Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

An inventive and semi-wild overview of backyard hellraising, heavy metal, and suburban survival, 1987's "The Gate" scored big with a limited budget. It featured engaged performances from its young cast and memorable special effects, with director Tibor Takacs handling a PG-13 horror movie with confidence, making sure to maintain creepiness while selling the fun factor of true minion mayhem. 1992's "Gate II" (which was completed in 1989, but suffered a distribution delay) does what it can to replicate the inherent appeal of kids fighting miniature demons, but Takacs and returning screenwriter Michael Nankin attempt to age-up the viewing experience, heading in an R-rated direction with even less money to help bring an apocalyptic vision to life. "Gate II" isn't nearly as wily as the original picture, but the production manages to score with what little they have to work with, offering neat special effects and a renewed focus on wish fulfillment to help reheat the formula.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Writer/director Alexander Cassini takes an experimental route when conjuring the ravages of mental illness in 1991's "Star Time." To describe the picture as strange is an understatement, with the helmer embarking on a Lynchian tour of psychological decay, clinging to a few horror traditions to preserve some sense of movement for a production that doesn't always prize forward momentum. It's not a slasher movie, but there's a body count and masked killer brandishing an ax, delivering a sense of threat to a feature that's interested in deconstructing the ways of serial killing. "Star Time" has moments of abstraction, but it works as a swan dive into madness spotlighting a truly unhinged individual coming to terms with the expanse of his treasured media-worshiping delusions. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

After trying his luck with a "Death Wish" knock-off in 1980's "The Exterminator," writer/director James Glickenhaus ups his game to the international level, trying on the world of 007 in 1982's "The Soldier," which positions Ken Wahl as a James Bond-style superspy trying to prevent the end of the world, or at least the end of affordable gas and peace in the Middle East. Obviously, Glickenhaus doesn't have the money to bring an expansive thriller to life, but he does have a few scrappy ideas for chases and confrontations. "The Soldier" is clunky, teeming with filler and drowsy acting, but when it makes the effort to lock into excitement and supply some crazy stunt work and multiple explosions, it remains passable entertainment, rarely working overtime to become something special. Wahl isn't easy to buy as a world-class master of assassination and political relationships, but he's much more appealing in panic mode, adding his special, slightly sluggish charms to Glickenhaus's vision for big screen adventuring. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

