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SCARFACE (1932): A Proto Action, Pre-Code, Seminal Gangster Film Hits 4K [Criterion Review]
![SCARFACE (1932): A Proto Action, Pre-Code, Seminal Gangster Film Hits 4K [Criterion Review]](https://i0.wp.com/cinapse.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Scarface-Machine-Gun.jpg?resize=1140%2C855&ssl=1)
Criterion Collection “This picture is an indictment of gang rule in America and of the callous indifference of the government to this constantly increasing menace to our safety and our liberty. Every incident in this picture is the reproduction of an actual occurrence, and the purpose of this picture is to demand of the government: ‘What are you going to do about it?’ The government is your government. What are YOU going to do about it?”
Fascinatingly at war with itself, Howard Hawks’ massively influential gangster film kicks off with the above title cards (a bit of a “retweet ≠ endorsement” sentiment) before blasting us away with a wild and thrilling gangster epic that plays like a proto action film with chase scenes, gun battles, and even comedic one-liners. I won’t pretend to know a lot about 1930s Hollywood, but it seems that Scarface hitting in 1932 is very important to understanding the title cards and depictions of violence and avarice that Hawks displays here. From what I understand, the infamous “Hayes Code” was actually in place beginning in 1930, but wasn’t widely enforced until 1934. So here comes Scarface, right smack in the middle of that period, undoubtedly depicting a level of violence and sensuality that would not be allowed just a few years later, but also falling victim to some of the censorship that was to come. “This picture is an indictment” has to be telegraphed straight from the opening, but also Hawks was forced to add in some sequences and even a bastardized ending (which is thankfully only on this release as a bonus feature and not in the final cut of the film) where the state must explicitly punish our protagonist Tony Camonte (Paul Muni) for his sins.
Of course, this film would be remade 50 years later by Brian De Palma in the 1983 Al Pacino cocaine trade epic set in Miami. That film is much better known to today’s audiences and had its own incredible cultural impact, not the least of which is on hip hop culture. Having never seen this 1930s film before, but having grown up steeped in hip hop and gangster movies, I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much of not merely the ethos of the 1930s film, but direct references (“The World Is Yours”) have lived on from 1932’s historical work to, say, Nas.
But aside from the historical context stuff, which is pretty fascinating, Scarface stood out to me most as a rip roaring old Hollywood action film! I adore action cinema so deeply that it likely colors the lens through which I see a lot of life. But from what I understand thanks to some of Criterion’s aces bonus content on this disc, I’m not entirely wrong to view this as an action movie. Apparently Hawks’ funding for the film was coming partly from eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, and when Hughes saw speeding cars crashing and machine guns spitting, he told Hawks he wanted more and more and more of that!
Criterion Collection Paul Muni plays Tony Camonte as a larger than life, id-driven man-child who always knows what he wants and always does whatever it takes to get it, damn the consequences (nay, never even considering the consequences). An anti-hero to the extreme, we’re charmed by Tony’s pursuits just as we are by modern gangsters. We want to see his rise. The world IS his. But we also know being driven by id and taking everything around you for your own selfish pleasures leads to consequences. (Well, as I type this post 2024 election… maybe we don’t know this?) Fascinatingly, Johnny Lovo, the crime boss Tony is destined to eclipse from the moment we meet him, is played by Osgood Perkins; father of Anthony, grandfather of Longlegs director Oz. (Yet more real world cultural impact of Scarface).
Tony may or may not know he’s destined to cast aside his boss because he’s not much of a planner. But by the time Tony discovers the invention of the handheld machine gun, his iconic line “Get out of my way, Johnny, I’m gonna spit”, followed by childlike joy at unloading a machine gun, foretells Johnny’s doom and Tony’s violent rise. Also caught up in Tony’s conquests are Poppy (Karen Morley) as Johnny’s girl (for now), and ‘Cesca (Ann Dvorak), Tony’s sister and seeming unrequited love interest. Even Tony’s illiterate and comically idiotic “receptionist” Angelo (Vince Barnett) will get caught up in the consequences of Tony’s pursuits, but not before ensuring we get some bizarre comedic set pieces that further portend the era of Schwarzenegger comedy thrown into our violent action opuses.
Criterion Collection The rise and fall gangster epic is well trodden territory for us here in 2024. Hell, gangster cinema is its own subgenre. But there’s no doubt that Scarface, along with other 1930s films like Public Enemy and Little Caesar (which need to be next on my to watch list), built the template that we’re still rabidly consuming today. Special thanks to the Howards Hawks and Hughes for sparking the trend of “more, more, more” in our crime epics.
The Package
Scarface was one of those Criterion titles that came along which I chose to take on in order to expand my cinematic knowledge. In other words, I didn’t know much about it and decided to undertake this review as yet another opportunity to allow Criterion to “take me to school”. But homework cinema this is not, and I was greatly entertained by the movie itself, and not disappointed in the supplemental material that Criterion created for this release. The highlight is an extended conversation between author Megan Abbott and Bill Hader (the genius behind Barry). This is a lovely conversation simply lavishing praise upon the film, exploring its nooks and crannies, from people who know what they’re talking about. I learned a lot and enjoyed every second. You’ll also get a video essay about the use of sound and editing in the film from Lea Jacobs, and a liner notes essay from Imogen Sara Smith.
I did watch the 4K disc (the bonus features are on the Blu-ray disc), and while it looks pretty great for a film from 1932, I’m not sure my eye could tell how much the digital restoration benefitted from the 4K presentation.
And I’m Out.
Scarface hit 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Criterion on Nov. 12th, 2024.
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Once More into the Fray with GLADIATOR II – Spoiler Free!
Are you still entertained? (Yes, I Am)
(This review dances around a major plot point which is thinly veiled at best, and which most of you have probably already figured out – but hey, I’m doing my part to try to help you go in unspoiled).
It’s not something I would’ve ever expected to say, but – Gladiator II is here! 24 years after the original, an unlikely sequel has manifested. Like Blade Runner 2040, and to a lesser extent Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, it finds Ridley Scott returning to his roots and creating a rather unexpected – but in no way unwelcome – followup to one of his best films.
Gladiator II‘s arrival has been prefaced by some chuckle-worthy attempts to discredit its historical accuracy, as if anyone were under the impression it were anything but fiction. The original Gladiator is such a hallowed favorite and proven classic that I think people may have forgotten its tone and slightly elevated its sense of gravitas in our memory. It’s a gorgeous film, but in no way ponderous or pretentious – or particularly historical. It’s a very action-packed, very mainstream banger of a fictional narrative that happens to be set in ancient Rome around 180 AD.
In that tradition, Gladiator II mostly lives up to the original. While it’s not quite as good, this is a sequel that works, even if it probably shouldn’t.
Echoing aspects of the original film, the film is centered on a young man name Hanno (Paul Mescal) who lives in peace with is wife in North Africa. When the Romans, under the command of General Acacius (Pedro Pascal), attack his seaside city, he leads the desperate attempt to rebuff the invaders. But the city falls, his wife is killed, and he ends up captured and shipped to Rome, eventually catching the eye of the wily Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who purchases him and trains him as a gladiator.
Unsurprisingly, Denzel’s performance is a major highlight, and his role reminds me of some of the conniving characters in Game of Thrones, like Peter Baelish – he’s clearly a flawed person and in pursuit of his own personal ends, but despite being unquestionably slimy, his manner is nevertheless quite charming and good-humored, and a total pleasure to watch. It’s not immediately clear if he’s a friend or foe, but either way he has a certain allure.
Hanno’s tale echoes aspects of Maximus: a brave commander turned gladiator whose success in the arena will capture the attention and respect of the Roman people in a time of cruelty (now under the leadership of the twin emperors Geta and Caracalla, played with convincing detestability by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger.
