BY FRED BLOSSER

Philip Borsos’ “The Grey Fox” (1982) has been released on Blu-ray in a 4K restoration by Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The film opens with good news and bad news for its protagonist, Bill Miner (Richard Farnsworth). Good news first: Bill emerges a free man from San Quentin in 1901 after serving twenty years for armed robbery. The bad news? Nearing sixty, Bill has one expertise- holding up stagecoaches. Illegality aside, it’s now a useless specialty because stagecoaches have become obsolete. Then, watching “The Great Train Robbery” at a nickelodeon, he has an epiphany. Although stagecoaches may be a thing of the past, holding up trains that carry express shipments can’t be that much different, he reasons. His first robbery goes sour, but he experiences better success after he crosses the border into British Columbia to prey on the railroads there with his junior associate Shorty (Wayne Robson). Needing a base of operations, he finds a new name and cover identity in the remote town of Kamloops as “George Edwards,” a mining engineer, thanks to local businessman Jack Budd (Ken Pogue), a former associate in crime. Budd doesn’t do the favor out of the kindness of his heart. He has his eye on a herd of horses that he wants Bill and Shorty to rustle for him. But the arrangement proceeds smoothly enough that Bill begins to feel at home in Kamloops. He even finds romance with Kate Flynn (Jackie Burroughs), a self-employed photographer in her forties. She is as fiercely independent as he is. She has to be, she argues: “In this country, you’re not taken seriously unless you’re Caucasian, Protestant, and most of all, male.” He admires her spirit and she is charmed by his modest, respectful demeanor. Like everybody else in Kamloops, including the friendly resident lawman Fernie (Timothy Webber), she’s unaware that “George Edwards” is actually the notorious Bill Miner, “The Gentleman Bandit.” Unaware that is, until a tenacious Pinkerton detective (Gary Reineke) shows up in town on Bill’s trail from the botched robbery in Washington.

“The Grey Fox,” a Canadian production, was Philip Borsos’ first feature film. The production is distinguished by the striking compositions, assured pace, and keen sense of time and place that you’d expect to see from an older, more seasoned filmmaker. In fact, Borsos was only 29. The director’s promising career encompassed only four more movies, including an ambitious but troubled Canadian-Chinese co-production, “Bethune” (1990), before leukemia claimed him at age 41. After “The Grey Fox” became a hit in Canada, it was distributed by Zoetrope in the U.S. on the art-house circuit, a wise strategy for Borsos’ low-key, character-driven Northwestern. Richard Farnsworth, in his first starring credit, was the only U.S. actor on the marquee. A veteran Hollywood stunt man and bit player, Farnsworth had won acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for a supporting role in “Comes a Horseman” (1978). While a star like Henry Fonda, Burt Lancaster, or Lee Marvin would have given the production a higher profile at neighborhood theaters, it’s difficult to imagine that any of them could have bettered Farnsworth’s quietly sly, believably weathered presence. Farnsworth was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe and a Best Performance by a Foreign Actor Canadian Genie Award. He also received the London Critics Circle Film Award for Actor of the Year. The rest of the cast is comparably good.

The Kino Lorber special edition of “The Grey Fox” is packed with special features, including audio commentary by Alex Cox, interviews with producer Peter O’Brian and composer Michael Conway Baker, a featurette about the 4K restoration, and a theatrical re-release trailer. Fans of Westerns and flavorful period dramas will welcome the opportunity to revisit the movie they may have seen long ago on home video in the VHS era, or to encounter it here for the first time.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

(Fred Blosser is the author of "Sons of Ringo: The Great Spaghetti Western Heroes". Click here to order from Amazon)

There something about Christmas that inspires bad movies from many nations and Mexico is no exception as evidenced by this infamous 1959 film about Santa Claus that has to be seen to be believed. Part fantasy, part horror flick, part sci-fi, this gem from South of the Border is rivaled only by "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" in terms of providing inspiration to "Mystery Science Theater". Here Santa has to contend with some irredeemable rotten kids and a villain who looks like he just got back from playing Satan at an office party that went very badly. Santa's sleigh is also hi-tech, as though it were outfitted with gadgets from Q Branch. Small wonder it has achieved immortality among bad retro movie lovers worldwide. - Lee Pfeiffer

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

Diana Ross Stars in the Original Drama, Arriving February 23, 2021

See It on Blu-ray Before the Debut of the Highly Anticipated New Film The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Diana Ross gives a tour-de-force debut performance as legendary singer Billie Holiday in the classic drama LADY SINGS THE BLUES, arriving on Blu-ray for the first time ever February 23, 2021 from Paramount Home Entertainment.   

