FLESHPOT ON 42ND STREET (Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray Review)

USA/1973
Directed By: Andy Milligan
Written By: Andy Milligan
Starring: Laura Cannon, Harry Reems, Neil Flanagan
Color/87 Minutes/Not Rated
Region Free
Release Date: March 26, 2019
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film 
Andy Milligan is a polarizing director in cult film history. Some viewers really eat up his stuff but I've found the majority find most of his films to be exhausting exercises in futility. I've seen enough to know that I pretty actively stay away from anything with his name on it but sometimes a movie comes around and totally surprises you. FLESHPOT ON 42ND STREET is one of those movies.

Andy Milligan wrote, directed and photographed this film that follows a smart young prostitute named Dusty who turns tricks to make ends meet but longs for more out of her life and ends up meeting a young lawyer named Bob who she falls in love with and may be her escape from a gritty life in downtown New York City if she can manage to rewrite her own existence.

FLESHPOT ON 42ND STREET is a sexploitation film that borders on being a masterpiece of life and destiny. Laura Cannon is flawless as Dusty, playing a character much wiser and more experienced than her 20 years on Earth would suggest. She's been through a marriage and now struggles to find a constant place to stay and spends time with her best friend, a local drag queen. The film excels because it feels effortless in all aspects. Scenes never feel set up, the performances never feel stilted and Andy Milligan's direction and cinematography feel more like a documentary than a narrative film.

A common complaint of Andy Milligan's films is that they drag on and on and he spends entirely too much time in exposition to the point that you may as well be getting hit over the head with a hammer as he screams at you about the movie. It's downright exhausting and tedious. FLESHPOT ON 42ND STREET couldn't be further from that as these characters just suck you in and the 87 minutes absolutely flies by. Milligan could have wrote a more convoluted script but he keeps it simple but effective and personal and that's why this film works. Of course the plentiful sex and skin are nice and will be the thing that draw most of the audience in, it will be the characters and the simplistic perfection of the storytelling that they'll remember.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome have given FLESHPOT ON 42ND STREET a brand new 4K scan and restoration from the 16mm camera reversal for this Blu-ray release with a pair of viewing options; the original 1.33:1 full frame presentation and the 1.85:1 theatrical framing. I chose to go with the director's intended look and went with the full frame presentation and couldn't ask for anything better with how this one turned out. This is an obviously low budget piece of exploitation from the early 70s that didn't have ideal filming conditions as it was largely shot on the streets of New York City so at times the film is dark or lighting isn't the best. These scenes still look quite nice on this disc with a natural and healthy grain appearance, deep black levels, and natural skin tones. The audio is presented in a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono and sounds crisp, and balanced with no hissing, buzzing, or other background noise issues.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with film historians Samm Deighan, Heather Drain, and Kat Ellinger
-Locations "Then and Now" Comparison

The Bottom Line
FLESHPOT ON 42ND STREET is without a doubt my favorite Andy Milligan film and is something I can see myself revisiting frequently and it has been preserved for generations to come with this essential Vinegar Syndrome release.

FLESHPOT ON 42ND STREET is available HERE

THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT (Blu-ray Review)

USA/2018
Directed By: Robert D. Krykowski
Written By: Robert D. Krykowski
Starring: Sam Elliott, Aidan Turner, Caitlin Fitzgerald
Color/97 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: April 2, 2019

The Film
Sam Elliott stars as Calvin Barr, a retired solider who was tasked with the top secret mission of assassinating Adolf Hitler. Though his mission was successful the war carried on with imposters in place of Hitler and Barr would live with the baggage of murdering a man. Now decades later the government has tracked him down again to kill the mythological Bigfoot who is responsible for spreading a deadly contagion.

THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT has a title that immediately caught my attention. My imagination ran wild with the potential madness and excitement that such a movie with such a title could contain. Admittedly I didn't think the trailer was anything special and it didn't really get me excited to see the full film but the title and Sam Elliott in the starring role still had me curious about the whole thing.

I'll start with what I liked about the film and first and foremost that is Sam Elliott who totally owns the screen with his strong yet vulnerable performance. A big part of Elliott's character makeup in this film is loneliness as he apparently had found the love of his life early on but the war kept them apart and he never really was the same or loved again. Even his relationship with his brother who is his barber was distant. This would come in to play years later after his encounter with the Bigfoot (who is apparently misnamed) and realizing it is also a lonesome creature, but his mission is his mission. The writing for Elliott's character is somewhat messy in that regard because it really doesn't make much of a difference but Elliott gives it all he's got and he really is fantastic delivering all aspects of his character. I also liked the direction and thought many of the scenes were well executed and put together nicely, especially the Hitler assassination sequence. The cinematography was also nice at times but then there were moments where it was so dark that I couldn't see what was going on at all.

Then there's the things I didn't care for, a couple of which I briefly touched on already such as poor lighting during certain scenes and the character of Calvin Barr's having blurry motivations which I could deal with but the main thing about this movie I couldn't get over is that it's an utter bore. The most exciting scenes are here and gone in a flash after feeling like it taking forever to get to amid the filler. Even during what should have been the highlight scene of the movie, the Bigfoot encounter, the scene that I feel the title of the movie builds up to, goes over like a wet fart when the Bigfoot ends up being about five feet tall and resembling a young Wookiee from the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Upon finishing the movie I sat wondering exactly what I was going to say in this review because I had such a little reaction to the whole thing other than boredom and wondering exactly what the point was. I still wonder what the point was because it doesn't work as a character piece that it seems like they were going for and it definitely fails as anything more exciting than that. Somehow I still didn't hate the movie, Sam Elliott saves it from being a miserable experience as I was happy to follow him on his journey but I wish the journey was a more riveting one. Ultimately I'd be happy to sit through a celebration of Life Day on Kashyyyk than I would to revisit this one.

