Catnip Reviews: THE MASK (4K), MS. 45 (4K) and 7 SINS

Snack-sized opinions from the frisky felines at Free Kittens…

THE MASK Limited Edition (4K UHD) - If Ace Ventura: Pet Detective established Jim Carrey as a bankable star, The Mask cemented it. Back then, his brand of over-the-top, rubber-faced comedy was either endearing or obnoxious, depending on the viewer. Either way, this film certainly showcased his ability to become a living cartoon (with considerable help from FX and make-up artists, of course). But if you squint hard enough, beyond the kinetic comic mayhem are traces of the range Carrey would display in later films. Still, his physical performance is the most memorable aspect of The Mask, which remains an amusing hybrid…part slapstick comedy, part musical, part horror, with maybe even a bit superheroism tossed in. On the other side of the camera, this may not be director Chuck Russell’s best movie (I think The Blob gets that honor), but it’s arguably his best looking movie. Arrow’s 4K release features a great restoration and comes with plenty of new and archival bonus features. A must-own for Jim Carrey fans. (1994/101 min/Arrow Video). KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼😼😼😼

MS. 45 Limited Edition (4K UHD) - Though his headspace appears to have found permanent residence in the ether these days, there was once a time when New York’s nuttiest auteur, Abel Ferrara, enjoyed pushing people’s buttons with provocative exploitation (sometimes with a side order of Catholic guilt). Of those early films, Ms. 45 is probably his most entertaining, though still tough to watch on occasion. Drawing obvious inspiration from the likes of Death Wish, the story of mute teenager Thana (Zoe Tamerlis) going on revenge-fueled killing spree after being raped (twice in one day) is a tidy piece of catharsis. In addition to a 4K transfer that nicely preserves the film’s grimy aesthetic, the disc features a decent selection of new and archival bonus material.  (1981/80 min/Arrow Video). KITTY CONSENSUS: 😺😺😺

7 SINS (DVD) - This is a low budget anthology film with seven different directors serving up their own takes on the Seven Deadly Sins. Like others of its ilk, consistency is an issue, though one common thread is an overall air of arty pretentiousness coupled with obvious attempts to shock and repulse the viewer. Some stories are incomprehensible, others are narratively straightforward, but all of them wallow in visual depravity, including plenty of wince-inducing violence (some of it sexualized). Would be thrillseekers might get a kick out of these directors’ efforts to push the envelope of good taste, but overall, 7 Sins is more of an exercise in self-indulgence masquerading as a horror film. (2020/93 min/IndiePix). KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼😼

Revisiting GET CARTER in 4K

GET CARTER (4K UHD)

1971 / 112 min

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

A strong argument can be made that 1971’s Get Carter is the best British gangster movie ever made. And even though it wasn’t nearly as revered at the time of release, many critics and historians have claimed that very thing. This excellent new 4K transfer only strengthens that argument…at least aesthetically.

And aesthetics are a big deal here. If it didn’t look and sound like writer-director Mike Hodges rolled over a boulder to examine what thrived in the dark beneath it, Get Carter wouldn’t have the same impact. In that sense, the film conveys the same feeling we get from watching Taxi Driver, where being immersed in its drab & gritty setting is a major part of what makes it effective.

Essentially a complex tale of revenge, Michael Caine is Jack Carter, a London mob enforcer who returns to his hometown of Newcastle to investigate the death of his brother, Frank, supposedly while driving drunk. While Carter’s convinced he was murdered, his boss warns him not to step on the toes of other gangsters. He does, of course, once it turns out that the biggest of them, Cyril Kinnear (John Osborne), has a motive for murder (related to the rape and exploitation of Frank’s teenage daughter, Doreen).

"No talking. You're in 'time out'."

Caine’s role in Get Carter is unlike anything else he’d done at the time (or since, really), playing an unlikeable, irredeemable and cold-blooded killer whose tough exterior is almost impenetrable (save for a solitary moment when he sees Doreen forced to appear in a porno film). He’s also banging his boss’ wife, Anna (though that aspect of the story smacks of a an excuse to gratuitously show Britt Eklund masturbating). While we don’t necessarily like Carter, his antagonists are worse. And since there are a lot of ‘em, the film is chock-full of violent, satisfying payback. Best of all, Caine nails the part.   

Still, it’s sort of understandable why Get Carter was underwhelmingly received back in the day. To be honest, I didn’t care for it much when I first watched it, either. But it’s one of those movies that gets better the more you see it, when you don’t go in with preconceived narrative expectations and appreciate what the filmmakers are trying to do, which is toss the audience into an ugly world filled with terrible people (including its protagonist). And as gangster movies go, it’s the goddamn Godfather compared to the pointless Stallone remake. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K & BLU-RAY COPIES

FEATURETTES - Mike Hodges in Conversation is an enjoyable Q&A with the director before a live audience; In The Sound of Roy Budd, music analyst Jonny Trunk discusses the score; Don’t Trust Boys is an interview with actor Petra Markham, who plays Carter’s 16-year old niece; Klinger on Klinger features the son of producer producer Michael Klinger.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By actor Michael Caine, director Mike Hodges and cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky; 2) By critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw.

