www.andyfilm.com
Message Board (open 24 hours!)
Twitter - @andredursin (for everything else!)
Guiseppe Tornatore’s ENNIO (156 mins., 2021; Music Box) has at last reached the shores of the U.S. after having been released elsewhere around the world over the last couple of years. So what took this terrific documentary so long to find a U.S. distributor? One wonders, since Morricone’s legacy – a list of literally hundreds of movie soundtracks and concert works, plus a massive influence on both Italian and worldwide pop music that came before them – spans decades of popular film scores, some of which transcended the cinematic creations they originally accompanied.
 Tornatore, whose own films were adorned by several of Morricone’s richest scores from late in his career (“Cinema Paradiso,” “The Legend of 1900”), spins a predictably structured but anecdote-rich look through Morricone’s life and times here, much of it told by the maestro – who passed away in 2020, before this film was shown – himself. It covers Morricone’s upbringing and family background, plus his uncertain navigation through classical/academic music circles, where he seldom received the recognition of his peers. At RCA in Italy, Morricone found his footing with arranging and conducting hit singles for a variety of pop artists, putting his own unique stamp on tunes that, at the time, ordinarily wouldn’t have been ornamented.
From there come an endless array of classic films and collaborations (many multi-film ones at that) with Sergio Leone and other masters of Italian cinema, including the Taviani brothers and Bernando Bertolucci. Clips from the expected spaghetti westerns, “1900” and “The Sicilian Clan” are included, along with his increasing amount of work scoring international and American films: Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven,” Roland Joffe’s “The Mission,” Brian DePalma’s “The Untouchables” and Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” are all on specific display, showcasing the breadth of Morricone’s success across multiple decades and filmmaking eras.
Along the way we hear glowing testimonials and tributes from his co-workers and associates – John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Quincy Jones among those – plus musicians like Bruce Springsteen and Pat Metheny. Some of his filmmaking collaborators are here also: Joffe and Bertolucci most notably, and some more than others (Barry Levinson is a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it appearance, and DePalma is completely absent).
What’s most compelling about this documentary is how Morricone was stung by the lack of respect both from his peers early and, later on, the Academy. This is best summed up in “The Mission”’s inexplicable Oscar loss to “Round Midnight,” a Herbie Hancock “score” mostly comprised of pre-existing jazz standards. Yet, we all know how things went down for some of our favorite composers back in the ‘80s via regrettable decisions like that – something later rectified by Morricone receiving a well-deserved lifetime achievement Oscar (plus what felt like a “make-up” win for “The Hateful Eight” itself).
Tornatore’s documentary is light on personal details and focuses on Morricone’s professionalism and lifetime in music. Many of the stories may have been recounted before, but never from the composer himself in this type of manner. Meanwhile, a few anecdotes do pop up that are fascinating for soundtrack buffs – Morricone explaining how his score for Dino DeLaurentiis’ production of “The Bible” had to be cut short due to label RCA’s contractual protestations; the composer later departing Franco Zeffirelli’s “Endless Love” because he refused to work with a Lionel Richie-written title song (Morricone says he later used its discarded theme in his glorious soundtrack for Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in America”).
Lengthy and leisurely but never dull, “Ennio” debuts this week on DVD from Music Box (16:9, 5.1) and later in July on Blu-Ray (2.39, 5.1 DTS MA). Both discs include a subtitled Italian audio track with a Tornatore interview; behind-the-scenes of “Ennio’s Office Concert”; extra scene “The Democracy of Sound”; and the trailer. Highly recommended!
 Cinematographe’s latest Blu-Ray limited edition offers a remaster of one of Abel Ferrara’s strangest films (which, really, says quite a bit): DANGEROUS GAME (108 mins., 1993, R). This look at indie filmmaking and seriously dysfunctional relationships offers Ferrara regular Harvey Keitel as “Eddie Israel,” a New York filmmaker who heads to Los Angeles to shoot his new movie alongside its stars: Madonna and James Russo, essaying a squabbling pair whose friction spills over into reality when Keitel’s wife shows up just as Eddie’s own behavior spirals out of control.
“Dangerous Game” was not well received at the time of its release but it’s certainly more alive than Madonna’s more maligned earlier feature, “Body of Evidence,” which every once in a while this movie gets mixed up with. Ferrara’s film, which co-stars his own wife, Nancy, as Keitel’s spouse, offers an interesting movie-within-a-movie format along with some bombastic performances, especially Russo, and a Nicholas St. John script that seems like it’s presenting a psychological drama being channeled through the hysterical prism of “Jerry Springer” or any number of other, combative ‘90s TV talk shows.
A movie mostly for Ferrara devotees, “Dangerous Game” was produced by Mario and Vittorio Cecchi Gori and released in the U.S. by United Artists. Cinematographe’s Blu-Ray is derived from the uncut 35mm camera negative (1.85, 2.0 DTS MA stereo), preserving Ferrara’s original version. Extras include a brand new interview with Ferrarra, conversations with his wife Nancy, composer Joe Delia, actor James Russo, and editor Anthony Redman. There’s also a commentary with Chris O’Neill and Bill Ackerman, plus a video essay from Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, the trailer, and essays by Samm Deighan, Peter Labuza and Carlos Valladares.
 A movie Siskel & Ebert championed back in the late ‘80s when it was finally shown to the public, THE PLOT AGAINST HARRY (81 mins., 1970) premieres on Blu-Ray in a remastered presentation by The Film Desk.
Michael Roemer’s movie follows a Jewish numbers runner (Martin Priest) through various comic entanglements – in a stark, B&W shot New York City – in a film that the director shelved after rough test screenings. Resurrected on the festival circuit in the late ‘80s, the movie was showered with widespread critical acclaim, yet has again taken another couple of decades to hit Blu-Ray. The Film Desk’s special edition includes a 2023 interview with Roemer; a 2005 interview between Roemer and Robert M. Young; a 1990 audio interview with Roemer, after the movie was finally resurrected; and a 32-page booklet with critical writing, photographs and more (1.85, mono).
ROADKILL Blu-Ray (85 mins., 1989; Canadian International Pictures): Gritty road trip movie about a musician (Valerie Buhagiar) who travels from Toronto to Northern Ontario in order to find out, at the behest of her promoter/boss, what happened to a rock band named Children of Paradise. Shot in B&W, director Bruce McDonald’s movie – which even includes a Joey Ramone cameo – was the first in a trilogy of Canadian indie pictures, and one that ushered in the “Toronto New Wave” of the late ‘80s. Remastered in 4K from a 35mm fine-grain master positive (1.37, 2.0 stereo), “Roadkill” offers a number of special features, as is traditionally the case with CIP: a new commentary with historian/critics Paul Corupe and Jason Pichonsky; an archival commentary with co-star Don McKellar (playing a would-be serial killer) and producer Colin Brunton; new interviews with McKellar, Buhagair, Brunton, and cinematographer Miroslaw Baszak, plus a 2018 interview with Bruce McDonald. There’s also a 2006 documentary on the picture’s production and the trailer.
 Drama, Indies & Foreign Fare
Film Movement New Releases: L’Important C’est d’Aimer… Blu-Ray (113 mins., 1975; Film Movement): Romy Schneider plays an actress on the back nine with Fabio Testi as a low-grade photographer who soon bankrolls her “Richard III” production, complete with Klaus Kinski as her co-star. Andrzej Zulawski’s film offers a Georges Delereue score and an alternate English version in Film Movement’s Blu-Ray (1.66, mono) plus booklet notes from Kat Ellinger…Also new from Film Movement is Zhang Yimou’s SHANGHAI TRIAD (108 mins., 1995), a drama set in 1930s Shanghai with a strong performance from Gong Li. Film Movement’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 2.0 Mandarin with English subtitles) offers a video essay from author Grady Hendrix and booklet notes.
Film Movement’s KAMIKAZE ‘89 (106 mins., 1989) offers director Rainer Werner Fassbinder in his final acting peformance, playing a dogged police detective looking for a potential terrorist in a weird, quasi-Cyberpunk styled future. Edgar Froese from Tangerine Dream scored this offbeat film from director Regina Zeigler, preserved here in a new 4K restoration (1.66, 2.0 stereo) by Film Movement. Extras include a commentary by Zeigler, radio spots, critic essays, and “Fassbinder: The Last Year” documentary by Wolf Gremm.
 BEIJING WATERMELON Blu-Ray (135 mins., 1989; Kani): Director Nubo Obayashi takes a look at the relationship between the Japanese and Chinese circa the late 1980s in this acclaimed drama following a Japanese grocer who lowers his prices so a Chinese exchange student (and – soon – his classmates) can afford them. A new 2K restoration (1.85, 2.0 stereo) marks “Beijing Watermelon”’s Blu-Ray debut with trailers and an interview with Chigumi Obayashi included on the supplemental side.
SIX IN PARIS Blu-Ray (96 mins., 1965; Icarus Films): Barbet Schroeder was just a young, aspiring producer back in the mid ‘60s when he handed a 16mm camera to French new wave luminaries Eric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Godard, and Claude Chabrol, plus Jean-Daniel Pollet, Jean Rouch and Jean Douchet. The result was this short film compilation that debuts on Blu-Ray from Icarus with a 1080p (1.33) transfer, in French with English subtitles. The color transfer is a 2K remaster with bonus interviews on-hand with Schroeder, Rouch and Rohmer, culled from a RTS Television broadcast back in 1965.
