Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

THE BLACK GLOVES / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: LAWRIE BREWSTER / SCREENPLAY: SARAH DALY / STARRING: JAMIE SCOTT JORDAN, MACARENA GOMEZ, ALEXANDRA NICOLE HULME / RELEASE: TBC 

Originally released in black-and-white, but now getting a second chance in colour, the highly stylised mystery thriller The Black Gloves makes no apologies for its niche indie-art sensibilities. Whilst paying clear homage to the kind of psychologically disturbed cinema seen in The Innocents, Rebecca, and The Haunting, the film adopts the conventions of the popular cinema of the 1940s decade in which it is set. Added into the creative mix are some much more contemporary folk-horror motifs.

The central characters of the piece are drawn with the kind of broad brushstrokes which were entirely in-keeping with the expectations of that era’s British cinema. This means that the cast deliver their interpretations of the impassioned physician, the damaged dancer and the embittered housekeeper-come-choreographer with an intensity and directness that would, in other present-day filmic contexts, come across as simply over-the-top. Echoed in the way that The Black Gloves is framed and shot, this kind of overwrought evocation of the story is the clear intent of screenwriter Daly and director Brewster.

Psychiatrist Finn Galloway (Gordon) tricks his way into an isolated house in the Scottish Highlands. He hopes to be able to counsel talented ballerina Elisa Grey (Hulme) who has withdrawn from the world after a production of Swan Lake she was performing in was consumed by fire. Teacher Lorena Velsaco (Gomez) guards her patient closely, yet compels her to follow a gruelling training regime in the hope of recapturing her earlier form. Galloway learns of a mysterious and mythical spectre, known as The Owl Man, who may be implicated in the earlier death of a young girl at the house.

The Black Gloves looks great throughout. The cinematography of the barren coastline and the forbidding woodlands close to the house is striking, while the dark interiors of the house are beautifully lit to heighten the unsettling impact. It’s a sign of the meticulousness, and the sense of commitment to delivering on the film’s vision, that’s evident across the piece. Nothing about The Black Gloves looks thrown together. Everything on screen comes across as being exhaustively assessed and appraised.

Despite this, the challenge that the film faces is in trying to blend its disparate elements: the existential exploration of the former dancer’s traumatic life-history; and the lurking menace of the folklore monster that’s closing in on them. It only partially succeeds in doing so, through the tropes of film-noir paranoia.

The last half of the film is the strongest, as it tracks the unravelling of the relationship triangle and the pace picks up considerably. The tone turns darker, and for a time a sense of genuine malevolence displaces the film’s rarefied atmosphere. That’s before the film’s overlong coda delivers surprises that confuse rather than clarify the story’s internal logic. But this is filmmaking at its most considered and, as with everything else in the movie, nothing about those closing creative decisions appears throwaway.

FORMAT: BLU-RAY | DIRECTOR: ROGER CORMAN | STARRING: RAY MILLAND, DIANA VAN DER VLIS | RELEASE DATE: MAY 4TH

Ray Milland stars as Dr James Xavier, a scientist who develops a formula that can expand the human limits of sight beyond the visible spectrum. Despite warnings from his colleagues, Xavier uses himself as a test subject. The results exceeded his wildest expectations when he gains the ability to see through solid objects. Events soon spiral out of control, threatening his sanity, when his vision is extended beyond the realms of human comprehension. 

After the success of AIP’s Poe adaptations, director Roger Corman wanted to do something different. He decided the project would be a contemporary set science-fiction picture. The result was the officially titled ‘X’. Interestingly the title The Man with the X-Ray Eyes was used in the film’s advertising. 

Milland had worked with Corman before, and he is perfectly cast as Dr Xavier. Despite the film’s low budget, Milland brings a gravitas to the role-playing the part seriously and with an earnest intensity. This is not a mad scientist; rather, he is a scientist that made the mistake of being his own test subject. This allows the audience to empathise with Xavier’s plight. The film is not without humour though: during a party scene, Xavier bemusedly watches the partygoers dancing away in their naked glory. As this was 1963, it is naturally very coyly done. 

Second Sight Films have created an exceptionally gorgeous blu-ray. The transfer is a visual treat for the eyes. The colours are vibrant, and the sound is clear and distinctive. There is not a single grain to be seen, nor a pop or crackle to be heard.

There’s also a cornucopia of extras that are as compelling as the main feature. Director Roger Corman reminisces about the making of the film. He describes how X was comedian Don Rickles’ first film, and how Rickles was so nervous he initially underplayed his role as a sideshow barker. He also describes how he allowed three or four takes to be done, and that he had a rehearsal schedule which was a luxury for an AIP movie.

Author Kat Ellinger describes how many of the film’s themes have a religious allegory, being cast out of society, forced to wander the wasteland, which makes for illuminating viewing. Joe Dante waxes lyrical about the film and even goes as far to say that The Man with the X-Ray Eyes is a film that would benefit from a remake, in terms of the themes that could be explored more fully, and how modern CGI could really do justice to the sights seen beyond the visible spectrum. Also included is a Trailers from Hell with Mick Garris who states that The Man with the X-Ray Eyes is his favourite Roger Corman film.

If you like commentaries, then you are well catered for as Roger Corman does a deep dive into the making of the film, casting, filming in Spectarama, and there are plenty of anecdotes. Tim Lucas’ commentary is more scholarly but no less interesting as he compares literary works to the film. Graham Humphrey’s new artwork for the film must also be mentioned as it is simply gorgeous.

Modern audiences may find some of the scenes anachronistic (here’s a lot of smoking in labs) but there’s a power to this film that even after nearly six decades since its release, time has not been able to diminish. There’s no hiding from The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, he’ll see right through you.

FORMAT: BLU-RAY | DIRECTORS: BUSTER KEATON, DONALD CRISP | STARRING: BUSTER KEATON | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Well what do you know, those sparkling fine folk at Eureka! have proffered up a new 3-disc selection of films on Blu-ray by the slapstick OG, BK (as no one is calling him). 

Let’s start from the off by saying that each film looks glorious. Taken, as they are, from 4K restorations, each film looks crisp. Indeed, one could be forgiven for thinking each film was a modern, shot-for-shot remake based on the depth of the visual information. While there may be small dips in quality regarding narrative and comedy across the three films, the transfers are a sight to behold and a huge nod to the restoration team behind this release. Each restoration is taken from various A and B negatives from the Cohen archives and a sweet touch about the presentation is the two paragraphs at the start of each film explaining which elements were used and how. This adds to the overall feeling of watching a cinematic historical document that needs, nay, should be kept for future posterity.

There is little that can be said of the man himself that hasn’t been said before, however, his run of films as actor and director between 1920 and 1929 elevate him to the status of God. Alongside Chaplin and Lloyd, Keaton sits squarely in the middle of the two. Not quite the dramatic derring-do of Lloyd and sadly not nearly as narratively timeless as Chaplin, Keaton’s oft-repeated themes of marriage and wealthy inheritance may stick in the craw of some viewers, as will the racial stereotyping (though blessedly, Keaton did use actors of colour to fill these roles).

The Navigator is a tale of unrequited love that becomes, well, requited after Rollo and Betsy (Keaton and Kathryn McGuire) spend weeks marooned on a ship-that-is-not-wrecked. The two highlights are a long ‘opening opposite doors’ scene while the two try to find each other – something seen every week in Scooby-Doo, and the other is the underwater sequence. It is a well-known fact that underwater scenes often slow a film to a sea-snail’s pace (Thunderball anyone?), but this cracks along at a great pace with brilliant sight gags.

Battling Butler is a classic mistaken identity story that has been rolled out so many times, that it’s hard to see the genius of its early (cinematic) genius. Perhaps the most startling element of this film is the way Keaton’s character, a rich and spoiled dandy, decides to marry a very young-looking country girl without so much as consulting her in the matter. Aside from that, imbibe yourself in the glorious wash of sepia it is presented in.

Seven Chances is the old ‘inheritance with a catch’ plotline, that the viewer should let wash over them and instead bathe in the escalating set-pieces that Keaton excelled in.

Come for the films and stay for the brilliance of the restoration work, a rare release for all ages – so let’s hear it for the SS OG, BK, OK?

ZU WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (1983) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: HARK TSUI / SCREENPLAY: CHEUK-HON SZETO / STARRING: BIAO YUEN, HOI MANG, ADAM CHENG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Starting at a frenetic pace and building from there to delirious heights, Tsui Hark’s incredible Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain arrives in a new Blu-ray edition from Eureka Classics. It tells the story of young soldier Dik Ming-kei, one of many soldiers fighting for supremacy during the Tang dynasty, as he is separated from his army and finds himself lost in a cave in the titular mountain. Here he is attacked by strange creatures and survives only thanks to Master Ding Yan coming to his rescue. From then on, Ming-kei is thrown into a dangerous battle between near-godlike warriors that will decide the fate of the world.

Based on a novel and inspired by Hark’s childhood love of such stories, Zu Warriors throws everything into the mix, from martial arts to fantasy to horror, comedy (much of which works), apocalyptic drama, and unrelenting action. It’s all delivered at a heightened, unrelentingly loud pitch and could be wearisome as a result, but Hark displays a deft hand and is ably supported by a game cast. There’s so much invention on display as well, from innovative special effects to gorgeous costumes, sets and production design. It all goes to make Zu Warriors thoroughly enjoyable, and it’s easy to understand how it could be an influence on John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China amongst others. The new 2K restoration of the film presented here complements all this, displaying sharp colours and plenty of detail.

There’s a good selection of extras here to make this a disc worth picking up, particularly for fans, starting with the export cut of the film that has present-day wraparound segments making it a kind of time travel film. A scene-specific commentary from expert Tony Rayns provides a lot of information on aspects of the production. There’s a brand-new interview with Tsui Hark as well as archive interviews with three of the central cast. Also included is a segment from an episode of Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show from 1989 that reminds you that Jonathan Ross wasn’t always insufferable and has always been possessed of a great love and affection for genre film that makes this piece, including another interview with Hark, a valuable archival celebration. In addition, there’s the expected round of trailers as well as for early purchasers a new collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film.

If you already love this film getting this release should be an easy decision to make. For anyone else interested, there’s an abundance of invention and entertainment in the feature and a solid range of supplements to help enhance your enjoyment. Highly recommended.

THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: MICHAEL ELLIOTT / SCREENPLAY: NIGEL KNEALE / STARRING: LEONARD ROSSITER, TOBY VOGEL, BRIAN COX, SUZANNE NEVE / RELEASE DATE: APRIL 20TH

A common format of British TV in the 1960s was the one-off ‘TV play’, including those broadcast in BBC anthology series Theatre 625; one of the most well known and challenging dramas of this strand was 1968’s The Year of the Sex Olympics, written by Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale, which receives a new DVD release courtesy of the BFI.

In the future depicted, society is stratified into the hi-drives and the low-drives. The hi-drives produce repetitive, lowbrow media content for the low-drives to uncritically consume, with the aim of keeping society pacified. Nat Mender (Vogel) works on one such show, ‘Sex Sports’, in which contestants are judged on their sexual abilities, the true aim being to satisfy the audience’s sexual urges so they don’t procreate and the population is kept from growing. But Nat’s not satisfied with this over-controlled life, and when a colleague goes rogue and broadcasts provocative art, he’s inspired to make a change, pitching a show in which he and partner Deanie (Neve) live in the wild “like the before times” as an excuse to get away from it all.

Like if Black Mirror were produced 50 years early, it’s high-concept, cynical sci-fi, and extremely prescient; Kneale was ahead of his time in his prediction of reality TV, and it’s amazing how familiar this world feels to those of us unfortunate enough to have tuned into an episode of Big Brother or Love Island. While it moves towards a seriously grim final act, it also has a sharp sense of humour, particularly in the other shows glimpsed such as erotica ‘ArtSex’ and eating/fighting contest ‘The Hungry Angry Show’.

Kneale’s script is compelling, and the plight of Mender tragically engaging. There are very strong supporting turns from Leonard Rossiter as the TV station’s conflicted controller and Brian Cox as an increasingly psychotic director who delights in his control of both contestants and audience, even if some of the other supporting cast come across too theatrical by today’s standards.

The extras are worth watching, even if mostly repeated from earlier releases. There’s an introduction to the drama by Kim Newman, commentary by Cox, an interview with Kneale, plus an archive featurette about the BBC and a new gallery of Joyce Hammond’s costume designs. Also included is a booklet with new essays.

The highlight of the extras, however, is Le Pétomane, a half-hour comedy starring Rossiter as Joseph Pujol, a fart-based impressionist who wowed crowds at the Moulin Rouge. Essentially half an hour of fart jokes, it’s vastly different to Sex Olympics in tone, the only obvious connection being Rossiter, but it’s a lot of fun and works as a palate cleanser if the main feature has left you feeling down.