Nominated for five^* Academy Awards®, including Best Actress in a Leading Role for Ross, LADY SINGS THE BLUES brilliantly captures the essence of Billie Holiday, one of America’s most loved and memorable blues singers.  Filled with the greatest songs of the incomparable "Lady Day," the film won Image Awards for Best Motion Picture, Best Actress (Ross) and Best Actor (Billy Dee Williams), as well as a Golden Globe® for Ross as the year’s Most Promising Newcomer – Female.  Richard Pryor also stars as the unforgettable “Piano Man.”  

The LADY SINGS THE BLUES Blu-ray includes the following previously released bonus content in  standard definition: commentary by executive producer and Motown founder Berry Gordy, director Sidney Furie and artist manager Shelly Berger, a making-of featurette entitled “Behind the Blues: Lady Sings the Blues,” and seven deleted scenes.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

New York, NY -- November 30, 2020 -- MAD MAX, the original 1979 action film classic directed by George Miller, is now available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. This post-apocalyptic thriller made Mel Gibson an international superstar, re-defined the action genre with its groundbreaking stunts and launched the hit sequels including The Road Warrior, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, and Mad Max: Fury Road.

The SRP for the 4K UHD edition is $39.95. Bonus features include: Audio Commentary with Art Director Jon Dowding, Cinematographer David Eggby, Special Effects Artist Chris Murray, Moderated by Filmmaker Tim Ridge, Australian 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Lossless Mono, U.S. English Dubbed 2.0 Lossless Mono, Dual-Layered UHD100 Disc, and Optional English Subtitles.

The 4K edition also contains the Blu-ray as disc 2. Bonus features on the Blu-ray include: Road Rage: NEW Interview with Director George Miller, Interviews with Stars Mel Gibson & Joanne Samuel and Cinematographer David Eggby, Audio Commentary with Art Director Jon Dowding, Cinematographer David Eggby, Special Effects Artist Chris Murray, Moderated by Filmmaker Tim Ridge, Mel Gibson: Birth of a Superstar, Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon, Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots, TRAILERS FROM HELL with Josh Olson

Radio Spots, Australian 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Lossless Mono, U.S. English Dubbed 2.0, Lossless Mono, and Optional English Subtitles.

The Blu-ray edition is also available individually with a SRP of $29.95.

From George Miller, the acclaimed director of The Road Warrior, The Witches of Eastwick, Lorenzo’s Oil and Mad Max: Fury Road, comes this post-apocalyptic masterpiece starring screen legend Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, Payback). In the ravaged near-future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping them. But they underestimate one officer: Max (Gibson). And when the bikers brutalize Max’s best friend and family, they send him into a mad frenzy that leaves him with only one thing left in the world to live for—revenge!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

BY NICK ANEZ

Business isn’t exactly booming for private detective Peter Joseph Detweiler, better known as P.J. His makeshift office is in a bar belonging to his only friend Charlie. His sporadic jobs include entrapping cheating wives and he is not above drowning his sorrows in liquor. So when wealthy magnate William Orbison offers him a substantial fee to be a bodyguard for his mistress, Maureen Prebble, he is in no position to refuse. What P.J. doesn’t know is that Orbison has already hired someone else to commit a murder. How this murder and the shamus’s new job intersect is the crux of the terrific 1968 neo-noir from Universal, P.J. (U.K. title: New Face in Hell.)

Private detectives were prominent in the late 1960s and included Harper (1966), Tony Rome (1967), Gunn (1967), and Marlowe (1969). P.J. appeared in the midst of this surplus, which may account in part for its box office failure. The movie quickly disappeared, at least in its original form. Due to one extended and bloody sequence in a gay bar as well as to other scenes of violence and sexuality, Universal drastically cut and re-edited the movie for its television network presentation. For decades afterward and until just recently, the original version of the movie was never officially released on home video; only inferior bootleg copies of murky prints were available and even some of these were the edited television version.

Philip Reisman, Jr.’s screenplay is based on his original story co-written with producer Edward Montagne. The script initially unfolds as a conventional mystery but gets increasingly complicated with each twist and turn. Maureen appears to definitely need a bodyguard, in view of threatening letters as well as a shot fired into her bedroom. And there is no shortage of suspects who would like to see her dead. Orbison’s emotionally fragile wife, Betty, tries to pretend that her husband’s paramour doesn’t exist. Betty’s relatives despise Maureen because of her emergence as principle beneficiary in Orbison’s will. Orbison’s Executive Assistant, Jason Grenoble, due to his apparent affluent upbringing, is displeased about being used as a flunky. Making P.J.’s job more difficult is Orbison’s decision to take everyone, including relatives and mistress, to his hideaway in the Caribbean island of St. Crispin’s. And it is in this tropical setting that P.J. is forced to kill a suspect. This seems to be the end of the case. But it is really only the end of the second act. The third act is filled with intrigue, deception, blackmail and three brutal deaths.

