Catnip Reviews: KNOCK OFF (4K), LONDON CALLING and THE VISITOR (4K)

Snack-sized opinions from the frisky felines at Free Kittens…

KNOCK OFF (4K UHD) - It’s ironic that the only time I ever found Rob Schneider funny was in a film where he’s more or less trying to play it serious. But there’s a reason for that. Not only is Schneider one of SNL’s least funny alumni, he can’t escape his own shadow. At least the real star of the film, Jean-Claude Van Damme, has always been aware of his limitations, dutifully serving as the guy producers go to when they can’t afford a bigger action hero. Of all of his fightfests, Knock Off might conceptually be the weirdest, with a story that tries to pass him off as a fashion designer while throwing in exploding dolls and ‘nanobombs’ stitched into trousers. Director Tsui Hark puts together a few decent action scenes, but this is a far cry from his Hong Kong glory days. While good for shits & giggles (often at its own expense), this one is mostly for Van Damme completists or those who still think Schneider was robbed of an Oscar for The Hot Chick. The former will be pleased with this impressive 4K transfer, as well as the big batch of new and archival bonus features, including a mini poster (1998/88 min/MVD Visual). KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼

LONDON CALLING (DVD) - Man, talk about your misleading covers! The box art and plot synopsis suggest yet another generic, low-wattage action flick starring some guy you’ve seen in other stuff, though nothing that stood out because of him. In this case, that guy would be Josh Duhamel, probably best known for the TV show, Las Vegas, as well as a supporting role in a batch of Transformers flicks. But lo and behold, not only is London Calling an action-comedy, it’s a pretty damn funny one and Duhamel is a big reason why. He plays Tommy Ward, a once-elite hitman who kills the wrong guy…that just happens to be related to a British mob boss. With a price on his head, he retreats to LA, but wants to return to London where is family is. His current employer offers to make that possible on one condition…that Tommy takes the man’s nerdy, socially awkward teenage son, Julian (Jeremy Ray Taylor), on his next hit in hopes of manning the kid up. The two make an engging pair, their relationship being both amusing and endearing. Though there are plenty of laughs, the movie doesn’t skimp on the action and bloody violence. A minor gem worth checking out.  (2025/109 min/Quiver Distribution).

KITTY CONSENSUS: 😺😺😺

THE VISITOR (4K UHD) - This one is a strong candidate for the craziest '70s film not directed by Ken Russell or Alejandro Jodorowski. The Visitor comes courtesy of producer Ovidio G. Assonitis, the man behind such kooky copycat classics as Tentacles and Beyond the Door. Like those films, it’s an Italian-produced knockoff that liberally borrows from American blockbusters. However, this horror/sci-fi mashup must be seen to be believed. Nowhere else will you find aliens, the antichrist, exploding basketballs, killer kids, Franco Nero as Jesus, Glenn Ford bested by a bird and an clearly shitfaced Sam Peckinpah in a cameo as an abortion doctor. These tasty ingredients are stirred into a concoction that’s as baffling as it is entertaining. With surprisingly decent production values and not-half-bad special effects, the film also boasts a pretty solid cast that includes Shelley Winters, Mel Ferrer, Lance Henriksen, cult film cutie Joanne Nail and legendary director John Huston (whose character defies description). Adding to the fun are some great bonus features, including two visual essays and interviews with a few people involved in the film whose opinions are very candid. (1979/109 min/Arrow Video).

KITTY CONSENSUS: 😼😼😼

A Big Batch of SPENCER TRACY

SPENCER TRACY 4-FILM COLLECTION (Blu-ray)

1936-1955 / 399 min (4 movies)

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😸

I like what Warner Archive has been doing these past few years…gathering four classic films featuring one particular star and putting them out as a set. Sure, they’re just collections of previously released Blu-ray titles, but it’s cheaper than buying them separately, and if you’re like me, you might even discover a gem or two that’s new to you.

