Sunday, May 10, 2009

Movies to Release on DVD...Now


Man on The Roof (1976)

I saw this on PBS back in the day. I'm a sucker for gritty, grimy cop procedurals and this one is Swedish to boot. So not only is it gritty, its laconic and gloomy too!



I don't remember much about it except it was sort of a "French Connection" rip-off, with lots of handheld shots of detectives getting in and out of Saabs. As I recall, a wounded policemen is shot in his hospital bed to prevent his testimony or something. This shocking event stirs Stockholm's Finest into full blown panic mode.



I've found some stills from the film but, oddly enough, I don't remember it looking so bright and cheerful. Then I remembered I originally watched this film on a 12" b/w TV. It was in color....who knew?



At any rate I recall this as a gripping and absorbing film with a great balance of quirkiness and action. Just the fact that my addled brain even remembers it after all these years means the film must have had something special. There apparently are some bootleg DVDs out there, but I'm holding out for the real thing.



Maybe I will be disappointed if I ever do get to see it...but I'll take the chance.

More Info

Movies to Release on DVD...Now


Man on The Roof (1976)

I saw this on PBS back in the day. I'm a sucker for gritty, grimy cop procedurals and this one is Swedish to boot. So not only is it gritty, its laconic and gloomy too!



I don't remember much about it except it was sort of a "French Connection" rip-off, with lots of handheld shots of detectives getting in and out of Saabs. As I recall, a wounded policemen is shot in his hospital bed to prevent his testimony or something. This shocking event stirs Stockholm's Finest into full blown panic mode.



I've found some stills from the film but, oddly enough, I don't remember it looking so bright and cheerful. Then I remembered I originally watched this film on a 12" b/w TV. It was in color....who knew?



At any rate I recall this as a gripping and absorbing film with a great balance of quirkiness and action. Just the fact that my addled brain even remembers it after all these years means the film must have had something special. There apparently are some bootleg DVDs out there, but I'm holding out for the real thing.



Maybe I will be disappointed if I ever do get to see it...but I'll take the chance.

More Info

Roma (2018) ✭✭✭✭✭

Alfonso Cuarón’s directorial career has dealt with everything from updated Dickens ( Great Expectations ) to twisted coming of age ( Y Tu Ma...