Charles Laughton’s classic NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (93 mins., 1955), an oft-imitated, still invigorating and unique mix of thriller, fairy tale, and small-town American fable makes its debut on 4K UHD this month from Kino Lorber. Criterion previously released a sumptuous Blu-Ray edition of the film back in 2014, but while that release remains relevant for its supplements (not to mention still being the only release in the format), it’s been usurped technically here by a fresh 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative, enhanced further with Dolby Vision HDR.
Laughton and screenwriter James Agee’s adaptation of a 1953 Davis Grubb book finds Robert Mitchum as a wolf in sheep’s clothing who dons the outfit of a man of the cloth and marries widow Shelley Winters after he hears her jailbird husband (Peter Graves) disclose the whereabouts of some stolen loot while both serve time in the big house. The movie is a lyrical, beautifully filmed thriller, one that was subsequently ripped off in countless movies all the way up to Martin Scorsese’s disappointing take on “Cape Fear.” Laughton’s film — his only feature — is a classic all the way, with Mitchum pursuing Winters and her two (smarter and more resourceful) children, and Lillian Gish as the kindly widow who tries valiantly to protect them.
The cinematography, direction, and performances of the cast (particularly Mitchum) create a spellbinding picture that’s every bit as fresh today as it was in 1955, and the visuals – which run the gamut from dreamy spider webs and lyrically lit country landscapes to interior terrors framed through German expressionism – are matched by Walter Schumann’s memorable score. While the composer’s thunderous, menacing motif for Mitchum’s false prophet leaves no doubt as to its intent, the score is also rich with poignant, sensitive and at times evocative strains accompanying visuals from Laughton and cinematographer Stanley Cortez that paint a lyrical world both dangerous and enthralling. It’s a movie that’s alive in the best cinematic sense, and holds up brilliantly under repeat viewing.
Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD transfer, a new scan from the original 35mm OCN (1.85 B&W), preserves Cortez and Laughton’s look in a Dolby Vision HDR master with crisp textures and a highly pleasing appearance overall. There are both DTS MA 5.1 and original mono (2.0) tracks on-hand along with a music-and-effects mix that may or may not match up with an overseas release (I don’t have a point of comparison, sadly, suffice to say the quality here is not the highest).
Since supplements are not exchanged with Criterion, which retains the Blu-Ray format exclusivity for this film, Kino Lorber has included its own fresh commentary with Tim Lucas that’s, as always, astute and filled with both history and rich insight into the picture and its legacy. The label has also filmed just over 30 minutes of new interviews – included here on a separate Blu-Ray disc – with the likes of actress Kathy Garver, artist Joe Coleman and Spike Lee collaborator Ernest Dickerson, the latter reflecting upon Cortez’s work. Highly recommended!
A Double Dose of Burt
Burt Reynolds was approaching his box-office peak after starring in a pair of movies for director Robert Aldrich, including THE LONGEST YARD (121 mins., 1974, R), a huge commercial hit from ‘74. Tracy Keenan Wynn’s script finds Burt as a former pro quarterback who captains a prisoners’ team in the Georgia State Prison after being arrested. The ensuing battle between the “cons” and the guards culminates in a supremely memorable “big game” finale, filled with bone-crunching football action, while the ensemble cast offers Eddie Albert, Mike Conrad, Ed Lauter, Richard Kiel, and even Bernadette Peters!
This is one of Aldrich’s most beloved films, playing into the bawdiness typical of the director’s work, but with a setting and premise that fits his sensibilities like a glove. Kino’s 4K UHD (1.85) is highlighted by an appropriately gritty new Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) master premiering a new 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. This intentionally isn’t a “great looking movie” but a down and dirty ‘70s film whose appearance is enriched here by a crisp and detailed image while preserving its original mono sound design. Extras include a commentary by Aldrich authorities Alain Silver and James Ursini, an archival commentary with Reynolds and producer Albert S. Ruddy, and three older, DVD-era featurettes.
Reynolds subsequently reunited with Aldrich and the lovely Catherine Deneuve for his “modern noir” HUSTLE (119 mins., 1975, R), a serviceable police procedural that’s more focused towards character than the rather straightforward case – involving the just-discovered body of a teen stripper – the film revolves around. That’s not entirely a bad thing, as Aldrich enables Reynolds and Deneuve to share a good deal of screen time together while character roles are filled by the likes of Paul Winfield (Reynolds’ partner), Ben Johnson and Eileen Brennan (the slain girl’s estranged parents), Ernest Borgnine (essentially a cameo) and Eddie Albert (the corrupt mob boss at the center of it all).
