Bogie and Bacall are back, but with Edward G. Robinson’s oily gangster breathing down their necks — “Nyah!” Excellent direction (John Huston) and great performances (Claire Trevor) have made this one an eternal classic. We want subtitles for whatever Eddie whispered in Betty’s ear… A most-requested, or demanded, HD release from Warners. Key Largo Blu-ray…
After 63 years somebody has taken a crack at Arthur C. Clarke’s monumental sci-fi novel. This interpretation throws the emphasis way out of whack but succeeds too frequently to ignore. Charles Dance is the alarming Overlord Karellen, who comes from the stars to escort humanity through its next stage of development… and to announce the…
It’s an All Star monster rally — Lon Chaney Jr.! John Carradine! Bela Lugosi! Basil Rathbone! Tor Johnson! — with Akim Tamiroff in there pitching as well. It’s considered a must-see picture and this HD presentation is nothing to sniff at. Added bonus: a Tom Weaver commentary. The Black Sleep Blu-ray…
A “lesser” Mario Bava is still a fountain of great filmmaking; and this annihilating melodrama sees a score of greedy folk wiped out at an island retreat, for fun and profit. Shot (and stabbed) through with Bava’s visual imagination, it’s a sexy, memorable murder thriller. With an authoritative Tim Lucas commentary. 5 Dolls for an…
A pure-gold Savant favorite, Sir Richard Attenborough’s first feature as director is a stylized pacifist epic of the insane tragedy of WW1, told through contemporary songs, with alternate, irreverent lyrics given them by the soldiers themselves. And one will not want to miss a young Maggie Smith’s music hall performance — luring young conscripts to…
Yes, they rarely showed even a rudimentary understanding of basic film craftsmanship… but Ed Wood’s films had what 99.9 % of other films don’t: a distinctly original voice. Whether that voice inspires you or simply reminds you of your unhinged Uncle Harry, Ed Wood was one of a kind. Be sure to click submit for your score!…
One of the best pictures of 2015 is an accurate and relevant movie about a truly difficult subject. Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Brian d’Arcy James, John Slattery and Stanley Tucci lead an impressive ensemble; I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a complicated story told with such clarity, and so entertainingly….
Otto Preminger looks at police corruption and comes up with a classy noir starring Dana Andrews as a rogue cop and Gene Tierney as the woman whose father he accidentally frames for murder. With Karl Malden, Gary Merrill and velvety-slick B&W cinematography by Joseph LaShelle. Where the Sidewalk Ends Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1950…
Two 1980’s science fiction efforts from the ‘eighties: Millennium is an expensive book adaptation with Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd navigating a time travel story about body snatchers from the future. R.O.T.O.R is direct to video and strictly from hunger. Oh, the agony… However, both films surely have lessons to teach the budding filmmaker who…
Billy Wilder’s Buddy Buddy (1981) might be one of the most obvious go-to examples in the annals of conventional wisdom when it comes to the cinephile’s parlor game of pointing out a great director’s greatest foible. Upon release the movie was summarily dismissed by critics and ignored by audiences—it managed a paltry $7 million domestically,…
Remember Tower Records? The saga of the massive brick & mortar music retailer is a great story with marvelous characters. When you meet founder Russ Solomon it becomes obvious why the store clicked — the guy knew how to turn music-brained hippies into motivated collaborators. With good extras… this docu generates genuine Good Vibes. All…
Joel and Ethan Coen drop most of the sarcasm for their deeply felt character study. Everything’s a big problem for Llewyn: a girl (Carey Mulligan), various agents, fellow performers, and a cat. I find Oscar Isaac’s Llewyn to be wholly sympathetic, and that cat business is deeper than it looks. The terrific extras include a…
Richard Fleischer’s Viking saga is a great star showcase for the grinning one-eyed Kirk Douglas, sullen one-handed Tony Curtis and the heavy-breathing, two-breasted Janet Leigh. Jack Cardiff gives us the fjords of Norway, lean and mean Viking ships, and a brain-bashing acrobatic castle assault designed to out-do Burt Lancaster. With Ernest Borgnine (“OHHH-DINNNN!!”), James Donald…
Still basking in the afterglow of an unseasonably warm Valentine’s Day, we’re catching up on some of our favorite mushy movies. Get out your handkerchiefs and get to work! Don’t forget to hit submit for your score!
We’ve waited long enough: Bogart’s take on Raymond Chandler’s tough guy Philip Marlowe is finally on Blu-ray, with Lauren Bacall hyped as his provocative leading lady. The fascinating 1945 pre-release version is also present, with an uncut copy of Bob Gitt’s versions comparison docu. Somebody tell Elisha Cook Jr. not to drink that stuff. The…
Jan Troell knocks us for a loop with his masterful epic of a Swedish farming family in the 1840s, making the big move to the promised green acres in frontier Minnesota. Max Von Sydow and Liv Ullmann are heartbreakingly deserving and hopeful; the dreamers and the devout and the intolerant come too. The two-film, six-hour…
Jean Simmons is the original frustrated Mad Housewife who runs away from a ‘dream marriage’ in search of something more fulfilling. Uncompromising, adult, and making use of an interesting cast. Plus, the soundtrack uses Michel Legrand’s incomparable song “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” The Happy Ending Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition…
Fearless leader sits down with Gilbert and Frank Santopadre for a maniacally funny chat about Joe’s wild and wooly adventures in Hollywood. Enjoy! https://soundcloud.com/gilbertgottfried/joe-dante
Now, after 62 years, viewable again in beautiful 3-D! Scientists are being murdered in a secret underground laboratory overseen by a super-computer and two robots, Gog and Magog. The restoration is a stunning achievement, covered thoroughly on the disc extras. This is an early favorite among Sci-fi thrillers. GOG 3-D 3-D Blu-ray KL Studio Classics…
Fritz Lang applies rigorous realism and excellent science in the first half of his final silent film, a treat for fantasy fans and those impressed by a NASA-like moon rocket forty years before the reality. The action on the moon is pure green-cheese fantasy, with breathable air, deposits of gold and evidence of a human…
Movies so nice, they made ’em twice. Here’s a look at those moments when Hollywood doubled down and threw originality out the window. Be sure to hit submit for your score!
If you have been living and routinely interacting with other human beings over the last month, you’ve probably heard one or two words involving this year’s Academy Awards and the heated controversy over the startling lack of both films and people of color among the nominees. Personally, I think that the real focus of concern…
Stabbings, scaldings, hideous lacerations from broken glass and even more brutal manglings for our sanguinary delectation! Dario Argento’s smartly directed murder mystery gives us David Hemmings as a jazz man in Rome, studying not photographic blowups but the hidden artwork of a disturbed child. With music by Goblin and striking Techniscope imagery by Luigi Kuveiller….
Army investigator John Haven is out to catch some crooks using stealth, his wits and a limitless supply of marvelous hardboiled dialogue. Dick Powell trades a trench coat for a cowboy hat, while luscious Jane Greer swaps a .38 snubnose for a dance hall dress. A great cast, a witty script and Burl Ives’ singing…
Ray guns! Space armadas! Storm troopers! Toei’s manga became a pricey 3-D animated motion capture epic just three years ago, but was denied a release stateside. This collector’s disc set gives us rude ‘n’ raucous space battles, along with a pirate’s bounty of original Japanese extras. Don’t worry, the 3-D visuals are excellent. Harlock: Space…
“What are you rebelling against?” “Whattaya got?” That’s from 1953’s The Wild One but folks in the sixties really took that exchange to heart. Here are a few of the most rebellious examples. Don’t forget to submit your score!