Norifumi Suzuki: In Rememberance Of A Legend

Among the excitement and fan fare for the release of Godzilla, a film many genre film fans have been anxiously awaiting the news of Norifumi Suzuki's passing has unfortunately been swept over. Dying on May 15, 2014 at the age of 80, Suzuki has left behind a legacy of wonderfully artistic, stylish and sometimes brilliant films ranging from Pinky Violence to Nunsploitation. Suzuiki is largely responsible for ever growing love of the Pinky Violence brand of film. I can't say I'm any sort of authority on the genre, or Suzuki himself, I can only sit here and give thanks to a man that has deeply influenced my movie viewing and tastes along with opening a world of film to me.

The first time I set my eyes on School Of The Holy Beast years ago and saw how a Nunsploitation film could be handled with such class was eye opening to a growing exploitation film fan. Not every exploitation film was cheap and B-Movie material. This probably wasn't the first time I saw to this day I live with images from School Of The Holy Beast in my mind on a daily basis. They're beautiful and surreal.

And if I had seen no other film than Sex & Fury from 1973 I would still feel the need to write something about Suzuki's passing as this film brought together two legendary women of exploitation and two of my personal favorites, Reiko Ike and Christina Lindberg, for a simply amazing film. Admittedly, I have been slow in digging deeper into Suzuki's filmography, as there are still dozens of titles I have yet to see but it is something I plan to remedy soon in hopes that maybe one day I will be able to fancy myself a bit of an authority on Suzuki.

Thank you for your contributions and inspiration Mr. Suzuki, you most certainly are a legend.

                                                     1933-2014

Countess Dracula (Blu-ray Review) - Synapse Films

England/1971
Directed By: Peter Sasdy
Written By: Jeremy Paul
Starring: Ingrid Pitt, Nigel Green, Sandor Eles
Color/93 Minutes/PG
Region A
Release Date: May 6, 2014

The Film
Ingrid Pitt stars as Countess Elisabeth Nadasdy, an aging woman who discovers that bathing in the blood of young women can rejuvenate her youthful beauty. When the Countess falls for a handsome man named Imre Toth she goes to great lengths to impersonate her own daughter to win the affection of the man. Women among the village start disappearing which causes a bit of a paranoid panic but does anyone dare question the powerful Countess with their own life at stake? And will the Countess be able to keep up her bloodlust to satisfy her desires for unnatural beauty?

Director Peter Sasdy successfully combines the classic Gothic horror style of Hammer with a bit of body-horror as well. From the dark, shadowy halls of the Countess’ castle filled with secret passages to the unnatural and mentally sick need to look young. Ingrid Pitt is great in the lead role, a bit menacing and totally maniacal, she has almost the entire castle’s population on her side, and makes sure they dispose of those who aren’t.

COUNTESS DRACULA is an unsung piece of greatness from Hammer’s later catalog. As production quality started to slip Peter Sasdy used his extensive experience to pull greatness out of the picture, something he’d do for Hammer a few more times in feature film form and a decade later with their TV series, Hammer House Of Horror. COUNTESS DRACULA is a well made, slightly sleazy, and totally entertaining horror film.

The Audio & Video
Synapse Films brings the long awaited Blu-ray release of COUNTESS DRACULA to viewers with a gorgeous looking transfer preserving the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. The HD transfer has a natural grain structure and a true filmic quality. This Blu-ray truly looks as if you were watching a 35mm print, and that is probably the highest compliment I can give for a Blu-ray. The print is clean and in great condition. Colors are vivid without being too hot and skin tones natural and healthy. Black levels are deep and inky with on signs of compression issues. The DTS-HD 2.0 track sounds wonderful as well. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear with a perfectly mixed soundtrack to keep from overpowering each other. There are no instances of background noise. This is exactly how I would want COUNTESS DRACULA to look and sound on Blu-ray.

Note: Images taken from DVD copy.

The Extras
-Audio commentary with: Ingrid Pitt, Peter Sasdy, screenwriter Jeremy Paul and author Jonathan Sothcott
-”Immortal Countess: The Cinematic Life Of Ingrid Pitt” - A 9 minute overview of Pitt’s break into films and her career, focusing mainly on her Hammer output.
-Archival audio inteview with Ingrid Pitt
-Theatrical Trailer
-Stills Gallery
-Reversible Artwork

The Bottom Line
The long wait from announcement to release is finally over and Synapse Films has made it more than worth the wait. The damn near perfect A/V presentation coupled with gorgeous artwork and some solid extras (my only complaint being that I wish the Pitt featurette was longer and went more in depth) make this one of my favorite releases of 2014 so far.

COUNTESS DRACULA is available HERE

Poseidon Rex (DVD Review)

USA/2014
Directed By: Mark L. Lester
Written By: Rafael Jordan
Starring: Brian Krause, Anne McDaniels, Steven Helmkamp
Color/81 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: May 13, 2014

The Film
Having just recently reviewed the film itself, I'd simply be repeating myself here. So check out the film review HERE.

The Audio & Video
The DVD release of POSEIDON REX looks good. The anamorphic widescreen transfer is crisp and clear as a newly shot digital production should be. The tropical locations look gorgeous and skin tones look natural and healthy. The CGI rendering also looks good. The English audio track is loud and clear, with no background noise or disturbances. The soundtrack is nicely mixed as to blend nicely with dialogue and not fight for attention from the audience.

The Extras
A short 9 minute Making of" featurette is included along with a trailer.

The Bottom Line
POSEIDON REX is a fun film. It is meant to sit down with a bowl of popcorn and turn your brain off for a short while. This DVD is available for under $10 and cheesy movie fans should be all over it.

POSEIDON REX is available HERE

Devil's Due

USA/2014
Directed By: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Written By: Lindsay Devilin
Starring: Alison Miller, Zach Gilford
Color/89 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: I don't remember

The Film
A young newlywed couple, Zac and Samantha, takes their honeymoon to the Dominican Republic and on their final night they let their cab driver take them to secluded local spot for a party they'd never forget. The bar has locals and other lucky tourists who have been brought their. The couple awakens in their hotel the next morning not sure exactly what happened the night before but they figure they just partied too hard. Upon their arrival home Samantha discovers she is pregnant. The couple is happy despite not planning on a child yet and plan for the best for their child. Samantha's pregnancy is odd, as she goes through violent streaks, and craves raw meat. The couple also sees strange people in the neighborhood watching their house. On the night of the birth these strangers have taken over the house and won't let Zac near his wife and they get their Satanic ritual baby.

Please excuse me a moment... FUCK THIS PIECE OF SHIT. This movie is beyond boring. It is incredibly uninteresting and wastes a young couple that is actually likeable while on screen together. It isn't possible for this movie to be any more predictable than it already is or more cliched than it already it. You'd have more fun waxing your mother-in-laws back, or poking yourself in the eye or stubbing your toe over and over for the duration of this film. It's excruciatingly bad. There found footage angle does nothing to add to the movie and judging by the fact that we see everything from the point of view of Zac who is recording home videos there should be no fucking way we can see Samantha chow down on raw meat in a grocery store from the vantage point of a security camera. I hate this fucking movie. It's an insult to just about everything on Earth. Except stupid people. I'm sure stupid people will like it.

The Audio & Video
The video looked fine and the audio sounded fine. It is a nice Blu-ray presentation. Consider it a giant dog turd presented in a crystal display case.
 

The Extras
Audio Commentary with the directors and producers
Radio Silence: A Hell Of A Team featurette
Ashes To Ash featurette
The Lost Time featurette
Roommate Alien Prank Goes Bad featurette
Mountain Devil Prank Fails Horribly featurette
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Director's Photo Album
Sneak Peek

The Bottom Line
Nobody needs to waste their time with this movie. It isn't remotely scary or interesting. If you have any inkling of curiosity to see this movie just stick a fork in an electrical socket and short out your whole house so you can't.

The Real Decameron (DVD Review) - One 7 Movies

Italy/1973
Directed By: Mario Caiano
Written By: Mario Caiano
Starring: Rosalba Neri, Christa Linder, Peter Landers
Color/93 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: May 6, 2014

The Film
Sex comedies were a big deal in Italy in the 70s and they were often loosely based on other films as a more sexed up version. THE REAL DECAMERON is an example of that, as it is similarly themed to Pier Paolo Pasolini's Decameron. In this film a group of mischievous and sexually unsatisfied girls, many of them married. They are all looking for some fun even at the objection of the local clergymen or their own husbands. Each girl comes up with a ridiculous plan to get laid by the man she really wants.

THE REAL DECAMERON is an anthology film, as we get each girl's story in sequence, from an almost Rapunzel like girl who's father wants to killer her lover, to another girl faking a haunted house and trying to get the local exorcist to believe it this film has some ridiculous plots and they're all pretty funny. I didn't even mention the girl who was swimming in a lack and loses her virginity to a prawn and has them lay eggs inside of her... Yes, it happens in this film. Most of the girls are attractive and make the film that much more fun to watch if the sex comedy thing wasn't enough for you. THE REAL DECAMERON is worth checking out if you're seeking to find lighter sexploitation fare or are a fan of the sex comedy genre. 

The Audio & Video
 One 7 Movies debuts THE REAL DECAMERON on DVD with a decent looking and sounding effort. The anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer looks good throughout with only a couple instances of the picture becoming overly soft or compressed. It manages to handle darker scenes pretty well and though it is a rather drab film when it comes to art direction, colors look decent and skin tones look natural. The Italian mono track sounds good, with minimal background noise. The English subtitles suffer a bit from a few moments of awkward translation and the constant use of a lower case "l" in place of "i" which annoyed me. It isn't much of a big deal however and I'm pleased with the disc overall.

The Extras
Bare bones. 

The Bottom Line
Sexploitation and Italian sex comedy film fans will find a lot to enjoy here. It has a genuine sense of humor and a serious sexy side. 

THE REAL DECAMERON is available HERE

Toho Godzilla Collection Double Feature - Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II / Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla (Blu-ray Review) - Sony

Japan/1993, 1994
Directed By: Takao Okawara, Kensho Yamashita
Written By: Wataru Mimura, Hiroshi Kashiwabara
Starring: Masahiro Takashima, Jun Hashizume
Color/216 Minutes/Unrated
Region A
Release Date: May 6, 2014

The Films

What happens when a baby Godzilla egg is discovered by some explorers with questionable intentions and Rodan and Godzilla both claim it as their own? Well Godzilla and Rodan start fighting of course. And Japan's Self Defense Force has to unleash MechaGodzilla to protect Japan from the giant monsters and their maternal instincts.

GODZILLA vs MECHAGODZILLA II features a few of the more "awww" inducing moments of the entire franchise along with some intense fight sequences between the monsters and robot. MechaGodzilla is absolutely bad ass in this one, even before he turns into Super MechaGodzilla... yeah, wrap your mind around that one. A very entertaining entry.

Not to be outdone, GODZILLA vs SPACEGODZILLA features a government program which attempts to implant a device on Godzilla that will allow them to controll him telepathically to protect Japan. That plan takes a backseat when Godzilla cells carried into space by Biollante and Mothra have formed a new Godzilla creature that has came through a black hole and invades Japan. This new monster, dubbed Spacegodzilla, is a super charged version of Godzilla, with the ability to absorb the Earth's energy through his giant crystals on his shoulders. Spacegodzilla's first victim is Little Godzilla, which pisses off Godzilla and the fight is under way. Japan's backup plan to their telepathy is Moguera, their penguin-like giant robot which has replaced MechaGodzilla. Can the team of Godzilla and Moguera stop Spacegodzilla before he destroys all of Japan and sucks all of Earth's energy from it's core?

WOO BOY! I love this movie. GODZILLA vs SPACEGODZILLA has vicious fight scenes, an original story, and a pretty cool giant robot, that isn't quite as neat at MechaGodzilla, but has his own advantages. The cuteness of Little Godzilla, who has a stare down with Spacegodzilla early on, is overwhelming and because of the beating he takes from the extraterrestrial monster you spend the rest of the movie just cheering for Japan and Godzilla to team up and give him what's coming. It is great to finally get Godzilla as Japan's ally for the first time in several movies in this one.

The Audio & Video
Both of these films have very similar looking transfers from Sony. The prints are mostly clean and in nice condition. Detail levels are an improvement over the DVD versions of the films, with the monster suits looking good. Colors are a bit less muted than the previous double feature but there's still room for improvement on Toho's end. Skin tones look good and it is a sharper image than you could ask for on DVD. The Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD audio tracks sound strong and boisterous. There's no annoying popping or crackling in the background and the optional English subtitles are timed perfectly and translated nicely. 

The Extras
There are original trailers for each film, and Ultraviolet digital copy codes. 

The Bottom Line
These 2-disc Blu-ray sets are easily found for under $15 each and that price they're really a no-brainer for Godzilla fans and cheap enough to take a chance on if you're interested in checking out these movies. These two movies are immensely entertaining and I'm thrilled to own them on Blu-ray.

The Toho Godzilla Collection Double Feature is available HERE

Jungle Blue (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1978
Directed By: Carlos Tobalina
Written By: Carlos Tobalina
Starring: Susan Fuentes
Color/79 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: May 13, 2014

The Film
A group of jungle explorers have a devious plan to find a native tribe that is rich with diamonds and poison the whole tribe to take their riches for themselves. On the way they encounter a jungle man, potentially a son of God, who is quite the stud. He has sex with the women, he hangs out with a gorilla who loves sex and is just a great guy. Is he able to stop the devious plan from going down and save the natives and the innocents  or will he perish with them?

JUNGLE BLUE isn't easily summed up in a review. It isn't some avant garde arthouse film, but the sheer absurdity of it all is almost too much for words. Hell, one of the first things you see is a gorilla getting a blowjob from a woman. Fans of weird cinema need to see JUNGLE BLUE, whether you're a fan of vintage pornos or not, you owe it to yourself to see this. You may even be a better person because of it.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome's transfer on JUNGLE BLUE is quite good. There is a bit of print damage evident in the form of scratches but they're not distracting and otherwise the transfer looks really good. Colors are vibrant and skin tones are natural. There are no compression issues to speak of in the anamorphic 16x9 presentation. The English mono track is mostly free of background noise and sounds very good otherwise. 

The Extras
A theatrical trailer is the lone special feature

The Bottom Line
JUNGLE BLUE is one strange film, in the best possible way. It draws you in and doesn't let go until it is over. You'll laugh, you'll cringe, and you'll wonder just exactly what the fuck it is that you're watching.

JUNGLE BLUE is available HERE