There’s plenty of bad language for a mid ‘70s film and a nihilistic ending to spare – even back then you couldn’t trust Robert Englund! — though admittedly, some of the material comes off a bit strong since it’s all framed through Aldrich’s “in your face” directorial sensibilities. The drippy score by Frank DeVol isn’t exactly “Chinatown,” either. Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray (1.85, mono) hails from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative and offers a commentary from Alain Silver and James Ursini.
Also New & Noteworthy
THE EXPERTS Blu-Ray (94 mins., 1989, PG-13): Much like Sylvester Stallone, John Travolta’s career experienced assorted ups and downs, with the mid to late ‘80s being an especially rough time for the “Saturday Night Fever” star. The misfire “The Experts” is a perfect case in point: shot in 1987, this Paramount comedy starred Travolta as a hip New Yorker kidnapped, along with his friend (Arye Gross), by a Russian agent (Charles Martin Smith). Unknowingly flown to the USSR where the Soviets have a constructed an “American town” in an effort to get a better social grasp on what makes us tick, Travolta and Gross serve as de facto tutors to future KGB operatives – including sexy Kelly Preston, whose chilly Soviet spy shows signs of thawing under (real-life future husband) Travolta’s grasp.
“The Experts” has a terrific premise but the execution, regrettably, just doesn’t gel – likely the fault of its script (credited to Nick Thiel, Steven Greene and Eric Alter) and not poor SCTV alum Dave Thomas, who was hired to direct at the behest of studio chief Ned Tanen. Travolta seems a little stiff, only hinting at comedic chops that would be better displayed in the likes of “Get Shorty,” the laughs seldom materialize, and the movie strains even to hit the 90-minute mark. Not even Paramount was sure what to do with the picture either, as it seemingly spent all of 1988 on the shelf, undergoing reshoots before receiving a token theatrical run – on just 100 screens – in January 1989. The movie was soon shuttled straight off to video, making it an early case of a studio hoping to find success on the small screen and mitigate their box-office losses.
While the movie has yet to generate a cult following, the appeal of Travolta and Preston – plus an unreleased Marvin Hamlisch score – do lend some interest to Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 2.0 stereo). The 4K scan of the original 35mm OCN results in a satisfying image highlighting the work of Oscar winning cinematographer Ronnie Taylor (the man who shot “Gandhi”!). A nice, remotely conducted 13-minute Dave Thomas interview affords the viewer the opportunity to hear some background information on this seldom-screened, little-discussed Travolta curio.
STONE COLD (83 mins., 1991, R; Kino Lorber): College football star Brian Bosworth’s big-screen career was launched with the release of this 1991 programmer, wherein “The Boz” stars as a tough undercover cop charged with infiltrating a southern white supremacist biker gang dubbed The Brotherhood. Lance Henriksen essays the group’s leader in this strictly by-the-numbers – but guilty-pleasure entertaining – B-movie directed by Craig R. Baxley (“I Come in Peace”) that’s content to let Henriksen and William Forsythe do most of the heavy lifting playing opposite the movie’s leading man. Baxley also seasons the movie with sufficient chase sequences, fisticuffs and action that should satisfy genre buffs.
Kino Lorber’s Special Edition Blu-Ray includes some terrific new interviews, including Bosworth himself, plus Arabella Holzbog, Sam McMurray, and Lance Henriksen, all talking about the improvisational nature of the film’s script, Bosworth’s inexperience, and Baxley’s veteran hand leading the action sequences. A full run of trailers and TV spots are also included alongside a new commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. The 1080p (1.85, 2.0 stereo) presentation hails from a new 2K scan of the 35mm Interpositive, leading to an enhancement over the previous 2015 Olive disc.
Box-Set Retrospectives
ANNA MAY WONG COLLECTION 3-Disc Blu-Ray: Kino Lorber pays tribute to star Anna May Wong by debuting a trio of previously-unreleased films in high-definition this month. The three-disc “Anna May Wong Collection” kicks off with the Paramount release DANGEROUS TO KNOW (70 mins., 1938), wherein Wong plays the Chinese mistress of Chicago gangster Akim Tamiroff, who has fallen for a socialite (Gail Patrick). Robert Florey helmed this adaptation of an Edgar Wallace play which received mixed reviews at the time of its release. In ISLAND OF LOST MEN (63 mins., 1939), Wong stars as a cabaret singer who looks for her lost father and finds him on a prison island presided over by jungle empire sadist J. Carrol Naish. Finally, Wong is paired again with Akim Tamiroff in KING OF CHINATOWN (60 mins., 1939), a drama about Chinese racketeers with Wong and her father (Sidney Toler) trying to stand up to the violence. 2K and 4K transfers (all in 1.33 B&W) grace Kino Lorber’s Universal-licensed masters, with commentaries provided by, respectively, Samm Deighan, Bryan Reesman/Max Evry, and David Del Valle/Stan Shaffer. Trailers are also included.
