Courtship
Of Eddie's Father
(1962/MGM*)/Hey
There, It's Yogi Bear
(1964/*both Warner Archive Blu-ray)/Project
ALF
(1996/Liberation Hall*)/Renfield
(2023 'Dracula
Edition'/Universal
Blu-ray w/DVD)/Shin
Ultraman
(2022/Cleopatra/*both MVD Blu-rays)/Ultraman
Battle Kaiju Series One: Ultraman Vs. Red King
(2023 compilation/Mill Creek Blu-ray)
Picture:
B/B-/B-/B+ & B-/B-/B- Sound: C+/B-/B-/B+ & B-/C+/C+
Extras: B-/C-/C/B/C-/C Main Programs: B-/C+/C/C+/C/B-
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Courtship Of Eddie's Father
and Hey
There, It's Yogi Bear
are now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive
series and can be ordered from the link below.
Now
for familiar characters that you can find on the big and small screen
over the years for the most part...
Vincente
Minnelli's The
Courtship Of Eddie's Father
(1962) is one of the director's more broad and commercial films, but
capable, a hit and later inspired a hit TV show. In this original
version, Glenn Fiord is he widower and his son (a young Ron Howard
when he was 'Ronny Howard' in a highly successful run as a child
actor) is unhappy to see his dad so sad. Thus, he keeps trying to be
a matchmaker and the great casting of Shirley
Jones, Dina Merrill and Stella Stevens really stop this from just
being a big screen TV sitcom.
The
film has aged well enough, though it is also a time capsule that can
be fun, sad, ironic and tends to hold up at about two hours. There
are some off moments and some that are supposed to be funny, but are
not as much as they might have been or perceived to be so. Its
another film that also showed MGM could survive without musicals as
that genre was in declien at this time. It is worth a look, but have
patience if you take it on.
For
more on the hit TV series version, try our links to the DVD sets
issued by Warner Archive:
Season
One +
Two
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12362/China+Beach:+Season+One+(1988/Time+Life/Star
Season
Three
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12557/Chuggington:+Brewster+Leads+The+Way+(w/Toy
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image was shot in real
anamorphic Panavision
in 35mm color negative, processed and printed by the studio's own
Metrocolor labs, so it looks really good and their superior labwork
has once again paid off. The best film prints offered 4-track
magnetic sound with traveling
dialogue and sound effects, but that soundmaster is apparently
missing, so we get a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless
mixdown. It sounds good, but it has a few giveaway flaws too.
Extras
include the Technicolor Tom & Jerry cartoon Penthouse
Mouse,
an Original Theatrical Trailer and a great feature-length audio
commentary track by Shirley Jones, Dina Merrill and Stella Stevens.
Hey
There, It's Yogi Bear
(1964) was one of Hanna Barbera's first theatrical film outings,
economically viable and possible in part because color TV was just
arriving and you could not see the hit TV show in its native full
color at home yet. We originally reviewed the movie on DV at this
link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7867/The+Man+Called+Flintstone+++Hey+There,+It
So
much more has happened in animation since our older coverage,
including how CGI digital computer animation has taken giant leaps in
detail, depth and imitating real-life live camera work. This still
remains fun, charming and holds up at least as well as the new Yogi
3D animated CGI feature film of a few years ago. If you like the
characters, it remains very child-friendly and even charming, so the
upgrade is worth it and the one to go to if you're going to revisigt
it or especially get it for your children, should you have any.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image is a little soft, in
part because that is the way it was produced, but this is a nice
improvement in color range (dubbed 'Yogi Color') and some depth over
the old DVD version, while the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless mix is as much an
improvement and that makes it the best-sounding of vintage Yogi
productions.
The
only extra is the Yogi's
Birthday Party
episode of the original TV series.
Hide
your cats! The '80s TV alien, Alf, starring film, Project:
ALF
(1996), lands on Blu-ray disc. If you are a fan of the original
series then you will likely enjoy this quirky film that is basic ALF
humor and Hollywood veteran Martin Sheen doing his best to face off
against the furry alien puppet. The film stars Miguel Ferrer,
William O'Leary, Jensen Daggett, Scott Michael Campbell, and Beverly
Archer. The original cast of the TV series doesn't make an
appearance.
