DELICATESSEN (4K) and ANTIVIRAL (4K): Some Casual Cannibalism

DELICATESSEN and ANTIVIRAL (4K UHD)

From Severin Films

Review by Princess Pepper😺

Severin Films serves up a couple of meaty treats in delicious 4K. One is a French cult classic. Considering the name and growing reputation of the director, the other probably will be. And both of them throw subtle touches of cannibalism into their already bizarre narratives.

DELICATESSEN (1991/99 min) - The first feature film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (co-directing with Marc Cano), Delicatessen is a visually stunning calling card. It combines elements of post-apocalypse sci-fi, horror and black comedy into a Pythonesque tale of a butcher who hires handymen so he can kill, cut-up and sell them as meat in his deli. But the new guy, ex-circus performer Louison (Dominique Pinon), endears himself to the butcher’s daughter, Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac), who wants to save him from the same fate.

The nutshell story is only a small part of what makes Delicatessen enjoyable. There are other subplots involving other eccentric tenants who share the building (my favorite being an unhappy housewife’s elaborate attempts to commit suicide). And despite some dark underpinnings, the overall tone often borders on whimsical, as exemplified with Louison & Julie’s developing romance, as well as some strange-but-amusing musical set-pieces. 

Both narratively and aesthetically, the whole thing plays like something out of Terry Gilliam’s repertoire (Gilliam himself lent his name to the promotional campaign during its initial release). The subject matter might be off-putting to casual viewers, and the story is occasionally a little meandering, but overall, Delicatessen is a unique film that’s engaging just to look at.

EXTRA KIBBLES: FEATURETTE - Fine Cooked Meats: The Making of Delicatessen; INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Cano, ‘presenter’ Terry Gilliam and Marc Cano by himself; TRAILER; AUDIO COMMENTARY - By co-director Jean-Pierre Jeunet; 4K & BLU-RAY COPIES.

This man orders the Not-So-Happy Meal.

ANTIVIRAL (2012/108 min) - Brandon Cronenberg is, of course, the son of undisputed body horror master David Cronenberg. Having previously watched and reviewed his second film, Possessor, one thing was certain: The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. 2012’s Antiviral was actually his first effort, and while not as graphic and gory, there’s some twisted imagination at work.

There’s also a timely, relevant theme running throughout the film, that of celebrity worship taken to sick extremes. In this world, fans can buy and eat meat genetically grown from their idols’ cells. But the truly obsessed are happy to pay exorbitant amounts of money to inject themselves with viruses and diseases carried by famous people. In fact, its a huge business, with corporations competing for the rights to the most popular celebrities’ blood.

Syd Match (Caleb Landry Jones), a salesman for Luca Clinic, hawks pathogens from Hannah Geist (Sarah Gadon), the Taylor Swift of infected idols. He also injects himself in secret, then sells his infected blood on the black market, which not only renders him increasingly ill, he runs afoul of pirates and competitors.

That’s the rudimentary summary of a fairly complex (and occasionally murky) storyline. The film is pretty thin on characterization, but remains morbidly compelling and visually impressive. Cronenberg fills the screen with beautiful and repulsive imagery, leading to a twisted climax that must be seen to be believed. All told, it’s one hell of an audacious debut.

EXTRA KIBBLES: FEATURETTES - Anatomy of a Virus is an interesting 30 minute making-of doc; Reviving a Dead Cell is about the film’s 4K restoration; Brandon Cronenberg: A First Time Director’s Vision is a short interview; First Meeting features actors Caleb Landry Jones and Sarah Gadon; The Design of Antiviral focuses on the film’s production design; Manufacturing Celebrity features short segments with cast & crew; “BROKEN TULIPS” - Short film by Brandon Cronenberg, which was the basis for Antiviral; AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Brandon Cronenberg & cinematographer Karin Hussein; DELETED SCENES; TRAILER.

"Guess I shoulda read the instructions first."

In addition to a bunch of interesting bonus features (especially those accompanying Antiviral), both films have been given excellent 4K transfers. Delicatessen has never looked or sounded better, while Antiviral’s cold aesthetic seems tailor made for the format. They are highly recommended for those whose tastes lean toward the offbeat and bizarre.

THE BURGLARS and the Thrill of the Chase

THE BURGLARS (aka LA CASSE) (Blu-ray)

1971 / 114 & 126 min (2 versions)

FROM SONY

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

In terms of story and characters, The Burglars doesn’t reinvent the wheel. You’ve got your charismatic jewel thief, the determined detective, the high-tech heist, the cat & mouse game, beautiful women and exotic locations. Narratively and aesthetically, the film is emblematic of a lot of European thrillers from the era, including a nifty Ennio Morricone score. 

But interspersed throughout are several outstanding set-pieces and action sequences. Considering who’s involved, some of the stuntwork is actually pretty jaw-dropping.

The heist occurs right away, with Azad (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and his crew breaking into a wealthy tycoon’s house and making-off with a million in emeralds. Roughly comprising the first ten minutes, it’s mostly dialogue-free, focusing on their meticulousness and elaborate safe-cracking tech toys. I don’t know if any of this stuff is real, but it sure looks cool, which is ultimately all that matters.

Unexpectedly, the ship Azad chartered for their getaway is out of commission, leaving them stuck in Athens until it can be repaired. They plan to lay low for five days, which becomes difficult when corrupt cop Abel Zacharia (Omar Sharif) confronts Azad and demands the jewels for himself. Azad has no intention of complying, of course, and while trying to stay a step ahead of Zacharia, he meets sultry model Lena (Dyan Cannon), a quasi-film fatale who feels kind of shoehorned into the narrative for the sake of a romantic subplot.

"That ain't the safe, Azad. That's the fridge."

The antagonistic game of one upmanship between Azad and Zacharia is entertaining, with both actors clearly having fun in their roles, but what really elevates the film are the action sequences. There’s a thrilling extended car chase, with numerous wide camera shots of these two vehicles speeding through streets and dodging traffic - while repeatedly smashing into each other - without a lot of quick-cut editing. 

The car chase is the work of professional drivers, but there are other scenes where Belmondo is obviously doing his own stunts, like when Azad precariously hangs onto the side of a speeding city bus while fending off Zacharia, or more amusingly, gets poured from a dump truck down a massive hill. Belmondo was a huge star in France at the time, so engaging in such clearly dangerous stunts - without special effects - when he really didn’t need to is an admirable dedication to craft.

So while the story and concept are pretty familiar, the opening heist and exciting action sequences make the film memorable. It’s essentially a battle of wits that becomes a wildly entertaining chase, only slightly marred by a comparatively underwhelming climax (though it’s admittedly kind of funny). For fans of 70s-era European thrillers, The Burglars is well worth seeking out.

EXTRA KIBBLES

ENGLISH & INTERNATIONAL (FRENCH) VERSIONS - The latter is 12 minutes longer...and the better of the two.

DRIVING MADELEINE: Bring Some Tissue

DRIVING MADELEINE (Blu-ray)

2022 / 90 min

FROM COHEN MEDIA GROUP 

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😹

In some ways, the Belgian film, Driving Madeleine, is what I first expected. In others, I was thrown for a loop by a few of the narrative turns. Either way, one of this disc’s bonus features should be a box of tissues. By the end of this thing, I was in tears (which doesn’t happen often). Hell, I was damn close to ugly crying.

The basic plot is fairly straightforward. Middle-aged, financially struggling cab driver Charles (Dany Boon) is hired to take a passenger to the other side of Paris…a lengthy distance, but a potentially lucrative fare. The customer is Madeleine (Line Renaud), a 92 year old woman being forced to move into a nursing home. In no real hurry, she requests a few stops at places she recalls from her past - including the old neighborhood - while opening up about the pivotal moments in her life. To his surprise, she’s also genuinely interested in his life.

Initially, Charles doesn’t care about her stories and is reluctant to open up to her. But as the journey continues, Madeleine is increasingly candid about her tumultuous past. Depicted through artfully conceived flashbacks, the love of her life was an American GI she met near the end of World War II, with whom she had a son. However, once he shipped back home, she never saw him again. She later ended up in an extremely abusive marriage with violent drunk Ray. Since abuse wasn’t grounds for divorce back then, her gruesome solution to the problem, while justifiable (and potentially audience pleasing), alters the trajectory of her life and relationship with her son.

Looks like Charles will be putting in some overtime cleaning ice cream off his upholstery.

During the cab ride, Charles and Madeleine form a friendship that’s frequently charming, funny and ultimately heartwarming. Through much of Driving Madeleine, I could kinda tell where the narrative was heading. But by the third act, I was so invested in these two characters that part of me was really happy it did play out as predicted, because the emotional payoff is huge. However, this isn’t just a French Driving Miss Daisy. There are jarring tonal shifts between their conversations in the car and the increasingly harrowing flashbacks, the latter of which contributing greatly to our admiration of Madeleine, as well as a few personal epiphanies experienced by Charles.

By the time the end credits rolled, I was emotionally exhausted. But it was the good kind of exhaustion. 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 the best disc I’ve reviewed so far this year.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN CARION - An enjoyable Zoom-type interview. Surprisingly, Carion reveals one of his inspirations while making this film was Steven Spieberg’s Duel.

TRAILER