John Guillermin is an underappreciated director who created admirable films in many genres, including mystery, adventure, war and western as well as the disaster and monster genres. His success could perhaps be due not only to his skill but to a style that is unobtrusive. He directs P.J. in a straightforward fashion, not allowing any directorial flourishes to interrupt the flow of the story. With cinematographer Loyal Griggs, he cleverly contrasts the seedy sections of New York City with the natural beauty of St. Crispin’s. However, this beauty is soon tainted by the presence of Orbison, whose wealth the island’s economy requires to flourish. Guillermin allows each of the characters within Orbison’s band of sycophants enough screen time to make an impact. Basically, they all appear to be self-centered, greedy and nasty. Orbison is especially sadistic, in addition to being notoriously miserly. Maureen doesn’t apologize for providing sexual favors in exchange for future wealth. Betty is willing to be repeatedly humiliated to obtain her customary allowance. Grenoble continually demeans himself to keep his well-paid position. And then there is butler Shelton Quell, who is not as harmless as his effeminate mannerisms suggest. This is a sordid group of characters that P.J. is involved with but his dire financial state has apparently extinguished his conscience, particularly since he soon becomes intimately involved with the body that he is guarding. P.J.’s essential irony arises from the fact that he is equally greedy, at least initially. He also seems to be morally bankrupt. When he encounters Orbison leaving Maureen’s cottage, it doesn’t faze him that they have just engaged in a quickie. P.J. knows that he has sold his gun to Orbison just as Maureen has sold her body.

In the early 1960s, George Peppard became a major star in expensive films such as and How the West Was Won (1962) and The Carpetbaggers (1964). In 1966, he starred in another big-budget film, The Blue Max, the first of three movies he would make with John Guillermin. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he starred in several smaller-budgeted movies. While some of them, especially Pendulum, The Groundstar Conspiracy and Newman’s Law are exceptional, others are unremarkable. The commercial failure of these movies diminished his status and relegated him to supporting roles and television. This was regrettable because he had genuine star quality as well as considerable talent. However, he made a well-deserved comeback by achieving massive popularity as the star of the hit television series, The A-Team, and his small screen success is a worthy consolation prize.

As P.J. Detweiler, Peppard creates a unique private eye that puts him apart from his cinematic brethren. P.J. initially appears disillusioned with his life and work. Like many film noir protagonists, he is one of society’s alienated outcasts. He is not just down and out but seems resigned to his dismal situation. When he is offered the lucrative position of bodyguard, he is so destitute that he agrees to a humiliating audition of fisticuffs. As he begins his job, he appears impassive to the decadence of Orbison’s environment. However, after he has been duped and discarded, he asserts himself and becomes a traditional detective who is determined to pursue clues and solve the mystery. But unlike traditional detectives, he doesn’t derive any pleasure from the solution to the crime. The fact that he has been maneuvered into facilitating a murder has emotionally drained him. At the end of the film, he forces a cheerless smile at Charlie but he is unable to sustain it, replacing it quickly with a look of despair. All of these emotions are reflected in Peppard’s superb portrayal.

As William Orbison, Raymond Burr splendidly returned to the villainous roles that he had portrayed in previous decades before becoming a household name on television as lawyer Perry Mason, a role he played for nine years. P.J. was released six months after Burr started his second successful series as police chief Ironside, a role he would portray for eight years. Audiences who were accustomed to seeing him embody honorable characters must have been shocked to view his malevolent Orbison. Though he projects a sophisticated veneer for Orbison, Burr fully evokes his perverted obsession with wealth and power through his modulated tone and menacing visage. With his atypically silver hair and imposing size, he conveys malignant authority. In the scene in which Orbison brings his wife and mistress together, the actor’s expression of merciless pleasure invites unmitigated contempt. Burr’s Orbison deserves an honored position among noir’s loathsome villains. (Incidentally, in advertisements for the movie, Burr’s name is below Gayle Hunnicutt’s name but in the movie itself Burr’s name precedes Hunnicutt’s.)

BY DOUG OSWALD

Michael Dudikoff leads a military-themed double feature in “Platoon Leader” and “Soldier Boyz,” released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. The first is a standard “Rio Bravo” knock off taking place during the Vietnam War. A recent West Point graduate arrives in Vietnam and is assigned to command and defend a jungle outpost. “Soldier Boyz” is the story of a former Marine working with inner city youths who are serving time and are recruited to join him on a mission to free an aid worker held hostage by a Vietnamese warlord. “Platoon Leader” is a standard military action drama, while “Soldier Boyz” is a rescue tale which takes place several decades after the end of the Vietnam War. While both movies are set primarily in Vietnam and they both feature Dudikoff, that’s about as far as the similarities go.

