Both films, alongside The Blue Max (1966), were directed by British import John Guillermin, best known as the actor-friendly co-director of The Towering Inferno (1974). That film was his reward for building up a strong body of work in various genres in film and TV, but it also arrested any chance of tackling the kind of small dramas with which he excelled.

Both Rapture and Batasi feature potent central performances, and very distinct visual styles, whereas Blue Max demonstrated his knack at combining drama and first-rate second unit work without sacrificing plotting or character development.

(Yes, Blue Max us a cold film with no one particularly likeable, but it has that gorgeous Jerry Goldsmith score, and some of the finest aerial combat every mounted. While the new Red Tails is trying to present dramatic combat sequences using CGI, Blue Max is all real planes, pilots, and daredevil stunts that no CGI artist can mimic.)

Rapture also features remarkable cinematography that goes beyond capturing the stunning Brittany coast. There are camera moves that astound, montages that pique, and Georges Delerue’s fine score adds soul to a sometimes flashy camera style.

Batasi is memorable for Richard Attenborough’s potent performance, and one can perhaps presume the issues of colonialism in the script ignited a need for Sir Dickie to bring broader cause and effects dramas to the big screen, hence the epic, multi-generational scope of Gandhi (1982), and the violent racial injustice of apartheid in Cry Freedom (1987).

Coming very shortly: a review of Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (1979), screening as part of the TIFF Bell Lightbox’s Attack the Bloc Cold War Sci-Fi series, and a review of Ti West’s The Innkeepers (2011), which will not disappoint Westonians wanting a good series of measured shocks.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

Swinging to the Politico-Trippy-Headiness of Cold War Wow!

In perusing the TIFF Bell Lightbox’s latest catalogue, alongside retrospectives of Turkish filmmaker Yilmaz Guney and French filmmaker Robert Bresson (starting next week), some may have noticed a splashy section devoted to sci-fi films produced during the Cold War era in Eastern Europe, when Soviet and Soviet-style regimes were in power, and the mandate of the Party was mirrored in government-approved films.

The attraction to these films isn’t tied down to one reason. They’re artifacts of dead regimes, perhaps politicized representations of man’s place in the cosmos, subversive efforts by filmmakers to explore themes and critiques in B-movie scenarios, or outright escapism with trippy visuals, set designs, shiny spacesuits and bulbous helmets, and music that’s either dead serious, cerebral, or wacked-out.

The best-known director among the 17 represented films – spanning the former USSR, East Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Estonia – is Andrei Tarkovky, via Solaris and Stalker, and while these two films may receive the lion’s share of attention, there’s a whole slew of works by directors few have ever seen, or seen on DVD.

Screening from January thru March, the movies that make up Attack the Bloc: Cold War Science Fiction from Behind the Iron Curtain are largely anchored around Fridays, which tends to be TIFF’s cult film slot, and I think that’s a programming error in the sense that it restricts the wackier, B-movie efforts for the Friday crowd, and deliberately redirects the more intellectual, genre-transgressions to Sundays.

I get the logic, but given a lot of effort went into curating this series and the overall rarity of the prints, these movies ought to get repeat showings over the next 2-3 months, unless it’s a case of limited print availability.

Some of the films have been / are available on DVD in and around planet Earth, but if you’ve seen even one of the B-level films, you’ll know that part of their success and cult status is due to the audience experience, and the uniqueness of their look and effects – different film stocks, colour schemes, and effects created without the aid of Consolidated Film Industries (or any Hollywood-based firm, unless the film’s American release was handled by Roger Corman).

I’ll have film reviews of key works in the coming weeks, but to help you to plan your Cold War expedition, I’ve tallied the films below, and noted what’s unique, their screening dates and home video availability (exclusive Russian releases excepted).

Those unable to catch films can do further sleuthing at the various Amazon sites (see links to KQEK.com’s Amazon store, as we’re an associate), or try and swap shifts / call in sick / play dead to catch a rare screening of something heady, trippy, or downright nutty in one of the TBL’s big screen / big sound cinemas.

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Adolescents in the Universe (1974)

Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (1979) — formerly available from Rusico on DVD. Amazon U.S.A.

Eolomea (1972) — released in the U.S. by First Run Features individually and as part of a boxed DEFA Sci-Fi set, but the German DVD reportedly sports an anamorphic transfer. Amazon Canada / U.S.A.

Ferat Vampire (1982) — from the director of 2010’s Habermann, Juraj Herz’s blood-fueled racecar shocker has been released in the Czech Republic on DVD with English subs.

