THIS WEEK's RELEASES: HUGE WEEK; the first Tarkovsky to reach 4K UHD, Ealing Studios 4K UHD fun X 2, Two more Jean Rollin stylings in 4K UHD, Scorsese neo-noir 4K UHD, Jet Li supersoldier, "old dark house" genre silent fun, 60's spy adventure, Bogie / Noir singles from Indicator with Lizbeth Scott, John Derek, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling and more... Akira Kurosawa 4K UHD goes to the UK, Nicholas Ray, Mike Nichols, Phil Karlson, Burt Reynolds, Mark Robson, Alan J. Pakula, Bert I. Gordon, Mikhail Kalatozov in 4K UHD from Criterion, more Jackie Chan in 4K UHD, vintage exploitation...
NEW CALENDAR UPDATES - LINKED HERE! Aki Kaurismäki, Sergio Martino, Roger Vadim, Alex Proyas, León Klimovsky, Sidney Lumet, Philo Vance, Republic Pictures Horror Collection, Clint Eastwood, Peter Bogdanovich, Sidney J. Furie, David O. Russell, Abel Ferrara, Woody Allen, Guillermo del Toro, John McTiernan, Christopher Nolan, John Frankenheimer, Sci-Fi Chillers Collection, Arthur Dong, John Waters, John Waters, Lucio Fulci, Terry Gilliam, Peter Collinson, the Taviani Brothers, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, The Wachowskis, Ethan Coen, Edward Dmytryk, George King, John Guillermin, David Lynch, Francois Ozon, Kinji Fukasaku, King Vidor, Tetsuya Nakashima...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: FULL WEEK - Tarkovsky's floating feathers, spilled milk and impressionistic reflections in gently flowing water... in 4K UHD. Exceptional Bela Tarr in 4K UHD - nu'ff said. Dark and brilliantly realized 60's Japanese excellence, Silent and Pre-Code exploitation, twin sisters and naked vampires in 4K UHD X2, Amy Yip's... assets, revenge and government conspiracy unleashes supersolider Jet Li...
Enjoy,
Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of April 22nd, 2024 (Recommended titles have "**")

Assignment Skybolt [Blu-ray] (Gregg G. Tallas, 1968) Dark Force Entertainment
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Dan Holland (Nicholas Kirk, The Ruthless), an American Secret Service agent, goes to Greece to find a hydrogen bomb that has been stolen from a NATO base in Turkey. There is the risk that foreign agents will activate the bomb to hit the 6th Fleet flagship while it is anchored outside the port of Piraeus, and thus start World War III. Dan Holland begins his mission with little information: an antique coin found in the location of the theft that belonged to his brother Jack Holland, code-name Achilles, but Achilles is supposed to have been killed by the Communists during the Greek Civil War.
___________________________________
The Beast in the Cellar [Blu-ray] (James Kelley, 1971) RB UK 88 Films
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: When soldiers stationed in the local community are mauled to death in the local woods, a wild cat is thought to be the culprit. However, two sisters, begin to suspect that their brother who has been locked in their cellar for 30 years may be responsible. This creepy early 70s horror starring Beryl Reid (Psychomania) and Flora Robson (Eye of the Devil, Fragment of Fear) carries a brooding tension that is both claustrophobic and horrible. A bonafide cult classic.
___________________________________
Daniel Lee's "Black Mask" Blu-ray - Jet Li / Karen Mok @Eurekavideo
UK PURCHASE LINK
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Daniel Lee's Black Mask is filled with excessive violence carrying themes of revenge and government conspiracy. It has a cool sci-fi edge taken from the 1992 'manhua' - Chinese-language comic produced in Greater China. There is an embraceable homage with Jet Li's character Tsui Chik (the 'Black Mask') wearing a domino face covering and chauffeur's cap evoking Bruce Lee's Kato in The Green Hornet television series. Li is always charismatic but very much so here as a quiet librarian with his secret badass 'supersoldier' persona in his past... or so he thought. Pop diva Karen Mok adds a much-needed cuteness and Tsui's friend, Inspector 'Rock' Shek Wai-Ho (played by Ching Wan Lau), no-nonsense stability. Black Mask is a remarkably kinetic film with an immense amount of choreographed action. Quite a ride. Fans will be very pleased with the Eureka Blu-ray package - four versions, two commentaries, interviews, booklet. Easily the most complete home theater package of the explosive film... ever. Recommended.
___________________________________
**Paul Leni's "The Cat and the Canary"** Blu-ray - Laura La Plante / Creighton Hale @mastersofcinema @Eurekavideo
UK PURCHASE LINK
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: It's hard to talk about Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary without mentioning the hilarious 1939 version with Bob Hope and Paulette Godard (reviewed on Blu-ray by Kino HERE and by Eureka HERE), also based on the classic John Willard (The Mask of Fu Manchu) play. It was also remade as Rupert Julian's The Cat Creeps from 1930 (although not the 1950 same-titled film.) Leni made The Man Who Laughs and The Last Warning for Universal. The latter also starring Laura La Plante, who, during the 1920s, appeared in more than 60 films. Leni's The Cat and the Canary initiated the trend of the "old dark house" genre and was cited as being an early example of 20th-century German Expressionism using similar camera effects found in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The 1927  The Cat and the Canary is both fun and sets an effectively creepy atmosphere. I am very happy the, stacked, Masters of Cinema Blu-ray with two commentaries, video essay, interviews booklet and more. A wonderful silent era film that is strongly recommended!
