Disc Releases We Dig This Week: Sept 13, 2016 edition

This week's bounties all come from Olive Films. In their continued efforts to digitally preserve the direct-to-video action pictures of the late David O. Prior, the 1987 Mankillers is being offered. This week they also revisit the Republic Pictures vaults to present the 1950s complete serial of Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe. And Halloween isn't too far away, so horror fans would be overjoyed to see the long overdue release of these two gems: the camp classic Monster from Piedras Blancas, and Riccardo Freda's beautifully eerie gothic Eurohorror, The Horrible Dr. Hichkok, starring Barbara Steele.

Can't wait! Go get 'em!

DVD Releases We Dig This Week (03.26.13)

Good heavens, there is a lot of great stuff this week, no matter what kind of cinema you're into. (Easter is around the corner, so if the Easter Bunny leaves you any money, it'll be well used at the DVD shop.) As always, Olive Films has a boatload of titles. First up, there are a handful of John Wayne films from his days at Republic: Westward Ho (1935); The Lawless Nineties (1937); A Man Betrayed (1941); Wyoming Outlaw (1939) (the latter is part of the Three Mesquiteers series, of which Olive had released several films last year).

And here are some more classics from Olive: The Duke's frequent boss John Ford is represented with the excellent underrated The Sun Shines Bright (1953); Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn in the brilliant screwball comedy The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) (My God- how has this not been released previously!?); Ruthless (1948), from everyone's favourite poverty row auteur Edgar G. Ulmer; Mickey Rooney in the underrated comedy The Atomic Kid (1954) (scripted by a young Blake Edwards!); the 1954 film noir Hell's Half Acre; and Samuel Fuller's offbeat Korean War epic, China Gate (1957) (another one long overdue). And for good measure, there is also Hector Babenco's underrated screen adaptation of Ironweed (1987).

Two new releases from Criterion for the arthouse crowd: Robert Bresson's A Man Escaped (1956) and Charlie Chaplin's black comedy Monsieur Verdoux (1947). 

There is no shortage of fun for the midnight movie - cult film enthusiast either! The always impressive Shout! Factory has released collectors' editions of the favourites, Phantasm II (1988) and From Beyond (1986). This week they also debut Futureworld (1976), the underrated sequel to Westworld, and the complete series of the great Japanese TV show, Johnny Sokko and His Giant Robot. 

 Still want more? Okay, then! Scorpion's line of Katarina's Kat Skratch Cinema releases the cult epics Alley Cat (1984), and (be still my heart) Angels Brigade (1979)!!

Whew! What a world. More next week.

DVD Releases We Dig This Week (03.19.13)

First, we just wanted to give a nod to a couple of releases that came out on March 12, since we didn't do this column last week. The 1976 drama Ode To Billy Joe, with Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor, based on the Bobbie Gentry hit song, is available through Warners. Criterion has also released Fritz Lang's excellent underrated wartime suspense film Ministry of Fear.

This week, Criterion has also released Terence Malick's first film as a director, Badlands (1973), featuring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, based on the Starkweather-Fugate case. They have also re-issued the Powell and Pressburger masterpiece The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943).

Olive Films has a new release this week as well (we're still making our way through their recent boatload of titles): Beyond the Clouds (1995), co-directed by Wim Wenders and Michelangelo Antonioni, starring John Malkovich and Sophie Marceau.

For the midnight movie fans, VCI has released a special edition of the monster movie favourite, Gorgo (1961), which ought to be a great substitute for all those cheap PD versions floating around. Also, Fred Olen Ray's Retromedia (in partnership with Bayview Entertainment) has re-issued the two sets of The Edgar Wallace Collection. If you're a fan of German krimi films from the 1960s, these are must-haves. Volume One features The Mad Executioners (1963) and Fellowship of the Frog (1959); Volume Two presents Curse of the Yellow Snake (1963) and The Phantom of Soho (1964).

More next week!

DVD Releases We Dig This Week (03.05.13)

Some more goodies to be found this week from the ever-surprising Olive Films. Stanley Baker heads a terrific cast in the 1972 spy thriller Innocent Bystanders, directed by the always stylish Peter Collinson. Some more espionage can be had in 1964's The Great Spy Chase, starring Lino Ventura (who was in last week's Olive release of Monsieur Gangster). I saw a bit of this on TFO a few years back and looks pretty wild (the scene I caught featured kung fu!), so this promises to be a neat discovery.

