Archive for 'Movies/DVDs' Category
Rockford files: Season 3
25 March 2006Season 3 of one of the best detective series on TV. Here is a list of answering machine messages courtesy of the Rockford files homepage:
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The killers
25 March 2006Don Siegel’s version of the killers starring Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes, Angie Dickinson, and Ronald Reagan (as a villain). Unlike Robert Siodmak’s version is very loosely based on Ernest Hemingway’s short story. Interestingly, it seems this was the first made-for-tv movie. Here is the plot summary from wikipedia:
Charlie (Marvin) and Lee (Clu Gulager) are well-dressed, professional hitmen hired to kill ex-race car driver Johnny North (John Cassavetes) — now working as a teacher at a school for the blind. Despite being warned in advance, North does nothing and allows the two men to kill him. Afterwards, Charlie, the older and more experienced of the duo, is bothered by the job. He and Lee decide to track down the people that knew North and find out why their victim didn’t run when he had the chance. This includes his mechanic and best friend Earl Sylvester (Claude Akins) and his lover Sheila Farr (Angie Dickinson).
The two killers piece together North’s story. He fell in love with Sheila who convinced him to be the getaway driver for an armored car heist masterminded by her boyfriend Jack Browning (Reagan). The job goes wrong when Browning, finding out that what North did, decides to double cross the driver and eventually hire Charlie and Lee to kill him.
Here is a list of reviews for the film.
Zatoichi vol. 4: The fugitive
25 March 2006Fourth movie of Zatoichi series featuring Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi. Here is the summary of the movie from netflix:
Blind masseur and swordsman Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) is living and working in a province that’s under siege by rival warlords. One warlord attempts to hire Zatoichi to help him fight his rival, but when the swordsman refuses, the warlord instead finds another warrior to challenge Zatoichi. Unwilling to sit idle while his province is ruthlessly destroyed, Zatoichi must take matters into his own hands, regardless of the consequences.
The big heat
25 March 2006A great film noir directed by Fritz Lang starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Lee Marvin. Here is the outline from wikipedia:
Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) is an honest cop who learns that one of his fellow officers has committed suicide. As Bannion digs deeper into what now he suspects is a murder, he becomes more and more driven to solve the mystery. He keeps digging even when the gangster violence and terror hits home. Complicating matters is Bertha Duncan, the corrupt wife of a dead police officer who has committed suicide. She is in possession of a letter, written by her husband, implicating the criminals, and Ford needs to get the letter so that he can blow the case wide open.
Roger Ebert rates it as top 100 movie. Here is a detailed review from filmsite.org. List of other reviews courtesy of IMDB.
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Mr. Moto collection, volume 1
11 March 2006DVD collection containing four Mr. Moto movies directed by Norman Foster starring Peter Lorre
- Thank you Mr. Moto
- Think fast Mr. Moto
- Mr. Moto takes a chance
- Mysterious Mr. Moto
Detective Moto (Peter Lorre) comes into possession of an ancient scroll worth a fortune in this second film based on J.P. Marquand’s novels. The Japanese investigator evades ruthless villains as he tries to deliver the missing scroll to a royal Chinese family (Philip Ahn, Pauline Frederick), completing a set that will reveal the location of Genghis Khan’s treasure. But the bad guys get the royals first, and Mr. Moto winds up in dangerous waters.
First of eight in a series, this mystery based on J.P. Marquand’s novels follows Japanese detective Moto (Peter Lorre) as he outwits international smugglers. Aboard a ship to Shanghai, Moto encounters a known murderer and the mysterious Gloria Danton (Virginia Field). When well-do-do Bob Hitchings (Thomas Beck) falls for the elusive beauty, Moto senses trouble, and the crime caper takes off when the ship lands in Shanghai and Gloria disappears.
The fourth installment of the Mr. Moto series finds the well-mannered Japanese sleuth (Peter Lorre) in a remote area of Indochina, where he’s able to rescue a pretty young pilot (Rochelle Hudson) from the clutches of a ruthless despot (J. Edward Bromberg). As luck would have it, a pair of American newsreel cameramen (Robert Kent and Chick Chandler) captures the whole thing on film — but they unwittingly get pulled into the story.
Japanese detective Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) dons an inmate’s disguise to help Scotland Yard hunt down a gang of dangerous assassins in the fifth installment of this long-running mystery series. Centered around the character created by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist J.P. Marquand, the plot finds the well-mannered Mr. Moto trying to help his cellmate (Leon Ames) break out of jail, all so that the sleuth can get the dirt on his unlawful friends.
Charlie Chan collection, volume 2
11 March 2006Second volume of Charlie Chan movies released by Fox studios starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan and Keye Luke as “number one son”.
- Charlie Chan at the circus
- Charlie Chan at the opera
- Charlie Chan at the race track
- Charlie Chan at the olympics
While ostensibly on vacation with his wife and twelve children, famed detective Charlie Chan visits a circus at just the right time to become involved in the murder of one of the circus owners. Chan is prevailed upon to travel with the circus in hopes of discovering the killer before he, she - or it - strikes again.
Screen legend Boris Karloff co-stars as former opera star Gravelle, now confined to an insane asylum. Seeking spousal revenge, Gravelle escapes with plans of a murderous rampage at the opera house. Detective Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) and Sgt. Kelly (William Demarest) are at odds with each other about Gravelle’s guilt and alleged insanity. Charlotte Henry appears as Gravelle’s daughter, and Keye Luke portrays Chan’s son Lee.
While steaming from Honolulu to Los Angeles the owner of a prize racehorse headed for the Santa Anita Handicap is killed, apparently kicked to death by his stallion. Not so, deduces Charlie. Leter he exposes efforts to fix a race at the famous track.
Detective Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) travels to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he’s on the case to track down a team of international spies and recover their secret weapon capable of controlling flying aircraft. Villains are everywhere and lead Chan, local cops and Chan’s son Lee (Keye Luke) on a chase through the streets of Berlin. Actual footage of the Olympic games and the doomed dirigible Hindenburg were woven into the story line.
Charlie Chan collection, Volume 1
11 March 2006The first volume of Charlie Chan movies released by Fox studios starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan and Keye Luke as “number one son”.
- Charlie Chan in London
- Charlie Chan in Paris
- Charlie Chan in Egypt
- Charlie Chan in Shanghai
- Eran trece
Charlie Chan’s (Warner Oland) pleasure trip to London turns into business when he’s called upon to help clear Neil Howard (played by a young Ray Milland) of faulty murder charges. The clock is ticking, however, and Chan must follow a trail of clues — including poisonous darts and mysterious notes — to find the real killer amid a slew of suspects, bringing the culprit to justice before an innocent man hangs.
Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is back, this time accompanied by his son Lee (Keye Luke) on a covert assignment to Paris to investigate a bond forgery scheme. After the sudden death of fellow agent Nardi, father and son must chase down the illusive counterfeiter before his devious scam sends the whole city of Paris into a catastrophic financial panic.
On behalf of a French museum, Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is brought to Egypt to investigate Professor Arnold, an archaeologist thought to be involved in the disappearance of several valuable artifacts. However, once he learns that Arnold has been murdered and hidden in an Egyptian tomb, Chan must shift his investigation to help the Arnold family solve the baffling crime and rid them of a menacing curse they believe to be the cause of it all.
Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) travels to Shanghai to attend a banquet in his honor. But when the keynote speaker — good friend Sir Stanley Woodland — is fatally shot during the ceremony, our favorite sleuth pulls out all the stops to catch the criminals. Upon discovering that a dangerous opium smuggling ring is behind the murder, the ringleaders kidnap Chan and attempt to make him their next victim.
This is the Spanish-language version, with a different cast and crew, of the Charlie Chan film Charlie Chan Carries On (1931), in which Charlie sets out to discover the killer of an American found dead in a London hotel room.
B.B. King: Live by request
11 March 2006DVD featuring another amazing live performance by Riley B. King a.k.a B. B. King at New York city recorded for the A&E network. In this DVD B.B. King performs the following songs:
- Louis Jordan’s Let the good times roll
- Sweet little angel [based on Robert Nighthawk’s “Sweet black angel” which was based on Tampa red’s rendition of Lucille Bogan’s “Black angel blues”]
- Bad case of love
- Willie Nelson’s Night life
- Neighborhood affair
- Exactly like you
- Guess who
- The thrill is gone
- Rock me baby (with Jeff Beck) [based on Muddy Water’s version (?), Lightnin’ Hopkin’s version (?)]
- Big Bill Broonzy’s Key to the highway (with Jeff Beck)
- When love comes to town
- Louis Jordan’s Caldonia
- I’ll survive
- Paying the cost to be the boss (with Jeff Beck)
Here is the summary from netflix:
Blues master B.B. King performs some of his all-time greatest hits in this concert video recorded in New York for A&E in June 2003. Fans including Willie Nelson and Tony Bennett call in to request their favorites of the veteran singer, who performs hit tunes such as “The Thrill Is Gone,” “Sweet Little Angel,” “Let the Good Times Roll” and a few songs from his 2003 album, “Reflections.” Renowned rock guitarist Jeff Beck joins King for three songs.
B.B. King: Standing room only
5 March 2006Another amazing live performance by Riley B. King a.k.a. B.B. King at the Trump Marina hotel in Atlantic city. Performances include
- Let the good times roll
- I’ll still be around
- Cost to be the boss
- I’m a poor man, but I’m a good man
- Ain’t nobody’s business what I do
- Ain’t got nothing but the blues
- Why I sing the blues
- The thrill is gone
- When love comes to town
- Someone loves you
- Peace to the world
The reigning King of the Blues and his Gibson guitar nicknamed Lucille demonstrate the B.B. King incomparable playing style for a crowd of adoring fans at Atlantic City’s Trump Marina Hotel. Once again, the undisputed blues legend confirms his rightful place alongside America’s greatest music icons. The live concert include favorites songs such as “Ain’t Nobody’s Business What I Do,” “Why I Sing the Blues” and the immortal “The Thrill Is Gone.”
The killers
1 March 2006Must see film noir. Robert Siodmak’s take on Ernest Hemingway’s the Killers starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, and Sam Levene. I’ve to say that Criterion does a great job of putting really interesting stuff into the DVDs. Now I am waiting to watch Don Seigel’s version.
Ernest Hemingway’s short story “The Killers” was turned into two memorable films that bookended the high period of the noir genre. Disc 1 contains the original 1946 Robert Siodmak version starring Burt Lancaster as “the Swede,” an aging boxer who’s brought in for an underground job. Also included on Disc 1 is an additional short film version of the story directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.
