PIONEER SPECIAL EDITION is offering dvd collectors a real benefit with the release of John Cassavetes' films.  Few directors have been able to secure the kind of emotional honesty that his films achieve again and again.  Even more surprising, while his actors appear to take dramatic liberties with their scenes, the scripts are outstanding.   In "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" , Ben Gazarra stars as the owner of a strip club, maintaining an appearance of coolnesss, but tragically flawed at the same time.  The film has less to do with plot than characters, and there's enough character exploration here to fill numerous films, all of them interesting.

The transfer looks excellent, but we would have preferred letterboxing.  Although the framing doesn't appear to be lopping off any information, we can't be certain.   The digital mono is fine.

John Cassavetes' "Faces" has received a stellar transfer to dvd.   Director/writer Cassavetes explores and attacks middle-class America, focusing on one couple in particular, whose marriage is abruptly ending after 14 years.  The husband seeks comfort from a prostitute, Gena Rowlands(Mrs. Cassavetes) and the wife seeks comfort with an aging hippie.  After their brief flings, they come to tense, honest, emotional terms with what their encounters did or didn't achieve for them.

The black&white cinematography looks crisp and nearly flawless.  Again, we wish this would've been letterboxed, but nothing appears to have been cut from the sides.   The digital mono sound is fine, but unremarkable.