The Spencer Tracy 4-Film Collection is a solid batch of films showcasing one of classic Hollywood’s greatest actors. Personally speaking, it might be the best collection so far, partially because it includes one of my all time favorite films, but also because it introduced me to an absolute banger.

That banger is 1936’s Fury, an early Tracy film directed by Fritz Lang. A knockout from beginning to end, it’s about everyman Joe Wilson (Tracy), who’s on his way to marry his sweetheart, Katherine (Sylvia Sydney), when he’s arrested as a kidnapping suspect. Though he’s innocent, gossip and rumors about his capture turn the townspeople into a mob that escalates into violence while taking the law into their own hands. Afterwards, Joe’s presumed dead, but he actually survived the lynching (but not his dog!) and now wants to see those same people tried for murder. Equal parts courtroom drama and revenge thriller, certain aspects of it are also unnervingly timely (if you’ve been paying attention to current events). 

Released the same year, Libeled Lady is charming comedy with Tracy as part of an ensemble cast that includes Myrna Loy, William Powell and Jean Harlow. Perhaps something that more prominently showcases Tracy would’ve been preferable (I’d throw my hat in the ring for Pat and Mike), but let’s not nitpick. In this one, newspaper editor Warren Haggerty (Tracy) is trying to save his paper after it prints a libelous story about a millionaire’s daughter, Connie Allenbury. He concocts a scheme by arranging a "marriage" between his beleaguered fiancé Gladys Benton and ex-reporter Bill Chandler. Then Chandler will romance Connie so she’ll be caught in an actual scandal. Instead, he ends up falling in love with her. This film boasts a witty screenplay with enough rapid-fire dialogue and throwaway one-liners that we can’t catch it all the first time.

Spencer's plan to dine 'n' dash is unexpectedly thwarted.

In 1940’s Northwest Passage, Tracy plays Major Robert Rogers, who commands a group of soldiers known as “Rogers’ Rangers” on an arduous journey, facing enemy French troops and vicious Native American tribes. Though not a bad film, it’s the weakest of the four. Tracy is solid as usual, which is a testament to his abilities because his character isn’t particularly dynamic to begin with. While sometimes exciting, with great use of wilderness locations, it’s ultimately exhausting and ends rather anticlimactically. It also must be said that certain aspects of this film haven’t aged well at all, mainly how it presents Native Americans. While I understand that many older movies need to be viewed in the context of the time they were made, the racial depictions in this one are kind of cringeworthy. 

Capping things off is a true masterpiece, 1955’s Bad Day at Black Rock, featuring Tracy in one of his greatest roles…John MacCready, a deceptively docile stranger who steps off a train in the tiny town of Black Rock, stirring up the locals while inquiring about a missing war buddy. Congenial and passive at first, he grows increasingly determined as he begins to uncover the town's terrible secret. The outstanding supporting cast includes Anne Francis, Ernest Borgnine, Walter Brennan, Lee Marvin and a menacing turn by Robert Ryan as ringleader Reno Smith. Director John Sturges is renowned for some sprawling epics, but with Bad Day at Black Rock, he gives us a lean, mean mash-up of film-noir and classic western with thought-provoking themes, trimmed of all the fat and presented with such narrative efficiency that not a single one of its 81 minutes is wasted.

As with most Warner Archive Blu-ray releases, the picture and sound restorations for these movies are quite good. Content-wise, the set is worth grabbing for Fury and Bad Day at Black Rock alone, but overall, the great Spencer Tracy is nicely represented here.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FURY - Audio Commentary; Trailer.

LIBELED LADY - 3 Short Subjects; Radio Promo; Trailer.

NORTHWEST PASSAGE - Promotional Featurette; Trailer.

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK - Audio Commentary; Trailer.

