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Savant's new reviews today are
Hello again. Since this is the year for Anthony Mann DVD releases, correspondent Dean Blake reminds me that Turner Classic Movies is showing Mann's The Tall Target on September 22. It's sort of The Narrow Margin with stovepipe hats, a claustrophobic thriller about an assassination plot on a train carrying the newly elected Abraham Lincoln.
And I'm receiving enthusiastic mail about Sony's November 4 release of the Budd Boetticher / Randolph Scott Collection; western fans can't wait to their paws on it.
If things work out, I'll be at the Cinerama Domefor Sunday's presentation of How the West Was Won in its original 3-screen format; the plan it to interview Cinerama expert Dave Strohmaier, right from the Dome's enormous three-projector booth. I'll take some pictures if allowed.
An odd exchange of political gossip this week, via email:
Name withheld: "I heard Fred Thompson at the RNC last night proudly declare that Sarah Palin was the only candidate who could field dress a moose. Is this an official part of the Vice President's duties? I know about the whole presiding over the Senate and breaking tie votes stuff, but don't recall reading in history class about the moose thing. Did Spiro Agnew ever field dress a moose? Do Vice Presidents deal only with moose, or all North American ruminants? Why isn't the media asking the tough questions about this topic?"
Savant: "I think that Jay Ward's Bullwinkle the Moose should now make an appearance in Democratic issue spots, protesting this outrage on grounds that Vice-Presidential nominee Palin represents a personal threat to his civil rights, not to mention his flea-bitten hide.
Of course, that plan carries a risk. Democrats will need to soft-pedal the fact that Bullwinkle and Rocket J. Squirrel have been living together in an unorthodox cross-species relationship for the last 49 years.
Name withheld: "On the other hand, Bullwinkle and Rocket J. Squirrel have a strong record of anti-Communist counter-espionage, having repeatedly defended America from the actions of intelligence agents from Pottsylvania."
Name withheld #2: "Spiro Agnew did not field dress a moose, and therefore resigned his office. John C. Calhoun did field dress a moose, but did it badly. He resigned. Certain VP duties are sacrosanct."
Once again, DVD Savant is first on the web, with cogent, practical political opinions. Thanks for reading, Glenn Erickson
Greetings! Savant's new reviews today are
Hello again .... I've been eagerly awaiting Classic Media's release of the Toho Kaiju double bill Rodan and War of the Gargantuas, and see that they're due in just a few days from now, on September 9. I've also been wanting to see the docu Bringing Godzilla Down to Size included in the set. It's said to be the most elaborate and detailed account to date on the making of the Toho fantasies. The website SciFi Japan is currently running a Sneak Peek of images from the Classic Media set. The grabs include that glorious title card from Rodan that one can't look at without hearing the giant pterodactyl's distinctive cry.
Gary Teetzel reports that Warners already has a second Best Buy exclusive tie-in going for October 7. The double bill titles in play are The Brides of Fu Manchu & Chamber of Horrors, and The Shuttered Room & It!. The Brides of Fu Manchu is actually the second Don Sharp/ Christopher Lee Fu Manchu movie in Warners' care; they'll want to follow up with the original The Face of Fu Manchu sometime soon. Chamber of Horrors is a gothic horror that began as a TV show (I think) and is dressed up with William Castle-style interruptions ("The Horror Horn!"). The Shuttered Room stars Gig Young and Carol Lynley in a story by August Derleth; it carries a fairly positive reputation. It! is a fairly foolish version of The Golem probably chosen by Warners' execs because it stars Roddy McDowall. In this picture we learn that motor scooters are very useful for outrunning the effects of a nuclear explosion.
Gary also tells us that we should be expecting an announcement of a DVD Special Edition of the original The Day the Earth Stood Still to accompany the Keanu Reeves remake. Fox is said to have new content from author Bill Warren and special effects specialist Robert Skotak. I don't know how everyone else feels, but my selfish & wholly subjective attitude is that major DVD companies shouldn't revisit titles already well-represented, without bumping the format to Blu-ray.
I found this graphic of a pre-release Starship Troopers poster. As the film came out in October-November of 1997, we can see that special effects pushed the release date back a few months! Thanks for reading, Glenn Erickson
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