BONE TOMAHAWK (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2015
Directed By: S. Craig Zahler
Written By: S. Craig Zahler
Starring: Jurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox
Color/132 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: December 29, 2015

The Film
You'll be able to see Kurt Russell in a couple of westerns this winter and they're both worth seeing for their own respective reasons. While a smaller production without all of the name power behind it (though still featuring some familiar faces) BONE TOMAHAWK shouldn't be overlooked, especially by horror fans as this is as much a horror film as it is a western.

A group of desert savages capture several citizens of the town of Bright Hope so it is up to Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell) and several other townsfolk to track down the savages and rescue the the victims but they quickly find that the savages are more ruthless and merciless than they could have ever imagined.

Clocking in at over two hours I was afraid that BONE TOMAHAWK would drag but pacing isn't a problem as the movie breezes by with plenty of action to enjoy. The characters are standard but likeable and well played by the entire cast including David Arquette and Sid Haig in smaller supporting roles who play well off of each other.

BONE TOMAHAWK really makes it's name on the violence however and there's plenty of it including some incredibly nasty and gory moments that to put simply, surprised the hell out of me seeing something like that in 2015, at least without any hint of irony or humor involved. It's straight forward and shocking. There's an exploitation film element on display that was not only unexpected but welcomed. Perhaps not pushing that angle as far as they could have but there's definitely an old west Hills Have Eyes vibe.

If BONE TOMAHAWK has a downfall it is that it is too by-the-numbers and one note to truly be noticed as much as it deserves to be. The movie is far from bad and is highly enjoyable as both a western and an exploitative horror film and it just misses being a modern must-see.

The Audio & Video
This DVD looks quite good with the 2.40:1 widescreen transfer. The dry, sun drenched setting allows the blood reds to pop a bit and the image is crystal clear. The English 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is excellent and free of any damage or background noise. I can only imagine that the Blu-ray edition is that much better.

The Extras
-The Making Of BONE TOMAHAWK
-Deleted Scenes
-Fantastic Fest Q&A with the Director and Cast
-Image Gallery

The Bottom Line
I'm all for a revival of the gritty western film and perhaps December 2015 will be known as a landmark month in that revival with BONE TOMAHAWK being a big part of that and there's plenty of reason for you to find out why.

BONE TOMAHAWK is available HERE

SOME KIND OF HATE (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2015
Directed By: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Written By: Brian DeLeeuw, Adam Egypt Mortimer
Starring: Ronen Rubinstein, Grace Phipps, Maestro Harrell
Color/83 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: November 3, 2015

The Film
Lincoln is a teen being tortured by bullying. When he's sent to a secluded school for troubled teens he thinks he'll find some refuge but the bullying continues until he summons a ghost of a girl named Moira who committed suicide after being victimized by bullies years ago and Lincoln takes revenge on his tormentors through Moira.

Here's my initial review of SOME KIND OF HATE from a few months back - http://celluloidterror.blogspot.com/2015/09/some-kind-of-hate-2015.html

My feelings remain largely the same but knowing what to expect as far as the embarrassingly cookie cutter teen cliches that really pulled me out of the movie made it a bit more palatable this time around. The movie still feels 15 minutes longer than it actually is but the violence and kill sequences were a bit more entertaining on a 2nd viewing as they are quite bloody and have a certain meanness to them.

I'm still no fan of SOME KIND OF HATE but I think I can now see how there would be a fanbase to the film and can see the parts viewers would enjoy.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ Entertainment deliver a fantastic looking and sounding DVD that would only be surpassed by the Blu-ray counterpart. The DVD features strong colors, deep black levels with no signs of blocking or compression issues and a clean picture. The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is clear and mixed well. The soundtrack and dialogue are complimentary and never drown each other out. There's no annoying background noise or damage to the audio.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Adam Egypt Mortimer and Co-Writer Brian DeLeeuw
-Audio Commentary with Stars Ronen Rubinstein, Grace Phipps, Sierra McCormick, and Director/Co-Writer Adam Egypt Mortimer
-Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary from Adam Egypt Mortimer

The Bottom Line
RLJ Entertainment gives us a quality release for a film I'm not too keen on but the special features make it worth checking out for yourself.

