BOSS NIGGER Blu-ray Review

USA/1975
Directed By: Jack Arnold
Written By: Fred Williamson
Starring: Fred Williamson, D'Urville Martin, William Smith
Color/93 Minutes/PG
Region A
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
Two bounty hunters named Boss (Fred Williamson) and Amos (D'Urville Martin) save a woman named Clara Mae while she's being attacked by bandits and find a letter naming him sheriff of a nearby town. The mayor of the town has little control and answers to a gang leader named Jed Clayton (William Smith) out of fear. Despite Boss and Amos wanting to clean up the town and get their reward for bringing Jed Clayton to justice the mayor and most of the townspeople want no part of two black men running the law. BOSS NIGGER is a story of race and revenge.

This was the third film in a series of black westerns starring Fred Williamson. It was preceded by The Legend Of Nigger Charley and The Soul Of Nigger Charley but follows its own story as opposed to being a sequel to those films. BOSS NIGGER is the most polished film of the bunch and Fred Williamson is definitely more comfortable in front of the camera than he was in the earlier films having really honed in his performance and personality. Veteran director Jack Arnold makes a slick and at times stylish production, using the dusty wooden exteriors and dark, gaudy interiors to his advantage. Arnold is best known for directing some of the best science fiction and horror films of the 1950s including the timeless The Creature From The Black Lagoon but was no stranger to the western genre having directed episodes across various western TV series and a few feature films as well. The style and tone on display in BOSS NIGGER is much different from anything that Arnold made in the 50s as the western reinvented itself after the spaghetti western craze and became a much dirtier and more violent affair. Add in that this was a blaxploitation film featuring two black stars battling a white town who doesn't appreciate their services coming from a script written by one of the stars and Jack Arnold could very easily have been lost with how to handle it.

Thankfully he was not. He handled Fred Williamson's script well and that script was a solid one. While playing to most of the tropes of spaghetti westerns Williamson was able to craft a script that deals with racial tensions and race relations of the 1970s but didn't make the film feel forced around it even if it is the main theme of the film. After all the film's tagline so brazenly and proudly exclaims "White man's town, black man's law!". And the black men make it their law, even adding in dashes of humor at times particularly with D'Urville Martin who excelled at making me chuckle as he happily arrests the more uppity white folks in town for anything from saying the N-word to him or simply not returning a good morning gesture. All that Boss and Amos were asking for was some respect but it never came. Things only get worse until Jed Clayton really steps in to the picture. William Smith was no stranger to playing a white antagonist in blaxploitation films and turns in another good role here, especially his final showdown with Boss which is not only emotional but also powerful in its message and stylish in its execution by Jack Arnold. "That was for Poncho, that was for Clara Mae, and this is for me!". Just thinking of it gets me riled up.

That final showdown would not be where the credits rolled and the film ends somewhat ambiguously but with a clear message. BOSS NIGGER does have a political and social voice as many blaxploitation films did but it's also simply a well made western with some good performances and characters and moments that will stick with you. And to top if off it is has a great theme song.

What more could you ask for?

The Audio & Video
Kit Parker Films releases BOSS NIGGER through MVD in the film's first HD presentation on home video. The Blu-ray features a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that isn't perfect but looks good overall. Colors are strong and lifelike but color timing fluctuates a bit between the warm natural look to that with a very light green hue. It's very minor but it is there. The image is generally sharp enough but softness intermittently pops up. The transfer has just a bit of speckling on an otherwise clean image. Black levels leave a bit to be desired but detail is rather good throughout.

The Audio comes across in a crisp and well mixed LPCM 2.0 track that sounds great. I didn't notice any distortions or damage to the track and the dialogue and funky western inspired soundtrack compliment each other nicely.

The Extras
-"A Conversation With Fred Williamson" - An archival interview conducted by Joel Blumberg clocking in at nearly a half hour
-Jack Arnold Tribute by Myrl Schreibman
-"A Boss Memory" - Interview with producer Myrl Schreibman
-Original trailer

The Bottom Line
Blaxploitation films and revisionist westerns are still under represented on Blu-ray so it is great to get a solid HD presentation of BOSS NIGGER. Expand your horizons a bit and give this one a look because it's a very good blaxploitation western mashup.

BOSS NIGGER is available HERE

April Exploitation/b-movie Challenge 2016 - Days 8 and 9

The last 2 days each featured a pair of movies. Day 8 started off with THE SINFUL NUNS OF ST. VALENTINE. I think a bit of Nunsploitation was overdue for this challenge but unfortunately I didn't pick a great one. The film revolves around an unsolved murder and one of the girls at the convent is accused of it. It starts out entertaining enough with a good bit of lesbian and naked nun action but before too long the plot starts to run thin which causes the film to drag. There's bit and pieces sprinkled throughout that I like but in the end it tries too hard to replicate the madness and beauty that Ken Russell's The Devils perfectly captured a few years earlier.

That was followed up by one of my favorite viewings of the month - WILD BEASTS. Franco Prosperi, director of Mondo Cane takes his penchant for staging shocking violence in the world of Mondo films and uses them to create an awesome killer animal flick as a European city is under siege from the animals who have escaped their zoo cages after drinking PCP contaminated water making them highly aggressive. Nobody is safe from the tigers, lions, rats, elephants, cheetahs and bulls. The deaths are bloody and gruesome and the movie is immediately one of my favorite killer animal films of all time.

Day 9 started with a big disappointment. The old west slasher A KNIFE FOR THE LADIES sounded like it had to be entertaining. A Jack The Ripper style slasher set in the old west... It had to be ripe with gory murders, shootouts, and the sweaty, dirty desert, right? Ha. Haha. No. No it wasn't. The murders are all off screen, letting us only see the aftermath, the acting aside from the top two or three characters are laughably bad and it's unfortunately predictable.

BIGFOOT VS ZOMBIES finished day 9. This is a new indie movie released by Wild Eye Releasing. This movie is incredibly low budget, with a cheap Bigfoot suit (somehow not the worst I've ever seen) and really poor zombie makeup. It's actually the simpler zombie makeup effects that look better than the cheap attempts at masks that hang off the actor's face. As you can imagine this movie is intentionally campy and has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek. Movies such as this can go one of two ways: They can be charming or they can be down right awful. I found BVZ to be charming with a good sense of humor that had some genuinely funny jokes and scenes. The acting was better than expected for the most part and it was fun to see Bigfoot, who seemed to barely crack 6 feet tall, get into it with some undead ghouls. Bring the beers for BIGFOOT VS ZOMBIES and enjoy the silliness.

Today's Rundown 
The Sinful Nuns Of St. Valentine - 5/10
Wild Beasts - 9/10
A Knife For The Ladies - 3/10
Bigfoot vs. Zombies - 5/10

KILL OR BE KILLED (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2016
Directed By: Duane Graves, Justin Meeks
Written By: Duane Graves, Justin Meeks
Starring: Justin Meeks, Paul McCarthy-Boyington, Greg Kelly
Color/104 Minutes/Not Rated
Region1
Release Date: March 2, 2016

The Film
Sweet Tooth Barbee and his gang of outlaws are on a desperate ride across the inhospitable terrain of Texas to recover their hidden loot from a previous robbery but with a bounty on their head and plenty of other ruthless killers riding the area their ride to riches becomes a fight for survival.

KILL OR BE KILLED is a violent, revisionist western in the spaghetti style. There's no shortage of fist fights, shoot outs, and bloodshed left in the wake of Sweet Tooth's gang. While that makes for a fun western if doesn't make for an engaging western as the majority of the characters are paper thin, and the story couldn't be more one note. It is nothing more than a timeline of places where another fight takes place in the travel-fight-sleep-repeat pattern.

The focus on travel does allow the filmmakers to show off the sprawling Texas landscape where KILL OR BE KILLED was shot and they manage to capture that epic landscape nicely with some nice photography. Sadly at times it seems certain filters are used on the camera that soften the look and cheat us of some of the vivid colors that the natural terrain has to offer.

Performances are solid from top to bottom, with big points going to Brider Zadina as the young ventriloquist who's growth from a medical swindler's sidekick to a young man hardened by the west and the men around him may be the most interesting part of the film. There's other interesting things that never quite fully develop and left me feeling unsatisfied.

That feeling carried on through much of the film - I think westerns work because you can completely lose yourself in the setting and the characters. They engulf you from the scenery and the characters to the music. KILL OR BE KILLED felt a bit like an imitation western almost as if someone read the tropes of the genre and made a movie that they thought would be the real deal. I know this isn't the case because directors Duane Graves and Justin Meeks show talent throughout but moments of CGI blood spray and uneven special effects pulled me out of the film. Westerns, to me, need a feeling of authenticity and at times KILL OR BE KILLED loses that feeling.

KILL OR BE KILLED is uneven throughout. There's some beautiful compositions and decent performances but there's also a one note story and questionable direction that makes this feel more like a cheap action movie than a western. It's a missed opportunity at being an impressive contemporary western.

Side note- This movie was originally called Red On Yella, Kill A Fella which I think is not only a far more original name but it better suits the film as well.
The Audio & Video
Image RLJ Entertainment's 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer looks good with no compression or blocking even during the dark scenes. The picture is clean and has pretty strong detail for a standard DVD. The colors are reproduced nicely but the way the movie was shot doesn't always allow them to shine leading to a soft picture. The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix sounds great, with a powerful mix allowing for the loud bangs of gunshots to ring true and the traditional western score to become a bit infectious. There's no background noise or distortions to the audio mix.

The Extras
-Kill Or Be Killed: Making An Indie Western
-Audio Commentary with Duane Graves and Justin Meeks
-Deleted Scenes
-Interview with Justin Meeks and Duane Graves
-SLACKER 2011 segment by Duane Graves and Justin Meeks

The Bottom Line
Casual western fans may be more forgiving to KILL OR BE KILLED but they'd also be better served digging deeper into an unsung classic of the genre. It's the double edged sword that the movie itself is. You take the good with the disappointing.

KILL OR BE KILLED is available HERE

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

Sweetwater (DVD Review)

USA/2013
Directed By: Logan Miller
Written By: Logan Miller, Noah Miller
Starring: January Jones, Jason Isaacs, Ed Harris
Color/95 Minutes/Rated R
Region 1

The Film
In the late 1800s Sarah Ramirez (January Jones), a former prostitute, has a new life growing crops with her new husband Miguel (Eduardo Noriega). Despite some lean times they're happy and peaceful until a dispute with their only neighbor, the Prophet Josiah (Jason Isaacs) leaves Miguel dead. Sarah deals with her husband's death until she is pushed too far and blazes a trail of blood across the town for everyone who has used her, judged her or wronged her and it is up to the new sheriff Cornelius Jackson (Ed Harris) to find out who is behind the killings and why. 

SWEETWATER is the latest in the line of the recent on-going western movie renaissance which has given us quite a few fine films such as The Proposition and the remake of 3:10 To Yuma. SWEETWATER stands among them on its own feet. Director Logan Miller, in only his second time in the director's chair, gives us a heart felt piece of vigilante justice with love at its core. January Jones performance in the lead role, along with the rest of the supporting cast, are fantastic and carry the simplistic script that we've seen done before and make it something special. There's nothing wrong with simple ideas that have been done before but the film making team has to do something to make it stand apart and they've done so here. Jason Isaacs is extremely unlikeable as the Prophet who is a total dickhead and truly believes he has the word of God guiding him while we are rooting for Jones to find the peace and solitude she was robbed of.

The CGI blood bothered me. It is no secret that I hate CGI blood and would much prefer practical effects be used. The repeated use of CGI gunshot wounds and blood spray look pretty terrible and for a split secnod take me out of the film. It isn't a good thing to be taken out of the movie to think "man, those effects are bad". Fortunately the movie is strong and doesn't need to rely on the effects for merit. This is a good, almost great modern western that I'll certainly be revisiting again.  

The Audio & Video
Unfortunately for me, Arc Entertainment provided me with the DVD version of the film and not the blu-ray because I'd have loved to see SWEETWATER in HD. As it is the region 1 DVD looks good with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. There are some vibrant colors present such as Sarah's purple dress, but the film is largely set in overcast exteriors and darkly lit interiors. The black levels are handled with ease and there's no problems to really speak of. The 5.1 Dolby Digital is more than capable of handling the soundtrack and dialogue mix. There isn't anything in the film to really push the limits of your receiver but everything sounds good and is crisp and clear. 

  
The Extras
You wouldn't know it judging by the DVD packaging but there are some special features present on the disc. The first and most important feature is a brief 10 and a half minute "making of" that features interviews and moments with just about all of the main cast members and the Miller brothers. Brief but enjoyable. There's also a trailer for the film and an option to listen to the song heard in the closing credits in its entirety. 

 

The Bottom Line 
A familiar plot with a great cast. It isn't the best western of the 21st century but it is quite good and is worthy of a purchase. 

SWEETWATER is available HERE 

Fanny Hill / The Phantom Gunslinger (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1964, 1967
Directed By: Russ Meyer, Albert Zugsmith
Written By: John Cleland, Robert Hill, Blair Robertson, Albert Zugsmith
Starring: Leticia Roman, Ulli Lommel, Miriam Hopkins, Troy Donahue, Sabrina
B&W, Color/203 Minutes/Not Rated
REGION FREE

The Films
Russ Meyer is best known for his love of women, more specifically, beautiful, big breasted women. He wasn't shy about it. He put them front and center of his films making them the stars. Whether it was a comedy, or a piece of exploitation he is known for his love of women and their boobies, without being a misogynist. FANNY HILL features some beautiful women, but this period comedy is a bit different than the likes of Supervixens and Faster Pussycat Kill Kill.

FANNY HILL is the story of a cute, shy girl named Fanny who has moved to the city from her country upbringing looking for employment. It doesn't take long for us to realize how naive this girl is. She seeks work and lodging at the local brothel where the den mother gets the idea that she can make a fortune off this fresh, untouched beauty. What ensues is a series of pretty damn funny slapstick, innuendo filled fun, while Fanny grows up and finds her true love. If nothing else FANNY HILL shows how good of a director Russ Meyer truly was. The sleepwalking chase scene is fantastic, as is Fanny's back and forth with an equally shy man who is looking for a women to sleep with that understands him. Beyond Meyer's direction, the performances are damn good, never crossing the line to being hammy or over the top which is incredibly easy when dealing with content and style such as this. This is a great little film that I'm amazed found its way to Blu-ray considering the strangle hold the Russ Meyer estate has over his films since his death. It is a crime, and while I can't say whether this film was part of the estate or not it is great to have some Russ Meyer material in HD.

If there is one thing in the world of film that I absolutely cannot stand it is hokey comedy westerns. I was never a fan of the western genre until I discovered the Italian productions that made the movies dirty, gritty and violent. There were no singing cowboys (which is the only thing this film is missing), there was no "injins" and there was no John Wayne. Oh how I hate John Wayne. THE PHANTOM GUNSLINGER is pretty much everything I hate about the old American western wrapped up into a single package. There are the slow talking natives, the slapstick comedy routines (over and over and over) the jail with rubber bars, nonsensical and outlandish fight scenes, and an overall feeling of "try-hard" (if you don't know what that means, look it up). There were 2 things I got a laugh at, the banker character who is a caricature of Hitler (I'm a sucker for making fun of Hitler with random characters in films) and in that same scene a flask the size of a grown man's torso. I can handle a small dose of comedy in my westerns, the Euro westerns of the 70s did this and kept the movies quality. I cannot take heavy doses of ham fisted cornball writing. It is entirely possible if you're open to totally off the wall slapstick comedies that you'll enjoy this, I certainly see how one would. For me however, it is an attempt at a comedic western and that is something I just do not enjoy.

The Audio & Video
FANNY HILL's black and white photography shines on this Blu-ray presentation from Vinegar Syndrome. The 1.85:1 widescreen transfer looks great with excellent levels of detail in skin and textures along with deep, stable black levels. The audio is free of any background noise or popping, crackling or otherwise intrusive annoyances. 

For as much as I didn't care for the film, THE PHANTOM GUNSLINGER looks fucking fantastic. The transfer keeps the integrity of the movie's shot on film look with a natural grain structure. It has been cleaned up a bit it seems but the image is far from waxy or overdone. This is a colorful film and the colors really pop. Whites never burn too hot and black levels are deep. If all westerns on Blu-ray looked this good we'd be in good shape. The DTS HD mono track sounds great. It comes across loud and clear without a trace of background noise. All of the bonks and bops of the fight scenes are pleasing on the ears.

The Extras
Bonus features on this 3 disc set include:
-"The Zugsmith Connection": featurette with FANNY HILL star Ulli Lommel
-Video interview with film historian Eric Schaefer
-Reversible cover art for THE PHANTOM GUNSLINGER
-DVD copies of each film

The Bottom Line
Vinegar Syndrome has brought this pair of Albert Zugsmith productions together in a near pristine Blu-ray release. Perhaps more importantly is the fact that we get to see some of Russ Meyer's work in HD, something I wasn't expecting anytime soon. Despite my personal distaste for the 2nd film on the double feature, the very high overall quality of this release, and the quirky charm of FANNY HILL make this disc highly recommended. 

FANNY HILL and THE PHANTOM GUNSLINGER is available HERE

Shoot The Sun Down (Blu-ray Review) - Kino Lorber

USA/1978
Directed By: David Leeds
Written By: David Leeds
Starring: Christopher Walken, Margot Kidder, Geoffrey Lewis
Color/99 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A

The Film
Christopher Walken stars as Rainbow, an ex-Confederate soldier who left the war due to being ordered to slaughter indians. Now Rainbow spends his time as a bounty hunter, making money taking in wanted criminals dead or alive. He encounters a young woman (Margot Kidder) who is trying to get home to New Orleans from their current location in Santa Fe. She tells Rainbow a story that he doesn't believe, trying to get him to escort her through the dangerous territories back to her home. All the while a nasty man (Geoffrey Lewis) is on the loose, hunting Montezuma's gold and taking scalps along the way. 

The nasty man, gets a hold of the woman, who was sold into servanthood as a young girl, and discovers some golden treasure. Rainbow and some of his Native American friends team up to take down the scalphunters and rescue the damsel in distress. 

SHOOT THE SUN DOWN is, if anything, an uneven film. Made by the time the Euro Western cycle had practically been dead for a few years, this American production, the only credit for writer/director David Leeds toes the line between a piece of avant garde filmmaking ripe with social commentary and a rather dull western that feels like we've been-there-done-that and it was better before. David Leeds is capable as director, but his writing lacks the punch and feeling of urgency that the powerful and climactic moments need to get the audience to feel their full potential. 

The cast is decent. I'd say nobody really drops the ball but before watching the film I found it difficult to picture Christopher Walken as some sort of gunslinging old west badass and after watching the film he did little to change my mind. I think Walken is a good actor, don't get me wrong, but he just doesn't pull off a convincing western character and that is a major detractor for me as he is the lead and main protagonist.  The film features a pretty solid spaghetti western-esque score that is one of the highlights of the film. There is also enough action and fighting to keep things fun. 

The Audio & Video
The anamorphic widescreen transfer maintains the film's original Scope aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and Kino Lorber has done a decent job with the video side of things. As always with Kino they haven't done much in the way of cleaning up the print, there is a bit of white speckling throughout the duration. This is nothing to get annoyed over, it only reminds us that we are watching a film. There are some other instances of dirt, scratches and very minor print damage but nothing major at all. The quality of the transfer is generally good, flesh tones look nice and there is no edge enhancement or digital fuckery to be found. Detail levels are a mixed bag as sometimes they're quite strong and other times the image is soft and muddy. I find this to be more of the source material than anything Kino has done wrong. 

From an audio standpoint SHOOT THE SUN DOWN is great. The 2.0 track is in English and sounds pretty damn good. There is no background noise, and overall there's nothing to complain about the sound quality or audio mix. There are no subtitles available.  

The Extras 
Special features include an alternate opening title sequence with an original song by Kinky Friedman. It is nice to have but I prefer it the standard way. There is also a theatrical trailer.

The Bottom Line
While SHOOT THE SUN DOWN is by no means an essential western, it is decent and filled with familiar names in the cast. Kino did a nice job with the transfer and overall disc presentation so fans of the genre will find enough here to be pleased about. I'd love to see Kino tackle some spaghetti western films as they've shown they're capable of doing solid work within the western genre. 

SHOOT THE SUN DOWN is available HERE

Django Unchained Script - Reaction

So Quentin Tarantino's new script has leaked. DJANGO UNCHAINED is his homage to spaghetti westerns. It is as much a slave revenge tale as much (probably more) than a spaghetti western.

The script is 164 pages long, and in a few cases I can already see the areas that should be cut. I won't spoil anything (it is out there if you want to read it) but there are some areas where Tarantino strokes his own ego a bit too much and the story suffers from it. To be fair the story seems well paced other than a couple of instances of QT being QT. The action, even if I could tell which movies he is lifting it from already (which he's infamous for doing) is exciting. The characters are decently interesting, with none of them really soaring to Hans Landa levels. The dialogue flows as always. And aside from the typical downfalls of Tarantino films, that being that the majority of his movies were already made in the 60s and 70s, it is a good script. Hell, he name drops Leone and Corbucci in the script. I have no doubt it will be an entertaining movie that is successful. I just hope that while praise for Quentin roles in people go back and discover the films that... inspired.... him on this one. Because until he makes a movie that is truly his own, the great films that he loves so much to remake deserve praise as well.