NOTE: Next Month, Don Siegel's 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers is coming to 4K UHD HERE.

THIS WEEK's RELEASES: Michael Powell 4K UHD, Bertolucci 4K UHD, Leone 4K UHD, William Wyler Quakers, Fred Zinnemann Nuns, Michael Curtiz X 2, Clint directs Cooper - 4K UHD, Francis Ford Coppola, John Farrow, Charles Vidor, Vitagraph Comedies Simon Callow, William Asher, Jesús Franco...
NEW CALENDAR UPDATES (LINKED HERE!) Peckinpah 4K UHD, Jean-Pierre Melville 4K UHD, Francis Ford Coppola X 2 BD and one 4K UHD, Anthony Mann, William Wyler, Fred Zinnemann - Audrey, Michael Curtiz X 2, Sean Penn directs, Michael Caine - Jack the Ripper, Paul Thomas Anderson, Frank Borzage, Gary Sinise directs, Martin Ritt - Newman / Poitier, Michael Apted, my favorite Trần Anh Hùng, Shunji Iwai, Matteo Garrone, Arthur Ripley noir, Sergio Martino 4K UHD, Frank Tuttle - Lake / Tone, Bong Joon-ho 4K UHD, more detective Monk, Fabio Salerno, new Wim Wenders, Raoul Walsh - Wright / Mitchum, Ladd / Lake in Saigon, Alejandro Jodorowsky 4K UHD, Powell - Pressburger, new and old Ken Loach, Jean-Pierre Melville, John Sturges 4K UHD Steelbook, 3-ring vampire, Paul Schrader 4K UHD, Ernst Lubitsch, Polanski - Jack 4K UHD, Edgar Reitz, Orson Welles - Shakespeare, Ken Russell, Joe Dante 4K UHD, Peter Strickland box, Scorsese Gold 4K UHD boxset, Kathryn Bigelow 4K UHD, Jesús Franco, Glauber Rocha Criterion treatment, Ralph Nelson - Candy Bergman 4K UHD, Brian De Palma 4K UHD in UK, Kaige Chen 4K UHD, Kinji Fukasaku sci-fi, Cruise? Criterion? 4K UHD?, Mexican 50's adventure, more 60's Japanese Tai Katô!, Hal Ashby, François Truffaut, Claude Berri, Dick Tracy RKO...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: Francis Amicus with Cushing, Lee and Sutherland in 4K UHD, Sidney Lumet police corruption, Yasujiro Ozu double feature, Ladd/Kerr in India, Paul Schrader stigmata, Jack Hill blaxploitation, Holden submarine, 50's sci-fi homage...
Enjoy,
Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of May 13th, 2024 (Recommended titles have "**")

12 Strong [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Nicolai Fuglsig, 2018) Warner
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: 12 Strong is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when a U.S. Special Forces team, led by their new Captain, Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first U.S. troops sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission. There, in the rugged mountains, they must convince Northern Alliance General Dostum (Navid Negahban) to join forces with them to fight their common adversary: the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. In addition to overcoming mutual distrust and a vast cultural divide, the Americans accustomed to stateof- the-art warfare must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghan horse soldiers. But despite their uneasy bond, the new allies face overwhelming odds: outnumbered and outgunned by a ruthless enemy that does not take prisoners.
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**American Sniper [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Clint Eastwood, 2014) Studio Distribution Services
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW
COMMENTS: Chris Kyle's (Bradley Cooper) mission is to protect his brothers in arms while being a prime target of insurgents. Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to "leave no one behind." But upon returning to his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind.
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**The Ballad of the Sad Cafe** [Blu-ray] (Simon Callow, 1991) RB UK Screenbound Pictures
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Set during the Depression in the South, Miss Amelia Evans (Vanessa Redgrave) owns the local store and is feared and loathed by most of the town. She kicks her would-be husband out, refusing to consummate the marriage, but accepts his generous wedding present of land. When a hunchback arrives, claiming he is her cousin, the town watches in amazement as she takes him in, dotes on him and turns her store into a cafe for him.
