Another fairly big release day today. It’s set me back a bit and, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get to all the titles that are hitting shelves today. But there’s some great stuff here. Make sure you scroll all the way down to the list of stuff not in my Top Picks, sitting at the bottom of the page, for good flicks that missed out on being in the spotlight like Fellini‘s Clowns, Scorsese‘s Cape Fear and the indie-darling heist flick Robber.

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Blu-ray disc of the week: KURONEKO

“In this poetic and atmospheric horror fable, set in a village in war-torn medieval Japan, a malevolent spirit has been ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is sent to dispatch the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with his own personal demons as well. From Kaneto Shindo, director of the terror classic Onibaba, Kuroneko (Black Cat) is a spectacularly eerie twilight tale with a shocking feminist angle, evoked through ghostly special effects and exquisite cinematography.“

As we rapidly approach Halloween it would be a shame not to spotlight one of the better, spookier releases of the season as our Pick of the Week. And, for my money, the best thing going this week is Kaneto Shindo’s Kuroneko. Fans of Criterion‘s 2004 DVD release of Shindo’s Onibaba, something of a sister film to this far spookier and quirky effort, have been waiting for this film to join the collection for some time. Those who closely (or obsessively, in my case) follow Janus’ theatrical releases took note of Criterion’s parent studio touring their new print of the film last year and have been expecting this bad boy to be released on Blu-ray sometime over the year. Well, that time has finally come to pass and the results are glorious!

The transfer of the new Kuroneko Blu-ray disc hasn’t been minted from a perfect print, so those expecting a glossy restoration are in for a shock. But, to my eye, this is a fantastic and faithful presentation. Slight wear, scratches and flicker don’t spoil this otherwise fantastic looking effort, full of detail and depth, with deep blacks and a nice sheen of film grain. The lossless mono audio track isn’t quite as full of life, showing its age in its limited dynamic range, but is clean and clear throughout.

You’re not going to be blown away by the amount of special features here but the hour-long interview with director Shindo, recorded back in 1998, is fascinating stuff, filled with tons of information about his life and filmmaking techniques, while lite on discussion of the films themselves. The 17-minute interview with Japanese film critic Tadao Sato is a nice addition but doesn’t delve too deeply into the film itself. There’s also a trailer and the standard Criterion booklet included.

Recommended!

Special Features:

• New high-definition digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Video interview with director Kaneto Shindo from the Directors Guild of Japan
• New video interview with critic Tadao Sato
• Theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Maitland McDonagh and an excerpt
  from film scholar Joan Mellen’s 1972 interview with Shindo

AMAZON: $27.99

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

“From Disney and Producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes all the fun, epic adventure and humor that ignited the original. Johnny Depp returns as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. A tale of truth, betrayal, youth, demise – and mermaids! When Jack crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love, or if she’s a ruthless con artist using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. Forced aboard the ship of the most feared pirate ever, Jack doesn’t know who to fear more -Blackbeard (Ian McShane) or the woman from his past. Directed by Rob Marshall, it’s filled with eye-popping battle scenes, mystery and all-out wit.“

This newest of the Pirates films got a lot of flack when it was in theatres earlier this year but I think it fits in quite well with the series. That’s not necessarily praise, as the sequels in particular suffer from a host of crippling issues from structure to pacing. Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides exhibits all the same problems, despite a new director, new characters and whole new direction for the franchise. It’s bloated, at a lengthy 136-minute runtime and would have benefitted from losing a few unnecessary characters and sub-plots that just bog down the proceedings from very early on (I’m looking at you, nondescript Spanish seamen!) That said, if you can get by the excess and plot turns that are of little interest in the grand scheme of things, you’ll no doubt have a good time with good ol’ Captain Jack Sparrow as he stumbles and mumbles his way past zombies and mermaids on his quest for Pirate treasure!

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, as you might expect, looks pretty great on Blu-ray. This isn’t the brightest and most colourful film in the series – in fact, it’s quite dark, often cloaking a good deal of the exceptional production design in unfortunate amounts of shadow – but the Blu-ray transfer is beyond reproach. While the image, excellent as it may be, might not offer the pizazz you’re hoping for from a Pirates film, the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 will blow you away like a cannonball through the port side of your home theatre! This is a reference quality soundtrack all the way, with deep, booming lows, active surrounds and clean, clear dialogue up the middle. Wonderful!

I’m kind of surprised at how few special features are included on the 2-disc combo pack I reviewed. Aside from the DVD copy of the film, the only features actually included amount to a 3-minute blooper reel, a 5-minute series of animated Lego shorts and a decent but not terribly insightful commentary track from director Rob Marshall and executive producer John DeLuca. I am happy to see, however, that this release sports a Disney Second Screen app to go along with it – an always worthy addition to any Blu-ray from the studio. I haven’t had a chance to download and try it out yet but if it’s anything like the Bambi and Tron Legacy apps it’ll be worth a look.

I understand that the 3D release of the film includes another disc with special features including deleted and extended scenes, featurettes and a production doc. I can’t speak to the quality of those goodies, not having seen them myself. Those who enjoy the series but don’t own any on Blu will also be pleased to see that all four films are now available in a treasure chest boxed set, linked to below. I bet there’s even more bonus stuff in there!

AMAZON: $39.99

Also available: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: FOUR MOVIE COLLECTION

AMAZON: $91.99

GUNS OF NAVARONE

“Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven are Allied saboteurs assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers. Blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman (High Noon,The Bridge on the River Kwai) was determined to re-establish both his name and credibility after spending most of the 50′s working in anonymity. To accomplish this, he decided to bring Alistair MacLean‘s best-selling novel, The Guns of Navarone, to the screen. Supported by an all-star cast and produced on a grand scale, the film was an enormous success, receiving seven 1961 Academy Award(r) nominations (including Best Picture) and winning for Best Special Effects. Although Foreman achieved his goal, it was MacLean who would wind up the true beneficiary; his novels became the source for many high adventure screen epics, including Ice Station Zebra and Where Eagles Dare. However, it is The Guns of Navarone that remains not only the best of the MacLean adaptations, but one of the greatest action/adventure spectacles ever produced. “

Sony hits another home run with their Blu-ray release of the classic Guns of Navarone. This disc isn’t going to wow most fans of the format but you’ve got to understand that the original elements here are compromised to a large degree, making this the best this film will most likely ever look on home video. Grover Crisp and his gang of restoration/transfering/encoding experts have done their best here and if you love this film, you’ll appreciate every frame looking better than you’ve ever seen it before. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is no slouch either, bringing the anemic original elements to new life.

Outside of the outstanding new transfer, the real gems of this release are the bevy of bonus features, most of which have been carried over from the previously issued DVD. Both commentary tracks, one, a very fact-based track from film historian Stephen J. Rubin and the other from director J. Lee Thompson, are worth a listen and the restoration featurette is of particular interest to cinephiles. There’s a ton more to delve into but the only new extra is The Resistance Dossier interactive feature, that allows you to explore the film in greater detail via text and video-based supplements.

Recommended!

AMAZON: $13.99

BATMAN: YEAR ONE

“When Gotham City is in desperate need of heroes, two men take a stand for justice… but on opposite sides. Bruce Wayne returns home after years abroad to become a crimefighter, just as honest cop Lt. James Gordon moves to Gotham and finds corruption at every level. When Bruce becomes the masked vigilante Batman, the city explodes as his new nemesis Catwoman, the mob and Gordon all close in! Don’t miss this thrilling DC Universe Animated Original Movie based on the groundbreaking story by Frank Miller and featuring three-time Emmy(R) Award-winner Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Katee Sackhoff, Eliza Dushku and Alex Rocco in its stellar voice cast. Experience a bold and dynamic vision of the Dark Knight’s first year in action and the start of his enduring friends with Jim Gordon.”

