Tripping on BLUE SUNSHINE in 4K

BLUE SUNSHINE (4K UHD)

1977 / 95 min

From Synapse Films

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

If the name Jeff Lieberman doesn’t quite ring a bell, his best-known film is probably the 1976 creepy-crawly feature, Squirm. He was never particularly prolific, but cranked out a few interesting things over the years. And though he’ll never mentioned in the same breath as Carpenter or Craven, most of his movies are pretty entertaining (if you’ve never seen 2004’s Satan’s Little Helper, you owe it to yourself to seek it out).

Lieberman’s second film, Blue Sunshine is built on a great premise, that of several people losing their hair and turning homicidal 10 years after dropping the same batch of LSD. After a guy named Frannie brutally kills three people during a party, good buddy Jerry Zipkin (Zalman King) tries to stop him, but during the struggle, Frannie dies. Now the prime suspect in the murders, Jerry goes on the run with the help of girlfriend Alicia (Deborah Winters). 

But when he learns of similar incidents, Jerry’s compelled to find out how the killings are connected. He eventually determines they all bought the same acid, called Blue Sunshine, during college, which was sold to them by Edward Fleming (Mark Goddard), who’s now running for a senate seat. Somewhat amusingly, the more Jerry investigates, the more guilty he appears to the police. 

Hair today, gone tomorrow.

Narratively and aesthetically, Blue Sunshine reminds me of the type of B-movies David Cronenberg and Larry Cohen were making at the time. It’s never as weird and bloody as Cronenberg, nor as cheeky and goofy as Cohen, but certainly cut from similar cloth. As such, it’s pretty fun and fast moving, though never as "trippy" as one might anticipate from the premise. That’s not to say the film doesn’t have its share of wild, campy moments, like when those affected by the drug finally snap and go apeshit, or better yet, King’s chuckleworthy overacting.

While Blue Sunshine isn’t quite as much grassroots fun as Squirm, Jeff Lieberman has put together a more accomplished film…tighter direction, better writing and (mostly) decent performances. And of course, it’s just offbeat enough to have continued appeal to the cult crowd. Speaking of which, Synapse Films really pulled out all the stops for its 4K release. Both the 4K and Blu-ray discs boast a great new video restoration, in addition to two audio options, DTS HD Master Audio and 5.1 Surround. The third disc is a 13 track CD of the original soundtrack and I wish more boutique labels would do this.

The set is also loaded with interesting bonus features, most of which prominently feature writer-director Jeff Lieberman. It’s also elaborately packaged, with the case, slipcover and sturdy box each featuring different art work. Finally, a foldout poster is included. Considering Blue Sunshine’s relative obscurity - maybe even in cult circles - we’re getting a hell of a lot of bells & whistles dedicated to a single, decades-old low budget film. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K & BLU-RAY COPIES

CD SOUNDTRACK - Contains 13 tracks of the original Charles Gross Score. A pretty good listen.

INTERVIEWS - 3 separate interviews with writer-director Jeff Lieberman, one of them featuring director Mick Garris.

FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL Q&A - Shot during Blue Sunshine’s 4K premiere, featuring ex-Fangoria editor Michael Gingold and writer-director Jeff Lieberman

THE RINGER - An 1972 20-minute short by writer-director Jeff Lieberman. There are two versions, the original and one that’s remastered 4K with optional commentary.

LSD SCARE FILMS - LSD 25 and LSD: Insight of Insanity are two shorts from the 1960s (of course) about the perils of dropping acid. Great fun!

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - Both feature writer-director Jeff Lieberman.

OPTIONAL INTRO - By writer-director Jeff Lieberman.

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET - Features an excerpt from Leiberman’s autobiography, Day of the Living Me: Adventures of a Subversive Cult Filmmaker from the Golden Age.

TRAILERS

STILL GALLERY

FOLD-OUT POSTER

HIGH CRIME (4K): Superlative Poliziotteschi

HIGH CRIME (4K UHD)

1973 / 103 min

FROM BLUE UNDERGROUND

Review by Mr. Paws😺

When unearthing, restoring and releasing classics (especially cult classics) on physical media, I wish more boutique labels would follow Blue Underground’s lead. For certain films, in addition to the usual 4K & Blu-ray copies, they’ve been throwing in a bonus CD of the music score. More often than not, it’s a rare chance to hear the music outside of the context of the movie.

Let’s see a streaming service offer that.

This time, they pull out all the stops for 1973’s High Crime, a popular, influential Italian thriller and one of the better films in the poliziotteschi genre. Franco Nero stars as Belli, a cop fiercely dedicated to disrupting the heroin trade, which he suspects is overseen by the powerful Griva family. Belli frequently refers to “retired” gangster Cafiero (Fernando Rey) for assistance, though the latter may very well be trying to insinuate himself back on top of the heap. 

However, the Grivas are practically untouchable despite a massive dossier compiled by Belli’s superior, Commissioner Scavino (James Whitmore). After Scavino is murdered, Belli becomes the new commissioner, and his scorched earth approach in nailing Grivas dramatically raises the stakes, both personally and professionally. 

Franco gets near-o.

Like many Italian movies of the era, particularly those directed by Enzo G. Castellari, High Crime is clearly inspired by American cinema, stopping just short completely ripping-off what's currently popular. In this case, it's The French Connection, going so far as to tap Fernando Rey (the antagonist in Friedkin’s film) for a key supporting role. I suppose the biggest difference is that, even though Belli is just as obsessed as Popeye Doyle in pursuing his case, it comes at tremendous personal cost (which I won’t spoil by elaborating here). This element (however briefly) renders the film more emotionally affecting than The French Connection…

…not that this one ever approaches the grit, artistry and tension of Friedkin’s film. Not even close. Still, High Crime is to The French Connection what Grizzly was to Jaws…a knock-off to be sure, but a very enjoyable slab of action in its own right. There are shoot-outs, bombings and one hell of an opening car chase, all directed with efficient aplomb by Castellari, who proudly wears his influences on his sleeve. While Nero’s obviously no Gene Hackman, he delivers a tough, dedicated performance that approaches scenery chewing, but as Belli, he’s an engaging and likable hero. Elsewhere, Rey conveys the same cool menace as he did in The French Connection, while Whitmore is sort of wasted in a comparatively thankless role.

A huge hit in Europe, High Crime is undoubtedly a product of its era and region, but remains a superlative poliziotteschi film. Considering the genre’s somewhat scrappy reputation, that might be considered faint praise, but fans of this stuff are sure to eat it up, especially with a 4K restoration. In addition to an excellent transfer (it looks great and sounds even better), this disc comes with a terrific selection of bonus features. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K & BLU-RAY COPIES (a majority of the supplements are on the Bluray disc).

SOUNDTRACK CD - Following an audio introduction in both Italian & English, the disc features 19 jazzy tracks with occasional Goblin-esque touches. Certainly a product of its time, its nevertheless an enjoyable listen on its own terms, with a couple of catchy recurring themes. Composed by Guido & Maurizio De Angeles (collectively known as Oliver Onions). Track listing and musical credits are on an insert.

ARCHIVAL INTERVIEWS - Several individually filmed interviews, most in Italian with English subtitles. The Genoa Connection features director Enzo G. Castellari and actor Franco Nero; From Dust to Asphalt is another interview with Castellari; Hard Stunts for High Crimes features stuntman Massimo Vanni; Framing Crime features cameraman Roberto Girometti; The Sound of Onions features composers Guido & Maurizio De Angeles.

3 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By director Enzo G. Castellari; 2) By actor Franco Nero and filmmaker Mike Malloy (who once directed a poliziotteschi documentary called Eurocrime!); 3) By historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson & Eugenio Ercolani.

THE CONNECTION CONNECTION - Filmmaker Mike Malloy discusses this film and its derivative origins. 

ALTERNATE ENDING - Almost the same, save for a shot that's removed from the final cut, which renders the ending even bleaker.

TRAILER

GALLERY - Features lobby cards, stills, posters, home video cover art, etc.

REVERSIBLE COVER