Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

Put celebrated actor Laurence Olivier in charge of directing an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters," and there's a guarantee of quality seldom seen in the stage-to-screen tradition. Preserving his work on the material for the Royal National Theater, Olivier shows immense respect for Chekhov's writing and the needs of cinema with this endeavor, part of the American Film Theater's efforts during the 1970s to bring theater to the masses.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Paul Nicholas had quite a year in 1983. He's most famous as the helmer of "Chained Heat," the controversial women-in-prison picture that starred Linda Blair and Sybil Danning. Lesser known is his other contribution to the film year: "Julie Darling," which maintains the collaborative process with Danning. Ignoring good taste to run full steam ahead as an exploitation distraction, Nicholas cooks up a somewhat icky premise to play with for 90 minutes of suspicion, murder, and sex, toying with concepts of innocence and jealousy which, because this is a B-movie with little interest in morality, leads directly to incest, or at least the fantasy of it. "Julie Darling" isn't polished work, and it certainly isn't lovable, but for those with the ability to free themselves of expectation are likely to find a compelling offering of illness, and one that gleefully merges moves from "The Bad Seed" and softcore pornography to create a strange chiller that never bores. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

The American Film Theater was a production company dedicated to the creation of movies based on stage plays and musicals, using a subscription- based releasing strategy to bring theater to the masses, not unlike today's multiplexes, which host monthly opera offerings to packed houses. The idea was the preserve the source material, keeping the efforts spare and cheap, but also sustaining their artistic voice. Perhaps the most notable of the 13 endeavors was 1975's "The Man in the Glass Booth," which managed to secure a theatrical run that resulted in an Academy Award nomination for star Maximilian Schell, who pours his blood, sweat, and tears into his portrayal of an Adolf Eichmann-type put on trial in Israel for war crimes.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For "Hoot Kloot," the DePatie/Freleng animation machine turns their attention to the Wild West, creating shorts (which ran between 1973 and 1974) that poke fun at the genre's conventions and characters, doing so with aggressive cartoon sensibilities. Going full steam ahead with wordplay, "Hoot Kloot" manages to be a little more than a basic offering of cowboy slapstick, finding the writers having fun with the possibilities of the series, which grows wackier as it rolls along. There's always a primary visual of Hoot Kloot and his limping horse, Fester, but when the production really winds up, there are amusing supporting characters and engaging animated realms to explore. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While productions from the DePatie-Freleng animation company were never known for their cultural sensitivities, some caution is advised before sitting down with "The Blue Racer." While ostensibly an ongoing tale about a blue snake and his never-ending quest to find a meal, the cartoon series (released in theaters between 1972 and 1974) is perhaps best known for the character of Japanese Beetle, who's depicted as a buck-toothed, English-bending insect, fulfilling most, if not all Asian stereotypes. It's a lengthy examination of bad taste comedy that would make Mickey Rooney wince, but the DePatie-Freleng production team isn't necessarily mean-spirited about it, following comedy targets of the day to help provide clarity of character. It's ugly, no doubt, and perhaps the whole series is best left tucked inside the folds of animation history, but for those willing to look beyond a bad idea, "The Blue Racer" provides manic chases and disasters, sold with customary cartoon fury and, mercifully, some brevity.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1947's "The Paradine Case" is a rest stop during an incredibly fertile time in Alfred Hitchcock's creativity, arriving after "Spellbound," "Notorious," and "Lifeboat," while preceding 1948's "Rope," which this picture feels like a test run for. Far from his greatest work, "The Paradine Case" still offers a few premiere Hitchcock moments, attempting to jazz up a murder mystery/courtroom drama with visual control and a few fine performances, working to make something passably meaty out of a dry run of suspicion and obsession (a Hitchcock specialty). Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Zaza" was originally a 19th century French play concerning the relationship between the titular musical hall entertainer and a married man. The material caught on in a big way, adapted for stage and screen multiple times over the decades, with one of those efforts a 1923 feature from director Allan Dwan, who cast Gloria Swanson in the lead role. Granted, the idea of a play with a certain level of timing transformed into a silent movie is very strange, but this "Zaza" has plenty of spirit thanks to Swanson, who delivers a full-body performance to make sure the camera picks up her emotional range and comedic abilities, sold without the use of verbal wit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1961's "One, Two, Three" isn't just a Billy Wilder movie, it's the helmer's follow-up to "The Apartment," which is largely considered to be one of the maestro's finest achievements during his long directorial career. However, instead of aping his success, Wilder and co-writer I.A.L. Diamond decide to head in the opposite direction, arranging a farce with "One, Two, Three," which takes place in Cold War-era Germany, right before the construction of the Berlin Wall. The men also invest in speed, keeping the feature moving along at an incredible pace, preserving the material's theatrical origins with an endeavor that's loud and broad, treating the widescreen frame as a stage.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There's been much debate on the possibly of physical media coming to an end, replaced by the rise in downloading and streaming offerings that utilize faster internet speeds, playing directly to an audience that doesn't feel the need to own movies or visit a theater. It's a sad state of affairs, and demands a documentary that carefully examines both sides of the argument, inspecting the history of physical media and its evolution over the years to its current position of perceived extinction. Sadly, "VHS Massacre" is not the production prepared to dissect the essentials in education and example to make a strong argument for either side. Instead of an insightful endeavor that makes an effort to encompass a wide range of topics, the documentary is more of a grab bag of ideas, pinballing around discussions and interviewees with little to no focus, failing to achieve a greater presentation of theme and nostalgia.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Facing a dip in his career after the massive success of 1921's "The Sheik," star Rudolph Valentino returns to the well with 1926's "The Son of the Sheik," which attempts to revive the actor's "Latin Lover" image with a second helping of Middle Eastern obsession and romance. However, Valentino doesn't take the challenge lying down, electing to play two roles, father and son, in the feature, which provides a vigorous enough thespian experience to help liven up an otherwise agreeable but unremarkable sequel.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I'm sure they never intended to become a team, but audiences were certainly interested in the on-screen pairing of acting legends Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster. They collaborated on several pictures, including "Seven Days in May," "The Devil's Disciple," and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," merging their meaty sense of performance and tremendous charisma, forming an unusual but successful partnership, and one that faded away for a few decades while both actors had to figure out how to age in Hollywood, finding their position in a rapidly changing industry. Their reunion of sorts is "Tough Guys," a 1986 comedy from director Jeff Kanew ("Revenge of the Nerds," "Troop Beverly Hills"), which deals directly with the autumnal years for Douglas and Lancaster, using their senior status to participate in the "old people still got heart" movement of the mid-'80s, coming a year after the release of Ron Howard's "Cocoon." "Tough Guys" isn't a thrill-a-minute effort, but it does know what to do with its leading men, staying out of their way as Douglas and Lancaster revive their practiced dynamic for one last go-around, out to prove to the audience that they still pack quite a punch, often quite literally. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

For their final Universal production, the comedy team Abbott and Costello were paired up with another studio legend, the Mummy. Absent from screens for some time, the Mummy, or Klaris (changed from Kharis), returns to duty in 1955's "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy," which is supposed to be a funny feature, as opposed to "Mummy" sequels, which brought on unintended laughter. The picture is also the last of the Abbott and Costello monster team-up movies, sending the pair off with one more opportunity to inspire laughs through horror, this time taking on a particularly slow threat.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While there have been many "Mummy" movies, 1944's "The Mummy's Curse" represents the end of a cycle for the brand name, winding down the saga of Kharis and the monster's longstanding drive to reclaim the bride he lost centuries ago. The second of two "Mummy" efforts in 1944, "The Mummy's Curse" makes a few puzzling storytelling choices as it tries to find a way out of the narrative mess it's made, but it all feels a bit anticlimactic, gradually running out of energy instead of concluding with pure horror.