Our Say On Blu-Ray

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 Volume XXIII (DVD)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-20T14:40:13-07:00

Shout! Factory / 1990 - 1994 / 360 mins / NR

THE EPISODES:
It’s time once again to head down to Deep 13 and see what Dr. Clayton Forrester (Trace Beaulieu) and TV’s Frank (Frank Conniff) have in store for the unlucky occupants of The Satellite of Love as Shout! Factory releases four more classic episodes of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 on DVD! We’ve got Movie Sign!!!!

First up Joel Robinson (Joel Hodgson), Crow T. Robot (Beaulieu) and Tom Servo (Kevin Murphy) must face the wrath of “King Dinosaur.” This film is from the prolific output of independent producer Robert Lippert and director Bert I. Gordon, who would provide MST with several of their worst, err, best experiments. In this adventure, four scientists blast off to explore a new planet which has entered our solar system. Fortunately for our explorers, the planet (named Nova) is very Earth-like with a breathable atmosphere and vegetation galore. Not so fortunate for our pair of romantic couple scientists, it is also inhabited by giant iguanas, err, Tyranosaurus Rex. Good thing these people of science brought along a spare atomic bomb, you know, just in case. This episode also includes the bizarre 1944 short film “X Marks The Spot” in which a heavenly judge lays down the law about driving in Jersey!

Next Joel and the ‘bots enter “The Castle of Fu Manchu.” This 1969 Jess Franco directed film features Christopher Lee returning for a fourth outing as Sax Rohmer’s oriental super villain. As Joel and the ’bots continually point out throughout the film, it really doesn’t have a coherent plot. It has something to do with Fu Manchu wanting to freeze the oceans of the world, but never fear! Our hero Nayland Smith (Richard Greene) and his sidekick Doctor Petrie (H. Marion-Crawford) are on the case tracking Fu to Istanbul.

A pair of episodes with Mike Nelson (Michael J. Nelson) is next. First up for Mike is the 1977 Quinn Martin made for television film, “Code Name: Diamond Head.” The spy genre was all but dead in the late 1970’s but Quinn Martin was going to try to launch a television series anyway with this being the pilot film. Johnny Paul, code named Diamond Head (Roy Thinnes), is our Hawaiian based spy out to stop the psychotic double agent known as “Tree” (Ian McShane) from stealing a newly developed, top secret nerve gas. “Code Name: Diamond Head: may be horrible but the riffs are hysterical. This episode also features the fan favorite (and one of MST3K’s funniest) shorts, “A Day at the Fair.”

This set comes full circle with Mike and the ‘bots taking on one of Robert Lippert’s earliest endeavors, “Last of the Wild Horses.” This truly hideous no budget western from 1948 is about bad robber turned good cowboy Duke Barnum (James Ellison) being framed for murder while falling for the daughter of a rancher who is being set up for stealing wild horses. Or something like that. Needless to say, there is more than enough badness to be riffed on here, but the real treasure of this particular episode is the host segments. Also a fan favorite, this is the episode Mike and the ‘bots do their parody of the classic STAR TREK episode “Mirror, Mirror” with Dr. Forrester and TV’s Frank being the hapless pair on the SOL and an evil Mike and Gypsy (Jim Mallon) running Deep 13.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 is one of those television series you know right up front whether you are on board with or not. If you are a MSTie, you want all of the episodes. The rapid fire riffs and comebacks are so plentiful that even if one goes over your head or falls flat, there is another one only seconds away that is sure to hit your funny bone. If there is one complaint I can lodge against Shout! Factory and their releases of MST3K is that is feels like it takes forever for one to come out. For now, we have another quartet of gut busting fun with the Mads, the ‘bots and Mike and Joel. Push the button, Frank.

THE DISC:
Like all of the episodes of MST3K released so far, the quality varies from movie to movie, but the host segments are all in very good shape. The worst looking film in this batch is easily “Last of the Wild Horses” (it’s also the worst sounding with much of it very difficult to understand). The host segments are only marred by occasional video hits but for the most part are all in more than acceptable shape.

Likewise, the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is only as good as the prints of the films themselves. However, every riff is clear as a bell and the host segments sound completely fine.

THE EXTRAS:
Shout! Factory has been producing some great supplements for the MST3K box sets and this one is no different. Let’s break it down by episode.

“King Dinosaur” has that film’s original theatrical trailer joined with a very informative documentary, “The Incredible Mr. Lippert” chronicling the producers’ rise in Hollywood and how he changed his product to match the times. It is very worth checking out.

“The Castle of Fu Manchu” also features that film’s original theatrical trailer and a new introduction to the episode by Frank Conniff. A behind the scenes look at the video game DARKSTAR, featuring many of MST3K’s creators, is a nice piece and one MSTies will be glad to have, but it doesn’t really have much to do with the episode or MST3K.

“Code Name: Diamond Head” kicks off with the short documentary, “Code Name: Quinn Martin.” While it is an informative yet brief look at the career of the very successful television producer, it is hosted by Jonathan Etter (author of the book “Quinn Martin, Producer”), possibly the most boring host ever to grace a Shout! Factory featurette.