As film goes on, his tale will intertwine more closely to the original – for the ghost of Maximus still holds power 20 year later. General Acacius, on whom Hanno has sworn revenge, is the husband of Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla, making her return. Lucilla sees the fighting spirit of Maximus in Hanno, but that’s pitted against his thirst for revenge against her own husband.
As with the original film, the violent action sequences both in and out of the arena are quite sensational, as is the score by Harry Gregson-Williams (taking the reins from Hans Zimmer).
The only aspect of the film that I felt didn’t even begin to live up to the original was in Hanno’s rapport with his fellow gladiators. Maximus developed palpable friendships with characters like those played by Djimon Hounsou and Ralf Moeller. Not only could you could see how he rose in stature to earn the admiration and devotion of his fellow fighters, but his companions were also some of the most enjoyable and lovable characters in the movie with genuine humor, rapport and pathos. Without this attention to the supporting characters, a similar arc in II feels limp and unearned by comparison.
No, Gladiator II isn’t as good as the original, but neither is it an unworthy followup. I enjoyed it immensely and the action alone makes this one to catch theatrically on the big screen.
A/V Out
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WICKED is the Perfect Rest Cure for an Exhausted Society
“Listen to me. You can do anything.”
I somewhat recall seeing Wicked on the stage in London for my birthday back in 2008. It was my first birthday living in that city and the biggest stage production I had ever seen in my life up to that point. My best friend, who was living in Oxford at the time, came over and treated us to some pretty good seats for the show I had heard so much about. However, apart from a single joke (which I was happy to see made it into the movie version), I remember virtually nothing from the experience; not the names of the characters, not the plot turns, not the cavalcade of songs. Every time I heard about Wicked in the years after, I couldn’t help but wonder why this was. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Wicked; I just flat-out couldn’t remember anything about it. Eventually, I just had to admit that, for whatever reason, it just wasn’t the time for me to absorb that story. Now, years later, the fact that Wicked has now emerged as one of the best of 2024 proves that time has come.
Based on both Gregory Maguire’s novel and the long-running stage musical, Wicked tells the story of how a young woman named Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) became known to everyone in the magical land of Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West. Beginning with her entrance into Shiz University, we see her and future Good Witch Glinda (Ariana Grande) become an unlikely pair of friends as they find themselves embarking on an adventure to see the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).
It’s a bit of an understatement to say that director Jon M. Chu was faced with one of the tallest orders in Hollywood when it came to adapting such a popular musical for the big screen. Yet, the director has seemed to pull it off at every turn. Wicked is the kind of lavish and thrilling movie spectacle everyone is hoping it would be. The musical numbers, which alternate between huge ballads and uptempo showstoppers, are positively sprawling. Each song is so well choreographed and takes place in a set more elaborate than the last while doing proper duty in moving the story along. The effects (practical and otherwise) have no chance of being outdone by the music as Oz has come to glorious life with a design that swallows the audience into that world from the very first shot. There has been some bemoaning (particularly from the 90-minute movie crowd) that at two hours and forty minutes, Wicked is too long of a movie to bear, especially when considering the fact that this is only the first part of the story. Make no mistake, Chu has got such a firm handle on the movie’s pacing, moving the proceedings along at just the right speed, that its nearly three-hour runtime feels like merely a fraction of that.
Wicked is so incredibly well-executed from top to bottom. Feelings of exuberance and exhilaration are at literally every turn for what is undeniably one of the most monumental movie experiences of the year. What’s most remarkable, however, is that within the large-scale world of Wicked, is a story full of intimate character moments. After being forced to room together, we initially see Elphaba and Glinda take a dislike to one another before an event happens. In one of the key moments of the film, we see both characters begin a transformation that changes not only who they are and how we now see them, but also alters the kind of movie we are now watching. As previously mentioned, the pair become friends, establishing a bond that quickly takes its place as one of the movie’s key driving forces. From then on, Wicked becomes a lesson in empathy, a movie that takes the time in the midst of all the fun to point out the value of actually exploring who a person really is versus who the world would assume them to be. These lessons flow throughout in a way that thankfully never ventures into the realm of self-righteousness, but instead are presented in ways that are both simple and honest.
Despite all of the movie’s plentiful delights, Wicked wouldn’t work without the right leads at the forefront, which it thankfully has. Erivo’s soulful performance shows just how much Elphaba has been carrying internally and the actress’ endlessly expressive eyes and mannerisms help us understand her character’s true self. She pairs well with Grande, who is a true marvel as Glinda, hitting every comedic beat with expert timing and delivery, while also giving her character genuine depth. Apart from a miscast Goldblum as the famous wizard, the rest of the supporting players, including Michelle Yeoh as the head of the university, Peter Dinklage voicing a professor who also happens to be a goat, and Jonathan Bailey as both girls’ love interest, all leave their mark and add to the overall enjoyment.
As someone who partakes in karaoke quite regularly, I can’t tell you how many renditions of “Defying Gravity” (arguably Wicked’s most famous song) have taken place in my presence. Yet much like my experience with the stage production, I never quite felt like I really heard the song. Despite seeing it performed by a variety of singers (including some of my own friends) I must have decided early on that it wasn’t for me. Typically, whenever someone got up to belt it out, I would either distract myself with my phone or head to the bar for another drink. Seeing the song be brought to glorious life on the screen made me actually listen to it for the first time and I finally heard what so many had before me. I finally heard the story of Wicked encapsulated in the music and lyrics, the sense of adventure, bravery, conviction, humanity, and the importance of the kind of bond that can exist between two friends which can never be overestimated.
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Movie Review: A REAL PAIN Is A Real Pleasure
Writer/Director/Star Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin Navigate Rocky Road of Comedy/Drama
Who’s in more pain: The guy who holds nothing back, or the guy who keeps everything inside?
If it seems odd for a comedy to have such a heavy question at its center, that’s all part of the magic trick that Jesse Eisenberg has pulled off as writer/director/star of A Real Pain. While it may seem counterintuitive to make a road comedy about a couple American cousins going on a Holocaust tour in Poland, Eisenberg’s film is attuned to the ways that laughter can percolate on the other side of discomfort and/or outright tragedy.
But A Real Pain is also very much aware of the ways in which the brightest smiles and broadest laughs can serve as masks for deep wells of feeling, a disparity it engages and provokes in dozens of different forms across its compact 90 minute runtime. The result is a small gem of a movie, consistent in its humor and boundlessly surprising in its humanity.
A Real Pain centers on two American cousins: David (Eisenberg) and Benjy (Kieran Culkin). Essentially raised as brothers, they’ve grown into two very different men: David is a happily married father, yet he walks through the world in a near-permanent flinch.
Benjy, meanwhile, is everything that David wants to be: Effortlessly charming and personable, able to make profound connections with other people in a matter of seconds. But that extroversion comes with its own downsides. Words spew out of Benjy’s mouth at a mile a minute pace, totally unfiltered and unencumbered by anything like social decorum. If David has closed himself off from feeling too much, Benjy feels everything too deeply and projects that feeling back out far too loudly.
Together, the duo travel around Poland with a tour group, exploring the culture and legacy of the recently departed grandmother whose death haunts both men. Benjy especially has been left unmoored and aimless after the loss of someone so clearly central to his life, and David clearly hopes that this trip will galvanize his cousin back into a more proactive manner of living.
The tour is led by trivia-minded guide James (Will Sharpe) and includes the compassionate Marcia, (Jennifer Grey, and yes that’s the dirty dancing, Ferris Bueller bullying Jennifer Grey) Rwandan genocide survivor Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan) and Midwestern couple Diane (Daniel Oreskes) and Mark (Liza Sadovy).
