Hey folks, Harry here with my April 2004 DVD Preview and Picks list. Sorry about the lateness… as many of you have written and surmised, the additional craziness regarding my little April 1st announcement made concentrating and being able to just sit down and crank through this, much harder than usual. So I apologize -- I still met my deadline of the first Tuesday of April – but barely. Once again, try to remind me in the future, it always helps – even if it takes a bit. This is a great month… let’s get to it!
April 6th, 2004
CHARADE – Criterion
Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in love and suspense in Paris… How on Earth can one not love CHARADE, in fact – How can you not already have a version of this classic on DVD – I do, but not the Criterion version. This has commentary by Stanley Donen and Peter Stone – a gorgeous new transfer and tons of extras. Finally getting an ace quality release of this has long been in the coming. Yippee!
FREAKS & GEEKS – Complete SeriesOk – admittedly I haven’t watched the show, but I’m wildly attracted to Velma in the suck ass SCOOBY DOO movies, and some friends told me I’d love her on FREAKS & GEEKS… I also seem to recollect some articles in Coaxial about the show not sucking at all… so I figure I’ll give it a look see. And when I mentioned to friends that it would be appearing on my list… they were ecstatic at me for putting it on here… so apparently it’s a good thing. I just hope there’s lots of scantily clad Velma – or just scenes of her reading a lot. Sigh…
GRAPES OF WRATH
An unbelievably brilliant film. To me, this and THE OX-BOW INCIDENT are my two favorite Henry Fonda films… I’m also really big on FAIL-SAFE and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST… but we’re talking about GRAPES OF WRATH… Tom Joad – one of the great all time characters ever brought to life on cinema screens. This disc is loaded with extras. There’s commentary by scholars, Movietone news about the droughts of the Great Depression, there’s FDR acknowledging it, just extra after extra… truly treating the film as the jewel it so obviously is. Along with THE SEARCHERS and THREE GODFATHERS – its my fave John Ford flick. Just great. If you don’t get chills during the end monologue, then you’ve never lived a day in your life. Brilliant!
ILSA COLLECTION (She Wolf of the SS / Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks / The Wicked Warden)
Ok, I’m not gonna claim that these movies are particularly great… they are not, what they are though is a shitload of funky outrageous politically fucked up fun! I mean, you take the Ilsa character from HELLBOY – and ya just give her a non-stop sadistic trilogy of sadism and titillation. There’s funky nudity, wildly bad taste filled scenes of torture and degradation… but it all comes across as being fun. Fun because in this particular day in age of exploitation film making, audiences knew that it was a fringe film. A film – that wasn’t for everyone. However, I’d kill to do a NC-17 remake of SHE WOLF OF THE SS with Charlize Theron… That would just be the bee’s knees. If you liked SADOMANIA back a couple of months, then this set is for you!
MATRIX REVOLUTIONS
I love this film… Since getting my check disc set for this, I’ve watched it 3 times. Unapologetically I dig the hell out of this movie. The showdown between Smith and Neo kicks unholy ass… Smith’s dialogue delivery in the crater before a fallen Neo is classic. The exoskeleton fight versus the squiddies is killer and it is just a great wrap up and makes the pain and suffering from MATRIX RELOADED go away. I don’t own Matrix Reloaded… and I have no desire to ever buy it, HOWEVER – the second disc on this one is so jam-packed with coolness that I’ve just lost myself watching all the rigging for the aerial work that was done in this film. HOLY SHIT it is crazy. The stuff I just wrote off as CG was simply LIVE ACTION with wire and bar removal as they were turning on about 5 different points of axis. A wonderfully super cool geek must own.