Batman: Year One. Yeah, this is a really tough one to review. As much as I appreciate what a great job Bruce Timm‘s team of filmmakers and animators did in adapting the iconic Frank Miller/David Mazzucchelli comic books, this medium, in this form, is really the farthest thing from the perfect choice to bring it to life. Mazzucchelli’s dark, impressionistic artwork just doesn’t translate to the specific, slick line-work of WB animation. Everything looks too clean. Nothing feels as dangerous and dark as it should. The voice acting is hit and miss for me as well, with Bryan Cranston’s Jim Gordon being spot on – the real bright spot here – and Ben McKenzie sounding far too stiff and far too young to give a sense of Bruce Wayne’s life being so hard lived. But honestly, they both had their work cut out for them, with all the voice over narration, typical of the noir stories that inspire Miller -a device not at all awkward on the page but a bit too on the nose and unnecessary for film. But that’s the nature of this beast. This is as literal a translation of the books as can be made, budget and materials considered, warts and all. And for what it is, it’s quite decent. I enjoyed it, as I do most all of the DC direct-to-video films.

Batman: Year One suffers from the same transfer issues as most of the recent batch of animated features from DC and Warner. Luckily, those issues are the sort of banding and aliasing that isn’t distracting or out of the ordinary for this kind of animation. In fact, they might be a product of the source files, for all we know. Anyway, this is a pretty good looking disc. Colours pop, detail is abundant and blacks are rich. Good stuff. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is even better, surrounding you with the sounds of Gotham, while giving your sub a workout. Dialogue is clean and clear, as is to be expected.

I’m so happy to see that Warner and DC are bringing back the creator commentary tracks. There was a couple of years there where they seemed to think that we didn’t care to hear what went in to adapting and creating these short, animated works of art. I, for one, find it fascinating and am glad to hear DC’s creative director of animation, Mike Carlin, co-producer Alan Burnett, co-director Sam Liu and voice director Andrea Romano chat about the production. The two HD featurettes – ‘Heart of Vengeance: Returning Batman to His Roots‘ and ‘Conversations with DC Comics: Featuring the 2011 Batman Creative Team‘ are also excellent. Very nerdy in their in-depth discussions of the character and his history but entertaining, nonetheless. The former is a proper, talking heads kind of doc and the latter is literally a bunch of former and current creators sitting around a circle, bashing about ideas. This stuff is great but the highlight of the bonus goodies has got to be the 15-minute DC Showcase: Catwoman short. The title character sports a different look – in fact, the design of the entire piece is different from Year One – but characters and voice actors are carried over from the feature. As usual, the DC team delivers a fun, action packed short that nearly rivals the full length film in quality. The disc is rounded out with sneak peeks, trailers, a digital comic and a couple of Bruce Timm selected Batman cartoons.

AMAZON: $16.99

STAR WARS THE CLONE WARS: THE COMPLETE SEASON THREE

“The “Clone Wars” goes back to the original “Star Wars” film when Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker that he was once a Jedi knight the same as your father and that they fought together in the Clone Wars. Since that moment fans have been obsessed with what the clone wars were. This new TV series takes place immediately after the events of “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”. The series follows Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker and introduces us to some new characters such as Ahsoka Tano, a girl Jedi knight, as well as characters we already know.“

I can’t wait to get my hands on this bad boy. Warner haven’t sent over a review copy of The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Three yet but I have every expectation that this newest Blu-ray collection of episodes will live up to the quality of the previous two season sets, with reference quality transfers in the correct aspect ratios and tons of special features. I’m still unsure if the packaging will include a book of designs on this release, as the past ones have done. I fear the studio might be done with the book packaging for these releases, which is really too bad. They were nice.

