The Best Picture winner of 1967 is one terrific noir. But it's far more than that. Culturally, it was an important part of the civil rights movement, while still being an effective whodunit. It also used color film in ways that few had been rarely successful before – especially in noir. Kino Lorber is selling … Continue reading In the Heat of the Night in 4K
Category: Blu-ray Review
Night of the Living Dead in 4K Blu-ray
I've never been a big fan of zombie movies. To me, zombies are just vampires without sex appeal. Yet Night of the Living Dead is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. There are others with bigger death counts, or ones dripping with more blood. Many are funnier – intentionally or not. But in … Continue reading Night of the Living Dead in 4K Blu-ray
Early Kubrick in 4K Ultra HD: The Killing
Stanley Kubrick started his Hollywood career with this crackerjack noir heist thriller. He did it so well that it's hard to believe that he never tried to do a noir again. Professional criminal Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) orchestrates a complex racetrack robbery likely to net two million 1956 dollars. Hayden's rat-a-tat-tat delivery does wonders for … Continue reading Early Kubrick in 4K Ultra HD: The Killing
Touch of Evil in 4K Ultra
Orson Welles' last Hollywood feature was one of the great film noirs. It begins with a brilliant sequence done in one shot without cutting, but with considerable camera movement. Welles has already shown you that a timebomb will soon explode. It's entirely set at and near the American/Mexican border. Come next Tuesday, Kino Lorber will … Continue reading Touch of Evil in 4K Ultra
Finally! Wild rock comedy Get Crazy comes to Blu-ray
If you love the rock'n'roll of the 60s, 70s, and early 80s, and if you can laugh at your own absurdities, you'll get a kick out of Get Crazy. Never heard of it? This wildly absurd 1983 comedy came and went far too fast. The music is good too. Get Crazy takes place on New … Continue reading Finally! Wild rock comedy Get Crazy comes to Blu-ray
Bogart, Lupino, & the High Sierra on blu-ray
Badd After eight years in prison, "Mad Dog" Roy Earle walks out. The mob paid a lot of dough to get him released - they have a job for him to do. But what does Earle do first? He goes to a local park and enjoys the trees and watches the children playing. Humphrey Bogart … Continue reading Bogart, Lupino, & the High Sierra on blu-ray
Samuel Fuller Criterion: Pickup on South Street on Blu-ray
Here's one of the best noirs from the dark, grimy, golden age of the genre. Written and directed by the great Samuel Fuller, it doesn't pull its punches, either metaphorically or literally. Richard Widmark (whose cold face cries out for noir) stars as a pickpocket who lifts the wrong wallet on a crowded New York … Continue reading Samuel Fuller Criterion: Pickup on South Street on Blu-ray
The Producers on Blu-ray
A desperate has-been Broadway producer (Zero Mostel) and a timid, neurotic accountant (Gene Wilder in his first major role) plan a bit of larceny that will make them a fortune - if the play they produce flops. But if it's a hit, they'll go to jail. No wonder they select a play called Springtime for Hitler. … Continue reading The Producers on Blu-ray
Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies, now on Criterion Blu-ray
There's something very special about Mike Leigh's family drama, Secrets & Lies. Every person on the screen appears to be a fully fleshed-out human being, and I'm not just talking about the main characters. Even actors with one or two scenes feel as if they have a history. You can care about all of them … Continue reading Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies, now on Criterion Blu-ray
Jazz on a Summer’s Day on Blu-ray
The concert documentary didn't start with Woodstock, Gimme Shelter, or even Monterey Pop. In fact, it didn't even start with rock 'n' roll. But it just may have started with Jazz on a Summer's Day. Shot in and around the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, and released a year later, it's one of the best of its kind. First, there's the … Continue reading Jazz on a Summer’s Day on Blu-ray
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