You Go, GIRLS OF THE SUN

GIRLS OF THE SUN (2018)

Starring Golshifteh Farahani, Emmanuelle Bercot, Zubeyde Bulut, Erol Afsin. Directed by Eva Husson. (115 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM COHEN MEDIA GROUP

Review by Fluffy the Fearless😸

Next time you feel like bemoaning your life, consider this…

Bahar (Golshifteh Farahani) was once a successful, French-educated lawyer. Then ISIS arrived in Kurdistan, killing her husband and father right in front of her. They take her son away and rape her sister, who commits suicide immediately afterwards. Bahar herself is repeatedly raped and sold by one ISIS member after another.

We learn this in vivid flashbacks throughout Girls of the Sun, showing how she came to be the de-facto leader of a tight-knit squad of women freedom fighters, all of whom also escaped their terrorist captors. The story at-present has French reporter Mathilde (Emmanuelle Bercot) assigned to follow them as they attempt to reclaim their village from some ISIS stragglers. Since they’ve been snatching Kurdish boys to train as soldiers, Bahar believes her son – if he’s alive – may still be in the village.

Mrs. Snake Plissken.

Though the action during the siege itself is intense and violent, Girls of the Sun is just-as-much about brief-but-powerful bond between these two women. What Bahar was forced to endure during the increasingly lengthy flashbacks is as tension-filled as the combat scenes and far more disturbing (though delicately handled). Mathilde is also motivated by tragedy. Not only has she been permanently disfigured by shrapnel, her photographer husband was blown-up during an previous ISIS attack. What makes this film particularly harrowing is that even though it’s technically fiction, writer-directer Eva Husson states in a supplementary interview that most of the events we witness are based on actual incidents.

And to think I have the gall to bitch about how the gophers in my yard are making life hell.

Quietly suspenseful, with outstanding performances by the two leads, Girls on the Sun isn’t simply an action film. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. It’s also a sobering eye-opener to what women and children have been enduring at the hands of misogynist zealots. However, seeing how these women muster the collective resolve to fight back is ultimately inspirational. And if nothing else, it’ll put your own misery in perspective.

EXTRA KIBBLES

"CONVERSIONS FROM THE QUAD” - A 20 minute Q&A with writer-director Eva Husson.

TRAILER

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.

ALICE, SWEET ALICE and the Great Deception

ALICE, SWEET ALICE (a.k.a. Communion) (1976)

Starring Linda Miller, Mildred Clinton, Paula E. Sheppard, Niles McMaster, Jane Lowery, Rudolph Willrich, Michael Harstark, Alphonso DeNoble, Brooke Shields, Louisa Horton, (“Miss”) Lillian Roth. Directed by Alfred Sole. (107 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM ARROW VIDEO

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat😽

And now, another Great Moment in False Advertising…

Back in ‘81, a little film called Holy Terror was unleashed with a trailer touting none-other than Brooke Shields as a knife-wielding psycho who was “too old to play with boys and too young to play with men, so Alice began to play with death!” At the time, adolescent sex comedies like Endless Love and The Blue Lagoon (of course they're comedies) had made her a star. What teenage boy wouldn’t want to watch this soft-core siren add a little murder to the mix? So me and a few buddies packed into my car and headed to the drive-in, ready for a sexy slayfest.

Soon, however, I felt like one of those Looney Tunes characters whose head turns into a sucker. Ms. Shields was not the star or the killer. Hell, her name wasn’t even Alice. In fact, I didn’t immediately recognize her as the 10-year old-little girl who’s murdered in the first few minutes. Though the movie was still enjoyable, with several graphically-nasty death scenes that were part of every teenage diet, I felt duped.

The author attends the premiere of Holy Terror.

Back then, we kids didn’t read reviews or jump online to research a movie’s background. We naively trusted trailers to be on-the-level. So I had no idea that Holy Terror was first-released in 1976 as Communion, then later Alice, Sweet Alice (which it’s commonly known as today). Now older and wiser, I get it. If my grassroots opus was virtually ignored, then one of its actors blossomed into an object of juvenile lust, I’d have done the same thing. Nor would I have been the first one to engage in such questionable marketing tactics.

But unlike other horror films to later capitalize on an actor’s stardom (such as The Burning or He Knows You’re Alone), Alice, Sweet Alice is actually good enough without the ruse. Despite some questionable performances – including Shields’ - it’s stylishly filmed, well-plotted and atmospheric. More importantly, it has held up pretty well from an aesthetic stand-point. While the violence may not seem all that extreme today, it remains pretty potent and the killer's translucent mask is still really fucking creepy. 

