**Seven Days...Seven Nights** (Peter Brook, 1960) Kino
https://amzn.to/3hrrKfT

**Story of a Woman** (Leonardo Bercovici, 1970) Code Red
https://amzn.to/3jYO2r8

December 6th, 2021

**Shawscope Volume 1 Limited Edition** [Blu-ray] (King Boxer, The Boxer from Shantung, Five Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Challenge of the Masters, Executioners from Shaolin, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho) Arrow UK
https://amzn.to/3xsD4ho
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Photo Archives" for Patrons:
Gloria Grahame:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/gloria_grahame_photo_archive.htm
________________
Monica Vitti:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/monica_vitti_photo_archive.htm
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Paul Newman:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/paul_newman_photo_archive.htm
________________
Susan George:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/susan_george_photo_archive.htm
________________
Jacqueline Bisset:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/jacqueline_bisset_photo_archive.htm
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Suzanne Pleshette:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/suzanne_pleshette_photo_archive.htm
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THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS:

**Márta Mészáros' "Adoption"** Blu-ray - Katalin Berek @SecondRunDVD
UK: https://amzn.to/3k0Gswf
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/marta-meszaros-53490542
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/adoption_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Fabulous job by Second Run to bring Márta Mészáros' Adoption to Blu-ray adding to their catalogue of desirable East European film transfers to region FREE 1080P disc. The character-centric film is driven by themes of loneliness, sexual identity, strength via a thought-provoking feminist resilient bonding. It is through a lens of dour 70s Hungarian economic hardship. I really enjoyed it. Adoption won a number of awards including the Golden Berlin Bear for Mészáros. Absolutely recommended!
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**Lizzie Borden's "Working Girls"** Blu-ray - Louise Smith @Criterion
US: https://amzn.to/3hHfl6x
CAN: https://amzn.to/3hLF1Pf
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/lizzie-bordens-53422888
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/working_girls_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Lizzie Borden's Working Girls is almost vérité in its depiction of the subject of sanitized prostitution. It has a 'backstage' feel approaching documentary status. It carries some of the themes of Borden's earlier, and first film, 1983's Born in Flames as a documentary-style feminist fiction exploring racism and sexism. I was interested to see Working Girls and there was no better way than Criterion's Blu-ray with the older commentary and an hour's worth of new interviews as supplements. Recommended.
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**"The Great Gabbo"** Blu-ray - Erich von Stroheim @KinoLorber
US: https://amzn.to/3AC4ymL
CAN: https://amzn.to/3xqmD55
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/great-gabbo-blu-53419326
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/the_great_gabbo_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Watching The Great Gabbo, especially in the first half, made me think of Richard Attenborough's "Magic" with Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margret or Alberto Cavalcanti's segment "The Ventriloquist's Dummy" from 1945's Dead of Night. It evolves into more of a musical with some impressive numbers with a huge cast of dancers. Certainly The Great Gabbo is a unique, and interesting, film. It's history is discussed by the valuable commentary and the Kino Blu-ray is recommended to fans of vintage cinema, Stroheim or ventriloquist movies.
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Frank De Felitta's "The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan" Blu-ray - Lindsay Wagner @kinolorber @ScorpionDVD
US: https://amzn.to/3beECm3
CAN: https://amzn.to/3yqh1Ii
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/frank-de-two-of-51024166
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_138/the_two_worlds_of_jennie_logan_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Wholesome Lindsay Wagner is perfect in The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan. It rises above more schmaltzy, soapy, TV movies, but many won't appreciate the superiority. Frank De Felitta (writer for Robert Wise's Audrey Rose and author of the book based on The Entity) made a very watchable, romantic film with the 'ghost/supernatural' angle. Certainly suitable for a Mother/young-daughter viewing (with studly Marc Singer with his shirt off.)
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**George Sherman's "Larceny"** Blu-ray - John Payne / Dan Duryea / Shelley Winters @KinoLorber
US: https://amzn.to/2TCT3e7
CAN: https://amzn.to/2STXQaQ
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/george-shermans-53335325
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/larceny_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: I really enjoyed George Sherman's Noir Larceny. It surely must have influenced David Mamet's House of Games - especially the portrayal of lead character incorporating seduction into the long confidence game. There is deception, sexual-tension, suave John Payne, bad-girl Tory ('Torrid Tory' in the book) played by Shelley Winters, the war-widow 'mark' (Joan Caulfield), mastermind criminal Silky Randall (Dan Duryea), support from familiar Percy Helton, sexy Dorothy Hart and flirty Patricia Alphin... It's great to have on Kino Blu-ray as I don't recall it even being on DVD before now. The informative commentary adds more value. Strongly recommended to 'Dark Cinema' aficionados.
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Selina Miles' "Martha: A Picture Story" Blu-ray - Martha Cooper #utopia
US: https://amzn.to/3qKJi9Y
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/martha_a_picture_story_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Utopia's Blu-ray of Martha: A Picture Story is a wonderful introduction / summation of the art and career of Martha Cooper. Fans of street-art and tagging/graffiti will find a lot to love here, regardless of whether they are familiar with Cooper or not. The various other artists that make appearances also share their love of Cooper, and her work. Recommended to those curious. - Colin Zavitz
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"Goin' to Town" Blu-ray - Mae West @KinoLorber
US: https://amzn.to/2TtFY71
CAN: https://amzn.to/3hHnE2m
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/goin-to-town-blu-53321609
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_140/goin_to_town_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Fans of Mae West surely need no extra encouragement to pick up this new Blu-ray of Goin' To Town from Kino Lorber. Those new to West's canon will be pleasantly surprised by this film's lavish costumes, sets, and of course West's zinger-filled script. Kat Ellinger's audio commentary is another must-listen. Recommended. - Colin Zavitz
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