THE PINK PANTHER FILM COLLECTION (The Pink Panther / A Shot In The Dark / Pink Panther Strikes Again / Revenge Of The Pink Panther / Trail of the Pink Panther)
I just got the script for the Steve Martin version of the Pink Panther, but haven’t set down to read it yet, but I plan to… then sit down and watch this 5 movie set and ponder the need for Steve to play the part. Peter Sellers is a God in these films. His comedy powers were at their peak… although I’ll argue THE PARTY and DR STRANGELOVE all day long up against BEING THERE. But that said, the Pink Panther films are great. It has been forever since I’ve seen them, and having the Freleng cartoons on here too… well that’s just the best. The Bonus disc that takes us through the history of the films and the cartoons… That’s pure gold. I must own this later today!
April 13th, 2004
BABYLON 5 – The Complete 5th Season
I had lost interest in the series by the 5th season and just cashed in my loyal days of watching, so I’ve always been curious what happened here. Though – I love the cry of “BABYLON 5 IS SHIT” from SPACED – so much that I’m thinking of just letting the series go. That being said, JMS was worshipped by me for many a night watching the first 4 seasons, I’ve always kinda regretted not chiming in for this one. And you B5 haters… Sorry – it kicks the shit out of a lot of terrible sci-fi tv in my opinion.
EATING RAOUL
Those in the world that don’t love EATING RAOUL – well they should all be flank steak, or see the film immediately. This is a great film from Paul Bartel and watching him and Mary Woronov do their thing in this film is just classic cult black humor. It’s in widescreen and only has a trailer. Unfortunately – we’ll never get what was sure to be a brilliant dry commentary by Bartel since he passed away several years back, but ya know… the film speaks for itself. It is one you can watch with friends both alive and in a nice wine sauce, but no matter the table setting, the film will fill you with glee. A must have for all cannibal film fetishists.
KILL BILL VOL 1
Yes, I’m pissed about this DVD. Ya know – when the fuck do I get my badass version with extras and deleted scenes out the wazoo? When do I get my Japanese edit? Where’s my overpriced American Collector’s edition with Hanzo Blade and Okinawa shirt? Come on, over-charge me, but don’t insult me with this fucking barebones no extra nothing fucking milked out cow for the zombie masses fucking edition! That being said, I’ll fucking buy it because I’m a fucking sheep – but it pisses me off to no end. This is not how to treat fans. This sucks diseased acne scarred ass!
TOKYO GODFATHERS
I love MILLENNIUM ACTRESS and PERFECT BLUE like very few Anime titles, but of Satoshi Kon’s feature work, this is my favorite film. The smartly influenced by John Ford’s THREE GODFATHERS film is wonderfully adapted. The beauty of the story, animation and character work is delivered un-marred by American dubbing – instead we get the original Japanese with English Subtitles and a making of featurette. Absolutely ideal. I never got to see this in a theater, which is a shame… but it is my own fault – I missed it when it played the art house here and only saw it on a video screener I was sent by the company. I look forward to the far superior mastering of this DVD.
April 20th, 2004
ABCD
Here’s a jewel I bet you’ve never seen. If you were reading the site many years ago, you’ll remember me going gaga about this wonderful film about cultural conflicts, romance, tragedy and anxieties here in America. When Kirk Honeycutt referred to the film as being reminiscent of early Wayne Wang and Ang Lee, well… he was nailing it right squarely on the head. Krutin Patel is firmly in their league – and in a post BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM world… well this is the better film, about the more adult less teeny bopper style stories that take place here in this country. Give it a chance, watch it on a date… It’s very good.
THE FLOWER OF EVIL
This is my favorite Claude Chabrol film. There’s nothing more fun than a film that starts with a dead body. It makes you wonder about every character introduced, the veracity of every line of dialogue. This is a film that is there with MULHOLLAND DRIVE and SHALLOW GRAVE in tone and execution. The less you know the better – It is in French, but if you liked SWIMMING POOL – you should love this…
A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA
I just discovered this film, when a sample DVD came… but wow, what a cool movie. This is definitely a movie that I’m going to try and find a film print to screen at the Saturday Morning Kid’s Club. First off… what a great way to introduce my ‘kids’ to Coburn and Quinn. A group of kids are sent by their parents across the ocean back to England. A pirate ship raids their ship for possessions, and in the activity, the kids end up aboard the Pirate ship – for… well, I’ll let you see. When you watch the film though, I think you’ll love how the Pirates take that first ship. In fact – they’re very “Capt Jack Sparrow-y” in their subterfuge. A forgotten little film that doesn’t deserve to be!
