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Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Mystery > Thriller > Heist > Science Fiction > Gangster > Return Of Doctor X (1939*)/A Simple Plan 4K (1998/Paramount/MVD/Arrow 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/The Walking Dead (1936/*both Warner Archive Blu-rays)

Return Of Doctor X (1939*)/A Simple Plan 4K (1998/Paramount/MVD/Arrow 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/The Walking Dead (1936/*both Warner Archive Blu-rays)



4K Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B+/X/B Sound: B+/B/B Extras: C+/C+/B Films: B/C+/B



PLEASE NOTE: The Return Of Doctor X and Walking Dead (1936) Blu-rays are now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.



Humphrey Bogart's only horror film, The Return of Doctor X (1939), has been remastered in 1080p and is now on Blu-ray from Warner Archive. Whilst on the surface it seems like a sequel to Doctor X (1932), which was also a Warner Bros. production, the two storylines are unrelated.


A film noir of sorts, a newspaper reporter (Wayne Morris) goes to an actress' apartment to conduct an interview only to find that she has been murdered. (She also has a pet monkey which is a sly if not bizarre touch). When the reporter brings in the police to check out the scene they find that the body is missing with no trace of blood anywhere. After writing about the incident and it making front page news, the next day she comes in alive and well. With his job in jeopardy, the reporter launches his own private investigation into bizarre scientific experiments that are bringing the dead back to life linking back to an undead ex convict (played by Bogart).


The film also stars Rosemary Lane, Dennis Morgan, Wayne Morris, Huntz Hall, and John Ridgely.


Special Features:


Archival Commentary by Director Vincent Sherman and Author/Film Historian Dr. Steve Haberman


Classic Cartoons: Doggone Modern and Porky's Hotel


and an Original Theatrical Trailet.


The Return of Doctor X is a fun and fast paced thriller that is well shot and works as a nice companion piece to Karloff's The Walking Dead, reviewed below. Both deal with bringing the dead back to life whilst not straying too far into Frankenstein territory.


Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan 4K (1998) is the horror filmmakers' attempt to do an outright thriller, with a solid cast, but getting mixed results. A married couple with a baby on the way (Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda) have high hopes for the future at some pint, but are stuck in a small town with little opportunity. He also has his naive brother (Billy Bob Thornton) around and one day, when the trio and their friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) go walking in the nearby woods, not only to they find a wrecked airplane none of them ever hear or heard crash, but it has $4 Million in cash in it!


Like The Quick & The Dead (1995) delved into westerns (and spaghetti westerns in particular) and also had a solid cast and some good moments, this film is somewhat success, yet never breaks through to go all the way and finish what it starts and sets out to do. Or it just stops short of being more than it actually could have been and disappoints. It is still very competent and professional, but just more limited than I would have liked and though I did not expect Raimi to go 'B-movie' in either case, but it lacks excitement, is not groundbreaking or innovative and that is why I was disappointed.


It did get some Oscar nominations, though, but Raimi fared better with bigger budgets on his first two Spider-Man films. Now you can see for yourself and I still cannot believe Paxton is gone. Gary Cole also stars.


Extras are many and (per the press release) include:


  • A brand new audio commentary by critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme


  • A brand new audio commentary by production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein with filmmaker Justin Beahm


  • Of Ice and Men, a newly filmed interview with cinematographer Alar Kivilo


  • Standing Her Ground, a newly filmed interview with actor Becky Ann Baker


  • Dead of Winter, a newly filmed interview with actor Chelcie Ross


  • On-set interviews with Paxton, Thornton, Fonda, Raimi, and producer Jim Jacks


  • Behind-the-scenes footage


  • Theatrical trailer


  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin


  • Illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bilge Ebiri and an excerpt from the book The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi by John Kenneth Muir.



The Walking Dead (1936!) No, this is not the Walking Dead TV series or comic book adaptation, but the first claimer of the title, the Michael Curtiz film, The Walking Dead, starring Boris Karloff from 1936, finally on Blu-ray disc from Warner Archive.


While made a few years after his breakthrough role in Frankenstein (1931), there are few similarities to that landmark picture and this one. Karloff is brought back from the dead by a mad scientist first and foremost, and also his one eye has a heavy lid just like that of the iconic Universal Monster. Whilst totally different films on the whole, the similarity in raising the dead can't be ignored in this thrilling and interesting piece that is beautifully photographed and has really held up well.


The Walking Dead also stars Marguerite Churchill, Edmund Gwenn, Ricardo Cortez, Warren Hull, and Joe King.


When John Elman (Karloff) is framed, condemned, and given the electric chair, doctors find a way to bring him back to life. When John comes to initially, he seems a bit empty until he sees a piano, and miraculously plays it without a missing a beat. After that his memories start to come back however he soon encounters the corrupt men who framed him for murder, seeking revenge with a menacing stare and look of determination and evil in his eyes...


Special Features: 2 Feature Length Audio Commentary Tracks with Film Historians Greg Mank and Alan K. Rode


Documentary Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of


Classic Cartoons: The Cat Comes Back and Let it Be Me


and an Original Theatrical Trailer.


The Walking Dead is Boris Karloff in top form and this Warner Archive release is fantastic and should not be missed.



Now for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.85 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on Plan 4K is just narrowly the nest performer here visually with some good color, detail and depth, though Raimi and company make it a little dark to fit the themes and genre. The film comes with two sound mixes: DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and slightly lesser 2.0 Stereo lossless sound and the 5.1 is a bit better, but the 2.0 is not awful. I can still see why there was not further upgrade to DTS: X or Dolby Atmos, but it is fine enough and as good as the film will ever sound and probably ever look.


The Return of Doctor X is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a full frame aspect ratio of 1.37:1 and an audio mix in lossless English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) restored from the original optical monophonic soundmaster. The black and white film transfer has been sourced from a new 4K transfer from the original camera negative and runs a smooth presentation throughout and certainly an improvement over previous releases.


The Walking Dead is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a full frame aspect ratio of 1.37:1 and an audio mix in lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) sound. The black and white film has been sourced from a new 4K transfer from the original camera negative and looks and sounds pretty solid throughout, however there are a few moments where the edits skip over a line or two which tells me that there was some missing material from the master that was sourced. No major plot elements are missed, however, and the presentation is as good as expected for a film of its age and obscurity.


To order The Return Of Doctor X and/or Walking Dead (1936) Warner Archive Blu-rays, go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases at:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20



- Nicholas Sheffo (4K) and James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/



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