One of the advantages of boutique physical releases is that American audiences are able to check out films that they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to before. This year, the never before officially released in the U.S. “The Son of the Stars” makes its way to American shores. The animated adventure described as a “wild mid-80s mash-up of The Empire Strikes Back, Alien and Tarzan” was directed by the creative team of Călin Cazan and Mircea Toia, and features a pretty trippy original score by synth-rock pioneer Stefan Elefteriu. I can safely say while you can see the “Star Wars” influences dripping all over it, it’s a wild experience for any animation buff.
Category Archives: Collector’s Den
History is Made at Night (1937): Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]
Frank Borzage’s hybrid of genres has apparently been a film that has been neglected for a long time and not given a proper restoration. With Criterion they ensure a long lasting release of what is a pretty engaging mix of drama, comedy, romance, and yes, a disaster film. I’m not sure if I was as wild about “History is Made at Night” as most movie buffs seem to be, but Frank Borzage’s film is a success at being entertaining and engaging. Borzage is able to bounce between themes rather well, balancing out dread and whimsical romance well.
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]
With the new direction the DCAU is taking, it only makes sense for them to finally veer in to the world of the Super Sons. For a few years now, Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne’s sons have been the most unlikely popular duo. Warner and DC even welcome them in to the fold of the DC Animated library with a full CG animated movie rather than hand drawn. I much prefer hand drawn, but the CG animation works wonders for the high energy first adventures of Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne. In either case, “Battle of the Super Sons” is a great buddy action movie, and it’s a coming of age action film featuring two legacy heroes that have a big task on their hands.
Bryan Loves You (2008): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray]
Director Seth Landau’s “Bryan Loves You” is the prime example of a movie that has a great idea but never quite sticks the execution. With the film’s trademark mask and set up, “Bryan Loves You” has every single chance to be a terrifying tale about cults, hive minds and indoctrination. Instead, a lot of what unfolds is rambling filler that never quite amounts to much of a movie.
Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973): Special Edition [Blu-ray/DVD]
Known as “Hooker’s Revenge,” and as “They Call Her One Eye,” Bo Arne Vibernius’s “Thriller” is the quintessential grindhouse revenge pic that begat so many after it. When you want to visit what helped influence Tarantino, “Thriller” (Vinegar Syndrome will debuting their own release of the film on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray with a different transfer and extras this summer) is where the template was established. While it suffers from narrative flaws here and there, “Thriller” is pure visceral exploitation revenge cinema that still feels about as grimy and gritty as “I Spit On Your Grave” in spite of its restoration.
Alligator (1980): Collector’s Edition [4K UHD/Blu-Ray]
After Spielberg’s “Jaws” took the world by storm, every studio took it upon themselves to create their own facsimile of the killer shark film. They hoped to cash in on the film’s momentum, and from that a whole sub-genre was created. And from “Alligator” there was the sub-sub-genre of Killer Croc and Alligator movies. For that you can attribute to the classic urban legend of sewers being a virtual haven for massive killer crocodiles, thanks to hapless tourists bringing home gators for pets. Writer John Sayles has no shortage of scenes involving the alligator lurking in the sewers and waiting for victims to enter its domain.
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) [4K UHD/Blu-Ray/Digital]
It’s surprising that in a film climate where extended universes fail from the starting gate, that the Kong/Godzilla modern film universe has been a quiet success. The crown jewel so far is “Godzilla vs. Kong,” a pretty great monster clash that pits monkey against lizard, and delivers some great rumbles between the pair. Director Adam Wingard is more than up to the challenge of giving fans the long awaited movie clash, and as expected, “Godzilla vs. Kong” met every expectation that I had.