Ouija (Blu-ray Review) - Universal Pictures

USA/2014
Directed By: Stiles White
Written By: Juliet Snowden, Stiles White
Starring: Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Daren Kagasoff
Color/90 Minutes/PG-13
Region A
Release Date: February 3, 2015

The Film
 Best friends Laine and Debbie have played with Ouija boards since they were little girls. Now as they're getting ready to graduate high school, Debbie uses one alone and is disturbed by what she experiences and attempts to burn the board and planchette. After talking to Laine but not letting her inside Debbie's eyes turn white and she hangs herself.

With the tragic death of their friend lingering over them Laine and four other friends gather at the funeral and later decide to have a seance to attempt to talk to their friend, and make contact with a spirit that calls itself "D". The group stops playing after being spooked but each get a message of "Hi friend" and decide to return to the board as they think it is Debbie communicating with them. Quickly they find that it is not Debbie speaking to them but a malicious spirit with their mouth stitched shut and another named "Mother". One by one the friends begin to suffer similar fates to Debbie as their eyes turn white and are killed in mysterious ways. That is when Laine finds out the truth behind the board they're using, the spirits they've encountered and the living relative to the spirits and that intentions aren't always good. Laine and her sister attempt to end the evil by burning the board with the body of the evil spirits that haunt it.

About an hour in to OUIJA I thought to myself "Why is this rated R?". I quickly realized it wasn't. I have nothing against PG-13 horror films as I feel film makers can achieve a proper level of dread, suspense and horror in that rating if they're creative and skilled enough. Unfortunately OUJIA barely deserves the PG-13 rating. A few spooky looking ghosts or bodies is really all I can see separating it from a lesser rating. The film is bland as can be and plays out like a late 90s Scream clone but instead of being a slasher film it is a supernatural horror film. Exchange a fish hook wielding killer for this nasty spirit and I don't think the comparison is to see.

The characters are boring and paper thin, sure they seem like nice kids but none of them are the least bit interesting. Lin Shaye appears in yet another supernatural horror film and she's becoming more common in these types of films than Troma's Lloyd Kaufman is in Z-grade no budget schlock. I like the woman and think she's a fine actress but it's getting old seeing her in these films. The scare and shock moments of the film are laughable. Check out the dental floss scene and try not to laugh. The others are generic paint-by-numbers junk that was all the rage a decade ago. Are we back to it? I sure hope not.

The Audio & Video
Universal Pictures' Blu-ray of OUIJA is downright beautiful. The anamorphic widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio has great clarity and strikingly vivid colors. Detail level is very high in textures and surfaces while skin tones look natural and healthy. Black levels are deep and inky with no blocking or pixelation.  The English audio track is a DTS-HDMA 5.1 mix that sounds excellent. The mix is full and boisterous when it needs to be. Dialogue and score are complimentary of each other and there's no background noise or imperfections to speak of.

The Extras
-"The Spirit Board: An Evolution" (Blu-ray Exclusive) - A brief 4 minute look at the history of spirit boards and their place in our culture.
-"Icon Of The Unkown" (Blu-ray Exclusive) - Another four minutes spent looking at the experiences Ouija board users have had that influenced the film.
-"Adapting The Fear" - How about another four minutes? This time with a look at the cast and crew's opinion on Ouija boards.

The Bottom Line
To put it simply, OUIJA is not a good film. It is boring and mundane in every way and would be hard pressed to get a scare out of even the most novice horror viewer. 

OUIJA is available HERE

RPG: Real Playing Game (DVD Review) - Arc Entertainment

Portugal/2013
Directed By: Tino Navarro, David Rebordao
Written By: Tino Navarro
Starring: Rutger Hauer, Cian Barry, Alix Wilton
Color/102 Minutes/R
Region 1
Release Date: February 10, 2015

The Film
Ten very well off people who are old and dying are given the opportunity to pay a large sum of money and pick a new body to play a game in which a player must die every hour and the last person standing wins another chance and being young and healthy. The catch within the game is that when you kill an opponent you must properly identify the hologram of their true, old person self or you too will perish. With everyone from famous actors to computer wizards and special security there is a wide array of personalities playing made even more difficult to ID since each player could select a body of any gender or race.

