Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

Playwright Jessica Swale makes her directorial debut with "Summerland" (also scripting the effort), and she remains within the theatrical realm with the period British drama. Swale aims to examine characters as they react to hardships and surprises, using a fractured sense of time to dig up compelling motivations for the players as they embark on complicated tests of courage and responsibility. "Summerland" tries to be big, dealing with World War II survival challenges and the open world of the English countryside, but Swale is more successful with intimacy, tapping into silent fears as her personalities struggle to confront a few unthinkable turns of fate. It's a satisfying feature that ultimately takes on a bit more than it can handle, but Swale keeps the film sincere, also supported by a capable cast who makes certain the heart of the material is protected. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2014, writer/director Jennifer Kent created "The Babadook." It was a tale of a demonic presence, and while Kent was very clear with her spooky intent, she was also painting a portrait of parenthood, which is often an experience of unrelenting horror. It was a sharp, stunning feature with a delicious claustrophobic atmosphere. The type of viewing experience is found in "Relic," which turns its attention to the various challenges of dementia and how the personal experience of such degeneration greatly taxes all those involved. Co-writer Natalie Erika James impressively merges the real- world agony of aging with a haunted house story, coming up with a complex film that's richly detailed and performed, reaching above and beyond a simple ghost story to tap into deep emotions involving the nightmarish decline of a once vibrant loved one. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1989's "Deadly Games" (also known as "36.15 code Pere Noel" or "Dial Code Santa Claus") offers a roughhouse take on the kid-defends-castle subgenre, which found worldwide popularity with 1990's "Home Alone." There was a point in his life where writer/director Rene Manzor wasn't happy with the John Hughes production, believing it lifted more than a few elements from his picture. Who knows the truth, but the reality is "Deadly Games" isn't "Home Alone" in story or tone, with Manzor going deeper into the darkness with the endeavor, offering a lighthearted first act before things turn serious for a boy hero, who's forced to confront some bitter realities about life while taking on violent home invader. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1988's "Last Rites" has the title and aura of a picture that takes the trials of priesthood seriously, suggesting a tight character study of a man of the cloth caught up in an unwinnable situation that tests his faith and his life. Instead of introspection, the effort announces its true intent in the opening scene, where a philandering man had his penis shot off by his vengeful wife. "Last Rites" emerges from the mind of writer/director Donald P. Bellisario, and it's exactly the type of film that comes from the man who created "Airwolf," "NCIS," and "Magnum, P.I." There's no room for subtlety in Bellisario's world, giving his big feature helming debut all the depth of a trashy novel, pitting a conflicted priest against his desires, allowing the desires to win. It's probably not the best movie night choice for die-hard Catholics, but the awfulness of the endeavor manages to transcend religion, becoming a grand test of patience for all. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The ways of the teenage heart take a few disturbing directions in 1969's "I Start Counting." An adaptation of a novel by Audrey Erskine-Lindop, the story concerns a young girl coming into contact with her maturity and sexuality growing fixated on an elusive man during a time of serial murder in the community. It's a tale that covers a lot of psychological ground during its run time, and director David Greene ("Rich Man, Poor Man," "Fatal Vision") seems ready to explore it all with the endeavor. It's a tonal tightrope walk Greene gracefully navigates, offering more adventurous viewers a touch of a whodunit to go with offerings of juvenile obsession. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Twins" is a 1988 endeavor from director Ivan Reitman, and it's the king of high concept comedies. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito play twin brothers. Boom, done. One doesn't need much more than that to sell the picture to the masses, but the screenplay (credited to four writers) is certainly in the mood to provide a full buffet of tones and gags to help support the display of sheer star power. What initially appears to be a gentle offering of brotherly love somehow turns into semi-violent study of crime, blended with something of a love story and frosted with parental concern. "Twins" is all over the place, but it remains a charming offering from Reitman, who understands that all he really needs is time with Schwarzenegger and DeVito, with their natural screen presence and different thespian skills making a little magic for the helmer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"I Spit on Your Grave" has spent the last 40 years growing into a divisive film for genre admirers and critics, sustaining a remarkable hold on film history. It's an offering of ultraviolence from writer/director Meir Zarchi, who details the undoing and rebirth of a woman brought to the edge of sanity by vicious (and ridiculously cartoonish) Connecticut goons who spend a day sexually assaulting her. It's rough content with rougher technical achievements, finding Zarchi limited by a tiny budget and his own lack of helming finesse. "I Spit on Your Grave" isn't pleasant, but that appears to be the idea, at least for a small stretch of the endeavor. The rest delights in the possibilities of drive-in entertainment, stroking revenge cinema highlights to best revive a traumatized audience. Your mileage may vary with this title, but the cult longevity of Zarchi's Z-movie is impressive. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There was a persistent run of dogsploitation movies in American theaters for a few years a short time ago, with Hollywood trying to deliver sappy stories of canine misery and redemption for audiences hungry to cry over cute pooch antics. Mercifully, "Marona's Fantastic Tales" doesn't join the trend, with director Anca Damian attempting to avoid maudlin impulses, presenting an animation examination of a dog's POV as it experiences life with multiple owners. There's sadness here, of course, but Damian is more interested is capturing the world as a canine sees it, using screen artistry to develop a wonderland of exploration for viewers to study. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Unlike many documentaries about filmmakers, "Love Express: The Disappearance of Walerian Borowczyk" offers extraordinarily little biographical information about the subject. Director Kuba Mikurda has limited interest in the life and times of the Polish director (who passed away in 2006), preferring to provide more of a grasp on his artistic interests, featuring interviews with collaborators and admirers. "Love Express" remains elusive, but that's the idea, with Mikurda turning his movie into a Borowczyk production in many ways, delivering an idiosyncratic look at an avant-garde mind, supplying a general understanding of the man's professional demands and his textured appreciation of screen eroticism, especially when offered an opportunity to take his vision wherever it needed to go. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When is a remake not exactly a remake? I give you "Valley Girl," which is a reworking of the 1983 cult hit. What was once a gentle but textured look at a developing romance between opposites in L.A. (a riff on "Romeo and Juliet") has now been turned into a jukebox musical that's all about soundtrack hits, candied cinematography, and broad performances. To bring "Valley Girl" back to the screen, the producers have made several changes to the tone and approach of the original film, aiming to reach a much younger audience with a simplified tale of love as it works through cultural and social challenges, and is frequently expressed through song. Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg (a veteran of schlock-meisters The Asylum) isn't trying to find dramatic grit with her vision, she's striving to generate a party atmosphere for sleepover audiences, delivering a pleasingly fluffy, high-energy offering of teen exuberance. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Stephen Weeks is apparently a massive fan of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," a 14th century offering of Arthurian storytelling the helmer initially explored in 1973's "Gawain and the Green Knight." Previously taking a more respectful route of interpretation, Weeks tries to crank up the blockbuster possibilities of the material with 1984's "Sword of the Valiant." For his second pass on this tale, Weeks goes the Cannon Films way, with producers Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan ordering up a low-budget riff on John Boorman's "Excalibur" (with a bit of "Conan the Barbarian" thrown in for good measure), hoping to thrill audiences with a fresh helping of heavily suited knights, sword battles, and quests for peace and love. And there's Sean Connery in here too, showing up to collect a nice paycheck and class up the joint with his take on the trickster fury of the Green Knight. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1957, director Bert I. Gordon found a hit with "The Amazing Colossal Man," his submission for the giant creature subgenre sweepstakes, riding a trend with a supersized human twist. The picture has some credible drama to fuel its weirdness, with the screenplay trying to create a sympathetic character out of a 60-foot-tall man, understanding his frustrations before a city-threatening rampage began. For 1958, Gordon returns to the well for "War of the Colossal Beast," which isn't sold as a sequel, but it tries to be, catching up with the newly alive abomination as he struggles with a fresh round of scientific prodding and military hostility. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Trying to stretch a trend as far as possible, American International Pictures aimed to keep the money train rolling with 1958's "How to Make a Monster," which is a follow-up to studio hits "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" and "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein." However, instead of dreaming up another fantasy, the writing turns self-referential, transforming AIP into a villain of sorts with tale of horror set inside a movie studio. The idea has the potential to be outrageously fun, but the material only gets so far before it grows exhausted, offering a talky nightmare instead of something more energized. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda" isn't a traditional documentary providing a linear overview of career achievements for the celebrated Japanese composer. Director Stephen Schible takes viewers into a few different areas of life with the subject, exploring personal philosophy and interests, but it's focused primarily on the balance of life and nature, with Sakamoto sharing his experiences over the years as he battles with cancer and immerses himself in work to keep his mind moving. "Coda" jumps all over the place to tell Sakamoto's story, but it remains concentrated on his artistic voice, exploring its development and ability to reach the beyond as the composer reflects on a lifetime of success, influence, and experimentation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The messy art of revolution and the origins of a movement are charted in "Misbehaviour," which recounts the efforts of the Women's Liberation Movement as they attempted to disrupt the Miss World 1970 beauty pageant. The screenplay by Rebecca Frayn and Gaby Chiappe is based on a true story from 50 years ago, but it plays into topics of equality and objectification that remain in play today, creating a fascinating look at attitudes and offenses. Director Philippa Lowthorpe ("Call the Midwife" and "The Crown") maintains a period look and guides a number of strong performances, but the core experience of "Misbehaviour" is unrest, watching those who dream of a better, more just world setting their sights on a British television institution, and, wisely, the writing manages to understand both sides of the argument while still remaining supportive of a team of twentysomething women and their battle to bring equality to England. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The success of 1982's "Conan the Barbarian" showed the international film industry that sword and sorcery could be made in the wild, limiting the need for sets and top talent, with audiences responding to a showcase of ultraviolence in wide open spaces. Of course, "Conan the Barbarian" was a polished studio offering, but the knockoffs came fast and furious, inspiring producers and directors to provide their own take on strong men in tiny outfits doing battle with supernatural foes in charge of their own cults. Prolific moviemaker Lucio Fulci joins the trend with 1983's "Conquest," an Italian submission of Conan-esque craziness, only the helmer is more interested in the visual power of raw violence and sexuality, following a pair of warriors going up against a topless enchantress. As with most Fulci offerings, "Conquest" is not about cinematic hospital corners, with the endeavor striving to do what it can with a tight shooting schedule and limited budgetary might, supplying a thoroughly weird viewing experience that's filled with monsters, magical weapons, and half-explained mysticism. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1989's "Memorial Valley Massacre" is credited to screenwriters George Francis Skrow and Robert Hughes (who also directs), and one of these guys must've had some previous experience working in the national park service. This is horror picture about a feral man on the loose who doesn't take kindly to those who invade his territory, murdering trespassers, but the real story here is a level of disdain for park campers and their horrible behavior, ranging from employee contempt to unrepentant littering. It's actually quite interesting to watch the film depict outsiders as selfish monsters, and there's some initial hope that the writing will remain focused on the systematic offing of those who don't treasure the pure beauty and fragile ecosystems of the great outdoors. Alas, this is the 1980s, and a scary movie isn't going to get very far on noble intent alone, with the production soon locking into a routine of death and interpersonal discord, turning to bloodshed to meet marketplace demands for slasher entertainment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After scoring a hit with 1958's "Dracula," Hammer Films was itching for a sequel, hoping to keep their exploration of vampiric activity going for another round of terror. While Christopher Lee wasn't included in plans for a follow-up, Peter Cushing's Doctor Van Helsing was, returning to duty for 1960's "The Brides of Dracula," and thank goodness for his presence. Gothic horror takes the long way home with the endeavor, with director Terence Fisher focusing on performances and production achievements, not pace for this round of Transylvania troublemaking. "The Brides of Dracula" has a little trouble revving its genre engine, but it's a gorgeous picture, delivering a premiere showcase for Hammer style. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The screenwriters of "A Quiet Place," Scott Beck and Bryan Woods hope to preserve their directorial careers with "Haunt," which continues their fascination with scary business, this time using the rise of the "extreme haunt" business to create their own Halloween offering. It's a tempting setting, providing an atmosphere of aggression and confusion, but Beck and Woods don't pull out all the stops with their fright film, throttling "Haunt" with crude attempts at characterization and motivation, trying to fashion a substantial lead character when the picture really needs more madness. The feature deals mainly with formula, but the helmers don't choose to combat predictability, delivering a "Saw"-like jaunt into the business of evil, serving up six young things for the slaughter. Your patience is required. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

This is quite a time for "Terror in the Aisles" to come out on Blu-ray. It's a documentary about the thrill of seeing horror and suspense entertainment with the full-throated power of a large audience, creating an unforgettable communal experience. We don't have much of that these days, leaving the 1984 release a wonderful reminder of how special moviegoing can be, especially when the crowds are filled with marijuana-smoking, physically active ticket-buyers responding in full to the might of fright films. It also helps to have stars Nancy Allen and Donald Pleasence around, with the pair making brief appearances and providing lively narration for the endeavor. Trips to the theater aren't quite as fun or comforting as they used to be, but "Terror in the Aisles," while working with simple creative goals, secures just how special a night at the multiplex with a rowdy audience can be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com