DVD PICK OF THE WEEK
THE WOLF MAN (Universal
Studios Home Entertainment): With
the long-awaited, big-budget remake
currently tearing up theaters, Universal
has (again) reached back into its vaults to
unleash a digitally remastered two-disc
special edition of its original 1941 classic.
In what would be his signature role,
Lon Chaney Jr. stars as Lawrence “Larry”
Talbot, who returns to his ancestral home
in England following the death of his
brother.
Attempts to reconcile with his grief-stricken father Sir John (the great Claude Rains) are interrupted when Larry is mauled by a strange, wolf-like creature during a night out on the moors. This, of course, is only the beginning of Larry’s problems, as he has become afflicted with the curse of lycanthrophy and now becomes a werewolf himself whenever the moon is full. Directed in riveting, breakneck style by George Waggner and potently penned by Curt Siodmak, the film also benefits from its solid cast: Ralph Bellamy, Evelyn Ankers, Warren William, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya as the Gypsy woman Maleva, who utters the immortal poem that begins “Even a man who is pure in heart …” The special features include an audio commentary with film historian Tom Weaver and myriad retrospective documentaries, including ones on Chaney and makeup artist Jack Pierce. It’s enough to make any red-blooded horror fan howl with delight. This one’s a keeper.
ALSO ON DVD
ACCORDING TO GRETA (Anchor Bay Entertainment): Executive producer Hilary Duff tackles a more nuanced role as a rebellious 17-yearold who spends the summer with her grandparents (Ellen Burstyn and Michael Murphy) at the Jersey Shore — first telling them that she plans to kill herself by age 18. (Visiting New Jersey does that to you…) The effort’s there but the execution falls short in a comedy/drama that’s wildly uncertain (and uneven) in its approach. Evan Ross and Melissa Leo also turn up. They try, too. Rated PG-13.
ACTION MAN COLLECTION (VCI Entertainment): Intrigue’s the name of the game in this four-film collection ($24.99 retail) of international thrillers: Robert Stack and Jean Gabin headline 1967’s Action Man (originally titled Le soleil des voyous), based on a novel by JM Flynn; Edward G. Robinson appears in the Cold War melodrama Peking Blonde (also ’67), based on a novel by James Hadley Chase; Stephen Boyd, Ray Milland, France Nuyen and Cameron Mitchell star in 1972’s Big Game (AKA Control Factor); and Richard Egan and Martha Hyer (in her last film to date) star in writer/director Ferde Grofe Jr.’s The Day of the Wolves (1973).
AWAY WE GO (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph are a well-matched screen couple in Sam Mendes’ comedy about an unmarried, expectant couple who wonder if they’re prepared to become parents. Sharply written and well-acted by a cast that also includes Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Melanie Lynskey, Jim Gaffigan, Carmen Ejogo, Josh Hamilton, Chris Messina, UNCSA graduate Paul Schneider and the invaluable Catherine O’Hara. Rated R.
BATTLE IN SEATTLE (Screen Media Films): Actor Stuart Townsend makes his feature debut as writer/producer/director of this ambitious, well-intentioned drama set against the backdrop of the 1999 World Trade Organization summit in Seattle, during which thousands of protestors took to the streets. Loses focus in the second half and becomes progressively more preachy. An all-star ensemble includes Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Michelle Rodriguez, Martin Henderson, Jennifer Carpenter, Connie Nielsen, Joshua Jackson, Channing Tatum, Andre Benjamin (AKA Andre 3000) and Ivana Milicevic. Rated R.
BRITISH CINEMA COLLECTION: VOLUME 3 (VCI Entertainment): A fourfilm collection ($29.99 retail) of English dramas from the 1950s: Nigel Patrick and Michael Hordern star in the 1953 crime drama Grand National Night, adapted from the play by Campbell and Dorothy Christie; Pat O’Brien, Lois Maxwell and George Coulouris star in Kill Me Tomorrow (1957); Richard Attenborough headlines The Scamp (also ’57), adapted from Charlotte Hastings’ play by director Wolf Rilla; and Robert Siodmark’s The Rough & The Smooth (1959), released in the US as Portrait of a Sinner, is adapted from Robin Maugham’s novel and stars Nadja Tiller, Tony Britton, William Bendix and Donald Wolfit.
DANGER ON THE AIR (Alpha Home Entertainment): Donald Woods and Nan Grey try to solve the murder of a soft-drink magnate (Berton Churchill) during a live radio broadcast in director Otis Garrett’s zippy, entertaining 1938 whodunit based on the novel Death Catches Up With Mr. Kluck. Jed Prouty adds comic relief as the blustery station owner, and the suspects on hand include Richard “Skeets” Gallagher, Edward Van Sloan, William Lundigan, Peter Lind Hayes, George Meeker, Frank Milan and Lee J. Cobb (doing the “elderly Italian immigrant” routine he would perfect in Golden Boy the next year). The cinematography was by Stanley Cortez. George Lucas tried (and failed) to recapture the charm of this sort of film in 1994’s Radioland Murders.