As the game starts, the players wake up unaware of their surroundings and of the puropse of the game initially. Quickly they're refreshed as to what they're doing and what is at stake. Alliances are formed and broken, rules and boundaries are challenged and eventually 9 players perish. When the winner wakes up and empties his bank account for a chance at being young again he doesn't realize that reality and perception are not always the same.

RPG: REAL PLAYING GAME has an awful title. Let's not mince words there, it fucking sucks. Luckily the movie itself is a bit better. It plays out like a round of the classic board game Guess Who? mixed with the plot of Battle Royale. There's been a number of movies over the last decade, even some huge blockbuster series, with similar plots and RPG manages to be entertaining enough that the audience isn't groaning and asking themselves "this again?". Rutger Hauer co-stars and lends the film a big name as he plays Steve Battier, one of the aging players. Hauer doesn't have much screen time unfortunately as the vast majority of the film is spent with the younger bodies playing the game. Those ten players are all capable of their various roles and accents so the film avoids being hammy thankfully.

Unfortunately RPG doesn't do much to really set itself apart from similar movies. Yes, it is entertaining, mildly, but there's just nothing really original about it. The time spent on the game has long periods of down time. The kill scenes are mostly unexceptional and the writing has a few moments that are obviously meant to be big moments or twists in the game that really have no affect on anything. The moments set in the high-tech future, or present as it is, are meant to be socially profound but lacks the depth to make any real significant impact on the viewer. 

The Audio & Video
RPG looks wonderful on this DVD from Arc Entertainment. The transfer features 2.35:1 aspect ratio and a crystal clean look. Sharpness is quite good for standard definition and colors are very vibrant, especially in the futuristic scenes. The English 5.1 Dolby Digital audio track is mixed very well with levels complimenting each other. The track is steady and stable with no fluctuations that will have you reaching for the remote. Audio is crystal clear with no damage or background noise.

The Extras
A trailer is the lone extra

The Bottom Line
The movie is best viewied as entertainment for a night's viewing but probably won't have you standing up to applaud. A solid movie worth a rental but nothing more.

RPG: REAL PLAYING GAME is available HERE

The Ribald Tales Of Canterbury / Tasty (DVD Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1985
Directed By: Bud Lee
Starring: Hyapatia Lee
Color/89 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: January 13, 2015

The Films
A group of knights, maidens and a priest travel across the countryside in the 15th century and to pass the time they share their raunchy sex stories with a prize of gold coins on the line! Knights falling for a princess, a mother and daughter teaming up on a grain buyer and more await in THE RIBALD TALES OF CANTERBURY.

CANTERBURY is a period piece of sexual deviancy that reaches all the way to the morals of the church. Filled with beautiful women and some kinky situations, RIBALD TALES keeps things light and breezy and even features a really well done theme song that loops on the disc's menu.

Then in TASTY, a radio station's employees are on the verge of losing their job if they can't turn their station around in one week, so they all say fuck it... literally! Instead of trying for another format of music or talk radio they turn the entire station in to a giant orgy. Sex themed music, sexual talk, live on air sex and everything else you can think of as head DJ Tasty Tastums leads the way and drives the boss nuts!

TASTY is a lot of fun and you can tell the whole cast had a great time making it. Hyapatia Lee stars as Tasty Tastum and gives a great performance, along with everyone else really, but her dream sequence music video of "Hit Me With Your Wet Shot" is legendary. If you've ever wondered what a DJ and a big fan of the station look like when they fuck like animals all over a soundboard then TASTY is there for you.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome gives this pair of Hyapatia Lee vehicles large amounts of respect in terms of DVD quality. Both films are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers maintaining their original aspect ratios. The prints used are in great condition with just the odd scratch or piece of dust. Colors are lush and vibrant while overall sharpness is very good. Detail level is good for standard definition DVD and skin tones are fleshy and natural. The mono English tracks sound good as well. Both films have great songs in them and they come through with excellent clarity while dialogue never gets lost in the mix and there's no background noise or damage to speak of.

The Extras
-Interview with director Bud Lee
-Audio commentary with Bud Lee on RIBALD TALES OF CANTERBURY
-Original theatrical trailers for each film

The Bottom Line
This is one of the more original pair of sexploitation films from Vinegar Syndrome given their settings and plot. Even so, they didn't reinvent the wheel so you know what you're getting yourself into and you'll get immense amounts of enjoyment out of them.

THE RIBALD TALES OF CANTERBURY is available HERE

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