XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE -- Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Review by Porfle

 (Originally posted May 17, 2017)

Whatever you may think about Vin Diesel's brand new chapter in the "XXX" series, XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE (2016), it does serve a vital purpose. 

Namely, to give my DVDs of all those cool hardcore action flicks from the 80s and 90s a breather.  You know, back when they knew how to make kickass, uncomplicated, manly action epics that delivered the goods without taking themselves too seriously.

That's exactly what this--what's that word--"high octane" blast of damn-near nonstop action does from the very first minutes when Vin's Xander Cage character, whom we thought was dead but merely faked his death, starts out doing something wildly unbelievable which we know the movie's going to have to top.  And which it most definitely will, repeatedly.

 

With Xander's former boss Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) currently indisposed, it falls to icily efficient intelligence exec Jane Marke (Toni Collette, THE DEAD GIRL, THE SIXTH SENSE) to recruit the reluctant ex-agent to help stop a plot in which a stolen remote control device called "Pandora's Box" is sending satellites crashing into cities with devastating effect. 

Eschewing the brawny military types assigned to him in the most exquisitely dismissive manner imaginable, Xander gathers his own team of badasses, each with his or her own special skills.  They'll need them, too, because they're going up against an equally insane group of adversaries which includes the likes of both Tony Jaa (the ONG BOK series) and team leader Donnie Yen (KILL ZONE, IP MAN). 

Needless to say, this paves the way for some of the most intense, mind-blowing action sequences in years, with excellent fight and stunt choreography, and direction  (by D.J. Caruso, THE DISAPPOINTMENTS ROOM, DISTURBIA) and editing that make things snap without using too much Shaky-cam or incomprehensibly quick cuts. 

 

The plot, which manages a few interesting surprises here and there, moves briskly along with few slow spots and a pleasant balance between "serious" and "comedy."  Vin, of course, is an old hand at this sort of thing and, knowing a good thing when he's in it, makes the most of this chance to be the ultimate Mr. Cool once again.

This means we might as well go into it knowing that (a) Xander is going to be unbelievably, superhumanly cool and able to do anything, including jumping out of a doomed airplane without a parachute, and (b) the situations and dialogue are going to be totally over-the-top and, at times, a little bit dumb.  But you know what?  Sometimes dumb is fun, and vice versa.

So okay, XXX is the toughest, the most badass, the most virile (he plows his way through a whole group of sex-starved babes and leaves them all slumbering contentedly in the morning), the most insanely resourceful S.O.B. when the chips are down--basically, the most everything. 

 

What makes this acceptable is the fact that the film knows it's over-the-top and even kind of silly, which it totally works like crazy because, in addition to being a straight action movie, it's also basically a giddy-fun, spoofy exaggeration of straight action movies. 

I'm sure some less enthusiastic viewers will be glad to point out all the ways in which this movie is unforgivably dumb.  As for me, I love the gritty, highly improbable action, the rogue's gallery of fascinating characters (played by a terrific international cast), the dazzling fight choreography, the amazing stunts, the Bond-level gadgets, and the cool special effects (including, fittingly enough, some "iffy" wirework). 

Mostly, I like XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE because it's just plain fun, and will make a worthy addition to my roster of "go-to" old-school action flicks.

-----------



Tech Specs 
 
This Paramount feature comes in a combo pack with Blu-ray and DVD discs along with a code to download a digital HD copy.  The Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD compatible), French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. 

The DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Bonuses on the Blu-ray consist of the featurettes "Third Time’s the Charm: Xander Returns", "Rebels, Tyrants & Ghosts: The Cast", "Opening Pandora’s Box: On Location", "I Live for This Sh#t!: Stunts", and a gag reel. The DVD contains the feature film in standard definition.

Street Date:            May 2, 2017 (Digital HD)
May 16, 2017 (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD)   
U.S. Rating:       PG-13 for extended sequences of gunplay and violent action, and for sexual material and language
Canadian Rating:    14A violence, language may offend

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XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE -- Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Review by Porfle

SHIN GODZILLA -- Movie Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 10/8/16

 

I never was a huge kaiju fan, but I always thought GODZILLA and other Japanese monster movies from Toho Studios were pretty cool when I was a kid.  I remember titles like KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, RODAN, and DESTROY ALL MONSTERS showing at my local theater when they were new and the place being packed with happy, excited kids (we really loved our monster movies back then!) I rarely missed these and other such films as MOTHRA and GAMMERA on television as well.

I did pretty much miss out on the middle period in Japanese monster movie history, namely the updated stuff from the 80s and beyond.  I had the misfortune of seeing the Roland Emmerich/Dean Devlin GODZILLA remake in 1998, the less said about which the better except that it was, in two words, horribly ill-conceived. 

With that in mind, I must say that I found Toho's latest 2016 remake, SHIN GODZILLA (or "Godzilla Resurgence"), to be a welcome throwback to those old-fashioned kaiju epics of my childhood which I recall most fondly.

 

For one thing, even though the giant green lizard is purely a modern-day CGI creation, he's designed to resemble the man-in-a-monster-suit Godzilla of old.  I find this both delightfully nostalgic and somehow just plain right.  He sounds the same too, and his appearance is usually heralded by the familiar strains of his original theme music. 

What I found intriguingly different this time around is that the beast is in a state of accelerated evolutionary flux.  When we first see him, he's a purely amphibious fish-eyed creature--sort of a cross between a turtle and a seahorse--whose intense body heat causes a steam cloud to erupt in Tokyo Harbor and inflict extreme tsunami-style damage on the coastline.  After it makes its way out of the water, it morphs into a being that can exist on land. 

After its initial rampage and a brief return to the sea for its final stage of evolution, the monster returns fully transformed (more or less) into the Godzilla we've always known and loved.  At this point the movie kicks into high gear with scenes of devastation that are absolutely breathtaking and, this time, completely convincing.  (No more cardboard buildings and flimsy pagodas with wind-up toy military vehicles skittering around, as endearing as they were.)

 

In his third of three major appearances, Godzilla lets loose all of his radioactive fury with both heat breath and photon beams from his tail and dorsal fins that slice right through buildings and blow military craft out of the sky. 

