A ZOMBIE EXORCISM (DVD Review) - Wild Eye Releasing

Norway/2015
Directed By: Casper Haugegaard
Written By: Casper Haugegaard
Starring: Marie Frohme Vanglund, Mads Althoff, Jonas Bjorn-Andersen
Color/46 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: May 15, 2015

The Film
Three siblings gather at a church for a funeral when an unknown evil awakens the dead and the zombie apocalypse begins. The trio flee to the catacombs beneath the church and must fight for their survival.

Thankfully A ZOMBIE EXORCISM is a rather short affair clocking in at under 50 minutes. The film is bland in its writing and character development along with adding nothing new or noteworthy to the zombie genre. The direction is all over the place with heavy use of shaky cams during the more exciting sequences and camera angles quickly changing to point of view handheld angles despite this not being a found footage movie of any type.

There's non stop action and plenty of gore to be had though. If you're interested in the simplest side of zombie movie fare then you'll enjoy your time here but I was looking for something a bit more. I can't knock the film for having lots of the juicy bits though, that's for sure. The other upsides to A ZOMBIE EXORCISM are the acting which is solid and some great set designs.

The Audio & Video
Wild Eye Releasing's anamorphic widescreen transfer makes the shaky, low budget photography look pretty good. The transfer is clean and stable with no damage. The Danish audio features English subtitles and has a strong mix with steady levels. There's no background noise or audible hiccups to mention.

The Extras
-Bonus short film
-Music video selection
-Behind the scenes featurette
-Trailers

The Bottom Line
I didn't care for it but maybe you will. I would have liked to see them expand on the movie a bit more than just having a random zombie outbreak for no real reason.

A ZOMBIE EXORCISM is available HERE

THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (DVD Review) - Image/RLJ Entertainment

USA/2014
Directed By: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Written By: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Earl E. Smith
Starring: Addison Timlin, Veronica Cartwright, Anthony Anderson
Color/86 Minutes/R
Region 1
Release Date: July 14, 2015

The Film
65 years after the town of Texarkana was terrorized by hooded killer the town once again falls victim to "The Phantom". Jami barely escapes an encounter with The Phantom and becomes obsessed with finding out the identity of this new killer. While Jami digs deeper in the mystery and history of the killings the bodies begin piling up in this typically sleepy town.

THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN was widely marketed as a remake to the 1974 film but in all actuality is completely a sequel. Similar events play out in this one but it's all in paying homage to the original killer. The film works as a slasher and a horror mystery with the major twists and turns the story takes. The script is otherwise pretty straight forward and simple but effective enough and carried by a solid cast.

The downfall of this film, and it is a glaring, in your face problem that you literally cannot look past is the direction and photography choices made. There are heavily slanted angles for absolutely no reason throughout the film. These are usually reserved as a way to show some sort of madness, craze or other emotion changing device for the audience. Not here, they're thrown around without any real reasoning whenever the director felt like putting them in. I could probably look passed these randomly inserted slanted angle shots if I didn't have to watch the film through an incredibly hazy and sweaty looking filter. I can guess that the director wanted to give the film a sweaty, humid look which I'd be okay with but large quantities of the film look like there's a heavy layer of condensation or Vaseline smeared all over the camera lens.

This really kills some of the better lighting designs the film has going for it in certain scenes that feature colored lighting. The hazy look drowns out the bright red lighting that gives the film a creepy atmosphere during certain scenes. It's unfortunate that this look wasn't changed after seeing how it turned out in the dailies because it looks really bad at times.

Despite the shitty look the film has it times it outshines its predecessor which is a vastly overrated film that I believe is as famous as it is for the simple reasons that it has killer artwork, The Phantom has a great look that inspired Jason Voorhees and was unavailable on DVD for years and was a heavily sought after VHS tape. The movie was frankly a bore with a couple of great moments tossed in to make it worth sitting through. This sequel done 40 years later is a solid horror film that suffers from poor technical artistic choices but remains an entertaining movie that deserves some of the recognition the original undeservedly has.

The Audio & Video
RLJ/Image Entertainment bring THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN to DVD with a 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio that looks good for a standard definition release. Colors are strong and vibrant and black levels are handled decently. The filter used in photography keeps the disc from looking sharp because of the soft and sweaty photography style but that is a style choice by the filmmakers.

A 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound track handles the English audio with ease and grace. There's great clarity to the dialogue and the levels are mixed well and are quite stable without unnecessary. volume fluctuations. The track is also damage and background noise free.