There’s plenty of heavy subject matter to be dealt with, in both the contemporary struggles of these men and the historical atrocities that frame their family’s history. There is indeed quote a lot of, ahem, real pain at the soul of A Real Pain. But it needs be said that Eisenberg did not construct this film to wallow in griefs both historical and all-too present. Instead, he’s built the film as a lowkey hangout pleasure. The frame overflows with color, lavishing the Polish cityscapes and countryside with a romantic glow even as cinematographer Michal Dymek (a Warsaw native) zeroes in on the specificities of local life that don’t usually catch the Hollywood eye.
And it’s funny! Really, earnestly, consistently funny. It helps that Eisenberg and Culkin are the driving force of every scene. They share an effortless chemistry that really does convey a meaningful lifetime bond. Both men have honed their craft to its top form over the course of their careers and bring everything they have to their respective characters. Eisenberg is better at playing discomfort than almost anyone, able to use the barest of twitches or eyebrow lifts to convey volumes of panic.
As for Culkin, it will come as a shock to no one who has seen his work in anything from Scott Pilgrim to Succession that the man can volley foulmouthed punchlines with the best of them. But he’s also tapped into a vein of of raw nerve mania that comes as a surprise even to those already familiar with Roman Roy.
Eisenberg’s script has the generosity to give killer moments to the whole ensemble, letting each character have their own distinct point of view and comedic game. It’s especially lovely to see Grey in such a prominent role again, playing equal parts salty and compassionate.
As a director, Eisenberg favors keeping as many actors in frame as he can, giving his ensemble the space to dictate the pacing and rhythms of a scene. But he’s also not settling for a point-and-shoot/figure it out in the edit looseness. In maybe the film’s centerpiece sequence, Eisenberg delivers a powerhouse monologue while sitting at the head of a table. As he finally vents the repressed emotion that’s been curdling in his heart since before the film even began, the camera gradually moves in tighter, trapping you in this space with David as he can’t help from oversharing. When Eisenberg does finally cut, he uses the cutaways to not only capture the reaction to this speech from the ensemble, but to utilize the broken time and empty space of the frame to steadily build the tension of when Benjy is going to drop in and overhear his cousin’s purge.
All that being said, Eisenberg’s most effective weapon is maybe just the performance that Culkin gives here. As Benjy, he is so unbelievably charming and funny and sensitive…until the wrong mood strikes him and he becomes unconscionably rude and nasty. Culkin makes a meal out of fitting those contradictions together inside the skin of this man, fully embodying everything charming and alluring about Benjy while also owning everything monstrous and infuriating about him.
While A Real Pain grapples with heavy subject matter, Eisenberg is careful to never let grandiosity overwhelm his story. This trip is probably not the most important week in the lives of these men. There are no grand epiphanies or revelations. Lives are not changed, except perhaps in imperceptible shifts that will only manifest long after the movie ends. Hell, maybe Eisenberg can get the gang back together in a decade for a Before Sunset-style check-in to see what, if anything, these two have actually learned from this shared experience.
By keeping the scope narrow and the histrionics in check, A Real Pain never feels like it is grasping for cheap, Oscar-bait pomposity or importance. Instead the emotions it conjures up, be they painful or not, are understated and deeply earned.
You might even say: Real.
A Real Pain is currently in theaters.
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What Happened in GLADIATOR Echoes in Eternity…and in GLADIATOR II
A remix and retcon of the original that pales in comparison
A good sequel is often tasked with a fine balancing act. Maintain enough of the elements that made the first film successful, but add in new ideas to make it fresh and impactful all over again. Gladiator II is a curious beast, where its strengths essentially lie in a play by play remix of the first film’s emotionally driven action set pieces, and its weakness lies in the clunky plot maneuvering to tee them up.
Picking up around 20 years after the event of the first film, the dream of Rome has turned into a nightmare, as twin Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) have brought cruelty and corruption to bear. Intent on solidifying their legacy, they have charged General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) to expand Rome’s borders. The latest target is the African city of Numidia, a bastion whose defense is led by an adoptive son Hanno (Paul Mescal). The cities inhabitants, including his ill-fated wife Arishat (Yuval Gonen) are unaware of his true identity as Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and true heir to the Empire. Sequestered away after the events of the first film for his protection, lost to another continent, and now dragged back home in chains as a prisoner of war to be sold at a slave market. His festering resentment for Rome, and palpable anger is noted by local power-player Macrinus (Denzel Washington) who puts him into the gladiator pits, and soon starts to leverage his desire for revenge against Acacius as a means to stir up political chaos, and elevate his own position within the empire.
Yes, that young doe-eyed boy from the first film (played by Spencer Treat Clark) is all grown up. A rough around the edges man, whose moral code stems from his memories of the honorable acts of one Maximus Decimus Meridius (the OG, Russell Crowe). His life mirrors that of Maximus. Battle hardened from his time overseas, now losing the his love to the greed and corruptive sprawl of Rome, dragged in chains to the arena, and coming to realize that his path through the games doesn’t just take him to simple revenge, but a chance to make a difference by ridding Rome of the tyranny at its core.
The script from David Scarpa is utterly beholden to the original. Plot beats, supporting players, character motivations, set pieces, all feel recycled. In true sequel style, things are bigger for instance now instead of one Emperor, we have two. The plot elements and especially the actions sequences also replicate similar beats in the rise of Maximus in the eyes of his fellow gladiators, and the people of Rome, only now it’s Lucius. Instead of a towering man to fight, we have a towering man atop a rhino. Instead of a chariot historical reenactment with chariots in the coliseum, we have one with boats (and sharks!). The action in these set pieces is vibrant and compellingly composed, so it feels off to to nit pick these elements too much, but these grander feats lack the emotional heft of the first film. An effort to address this, and tie the film more closely to its predecessor comes with a retcon of Lucius’s parentage. While there’s a logic to this, the execution doesn’t just fall flat, but actually feels egregious as it only serves to sully the nobility of Maximus that was so carefully sketched out in the original. Compounding matter is the film’s conceit that the sacrifice witnessed in the first film didn’t amount to much. Maximus is mentioned in hushed tones, and the reason seems largely so they can allow the whole scenario to just play out all over again.
An element that offers some opportunity for advancement is in exploring the corruption that has started to consume the Empire from the inside, and we’re not just talking about the syphilis addled brains of one of the Emperors. The political maneuvering of Lucilla and Acacius and the rallying of senators to reclaim Rome for the people is overly simplified and dealt with in a rather blasé manner. Lucilla holding a sprig of lavender under her nose is as subtle as the film gets when pointing out the rot that festers in Rome.
Tonally, the film aims for gruff seriousness with occasional forays into melodrama. This is largely centered around the personal journey of Lucius. Mescal’s shifts from stirring leading man, to frankly spoken working class fellow are as ungainly as the rest of the film, but when settled, his allure is palpable. Pascal, usually a bright spot in any project, is a subdued presence which is appropriate for the role, but feels a misuse of his talents. Side characters and plots plunge the film into the welcome respite of good, campy fun which comes courtesy of some key performances. Quinn and Hechinger plunder some of the more notorious elements of Roman Emperors to craft an unhinged and erratic pairing. Two Brits standout in Matt Lucas (as the coliseum announcer) and Tim McInnerny (Blackadder) as the sniveling and pliable Senator Thraex. The real plaudits must be reserved for Denzel Washington who is operating on a different level to everyone else, grabbing every moment, and relishing every line, as a low level mover and shaker who exploits the situation and people involved tin an attempt to elevate himself to the highest stage in Rome.
