Category: DVD/BLU-RAY

In the legacy of Ozploitation, it's difficult to understand what "Snapshot" represents to the cinematic tradition. Coming from the makers of "Patrick," which went far to establish the popularity of Australian chillers, "Snapshot" doesn't register with the same level of creepiness, emerging as more of a character drama than something intending to rile up audiences. It's an unusually reserved effort which trusts in the possibilities of patience, never really pursuing a defined plot until most of the movie is already over. Director Simon Wincer and screenwriters Everett and Chris De Roche trust in quieter, conversational moments, and it gives the feature a different approach to unsettling behavior. It lacks most overt surprises, but the nightmare summoned here appears to be psychological in design, tracking the ruin of a young woman who only wanted quick cash and a little taste of independence. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Exploitation goes pure and uncut for 1985's "Tenement," a film that takes great pleasure in being incredibly violent, with particular attention to the massacre of its characters. The effort comes from Roberta Findlay, a practiced helmer of sleaze, and she's in a particular mood to deliver a truly uneasy viewing experience detailing the horrors of urban living, taking on the nightmare of the Bronx with full attention to B-movie suffering, sold under the guise of a siege picture. Because of its '80s creation date, some of this aggression hasn't aged particularly well, but sections of "Tenement" still manage to summon their intended noise, with Findlay making sure to linger on unsavory business for as long as she can — a fixation that inspired the MPAA to slap the endeavor with an X rating for its initial theatrical release, making it even more irresistible to admirers of low-budget hellraising.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After creating a moviegoing phenomenon with 1939's "Gone with the Wind," producer David O. Selznick understandably craved a return to such cultural domination. It took him seven years, but Selznick reunited with epic filmmaking for "Duel in the Sun," an adaptation of novel by Niven Busch, getting him out of the south and into the west, finding a cowboy tale that brimming with volatile personalities and boiling emotions. Sadly, "Duel in the Sun" is not as patient as "Gone with the Wind" when it comes to heated confrontations and tangled relationships, with this need to revive the alchemy of the earlier effort screwing with the timing and emphasis of the new production.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

As a director, John Huston has enjoyed an incredible career, dating back to his very first outing, 1941's "The Maltese Falcon." 1985's "Prizzi's Honor" is Huston's penultimate picture, but more importantly, it was the last work that connected with a large audience, becoming a sleeper hit during the "Rambo: First Blood Part II"/"Back to the Future" summer, and eventually going on to collect numerous awards, including an Oscar for co-star Anjelica Huston, his very own daughter. Certainly the movie charmed audiences unprepared for a twisty mafia endeavor with a sly sense of humor, but "Prizzi's Honor" also acquired attention due to Huston's participation, acting as sort of a career capper for a helmer who had a little trouble navigating the late 1970s and early '80s. On its own, the film is mostly just fine, never remarkable, coasting on the abilities of its tremendously talented ensemble, which is teeming with character actors and toplined by then-titans, Kathleen Turner and Jack Nicholson. The Huston touch is there with cultural details and bluntness, but the feature falls a little flat when it gets caught up in plot mechanics. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Joel and Ethan Coen rarely take it easy on audiences, but 1991's "Barton Fink" is one of their most puzzling, internalized creations. It's a tough nut to crack, and perhaps it's never meant to be, deliberately playing with enigmas and limited information to create an unsettling atmosphere of personal and creative disintegration. It's pure Coen in many aspects, showcasing a tight sense of style and intimidation, but it also offers a few stretches of dark high jinks to preserve the viewing experience. Coming off arguably their finest effort, 1990's "Miller's Crossing," "Barton Fink" plays like an impish purge of creative frustrations and distractions, with the Coen Brothers, tired of managing a lush period piece, electing to plunge within, crafting the most personal psychological drill job of their careers. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Reuniting with star Bob Hope after their work on "The Paleface" and "The Lemon Drop Kid," director Frank Tashlin, a veteran of animated entertainment, goes full cartoon with 1952's "Son of Paleface." Technically, it's a sequel, but Tashlin and Hope treat the production as their own rocket ride to the moon and back, going insanely broad to keep audience attention, staging a highly bizarre romp that's truly unpredictable and utterly exhausting. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Joseph Sarno was a filmmaker not known for taking it easy. With over 100 directorial credits during his career, Sarno was happy to try anything to keep working, mostly sticking to sexploitation to inspire quickie productions. Sarno devotees largely consider 1966's "Red Roses of Passion" to be one of his best, offering a familiar no-budget look with the addition of a slightly sinister tale of demonic influence and sexual chaos, using salacious content wisely, helping to distract from the picture's obvious shortcomings.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In the aftermath of "Jaws" and its startling success at the box office, there was a horde of rip-offs lining up to feast on audience interest in aquatic horror. 1979's "The Great Alligator" isn't a decent lift, but the Italian production has the right idea when it comes to staging underwater mayhem, especially with a limited budget. Director Sergio Martino has a plan to frighten audiences with direct shots of alligator aggression, but he's much better off with the feature's loose sense of native mysticism, which doesn't require the services of a rubber monster.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