SOME KIND OF HATE is available HERE

UNCANNY (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2015
Directed By: Matthew Leutwyler
Written By: Shahin Chandrasoma
Starring: Mark Webber, Lucy Griffiths, David Clayton Rogers
Color/85 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: November 3 2015

The Film
David Kressen is a bit of a genius and for the last decade he has lived a secluded life with his inventions including the most lifelike artificial intelligence creation ever, a robot named Adam. When reporter Joy Andrews is granted access to David and his work she is attracted to his work and its creator but fears Adam may be learning to feel emotions of jealousy and anger toward her.

Simple yet effective, UNCANNY is a small scale film that does everything right. The main cast of three which is filled out with Rainn Wilson in a supporting role at the end, are fantastic and carry the screenplay with grace. The characters are interesting and developed throughout the movie giving the audience a group to really care about.

There's not a lot going on here, most of the movie happens in the character development and a few key scenes but it is perfectly paced and is full of enough surprises and small thought provoking moments to keep the audience fully engaged from start to finish.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ Entertainment give us a nice DVD with an anamorphic widescreen transfer and a clean picture quality. Colors and flesh tones are good along with black levels being deep. The 5.1 Dolby Digital surround audio is free of any damage or background noise and has a great mix job.

The Extras
A selection of deleted scenes is included.

The Bottom Line
UNCANNY is a sci-fi film built on good acting, a good screenplay and character development and is deserving of your attention.

UNCANNY is available HERE

PAY THE GHOST (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

Canada/2015
Directed By: Uli Edel
Written By: Tim Lebbon, Dan Kay
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Veronica Ferres
Color/95 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: November 10, 2015

The Film
Mike Lawford (Nicolas Cage) and his wife Kristen (Sarah Wayne Callies) have had their lives and marriage fall apart over the last year when their son Charley went missing at a Halloween carnival near their home in New York City. As Halloween approaches again they begin to see ghostly images of Charley and reconnect in hopes of figuring out the strange occurrences and finally finding their son but they quickly find out that their journey is going to bring them head first into a centuries old Samhain curse.

PAY THE GHOST doesn't deviate too far from what you'd probably expect this movie to be. It's filled with Nicolas Cage making ridiculous facial expressions, some cliche horror movie moments often done with questionable CGI, a Nic Cage freak out, and a few moments that are really pretty good. The Halloween carnival scenes are short but really capture an dangerous and creepy atmosphere. The scenes with Nicolas Cage literally crossing over to the other side are beautiful in scope and look larger than life.

The third act becomes a less polished version of Insidious for better or worse. I've seen the first two Insidious films and am not at all a fan of them but the path PAY THE GHOST took didn't bother me with it's striking simularities to those films at times, perhaps because I don't think PAY THE GHOST could have been anything more than it already was and comparisons to a disappointing and vastly underwhelming hit franchise.

The Audio & Video
RLJ Entertainment deliver PAY THE GHOST on DVD with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that features an intentionally cold color palette heavy in greys and washed out hues adding to the style and feeling of the film. Picture quality is good with just a few trace moments of blocking during the scenes with heavy black levels. The English audio comes in with a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that sounds fine. There's not an awful lot going on to give your sound system a workout but the dialogue and soundtrack are always mixed very well and levels are steady.

The Extras
Someone didn't pay the ghost enough to get special features.

The Bottom Line
Decent acting, a signature Nic Cage spazz out, a couple striking visuals are the high points for an otherwise middle of the road horror thriller that may have overachieved in even being that.

PAY THE GHOST is available HERE

THE INVOKING 2 (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2015
Directed By: Various
Written By: Various
Starring: Andrew Fleming, Jessica Fratus, Chara Victoria Gannett
Color/83 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: October 6, 2015

The Film
When I saw that there would be a sequel to The Invoking I stared blankly at the screen for a moment before shaking my head in disbelief and then threw up in my mouth. Okay, honestly I don't remember my exact reaction but it was not a good one, I'm sure of that. The Invoking was one of the most irritating, gets under your skin like a small child crying endlessly. piece of crap horror movies I have ever seen. You can read that review HERE. I then rationalized that there's no way any sequel could be as bad. At least I can say I was right.

Changing things up with an anthology format based around paranormal events, THE INVOKING 2 made a smart movie by being a sequel in name only and having nothing to do with the original movie. Why the title wasn't changed at some point to remove any ties to the first film is beyond me. It isn't as if the first Invoking film is any sort of highly regarded or popular title. It simply came and went.