This disc also features the first segment of a new series, “Life After MST3K.” This featurette has Kevin Murphy telling us what he’s been up to since Best Brains closed shop and auctioned off the MST set.

“Last of the Wild Horses” only has one supplement but it will no doubt be THE highlight for fans of the series: a whole bunch of the original Comedy Central MST Promos featuring the entire cast. These are just pure MST3K gold and I only hope Shout! Factory has a whole bunch more of these to release in future sets.

MY SAY:
Four more episodes of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 is always a cause to celebrate. So get your friends, turn down the lights (where applicable) and get ready to head back up to the Satellite of Love. Always recommended!!

Reviewed by Jeff Allen

JUDGE JOHN DEED: Season Five (DVD)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-20T13:01:14-07:00

BBC / 2006 / 356 mins / NR

THE SERIES:
Judge John Deed (Martin Shaw) is a radical High Court judge who constantly strives to not only serve justice, but change the centuries old judicial system almost all of his peers (and certainly his superiors) are very happy keeping exactly as is. Needless to say this has made him quite the thorn in many powerful people’s side. It has also made him the one judge to go to in the UK when no one else will help or even listen to your case.

JUDGE JOHN DEED, the series, is the longest running legal drama on the BBC. While the entire span of the series is only 29 episodes, there were six separate seasons. This show is not a police procedural, it is all about the legal side although that never stops Deed from taking his court on the road to scenes of the crime or him using his little grey cells to see through lying witnesses and skewed facts. The show has been criticized throughout its run as presenting facts inaccurately but that never diminished its popularity. Creator and writer of every episode, G. F. Newman knows good drama and that is more what JUDGE JOHN DEED is rather than a factual representation of English Law. With his title character longing for the beautiful barrister Jo Mills (Jenny Seagrove), JUDGE JOHN DEED frequently crosses the border into soap opera/melodrama, but never strays too far into that area.

The first four episodes from the six-episode Series Five are here: “Hard Gating,” “My Daughter, Right or Wrong,” Lost Youth” and “Silent Killer.” The final two episodes of the season, “One Angry Man” and “Heart of Darkness” were pulled by the BBC when they came under fire shortly after their original 2006 broadcast in the UK. The episodes criticized the government’s MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) and fueled an already heated nationwide health scare. Once the controversy was cleared up, the claims made in the episodes were proven false. Hence, the BBC pulled the episodes from rotation and they are not present here and probably won’t be on the Final Season DVD when that is released.

THE DISC:
The anamorphic 16:9 picture is on par with other BBC releases on DVD, acceptable but not exceptional. Color is well saturated and detail is okay, but don’t look for anything razor sharp. Fine detail comes through as digitally blocky but no worse as a standard definition television broadcast.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack is also completely acceptable. Granted this is a mostly very quiet television series and heavily dialogue driven so an immersive soundscape really isn’t necessary.

THE EXTRAS:
Not a single thing.

MY SAY:
JUDGE JOHN DEED is a great alternative to LAW AND ORDER and the endless amount of police procedurals that have almost covered the television landscape for years. While it is sad the final two episodes are not here (even for posterity) the four 90-minutes that are here are cracking good.

Reviewed by Jeff Allen

The Slams (DVD)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-20T11:46:14-07:00

Warner Brothers Archive Collection / 1973 / 91 mins / R

THE FILM:
James Nathaniel Brown is still probably best known for his legendary football career, but his acting career is nothing to dismiss as an athletes’ whim. Not only did he start his second career in such classics as RIO CONCHOS (alongside Stuart Whitman and Richard Boone), THE DIRTY DOZEN (with Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson) and was one half of one of the first interracial love scenes in a major film (opposite Raquel Welch no less) in 100 RIFLES, but his exploitation output in the early to mid 1970’s put him on par with Fred Williamson and Richard Roundtree as one of the most in demand actors in the extremely popular (and lucrative) Blaxploitation subgenre.

MGM promoted THE SLAMS as a Blaxploitation picture, even though it really isn’t. It is a prison break movie and has all of the plot clichés and characters that make those films so much fun. About the only twist in this movie is that Brown’s character, Curtis Hook, isn’t innocent at all. He’s the lesser of all the evil characters that populate this flick.

Our story opens with Hook as part of a trio of criminals who lock some mafia thugs in the back of a semi and then proceed to gas them with a mixture of carbon monoxide and cyanide. After taking the $1.5 million in cash and a briefcase full of drugs they were after, the three proceed to turn on each other in a shootout the ends up wounding Hook and leaving the others dead. Hook stashes the cash and throws the drugs in the ocean (see? He isn’t THAT bad) before he loses consciousness due to his wound and wrecks his car right in front of a police car. He’s sent to The Slams, a prison run by corrupt guards and lorded over by gangs controlled by the mafia. Everybody is positive Hook knows where the loot is hidden and the pressure is on to get him to talk. But when Hook learns that his hiding place is about to be publically demolished, he needs to break out of The Slams, fast.

