Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

After achieving some level of box office popularity with his work on 1976's "Logan's Run," director Michael Anderson quickly moved on the next big thing, hoping to sustain career momentum. That feature was 1977's "Orca," a "Jaws" clone that tried and failed to cash-in on moviegoer hunger for deadly aquatic creatures. Such a fumble inspired Anderson to retreat, commencing work on 1979's "Dominique," which is as far from the future and the ocean as possible, offering a horror tale set inside a single English estate. Reducing pressure to perform at blockbuster levels, Anderson takes his sweet time with the material (an adaptation of a short story by Harold Lawlor), but he manages to find his groove here, keeping actors grounded and frights enigmatic to best preserve the eerie mood of a possible haunting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

It's amazing that 1989's "The Suckling" isn't a Troma film. For whatever reason, the tiny studio that lives to release garbage/cult cinema passed on or perhaps wasn't even offered the feature for release, which seems like a distribution crime. Writer/director Francis Teri appears to have the Troma mood in mind for this endeavor, which explores the rampage of an aborted fetus infected with toxic waste, growing into a monster that sets out to kill everyone inside an abortion clinic/brothel. While I'm sure such a premise seems like bottom-shelf gold for some audiences, Teri, making his directorial debut, is way out of his depth with "The Suckling," which looks cheap and plays dumb, trusting in the little shock value it has to keep viewers entertained. The effort never had a shot at being fun, but exciting and amusing were on the table, and Teri doesn't bother to get the material to a place of B-movie insanity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the giant movie monster craze of the 1950s, "The Deadly Mantis" must win some type of award for longest wait for total destruction. The 1957 production isn't one to swiftly arrange a cinematic war zone with its insect invader, with director Nathan Juran ("Attack of the 50 Foot Woman") tasked with filling 80 minutes of screen time without overdoing interactions with the titular creature. It's a sluggish endeavor, but "The Deadly Mantis" has a curious concentration on military procedure, with Juran perhaps understanding the absurdity of the threat, working to create a cinematic space where mayhem involving a massive praying mantis could look plausible, highlighting the latest in weaponry and surveillance techniques. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Two months ago, I reviewed "Blind Date," a 1984 thriller from director Nico Mastorakis. The plot concerned a young man who lost his sight, regaining it through help from electronic equipment, but also inheriting an ability to see horrible visions of murder. For 1990's "In the Cold of the Night," Mastorakis returns to a similar plot, exploring the mental breakdown of a man who's cursed with visions of homicide, setting out to decode exactly why he's experiencing such horrors. For the prolific helmer, such recycling is to be expected, but with a return to a familiar premise comes less adventurousness, as Mastorakis is aiming "In the Cold of the Night" in an erotic chiller direction, striving to pack in as much sex and nudity as possible (the picture is rated NC-17), with thrills and spills a lesser priority for the production. Mastorakis isn't a refined cinema architect, leaving polish and dramatic consideration a pipe dream, but for those who prefer plenty of skin to go with mild suspense, this feature delivers, showing more enthusiasm for bedroom antics than anything else it covers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Hollywood is always on the hunt for new action stars. The industry loves to get in on the ground floor with a fresh hero, presenting the chance to grow with the actor, making a small fortune as popularity blossoms. Such a spotlight was positioned on Wings Hauser for a little while in the 1980s, sending the actor through numerous genres to see what he's capable of, reaching thespian limits quickly. His supercop phase included 1983's "Deadly Force," which puts Hauser behind the wheel of his own starring vehicle, tasked with projecting toughness as an ex-lawman chasing after a serial killer prowling the corners of Los Angeles. Hauser comes ready to play, delivering a performance that's 100% committed to the cause, going all wild-eyed and big-nostriled for the film, which doesn't always reward such impressive concentrated on leading man authority. "Deadly Force" doesn't maintain steady thrills, instead pausing often to deal with a central mystery that's not as profound as the production hopes. Hauser doesn't necessarily deserve better, but this kind of movie is always best with its brake lines cut, and director Paul Aaron doesn't trust the wonders of such cinematic velocity. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

According to Cheech Marin, "Born in East L.A." was put together in a hurry to complete a 1985 Cheech & Chong album without Tommy Chong. The tune was a hit, thanks to a popular video that visually sold the story of a California man accidentally deported by steely immigration officers. And that MTV-staple video inspired a movie, with Marin breaking away from Chong to mastermind a cinematic elongation of his original idea, creating 1987's "Born in East L.A." That's quite a journey from initial inspiration to multiplexes, but Marin finds plenty of inspiration to fill up the run time, intending to blend commentary on immigration issues with broad bits of slapstick comedy, positioning himself as a Chaplin-type with this border-hopping adventure. Chong isn't missed here, as Marin has something of a vision for his helming debut, trying to find the funny as much as possible without slipping into preachiness or melodrama. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

