February 16, 2021Elia Kazan's
Baby Doll (1956) on blu-ray from Warner Archive
Times are tough for cotton miller Archie (Karl Malden), but at least he has his child bride (Carroll Baker), who'll soon be his wife in title and truth. The one-year agreement keeping them under the same roof – yet never in the same bed – is about to end. But a game with a sly business rival (Eli Wallach) is about to begin. In Baby Doll, as in A Streetcar Named Desire, director Elia Kazan and writer Tennessee Williams broke new ground in depicting sexual situations – earning condemnation from the then-powerful Legion of Decency. February 23, 2021Allan Moyle's
Pump Up the Volume (1990) on blu-ray from Warner Archive
By day, Mark Hunter (Christian Slater) is a painfully shy new kid in a small Arizona town. But by night, he's Hard Harry, the cynical, uncensored DJ of a pirate radio station. Idolized by his high school classmates (who are unaware of his real identity), Harry becomes a hero with his fiercely funny monologues on sex, love, and rock and roll. But when he exposes the corrupt school principal, she calls in the FCC to shut Harry down. An outrageous rebel with a cause, Slater gives a brilliant performance as the reluctant hero who inspires his classmates to find their own voices of rebellion and individuality. A movie with a message, Pump Up the Volume is a raw and witty celebration of free speech that will make you laugh, make you cheer and make you think.March 9, 2021Val Lewton & Mark Robson's
Isle of the Dead (1945) on blu-ray from Warner Archive, from a 4K restoration of the original nitrate camera negative
On a lonely Greek island, a disparate group of people are in fear. Plague has come to the island making them virtual prisoners and then there is talk of the vorvolakas, a vampire-like creature that preys on the living. Among those trapped there is General Nikolas Pherides (Boris Karloff), nicknamed the Watchdog, who is taken aback when he is visits his wife's mausoleum only to find her grave empty. As several of those quarantined die from the plague, paranoia sets in creating a tense, fear-filled atmosphere...March 22, 2021Edward Dmytryk's
Crossfire (1947) on blu-ray from Warner Archive, from a 4K restoration of the original camera negative
One of the first Hollywood films to explore bigotry follows the story of three World War II soldiers who become suspects in the murder of a Jewish hotel guest.April 27, 2021Lewis Gilbert's
Cast a Dark Shadow (1955) & Lawrence Huntington's
Wanted for Murder (1946) on blu-ray from Cohen Media Group
Cast a Dark ShadowIn this taut thriller, Dirk Bogarde plays a scheming young man who uses his charm to wed an older wealthy woman. He stages her death to look accidental, but when he finds out that he will not be reaping financial reward from the death, he seeks out another victim.Wanted for MurderAs the son of a Victorian hangman is driven insane by thoughts of his father's profession, the young man emulates his father by strangling young women. He then meets and falls in love with a woman, but can he suppress his urge to kill her?May 17, 2021Columbia Noir #3 (1947-1959) on blu-ray from Indicator (UK)
Johnny O'Clock (1947)
When an employee at an illegal gambling den dies suspiciously, her sister, Nancy (Evelyn Keyes), looks into the situation and falls for Johnny O'Clock (Dick Powell), a suave partner in the underground casino. Selfish and non-committal by nature, Johnny slowly begins to return Nancy's affection and decides to run away with her, but conflict within his business threatens their plans. As Johnny tries to distance himself from the casino, his shady past comes back to haunt him.
The Dark Past (1948)
Synopsis: Taken hostage along with his family and friends, psychologist Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb) is held by the murderous fugitive Al Walker (William Holden) and his gang. While Walker's crew, which includes his lover, Betty (Nina Foch), tends to the other hostages, the desperate mastermind talks to Collins about his troubled past. As the night progresses, Collins gets Walker to focus on a disturbing dream, resulting in a psychological breakthrough that may help avoid a violent conflict.[/I]
Convicted (1950)
During a barroom brawl, Joe Hufford (Glenn Ford) accidentally kills the son of a powerful, prominent man. The district attorney, George Knowland (Broderick Crawford), wins a manslaughter conviction, despite having doubts about the defendant's guilt. Joe is sent to prison, and George, who eventually becomes the warden there, hopes to get him released. But Joe gets so immersed in the culture and codes of the jailhouse that he finds it difficult to believe in his own innocence.
Between Midnight and Dawn (1950)
Dan Purvis (Edmond O'Brien) and Rocky Barnes (Mark Stevens) are lifelong pals who survived WWII and continue their armed service as uniformed prowl car boys on the night shift in L.A. But their friendship is tested by their ongoing battle with a ruthless racketeer (Donald Buka), and the love they share for a beautiful radio announcer (Gale Storm). Often seen as the first example of the now common buddy cop movie, this film shows the genre has always been rife with tension.
The Sniper (1952)
In San Francisco, Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz) is a severely disturbed professional driver who fantasizes about killing beautiful women. He sends out several warning signs about his deteriorating mental state, but they're ignored by those around him. When he begins killing beautiful women and leaving clues for the authorities, the hardened Lt. Kafka (Adolphe Menjou) and police psychiatrist Dr. James G. Kent (Richard Kiley) must help track him down.
City of Fear (1959)
Irving Lerner directs Vince Edwards as a convict who breaks out of prison with a canister of what he thinks is pure heroin, hoping to make a big score. The white powder, however, turns out to be a deadly radioactive substance. As Vince tries to deal away his treasure, he works through his sleazy contacts — all of whom are doomed by their greed and stupidity — as the police desperately try to find him before he contaminates the entire city.
