DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of July 15th, 2024

DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of July 15th, 2024
http://www.dvdbeaver.com

THIS WEEK's RELEASES: Francis Ford Coppola masterwork in 4K UHD, something odd is gloing on in 1950's Santa Mira.... and its in 4K UHD, Wim Wenders 'perfect film' in 4K and BD, Columbo Returns, Criterion do Glauber Rocha, Joe D'Amato gore in 4K UHD, Antonio Margheriti Apocalypse + Umberto Lenzi Nightmare in 4K from Kino Cult, Peter Strickland, Rocky (s) 4K UHD, Steinberg-Reynolds humor, Melville 4K in UK, Ralph Nelson's radical revisionist western in 4K UHD, Bond-ian Hopkins, more mercurial Leconte...
NEW CALENDAR UPDATES (LINKED HERE!) New coming to 4K UHD; Orson Welles, Alain Resnais, Jean-Pierre Melville (2), Jean-Luc Godard, Bernardo Bertolucci, Andrew Haigh, Todd Solondz, Gregg Araki, Wim Wenders, Sergio Martino, John Mackenzie, Tom Tykwer, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Robert Rodriguez plus, in the UK, Billy Wilder and Michael Curtiz. Take a deep breath.
To Blu-ray: Seijun Suzuki, early works of Michael Powell, Louis Feuillade's complete crime serials, Phil Karlson, Claire Denis, another dozen in ShawScope, Noir triple feature, Akira Kurosawa, Fritz Lang, G.W. Pabst reboot, Mitchell Leisen, Kinji Fukasaku, Marcel Pagnol, Gilles Mimouni, 'Confession' titiliation box, Ramón Peón, Stanley Kramer, 'Adventure' serials boxset, Stuart Rosenberg, Bert I. Gordon trash (X2,) Peter Hyams, Michael Ritchie, Peter Mullan, Robert Benton, J. Lee Thompson (X2,) Elio Petri, Rohmer, Godard, Chabrol, Asian erotic ghost trifecta...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: Argentina Noir Gold, Grace Kelly Oscar, last of the Columbos, Wim slow-cinema perfection Criterion-style, Anna Magnani and Burt L. do Tennessee Williams humanity, Leconte's male fantasy innocence, Thai Crocodile, Ajita Wilson + Lina Romay, Alistair MacLean with Hopkins, Brazilian Cinema Novo revolutionary mysticism...
Enjoy,
Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of July 15th, 2024 (Recommended titles have "**")

Absurd [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Joe D'Amato, 1981) 88 Films UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW
COMMENTS: Mikos (George Eastman, Hands of Steel), an unstoppable killing machine, is on the loose in a sleepy American town. The town’s only hope is a mysterious priest (Edmund Purdom, Pieces) who has been hunting this madman around the globe. As the bodies pile up, desperate Police Sergeant, Engleman (Charles Borromel, Ladyhawke), teams up with the priest in hopes of stopping Mikos from slaughtering more and more of his town folk. A would-be sequel to Joe D’Amato’s infamous Anthropophagus: The Beast, this notorious splatter classic finally returns to UK shelves after three decades of obscurity thanks to 88 Films. Co-starring Anne Belle (House on the Edge of the Park) and Michele Soavi (Stage Fright), and featuring over-the-top death scenes that linger long after viewing, Absurd is essential viewing for any self-respecting horror fan and is presented here, uncut and remastered in 4K from the original camera negative.
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**Glauber Rocha's "Black God, White Devil"** Blu-ray - Geraldo Del Rey / Yoná Magalhães @Criterion
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES

OUR COMPARISON
COMMENTS: Glauber Rocha's Black God, White Devil was a key early film in the Cinema Novo genre and movement - cinema noted for its emphasis on social equality and intellectualism. It rose to prominence in Brazil during the 1960s and 1970s. It shows the peasant lifestyle, hunger and people oppressed with a leaning to the open West and the 'cowboy' freedom of a John Ford film - including a 'gun for hire' bounty hunter, Antônio das Mortes (played by Maurício do Valle.) Black God, White Devil is such a treasure of Brazilian culture and history and will reach deeply to those who have never experienced its poetic beauty. There is despair, hope and strength. The Criterion effectively spreads the film over a larger disc space providing a more robust and, presumably, superior image. The Criterion also has the two important feature-length documentaries plus they add a valuable Richard Peña piece, 1964's Memória do cangaço 1/2 hour documentary and liner notes booklet. The film is very strongly recommended!