There are some positives to this sequel, such as an opening segment involving a car wreck that reminded me of classic Unsolved Mysteries segments. The only thing missing was Robert Stack's signature narration. The next segment taking place in an old mental hospital had potential but felt straight out of the mid 2000's era of horror that was packed with subpar ghost movies. The final short which has nothing at all to do with paranormal events and only runs a few minutes was probably the most effective segment in the bunch. In fact, for a movie that is called THE INVOKING 2: PARANORMAL EVENTS in the opening credits there's very little paranormal stuff going on throughout and when it is there it comes and goes in the blink of an eye.

The main feeling THE INVOKING 2 gave me was one of being underwhelmed. This is largely due to most of the segments feeling like they were taken from longer scripts and were severely chopped down to fit this anthology format. Many feel rushed and incomplete. The positive is that the movie is watchable even if its nothing special and not infuriatingly awful like the first.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ Entertainment's DVD release of THE INVOKING 2 feautres a 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks okay overall. Each short was produced independently of the rest so they all have their own look and quality. Some of the better looking segments have solid color and a crisper picture while the lesser ones suffer from poor handling of black levels and compression/blocking issues. None of the segments look particularly bad though. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio track has a great mix job and is free of any background noise or damage.

The Extras
None.

The Bottom Line
Hey, it's better than the first Invoking movie. So I guess there's that.

THE INVOKING 2 is available HERE

SOME KIND OF HATE (2015)

USA/2015
Directed By: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Written By: Brian DeLeeuw, Adam Egypt Mortimer
Starring: Ronen Rubinstein, Grace Phipps, Sierra McCormick
VOD Release Date: September 18, 2015

Lincoln is sent to a camp after he retaliates against his bullies. The camp is for troubled teens with various issues to work out in a friendly and healthy environment. Shortly after arriving Lincoln's problems find him again as a group of more popular kids heard about his fight and decide they want to test him and see if they can push him to his limit. As stuff gets worse for Lincoln he makes a wish that they were dead and a vengeful spirit with ties to the camp will help his wish come true whether he likes it or not.

I'll start off with this - I think the basic idea of SOME KIND OF HATE could have worked had the writing been better. Bullies and their victims are a hot topic these days and it is no surprise that they've become a popular plot device in movies as well. While a paranormal horror thriller isn't exactly the first place my mind goes when I think of a bully/victim plot device I can see where it would work. Or at least be interesting.

But it doesn't work, and it really isn't interesting. At least not here, as the twist is painfully obvious. Every character in this movie is a horrible cliche. That even includes the kid that sort of looks like a skinhead complete with an iron cross tattoo on his neck but he's friends with a couple of stereotypical black kids. That's one that didn't make sense to me. Moving on, there's the popular girl who can't deal with it and cuts, the death metal fan who is bullied and is basically plucked straight out of the Columbine massacre, a nerdy hacker, and so on. Every character is one note and the adults in charge who are total worthless shitbags of human beings might not even be a full note. They're so sparsely seen that they may as well not even be around. Except for the Yoga instructor to have a lingerie scene with one of the teens because that is totally believable.

At 82 minutes long (and really only about 75 when you take out the end credits) SOME KIND OF HATE should have at least been a quick and easy one despite my feelings towards it but it wasn't. As soon as the ghost enters the scene the movie comes to a screeching halt and takes a small step forward to the finish every few minutes but every step is exactly the same as the one before- Angry ghost picks out a camper, hurts itself to kill the camper, Lincoln finds them and freaks out, repeat.

I'm glad I wasn't a victim of bullying and decided to watch this movie because the caricature that it paints teens with problems as is shitty and would probably make me feel worse about myself. Everybody in this movie gets lumped into some sort of broad stereotype and has to live it out to the fullest. Not only is it shameful, it's also poorly executed plain and simple.

CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13TH (Blu-ray Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2013
Directed By: Daniel Farrands
Written By: Daniel Farrands, Peter Bracke
Color/400 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: September 8, 2015

The Film
Friday The 13th has become one of the most successful horror franchises in history and has spawned arguably one of the most beloved and recognizable movie monsters in history in Jason Voorhees. The hockey mask clad, machete wielding killer has dispatched of more horny teens than you can shake a stick at and 35 years after the first film there is no sign of a popularity drop in sight.

Inspired and based upon the fantastic book of the same name, CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13TH is one of the finest film documentaries ever made. Documenting the 12 films and TV series under the FRIDAY THE 13TH banner that span three plus decades, this doc features sit down interviews with over 150 different cast, crew and executives from the series talking about the films, their experiences, the reception and legacy of the films they worked on.

