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SHAKRESPEARE’S SHITSTORM (4K UHD/Blu-Ray) - If Dick Clark was the “World’s Oldest Teenager,” then Lloyd Kaufman is unquestionably the world’s oldest 12 year old boy. His sense of humor hasn’t changed one whit since first assuming the throne of low-budget bad taste in 1984 with The Toxic Avenger. If anything, he’s since plunged to new depths of immaturity, as demonstrated with Shakespeare’s Shitstorm. If nothing else, the title is accurate. Traces of The Tempest can be found if you squint hard enough, while massive amounts of spewing excrement are the catalyst to what can loosely be called a plot. Elsewhere, there’s plenty of the juvenile, scatological, gross out gags that helped build Kaufman's empire, along with heavy-handed “satire” attacking modern political correctness with the subtlety of a jackhammer. But I’ll give the Troma team props for one thing…Blu-ray & 4K releases of their titles are generally loaded with bonus material and this one is no exception. (2020/94 min/Troma Entertainment). KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼😼
THE OGRE OF ATHENS (Blu-ray) - In this 1956 obscurity, Thomas (Dinos Iliopoulos) is a lonely, nebbish banker who is suddenly mistaken for The Ogre, a notorious criminal who’s been terrorizing the city of Athens. But upon a chance meeting with a sultry dancer, he ends up falling-in with a crew of small time gangsters who are planning a big heist, believing Thomas to be The Ogre himself. Along the way, Thomas strikes up a friendship with another young dancer who’s unhappy with her life. Considered a milestone in Greek cinema, The Ogre of Athens features fine moments of perceptive human drama, charming comedy and even some film noir touches. Well worth seeking out, this disc also comes with a few supplements that offer valuable historical context. (1956/104 min/Radiance Films). KITTY CONSENSUS: 😺😺😺
AIRPORT - THE COMPLETE 4-FILM COLLECTION (Blu-ray) - This set is a disaster lover’s dream. Obviously products of their time - when disaster movies were plentiful and profitable - none of them are works of art, but remain tons of melodramatic fun...occasionally at their own expense. While the original Airport is widely considered the best one (and credited for popularizing the genre to begin with), I’ve always been more partial to Airport 1975 and Airport ‘77, both of which are more action driven. As for The Concorde - Airport ‘79…it’s still a morbidly fascinating, unintentionally hilarious train wreck. All four films have been given terrific 4K restorations, so they look and sound great, though I do wish more effort was put into providing some substantial bonus material. There’s a booklet featuring a perfunctory essay, along with insightful new audio commentaries for each, but considering their cultural impact of ‘70s cinema (for better or worse), surely they deserve a bit more. (1970-1979/470 min/Kino Lorber). KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼😼😼😼
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