Desperate
Teenage Lovedolls (1984,
1986 set)/D.O.A.
(1949) + Borderline
(1950/VCI w/DVD)/The
Himalayan (1976/88
Films/all MVD Blu-rays)/The
Mohican (2024/Icarus
DVD)/Speed Racer 4K
(2008)/Wuthering Heights
4K (2026/both Warner 4K
Ultra HD Blu-rays)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B/B+ Picture: C/B-/B-/C/X/X Sound:
C+/C/C+/C/B+/A- Extras: C+/C/B-/C-/D/B- Films: C/B &
C+/C+/B-/D/B-
Up
next are a set of upgrades and revisits, plus other unexpected items
you should know about...
David
Markey's Desperate
Teenage Lovedolls
set (1984, 1986) includes two low budget films shot on Super 8 color
film entitled Desperate
Teenage Lovedolls
(1984) and its sequel Lovedolls
Superstar
(1986) about the fictitious title all-female punk rock band, the
films do not quite elude a grasp of book-like narrative, they are not
art films or trying for anything like European writerly works.
Instead, they are episodic, trying to be funny, but succeeding less
than half the time when the humor is intended. Unintended humor
takes all kinds of different forms and though this is all passively
ambitious, they are better as time capsules above all else.
Redd
Kross (see our documentary on them elsewhere on this site) include
music for this, while members of their band and future members of
Black Flag, The Bangles and The Dead Kennedys turn up, so these have
some 'cred' and both film shave some odd highlights, but they are not
for everybody, yet they are also still curios and interesting to see
they survive, if barely. For the most interested only!
Extras
include:
Desperate
Teenage Lovedolls 40th Anniversary Panel (35 minutes.) LA Times'
Mark Olsen conducts Q&A with director David Markey and stars
Jennifer Schwartz, Steven McDonald, and Tracey Lea
Lovedolls
Superstar at American Cinematheque, Egyptian Theater, Hollywood
Commentary
Tracks with director David Markey, producer Jordan Schwartz &
stars Jeffrey McDonald, Steve McDonald, and Jennifer Schwartz
Redd
Kross 'Ballad of a Lovedoll' Music Video
Deleted
Scenes & Alternate Takes
Making
of Featurette
and
remastered Theatrical Trailers.
Long
issued on DVD
often, Rudolph Mate's D.O.A.
(1949) and William A. Seiter's Borderline
(1950) are finding themselves finally issued in the Blu-ray format
from VCI in their 50th Anniversary. You can read about both in our
old DVD coverage of the Roan Group DVDs (among the better of their
home video editions) at the following links:
D.O.A.
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3733/D.O.A.+(1951/Roan+Group
Borderline
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3096/Borderline+(1950/Roan+Group+DVD
Nice
to see them show up again and the improvements in sound and picture
are below in the tech section, but we get four new
brief featurettes to go with any Blu-ray improvements including:
D.O.A.
Video Essay: Edmond O'Brien: The Man Who Made Every Second Count
D.O.A.
Video Essay: Rudolph Mate: The Eye Behind the Shadows
Borderline
Video Essay: Fred MacMurray: From Noir Shadows to Disney Light
and
Borderline Video Essay: William A. Seiter: Hollywood's
Hidden Craftsman.
Two
others were planned but not included, but if you need to see these
films, this is your best bet to date. And the original D.O.A.
here is still far superior to the Disney remake.
Wong
Fung's The
Himalayan
(1976) has Angela Mao as a woman framed for adultery (a much bigger
deal then and there) by her ignorant brother-in-law, she learns a
martial art in preparation for revenge. The results are fighting
that has mixed choreography, only so much necessary acting and maybe
more humor than this needed.
On
the other hand, costumes, sets and locals look good, including a
decent use of color and being an early Golden Harvest release, a
must-see for fans if no one else. And they did not recycle James
Bond soundtrack music, to their credit this time.
Extras
include double-sided poster, while the
disc adds an...
O-RING
SLIP CASE WITH NEW ARTWORK BY AURELIO LORENZO
Audio
Commentary with Asian Cinema Expert Frank Djeng & Michael Worth
Image
Gallery
Tales
From The Monastery featurette
Dorian
Tan interview
English
Opening & Closing Credits
Original
Theatrical Trailer
and
a reversible sleeve with original Hong Kong poster artwork.
Alexis
Manenti's
The
Mohican
(2024) is the pleasant surprise here, a tale of the title goat hearer
(played by the director) who has his family land to himself, but
local organized criminals want him to 'legitimately' see it to him
when her is 100% uninterested. They get rough and threatening early,
which leads to unexpected events and after a twist in the plot, he
lands up on the run from just about everyone.
The
greed and violence remind me of last year's most underrated film
Eddington
in the best possible way, which was well acted and the acting here is
better than I was expecting too, so cheers to the cast for being so
consistent and intense. This looks good too and the editing just
helps the flow of it all. Definitely recommended.
Extras
include three trailers to other Icarus/Distrib releases.
Despite
not being shot in 4K or on film and also being the biggest bomb in
Warner Bros, history to its time of release, the Wachowski's Speed
Racer 4K
(2008) has been upscaled and reissued, hoping to find a new audience,
any audience and at least a curio cult audience. Rightly despited by
most who had to pay to see it, the original Japanese TV series was
edgy, sometimes violent and more action packed than any animated TV
series anywhere had been to date and the U.S. version may have cut
back on some of the more graphic elements, but still managed to be
impressive and worked, transforming itself into something as
special.
The
feature film made the U.S. version look like look like Akira
meets Ralph Bakshi on an NC-17 level so lite and even condescending
it is. We covered it twice, starting with its lame theatrical
release...
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6962/Speed+Racer+(2008/Theatrical+Film+Review
Then
considering that negative review too generous, covered the lame
Blu-ray/DVD set...
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7538/Speed+Racer+(2008/Blu-ray+++DVD-Video/Warner+Ho
It
has only grown worse in value, its issues more obvious than ever, not
built to last or really be any good, wasting a good cast and was an
unfortunate sign The Wachowskis were in a creative retreat that was
more permanent than even I expected.
Extras
include Digital Movie
Code, while the disc repeats the three featurettes on the making of
the film, included in the following:
FAST
/ FUTURE / FAMILY: SPEED RACER (NEW)
In this exclusive interview,
the Wachowskis revisit the film's joyful genesis, its dazzling
craft, and its second life as a cult classic.
Spritle
in the Big Leagues!
Speed
Racer: Ramping Up!
Speed
Racer: Supercharged!
Speed
Racer: Car-Fu Cinema
and
Speed Racer: Wonderful World of Racing, The Amazing Racer Family.
Don't
operate heavy machinery trying to get through those. To read more
about the original, classic series, here's our coverage of the old
DVD set:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7689/Speed+Racer+%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%80%9C+Th
Since
that went out of print, the U.S. series and the original Japanese
version were issued on Blu-ray, far outperforming the picture and
sound quality of those discs and after this 4K dud, maybe both
versions of the original animated series can find a 4K release as the
first full color Ultraman is about to come out in 4K itself as
we post. Hope we get that lucky. Skip this one!
Emerald
Fennel's Wuthering
Heights 4K
(2026) is the latest adaption of the Emily Bronte classic, that is
still with us after all these decades. You have the classic book,
the massive hit single overseas by Kate Bush that marked her debut
(but somehow did not chart in the U.S.!) and many live action
adaptions including some good ones. Of the many we have covered,
they include 1953 live TV kinescoped version with Richard Burton...
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15728/Wuthering+Heights+(1953/MVD/Liberation+Hall+DVD
Widescreen
1970 version with Timothy Dalton
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16801/Scarecrow+(1973/Warner+Archive+Blu-ray)/Stronger
1992
Juliet Binoche/Ralph Fiennes version
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/533/Wuthering+Heights+(1992
and
this 2012 post-modern take...
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12132/Wuthering+Heights+(1970/American+International/MG
There
are more, but it is impressive so many notable versions have been
made and probably more to come. The great Margot Robbie and up and
coming Jacob Elordi have palpable chemistry in the main roles,
something we are hardly seeing in any films being made these
days, flawlessly in character throughout doing what most adaptions
would not dare to do about human sexuality and to see that handled so
naturalistically, maturely and realistically is all too rare these
days. Also to be handled with such grace and class is yet another
plus. The sets, costumes and locales all meld into period
seamlessness. Even if you do not like literature or have read much,
there is much to see here and enjoy.
During
its release, I found it remarkable that everyone was suddenly an
expert on the book, talking as if they were scholars on it and taking
part in one of the most petty rounds of film bashing I had seen in a
while for a solid film. Some of them could not handle the women, the
honesty of the way the characters were handled or that a very
talented woman made this film, but she did and Fennell continues to
be impressive. One of the only consistent mature adult filmmakers
around, I thought I would not be disappointed and I was not, plus
pleasantly surprised with what she and cast do here, so ignore the
pseudo-literates and see the film!
Extras
include Digital Movie Code,
while the disc adds:
Threads
of Desire (6:49)
Jacqueline
Durran brings Emerald Fennell's imagined Gothic world to life
through costumes. Cathy's evolving silhouettes unfold in clear
acts, while Heathcliff's transformation and the ensemble's distinct
looks reveal emotion, status, and obsession.
The
Legacy of Love and Madness (5:32)
Emerald
Fennell reflects on her lifelong bond with Wuthering Heights
and the hidden depravity of the Victorian era, reimagining Emily
Bronte's tale through emotion, memory, and desire to create an epic
love story for a new generation.
Building
a Fever Dream (12:07)
An
in-depth look at how Emerald Fennell built a world that feels
alive. Where design, sound, and performance fuse into one hypnotic
vision of love, madness, and creation. The making of a living,
breathing fever dream.
And
a feature Length Audio Commentary Track by Writer/Director/Producer
Emerald Fennell.
Its
definitely worth watching, whether you have read the book, heard the
song or seen any of the many other adaptions. Well done!
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 Speed
Racer 4K
keeps its bright color scheme and is a little better than the old
Blu-ray edition, but it was not shot on film or produced in 4K or
higher, so it is oddly soft throughout and might be the best this
will ever look, but that is not saying much. The
lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems)
marks the first lossless release of the film, so it is a sonic
improvement over the lame, weak and lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes
that the old Blu-ray and DVD actually shared at the time. The
combination is as good as it will ever get, but flat and boring just
the same.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.85 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on Wuthering Heights
4K has plenty of fine shots and some exceptional ones, making it
easily the best-looking release here, as shot in VistaVision and 35mm
film. I was even more impressed than from the initial footage I saw
of the film and there are definite demo shots here. The
lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) is
also very impressive with its constant downfield, get choices of
editing, high quality audio, smart mixing and with the images, one of
the year's best releases technically alone.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers on both
Lovedolls films can show the age of the materials used, 4K
transfers of the original Super 8mm film elements, but they are faded
and in rough shape that could not have been intended when first
produced. The first film credits a few drug stores as handling the
developing on Kodachrome and Ektachrome movie film, with the latter
much more susceptible to fading, though the second film has no such
credits, it looks like the same film, though they could have also
used K-Mart/Focal, Agfa (though no mold or yellow calcium marks
suggests otherwise) and/or Sakurachrome. The PCM 2.0 Stereo sound is
barely stereo on both films, further revealing the low-budget nature
of the films, though a DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix was made for the second film
only (the text on the back suggests both films, but that's wrong,)
but it is no better than the 2.0 Stereo. These are likely as good as
they will ever look or sound, but expect a very rough viewing.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfers on D.O.A. and Borderline can definitely show
the age of the materials used, but they show improvements at times
over the DVD transfers also included and the man other DVDs and VHS
versions floating around in public domain for so many decades.
Still, there remains many poor shots and the PCM 2.0 Mono on both
films on Blu-ray barely outperform the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
on the DVD. These will do for now until better print material, et
al, can be found. VCI has done their best with what they have.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 High Definition image on The Himalayan has some
good color, but still can show its age with flaws, slight damage,
slight fading and other issues. However, Golden Harvest was right to
abandon Dyaliscope at this point. This was scanned in 2K. The
Mandarin PCM 2.0 Mono shows its age even more with dubbing, sonic
limits, some harmonic distortion and other age and low budget related
issues, but that is in line with other releases form the studio at
the time. The combination is as good as this will ever sound and
almost as good as it will likely ever look.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image on The Mohican has some
nice compositions and shots throughout, but the older format holds it
back, as does the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, which has some Pro
Logic-like surrounds, but is too lossy to deliver what the original
soundmaster likely did. Would love to see this in HD.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
