Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

Taking a chance on the creation of the universe, Hammer Films goes way back in time for 1966's "One Million Years B.C." It's no documentary, showing little regard for natural science and history, instead plowing ahead as a fantasy where more attention is paid to the precision of push-up bras than the true stats of prehistoric creatures. It's a remake of a 1940 effort, but director Don Chaffey doesn't seem inhibited by the recycling job ahead of him, bringing in special effects deity Ray Harryhausen to deliver some bang for the buck, imagining and animating all type of monstrous foes for the characters to battle. And when all else fails, there's Raquel Welch, who, in her own way, is an even more dynamic special effect, taking top billing as the pivotal tribal woman running around the cooling Earth clad in little more than a loincloth. There are half-naked actors, rampaging dinosaurs, volcanic disasters, and very little dialogue. What's not to love here? Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While most teenagers are lost in concern about social standing, personal appearance, and educational performance, Kansas Bowling decided to pour her energy into making a movie. Well, at least half of one, hiring a cast and crew to make the "B.C. Butcher," a 52-minute-long ode to juvenile and monster cinema of the 1950s and '60s. Bowling is a child and she's made a childish picture, lacking a great deal of polish more seasoned talent would be able to conjure. However, with a tight squint and careful control of the fast-forward button, there's a moderate amount of entertainment value to be found in "B.C. Butcher," showcasing Bowling's interest in silly business and grisly encounters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Many questions arise after a viewing of 1980's "Don't Answer the Phone," including the very meaning of the title. Phones are answered during the course of the picture, but there doesn't seem to be any malicious intent attached to the act. In fact, phone answering is almost campy, with the film's introduction detailing a conversation between nurse in her apartment settling in for the night and her mother, who's clearly being voiced by a man. Perhaps a better title for the production would be "Don't Aspire To Be a Model" or "L.A. Looked Fun in the 1970s." Despite a nonsensical title, "Don't Answer the Phone" has a pretty clear idea of what it wants to be, going full steam ahead as a sexploitation event that's very comfortable separating actresses from their clothing, while violence is favored over actual screenwriting. Director Robert Hammer keeps the basics of cops and criminals here, using formula to support more particular interests in sleazy murder sequences and a heaping helping of psychological disease. It's not a particularly pleasant endeavor, but there are select moments where the effort becomes so unhinged, it achieves a level of absurdity that makes it hard to resist. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1971's "Blue Money" is a domestic drama and a procedural feature about the production of pornography, mixing some soulfulness into an effort that's primarily about sneaking in as much skin as possible. Director Alain Patrick funnels his experience in adult entertainment into this movie, hope to bring to the screen an authentic recreation of life as a porno producer, with all the flakes, crooks, and fear involved, often preventing a smooth assembly of sex. As a semi-documentary, "Blue Money" is actually quite interesting, capturing corners of the skin business that aren't normally addressed, going a long way to demystify how the industry works. The rest of the film isn't nearly as compelling, finding Patrick too enamored with himself to honestly attack his woeful lead performance and uninspired screenplay. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Zach Clark's last picture was 2013's "White Reindeer," a fascinating dive into holiday depression and substance abuse, sold with a darkly comic attitude that gifted the effort a charmingly askew perspective. He returns with "Little Sister," adding to his growing interest in unusual behavior and personal problems, trading Christmas gloom for religious questioning. Clark's a compelling helmer, showcasing interests in characters struggling mightily to define themselves and deal with harsh observations from the outside world. "Little Sister" has a frustrating tendency to forgo resolution, but the journey is fascinating, picking up on the particulars of itchy personalities faced with an impossible challenge of self-awareness, forced to confront questionable decisions and commitments that threaten to take their lives in unwanted directions. Clark doesn't enjoy endings, but he's good with introductions. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Based on a novel by Nevil Schute, 1951's "No Highway in the Sky" is a bizarre combination of drama and disaster movie, enjoying the tension of potential airplane disasters and long debates on the science of airplane design. It's not easy to figure out what this effort is trying to be, but it does enjoy the services of stars James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich, who act up a storm trying to make the milder moments of "No Highway in the Sky" feel significant. The feature isn't quite the roller coaster ride it initially promises to be, but the performances are terrific, communicating intensity the rest of the film often lacks. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Going about as far as they could with the Barbara Scott saga, helmer Kirdy Stevens and writer/producer Helene Terrie take a different tonal direction for 1985's "Taboo IV: The Younger Generation." While soap opera-esque exchanges remain, the sequel actually attempts to take this entire universe of rampant incestual activity seriously, playing it unnervingly straight as the screenplay moves from cheap titillation to abyssal psychological exploration, doubling down on perverse activities and blood relation couplings. It takes a few moments for the severity of "Taboo IV" to sink in. However, this dramatic concentration is actually fascinating to watch, with Kirdy and Terrie pushing the envelope instead of merely licking it.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