___________________________________
**Dead Reckoning** [Blu-ray] (John Cromwell, 1947) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: "Humphrey Bogart (The Harder They Fall), Lizabeth Scott (Pitfall), and Morris Carnovsky (Gun Crazy) star in Dead Reckoning, a dark tale of blackmail, vengeance, and murder. When Captain 'Rip' Murdock (Bogart) learns that his war buddy has been murdered, he sets out to find answers. His search leads him to nightclub owner Martinelli (Carnovsky) and the beautiful, dangerous Coral (Scott), and death and intrigue follow.
___________________________________
Jean Rollin's "The Demoniacs" 4K UHD - Joëlle Coeur / Lieva Lone / Patricia Hermenier @indicatorseries
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
Blu-ray:
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
UK BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Indicator have already upgraded Rollin's The Rape of the Vampire, The Shiver of the Vampires, Lips of Blood, The Night of the Hunted, Fascination and The Two Orphan Vampires to 4K UHD with The Nude Vampire simultaneously released in this format with "The Demoniacs". Each are premium examples of the superiority of this 2160P home theatre format that certainly elevate the viewing experience. Notable from Jean Rollin's "The Demoniacs" is former model Joëlle Coeur (Joëlle Cœur.) She appeared in many magazines in France and the Netherlands. She is remarkable for her beauty and daring film content - ex. in the conclusion of "The Demoniacs" her shameless character, Tina, has a lengthy masturbation session on the beach while watching the twin gals being sexually assaulted - both tied to a wreck. Tina's perversity, sexual spontaneity, teasing, viciousness and hypnotic sensuality take a dominant place in "The Demoniacs". The actress distanced herself from her softcore film work and beyond 1979 worked as a psychotherapist. Her sexuality should not deflect from the unnamed titular twin characters - virgins wandering out of the sea - played by Lieva Lone and Patricia Hermenier. Both their only significant film work. Generally the male performers in the film are much weaker. "The Demoniacs" has the director's frequent sexcapade symbolism, twin-sister fetishism, less fan-favorite gothic atmosphere, and another pivotal, supernatural, evil male (vampiric) manipulator. Indicator's 4K UHD release package is at their top-shelf standard - heads and tails above any other home theatre transfer, commentary and extras offering three distinct version of the film. This may be one for Rollin completists. To that group - please enjoy.
___________________________________
**The Departed [4K UHD Steelbook]** (Martin Scorsese, 2006) Warner
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg star in Martin Scorsese's new crime drama "The Departed." "The Departed" is set in South Boston where the state police force is waging an all-out war to take down the city's top organized crime ring. The key is to end the reign of powerful mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson)
___________________________________
The Family Secret [Blu-ray] (Henry Levin, 1951) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: "Lee J Cobb (Sirocco) and John Derek (Knock on Any Door) star in The Family Secret, a classic film noir set in the legal world. Law student David (Derek) kills his best friend in self-defence, confessing to his father (Cobb), a criminal lawyer, who advises him to go to the police. His mother, however, tells him to keep quiet, and his moral dilemma deepens further when an innocent man is accused of the killing, potentially facing the death penalty. Produced by Humphrey Bogart's Santana Pictures, and directed by Henry Levin (Convicted), The Family Secret is a riveting exploration of guilt and family tensions."
___________________________________
Forbidden Passions + Lurid Tales: The Castle Queen DVD - SkinMax Double Feature
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Your wildest fantasies are possible in this look at afterlife encounters when Mara (Debra Beatty, Caged Heat 3000), a cyber-seductress uses her special computer programming skills to fulfill your most intimate dreams while in the afterlife. LURID TALES: THE CASTLE QUEEN: When Thomas (Shannon Dow Smith, Invasion of Privacy) is playing what he believes to be a simple arcade game, he is suddenly transformed back to Cromwellian England and finds himself in a bawdy battle for the rights to a magnificent estate - and for the heart of Lady Dorset (Kim Dawson, Bad Blood), the lusty seductress of the castle.
___________________________________
**The Fortune** [Blu-ray] (Mike Nichols, 1975) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: This high-concept, big-budget screwball comedy directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Wolf) stars Warren Beatty (Mickey One, Bonnie and Clyde) as a slick con man and Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Border) as his dim-witted sidekick trying to get their hands on the fortune of a hapless young heiress played by Stockard Channing (Grease, The West Wing). A commercial failure on its initial release, this buoyant and beautifully staged madcap comedy is ripe for rediscovery and reappraisal.
___________________________________
Galaxy Girls + Petticoat Planet DVD - SkinMax Double Feature
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: An alien vessel crashes on Earth and is discovered by Cindy (Gail Thackray, Bigfoot or Bust), Shauna (Yvette McClendon, Haunted) and Becky (Heather Ford), three friends beginning what they think to be a casual vacation in the mountains. The alien creatures, escaping a death sentence on their own world, are motivated only by death, destruction and a taste for blood. Ultimately nothing stands in the way except Cindy, aided by Matt (Bernie Van De Yacht, Prey), another visitor from beyond the stars sent to recover the ship and bring them to justice. Together they set out to destroy the ship, though its destruction could strand Matt on earth forever! Also known as Alien Escape, this sexy sci-fi adventure also features Monique Parent (Buford's Beach Bunnies) along with appearances by cult directors Fred Olen Ray (Cyclone) and Jim Wynorski (Chopping Mall). PETTICOAT PLANET: Commander Steve Rogers (Troy Vincent,Team Knight Rider), a blue collar space jockey with a lousy job, crash-lands his corroding craft onto a desert planet. But his luck is about to change... as he recovers, he finds himself to be the only man in a wild western town inhabited by beautiful, gun slingin' whiskey drinkin' women. Peace, harmony and boredom are abound in Puckerbush Gulch until word gets out that for the first time in twenty years, there's a man in their midst. Best friends become bitter foes as the sex-crazed cowgirl corral the Commander one by one. Lost in space with no way home, can our hero find true happiness, or will he be pushin' up daisies from pure exhaustion?