The Extras
A trailer is the lone extra

The Bottom Line
Some questionable artistic decisions aside, THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is a rock solid sequel disguised as a remake that easily outshines its predecessor. I wouldn't call it a modern classic but the good outweighs the bad and it certainly is entertaining.

THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN is available HERE

AWAKEN (DVD Review) - Arc Entertainment

USA/2015
Directed By: Mark Atkins
Written By: Mark Atkins, Ryan Priest
Starring: Natalie Burn, Vinnie Jones, Robert Davi
Color/89 Minutes/R
Region 1
Release Date: July 7, 2015

The Film
A young woman wakes up on an island to find a group of others just like her and is immediately thrown into a fight for survival with the others while they all attempt to find out why they're on this island and being hunted by mercenaries. After escaping the island, only to be brought back the group finds out the shocking truth that they're being hunted in an organ harvesting operation.

AWAKEN is directed by Mark Atkins who is no stranger to direct to video fare and knows how to keep things entertaining enough to keep the viewer's attention without having huge production values or sharply written scripts. AWAKEN is a simple enough idea that allows for as many action scenes as the filmmakers want to put in, and there's plenty of them.

Vinnie Jones co-stars as Sarge, the head mercenary and is a badass, like always. The man has a natural presence as a hardass in front of a camera with his hardened look and real life ability to kick ass. He is matched against Natalie Burn who shows herself as capable of handling an ass kicking role in her own right. The acting is hammy from just about everyone involved but we don't watch movies like AWAKEN for much else other than the action so much is forgiven.

Daryl Hannah and Edward Furlong appear as well and Furlong is one of the least likable parts of the movie. He just oozes shittyness. The movie only has a couple of locations but makes the most of them to make it feel like a bigger world than what it really is. The island the victims briefly escape to is an interesting one and almost gave me a similar vibe that the town of Innsmouth does in HP Lovecraft's stories.

AWAKEN won't go down as a classic action film but for someone looking for something they haven't seen yet for some easy weekend viewing you can do a lot worse.

The Audio & Video
Arc Entertainment brings AWAKEN to DVD with a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks very good. Colors are bright and vibrant and the picture quality is sharp. The English audio track is handled with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and is free of any damage or distracting background noise. The mix is nicely done as the score compliments the dialogue without drowning it out.

The Extras
A trailer is the lone extra

The Bottom Line
AWAKEN is a fast paced straight to video action flick that is high on violence and adrenaline.

AWAKEN is available HERE

THE NEW BARBARIANS (Blu-ray Review) - Blue Underground

Italy/1983
Directed By: Enzo G. Castellari
Written By: Tito Carpi, Enzo G. Castellari
Starring: Timothy Brent, Fred Williamson, George Eastman
Color/91 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: June 30, 2015

The Film
The world has been shattered by nuclear war and the remaining survivors fight to survive amidst the roving gang known as The Templars led by their vicious leader One. A solitary warrior known as Scorpion (Timothy Brent) rescues a beautiful woman from The Templars and teams up with Nadir (Fred Williamson) and a fairly rag tag group in a fight against the brutal gang in hopes of reaching a distant land where a society is rumored to exist.

THE NEW BARBARIANS was one of my post-nuke type films to come in the wake of Mad Max being an international hit. The film is brimming with futuristic costume designs, charismatic characters, gore and extremely clever and downright cool vehicle and weapon designs. As cheesy as it may be there is a natural swagger and cool factor that comes along with THE NEW BARBARIANS.

The story is a simple one of survivors trying to find their way to a place where life isn't just about surviving but flourishing and adding to a community. Things are never that easy, especially with George Eastman leading The Templars' thirst for violence and supremacy over the wasteland. Eastman's group has the coolest cars and bikes that are packed with guns, lasers and various implements of death such as rockets and rotating blades. There's no shortage of heads and limbs flying in THE NEW BARBARIANS.

THE NEW BARBARIANS may be a product cashing in on the success of a better known film but it goes heads and shoulders above and beyond almost any other movie in the post-nuke apocalyptic action film category.

The Audio & Video
Do I need to go into at this point? Blue Underground's transfer is stellar. Anamorphic widescreen  very natural looking grain structure, beautiful vivid colors and great detail and sharpness coupled with the DTS-HD 1.0 mono track that takes the original audio and makes it sound perfect. Yeah, I'd say that's stellar.

