Legend Unveils Paramount DVDs Cult Classics, Rarities Hit Disc For the First Time Plus: THE INVADERS, SEMI-PRO and more!
Movie buffs looking for a healthy dose of catalog titles from the late
‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s have reason to rejoice thanks to
a whole new batch of vintage DVDs from the Paramount library.
Restoration firm Legend Films is the independent label behind these new
discs, which not only include a healthy dose of cult classics but
several bona-fide rarities that have been out of circulation for years
-- including a few making their home video debuts
altogether. All are presented in 16:9 widescreen on
single-layer discs, and include the following:
SERIAL (***½, 92 mins., 1980, R):
One of my favorite comedies of the ‘80s, this extremely funny
adaptation of Cyra McFadden’s satirical novel stars Martin Mull
as a SoCal “everyman” who watches in horror as sexual
freedom, “open” relationships, drugs and new age mysticism
infringe on his daily existence -- first among his friends and now his
family, including bored wife Tuesday Weld and their teen daughter.
Rich Eustis and Michael Elias adapted McFadden’s novel, which
sitcom veteran Bill Persky helmed as an amusing indictment of the
“Me” generation, sprinkled with memorable performances:
Mull is a riot in unquestionably his finest lead role, while Weld,
Sally Kellerman, Peter Bonerz, Bill Macy, Tom Smothers (as the
“reverend Spike”) and even Christopher Lee (Mull’s
boss – who turns out to be a gay weekend biker!) lend strong
support.
Even if the social and cultural mores the film parodies are mostly
products of their time, the movie’s central conceit -- of a
modern man with old-fashioned sensibilities trying to remain sane in
the modern world -- still rings true, and “Serial” offers a
particularly hilarious climax that puts the perfect cap on the fun.
The 16:9 (1.78) transfer on “Serial” is as crisp as one
would hope, while the mono sound is perfectly fine as well. Lalo
Schifrin’s score is one of his most pleasant, with the
infectious, melodic title tune (“A Changing World”)
featuring Norman Gimbel lyrics and a vocal performance by Michael
McAllister.
MANDINGO (**, 1975, 111 mins., R):
Much-ballyhooed, controversial adaptation of the Jack Kirkland novel
might sound like an “A-list” production on paper, with
producer Dino DeLaurentiis, director Richard Fleischer, composer
Maurice Jarre and a solid cast (including James Mason, Perry King, and
Susan George) on-board. Yet the big surprise is how
“Mandingo” -- the story of a slave named Mede (the
un-emotive Ken Norton) who fights by day and romances a frustrated
slave owner’s wife by night -- resembles more of an exploitation
film of its era, with flat cinematography and a pulpy, cheap plot
derived from what would be the first in a long series of novels. Only
one sequel -- the even-worse 1976 flop “Drum” -- would be
released (by a different studio, United Artists), but the harsh
reaction to “Mandingo” would last for years: this raunchy
and offensive DeLaurentiis production has been seldom screened in the
U.S., with Legend’s DVD offering a superb 16:9 (1.78) transfer
from a print that seems a bit worn at times with speckles and dirt, but
is, in general, quite satisfying. Jarre’s score (one of the best
things in the film), meanwhile, does what it can to enhance the
melodramatic happenings (scripted by Norman Wexler), but it’s a
typical mid ‘70s mono mix that often sounds tinny. Buffs should
also note this Region 1 release marks the first uncut presentation of
the film’s theatrical print on DVD, as most overseas versions
reportedly contained a full-screen version with alternate coverage of
the picture’s copious nude scenes.
THE POSSESSION OF JOEL DELANEY (**½, 106 mins., 1972, R): Interesting,
if somewhat indifferently directed, pre-“Exorcist” tale of
a young man (Perry King) who becomes possessed by a slain Puerto Rican
murderer and the attempts by his older, divorced sister (Shirley
MacLaine) to save him. This ITC-produced film, shot on location in New
York City, is fairly straightforward and doesn’t offer much in
the way of stylistic cinematic touches in its adaptation of Ramona
Stewart’s novel, but that no-frills approach does add a degree of
realism to the picture. Once the film goes nutty in its final third
(King forces his young niece to eat dog food and for his family members
to strip naked), horror fans will feel like they’ve had their
fix, even though the picture takes a bit of time getting to its
destination. Joe Raposo (of “Sesame Street” fame) composed
the low-key, effective dramatic score, while Legend’s 16:9 (1.78)
transfer is quite satisfying, having been culled from the
finest-surviving elements with acceptable mono sound.