___________________________________
**Gator** [Blu-ray] (Burt Reynolds, 1976) RB UK 88 Films
UK PURCHASE LINK
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: When fresh-out-of-jail con artist Bobby ‘Gator McKlusky is approached by Federal agent Irving to dish the dirt on his one-time associate and local crime boss Bama McCall, he at first refuses. But when he witnesses Bama’s corruption and dirty dealing first-hand, he reconciles to bring the villain down. In this sequel to White Lightning, Burt Reynolds not only reprises his role as ‘Gator he also directs this witty and action-packed follow-up.
___________________________________
Goodbye Uncle Tom (Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi, 1971) Blue Underground
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: The film considered too shocking for the world! Written, edited, produced and directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi of MONDO CANE fame, this epic recreation of the American slave trade atrocities was both condemned as depraved exploitation and acclaimed as an unprecedented cry of Black anguish and rage. The Detroit Chronicle hailed it as "a graphic, moving, nerve-paralyzing film." Legendary film critic Pauline Kael called it "the most specific and rabid incitement of the race war." It became one of the most reviled and misunderstood films of its time. Five decades cannot diminish GOODBYE UNCLE TOM's impact or quiet its controversy as it has become even more relevant TODAY!
___________________________________
**The Harder They Fall** [Blu-ray] (Mark Robson, 1956) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: "Humphrey Bogart (Knock on Any Door), Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night), and Mike Lane (The New Centurions) star in The Harder They Fall, a tough-as-nails film noir exposé of corruption in the boxing world that would be Bogart's final film. Boxing promoter Nick Benko (Steiger) employs down-on-his-luck journalist Eddie Willis (Bogart) to promote his new signing, Toro Moreno (Lane), fixing fights across the country to ensure Toro appears to be a contender. But, when tragedy strikes, Willis threatens to expose the entire racket... Adapted by Philip Yordan (Johnny Guitar) from a novel by Budd Schulberg (On the Waterfront), and directed by Mark Robson (The Seventh Victim), The Harder They Fall is a classic of Hollywood cinema, and a fitting swan song to Humprey Bogart's career."
___________________________________
The Holdovers (Alexander Payne, 2023) RB UK Dazzler Media
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
UK BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, The Holdovers follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during the holiday break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them - a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) - and with the school's head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).
___________________________________
Household Saints [Blu-ray] (Nancy Savoca, 1993) Milestone Films
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Nancy Savoca’s star-studded indie gem Household Saints is a chronicle of a spirited Italian-American New York family that perfectly balances humor, tragedy, and pathos. Joseph Santangelo (Vincent D’Onofrio) is a butcher with a wicked sense of humor who “wins” his wife Catherine (a stellar Tracey Ullman) in a pinochle game. Over the protests of his mother (Judith Malina) who talks to ghosts and makes deals with saints, Joseph marries Catherine. When the old lady dies, her spirit is channeled into her granddaughter Teresa who yearns to serve God. Perfectly embodying a modernday Bernadette, Lili Taylor imbues Teresa with a mix of dedicated innocence and naïveté. Executive produced by Jonathan Demme, with memorable performances from Michael Imperioli, Michael Rispoli and Victor Argo, Household Saints showcases a unique voice in 1990s independent filmmaking.
___________________________________
Hunt Her, Kill Her [Blu-ray] (Greg Swinson, Ryan Thiessen, 2022) RB UK Screenbound
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: A lone night shift janitor during her first night on the job finds herself in an unexpected fight for survival when she becomes the target of sinister masked intruders. As their disturbing motives become clearer, she must use barbaric violence to make it through the night alive.
___________________________________
**I Am Cuba [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1964) Criterion
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Both a landmark of radical political cinema and one of the most visually ravishing films ever made, this legendary hymn to revolution shimmers across the screen like a fever dream of rebellion. The result of an extraordinarily ambitious collaboration between the Soviet and Cuban film industries, director Mikhail Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba unfolds in four explosive vignettes that capture Cuban life on the brink of transformation, as crushing economic exploitation and inequality give way to a working-class uprising. Backed by Carlos Fariñas’s stirring score, the dazzling camera work by Sergei Urusevsky—an inspiration for generations of filmmakers to follow—gives flight to the movie’s message of liberation.
___________________________________
**Kind Hearts and Coronets [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Robert Hamer, 1949) Studiocanal UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Hailing from the Golden-Age of Ealing comedies, KIND HEARTS & CORONETS stars DENNIS PRICE as the debonair yet impoverished Louis Mazzini, the would-be Duke of Chalfont whose mother was disinherited by her noble family, for marrying beneath her. When her dying wish to be buried in the family crypt is refused, Louis vows to avenge his mother and work his way up the family tree by engaging in the gentle art of murder. One by one he attempts to kill off the eight successors that stand in the way of his becoming Duke - all played by ALEC GUINESS in an unforgettable tour-de-force performance. Directed by ROBERT HAMER, KIND HEARTS & CORONETS also stars JOAN GREENWOOD as the husky-voiced siren Sibella and VALERIE HOBSON as the refined and virtuous Edith D'Ascoyne, both of whom threaten to distract Louis from his killing quest. A wonderfully entertaining combination of biting class satire, hilarious farce and pitch-black comedy, this story of a suave and elegant serial murderer is as sharp and funny today as ever.
___________________________________
**Knock on Any Door** [Blu-ray] (Nicholas Ray, 1949) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: "Humphrey Bogart (The Harder They Fall) and John Derek (The Family Secret) star in Knock on Any Door, a hard-hitting amalgam of film noir, social commentary, and courtroom drama. Nick Romano (Derek) is a young criminal whose motto is 'live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse'. But, when Nick faces the death penalty for killing a police officer, hotshot lawyer Andrew Morton (Bogart) defends him, arguing that the killer is merely a product of his environment. Based on the controversial novel by Willard Motley and directed by the great Nicholas Ray (In a Lonely Place), Knock on Any Door is an often-shocking indictment of the poverty that blights America's slums."
