DVDBeaver Newsletter
for the Week of February 7th, 2022
http://www.dvdbeaver.com
THIS WEEK RELEASES
include William Friedkin, Federico Fellini, Mervyn LeRoy, Henry Koster, Joel
Coen / Ethan Coen, Sidney Lumet, Freddie Francis, Peter Watkins, Alfred L.
Werker, Billy Wilder, in 4K UHD, Carl Reiner...
THIS WEEK's CALENDAR UPDATES
- (NEW): Forgotten Gialli, Michael Curtiz, Edgar G. Ulmer, Pete Walker, William
A. Wellman, Robert Siodmak, George Pal, Liv Ullmann, Monster Tales, Hammer,
Enzo G. Castellari, Terry Gilliam in 4K UHD, François Truffaut, Film Noir,
Seventies Sex Adventures, four more by Claude Chabrol, Fred Zinnemann, more...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS:
Jane Campion masterpiece in Criterion 4K UHD, Joe May Silent Adventure, John
Sturges western Noir, Lee Van Cleef, Jack Palance spaghetti western...
Enjoy,
Gary
RELEASES the WEEK of February
7th, 2022 (Recommended titles have "**")
**12 Angry Men**
[Blu-ray] (William Friedkin, 1997) Kino
US:
https://amzn.to/34fDrSR
CAN: https://amzn.to/3B4xPY4
COMMENTS: The combatants: a dozen strangers. The stakes: life and death. Screen
legends Jack Lemmon (Some Like It Hot) and George C. Scott (They Might Be
Giants) head an all-star cast in this taut, emotionally charged courtroom drama
that is as powerful as the original was when it first burst upon the screen. A
young man stands accused of fatally stabbing his father, and his fate now lies
in the hands of twelve men from all walks of life, each with his own agenda,
fears and personal demons. Fortunately, this is an open-and-shut case. Or is it?
As the evidence is painstakingly scrutinized, tensions mount and tempers rise...
and the twelve jurors are forced to confront their secret frailties and bitter
prejudices in an unrelenting struggle for the truth.
_____________________________________
The Antichrist
[Blu-ray] (Alberto De Martino, 1974) Kino
US:
https://amzn.to/3eJoLxh
CAN: https://amzn.to/336TGS4
COMMENTS: It’s The Exorcist, Italian style, in this Satanic shocker from
director Alberto De Martino (Shadows in an Empty Room). In Rome, a beautiful
young woman (Carla Gravina, Alfredo, Alfredo) is left paralyzed by the trauma of
a horrific childhood accident. But when placed under hypnosis, she is seized by
visions of her past life as a heretic and becomes a foul-mouthed seductress with
a taste for perversion that leads to her defilement by Satan himself. Now,
mankind’s only hope for salvation is a harrowing exorcism that will either cast
out the Devil forever or open the door for the unspeakable birth of the
Antichrist!
_____________________________________
**La dolce vita**
[Blu-ray] (Federico Fellini, 1960) Paramount
US:
https://amzn.to/3dhZwBx
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_63/la_dolce_vita_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Federico Fellini, arguably the most popular Italian filmmaker of all
time, had his biggest hit with this incredible international crossover. Both a
critique of the culture of stardom and a look at the darkness beneath the
seductive lifestyles of Rome’s rich, the film follows a notorious celebrity
journalist over one crazy week. With iconic imagery, including the mesmerizing
Trevi Fountain sequence, the movie has influenced generations of filmmakers,
including Martin Scorsese. This Blu-ray contains the 4K digital restoration
undertaken by the Cineteca di Bologna under the supervision of The Film
Foundation.
_____________________________________
Don't Go in the House
[Blu-ray] (Joseph Ellison, 1979) RB UK Arrow
UK:
https://amzn.to/3GWfn5l
COMMENTS: "A legendary title from the Video Nasties era, Joseph Ellison’s
relentlessly bleak and disturbing Don’t Go In The House has lost none of its
power to shock in the decades since it was first censored by the BBFC and seized
by UK authorities. Donny Kohler (The Sopranos’ Dan Grimaldi in a gripping
central performance), a disturbed loner unhealthily obsessed with fire, comes
home from his factory job one day to find his abusive mother has died. Now all
alone in the large Gothic mansion he calls home and consumed in an inferno of
insanity, he is finally able to fulfil his violent revenge fantasies against
her. Soon, any woman unlucky enough to enter is forced to come face to face with
the worst fate imaginable in the secret steel-clad chamber of death he has built
in the house’s depths… Now fully uncut and making its UK high definition
premiere in a brand new 2K restoration, the film that dares to ask “What if
Norman Bates had a flamethrower?” is back in a definitive collectors’ edition
with both original and extended versions.
