Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

1981's "Enter the Ninja" represented Cannon Films trying to bring their spin to the martial arts genre, using ninjutsu to jumpstart a new round of action pictures. The plan worked, but the franchise required a few changes. Losing star Franco Nero, supporting actor Sho Kosugi was handed the lead role, and the adventure was moved to America, losing the cockfighting chaos of Manila. 1983's "Revenge of the Ninja" really isn't a sequel, sharing no story points or characters from the earlier effort, merely continuing down the path of exploitation cinema, milking the ninja craze for another round of bloodshed and tests of honor. Director Sam Firstenberg doesn't bother with tasteful mayhem, filling "Revenge of the Ninja" with harsh deaths, sexual violence, and shredded faces, trying to grab attention with excess. The amplification works to a certain degree, with the movie generally indulging silliness as it stages big action and deadly showdowns. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Enter the Ninja" is widely credited as one of the first wave of martial art movies in the 1980s to bring the deadly world of ninjutsu to the screen. Igniting an exploitation cinema craze, producer/director Menahem Golan and his Cannon Films would go on to stoke the fire with sequels and spin-offs, but 1981's "Enter the Ninja" was their first born, and it's easy to see why the production was so eager to keep up with the secret society of cloaked warriors. Certainly rough around the edges, the picture is wise to commit to the plot with a relatively straight face. Delivering acceptable action and encouraging acts of intimidation, the feature largely succeeds as a sufficiently violent and masculine study of the ninja way, from a decidedly Western perspective. It's goofy at times, yet, in the heat in the moment, "Enter the Ninja" achieves an atmosphere of bottom shelf escapism that's hard to resist. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Shaping his reputation as the hardest of the hard men of the west, Lee Van Cleef signs up for defense duty in 1970's "Barquero." A cowboy saga about bitter, unflinching men, the picture benefits from its star's customary domination, with Van Cleef using acting tools of intimidation and impatience to give the feature a decidedly masculine position, matched well with Warren Oates as the maniac baddie. "Barquero" is raw, with surprising violence for the era, but it's also an appealing standoff tale, using its surroundings inventively as two brutes battle over a barge along a wide, rushing river. Some weird ideas on sexual bargaining and insect threat remains, and the effort is a good 20 minutes too long, but for Van Cleef completists, the movie is brawny, aggressive, and entertaining in fits, joining the screen legend's long roster of meaty cinematic accomplishments. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Instead of following up 1986's "Class of Nuke 'Em High" with a straightforward sequel, Troma Entertainment reworks the premise to fit a new generation of radiated bedlam, stomping into a new decade with 1991's "Class of Nuke 'Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown." It's actually surprising to see the sequel disregard its predecessor to this degree, with director Eric Louzil determined to make the follow-up his own, doing away with high school antics to concentrate on more monster-based mayhem. Keeping the Troma sense of humor, "Subhumanoid Meltdown" also pays tribute to the company's addiction to incoherence, with most of the feature a grab bag of ideas, gore zone visits, and topless actresses, with Louzil obviously overwhelmed by the demands of a low-budget comedic shocker. Its manic spirit is overwhelming, but there are choice moments of Z-grade insanity to feast on, with the continuation/remake abandoning storytelling to make a self-aware mess, and one that's fun in small doses. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Attempting to outwit and outrun their 1984 cult hit, "The Toxic Avenger," co-directors Richard W. Haines and Lloyd Kaufman (billed here as "Samuel Weil") return to the dregs of humanity with 1986's "Class of Nuke 'Em High," which turns out to be the next logical step of splatter stupidity for Troma Entertainment. Instead of defining the origin story of a reluctant superhero, the production settles on absolute chaos, braiding a tribute to teen cinema of the 1950s with a gore zone spectacle of the 1980s. It's wild work, exploring a premise with surprising potential, but like most Troma endeavors, it doesn't know when to quit, gradually working from a cheeky serving of carnage to noisy bedlam, losing a balance between creepy and silly that aids digestion of the feature's first two acts. "Class of Nuke 'Em High" is only fun in the build-up to pandemonium, not when the effort finally reaches its orgy of graphic violence and aggressive slapstick, making the climax strangely anticlimactic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While working on his Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, director Roger Corman found time to make his first major studio feature with 1964's "The Secret Invasion," a WWII men-on-a-mission film that took the helmer out of literary fantasy and stuck him in the middle of history. Boasting a diverse cast that includes Stewart Granger, Mickey Rooney, and Edd Byrnes, "The Secret Invasion" attempts to marry the cold realities of life with excitable conflicts, making an effort to ground matinee adventure with a certain level of emotional gravity. Most of the picture feels like filler, yet Corman deserves credit for stretching, struggling to craft a movie that can play as a distraction and still land a few psychological gut-punches along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Created during a fertile period in slasher film distribution, 1982's "Madman" takes a slightly different route than the average kill-all-the-campers genre offering. Rooted in urban legend idolatry and executed with the slow-burn build of a campfire tale, the feature hopes to creep out audiences with prolonged silences and extended stalking sequences. Patience levels are periodically tested during the run time, but as the effort unfolds, there's an appreciation for frights and atmosphere that keeps the picture interesting when it stops being engaging. Perhaps it doesn't reach the iconic highs of "Friday the 13th," but "Madman" has its simple pleasures, including attention to character and an unusual interest in music to help secure its creepy intent. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Keeping the celebration going, "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo" made its theatrical debut only seven months after the release of the original film. Not that a breakdance movie is particularly difficult to piece together in a short amount of time, but during an era of three-year-long waits between franchise chapters, the speed of this release was alarming, clearly signaling that Cannon Films wasn't about to leave money on the table. If the kids wanted a second helping of Kelly, Turbo, and Ozone, Yoram Globus and Manahem Golan were more than happy to provide it, once again stymieing the competition during the curiously dance-feature-heavy year of 1984. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Never one to let a trend slip through his fingers, producer Menahem Golan quickly jumped on the opportunity to make a movie based on the breakdancing craze that swept across the nation in the 1980s. Golan's Cannon Films sprinted to the finish line with 1984's "Breakin'" with hopes to beat the competition, "Beat Street" (which took a more sobering look at hip hop culture), to the punch. Cannon won the war, transforming the feature into a sizable hit (keep in mind that the movie outgrossed "The Terminator" that year). While such production determination is interesting, "Breakin'" certainly has its issues, struggling with dramatic concerns as it spends most of its energy on musical numbers and street dance choreography. However, technical and emotional limitations aside, the picture has a certain spirit that's hard to deny, providing a look at bodies in motion as they quake, roll, and spin their way around the frame, keeping the feature's batteries charged long enough to make the effort easily digestible and, at times, terrific escapism. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1971's "Man of Violence" (billed on the print as "Moon") represents co-writer/director Pete Walker's continuing exploration of the gangster genre, arriving soon after "The Big Switch." Acquiring a slightly larger budget and considerably more ambition, Walker expands his scope with "Man of Violence," trying to achieve a crisscrossing sense of antagonism and sexuality, using the dying light of Swinging London to his advantage, allowing for a darker but still unbearably paced picture that struggles to fill its permissive 109 minute run time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Working his way out of the nudie movie business, 1968's "The Big Switch" represents writer/director Peter Walker's effort to redirect his career, trying to make a down and dirty impression with this British gangster picture. With its emphasis on violence and nudity, it's easy to see what Walker was after with "The Big Switch," hoping to tantalize audiences with exploitative elements he spent his early years perfecting. Missing from the film is any type of pace and conflict, lumbering along, waiting for the periodic burst of aggression to snap it awake. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

What began life as a "Downton Abbey" knockoff has built a home of its own. ITV's "Mr. Selfridge" graduates to its third season, with the mission for this year becoming one of separation. Initially conceived as a drama about the inner workings of the world's most famous department store, the series has decided to jump ahead five years (avoiding expensive World War I recreation demands), branching out with established characters, most not even involved with the business anymore. In short: there's little store in the show about a store. It's a bold creative leap for what's been a punishingly mediocre effort for two seasons, trying to stimulate ratings by changing the view. New supporting players add some spice to the bland concoction, but "Season 3" doesn't reveal a level of ambition necessary to take the program seriously. In fact, it indulges a soap opera atmosphere with renewed determination, keeping "Mr. Selfridge" simple, overcooked, and, at times, dismally performed. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I don't have concrete proof that the Golden Globes are a rigged awards ceremony, but when Jacqueline Bisset took home a statue in 2014 for her supporting performance in "Dancing on the Edge" (where the actress was subjected to an obstacle course on her way to the stage), it was clear that something had to move the needle on a program that barely received attention during its original broadcast in 2013. Bisset doesn't deliver subpar work in the series, but she's barely memorable, blending in with the rest of this bland and overlong show, which wheezes through six episodes. Created by playwright and screenwriter Stephen Poliakoff, "Dancing on the Edge" aims to combine murder mystery suspense with period restraint, yet the writing is more consumed with stretching simple ideas, employing flimsy characterization and a leaden pace to pass for regality. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a twisty crime picture, 1964's "Woman of Straw" is a slow-burn affair, attempting to beguile audiences with a little heat generated between stars Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery (in the same film year, the actor would conquer the globe with "Goldfinger"), and incite some hatred for Ralph Richardson, who plays a broadly loathsome character. The movie doesn't offer an especially tight screenplay, content to draw out the obvious for as long as possible, but as a mid-level thriller with a few interesting left turns, "Woman of Straw" manages to satisfy, perhaps best appreciated when it dives into abhorrent behavior. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

