Michael GiltzFreelance writer GET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow Genocide , Movies , Criterion Collection , Steven Spielberg , Bluray , Documentaries ,Documentary , Dvds , Entertainment News1510DVDs: Great Blimp, Badlands, BusterKeaton & More Let's catch up with some reissues of classic -- and not so classic -- movies, with a fewdocumentaries tossed in at the end for good measure.</p><p> Like51 Posted: 03/30/2013 1:42 pm SHARE THIS STORY Like2Send Submit this storyTHE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP ($39.99 BluRay; Criterion) BADLANDS ($29.99 DVD; Criterion) -- It's always exciting when new releases come outfrom Criterion, you know you're going to get definitive editions of some classic, importantfilms.</p><p> But The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp is even more exciting than usual since it's arestoration of one of the great works of Powell-Pressburger, one of the most unusual andbrilliant teams in all of film history.</p><p> This two hour and 43 minute masterwork is an anti-warfilm made at the height of World War II -- Churchill hated it and wanted the film blocked.</p><p> It'salso romantic and moving and deeply entertaining as our hero realizes too late he's in lovewith a woman (Deborah Kerr) and spends the rest of his life chasing that ideal with otherwomen (all of whom look remarkably like...</p><p> Deborah Kerr, in one of the best screen debutsyou'll ever see and surely the best work of her career).</p><p> It looks great and has loads of extras.</p><p> Gohere to read a fuller appreciation of this film.</p><p> Just in time for the release of director TerrenceMalick's new movie comes this edition of his legendary debut, one of the most notable debutsin history. (Hey, it's a day for superlatives.</p><p> I'll calm down soon, trust me, but these are twogreat movies.) Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek are magnetic as young lovers who go on a killingspree in the 1950s.</p><p> But it's Malick you remember when it's over; his command of the screen,his use of voice over narration, his grasp of exactly what it is that he wants to accomplish andthe feeling that this had to be a film (not a book or play or essay or any other art form) isoverwhelming.</p><p> Fine extras, minus the shadowy Malick, as always.COLLEGE ($29.99 DVD: Kino) -- You've probably seen those once a decade polls about thegreatest films of all time.</p><p> A little known appreciated reason for why artists move up and downthe list is the simple fact of their availability.</p><p> If you can't see a film, it's hard to appreciate it,remember it or introduce it to others.</p><p> You might think most movies are readily available buteven today there can be serious gaps or a director can simply fall out of favor, see their moviesdisappear from shelves and thus from the collective memory of film critics.</p><p> Take Abel Gance'sNapoleon -- this epic work was once on many lists of the best films of all time but it's almostimpossible to screen and hasn't been widely seen in decades. (Though they showed it recentlyin San Francisco.) No surprise it has disappeared off most lists.</p><p> Which brings me to BusterKeaton.</p><p> Thanks to Kino, he is arguably the most well-represented silent film star on DVD andBluRay right now, with a flood of releases showing his brilliance in shorts and feature lengthfilms of all sorts.</p><p> College is not absolute top tier Keaton.</p><p> But this charmer about a collegestudent tackling all sorts of sports and other endeavors to win the girl makes clear how deephis catalog.</p><p> No one will ever think Keaton starts and ends with The General.</p><p> If Keaton has astrong presence in 2022 (the next time Sight & Sound does their poll), he can thank Kino.SCHINDLER'S LIST 20TH ANNIVERSARY ($34.99 BluRay; Universal) -- StevenSpielberg's most heartfelt film, Schindler's List is both mature and sentimental, rigorous andmaudlin, sophisticated and blunt (the little girl in the red coat).</p><p> But whatever one thinks of thefilm, it has tremendous black and white cinematography, a moving score and sometremendous performances, especially Ralph Fiennes who is so magnetic as a Nazi officer.</p><p> Thisnew remastering looks impeccable and contains a substantial feature length documentarycalled Voices From The List.</p><p> WILLOW ($24.99 BluRay combo; Fox)FUTUREWORLD ($19.99 BluRay; Shout) TIMERIDER ($19.99 BluRay; Shout) -- Sci-fi and fantasy are so hard to do well that almostany endeavor seems to have its ardent fans.</p><p> You don't find people defending a lot of bad noir,but woe to those who put down some secondary sci-fi movie.</p><p> Willow is by no means good andtime hasn't been kind to it or its special effects.</p><p> Watch it and you'll appreciate anew how greatan accomplishment The Lord Of The Rings is.