Thursday, March 6, 2025

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN (1935) (Film Masters Blu-ray Review + Screenshots)

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN (1935) 
12 Chapter Serial 
 Newly Restored Archive Collection

Label: Film Masters 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: TV-PG
Duration: 255 Minutes 53 Seconds 
Audio:  English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: B&W 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Edward Kull
Cast: Herman Brix, Ula Holt, Ashton Dearholt, Frank Baker, Lewis Sargent

Newly restored and including all 12 chapters is 'The New Adventures of Tarzan' (1935). Herman Brix stars as Tarzan (Lord Greystoke), who travels from Africa to Guatemala in search of his friend. Along the way Tarzan meets up with Ula Vale and Major Martling who are searching for 'The Green Goddess' idol, hidden somewhere in the jungles of Guatemala. The team is up against the nefarious Raglan and the many perils of an untamed wilderness!

In 1935, the public was still ape-crazy for the vine-swinging nobleman, and in this 12-part serial 1928 Olympian shot-putter Herman Brix (aka Bruce Bennet, The Alligator People) slips into the loin cloth to portray Tarzan. This time out Tarzan travels from his adopted African home to the jungles of Guatemala to rescue his friend, Lt. d'Arnot, whose plane crashed there, and Tarzan ends up searching for a priceless Guatemalan priceless known as The Green Goddess. The first chapter of this serialized film series is a feature length self-contained (more or less) feature, with the subsequent eleven entries ranging from 15-20 minutes in length. We get  some actual jungle locations instead of stage-sets that were used for previous Tarzan entries, Tarzan of the Apes (1918) and Adventures of Tarzan (1921).  I'm no Tarzan serial expert and couldn't tell you if these are the complete serials uncut but what we get is over four hours of Brix doing his best ape-man stuff, he's quite an athletic looking guy and better suits the role than Elmo Lincoln in my opinion. There's no Jane this time around, but we do get Ula (Ula Holt), a adventurer/spy - her role can be slightly confusing, apparently there was a lot of rewriting during the filming, and she was the soon-to-be wife of producer Ashton Dearholt, and this is her only credited screen role from what I can tell. Another element I dig is the non-traditional Tarzan call at the start of each film, it's quite different from the earlier Weissmuller incarnation. 

Audio/Video: The 12-chapters of The New Adventures of Tarzan serials spread across a single-disc, presented in 1080p HD in the original 1.37:1 fullscreen aspect ratio, most likely using the same masters as what we saw on Film Masters The Tarzan Vault Collection 3-disc Blu-ray set. The sources show quite a few limitations, there in rough shape with obvious wear and tear, scratches, blurring, warping, jutter, and general instability, but all things considered they're quite watchable. Audio comes by way of uncompressed English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual mono with optional English subtitles. The DTS-HD doesn't give this track much of a bump over the Dolby option, it's a thin and shabby sounding on all three films, and while it's never a chore to discern but it's never quite a a treat, either. But just having these on disc is pretty cool, if you love 1930 adventure serials this is a pretty fun vine-swinging jungle action series. 

The single-disc MOD Blu-ray release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original illustrate poster artwork. 

Special Features:
- None 

Screenshots from the Films Masters Blu-ray: 




































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MY GIRL (1991) (Sony Pictures 4K UHD Review)

MY GIRL (1991) 

Label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: PG
Duration: 102 Minutes 15 Seconds 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1; DTS-HD MA 2.0 Surround
with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: Dolby Vision HDR 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Howard Zieff
Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin, Anna Chlumsky

The 1991 coming-of-age comedy/drama My Girl (1991)  is set in Madison, PA in the early 1970's where widowed funeral parlor operator Harry Sultenfuss (Dan Aykroyd, Neighbors) runs a thriving business out of their home in the smalltown. He lives with his cute-as-a-button daughter and quite precocious Vada (Anna Chlumsky, TV's Veep), having raised her a single-dad after his wife died during childbirth. She's at that age where things are starting to happen, she's a tomboy and not seemingly well-liked by her peers, and her body is about to change and she's navigating the hormone-crazy world of first crushes. Her only friend is her pal Thomas (Macaulay Culkin, Home Alone

Both their lives get a shake-up with the arrival of free-spirited cosmetician Shelly DeVoto, played by Jamie Lee Curtis (Road Games), who is not aware the Now Hiring classified ad she's applying for was for a funeral home. She takes the job though, seemingly desperate to escape her past, as we later learn she's sort of on the run from her ex who is looking to reclaim the RV she now lives in! It's fun to see Curtis re-teaming here with her Trading Places co-star Aykroyd, the pair developing quite a bond that blossoms into romance, which rubs Vada the wrong way. 

