Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

1985's "The Falcon and the Snowman" is a tale of spying, but approached on an intensely personal level. The subjects are two young men who, for various reasons, decided to carry out a plan to sell American secrets to the Soviet Union during the mid-1970s, entering a dangerous game of espionage without fully understanding the true price of such a crime. Directed by John Schlesinger and scripted by Steven Zaillian, the effort struggles to wrap its arms around the enormity of the situation, preferring to cherry pick offenses as it details character breakdowns in the face of increasing danger and paranoia. It's strongly acted work, spotlighting the quicksand sensation of poor decisions, but it's often difficult to follow the bigger picture, as the feature often abandons supporting characters and urgent motivations to hold close to recognizable elements of the spy game. It's not a failure, but "The Falcon and the Snowman" feels unfinished, with liberal editing or dramatic indifference working to shave down a story that demands a wider scope of consideration, allowing a full understanding of choice. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1980's "Foxes" is a film trapped in the middle of two colliding eras. It's a disco movie facing the sobering reality of a new decade, trying to capture the voice of a generation while it's still in transition. The directorial debut for Adrian Lyne (who, amazingly, hasn't made a picture since 2002's "Unfaithful"), "Foxes" is more appreciable as a time capsule viewing event, depicting days of wayward youth in Los Angeles as they battle vampiric parents and personal demons on the road to adulthood. As a drama, it's not a cohesive effort, with Lyne showing more interest in the perfection of cinematographic haze than characterization, gradually depending on melodrama and crude violence to make sure the audience walks away woozy. Great with surface details but light with significance, the feature doesn't open the senses as Lyne imagines, but there's periodic emotional value on display that makes it worth a look. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After joining the ranks of the Unlikely Action Heroes of the 1980s with 1985's "American Ninja," actor Michael Dudikoff attempted to fill his filmography with even more violent offerings, keeping on the Cannon Films trail with 1986's "Avenging Force." Teaming up with Sam Firstenberg, the director of "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo," Dudikoff finds another role that fits his limitations, reaching a creative highlight with this ruthless revenge saga that blends elements from "The Most Dangerous Game" with Chuck Norris-style brawn. Although the effort is weirdly severe with its body count, "Avenging Force" does work as bullet-happy escapism, finding Dudikoff in fine form as the nation's last hope, whipping up some Eastwoodian squints to accompany the force-of-one requirements of the screenplay. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In a world that's seemingly gone mad, it's comforting to know that a few corners of the globe are strictly devoted to the restoration of the spirit. The documentary program "Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler" sets out to find these specialized pilgrimages, traveling far on a quest to share how certain cultures and countries carry out extensive tests of self, highlighting organizational efforts, physical endurance, and religious inspiration. The host is Feiler, journalist and author, and a man consumed with the concept of rejuvenation, leading the charge for six episodes of investigation into mysteries of the mind and soul, filling up his passport in a major way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The kids of America get real dark in 1987's "River's Edge," an exaggerated mash-up of juvenile delinquent movies from the 1950s and teen malaise of the 1980s. Those accustomed to a traditional read of adolescent panic in the face of behavioral extremity are bound to be baffled by director Tim Hunter's strange effort. Favoring quirk and blunt edges to performances, the feature takes some time to get used to, never quite gelling as a statement of moral erosion or a dissection of volatile peer politics. However, it's an interesting film, filled with meditative moments and fragments of psychological insight that help to deepen the core conflict. "River's Edge" certainly isn't something that's watched casually, confronting viewers with a sharp display of developing insanity that demands a unique level of concentration, tasked to get past the picture's era-specific flavorings and isolate its primal scream intent. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Timing is everything in Hollywood, and 1989's "The Package" didn't have much luck during its initial theatrical release. A Cold War thriller issued as the Cold War was winding to a close, the feature was met with a yawn at the box office, perhaps waiting for a time when its premise could be assessed away from headline-fueled expectations. In 2014, immediacy isn't important to appreciate the picture's strengths, with director Andrew Davis (following up his Steven Seagal debut, "Above the Law") overseeing an intelligent take on the action film, managing a politically minded plot while working out the breathless details of car chases and shootouts, making sure the audience is sufficiently lathered up before returning to global concerns. "The Package" has a problem with payoffs, but it's exciting work, held together by stars Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones, who keep a modest manhunt effort alert with their professionalism and commitment to infusing their characters with needed idiosyncrasy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Instead of simply lampooning the 1973 hit "Westworld," 1978's "Sex World" attempts to use the unforgettable premise to inspire a surprisingly sophisticated adult movie. Director Anthony Spinelli imagines a getaway where anything goes sexually, with guests using this rare non-judgmental opportunity to work out kinks, repair marriages, and delay loneliness. Fantasies reign at the compound, finding the helmer working overtime to create a stylish feature that respects the delicacy of confession, embracing an inviting sense of individual release to go with the hardcore routine. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The picture that helped to transform Hammer Films into an enduring fright factory, 1956's "The Quatermass Xperiment" earns its reputation as a legacy-hoisting hit. Co-scripted and directed by Val Guest, the feature has a very clear idea for chills, working a monster mutation saga that plays up period paranoia and cartoon science, allowing the material to remain procedural while indulging an outlandish premise concerning evil from another world. It's terrific fun, creepy in creative ways, and careful with pace, building a rhythm of reveals that pulls the audience in tightly, wondering how the production is going to visualize the ambitious evolution of ghoulishness they've cooked up. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Critically maligned and badmouthed by one of its stars, 2000's "The Watcher" is not a film that's used to a kind word. To be fair, it's a mess of the movie, with choppy editing, misbegotten stylistics, and a story that covers the basics in cop psychology and procedural cinema. However, scrape away the obvious production problems and there's a perfectly acceptable junk food thriller ready to be enjoyed, one doofy, borderline amateurish scene at a time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In a long career of strange but absorbing cinema, 1985's "The Emerald Forest" is one of John Boorman's more straightforward efforts. A take on the action/adventure genre, the picture doesn't follow a traditional path of violent excess, electing to provide a more meaningful journey between spasms of violence. The subject presented here is the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people within, finding the movie passionate in its communication of oncoming ecological and tribal disaster. Of course, there's gunplay and high stakes involved, along with an emotional undercurrent of parental ache, but "The Emerald Forest" is primarily focused on screen immersion, following Boorman's interests in native rituals and interaction, respectful of culture as he tends to more obvious beats of storytelling. The feature doesn't deliver on pulse-pounding suspense, but it offers something different, showing concern for characters and fragile surroundings. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1976's "Drum" is a sequel to "Mandingo," and the feature is thrilled to share that information in the opening moments of the movie. Hitting the viewer with a recap of previous events, overdosing on faces and places before the new film has a chance to breathe, "Drum" is eager to replicate the formula that made its predecessor such a hit. Director Steven Carver is happy to oblige hungry viewers, serving up heaping helpings of sex, violence, and issuing so many racial slurs, it could make a Grand Dragon blush. It's raw stuff, feral and shameless, and the picture largely succeeds as a provocative Blacksploitation offering, flopping when attempting anything more ambitious. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Alistair Bruce is the person the producers of "Downton Abbey" turn to when they require an expert in all things Edwardian England. His nickname is "The Oracle," maintaining tight control of period authenticity and continuity on-set, making him a creative leader in a way, helping out the cast when they lose sight of the details. "The Manners of Downton Abbey" is a program devoted to the work put into onscreen wealth and manners, dissecting the labor required to make labor looks effortless. Hosted by Bruce, "The Manners of Downton Abbey" is best appreciated as a tool for tourists unable to make their way to the location of the series, with the host winding through the house, stopping in major sections to share a behind-the-scenes look at the show and its mission of authenticity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Emerging during Robert Altman's heyday in the early 1970s, "The Long Goodbye" is perhaps one of his most successfully translated ideas, finding a comfortable home in this loose adaptation of Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel. The helmer dreams up a fluid fantasy world for the character of Philip Marlowe, a fatigued detective most famously played by Humphrey Bogart in 1946's "The Big Sleep," only instead of updating the source material for modern consumption, the screenplay (credited to Leigh Brackett) imagines a world where Marlowe remains in his period headspace, trapped in an updated, post-hippie landscape of crime and self-exploration. The contrast isn't emphasized, but it's enough of a tease to keep "The Long Goodbye" on the move as it attempts to marry Altman's habitual disinterest in plot with Chandler's commitment to the steps of criminal investigation. Playing subtle and slack, with a fantastic lead performance by Elliot Gould, the picture is easily one of Altman's best, allowing his specialized approach a chance to breathe as the particulars of murder and theft are sorted out. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Studying the stain of violence, 1969's "More Dead Than Alive" takes on a troubling reality with the western genre, where men of sheer brutality have to eventually move on with their lives, with some looking to step away from such physical temptations. For Cain (Clint Walker), a history of violence has left him unemployable, tempted by sideshow owner Ruffalo (Vincent Price) to pick up a gun after 18 years of imprisonment and revive a brand name, "Killer Cain," that's made him a legend in the old west — a legacy he wants nothing to do with until financial strain demands to be tended to. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When we last left Detective Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whatley), he entered retirement, shutting down decades of police service to live a life of love and leisure with his girlfriend, forensic pathologist Dr. Laura Hobson (Clare Holman). The last episode of the previous season almost felt like a series finale, putting its lead character out to pasture as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox) was promoted to Detective Inspector, thus paving the way for some type of spin-off following the icier partner as he takes over all criminal investigations. "Inspector Lewis: Series 7" thankfully reinstates the old dynamic between the cops, with all teases pointing to the conclusion of the show shooed away for this cycle of three episodes, quickly returning to Oxford evildoing with particularly educated suspects. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There has to be a story behind "Samurai Cop." There are always stories when movies are this insanely bad. B-cinema welcomes a new contender with this 1991 endeavor, which attempts to marry martial arts cinema with buddy cop clichés, hoping to give birth to a new action hero in star Matt Hannon. With glam rock hair and a gym rat body, Hannon is a force of one in "Samurai Cop," doing his best to generate screen mayhem while writer/director Amir Shervan botches every possible technical challenge of the movie. The result is no-budget, brain-dead thriller that doesn't contain a single scene of filmmaking competence. To some, it's bad movie heaven, huffing the fumes of a botched effort that doesn't even bother to make sense. For everyone else, the feature is merely acceptable as a curiosity, permitted a rare chance to view futility in motion as Shervan labors to hold the whole wacko thing together. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Films about post-war life are relatively common these days, openly exploring the mental strain of combat and the demands of civilian life on those who've endured hell. However, in the 1970s, such a topic was difficult to approach, especially when discussing the Vietnam War. While not a groundbreaking feature, 1978's "Coming Home" was a key piece of the Vietnam conversation, striving to provide a look at lives stained by distance, violence, and guilt, using the conventions of a romantic movie to help ease viewers into challenging ideas about a conflict that was only beginning to be dramatized by Hollywood. Directed by Hal Ashby, written by Waldo Salt and Robert C. Jones, and starring Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, and Bruce Dern, "Coming Home" offers incredible talent to bring tension to life, creating a potent look at fresh wounds and broken hearts, sold with unusual sensitivity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It started innocently enough: filmmakers Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger (the "Paradise Lost" documentaries) were called in to document Metallica's (singer James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, and guitarist Kirk Hammett) return to the studio to record their new album, which would eventually become 2003's "St. Anger." The studio time was booked, the equipment set up, and the helmers ready to capture the creative process. Unfortunately, the band was a mess, having just lost longtime bassist Jason Newsted, while internal friction heated up to such a degree that the presence of Phil Towle, a $40,000-a-month psychologist and "life coach," was necessary to assist band communication and focus. What was intended as mere months in the studio became over two years of footage. "Some Kind of Monster" chronicles this arduous journey toward metal clarity and patience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1969's "Sam Whiskey" explores a sillier side to the wild west, with the titular character (played by Burt Reynolds) a man of angles and tricks, but willing to work for others if there's enough money involved. Reynolds and his ease with mischief is a fine match for William Norton's screenplay, embodying a rascal with complete comfort. The feature doesn't quite live up to its potential, but "Sam Whiskey" is undeniably amusing, especially when it sets aside its intentions to be an askew heist movie and enjoys the chemistry shared among its stars, including Angie Dickinson, Ossie Davis, and Clint Walker. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" has served as inspiration for countless adaptations, with every production out to spin the source material their own way, with some pledging respect to the author's creation, while others merely reflect the book's nightmarish intentions. 1979 was a particularly fertile year for bloodsucker efforts, though none attempted to mount such a richly cinematic world as "Dracula." Directed by John Badham, the feature invests in a highly gothic world of stone castles, howling winds, and open flames, trying to celebrate the period while emphasizing the titular character's powers of seduction, finding a pouty leading man in Frank Langella, who, armed with coke dealer hair and his kitten purr of a voice, works to embody his own version of Dracula — one more interested in the removal of nightgowns than the spilling of blood. A game attempt to celebrate Stoker and tweak established elements, "Dracula" is ultimately sunk by its own stasis, finding Badham unable to work the material into the frenzy he's hoping to achieve. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com