Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

I'm sure at the time it all seemed foolproof. Team one of the most respected actors in the industry with a powerhouse comedian, working from a script by an up and coming talent just beginning his film career. With Peter O'Toole, Peter Sellers, and Woody Allen participating in 1965's "What's New Pussycat?," there was little room for doubt. However, such beaming intentions don't always secure an ideal movie, and while Allen's screenplay is bedazzled with his distinct sense of humor, actual laughs are buried under layers of chaotic behavior, with director Clive Donner unable to control the whiz-bang energy of the effort, often mistaking noise for timing. "What's New Pussycat" offers a few bursts of insanity worth paying attention to, but as a farce, it never finds its footing, missing a golden opportunity to make iconic mischief with a trio of determined leading men. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A world-renown naturalist and television host, David Attenborough has acquired a close-up look at many of Earth's most dynamic creatures. However, nothing appeals to his boyish sense of curiosity quite like the frog. "Fabulous Frogs" is an episode of "Nature" that explores the life and times of numerous amphibians, with a focus on mating habits, self-preservation, and feeding achievements, traveling around the globe to achieve a greater understanding of the subject. For Attenborough, nothing gives him greater joy than an opportunity to share his love for the frog with the viewer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The Manakamana Temple is located high in the mountains of Nepal, and while it can be accessed several different ways, the most popular mode of transportation is by cable car. "Manakamana" isn't a documentary about the temple, but a study of life inside the cable cars, with directors Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez welcoming riders into their cabin, studying interaction, discomfort, and reflection during the nine-minute-long trip up the mountain. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Angola Prison, often called the "Alcatraz of the South," has a history of violent inmates and chaotic rule. It's not a place few intentionally decide to visit, but musician Rita Chiarelli has a special mission in mind. Armed with a wealth of musical interests and desire to fill a place of darkness with some sense of hope, Chiarelli decided to stage a concert, teaming up with three prison bands (The Jazzmen, Little Country, and Pure Heart Messenger) to share the blues and a little country with a captive audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's almost impossible to believe, but there was once a time when John Waters nearly played by Hollywood rules. With 1988's "Hairspray" and its PG rating, Waters dialed down his interests in outrageousness while still preserving his love for the bizarre, making a dance movie the entire family could enjoy (a real event from the director of "Pink Flamingos"), though parents were more likely to understand the references. In 1990, Waters upped his game with "Cry-Baby," achieving the next level of studio acceptance with an ode to the juvenile delinquent pictures of the 1950s, blended with highlights from Elvis Presley's filmography. This PG-13 endeavor was met with yawn at the box office, but it showcases the very best of Waters's sense of humor and enthusiasm for details, crafting a loving parody of already goofy efforts, sold with high energy, big music, and cast delighted to frolic around the helmer's playground of the absurd. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Only a week before Charles Bronson took America by storm with the vigilante saga "Death Wish," "Mr. Majestyk" slipped into theaters, looking to cash in on a heartland hero trend boosted by the success of "Billy Jack" and "Walking Tall." While it has the benefit of Bronson's icy glare and a supporting cast skilled at playing ghouls, the film isn't exactly the man-against-the-machine event the movie's initial scenes hint at. More of slow-burn game of intimidation, "Mr. Majestyk" (my spell-check just killed itself) would rather explore the honor of a good rural fight, tossing cops, the mob, and a melon farmer into the ring, with screenwriter Elmore Leonard works out the details of the escalating aggression. While it's not a swiftly paced picture, it's a likable blend of bravado and villainy, with Bronson submitting his traditional thespian offering of deep squints, cynical chuckles, and reluctant heroism, utilized quite well by director Richard Fleischer, who embraces the star's dependably creased charms. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The late 1970s and early 1980s were a fruitful period for sword and sorcery films. With the popularity of "Dungeons & Dragons" and the success of "Conan the Barbarian," producers raced to put out product that featured men covered in baby oil swinging broadswords, backed by gnarly creatures and magical events. 