At the time of its release, "The Sicilian Clan" was a fairly big deal. The 1969 endeavor is not only a crime thriller looking to bring an action cinema aesthetic to a subgenre normally reserved for heated conversations, but it features top-tier European talent, inviting Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, and Lino Ventura to star in this epic saga of mafia antagonism. "The Sicilian Clan" has all the thespian power it needs, but it's the story that tends to wear down the viewing experience, with director Henri Verneuil out to make something sophisticated and smashmouth, but has difficulty juggling the plethora of names and faces the screenplay introduces. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it details strong violence at times, 1970's "The Unholy Four" remains a jaunty spaghetti western, keeping the cowboy routine lubricated by a wonderful score from Riz Ortolani, who's the real white hat of this production. Music helps to point the picture in the right direction, as helmer Enzo Barboni makes a stylish, short-tempered effort, but also one with bizarre pit stops, including a full minute of screen time devoted to watching four characters eat in extreme close-up. Barboni has a firm handle on the basics of the genre, but his ideas for dramatic grit are occasionally bewildering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There was no shortage of strange sci-fi and fantasy tales from the 1970s, a decade that was wallpapered with outrage and paranoia, fueling such endeavors. It was a way to provide global commentary to those perhaps unwilling to listen, or identify trouble when it wasn't allowed. 1974's "Who?" is one of the stranger offerings from the era, merging the oddity of cyborg construction with the gamesmanship of Cold War spy missions, wrapped up in a detective story of sorts that takes everything presented onscreen with the utmost seriousness. It's an adaptation of an Algis Budrys novel, which keeps it away from B-movie shenanigans. Instead, "Who?" questions the nature of identity and the price of national security, all the while featuring actor Joseph Bova dressed up as a robot, and there's not a single character who's disturbed by the sight. While hardly outrageous, the picture is strange enough to hold attention, using the oddity of the robot visual to sneak in some interesting thoughts on the nature of humanity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Released during the 1963 holiday season, "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" broke several comedy rules, making it a filmgoing event. Besides achieving an absurd length, the feature collected a wealth of funny people to participate in a madcap adventure, making it a must-see during its theatrical release, triggering the envy of producers around town. Knock-offs weren't immediate, but they eventually arrived, including 1979's "Scavenger Hunt," which is a rather bold photocopy of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," only without the sterling cast and widescreen expanse. While it retains a lack of editorial control, "Scavenger Hunt" attempts the same manic energy, boosted here with pronounced "Looney Tunes" inspiration, finding director Michael Schultz more of a manager than a director, trying to juggle groups of actors who are here to play, delivering extremely broad performances in a movie that welcomes any and all forms of goofballery. It's a silly endeavor, but it's also exhausting to watch, with its inherent harmlessness evolving into a threat as the one-dimensional picture is stretched over nearly two hours of screen time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The 1950s were an amazing time for biblical epics. Studios were attempting to best one another with different tales of Heavenly might, and they were spending serious coin to produce these varied tales, keeping productions immense, with thousands of extras, towering sets, and ornate costuming. The bible provides plenty of opportunity for flashy extravaganza, and a major player in the race was 1951's "David and Bathsheba," which turned to a particularly dark section of scripture to fuel a big screen journey that takes on life and death, sex and temptation, and giants and sin. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Based on the play by Nell Dunn, 1985's "Steaming" is the last feature film for director Joseph Losey, the helmer of "Modesty Blaise," "The Trout," and "The Romantic Englishwoman." Losey's career ends on a confident note with this production, which preserves the movements of the source material, maintaining concentration on the lives of women who frequent a Turkish bath, sharing their stories, hopes, and fears with one another as the business becomes a center of therapy for the customers. Although it isn't a sophisticated transfer from stage to screen, Losey wisely preserves the flat look of the production, keeping concentration on the characters and the drama they encounter and periodically invent. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

