FILM FRENZY

Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor in Challengers (Photo: Warner & MGM)

By Matt Brunson

(For a review of this week’s Brokeback Mountain 4K release, go here.)

(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.)

THE BOY AND THE HERON (2023). James Cagney retired from cinema in 1961, and it took 20 years before he decided to return to acting. Fans of Hayao Miyazaki didn’t have to wait as long: Although the Japanese animator retired in 2013, he returned last year with another feature, his first in a decade. If this Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature isn’t quite as mesmerizing as many of his past triumphs, it’s still a worthy achievement demonstrating that he retains his ability to create phantasmagorical worlds and populate them with all manner of freakish creatures. After his mother dies during WWII, young Mahito is taken by his father and his new stepmother — his late mom’s sister — to live in a remote country home. There, he encounters a gray heron who informs him that he can communicate with his deceased mother. This intel, combined with his stepmom’s disappearance, leads Mahito to enter a foreboding tower and exit into a strange land populated by humans who seek to help him and parakeets that hope to eat him. Miyazaki is renowned for his storytelling prowess, so what’s perhaps most surprising is that the plot is this film’s weakest element, more vague than usual and lacking the strong emotional connection that would tether viewers to the plight of a rather drab lead. I also could have done without the diminutive spirits known as Warawara — after the Star Wars saga’s Porgs, Ghostbusters’ Mini-Puft Marshmallows, and those perpetually multiplying Minions, it’s time to call a moratorium on cutesy critters designed solely to inspire “awws” (and maybe sell a toy or two). Visually, though, the movie delivers, and it’s always fascinating to see what Miyazaki throws at us next.

Extras in the 4K + Blu-ray edition include feature-length storyboards; an interview with supervising animator Takeshi Honda; and the music video for “Spinning Globe.”

Movie: ★★★

BUTCHER, BAKER, NIGHTMARE MAKER (1981). A sitcom legend, William Asher was known for directing and/or producing 102 episodes of I Love Lucy and 147 episodes of Bewitched, as well as creating The Patty Duke Show and writing all 105 episodes — he also wrote and directed most of the Beach Party movies starring Frankie and Annette. With all this wholesomeness behind him, one would reasonably expect Asher to turn his attention to making Benji (the dog) or Herbie (the VW) movies — instead, he directed a gritty and gruesome grindhouse flick that only made it to a few major American cities. But Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (later reissued as Night Warning) isn’t your typical exploitation yarn — on the contrary, it’s rife with subtext beneath its occasionally demented exterior. Susan Tyrrell, the Oscar-nominated actress from Fat City (see From Screen To Stream below), is unforgettable as Aunt Cheryl, who murders the parents of her nephew Billy so that she can raise him as her own. As he becomes a teenager (now played by 70s teen idol Jimmy McNichol), the Oedipal and Freudian connotations are everywhere, as Cheryl seems a little too attached to Billy and grows jealous whenever he spends time with his girlfriend Julia (Newhart’s Julia Duffy). Cheryl provides enough demented behavior on her own, but the film kicks into high gear with the introduction of Joe Carlson (Bo Svenson), a possibly psychotic and certainly homophobic detective who harasses both Billy, whom he believes to be gay, and Tom Landers (Steve Eastin), a high school basketball coach who is gay. It’s remarkable to see such a sensitive and normal portrayal of homosexuality in an 80s film, but even this takes a back seat to Tyrrell’s insane, no-holds-barred emoting.

Extras in the 4K + Blu-ray edition include audio commentary by McNichol; interviews with McNichol, Tyrrell, Svenson, and Eastin; and a TV spot.

