A round-up of recently viewed disks from rediscovered classics to throwaway mainstream action; from horror and comedy to documentary.
Recent viewing: miscellaneous disks
Category: Commentary
Lost Soul: Richard Stanley vs Hollywood commerce
David Gregory’s documentary Lost Soul tells the fascinating story of Richard Stanley’s failed attempt to adapt H.G. Wells’ Island of Dr. Moreau, a project which fell foul of the conflict between a quirky artist and a Hollywood corporation.
Blu-rays from Kino Lorber
Kino Lorber have been offering a wide range of movies in generally fine transfers, from the work of Jean Rollin and Jess Franco to poverty row exploitation classics, ’70s Italian exploitation, foreign and arthouse titles, and recently a number of titles from some of the more obscure byways of the ’70s.
My adventure with Jack Nance on the fringes of Hollywood
In 1985, I had a bizarre experience in Las Vegas when Jack Nance and I met with a representative of rich Oklahoma ranchers who were looking to invest some oil profits in a movie.
Viewing notes July-August 2015, part two
Brief comments on a selection of recently watched movies, ranging from classic science fiction to a Danish western, world war two tank combat and Aussie zombies.
Viewing notes July-August 2015
A round-up of recent disk-watching ranges from comedy to horror, mock-umentary to documentary, a poverty row classic and major discovery from the late silent period.
Recent disks from Arrow Video
Arrow Video has become my favourite source for high quality releases of both serious films and exploitation titles. Their special editions rank with the best offered by prestige companies like Criterion and Masters of Cinema.
Binging on Twilight Time
Recent binging on Twilight Time Blu-rays ranges from politics to comedy to science fiction, absurd studio productions and idiosyncratic independents; from the Cuban and Nicaraguan revolutions to the overthrowing of a future society of privileged immortals to underhanded contemporary business wars, from dinosaurs deep inside the Earth to the destruction of an alien race on the moon.
The “good German” in war movies
A decade after the end of World War Two, with Germany now an important ally against the Soviet bloc, popular culture was making an effort to rehabilitate the former enemy by showing “good Germans” in the movies. Twilight Time have recently released a couple of examples on Blu-ray: Edward Dmytryk’s The Young Lions (1958) and Anatole Litvak’s The Night of the Generals (1967).
Piracy paranoia
Fear of piracy increasingly sees entertainment industries viewing their customers as enemies.
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