MAYHEM (2017)

USA/2017
Directed By: Joe Lynch
Written By: Matias Caruso
Starring: Steven Yeun, Samara Weaving
Color/87 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: December 26, 2017

Derek Cho (Steven Yeun) has been busting his ass for a law firm rising through the ranks to find himself in a nice corner office with a good position as a law analyst only to find himself being set up to take the fall on a major account by his own firm's dirty tactics. Unfortunately for the executives, a deadly virus that spread wildly in recent months and causes the victim to lose any sense of inhibition and act out on their wildest ideas whether they be silly, sexual or just plain violent, has made it's way in to the building and an 8 hour quarantine has everyone locked inside until an antidote can be filtered in through the vents. Derek and a client (Samara Weaving) whose home is being foreclosed on because of the law firm simply not giving a shit decide to get some revenge on the soulless bloodsuckers at the top of the office building while the virus gives them legal impunity.

MAYHEM is a movie that anybody who has ever been mistreated, talked down to, used and abused, overlooked or under appreciated by their boss can appreciate. I think I've included a good 90% of the population. How many times have we dreams about getting one clean punch in, free of consequences, at our bosses. Or better yet, being able to overtake their position and give them a dose of their own medicine on their free fall down the ladder. Steven Yeun who any genre fan probably knows best as Glenn from The Walking Dead TV series, is fantastic as Derek, an average guy who has sacrificed and bested his ass for a company and to get some level of success and for what? Just to get spit on. Literally and figuratively. He's a perfect Joe Everyman and turns in a great performance that the audience can rally behind. His counterpart is Samara Weaving who plays a sassy, sexy and as we come to find out, tough and badass woman who is in a tough spot as the law firm won't help her with a two month extension on her loan and is planning to foreclose and take her home. After a brief spat with Derek they end up locked up together during the quarantine and reach a mutual breaking point and arm themselves with everything from a nail gun to an electric saw and hand tools.

The film plays out like The Raid meets The Belko Experiment (in the world of Office Space) as they fight their way up each floor of the office building and lands somewhere firmly between the two. It's not the action classic that The Raid is but I think it's a better gory office horror film that is far more relatable and engaging than The Belko Experiment. Yeun and Weaving play off each other brilliantly and Joe Lynch has never been more sure footed behind the camera. His direction is solid and slick in spots to add some flair to MAYHEM that raises it up a notch. The unsung hero of the film is Steve Moore who provides the score and it's a moody, at times catchy, and overall pulsing synth driven piece of music that lurks in the background until the film needs the punch that Moore's score adds to really get the audience's adrenalin pumping. While watching the film I was thinking to myself how much I liked the score and then I saw Steve Moore's name pop up in the credits and it all made sense. Moore is a member of the band Zombi who writes synth driven rock not unlike Goblin and it's always a treat to get a soundtrack from him.

I like MAYHEM a lot. It's straight forward, well written and executed, highly entertaining and something you can easily place yourself in. It's not perfect and there's plenty of things that require a suspension of disbelief but I had so much fun with it and think this is one of the hidden gems of genre film of 2017.

MAYHEM is available on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD HERE.

DEATHDREAM - Blue Underground Blu-ray Review

Canada/1974
Directed By: Bob Clark
Written By: Alan Ormsby
Starring: John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Richard Backus
Color/88 Minutes/R
Region FREE
Release Date: November 28, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
There's no perfect time to write a review on this film. It is a horror film centered firmly on the horrors of war and what the surviving participants bring back with them. Nobody, on any side, has ever returned from war the same as they departed. Bob Clark very clearly and eloquently describes that in DEATHDREAM.  Earlier titles included The Veteran which is a bit too on the nose for the film's own good but it would certainly work in this story of a soldier returned from the horrors of the Vietnam War, which is something nobody had ever been exposed to before.