THE SLAMS was produced by Gene Corman and directed by one of his brother’s (Roger) students, Jonathan Kaplan (who would later direct such mainstream hits as UNLAWFUL ENTRY, BAD GIRLS and the Academy Award winning THE ACCUSED.) Kaplan knows how to make a good prison movie and ladles the goods on thick. We have nearly non-stop action (Hook isn’t in The Slams more than a few minutes before someone attacks him with a knife); an excellent and formidable opponent to defeat in the form of Ted (TV’s THE ADDAMS FAMILY’s Lurch) Cassidy’s monolithic meanie, Glover; and a clever (ok, sorta clever) escape plan. As an added bonus for exploitation fans, the great Dick Miller has a cameo (and everybody knows it’s not a real exploitation movie without The Dick Miller Seal of Approval!) But at the end of the day Jim Brown is the draw and he delivers on the strong silent type with a gusto. Curtis Hook may not be as big as his “Slaughter” character, but THE SLAMS gives him plenty of opportunity to show just what a tough guy he is.

THE DISC:
The anamorphic 1.85 picture is heralded as being remastered and for a little known film from the early 1970’s looks pretty darn nice. Specks, light scratching and occasional dirt do show up but for the most part, this is a very clean and bright picture.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack is likewise decent, though a subtitle option would have been nice considering the rapid fire and overlapping slang that is used almost constantly.

THE EXTRAS:
Only the theatrical trailer is here. It’s a great trailer full of action, a funky soundtrack and a Big Bad narrator. It also gives away the end of the film, so watch at your own risk.

MY SAY:
Yeah baby, they definitely do not make movies like this anymore. If you want some real honest to goodness grindhouse fare, THE SLAMS is just what the doctor ordered.

Reviewed by Jeff Allen

Letter Never Sent (Blu-ray)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-19T23:23:56-07:00

LETTER NEVER SENT

Criterion Collection / 1959 / 96 min. / NR

This tale of a team of 4 geologists, sent to Siberia in search of diamonds to bolster the wealth of their beloved Soviet Union, takes a turn in the middle to become a staggering story of survival. The black and white imagery captured by director Mikhail Kalatozov (THE CRANES ARE FLYING, I AM CUBA) and his daring cinematographer, Sergei Urusevsky, is simply astonishing. Despite the obvious nationalistic undertone that is part and parcel of Soviet art, it is the stunning filmmaking, as well as the dynamics between the four intrepid scientists, that keeps us emotionally engaged.

Tanya and Andrei are a young couple who hope to return to Moscow after this expedition to marry and start a family. A married man, Sabinine, is the ostensible leader of the group, who can’t stop thinking about his wife at home and is continuously writing letters to her. Sergei realizes over the course of their expedition that he is in love with Tanya. He writes a secret letter to her, spilling his guts, but when Andrei finds it, he assumes it is to a lover back home, not his own girlfriend. When Tanya starts noticing that Sergei is eyeing her as they dig for precious stones, some sexual anxiety is created… but nothing out of line for a movie that comes from this particular time and place.

Moving deeper and deeper into the tundra, fruitlessly digging and sluicing for a hint of the diamond pipe their Soviet bosses believe is there, the tension and frustration mounts. The four geologists bolster each other’s collective spirits with Communist tropes. Finally uncovering the diamond that indicates the mother lode, our intrepid team quickly find themselves caught up in a massive forest fire, through which they must struggle for survival.

Though the acting and storytelling in LETTER NEVER SENT are never less than involving, the real reason to seek this movie out is the extraordinary physical direction and striking cinematography. As the story becomes more and more emotionally fraught, the stark black and white photography at the service of Kalatozov’s expressive camera movement and compelling framing bring to mind the finest work of Ingmar Bergman and his longtime cameraman, Sven Nykvist.

As the socialist heroes make their way through punishing fire, water, wind and snow, sometimes they are caught up in the frenetic camera movement that energizes so much of this film. Other times, Kalatozov may shoot them as silhouettes, figures laboriously making their way over icy mountains or through smoldering bogs. There is an expressionistic unity that the director brings to the film that makes the transitions between location and stage shooting nearly seamless.

Before this Blu-ray disc crossed my threshold for review, I had never heard of LETTER NEVER SENT. Thanks to the Criterion Collection, another undiscovered cinematic diamond has been excavated and brought to sparkle in the world.

THE DISC

A typically stellar disc from Criterion of this little-seen (in the U.S.) film. The 1080p transfer in the film’s original 1.33:1 aspect ratio is a true black and white standout. Detail, depth and clarity are simply beautiful.

Taken from the original 35mm optical soundtrack, Criterion has cleaned up and restored the sound to an LPCM 1.0 track that is as good as you could imagine from a 1959 Mosfilm. State of the art work.

EXTRAS

A booklet with an essay by film scholar Dina Iordanova is included.

MY SAY

A visionary piece of filmmaking in service to the Soviet propaganda machine. Still, the images captured here are unique and thrilling.