_____________________________________
The Flag of Iron
[Blu-ray] (Cheh Chang, 1980) RB UK 88 Films
UK:
https://amzn.to/2SiwGcK
COMMENTS: When director Chang Chen found new talent and blood with "The Five
Venoms" actors, most of which were trained in the highly acrobatic Chinese opera
and well versed with exotic martial arts weapons, this crated a new spark for
his use of bizarre weapons in his films.
_____________________________________
From Other Worlds
[Blu-ray] (Barry Strugatz, 2004) Shoreline Entertainment
US:
https://amzn.to/3u3hEJ5
COMMENTS: Joanne Schwartzbaum, a stressed-out mom from Brooklyn is abducted (or
is she?) by aliens and returned to her home. She soon meets another supposed
abductee, an immigrant from the Ivory Coast named Abraham. A quirky comedy about
misfits trying to save the human race, "From Other Worlds" proves that you don't
have to be a hero to act like one.
_____________________________________
"God's Gun" Blu-ray -
Lee Van Cleef @KinoLorber
US:
https://amzn.to/3uiljT5
CAN: https://amzn.to/3rhJ2B5
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/gods-gun-blu-ray-61962384
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/gods_gun_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Gianfranco Parolini's God's Gun is weak but curious and fun for fans
of 70's Italian 'pasta' westerns. It has one-dimensional characterizations from
Lee Van Cleef, Jack Palance, Leif Garrett and Sybil Danning. It is another
cheapie Golan-Globus film (Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus) but not as
overly-ambitious as the production team would signature. Richard Boone isn't in
the film much and actually walked out on the production before it was completed
leaving his role to be dubbed by another actor. In an interview in Israel in May
1976, Boone stated: "I'm starring in the worst picture ever made. The producer
is an Israeli and the director is Italian, and they don't speak. Fortunately it
doesn't matter, because the director is deaf in both ears." On the positive, the
revenge plot is kinda cool and I'll watch any westerns starring Van Cleef. His
priest role is refreshing and dual-brother character is pleasing to see. The
Kino Blu-ray adds value with the Alex Cox commentary and a wayward if unusually
appealing Spaghetti western.
_____________________________________
**Gold Diggers of 1933**
[Blu-ray] (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933) Warner Archive
US:
https://amzn.to/32MCoJw
COMMENTS: Gold Diggers of 1933 is a pre-Code Warner Bros. musical film directed
by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics), staged
and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It stars Warren William, Joan Blondell,
Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell, and features Guy Kibbee, Ned
Sparks and Ginger Rogers.
_____________________________________
**Harvey** [Blu-ray]
(Henry Koster, 1950) Universal Pictures
US:
https://amzn.to/3EJtU2R
CAN: https://amzn.to/3HAAE5A
BEAVER REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews57/harvey_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: James Stewart gives one of his finest performances in this
lighthearted film, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Stewart stars as
the good-natured Elwood P. Dowd, whose constant companion is Harvey, a six-foot
tall rabbit that only he can see. To his sister, Veta Louise, Elwood’s obsession
with Harvey has been a thorn in the side of her plans to marry off her daughter.
But when Veta Louise decides to put Elwood in a mental hospital, a hilarious
mix-up occurs and she finds herself committed instead. It’s up to Elwood to
straighten out the mess with his kindly philosophy, and his “imaginary” friend,
in this popular classic that features a Best Supporting Actress Academy
Award-wining performance by Josephine Hull.
_____________________________________
Horror Rises from the Tomb
[Blu-ray] (Carlos Aured, 1973) Cheezy Flicks Ent
US:
https://amzn.to/32ZNU4k
COMMENTS: In Medieval France a warlock is be-headed and his wife tortured and
executed. Hundreds of years later an isolated group of people discover his head
buried on their property. Soon it comes back to life, possessing people and
using them to commit sacrifices and to search for the rest of his body
_____________________________________
King Richard [4K UHD Blu-ray]
(Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2021) Warner
US:
https://amzn.to/3zkyxQ3
COMMENTS: A look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who
they are after the coaching from their father Richard Williams.