FILM NOIR: THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA XIII Blu-Ray: Kino Lorber’s superlative film noir box-sets sees its 13th iteration kick off with a fun 1950 Universal B-movie: SPY HUNT (75 mins.). Marta Toren essays a secret agent trying to retrieve microfilm planted in the collar of black panthers being transported via train to a zoo. They eventually break free, causing a pursuit that involves the man (Howard Duff) hired to escort them to their destination; George Sherman helmed. In THE NIGHT RUNNER (79 mins., 1957), Ray Danton stars as an insane parolee prematurely released from an asylum, who falls in love with small-town girl Colleen Miller but is unable to escape his psychotic tendencies. Finally, Miller also stars in STEP DOWN TO TERROR (76 mins., 1959), a limp reworking of “Shadow of a Doubt” with Charles Drake as the killer who heads back to his home town. Rod Taylor co-stars in this slim remake still worth a look for noir buffs. All three films have been treated to Universal-licensed 2K remasters (B&W) with extras including trailers and new commentaries by Lee Gambin/Eloise Ross (“The Night Runner”) and Bryan Reesman/Max Evry (“Spy,” “Night”).
FILM NOIR: THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA XIV Blu-Ray: An early “feminist”-centered noir, UNDERCOVER GIRL (80 mins., 1950) greatly benefits from Alexis Smith’s performance as a young woman who joins the police force in order to unmask the man who killed her father. Joseph Pevney directed this Universal-International B-affair with Gladys George, Royal Dano, Scott Brady, and Richard Egan comprising a superb supporting cast. ONE WAY STREET (79 mins., 1950) is a slender tale, more dramatic than noir-related, with James Mason starring as a doctor who steals a fortune from crook Dan Duryea and heads to Mexico with his girl (Marta Toren) in tow. Rock Hudson chips in an early role. Finally, George Nader appears as an alcoholic reporter hoping his involvement in a criminal’s arrest turns around his fortunes in APPOINTMENT WITH A SHADOW (73 mins., 1958), Richard Carlson’s B-noir which benefits from Cinemascope lensing. Once again, all three films look superb in Universal licensed masters with trailers and new commentaries provided by Julie Kirgo (“Undercover Girl”), Lee Gambin and Elissa Rose (“One Way Street”), and David Del Valle and David DeCoteau (“Appointment With a Shadow”), the latter two also remastered via 2K transfers.
Also Newly Available From Kino Lorber
LOVE LETTERS Blu-Ray (101 mins., 1945): Melodramatic piece written by author Ayn Rand about a war-time widow (Jennifer Jones), suffering from amnesia after her husband’s death, who marries a man, unaware the love letters he’s claimed to have written to her are actually the work of Joseph Cotten. This post-WWII drama is a weepy affair with a lovely Victor Young score and appealing performances, but you likely need to be a fan of this type of picture to fully appreciate its emotional approach. Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray (1.37 B&W) of William Dieterle’s film offers a 2K scan of the 35mm fine grain with the trailer and a new historian commentary featuring Bryan Reesman and Max Evry.
THERE’S NO TOMORROW Blu-Ray (82 mins., 1939; Kino Classics): The great Max Ophuls helmed this 1939 Parisian drama starring Edwige Feuillere as a woman from a privileged background who has to dance in a nightclub of ill repute to get by; she finds a possible outlet in the form of her former love (Georges Rigaud), yet tragedy is soon to follow in this elegantly designed and directed Ophuls classic. Gaumont’s restoration here is crisp and attractive (1.37 B&W, 2.0 mono) with Adrian Martin’s commentary discussing the piece.
