Revisiting HOWARDS END in 4K

HOWARDS END (4K UHD)

1992 / 142 min

Cohen Media Group

Reluctantly reviewed by D.M. Anderson😸

I saw Howards End back in the day. To be honest, this kind of stuff ain’t exactly in my wheelhouse, but it was up for a slew of Oscars and I always enjoy catching as many of the nominees as possible. The film was more entertaining than I expected - quite a bit more, actually - and if it weren’t for the Academy turning that year’s Oscar night into a belated Clint Eastwood love-fest, I suspect this would’ve nabbed more statues than it actually did.

Still, I’ve never felt compelled to revisit Howards End again, or any other Merchant Ivory movie, for that matter. When it comes to period dramas, once is generally enough, even for the good ones. Perhaps I’d change my tune if an occasional car chase or dinosaur attack were thrown in. 

So when the 4K UHD remaster of Howards End arrived, I hailed the rest of the Free Kittens staff: “Here, kitties! Howards End is here! Who’s up for a classic Edwardian drama about contrasting class cultures? Kitty-kitty-kitty!” Grabbing their treat bag, I shook it loudly. “I’ll throw in some snacks. Pepper! Bonnie! Stinky, I know you’re a big Anthony Hopkins fan, and I promise you’ll like it better than Solace!” 

Crickets. *sigh*

Looks like I’m revisiting Howards End, after all. That’s okay…it could be a lot worse (like rewatching Solace). And again, it isn’t that I don’t like Howards End. So I’ll get to it right after this Donnie Yen action flick I need to review…and maybe also that Australian shark movie that arrived yesterday. After all, it’s Friday, so I have all night.

When the Wifi goes down.

The next day:

You know what? I’d forgotten most of this movie in the 30+ years since I last watched it. More specifically, I’d forgotten how aesthetically gorgeous it is, so if nothing else, Long-time Merchant Ivory cohort Tony Pierce-Roberts’ cinematography really shines with this 4K disc, which is apparently remastered in its original aspect ratio (2.39:1) for the first time. For purists, that’s probably a big plus. This one also features two audio options DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0. Both sound really good, though the former is superior, especially with regard to Richard Robbins’ lush score.

Elsewhere, the performances carry the movie. Even someone whose tastes don’t lean toward period drama has to concur that Emma Thompson deserved her Oscar for Best Actress. As Margaret Schlegel, she’s totally engaging. And like Stinky, I’m also a big Anthony Hopkins fan, and rewatching him here reminded me of how effectively he embodies his characters, whether he’s playing psychos, gentlemen or conservative jerks like Henry Wilcox (and he still instills Henry with a complexity that’s occasionally relatable). I won’t go so far as to say he was robbed of an Oscar (not even being nominated), but this another example of Hopkins’ ability to elevate any movie (well, maybe not Solace). Looks like Stinky missed out on another great performance.

One might think I’m the wrong guy to review a movie like this. Then again, I did enjoy revisiting it more than I thought I would, at least enough that it no longer felt like an obligation (slowly but surely, the story drew me in once again). So maybe that’s a testament to how well Howards End transcends its genre, kind like how my horror-hating wife got sucked into Train to Busan. But fans of the film should keep in-mind that this new 4K release is just a technical upgrade. There are no new bonus features. 

EXTRA KIBBLES (most of this is from the 2016 Cohen Media Blu-ray release)

4K & BLU-RAY COPIES

FEATURETTES - Returning to Howards End is a 20 minute conversation between director James Ivory and film curator Laurence Kardish; Interview with James Ivory and Vanessa Redgrave; Q&A with James Ivory takes place following a 2016 screening; Behind-the-Scenes is a featurette from 1992; James Ivory Remembers Ismail Merchant has the director recalling his longtime professional and personal partner; Building Howards End is the longest, and in many ways, the best of the bonus features; The Design of Howards End is about the costuming and production design.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critics Wade Major and Lael Lowenstein.

