DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of June 20th, 2022
http://www.dvdbeaver.com

THIS WEEK's RELEASES include Luis Buñuel, George Stevens, Criterion Blaxploitation, and Cushing's Dr. Who in 4K UHD!, Stanley Kwan excellence from Criterion, Ulli Lommel, Nathan Juran, Taiwanese 70's gem, Travis Walton's UFO ordeal, late 70's Wushu, Joachim Trier, Ti West...
THIS WEEK's CALENDAR UPDATES (some NEW!) Michael Mann masterpiece in 4K UHD!, the complete A-Team, Essential Noir package 3, Johnnie To Arrow US pairing, delightful early peplum, Borzage... and from last week: Buñuel 4K UHD, Ken Russell, Paul Schrader, Doris Wishman, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, The Beatles documentary extraordinaire, Robert Aldrich, Abbot and Costello, Vincent Sherman, Dennis Hopper 4K UHD, Anthony Mann - Criterion David Lean, Michael Curtiz, Vittorio De Sica and Lawrence Kasdan come to the UK - Jim Sheridan X 4, Joel Schumacher 4K by Arrow, John Milius 4K UHD, Billy Wilder, William Wyler, Criterion Poitier + Marcel Carné, Don Siegel, Lewis Milestone, a pair of Robin Hood Hammer Studios, Stanley Kramer, Frank Perry, Sydney Pollack, Richard Attenborough, Police Story Trilogy 4K UHD, Lindsay Wager is Bionic!.....
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: Martin Scorsese's magnum opus in 4K UHD from Criterion, Bogie Columbia Noir set from Indicator, under-exposed Taiwanese gem, Stanley Kwan's stylish supernatural mystery, tragic melodrama or glamorous transcendent 'ghost story' - a complicated man, but no one understands him but his woman - I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft in 4K UHD, a superior Wushu classic from 77'...
Enjoy,
Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of June 20th, 2022 (Recommended titles have "**")