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Cannibal Apocalypse [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Cannibals in the Streets / Invasion of the Flesh Hunters) Kino Cult #8
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: The horrors of war take on a whole new meaning for Vietnam vet Norman Hopper (John Saxon, Queen of Blood, Nightmare Beach), whose quiet domestic life in Atlanta is shattered by the return of his war buddy Charlie (Giovanni Lombardo Radice, House on the Edge of the Park), a combat veteran who dredges up terrifying flashbacks of flesh eating and bloodshed in the war-torn jungles. Now on the run from the law after taking a bite out of an unwilling victim, Charlie begs Norman to help him get out of town with another fellow veteran, Tom (Tony King, Report to the Commissioner, The Raiders of Atlantis). Soon the ragtag team of cannibals are fighting for their lives, spreading a deadly contagion through the city before heading into the sewers for a gut-wrenching climax no one will soon forget. One of the most infamous Italian horror films of all time, Cannibal Apocalypse was heavily censored in many countries where it played under such titles as Cannibals in the Streets and Invasion of the Flesh Hunters. Directed by cult filmmaker Antonio Margheriti (The Long Hair of Death, Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye), Cannibal Apocalypse is not for the faint of heart or those with full stomachs!
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**"Columbo: The Return"** Blu-ray - Peter Falk [12 X Blu-ray] @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: We are in the neighborhood of 40 hours of Columbo... and the bonus, for myself, is that there are many episodes that that I have not seen before. Fans will recognize Faye Dunaway, Rod Steiger, George Hamilton, favorite Columbo-villain Patrick McGoohan, William Shatner, Roscoe Lee Browne, Guy Stockwell, Dabney Coleman, Sally Kellerman, Rip Torn, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Begley Jr., Anthony Zerbe, Fisher Stevens, Nancy Walker, Robert Foxworth, Helen Shaver, Tyne Daly, Joanna Going, George Wendt, Billy Connolly, Matthew Rhys, Ian McShane, Brenda Vaccaro, Greg Evigan, Burt Young, Dick Sargent, Betsy Palmer, Rue McClanahan, Richard Kline, Bill Macy, Steven Hill, Little Richard, Janet Margolin, and Shera Danese (widow of actor Peter Falk) who was in four of these episodes and six in the series in total. I'm certain I have missed some. Some of the more memorable in my binge-watching; A Trace of Murder with a beautiful woman and her forensics expert boyfriend who try to frame her very rich husband for murder, Strange Bedfellows (with George Wendt and a brief Rod Steiger), It's All in the Game with two women killing their two-timing lover starring the hypnotic Faye Dunaway, Death Hits the Jackpot involving a winning lottery ticket... and murder, Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star where Lt. Columbo matches wits with a defense lawyer who has never lost a case in his career. I thoroughly enjoyed Columbo Goes to College with Lt. Columbo teaching a class... in murder, Murder, a Self Portrait where the Lt. investigates the apparent drowning of a famous painter's first wife. Columbo Cries Wolf battling wits with the publisher of the men's magazine, Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo opens at the funeral of Columbo's, never-seen, wife, and is partially told in flashbacks. Agenda for Murder has nemesis Patrick McGoohan. Murder, Smoke and Shadows has an egocentric wunderkind director. Sex and the Married Detective has another favorite actress Lindsay Crouse intellectually sparing with our Detective. The very last episode, Columbo Likes the Nightlife, is kinda cool as it is somewhat different. I love Kino's Columbo: The Return Blu-ray package. Hours of entertainment and it can be watched at any time. Our highest recommendation to fans - and we're all fans.
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**The Conversation [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) UK Studiocanal
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 seminal neo-noir thriller THE CONVERSATION symbolises the uneasy line between technology and privacy – a topic more relevant than ever today. Nominated for 3 Academy Awards® and winner of the prestigious 1974 Cannes Film Festival Palme D’or THE CONVERSATION is a tense, paranoid thriller, regarded as one of Coppola’s greatest films. Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is an expert surveillance expert in San Francisco. His routine wiretapping job turns into a nightmare when he hears something disturbing in his recording of a couple; he may have captured something a lot more important than adulterous goings-on. His investigation of the tape and how it might be used sends Harry spiralling into a web of secrecy, murder and paranoia. THE CONVERSATION is a harrowing psychological thriller that co-stars Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest and Harrison Ford.
