25 July 2009

Walerian Borowczyk, Laura Gemser, Jude Law in drag, punk rock in concert, Orson Welles, Ally McBeal and a lotta Ida Lupino! (Not all together, sadly)

I should point out a few things about the releases below. Firstly, IFC announced another few titles for DVD release, all of them genre flicks (of what quality, I'm not sure, as I haven't seen any of them), and I wonder when they're going to get around to their theatrical releases, instead of their VOD titles. Secondly, I've only mentioned Anchor Bay's re-release of the film Where the Day Takes You because it gives me the opportunity to mention that it's easily one of the worst films I've ever seen. It's this dishonest, cheeseball Gen-X exposé of street kids in Los Angeles with a silly cast of once-famous-but-still-recognizable actors. Laughable doesn't begin to describe Hollywood's fallible attempt here, but my friend Chris and I wanted to program a So-Bad-They're-Still-Not-Good film festival and make a double-feature of Where the Day Takes You and John Singleton's dreadful Higher Learning. It would be one miserable night!

Also, Liberation Entertainment announced November release dates for Sally Potter's Rage, which got scathing reviews at Berlin in February, and Caroline Bottaro's Queen to Play [Joyeuse] with Sandrine Bonnaire and Kevin Kline. I don't recall either film receiving a theatrical run. So if seeing Jude Law in drag suits your fancy... And finally, you can put down your pencil from all the letter-writing you've been doing to try to get Fox to finally release the complete Ally McBeal series onto DVD, 'cos your wishes have been granted; on the 6th of October, you can relive all the zaniness, all the dancing babies, all the unisex bathroom interactions and all the Vonda Shepard you want! I heard there were a lot of music rights issues which held up the US release; just please tell me it wasn't Vonda's fault. The DVDs are in descending order of release.

- Objectified, 2009, d. Gary Hustwit, Plexifilm, 29 September
- Ally McBeal, The Complete Series, 1997-2002, 20th Century Fox, 6 October, w. Calista Flockhart, Jane Krakowski, Peter MacNicol, Portia de Rossi, Lucy Liu, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Gil Bellows, Robert Downey Jr., Regina Hall, Dyan Cannon
- Drag Me to Hell, 2009, d. Sam Raimi, Universal, 6 October
- Fighter, 2007, d. Natasha Arthy, IFC Films, 13 October
- Left Bank [Linkeroever], 2008, d. Pieter Van Hees, IFC Films, 13 October
- The Objective, 2008, d. Daniel Myrick, IFC Films, 13 October
- Where the Day Takes You, 1992, d. Marc Rocco, Anchor Bay, 13 October, w. Dermot Mulroney, Lara Flynn Boyle, Balthazar Getty, Sean Astin, Will Smith, Rikki Lake, James LeGros, Kyle MacLachlan, Alyssa Milano, Rachel Ticotin, David Arquette, Laura San Giacomo
- Pageant, 2008, d. Ron Davis, Stewart Halpern-Fingerhut, Wolfe Releasing, 20 October
- God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand, 2006, d. Shusuke Kaneko, Tokyo Shock, 27 October
- The Art of Love [Ars armandi], 1983, d. Walerian Borowczyk, Severin, 24 November, w. Laura Betti
- The Cricket [La cicala], 1980, d. Alberto Lattuada, MYA Communication, 24 November, w. Virna Lisi
- The House on Sorority Row, 1983, d. Mark Rosman, Liberation Entertainment, 24 November
- Hunchback of the Morgue [El jorobado de la Morgue], 1973, d. Javier Aguirre, MYA Communication, 24 November
- The Lady Medic [La dottoressa del distretto militare], 1976, d. Nando Cicero, MYA Communication, 24 November, w. Edwige Fenech
- The Last Decameron [Sollazzevoli storie di mogli gaudenti e mariti penitenti - Decameron nº 69], 1972, d. Joe D'Amato, MYA Communication, 24 November
- Mad Dog Morgan, 1976, d. Philippe Mora, Troma, 2-Disc Limited Edition, 24 November, w. Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson
- Queen to Play [Joueuse], 2009, d. Caroline Bottaro, Liberation Entertainment, 24 November, w. Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Jennifer Beals
- Rage, 2009, d. Sally Potter, Liberation Entertainment, 24 November, w. Judi Dench, Jude Law, Eddie Izzard, John Leguizamo, Dianne Wiest, Steve Buscemi, Adriana Barraza, Bob Balaban, Simon Abkarian
- The Real Emanuelle [Amore libero - Free Love], 1974, d. Pier Ludovico Pavoni, MYA Communication, 24 November, w. Laura Gemser
- Schoolgirl Hitchhikers [Jeunes filles impudiques], 1973, d. Jean Rollin, Redemption, 24 November


Below is a list of some of the titles Warner has made newly available since June as part of their Warner Archive collection. You'll find a lot of recurring stars (Elizabeth Taylor, Gary Cooper, Ida Lupino, John Barrymore, Al Jolson), as well as Brian De Palma's Get to Know Your Rabbit with Orson Welles; Jodie Foster in Carny; the cult concert film Urgh! A Music War; Otto Preminger's The Moon Is Blue; and Mel Ferrer's adaptation of Green Mansions with Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins.

- ...All the Marbles, 1981, d. Robert Aldrich, w. Peter Falk
- Beau Brummel, 1924, d. Harry Beaymont, w. John Barrymore
- The Better 'Ole, 1926, d. Charles Reisner
- Big Boy, 1930, d. Alan Crosland, w. Al Jolson
- Boulevard Nights, 1979, d. Michael Pressman
- Bright Leaf, 1950, d. Michael Curtiz, w. Gary Cooper, Lauren Bacall, Patricia Neal
- Carny, 1980, d. Robert Kaylor, w. Gary Busey, Jodie Foster
- Colleen, 1936, d. Alfred E. Green
- Conspirator, 1949, d. Victor Saville, w. Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Taylor
- Cynthia, 1947, d. Robert Z. Leonard, w. Elizabeth Taylor, Mary Astor
- Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues, 1972, d. Paul Williams, w. John Lithgow, Barbara Hershey

- Deep Valley, 1947, d. Jean Negulesco, w. Ida Lupino
- The Divine Lady, 1929, d. Frank Lloyd
- Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, 1973, d. John Newland
- The First Auto, 1927, d. Roy Del Ruth
- Fliration Walk, 1934, d. Frank Borzage
- Get to Know Your Rabbit, 1972, d. Brian De Palma, w. Orson Welles, Katharine Ross
- The Girl Who Had Everything, 1953, d. Richard Thorpe, w. Elizabeth Taylor
- Go Into Your Dance, 1935, d. Archie Mayo, Michael Curtiz, Robert Florey, w. Al Jolson
- Green Mansions, 1959, d. Mel Ferrer, w. Anthony Perkins, Audrey Hepburn
- Happiness Ahead, 1934, d. Mervyn LeRoy
- The Hard Way, 1943, d. Vincent Sherman, w. Ida Lupino

- It's a Big Country, 1951, d. Clarence Brown, Don Hartman, John Sturges, Richard Thorpe, Charles Vidor, Don Weis, William A. Wellman, w. Gary Cooper, Janet Leigh, Gene Kelly, Ethel Barrymore
- Juke Girl, 1942, d. Curtis Bernhardt, w. Ronald fucking Reagan
- Let Us Be Gay, 1930, d. Robert Z. Leonard
- Love Is Better Than Ever, 1952, d. Stanley Donen, w. Elizabeth Taylor
- The Man I Love, 1947, d. Raoul Walsh, w. Ida Lupino
- Mike's Murder, 1984, d. James Bridges, w. Debra Winger
- Min and Bill, 1930, d. George W. Hill
- The Moon Is Blue, 1953, d. Otto Preminger, w. William Holden
- Nora Prentiss, 1947, d. Vincent Sherman
- Old San Francisco, 1927, d. Alan Crosland
- One Sunday Afternoon, 1933, d. Stephen Roberts, w. Gary Cooper, Fay Wray

- Operator 13, 1934, d. Richard Boleslawski, w. Gary Cooper, Marion Davies
- Politics, 1931, d. Charles Reisner
- Ready, Willing and Able, 1937, d. Ray Enright
- Reducing, 1931, d. Charles Reisner
- Rhapsody, 1954, d. Charles Vidor, w. Elizabeth Taylor
- Saratoga Trunk, 1945, d. Sam Wood, w. Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman
- Say It with Songs, 1929, d. Lloyd Bacon, w. Al Jolson
- The Sea Hawk, 1924, d. Frank Lloyd
- Shipmates Forever, 1935, d. Frank Borzage
- The Singing Fool, 1928, d. Lloyd Bacon, w. Al Jolson
- The Singing Kid, 1936, d. William Keighley, w. Al Jolson

- The Story of Mankind, 1957, d. Irwin Allen, w. The Marx Brothers, Hedy Lamarr, Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Cesar Romero, John Carradine, Dennis Hopper
- The Story of Three Loves, 1953, d. Vincente Minnelli, Gottfried Reinhardt, w. Kirk Douglas, Leslie Caron, Ethel Barrymore, James Mason, Agnes Moorehead, Zsa Zsa Gabor
- Task Force, 1949, d. Delmer Daves, w. Gary Cooper
- The Terminal Man, 1974, d. Mike Hodges, w. George Segal
- Today We Live, 1933, d. Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson, w. Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper
- The Unfaithful, 1947, d. Vincent Sherman
- Urgh! A Music War, 1981, d. Derek Burbidge, w. The Police, Toyah Willcox, Wall of Voodoo, Oingo Boingo, Echo & the Bunnymen, XTC, Jools Holland, Klaus Nomi, The Go-Go's, Dead Kennedys, Gary Numan, Joan Jett, Magazine, The Cramps, Devo, Gang of Four, X, UB40
- Week-End at the Waldorf, 1945, d. Robert Z. Leonard, w. Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner
- When a Man Loves, 1927, d. Alan Crosland, w. John Barrymore
- Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, 1978, d. Ted Kotcheff, w. George Segal, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel
- Wonder Bar, 1934, d. Lloyd Bacon, w. Al Jolson, Dolores del Rio

4 comments:

Chuck W said...

I don't care how many critics tear it apart -- I am always eager to see a new film from Sally Potter, and RAGE is no exception. I'm very happy to hear that it found a distributor.

(And if I recall correctly, YES got a similar reaction from critics, and I loved that one... so there...)

reassurance said...

I quite like Sally Potter as well, especially Orlando, so I'll definitely see Rage... However, at least two reviews I read of it (one of them is linked above) suggested it was an outright disaster. Can't wait!

filmbo said...

I keep trying to understand the IFC and Lionsgate business strategy and I just can't figure it out.

How is releasing DVDs of shitty genre films that no one knows and no one will see economically more viable than releasing films that have a serious art house following? I'm not being snarky, I simply don't understand it. If someone knows the answer or has a decent guess, please share it.

Reader said...

I like Where the Day Takes You. It has its flaws, but I like the overall feel of the film, the Greg character story in particular, and the use of the music. I grew up in Hollywood (not on the streets) and live there now. The movie has its problems but but they got a lot right, too. But... why a re-release?