Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

The grand successes of 1972’s “The Godfather” and 1974’s “The Godfather Part II” certainly had an influence over the film business, and producer Dino De Laurentiis wasn’t about the let such glory pass him by. 1978’s “King of the Gypsies” isn’t a sprawling story of family and crime (Dino isn’t about to pay for that), but it shares some of the domestic turmoil and community exploration with the Francis Ford Coppola classic, finding writer/director Frank Pierson (1976’s “A Star is Born”) tasked with bringing Peter Maas’s 1975 book to the big screen. The ties that bind remain as tight as ever in the picture, which surveys growing tensions between rival Romani clans and follows the itchiness of a young man who doesn’t want anything to do with it. It’s a messy adaptation with extreme forms of acting, but Pierson looks to celebrate culture and drama with the endeavor, finding periodic success with the madness of it all. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Before he was Mr. DC Universe and before he gave Marvel significant hits with the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, James Gunn was just a young man with a dream to make movies. And to help begin his journey into the industry, he went to Troma Entertainment for help, who were delighted to pay almost nothing for the services of a desperate writer. 1996’s “Tromeo and Juliet” is Gunn’s first produced endeavor, and he’s working hard to play into the Troma Way, serving up a “loose” Shakespeare adaptation that’s big on dead animals, farts, a close-up nipple piercing, screaming matches, a penis monster, and plenty of head trauma. Director Lloyd Kaufman has no interest in making a different kind of movie, once again recycling “Tromatic” attitude and shock value for “Tromeo and Juliet,” retaining his love for overlong scenes, amateur performances, and low-budget storytelling that favors the minimal in production polish. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1984’s “Twist and Shout” is often labeled as a sequel to 1983’s “Zappa.” Technically, this is true, as the story follows most of the same characters established in the original film, and co-writers Bille August (who also directs) and Bjarne Reuter (who adapts his novel) return to maintain exploratory momentum, catching up with the kids as they turn into adults, mostly against their will. Familiar faces are present, but “Twist and Shout” doesn’t feel organically connected to “Zappa,” as the production heads in a slightly more melodramatic direction for the follow-up, while characterizations feel alien this time around, often watching the personalities make the strangest choices in an offering that’s ultimately unsuccessful when it comes to probing the needs of the young adult heart. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Before director Bille August when big with international successes such as 1987’s “Pelle the Conqueror,” and eventually went Hollywood with 1993’s “The House of the Spirits,” 1997’s “Smilla’s Sense of Snow,” and 1998’s “Les Misérables,” he was invested in making pictures about the ways of adolescence. An adaptation of a Bjarne Reuter novel, “Zappa” examines a troubling year for three students engaged in various criminal activities while navigating their different home lives. It’s not a gentle sit, as darkness is present throughout the endeavor, putting August and Reuter to work on a screenplay that makes sense of personal lives and social demands, also investigating the trials of pubescent interests and difficult relationships. “Zappa” isn’t hysterical work, staying introspective and a bit menacing at times as it surveys volatile emotions, successfully depicting the confusion of a strange time when childhood transforms into adulthood. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1973’s “The Exorcist” was a greatly influential film, inspiring producers to try to repeat its success, especially in the realm of low-budget cinema. 1977’s “Ruby” doesn’t seem like an obvious knockoff at first, initially spending time as a mild tale of menace involving the vengeful spirit of a slain gangster and his fixation on the drunken gun moll who betrayed him, but the feature eventually reaches a point of demonic possession. Director Curtis Harrington doesn’t seem particularly interested in defining anything about the movie, while the screenplay (by George Edwards, Steve Krantz, and Barry Schneider) has its own identity crisis to work through, trying to pull together various subplots and characters into a single cohesive film. “Ruby” is messy and, at times, unforgivably dull, with Harrington putting a lot of faith into his cast to carry the viewing experience when it could use a lot more fury when it comes to genre elements. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Adult film actress Jennifer Welles amassed a significant fan base during her stint in the industry, and she was looking for a way to go out on top. 1977’s “Inside Jennifer Welles” is the performer’s swan song, committing herself to an “autobiographical” tale of experiences collected during her years in New York City, recreating random encounters that helped to bring a certain thrill to her life. Welles is listed as the director as well (an uncredited Joseph W. Sarno called the shots), helping to sell the feature as a personal diary of sorts, complete with narration from Welles that reaches Penthouse Letter-like cartoon intimacy. “Inside Jennifer Welles” isn’t big on story, but it retains plenty of carnal events that keep the star front and center, maintaining some sense of humor while delivering all the heat Welles is known for. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Before he was the mastermind of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” before he scored a major hit with “Scream,” before he tried to do something different for a change in “Music of the Heart,” Wes Craven was…well, just trying to find a gig. 1975’s “The Fireworks Woman” is an adult movie from the helmer, who pivoted to the ways of obsession after disturbing viewers (and even himself) with 1972’s “The Last House on the Left.” While newly tasked to deliver a more sexual viewing experience, Craven’s interests in dark tales and disturbed people remain in play in “The Fireworks Woman,” which hopes to offer a bit of titillation as carnal events are created. However, the picture is more invested in alarming the raincoat crowd with its surreal understanding of submission and punishment, testing patience with its crude filmmaking and general ickiness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s important to take Guillermo del Toro’s executive producer credit seriously, as “Mama” bears all the signs of his previous work. It’s a ghost tale with an almost storybook atmosphere, despite its search for forbidding areas of confrontation between the unaware and the undead. It’s spooky and weird enough to work, with a knockout resolution that maintains the story’s integrity — the cinematic equivalent of finding a four-leaf clover, especially in horror entertainment. Sure, flaws are readily apparent and length is an issue, but “Mama” is after an atmosphere of spookiness, trusting in the art of unease. It’s skillfully made and manages to provide the willies with only a few cheap shocks, making the movie something of an anomaly in a genre that routinely amplifies its scares and pulls its punches. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Joe Bob Briggs is a respected writer and media personality, best known for his work on cable television, developing a cult following during his stint as the host of “Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater” (which ran for a decade). Briggs is a genre admirer with an encyclopedic brain for all things horror, walking viewers through the oddities of the films he covers, making sure his audience walks away with a new appreciation for the pictures featured on the show. This commitment continued to TNT’s “MonsterVision,” which ran for four years, returning Briggs to his natural place of authority when it comes to fright films. When that gig eventually ended, Briggs was away from the small screen for quite some time, eventually called back into service for streaming service Shudder, reemerging with “The Last Drive-In” in 2018. The show was initially an experiment, with executives putting a little Joe Bob out there to see if people were still interested. And they were, inspiring a return to duty for Briggs, joined by his co-host, Darcy, the Mail Girl (Diana Prince), launching a fresh wave of hosting achievements, interviews, and general monologuing, often about the strangest topics. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/directors Cazzie David and Elisa Kalani look to explore the struggles of the Gen Z dating experience with “I Love You Forever,” which is a darker take on romantic comedy happenings. The pair hope to pull off a bit of a switcheroo, initially tempting viewers with the usual in sassy dialogue and quirky characters before gradually reducing lightheartedness as elements of abuse and obsession take over the viewing experience. David and Kalani aren’t polished filmmakers (they make their feature-length helming debut here), and there’s an overall clunkiness to the picture that’s difficult to ignore. However, they aim to explore a certain reality facing many young people dealing with the world of toxic relationships and dating woes, trying to reach the target demographic with a more honest understanding of the dangers out there. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Drug-O-Rama Video Party” is an offering from the American Genre Film Archive, who seek to preserve the work of Something Weird Video and the company’s quest to find and preserve the strangest offerings of cinema around. For this release, the focus is on “drug-and-sex-crazed” releases from the 1960s, when counterculture pursuits began to take national attention, bringing fear and disgust to the establishment. Included here are “The Hard Road,” “Alice in Acidland,” “Help Wanted Female,” and “Hedonistic Pleasures,” and while the title of the collection emphasizes mind-bending chemical adventures, focus actually favors carnal experiences, finding sexploitation dominating the viewing experience, which isn’t nearly as bizarre as tales of addiction and dangerous experimentation, viewed through a conservative lens. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Troma Entertainment doing a Shakespeare adaptation? Again? Well, not really, but screenwriter Brandon Bassham is trying to do something with The Bard in “Shakespeare’s Shitstorm,” which uses “The Tempest” as inspiration for…well, that thing Troma always does. Director Lloyd Kaufman hopes to conjure absolute madness for the endeavor, which combines a light appreciation for iambic pentameter and floods of fecal matter for this examination of revenge. Perhaps there’s an audience for “Shakespeare’s Shitstorm,” but that doesn’t make the feature magically appealing, watching Kaufman try to merge his tired sense of humor with feeble commentary on the state of the social justice world in 2018. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Martial arts activity hits the streets of Manila in 1975’s “The Black Panther of Shaolin” (also known as “Bamboo Trap,” which is the title on the print). The Philippines-based production is directed by Ernesto Ventura, who seeks to compete with all the action films of the era, mounting his own take on heroes and villains in the feature, looking to cash in on the frenzy for martial arts movies after the rise of Bruce Lee. “The Black Panther of Shaolin” intends to be a kidnapping drama of some sort, but Ventura isn’t that committed to storytelling, launching a somewhat baffling tale of escalation between the bad guys and the men hired to save the day, also working in a couple of cultural ceremonies, big turns of character, and oddball editing to bring the picture to life. It’s not a terribly exciting movie, and incoherence is a major issue, but as an offering of violence from the Philippines, the endeavor has select moments of excitement. Just not enough of them. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1974’s “The Black Six” certainly appears to be a movie set up for great success. It has a heck of a casting hook, bringing in six NFL players to populate a Blaxploitation picture, giving the endeavor interesting marquee value, just not thespian might. It’s a biker movie concerning the exploits of black Vietnam vets trying to distance themselves from their pasts, running into trouble in rural California, or “cracker country,” when a death goes without investigation, putting the gang on the hunt for the killer. It’s a low-budget endeavor, but one with great potential, using the football stars to offer an unusual level of screen intimidation and camaraderie, and for about 15 minutes, it works. It’s the rest of “The Black Six” that carries tremendous disappointment, watching director Matt Cimber and screenwriter George Theakos fumble (heh) the basics of investigation and revenge, going as slow as humanly possible with material that’s bizarrely uneventful. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Manny Coto, best know as the director of 1992’s “Dr. Giggles,” makes his helming debut with 1989’s “Playroom” (a.k.a. “Schizo”), establishing his love of horror with a story about a man confronting his past while reuniting with his insanity during an archaeological expedition in Yugoslavia. Coto and screenwriter Keaton Jones (the once and future Kelly Leak, Jackie Earle Haley, takes a story credit) arrange a small-scale inspection of an unraveling, keeping their budget low with a semi-slasher that struggles with psychological elements and basic suspense needs. While it has a cast who appear committed to the cause, “Playroom” just isn’t very thrilling, eventually settling on a few creative choices that border on the bewildering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Screenwriter Justic Piasecki makes his feature-length debut with “Relay,” and he offers a very interesting idea about a relationship the develops between two people involved in a whistleblower event gone horribly wrong. It’s a fascinating story that blends procedural action with deep characterization, at times recalling some of the better paranoia thrillers of the 1970s. Director David Mackenzie (who hit a career high with 2016’s “Hell or High Water,” only to come back down to Earth in 2018’s mediocre “Outlaw King”) is tasked with maintaining steady pressure on the audience, creating unusual tension from scenes of communication and surveillance. For the first two acts, “Relay” is excellent, hitting a few logic gaps while generating an impressive amount of suspense, promising a great conclusion to come. A satisfying ending doesn’t arrive, but Mackenzie and Piasecki get most of the way there, handling the nail-biting needs of the tale and its unique study of planning and pursuit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The writer of “Stakeout” (and, well, “Another Stakeout”), Jim Kouf, tries his luck with a twisty tale of crime and paranoia in 1997’s “Gang Related.” Primarily known as the last film rapper Tupac Shakur worked on before his death, the picture tries to fit in as many tributes to the co-star as possible, even using his music on the soundtrack. However, Shakur is arguably the least compelling element in this examination of police corruption, with James Belushi enjoying the meatier part as things go from bad to worse for his character. “Gang Related” has a little trouble with its resolution, but overall escalation is terrific in this darkly comedic thriller, with Kouf clearly having fun arranging difficulties and inventing mistakes for his characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Strange Affair” is an adaptation of a novel by Bernard Toms, and it certainly plays out like paging through a book. The picture explores corruption in many forms, and it follows a large community of characters in the process, with the screenplay trying to braid multiple subplots into a single understanding of ruination. The 1968 feature is a little wobbly as it attempts to juggle motivations and mistakes, but director David Greene (“Godspell,” “I Start Counting”) maintains a steely view of bizarre developments in the tale, and he has an incredible cast to help bring such oddity to life, selling the emotional moods of the endeavor. “The Strange Affair” remains a compelling sit as it details crooked behavior and bad decisions, managing to maintain focus on the basics of desperation as it works its way to an ice cold conclusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Life of Chuck” is based on a Stephen King novella from 2020, and we’ve been here before. Works from the iconic author, especially shorter ones, have inspired a few of the finest King adaptations around, including 1994’s “The Shawshank Redemption” and 1986’s “Stand by Me.” That same level of cinematic magic isn’t quite present in the new picture, but writer/director Mike Flanagan (a King Country vet with work on “Gerald’s Game” and “Doctor Sleep”) remains ambitious with the effort, out to scramble minds and soothe souls with the movie, which looks to fold time and space in an attempt to address the human condition. “The Life of Chuck” is all over the place, and Flanagan’s lyrical approach to the endeavor might feel like itching powder to some viewers. It’s a deeply flawed offering of mystery, but the helmer fully commits to the strangeness of it all, which is impressive, clearly out to deliver an inscrutable feature that’s meant to connect in a heartfelt manner. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writer/director Victor Danell is part of a filmmaking collective known as “Crazy Pictures.” “Watch the Skies” is their second feature (after 2018’s “The Unthinkable”), with Danell (and co-writer Jimmy Nivren Olsson) attempting to launch an alien conspiracy thriller for a family audience, going a bit softer with the material’s depiction of paranoia and pursuit. Released in Sweden three years ago, “Watch the Skies” attempts to crack the North American market with its presentation of emotional wounds and physical endangerment, using a special A.I. program to help match lips to the English dub, hoping to attract more than the usual specialty cinema crowd. It’s a lively endeavor, and one that benefits greatly from its engaged acting, which lifts an occasionally familiar screenplay that’s often trying to replicate the Spielberg Experience without a truly inspired story. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com