There's one sequence in particular in which several skyscrapers surrounding Godzilla are detonated and brought down upon him all at once, resulting in a scene so utterly catastrophic yet realistically rendered that I found it strangely exhilarating.  If you have a sweet tooth for scenes of full-scale destruction, this movie should satisfy it and then some.

That said, SHIN GODZILLA resembles the Godzilla movies of old in another, less positive way--it's often incredibly boring.  Remember all those long, talky scenes they'd always put between the monster action to pad out the movie?  This one has those in abundance, and they're talkier than ever. 

Much of the talk consists of a lot of overwrought political and scientific chatter spouted by an endless succession of uninteresting and resolutely unmemorable characters.  The only two who make any sort of lasting impression are young Mr. Yaguchi (Hiroki Hasegawa), who assembles a crack team of geniuses to figure out how to neutralize the radioactive beast before it has to be nuked along with the rest of Tokyo, and Miss Patterson (Satomi Ishihara), a winsome, headstrong Japanese-American woman acting as liason for the American President.

But even these two characters are too busy yakking about boring stuff (Mr. Yaguchi seems particularly stiff-necked) to develop much interesting character interaction, and the rest of the old fogies do nothing but sit at long tables endlessly gnawing on all the political knots with an almost comical nationalistic fervor.

These scenes with all their rapid-fire exposition really are a calcified bore despite attempts by co-directors Hideaki Anno (EVANGELION) and Shinji Higuchi to make things interesting by keeping the camera moving a lot. 

The only time the non-Godzilla scenes liven up is when the monster's approach throws all of the earlier formality into utter chaos during the mad scramble to evacuate in time.  Some suspense is also generated late in the film with the impending decision whether or not to use nukes as the Americans (natch) and UN are urging the Japanese to do. 

But all of this is forgotten during the three major monster sequences in the film, the third of which begins with 15-20 minutes of the 120-minute running time left and features some of the film's most amazing SPFX including several explosive-laden commuter trains crashing into Godzilla, a missile attack involving jet planes and ground-based vehicles, and a nail-biting attempt by Yaguchi's team to defeat the beast via their own highly unorthodox scientific methods. 

After the dust has settled over Tokyo, SHIN GODZILLA emerges as both a modern update and a welcome throwback.  Just like the old Godzilla movies, it's boring as hell between the monster stuff.  But when Godzilla starts stomping his way through downtown Tokyo as millions of terrified civilians flee for their lives, with the added benefit of today's state-of-the-art effects making the massive devastation all the more perversely thrilling, it makes me feel like a little Monster Kid again.


Our previous coverage of the film

SHIN GODZILLA -- Movie Review by Porfle

GHOST IN THE SHELL 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 9/27/14

 

Visually stunning and thematically complex, 1995's intensely cinematic GHOST IN THE SHELL (Anchor Bay, 25th Anniversary Edition) is the kind of dazzling, "hard" sci-fi that doesn't hit the screen very often, and when it does it's often in the form of anime.

While obviously influenced by such films as BLADE RUNNER and that other anime classic AKIRA, GHOST has its own style and ambience that are often mesmerizing. After a pre-titles action sequence that's like something out of a futuristic Bond movie, the main titles show our young heroine, Major Motoko Kusanagi, during the laboratory creation of her cybernetic body in a womblike pool of chemicals.

She then rises naked from it as a sort of placental crust cracks off her body, while Kenji Kawai's ethereal musical score begins to weave its web. And thus we're given a preview of the mind-expanding artistic potential the film will go on to almost effortlessly fulfill.

As with a lot of serious anime, the overly-complicated and sometimes hard to follow plot is mainly a springboard for wildly imaginative, often impressionistic flights of artistic fancy along with some thought-provoking ideas. Set in 2029, the story concerns two secret government agencies whose conflicting agendas will clash in potentially devastating ways.

Major Kusanagi of the Internal Bureau of Investigations is tasked to track down a mysterious villain known as the Puppet Master, a kind of sentient computer virus who can infiltrate the mind of any human whose cyber-enhanced brain is hooked into the system, taking over their will and giving them false memories.

Major Kusanagi is aided in her mission by a hulking, gray-haired mentor named Batou and brawny but easygoing Togusa, who all take part in a frentic chase scene early on which explores just how imaginatively this medium can be used in depicting bullet-riddled vehicular mayhem with the power to thrill in ways that live-action films rarely can. (THE MATRIX and THE FIFTH ELEMENT, on which this film is a distinct influence, come close.)

As the secrets behind the Puppet Master unfold (which I can't reveal without spoiling some of the film's most compelling surprises), GHOST IN THE SHELL offers a seemingly endless procession of eye-pleasing and mind-expanding sci-fi sights, sounds, and concepts. Every once in a while, there's a montage of images that the viewer gets lost in, or a deep, intimate conversation about mortality that can only be engaged in by a couple of cyborgs whose consciousness resides within cybernetic brains.

Kusanagi is particularly contemplative regarding identity since both her body and brain are almost entirely synthetic. Is she even human at all anymore? And since she's connected to the 'net like any other computer, her mind is vulnerable to being hacked by the Puppet Master at any time--if it hasn't been already.

How does she know her memories are real, or that what's she is experiencing at present is really happening? Her potential invasion and subjugation by an unseen force is one of the film's major dramatic concerns, which will eventually lead to an ending which, while somewhat unexpectedly low-key, is intellectually stimulating to say the least.

Directed by Mamoru Oshii (AVALON, ASSAULT GIRLS), the visuals are the work of animators from Production I.G. (BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, KAIDOHMARU, KILL BILL). The story is based upon Masamune Shirow's original manga. While I usually prefer straight cel animation to a cel-CGI mixture, the digital stuff is used sparingly--mainly for computer readouts and such--and the overall effect is just so eye-pleasing and finely-rendered that it's visually irresistible.

The Blu-ray disc from Anchor Bay and Starz is in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 English and 2.0 Japanese audio and English subtitles. The disc is barebones with no bonus features. The disc case contains an illustrated booklet with a Mamoru Oshii interview and two essays, "The World of Ghost in the Shell" and "The Impact of Ghost in the Shell."

Not a children's "cartoon" by any means (it, as they say, "contains violence, nudity, and adult themes"), GHOST IN THE SHELL lavishes the viewer with moments of beauty and contemplation which explore the emotional limits of animation while also generating explosive, edge-of-your-seat action. Like all really good science-fiction, it's both visceral and sublime.