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Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker [4K UHD Blu-ray] (William Asher, 1981) Severin UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: It remains the most joltingly violent, psychosexual grindhouse shocker of the ‘80s, directed by a veteran of I Love Lucy and starring a frequently shirtless former teen idol with an epically demented performance by an Oscar® nominee. And now it can be experienced for the first time ever in UHD: Jimmy McNichol stars as an orphaned high-school student raised by his strangely overprotective aunt (Susan Tyrrell of FAT CITY fame) who becomes implicated in a grisly murder investigated by a psychotic police detective (an equally unhinged Bo Svenson of INGLORIOUS BASTARDS). 7x Emmy® nominee Julia Duffy (Newhart) and Bill Paxton (in one of his first film roles) co-star in this “jaw-dropping hunk of genre insanity” (Pop Culture Beast) and former DPP 39 Video Nasty – also known as NIGHT WARNING.
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Countdown to Esmeralda Bay [Blu-ray] (Jesús Franco, 1990) Full Moon Features
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: From the fevered mind of cult director Jess Franco comes COUNTDOWN TO ESMERALDA BAY, a rarely seen, action-packed thriller produced by Europe's notorious genre film studio, Eurocine (FEMALE VAMPIRE, DEMONIAC)! In the sweaty, politically volatile South American country of Puerto Santo, there's a battle brewing. When an arms-dealing American (George Kennedy, COOL HAND LUKE) begins selling weapons to the local rebels, he stirs the ire of a hot-headed General (Robert Forster, JACKIE BROWN, ALLIGATOR) and raises the blood-pressure of the country's hapless president (Fernando Rey, THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE).
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**The Dreamers [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Bernardo Bertolucci, 2003) Icon Film Distribution UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: From Academy Award winning director Bernardo Bertolucci (The Last Emperor, The Conformist), the original cut of modern classic THE DREAMERS has been remastered for its 20th anniversary in stunning 4K. The restoration was completed by Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna under the supervision of director of photography, Fabio Cianchetti. Set against the tumultuous background of the '68 Paris student riots, experience this unforgettable love letter to cinema and the French New Wave like never before. Starring Michael Pitt (Funny Games, Seven Psychopaths), Louis Garrel (Little Women), and BAFTA winner Eva Green (Casino Royale, Penny Dreadful) in her daring cinematic debut.
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Frankenstein: Legacy [Blu-ray] (Paul Dudbridge, 2024) Allied Vaughn
US PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: In 1875 England, a century after Victor Frankenstein's doomed experiment, his journals have been trading hands for decades. Frankenstein's secrets did not die with him. As graves are torn up and patients disappear from the asylum, William Browning sets out to find who stole his father's body - and finds horrors close to home as his mother descends into madness.
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**Friendly Persuasion** [Blu-ray] (William Wyler, 1956) Warner Archive
US PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: For two years the Civil War has been elsewhere. Now Confederate forces are nearby, looting and burning. It's time to fight back, Jess Birdwell's neighbors insist. Yet Birdwell, a Quaker, knows there must be a better way to settle things. In a role ideally suiting his stalwart persona, Gary Cooper plays Jess in William Wyler's beloved and acclaimed film of Jessamyn West's novel Friendly Persuasion. The film earned six Academy Award nominations. including Best Picture. Leading lady Dorothy McGuire was named Best Actress by the National Board of Review for her outstanding performance as Eliza Birdwell, and 24 year-old Anthony Perkins became a rising star, giving his first major film appearance in the integral role of the Birdwell's son Josh. Friendly Persuasion is a timeless classic, and a testament to the great artistry of all those involved in creating this masterful film.
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**Hidden City** [Blu-ray] (Stephen Poliakoff, 1987) RB UK BFI
UK PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: After establishing a fine reputation in British television drama, Stephen Poliakoff directed his first feature film in 1987. A mystery wrapped in conspiracy and secrets, Hidden City tells the story of James Richards (Charles Dance), a writer who is sucked into a search for a lost piece of film by Sharon Newton (Cassie Stewart), a video librarian. What they stumble upon are cover-ups, tense searches, and possible danger. With the help of Witold Stoks’ excellent cinematography, Poliakoff has crafted a rich look into London’s dark history, with disused tram-tunnels and long-forgotten subterranean chambers serving as the backdrop to explore the depths of the British pre-occupation with secrecy. Featuring a sensational cast of stellar British talent including Charles Dance, Richard E. Grant and Bill Paterson, Stephen Poliakoff's rarely seen directorial debut is a stylish thriller ripe for rediscovery.
