Executive Suite is a drama from 1954 with a marvelous cast and a legendary director in Robert Wise. This film was the first non-sci-fi or horror film from Robert Wise that I had the pleasure of watching. I had already been a fan of The Day the Earth Stood Still, Body Snatcher and The Haunting,…
Blue Sunshine [Synapse Films] 4K UHD 3-Disc Limited Edition Review
What IS Blue Sunshine? Someone at the party we open with knows, and he’s wearing a toupee! Unfortunately he flies into a rage and murders several party guests. Jerry Zipkin (Zalman King) is forced to go on the run, having been falsely accused of the murders. He must not only uncover a secret buried for…
The Beast Hand [Cleopatra] Blu-Ray Review
Osamu (Takahiro Fukuya) is a poor chump just barely scraping by on the lowest rung of society. He is convinced by the slimy and manipulative Akira (Yota Kawase) to commit a robbery which goes horribly awry, resulting in Osamu getting his arm chopped off. Osamu is rushed to a back alley doctor by Koyuki (Misa…
The Eel [Radiance Films] Blu-Ray Review
Yamashita (Kôji Yakusho) is a hard-working salaryman who receives an anonymous letter one day saying that his wife is cheating on him. As a result, he takes the train home early one day and finds the letters accusations to be true. In a blind rage, he murders his wife and is sentenced to ten years…
The Scare Film Archives Volume 2: Danger Stories [AGFA + Something Weird] Blu-ray Release
AGFA and Something Weird collaborated to put together a whopping three hour and forty-nine-minute compilation of educational short films meant to frighten children into behaving safely. While the intent behind these shorts is commendable, the acting and production values are hilariously bad. I saw a literal “Don’t run with scissors” PSA (public service announcement). One…
Jade [Vinegar Syndrome] 4k/Blu-ray Release
Jade is an interesting film. Directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection), produced by Robert Evans (The Godfather), scored by James Horner (Aliens), writer Joe Eszterhas (who once held the record for biggest payday for a script), and with the acting talents of David Caruso, Linda Fiorentio, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Biehn, and Richard…
Rose [Cohen Media Group] Blu-ray Release
Aurélie Saada is a composer, actress, and writer who directed her first movie, released in 2021. Rose is a 103-minute drama about an older French woman that loses her husband and finds a new zest for life, which upsets her family. The movie starts with a glimpse of Rose and her husband’s relationship. At a…
In Custody/The Proprietor [Cohen Media Group] Blu-ray release
Cohen Film Collection released a double feature of In Custody and The Proprietor. Both films were directed by Ismail Merchant (of Merchant Ivory fame). “In Custody” tells the story of a scholar (Deven) who is given the task of writing a piece on a great Urdu poet, Nur Sahib. Arriving in the poet’s village, Deven…
Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau [Radiance Films] Blu-Ray Box Set Review
Are we feeling fatalistic? Yes? I knew it. Radiance has graced us with a box set of three of director Alain Corneau’s dark film noir crime thrillers. Beneath these broken streets lie corrupt cops, raving maniacs and escaped convicts, all looking to take a little piece of the pie and getting more than they bargained…
Three Comrades Blu-ray review
Frank Bozage’s Three Comrades is a 1938 romance drama that stars Robert Taylor (Waterloo Bridge, High Wall), Margaret Sullavan (The Shop Around the Corner, The Mortal Storm), Franchot Tone (Phantom Lady, Sadie McKee) and Robert Young (The Black Camel, The Defence Rests). Margaret Sullavan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in this…