One of those box-office disappointments that became a kind of phenomenon once it hit home video and cable during the 1980s, SOMEWHERE IN TIME (103 mins., 1980, PG; Kino Lorber) receives a revelatory new 4K UHD from Kino Lorber this month that not only surpasses previous home video releases – in fact, one could say this brilliant new UHD enables viewers to watch the movie as they’ve never seen it before. The movie’s location photography sings with new levels of contrast and splashes of color, details are far more precise than previous transfers, and the overall impact brings a clarity to the image no previous presentation I’ve seen has offered.
Given the parameters of Richard Matheson’s story, this is a significant achievement, as the look and feel of this lush romantic fantasy is hugely important to its appeal – as are its Mackinac Island, Michigan settings, ones that improbably help to transport the story’s modern protagonist, playwright Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve), back in time to the early 20th century so that he can meet the object of his desire: Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), a beautiful young actress whose career is being (over)run by domineering producer W.F. Robinson (Christopher Plummer).
“Somewhere in Time” was a small, modestly budgeted film that was greenlit partially because the studio owed director Jeannot Szwarc a favor for his marvelous job bailing out what had been a disastrous production on “Jaws 2” and turning it into one of 1978’s biggest hits. Matheson, the sci-fi/fantasy great who adapted his novel “Bid Time Return” for the movie, eschews the razzle dazzle of H.G. Wells for his depiction of time-travel, with the picture instead favoring a low-key, metaphysical approach wherein Reeve convinces himself he’s part of the past.
The picture didn’t need lots of VFX or other tricks to sell it, either – it’s the love story and the chemistry between Reeve and Seymour, never so lovely as she is here, that, coupled with its surroundings and the spectacular score of John Barry, made it so appealing to viewers. This is a movie that initially seems small in its scope but it’s universal in its themes of love, loss, the past, the present and desires that cross over the everyday world in front of us – making for a memorable picture with two attractive stars in their prime.
Even if audiences missed it initially in theaters – the result of questionable marketing and an actor’s strike that notably precluded the stars from publicizing the film – “Somewhere in Time” became one of the undisputed success stories of films outside the theatrical realm during the early ‘80s. After debuting on cable in 1981 and home video presumably around this same time, sales of Barry’s soundtrack album picked up at a steady clip as viewers discovered the movie. The MCA soundtrack would go on to become Barry’s biggest seller of his career and the film itself an enduring success on the small screen, finding the audience who bypassed its Fall 1980 theatrical run and leading to “Somewhere in Time”-oriented Mackinac Island vacation packages and fan clubs that endure to this day.
Having been issued across every home video medium, it’s no surprise “Somewhere in Time” has made the jump to 4K UHD and this Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) presentation is a stunner. Some Universal theatrical releases of the 1970s were saddled with film stock that often resulted in drab looking transfers, regardless of how vivid the films themselves may have been shot. Whether that was the case on “Somewhere in Time” or not, this 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative results in a beautiful new image leaps and bounds ahead of Universal’s previous 1080p master (seen on Blu-Ray) that grossly favored an ugly orange pallet at times.
The gorgeous settings are naturally captured by Swarzc and cinematographer Isidore Mankofsky and are here restored to a far more balanced degree, while the high detail level is natural throughout. There were a few times during low-light sequences where the grain seemed a bit excessive but these are all part of the original elements and this remaster is content to leave them alone. The clear mono sound was likely a limitation of the picture’s smaller budget but it’s quite decent for what it is, the dialogue easy to understand and Barry’s score given prominence in the mix.
Supplements include a wonderful new Tim Lucas commentary where he divulges some facts left out of Laurent Bouzereau’s 2000 production history (most notably that Seymour and Reeve were indeed a “thing” during the shoot, only to break off their relationship once Reeve found out his ex-girlfriend was pregnant). There’s another commentary with Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff plus Jeannot Swarzc’s commentary from the DVD Special Edition of some 25 years ago. Other extras include the trailer plus the DVD’s still-superb documentary featuring Reeve, Seymour, Swarzc, Plummer and Barry himself, along with a featurette on the “Insite” fan club and the trailer.
One of the year’s best 4K catalog discs to date, it was a pleasure to revisit “Somewhere in Time” in a fantastic new release that (finally) does it full justice.
Another romantic tale with a mild genre flavor – and this time with a noir suspense-thriller component – was actor/director Kenneth Branagh’s engaging American feature debut DEAD AGAIN (108 mins., 1991, R; Kino Lorber), which receives a similarly strong new 4K UHD scan of the 35mm OCN from Kino Lorber.
