Burt’s Buzz – Burt Shavitz is an odd cookie - but he makes for an interesting documentary subject. Shavitz created the Burt’s Bees brand and serves as the corporate logo. He’s everything you’d expect of him, and much much more. I found this doc to be quite fascinating and I’m glad it’s getting a wide release (I got to see it as part of a film festival selection committee and worried it would go the way of the dodo).
Eraserhead – Look, I love this film. I fell in love with it the moment the first frame got lit up on screen. But, I’ll let one of my favorite people tell you all about this release from Criterion. If you haven’t read Adam’s review of the disc yet, let me say that love letters by Frida Kahlo aren’t written half as well as this.
Ghostbusters 1 & 2 – Though the first one has proven to be one of the greatest films of the 80s, the sequel is growing on me. It’s not great, and there are many things I wished they either did or didn’t do (for example, why did the Ghostbusters need to be down and out at the start – it really minimized the story potential. There would have been so much more to do if they were solvent as a business or within the public. Character hamstringing is what I call it. Anyway.) Here for you and everyone are two great Blu upgrades that you’ll definitely want to pick up.
Godzilla – This was a good giant monster movie. Not a great film, mind you. Many many many holes to fill. BUT, it’s a good giant monster movie. Looking forward to more.
The Fault in Our Stars – Based on the novel by John Green, this a good, entertaining version of the old teens-dying-of-cancer trope. We’ve seen a zillion of these. Every generation has theirs. This is yours, Generation Whatever Your Name Is.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 40th Anniversary Edition – Supposedly this is the first time in its 40 years of existence anyone has gone back to the 16mm camera original and made a transfer. MPI/Dark Sky deserves some points because not only did they utilize the 16mm ECO Low Contrast Color Reversal Film Camera Original, they also made a 4K digital transfer and from what I’ve read, it’s pretty good with nice grain and spot on color representation. I haven’t seen it yet, but being a fan, you know I will soon. Extras include two new audio commentaries (one with Tobe Hooper, the other with cinematographer Daniel Pearl, editor J. Larry Carroll and sound recordist Ted Nicolaou), two archival commentaries from previous releases, featurettes galore, deleted scenes & outtakes, a blooper reel, still gallery, trailer for this edition, archival trailers, and TV & radio spots. If you can wait, in mid-October a super special edition packaged with a Leatherface apron, mini-prints and a special “Black Maria” cattle truck streets. Either way, looks like a must own set.
Think Like a Man Too – I haven’t seen the first film, so I don’t know much about this sequel - but I’ll give anything a chance.
TV Releases of Note: Pretty good TV week if you’re a fan of genre stuff. Arrow really found its own legs this past season and I look forward to more good stuff in Season 3 along with the Flash series. From Dusk has been on Netflix for a few weeks and I found it to be an interesting exploration of the mythos behind the original and its sequel films. This is very much a Robert Rodriguez endeavor with nary a QT to be found, but that’s okay. Grimm has one more season for me to invest in it. It’s taken some strange turns that I’m not digging and if it doesn’t go back to its roots this next season, I’m Audi. Hannibal became a must-watch show for me this past season and Cliff Stephenson’s special editions for this series are really setting the stage of what a TV show SE could and frankly should be, so if you’re a fan of the show, you really should pick up Season 1 and 2 on Blu. Of course, also streeting this week is one of my great TV loves: South Park. Doing what Simpsons couldn’t do – stay consistently funny for 18 years – SP starts back up next week and I am excite.
About a Boy: Season 1, Arrow: Season 2, Awkward: Season 3, Big Bang Theory: Season 7, Bones: Season 9, From Dusk Till Dawn: Season 1, Grimm: Season 3, Hannibal: Season 2, Sleepy Hollow: Season 1 and South Park: Season 17
Next week is a rather odd week. Some good stuff, and some “eh” stuff. You’ll see what I’m talking about next week. Until then, keep spinnin’ those discs.
– Todd Doogan