Movieman's Guide to the Movies
The Final Word on Physical Media
Odd Man Out is a very well made and tense film noir thriller featuring incredible performances by, most notably, James Mason and Robert Newton. The Blu-ray itself released by Criterion Collection offers good video/audio transfers while the features are well done, headlined by an archive documentary about Mason.
An Autumn Afternoon is not only a beautifully written film but, to go along with the excellent performances, was beautifully shot by director Yasujiro Ozu and his longtime cinematographer Yûharu Atsuta. The Blu-ray released by The Criterion Collection brilliantly restores the picture and audio and while the features aren’t bountiful, are still interesting especially the commentary track.
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The Sword of Doom, directed by Kihachi Okamoto (who was often overshadowed by other Japanese mainstays), this drama has heart and features great performances from its two leads. This Blu-ray released by The Criterion Collection might not have an abundant amount of features but the video and audio transfers are both well done and alone are worth the price.
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La Ciénaga is a compelling drama-comedy with great performances from its lead but beyond that, an engrossing story. It’s not normally my type of film, and has little replay value, and for some, as with a fair number of Criterion Collection releases, it’s not for everybody.
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With The Night Porter, I might be in the minority, but despite a good premise and set-up, I found this to be utterly dull and boring to the point where I nearly dozed off a time or two. For sure the performances by Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling were fantastic but the pacing was slow and on the whole, I just didn’t find it very engaging.
The Vanishing is a well made and one of the more disturbing dramas ever highlighted by a wholly creepy performance from Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu.
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is one of the more quirky romantic comedies I’ve come across but that’s the appeal for the film written and directed by famed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar with two solid performances from Victoria Abril and Antonio Banderas.
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Thief is a solid crime-drama from Michael Mann and a wonderful performance from James Caan, perhaps one of the best of his career.