“Platoon Leader” is reminiscent of other Vietnam War movies from the same era like “Go Tell the Spartans” (1978), “The Odd Angry Shot” (1979) and “The Siege of Firebase Gloria” (1989) which was in production around the same time as “Platoon Leader, but released three months later. They all borrow plot elements from “Rio Bravo” and its many remakes like John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13.” While the story is familiar, most of the faces are new. Michael Dudikoff was cast as a B movie action star throughout the 80s and continues to feature in B movie fare to this day. In “Platoon Leader” he’s a fresh West Point graduate, Lieutenant Jeff Knight. Deployed to the jungles of Binh Dinh province, Vietnam, Knight has his textbook battle strategies in hand. The men view the new lieutenant with skepticism as is the familiar trope in this situation. The men are seasoned veterans and Knight is the guy likely to get them all killed. After a routine jungle patrol, Knight is wounded in the ensuing battle and sent to an Army hospital. His return to the outpost is enough to gain the respect from his men who thought they’d seen the last of him. There’s a funny scene when he returns to find his belongings in his quarters are being pillaged by his men.

The men of the platoon include Robert F. Lyons as Sergeant Michael McNamara, the seasoned veteran and enlisted leader who wants to get everyone home alive. Michael DeLorenzo is Raymond Bacera and Jesse Dabsn is Joshua Parker, two of the junior enlisted members of the platoon. Rick Fitts is Sergeant Robert Hayes, a man possibly about to go over the edge. A welcome familiar face to the movie is character actor William Smith as Major Flynn, Knight’s commanding officer.

Based on the book by James R. McDonough and directed by Aaron Norris, the youngest brother of Chuck Norris. The younger Norris directed his brother in several movies and in a handful of “Walker Texas Ranger” episodes. He also worked with Chuck in other capacities such as stunt coordinator and producer. A Vietnam War Army veteran, he brings a knowing edge to “Platoon Leader.” Filmed on location in South Africa, the country is a pretty good stand in for Vietnam.

“Soldier Boyz” is an entirely different type of action film and is a knockoff of “The Dirty Dozen” and a play on the title “Boyz in the Hood.” Rather than “men on an impossible mission,” it’s more like, “children on an improbable mission.” The basic premise of “Soldier Boyz” is absurd: six street wise inner city boys and one girl serving time in a California juvenile detention center are recruited by a former Marine and Vietnam veteran to lead a rescue of an aid worker who has been taken hostage in Vietnam. Disneyland with guns for these boyz in the jungle.

Michael Dudikoff is the former Marine and Vietnam veteran, Major Howard Toliver, who now works in the juvenile detention center as a counselor. A former Marine general sporting an eye patch and black beret along with a wealthy business man, recruit Toliver for a mission to rescue the wealthy man’s daughter, a United Nations relief worker, who is being held hostage after the aircraft she’s a passenger on crash lands and she’s taken to a prison camp run by a vicious red beret-wearing military war lord. Toliver is asked to form a team and he comes up with the idea to use juvenile prisoners. If they survive, they’ll receive a presidential pardon and $10 million will be donated to the California Youth Services. Chained together on the flight to Vietnam, they receive an all-too-brief basic training which takes place in one day after landing where they learn the basic skills necessary to fight and kill the bad guys as well as how to rescue the relief worker. They learn to work together as a team, sort of, and one wonders why these streetwise youths don’t simply run off. It’s never explained how the juvenile system would allow such a venture. Nor is it explained how they made it through the jungles of Vietnam on a commando mission with next to no military training. Ah, the joys of suspending disbelief. At least the action finale destruction of the prison camp is well-staged with plenty of explosions.

Directed by Louis Morneau, probably best known for the 1997 sci-fi time travel movie, “Retroactive” and the 1999 thriller, “Made Men;” with a screenplay by Darryl Quarles, the movie does an okay job blending genres. Filmed on location in the Philippines, the movie features a few familiar faces. Hank Brandt is Jameson Prescott, the wealthy father of the kidnapped aid worker. He is recognizable from his decades of work on television. Retro movie fans will recognize Don Stroud as General Gaton who recruits Toliver. He appeared as tough guys in too many movies to list here. Character actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is the other face you will recognize and he plays the warlord Vinh Moc. Nicole Hansen is the kidnapped relief worker Gabrielle Prescott.

The soldier boyz of the title are played by a half dozen up-and-coming actors who continue to be busy in the movie industry to this day. Tyrin Turner is Butts, Jacqueline Obradors is Vasquez, David Barry is Gray Lamb, Channon Roe is Brophy, Demetrius Navarro is Lopez and Cedrick Terrell is Michael “Monster” Greer. They portray all the urban stereotypes we are familiar with from countless movies and television series including “Boyz in the Hood” from 1991. I wish I could say this isn’t a bad movie, but I’d be lying. It has its moments during the final rescue, but it required too much suspending of disbelief for me and I felt nothing for any of the characters.

