Electric Shadow

(533) Collecting the Crumbs

I've been MIA for a while, taking care of the various radical changes that have happened since my brother was diagnosed with some sort of evil tumor. I'm way, way behind on disc releases as expected, and I'm attacking a couple right here, right now. First up is the bang-up job that Criterion did with 1995's Crumb, directed by Terry Zwigoff.

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Green for Lime, Get It?

 


I can't pass judgment on the video transfer's quality until I get it in my hands, but I'll say right off that this "artwork" is hideous. If they picked green as the key color because Harry's last name is Lime, then they should also pack in a recipe for a Vodka Gimlet and a bag of limes. That's how little sense this makes. Ran subtitles were shit, the Ladykillers transfer was drenched in pink, and Contempt had some glaring soft spots. If there were something stellar to point to as an act of good faith, boy would I.

 

Back to Back to the Future

It's coming on 26th October this year, and it's touted as a "newly restored" 25th Anniversary release. Hopefully, this means that the various issues people had with the DVD trilogy release from a few years ago have been fixed. I cringe at the thought of the kind of digital over-scrubbing that we saw on Flash Gordon and other titles recently. It's worth mentioning that the guys at BTTF.net have Robert Zemeckis on the record promising that they've done a ton of dirt cleanup but preserved the original film grain "so they still look like movies should look".

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Showgirls Quinceanera

Last week's Showgirls 15th Anniversary Blu-ray features one of the most ingeniously smutty disc art concepts I've ever seen. I gave the opening fifteen minutes or so a quick spin, and the transfer looks like it's up to par, for all of you Nomi Malone fans. I love that this movie has such a dedicated following while at the same time featuring a sex scene that looks more like the female lead is having a seizure than a good time.

 


Have disc spindles ever doubled as nipples before? Dare I rate this a "game-changer"?

 

The only added extra compared to previous releases is a bit on the pole-dancing exercise craze that's sweeping trendy gyms.

522: Desert of Crowded Isolation


Il deserto rosso (Red Desert) was Antonioni's first film made in color. Desert is a forceful (if at times melodramatic) audiovisual treatise on loneliness and alienation in the post-industrial world. Antonioni seems to argue that all of the automation in daily life only serves to drive us further from our humanity. I took the film to imply that technology does not merely refer to the machines we build, but the routines that we construct mentally.
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521: Connecting Train


Mystery Train lives in a whole different universe from movies like Crash and Babel. Those movies' use of intersecting narratives as a device is so calculated as to deflate any true suspense or engagement. Mystery Train preceded them both, and did it right all those years before. Dennis Lim's essay in the booklet agrees with me and the rest of the sane world on this point.

The Japanese rock tourists, the widow, the sister, the ex-girlfriend, the brother, the ex-boyfriend, the barber, the accomplice, and the hotel clerks all behave like human beings in something closely resembling the real world. To name all the actors would be tremendously boring, but I'll note a couple of things: Youki Kudoh has since done a lot of work, where she was basically unknown here, and many musician friends know this movie because Joe Strummer from The Clash is in it. The city of Memphis is the slow-moving, decomposing beast covered in kudzu that these various organisms inhabit, for whatever length of time. The final product of this layover between various points of departure stands as one of the prime examples of what "independent cinema" really means, or rather, what it meant.