The Extras
-Audio commentary with Enzo G. Castellari
-"Enzo G. Castellari and Fabrizio De Angelis In Conversation Part 2"
-"Tales Of The Hammer- Interview with star Fred Williamson"
-Theatrical trailer
-Poster and stills gallery

The Bottom Line
THE NEW BARBARIANS out Mad Max's Mad Max and is a wonderful slice of post apocalyptic cheese. Highly Recommended

THE NEW BARBARIANS is available HERE

ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX (Blu-ray Review) - Blue Underground

Italy/1983
Directed By: Enzo G. Castellari
Written By: Tito Carpi, Enzo G. Castellari
Starring: Mark Gregory,
Color/89 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: June 30, 2015

The Film
A corporate mega power has decided to redevelop the Bronx which has long been declared "no man's land" and a lost cause. Relocation efforts to send residents to "lovely New Mexico" has resulted in hold outs from lifelong residents and the gangs that run the territory. The relocation efforts have turned into death squads being sent in to eliminate any hold outs which starts a war as the remaining gang members and residents have armed themselves and are ready to kill for their right to stay.

The sequel to 1990: The Bronx Warriors was shot a mere 18 months after the success of the first film and ramps up the action quite a bit. What the original gave us in terms of creative characters and eye catching and attention grabbing costumes and set pieces on top of plenty of action takes a more is more attitude for the violence and it pays off. Trash and various survivors from the first film are back to take on the faceless, silver clad, flame thrower wielding death squad goons and there's almost non stop fights, shoot outs and explosions.

ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX also seems to be a bit gorier than its predecessor. This isn't Fulci level horror gore but there are some effects going on in terms of blood and burns. The acting again is hit or miss and our handsome muscular lead from 1990 is now a jacket wearing leader here as he lost most of his muscle mass between shoots much to the chagrin of director Enzo Castellari.

Where 1990: The Bronx Warriors shows its obvious influences, ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX takes those influences and just blows them to hell. I really can't sum up how fucking fun this movie is. There are multiple moments where vehicles are blown up with only one or two gunshots from a long distance. It's that attitude that drives the entire movie. Enzo Castellari isn't worried about keeping things grounded, and we shouldn't care that things are far from grounded. The more is more attitude really works in making ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX an immensely entertaining film.

The Audio & Video
This is how it should be done! Blue Underground's 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer has a wonderfully vibrant color palette. The colors are bright and beautiful while the overall picture quality has a great crispness and sharpness. Skin tones are natural without any waxiness. The English audio track is a DTS-HDMA mono track with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. This audio track is crystal clear and is free of any background noise or damages such as crackling or popping.

The Extras
-Audio commentary with Enzo G. Castellari
-Enzo G. Castellari and Fabrizio De Angelis In Conversation Part 3 of 3 - the fantastic conversation continues and concludes with more great stories. A complete joy to watch these two friends and collaborators reconnect.
-"The Hunt For Trash" - Interview with BRONX WARRIORS superfan Lance Manley - This featurette documents Manley's search for Mark Gregory who starred as Trash in the Bronx Warrior films and dropped out of the public eye in 1989. Pretty fascinating stuff.
-Theatrical trailers
-Poster and stills gallery
-DVD copy of the film

The Bottom Line
I've seen ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX numerous times and have loved it since my first viewing of it on a shoddy Vipco import from the UK years ago. I don't think I've ever had more fun watching it than I did this time getting to see it in beautiful HD in all of its glory. It is long overdue to become a cult classic.

ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX is available HERE

TIME LAPSE (DVD Review) - XLRator Media

USA/2014
Directed By: Bradley King
Written By: Bradley King, BP Cooper
Starring: Danielle Panabaker, Matt O'Leary, George Finn
Color/104 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: June 16, 2015

The Film
Three friends living together discover their neighbor across the way has discovered the ability to time travel with a camera that takes pictures 24 hours into the future. The group does what most people would do and use it for personal gain and wealth but quickly find out that trying to change the outcome that the photos predict will lead to their demise. Unfortunately their relationships are twisted and torn with each new photo.

Director Bradley King makes his debut feature film with TIME LAPSE that he also co-wrote and he's made a name for himself already and he should be on your future radar if he can continue to make films of this quality. King's direction isn't super flashy, really nothing about TIME LAPSE is but every element of the movie is rock solid. There's enough suspense and action in the script to keep you glued to the screen in anticipation of the twists and turns the story will take which there are plenty.

Don't think that this is a piece of M. Night's out of left field style shit that has become so cliched over the years. The turns this story take all fit within the confines of the boundaries this story creates and make perfect sense. The rather small cast are damn good, particularly our main trio. There are a couple of plot holes that you will question but I find them to be minor and don't take too much away from the film.

