Better
Days
(2019/Well Go Blu-ray)/Flowers
In The Attic
(1987*/**)/Imprisoned
(2018/Cinema Libre Blu-ray)/Manon
(1949/*Arrow/**)/The
Photograph
(2019/Universal Blu-ray w/DVD)/Song
Of Names
(2019/Sony Blu-ray)/Sprinter
(2018/FilmRise/**all MVD Blu-ray)/The
Stalking Moon
(1968/National General/Warner Archive Blu-ray)
Picture:
B (DVD: C) Sound: B/B/B-/B/B & C+/B+/C+/B- Extras:
D/B/B/B/C/C+/B/C- Films: B+/B/C/C+/B-/B/B+/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Stalking Moon
Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Here's
a really interesting set of dramas to consider seeing...
We
start with
Kwok Cheung Tsang's Better
Days
(2019)
with Chen Nian (Zhou Dongyu), the model student studying for her
college exams, but behind perfect grades she is being pressured by
life and bullied by the school bullies. Her only unlikely friend and
companion is the small time street gangster Bei, who watches her and
protects her from the shadows. But even before either of them can be
legal adults, both of them get caught up in a murder investigation
that will change their lives forever.
Nian
is a plain girl and she studies hard knowing getting into a good
college is her only hope of a good life and good future, but because
of her top grades, she also becomes the scapegoat for the school
bullies. She befriends a small time street gangster Bei and he
becomes her friend and confidant. Bei tells her that she IS a good
person, but reality is not fair and life is vicious, but he will
protect her. One night, Nian is attacked, beaten, stripped naked,
cut off her hair and recorded online by the school bully and her
posse.
When
Bei discovers what happened he threatens the bully to leave Nian
alone or he will rape her. Afterward the bully repents and then begs
Nian to forgive her, but in a freak accident Nian pushes her away and
the bully falls down the stairs and dies. Bei gets rid of the body,
but when the body is discovered Bei takes the fall and is sent to
prison. However, the detective suspects Nian knowing more, he lies
to her that Bei is facing the death penalty. To save Bei, Nian
confesses. Both Nian and Bei spend the next 20 years in prison,
their only solace is they will meet again when they are both free.
This
was a depressing drama filled film about how much pressure Asian
students have during college exams and dealing with bullies. The
schools are there for the students, but they don't protect them, they
care more about their reputation than the lives of their students.
It becomes ironic when bullies are more protected by the laws, rules
and police than the victims they prey and torture everyday. But in
the end, the police must follow law ...but is it really justice?
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is a very
impressive digital HD shot that is very consistent and with few
flaws, while the
Mandarin DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is not bad, but it
is apparently a mixdown from a Dolby Atmos theatrical release and
some limits we encountered might come from that. Otherwise, the
combination here is good.
Extras
include trailers.
Flowers
In The Attic
(1987)
gets a sharp new remaster on Blu-ray disc in this packed version from
Arrow Video. An odd film to say the least, the drama/thriller
centers around four children who end up fatherless and are hidden
away in an attic away from the thing they fear most - their mother
and grandmother - who are conspiring against them in an effort to
obtain inheritance.
The
film stars Louise Fletcher, Victoria Tennant, Kristy Swanson, Jeb
Stuart Adams, Ben Ryan Ganger, and Lindsay Parker with direction by
Jeffrey Bloom (Veronica
Clare).
Flowers
in the Attic
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a
widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85 X 1 and a nice sounding English LPCM
2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) audio mix. The dark score by Christopher Young
(Hellraiser)
is in the backbone of the film in my opinion and comes across nicely
here. The film is beautifully shot and Arrow has done superb work
here on the remaster to disc.
Special
Features include:
New
audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of
Diabolique Magazine
Home
Sweet Home: Filming Flowers in the Attic,
a new interview with cinematographer Frank Byers
Fear
& Wonder: Designing Flowers in the Attic,
a new interview with production designer John Muto
The
Devil's Spawn: Playing Flowers in the Attic,
a new interview with actor Jeb Stuart Adams
Shattered
Innocence: Composing Flowers in the Attic,
a new interview with composer Christopher Young
Production
gallery of behind-the-scenes images, illustrations and storyboards
The
original, studio-vetoed ending
The
revised ending with commentary by replacement director Tony Kayden
Original
theatrical trailer
and
a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
by Haunt Love.
An
interesting and disturbing film, Flowers
in the Attic
is nicely restored here and worth checking out if you like
dysfunctional family films. A recent remake can be found elsewhere
on this site.
