Region Free Blu Ray

I bought an HD DVD player a couple of years ago but the demise of the format and the relatively high price points of the competing Blu Ray players caused me to shy away from HiDef for a while...until recently.

I'd been doing some research -- see, I wanted to go "region free" AND I wanted to go Blu as well. Luckily there turned out to be a bargain-priced option in one box.

The Momitsu BDP 899 was touted on several video forums as being able to handle any disc -- all regions of DVD, PAL, NTSC, all regions of Blu Ray. The only problem was the price. The Momitsu was going for a cool $300 and change. Well, when sources confirmed that the new budget Sherwood BDP 5004 was nothing less than a clone of the Momistu -- at half the price -- I decided to jump.

Since I've only had the Sherwood a couple of weeks, my impressions aren't absolutely conclusive, but I can say so far that it's a great bargain for home theater fans who want to watch PAL DVDs and Region B locked Blu Ray discs from Europe but are willing to do without all the bells and whistles of streaming web, Netflix, etc (the Sherwood is capable of BD-Live via an ethernet cable, but by all accounts it's actually a liability to the player's performance). In addition to regular Region 1 DVDs and Blu Rays, my viewing options have opened up to include discs from all over the world -- a must for a fan of Eurocrime, giallos and art cinema like me.

There are a quite a few "Europe only" discs of note out there that I strongly recommend. First off Paramount's Blu Ray of ZULU can be had for around $16 on Amazon.co.uk and the picture is astounding, easily besting all previous DVD releases. It's also region free, so it'll play on any U.S. player. BFI put out Kenneth Anger's MAGICK LANTERN CYCLE on Blu and it's a revelation for fans of experiemental cinema. Highly recommended. Also available only as a Region B locked blu is Terry Gilliam's TIME BANDITS. Some fans have decried the rather rough print used for the digital transfer but the clarity and sharpness are top notch. Definitely an upgrade over previous DVDs. Michael Anderson's classic post WWII effort THE DAM BUSTERS is also available as a low-priced UK-only Blu. You'll probably never see this released in the U.S. -- thanks to the name of the Wing Commander Gibson's dog! (although there are still rumors out there that Peter Jackson is remaking this one).

The UK video label Masters of Cinema frequently duplicates Criterion's efforts here in the States but there are a few exclusive titles including Franju's JUDEX and the spooky Japanese cult-classic-in-waiting, HAUSU. Shameless offers region free PAL discs of slumming Eurotrash such as THE DESIGNATED VICTIM and THE FRIGHTENED WOMAN. And for the price of breakfast, you can get your mitts on the enhanced for 16:9 DVDs of Hammer's DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS or QUATERMASS AND THE PIT which have only been released here in the States as OOP non-enhanced discs from Anchor Bay.

The German branch of Amazon has it's own treasures, although the shipping, for some reason, is prohibitively expensive (usually more than the cost of the DVD itself). However, Sergio Corbucci's THE MERCENARY coming out on Koch DVD at the end of this month is nearly enough to make me sell my 16mm TV print. Maybe that'll cover the s/h cost. Now if only I could figure out how to read German...

THE BOY WITH GREEN HAIR

Purchased and received my very first DVD from the "hand-made" Warners Archives Collection. They offer up professionally packaged DVD-Rs of obscure films for a pretty steep price ($20 plus shipping). I hadn't had the chance to check them out until I spotted Joseph Losey's THE BOY WITH GREEN HAIR (1948) for sale. I'd been looking for a decent DVD copy of this film for several years.

On the surface, it's a rather gentle tale with a fantastic twist -- sorta like a Powell and Pressburger film from around the same era. Filmed in supernatural Technicolor (which really highlights 11-year-old Dean Stockwell's bizarre mane), there is never a reason offered for "the boy"'s hair turning emerald green. All we're told it's a sign to remind people that "war is bad for children." THE BOY WITH GREEN HAIR is sad at times but ultimately uplifting. At one point, war orphans from posters come to life to inform the boy of his destiny. I wonder what folks made of this back in the late '40s? Future stars Dwayne Hickman and Russ Tamblyn make appearances as bullys who attempt to cut off the emerald locks.

And how's the picture? As I said before, I had never seen a Warners Archives disc but I can say that I was very satisfied with the presentation. There are some specs of dirt here and there on the film elements and a few shots that were a bit out of focus but generally it looked pretty good. Made before widescreen (which didn't come along until '53), the picture comes in around 1.33:1 aspect ratio so don't expect this to fill a widescreen TV. The mono audio was clear and quite loud. Since they didn't even bother to release a mass-produced DVD of this title, I doubt we'll ever see this looking better than it does which is a shame really. This would be a great Blu-Ray.

X, Y & ZEE (1972)

I've done it. I've finally found a film with absolutely no redeeming qualities. I won an auction on eBay ($10) for a 16mm print of the Michael Caine/Elizabeth Taylor bitch fest X, Y & ZEE (aka Zee & Co.) from 1972. I'd never seen the film and it's not available on DVD here in the States so I decided to take a chance. Now I know why no one wanted this. I threaded the first reel through my Elmo projector and watched it in my office. The print was obviously an old TV edit and since I hadn't seen it before, I didn't know what was cut out but I had heard about a lesbian scene between Taylor and actress Susannah York -- not in this version. It took me two days but I made it through until the last, psychedelic, depressoid moment. I felt like I needed a shower afterwards.

Not one character begged any sympathy. The deficiency of clever dialog or interesting plot twist just sort of made it a period curio (sort of like polio) -- except for MAYBE...just maybe, Liz's over-the-top performance as a manipulative, clingy, over-dramatic wife, obsessed with destroying her philandering husband's latest "conquest." But I did say it possessed no redeeming qualities so screw that. I read online that the director quit the biz to become a plumber. Ha.

After finishing the film, I woke up feeling icky the next day. I blame it on Zee & Co.

Whoa, It's Holiday Season Already?

I've been so lazy. Haven't updated this thing in...months! Let's see. What have I been up to?

OK, first thing's first. For anyone out there who might be interested, DO NOT buy one of those cheap ass turkey fryers from Lowe's or Home Depot. THEY DO NOT WORK. I'm not talking, "Oh, it burned my bird" I'm talking, the burner doesn't work very well. What did I expect for $60?

Going to Raleigh, NC this week. Actually missing the office Xmas party but I need to get out of town.

Oh yeah and I'll post some photos here of the house renovations...I think you can handle it!

Vogue Picture Records

Vogue Picture Records were a series of 78 rpm music discs produced between 1946 and 1947 by Sav-Way Industries of Detroit, Michigan. Each 10-inch (as well as an occasional 12-inch) disc featured a colorful illustration sandwiched between the vinyl grooves. The limited production run as well as the visual appeal has generated a small cult of collectors who scour auctions and estate sales looking for that rare piece to fill the gaps in their collection. The music is an afterthought for most Vogue fans, since most Sav-Ways artists were pop-era also-rans. Some serious collections have built up around the Vogue discs, including one at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Ebay is a good source of vintage Vogue as well.