**After Yang** [Blu-ray] (Kogonada, 2021) Lionsgate
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COMMENTS: When his young daughter's beloved companion — an android named Yang — malfunctions, Jake (Colin Farrell) searches for a way to repair him.
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The Big Sweat [Blu-ray] (Ulli Lommel, 1991) Dark Force Ent
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COMMENTS: When Marco Donnelly (Steven Molone) gets out of prison, he goes back to his adopted mother's ranch in rural California. Seemingly bored after a half-hearted attempt to go straight, he falls in with his old bank robbing gang. The crew thinks it can rob another bank and get away scot-free, but they didn't count on one thing - the tenacious FBI agent Troudou (Robert Z'Dar, Tango & Cash) who is on their tail every step of the way.
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**The Brain from Planet Arous** [Blu-ray] (Nathan Juran, 1957) Film Detective
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COMMENTS: Get ready for planet Earth to be overtaken by a criminal brain from outer space! When Gor, an evil brain from planet Arous, inhabits the body of scientist Steve March, his intention is nothing less than world domination. Lucky for Earth, another intergalactic brain, Val, offers to assist March's wife, Sally, in stopping the madness. How does Val intend to help? By inhabiting Sally's dog! A great example of cut-rate sci-fi from the 1950s, this independently produced feature stars B movie favorite John Agar (The Mole People, Revenge of the Creature), and was directed by Nathan Juran, a master of the genre who helmed such classics as The Deadly Mantis, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
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**Dirty Dancing Steelbook** [Blu-ray] (Emile Ardolino, 1987) RB UK Lions Gate
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Set in a Catskills resort in the summer of 1963, this classic coming-of-age romance starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey continues to capture the hearts of generations of viewers. From its iconic soundtrack and dynamic performacnes to its timeless story of adolescent love, family, and youthful rebellion, Dirty Dancing is a movie and cultural phenomenon beloved by millions of devoted fans. Nobody puts Dirty Dancing in a corner!
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**The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie** [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Luis Buñuel, 1972) UK Studiocanal
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Luis Buñuel's 1972 surreal, hilarious and deranging social satire on the hypocrisy of the upper-class has been restored in stunning 4K for its 50th Anniversary. Considered one of his most successful and iconic films by critics and audiences alike, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie received the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film and a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The Ambassador of the small South American country of Miranda is trafficking in drugs with some French bourgeois friends of his. But every time they want to have dinner together, their plans are put off due to unexpected events. In their quest of a lavish feast, the dividing-line between reality and dreams becomes unclear for each guest, leading to complete and utter ridicule.
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**Dr. Who and the Daleks** [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Gordon Flemyng, 1965) Studiocanal UK
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COMMENTS: An out of this world 4K restoration of Dr. Who & The Daleks (1965), starring British film legend Peter Cushing as everyone’s favourite timelord. This was the first big screen film adaptation of British TV’s most iconic sci-fi hero, and the first time Dr. Who was ever seen in colour! Having invented the TARDIS, a strange machine capable of travelling into other dimensions, the Dr. and his three young accomplices set forth on a quest through time and space. Their journey takes them into the dark, undiscovered depths of the universe and to the planet of Skaro, a primitive world devastated by nuclear war and populated by two warring species, a peaceful tribe known as Thals and a life form heavily mutated by radiation, encased in protective machines, merciless force of destruction known as The Daleks!
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Edge of Sanity [Blu-ray] (Gérard Kikoïne, 1989) Arrow
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COMMENTS: Anthony Perkins builds upon his legendary status as cinema’s seminal psycho in Edge of Sanity, a delirious conflation of Robert Louis Stephenson’s classic horror novella ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ and Jack the Ripper’s real-life reign of terror over Victorian London. When his experiments into a powerful new anaesthetic go hideously awry, respected physician Dr Jekyll (Perkins) takes off into the night, casting aside the shackles of upper-class propriety as he disappears into the shadowy decadent demimonde of Whitechapel in pursuit of sensual pleasures under the guise of ‘Mr Hyde’. As his wife Elisabeth (Glynis Barber) passes her time in charitable work, rehabilitating the district’s fallen women, Hyde is drawn into an escalating cycle of lust and murder that seems to know no bounds. Produced by exploitation maestro Harry Alan Towers (The Face of Fu Manchu, Count Dracula) and directed with a hallucinogenic intensity by Gérard Kikoïne (Lady Libertine, Buried Alive), Edge of Sanity plunges the viewer into a labyrinth of depravity from which there is no escape.
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Escape The Field [Blu-ray] (Emerson Moore, 2022) Lionsgate
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COMMENTS: After six strangers awaken in a remote, endless cornfield, they realize their survival depends upon their ability to play a diabolical cat-and-mouse game with an unseen evil.
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**Hsing Lee's "Execution in Autumn"** Blu-ray - Hui-Lou Chen @mastersofcinema
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COMMENTS: The diverse director Hsing Lee's Execution in Autumn was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 45th Academy Awards - winning Golden Horse awards held annually in Taiwan (Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography for Chen-ing Lai.) It sits in the middle of the director's oeuvre that includes Brother Liu and Brother Wang on the Roads in Taiwan from 1959, 79's The Story of a Small Town and 1986's The Heroic Pioneers. He has always been a champion of Taiwanese directors gaining exposure into the mainland China film market with notable success and was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award in 1995. I am very keen on Taiwanese cinema and this is the first of his films that I recall seeing. Actor Hui-Lou Chen was in some notable martial arts films like The Four Hands of Death, Bloody Monkey Master and Fists of Fury II. Execution in Autumn often shows an unsympathetic portrayal of the characters but has a philosophical undercurrent with themes of morality, judgmental ethics, and fatalism with the ironic quote “We all have to die, but we must die in peace and honor?”. I am thrilled with the Masters of Cinema Blu-ray. They continue to bring these under-exposed works to the physical media marketplace. This is a wonderful film and I am so glad I have it in this exceptional package. Strongly recommended!