Gladiator II is a muddled swing, but its a swing nonetheless. An attempt by Ridley Scott (who just turned 86) to revisit one of his films on a grander scale, and like in The Last Duel and Napoleon, allow him to explore ideas of power and legacy. But in this the film falters, doing a disservice to the politicking and family drama. Perhaps an extended cut (which Scott is infamous for delivering) could give a more well developed, and well rounded experience that the lopsided effort here. Many will revel in the chance to revisit Scott’s Rome, but the more discerning eye will see Gladiator II for what it is, a reworking of the first film with a updated façade. An echo of greatness, nothing more.
Gladiator II hits theaters on November 22nd
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Two Cents Goes Retro with TURBO KID
Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
Drama, Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction, Musical…cinema is filled with grand, sweeping, big tent genres. And yet, so often Cinapse’s particular brand of cinephilia dwells in the subgenres. Too numerous to list, subgenres are where the meat is really added to the bone of deep-cut cinema. And one of the greatest subgenres of them all is the post-apocalyptic picture! This month we’re celebrating the release of author David J. Moore’s World Gone Wild, Restocked and Reloaded 2nd Edition: A Survivor’s Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Movies with a curated selection of some of the Cinapse team’s very favorite and most beloved post apocalypse films – all of which are highlighted in Moore’s exhaustive love letter!
The Pick: TURBO KID (2015)
This week’s selection glosses up the post-apocalyptic landscape with some 80s sheen and Nintendo aesthetics. Featuring the great Michael Ironside as the villainous Zeus, this one introduced several younger actors to the world, launching Degrassi‘s Munro Chambers into a film career and introducing the talented Canadian Laurence Leboeuf to worldwide audiences. Fans have been clamoring for a sequel for years, but other projects and some truly heinous accusations against one of the directors (see Spencer’s thoughts below for a brief explanation) have derailed the possible future installments. For now, we still have this fun, bloody action gem to enjoy.
Featured Guest
David J. Moore, Excerpt From World Gone Wild, Restocked and Reloaded 2nd Edition: A Survivor’s Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Movies
A generation after the nuclear apocalypse and a nuclear winter, the world is an irradiated wasteland, devoid of fresh water. The Kid (played by Munro Chambers) has mapped out the perimeters of the wastelands, and he gets around on his BMX bike, salvaging what he can from what he finds on his trips through the urban wastelands. Most of the outlying settlements have embraced him as a useful scavenger, and he doesn’t have any enemies. He collects old comic books and remnants of the past (Rubik’s cubes, action figures, and tattered Viewfinders), and one day he comes across an odd character indeed: a plucky, annoyingly friendly young woman named Apple (played by Laurence Leboeuf), who literally attaches herself to him so that he’ll always be within reach of her should they become separated. They quickly become friends by default, and Apple’s skills at fighting are alarmingly efficient. While they might not seem like a perfect match at first, it becomes clear that the Kid needs Apple’s company when they run into trouble with the local warlord, a despot who calls himself Zeus (played by Michael Ironside from Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone). Zeus, a sadistic overlord who rules over a pack of bike-riding raiders, is out to find the last source of fresh water, and it’s revealed that he is also the murderer of the Kid’s parents, so clearly the Kid has a score to settle with him. When, by accident, the Kid runs across a Turbo suit and a powerful Turbo glove that shoots a pulse beam that can incinerate anyone it’s aimed at, he suits up and becomes a superhero whom Zeus and his hordes will have a difficult time stopping. Along with the always-game Apple (who turns out to be an android) and a bionic-handed arm wrestler named Frederic (played by Aaron Jeffery), Turbo Kid is the last hope of the wasteland. Stunningly spot on in terms of regenerating the lost era of postnuke adventures made in the early 1980s, Turbo Kid is easily the best of the nostalgia genre pictures made in the mimic style of stuff such as Hobo with a Shotgun, Father’s Day, Kung Fury, and Manborg, all of which tried and failed miserably to re-create an essence of what made those types of movies so endearing. From the first frames to the last, Turbo Kid—which is set in a post-apocalyptic 1997—retains an innocence to it that is nearly impossible to describe unless you watch it. Despite having graphic, over- the-top violence and some unnecessary uses of profanity, the film has a kid-centric sense of adventure and wonder not easily found in today’s ultra-jaded movie market. The film clearly has a low budget, but it has a great cinematic sense of scope and innovation and a fun sense of humor. To top all that off, it has a great synth score by Le Matos that recalls the ’80s. While the film might go overboard at times with the blaringly graphic violence, this is exactly the postnuke action film that fans of the genre have been craving. From writer/directors François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell, all of whom appear in the film in small roles and die on screen.
The Team
Spencer Brickey
Turbo Kid, for me, is one of those films that feels like returning to a different era of your life on rewatch. On that first watch, back in 2015, I was still in my early 20’s, stuck in a cramped one bedroom in a Podunk town in Connecticut, with dreams and aspirations ready to unfold when I finished my final year of college.
That Spencer was struck by the 80s stylization, impressed with the whole DIY feel, enthralled by the goopy practical gore effects, and smitten with the idea of meeting my own Manic Pixie Dream Robot. Turbo Kid felt both like a top tier love letter to the genre, while also something fresh and unique from bold new voices.
Kick ahead to 2024; I’m in my early 30’s, that was NOT my last year of college (took 2 more; got to love 7 years for a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism!), I’ve settled in Texas, and I now have a house, a wife, and a kid. Those dreams and aspirations turned into goals and long-term plans. What does middle manager Spencer think?
Still pretty good, even if time hasn’t been the biggest ally here! The DIY feel to the costumes, set dressing, effects, action set pieces, and mode of transportation still holds up, that spark of originality still very present. The gore effects are still great, and, now looking back, pretty rare in that era; 2015 was still mostly haunted house movies and the early days of the A24 trauma boon.
What definitely hasn’t held up well is that very specific sheen of “1980’s nostalgia” this is absolutely steeped in. The preceding near decade since Turbo Kid’s release has been absolutely inundated with faux ‘80s vibe media, mostly stemming from the popularity of Stranger Things. What felt cool and fresh in 2015 now feels overtrodden and borderline cringey at times.
Still, I don’t think I can ever be too harsh on this. I remember having such a positive reaction to this when it first dropped, and while that has waned in the proceeding years, that is just the curse of movies getting older; some survive the test of time, and others lose their luster. Turbo Kid and I will always have Paris (Manic Pixie Dream Robot), though.
Disclaimer: Also, getting serious for a moment, This, and everything else the filmmaker collective known as RKSS, now needs to be viewed with a certain critical lens, if really viewed at all, after the charges brought up against Francois Simard, one of the 3 directors. In the fall of 2024, Simard was charged with sexual assault on a child under the age of 16, with the two complainants being the ages of 9 and 11.
Julian Singleton
I’d heard about Turbo Kid as the scrappy post-apocalyptic indie that could for the last decade, but I was happy to seize the chance to finally give it a spin for this series. Like the warriors of its wasteland, major props have to be given to François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell for their rampant ingenuity throughout. The world of Turbo Kid feels just as fleshed out as it needs to serve the efficient story at hand, one that feels ripped from the textbook-margin doodlings of any imaginative grade-schooler. Gore and metal sparks fly, accompanied by all the quippy one-liners one can muster. Like the best of George Miller, all the backstory we need can be inferred from the trash people have turned into treasures. It’s a nonstop blast, especially considering the shoestring budget Turbo Kid’s creatives were working with.
