Kino Lorber Studio Classics

[Robert Siegel]

The Last Married Couple in America is really a great movie. I have been hoping for this film for a long time. It was released on Universal's Vault series on DVD and I am so happy we are getting a high def presentation.

One thing I love about this film is the end title credits has a song sung by Maureen McGovern that I think is one of her best songs ever, and I am so surprised that the single never rose very high on the Billboard charts. It's called "We Could Have it All" and is just a beautiful song with so much meaning. Unfortunately it has never been released on any CD or download that I know of, so all I have is the original promo 45rpm. You can listen to it here. Note the great lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW9MmmrkGPk

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by gregmtl92

KLI, if/when you make a new deal with MGM, is a 4K release of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang within the realms of possibility?

Oh yes! This would be a dream come true to have in 4k. And considering how good the blu-ray looks and sounds, this would be one great 4k release.

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by Kino Lorber Insider

No.

That is really unfortunate. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a children's (and adults) classic! Super Panavision 70mm. One of the best looking blu-rays from the MGM classics blu-ray catalog. News has started to hit that Warner will release Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 4k this year (should be announced soon), so Warner finds cause to release a similar title in 4k. Kino's answer wasn't even "possible" but a stark "no." so I hope they change their minds. May I ask Kino why? This is a real downer for me. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Fiddler on the Roof I thought would have been very desirable in 4k.

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by REPLAY

Kino Insider: So glad your bringing Millie to blu. Can you tell us if this will be the road show print or just the regular theatrical print? Love the music in that film hope the audio is top notch. I had a 16mm scope print of that film in my collection years ago. Can you give a the month it will be released?

Replay, what is the difference between the roadshow and theatrical release of Millie? Is it the Overture, intermission and exit music?

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by xochipilli

Now that Kino has/is putting out both Thoroughly Modern Millie and Sweet Charity, is Flower Drum Song still of no interest to them? From what I remember(I might be wrong) the only reason they gave was that they weren't interested in it, which sounds odd especially now that both of the other big Universal '60s musicals have been confirmed. Could it be that the actual reason is that it's with another label? Say, a label that, when the Insider was asked about the film, was defunct and has since been resurrected, specifically Twilight Time? Given Nick Redman worked on the dvd release, it wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to put that one out.

I know that Universal owns the home video rights to the film, last year the broadcast rights went to Samual Goldwyn but Universal retained the home video rights. All we can do is hope. There's been a new transfer showing lately on TCM, it's been beautifully remastered now. Oh how I want this on blu-ray!

[Place Logo Here]

Figures In A Landscape

Imagine "Waiting for Godot" filmed as an action movie. What if Kafka had written "Rambo"? Or imagine "The Running Man" if filmed by Ingmar Bergman. Then you will a rough idea what is like to watch "Figures In A Landscape".

The entirety of the plot is two fugutives are on the run from forces never identified and for reasons never revealed. They are relentlessly pursued by a black helicopter that often appears to be more interested in terrorizing the fugitives than it is in slaying or intercepting them.

Since the movie rests squarely on the shoulders of its two leads, I was intrigued that Malcolm McDowell and Robert Shaw (who also wrote the screenplay) are the stars. Solid actors each, I was curious how they would play off each other.

Unfortunately, the answer to that is "not well" and I suspect the script is largely to blame. The actors are frequently in the same scene while seeming to be on different pages of the script. Conversations meander until they simply die from inertia. The only recurring theme I could discern from those discussions is the occasional tirade from Shaw about generational differences. As somebody who believes the most important part of Jaws is Shaw's Quint leading what I see as three ages of man to hunt the beast, I tried to discipher this film as a statement about a man and a boy suffering through life

But when that interpretation did not feel satisfactory to me, I tried to put other meanings on it to no avail. For better or worse, this is a cypher, a distictive film that is open to many interpretations but seems to consistently come up empty, and which is ultimately unsatisfying.

Kubrick's "Fear and Desire" did basically the same thing (what with a war between two unidentified opponents) but that was Kubrick, so it was more intriguing. Joseph Losey directs here and, as much as I admire how he consistently chose weird projects, here is a movie so vague that it is completely insubstantial.