An Italian chiller, 1966's "Revenge of the Blood Beast" (aka "She Beast") is a peculiar endeavor to merge horror with broad comedy, using extremes to give the picture a level of liveliness other productions tend to avoid. Director Michael Reeves barely holds the feature together, but he's rather good with macabre details, putting time and effort into gruesome encounters and fiendish turns of plot. But for every bizarre, demonic scene in the movie, there's a slapstick counterpart, including a conclusion that appears to be a tribute to the Keystone Cops brand of mischief — an unexpected addition when dealing with a film that's primarily about a witch's rampage. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Slow burn doesn't even begin to describe the "Ixcanul" viewing experience. It's a film of complete stasis at times, but the fact that writer/director Jayro Bustamante is able to find a mesmerizing creep to the picture is a major achievement. A full immersion into culture, poor decisions, and responsibility, "Ixcanul" is not a feature that exits the system quickly, gradually locating outstanding character detail and, surprisingly, potent social and political commentary, making it much more than an admittedly hypnotic series of thousand yard stares. Bustamante doesn't have much here besides his evocative vision, but he makes his moments count, following a plot that's filled with common adolescent blues and disasters, yet arrives at a completely unpredictable destination. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While it began life as a BBC show in 1970, 1972's "Doomwatch" hopes to bring its message of global health to a larger audience with a feature-film continuation. Mindful of repetition, the production alters a few elements from the television program, attempting to make the movie its own thing, which generally involves isolating the lead character from the comforts of big city science as the story plays out inside a coastal Scottish village. Perhaps this attempt to revive "Doomwatch" is best left for longtime fans of the series, who already have an appreciation for its blend of genre pursuits and procedural might, though newcomers to the concept aren't left hanging, as director Peter Sasdy tries to infuse the picture with a sense of environmental urgency, even if the overall effort has trouble unearthing chills and thrills. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1973's "The Neptune Factor" takes viewers into the depths of the ocean on a rescue mission that encounters its share of fantasy challenges and enormous amounts of exploration. It's meant to be engrossing escapism, showcasing actors concentrating on the moment, attempting to turn some crude filmmaking magic into a pulse-pounding ride of bizarre discoveries. Intention is there on the screen, often carried along single-handedly by co-star Ernest Borgnine, but "The Neptune Factor" can be quite ridiculous if one doesn't buy into the special effects wizardry on display. Its cheesiness is pronounced, making any viewing of the effort a game of stifling laughs and battling yawns, as director Daniel Petrie is so enamored with his submersibles, he forgets to build an engaging thriller, with long stretches of the feature devoted to characters staring out of windows, trying to project a feeling of awe the picture doesn't inspire. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

American bank heist movies typically take care of business in a more stylish, swift manner, playing up the inherent thrill of theft with pulse-pounding turns of fate and broad personalities to match the mission at hand. The British tend to take it easy on excitement, leaving 1981's "Loophole" more of a picture to accept than enjoy. An adaptation of a novel by Robert Pollack and directed by John Quested, "Loophole" is pretty much the opposite of suspenseful, taking a leisurely stroll through moral choices, near-misses, and the execution of criminal endeavors. It's not without merit, but the feature doesn't appreciate the value of pace, finding more to enjoy about the set-up than the payoff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Looking to compete with the sci-fi blockbusters of the 1980s, "Biggles: Adventures in Time" perverts its source material to transform itself into a high-flying, year-hopping adventure. The 1986 picture doesn't truly adapt the series of novels it's based on, which details the heroism of an ace WWI British pilot. Instead, the production merges the character of Biggles with a time-travel plot that allows the feature a chance to appeal to younger audiences who might pass on the idea of spending time with a stuffy character. It's a strange creative reach that doesn't make much sense as the movie unfolds, but small pockets of spirit remain in "Biggles," which takes time to find its groove, but eventually secures some thrills and spills once the screenplay focuses on wartime suspense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior" weren't dominating blockbusters, their influence was felt throughout the 1980s, inspiring producers to assemble knockoffs that required very little production effort. The formula is easy to master, only requiring a desert location, shredded costuming, and vehicles. 1983's "Stryker" doesn't even try to pretend that it's not a "Road Warrior" reheat, taking familiar plot, design, and character elements to help support an actioner that's big on explosions and gunfire, but limited when it comes to dramatic pursuits. It's the end of the world, once again, but for director Cirio H. Santiago, "Stryker" provides a chance to raise a little hell in the wild, always keeping the silly picture explosive to help distract from its severe storytelling deficiencies. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com