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**Fire in the Sky** [Blu-ray] (Robert Lieberman, 1993) Shout! Factory
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ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: Six men saw it. One man became a prisoner inside it. But who would believe them? In 1975, logger Travis Walton (D.B. Sweeney, Hear No Evil, Eight Men Out) and his co-workers encountered a UFO. His pals were able to flee—but Walton was not so lucky. Whisked aboard the strange craft, he was subjected to a painful, unearthly medical study. Fire in the Sky is the amazing tale of that ordeal…and of the contempt and ridicule endured by Walton and his friends as they tried to convince others of this otherworldly experience. James Garner, Robert Patrick, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg, and Henry Thomas also star in this gripping and terrifying depiction of alien abduction that's based on a true story.
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Forced Entry [Blu-ray] (Jim Sotos, 1976) Dark Force
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COMMENTS: A hair-raising suspense drama starring Tanya Roberts ('Charlie's Angels, A View To a Kill), in a chilling nightmare faced by a beautiful woman forced into a life and death struggle against the demented obsessions of a psychopathic killer. The constant tension is unremitting from the first deadly encounter to the final diabolical conclusion. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.
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**Giant** [4K UHD Blu-ray] (George Stevens, 1956) Warner
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COMMENTS: Texan rancher Bick Benedict visits a Maryland farm to buy a prize horse. Whilst there he meets and falls in love with the owner's daughter Leslie. They are married immediately and return to his ranch. The story of their family and its rivalry with cowboy and (later oil tycoon) Jett Rink unfolds across two generations.
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Groupie [Blu-ray] (Mark L. Lester, 2010) Dark Force Ent
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COMMENTS: A groupie (Taryn Manning, Orange is the New Black) hides a sinister agenda and sparks resentment from other band members when she sinks her claws into a rock group's lead singer (Hal Ozsan, NCIS: New Orleans).
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The Hoot Owl [Blu-ray] (Jason Rader, Jason Von Godi) RB UK Brink
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COMMENTS: A group of friends fight for survival when they disturb the deranged inhabitants of what was thought to be abandoned estate deep in the woods of East Texas.
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The Initiation of Sarah [Blu-ray] (Robert Day, 1978) Arrow
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COMMENTS: Shy misfit Sarah Goodwin (Kay Lenz, House), has a secret gift: the ability to control ― and destroy ― with her mind. When Sarah goes off to college with her more outgoing and popular sister, Patty (Morgan Brittany, Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat), their plans to join the most prestigious sorority on campus are scuttled by snobby president, Jennifer Lawrence (Morgan Fairchild, Phantom of the Mall). Separated from her sister, Sarah is taken in by a rival, less popular sorority, whose mysterious house mother, Mrs. Hunter (Shelley Winters, The Night of the Hunter), is harboring a secret of her own: a scheme to harness Sarah’s terrifying power for revenge. Betrayed by Patty, humiliated by Jennifer, it can only be a matter of time before Sorority Hell Week erupts in flame!
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Martial Club [Blu-ray] (Chia-Liang Liu, 1981) RB UK‎ 88 Films
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COMMENTS: A gloriously typical entry from Shaw Brothers, Martial Club starring Kara Wei (THE BRAVE ARCHER 2 and MAD MONKEY KUNG FU) and Gordon Liu (THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN) and directed by Lau Kar-Leung (LEGENDARY WEAPONS OF CHINA), affords us a fast-paced, cleverly choreographed piece of martial arts fun combining many elements that lovers of this kind of cinema will be more than appreciative of. Rival fight schools, an old master and beautifully designed set pieces tumble together in a colourfully kinaesthetic unceasing parade of flying fists and action set pieces.
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Monday Morning [Blu-ray] (Don Murphy, 1990) MVD
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COMMENTS: Bobby Parker (Noah Blake, Mystery Men), is a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks whose family constantly moves to wherever his father can find work. He and his best friend Bill (Karl Wiedergott, The Wrong Guys), are new to Oceana High and their presence is definitely not welcome. James Hedges (Brandon Hooper, Chasing Mavericks), the student leader and son of the town mayor, cannot stand any outsider. And he especially doesn't like someone who "doesn't know his place" - like Bobby Parker.
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**Stanley Kwan's "Rouge"** Blu-ray - Anita Mui @Criterion
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COMMENTS: I was blown away by Stanley Kwan's stylish Rouge. What a fascinating film buoyed by the mesmerizing Anita Mui, portraying 'Fleur' - a 1930's Chinese courtesan with a sexually charged, and eventually haunting, gaze. Men are willing to pay dearly for her company or to simply caress her calf or ear lobe. Rouge could be considered a supernatural mystery, tragic melodrama or glamorous transcendent 'ghost story'. I thought of many films from Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood For Love to Masahiro Shinoda's Double Suicide. I loved the flashbacks to the '30s and the gorgeous art direction. It's a deeply realized effort with a strong theme of time, and the fluidity of succumbing to an opium-induced lover’s fantasy. The Criterion Blu-ray offers an entrancing film experience with pristine a/v and worthwhile supplements. It has our strongest recommendation! Absolutely see Rouge.
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**Gordon Parks' "Shaft"** Blu-ray / 4K UHD - Richard Roundtree @Criterion
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UK BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