INTRODUCTION BY MICHAEL CAINE - From 2022.

ORIGINAL & RE-RELEASE TRAILERS

A Fistful of CLINT EASTWOOD in 4K

DIRTY HARRY, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES and PALE RIDER (4K UHD)

From Warner Bros

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Three of Clint Eastwood’s most popular American films are finally available on 4K. For fans who already have one or all of them of DVD or Blu-ray, the good news is that the video and audio restorations are excellent. But even if technical upgrades aren’t really your thing, each disc includes some interesting new bonus features along with those from previous releases.

Best field trip ever.

Of these films, Dirty Harry (1971/102 min) is the undisputed classic. Hugely influential, to say nothing of controversial, the film was a game changer in the action genre while firmly establishing Eastwood as a superstar. Certain aspects obviously haven’t aged well, but when viewed within the context of the era when it was released, it’s easy to see why it connected with audiences (though this writer actually prefers the second film, Magnum Force). Thematic elements notwithstanding, it’s Don Siegel’s sharp direction, Eastwood’s iconic performance and still quotable dialogue that remain timeless.

EXTRA KIBBLES: FEATURETTES - Generations and Dirty Harry (NEW); Lensing Justice: The Cinematography of Dirty Harry (NEW); Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows; Dirty Harry’s Way; Dirty Harry: The Original; DOCUMENTARIES - Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso; Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy; AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critic Richard Schickel; INTERVIEW GALLERY; DIGITAL COPY.

"There he is...the guy who called you Chief Poopy Pants."

Though the Dirty Harry franchise offered the strongest evidence to date that Eastwood had panache beyond revisionist westerns, he still knew his way around a horse and never truly left the genre behind, even as most of Hollywood already had. Along with High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976/136 min) showed that no director was better suited to keeping westerns alive in the 70s than Eastwood himself. Initially a revenge film, the main character’s transformation from vengeance-fueled killer to regaining his humanity is something we hadn’t really seen in an Eastwood western before (though he still kicks serious ass). While a little overlong and occasionally meandering, this features one of Eastwood’s most affecting performances.

EXTRA KIBBLES: FEATURETTES - An Outlaw and an Antihero (NEW); The Cinematography of an Outlaw: Crafting Josey Wales (NEW); Clint Eastwood’s West; Eastwood in Action; Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales. DOCUMENTARY - Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy - Reinventing Westerns; AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critic Richard Schickel; DIGITAL COPY.

Clint calls his shot.

If the western was on life support in the 70s, it was all but dead in the 80s. Even Lawrence Kasdan’s magnificent Silverado was more of an homage to a bygone era than an attempt to revitalize the genre. But as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and by this time, who didn’t want to see Eastwood strap on his six-guns again? His penultimate western, Pale Rider (1985/116 min), doesn’t reinvent the wheel - it’s kind of a benevolent variation of High Plains Drifter - but sure was a satisfying slice of cinematic comfort food back then. While the film’s legacy has since been somewhat overshadowed by 1992’s Unforgiven (Eastwood’s inarguable masterpiece), Pale Rider remains a solid western from the only guy who could have gotten away with making one at the time.

EXTRA KIBBLES: FEATURETTES - The Diary of Sydney Penny: Lessons from the Set (NEW); Painting the Preacher: The Cinematography of Pale Rider (NEW); DOCUMENTARIES - Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy - Reinventing Westerns; Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story; The Eastwood Factor; AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critic Richard Schickel; DIGITAL COPY.

All three releases feature new case & slipcover design, none of which reflect much imagination (original one-sheet artwork would’ve been awesome), but I guess that’s a minor quip. Elsewhere, I doubt there will be too many complaints about the technical specs or substantial bonus features, new and old, included with each disc. These are must-owns for Clint Eastwood fans.

THE CROW and the Long Wait

THE CROW (Blu-ray)

2024 / 110 min

FROM LIONSGATE

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😾

I never felt 1994’s The Crow was such a sacred cow that a remake was out of the question. While certainly stylish and benefiting from Brandon Lee’s charismatic portrayal of the title character, it was a lot of fun, but nothing particularly inventive. At the risk of raising hackles among its fans, I believe the tragic circumstances surrounding its production are a major reason the film still resonates emotionally…even 30 years later. 

If nothing else, this new adaptation deserves at-least an attaboy for trying to do something besides remaking the exact same movie (though the basic plot is similar). Additionally, The Crow (2024) boasts one hell of an action scene, where Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgard) storms into an opera house with a sword and systematically slaughters a slew of tuxedoed henchmen like an undead John Wick. Lengthy, skillfully choreographed and creatively gory, it’s the best sequence in the entire film. 

Eric prepares for a job interview.

Unfortunately, we gotta wait a long time to get there. Until then, The Crow is kinda drab and depressing, to say nothing of long-winded. The story is essentially the same, with Draven returning from the dead to avenge his and girlfriend Shelley’s (FKA Twigs) murder. However, the narrative tosses in too many superfluous detours, such as a crime boss who’s made a pact with the Devil in exchange for immortality, the search for evidence on a cell phone and a spirit that mostly exists just to offer exposition. 

Not only that, most of the first act focuses on Eric and Shelley’s relationship. The actors try their best, but neither character is particularly interesting, despite spewing plenty of dialogue that’s supposed to establish them as soulmates. It’s almost a relief when they’re finally murdered so we can get to the revenge, but even then, it seems like forever before Eric actually transforms into the title character (the aforementioned opera house sequence)

While not necessarily a “bad” movie, The Crow is simply uninvolving. Despite efforts to make everything - especially Eric Draven - look and sound hip for modern young audiences, the film is technically proficient but ultimately unremarkable, only coming to life when things get bloody. 

EXTRA KIBBLES 

TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES - This is an hour-long, multi-chapter making-of documentary featuring a lot of the cast & crew. Overall, it’s more interesting than the movie itself, partially because of the journey to the big screen was a fairly long one.

FEATURETTES - Dark Romance focuses on the film’s score and composer; Reborn Through Revenge covers the opening credits sequences.

DELETED SCENES

TRAILER

BLU-RAY, DVD & DIGITAL COPIES

MONKEY MAN (4K): Dev The Destroyer

MONKEY MAN (4K UHD)

2024 / 121 min

FROM UNIVERSAL

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Brawler😸

If you can imagine John Wick with a social conscience, it might look something like this. That’s not to say Monkey Man is a Wick rip-off. Though similarly revenge-themed, its protagonist isn’t quite a one-man wrecking crew. For much of the story, “Kid” (Dev Patel) is vulnerable, uncertain and sometimes gets his ass handed to him. With Patel’s comparatively lanky frame, he doesn’t resemble your typical action hero.

And while the abundance of superbly edited & choreographed action sequences certainly reflect a Wick influence (including some dizzying camerawork), the aesthetic grittiness and narrative pacing suggests equal inspiration from classic revenge films. 

Patel wears a lot of hats here. Not only the star, he directs, produces and co-wrote the screenplay. But at no point does Monkey Man come across as a vanity project. This film has been a long-gestating labor of love for Patel (an interesting backstory discussed at length in the bonus features) in which he wanted to create an action film within the context of his own Hindu culture. 

Along with with the mythological story of Hanuman serving as a metaphor representing Kid (the “Monkey Man” of the title), the story infuses timely commentary on social hierarchy (the haves vs the have-nots). Maybe it’s just me, but I also saw unnerving similarities between the antagonists in Monkey Man and certain real-life authority figures (especially those who dupe the masses into drinking the Kool-Aid).

But even if one doesn’t care about such trifles, Monkey Man is a stylish, bloody action film with a compelling story and main character. Kid makes a meager living competing in (and intentionally losing) illegal fighting matches. He has a bigger agenda…to find his way inside Kings, a high-end brothel and drug den run by Rana (Sikander Kher), the city’s corrupt police chief. Through harrowing flashbacks, it’s revealed that Rana brutally murdered Kid’s mother at the behest of Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande), a politically-connected cult leader who displaced the entire village where Kid lived (slaughtering anyone who refused to leave). 

Kid loves his new deodorant.

Kid ingeniously (and humorously) manages to get inside, earning a certain level of trust with the help of lowlife peripheral gangster, Alphonso (Pitobash). But he fails in his first attempt to kill Rana, nearly dying while trying to escape henchmen and police…a lengthy sequence with knives, guns and fists leading to an amusing chase through city streets. He’s rescued by Alpha (Vipin Shama), the spiritual leader of a transgendered group and enemy of the conservative government supported by Baba. With this group’s help, Kid recovers, trains and returns to Kings to finish what he started.

As a revenge fantasy, what makes Monkey Man work so well is the time taken to establish the main character, who almost immediately earns our empathy. And Patel is excellent in the role. On both sides of the camera, he’s so obviously invested in the character that it’s difficult to imagine Kid being as engaging if played by anyone else. After that deliberately paced opening act, the mayhem kicks into high gear, but not without providing occasional breathers in-between for essential exposition, revealing flashbacks and a highly effective montage of Kid coming into his own as a bringer of justice. 

While not necessary a better film than John Wick, Monkey Man is just as stylishly directed and perhaps more thematically thought provoking. Brooding protagonist notwithstanding, it's also pretty funny at times, particularly during moments you wouldn’t expect it to be. For a first time auteur, Dev Patel has made a banger of a film.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

FEATURETTES - A Labor of Love is about the obstacle-laden effort to complete & release the film; Monkey Man of Action focuses on the stents and action sequences; In Fateful Encounters, the cast discuss the characters; Roots Exposed features director/star Dev Patel, who talks about what inspired the film, including Bruce Lee and his own cultural mythology.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director/producer/star Dev Patel, producers Jomon Thomas, Sam Sahni & Raghuvir Joshi.

DELETED/EXTENDED SCENES

ALTERNATE OPENING

ALTERNATE ENDING - They should have gone with this one.