___________________________________
**Kurosawa's Dreams [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Akira Kurosawa, 1990) Criterion UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
Already out in:
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: Unfolding in a series of eight mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa was inspired by the beloved director’s own nighttime visions, along with stories from Japanese folklore. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master’s imagination, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic apparitions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of creation, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (who is played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams is both a showcase for its maker’s artistry at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance.
___________________________________
**The Lavender Hill Mob [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Charles Crichton, 1951) Studiocanal UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Glimmering new 4K restoration of THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (1951), the enduring Ealing Studios comedy classic directed by CHARLES CRICHTON with cinematography by the great DOUGLAS SLOCOMBE. Winner of a BAFTA for Best British Film and an Academy Award® for Best Screenplay, THE LAVENDER HILL MOB remains today one of the finest British comedies ever made. Holland (ALEC GUINNESS) is a shy, retiring man who works as a bank transfer agent for the delivery of gold bullion. One day he befriends Pendlebury (STANLEY HOLLOWAY), a maker of souvenirs. Holland remarks that, with Pendlebury’s smelting equipment, one could forge the gold into harmless-looking toy Eiffel Towers and smuggle them into France. Soon after, they gain the services of professional criminals Lackery (SID JAMES) and Shorty (ALFIE BASS) and the four plot what they believe will be the perfect crime – which turns out to be anything but!
___________________________________
Malum [Blu-ray] (Anthony DiBlasi, 2023) RB UK Screenbound Pictures
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: A rookie police officer willingly takes the last shift at a newly decommissioned police station in an attempt to uncover the mysterious connection between her father's death and a vicious cult.
___________________________________
Monk: The Complete Sixth Season [Blu-ray] - Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Get even more obsessed with TV’s funniest and quirkiest detective, Monk, with all 16 episodes of the smash-hit sixth season on Blu-ray! The terrific Tony Shalhoub reprises his award-winning role as the brilliant but phobia-laden detective Adrian Monk, who never lets his obsessive-compulsive disorder stop him from solving a crime in the most ingenious way imaginable! Dropping the clues this season are a roster of red-hot guest stars including Dan Castellaneta, Snoop Dogg, Scott Glenn, John Hawkes, Angela Kinsey, David Koechner, Sharon Lawrence, Howie Mandel, Larry Miller, Alfred Molina, Sarah Silverman, Peter Stormare and many more. Take a tip from an insider: you’ll be “committed” to this compulsively watchable detective series!
___________________________________
Night Swim [Blu-ray] (Bryce McGuire, 2024) Mediumrare UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: The producers of M3GAN high dive into the deep end of horror with the supernatural thriller, Night Swim. Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) stars as a former major league baseball player, forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, who moves into a new home with his wife (Oscar nominee Kerry Condon) and their two children. The new home comes complete with a backyard swimming pool, but a deep secret surfaces and unleashes a malevolent force that will drag the family into the inescapable depths of terror.
___________________________________
**Andrei Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia" 4K UHD** - Oleg Yankovskiy / Erland Josephson @KinoLorber
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
Blu-ray:
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Kino's 4K UHD release of Andrei Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia" is the first of the director's films to make it to this 2160P format. There is a strong theme of spirituality in all of the director's films often comparing him to Robert Bresson. "Nostalghia" has beautiful dream-like visuals with slow, subtle camera movements. The Soviet actor Anatoly Solonitsyn (Tarkovsky referred to him as his favorite) was intended to play the lead roles in both Nostalghia and his final film The Sacrifice, but the actor died of Cancer - as eventually did a number of the cast / crew of Stalker including the director and his second wife, Larisa Tarkovskaya. This is reported to be connected to the toxicity of the location shooting - predating the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. A theme of nuclear radiation would be revisited in his film The Sacrifice. "Nostalghia" is one of Tarkovsky's lesser-known works but it has his signature hypnotic imagery connected to much of his filmography with floating feathers, spilled milk and impressionistic reflections in gently flowing water. Nostalghia is a fascinating work by a master filmmaker and remains an important part of his artistic testament. Seeing it in 4K UHD is essential for cinephiles. Absolutely recommended.
___________________________________
**Jean Rollin's "The Nude Vampire" to 4K UHD** - Caroline Cartier / Marie-Pierre Castel @indicatorseries
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
Blu-ray:
UK BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMENTS: So a group of the 'beau monde' dress up, meet in a swanky mansion, wear hoods with eye slits (as others with gaudy, animal, masks lurk about) and naked activities ensue - sound familiar? However, unlike Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, Jean Rollin's The Nude Vampire concerns a suicide cult, a 'sequestered' female vampire (actually a girl with a rare, healing, blood affliction - alluded to in spin offs of Richard Matheson's story of The Last Man on Earth) and a cult of immortal mutants (also mistakenly judged as vampires.) At least, I think that is the main plot. There are genre elements of sci-fi, gothic horror, conspiracy, blood's relationship to immortality etc. with the director's "... exquisite, if mostly static, cinematography, off-kilter plot progression, poetic dialogue, playful surrealism and recurrent use of well-constructed female lead characters. Outlandish dénouements and abstruse visual symbols were trademarks..." as described on Wikipedia. Indicator have already upgraded Rollin's The Rape of the Vampire, The Shiver of the Vampires, Lips of Blood, The Night of the Hunted, Fascination and The Two Orphan Vampires to 4K UHD with The Demoniacs simultaneously released in this format with The Nude Vampire. Each are premium examples of the superiority of this 2160P home theatre format that certainly elevate the viewing experience. With this second feature there is less eroticism yet it is still undeniably Rollin with mood and atmosphere taking precedence over narrative. Indicator's 4K UHD has the film looking it best, by a wide margin, on digital, commentary, appreciations, interviews, a booklet. Another keepsake for Rollin's fans or a strong initiation into his unique genre cinema stylings. Absolute recommended.
