Brainstorm (1965*)/The Little Things 4K (2020/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/Melinda (1972/*both Warner Archive Blu-ray)/Perpetrator (2023/Arrow Blu-ray**)/Shinobi, Volume 2 (2013/Radiance Blu-ray Set/**both MVD)

4K Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B (no regular Blu-ray for Things) Sound: B-/B/B-/B/B- Extras: C/C/C-/C/B- Films: C+/B/B-/C-/C+

PLEASE NOTE: The Brainstorm and Melinda Blu-rays are now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.

Now for more action and thrillers, including revisits and continuations....

William Conrad's Brainstorm (1965, and not the later Natalie Wood film) stars Jeffrey Hunter as a brilliant tech worker who discovers a car parked on train tracks and a woman (Anne Francis) in it. He saves her and she turns out to be the wife of his boss (Dana Andrews). When they start to get unexpectedly involved, that's not good, but then it all gets more twisted and the film tries for Psycho territory. Unfortunately, it lands up being more William Castle than Conrad and the film twists in ways that no one making it intended.

A third of the way in after some promise, it starts to go into odd places and demonstrates bad ideas of psychology. Conrad is best known as a longtime star on radio dramas, then several hit TV shows and a narrator on top of that. This was his thirds time directing a theatrical feature film thriller after the impressive Two On A Guillotine (reviewed on Blu-ray elsewhere on this site) and My Blood Runs Cold (overdue for a restoration and Warner Archive Blu-ray release,) but his also has some unintentionally funny moments.

However, it also looks good and the supporting cast is a plus, including Viveca Lindfors, Kathie Browne, Stacy Harris, Michael Pate, Phillip Pine, Strother Martin, Joan Swift and uncredited turns by Richard Kiel and Pamelyn Ferdin among others. Conrad knew everyone in the business and was more likely to land an interesting cast than many who were only directors. Brainstorm disappoints, but it is interesting, even when it fails.

Extras include an Original Theatrical Trailer and two animated Warner Technicolor shorts: The Hypo-Condri Cat and Well Worn Daffy.

John Lee Hancock's The Little Things 4K (2020) nicely upgrade the Denzel Washington thriller, making it all the more effective. As I said in my previous review...

''...he is a police man this time in a small town who lands up having to take a trip to the larger city nearby that was his previous turf, though wee find out he had unusual reasons for leaving. When he gets there. Now, a killer is on the loose who is stabbing women to death and a new detective (Rami Malek) is leading the investigation in his cold, no-nonsense way.

The two clash when Deke (Washington) has to stay longer and at first, it looks like this will help the killer, but they eventually find common ground as the killings continue.

Jared Leto shows up as the prime suspect, but more is going on here as the script wants to go beyond the genre (think the likes of Thunderheart with Val Kilmer) and the film tries for something different than just another complex mystery with realism that is more effective here than in many such films of the last few years in this genre.

For what it tries, it is somewhat successful, though that means it is not totally going to be an outright thriller, but it works just well enough to recommend and we get some good acting with some good suspense. I can see why it was a hit, even a surprise one. Now I can see why.

Extras include Digital Copy and two featurettes: Four Shades Of Blue looks at Washington's previous Warner feature films playing different kinds of police officers, while A Contrast In Styles looks at the characters played by Washington and Malek.''

See it this way if you can.

Hugh H. Robertson's Melinda (1972) is part of the Blaxploitation cycle, but is not always included on lists of such films. Why? Because it spends time with the characters, their community, able-bodiedness and a certain joy about possibilities of a better future. Then the story kicks in, the title character turns up dead and the plot kicks in. Even with that, it still gets back to the characters more than most such films in the genre and cycle.

Calvin Lockhart (Salt & Pepper, Joanna, Cotton Comes To Harlem) is a local, successful radio DJ who meets up with the title lady (the great Vonetta McGee) only for things to go really bad. From there, mobsters are involved and he gets framed for the murder!

The action is good, the cast melding together better than expected and the result is a hidden gem with some funny moments and really good ones. Yes, we have some of the cycle's same cliches here and there, but supporting work by Rosalind Cash, Rockne Tarkington, Paul Stevens, Jim Kelly, Ross Hagen, Ed Cambridge, Buddy Lee Hooker and Jeannie Bell make this a most-see no matter what. Hope this one gets rediscovered, especially thanks to such a top-rate restoration.