_____________________________________
**The Laughing Woman**
[Blu-ray] (Piero Schivazappa, 1969) Mondo Macabro
US:
https://amzn.to/3ziFaSM
CAN: https://amzn.to/3GsrhTX
COMMENTS: In this deliciously twisted pop art extravaganza, Dagmar Lassander
plays Maria, a woman employed in the press office of a large philanthropic
organization run by the stern Dr Sayer. One Friday she visits his house to
collect some journals. She accepts a drink from him and the next thing she knows
she is chained to a metal frame in a room bathed in a sickly red light. Sayer
tells her she is now his prisoner and he can do anything he likes with her -
even kill her. What follows is an astonishing game of cat and mouse, as Maria
uses all her skills to stay alive, while secretly exploring Sayer's weaknesses.
As the story progresses we start to see the characters in a very different
light. Is Sayer the demonic psychopath he claims to be? And is Maria really the
innocent victim? With its iconic, late 60's production design and a brilliant
music score by renowned composer Stelvio Cipriani, THE LAUGHING WOMAN is stylish
and sophisticated entertainment that questions all our prejudices and
preconceptions about the relationship between men and women.
_____________________________________
Liar's Moon [Blu-ray]
(David Fisher, 1981) MVD
US:
https://amzn.to/3Fb6uUK
CAN: https://amzn.to/3Hzyzqj
COMMENTS: Matt Dillon (The Outsiders, My Bodyguard) stars in this tender tale of
love’s first promise… and its enduring strength. Dillon plays Jack Duncan, an
athletic, hardworking boy from the small town of Noble, Texas. Jack is happy
just enjoying himself with the local boys, until he meets Ginny Peterson (Cindy
Fisher, Hide in Plain Sight, The Blues Brothers), the towns wealthiest young
lady. Despite their obviously different backgrounds, Jack and Ginny fall
desperately in love. Even though their parents have forbidden them to meet, Jack
and Ginny sneak out, and finally elope, hoping to find happiness far from their
hometown. But theirs is a love that falls prey to the sins of their elders - as
the intrigue of two families reaches out an angry hand to its innocent victim in
this touching, tragic story of youth, love and hope.
_____________________________________
**Miller's Crossing**
[Blu-ray] (Joel Coen / Ethan Coen, 1990) Criterion
US:
https://amzn.to/3EtBgIv
CAN: https://amzn.to/3sl26h7
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews54/millers_crossing_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: A Roaring Twenties gangster saga that only the Coen brothers could
concoct, Miller’s Crossing marries the hard-boiled sensibility of classic noir
fiction with the filmmakers’ trademark savory dialogue, colorful characters, and
finely calibrated set pieces. Gabriel Byrne brings a wry gravitas to the role of
Tom Reagan, the quick-thinking right-hand man to a powerful crime boss (Albert
Finney), whose unflappable cool is tested when he begins offering his services
to a rival outfit—setting off a cascade of betrayals, reprisals, and
increasingly berserk violence. The Hopperesque visuals of cinematographer Barry
Sonnenfeld, majestically elegiac score by Carter Burwell, and vivid supporting
performances from John Turturro and Marcia Gay Harden come together in an
intricately constructed slice of pulp perfection that crackles with sardonic wit
while plumbing existential questions about free will and our own terrifying
capacity for evil.
