The Gay Desperado - VCI Entertainment (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1936
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Writers: Wallace Smith, Leo Birinsky
Cast: Nino Martini, Ida Lupino, Leo Carrillo, Harold Huber, James Blakeley, Stanley Fields, Mischa Auer

Release Date: June 9th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 87 Minutes 9 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"As a reluctant member of Leo Carrillo's bandit gang, Martini is called on to guard the lovely and recently kidnapped Ida Lupino, with the expected romantic results—plus interference from a bunch of American gangsters moving their operation south of the border.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information given about the transfer, “a new restoration of The Gay Desperado, made possible with the support of the Mary Pickford Foundation."

The Gay Desperado comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.7 GB

Feature: 23.3 GB

The source is clean and free of any debris. Flesh tones look healthy, image clarity and compression are strong, black levels fare well, and any digital noise reduction is never too intrusive.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Although the audio sounds clear and balanced, it is limited range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a collection of clips for movies also released by VCI Entertainment, a poster & photo gallery with music from the film playing in the background, and an interview with film historian David Wilt (24 minutes 29 seconds, LPCM stereo English subtitles).

Other extras include a 12-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay about the film written by Richard Barrios, and press quotes.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

Rouben Mamoulian directed The Gay Desperado. He’s most known for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Love Me Tonight, Queen Christina, Blood and Sand (1941), and Silk Stockings.

A Mexican bandit named Braganza, who greatly admires Chivo, a singer who provides live entertainment in between movies, convinces Chivo to join his gang. Not satisfied with just being a bandit, Braganza tries to emulate the American gangsters he sees in the movies.

Considering the talent involved, Rouben Mamoulian, producer Mary Pickford, and actress Ida Lupino (The Hitch-Hiker), it's surprising that The Gay Desperado is relatively unknown. Critics and audiences universally praised The Gay Desperado upon its initial release. That said, most of what might have initially worked for critics and audiences back then has not aged well.

The Gay Desperado opens with a clever moment of deception. The scene initially seems to show mafia gangsters fleeing the police amidst a hail of bullets, but as the camera pulls back, it reveals that the action is actually a moment from a film being watched by a crowd. While there are no mafia gangsters in the narrative proper, the presence looms large as a Mexican bandit tries to emulate them throughout. From there, what unfolds is not a crime film, but a parody of the 1930s American crime film.

What makes The Gay Desperado so enjoyable are its performances, especially Leo Carrillo's (Phantom of the Opera-1943 version) portrayal of the Mexican bandit Braganza. He delivers a delirious exaggeration of the Mexican bandit character. The other two leads deliver solid performances: Nino Martini, known for his role in One Night with You, plays Chivo, while Ida Lupino portrays Jane, a woman kidnapped by Braganza's gang who becomes Chivo's love interest.

From its opening moments it's clear that there are going to be a lot of laughs and a few well-placed twists that ensure there’s rarely a moment that falls flat. Besides being a parody of the 1930s American crime film, The Gay Desperado is also a romantic comedy and a musical. When it comes to blending these three genres, The Gay Desperado is very effective. Another reason why The Gay Desperado works as well as it does is Rouben Mamoulian’s exemplary direction. Ultimately, The Gay Desperado is a well-crafted film that often exceeds the sum of its parts.

The Gay Desperado gets a first-rate release from VCI Entertainment that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an excellent interview with David Wilt. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Girls: 2 Disc Edition – Cult Epics (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Canada/France/West Germany, 1980
Director: Just Jaeckin
Writers: Just Jaeckin, Géza von Radványi, Jean-Luc Voulfow
Cast: Anne Parillaud, Zoé Chauveau, Charlotte Walior, Isabelle Mejias, Christophe Bourseiller, László Szabó

Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 39 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $49.95

"Three teenage friends--Suzanne (Charlotte Walior), Annie (Zoé Chauveau), and Catherine (Anne Parillaud, later of La Femme Nikita)--as they navigate the emotional turbulence of adolescence, love, and self-discovery. Spending their nights in discos and cinemas chasing adventure and romance, they are joined by Suzanne's younger sister, Betty (Isabelle Mejias), who eagerly imitates their behavior, only to stumble into adult consequences she isn't yet prepared for." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K Transfer from the original negative."

Girls Comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 62 GB

Feature: 61.1 GB

The source looks excellent, free of any source imperfections. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look. That said, there are some moments where grain looks thicker than others.

Girls comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.1 GB

Feature: 22.4 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with Jeremy Richey and Peter Verstraten.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a video essay by Jeremy Richey titled Who is Just Jaeckin (18 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival TV interview with director Just Jaeckin, and actresses Anne Parrilaud, Zoé Chaveau, and Charlotte Walior (4 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), Last Interview with Just Jaeckin (16 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Isabelle Mejias (20 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), scenes exclusive to the German cut of Girls, which recasts Claus Obalski in the role of Jérôme (25 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Jeremy Richey and Peter Verstraten.

Other extras on the Blu-ray disc include trailers for The Island Closet to Heaven, The Debut, My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie, and The Key.