___________________________________
The Project A Collection [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Project A, Project A Part II) 88 Films US
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: PROJECT A - Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan, Rush Hour) is a lieutenant in the 19th-century Hong Kong marines. Pirates have been terrorizing local waters, with assistance from the corrupt authorities. Dragon Ma hopes to defeat the evil pirate clan led by Sanpao (Dick Wei), but his plan is short-circuited. Ma then teams with a navy admiral (Hak Suen Lau), a police captain Tzu (Biao Yuen) and a crafty thief (Sammo Hung) in a new round of high-seas battles with Sanpao and his pirates.
PROJECT A: PART II - Corrupt police inspector Chun (David Lam) has made himself the most powerful law enforcement officer in Hong Kong by staging high-profile arrests of the criminals and mobsters with whom he's in cahoots. The British authorities know Chun is a dirty cop but have not been able to infiltrate his inner circle. Enter fearless and incorruptible military policeman "Dragon Ma" Yun (Jackie Chan), who comes back to his hometown to pose as Chun's new right-hand man and take down both cops and criminals.
___________________________________
**1928 + 1934's "The Road to Ruin"** Blu-ray - Helen Foster / Nell O'Day @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: It is remarkable how both versions of The Road to Ruin, made six years apart, star the same actress, Helen Foster, both written and produced by Willis Kent, and follow the script so similarly from meeting at the High School in a jalopy to perusing adult-themed novels, boating, drinking, strip poker-like parlor games, and... abortion. As society evolves, becoming more permissive, it is always fascinating to see what was considered taboo, exploitive and Pre-Code back in the day. One of the amusing aspects of the 1934 version is the raiding by the police ("23 skidoo") taking the gals to the dreaded 'Girls Division of the Juvenile Department' where they determine our protagonist, Ann, is a "Sex Delinquent!" The term does not seem to have the same meaning today. So, moral questions abound from smoking, drinking alcohol, promiscuity leading to abortion and the parent's role in their corrupted daughter's 'road to ruin'. Fascinating stuff indeed. The Kino Blu-ray follows their Forbidden Fruit series with two, remarkably, similar versions of this Pre-Code exploitation film in 1080P and an informative commentary for each. Recommended to fans of the rest of this unusual and historically relevant genre like, a favorite, She Should Have Said No.
___________________________________
**Rolling Thunder [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (John Flynn, 1977) Shout! Factory
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW
COMMENTS: When Major Charles Rane (William Devane, Marathon Man, Interstellar) returns home to San Antonio, Texas, he is given a hero's welcome. He and his friend John Vohden (Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive) had endured eight years of physical and mental torture in a POW camp. Adjusting to his old life isn't going to be easy for Rane. His wife Janet has fallen in love with another man, and his son doesn't remember him. The publicity he receives as a returning hero has attracted the attention of a group of hoodlums. When the group kills Rane's wife and son and leaves him for dead, he and Vohden team up to hunt them down.
___________________________________
**Phil Karlson's "The Scarface Mob"** Blu-ray - Robert Stack / Barbara Nichols @ArrowFilmsVideo
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Film noir specialist Phil Karlson's The Scarface Mob was originally screened as two-episodes of 1959's Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse television program which ran from 1958-1960. The two part 'pilot' was edited together and released theatrically as a stand-alone feature film in the US three years later. This also happened with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's founded 'Desilu' produced The Big Train (as Alcatraz Express theatrically) and The Unhired Assassin (The Gun of Zangara theatrically) - both two-part episodes of the crime drama The Untouchables, based on the Eliot Ness memoirs. However, The Scarface Mob was always planned to be shown in Europe as a feature film - which it was in 1959 (see many Euro posters above.). Four days after the series aired, the ABC network offered Desilu $3.6 million to make 32 episodes entitled The Untouchables with the TV corporation and Desilu holding shared interest. It ran from 1959 to 1963. The Scarface Mob has deep-voiced and handsome Robert Stack (Bullfighter and the Lady, The Tarnished Angels, Great Day in the Morning) as Federal investigator and Prohibition agent Eliot Ness - the 'incorruptible crime fighter' battling powerful and vicious crime lord Al Capone (played here by Neville Brand.) Karlson was a versatile director moving from westerns, war films, plenty of noir gems (Tight Spot, 5 Against the House, Kansas City Confidential, 99 River Street, The Brothers Rico) and doing an Alistair MacLean 'spy' effort, an Elvis Presley vehicle (Kid Galahad), adventures, bio-pics, two Matt Helm's - The Silencers and The Wrecking Crew, and the 1972 horror movie, Ben. He was the first choice to direct the initial James Bond film Dr. No. Phil Karlson concluded his directing career with popular Walking Tall, and Framed (also with Joe Don Baker.) The Scarface Mob is part of the primordial cinematic soup of Brian De Palma's memorable The Untouchables. Fascinating. The Arrow Blu-ray package has the noir-leaning film looking impeccable, two new video essays, a reversible sleeve, lobby card reproductions, a double-sided fold-out poster and an illustrated booklet. Certainly recommended.
