RR Rich Rosell

DVD Review A BAY OF BLOOD (BLU-RAY) (REAZIONE A CATENA)

Bava-heads will snatch this up no matter what I have to say about it, but Kino's gorgeous new HD transfer and a Tim Lucas commentary are the selling point for the rest of us fence sitters.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - November 23, 2013, 9:52 am - DVD Review
Keywords: mario bava, giallo, slasher

DVD Review LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (BLU-RAY)

A grand French farce from the late 1970s - albeit one that loses some steam in the final act - looks better than ever now on Blu-Ray, but the minimal supplements aren't quite up to the usual voluminous Criterion standards.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - November 16, 2013, 8:54 am - DVD Review
Keywords: ugo tognazzi, michel serrault, jean poiret

DVD Review SLACKER (BLU-RAY)

Richard Linklater's engaging day-in-the-lives-of-many is ambitious, clever and most importantly manages to sidestep an accidental overdose of arty pretentiousness at the same time.

Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - November 10, 2013, 8:21 am - DVD Review
Keywords: richard linklater, austin

DVD Review AN AMERICAN HIPPIE IN ISRAEL (LIMITED EDITION 3-DISC BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO)

There are a lot of big-budget mainstream films that don't receive the sort of deluxe treatment on disc that this undeniably awful 1972 oddball title has. Grindhouse Releasing have stepped up bigtime with a fully-loaded 3-disc set that works very hard to elevate this to certifiable "cult classic" status.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - November 3, 2013, 7:48 am - DVD Review
Keywords: amos sefer

DVD Review WOULD YOU RATHER (BLU-RAY)

A keenly dark premise, Jeffrey Combs cranking up the camp and a rapid body count lend this low-budget horror/thriller a big advantage in terms of entertainment value.

Far from perfect but well worth a rental.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - October 26, 2013, 7:56 am - DVD Review
Keywords: jeffrey combs

DVD Review THE DEVIL BAT (BLU-RAY)

This is certainly not Bela Lugosi's finest hour, but The Devil Bat is still some genuine dumb fun. Kino nicely resurrects this with a newly restored transfer that while far from pristine is without question the best it has ever looked - especially if you have ever seen The Devil Bat on television back in the olden days (aka pre-VHS).
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - October 20, 2013, 8:19 am - DVD Review
Keywords: bela lugosi, poverty row, the devil bat

DVD Review LORD OF THE FLIES (BLU-RAY)

It's not always a guarantee that a great book becomes a great film, but that's exactly what we have here. Criterion's BD treatment of this classic (both literary and cinematic) is meticulous and attentive, making it one of my top releases of 2013.

Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - October 6, 2013, 8:03 am - DVD Review
Keywords: william golding

DVD Review BLACK SABBATH (BLU-RAY)

I'm not a big Bava freak, but this horror anthology is ten kinds of creepy fun, with the famed genre director on his game completely here. Plus, the original Euro cut and the HD mastering earn it high marks.

Recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - September 29, 2013, 8:00 am - DVD Review
Keywords: mario bava, boris karloff, horror anthology

DVD Review UNDEFEATED (BLU-RAY)

This inspirational documentary about a high school football team in Tennessee attempting to rise up and win is so much more than just a "sports" story. I may be a little late to the game proclaiming this 2011 Academy Award winning film a must see, but it really is. The transfer is nothing spectacular, but I can almost look past that.

Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - September 22, 2013, 7:52 am - DVD Review
Keywords: football

DVD Review SECONDS (BLU-RAY)

Criterion has delivered John Frankenheimer's frightening thriller Seconds on Blu-Ray, so get ready for a dark and disturbing journey presented in a restored 4K digital transfer. Suspenseful and creepy? You betcha.

Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - September 15, 2013, 7:47 am - DVD Review
Keywords: john frankenheimer, rock hudson, the american dream, john randolph, paranoia

DVD Review HANDS OF THE RIPPER (BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO)

An underrated Hammer title is given special treatment by Synapse, including a completely restored HD transfer and terrific extras.

Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - September 8, 2013, 8:42 am - DVD Review
Keywords: hammer, peter sasdy, jack the ripper

DVD Review THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE (BLU-RAY)

Uneven but relentless, this early work from the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker don't-be-afraid-try-anything camp has some genuine comedic high points amongst the juvenile silliness.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - September 2, 2013, 9:41 am - DVD Review
Keywords: zucker, abrahams, zucker, john landis

DVD Review HELL'S HOUSE (BLU-RAY)

This forgettable drama from 1932 is best known for featuring Bette Davis and Pat O'Brien just before they hit it big, and now it's on Blu-Ray from Kino Classics.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - August 24, 2013, 7:36 am - DVD Review
Keywords: bette davis, pat o'brien

DVD Review WILD STRAWBERRIES - SMULTRONSTÄLLET (BLU-RAY)

Criterion has served up a new 2K transfer for the Blu-Ray release of Bergman's magnificent Wild Strawberries, and it has been well worth the wait.

Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - August 18, 2013, 9:19 am - DVD Review
Keywords: ingmar bergman, aging, loneliness, loss, memories, existence and perception of self, victor sjöström, bibi andersson, ingrid thulin

DVD Review A WHISPER TO A ROAR

Voltaire wrote that it's dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. That's the central thesis of the powerful documentary A Whisper To A Roar, where we are taken around the globe to see that how battle for democracy and freedom is a constant life and death struggle.

Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - August 17, 2013, 7:20 am - DVD Review
Keywords: pro-democracy

DVD Review THE PRODUCERS (BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO)

With this occasionally hammy classic Mel Brooks gave us the surreal weirdness of Springtime For Hitler. What more do you need - especially if you already own the 2005 deluxe SD edition?

Well, the nice new HD transfer makes a doubledip a no brainer.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - August 4, 2013, 7:32 am - DVD Review
Keywords: mel brooks, the producers

DVD Review ESCAPEE (BLU-RAY)

There are movies that are so bad they're good. This isn't one of them.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - July 14, 2013, 7:42 am - DVD Review
Keywords: dominic purcell, christine evangelista

DVD Review NAKED LUNCH (BLU-RAY)

Cronenberg does Burroughs. 'Nuff said!

Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - July 13, 2013, 8:54 am - DVD Review
Keywords: david cronenberg, william s. burroughs

DVD Review MINISTRY OF FEAR (BLU-RAY)

Though not the definitive Fritz Lang by a longshot there is still a lot of noir grooviness here as Ray Milland has to deal with Nazi spies, deadly seances and one big cake.

Recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - June 22, 2013, 9:06 am - DVD Review
Keywords: fritz lang, ray milland, nazis, seance, espionage, thriller, graham greene

DVD Review ZOMBIE LAKE (BLU-RAY)

No doubt one of the biggest disasters in the already uneven Jean Rollin catalog, this entry is laughably awful.

Nice transfer. Rotten movie.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - June 16, 2013, 8:41 am - DVD Review
Keywords: jean rollin, horror, sexploitation, zombie

DVD Review WILFRED: THE COMPLETE SERIES

Fans of the U.S version of Wilfred might be interested in checking out this complete - yet brief - run of the original Aussie series, both of which feature co-creator Jason Gann as the pot-smoking dog with the bad attitude.

The image transfers are nothing impressive, but there's plenty of sweeping thematic differences to make the experience completely new and funny, and if you are a Wilfred newbie then this could serve as a primer to see if a man in a dog suit is your kind of humor.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - June 8, 2013, 9:18 am - DVD Review
Keywords: jason ganns, adam zwar, tony rogers, wilfred, talking dog, comedy, television

DVD Review DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY/RACE WITH THE DEVIL (BLU-RAY)

Whenever I fondly recall my drive-in movie days from the mid 1970s these are two of the first flicks that come to mind (just after Rock and Roll High School). This double-feature Blu-Ray is one hell of a low-budget joyride, even if the characters in Dirty Mary Crazy Larry and Race With The Devil do not have experiences that could be considered particularly joyous.

Recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - May 27, 2013, 7:27 am - DVD Review
Keywords: john hough, jack starrett, peter fonda, warren oates, drive-in double feature

DVD Review TROUBLED TEENS CLASSIC EDUCATIONAL SHORTS: VOL. 6

There's generally a kitschy cool to educational shorts, but this batch of teen-themed material is often more of a downer than a laugh-fest. If you're a completist of the series you'll want to pick this up, otherwise I'd say not so much.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - April 21, 2013, 6:21 am - DVD Review
Keywords: educational shorts, dick york

DVD Review THE BLOB (BLU-RAY)

Sure, it's stiffly acted and features some of the oldest teenagers ever seen on film, but as a trend-bucking representative sample of 1950s American-made "giant monster" flicks this is a genre classic. Plus, Criterion's Blu-Ray treatment is wonderfully done. Highly recommended.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - April 14, 2013, 6:59 am - DVD Review
Keywords: steve mcqueen, 1950s sci-fi, blob, phoenixville, pa, shorty yeaworth, aneta corsaut

DVD Review SCHOOLGIRL HITCHHIKERS (BLU-RAY)

A film like Jean Rollin's bizarro Schoolgirl Hitchhikers is something of an acquired taste. If at all. But if you dig the sexy weirdness there's plenty to enjoy.
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Posted by: Rich Rosell - April 6, 2013, 7:48 am - DVD Review
Keywords: jean rollin, joëlle coeur