HK and Cult Film News's Fan Box

Friday, October 30, 2009

Astro Boy (2009)


so with this remake/version, I'm didn't have too many preconceptions. it's pretty good, and at 94 minutes (at least 5 minutes of closing and BORING credits) it's just about the right length of time.

it is another retelling of Astro's origin, but done in about the same time as the original cartoon did it. it's set in the further future than "the year 2000", which is also fine. the rest of the story revolves around Astro finding his purpose in life. it gets a little cutesy with the introduction of the orphans, but right when you think it's gonna be sidetracked it brings it altogether for a pretty satisfying finish.

the actors all do a fine job as well. it's odd not to hear Billie Lou Watt as Astro though.

the CG characters look pretty good, but as none of Tezuka's original work was designed to be 3-D, they still look a little weird, especially Dr. Elefun. it's OK, but I kept thinking how much better a real cartoon would have looked. it was nice to see a few of Tezuka's characters there, including Hamegg. Mr. Moustache was in the credits, but I didn't remember seeing him in the movie at all.

so it's worth a look. it's apparently not making ANY money, but I think it will find a life on DVD, since it's pretty good. alas, they didn't use the original Astro Boy theme song, not even over those long extensive credits.

oh yeah, and Astro himself barely spent any time looking like his comic book counterpart- he was always in blue jeans and a shirt. weak.
Share/Save/Bookmark

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

YELLOWSTONE: BATTLE FOR LIFE -- DVD review by porfle


I always thought of Yellowstone National Park as just this nice, pretty park with a big geyser. And also the place where Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo live (sorta). But now I feel almost like Ash in ALIEN when he says, in awe of the strange planet: "It's almost primordial." And as presented in this DVD for the impeccably-made "BBC Earth" documentary series YELLOWSTONE: BATTLE FOR LIFE (2009), it's also fascinating, beautiful, and utterly awe-inspiring.

I never realized there were so many interesting things to know about Yellowstone, the world's first national park. "Perhaps the most treasured wilderness in the world" as the dulcet-voiced narrator Peter Firth tells us, "a hard, cold plateau 8,000 feet up, surrounded by the spires of the Rocky Mountains." This 50-mile-wide bowl rests over a vast underground volcanic chamber--which could erupt again at any time--which causes geysers such as Old Faithful to spew thousands of gallons of boiling water up to 150 feet in the air. This underground furnace also reacts in interesting and unpredictable ways with the often frigid temperatures on the surface.

The first episode in the series is entitled "Winter", and what a winter it is--at forty degrees below zero and beyond, with four feet of snow covering the ground and the lakes and streams frozen over, survival for most of the wildlife is a constant struggle. Packs of Druid wolves stalk the elk, great bald eagles battle each other over carcasses, and massive bison use their thick necks to sweep the snow aside as they search for grass to eat.

With "Summer" comes a brief respite from the cold which heralds the return of the pronghorn antelope, who evolved in order to outrun a now-extinct North American cheetah (becoming the fastest antelope on earth), and the emergence of the grizzly bears and their cubs from a long hibernation. A variety of birds from as far away as the Arctic and Mexico come to feed. Teeming with life, Yellowstone is, for a short time, a lush paradise of incredible beauty.


"Autumn", the shortest season, brings the end of the easy life and the beginning of a frantic dash to store food for the coming winter and the need to breed. Like scenes out of THE LOST WORLD, we witness life-or-death battles between male elk, bison, and Bighorn rams for dominance over the pack and the right to procreate. Elsewhere, a mother grizzly fends off a male to protect her cubs in a furious clash of claws and teeth.

And just as compelling in its own way is the industrious beaver, cutting down whole trees with its teeth and engineering dams and canals with admirable skill. You may even find yourself deeply involved in the symbiotic relationship between the Clark's Nutcracker and the whitebirch pine. These are but a few of the compelling creatures who are shown going about their daily routines in the continuing struggle to survive.

We see all of this through some of the most gorgeous photography imaginable, which captures the breathtaking grandeur of Yellowstone and follows the lives and activities of its inhabitants in intimate detail. In scene after scene, an almost otherworldly beauty is depicted in painterly images that no special effects could surpass. Combined with a rich and emotionally powerful musical score, the result is almost intoxicating.

The DVD from BBC Warner is 16 x 9 with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo and English subtitles for the deaf and hearing-impaired. Image and sound quality are very good. Bonus features consist of three featurettes entitled "The People of Yellowstone", which tell the stories of some dedicated geyser gazers, a man whose job is to shovel snow off the roofs of Yellowstone's buildings in winter to keep them from caving in, and a human fish whose love affair with the Yellowstone River reminded me of the character in "B.C." who always had his head underwater.

Naturally, this isn't the sort of DVD you'll want to pop in for a houseful of rowdy drunk guys after the Super Bowl. But whenever you're in the mood to drift away with something that's engrossing, educational, and utterly enchanting--after the guys have all gone home, of course--then YELLOWSTONE: BATTLE FOR LIFE will take you there in style.

Buy it at Amazon.com
DVD
Blu-Ray
Share/Save/Bookmark

Just Announced - THE BEST OF STAR TREK: TOS, TNG Vol. 2 on DVD November 17 from CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment

EXPERIENCE MORE OF THE CULTURAL PHENOMENON


THE BEST OF STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES and THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® VOLUME 2


More Sensational Episodes Arrive On Two DVD Collections November 17 From CBS Home Entertainment And Paramount Home Entertainment

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (October, 26 2009) - Go deeper into the world of one of the greatest action-adventure sagas of all-time with THE BEST OF STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOL. 2 and THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION®, VOL. 2 landing on DVD November 17 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment.

The original and iconic series set in the 23rd century where Earth has survived World War III and humans have moved on to explore the stars, STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES explores many strange worlds and new civilizations with the fantastic adventures of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the Starship Enterprise crewmembers. THE BEST OF STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOL. 2 features four of the series' most memorable episodes including Where No Man Has Gone Before, the series' second pilot episode where audiences meet Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Scotty (James Doohan) and Sulu (George Takei); Journey to Babel, that introduces Spock's parents, Sarek and Amanda; Space Seed; and A Piece of the Action. Digitally remastered with brilliant picture quality and enhanced special effects, THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOL. 2 serves as a perfect way to further explore the epic and legendary world of Star Trek®.

The only syndicated series to ever receive an Emmy® nomination for Best Dramatic Series, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION®is hailed as "one of the greatest television shows of all time" by TV Guide. The long-awaited successor to the original series is set in the 24th century and follows the all-new Enterprise crew under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) as they travel to distant planets to seek out new life forms and boldly go where no man has gone before.

THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION®, VOL. 2 features episodes including Relics, starring original series cast member James Doohan reprising his role as Montgomery Scott; The Inner Light, one of the official Star Trek website's highest-rated episodes of all the Star Trek® series; Cause and Effect, guest starring Kelsey Grammer; and Tapestry, which delves into Picard's back story and lays all his secrets bare.

Affordably priced for new and loyal fans, both DVD setswill each be available for the suggested retail price of $14.99 U.S. and $15.99 CAN.


THE BEST OF STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOL. 2 and THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION®, VOL. 2 are each one-disc DVDs presented in Full Screen with English 5.1, LAS Mono and Brazilian Portuguese Mono as well as English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. Both DVDs are Not Rated in the U.S. In Canada, THE BEST OF STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOL. 2 is rated G, while THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION®, VOL. 2 is rated PG. THE BEST OF STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOL. 2 has a total running time of 3 Hrs. and 21 Min and THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION®, VOL. 2 has a total running time 3 Hrs. and 01 Min.

The DVD disc breakdowns are as follows:

THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOL. 2

Where No Man Has Gone Before - After the Enterprise attempts to cross an energy barrier at the edge of the galaxy, crewmembers develop "godlike" psychic powers.

Space Seed - The Enterprise discovers an ancient sleeper ship, led by war criminal Khan Noonien Singh, who attempts to commandeer the Enterprise.

