FILM FRENZY

Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt in Twister (Photo: Warner Bros.)

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.)

BEVERLY HILLS NINJA (1997). Director Dennis Dugan might be best known for the eight movies he made with Adam Sandler (including such atrocities as Grown Ups and Jack and Jill), but other dumdum comedies can be found scattered like so much used kitty litter across his filmography. One such effort is this witless comedy that turned out so poorly, it left star Chris Farley openly sobbing after the screening was over. It’s a crying shame, all right, with Farley cast as an orphan who’s discovered as an infant by the sensei (Soon-tek Oh) at a ninja school. He’s given the name Haru, and it’s believed that he will grow up to become the Great White Ninja mentioned in prophecies — instead, he grows up to become a portly moron who can’t turn around without falling down or destroying something. He’s mistaken by a leggy blonde American (Nicolette Sheridan) of being a full-fledged ninja, and he decides to continue the ruse by leaving Japan and heading to Los Angeles to help break up a counterfeit ring run by her duplicitous boyfriend (Nathaniel Parker). Farley wasn’t smarmy and self-satisfied in the manner of contemporaries like Sandler, Rob Schneider or David Spade, so he was somewhat easier to take. But he also didn’t possess much of the charm or talent of other overweight comics like John Candy or John Belushi, and it grows tiresome watching him take a pratfall for the umpteenth time. Farley would die of a drug overdose in December 1997, 11 months after this film’s release; he was 33.

Blu-ray extras consist of audio commentary by Dugan and the theatrical trailer.

Movie: ★½

BOLERO (1984). On my own personal list of the worst films of all time, 1981’s Tarzan, the Ape Man stands small — it’s truly abysmal and nigh unwatchable. Nevertheless, it was a sizable box office hit for writer-director John Derek and his wife and star, Bo Derek — not so their next project. The wretched Bolero finds Bo delivering another gruesome performance — she might be the worst actress of all time, and that’s not just hyperbole — this time playing a college graduate who decides to travel the world in search of the perfect man to strip her of her virginity. She settles on a youthful sheik (Greg Benson), and they engage in a tryst that’s meant to be erotic but is instead merely icky (he licks copious honey off her bare body, but the way it hangs from his nose makes it look like he sneezed phlegm all over her). Discovering he’s a dud as a lover, she next chases after a bullfighter (Andrea Occhipinti), with her paternal chauffeur (poor George Kennedy) and her nitwit best friend (Ana Obregon) keeping her company. Overall, 1984 was a great year for cinema (go here for the full story), but this turkey was second only to Cannonball Run II as the worst of the worst (see the complete Best & Worst of 1984 here).

There are no Blu-ray extras.

Movie: ★

CROCODILE (1979). Since Crocodile debuted stateside in 1981, it could be assumed that this Thai production was a rip-off of 1980’s Alligator (reviewed here). But Crocodile had a long, confusing, and conflicting history, with some claiming that it was filmed in 1977 or 1978 and first released in 1979, 1980 or 1981. Those earliest dates would make it a Jaws knockoff, and a plot synopsis confirms that: Two landlubbers and a ship captain head out to sea to destroy a creature that’s been snacking on humans. Initially called Crocodile Fangs and directed by Won-se Lee, the movie got snatched up by other filmmakers, who shuffled sequences, inserted scenes from other movies, and released it as Crocodile (and now directed by Sompote Sands). When American distributors got hold of it, even more changes were made. Synapse’s Blu-ray edition offers that U.S. cut, which is probably no better or worse than the other incarnations. The first stretch is dreary and deadly dull — couples cavort until the wives and a young daughter are killed and the two men set out for revenge — but the film goes absolutely bonkers in its midsection, thus raising its entertainment value (if not its quality). The killer croc destroys villages, chomps on monkeys and buffalo, and moves easily between swampy marshes, lush rivers, and majestic oceans. And did I mention that, in the nocturnal scenes, the critter apparently has car headlights for eyes?

Extras include film historian audio commentary; an interview with Won-se Lee; and deleted and alternate scenes.

Movie: ★½

MACBETH (1948). There have been over 150 film and television adaptations (straight and otherwise) of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, including celebrated versions directed by Akira Kurosawa (see From Screen To Stream below), Roman Polanski, and Béla Tarr and other interpretations starring Sean Connery, Michael Fassbender, and (in an Oscar-nominated turn) Denzel Washington. And then there’s Orson Welles’ at-bat, an eccentric version that’s all the more striking because of its low budget. As he did with his acclaimed 1936 Harlem stage production Voodoo Macbeth, Welles adds a hint of the supernatural to the proceedings; as he would do with his 1951 screen adaptation of the Bard’s Othello, he tinges the tale with noirish ambience. The minimalist sets and inky-black cinematography (John L. Russell would later shoot Psycho) serve Welles’ strong work as the ambitious if unsure Scottish lord, although Jeanette Nolan isn’t entirely successful as Lady Macbeth (too bad Welles regular Agnes Moorehead was unavailable when approached).

Welles’ Macbeth ran 107 minutes — 119 minutes with the overture and exit music. In 1950, the picture was recut and re-released at 85 minutes. Kino’s Blu-ray edition contains both the 119- and  85-minute cuts. Extras include audio commentary by film critic Tim Lucas and an interview with filmmaker, author (This Is Orson Welles), and Welles’ friend Peter Bogdanovich.

Movie: ★★★½

THE NORTH STAR (1943). A staggering amount of A+ talent behind the camera (director Lewis Milestone, cinematographer James Wong Howe, composer Aaron Copland, and more) and a stellar cast (Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, Erich von Stroheim, and the beloved Walters Huston and Brennan) pooled their talents for this WWII drama in which heroic Russian peasants bravely fight the Nazis who have invaded their village. The dramatics don’t begin until slightly past the 30-minute mark of this 106-minute film — the peaceful opening stretch is meant to provide a stark contrast to the later horrors (a strategy used far more successfully in 1978’s The Deer Hunter), but it goes on far too long, and there are so many songs belted out by the happy villagers that one would be forgiven for initially believing this to be a musical. The somber material that follows, however, is brutal and uncompromising. When the film was re-released in 1957, in the thick of the Cold War, the studio removed all of the pro-Soviet content, added new anti-Commie narration, chopped it down to 76 minutes, and renamed it Armored Attack. I didn’t have time to watch this version, but since it begins with the German invasion, it might actually be preferable to The North Star — not for political reasons but for reasons of pacing. The original cut earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Original Screenplay (Lillian Hellman) and nods for Howe and Copland.

Blu-ray extras consist of different film historian audio commentary on each version, and trailers for other titles on the Kino label.

Movie: ★★½

OFF BALANCE (1989). This disappointing giallo finds Michael York delivering a suitably anguished performance as Robert Dominici, a respected concert pianist suffering from a rare disease (progeria) that causes him to age at an increasingly rapid pace. Robert sets about murdering beautiful women (a doctor, a cop, a hooker, an unfaithful girlfriend), although the script never makes clear whether his homicidal streak is caused by the disease warping his mind (although progeria in actuality doesn’t affect the brain) or simply by a twisted desire to see others also suffer (misery loves company, so they say). At any rate, it’s up to an intrepid detective (Donald Pleasence) to stop him before he slays again. The literal translation of its original Italian title is An Uncommon Crime, although the picture is best known stateside under the alternate name Phantom of Death. Off Balance is probably the most accurate of the three, not only for describing Robert’s state of mind but also for describing the sloppy screenplay. What do those ninja interludes have to do with anything, and why so much focus on the detective’s daughter since that plot strand ultimately leads nowhere? Gorehounds might enjoy some of the bloodletting, although this seems tame compared to director Ruggero Deodato’s more notorious films, Cannibal Holocaust and The House on the Edge of the Park.

Blu-ray extras consist of film historian audio commentary; a July 2022 interview with Deodato (he passed away in December 2022); and theatrical trailers.

Movie: ★★

STREET SCENE (1931). Many have complained (and rightly so) about select movies being no more than static stage productions captured on celluloid rather than organic motion pictures that take advantage of the medium. The pre-Code drama Street Scene, employing a single, solitary set, might qualify as such an endeavor — if so, it stands as one of the greatest movies to operate under such limited conditions. Based on the 1929 Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit by Elmer Rice (also handling the screenplay), this superb slice-of-life film takes place on one New York street, with the majority of the action unfolding on the front steps of a tenement building. In a span of 24 hours, on the hottest NYC movie day this side of Do the Right Thing, residents and neighbors gather to exchange pleasantries, moan about the weather, and gossip about Mrs. Maurrant (Estelle Taylor), a sensitive sort whose marriage to a brutish lug (David Landau) has her seeking attention elsewhere. Others occasionally taking up stair space are the Maurrants’ grown daughter Rose (top-billed Sylvia Sidney), her Jewish neighbor Sam Kaplan (William Collier Jr.), and the judgmental Mrs. Jones (Beulah Bondi). Rice’s dialogue is so absorbing (politics and prejudices both get a workout) and King Vidor’s direction so vibrant (a lengthy shot of Rose frantically making her way through a crowd is astonishing and puts to shame any similar, CGI-created mob scenes) that the result makes this one of the best of the early talkies.

Blu-ray extras consist of audio commentary by film critic Mick LaSalle and a still gallery. A booklet is also included.

Movie: ★★★★

TWISTER (1996). Think of Twister as the multiplex version of a porn flick: You have to sit through stretches of uneven acting, stale plotting, and dumb dialogue to get to the good stuff. The visual effects and sound design are of course the highlights — both rightly earned Oscar nominations — but what’s shocking is that the movie surrounding them is so banal and one-dimensional. Bill Paxton (good) and Helen Hunt (OK) are Bill and Jo Harding, estranged storm chasers on the verge of a divorce — he’s set to marry therapist Melissa Reeves (Jami Gertz) while she remains married to her work. But whaddaya know, a few active twisters manage to bring the couple back together. The character of Melissa is painted by scripters Michael Crichton and his then-wife Anne-Marie Martin as such a complete ninny that I almost felt sorry for Gertz, despite her lousy performance. And then there’s Cary Elwes, cast as a rival storm chaser who sneers at everyone, loves money more than killer tornados (don’t most people?), and all but begs to be whisked away by a well-placed twister. Faced with so many insipid characters spouting atrocious lines, helmer Jan de Bont (coming off his stunning directorial debut with 1994’s far superior Speed) has no choice but to focus on the effects, which do deliver the goods.

Extras in the 4K + Digital edition include audio commentary by de Bont and FX supervisor Stefen Fangmeier; making-of featurettes; and the music video for Van Halen’s “Humans Being.”

Movie: ★★

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (1951). Beginning with 1950’s Destination Moon, George Pal spent the next two decades producing (and occasionally directing) a string of celebrated fantasy flicks, including the definitive versions of two H.G. Wells classics, The War of the Worlds in 1953 and The Time Machine in 1960. When Worlds Collide, based on the novel by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie, isn’t in quite the same class, but it’s likewise an example of superior sci-fi cinema. In this one, several scientists predict that a planet named Zyra will just miss Earth, but the accompanying star dubbed Bellus will hit and destroy our world. While most scoff at these warnings of doom, others set about building a spaceship whose passengers will attempt to begin a new life on Zyra. The film only blasts off into outer space in the last act — the majority is dedicated to scenes detailing the efforts to construct the craft, with a few sequences showing the destructive power of the earthquakes and tidal waves that threaten to wipe out humankind. This earned an Academy Award for Best Special Effects as well as an additional nomination for Best Color Cinematography.

There are no Blu-ray extras.

Movie: ★★★

WICKED LITTLE LETTERS (2024). When we think of cinema’s great cursers, actors who have transformed the spewing of profanity into an art form, we might think of R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket or Dennis Farina in Get Shorty or Joe Pesci in practically any Scorsese flick. Odds are none of us would have predicted Olivia Colman to join this boys’ club, yet here we are. Colman and Jessie Buckley are the stars of this immensely entertaining movie that comes by its R rating due solely to its language (oh, and one brief Buckley bum shot). Based on a true story that rocked and shocked the U.K. in the 1920s, this stars Colman as Edith Swan, a conservative Christian living in the seaside town of Littlehampton with her domineering dad (Timothy Spall) and sweet mother (Gemma Jones). Edith has been receiving a nonstop barrage of the filthiest letters imaginable, and since the missives are anonymous, the chief suspect is Edith’s neighbor Rose Gooding (Buckley), a rowdy Irish migrant and single mom. Rose is eventually arrested for profane penmanship, but Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan), the only woman on the police force, suspects she might be innocent. There’s comic value in hearing the prim and proper Edith read aloud the offending letters, but the proceedings also incorporate many poignant moments, such as Rose’s attempts to be a good parent to her daughter (Alisha Weir) and Edith’s suffocating loneliness as a spinster living under the thumb of a strict and sexist father.

Blu-ray extras consist of a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes and a piece on the true story.

Movie: ★★★

Short And Sweet

THE SHINING HOUR (1938). The soap suds rise sky-high in this melodrama based on a Broadway play. Joan Crawford portrays a sultry dancer in NYC who makes a lunge at respectability by marrying a Wisconsin farmer (Melvyn Douglas), the wealthy type who’s more used to tuxedos than overalls. His brother (Robert Young), married to the sweetest woman (Margaret Sullavan) imaginable, objects to the wedding, mainly because he’s falling for the hoofer himself; their sister (Fay Bainter) objects because she’s a snob. Good performances and interesting character dynamics keep this afloat, but it grows too silly even before the fiery finale.

Blu-ray extras consist of three 1938 cartoons (one starring Porky Pig); an episode of the radio show Good News of 1939, with audio-only scenes from The Shining Hour; and the theatrical trailer.

Movie: ★★½

STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984). For all it does right, this entry nevertheless doesn’t represent the film franchise at its best. With Spock (Leonard Nimoy) having died at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, this builds toward his resurrection, with plenty of time-outs while Kirk (William Shatner) and co. square off against Klingons. Nimoy made his directorial debut with this one, and a career spent primarily in television ofttimes informs his static approach (he would fare much better with his next Trek flick, The Voyage Home). As Lieutenant Saavik, Robin Curtis is as colorless as Kirstie Alley had been while essaying the part in Khan, while Christopher Lloyd was a ludicrous choice to play a Klingon leader.

Extras in the 4K Steelbook edition include audio commentary by Nimoy and making-of featurettes.

Movie: ★★½

FROM SCREEN TO STREAM

GHOSTS CAN’T DO IT (1989). Bolero (reviewed above) barely earned back its production costs, and it was five years before John and Bo Derek resurfaced, this time with Ghosts Can’t Do It. Not surprisingly, it’s just as rancid as the pair’s previous efforts. Bo plays Katie, the much younger wife of a businessman she alternately calls Scott and “Great One” (Anthony Quinn, doubtless afraid he would have to give back his two Oscars). After Scott dies, his ghost comes back to keep Katie company — it’s not a physical enough relationship for either of them, so they discuss killing a young narcissist named Fausto (Leo Damian) so that Scott’s spirit may occupy his body. A priest lambasts Bo for her sinful dancing, an angel (Julie Newmar, TV’s original Catwoman) discusses the afterlife with Scott, and the notorious racist-sexist-homophobe-xenophobe (and Project 2025 mastermind) Donald Trump appears as a sleazy and egotistical corporate raider (yes, he’s playing himself). America’s most famous fascist earned the Razzie Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Razzie nomination for Worst New Star (beaten by The Godfather: Part III’s Sofia Coppola), but front and center is Bo, hopelessly delivering the terrible dialogue served up by her hack husband.

Movie: ★

3 WOMEN (1977). Shelley Duvall passed away a few days ago, so here’s a plug for the film that holds her best performance. Robert Altman was never a conventional filmmaker by any stretch of the imagination, but with 3 Women, the devil-may-care writer-director-producer pushed even harder against the envelope and in the process created a highly unusual and wholly original motion picture. This is one of his best achievements on film, a movie that manages to be simultaneously earthy and ethereal — it’s no surprise to learn that the genesis for the project came from a dream he had while his wife was in the hospital. Duvall, in a terrific performance that should have landed her an Oscar nomination (the Cannes judges and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association were more attentive), stars as Millie Lammoreaux, a gangly, talkative woman blissfully unaware (or maybe pretending to be blissfully unaware) that everyone around her views her as a nuisance and a geek. Into her life comes Pinky Rose (Sissy Spacek), a naive youngster who idolizes Millie until she catches her fooling around with the loutish husband (Robert Fortier) of a sensitive artist (Janice Rule). By the time this film was made, Spacek had already cornered the market on playing eccentric innocents thrust into a world of hurt and deceit (see also Carrie and Badlands), but that doesn’t make her work here any less riveting; she and Duvall are both sensational, playing complex women whose contradictory actions — they can switch from endearing to annoying within seconds — make them come achingly alive on screen.

Movie: ★★★½

THRONE OF BLOOD (1957). Like the Orson Welles version reviewed above, here’s another Macbeth adaptation (albeit a looser one) that demands to be seen. Throne of Blood remains one of the best Shakespearean adaptations ever made, and that director Akira Kurosawa topped himself by helming the brilliant King Lear-inspired Ran 28 years later only cements the fact that he will always be heralded as one of the greats. In 16th-century Japan, the great warrior Washizu (Toshiro Mifune, compelling as always) and his friend and fellow soldier Miki (Minoru Chiaki) encounter a forest spirit who informs them that Washizu will soon become the warlord of Spider’s Web Castle (thus suggesting he will murder the current ruler) but his reign will be interrupted when Miki’s son (Akira Kubo) takes over. Washizu tries to ignore the prophecy, but his shaky good intentions are no match for the insidiousness of his wife Asaji (Isuzu Yamada), who pushes him to perform treacherous acts at every turn. Throne of Blood is a marvelous melting pot of a movie, mixing the written word of Shakespeare (in plot mechanics if not actual dialogue), the theatricality of Noh (the film is stagy for a reason), and the imagery of cinema (the thick fog is a character unto itself).

Movie: ★★★★