HURRICANE (**, 120 mins., 1979, PG):
Expensive, notorious box-office bomb from producer Dino DeLaurentiis
was set to be directed by Roman Polanski until he pleaded guilty to
statutory rape and left the U.S., never to return. He was
unquestionably better off filming “Tess” anyway instead of
this overblown period remake of the 1930's John Ford-Dorothy Lamour
epic, starring Mia Farrow as the sheltered daughter of military father
Jason Robards, placed in charge of governing the South Seas island of
Bora Bora. In spite of her father’s objections, Farrow falls for
the local Samoan chief (Dayton Ka’ne), but they all get washed
away in an effects-filled climax. “Hurricane,” directed by
Jan Troell and scripted by frequent DeLaurentiis collaborator Lorenzo
Semple, Jr., shoots blanks on the romance and dialogue department but
-- here restored to its original Todd A-O scope proportions -- is at
least easy to look at, with gorgeous cinematography by Sven Nykvist and
a beautiful score by Nino Rota, who died before the film was released.
Legend’s 16:9 (2.35) transfer is excellent, but the sound --
despite carrying a Dolby Stereo logo on the back jacket -- is in mono
only. An amusing theatrical trailer, which tries to sell the picture as
a typical ‘70s disaster film, rounds out the disc.
KING OF THE GYPSIES (***, 112 mins., 1978, R):
Another Dino DeLaurentiis production, “King of the Gypsies”
is Frank Pierson’s 1978 adaptation of Peter Maas’ book,
focusing on gypsies in the modern world. Eric Roberts stars as a young
man who receives the title of King from his grandfather (Sterling
Hayden), passing over his frustrated father (Judd Hirsch) in the
process. A marvelous cast -- including Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields,
Annette O’Toole, Annie Potts, and Shelley Winters -- makes this a
taut and compelling film with superb cinematography again from Sven
Nykvist. Legend’s DVD offers a strong 16:9 (1.78) transfer with
mono sound.
THE OPTIMISTS (***, 111 mins., 1973, PG):
Little-seen early ‘70s movie affords Peter Sellers one of his
strongest dramatic roles as a street performer who befriends a pair of
kids from the wrong side of the tracks and tries to set them on the
right path. A bit slow-going at times but sincerely acted, with songs
provided by Lionel Bart; Anthony Simmons directed and co-wrote the
picture from his own novel. The 16:9 (1.78) transfer is excellent in
spite of the print’s age, and the mono sound is just fine.
THE SKULL (***, 83 mins., 1965): Terrific
period horror piece marked a major success for Milton Subotsky’s
Amicus Productions, an adaptation of a Robert Bloch story starring
Peter Cushing as a doctor who purchases a skull belonging to the
Marquis de Sarde. “Guest star” Christopher Lee shows up as
a fellow doctor who tries to talk Cushing out of his latest pick-up,
but soon the supernatural preys upon Cushing’s psyche and begins
floating around -- with some visible wires holding it together! Freddie
Francis’ direction and constant use of the wide Techniscope frame
make this a good deal of fun for horror buffs, with Legend’s 16:9
(2.35) transfer perfectly capturing the dimensions of the
picture’s original exhibition. The trailer is also on-hand.
STUDENT BODIES (**, 86 mins., 1981, R): ‘80s
cable staple hits DVD for the first time -- a horror parody with a few
scattered laughs that plays out like a standard teen slasher movie with
a lunatic named “The Breather” on the loose, preying upon
young couples. Mickey Rose wrote and directed this reportedly troubled
(producer Michael Ritchie had his name removed from the credits) and
uneven comedy that presaged “Scream” by nearly 20 years;
while no great shakes, for nostalgic viewers who grew up on the movie,
it’s still fun to see it back in circulation at long last.
Legend’s 16:9 (1.78) transfer looks crisp and an amusing
theatrical trailer compiles most of the movie’s funniest gags.
FRENCH POSTCARDS (**½, 95 mins., 1979, PG):
Cute romantic-comedy fluff from the “American Graffiti”
writing duo of Gloria Katz (who produced) and Willard Huyck (who
directed) follows a group of American students (including a young Debra
Winger) as they trek through France. Lee Holdridge’s breezy
score, engaging performances and authentic locales make this an
appealing slice of escapism that Legend has presented in a fine 16:9
(1.78) widescreen transfer with mono sound.
