HALO: NIGHTFALL (Blu-ray Review) - Microsoft Studios

USA/2014
Starring: Mike Colter, Steven Waddington, Christina Chong
Color/98 Minutes/TV-14
Region A
Release Date: March 17, 2015

The Film
Agent Jameson Locke (Mike Colter) of the Office Of Naval Intelligence is investigating terroist activity on the planet of Sedra when his team of ONI agents and the innocent occupants of the colony fall under a biological attack that only affects humans. Locke must team up with Randall Aiken, a military commander and their squads must try to cooperate enough to stop a growing alien threat in a supposed time of peace on a highly dangerous alien planet.

I'm not a Halo fanboy by any means. I guess you could call me a very casual fan of the franchise. I've played some of the games and enjoyed them but never got caught up with the stories, expanded content or various series that spun off from the games. I actually didn't even realize HALO: NIGHTFALL was a series until after I watched it. This is a collection of five episodes that has been edited into a feature length film. With only a passing knowledge of Halo I can say I mostly enjoyed the movie for that military driven science fiction film it is. The acting is solid and the locations are quite attractive and interesting to look at.

The writing is a bit cookie cutter with generic characters and plot devices that aren't uncommon in the genre but they are executed well enough that the movie doesn't suffer too much. NIGHTFALL will fill in the gap of events between the Halo 4 and Halo 5 video games and for that fact alone is worth checking out for more serious fans.

The Audio & Video
Microsoft Studios gives HALO: NIGHTFALL a gorgeous 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Detail level is quite high and everything has a natural look to it without excessive DNR. Colors pop with a wonderful vividness and skin tones look fleshy and healthy. The 7.1 DTS-HD English audio track sounds brilliant with a perfect mix of tracks. It's boisterous when it needs to be and crystal clear when things are a bit more subtle. There's no background noise or annoyances.

The Extras
This disc has a nice selection of extras.

The Bottom Line
Halo fans will definitely want to check out HALO: NIGHTFALL and it will also appeal to a broader audience of Sci-fi fans.

HALO: NIGHTFALL is available HERE

SOMETHING WICKED (DVD Review) - Arc Entertainment

USA/2014
Directed By: Darin Scott
Written By: Joe Colleran, Joe Mungra
Starring: Shantel VanSanten, John Robinson, Brittany Murphy
Color/91 Minutes/R
Region 1
Release Date: March 17, 2015

The Film
A year after the death of her parents in a vicious car wreck Christine and her boyfriend James are moving on with their lives, getting their education and preparing for their wedding day. However a relentless stalker has turned their attention to Christine and she tries to prove that her terror is true while secrets in the family begin to make themselves known.

SOMETHING WICKED is Brittany Murphy's last film and is surprisingly just being released more than five years after her death. She co-stars in this thriller that is as good as any other run-of-the-mill thriller getting a theatrical run these days with some fading star heading the cast. It's unfortunate to see her in this as she looks very thin and sick. In spite of that she turns in a good performance along with the rest of the cast who are all really rock solid. Shantel VanSanten and John Robinson have good chemistry together lending a great deal of credibility to their relationship.

The direction is competent and skilled but there's a lot of subplots going on that really murk up the flow of the movie. There's supernatural elements that come and go as they please without so much as a mention along with partners cheating on each other that really never resolves itself properly and so on. The movie does wrap up the main plot in an interesting fashion that really is the tipping point that makes SOMETHING WICKED at least a decent movie and worth a watch. There's just too much going on without any real resolution to it all or more importantly, any need for it.

When it's all said and done SOMETHING WICKED ends up being something decent but it will likely be something that's quickly forgotten.

The Audio & Video
Arc Entertainment delivers SOMETHING WICKED on DVD with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks quite good. The image is quite sharp with strong colors and handles black levels without any crush or compression. There's very little on the negative side of the picture quality on this disc. The English audio is handled with a 5.1 Dolby Digital track that sounds equally strong. The mix in dialogue and music is well done as each part compliments the other. There's no background noise or annoying popping or crackling. A rock solid A/V presentation.

The Extras
A trailer is included.

The Bottom Line
SOMETHING WICKED probably should have had a bigger release than a straight to DVD release several years after production. It isn't a great movie but it's solid in its execution and is worth a look if you're into the type of often watered down thrillers that frequent theaters these days.

SOMETHING WICKED is available HERE

42ND STREET FOREVER: THE PEEPSHOW COLLECTION VOLUME 7 (DVD Review) - Impulse Pictures

USA/1970s-80s
Directed By: Various
Written By: Various
Starring: Various
Color/114 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: January 13, 2015

The Film
Ah yes another volume of hardcore 8mm loops featuring some of the raunchiest and most unforgiving sex scenes yet! How about the girl that gets raped and pissed on by two black men (including one with one of the longest coke fingernails I've ever seen). This happens on what looks like the Brady Bunch's backyard. Groovy! Then there's the young piano student who is spanked and fucked by her instructor for not playing her scales right. There's more than one type of ivory being pounded in that one! There's plenty more ridiculous, sexy, gross and everything in between loops involving pizza men (I still laugh about this one thanks to the liner notes), weird cults with wine douches, and more!

According to the liner notes by Robin Bougie of Cinema Sewer magazine this volume focuses on loops that featured actors and actresses who quickly left the adult film biz and never made much of a name for themselves. Hopefully their relatives never stumbled upon these because some of the dirtiest dirt in the series happens here in this volume.

The Audio & Video
Impulse Pictures has done a nice job here delivering what may be the best looking series of loops in their collection to date. There's scratches and speckling but for the most part the picture is sharp and clean without any really bad deterioration or damage. The shorts are presented in their original 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio and are silent besides the background noise of the projector.

The Extras
Robin Bougie's liner notes are the lone extra

The Bottom Line
Even the most jaded fan of this stuff might be a little embarrassed or shy with this collection of 15 different loops. It's down and dirty with no shower in sight. All the juices are flowing like wild and you don't even get a towel. Enjoy!

42ND STREET FOREVER: THE PEEPSHOW COLLECTION VOLUME 7 is available HERE

DON'T GO IN THE WOODS (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1981
Directed By: James Bryan
Written By: Garth Eliassen
Starring: Jack McClelland, Mary Gail Artz, James P. Hayden
Color/82 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: March 10, 2015

The Film
A group of four campers take a trip into the woods for a weekend of camping and fun. Little do they know a madman hunts the very woods that they've decided to take a trip to and dispatches anyone he comes across in extremely brutal fashion. A fun filled weekend turns into a fight for survival deep within the wilderness.

DON'T GO IN THE WOODS has a reputation as a particularly low budget independently produced splatter fest. It's inclusion on the Video Nasties list adds to the reputation surrounding the movie and that reputation pretty much sums up the film. DON'T GO IN THE WOODS is an incredibly fun 82 minutes of carnage and black humor. There's nothing else going on other than body parts and blood being tossed around and shit to laugh at. The acting is awful and didn't have anything to really work with as far as the writing goes and the direction is equally as bad. Somehow it all comes together for a fun romp in the woods.

Come for the bloodshed and stay for the bloodshed is all I can really say. If you're not a slasher fan you'll probably want to skip DON'T GO IN THE WOODS but if you enjoy slasher films even a little bit I think you'll find a lot to like (for one reason or another) in DON'T GO IN THE WOODS. The killer looks like a cross between old WWF wrestlers The Berzerker and The Barbarian and carries around this giant furry stick thing and totally mauls everybody. It's pretty fucking great to be honest. The ending is satisfying and the credits feature this completely amazing little folky children's rhyme song. "Don't go out in the woods tonight, you probably will be thriller. Don't go out in the woods tonight, you probably will be killed..." Yup, it's bad, but in the most perfect way. I'd never seen DON'T GO IN THE WOODS prior this this disc entering my hands. Sure, I've been well aware of it but never tracked it down. This movie will probably be in high rotation in my life from now on.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome has done a rather nice job restoring DON'T GO IN THE WOODS for this Blu-ray presentation. A 2K scan was done on the 35mm interpositive with nice results in the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The colors of the forest are lush and lively while the blood reds are warm without being pumped up artificially to pop off the screen. The transfer has some speckling and scratches but has no serious damage. Skin tones are fleshy and natural with no signs of waxiness from too much digital scrubbing. A DTS-HD mono track handles the English audio. The track is clean and crisp and I didn't notice any excessive background noise or damage such as crackling, popping or
other annoyances.

The Extras
Don't go into the extras... alone! (Because there's a lot of them!)

-Audio commentary with the director
-Audio commentary with star Mary Gail Artz
-Audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues!
-Cast and crew featurette - a somewhat recent look at the people responsible for the film which is nearly an hour long
-Autograph signing party featurette - comedic interviews from the original DVD release party
-TV promo compilation
-Theatrical trailer
-Multiple still galleries

The Bottom Line
Another Video Nasty makes its way to Blu-ray and Vinegar Syndrome has knocked it out of the park as they tend to do. The movie is a blast and this release is as good as it gets.

DON'T GO IN THE WOODS is available HERE

WOLFCOP (Blu-ray Review) - RLJ/Image

Canada/2014
Directed By: Lowell Dean
Written By: Lowell Dean
Starring: Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Sarah Lind
Color/79 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: March 10, 2015 (Best Buy exclusive period) / May 12, 2015 (Wide Release)

The Film
Lou Garou is a small town cop who puts far more effort into swilling booze than anything resembling solving a crime gets dispatched to investigate a reported disturbance in the woods at the edge of town when he's attacked. Garou wakes up in his bed with little memory of what happened but has a pentagram carved in his chest and finds that his sense of smell and hearing have been increased. At the turn of the full moon it becomes perfectly clear that Garou has been transformed into a werewolf and now with supernatural power fueled by his love for drinking, he will uncover the centuries old dirty secrets hidden beneath the surface of the town.

Think about a werewolf cop taking down meth labs, battling supernatural forces, drinking booze and blowing shit up. Yes, WOLFCOP is as awesome as it sounds. Everything about this movie is fucking great. The direction from Lowell Dean who also wrote the film, is great. It is skilled and packed full of energy. Dean's script is genuinely funny and exciting without having to force its hand at anything. The cast is great and have a natural chemistry that adds a level of believability and credibility to the movie.

Let's get down to it though... In a movie called WOLFCOP what the viewers care about is the action, the creature makeup and the horror. There's plenty of it. The wolf design is a blend of classic horror ala Lon Chaney Jr. and what Wolverine might look like if he was a wolf. I love it. This movie could have cheaped out and went with CGI effects, luckily for us they didn't. The practical effects including plenty of blood squirting, limbs being ripped off, a werewolf transformation scene and explosions are all brilliantly executed. The barn explosion is done with a miniature but I couldn't tell that until watching the special feature. That is the sign of a skillfully done effects.

WOLFCOP moves at a blistering pace from start to finish, cramming in 2 hours worth of action into about 80 minutes and you'll barely have a chance to catch your breath. This has instantly become one of my favorite movies of the last five years and is fully deserving of all the praise it has received.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ Entertainment give WOLFCOP a beautiful full HD 1080p transfer with an anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) aspect ratio. The picture is sharp and clean, free of any damage. Colors are vivid while black levels are deep and inky without any pixelation or blocking up. The English audio is handled with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and sounds beautiful. The sound is crisp and clear with no distractions or damage.

The Extras
A bountiful selection of extras have been included....

-Audio commentary with writer/director Lowell Dean and Special FX artist Emersen Ziffle
-Behind the scenes featurette
-"The Birth Of WOLFCOP" featurette
Outtakes
-Music video
-Multiple trailers and promos
-Trailer Park Boys shout out

The Bottom Line
Run, don't walk, to the store to pick up your copy of WOLFCOP and pick up some booze while you're out. And while you're at it get some donuts too. Then you'll be ready.

WOLFCOP is available HERE

Massacre Mafia Style (Blu-ray Review) - Grindhouse Releasing

USA/1978
Directed By: Duke Mitchell
Written By: Duke Mitchell
Starring: Duke Mitchell, Vic Caesar, Louis Zito
Color/82 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: March 10, 2014

The Film
Duke Mitchells stars as Mimi Micelli, the son of a mafia kingpin who decides to return to America leaving his baby son to be raised by his father. Mimi head's to Hollywood and quickly finds his niche in the organized crime family there, leaving a bloody mess nearly everywhere he goes. Eventually Mimi decides he wants to take down a major pimp they call "Super Spook" which gives Mimi and the gang all they can handle until Mimi decides to leave the crime in Hollywood behind and return home to his father and see his son who is now grown.

MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE, also known as Like Father, Like Son, is the directorial debut from famed nightclub performer Duke Mitchell. Mitchell made this movie as an answer to The Godfather, promising more action and violence than the classic gangster film. Mitchell certainly delivered on that promise. If the opening and closing scenes of MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE don't leave a lasting impression on you I don't know what will. They are truly two of the most memorable scenes I've ever had the fortune to watch play out onscreen.

Just about every big plot device and main idea for mob movies are crammed into the 82 minute run time. Mitchell manages to get really solid performances and action sequences out of his limited budget. There's really no lull in MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE. It pushes and pushes until it all comes to a screeching halt at the end. The fact that much of this violence is set to extremely stereotypical Italian songs that you might hear at your local Olive Garden or at an old nightclub just makes it all that much better, if even a bit surreal.