1982's "Sorceress" was born from such monetary frenzy, with producer Roger Corman hoping to add his own spin on the fantasy subgenre, only his take wouldn't feature a bodybuilder, but female twins. Playmates to be exact, with Leigh and Lynette Harris taking on the starring roles in this limited but highly amusing romp, bringing thespian determination and a lack of clothing to the party while director Jack Hill (working under the pseudonym "Brian Stuart") struggles to maintain his sense of humor as Corman imposes his famous frugality and desire for exploitable screen elements on the unconventional helmer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the 1970s, few wore their onscreen toughness as well as Charles Bronson. Working steadily in all manner of productions that required a steely-eyed authority figure, Bronson achieved his greatest success with 1974's "Death Wish," a vigilante saga that perfectly captured his skills as an intimidating leading man. In the shadow of such a hit, Bronson returned to duty, with 1975's "Breakheart Pass" one of the many journeyman productions the actor was fond of. A mystery with western ornamentation, the picture benefits immensely from Bronson's frosty demeanor, put to good use by director Tom Gries, who keeps his star at a low rumble of suspicion while employing a colorful supporting cast to create a compelling atmosphere of the unknown, making Bronson's string of forceful reactions all the more inviting. While it's not an exhaustive whodunit with a myriad of elaborate red herrings, "Breakheart Pass" is an engaging adventure with a few surges of action, an unexpected commitment to brutality, and an irresistible collection of disasters to hold attention. It's the type of meaty film that doesn't use a model to stage a train accident, it brings in a real train to destroy. How wonderful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There's a beautiful sophistication and emotional starkness to 1972's "We Won't Grow Old Together" to help support the screenplay's insistence that the viewer spend 106 minutes with emotionally stunted characters. An autobiographical story from writer/director Maurice Pialat, the film is rich with life and frustration, working to capture the experience of a volatile relationship without trying to cure its ills. It's intelligent, measured work from the helmer (who adapts his own novel for the screen), easing entrance into a particularly toxic pairing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1984's "Bachelor Party" isn't master class cinema by any stretch of the imagination. It's a bawdy comedy created during a time when juvenile antics and bare breasts were celebrated by the moviegoing public, making it the knuckle-dragging alternative during an iconic summer of blockbusters. I'm not about to defend the picture's iffy comedic interests, but it's hard to discount small blips of charm that manage to help "Bachelor Party" not only find a personality, but numerous laughs as well, making it the rare horndog farce of the era to actually provide considered punchlines. It's lewd and crude, but not unpleasant, with star Tom Hanks single-handedly sustaining screen energy with his rubbery, class clown performance, which, interestingly, represented his career follow-up to "Splash." Over the course of a few months, Hanks went from being a mermaid's sweetheart in a Disney film to a degenerate party animal. And people say he has no range. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Curtains" isn't a single film, it's a handful of subplots and ideas competing for screentime under the guise of a traditional '80s-style slasher endeavor. Bizarre seems too mild a description when discussing this movie, which is actually stitched together from two production periods spread out over three years, with the original director, Richard Ciupka, taking his name off the effort when producer Peter R. Simpson elected to jazz up the rough cut with customary slicing and dicing. The fascinating backstory on "Curtains" is evident throughout the presentation, leaving the picture half-realized, shooing away substance to plow ahead with violence. It's a mess, but an entertaining one thanks to Ciupka's visual ambition and ensemble work from the oddball cast, who deliver the proper level of hysteria to assist what little suspense remains. It's not movie that's easily understood, but one that has a few passable moments of genre proficiency. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To fully appreciate "The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair," one must have a doctorate in the financial history of Italy, with knowledge of its working parts pertaining to the Vatican, Masonic control, and government corruption. I'll fully admit, this is not a movie that inspires interest in such topics, leaving its byzantine structure difficult to digest unless the viewer has a specific connection to the unfolding crisis. It's not a terrible film by any means, but one that's persistently complex to a degree where it begins to freak out its director, Guiseppe Ferrara. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Imagined as the start of an Italian cinema magazine, 1953's "Love in the City" brings together a class of neorealist filmmakers to help explore the true price of passion. Through the POV of Carlo Lizzani ("Love for Money," 11 minutes), Michelangelo Antonioni ("Attempted Suicide," 22 minutes), Dino Risi ("Paradise for Three Hours," 12 minutes), Federico Fellini ("Marriage Agency," 16 minutes), Francesco Maselli ("Story of Caterina," 27 minutes), and Alberto Lattuada ("Italians Turn Their Heads," 14 minutes), an omnibus exploration was born — a picture that has little patience for the warmth of the world. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Already an actor with an extensive history in westerns, Lee Van Cleef found himself in possession of a red-hot career after the global success of 1966's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," working his way up from supporting turns to starring roles. 