May 17, 2021Ridley Scott's
Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) on blu-ray from Indicator (UK)
After exploring the science-fiction and fantasy worlds of Alien, Blade Runner and Legend, famed British director Ridley Scott turned to modern-day New York for Someone to Watch Over Me, one of a number of adult-orientated erotic thrillers, including Fatal Attraction, Black Widow and Jagged Edge, to appear in the late eighties.
Tom Berenger (Platoon, Inception) plays a blue-collar NYPD detective assigned to protect a wealthy murder witness (Mimi Rogers, The Rapture). Soon, the relationship becomes an affair, threatening Berenger's marriage to Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas, The Sopranos), and the killer is still on the loose…
Stylishly shot by Steven Poster (Donnie Darko), Someone to Watch Over Me is glossy, high-concept filmmaking from start to finish.April 19, 2021Karloff at Columbia (1935-1942) on blu-ray from Masters of Cinema (UK)
One of the most recognisable faces in horror, Boris Karloff (or simply ‘KARLOFF’, as he was often billed) has been described as “to the horror movie what Fred Astaire was to the musical”. Presented here are the six films he made for Columbia Pictures, a collaboration which produced some of Karloff’s finest acting roles.
In THE BLACK ROOM, Karloff takes on a dual role as twin brothers in 19th century Europe. One of the twins inherits the family castle and suddenly the local women start disappearing…
THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG, THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES, BEFORE I HANG, and THE DEVIL COMMANDS form the “Mad Doctor” cycle, a thematically linked series of films where Karloff always plays a doctor whose obsessions inevitably lead them to murder!
And finally, THE BOOGIE MAN WILL GET YOU is a delightful parody of the “Mad Doctor” films, starring both Karloff and Peter Lorre.
March 22, 2021Two Films by Lois Weber (1923-1927) on blu-ray from Kino, from 2K restorations
Among the most exciting rediscoveries of silent cinema are the films of Lois Weber, who produced and directed a series of popular and provocative films at Universal Studios, often depicting women's struggles for independence within the ever-shifting moral landscape of 1920s modernity.
Sensation Seekers stars Billie Dove (The Black Pirate) as the free-spirited Egypt, a small-town girl who dreams of escape and adventure, and resists the efforts of a pious minister (Raymond Bloomer) to tame her thirst for excitement. Egypt's progress is highlighted by moments of cinematic spectacle, including a lavish masquerade ball and a stunning shipwreck sequence.
A Chapter in Her Life explores the efforts of a young girl (Jane Mercer) whose childish innocence exposes the hypocrisy and weakness that threaten the happiness of an aristocratic family.May 11, 2021Marvin J. Chomsky's
Tank (1984) on blu-ray from Kino
Sergeant-Major Zack Carey is completing his final stint of duty at a post in a small southern town. After defending a prostitute, he finds himself doing battle with the town's maniacal sheriff. When the sheriff jails Zack's son Billy on a phony drug charge, the sergeant takes justice into his own hands—with help from his personal World War II Sherman tank! First Blood on a tank, directed by Noam Chomsky's cousin. Unlike First Blood this picture forgoes any moral ambivalence by making redneck Sheriff G. D. Spradlin completely loathsome, he's just 100% a dick. James Garner uses this PG rated film's single fuck to praise some apple cobbler. This is just as awesome as the poster suggests.
May 11, 2021Harry Keller’s
Quantez (1957) on blu-ray from Kino
Screen legend Fred MacMurray (Gun for a Coward, Double Indemnity) stars as John Coventry, the leader of a gang of robbers trying to escape across the Mexican border. The outlaws manage to elude the law and navigate the rough terrain, but the flight comes to a dangerous halt in the mysterious abandoned town of Quantez. As their enemies get closer, tempers flare, betrayals set in and lines are drawn between the men. Ruthless criminals end up as heroes and villains plunge further into despair in this suspenseful, action-packed western. Imagine The Thing without any actual monster and just a group of really well-defined character types trapped in an isolated location on the Mexican border slowly turning on one another.
February 23, 2021
Helmut Käutner's Große Freiheit Nr. 7 aka Port of Freedom (1944) on blu-ray from Kino, from a 4K restoration
Under the direction of Helmut Käutner (Black Gravel), German heartthrob Hans Albers stars as Hannes, a former sailor who now works as an entertainer, playing his accordion in the streets and cabarets of the garish red light district of Hamburg. When he meets a headstrong young farmgirl (Ilse Werner), Hannes's passions are reawakened, and he is torn between his love for Gisa and the beckoning call of the sea. Produced in Germany in the final years of World War II, Port of Freedom (Grosse Freiheit Nr. 7) demonstrates how independent-minded artists were able to circumvent the demands of state-run film industry under the Third Reich. Rather than a propagandistic celebration of German might, it is a melancholy ode to lost love and happier times, lavishly photographed by Werner Krien in the rich warmth of Agfacolor.
DVDBeaver review
here
September 22, 2020
Roger Corman’s The Masque of Red Death (1964) on blu-ray from Shout Factory
Satan-worshiper Prince Prospero invites several dozen of the local nobility to his castle for protection against an oncoming plague, the "Red Death". Prospero orders his guests to attend a masked ball and, amidst a general atmosphere of debauchery and depravity, notices the entry of a mysterious hooded stranger dressed all in red. Believing the figure to be his master, Satan, Prospero is horrified at the revelation of his true identity...
