Imprint

[DeprongMori]

Osterman is obviously flawed, but it has some of the best set pieces of his career-the flaming pool sequence is just astonishing, and one of the most jaw-dropping things I've ever seen.

Fair enough, but I'm still not going to drop $90 on it.

As for Jim Thompson adaptations, have you seen Alain Corneau's Série noire? Probably my favorite of all the ones I've seen thus far -- it gets the main character right, and manages just the right tone and balance of derangement, absurdity, comedy, and sordid atmosphere that too many others get wrong in Thompson. Coup de Torchon, although a bit looser as an adaptation, runs a close second. After Dark, My Sweet is up there but I've never really cared for Rachel Ward as an actress, which reduces my ranking of the film a bit. I find I just don't ever really believe her characterizations. Still hoping to find a copy of The Kill-Off (1989) at some point, which I've heard good things about.

[Finch]

Serie noire is sensational. The Film Movement Blu-Ray is one of my most treasured titles, for the film alone but the bonus material is good also.

[beamish14]

Oh, I certainly love Serie Noir! Patrick Dewaere’s performance is one of the most distinctive and unhinged that I’ve ever encountered. After Dark is probably the truest, though, to Thompson’s intentions.

[The Pachyderminator]

For the record, The Apostle has an unadvertised isolated score and sound effects track. It's not on the menu, but you should be able to reach it by switching audio while playing. I can't say it's ever occurred to me to want to watch The Apostle without the dialogue or the preaching, but the option is there.

[PfR73]

The Gift has one also.

[swo17]

June titles:

Barabbas (Fleischer)
Julius Caesar (Burge)
The Nelson Affair (Cellan-Jones)
A Night to Remember (Baker)
Damn the Defiant (Gilbert)
The Long Ships (Cardiff)

A very Dad month

[domino harvey]

I like Barabbas a lot, I was just gearing up to recommend it for the 1961 list. Here's my writeup from the Faith List

Barabbas (Richard Fleischer 1961) Peculiar epic concerning a fictional offshoot of a throwaway line in the Bible, wherein a no-account thief named Barabbas is freed over Jesus Christ by vote of the people. Anthony Quinn plays the titular character, and his lout makes the lifelong journey to accepting Christ via an intriguingly serpentine path. This is a strange film and one I liked more and more as it proceeded through the yellow hell of a sulfur mine (where an unbelievable twenty years of the film's narrative is spent) and finally arriving in one of the better filmic gladiator set-ups. This act of the film is helped immensely by Jack Palance's maniacal performance as the reigning victor of the battles who has already been granted freedom three times from the emperor yet keeps coming back for more kills. Palance doesn't do much more than run around with wild eyes and his mouth gaping open, but it's enough! Quinn and Palance are both actors who mostly bring a lumbering presence to a film rather than actorly acumen and both are well-used by the film. This is a better movie than I expected (especially in the wake of other fictional Bible offshoots like the Robe) and gets a solid recommendation.

[swo17]

Yes, Barabbas is good--my "Dad month" comment was not meant as a slight so much as an acknowledgement that half of these films are about ships

[M Sanderson]

I want Barabbas but I heard the film’s last release, in France, offers terrible PQ.

Like many I’m interested in Osterman Weekend, perhaps more than most, and I really want to know who commissioned the restoration, as it’s possible that another company will put out a version that is not so overpriced, and with the advantage of more reliable encoding.

[Finch]

Like many I’m interested in Osterman Weekend

A Blu-Ray.com user has a breakdown of both discs, commentary on the PQ and screenshots.

[Q Pete Mitchell]

That’s a shame, considering this may be the one and only opportunity for a Lynch commentary, you’d hope someone passionate about the format would go all out

Tim Lucas did a Lost Highway commentary

[L.A.]

Beaver reviews for Conquest of Space and Marooned

[black&huge]

I haven't yet purchased an imprint release but I do have to ask what is it they generally do for their releases transfer wise? I get the impression they just acquire transfers or use ones that have been available, don't do anymore legwork and just put them out as is? sort of like Kino most of the time. I'm really wanting to get their upciming cutter's way release but are they just using the TT transfer?

[M Sanderson]

Like many I’m interested in Osterman Weekend

A Blu-Ray.com user has a breakdown of both discs, commentary on the PQ and screenshots.

Thanks for the updates.

I just wonder, will a different company deliver this film cheaper and potentially better? Better encode or superior scan?

Whom it’s likely to be, and when?

[swo17]

July releases



Directed by Jim Sheridan: Four Irish Films
The Music of Chance
The Beast
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
Nobody's Fool
Whore

[DarkImbecile]

Is Whore any good? That’s quite a packed edition, and a film with which I’m totally unfamiliar…

[beamish14]

Is Whore any good? That’s quite a packed edition, and a film with which I’m totally unfamiliar…

Yes. It’s absolutely hilarious and probably has the best use of breaking the fourth wall that I’ve ever seen.

What a month! The Music of Chance, The Beast, and Nobody’s Fool are all great as well

[brundlefly]

Haven't seen it since it was in theaters. The only things I remember about it are that the dialogue made it feel very much like the stage adaptation it is and that, when you called Moviefone to get showtimes (which is a thing people did back then) and punched in the movie's first three letters, Mr. Moviefone very, very enthusiastically responded with the title and its NC-17 rating.

[Finch]

FilmFreakCentral's Walter Chaw who, I believe, has written or is writing a book on Walter Hill, has tweeted this:

Been asked to contribute commentary tracks for upcoming BluRay releases of EXTREME PREJUDICE and JOHNNY HANDSOME - both through Australia's Imprint label. Beyond honored.

Makes me think twice now about getting the Lionsgate disc of the former.

[black&huge]

No reviews at all of Cutter's Way?

[swo17]

Not that I can see.

Also, it looks like The Osterman Weekend (released less than a month ago), Days of Heaven, and The Straight Story just recently sold out

[Finch]

Question for fellow Walter Hill fans (my favorite Hills so far are The Driver, Southern Comfort, The Long Riders, Hard Times) (Extreme Prejudice is a lot of fun, too, and I liked Geronimo):

I've not seen The Warriors before, and I read that you need to give the Director's Cut a wide berth, sooo... is the Imprint two-disc edition the only way to get the theatrical cut at a semi-affordable price? I'm not holding out much hope that the theatrical's PQ is going to be anything other than acceptable but at least Imprint have stacked this thing.

[tolbs1010]

The Warriors is definitely one of his best. I have to think a deluxe U.S. 4K edition with both cuts is forthcoming. Until then I'm holding my DVD copy of the Theatrical Cut. Still haven't seen the Director's Cut.

[Maltic]

Those cartoon tableaus really take you out of the film. Which is extra problematic for this type of one night in the underworld / quest film, you could argue.

It's still a little baffling to me, Hill wouldn't seem the type. Has he ever commented on the criticisms?

[Finch]

The Imprint Cast podcast was sent an email by Imprint with a preview of the following titles:

- The World of Suzie Wong (1960)
- The Desperate Hours (1955)
- The Yards (2000)