Yes! I missed the January Umbrella releases – very quick rundown, Silver Bullet, Fair Game and Sunday Too Far Away are all essential pick ups.
On to the February releases…
(We are not paid by Umbrella to push these releases at all, we simply love their work and feel that folks should be aware of the great releases that are on offer.)
Rip Tide
From Umbrella: When fashion model Cora (Debby Ryan, Disney’s JESSIE, Radio Rebel) suffers an embarrassing “fashion faux pas” there is nothing else for it but to head down under to Australia for some peace and tranquillity.
However, life out of the spotlight is not what it is cracked up to be. Expecting a five star holiday with her Aunt Margot (Genevieve Hegney, The Kettering Incident), Cora realises all too late that her idylic beachside retreat has no internet access and is a long way from the nearest city.
With the thought of the vicious world awaiting her back home, Cora feels trapped, but as time goes by, friendships bloom and romance sparks between Cora and local Tom (Andrew Creer, Tomorrow When The War Began). Still keen to return home and resume the career she left behind, Cora is torn between her welcoming community and the bright future and potential fame that awaits her back in America.
From AB Film Review: Rip Tide had a short theatrical run in Australia in 2017 before making a splash on Netflix in the US. Thanks to Umbrella, this great film aimed at young girls helps carry on the legacy of Puberty Blues finale where the girls say, you know what, I want to surf, and I’m damn well going to do just that. Highly recommended.
Aces High
From Umbrella: A naive young officer, straight from school, arrives on the western front to fight against the Germans. However life expectancy of green pilots is not very good.
From AB Film Review: Aces High features 1970’s Malcolm McDowell and Christopher Plummer as soldiers fighting in World War 1. This is a remake of the 1930 film, Journey’s End, which was based on a play by R.C. Sheriff. The Rotten Tomatoes score is empty, but Marta (a user review on IMDb) had this to say:
A very good, but depressing, film, McDowell is subdued in his performance and seems to come out of his cocoon only at the end. The film shows us just how little the commanders valued the lives of their men by sending them out unprepared and inexperienced, and that they know after one group of fliers is decimated, there is always a fresh batch of innocent boys to take their place. I recommend the film highly, since it has a firm anti-war message.
The Champagne Murders (Le Scandal)
From Umbrella: A champagne tycoon’s (Furneaux) partner (Ronet) suspects his partner’s gigolo husband (Perkins) of murders he’s been framed for.
From AB Film Review: Claude Chabrol (Les Cousins, Le beau Serge) directs Anthony Perkins, Yvonne Furneaux and Maurice Ronet in this psychological thriller. According to Rotten Tomatoes, critics at the time called it ‘too confusing’. Chabrol’s work has been celebrated around the world with L’Enfer and Betty being notable films. The pairing with Anthony Perkins should make for an interesting film, and a welcome entry in the World Classics series that Umbrella put out.
Jailbreak
From Umbrella: What started as a simple escort mission will soon turn to chaos as the prisoners of Koh Kla take over the prison grounds. A special task force (Jean-Paul Ly, Dara Our, Tharoth Sam) gets trapped in the prison will have to fight their way out for survival, to protect a key witness (Savin Phillip).
From AB Film Review: Jailbreak continues the intense action genre that The Raid kicked off all those years ago. Sitting at 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, this film has been called ‘an impressive effort that will likely appeal to fans of the fight scenes in The Raid‘. Look, I haven’t seen this yet, but I do love The Raid, and when it comes to Asian action flicks, it’s easy to be a little forgiving if the plot or acting isn’t up to speed. Check this out if fist on fist action is your thing.
Walk the Proud Land (Six Shooter Classics)
From Umbrella: An agent sent from Washington in 1874 takes charge of an Apache reservation and has the oppressive US Army back off, which creates conflicts and causes the Indians to have great respect for him.
From AB Film Review: Seemingly based on the true story of John Clum, who played a role in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, this 1956 film stars Audie Murphy as Clum, as well as Anne Bancroft and Pat Crowley. Directed by Jesse Hibbs (To Hell and Back), this is the continuation of the Six Shooter Classics series that Umbrella puts out regularly. On IMDb, user ashew mentioned that this was a film where Audie Murphy did some of his best acting.
Lawless: The Real Bushrangers
From Umbrella: Lawless – The Real Bushrangers is a landmark documentary series exploring Australia’s most iconic crimes of colonial history. These are stories of violent murder and gun toting mayhem, foundation tales of those that make and break the law. From the birth of the Ned Kelly legend to the brutal death of Ben Hall, these pivotal events are shrouded in mystery and folklore. How do we separate fact from fiction? Now Mike Munro – Australia’s own television icon – and a specialist team investigate the legends of these rebels and the people who fought against them, using the full force of modern day science. Using archaeology to literally break new ground and the latest forensic methods to test the historical evidence, the team illuminate a fact-based version of our history. Join the Lawless team as they uncover new evidence, deliver new insights and reveal some deeply inconvenient truths.
Episode 2 – Captain Moonlite
Run, Chrissie, Run!
From Umbrella: Run, Chrissie, Run! is a thrilling game of cat and mouse. Chrissie (Annie Jones) and her mother Eve (Carmen Duncan) suddenly become the pray of a group of international terrorists. As they run for their lives, Chrissie learns the terrible secrets of her mother’s past and the shocking identity of her real father.
From AB Film Review: Run, Chrissie, Run! joins the Ozploitation classics that Umbrella so faithfully puts out (thank you!). Directed by Chris Langman and staring Carmen Duncan, Michael Aitkens and Shane Briant, this made for TV flick looks to monopolise on the Mad Max / Fair Game esque madness that ploughed through the Ozploitation genre with reckless abandon. Pick it up to add to your Aussie flick pile.
The Marx Brothers Collection
From Umbrella: The Marx Brothers – Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo – are the reigning kings of comedy chaos and remain one of the most iconic comedy teams of all time. From their early days in Vaudeville and on Broadway through their wildly popular motion pictures, The Marx Brothers kept audiences of all ages laughing out loud with some of the most hilarious routines ever imagined. The Marx Brothers Collection captures the very best of the comedy team and includes 5 movies that includes all four brothers. Filled with unforgettable comedy sketches, musical numbers, witty dialogue and plenty of gags, this must-own collection includes The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers and their most popular film, Duck Soup.