Golem (1980) — 1980 Polish version with wooden planks coming out of a guy’s mouth. Why wouldn’t you be curious?

Great Space Voyage, The (1974)

Ikarie XB-1 (1963) — available on German all–region DVD. Amazon U.S.A.

I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen (1970)

In the Dust of the Stars / Im Staub der Sterne (1976) — released in the U.S. by First Run Features individually and as part of a boxed DEFA Sci-Fi set, but the German DVD reportedly sports an anamorphic transfer. Amazon Canada / U.S.A.

Moscow-Cassiopeia (1973)

Planet of Storms / Planeta Bur (1962) — published in the TBL guidebook as screening Friday March 23 at 9pm, but not listed on the website. Available on Russian DVD, German DVD. Also released in U.S. by Roger Corman (see? I told you he’d come up) as Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) with new footage by Curtis Harrington. Footage later recycled by Peter Bogdanovich in Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), of which both craptastic titles are available via Archive.org on as separate DVDs. Amazon Canada / U.S.A.

Silent Star, The (1960) — released in the U.S. by First Run Features individually and as part of a boxed DEFA Sci-Fi set, but the German DVD reportedly sports an anamorphic transfer. Recut and rleased in the U.S. in 1962 as First Spaceship on Venus. Amazon Canada / U.S.A.

Solaris (1972) — Andrei Tarkovsky’s iconoclastic sci-fi epic gets three screening dates, but is also available on Blu & DVD via Criterion. Amazon Canada / U.S.A.

Stalker (1979) — Tarkovsky’s second epic is similarly available on 3 distinct dates, and is available via KINO / Mongrel Media. Amazon Canada / U.S.A.

Test Pilot Pirxa (1979) — available on YouTube with wonky subtitles, so why bother?

To the Stars by Hard Ways (1982) — released on DVD by Rusico. Amazon U.S.A.

Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (1966) — released on DVD in the U.S. by Facets. Amazon Canada / U.S.A.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

The best way to read the non-death of music distribution is how the industry needed to find new venues, hyper-target niche markets, and adapt by welcoming digital yet keeping physical in mind for collectors and audiophiles wanting an actual compact CD.

I’ve sort of bounced back & forth between the two mediums, happy with the little space digital music occupies, but kind of fond of an actual disc, knowing it represents the best sound, even though formats like flac are perfectly fine. It may also be the peculiar comfort in seeing music fans half my age wanting turntables, buying old vinyl (deliberately), and being excited about building a platter collection.

Major labels have little interest in niche markets, which is why, like the major film studios, their core business will be in primarily producing new material and licensing back catalogue material to indie labels for set time periods. The studios have the best masters which gives them an edge over copies of music or film circulating in the public domain realm, and with indie labels ostensibly servicing niche / collector / fan markets & interests, there’s an obvious need to work with the best possible elements.

Besides, if indie labels and producers weren’t working with major labels, it may be likely that a lot of material would remain uncatalogued, undiscovered, and we would’nt see the regular waves of expanded and premiere releases of complete original scores. Case in point: Spain’s Quartet Records recently announcing a February release of a Casino Royale 2-disc edition featuring Burt Bacharach’s original film score.

Even if you hate the 1967 film and music, this represents the ideal scenario of ‘lost’ or unfound material being not only discovered, but making its way into the commercial realm where it belongs. This could apply to any musical idiom: the reason, for example, why we have elaborate jazz sets isn’t because major labels have dedicated teams of historians and archivists working in the vaults, but a shared interest among a few indie & in-house people, and perhaps a sense of competition: if the people behind Mosaic Records set the standard for jazz reissues with their exhaustive sets, then it behooves labels to follow the meticulous production values if they want to re-sell catalogue material to fans anew in shinier, happier boxed sets.

To that end, I’ll move on to the score tally below, plus some new soundtrack reviews: Tyler Bates’ engrossing score for the sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour [M] and Craig Richey’s Answers to Nothing [M] (both from Lakeshore Records); Danny Elfman’s complete music for Scrooged [M] (La-La Land); Howard Shore’s A Dangerous Method [M] and John Williams’ War Horse [M] (Sony); and the original Casino Royale [M] album, which Kritzerland released a year ago, coupled with a transfer of the original vinyl for purists unable to get their hands on a vintage Colgems platter.

I just got my Bernard Herrmann at Fox box from Varese, and while it was hefty at $200 smackaroons, had a I hesitated, I would’ve lost the chance to own this monster set and enjoy 14 CDs of pure Herrmann Heaven. (I still feel peeved I hesitated to snap up Mimic, but let’s not go there again.)

