Blu-ray: A Bay of Blood (1971) by Mario Bava

There are not many directors that possess a better sense of style than Mario Bava. Whether you watch a sword and sandal movie like “Hercules in the Haunted World” (1961), a science fiction movie like ”Planet of the Vampires” (1965), a gothic horror like “Kill Baby Kill” (1966), a comic book adaptation like “Danger Diabolik” (1968) or a giallo like “A Bay of Blood” the stylishness always stands out. It is never without purpose though. Bava did not use style elements only for fun but also to keep his viewers interested, to surprise them and above all to create a certain atmosphere. In fact Mario Bava’s greatness could be explained by his ability to use “style to create mood”. His use of subjective camera increases tension. The different camera angles and wide angle lenses add to the sense of madness in the film. His fluid camera movements and the way scenes beautifully and surprisingly dissolve into each other keep viewers glued to the screen. Read more...

Blu-ray: A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) by Steven Spielberg

The story of “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” takes place in a future world in which the ecological apocalypse has caused earth’s ice caps to melt and cities like New York and Amsterdam have been flooded. Technology has produced androids, so called mechas, that are physically almost indistinguishable from humans. A group of scientists have now created the next generation mecha which even is able to love: a robot-boy called David (Haley Joel Osment). After having been rejected by the human family that originally adopted him, David starts a quest for humanity and subsequent motherly love and happiness, inspired by the story of Pinocchio and aided by his robotic teddy bear and a lover-mecha called Gigolo Joe (Jude Law).

The movie is based upon a short story called “Super-toys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss and was originally envisioned as a movie by Stanley Kubrick as far back as the 1970s. Read more...

Blu-ray: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) by Stanley Kubrick

“Well boys, I reckon this is it. Nuclear combat toe-to-toe with the Rooskies.”

“Shoot, a fella could have pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.”

“Have you ever seen a commie drink a glass of water?”

“Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face.”

“You just start your countdown and old Buckie will be back here before you can say...blast off!” Read more...

Blu-ray: Goldfinger (1964) by Guy Hamilton

In “Goldfinger”, the third installment of the James Bond series, Bond (Sean Connery) is ordered to break down the gold smuggling operation of Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe). The adventure leads him to Florida, England, Switzerland and Kentucky culminating in a showdown in Fort Knox, where the majority of the U.S. gold is kept. Goldfinger’s plan involves a bunch of female show pilots spraying nerve gas, an atomic bomb and knowledge of the commodity market.

Cinematically speaking James Bond is very much a phenomenon belonging to the early 1960s when many of the elements that incorporate the Bond series coincided. The political and sociological circumstances were ideal for the franchise to take off. Due to the cold war and continuous nuclear threat the spy-business had the general public’s attention. Read more...

Blu-ray: The Incredibles (2004) by Brad Bird

As a result of change in public opinion all superheroes have been forced to retire fifteen years ago. Amongst them are Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), his wife Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) and his best friend Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). They now have to stay undercover permanently, leading suburban lives, hiding their superpowers. Mr. Incredible has worked at an insurance company for years and has raised a family of three super powered kids with Elastigirl. Frustrated by their everyday lives Mr. Incredible and Frozone have started to relive their glory days by anonymously saving people from fires and catching crooks while pretending to go bowling. Then a new super-villain arises and Mr. Incredible decides to come out of retirement, unwillingly involving his wife and kids in his fight against evil. Together they become: the Incredibles!

“The Incredibles” is the 6th computer animated feature film produced by Pixar. Read more...

Blu-ray: Du Rififi chez les Hommes (1954) by Jules Dassin

In retrospect the human tragedy that American director Jules Dassin had been blacklisted in 1948 and consequently had been forced to leave his country to be able to support himself and his family has been beneficial to something: French cinema. Jules Dassin had already earned his spurs by directing classic crime movies like "Brute Force" (1947), "Naked City" (1948), "Thieves Highway" (1949) in the USA and the unforgettable "Night in the City" (1950) in England and was now in France looking for a job. Dassin had not been able to work in the movie industry for a couple of years so he was willing to take on anything. When French producer Henri Bérard offered Dassin to direct a movie based upon the crime novel by Auguste le Breton, Dassin seized the opportunity with both hands even though he despised the book. He wrote the screenplay in 10 days and turned the story into something entirely his own. Read more...

Blu-ray: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent, 1974)

A New York subway train is hijacked by four heavily armed men: Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman), Mr. Grey (Hector Elizondo) and Mr. Green (Martin Balsam). They threaten to kill the passengers unless the city of New York pays them a million dollars within an hour. Lt. Garber (Walter Matthau) of the New York City Transit Police is in charge of dealing with the hijackers, trying to buy time and figuring out their next move in order to save the passengers and the million bucks.

“The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” is a terrific action thriller, filmed in a realistic style typical of the era, with a natural pacing, still maintaining tension and suspense. Notable is also the gritty 1970s music score by David Shire (husband of “Rocky’s” Talia Shire). Read more...

Blu-ray: Vera Cruz (1954) by Robert Aldrich

After the Civil War two American gunmen, Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) and Ben Trane (Gary Cooper), team up south of the border on a mission for Emperor Maximilian (George Macready). They are supposed to assist a troop of French lancers lead by Marquis Henri de Labordere (Cesar Romero) escorting countess Marie Duvarre (Denise Darcel) to Vera Cruz but soon they discover that the stagecoach she travels in contains a hidden compartment full of gold. The two Americans wish to seize this opportunity but so do the Juaristas who are in need of money to fund their fight against Maximilian.

The setting of “Vera Cruz” is the French Intervention in Mexico which took place between 1861 and 1867. The French had invaded Mexico and in 1864 Maximilian had been proclaimed emperor of Mexico backed by Napoleon III of France and Mexican conservatives. Read more...