Branagh’s first American sojourn came with this Paramount late summer ‘91 romantic thriller, with he and then-significant-other Emma Thompson playing a pair of dual roles in a nutty reincarnation plot penned by Scott Frank. The terrific supporting cast includes Andy Garcia (who doesn’t fare so well under unconvincing old-age make-up), Derek Jacobi, Hanna Schygulla, and a brief contribution by Robin Williams that tends to throw the movie’s pacing a bit off-kilter. However, that’s part of the film’s charm, in Branagh’s ability to tell a melodramatic love story with a homage to old-time detective thrillers and film noir thrown in for good measure.
A highly stylized throwback, “Dead Again” receives a nice upgrade on 4K UHD with Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) – not as obviously incremental as the “Somewhere in Time” restoration, but gratifying for the movie’s fans nevertheless. The 5.1 audio does justice to Patrick Doyle’s bombastic but effective enough score with a pair of archival commentary tracks on-hand: one by Scott Frank and producer Lindsay Doran, and another with Branagh commenting on the production.
One of Charles Bronson’s more memorable vehicles, THE MECHANIC (100 mins., 1972, PG), debuts on 4K UHD from Kino Lorber and finds the stoic star as a hitman who tutors the son (Jan-Michael Vincent) of one of his associates (Keenan Wynn) in the art of assassination. Lewis John Carlino’s script offers a few twists and director Michael Winner – making his second film with the actor – expertly executes a number of action sequences in this early ‘70s cult favorite.
Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD offers a smashing new 4K scan from the OCN (1.85, mono) with Dolby Vision HDR that’s a clear upgrade over the old Twilight Time and Scorpion Blu-Rays in terms of color and contrast. Extras include a brand-new commentary with Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth along with archival special features from a number of different releases. These include a commentary with Bronson buff Paul Talbot and Twilight Time’s commentary with cinematographer Richard H. Kline and Nick Redman, plus an interview with Lewis John Carlino and the trailer.
Rounding out Kino’s 4K UHD output this month is K2 (103 mins., 1991, R), a rugged outdoor survival story based on a play (!) by Patrick Meyers.
Meyers and Scott Roberts’ script becomes one of director Franc Roddam’s better films about a pair of friends and amateur hikers – a lawyer played by Michael Biehn and a professor played by Matt Craven – who join up with a seasoned team in order to climb K2. Of course, their efforts eventually meet with tragedy and their journey becomes a grueling survival story, with Gabriel Beristain’s cinematography opening up the material’s stage origins for a surprisingly effective picture that’s exciting and well-staged throughout.
“K2” was mostly dismissed by critics and bombed at the box-office. This was despite Roddam having reworked the picture from its European version, which was a few minutes longer and featured a score by Hans Zimmer. Unsatisfied with Zimmer’s very listenable but dramatically overblown score, Roddam tabbed British musician Chaz Jenkel to rescore the movie, and while his effort carries a similar rock/orchestral tone as Zimmer’s work, it’s notably less overstated – to the movie’s benefit.
The shorter 103 minute version of the film, then, is Roddam’s preferred version of “K2” and the only one available on home video stateside, as is the case again here. Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD (1.85, 5.1/2.0) carries another lovely Dolby Vision HDR enhanced transfer of the 35mm OCN that offers crisp detail and gorgeous contrasts, all highlighting the movie’s location lensing in Pakistan and Canada. Extras include an interview with Roddam on the movie plus the trailer and a new commentary by Bryan Reesman and Max Evry.
Kino Lorber Blu-Ray New Releases
JACK BENNY DOUBLE FEATURE – ARTISTS AND MODELS (98 mins., 1937), MAN ABOUT TOWN (85 mins., 1939; Kino Lorber): Iconic comedian Jack Benny often ridiculed certain films of his movie career, but he was nearly at his peak making the 1939 hit “Man About Town,” a vehicle for Benny wherein Jack plays a Broadway producer who loves his star (Dorothy Lamour) but can’t get her to commit. Shenanigans ensure once he picks up a woman (Binnie Barnes) while in England in order to generate jealousy, unknowing she’s neglected by her fuddy-duddy husband (Edward Arnold). Eddie “Rochester” Anderson provides ample laughs in this successful Paramount comedy, offered here on Blu-Ray alongside the earlier Benny comedy “Artists & Models,” co-starring Ida Lupino but best known as the film that introduced the soon-to-be-standard “Whispers in the Dark.” Both films include Universal-licensed 1080p (1.37 B&W, mono) transfers with trailers and commentaries by Eddy Von Mueller (“Artists”) and Paul Anthony Nelson and Lee Zachariah (“Man”).
