Hey folks, Harry here with the Picks & Peeks slightly late. Sorry about that, but after Comic Con and getting sick, I really needed a good long night’s sleep – plus I wanted to watch a couple of the releases that came in while I was at Comic Con. Glad I did, and I think you will as well. Like usual, the pics and links are both clickable to AMAZON, whose President I ate with at COMIC CON in one very very strange and fun dinner, which resulted in everyone asking me how the MARVEL panel was going via my Twitter feed. SERIOUSLY ODD FUN TIME. Anyway – if you click – you can learn more on the title or you can purchase the item which continues to help this column and site. So thank you. Without further ta do, here ya go….
DARK CITY (1950)
Directed by William Dieterle, one of the classic directors that did two of my genre faves with Laughton’s HUNCHBACK and the best satan ever in ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY – along with flicks with Flynn, Marlene, Tyrone and so forth… Dieterle did excellent work. But DARK CITY, it could very well be one of his very best. Starring The Heston, the noir vixen – Lizabeth Scott – along with folks like Dean Jagger, Harry Morgan and Jack Webb… This is just a flat out great Noir. And possibly the most important of Dieterle’s career, for this is the movie that introduced the world to Charlton Heston. Also keep those eagle eyes out for the great MIKE MAZURKI… you can’t miss him – he’s the greatest thug actor this side of Rondo Hatton in the history of cinema. Of course his best turn was in MURDER MY SWEET, at least for my money. Nice to get this!
CLASH OF THE TITANS (Remake)
Notably superior at home in 2D, but still a heaping load of dumb. Watching the far better “Extra scenes” that didn’t make the feature – just point to the fact that there could very well have been a better film somewhere in this mess. But without the cut & paste 3D it is tolerable – until you think about the story construction that just grates like well, put in your own inappropriate metaphor. Personally – I’d save my money for these other releases and just check this out via Netflix
BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD
Now this is far better than the films either side of it. And it includes an animated short from the pen of Joe Lansdale that in its short running time schools the JONAH HEX film upon nearly every front, from atmosphere, score to even casting. WARNER ANIMATION is on one hell of a run – and I’m dying to see what TIMM and crew does with their GREEN LANTERN series next year! This may be more intense than some parents may like – but personally, so long as you are there to talk with your kid as they see the various events unfold, it just gives you a starting place to discuss the events. And that is part of the charm of this PG-13 series of Animated films. As an adult, you’ll WANT to watch this and explain things with your kid. To discuss. It is that kind of entertainment. It plays for you and the lil monkeys! God Bless all involved.
REPO MEN
Ultimately an unsatisfying film, but a fun one. Nothing ever feels right about this. The sick perversity of it though – kinda makes me smile. I just can’t help but wonder how much better all this material would have been in the hands of someone like Paul Verhoeven or Neill Blomkamp. Deep danky dark black satire science fiction isn’t for light weights – and everything about the film seems light weight. Though – that end bit… sick. In a good way, I thought. They just never established the universe, where this policy could be allowed. I didn’t buy it.
IP MAN (Blu)
If somehow you haven’t seen this piece of whupass – you’re not a Martial Arts freak… or you hate buying import DVDs and BluRays – but now you have no excuse. IP MAN is ready for HiDef Awesomery domestically. Now – like some of you I have the Asian BluRay release – which has tons of extras, though none of those extras are translated. Here – you get over 2 hours of making ofs, Deleted scenes, Interviews with all the creative’s and more. What they didn’t show – was anyone that Donnie Yen destroyed getting up off the ground. Because we all know. Those people will never be seen again. Right?
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Blu)
Now, I could have sworn this was already released – and it was – but only as part of a 3 Film BLU RAY set – this is its single film Blu Ray debut. But nothing is different from that CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER / HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS triple set. SO – were you holding out? Tis a beautiful and ass-kicking good time!
RAMBO (Extended Cut) Blu Ray!