Movie: ★★★½

CHALLENGERS (2024). Maybe it’s because a tennis ball doesn’t offer the same level of softness or moisture as a peach, but the attempts by director Luca Guadagnino to make Challengers as sexy and sensual as his award-winning Call Me By Your Name don’t quite come off. What does come off is pretty much everything else, as this is a vastly entertaining picture anchored by a fluid script from Justin Kuritzkes and a pair of utterly captivating performances from its male leads. Like a tennis ball sailing back and forth over the net, Challengers repeatedly zips between flashbacks and the present day (meaning 2019) throughout its entire running time, allowing key details to slowly emerge. Zendaya headlines as Tashi Duncan, a tennis sensation who had to check out at an early age due to a crippling knee injury. She has since become a coach to her husband Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), a champ trapped in the middle of a losing streak. To boost his confidence, Tashi enters Art into the second-tier Challenger Series, where he’s unexpectedly pitted against Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), his former best friend and Taisha’s ex-boyfriend. Those expecting hot ‘n’ heavy threesome action will be disappointed — this ain’t Shortbus, people — but the film does lean into its LGBTQ angle, exploring the complicated relationship not only between Tashi and her two guys but also between the boys themselves. Zendaya offers a strong turn as a woman who’s more savvy than those around her, but the picture really belongs to her co-stars, Faist (so excellent as Riff in Spielberg’s West Side Story) and O’Connor (Prince Charles on TV’s The Crown). Ultimately, this isn’t a swoony movie about soulful love as much as it’s a sweaty movie about the love of competition — the angles, the expectations, and, of course, the challenges.

There are no Blu-ray extras.

Movie: ★★★

COLUMBO: THE RETURN (1989-2003). The original run of Columbo lasted seven seasons (1971-1978) and contained 43 episodes — 45 if one includes the pilots from 1968 and 1971. Those 45 gems were released in a Blu-ray box set by Kino in December 2023 (reviewed here), and now the outfit has released a collection of the 24 episodes (or TV movies, if one prefers) that debuted sporadically between 1989 and 2003. Peter Falk is older but just as excellent as the rumpled police detective who never met a case he couldn’t crack. Naturally, many have stated that this run can’t compare to the 70s sprint — maybe not, but there are nevertheless plenty of superb episodes, a couple even as good as some from the original series. “Columbo Goes to College” is particularly satisfying, with Columbo investigating the murder of a college professor (Columbo sticking it to smarmy frat boys is a beautiful sight indeed). Another winner is “Death Hits the Jackpot,” with Rip Torn as the killer and a wonderful denouement to close the case (and episode). Two episodes ignore the whodunnit format altogether: “Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo” guest-stars Helen Shaver as a woman plotting to kill the inspector’s wife, while “No Time to Die” finds him investigating the kidnapping of his nephew’s bride (Joanna Going). Patrick McGoohan, who won an Emmy Award as the murderer in a 1974 episode, won another one as the killer in a 1990 episode; Faye Dunaway also won for guesting in a 1993 episode, while Dabney Coleman was nominated for a 1991 episode — Falk, meanwhile, earned another Emmy to go with the three he already had for portraying the intrepid inspector. William Shatner, the guest on a popular 70s episode, returns in a solid mystery as a murderous right-wing radio show host; other big-name stars — not nearly as impressive a roster as from the original series — include Tyne Daly, George Wendt (in easily the weakest episode), Sledge Hammer!’s David Rasche, and Billy Connolly.

As with the previous Columbo set, an episode booklet is included.

Collection: ★★★★

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956). What’s interesting about the four cinematic adaptations of Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers is that each was specifically tailored to its time. The excellent 1978 version Invasion of the Body Snatchers (reviewed here) tapped into post-Watergate paranoia, also finding room to comment on rampant New Age philosophies and fads. The so-so 1994 Body Snatchers focused on teen alienation while also examining the splintering of the nuclear family. And 2007’s lamentable The Invasion superficially touched upon both war and drugs. As for this first screen adaptation, it depends on who’s being asked — some believe it’s anti-Communism (foreign beings with no regard for human life attempt to brainwash our nation to their rigid way of thinking) while others insist it’s anti-McCarthyism (soulless conservatives seek to convert everyone to their stifling lifestyle and destroy those who oppose them). With or without its subtext, this remains not only the best of the adaptations but also one of the best horror/sci-fi films ever made, with its low-budget production values contributing to its unsettling ambience. Thanks to the expert direction by Don Siegel and a strong central performance from Kevin McCarthy, the tension builds steadily, and what begins as a mystery quickly turns into a full-blooded nightmare that’s only slightly undercut by the studio-imposed ending.

Extras in the 4K + Blu-ray edition include audio commentary by McCarthy and co-star Dana Wynter, accompanied by director Joe Dante (who employed McCarthy in many of his own films, including The Howling and Innerspace); film historian audio commentary; retrospective featurettes discussing the film’s production and legacy; and a piece on the picture’s uncredited producer, Walter Wanger.

Movie: ★★★★

THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY (2024). After the common stepping stones of short films and music videos, Francis Galluppi made his feature writing and directing debuts with the multi-character drama The Last Stop in Yuma County. It’s an impressive debut, as what sounds on paper like a Tarantino Lite project finds the filmmaker totally in control of his own material. At a rest stop in Nowheresville, Arizona — the sort of godforsaken area where it’s beneficial to know that the next gas station is 100 miles away — various folks are forced to cool their heels in the diner as they impatiently wait for the fuel trunk to arrive to replenish the pumps. The diner is operated by Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue), the wife of the local sheriff (Michael Abbott Jr.), and the first to arrive on this fateful day is a meek knife salesman (Jim Cummings) who’s headed to California for his daughter’s birthday. Next on the scene are two hot-tempered bank robbers (Richard Brake and Nicholas Logan), and they will naturally be controlling all the action that unfolds in this desolate spot. That includes keeping tabs on the other customers — a number that grows with the addition of five more people, including a couple of thrill-seeking kids (Ryan Masson and Asheville, NC, native Sierra McCormick). Ensemble pieces such as this run the risk of employing their characters as nothing more than pawns to be shuffled through the proceedings, but Galluppi and his well-chosen cast do a fine job of not only making these people believable but also interesting. While I wish Galluppi had pulled back on his nihilism just a tad, there’s no denying that there’s a certain circular logic to the manner in which it all plays out.

Blu-ray extras include of a trio of audio commentaries by Galluppi and select cast and crew members; a making-of featurette; and the theatrical trailer.

Movie: ★★★

PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (1973). The original print of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid was barely dry when the MGM brass wrested it out of director Sam Peckinpah’s hands and snipped it down to their liking. This 106-minute butchered version is the one that made the rounds over the ensuing years, although in 1988, several scenes were reinstated and the running time beefed up to 122 minutes — this take is called Sam Peckinpah’s Final Preview Cut. But that’s not all: Yet another edit of the film, based on Peckinpah’s own notes and running 115 minutes, was released in 2005 and dubbed the Special Edition. Wait, there’s more! We now have a brand new 50th Anniversary Release (actually 51st, but who’s counting?) that runs 117 minutes. All but the Special Edition have been included in this new 4K release. The 103-minute version (which I’ve never seen) is reportedly a disaster, but the two takes included here are of comparable quality, meaning that they’re interesting without being totally successful. Narratively, Peckinpah is working on a sprawling canvas, and his attempt to cram in multiple story threads means that some invariably get lost in the shuffle. James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson are fine as Pat and Billy, two former friends now on opposite sides of the law, while a miscast Bob Dylan nevertheless adds color as Billy’s trusty sidekick Alias. Dylan also composed the song score for the movie, and Peckinpah’s placement of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” in one particularly poignant sequence was a masterful stroke.

Extras include audio commentary by one’s of the film’s six editors, Roger Spottiswoode; the making-of piece Passion & Poetry: Peckinpah’s Last Western; an archival interview with Coburn; and an interview with Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin.

Movie: ★★½

TAXI DRIVER (1976). One of the most disturbing — and controversial — studies of loneliness ever placed on screen, Taxi Driver also offers perhaps the most harrowingly realistic portrayal of the dark side of New York City, depicting it as a concrete jungle populated almost exclusively by savage, snarling beasts. In one of his defining performances, Robert De Niro stars as Travis Bickle, a downtrodden cab driver fed up with the filth and grime all around him. A beautiful blonde (Cybill Shepherd) provides him with temporary hope, but he eventually realizes that his true salvation rests in protecting a 12-year-old prostitute (Jodie Foster) from her brutal pimp (Harvey Keitel). Director Martin Scorsese, writer Paul Schrader, and cinematographer Michael Chapman make NYC look like the least appealing place on the planet, and the film gained additional notoriety in 1981 when John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan as a gesture of love toward Foster, with whom he had become obsessed after seeing her in this movie. The climactic bloodbath retains its potency today, while the meaning of the vague epilogue continues to stir debate. This earned four Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress (Foster), and a Best Original Score nod for composer extraordinaire Bernard Herrmann (Psycho, Citizen Kane), who passed away a day after completing the music for this film.

4K extras include audio commentary (from 1986) by Scorsese and Schrader; a lengthy making-of feature; a discussion with Scorsese; a Q&A session with Scorsese, Schrader, De Niro, Foster, Keitel, Shepherd, and producer Michael Phillips; and a piece about the picture’s influence (featuring comments by the late Roger Corman and Oliver Stone, among others).

Movie: ★★★½

WHEN EIGHT BELLS TOLL (1971). My late parents shared a favorite author in Alistair MacLean, the Scottish writer who penned a number of bestselling novels over the course of three decades. Of the 28 books he wrote (he also published a couple of nonfiction works and had his hand in various tales penned by others), an impressive 15 were turned into motion pictures. MacLean fell out of favor with filmmakers as the years passed: Whereas 1961’s excellent The Guns of Navarone (reviewed here) earned rave reviews, huge box office, and a Best Picture Oscar nomination, 1989’s shoddy River of Death (starring Michael Dudikoff) was a Cannon Film production that barely played theaters. Meanwhile, there are several mid-level entries that have been largely forgotten, including this so-so endeavor that tried to turn Anthony Hopkins, of all people, into an action star. The plan was to produce a series of spy flicks in an effort to beat Bond at his own game, but after this film underperformed, that idea was scrapped. Hopkins plays British secret agent Philip Calvert, who’s tasked with discovering the whereabouts of hijacked ships and missing gold bullion, all disappearing at a rapid clip off the Scottish coast. Even with MacLean handling screenplay duties, the picture feels like warmed-over 007, and Hopkins strains to prove himself an agile and devil-may-care hero. But several of the action sequences are effectively staged by director Étienne Périer, and it’s always a pleasure to see Robert Morley, here playing Calvert’s easily agitated boss.

Blu-ray extras consist of film historian audio commentary; the theatrical trailer; and trailers for 11 other Kino releases, including four more MacLeans: 1978’s Force 10 From Navarone, reviewed here, 1975’s Breakheart Pass, covered here, 1965’s The Satan Bug, tackled below, and 1961’s The Secret Ways.

Movie: ★★½

SHORT AND SWEET

THE HOLDOVERS (2023). Director Alexander Payne and scripter David Hemingson serve up a small-scale gem that, by utilizing a 1970s setting, manages to recall the intimate cinema of that period. Paul Giamatti is perfect as Paul Hunham, a grouchy professor at a New England prep school. Despised by practically everyone, he’s given the unenviable task of looking after a group of kids with nowhere to go over the Christmas break. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is marvelous as the school cook, while Dominic Sessa is a revelation as the most troubled of the students. Full of humor and pathos, this is one of those unassuming treats that overpowers the viewer with its enormous humanist bent. Nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor, Original Screenplay, and Film Editing, this won for Best Supporting Actress (Randolph).

Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes and an alternate ending.

Movie: ★★★½

RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 (1954). Working from an idea initially hatched by producer Walter Wanger (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, reviewed above), director Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry) scored an early success with this hard-hitting drama about an uprising at Folsom State Prison. As Dunn and Crazy Mike, the leaders of the riot, Neville Brand and Leo Gordon convincingly bleed into their roles, and the script makes the convincing (if obvious) case that crime is being committed by those on both sides of the law.

Blu-ray extras include film scholar audio commentary; excerpts from Siegel’s 1993 autobiography, A Siegel Film, and from Stuart Kaminsky’s 1974 book, Don Siegel: Director, both read by Siegel’s son, Kristoffer Tabori; and excerpts from the 1953 NBC radio documentary series The Challenge of Our Prisons.

Movie: ★★★

FROM SCREEN TO STREAM

FAT CITY (1972). Tully (Stacey Keach) is 29 yet looks look like he’s about to hit 40. Regardless, he’s already a has-been, a former boxer whose career inside the ring didn’t exactly go as desired. But he’s constantly promising himself that he’ll get back in shape; in the meantime, he’s happy to send a greenhorn scrapper, a kid named Ernie (Jeff Bridges), to see his former manager Ruben (Nicholas Colasanto) in the chance that Ernie can make something of himself while donning a pair of gloves. If this sounds like the stuff that underdog dreams are made of — a Rocky before its time — forget it. With Leonard Gardner adapting his own book and John Huston sitting in the director’s chair, Fat City adheres closer to real life than reel life, painting a portrait of a downtrodden existence not only among the have-nots but also among the never-will-haves. Set in Stockton, California, the picture follows Tully as he seeks to make ends meet (breaking his back picking walnuts is nice work when he can get it), all while talking about his comeback. It’ll never happen, scoffs his perpetually soused friend/lover/roommate/bar buddy Oma (Susan Tyrrell), a declaration that only serves to irk him. Meanwhile, Ernie is also giving a go of it, although he’s distracted by his girlfriend Faye (Candy Clark), who just might be carrying his child. Tyrrell earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination as the easily agitated Oma, but I was most impressed by Colasanto. Still to achieve his greatest fame as “Coach” on TV’s Cheers, he’s marvelous as Ruben, the gruff yet surprisingly empathic manager who bends over backwards in an effort to accommodate others.

Movie: ★★★

THE SATAN BUG (1965). Despite the presence of the great John Sturges as director (The Great Escape, Bad Day at Black Rock), The Satan Bug was a soft performer and has largely been forgotten over time. Yet it’s a natural watch for audiences in the mood for intelligent fare. Based on the novel Alistair MacLean wrote under his occasional pseudonym of Ian Stuart, this begins with a daring heist from a U.S. facility focused on germ warfare research. Two men are killed and a deadly strain has been stolen from the lab, meaning it’s up to a security specialist (George Maharis) and various government and military officials to stop the culprits before they unleash the lethal weapon of mass destruction on an unsuspecting Los Angeles. The talky script by two-time Oscar winner Edward Anhalt (Becket, Panic in the Streets) and James Clavell (The Great Escape co-scripter best known for mammoth bestsellers like Shogun and Noble House) will turn off those seeking straight-up action, but the plot dynamics are sure to ensnare more discerning viewers. Amusingly, the two humorless heavies are played by a pair of actors now famous for their parts in TV comedies: Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s Lou Grant) and Frank Sutton (Gomer Pyle’s Sgt. Carter).

Movie: ★★★

WHICH WAY TO THE FRONT? (1970). This was Jerry Lewis’ final picture as director-producer-star (though not as director-writer-star), which means that at this point in his career, his narcissism was at its zenith. That would be acceptable if this World War II comedy earned its laughs, but instead, it’s a limp affair that finds the filmmaker playing Brendan Byers III, “the richest man in the world.” Bored with life, Byers is thrilled to be drafted into the army, but after he’s declared 4-F and unfit for duty, he takes it upon himself to create his own army along with other 4-Fs. As with most Lewis vehicles, there are a few inspired set-pieces, but the supporting cast (including some tired old-school comics like Jan Murray, Steve Franken, and Kaye Ballard) is spectacularly unfunny, Jerry’s direction is flat-footed (the habit of ending scenes with a freeze is especially annoying), and his incessant mugging goes a looong way. Sidney Muller appears as a buffoonish Adolf Hitler, but it goes without saying that he’s no match for Dick Shawn as L.S.D. as Hitler in The Producers or even Tom Dugan as Bronski as Hitler in the original To Be or Not to Be. As one critic noted upon spotting this dud’s tagline of “You Vill See Which Way to the Front? And You Vill Laugh”: No vay.

Movie: ★½