Arrow Video has out this week limited edition Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer Blu-ray and 4K releases. The classic sword & sorcery flicks from the 1980s helped solidify Arnold Schwarzenegger as an action star bringing Robert E. Howard’s Conan to the big screen. I probably hadn’t seen either film in over 20 years and compared to CGI heavy fantasy projects of recent years like Game of Thrones they feel very much their age. And I’m ok with that. The fighting is hand to hand with Schwarzenegger going sword to sword with other characters. The first film introduces the character, a slave fighter turned warrior out for revenge on the evil snake cult leader who killed his parents. We all remember the terrible hair piece they gave James Earl Jones in this one. In its sequel Conan returns to take a young princess on a quest to find a jewel. This is the one with Grace Jones and Wilt Chamberlain. Both come as 2-Disc releases filled with bonus features including interviews with cast and crew, rarely seen footage and archival materials, newly filmed interviews and commentary with cast and crew, theatrical trailers, and an image gallery. If you are a fan these are must own on physical media. Definitely the best releases of the week and a fun trip back to my youth because I grew up watching them.
Arrow also has out Murphy’s War starring Peter O’Toole. He plays a soldier on a British naval ship in World War II who survives a German U-boat attack and is taken in by a doctor off the coast of Venezuela. He becomes obsessed with getting revenge on the U-boat and gets help from another man who runs a boat. I had never seen this before and loved the ending. It’s from 1971 when an ending like this would work and not irritate the audience. O’Toole is great as the obsessed soldier although some of the plane flying scenes are a bit laughable by today’s standards. It’s from director Peter Yates (Bullitt) and the release’s bonus features include essays, interviews and more. If you like this one this is probably the best the film has looked since its original release.
Next we have The Puppetman. With a name like that I was expecting some killer dolls or something to that degree, but it’s more of a possession type film. It opens with a husband killing his wife, but claiming it wasn’t him. Their daughter is now a college student and her father is about to be executed. There’s something off with her, sleepwalking at night which her roommate records and other issues. The roommate is obsessed with the killer story and there are three other friends involved. When one of them dies they start looking into what’s going on and there’s more to the girl’s sleepwalking and past. There’s a medium and the girl visits her father before his death. It’s ok, but not the movie I was expecting. I’m not a possession/demon type horror fan, but it’s good enough for a watch especially if you like that subgenre of horror.
Now for some anime. First is Giant Beasts of Ars: Complete Collection. I thought this was going to be an action packed series with giants beasts fighting humans, but it’s more like Pokemon, characters walking around meeting new people and so on. It’s beautiful to look at, but I’ll be honest and admit this one went over my head. I’m long past my years where something like this would entertain me. It’s like Voltron at times with a giant monster and everyone banding together to fight. If you are an anime fan you might like it, but I’m too old for this.
Sticking with anime, RahXephon – Complete Collection came out last week, but I got the release date wrong so that’s on me. This includes the complete series and movie. A dome is placed over Tokyo and the residents don’t know if they are the only survivors on Earth. Their time is slower than the outside world and they live their lives in the dome until one day outsiders make their way in and the main character is introduced to RahXephon, a giant robot think Ultraman, but animated. The show easily compares to Brave Raideen and Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was a pretty popular series that although I had never seen it, knew of it from Manga, video games and other media. The Blu-ray is a solid release with everything you want from the series/film. If you are a fan this is worth picking up.
Last we have Joan Baez I Am a Noise. This came out earlier in the month, but I got it a few days ago. The documentary shows the build up to the singer/activist’s last performances and also archival footage, interviews and personal photos to tell her rise to fame. I liked the older stuff more than the current footage because I found her past more interesting. I probably can’t name one of her songs, but she was big in folk music in the 1950s and 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement and more. She talks about marching with Martin Luther King, Jr. and dating Bob Dylan. She’s also not shy about her mental health. She claims abuse growing up, but no one in her family will confirm it. She had rough spots with her family through the decades and again doesn’t back down from telling her side of things. Even as someone who didn’t know her music I found the music history aspect enjoyable and she certainly lived a pretty cool life. Her fans will eat up this documentary for sure.
The Nerds Templar 