DRIVE-IN GRINDHOUSE (VCI Entertainment): That title tells all in this four-film boxed set ($29.99 retail) of B- (and lesser-) grade favorites from the good old daze: Judy Pennebaker made her first (and last) screen appearance in the 1965 comedy The Farmer’s Other Daughter; writer/director William Rotsler’s 1968 documentary Psychedelic Fever (AKA Like It Is) looks at the San Francisco hippie scene; the 1978 comedy Summer School (AKA Mag Wheels), marks writer/director Bethel Buckalew’s last film to date; and Belinda Balaski and Cindy Morgan (in her screen debut) appear in the 1979 gagfest Up Yours — A Rockin’ Comedy. Rated R.
GHOST MACHINE (Anchor Bay Entertainment): Rachael Taylor, Sean Faris, Luke Ford and Richard Dormer are among a group of soldiers who decide to practice combat techniques using a virtual-reality simulator that happens to be haunted (or possessed) by a malevolent spirit. Needless to say, this proves to be an unwise (and fatal) decision. A few nifty visuals distinguish this otherwise clunky, low-grade shocker. Rated R.
GHOST OF GREVILLE LODGE (VCI Entertainment): Screenwriter/director Niall Johnson’s 2000 adaptation of Nicholas Wilde’s novel Down Came a Blackbird stars Jon Newman (in his screen debut) as a teenager who uncovers a mystery in his family’s ancestral home. It’s nice to see veterans George Cole and Prunella Scales in large roles, but this low-key chiller generates only mild suspense.
“HEAD CASE”: SEASON 2 (Anchor Bay Entertainment): Alexandra Wentworth returns as neurotic Hollywood therapist Dr. Elizabeth Goode in all 10 episodes from the 2008 season of the Starz original comedy series, which made it to a third season before the appointment was canceled. Guest stars include Jeff Goldblum, Jerry Seinfeld, Lea Thompson, Ione Skye, Janeane Garofalo, David Alan Grier, Monica Potter, Hugh Hefner, Sandra Bernhard and others. This boxed set retails for $19.97. Anchor Bay Entertainment is also releasing the self-explanatory boxed set “Head Case: The Complete Series” ($24.97 retail).
MURDER ON THE YUKON (Alpha Home Entertainment): This 1940 installment in the Renfrew of the Royal Mounted series, based on Laurie York Erskine’s novels, sees the singing Mountie (James Newill) and his sidekick (Dave O’Brien) trying to crack a murderous counterfeiting ring. The most interesting aspect of this film is that director Louis Gasnier and O’Brien had previously collaborated on the 1936 camp classic Reefer Madness!
RED LIPS DOUBLE FEATURE (Blue Underground): In 1969, the indefatigable and infamous Jess Franco wrote and directed Two Undercover Angels and Kiss Me, Monster, a pair of psychedelic spy spoofs starring Janine Reynaud and Rosanna Yanni as Diana and Regina, the “Red Lips,” a pair of glamorous sleuths who tend to find themselves enmeshed in kinky, bizarre mysteries. Two Undercover Angels was released in the US drive-in/ grindhouse circuit in 1972 (known as Sadist Erotica in some markets), followed by Kiss Me, Monster in 1975. Both films feature Adrien Hoven and Franco himself — in different roles each time — and both are rated R. This DVD twin-bill retails for $29.95.
A SERIOUS MAN (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): The Coen Brothers strike again with this deliciously off-kilter black comedy inspired by the Biblical story of Job, starring Michael Stuhlbarg as a mild-mannered college professor whose world collapses around him due to circumstances beyond his control. Yet another quintessential one-of-a-kind from Joel and Ethan, with Stuhlbarg giving a superb, low-key performance. One of 2009’s best films, with Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Rated R.
STAUNTON HILL (Anchor Bay Entertainment): Five friends (dummies all) fall prey to a crazed family of cannibals (pretty dumb, too) in the Virginia backwoods in this gory, predictable shocker directed by Cameron Romero (son of George). Set in 1969, although it hardly matters. TORNADO (Alpha Home Entertainment): Before the title catastrophe strikes, much of this melodramatic 1943 adaptation of John Guedel’s novel takes place in and around the coal mines of Illinois town, where golddigger Nancy Kelly stirs up trouble, especially with a foreman (Chester Morris) who has big dreams of his own.