There are films that are just silly fucking awesome. RAMBO is one of those. This extended cut is just the shit. That isn’t to say this film is silly or shit. It is deadly serious, makes the WILD BUNCH seem chaste. I haven’t done the comparison screening yet, but I did put this on and watched it the last MOVIE NIGHT I had – and it just knocked my dick in the dirt. WOW. Watching RAMBO clean up that boat after slaying the pirates just… it feels so “automatic” as though it represented some form of technique he’d done many times before. I get the idea that Rambo is so accustomed to dealing with people that need dealing with… well, frankly, this is just THE PUNISHER movie I’ve been wanting. Exactly like this – but urban. Seriously though, by the time you get to the end of this Extended Cut – I completely see what Stallone meant when he told me the added scenes and the finality of looking down that road leading away from his homestead… Stallone will never revisit this role again, and I am 100% at peace with that. This is the RAMBO he was building towards.
G.I. JOE: THE MOVIE (Blu Ray)
I’m not very happy with this. This is one of those Blu Rays – where all the Bonus Features are on a plain DVD – when there was obviously plenty of room on the Blu Ray – for the special features at BLU RAY resolution. Yeah… Having this film in Blu Ray though is just kinda irresistible.
CRACK IN THE WORLD (1965)
Scientist constantly point out this premise is a crock of shit. But come the end of the world, what the fuck Scientist think ain’t gonna matter two shakes of a shit, cuz we’re all gonna die. Right? And the whole point of a movie like CRACK IN THE WORLD is to freak the fuck out and panic… that’s exactly what this film delivers with effects that cost the coffee budget of Emmerich’s 2012, but then – I’m betting Emmerich sat down and watched CRACK IN THE WORLD – or saw the one sheet that now adorns the box art and thought… YES! GENIUS! But ya know what, when the world hasn’t gone wonky – and the effects are not on screen, this is a far better film than that 2012. Now port over the effects to this and I start getting happy, though I’d prefer them in Pal’s WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE.
HANNIE CAULDER
All you really need to know is Raquel Welch wears the hottest Western blouse/shirts ever in this – her hat is awesome and her cast? Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin, Christopher Lee, Robert Culp and the wild eyed awesome of Jack Elam are all there to support her… supportables. The Rape that takes place in this film is, probably sickenly accurate. Borgnine, Martin and Elam are rather comical in how they handle it, but there’s something about that – that just makes it all the worse. All I know – is I love watching Raquel get and seek revenge. Honestly, I just like watching Raquel. She’s meant for motion. And this has been away from Home Video since the candlelit days of VHS. It is nice that I can finally blow that candle out, and watch it as god intended… on a shiny disc that leaves me wanting the true beauty of Blu.
FANBOYS (Blu Ray)
Now you can watch me kick the shit out of that SORCEROR APPRENTICE bastard’s ass in 1080p! Well, kinda. I didn’t get sent a screener for this, but for obvious reasons I must pick up a copy. It seems that the people that worship this movie, seem to only bring that up to me in the BATHROOMS at Comic Con. And no, I don’t want to shake hands in the bathroom or pose for photos in the Bathroom. Outside, please. Outside. That said, I love the part I play in this silly piece of fun. And thank god for SLAVE GIRL LEIA fangirls – there were several at Comic Con that just made me so happy. As in, I look back upon the photos and think… GIRLS RULE.
APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER
You know what’s great about this? Alan Ladd doesn’t play a detective, a policeman, an FBI agent or any of the typical HEROES of a Mystery/Noir. No. He’s a POSTAL INSPECTOR. Now, don’t laugh, because this is Alan Ladd, and he wouldn’t react well to your laughter. He’s out to stop the biggest mail heist in history – and this is all very serious business – but what it great is the world of a Postal Inspector and how his investigation is similar and different from what we know. We got Jack Webb and Harry Morgan back – and they’re fantastic in this film. Here’s another debut to DVD that’s absolutely worth checking out.
