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Check out a couple of classic movies that are now on Blu-ray and part of the Kino Lorber collection.
Fortune cookie (unrated, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 126 minutes, $24.95). The first pairing of legendary actors Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau returns to Blu-ray format with a small batch of new extras for movie buffs.
Directed and co-written by Billy Wilder from 1966, the 16-act comedy finds TV cameraman Harry Hinkle (Lemmon) shot on the sidelines by Cleveland Browns star punt comeback Luthor “Boom Boom” Jackson (Ron Rich).
In the cold at the hospital, chasing an ambulance, he waits for his brother-in-law, William “Whiplash Willie” Gingrich (who won an academy award for his Matthau performance), to wake up and a potential big payday to be arranged.
Believe it or not, the simple satirical story about human greed ends as a two-hour opus with Harry being harassed by Whiplash Willie for fake wounds for cash, and eventually accepting the scam in hopes of rekindling a romance with less. noble ex-wife Sandy (Judi West).
However, Harry may still have some decency after he wants to help a distraught Boom Boom who pays an emotional price for his cheating.
While Matthau is the classic fast-talking grump, Lemmon evolves into a hopeless, lovable vagrant who is angry at his crazy circumstances.
Look out for future pop stars Howard McNear (barber Floyd on “The Andy Griffith Show”) and William Christopher (Father Mulcahy on “M*A*S*H”) and legendary boxer Archie Moore as the bartender. who will throw a few punches.
The high-definition transmission does a great job with Panavision source material and showcases, with only the occasional speck of filth, black-and-white cinematography by Joseph LaShelle.
The best extras: Viewers get an optional commentary piece with film historian and Billy Wilder enthusiast Joseph McBride.
The rather dry but informative and sustained piece covers Mr. Wilder’s life and his films, including the sex comedy “Kiss Me Stupid,” the pervasive theme of corruption shown in the film at all levels, production-related details such as Matthau’s heart attack during filming. .
It’s often tangential, like reading what he and his fellow critics have written about the director, or discussing Jim Brown’s emergence as an actor and asking if he’s been cast as Boom Boom.
Then, viewers receive a fun, minute-long message from Lemmon asking citizens of Cleveland to come to City Hall to be part of a movie.
Finally, the disc features a two-minute homage from Wilder to co-writer IAL Diamond, and a four-minute sketch of the two writers at work (Lemmon and Matthau) directed by Wilder from a script originally created by Diamond.
Totally Modern Millie (G-rated, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 92 minutes, $29.96). Director George Roy Hill’s 1967 Academy Award-winning quirky musical comedy gets a new 4K restoration and is finally released on Blu-ray.
The story that cheats the Roaring Twenties is set in New York and stars Julie Andrews as small-town girl Millie Dillmount, searching for a wealthy husband while befriending naive Californian Dorothy Brown (Mary Tyler Moore) and a fearless socialite (Carol Channing). ready for almost anything, including being shot from a cannon.
Life gets needlessly complicated when viewers learn (I’m not making this up) that the house mother (Beatrice Lillie) of the hotel where Millie and Dorothy are staying has sold some of the new female tenants to a Chinese white slavery network and is targeting Dorothy. his next victim.
This plot adds a weird and somewhat disturbing twist to the rather long but crazy story that includes a frenzied chase ending and even a hiatus.
But moments like an elevator that only works when passengers do the light dance (which allowed Tyler Moore and Miss Andrews to showcase some hoof skills), an ensemble performing Tapioca frenzy, a Harold Lloyd slapstick rescue, and songs that include following moments. Totally Modern Millie,” “Baby Face”, “Jazz Baby”, “Sweet Mystery of Life” “Do It Again” provides an evening of nostalgic entertainment.
Pop culture fans will also spot a pair of future television icons playing two Asian butlers. Why Jack Soo (Detective Nick Yemana in “Barney Miller”) and Pat Morita (Arnold Takahashi in “Happy Days”).
Restoration of Technicolor source material looks great, especially for a film over 50 years old, even if it’s only presented in screen-filling high definition.
Driving a bright red roadster on a night of deep blue skies, for example, Millie looks incredibly vibrant and sharp with her flapper costume all coloured.
Plus, an extreme amount of close-up and heist for the camera shows off the legendary stars’ flawless makeup-enhanced skin tones and facial perfections.
Reference-quality moments include a mock dogfight between a black-and-white checkered and red-striped biplane, and a night kiss behind a starry dark blue sky that looks so alive that you can imagine feeling the cool air.
The best extras: Viewers receive an optional piece of commentary with film historian Lee Gambin and art historian Ian McAnally.
The two enjoy listening to each other’s conversations, which are sometimes deviously off-topic, but they are certainly equally knowledgeable about the helpful details, the history of the film, and the film’s higher themes.
This keeps the pair in nonstop conversational mode to the point of even reading others’ thoughts on the original version of the movie.
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