GHOST IN THE SHELL 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

GHOST IN THE SHELL -- Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Review by Porfle

Originally posted in 2017

 

Futuristic sci-fi thrillers such as 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, BLADE RUNNER, and the more recent THE FIFTH ELEMENT used to amaze and astound us with their eye-popping visuals and stunning practical effects. Nowadays, such fare is so overloaded with CGI-generated artificial wonders jam-packed into every frame that we tend to get numbed by it all. 

GHOST IN THE SHELL (2017)--a live-action adaptation of the original manga by way of the excellent 1995 animated version--starts out that way, cluttered with too many whiz-bang visuals that don't always seem to exist in the real world, with the ever-present advertising motif of BLADE RUNNER taken to new extremes and a sort of architectural imagination gone mad.

As the film progresses, however, we settle in and adapt to this frenetic, plastic vision of the future, mainly because the theme of the story is technology gone too far--people becoming willing cyborgs for vanity and convenience and all connected body and mind to a central core--and the main characters are meant to feel alienated by it as well. 

Our heroine, Major Mira Killian (Scarlett Johansson) of the anti-terrorist group Section 9, is especially attuned to such feelings, being that she is the first successful fusion of a human brain with an entirely robotic body (i.e., a "ghost in the shell") and thus constantly conflicted as to how much of her humanity remains and what percent of her is pure machine connected to the company mainframe. 

Her inner conflict is heightened when her group's newest nemesis is a cyber-criminal named Kuze who can hack into any system including all cyborgs--meaning just about everybody to one degree or another--and service robots. 

His goal is revenge, which he wreaks to the extreme in some explosive action setpieces.  But exactly why remains a mystery until Mira and her team manage to fight their way right into his sinister clutches and discover the truth behind not only Kuze but their own organization.

Scarlett Johansson strikes the right balance between robotic demeanor and inner conflict, which she underplays until it's time to delve headlong into her action scenes.  These lack the angular inventiveness and quirky choreography of, say, THE MATRIX, but are still packed with satisfying excitement in their own way, replete with gunplay and hand-to-hand combat with sci-fi elements such as invisibility and advanced weaponry. 

"Beat" Takeshi Kitano (BATTLE ROYALE, VIOLENT COP) lends his considerable presence as Mira's boss, Aramaki, as does Juliette Binoche--who will always be Catherine Earnshaw of 1992's WUTHERING HEIGHTS to me--as Dr. Ouelet, the head scientist who created Mira and regards her as a daughter.  Pilou Asbæk is also good as Mira's partner Batou, a gruff, bearlike agent who's just a regular guy beneath it all. 

Mira's quest to find herself, to uncover suppressed memories of her former life and get to the truth of why and how she was created, eventually takes GHOST IN THE SHELL to a place that's both powerful and tragic, lending emotional depth to its final chaotic showdown between good and evil (traits which will shift their meaning considerably before it's over). 

The 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD set from Paramount is in 1080p high definition (DVD is widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs) with Dolby 5.1 stereo and subtitles in multiple languages.  The DVD contains the feature film only.  The Blu-ray disc contains the feature plus three bonus behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Visually and emotionally compelling, the live-action GHOST IN THE SHELL never quite reaches the sublime beauty of its animated predecessor but tries its damndest to do so.  In this, it succeeds in being a lively, thought-provoking, and often dazzling entry in the dystopian-future sci-fi genre which fans won't want to miss.


Street Date:      July 7, 2017 (Digital HD) July 25, 2017 (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD) 
U.S. Rating:    PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, suggestive content and some disturbing images
Canadian Rating: PG, not recommended for young children, violence


Read our original coverage

GHOST IN THE SHELL -- Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Review by Porfle

PRIME SUSPECT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 9/07/10

 

Sometimes a TV series comes along which transcends the "cop show" genre, and in fact just about anything else you could classify it as, reaching a level of excellence that makes it more of a life experience than a simple entertainment.  "Prime Suspect" with Helen Mirren is just such a show.  Like a glutton wolfing down a seven-course meal, I went through Acorn Media's PRIME SUSPECT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION with voracious speed while not wanting it to end.

Mirren's "Jane Tennison" is a fascinating, complex character whom we follow from her early days as a Detective Chief Inspector for London's Metropolitan Police, through her promotion to Detective Superintendent in charge of multiple units, and finally to her final turbulent days on the force.  Brilliant and strong-willed, Tennison is also subject to various foibles and human weaknesses that complicate both her personal and professional lives.  Often she wonders if she's chosen the right path, especially when plagued by loneliness, self-doubt, and regret. 

Series 1, which debuted in 1991 and consists of two feature-length parts, finds Tennison knee-deep in sexist resentment and derision while heading her first major murder investigation.  Scripter Lynda La Plante based much of the character's difficulty in winning over her skeptical male team members on the real-life experiences of technical advisor Jackie Malton, one of the first female DCIs, and the dramatic tension never fails to ring true.  Only after proving herself worthy does Tennison begin to gradually gain the respect of her male colleagues.

This story sets the dark, gritty tone for the series and raises the bar for all the other forensics-based cop shows to follow.  Character conflicts crackle with tension, as when Tennison butts heads with patronizing superiors who hamper her efforts or old-school detectives such as DS Bill Otley (Tom Bell).  The pressure of trying to track down a brutal serial killer devastates her home life with both her live-in fiance' (Tom Wilkinson) and her immediate family.  Time after time Tennison is forced to question her decision to sacrifice everything for her career. 

The camera stays close to the actors' faces and keeps up right in the middle of things at all times.  Without the usual quick editing, throbbing music, or adrenaline-charged action, the sober and languidly-paced story is given plenty of room to stretch out and develop its dramatic potential to the fullest.  Just when you think the plot is headed for the most likely conclusion, the script explores unexpected avenues that are consistently surprising and often shocking. 

Series 2 is another two-parter with racial overtones stemming from the discovery of a body buried in the garden of a house in a neighborhood filled with Jamaican immigrants.  Colin Salmon ("Tanner" of the Brosnan 007 films) guest stars as a black detective placed on Tennison's team after an unfortunate sexual encounter between the two.  Tensions rise when a teenage boy held in custody commits suicide in his cell and Tennison is blamed. 

