Cinderella Liberty (1973/Fox*)/Deadpool 2 4K (2018/Marvel Comics/Fox 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays w/Blu-ray Set)/Get Shorty: The Complete First Season (2018/Fox/MGM DVD Set)/No Offence: Series One (2015/Acorn DVD Set)/The Virgin Soldiers (1969/Sony/Columbia/*both Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-rays)

4K Ultra HD Picture: A Picture: B/B+/B/B/B Sound: B-/A/B/B/B- Extras: C+/B/D/C/C+ Main Programs: B-/B+/B/B/B-

PLEASE NOTE: The Cinderella Liberty and Virgin Soldiers Blu-rays are now only available from our friends at Twilight Time, are limited to only 3,000 copies each and can be ordered from the links below.

These next releases look for comedy where you usually would not expect to find it...

We start with the first of two military-affiliated comedies with Mark Rydell's Cinderella Liberty (1973) which is our U.S. contribution to the cycle that was part of the counterculture, part of a response to the Vietnam fiasco (even if the film does not talk about the war) and the studio attempts to imitate the insanely successful blockbuster business of Robert Altman's original M*A*S*H (1969, reviewed elsewhere on this site), and this particular film joins The Last Detail (also from Twilight Time and reviewed elsewhere on this site) as attempting to be in the mode of Altman's hit.

Though the title may have other meanings as you watch, but in the narrative, it is a very limited civilian pass given to a soldier that barely lasts more than a matter of hours, in this case, played by James Caan in a memorable turn right off of the original Godfather. Because of something medical, he gets to get a brief brake from service in Seattle, only to get involved with a young woman (a star-making turn by the underrated Marsha Mason) who is a 'lady of the night' with other soldiers, barely taking care of a young 'son' who is trouble all his own.

The film is only a small part of the book it comes from and it is a very rough film to this date as far as the melodrama, sad situations and dealing with private pain is concerned, yet that is what makes it worth seeing even if you ultimately have issues with at least some of it. It is a film that has not always stayed with me, but the cast (also including another great turn by Dabney Coleman that is too short, plus Eli Wallach, Burt Young, Bruno Kirby and Sally Kirkland) makes this a slice-of-life film with pain and darkness.

I bought most of it and it is worth seeing (or revisiting), because it is the kind of film; you cannot get made anymore' and a reminder that at one time, Hollywood was original and daring enough to make ambitious films when people expected movies to be movies. Also be warned that some of the language and situations are very politically incorrect and parts of the film (AIDS realities notwithstanding) would not be made the same way today.

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer only once in a while shows the age of the materials used, making this far superior a transfer to all previous releases of the film and fortunately so since it was shot by one of the giants of cameramen: Director of Photography Vilmos Zsigmond, A.S.C. (The Deer Hunter, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind) who uses the very widescreen frame and color (here, Color by DeLuxe) to further the narrative and actually create intimacy where too many would think the wide frame would only be about open spaces. Anything open here still can seem closed.

The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix has music by no less that John Williams, and music he created with singer/songwriter Paul Williams in a fitting collaboration. You cannot hear Williams singing on the isolated tracks, but he nails the characters situations in lyrics and vocals very, very well.

Extras include yet another excellent, underrated essay by the great film scholar Julie Kirgo, while the Blu-ray disc adds a feature length audio commentary track by Director Rydell, a vintage Behind The Scenes/Making Of featurette, Isolated Music Score, Original Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots.

After the unexpected immense success of the first Deadpool film, a sequel was inevitable. Lucky for us its a fun expansion on the beloved Marvel character and is both written and starring Ryan Reynolds again as the character he was born to play. David Leitch's Deadpool 2 (2018) is raunchy, violent, and riddled with bad language and adult humor... it also happens to be one of the best movies of the summer. This new edition features two cuts of the film (one a whopping 16 minutes longer) that is sure to appease seasoned Marvel fans and newcomers alike!

Co-starring Josh Brolin as Cable, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Julian Dennison, and Zazie Beetz.

Deadpool (Reynolds) is back in action and this time he's on a mission to outdo the pop culture impact of Hugh Jackman and his Wolverine films forever! After an epic attempt at suicide, Deadpool's dream girl accidentally gets killed, he then goes on a spiritual (sort of) journey to find his true calling with the X-Men, forms his own super team, and crosses paths with Cable (Brolin) who is on a time traveling mission to kill a young Mutant boy before he turns into a sinister grown up. There's a lot at stake and nonstop thrills and chills in this flick!

Presented in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image with a 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio and both a fantastic sounding Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless track and a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless mix for regular Blu-ray, this is a high end and demo disc worthy presentation to say the least. The character detail is impeccable and you can really see that the money was put on the screen here.

As mentioned there are two cuts of the film and they are presented each on their own 4K UHD or Blu-ray disc, making the set four discs in length. The Blu-ray discs are in 1080p with the same audio specs as per usual.

A digital copy is also included.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary by Ryan Reynolds, David Leitch, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Theatrical Version Only)

Gag Reel

Deleted/Extended Scenes

Until Your Face Hurts: Alt Takes

Deadpool's Lips are Sealed: Secrets and Easter Eggs

The Most Important X-Force Member

Deadpool Family Values: Cast of Characters

David Leitch Not Lynch: Directing DP2

Roll with the Punches: Action and Stunts

The Deadpool Prison Experiment

Chess with Omega Red

Swole and Sexy

"3-Minute Monologue"

Deadpool's Fun Sack 2

and Stills (28 Images)

There are several different versions of the film on disc including a Best Buy Steelbook, and a bundle of both DP films in 4K UHD.

At the end of the day is a super fun release that really sports a nice presentation on disc and is a must buy in this reviewer's eyes!

Chris O' Dowd and Ray Romano headline the new television adaptation of the hit film Get Shorty, Get Shorty: The Complete First Season (2018) which is full of laughs and sure to please fans of the film (especially those who disliked its very belated, unnecessary sequel). Also starring Lidia Porto, Megan Stevenson, and Sean Bridgers, we follow Miles Daly (O'Dowd), who leaves the Nevada crime ring behind for a life as a Hollywood movie producer, with some unusual consequences. Originally airing on Epix, the show expands its audience first on disc.

Episodes include The Pitch, Sins of a Chambermaid, The Yips, From Stamos with Love, A Man of Letters, Epinephrine, Grace Under Pressure, Shot on Location, Turnaround, and Blue Pages.

Presented in anamorphically enhanced standard definition with a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, the show is presented commercial (and watermark) free. A bit compressed (as per usual with the format), the show looks fine here.

No extras.

From the creator of Shameless, comes a UK police comedy that will no doubt appeal to American audiences. No Offence (2015) centers around a group of female Manchester Detectives who are solving usual and unusual crimes such as drug busts, hate crimes, serial killers, and other bizarre cases.

The show stars Joanna Scanlan, Elaine Cassidy, Will Mellor, Saira Choudhry, and Paul Ritter to name a few.

Presented in anamorphically enhanced standard definition on DVD with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix, the show looks fine for the format. Compression issues are evident (as usual with DVD) but all in all the colors and tones are natural and could be improved in HD.

The first season consists of eight episodes.

Special Features include...

Meet the Cast and Crew Featurette

and Deleted Scenes

Finally we have John Dexter's The Virgin Soldiers (1969), our other military-linked comedy and this time, its British and set in 1950 in Malaysia, where Brigg (Hywel Bennett) has to wonder if he can survive his governments intervention in the country and can he get laid? The latter becomes oddly complicated when he meets a young school teacher (a fine early performance by Lynn Redgrave) he becomes more interested in and gets along with in ways that are unexpected.

But the war is still on as it were and other soldiers are having similar issues, plus the conflict (unbeknownst to them and mirroring the U.S. in Vietnam in some ways) has only just begun (it will last another decade from the time the film takes place before it is all over) and the film does not skip over the war casually like a romantic epic or two (Gone With The Wind, Doctor Zhivago) have been accused of. Nigel Hawthorne leads the rest of the solid supporting cast (many of whom even I did not know of) in another film from that cycle of comic war films with a serious backbone discussed earlier with Cinderella Liberty (et al) above. Any Britishisms in the film and script are a plus.

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer has a richer look with older, likely slower speed (i.e., light sensitive) film stocks, and Director of Photography Kenneth Higgins (Georgy Girl, Darling) gives it a memorable look of its time and era, yet holds up amazingly well on a purely photographic level, has a very British look (a little darker than Hollywood product of the time) and finished the film's connection to the waining years of the 'angry young man' film cycle in British Cinema.

The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix is not bad, but can show its age with some sonic limits, though I could make out almost all the dialogue and it is one of those situations where accents (British in particular) might be a challenge for most listeners.

Extras include yet another nicely illustrated booklet on the film including informative text and yet another excellent, underrated essay by the great film scholar Julie Kirgo, while the Blu-ray adds an Isolated Music Score and Original Theatrical Trailer.

To order the Cinderella Liberty and Virgin Soldiers limited edition Blu-rays, buy them and other great films while supplies last at these links:

www.screenarchives.com

and

http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/

- Nicholas Sheffo (Twilight Time) and James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/