Filled with great stories, outtake footage and more information then you can possibly soak up in a single viewing CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES has significant rewatch value and may only be trumped by the Nightmare On Elm Street series documentary "Never Sleep Again". CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES would be just a bit better if less time was spent discussing the plot of each film and more time was invested in behind the scenes stories and rare information nobody else besides cast and crew would know. This is a minor gripe and doesn't detract from my opinion on this documentary much at all. Oh and then there's Cory Feldman's narration that goes full blown Frog Brothers at points and it gets a little annoying... blah blah, just watch it and love it!

The Audio & Video
RLJ/Image Entertainment deliver a beautiful Blu-ray and it should be no different. Sit down interview segments should look sharp and pristine and they do here. There are some rougher areas throughout the film such as rare cut footage from the films that are in beaten and battered shape but the newly produced footage looks as it should. And it sounds as it should, with a simple but very well done mix job.

The Extras
An audio commentary track is included with the filmmakers of the documentary

The Bottom Line
This is an essential companion piece to your Friday The 13th collection and is heads and shoulders above the other Friday The 13th documentary called His Name Was Jason.

CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES is available HERE

DARK WAS THE NIGHT (DVD Review) - RLJ Entertainment

USA/2014
Directed By: Jack Heller
Written By: Tyler Hisel
Starring: Kevin Durand, Lukas Haas, Bianca Kajlich
Color/98 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: September 1, 2015

The Film
After a logging company clears out a section of woods in the town of Maiden Woods a strange and violent series of events start to occur from an unseen force. The two sheriffs must protect the town from this monstrous attack while dealing with their own personal demons.

DARK WAS THE NIGHT is a really well made film full of great performances from the lead Kevin Durand (The Strain) to supporting actors like Nick Damici (Stake Land, Late Phases). Director Jack Heller handles the personal drama that each character faces without turning it into eye-rolling soap opera fare. He blends that in to add into the horrors the town is facing as animals disappear, bloody corpses are found strewn around the woods and strange footprints are seen throughout the town to make a film in which we care about everybody we come across. We want the town of Maiden Woods to survive and that's incredibly important.

To say DARK WAS THE NIGHT is a slow burn would be correct, we don't see much of the monsters at all until the film's finale and before that there's only a handful of gruesome moments but this is a character driven film that works so damn well we know the payoff is coming and that we'll get our horror fix before the end. Until then we have a group of characters we instantly cared about facing some sort of unknown foe. And then shit starts getting really bad for the town, they decide to hole up in the town's church together to wait out a snowstorm as the attacks are getting worse. Here comes the payoff!

And then we get the money shot, we see the monster in all of its... erm... glory. Its Syfy channel CGI dreck glory. I can't overstate my disappointment in what I saw, this poorly rendered, green, scaly, rocky, lump of shit. The film that I was so fully on board with as a horror film driven by characters and sight unseen scares that upped the tension for this showdown took a jump off the high dive into a pool of bullshit. After the reveal I was so let down that I was taken completely out of the movie for the remainder.

Until the final groan inducing little twist at the end. DARK WAS THE NIGHT was right there, potential to be a really really good horror film that didn't rely on blood and guts or tits and ass to grab the audience's attention. Common real life drama pushed the film forward and then when the film needs the horror movie payoff to pull it all together and make it a successful horror film it fails us.

The Audio & Video
The DVD from Image/RLJ Entertainment looks solid top to bottom. The film's color palette is heavy on grey and blue hues to add to the cold and distant feeling of the upstate New York town. The 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is clean and sharp for a standard definition release. There is a Best Buy exclusive Blu-ray that I'm sure looks even better. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound audio track has a well done mix job and there's no background noise or distractions such as popping or crackling.

The Extras
-Behind the scenes: A Trip To Maiden Woods
-Q & A with the cast

The Bottom Line
DARK WAS THE NIGHT is like that deep fly ball in the bottom of the ninth with a full count and the bases loaded when your team is down by 3 that gets caught on the warning track. The whole thing builds this fantastic drama and story and you're waiting for that huge dramatic payoff and when it comes up just short it's incredibly deflating.

