Paul Schrader updates a genre classic with our pick of the week – newsdubai
Cat people [4K UHD, Scream Factory]
What is it? A remake of a genre classic.
Why watch it? Paul Schrader’s best film as a director is without a doubt Blue collar, but my favorite is still this gory, atmospheric and weird remake of the Jacques Tourneur classic from 1942. It somehow manages to be both sexy and the opposite of sexy? Credit the pairing of Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell as siblings with a secret for some of its strangeness, and Schrader’s blend of high art and schlock is something magical. Giorgio Moroder’s score adds to the otherworldly wonder, and by the time the gory beats, mean sibling pranks and near-mythic narrative threads come in to play, it’s just a very memorable time. Goofy at times, a little nerdy even, but Schrader’s eye for the mundane and the weird is just something to behold. Scream Factory’s new 4K UHD brings the film’s colors and attractive visuals to beautiful life, along with some older extras.
[Extras: New 4K scan, commentary by Paul Schrader, interviews, featurettes]
The best
1883: A Yellowstone Origin History
What is it? The sequel to your dad’s favorite TV show.
Why watch it? Taylor Sheridan has been very successful in moving his old-school American entertainment from the big screen to the small, and while Yellowstone chugs along (season five is the current one, right?) he also found the time to deliver a prequel series that explores the family’s 19th century roots. Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill take the lead here as a wagon master and a couple heading west with family and immigrants in tow. Bad guys, hostile natives and the landscape itself all come into play, ensuring plenty of action and drama along the way. Sheridan and team do a great job on the period western front, capturing the details and grime with equal enthusiasm, all making for a compelling show. It’s worth watching before his next saga hits 1923 continues the story with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren (presumably as the couple in their later years).
[Extras: Featurettes]
Running out of time 1 & 2 [Arrow Video]
What is it? A couple of Johnnie Two bangers.
Why watch it? Lau Ching-wan stars in both films as a smart detective who faces cunning villains. The first film sees Andy Lau as a man with a terminal illness and a grudge, and Johnnie To delivers tension, suspense and great character beats between the two talented actors. It’s a fun ride despite the serious themes and has set pieces and heightened drama to spare. The sequel lightens things up more than a bit, and even though To is only co-directing this time, the film still feels like effortless entertainment. Neither film has necessarily been hard to find over the years, but it’s great to see Arrow restore and release the pair in this two-disc set. More, please!
[Extras: New 2K restorations, commentaries, interviews, documentary]
Symphony for a massacre
What is it? A group of villains behaving as villains.
Why watch it? This French thriller from the early 60s starts with a familiar setup as a group of criminals come together to steal profits from other villains, but that changes soon enough. The heist is a success and then the real duplicity begins. Mistrust and suspicion rear their heads after one betrays the rest, and it’s an increasingly dark path they all embark on. One of the real highlights here is seeing Jean Rochefort play a terrible, terrible man. The film could easily have been a bit shorter, as its almost two-hour running time definitely feels like it’s being stretched, but its atmosphere and suspense work wonders.
[Extras: New 2K restoration, featurette]
The rest
Sun [KL Studio Classics]
What is it? The story of a legendary and atypical spy.
Why watch it? Cinema history is full of films that would not have been made at later times, and this skin-filled tale of intrigue and war drama could only have come from The Cannon Group in the mid-80s. Sylvia Kristel stars for director Curtis Harrington as Mata Hari, a nightclub performer who finds her life interrupted by World War I as she uses her powers of seduction to steal secrets and pass them between the warring factions. Historical angle be damned, Harrington has Kristel topless before the opening credits end and keeps her that way for most of the running time. However, the film takes its dramatic conditions seriously and offers a rather sumptuous production. That said, its desire to appeal to the T&A crowd often overwhelms other intentions.
[Extras: Commentary]
Mysterious island of beautiful women [KL Studio Classics]
What is it? A visit to a remote island reveals a group of lost women.
Why watch it? Although the title and premise sound more in line with direct-to-video fare, this is actually a late ’70s made-for-TV movie. It’s rather small for that reason in both its delicacy and its rise to violence, but fans of that particular subgenre (70s TV movie) will enjoy its cast – Jayne Kennedy, Deborah Shelton, Steven Keats, Peter Lawford and Clint Walker – and less tension. The core creates a stark contrast between men and women as they weave in a little mystery and some outside threats.
[Extras: New 2K master, commentary]
Olga
What is it? A teenage gymnast misses her homeland’s revolution.
Why watch it? This drama is an exciting mix of coming of age, sports competition and modern history. Olga is Ukrainian, lives and trains in Sweden, and watches from afar how her countrymen and women give rise to the Ukrainian revolution. The three narrative threads are varying degrees of engaging, and the effect of the whole feels similarly solid enough, but the one constant that works throughout is the lead performance of Anastasiia Budiashkina. You feel the push and pull between excitement about her current opportunities and the regret of leaving home.
[Extras: None]
Summer heat [KL Studio Classics]
What is it? A young couple finds trouble after welcoming a young man into their home.
Why watch it? It’s no doubt an odd choice to make a sultry thriller with Anthony Edwards, Lori Singer and Bruce Abbott, but it’s played out here with mixed results. At eighty minutes, the film feels very rushed with early dramatic beats happening far too quickly to land with any real weight or drama. We don’t understand the couple until the infidelity sets in, and we haven’t felt the tension until the relationship turns to violence. The result is a film that probably works better as a character piece than a dramatic thriller.
[Extras: None]
The Tenth Man [KL Studio Classics]
What is it? A man makes a deal to avoid gunfire and must deal with the consequences.
Why watch it? Anthony Hopkins headlines this adaptation of the Graham Greene novel, but even the joint presence of Derek Jacobi and Kristin Scott Thomas can’t make it as dramatic as it wants to be. The core of the man’s journey is there – he avoids the firing squad by giving his fortune to the other man’s family to visit them years later under a false name – but so much of it plays out so slowly that the impact of the dramatic beats is missed . Still, there’s something fun about watching Hopkins and Jacobi at odds.
[Extras: Both 1.78:1 and 1.33:1 versions]
Also out this week:
Belle, Brian and Charles, Faceless [Severin Films]Faya Dayi [Criterion Collection]The Female Executioner [Severin Films]Sex and Lucia