Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

Spalding Gray wanted to be an actor. Jobs weren’t exactly plentiful, but he received an opportunity to be part of a prestige movie when he scored a small part in 1984’s “The Killing Fields,” a picture that detailed the grim experience of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the 1970s. The feature would go on to become a minor hit at the box office and win several awards at the 1985 Oscars. However, to Gray, it was a job, and one that took him across the world to Thailand for filming, placing the New Yorker in the middle of an alien environment that carried heavenly qualities, especially for those interested in hedonistic pursuits. Using the experience to fuel a stage event, Gray turned his time on “The Killing Fields” into a monologue, using “Swimming to Cambodia” to dramatically share pieces of his life and the depths of his brain, sold in a furious, colorful manner by director Jonathan Demme as stories and reflections pour out of the monologist for 80 minutes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The vastness of political conflict and terror is handed an intimate treatment in 2023’s “Lost Country.” Co-writer/director Vladimir Perisic returns viewers to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1996, examining the woes of the region during the government rule of Slobodan Milosevic and a key election that inspired the formation of revolution. Perisic doesn’t show much interest in the fine details of the unfolding situation, instead using such tension to power a study of a mother and her son, examining the pair as their once tight relationship is challenged by the reality of the world around them. “Lost Country” is committed to silent moments of reflection and visual communication, giving the feature an interesting presence as it burns quietly. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writers L.M. Kit Carson and Jim McBride (who also directs) endeavor to transform the ways of Jean-Luc Godard’s classic, “Breathless,” pulling it out of 1960 and into the 1980s with a rascally rock and roll spirit. The screenplay is after heat and impulsiveness, turning to the star of the year, Richard Gere (fresh off hits “American Gigolo” and “An Officer and a Gentleman”), to provide a nuclear-powered performance that captures pure recklessness and limited intellect, following the low impulse control of the main character as he seeks love and excitement. Gere is certainly invested in the part, presenting a wild take on sexiness that’s completely out of his range, but he commits, joining co-star Valerie Kaprisky on a screen adventure meant to drip with lust, danger, and fiery emotional entanglements. The concept of the updated “Breathless” is understood, but McBride’s execution is up for debate, mixing the rising threat of the story with two incredibly underwhelming performances that fail to support the electricity the helmer is attempting to conjure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Last summer, Osgood Perkins scored a surprise box office hit with “Longlegs.” The horror picture wasn’t much different from everything else he’s created, but marketplace magic was certainly on Perkins’s side, enticing people to spend time in a deadly serious world of mystery and evil. A year later, the writer/director is back with “The Monkey,” which is also a tale of mystery and evil, this time sourced from a short story by Stephen King. The iconic genre author required just under forty pages to deliver a strange journey into a cursed life, but Osgood isn’t fully committed to moodiness. Instead, the movie is a presentation of shock value that loses effectiveness the longer it lasts, as Perkins can’t extend King’s ideas for a feature-length offering. He goes spotty with a limp sense of dark humor and gory events, keeping “The Monkey” more about grisly visuals than an engrossing study of dread. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1985’s “St. Elmo’s Fire” is a divisive picture, but it does have a place in film history. It’s commonly regarded as the birth of the “Brat Pack” era, when young stars were taking over Hollywood, using their style and beauty to help mix personal and professional interests, which some viewed as too aggressive. It’s also the first major commercial and cultural hit for co-writer/director Joel Schumacher, who grew as a visual storyteller throughout the rest of the 1980s (including “The Lost Boys,” “Cousins,” and “Flatliners”). However, there are the characters in the feature that cause intense debate, as the script submits seven post-college people newly dealing with the demands of adulthood without a fully developed sense of maturity. It’s a tough sell for some, and while “St. Elmo’s Fire” makes curious creative choices, the offering actually manages to connect ideas concerning stunted emotional growth, fading friendships, and the troubling demands of life without a perceived safety net. That’s not to suggest it’s an intellectual exercise, but there’s more to the endeavor than the soap opera Schumacher occasionally wants to make. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Beverly Hills Cop” opened in theaters on December 7th, 1984. It topped the box office charts that weekend, and remained the number one movie in America for the next 12 weeks. After his previous triumphs in buddy comedies “48 Hrs.” and “Trading Places,” Eddie Murphy was suddenly the new king of Hollywood, handed a golden opportunity to do whatever he wanted. There was talk of a Murphy-assisted “Star Trek IV,” but the actor rested for a moment, building anticipation for his next move. And that career-defining choice was 1986’s “The Golden Child,” putting the young thespian in his own all-ages, PG-13 special effects vehicle, tasking him to carry a dark study of magic and demonic influence with his traditional fast-talking ways. Coming from “Cop,” “The Golden Child” is an extreme disappointment, watching Murphy visibly give up on the production as director Michael Ritchie (way outside of his comfort zone) tries to compete in a Spielberg/Lucas industry with a halfhearted, shockingly unfunny effort that battles to balance many tones as it slows to a crawl. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While enjoying a few career highlights in the 1980s (including 1983’s “Flashdance” and 1985’s “Jagged Edge”), screenwriter Joe Eszterhas enjoyed a very lucrative 1990s. 1992’s “Basic Instinct” transformed him into a major Hollywood entity, and all the studios wanted a piece of the action, paying millions to get their hands on his latest endeavors. 1995’s “Jade” is part of this gold rush, representing a portion of the mania that surrounded Eszterhas and also his downfall, as the box office failure of 1993’s “Sliver” and the bombing of 1995’s “Showgirls” helped to extinguish his once red- hot career. “Jade” is pretty much the final offering of indulgence when dealing with Eszterhas, who creates an erotic thriller that’s heavy on mystery and grim when it comes to sex. Director William Friedkin (no stranger to professional woes) steps in to make sense of the writing’s darkness, out to create his own version of an opera with the work, which enjoys wild swings of behavior and villainous reveals. The film is at least somewhat functional for its first two acts, watching Friedkin manage Eszterhas’s greasy imagination and clunky dialogue, pushing his actors to go bigger in an effort to merge behavioral broadness with sexual violence. The bizarre mix of detective activity and obsession doesn’t carry throughout the movie, but there’s enough here to embrace for those who enjoy lurid cinema. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1998’s “Dirty Work” was intended to bring the strange comedy of Norm Macdonald to the masses. The production followed the Adam Sandler path of dumb guy entertainment, sticking Macdonald’s subtle ways with a punchline into a vibrantly colored, happily crude endeavor, trusting viewers would accept the “Saturday Night Live” performer’s idiosyncratic ways. They didn’t (the film grossed less than “Air Bud: Golden Receiver”), but that didn’t stop the picture, which went on to achieve cult fandom through home video rentals and cable airings, giving the feature a second life. Looking to build on this reputation, Vinegar Syndrome attempts to deliver the goods for “Dirty Work,” giving the theatrical cut a fresh UHD scan, also going out of their way to restore a “Dirtier Cut” of the offering, which represents director Bob Saget’s original R-rated intent. There’s also an Assembly Cut for superfans, delivering a much longer version of the effort in workprint form. What a time to be alive. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“I Used to Be Funny” highlights the world of stand-up comedy, but doesn’t explore the dedication and attitude of the vocation. Instead, writer/director Ally Pankiw is more interested in making a mystery about a young woman’s emotional state, offering viewers a nonlinear journey into memory and reality as she endures all kinds of trauma over the course of two years. The material features jokes but doesn’t pursue laughs, working with the business to provide an askew characterization, getting into the folds of a person who’s used to weaponizing humor as she deals with events that are anything but funny. Pankiw maintains personality and performance in the endeavor, which always comes together when focusing on human moments between characters. “I Used to Be Funny” stumbles from time to time, but it’s a sincere study of depression and concern, giving star Rachel Sennott some room to explore her dramatic side as she blends her natural sardonic screen presence with something more human, delivering an interesting performance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1978’s “Rings of Fear” (a.k.a. “Red Rings of Fear”) is a movie that, in fact, doesn’t contain any rings of fear. It’s a giallo that’s trying to gets something lurid and exciting going with its study of murder and police investigation, giving six(!) screenwriters a shot at creating scenes of suspense as vicious things happen to semi-innocent people. The material doesn’t deliver excitement, mostly inspiring confusion as the details of the story fail to come together, and characterization is largely left up in the air. Director Alberto Negrin attempts to put some effort into style and intensity, but it’s a losing battle with this writing, which offers no stability when it comes to storytelling and mystery, almost resembling a picture that was made up as it was being shot. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1975’s “Reflections in Black” has a black-gloved killer on the loose, favoring a straight razor to dispatch victims. Desperate from some type of twist to help distinguish the title, director Tano Cimarosa and his screenwriters also dress the lunatic in black stockings to help add another layer of intimidation and visual storytelling to the picture. And that’s it for invention in the movie, which quickly falls into the routine of law enforcement interviewing suspects while a ghoul periodically takes innocent lives. “Reflections in Black” isn’t inspired work, and it’s a pretty flimsy thriller, becoming more of a community picnic as a plethora of characters compete for screen time. Cimarosa doesn’t aim for thrills here, barely showing enough energy to build a decent mystery as the whole thing becomes bogged down in dialogue exchanges shared by uninteresting people. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“A.A.A. Masseuse, Good-Looking, Offers Her Services.” Now that’s a title. The 1972 feature doesn’t exactly live up to such a strange name, but director Demofilo Fidani has a beginning, middle, and end with the endeavor, which immediately puts the movie ahead of most in the giallo subgenre, though the murder mystery elements in the offering are fairly thin. The production is more interested in erotic encounters, emerging as a softcore understanding of the world of prostitution, blended with a few guilt trips as parental concern enters the story. There’s a killer on the loose, a shadowy one wearing yellow gloves for a change, but “A.A.A. Masseuse, Good-Looking, Offers Her Services” isn’t truly a chiller, preferring to stick with the details of the sex business as titillation, not terror, is prioritized by Fidani. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s somewhat amazing that author Clive Barker, one of the most popular horror writers of his era, only directed three films. He gifted the world “Hellraiser,” able to turn a tiny budget into an iconic genre endeavor that developed a genuine Movie Maniac while launching a brand name that, amazingly, continues to this day. The 1987 offering was eventually followed by 1990’s “Nightbreed,” which has grown into a fascinating study of fantasy and horror, but also editing decisions, as various cuts of the effort help to strengthen the power of Barker’s vision. And there’s 1995’s “Lord of Illusions,” which attempted to deliver the helmer’s love of intensity to a mass audience. The feature was largely ignored when it was released, and it’s easy to understand why. Barker is ambitious with this tale of violent magic and noir-ish adventuring, but he’s not skilled in the art of storytelling this time, preferring to transform the bizarreness of the material (an adaptation of 1985 short story) into a leaden viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There’s always entertainment value when watching educational films from a long time ago. These are clips from different eras of training and, quite often, promotion, and most of these offerings are created to capture viewer attention, using whatever means possible to do so. “The Scare Films Archives 2: Danger Stories” collects thirteen educational shorts for examination, highlighting a few of the weirdest and most shameless when it comes to instructing people on all the safety decisions they might encounter during an average day. There’s horror in the mistakes made around heavy machines in 1980’s “Shake Hands with Danger,” and performance oddity in “Mr. Flame.” The petroleum industry gives themselves a firm pat on the back in 1954’s “Farm Petroleum Safety,” and the surreal is encountered during a talking vehicle strike in “The Day the Bicycles Disappeared.” “The Scare Films Archives 2: Danger Stories” supplies a nice range of offerings, mixing up the absurd and the sincere, delivering an engaging tour of American (and British) health and professional training. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Naomi Watts and a Great Dane figuring out their life together in the middle of New York City. It’s the stuff of comedy, but “The Friend” is primarily interested in the inner workings of people and animals trying to get through a difficult time together. It’s a companionship story from filmmaking partners Scott McGehee and David Siegel, who adapt a 2018 book by author Sigrid Nunez, challenged to preserve the novel’s intimate ways with animal care and mental health. “The Friend” isn’t too hard on the senses, maintaining a cozy mood of mild shenanigans involving a large pooch and the puzzle of its behavior. And there’s room for human concerns, as the main character experiences an unexpectedly therapeutic journey with a most unlikely partner. The helmers don’t push down too hard on viewers, and they respect the emotional odyssey of the source material, keeping the picture charming and sincere, also sustaining its appeal for dog lovers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Wedding Banquet” was originally a film from 1993. While the picture was a minor art-house hit, it’s mostly known today as a breakout release for director Ang Lee, who used such success to help build an unusual and occasionally successful helming career. A remake arrives from co-writer/director Andrew Ahn, who achieved some notice for 2022’s streaming comedy, “Fire Island,” and continues his interest in comedic situations and deeply personal feelings. Ahn teams up with original co-writer James Schamus for the reworking, aiming for a more updating take on challenges to life and love. However, heart remains a top priority for the production, and while touches of melodrama aren’t entirely avoided, Ahn handles character concerns with grace, and he’s overseeing an excellent cast who skillfully work with the material’s blend of bigness and intimacy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Satanic Panic was all the rage in the 1980s, putting tabloid television and a multitude of grifters to the test as they worked to exploit the fears of suburbanites trying to make sense of their media-manipulated world. “Satan Wants You” is a documentary exploring ground zero of the phenomenon, highlighting the success of the 1980 book, “Michelle Remembers,” the literary weapon that inspired a whole decade of panic and exploitation. Directors Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor want in on the rush of terror, out to craft an unsettling understanding of a calculated manipulation that snowballed into a national nightmare. “Satan Wants You” tries to be overly dramatic to support the mood of the subject matter, but it occasionally veers into ridiculousness, which doesn’t help the semi-interesting tale of deception that’s presented here. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2018’s “Heavy Trip” was a big surprise. The Scandinavian comedy examined the panicked ways of a black metal band trying to fake it until they make it, hoping to share their “symphonic, post-apocalyptic, reindeer-grinding, Christ-abusing, extreme war pagan, Fennoscandian metal” sound with the world, only to find all kinds of goofy roadblocks to exposure. Co-writers/directors Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren certainly know their stuff when it comes to the strange world of this music genre, and they understand the value of silliness, making one of the best pictures of its release year. Some time has passed, but the men of Impaled Rektum are back in “Heavier Trip,” and the helmers endeavor to sustain the same speed of humor and music in the sequel. It’s a mostly successful effort from Laatio and Vidgren, who set up another wild journey for the characters, landing sizable laughs and knowing references for the follow-up adventure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Reprising his most famous role, John Holmes returns to screens as Johnny Wadd, a private detective dedicated to helping his clients and he also enjoys sleeping with them. 1976’s “Tapestry of Passion” is a strange title for what becomes a movie about serial killing, occult practices, and sadomasochism, and there’s almost no passion in the picture. However, there are villains and women with money looking for help, putting the main character on the prowl for answers around San Francisco. Holmes isn’t exactly a charmer, but he remains the focal point for the endeavor, with co- writer/director Alan Colberg trying to assemble a somewhat dark take on adult cinema, adding elements of danger and threat that don’t exactly mix well with more heated encounters. Entertainment remains with the oddness of the story and a few confrontations, but “Tapestry of Passion” isn’t particularly successful with suspense and erotic intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1976’s “All Night Long” is a tale about a competition. There are no feats of strength or speed, as endurance is the goal presented here, exploring an eventful evening for two men looking to achieve a special award for most pleasure shared in a matter of hours. It’s a simple concept from co- writer/director Alan Colberg, but it mostly connects in the feature, which intends to provide bits of silliness to go along with the usual in adult entertainment. Perhaps suspense isn’t really the point of “All Night Long,” but a certain level of energy is presented throughout the viewing experience, following the developments of a particularly hurried night of carnal delights and the rowdiness of the group assembled to watch them vie for a special title bestowed to only one man per year. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com