1988’s “Demonwarp” has a lot to offer. There are young characters in states of distress, a booby trapped forest, Bigfoot on the loose, some zombie stomp, and a touch of alien activity. There’s sexploitation and exploitation, and low-budget action involving guns, chases, and fights. The picture should be a blast, but Emmett Alston (“New Year’s Evil”) doesn’t transform the endeavor into an unforgettable, unrelenting ride of B-movie highlights. Instead, “Demonwarp” struggles with pace and excitement, going awfully slow for something clearly built to be a joyride of genre-hopping, and the general sluggishness of the feature is a tremendous disappointment to behold. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
H.P. Lovecraft. The horror author has been popular with genre filmmakers for decades, but for director Chad Ferrin, his literary offerings are a bit of an obsession. After taking on the Lovecraft universe with no-budget endeavors such as 2020’s “The Deep Ones” and 2024’s “The Old Ones,” Ferrin goes back for more with “Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep,” which is an adaptation of a 1919 short story. Once again, the helmer comes armed with very little money to make the picture, trying to launch a screen nightmare that delves into the science of the mind and penis monsters. Instead of becoming a vicious, disturbing effort, “Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep” falls apart almost right away, watching Ferrin remain uncertain if he wants his movie to be a nightmare machine or campy comedy, while most of the cast is no help when it comes to summoning a proper fear factor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
Writer/director Diego Cespedes travels to another time in “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.” He returns to 1982, exploring the AIDS crisis in South America as it invades an unusual living situation involving a young girl and her quest to understand what’s going on around her. The helmer looks to explore a bitter reality with an almost dreamlike approach at times, taking in elements of culture and coping while striving to generate a poetic understanding of love. “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo” tends to wander as Cespedes works through atmosphere and relationships, but he’s committed to a core understanding of human connection during a time of great uncertainty. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
We lost legendary director David Lynch in 2025, but his filmmaking spirit is sure to carry on for quite some time. His love of the unreal and heavy moods inhabits a most unusual picture in “Good Boy,” a micro-budgeted offering of eeriness from co-writer/director Ben Leonberg, who casts his dog, Indy, in the main role of a loyal pet finding his sanity tested when his owner holes up inside a cabin, dealing with life and medical issues the animal doesn’t understand. Leonberg doesn’t have much of a story, turning to atmosphere to carry the short feature (running just over 70 minutes), attempting to taffy pull a simple idea into a surreal examination of canine companionship and protection, told from Indy’s POV. There’s an interesting viewing experience to be had with “Good Boy,” but those hunting for direct chills and thrills might feel a bit disappointed with Leonberg’s approach here, which is more artful than intense. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
An office building has been taken over by madmen, and the only hope anyone’s got…isn’t John McClane. Would you settle for a janitor with severe PTSD and behavioral issues? 1992’s “Dead Boyz Can’t Fly” isn’t a “Die Hard” knockoff (the action classic was actually in release during production), but it’s in the same neighborhood at times, putting director Howard Winters (a.k.a. adult film vet Cecil Howard) to work creating screen tension as an unlikely hero summons the courage to take on armed punks looking to steal a fortune. The central idea is there, but “Dead Boyz Can’t Fly” isn’t focused on conflict. Winters aims strictly for chaos with this endeavor, fully investing in grimy acts of viciousness and screamed performances, seemingly hoping to address America’s issue with aggression by submitting a loosely defined understanding of hostility that’s mostly out to test viewer patience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
1982’s “Bakterion” (a.k.a. “Panic”) is a movie about a deadly viral outbreak that creates a murderous monster that feeds on blood targeting victims at their most vulnerable. It should be an easy lay-up endeavor for director Tonino Ricci, who’s handed the basics in horror entertainment. Instead of summoning suspense, “Bakterion” goes to sleep, dragging through a story that doesn’t make much sense, while the cast tries to remain invested in their characters without having much to do beyond providing looks of concern. It’s a shockingly dull effort, and while it contains moments of gore and touches of sexploitation, there’s no sense of urgency to anything. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
1958’s “The Veil” is known as the show that never aired. Only one episode of the program managed to be seen at the time, with production complications preventing the whole thing from finding release. Over the years, efforts have been made to bring to the show to the public, trusting in the appeal of an anthology series about the supernatural, hosted and starring Hollywood legend Boris Karloff, who worked his natural way with screen intimidation to offer viewers a peek at what “lies behind the veil.” The episodes basically all touch on the same idea, delivering chilling tales of ghostly encounters, soaking up the bewilderment of characters seeking answers to the unexplainable. And there’s Karloff at the center of it all, sharing intros and outros in front of a roaring fire, presenting the bizarre (albeit in mild form) with ideal thespian emphasis, also contributing fine performances for a series that contains a lot of capable acting. “The Veil” has its high and low points, but it’s largely consistent with weirdness and drama, creating an interesting “weekly” journey into the mysteries of the world and the desperation of agitated characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
We live in a world where seven “Resident Evil” movies exist (another one is due out later this year). It’s a horror/action franchise that’s managed to endure rough critical assessment and uneven box office returns over the years, but brand recognition is mighty, with the video game adaptation managing to pull in viewers no matter the quality of the productions. This cinematic universe is largely credited to writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson, who oversaw the creation of first chapter (released in 2002) and continued on throughout most of the series. However, Anderson and his highly debatable creative talents only arrived when production company Constantin Film attempted to make a “Resident Evil” feature with George A. Romero, the man behind “Night of the Living Dead.” Romero helped to establish the zombie subgenre, and his work inspired Capcom to create a video game that highlighted frights with the undead and the monstrous. “George A. Romero’s Resident Evil: The Documentary of the Unmade Film” investigates this aborted take on the franchise, with co-writer/director Brandon Salisbury examining the evidence left behind from Romero’s days on the project, putting together an understanding of creative and tonal directions ultimately ignored by Anderson. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
As a musical artist, Madonna remains one of the most iconic performers around. She’s enjoyed incredible success over the course of her career, but she was especially white hot as the 1980s drew to a close, riding the triumph of her “Like a Prayer” album into the 1990s as controversy and attention increased, giving her the media’s undivided attention. Madonna risked it all to continue pushing boundaries, with 1992’s “Erotica” attempting to stir up more trouble for the singer as she entered a hypersexual phase of her career. The record did fine, but sales were noticeably down, and Madonna was also determined to keep working on an acting career, hoping to sell herself as a viable dramatic entity while previously performing in pictures that suggested otherwise. 1993’s “Body of Evidence” was part of the “Erotica” era, giving Madonna her own erotic thriller after the success of 1992’s “Basic Instinct,” attempting to deliver the ultimate in heat for director Uli Edel (“Last Exit to Brooklyn”). And the star puts on quite a show in the endeavor, working with screenwriter Brad Mirman’s imagination for softcore events and kink play for suburbanites, portraying a femme fatale on trial for the murder of her lover. “Body of Evidence” has Madonna willing to go where the writing leads, but she’s certainly not a commanding presence in an already clunky, awkward picture. Heat isn’t present here, and legal entanglements are often less appealing, adding another misfire to Madonna’s odd acting oeuvre. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
Julian Glander gets a little weird for his feature-length directorial debut, “Boys Go to Jupiter.” It’s an animated offering of absurdity and screen detail, delivering a Wes Anderson-y spin on the experiences of a 16-year-old kid trying to take on an adult world of financial responsibilities and relationships. Glander plays with dryness and video game-like visuals, but he’s fully committed to the oddity of his screenplay, which demands viewers go with its flow as it visits areas of adolescence, weird science, and late-stage capitalism while it also explores teen dilemmas of life and love. “Boys Go to Jupiter” is a creative effort from Glander, and it possesses enough humor and visual idiosyncrasy to hold attention as the tale dances with unreality and musical interests while visiting the secret lives of Floridians. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
The battle of an aspiring actor trying to make it in the big, bad movie industry is, well, marginally tended to in 1984’s “Raw Talent.” The picture is scripted by Joyce Snyder, and she’s all over the place in the endeavor, looking to create a study of professional ambition that somehow involves multiple martial art fights and a semi-satire of adult filmmakers. It’s a starring vehicle for Jerry Butler, who tries to channel the energies of Travolta and Gere with his take on hungry thespian blues, putting in the work to bring meaty swings of drama to life. “Raw Talent” remains involving, but not always for the right reasons, as the feature certainly delivers some interesting elements of manipulation and despair. However, it’s also a very silly movie at times, and the tonal extremes are a little difficult to digest. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
2007’s “Timecrimes” is the directorial debut for Nacho Vigalondo. He’s gone on to create such pictures as 2016’s “Colossal” and 2024’s “Daniela Forever,” offering unusual blends of dark humor and fantasy/sci-fi interests, and his debut feature introduces a helmer ready to impress with his command of twisty storytelling. A time-travel tale of increasing panic, “Timecrimes” is a small-scale study of self-destruction, with Vigalondo trying to play with confusion and dark clarity as he creates an evening of horror for a man who simply wants to rest in his house in the country. The movie runs out of steam before it finds an ending, but Vigalondo provides a good hour of appealing disorientation and mystery, making for an enjoyable brain-bleeder. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
For many people, the game “Assassin” or “Senior Assassin” was a rite of passage in school. Gameplay involved organized chaos, sending players into the world with dart guns, aiming to “kill” targets using spy game wits and dedication to the spirit of the competition. Of course, the idea of young people tearing around a college campus carrying realistic-looking guns seems a little strange today, but the 1980s were a different time, and writer/director Nick Castle uses the organized specifics of the era to inspire 1982’s “TAG: The Assassination Game,” which follows the exploits of players trying to take down their targets in the middle of a college year. Castle (who makes his helming debut with the endeavor, eventually going on to oversee such efforts as “The Last Starfighter” and “Major Payne”) isn’t making a cold-blooded thriller with “TAG: The Assassination Game,” going the semi-comedic route instead, aiming to turn a tale of toy pistol elimination into a film noir tribute/spoof, blending silliness with some degree of severity as dead bodies begin to pile up in the story. It’s a big swing from the production, which is more effective as a modest tale of campus pursuit than a pulse-pounding detective tale. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
Careers must start somewhere, and for so many in the film industry during the 1970s, employment was usually found with producer Roger Corman. The king of frugality was mostly happy to help hungry moviemakers, especially those he didn’t have to pay very much, and part of this roster of stars is Martin Scorsese. Having made his first feature (1967’s “Who’s That Knocking on My Door”), Scorsese was finding his way to Hollywood, eventually attracting attention for his short films, creating a path to make 1972’s “Boxcar Bertha,” which follows a Depression-era woman and her experiences with violent, desperate men. Scorsese and Corman appear to be an unlikely pair, but work is work, and the helmer puts in as much effort as possible for the producer, ready to deliver exploitation for the masses in the B-movie. Cinematic mastery would start to form in 1973’s “Mean Streets,” but Scorsese has his moments here, out to deliver the basics in Corman demands while figuring out his style and fondness for screen intensity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
1969’s “Goodbye, Columbus” attempts to adapt a tale from author Philip Roth’s 1959 short story collection. As with any effort to expand on something limited in scope, screenwriter Arnold Schulman has difficulty trying to extract drama out of an experiential journey for the lead character. Director Larry Peerce works hard to make the picture memorable, leaning into the appeal of youth culture from the era to land a faint take on “Romeo and Juliet,” managing the romantic combustion of the writing with Roth’s vision of Jewish American activities and family ties. “Goodbye, Columbus” has style, with Peerce laboring to find visual energy for a feature that’s not commanding with emotional issues, lacking sharpness when it comes to matters of the heart. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
Mystery is the goal of “The Dead Thing.” Co-writer/director Elric Kane (“Kissy Kissy”) isn’t open with the hard details of this story, which tracks a woman’s increasing disorientation as she pursues love with a strange man who remains elusive in more ways than one. Kane (and co-writer Webb Wilcoxen) doesn’t go for a horror experience with the picture, which contains no scares and no particular genre appetite. It’s more of a psychological study with touches of eroticism and menace, slipping into ghost story territory at times. “The Dead Thing” intends to be slow-burn, with Kane pursuing atmosphere, not intensity. However, earning audience interest in this puzzle is up for debate, as such glacial pacing isn’t rewarding. The tale plays like a short film that’s been expanded for feature-length examination, failing to deliver an interesting dramatic experience as Kane works out his cinematic influences and love of ambiguity, which doesn’t translate into riveting cinema. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
The abyssal depths of addiction are explored in 1974’s “The Gambler,” with screenwriter James Toback using his experience in the world of gambling to inspire a dramatic understanding of powerlessness. Emotions are tightly controlled in the picture, with director Karel Reisz aiming to follow the tentative stability of the main character as he wrestles with a reality he doesn’t want to accept, growing more desperate as the roller coaster ride of wins and losses begin to do real damage to his life. The endeavor maintains some emotional distance from the worsening situation, but Reisz and Toback have their way with the psychology of it all, creating tense moments of blistering internalization, giving star James Caan a chance to deliver one of his finest performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
2013’s “Doomsdays” is the directorial debut for Eddie Mullins, and he goes as indie as possible with the endeavor, also creating the screenplay, based on his original short. Story is basically ignored for a series of experiences for the lead characters, with Mullins examining the passing days of two homeless men and their addiction to breaking into houses, living their lives one day at a time. The feature is meant to be a comedy, looking to remain unpredictable with behaviors and reactions, and Mullins puts a lot of faith in his lead actors, with Leo Fitzpatrick and Justin Rice tasked with creating some sort of appeal or understanding of two practiced troublemakers and their battle with spring vacancies in the Catskills. “Doomsdays” is spare and maybe a bit silly, best served to viewers in a relaxed state of mind, as the offering contains no drama or urgency as it follows weeks of deceptive people committing property destruction. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
For her directorial debut, Mira Nair elects to explore the experience of children living on their own in Bombay, India. 1988’s “Salaam Bombay” isn’t a celebration of life, but a striking feature about the death of innocence, following young characters as they’re confronted by the harsh realities of their surroundings, and the realization that nobody is going to save them. It’s a potent offering of drama from Nair, who manages amateur performances and chaotic locations with remarkable skill at times, finding a way through a difficult tale of survival. “Salaam Bombay” is unique in its screen energy and daring in its tonality, with Nair hoping to bring attention to a dire situation of living where life seems disposable. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
1982’s “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains” has a cult following, with the movie’s reputation steadily developing in the decades since its original theatrical release. And there’s a reason for that, as the picture provides a pleasing shot of attitude, sold with interest in burgeoning feminist rebellion that went on to inspire a lot of musicians and viewers, especially in the alternative rock scene of the 1990s. There’s something here worth understanding and appreciating, but there’s also the reality of watching “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains,” which has been edited and rethought into near nothingness, putting director Lou Adler at odds with screenwriter Nancy Dowd (who disowned the film, credited here as “Rob Morton”), creating two very different dramatic approaches for the endeavor, and they don’t mix well. It’s a messy offering, just shy of being incomprehensible, speeding through major moments in life and maturity to hit simplistic points of pain, creating a wildly uneven viewing experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
