The Mule (Blu-ray Review) - XLRator Media

Australia/2014
Directed By: Tony Mahony, Angus Sampson
Written By: Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Jaime Browne
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell
Color/102 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: January 20, 2015

The Film
A man agrees to transport packets of heroin in his stomach but is caught and detained by Australian police while going through airport security. Scared and not knowing what to do the man makes a choice to not defecate which would expose his guilt. The police take him into custody at a hotel and monitor him at all times. The man continues to refuse to defecate and tries to outlast the one week limit the police have to hold him putting his own life and his family's well being in harm's way.

And that's about it. THE MULE is apparently based on true events from 1983 in Australia and maybe the true events were more exciting than the movie about them because THE MULE is about as uneventful as it gets. About thirty minutes into the film we start our escapade at the hotel and very little happens then. We watch our man constantly keel over in stomach pain from holding in his dumps and we watch the cops beat him. The film and it's artwork seem to want to have a comedic tone, which would be extremely welcomed and would work very well but the attempts at comedy are abandoned too quickly and simply aren't funny.

The cast has talent but a weak script and a screenplay, ironically written by Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson, who star in the film, makes the movie more of a chore than an entertaining experience for the viewer failed any talent the cast has. Not only did this movie let me down, it let itself down.

The Audio &amp Video
XLRator Media releases THE MULE on Blu-ray under their Macabre line with an attractive looking disc. The anamorphic widescreen transfer has nice sharpness while colors are vivid. Detail level is good along and there's no edge enhancement or DNR. The English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is crisp and the mix is on point. Clarity is good as there's no background noise or damage to the track.

The Extras
-Deleted scenes
-4 Featurettes including "Who. What. Where. When.", "Ego", "Ticking Time Bomb", and "1983 America's Cup"

The Bottom Line
THE MULE had potential to be an entertaining dark comedy but the few attempts at comedy fall flat and the rest is just a bore. The best part about this disc are the special features.

THE MULE is available HERE

Three Ripening Cherries / Sensual Fire - Peekarama Double Featuer (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1979
Directed By: Carlos Tobalina
Starring: Jamie Gillis, Dorothy LeMay, Misty Regan
Color/171 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: January 13, 2015

The Films
In THREE RIPENING CHERRIES a trio of best friends listen to one of their mom's tell her stories of sex, both bad and good before finding the man she loves. She tells the girls that it's best to wait for the man that wants nothing more than to please them but the horny and curious girls head up to the bedroom and begin exploring each other while sharing fantasies about different guys around the town and their school. A couple of awkward experiences later involving a guy who can't get it up and a teacher who was more into bondage and masturbation than pleasing his young student the girls start to agree with the motherly advice they were given.

THREE RIPENING CHERRIES doesn't cheat the viewer of exactly what the title implies, the three young girls are attractive and naked and engaged through most of the movie but a bit more time spent on their failed encounters at the end of the movie would have made this one a bit more entertaining.

Jamie Gillis stars in SENSUAL FIRE, the story of a man who recently welcomed his stepdaughter into his home and immediately begins lusting after her. He can't keep his mind on anything else and even spies on her and fantasizes about her while having sex with his wife. The advice from his friends, one a psychologist and one a priest, to release his pent up frustrations at a local whorehouse don't work so he concocts a Halloween plan to get his stepdaughter to sleep with him. Will his plan work better than he could have ever hoped or will his taboo lust tear down his world?

It's pretty funny to see a priest suggest this man cheat on his wife by visiting a whorehouse in this one, and the plot is a kinky one with an entertaining Halloween party climax. SENSUAL FIRE is pretty standard fare otherwise.

The Audio & Video
This double feature in the Peekarama Collection from Vinegar Syndrome is pretty solid overall. Both films feature new 2K scans from the original 35mm camera negatives and maintain their original 1.85:1 aspect ratios. Both films feature some scratching and speckling, a bit more so in SENSUAL FIRE. Colors are strong and not at all washed out. Detail is good and skin tones are naturual. The mono audio tracks are a bit on the quiet side but are mixed well with the soundtracks. There's no overly intrusive background noise or damage to the tracks.

The Extras
A trailer for each film is included.

The Bottom Line
Both films are entertaining and feature just enough taboo to make it feel wrong, but you know this set is so right.

