Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection (2011, Fernando Di Leo)

Following their release of Fellini’s I Clowns, Raro Video’s new US distribution brings us one of the most exciting box sets focusing on a particular director to come around in a long time.  Fernando Di Leo (1932-2003) was an Italian writer/director who worked in many different genres, from Westerns to War films to Gialli.  Most would agree though, that his best work was in the Italian Crime genre, particularly the “Milieu Trilogy” of Milano Calibre 9 (Caliber 9), La Mala Ordina (The Italian Connection) and Il Boss (The Boss).  These films, which were released from 1972-1973, have frequently been called the best Italian Crime films ever made (there is a quote on the front of this box set from Quentin Tarantino regarding his love for Di Leo).  Though previously released under Raro Video’s Italian label overseas, the only release stateside of these great films were on grey market discs by Popflix or Video Asia.  Finally, on March 16^th, we can see these films properly when the Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection is released.

The first film in this set is Caliber 9, the story of Ugo Piazza (Gastone Moschin, aka Don Fanucci from Godfather part II), a thug who was just released from prison.  He is accused by his former gang, led by Rocco Musco (Mario Adorf) of stealing and hiding $300,000 before going to jail.  Needless to say, they want their money back and despite Piazza’s continual denial, they take him back into the “family” knowing that if he is dead, they will never find the money.  Along the way, the Police are also after Ugo, as is the American crime boss who was supposed to receive the stolen money.

Next is The Italian Connection.  This time Mario Adorf takes on the lead role of Luca Canali, a small time pimp who is accused of stealing a shipment of Heroin en route to New York from Italy.  Two American gangsters (Henry Silva and Woody Strode, who are said to have influenced John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson’s characters in Pulp Fiction) are sent to Italy to find Canali but the real thieves want him dead before the Americans discover the truth.  Canali wages his own war after his family becomes a target for the mob.

The third film in Di Leo’s Milieu trilogy, The Boss, brings Henry Silva back, this time as mob hitman Nick Lanzetta.  Lanzetta wipes out an entire mob family at a porno theater, which disrupts the peace between mafia families.  Nick’s boss, Don Carrasco (Richard Conte) defends him but also tries to make peace with the remaining crime bosses.

The last film in the box set is I padroni della citta/Rulers of the City (aka Mister Scarface).  Jack Palance plays mob boss ‘Scarface’ Manzari, who is trying to snuff out ex-worker Rick (Al Cliver) and Rick’s new partner in crime Tony (Harry Baer).  Tony was sick of working for crime lord Luigi (Edmund Purdom) so he and Rick found a way to steal a large amount of cash from Manzari and get away.  Being the show off that he is, Tony makes it a point to let the ruthless Scarface know who ripped him off, which starts a manhunt culminating in an abandoned slaughterhouse massacre.

These films prove that Di Leo is easily one of the best and most influential directors of Italian Crime films.  When Di Leo films a chase scene, whether it’s in a car or on foot, you feel like you are right there with the characters, running for your life, dodging bullets and punches, desperate for revenge.  The action in these films puts most in the genre to shame, but just as important in making these films crush their competitors are the characters.  Mostly based around stories by Italian author Giorgio Scerbanenco, Di Leo’s screenplays are filled with a colorful collection of hoods, pimps, crime bosses, scumbags, femme fatales and just about anyone else you wouldn’t want within 100 feet of you.  Instead of just a body count, these characters are surprising complex which makes even the most despicable lout sympathetic.  Rulers of the City has some great characters (especially Tony) but it is a little lighter than the trilogy and therefore loses a bit of its impact.  It is still a great film though.  Caliber 9, The Italian Connection and The Boss all follow the same basic outline of a criminal who is double crossed and therefore goes out for revenge and captures our sympathy along the way.  Moschin, Adorf and Silva all do flawless jobs portraying these roles and the reappearance of several actors throughout the trilogy displays their versatility.

Raro Video should be applauded for this release.  Not only do they collect four brilliant Italian Crime films from one of the genre’s best directors, but they put it out in an affordable box set filled to the brim with bonus features.  This set comes in a cardboard outer sleeve with slim cases for the four discs, each with its own artwork.  Also included is an informative booklet full of candid photos from the making of the films included as well as essays and interviews with Di Leo.  Each disc features impeccable transfers of the films with optional English language or Italian Language with English subtitles.  Also included on each disc are photo galleries and documentaries on the films as well as a bonus documentary on the work of Fernando Di Leo..  Most Italian Crime fans probably already know how great these films are but for those who don’t or for action, mob or Tarantino fans, these films will blow you away.  Welcome to the US Raro Video.  I wish all DVD companies could put as much love into their releases as you do.