UFC 106: TITO ORTIZ VS. FORREST GRIFFIN 2 (Anchor Bay Entertainment): For fans of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, this two-DVD special edition ($19.97 retail) pits the title fighters against each other. Other matches include Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson, Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann, and more. Mark Burger can be heard Friday mornings on the “Two Guys Named Chris” radio show on Rock-92.
Copyright 2010, Mark Burger !
Attempts to reconcile with his grief-stricken father Sir John (the great Claude Rains) are interrupted when Larry is mauled by a strange, wolf-like creature during a night out on the moors. This, of course, is only the beginning of Larry’s problems, as he has become afflicted with the curse of lycanthrophy and now becomes a werewolf himself whenever the moon is full. Directed in riveting, breakneck style by George Waggner and potently penned by Curt Siodmak, the film also benefits from its solid cast: Ralph Bellamy, Evelyn Ankers, Warren William, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya as the Gypsy woman Maleva, who utters the immortal poem that begins “Even a man who is pure in heart …” The special features include an audio commentary with film historian Tom Weaver and myriad retrospective documentaries, including ones on Chaney and makeup artist Jack Pierce. It’s enough to make any red-blooded horror fan howl with delight. This one’s a keeper.
ALSO ON DVD
ACCORDING TO GRETA (Anchor Bay Entertainment): Executive producer Hilary Duff tackles a more nuanced role as a rebellious 17-yearold who spends the summer with her grandparents (Ellen Burstyn and Michael Murphy) at the Jersey Shore — first telling them that she plans to kill herself by age 18. (Visiting New Jersey does that to you…) The effort’s there but the execution falls short in a comedy/drama that’s wildly uncertain (and uneven) in its approach. Evan Ross and Melissa Leo also turn up. They try, too. Rated PG-13.
ACTION MAN COLLECTION (VCI Entertainment): Intrigue’s the name of the game in this four-film collection ($24.99 retail) of international thrillers: Robert Stack and Jean Gabin headline 1967’s Action Man (originally titled Le soleil des voyous), based on a novel by JM Flynn; Edward G. Robinson appears in the Cold War melodrama Peking Blonde (also ’67), based on a novel by James Hadley Chase; Stephen Boyd, Ray Milland, France Nuyen and Cameron Mitchell star in 1972’s Big Game (AKA Control Factor); and Richard Egan and Martha Hyer (in her last film to date) star in writer/director Ferde Grofe Jr.’s The Day of the Wolves (1973).
AWAY WE GO (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph are a well-matched screen couple in Sam Mendes’ comedy about an unmarried, expectant couple who wonder if they’re prepared to become parents. Sharply written and well-acted by a cast that also includes Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Melanie Lynskey, Jim Gaffigan, Carmen Ejogo, Josh Hamilton, Chris Messina, UNCSA graduate Paul Schneider and the invaluable Catherine O’Hara. Rated R.
BATTLE IN SEATTLE (Screen Media Films): Actor Stuart Townsend makes his feature debut as writer/producer/director of this ambitious, well-intentioned drama set against the backdrop of the 1999 World Trade Organization summit in Seattle, during which thousands of protestors took to the streets. Loses focus in the second half and becomes progressively more preachy. An all-star ensemble includes Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Michelle Rodriguez, Martin Henderson, Jennifer Carpenter, Connie Nielsen, Joshua Jackson, Channing Tatum, Andre Benjamin (AKA Andre 3000) and Ivana Milicevic. Rated R.
BRITISH CINEMA COLLECTION: VOLUME 3 (VCI Entertainment): A fourfilm collection ($29.99 retail) of English dramas from the 1950s: Nigel Patrick and Michael Hordern star in the 1953 crime drama Grand National Night, adapted from the play by Campbell and Dorothy Christie; Pat O’Brien, Lois Maxwell and George Coulouris star in Kill Me Tomorrow (1957); Richard Attenborough headlines The Scamp (also ’57), adapted from Charlotte Hastings’ play by director Wolf Rilla; and Robert Siodmark’s The Rough & The Smooth (1959), released in the US as Portrait of a Sinner, is adapted from Robin Maugham’s novel and stars Nadja Tiller, Tony Britton, William Bendix and Donald Wolfit.
DANGER ON THE AIR (Alpha Home Entertainment): Donald Woods and Nan Grey try to solve the murder of a soft-drink magnate (Berton Churchill) during a live radio broadcast in director Otis Garrett’s zippy, entertaining 1938 whodunit based on the novel Death Catches Up With Mr. Kluck. Jed Prouty adds comic relief as the blustery station owner, and the suspects on hand include Richard “Skeets” Gallagher, Edward Van Sloan, William Lundigan, Peter Lind Hayes, George Meeker, Frank Milan and Lee J. Cobb (doing the “elderly Italian immigrant” routine he would perfect in Golden Boy the next year). The cinematography was by Stanley Cortez. George Lucas tried (and failed) to recapture the charm of this sort of film in 1994’s Radioland Murders.
