FILM FRENZY

Nicolas Cage in Willy’s Wonderland (Photo: Shout! Studios)

By Matt Brunson

(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray, 4K and DVD. Ratings are on a four-star scale.)

BLOOD ON THE SUN (1945). Some historical facts find their way into this jingoistic drama, but the most important fact is this: Not even the combined might of the Japanese empire in the years prior to World War II could stand up to a typically spunky James Cagney and his fists of fury. Over a decade before Pearl Harbor, Cagney’s Nick Condon, a newspaper reporter living in Tokyo, learns of a Japanese plot to take over the world. Various bigwigs resort to all measures, including murder, to guarantee the scheme is kept under wraps. Cagney learned judo for this picture and ably handled his own filmic fights, and his robustness gooses a frequently static melodrama that often strains credulity. As a sign of the times, none of the main Japanese characters were played by Asian or Asian-American actors, with Caucasians instead nabbing all the roles. This dawned on me as I waited patiently for Robert Armstrong, an old favorite thanks to King Kong (he’s Carl Denham), to appear, only to finally notice some of his facial features poking through the heavy makeup design employed for Hideki Tojo (the real-life military leader who as prime minister of Japan was tried and executed for war crimes three years after the end of WWII). This earned an Oscar for Best Black-and-White Art Direction-Interior Decoration.

Blu-ray extras consist of film historian audio commentary; the theatrical trailer; and trailers for other films on the Kino label.

Movie: ★★½

BURNT OFFERINGS (1976). Folks love to (rightly) complain about some of AMPAS’ head-scratching picks for Best Picture — Green Book over Roma, Crash over Brokeback Mountain, etc. — but let’s not overlook the boneheaded picks made by other organizations. Case in point: For 1976, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films presented its Saturn Award for Best Horror Film to Burnt Offerings, passing over Brian De Palma’s Carrie and Richard Donner’s The Omen. In a way, this was an expected result: Burnt Offerings was one of only three theatrical features made by writer-director Dan Curtis, a revered pioneer and leading practitioner of horror on television (Dark Shadows, Trilogy of Terror), and since the other two movies were Dark Shadows spin-offs, this was his only original project (based on Robert Marasco’s novel) for the big screen and thus demanded to be rewarded. But it’s an awfully drab and tired affair, with Oliver Reed and Karen Black cast as a married couple who, accompanied by their son (Lee Montgomery) and Aunt Elizabeth (Bette Davis), move into a rental mansion that seems to have a mind of its own. Incompatible acting styles and stop-start pacing are debits, and that “shocker” of an ending can be spotted from Neptune, no telescope needed.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by Curtis, Black, and co-scripter William F. Nolan; interviews with Nolan, Montgomery, and supporting player Anthony James (the creepy chauffeur); and the theatrical trailer.

Movie: ★★

EILEEN (2023). How much should a good movie be penalized for a bad ending? I suppose the answer rests in the degrees of anger and frustration that said denouement triggers in the unsuspecting viewer. Germany’s Oscar-nominated The Teachers’ Lounge sports a disappointing nonending, but everything that precedes it is so riveting that the production as a whole manages to bulldoze through the haze of its finale and leave a positive impression. (The movie even made my 10 Best of 2023 list; go here for the complete package.) Eileen enjoys no such charitable decree: The majority of the film is rock-solid, but the final scenes are so illogical, so ill-advised, and so ill-informed that they leave an awful taste in the mouth, an awful stench in the nostrils, and an awful pounding in the head. This adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel is set in 1960s Massachusetts and circles around Eileen Dunlop (Thomasin McKenzie), a lonely woman who lives with a verbally abusive, alcoholic father (Shea Wigham) and works at a prison for teenage boys. Eileen finds an unlikely friend in the sophisticated Rebecca Saint John (Anne Hathaway), the new prison counsellor, but Rebecca’s interest in an inmate (Sam Nivola) who killed his father spins both their lives out of control. Eileen is so sturdy as a character(s) study and so shrewd in revealing each woman’s innate essence that it’s a crime the film ends so wretchedly (to say nothing of abruptly), leaving a constellation of questions in its wake.

