Garv’s Pick of the Week: Alligator 4K UHD (Scream Factory)
For the release week of February 22nd:
Garv’s Pick of the Week: Alligator [4K UHD / Scream Factory]: Robert Forster (of Jackie Brown fame) stars in one of the best “animal attacks” films ever made! A baby alligator, who was flushed down a toilet as a baby, survives in the Chicago sewers by eating lab animals discarded after genetic experiments. The alligator grows to tremendous size and attacks the city. Gator gotta eat. Video collectors have been asking for Alligator (1980) to be offered on Blu-ray for a long time. Scream Factory has provided a 3-disc “Collector’s Edition” with a new 4K restoration of the theatrical version from the original camera negative on both Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs, along with the extended television version on a separate Blu-ray.
Additional Titles of Interest —
Repeat Performance [Blu-ray / Flicker Alley]: This was my “Pick of the Week” for January 25th, but the release was delayed. Film noir meets The Twilight Zone in this entertaining genre hybrid. Joan Leslie plays an actress who makes a wish to live the previous year over to avoid mistakes that led a New Year’s Eve tragedy. Her wish is granted, but she will find that it isn’t an easy thing to change your fate. The Film Noir Foundation spearheaded a new restoration of this highly requested New Year’s noir by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and they have once again teamed with Flicker Alley to assemble an impressive package on Blu-ray. In addition to the film itself, the disc includes an introduction by Eddie Muller, an audio commentary by Nora Fiore (“The Nitrate Diva”), a video profile of Joan Leslie, a mini-documentary on Eagle-Lion Pictures, a souvenir booklet, and more.
Bartleby [Blu-ray / Indicator]: I’ve been asked to provide a synopsis, but I prefer not to. See what I did there?
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [4K UHD / Kino Lorber]: The 2011 adaptation of John le Carré’s spy novel, starring Gary Oldman as George Smiley, gets a 4K UHD upgrade. Personally, I prefer the 1979 miniseries version with Alec Guinness in the role.
Escape From L.A. [4K UHD / Paramount]: Snake Plissken is back, and he’s now in ultra-high definition.
Man on the Moon [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Jim Carrey embodies the late Andy Kaufman in this biopic. It’s pretty good, but I’d still rather view a documentary and watch Andy Kaufman be Andy Kaufman.
Dancing Pirate [Blu-ray / Film Detective]: A mediocre Technicolor musical from 1936 gets a restoration and release from The Film Detective. I’m not sure it was worth the bother, but if you’re into early talkie musicals, the release is bound to hold some interest.
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