The performances of the leads, though, are the true find of this film–especially the gentle, Amblin-esque chemistry between Munro Chambers and Laurence Leboeuf. While Apple’s incessant pep is initially grating, later revelations turn this character into a much-needed source of whimsy amidst the doom and gloom of the wasteland. Chambers’ central Kid is the action hero we all imagined we could be watching Mad Max at way, way too young, and his dedication towards that idea of comic-book heroism in the face of Cormac McCarthy-like hopelessness fuels the comedic nostalgia of Turbo Kid with essential, unabashed sincerity. Also, Aaron Jeffery’s arm-wrestling kiwi cowboy Frederick and Michael Ironside’s eyepatch-laden Zeus just flat-out rule, plucked from the Cannon films of yesteryear with all the straight-faced epicness of such peak trash cinema.
I can see myself firing up Turbo Kid alongside classics like The Road Warrior or modern ones like The Book of Eli or Furiosa, as its trio of directors manage to unexpectedly carve out a gateway film for younger viewers to enjoy the mayhem of worlds gone mad before they mature enough for far darker fare.
Justin Harlan
I love this movie! It’s genuinely one of the most fun films to come out in the past decade. For a gorehound like me, it delivers on the blood and guts. But instead of my typical horror fare, it’s a retro flavored post-apocalyptic action flick that’s delivering the viscera this time. Over-the-top blood, larger-than-life characters, and fun 80s inspired effects and visuals… what’s not to like?
Prior to prepping this week’s entries, I had no idea about the allegations against Francois Simard. RKSS has delivered some solid entertainment and it’s a shame to find out that Simard is a dirtbag. I won’t let it taint this film for me, but I sure hope that any further projects from the others do no include him in any way.
In direct opposition to Simard’s real life decisions, this film’s tone is pure joy for me. It never really drags, it bucks against the drab color palette of many films in this genre, and Apple is just a delight. Rahter than keep rambling, I’ll leave you with two short films before I wrap… the original T is for Turbo that RKSS submitted to ABCs of Death and a music video starring Apple!
CINAPSE CURATES MAD MAX RIPOFFS
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11/25 – The New Barbarians
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A SIMPLE PLAN Stuns Again in Arrow’s New Release
A Simple Plan is a devilish morality play that has aged like a guilt-free conscience. I can practically feel director Sam Raimi and writer Scott Smith cackling just off-screen as they turn the screws on their characters. This movie has a black heart that pumps acid with each beat, getting darker and darker by the minute. A Simple Plan is so assured in its craft that it’s an absolute joy to go through the ringer alongside the desperate fools onscreen.
Those fools, such as it were, are played expertly by Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda, and Brent Briscoe. They represent variations of desperation and watching how those variations bounce off each other and reverberate throughout the movie is one of its great joys.
The plot, befitting the film’s title, is about as clean and…straightforward as a plot can be. Three guys find a downed airplane in the woods with a duffle bag full of cash. They take the cash and brace for the attached strings to come into play. It’s a pressure cooker scenario escalated to nigh-unbearable heights the deeper the characters sink into their fates. Hank, Jacob (Thornton), Lou (Briscoe), and Sarah (Fonda) have clean, easily definable attitudes toward the money that it makes any combo of them combustible.
Take Paxton’s Hank, a milquetoast clock-puncher with dreams of upward mobility that will likely always evade him. Hank is the kind of guy who naively thinks that if he does the things he’s supposed to, then everything will work out. Except it isn’t. His wife, Sarah (Fonda), shares his delusion, but the appearance of the money gives her a clearer vision of their life and where it’s current trajectory will take them. With a baby girl to raise, Hank’s aspirations crash head-on with the bleak reality of their situation. Throughout the movie Hank is reluctantly dragged along and any time he tries to assert control over his situation he ends up leaving dead bodies in his wake. Hank’s the worst kind of sap. Despite all evidence to the contrary he thinks he’s in control.
Jacob is a downtrodden loser, a man with no prospects. He’s also the most honorable and tragic character in the movie. Thornton’s performance is full of empathy for this guy who has been looked down upon for a long time. It’s a cruel twist of fate (and Smith’s ingenious plotting) that he’s the one who finds the money in the first place. Lou is purely motivated by greed. He has no long term plans and wants what’s his immediately. From the moment the money is found Hank, Sarah, and Lou’s brains are working overtime to get the money ASAP. Poor Jacob is a pawn in their game and in so far over his head. When he tries to go along with the others, all he ends up doing is making things worse.
That’s the rub. The idea of a better tomorrow is an illusion to these people. They just won’t know it until it’s too late. Smith’s story, both in novel form and onscreen, is perfectly calibrated. Every time a character has a clear idea of what their next move is, it’s immediately wrecked by consequences they were too short-sighted to spot. Going out to check on the fallen plan? Didn’t account for the sheriff to be there. Blackmail someone to get the upper hand? They’ll pull a shotgun on you. The cruelest reveal comes at the end, when it becomes abundantly clear (if it wasn’t already) that no one was ever going to get away with the money.
A Simple Plan is a tremendous thriller with a nasty sense of humor. The mix of darkness and laughs makes Sam Raimi a perfect fit as director. He keeps the film drop becoming a depressing slog, while giving it enough of an edge to linger. It’s part of what makes the movie hold up so well all these years later. And now the film has a release worthy of its quality courtesy of Arrow’s new 4KUHD and Blu-ray set. There are a few fun features looking back on the film and a host of previously available supplements, but the film itself is the star here.
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DRAG ME TO HELL is Unleashed on 4K-UHD from Shout! Factory
Sam Rami’s devilish slice of horror gleefully puts Alison Lohman through the wringer
Drag Me to Hell is a relentless endeavor that is unabashedly fun and mean spirited in equal measure. A moralistic tale involving young bank clerk Christine Brown (Alison Lohman). A woman striving to impress her boss while in search of promotion, who takes a particularly hard line with an old lady (an impressively game Lorna Raver) who visits the bank, looking to stop her home from being repossessed. Turning her down escalates into a dramatic situation, resulting in the scorned woman casting a gypsy curse upon Christine. In the days that follow, strange occurrences plague her, and before long she has no option but to consult a fortuneteller. They determine that the Lamia, a demon from Hell, is stalking her, and that she has only 3 days to break the curse before he takes her soul to hell.
There’s a gleefully cruel tone at play here, one that encircles an act of judgement upon this girl. Christine is presented as a decent person, one dealing with her own issues, an eating disorder notably. She’s a girl used to shame who lays the same on a frail old lady – a betrayal of her own morals. She’s a sympathetic soul still capable of cruelty to advance her own career with an act that damns her fate, one stemming from the credit crisis of the time that caused many to lose their homes. The film dedicates itself to her psychological and physical torture. There’s some disturbing imagery, some goofy, practical effects that still hold up (and some CGI that doesn’t). It still adds up to a rollicking piece of horror comedy.
Lohman elicits plenty of empathy for her plight, despite that singular moment that sets the film in motion. The film rides entirely on her, and she’s more than up to the challenge. Lorna Raver too makes the most of her limited screen-time, nailing the switch from helpless old lady to vengeful gypsy. Really though, Drag Me to Hell is a showcase for Raimi’s signature flair — his weaving camera, immersive direction, not to mention putting a lead through an abhorrent, gooey, experience. It’s easy to forget how effectively he can switch between the light and the dark, the silly and the shocking. It’s a talent he showed with Evil Dead, made a giant leap with Evil Dead II, and here shows a similar step up again. Sure, in between he’s shown glimpses of such tonal shifts, the surgical sequence in Spider-Man 2 notably, but with Drag Me to Hell he embraced it with gusto, channeling his Evil Dead vibes into something more colorful and playful, but no less relentless. Raimi delivers an ending that some may find surprising, others will certainly hate, but many will embrace for how it fits with the gleeful cruelty of the rest of the film, a morality play about sacrificing your values, and simple decency, in favor of personal gain, and the damnation that follows.