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**Don Siegel's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" 4K UHD** - Kevin McCarthy / Dana Wynter @KinoLorber
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
US PURCHASE BLU-RAY LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Don Siegel's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is firmly-seated in the pantheon of American 50's sci-fi's golden era which includes The War of the Worlds, The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Thing From Another World, Forbidden Planet, This Island Earth, It Came from Outer Space... each dealing, primarily, with how we are going to get along with extraterrestrial alien life forms who, may, have hostile intentions. I'd probably include The Brain Eaters, and I Married a Monster from Outer Space. Duplicating our bodies and turning us into emotionless "pod people" is certainly deserved of more than a finger-wagging response. Of course, who is going to believe the suspicious "truth-seekers"? Silly conspiracy theorists should be dismissed... until they, too, are replaced in their sleep. Lousy Commies. "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you." Studios of the day were apprehensive about the film's pessimistic conclusion, and a prologue and epilogue were added with the crux of the story told as a flashback to Doctors played by Whit Bissell and Richard Deacon. Finney's novel actually ends with the maximum '5-year life-span extraterrestrials' exiting Earth after our stubborn resistance. Never comply! Some cinemas displayed several gimmicky papier-mâché pods in front of the theatre ala a William Castle ploy or, by extension, Joe Dante's delightful Matinee. Shot in only 23 days, Don Siegel's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" has been oft repeated but never duplicated, although kudos to Phil Kaufman's 1978 remake with a cameo by Kevin McCarthy. Sci-fi movie gold - and now on Kino 4K UHD. The dual-ratios are an aware touch and four commentaries cover a plethora of analysis. Our very highest recommendation!
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Monk: The Complete Eighth Season [Blu-ray] - Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Screen legend Tony Shalhoub is back for one last obsessively compulsive good time in the eighth and final season of the beloved series Monk. From the very first moment detective Adrian Monk appeared on the scene, audiences have been hooked on this intelligent and irreverent sleuth who uses his quirky phobias and neuroses to solve crimes in a way other detectives just can’t. Join him now as he reunites with former colleagues and friends from seasons past—as well as guest stars Carol Kane, Meat Loaf, Virginia Madsen, Craig T. Nelson, Elizabeth Perkins, Daniel Stern and many more—for some of the most riveting cases yet, including the one that has haunted him for the past eight seasons. Critics and fans agree that “…there is something undeniably stirring about watching Tony Shalhoub’s Mr. Monk take his victory lap” (Los Angeles Times).
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Nightmare Beach [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Umberto Lenzi, 1989) Kino Cult #9
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW
COMMENTS: From Umberto Lenzi, notorious director of such Euro-sleaze classics as Paranoia, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, Spasmo, Eyeball and Cannibal Ferox comes Nightmare Beach, a shockingly gory tale of a madman in a motorcycle helmet who is taking out young co-eds all over the sparkling sands of South Florida during Spring Break. As the body count creeps up, Miami detective John Saxon (Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street) tries to keep ahead of the curve in this carnage-packed slasher gem from the maestro of macabre. Featuring a rollicking score by Goblin’s Claudio Simonetti (Suspiria, Dawn of the Dead, The Heroin Busters) and co-starring the great Michael Parks (Death Wish V: The Face of Death, From Dusk Till Dawn, Kill Bill: Vol. 1).
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Paternity [Blu-ray] (David Steinberg, 1981) Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Screen icon Burt Reynolds (The Longest Yard, Starting Over) brings his magnetism and charm to the role of a would-be bachelor father in this sophisticated comedy. The problem: at 44, having lived a life of swinging singledom and wanting it to stay that way, Buddy Evans (Reynolds) also wants a piece of immortality. He wants a child. The solution? A surrogate mother. No strings, no commitments. A long search unearths an aspiring musician (Beverly D’Angelo, National Lampoon’s Vacation) who agrees to bear his child in return for money to finance her studies in France. Complications? Naturally, and one more hilarious than the next, thanks to the comedic talents of director David Steinberg (The Wrong Guy) and a superb cast filled out by Norman Fell, Paul Dooley, Elizabeth Ashley, Juanita Moore, Peter Billingsley and Lauren Hutton.