MY MAN GODFREY Blu-Ray (92 mins., 1957): Polished, widescreen color remake of the Carole Lombard-William Powell ‘30s classic didn’t leave nearly the lasting legacy as its predecessor. Director Henry Koster’s efficient remake manages to be watchable as it presses the same buttons with heiress June Allyson recruiting a street dweller to become her new butler – which happens here in the form of David Niven. Niven’s fine but the energy level doesn’t really gel despite the posh production values of your typical Ross Hunter production, on-hand here in a new 2K scan (2.35) of the 35mm interpositive. A fresh commentary from critic Simon Abrams is also new and exclusive to this release.
JOY HOUSE Blu-Ray (97 mins., 1964): Mid ‘60s thriller was a collaboration between French director Rene Clement and MGM, which brought Parisian star Alain Delon into focus for American audiences. Delon plays a con artist who eludes trailing gangsters by hiding out in a villa belonging to widow Lola Albright and cousin Jane Fonda (who reportedly replaced Natalie Wood). Some mystery and sensual intrigue – at least by the era’s standards – then ensue in an adaptation of a Day Keene novel that didn’t seem to generate a lot of excitement with audiences at the time. At least it looks good here in Kino Lorber’s disc, licensed through Gaumont, with a 1080p (2.35) 2K restoration offering both English and French soundtracks. The trailer and an enjoyable new commentary from Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson are also on tap.
THE TREATMENT Blu-Ray (86 mins., 2006; Kino Lorber): Making its debut on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber, director/co-writer Oren Rudavsky’s “The Treatment” is an adaptation of Daniel Menaker’s book about a troubled English teacher (Chris Eigeman) who engages in a specific treatment on how to life his life from an eccentric shrink (Ian Holm)…or does he?!? Famke Janssen co-stars in an appealing played if disjointed film belatedly premiering in HD this month. Kino Lorber’s now-available Blu-Ray (1.78, 5.1/2.0) includes deleted scenes, the trailer, and a featurette wherein real psychotherapists discuss the picture.
Foreign Fare
KAMIKAZE Blu-Ray (90 mins., 1986; Not Rated): An early Luc Besson production I wasn’t familiar with, “Kamikaze” is something of a wild, ahead-of-its-time mix of sci-fi thriller and black comedy. Michel Galabru stars as a couch potato who hacks his way into the broadcast system, enabling him to send signals to kill those who irritate him the most; Richard Bohringer is the inspector on the case, though as is typically the case with Besson, the cast is subservient to the movie’s visual style. Jean-Francois Robin’s cinematography and Eric Serra’s score are slick and sleek, both represented here in Gaumont’s 1080p (2.35, French with English subtitles) presentation. Extras include commentary from historian Eddy Von Mueller, an interview with director Didier Grousset, and documentary “Objectif Kamikaze.”
THE SORROW AND THE PITY: CHRONICLE OF A FRENCH CITY UNDER THE OCCUPATION Blu-Ray (259 mins., 1969): One of the key WWII documentaries receives a high-definition remastering courtesy of Gaumont. Marcel Ophuls’ extensive chronicle of Clermont-Ferrand and its assorted everyday residents through Nazi rule serves as an essential portrait of military occupation and a sad reveal of how many succumbed to German pressure during the war. The film is split up onto two platters (1.66, 2.0 German/French with English subtitles) with a 40-minute “Marcel Ophuls Visual History” included as a bonus feature.
Antonio De La Torre, Marine Vacth, and Olivier Gourmet lead the ensemble cast in Giordano Gederlini’s ON THE EDGE (100 mins., 2021), a French thriller about a Spanish subway train operator, who after watching his son die after falling off a platform’s edge, stages his own investigation into his demise – implementing his own “special set of skills” when he runs into interference from the authorities. Kino’s Blu-Ray includes a 1080p (2.39) transfer with French/Spanish 5.1/2.0 audio and English subtitles.
The latest release from the Cohen Film Collection is EVERYTHING WENT FINE [Tout S’Est Bien Passe] (112 mins., 2020), director Francois Ozon’s film about a dying man’s (Andre Dussollier) final wish and his attempts to reconcile with his estranged daughter (Sophie Marceau). Ozon’s acclaimed and well-acted, if difficult to process, film is new to Blu-Ray from Cohen (1.85) featuring French audio (5.1/2.0) with English subtitles…Raro Video brings viewers Gianfranco Angelucci’s HONEY (88 mins., 1981), an erotic drama about a young, virginal woman (Clio Goldsmith) who gets more than she bargained for after spending the night in a hotel that’s got somethin’ going on underneath the surface. Catherine Spaak also stars in this slice of early ‘80s French eroticism, restored here in a 1080p (1.85) transfer, in French with English subtitles.