The Package
The big selling point here is the all new 4K scan and transfer, one approved by director Sam Raimi And editor Bob Murawski. It’s very nicely done, and certainly a step up from the previous Blu-ray release from Shout! Factory, which itself was a very polished effort. Detail and depth of image impresses. Saturated colors pop well against dense and deep blacks. Grain is pretty minimal, with a clean and consistent image throughout. This is a three disc release, the first a 4K disc presenting both theatrical and unrated versions, and two Blu-rays each containing one of the two versions of the film, with a series of extra features spread over the two discs:
- NEW “Pardon My Curse: Making Drag Me To Hell” — Extensive Behind-The-Scenes Documentary Featuring New And Archival Interviews With Co-Writer/Producer Ivan Raimi, Actors Alison Lohman, Dileep Rao And Lorna Raver, Director Of Photography Peter Deming, Production Designer Steve Saklad, Artist Christian Cordella, Make-Up Effects Designer Greg Nicotero, Editor Bob Murawski, Composer Christopher Young, And More!: Running around 115 minutes, this is a superb documentary that draws from talent on both sides of the camera to cover the film’s inception, production, release, and legacy. There are some key people missing, which is a shame, but to get a new featurette like this put together year later is an admirable achievement
- “To Hell And Back” – Interview With Actress Alison Lohman: Running just over 12 minutes, a new interview with the lead, sharing some fun and interesting details about working with Raimi, script changes, and the use of practical effects during production.
- “Curses” – Interview With Actress Lorna Raver: A rather fun discussion with Mrs. Ganush herself.
- “Hitting All The Right Notes” – Interview With Composer Christopher Young: Horror films often rely on the score and sound design to be really effective at ratcheting up the tension, so it’s nice to see an extra deal with the contributions of the films composer.
- Production Video Diaries Featuring Behind-The-Scenes Footage And Interviews With Sam Raimi, Actors Alison Lohman And Justin Long, And More: A nice featurette that immerses the viewer in the production side of the film, with some good interview footage too.
- Vintage Interviews: Clips from the film’s press tour. Similar information to that contained in the production diaries.
- Theatrical Trailer, TV Spots, & Image Gallery
The differences in the two editions is down to a few frames and sequences running a little longer, pushing a bit more into queasy. blood-soaked, squeamish moments. The adds only add up to a few seconds extra footage, but they do give the unrated version of the film a bit more of an edge.
The Bottom Line
Drag Me to Hell is unabashedly fun. A film where horror elements are rooted in gross physicality, and its mean spirit is tempered by lashings of black comedy. Perfectly blending Sam Raimi’s talents. Shout! Factory has put together a great release, one that delivers a quality 4K transfer with a nice selection of legacy extra features and the added bonus on a new documentary that celebrates the legacy of the Lamia.
Drag Me to Hell is available via Shout! Factory on 4K-UHD now
Also available, exclusively on Shoutfactory.com, is a Drag Me To Hell [Collector’s Edition] release that includes 2 exclusive posters and an exclusive slipcover featuring never-before-seen art by the late Famous Monsters of Filmland artist, Basil Gogos!
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All The Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium Of Folk Horror Vol. 2 Unboxing
Severin Films has been killing the blu-ray box set game as far as I am concerned. Not only are they releasing these lavishly produced highly curated collections of obscure films, but they are also putting in the work to really give comprehensive and academic context on the importance of these films. This started for me with the precursor to this set All The Haunts Be Ours, which came with a four hour documentary on folk horror. So not only did you have 19 films, but you had a 4 hour seminar by Kier-La Janisse the curator of the set and some of the most knowledgeable in the space.
They then released the Black Emanuelle set that contained 23 films and really recontextualized this series and invested me in these weird films, in a way I hadn’t been before. Next up was the Bruceploitation set that contained not only 14 films, including some deep-cut rarities, but another completely encompassing doc on the sub-genre to prep those before digging in.
Now Severin and Kier-La Janisse are returning to folk horror, with All The Haunts Be Ours: Vol. 2 – 24 more films, from 18 countries along with some original films produced just for this set and a 252 page hardback book as well. Severin was kind enough to send a copy over and since these sets aren’t cheap, I recorded an unboxing to show you just what’s included in the physical packaging. Check out a full rundown of the special features below the video.
DISC 1:
TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST (SEAN HOGAN, UK/USA, 2023)
PSYCHOMANIA (DON SHARP, UK, 1973)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST
- Audio Commentary With Director Sean Hogan And Co-Producers Paul Goodwin And Nicholas Harwood
- On The Lych Way – Corpse Road Chronicler Dr. Stuart Dunn Discusses The Pathways Of The Dead
- Trailer
Short Films
- WE ALWAYS FIND OURSELVES IN THE SEA
- Audio Commentary For WE ALWAYS FIND OURSELVES IN THE SEA With Director Sean Hogan And Co-Producers Paul Goodwin And Nicholas Harwood
- EPK For WE ALWAYS FIND OURSELVES IN THE SEA
- OUR SELVES UNKNOWN
FEATURE SPECS FOR TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST
- Runtime: 45 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.9:1
- Audio: English Stereo
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR PSYCHOMANIA
- Introduction By Film Historian Chris Alexander
- Audio Commentary With Maria J. Pérez Cuervo, Founding Editor Of Hellebore Magazine
- Stone Warnings – Dr. Diane A. Rodgers On Stone Circles And Standing Stones In Film And Television
- Return Of The Living Dead – Interviews With Actors Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder And Rocky Taylor
- The Sound Of PSYCHOMANIA – Interview With Soundtrack Composer John Cameron
- Riding Free – Interview With “Riding Free” Singer Harvey Andrews
- Theatrical Trailer
FEATURE SPECS FOR PSYCHOMANIA
- Runtime: 91 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
- Audio: English Mono
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 2:
THE ENCHANTED (CARTER LORD, USA, 1984)
WHO FEARS THE DEVIL (JOHN NEWLAND, USA, 1972)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR THE ENCHANTED
- Audio Commentary With Director Carter Lord And Camera Assistant Richard Grange, Moderated By Filmmaker/Author Kier-La Janisse
- Audio Commentary With Chesya Burke, Author Of Let’s Play White, And Sheree Renée Thomas, Author Of Nine Bar Blues
- A Magical Place – Interview With Composer Phil Sawyer
- Hole In The Wall – Character Notes By Screenwriter Charné Porter
- Trailer
Short Film
- SWIMMER
FEATURE SPECS FOR THE ENCHANTED
- Runtime: 90 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Audio: English Mono
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR WHO FEARS THE DEVIL
- THE LEGEND OF HILLBILLY JOHN Alternate Opening Introduced By Actor Severn Darden
- Audio Commentary With Television Historian Amanda Reyes
- Crumble Will The Feet Of Clay – Interview With Producer Barney Rosenzweig
- Silver Strings – Interview With Actor/Musician Hedges Capers
- Manly Of The Mountains – Author David Drake Remembers Manly Wade Wellman
- Occult Appalachia – Occult Historian Mitch Horowitz On The Arcane Texts Of Wellman’s John The Balladeer Stories
- Theatrical Trailer
FEATURE SPECS FOR WHO FEARS THE DEVIL
- Runtime: 98 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Audio: English Mono
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 3:
THE WHITE REINDEER (ERIK BLOMBERG, FINLAND, 1952)
EDGE OF THE KNIFE (GWAAI EDENSHAW & HELEN HAIG-BROWN, CANADA, 2018)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR THE WHITE REINDEER