Released by Canon in October 1988, “Platoon Leader” clocks in at 97 minutes. “Soldier Boyz” is a 1995 production (it may have been released direct to video) and runs 90 minutes. That’s just over three hours of entertainment on one disc. That’s assuming you enjoy B movies and can suspend serious disbelief during the second feature. The Blu-ray sounds and looks terrific. The only extras on the disc are subtitles and a multitude of trailers for these and several Michael Dudikoff and Aaron Norris action movies.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

BY LEE PFEIFFER

Of all the movie streaming services, I find that Amazon Prime is a cut above the others, if only because of its vast catalog of obscure films from the 1960s and 1970s, which, of course, is the main area of focus for Cinema Retro magazine. Browse at random or enter any star's name from this era, and you'll probably be rewarded by discovering a title or two you are not familiar with. Case in point: "Male Rogue" starring Peter O'Toole, a 1976 British production for television that was made on a modest budget and resonated very well with audiences and critics. It was briefly released to theaters but withdrawn due to union disputes over compensation for the theatrical showings. I must confess that I was completely ignorant of the title, despite being conversant in O'Toole's often underrated films and having spent a good deal of time in the UK. In any event, I found it to be one of the best among O'Toole's checkered career accomplishments. He made plenty of commercial duds but that doesn't mean they didn't have artistic merits.

The production is an adaptation of a bestelling novel by Geoffrey Household that had been filmed once before in 1941 under the title "Man Hunt". The story begins in the pre-WWII period of 1939, when Britain still had diplomatic relations with Germany, as Neville Chamberlain continued futile attempts to avert war and make good on his promise that his 1936 treaty with the Nazi government would indeed bring "Peace in our time."  The teleplay grabs you from the first intriguing frames. O'Toole plays the appropriately named Sir Robert Hunter, who is known for being a world famous big game hunter who has written the definitive book on the subject. When we first see him, he is sneaking about in the woods near Adolf Hitler's rural retreat. The Fuhrer is playing host to Eva Braun and some of his Nazi paladins for a sumptuous outdoor lunch. Hunter produces a rifle and has Hitler in his sites when his attempted assassination is thwarted by alert security men. He is mercilessly tortured by the Gestapo, who want him to admit that the British government is behind his actions, which would be a pretext for blaming England for an outbreak of war. Hunter manages to effect an incredible escape and makes it back to London- but he is far from safe. His uncle (Alastair Sim in his last film) is an influential MP but he can't provide much help. In fact, he warns Hunter that the British are likely to arrest him and turn him over to German authorities to prove he acted alone. With plenty of money but no allies to rely on, Hunter realizes that German agents in London have marked him for death. He thwarts an assassination attempt, leaving his would-be killer dead and takes off to the bucolic setting of Dorset on the southern coast, but he finds he is being pursued by other German agents as well as British authorities who now consider him to be a murderer.

Much of the engaging screenplay by Frederic Raphael follows the unflappable and ever self-reliant Hunter's narrow escapes and his abilities to use his game hunting skills to survive in dire circumstances. The final section of the film finds him literally living in a hole in the ground in the deep woods, which he has fashioned into a crude survival shelter. It works until it doesn't work and he is located by Major Quive-Smith (John Standing), a racist British "patriot" who favors appeasing Hitler to ensure that both countries can avoid a war he believes will be started by Jews. It may sound implausible to say that extended screen time devoted to a man above ground taunting a man hiding underground makes for compelling viewing, but Standing is terrific as one of those great screen villains: urbane, witty and charismatic. He offers Hunter a deal: he can sign a letter attesting that the British government sent him to kill Hitler. It will only be used if war breaks out so the Germans can blame the British. The cat-and-mouse game never reaches the level of nail-biting suspense, but under the excellent direction of Clive Donner, the film is gripping and believable throughout, thanks in no small part to O'Toole's outstanding performance.

Although "Rogue Male" has been released in a hi-def Blu-ray edition by the British Film Institute, the Amazon print obviously derives from one of the bargain basement "dollar store" videos that had apparently been on the market for years. Consequently, it's a muddy transfer that doesn't do justice to the spectacular Dorset settings. Adding insult to injury, a promotional trailer for the film is presented in Hi Def, which only whets the appetite for a better viewing experience. Nevertheless, beggars can't be choosers and "Rogue Male" is a superior thriller well worth watching, muddy transfer not withstanding. (Look for noted playwright Harold Pinter in cameo role.)

(Photo: Warner Bros.)

The recent decision by Warner Bros. to backtrack on their vow to release major new films exclusively in theaters per the normal practice has caused widespread concerns in the industry. The studio recently announced that their slate of eagerly-anticipated blockbuster titles will premiere on their struggling streaming service HBO Max at the same time they will appear in theaters. Everyone from directors to stars to beleaguered movie theaters that have been starved for product since the pandemic hit have been united in their opposition to the plan. Their concerns are obvious: a world that has embraced streaming may forsake the traditional movie-going experience, thus jeopardizing the financial ability of theaters to survive. Click here to read the Washington Post's coverage.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics:

New York, NY -- December 8, 2020 -- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the '80s sci-fi classic TV series and 1979 theatrical feature starring Gil Gerard, is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Buck Rogers: The Complete Collection, available on Blu-ray includes both seasons of the TV series plus the 1979 Theatrical Feature. The Theatrical Feature is also available individually on Blu-ray.