Quick Takes
Also Newly Available on DVD from Menemsha Films, WARTIME GIRLS (585 mins.) follows a trio of young Polish women fighting the Nazis in the early days of WWII. Season 1 includes 13 episodes (16:9, Polish/German with English subtitles in 5.1/2.0) and is now available…First Run Features brings viewers the documentary THE QUIET EPIDEMIC (102 mins., 2022), a fascinating profile about the general cover-up of Lyme disease since its 1975 discovery…Zeitgeist Films’ DVD release of LA CIVIL (134 mins., 2021) showcases Romanian director Teodora Ana Mihai’s look at Northern Mexico’s drug cartel problem. Zeitgeist’s disc (16:9, 5.1/2.0) includes deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage and is now available for purchase….FILMMAKERS FOR THE PROSECUTION (79 mins., 2022) adapts Sandra Schulberg’s monograph that chronicled the hunt for film evidence that could bring Nazis to justice at the Nuremberg Trial. The archival 1948 documentary “Nuremberg: Its Lesson For Today,” which the US Dept of War buried at the time of its production, is also included in this affordable Kino Lorber DVD.
Touted as France’s answer to “The Office,” UFOs (745 mins.) looks at a group of UFO researchers in late ‘70s France with decidedly comedic results. For those missing the Steve Carrell comedy, “UFOs” mixes up ensemble-based shenanigans with an “X-Files” premise, mixed in with period elements, and Kino Lorber’s four-disc DVD (16:9) includes the first and second seasons of the series, in French with English subtitles…Greenwich’s DVD release of RIVER (74 mins., 2021) is only hampered by its standard-def visuals, as this visually spellbinding documentary, narrated by Willem Dafoe, takes viewers around the globe in a short but potent journey spanning tributaries across six continents. Superb soundtrack includes Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood and the Australian Chamber Orchestra (16:9, 5.1/2.0).
Maggie Peren’s THE FORGER (116 mins., 2022) features Louis Hoffmann (star of the Netflix series “Dark”) as Cioma Schonhaus, a young Jewish man who saved hundreds of Jews by forging documents that enabled them to travel through Germany in 1940. Based on a true story, “The Forger” is an arresting study of survival and humanity with superb performances, and Kino Lorber’s DVD features a 16:9 (2.35) transfer with 5.1/2.0 audio in German with English subtitles…Finally, the French drama THE WORST ONES (99 mins., 2022) earned acclaim on the art house circuit last year. Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s film is set in a northern France suburb where a filmmaking crew causes a ruckus after selecting four of the town’s “worst” working class teenagers to act in the film. The duo’s 2016 short “Chasse Royale” is also included in Kino Lorber’s now-available DVD (16:9), in French (5.1/2.0) with English subs.
Also New & Noteworthy
65 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (93 mins., 2023, PG-13; Sony): “’A Quiet Place’ With Dinosaurs” is essentially how this spring release was sold to audiences, yet what’s on-screen in this dreary, unimpressive directorial outing from “A Quiet Place” writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods is more like “Jurassic Scraps.”
Over-reaching to an unintentionally comic degree at times, Adam Driver stars as an intergalactic traveler who ends up away from his family, crashed on a planet inhabited with dinosaurs. Whether or not the film was intended to be assembled and told in this manner, “65” tells us straight upfront that it’s Earth right before the meteorite crashed that wiped out most prehistoric life. Any prospective revelation about these characters and their location is, therefore, no surprise to anyone, and the conventional, resulting chase film that ensues follows Driver and the only other survivor – a girl named Koa (Arianna Greenblatt) who only speaks a foreign language – as they attempt to find a rescue vehicle, separated from their downed craft, miles away in a landscape teeming with soon-to-be-extinct creatures.
“65” is an awfully odd movie in terms of how it relays its premise, and it’s particularly strange since there’s nothing left here that would confuse anyone, as “65” is little more than a hodgepodge of scenes, set-pieces, creatures and emotions cobbled together from other, much better films. Beck and Woods invert the pained sense of family loss seen in the “Quiet Place” movies, but all that does is result in making this film even more depressing than it needs to be – isn’t being stranded in a dinosaur-infected hell with little chance of escape bad enough? Instead the filmmaking duo continuously bring back Driver’s estranged – and ultimately deceased – daughter for appearances throughout the movie, making the actor have to single-handedly generate an emotional range that the thin story (told in a sub-90 minute run time minus credits) can’t support.
