Video Dispatches: DEFENDING YOUR LIFE, LUST, CAUTION, and SEXWORLD

Video Dispatches is a regular column covering recent home video releases.

DEFENDING YOUR LIFE (1991) – CRITERION

Following the HD release of Lost in America in 2017, Albert Brooks’ Defending Your Life has made its Blu-ray debut courtesy of the Criterion Collection. The fourth feature written, directed by and starring Brooks, Defending Your Life sees him as Daniel Miller, an LA advertising executive who perishes in an unfortunate auto collision and ascends to Judgement City, a purgatory-like plane of existence, populated by corporate edifices, fancy restaurants, and low-rent comedy clubs. Represented by defense attorney Bob Diamond (a fabulous Rip Torn), Daniel’s life is to be judged before he can move on to the next stage of the afterlife, with the risk of being rejected and cast back down to earth. He also meets fellow decedent Julia (Meryl Streep), with whom he falls in love.

The beauty of this high-concept approach to the afterlife is the amount of detail Brooks pours into his creation. Judgement City boasts perfect weather conditions (“74 degrees, perfectly clear all day!”) and a bevy of eateries that contain perfect meals, all prepped instantaneously, with the perks of being dead allowing patrons to consume anything they’d like and not get full. Time is also spent in the judgment rooms, where key moments from Daniel’s life are projected as film clips in a courtroom setting to weigh the morality of his life’s choices (one particular highlight is a slapstick montage of his most disastrous blunders, from gargling Prell shampoo to losing control of a running chainsaw). Brooks and Streep also share nice, natural chemistry together, with Julia the ultimate catalyst that leads Daniel to a satisfying and life-affirming conclusion. It’s an all-around endearing and lovely film by Brooks, arguably the last truly great one he ever made.

Criterion’s disc hosts four special features, with the standout going to Brooks’ interview with filmmaker Robert Weide, recorded remotely recorded for Criterion in 2020. Weide and Brooks share a wonderfully engaged conversation as the latter shares all facets of the film’s production, including the need for eliminating the notion of religion in the afterlife (stating other afterlife films were “too heavenly” for his tastes), writing the multitude of rules for Judgement City, working with cinematographer Allen Daviau (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), and the joy of going to work in a tupa. Special attention gets paid to casting as well, with Brooks remarking that Torn and Streep were absolutely perfect for their roles, and also shares his gratefulness that first-choice Shirley MacLaine agreed to film her cameo as the host of the “Past Lives Pavilion.”

Also of note is a video discussion with critic and theologian Donna Bowman, who praises Brooks’ attention to Judgement City’s world-building and analyzes the film’s place as an existentialist text. Archival interviews with Brooks, Torn, and Lee Grant on an early 90s episode of television talk show Crook & Chase are included, as well as the film’s original theatrical trailer. Criterion has done a fantastic job restoring the film – the video presentation is healthy, with grain structure intact. Here’s hoping they have plans to release Real Life soon.

LUST, CAUTION (2007) – KINO LORBER

After earning Oscar gold and a global box office phenomenon (not to mention a host of unfortunate gay panic jokes) with Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee followed up his zeitgeist-smashing hit with an arguably spicier proposition: an erotic period film about a Chinese drama student plotting to seduce and assassinate a high-ranking official in Japanese-occupied Shanghai during the height of World War II. The result was 2007’s Lust, Caution, a stately and sumptuous film that is only occasionally riveting – one that frequently flirts with greatness yet never fully achieves it.

Even if it only peaks in fits and spurts, it cannot be understated how faultless Lee’s craft is. He shoots his scenes with a great deal of verve, finding the camera effortlessly darting around the frame to reveal a myriad of tiny details and emotions without missing a beat. Attention to period detail is also strong, finding costuming and production design perfectly calibrated to match the era of the setting. This is a handsome picture.