Series 3 delves into the world of child prostitution with the murder of a "rent boy" and charges of long-term sexual abuse by a trusted social services director (Ciaran Hinds).  Tom Bell returns as Otley, and Jonny Lee Miller guests as one of the young victims.  Series 4 consists of three shorter episodes, and while the first two are more conventional stories that lack the depth of the previous shows, the third, "Scent of Darkness", is one of the series' finest.  Here, a new rash of serial murders similar to those in the first episode raise the question of whether or not Tennison may have imprisoned the wrong man in the original investigation. 

Series 5, "Errors of Judgment", finds Tennison locking horns with a cocky young drug dealer who rules the streets through terror and may have a powerful ally on the police force.  Of particular interest here is her prickly relationship with a new team dubious of her abilities, including a nice turn by David O'Hara (BRAVEHEART) as a seemingly slow-witted detective who turns out to be smarter than he looks.
 


After a six-year production gap (1997-2003), Series 6 finds Mirren playing an older and increasingly disillusioned character under pressure to retire.  The murder of a Bosnian woman thrusts Tennison into one of her most emotionally trying cases yet, as victims of war hiding out in London are stalked by a devilish figure from the past. This later episode is just as effective as earlier ones, but looks slicker and more streamlined.  With a faster pace and more emphasis on thriller elements, some sequences bristle with nerve-wracking suspense.

"The Final Act", which aired in 2006, brings "Prime Suspect" and the career of Jane Tennison to a close with the murder of a 14-year-old girl, the impending death of Jane's father (Frank Finlay), and the aging detective's battle with alcoholism.  Mirren is at peak form here as her character struggles to solve one last murder while her life is falling apart.  Tom Bell makes his final appearance as DS Otley, re-entering Jane's life in a surprising way.  Young actress Laura Greenwood gives an amazingly good performance as the murdered girl's troubled friend. 

The boxed set from Acorn Media contains nine discs in seven keepcases.  Series 1-5 are in 4:3 full screen while 6-7 are in 16:9 widescreen, all with Dolby Digital sound.  Each episode is subtitled except for Series 7, which is closed-captioned.  Series 6 contains a 23-minute featurette, while Series 7 extras include a 50-minute behind-the-scenes documentary, photo gallery, and cast filmographies.  Beside the actors already mentioned, familiar faces such as Ralph Fiennes and Kelly Reilly (EDEN LAKE) can be seen making early guest appearances in various episodes.

The great Helen Mirren is a neverending fount of awesome as Jane Tennison, always riveting to watch whenever she's onscreen.  Her character's arc binds this collection of engrossing police procedurals together.  Tennison is a great cop but hardly perfect, and we're not even sure she'll get through her last case without self-destructing.  A small grace note from an unexpected source comes at the very end, and we're left to wonder whether or not it makes her feel as though her life on the force has been worth the sacrifice.  One thing's for sure--PRIME SUSPECT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION is some of the most worthwhile viewing that cop show fans could possibly hope for. 


 

PRIME SUSPECT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION -- DVD Review by Porfle

DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 4/11/16

 

When legendary director Samuel Fuller (THE BIG RED ONE, SHOCK CORRIDOR, THE NAKED KISS) was offered the chance to direct a feature-length episode of the popular German police procedural "Tatort" (or, "scene of the crime"), he took full advantage of it by making one of his most interesting and experimental films.

DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET (1972)--a nice, pulpy title befitting the work of a noir director--may have the look and budget of a television episode (albeit a deluxe one), but Fuller's use of camera and editing amidst some of Germany's most exciting landmarks is both striking and delightfully eccentric.

The same can also be said of Fuller's script, which dispenses with the show's lead character Kressin (Sieghardt Rupp) early on in order to feature Glenn Corbett as an American private detective who has come to Germany to avenge the death of his partner who was killed while trying to infiltrate an international blackmail and extortion ring. 

While avenging one's partner is a tradition of private eyes going back at least as far as Sam Spade, Corbett's character both embraces cliche' and amusingly weaves in and out of it.  His attitude, similarly, is hard as nails one moment and playful the next.  He doesn't even have a cool name like Spade or Marlowe--his name is "Sandy", and we never find out what comes after that. 

Needless to say, Sandy isn't the usual super-suave detective--in fact, if he weren't sorta cool, he'd come close to being a schlub.  He even has to cajole a coolly skeptical Kressin just to keep being allowed to continue on his mission instead of getting kicked out of the country. 

The plot is complicated and involved, and the film's pace is pretty much as lazy as a Sunday afternoon.  But as soon as Corbett is joined by Fuller's real-life wife Christa Lang (WHAT'S UP, DOC?, AT LONG LAST LOVE) as "Christa" and the great Anton Diffring (WHERE EAGLES DARE, FAHRENHEIT 451) as Mensur, the big cheese of the blackmailers, the plot begins to matter less than the simple joy of watching these actors interact, so to speak, with each other.  

Sandy pretends to be a blackmailer himself in order to get accepted into the organization by Mensur, and does so by collaborating with the lovely Christa as she ingratiates herself with prominent politicians, drugs them, and photographs them in compromising positions with her. 

Along the way, however, things begin to heat up romantically between Sandy and Christa, with her allegiance in question when she discovers that her new partner isn't what he seems.  During this time the scenes of intrigue and the occasional burst of pulse-quickening action take place against some of Germany's most scenic backdrops, including a colorful street carnival in Cologne which Fuller uses to its fullest effect.

Eric P. Caspar plays the eccentrically-named Charlie Umlaut, the smack-addicted killer who put the actual lethal bullet into Sandy's partner on Mensur's behalf and whom Sandy wants to capture in the worst way.  He's the classic second-banana bad guy who's even more entertaining and sinister than his boss (think Taylor Negron's "Mr. Milo" in THE LAST BOY SCOUT). 

Christa Lang's unusual beauty and quirky acting style make her interesting to watch (her performance grows more captivating as the film progresses) both with Glenn Corbett and in her crackling scenes with Diffring, who, of course, is impeccable as the suave criminal mastermind.

