Oh, the April showers of Blu-ray powers had us camped out in front of the tube more than usual, leading to a few movie gatherings to share the pleasure and the pain. While most of the reissues occupy the schlockier terrain of the playground, and the current crop of indie releases had more disappointments than not, there were a few bright spots in the mix. Shawn Holmes’ Memory Lane is a master class in making the most of minimal resources – definitely worth checking out. I also dived headlong into Bert I. Gordon’s classick of 70s gigantism in service of an essay for a new “animals attack” book being edited by our Belgian mistress of the night, Vanessa Morgan.
We also had the pleasure of having phone conversations with
directors Mark L. Lester and Jeff Burr in conjunction with the Blu-ray releases
of Class of 1984 and From a Whisper to a Scream respectively. The transcribed
results of said chats can be found by clicking on the linked titles above.
In the civilian quarter, the revisiting of two long-time favorites sparked interest in sampling an earlier offering from their lead actors’ respective oeuvres. In this case, Escape from New York led to finally seeking out Kurt Russell’s decidedly unDisney portrayal of Charles Whitman in The Deadly Tower and The Food of the Gods to Marjoe Gortner’s riveting central turn in the eponymous documentary Marjoe. Oh, and Duke Mitchell’s Gone with the Pope is simply sublime in its rough-hewn 70s independent aesthetic – thanks to Jason Coffman for inviting me to the party.
In the civilian quarter, the revisiting of two long-time favorites sparked interest in sampling an earlier offering from their lead actors’ respective oeuvres. In this case, Escape from New York led to finally seeking out Kurt Russell’s decidedly unDisney portrayal of Charles Whitman in The Deadly Tower and The Food of the Gods to Marjoe Gortner’s riveting central turn in the eponymous documentary Marjoe. Oh, and Duke Mitchell’s Gone with the Pope is simply sublime in its rough-hewn 70s independent aesthetic – thanks to Jason Coffman for inviting me to the party.
As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll
make sure you get some change back.
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| Ah, ah, ah. Those links aren't going to click themselves, kiddies. |
HORROR:
Memory Lane (2012) d. Holmes, Shawn (USA) (1st viewing)
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) d. Jarmusch, Jim (Germany/USA) (1st viewing)
Stagefright (1987) d. Soavi, Michele (Italy) (2nd viewing)
BLU-RAY REVIEWS:
Auteur (2014) d. Romero, George Cameron (USA) (1st viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
The Babadook (2014) d. Kent, Jennifer (Australia) (2nd viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
Carrie (2002) d. Carson, David (USA) (2nd and 3rd viewings)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
Class of 1984 (1982) Lester, Mark L. (Canada) (2nd and 3rd viewings)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
The Food of the Gods (1976) d. Gordon, Bert I. (USA) (7th viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
From a Whisper to a Scream (1987) d. Burr, Jeff (USA) (2nd and 3rd viewings)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
Ghoulies (1984) d. Bercovici, Luca (USA) (2nd viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
Ghoulies II (1988) d. Band, Albert (USA) (1st viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) d. Shea, Katt (USA) (2nd viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
Return to Oldfield: Making From a Whisper to a Scream (2015) d. Griffith, Daniel (USA) (1st viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
The Sins of Dracula (2014) d. Griffin, Daniel (USA) (1st viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
CIVILIAN:
The Boxtrolls (2014) d. Annable, Graham / Stacci, Anthony (USA) (1st viewing)
Brotherhood of Death (1976) d. Berry, Bill (USA) (1st viewing)
The Deadly Tower (1975) d. Jameson, Jerry (USA) (1st viewing)
Gone with the Pope (1976/2010) d. Mitchell, Duke (USA) (1st viewing)
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) d. Wincer, Simon (USA) (1st viewing)
Interstellar (2014) d. Nolan, Christopher (USA) (1st viewing)
Marjoe (1972) d. Kernochan, Sarah / Smith, Howard (USA) (1st viewing)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) d. Leone, Sergio (Italy) (3rd viewing)
Retaliation (1968) d. Hasebe, Yasuharu (Japan) (1st viewing)
BLU-RAY REVIEWS:
Blind Woman’s Curse (1970) d. Ishii, Teruo (Japan) (1st viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
Day of Anger (1967) d. Valerii, Tonino (Italy) (1st viewing)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
Escape from New York (1981) d. Carpenter, John (USA) (3rd and 4th viewings)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
Mad Max (1979) d. Miller, George (Australia) (2nd and 3rd viewings)
***CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW***
2015 Totals to date: 93 films, 47 1st time views, 46 horror, 2 cinema
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