Bird
With The Crystal Plumage 4K
(1970/Arrow 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray*)/Code
3: L.A. Sheriff's Case File - The Complete Series
(1957/MPI DVD Set)/Hydra
(2019/Well Go Blu-ray)/Monster
Collection: Frankenstein Complex
(2013) + Phil
Tippet: Mad Dreams & Monsters
(2019/Music Box Blu-ray Set)/Mortuary
(1983/Blu-ray/*both MVD)/Not
Quite Hollywood
(2008/Umbrella Region Free Import Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: X/C+/B/B+/B/B Sound:
C+/C+/B-/B+/B/B- Extras: B+/D/C-/B+/C+/B Main Programs:
B/C+/C/B+/C+/B
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Not
Quite Hollywood
Import Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Umbrella
Entertainment in Australia, can play on all Blu-ray players and can
be ordered from the link below.
We
start with the first Dario Argento film, which we have covered 4
times before and remains one of his most effective thrillers. The
Bird With The Crystal Plumage 4K
(1970) is one of the great directorial debuts and is a film that
always had a distinctive look, feel and impact with it superior use
of color and widescreen framing. That he did this with the tiny
Techniscope frame that was not always getting the respect it deserved
and when you add the actors, locales and script, it was an instant
winner.
We
reviewed Arrow's Blu-ray special edition of the film with the same
strong group of extras at this link recently:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14982/The+Bird+With+The+Crystal+Plumage+(1970/MV
The
only sound option remains DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Mono lossless
mixes in English and Italian, with English a little more convincing,
but no multi-channel upgrade as was featured on a previous Blu-ray
edition. It is fine otherwise.
As
for the picture, this does not include the controversial version by
the Director of Photography Vitorrio Storaro that cut off the sides
and made some shots black and white. I love Storaro's work, but it
did not work for me at all.
Thus,
the 2160p
HECV/H.265, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra
High Definition image is the full 2.35 X 1 Techniscope frame and the
color is the best I have ever seen the film and is as close to the
best prints of the film issued at the time. They were 35mm in
dye-transfer,
three-strip Technicolor (the Technicolor lab in Italy invented
Techniscope) and you can see how good that looks here, but the color
is not always overly heightened and is convincing enough. Only a few
shots show their age, so the upgrade is worth it for all fans of the
film and makes it easily the best way to see the film outside of such
a now rare film print.
Argento's
Cat
O'Nine Tales
is coming out on 4K disc next, so be on the lookout for it. I know
we will.
Another
lost TV show that deserves to be seen again, Code
3: L.A. Sheriff's Case File - The Complete Series
(1957) was one of the Hal Roach Studio's more serious endeavors,
broadcast by ABC at the time. A half-hour drama, it ran for only a
season, but is not a bad show and a nice alternative to the
overplayed Dragnet
series. Since it was not a hit and in black and white, it apparently
got lost in the shuffle when reruns rolled along and TV channels
wanted color TV shows to go with new color TVs.
Practically
an anthology show, each one has the same host (Richard Travis) and
various detectives, who do reoccur in several of the episodes, but
the same office and police world are implied and you can get that the
more shows you watch. Of course, you can watch them out of broadcast
order without major issues. Denver Pyle and Fredd Wayne are among
the semi-regulars and guest stars include DeForest Kelley, William
Scallert, Robert Armstrong, Stacy Keach, Russell Johnson, Mike
Connors, Guy Williams, James Best, Harry Bartell, John Archer and
Dick Sargent. 39 episodes resulted.
The
1.33 X 1 black and white image looks pretty good for its age, though
the episodes have minor visual flaws here and there, plus some slight
damage might be seen, but the monochrome and grey scale are pretty
consistent, while the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is even a little
more surprising in its clarity and lack of harmonic distortion you
might expect from a TV show or even feature film of its age. The
result is a better quality back catalog release on the older DVD
format than expected. Hope we get more such shows soon.
There
are no extras.
Kensuke
Sonomura's Hydra
(2019) is a Japanese gangster crime film that is also part of a
streaming channel launched by Well Go a bit ago specializing in
martial arts films called 'Hi-Yah!' with this tale of a retired
assassin who has to return for an irresistible opportunity and maybe
revenge. Running only 78 minutes, it has so-so fighting, a thin
plot, nothing we have not seen before (despite some nice shots here
and there) and was not very memorable overall. Some of it was too
over the top for its own good and not as gritty as older such
Japanese films in the genre, many of those of which are being
reissued in solid restorations over the last few years.
The
unknown acting cast does try it best to make this work, but the title
locale (though the title has more than one meaning, for better or
worse) is overused and slows down and already problematic work. For
the very, very curious only.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is an HD shoot that at
least usually looks good when it is in color, but some monochromatic
moments do not ring true visually or otherwise. The
Japanese DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix lacks a consistent
soundfield, plus some of the location recording is a little off, so
the makers seem a bit inexperienced and maybe this has a lower budget
than one might first think, but who knows.
A
trailer for this and a few other Well Go releases are the only
extras.
If
you're a fan of monsters in the movies and the history of special
effects then you will most certainly want to pick up this three disc
set, The
Monster Collection,
that's loaded with exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes footage
from classic films from some of the biggest names in Hollywood makeup
special effects. The
Frankenstein Complex
(2015) is a fantastic documentary that digs in deep and is very
interesting. Some focus points on the doc are the making of such
classic films as Star
Wars,
Ghostbusters,
Gremlins,
The
Abyss,
Hellboy,
Lord
of the Rings,
Terminator
2,
and many more. There's also a feature length documentary on effects
mastermind Phil
Tippet in Mad Dreams and Monsters
(2019) that is a very in depth and interesting journey into the mind
of the mastermind behind many of the greatest special effects ever
seen on film.
