Hey folks, Harry here with the latest DVD column, and I’m sorry I’m a tad late. Sometimes – when you’re typing up a 4 or 5 thousand word column – it takes a toll. Especially when you get a 4 hour business call at 1:30am – and you don’t get started till 5am on the due day and you’re exhausted – so I’ve been trying to get this finished today – and well… I was watching some of the films involved – like LAST OF THE MOHICANS, which I can’t work and watch. Or this amazing THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN set that came today – and I literally turned into a kid watching. Forgot about Jack Kirby’s involvement in that… You can only pick that up from WBshop. Anyway – as usual – the pics and titles link over to AMAZON – where you can learn more about the film in question – and can purchase the item, which helps give a small donation to help keep this column going. Now – here we go…
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE (Blu Ray)
TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE has long had a place of love in my Top Ten favorite films of all time – and there’s no arguing its perfection. Every moment is perfection. From John Huston’s wonderful cameos – to his father’s brilliant performance, to… well, my personal favorite Bogart role next to Rick. The Max Steiner score – just everything about this movie is perfection. Even the Mexican bandits and their infamous disgust for identification. And really, who can blame them. There’s the typical WARNER NIGHT AT THE MOVIES special features of a newsreel, short film, cartoon, etc… There’s also a making of – and some other nice bits. But the real jewel is this absolutely incredible masterpiece from John Huston. One of the great films of all time.
SPLICE (Blu Ray)
The single smartest work of science fiction horror I’ve seen in a very long time. In many ways, SPLICE feels like the great unmade David Cronenberg film. Picking up on themes he played with his entire career, yet Vincenzo Natali never once directly rips anything of from Cronenberg. Instead, it comes as pure inspiration and a loving continuing of those themes. Which, in my opinion, should never be far from the genre. If you’ve seen the film, you know just how stunning and beautiful their creature work was – there is a feature that delves into just how they pulled some of that off – which to my mind, is worth the price of the disk. Young filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers should pay attention. A must for any lover of Cronenberg horror.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (3 Disc Blu Ray)
I have already watched this twice. I love BEAUTY AND THE BEAST unabashedly. This is such a great film. Watched it with Yoko last night – and we were both Disney nerding out, singing the songs together and acting like total doofuses. Hell, the first time I watched it, I actually put on my Mickey Mouse Sorcerer ears – because – I’m that Disney geek. More so – in the COMPOSING A CLASSIC special feature, it got me all weepy about Howard Ashman dying… Something that the Disney animated classic hasn’t quite yet survived. At least we have what we have from Ashman. As you would expect, you get a bevy of extras here… However, NOT the one that I wanted. I want the New York Film Festival WORK IN PROGRESS vesion as a fully scanned 1080p version – not the PIP version that they offer. Unless I’m just not seeing how to make it full screen with an f’n picture-in-picture. I hope at some point we get that. Oh – and here’s the extras you get:
• Restored film
• Three versions of the film
• Original theatrical release
• Special extended edition
• Original storyboard version (BD-exclusive)
• Original theatrical version with a PIP of the storyboard
• Disney song along mode
• Audio commentary
• Beyond Beauty: The Untold Stories Behind Making Beauty And The Beast (interactive)
• Broadway Beginnings – Up close and personal celebrity interviews with Nick Jonas, Donny Osmond, Toni Braxton, and others who have starred in the Broadway production
• Composing a Classic: A Musical Conversation With Alan Menken, Don Hahn, and Richard Kraft
• Deleted scenes
o Alternate opening (boards)
o Belle in the library – never-before-seen moment where Belle meets three new characters in the library
• Art galleries – Only available inside the “Beyond Beauty Experience”
• Family play games
o Enchanted Challenge: help Belle and the Beast fall in love in order to break the spell before the last petal falls (Disney Quest)
o Bon Jour, Who Is This? A Disney TelePlay Game – Powered by BD-Live. Using your cell phone, guess the identity of the other players before they guess yours
• Music & more
o All-new music video featuring Disney Channel star TBD
• Classic DVD bonus features
THE KARATE KID (remake)
Lords of Light! I can’t believe I’m recommending this, but dammit… it works. Jaden Smith is undeniably charismatic. Jackie Chan… well, he’s fucking Jackie Chan – and Jackie Chan teaching you how to kick ass, just kinda works better than the cook from Happy Days. Except that all of Pat’s dialogue was better written. When this film apes the original, it is at its weakest, when it embraces the true cultural and spiritual difference of Kung Fu… it is best! That and I love drunk Jackie Chan! I love him. I love that they embrace the mystic levels of Kung Fu. Ever so slightly. It is quite enjoyable. All the special features are hosted by Jackie Chan – which… kinda rules in a dorky awesome way.
THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS: Director’s Definitive Cut (Blu Ray)
I just picked this up at Target a while ago, after Yoko finishes the Halloween Decorations, we’ll watch it – and if I’m still working on the DVD Column, I’ll come back to update this. But this is a beloved film by Merrick & I. A friend of mine refers to this as being called, “RUNNING THROUGH THE FOREST HALF NAKED!”
Ok – after watching the Blu Ray – I’m back to write more. For me… in my estimation, this is Jane Austen for Men. James Fenimore Cooper’s LAST OF THE MOHICANS, THE DEERSLAYER and PATHFINDER are essential books for boys to grow up with. They teach passion and romance in the manliest forms. It teaches right and wrong, asks you to question government on a personal level and it is absolutely thrilling.
LAST OF THE MOHICANS by Michael Mann is the greatest translation of Cooper’s work to date. I really and truly wish that Michael Mann would make THE DEERSLAYER and THE PATHFINDER – mainly because he absolutely perfectly captured the dream of LAST OF THE MOHICANS. I love how he respects all cultures in the telling of the story. The ferocity, the repression, the birth of what it was to be American – and the quintessential pre-American revolution super hero!
Daniel Day Lewis will never be this gosh darn manly again. Madeline Stowe will never be this lovable again. Wes Studi will never ever be this cool again. And… frankly, it rules so fucking hard that Russell Means was Chingachgook! Every time I see this film, it makes me fall in love with what cinema can do to capture a period and a world that we will never ever know in our lives. The print is gorgeous and the director’s cut adds a bit more of the politics of the era and further helps to understand the cultures that are at play here. I very much love this movie.
THE EXORCIST (Extended Director’s Cut & Original Theatrical Edition)
Now this is the best Horror film ever made. I honestly don’t believe that can really be argued. My favorite happens to be CURSE OF THE DEMON… and in color it is kind of a 6 way tie between AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, THE THING, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE OMEN and THE EXORCIST… but then somedays I’m ecstatically in love with the Fulci greats – or those awesome Skeletal dark riders films – whose names I’m constantly forgetting. BUT when you divorce the nostalgic passion one feels for everything from HOUSU to the Universal Horror classics – to the entirety of HAMMER films… THE EXORCIST is best. I think that’s written in stone somewhere. I think it is best because the Catholic Church endorses it. Because of those stairs, those Tubular Bells, Max Von Sydow, Captain Howdy – and everything that happens on the otherside of that fucking door. This is the 8th wonder of Horror. A film that constantly feels as if the evil on screen will invade you. It feels least safe. The most real. And just plainly the most awesome. It’s because of Ellen Burstyn, the absolutely incredible Jason Miller – who definitely deserved more time on this mudball we call Earth. And of course… Linda Blair – who could not have had a clue how brilliant she was being manipulated into giving. As a work of cinema – it is without an equal in the pure emotional gut punch of the performances, the sheer power of what you see happening. Truly majestically awesome. Pazuzu Forever!
Disc 1: Extended Director's Cut
New 3-part documentary on the movie's production and legacy – for the first time, relive the actual on-set filming of classic scenes via never-before-seen set footage: Raising Hell: Filming The Exorcist, The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now and Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist
Commentary by director William Friedkin
Disc 2: Original theatrical version
2 commentaries: 1) director William Friedkin, 2) producer/screenwriter William Peter Blatty, plus sound effects tests
Introduction by William Friedkin
Feature-length 1998 documentary The Fear of God: The Making of The Exorcist
Interview gallery covering the topics: the original cut, the final reckoning and stairway to heaven
Original ending and more
GRINDHOUSE Special Edition (Blu Ray)
Ok – So you have PLANET TERROR and you have DEATH PROOF on BluRay… but this ain’t that – this is GRINDHOUSE – the theatrical experience – with the trailers and all the noise and fury we loved, that THEY didn’t get. And this edition is loaded with extras like:
Over 2 Hours of ALL NEW BONUS CONTENT including
Robert Rodriguez”s 10 Min Cooking School
Greg Nicotero Makeup/Effects – Planet Teror
Extended trailer “Werewolf Woman of the SS”
Making of the trailers: Don’t, and Thanksgiving
Don’t Trailer storyboards
Death Proof Deleted Scene & Gag Reel
Hot Rods of Death Proof
From Texas to Tennessee, The Look of Death Proof
This was the great failure of the Weinstein’s. They pretty much completely dropped the ball on this release. From terrible and confusing trailers – to the absolute wrong Ad buys on Television and the Internet. A heartache for everyone that loved this project. FOX partially redeemed the Weinstein’s with a more successful MACHETE release. Let’s hope HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN gets not only distribution, but the right smart marketing team that I know can translate that film into a higher level of the mainstream. At least, that’s my hope.