Shortly after receiving news of Andy's death in Vietnam, Andy's family is startled by his surprised return home. Thrilled by their son's return and the military's mistake the family writes off his change in demeanor to the casualties of war. Andy who was a bright, energetic and engaging youth has returned as a quiet, reserved and very irritable verteran of war, still coddled, and rightfully so, by his mother. His reintegration into society is very slow and his father is his biggest critic, citing his own time spent in the service as a weakness in Andy, but reacting mostly to his aversion to the family pets that seem to not approve of his new attitude. Andy's sister has set up a date with his old flame to hopefully bring back the old Andy but things go further south as the damaged Andy can no longer pretend to be his old self.

DEATHDREAM is a minimalistic yet totally engulfing horror film. And it is heart wrenching. There is a layer of social commentary within this film that rings as startingly and profoundly true now as it did in 1974 but it never becomes overly intrusive to the enjoyment of the film. It's obvious that Bob Clark understood how to get a message across within a package that mass audiences would appreciate and enjoy on a commercial level. Richard Backus didn't need to turn in an Oscar winning performance to turn this film into an absolute winner but he did manage a great performance and made DEATHDREAM a time tested classic that far outlives the confines of the Vietnam War. Lynn Carlin perfectly exemplifies the grief of a somber and sorrowful mother that will do anything to protect her son and finally his legacy. Andy isn't a bad person and you can't really blame him for his actions as the movie rolls on and his mother loves him and will put herself in the crosshairs for him. He's not well, and his actions are awful but Andy did not return home as the same Andy that left. It's an obvious commentary that sadly couldn't and wouldn't change the world and many war torn vets were left in positions that were at best unsavory.

War is hell and it's unfair to expect a soldier of war to return the same as he left. If anything is clear in DEATHDREAM it is that. DEATHDREAM is filled with enough horror movie moments to make it a classic and a classic it is, through and through. Alan Ormsby's (With a young Tom Savini serving as his assistant) simple special effects are well done and totally believable and add to the horrific nature of this film. There's a level of visual satisfaction along with the emotional impact of this film that has been underrated and overlooked for too long. It's a damn fine horror film that I can't speak of highly enough.

The Audio & Video
Blue Underground has been quietly releasing top notch Blu-ray after top notch Blu-ray and this release of DEATHDREAM is another example of greatness. The disc features a gorgeous 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer with a healthy and natural grain structure that reminds you that you're watching a movie shot on film. Without being overly grainy, the film retains that look that digital photography simply cannot reproduce. Colors are warm and natural while skin tones remain healthy and fleshy. Black levels are deep with no compression or blocking issues. Detail level is strong especially in close up shots on faces and textures. The audio features a DTS-HDMA 1.0 Mono mix which keeps the film's original audio mix but presents it in the finest available quality. It's simple but beautifully crisp and clear with no background noise or distorted damage. The score and dialogue mix perfectly and never jocky for position over the other.

Please note: The screen grabs shown in this review are from the DVD copy of the film and in no way reflect the new HD transfer.

The Extras
This release is absolutely stacked with special features which include:

-Audio commentary with Director/Co-Producer Bob Clark
-Audio commentary with Writer/Make-up Artist Alan Ormsby
-A recollection with star Anya Liffey and Writer/Make-up Artist Alan Ormsby
-"Notes For A Homecoming" - Interview with Composer Carl Zittrer
-"Flying Down To Brooksville" - An interview with Production Manager John "Bud" Cardos
-Tom Savini: The Early Years - An interview with legendary make-up artist Tom Savini who served as an assistant to Alan Ormsby on the film
-"Deathdreaming:" - An interview with star Richard Backus
-Alternate Opening Titles
-Theatrical Trailer
-Still Gallery
-Alan Ormsby student film
-Collectable Booklet featuring writings on the film by critic Travis Crawford

The Bottom Line
Even if this release was barebones and didn't feature any special features I would still say this is one of the must own releases of the year because the film is that damn good but since it is packed with special features and sports a fantastic A/V presentation this release of DEATHDREAM is essential viewing.

DEATHDREAM is available HERE

Comet TV December Holiday Lineup and Giveaway

It’s December, the time when you think of a rolling fire, having dinners with friends, and… Tank Girl! I mean, come on we’re not getting sentimental now are we? This month COMET TV has some of the cult-iest movies of all time. Earth Girls Are Easy, Tank Girl, Leviathan… and that’s just what I could remember off the top of my head! Think of what I could talk about if I looked it up!