A Piece of the Action - The Enterprise visits a planet with an Earth-like, violent, 1920s gangster culture.

Journey to Babel - While transporting dignitaries to an important peace conference, the Enterprise crew discovers an assassin.

THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, VOL. 2

Relics - The Enterprise investigates a vessel that crashed on the surface of a Dyson Sphere 75 years ago. An away team discovers Scotty who has been kept alive within a transporter diagnostic loop.

The Inner Light - A space probe creates a telepathic tether and causes Picard to experience a lifetime as a married man on a world long destroyed.

Cause and Effect - The Enterprise becomes stuck in a causality loop, each time ending in a crash with another Starfleet ship, and it's up to Data to savethem.

Tapestry - An accident gravely injures Picard and he awakens in a white limbo to find Q, who takes him back to a turning point in his past.


THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOL. 2
Street Date: November 17, 2009
Pricing: $14.99 US/ $15.99 CAN
Catalog #: 075634
Runtime: 3 Hrs., 21 Min.
U.S. Rating: Not Rated
Canadian Rating: G
Buy it at Amazon.com

THE BEST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, VOL.2
Street Date: November 17, 2009
Pricing: $14.99 US/ $15.99 CAN
Catalog #: 075644
Runtime: 3 Hrs., 1 Min.
U.S. Rating: Not Rated
Canadian Rating: PG
Buy it at Amazon.com
Share/Save/Bookmark

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

"SMOKIN' ACES 2: ASSASSINS' BALL" From Universal Home Entertainment 1/19/2010


THE DIRECTOR OF SMOKIN’ ACES AND NARC PRESENTS:

A New Target and More Murder, Mayhem & EXPLOSIVE ACTION than Ever…

Own The Unrated and rated versions of the movie Exclusively on Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def, DVD & digital download from Universal Studios Home Entertainment January 19th, 2010


Universal City, California, October 27, 2009 –Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball, the all-new movie about the adrenaline-pumping world of blood, bullets and badasses, is blasting its way onto Blu-ray™ Hi-Def, DVD and digital download January 19, 2010. Executive produced by Joe Carnahan (Narc), the writer-director behind the shockingly edgy hit Smokin’ Aces, and directed by P.J. Pesce (Lost Boys: The Tribe), Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball features a sexy cast, whip-smart script and hyper-kinetic visuals. And, with the return of infamous assassins Lazlo Soot and the Tremor Brothers from the original theatrical film, audiences will experience a furious frenzy of explosive action that will keep them guessing until the very last scene. Both the Blu-ray™ and DVD editions include the rated and unrated versions of the movie and an arsenal of explosive bonus features.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment presents a Working Title Production of Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball, starring Tom Berenger (Training Day), Clayne Crawford (Brooklyn to Manhattan), Martha Higareda (Street Kings), Ernie Hudson (“Heroes”), Michael Parks (Grindhouse), Autumn Reeser (“Entourage”) and Vinnie Jones (X-Men: The Last Stand, Lock, Stock and Two Smokin’ Barrels), as well as returning stars from the original theatrical release Tommy Flanagan (Sin City), Maury Sterling (Smokin’ Aces) and Christopher Michael Holley (Smokin’ Aces).

The latest in Universal’s DVD Originals™ series, Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball lives up to its predecessor with an all-star group of assassins, vicious sociopaths and other murderous freelancers who battle to bring down a single, high-priced target. The Universal DVD OriginalsTM line of high-quality, aggressively marketed features has included some of the most successful, live-action, non-family made-for-DVD titles of all time including Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior, Bring It On: All Or Nothing, American Pie Presents Band Camp, American Pie Presents The Naked Mile and Bring It On Again.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY HI-DEF:

· BD-LIVETM – Fans can access exclusive online and interactive features through their Internet-connected Blu-rayTM player, including:
· MY SCENES SHARING – Show your BD-LiveTM friends your favorite scenes from the film.

BONUS FEATURES AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY HI-DEF AND DVD:

· Deleted Scenes
· Gag Reel
· Behind the Scenes with Joe Carnahan: Executive producer Joe Carnahan, producer Mike Elliott, writers Olatunde Osunsanmi and Olumide Odebunmi and director P.J. Pesce talk about the process of jumping back into the world of Smokin’ Aces.
· CONFESSIONS OF AN ASSASSIN: director P.J. Pesce and the stars of the movie take us through production, from the ground, amidst the mayhem, blood, guts, bullets and all.
· Ready, Aim, Fire: the weapons of smokin’ aces 2: Meet the armorer who equipped the gang with the over 20 guns in the film.
· CUE THE CLOWN: A behind the scenes look at what it took to produce one of the most explosive stunts in the movie.
· The Bunker Mentality: designing the set: Production designer Chris August, along with director P.J. Pesce and executive producer Joe Carnahan discuss the Art Deco look and feel of the sets as well as the little details that gave them the freedom them to shoot quickly and in every direction.
· Feature Commentary with executive producer Joe Carnahan and director P.J. Pesce

SYNOPSIS

Federal agents once again match wits with a cadre of creative killers in the high-octane feature-length film Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball. Walter Weed (Tom Berenger) is an unassuming desk jockey at the FBI when the Bureau uncovers a plot to assassinate him. A team of degenerate, psychotic assassins dispatched by mystery man Hal Leuco to win a huge bounty includes a resourceful beauty who has a unique method of killing her prey (Martha Higareda), a power-tool wielding psychopath (Vinnie Jones) and a deadly master of disguise (Tommy Flanagan). Also in the hunt is the fan-favorite Tremor family from the original film, featuring nymphomaniacal gun-nut (Autumn Reeser) and her lethal kinfolk (Maury Sterling, Michael Parks and C. Ernst Harth). Baker (Clayne Crawford), the agent in charge of the operation, puts himself and his team in the line of fire to defend Weed, but it’s not until the smoke clears on the film’s explosive climax that the surprising identity of the plot’s mastermind is revealed.

www.smokinacesdvd.com

CAST AND FILMMAKERS

Cast: Tom Berenger, Clayne Crawford, Tommy Flanagan, Maury Sterling, Martha Higareda, Christopher Michael Holley, Ernie Hudson, Michael Parks, Autumn Reeser, and Vinnie Jones
Directed By: P.J. Pesce
Screenplay By: Olatunde Osunsanmi & Olumide Odebunmi and Tom Abrams, P.J. Pesce
Story By: Olatunde Osunsanmi & Olumide Odebunmi & Joe Carnahan
Based on Characters Created by: Joe Carnahan
Produced By: Mike Elliott
Executive Producer: Joe Carnahan
Casting By: Nancy Nayor Battino CSA, Sean Cossey CSA, and Stuart Aikins CSA
Director of Photography: David Geddes
Production Designer: Chris August
Edited By: Angela M. Catanzaro
Costume Designer: Kerry Weinrauch
Music By: Tim Jones

TECHNICAL INFORMATION --Blu-rayTM Hi-Def
Street Date: January 19, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 63112382
Running Time: 1 Hour 26 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.78:1
Rating: R for bloody violence and language
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Spanish and French DTS Surround 5.1; English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles

TECHNICAL INFORMATION--Single Disc DVD
Street Date: January 19, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 63104821
Running time: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layers
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Rating: R for bloody violence and language
Technical Info: English, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1; English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Share/Save/Bookmark

Kick or Treat! Have a JET LI Halloween!

Like most people, you've thought of dressing up as martial-arts superstar Jet Li for Halloween. But do you know enough of his legendary moves to successfully pull off such an impersonation without looking like a doofus? Are you able to lay waste to everyone else at the costume party without breaking a sweat, using only a few well-placed chops and kicks? And look really cool doing it?

If not, have no fear. All you need in order to learn how to be the very best butt-kicking Jet Li impersonator that you can be (while enjoying some of the greatest action flicks of all time) is to check out the following thrill-packed DVDs from Dragon Dynasty. Watch and learn!


