Welcome Back to The Stack. I'm Dave Canfield, here to help guide you through the last few weeks of DVD and Blu-ray releases. All sorts of stuff has come across my path since I last did an episode and this is the stuff I'm most excited about.
First the good folks at Twilight Time sent along some discs. If you don't know about Twilight Time you should. They do Blu-ray debuts in limited quantities (usually about 3,000) of classic, unavailable or unfairly forgotten films. Their releases aren't 4k or anything but they are always a visual upgrade from whatever has been available before and Twilight Time has a way of finding things that have sadly fallen through the cracks. Bell, Book and Candle (1958), My Cousin Rachel (1952) and Lost Horizon (1973) are just a few of the previously unavailable titles they've offered as solid releases, done with loving care.
Titles they sent along this month include Julie Taymor's lavish updating of Shakespeare's Titus (1999), the eye popping epic Zulu (1964) featuring the feature film breakthrough of Michael Caine and the criminally under appreciated 70's horror The Other (1972).
Another unexpected pleasure was the arrival of Lord of Tears (2013). This is an indie labor of Lovecraftia and conjures considerable atmosphere. The story involves a schoolteacher who returns to his childhood home in the Scottish Highlands hoping to unlock the source of his horrific nightmares. While there he meets a mysterious woman and is plagued by the visits of a wicked looking owl creature. Camera and design work here is outstanding. Writing is solid and though a full review would allow me the luxury of suggesting some places the film could be tightened up Lord of Tears is must viewing for anyone with a love for the cinematically weird, ominous or well realized cosmic dread. My package came with an additional soundtrack CD nifty little booklet and a the whole thing was packaged in a CD style fold out case festooned with dynamite art.
Pick up Lord of Tears HERE
I also talk about the The Killing Fields (1984) which comes in a handsome Digibook package, a nice Blu-ray upgrade of one of the steamiest movies of the eighties,The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), the charming thought provoking meditation on art and love that is Cutie and the Boxer (2013), Well Go USA releases of the joyous action musical comedy dance off The Rooftop (2013), and the wildly fantastical prequel Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013). Lastly, Dark Horse sent along a wonderfully whimsical trade paperback of Gustavo Duarte's Monsters & Other Stories that comes highly recommended.
My Name is Legion shirt by Anthony Pipitone