Did you know? Chicago is home to one of the best DVD labels going in the field of independent, classic and arthouse films: Olive Films. The company has quietly built up an excellent reputation over the last few years and regularly releases a slew of great titles, many of which have never been on DVD before.
One of their bestselling DVDs at the moment is an old film noir, Champion (1949). In this multiple Academy Award nominee (which won for editing), Kirk Douglas plays boxer "Midge" Kelly, who shows little in the way of scruples in his battle to succeed in the ring. The film is based on a short story by Ring Lardner (and there's another Chicago connection for you).
If you like noir, you might also consider The File on Thelma Jordon starring Barbara Stanwyck, or the lesser-known but excellent Crashout.
Early this year, Olive released The Monster Squad, a humble but charming little film from the 1980s that's very much in the mode of Goonies and E.T. Co-written by Shane Black (who wrote Lethal Weapon the same year), the movie focuses on a group of misfit kids who must battle Dracula and a gang of classic monsters.
More recently, the label has shaken things up with the release of the 2-volume Betty Boop. Created by Max Fleischer, the darling of the 1930s was voiced by several actresses over the years but most notably Mae Questel, probably best known today as the delightfully clueless Aunt Bethany in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
Browse our collection of DVDs from Olive Films. You're bound to find something to interest you. Looking for holiday gift inspiration? Check out their website.
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