- The Projection Booth Episode On THE WHITE REINDEER Hosted By Mike White And Featuring Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters Of Darkness, And Talk Without Rhythm‘s El Goro
Short Films
- A WITCH DRUM
- THE NIGHTSIDE OF THE SKY
- WITH THE REINDEER
FEATURE SPECS FOR THE WHITE REINDEER
- Runtime: 68 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audio: Finnish Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR EDGE OF THE KNIFE
- Audio Commentary With Directors Gwaai Edenshaw And Helen Haig-Brown
- RETAKE – Making The World’s First Haida-Language Feature Film
Short Films
- HAIDA CARVER
- NALUJUK NIGHT
FEATURE SPECS FOR EDGE OF THE KNIFE
- Runtime: 101 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Audio: Haida 5.1, Haida Stereo
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 4:
BORN OF FIRE (JAMIL DEHLAVI, UK, 1987)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR BORN OF FIRE
- Igniting The Fire – Interview With Director Jamil Dehlavi
- The Silent One Speaks – Archival Interview With Actor Nabil Shaban
- Between The Sacred And The Profane – Archival Lecture On The Cinematic World Of Jamil Dehlavi By Dr. Ali Nobil Ahmad
- The Djinn Revisited – Director Dalia Al Kury Examines The Role Of The Djinn In Contemporary Arab Culture
- BORN OF FIRE And The Roots Of Pakistani Horror – Interview With Scholar Syeda Momina Masood
- Trailer
Short Films
- TOWERS OF SILENCE
- QÂF
FEATURE SPECS FOR BORN OF FIRE
- Runtime: 84 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Audio: English Mono
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 5:
IO ISLAND (KIM KI-YOUNG, SOUTH KOREA, 1977)
SCALES (SHAHAD AMEEN, SAUDI ARABIA, 2019)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR IO ISLAND
- Audio Commentary With Archivist And Korean Film Historian Ariel Schudson
- Shaman’s Eyes – Dr. Hyunseon Lee On Shamanism In Korean Visual Culture
Short Film
- THE PRESENT
FEATURE SPECS FOR IO ISLAND
- Runtime: 112 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Audio: Korean Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR SCALES
- Telling Our Stories – A Conversation With Director Shahad Ameen And Producer Rula Nasser, Moderated By Filmmaker/Author Kier-La Janisse
- Trailer
Short Film
- KINDIL
FEATURE SPECS FOR SCALES
- Runtime: 76 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Audio: Arabic 5.1 Surround
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 6:
BAKENEKO: A VENGEFUL SPIRIT (YOSHIHIRO ISHIKAWA, JAPAN, 1968)
NANG NAK (NONZEE NIMIBUTR, THAILAND, 1999)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR BAKENEKO: A VENGEFUL SPIRIT
- Audio Commentary With Jasper Sharp, Author Of Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History Of Japanese Sex Cinema
- Scratched – A History Of The Japanese Ghost Cat
- The Vampire Cat – The Classic Folk Tale Read By Tomoko Komura With Original Music By Timothy Fife
- Trailer
Short Film
- MAN-EATER MOUNTAIN
FEATURE SPECS FOR BAKENEKO: A VENGEFUL SPIRIT
- Runtime: 87 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Audio: Japanese Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR NANG NAK
- Audio Commentary With Mattie Do, Director Of THE LONG WALK, And Asian Gothic Scholar Katarzyna Ancuta
- Love And Impermanence: NANG NAK And The Rebirth Of Thai Cinema – Interview With Director Nonzee Nimibutr
- Trailer
FEATURE SPECS FOR NANG NAK
- Runtime: 101 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Audio: Thai 5.1, Thai Stereo
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A
DISC 7:
SUNDELBOLONG (SISWORO GAUTAMA PUTRA, INDONESIA, 1981)
SUZZANNA: THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC BLU-RAY (DAVID GREGORY, USA, 2024)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR SUNDELBOLONG
- Hantu Retribution – Female Ghosts Of The Malay Archipelago
Short Film
- WHITE SONG
FEATURE SPECS FOR SUNDELBOLONG
- Runtime: 106 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Audio: Indonesian Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR SUZZANNA: THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC
- A Conversation With Director/Co-Producer David Gregory And Co-Producer Ekky Imanjaya
- Trailer
FEATURE SPECS FOR SUZZANNA: THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC
- Runtime: 88 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Audio: Indonesian Stereo
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 8:
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (JURAJ HERZ, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1978)
THE NINTH HEART (JURAJ HERZ, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1979)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Michael Brooke
- Archival Interviews With Director Juraj Herz And Actors Vlastimil Harapes And Zdena Studenková
Short Film
- FRANTIŠEK HRUBÍN
FEATURE SPECS FOR BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
- Runtime: 91 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
- Audio: Czech Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR THE NINTH HEART
- Audio Commentary With Kat Ellinger, Author Of Daughters Of Darkness
- The Uncanny Valley Of The Dolls – The History And Liminality Of Dolls, Puppets And Mannequins
- The Curious Case Of Juraj Herz And The Švankmajers – Video Essay By Czech Film Programmer Cerise Howard
FEATURE SPECS FOR THE NINTH HEART
- Runtime: 92 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audio: Czech Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 9:
DEMON (MARCIN WRONA, POLAND, 2015)
NOVEMBER (RAINER SARNET, ESTONIA/POLAND/NETHERLANDS, 2017)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR DEMON
- Introduction By Slavic Horror Scholar Dr. Agnieszka Jeżyk
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Daniel Bird And Film Critic/Actress Manuela Lazić
- In The Shadow Of The Dybbuk – Video Essay By Peter Bebergal, Author Of Strange Frequencies: The Extraordinary Story Of The Technological Quest For The Supernatural, And Filmmaker Stephen Broomer
- Trailer
Short Film
- DIBBUK
FEATURE SPECS FOR DEMON
- Runtime: 94 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Audio: Polish 5.1 Surround, Polish Stereo
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR NOVEMBER
- The Supernatural Lore Of NOVEMBER – Archival Video Essay With Film Critic John DeFore
- Kratt Test Footage
- Theatrical Trailer
Short Films
- BOUNDARY
- JOURNEY THROUGH SETOMAA
- MIDVINTERBLOT
FEATURE SPECS FOR NOVEMBER
- Runtime: 115 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Audio: Estonian, German And Italian 5.1 Surround
Estonian, German And Italian Stereo
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 10:
LITAN (JEAN-PIERRE MOCKY, FRANCE, 1982)
BLOOD TEA AND RED STRING (CHRISTIANE CEGAVSKE, USA, 2006)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR LITAN
- Audio Commentary With Film Historian Frank Lafond
- Un Tournage LITAN – Archival Making-Of Made For Antenne 2
- Jean-Pierre Mocky, Un Drôle D’Oiseau – 1982 Episode Of Temps X
FEATURE SPECS FOR LITAN
- Runtime: 88 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
- Audio: French Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR BLOOD TEA AND RED STRING
- Introduction By Director Christiane Cegavske
- 2021 Indie Scream Online Film Festival Q&A With Christiane Cegavske
- Production Stills And Concept Illustrations
- Trailer
- Trailer For SEED IN THE SAND, Cegavske’s Work-In-Progress
FEATURE SPECS FOR BLOOD TEA AND RED STRING
- Runtime: 70 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audio: English Stereo
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 11:
NAZARENO CRUZ AND THE WOLF (LEONARDO FAVIO, ARGENTINA, 1975)
AKELARRE (PEDRO OLEA, SPAIN, 1984)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR NAZARENO CRUZ AND THE WOLF
- Audio Commentary With Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Director Of HERE COMES THE DEVIL, And Nicanor Loreti, Director Of PUNTO ROJO
Short Film
- LOVE FROM MOTHER ONLY
- Audio Commentary For LOVE FROM MOTHER ONLY With Director Dennison Ramalho
FEATURE SPECS FOR NAZARENO CRUZ AND THE WOLF
- Runtime: 88 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Audio: Spanish Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR AKELARRE
