Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

In 1993, Andy Sidaris elected to step down from his position as the director behind Malibu Bay Films. He was in his sixties at the time, and perhaps a little weary of the production grind, especially at the rate he was churning out features, spending 1993 assembling "Fit to Kill" and "Hard Hunted." Instead of giving up the business, depriving fans of broad action and bikini-clad antics, he turned to his son, Christian Drew Sidaris, to take the moviemaking baton, returning to video stores a year later with "Enemy Gold," debuting his new enterprise, Skyhawks Films. Already an important member of the family business, Christian makes a smooth transition to helming for "Enemy Gold," which doesn't stray far from the Malibu Bay Films to-do list of exploitation interests, offering the faithful a decent ride of violent encounters, sexuality, and hot tubbin'. It doesn't have the snap of previous chapters, but Christian makes an agreeable debut here, aiming for a mystery adventure in the exotic wilds of…Dallas. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a playwright, David Mamet is a force of nature, always interested in the trouble characters create for themselves and others, often using frank dialogue to best examine the corrosiveness of people. Adapting his play for the big screen, Mamet protects as much venom as possible for 1992's "Glengarry Glen Ross," with director James Foley in charge of shaking the staginess out of the material, giving it a cinematic charge that respects Mamet's inherent fire-breathing powers and adds dimension when needed. Creative goals are mostly met in "Glengarry Glen Ross," which provides a safe space for amazing actors to unleash themselves with Mamet-ian authority, clawing their way into bleak psychological spaces with barely concealed excitement, while Foley works diligently to preserve the original rhythm of the work, doing an impressive job with the jazzy rush of testosterone and workplace hostility Mamet aimed to expose with his original work. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1999's "Idle Hands" tries to be something different, which is an admirable task, especially in the post-"Scream" horror marketplace, where everything was looking to be younger and hipper, aimed at a teenage demographic. It remains an adolescent adventure, filled with pot humor, broheim interactions, and sudden sexuality, but director Rodman Flender tries to buck a few trends by making his movie disgusting. He's brought a large amount of bodily harm to "Idle Hands," and that's the good news. The bad news is the feature's sense of humor and casting interests, which cripples what clearly wants to be a rip-roaring genre ride of unpredictable behavior and violent highlights. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For 1968's "The Lost Continent," Hammer Films endeavors to take viewers to a mysterious place on Earth where monsters live and dark civilizations have developed undisturbed. The excitement is all there, if viewers are comfortable sitting around for over an hour of screen time while dull edges of drama are polished by a production in no hurry to show off its horror extremes. Welcome to "The Lost Continent," which provides Hammer's customary padding to such a startling degree, the creature feature aspects of the story almost intrude on the interpersonal problems of doomed travelers on a danger-plagued ship. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I can't think of a movie more perfectly suited for a Sunday afternoon matinee than "Tea with the Dames." It's a film about friendship, camaraderie, and memory, taking viewers to the English countryside to spend 80 minutes with Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, and Eileen Atkins as they discuss themselves and others for director Roger Michell. While not without some moments of gravity, "Tea with the Dames" is as delicious as its sounds, breezing through easy banter that's been in play for decades, with cameras capturing a friendship among actresses that's developed with care and respect. Michell knows what he's doing here, wisely getting out of the way as the Dames feel around for topics, digging up personal history as they discuss their lives, offering fascinating perspectives and triggering unexpected bellylaughs along the way. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Child's Play" was released in 1988, and the little horror movie about a possessed doll managed to make some money during its theatrical run. At least more than anyone expected from a picture with such a silly concept. It proved itself with smart execution and a memorable killer in Chucky, inspiring multiple productions looking to attract the same attention with their own visions of pint-sized terror. 1991's "Dolly Dearest" is the most distinct of the knock-offs, with writer/director Maria Lease aiming to recreate a similar feel to "Child's Play," pitting a demonic plaything against a family initially unaware of the danger they're in. In terms of scares and basic pace, Lease doesn't come anywhere near the 1988 genre triumph, but she has a few ideas that work, including the design of the titular threat, which hides malevolence behind mass-produced innocence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Dario Argento tried to expand his career throughout the 1990s, inching away from his giallo productions to challenge himself and alter his reputation. The experiment didn't exactly work, and while some interesting endeavors were born during this decade, the Argento of old was back in business for 2001's "Sleepless," which returns the helmer to the business of black-gloved killers, eye-crossing mysteries, and plenty of gory events. "Sleepless" also delivers an unusually stately leading actor in Max Von Sydow, who classes up the joint with his usual professionalism and interest in character, giving the feature something extra while Argento sweats to fill an excessive run time. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Aiming to put their own spin on a werewolf tale, Hammer Films turns to a novel by Guy Endore for inspiration, but the real spark of the production is the casting of a young Oliver Reed to portray the monster. In his first starring role, Reed delivers a passionate, full-sweat, eye-bulging performance using his natural charisma to spin this creature feature into a more dramatic direction. Indeed, the titular plague is barely present in director Terence Fisher's endeavor, and while that might disappoint some horror fans accustomed to seeing a werewolf in their werewolf entertainment, the trade-off is a more psychologically dense picture, with Hammer aiming for something more internalized than the average genre freak-out. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With vampire entertainment going in all sorts of directions during the 1980s, 1990's "Pale Blood" makes a decision to remain at arm's length from the competition. Screenwriters Takashi Matsuoka and V.V. Dachin Hsu (who also directs) return to familiar stomping grounds with their vision of trouble within the L.A. nightlife scene, but they provide a different examination of vampire mythos and madness with their endeavor, which aims to be more of a psychological take on troubles involving the creatures of the night. "Pale Blood" offers an interesting first half, dealing with world-building and characterization, which is almost enough to support the entire viewing experience, as the production has difficulty sustaining mystery and excitement from start to finish. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

For those who've been lamenting a lack of originality in modern movies, I give you "The Hummingbird Project." It's the rare picture to delve into the world of High-Frequency Trading, with writer/director Kim Nguyen trying to squeeze suspense out of a race to build a nanosecond financial system, with warring sides in competition to either dig their way to a Wall Street fortune, or take the prize through microwave signals. There have been few films with such a plot, giving Nguyen an opportunity to do something striking with the work, surprising viewers with his examination of power plays and anxiety as secretive plans to rule the speed of time turn into war. "The Hummingbird Project" isn't quite that exciting, and the helmer doesn't dazzle with invention, but he offers an acceptable ride of corporate subterfuge and paranoia, striving to remain as close to character as possible as the rest of the feature becomes a Fincher-esque procedural. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Butt Boy" began life as a short film for Tiny Cinema, an online offering of very brief creative achievements, most made without care for structure or storytelling. Just oddity for the masses. The run time was sixty seconds, introducing viewers to a man who found his pleasures in anal play, drastically upping his game as desires and curiosity grew. And that was that. Co-writer/director/star Tyler Cornack had the idea to take a one-minute-long movie and develop it into a 99-minute-long movie, retaining the central idea while expanding it in wild ways that bring audiences into areas of the human body they probably never thought they would visit. The bigger, badder "Butt Boy" is certainly some type of low-budget triumph, with Cornack wisely avoiding a Tim & Eric-style take on the mysteries and unstoppable power of one man's rear end. He doesn't go Troma either, preferring to find his own way through this intentionally weird endeavor. And that way is padding. Lots and lots of padding. Something has to fill 98 minutes of screen time once the gimmick is revealed. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Steven C. Miller hasn't enjoyed the most creatively fertile career, recently managing a string of VOD projects with basically the same title ("Submerged," "Marauders," "Arsenal," "First Kill"), while his last endeavor, 2018's "Escape Plan 2: Hades," was recently disowned by its star, Sylvester Stallone. Excitement isn't really Miller's specialty, but he does have an interest in violent encounters, finally connecting to a story in "Line of Duty" that demands a little more emphasis when it comes to bodily harm. Miller (not to be confused with colleague Brian A. Miller, who gifted the world "Vice," "Backtrace," and "Reprisal") seems alert with "Line of Duty" (which, amazingly, doesn't star Bruce Willis or Nicolas Cage), assembling a slightly energizing bruiser that's heavy on the stunt work and blessedly limited in scope. It's not a career rejuvenator, but it has a pulse, and that's good enough to pass. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

22 years ago, director Francois Girard made "The Red Violin," which examined the extended history of a special musical instrument, following the creation as it touched many lives. The picture did surprising business during its art-house run, inspiring the helmer to return to a music world mystery with "The Song of Names," another tale of the unknown featuring heavy violin references. Considerably tamer than "The Red Violin," "The Son of Names" offers a more reflective mood, with the lead characters facing the passage of time as they deal with unresolved trauma. Girard strives for screen poetry here, attempting to find dramatic support while giving the feature over to extended scenes of musicianship. It's a handsome production, and the music, by Howard Shore, aims to please. It's the overall tautness of the endeavor that's in doubt, with Girard losing interest in pace as he tries to put together something sincere. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Run times are climbing steadily in today's marketplace, with productions seemingly locked in battle to inflate theater sits just to be considered substantial, possibly justifying ticket prices while overloading storytelling requirements. And then there's "Trauma Center," which is 81-minutes long and isn't about anything of note. Such a picture begs the question: would you rather sit through an extended movie that's trying too hard or a slight endeavor that has nothing to share? "Trauma Center" has brevity, which is appealing, but writer Paul Da Silva and director Matt Eskandari don't have much else for their contained thriller, which could easily transform into a taut cat-and-mouse game set inside of a hospital, but the filmmakers don't share that ambition, taking things slowly to no particular destination, allowing cliché to support the whole feature. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Olga Kurylenko has participated in a number of action films ("Quantum of Solace," "Centurion"), but she's never been offered the opportunity to be the main attraction in bruiser entertainment. Kurylenko's wish is granted with "The Courier," which tracks a game of survival for a woman caught in a dangerous international incident. The actress is clearly the best thing in the production, displaying admirable commitment to all sorts of physical entanglements and bloody makeup. The rest of "The Courier" can't live up to her energy level, with co-writer/director Zackary Adler stumbling with a poorly plotted endeavor that plays into most VOD cliches, including the hiring of a major actor (in this case, Gary Oldman) to stand around, bark a few lines, and collect a fat paycheck. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It all started with an idea from writer John-Michael Tebelak, who wanted something more than the usual when it came to a celebration of faith. He dreamed of a way to reinvent such love, to give the story of Jesus and his teachings a different spin, helping to reach a new audience understandably bored with the rigid ways of Christian storytelling. Tebelak eventually teamed with composer Stephen Schwartz, coming up with "Godspell," a musical that proved its worth during its 1971 off-Broadway debut, even inspiring a 1972 production with a cast that included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, and Andrea Martin (Paul Shaffer was the musical director). While enjoying popularity and profit, it didn't take long for the show to hit the big screen, with 1973's "Godspell" hoping to share its unique take on faith and love with a larger audience. It's a film that's eager to please, with director David Greene working to retain the theatrical presence of the material while unleashing it on New York City, setting his cast free to romp around hop spots as they emphatically deliver a hippie gospel for a new generation of believers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Before his career began to take flight, there was a moment in the late 1970s when Mickey Rourke was just beginning to show interest in acting, but he wasn't sure Hollywood had interest in him. Playing bit roles in big movies such as "1941" and "Heaven's Gate," Rourke elected to pour his frustrations into a screenplay loosely based on his own experiences as a boxer, taking years to shape what would become the 1988 feature, "Homeboy." There's definitely a lived-in quality to the picture, which deals with desperate people and bruised minds, but Rourke works to achieve something profound through the art of aimlessness, coming up with static drama that fails to do little more than showcase the star's acting, also saving room for co-star Christopher Walken to do what Christopher Walken usually does. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

We currently live in a "RuPaul's Drag Race" world, where the pageant and attitude of drag cultural is zapped into living rooms everywhere, giving fans a weekly sampling of unparalleled glamour and often wickedly funny humor. In 1987, such showmanship was regulated to the underground, with "Paris Is Burning" presenting a peek into the ways of the Ball circuit in New York City, where those who dream of fame and fortune are gifted an all- day competition to "live the fantasy" and show off their inner wonderfulness. Director Jennie Livingston has the challenge to collect and assemble an understanding of what appears to be a widespread community of aspiring "realness," compacting such a dense world into 77 minutes of entertainment and information. There's immediacy to "Paris Is Burning," which doesn't offer documentary hospital corners, with Livingston presenting more of an in- the-moment picture with distinct LGBTQ personalities who live, love, hope, and dare to present themselves in the showiest manner possible. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Doing well with their horror releases, Hammer Films stepped away from the scary stuff for 1959's "The Ugly Duckling." Taking inspiration (or "ideas stolen") from Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," the movie offers a comedic take on shifting identities, putting actor Bernard Bresslaw in charge of portraying a two personalities emerging from one man. While the source material is meant to deliver chills, "The Ugly Duckling" aims for laughs, ending up as more of a precursor to "The Nutty Professor," with a gentle slide into a British gangster picture. It's not exactly a distinctive creative detour for Hammer, but Bresslaw makes it all worthwhile, doing his part to act up a storm while the screenplay fumbles with funny business. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With a title like "Murder in Greenwich Village," there's a certain expectation for elements of violence, deception, and general evil. The 1937 Albert S. Rogell picture actually offers very little suspense, moving forward as something of a screwball comedy, with the near-misses of love the star of the show, not sinister business with shady characters. Thankfully, there's a cast here putting in their all to make the screenplay by Michael L. Simmons stand up and shout, delivering ideal finger-snap dialogue and thespian emphasis to generate a different sort of screen energy than what the title implies. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com