Body
Odyssey (2023/IndiePix
DVD)/Clean and Sober
(1988/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/Queer
(2024/A24 Blu-ray)/Rosa La
Rose, Fille Publique
(1986/MVD/Radiance/Blu-ray)/The
Theory Of Everything
(2014/Universal Blu-ray)
Picture:
C/B-/B/B/B Sound: C+/C+/B/B-/B Extras: D/C-/B-/B-/C
Films: C/C+/B-/B-/B
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Clean
and Sober
Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Now
for films that deal with the body and the extremes it can go to...
Grazia
Tricarico's Body
Odyssey
(2023) is a sort of body politik flipside to many standard
bodybuilding documentaries and narrative films, not just because the
subject is a woman named Mona (Jacqueline ''Jay'' Fuchs) going
through all kinds of hard work and worse, aided by a coach (Julian
Sands in one of his last films) who is also very hard on her, making
the whole situation intense, et al.
Sands
has shown up in such narrative films before that present the human
body in extreme terms, but like a few of those, this one gets
repetitive, whether you can handle the actual extremes or not. It
can almost get exploitive or wallow in what t is showing and saying,
but has some successes and s only worth a look if you are really,
really interested. With Sands and its subject matter, it will
definitely be a curio, maybe a cult item too at some point.
There
are no extras.
Glenn
Gordon Caron's Clean
and Sober
(1988) was an attempt by the director (known for the TV classic
Moonlighting
with Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd by this time) and Michael
Keaton, still known as a comic actor at the time, to do something
more serious as his character, a real estate broker with a hardcore
cocaine addiction. Many at the time could not buy it, but Keaton
does give it his best efforts and is good here, even when the
screenplay runs into some issues and cliches.
Almost
succeeding as a character study, it falls a little short there too,
but not from lack of trying. What keeps the film interesting as well
is the supporting cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Kathy Baker,
Tate Donovan and M. Emmet Walsh. Now a curio, is still worth a look
and having seen it when it originally hit theaters, though it was
fairly good, but still misses the mark a little too often. Keaton
would become batman the next year, but before than , he was only
known for comedy. After, every knew after both films he could do
much more and has since.
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer, but that's all. Maybe it
could have had more?
Luca
Guadagnino's Queer
(2024) has Daniel Craig playing against type as William Lee (a
William S. Burroughs character, very similar to the real life man?)
in 1950s Mexico City, enjoying forbidden gay sex as he hits his
fourth decade. Hanging with younger men, he finally finds one he
cares about for more than just casual sex in Eugene Allerton (Drew
Starkey, who is also good here) and then they start to get more and
more involved.
Sometimes
a more sexually explicit Naked
Lunch,
this had surreal moments I was not expecting and is one of the few
films on gay relations lately that seemed like more than just a film
fitting a category or two. Craig takes risks here and is convincing
enough, though for some, they will not be able to buy it being so
used to him being James Bond, but he is still good here just the same
and it was a risk to do this film just the same. Since Burroughs has
had big screen treatment before, this film has more overlap than you
might want, but it is still well done and worth a good look if
interested.
Extras
include
collectible cards, while the disc adds...
○ Feature Length Audio
Commentary with Director Luca Guadagnino, Costume Designer Jonathan
W. Anderson, Writer Justin Kuritzkes, Editor Marco Costa, and
Production Designer Stefano Baisi
○ ''Diverso:
The Making of Queer''
featurette
○ Scene Breakdown
○ VFX Breakdown
○
Miniatures BTS
○ and ''Te
Maldigo''
Music Video.
Paul
Vecchiall's
Rosa
La Rose, Fille Publique
(1986) is about prostitutes in France, but has storylines where
relationships develop in spite of this, in a repeat of the gal
(Marianne Basler) who is almost the cliche of a hooker with a heart
of gold having a pimp (Jean Sorel of no less than Belle
du Jour)
who is good to her, but falling for a working class guy (Pierre
Cosso) that could change her life in one way and already has
immediately in others.
A
better film than I expected, its realism and naturalistic approach is
truly erotic at times and overrides bad filmmaking and stereotypes we
would have likely had to endure otherwise. I like the locales, but
the actors are what really put it all over the top (almost) resulting
in an underrated work that has some interesting things to say, show
and that;s more than enough (with only minor issues) to recommend it.
Extras
include an interview with critic David Jenkins (2025)
Archival
interview with director Paul Vecchiali (1985)
Archival
interview with actors Marianne Basler and Jean Sorel (1985)
Newly
improved English subtitle translation
Reversible
sleeve featuring designs based on original promotional materials
Limited
Edition booklet featuring archival interviews and new writing by
Marina Ashioti
and
is a Limited Edition of 3,000 copies, presented in full-height
Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of
certificates and markings.
James
Marsh's
The
Theory Of Everything
(2014) is the hit biopic about the amazing life of genius Stephen
Hawking (an Oscar-winning Eddie Redmayne) who really pulls off a
great performance that convinces and understands the nuances of the
life the man had to have lived. Because of who Hawking was, the film
has plenty of opportunities to create a biopic that finds ways to
subvert and override the cliches of biopics since the early Hollywood
sound era. It deserves more credit for that than it gets.
Felicity
Jones is also impressive as the love of his life, as the actors find
solid chemistry to bring the couple to life and that is convincing
enough as well. When he gets severely ill, then fights back to make
his mark as a scientific innovator and much more, the film delivers
and despite being a fine success at the time, I still
feel it has not received the even larger audience it deserves, so
this reissue is highly welcome and it is nice to finally catch up to
it for the site.
Charlie
Cox, Emily Watson and David Thewlis also star.
Extras
include a feature length audio commentary track with Director Marsh,
Deleted Scenes and a Making Of featurette ''Becoming The
Hawkings''.
Now
for playback performance. The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition
image on Clean
and Sober
is supposed to be a new transfer, but some tampering during the
remastering that should not have happened with possible issues with
the negative have made this look softer and a little off in its color
throughout. I've seen this looking better. The DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless mix is weaker than expected, making this
seem second generation, though it is dialogue-based and was issued in
Dolby's old A-type analog Dolby System sound format. Still, this is
slightly off, so the presentation is a little disappointing like Lean
On Me
(also from Warner Archive) was.
The
1080p 2.00 X 1 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Queer
is fine for the format, with good color, depth and detail, but it
often feels like we are missing the full fidelity of the shoot. It
is well shot and editing too. The
lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) is
not bad, but this is dialogue-based and is a little underwhelming.
The combination is fine, but a 4K edition would have more impact.
The
1080p 1.66 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Rosa
La Rose, Fille Publique
has some fine color throughout, detail and depth are good and the
viewing is smooth throughout, while the PCM 2.0 French Mono is really
good for its time, a rare soundtrack in the early stereo era. The
combination is one of the best here.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Theory
Of Everything
is also very solid and well shot, with nice color and a look that
works as the times change. It never looses its sense of place or a
sense of warmth, while the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix
is solid and fine throughout, professional and effective, so the
combination is really good and I bet in 4K, this would shine even
more.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on Body Odyssey is a
little softer than I would have liked, but you can tell it has some
good color, while the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound fares
better, but a HD or 4K presentation with lossless sound would have
been more effective and bring out more in a consistent production.
To
order
the Clean
and Sober
Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to this link for it and many more great
web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
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Nicholas Sheffo