There are no Blu-ray extras.

Movie: ★★

ERNEST & CELESTINE: A TRIP TO GIBBERITIA (2022). A French-Belgian-Luxembourgian coproduction adapted from a series of children’s books by author and illustrator Gabrielle Vincent, Ernest & Celestine was an animated effort from 2012 that snagged an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. This sequel appeared a full decade later, and, despite a complete changing of the guard in terms of its writers and directors, it manages to retain the gentle nature and overriding charm that propelled its predecessor. This time, Ernest the grouchy bear and Celestine the sweet-natured mouse head to Ernest’s homeland of Gibberitia, where they’re stunned to learn that all forms of music have been banned (oh, except for the note “do”). Needless to say, they make it their mission to bring the sound of music back to this hilly burg. Even if the story drags in spots, the laid-back animated style offers a nice change of pace from the usual modes of CGI saturation employed in today’s toon tales.

The Blu-ray offers the film in both its original French and an English dub. Extras include a making-of piece; an interview with co-directors Julien Chheng and Jean-Christoph Roger; an interview with French actors Lambert Wilson (Ernest) and Pauline Brunner (Celestine); an interview with producer Didier Brunner; and the featurette “How to Draw Ernest & Celestine.”

Movie: ★★★

FASTER (2010). The basic outline sounds simple enough, as a taciturn man billed in the credits as simply “Driver” (Dwayne Johnson) is released from prison and begins bumping off those responsible for the death of a loved one. As he carries out his mission, he’s pursued on one side by “Cop” (Billy Bob Thornton) and on the other by “Killer” (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Despite its genre trappings, Faster isn’t merely interested in upping the body count. Driver spends a lot of time listening to a religious radio program, a plot device thoughtfully integrated into the storyline. Cop is a hardcore drug user who’s treated with disdain by everyone from his skilled partner (Carla Gugino) on the job to his estranged wife (Moon Bloodgood) living separately with their son (the presence of this portly kid inevitably stirs memories of Thornton’s Bad Santa). And Killer is a wealthy computer genius who became a hit man out of sheer boredom with his life, only finding satisfaction with a girlfriend (Maggie Grace) whose idea of foreplay is firing off a few rounds in the backyard. An inexplicable close-up of a photograph two-thirds through the picture blows any chance at keeping the twist ending under wraps, and this unfortunate error somewhat tempers the mounting tension. But despite this miscue and a few lapses into illogicality, Faster largely succeeds as an efficient actioner.

There are no Blu-ray extras.

Movie: ★★½

GOMER PYLE, U.S.M.C.: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1964-1969). The Andy Griffith Show was one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1960s, and, although he only appeared in 23 out of 249 episodes, Gomer Pyle was one of its most popular characters. Therefore, the final episode of Season Four, airing May 1964, served as the pilot episode for a new series — that show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., debuted in September 1964 and was an instant success, ultimately clocking 150 episodes over five seasons. Jim Nabors plays Gomer, a naïve and good-natured country boy who enlists in the Marine Corps. His drill instructor is Vince Carter (Frank Sutton), a tough-talking sergeant perpetually baffled by Pyle’s simplicity and lack of sophistication. Typical of the many rural comedies of the era, the show is benign in every way — there’s never a mention of the Vietnam War that was then raging, and, unlike the vicious drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket who nicknames a slow-witted soldier “Gomer Pyle,” Sergeant Carter is a teddy bear. But the show meets its modest ambitions due to Nabor’s work — a character like Pyle can be fingernails-on-the-chalkboard annoying, but the actor plays him with the right measure of guilelessness and good cheer. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. remained a hit throughout its five seasons, respectively placing #3, #2, #10 (when CBS moved it to Wednesdays before moving it back to Fridays), #3, and #2 in the Nielsen ratings. It was only cancelled because Nabors wanted to pursue other career options.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentaries on select episodes and the aforementioned pilot episode from The Andy Griffith Show.

Series: ★★★

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES (2023). Coriolanus Snow, the fascistic villain played so memorably by Donald Sutherland in the initial Hunger Games tetralogy (or “quadrilogy” for fans of that Alien box set from 2003), takes center stage in this prequel to the smash franchise created by Suzanne Collins. While many critics have carped about the decision to hand an entire film (and its literary source) over to a character everyone knows will turn evil (apparently, these critics never heard of the Star Wars prequels), the truth is that it’s surprisingly compelling, ironically only slipping in the rushed third act when Snow is making the complete transition from good to bad. The saga starts with Snow (Tom Blyth) competing for a prize that requires each applicant to mentor a tribute in the Games — in his case, a rebellious songstress named Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). For Games creator Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) and chief gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), the only thing that apparently matters is increasing viewership, an area in which Snow proves to be quite enterprising. The franchise’s palpable sense of danger (no kid is safe) remains, and it’s interesting watching the manner in which the Games are evolved for the sake of the audience. For a prequel nobody needed, this one turns out to be unexpectedly worthwhile. (For a review of the recent THE HUNGER GAMES 4-MOVIE COLLECTION starring Jennifer Lawrence, go here.)

Extras in the 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital edition include audio commentary by director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson, and a lengthy making-of documentary.

Movie: ★★★

THE OTHERS (2001). Few haunted-house sagas from the last half-century beg comparison to such long-established classics as 1944’s The Uninvited, 1961’s The Innocents, and 1963’s The Haunting — Burnt Offerings, reviewed above, certainly doesn’t — but The Others instantly vaulted toward the top of the standings upon its initial release. Set on an island off the British coast at the close of World War II, this stars Nicole Kidman as a woman living in a large estate with her two children (Alakina Mann and James Bentley), both of whom suffer from a peculiar — and potentially lethal — allergy that makes them incapable of withstanding bright light. The three spend every waking moment confined within the mansion, an undesirable situation once evidence mounts that the house may be haunted. Written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, this critical and commercial sleeper is the sort of muted horror yarn handled with care and attention: Creepy rather than scary, it builds upon overriding senses of hopelessness and dread that are made tangible through Javier Aguirresarobe’s shadowy cinematography, an excellent music score (by Amenábar himself), and a superb performance by Kidman (whose Oscar nomination that year should have been for this, not Moulin Rouge).

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by Amenabar; a making-of piece; deleted scenes; and audition footage.

Movie: ★★★½

TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY (2006). Metalhead JB (Jack Black) heads to LA and hooks up with struggling musician KG (Kyle Gass); after a smidgen of soul-searching and a lot of bong hits, the two elect to become the greatest rock band of all time. And there we have the origin story of Tenacious D, the comic rockers whose achievements have included four albums, a Grammy Award, and a three-episode TV series. The film concerns the duo’s efforts to obtain a magical guitar pick made from the tooth of Satan, but continuity isn’t this meandering movie’s strong suit. This is basically a series of comic riffs designed to entertain viewers under the influence, with a barrage of hot-and-cold jokes, a pair of extended — and shockingly unfunny — cameos by Ben Stiller and Tim Robbins, and the usual assortment of bodily function gags. Maybe it’s my age, but I laughed harder when Cheech and Chong went this route with 1978’s Up In Smoke. The key difference is that a viewer could enjoy C&C’s film alone and without the aid of a joint. But in the case of The Pick of Destiny, you’ll probably be better off watching it with a bud, if you catch my (double) meaning. Look lightning-fast for Amy Adams in a bar scene.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by Black and Gass; audio commentary by director Liam Lynch; a making-of featurette; deleted scenes; Internet shorts; and the music video for “POD.”

Movie: ★★

THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (2003). Sylvain Chomet, the writer-director of this disarming animated effort from France, has cited Jacques Tati, Buster Keaton, Tex Avery, and Nick Park (creator of Wallace & Gromit) among his many influences. His film is indeed a melting pot of their styles and storylines, with a healthy dollop of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s City of Lost Children thrown in for good measure. Its jumping-off point is Champion, a lonely little boy who, thanks to the support of his kindly grandmother, grows up to become an accomplished cyclist set to take part in the Tour de France. But after Champion is kidnapped by the French Mafia, it’s up to his granny and their aging pooch Bruno to rescue him; along the way, they receive unexpected aid from the title trio, elderly singing sisters who used to perform with Fred Astaire and Josephine Baker back in the day. This inventive import takes as much care in delineating the backdrops as it does etching out its cast of quirky characters. This earned a pair of Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“Belleville Rendez-Vous”).

Blu-ray extras include select-scene audio commentary by Chomet; an archival making-of featurette; an interview with Chomet; and the music video for “Belleville Rendez-Vous.”

Movie: ★★★

WILLY’S WONDERLAND (2021). It’s Cage against the machine in this high-concept, low-I.Q. enterprise that’s about as much fun as an air hockey table that’s missing the puck. It’s basically Chuck E. Cheese run amok, and what’s more amusing than anything on screen is the tidbit that the film’s makers have insisted it’s not a Five Nights at Freddy’s knockoff — sure, it’s just a coincidence that both involve a nocturnal employee of a children’s play center squaring off against animatronic creatures possessed by human souls; in fact, that’s such a common plotline that I believe Ingmar Bergman once wrote a script sporting this very premise. A mute Nicolas Cage plays a drifter whose car breaks down in a small Southern town; to pay for repairs, he agrees to spend a night cleaning up the abandoned Willy’s Wonderland, not realizing that it’s home to a menagerie of animatronic grotesqueries all harboring the souls of psychos and serial killers. One senses that director Kevin Lewis and scripter G.O. Parsons were striving to make a movie that would stir memories of such endearing ‘80s oddities as The Evil Dead, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, and Night of the Creeps. But those films employed imagination to power their eccentricities; this one merely goes through the slasher flick motions, and the expendable teens are so poorly developed that they make the kids in the Friday the 13th movies seem as complex as any given Arthur Miller character.

Extras in the 4K + Blu-ray edition include a making-of featurette; a look at the animatronic critters; a set tour; and image galleries.

Movie: ★½

FROM SCREEN TO STREAM

THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982) / LABYRINTH (1986). Two ambitious undertakings from Jim Henson and his Muppet-making factory, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth are both lavishly realized fairy tales brooding enough to earn their PG designations. In short, don’t expect cameo appearances from Kermit or Fozzie; the worlds on view in these films are full of danger and menace, certainly too harsh for the all-inclusive G rating.

Just as those flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz have terrorized many a tot over countless generations, so too have the Skeksis, the villains of choice in The Dark Crystal, put the fear of God — or at least of wicked looking puppets — into youngsters who first caught this film back in 1982 (or on video in subsequent years). An epic tale in the tradition of The Lord of the Rings, the movie centers on the ages-old battle between the evil Skeksis and the gentle Mystics, with two young Gelflings (think Hobbits) holding the key to tipping the balance of power into the hands of the righteous. This was followed decades later by the short-lived Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Unlike The Dark Crystal, which was a modest box office hit upon its U.S. release ($41M gross against a $15M budget), Labyrinth turned out to be an underachiever ($13M gross against a $25M budget), even with George Lucas attached as executive producer and a script by former Monty Python member Terry Jones. David Bowie, regal in a role for which Mick Jagger, Sting, and Michael Jackson were also considered, headlines as the Goblin King, although the most sizable part went to future Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly, portraying a dreamy and dreaming teenager who enters the Goblin King’s domain in order to rescue her little brother. The influence of both Maurice Sendak and Lewis Carroll can be spotted throughout the film; kudos to Brian Froud for his conceptual designs for both this and The Dark Crystal.

(The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth have recently been made available for purchase and/or rental on major digital platforms. The films are available individually or in a special digital bundle.)

The Dark Crystal: ★★★

Labyrinth: ★★★