SINGLE-HANDED: SET 2 -- DVD review by porfle

Returning to a breathtakingly picturesque rural Ireland with Acorn Media's 3-disc DVD set SINGLE-HANDED: SET 2, we find that the only lawman for miles around still has his hands full dealing with all the ugliness that goes on beneath the lovely exterior of his sleepy little hometown.

Sgt. Jack Driscoll (Owen McDonnell), who has taken over as "Garda" from his late father, finds it difficult to avoid the corruption that was once a standard feature during his father's tenure.  While less prone to violence or intimidation, he also commands less respect and loyalty from the townspeople.  Still, he insists on doing things his way and going by the book as much as possible. 

Making this harder for him is a deputy whose own loyalties are divided.  Having served under the elder Driscoll, Garda Finbarr Colving (David Herlihy) is now torn between doing things the old way and trying to live up to his new boss' expectations of him.  Being in debt to a conniving local businessman named Costello (Sean McGinley), who owns the pub and hotel along with various other shady interests, often makes the unwilling Finbarr a liability to Jack. 

As always, one of the most interesting things about SINGLE-HANDED is the fact that with every case Jack handles, he must deal with people he's known his whole life.  Even his own widowed mother Eithne (Ruth McCabe), still fiercely loyal to his father, is often at odds with him ("What kind of Driscoll are you?" she accuses him at one point).  Because of this, there's much more at stake in each story than simply dealing with the problems of a bunch of strangers.  And Jack can never just leave these problems at the office at quitting time.

This is especially true in the first of three feature-length stories, "The Lost Boys", when Jack meets long-lost cousin Brian (Matthew McNulty) and his fiance' Gemma (Simone Lahbib) who are searching for Brian's father whom he's never known.  The missing man turns out to be Eithne's troubled older brother Sean (a soulful Stephen Rea) who spent his boyhood in a hellish reform school and was treated afterward as though he'd never existed. 

Brian turns out to be more trouble than Jack could have imagined in a variety of ways, including his attempt to take over the family home and land as his own.  Compounding the problem is one of those romantic developments that you just know is going to be trouble as Jack and Gemma start falling for each other.  Meanwhile, the death and possible murder of an elderly man after tangling with some boys from a nearby "Boys Town"-like school ties in with all of this in unexpected ways. 

Costello's involvement in a shady housing development is brought into question in "Between Two Fires" when a dead woman is found in one of the houses after it has been gutted by fire.  A former cop himself, Costello becomes a major thorn in Jack's side as he schemes to get him kicked out of the Garda while using the debt-ridden Finbarr as a pawn.  Once again, the woman's death forces Jack to alienate old friends as he searches for suspects, while his troubles with Brian and Gemma get deeper. 

Finally, "Cold Heaven" ramps up the drama of the continuing plotlines while introducing us to a 17-year-old girl named Maired (Charlie Murphy) who's being sold as a prostitute by a sweet-talking young pimp.  Jack promises to help her but is suspended from the Garda after a moment of anger at Brian gets him into serious trouble--which Costello plans to take advantage of in a big way.  Things look bleaker than ever for Jack in this one, with not only his own life falling apart but also those of the people he's trying most desperately to help.

The entire cast is excellent as before, with Owen McDonnell giving a low-key, restrained, yet intense performance as Jack.  The writing is sharp with such a wealth of scintillating dialogue exchanges and plot twists that there's no need to tack on the usual "action" scenes or ramp up the pace.  Direction and other technical aspects are top-notch as well, with those exquisite Irish locations used not only for their beauty but also to convey a windswept sense of isolation and melancholy--after awhile, all that green starts to get a little oppressive.

The 3-disc DVD from Acorn Media is in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby stereo sound and English subtitles.  Each disc contains a brief photo gallery.

Moreso than in previous episodes, the three two-part stories in SINGLE-HANDED: SET 2 are tied together by dramatic story threads that keep winding tighter throughout the entire engrossing narrative.  As much as I love John Ford's idyllic vision of Ireland in THE QUIET MAN, this warts-and-all look at the emerald isle through the eyes of one lone lawman makes for some richly rewarding entertainment.


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SINGLE-HANDED: SET 2 -- DVD review by porfle

Purge! Kill! Three New DVD Releases from Tromaville: The Place Where Movie Magic Lives

New York, NY - Greetings from Tromaville! Cyperpunk, classic horror stories and brutal games with deadly consequences are featured in three new Troma Team Video releases coming up in the next few months: Kill, Purge and Where Evil Lives.

