Burnt Offerings for October 7, 2014

Tuesday, 07 October 2014 12:35

Burnt Offerings for October 7, 2014

by Dr Adam Jahnke

Here’s a surprise. The long dormant MGM Limited Edition Collection has announced that they’ll soon be manufacturing on demand again. Their initial line-up is scheduled to arrive next week and I’ll be taking a look at those titles then. Before you get too excited, almost all of the titles in this first wave are previously released out-of-print movies. At least it’s something, though, and hopefully we’ll start seeing some more obscurities making their disc debuts from MGM soon.

In the meantime, here’s your weekly rundown of the week’s new MOD discs and a selection of streaming titles worthy of your attention. As always, please consider making a purchase via one of these nifty banners and you’ll help support The Bits. Many thanks if you do. [Read on here...]

NEW FROM THE SONY CHOICE COLLECTION

Vanity Street (1932) – Here’s a fairly obscure pre-Code crime flick. NYC cop Charles Bickford falls in love with showgirl Helen Chandler. But just as they’re about to get married, he arrests her for murder. With the clock ticking, Bickford does some sleuthing to clear her name and find the real killer.

Run Wild, Run Free (1969) – Mark Lester stars as a young mute boy who finds his way into the world thanks to his love for a beautiful white colt and an old recluse (John Mills) in this British family film, a former JET’s Most Wanted pick.

NEW FROM 20TH CENTURY FOX CINEMA ARCHIVES

Life Begins In College (1937) – The Ritz Brothers befriend a football-playing Indian in this collegiate comedy. Look for Gloria Stuart and Lon Chaney Jr. in the cast.

Tall, Dark And Handsome (1941) – Cesar Romero stars as an underworld kingpin with a heart of gold in this comedy co-starring Milton Berle.

WIDE AWAKE IN STREAMLAND

The Woman Chaser (Netflix) – Patrick Warburton stars in this cult comedy, based on the novel by Charles Willeford. Music rights have prevented this from ever being released on DVD, so do yourself a favor and catch this while you can on Netflix. It’s a fantastic little movie.

Ganja & Hess (Fandor) – Bill Gunn’s remarkable 1973 vampire movie frequently appears on lists of the Best Horror Movies You’ve Never Seen and with good reason. If you’ve never seen it, check it out on Fandor or on DVD and Blu-ray from Kino.

Hit! (Netflix) – Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor in a 1973 action flick about a federal agent seeking revenge on a drug cartel? Yes, please. Newly streaming on Netflix and available on DVD and Blu-ray from Olive Films.

Skyscraper Souls (Warner Archive) – A terrific pre-Code melodrama about a businessman (Warren William) who’ll do anything and everything in his quest to acquire an office building. Maureen O’Sullivan costars in this one, also available on MOD DVD in Volume 7 of WAC’s Forbidden Hollywood Collection.

- Adam Jahnke

Published in Burnt Offerings: MOD DVD

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