I saw this at the theater and rather liked it at the time, and re-watching it now it's fine, perhaps a little too precious in spots, kind of shmaltzy, but you know, I still think it's fine, but a bit too soft-edged for me in my old age. Still, it's fun to see Aykroyd and Curtis re-teaming, they make a fun couple, and the young stars are quite likable if a but stilted in hindsight The small town locations and 70's cars and attire are fun nostalgia generator, and the room still gets dusty during that one sequence... you know the one, which I will not spoil here. Other notable cast include Richard Masur (Stephen King's It) as Harry's brother Phil Sultenfuss; and Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf in London) as teacher Mr. Jake Bixler who Vada crushes on hard. 

Audio/Video: My Girl (1991) arrives on 4K Ultra HD from Sony looking solid all around. Grain is intact but the naturally soft nostalgic look of the film with it's warm nostalgic tones doesn't exactly offer razor sharp detail, but depth and clarity are quite nice, and the tasteful application of the Dolby Vision HDR10 feels authentic and not revisionist. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and well-balanced, dialogue heavy and mostly relegated tot he front channels, with some occasional music and atmospherics in the surrounds. The tunes from Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rascals, and Chicago do excellent work summoning the 70's vibes, and the score from James Newton Howard (The Sixth Sense) faring well in the mix. 

Archival extras include an Audio Commentary with Writer Laurice Elehwany, and EPK-style featurettes A Day on Set: First Kiss; A Day on Set: Bingo!, and Original Behind the Scenes Featurette that total about 11-min, plus the original 2-min Trailer. We also get a Slipcover with the same artwork as the wrap, plus a redemption code for a 4K Digital Copy of the film. 

Special Features: 
- Audio Commentary with Writer Laurice Elehwany
- A Day on Set: First Kiss (1:24) 
- A Day on Set: Bingo! (3:31) 
- Original Behind the Scenes Featurette (6:08) 
- Trailer (2:23) 
- Slipcover 
- Digital Copy 

Buy it: 
Physical Media Land - use code: MOVIEDEAL at checkout to get 5% off your entire order! 

FELIDEA (1994) (Deaf Crocodile 4K Ultra HD Review Review + Blu-ray Screenshots)

FELIDEA (1994)

Label: Deaf Crocodile
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 81 Minutes 51 Seconds 
Audio: German DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Michael Schaack 
Cast: Ulrich Tukur, 
Mario Adorf, Helge Schneider, Wolfgang Hess, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Alexandra Mink, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Frank Röth, Gerhard Garbers, Ulrich Wildgruber, Manfred Steffen, Mona Seefried, Michaela Amler, Christian Schneller, Tobias Lelle

Felidea (1994) is a 1994 German adult-animated film wherein an inquisitive tuxedo cat named Francis (Ulrich Tukur) who moves into a new dilapidated flat with his owner Gustav (Manfred Steffen), a mystery writer/archaeologist. While exploring his new environs he meets a grumpy, one-eyed Maine Coon cat named Bluebeard (Mario Adorf, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), together they stumble upon the corpse of a cat who has it's throat torn out, and he is told by his newfound friend that this is only the latest cat-murder is a string of deaths that go back decades, setting the inquisitive green-eyed cat on a murder-sleuthing mission. 

His investigations reveal a cat-cult lead by Joker (Ulrich Wildgruber), a Scottish Fold who leads a sect devoted to an entity called "Claudandus". The cult meets on the top-floor of his house, and they offer themselves in sacrifice to Claudandus by throwing themselves into an arc of electricity, which is wild. He also discovers that house he now lives in once belonged to Professor Julius Preterius (Gerhard Garbers), a deranged doctor who performed grotesque experiments on cats in the neighborhood in the name of medical science. 

Other cat-kind he meets include the demure blind Russian Blue cat Felicity (Mona Seefried), and the brutish, square-jawed Kong (Wolfgang Hess) and his Oriental Shorthair sidekicks Hermann (Tobias Lelle) and Hermann (Frank Röth), and the elderly computer-savvy cat Pascal (Klaus Maria Brandauer), a cancer-stricken Havana Brown owned by Ziebold, a former associate of the scientist Preterius.

Beware, this is no kiddie-friendly children's tale as the story is quite adult in nature - we have multiple murders and graphic cat eviscerations, the aforementioned death cult, feral cat-sex, and even a secret eugenics programs that is meant to evoke Nazi medical experimentation, and loads of frightening and gory nightmares/visions - it's total nightmare fuel, along the lines of downbeat anthropomorphic animated films like Plague Dogs and Watership Down. The animation style is sort of kid friendly, coming across as a darker Don Bluth style (The Secret of Nimh) or something like Pink Floyd - The Wall, very dark, lots of shadow and eerie lighting, chock full of nightmare scenarios and visions that evoke Nazi medical experimentation with gruesome scenes of cat evisceration that push this well into the R-rated territory. I warned you, so don't blame me when your kids start crying or have nightmares!

The cast of cat characters are interesting, we even get a sexed-up femme fatale by way of Nhozemphtekh (Michaela Amler) an Egyptian mau, and a Persian cat named Jesaj (Helge Schneider), a "Guardian of the Dead" who keeps watch over a collection of cat skeletons in a subterranean catacomb. The mystery elements and threat level are terrific, with Francis not only sleuthing the murder mystery but also having to fight for his life, threatened by both the cat-cult and beastly Kong throughout the film. The design of the individual cats is wonderful, each having peculiar injury or striking features that make them easily recognizable, and I love how the humans are dismissively referred to as "can openers", because of course they would be. Francis even makes reference to Disney's in his opening narration, stating ] "Truly this activity was beyond The Aristocats", sure enough, it is quite beyond anything the House of Mouse could muster!


Audio/Video: Felidae (1994) arrives on 4K Ultra HD from newly scanned and restored in 4K from the original camera negative and sound elements by Deaf Crocodile, presented in 2169p UHD with Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grading. This animated feature looks spectacular, colors are look wonderful, the color scheme is moody and a bit gloomy, but occasionally colors pop, there are scenes of fire and nightmarish visions with cat-carnage and demonic looking "can openers" that brighten things ups with arcs of electricity and a fiery finale. The clean-up and restoration looks fantastic, the cell animation maintaining it's filmic quality with intact grain and occasional debris inherent to the source, but this is truly a wonderful 4K presentation. 

Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and well-balanced, the sounds of crackling electricity, stormy weather and discreet atmospherics sound great, and the German dialogue sounds natural throughout. The score by  Anne Dudley (The Crying Game) sounds terrific, as does the theme song song by Boy George! 

Extras start off with a new Audio Commentary Dr. Will Dodson and Ryan Verrill that examines how the film compares the source novel, the themes of the film, and cast and crew notes, Being unfamiliar with the film I found it quite an interesting listen, and it enriched by second viewing quite a bit.  We also get a 63-min 2023 Interview with Director Michael Schaack moderated by Dennis Bartok. This is a dense examination of the film, covering adapting the source novel for animation,  the animation process, the dark nature of the story, and even some talk of the restoration process. A second interview comes by way of the 54-min 2024 Interview with Armen Meklonian moderated by Dennis Bartok, who was a production designer and storyboard artist. He talks about how the storyboards and layouts inform the final look of the film, with some specific conversation about the look and design of certain scenes. 

A third interview comes by way of the 54-min 2024 Animators Roundtable with Doug Bennett, Paul Bolger, Eamonn Butler, Bernie Denk, and Desmond Downes moderated by Dennis Bartok. The group first introduce themselves and their truly impressive body of work, then get into how they came to work on Felidae, discussing the character designs for each character, and much more, it;s quite a treat.  

The 2-disc UHD/BD set arrives in a clear full-height Scanavo keepcase with a 2-sided, non-reversible wrap. Inside there is a scannable QR code that gives you access to transcribed bonus content.

Special Features: 
- Audio Commentary Dr. Will Dodson and Ryan Verrill
- 2023 Interview with Director Michael Schaack moderated by Dennis Bartok (63:21) 
- 2024 Interview with Armen Meklonian moderated by Dennis Bartok (54:26)  
- 2024 Animators Roundtable with Doug Bennett, Paul Bolger, Eamonn Butler, Bernie Denk, and Desmond Downes moderated by Dennis Bartok (54:26)

Felidae (1994) is easily my favorite release so far from Deaf Crocodile, and that's saying something given their excellent track record of curating fantastic, hard-to-find cinema from around the world. I sort of feel cheated that for 30 years this film has existed but was not in my life, but that has been remedied by this fantastic dual-format 4K UHD. It's a wonderful restoration and 4K presentation with some deep-diving and probative extras that celebrate this gem of adult animation. This is guaranteed to be one of my favorite film discoveries of the year, if you love dark, adult-themed animation Deaf Crocodile's release of Felidae (1994) is a must-own!

Screenshots from the Deaf Crocodile Blu-ray:










































Extras: 






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