_____________________________________
**Murder on the Orient Express**
[Blu-ray] (Sidney Lumet, 1974) Paramount
US:
https://amzn.to/3rylPLo
COMMENTS: This essential Agatha Christie whodunit adaptation boasts some of the
most wonderfully eccentric characters ever created. Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar
for her slightly dim-witted Swedish missionary, and Albert Finney is the dapper
detective Hercule Poirot, for whom murder-solving is a precise, intellectual
exercise. Packed with sparkling dialogue and visually rich in texture, this
incomparable acclaimed thriller features an incredible cast, including Lauren
Bacall, Martin Balsam, Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Anthony
Perkins and Vanessa Redgrave, and more
_____________________________________
**Paranoiac** [Blu-ray]
(Freddie Francis, 1963) Shout! Factory
US:
https://amzn.to/3dlZIiY
CAN: https://amzn.to/3gsCWaS
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews51/paranoiac_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Nothing is quite what it seems in this riveting, complex tale of
greed, dementia and deceit from Hammer Films, the experts in terror. Rescued
from a suicide attempt by a man claiming to be her long-dead brother, a young
heiress (Janette Scott, The Day of the Triffids) finds a new reason to live. But
her relatives have doubts. They think "Tony" (Alexander Davion) is an imposter
who's trying to get his hands on the family fortune. Everyone has their own
secret reasons to suspect Tony, as well as their own designs on his vast
inheritance—especially brother Simon (Oliver Reed, The Curse of the Werewolf), a
magnetic but devastatingly cruel wretch who'll stop at nothing to thwart the
supposed pretender.
_____________________________________
**Princess Tam Tam/Zou Zou**
[Blu-ray] (Josephine Baker) - Kino
US:
https://amzn.to/32MKiCG
CAN: https://amzn.to/34IxbDu
COMMENTS: In the 1930s, black performers were forbidden to steal the spotlight
from white actors on the American screen. To circumvent this unwritten law,
singer/dancer/comedian Josephine Baker accepted the invitation to work in
France. The resulting films—Princess Tam Tam and Zou Zou—reveal what
segregationist producers in the U.S. were afraid of: a confident, sexy,
scene-stealing African American woman who spewed exuberance, expressiveness and
raw charisma like an uncorked bottle of champagne. Princess Tam Tam is a
Pygmalion-like comedy in which Josephine Baker stars as a mischievous shepherd
girl who rises through society to become a pretend princess and the toast of
Paris nightlife. Conceived as a vehicle for Baker, then among Europe’s most
popular entertainers, Zou Zou was her debut talking film. In the tradition of
42nd Street, it tells the story of a talented Cinderella (Baker) who saves a
show and becomes an overnight sensation. Features Josephine's poignant rendition
of “Haiti,” sung while clad in feathers and swinging in a birdcage.
_____________________________________
**Privilege** [Blu-ray]
(Peter Watkins, 1967) Kino Lorber/Scorpion
US:
https://amzn.to/3fPR0e9
CAN: https://amzn.to/3gsD5eq
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews39/privilege.htm
COMMENTS: In the not-too-distant future, Steven Shorter (played by Manfred Mann
lead singer, Paul Jones) is England’s biggest rock ’n’ roll star. His
popularity, carefully engineered by his corporate handlers, has reached dizzying
proportions. But when artist Vanessa Ritchie (played by the original supermodel,
Jean Shrimpton) is hired to paint his portrait, she discovers that he is unhappy
and unstable. When matters take a devious twist, Steve rebels in a startling
manner. Brilliantly shot in pseudo-documentary style by Oscar-winning director
Peter Watkins (The War Game, Punishment Park) and acclaimed cinematographer
Peter Suschitzky (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eastern Promises), this darkly
comic satire offers a caustic critique of ’60s pop culture and corporate
control.
_____________________________________
**Repeat Performance**
[Blu-ray] (Alfred L. Werker, 1947) Flicker Alley
US:
https://amzn.to/30HKtOQ
COMMENTS: Repeat Performance, the most requested film in the early years of the
Film Noir Foundation's restoration campaign, is finally available in digital
form! An amazingly original hybrid of film noir, supernatural fantasy, and
backstage melodrama, the film stars Joan Leslie as a Broadway actress who
magically relives the previous year of her life, but can she alter the fateful
mistakes and misjudgments that led to a New Year's Eve tragedy? Think of it as
film noir's answer to It's a Wonderful Life or a full-length precursor to The
Twilight Zone.Produced as a rare prestige picture by fledgling Eagle-Lion
Pictures, the movie features an array of vivid performances: 21-year-old Joan
Leslie as Sheila Page, her first mature role following a parade of teenage
ingenues at Warner Bros.; Louis Hayward as her husband Barney, a bitter and
vengeful playwright; Virginia Field as Sheila's personal and professional rival,
Paula Costello; Tom Conway as suave stage producer John Friday; and Richard
Basehart in his movie debut as poet William Williams, one of the era's most
sensitive depictions of a gay artist.In the years after it's 1947 release,
Repeat Performance seemingly vanished. For many who'd seen it, the film's
startling premise and stunning set-pieces became merely a tantalizing memory. It
fell so far off the cultural radar people began to think they'd only imagined
the movie. But thanks to the dedication and diligence of the Film Noir
Foundation, Repeat Performance was restored in collaboration with UCLA Film &
Television Archive and the Packard Humanities Institute. And now, it lives again
in a beautiful Blu-ray/DVD dual-format edition loaded with special features.
