Saturday, August 30, 2014

RADIO DAYS: REMEMBERING THE GOOD OLD DAYS

So this is the first of several movies I've picked up from Twilight Time, a DVD company that specializes in remastering movie for blu-ray release that might have been left behind by their parent companies. Twilight Time gives these movies new life in blu-ray format and does something other do not. It releases them in limited quantities of 3,000 copies. Get them while they last before they're gone if you want one. It's a smart business move allowing them to offer the titles and not have a stock room filled with unsold copies. Unfortunately if you miss out it's frustrating. So know up front if you see one you want, buy it then and there.

That being said here was a movie released by 20th Century Fox that received little push and a lackluster release on DVD. RADIO DAYS is Woody Allen's tribute to his youth, a world where TV had yet to become the media darling and people sat around the radio listening to news and adventures that allowed their imaginations to soar. Not only does it focus on those shows of the past but it offers a the world of the family that lived and loved one another, a family that included not just mom, dad and the kids but other relatives as well all within the same house. These memories are as much a part and joy of this film as the stories of the old days of radio.

The movie doesn't actually follow a linear structure of telling us a story from start to finish. Instead it's a compilation of short pieces that tell the tale of Allen's youth and fascination with all things radio. These were the days when radio was more filled with drama and comedy than it was music. Not only does he tells us the stories that were being done on the air, he gives us a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes from the tale of Sally White (Mia Farrow) and her rise from cigarette girl to fame and fortune to the real appearance of his hero the Masked Avenger. None of it offers a story of how bad things were but instead displays the nostalgic love of the radio days instead.

Along the way we not only get the tales of radio heroes and villains but the life of his family as well. We hear about how his mother and father fought through much of their lives but had an undying love for one another as well. We get to see how his aunt dreamed of meeting Mr. Right only to find her life filled with men who were either already married or disappointing in so many other ways. The story of his family is one where looking from the outside you might not realize just how deep their affection for one another ran but when getting an inside look thinking you wish your family was just as in touch with one another. Perhaps that's all changed with the amount of individual media consumption we have today as opposed to gathering together as a family. The movie will make you long for the good old days.

The movie is filled with great cameos done by notable actors and actresses that are recognizable and yet doing roles that can go by so fast you almost don't notice them. Those that are featured do a fantastic job here making the characters they play come to life. I've always judged the acting ability of those in that profession by whether or not I thought they actually were the character they were playing. All of them here make that happen.

There is plenty to laugh at here in the various stories that Allen offers, stories about his family and their quirks to those backstage stories of the radio. There are moments of true sadness and emotion as well, something you might not expect from a movie like this. All of it works together to make it an entertaining movie from start to finish, one worth watching more than once.

While the extras offer very little, an original trailer and a secondary track featuring isolated music and effects, the print quality here is well done. You get a nice blu-ray transfer that doesn't seek to improve on the original quality of what was shown in theaters and instead gives you what you would have seen on the big screen back in 1987 when it was released. The folks at Twilight Time do a great job here.

Now how do you buy a movie with the Twilight Time label on it? You won't find them at stores or even amazon. The only way to order is through their web site at http://www1.screenarchives.com/display_results.cfm/category/546/TWILIGHT-TIME/. Once there you'll see what's available as well as this film. Just make sure that if you find a title you want you buy it right away before they're gone. I missed out on several that I would have loved had I known they were there. You will too.

Click here to order.

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