There are also Cult Classic Theater films like Attack of the Puppet People, Dolls and more, plus we have the Martian Holiday Movie Marathon! This holiday season, prepare to head to another world. If you say that in an ominous inner voice, it sounds awesome!

The Comet TV December Pack has:

1 - Limited Edition Tank Girl x COMET TV T-shirt: "Look, if you want to torture me, spank me, lick me, do it." .... Lock and load with this exclusive Tank Girl goggle-eye tee and get ready to break necks next time you're stocking up on ammo.

1 - Tank Girl 4"x9" UV Print: SPLOSH, BAM! If you're a true Tank Girl fan like we are, you couldn't get enough of the film's animated sequences. We're paying homage with two variant UV prints pulled right from the film and custom made for this kit.

1- Stargate Atlantis x COMET TV SnowGlobe: Tis the season to be Stargate! Bring home the bubble city trapped in this limited edition SnowGlobe... where else are you gonna snag this?

1 - COMET TV Collectable Card: You’ll get one of two collectable COMET TV cards featuring Earth Girls Are Easy & Tank Girl.

To Enter: 

Email CelluloidTerror@yahoo.com and include your full name and address and tell me your favorite Christmas themed horror or cult movies and what movie from Comet TV's December lineup you want to see the most. US residents only.

FILMS ON COMET IN DECEMBER

Tank Girl (1995) 

Want to warm up this holiday season? Take a trip to the year 2033, where cold isn't an issue but an apocalyptic lack of water is. Starring Lori Petty as the titular hero, and Malcolm McDowell as the villainous Kesslee, Tank Girl is an action-packed adventure that's so explosive you might just end up putting jetpacks at the top of your holiday gift list.

Friday, December 29 at 8P/7C 

Saturday, December 30 at 8P/7C

Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) 

If you thought Jeff Goldblum was charming in human form, just wait until you see him when he's an alien. Also starring Geena Davis, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans, 'Earth Girls are Easy' sees a trio of aliens crash land on Earth and take the California dating scene by storm. Even the hardest to please Valley girl is no match for the charms of these furry Cassanovas.

Friday, December 15 at 8P/7C 

Saturday, December 16 at 8P/7C 

Saturday, December 30 at 6P/5C

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Martian Holiday Movie Marathon 

Sunday, December 25 starting at NOON/11C

Mars Needs Women (1968) 

Starting at NOON/11C

The Angry Red Planet (1960) 

Starting at 2P/1C

Queen of Blood (1966) 

Starting at 4P/3C

Red Planet Mars (1952) 

Starting at 6P/5C

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) 

Starting at 8P/7C

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December FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIES

Friday Primetime Movie 8P/7C 

Saturday Encore Presentation 8P/7C

Leviathan (1989) 

Friday, December 8 at 8P/7C

Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) 

Friday, December 15 at 8P/7C

Supernova (2000) 

Friday, December 22 at 8P/7C

Tank Girl (1995) 

Friday, December 29 at 8P/7C

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December Weekly Themes 

Airing weekdays at 4P/3C throughout December, check schedule at CometTV.com

Haunted House Movies (12/4 – 12/8) 

Vincent Price Movies (12/11 – 12/15) 

Creature Features (12/18 – 12/22) 

Cult Sci-fi Movies (12/26 – 12/29)

RLJE Films Acquires I KILL GIANTS for 2018 Release

Acclaimed Graphic Novel Adaptation Starring Zoe Saldana, Imogen Poots and Breakout Madison Wolfe to be Released Theatrically in 2018 

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5, 2017 – RLJE Films, a brand of RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE), Umedia and XYZ Films announced today that RLJE has acquired the U.S. rights to the highly anticipated I Kill Giants, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival to critical praise.  Based on the acclaimed Man of Action graphic novel by Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura with a screenplay by Joe Kelly, the film was directed by Anders Walter, the Academy Award winning writer/director for the short Helium, and stars Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy franchise), Imogen Poots (Need for Speed, That Awkward Moment), and Madison Wolfe (The Conjuring 2).  XYZ Films is handling worldwide rights on the film, which was backed by Ingenious and financed by Umedia with the participation of Having Me Films.