DARK WAS THE NIGHT is available HERE

APPETITES (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2015
Directed By: Cameron Casey
Written By: Darren Bevill
Starring: Bret Roberts, Lauren Parkinson, Travis Eberhard
Color/106 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: August 4, 2015

The Film
"Do you know what tattoos lead to? More tattoos!"

APPETITES is a fitting title when everything is said and done but getting to the point where all is said and done is going to be a bit of a chore. The opening ten minutes start out as an uber violent, sex driven cannibalistic horror film that has obvious influence from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House Of 1000 Corpses. Almost immediately the cannibal angle is dropped for nearly an hour while we follow a detective on the trail of "John Doe" who is our super cool guy who loves to pay women for sex and then murders them because of their tattoos. Yeah, this guy can't get passed women having tattoos, when he looks like a Kid Rock wannabe. This guy wishes he was an American badass. His super smooth (please note the thick sarcasm) lines include ordering a "whiskey and Coke, hold the Coke" and dropping "That's what she said." to girls he's hitting on. Yeah, this guy is the epitome of cool.

We follow the detectives half assed attempts at tracking down Doe and stopping his murderous rampage of all inked women while Doe sets his sights on the flawless Daisy who is one of our early cannibals along with her large and mentally unstable brother Bubba. John Doe does his best to swoon Daisy, who only manages to find her southern accent when it's convenient and certainly doesn't come across as any sort of cannibal killer, even bringing Doe to her property that is lined with booby traps for any trespassers. Eventually she gives in to Doe's advances and they begin to fool around until he sees a hidden tattoo on her hip and Doe begins to lose his cool over.

The opening scenes had me thinking that this movie was going to be nothing more than ripoff of similar classic films. I was surprised, unfortunately not pleasantly to find this to be something quite different. The cannibal angle feels tacked on to a lackluster serial killer story. Those first ten minutes could have summed up what the audience was in for (sex, cannibalism and murder) but instead it sums up what the audience hoped this movie was about. Yes, I wish this movie was a cheap knock off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or even Rob Zombie's films. APPETITES runs too long with an antagonist that is pathetically lame and no real protagonist. Thankfully there are some incredibly attractive ladies baring it all to save this movie from being a total loss.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ Entertainment give APPETITES a rather standard but fitting standard definition DVD release. Colors are good and clarity is good. There's a bit of crush during darker scenes but it isn't overly distracting by any means. The English audio is handled with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that sounds good with stable and clear sound levels.

The Extras
None at all.

The Bottom Line
APPETITES is a film worth watching for a few moments of violence and a few very attractive ladies but fully passable otherwise.

ROADSIDE (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2013
Directed By: Eric England
Written By: Eric England
Starring: Ace Marrero, Katie Stegeman, Jack E. Curenton
Color/81 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: April 14, 2015

The Film
Bickering couple Dan and Mindy are on a road trip to visit family when they're nearly run off the road by a mud covered truck. A few miles down the road Dan has an uncomfortable encounter with the driver of that truck at a gas station but the clerk and the sheriff tell him he's nobody to fear. After fueling up the new challenge is to stay ahead of the oncoming winter storm until they reach a fallen tree limb which Dan tries to clear until a voice from the woods startles him and fires a rifle in his direction. Thus begins the night of terror the couple will have to endure as the man hides behind the tree line with his rifle fixed to Dan and Mindy whenever either one of them tries to make a move.

ROADSIDE  manages to be a minimalist affair and remain effective enough throughout. With freezing temperatures and a madman hiding out of sight that you know will kill you if he wants to the waiting game is one of tension and suspense. Unfortunately his voice is far from intimidating. I found it to be distractingly over produced. It also helps to have sympathetic characters in these types of films, someone for the audience to root for. Both of our victims in this situation are running around behind the others back with other lovers, bicker about stupid shit the entire car ride and just don't seem like people that would end up together. The only good thing about them is their dog, he seems like a cool dude.

As far as the production goes, there's only a couple of locations from the car and abandoned highway to the gas station. It keeps the isolation feeling in our minds at all times. ROADSIDE is competent and from a young director is a solid foundation. There's nothing here to set it apart from dozens upon dozens of other similar films and the twist seems to be thrown in just for the hell of it but it's okay overall.

The Audio & Video
The DVD from Image Entertainment is pretty standard but there's nothing wrong with that. The video looks fine, with dark levels being handled okay and a reasonably sharp picture on the anamorphic widescreen transfer. There's a 5.1 Dolby Digital mix that sounds like a typical surround mix but there's nothing in the way of damage or distractions.

The Extras
Bare bones.

The Bottom Line
Standard horror thriller fare that feels fine just getting by but doesn't take the initiative to make the honor roll.

ROADSIDE is available HERE

DIGGING UP THE MARROW (Blu-ray Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2014
Directed By: Adam Green
Written By: Adam Green
Starring: Ray Wise, Adam Green, Will Barratt
Color/88 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: March 24, 2015

The Film
DIGGIN UP THE MARROW is presented as a documentary in the making, following real life film makers Adam Green and Will Barratt as they follow a man named William Dekker (Ray Wise) who believes he has found entrances to "The Marrow" an underground system of cities where real life monsters live.

Just last month I reviewed the film itself, which I loved and there's nothing I can say here that I didn't already say at length previously. So check out THIS review to find out more about the film itself. I will add that DIGGING UP THE MARROW movie absolutely holds up to a second viewing.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ have done a stellar job releasing DIGGING UP THE MARROW on Blu-ray. The image on the anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1 is sharp and clear. Detail level is high with flesh tones looking healthy and natural. The numerous dark scenes handle the black levels beautifully with no blocking or compression issues. The DTS-HD audio track is crystal clear though there's not a ton in the way of sound design that just shows how nicely recorded and mixed the audio is.

The Extras
-Audio commentary with Adam Green, Ray Wise, Will Barratt and Alex Pardee
-Deleted and extended scenes with introduction from Adam Green
-Monsters Of The Marrow - a half hour featurette about bringing the art of Alex Pardee to life for the movie
-Trailer

The Bottom Line
DIGGING UP THE MARROW is one of my favorite genre movies of the last few years and I can already tell you that I fully expect it to be a strong contender for my "best of 2015" list at the end of the year.

DIGGING UP THE MARROW is available HERE

WOLFCOP (Blu-ray Review) - RLJ/Image

Canada/2014
Directed By: Lowell Dean
Written By: Lowell Dean
Starring: Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Sarah Lind
Color/79 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: March 10, 2015 (Best Buy exclusive period) / May 12, 2015 (Wide Release)

The Film
Lou Garou is a small town cop who puts far more effort into swilling booze than anything resembling solving a crime gets dispatched to investigate a reported disturbance in the woods at the edge of town when he's attacked. Garou wakes up in his bed with little memory of what happened but has a pentagram carved in his chest and finds that his sense of smell and hearing have been increased. At the turn of the full moon it becomes perfectly clear that Garou has been transformed into a werewolf and now with supernatural power fueled by his love for drinking, he will uncover the centuries old dirty secrets hidden beneath the surface of the town.

Think about a werewolf cop taking down meth labs, battling supernatural forces, drinking booze and blowing shit up. Yes, WOLFCOP is as awesome as it sounds. Everything about this movie is fucking great. The direction from Lowell Dean who also wrote the film, is great. It is skilled and packed full of energy. Dean's script is genuinely funny and exciting without having to force its hand at anything. The cast is great and have a natural chemistry that adds a level of believability and credibility to the movie.

Let's get down to it though... In a movie called WOLFCOP what the viewers care about is the action, the creature makeup and the horror. There's plenty of it. The wolf design is a blend of classic horror ala Lon Chaney Jr. and what Wolverine might look like if he was a wolf. I love it. This movie could have cheaped out and went with CGI effects, luckily for us they didn't. The practical effects including plenty of blood squirting, limbs being ripped off, a werewolf transformation scene and explosions are all brilliantly executed. The barn explosion is done with a miniature but I couldn't tell that until watching the special feature. That is the sign of a skillfully done effects.

WOLFCOP moves at a blistering pace from start to finish, cramming in 2 hours worth of action into about 80 minutes and you'll barely have a chance to catch your breath. This has instantly become one of my favorite movies of the last five years and is fully deserving of all the praise it has received.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ Entertainment give WOLFCOP a beautiful full HD 1080p transfer with an anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) aspect ratio. The picture is sharp and clean, free of any damage. Colors are vivid while black levels are deep and inky without any pixelation or blocking up. The English audio is handled with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and sounds beautiful. The sound is crisp and clear with no distractions or damage.

The Extras
A bountiful selection of extras have been included....