DRIVE-IN GRINDHOUSE (VCI Entertainment): That title tells all in this four-film boxed set ($29.99 retail) of B- (and lesser-) grade favorites from the good old daze: Judy Pennebaker made her first (and last) screen appearance in the 1965 comedy The Farmer’s Other Daughter; writer/director William Rotsler’s 1968 documentary Psychedelic Fever (AKA Like It Is) looks at the San Francisco hippie scene; the 1978 comedy Summer School (AKA Mag Wheels), marks writer/director Bethel Buckalew’s last film to date; and Belinda Balaski and Cindy Morgan (in her screen debut) appear in the 1979 gagfest Up Yours — A Rockin’ Comedy. Rated R.
GHOST MACHINE (Anchor Bay Entertainment): Rachael Taylor, Sean Faris, Luke Ford and Richard Dormer are among a group of soldiers who decide to practice combat techniques using a virtual-reality simulator that happens to be haunted (or possessed) by a malevolent spirit. Needless to say, this proves to be an unwise (and fatal) decision. A few nifty visuals distinguish this otherwise clunky, low-grade shocker. Rated R.
GHOST OF GREVILLE LODGE (VCI Entertainment): Screenwriter/director Niall Johnson’s 2000 adaptation of Nicholas Wilde’s novel Down Came a Blackbird stars Jon Newman (in his screen debut) as a teenager who uncovers a mystery in his family’s ancestral home. It’s nice to see veterans George Cole and Prunella Scales in large roles, but this low-key chiller generates only mild suspense.
“HEAD CASE”: SEASON 2 (Anchor Bay Entertainment): Alexandra Wentworth returns as neurotic Hollywood therapist Dr. Elizabeth Goode in all 10 episodes from the 2008 season of the Starz original comedy series, which made it to a third season before the appointment was canceled. Guest stars include Jeff Goldblum, Jerry Seinfeld, Lea Thompson, Ione Skye, Janeane Garofalo, David Alan Grier, Monica Potter, Hugh Hefner, Sandra Bernhard and others. This boxed set retails for $19.97. Anchor Bay Entertainment is also releasing the self-explanatory boxed set “Head Case: The Complete Series” ($24.97 retail).
MURDER ON THE YUKON (Alpha Home Entertainment): This 1940 installment in the Renfrew of the Royal Mounted series, based on Laurie York Erskine’s novels, sees the singing Mountie (James Newill) and his sidekick (Dave O’Brien) trying to crack a murderous counterfeiting ring. The most interesting aspect of this film is that director Louis Gasnier and O’Brien had previously collaborated on the 1936 camp classic Reefer Madness!
RED LIPS DOUBLE FEATURE (Blue Underground): In 1969, the indefatigable and infamous Jess Franco wrote and directed Two Undercover Angels and Kiss Me, Monster, a pair of psychedelic spy spoofs starring Janine Reynaud and Rosanna Yanni as Diana and Regina, the “Red Lips,” a pair of glamorous sleuths who tend to find themselves enmeshed in kinky, bizarre mysteries. Two Undercover Angels was released in the US drive-in/ grindhouse circuit in 1972 (known as Sadist Erotica in some markets), followed by Kiss Me, Monster in 1975. Both films feature Adrien Hoven and Franco himself — in different roles each time — and both are rated R. This DVD twin-bill retails for $29.95.
A SERIOUS MAN (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): The Coen Brothers strike again with this deliciously off-kilter black comedy inspired by the Biblical story of Job, starring Michael Stuhlbarg as a mild-mannered college professor whose world collapses around him due to circumstances beyond his control. Yet another quintessential one-of-a-kind from Joel and Ethan, with Stuhlbarg giving a superb, low-key performance. One of 2009’s best films, with Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Rated R.
STAUNTON HILL (Anchor Bay Entertainment): Five friends (dummies all) fall prey to a crazed family of cannibals (pretty dumb, too) in the Virginia backwoods in this gory, predictable shocker directed by Cameron Romero (son of George). Set in 1969, although it hardly matters. TORNADO (Alpha Home Entertainment): Before the title catastrophe strikes, much of this melodramatic 1943 adaptation of John Guedel’s novel takes place in and around the coal mines of Illinois town, where golddigger Nancy Kelly stirs up trouble, especially with a foreman (Chester Morris) who has big dreams of his own.
UFC 106: TITO ORTIZ VS. FORREST GRIFFIN 2 (Anchor Bay Entertainment): For fans of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, this two-DVD special edition ($19.97 retail) pits the title fighters against each other. Other matches include Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson, Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann, and more. Mark Burger can be heard Friday mornings on the “Two Guys Named Chris” radio show on Rock-92.
Copyright 2010, Mark Burger !
