Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

1983’s “Alexandra” attempts to study the troubled ways of relationships as friends, spouses, lovers, and sex collide over the Christmas holiday. Writer Don Walters looks to generate a knotted appreciation of easily distracted people and the presence of some type of puppetmaster aiming to manipulate the group, creating a plethora of characters, each with their own private concerns as they try to make sense of their lives. Confusion is a key part of the material, but such bewilderment might come for viewers as well. “Alexandra” has a good cast of actors who understand what’s required from the production, and direction by Tim McDonald is competent, aiming to generate some level of tension as private lives are exposed to all. However, something clearly went wrong in the editing room, as the tale feels incomplete, creating a short-sheeted viewing experience for material that initially appears quite focused on following a specific story of humiliation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“A Christmas Carol” has been adapted time and again, remaining prime fodder for media interpretations since its debut 181 years ago. I’m sure author Charles Dickens would be pleased with the endurance of his work, but perhaps a bit surprised to see it transformed into an adult movie. 1975’s “The Passions of Carol” provides a loose interpretation of the original book, once again exploring the bitterness of Scrooge and the character’s long journey towards behavioral illumination. The fine details aren’t exactly correct in this version, but a general appreciation for Dickens’s message is here, along with plenty of stops for erotic happenings as director Shaun Costello (billed as “Amanda Barton”) attempts to create a Christmas story with a handful of actors, minimal budget for sets and costumes, and a New York City groove. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s not every day that one encounters an adult film about an encyclopedia salesman who secures orders and promotions through bedroom skills. 1978’s “Hot Lunch” is most definitely a weird picture from writer George Price and director John Hayes, who try to find something of a story to tell in the feature, though they come up a bit short when it comes to narrative cohesion. “Hot Lunch” remains entertaining in moments, not overall, as trying to follow the bizarre turns of plot and character might leave viewers a little dizzy. More secure are select ideas on seduction, which add some comedy and craziness to the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For most people, the name William Tell conjures images of a crossbow accuracy contest involving a human target with an apple placed on their head. Perhaps there are even memories of “The Lone Ranger” and its use of Gioachino Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” as its main theme, successfully bending the tone of the original work to fit a wild west setting. Writer/director Nick Hamm is looking to restore the tale’s integrity with “William Tell,” endeavoring to give an 1804 play (by Friedrich Schiller) the “Braveheart” treatment, out to conjure a big screen epic featuring numerous characters and various motivations. It’s a big movie, but only in certain moments, and Hamm isn’t an inspired helmer (“The Hole,” “Godsend,” “Killing Bono”), out to transform European tensions into a Shakespearean viewing experience, creating a sluggish offering of heroism. “William Tell” might be of value to those most patient with historical actioners, but casual viewers probably won’t walk away with any fresh appreciation of the man and his mission. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1984’s “Falling in Love” is an attempt to soften two actors known for their incredible intensity. There’s Meryl Streep, coming off an Academy Award win for her emotionally devastating performance in “Sophie’s Choice,” chasing such power with the chilling atmosphere of “Silkwood,” bringing life to an uneasy subject matter. There’s Robert De Niro, whose furrowed brow approach to acting turned him into an icon, also collecting an Oscar for his memorable turn in “Raging Bull,” maintaining that edge for follow-up projects such as “The King of Comedy” and “Once Upon a Time in America.” These are not two performers known for projecting warmth, but they each hold a different interpretation of intimacy, giving director Ulu Grosbard (“Straight Time,” “True Confessions,” “Georgia”) something to work with in “Falling in Love,” which represents a career change for both performers, asked to go soft and emotional for this study of infidelity and need. Screenwriter Michael Cristofer (“The Witches of Eastwick,” “The Bonfire of the Vanities”) sets up a tender dance of internalized feelings for the personalities, skipping a lot of plot to remain close to the characters, allowing Streep and De Niro a chance to find their way across alien terrain, and this exploratory aspect of the picture helps to strengthen the viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Miguel Angel Martinez is out to capture the red-hot action of the supercop genre in 1992’s “38 Especial.” It’s a low budget Mexican production that’s mostly interested in balancing sinister business with the rise of a serial killer and the brawny action of police on the hunt, occasionally taking lives and sleeping with those connected to the case. “38 Especial” certainly tries to be of some level of excitement, as Martinez endeavors to keep things active as violence breaks out and confrontations grow heated. It’s not polished or all that commanding, but as a mild distraction with a bit of DIY energy, the feature is passable, perhaps even a bit exciting for viewers absolutely devoted to small-time thrillers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The career of director Arthur Bressan Jr. offers an unusual ride of dramatic intensity, going from documentaries (“Gay U.S.A.”) to narrative-driven features detailing troubling subject matters (“Abuse,” “Buddies”). Somewhere in the mix, there was time for more sexual adventures, including 1984’s “Daddy Dearest” and “Juice,” which explore an adult entertainment side to the helmer as he takes on two tales of fantasy, and, in many ways, the demands of daily employment. Bressan Jr. provides some intensity as the main characters deal with their wandering minds, but the pictures are primarily out to showcase bedroom encounters and lustful ways, putting on a display for viewers while Bressan Jr. works around the thinnest of plots to hold “Juice” and “Daddy Dearest” together. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Presence” is a ghost story. However, it’s a ghost story from director Steven Soderbergh, who’s usually not interested in giving viewers exactly what they expect, endeavoring to mix things up with his indie-minded ways. His latest is no different, but Soderbergh isn’t in an esoteric mood with the feature, heading in a more observational direction in a story about a spirit studying a dysfunctional family’s life inside an old house they’ve recently moved into. Scary business isn’t the focus of the offering, as screenwriter David Koepp is primarily interested in broken relationships and domestic issues, gradually working on a developing mystery involving a roving phantom. “Presence” isn’t going to please horror junkies used to more pressurized haunted house tales, but those with patience and some appreciation for Soderbergh’s filmmaking ways are offered an engrossing puzzle of death and household distance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

An adult film director, Armand Weston was hunting for a mainstream effort to help change the course of his career. Inspired by the success of horror entertainment in the late-1970s, the helmer (joined by co-writer Daria Price) attempts to add to the genre gold rush with 1981’s “The Nesting” (titled “Phobia” on the disc), revisiting certain haunted house elements and peaks of madness from such films as “The Amityville Horror” and “The Shining.” Weston isn’t seasoned in the ways of suspense, and his inexperience shows in the endeavor, which drags along without much purpose for an entirely unearned run time of 110 minutes. Hopes for frights and mystery are drained out of the viewing experience quickly, as “The Nesting” simply refuses to engage on a suspenseful level, resembling more of a television movie with its punishing pace and limited dramatic rewards. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Gordon Honeycombe adapts his own novel, 1969’s “Neither the Sea Nor the Sand,” for the screen, trying to bring something of a horror story to life with material that feels intensely literary in design. Director Fred Burnley has the challenge of realizing the strange relationships found in the tale, which tracks the development of obsession between a woman and her lover who face a distinct challenge to their coupling. It’s not an easy film to describe and periodically difficult to sit through, offering an idea for some type of haunting and deeper psychological break in a mostly half-baked fashion, making for an uneven viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The radio game isn’t easy, with 1985’s “Tasty” a study of on-air personalities joining together to battle potential unemployment in their own special way. It’s an adult production from co-writer/director Bud Lee, while star Hyapatia Lee takes some control of the effort, enjoying co-scripting and possessory credits, making her the focal point of the endeavor. “Tasty” is a comedic look at professional desperation and mischief, offering a lighthearted view of happenings at a radio station, putting the Lees to work as they dream up carnal events and silly business, looking to create a fun ride for viewers while still delivering the basics in adult entertainment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s the end of the world, and characters are going out with a little song and dance in “The End.” Documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer (“The Act of Killing,” “The Look of Silence”) tries his luck with a narrative-driven feature, examining the strange ways of a wealthy family living out their days inside an enormous bunker during a climate apocalypse, determined to carry on as normally as possible before someone enters their lives to change everything. Oppenheimer has elected to serve up such grimness as a musical, allowing these cautious personalities to express themselves through songs, trying to give the endeavor a sense of the unusual and poetic while confronting deep emotional wounds. “The End” carries on for nearly 150 minutes, which is the first of many indulgences from the helmer, but he’s attempting to do something unusual in the work, addressing real-world ills and familial tensions in unexpected ways, helping to digest a somewhat unwieldy film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1985’s “Igor and the Lunatics” retains unusual credits. The director listed on the feature is Billy Parolini, but he shares the work with Tom Doran and Brendan Faulkner, who are responsible for “horror, action, and suspence (sic) sequences.” The film definitely reflects a production that was managed by multiple people, undergoing borderline random reshoots, with the final cut a wild mess of characters and ideas that, maybe, once made sense to those who created the picture. “Igor and the Lunatics” is meant to become a rough ride of violent activity tied to the persistence of a cult attempting to maintain power in rural New York. It’s a show of menace and physical brutality that’s been done before, but in this endeavor, ideas and people are placed into an editorial blender, and the resulting mush of genre highlights is offered as entertainment. There’s a lot of “huh?” and “what?” going on in the offering, and very little of it is amusing, intentionally or otherwise. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1972’s “The Possession of Joel Delaney” is an adaptation of a 1970 novel by Ramona Stewart, examining the panic of a woman trying to make sense of her little brother’s sudden violent decline, approaching the unreal to acquire answers. Screenwriters Irene Kamp and Matt Robinson are challenged to find some sense of reality for the genre picture, while director Waris Hussein is left to sell the literary ride, making detailed, internalized despair into a cinematic offering capable of frightening viewers. “The Possession of Joel Delaney” has a certain cinematic presence during its first half, and the story’s investigation into class and cultural divide is potentially interesting. Sadly, good work to build up this world of fear is basically destroyed in the final act, which gives in to needless cruelty and absurdity, on the hunt for a level of shock value the rest of the feature does just fine without. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Directors Janis Cole and Holly Dale seek to understand a situation of prostitution in Canada. “Hookers on Davie” is a documentary capturing the lives of many streetwalkers as they try to make a living in a Vancouver area branded the “prostitution capital of Canada.” It’s a neighborhood filled with businesses and residents, but also home to a community of sex workers trying to make it through the night, often relying on one another for companionship and safety. “Hookers on Davie” is a direct understanding of behavior and a fly-on-the-wall depiction of the profession, as Cole and Dale keep things relatively real while spending a significant amount of time with their subjects, slowly permitted access to their feelings and personal histories as filming carries on. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Hannah Pearl Utt impressed with her last endeavor, 2019’s “Before You Know It,” blending interests in comedy with something more sincere when dealing with character yearnings and foibles. Utt returns to a similar dramedy landscape with “Cora Bora,” following the misadventures of a young woman attempting to handle herself with care, only to end up in impossible situations of longing and awkwardness as she tries to reconnect with her past. The picture also offers a starring opportunity for actress Megan Stalter, who’s been particularly good about stealing scenes in recent efforts (including “Sometimes I Think About Dying” and “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain”), and she’s terrific here, handling the turns found in the screenplay (by Rhianon Jones), which tracks a bumpy road of maturation. “Cora Bora” is a little lumpy at times with pace, and a few supporting characters seem superfluous to the odyssey, but the feature remains involving and empathetic, detailing a specific stretch of emotional unrest. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1983’s “Flashdance” came out of nowhere, hitting the scene with its style and soundtrack, which proved to be an irresistible package for ticket-buyers. The feature amplified growing interest in the MTV world of music-driven imagery, and such a mid-budget smash attracted a lot of imitators and rehashes. Director Lucio Fulci isn’t the first helmer that pops into mind when it comes to boppin’ cinema of the 1980s, but he attempts to compete with 1984’s “Murder Rock,” trying to stitch together a little flash-dancing of his own with the more familiar ways of an Italian giallo. Fulci actually gets fairly far with the big screen presence of the offering, cooking up as much dancing and dynamic lighting as possible. And there’s a good amount of chiller in the endeavor, exploring the destruction of bodies from a gloved killer. It’s not a particularly stimulating thriller, maintaining the usual in Fulci sluggishness, but it’s a colorful, soundtrack-driven effort that shows some thought with its dangerous ways. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1973’s “The Mansion of Madness” is an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story, “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.” Director Juan Lopez Moctezuma is tasked with taking a small amount of pages and turning it into a feature film, and the stretchmarks of this labor are visible throughout the viewing experience. Taking a surreal route to cinematic puzzling, Moctezuma goes the Jodorowsky way with the endeavor, which isn’t interested in the storytelling strengths of Poe’s work. The picture is more attracted to the theatricality of insanity, supplying an episodic journey into a special kind of Hell that’s not always interesting to watch, while some parts need to be endured. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Rats” comes from the minds of co-writers/directors Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky, who make their feature-length filmmaking debut with the endeavor. And the partners are trying to stuff as much as they can into the offering, out to make a wild, absurdist comedy that follows the everyday insanity of Fresno, TX. It’s a town home to petty crime, unhinged people, and the site of a possible sale of nuclear weapons to terrorists. Those weaned on Adult Swim programming are the target demographic for the effort, which almost exclusively rides along on shock humor and pronounced oddity, putting Fry and Nalevansky on a journey to make an extreme movie on a minimal budget. “Rats” is definitely crazy, and there are laughs to be had along the way, especially when the helmers try for inspired lunacy. But even the most die-hard fans of cinematic nuttiness might find themselves checking the time during the viewing experience, as Fry and Nalevansky can’t quite sustain their vision for this explosion of egos and bodily fluids. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1976, writer/director Jeff Lieberman found himself with something of a hit with “Squirm,” his take on a “nature’s revenge” offering, involving the very slow violence of worms coming after people. In a smart career move, Lieberman tries something quite different in his follow-up, 1977’s “Blue Sunshine, which turns away from the horrors of the dirt to play into paranoia cinema of the decade. While still retaining some exploitation extremes and B-movie clunkiness, Lieberman does fairly well with his take on an LSD-fueled mystery, creating an engrossing detective tale that encounters a few enjoyably bizarre turns. There’s filmmaking growth, which is what really matters here, making this endeavor arguably the best picture of Lieberman’s career. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com