The Complete Collection comes packed with bonus features including the Pilot Episode (Awakening), 32 Episodes and Theatrical Version (First Time in HD), NEW Audio Commentaries for 11 Selected Episodes by Film/TV Historian Patrick Jankiewicz, Author of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: A TV Companion, NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson (Theatrical Feature), NEW Interview with Co-Star Erin Gray, NEW Interview with Actor Thom Christopher (Hawk), 9-Minute Special Theatrical Preview, Theatrical Trailer, and Two Radio Spots (Theatrical Feature).

The Theatrical Feature Blu-ray & DVD includes Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, 9-Minute Special Theatrical Preview. Theatrical Trailer, and Two Radio Spots.

Buck Rogers: The Complete Collection

Includes Season 1 & 2 of the TV Series

Plus the 1979 Theatrical Feature

Blu-ray Extras Include:

Includes the Pilot Episode (Awakening), 32 Episodes and Theatrical Version (First Time in HD)

NEW Audio Commentaries for 11 Selected Episodes by Film/TV Historian Patrick Jankiewicz, Author of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: A TV Companion

NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson (Theatrical Feature)

NEW Interview with Co-Star Erin Gray

NEW Interview with Actor Thom Christopher (Hawk)

9-Minute Special Theatrical Preview

Theatrical Trailer

Two Radio Spots (Theatrical Feature)

Nine BD50 Dual-Layer Discs

Optional English Subtitles

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

1979 Theatrical Feature

Brand New 2K Master

Available Individually on Blu-ray & DVD

Blu-ray Extras Include:

Brand New 2K Master

Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson

9-Minute Special Theatrical Preview

Theatrical Trailer

Two Radio Spots

Dual-Layered BD50 Disc

Optional English Subtitles

DVD Extras Include:

Brand New 2K Master

Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson

9-Minute Special Theatrical Preview

Theatrical Trailer

Two Radio Spots

Optional English Subtitles

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

BY LEE PFEIFFER

Those who have a weakness for British spy movies will find plenty to like in "The Whistle Blower", a largely unheralded 1986 production that boasts a fine performance by Michael Caine. He plays Frank Jones, a nondescript middle-aged Brit with a somewhat convoluted background. He was a fighter pilot in the  military but his career came to an end when he struck a superior officer. It's then implied that he went on to work for British Intelligence in some capacity, though in reality his act of military insubordination would probably have excluded him from that position. When we are introduced to Frank he is a widower and owner of a small office supply business who is paying a visit to his 28 year-old son Bob (Nigel Havers, very good) for a low key celebration of his offspring's birthday. It turns out that Bob is employed by Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), which is a branch of the intelligence community. Frank finds Bob to be dealing with a good deal of pressure, both personally and professionally. He's in a romantic relationship with a woman, Cynthia Goodburn (Felicity Dean), who has a young daughter. Felicity is also currently married, though the film doesn't explore her motivations for carrying on an affair with the love-smitten Bob. Frank likes Cynthia personally but is disapproving of the relationship. But he discovers Bob has even bigger problems. For years he has been a Russian linguist in the agency, providing valuable service in translating information concerning Soviet activities and agents. He tells his father that he has uncovered some disheartening information that ties in with revelations regarding a recent scandal that caused embarrassment for the GCHQ when a Soviet agent had been revealed to have been working in the agency for a decade before being caught. Bob is alarmed by an atmosphere of paranoia at the agency in the wake of the scandal. All employees are being encouraged to keep track of their colleagues' activities and to report any suspicions regarding anyone whose allegiance might be questionable. Bob, an idealist, rejects this and has come to the conclusion that, based on other information he has uncovered, that British Intelligence and their American allies are every bit as brutal as the KGB. Frank dismisses the concerns and encourages Bob to stay on the job rather than resign in protest. 

Things get murky when Bob is reported to have died in a tragic home accident. Frank immediately suspects that Bob was killed by his own agency to prevent him from revealing some information that might compromise the GCHQ's already tarnished reputation. He begins his own investigation and, as these things generally play out in conspiracy-themed movies, finds that he can trust no one, even old colleagues and friends. As Frank doggedly pursues the truth, he finds his own life in danger as well as those of Cynthia and her daughter. Director Simon Langton (his only feature film) keeps Julian Bond's talky but interesting script moving at a brisk pace. Refreshingly, the character of Frank is never miraculously transformed into an action hero. In fact, there is very little action or violence in the entire film. Caine gives a terrific, understated performance. His trademark wit doesn't get much opportunity to be displayed in this somber story but he does provide a healthy dose of his character's Harry Palmer-like cynicism in regard all aspects of the spy game. He gets able support from a fine cast that includes esteemed veteran actors like James Fox, Gordon Jackson (his final film), John Gielgud (in a pivotal cameo) and Barry Foster (superb as an old military service crony of Frank's who may or may not be involved in deception.)