THE MALTESE FALCON (Blu Ray)
This is a fine Brandy of a film. Something you savior, something the play with. This is one of those corner stones of Film Geek Cinema. You have to understand the coat, the attitude and the man that Bogie is here. When you watch this films you connect with it, body and soul – and for the time it is on screen, everything is Bogie cool. Your world becomes black & white. There’s an insane fat wild eyed collector that would do anything for… basically, the coolest collectible ever. The mysterious black bird. I’ve always wanted a solid lead version of one of these curious beaks – with a couple of knife shavings off of it. This is who I am when I’m hunting for something specific. I have a team. A gun man. A slimey backhander of questionable sexuality. A double dealing moll. I’m ready and I will get my original autographed to me by George Pal lobby card from WAR OF THE WORLDS – which was stolen from my house in 1978. Signed “To Harry, George Pal” – it is the dead martian hand scene card. I would pay dearly to have it back. George signed it to me in person. It was sold out on the East Coast in the same year, that’s when I lost track of it.
Oh yeah, I’m writing about the blu-ray. Yes, this has a commentary by Bogie’s Biographer, there’s a feature on THE MALTESE FALCON that is about the film and its iconography to film itself. Blooper reels, makeup tests, the whole Warner Night at the movies thing – and 3 radio show adaptations. My favorite argument for a a remake is THE MALTESE FALCON, third time was the charm this time out. But could it ever be made again? It’d take balls of steel – and I’d triple dog dare the Coens to try. They’re the only ones I’d trust to even try.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Blu Ray)
I like it. Glad I have it on Blu Ray – and I think people that have never seen the originals will like it most. I love that Jackie Earle Haley is absolutely not doing Robert Englund… but instead a darker more nuanced Krueger – and that may piss people off – but I love it. I love it like I love Christopher Lee’s DRACULA, Gary Oldman’s DRACULA and Frank Langella’s DRACULA – while still absolutely acknowledging that Bela Lugosi IS Dracula - and Max Schreck’s NOSFERATU is still king of all Vampires. For me, Robert England is MY Freddy. It was his face that hung on my wall in High School. It is the statue of him that stands above my desk – but dammit… I love what Jackie is doing in the movie. And also – while I’m at it being 100% honest – I love Rooney Mara. And that is harder to explain. I think it is because it was in this film that I first noticed her. I thought, “Gosh, she’s cute. Who is that?” Then I remembered her in YOUTH IN REVOLT and thought, “Gosh, yeah, she’s cool.” Then in THE SOCIAL NETWORK, she’s the girl of Billionaire’s dreams. She’s rosebud, and now I have this total Cinema Crush on Rooney Mara. Sometimes, it is that easy. You may not have had this cinematic stalking experience, but I have – and as a result – I think it is really sad, whatever Freddy did in those polaroids in that secret room. Shivers. I think that’s horribly tragic. I think that was the repressed memory that drew that Nancy to darker things. And I like that. I like and I’m not backing down from that. Sorry it doesn’t work for some of you. Meanwhile, I’ve got a date with Rooney Mara at a theater in 2011 in Fincher’s THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – and Freddy touched her, and that’s why she likes fire!