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**The Nun's Story** [Blu-ray] (Fred Zinnemann, 1959) Warner Archive
US PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: The Nun's Story is an unforgettable revelation of the seldom-seen world behind convent walls. This landmark motion picture classic stars a radiant Audrey Hepburn who portrays a nun whose life journey takes her from the staff of a mental asylum to a much-desired position as a surgical nurse in the Belgian Congo. But when she returns to her native Belgium as World War II breaks out, she is torn between the needs of the Resistance and the church's neutrality. Directed by four-time Academy Award winner Fred Zinnemann, The Nun's Story earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture; New York Film Critics' Awards for Best Actress and Director; and National Board of Review Awards for Best Picture, Director and Supporting Actress (Edith Evans).
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**Once Upon a Time in the West [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Sergio Leone, 1968) Paramount
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW

COMMENTS: One of the most iconic, and influential, movies ever made, Sergio Leone's monumental epic comes to 4K Ultra HD. Set in the dying days of the Old West, a struggle to control water in a dusty desert town embroils three hard-bitten gunmen in an epic clash of greed, honor, and revenge. This definitive Paramount Presents limited edition includes both HDR-10 and Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative by Paramount’s archive team, L'immagine Ritrovata and The Film Foundation. Special thanks to Martin Scorsese for his consultation on this restoration.
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One Life [Blu-ray] (James Hawes, 2023) Decal Bleecker
US PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: The true story of Nicholas Winton, who organized the rescue of hundreds of predominantly Jewish children from the Nazis on the verge of World War II. Half a century later, he is haunted by the memory of those he could not save.
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**Passage to Marseille** [Blu-ray] (Michael Curtiz, 1944) Warner Archive UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
Already Out In:
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER REVIEW
COMMENTS:
Something of a follow-up to Casablanca, but without that movie's deft and evocative script. Bogart plays Jean Matrac, a journalist converted, by a confrontation at sea with Greenstreet's elegant fascism (shades of Huston's Across the Pacific), from bitterness against a France that has wronged him to self-destructive patriotism with the Free French. The movie is brought to earth by its unnecessary complexity - at one point we're in a flashback from a flashback from a flashback - but the central scenes on Devil's Island have a cogency and atmosphere, particularly Bogart's spell in solitary, which demonstrate the movie it might have been. The last reel quivers with the sort of emotionalism that wartime audiences adored. Bogart hasn't much to do beyond gritting his teeth, Rains typically holds the plot together, and Michèle Morgan is thanklessly cast as the wife waiting at home 'till we meet again'.
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**Peeping Tom [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Michael Powell, 1960) Criterion
US 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN 4K UHD PURCHASE LINK
US BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN BLU-RAY PURCHASE LINK
BEAVER Blu-ray REVIEW
COMMENTS: Having brought British cinema into exalted realms of fantasy and imagination, Michael Powell took a dark detour into obsession, voyeurism, and violence with this groundbreaking metacinematic investigation into the mechanics of fear. Armed with his killer camera, photographer and filmmaker Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm) unleashes the traumas of his childhood by murdering women and recording their deaths—until he falls for his downstairs neighbor, and finds himself struggling against his dark compulsions. Received with revulsion upon its release only to be reclaimed as a masterpiece, the endlessly analyzed, still-shocking Peeping Tom dares viewers to confront their own relationship to the violence on-screen.
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**Santa Fe Trail** [Blu-ray] (Michael Curtiz, 1940) Warner Archive UK
UK PURCHASE LINK
Already Out In:
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Bright young lieutenants Jeb Stuart (Flynn) and George Armstrong Custer (Reagan) are assigned to Kansas Territory to guard the Santa Fe Trail. There, they clash with the fanatical abolitionist John Brown (Massey). On a more romantic side, they also vie for the hand of ‘Kit Carson’ Holliday (de Havilland). But the pursuit of Brown leads the army to the pivotal battle at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, which strikes the spark that hastens the Civil War.
