Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

The Vince Vaughn of 2006 was coming off blockbusters such as "Dodgeball" and "Wedding Crashers," and while it's easy to be disappointed with his recent career endeavors (including the anemic "The Watch" and "The Internship"), it was awfully brave of the actor to follow-up two extremely silly, popular films with this sobering reminder of love gone wrong. "The Break-Up" isn't a particularly cohesive picture, but its intentions are fascinating, attempting to buck the trend of apple-cheeked romantic comedies by exploring the dissolution of a long-term relationship. European cinema does it better, but "The Break-Up" gets many gut-rot emotions right, trying to articulate such fist-shaking frustration without turning off a nation of moviegoers. Even if the effort isn't especially humorous, it gets far on ambition alone, fighting off a case of the cutes to make a feature that treats domestic antagonism with some degree of reality, avoiding fairy tale trimmings. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Duel at Diablo" is based on the Marvin H. Albert novel, "Apache Rising," which is perhaps why the film version is an ambitious but overwhelmed effort, never secure in its storytelling, even as it tackles some contentious topics. The 1966 picture, directed by Ralph Nelson, is atmospheric, with tremendous Utah locations that provide a sweltering backdrop to the action, and there's secure star power with actors James Garner and Sidney Poitier, who deliver leathery performances. What's missing is a point of view, with the screenplay (co-written by Albert) struggling to work out Native American prejudice and villainy, making it difficult to recognize what the movie is trying to communicate. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The wild isn't just a place of solitude. For most creatures, strength is found in large numbers, and the "Nature" episode "The Gathering Swarms" inspects the choreography and communication of a hive mentality, traveling all over the globe to detail the rituals required to bring what's often a defensive and mating force to life. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As "Endeavour" enters its second series, it faces a unique challenge. Beginning life as a prequel to the "Inspector Morse" program, "Endeavour" is now forced to find its own identity, having coasted on nostalgia alone for the initial episodes. It must become its own creation of mystery and drama. Although it doesn't hit any particularly potent creative highs in "Series 2," the show doesn't continue on as originally designed, reaching beyond the confines of procedural entertainment to explore the titular character as he wrestles with physical and mental trauma, while finding a love interest for this go-around of crime-solving. It's a needed expansion of personality that helps to navigate the knotty scheme of suspects the production works overtime to introduce. It's an overall softening that encourages investment in this standoffish character, making him more than just whirring mind. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Released in 1953, "The Vanquished" presented Michelangelo Antonioni as a work-in-progress, perfecting on his directorial skills as he experimented with tone, theme, and style. Curious about the post-war effect on the youth of the day, the helmer created three chapters ("Italy," "France," and "England") to explore the plague of violence, with callousness becoming all the rage, filling headlines with tales of murder and remorselessness. Over the course of three short stores, Antonioni wasn't looking to solve this crisis of conscience, only to dissect it, inspecting passionate characters caught up in ugly business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Although it is, in fact, a sequel to 1969's "True Grit," 1975's "Rooster Cogburn" is perhaps most notable for its pairing of John Wayne (reprising a role that won him his only Academy Award) and Katharine Hepburn — two Hollywood legends who somehow avoided each other for the majority of their careers. I'm not sure what's weirder: seeing Wayne play old and silly or watching Hepburn play a gun-totin' western hero, but the chemistry is interesting. Stepping away from the harder edges of "True Grit," this delayed follow-up plays it safe with established genre elements, a broad villain, and picturesque locations. However, remaining at the core of all the comfort are two surprisingly engaged performances from Wayne and Hepburn, who put in a professional effort with pushover screenwriting, making their characters sincere and active in ways their age (both were 67 years old during the shoot) and veteran status wouldn't traditionally invite. As western escapism, "Rooster Cogburn" scratches the itch, providing a satisfying adventure with headstrong characters, making good use of the cast's abilities. Yet, as a feature that arrives after "True Grit," the film remains easy to digest, which might cause Wayne purists some discomfort as The Duke trades iron stares for light comedy in this approachable movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

One must tread carefully when discussing "Cannibal Holocaust." The notorious 1980 horror effort from director Ruggero Deodato has acquired quite a reputation throughout the years, subjected to censorship, legal proceedings, and derision, all the while amassing a cult following over the last three decades, nurtured by fans who choose to see the picture as a statement on humanity, refusing to indulge the feature's initial condemnation. It's brutal, senseless, and excessive — hardly a Saturday night Redbox rental to be viewed after a nice dinner and a bottle of wine. It's specific cinema for a knowledgeable audience, and indeed, underneath all the violence and grim happenings, there's fascinating work and thematic investigation to discover. "Cannibal Holocaust" is rough, but it's an interesting type of sensationalism from a (thankfully) bygone production era. It's not a film to be enjoyed, but it certainly offers a singular genre bite that's impressively gonzo. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Screamers" is an entertaining adventure/horror picture, but its behind-the-scenes saga is even better. Produced in 1979, the Italian release was titled "Island of the Fishmen," offering mild thrills for younger audiences craving a monster movie without the pressure of extreme violence and other R-rated pursuits. Roger Corman purchased the distribution rights for America, ordering director Miller Drake to spruce up the effort with extreme gore, playing more directly to drive-in customer appetites. Drake created an epilogue starring Cameron Mitchell as a sea captain who escorts a couple (played by Mel Ferrer and Eunice Bolt) to a forbidden island, aiding their search for treasure, only to be gobbled up by ghoulish mutant fishmen. When this cut of the film, now titled "Something Waits in the Dark" didn't go over well, Corman's crew (primarily Jim Wynorski) cooked up a trailer that emphasized a cinematic centerpiece featuring a human turned inside out. Of course, no such scene existed in the movie, but nobody comes between Roger Corman and a dollar, with the refreshed advertising pushing the newly retitled "Screamers" into profit, eventually incurring the wrath of angry ticket buyers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In an attempt to rile up religious forces, director Pete Walker fumbles the basics of suspense cinema in 1976's "House of Mortal Sin" (a.k.a. "The Confessional"). It's not that the picture is a disaster, far from it, but the helmer is clearly out to provoke with this story of sin and murder, turning a respected Catholic priest into a stone-cold killer. Walker is begging for publicity with this one, but the movie doesn't earn is rabble-rousing intent, moving forward as a thriller that features some inventive violence, strong performances, and a perfectly acceptable message on human nature, only to lose potency with painful overlength and a bizarre choice to identify the antagonist right away, thus abandoning any hope for a proper mystery. In the end, there are more pros than con with "House of Mortal Sin," but Walker feels constipated with this effort, unsure if he wants to court controversy or make a cracking chiller. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Cousin Jules" is a staunchly observational feature. It's the only credited work from writer/director Dominique Benicheti, who poured five years of his life into the making of the documentary, emerging from the thick of production in 1973 with a portrait of man and a woman and the farm they tend to on a daily basis. It's difficult to understand what Benicheti was hoping to achieve with "Cousin Jules," but his commitment to this epic display of rustic minutiae is something to behold, filmed in CinemaScope to bring out visual depth, even for the most mundane of tasks. And believe me, the tasks are mundane. It's a simple picture, but beautifully symbolic and endlessly fascinated with its subjects, looking to impart an appreciation for routine and its rhythmic elements, questing to manufacture screen poetry along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The concept of the meet cute takes a creepy turn in "Home Before Midnight." When we meet our lead characters, Ginny is hitchhiking down a quiet road, soon stopped by Mike, who's driving along in his car. He offers her a lift, she naturally hesitates, concerned with the prospect of riding with a single man. Mike, in his infinite wisdom, cracks a rape joke to lighten the mood. Ginny responds not with a crescent kick to the throat, but with a laugh, and quickly slips into the car. This is true love, folks, at least the 1979 British kind from director Pete Walker, who attempts to step away from his routine of terror films to make a sensitive drama about the trials and tribulations of romancing an underage girl. In a way, Walker remains in the horror genre, but instead of displaying blood and guts, "Home Before Midnight" traffics in lies and urges, asking the audience to judge these characters alongside the rest of their community. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There's no possible way to describe "Runaway Nightmare" to the average viewer. It's wild, weird bottom shelf production from writer/director Mike Cartel that seems like it was a struggle to finish. The 1982 feature appears to have an interest in comedy, action, and suspense, but no real clue how to achieve its goals, hampered by budget problems and a strange cinematic constipation from Cartel when it comes to the delivery of excitement or titillation. "Runaway Nightmare" is certainly intriguing as a surreal, Ed Wood-esque romp, but don't sit down with it expecting anything more than B-movie shenanigans. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's difficult to tell if "The Escape Artist" is meant to be a singular three-episode event or the pilot for a series to come. Either way, the program has its appeal, embarking on an extended arc of suspicion and revenge that teases stiff legal reasoning, only to give in to traditional thriller mechanics. It's a courtroom thriller with a side of respectable rage, and it mostly works, thanks to a superb lead performance from David Tennant, who holds "The Escape Artist" together when it occasionally rides off the rails, giving in to obvious performances and screwy plot turns. At the very least, it would be fun to see Tennant inhabit this character to solve a crime every year, with this introduction creating a credibly broken character whose fight for justice emerges from a rattled headspace, not an intellectual need to dominate the legal system. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Omar" carries the weight of the world on its shoulders, but it manages to extract sincerity and preserve cinematic intentions with startlingly ease. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards, the picture also has a little prestige to go along with its many creative accomplishments. Deserving of such accolades, "Omar" takes a troubling subject matter and turns it into an engrossing mystery and study of psychological warfare. Writer/director Hany Abu-Assad presents a clear vision for his exploration of Palestinian unrest, working to build strong characterizations while developing a larger depiction of violence and manipulation, working suspense beats to their fullest potential. Heartbreaking and spare, "Omar" doesn't provide easy answers as it builds its pressure cooker environment, putting primary attention on the personalities involved, allowing for a human perspective as it details acts of breathless survival and suffocating paranoia. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The "Nature" episode "Snow Monkeys" has an ace up its sleeve with the titular macaques. These creatures are adorable (at least when they're young) and immensely amusing to watch in action, immediately elevating the documentary's appeal. Thankfully, "Snow Monkeys" has a lot to offer the viewer, tracking the seasonal cycle for the primates as they battle life and death in the far reaches of Japan, with their adventures narrated by Liam Neeson — a rare flash of marquee value for a series that prides itself on scientific study. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The teaming of stars Kirk Douglas and John Wayne carries a surplus of masculinity. 1967's "The War Wagon" is their third and final pairing, after "In Harm's Way" and "Cast a Giant Shadow," and it's a film that perhaps extracts the purest expression of screen charisma from the actors, who contribute beefy appeal to a routine western that concerns a heist scenario. Everyone else just looks small in the feature, though the ensemble contribution is quite valuable to the picture, which has use for a range of reactions that shy away from the confidence Wayne and Douglas project. Directed by Burt Kennedy (who remained in the western genre for years to come, but also helmed "Suburban Commando"), "The War Wagon" has all the highlights a genre enthusiast could ask for: gunfights, a bar brawl, a runaway wagon, acts of nostril-flaring intimidation, and a bridge explosion. While dramatically the movie is missing a rich understanding of motivation, the surface delights of the effort are handled with care, allowing plenty of room to explore western traditions and allow the leading men an opportunity to trade barbs and suspicions as they attempt to out barrel-chest each other (spoiler: Douglas wins). Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Well, if you're a filmmaker and you're trying to rip-off Hitchcock, excessive amounts of nudity always helps. 1973's "Sugar Cookies" isn't the most memorable sexploitation shocker of its era, but a few of the names associated with its creation certainly raise eyebrows, with credits boasting the participation of Troma Entertainment founder Lloyd Kaufman (who co-scripts) and Oliver Stone, who's listed among the producers. Everyone has to make their start somewhere, and I can certainly understand the external appeal of "Sugar Cookies," with its elements of mystery, bare skin, and perversion. It's a strange picture, not entirely coherent despite the illusion of comprehensible sinister business, but it's entertaining in a B-movie way, offering a steady stream of threatening behavior and spastic seductions to help ease an awkward "Vertigo"-inspired plot into place. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1970's "Death Occurred Last Night" is a difficult film to gauge. Although it teases giallo interests with unsavory criminal behavior and police procedural highlights with some minor supercop beats, the feature doesn't rest any place in particular. It's not a thriller, but far from a drama, capturing an uneasy tone of discovery that drives interest in the story, along with nicely shaded characterization that elevates its emotional potential. Director Duccio Tessari manages to find a unique gravity to the endeavor, delivering on a kidnapping concept that heads into unexpected places, while the screenplay (adapted from a novel) provides at least an effort to avoid the norm when it comes to the cliches of nosy cops and overprotective fathers. "Death Occurred Last Night" is a grim picture, but always compelling with its mournful tone, broken up by flashes of exploitative habits that keep the movie approachable, even downright goofy at times, but the asides rarely break Tessari's concentration. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1970's "Eden and After" doesn't represent a change of creative direction for director Alain Robbe-Grillet, but it does bring a hearty dose of color to his style after his previous work bathed in the mystery of black and white. Perhaps the addition of bold hues encourages the primal side of the filmmaker, as "Eden and After" is more feral creation for the notoriously arcane helmer, indulging the wild side of youth as it explores psychological gamesmanship and unlocked desires. True to Robbe-Grillet's cinematic approach, it's cold to the touch, but for a low-wattage freak-out, "Eden and After" achieves its vague goals. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After the success of "Trans-Europe Express," director Alain Robbe-Grillet continued his exploration of the abstract with 1968's "The Man Who Lies," a fascinating but bloodless film interpretation exercise that's more academic than involving. Working with the concept of the untrustworthy narrator, Robbe-Grillet invents a puzzle of deception that only he can solve, or perhaps nobody can — either way, the helmer seems to be satisfied with the confusion he summons and the manipulation he maps out. The effort is impressively knotted and bizarre, but Robbe-Grillet treats emotional involvement like a case of the cooties, once again making viewing of his work an extended appreciation of cinematic form, not storytelling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com