THE MISSION (Amazon Exclusive) (Blu Ray)
This is one of those titles, which for whatever reason, is an Amazon Exclusive – meaning you can only pick it up via the above link. And Roland Joffe’s brilliant THE MISSION is a helluva film to have an exclusive on. This won the Oscar for Cinematography and after a very short amount of viewing, you’ll agree. This is one of the most handsome and lush films ever shot. DeNiro and Irons are amazing to watch in this film – along with all the unknowns that make the film come to life feeling so true and honest. This was an attempt at capturing a David Lean-esque tale… sadly Joffe doesn’t quite have the soul of Lean. A more dignified soul – a romantic’s soul. As a result this is a more brutal epic than Lean conditioned us for. All that aside, this is a fantastic film!
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (Blu Ray)
Ya know… I haven’t seen this film yet. I’ll be honest. It scares me. It suggests things, that perhaps are best left unseen. This Blu Ray sits beside my desk – waiting for the right brave moment where I will insert that evil disc into my PS3… Most people that I know that have seen it, kinda love it – in that way that you love that thing that gave you a nervous tick. A film that when you say you love it, you’re looking at the other person’s face to see how it registers. It is a get your goat sort of affair. That said – I’ll probably watch this shortly… I’m just not sure if I want what may be seen in this. But then, I kind of think I do.
MAD MAX (Blu Ray)
MAD MAX and ROAD WARRIOR are a pair of the best 1, 2 punches in the history of cinema. This film, in many ways… doesn’t resemble THE ROAD WARRIOR at all – save for… THE CAR…. MAX and the evolution of road gangs. But between these two films is another story. A story of some manner of global Armageddon. But here – this is the world on the brink. Still mostly civilized, but going insane on the edges. MAD MAX is a beautiful film, if for no other reason – than it is a preservation of pre-International Superstar Mel Gibson. Here there’s a sweetness… an honesty… a subtlety of performance that really is powerful. Much like ROAD WARRIOR, this is one to show off your home entertainment system. Movies aren’t usually this visual and this good.
THE SECRET OF KELLS
This film hasn’t caught me yet. I put it on to watch it the other night and just wasn’t in the mood. I’ll give it another try soon. I’ll save it for later.
THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE COLLECTION
I’m going to watch all 3 of these in a row probably this Sunday night. Because that sounds like fun. Slumber Party Massacre-athon. Blood, Fun & Boobs! As God intended. I previewed a bit of the first disc, and the transfer looked quite good. SHOUT! Put these out, which pretty much guarantees greatness.
HARD CANDY (Blu Ray)
This film has a special place in my heart – as it was Yoko and mine’s 2nd Date – and it was the perfect date film for an older / younger – met on the internet – relationship starter. She assured me that she had not come to cut off my penis. And that was a good thing. As for the film… This film has two great actors throwing everything out there – and it comes across perfect. Patrick Wilson is just awesomely sleazy in a self-justifying way. Ellen Page is the perfect Nancy Drew with a wicked sense of FUCK YOU. Still Slade’s best film to date.
THE EVIL / TWICE DEAD
I like THE EVIL…. Not quite a fan of TWICE DEAD. THE EVIL kind of fucked with me. It’s a bunch of rehab kids in a haunted house. But if you pick this up – and you pick up Criterion’s HOUSE later this month, you’ve got the beginnings of a real good Haunted House Halloween. And not with the typical films of the genre, but still a damn fine time. TWICE DEAD just isn’t as solid. I should probably give it a separate shot, not following THE EVIL, which is damn fine work.
HIGH TENSION (Blu Ray)
This is an insane film, and I dig it. I’m very proud that this film first played upon US shores at Butt-Numb-A-Thon 5 – very possibly the very best BNAT of them all. Although – Some are still screaming about BNAT1138. For me, BNAT 5 still reigns supreme. HIGH TENSION – is Alexandre Aja’s fist pounding into the cinema screens demanding to be taken seriously as a horror auteur. As he has gone into the remake business – I find him slightly less interesting, even if he continues to do solid fun work… it’s just – HIGH TENSION wasn’t something I’d really seen before – and I like that – and wish that Aja had more of these.
BAD LIEUTENANT (special edition) Blu Ray
I remember back in 1992, I had missed seeing BAD LIEUTENANT in theaters, but a number of my friends browbeat me for not having seen it. By the time I caught up to it, I think Vulcan Video a couple years later – I thought that this film was one of those films that couldn’t be improved upon. Then I saw Herzog’s take –and I’ll be goddamned. Herzog definitely trumps Ferrara. And shockingly – Cage trumps Keitel – though I have to say, I would rather run into Cage than Keitel given any of the situations in these films.
SECRETARY (Blu-Ray)
Pretty much a perfect Indie bit of Awesome. I know it makes me want a secretary – and I know that means I’m objectifying, but I dare say there isn’t a man alive that watches this movie and doesn’t entertain the notion that… it’d be nice. Although – I certainly wouldn’t be nearly as neurotic as Spader. Jesus does that guy got issues. Some people claim this as porn. I like those people.
TROLL 2 (Blu Ray)
The documentary, BEST WORST MOVIE – is about TROLL 2 – and technically – that film is WAY better than TROLL 2 – and TROLL 2 is kinda genius in just how unintelligent and quasi-incomprehensible this is. But it is always endearing. You like how bad this film is, you thrive on how bad it is, in fact how bad it is, is why you would buy a 1080p print of TROLL 2. Hey, would you rather see this or BLAIR WITCH PROJECT!
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (Blu Ray)
In 1999, there was very probably no greater phenomenon than THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. I was very much caught up in this. Watching the film 11 years later on Blu-Ray – I find myself wishing they had the original bad dupe version that was originally leaked back in 1999. That 7th generation dupe that spread everywhere in advance of the film was one of those great films . The film was absolutely a Rorschach test – and everybody saw and heard different things. Watching BLAIR WITCH PROJECT again – all this time passing, I found I absolutely still like it. Mainly because I love Heather Donahue in the film. Mainly because I love arguing about what the fuck is in the rag. What happened in the corner? Most of all I remember showing it to my friends for the first time. I wonder. I bet my nephew hasn’t seen this yet. Heh. Yeah.
OXFORD MURDERS
I’m a huge Alex De La Iglesia fan – always have been, since his early days – THE OXFORD MURDERS is a fun little murder mystery that plays to the cult of numbers and those that love them. This is one of Alex’s lighter films – not a heavy masterful work like his latest, THE LAST CIRCUS – which is just tremendous. But really – this is a fun film for Elijah and John Hurt to play back and forth – and Elijah gets some fun time with a couple of absolute beauties. In particular – I’m completely smitten by Leonor Watling, but then I first noticed her in Almodovar’s BAD EDUCATION. She’s real sweet in this film – and I love her story in this film.
HOLY ROLLERS
Saw this at the Aruba International Film Festival earlier this year. I kind of hated that this was based on a true story, because that meant they kind of had to stick to reality – and I really loved the story of Haisidic Ecstacy Smuggling Jews that bring the stuff back from Amsterdam. I was riveted to this story – and again found Jesse Eisenberg to be one of the most watchable young actors working today. Ari Graynor does some very nice work here – as she’s done in WHIP IT, YOUTH IN REVOLT and NICK & NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST. This is a very good film.
WONDERLAND (Blu Ray)
The second film that I know of that was somewhat based upon the true life crime filled world of John Holmes. BOOGIE NIGHTS is the better film, make no mistake, but this is quite a solid film. And it is really all kinds of screwed up. A seedy dark story of the wonderfully cheerful worlds of giant cocks, murder and drugs. Who wouldn’t want the clearest image imaginable?
Next week, we’ll take a look at HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, LADIES & GENTLEMEN: THE ROLLING STONES, JONAH HEX (sigh), ARN: THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR, WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN: THE COMPLETE SERIES, I AM LOVE, LOST BOYS; THE THIRST, THE DARJEELING LIMITED (Criterion Blu), LEAVES OF GRASS, THREE KINGS (Blu), GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF UNIVERSE Blu Ray, RED DRAGON Blu, ESSENTIAL BUGS BUNNY, MAGICIAN (Criterion Blu), SEX AND LUCIA (Blu), THE HANGOVER (Extreme blu), HE-MAN & SHE-RA CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, SCORE, JOHNNY STACCATO 3 DVD Box Set!, BUSBY BERKELEY 9-Film Collection, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (Blu), 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER, DEEP BLUE SEA Blu, ASTAIRE & ROGERS ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION, SMOKEY & THE BANDIT 7 Movie Outlaw Collection, SAMURAI VENDETTA, S&MAN Blu, RARE CULT CINEMA, WHITE ON RICE, CRUCIBLE OF TERROR, BRAIN DEAD, SECRETS OF SEX (aka BIZARRE) and that’s about it…