JEKYLL & HYDE: TOGETHER AGAIN (**½, 87 mins., 1982, R):
Absolutely bonkers, raunchy comedy with Mark Blankfield as Henry
Jekyll, whose split personality turns him into a crazy “macho
man” in a ribald farce produced by Joel Silver and directed by
comedy guru Jerry Belson. Blankfield is amusing and the lovely Bess
Armstrong is on-hand to lend support in this early ‘80s cult
comedy favorite, being brought to DVD here for the first time in a fine
16:9 (1.78) transfer with mono sound. And you have to love the last
shot of Robert Louis Stevenson rolling in his grave!
THE BUSY BODY (**½, 102 mins., 1966): All-star
cast mugs their way through this typical ‘60s comedic romp from
producer-director William Castle, an adaptation of Donald
Westlake’s novel by screenwriter Ben Starr. Sid Caesar plays a
mob carrier charged with recovering a fortune in loot hidden in a
corpse’s suit; Anne Baxter, Robert Ryan, Kay Medford, Richard
Pryor, and a succession of “guest bodies” (Dom DeLuise,
Bill Dana, Godfrey Cambridge, Marty Ingels and George Jessell) pop up
in a watchable, if dated, slice of ‘60s escapism, complimented by
a tuneful score by the great Vic Mizzy. Legend’s 16:9 (2.35)
transfer is excellent.
WON TON TON, THE DOG WHO SAVED HOLLYWOOD (**, 92 mins., 1976, PG):
Box-office disappointment tries to be a Bogdonavich-inspired period
comedy with a pooch following Madeline Kahn to Hollywood, where he
becomes an improbable movie star. Michael Winner’s career became
a losing one thanks to flops like this, but it’s an okay, if not
particularly funny, romp with a nice Neal Hefti score and a huge array
of stars (Bruce Dern, Art Carney, Phil Silvers, Teri Garr, Ron Leibman)
and cameos (Milton Berle, Edgar Bergen, Robert Alda, John Carradine)
that read like a who’s-who of Golden Age cinema. For that reason
alone the film remains watchable, while Legend’s 16:9 (1.78) DVD
offers a fine transfer and mono soundtrack.
Legend Films is currently selling the above and other selected titles
through their website (www.legendfilms.com) for $14.99 each, as well as
at certain Target locales. Major online vendors such as Amazon will
begin selling these throughout June and July, with one batch of
sci-fi/fantasy titles (including “The Sender” and
“Phase IV”) exclusively to be sold at Best Buy sometime
this summer. Well worth checking out! New TV on DVD
One of the series I’ve received a significant amount of queries about over the years is Quinn Martin’s THE INVADERS.
This nifty, action-packed sci-fi series stars Roy Thinnes as David
Vincent, an architect who, while driving late one night near an
abandoned diner, sees a flying saucer. The next morning David finds
that the cover-up has already begun: the diner’s sign has already
been replaced, a seemingly ordinary couple camping in their RV says
they saw nothing wrong, and the police believe that David must have
suffered a concussion or dream. David, though, is certain of what he
saw, and a return to the scene of the incident reveals that
extraterrestrial invaders are indeed here...and trying to take over the
world!
Although “The Invaders” only lasted two seasons, fans
fondly recall this late ‘60s blast of sci-fi adventure and Cold
War-styled paranoia. With its no-nonsense performances, narration and
typical Martin structure (“Act One,” etc.), “The
Invaders” is hugely entertaining even today, a post-“Body
Snatchers”, pre-“V” genre yarn that has at last made
it to DVD.
Paramount’s Season 1 set of “The Invaders” looks, for
the most part, satisfying: the shows don’t appear to be in
pristine condition, with some of the elements appearing aged, but the
colors are at least vibrant enough. The studio has also gone the extra
mile to include some extras, including an extended version of the
show’s pilot (with a different ending) and brief introductions
from Thinnes before each episode. Highly recommended!
Also new from CBS/Paramount is the Complete Fourth Season of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1969-70, aprx. 22 hrs), featuring Peter Graves, Greg Morris and Peter Lupus being joined by master magician Paris -- played by Leonard Nimoy!
The seven-disc set offers remastered full-screen transfers, 5.1 Dolby
Digital and mono soundtracks, and 26 episodes including “The
Code,” “The Numbers Game,” “The
Controllers” (Parts 1 and 2), “Fool’s Gold,”
“Commandante,” “Mastermind,”
“Robot,” “The Double Circle,”
“Brothers,” “Time Bomb,” “The
Amnesiac,” “The Falcon” (Parts 1, 2 and 3),
“Submarine,” “Chico,” “Gitano,”
“Phantoms,” “Terror,” “Lover’s
Knot,” “Orpheus,” “The Crane,”
“Death Squad,” “The Choice,” and “The
Martyr.” As with Paramount’s prior box-sets the remastered
picture and sound is exceptionally crisp, and a disclaimer about
possible edits is included on the back package.
CBS is also set to release Vol. 2 of GUNSMOKE’s second season (1957, aprx. 7 hours),
featuring the “back” 19 episodes from the series’
sophomore frame in their original full-screen, black-and-white
transfers, complete with seven original sponsor spots with cast members. Also new on Blu-Ray and DVD
SEMI-PRO (**½, 100 mins., 2008, R; New Line): Fitfully
amusing Will Ferrell comedy is a bit of an odd hybrid between a typical
Ferrell vehicle and a generic “underdog” sports movie.
Ferrell plays a player/owner of a low-rent pro basketball franchise
back in the days when the NBA had some competition on its hand from
other leagues -- most of whom are facing bankruptcy. In fact,
Ferrell’s team, the Flint Tropics, is about to be folded when he
decides to get some help from a former star (Woody Harrelson), but our
hero has as much interest in off-court partying as he does trying to
win games.
Scot Armstrong’s script walks the fine line between a no-brain
comedy and a formulaic sports picture, and for the most part, succeeds
in crafting a fun, if uneven, salute to the ABA and other ‘70s
cultural relics. Ferrell garners some laughs and Harrelson is likeable
enough in one of his larger lead roles in some time, but the big
surprise is how tame the movie is: outside of a couple of raunchy
laughs this could’ve well been a PG-13 film for younger viewers,
and in fact might’ve played better if it had been (the
movie’s disappointing box-office receipts seem to confirm that
the R rating killed it commercially).
New Line’s double-disc Blu-Ray set sports a gorgeous AVC-encoded
1080p transfer with DTS-MA 7.1 audio and a load of special features,
including a longer, unrated cut of the movie; deleted and alternate
scenes; numerous featurettes; a music video of Ferrell’s
hilarious song “Love Me Sexy”; trailers and web-enabled
bonus features. No classic, but not bad for a night’s rental
either.
UNTRACEBALE (*½, 101 mins., 2008, R; Sony):
Maybe I’m just getting older but any movie that opens with a
kitten being slain really rubs me the wrong way right from the start.
Gregory Hoblit’s “Untraceable” is a well-executed
serial killer movie that can never shake the fact that it’s
really just another serial killer movie -- this despite the presence of
Diane Lane as an FBI agent investigating a killer who does his
slaughters live, on the web, for everyone to see. As much a product of
today’s “Saw”-inspired “torture porn”
thrillers as anything else, “Untraceable” is unsettling and
disturbing, and reasonably well-done for the kind of film it is --
I’ve frankly just had enough of these kinds of films, and find
them anything but entertaining or worthwhile. Sony’s Blu-Ray disc
does look potent with its flawless AVC-encoded transfer and Dolby
TrueHD audio, sporting an atmospheric score by Christopher Young.
Extras include commentary from Gregory Hoblit, producer Hawk Koch and
production designer Paul Eads, plus four featurettes and a Blu-Ray
exclusive picture-in-picture function that offers background
information on the film, storyboards and interviews while the picture
is running.
MTV: ANIMATION SHOW Volume 3 (103 mins., 2008; Paramount): Mike
Judge and Don Hertzfeldt present this latest assembly of the 2007
“Animation Show” theatrical tour, offering a generous
sampling of award-winning and acclaimed shorts from around the world by
Bill Plympton, Joanna Quinn, Chris Harding, PES and others. An eclectic
compilation that die-hard animation fans should enjoy, with
Paramount’s single-disc DVD including an interview with Gaelle
Denis, a conversation with Max Hattler, text interviews with the
artists and more.
MAT HOFFMAN’S TRIBUTE TO EVEL KNIEVEL (47 mins., 2008; Paramount):
“Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville joins BMX master Mat
Hoffman for a stunt-filled tribute to the late, great Evel Knievel.
Travis Pastrana, Scott Palmer, Trigger Gumm and others join in the
45-minute fun, which ought to appeal to stunt lovers of all ages.
Paramount’s DVD includes a good amount of extras, including
interview comments about Knievel, a photo gallery and other supplements. NEXT
TIME: Fox's WWII Blu-Rays and more! Until
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