--Reviewed by David Newman

Wizards: 35th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-16T13:48:33-07:00

20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment / 1977 / 81 min. / PG

THE FILM:
There are filmmakers whose cinematic look is so distinct, you can jump into any part of any of their films and know exactly who made it; Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman and Stanley Kubrick are a few obvious examples. The style of certain individual animators and animation teams is likewise as immediately identifiable. If you are cable surfing and happen upon a cartoon made by The Fleischer Brothers, Walt Disney or the gang from Termite Terrace you may not know the exact film, but you know who made it. Ralph Bakshi’s unique guerilla style of combining live action backgrounds with animated and rotoscoped characters are probably more identifiable than anyone else on this list. Bakshi’s films from FRITZ THE CAT and HEAVY TRAFFIC through FIRE AND ICE and even the big budgeted, studio produced COOL WORLD has his personal stamp on every frame. While Bakshi started his animation career working on such family friendly television fare as Deputy Dawg and Rocket Robin Hood, he is known today as the renegade auteur of some of the most adult oriented feature length cartoons of the second half of the 20^th century. After he gained universal acclaim (or would notoriety be more apropos?) with the violent, drug and prostitute filled worlds of FRITZ THE CAT and HEAVY TRAFFIC he decided he wanted to make his own family oriented feature film. The result was WIZARDS.

WIZARDS takes place in the far and distant future of Earth; after mankind had destroyed itself with nuclear war and buried the broken remnants of civilization under centuries of radioactive rubble. During these millennia, survivors were mutated into hideous creatures and the once dormant world of magic again rose to the surface. Elves, fairies and wizards once more controlled the world and none were more powerful than the polar opposite brothers Avatar (voiced by Bob Holt) and Blackwolf (voiced by Steve Gravers.) After a confrontation which ended with the brothers going their separate ways, Avatar kicked back with his barely dressed fairy Elinore (voiced by Jesse Welles) to live in peace and harmony. Blackwolf, on the other hand, began building an army to take back the world he believed was rightfully his. His mutant armies began excavating the technology of old Earth and started repairing the tanks, the aircraft and the weapons. But the most powerful weapon Blackwolf uncovered was World War II Nazi propaganda films, which he projected onto the sky terrifying everyone creature who saw them. When he felt his army was strong enough, Blackwolf sent assassins out to kill his brother and the final battle between magic and technology was underway.

Like most of Bakshi’s films, WIZARDS was a hot underground film when originally released and popular on the midnight movie circuit through most of the 1980’s. However, looking at WIZARDS today, it is a very slow moving film. Everything seems to take an exaggerated amount of time to occur from moving the plot to characters just delivering dialogue. The magic vs. technology theme is one that has been well worn in fantasy and science fiction media and while it was a popular topic back in the 1970’s, it feels overly worn today. While all of this is definitely a negative by today’s standards, it doesn’t make WIZARDS a bad film. This is just the way Bakshi’s films play today. As I noted, they were cutting edge and boundary pushing films when they originally came out.

However, not all of WIZARDS was savaged by the years. The character design and amazingly detailed backgrounds and collages are still stunning. The assassin Peace (voiced by David Proval) is the iconic image used on William Stout’s beautiful poster and is still an amazing piece of work. The intricately detailed buildings and still character collages draw you in to the point where you actually want the shot to last longer just to soak in all everything that is being shown. To top it all off, an uncredited Susan Tyrell delivers some of the most memorable sounding narration in all of animation. Her blasé, matter of fact voice is a mixture of almost gravely and almost silky and is as memorable as Boris Karloff’s voice in Chuck Jones’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. While WIZARDS didn’t age as gracefully as that holiday favorite, it is still a film very much worth checking out.

THE DISC:
This anamorphic 1.85 Blu-ray transfer looks better than any home video release of the movie to date. That said fans of the film know it has never looked particularly clean or sharp. Clean and sharp simply isn’t Bakshi’s style and he repeatedly says as much in the commentary and supplements. Also, while WIZARDS is a popular underground cult film, it isn’t a big enough film for Fox to pony up the money for a meticulous frame-by-frame restoration ala the classic Disney animated films. Even if they did, WIZARDS would never look as clean as a Disney film from the era. Bakshi’s use of stock footage, filmed backgrounds and his rotoscoping techniques will never look brand spanking new. He knew this making the film. These dirty looking aspects contribute to the overall mood and feel Bakshi was going after and they are perfectly represented on this disc. Colors pop nicely and detail is magnificent. Every line in the intricate crosshatching of background plates is clearly visible. However, the print does have dirt, quite a bit of film grain (which seems to fluctuate from shot to shot) and specks and light scratches here and there. It’s a good solid print, just not a perfect one.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is likewise very nice, but not as immersive as other animated fare from the era has been with similar sound mix upgrades. Andrew Belling’s score benefits most from this sound mix and comes through very swanky. As long as you are not expecting a Disney/Pixar looking film, you will be very happy with what is here.

THE EXTRAS:
The supplements are all ported over from the 2004 DVD release, but they are still quite good.

Ralph Bakshi delivers a fun commentary with numerous stories about the genesis of his animation style and WIZARDS in particular. Brusk, defensive and very in-your-face, Bakshi is a commentator quite unlike anyone else.

“Ralph Bakshi: The Wizard of Animation” is an excellent featurette with the animator but he tells many of the same stories as he does in the commentary, several of them using almost the exact same wording.

A “Still Galleries” is loaded with beautiful concept and character artwork and is well worth checking out.

