THE RETURN OF GODZILLA aka Godzilla 1984 (Blu-ray Review) - Kraken Releasing

Japan/1984
Directed By: Koji Hashimoto
Written By: Hideichi Nagahara
Starring: Ken Tanaka, Keiju Kobayashi, Yasuko Sawaguchi
Color/103 Minutes/PG
Region A
Release Date: September 13, 2016

The Film
By 1984 the Godzilla franchise had mostly dried up. It had been 9 years since the last entry into the series, Terror Of Mechagodzilla, had been released to underwhelming fanfare in theaters. It would be one of only two films in the franchise to sell less than one million tickets in Japan. The franchise was put on hold. Stories and scripts came in but none were put in to production. The giant monster movie would return with THE RETURN OF GODZILLA (aka GODZILLA 1984) as the world dealt with the Cold War and the threat of nuclear warfare starting at the push of a button. Oddly enough, the theme that created Godzilla would be the one that resurrected him three decades later.

Godzilla is awakened when an Earthquake hits the Island he's been slumbering in. A local fishing ship has been wrecked and the majority of the crew has been found in a mummified state with only one crew member surviving the bloodsucking attack of a mutant sea louse. It's found that the sea louse has mutated in an exponentially larger size than the centimeter it should be because it was feeding off the radiated blood of Godzilla. Shortly after a Russian submarine carrying nuclear weapons is attacked and they blame the Americans until satellite imaging shows that it was truly Godzilla who attacked to feed off of the nuclear energy. The Russians and Americans demand Japan use nuclear bombs to destroy Godzilla before he potentially attacks their shores. Japan strongly opposes the use of such weapons knowing the effects that they've had for decades on their land and people after World War II. The leaders of Japan come up with a plan to poison Godzilla with Cadmium and lead him to his death in a volcano.

The political commentary that was such an important part of the original Godzilla film is once again on display here and is an equally important part in resurrecting the franchise. The mid 1980s were a boiling point for tensions with the Soviet Union and it provided basis for some very memorable movies of the time. THE RETURN OF GODZILLA uses the political turmoil and its own history to create a film that is not only entertaining and exciting but at times especially tense. Godzilla is a giant monster stomping around cities of Japan but the main antagonist of this film is the nuclear bombs that would cause massive casualties and loss of life along with the radioactive fallout that would cause medical issues for years to come. Godzilla is a sympathetic character and appropriately so. It's ironic that the USA and Soviet Union team up to try and bully their weapons use on to Japan in the film as the US was anything but friendly and willing to be on the same side as the Soviet Union in 1984 but as long as they can protect their own shores from the threat of Godzilla it doesn't matter if they destroy Japan with nukes again. It creates an interesting dynamic for the real world situations that were among the biggest issues facing the entire world.

THE RETURN OF GODZILLA returns to the roots of the series, leaving G-man to carry the film as the lone monster. There's no giant fights with other Kaiju, and to the people of Japan in the movie Godzilla is once again a threat and not a lovable hero, despite being sympathetic on a deeper level. The fact that there's only one monster leads to the film feeling a bit slower than you may be used to with the majority of the film's in the franchise but it works in giving plenty of time to develop a meaningful story with important character relationships and interactions.

There have been 29 Japanese Godzilla films from Toho to date, this being the 16th and it certainly falls among the top half of the franchise. Admittedly I'm a big fanboy of Godzilla so I probably enjoy the lesser entry of the series more than most people do but I think that speaks to the quality of THE RETURN OF GODZILLA. I'm not sure I'd rank it among my top 10 but it doesn't fall far outside of it.