Imperfect but quite good especially when considering this movie probably had a small budget and that it was the first feature film made by its director. TIME LAPSE is tightly knit and fast paced science fiction thriller with virtually no wasted time that deserves to be seen.

The Audio & Video
XLRator Media gives TIME LAPSE a nice 16x9 widescreen transfer with good clarity and sharpness for standard DVD. A Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix handles the English audio that is crisp and damage free. There's no problem at all with the levels as dialogue and soundtrack compliment each other nicely.

The Extras
-Audio commentary with Bradley King and BP Cooper
-"Filmmaking 101" audio commentary with Bradley King and BP Cooper
-Behind the scenes featurette (22 minutes)
-Deleted scenes

The Bottom Line
TIME LAPSE is proof that a good script and direction and performances that hold up the quality of that script are enough for a good movie and this movie has that. Recommended.

TIME LAPSE is available HERE

1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS (Blu-ray Review) - Blue Underground

Italy/1982
Directed By: Enzo G. Castellari
Written By: Dardano Sacchetti, Elisa Livia Briganti, Enzo G. Castellari
Starring: Mark Gregory, Vic Morrow, Fred Williamson
Color/92 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: June 30, 2015

The Film
The years is 1990 and the Bronx has been delcared a lost cause, no man's land. The only inhabitants are various gangs that fight for territory over the borough. When the daughter of a corrupt mega power in Manhattan runs away and joins Trash and his gang The Riders he sends in a mercenary and killing squads to retrieve his daughter and wage war on the gangs that have joined forces to fight back against their oppressors.

1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS is a glorious piece of trashy action in the vein of Escape From New York and The Warriors but ramps up the violence ten fold and stands toe to toe with those classic films in terms of memorable characters. Mark Gregory's Trash, Fred Williamson's The Ogre and George Eastman's Golem are all quite colorful and classic. Vic Morrow is perfectly maniacal in the role of Hammer, the main mercenary.

Acting can be a bit hammy from time to time but it doesn't detract from the film at all in my opinion. This is a world built in the decaying slums that the rest of America has written off and the acting being a bit rough around the edges just adds to that world. What isn't rough around the edges is Castellari's direction, the man is an action film master. From fight fights and shootouts to flamethrower massacres 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS rollerskates (quite literally) around its clubhouses, subterranean hideouts and dramatic costumes with flair and elegance while remaining gritty and wild.

It's funny to me that a film such as this one may be viewed as a ripoff of certain other classic films that are certainly deserving of their status as classics but I would prefer to back to the "ripoff" time and time again. I have probably seen 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS more than a half dozen times and I keep coming back for more because it is a movie steeped in coolness. The sets, the actual Bronx locations, the characters, the score, they're all wrapped up into this little package with a ribbon tied around them by Enzo Castellari's direction that pulls it together into a brilliant package of trashy action.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground is going to serve 25 to life because they killed it. This Blu-ray looks and sounds as good as looks and sound can look and sound. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is pretty much pristine. A gorgeously sharp picture quality is the base for vivid colors, a natural grain structure free of DNR or edge enhancement and fleshy, healthy skin tones. The English audio (optional English, French and Spanish subtitles) is handled with a DTS-HD Master Audio mono track that takes the original audio recording and makes it sound as beautifully crisp and clear as posisble. There's no damage or background noise so this is purely the prime example of how this film should sound.

The Extras
-Audio commentary by director/co-writer Enzo G. Castellari
-Enzo G. Castellari and Fabrizio De Angelis In Conversation Part 1 of 3 - a 14 minute conversation between the director and producer who have a lively and extremely entertaining and informative talk remembering their time spent making movies together including on 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS
-"Sourcing The Weaponry" - Enzo G. Castellari visits the Italian Weapons Rental House of Paolo Ricci - 12 minutes of Castellari and Ricci acting like two kids in a toy store sharing stories of making movies together and playing with all of the prop knives and guns.
-"Adventures In The Bronx" - Interview with actor/stuntman Massimo Vanni
-Theatrical trailers
-Poster and stills gallery
-DVD copy of the film

The Bottom Line
I love movies like this and this one is damn near the top of the mountain. When I heard Blue Underground was putting this one out on Blu-ray my excitement climbed with each passing day until I was able finally to view the disc and there was not a single moment of disappointment. From the technical side of the disc, to the great selection of special features this is not only essential viewing, it is a must buy.

1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS is available HERE