haineshisway
Senior HTF Member
Let's start with the new Indicator release of Mickey One from the UK (but all region). Mickey One has always seemed to me a film that luxuriates in its own weirdness. I vividly remember seeing the preview of coming attractions and knowing I had to see it, because the coming attraction reminded me of Orson Welles' The Trial, which I'd seen about six times and loved back then. Something in my memory is making me think that this film played at the Stanley Warner Beverly Hills - or maybe that's where I saw the coming attraction. I have LA movie sections for every week from the end of 1961 through 1964 so I can't check. In any case, I saw it and I kind of thought it was okay but was surprised I didn't love it as I thought I would. Nothing's changed over the years. I watched the MOD DVD of it not too long ago - interesting visually certainly, but it's just too weird for its own good, frankly. The cast is fine and I always enjoy Beatty. I'd already read ol' Dr. Svet, who stated this was a dated master and problematic. I, of course, would not pontificate on such matters without actually knowing things, but other reviews I read praised the transfer quite a bit. I would be in the latter camp, which is not surprising since I don't ever much agree with Dr. Svet about anything. Penn was going for a certain look with this film and this transfer seems fine to me - it has detail and good contrast, but there are, of course, the opticals, which are - opticals. I enjoyed the transfer, for whatever that's worth. And I doubt it's really THAT dated, since I don't believe there was ever a VHS or DVD release of the film. Anyway, if you're interested in the movie I think you'll be pleased with the look and sound of this. Speaking of the sound - the score by Eddie Sauter (with Stan Getz on sax) is fantastic.
Then there was The Valachi Papers starring Charles Bronson and Lino Ventura. I'd read the book when it came out and enjoyed that, and I was a fan of Bronson so I saw this during its opening week. I liked it pretty well, but even then it was kind of a really ugly-looking movie, at least the release prints were. And that's the way it's always looked since. This Twilight Time Blu-ray sports a transfer from Sony and it really does replicate that look perfectly, which means it's an exemplary transfer. It's a weird movie, structurally, but I still like it and, for me, Bronson is always a pleasure. This was an International production, so the dubbing of certain actors can be a little, well, obvious, but I always think that adds to the charm of these International co-productions. And Lino Ventura is always great.
I was excited to see The Man in the Moon when it came out because I was such a fan of director Robert Mulligan, although by then he was long past his prime and way past the filmmaker who'd given us To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Imposter, Love With the Proper Stranger, Up the Down Staircase and his other 60s films, most of which I really loved. In fact, I liked almost everything he did all the way through The Other. I gather he had issues with alcohol, so maybe that affected his output after that, but nothing he made (and I saw it all) clicked for me - until The Man in the Moon, which I thought was a real return to form for him. I hadn't seen it since and it hold up wonderfully and Reese Witherspoon is terrific in it, but so is everyone. I thought the transfer from MGM/UA looked pretty good, actually. I highly recommend it.
Finally, I bought the Indicator release of The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T because I could not believe how the Beaver said it was soooooo much better than the Mill Creek, when I knew they were the same transfers. Well, of course they're the same exact transfer, but the Indicator has a slight edge - I don't play the bits game, but I'm guessing the authoring is just better and perhaps they fiddled with the brightness a bit - so if you want a slightly better version of the Mill Creek this might be worth it for you. I happen to love the film so I guess I'll rid myself of the Mill Creek now.
Then there was The Valachi Papers starring Charles Bronson and Lino Ventura. I'd read the book when it came out and enjoyed that, and I was a fan of Bronson so I saw this during its opening week. I liked it pretty well, but even then it was kind of a really ugly-looking movie, at least the release prints were. And that's the way it's always looked since. This Twilight Time Blu-ray sports a transfer from Sony and it really does replicate that look perfectly, which means it's an exemplary transfer. It's a weird movie, structurally, but I still like it and, for me, Bronson is always a pleasure. This was an International production, so the dubbing of certain actors can be a little, well, obvious, but I always think that adds to the charm of these International co-productions. And Lino Ventura is always great.
I was excited to see The Man in the Moon when it came out because I was such a fan of director Robert Mulligan, although by then he was long past his prime and way past the filmmaker who'd given us To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Imposter, Love With the Proper Stranger, Up the Down Staircase and his other 60s films, most of which I really loved. In fact, I liked almost everything he did all the way through The Other. I gather he had issues with alcohol, so maybe that affected his output after that, but nothing he made (and I saw it all) clicked for me - until The Man in the Moon, which I thought was a real return to form for him. I hadn't seen it since and it hold up wonderfully and Reese Witherspoon is terrific in it, but so is everyone. I thought the transfer from MGM/UA looked pretty good, actually. I highly recommend it.
Finally, I bought the Indicator release of The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T because I could not believe how the Beaver said it was soooooo much better than the Mill Creek, when I knew they were the same transfers. Well, of course they're the same exact transfer, but the Indicator has a slight edge - I don't play the bits game, but I'm guessing the authoring is just better and perhaps they fiddled with the brightness a bit - so if you want a slightly better version of the Mill Creek this might be worth it for you. I happen to love the film so I guess I'll rid myself of the Mill Creek now.
I'm gonna have to go pop for the Sinbad box from the UK, clearly.
