Deathtrap (1982) Debuts on Manufactured-on-Demand Blu-ray... That's Right, Blu-ray.

by Tony Dayoub

In a move which came to quite a surprise even to loyal fans of Warner Archive, the most prolific of the MOD (manufactured-on-demand) DVD labels, two of their most recent releases have debuted on Blu-ray. Gypsy (1962) had previously been released in anamorphic widescreen on DVD. In my opinion, the more interesting title is Sidney Lumet's clever Deathtrap (1982), which had only been released on full-frame DVD back in 1999. Based on a stage play by Ira Levin, Deathtrap's theatrical roots show fairly prominently. Literally a drawing room mystery, it's mostly set in one large, open study. The script is rife with mordant humor, and has a teeny-tiny cast anchored by Dyan Cannon (Heaven Can Wait), Christopher Reeve (playing against type while at the height of his Superman popularity), and Michael Caine, during one of his most fertile acting periods. The witty esprit-de-corps between the three actors is perhaps the best reason to recommend the film, a minor Lumet movie with a cult following due to this very reason.

DVD Review: Three Recent Releases from the Warner Archive Collection

by Tony Dayoub

As I catch up on some of the past weeks' recent releases, here are three from the Warner Archive Collection that are worth a look. Given additional consideration, one may eventually turn out to be an unsung classic.

DVD Review: Warner Archive is Too Big to Contain Here

by Tony Dayoub

The Warner Archive Collection continues to impress with the breadth and depth of movies they release using their made-to-order (MOD) model. It's also fascinating the way they market these DVDs—tying them to holidays, anniversaries, and the like—with relative ease because of their decision to keep increasing their library (as of this writing, 818 titles and counting) at the rapid rate of 5 - 10 releases A WEEK.

Free Streaming of Secret Service of the Air (1939)

by Tony Dayoub

Some news for fans of the Gipper in honor of his centennial tomorrow. It's one of the few times this arch-conservative would make an appearance on this site (hey, he's the only president to ever serve as president of a labor union... surprising, eh?). But I've been watching a preview copy of the Brass Bancroft series for an upcoming review and enjoying it quite a lot. Maybe some of you readers will want to check this out in anticipation of said review.

From a press release:

Random Sample: Legends of the Super Heroes (1978), Mad Max (1979) on Blu, and Hotel Terminus (1988)

by Tony Dayoub

As the holiday season approaches, demands on this writer are growing. The holiday season arrives soon with its requisite family vacations, end-of-year awards screeners and best-of lists, not to mention major new home releases timed to take advantage of gift-giving celebrations. So I'll clear the deck today with some thoughts on a few recent releases I caught up with at home this past week.

DVD Roundup: Waking Dreams

by Tony Dayoub

I'll be brief today on the subject of two surrealist DVD releases which debuted in the last couple of weeks. One is based on a cult series of some renown. The other has quickly developed its own small following.

DVD Review: Warner Archive Ventures Into TV Movies

by Tony Dayoub



Once upon a time when there were only three major networks, a handful of local channels, and you received your television signal from an antenna, there were TV programs called telefilms, better known by the oxymoron, "TV movies." You see them from time to time on cable now. Lifetime Channel has made a virtual cottage industry out of them. But back in the seventies, they often served as testing grounds for the major networks. They were used to test new actors, or familiar actors in different types of roles than the ones they were known for. Duel (1971) was a telefilm that showcased the budding talent of director Steven Spielberg. Sometimes the networks used telefilms as a tryout for a new series concept. And some of the most risky concepts to test were science fiction or horror efforts. Well, I'm happy to say that Warner Home Video is now offering consumers some of their favorite telefilms—primarily in these genres—through the Warner Archive Collection.

DVD Roundup: Spanky and the Gang, Sino-American Neo-Realism, and Small Town Noir

by Tony Dayoub



There were so many screeners sent to me this week, a week in which I happened to be laid up (along with my son) with the H1N1 virus (we're fine now, thanks), that this will probably be the first of several posts coming your way this weekend in an effort to clear the decks before the start of the De Palma Blog-A-Thon on Monday.

DVD Review: Max Fleischer's Superman (1941-1942)

by Tony Dayoub

Long in the public domain, the Fleischer animated adventures of Superman have appeared in multiple DVD editions of inconsistent quality. But Warner has finally released them after extensive remastering from original elements, and boy, are they a beauty. The Technicolor brilliance really shines through on these 17 shorts. And for fans of the Man of Steel there is a lot to glean in terms of the development of the 70-year-old character, then still in his infancy.

DVD Review: The Warner Archive Collection

If you're a movie buff, then by now you've heard of Warner's clever DVD scheme, an initiative to address thousands of film fan's requests to release hundreds of titles still unavailable. They've opened their vault and begun an MOD (Manufacture-On-Demand) program under the moniker of The Warner Archive Collection, with 150 titles for all manner of cinema lovers be you of the classic stripe or the cult fan. At first glance, I found a whole lot of movies I hate to admit I wasn't familiar with. But I, most excitedly, also found at least 4 titles I've longed for: the George Pal-produced Doc Savage (1975), directed by Michael Anderson (Logan's Run), and starring Ron Ely (Tarzan); Countdown (1968), directed by Robert Altman (pre-M*A*S*H), with James Caan and Robert Duvall; The Rain People (1969), directed by Francis Coppola (pre-Godfather) and starring Caan and Duvall again; and An Enemy of the People (1978), an oddity in which Steve McQueen performs Ibsen (surprisingly underrated piece of acting I must say). When offered the opportunity, I requested one of these for review in order to gauge the quality of the picture and sound on movies I was already familiar with. But due to the already high volume of demand, I assume, I received a film I didn't know too well, Strange Interlude (1932), with Norma Shearer and a young Clark Gable. Rather than trying to pick apart a film of which I'm not really too well-versed, I'll instead concentrate on what you might really want to know: Are these DVDs worth getting? The answer is an unqualified YES!!! Many of these films would be unavailable to the cinema lover, scholar, or yes... blogger, if it weren't for Warner's decision to implement this program. They plan on adding at least 20 titles a month (both film and TV) to this collection with the hope of reaching 300 titles by the end of this year, according to Daily Variety. For $19.95, plus shipping, they will manufacture a DVD of any title you order, create a box with some custom art, and get it to you within 5 days. If you'd rather download it digitally, you can do that for $14.95 and view it immediately. Now looking at my copy of Strange Interlude, I can give you some quick first impressions. The video and sound quality are not the best. The print has some noticeable scratches and dust. The sound has a vague hiss heard throughout. Warner is up front about this. At the website, each film has a preview clip that allows you to judge for yourself the quality you can expect. Here is the clip for Strange Interlude: Warner's aim is to provide these films at a nominal price to a small group of fans for that movie. One of the ways they save on production costs is by releasing the films as is, with no additional extra features, chapter stops every 10 minutes, and the most basic of menus (Play is the only option) on a DVD-R. But if you have a long cherished movie or TV series that is dear to you, you'd probably be happy with its availability in any form. And the logical conclusion to this is that if enough people buy a particular title, Warner will probably reconsider an upgraded edition for the mass market. Visit WarnerArchive.com for a list of all titles currently available and vote for a number of the next 20 titles that will be offered in April. Video courtesy Warner Home Video