Rest in Peace, Danny Aiello

Danny Aiello (1933-2019)

THE COTTON CLUB (deserves an) ENCORE

THE COTTON CLUB ENCORE (1984)

Starring Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee, James Remar, Bob Hoskins, Fred Gwynne, Nicholas Cage, Maurice Hines, Allen Garfield, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits, Julian Beck, Gwen Verdon and a slew of other familiar faces. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. (139 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM LIONSGATE

Review by Mr. Paws😸

On the heels of Lionsgate’s massive, beautifully-packaged Apocalypse Now Final Cut boxed set comes another restoration of a Francis Ford Coppola film. This time it’s 1984’s The Cotton Club, a film bedeviled by production issues, budget problems and lawsuits before ultimately being released to an indifferent audience.

While this extended cut – running some 20 minutes longer – doesn’t approach the greatness of Coppola’s holy trinity (the first two Godfathers & Apocalypse Now), it’s one of his better post-’70s films and certainly worth rediscovering. I vaguely recall seeing it on cable back in the day, and to be honest, it didn’t leave much of an impression. On the other hand, The Godfather didn’t either at the time, though today it’s one of my all-time favorites.

Some films take multiple viewings to appreciate and revisiting The Cotton Club decades later is an interesting experience. It remains one of Coppola’s most thinly-plotted films, taking place in and around Harlem’s most famous nightclub over the course of several years. Part gangster epic, part musical, part love story, it’s the mob elements that are the most intriguing, a combination of real and fictional characters. Those segments are vintage Coppola, especially the entire final act, a masterfully-assembled medley of infectious musical numbers and violent mayhem.

"I saw that. You blinked first!"

Less engaging are the two other major plot threads involving musician Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere), struggling tap-dancer “Sandman” Williams (Gregory Hines) and the women they’re courting, mainly because we’ve seen it all before. However, Dwyer’s tumultuous ‘friendship’ with short-fused mobster Dutch Schultz (James Remar) has its moments, especially once Dwyer’s younger brother, Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll (Nicholas Cage), finds work as one of Schultz’ enforcers.

Speaking of Cage, one of the more fascinating aspects of revisiting The Cotton Club today is its absolutely huge cast of both familiar faces and those whose careers were just starting to take off. And keep a sharp eye out for the likes of Mario Van Peebles, Giancarlo Esposito, Jackée Harry, Woody Strode, Joe Dallesandro, Mark Margolis, Ed O’Ross and James Russo, all in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bit parts. Doing a shot every time you spotted a recognizable face in a tiny role would make a hell of a drinking game.

Though not one of Coppola’s classics, The Cotton Club is better than I remembered and this extended version makes it easier to appreciate what the director was ultimately trying to do. Considering it’s just-now coming out on Blu-ray for the first time, the disc is pretty light on bonus material. However, the restoration – retitled The Cotton Club Encore – does the music and imagery justice. If nothing else, the film deserves the audience it never had in 1984.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTRODUCTION BY FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA – Though it doesn’t precede the movie itself.

THE COTTON CLUB ENCORE Q&A – Live interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Maurice Hines & James Remar at Lincoln Center. Coppola is sort of a Chatty Cathy.

DVD & DIGITAL COPIES

KITTY CONSENSUS:

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

A Belated Appreciation of SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE (1972)

Starring Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman (RIP), Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans, Valerie Perrine, Holly Near, Perry King. Directed by George Roy Hill. (103 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM ARROW VIDEO

Review by Mr. Paws😸

I first saw Slaughterhouse-Five in my early teens when it was the bottom half of a double bill with Futureworld (I think). Even though it wasn’t the reason we parted with our allowance that weekend, my friends and I figured a title like that could mean a gory good time, like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What we got instead was 103 minutes of WTF?

Being 13, we didn’t know who the hell Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was, or that his novel of the same name was partially inspired by his own experiences as a P.O.W. in Dresden, Germany (which was bombed into oblivion by allied forces). But it actually turned out to be a sci-fi movie, though not as we always defined the genre.

Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks) is a quietly passive rube who’s become, in his own words, “unstuck in time,” revisiting pivotal moments of his life with almost no transition. As protagonists go, he’s hardly the most dynamic character in the world. Besides the fact he resembled an adult version of a kid we often teased on the playground during recess, Billy’s detached reaction to his time shifts and those who’ve shape his life – for better or worse – was really off-putting. Even after realizing he’s being manipulated by aliens, he seems little more than bemused.

Afterwards, we left the theater completely bewildered. On the plus side, we got to see Valarie Perrine naked. Like I said, we were 13.

Damn noisy neighbors.

Slaughterhouse-Five reared its ugly head again in high school when my English teacher assigned the novel. I got ten pages in before deciding Vonnegut’s prose was even more confusing than the movie. So I picked up the Cliff’s Notes version at a bookstore. Not only did it dumb things down to my level, it made me want to revisit the film that baffled the shit out of me a just few years earlier. Though I’d forgotten most of the movie, a few scenes really stood out, and not just those highlighting Ms. Perrine’s visual assets. Based on what I’d just read, some of those scenes now made actual sense.

But the movie seemed to be forgotten by everyone else, too. Over the years, it never showed up on TV, HBO or video shelves (at least where I rented from). And since there was no way in hell I was gonna try cracking open Vonnegut’s book again, the film once again became a distant memory.

But now here it is, on Blu-ray from Arrow (who else?), serving-up Slaughterhouse-Five with a new 4K restoration. It essentially allowed me to be “unstuck in time” for a few hours, revisiting one of the more befuddling moviegoing experiences of my youth, this time armed with the wisdom that comes with age. I still think Billy Pilgrim is a phenomenally static character, but also realize that’s probably the point. The film is not-so-much about Billy as it is the people and events which shape one’s life. And typical of most ‘70s-era sci-fi prior to Star Wars, Slaughterhouse-Five uses the genre to present contemporary themes and address societal ills.

The unconventional narrative structure is still jarring, even nonsensical and pretentious at times. But once the viewer picks up the beat, Slaughterhouse-Five is a uniquely rewarding film. While not quite a classic, it’s an intelligent and challenging piece of ‘70s sci-fi. This disc also includes a pretty generous batch of all-new bonus features, most of which provide a wealth of historical context.

EXTRA KIBBLES

"PILGRIM’S PROGRESS: PLAYING SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE” - Interview with actor Perry King.

"ONLY ON EARTH: PRESENTING SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE” - Interview with Rocky Lang, son of producer Jennings Lang, who’s arguably best known for disaster movies.

"UNSTUCK IN TIME: DOCUMENTING SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE” - Documentarian Robert Crawford Jr discusses his experiences behind the scenes.

"ETERNALLY CONNECTED: COMPOSING SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE” - Music historian discusses the film’s use of unconventional classical music.

"AND SO IT GOES” - Kim Newman, no stranger Arrow bonus features, offers another enjoyable appreciation for the film, author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr and director George Roy Hill.

ONE LONG-ASS TRAILER

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET – Includes cast & crew credits, restoration credits and “The World According to Billy Pilgrim,” an essay by film writer Peter Tonguette.

REVERSIBLE COVER – Features new and original artwork (we kinda like the latter...vintage ‘70s).

KITTY CONSENSUS:

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

HUSTLERS: Scorsese with Strippers

HUSTLERS (2019)

Starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Mercedes Ruehl. Directed by Lorene Scafaria. (110 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM UNIVERSAL

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😸

Like her male counterpart, Dwayne Johnson, Jennifer Lopez once again provides the public service of inadvertently body-shaming the rest of us middle-aged mortals. Even at the ripe old age of 50, her looks are almost intimidating. She’s kind of like ‘70s-era Rachel Welch - with arguably better acting chops – and her grand entrance in Hustlers is eye-popping, to say the least.

But she’s not the whole show here. Hustlers is loosely based on a true story in which several high-end strippers come up with an elaborate scheme of using their ‘assets’ to fleece wealthy clients by drugging them and accessing their credit cards. Their story is told in flashback through the recollections of Destiny (Constance Wu), a neophyte who learns the ropes under the tutelage of ringleader Ramona Vega (Lopez). Along with a few others, they form a close-nit crew who live the high life at the expense of their victims...at least until recklessness and bad decisions threaten to unravel everything.

Someone needs a wallet for Christmas.

None other than Martin Scorsese was apparently once approached to direct the film, which is understandable since Hustlers has a basic story and narrative structure quite similar to Goodfellas and Casino. Like those films, the main characters aren’t exactly upstanding citizens. However, Destiny and Ramona display just enough congenial qualities that we’re sort-of invested in them. It helps, of course, that most of their targets are gullible, arrogant douchebags.

I suppose video voyeurs might be disappointed to learn that, despite a few flashy dance numbers and a bit o’ lap grinding, the only explicit nudity comes courtesy of a guy who nosedives from a balcony. Instead, smart writing, a fleet-footed pace and solid performances (especially from Lopez) are what ultimately make Hustlers interesting. Sorta like Scorsese with strippers.

EXTRA KIBBLES

AUDIO COMMENTARY – By director Lorene Scafaria.

2 TRAILERS

DVD & DIGITAL COPIES

KITTY CONSENSUS:

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

Rest in Peace, Ron Leibman

Ron Leibman (1937-2019)

Rest in Peace, Rene Auberjonois

Rene Auberjonois (1940-2019)

SEMPER FI: One Bad Oyster

SEMPER FI (2019)

Starring Jai Courtney, Nat Wolff, Finn Wittrock, Beau Knapp, Arturo Castro, Leighton Castro. Directed by Henry-Alex Rubin. (99 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM LIONSGATE

Review by Tiger the Terrible😾

Semper Fi tries to be many things at once, but doesn’t really succeed at any of them.

It’s the story of five close-knit buddies who also serve in the Marine reserves. They have “cool” nicknames and spend most of their off-time together, bowling, bonding and drinking...lots of drinking. The de-facto leader is Cal (Jai Courtney), a cop whose younger brother, Oyster (Nat Wolff), is one felony away from going to prison, which is exactly what happens when he accidentally kills a man in a bar fight. Even though it was in self-defense, Oyster is sentenced to 25 years.

Meanwhile, the others are deployed to Iraq, where they – and the viewer – briefly experience the visceral horrors of war. Jaeger loses a limb and Cal shoots an unarmed man during a heated stand-off. Shortly afterwards, they all return to civilian life. Cal tries to make amends with Oyster, who’s still in prison and won’t forgive his older brother for turning him in. Cal suspects Oyster is being abused in prison and will die there if he doesn’t do something. After filing an appeal fails, Cal decides to try and break Oyster out. When his honor-bound friends volunteer to help, he hatches a plan that will utilize their military training as well as his police experience.

"Oh, yeah? Well, double-dumbass on you!"

If that sounds like a variation of The Deer Hunter with a prison break tossed in, you wouldn’t be too far off the mark, though the war segment in this one isn’t nearly as relevant to the narrative and feel like it belongs in another movie. Nor are any of these characters interesting enough to make their camaraderie all that engaging. We’ve seen them all before in better movies. And right from the get-go, Oyster is such an obnoxious, narcissistic jackass that it’s extremely difficult to for the viewer to generate any sympathy for him. Sure, Cal’s driven by guilt and a sense of brotherly love, but if these guys are willing to risk throwing their own lives away, shouldn’t the viewer at-least like the guy they’re trying to save? After all, didn’t Christopher Walken’s character earn our sympathies?

So despite a decent cast, Semper Fi lacks the characters necessary for a compelling depiction of honor, loyalty and brotherhood. Elsewhere, it tries to be a family drama, war film and action movie, but is too erratically paced and episodic for any of these elements to be fully engaging, exacerbated by a major character (Oyster) who displays zero redeeming qualities.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - “Loyalty and Brotherhood: Making Semper Fi” (interviews with the director and main cast); “A Battle of Honor”

AUDIO COMMENTARY – By writer/director Henry-Alex Rubin

DELETED SCENES

DVD & DIGITAL COPIES

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEH. LIKE SHARING THE BED WITH THE DOG.

SAVAGE: A Snowy Stand-Off

SAVAGE (2018)

Starring Chen Chang, Ni Ni, Fan Liao, Jue Huang, Yicong Zhang, Hua Liu. Directed by Cui Siwei. (113 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM WELL GO USA

Review by Tiger the Terrible😼

Somewhere in this movie is a truly great thriller. But while Savage is certainly watchable, it’s marred by some unnecessary story elements and convoluted character development.

It starts off great, with a trio of bad guys who hijack a gold-carrying armored truck by causing a snowy avalanche. They shoot two cops on the way down the mountain, killing one of them. The other manages to get away.

At this point, one would reasonably expect a cat-and-mouse thriller, pitting a lone, outnumbered cop against heavily-armed killers. Instead, the story flashes forward a full year. Wang (Chen Chang) has physically recovered but still hasn’t gotten over the death of his partner, Han. Complicating matters is the fact both were once vying for the same woman, local doctor Sun Yan (Ni Ni). Guilt-ridden, Wang can’t bring himself to commit to her. This dynamic is of little interest and really only exists to put her in peril, because...

Never make snow angels in the road.

...it turns out the robbers didn’t take the gold off the mountain with them. I’m not certain why, since they had a truck that could do the job. Instead, they stashed it in the woods and have now returned to get it. Naturally, Wang is on-hand to try and stop them, as well as avenge his partner. What the narrative doesn’t need is Ni Ni driving up the mountain to find him during a massive blizzard, which eventually strands all of them in a snow lodge. The movie was doing just fine without her.

Still, it’s a tense little thriller at times, especially during the Reservoir Dogs-like stand-off in the lodge. It also makes great use of its snowbound locations, to the point the viewer can practically feel the cold. However, writer-director Cui Siwei seems uncertain what to do with his primary antagonist (Fan Liao). First, he’s a cold-blooded killer, then introspective and philosophical – even threatening to appear empathetic - before reverting back to being a cold-blooded killer. It’s as if Cui briefly tried to give him some complexity before second-guessing himself.

As it is, Savage is entertaining and suspenseful enough to warrant a watch, but the viewer has to wade through some irrelevance and plot contrivances to get to the good stuff. If Cui Siwei could have tightened things up a bit, he’d have a pretty damn good movie on his hands.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.

The One-Sided BATTLE OF LENINGRAD

BATTLE OF LENINGRAD (2019)

Starring Andrey Mironov-Udalov, Maria Melnikova, Gela Meskhi, Anastaisiya Melnikova, Valeriy Degtyar, Vitaliy Kishchenko. Directed by Aleksey Kozlov. (102 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM MPI MEDIA GROUP

Review by Tiger the Terrible😼

Battle of Leningrad – originally titled Saving Leningrad – is somewhat misleading. In fact, it’s more of a pummeling of Leningrad by the Nazis, while its civilians evacuate on leaky barges to escape across Lake Ladoga.

Most of the film takes place on Barge 752 during its perilous journey, with some manufactured melodrama from characters who are essentially plot devices (including a pampered pooch). The most contrived subplot is the main one, which has young soldier Kostya abandoning his squad to join his girlfriend, Nastya...on orders from his own father, a high ranking Russian colonel. Nastya considers him a deserter, while Kostya does nothing to advocate for himself. A Kremlin investigator, Vadim, is also on-board to repeatedly threaten both of them, because I guess the Nazis aren't enough bad guys.

When cruise ship shuffleboard turns deadly.

Even getting to that point takes awhile. Battle of Leningrad is pretty dull and aimless until then, serving up subplots and characters we assume will be of greater importance later on (though most aren’t). Once the barge sets off on its trip, however, things get more interesting. Not the characters, mind you, but it turns out the Nazis are aware of Russian plans to evacuate Leningrad and send fighter planes to attack the defenseless boats. Barge 752, already crippled by a violent storm, is a sitting duck.

The storm and aerial attack scenes pretty much save the movie. We may not care who lives or dies, but their peril looks and feels authentic, bolstered by fine editing and impressive visual effects. The same goes for the brief-but-intense skirmish between the Russian and Germans early in the story, which is suitably gritty and brutal.

While Battle of Leningrad is based on a tragic true event during World War II, the film is ironically at its most rousing when depicting death & destruction. That alone might make it worth checking out for war movie mongers, but none of its characters are compelling enough to create any emotional investment. Except maybe the dog.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW. 

THE FARE is...Fair

THE FARE (2018)

Starring Gino Anthony Pesi, Brinna Kelly, voice of Jason Stuart. Directed by D.C. Hamilton. (82 min)

ON BLU-RAY FROM EPIC PICTURES

Review by Fluffy the Fearless😽

Harris (Gino Anthony Pesi) is a weary cabby driving a desolate stretch of road to pick up his last fare for the night, a young woman named Penny (Brinna Kenny). “Like the coin,” he says jokingly. Then after a few minutes of congenial small talk, she literally disappears.

Initially shaken, Harris resumes driving...on a desolate stretch of road to pick up his last fare for the night. Once again, it’s Penny (“Like the coin,” he jokes again). Their conversation is similar, though there’s something slightly different about their words and reactions. And once again, she disappears. The two relive the same scenario over and over, remembering more details from previous encounters (and growing closer each time). They appear to be trapped in some kind of temporal loop from which they can’t escape.

"It's not that I mind you sitting up front, lady. I just wish you'd have let me move my lunch first."

Playing very much like an extended Twilight Zone episode, The Fare is a small film with big ambitions and is clearly constructed to set up its big payoff, which is not-so-much a twist ending as an inevitable one, especially when it becomes obvious Harris & Penny are not reliving the same 20 minutes. Whether or not that revelation is worth the effort depends on the viewer’s patience. The film is often haunting and atmospheric, with likable performances by its two leads. However, it does grow a little repetitive during the middle act. One can’t help but think Rod Serling could have presented the same story in a fraction of the time.

But while the finale may not be jawdropping, at least it isn’t a red herring-laden suckerpunch. The Fare is visually and conceptually interesting enough to keep most viewers engaged, especially those who recall their middle school mythology lessons.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - “The Look of The Fare”; “Secrets of The Fare” (screenwriter/actor Brinna Kelly spills the beans...don’t watch first!).

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - #1) Director D.C. Hamilton; #2) Screenwriter/producer/actor Brinna Kelly

"ALTERNATE REALITIES” - A montage of deleted/unused footage

"BEYOND FM” - Extended talk-radio sequence.

"FLASHBACK SCENE BREAKDOWN” - Storyboard to film comparison.

GAG REEL

ALTERNATE OPENING

TRAILERS

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.