The five movies here are all winners but the big coup is “Arena,” which wasn’t even released on Blu-ray when Band put out his extensive, 16-title “Empire Pictures Collection” a few years ago (it was relegated to DVD). Serving as a celebration of producer Richard Band and his Empire Pictures, it looks to capture the sensation of wandering into your local video store on a sleepy Friday night and picking out something based on the outrageousness alone. This might be the most anticipated release of the month, even though a number of titles in this box set have already been released on Blu-ray (with most being long out-of-print). One of the month’s biggest must-owns.Įnter the Video Store: Empire of Screams (June 27) If you’ve never seen “The Servant,” a movie the Los Angeles Times said was the coldest movie ever made, it’s a diabolical and satirical look at class and sex, with one of the all-time great performances by Bogarde (who stepped in to help an ailing Losey with direction during production). Among the supplemental offerings: a dissection of director Joseph Losey’s filmmaking style (at the time he made “The Servant” he was living overseas after having been blacklisted in Hollywood) several audio excerpts from Losey around the time of “The Servant’s” release plus a look at screenwriter Harold Pinter and archival bits about the other actors in the movie.
This Criterion disc features the movie – about a society man (James Fox) who gets more than he bargained for when he hires a manservant (Dirk Bogarde) – taken from a new 4K transfer, plus a whole host of special features. “The Servant” celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and finally gets the home video release it deserves. And the extras are absurd – everything from a commentary track (recorded by Criterion back in 1997) to an 80-minute conversation between Gilliam and scholar Peter von Bagh to archival footage of Shelley Duvall talking about the film. If for some reason you never got the earlier Criterion release or are looking for the best quality version of this movie, then this is for you. And this new 4K transfer makes his tactile worlds seem even more tangible. Made with Gilliam’s usual sense of imagination and wonder but aimed at slightly younger audiences, “Time Bandits” broadened the filmmaker’s appeal without diluting it at all. If you’ve never seen the movie, it follows a young boy who goes on an adventure with a bunch of rascals who travel through time stealing stuff.
The Terry Gilliam 4K train keeps on chugging! The latest in this string of exemplary releases is a new version of “Time Bandits,” his daffy, delightful time travel romp co-written by Michael Palin and financed by George Harrison’s HandMade Films (Harrison also provided the songs for the movie).
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