Reviews of that beast-box will come soon, as I’m trying to tie some film & DVD reviews to the respresented scores. A handful of the titles are out in Spain on DVD – White Witch Doctor, King of the Khyber Rifles – and I wouldn’t be surprised if Twlight Time has one or two Herrmann titles up their sleeves. (Now that The Roots of Heaven is a reality, hopefully they have their sights on Beneath the 12-Mile Reef, sporting a rich surround mix, Herrmann’s dreamy score, and Robert Wagner playing a really, really happy Greek fisherman.)

Coming soon will be a pair of John Guillermin film reviews, including Rapture (Twilight Time), which sports an isolated Georges Delerue score. The label has also announced Blu-ray editions of Pal Joey, sporting an isolated score track and an extra called “Backstage and at Home with Kim Novak”; and Swamp Water, the Jean Renoir film, sporting an isolated score track of David Buttolph’s music.

Buttolph is all but forgotten among the Golden Age composers, so this brings some of his music into the commercial realm. Personal favourites include his music for the Alan Ladd submarine thriller The Deep Six (1958), Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954), and perhaps his best-known work, House of Wax (1953), which appears in rich stereo on Warner Home Video’s DVD.

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The Score Tally:

Titles listed include current, upcoming, and some announced for February.

The term “ltd.” denotes titles released in limited quantities because collectors need to be driven crazy now and then.

The black dots (“.”) between titles could be interpreted as moderne spacing devices meant to break up the visual monotony of text clusters, or perhaps the point at which I *&%$# gave up in figuring out why the skilled minds behind MS Word, HTML, Dreamweaver, and Word Press can’t #*&^!! figure out how to permit fluid cutting & pasting of text and HTML code without spacing aberrations.

It’s 2012, for God’s sake. If a netbook can fly the space shuttle, why can’t you figure out code that guarantees what originates in any word processing software remains intact in its final published format?

Onwards now.

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ISOLATED SCORES ON VIDEO:

Mysterious Island (Twilight Time)

Picnic (Twilight Time)

Rapture (Twilight Time)

Roots of Heaven, The (Twilight Time)

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REGULAR RELEASES:

Alhambra (Germany)

Moby Dick (Richard G. Mitchell)

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Beat Records (Italy)

Alla conquista dell’Arkansas (Francesco De Masi)

Dove vai se il vizietti ce l’hai? (Berto Pisano)

…E tu vivrai nel terror! L’Aldila (Fabio Frizzi)

Enfantasme (Stelvio Cipriani)

Manhattan Baby (Fabio Frizzi)

Una bara per lo sceriffo (Francesco De Masi)

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BSX Records (USA)

Chillerama: Zom-B-Movie (Bear McCreary) – ltd.

Fireflies in the Garden (Jane Antonia Cornish)

Halloween 4 (John Acrpenter, Alan Howarth) — read the film review at KQEK.com

Humanoids from the Deep (James Horner) – ltd.

Music from the Twilight Saga for Chamber Orchestra (various)

Music from the Walt Disney/PIXAR Films for Solo Piano (various)

Satanic Rites of Dracula, The (John Cacavas)

Scrooge (1970) (Leslie Bricusse) – new recording

Thing, The (Ennio Morricone) – re-recording of complete score arr. By Alan Howarth

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Colosseum (Germany)

Als der Weihnachtsmann von Himmel fiel (Peter Wolf)

Die verlorene zeit (Julian Maas, Christoph M. Kaiser

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Cometa (Italy)

Inchiestra (Alessandro Alessandroni)

L’isola degli uomini pesce / Screamers (Luciano Michelini)

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Concord Records (USA)

Beneath the Darkness (Geoff Zanelli)

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Creature Features Records (USA)

Lost Skeleton Returns Again (John Morgan, William Stromberg)

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DigitMovies (Italy)

Castello dei morte vivi, Il / Castle of the Living Dead (Angelo Francesco Lavagnino)

Chi Sei / Beyond the Door (Dranco Micalizzi)

Corri uomo corri (Bruno Nicolai) – available separately on CD and LP

Finche c’e’guerra c’e’speranza / Where There Was War There’s Hope) (Piero Piccioni)

Flesh for Frankenstein / Blood for Dracula (Claudio Gizzi) – 2CDs

OK Connery (Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai) – available separately on CD and LP

Senza Dio, I / Sentence of God + …E intorno a lui fu morte / Death Knows No Time (Carlo Savina)

Siu puo fare… Amigo / Can Be Done (Luis Bacalov)

Squadra volante (Stelvio Cipriani) – available separately on CD and LP

Tentacoli / Tentacles (Stelvio Cipriani)

Zorro (Guido De Angelis, Maurizio De Angelis) – available separately on CD and LP

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Disques Cinemusique (Canada)

First Georges Delerue’s 45RMP Records

Maurice Jarre’s Unpublished French Film Music

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Dutton Vocalion (USA)

Big Suspense Movie Themes + Big Bond Movie Themes (Geoff Love & His Orchestra)

Eric Winstone Plays 007 + Supersonic Sounds

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Film Score Monthly (FSM) (USA)

Frantic (Ennio Morricone) – expanded

Gremlins (Jerry Goldsmith) – expanded 2CDs

Nightwatch / Killer by Night (John ‘Johnny’ Williams / Quincy Jones)

Space Children / Colossus of New York (Nathan Van Cleave)

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GDM (Italy)

Anda muchacho, Spara! / Dead Men Ride (Bruno Nicolai)

Cartoni animate (Ennio Morricone)

Decameron Nero, Il (Luciano Michelini)

Django spara per primo / Django Shoots First (Bruno Nicolai)

Ennio Morricone: The Complete Edition – 15 CD compilation

Gli occhi Freddi della paura (Ennio Morricone) – expanded

Notte e il momento, La / The Night and the Moment (Ennio Morricone)

OSS 77: Operazione fior di loto (Luis Bacalov)

Prato, Il (Ennio Morricone)

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Intrada (USA)

Core, The (Christopher Young) – 2CDs

Great Train Robbery (Jerry Goldsmith) – 2CDs

It (Richard Bellis)

Rapture (Georges Delerue)

Renegades (Michael Kamen)

Road House (Michael Kamen)

Sand Pebbles, The (Jerry Goldsmith)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Leonard Rosenman)

21 Hours to Munich (Laurence Rosenthal)

Wolfen (James Horner) — read the film review at KQEK.com

Wrong Box, The (John Barry)

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Kritzerland Records (USA)

Trial, The (Jean Ledrut) – ltd.

People in the Picture, The (Mike Stoller, Iris Rainer, Artie Butler) – stage recording

Raven, The + An Evening of Edgar Alan Poe (Les Baxter) – ltd.

Synanon (Neal Hefti) + Enter Laughing (Quincy Jones)

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Kronos Records (Malta)

Africa To-Day (Piero Umiliani)

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Lakeshore Records (USA)

Answers to Nothing (Craig Richey / others)

Contagion (Cliff Martinez) — read the review at KQEK.com [Main / Mobile]

Darkest Hour, The (Tyler Bates)

Grey, The (Marc Streitenfeld)

One for the Money (Deborah Lurie)

Rampart (Dickon Hinchliffe)

Underworld: Awakening (Paul Haslinger)

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La-La Land Records (USA)

Batman Forever (Elliot Goldenthal) – 2CDs; ltd.

Fat Man and Little Boy (Ennio Morricone) – 2CDs; ltd.

55 Days at Peking (Dimitri Tiomkin) – 2CDs; ltd — read the review at KQEK.com [Main / Mobile]

Friday the 13th Parts 1-6 (Harry Manfredini) – 6CDs; ltd.

Scrooged (Danny Elfman) – ltd. — read the review at KQEK.com [Main / Mobile]

Space: Above and Beyond (Shirley Walker) – 3CDs; ltd.

Tora! Tora! Tora! (Jerry Goldsmith) – ltd.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Greg Edmonson) – 2CDs; ltd. — read the review at KQEK.com [Main / Mobile]

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: 50th Anniversary (Bert Shefter, Paul Sawtell) – ltd.

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MovieScore Media (Sweden)

Awakening, The (Daniel Pemberton)

Back to Gaya (Michael Kamen)

Captain Trueno y Santo Grial / Captain Thunder and the Holy Grail (Luis Ivars)

Hideaways (Eric Neveux)

Man to Man (Patrick Doyle)

Merlin: Series Two (Rob Lane, Rohan Stevenson)

Pslam 21 (Christer Christensson)

Treasure Guards (Michael Richard Plowman)

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Music Box Records (France)

Emmanuelle 4 + S.A.S. a San Salvador (Michel Magne)

Overboard (Alan Silvestri) – ltd.

Pigalle la nuit (Eric Demarsan)

Vous de jouer Milord, A (Francois de Roubaix)

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Naive (France)

Cle des champs, La (Bruno Coulais)

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Naxos (USA)

Jane Eyre (Bernard Herrmann) – rerecording; reissue

New Babylon (Dmitry Shostakovich)

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Null Corporattion, The (USA)

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross) – available separately digitally, on 3CDs, and 180 gram vinyl

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Perseverance Records (USA)

Animals United / Konferenz der tiere (David Newman)

Exorcist II: The Heretic (Ennio Morricone) – ltd; reissue — read the film review at KQEK.com

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Playtime (France)

Jo + Les grandes vacances (Raymond Lefevre)

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Prometheus (Belgium)

Conan the Destroyer (Basil Poledouris) — re-recording, 2CDs

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Quartet Records (Spain)

Blackthorn (Lucio Gody)

Mientras Duermas (Lucas Vidal)

Morte scende leggera, La (Lallo Gori) – ltd.

Quelle strane occasioni (Piero Piccioni) – 2CDs; ltd.

Verbo (Pascal Gaigne)

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Saimel (Spain)

Angeli senza paradise (Angelo Francesco Lavagnino)

Negre Buenos Aires (Bruno Nicolai)

K.O. va e uccidi (Cales Cases)

Maddalena (Ennio Morricone) – expanded

Pa negre – pan negro (Jose Manuel Pagan)

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Silva Screen (USA / UK)

Haywire (David Holmes)

Sherlock: Season 1 (David Arnold, Michael Price)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Alberto Iglesias)

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Sony (USA)

Artist, The (Ludovic Bource) — read the review at KQEK.com [Main / Mobile]

Dangerous Method, A (Howard Shore) — read the review at KQEK.com [Main / Mobile]

Descendants (various) — read the review at KQEK.com [Main / Mobile]

Iron Lady, The (Thomas Newman)

My Week with Marilyn (Alexandre Desplat, Conrad Pope)

Red Tails (Terence Blanchard)

War Horse (John Williams) — read the review at KQEK.com [Main / Mobile]

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Summit (USA)

Man on a Ledge (Henry Jackman) — digital only

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Sumthing Else (USA)

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (Grant Kirkhope)

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Universal Music (France)

Nouvelle Vague: Chansons et musiques de films (various) – 3CDs

Partitions inedites / Unused Scores (Georges Delerue) – includes Regarding Henry + Something Wicked This Way Comes

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Varese Sarabande (USA)

Bernard Herrmann at 20th Century-Fox – 14 CDs; ltd.

Big Miracle (Cliff Eidelman)

Black Gold (James Horner)

Ides of March (Alexandre Desplat)

In the Land of Blood and Honey (Gabriel Yared / various)

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Michael Giacchino)

Real Steel (Danny Elfman)

Safe House (Ramin Djawadi)

There Must Be Dragon: Secretos de passion (Robert Folk)

Tower Heist (Christophe Beck)

Will (Nigel Clarke, Michael Csanyi-Wills)

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Water Tower Music (Warner Bros.) (USA)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Alexandre Desplat)

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (Andrew Lockington)

Joyful Noise (Mervyn Warren)

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This handy-dandy list was compiled from various awesome sources, including catalogue announcements at Screen Archives Entertainment, Soundtrackcollector.com, Chris’ Soundtrack Corner, and Intrada.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

No, that isn't Sean Connery carrying Isabella Rossellini.

Spanning January and February, the TIFF Bell Lightbox is running a retrospective of Turkish director Yilmaz Güney, best known for his international and Cannes-winning hit Yol (1982).

The retro, The Way Home: The Films of Turkish Master Yilmaz Güney,  consists of 8 films: Hope, The Herd, Yol, The Poor Ones, Elegy, Bride of the Earth, The Hungry Wolves, and The Friend, and with the exception of a French Region 2 DVD release of Yol, apparently none of his films are available on video in North America (and probably the same in Europe, Yol excepted).

Güney’s case may be a classic situation of a lauded, respected filmmaker who died too young – he passed away 2 years after Yol‘s release – and missed the window of a home video retrospective via labels like Criterion, Connoisseur, or others. His films may exist on DVD in Turkey, but in terms of his work as an actor and director with English subs, what’s out there is nil, making this occasion quite special. That isn’t to say there would’nt have been an interest in his work; rather, he didin’t make enough films after 1982 to give western labels material to build their own catalogue of titles for widespread VHS release over several years.

For example, many of Ingmar Bergman’s early films were available on VHS via Nelson and Embassy, and dubbed or subtitled, those old tapes permitted a level of penetration that at least made viewers aware of Bergman’s early work. With Güney, there’s nothing out there for the interested to grab on video at all, so it was hard for fans, let alone interested distributors, to know exactly what existed for potential English language exploitation.

I’ve uploaded a review of Yol [M] and details of the screened print, and the full schedule of the 8 films is up at the TBL site. They’re only being screened once, making this a rare treat for fans who’ve been waiting for a Criterion-styled release that just hasn’t happened (yet).

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

If you’re counting, that’s 36 years for an Oscar-nominated film with an Oscar-winning director to reach audiences again, after disappearing from circulation, except on TV airings and rare screenings (such as the recent Canadian Open Vault showing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox).

Lies was directed by Jan Kadar (The Shop on Main Street, Adrift), and marks his final feature film before moving into TV. Shot on location in Montreal, the production beautifully captures the spartan courtyard where the relationship between a young boy (newcomer Jeff Lynas) and his devoted grandfather (Yossi Yadin) is discombobulated by a father (Len Birman) hungry for instant financial success.

Set in the 1920s, the film looks authentic, and while Ted Allan’s character of grandfather Zaida isn’t wholly original, the film’s cast is quite strong, particularly Birman, who’s marvelous voice is recognizable to fans of Rocket Robin Hood. Also in the cast is Marilyn Lightone, she of the annoying ‘voice of Bravo’ TV bumpers, who’s also fine as David’s ever-exhausted mum.

Coming soon is a related review of  Adrift (1971), Kadar’s rarely-seen suspense film that’s part experimental, film noir, and erotic thriller mash-up, with come-hither-so-I-can-hurt-you Paula Pritchett as the central temptress Anada.

Now if only someone would release both the TV version & theatrical cuts of Mordecai Richler’s Montreal-set Joshua Then and Now (1985), or better: a restored cut that integrates the profanity from the theatrical (released by Fox) into the longer TV mini-series (broadcast by the CBC).

I know. Legal nightmare. But it does star James Woods & Alan Arkin, for Pete’s sake.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

The plus side is when not holding my cranium until the Advil kicks in, I can do things, so in addition to more tests with the camera, there was cooking silver beet soup, which may not be heavy on protein, but is almost as soothing as chicken soup (of which I have none because I never replenished the chicken stock that had to be turfed when the fridge died a few months ago. But that’s another story for another cold day).

When Henry Frankenstein decided it was worth risking everything to create his monster, he pretty much deserved everything that ensued; had he stuck to studying mould /mold on cheddar cheese as original planned, he and Elizabeth would’ve wed, and the two could’ve started their own firm, beating Kraft and Black Diamond to the finish line as the dominant cheese manufacturer.

But no, Henry wanted to play with dead things, reanimate them into something better than reconstituted beef, and move on to a bride for his all-singing / all-dancing creation, losing everything he was destined to enjoy had he stayed on the straight & narrow path of orange cheese products.

The theme of wanting to create a vision from spare parts and goo pushed Jeffrey Franken (idiosyncratic James Lorinz) to reconstitute dead love Elizabeth (hot Patty Mullen) into a better bride. Yes, Elizabeth was mulched by an experimental robotic lawnmower, but Jeffrey still had her head and arm, and her discombobulated status gave Jeffrey a prime opportunity to improve upon his beloved’s flawed parts by getting better ones from hookers in New York City, and so begins the story of Frank Henenlotter’s awesomely warped Frankenhooker [M] (1990), which gets its Blu-ray release from Synapse Films. The review’s up, and you’ll find some details regarding the different extras between the Synapse release and the British Arrow edition.

Also uploaded is a review of Ralph Nelson’s bullshit cautionary tale  Embryo (1976), another example of why sometimes eggheads just shouldn’t go ‘there’ – the middle ground between light and dark  immorality, between science good and bad, of things and ideas and really wrong feelings.

Nelson may have earned an Emmy Award (Playhouse 90’s Requiem for a Heavyweight) and directed the Oscar-winning hit Lilies of the Field (1963), but by the seventies he had slipped, and Embryo was a peculiar effort to recapture the moral arguments of earlier & better films, if not the tragic relationships within one of his best: Charley (1968), where a slow-witted man becomes smart due to some brilliant experimental work by eggheads, and then starts to regress.

That film’s final scene is a real slammer, but the sadness & desperation of Charly is constantly bungled in Embryo [M] (1976), right down to the finale where star Rock Hudson realizes Barbara Carrera (who’s frequently nekkid) has done something really bad.

Whereas Frankenhooker is out on Blu, Embryo is a classic public domain DVD title, which means finding a clean widescreen copy is near impossible, unless TCM perhaps airs one. I’ve reviewed the Diamond Entertainment DVD, and you’ll probably be simpatico with my frustrations with Nelson’s clunky film, and Diamond’s absolutely wretched transfer.

Really: the label deserves to be smacked hard with the Idiot Stick for ever thinking they could improve upon a garbage U-matic transfer from 1942.

‘Nuff said.

More to follow shortly, including details of some great stuff coming very soon to the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

First up is a trio of horror films:

-Apollo 18 [M] (U.S.: Anchor Bay; Can: Alliance) – a great technical accomplishment, but a fine example of bungled storytelling.

- Bereavement [M] (Anchor Bay): Stevan Mena’s follow-up to his slasher debut Malevolence is heavy on mood, but its split storylines make for a schizophrenic movie. At least the HD transfer is downright superb.

-Final Destination 5 [M] (Warner Home Video): the sick & twisted franchise moves on, and patient fans are rewarded with a really fun ride full of outrageously choreographed mayhem. A big plus is the classical film direction, and Brian Tyler’s final cue is freaking awesome.

Secondly, desert noir:

-South of Heaven [M] (Synapse Films): I kept setting this one aside due to an assumption it was a minor slasher vehicle. Not so, and fans of pulpy tales with graphic novel sensibilities should give Jonathan Vara’s gem a chance. It’s a strange hybrid that amazingly works, and Shea Whigham (Lincoln Lawyer, Boardwalk Empire) is amazing to watch as he goes full method on a character that’s part noir, part Tex Avery. Shame on me for waiting so long to watch the DVD.

-Delusion [M]: older readers might know I’m referring to Carl Colpaert’s nifty noir film, but everyone else will probably chime in with a coordinated ‘Huh?’ Released on VHS and laserdisc, this lost film deserves a proper rediscovery on Blu. Great cast, cool pacing, and assured direction makes it a shame Colpaert later focused more on producing that directing. Co-star Jennifer Rubin was never better, and the use of Barry Adamson music works swell for this clever little suspense film.

Coming soon: soundtrack reviews, and reviews of Jan Kadar’s Lies My Father Told Me (1975) and Adrift (1971).

Hopefully coming soon: better health, because this bouncing negative-positive temperature swing in Toronto is making everyone sick. Dear Mother Nature: Will you please make up your mind this month?

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

Belated wishes for a Happy New Year, as we’re finally rid of 2011 and it’s now a fresh year! I did fulfill a few small resolutions this past weekend, and aim to scratch a few more the list, and among them will be a handful of short films that I’ve been working on.

One’s in the script stage with a few test shots done, another is simple, & just requires a kind of visual simplicity to meet a looming deadline. I’m also taking the plunge in upgrading my ancient gear with a new machine, so everything can be done under one roof.

The manual for the fancy-schmancy i7 chip says it’s possible to fry an egg with an optional eYolk peripheral, but  I felt was unnecessary for my practical purposes, and some users in the Adobe forum have found slight conflicts when the butter filter heats up and increases the temperature of the CPU, knocking down any overclocking benefits.

I don’t make these things up. They just exist.

Why is this all relevant? Because I’m reorganizing the way the updates are going to be done at the site, and may opt for 2-3 major review uploads per month so I can balance the two varieties of work – scribbling, and filming.

The other reason: by saying in print I’m working on some short films, you’ll be expecting updates, perhaps clips, and I’ll be obligated to meet your interest with meaty material instead of just talk.

More than 5 years ago I had planned on getting a Mac, and had started shooting footage for ‘an arty farty mixed media’ short that remains frozen in time because the Mac funds went to more vital things, the camera died, and the writing drifted from scripts to film reviews as the site needed more content.

None of the site’s content will diminish because I spent Xmas watching & reviewing a lot of eclectic material, but part of my 2012 resolutions (yes, plural) is to make a series of shorts, a short doc, and work on towards a feature.

The 2005 project may well be resuscitated – part of the footage was shot on an obsolete format for which finding a working camera to transfer the material is tough – but that’s after I get these scripted concepts from paper to 1080p.

In any event, call this a Statement of Intention, where I’ll have a short done within the next 30-odd days. It would be the best birthday present to myself after a long dry spell.

Moving on.

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Look! A movie poster that relies on original art in place of fat actor noggins!