Two theatrical trailers (including one narrated by Susan Tyrrell) and a television spot round out the supplements.

MY SAY:
WIZARDS hasn’t aged very gracefully and certainly isn’t for everybody, but it is a unique animation experience. If you love science fiction, fantasy and/or animation it is well worth seeking out as a rental just to experience. However, fans of the film will be very happy with what Fox has delivered with this Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Jeff Allen

Sullivan's Travels (DVD)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-16T12:47:14-07:00

SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS

Universal / 1941 / 91 min. / NR

If you’ve never heard of Preston Sturges, you’ve never heard of Hollywood’s first great writer/director. Certainly, Charlie Chaplin preceded Sturges in that role, but Chaplin was a phenomenally popular screen presence who used his box office clout to take control of his own films.

Preston Sturges started his career as a writer, having some Broadway success as a playwright before transitioning to Hollywood. In 1940, he convinced the powers-that-be to give him a shot directing his script for the political satire, THE GREAT McGINTY. That began a surge of brilliant, fast-talking screen comedies that was substantially over by the time World War II ended (though he did go on to make a few lesser-regarded films before his death in 1959). But during his amazing run, Sturges paved a path for the likes of Billy Wilder, who, unlike his auteur predecessor, always wrote with a partner.

So, if you’ve never heard of Preston Sturges, you’ve probably never heard of CHRISTMAS IN JULY, THE LADY EVE, THE PALM BEACH STORY, THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN’S CREEK or HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO. All of them are terrific and well worth checking out. But if one Sturges film rises above the others, it’s his 1941 masterpiece, SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS.

While his other movies are pretty much out-and-out comedies, SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS mixes Sturges’ brilliant, whipsaw-quick, sharp-witted dialogue with much darker elements. In many ways, some of the most affecting sections of the picture are strictly visual passages, featuring the movie’s privileged hero among society’s poor and downtrodden. In these scenes, Sturges evokes THE GRAPES OF WRATH more than HIS GIRL FRIDAY.

One thing that raises SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS to the level of classic is its seemingly autobiographical element. The main character is John Sullivan (Joel McCrea in an endearingly self-effacing performance), a successful Hollywood director of mindless comedies like So Long Sarong, Hey Hey in the Hayloft and Ants in Your Pants of 1939. But Sullivan is itching to make his serious picture, where he can expose the human condition. His dream project: O Brother, Where Art Thou… in case you were wondering where the Coen Brothers got the title for what was essentially their Sturges homage.

Against the wishes and advice of his bosses, handlers and servants (made up of a coterie of character actors, most of them part of Sturges’ “stock company”), Sullivan sets out on the road, outfitted as a hobo with just a dime in his pocket. While his first forays into America’s underbelly don’t go so well, he does meet A Girl (Veronica Lake), a down-on-her-luck, would-be actress, giving up her Hollywood dream and heading home. (“There’s always a girl.”)

Without going into the uncompromising twists and turns Preston Sturges packs into his 91 minutes, Sullivan winds up a nameless, convicted murderer on a southern chain gang. Like every great hero’s journey, John Sullivan has to completely, hopelessly bottom out before he is redeemed. In this case, it’s an epiphany about the value of simply making people laugh, offering an escape from daily struggles, sublimely and heartbreakingly realized by this masterful filmmaker.

To Preston Sturges’ undying credit, the filmmaker succeeds in a way his fictional counterpart doesn’t. In the end, Sturges does make his O Brother Where Art Thou and his Ants in Your Pants… all in one movie – SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS.

THE DISC

Part of Universal’s 100^th Anniversary Collection (though the movie was originally released by Paramount), it doesn’t appear that a whole lot of restoration was done since the landmark Criterion release over ten years ago. Still, the black and white classic looks and sounds just fine, presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a mono soundtrack.

EXTRAS

If you’re looking for substantial supplements, the 2001 Criterion release is still in print. However, it will set you back over twice as much as this bare-bones Universal version. If you are just looking to check out one of AFI’s 100 Greatest Films and aren’t concerned about extras, in addition to the classic movie, this release offers:

A pair of 8-minute promo videos about the history of Universal Pictures, covering, respectively, “The Carl Laemmle Era” and “The Lew Wasserman Era.”

The theatrical trailer for SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS.

MY SAY

A screwball masterpiece about Hollywood by Hollywood’s first great writer/director. This movie is a must for any serious collector… or anyone who loves movies.

--Reviewed by David Newman

A Town Like Alice (DVD)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-15T12:42:44-07:00

VCI Entertainment / 1956 / 111 min. / NR

THE FILM:
A TOWN LIKE ALICE is a rare World War II film. It isn’t an action packed combat spectacle filled with aerial dogfights or ground troops battling with tanks, nor is it a typical POW film with clever Allies finding ways to thwart the dastardly Axis Powers. Even films of life back home; of the men who couldn’t fight for whatever reason and the British wives and children being evacuated from London are more common than a film like A TOWN LIKE ALICE. This film, based on Nevil Shutes’ novel of the same name, is about female civilian prisoners of war.

