Garv’s Pick of the Week: Melvin and Howard (Twilight Time)
For the release week of April 16th:
Garv’s Pick of the Week: Melvin and Howard [Blu-ray / Twilight Time]: The “true” story of Melvin Dummar, a down-on-his-luck workman who was named as an heir in a will supposedly written by Howard Hughes, makes for a very entertaining, quirky, “slice of life” comedy. This was an early triumph in the career of Jonathan Demme. Amazon links are not included for this title, as Twilight Time Blu-rays are exclusive to www.twilighttimemovies.com and www.screenarchives.com
Additional Titles of Interest —
Stagecoach (1966) [Blu-ray / Twilight Time]: This is also a fantastic week for Westerns, with a trio of great releases, beginning with the Region A Blu-ray premiere of the 1966 remake of Stagecoach. While it is impossible to surpass John Ford’s 1939 classic, this remake is much better than its reputation. I’d also argue that many of the supporting actors (especially Bing Crosby, Van Heflin, and Robert Cummings) are every bit as good as their 1939 counterparts. This is another Twilight Time exclusive.
Bend of the River [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: James Stewart made eight films (five of them Westerns) with director Anthony Mann. This is the second and their first production in color. Like all of the Stewart/Mann Westerns, it is a smart, well-crafted story with touches of dark psychology. I liked it a lot. You can find my full review here.
Keoma [Blu-ray / Arrow Video]: Franco Nero plays a Christ-like figure in this late period Spaghetti Western. It’s a good story, with strong direction and lots of style. However, worst… soundtrack… ever. Woof.
Master Of Dark Shadows [Blu-ray / MPI]: Fans of Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker, and Trilogy of Terror won’t want to miss this documentary about legendary television producer Dan Curtis.
Becky Sharp [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Known mostly as the first film produced in three-strip Technicolor, it isn’t a bad little costume picture in its own right.
Highway Patrolman [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: I haven’t seen this cult cop/crime/corruption film by Alex Cox, but the trailer, which I saw projected at The Film Forum prior to a screening of Detour looked very intriguing.
Smokey and the Bandit II [Blu-ray / Universal]: Speaking of cops on the highway, Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) is back in the Smokey and the Bandit sequels. Neither film is very good, but Gleason is always watchable.
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 [Blu-ray / Universal]: No Burt or Sally Field in this one. Jerry Reed was pulled into the production when the “Smokey IS the Bandit” premise didn’t pan out. They probably should have saved the money and released it “as was,” because the revised version was still a turkey.
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