Reuniting the “Pretty In Pink” tandem of Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy might’ve sounded like a good idea on paper, but FRESH HORSES (103 mins., 1988, PG-13; Alliance) was quickly dismissed as a misfire and died a fast death at the autumn ’88 box-office. That being said, this is an atmospheric and extremely well-crafted drama that reunites several key personnel behind “Hoosiers,” including director David Anspaugh and cinematographer Fred Murphy, who make this a curiously memorable view.
McCarthy plays a Cincinnati college student engaged to a beautiful, wealthy WASP. Ben Stiller plays his carefree friend, who drags him out into the middle of the Midwestern countryside for a final single fling. Naturally, she comes in the form of “Jewel,” a girl from the wrong side of the tracks played by Ringwald. Their meeting soon develops into a full-blown romance, with McCarthy torn between the future laid out in front of him by his parents and fiancee, and a more unpredictable course that Ringwald’s character represents.
Filmed on location in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, “Fresh Horses” has a really odd lure about it. Sure, this is a youth soaper with one especially miscast lead, yet with Anspaugh and Murphy making good use of the location shooting, the picture still works, mostly due to its evocation of time and place – not to mention its superb set of craftsmen behind the scenes.
David Foster and Patrick Williams’ lovely score, Paul Sylbert’s production design, Murphy’s cinematography, and Anspaugh’s sensitive direction result in an underrated film that had two strikes against it in re-teaming Ringwald and McCarthy in parts far removed from their popular roles in “Pretty in Pink.” The youth audience that had already started to move away from John Hughes’ teen pictures (along with Hughes himself for that matter) rejected the casting right off, with Ringwald being the major problem: trying to convey a weary free-spirit just seemed beyond the grasp of the actress, as she ineffectively strove to abandon her “girl next door” heroines from the Hughes era.
That alone had to have provided most of the reason for the movie’s poor reception from critics and audiences, but the passage of time has made it less of an issue now. By contrast, McCarthy and his low-key earnestness fills his part with conviction and Larry Ketron’s script (adapted from his play) is simultaneously compelling and a bit melodramatic. All told, if you’re in the mood for a polished ‘80s soap opera, “Fresh Horses” works (also be on the lookout for Viggo Mortensen in one of his earliest roles).
“Fresh Horses” has seen few home video revivals over the years, making this Alliance release worthwhile. This Sony catalog master (1.85, 2.0 DTS MA) is excellent in terms of its overall appearance, color and encoding, with the stereo sound carrying the soft tones of Foster and Williams’ soundtrack, which was a replacement for a surprisingly similar score by David Mansfield that’s lovely in its own right (and was likely removed just to “change something” after test screenings I’d imagine). Curiously, the song Foster wrote for the end credits remains changed here in favor of a score suite, which has been the case since the movie’s first VHS/laserdisc edition.
Also new from Alliance this month in their “Retro VHS” Blu-Ray slipcovered editions is PAST MIDNIGHT (100 mins., 1991, R; Alliance), a film whose most notable credit now isn’t listed on the packaging anywhere – yet this was, in fact, Quentin Tarantino’s first film credit, with the filmmaker having rewritten Frank Norwood’s script and gotten an Associate Producer credit in the process.
However, you may be hard pressed to detect much Tarantino in this mostly mundane Cinetel Films production which features Rutger Hauer as a man released after spending over a decade in prison for the murder of his pregnant wife, and Natasha Richardson as his social worker who falls for him – while now realizing the real killer may still be out there, somewhere.
Paul Giamatti and Clancy Brown chip in appearances also in the Jan Eliasberg-helmed “Past Midnight,” which likewise adds some interest, but it’s a shame this mostly pedestrian thriller doesn’t provide more entertainment value on the whole.
Alliance’s Blu-Ray includes another solid Sony-licensed (1.78, 2.0 DTS MA) transfer with a decent stereo soundtrack sporting a Steve Bartek score.
Warner Archive New Releases
Rosalind Russell’s performance as AUNTIE MAME (143 mins., 1958) became an instant classic on stage in the Broadway adaptation of Patrick Dennis’ autobiographical book. This widescreen Warner Bros. film version likewise was an immediate hit, capturing the larger-than-life performance of Russell in a faithful rendering of its stage source, scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Warner Archive’s most welcome UHD presents “Auntie Mame”’s Technirama frame in a spectacular new 4K restoration (2.39, 5.1/2.0) with HDR10 that results in standout colors, clarity and deep blacks. Extras include a new TCM Film Festival segment with Jan Hadzilk and Dave Karger, plus a restoration demo, a mini-reproduction of the Warner press book, and on Blu-Ray, trailers for the film and the disappointing movie version of “Mame,” Jerry Herman’s terrific stage musicalization that was sunk by star Lucille Ball in the ‘70s.
William Saroyan’s THE HUMAN COMEDY (117 mins., 1943) was one of star Mickey Rooney’s many box-office hits, as well as a critical darling (netting multiple Oscar nominations) that was also the favorite film of legendary MGM chief Louis B. Mayer himself. These days, it’s a moving and still poignant story of a high school student (Rooney) tasked with delivering telegrams during WWII, hitting notes of both triumph and tragedy in the process. Frank Morgan, Van Johnson and Donna Reed co-star with Warner Archive’s Blu-Ray (1.37 B&W, mono) including two different radio broadcasts, both with Rooney, a classic MGM cartoon and short, and the trailer.
Robert Taylor and Eleanor Powell top line BROADWAY MELODY OF 1938 (111 mins., 1937), a typically extravagant MGM musical production using a paper-thin plot (small-town girl Powell dreams of making it on Broadway, gets there with the help of a racehorse – and a group of new friends) as an excuse for spectacular set-pieces plus a 15-year-old Judy Garland making her debut crooning “You Made Me Love You.” Multiple MGM shorts and a cartoon are included in the Warner Archive Blu-Ray (1.37 B&W, mono) alongside audio-only outtakes and alternate takes.
John Wayne played a real-life friend of director John Ford’s, Commander Frank “Spig” Wead, in THE WINGS OF EAGLES (110 mins., 1957). Not one of the most renowned of Wayne and Ford’s many collaborations, “The Wings of Eagles” sports Wayne as Wead, who suffers a catastrophic injury that leads him to transition from an aviator to screenwriter and military planner. Fine performances with Dan Dailey and Maureen O’Hara in support, remastered here in a new widescreen (1.85, mono) transfer with a US Army short and trailer available for extras.
Also New & Noteworthy
PRACTICAL MAGIC 4K UHD (104 mins., 1998, PG-13; Warner): A few production woes plagued “Practical Magic,” the 1998 adaptation of Alice Hoffman’s popular book. The tale of two sisters (Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman) who inherit their family’s witch-bloodline and the curses inherent with it didn’t perform all that well in test screenings, leading the studio to replace Michael Nyman’s original score so late in the game that two tracks of his discarded music made the first round of Warner’s soundtrack album pressings.
Nyman’s music was terrific, but Alan Silvestri’s score is also just fine in its own right, and in spite of mixed reviews that were generated around the time of the film’s release, “Practical Magic” is highly entertaining fluff with more of an accent on romance than fantasy. The Robin Swicord-Adam Brooks-Akiva Goldsman script seems like it might’ve been a bit too finessed in pre-production, but there’s enough chemistry between Bullock, Kidman and a terrific supporting cast (Aidan Quinn, Dianne Weist, Stockard Channing) to make the film worthwhile, especially on a “date movie” type of level.
With a belated sequel due out in a couple of weeks, it’s the right time for Warner to jump in with a 4K UHD of “Practical Magic,”” presented here with both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. Like much of the studio’s catalog output of late, this is a superior presentation with a pleasing color gamut and compression over the older VC-1 Blu-Ray encode. Extra features include an archival commentary that featured Bullock, Dunne, producer Denise Di Novi and Alan Silvestri, plus a couple of featurettes and a Digital HD code.
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (106 mins., 2001, PG-13; Universal): The original “family” returns to the streets with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and company rubbing elbows in this first – of many – F&F films from Universal. Yet, the series didn’t start out as a mega-budget, bloated blockbuster, but rather a fairly intimate ensemble piece set in the street racing world under the direction of Rob Cohen, who fashions a solid, but more character-driven viewing experience here – especially compared to what’s to come. Universal pays tribute to the original F&F with a new 25th Anniversary UHD, offering a new Dolby Vision HDR transfer and Dolby Atmos sound. A new look back on 25 years of F&F is included in the supplements along with many legacy extras.
TEKKONKINKREET 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (111 mins., 2006, R; Shout!): Highly stylized, flamboyant anime (albeit directed by an American, Michael Arias) was based on a popular magna entitled “Black & White.” This interestingly designed but disjointed tale follows a pair of street urchins in a faltering metropolis where Yakuza and nutty aliens populate the streets; some impressive visual sequences are partially off-set by an oddball narrative and particularly bizarre ending that’s best left explained by anime devotees. Shout’s 4K UHD premieres a vibrant presentation of Taikyo Matsumoto’s magna-turned-feature, with both Japanese and English 5.1 TrueHD tracks and extras including a video diary by director Arias; a talk with Arias and music duo Plaid; commentary; teasers, trailers, and a 28-page art booklet. Well worth a look for anime fans, in spite of its erratic story.
THE BREADWINNER Blu-Ray (99 mins., 2026, PG; Sony): Family-friendly comedy stars popular stand-up comic Nate Bargatze as a salesman who’s placed in charge of his three kids after wife Mandy Moore gets her new business featured on Shark Tank. It’s a very unofficial remake of “Mr. Mom” under the guidance of Bargatze and co-writer Dan Lagna, which director Eric Appel fashions with plenty of supporting comedians including Colin Jost, Kumail Nanjiani and Will Forte all in the mix. Sony’s Blu-Ray (2./39, 5.1 DTS MA) also sports bloopers, deleted scenes, commentary, a Making Of, an extended short, and a digital HD code.
In Theaters
THE END OF OAK STREET (**): After watching a pair of brontosauruses “doing it,” suburban Mom Anne Hathaway tells hubby Ewan McGregor that taking a Polaroid of him opposite such creatures would be “insane and stupid.”
I couldn’t think of two more appropriate words to describe yet another phony paean to suburban movie magic from producer J.J. Abrams, with the caveat that writer-director David Robert Mitchell is no Spielberg.
Much like Spielberg and endless homages like “Stranger Things,” Mitchell’s film is awash in ‘80s vibes with kids on bikes and struggling parents Hathaway and MacGregor’s marriage hanging on by a thread when flashes of light from apparent solar storms sends their entire neighborhood block into the Jurassic age. Soon, dinosaurs and creatures of all persuasions are ransacking their homes and threatening life for Hathaway and McGregor and their two kids: a son who broke another boy’s arm (don’t worry, there’s no pay off) and a seemingly shy daughter who likes to read about astronauts (if you’re guessing it’s going to turn out she’s gay, you’d be right!).
“Oak Street” is just nuts, and it doesn’t take you long to realize there’s something very, very “off” about this film. McGregor’s performance is so mannered and bizarre it’s almost like you’re watching an AI version of Ewan McGregor – he wouldn’t have been my first choice for a “working class” Dad currently delivering pizzas for a living, but either way, the actor gives precious little effort in a detached turn. Hathaway, to her credit, tries hard and cries – a lot – as do the young actors playing their kids, but there’s just no pay off here to them or their plight, nor do we ever care about them in general.
That leaves you with a film whose tone shifts all over the place, threatening to veer into R-rated territory with its meanness and gore (plus a late-game f-bomb) and then being pulled back to PG-13 land with family sentimentality. Yet unlike any of the “Jurassic Park/World” films, there’s no sense of scope or personality to the creatures – it’s just one block after another of “generic dinosaurs,” so much that they come off like an afterthought to scenes of Hathaway and McGregor bickering with each other. Very much recalling the arguments between Richard Dreyfuss and Teri Garr in “Close Encounters,” these scenes do little but eat up time before another creature comes in for a quick scare – but that’s all we get, as there’s not a single memorable set-piece in the entire film worth talking about.
Mitchell’s script is also completely contrived – even in a film like this there’s a suspension of disbelief that has to take place on the viewer’s part in order for the picture to work, but I never felt it in “Oak Street.” What’s more, his film fumbles all kinds of obvious chances to create drama. Where are all the other characters on this block? Why isn’t there anyone else around except for a troublesome neighbor and an elderly woman mentoring Hathaway in writing her book? The “girl next door” who becomes an orphan is barely worth mentioning – there’s just no point to her character either.
In the end, I didn’t buy “Oak Street” at all, but I will say the film receives a bit of credit for righting the ship at the end, eschewing a lame twist and providing a deliriously happy finale to a movie that I’m not certain deserved it. (PG-13, 97 mins).
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