"The Hustler" was Paul Newman's breakthrough film, a startling piece of lowlife lit built around the fictional pool-shark punk Fast Eddie Felson. George C. Scott, Jackie Gleason and Piper Laurie turned this 1961 drama into an actors showcase. All four were nominated for Oscars. Newman, it could be argued, didn't get his Oscar for his work in … [Read more...]
‘Last Tango in Paris’ dances in HD
"Growing old is a crime," the young and gorgeous Maria Schneider says in "Last Tango in Paris." Alas, the French actress eventually proved guilty of that offense, as must we all. Schneider died just days before the Blu-ray debut of the infamous 1972 film, a woman decimated by cancer and years of hard living. After "Last Tango," Schneider went … [Read more...]
‘All About Eve’ on Blu-ray
“All About Eve” continues to get better with age, thanks to a sleek and silvery Blu-ray presentation from Fox. The queen of backstage dramas makes its high-definition bow via a hardback “Blu-ray book” package that Fox bills as a limited edition. A 24-page booklet takes a quick look at star Bette Davis and writer-director Joseph Mankiewicz. … [Read more...]
‘Raging Bull’ back on Blu-ray
Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bill," an underdog in its day and a undisputed classic today, makes another comeback on Blu-ray, via MGM's 30th anniversary edition. "Raging Bull" fans still viewing the Robert De Niro-starrer on DVD should make the upgrade to high definition. This stunning black-and-white release is about as definitive as it's going to … [Read more...]
‘Night of the Hunter’: beauty and the beast
"The Night of the Hunter" director Charles Laughton, born in England, found old weird America a poetic place, one caught between the polarities of love and hate. The hate came from Robert Mitchum's deadly preacher man, one of the great movie villains. The love? It flowed like the river from a shotgun-toting Lillian Gish. Criterion's … [Read more...]