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COMMENTS: Gordon Parks' Shaft involves private detective John Shaft who is hired by a Harlem mobster to rescue his daughter from the Italian gangsters who kidnapped her. Shaft has themes of defiance, survival, the Black Power movement, race, and sexuality - particularly appealing to a black urban audience of the 70s. It was selected in 2000 for preservation in the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Although black in the source novel, Tidyman's original draft screenplay had the character of Shaft as white. Melvin Van Peebles has made the claim that the success of his own Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song initiated Shaft to be "black film" from a "white one". Shaft played a significant part in the development of the Blaxploitation genre in Hollywood. It's kind of a 'must-own' for film fans, if only for the score, and the Criterion package is at their usual high standard - pristine a/v and a multitude of extras. Don't miss it.
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**Feng Huang's "The Shaolin Plot"** Blu-ray - Sing Chen @Eurekavideo
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OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Feng Huang's The Shaolin Plot is remarkable for its inclusion of Sammo Hung in his first starring role (an unscrupulous baddie, here, hurdling golden cymbals boomerangs or multiple razor-sharp daggers!) and his early role as an action director. It really stands out as a superior Wushu classic with excellent cast and endless flying kicks and sharp, whiplash-filled conflicts that push the narrative to lesser-importance. It revolves around obtaining the Wu Tang, Shaolin manual of clandestine martial arts distinction. The secrets serving as a trigger for the unrelenting friction. I really enjoyed it. The Eureka Blu-ray offers a vibrant image, dual-audio options and two commentaries plus a booklet. A crazy, must-own, package for fans of the genre with cruel villains, a blind monk and virtuous school of noble students all realized in a healthy production of a rarely seen gem. Certainly recommended!
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**Singin' in the Rain** [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952) Warner UK
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COMMENTS: Silent movies are giving way to talking pictures – and a hoofer-turned-matinee idol (Gene Kelly) is caught in that bumpy transition, as are his buddy (Donald O’Connor), prospective ladylove (Debbie Reynolds) and shrewish costar (Jean Hagen). Rediscover the musical masterpiece Singin’ in the Rain in showstopping 4K Ultra HD
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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Tom Gormican, 2022) Lionsgate
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COMMENTS: In this action-packed comedy, Nicolas Cage plays Nick Cage, channeling his iconic characters as he’s caught between a superfan (Pedro Pascal) and a CIA agent (Tiffany Haddish).
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Uncle Sam [4K UHD Blu-ray] (William Lustig, 1996) Blue Underground
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COMMENTS: It's Fourth Of July Weekend, and the recently discovered corpse of Sgt. Sam Harper - killed by 'friendly fire' during the first Gulf War - is returned to his all-American hometown. But when Sam rises from the dead to punish the unpatriotic, only his young nephew and a bitter Korean War veteran (Academy Award winner + Grammy Award winner Isaac Hayes of SHAFT and SOUTH PARK fame) can stop his red-blooded rampage. Draft dodgers, tax cheats, crooked politicians and flag-burners beware: Uncle Sam wants you... DEAD!
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Vampire's Kiss [Blu-ray] (Robert Bierman, 1988) MVD
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COMMENTS: Living in the big city is enough to drive anyone bats, and the pressure of it proves too much for Peter Loew (Nicolas Cage, Con Air), At the peak of his career, yet in the depths of despair, his life is in turmoil until he meets Rachel (Jennifer Beals, Flashdance), the woman of his dreams. During their first night together, Rachel takes more than his heart - she takes his blood too - and from that moment on, Peter Loew believes he is a vampire. What is it about Rachel that makes him feel this way? Is she really a blood-lusting creature of the night? Or just a product of his fevered imagination? Because if it turns out he is really a vampire - then there's more than just his life at stake!
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Why Don't You Play in Hell? [Blu-ray] (Sion Sono. 2013) Giant Pictures
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COMMENTS: Ten years ago, yakuza mid-boss Ikegami led an assault against rival don Muto. Now, on the eve of his revenge, all Muto wants to do is complete his masterpiece, a feature film with his daughter in the starring role, before his wife is released from prison and The F Bombers are standing by with the chance of a lifetime: to film a real, live yakuza battle to the death...on 35mm!
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**The Witch** [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Robert Eggers, 2015) UK Second Sight Films
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: New England, 1630. Upon threat of banishment by the church, an English farmer leaves his colonial plantation and relocates his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest—within which lurks an unknown evil. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen —animals turn malevolent, crops fail, one child disappears and another seems to become possessed by an evil spirit. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, daughter Thomasin is accused of witchcraft.
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**The Worst Person in the World** [Blu-ray] (Joachim Trier, 2021) RB UK MUBI
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Acclaimed filmmaker Joachim Trier (Oslo, August 31st, Louder Than Bombs) returns with THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, a wistful and subversive romantic drama about the quest for love and meaning. Set in contemporary Oslo, it features a star-making lead performance from Renate Reinsve as a young woman who, on the verge of turning thirty, navigates multiple love affairs, existential uncertainty and career dissatisfaction as she slowly starts deciding what she wants to do, who she wants to be, and ultimately who she wants to become.
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**X** [Blu-ray] (Ti West, 2022) RB UK DADC
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COMMENTS: In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.
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Zone Troopers [Blu-ray] (Danny Bilson, 1985) RB UK 88 Films
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COMMENTS: This silly, low budget science fiction feature somehow combines Nazisploitaion with spaceships and horror to create a cartoonish romp through a history that never was. When a World War II American military patrol gets lost behind enemy lines in Italy and stumbles upon a crashed alien spacecraft, they quickly come to realise they must join forces with the surviving extra-terrestrials if they are to defeat a Nazi crack team who are hell-bent on using alien technology to win the war.
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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES (CLICK TITLES FOR MORE INFORMATION):

