No Hesitation
Nothing says “instant buy” to me like first-rate Blurays of classic black-and-white films. Warner Home Video’s forthcoming Blurays of John Huston‘s The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (due on 10.5 but secretly so far — Amazon and other sites haven’t posted the news) will presumably be up to the standards of their 2008 Casablanca Bluray, which, if true, will make me drool with anticipation.
YES YES YES YES
YES YES YES YES
Terrible cover art, though. What happened to WB’s laudable standard of using original ad art?
Terrible cover art, though. What happened to WB’s laudable standard of using original ad art?
Social Network teaser.
Inception spots.
Airbender spots.
Harry Knowles had a close call.
Fassbender definitely going to class.
Stallone=John Gotti?
Nichols’ new gig.
Will Jackson pick up his Hobbit again?
Pro-Cruise article.
Social Network teaser.
Inception spots.
Airbender spots.
Harry Knowles had a close call.
Fassbender definitely going to class.
Stallone=John Gotti?
Nichols’ new gig.
Will Jackson pick up his Hobbit again?
Pro-Cruise article.
Almost all Blu-ray cover-art for catalog titles has been atrocious. Just looking at Minority Report and Collateral is enough to make me think twice about pulling the trigger.
That being said, that Maltese Falcon isn’t too bad, but The Treasure on the Sierra Madre looks disgusting and reductive. That orange-bronze bath gives it the appeal of a Steven Seagal/Wesley Snipes movie in the $5 bin at Walmart.
I don’t understand why WHV throws out these repulsive covers for their blu-rays. Just look at those single or two-disc sets for The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind, they’re shameful.
Almost all Blu-ray cover-art for catalog titles has been atrocious. Just looking at Minority Report and Collateral is enough to make me think twice about pulling the trigger.
That being said, that Maltese Falcon isn’t too bad, but The Treasure on the Sierra Madre looks disgusting and reductive. That orange-bronze bath gives it the appeal of a Steven Seagal/Wesley Snipes movie in the $5 bin at Walmart.
I don’t understand why WHV throws out these repulsive covers for their blu-rays. Just look at those single or two-disc sets for The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind, they’re shameful.
Ooh, good news! I think I’ll have to grab both of these, particularly Sierra Madre, which I like more each time I see it & is probably my favorite Bogey performance.
Ooh, good news! I think I’ll have to grab both of these, particularly Sierra Madre, which I like more each time I see it & is probably my favorite Bogey performance.
Interesting, as the Warner Archive titles get original artwork now and look great.
Interesting, as the Warner Archive titles get original artwork now and look great.
I have the two-disc special edition of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre on regular dvd and the cover art is much better with a big Bogie closeup and Walter Huston, Tim Holt and others off to the sides.The extras include a great 1989 documentary on John Huston, hosted by Robert Mitchum.I assume it is also on the new Bluray.Inside, there is even a quote from James Agee’s Time magazine review.
I have the two-disc special edition of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre on regular dvd and the cover art is much better with a big Bogie closeup and Walter Huston, Tim Holt and others off to the sides.The extras include a great 1989 documentary on John Huston, hosted by Robert Mitchum.I assume it is also on the new Bluray.Inside, there is even a quote from James Agee’s Time magazine review.
The Maltese Falcon is THAT GOOD. I may make it my first BluRay purchase.
The Maltese Falcon is THAT GOOD. I may make it my first BluRay purchase.
They don’t really do noirs anymore. When they do, they’re usually “nu-noir” self-referential things, like Sin City or the Black Dahlia. Referencing the old movies rather than being noir all by theirmselves. The closest to a modern noir was probably Minority Report. Even there they reference old crime writers (the pre-cogs were all named after famous ones), but at least it felt new and a product of its time rather than a throwback to another decade.
They don’t really do noirs anymore. When they do, they’re usually “nu-noir” self-referential things, like Sin City or the Black Dahlia. Referencing the old movies rather than being noir all by theirmselves. The closest to a modern noir was probably Minority Report. Even there they reference old crime writers (the pre-cogs were all named after famous ones), but at least it felt new and a product of its time rather than a throwback to another decade.
“theirmselves”? I’ve been on the sauce all night. Like a hard-boiled detective, n’shit.
“theirmselves”? I’ve been on the sauce all night. Like a hard-boiled detective, n’shit.
Sin City‘s an interesting case. It was based on a comic book (graphic novel, whatevs!), but it totally had that tough-yet-sultry-broad, liquor-in-the-bottom-desk-drawer edge to it. It certainly resembles noir more than any superhero movie I can think of.
Memento‘s a good example of a postmodern film (lot of critics called it a “neo-noir”) that sort of deconstructs the genre. It sucker-punches the seasoned viewer by using similar archetypes and going through most of the familiar tropes (albeit structured differently), only to pull the carpet out from underneath you (in a good way) with the final plot revelation.
That last scene somehow simultaneously invalidates it as a traditional noir, yet almost makes it the definitive representation of that genre ever put on the screen.
It’s quite a trick, and one that I respect so much that I remain skeptical that he’ll ever be able to conceive of something quite as brilliant for the rest of his long career.
Here’s hoping, though…
Sin City‘s an interesting case. It was based on a comic book (graphic novel, whatevs!), but it totally had that tough-yet-sultry-broad, liquor-in-the-bottom-desk-drawer edge to it. It certainly resembles noir more than any superhero movie I can think of.
Memento‘s a good example of a postmodern film (lot of critics called it a “neo-noir”) that sort of deconstructs the genre. It sucker-punches the seasoned viewer by using similar archetypes and going through most of the familiar tropes (albeit structured differently), only to pull the carpet out from underneath you (in a good way) with the final plot revelation.
That last scene somehow simultaneously invalidates it as a traditional noir, yet almost makes it the definitive representation of that genre ever put on the screen.
It’s quite a trick, and one that I respect so much that I remain skeptical that he’ll ever be able to conceive of something quite as brilliant for the rest of his long career.
Here’s hoping, though…
I imagine any company is scared silly of marketing a black and white movie that doesn’t have Jessica Alba slowly gyrating in cowboy chaps. I’ll repeat that, because just the thought of it makes me happy… “Jessica Alba slowly gyrating in cowboy chaps.”
Anyway, these marketing guys have been working for a few years now (with no success) to get some damn color in the covers for the dvd/blu-ray releases of their B&W films… everything from Karloff’s Columbias to Wilder’s fifties’ output… golden sepia, bright cartoonish reds, whatever… they always wind up looking like the totally pedestrian/near-amateurish layouts for these Bogart films.
I imagine any company is scared silly of marketing a black and white movie that doesn’t have Jessica Alba slowly gyrating in cowboy chaps. I’ll repeat that, because just the thought of it makes me happy… “Jessica Alba slowly gyrating in cowboy chaps.”
Anyway, these marketing guys have been working for a few years now (with no success) to get some damn color in the covers for the dvd/blu-ray releases of their B&W films… everything from Karloff’s Columbias to Wilder’s fifties’ output… golden sepia, bright cartoonish reds, whatever… they always wind up looking like the totally pedestrian/near-amateurish layouts for these Bogart films.
Noirs tend to have the highest batting average of any movie genre. The average noir film is of a higher quality than, say, the average western or sci-fi movie. It’s interesting to think of why this is so: it’s probably because noir contains the closest accurate approximation of human motivations. This doesn’t say much for us as a species, but it does make for an exciting movie.
Once again trying to lead a horse to water and make him drink, I hereby post again the link to the coolest film noir tribute reel ever made. I only hope Jeff takes the six minutes to make himself happy. If you watch this, Jeff, you will love it, and you will give it a full posting and apologize for being behind the eight-ball. If you watch it and don’t like it, I will post daily on HE for one week the following statement: “Jeff Wells is a film reviewing GOD who makes Pauline Kael look like Ben Lyons.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgBa2Oij1A&playnext_from=TL&videos=i2c7Y1rMp68
Noirs tend to have the highest batting average of any movie genre. The average noir film is of a higher quality than, say, the average western or sci-fi movie. It’s interesting to think of why this is so: it’s probably because noir contains the closest accurate approximation of human motivations. This doesn’t say much for us as a species, but it does make for an exciting movie.
Once again trying to lead a horse to water and make him drink, I hereby post again the link to the coolest film noir tribute reel ever made. I only hope Jeff takes the six minutes to make himself happy. If you watch this, Jeff, you will love it, and you will give it a full posting and apologize for being behind the eight-ball. If you watch it and don’t like it, I will post daily on HE for one week the following statement: “Jeff Wells is a film reviewing GOD who makes Pauline Kael look like Ben Lyons.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgBa2Oij1A&playnext_from=TL&videos=i2c7Y1rMp68
Love the article, keep it up!
Love the article, keep it up!
It’s so luck to enjoy this article ,so nice.
It’s so luck to enjoy this article ,so nice.