Other extras include a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Just Jaeckin made a conscious effort to create a few films that were not like his two greatest successes, Emmanuelle and The Story of O. The first two films, Madame Claude and The Last Romantic Lover, arguably showcase Just Jaeckin's strengths as a filmmaker. The third film from this era, Girls, tells a coming-of-age story about four mischievous teenage girls who seek fun while often neglecting their responsibilities.

If someone were to watch Girls without knowing that Just Jaeckin directed it, Girls only shares a connection with his other works through the playful humor that is characteristic of his filmography. What immediately captivates viewers about Girl is its vibrant energy; it is brimming with youthful exuberance. Additionally, what distinguishes Girl is the way Just Jaeckin’s direction skillfully navigates the more sensitive moments experienced by the four young girls.

As strong as Just Jaeckin’s direction and the story are, a film is only as good as its cast, and Girls has an exceptional one. The four girls are perfectly cast, and two of them, Charlotte Walior and Isabelle Mejias (Julie Darling), are making their film debuts. The most notable cast member is Anne Parillaud, who would go on to star in the iconic role of Nikita from La Femme Nikita. The rest of the cast is populated by strong performances that complement the four leads and their characters' stories.

The opening setup does a superb job fleshing out the four main characters. The narrative is always engaging, and it does an excellent job building momentum as the four girls' risky behavior finally catches up to them, and a poignant finale of self-reflection serves as a perfect coda for the four girls' story. One standout aspect of Girls is its exceptional soundtrack, composed by Duncan Mackay and Eric Stewart of the rock band 10cc. Their iconic song "I’m Not in Love" features prominently in the series. Overall, Girls is a well-crafted melodrama where everything seamlessly comes together.

Girls gets an excellent release from Cult Epics that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Mona Lisa: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4K UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1986
Director: Neil Jordan
Writers: Neil Jordan, David Leland
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Caine, Clarke Peters, Joe Brown, Perry Fenwick

Release Date: May 11th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 51 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK)

"Five years after The Long Good Friday, Bob Hoskins returned to the gangster genre, but his character George is a mere underling this time, a chauffeur hired by a mesmerizingly slimy gangland kingpin (Michael Caine) to transport a high-class prostitute (Cathy Tyson) from client to client. When she enlists his help in tracking down an old friend, George finds himself exploring a hellish underworld that he never imagined existed." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Mona Lisa was exclusively restored by Arrow Films. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution. The film was restored in 4K resolution and graded in HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Scanning, grading, and picture resolution were completed at Silver Salt Restoration, London. All materials for this restoration were made available by Handmade Films via the BFI."

Mona Lisa comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 82.3 GB

Feature: 72.8 GB

This new 4K transfer is a massive improvement over this film’s previous home media releases. The most noticeable area of improvement is image clarity, especially during darker scenes. Flesh tones look healthy; colors are nicely saturated; contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid; and the image always retains an organic look.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 32 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter David Leland (19 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with producer Stephen Wooley (13 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Neil Jordan (19 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with actor Bob Hoskins and Neil Jordan, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 20-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay tilted Mona Lisa written by Mike Sutton, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Neil Jorden directed Mona Lisa. He’s known for Company of Wolves, The Crying Game, and Interview with the Vampire.

Recently released from prison, George collects a favor from an old friend who gets him a job as a call girl’s driver. What begins as a routine job quickly spirals into chaos when George decides to assist the call girl he has been driving around in her search for a missing friend. Will he manage to find her friend, or will they both become entangled in a dangerous underworld where life holds little value?

If ever there was a film whose title perfectly summarizes what the film is all about, then Neil Jordan’s Mona Lisa would be such a candidate. And just like the painting by Leonardo da Vinci, which bears a smile that has fascinated everyone who has laid their eyes upon it, perception plays an integral role in the story that unfolds in Neil Jordan’s film.

Mona Lisa starts as a tale of a protagonist attempting to escape his old habits, but by the time its shocking conclusion arrives, it transforms into something completely different. The protagonist ultimately realizes that he will continue to fall into the same traps as long as he allows others to exploit him.

Content-wise, Mona Lisa incorporates many elements commonly associated with films about underworld crime. However, these elements serve primarily as superficial embellishments rather than integral components of the film's message. Consequently, the overall effect leans more toward a drama than a thriller.

The cast are excellent in their respective roles; there are three performances in particular standing out above everyone else and equally deserving of recognition. Bob Hoskins (The Long Good Friday) plays the film’s protagonist, George, while Cathy Tyson (The Serpent and the Rainbow) portrays Simone, a high-priced call girl whom George is tasked with driving to her various clients. Later on in the film, her character convinces George to help her find her missing friend, who is also a call girl and underage. The last of these three performances is Michael Caine (Dressed to Kill) in the role of a sleazy crime boss named Mortwell.

From a production standpoint, there is not a single area where Mona Lisa does not excel. The pacing is consistently strong, and the visuals remain impressive throughout. Although Mona Lisa features many visually striking moments, none are as shocking as the explosive finale. Ultimately, Mona Lisa is a captivating melodrama that quickly draws you in and whose finale stays with you.