ORIGINAL AND RE-RELEASE TRAILER

THE POOP SCOOP: Three Masterpieces and Dante's Peak

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER on Digital 11/14 and Blu-ray, 4K & DVD 1/20/2026 from Warner Bros. Washed-up stoner dad, Bob, (DiCaprio) exists in a state of paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (Infiniti).  When his evil nemesis (Penn) resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past. From Warner Bros. Pictures comes “One Battle After Another,” written, directed and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Academy Award and BAFTA winners Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti. 

PRIDE & PREJUDICE 20th Anniversary Edition Coming 11/23 on 4K from Universal. Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley stars in the greatest love story of all time, Pride & Prejudice. When Elizabeth Bennet (Knightley) meets the handsome Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), she believes he is the last man on earth she could ever marry. But as their lives become intertwined, she finds herself captivated by the very person she swore to loathe for all eternity. Jane Austen's masterpiece novel comes to the screen in the film critics said "makes you believe in true love and happily-ever-after" (Stephen Holden, The New York Times). The exclusive Pride & Prejudice 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition includes a beautifully curated 42-page book filled with behind-the-scenes photos, a foreword written by Director Joe Wright, excerpts from cast and crew, behind-the-scenes photos, and much more!

HOWARD’S END on Blu-ray & DVD 11/18 from Cohen Media Group. One of Merchant Ivory’s undisputed masterpieces, this adaptation of E.M. Forster’s classic novel won three Academy Awards. Howards End is a compelling, brilliantly acted study of one woman’s struggle to maintain her ideals and integrity in the face of Edwardian society’s conformist values. Cohen Film Collection is proud to present a gorgeous 4K restoration from the original negative, overseen and approved by director James Ivory and cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts. 

After Delays, DANTE’S PEAK is Finally Coming to 4K/Blu-ray on 12/16 from Kino Lorber. Without warning, day becomes night; air turns to fire, and solid ground melts beneath white-hot lava. From director Roger Donaldson comes an adrenaline-pumping adventure starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. Welcome to the charming Pacific Northwest town of Dante’s Peak…where a long-dormant volcano is about to erupt with devastating force! The race is on for volcanologist Harry Dalton (Brosnan) and Mayor Rachel Wando (Hamilton) to evacuate the townspeople before it’s too late. Who will survive when the inferno unleashes its fury? The answer will leave you breathless, and the special effects will blow you away! Written by Leslie Bohem (Daylight) and beautifully shot in Cinemascope by Andrzej Bartkowiak (Speed).

CHAIN REACTIONS Blu-ray Mediabook Blu-ray December 2 from Dark Sky Films. Fifty years after Tobe Hooper’s classic shocked the world, CHAIN REACTIONS charts the film’s profound impact and lasting influence on five great artists – Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller- Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama. 

THE BLACK PHONE 2 on Digital Now and Blu-ray and 4K December 23 from Universal. Director Scott Derickson (Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) continues the nightmare with darker, deadlier, and more terrifying scenes than ever before as Ethan Hawke (First Reformed) returns to his most disturbing role as deranged serial killer The Grabber..

BEAST OF WAR on Blu-ray and DVD December 9 from Well Go USA. When their boat is sunk while crossing the Timor Sea during World War II, a young troop of Australian soldiers must find a way to survive the harsh seas on a quickly shrinking life raft. Hundreds of miles from anywhere, they must confront interpersonal conflicts, enemy attacks, and the advances of one very large, very hungry great white shark. 

GOOD FORTUNE arrives 11/7 on Premium Digital and 12/9 on 4K and Blu-ray from Lionsgate. In Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, GOOD FORTUNE, a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) observes a struggling gig worker, Arj (Aziz Ansari), and intervenes to show him that money can't solve all his problems. 

Stephen King’s THE LONG WALK on Digital October 21 and 4K, Blu-ray & DVD November 25 from Lionsgate. The highly anticipated adaptation of master storyteller Stephen King’s first novel is an intense, chilling, and emotional thriller that challenges audiences to confront a haunting question: how far could you go?

PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE on 4K & Blu-ray December 16 from Criterion Collection. One of the most eccentric comedies of the 1980s, this is a pop-culture touchstone that helped make a manic oddball named Pee-wee Herman into an icon for outsiders of all ages.

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES on Blu-ray, 4K and DVD November 25 from Warner Bros. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reunite for one last case as renowned, real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren in a powerful and spine-chilling addition to the global box office-breaking franchise.

Steven Spielberg’s MINORITY REPORT and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN on 4K December 9 from Paramount. Both Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can were remastered this year in 4K and the sparkling new transfers were reviewed and approved by Spielberg.  

The Gialli Cult Classic, A HYENA IN THE SAFE, on Blu-ray November 25 from Celluloid Dreams. This Blu-ray release will feature the film in its original Italian language with English subtitles exclusively.

MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK: A Legend Resurrected

MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK (Blu-ray)

2022 / 120 min

From Cohen Media Group

Review by Princess Pepper😺

What makes My Name is Alfred Hitchcock a unique retrospective film is we’re hearing it from the horse’s mouth (sort of). One of cinema’s most iconic and influential directors offers a fresh new perspective on his life, career and approach to his craft. Surely a legend of Hitch’s stature still has something relevant to share. Who cares if the man’s been dead for 45 years?

Director Mark Cousins doesn’t let such a minor technicality deter him from letting Hitch have his say, not when he’s got narrator Alistair McGowan doing a spot-on impression of him. So it really isn’t Hitch we’re listening to, nor are these his actual words. Cousins, whose career mostly consists of documentaries, wrote the screenplay, which he claims is based on what the real Alfred Hitchcock has said and done during his life…

…meaning this isn’t a documentary in the purist sense, which is fine because don’t we have enough of those already? Instead, its subject is the film’s somewhat reliable narrator. Jovial, a tad arrogant and sometimes pretty funny, Hitch frequently breaks the fourth wall and engages the audience directly while discussing what makes him tick (both personally and professionally).

The film is made up of five “chapters”...Escape, Desire, Loneliness, Time, Fulfillment and Height. Hitch states these are recurring themes throughout his body of work (and life). His observations are supported by a huge collection of clips from his films, both classic and obscure, dating all the way back to the silent era. Hitchcock himself is occasionally depicted through vintage photographs, some enhanced through subtle animated touches. 

If our narrator is to be fully trusted, we learn more about the man behind the movies than the movies themselves, which is okay because most reading this probably know everything about Vertigo anyway. Besides, this Hitchcock certainly knows how to tell a good story and, as one-sided conversations go, he’s very engaging. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

CINEMA Q&A WITH CHUCK ROSE - Rose interviews director Mark Cousins.

ALISTAIR McGOWAN’S VOICE TEST - Audio only.

GRAPHICS ANIMATION TESTS

INTRODUCTIONS - Director Mak Cousins introduces three of Hitch’s classics, Notorious, Rope & Saboteur.  

TRAILER & ALTERNATE TRAILER - The latter is narrated by director Mark Cousins.

KITTEN KATNIP: The Best Stuff We Reviewed in 2024

We reviewed a slew of Blu-rays, DVDs and movies in 2024. Time to take a look back at the best of them. While we have seen more movies than the Surgeon General recommends, our list consists strictly of titles which were sent to us for review purposes.

PURR-R-R...THE BEST: We reviewed some good stuff this year, but the following titles were better than taunting a mouse to death:

10) CUCKOO (Decal Releasing) - Cuckoo is a crazy film, and the less you know going in, the more fun you’re likely to have. It benefits from writer-director Tilman Singer’s creepy stylistic touches and disorienting sequences of hallucinatory psychological horror. He never spoonfeeds the audience, instead inviting us to come along for the ride, even if we’re never sure of the destination.

9) DUNE: PART TWO (Warner Bros) - While their overall visual and sonic grandeur is certainly diminished at home, watching Parts One & Two back-to-back on the sofa becomes immersive in a different way. It's a sprawling, complex story that may not always display a lot of heart, but is consistently engaging enough to justify two films and an epic overall length.

8) A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (Paramount) - Though presented on a grander scale than the first two films, A Quiet Place: Part One is ultimately a personal journey, the smaller moments nicely contrasting all the monster mayhem. Exciting, intense and often touching, it’s more that just another cash-grabbing prequel.

7) THE CHILDE (Well Go USA) - The film is mostly an extended pursuit filled with car chases, guns and bloody, close-quarters fighting, but also has an intriguing plot with plenty of surprises and a tone similar to a Tarantino film. Another winner by director Park Hoon-jung, The Childe wins no awards for plausibility, but it’s the best action movie of 2023.

6) DRIVING MADELEINE (Cohen Media Group) - Driving Madeleine takes the viewer on an entertaining - often revealing - personal journey of two wonderfully realized characters. With a perceptive screenplay, fluid direction by Christian Carion and affecting performances (including Alice Isaaz as young Madeleine), this is an emotional ride worth taking.

5) ACT OF VIOLENCE (Warner Archive) - Running a lean 82 minutes, the film hits the ground running and doesn't slow down, seldom straying from the dark tone established in the very first scene. Featuring tight direction by Fred Zinnemann and aided to a great degree by Robert Surtees’ moody cinematography, Act of Violence is an underseen film noir gem.

4) INTERSTELLAR and PULP FICTION Anniversary Editions (Paramount) - In this writer’s opinion, Interstellar is one of the best films of the 21st Century and among the greatest sci-fi films ever made. For those who feel the same way, the 10th Anniversary Limited Edition is a perfect souvenir. The 30th Anniversary Limited Edition of Pulp Fiction is a wonderfully packaged boxed set intended for those who love everything about the Tarantino classic. A great souvenir commemorating one of modern cinema’s best, most influential films.

3) NORTH BY NORTHWEST 4K (Warner Bros) - This undisputable classic remains as suspenseful, intriguing and funny as it was 65 years ago. On 4K, it has never looked better, and in addition to a big batch of vintage bonus features, a couple of new ones are included. North by Northwest is Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest overall film and remains essential viewing for anyone claiming to be a cinephile.

2) CHINATOWN 4K and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST 4K (Paramount) - The Paramount Presents series has been getting better and better lately, especially their 4K releases. Chinatown includes new bonus features along with a substantial list of supplemental material carried over from previous Blu-ray/DVD editions. But the cherry-on-top is the Blu-ray debut of The Two Jakes, the belated and maligned sequel. Once Upon a Time in the West is another long-overdue 4K release and a decent upgrade from previous editions. It includes substantial bonus features, a new audio commentary and a brief appreciation by critic Leonard Maltin

1) ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS, VOLUME II (Severin Films) - Like Volume One, All the Haunts Be Ours Volume Two isn’t for everyone, but for folk horror lovers who've always defined the genre by the likes of The Wicker Man and Midsommar, it's a treasure trove of obscurities. In terms of quantity, comprehensiveness and presentation, this is the best boxed set of the year.

HONORABLE MENTION: They Drive by Night (Warner Archive), The Mexico Trilogy (Arrow), Strange Darling (Decal), Paramount Scares Volume 2 4K (Paramount), Cruel Jaws - The Novelization (Encyclopacalypse), The Lady from Shanghai 4K (Sony), Monkey Man 4K (Universal), American Fiction (Warner Bros), The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Lionsgate), The First Omen (20th Century Studios), Cemetery Man 4K (Severin), The Beekeeper (Warner Bros), Fear is the Key (Arrow); The Searchers 4K (Warner Archive).

Be sure to check out THE WORST STUFF WE REVIEWED IN 2024.