The Audio & Video
RLJE Films releases THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT on Blu-ray with a very nice looking anamorphic widescreen 2.40:1 transfer. The picture is sharp and has great detail depth. Black levels are deep while colors have a bit of a overcast muted look to them, which is an artistic choice as the whole film looks this way. A DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix handles the audio giving body and power to the sound. The mix job is excellent, and dialogue and music are crisp and free of any distortions or imperfections.

The Extras
-The Making Of THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT
-Audio Commentary With Director Robert D. Krykowski
-Interview With Composer Joe Kraemer
-Deleted Scenes
-"Elsie Hooper" Short Film
-Concept Art Gallery

The Bottom Line
I don't know what to say about this film. I really don't. It's well made but seemed to be lost and satisfied with wandering around it its own meandering path to a conclusion of "what was the point?". If you're curious about the film I would suggest giving it a look because it's very possible you'll get something more out of it than I did but if the trailers didn't do much for you I'd say you're probably not going to get anything out of the actual film.

THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT is available HERE

BLUE MOVIE - Cult Epics Blu-ray Review

Netherlands/1971
Directed By: Wim Verstappen
Written By: Wim Verstappen, Charles Gormley
Starring: Hugo Metsers, Carry Tefsen, Kees Brusse
Color/89 Minutes/Not Rated
Region Free
Release Date: February 12, 2019
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
A young man named Michael has been released from prison after five years for having sexual relations with a fifteen year old girl, an act that he has found isn't really looked down upon anymore. Michael's parole officer has set him up with an apartment in a high rise that Michael finds filled with women, much to his liking. With his sex drive going wild after so many years of not being able to touch a woman Michael takes a liking to the married women of the complex and begins to have affairs with the women leading to threesomes, and even orgies that involve most of the building.

BLUE MOVIE is extremely thin on plot, with that brief synopsis making up almost the entirety of the movie until a moment near the end where a man at the orgy is laughed at for being impotent and leaps from the balcony to his death. It's at this moment that the film shows some power as most of BLUE MOVIE seems to be celebrating sexual liberation and freedom but without much meaning behind any of it with the sexual affairs and encounters usually having little consequence for anyone involved. When a man jumps to his death over sexual humiliation we're shown how powerful the sexual encounter can be.

BLUE MOVIE never enters full on hardcore pornography but for a film from 1971 taboos are broken and walls are torn down. It also proves to be a wonderfully directed and photographed film as Jan de Bont cut his teeth on films like this before going on to photograph films like Die Hard and The Hunt For Red October and direct blockbusters like Speed and Twister. BLUE MOVIE will likely be remembered historically for breaking barriers and attacking social norms and taboos more than for being an entertaining film but even if BLUE MOVIE is a bit of a bore, there's plenty of far more fun and exciting sexploitation films out there, few have the artistic merit of BLUE MOVIE.

The Audio & Video
Cult Epics presents BLUE MOVIE on Blu-ray with a 1.37:1 full frame aspect ratio in full 1080p high definition from a new restoration and transfer from the 16mm reversal and 35mm duplicate negative done by The Eye Film Institute. While the overall image quality is perfectly fine and presentable the colors are unremarkable and detail levels are pretty good. The image is generally a bit flat but presented in an appropriately realistic manner. The picture is free of any immediately noticeable scratches, dirt/debris or other damage. The audio fares better with the lone option being a 2.0 Dolby Digital mono mix in the films native Dutch with optional English subtitles. The audio is clear, free of any distortions, damage, or background noise. The film doesn't have a dynamic soundtrack but the audio track on this Blu-ray handles it beautifully.

Please Note: Screenshots have been taken from the DVD copy of the film

The Extras
Bonus features include:
-Interview with Wim Verstappen from 1971
-Interview with producer Pim de la Parra from the 2018 Dutch Sex Wave Festival
-2018 interview with Hugo Metsers Jr.
-Eye Film Institute featurette
-Poster and photo gallery
-Scorpio Films Trailers

The Bottom Line
Cult Epics should be commended for bringing this historical piece of sexploitation to Blu-ray.

BLUE MOVIE is available HERE

MOON CHILD (Cult Epics Blu-ray Review)

Spain/1989
Directed By: Agusti Villaronga
Written By: Agusti Villaronga
Starring: Enrique Saldana, Maribel Martin, Lisa Gerrard
Color/120 Minutes/Not Rated
Region Free
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
In 1986 Spanish director Agusti Villaronga stormed onto the scene with his film In A Glass Cage, a masterpiece of a horror thriller that is sure to ruin your day and put you in a terrible mood. I mean this in the best possible way. It is difficult to follow up a masterful debut as expectations will inevitably be high and Villaronga challenged himself with a much less straight forward story in MOON CHILD which is based on the Aleister Crowley book of the same name and a much bigger production as well.

MOON CHILD stars Enrique Saldana as David, a 12 year old boy who has been adopted by a scientific cult who has stockpiled children with psychic abilities in their compound. David has psychic abilities and has been told by an elder at the orphanage that he is the Moon Child, a prophesized God to an African tribe. The cult intends to use the children they have adopted to find the perfect genetic pairing to bear a child who they have impregnated with the power of the moon to create their own Moon Child. David escapes with the two selected to be the parents including Georgina (Lisa Gerrard) who David believes to be his mother and enter a transcontinental journey to escape the cult enduring love, loss, death and spiritual awakenings along the way.

