Mozart’s Sister (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Mozart’s Sister” is beautifully shot film featuring wonderful costume and set design and an intriguing story written and directed by Rene Feret.

Images courtesy of © 2011 Music Box Films. All rights reserved.

DVD TITLE: Mozart’s Sister

DATE OF FILM RELEASE: 2010

DURATION: 120 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, Widescreen1:85:1, Dolby Digital, French with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Music Box Films

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2012

Directed by Rene Feret

Screenplay by Rene Feret

Producer: Fabienne Feret, Rene Feret

Music by Marie-Jeanne Serrero

Cinematography by Benjamin Echazarreta

Edited by Fabienne Feret

Production Design by Veronica Fruhbrodt

Costume Design by Dominique Louis

Starring:

Marie Feret as Nannerl Mozart

Marc Barbe as Leopold Mozart

Delphine Chuillot as Anna-Maria Mozart

David Moreau as Wolfgang Mozart

Clovis Fouin as Le Dauphin

Lisa Feret as Louise de France

Adele Lepretre as Victoire de France

Valentine Duval as Sophie de France

Dominique Marcas as La mere abbesse

Mona Heftre as Madame Van Eyck

Salome Stevenin as Isabelle d’Aubusson

Mozart’s Sister is a re-imagined account of the early life of Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang and a musical prodigy in her own right. Once the featured performer, Nannerl has given way to Wolfgang as the main attraction, as their strict but loving father Leopold tours his talented offspring in front of the royal courts of pre-French Revolution Europe. Approaching marriageable age and now forbidden to play the violin or compose, Nannerl chafes at the limitations imposed on her gender. But a friendship with the son and daughter of Louis XV offers her ways to challenge the established sexual and social order.

The world may be familiar with the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era and among the few classical composers that continues to be popular today.

But many do not know that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who was a music prodigy that played piano and violin at the age of 5, grew up playing as a duo with a musically talented sister named Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart.

Unfortunately, we do not hear too much about Nannerl.  Reason being is that during that era in time, women, no matter how talented they were musically, were not seen as equals to men.  Their status was lower and men thought that women just were not capable of having talent like men, may it be playing music or composing.  In fact, women were just seen as housewives, nothing more, nothing less.

In 2010, screenwriter/filmmaker Rene Feret (“Bapteme”, “Solemn Communion”) wrote a fictional drama based on the life of Maria Anna Mozart.

The film is set in 1763 and a time where family patriarch, Leopold Mozart (played by Marc Barbe), a German composer, conductor, teacher and violinist is responsible for strictly keeping his prodigal son, 11-year-old, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (played by David Moreau) and his older sister, 16-year-old Anna Marie “Nannerl” Mozart (played by Marie Feret) focused on their music.

The family of four are touring central and western Europe and Leopold has his two talented children on concert tours to perform for aristocrats and the public and promoted as child musical prodigies.

One day while traveling, the axle of the carriage broke and the family had to seek shelter at a nearby Abbey of Fontevraud while their carriage is being fixed.  While at the Abbey, Nannerl becomes friends with a group of sisters who were brought up at the monastery, one of the sisters that she becomes good friends with is 13-year-old Princess Louise Marie of France (played by Lisa Feret), daughter of King Louis XV of France.

While Nannerl and her younger brother continue to play at concerts and amaze people who hear their music (despite their father not thinking they are doing their best and is often very strict on their schedules), while in Versailles, she meets Princess Louise Marie’s brother, Louis, Dauphin of France.

Despite Nannerl being talented in both the keyboard and violin and wants to compose her own music like her brother, her father forbids it.  Telling her that women do not have the same talent as men and as far as composing goes, her music is no good (despite Leopold and his wife knowing that she is good, but knowing in society, a female is not seen in such a position).

While performing in front of aristocrats, as Leopold uses his children to help support the family, for Louis, Dauphin of France (played by Clovis Fouin), Nannerl is forced to disguise herself as a boy and pretend she is Wolfgang.  And immediately, Louis can not understand why he has fallen for Nannerl’s music and voice, and wonders if he is falling for a young man.

And while he is enthusiastic about Nannerl’s music, he inspires her to take on composition despite her father telling her not do so.  Nannerl has fallen for Louis and reveals herself to him that she is in fact a young woman, but Louis is not upset.  He is rather happy that Nanenrl is a young woman and both have feelings towards each other.

Nannerl begins to compose so much music for him and he absolutely loves it.

But because the Mozart family must travel on their concert tour, Nannerl is faced with her feelings of wanting to stay in France for the man she has become smitten with, but also a man who accepts her for her musical talents. But what happens when she meets with her friend Princess Louise and she tells Nannerl to end all communication with her brother?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

It’s important to note that I am viewing a DVD screener ala DVR, so I am not going to comment on picture quality.  I will say that with a Blu-ray and DVD release of “Mozart’s Sister” being released, I recommend going for the Blu-ray version for better picture and audio quality.

With that being said, “Mozart’s Sister” is presented in widescreen 1:85:1 and audio in French Dolby Digital 5.1 with English subtitles.  The cinematography by Benjamin Echazarreta is very good in capturing close-up scenes of emotion but also the lavish costume and set design featured in the film, but most importantly capturing that look and feel of the 1700′s.   The film is dialogue-driven but there are moments of music and ambience which I’m sure is much more evident on the lossless soundtrack on the Blu-ray release than the DVD version.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There were no special features on the screener disc provided to us.

Beautifully shot, wonderful costume and set design and a film that classical music fans will enjoy, while others will find it sad knowing that talents of women were suppressed during that era in time.

“Mozart’s Sister” is a sad film which writer Rene Feret really did some intriguing writing and craft a story around Nannerl Mozart, a talented musician who had to quit her passion because of the status of women during the 1700′s.

While this film is a work of fiction and there is no record that Nannerl and Princess Louise of France corresponded, nor records that she and Louis le Daphin were romantically linked, what we do know is that because of that era in time, women could not really hold a high position in power or status.

For Nannerl, she was talented, she can compose and she can play, but once she reached a certain age (and her father could no longer promote her as a child musical prodigy), it didn’t matter how talented she was, she was expected to be a housewife and raise children.  While I don’t know if there are letters showing her regret of how women were treated at the time, as I am no erudite on Mozart historical records, I often wonder if this was just accepted by women that their status was low and not much was expected of them?

What is known is that Mozart looked up to his older sister and at a young age, wrote works such as “Prelude and Fugue C, K. 394″ in 1782 for the two to perform and even sent her copies of his piano concertos.  We know that Wolfgang and is father were always at odds, while his sister did everything that her father wished. And while she fell in love with one man, her father turned down his marriage proposal, despite Wolfgang trying to get his sister to stand up for herself.

So, there may be a different from what is featured of Nannerl in reality to what was Nannerl in the film.  In the film, Nannerl Mozart walked on the beat of her own drum and not that I would use the word “fearless” but she did what she wanted despite what her father would think.  But in reality, it was Wolfgang who walked the beat of his own drum and made his own choices, his sister did what her father asked.

And while the film is quite evident that the message was how unhappy women were that they weren’t given the same liberties as men (as both Nannerl and Princess Louise have a conversation about how things would be different if both were born a boy), the sadness I have towards this film was the fact that the talented Nannerl had to give up so much and would never be recognized for her talent because she is a woman.

In reality, things even get worse as she was forced to marry a man who was in his ’50s and had children, she died blind, unable to speak and even for her first son Leopold, her father Leopold literally took her son away and raised him.  While it is debated of why Leopold raised his grandson and not Nannerl, it is thought that Leopold wanted to raise his grandson in a similar manner to Wolfgang and Nannerl and for him to become a musical genius.

And last, that loving relationship between Wolfgang and Nannerl ended for some unknown reason.

If anything, the more you read about what is out there of Nannerl Mozart, it is quite depressing.  At least “Mozart’s Sister” would make things a bit dramatic but I wouldn’t be surprised if the reality was that Leopold had a tremendous hold over his daughter and literally suppressed all independence from her and that she had no voice whatsoever.  She listened to her father and did everything that he wished.

As I watched “Mozart’s Sister”, you have to give Rene Feret some credit of trying to make Nannerl’s life so dramatic.  How he came up with the Princess Louise and Louis storyline was out of left field but for the film, it did work.

Feret’s film doesn’t follow the traditional Hollywood film of a happy ending.  We know that Nannerl is not going to be able pursue her life as a musician, we see in her face how unfortunate things are that her younger brother will have all the opportunities and she won’t.

While purists and the Mozart erudite may be irritated by this fictional story, and possibly would rather see another film about Wolfgang than his sister, I did enjoy “Mozart’s Sister” (although I felt it ran a bit too long for my taste).  The cinematography, costume and set design were beautiful, acting could have been better at times but for what its worth, while the film was banal, the fact that filmmaker/screenwriter Rene Feret was able to craft a story around Nannerl Mozart was rather fascinating but definitely opened my eyes and made me want to know more about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his family.

 

 

Geek Charming (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

It’s one thing to review “Geek Charming” and enjoying the film but when you add ten episodes of “Shake It Up” as extras to this DVD release (which is unheard of when it comes to Disney releases), all I can say is that “Geek Charming” fans are getting their money’s worth. A solid DVD release that is definitely recommended for Disney Channel fans!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Geek Charming

DURATION: 98 Minutes + 10 Episodes of “Shake It Up”

DVD INFORMATION: Full Screen, Dolby Digital – English Stereo, Closed Captions

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: February 7, 2012

Geek Charming

Directed by Jeffrey Hornaday

Screenplay by Hilary Galanoy, Elizabeth Hackett

Based on the Book by Robin Palmer

Executive Producer: David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Paul E. Shapiro

Music by Nathan Wang

Cinematography by Robert Brinkmann

CAsting by Natalie Hart, Jason La Padura

Costume Design by Rebekka Sorensen

“Shake It Up”

Directed by Shelley Jensen, Joel Zwick, Eric Dean Seaton

Written by Chris Thompson, Rob Lotterstein, Eileen Conn, David Tolentino, John D. Beck, Ron Hart, Jenny Lee, Ron Zimmerman

Executive Producer: Frank Pace, Chris Thompson, Rob Lotterstein

Co-Executive Producer: Eileen Conn

Associate Producer: Steve Sandoval, Brenda Teague, Trevor Kirschner

Consulting Producer: Howard J. Morris, Ron Hart, Ron Zimmerman, John D. Beck

Music by Michael Corcoran, Eric Goldman, Zed Kelley

Cinematography by Bryan Hays

Edited by Kris Trexler, Kelly Sandefur

Casting by Howard Meltzer, Suzanne Goddard-Smythe

Production design by Greg Richman

Set Decoration by Daryn-Reid Goodall

Costume Dsign by Jessica Replansky

Cast of “Geek Charming”:

Sarah Hyland as Dylan Schoenfield

Matt Prokop as Josh Rosen

Sasha Pieterse as Amy Loubalu

Jimmy Bellinger as Steven

Jordan Nichols as Asher Dumetz

Vanessa Morgan as Hanna Mornell

Lili Simmons as Lola Leighton

David Del Rio as Ari

Andrew Airlie as Alan Schoenfield

David Milchard as Farley

Kacey Rohl as Caitlin

Andrea Brooks as Nicole Paterson

Brenda Crichlow as Nicole Paterson

Brenda Crichlow as Guthrie

Erica Van Biel as Amber

Cast of “Shake It Up”:

Bella Thorne as Cece Jones

Zendaya as Rocky Blue

Steve Monroe as Ralph

Davis Cleveland as Flynn Jones

Roshon Fegan as Ty Blue

Adam Irogoyen as Deuce

Kenton Duty as Gunther

Caroline Sunshine as Tinka

R. Brandon Johnson as Gary Wilde

When Dylan Schoenfield (Sarah Hyland), Woodlands Academy’s top girl, accidentally drops her expensive “it” handbag into the mall fountain, she is surprised that film geek, Josh Rosen (Matt Prokop), retrieves it for her. In exchange for rescuing her bag, Dylan must agree to be the subject of Josh’s documentary film. Dylan hopes the film will help her campaign for Blossom Queen – she claims that winning is her only life goal. Josh plans to make a hard-hitting expose about popularity, but, as he gets to know Dylan, he learns that the real Dylan is much more interesting than the persona she’s created. At the last minute, Josh decides that his film should introduce this awesome girl to the world, but how will Dylan react when she sees it?

It’s double the fun with Disney’s double DVD release of the 2011 Disney Channel Original Movie “Geek Charming” and 10 episodes of Disney Channel’s hit sitcom “Shake It Up”.

“Geek Charming” made its debut on November 11, 2011 and was watched by 4.9 million viewers, the fifth largest number for a cable show that entire week.  The film is an adaptation of Robin Palmer’s book “Geek Charming” and is directed by Jeffrey Hornaday (“Shout”, “Madonna: Ciao, Italia! Live from Italy”) and written by Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy.

The film stars Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family”) as Dylan Schoenfield, a rich, spoiled, self-centered and popular girl at Woodlands Academy.  She and her friends love sporting the latest fashion but also dislikes anything that isn’t cool.  Sarah’s goal is to become this year’s “Blossom Queen” and with her popularity, she hopes she can win!

One day, while Dylan and friends were going to eat lunch, film club president and fellow student Josh Rosen (played by Matt Prokop, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”, “Furry Vengeance”) accidentally runs into her and needless to say, all three girls get food all over them.

Sarah cries out that popular people should not have to be in the same school as geeks.

Meanwhile, Josh is in a lot of pressure as he needs to submit his film/documentary for the school’s film festival.  After watching and observing Dylan, he decides to create a movie about the life of a popular girl and to explore if she’s actually that shallow of a person.

Dylan is delighted to be a star of a film but sees it as an opportunity for her to get more votes and be crowned Blossom Queen.

As the two try to make a film, Josh is turned off by her diva-attitude as they both fight over who’s move it is.  As Josh fires her, he eventually reconsiders when he finds out that Dylan had watched the sci-fi film “Flight of the Navigator”.

Despite Dylan feeling that popular girls and geeks can’t co-exist, like cats and dogs are too different, the two start spending more time each other while making the movie.  And that is when Josh starts to see the true Dylan, a teenager who is driven to win the “Blossom Queen” because her dead mother was also “Blossom Queen” back in high school.  She admits to Josh that she feels more of a connection to her mother when she accomplishes similar things that she did.  And being “Blossom Queen” makes her feel more connected to her mom.

But as she continues to film the movie, her popular boyfriend and her popular friends start to distance themselves away from her because she is spending more time with a “geek”.  Dylan feels so comfortable around Josh, but at the same time, she doesn’t want to lose her status as the most popular girl in school.

What will she do?

Disney’s “Shake It Up” is a sitcom which premiered back in November 2010 and was created by writer/producer Chris Thompson (“Laverne & Shirley”, “Bosom Buddies”, “The Larry Sanders Show”).

The film series focuses on two friends CeCe Jones (played by Bella Thorne, “My Own Worst Enemy”, “Dirty Sexy Money”, “Big Love”) and Rocky Blue (“Frenemies”), both are stars of a local show known as “Shake It Up Chicago” and somehow these two tend to get into a bit of trouble on and off the set.

Together with their friend Deuce Martinez (played by Adam Irogoyen), the three have big dreams of becoming professional dancers and with being hired on “Shake It Up, Chicago!”, they want to go big!  Meanwhile, CeCe’s little brother Flynn (played by Davis Cleveland) and his antics tend to get them into some trouble and are often in competition with brother and sister dance duo, Gunther (played by Kenton Duty) and Tinka (played by Caroline Sunshine).

A total of ten episodes (of the 21-episode first season) are included in the “Geek Charming” DVD release.

Included on this DVD are:

DISC 1:

• Season 2, Episode 24A: A Shake It Up, Up and Away (Part 1) – CeCe and Rocky are touring but during a stop, CeCe and Rocky end up taking the wrong bus and the two including Flynn are stuck in Texas.
• Season 2, Episode 24B: Shake It Up, Up and Away (Part 2)  – CeCe and Rocky agree on taking on a Texas performance but they find out their performance will take place in air.
• Season 2, Episode 28: Double Pegasus It Up – CeCe and Rocky are excited that their idol, choreographer Theodore Vangorious  and creator of the dance move, the “Double Pegasus”, is a person that Deuce delivers pizza too.
• Season 2, Episode 23: “Three’s a Crowd It Up” – A dancer named Julio comes to perform on “Shake It Up, Chicago!” and Rocky, CeCe and Tinka fall for him.

DISC 2:

• Season 2, Episode 25: “Beam It Up” – Ricky and CeCe attend a Halloween party at the “Shake It Up, Chicago” and both CeCe and Rocky meet guys at the party.
• Season 2, Episode 26: “Doctor It Up” – Rock’s father, Dr. Curtis Blue, returns from his trip overseas and is unhappy to find his daughter dancing on television.
• Season 1, Episode 21: “Throw It Up” – CeCe and Rocky have the opportunity to perform a dance number with the English dance crew, “The Highlighters”.
• Season 1, Episode 19: “Twist It Up” – CeCe and Rocky start a new dance craze and also start organizing Dina’s birthday party.
• Season 1, Episode 10: “Match It Up” – Deuce and Savannah are in love but when Savannah finds someone who makes more money, she dumps him.
• Season 1, Episode 6: “Age It Up” – Rocky and CeCe get the opportunity to dance with teen star, Justin Starr.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Geek Charming” is presented in widescreen 1:78:1 – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions and audio is presented in English 2.0 Dolby Digital.  The film looks good on DVD and considering it’s a newer film, picture quality is good especially since there are a good amount of outdoor scenes, and scenes are are well-lit.  Picture quality is also good for   “Shake It Up” which is comparable to the quality of series such as “Hannah Montana” and “Sonny with a Chance” and what one can expect from a DVD release.

Subtitles are presented in English sDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Geek Charming” comes with 10 episodes of “Shake It Up”.

“Geek Charming” is charming, heartwarming film, but be prepared to laugh but also shed some tears!

When I first began watching “Geek Charming”, the first thing that came into my mind was “is this another ‘Mean Girls’ type of film?”.   After all, the film focuses on a popular, self-centered girl who could care less about those who are not popular and her friends are the same.

But things start to change when the popular girl Dylan and the passionate film fan Josh (who Dylan thinks is a “geek”), decide to work together.  For Josh, he needs to submit a film before deadline and for Dylan, this is her chance to earn some points in order to become this year’s “Blossom Queen”.

The film is a high point in the career of “Modern Family” actress Sarah Hyland as it gives her the opportunity to play a character with a variety of emotions.  While in school, she does take the “popularity” diva-ish attitude to the extreme, it’s when she allows Josh into her life and he starts to discover that outside of school and her popular friends, she’s a kind, intelligent girl who wants to feel a connection with her mother that died years ago.

I enjoyed how the film transitioned from Dylan’s more obnoxious side to showing a more kinder and gentler person, and we see how she changes through her time spent with Josh, despite her thinking that popular people and geeks can’t get along.

But “Geek Charming” may seem like your typical banal teenage film, popular girl falls for geek guy and vice versa, but it’s how things come together for both people that I found heartwarming and endearing.

And as for the DVD release, this is what makes “Geek Charming” much more enticing and its the fact that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment included not one, not two but ten episodes of  Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up”.

I’ve been reviewing Disney video releases for a long time and you never get a DVD release which includes more than 2 bonus episodes, and the fact that you get ten episodes from season 1 and 2 of “Shake It Up”, definitely makes this DVD release even more enticing.

Granted, it would have been nice to have special features of some kind with the talent of the show but Disney made up for it by including these bonus episodes.

As for “Shake It Up”, it’s actually an interesting TV series.  Whereas “Hannah Montana” focused on a teenage pop star living two lives and hanging out with her best friend, “Shake It Up” features two dancers who dream of making it big!  And when both are cast for the local teenage dance show, we see the crazy antics that happen on and off camera. And similar to “Hannah Montana” which had Miley’s brother and Rico often being the clowns of the series with their crazy antics, “Shake It Up” has Ty Blue and Deuce who often get into trouble at the local pizza shop where they work at.

The episodes are fun, but also a bit farfetched as one episode features Cece and Rocky being strapped to an airplane while performing dance moves.    But at the same time, these episodes are full of humor and dancing that children will definitely enjoy this series.

Overall, it’s one thing to review “Geek Charming” and enjoying the film (as I do feel it is a good Disney Channel Original Movie) but when you add ten episodes of “Shake It Up” as extras, which is unheard of when it comes to Disney releases, all I can say is that “Geek Charming” fans are getting their money’s worth. Because this is a pretty solid DVD release.

Double the fun!  Disney’s “Geek Charming” + “Shake It Up” is a fun and exciting combination and a Disney DVD release worth recommending!

 

Caterpillar (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Caterpillar” was an unnerving, absurd and a unique film from Koji Wakamatsu.  There is nothing that compares to “Caterpillar”, the film embodies the style that Wakamatsu has been known for since the ’60s and that is a film that incorporates sex, violence and a political message aimed at Japan’s past. “Caterpillar” is recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2010 Wakamatsu Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

DVD TITLE: Caterpillar

DATE OF FILM RELEASE: 2010

DURATION: 84 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, 1:85:1, Stereo 2.0, Japanese with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Kino Lorber Incorporated

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012

Directed by Koji Wakamatsu

Screenplay by Hisako Kurosawa, Masao Adachi

Produced by Koji Wakamatsu, Noriko Ozaki

Music by Sally Kubota, Yumi Okada

Cinematoraphy by Yoshihisa Toda, Tomohiko Tsuji

Casting by Ryoji Kobayashi

Art Direction by Hiromi Nozawa

Costume Design by Makie Miyamoto

Starring:

Shinobu Terajima as Shigeko Kurokawa

Keigo Kasuya as Tadashi Kurokawa

Emi Masuda as Chiyo Kurokawa

Sabu Kawahara as The Village Chief

Maki Ishikawa Village Chief’s Wife

Katsuyuki Shinohara as Kuma

Set during the time of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Caterpillar tells the story of a Japanese soldier who returns home horrifically mutilated. Liutenant Kurokawa is literally nothing but a human torso: he has lost both his arms and legs, and with burns covering half his face, he is also unable to speak. His wife, Shigeko (Shinobu Terajima), is given the grueling task of looking after him, which, in addition to feeding and washing him, includes the job of satisfying his sexual desires — impulses that remain as strong as ever in spite of his disabled condition. Taught to be dutiful and to do her part for her country, Shigeko bears her burden — but as she realizes that her husband’s life lies entirely in her hands, she begins to question the role she has accepted. A film that won Shinobu Terajima the Silver Bear award for Best Actress at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival, Caterpillar is at heart a powerful indictment of Japan’s militaristic, nationalistic past.

Among Koji Wakamatsu’s films, “Caterpillar” is no doubt his best film yet.  Unsettling but yet managing to retain the political message that Wakamatsu incorporates in his films.

For those who are familiar with Koji Wakamatsu’s oeuvre and have looked at the filmmaker’s history, you will know that he is well-known for his pink movie films of the ’60s and ’70s and his contribution to the “Pink Eiga” genre.  To also know that he was a producer of Nagisa Oshima’s controversial film “In the Realm of Senses” (1976) and similar to Oshima, willing to take on films that are not traditional style of storytelling in Japan and are known to have an edge.

But similar to Nagisa Oshima, Wakamatsu is also a rebel.  In 2008, his film “United Red Army” was a docudrama on the tragedy of the Japanese radical left and America and in 2011, he began working on another political film based on the acclaimed novelist and political activist Yukio Mishima titled “1.25 Jiketsu No Hi, Mishima Yukio To Wakamonotachi” (11.25 the Day of Self Determination, Yukio Mishima and the Youth).

But if you explore Wakamatsu’s work, you will realize that aside from his political films, he was known to create very low-budget films in his career that showcased sex and violence with political messages.

And in 2010, his film “Caterpillar” was screened and also competed for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival and earned actress Shinobu Terajim the Silver Bear Award for “Best Actress” at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival.

The film also received critical praise from critics and deemed as Wakamatsu’s “masterpiece”.

And now both “Caterpillar” and his docudrama “United Red Army” will be released in the United States on DVD courtesy of Kino Lorber Inc.

“Caterpillar” is an unnerving film that is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War and also World War II.

The film begins with three Chinese women trying to escape from Japanese soldiers.  The women were raped and killed.  The soldier who raped and killed a woman was Tadashi Kurokawa (played by Keigo Kasuya).

The story then showcases the arrival of Tadashi Kurokawa to his home.  Being hailed as a war hero who fought for the Emperor and his country, the villagers celebrate his arrival.

And as his wife Shigeko and his family await for Tadashi arrive, they are absolutely shocked to see the condition that Tadashi is in.

Tadashi no longer has legs, no longer has arms and hands and part of his face is badly burned and scarred. He is also a mute and the only thing he has to show for his bravery is the three medals on his chest.

His father is shocked that the military would return Tadashi in such a condition since he can’t work, he can’t talk and possibly can’t hear.  But because Japanese honor their war heroes, the family including the villagers expect his wife Shigeko to take care of the war hero.

Shigeko is shocked at the sight of her husband. She can’t believe that the military kept him alive in such a state and she is absolute repelled by how he looks.  At first, tries to kill him by strangling him, but she can’t.

Immediately, Tadashi tries to communicate with Shigeko and what he wants is to have sex.  And because it’s her duty as a wife to take care of the village’s “war hero”, she knows she must make him happy as part of her service to the country of Japan and the Emperor.

And the routine becomes daily as Tadashi continues to want sex all the time.  All he can do is eat, sleep and have sex and it begins to have its toll on Shigeko as she has to do all the work to make ends meet, having to feed him and not having enough food for herself and then having to have sex with a man that can’t really do anything but move like a “caterpillar”.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Caterpillar” is presented in 16×9 (1:85:1 aspect ratio) and Japanese stereo 2.0 with English subtitles.

It’s important to note that Wakamatsu films were not big-budget films.  They were low-budget back in the ’60s and he continues that trend today.  And with “Caterpillar”, similar to “United Red Army”, you have the primary film footage but also archived footage from World War II.  So, the quality does vary but in the case of “Caterpillar”, the historical videos are used for the end to showcase Japan’s loss to America by showing the viewer the dead bodies after Japan was bombed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

But for the most part, picture quality is good.  I detected no major artifacts or damage, if anything, this film sounds good on DVD.  Dialogue was understandable and subtitles were easy to read.  Although, I will say that I was a bit surprised at the choice of subtitle fonts, instead of the helvetica or the usual sans-seriff fonts, something that looked like comic sans was used.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Caterpillar” comes with trailers, no commentary or featurettes.

“Caterpillar” was an unnerving and a unique film from Koji Wakamatsu.

And in some ways, the film similar to Wakamatsu’s previous films, to show the absurdity of Japan’s militarism and propaganda.

We watch as the village that the Kurokawa’s live in are dedicated to their country and the Emperor and celebrations for the young men of the village going to war is respected.  The older men of the village wear their old war uniforms, the women learn how to attack dummies with a spear and through this celebration of Japanese military with men and women clad in white, standing around is one man in red robe constantly picking his nose.

You can’t help but laugh and be intrigued by Wakamatsu’s humor employed in his films.  You know there is a message but how far would he go?

In some way, “Caterpillar” is a film that embodies Wakamatsu’s career.  It has the sex, the violence and the political message questioning Japan’s past.

The character of Shigeko is wonderfully performed by Shinobu Terajima and the character continues to wonder if by pleasing her husband who has nothing but his torso and a constant hard-on is her service to Japan.  And we start to see her emotional breakdown because her husband is reduced to a man that only sleeps, eats and wants to have sex all the time.

Her villagers remind her of the amazing service for Japan’s military and are often feed propaganda of Japan winning the war.  And so, she continues trying to work to survive, parading her husband to remind everyone of their service and to respect their war heroes and to give him pleasure when he asks for it.

The film is unsettling for its earlier scene of the rape and disemboweling of Chinese women.  There are still people in Japan who refuse to believe that Japan had committed atrocities to the Chinese (especially in Nanjing) but Wakamatsu’s opening is to show that not only did it happen, karma also came back with full force on Tadashi.  But also letting everyone know that all those soldiers were also executed for their war crime which they fought for the name of Japan and their Emperor.

Overall, “Caterpillar” is no doubt the best Wakamatsu film I have seen by far and while there are those who criticized the film for looking low-budget, that is how Wakamatsu’s films have been since the ’60s.  Low-budget but yet he has managed to entertain generations through his nontraditional ways of storytelling and filmmaking.  Also, The performance by Shinobu Terajima as the wife, Shigeko Kurokawa was magnificent.

I don’t think there is any film that can compare to “Caterpillar” and for anyone wanting to experience something different in Japanese cinema will no doubt want to check out this Koji Wakamatsu film!

Recommended!

 

 

Take Shelter (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

A unique story with a twist ending, writer/director Jeff Nichols’ “Take Shelter” is a film that will surprise you but also captivate you with the wonderful performances by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Grove Hill Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Take Shelter

DURATION: 121 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Classics

RATED: R (For Some Language)

RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2012

Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols

Produced by Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin

Co-Producer: Robert Ruggeri, Adam Wilkins

Executive Producer: Sarah Green, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Richard Rothfeld, Colin Strause, Greg Strause

Original Music by David Wingo

Cinematography by Adam Stone

Edited by Parke Gregg

Casting by Lillian Pyles

Production Design by Chad Keith

Art Direction by Jennifer Klide

Set Decoration by Adam Willis

Costume Design by Karen Melecki

Starring:

Michael Shannon as Curtis

Jessica Chastain as Samantha

Tova Stewart as Hannah

Shea Whigham as Dewart

Katy Mixon as Nat

Natasha Randall as Cammie

Ron Kennard as Russell

Scott Knisley as Lewis

Robert Longstreet as Jim

Following his acclaimed debut, Shotgun Stories, writer/director Jeff Nichols reteams with actor Michael Shannon to create a haunting tale that will creep under your skin and expose your darkest fears. Curtis LaForche lives in a small town in Ohio with his wife, Samantha, and daughter, Hannah, a six-year-old deaf girl. When Curtis begins to have terrifying dreams, he keeps the visions to himself, channeling his anxiety into obsessively building a storm shelter in his backyard. His seemingly inexplicable behavior concerns and confounds those closest to him, but the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within his community can’t compare with Curtis’s privately held fear of what his dreams may truly signify. Take Shelter features fully realized characters crumbling under the weight of real-life problems. Using tone and atmosphere to chilling effect, Nichols crafts a powerful psychological thriller that is a disturbing tale for our times.

When a family begins to have nightmares that begin to change his life and affect his family and job, many wonder if he is going crazy.

Receiving rave reviews from critics nationwide is the 2011 film “Take Shelter” written and directed by Jeff Nichols (“Shotgun Stories”).  The film stars Michael Shannon (“Vanilla Sky”, “Pearl Harbor”, “Bad Boys II”) and Jessica Chastain (“The Help”, “The Tree of Life”).

“Take Shelter” screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 and won the 50th Critics’ Week Grand Prix and won various film awards internationally.

And now the film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

“Take Shelter” revolves around the LaForche family which consists of Curtis (played by Curtis LaForche), his wife Samantha (played by Jessica Chastain) and their deaf daughter Hannah (played by Tova Stewart).  The LaForche family is your average normal family living in a small town in Ohio.

But when Curtis begins to have nightmares of his dog attacking him, getting into a car accident with his daughter and other darker nightmares which he is not sure why they are happening.  It has gotten to the point where it has left him rattled and has started to affect his family and his work.

Curtis wonders if he may be developing symptoms of schizophrenia like his mother but because the LaForche family doesn’t have much money and if they do, they are saving it for their daughter’s surgery in order for her to hear.

But because his nightmares are starting to affect his life and he starts to feel that the dreams are a pre-cursor to a terrible storm coming, he takes out a huge loan from the bank without telling his wife and immediately begins construction for a storm shelter using his company’s equipment.

As the nightmares continue to get worse, many start to wonder if Curtis is sick.  His wife wonders why is he behaving so strangely.

Is Curtis sick?  Or is there more to his apocalyptic visions?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Take Shelter” is presented in 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital.  Subtitles are presented in English, English SDH and French.  First, I just want to add that  if anyone wants to experience the best picture and audio quality for “Take Shelter”, you will definitely want to watch this movie on Blu-ray!

With that being said, “Take Shelter” looks very good on DVD.  There are a lot of scenes that are shot outdoors, scenes with blue skies are vibrant. While I was watching this film on DVD, I kept telling myself of how beautiful those scenes would look in HD!  I didn’t notice any problems with the overall picture quality, the film looks very good on DVD.

As for audio, the soundtrack features certain dream sequences that utilize the surround channels.  From Curtis’ dog attacking him, getting into an accident, hearing the sounds of the crackling storm to the reality sequences such as ambiance during one crowd scene during a fight.  Overall, dialogue is clear, action sequences sound good on DVD.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Take Shelter” comes with the following special features:

A unique story with a twist ending, writer/director Jeff Nichols’ “Take Shelter” is a film that will surprise you but also captivate you with the wonderful performances by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain!

I have to admit that when I first watched the trailer for “Take Shelter”, the first thing that came into my mind was the Russell Crowe 2001 film, “A Beautiful Mind”.

Is this another film about schizophrenia?  But there is no denying that when this film started to win one award after another, perhaps there was more to this film than what we are given in the trailer.  And there is also no denying that the director of 2007 “Shotgun Stories”, Jeff Nichols is a person that has creative ideas and suffice to say, his name is being mentioned quite often.  The same can also be said for the film’s talents, Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain.  And so far, Chastain has literally made me a fan with her performances on “The Tree of Life”, “The Help” and her bit part in the “Texas Killing Fields”.

But it’s Nichols story that starts to unnerve viewers. Here is a normal family that will probably be destroyed by the actions of the protagonist Curtis.  He’s a hardworking family man, but when he starts having these dark nightmares of being attacked and getting in accidents with his daughter and needless to say, he starts to act on them.  You know that things are not going to look good for Curtis.

And as for the apocalyptic dream of a major storm coming his way, its the big part of the storyline as Curtis dedicates his life into building this storm shelter.    He wants to protect his family and be prepared, but of course, with his mother being mentally ill, many wonder if Curtis is also ill.

But it’s the way that “Take Shelter” ends that makes this film so satisfying and unforgettable.

As for the DVD release, you do get a pretty in-depth audio commentary by Jeff Nichols and Michael Shannon and also a few features such as deleted scenes, a featurette featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the writer/director and cast members plus a Q&A between Michael Shannon & Shea Whigham.

Overall, “Take Shelter” is an impressive film from Jeff Nichols and I would not be surprised if we start to see and hear more from this talented writer and filmmaker.  Unfortunately, the film was snubbed for any Academy Award nominations considering the number of awards it had won internationally, but still, “Take Shelter” is a fantastic film with a engrossing story with powerful performances.

“Take Shelter” is recommended!

 

The Big Caper (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“The Big Caper” is a 1957 heist film which is straightforward, simple and banal.  An average storyline with a contrived Hollywood ending.

Images courtesy of © 1957 P.T.S. Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: The Big Caper

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1957

DURATION: 85 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, 1:33:1 Full Frame, Dolby Digital

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Twentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: January 2012

Directed by Robert Stevens

Screenplay by Martin Berkeley

Based on the Novel by Lionel White

Produced by Howard Pine, William C. Thomas

Music by Albert Glasser

Cinematography by Lionel London

Edited by George A. Gittens

Art Direction by Alfred Kegerris

Costume Design by Jerry Bos, Fay Moore, Alvina Tomin

Starring:

Rory Calhoun as Frank Harper

Mary Cost as Kay

James Gregory as Flood

Robert H. Harris as Zimmer

Roxanne Arlen as Doll

Corey Allen as Roy

Paul Picerni as Harry

Patrick McVey as Sam Loxley

An indebted con man persuades a crime boss to bankroll a heist on a small town bank, posing as a married couple with the bosses girl.

In 1957, the heist film “The Big Caper” was made.  Featuring an adaptation of the novel by Lionel White, the film is directed by Robert Stevens (“Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, “Never Lose a Stranger”) and a screenplay by Martin Berkeley (“Tarantula”, “Revenge of the Creature”, “The Deadly Mantis”).

The film would star Rory Calhoun (“Texan”, “How to Marry a Millionaire”, “River of No Return”), Mary Costa (“Sleeping Beauty”, “The Great Waltz”) and James Gregory (“The Manchurian Candidate”, “Beneath the Planet of the Apes”, “The Lawless Years”).

“The Big Caper” revolves around Frank Harper (played by Rory Calhoun), a man who is in debt for gambling and wiped out his money on horse races.

Frank decides to pay his good friend and former bank heist professional Flood (played by James Gregory) to rob a small coastal town bank which is the bank used for the payroll for a nearby army base.  But unfortunately, Flood has no intention of going to prison again and wants to live the good life.

But after Frank shows Flood the location and how there are not many police, it appears that there chances of success are high and both men are enticed to robbing the bank.

But first, Frank needs to fit in with the community and learn more about how things work in the small town.  He and Flood’s girlfriend, Kay (played by Mary Costa) purchase a gas station shop and immediately, they start to fit in with the community, making friends and even befriending a police officer.

And for Kay, she starts to enjoy the domestic life of cooking and having people over at their house.   She also starts to fall for Frank, but Frank reminds her that this all for business and their plan is to rob the bank and he would never betray Flood by messing around with his girlfriend.  But Kay tells Frank that she and Flood have been over for a long time, but he still remains loyal to his friend.

Meanwhile, Frank begins to assemble his team and hires Zimmer (played by Robert H. Harris), an alcoholic and pyromaniac.  In addition, Flood brings his men, Roy and Harry (and his intrusive girlfriend Doll).

But when Kay breaks off her relationship with Flood, Flood begins to become jealous that Kay has taken a liking to her new “fake” life with Frank.  Despite both Kay and Frank telling him that nothing happened between them, part of him doesn’t believe it.  Especially when Zimmer tries to fuels the fire by trying to get Flood jealous by telling him that he thinks that Kay is falling in love with Frank.

But when both Frank and Kay start to learn how violent Flood can be and that his jealousy has gotten the best of him and that he wants them dead…. what will happen to Frank and Kay?

MOD PLAYABILITY:

Part of the worry of viewers who had bad experiences with MOD DVD’s is its overall DVD pressing. Granted, those problems were much common during the beginning of MOD’s several years ago but so far, I have not had any problems with MGM’s Limited Edition Collection.

With “The Big Caper”, its printed quite well with printing on top of the DVD, it’s not a plain silver disc with letters. If you didn’t know it was MOD, you would think it was an actual DVD release.

As for playability, I played “The Big Caper” on my Blu-ray player and DVD player with no problems. I then played it on my Mac and PC, no problems whatsoever.

VIDEO AND AUDIO:

“The Big Caper” is presented in black and white (1:33:1 full frame).  Picture quality is actually good as there are not many blemishes or damage.  You do see the occasional white specks and scratches but for the most part, contrast for the film look good and there is a fine layer of grain.  Back levels are good and no sign of a major DNR.

Dialogue is presented in Dolby Digital, dialogue is clear.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Big Caper” comes with no special features.

When it comes to ’50s heist films, among the best is Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 film “The Killing”.

MGM tried to repeat that success with their 1957 film “The Big Caper” but as “The Killing” focused on the characters and a bank heist gone wrong, “The Big Caper” goes a different route in which two of the robbers in the group, a man and a woman, disguise themselves as a couple and get used to their new life.

Granted, for the man…Frank, it’s all about business and his goal of robbing the bank.  For Kay, she always wanted that family life and wants to keep it that way, especially since she is falling for Frank.

The problem is, Kay is Flood’s girlfriend and despite their relationship is pretty much down in the dumps, Flood has a reputation for a person not to be messed with.

The film focuses primarily on Frank and Kay who are changed by their life in the coastal town and the fact that they are falling in love with each other, it starts to cause problems in the overall planning of the heist as Flood can sense that something may be developing between the two and once again, you mess with Flood…bad things will come.

For the most part, “The Big Caper” has a feeling of a Monogram Pictures film (known for producing low-budget films in Hollywood) but with better location shots and maybe even a higher budget.  While Flood and the pyromaniac Zimmer are worthy antagonists, the problem is that once you see a film like “The Killing”, “The Big Caper” is almost lowered to something like a TV movie.  It has dangerous people, but not dangerous enough.  It has action, but only for a short duration.

Whereas “The Killing” made you wonder if they can pull of a heist, “The Big Caper” becomes less about the heist but more of the survival of Frank and Kay, as you know that Flood is going to turn on them.

Needless to say, the film doesn’t stray far from any major twists and you can pretty much sense how things are probably going to end as the film makes things a bit obvious.

Still, “The Big Caper” does have charm, especially with the romance factor between Frank and Kay but I will say that how the film ends within the last minute, it’s such an easy way-out which was typical for films at the time but I suppose this film can fit into the long list of films with the banality of happy endings.  Although this happy ending felt cheap and contrived!

As for the DVD, as mentioned, picture quality was good and there is no major damage to the video or audio.

Overall, “The Big Caper” may not be anywhere near the quality of “The Killing” but if you are looking for a ’50s heist films that is straightforward and banal, then give this film a try!

 

 

The Bed Sitting Room (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Richard Lester’s “The Bed Sitting Room” is crazy, witty and unusually absurd…but yet, I found it to be quite entertaining.  Fans of British comedy may want to give this classic film a try!

Images courtesy of © 1969 Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: The Bed Sitting Room

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1969

DURATION: 91 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, 1:85:1 Letterbox, Dolby Digital

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Twentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: January 2012

Directed by Richard Lester

Screenplay by John Antrobus

Adaptation by Charles Wood

Based on a play by Spike Milligan, John Antrobus

Produced by Richard Lester, Oscar Lewenstein

Associate Producer: Roy Stevens

Music by Ken Thorne

Cinematography by David Watkin

Edited by John Victor-Smith

Production Design by Assheton Gorton

Starring:

Rita Tushingham as Penelope

Ralph Richardson as Lord Fortnum of Alamein

Peter Cook as Inspector

Dudley Moore as Sergeant

Spike Milligan as Mate

Michael Hordern as Bules Martin

Roy Kinnear as Plastic Mac Man

Richard Warwick as Allan

Arthur Lowe as Father

Mona Washbourne as Mother

Ronald Fraser as The Army

Dandy Nichols as Mrs. Ethel Shroake

Frank Thornton as The BBC

Harry Secombe as Shelter Man

Jimmy Edwards as Nigel

Henry Woolf as Electricity Man

Jack Shepherd as Underwater Vicar

Marty Feldman as Nurse Arthur

Bill Wallis as The Prime Minister

New Wave director Richard Lester jouns former members of “The Goon Show” to create a series of comic sketches about a post-nuclear London: a girl is 17 months pregnant, a father turns into a parrot, a man becomes a chest of drawers and another man- a bed sitting room.

Filmmaker Richard Lester is probably best known for directing the Beatles film “Help!” and “Superman II” (and the not so enjoyable third film) but he is also known for directing stylistic films that were different from traditional Hollywood films.

“How I Won the War” featuring John Lennon was a surreal black comedy that makes fun of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, his sex comedy “The Knack…And How to Get It” won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

But one film that has been described as “bizarre”, “absurd” and “unusual” was his 1969 British comedy “The Bed Sitting Room” based on the satirical play by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus and an adaptation by Charles Wood. The film stars Rita Tushingham, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Jimmy Edwards, Ralph Richardson, Michael Hordern, Marty Feldman and Arthur Lowe.

The film has received a cult following since its premiere back in 1969 and while it has been released in the UK on Blu-ray courtesy of BFI’s “Flipside” series in 2009, the movie has now been released in the U.S. on DVD via MGM’s Limited Edition Collection as part of the company’s made-on-demand service.

“The Bed Sitting Room” is set in England which was destroyed in the world’s shortest war due to a nuclear misunderstanding and within 2 minutes, and the signing of a peace treaty, nearly everyone in Britain was killed and only 20 people survived.

Characters include a family which include a mother, father (played by Mona Washbourne and Arthur Lowe)and his pregnant for 17 months daughter named Penelope (played by Rita Tushingham)who lives in an automatic underground train and feed themselves by smashing vending machines whenever they are hungry.  For Penelope, each time she tells her parents that she is going to the next carriage to smoke, she goes to visit her boyfriend Alan.

Also featured is Capt. Bules-Martin who wears a “Defeat of England” medal; Lord Fortnum of Alamein (played by Ralph Richardson) who is a doctor who has some infatuation with a piece of Hovis bread on a ring and is fearing that he is mutating into a bed sitting room; Mate the fireguard (played by Spike Milligan) who has nothing left t burn; Shelter Man of the Region Seat of Government who survived the war in a fallout shelter and often reminisces oft eh day he killed his wife and mother because they wanted to stay in the shelter; National Health Service is a male nurse; Plastic Man (played by Roy Kinnear) and the BBC  (played by Frank Thornton) who tries to supply the BBC News through broke television sets,two policemen (played by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore) who ride a Morris Minor Panda Car that has been made into a makeshift balloon and keep shouting “Keep Moving” to survivors.

As each character tries to survive, as they move around the area, they discover there are other survivors.

As Lord Fortnum travels to 29 Cul de Sac Place, he mutates into a bed sitting room.  And from then on, each character begins to mutate to something unexpected.

MOD PLAYABILITY:

Part of the worry of viewers who had bad experiences with MOD DVD’s is its manufacturing. Granted, those problems were a long time ago but so far, I have not had any problems with MGM’s Limited Edition Collection.

With “The Bed Sitting Room”, its printed quite well with printing on top of the DVD, it’s not a plain silver disc with letters. If you didn’t know it was MOD, you would think it was an actual DVD release.

As for playability, I played “The Bed Sitting Room” on my Blu-ray player and DVD player with no problems. I then played it on my Mac and PC, no problems whatsoever.

VIDEO AND AUDIO:

It’s important to note that if you love this film, one may want to check out the British Film Institute’s Flipside Blu-ray which received restoration for that release.  Otherwise, what we have here is the original US release, non-restored but still, the film looks good on DVD.

The film is quite surreal in the fact that we are given wild colors at times, but overall, without having the BFI’s new restoration, the DVD looks good.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Bed Sitting Room” comes with a theatrical trailer.

I must admit, “The Bed Sitting Room” is not exactly a film that can be explained in simpler terms.  It’s one of those surreal, absurd, crazy films that you need to watch it and experience it for yourself.

So, I’m not going to get into the complete details because I for one seemed entertained, perplexed, confused, but also a bit impressed after watching “The Bed Sitting Room”.  For one thing, it’s definitely a British comedy that is farcical, entertaining and very unique.For those familiar with Richard Lester’s work, there is also a deep meaning behind his films and with this movie, there is also an underlying theme pointed towards society.

On the BFI Blu-ray release, Lester said that any comedy that one would see in this film is for “alienation purposes only” and because of the turbulence of what was happening in the United States and around the world due to the Vietnam War, many felt that Britain, as America’s ally could follow that same path.  So, there is a poke on British society and modernism.

But the best explanation of this film is that no matter of humanity had to be restarted, because of the people that were left in society (even 20 people), the stupidity of humanity would continue because of those individuals, their mannerisms, their prejudice, etc.  And with the first child being born after the apocalypse, how will this child continue with humanity (and in the case of this film, as everyone is featured as moronic…the fate of this child is that it would grow up like the others that are still surviving).

But with that being said, “The Bed Sitting Room” is for those who appreciate British comedy and for many Western viewers, the joke about “Her Majesty Mrs. Ethel Shroake of 393A High Street, Leytonstone” may go over some people’s heads but because she is the closest surviving heir via post-nuclear holocaust Britain, she has inherited the throne.

Other scenes that people may have scratching their heads (funny, but nonetheless may confuse some) is how certain characters have mutated into an object or animal.

If anything, “The Bed Sitting Room” is not a film to analyze, it’s just to watch and laugh at the absurdity of the storyline.

As for the DVD release, as the DVD is good in terms of picture quality and audio was clear and understandable, for those who love this film may want to opt for the BFI Flipside Blu-ray release which contains interviews with the director and original creators, plus an essay.  But most of all, it’s in HD and the film had been restored for that release.

Overall, “The Bed Sitting Room” is crazy, witty and unusually absurd…but yet, I found it to be quite entertaining.  Fans of British comedy may want to give this classic film a try!

 

 

Up the Creek (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Up the Creek” may not be one of the better “college romp” films from the ’80s, but for those who are nostalgic for this film, may want to check out the MOD DVD release.

Images courtesy of © 1984 Orion Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Up the Creek

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1984

DURATION: 96 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, 1:85:1 Letterbox, Dolby Digital

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Twentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: January 2012

Directed by Robert Butler

Screenplay by Jim Kouf

Story by Jim Kouf, Jeff Sherman, Douglass Grossman

Produced by Michael L. Meltzer

Co-Produced by Fred Baum

Executive Produced: Lou Arkoff, Samuel Z. Arkoff

Music by William Goldstein

Cinematography by James Glennon

Edited by Bill Butler

Casting by Harriet B. Helberg, Jessica Overwise

Production Design by William Hiney

Set Decoration by Gary Moreno

Costume Design by Robert Turturice

Starring:

Tim Matheson as Bob McGraw

Jennifer Runyon as Heather Merriweather

Stephen Furst as Gonzer

Dan Monahan as Max

Sandy Helberg as Irwin

Jeff East as Rex Crandall

Blaine Novak as Capt. Braverman

James Sikking as Tozer

John Hillerman as Dean Burch

Mark Andrews as Rocky

Will Bledsoe as Roger van Dyke

Grant Wilson as Reggie

Julia Montgomery as Lisa

Jeana Tomasina as Molly

Romy Windsor as Corky

Tom Nolan as Whitney

Jason Court as Powers

Jesse D. Goins as Brown

Tim Jones as Johnson

Four delinquens from the worst university in the area have once chance to bring honor to their institution, in this hilarious and titillating whitewater raft race flick.

The 1980′s, a decade known for its many “college romp” films.  Some good, some bad, but if their was one thing they all had in common…all were sexual comedies with plenty of nudity.

And in 1984, one of those films that many people would catch on cable was “Up the Creek”, a film directed by Robert Butler (best known for directing TV series episodes such as “Reminton Steele” and “Hill Street Blues”) and an earlier film written by Jim Kouf (“Rush Hour”, “National Treasure” films, “Grimm” and “Ghost Whisperer” TV series).

The film would star Tim Matheson (“Van Wilder”, “Animal House”, “Fletch”), Jennifer Runyon (“Ghostbusters”, “Charles in Charge”, “Carnosaur”), Stephen Furst (“Animal House”, “Babylon 5″), Dan Monohan (“Porkys” films) Sandy Helberg (“Mortal Kombat”, “This is Spinal Tap”, “Spaceballs”), Jeff East (“Superman”, “The Day After”) and James Sikking (“Hill Street Blues”, “General Hospital”, “Doogie Howser, M.D.”).

“Up the Creek” features four friends Bob (played by Tim Matheson), Max (played by Don Monahan), Irwin (played by Sandy Helberg) and Gonzer (played by Stephen Furst) who attend Lepetomane University (aka Lobotomy U), the worst university in the area , and each happen to be the worst students on campus.  They are forcefully recruited by Dean Burch (played by John Hillerman) to compete in the collegiate raft race and bring some recognition to the university.

In return, if they win, he will offer them degrees in the major of their choice.

So, the four friends along with their dog Chuck (voiced by Frank Welker) head to the collegiate raft race.  But the team that is heavily favored to win are the Ivy University prep schoolers who have the support of Ivy alumnus Dr. Roland Tozer, who wants to ensure that the group cheats their way to the #1 spot.

Also competing are the military squad known as Washington Military Institute who’s leader Captain Braverman (played by Blaine Novak), wants revenge against Bob because he continually thwarts the group’s plan of sabotage.  Also, entered are the co-eds, which include Heather Merriweather (played by Jennifer Runyon) who has had enough of her boyfriend (a member of the Ivy University) messing around with other women, so she starts to show interest in Bob.

With Ivy University trying to cheat their way to the top, do the underachieving students of Lepetomane University have a chance of winning the competition?

MOD PLAYABILITY:

Part of the worry of viewers who had bad experiences with MOD DVD’s is its manufacturing. Granted, those problems were a long time ago but so far, I have not had any problems with MGM’s Limited Edition Collection.

With “The Magnetic Monster”, its printed quite well with printing on top of the DVD, it’s not a plain silver disc with letters. If you didn’t know it was MOD, you would think it was an actual DVD release.

As for playability, I played “The Magnetic Monster” on my Blu-ray player and DVD player with no problems. I then played it on my Mac and PC, no problems whatsoever.

VIDEO AND AUDIO:

“Up the Creek” is presented in color (1:85:1 full frame). As far as picture quality goes, you can see a bit of black specks throughout the film but they are small and probably will not be noticed by most people. There is a fine layer of grain and for the most part, for an ’80s film, the movie looks very good for its age.  There is some softness but considering its age, “Up the Creek” looks good on DVD.

As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital.  But the film is notable for its soundtrack featuring Cheap Trick, Heart and The Beach Boys.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Up the Creek” comes with a theatrical trailer.

As a person who grew up with late ’70s and ’80s college romp films such as “Animal House”, “Porky’s”, “Private School”, “Back to School”, “Revenge of the Nerds” are among the titles that people tend to remember.

Comedies that feature a lot of beer, a lot of women and a lot of sex…and of course, the main attraction to a lot of guys back then…nudity.

“Up the Creek” is a film I remember watching on cable back when I was in high school and remember wanting to watching this film primarily for actress Jennifer Runyon.  This was her first film that she had starred in before he appearance on “Ghostbusters” and becoming part of the cast of “Charles in Charge”, but as a teenager, I was big fan and watched this film just for her.

So, here we are nearly 30-years-later since the film made its debut in theaters and watching “Up the Creek” once again.

Needless to say, the film is kitschy.  The whole premise of four bad students of one of the worst universities academically and the four being offered free diplomas if they win a rafting contest is ridiculous.

But still, ’80s “college romps” were never meant to be deep films, they were films about characters partying, having fun and getting laid and these films were indeed the sign of the times.

And of course, there is the banality of the underdogs going against the athletes or tough guys (in this case of this film, it’s the “preps”) and one of the underdogs hooking up with the hot girl that dated a prep.

“Up the Creek” is a film which one knows how it’s going to end, but you just wonder how crazy or how much sex will be in this film.  In terms of craziness, well…aside from the character of Gonzer wanting to eat all the time and the main character Bob, having a dog named Chuck (who seems to be smarter than most of the guys on the Lepetomane team), you have a military school trying to sabotage the competition and preppies who try to cheat their way to the top.  So, in terms of overall craziness, “Up the Creek” was a little weak in that regard.

As for nudity, sure you see a lot of topless girls but when you watched films such as “Porky’s”, “Private School” and “Animal House”, even the nudity is a bit subdued for this film.

While “Up the Creek” may be nostalgic for some… for those wondering if this was one of the good “college romp” films of the ’80s, my answer would be “no”.  Granted, I can imagine my teenage self saying “yes, watch it for Jennifer Runyon”, watching it today, I felt that “Up the Creek” was too subdued in comedy and hijinks for an ’80s “college romp”.

Recommended only if you are a fan of the film, otherwise, you can find better “college romp” films out there!

 

G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero – Series 2: Season 1 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Action-packed and fun! For those who grew up with “G.I. Joe” and are nostalgic for these classic ’90s “G.I. Joe” episodes or for those who are new and want to see the evolution of “G.I. Joe”, will definitely want to check out “G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero – Series 2: Season 1″.

Images courtesy of © 2012 Hasbro Studios. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: G.I. JOE – A REAL AMERICAN HERO – SERIES 2: SEASON 1

DURATION: 24 Episodes (9 hours)

COMPANY: Hasbro/Shout! Factory

RATED: General Audiences

RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2012

Voice Director: Marsha Goodman, Ginny McSwain, Doug Parker, Paul Quinn, Victor Villegas, Madeline Bascomb

Talent Coordinator: Shirley McGregor

Anime Production: DIC Entertainment

Starring:

Jackson Beck as Narrator (“Operation Dragonfire”)

Michael Benyaer as Scoop, Airwave

Don Brown as Sub-Zero and Drop Zone

Jim Byrnes as Alley Viper

Gary Chalk as Gristle, Metal-Head, Pathfinder, Shockwave, Cesspool, BIOK

Brent Chapman as Red Star, Salvo

Lisa Corps as Zarana

Kevin Conway as Rock ‘n Roll

Ian James Corlett as Gnawgahyde, Rampart

Michael Donovan as Flint, Night-Viper

Suzanne Errett-Balcom as Scarlett, Lady Jaye

Ed Gilbert as General Hawk

Ted Harrison as Duke

Phil Hayes as Airborne

Fred Henderson as Lt. Falcon

Jerry Houser as Sci-Fi

Lee Jeffrey as Stalker

David Kaye as General Hawk

Terry Klassen as Altitude

Josh Andrew Koenig as Ambush, Night Creeper Leader

Maurice LaMarche as Big Ben, Copperhead, Destro, Heavy Duty, Low-Light, Red Star, Serpentor, Spirit

Morgan Lofting as Baroness

Chris Latta as Cobra Commander

Blu Mankuma as Roadblock

Scott McNeil as Freefall, Headman, Storm Shadow, Dice, Slice

Bob Remus as Sgt. Slaughter

Alvin Sanders as Stretcher

Robert O. Smith as Grunt, Wet Suit

David Willis as Bullhorn

Dale Wilson as Capt. Grid-Iron, Mutt, Overkill, Skydive

The incredible adventures of the international team of heroes known as G.I. JOE continue! Together they defend the globe against Cobra, a ruthless organization led by Serpentor and the recently rejuvenated Cobra Commander, who are both determined to conquer the world by any means necessary.

In 1989 a popular second G.I. JOE animated series was created and helped revive the franchise by introducing fans to new G.I. JOE and Cobra troops alike! Now you can experience the adventures of that second series from the beginning, including the fan-favorite miniseries that started it all — Operation Dragonfire!

“G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero” is literally the classic animated series that became an iconic series for thousands of fans who loyally collected the many awesome merchandise from Hasbro and continues to be a popular toy line today.

Although, the series was released in 1984, the series has spawned several of animated series, CG films, video games and in 2009, a live action film (with a second one planned for release in the summer of 2012).

But like other children’s action animated series, not many series tend to last long. For the original “G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero”, the first animated series would last from 1983-1986.

But because Hasbro has been dedicated to their toy line up, and with new generation of children, in 1989, “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” was revived in 1989.  This time around, in order to cut production costs, Hasbro dropped Sunbow for DiC and due to budgetary issues, DiC would focus on the new characters during this time period.  A five episode mini-series titled “Operation Dragonfire” was released in 1989, and in 1990, a total of 19 episodes were created for the first season.

And now, both the mini-series and the first season will be released on DVD for the first time courtesy of SHOUT! FACTORY in Jan. 2012.

The first season would focus on Hawk as the G.I. Joe commander, Sgt. Slaughter as the head of G.I. Joe and Captain Grid-Iron as the field commander.  While the original cast of Duke, Snake Eyes and Scarlett were not seen in this season, focus was primarily on the newer character until season two which would eventually feature the return of Duke and also a more deeper storyline.  For Cobra, while Serpentor and Destro were seen as the two major leaders during the 1989

The DiC release of “G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero” would last from 1989-1992 and while fans have looked at the original ’80s series as being superior, fans also look at the revival as important for the introduction of new characters to the toy lineup for both G.I. Joe and Cobra.  But perhaps the most significant change was Storm Shadow becoming a member of G.I. Joe (which was also reflected in the comic book series).

Here is a brief spoiler-less summary of each episode of “G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero – Series 2: Season 1″:

DISC 1:  OPERATION DRAGONFIRE

• EPISODE 1 – Day 1 – Serpentor is now in control of the Dragonfire.  We are introduced to Scoop, a new member of G.I. Joe (but also a member of Cobra).
• EPISODE 2 – Day 2 – After being shunned by Destro (who is now directing his attention towards Zarana), Baroness revives Cobra Commander from a Cobra to a humanoid/Cobra hybrid.
• EPISODE 3 – Day 3 – Scoop finds out the truth about his family’s death and feels betrayed.
• EPISODE 4 – Day 4 – Cobra Commander tries to take back control of Cobra.
• EPISODE 5 – Day 5 - G.I. Joe vs. Cobra

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 6 – United We Stand – Ambush and Pathfinder must work as a team.
• EPISODE 7 – Revenge of the Pharaohs- A Night Creeper Leader thinks he is an Ancient Pharaoh.
• EPISODE 8 – Granny Dearest – Metal-Head’s grandmother visits Cobra and she thinks her son is the leader of the security agency.
• EPISODE 9 – Victory at Volcania, Part 1 – General Hawk questions his usefulness to G.I. Joe because of his older age.
• EPISODE 10 - Victory at Volcania, Part 2 – Can General Hawk lead G.I. Joe to victory?
• EPISODE 11 – The Nozone Conspiracy – Cobra comes up with a commercial idea for NoZone?
• EPISODE 12 – Pigskin Commandos – Sgt. Slaughter has been kidnapped, now Grid-Iron must save him.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 13 – Cold Shoulder – G.I. Joe and the Oktober Guard work on a space satellite that Cobra wants.
• EPISODE 14 – Injustice and the Cobra Way - There is a new hero in town!
• EPISODE 15 - General Confusion – What happens when G.I. Joe’s expenses come under review by the government?
• EPISODE 16 – Night of the Creepers – Lowlight and Scoop track a Night Creeper Leader into an ancient city.
• EPISODE 17 – That’s Entertainment – General Hawk is not too thrilled by how lax his troops are, especially when they start becoming infatuated with a movie star.
• EPISODE 18 – “I Found You… Evy” – Ambush reveals a story from his past.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 19 -  An Officer and a Viperman – Someone is leaking info. to Cobra, who is responsible?
• EPISODE 20 – D-Day at Alcatraz, Part 1 – Cobra has been arrested.
• EPISODE 21 – D-Day at Alcatraz, Part II - G.I. Joe has been deceived and now Grid-Iron and G.I. Joe must win the day!
• EPISODE 22 - The Mind Mangler - Duke is captured by the Mind Mangler.
• EPISODE 23 – BIOK – Super computer BIOK attacks G.I. Joe.
• EPISODE 24 – Stuck on You – Pathfinder and Cobra Commander must work together to escape the jungle.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero” is in full color, fullframe (1:33:1) and presented in Dolby Digital. Because the DiC series had not been released on DVD until 2012, for many people, the only quality that people had seen are terrible many generation recordings (bad faded colors) recorded from television back in 1990-1991.

So, for many G.I. Joe fans, the release of “G.I. JOE – A REAL AMERICAN HERO – SERIES 2: SEASON 1″ is quite significant!  While there is obvious animated production differences between the ’80s animated Sunbow series and the 1990 DiC animated series, while the animation was quite consistent with other animation of that era, there is a bit softness, some white specks and interlacing.  But this common to see for animated series from the ’80s and ’90s on DVD.

With that being said, this is the best I have seen of the original 1990 animated series.

As for audio, effects, dialogue and music are all clear and understandable.  I didn’t notice any hissing, crackle or pops while listening to the soundtrack.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero – Series 2: Season 1″ comes with no special features.

For those of us who grew up collecting “G.I. Joe” toys and comic books, these animated series were a part of our childhood and for many Joe fans, these episodes are not only nostalgic but also have some sentimental meaning.

While I grew up during the Sunbow series, when news came out that “G.I. Joe” was being revived in the ’90s and this time by DiC, a lot of us who grew up in the ’80s knew that this series would be targeted to a new generation of children, as many of us were now graduating high school or have become adults.

I have to admit that by the ’90s, despite my interest in G.I. Joe toys had dwindled as I was graduating high school and getting ready for college, I still managed to catch the series and even purchase a few of the toys.  No matter how bright the colors were or how many characters were introduced, that is the joy of being an eternal “G.I. Joe” fan and supporting the series and the releases.

So, needless to say, I am quite biased when it comes to “G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero”.  No matter how childish or cheesy some of the stories were, if you had an imagination and if you grew up with the series and were excited about the introduction of new characters, then you can’t help but be excited.  Especially when you hear that the DiC series were using newer characters.

And while I am more biased to the ’80s Sunbow series, during college, I did try to catch as many of the DiC animated series on television.   Granted, it was not the same G.I. Joe I grew up with.  Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Gung Ho, Shipwreck, and Flint were gone and this time it focused on General Hawk, WWF wrestler Sgt. Slaughter and a new generation of G.I. Joe leaders and soldiers.

Which actually made sense to me at the time, as I was collecting the comic books and for anyone reading comic books, any superhero group or organization always had a change of characters and what better to tie into the toy line.

So, watching the DiC animated series, it was rather interesting because you had Ambush, Pathfinder, Salvo, Sub-Zero, the Sky Patrol and so many new characters, my feeling at the time was that kids should be thrilled.

Each character looked different, had different skills, various weaponry and attitude and Hasbro was quite innovative with the release of the toys. The animation encouraged us to enjoy them even further by establishing storylines that we could try to recreate. The series was the classic good vs. evil storyline and it’s one thing to have these various members of G.I. Joe but the whole look of Cobra was just too cool to ignore.

So, here we are with the DiC animated release of “G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero – Series 2: Season 1″.  Many G.I. Joe fans may have missed the ’90s series and the fact that the series was never released on DVD, many of us had no choice at the time but to watch terrible quality versions of the series that were recorded via VCR in the lowest quality.

Of course, that was then…this is now.    SHOUT! FACTORY who released the Sunbow ’80s animated series on DVD has now released the DiC animated series and quite frankly, this is the best looking and sounding version of the series on video to date.

With the ’90s series, while the characters, action and excitement was still there, the series also had to cater to children and thus, there were a lot of episodes that may leave older fans scratching their heads.  For me, I couldn’t help but laugh because these lighthearted episodes also had it share of cheesy comedy.

For example, in the episode “The Nozone Conspiracy”, because Cobra is broke, they have to come up with ideas to make big money.  So, they create a spray known as “Nozone” and who do they find to help promote the product, Zarana in a swimsuit and the Dreadnoks.

In another episode titled “Granny Dearest”, Metal-Head’s grandmother shows up.  And as he tries to create the impression that he is someone important within the Cobra ranks, she starts to become suspicious that her grandson is not working with good people.

Another episode had polar bears associating with GI Joe members and even one curious polar bear getting involved in a mission.  It kind of made you wonder… were these writers smoking something at the time?

Sure, these episodes may be a bit too lighthearted and kitschy for the older fans but I have always been positive towards this series because I knew that as I grew up with the ’80s series, for the ’90s, Hasbro was targeting a newer demographic of children.  It was the sign of the times…

Granted, things have changed so much for “G.I. Joe” fans in the last decade, especially with the release of “G.I. Joe: Resolute” several years ago and fans now clamoring for a more darker series.  The animated series have become more edgier and darker and the targeted demographic are not so much the children but those who grew up with the ’80s and ’90s series who are still collecting “G.I. Joe” today.

Also, one would also see a difference in production quality.  There was something about the original series that looked so good, while the DiC had less detail in my opinion.  While I did feel that the female characters were nicely drawn and the fact that there were so many characters featured in these episodes, while not necessarily inferior, it’s just different styles of animation and also Hasbro did spend a lot on the production of the original ’80 series.

But for those of us who had the opportunity to grow up with these series, the DiC animated series would be important for many people in the introduction of many characters, many vehicles but also keeping “G.I. Joe” relevant for a new generation of collectors.

As for the DVD release, you get the DiC mini-series from 1989 and all episodes of season one from 1990.  There are no special features (it would have been nice to see the toy commercials from the ’90s included) but we do get the complete first season and the mini-series.   And for those who have watched the terrible quality versions that were sold on the Internet, finally the definitive version of the DiC “G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero” has come out on DVD.

And I’m looking forward to season 2, as the storyline becomes much more deeper and we see the return of a few of the classic G.I. Joe members.  Including a change with former Snake Eyes nemesis, Storm Shadow.

Action-packed and fun! For those who grew up with “G.I. Joe” and are nostalgic for these classic ’90s “G.I. Joe” episodes or for those who are new and want to see the evolution of “G.I. Joe”, will definitely want to check out “G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero – Series 2: Season 1″.

 

The Magnetic Monster (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

The first film of the “OSI Trilogy” by Ivan Tors, “The Magnetic Monster” is a film from 1953 that explores man’s tampering of isotopes and possibly causing the potential destruction of their own planet.  Sure, it is over-the-top but it has that ’50s sci-fi flair that classic sci-fan’s will enjoy!

Images courtesy of © 1953 Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: The Magnetic Monster

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1953

DURATION: 80 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black & White, Dolby Digital, 1:33:1

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Twentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: January 2012

Directed by Curt Siodmak

Screenplay by Curt Siodmak, Ivan Tors

Produced by Ivan Tors

Associate Produced by George Van Marter

Music by Blaine Sanford

Cinematography by Charles Van Enger

Production Design by George Van Marter

Set Decoration by Victor A. Gangelin

Starring:

Richard Carlson as Dr. Jeffrey Stewart

King Donovan as Dr. Dan Forbes

Jean Byron as Connie Stewart

Harry Ellerbe as Dr. Allard

Leo Britt as Dr. Benton

Leonard Mudie as Howard Denker

Byron Foulger as Mr. simon

Michael Fox as Dr. Serny

John Zaremba as Chief Watson

Lee Phelps as City Engineer

Watson Downs as Mayor

Roy Engle as Gen. Behan

When a young scientist’s experiments with a new radioactive isotope cause it to double in size every 12 hours, a nearby town’s existence is threatened by the deadly radiation.

Ivan Tors, the Hungarian writer/filmmaker/producer will be known by his fans for his sci-fi and animal films. But most of all, using scientific fact (or what was thought as “fact” during that time) rather than focus on scientific fantasy which earned Tors his admiration of many sci-fi followers.

In the 1950′s, Tors created the Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI) trilogy featuring the films “The Magnetic Monster”, “Riders to the Stars” and “Gog”.  As part of MGM’s Limited Edition Collection, “The Magnetic Monster” and “Gog” have been released on DVD as part of their made-on-demand program.

“The Magnetic Monster” is directed and co-written by Curt Siodmak (“The Invisible Man Returns”, “The Wolf Man”) and Ivan Tors.  The film stars Richard Carlson (“It Came From Outer Space”, “The Little Foxes”, “Creature from the Black Lagoon”), King Donovan (“Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, “The Defiant Ones”, “The Hanging Tree”) and Jean Byron (“The Patty Duke Show”, “Invisible Invaders”, “Jungle Moon Men”).

“The Magnetic Monster” begins with an anomaly detected by agents of the Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI), meanwhile at a local appliance store in the city, employees start to notice that their clocks have stopped working and everything inside the shop has been magnetized.

Immediately, OSI agents Dr. Jeffrey Stewart (played by Richard Carlson) and Dr. Dan Forbes (played by King Donovan) are summoned to the store and conduct radioactivity tests.  It is discovered that there are signs of radioactivity in the second floor above the store.

Because of the severity of the situation, police must clearance the area and must be armed to shoot and kill if anyone tries to get in.

As the two agents conduct their test, they discover scientific equipment and also a dead body.  But what is causing the radiation is no longer in the room.

As the investigation continues, the agents learn that a scientist holding a briefcase has taken a flight on an airplane.  Fearing that whatever the scientist is carrying may cut the electricity of the airplane, the agents asks the pilots to land the plane immediately.  Meanwhile, the scientist starts to bleed due to radiation sickness.

The agents have learned that the scientist has developed an artificial radio active isotope known as serranium and he bombarded it with alpha particles for more than eight days.  But now, the isotope has doubled its size and is literally hungry and wants to absorb energy from everything around it and each time it does, it doubles its size.  It’s only weakness is electricity.

As the isotope is kept under lock and key and is researched at a nearby university, Dr. Stewart and his wife Connie are expecting a new baby and planning on moving to a new house.  But as they discuss family plans, Dr. Stewart receives an urgent call that an explosion had taken place at the university and the scientist researching the isotope are now dead.

The OSI agents realize that because the isotope is growing at an abnormal rate, it may affect the Earth’s rotation and spin it out of orbit. And to prevent that, the OSI agents must find a way to stop the isotope and destroy it.

MOD PLAYABILITY:

Part of the worry of viewers who had bad experiences with MOD DVD’s is its manufacturing.  Granted, those problems were a long time ago but so far, I have not had any problems with MGM’s Limited Edition Collection.

With “The Magnetic Monster”, its printed quite well with printing on top of the DVD, it’s not a plain silver disc with letters. If you didn’t know it was MOD, you would think it was an actual DVD release.

As for playability, I played “The Magnetic Monster” on my Blu-ray player and DVD player with no problems. I then played it on my Mac and PC, no problems whatsoever.

VIDEO AND AUDIO:

“The Magnetic Monster” is presented in black and white (1:33:1 full frame).  As far as picture quality goes, the film has been manufactured using the best source available. The picture quality for “The Magnetic Monster” does have quite a bit of scratches and some damage but fortunately, it doesn’t hurt the overall film.  The film is watchable, some frames have more scratches than others but for the most part, “The Magnetic Monster” looks good.

As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital.  You do hear a little hiss on “The Magnetic Monster” but overall, dialogue can be heard quite clearly.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Magnetic Monster” comes with a theatrical trailer.

When it comes to 1950′s sci-fi films, Ivan Tors films tend to have respect among fans, mainly because there is not so much fantasy but writer Ivan Tors tries to put as much science fact into the overall story and thus giving viewers a chance to learn from the films.    And while sci-fi fans who appreciate older sci-films will be nostalgic with the release of both “The Magnetic Monster” and “Gog” on DVD.

“The Magnetic Monster” was rather interesting because sci-fi films at the time would focus on aliens landing on Earth but rarely does anyone full delve into the science of what can affect Earth.  With the OSI trilogy, these stories were well-thought out at the time and thus, Ivan Tors really had a lot of fans who followed his work.  And with this film, what if scientist who are always constantly trying to invent new things, end up creating a monster?

Sure, in today’s society, we often see these storylines involving virus and diseases that are killing humanity but back then, in 1953, what if someone thing harmed Earth’s rotation and also was a radiation risk?   Bare in mind, this film came out during the Cold War, people worried about the effects of radiation and after World War II, seeing the effects of nuclear bombs inflicted in Japan, needless to say, “radiation” has long been a worry for humanity, especially in the United States in the ’70s and seeing what had happened in Russia with Chernobyl and Japan during the recent Earthquake and Tsunami disaster in 2011.

But that was radiation?  What about magnetic energy, the other problematic situation that develops in the film.  No one really thought about it back then, but watching this film…one wonders if it freaked anyone out.

“The Magnetic Monster” is a low budget sci-fi film but because there is no monster that is seen and focuses on the use of science to help viewers understand the risks and seeing how it can affect humanity, Ivan Tors knows how to write that into his films without being too cerebral and making it accessible for viewers.   The special effects may seem cheesy today but I suppose back in 1953, it may have excited some viewers.  And for others, they may have realized that some of the stock footage shown was from the German film “Gold”.

While the film may seem outdated and over-the-top for viewers today, still “The Magnetic Monster” manages to be quite entertaining.  The fact is that Ivan Tors films were intelligent for its time and they may have not have large budgets but somehow they made these films work.   Classic Sci-fi fans may enjoy it, others may find it too farfetched for their tastes, but for what it is…I enjoyed it as a classic ’50s sci-fi film, nothing more and nothing less.

 

Gog (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

One of the better sci-fi films made during the ’50s! From technology going awry and something mysterious killing scientists to robots attacking humans, “Gog” is a sci-fi film that will entertain those who grew up watching this film for nostalgia purposes and those who love classic sci-fi films and worth checking out on DVD.

Images courtesy of © 1953 Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Gog

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1954

DURATION: 83 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Color, Dolby Digital, 1:33:1

COMPANY: Orion/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Twentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: January 2012

Directed by Herbert L. Strock

Screenplay by Tom Taggart

Story by Ivan Tors

Produced by Ivan Tors

Associate Producer: Maxwell Smith

Music by Harry Sukman

Cinematography by Lothrop B. Worth

Edited by Herbert L. Strock

Art Direction by William Ferrari

Set Decoration by Victor A. Gangelin

Costume Design by Valerie Vernon

Starring:

Richard Egan as David Sheppard

Constance Dowling as Joanna Merritt

Herbert Marshall as Dr. Van Ness

John Wengraf as Dr. Zeitman

Philip Van Zandt as Dr. Pierre Elzevir

Valerie Vernon as Mme. Elzevir

Stephen Roberts as Maj. Howard

Byron Kane as Dr. Carter

David Alpert as Dr. PEter Burden

Michael Fox as Dr. Hubertus

William Schallert as Engle

Marian Richaman as Helen

Jean Dean as Marna Roberts

A security agent investigates sabotage and murder at a secret underground laboratory, home of two experimental robots.

Ivan Tors, the Hungarian writer/filmmaker/producer will be known by his fans for his sci-fi and animal films.  But most of all, using scientific fact rather than focus on scientific fantasy.

In the 1950′s, Tors created the Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI) trilogy featuring the films “The Magnetic Monster”, “Riders to the Stars” and “Gog”.  The third film, “Gog” was popular among sci-fi fans because it was shot in 3-D (during a time when 3-D was the fad in cinema in 1953-1954) but also shown normally in theaters.  The film was also well-received by sci-fans.

As part of MGM’s Limited Edition Collection, “The Magnetic Monster” and “Gog” have been released on DVD as part of their made-on-demand program.

“Gog” is directed by Herbert L. Strock (“I Led 3 Lives”, “The Crawling Hand”) and a screenplay by Tom Taggart, the film would star Richard Egan (“Pollyana”, “The 300 Spartans”, “A Summer Place”) and Constance Dowling (“Black Angel”, “Up in Arms”).  This film would also introduce the actress to Ivan Tors, which would lead to their marriage two years later.

“Gog” begins at a top-secret government facility under the New Mexico desert where a space station is being constructed.  Scientist are currently working on a freezing project but something goes awry as the scientists are locked inside the freezing chamber as something mysterious has taken over the controls of NOVAC (Nuclear Operative Variable Automatic Computer), a central computer which controls all equipment in the facility.  And eventually, two scientists are froze to death.

With 150 of the lab’s top scientist are killed, Laboratory supervisor Dr. Van Ness (played by Herbert Marshall) calls in OSI agent Richard Egan (played by David Sheppard) from Washinton, D.C. to investigate.   Egan joins OSI agent Joanna Merritt (played by Constance Dowling) to investigate the laboratory. Both Egan and Merritt also happen to be very close to each other.

But as the two try to determine who is sabotaging the lab and killing the scientists, the mysterious enemy manages to kill six more scientists and Chief of Security, Major Howard.

Meanwhile, an enemy plane has been detected overhead but is not registering on radar.  Could this mysterious plane be involved with what is happening inside the underground laboratory?

MOD PLAYABILITY:

Part of the worry of viewers who had bad experiences with MOD DVD’s are the printing quality. There are some who can’t get them to play and are literally now just coasters.

With “Gog, its printed quite well with printing on top of the DVD, it’s not a plain silver disc with letters. If you didn’t know it was MOD, you would think it was an actual DVD release.

As for playability, I played it on my Blu-ray player and DVD player with no problems. I then played it on my Mac and PC, no problems whatsoever.

VIDEO AND AUDIO:

Although presented in 3-D and flat in theaters, “Gog” is presented on DVD via 1:33:1 full aspect ratio and in color.  As far as picture quality goes, the film has been manufactured using the best source available. The picture quality for “Gog” is actually very good.  There are some white specs that do show up from time to time, I did notice a few frames that had some damage but considering the film’s age, “Gog” looks quite good on DVD.  There is a fine layer of grain, colors are good.

As for audio, “Gog” is presented in Dolby Digital and the dialogue is clear and detected no pops or hissing during my viewing of “Gog”.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features in this release.

“Gog” is possibly among the better 1950′s sci-fi films especially one that tries interject actual science into its plot.  Stories that Ivan Tors is known for.

And while sci-fi fans who appreciate older sci-films will be nostalgic with the release of “Gog” on DVD.

One must remember that “Gog” was before “Star Trek”, before “2001: A Space Odyssey” and while sci-fi films have explored aliens landing on Earth, films didn’t really explore technology going awry.  Sure, the film looks dated today but back then, I can only assume that the actual science and featuring robots, computers, the use of cryogenics, mirror reflections and high frequency sound used as weapons, may have been quite significant and also exciting to people back in the ’50s.  And with the Cold War, the idea of an enemy plane spying on top-secret military facilities probably made this film seem all too real and may have freaked out a lot of people.

For so many decades, many fans of this sci-film have wanted to see Ivan Tors trilogy out on DVD.  And with the release of “Gog” and “The Magnetic Monster” (via MGM’s Limited Edition Collection MOD program), sci-fans should be very happy.

Overall, while “Gog” may be nostalgic for many who grew up watching it, for some people, it may seem a bit too-dated or a rather a B sci-fi film.

I personally enjoyed the film but also admit that I felt it was dated and cheesy but as always, I try to put myself in the shoes of the viewer watching the film during that era.  And with the mystery of who is killing all the scientists and who is controlling NOVAC and the robots, there is also an action element as well.  So, I can see how some may have been entertained by “Gog”.  Where else can you find a film that features a one-on-one fight between a human vs. a robot?  How cool was that?

So, considering the idea of a space station (as the United States was still trying to find ways to get people up into space), spies controlling technology (with the Cold War, anything was possible) and cool technology at the time combined with scientific fact, I’m sure sci-fi fans found “Gog” to be an enjoyable sci-fi film and a movie worth owning on DVD.

 

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