If Duke Mitchell made MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE as an answer to The Godfather he certainly made a film I'd rather watch over The Godfather. While I can't say that this film is technically superior to the Francis Ford Coppola film, I can say that there's no doubt in my mind I would choose to watch this crazy violent, uber-exploitative take on the mafia movie nine times out ten. Hell, It'd probably be more like ninety nine times out of a hundred. It really is that good. Any and all fans of exploitation film need to see MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE.

The Audio & Video
Grindhouse Releasing gives the high-def treatment to MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE with a largely gorgeous anamorphic widescreen (16x9) transfer. Scanned from the original director's cut, the transfer features great detail, particularly in close-ups. Colors are vivid and natural while skin tones appear healthy without any waxiness. There's sporadic moments where the image shows a bit more wear from age, being a bit more washed out. These moments only make up a small percentage of the film and don't look bad enough to complain about. There's some scratches and speckling scattered throughout but the vast majority of the film looks fantastic. The DTS-HD Master Audio track is clean and crisp. I didn't notice any damage or background noise to the track. The mix is well done as the soundtrack and the dialogue are complimentary to one another.

Please note: Screen grabs have been taken from the DVD copy of the film and don't represent the glorious quality present on the Blu-ray.

The Extras
This 2 disc, Blu-ray/DVD combo pack is loaded with special features, including...

-"Like Father, Like Son" - a featurette on Duke Mitchell and his son featuring interviews from friends and collaborators of Duke.
-Further interviews with Matt Cimber and Kim LoBianco
-Nearly an hour of Duke Mitchell home movies
-Lost audio recording of a live Duke Mitchell concert from June 9, 1960
-Theatrical trailers
-Radio Spots
-Still galleries
-Filmographies
-Grindhouse Releasing previews
-DVD-Rom extras including original screenplay and treatments for the film
-"An Impressionistic Tribute To Jimmy Durante" - A bonus TV special

And if that wasn't enough, a Blu-ray exclusive feature of BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA. Yes, an HD presentation of the film in which Duke Mitchell makes his feature film debut.

The Bottom Line
It's been a long time coming and it was well worth the wait! This beautiful release from Grindhouse Releasing is a potential candidate for the best home video releases of the year!

MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE is available HERE

TEETH & BLOOD (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2015
Directed By: Al Franklin
Written By: Al Franklin, Glenn Plummer, Pamela J. Richardson
Starring: Glenn Plummer, Michelle Van Der Water, Sean Christopher
Color/101 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: March 10, 2015

The Film
A beautiful actress is murdered on the set of a horror film and her body ends up missing. A pair of detectives go undercover as a grip and the new starlet of the film to investigate the murder and disappearance of the corpse. Meanwhile, the town's blood band supplies are rapidly depleting with no end in sight. As more bodies pile up the detectives find out that they're in the middle of a war between rival vampire clans.

Do you remember at the beginning of the 21st century, around 2001-2003, when there was a glut of poorly made direct to video horror films that were heavy with really shitty CGI effects because CG effects programs were finally widely available and affordable for independents? Yeah, that's what BLOOD & TEETH feels like. It feels extremely dated, more so than films two or three times its age, with its incredibly cheap looking CG glowing eyes and blood, rapid movement effects, and shadow/ghost effects. It was excusable for effects to look like this 12 or 13 years ago, but with effects programs getting better and better and remaining affordable there's no reason for it in 2015. It's as if they found an old PC running Windows 2000 with some old FX program installed and thought "jackpot!".

The acting in this movie isn't terrible, some camp and cheese aside the performances are tolerable. That said, even if you can beyond the awful special effects the writing totally lets down any upside the movie had in acting. The pair of detectives might be the most inept and unaware duo I've seen in any movie recently. They literally witness a murder in front of their own eyes and don't realize it. Oh boy. Had this movie been made in the years that it resembles you'd have found it for 99 cents at a Hollywood Video store closing sale and you'd feel ripped off when you got home and watched it.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ's transfer of TEETH & BLOOD looks okay. There's some compression issues scattered throughout the anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) presentation but overall it's decent. Colors are strong and sharpness is average. The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack sounds good with a clear and clean mix of dialogue and soundtrack. There's no damage or background noise to mention.

The Extras
As bare as bones can be.

The Bottom Line
I'm not a fan and I cannot in good conscious recommend this title at all.

TEETH & BLOOD is available HERE