A good samaritan tries to keep Endless Love from ever happening.

In the essay included in this disc’s supplementary booklet, writer-director Alfred Sole claims he wasn't inspired by Italian giallo films and that he’d never even seen one. Uh-huh. If that’s true, then the fact that Alice, Sweet Alice looks, sounds and smells just like classic giallo is one hell of a coincidence. The editing style, overall tone and even the murder sequences obviously reflect considerable inspiration from overseas. Like the most notable examples from the genre, particularly Dario Argento’s early work, Alice, Sweet Alice is not-so-much a horror movie as it is a horrific mystery. And that’s okay because Mr. Sole learned his lessons well. Not bad for a guy whose only other directing credit at the time was a porno.

Speaking of which, Sole’s backstory is as interesting as the film itself, both of which are explored in this Blu-ray’s generous selection of bonus features. For added nostalgia, also included is Holy Terror, the version I was tricked into seeing back in ‘81, as many horror fans of a certain age undoubtedly were. All-in-all, this release from Arrow Video is a nicely-packaged trip down memory lane.

EXTRA KIBBLES

HOLY TERROR – Alternate cut of the film, with Shields getting top billing and a few editing changes.

"FIRST COMMUNION: ALFRED SOLE REMEMBERS ALICE, SWEET ALICE” - The director discusses the film and his career leading up to it. He’s refreshingly frank, especially when talking about what a dick his cinematographer was. Quite entertaining.

"ALICE ON MY MIND” - Interview with composer Stephen Lawrence.

"IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER” - Interview with actor Niles McMaster, who plays Karen & Alice’s estranged dad.

"SWEET MEMORIES: DANTE TOMASELLI ON ALICE, SWEET ALICE” - An interview with Sole’s nephew (a director himself), who was 6 years old at the time. His named seemed familiar, so when I looked him up on iMDB, I noticed he had directed a few obscurities I once reviewed for another website.

"LOST CHILDHOOD: THE LOCATIONS OF ALICE, SWEET ALICE” - Author Michael Gingold shows us what various locations look like today.

TRAILER & TV SPOTS – Including the unbelievably misleading Holy Terror trailer (“Brooke Shields as you’ve never seen her before!”).

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES – A new one by Richard Harland Smith and a vintage one by Alfred Sole and writer M. Edward Salier.

ALTERNATE OPENING TITLES – After being retitled Alice, Sweet Alice.

DELETED SCENES

IMAGE GALLERY

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (BD-ROM)

TWO-SIDED POSTER – One side features the new cover art, the other is an amusing fake ad for the “Alice, Sweet Alice Killer Kit.”

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET – Includes stills, cast/crew credits, restoration/production credits and a retrospective essay by Michael Blyth.

REVERSIBLE COVER – Featuring new and original artwork (we’re partial to the new one).

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.

SHORTCUT TO HAPPINESS: Adequacy in Action

SHORTCUT TO HAPPINESS (2007)

Starring Alec Baldwin, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kim Cattrall, Dan Aykroyd, Amy Poehler, Barry Miller. Directed by Harry Kirkpatrick (Alec Baldwin). (106 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM 

MVD MARQUEE COLLECTION

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😾

Despite its rather impressive cast, there’s a good chance some of you have never heard of Shortcut to Happiness. However, this one has a tumultuous history that is ultimately more interesting than the film itself.

Shortcut to Happiness began life as The Devil and Daniel Webster, an updated adaptation of the classic short story by Stephen Vincent Benet. The first – and to-date, only – film to be directed by Alec Baldwin, it was shot in 2001. However, it ran into post-production funding issues and sat on the shelf for a few years. The film was later purchased by another company, heavily re-edited & given a new title. Apparently, the changes were so massive that Baldwin had his name removed as director. The final product was unceremonially released in 2007, coming-and-going without anyone really noticing. And only now is it creeping its way onto home video.

No bonus features are included, which is sort-of a shame since films with troubled productions generally have the most interesting histories. So we have no idea how the final cut differs from Baldwin’s. As it is, Shortcut to Happiness may not be all that memorable, but it’s far from a black stain on his resumé.

Simultaneous Charley horses.

Updating the story to present-day New York, Jabez Stone (Baldwin) is a down-on-his-luck writer who makes a deal with the devil (Jennifer Love Hewitt) in exchange for the success he’s always wanted. Of course, what constitutes success isn’t what he envisioned. He goes to his publisher, world-renowned Daniel Webster (Anthony Hopkins), for guidance. It turns out Webster has dealt with the devil before and suggests they take her to court.

It’s a classic story, adapted and reworked countless times before-and-since in various movies, books and television. Comparatively speaking, the word that best-describes Shortcut to Happiness is adequate. Adequate direction, adequate writing and adequate performances by a cast that puts adequate effort into their roles. The story efficiently moves from one scene to the next, checking-off all the required boxes. But at no time does the film aspire to be anything more. It’s content to retell an already familiar tale without putting any kind of unique spin on it. There are no surprises, no twists, no memorable moments and – with the possible exception of Hopkins – no stand-out performances.

While it’s doubtful the viewer walk away thinking it’s 106 minutes they won’t get back, Shortcut to Happiness is as generic as its title. The film is certainly watchable – even enjoyable – but likely to fade from memory as swiftly as it once did in theaters. Maybe Baldwin’s original vision was decidedly different, but I guess we’ll never know.

EXTRA KIBBLES

TRAILER

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.

THE COMMAND and That Sinking Feeling

THE COMMAND (2018)

Starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Lea Seydoux, Colin Firth, Peter Simonischek, August Diehl, Max von Sydow, Martin Brambach, Michael Nyqvist. Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. (118 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM LIONSGATE

Review by Tiger the Terrible😺

Depending on your familiarity with the actual event, which was briefly all over the news in 2000, The Command could be seen as two different movies: An incendiary commentary on recent history or a claustrophobic disaster thriller. Either way, this is an excellent film.

The Kursk (the film’s title outside the U.S.) is a nuclear submarine in Russia’s aging naval fleet, which is a dilapidated shadow of its former self since the Cold War ended. During a training exercise, an unstable warhead explodes, sending the ship to the ocean floor. While most of the crew is killed instantly, a few dozen are still alive in one remaining compartment. The Russian navy attempts a rescue operation, but their equipment is old and unreliable. They also refuse to confirm to the sailors’ families whether or not anyone on-board is still alive.

As the incident becomes global news, other countries offer assistance, including the British navy. However, misguided pride and residual Cold War paranoia has the Russian government reluctant to accept any help, to the dismay of the families. Meanwhile, with the waters rising, the sailors below are quickly running out of air...and time.

"You get Netflix on that thing?"

Having just a vague memory of the actual disaster – and unaware of the eventual outcome – I have no clue to it's historical accuracy and the scenes on-board the Kursk itself are obviously speculated. However, the story as-depicted in The Command looks and feels authentic, punctuated by tension-filled sequences, solid performances, impressive production design and convincing special effects.

But like similar true stories where the outcome is a forgone conclusion – such as The Perfect Storm and Apollo 13 – it’s the characters that drive the film. Though there's an ensemble cast, the concurrent story threads are presented primarily through a trio of characters. Low-level officer Mikhail Averin (Matthias Schoenaerts) tries to keep what’s left of the Kursk’s crew alive and hopeful. His pregnant wife, Tanya (Lea Seydoux), represents the frustration and helplessness of the entire village over the navy’s inaction. British commander David Russell (Colin Firth) is the outsider who, like the rest of the world, doesn’t understand Russia’s refusal to accept help in order to save its own people.

Max von Sydow eventually shows up as Admiral Petrenko, the film’s de-facto antagonist since he embodies Russia’s overall apathy. Petrenko is more of a symbol than a full character, but if you aren’t absolutely hating him by the end, you haven’t been paying attention. One thing is certain...the way the Russian government is depicted, it’s doubtful The Command is very popular among Putin’s circle of buddies.

For everyone else, The Command is an under-the-radar gem. Exciting, suspenseful, infuriating and ultimately poignant, it’s a tightly-made thriller that deserves to find an audience. Whether seen as a scathing historical denunciation or simply a riveting disaster flick, the film is highly recommended.

EXTRA KIBBLES

"HUMAN COSTS: MAKING THE COMMAND” - A pretty decent behind-the-scenes featurette.

DVD & DIGITAL COPIES

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEE-OW! LIKE TAUNTING A MOUSE TO DEATH.

THE SWINDLERS: A Familiar Diversion

THE SWINDLERS (2017)

Starring Hyun Bin, Yoo Ji-tae, Bae Seong-woo, Park Sung-woong, Nana, Ahn Se-ha. Directed by Jang Chang-yeon. (116 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM WELL GO USA

Review by Tiger the Terrible😼

If the Blu-ray cover for The Swindlers evokes a bit of deja vu, perhaps it’s because the photo & lay-out is remarkably similar to that of Now You See Me. Probably no accident, either, since both films involve eclectic teams with elaborate schemes. In this case, it’s a plan to out-con the world’s most notorious con-man.

In the prologue, countless innocent people are duped by Jang (Heo Sung-tae) in a Ponzi scheme to the tune of $4 billion dollars. Lives are ruined and some commit suicide. A retiring forger – nicknamed “London Fog” - is also murdered after preparing fake documents which allow Jang to flee the country. His death is listed as a suicide, but his son, Hwang (Hyun Bin), knows better.

A decade later, Hwang is a clever con-man himself, but makes his living swindling other swindlers (I guess so we have somebody not-so morally ambiguous to root for). Since then, the Korean government’s official position is that Jang is dead, though rumors persist he’s hiding in Thailand. After being apprehended by ambitious prosecutor Park Hee-soo (Yoo Ji-tae), Hwang reveals he knows Jang is still alive. He agrees to work with Park – as well as a group of rival swindlers – to coax Jang out of hiding...on one condition: Hwang gets to kill him.

Hwang makes a considerable anatomical boast.

The remainder of the plot involves the team’s intricate plan to root-out Jang. Though more serious in tone than similar films like Now You See Me or Ocean’s Eleven, The Swindlers plays a similar game...to not-only deceive the bad guys, but also the audience (and not always fairly). Nobody is quite what they seem, nor are most of their actions. In fact, the plot becomes so twist-laden that the film sometimes trips over its own logic. Watching how everything plays-out is fun, but when all is said and done, it doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny.

But I’ll concede one thing. Far-fetched as it is, The Swindlers is enjoyably unpredictable, even if some of its revelations are sucker-punches that might have the viewer crying foul. Still, it’s fun in-the-moment and certainly worth checking-out one time. Any more than that would probably just make the holes bigger.

EXTRA KIBBLES

TRAILER

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.

AVENGERS ENDGAME - Bonus Clips

Marvel Studios Avengers: Endgame is now available on Digital HD and Movies Anywhere! To celebrate, we have a variety of bonus clips featuring Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth, along with the cast & crew! The film arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand beginning August 13th.

DELETED SCENE: Take a Knee

RDJ SCREEN TEST

BLOOPERS

A NEW VERSION OF THOR

THE POOP SCOOP: Time Travel, Baba Yaga and a Dinosaur Priest

CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL TRAILER

DON’T LET GO – IN THEATERS AUGUST 30

Blumhouse's latest thriller starring David Oyelowo and Storm Reid. In ​Don’t Let Go,​ detective Jack Radcliff (Oyelowo) gets a shocking phone call from his recently-murdered niece Ashley (Reid). Working together across time, they race to solve her murder before it can happen.

 

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VIEW THE NEW TRAILER!

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM on Digital 8/23 and on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand 9/10

Super assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has a $14 million price tag on his head after killing a member of the High Table, the shadowy international assassins’ guild. Now excommunicado, and with an army of the world’s most ruthless hit men and women on his trail, John must find a way to survive in this third chapter of the adrenaline-fueled action series. Take home John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and immerse yourself in the thrilling world with exclusive special features, including all-new featurettes that explore the mythology and over-the-top action of the John Wick expanded universe. Dive into the hidden world of Killer Ballerinas, Shinobi, and the Bowery King, learn the intense planning that went into the film’s incredible horse chase sequence and “dog-fu” fight sequences, and even get an editing master class with director Chad Stahelski and editor Evan Schiff!

 

CATCH A SNEAK PEEK

MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL on Digital 8/20 & 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD 9/3

The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest, most global threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization. The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack and Blu-ray of MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL feature exclusive deleted scenes--plus erase away those embarrassing moments with an all-new Neuralyzer infomercial and let Frank the Pug trace your out-of-this-world roots with Alien-centry.com. All formats come packed with bonus feature content, including a gag reel, several behind-the-scenes featurettes and much more!

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OUR EARLY OSCAR PICK...

 

THE VELOCIPASTOR - out this August!

The Brendan Steere directed classic-in-the-making will be available on DVD and Digital August 13 on such platforms as iTunes, Comcast, Spectrum, Dish, Vudu, Amazon, Fandango and Sling. A Blu-ray release will follow September 17.

After a devastating family tragedy, a priest travels to China to find deeper spirituality, but instead is endowed with an ancient ability that allows him to turn into a dinosaur. At first, he is horrified by his newfound superpower, but a local prostitute convinces him to use his newfound gift to fight evil – and ninjas. Gregory James Cohan, Alyssa Kempinski, Daniel Steere, Yang Jiechang, Jesse Turits, Fernando Pacheco de Castro star with Aurelio Voltaire in the Wild Eye Releasing title.

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ADVENTURES IN THE BUDGET BIN

SHARKNADO 3-PACK

Like that five-year-old nephew who thinks the exact same fart joke is just as funny tenth time as it is the first, there are more Sharknado movies than the surgeon general recommends. Still, the first two were funny and the third had Brad Keslowski, and we found this triple feature at DOLLAR TREE. Broken down, that’s only 33 cents per flick. Whether you were in on the joke or thought it was stupid from the get-go, that's a lot of gratuitous cameos, CGI blood and blatant product placement for your buck.

THE ISLAND at the End of the World

THE ISLAND (2018)

Starring Huang Bo, Shu Qi, Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Yixing, Yu Hewei, Wang Xun. Directed by Huang Bo. (134 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM WELL GO USA

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😽

While we don’t play “for investment purposes,” my wife and I occasionally buy lottery tickets. Most often, it’s when the jackpot is too huge to ignore or one of us had a particularly bad day at work (generally the latter). During those stretches in life when nothing’s going right, we'd also joke that, with our luck, we’d probably hit the lottery just as a rogue comet or Titan missile triggers the apocalypse.

Which is essentially what happens to Ma Jin (Huang Bo) and his brother, Xiao Xing (Lay Zhang), in the Chinese survival comedy, The Island.

As a potentially devastating meteor is hurling toward the Earth, Ma Jin and Xiao Xing are on-board a chartered boat with their co-workers heading to a business retreat. It’s established during the ride that Ma Jin is infatuated with Shanshan (Lay Zhang), but neither she nor anyone else appear to regard him very highly. When he discovers he has a winning lottery ticket worth $60 million, his elation is short-lived because the boat is struck by a massive tsunami, stranding the survivors on a remote island.

The Not-So-Magic School Bus.

It’s not revealed if the tsunami was caused by the meteor strike, but since no one is able to contact the mainland, the survivors increasingly believe civilization is dead. Ma Jin still holds out hope, trying to get back home before the time to cash-in his lottery ticket expires. In the meantime, the boat driver and company boss have separated everyone into to rival groups, both scrambling for food, shelter and other necessities for survival. Once Ma Jin’s ticket expires, he miraculously hits a jackpot of a different sort, which allows he and his mechanically-inclined brother to assumed control over all of them.

While The Island sounds like a variation of Lord of the Flies, the tone is considerably lighter, often comedic. Sometimes it’s quite funny, other times sweet-natured, but also has its share of dramatic moments. However, writer-director-star Huang Bo doesn’t isn’t always able to juggle these elements effectively. Not only is the film a too episodic for its own good, it’s also overlong, considering the basic premise. Additionally, some of the dialogue is really bizarre, perhaps due to some questionable translation since the subtitles don’t always make sense (even grammatically).

Still, The Island is watchable and sort-of charming, partially thanks to a likable underdog we can empathize with. Some patience is required during the more meandering scenes – most of them stacked at the beginning – but the story comes to a satisfying conclusion that’s ultimately worth the effort.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW. 

BLOOD PARADISE: Do-It-Yourself Horror

BLOOD PARADISE (2018)

Starring Andrea Winter, Christer Cavallius, Rolf Brunnstrom, Patrick von Barkenberg, Ingrid Hedstrom, Ellinor Berglund. Directed by Patrick von Barkenberg. (84 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM ARTSPLOITATION FILMS

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Patrick von Barkenberg and Andrea Winter are quite the pair of auteurs. Their names dominate the credits of Blood Paradise, with one-or-both of them producing, directing, writing, editing, scoring, set-designing, costuming and prominently starring. Even the two music videos included here, credited to “Baba Yaga,” are by Winter.

So it goes without saying this film was probably a labor of love. But while their DIY spirit is admirable, perhaps they should consider delegating some of the duties next time, such as the screenplay. Maybe that way the story won’t be quite as aimless.

Winter plays Robin Richards, a novelist whose latest book is a critical flop. Hoping to gain some inspiration, she decides to spend time at a remote farm in the country, run by a creepy farmer who recently buried his wife in their garden. She also must deal with her driver, Hans (Christer Cavallius), a huge fan of her books, to the chagrin of his obnoxiously jealous wife, Elsa (Ellinor Berglund). But it turns out her jealousy is justified since he’s seen fondling Robin’s panties and leering in the background as she dresses. Robin’s boyfriend Teddy (von Barkenberg) later texts that he’s going to join her at the farm, but he’s mysteriously murdered upon arrival.

"Hey, mister! I found your shirt!"

While the basic premise is okay and it begins promisingly, Blood Paradise is bogged down by lethargic pacing, scenes that have little to do with the plot and way too much emphasis on the Teddy & Elsa’s domestic woes. Touted as a ‘sexy thriller,’ the film is neither sexy nor thrilling. Winter’s ample nude scenes (bathing, swimming, etc) are simply gratuitous, while most sequences calculated to generate suspense ultimately amount to nothing. None of these characters are interesting and the revelation of who’s terrorizing Robin will surprise no one. The ending is also a real bummer, despite an amusing appearance by a flock of curious sheep.

Some of this is played for laughs and the S&M-tinged opening scene is admittedly hilarious. But while there will undoubtedly be viewers tickled by its self-consciously quirky tone, Blood Farmer is seldom as funny, scary, violent or sexually-charged as its trailer suggests. The film ultimately ends up feeling a lot longer than its scant running time.

EXTRA KIBBLES

DELETED SCENES

2 MUSIC VIDEOS

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEH...LIKE SHARING THE BED WITH THE DOG.

THE BUSTER KEATON COLLECTION Volume 2: Another Batch of His Best

SHERLOCK JR. (1924) – Starring Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Ward Crane, Erwin Connelly, Joe Keaton. Directed by Buster Keaton. (45 min)

THE NAVIGATOR (1924) – Starring Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Noble Johnson, Frederick Vroom. Directed by Buster Keaton & Donald Crisp. (59 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM COHEN MEDIA GROUP

Review by Mr. Paws😸

Cohen Media Group continues rolling-out their 4K restorations of Buster Keaton classics. Like Volume 1, which is one of the best Blu-rays of the year, Volume 2 presents two more films from the era that’s universally considered his creative peak.

In Sherlock Jr., Keaton plays a lowly theater projectionist with dreams of being a great detective. In a roundabout way, he gets his wish when he falls asleep on the job and projects himself into the film he’s showing. In this movie-within-a-movie - which mirrors the wraparound story – he’s Sherlock Jr., dapper detective brought in to solve the case of some missing pearls. Of course, being Keaton, he’s more bumbling buffoon than super sleuth. While the story is fitfully amusing, what makes Sherlock Jr. a true masterpiece is the editing, visual trickery and action sequences, all of which are pretty jawdropping for a 95 year old film.

One helluva hangnail.

Released the same year, The Navigator has Keaton playing Rollo Treadway, a wealthy young man trapped on-board an adrift ship along with Betsy (Kathryn McGuire), a snooty local girl he just proposed to (she said no, of course). Unaccustomed to fending for themselves, much of the humor comes from the two of them figuring out how to survive. Along the way, Keaton must deal with swordfish, a leaky ship and a tribe of cannibals. Though not as story-driven or technically impressive as Sherlock Jr., the episodic nature of The Navigator lends itself to some gags that are as funny as anything in Keaton’s filmography (the scene where he’s fleeing from a small cannon tied to his ankle is my personal favorite).

Both films have been given an impressive restoration, each with brand new music scores by Timothy Brock (Sherlock Jr.) and Robert Israel (The Navigator). As a matter of personal preference, this one isn’t quite as indispensable as Volume 1, if only because I consider The General to be Keaton’s crowning achievement. Still, these features are both great examples of a legend at the height of his comic powers, making The Buster Keaton Collection Volume 2 another fine addition to any classic film library.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - “Buster Keaton: The Great Stone Face”; “Buster Keaton: The Comedian” (Brief testimonials from many of the same actors, critics & filmmakers who contributed to Peter Bogdanovich’s recent documentary, The Great Buster)

RESTORATION TRAILERS FOR EACH FILM

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEE-OW! LIKE TAUNTING A MOUSE TO DEATH.