PIC of the Year – 2001: A Space Odyssey + My Christmas Wish List

PIC of the Year – 2001: A Space Odyssey + My Christmas Wish List

Article series by Ray Schillaci

I’m taking next week off and have decided not only to supply you with my last PIC of the year, but include the gifts I would like to find under the tree. God knows, my cup runneth over when it comes to my library of movies. My wife has asked on several occasions, “when is enough, enough?” I used to say, “just ten more titles!” But, I’ve proven to go back on my word. That being said, if I had the chance to pick ten titles for this Christmas over everything else including Apple AirPods, here are the movies I would add to my collection including my last PIC of the year…

2001: a space odyssey – 4K/Blu
Okay, so I’m double dipping, But, the fact is I rarely do it. There are less than a handful of titles I would do this with. I just cannot see the necessity of changing everything to 4K. The transition is rarely that dramatic (at least, to my eyes), especially with the advent of HDR (High Dynamic Range). The upgrade in picture and sound that most 4K TVs provide is good enough for me. But, Stanley Kubrick’s space opera is definitely the exception to my rule.

This Warner Brothers presentation comes with a touted “correct picture aspect ratio as it was scanned directly from the 65mm original negative which is spherical (flat) versus anamorphic (scope).” Translation for us layman: best picture ever! Add to that two different “improved” soundtracks. Both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, but one restored and remixed and the other a new 5.1 “repurposing” of the original theatrical 6-track audio.

Kubrick’s 2001 is a landmark film. The editing alone has been discussed for years in film class with one of the greatest transition leaps ever in film: from the Dawn of Man with primitive man using a bone as a tool and weapon, tossing it in the air and instantly we’re taken to the future of space travel. One of the greatest cinematic moments, but it does not stop there.

A black monolith of alien origin appears in man’s earliest times, reappears on the moon in a future moon mission, and later even further during a Jupiter mission. Is it an instrument? An alien intelligence, a combination of both? For years audiences wrestled with the idea. Arthur C. Clarke’s story that is the impetus of Kubrick’s film mystifies and for some is frustrating once it gets down to its three characters: Two mission pilot/scientists and a computer named HAL.

The film depicts loneliness, the frailty of man, our existence, and what may lie ahead. It is both lyrical and mind-bending. It is also the film that inspired so many other filmmakers from Sir Ridley Scott to Steven Spielberg. And, has inspired countless films including Blade Runner, Arrival, THX 1138, 1972’s Russian production of Solaris, 1973’s Westworld, 1971’s Rollerball, Alien, Altered States, James Cameron’s The Abyss to name just a few.

There are all the bonuses from the previous released discs and a new commentary by the lead actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. Bonuses are as follows:

• 2001: The Making of a Myth
• Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
• Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
• 2001: A Space Odyssey – A Look Behind the Future
• What Is Out There?
• 2001: FX and Early Conceptual Artwork
• Look: Stanley Kubrick!
• 11/27/1966 Interview with Stanley Kubrick
• Theatrical Trailer

Best Price – $24.99 Best Buy

Now, for the rest of my Christmas Wish List…

Mission: Impossible – Fallout – 4K
I already had this as one of my PICs of the week. I really did find this the very best of the series. I know it has its naysayers, but I was so entertained. Yes, one has to suspend belief when it comes to Ethan Hunt’s impossible tasks. They’re practically superhero-like, but that’s the fun of it all. At least for me. Definitely better than the last two Bond movies.

Yes, there is that jarring switch from IMAX to 35mm in many scenes, but the same can be said with The Dark Knight, which had the same issue. For some, this did not matter. But, as far as reference quality sound, this is one to really show off the Dolby Atmos or even the Dolby TrueHD if you’re not fortunate enough to have the upgrade your sound system. For fans of the series this is not an impossible choice for a Xmas gift.

Solo: A Star Wars Story – 4K
The big surprise of 2018. Ron Howard actually made a Star Wars movie that is every bit as good as the original trilogy. Actually, I even liked it better than Return of the Jedi. Now, it’s not without its faults. The first ten minutes are awful. Upon renting the Blu at Redbox, I thought I made a serious mistake.

The opening looks as if it was written and directed by someone else. Possibly because we don’t know this new young Han Solo, and the whole setup feels forced (no pun intended). But, right after that the picture slowly won me over, and I had goose chills with fond remembrance of the galaxy I loved so far, far away. Getting this on 4K would only add to the excitement.

Now technically, there is a hodge-hodgepodge here. The film as a whole appears muted with dark colors and a bit flat. The 4K gives the presentation its best shot while the Blu is worse for wear. But, then there is the audio…4K Dolby Atmos that adds some really cool ambient overhead effects. This is another reference quality disc for your audio system whether you have Atmos or TrueHD.

The Last Seduction – Blu
Another former POTW. This is one of my favorite femme fatale movies. Linda Fiorentino is possibly the greatest femme fatale since Rita Hayworth in Gilda. That’s in my humble opinion. Director John Dahl and writer Steven Barancik never topped themselves with this steamy and lurid fever dream. It’s downright beautiful, and all the better on Blu with the correct aspect ratio of 1.78:1 compared to the old DVD that had the ratio at 1.85:1. Believe me, it makes a big difference.

Now, the picture is rather dark to begin with, which makes it a challenge for the 1080p presentation if not in the right hands. To be honest, it’s not the best quality, but it is a big step above the DVD. As for the sound, the DTS-HD MA 2.0 is a much sweeter treat. No complaints here. Dialogue is crisp and the ambient sounds of the city add to the smokey atmosphere provided. This is well worth trading the old DVD in.

Black Magic – DVD
Here’s a hard to find film that is well worth seeing, especially if you’re an Orson Welles fan. This is a lesser known Welles’ film that has him uncredited as co-director along with Gregory Ratoff who was better known as an actor. Ratoff directed thirty titles, none of which are popular today. His most notable was 1939’s Intermezzo: A Love Story where he directed Ingrid Bergman. But, it would not be until ten years later that he would be directing Welles. Or, did he? It really didn’t matter because they were good friends.

The film has the feel of a Welles film with its love of shadows, magic, and it is taken from a classic novel, which Welles seemed gravitated to. Not to suggest that this was anywhere near a Mercury production, but it sure has Welles’ mark on it. The story concerns the flamboyant character Count Cagliostro. hypnotist, magician, and con artist. Perfect for Welles. The man ends up using his powers for revenge against King Louis XV’s court.

As with Lady From Shanghai, Black Magic opened to mixed reviews and was never appreciated until much later. But, here is Welles in all his glory reveling in the character of this con artist/magician/hypnotist. One cannot help to think that it was Alexander Dumas’ novel that eventually led Welles to film F for Fake.

The DVD is nothing to rave about. It’s not Blu material, but Henstooth Video does an admirable job with both picture and sound. No supplements with this presentation, but we have Henstooth Video to thank for preserving the rousing score by Paul Sawtell who went onto do some memorable television scores such as 77 Sunset Strip and James Garner’s Maverick. For us cinephiles, it’s a must.

The Devil Within Her – DVD
This movie is even harder to locate. It’s had several title changes from I Don’t Want to be Born to Sharon’s Baby. But, no title could capture the sheer lunatic piece of work that catapulted this film to cult status. Joan Collins as an ex-stripper gives birth to a baby who is possessed by a freak dwarf she use to work with named (get this), Hercules. Yes, you read that right. It’s a tawdry affair and Collins makes it a campy horror classic.

Since this DVD is so hard to find it ranges anywhere from $23.99 to $44.00 and up, and many of those copies are used. Of course, you can always keep watch on eBay and see if you can nab it for cheaper. For a DVD, the print is okay. Not sure if this one will ever make it to Blu or if anybody would want it to. But, there are those that revel in bad cinema – Plan 9 From Outer Space, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and The Room – whom this is for.

Red Sun – Blu
So hard to find that you have to resort to picking up the All Region import from Spain. Yes, the cover is in Spanish along with the subtitles, but the Language option includes English. This is one of my favorite Charles Bronson movies.

Bronson as a gunslinger with Toshiro Mifune as his samurai sidekick! What more could we ask for? A Japanese delegation is sent by train to deliver a ceremonial sword to President Grant when the train is robbed. Bronson is sent to get it back with Mifune who was suppose to guard the sword. Mifune has only one week to recover the prize otherwise he’s been ordered to commit suicide. The whole thing has Bronson confused. It’s a fun East meets West that has outlaws and Indians battling one another along with a deadly samurai.

Avoid the DVD at all costs because it’s nearly unwatchable. Nighttime scenes are pitch black. You can’t distinguish anything. The grain is horrid. The Blu has vastly improved the presentation audio wise and visually which makes this a great buy especially since we’ve never been given a street date for a well deserved Blu in the States.

Cotton Comes to Harlem – Blu
I have a fondness for good blaxploitation cinema. Superfly, Shaft, The Mack. Tarantino reintroduced this genre with Jackie Brown. Cotton Comes to Harlem was one of the first of the genre, black action films aimed at black audiences in the ’70s. These were films that had African-Americans as the leads and often had anti-establishment themes. But, they’ve also been cited for the racial stereotypes and their glorified violence. Be that as it may, I’ve always enjoyed them for their strong story, great action and fine actors that had a chance to finally shine.

Legendary actor, Ossie Davis finally had a chance to display his directing skills with this film and he peppered it with great actors: Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jaques, Calvin Lockhart, Redd Foxx, and Cleavon Little, to name a few. Cambridge and Jacques play cops that don’t always play by the letter of the law, Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson (gotta love those names). They’re gunning for a preacher who claims to be selling parcels of land in Africa for his congregation in installments.

Kino Lorber gives us a Blu cinephiles can rejoice over. This is far and beyond the presentation MGM offered with their DVD presentation. As for the mono soundtrack, the Blu delivers the power needed for a film like this. Along with all this, a great recreation of the original poster for the cover of the Blu which is far better than what was offered before. This is definitely worth adding to any collection along with the famed Larry Cohen films…

Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem – Blu
Cohen may be the best white filmmaker to have the most success with blaxploitation next to Tarantino. In fact, Tarantino has probably studied the Cohen canon which is a wonderful amalgam of pulp and fury. Writer Cohen has written everything from tawdry and lurid with the baby horror film It’s Alive! to the wonderfully grungy pulp of Best Seller. He’s had his share of awfulness like God Told Me To to the original Maniac Cop series, both of which have attained cult status. But, with Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem, Larry struck gold.

There’s a great absurd rhythm to these films and he has a charismatic lead to go with it all, Fred Williamson, who was so great in Tarantino’s From Dusk ’til Dawn. Adding to the dynamite of the first film, Black Caesar, is a music score by none other than James Brown. Cohen fashioned a black remake of the famed 1931 Edward G. Robinson classic, Little Caesar, with Williamson in the Robinson role. As crazy as it sounds, Cohen makes it work.

In fact, it worked so well, that the studio, AIP, told him to start writing a sequel. Problem being, anybody familiar with the 1931 classic, knows the lead dies. Cohen being the creative wild man that he is, managed to have Williamson come back narrowly escaping death in Hell Up in Harlem. This time out, Williamson’s character is out to rescue his ex-wife who’s been kidnapped by the mafia. Both films are violent, action packed, but there is this weird sense of humor throughout that throws us off and makes it all the worth watching.

Olive Films gives us a good presentation, but not what some of us would come to expect. Daylight scenes are vastly improved, but night shots are only slightly better from the DVDs. The audio is nothing to crow about, but it is a decent DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Final thoughts, this is still better than the DVD presentations which I’ve seen, but do not own. So, this is worth the buy. And actually, if they were ever to come out on 4K I couldn’t imagine purchasing again.

The Zodiac Killer – Blu
This is not the David Fincher film. Far from it. It’s a tawdry exploitation film centering around the infamous Zodiac Killer. It’s not even a very good film, but it has gained cult status. What is this film famous for? In 1971, it was suppose to lure out the real Zodiac Killer. So, why would I want it? My mother, Barbara Schillaci, plays a supporting role. A recurring part of a lady in a bar who may have a scuffle with the Zodiac.

I remember mom taking all of us, my brothers and I to the Lankershim Theater in North Hollywood long before it became the more pleasant NOHO district. I was 15 years-old, and the oldest of four. That means, my youngest brother was eight, and our mom was taking us to see The Zodiac Killer. She also provided specific instructions: do not blurt out anything when she appeared on screen. We did. So, this film has a nostalgic value to me. What everybody else has found in it is beyond me other than it has that grungy early ’70s look to it that some may admire.

AGFA, American Genre Film Archive and Something Weird Video has preserved this film on Blu. Preserved? This was a 16mm film blown to 35mm. Grain issues are obvious along with color saturation. Dark scenes are the most difficult to get through along with getting past the damages to the original print. This is not something Scorsese is going to step in and repair.
OMG, but there’s a decent soundtrack! Yes, the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono actually improves upon the original theatrical presentation. So, that means the killings have all the reality of fake stock gunshots and bad knife plunging.

My God, there are also bonuses. Not only do you get several commentaries, but another movie as well, 1977’s Another Son of Sam. It blows me away that these small companies provided some nice hefty supplements when there are so many studios that cheap out on some great classic films. Oh well, like I said before, the only reason for me to own this is because of my mom. Perhaps if I ever get around to owning it, I’ll ask her to sign my copy. Although, knowing her, she’ll probably charge me.

Merry Christmas Everyone!