Agusti Villaronga spectacularly weaves us through a kaleidoscope of mind bending images, locations full of and devoid of emotion and life, moody music from Dead Can Dance and ideas that will give your mind a workout. Villaronga is obviously more concerned with creating a journey for the viewer's subconcious than he is creating a neatly packaged narrative that gives us a beginning, middle and end despite there being a clear beginning, middle and end. The story is clear cut but it's more about the ideas, both the basic terrestrial ideas and the proposition of metaphysical ones that drive MOON CHILD to be something special. While most films would have us immediately concerned about David's escape from the cult the viewer is instead pondering the idea of his destiny as the El Nino De La Luna and what it means to be a god, worship a god and what powers the stars may hold over us.

MOON CHILD works because it the cast is quite good to go along with the deeper artistic ideas and expressions from Villaronga. Villaronga also gets the absolute most out of his locations from the seemingly endless pale white walls of the cult compound to the beautiful sands and rock caves of the African lands. MOON CHILD certainly feels like a bigger production than it may have been. Therein lies its slight downfall as well. I think the scope and breadth of the film and the concepts contained within made the simple emotional connection that I felt with the characters in In A Glass Cage fall by the way side. In A Glass Cage is a masterpiece because of how it can move the viewer emotionally as I stated before, completely ruin your day. MOON CHILD would never have that same reaction but it could have a similar impact on the viewer substituting sorrow and disgust for something more contemplative but I never quite got that emotional connection with David or any of the other characters at least not to the point that would elevate MOON CHILD from something quite good to something truly exceptional. Maybe I cursed myself by comparing MOON CHILD to In A Glass Cage, something I eluded to happening previously but I couldn't help myself as this was the first Agusti Villaronga film I have seen besides his debut film. It will be interesting to see how MOON CHILD fares after I've seen more of the director's work but for now it may not be another masterpiece but it is a very worthwhile piece of surrealist cinema.

The Audio & Video
Cult Epics has brought MOON CHILD to Blu-ray with a new HD transfer from the original 35mm negatives and the picture quality matches the impressive photography of the film. There's a healthy grain structure that maintains a natural film look. Colors are vivid and vibrant when needed such as the stark whites of the cult's headquarters and black levels are properly deep with no signs of compression issues or blocking. Detail levels are strong as well. The Spanish audio is presented in a 2.0 Dolby Digital mix with optional English subtitles. The audio is crisp and gives way to a perfect mix between the moody and perhaps overlooked soundtrack and the dialogue. There's no signs of background noise, popping, crackling or other distortions. Cult Epics has done right by MOON CHILD.

Please note: The images in this review have been taken from the DVD version of the film and do not represent the picture quality of the Blu-ray.

The Extras
The extras include an interview with writer/director Agusti Villaronga that is brand new for 2018 and covers everything from Villaronga's career to more specific topics about MOON CHILD and even what he and Guillermo Del Toro think of each other. It even includes a still picture of Villaronga signing the Blu-ray artwork which will serve as proper evidence for those that purchase the limited edition autographed version.

Also included is a still gallery featuring a number of lobby cards and the isolated soundtrack by Dead Can Dance.

The Bottom Line
MOON CHILD is a feast for the sense and a treat for the mind. For anyone looking for something that channels the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky or Fernando Arrabal look no further than this excellent release from Cult Epics.

MOON CHILD is available HERE

MY FRIEND DAHMER (MVD Visual - Blu-ray Review)

USA/2017
Directed By: Marc Meyers
Written By: Marc Meyers
Starring: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche
Color/107 Minutes/R
Region Free
Release Date: April 10, 2018

The Film
Everyone knows who Jeffrey Dahmer is and chances are you've seen some sort of true crime or documentary film about his crimes. What most of those pieces don't cover are his time in high school, the time directly leading up to the start of his years of murder. MY FRIEND DAHMER takes us face to face with Dahmer and his closest family members and friends during that crucial time that could have been make or break for a serial killer.

As the film opens Ross Lynch stars as Jeffrey Dahmer is spending most of his free time in a shed his father built for him to perform biological experiments in, mainly jarring the corpses of roadkill he has picked up in acid and watching them decompose. When Jeffrey's father begins to worry that he's getting too obsessed with his shed he tears it down and forces his son to find more socially normal activities. Jeffrey finds a group of friends who invite him in to their group after seeing him act out in a wild, mentally challenged manner for attention. The group drives around with Dahmer filming him doing his act in different areas around town such as the market and the mall while Dahmer disrupts everything around him flailing around, knocking things over and making spastic sounds. As the group gets closer to Dahmer as friends they begin to see the inner workings of his life and how bumpy and broken his family life is. As his family life crumbles Dahmer begins drinking and continuing his obsession with road kill and finding out what the inside of animals and humans look like.

MY FRIEND DAHMER was written and directed by Marc Meyers and is a sharp production. Meyers gets really great performances out the entire cast most notably from Ross Lynch and Anne Heche who plays Jeffrey's mother. Lynch really deserves any and all accolades he received as his performance was subtle and over the top in all the right ways at all the right times. Heche perfectly portrays a woman with her own mental issues in a failing marriage and with her own skewed view on her little world. She's a talented actress and has proved it for years, once again doing so here.

The film's title is a little bit funny in an ironic sort of way because the entire film feels like its sole purpose is to get you to sympathize with Jeffrey Dahmer and to, at least in part, justify his future actions. Sure he had a rough family life but plenty had rougher. And he grew up without friends for a long time but there are plenty of introverts and outcast children who had a hard time making friends. Skinning and gutting animals to watch them decompose in jars of acid isn't normal. Harming live animals isn't normal. And we shouldn't try to normalize it or sympathize with it. Sure there's plenty to be said about how his family should have noticed more and sought help for him but that is but a piece in a much larger puzzle.

I don't want to turn this review into a discussion on serial killer mentality and psyche, so I will wrap it  up commenting on the film as whole. Sadly the performances are mostly wasted on a misguided tone and a timeline that jumps haphazardly from scene to scene without any sort of organic flow. In one scene Dahmer is sneaking his dad's alcohol for the first time and in the next he shows up to school totally drunk but nothing is made of it and quickly the drinking plot point is dropped. This is how the entire film progresses with plot devices coming and going and time jumping ahead at random intervals that never really make sense. I feel that MY FRIEND DAHMER wastes a chance to be a really interesting look into the making of a serial killer as the film looks great and looks great but sometimes it's not about what you say but how you say it.

The Audio & Video
MY FRIEND DAHMER gets its home video release from MVD Visual and this Blu-ray looks fantastic. The 2.40:1 aspect ratio has a gorgeous look with striking clarity and strong colors that bring the 1970s period setting to life with excellent detail levels in both textures and surfaces. Skin tones are fleshy and natural while black levels are deep and inky. The audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 mixes and whichever option you pick will be pleasing to the ear. The audio is crisp, and perfectly mixed. There's no hiss, crackling or other distortions.

The Extras
Special features include an interview with star Ross Lynch, a behind the scenes slide show and the theatrical trailer.

The Bottom Line
MY FRIEND DAHMER is a slick looking film with good performances throughout but it is nothing more than a mishmash of scattered scenes that feel designed to make us sympathize with Jeffrey Dahmer. Rent it if you're curious.

MY FRIEND DAHMER is available HERE

BLUE MONEY (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1971
Directed By: Alain Patrick
Written By: Alain Patrick
Starring: Alain Patrick, Barbara Caron, Inga Maria
Color/89 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
Jim supports his wife and baby daughter by making hardcore porn films, a highly lucrative but illegal profession. Their dream of buying a boat and sailing around the world falls apart when the Vice Squad cracks down on Jim, distributors begin to cheat him on profits and Jim has an affair with one of his actresses leading to his wife leaving him before he has a chance to make it all right.

BLUE MONEY is an interesting film, presented as a pseudo-documentary at times and a traditional narrative film with narration from Bob Chinn who was a very notable porno director and gives instant legitimacy to the film. BLUE MONEY was made by the people actually making adult films during the time period. It should be noted that this isn't a porno. Softcore at most but there are no hardcore shots. I consider it to be more of a straight forward drama and pseudo documentary than even a softcore film. Even in to the 1970s pornography was still a taboo and illegal in areas. BLUE MONEY is centered around that idea and tackles that morale issue to an extent. It is driven by Alain Patrick's character Jim and his journey to leave the world behind with his family despite his imperfections and mistakes you can't help but route for the guy and his wife and child.

BLUE MONEY isn't the smoothest film, it's a bit choppy in it's progression and editing but it draws you in and holds you there for all 89 minutes. It touches on social and morality issues, family issues while also being a character piece. I appreciate it more with each new viewing and I hope this Blu-ray release gives it the exposure it deserves.

The Audio & Video
BLUE MONEY has previously been released on DVD multipacks with up to five movies crammed on one disc. This is how I previously had seen the film and obviously this wasn't going to allow the best quality picture and sound but Vinegar Syndrome has exceeded expectations with yet another slam dunk release. The brand new 2K scan and restoration features a 1.85:1 transfer maintaining the film's original aspect ratio and it looks phenomenal. Skin tones, of which there's plenty, are fleshy and natural with no artificial waxiness from excessive DNR. Colors are recreated vividly and look true to life. The image is sharp, with strong detail and a crisp, clean image. The English audio is handled with a DTS-HDMA Mono mix which is free of any background noise, hissing, popping or other imperfections. The dialogue and soundtrack are blended perfectly to allow each to come through clearly. Optional English SDH subtitles are included.

The Extras
-"Making BLUE MONEY" video interview with Producer Bob Chinn
-"The Affairs Of Aphrodite" - Bonus feature film from 1970, directed by Alain Patrick
-Original Theatrical Trailer
-Promotional Still Gallery
-Reversible Cover Art

The Bottom Line
BLUE MONEY has been an underrated and overlooked film taking a hard look at film and cultural history while remaining completely entertaining and sexy. It's the best of both worlds and I highly recommend everyone check this one out.

BLUE MONEY is available HERE

TABOO (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1980
Directed By: Kirdy Stevens
Written By: Helene Terrie
Starring: Kay Parker, Mike Ranger, Juliet Anderson
Color/86 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: August 30, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
Barbara's husband has left her, blaming her frigidity and lack of passion for destroying their love life and marriage. Now without an income Barbara has to find a job while taking care of their son who is getting ready for college which is another added expense. Stressed to the max, Barbara turns to her free swinging friend Gina who sets her up with the local swinger scene but Barbara's sexual tension is growing hot and heavy with her own son instead.

TABOO is one of the most notable adult films of the era as it is very well made featuring great performances for a porno flick and really solid writing. The screenplay from Helene Terrie is great, with a few truly memorable and wonderfully staged scenes including one of the most wonderfully photographed orgy scene of all time and a dreamlike incestuous encounter that feels quite surreal. Kay Parker handles her range of encounters and emotions with grace, showing true acting ability. It's no wonder that she would rocket to stardom in the adult world soon after TABOO was released. Her incredible body certainly didn't hurt either.