We've spent all the hard cash and borrowed debt that words like "indie" once had. Five years ago, when I started this column, I declared war on the word "quirky", which, until today, I wasn't aware that Jarmusch held in similar contempt. When you find yourself using that meme, ask "what am I really trying to say?" before cursing yourself with the connotations of one who calls the eclectic "quirky", or the emotionally complex "dark". Today's Criterion Blu-ray/DVD release of Mystery Train filled a notable hole in my Jim Jarmusch viewing history. I was first introduced to him by Ghost Dog, which I found to be at once both beautifully spare and fresh. In my teens, it represented a freedom from convention that I yearned for in homogenized suburban Texas. Throughout the rest of high school, college, and the years since, I've made my way through as much of his earlier stuff as I've been able. I'm going to hit the last two that I haven't seen (Permanent Vacation and Stranger Than Paradise) once I've finished off my series on Ozu (sometime in July). It's convenient that they're both bundled in Criterion's Paradise DVD release. Since receiving my review copy, I've both watched the feature and listened to the Q&A With Jim (over an hour in length, he answers written-in questions) twice. I borrowed a friend's MGM DVD of Train to compare the transfers, and the previous edition is a joke. I couldn't disagree more with anyone who decries the few number of extra portions included. Anyone who thinks that a Criterion edition has to have a commentary track is either new to this game, doesn't know much, or both. The mini-doc crash course on Memphis and retrospective look at the locations in the present day runs under 20 minutes, but is dense with critical detailing. An excerpt of I Put a Spell on Me, the 2001 doc on Screamin' Jay Hawkins. The reason they specifically pulled that bit was twofold: to contextualize the info that was relevant to this movie, but also (I'm speculating here) because the full license cost would have been more prohibitive. Behind-the-scenes snaps of unspecified origin (I may be misremembering that) and photos taken by on-set photographer Masayoshi Sukita complete our journey. This release is another sterling example of how in the age of multiple studio bankruptcies and fire sales, Criterion knows how to make a feast out of simple, spare ingredients. Not too much, not too little, but just right.

The hotel that serves as the intersection point for the three narrative threads no longer exists. It was demolished a year after the movie was made. In its place is now an outdoor music stage. Most (if not all) of the other locations have survived in almost identical condition, as if Memphis itself lives on an island outside of time. I realize that Criterion now has all of Jarmusch's pre-1995 feature output, which is a goddamned great thing. On that note, I know there are more people than just me who would buy a box set of Dead Man, Year of the Horse, Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai, Coffee & Cigarettes, Broken Flowers, and The Limits of Control. It would go on my top shelf, next to Ozu. Mystery Train sets you back $30 on Blu-ray, but as a bonus, you might just see Elvis' ghost.
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The Good, The Bad, and MOD


One of my favorite contributions to H-E has been the Most Wanted on DVD and Blu-ray listings found on every page of the site. It's a blessing and a curse to update, thanks to the explosion of studio Manufacture On-Demand programs. The most prominent, of course, is the 550-title-strong Warner Archive, which has its own subsection on WB's WBShop site. MGM and Universal "Vault" titles are found exclusively on Amazon. If you're a regular reader and notice something has come out that I've missed removing, please email me at the link in the Most Wanted box.
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Chan Chan Chan

TCM has collected the final three Sidney Tolan Charlie Chan movies and one with Roland Winters in this week's Charlie Chan Collection. All four see their DVD debut here, leaving only a couple Chans unreleased. The movies are entertaining, in an absurdist context in addition to as a relic of a more oblivious era. It is good that we saw actual Asian actors cast as his sons.

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Snoopy in the 70's Part 2

 

 

I'm a big, big Peanuts fan. The only dogs I've ever owned personally are Beagles (though never being so trite as to name one Snoopy). I am the target market for anything Snoopy & Peanuts-related. The only title in this set that's new to DVD is What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown. Completely new to me otherwise is It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown, which sounds hilarious. It includes featurette You're Groovy, Charlie Brown: A Look at Peanuts in the 70's and overall continues the nice series of reduced-price Peanuts special series. It hit the street last Tuesday and Amazon's got it for $21.49. Titles include the following:

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown
It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown
What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown
It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown
You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown

WA: Strange New World


I'm tagging Warner Archive entries with that little "WA" you see from here on. This one is a 1975 TV movie based on ideas from Gene Roddenberry. Not only does the nature of the story make this obvious (scientists awaken from suspended animation to a post-apocalyptic Earth), but there's a 60's Star Trek sound effect in the opening 30 seconds of the movie. Strange New World plays like an episode of the Original Series that they simply deleted the Enterprise and crew from, specifically one of the ones where they go back in time. WA has it for $19.95.
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Ah, L'Amour

Warner Bros. has collected Catlow, The Sacketts, and Conagher into a single Louis L'Amour Collection. These doses of Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck, and Yul Brynner/Leonard Nimoy are worthy additions to the L'Amour shelf in your dad's study.