THE NARROW MARGIN vs Narrow Margin

THE NARROW MARGIN (Blu-ray)

1952 / 72 min

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

I remember renting 1990’s Narrow Margin from my local video store back in the day, mostly choosing it because it starred Gene Hackman, who had an uncanny knack for elevating anything he appeared in (well…except for maybe Superman IV). Beyond that, I knew nothing about the film, but it turned out to be a wonderful surprise. In my humble opinion, it remains an underrated thriller by an underappreciated director (Peter Hyams), with one of my personal favorite Hackman performances.

While I was vaguely aware that Narrow Margin was a remake of “an old black & white” film, young me wasn’t interested in things like that. But since those dark days, I’ve become a big fan of classic film noir, so maybe it was finally time to give the original a spin. If nothing else, it would be fun to compare the two. 

Fast paced and economically made, 1952’s The Narrow Margin features Charles McGraw as L.A. cop Walter Brown, charged with escorting a witness from Chicago to testify in a mob trial. That witness, Frankie Neall (Mary Windsor), is the bitchy widow of a murdered mob boss, and she’s in possession of a list that can incriminate many others. So naturally, she’s got a target on her head. Most of the film takes place on a passenger train, where Walter stashes Frankie in a sleeping compartment while trying to get the upper hand on those onboard trying to kill her.

"Hey, you're right. Your eyes are up there."

The plot - as well as certain scenes and situations - is more-or-less the same in both films. I’m still kinda partial to the remake, but this one isn’t without its virtues. Running a lean 72 minutes, the film wastes no time with peripheries, jumping right into the meat of the story. Though Richard Fleischer’s direction is perfunctory, he does manage to create tension here and there. McGraw’s no Hackman, to be sure, but his stoic performance is adequate for the role. Conversely, Windsor’s a real hoot as Frankie, constantly belittling the guy responsible for her safety while stealing the movie from the actor playing him. 

Additionally, this version throws in a whopper of a plot twist (regarding a major character) that I didn’t see coming. As much as I revere the remake, I do appreciate the original’s unpredictable final act. The Narrow Margin doesn’t rank up there with the best film noir of the era, but it’s pretty entertaining.

EXTRA KIBBLES

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Willian Friedkin, along with interview excerpts by The Narrow Margin’s director, Richard Fleischer.

SHORT SUBJECT - “So You Never Tell a Lie,” a Joe McDoakes comedy short from 1952.

CARTOON - “The Super Snooper,” featuring Daffy Duck, also from 1952

TRAILER

Revisiting FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART 2 in 4K...with a Couple of Nagging Questions

FRIDAY THE 13TH, PART 2 45th Anniversary Edition (4K UHD)

1981 / 86 min

Paramount

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Being totally transparent here, this guy’s never been a huge fan of the Friday the 13th franchise, though a couple of the early ones certainly impacted my teenage years. Simply plotted and loaded with jump scares, gore and pre-marital sex, catching one of these with a gaggle of friends was a great social activity. They also made great date movies, especially first date movies. Nothing prompted a girl to grip your hand like a relentless killer stalking camp counselors. 

Even back then, I had no illusions over the actual quality of these movies. Good? Hardly. None other than the original’s director, Sean Cunningham, acknowledged he was just ripping off Halloween. Fun? On the big screen in a packed theater, surrounded by the right people…absolutely. And it didn’t really matter which one you were watching because the plots were interchangeable. Roger Ebert once said his negative review of Friday the 13th Part 2 could apply to any other film in the franchise, and he wasn’t entirely wrong. Of course, he wrote that before anyone made the creative decision to launch Jason into space.

Big fans of ‘80s slasher horror might argue differently...that each film is a distinct and important chapter in the continuing adventures of Jason Voorhees (or his mom, or whoever assumed the stabbing duties in Part V). And actually, Part 2 is generally held in really high regard among a lot of Friday the 13th fans, mainly because it’s the first one where Jason does the killing. Other than that, it’s business as usual, with even fewer plot twists than the original (though admittedly, it's a bit more skillfully directed). 

"Fine...I won't stay where I'm not wanted."

This 4K UHD release is for the die hards who can differentiate Amy Steel from Adrienne King. But despite being touted as the 45th Anniversary edition, this is the exact same disc that was part of the Paramount Scares Volume 2 boxed set from 2024, right down to the bonus features and cover art. So while it’s technically not a “new” release, at least it’s now available separately and fans should be more than pleased with upgraded image quality. The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio track, while still really good, is the same as the original Blu-ray.

Revisiting this film 45 years after getting a bruised forearm from my date squeezing it too hard, I do have a couple of nagging questions that perhaps only superfans could answer. Friday the 13th Part 2 opens with Jason killing Alice (Adrienne King), the only survivor from the first film, in her own home. How exactly does he figure out where she lives? And if he’s been dwelling in the woods around Crystal Lake since he was a child, how the hell does he get to that house years later, do his dirty work, then head back to Crystal Lake in time to kill more counselors? Did he drive?

Since Michael Myers managed a similar feat in Halloween, I’d like to know who thought teaching these psychos how to drive was a good idea.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Inside “Crystal Lake Memories” (the book's author discusses putting it together); Friday's Legacy: Horror Conventions; Lost Tales from Camp Blood Part II is a horror short inspired by the franchise (others are available on other F13 titles); Jason Forever is a Q&A featuring four guys who’ve previously played Jason Voorhees.

10 RILLINGTON PLACE: No, Grandpa, No!

10 RILLINGTON PLACE (Blu-ray)

1971 / 108 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Butcher🙀

I should probably preface this review by admitting I haven’t seen a lot of the films in Richard Attenborough’s lengthy career. I’m mostly familiar with the more iconic ones, including The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles and The Flight of the Phoenix. But hey, at least I know his legacy extends beyond sharing the screen with dinosaurs. 

Still, Attenborough’s unnerving performance in 10 Rillington Place threw me for a loop. He plays outwardly congenial landlord John Christie, and in the opening scene, offers to cure a neighbor’s bronchitis with a gaseous medicine he’s concocted. Instead, she’s rendered unconscious. Afterwards, Christie rapes and strangles her (and maybe not in that order!), then buries the corpse in the building’s community garden. 

Jesus Christ!

Christie is immediately revealed to be a serial killer and 10 Rillington Place is based on a true story. His next victims are the financially struggling Evans family, who move into one of the flats in his building. Timothy (John Hurt) and Beryl (Judy Geeson) have a baby daughter and are continuously fighting, compounded when she announces she’s pregnant again. That’s when Christie, feigning expertise, offers his surfaces to abort the pregnancy. Instead, he murders her, but tells Timothy that she died during the procedure.

"What happened to the Twinkies I stashed here?"

Timothy wants to go to the police, but Christie argues that both of them are complicit and would go to jail. Not being too bright to begin with (and unable to read or write), Timothy agrees to remain silent and go away for awhile to avoid questions over Beryl’s whereabouts. And while he’s away, Christie kills their baby. Making matters worse, Timothy is suspected of both murders, which Christie exacerbates when testifying as a witness in the subsequent trial.

Though tastefully handled, this is a grim, disturbing film, largely due to Attenborough. Not only are Christie’s methods horrifying, the actor depicts him as perverted, quietly psychotic, remorseless and indifferent to the suffering he inflicts. Like Henry Fonda playing a sadistic hired gun in Once Upon a Time in the West and Denzel Washington’s turn as murderously corrupt cop Alonzo Harris in Training Day, Attenborough’s performance is a revelation. Who knew he had it in him?

It’s amusing to imagine viewers who only know him as kindly grandpa John Hammond in Jurassic Park or Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street getting an eyeful of this one. Narratively and aesthetically, 10 Rillington Place is bleak enough as it is, but Attenborough makes the film a memorably horrifying experience you won’t be able to unsee.