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.

PULSE: Straight from the Video Shelf to Your Home

PULSE (Blu-ray)

1988 / 92 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

There’s kind of a sad story behind this one. Upon completion, 1988's Pulse was slated for a wide theatrical release. But after a changing of the guard at Columbia Pictures, it was dumped into a couple of theaters before going straight to video. Kind of a shame, really. This largely forgotten film was nothing groundbreaking, but certainly deserved a more dignified fate than fighting for shelf space with low budget Friday the 13th rip-offs.

If nothing else, the movie boasts a pretty cool antagonist…some kind of entity or creature made of pure electricity that infiltrates peoples homes and tries to kill them. It’s nicely rendered, too. Perhaps taking a cue from The Thing, it appears as pulsating pieces of goo that collectively take over the home’s electronics, outlets and wiring. But best of all, writer-director Paul Golding doesn’t feel compelled to provide any explanation. It’s enough that the house suddenly has it in for its occupants.

Shoulda paid your cable bill, Bill.

Those occupants are the Rockland family, Bill (Cliff De Young), his wife Ellen (Roxanne Hart), and son from a previous marriage, David (Joey Lawrence), who’s visiting from Colorado. However, he’d rather be back home, partially because Dad’s too busy to spend time with him, but mostly because he’s afraid that the same unseen presence that recently killed a neighbor has found its way into their house. He’s right, of course, otherwise no movie. Dad, however, needs more convincing. But don’t all horror movie dads?

The only exposition regarding the presence is provided by Old Man Holger (Charles Tyner), but all he actually tells David is how it moves from house to house through power lines. And really, that's all David (and the audience) needs to know. This sets up some pretty neat sequences with the family being terrorized and attacked by the stuff in their house, rendered through interesting special effects. None of this is particularly scary, but there’s some genuine suspense here and there.

Featuring a cast of faces you know but whose names you probably don’t (save for little Joey, who’d later become a teen idol that some of you may have had on your bedroom wall), Pulse is a quaint but entertaining little curio from the horror section of the ‘80s mom & pop video stores we used to haunt.

This is a re-issue of a Blu-ray first released by Mill Creek Entertainment in 2017.

Forgotten SUSPECT

SUSPECT (Blu-ray)

1987 / 121 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Princess Pepper😼

To be honest, I almost forgot Cher even did movies. A lot of ‘em, actually. In fact, she had quite a streak of really good ones back in the ‘80s, around the same time as one of her many musical comebacks. Yep…that was a pretty good decade for the ol’ girl. I guess I just forgot because she hasn’t since appeared in much that held any interest for me.

Wedged among all those memorable ones is Suspect, a courtroom thriller where she plays public defender Kathleen Riley, tasked with handling the case of deaf & mute derelict Carl Anderson (Liam Neeson), who’s been charged with the brutal murder of a young law clerk. Though all the evidence points to his guilt, she does her best to defend him, including trying to get a continuance in order to find a missing witness. However, Judge Helms (John Mahoney) doesn’t grant one.

Meanwhile, juror Eddie Sanger (Dennis Quaid) is convinced Carl is innocent and does some investigating on his own. Though lawyers and jurors are forbidden to interact during a trial, he continuously reaches out to Kathleen with clues he’s discovered. She’s reluctant at first, but when the evidence connects the girl’s murder to some politically power people, the two begin working together (and, of course, getting smoochy).

"If I could turn back time...I'd kick your ass."

As legal thrillers go, Suspect isn’t bad, though it’s hardly Anatomy of a Murder. In addition to some serious implausibilities, we have to endure a superfluous sideplot involving Sanger’s job as a politician. One could take out all those scenes - trimming the already lengthy running time - and the story wouldn’t be the worse for wear. And speaking of story, the big reveal at the conclusion pretty much comes out of the blue, with absolutely no foreshadowing. Without going into specifics, it ends up being kind of a suckerpunch.

Still, the primary story has its share of interesting moments, and overall, the performances are decent. Nobody involved knocks it out of the park or anything, though Cher makes her character engaging enough for us to care about the outcome (Quaid does his best with Sanger, who’s kind of an irritant). Certainly no lost classic, Suspect is one of the Cher movies I’d wager most people forgot existed.

This is a re-issue of a Blu-ray first released by Mill Creek Entertainment in 2017.