THE ENFORCER
Special Collector's Edition

Martial arts legend Jet Li explodes off the screen in this high-octane, bone-crushing hit. Li is at his lightning-quick best, starring as an undercover detective embedded with a ruthless gang. When another cop (Anita Mui, Rumble in the Bronx) accidentally blows his cover, the only way to protect his family is to take on the gang’s psychopathic leader head-to-head. Featuring an astonishing kung fu performance from the fiery Tse Mui (New Legend of Shaolin) as Li’s young son and groundbreaking fight scenes from acclaimed director/action choreographer Corey Yuen (The Transporter), The Enforcer is a "slam bang, balls-out action film" (DVDCult.com).

SPECIAL FEATURES
FEATURE COMMENTARY BY HONG KONG CINEMA EXPERT BEY LOGAN
CROWD PLEASER: An Exclusive Interview With Legendary Producer Wong Jing
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: An Exclusive Interview With Star & Former Child Prodigy Tse Miu
BORN TO BE BAD: An Exclusive Interview With Super Kicking Nemesis Ken Lo
Buy it at Amazon.com


FIST OF LEGEND
Two Disc Ultimate Edition

Widely regarded as the greatest film of two legendary careers, Fist of Legend teams superstar Jet Li with martial arts choreographer Yuen Wo-ping (The Matrix) for "some of the best fight sequences you will ever see" (Dan Mitchell, IGN Movies). In this tribute to Bruce Lee's classic The Chinese Connection (aka Fists of Fury), Li radiates sheer power and coolness as a kung fu phenom living abroad who returns home to avenge the death of his master and save his martial arts school. Shifting effortlessly among diverse fighting styles, Li even fights blindfolded and wields his belt as a deadly weapon. Fist of Legend is essential viewing for any Jet Li fan and "the promised land for kung fu cinema" (HongKongCinema.com).

SPECIAL FEATURES
DISC 1
Feature Length Commentary by Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan

DISC 2
The Man Behind The Legend - An Exclusive Interview With Director Gordon Chan
Brothers In Arms - An Exclusive Interview With Kung Fu Impresario Chin Siu-ho
The Way Of The Warrior
An Exclusive Interview With Japanese Action Legend Kurata Yasuaki
The School Of Hard Knocks - A Screen Fighting Seminar At The Celebrated Kurata Action School
A Hollywood Look At Fist Of Legend With Director Brett Ratner & Critic Elvis Mitchell
Deleted Scenes
Trailer Gallery
Buy it at Amazon.com


TAI CHI MASTER
Special Collectors Edition

Superstar Jet Li shows off his legendary speed, power, and agility at the peak of his martial arts prowess in this sweeping action epic. In an age of swordsmen and rebellion, two best friends and fellow martial arts students are expelled from the storied temple of Shaolin, only to meet again on the battlefield -- one a power-hungry general, the other a freedom-fighting rebel, both mortal enemies. Featuring Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s Michelle Yeoh and directed by the celebrated Yuen Wo-ping (action choreographer of The Matrix films), Tai Chi Master is a quintessential martial arts classic.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Feature Length Commentary By Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan
Nemesis: An Exclusive Interview With Star Chin Siu Ho
The Birthplace of Tai Chi: On Location In Chen Village
Meditations On The Master: Director Brett Ratner And Critic Elvis Mitchell On Director Yuen Wo-ping
Twin Warriors: Critic Elvis Mitchell And Director Brett Ratner On Stars Jet Li And Michelle Yeoh
Original Home Video Trailer
Buy it at Amazon.com


THE LEGEND OF FONG SAI-YUK
Special Collector's Edition

Jet Li stars as a carefree young martial arts expert who gets involved with a government official’s daughter just as he discovers his family is part of a rebel resistance movement. While his fighting ability and charm made him a local champion, his epic battle for freedom would make him alegendary hero. Acclaimed choreographer Corey Yuen (The Transporter) directs Li at his jaw-dropping best, including an unbelievable sequence fought entirely atop the heads of stunned onlookers. Winner of Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards, The Legend ranks "waaaaay up there on the list of great Hong Kong Cinema experiences" (LoveHKFilm.com).

SPECIAL FEATURES
FEATURE COMMENTARY BY HONG KONG CINEMA EXPERT BEY LOGAN
HIT HARD & FLY HIGH: An Exclusive Interview With Director & Legendary Hollywood Fight Choreographer Corey Yuen
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD:
An Exclusive Interview With Writer Jeff Lau
Languages: Cantonese Mono, English Dolby 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish, English SDH
Buy it at Amazon.com

For more up-to-date info, visit Dragon Dynasty's website or check out their pages at:
Facebook
YouTube
MySpace
Share/Save/Bookmark

Monday, October 26, 2009

STAN HELSING -- DVD review by porfle



I don't want to say that I had low expectations for this movie, because actually, it would be more accurate to say that I had no expectations. Therefore, the fact that STAN HELSING (2009) turned out to be such a breezy, inventive, and consistently funny romp through some of our favorite horror film cliches of recent years (mainly the 80s and 90s) came as a delightful surprise.

Stan Helsing (Steve Howey in a likable performance) is a slacker and a stoner, but he isn't terminally out to lunch like such characters usually are. Basically he's a horny, fun-loving clod who happens to be shallow, conceited, and totally self-absorbed, but in a likable way. As the story begins, Stan has just gotten off work at Schlockbuster and is headed for what promises to be a fun Halloween party. Traveling there with his ex-girlfriend Nadine, his best friend Teddy, and Teddy's new girlfriend Mia, Stan announces that he has to drop off some DVDs for his boss' mom on the way. This takes them deep into the scary part of town (with street names such as Elm Street and Mockingbird Lane) where they promptly get lost and end up in a horrific gated community called Stormy Night Estates.

Stopping into a redneck bar, they're told by an incredibly ugly waitress (Leslie Nielsen as "Kay") that the community is cursed by monsters and that their only hope is the return of legendary monster hunter Van Helsing. Well, our non-hero Stan Helsing, it turns out, is actually Stan VAN Helsing, a descendant of the original monster hunter, which makes him and his friends the target of every monster, supernatural creature, and homicidal maniac within killing distance.

The gags fly fast and furious from start to finish, and most of them stick (or splat, as the case may be). Stan is ordered by his dweeby boss at Schlockbuster to go kill a cockroach that's been reported in the ladies' restroom. It turns out to be six feet tall and spewing some kind of disgusting goop from its nether regions. Stan also barges in on a couple of gorgeous lesbians, dressed as a cop and a French maid, who are making out in one of the stalls. Watching them flounce away after he bungles his chance to join in, he laments, "I cockblocked myself!" And that's just the first few minutes.

The road trip in search of Stan's boss' mom's house to deliver the DVDs (which turn out to be gay porn such as GRAZING RYAN'S PRIVATES and SOREST RUMP) is a mini-movie in itself as the group encounter a Charles Manson-like hitchhiker with a swastika carved on the end of his nose and a rage-stoked redneck who vows to kill them all after they run over his dog a la I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. An innocent stopover at a gas station brings them into conflict with a scary shotgun-wielding hippie chick and a Native American pervert who videotapes them in the bathroom so he can sell DVDs of it to his customers. And we haven't even gotten to the actual monsters yet.

As for the monsters, you get Fweddy (last name Kwueger, I assume), the nightmare guy with the Swiss army knife glove; Michael Criers (Get it? It rhymes with "Myers" *cough, cough*); Pleatherface, a leafblower-wielding maniac whose face looks like a purse Mia bought in Tijuana; Needlehead ('nuff said); Mason, who now wears the entire hockey uniform; and a "Chucky" clone.

During their terror-filled night in Stormy Night Estates, our heroes also encounter the Brides of Dracula. This part's fun, because the fanged femmes are gorgeous and because Stan and Teddy have a shared fantasy sequence with the BOD (Brides of Dracula) as topless dancers. Yeah, baby! Later, they duck into a church and meet a cross-dressing altar boy (a funny Jeremy Crittenden) who gives them a super soaker filled with holy water, which, of course, Teddy drinks. The climactic karaoke contest between the good guys and the monsters is fun, especially when the monsters hit the stage as the Village People. The rest of the film is loaded with references to other horror flicks and it's fun picking them out.