In
an undisclosed military base similar to Area 51, ALF is being held by
military and interrogated. His life is in limbo. Will he be
terminated by the hands of Colonel Milfoil (Martin Sheen) or deemed
innocent and not a national threat? As ALF makes friends and
challenges his superiors, they soon learn to embrace the lovable
furry lump.
The
film feels a little dated at times and feels a bit stiff at times
despite ALF’s bubbly personality. Project:
ALF
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (centered in a 1.78 X 1 framing)
and a lossless, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). The
image is pretty grainy throughout the presentation to a pretty
noticeable degree, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I
think they could have scaled it back a bit. There is sharp detail on
the characters and the colors look fine for Blu-ray.
Special
Features: Feature-Length Audio Commentary, Trailers, Photo Gallery
and Biographies.
I
found Project:
ALF a
bit stiff at times and has a very low budget TV movie feel. I admit
I'm not the hugest fan of the character, but if you are a fan then
this will be a nice extension to the sitcom.
For
more thoughts on the film, try our coverage of the DVD release:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5097/Project:+ALF+(Telefilm
And
for more on the series, try our coverage of the original series'
Season Three:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3757/ALF+-+Season+Three
Renfield
(2023)
lands on Blu-ray / DVD (and not 4K UHD) from Universal. The horror /
comedy / action hybrid treads lightly on its reference to the
Universal Monsters classic, even going as far as recreating a scene
from the original 1931 Universal Dracula
film (reviewed elsewhere on this site on multiple formats) with the
new actors composited in. The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas
Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, and Shohreh Aghdashloo.
Nicholas
Hoult stars as the title character of Renfield, who gains Dracula
level powers where he swallows an insect, and of whom seeks a life
where he doesn't have to kill and deliver human beings as food to his
abusive Master, Dracula. Hoult can handle the physical demands of
the role in mainly of the film's goofy action sequences (and
cartoonishy bloody) and simultaneously captures Renfield's softer
side as well. The character is definitely not as creepy and insane
as he is depicted in the 1931 Dracula
adaptation.
And finally, Hollywood's hot for the moment star Awkwafina (The
Legend of Shang Chi)
is also thrown into the mix as the love interest / police officer on
the case who is fine in the role and acts as comic relief and also
the person who inspires some good inside the damaged soul of
Renfield.
Nicolas
Cage shines as a comic book style version of Dracula, in this being
his first role as a Vampire. He was also in the film, Vampire's
Kiss
(1988), but in that film he plays the victim more than the blood
sucking foe. In Renfield,
Dracula is basically unstoppable at times, but his weakness is
sunlight and the weak blood of drug users. The movie's main goal
above being a Dracula film is to teach us (and often beats its
audience over the head with) a lesson about getting out of toxic
relationships with narcissists, relying too heavily on others, and of
course being strong, independent, and true to ourselves. Directed by
Chris McKay (The
Tomorrow War,
The
LEGO Batman movie),
the film has nice effects and production design, but at times gets
lost in its own life lessons whist still bound to its stereotypical
Hollywood screenplay. The end result is a mixed bag. Renfield
is at times triumphant and other times a bit slacking.
Renfield
(Hoult) is trying to escape his toxic relationship as servant to
Dracula (Cage.) As Renfield seeks counsel in a support group, he
starts to target those close to the victims in the group in order to
fulfill his job requirements to Dracula by finding him human food.
When he gets mixed up with a feisty gang, and in the midst of a
police investigation, Renfield and Dracula have to come out of the
shadows and step into the modern world that doesn't understand them.
Renfield
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 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mix (likely a mixdown
from DTS: X and Dolby Atmos). The film has interesting colors
throughout and the 1080p presentation does what it can and still
could not touch a well-produced 4K UHD with HDR (hopefully a later
release will remedy this), and the 1080p still obviously looks better
than the also included standard definition DVD with the same aspect
ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.
Special
Features (per the press release):
Feature
Commentary with Producer Samantha Nisenboim, Screenwriter Ryan
Ridley, and Crew
Hilarious
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Alternate
Takes
Dracula
UnCaged:
Go inside the mind of a vampire as Dracula himself, Nicolas Cage,
reveals the secrets behind turning a classic character into a
memorable monster.