Our story follows Jean Paget (Virginia McKenna) and begins and ends after the war. Jean receives a large inheritance and when asked what she wants to do with the money, she says she is going to use it to build a well in a small village in Malaya. We see the well built; the joy and celebration in the village and the look of contentment on Jean’s face. We then flashback to 1941. Jean is working in Malaya when the Japanese invade. Waiting with a group of British families for the last boat to take them to the safety of Singapore, the port is attacked and the men taken to POW camps. Not knowing what to do with the women and children that remain, the Japanese officers start marching the group from village to village trying to find a place that will keep them until the war is over. Again and again they are rejected; no village wants to take responsibility for them. As the initial fifty mile trek drags on into weeks and months, the women and their captors begin dying of exhaustion and illness. Not even realizing she had the power or the strength to do it, Jean becomes the unofficial leader and spokesperson for the group, working diligently to keep everyone alive.

Most films from this era, the 1950’s, even the great classic films feel a little bit dated. The sentimentality, the acting style, the pacing… something usually comes through today as being quaint or slightly antiquated. A TOWN LIKE ALICE doesn’t have that feeling. This could have been made last year with very minor changes (the story has, in fact, been adapted into a popular television miniseries in 1981 and as a radio drama in 1997). While this film only covers the first two sections of the book, director Jack Lee managed to capture a timeless feel and give the story a very satisfying ending. Yes, the story could continue but we get a full beginning, middle, end and even a dénouement of sorts. This film’s story feels complete.

A TOWN LIKE ALICE delivers a powerful emotional punch over half a century after the film was made. The story of unsung heroism and endurance is just as relevant in 2012 as it was in 1956 or 1941. McKenna and Peter Finch (as the Australian who helps the women and falls for Jean) deliver touching performances that will resonate with you long after the end credits roll. If you’ve never heard of A TOWN LIKE ALICE, consider it an overlooked little gem that is well worth seeking out.

THE DISC:
The full frame 1.33 transfer is very nice. The source print VCI used is in excellent condition with next to no artifacts or age related blemishes. The very light scratches and few speckles are so faint that you really have to be looking for them to notice. Blacks are deep and the gray scale quite impressive. Detail is also very sharp. This is one of the best looking discs VCI has put out in a while.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack is also in excellent shape. Dialogue is very clear and Matyas Seiber’s somber score sounds terrific.

THE EXTRAS:
“A Profile of A TOWN LIKE ALICE” is a very nice look back at the film (originally produced in 2000) with director Jack Lee and stars Virginia McKenna and Jean Anderson. The three were interviewed separately but offer up great stories about a film that is clearly very dear to their hearts. An excellent supplement that shouldn’t be missed.

A “Photo Gallery” with some promotional artwork and publicity photos round out the goodies.

MY SAY:
A timeless film brimming with career high performance from McKenna and Finch, A TOWN LIKE ALICE comes Highly Recommended.

Reviewed by Jeff Allen

DOCTOR WHO: The Tomb of the Cybermen – Special Edition (DVD)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-15T07:12:45-07:00

BBC / 1967 / 101 mins / NR

THE EPISODE:
As of this writing, 106 episodes of the classic era DOCTOR WHO television series are missing believed lost forever. Before 1991, “The Tomb of the Cybermen” was on that slightly longer list. It used to be the policy of the BBC to wipe and junk old episodes of television series they felt were no longer useful, profitable or wanted. In the early and mid 1970’s, hundreds of episodes of once popular shows were destroyed. The adventures of the first and second Doctor (William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton) were hit the hardest as their episodes were in black and white and by the mid-1970’s color was the only way to watch a television show, hence foreign markets didn’t want to purchase rights to them.

With the coming of home video in the early 1980’s, old television series slowly started to become wanted again by fans and television historians. A list of DOCTOR WHO episodes missing from the BBC Archives was made public and the hunt began to find these precious commodities. Over the past 25 years, several episodes have been recovered and returned to the BBC. In the early years, complete stories were returned from television stations around the world that still had the 16mm telecine prints in their libraries. This resulted in restoring the entire Jon Pertwee era (although several of his episodes still exist in black and white instead of their original color) and a few complete stories from the 1960’s. However, things seemed to dry up. A few random episodes have been found among private collectors who did not know what they had. In 1991, a Hong Kong based television company announced they had a 16mm print of the complete four part story, “The Tomb of the Cybermen.” That was the last complete story returned to the BBC. But WHAT a story to recover!

"The Tomb of the Cybermen” is not just a classic Patrick Troughton story; it is possibly one of the most atmospheric, scary, and just downright perfect Second Doctor adventures. The Doctor, Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Victoria (Deborah Watling) arrive on the frozen planet of Telos, the home world of the dreaded Cybermen. They join a group of archeologists from Earth who have come to discover what has happened to the once active but lately very quiet threat to the galaxy. When the group breaks the seal and opens the massive tomb of the title, they find out very quickly what the silver menace has been up to.