- The Realistic Inquisition – Interview With Director Pedro Olea
- Empowered Woman – Interview With Actress Silvia Munt
- Playing The Villain – Interview With Actor Iñaki Miramón
- Invoking The Akelarre – Dr. Antonio Lázaro-Reboll, Author Of Spanish Horror Film, On The Basque Witch Trials
FEATURE SPECS FOR AKELARRE
- Runtime: 97 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
- Audio: Spanish Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 12:
FROM THE OLD EARTH (WIL AARON, WALES, 1981)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR FROM THE OLD EARTH BLU-RAY
- Introduction To FROM THE OLD EARTH By Musician Gruff Rhys
- Getting A Head In North Wales – Interview With Director Wil Aaron
- FROM THE OLD EARTH By The Book – Welsh Folklore And O’R DDAEAR HEN
- A Sword In The Battle Of Language – Welsh Film Scholar Dr. Kate Woodward On The Welsh Film Board
Short Films
- Introduction To BLOOD ON THE STARS By Gruff Rhys
- BLOOD ON THE STARS
- Reunion Hotel – BLOOD ON THE STARS Cast Reunion From Gwesty Aduniad
- THE WYRM OF BWLCH PEN BARRAS
FEATURE SPECS FOR FROM THE OLD EARTH BLU-RAY
- Runtime: 46 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audio: Welsh Mono
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A/B/C
DISC 13:
THE CITY OF THE DEAD (JOHN LLEWELLYN MOXEY, UK, 1960)
THE RITES OF MAY (MIKE DE LEON, PHILIPPINES, 1976)SPECIAL FEATURES FOR THE CITY OF THE DEAD
- Introduction By Kay Lynch, Director Of The Salem Horror Fest
- Audio Commentary With Film Historians Kim Newman And Barry Forshaw
- Archival Audio Commentary With Film Historian Jonathan Rigby
- Archival Audio Commentary With Actor Christopher Lee
- Archival Audio Commentary With Director John Llewellyn Moxey
- Sir Christopher Lee Remembers THE CITY OF THE DEAD
- Archival Interview With John Llewellyn Moxey
- Archival Interview With Actress Venetia Stevenson
- Burn Witch, Burn! A Tribute To John Llewellyn Moxey – Video Essay By TV Historian Amanda Reyes And Filmmaker Chris O’Neill
- Trailer
FEATURE SPECS FOR THE CITY OF THE DEAD
- Runtime: 78 Minutes
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
- Audio: English Mono
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR THE RITES OF MAY
- Audio Commentary With Filipino Film Historian Andrew Leavold
- ITIM: AN EXPLORATION IN CINEMA – Archival Documentary
- Portrayal Of Guilt – Filipino Film Scholar Anne Frances N. Sangil On The Darkness Of THE RITES OF MAY
FEATURE SPECS FOR THE RITES OF MAY
Region: A/B/C
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: Tagalog Mono
Subtitles: English
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WICKED: Not just a Flawless Adaptation, but a Poignant American Metaphor
While it’s been a rough year for blockbusters, I’ve been quietly biding my time for the release of one of my most anticipated films this year, Wicked. This is thanks to not only my love of the Broadway spectacle, but its director Jon Chu who helmed the charming and criminally underrated Jem and the Holograms film, I defend to this day – it’s good damnit!! He also did a little film called Crazy Rich Asians which he no doubt leveraged into the ability to craft a super faithful and very practical (ie:expensive) take, that goes back to the source for a bit of added relevancy.
Wicked has the director stepping back into the realm of the musical, with an adaptation that is a hybrid of sorts, being a somewhat loyal take on the show, which was in itself a rather loose adaptation of the 1995 book that promised the “true” story of the events behind the classic, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. That tome was an unofficial sequel to the original Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (LFba – Get it?), capitalizing on the fact that the book fell into the public domain, think Winne the Pooh: Blood and Honey. While the Wicked source is probably closer to NC-17 than PG, the Musical took the basic concepts and characters for the stage, thus crafting one of the biggest musical phenomenons to hit Broadway since Phantom.
For those unfamiliar, Wicked is the prequel to The Wizard of Oz but from the Wicked Witch’s perspective. The musical chose to lose most of the political and spicy bits and really hone in on the story of an outsider, the young, and very green, future Wicked Witch – Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who thanks to her gift of magic becomes a student at Shiz university in Oz. It’s a very sympathetic take that follows her as she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the mega popular and uncharacteristically kind hearted, Galinda (Ariana Grande). While this story basically occupies the first act of the musical and this first film, it’s how their friendship solidifies and takes a fateful turn thanks to an audience with the Wizard of Oz, that fuels the second half. Sadly, we will have to wait a year to experience that half, but on the good side, it’s already in the can.
While that friendship is the heart and soul of this tragic masterwork, Chu has borrowed from the book a thread about the animals of Oz who can not only talk, but once upon a time were equals to the land’s two legged inhabitants. The subplot has the animals stripped of their rights and caged, which causes them to lose their power of speech, and their magic if you will. While this on the nose metaphor is there to deliver some extra weight to Elphaba’s eventual turn. The overarching implications of Oz’s loss of innocence, magic, and idealism appears to be a rather poignant metaphor for America before and post the Trump presidency. A land of milk and honey stripped of magic and freedom, while taking away the voice (ie:voting) away from those who don’t fit in.
This is combined with some stirring performances. While I’ve been a longtime fan of Cynthia Erivo, since I was blown away by her turn opposite Ben Mendelsohn in The Outsider, it’s Ariana Grande that completely caught me off guard. While Cynthia’s Elphaba is the picture of measured quiet control, it’s Grande’s seemingly effortless and bubbly Galinda that gives the film an unexpected heart and joy. She’s charged with only winning Elphaba over, but wins the entire audience over in the process. This also comes from scenes that often feel improvised in their spontaneous and comedic energy that happen within the controlled confines of its musical numbers. Chu also thankfully doesn’t commit the cardinal sin of the prestige broadway adaptation of attempting to shoehorn an original song for awards consideration, he instead remains true, even paying homage to the stage’s original Elphaba and Galinda in spectacular fashion.
This also transpires against practical stages and sets that allow a kind of lighting that feels warm and natural further cementing the fantastic in reality. The look also feels part homage to its big screen classic sequel, that feels almost alien to today’s more dreary or orange hued cinematic landscape. This is coupled with sound design that encapsulates the songs into the sound mix in a way that felt more natural than some, where it feels like the song was just cut and pasted into the film’s timeline. It’s obvious Chu was a fan, because he not only understood the assignment, he used nearly every cinematic tool he had to accomplish what is a perfect adaptation and will no doubt be the template going forward. Packed with dozens of easter eggs and call backs the equivalent to a Marvel film for theater kids.
While this is still technically half of a whole, it’s easy to see where Chu is going and I couldn’t be happier or more excited. He’s taken the property that is so familiar to some, and injected some new life and relevance into its story of the lonely outsider, using Elphaba’s story to echo his own personal story of a man whose family immigrated to this nation, that was once a magical land and has since lost that spark. Of course it is also a completely flawless adaptation of the source, that is immaculately cast and will no doubt go on to be a classic, but it’s that subtext that really calls back to the original intent of the show as a little bit of magic for those who are “different”, opening the conversation to those that need it right now more than ever.
