TCM Archives: The Laurel and Hardy Collection (The Devil's Brother / Bonnie Scotland)

TCM Archives: The Laurel and Hardy Collection (The Devil's Brother / Bonnie Scotland) Review

TCM Archives: The Laurel and Hardy Collection (The Devil's Brother / Bonnie Scotland) Feature

• Actors: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Dennis King, Thelma Todd, James Finlayson.
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, Special Edition, NTSC.
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono). Subtitles: English, Spanish, French.
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
• Not Rated. Run Time: 268 minutes.

Unlike many silent screen comedians, Laurel & Hardy made a seamless transition to talkies, and this TCM Archives double-feature showcases some of their funniest work from the early 1930s. As always, TCM/Warner has packaged this must-have set for true film buffs: The prints are pristine, image quality is crisp and clean, sound quality is the best available (allowing for some hiss and minor drop-offs due to the age of the soundtracks), and bonus features have been chosen with care and authority, including several highlight excerpts from Laurel & Hardy short subjects. While continuing to enjoy their priceless partnership with producer Hal Roach, Stan & Ollie were at their sound-era peak in The Devil's Brother (1933), a hilarious adaptation of the Auber operetta Fra Diavolo (also the film's alternate European title), in which "Stanlio" and "Ollio" find themselves entangled in the exploits of the Marquis de San Marco, a notorious singing bandit named "Fra Diavolo" (played with adequate panache by Dennis King) who's set his sights on the lovely Lady Pamela (played by '30s screen queen Thelma Todd). Plots in Laurel & Hardy films are almost always perfunctory, but this is one of the better ones, lending Stan & Ollie ample opportunity to cut loose with Roach-invented gags and trademark slapstick. The highlight has to be Stan's drunken laughing fit, a miraculously sustained bit of hilarity (with Ollie eventually joining in) that's absolutely infectious and irresistible--it's impossible to watch without laughing right along with Stan.

Bonnie Scotland (1935) finds L&H in Gunga Din territory (or if you prefer, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer) as they arrive in Scotland hoping to collect "MacLaurel's" inheritance, only to end up recruited into a Scottish infantry regiment in the Indian desert. The comedy is mildly compromised by a standard-issue romance plot involving costars June Lang and William Janney, but whenever Stan and Ollie are onscreen, the laughs are consistently plentiful and timelessly entertaining. Adding expert context to the comedy, audio commentaries by film historians and lifelong L&H fans Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann are packed with knowledgeable information out each film, the careers of the cast members, working methods at Hal Roach studios, shooting locations, and fascinating anecdotal details (such as the fact that long-time L&H supporting player James Finlayson was the direct inspiration for Homer Simpson's beloved exclamation, "D'Oh!" on TV's long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons. The package is rounded out by "Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story," an excellent TCM feature-length documentary, narrated by Chevy Chase, that extensively chronicles the many varieties of short subjects produced during the 1930's and '40s--essentially an extension of Vaudeville and newsreels that gave rise to many of Hollywood's finest performers during the golden age of the studio system. All in all, this is a perfect DVD set for longtime Laurel & Hardy fans, or newcomers to their classic brand of comedy. --Jeff Shannon They were one of the movies' most successful and best-loved comic duos, probably because their irresistible slapstick antics were underscored by an indomitable optimism. Beginning with shorts made at the Hal Roach Studios, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy struck a universal chord by sharing a contentious yet benign friendship that always survived whatever indignities their mutual bumbling brought upon them. This TCM Archives two-disc collection focuses on the team at their zenith during the sound era and spotlights two features produced by Roach for MGM. The Devil's Brother (1933) (also known as Fra Diavolo) is a laugh-filled adaptation of the Auber operetta in which "Stanlio" and "Ollio" tangle with a notorious robber baron. The delightful Bonnie Scotland (1935) is a misadventure that takes the boys to Scotland and India.

Devil's Rejects / House Of 1,000 Corpses (Two-Pack) [Blu-ray]

Devil's Rejects / House Of 1,000 Corpses (Two-Pack) [Blu-ray] Review

Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 01/04/2011 Rating: R

God Went Surfing With the Devil

God Went Surfing With the Devil Review

Since the year 2000, over 4,300 Palestinian and 1,000 Israeli lives have been claimed by the escalating conflict in the region. The situation grew markedly worse in 2006, when Israel responded to the election of Hamas by sealing off the borders, ending the free-flow of people and goods. Palestinian militants reacted to the siege by targeting Israel's civilian population with deadly rocket strikes; the Israeli Army countered with air strikes, targeting militants but often claiming the lives of innocent residents.

In 2007 it emerged that a small group of young men were surfing in Gaza, sharing battered surfboards they had attained prior to the siege. Word traveled north to Israel, and that same year, a mixed group of Israelis and Americans delivered a dozen boards to their Palestinian counterparts.

In the spring of 2008, they would attempt to deliver another 23 surfboards into Gaza. By this time the situation in Gaza had deteriorated further, the border still sealed, with military activity a near daily occurrence.

GOD WENT SURFING WITH THE DEVIL charts the difficulties and dangers encountered by surfers in the region. Along the way it speaks to Israelis, Arab-Israelis, and Palestinians affected by the violence, charting their daily struggle to supersede the conflict through the joys of surfing.

Harrison Ford Biography

Harrison Ford Biography Review

DVD

Fright Pack 1 - Devil Made Me Do It

Fright Pack 1 - Devil Made Me Do It Review

THE ANTICHRIST – In Rome, a beautiful young woman is left paralyzed by the trauma of a horrific childhood accident. Mankind's only hope for salvation is a harrowing exorcism that will either cast out the devil forever or open the door for the unspeakable birth of THE ANTICHRIST FEAR NO EVIL – Andrew Williams is a shy, awkward high school student with a straight ‘A’ average and a horrifying secret. Now that the legions of the undead have risen, some very unexpected archangels gather as the final horrific battle for the unholy soul of mankind is about to begin. HELL NIGHT – When their seemingly innocent rite of passage turns deadly, these college students will do anything to survive Hell Night. CURSE OF THE DEVIL – Legendary Spanish horror star Paul Naschy returns as Waldemar Daninsky, marked for all eternity with the ancestral curse of the werewolf. As the full moon rises and the horror takes hold, is the rage of the werewolf any match for the damnations of the devil himself? TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER – When an American occult novelist (Hollywood legend Richard Widmark) uncovers the conspiracy, he must battle an international cabal of evil for the body and sou of the Devil’s child-bride. Hammer film starring legend Christopher Lee. THE CHURCH – Can the blood of the innocent survive this unholy communion or will the ultimate demonic evil be unleashed upon the world? Co- written by Dario Argento