 

 

I covered Catlow when it came out almost exactly a year ago in a series that I never continued. To wit:

"The last thing I expected to encounter today was a movie with Leonard Nimoy fighting in the nude. Two years after the original Star Trek series and just before his appearance in one of my favorite episodes of Night Gallery, Nimoy played a snarling bounty hunter baddie in Catlow. His presence and the fact the movie is based on a book by Louis L'Amour are likely the reasons why this wasn't made a Warner Archive title. The movie is really quite enjoyable and a welcome alternative to the crap clogging the multiplexes."

 


Elliott with a lot less grey in his hair as the titular Conagher

 

Seeing as The Sacketts is $15 on its own and Catlow and Conagher are $13 apiece, $17.49 for all three is pretty damn good deal when that equals over six hours of solid oaters. Combo/value packs like these are the future of catalog media.

522 (Red Desert Preview)

 

 

Il deserto rosso (Red Desert) was Antonioni's fourth film in a series preceded by L'avventura, La notte, and L'eclisse. It was also his first film made in color. Criterion's Blu-ray of Desert, which I watched late last week, is rich with texture and nuanced color. I need to re-watch it because I saw a vertical reddish-yellow streak in a few frames at one point and didn't note the timestamp so I could glance back at it. The transfer is otherwise visually flawless, with the look of a pristine 35mm print. More on this disc soon.

Karate Then and Now

I watched the first two Karate Kid movies practically on repeat one summer. I'm reasonably certain that I wore out that pair of tapes. Revisiting the movies on Blu-ray, I quickly realized that I'd never seen them in widescreen, just VHS. As a result, I have no standard for comparison in terms of "theatrical" picture quality. Needless to say, there were various little visual details that I'd never picked up on before. I don't share the kind of "Godfather III"-level hatred of The Karate Kid Part III as some of my friends do, but I don't miss it nearly as much as I would "Kid II" if it'd been missing. Also, unlike various friends, I'm not freaked out about the remake, and in fact welcome it. The keeping of the title bothered me until I saw the international trailer that explained it. Now it only sort-of irks me. I dig the premise, since it links the disadvantaged kid sticking up for himself with the broader globalization and outsourcing facing the modern working world. I'm also an unapologetic supporter of putting Jackie Chan in the Miyagi role. As reviled as he is by critics for the Hollywood paycheck jobs of his that they've been subjected to, I like him for things like The Shinjuku Incident, The Myth, and The Forbidden Kingdom. Even though I don't have time to put it together in time for the release of the new movie, I'm putting together a career retrospective on Chan. It'll cover everything from well-known to less-known stuff and hit later in the year. The Ozu thing is going so well that I've decided to make these retros an ongoing thing, pacing them such that they never fall behind and, most importantly, continue to interest me.
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This Summer, Buckles...Will...Swash

Last weekend, Iron Man 2 beat Robin Hood on the latter's opening weekend, with neither claiming the dollar advantage of 3D screens. It would seem that word of mouth and brand value didn't propel people to the 55th or so retelling of the outlaw story. Maybe if they'd gone in the fundamentally different direction of the original Nottingham script, it would have been a bigger deal. If you want to see the same general story retold in a way you haven't seen before, you have better options on DVD.

Just last week, Sony issued four catalog Robin Hood titles on DVD that I hadn't seen before. Two of them are "next generation" sequels starring someone as Robin Hood's son, and the others are new permutations of the standard Hood tale. Read on and add to your Netflix queue as appropriate.

 

 

The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1947)
Coming scant years after the end of WWII, Cornel Wilde plays Robin Hood's son Robert, who teams up with good ol' dad to prevent a reign of tyranny. THe Regent of England (William of Pembroke) locks up the boy King and tries to swipe the throne for himself. Beautifully-shot by the same Cinematographer as The Adventures of Robin Hood (Tony Gaudio), Bandit looks great in Academy ratio Technicolor.