Laurence
Fishburne stars in this low budget film Imprisoned
(2018), which isn't based on a true story per-say, but sure feels
like it could be. The film takes place in Puerto Rico, where
Fishburne plays a prison warden who nails a prisoner that murdered
his wife 25 years ago. Despite the prisoner's best intentions of
moving away from his previous bad deeds and starting over anew with
his new lover, he is instead framed for murder and locked away under
Fishburne's charge.
The
film also stars Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales, John Heard, Juan
Pablo Raba, and Jon Huertas. The film is written and directed by
Paul Kampf.
While
the film isn't terrible and has some moments that are pretty
entertaining, no actor in the film can stand toe to toe with Laurence
Fishburne and it shows. Perhaps if they could have gotten another
higher profile actor on the same level as Fishburne to go head to
head with, the film could have a bit more bite. Still, Fishburne
does what he can with the material here and does a fine job, despite
some goofy old age makeup.
Imprisoned
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a
widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and audio mixes in DTS-MA 5.1 and
2.0 Stereo. The film is shot professionally and mostly hides its low
end budget with plenty of production value on the screen. The audio
mix isn't anything too fancy to write home about, with an overall
average presentation.
Special
Features include:
Three
Deleted Scenes
Interview
with Edward James Olmos
Social
Impact Filmmaking with Equitas Entertainment Partners
and
Trailers.
Henri-Georges
Clouzot's Manon
(1949) gets an Arrow Academy release that's been restored and
remastered impressively. An Abbe Prevost's classic French novel
'Manon Lescaut', the film takes place in post WWII France and is an
unusual romantic tale. A French Resistance Activist (Serge Reggiani)
saves a woman named Manon from near death for her association with
Nazis. When they move to start over in Paris, the ending is less
than ideal for either of them. A bit depressing of a film it is
still pretty interesting and worth checking out, especially here in
this nice Arrow release.
The
film also features Cecile Aubry, Andrex, Henri Vilbert, and Raymond
Souplex.
Manon
is presented in black and white 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc
with a full frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (originally 1.37:1) and a
French audio mix in LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) with English subtitles.
Special
Features:
Bibliotheque
de poche: H.G. Clouzot,
an archival documentary from 1970 in which Clouzot talks of his love
of literature and the relationship between the page and the screen
Woman
in the Dunes,
a newly filmed video appreciation by film critic Geoff Andrew
Image
gallery
and
a reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options
Writer/director
Stella Meghie's The
Photograph
(2019) takes comic writer/actress Issa Rae and easily places her into
a role and impressive performance as a young woman dealing with pain
from the past as she tries to find love and closure in her early
adult life as Mae, who did not have the best mother and the discovery
of an old photography (hurray for photochemical images!) opens up a
pandora's box of emotions and need to find out more answers.
To
add to this, she finds a new man (LaKeith Stanfield) that she is
interested in, yet her mother assuming the worse of the previous men
in her life and what they might be doing together (her mother's
toxicity is sad, but not uncommon) even haunts all of this. The
screenplay handles this all with the respect and leisurely slow pace
serious adults would expect from any film on this subject taking the
maturity and intelligence of its audience seriously, which I see very
little of these days anywhere. Sure, we've seen some of this before,
but done with the smart, subtle atmosphere we get, this is a welcome
such melodrama that more people would appreciate than you might
expect in an age of junk filmmaking. If you are interested,
definitely catch this one.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on the Blu-ray
is a smooth HD shoot that has a nice look and feel to it, has few
flaws and flows well along with its editing, while the
often-dialogue-based DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mix is a mixdown from a 12-track
soundmaster used in the best theatrical presentations that sounds
fine, including when music kicks in. The included DVD has an
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image that is softer than I would
have liked and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixdown that is more
squeezed and lite than even the DTS-MA mixdown, so that disc can be a
trying viewing. Watch the Blu-ray instead.
Extras
include Digital Copy, while the discs add three brief promo clips on
the film, including Shooting
The
Photograph,
Culture
In Film
and The
Film Though Photographs.
Respected
actors Tim Roth and Clive Owen star in The
Song of Names
(2019), which is based on a novel by Norman Lebrecht. Directed by
Francois Girard, the nicely made drama is now available on Blu-ray
courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
The
film also stars Catherine McCormack, Eddie Izzard, and Saul Rubinek.
A
young boy befriends another young boy with the extraordinary talent
of being a violinist. The two boys become like brothers growing up
until they are separated, and he seemingly disappeared. Forty some
odd years later, the two friends reunite after an exhausting search
and retain an undeniable chemistry and friendship as he helps unleash
his friend's work to an audience.
The
Song of Names
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a
widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and an English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) lossless mix, both of which are of the norm for the
format. The film is eloquently shot and has an incredible score by
Howard Shore (The
Lord of the Rings Trilogy)
that comes across very nicely here. This is a gorgeously shot film
that could really use the 4K UHD in the near future.