KING OF NEW YORK special edition
This is an unrated badass edition of KING OF NEW YORK, that Abel Ferrara nitty gritty Christopher “bad Mutherfucker” Walken crime flick. A happy as a heart attack type of film that isn’t easy to shake. The satire and wit and production values still blow me away cuz this thing was shot for nothing. If you never caught this – and especially if you have, this is a film that belongs on at least my crime shelves. The disc is loaded to the gills with extras and behind the scenes and commentaries. They went all out on this one!
MARILYN MONROE – THE DIAMOND COLLECTION II (Don’t Bother To Knock / Let’s Make Love / Monkey Business / Niagara / River Of No Return)
I’m one of those folks that absolutely loves Marilyn Monroe. It isn’t just because her eyes sold sex like Big Macs – 20 times a second and twice as deadly… but also because she was one helluva actress. I mean, check out her acting with Robert Mitchum in RIVER OF NO RETURN… or in the noir-ish DON’T BOTHER TO KNOCK. And even better watching her Venus Flytrap sexual predator turn in NIAGARA opposite Joseph Cotton. GREAT. I bought the first Diamond collection and devoured them in an orgy of Monroe… Can’t wait to do the same with these. Also this month they’re releasing separately LET’S MAKE IT LEGAL, WE’RE NOT MARRIED, LOVE NEST and YOUNG AS YOU FEEL – which I’ve never seen – but will definitely pick up. But I don’t know much about them.
MASTER & COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (2 Disc Set)
Here’s a great film. God I love this thing. The behind the scenes on that second disc are wonderful, the transfer of the print is great. I still, just get so much glee off that amputating that kid’s arm. I can’t explain it, it’s just something I never thought I’d see in a Studio film. In fact – just about everything in this feels that way. My Uncle – who is high up in the U.S. Navy saw this the other day and absolutely loved the nautical intelligence that the film embraced. Too often, when he and I talk seafaring films he goes into it taking apart the realism or likelihood of the situations and making the film look stupid by the time he’s done. Not one complaint. Way To Go. I’ll never forget him telling me that on Nuclear Subs – there is no key to turn and that CRIMSON TIDE was bullshit. I was so shook by that for weeks.
STORIES OF FLOATING WEEDS (Story Of Floating Weeds / Floating Weeds) Criterion Collection
If the name Yasujiro Ozu doesn’t instantly make you click and buy – then you’re exactly the person that needs to check these two discs out. Criterion has put together two of OZU’s greatest works… The first one is a silent, the second is the color remake of it. That second one has a commentary by Ebert and well… The films are absolutely brilliant. There’s a film coming out later this year called THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI, which reminds me of Ozu in some ways. His ability to find the profound within the textures of the seemingly everyday of worlds and times long departed is just great… just great. You can find the plot on Amazon – or you can just go into it cold… I’m telling you, it’s some of the most brilliant work of one of the greatest filmmakers in International Film History. Have faith, it really is that great.
April 27th, 2004
BIG FISH
I was a bit under whelmed by BIG FISH – but I own every Tim Burton film and will not have a hole in my collection. Besides – there’s aspects that I absolutely love about the film. I love the mint juleps in a porch swing pacing of the movie. I love Albert Finney, Ewan and the 2nd Bride of Kong. The lawn paved town is still one of the most poetically beautiful images I saw last year. It just didn’t blow me away like I had hoped, and I think that had a lot to do with Elfman’s score just feeling like a compose by numbers job. And I love Danny Elfman typically. The disc will be mine, but it isn’t the highest priority.