To pull off a disaster movie set inside a high school, animation is the only art form left to handle the enormity and fantasy of the event. Death and destruction are contained within "My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea," a darkly comedic take on adolescent survival (both literal and social) from writer/director Dash Shaw, who examines the plight of a crumbling school with emphasis on quirky, psychedelic visuals and distinctive voice work. "My High School Sinking Into the Sea" isn't a major offering of animation, but it's wonderfully creative in its approach to doomsday, with Shaw arranging an idiosyncratic tour of behavior and physical challenges that permit him time to conjure a charmingly low-fi world of teen neuroses. It's strange work, but accomplished and quite funny when it wants to be. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Slasher formula finds its way back into the woods for 1988's "American Gothic," which reunites hapless, inconsiderate outsiders and the mass murderers they often meet in the middle of nowhere. Writers Burt Wetanson and Michael Vines seem aware they aren't working with the freshest of premises, so they try to up the mental illness factor of the material, endeavoring to merge real-world agony with B-movie shenanigans that result in a hefty body count. Surprises are limited in "American Gothic," but the picture does have the advantage of a strong cast, with the agents of horror a familiar team of character actors in their golden years, enjoying a chance to menace the screen with thespian idiosyncrasies and veteran timing. The feature as a whole doesn't wow or intimidate with any noticeable force, but director John Hough seems to understand what he's working with, wisely putting emphasis on the most oddball and charismatic performers to get the effort all the way to an ending.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The 1980s were filled with strange fads, including the Rubik's Cube, breakdancing, and Cabbage Patch Dolls, but the oddest pop culture uprising from the decade has to be the surge of ninja-themed entertainment. While there's nothing wrong with a good ninja adventure, the '80s were chock full of them, triggered in part by the cult success of 1981's "Revenge of the Ninja," which spawned a few sequels and partially inspired "The Master," with franchise star Sho Kosugi returning in a supporting role, reclaiming his position as the go-to actor for all cloaked martial arts business. Crazily, the production didn't give Kosugi a weekly shot at impressing American audiences with his physical skill, handing starring duties to Lee Van Cleef, then a 60-year-old man stroking a filmography had him playing all types of hard creeps and antiheroes. When one thinks about the basic flexibility and weapon mastery of a stealthy ninja, Van Cleef and his slight limp doesn't come to mind, but "The Master" has a funny way of making the crazy casting work, finding Van Cleef the most appealing element in the action series, which plays like much of the kid-centric escapist fare from the era, mixing Eastern culture with "A-Team" antics, keeping things sufficiently kick-happy and shuriken-spinning.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1923's "The Covered Wagon" is a silent production that's largely credited as having a role in the birth of the big screen epic. Director James Cruze doesn't want a simple tale of Oregon Trail travel, going as big as possible to accurately detail the arduous cross-country trek, masterminding spectacle as the screenplay (an adaptation of a novel by Emerson Hough) secures simplistic but effects swings of melodrama, creating a love triangle to hold attention between wild displays of barely controlled chaos.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The behind-the-scenes story on 1977's "Prey" is extraordinary, with the picture conceived, shot, and released in a matter of months, delivering a sci- fi/horror tale with the minimum of second thoughts, basically committing to the screen anything that was conjured during production. It's important to remember such creative speed while watching the feature, with the low-budget endeavor often struggling to find things to do between scenes that advance the story. "Prey" is minor, but director Norman J. Warren does what he can with his frightening creative challenge, preserving a few provocative ideas screenwriter Max Cuff inserts into the work.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Director Carlos Tobalina is primarily known for his work in adult cinema (helming titles such as "Champagne Orgy" and "Sexual Kung Fu in Hong Kong"), but there was a moment in his career where he wanted to try out some professional legitimacy. 1985's "Flesh and Bullets" doesn't contain any hardcore material, but it might as well, with Tobalina treating the "thriller" with the same kind of attention most throwaway X-rated endeavors receive. That's not to suggest the movie isn't a wildly entertaining junk food viewing experience, but "Flesh and Bullets" is no display of creative focus from Tobalina, who sticks to what he knows, only dialing down graphic content. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Co-writer/director Alan Ormsby endeavors to create something wacky with 1974's "Murder on the Emerald Seas" (a.k.a. "The Great Masquerade"), and his approach to big screen comedy takes some getting used to. Clearly a fan of classic comedies, favoring the work found in silent cinema, Ormsby tries to master the same timing and tirelessness for "Murder on the Emerald Seas," which plays broadly and excitedly with familiar set-ups and punchlines. It's a whodunit, but providing a thorough mystery isn't part of the production's plan, as most energy is poured in generating silliness, which can only reach as far as the iffy screenplay allows. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1976's "The Muthers" is happy to participate in a multitude of subgenres, hoping to appeal to as many audiences as possible with a relatively simple product. The overall mood is rooted in Blaxploitation, focusing on tough black women and the nonsense they reject, but there are also cinematic avenues to explore that include martial art displays and women-in-prison entertainment. "The Muthers" isn't classy, trying very hard to follow filmmaking trends, but director Cirio H. Santiago launches an amusing assault, working to keep the endeavor on the go with action encounters and assorted survival challenges.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1969's "The Hang Up" offers no introductions, flinging viewers into a gender fluid bar where a young entertainer known as Suzette sits in the middle of the room, removes her top, and wills herself to orgasm. No characters are identified or motivations established, it's just pure sexploitation filler from writer/director John Hayes, who trusts the core demographic sitting down to watch the picture are far more interested in the baring of breasts than the morality play to come. "The Hang Up" eventually connects to a story, but it's hard to top such a bizarre opener, though the kinky melodrama that ensues is just kooky enough to pay attention to, though it helps to have the knowledge that Hayes never returns to salaciousness with the same verve he offers in the film's opening.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the general DIY movement of horror cinema in the 1960s, perhaps spurred on by successes achieved by Hammer Films and Roger Corman, more than few oddball productions managed to sneak their way into release. 1962's "The Dungeon of Harrow" is one such picture, with co-writer/director Pay Boyette trying to create his own gothic nightmare with only a few passable ideas, struggling with budget issues and a strange imagination for evildoing inside a remote castle. "The Dungeon of Harrow" is painfully inert at times, but for those who have the patience for slow-drip suspense, the feature does have the advantage of an ending, with all the sluggishness, crude technical achievements, and labored performances actually leading somewhere for a change, though it takes an incredible amount of patience to get there.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1979's "Penitentiary" was no great drama, but the prison boxing film was dedicated to showcasing true grit and horrors behind bars, adding some light insanity to play up the material's B-movie potential, welcoming people into the viewing experience. Writer/director Jamaa Fanaka doesn't continue the steeliness for 1982's "Penitentiary II," taking the sequel down a bizarrely comedic path that's more about camp than concussions, perhaps fearful nobody would show up if he dared to play the continuation straight. The guilty pleasures of "Penitentiary" are mostly gone in the follow-up, finding Fanaka out of ideas when it comes to the next chapter of the Martel "Too Sweet" Gardone saga, stripping out the inherent hardness of the setting and the participants to create a near-parody of what's come before, only storytelling skills are severely slackened, performances are nuclear, and the central idea of pugilist redemption is now nothing more than an afterthought. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

1976's "Mary! Mary!" provides a simple premise: Ned (John Leslie) has erectile issues, offering to trade his soul to the Devil (a.k.a. "The Arranger") for a cream that solves all his sexual problems. And with this thin plot, director Bernard Morris attempt to liven up the proceedings with humor, horror, a car chase, and a sexual tryst that brings in salted meats to heat up the evening. It initially appears so benign, but once "Mary! Mary!" gets rolling, there's plenty of oddity to enjoy, along with the surprisingly active hardcore content of the movie. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Comparisons to 2013's "The Kings of Summer" are valid, but 2015's "Sleeping Giant" is really its own thing, heading to Canada to explore the savage hearts of teenage boys as they're set free for the season. Co-writer/director Andrew Cividino adapts his own 2014 short film, working hard to extend the behavioral investigation, filling the movie with small battles of conscience, love, and trust, all the while indulging all the verite inspiration he's absorbed over the years. "Sleeping Giant" gets mostly there, and while the stress to fill a feature shows throughout the effort, there are periodic moments of enlightenment and combativeness that demand full attention. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

In the montage that opens "Dolores," there are shots of triumph featuring the documentary's subject, Dolores Huerta, and a few shots of media types and other folk wondering just who Huerta is. Director Peter Bratt understands her lack of fame, at least in this day and age, creating a cinematic inspection of the labor leader and civil rights activist that's meant to be a celebration and something of an introduction. It's a smart way to approach Huerta's arc of defiance and organization, transforming "Dolores" into a valuable educational tool and an engrossing feature, supported by impressively varied footage of Huerta in action and a slew of interviewees who've come together to recount amazing resilience and focus during turbulent decades of injustice and prejudice for Mexican laborers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

If the famous computer game "The Oregon Trail" was based on the events depicted in 1967's "The Way West," there would be an entire generation forever scarred by the stark realities on life on the migratory trip west. A lot more than dysentery rises up to challenge the settlers gathered in Andrew V. McLaglen's picture, which takes a hard look at the mistakes made and sacrifices required to find a fresh start in Oregon. It certainly helps to have a talented cast along to boost the dramatic potential of the material, but the basics of betrayal and loss are communicated vividly in the movie, which maintains an epic widescreen posture but stays amazingly pitiless when to comes to the fates of many of the characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

The celebratory aspect of the "Blade of the Immortal" release is the picture's status as the 100th film from director Takeshi Miike, which is no small feat when considering the man began his career ascent in 1991. He's an extremely prolific creator of violent entertainment, hitting some potent cult movie highs over the years ("Ichi the Killer," "13 Assassins"), but he's always swinging at the first pitch, keeping himself busy behind the camera dreaming up new ways to brutalize human beings. "Blade of the Immortal" is not a significant creative departure for Miike, but it does utilize his gifts for blunt aggression and screen style well, adding touches of the unreal to a samurai extravaganza adapted from a popular manga, which permits the story to generally disregard Japanese history and charge ahead as a lengthy, funky bloodbath.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1996's "Boys" was probably never destined to be a quality movie. Writer/director Stacy Cochran takes on the impossible task of filling 87 minutes of screen time with her adaptation of a James Salter short story that was only eight pages long. In terms of screenwriting endeavors, that's a Hail Mary pass, and one Cochran is unable to complete despite her best intentions to taffy-pull anything from Salter's work to help beef up the dramatic potential of the project. "Boys" is the rare feature where nothing really happens during the run time, watching Cochran quickly lose interest in character arcs and mysteries, leaving the film to gradually fall asleep. There's a cast of young talent who seem eager to make something interesting out of all this filler, and while the effort is appreciated, the viewing experience is a complete drag. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com