SCOTT JOPLIN Blu-Ray (96 mins., 1977, PG; Kino Lorber): I had literally never heard of this 1977 biopic of the great ragtime composer, which is new to Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber this month. Billy Dee Williams plays Joplin in what was a Motown-produced TV movie, made for NBC, which Universal opted to release theatrically instead as they felt the movie would play well at the box-office. Turns out it didn’t, mainly because – through no fault of the cast, director Jeremy Paul Kagan and writer Christopher Knopf – the subject matter makes for such a downbeat viewing experience, with Joplin going nowhere but downhill after he scores his initial successes, contracting syphilis and unable to be taken seriously when he tries writing an opera. The cast certainly tries though, with Williams opposite Clifton Davis, Margaret Avery, Godfrey Cambridge, Taj Mahal and Art Carney in a little-seen picture at least providing worthwhile viewing on an educational level. Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray (1.85, mono) looks acceptable with the trailer and a commentary from Kagan and moderator Daniel Kremer providing additional insight into the production.
THE VULTURES Blu-Ray (106 mins., 1984, Not Rated; Kino Lorber): Jean-Paul Belmondo is in fine form in this WWII caper vehicle, sort of a French callback to “Kelly’s Heroes,” with Belmondo as a Foreign Legion sergeant who finds himself trying to steal a fortune in gold from a ravaged Tunisian vault, all while trying to outsmart the Nazis, and with just a few surviving men backing him up. While not offering a load of surprises, “The Vultures” is nevertheless an entertaining affair directed by Henri Verneuil and scored by Georges Delerue, buoyed of course by Belmondo’s charm. Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray features a fine 1080p (1.66) Studio Canal master, in French with English subtitles, and a Steve Mitchell/Howard S. Berger commentary on the supplemental side.
AMERICA 3000 Blu-Ray (93 mins., 1986, R; Kino Lorber): Deliriously silly Cannon futuristic fare finds the surviving men and women from a future nuclear holocaust having taken arms against one another in one of those barren cinematic wastelands so prevalent after “Mad Max.” Writer-director David Engelbach had more success as a screenwriter than a director, counting “Over the Top” as one of his credits, but he at least instills a sense of humor in this ridiculous affair starring Chuck Wagner and Laurene Landon; it’s just unfortunate “America 3000” is pretty tedious despite its premise, poking along instead of fully embracing its outlandish tendencies (that culminate with a caveman leaping into a freeze-frame ending while holding a boombox listening to Jerry Lee Lewis!). Kino Lorber’s highly appealing 1080p (1.85, 2.0 DTS MA mono) transfer hails from a new 2K scan of the 35mm interpositive and looks superb; extras include a fun interview with Landon, the trailer, and a new commentary between David Engelbach and moderator Douglas Hosdale.
A movie neglected by audiences during its original theatrical run, William Richert’s flawed but modestly entertaining 1988 autobiographical piece A NIGHT IN THE LIFE OF JIMMY REARDON (93 mins., 1988, R; Kino Lorber) is — like so many teen films from the ’80s — a bit more interesting now due to its cast.
River Phoenix stars as a young man in the early ’60s who has to choose between school, love and family in one fateful day, navigating between girls Meredith Salenger (at the height of her fame in teendom), Ione Skye (pre-“Say Anything”), Louanne (who once starred in “Oh God, Book II”), and Ann Magnuson as the “older woman,” while a very young Matthew Perry plays River’s irrepressible best friend.
There are times when Phoenix seems to be trying a bit too hard and the movie’s evocation of time and place feels like a late episode of “Happy Days” (the ones officially still set in the ‘60s but look and sound like the ‘80s), but there is a good message and some nice scenes that ultimately emerge at the end of writer-director Richert’s flawed but heartfelt piece. Bill Conti’s score, meanwhile, is one of his better late ’80s efforts, replacing Elmer Bernstein’s score for the U.S. (European prints still included Bernstein’s music, complete with an original song performed by Johnny Mathis).
While Richert’s “Director’s Cut” surfaced on his website, Kino Lorber’s premiere Blu-Ray of “Jimmy Reardon” includes what appears to be an older HD scan (1.85) of the theatrical version hampered by a lot of noise processing. The overly massaged result has little detail and is pretty rough; the 2.0 DTS MA stereo sound at least fares better. A promo trailer (that looks to have been edited for home video) and a new commentary by Paul Anthony Nelson and Perri Cummings comprise the supplements.