DRACULA – The Legacy Collection (Dracula / Dracula (1931 Spanish Version) / Dracula’s Daughter / Son of Dracula / House of Dracula)
Ok – because of VAN HELSING about to come out, Universal is doing a gigantic packaging of their horror classics. Now, I happen to be an old school Universal Horror Super Freak. I must own them all. This edition’s Dracula has Phillip Glass’ score in place as an optional track – which is a must listen. The best film in the entire set is the Spanish Version of DRACULA – which is simply hypnotic – as it was shooting on the same sets, being directed solely by the cinematographer Karl Freund, and the camera work was far far faaaar more complicated than what Todd Browning was directing. DRACULA’S DAUGHTER is great. Lon Chaney Jr in SON OF DRACULA is a bit on the stagy side… never really being better than his Larry Talbot work that cursed much of his Horror career as the gold standard for Chaney Jr performances. And HOUSE OF DRACULA is just fun… Required Film Geek Purchase.
FRANKENSTEIN – The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Bride of Frankenstein / Son of Frankenstein / Ghost of Frankenstein / House of Frankenstein)
These first three titles… FRANKENSTEIN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN… This is my personal favorite filmed trilogy. Each one is better than the one before. Each one introduces elements to enhance the overall story. Each one is fucking brilliant. And god I just love everything… everything about these 3 movies. I mean it. Karloff’s performance as the monster is one for the ages. Nobody will ever be better. Those upturned palms wobbling about… that sound of emptiness and sadness coming out of him… So fucking brilliant. The music, cinematography, set design, make-up, performances… everything… everything is fucking perfect. I had shot for shot analysis books of these three movies growing up as a kid and man… I used to sit for hours pouring over every shot. Every shot I would just smile and marvel at. As perfect as film gets. Then there’s GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN and HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN – which are fun movies that just don’t compare. There are Karloff FRANKENSTEIN movies and there’s the rest. These two make up some of the rest. Their fun, interesting… but it just isn’t the same.
HAMMER HORROR COLLECTION – (The Curse of Frankenstein / Dracula Has Risen From The Grave / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy / Taste The Blood of Dracula)
It is a drain your bank account dry month for the classic horror geek. Now – I have all of these individually – and if you have them already – there’s no earthly reason to repurchase them. HOWEVER – if you don’t have them, and if Christopher Lee is only SARUMAN to you and if Peter Cushing is only GRAND MOFF TARKIN to you… Then child… it’s time you got busy. This is a great starter set for you Hammer Horror future junkies. The best way to watch these is to go through the 3 Universal Horror collections – watching all the black and white horror films – then put this set in. Suddenly – you’ll understand why for an entire generation – the Hammer films defined horror. Suddenly – there’s sex – there’s allure – there’s blood, Hammer Horror Blood Red… it’s a specific shade. There’s the music, the scope… it’s everything that the Universal films didn’t have going on. It is something amazing to watch. I just wish that CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF was a part of this set for you beginners out there… but that’s an easy pickup for ya. God Oliver Reed is the MAN in that!
MANNAJA
Ok – taking a break from classic horror – let’s talk Spaghetti Westerns. If you liked THE GREAT SILENCE back two lists ago – then MANNAJA is the film for you. This was a late in the Spaghetti servings in terms of westerns, but there’s something fantastic about this film. From that first flung hatchet that chops that guy’s hand off, till the final creepy shots… I mean… when you see the torment this guy goes through… or hear his song for the 7th time – and you realize -- you’re such a geek for loving this thing, you’ll get it. The film has a crazy vibe to it, but the creepy torments they cook up for Mannaja… the stone axes rule the hell out of the film. There’s so much here to love, again… this really isn’t like most of the westerns you’ve seen and it is absolutely nihilistic as all hell. Wonderful film. It has been out before, but those prints are out-of-stock… This is the next in-stock version. Good time to check it out.
