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DEATH KISS is Unwatchable But MAN, That Guy Does Look Like Charles Bronson
Reprehensible, but not in a good way
A man walks this earth in the year of our Lord 2018 with the stage name of Robert Bronzi. He is the spitting image of Charles Bronson. It’s… uncanny. What’s most fascinating about this is how distinctive Bronson truly looked. This was not a visage, nor a physique, that one would ever expect the good Lord to replicate. The man was nothing if not singular. But Robert Bronzi exists. And because he exists, there must be a vigilante revenge movie starring him. It’s science.
It’s unfortunate, then, that the revenge film made for the sole purpose of crafting a movie around a Charles Bronson look alike does so little to honor the great screen legacy of Mr. Bronson.
I watch a lot of garbage cinema and I’m proud of that. There’s a whole spectrum of qualities found under the generous “garbage” umbrella. Sadly, Death Kiss is truly bottom of the barrel stuff with virtually no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Reprehensible in its content as well as poorly put together as a film, the only joy to be found is in watching Robert Bronzi walk around city streets and occasionally blowing some folks away with a six shooter while… just… looking exactly like Charles Bronson. I guess the biggest problem there being that we STILL HAVE real Charles Bronson movies wherein he strolls around city streets casually murdering criminals. I’d recommend revisiting really any Charles Bronson film before scratching your Death Kiss itch.
For those of you who have a similar disease to mine and you simply cannot possibly resist watching this film no matter what anyone tells you, let me count the ways in which this movie is among the very worst I’ve seen this year.
What doesn’t make Death Kiss the worst is the fact that it’s cheap, or poorly acted, etc. One expects these kinds of things. The fact that Bronzi does not (I believe) speak English, had to be dubbed, and wasn’t even DUBBED to sound anything like Charles Bronson… that’s not really even that big of an issue. The man is not, after all, Charles Bronson. (Although, come on, just get a decent impersonator to dub the sparse dialog and that really would’ve gone a long way towards making Bronzi feel like the total package). The exploitative elements surrounding the stunt casting of a Bronson look alike are actually among the most charming elements of a largely joyless film.
And sure, the movie IS poorly acted, poorly written, poorly directed, poorly dubbed, and poorly color timed. But all told, those still aren’t the biggest crimes of Death Kiss. The biggest crimes are unforgivable: It is both boring and preachy.
Writer/director/composer/cinematographer/editor/craft services technician Rene Perez has apparently directed upwards of 20 films at this point in his career. And more power to him. I do give props to anyone out there hustling. He gives a commentary track on this DVD release and anyone who’s able to wear all those hats is truly a multi-talented individual the likes of which I will never be. With Death Kiss it just seems like Perez was too busy proving he “could” to consider whether or not he “should”. Ultimately Death Kiss is just boring. It’s extremely padded with shots of characters walking, or running after one another. There are dialog sequences that take minutes of screen time and could have been accomplished in seconds. Bronzi’s nameless character is sending a bunch of money to a super hot mom and her paralyzed daughter. They encounter each other multiple times throughout the film and more or less have the same conversation each time: “Why do you send us all this money?” It’s a question that really seems to matter to the hot mom, but not so much to the audience. Then there are the action sequences, such as they are. Bronzi chases a bunch of dudes around a few times and we get lots of ducking and shooting and running and hiding behind things. It’s inert. And it’s long. At least a couple of moments spring to life — like when Bronzi just picks up a car door in a junkyard and uses it as a shield from an uzi, or when he pours BBQ sauce on a dude out in the woods because apparently animals will smell him better to come and devour him. But even in telling you about those moments of life, I’m worried you’ll decide you need to see this movie. And you don’t.
The other extreme bummer about Death Kiss is that it features Daniel Baldwin playing a shock jock DJ that voices all kinds of poor taste beliefs and we’re stuck listening to his rants for large chunks of time. He waxes on about sex trafficking, vigilantism, and why it’s okay to judge people for how they look because if they look like thugs they are probably going to shoot your baby in its face. Now, there IS the whole “depiction is not endorsement” concept that I attempted to cling to while watching the film. But alas, Perez overtly states in his commentary track that he enjoyed writing Daniel Baldwin’s character because he was able to come right out and say what he himself believes. Oof.
I highly encourage the curious to avoid Death Kiss. Watch a real Bronson movie. Watch some Bronzi trailers or look at pictures of the guy to get your curiosity itch scratched. There’s no need to spend over 80 minutes watching a grand total of maybe 40 minutes worth of story told poorly and offensively.
The Package
As mentioned, the DVD has a commentary track from the many-hat-wearing Perez. But this is a very ugly film in content and in aesthetic, so I really can’t recommend people go out and buy this disc. It appears that an HD version of the film is rentable on some video on demand services, so you’ve got choices if you won’t heed my warnings and you have to check this film out for yourself.
And I’m Out.
Death Kiss is now available on DVD and VOD from Uncork’d Entertainment
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Criterion Review: Ingmar Bergman’s SAWDUST AND TINSEL
Power plays and degradation under the circus big top
If you can’t (or won’t) splurge on the magnificent Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema set Criterion released last month, you can celebrate the fact that they’re continuing to put out individual releases. After previously covering Scenes from a Marriage and The Virgin Spring, next up is 1953’s Sawdust and Tinsel, originally released stateside as The Naked Night. One of Bergman’s earlier films, it shows the roots of many of the themes that he would explore heavily in his later work.
Synopsis:
Ingmar Bergman presents the battle of the sexes as a ramshackle, grotesque carnival of humiliation in Sawdust and Tinsel, one of the master’s most vivid early works and his first of many collaborations with the great cinematographer Sven Nykvist. The story of the charged relationship between a turn-of-the-twentieth-century circus owner (Åke Grönberg) and his younger mistress (Harriet Andersson), a horseback rider in the traveling show, the film features dreamlike detours and twisted psychosexual power plays, making for a piercingly brilliant depiction of physical and spiritual degradation.
The circus is coming to town. Led by Ringmaster Albert Johansson (Ake Grönberg), they arrive in a small Swedish village that holds many memories for the man, being the place where he previously abandoned his wife Agda (Annika Tretow) and their two kids. Life on the road has taken its toll, dreams have been dashed, and he contemplates reconciling with the life he left behind. But this visit brings more strife as well as driving home the idea that you can’t go back again. At his side is his current partner Anne (Harriet Andersson), a young aspiring actress, insecure about the prospect of Albert reuniting with his family. Expressing this, he reaches out anyway, leaving Anna susceptible to her feelings of rejection, vulnerability, and the charms of local lothario Frans (Hasse Eckman), who maneuvers the situation to his own advantage, while further fueling the humiliation of Albert.
It’s a well-orchestrated scenario, replete with situations for various character studies. Set against the surreal backdrop of early 1900s Sweden, we visit this traveling big top and the denizens within. Life on the road has not been kind, leading to contemplation of the path not traveled for Albert. A man who is clearly invested in his own interests, he is carrying the shame of leaving his family behind, his position within the circus undermined by the lack of success and being looked down upon by real performers, a theater group. Even his own people subject him to scrutiny for his behavior. He has a girlfriend, Anne, who is with him not out of love but necessity. His career and way of life cause him to yearn for his old one as a shopkeeper, husband, and father. Compounding things is how his wife and children have done quite well in his absence, and his return rebuffed, adding to his humiliation, while also fracturing his relationship with Anne.
Sawdust and Tinsel certainly has a warped sensibility, and much of this comes from the dynamics and settings. Often dark in tone, there is a bleakness to proceedings that comes from the futility of the endeavors of Albert and co., efforts to take back what has been said or done, or avoid further degradation and pain. The early 1900 setting lends well to ornate compositions; circus aesthetics, makeup, and elaborate routines and costumes give the whole things a surreal vibe, one amplified by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, who would go on to have a long and successful collaboration with Bergman. Grönberg stands out as this weary circus master. Andersson too, with her portrayal as a timid soul trying to play the game, and falling afoul herself. Anders Ek and Gudrun Brost also stand out as a husband and wife who hold Albert to even more scrutiny. These characters are all dealing with issues past and present. Rejection and betrayal, failure and embarrassment. The dynamics, notably focused around gender and control, or personal and professional success, make for a engrossing study. One that verges on the masochistic at times, but is always rooted in a raw truth.
The Package
Older black and white films always highlight a variety of sins when it comes to hi-def releases, a challenge Criterion usually rises to with aplomb. They do so yet again with this Blu-ray. A sharp and detailed transfer showcases deep blacks and impressive contrast. The film looks natural, not artificially processed, maintaining a natural grain and character. Special features are a little thin on the ground compared to some Criterion releases, but still of good quality:
- Introduction: Presented here is a vintage introduction to Sawdust and Tinsel, which Ingmar Bergman recorded for journalist Marie Nyrerod in 2003. In Swedish, with optional English subtitles.
- Commentary — archival audio commentary recorded by film scholar and author Peter Cowie for Criterion’s 2007 DVD release of Sawdust and Tinsel: A deep dive into various aspects of the film, the seeds for themes and ideas that populate his latter filmography, and with a notable focus on the burgeoning relationship between Bergman and his cinematographer Nyqvist. He also touches on some of the more negative reception the film encountered upon its original release.
- Leaflet — an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic John Simon and technical credits: The standard Criterion liner booklet which has a nicely composed piece on the film, as well as details on the restoration.
The Bottom Line
It’s early in his career, but Sawdust and Tinsel serves as an accomplished reminder of the filmmaker’s talents, as well as a foundation for much of Bergman’s future filmography, one replete with enthralling performances and situations, as we follow a man through a gauntlet of humiliation. Imbued with a sense of unease and unpredictability, it’s fascinating storytelling, given new life by this Criterion release.
Sawdust and Tinsel is available via Criterion from December 18th, 2018.
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Two Cents Wins the West (and Closes Out 2018) with BLAZING SADDLES
Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
With his patented blend of razor sharp satire and barn-door-broad slapstick, Mel Brooks delivered a kill-shot to the traditional Western with 1974’s Blazing Saddles, one that was every bit as devastating to the venerable, out-dated genre as the machine gun bullets tearing apart the Wild Bunch.
With Blazing Saddles, Brooks not only rode roughshod over every cliche and over-used plot device that the Western had to offer, but his parody also bluntly addressed the racist underpinnings of many of the great myths of the Wild West, and even tacitly addressing how those same myths and that same racism was curdling society in 1974.
Blazing Saddles was hugely controversial upon release, due both to the usage of the n-word, the presence of Richard Pryor as one of the screenwriters (he was initially also going to play Bart, but the studio balked and Cleavon Little was cast instead), and the then-unprecedented level of filth in the film’s comedy. John Wayne famously turned down a role, telling Brooks that the film was just too dirty for his clean-cut family brand. But The Duke did promise Brooks that he would be the first person in line to see it.
Through the years, Blazing Saddles has continued to be beloved as both a comedy classic and one of the few mainstream American comedies willing and able to bluntly handle the deeply racist history of this country and its entertainment. The non-stop use of the n-word has ensured that Blazing Saddles will probably always remain contested and debated, while the seemingly endless reserves of iconic comedy moments (most notoriously the farting cowboys) ensures that Blazing Saddles will continue to be giggled over for as long as we can laugh about movies.
Blazing Saddles was released in the same year as Young Frankenstein, maybe the single greatest 1–2 punch from any comedic filmmaker ever (it’s one of the great runs of any filmmaker, period). These represented not only a creative peak for Brooks, but they were also the last of his collaborations with Gene Wilder, a creative partnership that brought the best out of both men. As we close out a year that at times has seemed as farcical as this parody (and at other times far uglier than the exaggerated world of this film), we thought Blazing Saddles would provide the perfect capstone.
Onwards, and here’s hoping for a near-future where Blazing Saddles stops seeming so goddamn relevant.
Next Week’s Pick:
See you folks in 2019!
Our Guests
Nick Spacek:
There are three films I’ve seen more than any others: Animal House, The Blues Brothers, and Blazing Saddles. I blame my dad, as these were all movies which played in near-constant rotation on TBS and WGN when I was growing up. As they are my dad’s favorite movies (along with the Steve McQueen chase-filled extravaganza, Bullitt), if they were on when he was home and flipping channels, we watched them. Didn’t matter where the film was, we watched it all the way to the end. Strangely, this means that I didn’t actually hear the bean-eating scene until I was probably into my 20th viewing or so, somewhere around 13. Prior to that, it was my brother and I doing our own sound effects, and I still kind of prefer that. I still think the Mongo scenes are the height of comedy, and will gleefully take any opportunity to use “What in the Wide, Wide World of Sports is goin’ on here?” in casual conversation. Thanks, dad. (@nuthousepunks)
The Team
Blazing Saddles has been one of my favorite comedies for as long as I can remember, and it still makes me laugh like an absolute goon. While there are a number of gags that were clearly designed in reaction to very 1974-specific events in culture and that now fall sort of flat, Blazing Saddles succeeds so wildly at creating its own cartoon reality that you just roll with these moments as just one more piece of the absurd.
As with Young Frankenstein, Brooks has a keen eye for how to lacerate a genre because he clearly has enormous affection for it. You can tell that this is someone who came up with a steady diet of Westerns, and he knows exactly how the rhythms of these stories are meant to play. But there’s also real anger behind that script, and it’s not surprising that the Western was more or less abandoned in popular cinema after this, and that all Westerns made after must in some way account for the savaging Brooks gave the genre.
As either a merry goof or a furious screed, Blazing Saddles remains aces, and I have no doubt it will remain a beloved fixture of my viewing habits for as long as I watch movies. (@theTrueBrendanF)
Mel Brooks can boast a handful of legitimate film masterpieces in his directorial ouevre, which is a proud claim for anyone, much less a director whose output consists entirely of comedies. Blazing Saddles fits comfortably into this category, an anarchic comedy that parodies ones of the creakiest of genres, the Western, yet feels incredibly fresh — with more than a bit of vicious of social satire (thanks in part to script input by Richard Pryor).
Some of Brooks’ films have lost a bit of their edge or hilarity over time, but for the most part Blazing Saddles is still razor-sharp despite being one of his oldest offerings. Aside from a couple references that no longer carry (the running gag referencing Hedy Lamarr is all but lost on modern audiences; the actress was already long retired when the film was made), this is still volatile and often very funny stuff. Most obviously, the ebullient racial satire is still appallingly relevant, but there’s also a melodiousness to the dialogue that gives it a charming and quotable quality. (@VforVashaw)
Watching a Mel Brooks film is always a treat! While Blazing Saddles doesn’t rank as highly for me as History of the World Part I, Young Frankenstein, or Robin Hood: Men in Tights, it’s still a damn blast. A good dose of social commentary is blended into a ton of slapstick humor and the result is a film that manages to say a little something while being big, dumb fun.
From start to finish, this one puts a big smile on my face. A pretty damn great way to wrap up this column for 2018. (@thepaintedman)
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PEPPERMINT Lets Down Its Lead [Blu Review]
Nothing can save this screenplay
Jennifer Garner didn’t need Peppermint in order to secure her action heroine bona fides.
Having gotten her start as the lead of Alias (a show I’ve never really seen but which is, by all accounts, pretty kick ass), then being the face of Marvel character Elektra on the big screen across two different films… Garner is perhaps best known as a tough, capable woman on screen. Sure, she’s also made a name for herself as a romantic comedy lead (13 Going On 30) and as a dramatic actor (Juno), but those action hero roots have never been too far below the surface.
And she gives it her all to play Riley North in Peppermint.
With the same sinewy muscles and pulsing veins demanded of our modern male action heroes, Garner is flat out shredded and ready to do some damage in this film. She also gets to dabble in her other wheelhouse as loving mother and wife before a bunch of gangsters mow down her husband and daughter and she re-emerges five years later as a vengeance-fueled angel of death.
But no matter how hard Garner was willing to go, there’s not really any saving Peppermint. The script is simply too far gone. And that’s a shame.
It’s a shame because when Peppermint is doing what it does best, which is taking a page out of John Wick’s book and letting Riley North lay waste to hordes of villains by murking them in the face at close range with heavy weaponry, the movie springs to life and has fun with itself. If all you want to see is Jennifer Garner turning some bad guys into viscera, you can probably stop reading and go check out Peppermint. Because you’re going to get that. Hell, if I weren’t writing this myself, that would be me… I would stop reading and just go check this movie out. I don’t need much more than that.
It’s just that there’s so much movie to wade through to get to the killer action sequences. And even then they aren’t directed with much inspiration by Pierre Morel (Taken). They just harken back to the more glorious experiences they are referencing, such as your John Wicks or your Indonesian flavors of action carnage. That said, Morel most likely isn’t the source of the film’s great problems. He’s capable enough.
No, Peppermint has a script problem. Writer Chad St. John brought us London Has Fallen (which I more or less loathe myself for enjoying) and the upcoming Keanu Reeves sci-fi film Replicas (which does not bode well for Replicas, but I’ll withhold pre-judgment). His take on vigilante justice as meted out by Jennifer Garner just doesn’t sit right. For one thing, we’ve all seen this a million times before, and this time around is no different. We spend a whole bunch of time with Riley and family pre-massacre. This is probably supposed to allow us to root for her, see her humanity, etc. But it feels like wasted time as we all know where it’s leading. Then, bizarrely, the movie skips the entire 5 years of Riley’s transformation from soccer mom to killing machine. So we get a whole lot of mom, and a whole lot of ripped shoulder muscles, but the two pieces feel like they don’t fit together. There’s a lot of drama around corrupt cops and judges, and there’s a very one-dimensional Latin gang all at the root of the tragedy that befalls Riley. It feels righteous here in 2018 to see Riley offing corrupt cops and judges… but the optics do feel unfortunate in that most of the people she is blowing away are foot soldiers for a Latino cartel offshoot in L.A. Then there’s the whole superhero angle where Riley uses Skid Row as her batcave of sorts, and where all the homeless people there paint murals of her and regard her as some kind of angel. Everything regarding the homeless population feels cartoonish. As though all Skid Row really needs to clean up its act is a pissed off mom with guns. I’m not sure how that resolves… really ANY of the issues facing those on skid row? Then a couple of “street scamps” become crucial to the final showdown, and a whole live streaming YouTube celebrity culture type deal rises up around Riley and you start rolling your eyes into the back of your skull. Peppermint does absolutely nothing new, and then when it does add in internet chatter around Riley and her vigilantism, it’s about the most annoying way to possibly try to modernize societal discourse around vigilantism.
There are gems and moments to find and enjoy in Peppermint. Jennifer Garner truly goes to herculean efforts to carry this thing on her shoulders. But the inevitability and cheese that’s slathered all over the screenplay lets Garner down at every turn. And the gleeful R-rating which alludes to John Wick similarly falls victim to a paint-by-numbers storyline that keeps viewers at a distance. Just looking over 2018’s action films there are almost half a dozen that prominently feature kick ass women and far exceed Peppermint in quality, so go check out Manhunt or The Night Comes For Us or Hotel Artemis or Molly or Buybust before you bother with Peppermint.
The Package
I am willing to say that at times the movie looks great. There’s some solid lighting that Morel is working with, he does an adequate job framing the action so we know it’s Jennifer Garner doing a lot of it, and there’s some smart choices like slow motion in the right places, etc. It’s not a horrendous movie. Just a misguided one with a script that doomed it from the start. So I’ve seen much worse-looking movies on Blu-ray, and that is saying something. Morel has a commentary track on this disc on which he sounds capable and assured even if this movie is no Taken. There’s also a short featurette, and that’s all you’re getting with this release. Peppermint feels like a rental at best for those too curious about the Jennifer Garner as Jane Wick formula to stay away (those just like me). I don’t see many needing to own this title, however, and I myself am unlikely to ever revisit.
And I’m Out.
Peppermint is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from STX Films and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
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Two Cents Jams with Kurt Russell’s Santa Claus During THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES
Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
Given the sheer tonnage of product that Netflix releases at a near-constant clip, it’s not all that out of the ordinary for them to drop a trailer, or an entire show/movie, and for the collective Internet to look up in confusion going, “Wait, that’s a thing?”
But perhaps no thing has made us pause and go “Wait, what?” as severely as The Christmas Chronicles, starring Kurt “Shake the Pillars of Heaven” Russell as Santa Claus. He, uh, he puts his own spin on it.
Yes, the once and forever Snake Plissken is no traditional Santa. This St. Nick keeps himself trim (and resents the pot-belly he always gets drawn with), hollers “Fake news!”, refuses to drop a “Ho Ho Ho”, and, if pressed, will launch into impromptu musical numbers accompanied by E Street Band members. As you do.
But The Christmas Chronicles, from director Clay Kaytis (an animation guy, making the move to live action after directing the Angry Birds movie, The Angry Birds Movie) is less about Santa Claus than it is about two kids from Lowell, Massachusetts who sneak into his sled one night. Teenager Teddy (Judah Lewis) and 10-year-old Kate (Darby Camp) used to be close, but their relationship has grown fraught after the death of their father. After accidentally crashing Santa’s sleigh over Chicago, the siblings need to put aside their bickering and help Santa recover his reindeer, presents, and magic hat before Christmas arrives.
Since the film’s debut, Netflix declared that over 20 million people have already watched The Christmas Chronicles, so we expect we’ll see this particular Santa again. But while we wait for our own Yule time to begin, let’s kick back and discuss whether or not this particular ride ever gets off the ground.
Next Week’s Pick:
It’s been a tumultuous year, so let’s finish off with a film that enables us to laugh at the craziness that is America, while remaining as piercing and dead-on in its assessment of race relations as any film ever made.
Blazing Saddles is streaming on Netflix.
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review twocents(at)cinapse.co anytime before midnight on Thursday!
The Team
When I heard about a movie with Kurt Russell playing Santa Claus, I was immediately excited at the proposition. The very idea of the incredible genre master portraying the Christmas icon immediately placed the film in the “must see” column. And, thankfully, both Russell and the film deliver in spades.
In a film that’s sure to be an annual watch for my family, we get a perfect blend of over-the-top madness, Christmas spirit, and well-executed genre filmmaking. The jokes land, the musical number is fantastic, and somehow even the bizarre CGI elves work. It’s a film that is for the entire family and is sure to bring smiles to man, many exhausted faces this holiday season! (@thepaintedman)
Look, regardless of whether the movie is any good or not (which…eh), Kurt Russell looks like he’s having a lot of fun, and I’m sure he got paid a whole bunch. And, really, isn’t Kurt Russell’s happiness the most important thing? Yes, yes it is.
As for the movie itself? Eh. I’m an easy mark for Christmas fluff, but The Christmas Chronicles frequently abandons Russell’s Santa so it can instead spend lots of time on two kids grappling with their grief over their dead dad and their animosity towards each other, and the tonal whiplash between those scenes and the ones with Kurt Russell doing Bruce Springsteen-esque musical numbers in jail, or the wacky CGI elves and their chainsaws and blowtorches, it’s enough to make your head spin. The movie also tries to goose the very simple straightforward stakes of “We have to save Christmas!” with the threat that if Santa doesn’t deliver his presents, the world is in danger of plunging into global conflicts (that’s right kids: the Holocaust happened because Santa missed a year) which is just weird.
I wish The Christmas Chronicles had recognized its own strengths and placed the emphasis more on the Russell end of things, but the film is a pleasant enough addition to the seasonal viewing if you are worn out on the Rankin-Bass specials and Love, Actually and/or Die Hard rewatches. (@theTrueBrendanF)
Every year seems to bring a new wave of awful, forgettable, samey-samey Christmas movies. The Christmas Chronicles could’ve been one of these. It has some of those “hallmarks” — predictable family drama, flat digital cinematography, and it’s made for TV/DTV (albeit via Netflix).
But there’s two things that make it stand out: Kurt Russell is having a ton of fun and the so is the movie. This sarcastic, kinda hip Santa Claus is a fresh take on the character that wouldn’t work without the right actor in the role, and Russell knocks it out of the park — the jailhouse rock scene in particular is destined to become iconic. This Santa had me grinning, and I was on board by the time the goofy elves showed up for a bizarre left turn.
The Christmas Chronicles will definitely become a perennial viewing, and has the makings of a new Christmas classic. (@VforVashaw)
Watch it on Netflix:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80199682
Next week’s pick:
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Screen Comparisons — Criterion’s New 4K Restoration of SOME LIKE IT HOT vs the 2011 Blu-ray
Billy Wilder’s outrageous middle finger to the Hays Code has never looked better — see for yourself!
This article contains several comparisons which contrast the older MGM Blu-ray transfer with the new Criterion restoration. The frames aren’t necessarily exact matches, but should give a solid indication of the visual differences.
1959 — what an incredible year for film. Fun fact – North By Northwest, Sleeping Beauty, and Some Like It Hot, all three among our most enduring classics, were all released that year, and not one of them even nominated for Best Picture (though the incredible Ben-Hur was the big winner that year, so I’m not too broken up about it).
Some Like It Hot may be my favorite of the bunch. I first watched this one as a kid and stuck with me — it was the most “modern” feeling black and white film I’d ever seen — it was dangerous, funny, and sexy, with mean gangsters and an outrageous cross-dressing scheme, and of course I fell in love with Marilyn.
I didn’t realize it at that time, but that modern sensation that I latched onto was the blow that broke the Hollywood Production Code. This isn’t just one of the greatest comedies of all time, but also one of the most historically significant.
Criterion’s new Blu-ray of this classic film boasts a stunning new 4K digital restoration that absolutely blows away the prior Blu-ray release: sharper, clearer, full of gorgeously rendered grain, and framed closer to the published original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.
The Screencaps
The film’s opening sequences with the gangsters feature a lot of noirish, low-light photography. The new transfer brings so much more clarity to these scenes, not only with increased sharpness but bringing more visibility in the darker environments.
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion One big difference in the transfers is the framing and aspect ratios. The old transfer was slightly inset, grabbing more of the frame but not filling out the full width of 1.85. Criterion’s transfer spreads out to fill your TV with some vertical loss (note the bottom two buttons of Tony Curtis’s coat). I like this impulse to fill out the width, but I’m a bit perplexed that Criterion’s transfer put black bars on the top and bottom (however slight). This is my sole complaint, and it’s a minor one.
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion Out, damn spot! Criterion’s digital restoration process cleans up imperfections in the print while resolutely defending the integrity of the image. I don’t know if these transfers were commonly sourced, or whether most the blemishes on the older print were on the original materials or introduced digitally, but I can say without question that the the new transfer is certainly cleaner. Here’s an isolated frame highlighting some differences. Obviously these are very tiny, practically insignificant blemishes, and only visible for a fraction of a second, but the additive impact in motion is one of overall better image fidelity and less visual noise on the new edition.
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion Close-ups demonstrate a considerable boost in textures in skin and clothing.
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion A few more shots just to get an overall sense of the film in general — improved clarity, better texture, beautiful grain, and Marilyn has never looked more stunning.
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion 
Top: 2011 MGM Disc // Bottom: New Criterion
Special Features
Criterion’s edition ports over most of the features from the prior edition, and adds some new ones, but there’s one notable omission that might make fans consider hanging on to their MGM discs — that disc’s audio commentary, assembled from interviews with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, paired with modern commentators Paul Diamond, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandell, didn’t make the jump.
Here’s the full list of special features, as provided by Criterion:
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- Audio commentary from 1989 featuring film scholar Howard Suber
- New short program on Orry-Kelly’s costumes for the film, featuring costume designer and historian Deborah Nadoolman Landis and costume historian and archivist Larry McQueen
- Three behind-the-scenes documentaries
- Appearances by director Billy Wilder on The Dick Cavett Show from 1982
- Conversation from 2001 between actor Tony Curtis and film critic Leonard Maltin
- French television interview from 1988 with actor Jack Lemmon
- Radio interview from 1955 with actor Marilyn Monroe
- Trailer
- PLUS: An essay by author Sam Wasson
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
If you enjoy reading Cinapse, purchasing items through our affiliate links can tip us with a small commission at no additional cost to you.Except where noted, all 16:9 screen images in this review are direct captures from the disc(s) in question with no editing applied, but may have compression or resizing inherent to file formats and Medium’s image system. All package photography was taken by the reviewer.
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Two Cents Sings THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS
Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
Joel and Ethan Coen have always been content to keep their heads down and never reveal too much about a given project until it is ready to be seen, but The Ballad of Buster Scruggs was an unusually mysterious prospect before finally arriving on Netflix last month. Initially billed as the Coen Brothers’ first foray into television (minus a producing-in-name-only credit on FX’s Fargo series), eager fans were surprised to learn that the series was actually a film, an anthology of Western stories with little to no (obvious) connections between those tales.
Those stories include: the eponymous Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson), a singing and dancing goof with a shocking capacity for bloodshed; “Near Algodones”, in which a cowboy (James Franco) blunders through misadventures following a failed bank robbery; “Meal Ticket”, in which an aging Impresario (Liam Neeson) and his fading, limbless Artist (Harry Melling) struggle for an audience; “All Gold Canyon”, in which a prospector (Tom Waits) toils in an idyllic valley in the hope of stumbling over fortune; “The Gal Got Rattled”; in which a withdrawn young woman (Zoe Kazan) comes into her own on a wagon train; and “The Mortal Remains”, in which two supposed bounty hunters (Brendan Gleeson, Jonjo O’Neill) explain their trade to a carriage of entranced/terrified passengers.
The stories range in length (some are in-and-out within 15 minutes, the longest stretches to around 40), tone (some are silly with notes of pitch darkness, others are bleak as midnight but shot through with silliness), and look (Bruno Delbonnel’s cinematography ranges from eye-popping color and grandeur to desaturated and uncomfortably intimate). Everyone who watches the film seems to come away with a different favorite segment and different favorite character, while some (in the way of all Coen Brothers films) have rejected the film at first hand.
So what say you? Is The Ballad of Buster Scruggs a new landmark in the filmography of those ever-mischievous Coens, or is this one trick too many?
Next Week’s Pick:
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review twocents(at)cinapse.co anytime before midnight on Thursday!
Our Guests
Nate Merrill:
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs deserves multiple Oscars and other awards. It was amazing. The music, color and pacing was perfectly timed to allow for feeling and connection. The characters were dirty (except for Buster of course) and alive. I was drawn into their lives only (this is a Coen Brothers film) to have them abruptly taken from me.
This film was both peaceful, tragic, wonderful and horrible all at the same time. It was hopeful yet bleak. I came away from it feeling calm and sad. At one with life and the inevitable nature of death.
I just finished and am ready to watch it again.
The Team
Lately, I’ve read a rash of comments from so-called film folks about how certain movies are “good for a Netflix movie” and it reeks of cinematic snobbery. You see, I can condone some snobbery when warranted. For instance, beer snobbery is wholly acceptable because shitty beer is… well… shitty. However, unfounded and unjust snobbery is infuriating and saying something is “good for a Netflix movie” is clearly that.
With an already strong track record, Netflix continues to fund films from a variety of great up-and-comers, but has really sought out some Hollywood heavy hitters as of late. If there is one criticism to make of the Netflix model, it may be that they give their hired guns too much control. However, it’s the freedom they give filmmakers to do what they want that attracts filmmakers and inspires incredible creativity.
While my experiences with the Coens are hit and miss, I definitely enjoyed my experience with this one — albeit distracted by chores and this busy time of year — and hope to revisit it with when I can give it true undivided attention. It has the potential of being a top 2–3 Coen film for me. (@thepaintedman)
Like any anthology, Buster Scruggs has its ups and downs, though the quality disparity is muted given that this is the Coen Bros. we are talking about and with only a couple glaring exceptions, they are as reliably terrific as any filmmaking team in the medium’s history. For me personally, I found that the James Franco episode was more of a sketch than a fully-fleshed out story, while the Zoe Kazan/wagon train one was the only story that felt poorly suited to this format: Too long to fit with the other plots, too short to fully flesh out its own. But even with these quibbles, both sequences have moments of tremendous humor (“PAN SHOT!”) and heartbreak (the ending of “Gal”) that put other feature films to shame.
And while Buster Scruggs initially seems like little more than a collection of B-sides and oddities, reflecting on the film as a whole reveals a unity of theme and cohesiveness of structure that’s slyly genius. The early stories treat death as an abstract punchline, while the middle tales begin to truly tally the weight of bloodshed and the melancholy of loss. By that final stagecoach ride through an abstract Western landscape, we’ve arrived at a world beyond our own, left to drift in the metaphysical mysteries that are so entrancing for their lack of resolution. Buster Scruggs at first struck me as something of a lark for Joel and Ethan, but I haven’t been able to shake the film since seeing it, and I imagine I’ll be rewatching individual stories, and the film entire, for years to come. (@theTrueBrendanF)
Any anthology will invariably have its ups and downs, the odd part of this one is the tonal differences across the board.
The comedic entries are a hoot. I had plenty of hearty laughs with Tim Blake Nelson’s gaudy gunslinger and James Franco’s bad-luck bandit, and the foes they encountered (among them Clancy Brown and Stephen Root).
Those good times were followed by a shift into more dramatic territory, starting with my least favorite of the bunch, the brooding tale of a limbless sideshow performer — no doubt a sober look at the plight of being disabled, but pretty damn depressing and more than a little mean-spirited.
Things take off again with the next pair of vignettes, featuring Tom Waits as a gold prospector staking his claim, and Zoe Kazan as a lonely woman who sets off on a wagon train. These were both really wonderful, fully pulling me into each story and the drama of the characters and their plot twists despite the relatively short runtimes.