With his ad-libs, funny expressions, expert delivery, and dumb-looking Superman costume, Kenan Thompson is a lot of fun to watch. The same and more can be said for Desi Lydic as the deliriously dizzy Mia. Not only is she cute as a button, but Desi's comedy sense is sharp as a bloody talon. Her exquisitely-delivered deadpan stupid-isms are often hilarious---she's probably the funniest thing about the whole movie. As Nadine, Diora Baird is not only an appealing actress but she's also gorgeous and has a great rack, which is prominently featured in every single shot that she's in and which you can also Google. Woo-hoo!

SCARY MOVIE executive producer Bo Zenga does a nice job directing and the film has a great look. Zenga provides a commentary track for the Anchor Bay DVD along with Desi Lydic and Kenan Thompson. Bonuses also include the featurette "Killer Parody: The Making of Stan Helsing", extended, alternate, and deleted scenes, outtakes, still gallery, storyboard gallery (yawn), and theatrical trailer. The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Surround 5.1 and English subtitles.

With its AIRPLANE!-type comedy style and kitchen-sink story, STAN HELSING is just as dumb as it sounds--but it's a good dumb. I don't know how it compares to the SCARY MOVIE series, since I stopped watching those after the first one. One thing's for sure...it beats the hell out of VAN HELSING.

Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

Share/Save/Bookmark

Sunday, October 25, 2009

TCM SPOTLIGHT: ESTHER WILLIAMS, VOLUME 2 -- DVD review by porfle


(Thrill of a Romance/ Fiesta/ This Time For Keeps/ Pagan Love Song/ Million Dollar Mermaid/ Easy to Love)


If the following sounds more like a love letter to Esther Williams than a DVD review, you have to understand--I've been a huge fan for several years now, and watching the six-disc set TCM SPOTLIGHT: ESTHER WILLIAMS, VOLUME 2 has been a heady experience. To paraphrase Bela Lugosi's "Ygor" from SON OF FRANKENSTEIN: "She...does things for me."

Hardly just the swimming star she's commonly remembered as nowadays, Esther Williams was one of the most beautiful and talented actresses ever to grace the screen. Whether dolled up in the coolest 40s and 50s fashions or dripping wet in a clingy bathing suit, her stunning good looks, razor-perfect figure, regal bearing, and endlessly appealing persona are what continue to make her films so watchable after all these years. She had a smoldering sexuality and bedroom eyes that could easily have made her a sultry femme fatale in film noirs if she'd ever decided to go that way. Yet she almost always played sweet, endearing characters who were approachable and attainable--well, theoretically anyway--by plain, everyday lugs like us.

Her aquatic skills, of course, are legendary. While stars like Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Ginger Rogers may have been tops on the dance floor, Esther Williams had the water all to herself. This gave MGM the chance to keep coming up with one lavish, high-concept splash spectacle after another. Yet even in her more down-to-earth roles, in which she barely dipped a toe into the water, Esther proved that she had the acting skills and personality, along with her drop-dead gorgeous looks, to quite capably hold her own. And she even had a nice singing voice, too.


In THRILL OF A ROMANCE (1945), Esther is a swimming instructor named Cynthia Glenn who lives with her lovably eccentric uncle and aunt, played by Henry Travers (Clarence the angel in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE) and Spring Byington. Cynthia (who for some strange reason doesn't already have dozens of guys vying for her attention) is swept off her feet by a young business tycoon named Bob Delbar (Carleton G. Young) who takes her to a fancy hotel in the mountains for their honeymoon and then leaves her alone--on their wedding night--when a big deal lures him away to Washington. Yep, we knew right away that stuffed-shirt Bob wasn't the right guy for our Cynthia.

Right on cue, the suddenly lonely new bride meets warm, friendly war hero Major Thomas Milvaine (Van Johnson at his most personable), who falls for her like a sad-eyed puppy dog. We know that they'll be together by the end of the movie, and we can't wait to see Cynthia unload that incredible stiff Bob Delbar. But before that, we must endure the tortures of self-denial as Cynthia and Tommy splash around in the pool and dine to the music of Tommy Dorsey while rigidly maintaining the proper hands-off attitude.

Also practicing self-denial is Metropolitan Opera star Lauritz Melchior as rotund opera singer Nils Knudsen, who's trying to lose weight. Eventually becoming the benevolent cupid who helps bring Cynthina and Tommy together, the chubby-cheeked Melchior gets plenty of opportunities to sing in his bombastic style--we even get to see a closeup of his quivering tonsils during the titles--while his roly-poly character comically suffers through a vegetables-only diet as others around him indulge in rich food (just as Cynthia and Tommy yearn to indulge in each other).

The opening titles let the viewer know right off the bat that THRILL OF A ROMANCE is going to be filled with music, from opera to big band and in between. Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra are on hand for several hot big-band tunes, some including his nimble-fingered young daughter Susan on piano. During one rousing number, legendary cool cat Buddy Rich is featured in a kick-ass drum solo. With Dorsey's band, the hotel's house musicians, and opera singer Melchior running around, we have here the rare musical in which the songs and tunes don't just come from out of nowhere.

Esther, of course, gets a lot of mileage out of the hotel's wonderfully kitschy swimming pool set as Cynthia teaches Tommy how to swim and does several nice slow-motion dives off the high board. She also looks great in a series of outfits that compliment her figure, which is a never-ending source of visual delight. The breathtaking mountain and forest settings of San Bernadino's Arrowhead Springs Hotel and Yosemite National Park provide even more sumptuous Technicolor scenery.

In the days before television, people didn't go to movies like this for the thrills or complicated plots. They wanted to see eye-filling sights, lavish production numbers, and good-looking movie stars. They also wanted to see their favorite radio stars perform the music they could usually only hear over the airwaves. The simple story of THRILL OF A ROMANCE could've been told in twenty minutes, but getting there at a leisurely pace while savoring the sights and sounds along the way is what it's all about. All you have to do is settle in and enjoy the ride.

Extras:
John Nesbitt's Passing Parade--"The Great American Mug"
Cartoon--Tex Avery's "Wild and Woolfy" (Droopy)
Musical outtakes
Trailer


FIESTA (1947) was shot on location in Mexico and features Esther and handsome young newcomer Ricardo Montalban as twins Maria and Mario. Their father, Señor Morales, once a celebrated bullfighter forced into retirement by a crippling injury, has high hopes for Mario to take his place in the ring. But Mario has other ideas--he dreams of being a concert pianist and composer, while it is Maria who aspires to carry on the family bullfighting tradition. Well, it's a cinch things are going to get complicated before the eventual happy ending.

Esther and Ricardo make a smart-looking couple in their matching outfits and are a likable brother and sister act. I was surprised to find Montalban to be an excellent dancer, as he demonstrates several times during the film. Cyd Charisse, not quite the stunner she would become and hardly resembling the seductive vamp from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (although there's a hint of it in the red-hot flamenco number she performs with Ricardo), plays Mario's devoted fiancee Conchita.

Esther barely gets close to the water in this one, giving her a chance to prove that she can carry a role without breast-stroking her way through it. Montalban's intense performance as the musician who's expected to be a bullfighter is a major component of the film, but the main draw is seeing Esther's Maria fulfilling her brother's destiny in the ring by posing as him. She looks way tuff in her form-fitting matador outfits and moves beautifully. Little matter that the matador stand-in doing the actual bullfighting bears scant resemblance to her.

Akim Tamiroff is very likable as the Morales family's old friend, Chato Vasquez, while John Carroll as "Pepe Ortega" convincingly plays a man who wants to forget all this bullfighting nonsense and get married to Maria ASAP. Fortunio Bonanova (CITIZEN KANE, KISS ME DEADLY) is good as the prideful and unyielding father, Señor Morales. Mary Astor (THE MALTESE FALCON) adds extra class as his long-suffering wife, who hates bullfighting and wants Mario to follow his own dreams.

