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“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story“* (2022, Shout! Factory) Delirious faux biopic about “Weird” Al (played with sheer bravado by Daniel Radcliffe) that refashions his rise to fame as a song parodist as a sort of Dickensian fable about finding one’s artistic voice: the young Al breaks free of his oppressive father (Toby Huss) with the help of an accordion purchased by his mother (Julianne Nicholson). Director Eric Appel, who co-wrote the film with Yankovic, has a great deal of fun skewering crucible moments in celebrity hagiographies – the spark for “My Bologna” is created by a sandwich – as well as the catalog of excesses and there-but-for-the-grace-of-God moments that are part and parcel of cautionary showbiz stories. Key to these scenes are Evan Rachel Wood as a predatory Madonna, who paves the road to fame hell for Al, and Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento, who serves as spiritual advisor and shaman (by spiking guacamole with acid to inspire “Eat It”). A host of very funny people turn up as various historical figures (Quinta Brunson as Oprah, Jack Black as Wolfman Jack, Arturo Castro as Pablo Escobar, Yankovic himself and Will Forte as record execs the Scotti Brothers and even Emo Philips, whose Salvador Dali cements Al’s place in art and history). “Weird” is proudly, even defiantly silly, but never turns lowbrow – something of an accomplishment which folds a drug den massacre and a “Carrie” spoof into a movie about “Weird” Al. Shout! Factory’s 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo includes commentary by Yankovic and Appel, who also oversee several deleted and extended scenes; a making-of featurette and numerous promotional appearances by Yankovic, Radcliffe, and Wood round out the set.
“T.R. Baskin“* (1971, Fun City Editions) A transactional encounter between wayward tire salesman Peter Boyle and preternaturally savvy and self-aware Candice Bergen leads to a recollection of her journey to Chicago and (mostly disastrous) attempts at love and emotional connection. Most viewers disliked this wordy, heady drama from Herbert Ross and producer/writer Peter Hyams for its superficial smarty-pants dialogue and narrow view of city life; those elements remain intact, but the cast, which includes James Caan playing against type and Marcia Rodd, carries the film over the finish line. Fun City’s Blu-ray preserves the dreamy palette of Gerald Hirschfeld’s cinematography and adds commentary by Ben Reiser and Scott Lucas (very production and history forward) and an interview with Hyams.
“Daliland“* (2022, Magnolia Home Entertainment) Fitfully entertaining look at the chaotic final years of Salvador Dali, played with considerable charm and eccentricity by Sir Ben Kingsley (Ezra Miller plays the younger Dali in flashbacks). He and Fassbinder regular Barbara Sukowa (as Dali’s operatically dramatic wife, Gala), are the primary reason to watch “Daliland,” though director Mary Harron also holds interest with a vibrant ’70s visual palette and those in Dali’s orbit (Mark McKenna as Alice Cooper, Andreja Pejic as Amanda Lear, Joella Hinson-King as Donyale Luna), though Suki Waterhouse is the most entertaining as a sensuous portal of entry into Daliland for gallery employee Christopher Birney. Unfortunately, his perspective is fairly dull, and the characterizations are often as one-dimensional as her previous take on the art world, “I Shot Andy Warhol,” leaving Kingsley and Sukowa to anchor the picture. Magnolia’s DVD is widescreen.
“It! The Terror from Beyond Space”* (1957, Kino Lorber Studio Classics) A manned space mission blasts off to Mars, accompanied by the sole survivor (TV stalwart Marshall Thompson) of a doomed previous excursion, where they encounter the seemingly indestructible creature that killed off his crew mates. Black-and-white sci-fi thriller by low-budget genre specialist Edward L. Cahn (“Creature with the Atom Brain”) and “Star Trek”/”Twilight Zone” writer Jerome Bixby is frequently cited as one of the many inspirations for Ridley Scott’s “Alien”; the parallels are evident (especially in the finale), but “It!” stands on its own scaly feet as a fast-paced (70 minutes) and surprisingly suspenseful outer space adventure. Cahn handles the monster’s appearances well (almost disguising the fact that stuntman Ray “Crash” Corrigan is nearly popping out of the suit – the creature’s “tongue” is actually his chin) and the usual tech-jargon and Manifest Destiny in Space huggermugger is kept to a minimum in favor of tension and even some genuine shocks. Immensely enjoyable for Saturday afternoon creature feature devotees and casual viewers alike; Kino Lorber’s Special Edition features a sharp 2K restoration and a wealth of observations in commentary form by the likes of Tom Weaver (who appears to keep the yucks and left-field comments to a minimum), the legendary Bob Burns, filmmaker Craig Blamire and film score expert David Schetcher (their comments are recorded separately); two other tracks feature writer Gary Gerani and Craig Beam, and between the three tracks, one can gleam just about everything they’d want to know about “It!” Trailers for other vintage sci-fi/monster titles from Kino’s library, including “The Quatermass Experiment” and “The Monster That Challenged the World,” are also included.
“Shanghai Joe“* (1973, Cauldron Films) Chinese immigrant Chen Lee arrives in the Old West and runs afoul of every single white person that crosses his path, including rancher Piero Lulli, who runs a slavery ring as a side hustle. When Lee puts paid to that operation, Lulli dispatches a quartet of bounty hunters, which test Lee’s martial arts skills. Director Mario Caiano’s feature arrived at a time when the spaghetti Western was in decline, and fell upon genre cross-pollination to pique audience interest; the rest was a slew of curious hybrids, including a handful of titles that tapped the rising appeal of Chinese martial arts films. That subset is a decidedly mixed bag, and “Shanghai Joe” is no exception: the plot is threadbare and Caiano’s direction perfunctory, but Lee (who was apparently a Japanese performer) is energetic and the bounty killers are played by a colorful array of Euro-bad guys, including American Gordon Mitchell and Klaus Kinski in twitchy overdrive. The film is also surprisingly gory, with various limbs and organs falling to Lee’s flashing fists; these elements hold the attention when the film itself wanders into the back forty. Cauldron’s Blu-ray, taken from a 2K restoration, looks sharp and offers English and Italian language tracks, as well as informative commentary by Mike Hauss of the Spaghetti Western Digest and an essay on other kung fu-Western mashups; Katsutoshi Mikuriya, who plays Lee’s final opponent, discusses the production in an interview.
