Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

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

While David Lynch recently organized a return trip to "Twin Peaks," writer/director Jennifer Reeder wants to keep the celebration going with "Knives and Skin." While not directly an ode to Lynch's exploration of the damned, Reeder certainly pays tribute to the helmer's ways with garmonbozia, manufacturing her own take on the twisted residents of a seemingly normal town, where the death of a young girl begins to unravel everything. Reeder likes to keep matters tangled and unreal at times, and her stab at a screen mystery is attempted with dull storytelling skills. She's better with the weird stuff, but just barely, as "Knives and Skin" quickly loses itself to strained idiosyncrasy, often showing its work when it comes to conjuring screen oddity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Raw Courage" demands a lot from its audience just from the main title sequence. One of the first images in the picture is a shot of Ronny Cox spreading Vaseline on his crusty feet, working the substance around his toes and into the skin. There's a point to it, as the actor portrays a long- distance runner preparing for an extended marathon, but it's quite the introduction, offering a harrowing visual before the rest of the film has a chance to get going, with subsequent frights not quite as potent as a greasy Cox foot. Thankfully, "Raw Courage" stays away from corn chip toenails for the rest of the feature, which is actually an effective B-movie that pits athletes against militia morons in the vast New Mexico desert, taking in all the hostility and panic such a premise provides. Perhaps foot fetishists might get a little more out of the endeavor than most, but the effort connects as low-budget escapism, doing well with most chases and levels of characterization. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The screenplay for "The Killing Time" (credited to Don Bohlinger, James Nathan, and Bruce Franklin Singer) looks to bring a piece of film noir to the mid-1980s. Many productions have tried to do it, and the quest continues to this day, but the effort presented here is noticeable, bringing the story to life with mysterious characters, the planning of a crime for the love of a woman, and the eventual unraveling of such an illegal endeavor. Director Rick King isn't hiding his influences, but he's not exactly massaging them either, delivering a half-hearted presentation of all-gone-wrong cinema, hoping to amplify the viewing experience with barking villainy, violence, and an offering of softcore sex. Trouble is, King doesn't bring "The Killing Time" to life, content to make a sluggish movie that's not particularly turned on by its own mischief, while suspense is minimal at best. Sure, there's Beau Bridges in a rare leading man turn, tasked with keeping the feature together, but the actor's intermittent excitement and shirtlessness isn't enough to make the picture interesting, while the writing eventually goes to sleep, unable to produce enough nail-biting encounters to make the sit worthwhile. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Working to bring a special immediacy to the world of documentaries, Albert and David Maysles (along with Charlotte Zwerin) launch their new wave of "direct cinema" with 1969's "Salesman." Instead of swinging for the fences with a big topic to explore, looking to rattle the world with importance, the helmers decide to explore different side of capitalism with the picture, which traces the labor of four bible salesman, with the group sent out into the world to provide high-pressure techniques to poor people to purchase an expensive book they don't need. "Salesman" is a tale of survival in many ways, and it's a crime story in others, with the Maysles refusing to do anything but document the moments they share with the subjects, highlighting their exploits, leaving ultimate judgement of character for the viewer to decide. As an early form of Maysles craftsmanship, the feature is an incredible cinematic document, and a vivid time capsule of the hustler's life in the 1960s, with these predators nervously toying with their prey. It's also a wildly uncomfortable movie to watch, but that seems to be the point, as the production doesn't sugarcoat anything about the men, who live for the sale, on an endless quest for the almighty dollar. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the deep sea of family entertainment, it takes a lot to get noticed. There has to be something dramatically compelling or visually stunning to acquire attention, and while it has all the good intentions possible, "Swift" just doesn't have enough personality to keep viewers involved in the tale for what becomes a very long 90 minutes. Directors Christian Haas and Andrea Block offering admirable messages on community and acceptance, but the effort is missing something special to help it rise above the competition. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

When it aired in May, 1983, "V" was an instant hit for NBC, with the network's careful promotional push, teasing the dickens out of the production, actually paying off, securing a large viewership for the two-part miniseries. The Kenneth Johnson creation made its way into the pop culture conversation, and the conclusion of "V" presented a tempting opening for a sequel, with the Resistance sending signals into deep space, hoping to attract the attention of an alien nation capable of triggering an independence day for Earth, taking care of the Visitors, ending their dastardly plans to strip the planet of its water and feast on its population. NBC immediately ordered a follow-up, only Johnson's vision for the next chapter was dismissed, with executives more interested in keeping things earthbound, reluctant to pay for an intergalactic battle royal. One year later, "V: The Final Battle" was unleashed on the public, with the story beefed up to a three-night stand (Part 1 – 90:13, Part 2 – 92:06, Part 3 – 84:59), while the story, now stripped of mystery, turns to war, eschewing Johnson's vision to stage chases and encourage more exploitative elements. It's all tremendously fun and a teensy bit lurid, and while "V: The Final Battle" isn't as passionate a project as its predecessor, it remains an active and invested continuation of the original series. And there's a character named Ham. What more do you need? Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1980's "The Blues Brothers" is credited as the first "Saturday Night Live" movie, becoming a hit during the summer season, proving to Hollywood there was gold in them thar hills. However, it would take another 12 years before producer Lorne Michaels would permit another pass at a big screen adaptation of a sketch, eventually shepherding a cinematic spin for "Wayne's World," hitting the comedy zeitgeist with fresh, devastatingly hilarious offering that gracefully expanded the world of "Saturday Night Live" for a young audience newly hooked on the program. Bizarrely, for his follow-up, Michaels didn't march forward in pop culture, he went back, all the way to the year 1977, selecting "Coneheads" as the next display of multiplex power from the "SNL" catalog. It's not exactly clear what motivated this creative direction, but Michaels manages to assemble something with 1993's "Coneheads," offering co-writer/star Dan Aykroyd a shot at alien-based craziness with a feature-length showcase of his weirdest creation, transforming the family from "France" into a picture that periodically reminds the viewer that the concept only works in five-minute-long offerings of oddness. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

With 1983's "Olivia," co-writer/director Ulli Lommel tries to create an homage to Alfred Hitchcock. He doesn't succeed in matching the master's way with suspense and psychological fracture, but Lommel gets somewhere with the material, which is more than I'm sure many might expect. Merging the worlds of "Psycho" and "Vertigo," Lommel aims to concoct a proper descent into the far reaches of madness, dealing with sexuality and violence as the titular character is hit with more trauma than she can handle. The set-up connects, and the midsection has some potency. It's the last act where Lommel bungles the endeavor, but for a good hour and change, "Olivia" remains engrossing, juggling just enough lurid detail and strangeness to entertain. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Attempting to participate in the rise of Satanic Panic features born from the success of "The Exorcist," 1979's "Malabimba" strives to replicate the same uncomfortable energy as a pure, young soul is corrupted by a special type of evil bent on using and destroying the innocence of its host. The Italian production, directed by Andrea Bianchi (1972's "Treasure Island," "Cry of a Prostitute"), isn't content to remain in a space of physical torment, working to amplify the horror of the situation as wickedness is unleashed inside of a castle. The production aims to go one step further, transforming "Malabimba" into adult entertainment, moving from softcore scenes of taboo temptation to hardcore inserts, aiming to sauce up the viewing experience by adding sexual conquests featuring the hired cast and intermittent views of genital close-ups. The picture is incredibly bizarre, and it's not entirely clear if Bianchi is even aware of what he's doing here, commencing the endeavor as a traditional fright film before veering off into a loopy dirty movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1985, writer/director Andy Sidaris decided to create his own special universe of heroes and villains, using the ways of no-budget filmmaking to generate cheap thrills through the use of exotic locations, rough action, and nudity. "Malibu Express" wasn't trying to alter the curve of exploitation cinema, but it did the trick for the VHS generation, inspiring Sidaris to keep churning out titles to meet demand, reusing actors and hot tubs as he built the Malibu Bay Films empire (joined by his wife, Arlene Sidaris). 1993's "Fit to Kill" is the eighth installment of the loosely defined series, continuing the adventures of bikini-clad security agents as they defend America with their firepower, sleuthing, and distinct skills of seduction. There's certainly a "if you've seen one of these things, you've seen them all" vibe to the picture, but to criticize Sidaris for his unrepentant recycling is missing the point of the Malibu Bay experience. "Fit to Kill" isn't reinventing the wheel, but there's some cleverness to be found in the movie, and Sidaris is wise enough to introduce actress Julie Strain to the family, with the statuesque Penthouse Pet bringing needed attitude to the franchise, keeping others on their toes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1985, writer/director Andy Sidaris decided to create his own special universe of heroes and villains, using the ways of no-budget filmmaking to generate cheap thrills through the use of exotic locations, rough action, and nudity. "Malibu Express" wasn't trying to alter the curve of exploitation cinema, but it did the trick for the VHS generation, inspiring Sidaris to keep churning out titles to meet demand, reusing actors and hot tubs as he built the Malibu Bay Films empire (joined by his wife, Arlene Sidaris). 1993's "Hard Hunted" is the seventh installment of the loosely defined series, continuing the adventures of bikini-clad security agents as they defend America with their firepower, sleuthing, and distinct skills of seduction. There's certainly a "if you've seen one of these things, you've seen them all" vibe to the picture, but to criticize Sidaris for his unrepentant recycling is missing the point of the Malibu Bay experience. "Hard Hunted" is an effort that leans especially hard on the formula of the franchise, though this chapter is a little more interested in outside activity, charming audiences with bright locales and performances, while Andy gradually loses interest in providing a workable story, making the movie more of a highlight reel of Malibu Bay delights than an escalating adventure concerning a mission to prevent the end of the world. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com