AMAZON: $39.99

THE CROW (Canadian release)

“Before SIN CITY and THE DARK KNIGHT rose, there was THE CROW – the “dark, lurid revenge fantasy” (The New York Times) from director Alex Proyas (DARK CITY) that entranced audiences and critics alike. Featuring Brandon Lee in his final performance, THE CROW is the tale of young musician Eric Draven (Lee) who, along with his fiancée, is murdered on the eve of their Halloween wedding. Exactly one year after their deaths, Eric is risen from the grave by a mysterious crow to seek out his killers and force them to answer for their crimes.“

I don’t think I’ve seen The Crow since the ’90s. And, wow, does watching it again on this new Blu-ray disc ever take me back. I guess my recollection of the film had aged with me, my mind transplanting aspects of the story, characters and style of the thing into this century. I honestly had no idea this film was such a product of its time and is now an icon of it. Every aspect of Proyas’ work, from the Blade Runner-by-way-of-Burton‘s Batman production design, to the ham-fisted, on the nose screenplay, to the shaky cut-and-paste CGI, makes the film feel dated. But sometimes that dating works to its advantage. The long hair and post-grunge/new-goth clothes often feel fresh while the soundtrack, filled with incredible acts from the era, seems more potent now than ever. And need I mention the incredible, wonderful, late Brandon Lee in the title role? The same film that took his life also made him a superstar. And with good reason. So much of the joy of watching this film is Lee’s performance. He created something iconic here. Something worthy of standing the test of time, despite some dated window dressing.

The new transfer of The Crow from Miramax by way of Lionsgate (by way of Alliance, here in Canada – the version which I’ve had the pleasure to review) is vivid, detailed and far better looking than it has any right to be. This wasn’t a big-budget production and for a film creeping up on its twentieth-anniversary, I’m shocked that it remains so fresh on screen today. I can’t believe that a film shot in so much darkness can retain so much information in even the most shadowy scenes. This is as brilliant and film-like a presentation as you’re likely to ever see for The Crow. And the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is no slouch either! Songs from the likes of Stone Temple Pilots, The Cure and Nine Inch Nails sound incredible in this very modern, dynamic mix. As does the sensitive, iconic score by Graeme Revell. Ambient sound is plentiful and dialogue is clean and clear.

Special features have been carried over from the previously available DVD version of the film and include a director’s commentary track, a 15-minute “making of” featurette, a 30-minute profile of James O’Barr (the creator of the The Crow comic), extended and deleted scenes, posters, stills, storyboards, and a bunch of trailers. It’s too bad that the studio hasn’t created any new HD material for this release but we can keep our fingers crossed that a fully loaded anniversary edition will turn up in 2014!

NOTE: The Canadian edition of The Crow Blu-ray from Alliance contains a DVD copy of the film while the US version includes a Digital Copy.

AMAZON: CDN$ 19.99

Also available: THE CROW (US release)

AMAZON: $14.99

ZOMBIE

“THE DEAD ARE AMONG US! In Italy, it was considered the ‘unofficial sequel’ to DAWN OF THE DEAD. In England, it was known as ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS and banned as obscene. In America, it was called ZOMBIE and advertised with the depraved tag line “WE ARE GOING TO EAT YOU!” Tisa Farrow (THE GRIM REAPER), Ian McCulloch (CONTAMINATION), Al Cliver (CANNIBALS), and Richard Johnson (THE HAUNTING) star in this worldwide splatter sensation directed by ‘Maestro Of Gore’ Lucio Fulci (CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY) that remains one of the most eye-skewering, skin-ripping, gore-gushingly graphic horror hits of all time! Blue Underground is proud to present ZOMBIE in a new 2K High Definition transfer from the original uncut and uncensored camera negative. Each flesh-eating frame has been lovingly restored to skull-rotting perfection under the supervision of Cinematographer Sergio Salvati (THE BEYOND). Now fully-loaded with hours of brand new Extras, this is the Ultimate Edition of ZOMBIE!”

Fulci’s Zombie is a classic. And if any other studio were handling its transition to Blu-ray, I might be concerned with how such a no-budget, Italian horror from so many decades ago would be handled. But in the hands of Blue Underground, I feel certain that this is going to be one of the must-own horror releases of the season. I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy of the Blu-ray yet but, without knowing how great the transfer might be on this bad boy, I can tell you that this 2-disc set features enough in the way of special features that it’s most likely a worthy purchase either way. Check out how stacked this release is!!

