Dizzying. Well, what other word would you use to describe so much cool stuff coming out this week? Some of it will just have to end up on a Christmas wish list. If you are a classic film fan, then October has been a boom month after a somewhat lackluster September. Rooney and Garland, Kubrick, Jolson, Lancaster and Stanwyck are all getting the red carpet treatment this month, and there is enough action and adventure and spooky stuff to boot. But this week is probably more full than most. So make the most of it. Besides you need something fun to watch while making all those Halloween cookies and treats, right? Save the Great Pumpkin for next week.
DVDTop Shelf Pick of the Week!Burt Lancaster: Signature Collection 
I have to admit that I never set out to be a Burt Lancaster fan. Oh, there was no denying that he was talented, but to me there was something always…off-putting about him. I could never place my finger on it. People would tell me they loved
The Swimmer. Me – not so much.
Birdman of Alcatraz is considered a classic. I thought it was OK.
From Here to Eternity is a classic, but I always liked Deborah Kerr and Frank Sinatra better.
It took his last film for me to begin to see something else. Field of Dreams is a great film, an iconic film to some people. People loved it for various reasons. I loved it because of Burt Lancaster. His role as “Moonlight” Graham, the baseball great turned Doctor was the standout to me. His simple choice of saving a little girls life over a return of his youth was so simple and understated, and great. I saw a different side of the actor. I went back to other films I hadn’t seen:
Tough Guys, The Killers, The Rainmaker, Gunfight at OK Corral; all of them great flicks. It just goes to show that the more you explore movies, the more you see in actors, stories or directors that you didn’t previously liked. I still don’t care for some of Lancaster’s movies, but I like him as an actor and love to discover his films. That’s the great thing about this week’s top Shelf pick:
The Burt Lancaster Signature Collection, as I haven’t seen any of the films collected. I’m excited to get a set where I can discover all of the classic films. The titles included are:
Executive Action, The Flame and the Arrow, Jim Thorpe - All American, His Majesty O'Keefe and
South Sea Woman. I hope to have a full review up for you later on.
Meet the Robinsons
I haven’t seen this film either. My kids saw it and thought it was very funny. I’m looking forward to seeing this one. The commercials looked cute, and there seemed to be some “Disney” inside jokes as well. This week
2719 Hyperion posted an article about Entertainment and the marriage of Disney/Pixar and how some of us have forgotten the value of entertainment. Worth a read.
Stanley Kubrick: Directors Series Most of these Kubrick films have seen DVD releases. What this Director’s series aims to do is to pull some of them together and re-release them in special edition form, with all the accompanying bells and whistles, and add a bonus disc of special features. The films included in this set are:
2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, and
Eyes Wide Shut. The Bonus disc is a biographical documentary entitled:
Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures. Also available as special editions, but not as a part of this set, are:
Barry Lyndon and
Lolita. The titles in the set will be available separately as well, including the bonus disc. So if you are happy with your present editions- you can pick up the ones you want.
Battleship Potemkin 
This is a rarely seen film in today’s culture, and that’s too bad. It was very influential on many film makers and you’ve seen several of it’s sequences redone in later films, including the Railroad station stairway sequence in
The Untouchables. Until now, Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 silent masterpiece has only been seen in redacted form or poorly transferred public domain editions. Kino International, in cooperation with film archives and associations all across Europe, have search far and wide for complete prints, or missing footage. The result is this two disc restored edition that, I’m told, looks fantastic. The Russian film follows the despairing crew of armored cruiser Potemkin and their decision to not only mutiny against the Captain, but against the Czar. This takes place during the Russian-Japanese War in 1905, presaging a more successful revolution years later. The Czar’s White Russian Calvary comes to crush their rebellion and tragedy ensues on the Odessa Steps, becoming one of the most famous sequences in film history. It may be famous, but you may not know why or from what film. Now, thanks to Kino, you can see it in it’s restored, full version.
A Christmas Carol: Ultimate Collector’s Edition (1951 Alistair Sim version)
Talk about another restored treasure: This 1951 Alistair Sim classic is considered by many to be the best film version of the Charles Dickens holiday classic. Doubtless many of you have seen it many times, and may even own it on DVD. Trust me when I say that you will want to pick this up. This is without a doubt the best DVD edition of the film you will see. The two disc set includes a colorized version and a black white version. The film has been digitally restored, cleaned up and has much improved audio track. It’s also crammed with features, including: An audio Commentary by Marcus Hearn & George Cole,
Spirit of Christmas Past - George Cole remembers Alastair Sim,
Richard Gordon Remembers George Minter & Renown Pictures,
Charles Dickens - His Life & Times, Bonus Colorized Version, Original American Theatrical Trailer, Original British Theatrical Trailer, Before & After Restoration Comparison, Optional English & Spanish Subtitles, Optional Narrative for the Blind, Photo & Press Book Gallery, Cast Bios,
Scrooge (1935 Seymour Hicks Version)
TV on DVD
Young Indiana Jones The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Vol.1
We told you about this great set not too long ago, and not only is it here, but Vol.2 will follow by the end of the year. This show features the adventures of Indy as both a nine year old and a teenager, spanning over 12 discs and brimming with special features. Each disc has a feature length episode, historical documentaries and more. This is one to please any Indy fan.
NCIS Season 4NCIS is one of my favorite shows, and even though I hated to see the character of Kate killed off, it seems the show just keeps picking up steam. I enjoy the season long twists and turns that payoff in the final episodes. This past season had a great cliff-hanger that had equally great start for the current season. Don't miss it.
Television:
The Shelf's TCM Picks for the week:Be sure not to miss these great flicks. You could just sit and watch the channel all day if you ask me, but I know that's not possible. That's why give you some of our weekly picks. That doesn't mean there aren't more that you could watch- just some great choices to pick from.
Oct. 25th:
The Long Voyage Home (1940), Tomorrow Is Forever (1946), Come Blow Your Horn (1963) and To Sir, With Love (1967).
Oct. 26th:
The Mad Miss Manton (1938) [Cool flick! Needs to be on DVD!], White Zombie (1932), The Pit And The Pendulum (1961) and Ring of Fear (1954).
Oct. 27th: Gangsters Galore!
Little Caesar (1930), The Public Enemy (1931), and The Public Enemy (1931).
Oct. 28th:
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), and Lilies of the Field (1963).
Oct. 29th:
49th Parallel (1941), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and St. Louis Blues (1958).
Oct. 30th:
Night And Day (1946), Rhapsody In Blue (1945), The Gene Krupa Story (1959) and The Glenn Miller Story (1954).
Oct. 31st:
Halloween!House Of Usher (1960), The Haunting (1963), Bedlam (1946) The Invisible Ray (1936), The Body Snatcher (1945) and The Old Dark House (1932).
Well, that's all for this week's edition of the roundup. Be sure to stick around for some new DVD reviews, more Halloween OTR, Candy Reviews and Cartoons!
This is my most special place in all the world, Ray. Once a place touches you like this, the wind never blows so cold again. You feel for it, like it was your child.
I have to admit that I never set out to be a Burt Lancaster fan. Oh, there was no denying that he was talented, but to me there was something always…off-putting about him. I could never place my finger on it. People would tell me they loved The Swimmer. Me – not so much. Birdman of Alcatraz is considered a classic. I thought it was OK. From Here to Eternity is a classic, but I always liked Deborah Kerr and Frank Sinatra better.
A Christmas Carol: Ultimate Collector’s Edition (1951 Alistair Sim version)
individually wrapped gummy candies in various shapes fashioned into finger puppets and rings. This was a particularly enjoyable experiment for Wolf Jr. as you can see in the pictures. The finger puppet shapes are (from left to right in the picture): Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and a witch. The rings beneath are quite obvious. What's so great about these is they are not skimpy candies floated out to dupe the public. The faces and clothing are actually made from a firm candy substance and adds to the base flavor. I am informed that the flavors are "orange" for the pumpkin, "berry" for the bat, "blueberry" for Frankenstein, "cherry" for Dracula, "berry" for the witch and "I don't know, but it's good" for the Mummy. This is the straight dope folks. Quoted verbatim. Now, don't complain if your flavor experience is quite different 'cause our
taste-tester is only 5. That's the market this candy is aimed at, though. It's directed to the ones whom Halloween is for: the children.
Tonight's Double Feature Chiller Thriller is another 4 pack of frights and laughs! This week's Halloween guest star is Peter Lorre. Mr. Lorre appeared in many OTR shows as a guest and even starred in the anthology show, Mystery In the Air. That voice was unmistakable, and if you've never seen M- his big break through role in Germany which brought him to the attention of Hollywood, you should check it out.
1408: Special Edition
Monumental as in huge or big? Well, yes, but not size-wise. We're talking monumental importance. There are only a couple of worthy releases today (unless you are checking out Transformers, which I haven't yet, but will), but that's alright. You're saving up for that Halloween costume, right? That's what I thought. Just don't forget to pick up a very important DVD release as well...
That's right. If you are interested in movie history, or the evolution of film technique- heck even American Culture in the 20th century, then this week's release is a no brainer. Warner's releases the three disc Deluxe Edition of the monumental 1927 film, The Jazz Singer. Starring Al Jolson in the title role, the film's story isn't revolutionary. It's a fairly typical tale of the age when European immigrants crowded New York. It's a story of a first generation American child of immigrant parents who yearns to discover what America holds for him, contrary to the wishes of his parents clinging to the old ways. The story appealed to many Americans and Al Jolson was a known quantity, starring in a adaptation of a popular Broadway play. What was new was the sound. And not so much the sound, as the new process where sound was synced with the film and coming from the film instead of an in-house organ. It was a revolutionary process called Vitaphone, and Warner's was banking on the system to bring them out of financial problems. In essentially what amounted to an ad-lib on Jolson's part, audiences were thrilled to hear Jolson talking to them. It was a landmark sea change for films, and Hollywood never looked back.
It was a war that seemed to be without win. Although America had secured a victory, the enemy did not acknowledge defeat. Sporadic fight continued to break out, and our relationship with our allies was becoming strained. Sound familiar? It's the situation in America in the two years between the defeat of the British a Yorktown and the signing of the peace treaty. War and peace are never easy. And for those armchair pundits and historical revisionists, it would do you some good to read just how difficult peace, freedom and a new government can be. And the effect that determined leaders, like George Washington, can have in seeing the ultimate goal through, no matter the odds.
Fox Horror Classics Collection (The Lodger / Hangover Square / The Undying Monster)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Ultimate Edition)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season Three 
Man, the talking animals and the Penguins virtually invaded theaters last year and this year. My kids liked Surf's Up and they recently watched The Reef and liked it as well. I can't speak to Surf's Up, but I wasn't too impressed with The Reef. While they tried to make it kid friendly and accessible to adults, the premise and writing just wasn't anything new. I didn't care for it, but you may find the kids will get a kick out of it.
Michael Palin - Pole to Pole
Meerkat Manor - Season 1
There are many Christmas CD's that start coming out this time of year, in anticipation of the Holidays. However, so many of them are too much of "been there, done that". It takes something different and special to catch my ear, and after sampling Josh Groban's Noel, I can say this is something special. Worth picking up and saving til after Halloween.
Ken Follett: World Without End
in Pillars, Follett brings together an assortment of characters whose lives intersect at the cathedral. A must-have.