But as superbly crafted as it is, the film really belongs to its two leads. In her breakout role, Tang Wei is excellent as the duplicitous student, bringing nuance and vulnerability to a difficult role (she should have become a megastar after this movie, but was criminally ostracized due to the film’s content). Even better is Tony Leung, cast here as the would-be target of Wei’s affection. A remarkable actor and an always magnetic screen presence, Leung is endlessly compelling to watch, and when paired with Wei, the screen comes alive.

Trouble is, Lust, Caution keeps them apart for much of its 160-minute runtime. The two are not featured alone together much before the 90-minute mark, and the explicit sex scenes that earned the film its NC-17 rating (“the kiss of death,” some might say), are not heavily featured until after two hours have passed. Lee fills much of the runtime until then with scenes of drama students plotting their scheme and countless games of Mahjong. Lots and lots of Mahjong. For anyone anticipating an extended, smoldering affair between two beautiful actors (as all marketing material suggests), you will likely leave disappointed.

Whatever my reservations about the film may be, I have no complaints with Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray presentation. The film is sharp from start to finish, nicely complementing Lee’s vision. Extras are slight but worthwhile, most notably the newly recorded audio commentary by film historian Eddie Von Muller, who delves into all aspects of the film (Lee’s form, the history covered in the film If you’re a fan of the film, this is a rich listening experience. Also included is a making-of featurette ported over from the DVD release, and a trailer.

SEXWORLD (1977) – VINEGAR SYNDROME

While Westworld is currently enjoying a run as a hit series for television behemoth HBO (a fourth season is due to enter production soon), it actually began life as a Michael Crichton film in 1973, offering a science fiction world where patrons could escape to any exotic locale their heart desired in order to fulfill their greatest fantasies (for a nominal fee, of course). As porn parodies are wont to do, director Anthony Spinelli saw gold with this premise, releasing his own take on the material with SexWorld in 1978. And now, Vinegar Syndrome has produced the definitive home video package, having recently released a shiny new 4K treatment.

Credit where credit is due: Spinelli actually approaches the material with more than just a modicum of maturity. The premise follows thusly: while en route to the titular SexWorld, a charter bus of passengers, all eagerly awaiting their destination, imagine what sights are in store for them. For one couple, they hope to work out the kinks of their struggling marriage. For another, they’re searching for a cure to the husband’s impotence. And for one particular woman, she is looking for the ultimate thrill, left perpetually unfulfilled in a life of revolving partners and random phone sex encounters. Hosted by a team of androids, their destination of SexWorld aims (and frequently succeeds) at making their wildest dreams come true.

(While watching the film, with its sci-fi heavy plot and minimalist futuristic set design, I could not help but be reminded of Derek Todd’s 1976 film Things To Come, produced by American Genre Film Archive and distributed by Vinegar Syndrome in their limited “Smut Without Smut” Blu-ray release. A solid pairing, for anyone interested).

As one of the leading home video labels of genre cinema (restorations of obscure 1980s horror films are their forte), Vinegar Syndrome offers a healthy catalog of adult material as well, and SexWorld is no exception. Put simply, the film looks incredible in 4K. The print is near-pristine, the colors of the set really pop, and skin tones – of which, there are numerous – look natural. The soundtrack is clear and robust when it needs to be. When it comes to home presentation, Vinegar Syndrome continues to exceed expectations.

Special features are not skimped on, either. Actors Kay Parker and Joey Silvera and still photographer Joel Sussman sit down for one-on-one interviews with Vinegar Syndrome to hash out their personal experiences on SexWorld, details of the production, and work in other fields of the entertainment industry. Two trailers and a third disc containing the film’s score (laid across 16 tracks) are included as well.

And for those who would prefer to do so, the Blu-ray package also offers an “alternate feature-length softcore” version, omitting all graphic shots from the film (totaling about two minutes of runtime). The choice is yours, dear viewer.

What recent home video acquisitions have you made? Let us know in the comments below.