THE HI-LO COUNTRY Blu-Ray (114 mins., 1998, R; Kino Lorber): Director Stephen Frears’ American output in the ‘90s included some major hits (“The Grifters”) and misses (“Mary Reilly”), and before he basically returned to concentrate on European-lensed fare only, he turned out this well-acted, post-WWII western/character study that met with poor commercial returns. Walon Green scripted “The Hi-Lo Country,” which follows Billy Crudup mostly after the war has concluded and his relationship with the wife (Patricia Arquette) of a cattle rancher (Sam Elliott) whom he works for alongside old friend Woody Harrelson. Passions collide while Cole Hauser and Penelope Cruz co-star in an atmospheric if sluggishly paced film, well scored by Carter Burwell, that failed to find an audience upon its theatrical run, despite having Martin Scorsese along as a producer. Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray (2.35, 5.1 DTS MA) sports a serviceable Universal catalog master with the trailer and a new commentary by Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff on the supplemental side.
TRIFOLE Blu-Ray (100 mins., 2024, Not Rated; Cohen): Italian family drama from director Gabriele Fabbro focuses on the relationship between a grizzled truffle hunter and his combative granddaughter who comes from London to care for him, resulting in a newfound relationship ultimately blossoming between the duo. Cohen Media Group’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 5.1/2.0 Italian with English subtitles) is now available sporting an attractive 1080p transfer with numerous extras including interviews with Fabbro and stars Umberto Orsini and Ydalie Turk, a behind-the-scenes segment and a look at composing Alberto Mandarini’s score.
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Also New & Noteworthy
COBRA KAI: The Complete Series Blu-Ray (aprx. 10 hours, 2018-25; Sony): Where “Top Gun: Maverick” set the standard for present-day big-screen revivals of classic movie franchises, “Cobra Kai” has done the same on the small-screen. This smart, funny, winning updating of “The Karate Kid” continues its mix of comedy and teen drama as Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) work through their past “issues” and finally team up to take down Cobra Kai at the latest All Valley tournament – but with Cobra Kai now augmented with the return of both John Kreese (Martin Kove) and eventually Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith, reprising his role from the misfired “Karate Kid Part III”), all bets are off.
Originally a “Youtube Red” series before moving over to Netflix, “Cobra Kai” works nearly all the way through. Sure, some reasons start a bit slow and the final season only gets rolling at the midway point, but for the most part, these 65 episodes show how to handle a contemporary reworking of a 1980s movie IP with ample homages, characters and throwbacks but also its own sense of humor and effective teen drama.
Collected for the first time in a Complete Series Blu-Ray set, “Cobra Kai” offers 1080p (1.78) transfers and 5.1 DTS MA soundtracks along with assorted extras from individual season releases (these include gag reels, deleted scenes, etc.). The image quality is exceptional and fans should note only the last three seasons were filmed in 4K HDR – the initial three from what I discern were filmed only in HD so there’s no loss of quality here on those episodes. Highly recommended!
A MAN AND A WOMAN Blu-Ray (103 mins., 1966; Criterion): French New Wave classic from director Claude Lelouch looks at the bittersweet, passionate relationship that evolves between two widows – a racing champ (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and a movie script supervisor (Anouk Aimee) – after a chance meeting on the Normandy coast. Lelouch’s mix of B&W and color and shifting time frames and perspectives gave new cinematic style to a well-worn story, told in ambiguous terms but with a masterful score by Francis Lai supporting the emotion. Criterion’s Blu-Ray (1.66, mono) includes an English-subtitled French soundtrack, a lovely new 2K digital restoration supervised/approved by the director, plus a new interview with Lelouch., A Making Of doc, archival footage of Lelouch at Cannes in 1966, plus a 1976 Lelouch short and essay from critic Carrie Rickey ing out the Studio Canal-licensed Criterion release.
THE BOY AND THE BEAST Limited 4K UHD Steelbook (119 mins., 2025; PG-13; Gkids/Shout! Factory): Super anime from director Mamoru Hosoda follows Kyuta, a young human boy who becomes an apprentice for Kumatetsu, an animal-like warrior from the Beast Kingdom. The duo learn from one another and come to an understanding about their own pasts while ultimately battling an evil force that puts this adventurous odd couple to the test. Strong, positive messages and appealing characters make for one of the best anime imports in recent times – Shout’s 4K UHD (1.85) captures it all thanks to a beautiful HDR10 transfer with 5.1 DTS MA Japanese audio and an English dub. Extras in the Amazon-exclusive UHD Steelbook include a Making Of, promo video collection, two commentaries (cast and key staff), and teasers and trailers.
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