Notable Rants and Praise

DVDBeaver-ites are a discerning lot, but there wasn't a ton of complaints but we are always looking for new audio commentaries. DNR was less-prominent a pet-peeve but fans are still pining for more Antonioni and Bresson in 1080P - with desperate hopes for future titles like L' Argent (1983), The Devil Probably (1977), The Passenger (1975), Lancelot du Lac (1974), Blowup (1966), Procès de Jeanne d'Arc (1962), Diary of a Country Priest (1951) Here are short comments from a variety of balloters, in no order:

Re: Here is Your Life , Jan Troell, 1966, Criterion, Region A, - I’m serious. This is THE release of the year, partly because it allowed us (Americans) to see Here is Your Life for the first time uncut, because the film has languished in obscurity (here in America) until now, because of Criterion’s gorgeous restoration and presentation, because the movie itself is one of the miracles of world cinema, and because this release (along with Criterion’s Everlasting Moments and its upcoming The Emigrants and The New Land) is beginning to give Jan Troell the recognition he deserves.

*After a limited release in theaters around Italy in summer, Tucker Film launched in October a Kickstarter campaign in order to release the same 6 classic Ozu movies in a blu-ray box-set together with Giorgio Placerani's book: a successful never-before seen way to engage collectors and movie-lovers in such a tiny and dry market (above all for blu-rays) as the Italian one.



The worst silent movie soundtrack of all time was Tiger Lillies' for Variete.

Modern soundtracks for silent movies generally a bad idea.



Hand held camera work- looks awful on big screens.





Best (Under-Appreciated) Label: Camera Obscura. It's really time for cult film fans to know this company exists. Their Italian Genre Cinema Collection is a labor of love that yields top-notch restorations / transfers coupled with extras whose depth and breadth is mind-boggling. They have rescued a number of Italian genre films from obscurity, films that many fans thought would never see the light of day in *any* home video edition (their release of TOP SENSATION comes to mind).



This year, their two-disc release of Aldo Lado's seminal Giallo SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS involved not one, but two restorations undertaken by the company (at their own cost), after their first restoration of compromised source materials didn't meet their exacting standards. The resulting transfer, which looks both jaw-droppingly good *and* authentic to the time period and source, is easily one of the best Giallo releases ever. Full stop. They deserve to be known by a larger audience. And they have key cult titles announced for 2016--including Silvio Amadio's AMUCK! (which has only, up till now, received butchered, incomplete releases) and Massimo Dallamano's WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS?



Best Commentary: Basically any of those done by David Del Valle--including the 2015 releases of MADHOUSE; COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE; and SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN. He is well-informed, well-connected, and always entertaining. His enthusiasm and wit are truly infectious.



Best Packaging: 1. 84 Entertainment's "Leather Book" 4-disc set of Lucio Fulci's DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING, 2. The deluxe version of Carlotta Film's release of De Palma's BODY DOUBLE, 3. French limited-edition box for Friedkin's SORCERER released by La Rabbia.



Shout out for the Year

Second Run DVD- I nominate them every year so excellently presented discs of films no one else will take on, priced sensibly and will apt supplements and notes. They are always underrated and fly under the radar!



A big thanks too to Big World Pictures, for theatrically releasing Rebels of The Neon God, and for the cleaned up DVD. Sadly this small company (so they tell me by email) could not afford to authorise a Blu Ray version of the film which will slowly but surely get a larger and larger cult following



Best Commentary

Director Kim Soo-yong and professor at Korea National University of Arts Kim So-young on "Sorrow Even up in Heaven" (Korean Film Archive DVD)

From my review at www.dvdcompare.net:

Recorded recently, director Kim Soo-yong has fond memories of the film, the reception, and about the time period in the Korean film industry. Professor Kim So-young gives some additional information on the film as she interviews the director, and an analysis of the film. The two talk about the casting process, the building of the special camera crane, and the director points out trivia such as director Lee Chang-dong making an appearance as a student in the classroom, but he is not sure which child it is. Also mentioned in a lengthy portion is director Kim’s friendship with Nagisa Oshima and Donald Richie, and his reaction to finally seeing Oshima’s documentary short about a homeless South Korean child “Yunbogi’s Diary”, which was inspired by “Sorrow Even Up in Heaven” and Chris Marker’s “La Jetee”. They also talk about the similarities to the 1940 film “Tuition”, which was also released on DVD by KOFA recently. It’s a great commentary, and one of the best that Kim Soo-yong has done.



Best Extra

"The Island of Dr. Moreau" by H.G. Wells, read by Richard Stanley (290:54) on “Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau - House of Pain Edition”



Best Artwork/Packaging

“Videodrome” (Arrow UK)



Worst Transfer

“Homebound” (1967) (Korean Film Archive DVD) - They transferred the YouTube low-res version by mistake! (Though KOFA’s other releases this year were excellent.)





"Twilight Time still sucks for charging exorbitant prices, producing mediocre transfers, and making limited edition runs."