Reviews

The latest installment of Suburban Tales (Part 2 dealt with Poltergeist, and Part 1 with Durham County, Season 2.) is up, and features Tod Holland’s classic 1985 shocker Fright Night [M] (1985) which came and sold out on Blu-ray from indie label Twilight Time, plus two retro-suburban shockers: Joe Cornish’s brisk & awesome hairy alien monster tease Attack the Block [M] (Sony), and J.J. Abrams’ ode to Steven Spielberg, Super 8 [M] (Paramount).

Rue Morgue’s January / February double issue is out now, and you can read my review of Twilight Time’s Mysterious Island (1961) Blu-ray edition in the bigger, longer, shinier Cinemarquee section.

Coming soon: soundtrack reviews, more horror, and reviews of two long unavailable films by Jan Kadar: Adrift (1969), and Lies My Father Told Me (1976), the latter just released in a special edition from Ergo Media.

Plus: a profile of Twilight Time. The company’s first year anniversary is approaching, and there’s much to discuss and opine about whether home video is dead, dying, or moving into a niche market that still has some years of life in spite of what paid doomsayers keep saying.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

Star Richard Roxburgh plays Cleaver Greene, a human train wreck in-motion, consistently upsetting the personal and pofessional lives of friends, associates, peers, and family. The lead character is more than faithful to the essence and malicious potential of a rake – one who is morally loose, at odds with conventional society, a great big shit.

The series reminds me of a short-lived Canadian show, This is Wonderland, which the CBC slowly destroyed by avoiding a consistent broadcast schedule duing its second and third seasons. Of the 3 years, only Season 1 appeared on DVD, and the show’s long forgotten, except by a small coterie of aficionados.  (Guess who.) Both series involve oddball solicitors and clients, but Rake is genuinely special for its vicious black humour, and Roxburgh’s richly textured performance.

Read the review, seek out the video, and relish the immorality of Rake‘s Cleaver Greene.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

Marlon Brando struggles to defend the crew against a giant, windy Trevor Howard mug.

Previous filmed in 1916 as a silent, in1933 with Errol Flynn (!) making his starring debut as Fletcher Christian, and in 1935 [M] by MGM with the iconic Clark Gable and Charles Laughton battling egos and lapses of politesse, this fourth go-round at Mutiny on the Bounty was treated to a fortune in studio cash in the hope a literary classic would bring major box office rewards.

Filmed in Ultra Panavision 70 (formerly branded as MGM Camera 65), the 1962 production [M] also involved a replica of the famous H.M.S. Bounty (proudly built in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia) that was slightly longer & wider to accommodate the massive cameras, and allow a full crew to shoot locked and tracking shots on the ship with ease.

MGM’s extravaganza was shot in the rich tropics, and  the film certainly captures the visual beauty of Tahiti where the Bounty lay anchored while the crew gathered up maturing breadfruit plants for a trip to Jamaica prior to the classic mutiny which pitted a good Christian soul against a rigid, cruel monster.

As with MGM’s ‘35 film, Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall’s novel was the basis for the story, but not unlike many screenplays based on historical events, the novel’s authors tweaked facts and characters to ensure their novel was first & foremost a solid read, which inevitably makes it appear the novel and films are truthful representations of the actual Bounty saga.

As a historical epic, the ’62 version is marvelous – it looks and sounds wonderful on Warner Home Video’s new Blu-ray – but it would take a fifth poke at the story (the 1984 Mel Gibson / Anthony Hopkins version) to present a somewhat more accurate interpretation of the events that split up a crew, sent a captain rowing, and in the end had mutineers losing civility in their newly found island paradise, Pitcairn Island.

There’s also the issue of Marlon Brando’s decision to rethink Christian, interpreting the character a bit too differently than Gable to the point where he apparently irked critics, and perhaps contributed to the film’s status as a modest cinematic dud.

Brando’s characterization may not have pleased fans and critics, but in retrospect, he made the oft-told tale a bit more interesting; it’s not hard to see what he was trying to accomplish, but it doesn’t quite work, and it’s a problem that sometimes affected the iconic historic figures he would play early in his career. As Napoleon (Desiree [M]), he wasn’t able to transcend the caricature of the script, but he was a brooding Emiliano Zapata in Viva Zapata! (although one could argue co-stars Anthony Quinn and Joseph Wiseman were much more interesting to watch).

WHV’s Blu-ray replicates the contents from the prior HD-DVD edition, and while the archival extras are fully welcomed by fans, there is a lack of critical analysis, either in the form of a proper making-of doc, featurette, or commentary, but until the film is revisited again on home video in a special edition (realistically, quite unlikely), this sparkling edition will do, although it would be grand to see the film made available in a 70mm print to cinematheques so modern audiences can appreciate the visual and musical scope of this grand production.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )