Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

I wouldn’t call 1983’s “Deathstalker” serious, but it was mostly humorless. The sword and sorcery offering tried to deliver a stone-faced sense of fantasy heroism during an era that demanded such entertainment, putting director James Sbardellati to work conjuring monsters, muscle-bound men, and battles for its intended audience, also remaining mindful of Roger Corman’s low-budget demands and fondness for nudity. The endeavor was something of a hit (at least by Corman standards), finding a receptive audience on home video, where viewers drawn to the picture (thanks to gloriously deceptive poster artwork) were exposed to a cheaper barbarian way during the post-“Conan the Barbarian” industry gold rush. New World Pictures didn’t exactly jump into a sequel, waiting four years to deliver “Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans,” hiring director Jim Wynorski (in one of his earliest gigs) to continue the journey for the warrior and his addiction to adventure. There’s a lot that’s different this time around, including a complete change of tone, as the helmer elects to turn this mythical movie into a full-blooded comedy, even bringing a spit-take into the offering. “Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans” goes goofy, and it’s not a welcome change of pace, losing the modest appeal of the original feature to stick with silliness from actors who aren’t particularly skilled at delivering such nonsense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” was deemed a risky project during production. It was based on material that developed more of a cult than a fanbase, and it starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wasn’t typical leading man material. Once the feature began screening for the public, perception of its success changed, and it went on to become a hit during a highly competitive summer. And as with any unexpected score at the box office, copycats soon followed, helping to launch an industry fascination with sword and sorcerer endeavors, with all of them lacking the epic swing and budgetary might of “Conan the Barbarian.” Roger Corman wanted in on the action, with his New World Pictures launching “Deathstalker” in 1983, striving to provide moviegoers with a Conan-like character and his experiences in a fantasy realm. Directed by James Sbardellati, “Deathstalker” doesn’t have much of a budget to do anything, but the production certainly tries to stretch a dollar, submitting a mildly diverting presentation of burly men, monstrous evil, and enough topless women to make Motley Crue blush. Corman knows what he wants, and Sbardellati works to give it to him, though he can’t conquer all of the effort’s creative challenges, making for an uneven sit while watching these days of high (and more affordable) adventure. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Larry Cohen may be used to low-budget production challenges, but I can’t imagine he was fully prepared for the craziness that went on during the shooting of 1989’s “Wicked Stepmother.” The feature was intended to star Hollywood legend Bette Davis, who recently returned to action in 1987’s “The Whales of August,” looking to keep some career momentum going. Davis spent a few days on the set of Cohen’s picture before leaving for reasons that differ among those telling the story of her exit, putting the helmer in a position to save the movie, scrambling to rework the script while hiring Barbara Carrera to replace Davis. It’s the kind of professional chaos that’s interesting to study, but “Wicked Stepmother” certainly doesn’t benefit from such turmoil. Cohen is holding on for dear life in the offering, which is often confused and careless, trying desperately to be wildly amusing with some truly awful ideas for comedy. There’s a curiosity factor in play, but the viewing experience is rough as Cohen attempts to piece together a sellable endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Sharksploitation” is a documentary from director Stephen Scarlata, who endeavors to explore a subgenre that kicked off 50 years ago with the release of the 1975 classic, “Jaws.” Sure, sharks have been featured in movies for a lot longer than that, but the Universal Pictures blockbuster inspired a ravenous need to replicate such jaw-dropping box office success, putting producers to work coming up with ways to make their own horror offerings highlighting the dangers of the deep. It’s a topic of cinematic history that’s potentially fascinating, especially when comparing the fantasy of horror and the reality of marine life, and Scarlata provides some appreciation for the history of exploitation and conservation. “Sharksploitation” isn’t a critical creation, going the back rub route as it tries to celebrate all forms of shark-based cinema, which has its limitations. However, for those in the mood for something light and undemanding, Scarlata tries to throw a party here, finding a few pockets of moviemaking history to explore. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Larry Cohen clearly loves making movies. 1984’s “Special Effects” is partially a valentine to the madness involved in cinematic storytelling, giving Cohen (who also scripts) a chance to play with some Hitchcockian elements while remaining in the grungy, B-movie mode that’s made up most of his career. Execution isn’t a friend to the helmer, and despite his best effort to craft something twisted and weird, Cohen ends up with an unbelievably stiff picture in “Special Effects.” Suspense is intended but rarely conjured, and performances are almost amateurish in this endeavor, which hopes to provide a few turns and chills as it follows the dangerous ways of a sociopathic director working to restore his career through the cinematic ways of murder. Cohen has a ghoulish idea, but he fumbles most of this half-baked offering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Larry Cohen takes on a post-Nixon world in 1977’s “The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover,” trying to make sense of a presidential mess and American issues by taking a look at U.S. government history. This being Cohen, there’s not a lot of money to help bring an epic study of corruption to life, leaving the helmer to do his usual B-movie thing with the material, pulling together something of a bio-pic without much in the way of polish. “The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover” isn’t a particularly big swing for Cohen, who gets very messy while trying to assemble the details of Hoover’s experiences and influences, but he does have a large cast to help bring his ideas to life, including a lead performance from Broderick Crawford that captures some of the inner turmoil that kept Hoover clinging to power for nearly 50 years. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

My personal introduction to “The Beyond” was in the mid-1990s. Quentin Tarantino, newly exploring his marketplace powers at the time, co-founded Rolling Thunder Pictures, intending to bring influential exploitation movies to art-house audiences, with the 1981 Lucio Fulci offering part of the pack (alongside such oddities as “Switchblade Sisters,” “Mighty Peking Man,” and “Detroit 9000”). “The Beyond” was offered as a midnight show, and it was a memorable moviegoing experience (and one I repeated a few more times), presenting a wholly bizarre Italian horror picture to a slightly groggy, probably inebriated audience, allowing its filmmaking charms to hit in a special way. The endeavor remains unique in its weirdness and low-budget ambition, finding Fulci’s determination to generate a fright fest with the seams showing quite enjoyable to watch. The effort is sloppy at times, unbelievably goofy as well, but there’s something special about this messy presentation of torment and suffering, finding Fulci uniquely motivated to create a bizarre, art-inspired screen nightmare. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“They Call Her Death” intends to be a homage to many things, including spaghetti westerns and drive-in cinema. Writer/director Austin Snell has his fondness for genre filmmaking, trying to work out his wiggles with a picture that aims to provide violent entertainment to fans who won’t mind an extremely limited budget. Ambition is there from Snell, who constructs a revenge story involving a widow hunting down the corrupt men who killed her loving husband, using such cinematic power to drench the feature in blood, also creating a passably striking figure in the main character and her boiling rage. “They Call Her Death” has a few effective moments, especially when it gets into fiery confrontations, but the rest of the offering resembles a filmed high school play, lacking rougher style and at least some degree of urgency these endeavors are known for. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Nick Millard made a lot of movies during his career. How many of them were actually good is a matter of opinion, but Millard was unstoppable, churning out homegrown erotica, actioners, and thrillers without any care as to how his endeavors would be received by the public. “Nick Millard Action Collection” picks five of these offerings to share with the public, presenting what appears to be a fairly accurate display of Millard’s directorial enthusiasm and his technical limitations, which occasionally were quite severe. Included on the set are “Street Race,” “Alcatraz 1313-0,” “.357 Magnum,” “Shotgun,” and “One-Armed Warrior,” and every single film presented here is exactly as promised by the titles. “Nick Millard Action Collection” is quite the education on the helmer’s cinematic interests and production ingenuity, working to turn anything, ANYTHING, into a scene for one of his efforts. There’s something quite endearing about such bottom-shelf ambition, but that doesn’t necessarily mean what’s offered here is always a good time at the movies. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1978’s “Take Off” is inspired by Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel, “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” changing the premise from a painting containing dark magic to an adult film that possesses strange powers. Instead of following the original story, co-writer/director Armand Weston (who would go on to make 1981’s “The Nesting”) uses the source material to fuel his Hollywood fandom, transforming a dark tale into light comedy, with the T.V. show “Laugh-In” a clear influence on the endeavor. “Take Off” is a very silly picture, and also passably ambitious, watching Weston attempt to tell a story that takes place over six decades and tries to pack in as much Hollywood history as possible. There’s adult material as well, but carnal activity also seems like an afterthought in the offering, which is much more interested in the potential for parody and lighthearted antics. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“The Maiden” is the directorial debut for Graham Foy, and he aims to revive the cinema of Terrence Malick and other filmmakers of his generation with the feature. It’s an atmospheric viewing experience focusing on the behaviors of teenagers as they deal with loss in many forms, processing major changes to their lives in silence as they try to participate in daily routine. There are actually two stories to examine here, as Foy tries to get poetic with “The Maiden,” examining the troubles and isolation of outsiders during turbulent emotional times, often doing so with deliberate distance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Writer/director Joseph F. Parda was a fan of giallo movies. As one does when they’re young and filled with dreams, he elected to pick up a Super 8 camera and try to replicate the viewing experience, aiming to deliver a little Argento-scented mayhem with his friends in Long Island, NY. 1996’s “5 Dead on the Crimson Canvas” is the result of such labor, offering a homemade version of Italian filmmaking, and such ambition actually gets the endeavor halfway there. There’s a killer-in-black on the loose, a variety of suspects, a handful of victims, and touches of sleaziness to reach exploitational goals. Parda has an idea of what he wants to accomplish, but he’s missing one major thing: screen momentum. “5 Dead on the Crimson Canvas” is a painfully dull offering of giallo turns and unstable characters, going slow and clunky with its presentation of murder and mystery, though the potency of such puzzling is certainly debatable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Imagine being Jim Carrey in 1993. After struggling in the entertainment industry for so long, dealing with box office bombs and bit parts, Carrey found his footing after being hired for the sketch comedy show, “In Living Color.” While part of an ensemble, the actor was allowed to use his imagination and generate a string a memorable characters, receiving a chance to get crazy on network television. Visibility increased for Carrey, landing him the starring role in 1994’s “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” essentially bringing “In Living Color”-style energy to the big screen. Warner Brothers didn’t have much faith in the picture, but the movie ended up at the top of the box office chart (an achievement repeated three more times), finding an audience finally ready for the Jim Carrey Experience, with the year also delivering monster hits in “The Mask” and “Dumb and Dumber.” Everything changed for the star, and it all began with a berserk comedy about a pet detective and his quest to find a missing dolphin in Miami. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I don’t know how your 2018 went, but mine was oddly infiltrated by the world of the 1988 film, “Mac and Me.” First there was the Blu-ray release of the picture, finally bringing the saga of a boy and his definitely-not-E.T. alien pal to high definition, allowing fans to ditch their DVDs and VHS tapes and experience the “magic” of the effort all over again. The picture was also utilized by “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” opening the 12th season of the show with a terrific episode that became something of an obsession in my household, filling my year with all kinds of repeated viewings. Fully riffed is really the only way to fly with this offering, as “Mac and Me” is a pretty tough sit without wisecracking. However, now there’s a UHD release of the feature, which elevates visual quality and adds more behind-the-scenes information concerning the making of the movie, giving the faithful a very appealing presentation to help enjoy this cult film once again. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Elaine May achieved great success and industry respect in the world of comedy, becoming a star alongside her partner, Mike Nichols, with their unique brand of humor and interplay. After their breakup, Nichols made his way to Hollywood, forging a career as a director, while May was a little less committed to the change, eventually making her helming debut with 1971’s “A New Leaf,” also scripting the feature. Remaining true to her comedy skills, May turns the picture into something unexpected and odd, joining star Walter Matthau on a journey into love and death, following the interests of a man without morals trying to make a fortune by killing his new wife. “A New Leaf” has laughs and excellent performances, and it also establishes May’s directorial approach that would carry on throughout her short oeuvre, remaining fond of cast interactions and strange experiences, allowing the actors room to work their magic as the writing finds its way to eccentricity and behavioral quirks that make the viewing experience interesting when pacing starts to fatigue. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A movie about jewel thieves should probably be exciting, but 1981’s “A Girl’s Best Friend” isn’t really interested in providing big thrills involved in illegal activities. The adult production as other things to concentrate on as it follows the quest of criminals out to collect a diamond, using their sexuality to help distract targets as they hunt for a rare jewel. Director Henri Pachard isn’t making a significant study of deception here, aiming for mildly comedic interactions and all the disco dancing any viewer could want. “A Girl’s Best Friend” has its entertainment value, though it remains a curious offering, as Pachard barely seems interested in following a plot at times, even after he sets one up early in the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As legendary a filmmaker as Dario Argento is, he’s had his share of duds, especially after his creative heyday in the 1970s and ’80s. 2004’s “The Card Player” is far from his best work, finding Argento going into thriller mode with material that’s seldom suspenseful, out to make a detective story highlighting a perverse killer element while failing to inject the endeavor with style and urgency. The central point of pressure involving life or death games of video poker manages to hold attention, but the rest of “The Card Player” is quite dull, missing Argento’s enthusiasm for the macabre. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1966’s “Teenage Gang Debs” takes viewers back to a day and age when juvenile delinquent movies were plentiful. The titles gave young audiences a chance to experience a more dangerous, exciting life of crime and punishment. Older viewers were offered time to condemn the younger generation, watching their fears of unruliness and violence played out on the big screen. What’s a little different about “Teenage Gang Debs” is the screenplay by Hy Cahl, which is influenced by William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” losing the language but keeping the general thrust of power plays and danger to help beef up a thin study of female ambition during the days of New York City lawlessness. Director Sande N. Johnsen really doesn’t have much of a movie here, loading it up with as much padding as possible, but when there’s actual focus on the plot and room for the actors to do their thing, the offering has its exploitational charms and appropriate ugly business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1967’s “Yongary, Monster from the Deep” is a Korean production trying to give the local film industry their own big creature during the kaiju boom of the 1960s. Co-writer/director Kim Ki-duk certainly has a beast in the eponymous terror, and while introductions are lengthy in the endeavor, he eventually gets around to city-stomping action, becoming the destructive focus of the picture, joined by a few human characters. “Yongary, Monster from the Deep” isn’t a lively movie, taking its sweet time to get going, and even when it does unleash hell, pacing issues remain. However, there’s fun to be had for the most patient, as the handmade presence of the offering has its charms. And the helmer isn’t afraid of adding a little weirdness, creating a handful of memorable moments in the effort. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Flying Lotus is a musician adding the world of filmmaking to his artistic interests. He previously directed the little-seen “Kuso,” collaborated with the late, great David Lynch on a music video, and added a segment for 2022’s “V/H/S/99.” Following his genre interests, Lotus goes full-on horror in “Ash,” which takes inspiration from 1979’s “Alien,” examining the disaster of a space exploration team trying to understand life and dangers on an unknown planet. Screenwriter Jonni Remmler provides a map of confusion to follow, keeping things somewhat mysterious and incredibly violent at times. However, “Ash” isn’t driven by plot, which struggles with formula, instead finding life through its visual presentation. Lotus serves up a satisfactory nightmare with the endeavor, and it intermittently scores through heavy atmosphere and vicious encounters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com