June 20th, 2022

**The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie** 4K UHD (Luis Buñuel, 1972) UK Studiocanal
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June 27th, 2022
 

**The A-Team: The Complete Series** (1983–1987) - Universal Studios

**Appointment in London** (Philip Leacock, 1953) RB UK Studiocanal

**The Card Counter** (Paul Schrader, 2021) RB UK Dazzler Media

**The Films of Doris Wishman: The Twilight Years** - American Genre Film
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July 4th, 2022

**The Divided Heart** (Charles Crichton, 1954) RB UK Studiocanal

**Drive My Car** (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021) RB UK MUBI

Everything Everywhere All at Once 4K UHD (Dan Kwan, 2022) Lionsgate

**Frieda** (Basil Dearden, 1947) RB UK Studiocanal
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July 11th, 2022

**The Beatles: Get Back** - [Blu-ray] Collector’s Set [Region Free] - Walt Disney UK

The Frisco Kid (Robert Aldrich, 1979) Warner Archive

Jack and the Beanstalk (Jean Yarbrough, 1952) Classicflix
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July 18th, 2022

**Adventures of Don Juan** (Vincent Sherman, 1948) Warner Archive

**The Northman** 4K UHD (Robert Eggers, 2022) UK Universal
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July 25th, 2022

**Out of the Blue** 4K UHD (Dennis Hopper, 1980) Severin

**Raw Deal** (Anthony Mann, 1948) ClassicFlix
BEAVER REVIEW

Summertime (David Lean, 1955) RB UK Criterion
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
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August 1st, 2022

**Directed by Jim Sheridan: Four Irish Films 1989-1997** - My Left Foot (1989), The Field (1990), In the Name Of The Father (1993) and The Boxer (1997) Imprint

**Flatliners** (Joel Schumacher, 1990) UK Arrow

4K UHD

Blu-ray

**Nobody's Fool** (Robert Benton, 1994) Imprint

**Whore** (Ken Russell, 1991) Imprint

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August 9th, 2022

**Heat 4K UHD** (Michael Mann, 1995) 20th Century Fox

**Little Man, What Now?** (Frank Borzage, 1934) Kino
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August 15th, 2022

**The Breaking Point** (Michael Curtiz, 1950) RB UK Criterion
BEAVER REVIEW

**Coming Apart** (Milton Moses Ginsberg, 1969) Kino

**Daddy Longlegs** (Benny Safdie, 2009) Criterion

Frownland (Ronald Bronstein, 2007) Criterion

**The Midwich Cuckoos** (TV Series, 2022) RB UK Dazzler Media

**Red Dawn** 4K UHD (John Milius , 1984) Shout! Factory

**Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World** (Riccardo Freda, 1961) Kino

**Stalag 17** (Billy Wilder, 1953) Paramount
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW

**Umberto D.** (Vittorio De Sica, 1952) RB UK Criterion
BEAVER REVIEW
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August 22nd, 2022

**The Big Country** (William Wyler, 1958) RB UK Final Cut Entertainment
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW

**Buck and the Preacher** (Sidney Poitier, 1972) Criterion

**Cisco Pike** (Bill Norton, 1971) RB UK Indicator
BEAVER REVIEW

**The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz** (Luis Buñuel, 1955) VCI

**A Day in the Death of Joe Egg** (Peter Medak, 1972) RB UK Indicator
BEAVER REVIEW

**Hotel du Nord** (Marcel Carné, 1938) Criterion

Lone Wolf McQuade (Steve Carver, 1983) Ronin Flix

Love Camp 7 (Lee Frost, 1969) Blue Underground

**Madigan** (Don Siegel, 1968) RB UK Indicator
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW

Naked Over The Fence (Frans Weisz, 1973) Cult Epics

The National Health (Jack Gold, 1973) RB UK Indicator

**Psyche 59** (Alexander Singer, 1964) RB UK Indicator
BEAVER REVIEW

**Robin Hood at Hammer: Two Tales from Sherwood Forest** - Sword of Sherwood Forest (Terence Fisher, 1960) - A Challenge for Robin Hood (C M Pennington-Richards, 1967) RB UK Indicator

Ship of Fools (Stanley Kramer, 1965) RB UK Indicator
BEAVER REVIEW

Suburban Sasquatch (Dave Wascavage, 2004) Visual Vengeance

**The Swimmer** (Frank Perry, Sydney Pollack, 1968) RB UK Indicator
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW

**Young Winston** (Richard Attenborough, 1972) RB UK Indicator
BEAVER REVIEW
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August 29th, 2022

**The Big Chill** (Lawrence Kasdan, 1983) RB UK Criterion
BEAVER REVIEW

**The Bionic Woman: The Complete Series** - Shout! Factory

**Faya Dayi** (Jessica Beshir, 2021) Criterion

**Running Out of Time 1 + 2** [Blu-ray] (Johnnie To, 1999 / 2001) Arrow US
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September 12th, 2022

**Friday the 13th** 4K UHD (Sean S. Cunningham, 1980) Paramount

**Rain** (Lewis Milestone, 1932) VCI
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September 19th, 2022

**Essential Film Noir: Collection 3** (The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), No Man Of Her Own (1950), The Turning Point (1952) & The Desperate Hours (1955) - Imprint

Kuhle Wampe (Slatan Dudow, 1932) RB UK BFI
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September 26th, 2022

I Spit on Your Grave 4K UHD (Meir Zarchi, 1978) UK Kaleidoscope

**Police Story Trilogy** 4K UHD - UK Eureka Entertainment
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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

**Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull"** 4K UHD Blu-ray - Robert De Niro @Criterion
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
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COMMENTS: Martin Scorsese's magnum opus Raging Bull is a pure example of the great American tragedy - a searing biographical sports drama. No film, before or since, has come close to its visceral impacting level on boxing or any other sport. Yes, Chapman’s 'extraordinarily tactile black-and-white cinematography' and Schoonmaker distinctive editing buoy the exceptional performances (casting many lesser-known actors and actresses - ex. Pesci was a struggling actor was working at an Italian restaurant in New Jersey) of a brilliantly written and magnificently realized story. Undeniably spoken with The Godfather as the greatest American film ever made in the last 1/2 of the 20th Century. De Niro read the La Motta autobiography on the set of The Godfather Part II and became fascinated by the character. He loaned the book to Martin Scorsese. The rest is cinematic history. Raging Bull in 4K UHD is the preeminent reason to adopt the new format for those serious home theatre aficionados who have delayed, what is, inevitable for them. We can't give a higher recommendation.
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**Columbia Noir #5: Humphrey Bogart** Blu-ray @indicatorseries
Dead Reckoning (1947), Knock on Any Door (1949), Tokyo Joe (1949), Sirocco (1951), The Family Secret (1951), and The Harder They Fall (1956)
UK PURCHASE LINK
INDICATOR PURCHASE LINK
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COMMENTS: Indicator's Columbia Noir #5: Humphrey Bogart Blu-ray package will be another fan favorite. It's less-noirish, overall, but heavy on the iconic Bogie. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart as the greatest male star of classic American cinema. Bogart signed a contract with the Fox Film Corporation for $750 a week, where he met Broadway actor Spencer Tracy. The two men became drinking buddies and best friends. In 1930, it was Tracy who first called him "Bogie". I was always a huge fan of Dead Reckoning and The Harder They Fall, but gained new appreciation for Knock on Any Door, Tokyo Joe and was surprised how much I enjoyed The Family Secret and its moral conundrums. It was my first viewing of that film. So... the best Blu-ray production company on the planet comes out with a Humphrey Bogart set. It stacked to the gills commentaries, new analysis and a 120-page booklet, plus the a/v has extensive advancement over the ancient DVDs. Yes, get excited - this is a must-own - limited to 6,000 copies. I wouldn't wait. Our highest recommendation!
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**Feng Huang's "The Shaolin Plot"** Blu-ray - Sing Chen @Eurekavideo
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Feng Huang's The Shaolin Plot is remarkable for its inclusion of Sammo Hung in his first starring role (an unscrupulous baddie, here, hurdling golden cymbals boomerangs or multiple razor-sharp daggers!) and his early role as an action director. It really stands out as a superior Wushu classic with excellent cast and endless flying kicks and sharp, whiplash-filled conflicts that push the narrative to lesser-importance. It revolves around obtaining the Wu Tang, Shaolin manual of clandestine martial arts distinction. The secrets serving as a trigger for the unrelenting friction. I really enjoyed it. The Eureka Blu-ray offers a vibrant image, dual-audio options and two commentaries plus a booklet. A crazy, must-own, package for fans of the genre with cruel villains, a blind monk and virtuous school of noble students all realized in a healthy production of a rarely seen gem. Certainly recommended!
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**Hsing Lee's "Execution in Autumn"** Blu-ray - Hui-Lou Chen @mastersofcinema
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BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: The diverse director Hsing Lee's Execution in Autumn was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 45th Academy Awards - winning Golden Horse awards held annually in Taiwan (Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography for Chen-ing Lai.) It sits in the middle of the director's oeuvre that includes Brother Liu and Brother Wang on the Roads in Taiwan from 1959, 79's The Story of a Small Town and 1986's The Heroic Pioneers. He has always been a champion of Taiwanese directors gaining exposure into the mainland China film market with notable success and was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award in 1995. I am very keen on Taiwanese cinema and this is the first of his films that I recall seeing. Actor Hui-Lou Chen was in some notable martial arts films like The Four Hands of Death, Bloody Monkey Master and Fists of Fury II. Execution in Autumn often shows an unsympathetic portrayal of the characters but has a philosophical undercurrent with themes of morality, judgmental ethics, and fatalism with the ironic quote “We all have to die, but we must die in peace and honor?”. I am thrilled with the Masters of Cinema Blu-ray. They continue to bring these under-exposed works to the physical media marketplace. This is a wonderful film and I am so glad I have it in this exceptional package. Strongly recommended!
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**Stanley Kwan's "Rouge"** Blu-ray - Anita Mui @Criterion
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CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: I was blown away by Stanley Kwan's stylish Rouge. What a fascinating film buoyed by the mesmerizing Anita Mui, portraying 'Fleur' - a 1930's Chinese courtesan with a sexually charged, and eventually haunting, gaze. Men are willing to pay dearly for her company or to simply caress her calf or ear lobe. Rouge could be considered a supernatural mystery, tragic melodrama or glamorous transcendent 'ghost story'. I thought of many films from Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood For Love to Masahiro Shinoda's Double Suicide. I loved the flashbacks to the '30s and the gorgeous art direction. It's a deeply realized effort with a strong theme of time, and the fluidity of succumbing to an opium-induced lover’s fantasy. The Criterion Blu-ray offers an entrancing film experience with pristine a/v and worthwhile supplements. It has our strongest recommendation! Absolutely see Rouge.
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**Gordon Parks' "Shaft"** Blu-ray / 4K UHD - Richard Roundtree @Criterion
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
UK BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Gordon Parks' Shaft involves private detective John Shaft who is hired by a Harlem mobster to rescue his daughter from the Italian gangsters who kidnapped her. Shaft has themes of defiance, survival, the Black Power movement, race, and sexuality - particularly appealing to a black urban audience of the 70s. It was selected in 2000 for preservation in the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Although black in the source novel, Tidyman's original draft screenplay had the character of Shaft as white. Melvin Van Peebles has made the claim that the success of his own Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song initiated Shaft to be "black film" from a "white one". Shaft played a significant part in the development of the Blaxploitation genre in Hollywood. It's kind of a 'must-own' for film fans, if only for the score, and the Criterion package is at their usual high standard - pristine a/v and a multitude of extras. Don't miss it.

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