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**Wim Wenders' "Perfect Days" 4K UHD** - Kōji Yakusho @Criterion
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK (MUBI in August)
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Perfect Days is a wonderful example of slow cinema following the peaceful life rhythms of Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Critics have described it as "Wim Wenders' lifetime masterpiece" and another; "With furious ease, Wenders succeeds in making a rather perfect film." It certainly evokes Ozu - the bicycles on the bridge, the bath houses, and the entire minimalist style of film realization. The lead character's name 'Hirayama' was also used in both Tokyo Story and An Autumn Afternoon. I was thrilled to see Perfect Days on Criterion 4K UHD and Blu-ray. The film is very much worth seeing and owning, imo. A keeper for sure.
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**Peter Strickland Collection** [Blu-ray] - Katalin Varga (2009), Berberian Sound Studio (2012), The Duke of Burgundy (2014), In Fabric (2018) and Flux Gourmet (2022) RB UK Curzon Film
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Step into the weird and wonderful world of Peter Strickland with this comprehensive 6-disc collection which boasts his complete feature filmography to date: Berberian Sound Studio, The Duke of Burgundy, In Fabric, Flux Gourmet, and Strickland’s debut film, Katalin Varga, available on Blu-ray for the first time. Also included are more than a dozen short films spanning over 30 years of Strickland’s filmmaking journey, from his first forays into making music videos, to a brand-new short available for the first time exclusively in this collection.
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Phantoms [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Joe Chappelle, 1998) Shout! Factory
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: A heart-stopping, edge-of-your seat thriller with a hot cast of rising stars, Phantoms is the latest from master of suspense Dean Koontz! Five lone survivors in a devastated town must face the unthinkable: a ferocious force of evil…lying below the Earth for centuries…has surfaced with the power to destroy every human being! Left behind are two sisters, the town sheriff (Ben Affleck), his deputy (Liev Schreiber), and a noted tabloid journalist (Peter O'Toole). You're in for a pulse-pounding experience as the survivors must race to stop this terrifying threat before it wipes mankind off the face of the earth!
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Remembrance [Blu-ray] (Colin Gregg, 1982) RB UK BFI Flipside
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Set around the pubs and clubs of the then-notorious Union Street in 1980s Plymouth, Colin Gregg's direction and Hugh Stoddart's script skilfully cuts between the interweaving stories of several characters as they prepare for the coming months at sea. The ensemble cast includes early performances from the likes of Timothy Spall, John Altman and Gary Oldman (in his big-screen debut).
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Rocky Balboa [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Sylvester Stallone, 2006) SDS
US PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), reigning heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) retaliates by challenging the Italian Stallion to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son (Milo Ventimiglia, TV’s Heroes) and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who’s faster, stronger and thirty years his junior. With the odds stacked firmly against him, Rocky takes on Dixon in what will become the greatest fight in boxing history, a hard-hitting, action-packed battle of the ages!
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Rocky 6-Film Collection [4K UHD Blu-ray] - SDS
US PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Includes Rocky I, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky Balboa
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**Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le samouraï" 4K UHD** - Alain Delon @Criterion
UK PURCHASE LINK
Already available in:
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: With the attraction of The Godfather in cinemas, premiering March 1972, Le Samouraï was subsequently released in an English-dubbed version in the US (July 1972) under the title "The Godson". Le Samouraï is a very special type of neo-noir; - certainly very French - encapsulating desirable 'dark cinema' tropes that harkening to a distant homage. A loner, professional and methodical hitman, Jef Costello (Delon,) is seeking one of his 'employers' who was intent on his own contracted assassination. We have a procedural crime element with the Parisian Commissaire (François Périer) playing a cat and mouse game of acquiring evidentiary justification for his capture and arrest. The women in Jef's orbit love him and are willing to sacrifice to assist in his survival. It was the first film for Delon's wife, Nathalie playing part-time gal-pal 'Jane Lagrange'. We also have the appearances of Sade-esque, model and actress, Caty Rosier - pianist eye-candy at the nightclub. They mirror his restrained attitude of composed indifference. There is no romance - only survival. Melville once said "There is no greater solitude than that of the samurai unless it is that of the tiger in the jungle..." Jef is the tiger and he's on the prowl. An indelible character study. Criterion's 4K UHD release of Le Samouraï only offers the new, quite different HD presentation. Fans will see the film on digital as they never have before. That enticement, alone, can be overwhelming. As a must-see film, Le Samouraï has our highest recommendation.