This film's main draw is how shamelessly it deals with kink and, as the title so plainly suggests, taboo subjects. And there ain't nothing wrong with that. Everybody has their own fetishes and incest is certainly one of the biggies. TABOO tackles that fetish and is so sexy that the viewer won't be feeling any guilt while enjoying this film. TABOO can still be called shocking to this day but you can't call it shocking for the sake of shock value. TABOO is a stylish movie, with heaping helpings of sex that will continue to be considered a classic piece of adult cinema for years to come as not only a piece of kinky smut but a look at the harsh reality of being a single mother... who happens to fuck her son.

The Audio & Video
As much as I love Vinegar Syndrome's horror and exploitation output, their real bread and butter is their vintage X-rated and nobody does it better so it's no surprise that their brand new 2K scan of TABOO looks incredible. The amount of detail is exceptional from clothing and surface texture to strands of hair. Colors are strong and vibrant but in no way come across as artificial. The entire anamorphic widescreen transfer has a warm, film look with a nice grain structure that will leave you wondering if you're watching this in an old porno house. The audio is no different as it is handled with a DTS-HD mono track that gets the dialogue and funky bass driven soundtrack across with crispness and crystal clarity.

The Extras
Vinegar Syndrome has this release absolutely stacked with commentaries! There's two new commentary tracks, one with Kay Parker and one with writer/producer Helene Terrie. There's also two archival commentary tracks which feature Kay Parker on her own and director Kirdy Stevens and Helene Terrie together. There's also an archival video interview with Kay Parker, a promotional image gallery and reversible artwork.

The Bottom Line
The film's tagline is "The ultimate sin!", the real ultimate sin would be considering yourself a fan of porno flicks and skipping this Blu-ray.

TABOO is available HERE

FEVER - Artsploitation Films (DVD Review)

France/2014
Directed By: Raphael Neal
Written By: Raphael Neal, Alice Zeniter
Starring: Martin Loizillon, Pierre Moure, Julie-Marie Parmentier
Color/81 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: May 24, 2016

The Film
A pair of high school students commit a murder with no motive and for no real reason and have gotten away with it until a neighbor makes a possible connectino to them. The teens now have to worry if she really has proof it was them but their own conciesnce may break on them first.

FEVER is a psychological drarma/thriller partially based on the Leopold and Loeb case from the 1920s but frankly the film is never as interesting as the story of that case or other works that used the famous case as a foundation. While the film is technically sound, including straight forward and competent direction from Raphael Neal and performances from the entire cast that don't have a real weak spot it's simply a boring film. I never felt a deep connection to either of the boys and again, it wasn't due to their acting, it was just that there was never anything in the script to connect the audience to them.

When the film starts the crime has already been committed, we only see with them as they handle it over the passing days as their time in high school is coming to an end and there's never a key moment that could be seen as more important than any other. It's just time passing, saying they'll never break until one of them possibly does. It's a waste of a good cast that is capable of putting on good performances because the script doesn't give them anything to do.

I wish I had more to say about FEVER but I really don't. It is what it is.

The Audio & Video
Artsploitation Films gives FEVER an attractive DVD release for it's North American home video debut. The film has a strong, sharp look with vivid colors and a nice overall clarity that I think could only be improved upon with a HD scan and presentation. The French language audio is handled through a crisp sounding and crystal clear 5.1 surround mix that is stable and well mixed throughout. English subtitles are included and are timed perfectly and read naturally.

The Extras
A trailer is included with a small selection of trailers for other Artsploitation releases.

The Bottom Line
The idea behind FEVER is an interesting one but the film didn't strike a visceral chord or an emotional note with me which left me feeling distant and uninterested from the characters and their story.

FEVER is available HERE

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE - Kino Lorber (Blu-ray Review)

Canada/1976
Directed By: Nicholas Gessner
Written By: Laird Koenig
Starring: Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith
Color/91 Minutes/PG
Region A
Release Date: May 10, 2016

The Film
Thirteen year old Rynn lives in a secluded house outside of town with her recluse father who writes poetry and is often out of town. Rynn has caught the attention of the town pervert who also happens to be the son of their nosy bitch of a landlord who suspect that Rynn may be hiding a dark secret but Rynn is willing to protect her private life at all costs.

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE has long been on my radar as a film I've wanted to see but it eluded me until now and perhaps that's a good thing given the excellent quality of this release. Young Jodie Foster carries this film on her back, giving a strong and mature performance alongside veteran Martin Sheen who is deliciously despicable as the pervert who lusts for smart teen despite having a family of his own. Alexis Smith is instantly unlikeable and someone you're ready to see get what is coming to them which is the highest praise I could possibly give her character. The cast of the film is small, with only a few other supporting characters including Mario, the loner boy who Rynn connects with and his policeman uncle who is one of the few good guys in the movie. These key players are what make the brilliantly sharp and tight screenplay by Laird Koenig which was based on his own novel, a complete success.

The story has very few major moments of impact and while those moments carry a ton of weight to them it is the subtlety in the small things, such as Rynn withdrawing money at the bank and dialogue exchanges that really build the characters and suspense. Director Nicholas Gessner creates that suspense brilliantly with a straight forward, matter of fact style that plays into the film's simplicity and relateability. There's nothing in Hollywoodland that is preventing this film from being reality and it's that relateability that puts the viewer in a protective guardian role over Rynn. We're instantly drawn to her and want to protect her from the outside world that she's largely removed herself from but keeps creeping in on her. She hardly needs our concern or guidance but it's that intense connection that makes THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE a special film.

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE is bit difficult to describe as it is very much a suspense thriller with horror elements but it's so character driven and based around Jodie Foster's performance that you almost cheat the film of its power and importance by simply calling it a suspense thriller.

The Audio & Video
Kino Lorber gives THE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE it's high definition debut with a gorgeous looking Blu-ray that features a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The film has a rich natural film look with healthy grain and no digital scanner noise. Colors are pure and black levels are deep with no signs of compression or blocking. Detail level is exceptional from skin tones and hair to textures and surfaces like clothing and dirt. The DTS-HD Master Audio mix features a fantastic mix with steady levels and a crystal clear sound. There's no background noise, crackling or popping and dialogue is perfectly balanced with music.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary w/ Director Nicholas Gessner
-Interview w/ Martin Sheen
-Conversation w/ Martin Sheen and Nicholas Gessner
-Original Trailer
-Reversible Artwork

The Bottom Line
THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE will please audiences across genre boundaries. Everyone should know about this mini masterpiece and there's not better way to see it than this release from Kino

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE is available HERE

SCREAM Season 1 - Anchor Bay (DVD Review)

USA/2015
Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, John Karna
Color/10 Episodes
Release Date: May 10, 2016

The Show
The town of Lakewood is under attack by a masked killer that digs up memories of similar events that happened twenty years earlier. The targets are a group of teens and the people connected to them that may be harboring all sorts of secrets.

The SCREAM legacy started in 1996 with Wes Craven's slasher film that made being meta horror cool. The self aware nature of SCREAM wasn't exactly brand new but it was done in a time when horror needed something new and this film took the slasher film cliches from a decade earlier and exploited them in a slasher of their own as survival hinged on knowing how to survive a horror movie.

Now after three sequels SCREAM has been turned into a TV series for a new generation. I will admit that I had very low expectations for the show and little desire to ever see it. Now that I've seen it I will give credit where credit is due and say that it really wasn't that bad. That may not seem like the most glowing accolades of all time but for the complete fishy smelling garbage I expected I was pleasantly surprised by the watchability of season one.

The cast of SCREAM is attractive, even the nerdy and outcast characters are easy on the eyes. There's no surprise that everyone looks good, we're even treated to quite a few sexy lingerie scenes. Don't worry about feeling like a creep, it's pretty obvious that most of these actors are well into their 20s and not high school students. The acting is spotty and uneven with plenty of overacting and the characters are written with plenty of stereotypical upper middle class millennial kids in mind. This was one of the more obnoxious aspects of SCREAM.

SCREAM is as much a teen soap opera as it is a horror series. Relationships come and go and come, teachers and students are connected, family drama, baby mama drama, cyber bullying, it's all here and it plays as big a role as the murder mystery does. It's not as corny and overbearing as daytime soaps but it certainly has that soapy feel while the horror aspects were surprisingly more violent and gruesome than anything I thought I'd see on MTV. The cat and mouse games become a bit repetitive over the ten episodes and the police force is totally useless. There are subplots that disappear for episodes at a time along with some really awkward editing at times. The biggest flaw SCREAM has lies at its core and immediately limits how successful the show could be - We're expected to care about a lot of characters that we're given plenty of reasons to dislike or at the very most tolerate.

All that said, the revelation of the killer and the twists involved are handled decently. It's never something that easily gives away the killer's identity and later on in the series it becomes fun seeing the setup of character's deaths. As I said before the series is a very easy watch that managed to engage me just enough that I could overlook the flaws and mildly enjoy it episode to episode.

SCREAM isn't going to be a big hit with hardened and seasoned horror fans. It is geared toward an audience that is closer to their high school graduation than their 30th birthday and is more interested in the new Drake song than who the hell Wes Craven is or what he did. MTV knows that and created the show for that audience. As far as that goes I'd say they were successful even if the show really is exceedingly mediocre.

The Audio & Video
Anchor Bay releases SCREAM Season 1 on DVD with a great looking and sounding presentation. The anamorphic widescreen transfer has great detail, color and black levels. It's a spotless picture as it should be. The audio is crystal clear with no distortions or level fluctuations.

The Extras
-Deleted Scenes
-Gag Reels
-Promotional Gallery

The Bottom Line
For a show that I had little interest in and equally little faith in I didn't find myself in misery while watching it. I know I'm not the target audience for this show so I had to take it with a small grain of salt and judge it as such. I wouldn't call myself a fan but I don't think SCREAM is bad. Recommended for fans of lighter horror fare.

SCREAM Season 1 is available HERE

April Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge 2016 - Days 17, 18, 19

Day 17 had one lone movie but it was a fun one - ATRAGON - the 1963 Kaiju film from director Ishiro Honda. As a fan of giant monster movies from Japan this is one I've long heard about and it didn't disappoint as the people of Earth are forced to develop and use their new flying submarine warship Atragon to battle the underwater Mu people and their giant laser breathing snake monster Manda. The movie is well made and has a solid story and script but is a bit light in the Manda v Atragon department. A bit more action between the two and I think this would have been bumped up to true classic status.

INFRASEXUM was it for day 18 and the new DVD from Vinegar Syndrome will be getting reviewed later today so be on the look out for it...

And finally day 19 had a pair of films that probably couldn't have been more different. Bill Zebub's 2011 feature ANTFARM DICKHOLE features exactly that... an antfarm dickhole. Just think about that term for a second- antfarm dickhole. Antfarm. Dickhole. Ant. Farm. Dick. Hole. You get it? Yeah, this movie, among many other things like a giant spider fucking a woman and as many "ant" puns as you can handle (and probably couple dozen more) has a man that has a colony of killer African ants living in his dick that kill people whenever he's sexually stimulated. Have you ever wanted to see a giant ant crawl out of a man's peehole? Here's your chance! The movie is funny and raunchy and stupid and you're either going to appreciate it or think it is repulsive trash. Chances are you'll think it's repulsive trash. I enjoyed it.

This recap closes with SECRETS OF A CALL GIRL - a Euro Crime turned drama from director Guiliano Carnimeo and co-written by Ernesto Gastaldi. That duo should have made a far better movie than this is. Luckily Edwige Fenech stars and makes thing visually stimulating at all times. The movie starts out good enough as Fenech plays a girl caught up in the middle of the mob and their prostitution ring who wants a way out after giving birth to her son. The movie's timeline doesn't make a ton of sense towards the end as a lot of time is covered all of a sudden without much mention of it. Once the movie turns into more of a drama it falls flat and feels deflated. It's watchable but I hoped for better. Oh and that artwork I used from Wikipedia is fucking atrocious and doesn't do the film any justice or even represent it accurately.

Today's Rundown
Atragon - 7/10
Infrasexum - 6/10
Antfarm Dickhole - 6/10
Secrets Of A Call Girl - 5/10

A VIOLENT LIFE (DVD Review) - One 7 Movies

Italy/1970
Directed By: Sergio Citti
Written By: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Laurent Terzieff, Franco Citti, Anita Sanders
Color/140 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: February 9, 2016

The Film
Bandiera and Rabbino are brothers living in the poor waterside town of Ostia. The brothers make their living by committing petty crimes for food and money. The brothers drink away their problems and don't deal with their lifelong struggles with religion put on them by their abusive father. They discover a runaway girl sleeping in a field one day and bring her home and a bond quickly forms between the three until a stint in jail for the brothers separates them from the girl and their relationship takes a violent turn once they're reunited.

Off the bat A VIOLENT LIFE is uneven in several ways, most of all in tone. A drama about relationships of all sorts, the film is heavily plagued with bits of out of place comedy and upbeat music. The film's flow is choppy feeling more like episodes of the trio's life. There are some powerful moments including a flashback to when the Badiera (Laurent Terzieff) and Rabbino (Franco Citti) were young boys and their father kills their beloved goat and the whole family has a hearty laugh at their expense, even making fun of their tears. This event leads to a powerful shift in the brothers that sets them on their life's path.

While the movie isn't perfect it does give an interesting and poignant view into the mind of Pier Paolo Pasolini (Salo: The 120 Days Of Sodom). His views on relationships, religion (particularly the Catholic church), government and more are easily apparent without being preachy or egotistical. That is what makes A VIOLENT LIFE worth watching.

The Audio & Video
One 7 Movies delivers A VIOLENT LIFE on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The picture looks decent and is perfectly watchable but detail isn't amazing and the film's overall look is bland. This style does fit the setting of the movie however so it works in that regard. The audio is in the film's native Italian with a mono mix that is clear and free of any background noise. It's not a dynamic mix but it gets the job done nicely. There are optional English subtitles which are easy enough to follow along with and read well despite a few spelling or grammatical errors sprinkled throughout. The main issue with the subtitles is that whenever there is a break in dialogue the subtitles of the last words spoken remain on the screen until there is another line of dialogue. Breaks in dialogue can last several minutes so it is a bit annoying even if it isn't totally distracting.

The Extras
Bare bones.

The Bottom Line
The film is flawed but it has some merits to it. Most of all it is an interesting piece of Pasolini's filmography and worth watching to experience more from the controversial artist.

A VIOLENT LIFE is available HERE

RED KROKODIL (DVD Review) - One 7 Movies

Italy/2012

Directed By: Domiziano Cristopharo

Written By: Francesco Scardone

Starring: Brock Madson, Valerio Cassa, Viktor Karam

Color/88 Minutes/Not Rated

Region FREE

Release Date: February 9, 2016 

The Film

RED KROKODIL is a film you won't soon forget. It will stay with you long after it shakes you and makes you sick to your stomach. It has little in the way of traditional story progression and there's really only a single character. The man we follow as he lives in a filthy apartment, with a mattress made of straw, as he walks around in soiled and torn underwear or nothing at all and spends his time either injecting the dangerous home made street drug Red Krokodil or suffering from the effects of it. His body is covered in old bandages from where his skin has become infected and rotted as a result of the drug. 

We see the man's delusions, hallucinations and hear his various monologues of his existence. We see him leave his apartment, at least in his mind, to explore nature. We see him attempt to drown himself in a toilet. He bleeds. He injects. He hugs his stuffed crocodile from when he was a child. He sleeps. He's miserable and wants to die. He wants to be clean. He injects. He may find peace.

RED KROKODIL can be looked at on the surface level at taken it as an anti-drug warning and it would work perfectly. It can also be looked at as a metaphor for countless other damaging relationships we find ourselves in a daily routine with. RED KROKODIL is powerful and moving and sickening. It is uncomfortable and is not fun. It's small scale and giant in scope. RED KROKODIL deals with the cold, harsh side of life presented in a cycle of substance abuse but the message applies to any countless number of life's less savory things. This film is skillfully made with love. 

The Audio & Video

One 7 Movies gives RED KROKODIL a nice DVD presentation with an anamorphic 16x9 widescreen transfer. The image quality is good and features an intentionally gray heavy color palette. The picture quality is sharp and crystal clear with no damage. The English audio is handled with a 2.0 stereo mix and features optional English and French subtitles. The audio which is heavier on the music score than it is on speaking with just fleeting monologues throughout is good. There's no distortions or background noise and the mix is stable and complimentary between both channels. 

The Extras

-Deleted scenes

-Ending With Alternate Music Track

-Test FX For End Scene

-Trailers and Teaser 

-Photo Gallery

The Bottom Line

RED KROKODIL isn't the movie to sit down with pizza and a beer for a relaxing night of movie watching. There's a powerful message here that is open to personal interpretation and what you take the film for is exactly what it is. Recommended.

RED KROKODIL is available HERE

MARQUIS DE SADE'S JUSTINE (Blu-ray Review) - Blue Underground

Italy, France/1969
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written By: Harry Alan Towers
Starring: Romina Powers, Maria Rohm, Klaus Kinski
Color/124 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date:
Limited Edition 3 Disc BD/DVD/CD Combo Pack

The Film
Justine and her older sister Juliette are left orphaned after their father is forced to leave the country and their mother dies and are removed from their convent where they're training to be nuns. The sisters quickly take different roads in life as Juliette shacks up at a brothel and takes to a life of crime while Justine clutches on to her innocence and virginity while she's put through trial of physical and sexual abuse and torture, framed for murder, forced into a gang of fugitives just to name a few as told by the Marquis De Sade himself.

JUSTINE is Jess Franco's biggest production and it certainly feels and looks like it with lavish costuming, big sets dripping with gorgeous dressing and a substantial amount of locations and cast members. The film looks beautiful and despite a few "Franco being Franco" moments (including a needless quick zoom to a totally out of focus eyeball) this is a stylish and skillfully made production. Unfortunately the star Romina Powers is either totally disconnected from the material or blissfully (for her own sake) unaware that she's making a movie. She has a perfect look for the character of Justine as she has a naturally innocent look but she's as wooden as wooden can get and doesn't emote any of the tasteless brutality that she endures again and again.

The script can be blamed for that however as much of the straight forward mean spirited nature the original story has toward Justine is lightened and there is a moment of reprieve for Justine in the film where she meets a man who has a genuine love for her and wants to protect her. It leaves the film being a bit uneven and awkward at times. Jack Palance and Mercedes McCambridge play supporting roles who both kill it with their respective performances. As the story goes Palance was drunk on red wine by 7am each morning and that very well may have lead to his totally bizarre and off the fucking wall performance while McCambridge owns the screen during her scenes as a powerful leader of a band of thieves and swindlers. If Romina Powers had half the charisma or talent as McCambridge she could have won an Oscar for this film. The film still succeeds in adapting the De Sade story, with a performance from Klaus Kinski himself as the author locked up in a prison having hallucinatory visions of naked chained women bleeding from their necks and covered in sweat.

JUSTINE is worthy of praise as the good certainly outweighs the bad and will live on as one of Jess Franco's most attractive and lavish productions. It makes me think about how incredibly some of his horror films could have looked and how big their scope could have been had he had the budget he had on JUSTINE.


The Audio & Video
Blue Underground takes what is arguably Jess Franco's most visually stimulating and lush production and give it the Blu-ray release it deserves with a stunning anamorphic widescreen transfer keeping the film's original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. Colors are vibrant and vivid while there is excellent detail level in textures and surfaces. You can almost feel the scratchiness of the wool garb! Skin tones are fleshy and natural with no signs of waxiness or excessive digital scrubbing. The film's natural grain structure is kept gracefully in tact and there's really nothing that could have been done better on this disc from a visual standpoint. And the English DST-HD mono audio is largely the same with a crisp and clear track that is free of any background noise or distortions. The dialogue and beautiful score from Bruno Nicolai are beautifully complimentary and have a great mix.

Please Note: Screen shots are taken from the DVD copy of the film and do NOT represent the quality of the Blu-ray transfer.

The Extras
-"The Perils And Pleasures Of Justine" - Interviews with Co-writer/Director Jess Franco and Producer Harry Alan Towers (20 minutes)
-Stephen Thrower On JUSTINE - Interview with Stephen Thrower author of "Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco" (18 minutes)
-French Trailer
-Poster and Still Gallery
-Booklet by Stephen Thrower
-CD Soundtrack
-DVD Copy of the Film

The Bottom Line
This period piece adapted from the story of the same name is sometimes sleazy, sometimes excellent and sometimes a misfire. Those misfires are quickly followed up by more sleaze and excellence most of the time which lands JUSTINE as a perhaps under appreciated piece of Franco's filmography and one that will hopefully gain some attention from this gorgeous Blu-ray release.

MARQUIS DE SADE'S JUSTINE is available HERE

DESOLATE (DVD Review) - Wild Eye Releasing

USA/2013
Directed By: Rob Grant
Starring: Jez Bonham, Justin Sproule, Teagan Vincze
Color/77 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: January 20, 2015

The Film
A man suspects his best friend is the reason his relationship with his girlfriend failed but must fight for survival with them after a mysterious event has rocked their city and just making it through the night won't be easy.

DESOLATE is an example of filmmaking at its rawest. With no script and no crew, this film was shot during free time over the course of three years and it turned out to be a pretty good little film. The cast is solid and what writing there is manages to pull out enough emotion from the audience to really make us feel the turmoil the characters are going through.

Simply made using what was available to them, director Rob Grant really comes through with a film far more successful than films with a fill cast and crew, a polished script and lots of special effects. More isn't always more.

The Audio & Video
Wild Eye Releasing gives DESOLATE the home video release it is deserving of. The A/V quality is representative of the low end camera and gear it was made with so don't expect a beautiful HD presentation. The disc is technically sound however with a clean picture and a well done audio mix job.

The Extras
-Audio commentary with the director
-"Making of" video series
-Behind the scenes featurette

The Bottom Line
It doesn't always take a big production with lots of money and fancy equipment to make a tense, emotional and scary film and DESOLATE is proof of that.

DESOLATE is available HERE