Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

1997's "A Gun for Jennifer" is a study of vigilantism sold with coarseness from co-writers Deborah Twiss and Todd Morris (who also directs). It's an exploitation film made during an era when such experiences were largely regulated to ultra low-budget features, endeavoring to return some roughness to the screen with its study of a female gang declaring war on predatory and violent men, with New York City the battle zone. "A Gun for Jennifer" attempts to lay in some plot to make the viewing experience a little more substantial, and it gets somewhere with an opening half dedicated to pace and vicious encounters. Twiss and Morris eventually lose concentration on storytelling basics, forcing the picture to crawl to a finale, but some raw energy remains in the movie, which definitely provides a snapshot of the city and its threatening atmosphere. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/co-director Norman Thaddeus Vane has the general idea for a vampire movie with 1982's "The Black Room." Instead of creating creatures of the night, the writer turns these monsters into landlords who prey on the undersexed needs of their tenants, taking their dignity and their blood in the process. "The Black Room" isn't particularly sharp, but it has a germ of an idea that could be developed into something uniquely sinister. Vane and co- director Elly Kenner don't have the budget or the patience to create a compellingly bleak look at the breakdown of marital communication, going with a film that's lost somewhere between its desire to be an erotic thriller of some sort and its need to conjure frights for paying audiences. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The future is female in 1984's "Sexmission." It's a Polish production from writer/director Juliusz Machulski, who looks for a way to examine gender roles and power plays while trying to remain slightly cheeky with the endeavor. The helmer delivers a periodically clever understanding of relationships and genre additions, out to craft a B-movie with a brain as the material pokes at the Polish experience in the 1980s and takes on the evergreen tension between males and females, depicted here in all forms of extremity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Co-writers Max Borenstein and Robert Rodriguez (who also directs) hope to tap into the joys of pulp sci-fi novels with "Hypnotic," which is their version of a Philip K. Dick story, mixed with elements of "Scanners," "The Matrix," and Christopher Nolan productions. It's a noir-ish take on mind-bending happenings, and it initially appears to play directly to Rodriguez's strengths of slightly silly but kinetic entertainment, giving audiences a ride into a specialized unreality with a detective on the hunt for his missing daughter, discovering a hidden world of mind control. What's actually presented here is far more sedate, as the writing pays closer attention to the mystery it's trying to piece together than the thrills and spills it should provide. "Hypnotic" is strangely inert in many ways, occasionally showing signs of life when the movie locks into thriller mode, but these moments are sadly few and far between. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There's a full-length documentary on the release of 2008's "Tenacious D: The Complete Master Works 2" that's essential viewing. It examines the period of fame for the musical duo, with Jack Black and Kyle Gass struggling to deal with an imbalance in media attention, especially as the build up to the release of 2006's "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny" starts to form. Especially illuminating is the excitement surrounding the movie, with cameras at the premiere, catching New Line Cinema execs sharing their joy with the picture's earning potential, laying the groundwork for a potential sequel. And then "The Pick of Destiny" was unleashed on America…and nobody came. It's one of the great box office mysteries of the decade, with the cult popularity of the group unable to cross over to mainstream success, turning the feature into secret handshake cinema. The film itself didn't deserve such a cruel fate, with director Liam Lynch masterminding a wild ride of music and comedic mayhem for Tenacious D, finding the joyful silliness of the band while celebrating their exceptional musical power. It's such a fun endeavor, triumphantly selling Black and Gass's wonderful way with stupidity and rock authority. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There's some level of bravery to "The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock," with the 1962 production trying to explore the ways of necrophilia without triggering utter disgust from viewers and censors of the day. Director Riccardo Freda doesn't shy away from the central display of inhuman lust, but he's not making an offering of underground cinema here, going gothic with the endeavor, which is more of an atmospheric viewing experience than a suspenseful one. "The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock" moves slowly, absurdly so at times, but there's style to keep the audience interested in the weird cravings of a doctor and his specific carnal appetites, preferring his partners to be lifeless. There's some eeriness to the feature, and perversion, helping to support the movie when it shows a general reluctance to march ahead as a wild display of madness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2016, director William Oldroyd made a strong impression with "Lady Macbeth," transforming a Russian novella into a riveting sit, and one that offered an amazing lead turn from Florence Pugh, helping to launch her visibility. After a seven-year break, Oldroyd is back with "Eileen," which presents another adaptation challenge, bringing Ottessa Moshfegh's 2015 book to the screen, with the author co-scripting with Luke Goebel. The filmmakers have quite a story to share with viewers, cutting into the fantasies and brutal realities of the eponymous character – a young woman facing a stagnant life of casual abuse, with her essence enlivened by the arrival of a psychologist looking for friendship, or maybe something more. "Eileen" takes its time to set mood and deal with the ways of the complex characters, and Oldroyd delivers compelling atmosphere to support the journey, also handling potent performances from stars Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1977's "Gay USA" is a documentary that initially presents itself as a study of Pride Parade activity across the country, with cameras visiting celebrations in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Diego. However, director Arthur J. Bressan Jr. ("Buddies") has much more in mind for the picture, which seeks to appreciate the state of the LGBTQIA+ community during this moment in time, sending interviewers into the crowds to better understand personal stories and deep feelings. "Gay USA" is a remarkable document of a time and place, with a heartfelt approach to reinforcing the solidarity of Pride Parades and what they mean to individuals used to living in a state of fear and confusion brought on by community violence, hateful organizations, and power-hungry leaders. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In many ways, Steven Spielberg dominated the entertainment industry in the 1980s. He made blockbusters that delighted all audiences, and even scored a global sensation with the release of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," scoring huge box office and launching a wave of similar productions, with other producers trying to capture the hearts and minds of kid audiences flocking to multiplexes. 1985's "D.A.R.Y.L." isn't a Spielberg endeavor, but it's certainly taking advantage of the mogul's moviemaking triumphs, presenting a tale of a young robotic boy and his quest to live a regular life with his adoptive family and mischievous best friend. Director Simon Wincer ("Free Willy," "Quigley Down Under") hopes to blend danger and heartwarming relationships with the effort, which is pushed along by entertaining reveals in its first hour, getting to understand the child's computer abilities and his interactions with human caretakers. "D.A.R.Y.L." stumbles some in its last act, which turns the feature into a more action-packed offering, but the gentleness of the picture supports an enjoyable viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After finding his way through the turns of fetish and fixation in 1996's "Crash," David Cronenberg doesn't stray far from the flesh with his follow-up, 1999's "eXistenZ." For this round of specialized horror, the writer/director explores the ways of virtual reality video games, sending viewers into a strange world of fleshy game systems and twitchy players capable of physically plugging into adventures that threaten to corrupt humanity. Cronenberg remains close to his filmmaking interests in "eXistenZ," but he's confident with this odyssey into unreality, delivering a unique take on the immersion of gaming and the dangers of such submission. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1981's "Southern Comfort" was marketed as a viewing experience similar to 1972's "Deliverance," once again pitting masculine men of adventure against rural folk who don't take kindly to strangers. In the hands of co-writer/director Walter Hill, the picture sticks with genre trappings but also pays close attention to character, following National Guard soldiers as they create a violent mess in the Louisiana swamps they soon can't escape from. It's a small-scale horror movie in many ways, playing like a semi-slasher without pronounced suspense, as Hill keeps the feature low-key and irritable, enjoying the slow march into frustration as the characters evolve from men on a mission to strangers desperate for survival. Games of power and command are played, and this is not a film that gallops from moment to moment. It's a slow-burn experience, which doesn't always work for the endeavor, but Hill concentrates on relationships and attitudes, finding some interesting acts of hostility, madness, and anger to work with as he explores the dynamics of the Vietnam War in the swampland of America. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the great slasher cinema race of the 1980s, the marketplace was filled with strange characters and bizarre weapons. 1984's "Fatal Games" looks to join the fun by taking its version of absolute terror to a school for athletes, where a masked killer is trying to pick off the students with a javelin. It's a pretty cumbersome weapon, but the javelin is part of the ride of "Fatal Games," which is as routine as it gets when it comes to cooking up horror happenings, but there's a certain oddness to the picture that keeps it mildly interesting. It's not a shining example of the subgenre, but the effort wins when it tries to sell absolute silliness with a straight face. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Summer camp cinema received a boost of popularity with the success of 1979's "Meatballs," which provided an inspired round of campground shenanigans and undersexed characters, supported by the star appeal of Bill Murray. 1980's "Little Darlings" initially seems as though it's headed in the same creative direction, once again returning to the great outdoors with teen players only interested in the mysteries of the opposite sex as they go about their daily adventures. The screenplay by Kimi Peck and Dalene Young is happy to indulge a little silliness when introducing the ensemble and the location, but "Little Darlings" sobers up quickly, daring to be a film about female sexuality and relationships that takes emotions seriously. There's bravery to the feature that's wonderful to see, even when director Ron Maxwell can't always balance the tone of the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Career-wise, Nicolas Cage was in a strange place in the early 1990s. Finding himself elevated to star status with 1987's "Raising Arizona" and "Moonstruck," Cage struggled to maintain momentum, caught between his interest in strange projects ("Vampire's Kiss," "Zandalee") and more visible Hollywood titles ("Fire Birds," "Honeymoon in Vegas"). For 1993's "Red Rock West," Cage finds a comfortable middle ground, participating in a noir exercise from co-writer/director John Dahl (who clearly loves the subgenre), delivering a measured lead performance with a few thespian explosions along the way. Cage is the glue that keeps "Red Rock West" together, providing dramatic support for a screenplay that's a little too wild with turns at times, but remains an engrossing viewing experience with a terrific sense of escalation in its first half. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The business of Stephen King adaptations was booming in the 1990s, with the occasional box office success ("Misery") and critical darling ("The Shawshank Redemption") refreshing interest in the prolific author's work. 1996's "Thinner" is another one of the bunch, taking inspiration from a 1984 book written under King's pseudonym, Richard Bachman, with the writer exploring the panic of an obese man dealing with a curse that forces him to shed weight at a nightmarish speed. The premise has potential for something cinematically interesting, providing a thorough creative challenge to manufacture such a distinct vision for body horror. "Thinner" is instead handed to co-writer/director Tom Holland ("Child's Play," "The Temp"), who goes the sledgehammer route with the movie, turning pages of detail and disturbing behavior into a cartoon exploration of desperation. Suspense is missing from the picture, along with a sense of the bizarre, as Holland goes for painful exaggeration with the endeavor. He's also stuck with subpar makeup work for the central journey of an overweight man as he turns into a skeleton, with Hollywood magic missing the mark as star Robert John Burke has to physically work with an ill-fitting transformation in a supremely underwhelming effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A Canadian production from 1981, "Funeral Home" (a.k.a. "Cries in the Night," which is the title on the Blu-ray presentation) dares to enter the then red-hot horror marketplace with a picture that contains extraordinarily little scary business. A few kills are present, and there's a black cat marching around the location, but screenwriter Ida Nelson and director William Fruet offer surprisingly little in the way of frights with the endeavor. "Funeral Home" is more of a missing persons mystery blended with a few drops of "Psycho," with the production focused on the investigative potential of the material instead of building a level of suspense. More of a T.V. movie than a chiller, the effort is capably performed by its cast, but there's lifelessness here that's bewildering, making for a tough sit. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After a career push to turn him into a drive-in theater hero in the late 1970s, Chuck Norris enters the 1980s with greater focus on conquering multiplexes and international audiences. Building on the mild success of 1980's "The Octagon" and 1981's "An Eye for an Eye," Norris smashes into 1982 with two pictures, with "Forced Vengeance" following "Silent Rage," giving the martial arts star a chance to show his stuff in the more exotic location of Hong Kong. The villains are up to no good (the heroes also act questionably) when it comes to collecting rival casinos, and it's up to one man out to protect his loved ones from direct threats. Co-writer/director James Fargo ("Voyage of the Rock Aliens," "Every Which Way but Loose," "The Enforcer") doesn't get ambitious with "Forced Vengeance," keeping the effort down to the basics in Norris-style entertainment, putting the lead in a series of action poses as his character seeks to deliver acts of intimidation before offerings of butt-kickery. There's no significant creative challenge presented here, and not all of Fargo's ideas are acceptable, but there's a welcome simplicity to the endeavor that keeps it compelling. And Norris is alert here, providing hearty showdowns and hostile retorts, doing his one-man-army routine with some level of enthusiasm. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After playing a man of the Old West in 1977's "The White Buffalo," hoping to find success with a "Jaws"-like tale of a hunter and a monster animal on the loose, Charles Bronson finds a polar opposite acting opportunity in "Telefon," released in the same year. Of course, Bronson isn't one to push himself too far as a thespian, preferring to remain in his range, even when dealing with plots of increasing craziness. This adaptation of a Walter Wager novel (credited to Peter Hyams and Stirling Silliphant) certainly qualifies as bonkers, finding the star portraying a Russian spy looking to stop the rise of sleeper agents in the U.S., hoping to prevent World War III as a lunatic, armed with a line of poetry, looks to cause unimaginable chaos. It's telephoned-based horror in the feature, which arrives under the direction of Don Siegel (who's billed with his handwritten signature), and the veteran helmer isn't too interested in amplifying suspense for the endeavor. As Cold War thrillers go, "Telefon" has tremendous potential, even as wacky as it is, but Siegel doesn't have the eye of the tiger here. He prefers to keep screen activity intermittent and Bronson more subdued than usual, refusing to go crazy with a premise that invites it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The 1970s were good to Charles Bronson. Working his way into leading man parts, Bronson ran with the opportunity, taking as many employment opportunities as possible while developing a loyal fan base responsive to his steely screen presence. He made 21 movies during the decade, mostly sticking with genre entertainment that made the most of his reserved acting style, often finding himself in heroic roles as a man of action dealing with the evils of the world. 1976's "St. Ives" is a slight change of pace for the star, with this adaptation of a 1972 Oliver Bleeck novel putting Bronson in detective mode, portraying a middle man caught between the police and criminals when special information is stolen from a wealthy man. Bronson does Bronson in "St. Ives," but he's great fun to watch as a cautious man stuck in a strange situation. The feature doesn't quite understand that less is more, but director J. Lee Thompson (who would go on to make eight more films with Bronson) keeps things exciting for an hour and change, adding elements of danger and red herrings as the eponymous character tries to make sense of everything that's coming for him. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1963's "Blood Feast" isn't a classic film, but it remains an important one in horror circles. Director Herschell Gordon Lewis wanted to stir up some controversy to help sell tickets, and he found it with "Blood Feast," which was an early endeavor to weaponize gore in a way, offering an unrepentant display of blood and guts for audiences to enjoy…if they dared. In 2024, the feature is comical, but time hasn't diluted much of its gonzo attitude, watching Lewis push the boundaries of violence to attract attention. For a 2016 remake, director Marcel Walz and screenwriter Philip Lilienschwarz try to recapture the spirit of the original picture while generally rethinking almost all of its plot and characters. This "Blood Feast" takes a dull movie and puts it right to sleep, watching Walz boldly refuse any sort of pace or level of suspense to the effort. There's grisliness, no doubt, but the do-over is a colossal bore that takes its sweet time to go nowhere, finding Lewis's take on the hunt for a human dinner much more engaging that this patience- testing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com