THIS WEEK's RELEASES: Céline Sciamma's touching brilliance, Gilliam and Depp do Hunter S. Thompson in 4K, deadly creature that roamed the Gallic countryside in 4K, Polanski's controversial, chilling tale of psychosis come to Criterion UK, Gary learns a new vampire genre; "jiangshi" - with four happy films from Eureka, Pete Walker sexploitation pack, Arnold runs in 4K...
THIS WEEK's CALENDAR UPDATES (previous week's): Budd Boetticher in 4K UHD, Martin Scorsese 4K UHD, Jean-Luc Godard 4K UHD, Anthony Mann, Fritz Lang, Nicolas Roeg, John Ford, Robert Mulligan, Jules Dassin, Juraj Herz, Lewis Milestone, Roman Polanski, Jerry Lewis in 4K UHD, Muriel Box, Peter Greenaway, Erich von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, Marco Bellocchio, David Lynch, Kinji Fukasaku, Enzo G. Castellari, George A. Romero, Howard Hawks, Rudolph Maté, Robert Rossen, Charles Chaplin, Hsiao-Hsien Hou, Lynne Ramsay, Edward Dmytryk, David Mamet, Robert Altman X 2, Carl Franklin, Wes Craven...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: Lumet-Fonda? 4K? Not Guilty!, Sciamma dreamlike innocence Gold, Jen Jones + Joe Cotten melodrama gem, Juraj Herz's surreal phantasmagoria of dark desires and splintered minds, sack-race Asian vampires...
Enjoy,
Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of May 22nd, 2023 (Recommended titles have "**")

**Brotherhood of the Wolf [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Christophe Gans, 2001) Shout! Factory
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: When a mysterious beast ravages the countryside, two unlikely heroes are called in to fight the evil. And now, their battle against dark, unspeakable terror is even more gripping with a daring extended version of the film that showcases more of the breathtaking martial arts action and hours of in-depth bonus features. The incredible hit that took audiences and critics alike on "a wild ride" (Premiere) is back with more chilling adventure that's sure to have pulses racing all over again!
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**Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Terry Gilliam, 1998) Arrow UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Considered unfilmable for decades, Hunter S. Thompson’s literary landmark of psychedelic excess finally met its cinematic match in anarchic visionary director Terry Gilliam (Twelve Monkeys) and two no-holds-barred star performances by Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro.
Raoul Duke (Depp) and his volatile Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo (del Toro) are en route to Las Vegas, ostensibly on a banal journalistic assignment, but the suitcase full of psychoactive narcotics in their possession tells another story. Beset by bats, horny lizards and runaway hotel carpet upon their arrival, the pair plunge deeper into the pharmaceutically enhanced neon underbelly of the City of Sin on a chemically charged savage journey to the heart of the American Dream.
Flashback to Gilliam and Thompson’s trip of a lifetime with this 4K restoration, accompanied by an outstanding selection of bonus material delving into the history of the film and the original book.
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Hopping Mad: The Mr Vampire Sequels Blu-ray - Ching-Ying Lam / Sandra Kwan Yue Ng @Eurekavideo
Mr. Vampire II (aka Vampire Family), Mr. Vampire III (aka Mr. Supernatural), Mr. Vampire IV (aka Uncle Vampire) and Vampire vs. Vampire
UK PURCHASE LINK

BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Eureka's Hopping Mad: The Mr. Vampire Sequels Blu-ray package is fun and I was, more or less, totally ignorant of the jiangshi genre ('Chinese hopping vampire'.) The folklore legends are a real thing centering on zombified corpses often wearing clothing from the Qing Dynasty. They hop around (like a sack race) seeking to absorb "life force" from others, usually after sundown. Yes, amusingly absurd, I guess - hence the humor-filled films that have sequences having spirit possession of dead bodies (often not buried expediently enough), and the use of supernatural acts to resurrect the dead. They can be defeated by mirrors or items made of wood from a peach tree etc. Lots of quirky details like that. Three of the films have Lam Ching-ying who was also in the original Mr. Vampire playing a mono-browed Taoist 'Van Helsing' type, although the four films here are unrelated and just have the same jiangshi genre conventions with Lam's Master Lam, Master Gau and One-Eyebrow Priest character. Wikipedia states "Confusion regarding the sequels has been compounded not only by the names of the films but also by the fact that the films share some cast members, though often recast in different roles." It's amusingly goofy and I am very pleased with the Eureka Blu-ray package that offers four films, commentaries and more.
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The Pete Walker Sexploitation Collection [Blu-ray] - For Men Only (1967), School for Sex (1968), Cool It Carol! (1970) and Home Before Midnight (1978) - RB UK 88 Films
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Years before he became revered as the ‘Gentleman of British Horror’, prolific filmmaker Pete Walker started his cinema career making hugely popular sexploitation movies and gangland thrillers. Walker’s films didn’t shy away from controversial subjects – prostitution, underage sex, pornography and the criminal underworld – and proved irresistible to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. ‘X’-rated productions like School for Sex (which played solidly in London’s West End for over a year) display the exceptional early talents of Britain’s most celebrated and commercially successful director of his generation. Now for the very first time, Walker’s finest non-horror movies are brought together for this spectacular new box-set, starring a host of famous faces: Robin Askwith (Confessions of a Window Cleaner), Francoise Pascal (Mind Your Language), James Aubrey (Bouquet of Barbed Wire) and David Kernan (Carry On Abroad). The Pete Walker Sexploitation Collection collects For Men Only (1967), School for Sex (1968), Cool It Carol! (1970) and Home Before Midnight (1978), all presented here in brand new HD restorations, and featuring an arresting array of exclusive extras, including brand-new interviews with Walker himself.
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**Céline Sciamma's "Petite Maman"** Blu-ray - Joséphine Sanz / Gabrielle Sanz @Criterion
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK (MUBI) PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Céline Sciamma's Petite Maman deals with a young girl coping with the death of her maternal grandmother and her behavior after they travel to clean out the vacant home. It shares a delicate maternal bond that exposes an unspoken duality with the eight-year old Nelly posturing as an adult, along with a friendly neighbor her own age named Marion. It is remarkably touching, bridging the differences between protection and sympathy in childhood / adulthood while coping with the grief of the matriarch through a touching dreamlike innocence. Petite Maman is a brilliant film. I was extremely pleased to watch it via the Criterion Blu-ray. I was blown away by Portrait of a Lady on Fire so my expectations were high and this did not disappoint. A definite rewatchable. Our highest recommendation!
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**Repulsion** [Blu-ray] (Roman Polanski, 1965) Criterion UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
Already out in:
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: Roman Polanski followed up his international breakthrough Knife in the Water with this controversial, chilling tale of psychosis, starring Catherine Deneuve as Carole, a fragile, frigid young beauty cracking up over the course of a terrifying weekend. Left alone by her vacationing sister in their London flat, Carole is haunted by Specter's real and imagined, and her insanity grows to a violent pitch. Thanks to it's unforgettable attention to disturbing detail and Polanski's unparalleled adeptness at turning claustrophobic space into an emotional minefield, Repulsion remains one of cinema's most shocking psychological thrillers. Special edition features: New, restored high-definition digital transfer, Audio commentary featuring director Roman Polanski and actress Catherine Deneuve, a British Horror Film (2003), a documentary on the making of Repulsion, featuring interviews with Polanski, producer Gene Gutowski, and cinematographer Gil Taylor, a 1964 television documentary filmed on the set of Repulsion, featuring rare footage of Polanski and Deneuve at work, Theatrical trailer, Plus: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar and curator Bill Horrigan.
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**The Running Man [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Paul Michael Glaser, 1987) Paramount US
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK https://amzn.to/45fianr
UK PURCHASE LINK https://amzn.to/45mYCx8
COMMENTS: Arnold Schwarzenegger leads this thrilling, big-screen action blockbuster, set in a dystopic 2017 Los Angeles—now a police state in the wake of the global economy's total collapse. “The Running Man” is the hottest-rated reality competition series, where condemned criminals are given a chance for freedom by running through a gauntlet of heavily armed killers known as "Stalkers." When an ex-cop (Schwarzenegger) is wrongly convicted of a violent crime, he finds himself on the series in the company of other prisoner “contestants.” Based on the story by Stephen King (written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman), THE RUNNING MAN features an unforgettably motley supporting cast, including Yaphet Kotto, Maria Conchita Alonso, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, Toru Tanaka, Mick Fleetwood, Dweezil Zappa and Richard Dawson.
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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES (CLICK TITLES FOR MORE INFORMATION):

May 29th, 2023

**The Nutty Professor 4K UHD** (Jerry Lewis, 1963) Paramount UK

The Passionate Stranger (Muriel Box, 1957) RB UK Studiocanal

Rattle of a Simple Man (Muriel Box, 1964) RB UK Studiocanal

**Take a Girl Like You** (Jonathan Miller, 1970) RB0 Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Track 29** (Nicolas Roeg, 1988) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

The Truth About Women (Muriel Box, 1957) RB UK Studiocanal
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June 5th, 2023

Bus Riley's Back in Town (Harvey Hart, 1965) Imprint

**The Great Gatsby** (Elliott Nugent, 1949) Imprint

**The Long Voyage Home** (John Ford, 1940) Imprint

The Spiral Road (Robert Mulligan, 1962) Imprint

**The Strangler** (Burt Topper, 1964) Shout! Factory

**Uptight** (Jules Dassin, 1968) Imprint
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June 12th, 2023

**The Draughtsman's Contract** (Peter Greenaway, 1982) Zeitgeist Films

**Foolish Wives** (Erich von Stroheim, 1922) Flicker Alley
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW

A Question of Silence (Marleen Gorris 1982) Cult Epics

**Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol. 1** (The Assassin / The Thundering Sword / The Golden Swallow / The Jade Raksha / The Bells of Death / The Sword of Swords / Killer Darts / The Invincible Fist / Dragon Swamp / The Flying Dagger / The Golden Sword) Shout! Factory

**Two Films By Ernst Lubitsch** - The Oyster Princess / Meyer from Berlin - Kino
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June 19th, 2023

**Fists in the Pocket** (Marco Bellocchio, 1965) Criterion UK
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

(I Am) Weekender (Filsm by WIZ & Chloé Raunet) RB UK BFI

**Inland Empire** [Blu-ray] (David Lynch, 2006) Criterion UK
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

Revenge (Tadashi Imai, 1964) RB UK Eureka

Samurai Reincarnation (Kinji Fukasaku, 1981) RB UK Eureka

Two Films by Peter Greenaway - A Zed & Two Noughts and The Falls - Zeitgeist Films
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June 26th, 2023

**Between Midnight and Dawn** (Gordon Douglas, 1950) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Black Magic Rites** (Renato Polselli, 1972) Indicator US
US Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
UK Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK

**Bohachi Bushido: The Villain** (Takashi Harada, 1974) Discotek Media

**City of Fear** (Irving Lerner, 1959) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Cold Eyes of Fear** (Enzo G. Castellari, 1971) Indicator US
US Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
UK Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
ALT-DVDBEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW

**Convicted** (Henry Levin, 1950) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

Creepshow 4K UHD (George A. Romero , 1982) Shout! Factory

**The Criminal Code** (Howard Hawks, 1930) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**The Dark Past** (Rudolph Maté, 1948) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Daughters of Darkness 4K UHD** (Harry Kümel, 1971) Blue Underground
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**The Driver's Seat** (Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, 1974) RB UK BFI

**Johnny O'Clock** (Robert Rossen, 1947) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**The Kid** (Charles Chaplin, 1921) Criterion UK
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Millennium Mambo** (Hsiao-Hsien Hou, 2001) Metrograph Pictures

**Morvern Callar** (Lynne Ramsay, 2002) Fun City
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

Sex, Power, and Money: Films by Beth B - Kino

**Smooth Talk** (Joyce Chopra, 1985) Criterion UK
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**The Sniper** (Edward Dmytryk, 1952) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

**Things Change** (David Mamet, 1988) RB UK Indicator
DVDBEAVER REVIEW

Waterworld 4K UHD (Kevin Reynolds, 1995) Arrow US
US PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
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July 3rd, 2023

**Cinderella 4k UHD** (Wilfred Jackson, 1950) Disney UK
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July 10th, 2023

**After Hours** (Martin Scorsese, 1985) Criterion
Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK
4K UHD PURCHASE LINK

**The Watermelon Woman** (Cheryl Dunye, 1996) Criterion
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July 17th, 2023

**Breathless 4K UHD** (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960) Criterion

**Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest Limited Edition 4K UHD** (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon and Game of Death) Arrow UK

O.C. and Stiggs (Robert Altman, 1985) Radiance UK

**The Ranown Westerns: Five Films Directed by Budd Boetticher 4K UHD** [The Tall T/Decision at Sundown/Buchanan Rides Alone/Ride Lonesome/Comanche Station] Criterion

**Thieves Like Us** (Robert Altman, 1974) Radiance UK
ALT-DVDBEAVER REVIEW
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July 24th, 2023

