All
The Sins Of Sodom/Vibrations
(both 1968/Film Movement Blu-ray)/The
Devil's Honey
(1986/Severin Blu-ray)/Fifty
Shades Freed
(2018/Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Lady
Libertine
(1983)/Love Circles
(1985/InterVision Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B/B-/B+/B Sound: B/B-/A-/C+
Extras: C+/B-/B/C Films: C+/B-/C-/C+
Here's
a new set of films that try to be erotic, but...
It
should tell us something that two of the offerings are double
features. That has us starting with the oldest offerings, two
films from sexploitation pioneer Joesph W. Sarno (Butterfly)
comes two X-Rated (at the time of release) provocative films that
explore the subjects of sex, seduction, and love. All
The Sins of Sodom
(1968) which centers around a fashion photographer who falls in love
with his favorite model, Leslie. Things go along smoothly until,
Joyce appears and puts a wrench in the plans and things get out of
hand quickly.
In
Vibrations
(1968), Barbara is a frustrated writer who is also sexually
frustrated, and seeks to recharge her life by moving into a Manhattan
apartment. Living modestly, she earns money typing up manuscripts
for other writers whilst next door, a sexy young lady plays a variety
of erotic games involving multiple partners. When Julie, Barbara's
hot-to-trot sister shows up, she reluctantly allows her to stay,
there's tension between the sisters who were a little 'close' growing
up. When Julie gets an interest at what things are happening in the
next room over, she soon joins in with the neighbors and soon pulls
Barbara into it too. Complications arise with Barbara, who can't
decide if she loves her own sister, herself, or others.
Special
Features include...
Interview
with Writer/ Director Joseph W Sarno
Commentary
with Sarno and Film Historian Tim Lucas
Insert
booklet featuring linear notes by Tim Burton
These
two films weirdly compliment in each and were both made by the
Director in the same year. They are interesting to watch but not too
hardcore and with beautiful cinematography. The Blu-ray
presentations are nice and for the target audience this is a good
grab.
By
the mid-1980s, U.S. erotic film production started looking like bad
music videos imitating New Wave music styles and the more hardcore
work had moved onto more disposable analog videotape, but Japan and
Europe made more such films on 35mm film and directors not known for
such work were trying out the subgenre. The
Devil's Honey
(1986) was Horror maestro Lucio Fulci tried his has at, an S&M-filled
sex film with so much debauchery, it might as well still be some kind
of horror film.
The
big deal also here is that Fulci got the still very sexy, sensual
Corinne Clery, best know as the other sexy Bond gal in Moonraker,
but also for her much-talked about turn in an odd adaptation of The
Story Of O
(both reviewed elsewhere on this site), so casting her alone not only
screamed sex symbol, but also insinuated XXX sex that was forbidden
and that you might see some of it because of her past work. Brett
Halsey just holds his own as the lead and 'the guy' et al, but Fulci
is definitely trying to find new things to do with Clery.
Unfortunately,
this is one of those films with too many false notes and though it is
hard not to watch Clery do anything (she could do two hours of Windex
ads and more would watch non-stop then they'd ever admit to) is
always worth a look, but Fulci is in territory that is not
necessarily his and it shows. The result is not very memorable and
also proves trying to film anything about S&M rarely translates
well on screen. At least they all tried.
Extras
include
The
Devil's Halsey:
An Interview with Actor Brett Halsey, Wild Flower: An Interview With
Actress Corinne Clery, Producing
Honey:
An Interview With Producer Vincenzo Salviani, The
Devil's Sax:
An Interview
With Composer Claudio Natili, Stephen Thrower on The
Devil's Honey,
Fulci's
Honey:
An Audio Essay by Troy Howarth - Author of Splintered Visions - Lucio
Fulci And His Films, an Alternate Opening and an Original Theatrical
Trailer.
Jamie
Dornan and Dakota Johnson return in the (hopefully) final entry in
the Fifty
Shades of Grey
series, Fifty
Shades Free
(2018). Based on the bestselling book series by E.L. James, the
Fifty Shades movies became a hit (and a no brainer to open in
theaters on Valentine's Day) and isn't unlike the Twilight
series in many ways. Aside from the sexual content, the film is a
sappy and dramatic bore with a cringeworthy new age soundtrack that
will make you want to pull your hair out. Unless you're a fan of
this series, in which case, there's plenty of extras here and the
film looks great on the 4K UHD format.
The
film also features Arielle Kebbel, Tyler Hoechlin, and Brant
Daugherty. The film is directed by Jim Foley (who also directed
Fifty
Shades Darker).
After
sealing the deal and getting married Christian (Dornan) and Ana
(Johnson) enjoy each other in their picturesque and expensive
lifestyle. But as the two of them start to get comfortable, new
characters from the past reemerge (including Jack Hyde) and shake
things up between them.
Special
Features (from the press release) include...
4K
BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES:
An
Intimate Conversation with EL James and Eric Johnson - A casual
conversation between EL and Eric discussing the film, favorite
moments, themes, etc.
Music
Videos:
"For
You (Fifty Shades Freed)"
- Liam Payne & Rita Ora
"Capital
Letters"
- Hailee Steinfeld & BloodPop
"Heaven"
- Julia Michaels
BLU-RAY
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted
Scene
The
Final Climax:
Fans can follow not only Ana and Christian, but also both new and
familiar characters behind-the-scenes throughout their journey of
Fifty Shades Free.
The
Wedding:
Take a closer look at the beautiful wedding scene with the production
and costume designers - from the breathtaking venue, gorgeous gown
and the custom-designed floral arrangements.
Honeymoon:
Travel along with the newlyweds and soak up the sun in the gorgeous
French Riviera. Discover the challenge production faced with
accessing locations, and the search for the perfect honeymoon yacht.
Mr.
& Mrs. Grey:
After the wedding and the honeymoon, what is it really like to be
married? Find out how life in the penthouse changes once Ana moves
in.
Ana
Takes Charge:
Director James Foley and Costume Designer Shay Cunliffe explore Ana's
transformation and growth into a powerful businesswoman.
Ana
& Mr. Hyde:
Go behind the scenes and find out the secrets about what makes Jake
Hyde tick.
Aspen
in Whistler:
Take a look at how the filmmakers and set decorator used Whistler,
Vancouver as a stand-in for snowy Aspen, and discover the famous
musician whose home was transformed into Christian's mansion.
Ana's
Revelation:
Ana and Christian face their biggest challenge yet. Author E.L.
James takes us through the choice that Ana must make and how the
couple's power dynamic shifts.
Resolution:
The final showdown between Ana and Jack brings the two face-to-face
and Ana will do whatever it takes to protect Christian, his family,
and her future.
The
Meaning of Freed:
The cast and filmmakers share what being FREED really means for both
Ana and Christian.
Christian
& Ana By Jamie & Dakota:
Revisit the previous films and learn how both Ana and Christian have
changed... and how both actors have lived through the experience.
While
personally I wasn't thrilled by the film, it certainly has it's
audience and was a big hit for Universal. I'm sure the franchise
hasn't completely being put to rest here, especially since it's so
lucrative.
Finally,
our other double feature is of Gerard
Kikoine's two films, Lady
Libertine
(1983) and Love
Circles
(1985), the first of which was co-produced by Playboy Magazine about
a cross-dressing woman, the latter a bizarre attempt to cheaply
update La
Ronde.
Both were produced by the prolific Harry Alan Towers, usually known
for his interesting action thrillers, but stretching out to make some
bucks on the aforementioned Euro-Sex cycle. Nothing particularly
stands out in either film, though they are tired together by
voyeurism and I think Towers wanted to imitate a little bit of the
two Jackie Collins films with Joan Collins: The
Stud
and The
Bitch,
in sty;le
That
does not hurt the look, which can be a time capsule, but Kikoine and
Towers to achieve making these look and play a bit classier than
other such B-movies of the moment. The women are pretty attractive
for the most part here and anything Towers produces is at least worth
seeing once, so those interested should check them out.
Extras
include an on-camera Kikoine interview and clip of Kikoine at the
Fantasia Film Festival.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratios and PCM
2.0 Stereo tracks that feature new 2K digital restorations of both
Sodom
and Vibrations.
In beautiful black and white, the films are nicely shot and not
without cinematic style despite their subject manner. There is so
grain and sign of artifacts on the print, but it's a great look back
into the past with HD clarity.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on Honey
is a little aged, rough and inconsistent needing a little more
restoration work, though some flaws may be inherent to the shoot.
Color can be a bit off too, but this is good for the most part. The
PCM 2.0 Mono has the usual post-dubbing and is as good, with less
chance of being improved than the image, but will do.
Presented
in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High
Definition image with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and an
English DTS:X 11.1 track, Freed
looks simply stunning on the new format with great sound. Character
skin tones and details are remarkable and very lifelike. There's
also a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mixdown and various
others in various languages. The colors are rich and presentation is
free of any noticeable issues and is a noticeable improvement over
the also included 1080p Blu-ray disc, which has a more compressed
image and a digital copy.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers on the Lady
and Love
can show the age of the materials used, but this is far superior a
transfer to all previous releases of the film and are on the clean
side without looking phony. This also looks 'soft matte' enough, so
you can zoom in to a 1.78 X 1/16 X 9 image and not lose much, but
both were shot TV safe just the same and I think I like them a bit
better 1.33 X 1. Oddly, both only offer
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono sound that are passable, but in an age
increasingly with lossless sound so common, does not invite as many
repeat viewings.
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James
Lockhart (Sodom,
4K)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
