Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

David Cronenberg wasn't pursuing a franchise opportunity when he created 1981's "Scanners," but he managed to inspire the creation of one, without his involvement. Executive producer Pierre David labored to transform the original feature into a series of DTV sequels, achieving some success with 1991's "Scanners II: The New Order" and 1993's "Scanners III: The Takeover." Instead of marching into a fourth installment with the same old telepathic warfare, David elected to slightly change the situation, taking directorial control of 1994's "Scanner Cop," which turns the whole brain- popping concept into a detective story, almost playing like a pilot for a syndicated television show. "Scanner Cop" isn't a major reorganization of the premise, but it tries to merge supercop events with horror happenings, finding some inspiration when it creates a mess with the characters and their squishy minds. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1985's "Walking the Edge" plays an unexpected game of switcheroo with its lead characters. The story is initially presented as a revenge tale spotlighting one woman's mission to murder the punks who killed her husband and son, but the material quickly gives up on that, transitioning to a not-so-innocent bystander, who quickly becomes the focus of the endeavor. There's confusion with this creative choice, which doesn't do the feature any favors, but director Norbert Meisel and writer Curt Allen seem to believe they're making the right decisions to best serve their B-movie. What the production does achieve is smart casting, bringing in Nancy Kwan as the initial gunwoman, while Robert Forster portrays the fringe player-turned- gunman, giving his best effort to make "Walking the Edge" burn with intensity and fear, adding some kooky thespian energy to the film. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's been a long time since actor Stephen Dorff delivered an alert performance. He's been working the B-movie circuit for some time, flirting with a few softer diversions (including Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere"), but he's mostly stuck with playing hardened guys in criminal situations. For "Embattled," Dorff is once again tasked with portraying a nasty human being, but the screenplay by David McKenna ("American History X," "Blow") doesn't permit the character to act as flypaper for cliches, putting in the effort to create dimensions for a seasoned MMA fighter struggling with ego and anger issues, gradually recognizing the emptiness of his life. The role is a perfect fit for Dorff, who gives one of his finest performances, and it's a strong film overall, exploring forms of violence and neglect, but also taking a look at the true formation of masculinity and family. There are plenty of hard hits and trash talking, but "Embattled" goes beyond the sport's aggression to grasp the wounded hearts in play. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After making a critical splash with 2011's "Martha Marcy May Marlene," writer/director Sean Durkin finally finds his way to a follow-up with 2020's "The Nest." It's a period picture, and one that looks beyond the decorative aspects of the 1980s to understand the decade's particular lust for greed and social standing, following the disintegration of a seemingly happy family. Durkin retains the coldness of "Martha Marcy May Marlene," giving "The Nest" space to examine the souring of personal relationships and the corruption of responsibility. This particular chill doesn't inspire a hypnotic viewing experience, but it does permit the actors an opportunity to find their characters with their own timing and emphasis. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's important to understand that "The Legend of Hei" is a prequel to a Chinese animated show, with the production working backwards to explore certain characters as they once were before the series began, giving fans a chance to experience an origin story with cinematic scale. If one isn't aware of any connection to an ongoing tale of spirits and humans, "The Legend of Hei" is probably going to lose the average viewer once major world- building begins in the feature's second half. Backstory is plentiful in the endeavor, but when subplots and exposition grow wearisome, the movie does offer a visually compelling understanding of different worlds and odd characters, while the action is surprisingly intense, keeping things agreeably violent and destructive to help outsiders stay invested in what appears to be China's attempt to manufacture a Ghibli-esque take on ways of colonization and the power of magic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

She was a major force in the modeling world of the late 1980s, wowing fans with her clear beauty, which gave her industry authority and newsstand omnipresence. But someone, somewhere wanted Kathy Ireland to be an actress, trying to transfer a person who made a living off her looks into a dramatic force for the big screen. 1988's "Alien from L.A." is her debut feature, with director Albert Pyun trying to do something with Ireland's lack of thespian training, keeping her front and center for this loose riff on "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "The Wizard of Oz." "Alien from L.A." has all the usual low-budget Pyun hustle, with the helmer trying to turn a few sets and a truckload of costumes into fantasy world where everything looks the same, and it has Ireland, who understandably isn't trying that hard to come up with a performance, whining and squeaking her way through a movie that isn't terribly exciting, even when it tries to be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1984's "Alley Cat" hopes to compete in the exploitation market, presenting a lead character who's not one to accept trouble from others, using her karate training to make sure predatory men don't mess with her twice. The production tries to work in some violence, nudity, and aggressive behavior to offer fans a decent ride, but the picture doesn't get messy despite plenty of opportunity to do so. It's something of a relief to see such restraint, with the directors (Victor M. Ordonez, Ed Palmos, and Al Valletta) actively working to make their R-rated vigilante story approachable to a slightly wider audience. It's not a Disney production, but "Alley Cat" doesn't revel in ugliness, providing B-movie entertainment with some fun fight scenes, an energetic lead actress with a loose command over her accent, and a somewhat timely condemnation of the American police and justice system. It's not an especially good film, but with this type of escapism, anything that isn't downbeat or too fetish-y is most welcome. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The title "Champagne and Bullets" doesn't make much sense. The movie includes the consumption of champagne, but very few bullets are fired, though a character orders "bullets" at a bar, which may be a reference to specialized drink. Who knows? One would hope writer/star/co-director John De Hart would, but he's got bigger fish to fry as the mastermind of this crazy picture, which shows almost no sense of leadership or forethought. De Hart oversees one of the great make-em-ups of the 1990s with "Champagne and Bullets," building himself a vanity film that celebrates his songwriting, singing, acting, and sexuality, planning to transform himself into a screen icon with the endeavor, which is as clumsy and misbegotten as can be. Make no mistake, this thing is awful, but one doesn't come to the feature with hopes for directorial finesse. Amusement with a "Birdemic"- style ride is the desired result, and the effort delivers plenty of that. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass have created a great number of classics throughout their partnership, using interest in stop-motion animation to make the holidays a little brighter with television specials such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." They've also dabbled in theatrical endeavors, with "Mad Monster Party" a cult favorite. For 1966's "The Daydreamer," Rankin/Bass aim for a more storybook tone, exploring the world of author Hans Christian Andersen through a mix of live-action and stop-motion animation, working to bring some magic to this musical, which visits several of Andersen's famous works. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The world as we know it today inspires the world of tomorrow in "The Prince's Voyage." It's a French production from co-directors Jean-Francois Laguionie and Xavier Picard, who construct a fantasy tale of suspicion and exploration featuring a cast of cultured and contained primates. It's not a new take on "Planet of the Apes," but it shares the same sense of exploration and confusion, with "The Prince's Voyage" offering a refined understanding of societal fears as the characters manage a situation of discovery that could lead to some form of evolution, but only manages to inspire doubt and denial instead. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As many have already reported over the years, "Surf II" is not a sequel. There is no "Surf," with the film's title presented as an introductory joke for the picture, hoping to offer a little mischief as a way to identify silliness to come. It's not a successful gag, inspiring more confusion than knowing chuckles, but writer/director Randall Badat (who would go on to write "Hear No Evil" and "The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream") doesn't spend much time on wit in "Surf II." He's blasting the screen with wackiness instead, looking to update the Beach Party genre for an "Airplane!" audience, delivering a feature that's big on energy but strangely low on laughs. It does have a manic spirit, and that's good enough to support a viewing, especially for surfing fans who enjoy a little humor with their displays of sporting skill. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Six-String Samurai" emerges from the minds of co-writers Lance Mungia (who also directs) and Jeffrey Falcon (who also stars), with the pair trying to find their way into Hollywood via the creation of a cult-ready action fantasy that follows a Buddy Holly lookalike and his effort to protect a child from enemies in post-apocalyptic Nevada. The 1998 picture tries to be ultra-cool and super strange to attract a knowing audience, and there's certainly a fanbase for the endeavor. "Six-String Samurai" is specialized entertainment, but it's not an especially engaging feature, with the production turning to repetition and slow-motion to avoid becoming the inspired short film it was destined to be. There's not a lot of story to snack on here, just plenty of style and rockabilly music, with a 90-minute run time presenting a noticeable challenge for Mungia, who's just not able to pack this movie with enough incident. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Winterbeast" was completed in 1992, but began life in 1986, with director Christopher Thies and producer Mark Frizzell setting out to create a horror picture with no money and a plan to manufacture monsters using stop-motion animation, with Frizzell a student of the artform. The pair spent years putting the film together, finding time here and there to do something with premise and hire patient actors looking to contribute to the cause. What they ended up with is barely a movie at times, packed with as much filler as the production can get away with. Still, "Winterbeast" is charmingly rough around the edges, especially when it focuses on just being a creature feature, getting away from a barely realized story and loose characterization. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1990's "Fatal Exam" (which was shot in 1985) is writer/director Jack Snyder's pass at a haunted house movie, working with the bare minimum of production support to create what appears to be a horror/mystery feature. It's Snyder's helming debut, and it really shows throughout the endeavor, which takes a basic premise of spooky events set inside a remote house and somehow believes that viewers need 114 minutes of screen time to make it from one end of the story to the other. "Fatal Exam" is a sleeping pill, and it's very odd to see the production deny its inert reality, marching forward with a sluggish arrangement of staring contests and enormous exposition dumps. 114 minutes, people. Bring a pillow. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1989's "Beyond Dream's Door" represents Jay Woelfel's directorial debut, working to bring a 1983 short film up to feature-length standards and impress the world with his helming skills. The picture is a descent into nightmares and dreamscapes, following a young college student as he battles with unreality, pulling others into his survival challenge. Woelfel comes prepared for war, serving up a professional-looking movie that's loaded with moving cameras and dramatic lighting. There's just no story to follow or characters to connect to, with the abstract nature of the endeavor growing wearisome as it becomes clear "Beyond Dream's Door" is really just an overlong directorial showcase for Woelfel, who works extra hard to deliver a visual experience. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Expectations were low for 1991's "City Slickers," which was a modestly budgeted summer release starring Billy Crystal, who was trying to build a leading man career after the success of "When Harry Met Sally." The picture offered adult audiences relatable themes on aging and friendship, delivering nuggets of midlife crisis awareness while exploring the open world, complete with western-style misadventures and animal encounters. "City Slickers" managed to surprise many by becoming the sleeper hit of the year, becoming the fifth highest grossing feature of 1991 (right below "The Silence of the Lambs"), while Jack Palance collected an Academy Award for his work as the crusty cowboy, Curly. A sequel wasn't necessary, there was nowhere left to go with the premise, but Crystal thought he had a sure thing with 1992's "Mr. Saturday Night" (his directorial debut), a hyped dramedy that was envisioned as an awards magnet and box office behemoth, and while the vanity project managed to collect a few nominations, audiences avoided it, knocking the star off-course in his quest to become a bankable name. For Crystal, there was only one way to win back his audience: a sequel. For 1994's "City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold," Crystal is aiming to please, recycling old jokes, rehashing familiar subplots, and even bringing back Palance to make sure the follow-up generates the same excitement as the previous chapter in the Mitch Robbins saga. It turns out, the "one thing" only really works once. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1980's "He Knows You're Alone" is most notable for two things: it was one of the first slasher features to ride the success of 1978's "Halloween," and it offers a young Tom Hanks in his first screen acting job. These bits of trivia tend to define the picture's position in horror history, but director Armand Mastroianni and screenwriter Scott Parker provide more suspense and characterization than the average genre offering, giving the endeavor a little more to work with when trying to frighten audiences. "He Knows You're Alone" isn't a sophisticated chiller, but the production has some good ideas for hideous happenings, paired with energetic performances to bring the nightmare to life. It's an entertaining movie that achieves most of its creative goals, keeping things uneasy without getting completely ugly. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1989's "Grave Secrets" is a curious mix of paranormal investigation and human trauma, with screenwriters Jeffrey Polman and Lenore Wright trying to create a screen nightmare for genre viewers that also deals with rather severe real-world agony. It's a bizarre concoction at times, but director Donald P. Borchers doesn't bother to stop and really consider the material, laboring to pull off a ghost story on a limited budget, masterminding various encounters with the other side. The helmer does well with practical effects, making a passably involving haunted house tale at times, getting "Grave Secrets" where it needs to go as the material explores mysterious happenings at a rural bed & breakfast. Deeper consideration of what's really going on with the characters isn't welcomed, as Borchers is primarily looking to summon a case of the creeps, not a fetal-position-inducing overview of human suffering. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With "Altered Innocence: Vol. 1," the label aims to find a fresh audience for a collection of short films with LGBTQ themes, also dealing with endeavors exploring the growing pains of adolescence. These are 12 offerings that vary in tone and creative approach, and a few of them are music videos that take the surreal route to understanding human sexuality and identity. "Altered Innocence: Vol. 1" hopes to share underappreciated or forgotten shorts from a wide variety of moviemaking voices. Some of these selections aim for laughs or tears, while a few gradually expose the horrors of life, but they all offer a distinct creative fingerprint, delivering cinematic stories from burgeoning talent. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Finding success making Robert Redford movies such as 1969's "Downhill Racer" and 1972's "The Candidate," director Michael Ritchie found his hot streak cooled some with 1975's "Smile," which was basically balled up and thrown away by the distributor during its initial theatrical release. Such cruel treatment robbed Ritchie of another hit, but it didn't stop the feature from becoming something of a cult title, gaining admiration and building a fanbase over the last 46 years. While not Ritchie's finest endeavor, "Smile" showcases his skill with actors and controlled chaos, examining the nervous energy of a California beauty pageant and all the contestants, judges, and crew who create an event intended to celebrate femininity, only to bring out the worst in people. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com