A frustrating and unsuccessful experiment that I wanted to like so much more.

[Place Logo Here]

Delirious

I am not much of a John Candy fan, but I do like his easy, affable charm and Delirious is a perfect vehicle for him.

The plot has Candy as a soap opera producer and/or writer (I didn't think producers were usually writers on the same show, but that seems to be the arrangement here). After regaining consciousness following an accident, he finds himself in the world of his show. But what is really interesting is he can control that world by writing new dialog and scenes on his typewriter.

Despite what I found to be an innovative concept, I didn't think much of it the first time I watched it. I found it a serviceable comedy that didn't fulfill the potential of its premise.

Also, it prompted more chuckles than belly laughs. But what I recall liking least about it were the usual trappings of late 80s comedies (bad lighting, awful soundtrack--with notable exception of Prince's title song, stock characters straight out of central casting).

So I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it the second time around. I was able to overlook the shallow production design and simply enjoy it more like a clever sitcom than a major studio's feature film. I laughed more (possibly because I was anticipating where I knew the scene was going) and some scenes nearly had me in tears. The party scene which Candy's character had written while drunk is deeply funny, as well as some characters' frustration at not understanding their sudden and overwhelming compulsions to engage in behaviour completely counter to their natures.

Slight but very funny. Keep those expectations low and you should have a good time. Recommended

[donidarko]

Originally Posted by Robert Siegel

The Last Married Couple in America is really a great movie. I have been hoping for this film for a long time. It was released on Universal's Vault series on DVD and I am so happy we are getting a high def presentation.

One thing I love about this film is the end title credits has a song sung by Maureen McGovern that I think is one of her best songs ever, and I am so surprised that the single never rose very high on the Billboard charts. It's called "We Could Have it All" and is just a beautiful song with so much meaning. Unfortunately it has never been released on any CD or download that I know of, so all I have is the original promo 45rpm. You can listen to it here. Note the great lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW9MmmrkGPk

Hopefully the original songs by Rod Stewart and Cheryl Lynn, etc. will be put back in. The DVD release replaced them. KL insider?

[seagal]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

I own the German blu-ray (4k master) and the picture quality is amazing.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

Excellent. Been looking forward to this one since Studiocanal announced their French and German releases in 2019, I believe.

[rocknblues81]

Originally Posted by mja345

Two of my favorite somewhat overlooked Apted films are the fantastic crime thriller "The Squeeze" (1977) with Stacy Keach, Edward Fox, David Hemmings and Stephen Boyd and the terrific drama "Firstborn" (1984) with Teri Garr and a wonderfully slimy Peter Weller.

I love Firstborn. I need to pick it up.

Coal Miners Daughter also.

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

Is there a thread on TV horror, suspense, thriller films?

See the link in my signature below.

[lemonski]

Originally Posted by belcherman

Maybe a bit of hyperbole, but not much. The Sweet Smell of Success is one of my favorite films of all time, a true desert island film. While Lonelyhearts isn’t quite at that level, it matches the other two in 1950s alienation and nihilism. It’s a shame that there’s not even a DVD of it.

I just finished watching Lonelyhearts - I’m with you belcherman (and thanks for the recommendation), it’s right up there, such a terrific film. I can’t believe it has no release anywhere with that cast, surely there’s some rights issue involved.

[ravenus]

I enjoyed That Man from Rio (not so much its sequel), so I'm definitely interested in a de Broca - Belmondo collaboration.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by lemonski

I just finished watching Lonelyhearts - I’m with you belcherman (and thanks for the recommendation), it’s right up there, such a terrific film. I can’t believe it has no release anywhere with that cast, surely there’s some rights issue involved.

If you're so inclined, I also highly recommend Nathaniel West's novel MISS LONELYHEARTS, upon which the film is based. West was a wonderfully compelling writer. When I first moved to Los Angeles in the late 80's one of the first things I did was locate and visit the tiny bungalow where he wrote DAY OF THE LOCUST.