And for the midnight movie fans, there is plenty to rejoice in this week too!  The always amazing Shout! Factory releases the collector's edition of Phantasm II (1988), Don Coscarelli's sequel to his beloved 1979 cult horror, on their subsidiary label Scream Factory, and typically loaded with extras. (Edit: we just found out this has been delayed till March 26.) 

Fred Olen Ray's Retromedia label seems to be back in the DVD world, with the cult horror favourite Grave of the Vampire (1972) featuring William Smith and Michael Pataki. Although this film has long been available in cheap public domain disks, this release however is an anamorphic transfer mastered from a 35mm print! (No news yet on whether this runs longer than the usually trimmed PD versions.) Retromedia also releases the 1989 horror curio, The Jitters, featuring James Hong as a deceased grocer who returns as a vampire to get revenge on the street gang menacing Chinatown. Some sources list these films to street later in the month, however, I've already seen them in locations that usually honour street dates.

More next week!

DVD Releases We Dig This Week (02.26.13)

Wow, we have a boatload of releases to report this week; there should be something new on the shelf for any tastes. Debuting today from the Criterion Collection is the celebrated 1960 documentary, Chronicle of a Summer, by Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin. In light of today's "reality TV" climate, this experimental documentary about real people's reactions to a camera should be even more timely.

And as always, there is a significant pile of DVDs from the ever-surprising Olive Films. We're especially excited because among the new titles is the long overdue DVD release of Robert Altman's moody 1969 film, That Cold Day in the Park. In addition, there is the underrated 1946 Jean Renoir adaptation of Diary of A Chambermaid, starring Paulette Goddard, written by and co-starring her then-husband Burgess Meredith. (The Octave Mirbeau novel was more famously adapted to the screen in 1964 by Luis Bunuel.)

Film noir fans should rejoice that they have also put out Anthony Mann's first noir, the 1944 Strangers in the Night, starring Virginia Grey. Their continued spelunking of the Republic catalogue has resulted in releases of the 1942 John Wayne curio, Lady for a Night, co-starring  Joan Blondell, and the 1949 propaganda picture The Red Menace, directed by R.G. Springsteen, who did many westerns.  For crime fans, there is also the 1963 French film, Monsieur Gangster, starring Lino Ventura.  And lastly, Olive has released the 1957 horror thriller She-Devil, with Mari Blanchard and Albert Dekker! Whew!

Midnight movie fans can also check out the Severin boxed set, The Euro-Sleaze Collection, which features grindhouse delights: The Sister of Ursula, The Sinful Dwarf and Hanna D: The Girl from Vondel Park.  It seems that Fred Olen Ray's Retro Media label is getting back into business. Hot off the recent release of Mark of the Gun is another long-unseen curio. 1967's I, Marquis de Sade is noteworthy for being directed by Richard Hilliard, perhaps best remembered today for his involvement with Del Tenney on The Horror of Party Beach and Curse of the Living Corpse.

This should keep us busy for a while; more next week!

DVD Releases We Dig This Week (10.02.12)

This week features a real (ahem) eclectic bunch of films for DVD release. Wong Kar Wai's visually sumptuous In The Mood For Love is the re-released from the Criterion family, with the usual truckload of extras. 

Classic comedy fans will want to check two boxed sets released by Universal. Don Knotts: Reluctant Hero releases features the comedian in: The Reluctant Astronaut; The Ghost and Mr. Chicken; The Shakiest Gun in the West and The Love God?. I hope this is a step up from the 2004 release that squeezed all four films onto one double-sided disk.

The Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Road To Comedy Collection features four of their classic Road films (Road to Zanzibar; Road to Morocco; Road to Utopia; Road to Singapore). These are definitely worth having-- but four features on one double-sided disk? Oy.

Although it was a flop in its day because far too many fantasy films were released in that summer of 1982, the futuristic action movie Megaforce has since attracted a cult following.  It finally debuts on DVD, thanks to the fine folks at Hen's Tooth. I've never seen this Hal Needham vehicle, featuring Barry Bostwick (Rocky Horror's Brad), but hope to soon!

And finally, a slew of titles from Olive Films. In addition to mining the vaults at Paramount, Olive has recently acquired a long list of movies from Republic. Today, a handful of "Three Mesquiters" westerns, featuring John Wayne (pre-Stagecoach), Ray "Crash Corrigan" and Max Terhune, are released: The Night Riders,  Overland Stage Raiders, Red River Range and Three Texas Steers. Of these, I'm most interested to see Overland Stage Raiders, as it features the legendary Louise Brooks in her final screen role.

ed.