The Audio & Video
Kraken Releasing brings THE RETURN OF GODZILLA to the states for the first time and in HD no less with a respectable looking 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer that features a clean picture free of damage and debris. The colors are faithful to all versions of the film I've seen but look sharper than ever. Black levels are deep and detail is fairly strong. Close-ups of Godzilla deliver the highest level of detail in his rough, scaly skin. Sure there's room for improvement in the picture quality, it could be sharper and feature better detail but the picture is very clean and is a rock solid HD presentation of the film. 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks in both English and the native Japanese with optional English subtitles round out the listening options. I opted for the original Japanese language track which sounds excellent. The sound quality is crisp and crystal clear with no distortions or instances of popping or background noise. The mix is very well done between levels of dialogue and score. The subtitles are translated well and easy to read with perfect timing. The subtitles are yellow, which is a minor nitpick of mine, except when dialogue from characters overlaps and the 2nd character's dialogue is subbed in white. While I understand the benefit of separating colors for different characters it was a bit distracting having different colored subtitles popping up. Another minor nitpick which I wouldn't let affect the score I give this release.

The Extras
The lone extra is an original theatrical preview promoting the upcoming release. Similar to a trailer but more of an extended commercial. It was a lot of fun to watch this throwback of movie advertising.

The Bottom Line
It's been a long time coming for fans of the big guy to get the original Japanese version of the 1984 film and now we have a rock solid Blu-ray release thanks to Kraken Releasing. It's among the better Godzilla films so I'm calling it essential viewing.

THE RETURN OF GODZILLA is available HERE

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY VANILLA (DVD Review) - Wild Eye Releasing

Australia/2014
Directed By: Stuart Simpson
Written By: Addison Heath
Starring: Glenn Maynard, Kyrie Capri, Aston Elliot
Color/85 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: May 24, 2016

The Film
Warren is a lonely and totally awkward ice cream truck driver obsessed with a soap opera star named Katie. He also has to deal with a shitty bully who is trying to run him out of his favorite spot while stealing ice cream cones. One day fate shines down on Warren and Katie visits his truck while on break from filming in the area and they strike up a friendship. Katie visits the truck a few more times over the next several days and eventually agrees to go out to dinner with Warren but when he arrives to pick her up for their date she blows him off and Warren suffers a breakdown of the worst kind.

I went into CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY VANILLA knowing very little about it other than it was marketed as a horror film to the best of my knowledge and one look at the DVD cover art would make anyone think that this film is about a killer ice cream man. I'd have been fine with that premise as it is a fine idea for a horror film even if it has been done several times in the last twenty years. This is not a killer ice cream man film. This is the story of Warren, portrayed brilliantly by Glenn Maynard as a troubled man, dealing with issues and life events that have plagued him for a long time and trying to make his way in the world. He's a genuine and kind soul that is sadly damaged mentally. His shyness and overall awkwardness can't be mistaken for psychosis however as he is not a violent man, he's a loving man that has no real way of showing it but in strange introverted ways. It's not until a series of events starting with his accidental killing of his pet cat to being tormented daily by some local thugs and eventually the love of his life rejecting him that he finally loses control.

It's an emotional journey for the audience to watch Warren slip further and further from reality, it's entirely possible the Katie's visits to the truck are nothing more than fantasy, and deeper and deeper into a broken mental state. It's difficult to watch Warren when he snaps as it is one of the most intense and disturbing mental breakdowns in memory. There are lighthearted comedic moments but most of the comedy has a bit of a dark side and the film's final five minutes turn into what you'd expect from the artwork.

Director Stuart Simpson keeps the film tight in terms of locations and characters. It's a small scale production giving us a glimpse into Warren's everyday life. It all works towards the film's success.

The Audio & Video
Wild Eye Releasing delivers an attractive looking anamoprhic widescreen transfer on DVD with excellent clarity and colors for standard definition. There's nothing much to say about this release other than only an HD treatment would improve it. The English audio is much of the same, handled with care and featuring a stable mix free of distortions or damage.