"Throat…12 Years After" is careful to note that it's not a sequel to "Deep Throat," but a semi-similar exploration of inhibition from directed Gerard Damiano, who clearly wants to capitalize on his earlier fame, but doesn't want to risk the legal woes.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Slasher cinema arrives at one of its stranger settings in 1988's "Hide and Go Shriek," which details a murderous rampage inside a furniture showroom. The production wins points for originality, and commercial spaces are rarely utilized for the distribution of nightmare imagery, watching director Skip Schoolnik labor to transform a static location into a proper house of horror. The effort is noticeable, and "Hide and Go Shriek" manages to hit a few high points of suspense without completely falling apart, but sweat stains remain, often catching Schoolnik struggling to keep the picture on the move.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's the most famous of the Spaghetti Westerns, the picture that shot Clint Eastwood to worldwide fame, and remains arguably the finest movie Sergio Leone ever directed. In 1966, he unleashed "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," and westerns were forever changed, not to mention the industry itself. A power play among three morally dubious characters remains at the heart of the feature, all chasing the elusive promise of gold, but the effort is really more of a showcase for Leone's inimitable style, which becomes an unstoppable force as the endeavor unfolds. There have been many imitators, but there's only one Leone, and his guiding force, backed by Ennio Morricone's legendary score, is the true star of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," capping his "Dollars Trilogy" with a humdinger of an epic conclusion. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1967's "Clambake" is not one of Elvis Presley's most beloved movies. It's often the subject of mild mockery, with even Tom Hanks getting in a few shots on talk shows when his love for Elvis comes up in the conversation. Indeed, in the grand scheme of things, this is not the King's finest hour on film, but with lowered expectations and perhaps a great need for escapism, and "Clambake" can be entertaining, offering a jovial party and sporting mood that's helped along by a lively supporting cast, who do their best to keep a snoozy, woozy Elvis from completely checking out of the production. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

1928's "Beggars of Life" is largely considered to be one of Louise Brooks's finest motion pictures. The material asks quite a lot of the actress, portraying a haunted character in the midst of interstate travel and personal turmoil, facing threat from all sides. Brooks gives the role all she's got, and effort is appreciated, adding a rich sense of emotion to the production, which winds through elements of murder, abuse, and law enforcement pursuit, requiring a little softness to balance out all the edge that's served up during the run time.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

I suppose there should be a club for those who saw "Gumby: The Movie" during its initial theatrical release. Or perhaps a therapy group. Interested in strange moviegoing experiences, I attended a matinee showing in September, 1995 (at the now demolished Brookdale 8 Cinemas, for the Minnesota readers), not really understanding what I was about to witness. My awareness of the Gumby character at the time was limited to occasional syndication encounters and "Saturday Night Live" razzing, lacking a doctorate in all things Art Clokey. While a few brave parents decided to share the wonders of stop-motion animation (then a rare multiplex event) with their children, I was the lone adult there willingly, and my mind was about to be blown. For the next 90 minutes, "Gumby: The Movie" offered sights and sounds so bizarre, I was worried about a possible gas leak in the shoebox theater. It provided a viewing experience that was impossible to describe to others, and the feature tanked so completely, it was out of theaters before I could process just what happened. And here we are 22 years later, and while I still haven't taken the deep sea dive into the Gumby archives, his one and only big screen endeavor remains as potently nutso as I remember, giving family audiences everything they could want: brightly colored characters, slapstick antics, and harsh lessons on the dangers of predatory home mortgage loans. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com 

Arriving at the midway point in Elvis Presley's career as a Hollywood leading man, 1966's "Frankie and Johnny" is sadly emblematic of the legendary singer's film achievements. It's not a bad movie, far from it, but carries a distinct programmed feel, with the production getting its star up, acting, and singing before he's on to the next project, keeping the gravy train rolling along.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's interesting to watch "The Good Son" today, 24 years after its original theatrical release, which was pushed primarily as an opportunity to watch Macaulay Culkin, the cherubic star of "Home Alone," play a villain at the tender age of 12. There's no doubt curiosity fueled the feature's so-so box office gross, and likely influenced many reviews at the time that highlighted the movie's somewhat distasteful interest in the torment of children. Decades later, with Culkin permanently erased from pop culture consciousness, "The Good Son" lacks its most shocking element, emerging from the savagery of time as a tepid chiller with very little depth and a tedious concentration menacing faces from Culkin, who's way out of his range with the teeny-weeny serial killer role. It would certainly make a fascinating double bill with "Home Alone," but on its own, the effort is shallow and unremarkable.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It's easy to dismiss 1968's "The Devil's Brigade" as a knock-off of 1967's "The Dirty Dozen," being one of the first productions to swoop in a sweep up any remaining audience interest in the adventures of mismatched military men. There's certainly a "Dozen" charge to the picture, but "The Devil's Brigade" manages to be its own thing, taking a look at the formation, training, and early missions of the 1st Special Service Force, which brought together American and Canadian forces, also offering a chance for film producers to populate the movie with a flavorful cast of character actors.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

In 2011, director Andrew Rossi brought viewers into the offices of the New York Times for "Page One," a documentary exploring the daily experience of journalism in its highest form, making note of writers and challenges that go into the creation of news. It was a fascinating look at the mechanics and personalities that make up the newspaper, and "Obit" returns to the same location, only this time director Vanessa Gould takes a deeper dive into a specific type of coverage for the New York Times, examining the construction and care of the obituary department. Like "Page One," "Obit" is a fascinating inspection of 9-5 work, highlighting the research, writing, and personal touches of the obituary section, with its staff trying to make their assignments something special, continuing a prized tradition of the paper.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Horror is synonymous with Halloween, but a few productions tend to take the connection literally. 1988's "Hack-O-Lantern" (a.k.a. "Halloween Night") is one of many slasher experiences set during the famous night of evildoing, and it makes an honest attempt to embrace the atmosphere of the evening with occult interests and the piling of dead bodies, looking to give fans a pleasing ride of creepy, campy encounters and some bloodshed. "Hack-O-Lantern" isn't always the most professionally crafted picture, but director Jag Mundhra (who passed away in 2011) has his heart in the right place, building a chiller that's full of diseased characters, Satanic panic (all the rage in the 1980s), and a climatic Halloween party, setting up a rudimentary but appropriately distracting genre offering. I don't think anyone will walk away from a viewing with a feeling of awe, but the movie is charmingly goofy and eventful.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The Charlie Sheen that existed before "Platoon" was a very different Charlie Sheen than what we have today. Once a hungry actor trying to make something of himself while stuck in the shadow of his thespian father, Martin, Charlie jumped from role to role, trying his hand at comedy ("Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), action ("Red Dawn"), and…whatever ("The Wraith"). 1987's "No Man's Land" was in production when "Platoon" dominated pop culture after its late 1986 release, and it showcases a growing confidence within the actor, who floated along for another year ("Three for the Road") before ascending to larger industry opportunities, such as "Wall Street," "Eight Men Out," and "Major League." Sheen's magnetism is undeniable in "No Man's Land," and he's a good reason to remain with the feature, which offers a routine but stylish take on an undercover cop saga, with director Peter Werner doing what he can to jazz up the effort with smash-em-up car chases, shootouts, and assorted criminal activity. It's not the freshest endeavor, but it does provide a look at the birth of Prime Sheen, smoking and wisecracking his way through a fairly unchallenging part.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com