The only extra sadly is an Original Theatrical Trailer and boy, is it faded!

Jennifer Reeder's Perpetrator (2023) says it wants to be original or thinks it is, but to is so derivative of everything we have seen in the genre, I would have needed a long piece of paper (or its cyber equivalent) to keep up with all the things we have seen before. A gal 18 years of age is abducted, but it turns out she is not the first one and we have a new killer on the loose. Whether this was meant to launch some kind of franchise, I have no idea, but it lacks ideas, so who knows.

Alicia Silverstone even shows up, the only surprise or highlight for me and I was very bored and could not believe how many 'we've seen this before' moments are here. Fans crazy for the genre might like some of this, but all this really perpetrates are cliches.

Extras include a brand new feature-length audio commentary by writer-director Jennifer Reeder and director of photography Sevdije Kastrati

• Perpetrator: Mirrors and the Monstrous Womb, a brand new video essay by filmmaker Jen Handorf

• On-set cast interviews with Kiah McKirnan, Alicia Silverstone, Melanie Liburd and Christopher Lowell

• Screenplay (2024), a music video for Aitis, directed by Jennifer Reeder

• Tiny Baby (2024), a music video for Joan of Arc, directed by Jennifer Reeder

• Three short films directed by Jennifer Reeder: All Small Bodies (2018, 20 mins); I Dream You Dream of Me (2018, 11 mins); LOLA, 15 (2017, 5 mins)

• Original trailer

• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options by Creepy Duck Design and Duke Aber / Shudder

• and an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kat Hughes and Marianne Lampon.

Shinobi, Volume 2 (1964-1965) features Tokuzo Tanaka's Siege (1964,) Kazuo Ikehiro's The Return of Mist Saizo (1964) and Kazuo Mori's The Last Iga Spy (1965,) all continuing the ninja saga that started with the first trilogy of Shinobi films. You can read more about the first volume trilogy at this link:

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16433/Shinobi+(Trilogy:+Ninja,+A+Band+Of+Assassins+(196

Those films were very influential (including on the Bond film You Only Live Twice, reviewed in 4K elsewhere on this site) so it makes sense they kept making more films. The fight sequences, editing, cinematography, overall action and actors going all out is still here, most of the energy continuing, but narratively, you really need to see the first three films to get the most impact form these. With that said, they still can stand on their own, which they often do, but you can sometimes feel you are missing something when the son of the main character is now the main character.

At least they did nto get cheesy with a title like 'Son of Shinobi' or the like. Radiance's new Blu-ray set gives the same deluxe treatment they gave the last set and both fans and film historians will be especially pleased.

Extras include in this Limited Edition of 3,000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

• Reversible sleeves featuring artwork based on original promotional materials

• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Clements

• Six postcards of promotional material from the films

• Trailers

• Interview with Japanese period film historian Taichi Kasuga (2025)

• Interview with ninja film scholar Mance Thompson (2025)

• and select-scene audio commentary on Siege by Tom Mes (2025).
  
  
  

Now for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on Things 4K is actually better than the already fine Blu-ray, with even more clarity, detail and depth, making it that much more effective visually. The disc repeats the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix from the Blu-ray and still sounds good.

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image transfer on Brainstorm rarely shows its age and looks even better than expected, while the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix sounds really good for its age and is likely sounding as good as it ever will.

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Melinda rarely shows its age as well, has great color, is nicely shot in Panavision by Bill Butler (Jaws, Grease, The Conversation, Damien: Omen II, Demon Seed) is period as much as any other film of its kind, yet is even more consistent than the Movielab-developed American International Blaxploitation films because Metrocolor was a better laboratory, so expect to be unexpectedly impressed and even in subtle ways. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix also sounds really good for its age, as good as its competitors of the time and is likely sounding as good as it ever will. Jerry Butler sings the new songs.

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Perpetrator is professionally consistent, if endlessly derivative while the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is the same, a consistent soundfield with nothing much else to offer.

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image transfers on all three Shinobi films can show the age of the materials used, but not as much as expected and is on par with the previous set and the DaieiScope lenses (renamed, likely Kowas) have a good look to them for their age. The Japanese PCM 2.0 Mono sound is as good as the last set and as good as these films will ever sound.

To order either of the Warner Archive Brainstorm and Melinda Blu-rays, go to this link for them 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

You may find The Little Things 4K somewhere there too.

- Nicholas Sheffo