___________________________________
**Sirocco** [Blu-ray] (Curtis Bernhardt , 1951) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: "Humphrey Bogart (Dead Reckoning), Märta Torén (Deported), Lee J Cobb (The Family Secret), and Everett Sloane (The Lady from Shanghai) star in Sirocco, a thrilling tale of war and passion. Harry Smith (Bogart) is a black marketeer in colonial Syria, selling arms to the resistance movement against French rule. When he falls for beautiful nightclub singer Violetta (Torén), he becomes caught between her lover, Colonel Feroud (Cobb), and the leaders of the rebel movement. Directed by Curtis Bernhardt (A Stolen Life) and photographed by Burnett Guffey (Knock on Any Door), Sirocco is an exotic film noir classic in the vein of Casablanca."
___________________________________
A Severed Head [Blu-ray] (Dick Clement, 1971) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: "Dick Clement followed the success of his first feature Otley with this wry adaptation of Iris Murdoch’s celebrated 1961 satirical novel, a harbinger of the sexual liberation that was to blossom in the mid-sixties. A Severed Head chronicles the sexual and amoral escapades of a group of middle-class, middle-aged London couples, portrayed by a wonderful cast which includes Ian Holm (Alien, The Lord of the Rings), Lee Remick (Days of Wine and Roses, The Omen), Claire Bloom (The Haunting, The King’s Speech) and Richard Attenborough (10 Rillington Place, Young Winston). Absurdist and delightfully funny, A Severed Head is a dark satire staged with wit and intelligence."
___________________________________
Starting Over [Blu-ray] (Alan J. Pakula, 1979) Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Screen legend Burt Reynolds (The Longest Yard) plays brilliantly against type as a low-key, contented magazine writer who tries to put his life back together after his wife (Candice Bergen, Soldier Blue) opts for independence as a singer-songwriter. Jill Clayburgh (Semi-Tough) plays the wacky nursery school teacher who tries to help him surmount the emotional hurdles, but it’ll be rough going: he’s still hung up on his ex-wife. Starting Over is sprinkled with charming comedy, from Bergen’s nails-on-a-chalkboard singing style to Reynolds’ near-nervous breakdown right in the middle of Bloomingdale’s department store. Crafted by world-renowned filmmakers—writer-producer James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment), director Alan J. Pakula (Klute), cinematographer Sven Nykvist (Cries and Whispers) and composer Marvin Hamlisch (The Sting)—this delightful romantic comedy garnered 1979 Academy Award nominations for both iconic actresses, Bergen and Clayburgh.
___________________________________
**Tokyo Joe** [Blu-ray] (Stuart Heisler, 1949) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: "Humphrey Bogart (Sirocco) stars with Alexander Knox (The Damned), and Florence Marly (Queen of Blood) star in Tokyo Joe, a post-war film noir tale of smuggling, treason, and blackmail. World War II veteran Joe Barrett (Bogart) returns to his Tokyo gambling den and finds that his wife, Trina (Marly), has remarried to American lawyer Mark (Knox). After learning that Trina was forced to broadcast Japanese propaganda, he finds himself blackmailed into assisting war criminals in order to protect her. Directed by Stuart Heisler (The Glass Key), Tokyo Joe features a powerful central performance from its iconic star, and also represented a return to Hollywood for former silent screen legend Sessue Hayakawa (The Bridge on the River Kwai)."
___________________________________
**Bert I. Gordon's "Tormented"** Blu-ray - Richard Carlson / Juli Reding @Film__Masters
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON
COMMENTS: Tormented has Bert I. Gordon firmly implanted in his premium 'B' element - without an overabundance of schlock. There is an interesting subtext here with powerful guilt forming delusions and the kid sister representing Vi Mason (a distractingly curvaceous Juli Reding) with her schoolgirl crush on Tom. It is definitely more in the range of nostalgia value with the hokier aspects (holding the decapitated head) being very cool. I loved it - a great way to start a double feature night. With the island milieu - how about paired with The Flesh Eaters? I was very thankful that we now have a choice of Blu-ray options, although I lean heavily to the Film Masters edition that we strongly recommend for fans of the 50's horror-fantasy genre. Correct a/r 1080P, wonderful commentary, documentary, visual essay, archival interview, booklet, excellent package cover - an absolute keeper.
___________________________________
**Trenque Lauquen** [Blu-ray] (Laura Citarella, 2022) Cinema Guild
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK 
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: The search for a missing woman unspools in two unexpectedly interconnected parts in Laura Citarella's playful new feature. The missing woman is Laura (Laura Paredes), a biologist cataloging plant species in and around the Argentinean city of Trenque Lauquen. The men searching for her: Rafael, her boyfriend, and Ezequiel, a coworker who has come to mean more to her in recent days. But in order to uncover the truth of Laura's disappearance, a profusion of mysteries must be explored. There's the question of love letters hidden in books in the local library, the discovery of a new species of flower, and then there's the mysterious being, rumored to be haunting the lake at the center of town.
___________________________________
True Love [Blu-ray] (Nancy Savoca, 1989) Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: The 1989 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner that helped jumpstart the ‘90s indie movement, Nancy Savoca’s True Love is a seminal work of Italian-American cinema. A humorous yet unflinching look at the realities of love and marriage, the film follows Michael (Ron Eldard, Black Hawk Down) and Donna (Annabella Sciorra, TV's The Sopranos), a young couple preparing for their wedding in an Italian enclave of the Bronx. Through revealing moments in dive bars, pizzerias, and living rooms, the film offers a nuanced meditation on marriage in a world heavily driven by gender norms. The 1989 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner that helped jumpstart the ‘90s indie movement, Nancy Savoca’s True Love is a seminal work of Italian-American cinema.
___________________________________
Vertical Limit [Blu-ray] (Martin Campbell, 2000) RB UK 88 Films
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: K2, a 28,250-foot mountain in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range, is the setting for this adrenaline-pumping action-adventure. It’s a race against time when a retired mountain climber (Chris O’Donnell) leads a rescue mission to save his estranged sister (Robin Tunney) and other members of her team who have become trapped on K2 after a deadly avalanche. Martin Campbell, the celebrated director of The Mask of Zorro and GoldenEye, delivers high-voltage action and exhilarating suspense in a film that pits man against his own limitations and the awesome power of nature’s uncontrollable elements.