_____________________________________
School of Death
[Blu-ray] (Pedro L. Ramírez, 1975) Mondo Macabro
US:
https://amzn.to/3mPAr5Q
CAN: https://amzn.to/3osX55c
COMMENTS: The outwardly respectable St. Elizabeth's Refuge in Victorian London
is a place where young orphans and other female waifs and strays are trained to
be good servants, destined for employment in the houses of upstanding citizens.
One by one the girls are sent out into the world, never to be seen again. The
headmistress, Miss Wilkins, is a firm disciplinarian. Any of her girls who seem
rebellious or wanton will be taken to the punishment room and given a good
whipping by her willing assistant, Miss Colton. But should the girls fall into
the hands of the sinister Dr. Krueger, their fate will be even worse. One of the
most rebellious students, Leonore, played by Spanish actress Sandra Mozarowsky,
is determined to find out what happened to her friend Sylvia, who died after
being sent to a rich man's house one night. What she discovers is more
horrifying and twisted than she could ever have imagined. But will she live to
tell the tale?
_____________________________________
**Some Like It Hot [4K UHD
Blu-ray]** (Billy Wilder, 1959) Kino
US:
https://amzn.to/322Q0Aj
COMMENTS: From the brilliant minds of director Billy Wilder (One, Two, Three)
and screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond (The Apartment) comes the quintessential madcap
farce, starring the marvelous Marilyn Monroe (The Seven Year Itch) and her bosom
companions Tony Curtis (Captain Newman, M.D.) and Jack Lemmon (The Fortune
Cookie). When Chicago musicians Joe and Jerry accidentally witness a gangland
shooting, they quickly board a southbound train to Florida, disguised as
Josephine and Daphne, the two newest—and homeliest—members of an all-female jazz
band. Their cover is perfect…until a lovelorn singer falls for Josephine, an
ancient playboy falls for Daphne, and a mob boss refuses to fall for their hoax!
Well, nobody’s perfect…except for the cast: Marilyn dazzles as Sugar “Kane”
Kowalczyk; Tony and Jack give iconic performances...
_____________________________________
Summer School [Blu-ray]
(Carl Reiner, 1987) Shout! Factory
US:
https://amzn.to/3EoxxvH
CAN: https://amzn.to/3Jc836Z
COMMENTS: School's out, and Ocean Front High gym teacher Freddy Shoop (Mark
Harmon) has big plans: summer in Hawai'i. But the school's vice principal has
plans for Freddy too: teaching remedial English. Aloha, paradise—hello, Summer
School. Director Carl Reiner (The Jerk) delighted fans and critics alike with
this warm, perceptive comedy about a laid-back teacher relegated to teaching a
class of likeable misfits, including a slasher-flick addict (Dean Cameron), his
wacky sidekick (Gary Riley), and a sexy female surfer (Courtney Thorne-Smith).
Kirstie Alley is the no-nonsense history professor down the hall who's keeping
an eye on all the shenanigans—and on the handsome, irresistible Freddy. The road
to academic success has never been bumpier, but to earn straight A's in
laughter…take Summer School.
_____________________________________
LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES:
February 21st, 2022
**Forgotten Gialli: Volume 3**
(Autopsy, Murder Mansion, Crazy Desires of a Murderer) Vinegar Syndrome
https://amzn.to/3Gu2U8x
_____________________________________
March 21st, 2022
**Captains of the Clouds**
(Michael Curtiz, 1942) Warner Archive
https://amzn.to/330KK0l
_____________________________________
March 28th, 2022
**Edgar G. Ulmer Sci-Fi
Collection** (The Man from Planet X - 1951, The Amazing Transparent Man
- 1960, Beyond the Time Barrier - 1960) Kino
https://amzn.to/3rs4H9I
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_76/the_man_from_planet_x_blu-ray.htm
House of the Long Shadows
(Pete Walker, 1983) RB UK Fabulous Films
https://amzn.to/3HwKK7v
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_reviews_68/house_of_the_long_shadows_blu-ray.htm
**A Star Is Born**
(William A. Wellman, 1937) Warner Archive
https://amzn.to/3Gst7nJ
**The Whistle at Eaton Falls**
(Robert Siodmak, 1951) Flicker Alley
https://amzn.to/3ooeYSE
**The Wonderful World of the
Brothers Grimm** (Henry Levin, George Pal, 1962) Warner
https://amzn.to/3gs0BYU
_____________________________________
April 4th, 2022
The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter
(Chia-Liang Liu, 1984) Arrow
https://amzn.to/3gHvk4B
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film8/blu-ray_review_109/8_diagram_pole_fighter_blu-ray.htm
_____________________________________
April 11th, 2022
Faithless (Liv Ullmann,
2000) RB UK BFI
https://amzn.to/3B949ZF
**Nineteen Eighty-Four**
(Michael Radford, 1984) RB UK BFI
https://amzn.to/3sdRoJi
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews31/1984_blu-ray.htm
**Three Monster Tales**
(Man-Made Monster-1941, The Monolith Monsters-1957, Monster on the Campus-1958)
RB UK Eureka
https://amzn.to/3Hxsef8
_____________________________________
April 18th, 2022
**Henry: Portrait of a Serial
Killer 4K UHD** (John McNaughton, 1986) Arrow UK
https://amzn.to/3ovh0Aa
**Night Creatures**
(Peter Graham Scott, 1962) Shout! Factory
https://amzn.to/3Gy6DSm
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_62_/captain_clegg_blu-ray.htm
**Rogue Cops and Racketeers: Two
Crime Thrillers from Enzo G. Castellari** (The Big Racket, The Heroin
Busters) Arrow UK
https://amzn.to/3uuVa3O
_____________________________________
April 25th, 2022
**12 Monkeys 4K UHD**
(Terry Gilliam, 1995) Arrow UK
https://amzn.to/3rw3jTN
**The 400 Blows**
(François Truffaut, 1959) RB UK BFI
https://amzn.to/3B3fYkf
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/Reviews/400_blows.htm
**Film Noir: The Dark Side of
Cinema VI** (Singapore/Johnny Stool Pigeon/The Raging Tide) - Kino
https://amzn.to/33083aJ
**Jules et Jim**
(François Truffaut, 1962) RB UK BFI
https://amzn.to/3HvwDiH
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_60/jules_and_jim_blu-ray.htm
The Reckoning (Jack
Gold, 1970) R0 UK Indicator
https://amzn.to/34e4dvj
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_77/the_reckoning_blu-ray.htm
Stanley Long's Adventures: A
Seventies Sex Comedy Threesome (Adventures of a Taxi Driver, Adventures
of a Private Eye, and Adventures of a Plumber's Mate) R0 UK Indicator
https://amzn.to/3uvWDXw
**Twisting the Knife: Four Films
by Claude Chabrol** (The Swindle, The Color of Lies, Nightcap, The
Flower of Evil) - Arrow US
US:
https://amzn.to/3gHB1zv
UK: https://amzn.to/3snUb2y
_____________________________________
May 30th, 2022
**The Last Metro**
(François Truffaut, 1980) RB UK BFI
https://amzn.to/3LeGMm0
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews44/last_metro_blu-ray.htm
**La peau douce**
(François Truffaut, 1964) RB UK BFI
https://amzn.to/3uxDOTN
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_63/the_soft_skin_blu-ray.htm
**Romper Stomper**
(Geoffrey Wright, 1992) RB UK 88 Films
https://amzn.to/3uKmviH
_____________________________________
June 13th, 2022
**The Men** (Fred
Zinnemann, 1950) RB UK BFI
https://amzn.to/3ruJ1tz
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews47/the_men_.htm
_____________________________________
June 27th, 2022
The Appointment
(Lindsey C. Vickers, 1982) RB UK BFI
https://amzn.to/35IctUu
____________________________
REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:
**Joe May's "The
Indian Tomb (1921)**" Blu-ray - Conrad Veidt @mastersofcinema
(aka "Mysteries of India, Part I: Truth"
/ "Mysteries of India, Part II: Above All Law")
UK:
https://amzn.to/3gmqmd1
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/joe-mays-india-62154745
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_156/the_india_tomb_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Joe May's Tomb of India was co-written by the great Fritz Lang and his
wife Thea von Harbou (based on her novel.) Lang would make his own two-part
Indian Epic almost 40-years later! Both are grand adventures in the classic
tradition with the mystique of Indian lore; maharajah, tigers, lepers, yogis
etc. The exotic nature seems tempered with May's wife Mia, but it is still a
fascinating reflection of German values toward India in this time period. It was
largely forgotten for decades but with this impressive restoration, and the
Havel's 2018 score, we can enjoy it 100-years after its original production. A
wonderful choice for the Masters of Cinema to transfer to Blu-ray and the visual
essay and booklet are valued supplements. Strongly recommended to Silent-Era
fans or those keen on this vintage adventure genre. Fun, if occasionally dark,
stuff.
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**John Sturges' "The
Capture"** Blu-ray - Teresa Wright / Lew Ayres @FilmDetective
US:
https://amzn.to/3s7QIoM
CAN: https://amzn.to/35CGKEc
UK: https://amzn.to/3J2298h
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/john-sturges-blu-62077383
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_156/the_capture_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: John Sturges' The Capture has the appeal of the director, strong
performers Teresa Wright and Lew Ayres in a south-western milieu. While some
film historians have categorized it as a straight 'film noir', it doesn't
escalate to that level, imo, but could be termed as 'western noir' with its
flashback focus, murder, crime and themes of guilt within a western genre motif.
I was very pleased to see it via the Film Detective Blu-ray as I am a fan of the
director and cast. It's not a standout piece of cinema but vintage era fans and
those who enjoy the genre and stars will probably get the most benefit.
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"God's Gun" Blu-ray -
Lee Van Cleef @KinoLorber
US:
https://amzn.to/3uiljT5
CAN: https://amzn.to/3rhJ2B5
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/gods-gun-blu-ray-61962384
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/gods_gun_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Gianfranco Parolini's God's Gun is weak but curious and fun for fans
of 70's Italian 'pasta' westerns. It has one-dimensional characterizations from
Lee Van Cleef, Jack Palance, Leif Garrett and Sybil Danning. It is another
cheapie Golan-Globus film (Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus) but not as
overly-ambitious as the production team would signature. Richard Boone isn't in
the film much and actually walked out on the production before it was completed
leaving his role to be dubbed by another actor. In an interview in Israel in May
1976, Boone stated: "I'm starring in the worst picture ever made. The producer
is an Israeli and the director is Italian, and they don't speak. Fortunately it
doesn't matter, because the director is deaf in both ears." On the positive, the
revenge plot is kinda cool and I'll watch any westerns starring Van Cleef. His
priest role is refreshing and dual-brother character is pleasing to see. The
Kino Blu-ray adds value with the Alex Cox commentary and a wayward if unusually
appealing Spaghetti western.
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**Jane Campion's
"The Piano" 4K UHD** - Holly Hunter @Criterion
US:
https://amzn.to/3gcveS6
CAN: https://amzn.to/3gc9dD6
UK: https://amzn.to/32R0Dqg
BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/jane-campions-4k-61910994
OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_155/the_piano_4K_UHD.htm
COMMENTS: Criterion's 4K UHD release of Jane Campion's The Piano is an a
brilliant package. A director-approved transfer of a masterful film; The Piano
was a critical and commercial success, grossing $140.2 million USD worldwide
with a budget of only $7 million. Sigourney Weaver was Campion's first choice
for the role of the Scottish mute woman Ada McGrath, with Jennifer Jason Leigh
and Isabelle Huppert as possibilities. Eventually Holly Hunter aggressively
pursued the role and won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance. A wonderful
choice for Criterion to have brought to the brilliance of 4K UHD. It is
overloaded with supplements including a commentary. It has our highest
recommendation!
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http://www.dvdbeaver.com