“The Tomb of the Cybermen” is one of the stories selected to be re-released as a Special Edition. In the UK these stories came in box sets called “Revisitations” but are being released individually here in the States. The stories that are being given the Special Edition treatment are usually ones that came out on DVD early in the game before the restoration process was perfected and with few supplements. The Doctor Who Restoration Team is doing a fantastic job in cleaning up the episodes themselves to make them look their best and producing a great new batch of supplemental material. These Special Editions are not just money-grabbing opportunities; they are truly upgrades worth the double dip. On top of that, all of the stories chosen for the special edition treatment are some of the finest examples of the classic series, no weak stories or lame episodes are in this batch. “The Tomb of the Cybermen” is one of the best of the best and this Special Edition ranks up there as one of the finest releases from the Restoration Team.

THE DISC:
The picture upgrade for this particular release is truly something spectacular. The original 16mm film print has been restored and digitally tweaked (see the “Magic of VidFIRE” supplement to see exactly what was done) to recreate the original video look of the episode and the results are just awesome. Deeper blacks and a richer gray scale coupled with better clarity and detail make the difference between this release and the original like night and day.

Likewise, the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack has been cleaned up a bit, but the results are not so dramatically different. Dialogue and sound effects are a touch cleaner than the original DVD release but the big improvement here is definitely the picture.

THE EXTRAS:
The Restoration Team went all out on the supplements to this special edition making it far more than just a double dip.

From the original 2002 DVD we have a commentary track with Watling and Hines, the "Introduction by director Morris Barry," the "Titles sequence tests" (featuring original elements and disused opening title footage), the "Late Night Line Up" segment featuring an interview with BBC Special effect creator Jack Kline, "The Final End" (a recreation of a battle from "The Evil of the Daleks") the "Photo Gallery" and the always excellent "Production Notes."

The new goodies kick off with the excellent making of featurette "The Lost Giants."

"The Curse of the Cybermen's Tomb" is an interesting if a little dry piece featuring scholars discussing the similarities of the Cybermen tomb with those found in ancient Egypt.

"Cybermen - Extended Edition" is a completely reworked documentary looking at the history of the monsters that now includes their appearances in the new series.

"The Magic of VidFIRE" takes a look at the restoration software used to bring "The Tomb of the Cybermen" back to amazingly clear life.

For the die hard fans, the big featurette that was not ported over from the original DVD is sadly a good one. "Tombwatch" the nearly 30 minute press conference with many of the cast and crew in attendance from when this story was recovered in 1991 is not here.

MY SAY:
Classic DOCTOR WHO has often been described as a series kids would watch hiding behind the sofa. “The Tomb of the Cybermen” is one of the stories that gave it that reputation. Highly Recommended!

Reviewed by Jeff Allen

The Killing: The Complete First Season (DVD)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-14T07:52:20-07:00

20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment / 2011 / 587 min. / TV-14

THE SERIES:
First television audiences wanted to know “Who Shot J. R.?” Then it seemed the entire world wanted to know “Who Killed Laura Palmer?” Last year the big, cool American television question was “Who Killed Rosie Larsen?” But viewers in Denmark already knew the answer, or did they?

Based on the hugely popular 2007 Danish television series, FORBRYDELSEN, AMC adapted the murder mystery series as THE KILLING and delivered a slick, if infuriating, 13 episode whodunit complete with loads of shady characters and red herrings. However, the one key change show runner Veena Sud brought to the American remake may have turned off the shows fans. (SPOILER ALERT!!) The season does not solve the murder! Sud has said that the killer will be revealed at the end of the SECOND season!

Moving the action from Copenhagen to Seattle, we follow homicide detective Sarah Lindin (Mirelle Enos) during her last few hours on the Seattle Police Force before moving to sunny Sonoma to marry her boyfriend Rick (Callum Keith Rennie.) Just as she has finished boxing up her office and her replacement, the sleazy looking undercover officer Holder (Joel Kinnaman), starts to move in she is sent to check out a possible murder scene. A bloody sweater and a couple of credit cards were discovered at an isolated lake area. Soon after, the body of high school student Rosie Larsen is found in the trunk of a car belonging to the campaign of Seattle’s leading mayoral candidate, Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell), at the bottom of the lake. Needless to say, Sarah’s planned move is temporarily suspended by her superior and the hunt to find Rosie’s killer is on.

THE KILLING offers up a slew of colorful characters and intriguing plot twists, more than enough to keep you guessing through the very fast-feeling thirteen episodes. The series has been frequently compared to TWIN PEAKS (without the weirdness) and the comparison is just. A young girl is killed and we follow our hero as they track down the clues and interrogate the suspects. Frans Bak’s score is also very reminiscent of Angelo Badalamenti’s memorable themes. However where TWIN PEAKS frequently crossed the border in melodrama, THE KILLING keeps firmly grounded in reality usually focusing on the collateral damage of the murder, namely the trauma of her parents and close friends.

Enos delivers an intoxicating performance that brings to mind Frances McDormand’s Marge Gunderson from FARGO (without the accent). She is very sensible, very down to earth, and very practical. She’s not just the officer we follow during the case. She is a very well defined, complex and most importantly, relatable character. We really want her to solve the case so she can get out of town and live happily ever after with Rick.

