The Best New Blu-Ray Releases This Week Include The Film Stanley Kubrick Hated
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What's the worst Stanley Kubrick movie? If you could ask Kubrick himself, he'd likely tell you the answer is "Fear and Desire," his debut feature. And by most accounts, "Fear and Desire" is definitely near the bottom of the list when it comes to Kubrick films. It's a clunky, clumsy movie that Kubrick himself called "a presumptuous failure." He also stated: "It's not a film I remember with any pride, except for the fact it was finished."
Kubrick disliked the film so much that he would've been happy if no one actually watched it. By some accounts, the filmmaker even tried to destroy the film. Eventually, its copyright lapsed and it fell into the public domain for all to see — provided anyone could find a print. Which they couldn't — until 1994. That year, a version of the film was found and restored by The George Eastman House, which planned to screen the film for the first time in 41 years. Kubrick caught wind of the restoration and reportedly tried to stop the screening, issuing a press release that called the movie "a completely inept oddity, boring and pretentious."
Now, all these years later, "Fear and Desire" has been given the 4K treatment from the folks at Kino Lorber. And it leads the list of our latest Blu-ray round-up.
Fear and Desire
Per the official press release from Kino Lorber, their new uncut 4K version of "Fear and Desire" marks "the first time since its interrupted theatrical run" that "audiences can now see Kubrick's first feature film as it was first released." This is because the Library of Congress came into a 35mm print of the film in its original, uncut form. The release contains the longer uncut version (70 minutes) and the slightly shorter theatrical cut (62 minutes). But how is the film itself? Is it really as bad as its reputation suggests, and as Kubrick clearly thought it was? Yes and no. It's definitely a clumsy, awkward film — the acting is downright bad across the board, and the dialogue is heavy-handed and overwrought. Yet there are glimmers of something good here and there.
The story follows four soldiers who slowly lose their wits after they crash behind enemy lines. The name of the war they're involved in is never mentioned, although the film was made during the Korean War. Kubrick follows these men as they try to make their way back to their base, killing anyone who gets in their way, including a young woman they take prisoner. It's bleak, dark material, and one can see the better movie lurking beneath all the awkwardness. Kubrick, being Kubrick, is able to craft some stunning visuals, but whether or not that's enough to satisfy is up to the viewer. In any case, while "Fear and Desire" isn't Kubrick's best work — and may very well be his worst — it's still an important film, in the sense that it marked his arrival as a filmmaker. He would go on to bigger and better (much better) things, but you now have a chance to witness his merger beginnings on 4K.
Cutthroat Island
There's one specific film that Guinness World Records considers to be the biggest box-office bomb of all time: Renny Harlin's 1995 pirate movie "Cutthroat Island." The film was such a flop that it ended independent film studio Carolco Pictures and effectively made pirate movies radioactive (that would change with the success of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," released eight years later). But yesterday's failures are often today's treasures, and "Cutthroat Island" now has a 4K release from Lionsgate.
Box office does not translate to quality, and a flop can still be a good movie. But is that the case for "Cutthroat Island"? Eh! I don't think I'd call this a good movie, but it has its charms. You can also see every cent of the film's $98 million budget on the screen because Harlin doesn't skimp on anything. He also blows up everything — there are huge explosions in nearly every single scene, so much so that it becomes exhausting.
Geena Davis is a strong actor, but she feels miscast here, playing a pirate trying to locate some hidden treasure. She's mismatched with Matthew Modine, who also feels miscast, playing a guy brought along for the ride. The only person who seems to know how to handle this bloated, over-the-top material is Frank Langella, having the time of his life playing the movie's growling villain. Special-features-wise, there's nothing new here — save for the fact that the film is now in 4K, and perhaps that's enough. It's certainly one of the best-looking box office flops ever made.
The Book of Clarence
Speaking of box office failures, "The Book of Clarence" may not be as historical a flop as "Cutthroat Island," but it grossed only $6.1 million against a $40 million budget, and that's not ideal. Perhaps the film's January release date did it no favors. Perhaps it was simply too difficult to market. In any case, if you missed the film in theaters — and there's every indication you did — you can now check it out on Blu-ray.
"The Book of Clarence" hails from "The Harder They Fall" filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, and while this isn't as good as his neo-Western, it deserves credit for how much skill went into the production. The story follows Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield), a man living in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. Clarence does not believe in Jesus' divinity and decides to get into the Messiah game for himself, conning people out of money in the process. This sounds like the set-up for a wacky comedy, doesn't it? Something akin to "Monty Python's Life of Brian," right? Wrong! Curiously enough, "The Book of Clarence" is played almost completely straight, save for some small jokes here and there. This creates an odd tone for the film, but I still think "The Book of Clarence" is worth checking out on Blu-ray, complete with a commentary track courtesy of director Jeymes Samuel and star LaKeith Stanfield.
Night Swim
What if a swimming pool ... was haunted? That's the gloriously absurd premise at the heart of "Night Swim," the latest chiller from the frightmasters at Blumhouse. Wyatt "Son of Kurt" Russell is a former Major League Baseball player who has recently retired due to MS. Russell's character, Ray, along with his wife (Kerry Condon) and two children, moves into a new home, and wouldn't ya know it? The house has a big inground pool! Ray finds that swimming is good for his illness, but there's a catch: the pool is cursed and/or haunted. Look out! No diving! But plenty of dying. (Read that in the Crypt Keeper voice for maximum effect.)
What follows is essentially a riff on "The Amityville Horror," with a pool standing in for a haunted house. Think of it as "Amityville Swimming Pool," a title that somehow hasn't been used yet even though there are approximately a thousand different Amityville movies. Ray becomes seemingly possessed by the evil in the pool while his family, targeted by the supernatural, tries to warn him.
All of this is silly, but you know what? As far as "haunted pool" movies go, "Night Swim" ain't half-bad. It moves at a steady pace, the cast is game, and while I wouldn't call it scary at all, I was never bored. That has to count for something. Throw in several making-of featurettes and a commentary track from writer-director Bryce McGuire, and you've got yourself something worth diving into.
Lisa Frankenstein
The goth lovechild of early Tim Burton movies, "Heathers," and "Jennifer's Body," "Lisa Frankenstein" is a somewhat charming dark comedy that doesn't quite come together in the end. Penned by Diablo Cody and helmed by Zelda Williams, the film finds Kathryn Newton playing Lisa Swallows, a lonely goth girl who pines over the grave of a guy who died during the Victorian era. When a lightning bolt hits the grave, the corpse is revived as the Creature (Cole Sprouse), a handsome ghoul who isn't above getting his hands dirty to kill off some people who make Lisa's life a hell. Needless to say, these two crazy kids fall for each other. Sort of.
"Lisa Frankenstein" feels tailor-made for goth kids, and as a former goth kid myself, I appreciate that. The 1980s setting allows for some killer fashion and a great soundtrack, and the comedy is unapologetically dark. And yet ... there's something off here. The film feels conflicted with its own approach; Lisa and the Creature aren't beyond murder, and it can be slightly hard to get on board with main characters this bloodthirsty, especially since the film also wants to have a touch of sweetness to go along with its material.
No matter — I may just not be the right audience for a film like this now, and that's fine. While "Lisa Frankenstein" was a box office disappointment, it feels like the type of movie destined to become a cult classic. Get in on the action now! The Blu-ray features several deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gag reel, and a commentary track with Zelda Williams.