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Speeding up the sequel process, 1944 was a big year for the "Mummy" series, offering two pictures in six months, establishing a serial-like release schedule to entice audiences to stick around for more Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) madness. The first effort is "The Mummy's Ghost," which refocuses Egyptian horrors to suburban Massachusetts, following Kharis's hunt for his lost lover, Ananka, whose soul has been transferred to Amina (Ramsay Ames), a local woman who's overwhelmed by all the monstrous attention as the Mummy attempts to reclaim his long dead bride.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Perhaps learning their lesson in 1940's "The Mummy's Hand," Universal Pictures goes all monster, all the time with 1942's "The Mummy's Tomb," which wisely introduces the wrath of Kharis (now played by Lon Chaney Jr.), the titular nightmare, from the get-go, hitting the ground running for a change. While a throwaway effort that's only an hour long, "The Mummy's Tomb" course corrects a few ideas to help keep the franchise staggering along, with the production making sure to keep its greatest asset within striking distance for a change. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Arriving long after 1932's "The Mummy," 1940's "The Mummy's Hand" is the first effort from Universal Studios to revive one of their signature monsters for a fresh round of terror and franchise construction, using the war-torn decade to build up the brand name, figuring out ways to return to Egypt and sustain the chills. While a business plan is in place with "The Mummy's Hand," the picture plays a bizarre game of delay, showing more interest in the fumbly, bumbly antics of archaeologists than the titular creature, who doesn't even make his grand entrance until the final act.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After dealing with one kid in 1936's "Dracula's Daughter," the horror franchise finds more family trouble in 1943's "Son of Dracula." Of course, there's no real connection between the "Dracula" movies, as attention to series detail isn't valued. It's a brand name, and one that introduces Lon Chaney Jr. as the titular vampire, preserving all the dead-eyed menace the character is known for, but now enjoying a few technical upgrades to shock audiences. And the film needs all the visual help it can get, often struggling mightily with a lukewarm screenplay filled with exposition that rarely leads to excitement.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Losing the leadership of Bela Lugosi, 1936's "Dracula's Daughter" tries to return to the Bram Stoker saga with a new direction of evil, but the production plays one too many funny games to help revive the brand name for a sequel. Messing with time and character, "Dracula's Daughter" is best appreciated as its own creation, tackling the subject of monster movie loneliness with a uniquely feminine perspective, adding a sense of psychological warfare to chiller expectations. It's not a successful continuation, but "Dracula's Daughter" has its own thespian achievements that support the feature, better off as a study of isolation and need than a follow-up to Lugosi's legacy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Marketing materials for 1979's "Malibu High" paint the picture as an R-rated romp featuring nude women and dirty old men, accompanied by a cheeky tagline about a failing high school student and her plans to restore her GPA without doing homework. The actual "Malibu High" is a bit crazier than simple sexploitation, emerging as a sort of distant relative to Luc Besson's masterwork, "La Femme Nikita," only with a very limited budget, little command of tone, and pronounced displays of goofballery at every turn. What begins with teen angst ends with a series of assassinations, keeping the feature on high alert as screenwriter Thomas Singer attempts to manage a crazy story that blends sex, violence, and bad grades, enjoying the permissiveness of the late 1970s to fill the tale with numerous couplings, disco, drugs, and bullets. It's not a particularly cohesive endeavor, but it's memorable, delivering all the B-movie nonsense a person can stand. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

1980's "The Hearse" is one of the last gasps of horror from the 1970s. Before the tidal wave of gore and sexualized teenagers served up for the slaughter, there were weird stories with Satanic inspirations, pitting hapless characters against unholy forces they don't understand. The feature strives to make something unsettling about a haunted car and evil influence in a small town, but there's not a lot of truly terrifying incidents to savor in "The Hearse," which tries to get plenty of mileage from the vision of the titular car ruling rural roads, but director George Bowers isn't motivated to move the plot along, working on his cheap fright film tricks and atmosphere instead. It's a game attempt to generate an unusual four-wheeled cinematic nightmare, but the production takes it time before it reaches the unknown, and doesn't do much with it once it gets there.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com