Rating:

Caliber 9 : 10/10

The Italian Connection : 10/10

The Boss : 10/10

Rulers of the City : 8/10

Overall Rating: 10/10 

THE RON HOWARD ACTION PACK: GRAND THEFT AUTO/EAT MY DUST! (MAY 24 / SHOUT! FACTORY)

SHOUT! FACTORY PRESENTS

THE RON HOWARD ACTION PACK:

EAT MY DUST!/GRAND THEFT AUTO

WITH NEW BONUS FEATURES!!!

IN STORES NATIONWIDE MAY 24, 2011 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

“Grand Theft Auto is a nonstop orgy of comic destructiveness.” —Variety

Put the pedal to the metal and burn rubber with the clutch-popping excitement of this new special edition of Eat My Dust! Young Hoover Niebold is dying to impress Darlene. She’s into going fast, he’s into Darlene — but when they both get into a red-hot race car, the reckless fun accelerates into a wild ride. They’re off on the open road for a tire-squealing, fender-bending adventure to who-knows-where — and all Smokey can do is EAT THEIR DUST! Starring Ron Howard, Christopher Norris (Airport 1975), Dave Madden (The Partridge Family) and Ron’s brother and father — Clint Howard and Rance Howard.

Cross Romeo & Juliet with a demolition derby and you have Grand Theft Auto, Ron Howard’s directorial debut. Can Sam and Paula — a young runaway couple traveling in her father’s stolen Rolls-Royce — get hitched in Vegas before their parents, a jealous boyfriend, a private detective and a mob of bounty hunters catch them? The race is on! Starring Ron Howard, Nancy Morgan (The Nest), Marion Ross (Happy Days) and Ron’s brother and father — Clint Howard and Rance Howard.

About the films, Roger Corman says  “Eat My Dust! [was] one of my biggest moneymakers during the ’70s — due to a combination of action and comedy and a teenage leading man, Ron Howard, who was a superpopular star due to Happy Days. . . .  Plus lots and lots of car crashes! I had thought Ron would be too expensive for my budget, but was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to star. Ron reasoned he’d work once as an actor for me and then come back as a director. And he did! Ron made his directorial debut for me on Grand Theft Auto. After Eat My Dust! opened to really huge figures, Ron said he’d do a sequel for exactly the same money, plus he’d do another job for free. . . .  He’d direct the film for nothing! Ron and his father Rance came up with a winning idea for Grand Theft Auto, a chase movie where Ron could be the legitimate lead but not be in every scene, so he could concentrate on his directing. Ron has gone on to direct a series of critically and financially successful films, including the Oscar®-winning A Beautiful Mind. I’m proud to have been a vehicle to launch Ron Howard on his esteemed directorial career.”

Shout! Factory will continue to present Roger Corman’s Cult Classics home entertainment releases in 2011. Upcoming highlights include Action-Packed Collection, The Ron Howard Action Pack, The Women in Cages Collection, Battle Beyond the Stars,  Black Oak Conspiracy, Savage!, and many others.

Independent filmmaker-producer Roger Corman’s illustrious career ranks as one of Hollywood’s most amazing and legendary success stories. Having produced more than 350 films and directed 50 others, his influence on American film goes far beyond his own energetic, creative low-budget movies. He is arguably one of Hollywood’s most gifted and masterful filmmakers, and he chronicled his incredible true-life story in the best-selling, award-winning autobiography How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime, written with Jim Jerome in 1998. In 2009 he was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award^®  for his contribution to the medium of film.

Noted for his keen ability to spot young talent, Corman’s most lasting legacy will undoubtedly be

the legion of producers, directors, writers and actors he has fostered, among them: Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Peter Fonda, Jonathan Demme, Robert Towne, Gale Anne Hurd, Diane Ladd, Tommy Lee Jones, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Talia Shire, Charles Bronson, Joe Dante, Peter Bogdanovich, Dennis Hopper, Bill Paxton, Monte Hellman, Carl Franklin and Sally Kirkland.

EAT MY DUST! Special Features:

• New Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.78:1)
• New Interview With Star Ron Howard
• How To Crash On A Dime – The making of Eat My Dust!
• Leonard Maltin Interviews Roger Corman
• The Illustrated Man – A Conversation With Corman Poster Artist John Solie
• Theatrical Trailer And TV Spot

GRAND THEFT AUTO Special Features:

• New Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.78:1)
• Introduction By Roger Corman
• Audio Commentary With Ron Howard And Roger Corman
• Audio Commentary With Actor/Cowriter Rance Howard, Second Unit Director Allan Arkush, Editor Joe Dante And Key Grip Ben Haller
• A Family Affair – An Interview With Rance And Clint Howard
• Interview With Ron Howard And Roger Corman
• Leonard Maltin Interviews Roger Corman
• Theatrical Trailer And TV Spots

I Clowns (1970, Federico Fellini)

8 ½ is one of my favorite movies.  Fellini’s use of absurdity, autobiographical themes and chaos thrown into a mixed-up, dream-like state in that film comprise a masterpiece.  It could actually be said that all of these elements are also present in Fellini’s lost classic I Clowns (The Clowns), just released on DVD for the first time in the US from Raro Video.  That such a highly regarded film by someone like Fellini hasn’t been released on disc in the states previously is amazing, but it’s great to finally have it.

I Clowns begins with Fellini’s recollections of first seeing a circus put up out his bedroom window as a child.  We see a full clown act which we assume delights young Fellini, but soon find out that it traumatized him.  It is explained how these clowns remind him of the sad characters he would see day to day, such as the town drunk or the flashback-prone war vet.  Fellini then stages a documentary (or a documentary of a documentary) to try to find out the truth behind the history of clowns and if “the clown” is dead, per se.  We see the crew travel all over Europe to meet with various characters, historians and the great clowns themselves.

I Clowns is nothing short of a brilliant example of a behind the scenes look at a documentary being filmed.  In typical Fellini fashion, we know this is just a film but he tricks us into feeling like we are right there seeing all the events unfolding.  The way the interview footage (which again we are never sure what is real) is intertwined with the breath-taking circus performances (some including Fellini himself) is very clever and unconventional, but it makes for a fascinating watch.  Also joining the festivities is famed Italian composer Nino Rota as the band leader.  Even if this was a bare bones disc, it would be a must have for film aficionados.  Fortunately this disc, the first put out by the Italian Raro Video’s US distributed label, goes above and beyond with a Criterion-worthy release.  Other than the film, which has a beautiful, full screen (this was originally made for TV) 35mm print, the disc includes an exhausting set of bonus features.  We have Un Agenzia Matrimoniale, a short film by Fellini as well as a documentary on Fellini’s fascination with the Circus in his films.  Lastly, this release also includes a 50 page booklet including original drawings and reflections of the film by Fellini himself.  Needless to say, this is a magnificent release by a well respected European company that is finally gracing us Americans with some incredible output.

RATING:  9/10

Capone (1975, Steve Carver)

Coming March 29th from Shout! Factory is the 1975 Roger Corman produced story of Al Capone, succinctly titled Capone.  This new disc marks the first US DVD release of this film, which is very surprising based on the great cast.  I myself had never even heard of the film until recently but it instantly became a must see for me.

Capone stars Ben Gazzara as the man himself, Alphonse Capone, who starts his life of crime as a simple hood trying to get recognized by the big boys.  After mob boss Johnny Torrio (Harry Guardino) sees the potential in Capone, he appoints him his right hand man.  Al's violent streak is looked down upon by the other crime bosses, but after wasting most of the competition, he himself becomes a respected leader.  Along the way Capone becomes involved with a flapper named Iris (Susan Blakely) and acquires his own right hand man, Frank Nitti (Sylvester Stallone).

Honestly, I don't know much about the historical facts of Al Capone's life.  It's probably been 20 years since I've seen the Untouchables and with many films about Capone out there, who knows which are accurate?  Though I'm sure this film adds some fiction in with the facts, it was convincing enough to make for a great watch.  Oddly enough, the screenplay was written by Howard Browne, who also wrote the 1967 Roger Corman film The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, also based around Al Capone.  Capone (the film) actually has a lot going for it, especially for cult movie fans.  There is loads of blood, profanity, nudity and violence (all Corman staples), as well as a great cast (which also includes John Cassavetes and Corman regulars Dick Miller and Martin "Kreese from The Karate Kid" Kove).  Gazzara is in top form here as the gravel voiced, puffy cheeked gangster and Stallone does a great job playing the impassive Frank Nitti.  Shout! Factory's DVD is (unsurprisingly) another stunning release, with a pristine widescreen transfer, an informative commentary with director Steve Carver (another Corman regular), and some vintage trailers.


RATING:  9/10

Pre Order now from Shout! Factory HERE - release date 3/29/11

I Saw the Devil Opens March 4th in Theaters!

“ONE FANTASTICALLY HYPNOTIC MOVIE. I Saw the Devil cements Ji-Woon Kim’s place among the (young) modern masters. It may be the most hypnotic serial killer story since The Silence of the Lambs, and it's CERTAINLY ONE OF THE BEST THRILLERS I'VE SEEN IN A FEW YEARS.”

— Scott Weinberg, Fearnet

“An unflinching gaze into the heart of pure evil and a perverse genre entertainment par excellence. It takes the serial-killer thriller as far into the realm of pulse-pounding mayhem as it has ever gone. Fans of hardcore Asian action and horror will simply eat it up.”

— Rob Nelson, Variety

“9.5 out of 10. A hugely entertaining thriller. This is filmmaking on a whole new level. A masterpiece.”

— Jacob Hall, CHUD

“9 out of 10. Nothing short of staggering. A cool, confident, and sometimes stunningly beautiful film.”

— Jeremy Kirk, Firstshowing.net 

“ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING. Shockingly violent and stunningly accomplished, it transcends the police procedural, pushing the boundaries of extreme Asian cinema in ways that will surprise and thrill fans of the genre.”

— Mr. Disgusting, BloodyDisgusting.com

“Damned if it isn’t riveting from the word ‘go’.”

— Noel Murray, The Onion

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Theatres 
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SYNOPSIS

I SAW THE DEVIL is a shockingly violent and stunningly accomplished tale of murder and revenge from Korean genre master KIM Jee-woon (The Good, The Bad, The Weird and A Tale of Two Sisters). Oldboy's CHOI Min-sik plays Kyung-chul, a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. The embodiment of pure evil, he has committed horrifying and senselessly cruel serial murders on defenseless victims, successfully eluding capture by the police.

On a freezing, snowy night, his latest victim is the beautiful Ju-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief and pregnant fiancee of elite special agent Dae-hoon (The Good, The Bad, The Weird's LEE Byung-hyun). Obsessed with revenge, Dae-hoon decides to track down the murderer, even if doing so means becoming a monster himself. And when he finds Kyung-chul, turning him in to the authorities is the last thing on his mind.

The lines between good and evil fall away in this diabolically twisted game of cat and mouse. Pushing the concept of revenge to its most extreme limits, KIM Jee-woon brilliantly transcends the police procedural and serial killer genres in surprising and thrilling new ways.

CORMAN ACTION PACKED COLLECTION & DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY/RACE WITH THE DEVIL coming from Shout! Factory

SHOUT! FACTORY PRESENTS

TWO COMBO FEATURES IN APRIL 2011

ACTION-PACKED TRIPLE FEATURE:GEORGIA PEACHES,

THE GREAT TEXAS DYNAMITE CHASE,

SMOKEY BITES THE DUST

FROM ROGER CORMAN CULT CLASSICS

* AND *

DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY/RACE WITH THE DEVIL

 

Shout! Factory will release two exciting multi-feature DVDs this April, the Action-Packed Double Feature Dirty Mary Crazy Larry /Race With The Devil on April 5, and the triple feature Action Packed Collection of Georgia Peaches, The Great Texas Dynamite Chase, Smokey Bites The Dust on April 12.

April 5 - Roger Corman Cult Classics: Action-Packed Collection: Georgia Peaches, The Great Texas Dynamite Chase, Smokey Bites The Dust

Two sisters running an auto repair shop and their moonshine-running boyfriend are extorted into becoming undercover government agents to outwit the Dragon Lady of the Southern crime belt in Georgia Peaches. Starring singer Tanya Tucker, Dirk Benedict (The A-Team), Sally Kirkland and Terri Nunn (lead singer for the group Berlin), this action-packed comedy was produced by Roger Corman as a pilot for a possible television series.

Candy (Claudia Jennings, Gator Bait, DeathSport) and Ellie Jo (Jocelyn Jones, Tourist Trap) are a pair of sexy bank robbers who blast their way into small-town banks with a carload of dynamite in The Great Texas Dynamite Chase! When they take Slim (Johnny Crawford, Valley Of The Giants) hostage, it begins a thrill-packed crime spree across the state of Texas. Also starring Tara Strohmeier (Candy Stripe Nurses), Bart Braverman (Alligator) and Priscilla Pointer (Carrie).

Smokey Bites The Dust follows the rivalry between a small-town Southern sheriff and a small-town delinquent who steals cars and then destroys them with the sheriff’s daughter by his side. Starring Jimmy McNichol (Night Warning), Janet Julian (King Of New York, Humongous), William Forsythe (Raising Arizona) and Walter Barnes (High Plains Drifter), this action-packed comedy was directed by Charles B. Griffith (Up From The Depths) and co-produced by Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, The Incredible Hulk)

Special Features:

• Theatrical Trailers

April 12 - Dirty Mary Crazy Larry/Race With The Devil

Larry (Peter Fonda) is a former NASCAR racer looking to score some quick cash. Mary (Susan George) is a sexy groupie aching to take a fast ride. Together with mechanic Deke (Adam Roarke), they pull off a cold-blooded supermarket heist and hit the highway in Dirty Mary Crazy Larry. Now there is a maniacal lawman (Vic Morrow) on their trail, an entire police force in pursuit and hundreds of miles of roadblocks between their ’69 Charger and freedom. Buckle up for the action classic that blows the doors off all other car chase films as it speeds toward one of the most jaw-dropping finales in movie history. Directed by John Hough (The Legend Of Hell House, The Incubus).

For old friends Roger (Fonda) and Frank (Warren Oates) and their wives (Lara Parker, Loretta Swit), it was supposed to be “the best damn vacation they ever had.” But their RV road trip takes a deadly detour at a secluded campsite when they accidentally witness a satanic sacrifice in Race With The Devil. Now horror hits the highway as the couples are pursued by satanic cultists through some of the most intense car chases and into one of the greatest twist endings in drive-in movie history. Directed by Jack Starrett (The Losers, Cleopatra Jones), who was also an actor and played the memorable role of the vicious Deputy Galt in First Blood.

DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY Special Features:

• Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.78:1)
• Audio Commentary With Director John Hough
• Ride The Wild Side – Featuring interviews with director John Hough and actors Peter Fonda and Susan George
• Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots And Radio Spots   

RACE WITH THE DEVIL Special Features:

• Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.78:1)
• Audio Commentary With Executive Producer Paul Maslansky And Actress Lara Parker
• Hell On Wheels – Interview with Peter Fonda
• Theatrical Trailers, TV Spot And Radio Spots 
 

Depeche Mode - Rewind: 30 Years at the Edge (2011)

Depeche Mode was one of the most successful synth pop bands of the 80's and 90's.  From their humble beginnings in Basildon, England to having a number one album in the US and UK (Songs of Love and Devotion), Depeche Mode has been through it all.  I remember when the song Enjoy the Silence blew up and they used to show the video of singer Dave Gahan dressed like a king on MTV constantly and I HATED it.  I don't think I even paid attention to the song, I just hated the video.  And the band's name, which I thought was pronounced "Dep-ek Mode".  Of course now the song is one of my favorites of all time and I love Depeche Mode.  Unsurprisingly, this 2 DVD set was a must see.

Depeche Mode -Rewind: 30 Years at the Edge is a 2 disc set featuring two separate documentaries on the band.  The first (clocking in at an hour and a half) focuses on the most loved period of the band, the four album span of Black Celebration, Music for the Masses, Violator and Songs of Love and Devotion.  The documentary starts out with the band's formation all the way until they hit their peak.  The hour long second disc is a more broad overview of the band featuring interviews with old friends, producers, etc.

Documentaries don't get much better than this.  When a documentary focuses on a band I love and four albums that I love, there is little that can be done to make me not like it.  Rewind goes above and beyond to show video clips, interviews with not only those who worked with the band but other electronic musicians of the time (Gary Numan, Thomas Dolby, Andy McCluskey of OMD) to give the most in depth information possible.  Though not as strong as the first disc, disc 2 has some nice interviews and is more for casual fans of the band.  The one part that particularly stuck out in the second disc was the interview footage with Brian Griffin, the cover artist for several of the band's early albums where he explains how those brilliant covers came to be.  Overall, MVD has put out another brilliant documentary on an important band that is in-depth, fast paced and very entertaining.

RATING:  10/10