Understandably, Driver seems like he’s over-the-top at times, but at least something is, as the action scenes are so bland and boring – with CGI that’s also farfrom remarkable – that they culminate in a movie that’s both overscored and overemoted…the exact reverse of the genuine tension and sense of suspense “A Quiet Place” managed to generate.
Sony’s 4K UHD (2.39) looks and sounds good with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. There’s no issue with the dynamic a/v presentation on-hand here, with several minutes of deleted scenes, featurettes, the Blu-Ray and a Digital HD copy also on tap.
Also new from Sony is the baffling spring misfire THE POPE’S EXORCIST (103 mins., 2023, R), an adaptation (albeit supposedly a loose one) of Father Gabriele Amorth’s travails as the Vatican’s chief exorcist. Russell Crowe chews up the scenery in a shockingly undisciplined hodgepodge of other horrors – but there is something undeniably goofy about director Julius Avery’s film (which managed to outgross the far more expensive “Renfield” reviewed below) that ought to make it potentially appealing to bad movie buffs. Sony’s Blu-Ray (2.39, 5.1 DTS MA) is out this week featuring two featurettes and a Digital HD copy.
RENFIELD Blu-Ray/DVD (93 mins., 2023, R; Universal): It’s a bit baffling what Universal is trying to accomplish at the moment in regards to its “Classic Monsters”: first, the studio tried rebooting “The Mummy” as part of a larger “universe” that spectacularly bombed, even with Tom Cruise starring. A successful modern take on “The Invisible Man” was followed by “Renfield” this past spring – an unfunny, crass 90-minute affair that attempts to place Dracula’s minion in a modern “Horror Comedy” that’s just not funny. That’s unfortunate as director Chris McKay and writer Ryan Ridley’s film wastes the talents of Nicolas Hoult (as Renfield) and even Nicolas Cage, whose Dracula is…well, maybe not exactly what you wanted when you heard the news that Cage was going to play Dracula. McKay loads the film up with gore – betraying the old-school roots of the Universal Draculas – presumably in an effort to lure in younger viewers, but the experiment backfired as the film tanked at the box-office anyway. Too gross for casual comedy fans (despite Awkwafina’s casting as a cop), “Renfield” bows on Blu-Ray (2.39, 7.1 DTS MA) this month with extras including deleted/extended scenes, alternate takes, a DVD and Digital HD copy.
New Releases From MVD
RAIN MAN 4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray (134 mins., 1988, R; MVD): MVD takes an Oscar winner to 4K UHD for the first time with the reigning Best Picture of 1988, “Rain Man.” Dustin Hoffman essays Raymond Babbitt, the Autistic brother of yuppie, prestige auto salesman Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), who learns life lessons from the brilliant yet emotionally restricted sibling he never knew in Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow’s script. Helmed by Barry Levinson, “Rain Man” works as an entertaining road-trip movie for those who like the genre, not to mention a portrait – however accurate it may be – of Autism that’s informed by Hoffman’s sincere, Oscar-winning performance.
“Rain Man” has never been a huge favorite of mine, coming across as a little too slick and a bit contrived in terms of its formulaic structure – not to mention a bit self-indulgent as there are acting cameos from both Levinson and co-producer Gerald R. Molen (Jerry Molen), essaying Raymond’s doctor. It has the look and feel of a “Hollywood product,” down to Hans Zimmer’s score, but there’s no denying the entertainment value of the film, even if it feels now firmly entrenched as a product of its time.
MVD’s 4K UHD (1.85) looks terrific, the 4K remaster boasting Dolby Vision HDR and 5.1 DTS MA sound. The visuals provided by John Seale are perfectly replicated here, with extras including older commentaries by Levinson, Bass and Morrow, plus two archival featurettes, a single deleted scene and the trailer; a similarly remastered Blu-Ray is also included.
RED SUN Blu-Ray (87 mins., 1970; Radiance): Rudolf Thome’s cult hit about a man who ends up in a commune where its female residents intend to kill their respective boyfriends after five days comes to Blu-Ray in a fully restored edition from Radiance. “Red Sun” (not to be confused with the Charles Bronson mid ‘70s western of the same name) is an off-kilter viewing experience curious viewers will want to check out in an attractive package graced here with a 1080p (1.66) transfer approved by the director. Extras include a visual essay by Johannes von Moltke on the film and another visual essay by Margaret Deriaz on the “New German Cinema” of the ‘70s. A limited edition 52-page booklet boasts notes by Samm Deighan and additional behind-the-scenes information, including an archival interview with Thome and reviews by admirers like filmmaker Wim Wenders.