It's not easy to make a movie that involves a killer animal. Certain viewers are quite sensitive to violence committed against creatures, forcing filmmakers to maintain concentration on a proper tone while exposing horrors to helpless animals. For 1993's "Man's Best Friend," writer/director John Lafia ("Child's Play 2") seems well-aware of the problems he's facing with the material, which pits a genetically modified Tibetan Mastiff vs. several people who choose abuse over care, triggering the dog's killer instinct. Instead of crafting a grim survey of pain, Lafia goes bright and somewhat silly with "Man's Best Friend," which emerges as an enjoyable genre exercise in good taste with problematic material. It's not exactly lighthearted, but the picture has a ripping pace and plenty of savage moments, with the helmer largely understanding when to play the severity of the moment or just give in to the absurdity of it all. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"The Earthling" is the penultimate film for actor William Holden, and in many ways, it's perhaps the proper capper on his amazing career. The 1980 picture offers Holden a chance to portray at character at the end of his life, facing his mortality and trying to do so with some dignity and a sense of closure. It's a role that demands introspection and silent reaction, and Holden is more than up for the challenge, paired with young Ricky Schroder for this survival drama, which brings the Americans to Australia, interacting with strange wildlife and challenging surroundings. "The Earthling" is severe at times, but also tries to be tender, with the leads managing surges of emotion as they inhabit opposites trying to conquer a dangerous situation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1998's "The Minion" attempts to cash-in on millennium fever, imagining a futureworld of 1999, where global temperatures are rising, unrest is taking over the world, and the countdown to the year 2000 begins. It's a tight timetable for the picture, which hopes to communicate an apocalyptic scenario a year before such an event is about to take place, but thinking ahead is not one of the feature's strengths. In fact, there are no strengths in "The Minion," with pits Dolph Lundgren against Wendigo, an evil force who's been locked up for centuries, itching to be released and bring utter destruction to Earth. While it sounds like a proper DTV romp, director Jean-Marc Piche doesn't have a vision for such low-budget combat, in charge of detailing a laborious script by Matt Roe and Ripley Highsmith, which drags along the ground, carrying heavy amounts of exposition, leaving little time to focus on the most important part of the package: Lundgren fighting monsters with a spiked glove. Such diversions are few and far between in this dud, which promises the end of the world, but doesn't have a plan to get there. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"The Favor" endured a rocky road to a theatrical release. It was filmed in 1990, willing to hire a young Brad Pitt for a supporting part as a hunky artist, just before his big break in "Thelma and Louise." However, due to bankruptcy issues with Orion Pictures, the feature actually crawled into theaters in 1994, where nobody made the trip to see it, despite the presence of Pitt, whose marquee value surged during the movie's lengthy time on the shelf. Watching the effort today, and even a 1990 production year seems too modern for the endeavor, as "The Favor" often resembles product from the mid-1980s, providing audiences with a moldy take on marital blues and escalating misunderstandings, with director Donald Petrie (then the helmer of "Mystic Pizza" and "Opportunity Knocks") trying to stitch together a proper farce with lackluster elements of comedy. It's halfhearted work at best, providing a vanilla viewing experience while downplaying edgier viewpoints on domestic satisfaction, secret desires, and an unplanned pregnancy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

In 1971, there was "Willard." It was a mildly unsettling film and surprisingly cheery, with the picture's marketing promising a raging horror experience, but the actual effort was actually more peaceful. Star Bruce Davison delivered a fine performance as a young man with problems who befriends household rats, and the feature as a whole was engaging, with a unique take on an animals attack premise. There was room for improvement and remake cinema took its time, with "Willard" resurfacing in 2003, offering acting duties to Crispin Glover, an inspired choice for the titular role, presenting director James Morgan with a full helping of behavioral weirdness to go along with the tale's intended rat-based freak-out. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

There's no greater pairing than the edge of teen angst and the power of witchcraft, and co-writer/director Andrew Fleming has a fine vision for high school hellraising in 1996's "The Craft." Bringing along stars Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Rachel True, and Neve Campbell, Flemings taps into a primal need for magical control, exploring initial mischief from four teenagers looking to alter their lives through deals with the dark side, who soon come into contact with actual power to exact revenge on their hallway enemies and body issues. "The Craft" does a terrific job with introductions, offering a first half that details horrible behavior and physical pain attacked by rites and spellcasting, with Fleming playing up the demands of teen cinema while exposing a darker side to personal issues. "The Craft" is sharply observed and mindful of genre demands, also supplying lead performances that commit to the fantasy in full, with Balk especially crazed as the alpha witch gone bad. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The late Curtis Hanson ended up in a place of Hollywood regality, managing to secure his legacy through efforts such as "Wonder Boys," "8 Mile," and "L.A. Confidential," which won him an Academy Award. However, before his placement on the A-list, Hanson nurtured a career as a B-movie specialist, trying to build a reputation as a man capable of quality work while still following box office trends. In the 1980s, one of the hottest subgenres around was the teen horndog comedy, with the massive success of "Porky's" inspiring countless knockoffs, gifting desperate producers a chance to ride the turn in adolescent entertainment. The broadly titled "Losin' It" is Hanson's stab at capturing the troublemaking ways of young men desperate to lose their virginity, embarking on an odyssey into the craziness of Mexico to achieve their one and only goal. The helmer's mission is to create a pleasant ride of mischief, yet Hanson always seems a bit confused with his job, striving to position characterization in the middle of a weak farce, coming up with a feature that's not funny and never as deeply felt as Hanson would like it to be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 1943, Columbia Pictures wanted to revive the Dracula screen experience with the actor that brought it to life, reuniting Bela Lugosi with one of his most famous roles. However, Universal Pictures wasn't about celebrate the situation, using legal hustle to prevent Columbia from cashing in directly. Instead of engineering a sequel to 1931's "Dracula," the production comes up with "The Return of the Vampire," evading courtroom entanglements while giving audiences the bloodsucker event they demand. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Suppose they made a sequel to 1965's "She" and nobody knew? The Ursula Andress-starrer from Hammer Films managed to become a hit, using sex appeal and wild stretches of fantasy, taking inspiration from author H. Rider Haggard. However, Andress didn't want to return to duty, forcing Hammer to rethink the concept of a sequel, using 1968's "The Vengeance of She" as a way to semi-remake their original effort, replacing Andress with Olinka Berova, who certainly has the look for the part, but little thespian skill. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

1988's "Mutant War" is generally considered a sequel to 1985's "Battle for the Lost Planet," but writer/director Brett Piper doesn't entirely believe in the potential of a true continuation. While the lead character returns to duty, there's little else that syncs up with the previous endeavor, finding the helmer in rehash mode, only something is weirdly askew with follow-up. Piper has more money and filmmaking technology to give "Mutant War" proper thrust, but he's made a mostly lifeless picture that doesn't possess the same DIY vibe of special effects that kept "Battle for the Lost Planet" vaguely interesting. The fun has been drained out of the endeavor, watching as Piper labors on a needless do-over that plays considerably smaller than its predecessor, while the titular promise for sci-fi chaos isn't kept. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Paying tribute to the cinema of his youth, writer/director Brett Piper manufactures his own B-movie adventure with 1986's "Battle for the Lost Planet," which pairs sci-fi and post-apocalyptic survival for a low-budget brew of filmmaking achievements. One doesn't come to the feature looking for stunning dramatics, it's a production that's more about appreciating what Piper manages to pull off with limited coin, mounting a tale that travels from Earth to Mercury and back again, ending up with a war between alien invaders and human inhabitants struggling to retain the old way of life. It's not a refined picture, and its run time is downright punishing as the effort continues, but there's helming pluck presented here that's easy to admire, watching Piper try to figure out a vision for intergalactic hostilities and earthbound discoveries, working in monsters and mayhem to boost the bottom-shelf appeal of "Battle for the Lost Planet." Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1956's "The Mole People" is a little hesitant to make a swan dive into sci-fi/horror, opening with expert testimony from a USC English professor who sets the scene by sharing bits of foolish science concerning activity occurring at the center of the Earth. Such mistakes and myth are used to lubricate audience passage into the realm of "The Mole People," which is pure silliness, but the production seems very concerned with establishing some type of archaeological authenticity before it brings out a parade of whip-slinging albinos and the creatures from the depths they've enslaved. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's difficult to believe that co-writer/director Carter Stevens had a precise plan to expose the ugly underbelly of life in Hollywood with 1980's "Tinseltown," but he does a fairly good job summarizing the corruption of the industry. While it remains adult entertainment, the movie tries to capture the cruelties and surprises of the business, essentially calling out the casting system as a form of prostitution, where the willing aren't always rewarded for giving. Exploitation is the premise here, and Stevens manages an effective look at the painful realities of professional acting. While he tries to keep things light, the helmer has a hard time staying away from darkness, giving a minor feature of intended eroticism some archeological value for today's audiences. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A writer specializing in gritty inspections of hollowed out souls, Richard Price looks to lighten things up after spending his early years in the industry crafting pictures such as "The Color of Money" and "Sea of Love." 1993's "Mad Dog and Glory" isn't a knee-slapper in the usual sense, but for Price, who rarely passes on adrenalized masculinity, this endeavor is practically a Billy Wilder film, surveying the accidental collision of crime and justice, and the woman caught up in the war of discomfort. Director John McNaughton ("Wild Things") tries to preserve as much Price as possible, delivering an intermittently calloused tale of romantic awakening dimmed by criminal entanglements, and he has a fine cast to help achieve unsteady tonality, with Robert De Niro and Bill Murray playing against type, trying to manufacture a special dance of intimidation with darkly comic timing. When it connects, "Mad Dog and Glory" is very funny and loose, but McNaughton doesn't always nail the special mood of the endeavor, often in a hurry to wrap up a story that needs more time to marinate. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com