Happy holidays from Daily Grindhouse! Today is Thanksgiving and as always, we give thanks to you, our readers. But today being Thanksgiving means tomorrow is “Black Friday” — talk about a horror show — and while we can’t in good conscience recommend you go to stores tomorrow, we can give you some fresh recommendations to scoop up from the comfort of your own homes. Here Joe Tonzelli offers some fantastic offerings for your home-video collection from some of our favorites, like Arrow Video and Blue Underground, among others. Dig in!
‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS’ & ‘THE HOBBIT’ TRILOGIES: MIDDLE-EARTH ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION
Released last year in a slimmer iteration, two of the biggest blockbuster trilogies of all time return in one handsome set—the Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition, timed in release for the 20th anniversary of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. This 31-disc set features the theatrical and extended versions of the six Middle-earth films in 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and on remastered Bu-ray. It also includes bonus content never before released for home entertainment, collectible packaging, art cards, and more. Also included are the original Cannes Film Festival presentation reel, and footage from the recent Alamo Drafthouse cast reunion featuring director Peter Jackson along with cast members Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellan, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortenson, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood.
The Ultimate Collector’s Edition comes in unique “Puzzle Box” collectible packaging and includes a 64-page booklet featuring costumes, photography and production notes from the film, and art cards featuring travel posters and images from iconic locations throughout Middle-earth including The Shire, Lake-Town, Erebor, Anduin, Rohan, Minas Trith, and Rivendell.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001): With the help of a courageous fellowship of friends and allies, Frodo Baggins embarks on a perilous mission to destroy the legendary One Ring. Hunting Frodo are servants of the Dark Lord, Sauron, the Ring’s evil creator. If Sauron reclaims the Ring, Middle-Earth is doomed.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002): Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship continue their quest to destroy the One Ring and stand against the evil of the dark lord Sauron. The Fellowship has divided; they now find themselves taking different paths to defeating Sauron and his allies. Their destinies now lie at two towers — Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupted wizard Saruman waits, and Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Based on the novel The Two Towers, the second in The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003): The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam, led by Gollum, continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn struggles to fulfill his legacy as he leads his outnumbered followers against the growing power of the Dark Lord Sauron, so that the Ring-bearer may complete his quest.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY (2012): A curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (2013): Return to Middle Earth where the dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug.
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (2014): The Company of Thorin has reached Smaug’s lair; but, can Bilbo and the Dwarves reclaim Erebor and the treasure? And, if so, can they hold on to it?
THE ‘MAD MAX’ ANTHOLOGY 4K UHD COLLECTION
As we all know by now, the long dormant franchise came roaring back to life with 2015’s MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, following a lengthy pre-production and production so troubled that it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that its eventual release would be met with a critical drubbing and poor box office. Neither of those things happened, proving to be one of the highest rated films of the year, scoring six technical Academy Awards and a nomination for Best Picture in the process, and also proving to be audiences’ favorite movie of the year. (Director George Miller was 70 at the time of its release, proving that age certainly don’t factor into the equation as Hollywood’s consistent insistence on “young and hot” filmmakers would have you believe.)
While we wait for filming to begin on George Miller’s MAD MAX: FURY ROAD prequel, FURIOSA, Warner Bros. has released the MAD MAX Anthology on 4K UHD, with two of its sequels, THE ROAD WARRIOR (now prepended with the MAD MAX title) and MAD MAX: BEYOND THUNDERDOME, making their debuts on the format. (The studio previously released MAD MAX: FURY ROAD and Kino Video had the honor of issuing the original MAD MAX on 4K UHD.)
Though there aren’t any new special features included outside of some commentary tracks for the first two titles, this collection makes for a concise and economic purchase for movie fans who only care about having the best possible feature presentation and aren’t concerned with all the bells and whistles. It should be noted that this set contains only 4K discs, which means the studio’s previous Blu-ray release of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – Black & Chrome Edition, which presented the movie in a stunning black and white transfer, isn’t included.
MAD MAX (1979): In a not-too-distant dystopian future, when man’s most precious resource — oil — has been depleted and the world plunged into war, famine and financial chaos, the last vestiges of the law in Australia attempt to restrain a vicious biker gang. Max (Mel Gibson), an officer with the Main Force Patrol, launches a personal vendetta against the gang when his wife (Joanne Samuel) and son are hunted down and murdered, leaving him with nothing but the instincts for survival and retribution.
MAD MAX: THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981): After avenging the death of his wife and young son at the hands of a vicious gang leader, Max (Mel Gibson) drives the post-apocalyptic highways of the Australian outback, fending off attacks from nomadic tribes that prey on outsiders. Falling into an encampment led by the relatively peaceful Pappagallo (Mike Preston), Max at first schemes to steal their oil, but soon becomes the group’s reluctant defender against the hulking Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) and his ruthless marauders.
MAD MAX: BEYOND THUNDERDOME (1985): In the third of the “Mad Max” movies, Max (Mel Gibson) drifts into an evil town ruled by Turner. There he becomes a gladiator and gets dumped in the desert where he is rescued by a band of feral orphans who have been looking for help for years. When several of them take his appearance as a sign and go off into the desert, he follows them back to the town.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015): Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa. They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.
‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ / ‘THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR’
Following one year later after the initial video release of Mike Flanagan’s gorgeous Netflix production of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE comes the video release of its spiritual follow-up, THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR, available on its own or bundled with its predecessor. (Though the two miniseries share the same concept, musical landscape, and a handful of actors, they otherwise have nothing to do with each other.)
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE was a surprise smash for the streamer in October of 2019, garnering some of the best viewer reaction and critical notices of Netflix’s entire history. Personally, it’s not only my favorite title available in Netflix’s library, but also of writer/director/creator Mike Flanagan’s filmography so far (and that’s saying a lot because that dude’s a machine of quality genre output). As such, when THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR was announced, and it was repeatedly stressed by those involved that it was going to be a much different experience when compared to its predecessor, it was still very hard not to go in expecting an equally scary and equally emotional experience. Those, like me, hoping to enjoy the same amount of the willies were left a little underwhelmed, which is unfair to the quality and care that actually make THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR a wonderful experience, with top notch performances across the board. (How T’Nia Miller wasn’t recognized during awards season was a friggin’ crime.) Though THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR isn’t as viscerally scary as THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, its themes of death, memory, dementia, and the willful embracing of inevitable pain in exchange for a life lived with someone you love, and who loves you, is every bit as emotionally affecting. If you drop all preconceived notions and approach THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR as a gothic love story along the lines of JANE EYRE and REBECCA—one that just so happens to feature ghosts—I don’t see how anyone could ever be disappointed.
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (2019): The critically acclaimed, modern reimagining of Shirley Jackson’s legendary novel about five siblings who grew up in the most famous haunted house in America. Now adults, they’re reunited by the suicide of their youngest sister, which forces them to finally confront the ghosts of their pasts… some of which lurk in their minds… and some of which may really be lurking in the shadows of the iconic Hill House.
THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR (2020): After an au pair’s tragic death, Henry Wingrave (Henry Thomas) hires a young American nanny (Victoria Pedretti) to care for his orphaned niece and nephew (Amelie Bea Smith, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) who reside at Bly Manor with the estate’s chef Owen (Rahul Kohli), groundskeeper Jamie (Amelia Eve) and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (T’Nia Miller). But all is not as it seems at the manor, and centuries of dark secrets of love and loss are waiting to be unearthed in this chilling gothic romance. At Bly Manor, dead doesn’t mean gone.
‘THE STAND’ (1994)/’THE STAND’ (2020)
Studio devotion to the library of Stephen King seems to die out and then come roaring back every few years. It’s not because there’s a lack of material to mine from for potential adaptations, as they seem to be constant. It’s more that, like anything else, some adaptations catch fire and spur other studios to hope for their own blockbuster while some other adaptations come and go very quietly. I suppose you can thank Warner Bros.’ two-volume adaptation of Stephen King’s IT for the latest Kingaissance, which brought forth tons of recent adaptions of works old and new, among them a new version of THE STAND, one of King’s longest, most beloved, and sadly, most timely books in his career.
Mick Garris was the first pioneer to envision that massive tome in 1994’s edition of THE STAND in the form of an ABC miniseries, which was just one of many King books the network adapted for the screen. (Garris also did THE SHINING and BAG OF BONES, while ROSE RED and the underappreciated STORM OF THE CENTURY were directed by Craig Baxley.) Though a more interesting cast when compared to its 2020 iteration brought King’s expansive collection of characters to life, the limitations of a network budget and shortened running time blighted the production with sometimes cheesy visuals and a difficulty at presenting King’s story in the darker context as present in the novel.
Josh Boone’s most recent adaptation for CBS All Access, meanwhile, evidently had a near limitless budget—at least based on its final look. With a longer running time, access to 25 years of technological advances, and the leniency of a streaming service, King’s story comes to life with a harder and darker edge, presenting Randall Flagg’s half of the universe with all the debauchery and sin that those who willfully chose to, let’s say live deliciously, would imbibe in. Though the casting leaves something to be desired (there’s simply no comparing with Gary Sinise, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee), Boone’s take on the series is very faithful to the novel, with only modern updates changing King’s story otherwise left untouched. Though it may seem redundant to offer two very long adaptations of the same story in a single collection, they do make interesting counterparts to each other if nothing more than for the sake of comparison: experience the same story told during different eras of filmmaking in two different mediums. Modern audiences will undoubtedly lean toward the 2020 take while the old guard may lean in the direction of the 1994 original.
THE STAND (1994): In Stephen King’s epic vision of an apocalyptic future, the few survivors of a plague-ravaged world must choose sides in the ultimate battle of good vs. evil that will decide the fate of humanity. As the followers of demonic Randall Flagg plot to rebuild the world in his dark image, a courageous foursome embarks on a heroic mission against Flagg and his minions. Fighting overwhelming odds, they will risk more than their lives as they take one desperate last stand against evil. Adapted by Stephen King from his best-selling, celebrated novel, the all-star cast features Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Miguel Ferrer, Corin Nemec, Matt Frewer, Adam Storke, Ray Walston and Rob Lowe.
THE STAND (2020): When a killer plague wipes out 99% of the world’s population, the embattled survivors struggle to make their way in a post-apocalyptic reality. This 2020 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand frames the eternal battle between good and evil, as embodied by the peaceful prophet Mother Abagail (Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg) and the menacing presence Randall Flagg (Emmy Award winner Alexander Skarsgård), and closes with a new coda written by Stephen King himself.
ARROW VIDEO’S 4K UHD RELEASES OF DARIO ARGENTO’S ‘DEEP RED’, ‘THE BIRD WITH CRYSTAL PLUMAGE’, AND ‘THE CAT O’ NINE TAILS’
If there’s any one genre director whose work deserves and demands the 4K UHD treatment, it’s giallo master Dario Argento. Long a popular director for third-party distributors like Blue Underground, Scorpion Films, and Arrow Video, Synapse Films kicked off the 4K UHD party with their staggering release of SUSPIRIA in 2019. Now, Arrow Video continues the stellar work with their releases of Argento’s earlier giallo offerings. Let me just say, from the point of view of a very nerdy collector, seeing these three uniform titles lined up on my shelf is a thing of beauty. Though sure to make their returns in the future in slimmer, standard releases, these limited editions (also available under their equivalent Italian titles) are worth ponying up the lira for.
THE BIRD WITH CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1970): Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante, WE OWN THE NIGHT), an American writer living in Rome, inadvertently witnesses a brutal attack on a woman (Eva Renzi, FUNERAL IN BERLIN) in a modern art gallery. Powerless to help, he grows increasingly obsessed with the incident. Convinced that something he saw that night holds the key to identifying the maniac terrorizing Rome, he launches his own investigation parallel to that of the police, heedless of the danger to both himself and his girlfriend Giulia (Suzy Kendall, Spasmo). A staggeringly assured debut, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE establishes the key traits that would define Argento’s filmography, including lavish visuals and a flare for wildly inventive, brutal scenes of violence.
THE CAT O’ NINE TAILS (1971): When a break-in occurs at a secretive genetics institute, blind puzzle-maker Franco Arnò (Karl Malden, PATTON, ONE-EYED JACKS), who overheard an attempt to blackmail one of the institute’s scientists shortly before the robbery, teams up with intrepid reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES) to crack the case. But before long the bodies begin to pile up and the two amateur sleuths find their own lives imperiled in their search for the truth. And worse still, Lori (Cinzia De Carolis, CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE), Franco’s young niece, may also be in killer’s sights… This second entry in the so-called “Animal Trilogy” found Argento further refining his distinctive style and cementing his reputation as the master of the giallo thriller. Co-starring Catherine Spaak (IL SORPASSO) and Rada Rassimov (BARON BLOOD), and featuring another nerve-jangling score by the great Ennio Morricone (THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY), THE CAT O’ NINE TAILS remains one of Argento’s most suspenseful and underrated films.
DEEP RED (1975): One night, musician Marcus Daly (David Hemmings, BLOW UP), looking up from the street below, witnesses the brutal axe murder of a woman in her apartment. Racing to the scene, Marcus just manages to miss the perpetrator… or does he? As he takes on the role of amateur sleuth, Marcus finds himself ensnared in a bizarre web of murder and mystery where nothing is what it seems… Aided by a throbbing score from regular Argento collaborators Goblin, DEEP RED (aka PROFONDO ROSSO and THE HATCHET MURDERS) is a hallucinatory fever dream of a giallo punctuated by some of the most astonishing set-pieces the sub-genre has to offer.
BLUE UNDERGROUND’S 4K UHD RELEASES OF ‘MANIAC COP 2’ AND ‘MANIAC COP 3’
Following up on their initial releases of these two titles in 2013, Blue Underground have provided UHD upgrades to its most popular sequels, MANIAC COP 2 and MANIAC COP 3: BADGE OF SILENCE. New York cult director Bill Lustig, primarily known for his working relationship with writer Larry Cohen, which resulted in the infamous slasher flick MANIAC, personally considers MANIAC COP 2 to be the best film of his career, so it’s a little ironic and a little sad that he’s since disowned its immediate sequel. (The credited director for the movie, as well as the director credited on the brand-new commentary included on this new release, is Alan Smithee—the pseudonym used by embarrassed directors on movies that didn’t quite turn out the way they wanted them too.) While Lustig isn’t wrong to be so disenchanted with this trilogy capper, it’s also not the total train wreck you’d expect it to be. I mean, let’s face it, writers and directors take these kinds of failures much more personally and seriously than audiences do, since most of us don’t know any better.
There are tons of reasons to consider picking up these releases, either for yourself or for a genre-favoring loved one. First and foremost, both titles look absolutely stunning in this new format, and the director’s commentaries included on these releases (with MANIAC COP 2 being moderated by filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, who at one point was supposed to be producing a MANIAC COP remake series) are refreshingly candid. Lustig, who in fact owns Blue Underground and has been using the company to release fancy editions of his own movies as well as other cult-horror favorites, can obviously speak freely about working on the movies and his own experiences with certain Hollywood actors. MANIAC COP 3, especially, carries this same vibe, as he shares the track with producer/uncredited co-writer/uncredited co-director Joel Soisson, with whom Lustig evidently butted heads many times during production. Their conversation is affable though, apparently having gotten over their feuding during its production. As you might expect, there are a lot of amusing and interesting anecdotes shared about the shooting, much of them having to do with the talent’s personalities.
Following these two releases, the ball is now officially in Synapse Films’ court, as they own the first MANIAC COP, which is still languishing in 1080p limbo. C’mon, fellas! Get a move on!
MANIAC COP 2 (1990): This sequel to MANIAC COP pits Matt Cordell (Robert Z’dar), the crazed, murderous “Maniac Cop” of the first film (now horribly disfigured after a particularly brutal stay in prison), and Turkel (Leo Rossi), a serial killer who likes to murder strippers, against a frenzied NYPD detective, Sean McKinney (Robert Davi), who is just one step ahead of a nervous breakdown.
MANIAC COP 3: BADGE OF SILENCE (1993): Cop Katie Sullivan (Gretchen Becker) shoots two crooks who are robbing a store, and though she’s also wounded in the process, reporters cast her as a trigger-happy rogue. Devious police department bosses, hoping to get rid of a public relations problem, plan to kill Sullivan. But Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar), a dead cop who’s just been resurrected, takes a liking to Sullivan and is determined to mow down her enemies before a police detective, Sean McKinney (Robert Davi), can stop him.
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Tags: andy serkis, arrow video, Bill Lustig, Billy Boyd, Blu-ray, blue underground, Bruce Campbell, Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron, dario argento, Dominic Monaghan, elijah wood, George Miller, Ian McKellan, J.R.R. Tolkien, Larry Cohen, Leo Rossi, Liv Tyler, Mario Adorf, Michael Lerner, Mick Garris, Mike Flanagan, Netflix, Nicolas Winding Refn, Orlando Bloom, Peter Jackson, Robert Davi, Robert Z'Dar, Sean Astin, Stephen King, Tom Hardy, Viggo Mortenson
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