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John Farrow's "Submarine Command" Blu-ray - William Holden / William Bendix @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: John Farrow's Submarine Command is early in addressing PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) - the mental and behavioral disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event in this case torturous memories over a crewman's death. Holden, who is excellent as Cmdr. Ken White, invested $20,000 of his own money into Submarine Command. It's the kind of film that Paramount would churn out in the 50's. It has a minimum of stock footage (a few short sequences), broaches the topic of the psychological scars of war, and is generally a pleasing, reasonably entertaining, film. Submarine movie fans won't find this as gripping as, example, Samuel Fuller's Hell and High Water. Australian-born Farrow has an interesting filmography working initially in the silent era. He directed Wake Island, Calcutta, Plunder of the Sun, and noirs Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Alias Nick Beal, The Big Clock, His Kind of Woman among others. I wouldn't put Submarine Command in the top 50% of his directorial work. The Kino Blu-ray has an image issue, but offers a new commentary. Holden fans or Farrow completists may wish to indulge. Otherwise, I'd probably say "pass"
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**Charles Vidor's "Thunder in the East"** Blu-ray - Alan Ladd / Deborah Kerr @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Charles Vidor's Thunder in the East was based on the 1948 novel by war correspondent Alan Moorehead; The Rage Of The Vulture. Of course, the film softens the Muslim - Hindu conflict details as well as British / Indian factors, instead focusing more on a fictitious privileged ex-pat community in a Northern Indian state called 'Gandahar' as they gained independence - circa 1947. Charles Boyer is wonderful as humanist Prime Minister Singh adhering to a philosophy of non-violence. This is at odds with "Don't Tread on Me" gun hustler Steve Gibbs; a Yank mercenary, non-nonsense, tough guy played expertly by Alan Ladd at the height of his charisma. Corinne Calvet (Rope of Sand, The Far Country) tries to seduce her way onto his escaping plane (the representation of safety) while a 'good girl', who happens to be blind and the Vicar's daughter, Joan Willoughby (sweet Deborah Kerr) is turned off by Steve's 'me-first' attitude. This is despite their obvious blossoming chemistry. When the going gets tough though - throw out your inner virtue and bring out the equalizer - the, previously impounded, Thompson sub-machineguns - which save the stranded survivors being ambushed. Mow'em down without mercy after Ladd and Kerr desperately wed. She succumbs to his unselfishness. Wow - they do not make them like this anymore. Charles Vidor's Thunder in the East represents a rare film viewing experience with Ladd doing what he does best, Boyer exceptional as the Nehru-like politician and the gals Kerr and Calvert adding some romantic entanglements. I really enjoyed this Kino Blu-ray. I'm still a bit flabbergasted by the film's ending. Certainly recommended.
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**Vitagraph Comedies** [Blu-ray] (three-disc collection) - Kino
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: The history of screen comedy did not begin with Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton. Prior to their appearances on the American screen, an entire generation of comedians was already establishing (and breaking) the boundaries of this rapidly evolving genre. While working at the Vitagraph Studios, music hall artists such as John Bunny, Frank Roberts, and Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew retooled their brands of comedy into something uniquely cinematic, advancing the art form and setting the stage for the slapstick explosion. This three-disc collection, presented by the Library of Congress, showcases the bold innovation of these overlooked pioneers, including the ingenious trick film The Disintegrated Convict, the gender-bending irrereverence of Edith Storey, and the epic scale of Larry Semon’s The Sawmill. Vitagraph Comedies also provides precious glimpses of comedians (e.g. Flora Finch or the comedy duo Montgomery and Rock) who are virtually forgotten today, because so little of their work has survived.
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You're a Big Boy Now [Blu-ray] (Francis Ford Coppola, 1966) Warner Archive
US PURCHASE LINK
COMMENTS: Bernard Chanticleer (Peter Kastner) is a very nice young man anxious to step out into the adult world. His plan is to move out of his parents' Long Island house into an eighth-floor Greenwich Village walkup -- and try to convince someone to share his new liberated lifestyle with him. You're a Big Boy Now was Francis Ford Coppola's UCLA Film School Master's thesis -- and a hilarious, high-speed debut in film comedy for the future maker of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Fresh off A Patch of Blue, Elizabeth Hartman bewitchingly plays the free spirit who tempts Bernard. Karen Black makes her own screen debut as the love object that lovesick Bernard overlooks and Geraldine Page nearly steals the show with her Academy Award-nominated* performance as Bernard's possessive mother.
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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES AVAILABLE HERE

https://www.patreon.com/posts/massive-calendar-103515737

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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

**Paul Schrader's "Touch"** Blu-ray - Bridget Fonda / Christopher Walken @VinegarSyndrome @cine_matographe
Vinegar Syndrome PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Paul Schrader's Touch has comedic irony. I did not grasp much of that tone in my first viewing - preferring to see it as a serious story of faith-healing, stigmata phenomenon, spiritual exploitation and tabloid TV. I began to appreciate it much more while listening to the commentary in my second viewing. The character's features are all broadly exaggerated; anger, innocence, love, infatuation etc.. Certainly not a standard Elmore Leonard crime-fiction / suspense thriller. There are elements of a black comedy making light of the subject matter while expanding human flaws that provoke serious thought. It has a strong cast - notably Fonda, Ulrich and Janeane Garofalo (who I always enjoy) without any succumbing to Schrader's oft-utilized 'existential crisis'. Touch is certainly a strange film experience but I am looking forward to revisiting at least a third time if not more. Cinématographe's Blu-ray is very welcome; great packaging, new commentary, director interview, astute video essay, booklet essays and more. This is a film that is certainly deserved of reappraisal. Worthy of multiple spins. 