-Audio commentary with writer/director Lowell Dean and Special FX artist Emersen Ziffle
-Behind the scenes featurette
-"The Birth Of WOLFCOP" featurette
Outtakes
-Music video
-Multiple trailers and promos
-Trailer Park Boys shout out

The Bottom Line
Run, don't walk, to the store to pick up your copy of WOLFCOP and pick up some booze while you're out. And while you're at it get some donuts too. Then you'll be ready.

WOLFCOP is available HERE

TEETH & BLOOD (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2015
Directed By: Al Franklin
Written By: Al Franklin, Glenn Plummer, Pamela J. Richardson
Starring: Glenn Plummer, Michelle Van Der Water, Sean Christopher
Color/101 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: March 10, 2015

The Film
A beautiful actress is murdered on the set of a horror film and her body ends up missing. A pair of detectives go undercover as a grip and the new starlet of the film to investigate the murder and disappearance of the corpse. Meanwhile, the town's blood band supplies are rapidly depleting with no end in sight. As more bodies pile up the detectives find out that they're in the middle of a war between rival vampire clans.

Do you remember at the beginning of the 21st century, around 2001-2003, when there was a glut of poorly made direct to video horror films that were heavy with really shitty CGI effects because CG effects programs were finally widely available and affordable for independents? Yeah, that's what BLOOD & TEETH feels like. It feels extremely dated, more so than films two or three times its age, with its incredibly cheap looking CG glowing eyes and blood, rapid movement effects, and shadow/ghost effects. It was excusable for effects to look like this 12 or 13 years ago, but with effects programs getting better and better and remaining affordable there's no reason for it in 2015. It's as if they found an old PC running Windows 2000 with some old FX program installed and thought "jackpot!".

The acting in this movie isn't terrible, some camp and cheese aside the performances are tolerable. That said, even if you can beyond the awful special effects the writing totally lets down any upside the movie had in acting. The pair of detectives might be the most inept and unaware duo I've seen in any movie recently. They literally witness a murder in front of their own eyes and don't realize it. Oh boy. Had this movie been made in the years that it resembles you'd have found it for 99 cents at a Hollywood Video store closing sale and you'd feel ripped off when you got home and watched it.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ's transfer of TEETH & BLOOD looks okay. There's some compression issues scattered throughout the anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) presentation but overall it's decent. Colors are strong and sharpness is average. The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack sounds good with a clear and clean mix of dialogue and soundtrack. There's no damage or background noise to mention.

The Extras
As bare as bones can be.

The Bottom Line
I'm not a fan and I cannot in good conscious recommend this title at all.

TEETH & BLOOD is available HERE

ZOMBIEWORLD (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2015
Directed By: Various
Written By: Various
Starring: Bill Oberst Jr., Marc Velasco
Color/100 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: February 24, 2015

The Film
The world has fallen victim to a zombie apocalypse and nowhere is safe. Through a news report that shows footage of fights for survival from all over the globe, and even a brief history lesson of the first zombie attack, we see various corners of the globe get down and dirty with the undead.

ZOMBIEWORLD is an anthology film featuring quite a few segments, a wrap around story starring Bill Oberst Jr. as the news anchor who is slowly transforming from a respected news reporter to a blithering zombie and even a few PSA style tips for surviving in these troubled times. The film is cheap and campy as hell, sometimes too much. The wrap around story is well done and surprise surprise, Bill Oberst Jr. is great in his comedic role. The rest of the film is really bad. I suppose it could come down to your tolerance for cheese and camp but I tend to think I have a high tolerance and even a certain affection for the stuff (Troll 2 is one of my favorite movies!) but I simply could not tolerate the majority of ZOMBIEWORLD. It started early when Jesus started fighting zombies by throwing fish at them and continued throughout with incredibly weak film making and acting (even for low budget indie standards).

On the up side there is some really well done special effects and makeup work throughout the film. The effects work is easily the high point of the movie and there's plenty of different takes on what the zombies look and act like that it does keep each short interesting from the previous. Unfortunately the effects work couldn't save this movie for me. Or even come close.

The Audio & Video
Dread Central "presents" this movie that has been released by RLJ/IMAGE and as you'd expect from a low budget anthology film, the quality of each segment differs quite a bit. Overall the quality is good for both audio and video. The anamorphic widescreen transfer is as strong and sharp as it's going to be on DVD and the shorts filmed with better equipment and conditions look nice. Others look soft and dreary as they were filmed. A Dolby 5. 1 track with English subtitles for the shorts that aren't in English handles keeps things in line for the audio and sounds crisp and is free of any distortions or damage.

The Extras
The lone special feature is a short film called "Marathon Apocalypse".

The Bottom Line
If you're a zombie super fan and simply can't get enough of them or are morbidly curious about why I had such a miserable time watching this movie I'd suggest a rental.

ZOMBIEWORLD is available HERE

Frankenstein vs. The Mummy (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2015
Directed By: Damien Leone
Written By:  Damien Leone
Starring: Max Rhyser, Ashton Leigh, Robert MacNaughton
Color/114 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: February 10, 2015

The Film
What do you get when a doctor obsessed with prolonging life, his monstrous creation and an ancient Egyptian king mummy all obsess after the same woman? Well... just read on to find out.

Victor and Naihla are professors at the same university, Victor as a doctor and philosopher of medicine and Naihla as an archaeologist. The young and attractive pair begin dating after Naihla returns from an expedition in Egypt where she unearthed a 3000 year old mummy of a rather vile king who of course has some sort of curse attached to his body. Another professor working on the mummy with Naihla gives life back to the mummy by spilling blood onto him.

Not to be outdone, Victor has been obsessed with re-animating dead flesh and has been paying a rather undesirable man to bring him body parts and when he needs a fresh brain the man decides to up his pay day substantially by blackmailing Victor. After a struggle, Victor kills his body snatcher and uses his brain to complete his project. The problem? It's smarter and stronger than Victor could have ever predicted and has the soul of his body snatcher who wants to kill Victor and capture Naihla. Oh, and the mummy king wants Naihla as well after he sees her necklace of an old Egyptian symbol. And Victor isn't ready to let some undead monsters take away his girl.

FRANKENSTEIN VS. THE MUMMY actually started out pretty decent. Sure, it had some melodramatic romance moments but the movie was building to a pretty decent albeit standard mummy and Frankenstein horror movie. The mummy had a classically scary look to him, and the professor who did his bidding was a major creep. I actually enjoyed where the movie was heading through the point where Victor had to murder his body snatcher. It had all been done before and in better ways but again, it wasn't bad. The acting and effects were solid and we were well on our way to a decent DTV horror movie. Then we see the Frankenstein monster who looked like he belonged to a really douchey rock band and sounded like he was giving his best impression of Regan from The Exorcist. It was laughable.

The romantic moments from early on became the driving factor of the rest of the movie and it turned into a Lifetime network Halloween special. I can imagine the tagline now... "Will she choose the timeless love of the monsters, or the human touch of the man?" Get real. My eyes were rolling fast and furiously by the third act. You may be wondering about the title, surely we get some badass moments of the mummy and the monster battling it out, right? RIGHT!? Well, we do get one. I definitely wouldn't call it badass and it doesn't last for more than 90 seconds. For a movie with the title FRANKENSTEIN VS. THE MUMMY at least give the audience some fucking scenes of the monsters fighting. It would have been the only redeeming factor.

FRANKENSTEIN VS. THE MUMMY jumped off a cliff. Yeah, it suffered from some hammy acting and we're supposed to believe that these two beautiful single professors that don't exist in real life just found each other at this university, that's fine. I can deal with that. Special effects were pretty damn good and there was even some decent music and cues in the movie. So why in the blue hell did it all go wrong? Who decided it was a good idea to turn this in to a giant "take me to prom" episode of The Brady Bunch where "something suddenly came up" and these monsters are so pissed off about Marcia Brady (Naihla) that they're going to kill Victor? Sorry for that random tangent but that's what it feels like to me, like the writer (who also directed) felt he had a decent setup of classic horror themes and wasn't satisfied with that and wanted to make something that would be his own and royally fucked it all up.

Oh well. When all is said and done I'm not really surprised that this was a let down.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ give this movie a nice presentation on DVD with a 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are vivid and represented nicely especially in the muted color palettes in Victor's lab. Sharpness is pretty good but darker scenes do block up a little bit but not terribly. The audio is handled with a 5.1 Dolby Digital that sounds nice and has a great mix. Music and dialogue never fight for space and compliment each other nicely. Clarity is very good and there's no damage or background noise.

The Extras
-An audio commentary track with writer/director Damien Leone and cinematographer George Steuber

The Bottom Line
If you're a more forgiving fan of horror films and love the classic monster you might consider giving this one a rental. If you're smarter though you'll pass and watch something better.

FRANKENSTEIN VS. THE MUMMY is available HERE