Hey folks, Harry here with a very fun week of releases to check out and some to avoid. I picked up my Playstation 3 today – thus ending a long fought battle with a Samsung BluRay player that had… a combative personality. Tonight, some discs that I’ve wanted to watch for 4 months began to play and the world was truly beautiful. Twas great. Can’t believe I put up with this crotchety monster as long as I did. Dedicated servitude is what I demand of my machines! OK… So you know the drill, the pics and links click over to Amazon, where if you like the column you can pick some of these items up, thus contributing a small included portion of the price back to help support this column. Which is, of course, greatly appreciated as always… to keep me stocked in Benedryl I s’pose. Heh. Here’s the column…
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (Criterion)
Oh yes please! I’ve had this for about 3 weeks now. It is absolutely tremendous. If you follow me on Twitter, I’ve probably mentioned watching it on about 5 separate occasions. This is a favorite kind of film. Directed by Carol Reed, who directed THE THIRD MAN, which some passionate fool was loving over CASABLANCA on Twitter just a few short nights ago. Silly rabbit. Anyway, NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH is simply a smashing film. And by smashing, I mean it with a girl swing and tinge of two whiskeys worth of enthusiasm. Rex Harrison is fantastic in this film. As is Margaret Lockwood. And in a way, it is a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s THE LADY VANISHES… written by the same screenwriters, even featuring the brilliant pair in that film, who were obsessed with attending a cricket game. Here, they are even more awesome. Just wait for their scene on the train with that Nazi officer. Classic. Love this film. In LADY VANISHES the bad guys were not specifically German, certainly alluded to, here… It’s the goddamn Nazis…. And I hate these guys! It is that kind of fun. You have to feel that Spielberg & Lucas loved the hell out of this flick!
PREDATOR (Ultimate Hunter Edition) Blu Ray
And then there’s this magnificent brilliant piece of awesome! I’ll be honest with ya. I haven’t seen PREDATORS yet. I’m dying to. The premiere here is the day before the film opens and I can’t wait. I’ve got my fingers crossed and I’m hoping for return to form, if not even better. As cool as PREDATOR is… crazy alien dogs, other critters, tech and badass planets in the sky. Damn, that looks good. But really, while that sounds like an awful lot… this? This is exactly what I love. And I know it. And I know I’m gonna love this movie and watch it over and over again, for many years. PREDATOR is the shit. John McTiernan operating on a top of skills capacity. Brillian monster, great dialogue, awesome action and CG that did all it needed to do. Be cool. This replaces that bare bones disc from not very long ago, and this is a much better release. Better print, special features… it’s just much better. I approve. The print is fucking unbelievably sharp. I’m talking portal into another dimension sharp. It looks very fucking good. The Featurette: PREDATOR: EVOLUTION OF A SPECIES – HUNTERS OF EXTREME PERFECTION – is a damn cool little feature. There’s commentary by McTiernan. The classic, “IF IT BLEEDS, WE CAN KILL IT” making of that we all kinda love and remember. Then a whole host of mini-features around 5 minutes each, behind the scenes, special effects tests, deleted and extended scenes, a sneak at PREDATORS and if ya got a $5000 recliner, you can plug it in and shake your booty. This is the shit. Far better than the prior offering.
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE
There’s not a whole lot more titties, but a little. It’ll do, but it won’t fulfill the dream. You know, of seeing Rob Corddry blow Craig Robinson. Which I was kinda honestly hoping for. I mean. They lost the bet. We were cheated! I really like this flick. Crispin Glover steals the whole movie as the one armed bellhop and the endless ITCHY & SCRATCHY gags they pull. Personally, I was kinda hoping for a special feature that had extended scenes of each moment being for real. But the filmmakers are not as goofy as me. But this is really really funny.
THE CRAZIES
I liked this small little remake. It was just the right size. Perhaps not quite as subversive as the original, but then not much is. What this is for me, is an excellent survival story of pretty much the worst thing imaginable I mean, the situation these people in just truly sucks. And I don’t think it is getting any better. But that’s cool, that’s the story I wanted to see. The disc comes with some nice extras – and it’ll be interesting to see what Breck does with FLASH GORDON. Will it be his 300, like when Zack Snyder came off DAWN OF THE DEAD? Will the Romero remake blessing hit again? Because I like CRAZIES – a lot like I liked Zack’s DAWN OF THE DEAD. How about you?
PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF
I just found this such a disappointment. I’ll probably give it another watch with my lowered expectations to see how it settles, but I’m frankly not really looking forward to that. Maybe I was hoping for too much before, but damn I hated that first screening. There sure are some pretty moments… I think after CLASH OF THE TITANS – this might actually smell better, but that’s damning praise as well. We’ve had a rough year on Fantasy, eh? Hope they get those HOBBIT flicks sorted out!
RUSH – BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE
Hey, Ernie Cline… Buy Me! You know, I’ll be honest… I don’t think I was a RUSH fan before Ernie Cline. His crazy enthusiasm and devotion to that old lunacy always made me giggle. This is just a fun little band documentary. I expect to one day attend Mr Cline’s birthday when he pays the band to play in his holy honor! I can foresee this day and I kneel in its honor. As for the doc… You’ll kind of need to see it before reading READY PLAYER ONE, it’ll help.
WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE: A FILM ABOUT THE DOORS
Johnny Depp narrates this feature doc on the famed band, THE DOORS. It is weird, I carry Oliver Stone’s feature like it is THE DOORS’ actual history. So it was nice to see this doc and sort of get a better grasp of the band. It really is quite remarkable. This 90 minute doc covers the beginning to The Lizard King’s death in the year of my birth. Highly recommended.
THE WARLORDS (Blu Ray)
This really didn’t do much for me. Honestly. It isn’t terrible, but I just didn’t connect to the material. This is very cut-throat battles here. Lots of limb hackings. I like the cast, some of the battles, but it never really made me care much. Make of that what ya will.
THE LEOPARD (Criterion Blu)
Gorgeous transfer. Just hypnotizingly nice. But then you have Visconti shooting Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale… in an exquisite era and time. You literally must see the last hour of this movie. It is breathtaking cinema. Truly inspiring and wondrous work. Here’s what you get with this: Restored high-definition digital transfer
Uncompressed monaural soundtrack
The 161-minute American release, with English-language dialog
Audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie
A Dying Breed: The Making of "The Leopard," an hour-long documentary
Video interview with producer Goffredo Lombardo
Video interview with film scholar Millicent Marcus
Original theatrical trailers and newsreels
Stills gallery of rare behind-the-scenes production photos
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film historian Michael Wood
CREATION
I never saw this last year. We watched this film oddly enough on Father’s Day over breakfast here at the house. And oddly, this film is about a man birthing two things… a child and an idea and how he changed the world and the perception of science and religion… pretty much ever since. Compelling work here. Nice early life pic about Darwin!
LEAVE IT TO BEAVER: THE COMPLETE SERIES
I don’t know about you, but I watched a shit load of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER as a kid growing up. It’s weird growing up to stuff like this. You look at it and your life is almost nothing like the one you’re watching, but you talk to your father or in some of your cases, your grandfather and this was closer to their idyllic childhood and less fantasy than many would like to believe. I kinda hated it when I found out what “Beaver” was code for. Ever since then, the dialogue makes me giggle when they say his name. I really do feel like Beavis & Butthead watching these. It is so stupid of me. But I can’t help it.
NEW YORK CONFIDENTIAL
A Noir you’ve most likely never seen… and it is probably among the best untalked about Noirs. Broderick Crawford never got quite the blooding flowing the way the other Dicks & Dudes in the genre, but he was a rugged cool bad guy. They really have done a nice number on this first time on video or dvd. A true debut for folks, and absolutely worth a watch!
THE WHITE RIBBON (Blu)
I’ve yet to be able to really watch this yet. Every single time I go to start it, I find myself interrupted or disturbed for the day. So I’ve never quite finished it. So I’d like to say, I’ve heard that a lot of people love it, I dig that it’s black & white, cuz that’s a good thing. But I’m looking forward to just dedicating some time watching it. Looks good.
