Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

After achieving major success with 1992's "Wayne's World," it's amazing how badly director Penelope Spheeris stumbled with her subsequent career choices. Hunting for an easy lay-up Hollywood hit, she accepted the challenge of bringing "The Beverly Hillbillies" to the big screen during the great T.V. adaptation gold rush of the 1990s. And then Spheeris turned her attention to an update of Hal Roach's "Our Gang" film series of the 1920s and '30s. It was an impossible mission of tonality that was doomed from the start, working to bring something that was defined by its era into the present, yet still retaining all the old-timey shenanigans and iconic character design. "The Little Rascals" wasn't a smart professional decision for the helmer, and the stress shows in every scene of this misbegotten endeavor. Instead of paying tribute to a golden age of comedy, the production merely reheats established bits, adding crudeness to lubricate likability, generally missing the appeal of the original shorts. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1984's "The Toxic Avenger" is the movie that put Troma Entertainment on the map. Previously employed as a distribution machine for titillation comedies, Troma hit pay dirt when they switched their focus to silly splatter efforts and horror pictures, finding a rabid audience who couldn't get enough of their specialized brand of winky mayhem. "The Toxic Avenger" is the prototype for subsequent Troma endeavors, mixing a bewildering cocktail of one-liners and ultraviolence in a production that actually desires to make audiences laugh, even while it kills a kid and a dog, and points a shotgun at a baby. Still, the earnestness of the feature is amazing, always working to find a note of absurdity to molest as directors Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman (billed here as "Samuel Weil") bathe the screen in blood, nudity, and slapstick, funneled into a superhero spoof with a vague environmental message. 30 years after its initial release and "The Toxic Avenger" still manages to trigger disgust and a handful of laughs, representing not only a key Troma financial victory, but it's quite possibly their finest original work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With a title such as "Bloodsucking Freaks," there's not much left to the imagination. Refusing such a pesky limitation, writer/director Joel M. Reed attempts to give the audience their money's worth with this twisted splatter effort from 1976, which also stomped through cinemas as "Sardu: Master of the Screaming Virgins." Pick any label you like, as Reed stages a perverse and bloody extravaganza that defies description, hoping to take a style of shock value pioneered by Herschell Gordon Lewis to fresh heights of repulsion. "Bloodsucking Freaks" isn't much of a movie, but it does retain an eye-popping sense of violence, brazen in its contempt for women and disregard for human life. It's best to treat it all as an extended joke, which helps to digest the intentionally sickening display of pain Reed is a little too eager to share with the audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Breathless" is a little late to the "Mad Men" party, missing its chance to ride coattails as the iconic series ends its run in 2015. The production's timing is unfortunate, but so is the program, at least in fits. Attempting to create a stylish look at the traumatic events facing the staff of The New London Hospital, "Breathless" quickly drowns in melodrama, dropping all regality and sensibility to match "General Hospital" in nostril-flaring acting and prolonged narratives. This is an exhausting show, and not because of its emotional content, as there isn't any. Instead, it takes one hour of story and breaks it up into six episodes, dragging out secrets and indiscretions to a point where they cease to retain their intended meaning. Those on the prowl for a hospital procedural or even a period dissection should look for creative highlights elsewhere. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Before "Bring It On" was released in 2000, cheerleading movies tended to favor exploitation features that emphasized nudity or derogatory comedies that treated the spirit-focused without respect, often turned into the punchline for lame jokes. And don't even ask about male cheerleaders in these productions. "Bring It On" takes the sport to a whole new level of concentration, detailing the insatiable achievement appetites of school squads as they ferociously compete for a national championship. It's not an original picture, but it's determined to celebrate the skill and neuroses of the cheerleaders without pronounced derision, resulting in an engagingly manic effort, but one that's not nearly as funny as it would like to believe. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's hard to hate any horror movie that opens at a track meet and welcomes viewers with a disco theme song. 1981's "Graduation Day" arrived in a crowded marketplace, with dubious producers scrambling to cash in on the success of 1978's "Halloween," with their lust for cheap and easy profit renewed when 1980's "Friday the 13th" hit the box office jackpot. Horror was hitting hard and fast during this period, with overall creative quality less of a priority. While "Graduation Day" isn't an awards contender, the Herb Freed-directed chiller has a little more interest in cinematic pursuits than much of its brethren, offering audiences a traditional offering of slasher entertainment, with victims pierced and gutted by a variety of weapons, but done so with a raw style that fixates on pace, not prolonged suffering. It's completely goofball stuff, but engaging and, at times, exciting, giving a notoriously lazy genre a firm towel snap as it strives to turn a minimal budget into a nail-biter. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I'm sure at the time it all seemed foolproof. Team one of the most respected actors in the industry with a powerhouse comedian, working from a script by an up and coming talent just beginning his film career. With Peter O'Toole, Peter Sellers, and Woody Allen participating in 1965's "What's New Pussycat?," there was little room for doubt. However, such beaming intentions don't always secure an ideal movie, and while Allen's screenplay is bedazzled with his distinct sense of humor, actual laughs are buried under layers of chaotic behavior, with director Clive Donner unable to control the whiz-bang energy of the effort, often mistaking noise for timing. "What's New Pussycat" offers a few bursts of insanity worth paying attention to, but as a farce, it never finds its footing, missing a golden opportunity to make iconic mischief with a trio of determined leading men. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A world-renown naturalist and television host, David Attenborough has acquired a close-up look at many of Earth's most dynamic creatures. However, nothing appeals to his boyish sense of curiosity quite like the frog. "Fabulous Frogs" is an episode of "Nature" that explores the life and times of numerous amphibians, with a focus on mating habits, self-preservation, and feeding achievements, traveling around the globe to achieve a greater understanding of the subject. For Attenborough, nothing gives him greater joy than an opportunity to share his love for the frog with the viewer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The Manakamana Temple is located high in the mountains of Nepal, and while it can be accessed several different ways, the most popular mode of transportation is by cable car. "Manakamana" isn't a documentary about the temple, but a study of life inside the cable cars, with directors Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez welcoming riders into their cabin, studying interaction, discomfort, and reflection during the nine-minute-long trip up the mountain. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Angola Prison, often called the "Alcatraz of the South," has a history of violent inmates and chaotic rule. It's not a place few intentionally decide to visit, but musician Rita Chiarelli has a special mission in mind. Armed with a wealth of musical interests and desire to fill a place of darkness with some sense of hope, Chiarelli decided to stage a concert, teaming up with three prison bands (The Jazzmen, Little Country, and Pure Heart Messenger) to share the blues and a little country with a captive audience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's almost impossible to believe, but there was once a time when John Waters nearly played by Hollywood rules. With 1988's "Hairspray" and its PG rating, Waters dialed down his interests in outrageousness while still preserving his love for the bizarre, making a dance movie the entire family could enjoy (a real event from the director of "Pink Flamingos"), though parents were more likely to understand the references. In 1990, Waters upped his game with "Cry-Baby," achieving the next level of studio acceptance with an ode to the juvenile delinquent pictures of the 1950s, blended with highlights from Elvis Presley's filmography. This PG-13 endeavor was met with yawn at the box office, but it showcases the very best of Waters's sense of humor and enthusiasm for details, crafting a loving parody of already goofy efforts, sold with high energy, big music, and cast delighted to frolic around the helmer's playground of the absurd. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Only a week before Charles Bronson took America by storm with the vigilante saga "Death Wish," "Mr. Majestyk" slipped into theaters, looking to cash in on a heartland hero trend boosted by the success of "Billy Jack" and "Walking Tall." While it has the benefit of Bronson's icy glare and a supporting cast skilled at playing ghouls, the film isn't exactly the man-against-the-machine event the movie's initial scenes hint at. More of slow-burn game of intimidation, "Mr. Majestyk" (my spell-check just killed itself) would rather explore the honor of a good rural fight, tossing cops, the mob, and a melon farmer into the ring, with screenwriter Elmore Leonard works out the details of the escalating aggression. While it's not a swiftly paced picture, it's a likable blend of bravado and villainy, with Bronson submitting his traditional thespian offering of deep squints, cynical chuckles, and reluctant heroism, utilized quite well by director Richard Fleischer, who embraces the star's dependably creased charms. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The late 1970s and early 1980s were a fruitful period for sword and sorcery films. With the popularity of "Dungeons & Dragons" and the success of "Conan the Barbarian," producers raced to put out product that featured men covered in baby oil swinging broadswords, backed by gnarly creatures and magical events. 1982's "Sorceress" was born from such monetary frenzy, with producer Roger Corman hoping to add his own spin on the fantasy subgenre, only his take wouldn't feature a bodybuilder, but female twins. Playmates to be exact, with Leigh and Lynette Harris taking on the starring roles in this limited but highly amusing romp, bringing thespian determination and a lack of clothing to the party while director Jack Hill (working under the pseudonym "Brian Stuart") struggles to maintain his sense of humor as Corman imposes his famous frugality and desire for exploitable screen elements on the unconventional helmer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the 1970s, few wore their onscreen toughness as well as Charles Bronson. Working steadily in all manner of productions that required a steely-eyed authority figure, Bronson achieved his greatest success with 1974's "Death Wish," a vigilante saga that perfectly captured his skills as an intimidating leading man. In the shadow of such a hit, Bronson returned to duty, with 1975's "Breakheart Pass" one of the many journeyman productions the actor was fond of. A mystery with western ornamentation, the picture benefits immensely from Bronson's frosty demeanor, put to good use by director Tom Gries, who keeps his star at a low rumble of suspicion while employing a colorful supporting cast to create a compelling atmosphere of the unknown, making Bronson's string of forceful reactions all the more inviting. While it's not an exhaustive whodunit with a myriad of elaborate red herrings, "Breakheart Pass" is an engaging adventure with a few surges of action, an unexpected commitment to brutality, and an irresistible collection of disasters to hold attention. It's the type of meaty film that doesn't use a model to stage a train accident, it brings in a real train to destroy. How wonderful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There's a beautiful sophistication and emotional starkness to 1972's "We Won't Grow Old Together" to help support the screenplay's insistence that the viewer spend 106 minutes with emotionally stunted characters. An autobiographical story from writer/director Maurice Pialat, the film is rich with life and frustration, working to capture the experience of a volatile relationship without trying to cure its ills. It's intelligent, measured work from the helmer (who adapts his own novel for the screen), easing entrance into a particularly toxic pairing. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1984's "Bachelor Party" isn't master class cinema by any stretch of the imagination. It's a bawdy comedy created during a time when juvenile antics and bare breasts were celebrated by the moviegoing public, making it the knuckle-dragging alternative during an iconic summer of blockbusters. I'm not about to defend the picture's iffy comedic interests, but it's hard to discount small blips of charm that manage to help "Bachelor Party" not only find a personality, but numerous laughs as well, making it the rare horndog farce of the era to actually provide considered punchlines. It's lewd and crude, but not unpleasant, with star Tom Hanks single-handedly sustaining screen energy with his rubbery, class clown performance, which, interestingly, represented his career follow-up to "Splash." Over the course of a few months, Hanks went from being a mermaid's sweetheart in a Disney film to a degenerate party animal. And people say he has no range. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Curtains" isn't a single film, it's a handful of subplots and ideas competing for screentime under the guise of a traditional '80s-style slasher endeavor. Bizarre seems too mild a description when discussing this movie, which is actually stitched together from two production periods spread out over three years, with the original director, Richard Ciupka, taking his name off the effort when producer Peter R. Simpson elected to jazz up the rough cut with customary slicing and dicing. The fascinating backstory on "Curtains" is evident throughout the presentation, leaving the picture half-realized, shooing away substance to plow ahead with violence. It's a mess, but an entertaining one thanks to Ciupka's visual ambition and ensemble work from the oddball cast, who deliver the proper level of hysteria to assist what little suspense remains. It's not movie that's easily understood, but one that has a few passable moments of genre proficiency. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

To fully appreciate "The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair," one must have a doctorate in the financial history of Italy, with knowledge of its working parts pertaining to the Vatican, Masonic control, and government corruption. I'll fully admit, this is not a movie that inspires interest in such topics, leaving its byzantine structure difficult to digest unless the viewer has a specific connection to the unfolding crisis. It's not a terrible film by any means, but one that's persistently complex to a degree where it begins to freak out its director, Guiseppe Ferrara. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Imagined as the start of an Italian cinema magazine, 1953's "Love in the City" brings together a class of neorealist filmmakers to help explore the true price of passion. Through the POV of Carlo Lizzani ("Love for Money," 11 minutes), Michelangelo Antonioni ("Attempted Suicide," 22 minutes), Dino Risi ("Paradise for Three Hours," 12 minutes), Federico Fellini ("Marriage Agency," 16 minutes), Francesco Maselli ("Story of Caterina," 27 minutes), and Alberto Lattuada ("Italians Turn Their Heads," 14 minutes), an omnibus exploration was born — a picture that has little patience for the warmth of the world. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Already an actor with an extensive history in westerns, Lee Van Cleef found himself in possession of a red-hot career after the global success of 1966's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," working his way up from supporting turns to starring roles. 1969's "Sabata" was one of many gunslinger efforts Van Cleef participated in during this critical time, transformed into a glaring, unforgiving hero, feeding into a slightly zany atmosphere of showdowns masterminded by director Gianfranco Parolini. "Sabata" is an odd one, teeming with exaggerated characters, mild gymnastics, and the image of Van Cleef as the titular character, prowling around with delightful screen confidence, especially for a character who keeps a coin as part of his arsenal. For the most part, the movie has a snappy pace, fierce style, and bursts of aggression, keeping genre elements alert as it details a peculiar story of blackmail. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com