The Kino Lorber transfer is right up to the company's usual excellent standards. The only bonus feature is a nice gallery of trailers for other KL releases starring Caine, although, curiously, "The Whistle Blower" trailer is not among them.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

BY FRED BLOSSER

In George Axelrod’s “Lord Love a Duck” (1966), Roddy McDowall and Tuesday Weld play high school seniors in Los Angeles. McDowall was 38 at the time, Weld 23. Such casting, where actors in their twenties or older play teenagers, is typical for Hollywood, then and now. In “Lord Love a Duck,” which Axelrod produced, co-wrote, and directed from a novel by Al Hine, neither McDowall nor Weld exactly looks like an 18-year-old, nor do the actresses who play their classmates. They include Jo Collins, 21, then a recent Playmate of the Year. But here the disconnect doesn’t really detract from the film. It simply underscores its overall cartoonish surrealism. McDowall plays Alan, the genius-level valedictorian of his class, who fixates on his classmate, pretty but vacuous Barbara Ann (Weld). “Her deepest and most heartfelt yearnings express with a kind of touching lyricism the total vulgarity of our time,” he marvels. The daughter of divorced parents, living with her mother, a minimum-wage cocktail waitress (Lola Albright), she’s lonely and adrift. She’s especially insecure since she’s been transferred to a brand new school through a consolidation, and now she’s largely surrounded by kids she hadn’t known before. (A sign that we’re in 1966 and not 2020, Consolidated High’s student body and staff all appear to be white.) When Alan approaches her, she initially takes for granted that his interest is sexual. “I don’t do bad things with boys,” she says. “You don’t have to do anything,” he responds. Instead, he just wants to help her obtain the things she thinks will make her happy in life.

Alan is so enterprising that other industrious movie and TV teens like Ferris Bueller and Alex P. Keaton look like slackers in comparison. Barbara Ann’s wish list encompasses things that will bring her instant gratification, and the first ones are simple. When she needs to buy twelve cashmere sweaters to join the other girls‘ Cashmere Sweater Club, Alan advises that she wheedle her father Howard (Max Showalter), playing on his guilt that he’s been mostly absent from her life. When Barbara Ann wishes she could go on a vacation, he suggests that she join the youth group from her church on its weekend retreat to Malibu. Her next ambitions require a little more work. The minister’s nephew Bob (Martin West) is the chaperone for the trip, and when Barbara Ann decides “I want him” (“Like the sweaters and the vacation?” Alan asks), Alan contrives to engineer a wedding. What does Alan get out of helping her, Barbara Ann asks. He suggests it’s the joy of manipulation, “I think of things,” although the expression on his face says he’s not altogether sure. Or maybe he realizes that even his ingenuity is starting to get taxed. On the Malibu trip, they encounter a B-movie producer, T. Harrison Belmont (Martin Gabel, unbilled), who’s on the lookout for a fresh face to star in his next “bikini” film. When Barbara Ann quickly sours on her marriage, she yearns for freedom to pursue her next desire, fame. Belmont offers an avenue for achieving that goal, but first Alan has to remove the obstacle that now stands in the way, Bob.

The first half of “Lord Love a Duck” is outrageous and striking. Axelrod splashes his disdain for trendy, materialistic culture with broad, gleeful strokes. When Barbara Ann’s father picks her up for the trip to the sweater shop, they first stop at a curbside diner for lunch and scarf down on hot dogs like gluttonous kids on a date. The camera puts us in the front seat with them, uncomfortably close. At the store, the shopping trip turns into a symbolic orgy of consumerism and sex. Barbara Ann seems to become erotically aroused by trying on a succession of sweaters labeled “Grape Yum Yum,” “Periwinkle Pussycat,” and “Turquoise Trouble.” Watching in extreme closeup, Dad leers, pops his eyes, and shivers like a lecher brought to life from a dirty cartoon. Seemingly sated, they finally sprawl on the pile of tried-on garments. Barbara Ann’s place of worship, the “First Drive-In Church of Southern California” and its unctuously cheery pastor, Dr. Neuhauser (Donald Murphy), kid the mega-church movement that had begun to emerge in the ‘60s. Moderating the church’s youth group, Dr. Neuhauser focuses the discussion on sex rather than scripture. It seemed like a wacky concept then. Now, the real-life Dr. Neuhausers are formidable power-brokers in national politics, still more absorbed in other people’s sex lives than in spiritual matters. The buffoonish principal at the new high school (Harvey Korman) is happy because he now has a public address system. He’s as easily manipulated by Alan as everyone else is.

BY LEE PFEIFFER

The Warner Archive has released the 1964 comedy "Honeymoon Hotel". The film, made just a few years before the liberalization of sex in the American cinema, is a labored affair with a sterling cast that is largely wasted due to a ludicrous script and leaden direction. This is somewhat surprising because the screenwriters- R.S. Allen and Harvey Bullock- were hot properties at the time, having written some truly classic sitcoms and memorable feature films. Here, they drop the ball with a script that resembles a horny 15 year-old boy's viewpoint of romance and sex. The film opens by introducing us to two best friends, Ross Kingsley (Robert Goulet) and Jay Menlow (Robert Morse), who revel in the fact that they share a Manhattan bachelor pad where they entertain a steady stream of female conquests. The handsome and devilish Ross is clearly the main magnet for the willing women, but even nerdy Jay is doing alright for himself. Thus, it puzzles Ross as to why Jay is about to marry traditional good girl Cynthia (Anne Helm). The story shifts to the scene of the opulent wedding. Just before the rituals can be carried out, however, Cynthia observes Jay and Ross ogling her friend Lynn Hope (Nancy Kwan). She has a public hissy fit and calls off the wedding. The ever-resourceful Ross realizes that Jay is now stuck with a honeymoon package to a tropical island for two that appears to be useless. Not wanting to let the opportunity pass by, he convinces Jay to go on the trip and take him along on Cynthia's ticket. The plan is to get Jay over his grief by getting back into the world of womanizing. Where better to do so than a tropical isle? The two men check into Honeymoon Hotel without realizing that it adheres to a strict policy of catering to newlyweds only.

Through a string of coincidences the strict desk clerk  misses the fact that two men are checking into the same room. This leads to any number of double entrendres and opportunities to overact as the maids come to realize that two guys appear to be on a honeymoon together. (Keep in mind this was 1964).  Ross and Jay ponder why they are striking out with the female guests until they finally learn of their dilemma. Just when their libidos seem destined for disaster, they conveniently discover that there is one single woman on the property: Lynn Hope, who is the social director of the resort. This sets in motion a string of coincidences that are so unbelievable they would be more appropriate in a science fiction film. Predictably, Ross woos Lynn but on the verge of getting her into bed, she runs into Jay and learns of Ross's reputation as a serial seducer. She then plays Jay and Ross against each other in a pedantic series of scenarios in which each man thinks he will be the one to score with her. Finally, Ross legitimately falls for Lynn and in true storybook tradition, makes plans to finally settle down with the right girl. Then everything goes to hell in the film's wacky but dreadful  conclusion in which one of his former conquests, Sherry (Jill St. John in typical air-headed floozy mode) arrives as the resort as the mistress to Ross's crusty boss (Keenan Wynn). In the increasingly ridiculous scenario, the boss's wife turns up because she suspects he is dallying with other women. Then Cynthia appears out of nowhere to see if she can reconcile with Jay. The situations that follow find Sherry being passed around by the males like an appetizer on a platter as each man finds he has to hide her presence from his significant other. Bedroom farces can be quite funny if carried out competently but Levin proves he isn't up to the task. The cast gamely goes through the manic pacing but there isn't a genuine laugh to be found. 

The biggest disappointment with "Honeymoon Hotel" is the squandering of the admirable talent on screen. Goulet always had a fine screen presence in addition to being an impressive crooner. With his model-like good looks he should have been a much bigger star in films, but he seemed to primarily be relegated to mid-range fare like this. Morse made it big by being cast repeatedly as a "Jerry Lewis Lite". His aping of the comedy legend is so apparent that it was wonder he wasn't sued for identity theft. Morse has talent but he's reduced to enacting ridiculous scenarios that are completely out of place in what is supposed to be an adult romantic comedy. Other victims include fine supporting actors like Elsa Lanchester , who is consigned to a tiny role as a maid and the great British character actor Bernard Fox who plays the rigid desk clerk. Nancy Kwan is especially wasted, a fact the producers seemed to have realized because they shoehorn in a pretentious dance routine designed to show off her talents in that area despite the fact that it comes completely out of left field and doesn't even fit in the context of the sequence. Everything about "Honeymoon Hotel" is second rate. The film's bare bones budget is reflected by the fact that the closest the cast got to a tropical isle was a few hours shooting at a local beach a few miles from MGM's back lot. The opulent resort depicted in the film is stuffed with claustrophobic sets and an abundance of plastic palm trees. I've seen more convincing recreations of island life in department store summer patio displays. Even the "bachelor pad" is the recycled set from the "bachelor pad" seen in the previous year's MGM comedy, the far superior "Sunday in New York".  Although the movie attempts to be risque with its sexual themes, the producers didn't have the courage to go beyond some smarmy one-liners. The honeymoon resort is populated by couples who appear to never stop copulating but the biggest laugh in the film is an unintentional one: the bedrooms in the suites all have separate beds, which makes the film as sexually daring as an episode of "I Love Lucy". "Honeymoon Hotel" might have been construed as a sex comedy but it's as flaccid as....well, a wet noodle. 

The bare bones DVD release has no extras.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM THE CINEMA RETRO MOVIE STORE