A QUESTION OF SILENCE Blu-Ray (97 mins., 1982; Cult Epics): Writer-director Marleen Gorris, best known for producing the hit indie “Antonia’s Line,” also helmed this well-reviewed early ‘80s Dutch import about a psychiatrist assigned to find out why three unconnected women decided to kill a male shopkeeper. Cult Epics’ new 2K transfer from a 35mm print (1.66, Dutch with English subtitles) comprises this Blu-Ray restoration with extras including archival interviews featuring Gorris and star Cox Habbema, a 1982 newsreel, promo gallery, and a new commentary by film scholar Patricia Pisters.
New From MVD Rewind: While B-auteur Kevin Tenney’s “Witchboard” franchise became a mainstay on the home video circuit back in the ‘80s, he also helmed, along the way, a thriller called WITCHTRAP (92 mins., 1989, R). Now a part of the MVD Rewind Collection, this effort about a group of paranormal experts trying to stage an exorcism in a haunted inn whose previous owner had his heart cut out is something I remember renting from “Major Video” back at the time. MVD’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 2.0 mono) appears to hail from the same 2K restoration as Vinegar Syndrome’s out-of-print release and includes vintage interviews with Tenney and actress Linnea Quigley among others, plus a group commentary track and the “Magnum Video” R-rated cut of the picture, preserved from a VHS source (of course).
Also joining the MVD Rewind Collection is KILLZONE (91 mins., 1988, R), which was one of independent director David A. Prior’s many genre affairs aimed at the blossoming home video market of the late ‘80s. This outing is one of the better ones at that, starring Fritz Matthews as a Vietnam vet who can’t distinguish between “war games” and the real thing, and ends up being pushed over the edge by sadistic colonel David Campbell while staging an exercise at a military training facility. Ted Prior, the director’s brother, co-stars in a “Rambo” variant that’s a bit all over the place but manages to be reasonably amusing for both its wild plot and occasionally, unintentionally funny bursts of violent action. MVD’s Blu-Ray (1.78, 2.0 mono) boasts a 4K restoration with extras including a new Making Of, fresh commentary track, a photo gallery, trailer, and the Vestron Video VHS release (in standard-def).
Label Wrap
TULSA KING Season 1 Blu-Ray (348 mins., 2022; CBS): Sylvester Stallone scores in Taylor Sheridan’s latest series – a fun change of pace from “Yellowstone,” offering Stallone a plum role of a NY mobster just out of prison after spending a quarter-century behind bars. Despite not ratting out his employers, he’s unceremoniously sent to the middle of Oklahoma to take a cut of the latest business phenomena — pot — which he does along with a young man who becomes his driver.
Stallone is having fun in a show that’s dramatic but not “heavy” in the way “Yellowstone” can be, offering likeable characters who aren’t archly “odd” and a plot that does a nice job kicking into gear at a consistent yet leisurely pace, developing Stallone’s lead so he’s not a mere stereotype. Eventually the bleep hits the fan at the end with a violent finale, but it’s not as gratuitous as “Yellowstone” has been at times, with a Season 2 looming that ought to be quite interesting. Paramount’s Blu-Ray looks superb with its 1080p transfer and 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio; extras include over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes exclusive to this package.
CRIMINAL MINDS Season 16 DVD (466 mins., 2022-23; CBS): The BAU returns in time to thwart an “UnSub” who spent the pandemic building up a network of serial killers! At least “Criminal Minds” manages to find a way to use COVID to explain its hiatus, as Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster and crew return for a new season of the long-running CBS series. The three-disc DVD set includes 16:9 transfers, 5.1 audio and three behind-the-scenes featurettes.
THE VENTURE BROS. The Complete Series DVD (2004-18; Adult Swim/Warner): Adult Swim fans should flock to this complete series box of the popular Cartoon Network series, which riffs on ‘60s Hanna-Barbera cartoons a bit unevenly, but when it hits the target “The Venture Bros.” is often uproarious. Later seasons seem a little more uneven, but they’re collected here nonetheless in Warner’s DVD box-set, which includes the entire run of the series (2004-18) in solid DVD presentations and 5.1 sound (the first two seasons are 2.0 only). Fans should consult my individual reviews of the series which you can check out by visiting the Ye Olde Aisle Seat Search Page!
