The Corner Penthouse

Mill Creek Entertainment recently released the Peter Falk: 4-Film Comedy Collection Blu-ray. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

The legendary Peter Falk shines bright in this collection of four films. Featuring stars like Jack Lemmon, Ann-Margret, Alan Arkin, Elaine May, Beverly D'Angelo, and Charles Durning, these wild and wacky films are sure to have you rolling on the floor in laughter!

• LUV (1967) - In this dark comedy, Milt (Peter Falk) stops unlucky-in-love Harry (Jack Lemmon) from jumping off a bridge. Grateful, Harry agrees to marry Milt's neurotic wife Ellen (Elaine May) so Milt can marry Linda (Nina Wayne). Soon after, Ellen and Milt realize that they are still in love and will stop at nothing to be together again.

• The Cheap Detective (1978) - In this hilarious and star-studded Humphrey Bogart send-up, Peter Falk plays Lou Peckinpaugh, the worldly, cynical gumshoe who takes on thugs, crooks, Nazis, femme fatales, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Featuring Ann-Margret, Eileen Brennan, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing, James Coco, Dom Deluise, and more!

• Big Trouble (1986) - In this riotous farce, Steve (Peter Falk) and Leonard (Alan Arkin) are a wacky pair of insurance swindlers, aided and abetted by Blanche (Beverly D'Angelo). Trying to raise money, the three get involved in a scheme to cash in on an accidental death policy but get sidetracked by a series of hilariously unforeseen twists.

• Happy New Year (1987) - Criminals Nick (Peter Falk) and Charlie (Charles Durning) plan a jewelry store heist, disguising themselves to win the trust of the store manager (Tom Courtenay). However, when Nick starts falling for Carolyn (Wendy Hughes), owner of the antique shop next door, the plan goes awry.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

This two-disc set contains two movies per disc.
• LUV (1967) is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:35:47 and has not been rated by the MPAA.
• The Cheap Detective (1978) is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:32:13. The movie has been rated PG.
• Big Trouble (1986) is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:33:02. The movie has been rated R.
• Happy New Year (1987) is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:24:50. The movie has been rated PG.
All four movies include English audio and English SDH subtitles only.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

There are no special features on the Blu-ray discs for any of the films.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

No digital copy code voucher is included inside the standard two-disc blue Blu-ray case. The first print run includes a slipcover.

[ NOTES ]

The Peter Falk: 4-Film Comedy Collection Blu-ray is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to fans of 1970s and 1980s comedies. It's a nice collection of lesser-known comedic films featuring the Columbo star from the library of Columbia Pictures. None of these are blockbusters, but they are all entertaining with great casts. Big Trouble (1986) is important to film history. The lawyers at Columbia realized that the story was a rip-off of Double Indemnity (which I reviewed last year), and had to contact Universal Pictures to get the remake rights. Frank Price, the head of Universal, agreed on the condition that Columbia give Universal the script to Back to the Future, a project he liked when he was working as the head of Columbia. Considering I never knew Big Trouble existed until I watched this collection, I don't need to say which studio got the better of that deal.

This item has been provided by Mill Creek Entertainment for review on this site.