As for Corbett--with those electric blue eyes and world-class 'stache--it's nice seeing him playing a less stiff character than usual ("Route 66", "Star Trek", CHISUM, BIG JAKE).  I always liked him despite never finding him especially exciting until just now, in a role that allows him more depth, variety, and sheer likability than pretty much the rest of his whole career put together (or at least the parts that I've seen).

The final confrontation between Mensur and Sandy turns into a wild free-for-all of swishing blades, smashing furniture, and the distinct sensation of Sam Fuller's elbow being poked into our ribs.  It's this impression that he was having fun with this and not taking it particularly seriously that gives the whole film a sort of casual appeal.

The 2-disc DVD set from Olive Films is in 1.33.1 widescreen with optional English subtitles.  Disc one is the restored version of Fuller's original long cut of the film (127 minutes) along with a trailer.

Disc two contains a fascinating documentary on the making of the film, "Return to Beethoven Street: Sam Fuller in Germany", which features Christa Lang-Fuller, Sam's daughter Samantha, Eric P. Caspar, Wim Wenders, and other persons of interest, in addition to two text essays on the film by authors Lisa Dombrowski ("The Films of Samuel Fuller") and Samuel B. Prime.  These essays are also found in the attractive 8-page illustrated booklet that comes with the set.

Even if DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET weren't an interesting and fun movie it would be buoyed by the sheer novelty that runs through the entire project.  While on the sunny side of "noir", the final punchline is pure film-noir irony and is very well-played by all involved, putting a satisfying capper on the whole thing. 

DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET -- DVD Review by Porfle

"BULLITT" (1968): A Surfeit of Green Volkswagens

"Bullitt" features Steve McQueen in one of cinema's greatest car chases.

It also features more shots of a green Volkswagen than any other car chase before or since. (Watch the video to see them all.)

"Help us! We can't get away from that green Volkswagen!" 

"Well, that's Beetlemania for you."


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

"BULLITT" (1968): A Surfeit of Green Volkswagens

How Many Hubcaps Does The Charger Lose In "Bullitt"? (1968) (video)

The car chase in the classic Steve McQueen film "Bullitt" is legendary.

Steve did much of his own driving in the Mustang.
Stuntman/actor Bill Hickman drove the Charger.

Many viewers claim the Charger loses more than four hubcaps during the chase. 
Let's see if we can count them. 


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

How Many Hubcaps Does The Charger Lose In "Bullitt"? (1968) (video)

THE GREAT ESCAPE -- Movie Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 7/19/12

 

When I was a kid, there were some movies that I looked forward to seeing on TV with the same keen anticipation I felt for an impending holiday.  The annual airing of THE WIZARD OF OZ was one, of course.  But equal to that perennial favorite in my mind was John Sturges' World War II blockbuster THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963), which, for awhile back in the 60s, would also show up on the tube about once a year.  CBS would usually show the 172-minute film in two parts on Thursday and Friday nights, meaning that after the first half I was forced to suffer an excruciating 24 hours waiting for the payoff.  But it was worth it.  And now that I have it on DVD and can watch it anytime I want, the old magic remains undiminished.

Based on a true story recounted in the book by former WWII POW Paul Brickhill, with a screenplay by James Clavell (SHOGUN, KING RAT), the film takes place mainly in a German prisoner-of-war camp that has been designed to contain those Allied captives who are continually trying to escape.  As the commandant, Luftwaffe Colonel von Luger (Hans Messmer) tells Group Captain Ramsey (a solid, dignified James Donald): "We are, in effect, placing all our rotten eggs into one basket.  And we intend to watch that basket very carefully."  Such a plan is doomed to backfire, of course, as this congregation of escape-happy soldiers immediately begins plotting the biggest, most elaborate POW escape ever. 

Richard Attenborough (JURASSIC PARK) plays "Big X", the leader and mastermind, who coordinates the digging of three separate tunnels.  His objective is to get so many men out of the camp--as many as 250--that the Nazis will be forced to devote thousands of soldiers to tracking them down.  It's fascinating to see the lengths our heroes must go to in order to obtain tools for digging and wood for shoring up the tunnels, and how they manage to disperse all those tons of dirt, without the guards detecting anything.  And as amazing and improbable as it all may seem, every pertinent detail of the escape is based on fact, while the film's characters are composites of actual people.  One of them, "Tunnel King" Wally Floody, served as a technical adviser during filming.

David McCallum ("The Man From U.N.C.L.E.") is Ashley-Pitt, the "Dispersal" expert.  Donald Pleasence, a real-life WWII POW, plays Blythe, a mild-mannered birdwatcher who serves as "The Forger" of false identity papers and such, while his roommate, American flyer Hendley (James Garner) is "The Scrounger" who can be counted on to obtain whatever is needed, chiefly through blackmailing the guards.  The odd-couple friendship of Blythe and Hendley is one of the most emotionally compelling elements of the story, especially when Blythe later loses his eyesight and is told he must stay behind until Hendley insists on taking him out of the tunnel with him.

Charles Bronson and John Leyton play "Tunnel Kings" Danny and Willy, without whose tireless efforts and expertise the escape would be impossible.  Danny, it turns out, suffers from claustrophia, though he forces himself to dig because he "must get out."  This malady will prove very inconvenient on the night of the escape when panic overtakes him at last.  Another prisoner on the verge of the breaking point is the "wire-happy" Ives (Angus Lennie), a diminutive Scotsman whose prolonged confinement keeps him a hair's breadth away from making a desperate attempt to climb the fence.  And James Coburn is Sedgwick, a droll Aussie pilot whose knack for building something out of nothing makes him the indispensible "Manufacturer."

These rich characterizations, along with a wealth of suspenseful situations and some great comedy relief, keep things rolling along until the night of the big breakout, which is one of the most gripping sequences ever filmed.  Everything that could go wrong does, yet seventy-six men manage to escape before the guards finally get wise and come down on them with guns blazing. 

For the final third of the film we see the escapees desperately trying to make their way out of the country via trains, planes, automobiles, or on foot.  Since we've had so much time to get to know and care about these characters, and empathize with their desire to get back home, their skillfully cross-edited stories pack a substantial emotional payoff--especially when we see them recaptured, killed during flight, or coldbloodedly executed as "spies." 

The post-escape part of the story is the most fictionalized element of THE GREAT ESCAPE, but that's fine with me--the actual events have been augmented with more action and thrills, while maintaining the spirit of what these men went through.  And I can't imagine a sequence in any movie that is more engrossing or involving, for so long, as this one. 

Which brings me to the best part of the film, for me anyway--Steve McQueen's iconic Capt. Virgil Hilts, dubbed "The Cooler King" since his attempted escapes and disrespect for authority keep him locked up in a cell more than anyone else in camp.  At first he's a loner trying to escape independently, whether through the wire or via a wild "human mole" scheme he almost pulls off with his pal Ives, but eventually he comes around and becomes one of the most important participants in Big X's escape plan.  (In actuality, all of the American prisoners were moved to a different part of the camp shortly before the escape, but that's a quibble I'm willing to overlook.)

By the time the escape occurs, we feel almost as confined as the characters themselves and are in need of a catharsis that can only be provided by some good old freewheeling action.  So when Hilts steals a motorcycle and makes a mad, cross-country dash for Switzerland with the Nazis hot on his heels, charging through checkpoints and hurtling airborn over barricades, with Elmer Bernstein's soul-stirring musical score soaring triumphantly in the background, we can feel the delirious rush of freedom.

THE GREAT ESCAPE -- Movie Review by Porfle

EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 9/20/2018

 

I have to agree with the Medveds that EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC (Scream Factory, 1977) is one of the dumbest horror films ever made.  And yet that's what makes it so watchable--the fact that it's so incredibly, entertainingly dumb.

It's also one of the worst-ever sequels to a classic film.  The nightmarish original from director William Friedkin (THE FRENCH CONNECTION, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A., THE BOYS IN THE BAND) was considered by many upon release as the most terrifying film of all time.  Even a lot of first-time viewers nowadays tend to agree.  But for its hapless follow-up, reactions are largely negative.

Linda Blair is back as "Regan", this time several years older than the little girl we first met.  Still suffering the after-effects of her previous ordeal, Regan is undergoing unorthodox treatments from super-shrink Louise Fletcher which are intended to isolate and solve her "mental" problems.  This involves a flashing mutual-hypnosis machine called a "synchonizer", which connects their minds and adds a sort of sci-fi element to the story.

Meanwhile, there's a new priest in town--the great Richard Burton as Father Lamont, a troubled holy man ordered by the Cardinal (Paul Henried) to investigate what happened to Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) leading up to his strange death.  This eventually leads him to Regan, and then to Africa for an encounter with mysterious locust expert James Earl Jones.

What follows is a strange mishmash of conventional horror, sci-fi, African mysticism, and leftovers from the original story that alternates between either dull and meandering, and just plain fascinating as an ill-conceived screen artifact.

At times it feels sort of like one of those soupy 70s-era Dino De Laurentiis or Carlo Ponti productions.  (The overcooked score by Ennio Morricone doesn't help.) Hard to believe it was directed by John Boorman, the same man who gave us DELIVERANCE and EXCALIBUR but has none of William Friedkin's knack for pulling off this kind of horror.

To be fair, Friedkin had much better material to work with.  The weak script was rewritten multiple times, with tepid echoes from the first movie interlaced with such elements as locust attacks (an odd parallel to the evil invading our world) which can only be repelled by that rare someone with a special spiritual power.

This figures very importantly in the wildly bizarre finale as locusts descend on Regan's crumbling old Washington, D.C. townhouse like something out of an Irwin Allen disaster flick (sort of a cross between EARTHQUAKE and THE SWARM), while Father Lamont wrestles furiously in bed with Regan's evilly seductive doppelganger.

As for me, the sequel's undisputed highlight is the infamous tap-dancing scene.  Few examples of unintended hilarity are as sublimely funny as seeing Regan, stricken by the old evil spirit again during a school talent show, valiantly struggling to finish her tap-dancing routine (top hat, tails, cane--the whole works) to the tune of "Lullaby of Broadway" as her body is wracked with violent spasms.

Linda's fans will naturally enjoy seeing her again as an older Regan.  Unfortunately, this was made during that awkward teen phase when Linda wasn't all that convincing in anything beyond the likes of ROLLER BOOGIE or SAVAGE STREETS.  Her chirpy demeanor and weak line delivery constantly work against Boorman's attempts to build realistic tension.

Louise Fletcher (ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, DEAD KIDS) and Richard Burton (THE KLANSMAN, THE WILD GEESE) both do what they can with the tepid material. Burton, one of film's greatest actors when given the chance, is especially watchable even though the last act mostly requires him to wander around in a trance.  Kitty Winn returns from the first film as Sharon.  Ned Beatty and a very young Dana Plato are also on hand.

The 2-disc Blu-ray from Scream Factory contains both the original 118-minute cut and the 102-minute reedited version, which was released after the film failed to meet audience expectations first time around.  Both are 2k scans from the original film elements.  Image and sound quality are very good.  English subtitles are available.

Each disc contains ample bonus material, including three commentary tracks (one with director John Boorman) and a revealing interview with Linda Blair.  Also included are trailers and still galleries, plus a reversible cover insert.

EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC is a somewhat exhilarating experience at times--not because it's good, but because it's so flamboyantly bad.  Once you've seen the full version, you'll want to watch the edited cut just to see what they did in the way of damage control.  Either way, it's one of 70s cinema's most interesting failures.


DISC ONE (118 Minute Cut Of The Film):

NEW 2K Scan From Original Film Elements
NEW Audio Commentary With Director John Boorman
NEW Audio Commentary With Project Consultant Scott Bosco
NEW What Does She Remember? – An Interview With Actress Linda Blair
NEW Interview With Editor Tom Priestley

DISC TWO (102 Minute Cut Of The Film):

NEW 2K Scan From Original Film Elements
NEW Audio Commentary With Mike White Of The Projection Booth Blog
Original Teaser Trailer
Original Theatrical Trailer
Still Galleries Including Rare Color And B&W Stills, Behind-The-Scenes, Deleted Scene Photos, Posters, And Lobby Cards

Buy it from Shout Factory

EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

DRAGNET: COLLECTOR'S EDITION -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 Originally posted on 10/16/18

 

I've heard several people over the years say that they liked, or even loved, the 1987 feature comedy adaptation of the classic TV cop series "Dragnet" starring Dan Ackroyd and Tom Hanks. To those people I would recommend Shout! Factory's new Blu-ray release DRAGNET: COLLECTOR'S EDITION, which features a new 4K HD scan and an assortment of bonus features.