**One False Move 4K UHD** (Carl Franklin, 1992) Criterion

Swamp Thing 4K UHD (Wes Craven, 1982) MVD Rewind
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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:
**Céline Sciamma's "Petite Maman"** Blu-ray - Joséphine Sanz / Gabrielle Sanz @Criterion
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK (MUBI) PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Céline Sciamma's Petite Maman deals with a young girl coping with the death of her maternal grandmother and her behavior after they travel to clean out the vacant home. It shares a delicate maternal bond that exposes an unspoken duality with the eight-year old Nelly posturing as an adult, along with a friendly neighbor her own age named Marion. It is remarkably touching, bridging the differences between protection and sympathy in childhood / adulthood while coping with the grief of the matriarch through a touching dreamlike innocence. Petite Maman is a brilliant film. I was extremely pleased to watch it via the Criterion Blu-ray. I was blown away by Portrait of a Lady on Fire so my expectations were high and this did not disappoint. A definite rewatchable. Our highest recommendation!
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**William Dieterle's "Love Letters"** Blu-ray - Jennifer Jones / Joseph Cotten @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: William Dieterle's Love Letters followed an Ayn Rand screenplay that was adapted from the novel Pity My Simplicity by Christopher Massie converting his story into an adaptation of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. Strong themes of identity, amnesia, dual personalities, suppressed memories, permeate this wonderful melodramatic romance with dialogue like this:
Allen Quinton (Cotten): "I couldn't possibly say what I'd like to say right now."
Singleton (Jones): "What?"
Allen Quinton: "I'd like to say that you're lovely."
Singleton: "Go ahead, say it. I'd like to hear it."
Allen Quinton: "You're lovely."
There is a distant relationship of Love Letters to the Film Noir cycle but it is less fitting. Regardless, I am a big fan of Love Letters and am pleased with the Kino Blu-ray and its advancement over the MoD DVD. I throw this on twice a year. Absolutely recommended!
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Hopping Mad: The Mr Vampire Sequels Blu-ray - Ching-Ying Lam / Sandra Kwan Yue Ng @Eurekavideo
Mr. Vampire II (aka Vampire Family), Mr. Vampire III (aka Mr. Supernatural), Mr. Vampire IV (aka Uncle Vampire) and Vampire vs. Vampire
UK PURCHASE LINK

BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Eureka's Hopping Mad: The Mr. Vampire Sequels Blu-ray package is fun and I was, more or less, totally ignorant of the jiangshi genre ('Chinese hopping vampire'.) The folklore legends are a real thing centering on zombified corpses often wearing clothing from the Qing Dynasty. They hop around (like a sack race) seeking to absorb "life force" from others, usually after sundown. Yes, amusingly absurd, I guess - hence the humor-filled films that have sequences having spirit possession of dead bodies (often not buried expediently enough), and the use of supernatural acts to resurrect the dead. They can be defeated by mirrors or items made of wood from a peach tree etc. Lots of quirky details like that. Three of the films have Lam Ching-ying who was also in the original Mr. Vampire playing a mono-browed Taoist 'Van Helsing' type, although the four films here are unrelated and just have the same jiangshi genre conventions with Lam's Master Lam, Master Gau and One-Eyebrow Priest character. Wikipedia states "Confusion regarding the sequels has been compounded not only by the names of the films but also by the fact that the films share some cast members, though often recast in different roles." It's amusingly goofy and I am very pleased with the Eureka Blu-ray package that offers four films, commentaries and more.
____________________________________
**Sidney Lumet's "12 Angry Men" 4K UHD** - Henry Fonda @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Kino's 4K UHD release of Sidney Lumet's "12 Angry Men" has essential value for the exceptional 2160 Dolby Vision 4K scanned image in 1.85:1 (for the first time on digital.) Commentaries and the inclusion of Friedkin's 1997 adaptation provide further rewards. The film is a masterpiece - both a highly impacting, gritty celebration of the justice system and brilliantly economical thriller filled with memorable, sweaty, performances. Fonda's humanity embodies the quote "it is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death." Civic duty, biases and prejudices surface and are also deliberated upon within the debate regarding the fate of a teenager accused of patricide. Civilized juror number 8, Fonda, forces the dismissal of a hasty verdict - to simply talk about their decision first... as a human life is at stake. What a riveting cross-section of 50's America including an assistant high school football coach (Balsam), a meek bank teller (John Fiedler), a factual stockbroker (E. G. Marshall) and a principled architect (Fonda) among others. The system, for all its flaws, works. God damn. Our highest recommendation.
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**Juraj Herz's "Morgiana"** Blu-ray - Iva Janzurová @SecondRunDVD
UK PURCHASE LINK
US PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Juraj Herz's Morgiana is a richly atmospheric, Gothic-infused, story - almost to point of representing a campy fairy tale with overriding themes of jealousy, inheritance dissatisfaction, doppelganging mirrors, a hauntingly hypnotic, point-of-view, feline and a secretively hidden vial of a slow-acting poison! Iva Janzurova plays both sisters; evil Viktoria and innocent Klára, aided by heavy Victorian makeup and gorgeous costuming with laced black veils and exaggerated Gothic era head coverings. Just gorgeous. It was so adeptly expressed that many audiences often remain unaware of the dual performances. Angelic Klára inadvertently fuels the jealousy, attracting the most appealing available suitors while brooding Viktoria is rejected by the handyman peeping-tom after she brazenly exposes herself seeking carnal attention. Juraj Herz's unique visual style is filled with beauty - intentionally distracting from the malicious planning. Morgiana is so rewatchable and Second Run's Blu-ray package has the vastly improved a/v, new commentary, director interview and booklet. The appeal of this extends well beyond Czech New Wave fans. This received a strong recommendation.
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DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of May 22nd, 2023