The Peekarama double feature of THREE RIPENING CHERRIES and SENSUAL FIRE is available HERE

The Atticus Institute (Blu-ray Review) - Anchor Bay

USA/2015
Directed By: Chris Sparling
Written By: Chris Sparling
Starring: Rya Kihlstedt, William Mapother, Harry Groener
Color/83 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: January 20, 2015

The Film
Dr. Henry West opened The Atticus Institute to test and discover people who may have psychic abilities such as E.S.P. and Telekinesis. While some subjects displayed traits that showed they may possibly have the abilities nothing would prepare Dr. West or his team for Judith Winstead. Ms. Winstead showed exceptional abilities in all of the categories tested that blew any previous subject's results out of the water. Eventually her abilities became too much to handle and the United States government stepped in. When their tests showed signs of demonic possession that they could not deny, the Department of Defense took control of the facility in an attempt to weaponize Judith Winstead. The events that followed are now being documented in this documentary.

THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE uses a faux documentary style of film making to add to the realism factor that drives the film. Director Chris Sparling relies on that realism to unsettle the viewer instead of going for wild makeup or special effects and never comes close to anything like what you saw young Regan do with a crucifix on her bed. The cast is great from top to bottom which is critical to keeping the film realistic and unsettling. 

Split between sit down interviews with those involved in the case and archival footage from the institute, THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE is mostly a success in what it attempts to do and create which is a documentary that a viewer may mistake for a true documentary that would be just as unsettling as the movie created. The only downfall is a few hamfisted moments of poorly done CGI towards the end of the movie.

The Audio & Video
Anchor Bay delivers a very attractive looking disc with an anamorphic widescreen (16x9) transfer that is very sharp with strong detail in textures, surfaces and close-ups. Colors are vivid and there's no sign of DNR or edge enhancement. The English audio is handled by a Dolby TrueHD 5.1  track that sounds pretty perfect. It's crisp and clean without and distortions. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

The Extras
-"Making Of" Featurette
-Deleted Scenes

The Bottom Line
An interesting take on demonic possession based horror films, THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE probably won't become a classic but it is worth a viewing for fans of the genre.

THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE is available HERE

A Walk Among The Tombstones (Blu-ray Review) - Universal Pictures

USA/2014
Directed By: Scott Frank
Written By: Scott Frank
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour
Color/114 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date: January 13, 2015

The Film
Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson) is a retired detective from the NYPD and a recovering alcoholic. He now works as an unlicensed private investigator doing "favors" in exchange for "gifts".  Scudder helps one of the city's biggest heroin traffickers (Dan Stevens) when his wife is abducted for ransom and murdered despite the ransom being paid. Scudder's investigation leads him to other similar cases where the wives of big time drug dealers have been taken and brutally murdered and dismembered with their remains being strewn about the city. Now that the killers have a young girl in their hands Scudder uses all of his resources, including a teen he's taken under his wing, a junkie he knows from AA who happens to be the brother of the big time trafficker, and the distraught father of the girl to catch them before they kill the child. What ensues is a brutal showdown where the lines of right and wrong will certainly be crossed.

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES is a crime thriller based on a series of novels by bestselling author Lawrence Block. Having never read the novels I wasn't sure what to expect but if they're as entertaining as the film that director Scott Frank (who also wrote the screenplay) delivered. Set in 1999 New York the film has a cold and uninviting look to it and it is a perfect backdrop for a film packed with characters that are rarely purely good or evil. The pacing of the film is good, giving the audience something exciting often enough to compliment the investigation aspects of the film. There's one or two plot holes dealing with things that are introduced and then drop out of the film for the remainder but it doesn't hurt the film too much.

The cast is very good, starting with Liam Neeson who has become a beloved badass over the last decade. He certainly is a badass in A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES but he does have his unsavory side which gives his character more depth than many of his other popular and successful films of recent memory. Dan Stevens plays Kenny Kristo, the big time trafficker who needs the help of Scudder. Stevens has stormed his way in to my life since he was excellent in The Guest and now here. He will certainly be on my radar for future projects. And the great performances continue with the rest of the cast too.

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES may have been released in to theaters and exited without making too much noise but I think this overlooked thriller deserves a look as it can stand up with just about any other crime thriller released last year. It doesn't reinvent the genre but it does the genre justice.

The Audio & Video
Universal delivers a fantastic looking and sounding product on Blu-ray. The 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer shows off the film's beautiful photography with a clean, sharp looking picture. Colors are vivid without being overly pumped up while black levels are deep and inky and have no problem with blocking up or compression. Detail level is high and there's no issues with edge enhancement or DNR. The English audio is handled with a 5.1 DTS-HD track that has an outstanding mix. Levels are consistent and crisp while dialogue never gets lost in the mix. There's no distortions or annoying background noise to take away from the excellent audio quality.

The Extras
-"A Look Behind The Tombstones" - 12 minute behind the scenes/making-of featurette
-"Matt Scudder: Private Eye" (Blu-ray Exclusive) - 6 minute look at the character Matt Scudder
-DVD copy of the film
-Digital copy of the film

The Bottom Line
This movie is entertaining from start to finish and Neeson is as badass as ever. I definitely recommend checking out A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES.

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES is available HERE

Sexual Heights / Undulations - Peekarama Double Feature (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1981
Directed By: Carlos Tobalina
Starring: John Holmes, Tawny Pearl, Jamie Gillis
Color/170 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: January 13, 2015

The Films
What happens when four divorced men get together and watch porno tapes together? Well a ridiculous plan to have sex with one of their old babysitters of course! The plan involves the men dressing up as a married couple with a made and chauffeur, drugging her and getting her horny before they bust in on her. Their plans works better than they could have planned when the girl calls over three friends and a giant orgy ensues, ending with the man finally getting to sleep with the babysitter that cost him his marriage.

Some notable adult film stars come together in SEXUAL HEIGHTS which has plenty of silly moments to keep things light and fun. A couple of unrelated scenes featuring John Holmes break up the action for no real reason but to add a good 15 minutes on to the film's run time. All things considered it would have been better if SEXUAL HEIGHTS was a breezier 75 minutes and focused on the actual story at hand. I'm sure fans of Holmes will argue that with me and that's okay.

UNDULATIONS features another who's who of the adult film world circa 1981 when John Holmes, Jamie Gillis, Serena, Mai Lin and others join together for a talk show about their careers and end up having an orgy. What else would you expect from five porn stars talking about their time spent sucking and fucking? There's some funny cuts to viewers of the talk show and their reactions to what is happening on screen and there's plenty of the raunchy stuff. Pacing is no problem as it moves at a brisk pace and never overstays its welcome.   

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome's DVD is great again, showing love to these films when few others would even consider it. The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen 2K transfers maintain the films' original aspect ratios. Picture quality is nice with strong colors and a crisp image. There are some scratches on the prints used but it is hardly a big issue. The mono audio tracks also sound good despite some minor intermittent crackling. Dialogue is complimented by the music and even though there is a bit of crackling it still sounds good.

The Extras
A trailer is included for each film

The Bottom Line
This double feature of Carlos Tobalina films is entertaining and features some classic group scenes with some of the biggest names ever to appear in adult films. Recommended.

The Peekarama double feature of SEXUAL HEIGHTS and UNDULATIONS is available HERE

Sex World (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1977
Directed By: Anthony Spinelli
Written By: Dean Rogers, Anthony Spinelli
Starring: Lesllie Bovee, Kent Hall, Kay Parker
Color/91 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Limited Edition: 1,500 Copies

The Film
SEX WORLD is a luxury resort for anyone looking for a weekend getaway to fulfill any and all of their wildest desires. Singles, couples, young and old take the trip to explore their fantasies, save their marriage or just learn to open up. Anything and everything is possible with the robot lovers of SEX WORLD!

When I first heard of this film I was hoping for a science fiction driven adult picture. The makings of that film are there, you can see how it would take shape but SEX WORLD doesn't go that direction. Instead, SEX WORLD is a straight forward adult film with the slightest Sci-fi flavor. The film certainly works at what it does and what it does is sex. There's plenty of it, and with some seriously fucked up people. From the bigot who claims to a black lover "I'm not a racist, I just don't like you people" (until he's balls deep in her of course) to the man that only wants to experience love like when his sister blew him at Christmas time along with the broken marriages and those simply terrified to experience sex. This is a motley crew if I've ever seen one.

SEX WORLD has some well done sex scenes and it's certainly a bigger and much nicer production than most other porno flicks from the era. There's some really nice photography throughout on top of its funky score including the SEX WORLD theme song. It's not everything I had hoped for which certainly would have set it apart from an entire era of a genre but it knew where its money would be made and the filmmakers knocked it out of the park in that regard. There's few porno films that can claim to be as well made or original as SEX WORLD.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome continues to impress with their output and SEX WORLD is another fantastic example of their work. This Blu-ray features a new 4K transfer taken from the original 35mm camera negatives. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the anamorphic widescreen transfer has a warm and natural film look to it. Detail is strong in both surfaces and skin which looks natural and healthy without any waxiness. Colors are nice without looking artificially pumped up. The transfer is clean and sharp with no noticeable damage. The audio is handled through a DTS-HD MA mono track that sounds crisp and clear. There's no audible damage or annoying distractions such as popping, crackling or other distortions. The score compliments the dialogue so there's never any struggle to make out what is being said. 

The Extras
-Alternate "soft" cut of the film
-Interviews with actors Kay Parker and Joey Silvera and photographer Joel Sussman
-Trailers
-CD Soundtrack
-DVD copy of the film

The Bottom Line
While I was hoping for something a bit different and more sci-fi based what SEX WORLD does offer up is pretty top notch in the world of 70s smut. 

SEX WORLD is available HERE

The Long Hair Of Death (Blu-ray Review) - Raro Video

Italy/1964
Directed By: Antonio Margheriti
Written By: Ernesto Gastaldi, Tonino Valerii, Antonio Margheriti
Starring: Barbara Steele, George Ardisson, Halina Zalewska
Black & White/94 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date:

The Film
When a woman is accused of witchcraft in the 15th century, she is sentenced to burn at the stake. Her oldest daughter knows the truth behind her execution and when her sexual advances at her accuser fail and she confronts the man with the truth she too is murdered. The younger daughter, Lisabeth is kept alive and taken care of by the family that killed her mother. About a decade later Lisabeth is forced to marry the Baron until someone baring a striking resemblance to her older sister comes to the castle while a plague takes its toll on the village and the Baron falls for the visitor who reciprocates the feelings. Unbeknownst to the Baron, the woman is Lisabeth's sister returned from the dead and looking to avenge the death of her mother.

THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH was the second gothic horror film that director Antonio Margheriti made in as many years. Following up what could be considered his masterpiece from 1963, Castle Of Blood, this film has been lost in the shuffle of time, probably due to its limited availability in the days of DVD and Blu-ray. That problem is solved with this release and fans of gothic horror can now experience the slow burn nature of the film that ends up being a slowly descending curtain of dread if you will. There are flourishes of violence and visible horror throughout but there's long stretches where the true horror lies in the impending vengeance that our main antagonist is not privy to as the audience is.

The stark black and white photography gives a certain coldness to the castle interiors, and really over the entire film. It fits very well with George Ardisson's icy and heartless portrayal of the Baron. Of course the face of the film is Barbara Steele, as she is in most films she appeared in. She once again has dual roles, and her face seems tailor made for gothic horror. She's brilliant here as she was in the aforementioned Castles Of Blood and in Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960). Also brilliant is the score by Carlo Rustichelli, who scored Bava's Blood And Black Lace in the same year and would go on to score his Kill Baby Kill in 1967, along with well over 200 other composing credits. There's no need to look further than Rustichelli's score for THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH to see what he's capable of though. The classic orchestral score raises the striking visuals to another level with his pounding strings and brass.

The more I think about THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH the more I like it. I want to give it another viewing before too long. I wouldn't be comfortable putting it on the same level as Black Sunday or Castle Of Blood, not yet anyways. Perhaps with future viewings it will get there. As for now, it's close. And being close to those films means that this is a damn good film. Hopefully the new release of this film on Blu-ray will get a wider audience to discover it and its director.

The Audio & Video
Raro Video's transfer of THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH is presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation that largely looks brilliant. The stark black and white photography looks damn good here with deep black levels that have no compression issues and vibrant white levels without burning too hot. Detail is strong with textures and surfaces along with facial close-ups. There's no waxiness to this picture at all and aside from the occasional scene that is a bit softer or has the odd scratch, which obviously has to do with the condition of the source material and not the transfer, this Blu-ray looks as good as you could hope for. Two audio options are available, both with mono tracks. The Italian track is the more natural choice for matching up lines to mouth movements and sounds nice. Dialogue is never lost under the score but the mix is well done so that the music can still shine while complimenting the images on screen. There's no background noise or damage to speak of. Optional English subtitles are available and they're timed perfectly and read well. There's a few very minor errors in translation but nothing that will leave you scratching your head. I only skipped around on the English track seems okay, a bit thinner sounding than the Italian but free of any damage as well.

The Extras
-Video introduction by Chris Alexander (Fangoria magazine)
-Interview with Edoardo Margheriti
-Interview with Antonio Tentori
-Original Italian Trailer
-Original English Trailer
-Booklet with notes on the film by Chris Alexander

The Bottom Line
All horror fans should take note of this excellent release of a film that deserves to be re-discovered in 2015 so that it can take its rightful place among the better gothic horror films in history.

THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH is available HERE