Well Go New Releases: Due out June 13th from Well Go USA, BONE COLD (109 mins., 2023) sees a pair of snipers doing battle with a creature that’s less than human. Billy Hanson’s independently made action-thriller offers an interesting variation on a predictable premise, mixing in some genre elements though the movie feels a little long at 109 minutes. Well Go’s Blu-Ray (1080p, 5.1 DTS MA) offers a Making Of, blooper reel and the trailer…Donnie Yen stars in and directed SAKRA (131 mins., 2022, R), a period wuxia adaptation about a martial artist wrongfully accused of murder. His attempts to find justice after being exiled from his troop of fellow warriors inform this version of Louis Cha’s novel “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,” new on Blu-Ray from Well Go also on June 13th. The Blu features a 1080p transfer plus Dolby Atmos audio (Cantonese, Mandarin or English dubbed).
Due out later in June, Scott Walker’s THE TANK (100 mins., 2022, R) includes a few thrills and developed characters along with its story of a creature lurking about an Oregon coastal community, and the terror generated after it’s (re)discovered by a man who moves his family to this mother’s previously-unknown family home, unknowing of what’s to come. Shot in New Zealand with decent WETA designed creatures, “The Tank” shoots higher than your typical indie horror affair even though the story ends up a mass of cliches by its preordained climax. Well Go’s Blu-Ray includes two featurettes, the trailer, a 1080p transfer and DTS MA sound…The Chinese CGI animated effort I AM T-REX (81 mins., 2022) offers a “Jurassic”-type spin on the Lion King, where a little tyranosaurus finds himself ostracized and needing to grow into the leader he’s supposed to be before trying to retake his kingdom from a bad guy. The plot is overly familiar and the animation is just “okay” but young, dino-hungry viewers might be entertained just enough for it to work. Well Go’s Blu-Ray (1080p, DTS MA English or Mandarin) is available June 20th.
Film Movement New Releases: Set in the gorgeous subtropical Japanese island of Amami, Naomi Kawase’s STILL THE WATER (121 mins., 2014) spins an engrossing character study involving a teenager (Nijiro Murakami), his girlfriend (Jun Yoshinaga), and a young woman’s lifeless body they discover floating in the sea around them. A compelling coming of age film new on DVD from Film Movement, the disc preserving its full 2.35 lensing with 5.1/2.0 Japanese audio and English subtitles…Also new this month from Film Movement is another film from Kawase: RADIANCE (102 mins., 2017), another moving story charting the relationship between a young Japanese writer (Ayame Misaki) who adapts scripts for the visually impaired, and the older photographer (Matatoshi Nagase), losing his sight, who she forges a connection with. Film Movement’s DVD is out June 13th sporting another 16:9 (2.39) transfer with English subtitled 5.1/2.0 Japanese audio.
Rebecca Marder plays a Parisian girl in 1942 whose coming-of-age is soon to be contrasted by the horrors of Nazi occupation in Sandrine Kiberlain’s acclaimed A RADIANT GIRL (98 mins., 2021), which debuts on DVD from Film Movement on June 13th. The disc includes a Q&A with Kiberlain plus Maya Yadlin’s short film “Fine.”
New From Mill Creek: The NBC series THE EVENT (16 hours, 2010-11) attempted to feed off the ”Lost” formula popular at the time with its story of a government cover-up as seen through the eyes of everyman Jason Ritter. Turns out there’s a dash of “The X-Files” (shocker!) also involved in this one-season, 22-episode series that ends up related to an extraterrestrial take-over of Earth by way of its planet hopping into our solar system. For fans of the series, this serialized program comes to an ending intended to launch a second season…which never happened…but is presented here in a quality Mill Creek release that’s now available. The Blu-Ray offers 1080p (1.78) transfers, 5.1 soundtracks, episode commentaries, deleted scenes, Making Of featurettes, and the “Dr. Dempsey Alternate Story.”
Coming June 27th from Mill Creek is ULTRAMAN BATTLE KAIJU SERIES 01: ULTRAMAN VS. RED KING (aprx. 7 hours), which interestingly assembles Ultraman skirmishes with nemesis Red King from a litany of different Ultraman TV series. This means Mill Creek’s multi-disc set offers 16 episodes from “Ultraman” and its assorted variants, scattered across the years, every one involving a battle between the titans. A collectible booklet and slipcover adorn this upcoming Mill Creek release (1.78/1.33 HD or 1.33 SD) which does include some standard-def content, plus 2.0 Japanese soundtracks and English subtitles.
NEXT TIME: Warner Archive new reviews and plenty more! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers everyone!