The Extras
-Audio Commentary With Director Stuart Simpson
-Behind The Scenes
-Deleted Scenes
-"Baby Did A Bat Bat Thing" Short Film
-"Round The Block" Full Episode

The Bottom Line
I wasn't expecting what CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY VANILLA ended up being but that didn't hamper my enjoyment. This is a character piece that is well worth the 80 minute investment it requires and if you're a fan of very dark comedies you'll want to seek this one out.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY VANILLA is available HERE

The Art Of Rozz Williams: From Christian Death To Death - Announcement

Press Announcement

The darkness of life and art, the world of Rozz Williams.

Rozz Williams as featured in the movie PIG (as directed by Nico B) was the founder of CHRISTIAN DEATH an influential band in the genres Death Rock and Goth to this day. Rozz was also an artist, poet unknown to many who sadly past away after the making of PIG. Nico B published a book on him in 1999 which is now long out-of-print. To bring back to life THE ART OF ROZZ WILLIAMS- FROM CHRISTIAN DEATH TO DEATH as a hardcover book, support the INDIEGOGO campaign to get this book reprinted.

The Art Of Rozz Williams- From Christian Death To Death
New Revised Hardcover Book, Edited by Nico B, Sign up now and get your copy!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-art-of-rozz-williams/coming_soon

EVILS OF THE NIGHT (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1984
Directed By: Mardi Rustam
Written By: Mardi Rustam, Phillip D. Connors
Starring: John Carradine, Tina Louise, Julie Newmar
Color/85 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: August 30, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
It's summer vacation in a secluded college town and a small beach is being terrorized by a couple of sleazy old mechanics who are snatching up the remaining coeds to give to a group of aliens who need the youthful blood for transfusions to remain alive in this wacky Sci-fi slasher mixup that is purely a product of the 1980s.

Film producer Mardi Rustam (Psychic Killer) makes his directorial debut with EVILS OF THE NIGHT deciding that the film wasn't in need of great technical prowess and decided to handle the duties himself. Rustam was able to put a film together. Was it good? Was it cohesive? Does it make sense? Well, not really. Three strikes and you're out, right? Well again, not really. At least not here. EVILS OF THE NIGHT is pure schlock. It's a mashup of B-movie alien invasion science fiction complete with cheap costumes that we know are extraterrestrial because they are silver and shiny. (What else would aliens wear?) Then there's the slasher, hicksploitation type angle that the sleazy town mechanics played by Aldo Ray and Neville Brand give the movie as they kidnap the teens in exchange for gold coins, which happen to obviously be quarters. (I said it was low budget.)

The selling point to this movie in foreign markets were the names that were lured into this shoot such as John Carradine, who was well into his years of signing on to any role he could get regardless or quality and Julie Newmar whose glory days as Catwoman from the Batman TV series were long gone and now both of these names are aliens in need of blood transfusions. The selling point in America? The T&A. This movie is loaded with gratuitous nudity and sex. Public sex? Ok! Tits everywhere? You betcha'! Asking girls you don't know if panties you found in the woods belong to them? Well, yeah! The girls aren't ugly, either. This is an attractive 1980s cast that probably hoped to get a big break after baring it all in EVILS OF THE NIGHT. Ha, yeah, that didn't happen. (Looking at you G.T. Taylor!)

But they did get to be in an absolute classic piece of schlock. How this movie isn't talked about among the best cult classics of the 80s is beyond me. Not only is it wacky, cheap and filled with past their prime stars and gratuitous nudity, it also has a few memorable gory moments with lots of blood and limbs being lopped off. And no review of EVILS OF THE NIGHT would be complete without mentioning that porn star Amber Lynn also co-stars in it. If that doesn't sum up the greatness that this films holds I'm not sure what does.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome killin' it again! This low budget ($190,000) production looks gorgeous in HD thanks for VinSyn's brand new 2K scan and restoration from the original 35mm negative. The transfer maintains the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and features stellar detail in surfaces and textures and incredibly healthy flesh-like skin tones. The close-ups on the two henchmen reveal gorgeously interesting wrinkles and age. There's a natural film like grain structure to the entire film along with striking colors and deep black levels. The English DTS-HD Master Audio features a mono  mix that sounds pristine. There's damage or distortions to the sound and the mix and mastering job is excellent as the dialogue is never lost among the score or soundtrack. Levels are steady throughout.