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**Soldier Blue 4K UHD** (Ralph Nelson, 1970) UK Studiocanal
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
UK Blu-ray PURCHASE LINK
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS: After a convoy and its U.S. cavalry escort are attacked by Cheyenne Native Americans, only Private Honus Gant (Peter Strauss) and a young woman under the cavalry’s protection (Candice Bergen) survive. Forced to travel across the American frontier’s unforgiving wilderness in search of refuge, their journey reaches a tragic climax as they witness the vengeful U.S. army’s cold-blooded slaughter of the Cheyenne tribe. Controversial upon its release and reflecting the political climate of the time, Ralph Nelson’s Soldier Blue (1970) is uncompromising in its anti-war stance and in its graphic depiction of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. By shedding light on America’s dark history and the inhumane actions of the U.S. army, this revisionist western is one of the most radical films in American cinema’s history.
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Étienne Périer's "When Eight Bells Toll" Blu-ray - Anthony Hopkins, Nathalie Delon, Wendy Allnutt @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Étienne Périer's When Eight Bells Toll is not a premium Alistair MacLean adaptation. Young (32) Anthony Hopkins (received £8,000 for the role) is a working-class James Bond character. I wouldn't say he was poor - I just had trouble buying into this small actor bouncing around as an action star. I was not keen on the yellow-heavy image quality and I lost interest a few times. I perked-up seeing Hopkins casually playing the ruthless Commander Philip Calvert who kills without compunction over some missing Gold. I did enjoy the new commentary on the Kino Blu-ray but it may lean to Hopkins fans (as an outlier in his career) or curious Alistair MacLean devotees. Meh.
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Yvonne's Perfume [Blu-ray] (Patrice Leconte, 1994) Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: From acclaimed director Patrice Leconte (Girl on the Bridge, The Hairdresser’s Husband), Yvonne’s Perfume is a mysterious and romantic drama of desire. In the early 1950s, on the shores of a lake wedged between France and Switzerland, a trio of holiday travelers meet, clash, and fall in and out of friendship and love. Adapted from the novel Villa Triste by Nobel Prize-winner Patrick Modiano, it follows Victor (Hippolyte Girardot, The French Dispatch) a deserter escaping his past who lusts after the beautiful actress Yvonne (Sandra Majani). Their push-pull flirtation attracts the attention of gay bon vivant Dr. Meinthe (Jean-Pierre Marielle, The Da Vinci Code), who can’t help but insert himself into their tryst. But their idyllic holiday can’t last forever.
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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES AVAILABLE HERE

https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-calendar-107525815

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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

**"Columbo: The Return"** Blu-ray - Peter Falk [12 X Blu-ray] @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: We are in the neighborhood of 40 hours of Columbo... and the bonus, for myself, is that there are many episodes that that I have not seen before. Fans will recognize Faye Dunaway, Rod Steiger, George Hamilton, favorite Columbo-villain Patrick McGoohan, William Shatner, Roscoe Lee Browne, Guy Stockwell, Dabney Coleman, Sally Kellerman, Rip Torn, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Begley Jr., Anthony Zerbe, Fisher Stevens, Nancy Walker, Robert Foxworth, Helen Shaver, Tyne Daly, Joanna Going, George Wendt, Billy Connolly, Matthew Rhys, Ian McShane, Brenda Vaccaro, Greg Evigan, Burt Young, Dick Sargent, Betsy Palmer, Rue McClanahan, Richard Kline, Bill Macy, Steven Hill, Little Richard, Janet Margolin, and Shera Danese (widow of actor Peter Falk) who was in four of these episodes and six in the series in total. I'm certain I have missed some. Some of the more memorable in my binge-watching; A Trace of Murder with a beautiful woman and her forensics expert boyfriend who try to frame her very rich husband for murder, Strange Bedfellows (with George Wendt and a brief Rod Steiger), It's All in the Game with two women killing their two-timing lover starring the hypnotic Faye Dunaway, Death Hits the Jackpot involving a winning lottery ticket... and murder, Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star where Lt. Columbo matches wits with a defense lawyer who has never lost a case in his career. I thoroughly enjoyed Columbo Goes to College with Lt. Columbo teaching a class... in murder, Murder, a Self Portrait where the Lt. investigates the apparent drowning of a famous painter's first wife. Columbo Cries Wolf battling wits with the publisher of the men's magazine, Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo opens at the funeral of Columbo's, never-seen, wife, and is partially told in flashbacks. Agenda for Murder has nemesis Patrick McGoohan. Murder, Smoke and Shadows has an egocentric wunderkind director. Sex and the Married Detective has another favorite actress Lindsay Crouse intellectually sparing with our Detective. The very last episode, Columbo Likes the Nightlife, is kinda cool as it is somewhat different. I love Kino's Columbo: The Return Blu-ray package. Hours of entertainment and it can be watched at any time. Our highest recommendation to fans - and we're all fans.