How does one even recommend a documentary about the history of cancer? The title alone, "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies," establishes its severity, promising six hours of heartbreaking tales concerning loss and struggle. And the show does offer that level of gut-punch realism, but it's also superbly crafted and critically informational, with director Barak Goodman setting out to demystify cancer through an examination of its rise to prominence. The disease touches the lives of everyone, but instead of encouraging fear and ignorance, "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies" (adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee) takes the subject head-on, using extensive research, visual evidence, and personal details to dissect the science, celebrate breakthroughs, and reflect on a time not so long ago when a cancer diagnosis was an automatic death sentence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With "Wolf Hall," the BBC steps into the "Game of Thrones" business, digging into English history to rework known tales of treachery and violence, bringing a new spin to the oft-told tale of King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) and Anne Boleyn (Claire Foy). Adapted from a pair of novels by Hilary Mantel, the six-episode series strives to find an entry point into the familiar story, settling on the life and times of lawyer Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance), whose steely sense of duty and intelligence permitted him access to Henry's kingdom, bearing witness to rampant rumor, accusation, and royal gamesmanship that spilled over to the wrath of Boleyn. "Wolf Hall" isn't about contact highs of swelling drama and twisty turns of fate (after all, there's only one ending to this saga), but slightly agitated interactions among corrupted individuals, with these charge encounters representing the extent of excitement the show is willing to offer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The musical "Mamma Mia!" has been celebrated on a global scale, becoming one of the most popular theatrical productions in history, also sustaining outstanding business as a 2009 feature film. While its true fingerprint originates from the music of ABBA, exploring a subgenre known as the "jukebox musical," the story has also captured imagination, romanticizing the idea of an older woman reuniting with three lovers after decades apart, unsure which individual is the true father of her adult daughter. It all appears jovial, madcap, and perhaps a little amorous, but "Mamma Mia!" apparently owes a debt to an obscure 1968 comedy titled "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell." Trading Greek islands for an Italian village, the picture creates a farcical take on paternity and long-held affection, only skipping on the ABBA tunes and wild costuming. I'm honestly surprised there wasn't some type of legal action taken against writer Catherine Johnson, who liberally takes from the amiable but overdone "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell," reworking its key elements to fit primary dramatic demands of the initial West End production. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As viewed throughout a multitude of charged filmmaking efforts from the 1970s and '80s (providing an evolution to the classic war movie), most cinematic dissections of the Vietnam War concentrated on the either the early years of the conflict, when morale was high and troops were alert and plentiful, or the thick of the fight, highlighting a drain of innocence and military interest as the reality of the conflict and its hunger for human lives was finally being identified and criticized. Remaining true to its title, "Last Days in Vietnam" avoids a grander scope of military activity, instead paying specific attention to the final, bitter moments of the American presence in Southeast Asia, endeavoring to understand numerous events of pure chaos that erupted once evacuation procedures lost their ability to manage hordes of desperate refugees. A vital piece in the ongoing puzzle of the conflict, "Last Days in Vietnam" is an eye-opening documentary that captures the charged emotions and troubled leadership that fed into an overall sense of panic across the land — a surge of helplessness felt by all sides. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After the blockbuster release of 1975's "Jaws," the global film industry was eager to cash in on its success, scrambling to find material that played with haunted characters and monster animal attacks. In 1977, producer Dino De Laurentiis developed a few of his own entries in the sudden subgenre, with "Orca" and "The White Buffalo" emerging with stories of bloodshed and revenge, pitting man against an unstoppable enemy. While "The White Buffalo" teases exploitation elements, especially with Charles Bronson in the lead role, the western, directed by J. Lee Thompson, is actually more of a meditation on wild west reputation and aging obsession, more interested in exploring personalities and fragmented communication between recognized foes than dealing with visceral horror. Of course, a gigantic white buffalo does appear in the picture, using its strength and size to mow down and harpoon seemingly innocent humans, but at the feature's core is a quest to capture the ragged edges of Wild Bill Hickok and Crazy Horse, working to understand clouded headspaces as their vivid and violent legends work to stunt their growth as men. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" isn't really a narrative-driven picture, it's a collection of influences filtered through writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour. Collecting everything she loves about horror, surrealism, and westerns, the helmer attempts to mold a genre tale that doesn't bother to drop anchor. It's dreamlike and stylized, but "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" isn't cohesive, frequently caught up in cinematic references when it should be concentrated on characters. Mix Tape filmmaking is undeniably appealing, but only when there's a sense of leadership behind the production. This is Amirpour's debut feature, and it feels like the work of somebody who's excited to make a movie, but doesn't have the discipline to unify her love of the arts. More Robert Rodriguez than Quentin Tarantino, Amirpour's effort has select moments of striking beauty and originality, but as a whole, the endeavor is more obsessed with obsession than building a steady nightmare. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com