Interviews
are featured with seasoned special effects rockstars including Rick
Baker, Phil Tippett, director Guillermo Del Toro, Steve Johnson, Greg
Nicotero, The Chiodo Bros and many many more. The film talks of the
great legends of the genre with Lon Chaney Sr., Dick Smith, and Jack
Pierce and into the more modern age evolution of monster creation in
cinema.
The
films are presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an
MPEG-4 AVC codec and a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78 X 1 and audio
mixes in lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo.
The films have a solid presentation and are a mix of behind the
scenes photography and cleanly shot interviews. Rather than showing
an abundance of film clips, the B-roll focuses on statues from
Sideshow Collectibles as well as close up looks on many screen used
props.
Special
Features include:
Feature
Commentary with Phil Tippett and directors Alexandre Poncet and
Gilles Penso
"Meeting
the Monsters"
Making Of Documentary
Prehistoric
Beast
(1985) a short film by Phil Tippett with audio commentary
Mutant
Land
(2010) a short film by Phil Tippett with audio commentary
Phil
Tippett Museum: A Virtual Gallery of Tippett Creations
Joy
of Working with Phil:
Interview with Paul Verhoeven
Phil
Will Fix This!:
Interview with Joe Johnston
Animating
with Phil:
Interview with Tom St. Amand
Phil's
Vision:
Interview with Chris Walas
Friendship,
Robots, and Dinosaurs:
Interview with Dennis Muren
From
Stop-Motion to Computer:
Interview with Craig Hayes
Memories
and Archives with Phil Tippett
Dinosaur
Supervisor (Jurassic
Park)
with Phil Tippett
Starship
Troopers 2
with Phil Tippet and Jon Davison
"Dinosaur!"
with Paul Verhoeven and Jon Davison
and
Mutant
Fish
(Piranha)
with Joe Dante (1978).
This
beautiful set is a must have for any genre film fan and is essential
viewing for filmmakers of all types.
The
odd horror film, Mortuary
(1983), has a very early and fun performance by the late Bill Paxton
that makes it worth checking out for that reason alone. Along with
notable cast members, Lynda Day George (in her final film role to
date) and Christopher George (Day
of the Animals),
this odd indie film has finally been remastered and unearthed by MVD
Rewind and now part of their collection.
The
film also stars Mary McDonough (The
Waltons)
and David Wallace (Humongous)
and is directed by Howard Avedis and produced by the infamous Edward
L. Montoro (who produced Grizzly
and Day
of the Animals
and an infamous thief, but that's another story).
A
disturbed teenager (Paxton) works at his father's (Christopher
George) mortuary and hatches a scheme to win over a girl (Mary
McDonough) by deadly means and of course getting her boyfriend
(Wallace) out of the picture. Meanwhile, he discovers that his
father is part of a Satanic Cult with the girl's mother (Lynda Day
George) involved. Are people getting embalmed a bit too soon?
Mortuary
is presented in 1080p high definition with an MPEG-4 AVC codec and a
widescreen aspect ratio of 1:78 X 1 and a lossless English LPCM 2.0
Mono (48kHz, 16-bit) mix, both of which are appropriate for a film of
this kind and disc. The film has some '80s charm to his photography,
but overall looks fine here in this HD restoration.
Special
Features:
Interview
with Composer John Cacavas
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Collectible
Mini-Poster
and
Limited Edition Retro Slip Cover - FIRST
PRESSING ONLY.
Mortuary
is fun to see a young Paxton amongst the Georges... but the plot can
be a bit confusing at times and a bit silly.
Finally,
we get to look again at one of the most referenced documentaries and
filmmaking of the last few decades, Mark Hartley's Not
Quite Hollywood
(2008) has been a priceless look at the rise and continuing influence
of Australian action films with all kinds of sex, violence, political
incorrectness and rawness that has come in handy as these films, many
gems, have been restored and reissued for new generations to see,
enjoy and be shocked they even exist! You can read our review of the
U.S. Blu-ray at this link, which links to my older coverage of the
Umbrella import DVD edition:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15118/Air+America+(1990/Carolco)/Dark+Age+(1987/Um
The
new Umbrella Region Free Import Blu-ray edition has all the extras of
the U.S. Blu-ray, is an upgrade of their old DVD and us as timely as
ever as these films start coming out, including the original Mad
Max
(1979) in 4K (unreviewed, but not bad, though the sound and picture
could still use a little work on them) and The
Man From Hong Kong
(also issued by Umbrella on Blu-ray, reviewed elsewhere on this site)
or Dead
End Drive-In
(1986, issued by Arrow in the U.S.) and more.
That
makes it a must-see film for all serious film fans with solid 1080p
1.78 X 1 picture quality, lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and
2.0 Stereo mixes (though many of these films are low budget and
monophonic) and you get all the extended extras from the previous
Blu-ray. As relevant as ever, you won't be sorry. If you have seen
it, you know what I mean.
To
order the
Not
Quite Hollywood
Umbrella import Blu-ray, go to this link and other hard to find
titles at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (Monster,
Mortuary)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