Monsters
& Men: Behind the Scenes of RENFIELD:
An in-depth look at Renfield's cast, sets, costumes and more as the
actors and filmmakers reveal how they modernized a famous terror tale
with trailblazing comedy and over-the-top action.
Stages
of Rejuvenation:
See how special makeup effects bring the undead to life throughout
the four stages of Dracula's incredible transformation.
Flesh
& Blood:
Exploding heads. Peeling faces. Severed limbs. They're all part of
the macabre movie magic that fuels Renfield with inventive action and
hilarious horror.
Fighting
Dirty:
Stunt coordinator Christopher Brewster leads a look at the training,
choreography, and careful execution that goes into the film's
spectacular stunts and fight scenes.
and
The
Making of a Deleted Scene: Renfield's Dance!:
Nicholas Hoult and choreographer Kathryn Burns pull back the curtain
on constructing an elaborate musical number for a fantasy dance
sequence.
The
overly R-rated and cartoonish Renfield isn't all bad, but let's be
honest... that's mainly due to Nicolas Cage carrying the film as
Dracula.
Shinji
Higuchi's Shin
Ultraman
(2022) wants to recapture the first color TV series (the second-ever
show and the one most U.S. viewers would know from the 1960s and
1970s) in look and fell, but update it to the current big-budget,
giant monster films and in the framing and approach of the last few
live-action shows. With its 2 hours of length, it tries to do that
and more, maybe thinking of launching a big screen series, but it
never exceeds its basic ambitions and is only a curio at best.
The
actors and makers to try to get into it and make it happen, but the
whole production also is just playing it safe and that stops it from
being more than it could have been. Without ruining it, they do a
few neat updates to the classic show that are not bad, but it
ultimately did not stay with me. Still, there will be people who get
a kick out of this, so the most curious or interested should give it
a look.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image is an HD production with
a little more softness and small detail issues than expected and that
gets in the way of it emulating the first color show, but it still
imitates the recent look of Warner's Godzilla and King Kong films in
interesting ways.
The
sound is here in Japanese and English 5.1 mixes, plus 2.0 English,
but once again, Cleopatra rejects any kind of lossless sound, so the
soundtracks are sadly only lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and lossy Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo.
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer and Slide Show.
Finally,
a nice compilation in Ultraman
Battle Kaiju Series One: Ultraman Vs. Red King
which takes episodes from no less than a dozen different versions of
the series, some animated, all part a long history only rivaled by
the BBC's Doctor
Who.
A crash course for those who only know the English-dubbed version of
the first color, filmed show, the set centers on the heroes'
encounters with one creature and is a welcome release, likely issued
to be timed with the release of Shin
Ultraman
(see above) on home video.
All
the shows here are the original Japanese versions with subtitles and
sourced about as well as can be expected, though that first color
show might work in a 4K release, but who knows. The animated
versions are a surprise, playing different from the early show, but
still in keeping with the character. If you like Ultraman and want
to see how successful he really is, seeing this set will deliver the
how and why. He is a real, enduring Japanese institution!
Most
of the episodes are in 1080p
1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer can show the age of
the materials used, from analog black and white videotape, low
definition video, HD video, analog color videotape and the
second-ever series on color film. Non-filmed, low-def shows are
upscaled, so quality varies, though the first color show looks as
good as any of them and this will be the first time anyone has seen
these shows in HD. The sound is lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
2.0 sound throughout, with the early series in mono, later shows in
stereo, sounding about as good as they ever will.
The
original full-color Ultraman
with its classic English-dubbing by the original dub team for Speed
Racer
has yet to get HD treatment and hopefully, the 35mm versions have not
been lost, destroyed or misplaced. In the meantime, they did get two
releases on DVD including this earlier version with less compression:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7725/Iron+King/Super+Robot:+Red+Baron/Ultraman
Extras
include a booklet and vintage early Ultraman
show so rough, they include it as an extra.
To
order The
Courtship Of Eddie's Father
and/or the Hey
There, It's Yogi Bear
Warner
Archive Blu-rays,
buy them while supplies last at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (ALF,
Renfield)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
