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I like that in Alpha's world, more potential noir customers know Lee Van Cleef than Richard Conte

I think that's true of the world actually.

Well Donlevy's head replaces Earl Holliman who is better known for westerns, so maybe they were on to something at that. Then again I wouldn't rent a prom tux from them.

Seriously I'm major stoked in anticipation of THE BIG COMBO on blu. The Image disc was easily the best of all the previous editions and while it looked OK on a small screen, the combing and noise filtration was a horror when projected.

I just watched Olive's terrific Blu-Ray of The Enforcer. Wow. Seeing this film under Bretaigne Windust's signature is a bit like seeing a print of My Darling Clementine signed by Lloyd Bacon - it shouldn't fool anyone for long. Not only is it immediately apparent that this is a Raoul Walsh film, but it's a particularly good Raoul Walsh film. It's pacing and police procedural aspects would make it fit nicely on a double bill with White Heat.

It struck me while watching this film that Walsh and Sam Fuller had similar approaches to violence. Both often staged violent scenes in long takes from a sort of 'hidden' third person vantage to give the action a voyeuristic thrill, with the unbroken movement lending the violence a raw, unhinged quality. It's particularly effective, too - decades later these scenes still have the power to make me flinch.

The Enforcer is on its way to me at the moment from ImportCDs. I stuck it on my order after seeing the wonderful looking caps at DVDBeaver, but otherwise completely blind. Very glad to hear a positive review.

david hare wrote:Even the normally clumsy narrative multiple flashback structure for this picture proves to be no obstacle to Walsh who manages to stride through such highly un-Walshian multiple time shifts and flashbacks, which all seem written basically to deliver a star turns to each of the mob players, from Duke to Big Babe, Vince and finally Rico. While such complex plotting device might seem the last thing Walsh needed, given it was presumably the form of a screenplay inherited from Windust initially, Walsh turns it around completely for impact, using each "episode" to profile the specific personal traits and indiviualized violence of each of these second string charactes who are willing to kill for pay.

This is so true. While watching the movie, I couldn't help but think how hackneyed this structure should seem (and would have in the hands of a lesser director), yet how inspired and almost groundbreaking it became in the hands of a master. It reminds me of Tag Gallagher's comments about (and I'm paraphrasing here) each true artist re-inventing cinema every time they make a movie. Inspiration allows even the conventional to be made revelatory.

david hare wrote:I desperately need calm, simple, step by step help in sorting out a problem with my login to importcd.com:

I created an account there a few weeks ago and everything was fine until I decided to change credit cards. I then found when I would try to proceed to complete the order there was a "mismatch" between mailing address and Card details. Despite this I have been slammed for "Pending" debit on each of the attempted (and failed) orders) which after enquiring the ImportCD info that the pending debits will perish after five or six working days when the account recognizes they were defunct.

So that's not the problem, but what is the problem is how have I fucked up the matching pesonal info on card vs address details?

Should I add "Mr" as promtped to Name etc details on the mailing address, even though there is no "Mr" for Credit card details. Etc etc.

These are the first world problems of a ridiculous old tart who is getting too past it for badly designed website logins.

All help will be very gratefully receievd, even outright ridicule.

All I can suggest is getting your most recent credit card statement, clearing out all the current name and address info from your profile and re-entering it exactly as it appears on the statement. Maybe there's a stray space or hyphen or something that's triggering the mismatch.

Another possibility: if your previous credit card is still recorded there as an optional payment source, try deleting it.

Another thing to look for is some inconspicuous check box or something that needs to be dealt with. A while back there were several people trying to order from FNAC who were unable to finalize their order in the absence of a Portugese VAT number, because the website wasn't smart enough to realise that people who lived on the other side of the world wouldn't have or need one. All that was required was entering "N/A" in that field.

You shouldn't.
I stopped using DVD Pacific after they changed hands due to similar problems.
I tried so many variations my bank froze my card, and even their customer service people couldn't help.
Maybe I should give the above suggestion a try if Import CDs don't work out?

Back to Olive, has anyone seen their Hal Hartley releases, and would you care to share your thoughts on the AV?

I've only gotten to Meanwhile and the AV is excellent. Well worth getting.

Adam Grikepelis wrote:Back to Olive, has anyone seen their Hal Hartley releases, and would you care to share your thoughts on the AV?

I agree with knives that Meanwhile looks great, a definite improvement over his self-distributed standard def only release. I've scanned through all of the other BDs too and they all look good, with Trust and Flirt looking particularly strong relative to what's been available before. The Book of Life and The Girl From Monday are standard def video/DVD only and they look no worse to me than the previous releases.

Btw, the Possible Films email list sent a recent message highlighting the U.K. Artificial Eye release of Amateur, so take that as you wish. I get the sense they wouldn't necessarily do that if a U.S. release of that title were imminent.

Some time ago it was mentioned that Ophuls' "Caught" was going to be released. Does anybody know what the status is?

All upgrades, three of which I already have from the fabled Olive Subscription days

Maybe they can go back and upgrade that Fassbinder film I Only Want You to Love Me (as well as finally release the uncut version of The Stationmaster's Wife).

I will definitely be picking up WUSA as well as Summer and Smoke since I have them on DVD. I also really love the covers for the Blu-ray editions better than the DVDs.

I believe the following are all the remaining DVD titles licensed from Paramount that were released DVD-only that could be theoretically upgraded:

The Atomic City (1952)
The Buccaneer (1938)
Escape from Zahrain (1962)
Face to Face (1976)
Knock on Wood (1954)
The Lawless (1950)
My Favorite Spy (1951)
No Man of Her Own (1950)
Off Limits (1953)
On the Double (1961)
Playing for Time (1980)
Pony Express (1953)
Riot (1969)
Something to Live For (1952)
Tropic of Cancer (1970)

Face to Face jumps out at me from that list as the next most worthy to upgrade and it would be great if they snagged the longer television version at the same time (which hasn't been released on disc anywhere in the world.)

BillWatkins wrote:Face to Face jumps out at me from that list as the next most worthy to upgrade and it would be great if they snagged the longer television version at the same time (which hasn't been released on disc anywhere in the world.)

You can bet that if they manage to do this, they will do it in the most petulant way imaginable!

BillWatkins wrote:Face to Face jumps out at me from that list as the next most worthy to upgrade and it would be great if they snagged the longer television version at the same time (which hasn't been released on disc anywhere in the world.)

This is called "irony":

"[E]verything else from the Paramount library will be released on BLU-RAY very soon, with the exception of FACE TO FACE which only has a standard def master acquired from Studio Canal - by far the best elements available anywhere. They will also release, ICI ET AILLEUR, NUMERO DEUX and POLICE on BLU-RAY. All the other [Paramount] titles are on the schedule and should be coming out as soon as they're ready."

Also from that same post:

"The Bob Hope films will be released on BLU-RAY very soon."

"GOD'S LITTLE ACRE should be in July."

Also, from this post:

"Due to some unforeseen issues the Audio Commentary for HANGAR 18 was dropped from the Olive Films release. The DVD and BD will not have any extras."

And this post:

"THREE RING CIRCUS will not be released by Olive Films.

Only one version of SHARK exists. The extra scenes were probably destroyed by the film's producers in the 60s.

FEDORA will be released later this year with the 1 hour Making-of doc - The audio will be the same audio as the Warner Brothers version released in the 70s

I don't know why the HANGAR 18 audio commentary was dropped."

And finally, some more announcements for July:

Angel and the Badman (1947)
Bullfighter and the Lady (1951)
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
That Touch of Mink (1962)

Wow, ImportCDs were doing me a favor by never shipping Numéro deux DVD and finally cancelling the order. (I know I'm tempting someone to bad-mouth Godard with that remark... )

That Touch of Mink is through Republic?

Yes, all four just announced DVD and blu-ray releases are from Republic.

SpiderBaby wrote:Maybe they can go back and upgrade that Fassbinder film I Only Want You to Love Me

It will indeed be upgraded to blu-ray this year.

Any word on an upgrade of The Devil, Probably?

Cry Vengeance in July