 

 

Prince of Thieves (1948)
Costner's movie swiped its title from this flick, which stars Jon Hall, the same guy who played Ali Baba in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, as Robin Hood. This one was done as a reworking of the traditional Robin Hood myth, and only runs 72 minutes. Shot in Cinecolor instead of Technicolor, darker scenes early in the movie look like they were colorized from black and white with a dash of acid. I don't mean that as a bad thing.

 

 

Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950)
Another "son of" Robin Hood tale, I never thought I'd see a "Hood" movie directed by the same guy who made THEM! (Gordon Douglas), but here it is. Rogues was Alan Hale Sr.'s final film appearance, which was also his third time playing Little John over a span of 28 years. Hale's first go was opposite Douglas Fairbanks and his second was in the iconic and much-beloved Michael Curtiz-directed Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn.

 

 

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)
Some people only need the incentive of seeing Peter Cushing play the Sheriff of Nottingham to get them. Add in the director of Hammer Films' Horror of Dracula (Terence Fisher), and you seal the deal. Richard Greene, who played Hood throughout the 50's on TV, plays him on the big screen for the first time here.

Of the four "Hood" movies released on disc recently, this is the only one in 2.35:1 MegaScope widescreen, and it looks wonderful. Combine solid visuals with a story involving an assassination plot against the Archbishop of Canterbury, and this one's more irresistible than the rest. Oliver Reed and Desmond Llewelyn appear in a couple parts early in their careers.

All four titles are $9 from Amazon and can be ordered by clicking on the accompanying screenshot.

Making Time

Late last year, I covered Criterion's wonderful Golden Age of Television set. Included was the teleplay version of No Time For Sergeants, whose massive success translated into a feature film version three years later.

I'd originally seen the movie before the Golden Age set introduced me to the predecessor. Now that I've seen the movie again, I kind of miss the low-rent, faster-paced vibe of the teleplay performance. Andy Griffith is wonderful as he always has been, but as with all great performers, once you've seen them do their thing in front of a live audience, there's nothing like it. The DVD includes no extras, but is worth having rather than renting for me thanks to there just not being enough Andy Griffith on my shelf that I always have access to.

The trio that made the move from Broadway. Don Knotts played the Army shrink.
The Andy Griffith Show was a comfort program for me. It always reminded me of the moments in life where things are more patient and considered. The world where there were consequences and you felt bad about screwing up. My generation is the one that grew up blaming everyone else for everything we did wrong or not well enough. We could be "anything", we were told, if only we'd put our minds to it. Mayberry introduced me to a place where people figured out what they were going to be and doing it, rather than pissing life away bullshitting about the million things that they were never going to do, or were always about to do. Amazon has the No Time for Sergeants DVD listed at $12.49.
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"I'm Botoxicus!"

I wish I hadn't been disappointed with Universal's Blu-ray of Spartacus from the opening frame, but this one is a burn. The opening shot contains so much edge enhancement that I honestly thought I was watching a DVD. I'm still rather shocked that Spartacus turned out this badly.

 


What was so bad about white letters over black? Did they need to make this key art for the opening bit of the Overture?

 

There's so much visible de-graining that it's like Universal added a "botoxify" button to the machines that do their masters. The Blu-ray horror show I'd compare it to the most is Fox's Patton, which suffers from similar digital plastic surgery. There's a shot here and there that looks...all right I suppose, but this is a movie that should transfix you on this format, not make you squint or shrink back.

Robert A. Harris, who supervised a very expensive restoration a couple of decades ago, weighed in with his thoughts a few days ago. I agree with him on every point, especially that this rush-job does considerable damage to the brand and reputation of the Blu-ray format. Set aside the fact that as with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and others, Universal chose not to license the extras created by the Criterion Collection for their DVD edition. Anyone with the Spartacus Criterion DVD should keep it. Forget about this release completely, since it really has nothing of note to offer.

Remarkably, DVD Beaver gives this release a pass in spite of the consistently redder-than-it-should-be color palette and other glaring issues. Yes, the audio is improved, and yes, the picture is better in some respects in some places, but overall this is a burn, baby, burn from scene one.