I Kill Giants was produced by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), Michael Barnathan (The Help), Kyle Franke (Holidays), Joe Kelly (Big Hero 6), Kim Magnusson (Adam’s Apples), Martin Metz (Submergence), Adrian Politowski (Deep), and Nick Spicer (The Invitation).  Peter Bevan (Erased), Johanna Hogan (Maudie), Michelle Miller (“Scary Larry”), Susan Mullan (Brooklyn), Justin Nappi (All Is Lost), Mark Radcliffe (Home Alone) Xinyue Sun and Wei Zou executive produced the fantasy drama, which RLJE Films will release in theaters in 2018.

“We’re thrilled to acquire an amazing film that was so well received at the Toronto International Film Festival,” said RLJ Entertainment’s Chief Acquisitions Officer, Mark Ward.  “With the film’s talented, veteran filmmakers and an amazing cast led by Madison Wolfe and Zoe Saldana, we couldn’t be happier to share this beautiful film with audiences at large.”

I Kill Giants tells the story of Barbara Thorson (Madison Wolfe), a teenage girl who chooses to escape the realities of school and a drab family life by retreating into her magical world of Titans and Giants. With the help of her new friend Sophia (Sydney Wade) and her school therapist (Zoe Saldana), Barbara will learn to battle her Giants and face her fears – tackling the mean bullies at school, her sister (Imogen Poots) and her difficult home life and eventually her biggest dread of the unknown.

Day Of The Dead: Bloodline Coming In Early January

Released in theaters and on VOD and Digital HD on January 5th, 2018.

Showdown In Manila Coming This January From ITN Distribution

ITN DISTRIUBTION KICKS OFF 2018 WITH SHOWDOWN IN MANILA STARRING ALEXANDER NEVSKY, CASPER VAN DIEN, AND TIA CARRERE

LOS ANGELES, CA – November 15, 2017 – ITN Distribution has acquired North American distribution rights to the action thriller SHOWDOWN IN MANILA starring international action star Alexander Nevsky (Black Rose). The film marks the directorial debut of Mark Dacascos (Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.",  "Hawaii Five-0”) with a screenplay by Craig Hamann (My Best Friend's Birthday, Boogie Boy).  SHOWDOWN IN MANILA also includes Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow), Tia Carrere (True Lies, Wayne's World) and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Hachi: A Dog's Tale, Memoirs of a Geisha). ITN will release the film in theaters January 19, 2018, with a Digital and On Demand release to follow on January 23, 2018.

The film follows private detectives Nick (Alexander Nevsky) and Charlie (Casper Van Dien) who live and work in Manila. A murder investigation leads them to the jungle camp of an international terrorist called The Wrath. Not trusting the police, Nick and Charlie assembly a team of daredevils to walk straight into the Wrath's lair and fight an army of his goons.

Nevsky is a former Mr. Universe and an established movie star in Russia. He is based in Los Angeles and his credits include Black Rose, Undisputed, Treasure Raiders, Somewhere and the upcoming film Maximum Impact. Nevsky represents Russia as a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

SHOWDOWN IN MANILA is produced by Nevsky through his production company Hollywood Storm and is executive produced by Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die) and Alexander Izotov (Moscow Heat). 

ITN Distribution President Stuart Alson negotiated the deal along with Nevsky on behalf of the filmmakers. SHOWDOWN IN MANILA is a theatrical box office hit in Russia/CIS. CineTel Films which has the film's foreign sales rights, has sold SHOWDOWN IN MANILA to 28 countries already.

GHASTLIES - Camp Motion Picture (Blu-ray Review)

USA/2016
Directed By: Brett Kelly
Written By: Chris Bavota
Starring: Kim Valentine, Eric Deniverville, Jessica Huether
Color/75 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: November 7, 2017


The Film
A spaceship interrupts some sort of Satanic sacrifice and the small creatures within devour almost everyone involved before they're captured and locked in a bunker. Five years later they're accidentally set free during a weekend getaway by a group of sorority sisters and these little guys are hungry again.

