13 Sins (Blu-ray Review) - Anchor Bay

USA/2014
Directed By: Daniel Stamm
Written By: David Birke, Daniel Stamm,
Starring: Mark Webber, Devon Graye, Rutina Wesley
Color/92 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: June 17, 2014

The Film
Elliot is about to marry the love of his life but what should be a happy time is one of stress and desperation due to mounting debt, a special needs brother, and a father who hates his fiancee but needs to move in with the couple. Elliot receives a phone call one night informing him that he has been chosen to be part of a game that, upon winning, would give him a life changing amount of money. The game consists of thirteen challenges, the first is to kill a fly that is pestering him in his car. Upon doing so a thousand dollars was deposited into his bank account, the next challenge, worth a little bit more money was to eat the fly. The catch is that all of the money will vanish if he fails to complete a challenge or quits the game. Elliot's desperation drives him commit serious crimes to complete the game's challenges bringing him face to face with the game's other contestant on the final challenge.

13 SINS is a remake of 13: Game Of Death, A Thai film from 2006. Having never seen the original I can't compare the two but I can say this American remake isn't bad. It has a dark comedic side to it that keeps the mood light through most of the film that allows for us to cheer on Elliot despite some despicable acts. There's a messy subplot involving a police detective hunting down Elliot for the crimes he's committed and learning of the game's ancient origins in the process. It isn't handled very well and eventually just forces it's ways into the main story in a hamfisted manner. The end of the film is the main downer for me however, the final challenge really seems like a case of the writers trying to one up each other by adding more and more twists to the point that it is infuriating. I'm not sure if the original film is like that but shame on the writers of this remake for not changing it if it is.

Directed by Daniel Stamm, who is most known for the extremely large let down that ended up being The Last Exorcism, 13 SINS isn't awful, but manages to get in its own way too often to really be great. Mark Webber is likable and convincing as Elliot and really, the rest of the cast is good too. I usually won't complain about Ron Perlman being in a film but while he was also good in his role, it was his subplot that started making things messy. Daniel Stamm doesn't do anything extraordinary here, he handles the movie capably without much flair. 

The Audio & Video
Anchor Bay brings 13 SINS to Blu-ray with a very attractive 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. Details levels are strong, along with deep, inky black levels. Skin tones are fleshy and natural. The image is clean and free of any dirt or debris. The 5.1 DTSHD-MA track is loud and clear with a perfect mixing job of dialogue and soundtrack levels. There's no audio hiccups or background noise. 

The Extras
-Audio commentary with Director/Co-writer Daniel Stamm, Mark Webber, Ron Perlman, Devon Graye
-The Making Of 13 Sins
-Alternate Ending
-Deleted Scenes
-"Anatomy Of A Meltdown" featurette

The Bottom Line
Despite any drawbacks the film has it is entertaining and is worth checking out. It would be great during a rainy day movie marathon.

13 SINS is available HERE

In The Blood (Blu-ray Review) - Anchor Bay

USA/2014
Directed By: John Stockwell
Written By: James Robert Johnston, Bennett Yellin
Starring: Gina Carano, Amaury Nolasco, Cam Gigandet
Color/108 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: June 3, 2014

The Film
Ava and Derek are newlyweds on their honeymoon in the Caribbean when Derek goes missing after a nasty fall from a zipline. Having apparently never arrived at any hospital after being taken away in an ambulance Ava uses her hardened background and training from her father to go deep in the seedy criminal underbelly of the island and find her husband since the police have their hands in the criminals pockets.

IN THE BLOOD plays out like an amateurish, wooden and totally ridiculous version of Taken starring Liam Neeson. Former mixed martial arts champion Gina Carano stars as Ava and tries her best to be convincing but she is stiff as a board and her lines come off like she's reading them from a book. She is convincing in her fight scenes because she could probably kick everyone else in the movie's ass. The editing of the movie is a mess, one second Ava is kicking the shit out of a bad guy and the next she's in a jail cell... did she turn herself in? Was she arrested on sight? Who the hell knows. There are many instances of that type of jarring editing. There are also more than a few sequences that look like a cheap music video, the ambulance chase scene being the main culprit. It's like a bad segment from MTV 2.

The reunion between Ava and Derek should be a happy moment for the viewer but the revelation that the crime boss had Derek taken because he's a perfect match for bloody type so that he can take Derek's stem cells to treat his own cancer? Well, let's just say it is one of the more "holy shit, that's what they actually went with" moments I've ever seen. And then came the finale where an entire local neighborhood tries to help the couple escape by throwing coconuts and melons at a caravan of the baddies. It was one of the more unintentionally funny things I've seen in a movie in quite a while. From then on it drags for another fifteen minutes until Danny Trejo makes his second appearance in the film to collect that paycheck and get his name plastered on the DVD cover.

The Audio & Video
Anchor Bay gives IN THE BLOOD the Blu-ray treatment that looks outstanding for the most part. The parts that don't look as hot are obviously filmed with lesser equipment but the beef of the film is very sharp, features strong detail levels and incredibly natural skin tones. It is an excellent looking disc. The audio, mainly English with intermittent Spanish with English subtitles is a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that sounds just as good as the disc looks. No complaints.

Note: Images taken from DVD

The Extras
A Behind-The-Scenes featurette is the lone extra

The Bottom Line
If the film istelf was as good as the A/V of the disc we'd have a real winner. Unfortunately it isn't.

IN THE BLOOD is available HERE

The Devil's Knot (Blu-ray Review) - Image

USA/2013
Directed By: Atom Egoyan
Written By: Paul Harris Boardman, Scott Derrickson, Mara Leveritt
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Dane DeHaan, Colin Firth
Color/114 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A/1
Release Date: June 10, 2014

The Film
The West Memphis Three was the crime that gripped America in 1993-94. The brutal murder of 3 young boys and the three teenagers that were controversially tried and convicted of the murders. It is one of the most infamous crimes and subsequent trials in  America's history. It has been documented and scrutinized endlessly with various films being made about it. THE DEVIL'S KNOT is just the latest in that string of films.

Reese Witherspoon stars as Pam Hobbs, the mother of one of boys who would be found dead. The talented, Academy Award winning actress doesn't give her best performance here but in a film that feels like a Lifetime channel production she's okay. THE DEVIL'S KNOT is a decent courtroom drama at it's best and a messy film based on the heinous crime.

The Audio & Video
Image Entertainment gives THE DEVIL'S KNOT an attractive looking Blu-ray presentation. The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer has strong details, natural skin tones and great detail levels. The 5.1 DTS-MA track sounds great, with no background noise, or audible hiccups. 

The Extras
-The Making Of DEVIL'S KNOT
-Getting Into Character: The Cast Of DEVIL'S KNOT
-Deleted Scenes

The Bottom Line
You're best served watching THE DEVIL'S KNOT as a courtroom drama as there are far better documentaries on The West Memphis Three. Rent it. 

DEVIL'S KNOT is available HERE

Hallucination Strip (Blu-ray Review) - Raro Video

Italy/1975
Directed By: Lucio Marcaccini
Written By: Vincenzo Mannino, Lucio Marcaccini, Jose Sanchez
Starring: Bud Cort, Marcel Bozzuffi, Guido Alberti
Color/93 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date:

The Film
Bud Cort stars as Massimo, a politically involved student who is big in protests and demonstrations, and being a bit of a trouble maker. When he steals a very valuable tobacco box he becomes involved in a dangerous hunt between the police and the mafia. While he and his friends do drugs, bitch about the system and live their lives, Massimo is becoming increasingly closer to losing his.

To put it simply, HALLUCINATION STRIP is a let down. A film drenched in social commentary still needs to be a successful film or the message is lost. HALLUCINATION STRIP is pretty poorly written and most of the actors seem to be going through the motions. There's an interesting LSD trip scene and a handful of other interesting moments but overall the film isn't good, any social commentary gets lost in the shuffle because of it and you're better off finding better pieces of Euro crime or psychadelic cinema. 

The Audio & Video
Raro Video's 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer looks pretty nice. The transfer has a natural grain structure and nice color representation. Flesh tones and detail levels are good. The only downside is that dark scenes do have a bit of compression but nothing serious. No DNR or EE is noticable. The 2.0 Italian audio track sounds very good and the English subtitles are translated and timed perfectly. There is no background noise.

The Extras
-Video interview with editor Giulio Berruti
-Original Italian trailer
-Original English trailer
-Fully illustrated booklet

The Bottom Line
While it didn't strike a chord with me it is worth a rental to see if it strikes one with you.

HALLUCINATION STRIP is available HERE

The Demons (Blu-ray Review) - Kino Redemption

France, Portugal/1973
Directed By: Jess Franco
Written By: Jess Franco
Starring: Britt Nichols, Anne Libert, Howard Vernon
Color/118 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: April 29, 2014

The Film
In 1971 Ken Russell released his masterpiece The Devils on the masses. Viewed as disturbingly sexual, violent and obscene it was banned or faced tight censorship just about everywhere. Russell's film was heavy with commentary on the Catholic church and organized religion as a whole, filled with images of naked nuns, harsh violence from church officials and general insanity. It didn't take long for other filmmakers to capitalize on the attention being given to The Devils and make similar films. Jess Franco did just that in 1973 with THE DEMONS.

During a witch hunting craze, an accused witch who is being burned at the stake accuses the head with hunter and his followers of being in with the devil. This sets off a crazy chain of events, where nobody is to be trusted. A series of tests is given to the accused which will point out the witches. These tests are of course designed to be passed (rather, failed) by everyone they're administered to. The manhunt for the accused goes wide when the witchfinder falls in love with a nun who ran away to escape persecution but there will be no shortage of people being burned at the stake. Or nudity. Or witchcraft.

It goes without saying that based on the title and a short plot synopsis that Jess Franco knew what he was doing with THE DEMONS. He was making a sleazier and more self indulgent film for the exploitation crowds to love on the back of Ken Russell's noteriety. This isn't a new practice and one that hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Franco's film is wildly entertaining, there's sex, torture, violence and bizarre witchcraft that turns people into skeletons! It has none of the social commentary or expert filmmaking that Russel's The Devils has (that isn't to say it is a poorly made film because that isn't the case). It is simply a exploitative ripoff of a true masterpiece of cinema and is a film worth viewing in its own right.

The Audio & Video
Kino Redemption has done a fantastic job with their release of THE DEMONS. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer features a crisp and largely very clean transfer. Detail is strong with the period clothing and set pieces and the plentiful amount of skin on display is warm, and natural. Everything looks great and there is no edge enhancement or DNR on display. The French (with German) 2.0 audio track features optional English subtitles which are flawless. The sound itself is perfectly mixed, and free of any background noise. 

The Extras
-An interview with Jess Franco by David Gregory
-Six minutes of deleted footage
-A pair of theatrical trailers
-Trailers for more Franco films

The Bottom Line
Jess Franco has made a highly entertaining piece of nunsploitation with THE DEMONS and this gorgeous Blu-ray is the only way to see the film from now on. 

THE DEMONS is available HERE

Young Secretaries / Deep Tango (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1974
Directed By: Zachary Youngblood, Richard Kanter
Written By: Zachary Youngblood, Richard Kanter
Starring: Annette Haven, Jan Mitchel
Color/162 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: May 13, 2014

The Films
DEEP TANGO is the story of an attractive sex therapist who takes her new lover on journey of sexual exploration to perfect her therapy methods. From filming an orgy to fucking herself with the camera lens the couple gets wild and crazy for much of the duration which keeps plot thin and sex scenes very active. With a slightly stronger plot, and I do mean slightly, is YOUNG SECRETARIES, the story of a bunch of secretaries who give their bosses what they need to succeed and in turn get rewarded for it... with mustache rides. Yeah, I said it was only a slightly stronger plot but it has equal amounts of quality sex scenes.

Neither of these films will go down as classic 70s porn but they will certainly add a couple of entertaining and well made titles into the adult section of you collection.

The Audio & Video
Both films are presented in their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (full frame) by Vinegar Syndrome and have similar looking transfers. The presentations are largely clean and fairly sharp for vintage porno films. They do have some scratches and dirt and debris along with some print jumping but are very watchable presentations. The audio has a bit of background noise but not much and it never gets intrusive. 

The Extras
Bare bones. 

The Bottom Line
Vinegar Syndrome keeps the ball rolling on their old school porn releases with another pair of films that fans of these releases will certainly want to add to their collection.

DEEP TANGO /YOUNG SECRETARIES is available HERE

Honey Buns (DVD Review) - Impulse Pictures

USA/1973
Directed By: James Chiara
Written By: James Chiara
Starring: Matt Hewitt, Ushi Digard, Rene Bond
Color/74 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: May 6, 2014

The Film
 Harry works at a feminine hygeine company called "Internally Yours", he is surrounded by beautiful women daily and couldn't be more uncomfortable. Harry is clumsy, shy, awkward and just a bit creepy, bringing his stacks of dirty magazines to his desk on his lunch break. Obviously he has no luck with the women, that is until the day he meets a man called The Magician who gives him a magic pill. This pill gives him chance after chance with beautiful women ready to seduce Harry. There's a catch though... If Harry gets too aroused too soon they disappear. Harry has to learn to control his urges to keep his fantasies a reality.

Matt Hewitt plays a damn good sexually awkward, shy guy, the ladies here are all beautiful and the movie itself is just weird enough to stand apart from the loads and loads of other X-rated fare that it had to contend with. From orgies to a dominatrix and yes, we do get to see why this film got its name, HONEY BUNS is a well made and inspired piece of 70s hardcore.

The Audio & Video
Impulse Pictures secures a safe existence for another vintage piece of American smut with a pretty good overall transfer on HONEY BUNS. The print is in decent shape, there are some scratches and damage but nothing excessive or annoying. If anything the scratchiness only adds to the experience. The audio track is stable and mixed well. Levels are steady and don't flucuate. A bit of background noise is present but as with the PQ it isn't distracting.

The Extras
Bare bones. 

The Bottom Line
A bit funny, a bit awkward and weird, and packed with beautiful women, HONEY BUNS is a treasure of the 1970s hardcore scene.

HONEY BUNS is available HERE