Special
Features include:
Behind
the Song of Names:
Director François Girard and Producer Robert Lantos brought Norman
Lebrecht's acclaimed novel to life with the outstanding performances
of Tim Roth and Clive Owen.
Howard
Shore: Composing & Scoring:
After two years of research, composer Howard Shore conducts and
records the score for the film in Montreal.
And
Howard
Shore & Ray Chen:
Composer Howard Shore chose virtuoso Ray Chen for the incredible
violin playing heard in the film.
In
Storm Saulter's Sprinter
(2018),
Akeem Sharp is the next rising star to be Jamaica's track and field
champion. But unfortunately, at home he has to deal with his violent
alcoholic father, his brother who is a scam artist and not to mention
his mother who an illegal immigrant in U.S.A. While Akeem's family
maybe falling apart, question is will his family pull him down too?
After
breaking record times in track and field, Akeem realizes he is on the
fast track to fame and glory, but at home he faces a different kind
of challenge, he has to deal with an abusive alcoholic father, and
ever since his debut in the news his bookie brother has been making
shady bets and deals to profit off of Akeem's fame and almost gets
him arrested too. Meanwhile, Akeem's mother left them 10 years ago
to work as an illegal immigrant in the United States in order to send
money home and he is unsure about his reunion with his mother feeling
that she abandoned them. In the end he learns that there is no short
cuts in life, through faith, hard work, and training is how he will
succeed ...and win.
This
was a sports drama where the main character has to deal with not only
his race, but also a lot of family drama with the temptation of fame,
alcohol, partying, women. More often the rapid rise to fame and
glory is only matched it's rapid fall from grace, a true champion
does not focus on the medals, fame or glory, but only the next step
in front of him.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer looks
good for an independent production and holds its own here, but the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is dialogue-based and
limited as a result. Otherwise, the combination is good enough.
Extras
include Sprinter
Premiere at the Grove,
theatrical trailer and photo gallery.
We
conclude with Robert Mulligan's The
Stalking Moon
(1968) that reunites the director with his To
Kill A Mockingbird
star Gregory Peck, producing this film as part of his role in the
great and all-too-brief-lived National General Studios. In this
sometimes comical Western drama, Peck is a Army vet from decades ago
who lands up crossing paths with cattle rustlers, who themselves come
across a group of Apaches. Among them is a child and a non-Native
American woman (the great Eva Marie Saint) who wants to move on and
seems in a hurry, apparently knowing a secret that no one else does.
She is told they are safe with the military there, but she is still
nervous.
After
a bit of back and forth, she convinces veteran Peck to escort her
away faster than waiting for the military to move on, which brings
them to a safe house, but there is soon unexpected violence and
murder. It turns out the father of the son is a Native American
warrior out for his son and out to kill every white person in his
way, et al. This leaves Peck having to confront him.
Despite
some us-and-them issues and a few moments that did not age well or
fall flat, this is a late entry in the Western genre that is as fresh
as The
Wild Bunch
of any Leone Western of the time, leading to the last great period of
the genre (concluding with Cimino's Heaven's
Gate
in 1980, for better and worse). The film's naturalism and realism
certainly ring true as much now as it did then and the film is not
always so talky, which is another plus for it.
Helping
it too is its fine music, great cinematography and cast that includes
Robert Forster in a nice supporting turn, Nolan Clay, Russell
Thorson, Lonny Chapman, Lou Frizzell, Henry Beckman, Richard Bull,
Frank Silvera, Joaquin Martinez, Boyd 'Red' Morgan, Nathaniel
Narcisco and in uncredited turns, legendary character actors Richard
Farnsworth and James Olson.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer holds up well
in this new restoration, as lensed in real 35mm anamorphic Panavision
by Director
of Photography Charles Lang, Jr. (Charade,
Inside
Daisy Clover,
Wait
Until Dark,
Sudden
Fear,
The
Big Heat,
The
Magnificent Seven,
Some
Like It Hot,
One-Eyed
Jacks)
and originally issued in 35mm dye-transfer, three-strip Technicolor
prints. Though you can see the age of the film in a few small spots,
this looks good, if not always with the kind of color you would get
from a Technicolor print. Impressive just the same and as good as
anything on this list.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix is not bad and has a
solid music score by Fred Karlin, who later did the groundbreaking
score for the original feature film of Westworld
(1973, reviewed elsewhere on this site) and brings new elements into
the fold with the more traditional music and instrumentation he
applies here. Its the most original aspect of the film.
The
only extra is, sadly the Original Theatrical Trailer.
To
order The
Stalking Moon
Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to this link for them and many more great
web-exclusive releases at:
http://www.wbshop.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Moon,
Photograph),
Ricky Chiang (Days,
Sprinter)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/