FIESTA is filled with lots of festive Mexican music, including a pre-rock'n'roll version of "La Bamba", and Montalban deftly mimes playing piano to Aaron Copland's thrilling "El Salon Mexico" in one of the film's most effective scenes. But best of all are the large-scale bullfighting sequences, which should give Esther's fans a whole new appreciation for the sport. She's one muy bonita matador.

Extras:
John Nesbitt's Passing Parade--"Goodbye, Miss Turlock"
Cartoon--Tex Avery's "Hound Hunters"
Trailer

After the muted Southwestern hues of FIESTA, 1947's THIS TIME FOR KEEPS (photographed by Karl Freund) is a colorful confection. If you can get past Esther's arresting picture on the disc menu, the film opens with her as "Aqua Capers" star Nora Cambaretti, simultaneously torturing and delighting some injured WWII soldiers by prancing around the pool looking gorgeous. She meets Dick (Johnnie Johnston), temporarily blinded by an eye injury, who falls in love with her just her voice. Too bad she's already sorta engaged to her boring producer, Gordon (Dick Simmons), although we know this relationship's totally doomed. (Sorry, Gordo.)

Dick, meanwhile, is in a bit of a JAZZ SINGER-type mess, since he wants to croon popular swing tunes while his dad, famous opera singer Richard Herald (Lauritz Melchior again), insists that his son follow in his footsteps. (Come to think of it, this is mighty similar to Ricardo Montalban's dilemma in FIESTA.) Dick's also expected to marry the dour, bland socialite Frances Allenbury (Mary Stuart), which we also know ain't a-gonna happen. Sometimes it's nice to watch a movie where you don't have to worry about stuff like that.

THIS TIME FOR KEEPS is loaded with music, with Melchior serving up the opera while Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra make with the swing (including the ever-popular "Chiquita Banana" song). Here also we finally get one of those elaborate water-follies numbers that Esther Williams is known for, choreographed by Stanley Donen. As the great Jimmy Durante (playing her performing partner Ferdi Farro) croons some cringe-inducing lyrics about taxes and "taking off ten percent for your agent", Esther struts around the pool doing an alluring striptease from evening gown to bathing suit before taking the plunge amidst dozens of synchronized water sprites. If you love a good wallow in pure, undiluted kitsch, this is it.

Esther's character seems a little aloof in this one until she takes Dick to meet her grandmother (Dame May Whitty) and cute little niece Deborah (Sharon McManus) on Michigan's Mackinac Island. There we get to know the real Nora in a homey setting amidst beautiful snow-covered scenery. Later the island is seen in its multi-colored spring glory as Nora and Dick hash out their conflicts caused when Frances' mother runs a premature engagement announcement in the paper. Needless to say, Ferdi, Dick's father, Grandma, and Deborah eventually cook up a plan to make things right between the two lovebirds again.

THIS TIME FOR KEEPS drags a little in its overlong trudge toward the inevitable ending, but there's still a lot of fun along the way.

Extras:
A Pete Smith Specialty--"Now You See It"
Cartoon--"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse" (Tom & Jerry)
Musical outtake--"Little Big Shot"
Trailer

Like an exotic postcard from Tahiti come to life, PAGAN LOVE SONG (1950) is a Technicolor fantasia with Esther looking gorgeous in brown body makeup and two-piece outfits as the half-Tahitian Mimi. Bass-voiced Howard Keel is "Hap" Endicott, a teacher from the USA who just inherited some land with a bamboo shack on it and wants to kick back and become a native. Even though Mimi has plans to move to the States just as Hap is settling in, we know that they'll get together somehow.

So far, this is the prettiest yet dumbest film in the collection. Keel plays Hap like a big, grinning oaf who belts out some of the worst songs ever written (subjects include his singing bamboo house and how much fun it is to sing in the sun on a bicycle) while blundering his way around the island like a newborn giraffe. He gets along great with the natives (one of whom is played by a very young Rita Moreno), since they're all portrayed as a bunch of addle-brained children themselves. It's enough to make one yearn for the cultural authenticity of an Elvis Presley comedy.

Keel works overtime trying to force some feeling into the nonsensical songs that are shoehorned into the slim plot but he has little to work with--he was much more at home in robust musicals such as ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. Plus, incredible as it may seem, he and Esther have about as much romantic chemistry as a couple of cocoanuts. After the movie has toodled along with nothing much going on until almost the end, an awkward and overly melodramatic plot twist is dropped right in the middle of it like an anvil in order to remind us that there's supposed to be a story.

The only things PAGAN LOVE SONG has going for it--besides one of those cool SPFX water fantasies that glorifies Esther Williams as a sort of aquatic goddess--are the lush scenery, a really cool Tahitian dance sequence, and the fact that the star looks so good at times that it's almost unreal. (Amazingly, a look at the musical outtakes reveals that the film's best songs aren't even in it!) If you can turn off your critical faculties for an hour and a half and watch PAGAN LOVE SONG purely on a superficial level, you might enjoy it. Otherwise, this movie is so stupefyingly slight that it makes DONOVAN'S REEF look like a James Michener epic.

Extras:
A Pete Smith Specialty--"Curious Contests"
Cartoon: Tex Avery's "Chump Champ" (Droopy)
Musical outtakes
Trailer

After the lightweight fluff of PAGAN LOVE SONG, 1952's MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID comes as a shock--a genuine period biopic of early 20th-century swimming star Annette Kellerman. We first see her as a little girl growing up in Sydney, Australia with her music teacher father, Frederick (Walter Pidgeon). Barely able to walk and forced to wear leg braces, Annette teaches herself to swim, after which her legs become so strong that she starts winning swimming competitions. Financial woes force the Kellermans to sail to London, where they meet enterprising carnival showman James Sullivan (Victor Mature) and his sidekick Doc Cronnol (Jesse "Maytag Repairman" White).

With James' help, Annette becomes famous after swimming the length of the Thames River and later, before another long distance attempt in America, getting arrested for indecent exposure for wearing a swimsuit that exposes her bare legs! As Annette's star rises, eventually leading to a smash engagement at New York's Hippodrome, her romantic relationship with James takes a nosedive and they seperate. He hits bottom just as Annette, at the peak of success, meets with a tragic accident that may end her swimming career.

As a biopic, MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID is a solid effort from director Mervin LeRoy which is consistently entertaining even when the drama starts to get a little sudsy. Esther is utterly convincing as Annette Kellerman, while Victor Mature does a fine job as the smalltime wheeler-dealer who can't keep up with her rush to fame. Walter Pidgeon is perfect as the stodgy but warm-hearted father, and Jesse White plays the comedy-relief role of Doc Cronnol with his usual hangdog charm.

While the melodramatic elements hold our interest, what really makes the film stand out are the production numbers. Legendary choreographer Busby Berkely has a field day staging some of the most lavish and spectacular sequences yet seen in an Esther Williams vehicle--exquisitely kitschy and colossal in scope, these colorful flights of fantasy are both jaw-dropping and delightfully strange. I can't even begin to describe them, except to say that they're like a Technicolor acid trip. In addition to these, the smaller-scale aquatic vignettes are equally enchanting due to Esther's ethereal grace and beauty underwater.

Although not the sort of light comedy-romance she's usually associated with, this remains a quintessential Esther Williams film and a top-notch production in every respect, with the usual MGM gloss. More than any other film in this collection, MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID gives Neptune's daughter a chance to fully display her talents both in and out of the water.

Extras:
A Pete Smith Specialty--"Reducing"
Cartoon: "The Wise Little Quacker" (Tom & Jerry)
LUX RADIO THEATER Broadcast with Esther Williams and Walter Pidgeon (audio only)
Trailer


With EASY TO LOVE (1953), the final film in the set, we're back to frothy comedy, ear-bending Tin Pan Alley songs, and a shallow plot to keep us occupied between Busby Berkeley fever dreams. Esther plays Julie, an overworked swimsuit model and aqua-performer for the tourists at Cypress Gardens in Florida. THRILL OF A ROMANCE's Van Johnson is back as her manipulative boss Ray. King Donovan (INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS) has the thankless role of Ray's bumbling assistant, Ben, and REVENGE OF THE CREATURE's John Bromfield returns to the water as Hank, a hunky but not-too-bright coworker who's sweet on Julie.