1969's "Sabata" was one of many gunslinger efforts Van Cleef participated in during this critical time, transformed into a glaring, unforgiving hero, feeding into a slightly zany atmosphere of showdowns masterminded by director Gianfranco Parolini. "Sabata" is an odd one, teeming with exaggerated characters, mild gymnastics, and the image of Van Cleef as the titular character, prowling around with delightful screen confidence, especially for a character who keeps a coin as part of his arsenal. For the most part, the movie has a snappy pace, fierce style, and bursts of aggression, keeping genre elements alert as it details a peculiar story of blackmail. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I'm not sure what Elizabeth Banks was hoping to gain by agreeing to star in "Walk of Shame," but I'm certain she's not going to feel much in the way of positivity once the public begins sampling the picture. Uselessly crude and insistently moronic, "Walk of Shame" features the type of story that could be completely washed away if the main character simply stopped for a moment to explain herself. However, that sensible approach would negate the movie, forcing writer/director Steven Brill to groggily dream up nonsensical ways to keep this attempt at a screwball comedy on the go, subjecting Banks to lethal screenwriting and aggressive supporting performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The 2014 version of "Endless Love" has taken some drastic steps to avoid comparison to other incarnations of the same story. Originating from a 1979 novel by author Scott Spencer and adapted into a popular 1981 picture starring Brooke Shields (featuring an omnipresent theme song that ruined roller skating for everyone in the early eighties), "Endless Love" is a tale of dark obsession and manipulation, powered by a bittersweet quality that reinforces the dangerous games of affection played by the characters. The New "Endless Love" is defanged claptrap for 13-year-olds with no sense of how the world actually works, drained of any threat, heat, or logic as it manufactures a love story where idiocy is celebrated as laudable passion. If you're familiar with the book or the earlier feature, this "Endless Love" won't be recognizable. Imagine if "Star Wars" was the cinematic adaptation of "Bridget Jones's Diary," and that's as close as co-writer/director Shana Feste gets to the source material here. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2006's "You, Me and Dupree" arrived in theaters during a time when Owen Wilson could do little wrong. Graduating from Wes Anderson appearances to major studio films, Wilson was coming off such smashes as "Wedding Crashers" and "Meet the Fockers," with hungry studios eager to build comedic vehicles for the star. While enthusiasm was pure, quality was lacking. "You, Me and Dupree" is perhaps the worst of the bunch, and not because it's offensive or simply unfunny, it just doesn't even try to be anything but a predictable comedy lacking the energy to color outside the lines. And there's Wilson in the middle of the malarkey, trying to whine and wince his way around material that never had a pulse to begin with. Perhaps the production was launched with good intentions, but it lands with a tremendous thud. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1970's "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" isn't concerned with radically reworking Arthur Conan Doyle's celebrated character, but it does retain a surprising bluntness when it comes to the behavior of the consulting detective that few adaptations have pursued. It's a movie from Billy Wilder, created during the twilight of the iconic filmmaker's career, interested in merging traditional Holmes-style mystery with fussy character business, highlighting relationships and curiosity as clues are followed and suspects are studied. Assembled with real snap by Wilder and his frequent collaborator, co-writer I.A.L. Diamond, "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" is an extremely amusing and engaging picture, taking care of all the expected detective work as it offers a few surprises of its own. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As western romps go, "The Scalphunters" hasn't aged very well. A tale of racial paranoia and partnership, the feature traffics in a level of barbed dialogue that would trigger P.C. alarms in this day and age, but in 1968, times were certainly different. Navigating the movie's period attitude is relatively easy, but finding its sense of humor takes some work. Everyone onscreen appears to be having a ball with this adventure, but the spirit isn't infectious. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2001's "Bridget Jones's Diary" was a complete charmer, and also a bit of a miracle. After all, the casting of Texan Renee Zellweger in an iconic British role was predicted to be a disaster, but the actress managed to make the part her own, gaining weight and perfecting her slapstick skills to portray the neurotic character. The film was a smash and featured a comfortably fairy tale-esque ending, making the promise of a follow-up difficult to understand. 2004's "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" is a commendable attempt to continue a good thing, reviving elements that defined the original effort while trying to master a few new tonal directions to inspire the challenge of a sequel. It's not completely successful, yet "The Edge of Reason" has its moments, and while it falls short of the previous picture's charisma and sense of mischief, it's nice to see these personalities back on the screen. If only there was a more cohesive story to aid this screwball game of love. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com