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**Jack Hill's "Coffy"** Blu-ray - Pam Grier @UmbrellaEnt
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Jack Hill's Coffy was a year before Charles Bronson's landmark Death Wish - sharing themes of a vigilante spurred to vengeful action by tragic familial exposure to crime. Jack Hill (Switchblade Sisters) caved out a unique niche of films supporting feminist leanings - strong women with Coffy's Grier enhancing her status as the leading "femme fatale" of blaxploitation for the remainder of the 1970s and beyond. Coffy's world is harsh - children, heroine addiction and beatings of her as well as her cop lover into a coma etc. Exploiting her abundant sexuality and fearlessness leads to the film's pun tagline: "Coffy...she'll cream you". Indeed. The Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray has it all with the solid a/v, feature length documentary, valuable director commentary and Pam Grier interview. It may not be worth the double-dip but, regardless, this is the best physical media package of the iconic film. Certainly recommended.
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John Farrow's "Submarine Command" Blu-ray - William Holden / William Bendix @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: John Farrow's Submarine Command is early in addressing PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) - the mental and behavioral disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event in this case torturous memories over a crewman's death. Holden, who is excellent as Cmdr. Ken White, invested $20,000 of his own money into Submarine Command. It's the kind of film that Paramount would churn out in the 50's. It has a minimum of stock footage (a few short sequences), broaches the topic of the psychological scars of war, and is generally a pleasing, reasonably entertaining, film. Submarine movie fans won't find this as gripping as, example, Samuel Fuller's Hell and High Water. Australian-born Farrow has an interesting filmography working initially in the silent era. He directed Wake Island, Calcutta, Plunder of the Sun, and noirs Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Alias Nick Beal, The Big Clock, His Kind of Woman among others. I wouldn't put Submarine Command in the top 50% of his directorial work. The Kino Blu-ray has an image issue, but offers a new commentary. Holden fans or Farrow completists may wish to indulge. Otherwise, I'd probably say "pass".
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**Charles Vidor's "Thunder in the East"** Blu-ray - Alan Ladd / Deborah Kerr @KinoLorber
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Charles Vidor's Thunder in the East was based on the 1948 novel by war correspondent Alan Moorehead; The Rage Of The Vulture. Of course, the film softens the Muslim - Hindu conflict details as well as British / Indian factors, instead focusing more on a fictitious privileged ex-pat community in a Northern Indian state called 'Gandahar' as they gained independence - circa 1947. Charles Boyer is wonderful as humanist Prime Minister Singh adhering to a philosophy of non-violence. This is at odds with "Don't Tread on Me" gun hustler Steve Gibbs; a Yank mercenary, non-nonsense, tough guy played expertly by Alan Ladd at the height of his charisma. Corinne Calvet (Rope of Sand, The Far Country) tries to seduce her way onto his escaping plane (the representation of safety) while a 'good girl', who happens to be blind and the Vicar's daughter, Joan Willoughby (sweet Deborah Kerr) is turned off by Steve's 'me-first' attitude. This is despite their obvious blossoming chemistry. When the going gets tough though - throw out your inner virtue and bring out the equalizer - the, previously impounded, Thompson sub-machineguns - which save the stranded survivors being ambushed. Mow'em down without mercy after Ladd and Kerr desperately wed. She succumbs to his unselfishness. Wow - they do not make them like this anymore. Charles Vidor's Thunder in the East represents a rare film viewing experience with Ladd doing what he does best, Boyer exceptional as the Nehru-like politician and the gals Kerr and Calvert adding some romantic entanglements. I really enjoyed this Kino Blu-ray. I'm still a bit flabbergasted by the film's ending. Certainly recommended.