___________________________________
**Voices** [Blu-ray] (Kevin Billington, 1973) Indicator UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: Real-life husband and wife David Hemmings (Blowup, Deep Red) and Gayle Hunnicutt (Eye of the Cat, Fragment of Fear) star in this tense British shocker from director Kevin Billington (The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer). After a tragic family accident, Claire (Hunnicutt) suffers a mental breakdown. In an effort to help her recovery, Robert (Hemmings), her husband, takes her to convalesce in a grand country house, but her already fragile sanity is soon threatened by ghostly apparitions and terrifying visions.
___________________________________

LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES AVAILABLE HERE

https://www.patreon.com/posts/dvdbeaver-update-101422576

____________________________________
REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

**1928 + 1934's "The Road to Ruin"** Blu-ray - Helen Foster / Nell O'Day @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: It is remarkable how both versions of The Road to Ruin, made six years apart, star the same actress, Helen Foster, both written and produced by Willis Kent, and follow the script so similarly from meeting at the High School in a jalopy to perusing adult-themed novels, boating, drinking, strip poker-like parlor games, and... abortion. As society evolves, becoming more permissive, it is always fascinating to see what was considered taboo, exploitive and Pre-Code back in the day. One of the amusing aspects of the 1934 version is the raiding by the police ("23 skidoo") taking the gals to the dreaded 'Girls Division of the Juvenile Department' where they determine our protagonist, Ann, is a "Sex Delinquent!" The term does not seem to have the same meaning today. So, moral questions abound from smoking, drinking alcohol, promiscuity leading to abortion and the parent's role in their corrupted daughter's 'road to ruin'. Fascinating stuff indeed. The Kino Blu-ray follows their Forbidden Fruit series with two, remarkably, similar versions of this Pre-Code exploitation film in 1080P and an informative commentary for each. Recommended to fans of the rest of this unusual and historically relevant genre like, a favorite, She Should Have Said No.
____________________________________
Jean Rollin's "The Demoniacs" 4K UHD - Joëlle Coeur / Lieva Lone / Patricia Hermenier @indicatorseries
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
Blu-ray:
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
UK BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Indicator have already upgraded Rollin's The Rape of the Vampire, The Shiver of the Vampires, Lips of Blood, The Night of the Hunted, Fascination and The Two Orphan Vampires to 4K UHD with The Nude Vampire simultaneously released in this format with "The Demoniacs". Each are premium examples of the superiority of this 2160P home theatre format that certainly elevate the viewing experience. Notable from Jean Rollin's "The Demoniacs" is former model Joëlle Coeur (Joëlle Cœur.) She appeared in many magazines in France and the Netherlands. She is remarkable for her beauty and daring film content - ex. in the conclusion of "The Demoniacs" her shameless character, Tina, has a lengthy masturbation session on the beach while watching the twin gals being sexually assaulted - both tied to a wreck. Tina's perversity, sexual spontaneity, teasing, viciousness and hypnotic sensuality take a dominant place in "The Demoniacs". The actress distanced herself from her softcore film work and beyond 1979 worked as a psychotherapist. Her sexuality should not deflect from the unnamed titular twin characters - virgins wandering out of the sea - played by Lieva Lone and Patricia Hermenier. Both their only significant film work. Generally the male performers in the film are much weaker. "The Demoniacs" has the director's frequent sexcapade symbolism, twin-sister fetishism, less fan-favorite gothic atmosphere, and another pivotal, supernatural, evil male (vampiric) manipulator. Indicator's 4K UHD release package is at their top-shelf standard - heads and tails above any other home theatre transfer, commentary and extras offering three distinct version of the film. This may be one for Rollin completists. To that group - please enjoy.
____________________________________
**Jean Rollin's "The Nude Vampire" to 4K UHD** - Caroline Cartier / Marie-Pierre Castel @indicatorseries
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
Blu-ray:
UK BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMENTS: So a group of the 'beau monde' dress up, meet in a swanky mansion, wear hoods with eye slits (as others with gaudy, animal, masks lurk about) and naked activities ensue - sound familiar? However, unlike Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, Jean Rollin's The Nude Vampire concerns a suicide cult, a 'sequestered' female vampire (actually a girl with a rare, healing, blood affliction - alluded to in spin offs of Richard Matheson's story of The Last Man on Earth) and a cult of immortal mutants (also mistakenly judged as vampires.) At least, I think that is the main plot. There are genre elements of sci-fi, gothic horror, conspiracy, blood's relationship to immortality etc. with the director's "... exquisite, if mostly static, cinematography, off-kilter plot progression, poetic dialogue, playful surrealism and recurrent use of well-constructed female lead characters. Outlandish dénouements and abstruse visual symbols were trademarks..." as described on Wikipedia. Indicator have already upgraded Rollin's The Rape of the Vampire, The Shiver of the Vampires, Lips of Blood, The Night of the Hunted, Fascination and The Two Orphan Vampires to 4K UHD with The Demoniacs simultaneously released in this format with The Nude Vampire. Each are premium examples of the superiority of this 2160P home theatre format that certainly elevate the viewing experience. With this second feature there is less eroticism yet it is still undeniably Rollin with mood and atmosphere taking precedence over narrative. Indicator's 4K UHD has the film looking it best, by a wide margin, on digital, commentary, appreciations, interviews, a booklet. Another keepsake for Rollin's fans or a strong initiation into his unique genre cinema stylings. Absolute recommended.