[The Great Owl]

The eleven crew members of DeepStar Six, a U.S. Navy outpost miles below the surface of the ocean, inadvertently unleash a monstrous horror after they uncover a cavern during a missile installation project. Our endangered protagonists have mere hours to abandon their damaged facility before it is destroyed by a reactor explosion, but they must repair the decompression system in order rise out of the depths. Meanwhile, the prehistoric sea creature freed by their exploration is picking them off one by one.

During the glory days of VHS rental stores decades ago, I must have checked out the 1989 sci-fi horror feature, DeepStar Six, dozens of times, marveling at the special effects of the monster, which looks like a massive eurypterid "sea scorpion", and at the visceral gore moments, including a scene where a diver is bitten in half by the creature and a sequence where one unfortunate crewman attempts to surface in an escape pod without completing the decompression procedure. This outing dropped off the face of the Earth after its home video heyday, when its distinct VHS cover art lined multiple rental shelves. I never understood how a movie that brought me so much happiness could be forgotten so quickly by the masses.

DeepStar Six was not the only underwater thriller of 1989, which also saw the releases of Leviathan and James Cameron's The Abyss. This comparatively low budget affair, directed by Sean S. Cunningham and scored by Harry Manfredini, both of whom collaborated on Friday the 13th (1980), still wins my heart, however, because of its relatable characters and its no-nonsense urgency once the threat manifests itself. I am glad that it is now receiving the respect that it has long deserved, thanks to a long overdue emergence on Blu-ray.

Nancy Everhard (The Punisher) and Greg Evigan (B.J. and the Bear) are both endearing leads. The most relatable figure in these proceedings however, is played by Miguel Ferrer (RoboCop), because his endless mistakes and brushes with bad luck elicit the sympathy of viewers. Nia Peeples (Fame) is a memorable presence, as is Ronn Carroll (Friday the 13th). Be on the lookout for the one and only Cindy Pickett, who is best known as the mother in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, as a resilient and tough-as-nails crew member.

The monster does not receive a lot screen time, but it does not have to. Its short appearances are more than enough to go down in cinema history as the stuff of nightmares.

This Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a dream come true, with its faithful no-frills video and audio transfers, and a plethora of extras, including some essential commentary tracks and an isolated score.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

This Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a dream come true, with its faithful no-frills video and audio transfers, and a plethora of extras, including some essential commentary tracks and an isolated score.

Thanks, Owl. I can't believe this one passed me by, especially since underwater movies are traditionally a major go to for cooling me off during overbearing hot days and nights. I was not a big fan of LEVIATHAN and, I don't know, THE ABYSS was kind of overkill with like three endings before it actually ended. This one sounds right up my alley and you have rarely steered me wrong, man.

[Kino Lorber Insider]

Coming May 4th!

Sweet Liberty (1986)
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer and Film Historian/Biographer Nat Segaloff
• Theatrical Trailer
• Optional English Subtitles

Color 106 Minutes 1.85:1 Rated PG
It’s Alan Alda (Betsy’s Wedding) versus Hollywood in the writer/director/star’s hilarious comedy about moviemaking in a small town. College history professor Michael Burgess’ (Alda) life and town are turned upside down when a film company arrives to make a movie out of his best-selling book on the American Revolution. To Professor Burgess’ horror, the leading man (Michael Caine, Blame It on Rio) is a philandering adventurer, the movie’s director (Saul Rubinek, Nixon) wants to turn his historic novel into a youth-oriented lusty romp and the female star (Michelle Pfeiffer, Married to the Mob) is so obsessed by Alda’s heroine, he begins to fall in love with the zany actress. Brimming with charm and gentle humor and co-starring Bob Hoskins (Hollywoodland), Lois Chiles (Death on the Nile), Linda Thorson (Tara King of TV’s The Avengers) and Lillian Gish (The Whales of August), Sweet Liberty is a delightful comic confection!

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[Gacivory]

Exciting! I’ve wanted to watch this! I love Alan Alda!

[Kino Lorber Insider]

The Last Sunset release will be delayed. We were planning to release it in May with two other westerns, but after looking at the master, we decided it needed a new transfer. We will create a new 2K master and hopefully release the film in the Fall.

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