RAMBO: THE COMPLETE COLLECTOR’S SET (Blu)
The only obvious flaw I can instantly point to, is that this does not have the above Extended Edition of the 4th RAMBO. That said – if you purchase this and that – you’ll be very ecstatic. The special features are really really really excellent. And you won’t have these problems with THE EXPENDABLES release I understand, because on the DVD FEATURES panel I attended at Comic Con – Sly has already edited and mastered his expanded edition so the release is being handled from the beginning with that in mind. Sly didn’t have the above release of RAMBO done when the prior edition came out – and nobody knew he was doing it. So don’t get angry – Sly had a change of heart – and the results are pretty spectacular. Here’s what you get…
First Blood: Ultimate Edition
Audio commentary with Sylvester Stallone
Alternate Ending
Interactive Military Special Operations Features- Survival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap
Rambo First Blood Part II: Ultimate Edition
Audio commentary with director George P. Cosmatos
Interactive Military Special Operations Features- Survival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap
Rambo III: Ultimate Edition
Audio commentary with director Peter MacDonald
Deleted Scenes
Interactive Military Special Operations Features- Survival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap
Rambo: 2-Disc Special Edition
Audio commentary by Sylvester Stallone
Deleted Scenes
"Legacy of Despair: The Struggle in Burma" featurette
"It's a Long Road: Resurrection of an Icon" featurette
"A Score to Settle: The Music of Rambo" featurette
"The Art of War: Completing Rambo" featurette
"The Weaponry of Rambo" featurette
"A Hero's Welcome: Release & Reaction" featurette
Digital Copy of the feature film
Bonus Disc
"The Real Nam: Voices from Within" featurette
"Guts and Glory" featurette
"The Forging of Heroes: America's Green Berets" featurette
"Rambo-nomics" featurette
"Selling a Hero" featurette
"Suiting Up" featurette
"An American Hero's Journey: The Rambo Trilogy" featurette
"Drawing First Blood" featurette
"We Get to Win This Time" featurette
"Afghanistan: Land in Crisis" featurette
Theatrical Trailers for all 4 Films
LOCK UP (Blu)
A really silly fun Prison flick. The car scene is hysterical to me. But it works in the best way that this era of Stallone did. Besides – I tend to love just about every movie with Sonny Landham in it. This is a B-movie, and as a B-movie it is junky fun. If you want great Prison movies – watch WHITE HEAT, Paul Muni’s I WAS A PRISONER ON A CHAIN GANG or Voight in RUNAWAY TRAIN or… oh yeah, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. If you want outstanding exploitation, go Corman and babes with bars… but if you want Stallone in Prison. It is your only choice. And it is a fun one.
OPERATION: ENDGAME
With Zach Galifianakis, Jeffrey Tambor, Ving Rhames, Maggie Q, Bob Odenkirk, Ellen Barkin and Rob Corddry – you’d expect this to be quite a bit of fun. The other names that you may not know – are all folks you recognize from other films. And the movie is a whole lot of fun, till it just gets stupid. I recommend putting this on a queue at best, not a purchase. The premise is simply – imagine the OFFICE, but if the office was an assassins’ office for the government – and in particular it is the day that Obama is getting sworn in, and Bush and Cheney didn’t want what these assassins did to get out in the real world, so they set about a plan that set them against one another thus starting a locked down war. Amusing and fun, but not entirely satisfying.
THE PROWLER (Blu )
Any film with behind the scenes with Tom Savini doing gore – and with him on a Commentary is a must purchase item in my book. This is one of the most gruesome killer films out there. The Blu Ray is gorgeous and again Blue Underground gives us the best look at these kinds of films. Culty awesome flicks. It is possibly likely that you haven’t seen or heard of this film, but it is directed by the man responsible for JASON’s FINAL CHAPTER – and here – he really goes over the top with the violence. You won’t forget it, when you’ve seen it.