DISC 1 EXTRAS:

• Audio Commentary with Star Ian McCulloch and Diabolik Magazine Editor Jason J. Slater
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots
• Poster & Still Gallery
• Guillermo del Toro Intro

DISC 2 EXTRAS:

• “Zombie Wasteland” – Interviews with Stars Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson & Al Cliver, and Actor/Stuntman Ottaviano Dell’Acqua
• “Flesh Eaters on Film” – Interview with Co-Producer Fabrizio De Angelis
• “Deadtime Stories” – Interviews with Co-Writers Elisa Briganti and (Uncredited) Dardano Sacchetti
• “World of the Dead” – Interviews with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati and Production & Costume Designer Walter Patriarca
• “Zombi Italiano” – Interviews with Special Make-Up Effects Artists Gianetto De Rossi & Maurizio Trani and Special Effects Artist Gino De Rossi
• “Notes on a Headstone” – Interview with Composer Fabio Frizzi
• “All in the Family” – Interview with Antonella Fulci
• “Zombie Lover” – Award-Winning Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro talks about one of his favorite films

AMAZON: $22.99

THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY

“Read The Fine Print… You May Have Just Mortgaged Your Life! A young family moves from their cramped New York City apartment to a spacious new home in New England. But this is no ordinary house in the country: the previous owner was the deranged Dr. Freudstein, whose monstrous human experiments have left a legacy of bloody mayhem. Now, someone – or something – is alive in the basement, and home sweet home is about to become a horrific hell on earth. Catriona MacColl (THE BEYOND), Paolo Malco (THE NEW YORK RIPPER), Ania Pieroni (TENEBRE), Carlo De Mejo (CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD), and Dagmar Lassander (HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON) star in this outrageous Italian shocker from ‘The Godfather of Gore,’ Lucio Fulci (ZOMBIE, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD). Now Blue Underground proudly presents the definitive version of THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY: freshly transferred in blood-soaked High Definition from its original uncut and uncensored negative and loaded with exclusive new Extras!”

The second Blue Underground Lucio Fulci release of the week also looks like a doozy, sporting a brand new high-def transfer and scads of extras including interviews with the stars, writers, cinematographer and make-up and special effects artists, as well as deleted scenes, trailers and galleries. Sold! I’ll take two Fulci’s please!

AMAZON: $15.99

HESHER (Canadian release)

“Loud music. Pornography. Burning things to the ground. These are a few of Hesher’s favourite things. And they are what Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) brings into the lives of TJ (Devin Brochu) and his father Paul (Rainn Wilson) when he takes up residence in their garage uninvited. Grief-stricken by the loss of TJ’s mother in a car accident, Paul can’t muster the strength to evict the strange squatter, and soon the long-haired, tattooed Hesher becomes a fixture in the household. Like a force of nature, Hesher’s anarchy shakes the family out of their grief and helps them embrace life once more. “

Hesher was released on Blu-ray in the US by Lionsgate a month back but we here in Canada are just getting our hands on it today via Alliance. I’ve only just received my copy of the disc and haven’t had a chance to review it yet but this is one I’ve been waiting to see for months now. As far as I know, it skipped over our Montreal theatres, preferring to hop straight to video. That doesn’t generally bode too well for a film. Especially one with big stars in it. But I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt. I’ll report back after I give it a look!

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.99

Only in Canada: WARNER STEELBOOKS

We Canadians usually get the shaft, missing out on all manner of deals and exclusives in the world of home video. But Warner has been very good to us, up here, north of the 49th parallel, providing us an exclusive line of very handsome Steel Book edition Blu-ray discs. This newest bunch of five titles, including several heavy hitters from the WB catalogue, feature the same discs the studio has previously released in brand new metallic packaging. I had the opportunity to check out both The Wizard of Oz and The Shawshank Redemption from this batch and can report that both are identical to the discs already on the stand. The Wizard of Oz is a single disc, movie only release and, of course, doesn’t include all the special features from the UCE boxed set and 3-disc Blu-ray set. If you don’t already own these titles, this is an attractive and affordable way to grab them up. And if you’re collecting these editions, these new releases are some of the better titles you’ll find in the format.

AMAZON: Various

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
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