During a trip to New York Julie falls in love with oily nightclub singer Barry Gordon (Tony Martin, THE BIG STORE) and is offered more than three times her regular salary to join a show there. (Blink and you'll miss Carroll Baker in a tiny role as one of Barry's romantic cast-offs.) But after a guilt trip from Ray it's back to Florida, where she's now torn between him, Barry, and Hank. Only after Barry shows up at Cypress Gardens to sweep Julie off her feet does Ray finally realize, perhaps too late, that he's in love with her.

As you might expect, the story is just about the least important element in this frivolous concoction. Esther gets to play a crabby character for a change, constantly complaining about how hard Ray works her. Which is okay because she's cute when she's angry--or any other time, as EASY TO LOVE gives her plenty of chances to demonstrate. As for the songs, the least said the better. When Tony Martin sits at a hotel piano and starts singing the interminable "That's What a Rainy Day is For" to a bunch of moony-eyed old ladies, you may think you've gone to hell. The rest of his tunes are equally forgettable (except for Cole Porter's "Easy to Love", a holdover from THIS TIME FOR KEEPS) and directed in a rather lethargic way as is most of the movie.

Esther does a little waterskiing and a pleasantly hokey water dance with the beefy John Bromfield, then later puts on clown makeup for a forgettable comedy number. During her audition for a producer in New York, it's just Esther in a plain tank of water with no frills, fancy costumes, or sets--just her beautiful underwater ballet moves--and it's one of the best moments in the picture. Notoriously flamboyant choreographer Busby Berkeley finally gets off his duff in the final minutes to give us the kind of exotic water carnival-type routine we expect from him. Eight speedboats pulling dozens of waterskiiers weave their way through columns of water blasting upward out of the lake until Esther grabs onto a trapeze hanging from a helicopter and dives into a sparkling tableau of streaming banners and cascading fountains. It's freakin' insane!

Before this hyperkinetic assault on the senses has even had a chance to die down, the plot is resolved chop-chop as Julie falls for the right guy while the other two slink off in defeat. Well, not quite--Tony Martin runs into his real-life wife, FIESTA's Cyd Charisse (not a bad consolation prize), while the other loser suddenly realizes that he's really in love with Julie's roommate, Nancy (Edna Skinner). It's a happy ending for everyone involved, including the viewers who are relieved that EASY TO LOVE is finally over. (It's still kinda fun, though.)

Extras:
James A. Fitzpatrick's Traveltalks--"Romantic Riviera"
Cartoon: "Cobs and Robbers" (Barney Bear)
Trailer

This DVD set from Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies features colorful, decorative packaging and menus, with actual poster art on each disc. All six films are in original standard format with Dolby Digital sound, and they look great. Each disc contains fun bonus features--MGM shorts, cartoons, theatrical trailers, and, in some cases, musical outtakes from the films.

Of all the actresses in Hollywood before or since, Esther Williams was one of a kind. Whether you're already a fan or would like to discover what makes her films so memorable, then TCM SPOTLIGHT: ESTHER WILLIAMS, VOL. 2 is a delightfully fun-filled collection. Sexier than a year's subscription to Penthouse, Esther is described pretty succinctly by Kenneth Tobey in this quote from THIS TIME FOR KEEPS: "Dick, there's a girl in the pool who's got everything. Beautiful eyes, shining hair, wonderful skin, a smile that tickles your ribs, and a figure...oh boy, for a tape measure."

Buy it at Amazon.com
Share/Save/Bookmark

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

"THE WOLFMAN" New Trailer and Pics -- from Universal Pictures 2/12/2010



Check out the NEW trailer at:

Synopsis:

Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, The Wolfman brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins. Oscar® winner Benicio Del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father (Oscar® winner Anthony Hopkins), Talbot sets out to find his brother...and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.

Lawrence Talbot’s childhood ended the night his mother died. After he left the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor, he spent decades recovering and trying to forget. But when his brother’s fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), tracks him down to help find her missing love, Talbot returns home to join the search. He learns that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers, and that a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline (Hugo Weaving) has come to investigate.

As he pieces together the gory puzzle, he hears of an ancient curse that turns the afflicted into werewolves when the moon is full. Now, if he has any chance at ending the slaughter and protecting the woman he has grown to love, Talbot must destroy the vicious creature in the woods surrounding Blackmoor. But as he hunts for the nightmarish beast, a simple man with a tortured past will uncover a primal side to himself…one he never imagined existed.

Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) directs The Wolfman, and six-time Oscar®-winning special effects artist Rick Baker brings his design and makeup talents to transform Del Toro into the fearsome title character.

Release date: February 12, 2010
Genre: Action-Horror
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Art Malik
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Screenplay by: Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self
Based on the Motion Picture Screenplay by: Curt Siodmak
Produced by: Scott Stuber, Benicio Del Toro, Rick Yorn, Sean Daniel
Executive Producers: Bill Carraro, Ryan Kavanaugh

Share/Save/Bookmark

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE DVD review



since this DVD came out in May of 2002 I won't be talking too much about the actual movie, aside to say it's easily one of the best that Universal made in the 50s. the print looks great and the sound is good. buy it here.

mostly I want to talk about the extras, starting with movie historian Tom Weaver's excellent commentary. I rarely listen to commentary tracks, since most of them are not that informative (maybe I've listened to the wrong ones, hello GIANT BEHEMOTH) but Tom does an exemplary job at talking about every part of the movie, from Ray Bradbury's two treatments for the scripts to the actors, directors, effects and locations used for filming. he also had a good sense of humor about some things but never treated any of the subject matter as a joke.

the other great extra is (I believe) a TCM produced documentary called "The Universe According to Universal" and it talks about many of the classic 50s sci-fi movies and aliens. not too long and not too short.

of course, the DVD itself has one glaring problem- that cover! while it's a cool looking alien, nothing like that appears in the movie at all. ever. did the moron who designed THE VALLEY OF GWANGI make this cover as well?

and for the record, I am glad they showed the xenomorphs in all their one eyed glory.


Share/Save/Bookmark

Monday, October 19, 2009

THE NEANDERTHAL MAN -- movie review by porfle


(CAUTION: The part where I sorta give away the ending might be considered a "spoiler.")

My videotapes, mostly recorded on SLP so I could cram more stuff onto them, are a real mixed bag. Recently, I was watching one that features two great classics--THE SAND PEBBLES and SEVEN SAMURAI--followed by THE NEANDERTHAL MAN (1953). Talk about taking a nosedive from the sublime to the ridiculous! And yet, this is one of my favorite schlock films from the 50s.

Robert Shayne, who was Inspector Henderson on TV's "The Adventures of Superman", plays Professor Clifford Groves, a scientist who is obsessed with proving that primitive man was superior to modern man, not only physically but mentally as well. And when I say "obsessed", I mean googly-eyed, profusely-sweaty obsessed. When he addresses a group of fellow scientists early in the film to expound upon his theories to their chuckling derision, he's already in full-on whacko mode. He practically chases his scoffing peers out of the room as he rants, "Tuck your fears between your legs and run from new truths! Small men! Small views! You want proof, do you? Well, I'll give you proof! I'll show you such proof that no men have ever had!"