Mona Lisa gets an excellent release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Hi, Mom!: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1970
Director: Brian De Palma
Writers: Charles Hirsch, Brian De Palma
Cast: Charles Durning, Robert De Niro, Allen Garfield, Lara Parker, Jennifer Salt, Paul Bartel, Gerrit Graham

Release Date: May 18th, 2026 (UK), May 19th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 15 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), A,B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Aspiring adult filmmaker Jon Rubin (Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver) returns from a tour of Vietnam and, armed with his film camera, attempts to find meaning and inspiration in the counterculture of New York in 1970. Rubin graduates from surreptitiously filming his neighbors to joining a militant Black experimental theater group before flirting with full-scale domestic terrorism, in this hilariously madcap satire that has still retained its outrageous power to shock, fifty years after initially stunning American audiences." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "Hi, Mom! was scanned in 4K resolution at Illuminate Hollywood in Studio City, California. The film has been meticulously restored and color graded in 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) at FilmFinity, London, working from a new 4K 16-bit scans of the original 35mm camera negative. FilmFinity's Digital Restoration Specialists used advanced image-processing tools to remove mant thousands of instances of dirt, erase scratches and gently correct age-related imperfections frame by frame. Paired with the new HDR grade, this restoration reveals striking clarity and depth while staying true to the film's original photographic character. No grain management, edge enhancement or artificial sharpening tools were used at any stage, preserving the authentic texture of the cinematography.

Dionysus in 69 is presented from the only available digital source, provided by Richard Schechner."

Hi, Mom! comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.1 GB

Feature: 60.8 GB

This new transfer is a marked improvement over Arrow Video’s 2018 Blu-ray release. The source looks excellent and the encode is solid. Flesh tones and colors look healthy; contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid, and the image always retains an organic look. That said, grain looks thicker in some scenes than others.

Hi, Mom! comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.6 GB

Feature: 23 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in excellent shape; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with writer Travis Woods.

Extras for the Blu-ray include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 56 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with producer Charles Hirsch titled Charles Hirsch on Hi, Mom! (9 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic Ellen E Jones (12 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Son of Greetings: a collection of behind-the-scenes footage from the making of Hi, Mom! by filmmaker Peter Davis, featuring candid images of the cast and crew (76 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Travis Woods, and Dionysus in 69—an experimental theater production of Euripides' 'The Bacchae,' filmed by Brian de Palma (85 minutes 27 seconds, 1080 progressive, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Dionysus in 69: The structure of Dionysus in 69 is loosely based around Euripides' play, which deals with the myth of Dionysus and his revenge on the city responsible for his mortal mother’s death. The cast's improvisation largely causes the chaos and disjointedness of this version of Dionysus. Dionysus in '69 represents Brian De Palma's initial use of split screen, which he employs to its fullest potential. One camera captures the performance, while the other records the audience's reactions to what they are witnessing. The cast immerses themselves in their characters, contributing to the primal intensity of their performances.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 24-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Medium is the Message: The Interplay of Ideas in Brian De Palma’s Hi, Mom! written by Matt Zoller Seitz, A Note on Dionysus in 69, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

Vietnam veteran Jon Rubin has developed a peeping tom fetish since returning to New York. He watches his neighbors with his recently acquired camera. Joe Banner is a producer of pornographic films. Jon convinces him to finance a film about the sex lives of his neighbors. A falling out with Joe Banner leads Jon to an unlikely collaboration with one of his neighbors, Gerrit Wood, an avant-garde artist and an extremist Black Power organization. Has Jon found what he’s been looking for, or has he gone off the deep end?

By the late 1960s, the studio in Hollywood was on its last legs, and several ambitious filmmakers decided it was time to push the envelope. During this period of his career, Brian De Palma's cinema was heavily influenced by new French directors like Jean-Luc Godard and the films of Alfred Hitchcock. There are several similarities in Hi, Mom! that trace back to the cinema of Alfred Hitchcock. Jon Rubin likes L. B. Jefferies in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Both characters like to explore their voyeuristic side through the lens of a camera as they watch their neighbor's every move.

Hi, Mom! Like most of De Palma’s earliest films, it is overflowing with biting dark humor and a distrust of authority. No scene in Brian De Palma’s filmography epitomizes subversive humor and distrust of authority more than the Be Black, Baby! sequences. Be Black, Baby! is a series of black-and-white scenes centered around a theater troupe that exposes a white audience to the experience of being Black. Additionally, the narrative focuses on Jon Rubin’s obsession with filming the sexual habits of his neighbors.

Where Greetings relied heavily on improvisation, Hi, Mom! features a more defined narrative structure. Visually, Hi, Mom! showcases greater experimentation with camera techniques compared to its predecessor. Robert De Niro returns in the role of Jon Rubin, and this time around he delivers a more fleshed-out performance. Eric Kaz delivers another solid score that is in line with his score for Greetings. Ultimately, Hi, Mom! effectively captures the essence of the late 1960s and serves as a platform for showcasing the talents of Brian De Palma and Robert De Niro before they achieved widespread recognition.

Hi, Mom! gets a definitive release from Radiance Films. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

                                                Dionysus in 69 Blu-ray Screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer