At the least, we can be grateful for AMC's "reimagining" of "The Prisoner" because it hastened the arrival of the classic cult series on Blu-ray. "The Prisoner," of course, was in no need of a remake. The '60s spy series feels more relevant than ever ... and yet remains very much a product of its time -- 1966-1967, the glory days of psychedelia … [Read more...]
‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ on Blu-ray
A world filled with fear. Nations hopelessly divided, on the brink of war. Nuclear arms in the wrong hands, at the ready. Enter, from the skies, a starship bearing a savior, his robot and a promise of global peace via a fail-proof solution to war. Answered prayers? Certainly not in Hollywood's 1951, when the alien peacemaker, Klaatu, was duly … [Read more...]
Chris Marker on DVD: Things to come
Chris Marker doesn't fit into any of the buckets or boxes we use to contain and categorize filmmakers. The operative description seems to be "cine-essayist" -- but even that open-ended bag feels too conventional. Most of the now-elderly French artist's films are documentaries, of sorts, but they're relentlessly personal, subjective and … [Read more...]
‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ on DVD
"This is terrible," Walt Disney said. It was 1954, and the master of animation had just gotten his first look at the giant silly squid that was about to eat his studio. Director Richard Fleischer was equally mortified as the men watched dailies from the Disney shop's first live-action film, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." "So much was … [Read more...]