____________________________________
**Andrei Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia" 4K UHD** - Oleg Yankovskiy / Erland Josephson @KinoLorber
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
Blu-ray:
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Kino's 4K UHD release of Andrei Tarkovsky's "Nostalghia" is the first of the director's films to make it to this 2160P format. There is a strong theme of spirituality in all of the director's films often comparing him to Robert Bresson. "Nostalghia" has beautiful dream-like visuals with slow, subtle camera movements. The Soviet actor Anatoly Solonitsyn (Tarkovsky referred to him as his favorite) was intended to play the lead roles in both Nostalghia and his final film The Sacrifice, but the actor died of Cancer - as eventually did a number of the cast / crew of Stalker including the director and his second wife, Larisa Tarkovskaya. This is reported to be connected to the toxicity of the location shooting - predating the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. A theme of nuclear radiation would be revisited in his film The Sacrifice. "Nostalghia" is one of Tarkovsky's lesser-known works but it has his signature hypnotic imagery connected to much of his filmography with floating feathers, spilled milk and impressionistic reflections in gently flowing water. Nostalghia is a fascinating work by a master filmmaker and remains an important part of his artistic testament. Seeing it in 4K UHD is essential for cinephiles. Absolutely recommended.
____________________________________
**Tai Katô's "I, the Executioner"** Blu-ray - Makoto Satô / Chieko Baishô / Sanae Nakahara @FilmsRadiance
UK PURCHASE LINK
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Where have I been? Tai Katô's I, the Executioner is an incredible piece of cinema. There have been three film viewings that have elated me this year to date: Noboru Nakamura's The Shape of Night, Yoshishige Yoshida's A Story Written With Water and Tai Katô's I, the Executioner. All are 60's Japanese widescreen films and each have been released on Radiance Blu-ray this year. Another strange coincidence is that I could only find two posters for each of the three films making me feel that they were less commercially exposed. I, the Executioner is incredibly dark and brilliantly realized with exquisite mise en scène, use of shadows, camera angles and close-ups. I wouldn't state that this is similar to Shohei Imamura's Vengeance Is Mine, although there is a police-procedural aspect. I, the Executioner has a fascinating mystery element, less focused on the killings, with a shocking conclusion. Thank you to DVDBeaver patron Tristan for encouraging me to review it. I'm very appreciative that Radiance have brought this impressive film to home theatre Blu-ray. It has our highest recommendation.
____________________________________
Jamie Luk's "Robotrix" Blu-ray - Amy Yip / Chikako Aoyama @88_Films
UK PURCHASE LINK
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Jamie Luk's Robotrix is more Hong Kong Category III sexploitation including large bare breasts, distasteful assaults including bondage and forced fellatio. The gals; Amy Yip (Anna), Chikako Aoyama (Linda) and Siu-dan Hui (Dr. Sara), are titillating - the latter two certainly fully naked and more. Miss Yip has prodigious use of the 'Yip Tease' (discrete camera angles, and careful editing to contractually hide anything as graphic as nipples or public hair.) Of the three Yip fan favorites; Sex and Zen, Erotic Ghost Story, and Robotrix - this would be my least favorite. I feel like they missed an obvious plot opportunity to use the unique skills of the female robots combined with the obvious sex theme - both humorously and erotically. The action is quite intense with many dead bodies piled up thanks to Sakamoto's nasty, machismo, robot. Mostly silly stuff building a weak plot around robots and boobs. The 88 Films Blu-ray is a good package for Miss Yip's die-hard fans. Everyone else might consider passing.
____________________________________
Daniel Lee's "Black Mask" Blu-ray - Jet Li / Karen Mok @Eurekavideo
UK PURCHASE LINK
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Daniel Lee's Black Mask is filled with excessive violence carrying themes of revenge and government conspiracy. It has a cool sci-fi edge taken from the 1992 'manhua' - Chinese-language comic produced in Greater China. There is an embraceable homage with Jet Li's character Tsui Chik (the 'Black Mask') wearing a domino face covering and chauffeur's cap evoking Bruce Lee's Kato in The Green Hornet television series. Li is always charismatic but very much so here as a quiet librarian with his secret badass 'supersoldier' persona in his past... or so he thought. Pop diva Karen Mok adds a much-needed cuteness and Tsui's friend, Inspector 'Rock' Shek Wai-Ho (played by Ching Wan Lau), no-nonsense stability. Black Mask is a remarkably kinetic film with an immense amount of choreographed action. Quite a ride. Fans will be very pleased with the Eureka Blu-ray package - four versions, two commentaries, interviews, booklet. Easily the most complete home theater package of the explosive film... ever. Recommended.
____________________________________
**Béla Tarr's "Werckmeister Harmonies" 4K UHD** - Lars Rudolph / Peter Fitz @Criterion
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR COMPARISON / REVIEW
COMMENTS: Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies is adapted from a book The Melancholy of Resistance by László Krasznahorkai who also wrote the novel Satantango. We have a restless town, on the edge, where an oddly sparse circus rolls into a helpless town where an apocalyptic atmosphere is forming. This is a pessimistic political allegory of a time where the Eastern Bloc was undergoing major social unrest - flirtation with, another, totalitarian ideology. The title refers to the 17th century Baroque German organist and musical theorist Andreas Werckmeister who was considered immensely influential to the pioneering harmonic basis (well known to JS Bach) underlying almost all of subsequent Western musical theory. Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies is exceptionally brilliant. It's wonderful to get this visual film in the upgraded home-theater formats (approved by Tarr!) What a time we are living in. My God. It is hailed by many as one of the best films of the 21st century. I'm so thrilled with the Criterion Blu-ray and 4K UHD packages. This is one that might force you to upgrade if you are not an adopter yet. Certainly, our highest recommendation.
____________________________________

DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of April 22nd, 2024