Meanwhile, in the High Sierra mountains of California, the local folk have been reporting a huge sabertooth tiger roaming the woods. Game warden George Oakes (Robert Long) is skeptical until he's driving down the road one night and it leaps onto his hood. Up to this point we've seen only stock footage of a regular tiger (in one shot, his leash is clearly visible), but here we're given a close-up, and it's a doozy--it looks like a big plush-doll tiger head with long fangs glued on. Really, it's just totally laughable. But it's enough to scare the dickens out of poor old George and send him to Los Angeles to seek help from a zoological expert named Dr. Ross Harkness (Richard Crane, TV's "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger"), who, after some initial skepticism of his own, agrees to come check out the situation. (And with a name like "Dr. Ross Harkness", we can safely guess that this doughy, Vitalis-haired stiff is going to be the film's heroic character.) A couple of convenient story twists later, and he's actually staying in Professor Groves' house during his investigation.

But where did this prehistoric beast come from? In an earlier scene, we saw something escape from the lab of Professor Groves, who lives in the mountains with his daughter Jan (Joyce Terry, who sorta resembles a serious Gracie Allen). He's been developing a reverse-evolution serum that will cause the subject to regress to its primitive state, and we discover that the sabertooth tiger is really a kitty cat that he has injected with the serum. With this in mind, you just know that the good professor is going to use it on himself sooner or later. The only question is, will this make him scarier than he already is?


In one of the least believable aspects of the script, we find that this creep actually has a fiancée named Ruth Marshall (Doris Merrick). She's a fairly decent-looking dame, so God only knows why she's remotely interested in marrying a goofball like Professor Groves. "I want you--the man I once knew! The good companion, the cheerful friend!" she whines, practically grovelling as she begs him to give up his all-consuming research and go back to being Mr. Fun Guy again. "What is this unhappy work that has absorbed you so much, that is undermining your nervous system and making you such an intolerable sorehead?" (You just don't get fascinating dialogue like this in good movies.) At one point she ruffles his hair, and he finishes out the scene with a feather-duster hairstyle which, coupled with his dour, persimmony expression, looks wonderfully comical.

But the old sorehead throws her out of his lab, because it's time at last for him to inject himself with the serum and turn into a monster. This sequence is fascinating because it uses the same technique seen in classics such as DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1932) and WEREWOLF OF LONDON--instead of just lap-dissolving from one stage of makeup to the next, as in the Lon Chaney "Wolf Man" movies, we see makeup that is already applied to Shayne's face become slowly visible as the lighting is gradually altered. This makes for some pretty convincing transforming in a couple of shots.



Unfortunately, the makeups that he is transforming into look so dumb that they cause him to resemble a hairy, bucktoothed Clint Howard. The final stage of his transformation is a stiff, crummy-looking gorilla mask with too much eyeliner. And for some reason, he also sports a head of curly ringlets that would make Shirley Temple jealous.

Well, it's rampage time, and the Neanderthal Man horns in on a romantic photography session deep in the woods, where some guy is snapping pictures of Beverly Garland, who plays Nola Mason, the waitress at Webb's Cafe, in a one-piece bathing suit. I love Beverly Garland--she was a fine actress who brightened many a low-rent monster flick with her lovely and talented presence--but here, she's replaced by a stand-in in the bathing suit shots. We can clearly see that it isn't her posing provocatively for the camera, which is just plain weird. Anyway, the Neanderthal Man shows up, kills the guy with the camera, and carries Beverly off into the woods to have his Neanderthal way with her. Which, you might imagine, does not include dinner and a movie.

The monster returns to the lab and reverts back into Professor Groves. But just like Dr. Jekyll before him, he finds the lure of the beast too strong and begins to transform without the benefit of the serum. After that, he runs around in the woods some more and kills a couple of other guys until finally our hero Dr. Harkness is able to use his incredible intellect to figure out a way to stop him.


One of the most remarkable things about THE NEANDERTHAL MAN is how similar is its idea of genetic memory being retained in the brain of Man to the theories of William Hurt's "Eddie Jessup" in the much later ALTERED STATES. Both characters espouse the same theories and use drugs to revert to their devolved states, transforming themselves into primitive man-beasts that go on a rampage. I don't know if ALTERED STATES' screenwriter Paddy Chayevsky ever saw this movie, but the similarities are pretty strong.

Another noteworthy element of this movie is the pulse-pounding musical score by Albert Glasser (THE CYCLOPS, INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN, THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, EARTH VS. THE SPIDER). Glasser was just plain awesome--I don't know how he did it, but he could write music that, in its all-out, almost artless intensity, could simply scare the crap out of me when I was a kid, and still retains its ability to give me the creeps. Glasser wielded the studio orchestra like a blunt instrument, using blaring brass and pounding kettle drums to bludgeon the viewer with a sense of unreasoning fear. He goes full-tilt even in scenes such as Professor Groves simply entering his lab, filling the viewer with an unrelenting sense of unease that is sustained throughout the entire movie.

This almost palpable musical background also underlies another memorable sequence, in which Dr. Harkness discovers that Professor Groves has been experimenting on his deaf-mute housegirl, Celia, when he uncovers a series of photographs detailing her transformation. In yet another seeming inspiration for a later film, the sequence in which Harkness leafs through the photographs serves as a veritable blueprint for the scene in SE7EN in which "Sloth" victim Victor's photographic record of deterioration is discovered by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman's cop characters.

All of which adds up to a pretty interesting monster flick, though admittedly it's also cheap, tawdry, and often inept. Directed by Ewald André Dupont, whose career began with silent films in 1918 and undoubtedly saw better days, THE NEANDERTHAL MAN is a lot of fun to watch, and, come to think of it, that's all it really needs to be. Whether you watch it on its own terms or simply to make fun of it, it's still an entertaining film. And at the end, Dr. Harkness gets to solemnly recite one of those classic, self-important soliloquies so common to films of this type:

"We mustn't think of him too harshly. The things he did--and they were terrible--all of us are capable of doing when we give free play to the basis which is a part of everyone. He tampered with things beyond his province...beyond what any man should do. And if it was madness...well...those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad." Oh, yeah! Gotta love it.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Saturday, October 17, 2009

THE BUTCHER -- DVD review by porfle

While watching the 2008 Korean gorefest THE BUTCHER (perhaps "enduring" would be a better word) it kept occuring to me that to enjoy or even tolerate the existence of this film may be a symptom of mental illness. In fact, I'm a little worried about myself just for being able to sit through it.

The goal of director Kim Jin-Won is to approximate as closely as possible the making, and viewing, of an actual snuff film. All of the action, which takes place mostly in an abandoned slaughterhouse, is seen BLAIR WITCH-style through various video cameras that are either wielded by the three homicidal maniacs or mounted on headgear worn by their hapless victims. Most of it is from the POV of Jae hyun, who has been captured along with his wife, Jung yeon, giving us endless panning-around shots of the ceiling, his feet, his wife, etc., as he awaits their fate.

When the first two victims are dragged away to their doom, we watch the hallway for several minutes as we hear them being dispatched with a chainsaw. Then a nondescript middle-aged man who refers to himself as "The Director" and his deranged toady Bong-sik return covered in blood and sit around discussing the artistic merits and marketability of the movie they're making. Eventually Jae hyun and Jung yeon are beaten with hammers and then moved into the killing room for one of the most unbearably horrifying and sadistic sequences imaginable.

As an exercise in cinema verite', THE BUTCHER is crude but effective--we feel as though we're really going through this ordeal along with Jae hyun. Several shots play for minutes at a time as though they're actually happening, the result of what must have been much pre-planning and rehearsal. "The Director" and Bong-sik don't overplay their roles and are convincing, obviously improvising much of their profanity-packed dialogue, and the victims are equally well-portrayed. The main concession to slasher-flick tradition, a hulking brute wearing a pig's head mask and slinging a chainsaw, is a frightening presence.

With its realistic, non-cinematic look and no-holds-barred indulgence in utter depravity, this is torture porn in its purest form. Victims are beaten and raped, fingers are sawed off, entrails are strewn, and, in surely the most sickening shot of the whole movie, a screaming woman's eyeball is gouged out in blood-drenched closeup. All the while, the soundtrack assails the viewer with deafening shrieks and pitiful pleas for mercy along with the roar of the chainsaw.

The DVD from Palisades Tartan Asian Extreme is in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 and a Korean soundtrack with English subtitles. Bonus features include an alternate ending, behind the scenes photos, storyboards, and a trailer.

Does this film succeed in its goal to shock and horrify on a level rarely achieved? Definitely. On the whole, however, THE BUTCHER is without a doubt one of the most unremittingly rancid things I've ever experienced. I can't imagine being entertained by it. Those desperately seeking nothing more than gobs of graphic gore for its own sake may be susceptible to its charms--others beware. James Whale this ain't.

Buy it at Amazon.com
Share/Save/Bookmark

"P" -- DVD review by porfle

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, especially if the subject is witchcraft. In the Thai horror film "P" (2005), a backwoods village girl named Aaw is taught the ways of magic by her aging grandmother, but unfortunately for her, she pays more attention to the "do's" than she does to the "don'ts." And when she starts practicing magic on her own, those don'ts get her in a bloody heap o' trouble.

The naive, innocent Aaw is thrust into the sinful and decadent world of Bangkok go-go bars when she must earn money to pay for her ailing grandmother's medicine. The timid girl, renamed Dau by her new boss Mamasang, soon discovers that pole-dancing isn't her only occupation when a wealthy foreigner (director Spurrier) takes her to his hotel room and helps himself to her virginity. Dau's sympathetic roommate Pookie (Opal) shows her the ropes while diva-ish May (Narisara Sairatanee) and her snarky friends New and Mee develop an instant dislike for the country girl.

Growing jealous of May, Dau begins to use her magic to make herself more desirable. When May sabotages Dau's attempt to become a featured dancer, Dau casts a spell on her that has horrifying results. While continuing to use her powers unwisely, she also manages to inadvertently break the three cardinal rules of witchcraft, leaving her vulnerable to invasion by an evil spirit. When this occurs, Dau is transformed into a vile creature of unspeakable evil who prowls the night feasting on the flesh and blood of her victims. While New and Mee frantically seek the help of a boozed-up old witch doctor to protect them, Pookie tries to cure Dau of her affliction herself but may end up as her next meal instead.

A fascination with both Thai ghost legend and the Bangkok go-go bar scene prompted writer-director Paul Spurrier to become the first Westerner ever to direct a Thai film. Beautifully shot in Cinemascope, the lighting and cinematography are meticulous and Spurrier's direction is stylish but low-key. The story is deliberately-paced and only gradually works its way into real horror territory--without the supernatural elements, much of it would work simply as a borderline soft-porn portrait of a young girl's transformation from a timid waif into a calculating exhibitionist selling herself for money. (Sort of like an art house version of SHOWGIRLS or STRIPTEASE.) But this aspect of Dau's saga becomes the slow-burning fuse that will ignite a series of chilling supernatural setpieces.

By modern standards, the carnage is relatively restrained and much is suggested rather than explicitly shown. Spurrier isn't out to gut-punch us with gore but would rather give us an extreme case of the creeps, which he succeeds in doing pretty well. Although I've seen scarier Asian fright films that affected me a lot more deeply, the ghost-possessed Dau is a pretty memorable horror character. There are the usual jack-in-the-box jump scares, in addition to several spooky images such as the glowing-eyed Dau floating after a fleeing victim or lurking on a shadowy ceiling like a spider. Spurrier's original score adds to the effectiveness of these scenes.

First-time actress Suangporn Jaturaphut, who was only seventeen at the time, gives a solid performance as Dau and is convincing in each stage of the character. Opal is funny and endearing as the flighty go-go bar veteran Pookie, with whom we begin to sympathize more and more as she risks her own life to help Dau. Spurrier and his friend Dean Barrett, an unabashed fan of the Bangkok go-go bar scene in real life, ably portray a couple of typical rich, horny customers--the latter is featured in a grinning, hairy-shouldered closeup from the reclining Dau's POV that is one of the film's most unsettling images.

The DVD from Palisades Tartan Asia Extreme has an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo sound. Language is the original Thai with English subtitles. Director Spurrier offers an intimate and informative commentary track. There's a very brief "Behind the Scenes" clip, production photos, the theatrical trailer and teaser, and a featurette, "Soi Cowboy Go-Go Bars", in which host Dean Barrett gives us a tour of some of his favorite carnal nightspots. A music video for Underground's awesome end credits song "Rawang" features a slow, sensuous dance by Suangporn Jaturaphut as "Dau", interspersed with scenes from the movie. I prefer the actual end credits version in which the hypnotically gorgeous dance sequence plays uninterrupted.

With its story of a young witch coming to the big city to ply a new trade while learning to develop her supernatural powers (only to find them going distressingly awry), "P" is almost like a shadowy flipside to KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE. But more than that, it's also a deliciously dark and erotic visual confection that should have your blood running hot and cold at the same time.

Buy it at Amazon.com

Share/Save/Bookmark

Friday, October 16, 2009

December Releases From CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment


THE FUGITIVE: SEASON THREE, VOLUME TWO


Dr. Richard Kimble is accused of murdering his wife. The night before his execution, he escapes. The only chance to prove his innocence is to find the man who killed his wife. Kimble, persecuted by Lt. Gerard, risks his life several times when he shows his identity to help other people out of trouble.

Actors: David Janssen, Barry Morse, William Conrad, Bill Raisch
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
Language: English
Number of discs: 4
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: December 8, 2009
Run Time: 722 minutes

Buy it at Amazon.com

PERRY MASON: THE FOURTH SEASON, VOLUME TWO

Perry Mason is an attorney who specializes in defending seemingly indefensible cases. With the aid of his secretary Della Street and his investigator Paul Drake, he often finds that by digging deeply into the facts, startling secrets can be revealed. Relying on his outstanding courtroom skills, he often tricks or traps people into unwittingly admitting their guilt.

Actors: Raymond Burr, William Talman, Ray Collins, William Hooper
Format: Box set, Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English
Number of discs: 3
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: December 8, 2009
Run Time: 623 minutes

Buy it at Amazon.com

TAXI: THE FINAL SEASON

"Taxi" followed the life of a group of cabbies in New York. The group, employees of the Sunshine Cab Company, was a motley crew including Bobby (Jeff Conaway), a frustrated actor, Tony (Tony Danza), a struggling boxer, Louie (Danny DeVito), the tyrannical dispatcher, and Reverend Jim (Christopher Lloyd), a spacey ex-hippie. The classic ensemble sitcom was hailed by critics and audiences alike after premiering on ABC Sept. 12, 1978.

Actors: Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, Andy Kaufman, Judd Hirsch
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English
Number of discs: 3
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: December 22, 2009
Run Time: 571 minutes

Buy it at Amazon.com


UNITED STATES OF TARA: THE FIRST SEASON


Tara Gregson (Toni Collette) is a wife and mother with dissociative identity disorder (DID). After deciding to take a break from her medication to discover the real cause of her disorder, her alternate personalities re-emerge: wild and flirty teenager T; old-fashioned housewife Alice; and male, loud, beer-drinking Vietnam vet Buck. Tara is supported by her calm and level-headed husband Max (John Corbett), her somewhat troubled teenage daughter Kate (Brie Larson), and quirky, good-natured gay son Marshall (Keir Gilchrist). Her sister, Charmaine (Rosemarie DeWitt), is not so supportive, often expressing her doubt about the validity of Tara's disorder.

Actors: Toni Collette, John Corbett
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)

Number of discs: 1
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Showtime / Paramount
DVD Release Date: December 29, 2009
Run Time: 332 minutes

Buy it at Amazon.com

THE TUDORS: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON (US ONLY)

"The Tudors" presents the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII's nearly 40 year, omnipotent reign (1509-1547). In additionl to his famous female consorts and 20+ year marriage to Catherine of Aragorn to the infamous dalliance with Anne Boleyn, the series delves into Henry's most notable political relationship and the deconstruction of the Roman Catholic Church in England.

Actors: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, James Frain
Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Number of discs: 3
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Showtime / Paramount
DVD Release Date: December 15, 2009
Run Time: 413 minutes

Buy it at Amazon.com
Share/Save/Bookmark