One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Collector’s Edition
The repackaging department has been busy with this new, “collector’s edition” of the 1975 Best Picture, produced by Michael Douglas, directed by Milos Forman, and starring Jack Nicholson. Continue reading
Modern Family : The Complete First Season Blu-Ray
“Modern Family” has become a runaway hit for ABC and raked in a lot of Emmy nominations , unusual for a comedy in its first year. This three disc blu-ray set has all the episodes from Season One plus some very humorous extras. Continue reading
Castle: The Complete Second Season
Nathan Fillion has made the successful transformation from “Firefly” to “Castle” and is one of the strongest personalities on television because of it. Season two of this popular murder mystery/comedy series takes up where season one left off; more puzzling crimes and the constant sexual banter between Castle, a mystery writer who goes on murder scenes and his “inspiration”, detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), who clashes with him at every opportunity. Continue reading
Fox and MGM rerelease movie adaptations of literary classics
In a marketing scheme, Fox and MGM have rereleased dvds based on literary classics. Titles include “The Grapes of Wrath”, “Moby Dick”, “Of Mice and Men”, “Henry V”, and others made by the studios over the years. What you should know is that while these films are great, none of them were remastered or redone for this series. MGM/Fox has simply included a new laminated bookmark over the original packaging. Most disappointing for me was the “Moby Dick” release, which has never been released in its original aspect ratio and deserves better. A great cast led by Gregory Peck, Richard Baseheart and Orson Welles, directed by John Huston, with screenplay by Huston and Ray Bradbury, this 1956 release is the best adaptation of the Herman Melville classic. Other than a trailer, this disc is bare bones.
Also worth mentioning in this rerelease list is “The Grapes Of Wrath”, John Steinbeck’s accounting of one family during the Dust Bowl years with stellar performances from Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell, directed by John Ford and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. This one has commentaries, newsreel footage and a restored picture. (It was restored for the original dvd release, not for this rerelease).
If you don’t have these two dvds in your collection, now is a good time to pick them up. Same low price (under $15 each) and heck, you get a free bookmark.
Added note by Nick:
As I have received the MGM DVD “Richard III” for review, I thought I would chime in with my two cents on this repackaging issue. Personally, I find these re-issues to be pointless because the titles are not in demand at all. Additionally, I have to wonder what’s the point in re-releasing catalogue titles such as this one with an exclusive bookmark? If MGM wanted to re-issue these titles, why not just add more extras, update the transfers, or in this case of this disc, get rid of the flipper disc and just have the option of playing the film in widescreen or fullscreen at the menu screen like most discs these days. Now, I’m not knocking the film itself. ‘Richard’ is an interesting spin on William Shakespeare’s classic play set during an alternate 1930’s period in Britain. Ian McKellen in particular gives a riveting, tour-de-force performance as the title character, but there’s also a great supporting cast featuring the likes of Robert Downey Jr. (Lord Rivers), Annette Bening (Queen Elizabeth), Jim Broadbent (Duke Of Buckingham), Kristin Scott Thomas (Queen Anne), and Maggie Smith (Duchess Of York). It’s a must see for Shakespeare fans, but if you already own it, there’s no need to double-dip here.
Sherlock Holmes Double Feature-Sherlock Holmes in Washington/Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
In the 40’s, Basil Rathbone was Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce was Dr. Watson. These two talented actors portrayed the literary detective in a series of Sherlock Holmes films, many produced during the war years. The scripts were updated that took Holmes out of Victorian England, to modern England, bringing a contemporary twist to the characters. Continue reading
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man: The Complete Collection
MPI has released the entire “Secret Agent AKA Danger Man” British television series starring Patrick McGoohan in a new slimline case set, which is good for collectors, as the set includes 18 discs. The series starred McGoohan first as a 30 minute series and then later as an expanded 50 minute show. It was brought to the U.S. in 1965 and renamed Secret Agent and given a new theme song ,made famous by Johnny Rivers. Its a remarkable series for many reasons. Continue reading
Beauty and The Beast Blu-ray
A large part of Disney’s financial comeback, this modern animated film received critical acclaim, earning Academy Award nominations for best picture and an Oscar for Best song. Featuring an outstanding voice cast (Robby Benson, Angela Lansbury, among others), this film ranks right up there with Snow White and Cinderella in Disney’s catalog of great animated films. Continue reading
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