"If there is to be a Rant is should go toward Twilight Time with their limited releases and high priced blu-rays, they should show some respect toward the general public."

Ed. RESPONSE: Twilight Time are one of THE best Blu-ray companies we have! - max'ed out transfers, new commentaries, liner notes, great films! The reason they have limited numbers are because that is what they are able to negotiate contractually (and how they are able to remain region FREE - AND hence their upper-tier pricing). Don't you think they would want produce more and sell more? This is all they can do (3,000 or 5,000 for some titles) and this is also how they are able to produce Blu-rays of such strong films - they are only allowed a limited number to produce by the Studio that owns the rights. You want to talk about disrespecting the public - how about the Major studios (Warner, Fox, MGM)? with MoDs (over-priced at that), no new extras, cropped, often no subtitles or menus either - totally out-of-touch with their fans... [/rant]

Without searching a more complete list - some of their notables from this year, 2015, alone are Zardoz , The Bride Wore Black , Mississippi Burning , Shadows and Fog , Places in the Heart , The Fabulous Baker Boys , Mississippi Mermaid , U Turn , Devil in a Blue Dress , To Sir, With Love , Emperor of the North , The World of Henry Orient , Sense and Sensibility , The Young Lions , Night of the Generals . A Man for All Seasons ... and a full catalogue of films-to-Blu-ray, before anyone else, of movies directed by the likes of Fritz Lang, Stanley Kramer, Samuel Fuller, François Truffaut, Oliver Stone, Woody Allen, John Boorman, Brian De Palma, John Carpenter, Walter Hill, Anthony Mann, David Lynch, Sam Peckinpah, John Ford, Blake Edwards, John Frankenheimer, Robert Wise, Sidney Lumet, Joshua Logan, Richard Fleischer, Fred Zinnemann, John M. Stahl, Edward Dmytryk, John Huston, Ang Lee, Norman Jewison, George Roy Hill, Otto Preminger, George Cukor...

Twilight Time aren't the ones reselling their product for exorbitant prices - that's the marketplace. Frankly, any complaints about their efforts are simply looking a gift-horse in the mouth.





RANTS: Two of the three Mr. Bongo Welles releases are on my list for their SINGULAR IMPORTANCE as films EVEN THOUGH I haven't seen a single AV review of the three releases ANYWHERE on the Internet and, like most people, I haven't received all of them yet and haven't had the chance to review them myself.

IF IT TURNS OUT that the transfers are abysmal (esp. in the case of Falstaff), obviously they shouldn't be on this list and I would replace them with (4) Kwaidan (Criterion) and the rare, precious Nigel Kneale's (7) Quatermass (1979) (Network). What a pity Beaver didn't get to the Falstaff blu-ray!! (No shame, as I didn't either :) )



NO SUZUKI AT ALL THIS YEAR in 1080p????? FOR SHAME!!! (We need more NIkkatsu, like the upcoming Diamond Guys Set).



RAVES: Arrow needs Kudos for bringing the pre-release Clementine to HD light with appropriate disc size, restoration, and subtitles (Criterion dropped the ball). The stacked Severin release of Count Dracula also deserves special attention (over and above the great Hammer releases this year) for the movie's faithfulness to the book and as a culmination of Lee's career as Dracula in and out of Hammer.





Most impressive supplements:



1. The Kogonada visual essay on Cries And Whispers - The Criterion Collection 2. AKA Jack Martin on Videodrome - Arrow Video 3. Restoration (Long Version) on the Apu Trilogy - The Criterion Collection



Best commentary: The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris, 1988) Criterion - Interview with Joshua Oppenheimer





I chose “Thundercrack” because of the detailed restoration required and fantastic results; “Nightmare City” for providing two choices for viewing when the negative was damaged; “1984” for including both soundtracks, the original Eurythmics soundtrack and the director’s preferred soundtrack; “Dressed to Kill” and “Blood and Black Lace” for the beautiful transfers; “Videodrome” for the beautiful packaging and extras; and “The Hobbit” for the fantastic extras. Biggest flop of the year goes to “The Scarlet Box” from UK Arrow for misframing “Hellraiser III” such that it is off center and special effects and edges of sets are visible in the frame (and then claiming that it’s supposed to be that way!)





1. Criterion’s ‘Apu Trilogy’ release is hands down the most important Blu-ray (and DVD) release of the year, at least here in the USA

2. Criterion’s Ride the Pink Horse – A personal favorite, a vastly underappreciated film and something that had never before made it to ‘home video’ in any form, including without limitation VHS tape

3. Criterion’s Ikiru – Ikiru is quite possibly the best narrative film ever made

4. MoC’s widescreen release of Shane - Once again the British have released something the Americans should have released but didn’t



Flicker Alley's Enthusiasm has some improper sound synch, especially during the hammer scene, major mistake on their otherwise great Dziga Vertov Bluray.

Acknowledgment to reviewers Eric Cotenas and Gregory Meshman who continue to churn out valuable disc information for the digital consumer. Thanks lads!