</p><p> But I will speak up for Val Kilmer, who gives awinning performance as a rascal named Madmartigan.</p><p> Comedy was always his strongest suitand that's clear here.</p><p> Futureworld is the dull, unnecessary sequel to Westworld, a dull filmthat somehow became a modest hit thanks to the idea of robots gone amok at a resort.</p><p> Somedefend it as a cut above; not me.</p><p> It's Timerider that I'll speak up for.</p><p> This goofy B movie abouta motorcycle that goes through a time hole and ends up in the old west isn't good, actually, butit's such a nutty, made-on-the-fly bit of nonsense that you sort of root for it anyway.</p><p> FredWard sure got a lot more chances to be a movie star than you would have guessed, didn't he?BEYOND THE CLOUDS ($29.99 DVD; Olive Films)DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID ($29.99 BluRay; Olive Films)TRISTANA ($24.99 BluRay; Cohen Films) -- Three great directors but only one of them is atthe top of their game.</p><p> Michelangelo Antonioni had earned the right to do whatever he wantedby 1995 and did it in Beyond The Clouds with a typically rambling meditation on love featuringan all-star cast, pop music from U2 and Brian Eno and Van Morrison and very little discipline.Jean Renoir is rarely one-upped but he had first crack at Diary Of A Chambermaid and didlittle with it, despite a game Paulette Godard.</p><p> Luis Bunuel rose the story to greatness with histake on the novel, even though Bunuel has never been a favorite of mine.</p><p> Bunuel did evenbetter with Tristana, the story of a guardian driven mad by desire for his ward.</p><p> When his wardis the luminous Catherine Deneuve, you can't really blame him, can you?FATHERLAND ($24.99 DVD: First Run Features)WAITING FOR LIGHTNING ($29.99 BluRay; First Run Features) -- Two very differentdocumentary films.</p><p> Fatherland is a formally bold, visually striking documentary that tellsArgentine history via the letters and diaries and words of the famed residents of the LaRecoleta Ceremony in Buenos Aires.</p><p> For those interested in the country where Pope Franciswas born, this is an excellent way in to the turbulent, troubled history of that nation and astark reminder why quiet behind-the-scenes work is a poor substitute for publicly speaking outagainst a cruel military dictatorship and the other ills that have bedeviled Argentina.</p><p> WaitingFor Lightning is a perfunctorily made but passionate look at skateboarder Danny Way, one ofthe legends of the sport.</p><p> It delves into his troubled childhood and what drives Way to innovateand risk life and limb.</p><p> But the main draw of course is seeing his many daring, jaw-droppingattempts to push skateboarding farther and farther towards the limit of what's possible.</p><p> Agood chunk of extras but fans will surely wish there were even more.</p><p> If you've ever watched theX Games and wondered who those lunatics were, here's your answer.*****Most titles listed here will be available in multiple formats and in multiple combinations,including DVD, Blu-ray, digital download, video on demand, streaming and the like.</p><p> Theformat listed is the format provided for review, not all the formats available.</p><p> It is often themost expensive version with the most extras.</p><p> Do check individual titles for availability in allFOLLOW ENTERTAINMENT Sponsored Links LifeLock® Fraud ServicesLifeLock® Credit Alerts For Fraud Protect Against Identity Fraud.LifeLock.comForm an LLC in 3 StepsForm a Limited Liability Company.</p><p> Featured by CNN and Entrepreneur.www.LegalZoom.com"No Cost" Scooters?Seniors 60+ who live in New York may qualify for a free mobility scooter…SmarterSeniorLifestyles.com Buy a link here their various guises and price points.Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the co-host of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culturepodcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features topjournalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It's available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltzat his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radioshow, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix andgain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.Note: Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of DVDs and Blu-rays with theunderstanding that he would be considering them for review.</p><p> Generally, he does notguarantee to review and he receives far more titles than he can cover.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz There are no comments on this entry yet.</p><p> Be the first!Comments are closed on this entry.</p><p> Like89k GET ALERTSHighlighted Most Recent Oldest Most FavedThere are no comments on this entry yet.Be the first!