The Extras
A nice slate of extras including a hefty one has been put together for the Blu-ray debut of EVILS OF THE NIGHT and they include-
-"Alien Blood Transfusion" - 9 minute video interview with director Mardi Rustam
-Alternate Feature Length TV edit of the film
-Isolated Score by Robert O. Ragland
-Outtakes (nearly 25 minutes)
-TV Spot
-Work In Progress Theatrical Trailer

The Bottom Line
EVILS OF THE NIGHT is the lowest common denominator of 80s filmmaking. It's rude, crude, sleazy, bloody and dumb and the sum of its parts plus the killer technical job by Vinegar Syndrome equal the greatest common denominators of schlocky entertainment.

EVIL OF THE NIGHT is available HERE

The First Look at SIREN From Chiller Films

Check out the first clip from SIREN which will be released on December 2nd by Chiller Films!

CLOWNTOWN (2016)

USA/2016
Directed By: Tom Nagel
Written By: Jeff Miller
Starring: Brian Nagel, Lauren Compton, Andrew Staton
In Theaters: September 30, 2016
DVD/VOD Release Date: October 4, 2016

Four friends on their way to a concert get stranded in a small town that has been left mostly deserted after a train wreck caused most jobs to close up and most families to leave. The group is stalked by a gang of psychopaths dressed as clowns and fight to survive the night and escape the town.

CLOWNTOWN is one of several horror films featuring killer clowns being released in 2016 and will undoubtedly be compared to the rest, that's just how it goes. CLOWNTOWN uses a formulaic slasher film approach with almost as many villains as victims. The makeup design for the clowns are all distinct yet effectively simple and creepy while the "Baseball Clown" is the scariest clown since Pennywise. His look reminds me of a deranged crackhead child from Marilyn Manson and Dee Snider. The character design of the clowns is easily my favorite aspect of CLOWNTOWN.

The film is marred by awkward editing and an ongoing feel of scenes reminiscent of the "meanwhile..." cutaways in comic books. It feels clunky and disjointed as our groups movements take massive leaps ahead without seeing any of it. It was a constant source of distraction for me as it took my attention away from the actual film and made me think about it each and every time it happened. The explanation of why these clowns do what they do was half assed and had no real reason behind it. I don't need everything explained to me in a horror film, a lot of the times the film is better off leaving the mystery but if the movie is going to give a reason behind motives of the killer or the evil forces or what have you then it better damn well make sense. The entire reasoning behind this was sort of like a little kid trying to lie his way out of trouble with his mom - Yeah, there's some reasoning there but none of it really ties together with what happened.

The cast needs to be mentioned as they are quite good and well above expectations for a small budget horror film. Brian Nagel is a great sympathetic lead as Brad who you will root for endlessly to survive so he can propose to his girlfriend played by Lauren Compton. Compton is beautiful and strong and more than capable of being the "final girl" type character even if she's not alone. Andrew Staton is hilarious in his comedic relief moments and equally as likable as his best friend Brad. And Greg Violand plays Frank, the homeless man who won't leave his hometown despite the danger of the clowns and helps the group try to escape no matter the cost. He's an honorable and stand up guy that you want to survive with the friends and find a way to better himself. He plays that honorable character to a T.

CLOWNTOWN was a picture I wrestled back and forth with as to how I felt about it. It's a messy film from a technical standpoint but it is also an entertaining affair with some great tense moments and truly scary clowns. It's a disappointment for me that the movie never truly comes together smoothly and feels almost episodic or that it was designed as a mini series of sorts which leads to an awkward viewing experience. Overall I'd consider CLOWNTOWN to be a middle of the road affair that ultimately lets down a wonderful cast and a couple other good things it had going for it.

VIOLENT SHIT (Blu-ray Review) - Reel Gore Releasing

Italy, Germany/2015
Directed By: Luigi Pastore
Written By: Emanuele Barberi, Luigi Pastore, Lucio Massa
Starring: Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Steve Aquilina, Vincenzo Pezzopane
Color/82 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: August 9, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD/CD
Limited To 3,000

The Film
Rome is struck with a series of vicious bloody murders leaving a trail of blood for Italian inspector Aristide D'Amato and his German partner Hans Ebert to follow in hopes of putting together the pieces of the bodies and the crimes. The inspectors fear that the killings mark the return of the infamous German serial killer Karl The Butcher.

VIOLENT SHIT THE MOVIE is a remake of the original shot on video Violent Shit trilogy from the late 80s and early 90s that was directed by Andreas Schnaas and produced by Steve Aquilina who returns to produce and co-star in this remake. This modern take on the series borrows plot elements from various parts of the original movies while adding in original material and move the violence to Rome as director Luigi Pastore (Symphony In Blood Red) pays homage to the sleazy and violent Italian horror films of the 70s and 80s. Pastore creates a film that truly has that same feeling of Italian horror of the 80s. It's an intangible quality that goes beyond a score by Claudio Simonetti's Goblin or cast members such as Giovanni Lombardo Radice and Barbara Magnolfi. Pastore also gives the film an interesting look, drawing obvious influence from directors such as Dario Argento with heavily colored lighting design and a very spastic camera style when the more intense parts of the film kick in.

Karl The Butcher is a killer designed to draw an immediate reaction of fear from the viewer with a massive presence and a chilling medieval mask. He's the perfect pawn of the bigger evil plan that the story delivers giving us massive amounts of bloodshed and gore. The effects work by David Bracci (Mother Of Tears) are stellar and rarely look like obvious prosthetics. The film suffers in that after an interesting opening the middle chunk of VIOLENT SHIT is really slow before the last 20 minutes ramp up the sex and violence to an almost nonstop level. It's definitely worth sitting through the boring parts to get to the good stuff, especially if you're a big time gore hound. The main idea behind VIOLENT SHIT is an interesting one, with a great performance from Giovanni Lombardo Radice who is finally not treated as Italy's Whipping Boy but the pacing is bad and the film would benefit from an even shorter run time.

I still liked VIOLENT SHIT quite a bit. The music, cast members and overall feel of the movie brought back a feeling that I haven't felt from many other recent productions, the feeling of vintage Italian slasher type films. I had mixed feelings on Luigi Pastore's previous film Symphony In Blood Red and again I have mixed feelings about VIOLENT SHIT but there's enough to like that I will be keeping him on my radar for future productions.


The Audio & Video
Reel Gore Releasing's debut release is an impressive looking and sounding release. The digital photography shines with a crystal clear anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1 ratio) transfer. Colors pop giving life to the artistic lighting designs and ample amounts of bloody special effects. Black levels are deep and free from any blocking or compression issues. Skin tones are healthy and natural looking with no waxiness, while detail in textures and surfaces is quite strong. There are several audio options including a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, and Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 mixes - all English dubs. The sound quality is clear, crisp and warm. The score by Claudio Simonetti's Goblin is powerful and shines through at key moments but never overpowers the dialogue. The mix is very well done.

The Extras
-"Making Of" Featurette
-"The History Of VIOLENT SHIT"
-Tribute To Lilli Carati - Her last interview
-Interviews With Cast And Crew Members
-World Of Stars - Segment from Italian TV program featuring more interviews with cast and crew
-Selection of Trailers
-Still Gallery
-24 Page Booklet

The Bottom Line
VIOLENT SHIT isn't for everybody but for gore hounds and splatter film fans there's plenty enough blood and guts to quench their thirst. Receommended.

VIOLENT SHIT is available HERE