High Diving Hare (1949)Directed by Friz Freleng Written by Tedd Pierce Animation by Gerry Chiniqiuy Music by Peter Burness You wouldn’t think you could do much with a short that centered on almost nothing but gags of Yosemite Sam falling off a high dive, but you’d be wrong. While short on variety, “High Diving Hare” is a blast because it feels like a return to form. Like previous shorts, there’s a three act structure, a perfectly funny set up, and a lot of really funny gags between Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny. I remember watching this short a lot during the “Bugs Bunny and Tweey Show” back on ..read more

A filmmaker with cerebral palsy makes a documentary about his own life, how he has evolved and how his life has changed along the way, proving that a full life is what everyone deserves.  Written by Alexander Freeman and Michaelle McGaraghan and directed by Freeman, My Own Normal is a documentary about the director himself, one where he gives access to his own life and films it shows how he lives and how he can have a full life while dealing with cerebral palsy. The subject here is interesting as a whole, but the approach feels like it’s only skimming the surface and giving the viewer th ..read more

Out on Blu-ray on May 7, 2024, from Arrow Video    Manhattan, mid-1990s, a young district attorney suddenly finds himself in the middle of a case that could make or break his career. This case will affect those around him just as much as himself, adding to the pressure.  Written by Sidney Lumet, based on Robert Daley’s novel, and directed by Lumet, the film has the pedigree of a masterpiece, and it is quite near one. The writing here is solid with a great story, and director beyond well by Lumet. The film here brings to the screen police corruption, complex plots, and the city ..read more

BOOTLEG FILES 863: “Room to Let” (1950 British drama inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders). LAST SEEN: We cannot confirm the last presentation of this film. AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On a collector-to-collector label. REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: An obscure film that fell through the cinematic cracks. CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely. Unless you are a scholar of either the Hammer Film Productions canon or cinematic endeavors inspired by the Jack the Ripper crimes, there is an excellent chance that you never heard of the 1950 British film “Room to Let.” And that would be a gre ..read more

Out on Blu-ray on April 30, 2024, from Radiance Films  Following the death of his wife, a man returns home to Italy where their two sons await their return. There, he decides to inform his oldest, but withholds the information for his youngest for his protection. Soon, things turn sour in the household with big secrets and burdens affecting all that live there.  Written by Leonardo Benvenuti and Piero De Bernardi with collaboration from Lucia Drudi Demby and Giuseppe Mangione, based on the novel by Florence Montgomery, and directed by Luigi Comencini, the film is one that is all abo ..read more

Out on Blu-ray on April 30, 2024, from Radiance Films  When a beautiful young woman falls in love with a Yakuza, she soon finds out that he and his organization expect her to sell herself to bring in money.  Written by Toshidi Gondo, based on the novel by Kyoko Ohta, and directed by Noboru Nakamura, The Shape of Night is a lovely, yet sad look into the actions of despair and necessity, the way some get roped into places they were not meant to be, and how it affects them and those around them. The film is careful to build a universe where nothing is truly black or white, no one is tr ..read more

Out on Blu-ray on April 30, 2024, from Arrow Video  A bounty hunter passing through town assists a newly minted Sherriff in his duty, showing him the ropes as he once was in his shoes.  Written by Dudley Nichols based on a story by Barney Slater and Joel Kane, and directed by Anthony Mann, this Western plays in the old man looking at his end trope, showing themes of legacy, life, what it means to be who you are, and a few other connected items that usually make this type of films what they are. Here, the themes are used and explored judiciously, keeping them on point and giving the ..read more

SYNOPSIS: A small herd of cattle from the West Cooley range has stampeded in to the Bar 20, which is led by Red Connors [Frank McGlynn, Jr.], feisty old Uncle Ben [George Hayes] and punchy, trigger-happy Johnny Nelson [Jimmy Ellison]. Jimmy charges himself with the task of charging the herd back on their own range, while Buck Peters [Charles Middleton] speaks to Jim Meeker [Robert Warwick], owner of the Cooley range. While Johnny stampedes the cattle, Mary Meeker [Paula Stone] catches him and confronts him, this leads ranch foreman Jack Anthony [Kenneth Thomson] to shoot at Nelson’s horse caus ..read more

Out on Blu-ray on April 23, 2024, from Eureka Entertainment  When needed a masked hero comes to the rescue, facing off against his former colleagues from a supersoldier project of the past.  Written by Tsui Hark, Koan Hui, Teddy Chan, and Joe Ma, based on a comic book by Chi-Ming Pang, and directed by Daniel Lee, Black Mask is a very mid-1990s action film with a touch of classic fighting styles, flying stunts, and that specific style that feels more Tsui Hark than Daniel Lee. The influence of the co-writer is palpable throughout the film in its style, its fights, how the story moves ..read more

Out on Blu-ray on April 23, 2024, from Arrow Video  A group of incorruptible men join to help Eliot Ness in his attempts to put Al Capone behind bars.  Written by Paul Monash based on the book by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, and directed by Phil Karlson, this Desilu production was originally created as a two-part television pilot and is now available as a film made of those two hours. Here, the story of Eliot Ness and his group of federal lawmen and a few other people come together to catch Al Capone and to, most importantly, put him behind bars for good. The story here is one that ..read more