JOHNNY HANDSOME (Blu)
If you have never gone on a run of watching WALTER HILL films… clear out 10 spaces on your Queue and put in this order: THE WARRIORS, THE LONG RIDERS, SOUTHERN COMFORT, 48 HRS, STREETS OF FIRE, EXTREME PREJUDICE, RED HEAT, JOHNNY HANDSOME, TRESPASS and LAST MAN STANDING. And if you want to explore his brilliance as a writer, I recommend finding HICKEY & BOGGS, THE GETAWAY, THE MACKINTOSH MAN and HARD TIMES. OH – and um, the story for ALIENS. Walter Hill is an automatic filmmaker for me. If I see his name, I see the film. No questions asked, and with a sense of urgency. LONG RIDERS is my favorite, but I love almost everything he’s done.
Now JOHNNY HANDSOME – it is one of those Mickey Rourke roles that I just love. The film is below many people’s radar, but frankly – I’m so happy Pacino passed on playing this title character, because what Rourke does with it, Pacino couldn’t have. Rourke is a deformed gangster and he’s still got a sexual presence – he still has a raw ferocity that I just don’t get from Al. The cast around him is excellent, with Ellen Barkin in her prime being the crotch magnet of the film. Morgan Freeman, Forest Whitaker and Lance Henriksen are all very good. This is a pretty sweet film – discover it if you haven’t.
DON’T LOOK UP (Blu)
Haunted Film Stock causes everything to go to shit with a film crew shooting a flick. I haven’t seen this, but Fruit Chan’s part of THREE… EXTREMES so I’m down with this. Besides, I’m really curious to see what Eli Roth and Henry Thomas have to do in the film. And besides – I googled Elena Satine, Daniela Sea and Zelda Williams and yeah. I’ll be watching this soon!
THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (Criterion Blu)
You know, watching this film on the heels of hearing about how France has made it illegal for Arabic women to wear their traditional religious garb… Really made me a bit perturbed at France. This is a film about the Arabic immigrant life in France. The film is exquisite in it’s portrayal of this particular cultural world. It is a film that helps one to consider a different existence on this mudball of ours. The lives on display here and their story has so many simple truths and struggles that it seems to melt one’s own problems away. All while making me hungry. This is a film you strain to smell. Criterion does a great thing by bringing this forward for inspection and they give it the full Criterion with these special features:
New video interview with Kechiche
Sueur, Kechiche's extended version of the belly dancing sequence
New video interview with film scholar Ludovic Cortade
Excerpt from a 20 heures television interview with Kechiche
Video interviews with Herzi, actress Bouraouia Marzouk
Theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Wesley Morris
VERSUS (Blu Ray)
When my nephew was like 3, my sister watched this film with him. It was the first movie to sink into that little head sponge of his. Later that same day, he was found with a stick acting out the movie in the trees in his backyard – making loud “HAI” sounds and pointing a smaller stick to make “Bang Bang” sounds. He was fighting Zombies – and thought he was as cool as the lead character. The next year, he acted in his first Zombie movie. So yeah. I kind of love VERSUS. I loved VERSUS before that – and I follow Ryuhei Kitamura’s career. This is wear it started for me. Back the year my Nephew was born. Has anyone seen BATON yet?
JOY
I find 80s French Softcore porn essential.
JOY & JOAN
I find sequels to 80s French Softcore porn even more essential, especially with this new JOY!
THE MONSTER AND THE APE
More essential than 80s French Softcore Porn & its Sequels is MAN-IN-SUIT – Ape versus Robot awesomery from the 40’s. How awesome is this? 15 Chapters of cool. This is one of those films with a plot better than anything we have going today. Ready? It doesn’t get better than this. Some old timey scientist, with the noblest intentions, builds an awesome Humanoid Robot that’d just be killer help on Planet Earth. But because the world isn’t solely butterflies and rainbows – there has to be an EVIL SCIENTIST. Because we have those. Right. Have we ever had an EVIL SCIENTIST. In like. You know. History. I’m talking EVIL. With relish. If we did, could we survive? One just seriously motivated Evil Scientist. Like DR HORRIBLE. Just one. He’d rule in no time. In this serial, the EVIL SCIENTIST steals the Good Intentioned Robot and creates ROBOT BASTARD. He isn’t called ROBOT BASTARD. Hell, on the poster, they never even called him a Robot, his name went straight to MONSTER. And when you have a MONSTER ROBOT BASTARD – there is only one thing to do. Break out the Man in a Gorilla Suit and call him an APE! NOW. Now you have the plot to the perfect entertainment. This masterful plot device has completely flummoxed Michael Bay. This is what TRANSFORMERS needs. Not more MONSTER ROBOT BASTARDS, but Rick Baker in a Giant Gorilla Suit and called an APE! This is why the past rules. The past rules because it opens the way to divine enlightenment. Bring on THE APE bitches!