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Étienne Périer's "When Eight Bells Toll" Blu-ray - Anthony Hopkins, Nathalie Delon, Wendy Allnutt @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Étienne Périer's When Eight Bells Toll is not a premium Alistair MacLean adaptation. Young (32) Anthony Hopkins (received £8,000 for the role) is a working-class James Bond character. I wouldn't say he was poor - I just had trouble buying into this small actor bouncing around as an action star. I was not keen on the yellow-heavy image quality and I lost interest a few times. I perked-up seeing Hopkins casually playing the ruthless Commander Philip Calvert who kills without compunction over some missing Gold. I did enjoy the new commentary on the Kino Blu-ray but it may lean to Hopkins fans (as an outlier in his career) or curious Alistair MacLean devotees. Meh.
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**Carlos Hugo Christensen's "Never Open That Door"** (No abras nunca esa puerta) Blu-ray - Ángel Magana, Roberto Escalada, Norma Giménez @flickeralley
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Carlos Hugo Christensen's Never Open That Door ("No abras nunca esa puerta") is magnificent. It exceeded my high expectations. It is made up of two parts; Anguish aka "Somebody on the Phone" ('Alguien al teléfono') and Pain aka "The Hummingbird Comes Home" ('El pájaro cantor vuelve al hogar'.) Both episodes are gripping - evoking Hitchcock, full of noir tropes (blackmail, suicide, mistaken identity, robbery/murder etc.) They use whistling and unanswered phone calls as identifiers, and blindness as a perceived weakness - creativity is all over the narrative, sets and Pablo Tabernero's shadow-soaked cinematography. Flicker Alley are a treasure. With the Film Noir Foundation they have brought Argentine Noirs The Beast Must Die (La bestia debe morir), El vampiro negro (The Black Vampire), and The Bitter Stems (Los tallos amargos) to magnificent keepsake Blu-rays - and we recommend each enthusiastically. Carlos Hugo Christensen's Never Open That Door is my favorite so far and the package includes the brilliant mystery thriller feature by same director; If I Should Die Before I Wake - the third part of the film trilogy. Plus there is an excellent commentary and extensive video pieces on Woolrich and the Golden Age of the Argentine film industry - plus a 20-page souvenir booklet with photos (no essays.) Flicker Alley's new Blu-ray gets our absolute highest recommendation. Own this.
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Sompote Sands' 1979 "Crocodile (Chorakhe)" Blu-ray - Tany Tim / Angela Wells @synapsefilms
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Sompote Sands' Crocodile (Chorakhe) is a bit of a mess qualifying for the 'so bad it's good' category. It was produced by the Thai production company, Chaiyo Productions. They was known for using unauthorized footage from uncredited sources. Crocodile is a cult film that is often called a Jaws-clone but I thought it was creative to include flashbacks and the prolonged opening family sequences were appreciated by this reviewer. Yes, there is an undeniable link from crocodile/alligator to sharks in this genre with less-seen underwater attacks. There is gruesome gore in Crocodile (Chorakhe) - like a crocodile being slashed to death with a knife - but it is mostly masked with fast edits, as are direct shots of the creature in-action. I imagine those interested in Synapse's Blu-ray are quite niche but it does have its own energy, dizzy-inducing editing but is a decent horror premise. To each his own.
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**Wim Wenders' "Perfect Days" 4K UHD** - Kōji Yakusho @Criterion
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
UK 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK (MUBI in August)
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Perfect Days is a wonderful example of slow cinema following the peaceful life rhythms of Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Critics have described it as "Wim Wenders' lifetime masterpiece" and another; "With furious ease, Wenders succeeds in making a rather perfect film." It certainly evokes Ozu - the bicycles on the bridge, the bath houses, and the entire minimalist style of film realization. The lead character's name 'Hirayama' was also used in both Tokyo Story and An Autumn Afternoon. I was thrilled to see Perfect Days on Criterion 4K UHD and Blu-ray. The film is very much worth seeing and owning, imo. A keeper for sure.
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**Glauber Rocha's "Black God, White Devil"** Blu-ray - Geraldo Del Rey / Yoná Magalhães @Criterion
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES