STACK #196 Feb 2021

FILM FEATURE

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February brings an eclectic mix of limited editions from the local boutique Blu-ray label, including a forgotten Kurt Russell suspense-thriller, a classic baseball comedy, and the very first post-apocalyptic drama. Words Scott Hocking NEWFROM IMPRINT FILMS

Fawcett and Billy Bob Thornton contribute strong supporting roles. Extras include a 2020 audio commentary by film critic Peter Tonguette; visual essay by Ian Mantgani; new interviews with actor John Beasley and composer David Mansfield; The Journey of the Apostle featurette; and a look at the Grammy-winning gospel soundtrack. Directed by John Frankenheimer ( The Manchurian Candidate ) and based on an early novel by Thomas Harris ( The Silence of the Lambs ), Black Sunday (1977) sees the Super Bowl under threat by a terrorist group who intend to destroy the gripping political thriller still resonates today. Extras include a new audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince, and the theatrical trailer. "Four men and one woman are the last five people on Earth. This is their story." The rarely seen Five (1951) has the distinction of being the first major film to explore post-apocalypse themes, following five survivors of a nuclear holocaust who have holed up in a remote hillside house. And it's every bit as bleak as the subject suggests. This obscure '50s flick has been resurrected with a new 2K scan from the original negative and extras include a 2020 audio commentary by film historians Glenn Erickson and Matthew Rovner; an interview with critic Kim Newman, and the theatrical trailer. Goodyear blimp that's hovering above the packed stadium. Inspired by the massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, this

Breakdown (1997)

A cracking and largely forgotten Kurt Russell thriller from the late nineties makes a welcome return to the shelves on Blu-ray. Breakdown (1997) finds Russell stranded in the California desert and searching for his wife (Kathleen Quinlan), who has gone missing after accepting a lift to the nearest phone from a friendly trucker (J.T. Walsh). Combining elements of Duel and The Vanishing , director Jonathan Mostow ( Terminator 3 ) fashions a white-knuckle

The Bad News Bears (1976)

suspense-thriller in the spirit of Hitchcock. Extras include a 2020 audio commentary by film critic Peter Tonguette; a visual essay by filmmaker, writer and programmer Ian Mantgani; interviews with film critic Tim Robey and stuntman James Arnett; making of featurette and theatrical trailer.

best baseball comedies ever made, The Bad News Bears (1976) does indeed hit a

home run with its cheerfully vulgar humour, believable characters, and a plum role for Walter Matthau as the beer-swilling coach of a misfit little-league team. The eleventh highest grossing film of 1976 at the US box office, it spawned two sequels and a 2005 remake. Extras include a new audio commentary by film historian Scott Harrison, and the theatrical trailer. Robert Duvall writes, produces, directs and stars in The Apostle (1997), an absorbing character study about a Southern preacher searching for redemption after committing a crime of passion. An intimate look at the complexities of a faith-based vocation, Duvall's passion piece saw him duly nominated for Best Actor at the 1998 Academy Awards. And while this is predominantly a one-man show, Farrah

US Navy pilots embark on a dangerous mission to destroy key North Korean-held bridges in The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), an adaptation of the best-selling novel by James A. Michener. William Holden leads an all-star cast (including Grace Kelly, Mickey Rooney and Frederic March) as a lieutenant facing a moral dilemma, and the film's thrilling combat sequences are wonderfully realised by Oscar- winning special effects and masterful editing. Extras include a 2020 audio commentary by film historian Alan K. Rode, and the theatrical trailer. Championed by Quentin Tarantino and considered by many critics to be one of the

• The new Imprint range will be available with slipcases and unique artwork for a limited time only (while stocks last) on February 24. PRE-ORDER NOW

74 FEBRUARY 2021

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