THE KILLING is a slick and addictive series. However, be prepared for the long haul on this. Nothing is in black and white, no one is truly who they seem to be and the mystery doesn’t end with episode thirteen. Season Two is right around the corner so if you want to get up to speed on this great series, here is your chance.

THE DISC:
The anamorphic 1.78 transfer really shows off the 35mm film origin this series is shot on, and by this I mean THE KILLING is one of the grainiest looking new series on DVD. It’s possible that this constant, very heavy layer of film grain is intentional as it gives the series a distinctive film noir-ish look, but I doubt it. Color is slightly desaturated to emphasize the oppressive rain and general depressed feeling of the show and comes through fine. Detail is okay but frequently slides to the mediocre level; particularly in the shows many dark scenes where the level of film grain obliterates fine detail.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix is very well presented. Dialogue is crystal clear and directional sound effects are used very well. The moody score sounds great when it kicks in from the rear. Overall, a nice sounding series.

THE EXTRAS:
The supplements kick off with an extended version of the season finale, “Orpheus Descending” which runs about three minutes longer than the broadcast version but has no new plot information.

Only two commentary tracks are available (on the pilot and the final episodes) but they are very good and well worth giving a listen. Showrunner Veena Sud covers the pilot and actress Mirelle Enos and writer Nicole Yorkin split commentary duties on the finale.

“An Autopsy of a Killing” is our behind the scenes featurette and once again Veena Sud provides a wealth of information about adapting the Danish series to American television.

The “Deleted Scenes” section yields nothing spectacular with several of the “scenes” lasting a mere couple of seconds.

The “Gag Reel” is actually worth checking out, particularly if you are a fan of the series.

MY SAY:
THE KILLING is an excellent series that will grab you and immediately get you involved in the dark and rainy world of Lindin and Holder. It is a well done remake that will hopefully continue the high quality story telling it has shown in this premier season. Recommended!

Reviewed by Jeff Allen

Out of Africa (Blu-ray)

Erik Candiani — 2012-03-14T00:21:53-07:00

OUT OF AFRICA

Universal Studios / 1985 / 161 min. / PG

Winner of 6 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay), Sidney Pollack’s OUT OF AFRICA was the class act of 1985. The film had all of the requisite ingredients. It was a love story that took place in an exotic locale, featuring real, flawed characters and set against a past, historical era, before, during and after the First World War. It also featured a pair of top-tier movie stars in Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.

Based on the writings of Isak Dinesen (nom de plume of Karen Blixen) and Judith Thurman’s biography of her, Kurt Luedtke’s intelligent, grown up script follows Blixen (Streep), a restless, free spirit from Denmark, who marries a dear friend, Baron Bror van Blixen-Finecke (Klaus Maria Brandauer), a man she never really loved. He brings her to Africa, ostensibly to raise livestock and start a dairy among the colonialists, until the Baron turns out to be a liar and a scoundrel, screwing his wife over in more ways than one.

Karen Blixen not only finds a home, but a deeper meaning to life than she ever could have imagined, amidst the natural beauty and enigmatic people of Africa. She embraces their land and their culture and respectfully devotes herself to helping them improve their lives. And when Denys Finch Hatton (Redford), a good-looking, iconoclastic British adventurer crosses Karen’s path, showing her the raw power of nature that surrounds them, it is inevitable that these two will fall in love.

Now, everybody knows that Meryl Streep is the mistress of character and dialect, and she acquits herself on those counts quite nicely in this film. But Robert Redford is about as British as an Indian head penny, and Pollack and Luedtke portray Denys as more of a 1960’s Zen master than a big game hunter who shoots elephants for the profit he can make on their ivory tusks. Together and alone, Streep and Redford are as eminently watchable as the spectacular scenery so wonderfully photographed by Oscar-winner David Watkins. But they are both cool, reserved screen presences.

If OUT OF AFRICA stumbles in any regard, it’s that the two stars never generate the heat we hope to see in a grand love story like this. We have no problem believing these two, in this setting, would get together. And it’s not that their love scenes are completely unconvincing. But we never really feel the passion. Think of Gable and Leigh in GONE WITH THE WIND, or Beatty and Keaton in REDS, two other love stories set against grand, historical backdrops. In those movies, we feel the characters’ aching desires because of the chemistry the actors have together on screen. In OUT OF AFRICA, Streep and Redford certainly rub the sticks together… they just never generate much of a spark.

THE DISC

This film has never looked so good on home video, as the 1080p transfer shows off the country and David Watkins’ lush, layered cinematography to best effect.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track beautifully captures John Barry’s exquisite score, as well as the subtly quiet sound effects that punctuate the film.

EXTRAS

Sidney Pollack’s intelligent, insightful commentary shows why he was one of the most eminent and respected director/producer/actors Hollywood has known.

“A Song of Africa” is a 73-minute documentary that delves into the creation of the film and the true history of Karen Blixen and her years in the great continent. Quite interesting.

15 minutes of deleted scenes are included, as well as the theatrical trailer and a Digi-book.

MY SAY

This Oscar-winning romance set against the scenic sweep of East Africa is beautifully shot and tastefully written and directed. If only Streep and Redford could have generated some onscreen heat…

--Reviewed by David Newman