GHASTLIES is a mini creature horror movie in the tradition of Gremlins, Ghoulies and Critters and has more in common with the worst those franchises have to offer than the best. That's not to say there isn't some fun to have here with colorful and creative design of these otherworldly creatures like the green dragon wearing a fur coat, the five-eyed purple dude and the orange fleshed horned-blockhead guy, all of which feature some sharp teeth and an insatiable hunger for Earthly beings. They're without a doubt the highlight of the movie. You don't watch Gremlins hoping to see a group of rather obnoxious sorority girls (aside from Jessica Huether as the nerdy "brains instead of beauty" girl who is far from unattractive) drink in the woods and you don't put on Critters to watch a couple of bumbling bicycle cops in mismatched uniforms pump up their tires in the same woods that are supposed to be very secluded so these girls can "party as hard as they want and nobody will stop them". Their partying is quite soft and they're bothered repeatedly. There is a good bit of ghastly horror from the GHASTLIES and it is quite low rent and cheap. Sadly they puppets have very little movement of their own and what you see on screen is limited to the puppeteer shaking them around while performing an attack. I get it the budget constraints and it didn't hurt my enjoyment of these moments too much at all.

Unfortunately those scenes of campy goodness are put on the back burner for too much of the film's 75 minute run time and we spend a lot of time with characters I wouldn't want to be in the same room with. The lead Sloane is played by Kim Valentine who appears to be a good 15 years older than the rest of the girls and I'm not exactly sure why she's hanging out with them besides the fact that she was (is?) in the same sorority. It seems like a grown woman approaching middle age hanging out with kids that may not legally be able to drink. It just felt odd. Odd is better than I can say for the editing in this movie though. Did anyone pay attention to it? There are countless shots that don't match up to the ones before or after and a simple little fix would have been fine such as a guy getting chased through the woods by a Ghastly and his boxers are wet and dirty long before he ever goes to the ground. It's obvious they're dirty from a previous take and this happens continuously throughout the film or characters will be in one area and in the next cut they're somewhere else and it's obvious that parts of a previous scene were placed in another spot and it's absolutely jarring to watch. I don't want to rag on GHASTLIES too hard over this after all it is "just" a cheesy independent creature feature but this isn't difficult stuff and it honestly just came across as lazy to me.

I had fun with GHASTLIES. The little monsters have an interesting and original look despite wearing their inspirations on their sleeves, the best moments of the movie have that B-movie charm and the score even works in a cheesy pre-set Casio keyboard kind of way. But there's so many questions I'm left with. Why the need for a Satanic ritual? How did they escape being locked in the bunker? (the girl simply trips over it, never doing anything that would unlock it). Why does it take 50 minutes to make the Ghastlies the focus of the movie? Why is this middle aged woman hanging out with these kids? Why are these cops in the movie at all and why couldn't they at least get matching outfits? The good part of GHASTLIES are cute, bloody and fun but the movie is a mess to say the least.

I can't let this review go by without mentioning that the movie does have a great little GHASTLIES cartoon at the end. That sort of raises more questions to me but I'll sit back and just enjoy that little slice of animated goodness on its own.

The Audio & Video
Camp Motion Pictures gives us a beautiful Blu-ray of GHASTLIES with an anamorphic widescreen presentation that has a striking color palette including bloody reds and the Crayola box used in the design of the monsters. Detail level is great as well showing off the fuzzy and slimy nature of the creatures along with skin tones and surfaces and textures.

The Extras
An audio commentary track and a short interview with actor/creature designer/puppeteer John Migliore are the main special features. They're rounded out by a trailer for this film and a selection of trailers from other Camp Motion Pictures releases.

The Bottom Line
GHASTLIES isn't the next cult classic mini monster horror franchise and I doubt it'll spawn any sequels (though it could). It's messier than it needs to be and leaves a lot to be desired but the GHASTLIES themselves are adorable little carnivores from space and whenever they're around I couldn't help but have a good time.

GHASTLIES is available HERE