RED VS BLUE: The Blood Gulch Chronicles: The First Five Seasons
The nephew and I went through this set last Saturday morning and he was a non-stop giggles and naughty laugh sounds. It’s a bit risqué, but this was little boy geekgasm material if I’ve ever seen it. And when I watched him watching this, it reminded me of the way I giggled at WACKY PACKAGES for some reason.
BLACK SABBATH: PARANOID (Blu)
Technically the first disc I stuck into my PS3 I bought today. YIPPEE! BluRay problems are now history!!! Woo-Hoo! Combination of recent interviews and that awesome blurry video from the early 70s that’s like 7 full power blurs on Photoshop and washed out contrast. Or oversaturated. Love it. Damn fun stuff and crazy memories are shared.
NAVY VS THE NIGHT MONSTERS
Epically gloriously awful Sixties Sci Fi. I mean, it is just. Real. It was shot… like this… released in actual theaters… for real. I own a movie poster for this title. But you’ll groan, moan and giggle while you watch. Or maybe you’ll just complain. And you’ll drool for Mamie Van Doren with EarPlugs. It’s kinda fun to watch to just laugh at it all, but it is also not nearly as compelling as PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE.
SUICIDEGIRLS MUST DIE! (Unrated)
Ok, it definitely delivers on the hot naked suicide girls, but this just doesn’t really work. Personally, I prefer the straight just nudity with no plot of the other Suicide Girl dvds. This, the horror messes with the innocence, but not in a good way. Just kinda nasty and unsatisfying. Such a mixed bag.
KILL SWITCH (Blu)
Amongst Seagal’s worst in my opinion. I really don’t care for it. Vern?
VERSUS (BLU)
The film that started my nephew’s life long obsession with zombies. He was introduced to samurai swords and zombies in one fail swoop and it made him a cool kid for life. The film isn’t realistic, it is hyper-stylistic… the sort of zombie movie that a little kid can watch, then take a stick and hit trees doing sword movies and martial arts screaming. Classic awesome. For the record, I did not show this to him, it was my sister. I was showing him MIGHTY JOE YOUNG and the Black & White Harryhausen’s… ya know, working my way up to the color films. Starting him in Black & Whites.
BONNIE’S KIDS
God I want this to rule, because like the box art promises so much… but I’ve heard it is crap. Might have to see for myself.
TEENAGE HITCHHIKERS
Why civilization ever evolved from the hot hippie chicks sleeping their way across the country like a hitchhiking rainbow of awesome… I just don’t know. I think the world is too dirty now for the awesome joys of hitchhiking hippie girls of the 70s. I once was driving a 74 Thunderbird – and when I see these movies, I always put myself in that car and think… Yeah, hippie hitchhiker chicks… JUST AS A WARNING… Don’t double feature with HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER … it’ll give you bad ideas. So don’t.
UNCLE SAM (Blu)
William Lustig knows fun exploitation featuring Robert Forster, William Smith, Isaac Hayes, Bo Hopkins, P.J. Soles and Timothy Bottoms – all from a Larry Cohen script. It’s just kind of blissploitation. And because the director owns the releasing company, it’s loaded with extras… See: Audio Commentary #1 with Director William Lustig, Writer Larry Cohen and Producer George G. Braunstein
Audio Commentary #2 with Director William Lustig and Star Isaac Hayes
"Fire Stunts" with Audio Commentary by Stunt Coordinator Spiro Razatos
Deleted Scene
Gag Reel
Theatrical Trailer
Poster & Still Galleries
But really, this is just outrageous fun.
FOLLOW ME
I love period surfing movies. This one hasn’t been seen by anyone I know in 41 years. It is time that changed, and that cover has me clicking ordered. What about you?
That’s it for June. We kick off the next month next week with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, A SINGLE MAN, BROOKLYN’S FINEST, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (Blu), LAST MAN STANDING / LAST BOY SCOUT Double Feature Blu Ray, Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics, Vol 2. Then there’s Lost Keaton, GAMERA VS. BARUGON, STEAMBOAT BILL, JR (Blu Ray), LADYBUGS (Blu), EYEBORGS, LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS (Blu) and that’s frankly about it. Hey…. INCEPTION is close!!! Squeal!
