Film Score Daily: Aisle Seat 12-3: OCN Wrap, INTERSTELLAR Back on UHD

OCN Distribution’s November and December slate offers a wide range of Blu-Ray titles, with the Cinematographe label also premiering one of their most eclectic features on 4K UHD yet: a restored edition of the true William Castle curio SHANKS (93 mins., 1974, PG). This hugely offbeat, dark fairy tale features Marcel Marceau in a dramatic turn as both a deaf/mute puppeteer as well as a mad doctor who takes him under his wing as his assistant – until the doctor dies, and “Shanks” finds out he can reanimate the dead.

Marceau, renowned as one of the great mime artists, also speaks as “Dr. Baker,” whose instruments provide Shanks with a means of getting revenge against the people who have taken advantage of him, in this weird picture which offers a heavy dose of ‘70s narcissism and melancholy. Alex North’s score is as off-kilter as the subject matter, which Castle delivers in a suitably claustrophobic piece heavy on atmosphere. As a dramatic exercise, “Shanks” falls off-course during its final third as Ranald Graham’s script succumbs to formula, but it’s certainly unusual and worthy of a viewing for genre enthusiasts.

Cinematographe’s 4K UHD of “Shanks” blows the earlier Olive Blu-Ray, derived from an ancient Paramount master, out of the water. This new 4K restoration from the 35mm looks superlative (1.85) with stronger colors, clearer details, superior compression and the benefit of HDR10. Joseph Biroc’s cinematography likewise benefits as you’d anticipate from the UHD, though a remastered Blu-Ray is also included, which is also a solid upgrade from the previous BD. Extra features in the 4000 copy, hardbound, deluxe limited edition include a fresh commentary by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw, which is, as usual for the duo, a lot of fun; a new interview with producer Steven North; a video essay from Daniel Kremer on the movie; an archival interview with Marceau about the film; radio spots; and booklet notes from Heather Drain, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and William Castle expert Murray Leeder.

The rest of OCN’s partner labels offer a wide gamut of titles, and since time is short, let’s take a quick look at what’s available both now and later this month on Blu-Ray:

Darkstar Pictures: William Malone’s FEARdotCOM (101 mins., 2002) takes us back to a post-Y2K era where people could die after logging into a nefarious website like the title destination. Theatrically released by Warner Bros. at the end of the August dumping grounds back in 2002, this forgotten affair starring Stephen Dorff, Natascha McElhone and Stephen Rea has migrated back to its financial backers, MDP Worldwide, for this Darkstar release. The Blu-Ray includes a 2024 commentary, another track with Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth, new interviews and plenty more (2.35, 5.1)…Showtime produced a star-studded filming of the stage musical REEFER MADNESS (109 mins., 2005), itself based on the infamous ‘30s B&W drama, nearly two decades ago. Kirsten Bell, Neve Campbell and Alan Cumming are among the stars who appear in Andy Fickman’s feature version (1.78, 5.1).

Canadian International Pictures: CIP’s latest resurrects the 1986 thriller ABDUCTED (91 mins.), a movie from director Boon Collins about a young woman (Roberta Weiss) who’s abducted while jogging by a mountain psycho (Lawrence King-Phillips), leading to his father’s (Dan Haggerty) rescue mission to save her. A solid, modestly-budgeted effort across the board, CIP’s Blu includes a new 2K scan from the 35mm blow-up internegative (either 1.85 or unmatted 1.33) with Collins providing an interview, fresh conversations with cinematographer Robert McLachlan, trailers for Collins’ other films, excerpts from assorted shorts and more.

Film Movement Releases: Returning to Blu-Ray from Film Movement is Sean Mathias’ BENT (105 mins., 1997, NC-17), the acclaimed film about a homosexual (Clive Owen) who ends up on the run in Nazi Germany and is eventually sent to the Dachau concentration camp. There, he meets and forms a bond with a fellow inmate (Lothaire Bluteau) in this tough, uncompromising and yet uplifting film. This reprise of the label’s 2019 Blu includes cast/crew interviews, behind the scenes footage, and co-star Mick Jagger’s “Streets of Berlin” music video. The 1080p (1.78) transfer and 2.0 soundtrack are both perfectly fine…Writer-director Philip Ridley’s THE REFLECTING SKIN (96 mins., 1990, R) is a disturbing piece here restored in 2K with a featurette and commentary from the director.

TAKESHI KITANO DOUBLE PLAY offers two of the Japanese director’s thrillers: his 1989 debut “Violent Cop” plus the 1990 follow-up “Boiling Point.” New digital restorations (1.85, 2.0 Japanese stereo with English subtitles) adorn both movies with two featurettes included in Film Movement’s Blu-Ray…Bertrand Bonello’s COMA (81 mins., 2024) looks at the effect the pandemic has on an 18-year-old girl, with the Blu-Ray (1.33/1.85/2.35, 5.1/2.9) offering the director’s commentary…and 20,000 SPECIES OF BEES (128 mins.) profiles gender dysphoria in the Basque Country, as captured by director Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren (1.85, 5.1/2.0)./

Dekanalog New Releases: Among Dekanalog’s latest are the 2015 spoof BRO PARTY MASSACRE III (96 mins., 2015) sporting commentaries and many extras in a two-disc set (1.85, 5.1)..Just in time for Christmas, ADULT SWIM YULE LOG (91 mins., 2022) serves up a suitably irreverent succession of horrific images. Dekanalog’s now-available Blu-Ray (1.78m 5.1) offers two commentaries and additional special features.

Factory 25: KID-THING (83 mins., 2012) finds the Zellner Bros engaging in a disturbing exercise involving a 10-year-old girl left to fend for herself, and her various adventures in her father’s Texas farm. Factory 25’s Blu includes a number of shorts, music videos and a 32-page booklet (1.78); BETTER THAN SOMETHING: JAY REATARD (88 mins., 2012) is Alex Hammond and Ian Markiweicz’s doc of musician Jay Reatard, who passed away in 2010 at age 30. Factory 25’s Blu features deleted scenes and a 32 page booklet (18, 5.1).

ETR Media: POWER OF GRAYSKULL: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (95 mins., 2018) offers a feature-length look at the ‘80s Mattel toy craze, leading up to the 1987 Cannon movie and a fan base that’s endured ever since. Extended interviews are all included in ETR’s now-available Blu-Ray (1.85, 5.1), while ETR’s other new release this month, I AM SANTA CLAUS (89 mins., 2014), is Tommy Avallone’s enjoyable profile of five “professional Santas”. Commentary from the director, extended scenes, and new interviews with “the Santas” comprise the extras (1080p, 5.1).

IFC New Releases: The Australian thriller THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS (119 mins., 2011) chronicles a horrifying true story from 1999; IFC’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 5.1) offers new commentary by Simon Abrams and a Samm Deighan video essay to compliment archival extras (director Justin Kurzel’s commentary; deleted scenes).

Shudder: Gabriel Bier Gisalson’s ATTACHMENT (105 mins., 2022) debuts on Blu-Ray featuring a 1080p transfer (1.85, 5.1 DTS MA) and extras including two commentaries and writing from critic BJ Colangelo; while SALOUM (84 mins., 2021) from director Jean Luc Herbulot premieres on Blu-Ray featuring a commentary track (2.39, 5.1 DTS MA).

Kani Releasing: New titles from Kani include Daisuke Miyazaki’s PLASTIC (104 mins., 2023), featuring bonus interviews and the supporting feature “Yamamoto (California)” (1.66, 5.1); and two movies from Filipino director Marilou Diaz-Abaya. Her KARNAL (123 mins., 1983) is an early ‘80s Filipino drama premiering with interviews and English subtitles (1.77), while the earlier MORAL (157 mins., 1982) debuts later this month, sporting another 2K restoration (1.85) with additional interviews.

Yellow Veil Pictures: Gay horror is on-tap in Carter Smith’s SWALLOWED (96 mins., 2023), sporting multiple commentaries and interviews (1.33, 2.0); meanwhile, Elizabeth Schuch’s THE BOOK OF BIRDIE (91 mins., 2017) is back on Blu-Ray in a new special edition with commentary, interviews, deleted scenes, cast auditions and more (2.35, 5.1).

Also Available: Prashanth Kamalakanthan’s HAVE A NICE LIFE (82 mins., 2021; The Film Desk) is a North Carolina-set culture clash comedy, presented with a new commentary and several shorts also produced by the director; the 2019 Czech import THE OWNERS (96 mins.; Big World) premieres on Blu-Ray this month sporting a 1080p (2.35) transfer with 5.1 sound and additional trailers; Pascal Plante’s unusual French thriller RED ROOMS (118 mins., 2023; Utopia) features two commentaries, behind the scenes material, and a live show with composer Dominique Plante shot in Quebec (1.78, 5.1).

Finally, Umbrella premieres the comedy HERCULES RETURNS (82 mins.) with cast/crew commentary and more (1.77); Producer Natasha Halvei’s GIVE ME AN Z (110 mins., 2023; XYZ Films) offers 17 different shorts from as many directors looking at the overturning of Roe V Wade (1.85, 5.1); paper-mache sets dominate ADAM GREEN’S ALADDIN (92 mins., 2016), an offbeat (to put it mildly) retelling of the fairy tale with Natasha Lyonne and Macaulay Culkin among the cast; and Jeremy Saulnier’s MURDER PARTY (79 mins., 2007; Magnet) offers a wild indie ride with a new conversation with the director on-hand plus archival extras (1.78, 5.1).

HARD WOOD: The Adult Features of Ed Wood Blu-Ray (Severin): Z-movie auteur Ed Wood capped his career rolling out of bed to direct a number of adult features, collected here on Blu-Ray from Severin with loads of extra features. These include new uncut transfers and luminaries like Bobcat Goldthwait, tapped to comment on the three features included herein: “Necromania,” “The Only House in Town” And “The Young Marrieds,” with two features presented in either soft or hard core versions. A bonus feature, “Shotgun Wedding,” with William Schallert offers more general entertainment for Wood enthusiasts while commentaries and more are included in the brand-new Severin three-disc set.

SCALA!!! Blu-Ray (96 mins., Severin): Deluxe three-disc Blu-Ray special edition from Severin provides viewers a look at the famous British repertory theater via an entertaining, appropriately colorful feature-length documentary plus a bounty of supplements. These include commentaries, dozens of interviews, supporting documentaries, and plenty of nostalgic amusement for fans of the era or London itself.

DARIO ARGENTO’S DEEP CUTS Blu-Ray (Severin): Four-disc Blu-Ray anthology offers a cavalcade of Dario Argento productions that aired on Italy’s RAI TV. These included his 1973 anthology series “Door Into Darkness,” included here spread across the first two discs with commentary from experts like Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth (note three of the four episodes are sourced from original 16mm negatives for the first time). There’s also “Nightmares,” derived from Argento’s 1987 talk show “Giallo,” plus “Night Shift” and loads of interviews including Argento, director Luigi Cozzi, screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti, director Lamberto Bava and more.

2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS 4K UHD (90 mins., 1983; Severin): One of the numerous post-“Road Warrior” released Mad Max rip-offs that seemed to be especially popular in Italy, “2020 Texas Gladiators” should suffice for fans of the genre. Italian exploitation auteur Joe D’Amato spins a traditionally gory, low-budget effort “set in Texas” but filled with dubbed international stars including the lovely Sabrina Siani along with Al Cliver, Peter Hooten and Donald O’Brien. It’s mostly interchangeable with other films of its kind, but if you groove towards these flicks, “2020 Texas Gladiators” should do the trick, especially with its 4K remastering with HDR10 (1.85) in Severin’s new three-disc set. Archival interviews with D’Amato and assistant director Michele Soavi are included plus a new interview with Geretta Geretta and a copy of the soundtrack CD.

Also New & Noteworthy

INTERSTELLAR – 4K UHD 10th Anniversary Edition (169 mins., 2014, PG-13; Paramount): It’s tough to rag too much on a sci-fi film that does, at least, attempt to tell a genuine story augmented with “real science” in today’s age of mindless comic book fantasies. On the other hand, was it too much to ask for a film like Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” to be less convoluted and a bit more emotional – and by that I mean, actually move the viewer and not just throw up a group of characters crying hysterically on-screen? It’s a solid albeit frustrating film in that Nolan manages to captivate, and occasionally enthrall, the audience for nearly all of its lengthy running time, while the picture is nearly as unmoving as many of his works.

On the plus side, this tale of a depleted Earth in dire need of food is believably rendered, with farmer Matthew McConaughey called into captain a last-ditch mission at finding another home in a galaxy that, ordinarily, would be far, far away. However, thanks to a wormhole dispatched near Saturn, McConaughey and his band of fellow astronauts (including Anne Hathaway) are able to spearhead an expedition to several planets that offer the potential of sustaining life. Meanwhile, back on Earth, McConaughey’s family carries on without him while circumstances take a turn for the worse – and are exaggerated by the fact that hours that the crew passes in the remote galaxy are the equivalent of years back in the Milky Way.

Saying anything more about the plot, written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan, would be spoiling too much of the journey. Suffice to say a major actor (purposefully not mentioned in pre-release advertising) appears midway through the movie in a role that’s transparent in its dramatic function and instigates a downward spiral which “Interstellar” never entirely breaks out of. The opening act of the film effectively sets up the film’s setting and premise – which is remarkably free of environmental proselytizing – as well as McConaughey’s connection to his family. Yet once the journey begins – and the astronauts experience an initial stop on a planet with waves reaching the height of mountains – the film tends to move from one “event” to the next on an emotional flatline, while there are seemingly endless scenes with characters arguing over wormholes, relativity, gravity, black holes, and 5th dimensional beings. These conversations eventually become so dense that the movie nearly feels like the equivalent of a Universal ‘50s monster movie where someone like J. Carroll Naish would outline the reason why a giant insect was cavorting around the desert. It’s all techno-babble mumbo-jumbo, interesting to a point but overstuffed to a degree. Thankfully, the moments that sing truly do linger in the mind, and the resolution is a satisfying one, making for one of Nolan’s best films all told.

Paramount’s 10th Anniversary Limited Edition UHD of “Interstellar” is augmented with some three hours of special features including the new retrospective “The Future Is Now: A Look Back at Interstellar.” Additional swag in the limited edition box include costume patch replicas, five poster reproductions, and a never-before-seen storyboard sequence. The movie itself is a reprise of its earlier UHD, which offers HDR10 imagery that’s stunning all the way through. Technically this is a marvelous transfer that holds up well, with the IMAX shot sequences being especially jaw-dropping, as is the original 5.1 DTS MA audio.

LITTLE WOMEN 4K UHD (118 mins., 1994, PG; Sony): Lyrical filming of the Louisa May Alcott classic from director Gillian Anderson offers a dynamite ensemble of Winona Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Samantha Mathis and Susan Sarandon backing Robin Swicord’s relatively faithful 1994 adaptation. Produced by Denise Di Novi, this was an elegant studio production that offers high talent across the board, from Thomas Newman’s glistening, London Symphony-recorded score to Geoffrey Simpson’s wintry cinematography, the movie having been shot in BC and western Massachusetts. It makes for a lovely revisit – especially at this time of year – via Sony’s 4K UHD, which boasts Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) and 5.1/2.0 DTS MA sound. Archival extras include Armstrong’s commentary, featurettes, two deleted scenes, the trailer and a Digital HD code.

WATCHMEN: CHAPTER II 4K UHD (89 mins., 2024, R; Warner): Second half of Brandon Vietti, writer J. Michael Straczyinski’s and Warner Bros. Animation’s adaptation of the classic Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons graphic novel (with Moore, as usual, refusing to take credit) focuses on Nite Owl and Silk Spectre’s efforts to find out who’s targeting the remaining Watchmen after The Comedian’s murder. Warner’s 4K UHD sports HDR10 enhancement and 5.1 DTS MA sound to go around with several featurettes and a Digital HD code.

THE KILLER’S GAME 4K UHD (104 mins., 2024, R; Lionsgate): Dave Bautista slices his way through this brainless action comedy as an assassin who orders a hit on himself after learning that he has a terminal illness. It’s like an amped-up 2024 action remake of Burt Reynolds’ “The End,” with Bautista having a good time opposite Sofia Boutella and Ben Kingsley – if only the story wasn’t so contrived and unsatisfying. Lionsgate’s 4K UHD (2.39) sports Dolby Atmos sound, Dolby Vision HDR enhancement, a Blu-Ray, Digital HD code, and several (very) brief featurettes.

NEXT TIME: Arrow brings SHAWSCOPE Volume 3 and DEMOLITION MAN to UHD! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!