Black
Sunday
(1977/Paramount/MVD/Arrow Blu-ray*)/Fear
Is The Key
(1972/Imprint/Via Vision/Region Free Import Blu-ray)/Return
Of The Swamp Thing 4K
(1989/DC Comics/Lightyear 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Violent
Night
(2022/Universal Blu-ray w/DVD)/A
Woman Kills
(1968/Radiance Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B-/B/B+/B+ & B-/B- Sound:
B-/B-/B+/B+ & B-/B- Extras: B/B-/B/C+/B- Films:
B/C+/C/C+/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Fear
Is The Key
Import Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Via Vision
Entertainment in Australia, can play on all 4K & Blu-ray players
and can be ordered from the links below.
Now
for a wide group of thrillers, old and new to know about...
John
Frankenheimer's Black
Sunday
(1977) was a big hit in its time, is one fo the underrated director's
biggest hits, made at a time when a 9/11 attack was almost
unthinkable and has an amazing cast that keeps the suspense going all
the way from beginning to end. A group of terrorists want to make a
name for themselves and have decided that they will kill tens of
thousands by blowing up a football stadium where the Super Bowl (The
Steelers vs. The Cowboys, still one of the greatest rivalries in the
history of the game) and achieve this in part by highjacking a key
flying vehicle that will also
be a big part of the game: The Goodyear Blimp!
Bruce
Dern (Silent
Running,
King
Of Marvin Gardens)
and Marthe Keller (Marathon
Man)
play the duo carrying out the mass murder for their political cause
and Robert Shaw (Jaws,
The
Sting,
From
Russia With Love)
is the investigator out to stop them. Though not as remembered as
his auteur counterparts, Frankenheimer (the original Manchurian
Candidate,
Ronin,
Seconds)
could direct a thriller as strong as anyone and this too is one of
them.
Though
the screenplay was co-written by Ernest Lehman (Hitchcock's North
By Northwest,)
Kenneth Ross (Day
Of The Jackal,
The
Odessa File)
and Ivan Moffat (Heroes
Of Telemark,
Giant,)
the other highlight here is that they adapted from the best selling
book by no less than a then-unknown Thomas Harris, the creator of The
Silence Of The Lambs
and Hannibal
had a huge early success with this. This is a very talented group
who knew their way around the thriller/mystery genre.
Add
the great supporting cast of Fritz Weaver, William Daniels, Bekim
Fehmiu, Michael V. Gazzo, Steven Keats, Victor Campos and Walter
Gotell, and you can see why this is a film people still talk about,
still remember fondly and why is it great for it to get restored and
finally has a special edition issued on it. Though
some small parts may have dated and we get a few predictable or
obvious moments, they are minor versus the suspense and energy the
film has.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image was
shot in real 35mm anamorphic Panavision by the great Director Of
Photography John A. Alonzo, A.S.C., (Chinatown,
Vanishing
Point,
De Palma's Scarface,
Blue
Thunder)
and his work here is just as vivid and effective. For the most part,
this is the best I have seen the film since I saw it eons ago in
35mm, but there were a few parts of the frame here and there that
were a little off. However, it is also a very gritty film at times
and not meant to always be an immaculate-looking film. It is very
color accurate and has some great depth and detail just about all the
way.
The
sound is here in DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo, original 2.0 Mono and 5.1 lossless mixes,
though the stereo was most convincing to me, its nice to have such a
wide choice. John Williams did the music the same year he did Star
Wars
and Close
Encounters Of The Third Kind,
so he had quite the year and his score is very effective here.
Extras
are many and include a brand new Feature Length Audio Commentary by
film scholar Josh Nelson
It
Could Be Tomorrow:
brand new visual essay by critic Sergio Angelini, exploring the
film's adaptation and production, and its place within the pantheon
of 1970s terrorism thrillers
The
Directors: John Frankenheimer:
an hour-long portrait of the director from 2003, including
interviews with Frankenheimer, Kirk Douglas, Samuel L. Jackson, Roy
Scheider, Rod Steiger and others
Image
gallery
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter
Strain
and
FIRST
PRESSING ONLY:
Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by
Barry Forshaw.
When
the James Bond film series became a non-stop hit machine in the 1960s
and so many people loved it, it was well on its way to becoming the
most successful franchise in cinema history, though many were not so
certain. That decade's spy-genre imitators lasted well into the next
decade and the naturalism and realism of the late 1960s Hollywood New
Wave of filmmaking meant more realistic action films, including
Bullitt
(1968) and The
French Connection
(1971,) so imitators switched it up to more hands-dirty filmmaking
and turned to other successful writers in the genre besides Ian
Fleming. That include Alastair MacLean.
Michael
Tuchner's Fear
Is The Key
(1972) is one such film, with a lower budget than most Bonds and even
other MacLean adaptions like Where
Eagles Dare
(1968,) but adapts one of the books as well as could be expected with
more mystery elements than expected, yet more extended action than
you might expect. Barry Newman (from the classic Vanishing
Point)
hears his family killed over a radio communication while they are on
an airplane and intends to find out why... then get revenge.
Part
of his plan is to get arrested in a small town, purposely getting
drunk, so he can target people he feels are responsible and find out
who else is involved, and why. He lands up kidnapping a stander-by
(the always impressive Suzy Kendall of Bird
With The Crystal Plumage,
Torso,
The
Liquidator)
and this involves an early car chase that is one of the longest in
cinema history, better than 95% of all car action in most of the Fast
& Furious
films.
The
twists and turns (here to make up for the lack of budget) work a
little better than expected, but things can get a little stretched
out and it (along with some bad visual effects and a little
predictability) hold the film back. However, the supporting cast,
including John Vernon, Ben Kingsley (his first feature film,) Dolph
Sweet (De Palma's Sisters,
The
Swimmer,
Colossus:
The Forbin Project,
TV's Gimme
A Break)
Tony Anholt (TV classics The
Protectors
and Space:
1999)
& Ray McAnally (Billy
Budd),
is a big plus here.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image some spots that show the
film's age, but it looks pretty good otherwise, as shot in real
anamorphic 35mm Panavision and issued in dye-transfer,
three-strip Technicolor prints like all the Bond films from
Thunderball
(1965) to the release of the film. Though the color is not shocking
or elaborate, it is very good and consistent, with some nice shots
and fine color range, demonstrating how good in many places it must
have looked in such 35mm prints. It can be hampered by some bad
matte work, but Director of Photography Alex Thompson, B.S.C. (Alien
3,
Excalibur,
Legend,
Branagh's Hamlet,
Death
Line,
Year
Of The Dragon)
uses the very widescreen frame to its fullest extent
when given the chance and you do get some great outdoor shots if
nothing else.
The
PCM 2.0 Mono shows its age and is as good as this film, with a solid
score by Roy Budd, will ever sound. The fidelity is not as bad as it
could have been for its time, so this was slightly surprising, but
too old for even a simple stereo boost.
Extras
are mostly new and include a solid Feature-Length Audio Commentary
track by film historian Kim Newman and author Sean Hogan, 'Producing
The Action'
interview with associate producer Gavrik Losey, 'Bayou to Bray'
interviews with Cast & Crew and an Original Theatrical Trailer.
Swamp
Thing
was one of the first DC Comics' characters to get a debut in a
feature film (thanks to the late great Wes Craven) and has remained a
beloved characters by fans. While his big screen resurgence has been
announced in a few years time on the upcoming DC Universe movie slate
by James Gunn at the time of this writing, this 1989 sequel to the
Wes Craven original is more of a corny comedy than faithful comic
adaptation. The highlight of the film remains the creature make-up
and special effects which are pretty well executed for the time
considering the film obviously didn't have a huge budget. It almost
feels at times like a Troma production, but without the nudity,
language, and violence.
The
Return of Swamp Thing 4K
(1989) continues with Dick Durock's portrayal of the creature which
is kind-hearted, tough, and quite heroic. Co-starring Heather
Locklear (Dynasty,
Melrose
Place,
T.J.
Hooker)
as the plant obsessed love interest, the film is pure cheese from
frame one but like other genre films in this era, however, the film
still manages to have some heart behind its swamp themed mutated
exterior.
The
film also stars Louis Jourdan (Octopussy),
Sarah Douglas (Superman
II),
Ace Mask, and Monique Gabrielle.
Abigail
Arcane (Locklear) visits her mad uncle Dr. Anton Arcane in his
laboratory, where he is experimenting illegally with genetic
mutation. Soon, she encounters the infamous Swamp Thing (Warlock)
who is hell bent on fighting these creations. Along the way the two
find action and love as they battle against Dr. Arcane's inhuman
creations.
Return
of Swamp Thing
does look better here than previous releases of the film on disc, a
few of which have been reviewed elsewhere on this site. The film is
presented in 2160p on 4K UHD disc with HDR10, an HEVC / H.265 codec,
a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and audio tracks in English,
lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo (both 48kHz,
24-bit) as well. There's also a 1080p Blu-ray version of the film,
which is comparable in quality to the previously released MVD version
of the film on Blu-ray disc.
This
version of the film has two brand new special features: Reflections
on Swamp Thing: 35 Years Later
interview with producer Michael E. Uslan and the RiffTrax music video
for Your
Ever-Lovin' Swamp Thing
by The RiffTones. Aside from that, the other extras have been carted
over from previous releases including...
Feature
Length Audio Commentary from director Jim Wynorski, composer Chuck
Cirino and editor Leslie Rosenthal (2018)
Feature
Length Audio Commentary from director Jim Wynorski (2003)
Interviews
with director Jim Wynorski, editor Leslie Rosenthal, composer Chuck
Cirino, and Lightyear Entertainment executive Arnie Holland
Original
Theatrical Trailer
6
Promotional TV Clips
2
TV Spots
2
Greenpeace Public Service Announcements
1989
Promo Reel
and
a Photo Gallery (accompanied by Chuck Cirino's film score).
The
presentation of this 1989 sequel has been improved here, but the film
is still pretty hammy, dated, and silly. Nowadays, I think comic
fans are looking for a darker approach to the character, which was
attempted in the failed recent television incarnation (reviewed
elsewhere on this site), and which should be delivered in the
upcoming film series under the new DCU.
David
Harbour (Stranger
Things,
Marvel's Black
Widow,
Hellboy
(2019)) stars as a butt-kicking version of Santa Claus in the
Christmas action / comedy, Violent
Night
(2022), which has landed on disc pretty soon after its initial
theatrical release.
The
premise of the R-rated action film is more or less, Die
Hard
meets Santa, and seeing as its from the producers of the underrated
Nobody
and the John
Wick
series this should come as no surprise. The film is definitely not
for those who like their Christmas movies on the Hallmark side of the
things, and it doesn't hold back from being raunchy, naughty, and
bloody any excuse it can get. The film isn't terrible and has a few
laughs and moments of creativity, but feels a bit mean spirited at
times and predictable. As popcorn munching adult fare for the Bad
Santa
crowd, this is fine.
A
rich family is attacked on Christmas Eve by a vengeful group of
mercenaries that are after their fortune. Coincidentally, an angsty
Santa Claus ends up at the estate and vows to protect a young girl
who is being held hostage.
The
film also stars John Leguizamo, Beverly D'Angelo, Alex Hassell, and
Alexis Louder. The film is directed by Tommy Wirkola, who seems to
circle projects with interesting premises that aren't quite classics
such as Dead
Snow
and Hansel
and Gretel: Witch Hunters.
Violent
Night,
for one reason or another, didn't get a 4K UHD release out the gate
which seems a bit silly, but an unwelcome trend by many studios as of
late. Buena Vista decided not to release 2022's The
Menu
on 4K UHD and other titles from A24 (including titles that have
gotten critical and commercial acclaim) have yet to land on the
format as well. At this point for films of this size it seems like a
4K release should be a no brainer, but alas, Violent
Night
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a lossless,
English DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mix and an
English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (192kbps) mix on the disc as well.
Also included is a standard definition DVD version of the film with
compression issues evident in the format and a lossy 5.1 Dolby
Digital Audio mix.
Special
Features:
Deleted
and Extended scenes
Behind
the scenes featurettes
and
an Original Theatrical Trailer.
The
best parts of Violent
Night
were probably seen in the film's trailer, but the premise is pretty
brilliant and David Harbour does a great job here, which makes it
worth a watch.
Finally,
we come to a lost French New Wave thriller finally resurfacing to
make it to home video for the first time ever. Jean-Denis Bonan's A
Woman
Kills
(1968) is a mystery film from France in which a female serial
killer/hooker is finally caught and executed, but a new series of
murders as shocking as hers start up again! Did she really kill all
those people? Is she really dead? Did she have a killing partner?
Did she come back from the dead?
The
film lets any of those possibilities and more linger on as the camera
takes us all over the city and then, we start to see new killings,
stylized, graphic and otherwise. That still does not help us know
what is really happening, as the film still suspends any answers for
a while, making the audience think more. This is done in a French
New Wave editing and pacing style, which usually works, save one too
many moments where we have to hear vocal music inserted in ways hat
make no sense and kill suspense.
More
Godard, Truffaut,
Warhol and a little Robert Aldrich, but not as Hitchcock as it could
have been, the film tries to juggle more than it can handle and not
just because of budget limits. There are reason this might have been
censored and taking place in the politically volatile year it came
out, that might have contributed to its disappearance. However, at
least it is ambitious and has some energy to it, which is more than I
can say for most so-called thrillers I have suffered through in
recent years, so its worth a look if interested.
Cheers
to the cast as well,
Claude Merlin, Solange Pradel (World
On A Wire,)
Myriam Mezieres (Horizonville,)
Jackie Raynal (Le
Grande Depart,)
Catherine Deville (Story
Of Women)
and Alain-Yves Beaujour (Rape
Of The Vampire,
a film several people worked on here that was released/finished the
same year.)
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfer on Kills
comes from a new 2K scan of the original 16mm archival materials and
can show the age of the materials used and has its share of soft
shots, but that is from the way it was shot and not from the
restoration or transfer. The
PCM 2.0 Mono has its sonic limits, but sounds as good as this film
ever will and the restoration work is fine.
Extras
are many and include a fine Feature-Length Audio Commentary track by
critics Kat Ellinger and Virginie Selavy, Introduction by Virginie
Selavy in camera, plus...
On
the Margin: The Cursed Films of Jean-Denis Bonan
(Francis Lecomte, 2015/2022, 37 minutes): a newly updated
documentary programme featuring director Jean-Denis Bonan,
cinematographer Gerard de Battista, editor Mireille Abramovici,
musician Daniel Laloux, and actress Jackie Rynal
Short
films by Jean-Denis Bonan: La
vie breve de Monsieur Meucieu
(1962, 13 mins), Un
crime d'amour
(1965, 6 mins), rushes of an incomplete film; Tristesses
des anthropophages
(1966, 23 mins), Mathieu-fou
(1967, 18 mins), Une
saison chez les hommes
(1967, 16 mins)
An
Original Theatrical Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by maarko
phntm
and
WHILE
SUPPLIES LAST:
A Limited Edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by
author and scholar Catherine Wheatley, writer and broadcaster
Richard Thomas on the short films, writing on gender identity tropes
in A
Woman Kills
and the horror film, an interview with Francis Lecomte, the French
distributor who rescued the film, newly translated archival reviews
and film credits.
To
order the Fear
Is The Key
Region-Free import Blu-ray, get it and many other hard-to-find titles
at this link:
https://viavision.com.au/shop/fear-is-the-key-1972-imprint-collection-195/
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (4K, Night)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