Dekanalog’s newest releases include STREETWISE (93 mins., 2021), a crime thriller from Hong Kong about a young debt collector hoping for better than the crooked lifestyle he’s experienced in the Sichuan city of Zhenwu. Flavorful atmosphere dominates “Streetwise,” new on Blu-Ray from Dekanalog sporting an interview with Na Jiazuo, the trailer, booklet notes, a 1080p (2:1) transfer and 5.1 Mandarin audio with English subtitles…Also from Dekanalog, TRAMPS! (104 mins., 2022) looks at the “new Romantics,” the players in London who started a cultural movement. Appearances from Boy George, Derek Jarman, The Six Pistols and more are all on-hand in director Kevin Hegge’s doc, on Blu with commentary, extended interviews and more (1.78, 5.1 DTS MA).
 MISTER LONELY Blu-Ray (112 mins., 2007; IFC Films): Harmony Korine’s 2007 film takes a Michael Jackson impersonator and sends him to the Scottish Highlands along with a number of other celebrity lookalikes in the director’s 2007 film. Debuting on Blu-Ray, the disc features a 1080p (2.35) transfer, 5.1 DTS MA audio, commentary by podcaster Jay Cheel, a video essay by Samm Deighan, a Making Of featurette and 40 minutes of deleted scenes.
THE SWEET EAST Blu-Ray (104 mins., 2023; Utopia): Director Sean Price Williams and writer Nick Pinkerton put a black comic spin on the road trip movie, with Talia Ryder as a high school senior who heads to Washington and ends up embarking on her own tour of the “real” America. Williams, Pinkerton and editor Stephem Gurewitz provide a commentary on Utopia’s Blu-Ray (1.78, 5.1) with ample extras (behind the scenes production diary, Cannes premiere photo gallery, festival Q&A) all on-hand.
WITH LOVE AND A MAJOR ORGAN Blu-Ray (92 mins., 2022; Collective): Anna Maguire plays a lonely “virtual insurance broker” who decides to literally give her heart to the stoic Hazma Haq in director Kim Albright’s unusual character drama. Collective’s Blu-Ray (1.78, 5.1/2.0) includes an abundance of supplements, including multiple director interviews, cast conversations, two commentaries with the cast/crew, a blooper reel, and more.
Factory 25 presents VACATION! (90 mins., 2019), an oddity from director Zach Clark about a fun trip to the shore for several female college grads that takes a turn after they ingest a dirty drug from a local surfer. Clark’s commentary is included alongside deleted scenes and a 16-page booklet (plus the “miracle Bowel Cleanse” commercial!) in Factory 25’s Blu-Ray (1.78, 2.0).
 Homegrown Horrors!
Shudder New Releases: BROOKLYN 45 Blu-Ray (93 mins., 2023): Ted Geoghegan’s offbeat period piece finds a quartet of WWII vets gathering after the war where supernatural occurrences follow a séance that they hold – one that brings back some very real horrors they have to relive along with them. Shot in real-time “Brooklyn 45” is a controlled and well-directed piece Shudder debuts on Blu-Ray (2.35, 5.1 DTS MA). Extras include Geoghegan’s commentary, a half-hour Making Of, production notes, and a B&W version.
Rob Jabbaz’s gross, nihilistic Taiwanese zombie flick THE SADNESS (99 mins., 2021) gets a full 4K UHD release from Shudder. This tale of a virus that mutates after worldwide contagion, causing its victims to engage in any number of horrific acts, “The Sadness” is definitely not for everyone, with no limits on gooey make-up or rather depraved acts (torture, rape, etc.) depicted in Jabbaz’s film. The 4K UHD from Shudder sports HDR10 (2:1) and 5.1 DTS MA sound plus extras including a new commentary with the director and composers Tzechar; another new commentary with critic Simon Abrams; four featurettes; a video essay by Samm Deghan; a pair of Jabbaz shorts and a virtual interview with the director; a 32-page booklet and other goodies.
Yellow Veil Pictures New Releases: Locran Finnegan’s debut film WITHOUT NAME (93 mins., 2016) premieres on Blu-Ray in a features-packed special edition from Yellow Veil. Included are an intro from the director; deleted scenes; storyboards; behind-the-scenes footage trailers; the short “Foxes”; and commentary from Finnegan along with Garret Shanley and Alan MacKenna (2.35, 5.1)…Coming later in July, TO THE MOON (82 mins., 2021) finds a young couple’s weekend retreat to reset themselves thrown off by his brother’s sudden reappearance. Commentary with Scott Friend and Will Brill is included plus a featurette, 1080p (1.66) transfer and 2.0 DTS MA sound.