The film certainly is lively and full of blustery comedic action that people not all that familiar with the TV show can enjoy without a lot of bothersome comparisons to it.

Basically it's the story of a very straight-laced, by-the-book cop (Dan Ackroyd as Sgt. Joe Friday) and his flighty, fun-loving, all-rules-barred new partner "Pep" Streebek (Tom Hanks) having to work together--while constantly getting on each other's nerves--to stop a growing organization of deranged criminals bent on citywide chaos.

For these viewers the film offers a wealth of one-liners and raucous situations as Friday and Streebek must overcome their "odd couple" differences and eventually develop a grudging mutual respect.  The investigation into the crime group known as "P.A.G.A.N." (People Against Goodness And Normalcy) also yields wild car chases, lots of stunts, gorgeous babes, some romantic schmaltz, and a constant barrage of generic action-movie stuff to keep us occupied.

That said, as a longtime devoted fan of the actual TV series (both in its 1950s and 1960s incarnations), I find the movie as a whole to be consistently problematic.  (That's the first time I've ever used that word!)

As a parody of the series, the movie is surprisingly unsimilar to it despite the usual references to "just the facts, ma'am" and other tropes ("This is the city...I work here, I carry a badge", "The story you are about to see is true", etc.) and Friday's unyielding adherence to the rules and loyalty to strict civil order in general.

Ackroyd is actually playing the original Joe Friday's nephew, but his character is meant to be a carbon copy of his late uncle.  It's troubling, then, that he is so far off base in capturing Jack Webb's intonations and body language, instead doing a sort of generic stiff-backed type with clipped speech and no sense of humor.

The more human and even, at times, casual aspects of Webb's portrayal are lost in Ackroyd's robotic interpretation. It often seems as though he's doing more of a take-off on Robert Stack's Elliot Ness from "The Untouchables" than Webb's more haggard, world-weary cop.  And while the old Joe might occasionally hit a bad guy with a long, rapid-fire verbal scolding, this one tends to speechify every other time he opens his mouth.  

As for Hanks, still at the age where he looked like a big, goofy kid, he plays a new character whose main trait is a childlike disregard for propriety and is designed simply to clash with Joe Friday's dogged conservatism in comic ways.  Mostly it works, although the two are at such odds that we miss the teamwork and comradery of Friday and his loyal partners Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) and Bill Gannon (Harry Morgan) from the TV series.

Speaking of Morgan, he plays the same character as before, now promoted to captain.  His devotion to his late partner doesn't carry over to the nephew, hence Captain Gannon spends much of the film bellowing at Friday and threatening to take away his badge (which he eventually does at the insistence of shrewish police commissioner Elizabeth Ashley).

The plot itself is a convoluted affair that bears little resemblance to the usual "Dragnet" investigations.  Friday's traditional "just the facts, ma'am" questioning of a civilian witness is represented by an unfunny exchange in which venerable comic actress Kathleen Freeman must portray a grotesquely foul-mouthed old lady who even has Streebek shaking his head along with Friday.

Dabney Coleman plays softcore sex magazine magnate Jerry Caesar, giving the film an excuse to be fully stocked with bikini babes, and Jack O'Halloran, the big, dumb member of the evil Kryptonian trio in SUPERMAN II, plays a big, dumb P.A.G.A.N. henchman who menaces the good guys.

Alexandra Paul is the button-cute Connie, a kidnapped virgin meant as a sacrifice in the bad guys' big pagan ritual but is rescued by the good guys and eventually develops romantic feelings for fellow virgin Friday. (Again, Jack Webb's Friday was a low-key sort of guy but he was never portrayed as either nerdy or virginal.)  The most surprising bit of casting is Christopher Plummer as a pious TV evangelist who may have a darker side.

But as I said before, all of these misgivings stem from my affection for the TV show and desire to see a more faithful parody of it.  As for everyone else, this "Dragnet" spoof may be a perfectly adequate and perhaps even gutbusting comedy romp.  If so, DRAGNET: COLLECTOR'S EDITION should prove an ideal way to enjoy it. 

Special Features:
NEW "A Quiet Evening in the Company of Connie Swail": An Interview With Co-Star Alexandra Paul
NEW Audio Commentary with Pop Culture Historian Russell Dyball
"Just the Facts!": A Promotional Look at Dragnet with Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks
Original Theatrical Trailers & Promos
Photo Gallery 

Buy it from Shout! Factory

DRAGNET: COLLECTOR'S EDITION -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

ERNIE KOVACS: THE CENTENNIAL EDITION -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 11/20/18

 

While he was always known as one of the great technical innovators of early television, one thing Shout! Factory's 9-disc DVD set ERNIE KOVACS: THE CENTENNIAL EDITION really brings home for me is the fact that it was just plain fun to hang out with the guy for awhile.

Early TV viewers had plenty of opportunity to do so, since Ernie had a number of different shows throughout the 50s and early 60s, several of which are sampled in this collection. 

Whether live via kinescope or recorded on early videotape, these shows glow with Ernie's childlike and often giddily enthusiastic attitude as he delights in spending time with us, entertaining with jokes, informal patter, bits of business, and, most of all, mindboggling bursts of surreal humor done on the fly with a shoestring budget.

The earliest examples of this are from a live morning series that resembles a "Howdy Doody"-type kids' show for grown-ups, the studio barely containing Ernie as he demolishes the fourth wall (as well as the other three) and shows us the cameras, the hallway outside the studio door, and every other aspect of TV production through which he can romp and play with us as his "peanut gallery."

Much of this helps lay the groundwork for just about every other television comedy show to follow.  His influence is unmistakable on, for example, "The Soupy Sales Show", "Pee Wee's Playhouse", comedy segments with talk show hosts such as Johnny Carson, Conan O'Brien, and David Letterman, "The Uncle Floyd Show", and even "Saturday Night Live" and "Monty Python's Flying Circus." 

