Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

When "National Lampoon's Animal House" destroyed the box office competition in 1978, a string of knockoffs were all but guaranteed. One of the strangest to emerge from the mist remains 1980's "Gorp," a summer camp festival of sophomoric behavior that strains to ape "Animal House" tomfoolery in every way. Director Joseph Ruben ("Sleeping with the Enemy," "The Stepfather") and screenwriter Jeffrey Konvitz largely invest in chaos to bring the strangely titled "Gorp" to life, believing that noise and aggressively odious behavior is the key to acquiring audience approval. Unable to land a single joke, the feature quickly transforms into an endurance test with painfully exaggerated characters and dispiritingly desperate attempts at juvenile humor. There's not even a plot to help tie it all together, rendering the effort a highlight reel of unimaginative monkey business that often feels like it's never going to end. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The producers of "Up the Creek" were smart. Instead of trying to mimic "Animal House" and "Porky's" with a group of nobodies, they went out and hired the actors partially responsible for the success of those films. Playing into trends of the era, 1984's "Up the Creek" is quite open about its creative pilfering, arranging a playful rafting chase that barely pays attention to the water, more consumed with pranks, bare breasts, and frat-house shenanigans, looking to become the next big thing in beer-stained, sophomoric entertainment. It's refreshing to find a picture that's honest about its intentions, but clarity of direction doesn't make the feature any funnier. Strangely designed to avoid the one element of the plot that gives the effort a distinct personality, "Up the Creek" is a winded affair that's always one step behind punchlines and sight gags, far too obsessed with other movies in the marketplace to land an inspired moment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The best cult films don't know they're cult films. It's difficult to manufacture oddity; it truly has to come from the heart, with complete incompetence instinctual. 1991's "Samurai Cop" has built a reputation as a B-movie wonder over the years, charming audiences with its earnest goofballery, born from the mind of writer/director Amir Shervan. Sadly, the helmer passed away a decade ago, but his legacy continues (via crowdfunding) with "Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance," a follow-up that tries to hit all the same low-budget, no-talent beats as the original effort, only here the extravaganza is served up with a towering side of self-awareness. Die-hard fans may rejoice at the prospect of revisiting the "Samurai Cop" universe 25 years later, but it's clear from the start that the production isn't interested in building the potential of the brand name, content to replicate its severe limitations with a noticeable dip in enthusiasm. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A geek, as defined in "Luther the Geek," is a disturbed carnival sideshow performer who bites the heads off snakes and chickens, usually for a reward that helps to calm urges of alcoholism and drug addiction. It's not the geek as we know it today, making future trips to Best Buy all the more uncomfortable. "Luther the Geek" is a horror film that plays around with the nightmarish vocation, transporting a Depression-era celebration of the macabre to a slightly more modern setting, with writer/director Carlton J. Albright creating a slasher-type event with a truly disturbing murderer. It's a weird movie, but one that owns its strangeness through a commitment to character and unusual encounters between the (clucking) hunter and his understandably confused prey. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the 1980s, the Wayans Family was just beginning their reign in Hollywood, with Damon Wayans finding his way to "Saturday Night Live," while Keenan Ivory Wayans established his sense of humor co-writing "Hollywood Shuffle" and the opening of "Eddie Murphy: Raw." 1988's "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" was the debutant ball for the clan of comedians, with Keenan making his directorial debut guiding a good chunk of his family through a send-up/celebration of the blacksploitation genre, ordering some of the men who were there originally to return to duty. Taking on a deadly serious set of films with an enormous reservoir of silliness, "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" is a gem in the vein of "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun," using satire and slapstick to generate huge laughs from unlikely sources. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A famous proverb states: "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." This ominous ambition also drives the production effort behind 1991's "Highway to Hell." A zany, special effects-intensive chase picture, the feature has a specialized sense of humor from screenwriter Brian Helgeland, who takes the potential of an extended underworld visit seriously, filling the story with all types of weird characters and demonic encounters. Director Ate de Jong (who also helmed the reprehensible "Drop Dead Fred") doesn't have the proper curveball necessary to bring the writing to life, but "Highway to Hell" manages to engage through sheer enthusiasm and enticing make-up work, providing the movie with some creature feature highlights as the helmer figures out how to sell a rather peculiar story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1989's "The Dead Next Door" is the end result of a horror movie fan, J.R. Bookwalter, looking to bite off a piece of the genre for himself. Inspired by titans such as George Romero, Sam Raimi, and John Carpenter, Bookwalter cooks up his own smorgasbord of death with this scrappy feature. Replacing Hollywood polish with Ohio ingenuity, the production gets surprisingly far with its vision of a zombie apocalypse, with Bookwalter trying his hardest to make "The Dead Next Door" as entertaining as possible, filling the effort with incredible amounts of gore and mildly effective humor. Backyard production touches take some getting used to, and the script is a weird collection of expositional moments, but the core viewing experience remains engaging, delivering on promises of grotesqueries and silliness as the viscera flows. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In its quest to find a suitable replacement for "Downton Abbey," PBS turns to the Civil War for inspiration, with its wealth of class and combat-based conflict providing ample dramatics to fuel a limited series. Created by Lisa Wolfinger and David Zabel, "Mercy Street" is primed for grittiness, observing medical chaos and battlefield woes during the devastating conflict, setting the series in Alexandria during a transition period of power between the Union and Confederate armies. However, subtle antagonisms aren't encouraged here, with the production team going the soap opera route, encouraging heaving chests and wild-eyed close-ups, leaning more towards "Gone with the Wind" than a Ken Burns documentary. While the show only lasts for six episodes, it remains a struggle to work through the tepid conflicts contained within "Mercy Street," which seems allergic to any scene of authentic emotion, caught trying put on an opera with material that's best served as soberly and respectfully as possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Suicide is an impossible topic for a movie to explore, especially one that's hoping to trigger a few smiles along the journey. Many films have tried to include such self-inflicted violence, but the act provides a tonal tightrope walk few are able to master. Perhaps the lone example of success is Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums," which explores the sinking feeling of desperation felt by one of the main characters as he slits his wrists, and somehow the production manages to rebound from such horror to reach even greater comedic heights. A long form test of mood is undertaken by 1978's "The End," where Burt Reynolds (who also directs) portrays a terminally ill man who wants to end it all before medical suffering begins. And it's played for laughs. Thankfully, Reynolds brings his rascally wit and love of exaggeration to "The End," trying to create silly but life-affirming story about a man's darkest hour, bringing in a lively supporting cast to help him achieve jocularity instead of extended anguish. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Australian comedian Paul Hogan has enjoyed a lengthy career, entertaining audiences for over 40 years. However, he will forever be known for his work on "Crocodile Dundee," the 1986 blockbuster that turned him into an international star, known everywhere for his easy charms, twisty slang, and deep tan. Finding gargantuan big screen success with "Dundee" and its 1988 sequel, Hogan was challenged to find a follow-up that might allow a softer, more human side of a personality to shine, away from the Outback and considerably large knives. 1990's "Almost an Angel" was intended to be a slight change of pace for Hogan, scripting himself a more peaceful role of a crook urged by heavenly forces to become a heavenly hero. However, it's not easy to pull the star out of his comfort zone, with "Almost an Angel" a ridiculously mild affair that's supported entirely by Hogan's easygoing sense of humor. Trying to play it cool, the production slips into a coma instead, barely fighting mundane plotting as Hogan does what comes naturally. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Heartbreakers" has every opportunity to become a flavorless collection of antics and quirks concerning the world of con artists and their elaborate schemes. And yet, under the direction of "Simpsons" vet David Mirkin (who also helmed the delightful "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion"), the feature turns into a surprise. Sure, twists and turns await viewers, remaining true to the spirit of criminal misdirection, but "Heartbreakers" stuns with its robust sense of humor, never fearing a chance to sample silliness as it explores an extended sham. Lively atmosphere and a deep appreciation for the absurd keep the picture not only approachable, but downright hilarious at times. While excessive length takes the wind out of its sail in the third act, the movie remains a delight, offering wonderfully spirited lead performances from Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Following up his triumph with the expansive, electric "West Side Story," director Robert Wise returns to intimacy with 1962's "Two for the Seesaw," which trades singing and dancing for the concerns of opposites gently working through their relationship issues. An adaptation of the William Gibson play, "Two for the Seesaw" feels like a cool-down for Wise, who brings some visual flourish and plenty of patience to the production, seemingly delighted to focus on the neuroses of only two characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1952's "The Captive City" is a film noir that directly reflects its tumultuous production era, acting a response to Senator Estes Kefauver's participation in the United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce, where the government went after the plague of organized crime. It's a rage against the (corrupt) machine movie, with star John Forsythe portraying a newspaper man discovering a criminal underworld in his own backyard, intent on exposing unlawful behavior while gradually becoming aware of its influence over everyone he interacts with. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The underground movie scene of the 1960s and '70s provided a Wild West experience for its participants. Free of studio control, often constructing pictures with hopes and dreams instead of money, the filmmakers were cleared to explore their imagination to the fullest, dissecting the world around them with bizarre creations steeped in provocative imagery and interpretational screenwriting. For some, pure insanity was the goal, with 1975's "Thundercrack!" a prime example of a feature that's primarily driven by curiosity and impulse, trying to disrupt expectation in every way imaginable. Directed by Curt McDowell and scripted by George Kuchar (who also appears in a supporting role), "Thundercrack!" is a wild viewing experience out to merge melodrama with hardcore pornography, leaving little to the imagination as feels around in the dark for a story to back up all the absurdity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Obsession cinema hits the hotels and beaches of France in 1982's "The Last Horror Film," which boldly takes its inspiration from John Hinckley's 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, with the would-be killer hoping to impress actress Jodie Foster with his display of violence. It's a provocative starting point for co-writer/director David Winters, but it's not a plot he approaches with sincerity. Something of a goof, with a broad lead performance from actor Joe Spinell, "The Last Horror Film" is best appreciated as a travelogue for the 1981 Cannes Film Festival and as a showcase of style for actress Caroline Munro. Lowered expectations are perhaps best to approach the feature, which doesn't care much for suspense, far more interested in mild industry satire and pulled punches. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After conquering pop culture with his vision for "A Hard Day's Night," essentially fanning the flames of Beatlemania via the all-powerful influence of the movies, director Richard Lester builds on his reputation for quirk and non-sequiturs with 1965's "The Knack…and How to Get It," which gifts viewers time with Swinging London during a particularly fertile period of style and sexuality. Lester doesn't miss a beat here, investing once again in the power of avant-garde filmmaking mixed with dry comedy. However, the game of love doesn't play to his strengths, with much of "The Knack" an exercise in visual experimentation, with Lester forgetting to add a little heart. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Adapting Patrick Ryan's satiric novel, "How I Won the War," for the big screen, screenwriter Charles Wood and director Richard Lester take on a considerable creative challenge, tasked with identifying horrors while poking fun at a never-ending cycle of misery. Overall, the feature fails to convey the details of psychological poisoning, but Lester-isms tend to define the viewing experience, watching the impish filmmaker struggle to find a balance between the slapstick he's known for and the severity of the story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's difficult to imagine a pop culture world without "Downton Abbey," but its sixth season represents the final year of life with the Crawleys and their persistent trends of disaster and glory. The times are a-changin' for creator Julian Fellowes as well, tasked with creating an extended cool down for a series that's prided itself on exquisite melodrama, organizing closure for an enormous community of characters. "Season Six" doesn't live up a level of engagement found in previous years, but as "Downton Abbey" goes, Fellowes and Company do a fine job with finality, using nine episodes to explore heart and hatred, tea and contempt; pulling off the familiar while adding a few new twists to spice up the viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1988's "Spellbinder" is a chiller with a sensual edge, exploring how temptation is often the most dangerous weapon evil can wield. Directed by Janet Greek and scripted by Tracy Torme, the feature carries a strange energy of suspense, weaving between the ridiculous and the inspired, but it retains a strong focal point in Kelly Preston, aptly cast as the object of desire. "Spellbinder" is a B-movie with limited scope, but it handles itself relatively well, delivering a few strong performances and a steady pace as it samples satanic powers and strange moments of intimidation. At the very least, it's fine genre entertainment, delivering on beats of seduction and panic with refreshing clarity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To put Ken Russell in charge of anyone's life story is asking for trouble. The notoriously mischievous director, a man who asked Ann-Margret to roll around in a pile of baked beans for "Tommy," takes on the legend of silent movie star Rudolph Valentino, trying to remain somewhat respectful for as long as possible, easing mass consumption of the 1977 picture. However, it doesn't take long before Russell's instincts are unleashed, transforming an admittedly odd viewing experience into a fantasia of elaborate sets, costumes, and old Hollywood personalities. "Valentino," which isn't entirely rooted in truth, is difficult to digest, with terrible performances and general storytelling indecision hobbling the extravaganza, but with a mute button handy, Russell's visuals do stand out, permitting viewers a chance to explore his unique creative approach, even when it's all wrong for the project. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com