THE NUNSPLOITATION CONVENT COLLECTION
Men, admit it. You’re somewhere. Anywhere. Preferably your bedroom. And a woman in a Nun-suit sucks on her finger with fuck me eyes. What do you do? Because this is an essential question in all men’s thoughts – Exploitation saw fit to create the genre of NUNSPLOITATION. A genre that has epic awesome across its history.
Within this brilliant and nay even essential genre, there are… JAPANESE NUNSPLOITATION FILMS – of which, the early Seventies SCHOOL OF THE HOLY BEAST is well. Epic. How Epic? Let me simply list the IMDB KEYWORDS for SCHOOL OF THE HOLY BEAST and let’s see if it gets your interest, ok? Here we go: Investigation, brutality, Crucifix, perversity, Rose, sexual abuse, Bitterness, rape, Novice, altar, Bare Breasts, disguise, Female Nudity, lust, Catfight, erotica, Holy Water, hypocrisy, Degradation, blood, LESBIAN NUN, perversion, Dead Mother, NIPPLES, lesbian kiss, Photograph, BISHOP, cruelty, Sex, Fiend, VIOLENCE, urine, LESBIAN, SADNESS, thorn, Humiliation, Decadence, SURREALISM, moaning, Beating, URINATION, stripping, EVIL MAN, female frontal nudity, Nudity, torture, Moral Corruption, SAUSAGE, lesbianism, Lesbian Sex, sadism, photo, SCREAMING, scream, depravity, PERVERT, sadist, desire, SEXUAL PERVERSION, sexual violence, NUN, Sexual Desire, fondling, PRIEST, nunsploitation, EVIL NUN, corruption, Topless Female Nudity, punishment, Vice, WHIPPING, TIED UP, pain, CONVENT and of course… WHIP! Now, how have you not clicked? Oh, waiting for the second film?
Well, BEHIND CONVENT WALLS isn’t in the same league as SCHOOL OF THE HOLY BEAST – which is essential for all 14 year old boys. This is weaker Italian Nunsploitation. A genre where they have done solid work. BEHIND CONVENT WALLS just isn’t in a very high league, beyond pure base hotness of casting and moderately arousing yummy scenes. That said, SCHOOL OF THE HOLY BEAST will wind you up. BEHIND CONVENT WALLS will get you ready for bed. I promise.
Ok, that’s it for July. We kick off next month with KICK-ASS, the final season of HEROES, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, ahem… ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK on BLU RAY!!!!! ELVIS ON TOUR on BLU, THE GHOST WRITER, THE BREAKFAST CLUB Blu, TCM’s ERROL FLYNN Adventures set, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH Blu Ray, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP Blu Ray, ROAD TO PERDITION Blu Ray, The Kim Novak Collection, BLOOD SIMPLE Blu Ray, PIRANHA Blu Ray, ‘NIGHT MOTHER, GREAT WALDO PEPPER, A KUROSAWA set, CHARLIE’S ANGELS Blu Ray, a double feature DVD of DEATH SPORT and BATTLE TRUCK, BULL DURHAM on Blu, a great documentary on JIM HENSON, an Elvis BLU RAY Collection, a cheap edition of WOODSTOCK on Blu and a ton more. Seriously. It is an amazing week of releases as you’ll find out next Tuesday!!!