All are touched in some way by Kovacs' groundbreaking and imaginative style even when they don't consciously realize it.  When Ernie goes up into the audience to interact with the people, or jokes around with his gregarious bandmembers and audibly guffawing crew, we're seeing the inspirations of practically every TV comic and talk show host to come.

Later shows would continue to serve as experiments for Ernie's innovative use of the television medium and, as in "Kovacs On the Corner", a delightful parody of the medium itself.  A "Mad Magazine" brand of satire (pre-dating "Mad Magazine") infuses much of his comedy and its witty jabs at commercials, movies, and other aspects of popular culture at the time.

Even when he hosts a game show, as in the episodes of "Take a Good Look" seen here, he can't help making it the most confusing and obtuse game show ever created.  Later network specials take advantage of video to present extended, intricately-conceived comedy pieces that boggle the mind while showing off Ernie's sweetly cockeyed sense of humor at every twist and turn.

Sight (and sound gags) abound.  He passes a statue of "The Thinker" and notices it humming to itself. He demonstrates how to adjust the horizontal and vertical dials (remember those?) on your TV by using his contorted facial expressions as a guide.  He interacts with his friend Howard, the world's strongest ant, who drives a tiny minature car and plays tiny miniature golf. 

He even puts on bad puppet shows such as "The Kapusta Kid In Outer Space" and helps his pet turtle cure its hiccups by feeding it sips of water.  Whatever tickles his childlike fancy at the time, he indulges in for our enjoyment. 

Ernie's characters are a joy, especially (my favorite) the endearingly prissy poet Percy Dovetonsils, whose poems boast such titles as "Ode to Stanley's Pussycat."  His hardluck character Eugene stars in Ernie's famous all-silent special, which consists of nothing but sight gags with sound effects and, of course, his own inimitable comedy style.  This one really uses the television medium with its tilted sets, weird optical illusions, and disorienting indulgence in undiluted surrealism. 

The supporting players are headed by Ernie's adorable and talented wife Edie Adams, who has her own stock characters as well as an operatic voice perfectly suited for the occasional serious musical segment (Kovacs loved music and often showcased it).  Edie is particularly adorable whether playing a dowdy housewife, vamping as Zsa Zsa Gabor, or doing a stunningly kittenish send-up of Marilyn Monroe as she shows off her knack for impressions.

My favorite moment is a bizarre sketch about a white-haired old conductor (Ernie) recording a commercial jingle with an orchestra and three difficult singers.  These include Edie Adams, Casey Adams (aka Max Showalter, one of my favorite actors), and, displaying a keen sense of off-the-wall comedy, Louis Jordan as an odd fellow whose pants lengths keep changing.  It's one of the most belly-laugh segments in the set if your mind's off-kilter enough to appreciate it.

The 9 discs in this set from Shout! Factory feature the following:

* Episodes From His Local And National Morning Shows
* Episodes From His NBC Prime-Time Show
* Kovacs On Music
* Five ABC TV Specials
* The Color Version of His Legendary Silent Show, "Eugene"
* His Award-Winning Commercials For Dutch Masters Cigars
* Short Films, Tributes, Rarities
* 18 Bonus Sketches Featuring Many Of His Most Beloved Characters
* 3 Complete Episodes Of His Offbeat Game Show Take A Good Look
* "A Pony For Chris" – His Rare TV Pilot For Medicine Man Co-Starring Buster Keaton
* The Lively Arts Featuring The Only Existing Filmed Solo Interview With Ernie Kovacs
* 2011 American Cinematheque Panel

The generous bonus menus include:

1987 ATAS Hall Of Fame Induction
Remembering Ernie With George Schlatter And Jolene Brand
"Baseball Film"
Making Of "Baseball Film"
"The Mysterious Knockwurst"
Andy McKay 8mm Home Movies
Percy Dovetonsils: "Ode To Stanley’s Pussycat"
Martin Krutch, Public Eye
Rock Mississippi In "Fingers Under Weskit"
Howard, The World's Strongest Ant
J. Burlington Gearshift
"Superclod" Test
"Take A Good Look" Clues
"Take A Good Look" Sales Film
"Silents Please"
"Our Man In Havana" Behind-The-Scenes Footage
Dutch Masters Commercials
Trailer For "Operation Mad Ball" – "It Happened To Ernie"
Muriel Cigars Commercials Featuring Edie Adams
Interview: Algernon Gerard, Archaeologist
Howard, The World's Strongest Ant: A Hot Date
Strangely Believe It: Writers To Blame
The Kapusta Kid In Outer Space Meets Olivia Scilloscope
Charlie Clod In Brazil
Ernie's Opening Monologue
Miklos Molnar's Glue
Percy Dovetonsils: "Ode To Electricity"
Interview: The World At Your Doorstep
Irving Wong: Tin Pan Alley Songwriter
Percy Dovetonsils : "Ode To A Housefly”
Introducing Coloratura Mimi Cosnowski
Howard, The World's Strongest Ant: Howard's Campground
Skodney Silsky, Hollywood Reporter
Ernie's Opening Monologue
Surprise Audience Member
Audio Lost
Matzoh Hepplewhite
Interview With Ernie Kovacs On The Lively Arts
"A Pony For Chris" – Pilot For Series Medicine Man
Ernie Kovacs Panel Discussion (August 27, 2011) At The American Cinematheque In Hollywood, CA
Home Movies: Golf With Edie And Ernie
Original Theatrical Trailers: "Wake Me When It's Over" And "Five Golden Hours"

Having only seen a smattering of his work in past years, I eagerly delved into ERNIE KOVACS: THE CENTENNIAL EDITION and binge-watched these delightful shows to my heart's content.  There's a wealth of wild comedy here, but even in its simplest moments, it's nice just to hang out with Ernie and listen to him chat as he puffs away on his ever-present cigar.  For a short, wonderful time before his tragic death, he was a fearless pioneer of television comedy and seemed to love every minute of it.

TECH SPECS
Discs 9
Run-time 22 hrs
Aspect Ratio 1.33:1
Color/Black & White
Language English
Region 1
Rating Various
Production Date Various
Closed-Captioned ? No
Subtitles None

ERNIE KOVACS: THE CENTENNIAL EDITION -- DVD Review by Porfle