Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

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

1989's "Grave Robbers" is a Mexican production from director Ruben Galindo, Jr., and the helmer loves to stage scenes of panic. Most of the feature is made up of characters in various stages of distress, trying to avoid certain doom from an undead executioner, and while the story begins with some sense of exploratory peace, the whole thing becomes a screaming competition in its second half. Ear fatigue is a very real thing with "Grave Robbers," but Galindo, Jr. is driven to compete with similar productions, trying to keep his picture alert with lots of gory imagery and evil events. With earplugs, there's an appealing genre offering to be found here, with the production ready to deliver gushy wounds and deadly encounters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The works of Studio Ghibli appear to be a major influence on "The Wonderland," which is an adaptation of a 1988 book, "Strange Journey from the Basement." Director Keiichi Hara ("Crayon Shin-chan") tries to make the material his own, aiming to deliver an epic tale of a fantasy world under siege, with one young girl the key to its survival. Hara certainly focuses on the beauty of the endeavor, overseeing artful, colorful animation, and the visual experience is enough to support a viewing, with the cluttered story tending to get in the way of such big screen exploration. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1999's "Being John Malkovich" turned everything around for screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Struggling to define his career in comedy and sitcoms, the feature managed to replicate his odd sense of humor and interest in strangeness. Mischievous director Spike Jonze was an ideal match for Kaufman's dented imagination, with the pair finding unexpected box office and awards show success with the endeavor, inspiring them to move forward with a second collaboration. 2002's "Adaptation" sheds some of the obvious oddity of "Being John Malkovich" to provide a more internalized take on Kaufman's specialized brain, trying a little harder to blend mind-bending storytelling with the writer's love of idiosyncrasy. Jonze calms himself down for the job, submitting his best work in "Adaptation," managing to protect the screenplay's leaps of time and perspective while securing its dark humor and puzzling pathos. He also makes Kaufman approachable, a rare feat, smoothing out incessant quirk to deliver a picture that revels in the writer's experience as it goes from impishness to alarm. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1980's "Motel Hell" entered the box office race at a special time in horror history, trying to find an audience for the Halloween holiday after "Friday the 13th" managed to dominate the early summer, inspiring studios to scramble for similar low-budget endeavors. Writers Robert and Steven-Charles Jaffe weren't looking to crank out yet another slasher offering with the picture, trying to infuse the material with as much humor as they could get away with, delivering a screen nightmare that's more about oddity than offing victims. Studio interests eventually tried to bend "Motel Hell" into a more generic direction, but the feature, while not really a laugh-out-loud viewing experience, is quite inventive in the ghoulishness department, representing a last gasp of storytelling eccentricity before the industry demanded nothing but "Friday the 13th" knockoffs. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Spellcaster" endured a long road to release, with the film shot in 1986 but only received home video distribution in 1992, caught up in producer bankruptcy issues. While it might've been a little out of date when it was finally gifted to viewers, the picture is now a terrific time capsule of MTV-led culture of the 1980s, with the production trying to tap into the pop culture frenzy of the channel, attempting to hip up an Agatha Christie-style story with monster movie trimmings. "Spellcaster" doesn't quite have enough gas to get it past the finish line, but early energy of the feature is impressive, collecting a spunky cast and a fun premise for a spooky tour of murder and panic, topped off with a little black magic. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

While I've covered films before that have multiple titles for worldwide distribution or simple marketplace shenanigans, I've never encountered a picture where there's no real defined choice in a name. 1987's "Killing Birds" is sometimes called "Talons," or "Zombie 5." It's even titled "Zombie 5: Killing Birds" in some places, risking great confusion for those curious about the endeavor but have no clue which version to watch. The good news is that there's only one "Killing Birds," which is the title I'm settling on here, even though the movie only features a few scenes of antagonistic feathered friends. The bad news is that all this work to identify the production is wasted on a mediocre picture from director Claudio Lattanzi, who appears to have some ambition to craft a horror experience with whimpering victims and lumbering zombies, but provides very little style and incident for this type of entertainment. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

2001's "Teknolust" returns viewers to the days of internet growth and experimentation, with creators trying to pull users in deeper with increasingly intimate relationship between humankind and the digital realm. Writer/director Lynn Hershman-Leeson aims to understand this strange connection, creating an exploration into obsession, sex, identity, and crime with the screenplay, which offers a loose appreciation for story as it dives into the deep end of performance art. "Teknolust" is an unusual feature, with Hershman-Leeson pursuing a few prescient ideas on internet control, but she's also attentive to quirk, which runs a little less steady in the final cut. Some elements don't connect, but there's an appealing early-2000 indie vibe to the picture, and there's something special for fans of Tilda Swinton, who dominates the endeavor as she inhabits four roles in full. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com