The final tale isn’t so much a complete story or plot as it is simply an assemblage of characters: a handful of different (and odd) folks trapped in a stagecoach making conversation together as they make their destination: an uptight biddy, a verbose mountain man, an agreeable Frenchman, and a pair of bounty hunters. All in all, it’s a curious watch and probably good one to end with.
On the whole, taking this as a series of shorts, most of them are terrific and one was a big dud. Taken together, the tonal mishmash is a bit strange but the connective bumpers showing chapters of a book help ease the transition — and the text offers some additional insight to those who pause with cause. (@VforVashaw)
Next week’s pick:
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ALL THE DEVIL’S MEN: An Action Star Vehicle For Mel Gibson’s Son Milo
It’s unremarkable
Several years back, I caught a little movie called The Veteran that I quite enjoyed. It starred Toby Kebbell, whom I love and who has come into his own recently as a motion capture actor among many other things. When I saw the recent trailer for All The Devil’s Men, the presence of Milo Gibson in the starring role really caught my eye because of his striking resemblance to his father Mel. When I looked into the project and saw that Matthew Hope (the writer/director of The Veteran) also served in the same capacity on this film, I was curious enough to check this title out.
All The Devil’s Men is an action thriller set in the shadowy world of CIA operatives, private mercenaries, and international intrigue. It’s a globetrotting thriller that features a wide array of espionage tropes such as tough guys who “only work alone” and who are constantly attempting to one-up each other when they’re inevitably forced to work together. There’s a charmingly strong cast playing with these ingredients here, including Blade Runner 2049’s Sylvia Hoeks playing Leigh, our hero Collins’ handler. William Fichtner also plays a significant role as Brennan, a field agent with questionable loyalties. Gibson makes little impression one way or another as Collins. He’s physically impressive enough to fit the action star mold, and his eyes are shockingly reminiscent of his father’s. At times you see some of the spark that propelled Mel into international stardom. Other times he’s more of a blank slate. Much like the film itself, Milo Gibson never quite veers into “bad” territory, but he also never rises above the pack to truly distinguish himself.
The plot involves a true believer type of free agent dealer who is trying to sell some kind of nuclear device on the open market. The movie smartly avoids the Islamic terrorism angle and makes the threat more of an internal one. Gibson’s Collins is trying to stop the sale at all costs, and lots of double and triple crosses will happen before it all resolves. Hope’s script and direction do an adequate job of playing in the playground of all of these high tech spy thrillers, but never really breaks out to be something distinctive or singular. It’s a forgettable and adequate jaunt.
In the end, I can’t say that I particularly recommend All The Devil’s Men. There’s not a lot of direct criticism I can lay upon it except that some 2 days after watching it I really struggled to recall anything noteworthy or memorable about the whole project. It goes down easy as a slick low budget espionage film, but won’t leave you much to chew on once the mission is complete. Because it never veers into outright awful territory, I will say that I’ll keep my eye out for future projects from both writer/director Matthew Hope and Milo Gibson as well. Those as intrigued as I was by the gathering of talent around this film could do a lot worse than to give it a spin and decide for themselves what they think.
And I’m Out.
All The Devil’s Men is available theatrically on Dec. 7th, 2018 and exclusively on DirecTV Dec. 8th from Saban Films, Lionsgate, and DirecTV.
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ZOMBIE: Screen Comparisons Reveal Superior New Blu Release
Lucio Fulci’s quintessential grindhouse classic Zombie AKA Zombi 2 AKA Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979) hit Blu-ray in a stunning new 4K restoration from the original camera negatives thanks to Blue Underground. The Italian gore-fest that was originally intended simply as a quasi-sequel/prequel to George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead was a modest success on its original 42nd Street release. But over the years, thanks to Fulci’s visceral and audacious take on origin of the zombie outbreak, it’s earned a surprisingly loyal following among horror fans, who have had to deal with heavily censored versions or finding a copy at all. This is thanks to the film being classified as a Video Nasty or some countries just outright banning it in its Wizard Video VHS heyday, which has only added to the film’s mystique.
Zombie, for those that have never seen it, begins in the New York harbor, where an abandoned ship drifts toward the shore. It’s boarded by the police only to find the sole occupant a zombie who tears into the jugular of one of the officers. This attack triggers a series of events in keeping with the traditions of the genre, as we discover the boat belonged to a missing scientist. His daughter Anne (Tisa Farrow), after finding a note aboard the craft, travels with journalist Peter West (Ian McCulloch) to the mysterious cursed island of Matul in search of her father, where they meet Dr. David Menard (Richard Johnson). Menard has been researching ancient voodoo rites and the living dead who are slowly taking over the island in an attempt to understand and replicate the phenomenon. Almost as soon as Anne discovers the fate of her father, who was overtaken by the same affliction, the island is quickly overrun, and Anne and Peter must fight their way back to their boat.
Zombie was probably best known for its legendary scene featuring a stuntman zombie fighting a live tiger shark that was added without Fulci’s consent, and it’s still hard to watch the eye gouging scene. But over the last few years the film been sort of reappraised by film scholars. This is thanks not only to Fulci’s overall vision for the film, but Fabio Frizzi’s score, which is also included on CD with this release. Its iconic droning rhythms add an ambiance of doom to the already nihilistic narrative at hand. Zombie is easily one of my favorites of the crowded zombie sub-genre, thanks to everything I mentioned above and the striking zombie creature designs that were definitely something that originated here. The creatures are just caked in dirt and makeup, and it’s a very unique look that oddly enough with the zombie boom was never replicated.
Now I am going to be completely honest here, because I know why you’re probably reading this review. When Bill Lustig announced this 4K restoration, to be released on Blu-ray, I was more than a bit apprehensive wondering why they were choosing to release this film on Blu-ray again. But seeing is believing here folks. It’s definitely very apparent, even comparing the previous 2K Blue Underground disc, that a tremendous amount of work was done here. The first thing that becomes readily apparent is the film has been color corrected and a white balance has been applied to throughout, getting rid of that murky brownish tint that plagued the previous B.U. disc. Outdoor scenes are brighter and colors are more vibrant, and the film has a much more balanced contrast throughout.
Check out some examples below:
Top: Blue Underground 2k Remaster Blu-ray – Bottom: New 4K Remaster
Top: Blue Underground 2k Remaster Blu-ray — Bottom: New 4K Remaster
Top: Blue Underground 2k Remaster Blu-ray — Bottom: New 4K Remaster
Top: Blue Underground 2k Remaster Blu-ray — Bottom: New 4K Remaster
Top: Blue Underground 2k Remaster Blu-ray — Bottom: New 4K Remaster
Top: Blue Underground 2k Remaster Blu-ray — Bottom: New 4K Remaster
The biggest and most pleasing change with this new scan, since it’s been almost a decade since the previous disc, is a staggering new clarity to the image. Don’t mistake this for just someone turning up the sharpness all the way in the previous transfer either; there are plenty of details that were previously lost that are now present, like Tisa Farrow’s freckles, compared to the previous scan where her face just appeared to be a flesh colored mess. In the infamous eye gouging scene with Olga Karlatos, you can see every bead of sweat coming down her face and every jagged splinter of the razor-sharp piece of wood coming her way. That clarity is present throughout the film, which comparing the two releases you can see they really went back and not only scanned the film 4K, but cleaned it up and tweaked it a bit as well.
Given the extras and this new transfer, this may be the last time you need to buy Zombie on physical media. Having seen the film at numerous rep screenings, usually screened with a battered faded print, I can honestly say the film has never looked this good. Given the quality of this transfer, and the source, even if the film was put on UHD I think the difference here would be almost unnoticeable. Blue Underground has crafted a disc that feels less like a double dip with a new slipcover or steelbook and more like a definitive release that fans should feel good about picking up for once. The added soundtrack is a nice touch and only help makes this a comprehensive package, one I feel like a lot of genre fans will be seeing under the tree this holiday season.
Disc 1 (Blu-ray) Feature Film + Extras:
·NEW! Audio Commentary #1 with Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films
·Audio Commentary #2 with Star Ian McCulloch and Diabolik Magazine Editor Jason J. Slater
·NEW! When The Earth Spits Out The Dead — Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci
·Theatrical Trailers
· TV Spots
·Radio Spots
·Poster & Still Gallery
·Guillermo del Toro Intro
Disc 2 (Blu-ray) 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
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Criterion Review: Unboxing INGMAR BERGMAN’S CINEMA
A look at the release honoring the director’s 100th birthday
Sometimes it’s hard to truly appreciate the contribution of a filmmaker to cinema. You can recall films and moments, but to take in the scale of a long career brimming with achievement is harder to grasp. Well, Criterion have paid tribute to the Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman on what would have been his 100th birthday, with an imposing, monolithic release that serves as a hefty and yet elegant reminder of his work. 39 films were selected from his prolific body of work, restored and arranged within this release as a film festival, organized around various themes and moments within his life and career. All this is supported by a host of extra features and a handsomely produced book to give further insights to his craft.
We’ll be delving into the release over the next month or so to give more detailed coverage, but for now, take a look at what is undoubtedly one of Criterion’s finest releases.
In honor of Ingmar Bergman’s one hundredth birthday, the Criterion Collection is proud to present the most comprehensive collection of his films ever released on home video. One of the most revelatory voices to emerge from the postwar explosion of international art-house cinema, Bergman was a master storyteller who startled the world with his stark intensity and naked pursuit of the most profound metaphysical and spiritual questions. The struggles of faith and morality, the nature of dreams, and the agonies and ecstasies of human relationships — Bergman explored these subjects in films ranging from comedies whose lightness and complexity belie their brooding hearts to groundbreaking formal experiments and excruciatingly intimate explorations of family life.
Arranged as a film festival with opening and closing nights bookending double features and centerpieces, this selection spans six decades and thirty-nine films — including such celebrated classics as The Seventh Seal, Persona, and Fanny and Alexander alongside previously unavailable works like Dreams, The Rite, and Brink of Life. Accompanied by a 248-page book with essays on each program, as well as by more than thirty hours of supplemental features, Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema traces themes and images across Bergman’s career, blazing trails through the master’s unequaled body of work for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Special Features
- Thirty-nine films, including eighteen never before released by Criterion
- Digital restorations of the films, including a new 4K restoration of The Seventh Seal and new 2K restorations of Crisis, Persona, Fanny and Alexander, and many others, with uncompressed monaural and stereo soundtracks
- Eleven introductions by director Ingmar Bergman
- Six audio commentaries
- Over five hours of interviews with Bergman
- Interviews with Bergman’s collaborators, including actors Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson, Ingrid Bergman, Erland Josephson, Gunnel Lindblom, Liv Ullmann, and Max von Sydow and cinematographer Sven Nykvist
- Daniel and Karin’s Face, two rarely seen documentary shorts by Bergman
- Documentaries about the making of Autumn Sonata, Fanny and Alexander, The Magic Flute, The Serpent’s Egg, The Touch, and Winter Light
- Extensive programs about Bergman’s life and work, including Bergman Island, . . . But Film Is My Mistress, Laterna Magica, Liv & Ingmar, and others
- Behind-the-scenes footage, video essays, trailers, stills galleries, and more
- PLUS: A lavishly illustrated 248-page book, featuring essays on the films by critics, scholars, and authors including Cowie, Alexander Chee, Molly Haskell, Karan Mahajan, Fernanda Solórzano, and many others, along with selections from remarks and texts by Bergman himself
Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema is available now from Criterion
https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/1427-ingmar-bergman-s-cinema