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**Michael Laughlin's "Strange Invaders"** Blu-ray - Nancy Allen / Paul Le Mat @imprint_films
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
UK PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Michael Laughlin's Strange Invaders is a very comfortable sci-fi homage / spoof with the plot carrying similarities to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and an art design of 50's Americana and small town sci-fi charm. I love the cast inclusion of Kenneth Tobey (1951's The Thing From Another World, The Man From Planet X, It Came from Beneath the Sea), June Lockhart (She-Wolf of London, the TV series Lost in Space etc.) and wonderful character actor Charles Lane (The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and many Frank Capra films.) It's a fun story of aliens living among us - tastefully and peacefully if shocking looking. I always enjoy it and have a soft spot for Nancy Allen. Her character, Betty Walker, can be seen watching 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still, on TV, in one scene. The Imprint Blu-ray isn't worth a double-dip over the Twilight Time but it's a film I often return to. Recommended!
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**Freddie Francis's "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" 4K UHD** - Peter Cushing / Donald Sutherland @VinegarSyndrome
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW / COMPARISON
COMMENTS: Freddie Francis's Dr Terror's House of Horrors was the first horror from Amicus Productions (established by Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg who had previously collaborated on John Llewellyn Moxey's 1960 The City of the Dead) and was also the first in a series of portmanteau or anthology films from the studio which included Torture Garden (1967), The House That Dripped Blood (1970), and Asylum (1972) among others. The segmented stories dealt with five male strangers getting their fortunes read on a train from London. Dr Terror's House of Horrors have Peter Cushing-induced (as 'Dr. Schreck') prophecies including a confrontation with a werewolf (know as Count Cosmo Valdemar,) and vengeful undead - creeping vines echoing desirable The Day of the Triffids, voodoo magic starring Roy Castle (Dr. Who and the Daleks) as a musician - an artist's disembodied, creeping, hand (precursor to Oliver Stone's The Hand) with a nasty Christopher Lee (Night of the Big Heat) feeling the brunt - and a fantastical, small village, vampire tale with a young Donald Sutherland (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) - who was paid £1,000 for his role. Really. There is also an epilogue with, somewhat, of a twist. Delightful. Certainly an intentional similarity to Hammer non-Gothic efforts. I've always liked this and thought it was under-rated because of the poor, un-representative, title. Amicus Productions can rank right up there with some of the most charismatic of Hammer Studios' efforts. The Vinegar Syndrome's 4K UHD release is such a welcome surprise. These guys are fearlessly dominating in this digital space. This is absolutely recommended - an pure keeper for this reviewer.
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**A Story of Floating Weeds (1934) / Floating Weeds (1959) Two Films by Yasujiro Ozu** Blu-ray @Criterion
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW / COMPARISON
COMMENTS: Yasujiro Ozu's A Story of Floating Weeds (1934) + Floating Weeds (1959) is an important Blu-ray package. You can see the director's maturation in the remake - made 25-years later. Ozu's films dealt primarily with the dynamics of middle-class Japanese family life and the subtle conflict between generations. Universal themes examining parent/child communication were prevalent in many of his gentle social dramas. Although the "Floating Weeds" stories involve a son rather than a usual daughter / father dynamic that the director utilized in many of his most lauded films. Ozu, ironically, had no direct personal exposure to this familial lifestyle remaining a lifelong bachelor. He is most recognized for his meticulous static-camera style which centered almost entirely on detailed composition. Characters, notably the absentee father, can be seen through the metaphor of a "floating weed" drifting through life without roots. It is so exciting to see the vast video improvement of both masterworks in the same Blu-ray package. Cinephiles should be extremely pleased. No new extras on the Criterion Blu-ray but the included commentaries still have strong value. Strongly recommended - worthy of a double dip.
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Sidney Lumet's "Night Falls on Manhattan" Blu-ray - Andy Garcia / Richard Dreyfuss / Lena Olin @ArrowFilmsVideo
US PURCHASE LINK
CANADIAN PURCHASE LINK
BONUS CAPTURES
OUR REVIEW
COMMENTS: Sidney Lumet's Night Falls on Manhattan is based on Robert Daley's novel "Tainted Evidence," (screenplay by Lumet) about a new DA who investigates police corruption that trails back to his father. There are parts of an effective courtroom drama, a superfluous romance (Garcia / Olin,) and father / son conflict. Nice to see Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) - Richard Dreyfuss is always great playing a William Kunstler-esque defense attorney... but there is a hollowness to the story although the strong performances maintain an entertaining film experience. At it's core it does an excellent job of examining the dichotomy between corruption and compromise. Sidney Lumet's Night Falls on Manhattan is a good film if not at the director's highest caliber. The Arrow Blu-ray provides an excellent presentation, two commentary tracks, interviews, booklet and more. Certainly a must-own for Lumet fans.
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DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of May 13th, 2024