 More horror is on-tap in Darkstar’s release of H.P. LOVECRAFT’S THE OLD ONES (84 mins., 2023), a low-budget indie effort from writer-producer-director Chad Ferrin, following an old cult member who attempts to go back in time and stop the Estoeric Order of Dagon from destroying the world. Commentary, featurettes, and ample extra features are included in Darkstar’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 5.1)…Darkstar also has lined up BOTTOM FEEDERS (80 mins., 2024), Vincent D’Alessandro’s new film about a young man trying to leave his rural Pennsylvania home – and his troubled father – behind. Audition tapes, an original score track, four other D’Alessandro shorts, and a featurette are included in Darkstar’s Blu-Ray (2:1, 5.1 DTS MA).
From Down Under comes Kendal Flanagan and Ollie Martin’s HOUSEBOAT HORROR (85 mins., 1989; Umbrella), banned in Queensland and dominated by wacky humor and low-budget indie splatter thrills – plus the villainous Acid Head, who takes his revenge out on a lake-bound shoot of a music video. Umbrella’s customary special features are in abundance here, from commentary to a 30th Anniversary Q&A, loads of interviews, and Martin’s doc on Australian stunt men among them (1.33, 2.0 mono).
More depravity is on-hand in FEED ME (96 mins., 2022; XYZ), the story of a man, depressed after his wife’s death, who ends up being talked into taking his own life by a friendly neighborhood cannibal. Weird stuff with Adam Leader and co-director Richard Oakes’ 2022 picture making its way to Blu-Ray (2.39, 5.1 DTS MA) sporting two commentaries, three 2022 Beyond Fest reels, featurettes, and music video.
 Documentary & Special Interest
SLOPE’S GAME ROOM: CULT MOVIES, SHOWS & CLASSIC COMICS Blu-Ray (4 hours, 2018/24): Compilation of shows from the Youtube Channel “Slope’s Game Room” spotlights a look at horror franchises The Evil Dead, Saw, and Friday the 13th; comics including Steve Gerber’s Howard the Duck, The Mask and Scott Pilgrim; and comic mash-ups like Robocop Vs. Terminator and Alien Vs. Predator. Some episodes have been extended for this package while the world’s first Blu-Ray 3D maze game, appropriately titled “Slope’s Maze Game,” have been included on the supplemental side alongside commentaries, easter eggs and more.
RAT FILM Blu-Ray (82 mins., 2016; Memory): The history of Baltimore is relayed through a look at rats in this eclectic 2016 film from editor/photographer/director Theo Anthony. A broadcast cut, trailer, look at the score, test reel, and additional special features are all included in Memory’s Blu-Ray (5.1 DTS MA, 1.85).
THE ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENTARY PROJECT Blu-Ray (86 mins., 2008-10; ETA Media): Fans of “Arrested Development” might enjoy Jeff Smith’s behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the series and its subsequent production. Included are conversations with creator Mitch Hurwitz plus Ron Howard, Will Arnett, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor and others; ETA’s Blu-Ray (1.78) includes a commentary and the trailer.
 Well Go USA New Releases
Jim Cummings and Jocelin Donahue top line THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY (91 mins., 2024, R), Francis Galluppi’s contemporary noir set at an Arizona rest stop, where a knife salesman is stranded along with two bank robbers in a claustrophobic, ensemble-driven thriller. Well Go’s Blu-Ray features DTS MA 5.1 sound, a commentary with Galluppi, Cummings and Donahue, executive producer James Claeys, and DP Mac Frisken, plus a Making Of and the trailer.
Coming July 30th from Well Go, STING (91 mins., 2024, R) is a creepy thriller from writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner. Alyla Browne plays a 12-year-old, living with her mother, stepfather and young baby brother, who finds a mysterious spider that she raises as a pet – at least until it begins to mutate into something much larger than normal. “Sting” manages some decent if formula scares but the conviction of the performances sets it apart from the typical low-budget genre offering. Well Go’s Blu-Ray includes a 1080p transfer, 5.1 DTS MA audio, the trailer, and a behind-the-scenes featurette with cast/crew interviews and a look at the monster’s creation.
The Korean sci-fi adventure ALIENOID: RETURN TO THE FUTURE (123 mins., 2023) is a sequel that follows the adventures of a mage and a modern woman teaming up to save the world from an alien villain trying to take over the world. If you watched the first “Alienoid” (which Well Go released on disc a couple of years ago), you’ll want to check out this follow-up, out July 30th from the label (1080p, 5.1 DTS MA) featuring both Korean audio and an English dubbed track. Extras include a Making Of and a couple of different trailers.
NEXT TIME: The latest releases! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Have a great 4th of July everyone! Cheers!
| 