Releasing in May is David King's smash "Ozploitation" film Purge. A must-see for lovers of cyberpunk, Purge takes place in a utilitarian, genetically engineered parallel universe. Layla, a BDSM mistress, just wants to fit in and be happy, but her nemesis won't let her. Check out http://www.purgefilm.com.au/ to find out more.

In Kill, six strangers, winners of a dream vacation contest, awake to find themselves terrorized by insane Tiki-men in masks and taunted by their deranged captors. It soon becomes clear than only one thing will save them: kill or be killed! Directed by Chad Archivald and Philip Carrer, get Kill on DVD in April!

Where Evil Lives, a buried treasure from 1991 directed by Stephen A. Maier, Kevin G. Nunan & Richard L. Fox Jr, consists of three 30-minute horror stories as told by Jack Devlin (Claude Akins). The stories feature a mass murderer, a vampire, and a modern day witch who helps the police stop a demented doctor. Where Evil Lives will be available in May.

Established in 1974 by Yale friends Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, Troma Entertainment is one of the longest-running independent movie studios in United States history, and one of the best-known names in the industry. World famous for movie classics like Kaufman's The Toxic Avenger, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, Class of Nuke'em High, Mother's Day and Tromeo and Juliet, Troma's seminal films are now being remade as big budget mainstream productions by the likes of Brett Ratner, Richard Saperstein, Akiva Goldsman, and Steven Pink. Among today's stars whose early work can be found in Troma's 800+ film library are Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Jenna Fischer, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Costner, Fergie, Vincent D'Onofrio and Samuel L. Jackson. Visit Troma at www.troma.com, www.lloydkaufman.com, www.twitter.com/lloydkaufman, and www.tromapast.tumblr.com.

Purge! Kill! Three New DVD Releases from Tromaville: The Place Where Movie Magic Lives

BENEATH THE DARKNESS -- DVD review by porfle

Usually any horror movie featuring a weirdo mortician with a yen for necrophilia can't help having at least some measure of giddy, ghoulish fun.  But BENEATH THE DARKNESS (2011) manages to have very little fun with its subject at all.

The bland acting of the leads doesn't help, especially Tony Oller's dead-fish performance as apathetic high-schooler Travis, who drifts through life after apparently seeing a ghost at his dying sister's bedside.  Aimee Teegarden (SCREAM 4) tries a little harder as his cheerleader girlfriend Abby, but with dialogue that doesn't ring true and a by-the-numbers plot, neither she nor Travis and Abby's fun-loving friends Brian and Danny (Stephen Lunsford, Devon Werkheiser) come off as anything more than cardboard cutouts. 

After a somewhat interesting prologue which demonstrates early on just how crazy Dennis Quaid's mortician Mr. Ely is, the story settles into a snail's pace and stays there.  As nothing else seems to be going on in their sleepy Texas town, the kids start spying on Ely's supposedly haunted house until they spot his silhouette on the windowshade, dancing with a woman in his arms. 

Since his wife's been dead for two years, they suspect--well, I'm not really sure what they suspect, but they break into his house while he's gone and make a bizarre discovery, which, of course, no one will believe when they report it, even after one of the kids turns up dead as a result. 

With the sheriff (Brett Cullen) and everyone else taking Ely's side in the matter, it's up to Travis and Abby to get the goods on him by breaking into his house yet again.  This time they get into even deeper hot water while sending Ely all the way over the edge into what passes, in the case of a not-really-trying-all-that-hard Dennis Quaid, for total gibbering coo-coo. 

Unfortunately, Quaid's character just isn't developed anywhere near its potential as an eccentric oddball, and what should've been a really giddy-creepy spook tale turns out to be sub-par movie-of-the-week stuff that feels more like a low-level suspense thriller (or run-of-the-mill TV episode) than a macabre chiller. 

Ely isn't much of a menacing figure, so we never feel as though Travis and Abby are in any more danger than the kind the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew faced on a regular basis.  And their actions are often improbably stupid, as when Ely grabs a fleeing Abby and Travis simply runs away and leaves her there in order to get his wounds attended to.  (He comes back for her later, but really...)

There are a few attempts to generate chills, with Ely displaying a penchant for burying people alive in addition to his uncomfortably close relationship with his long-dead wife.  Still, none of it is morbid enough to be really macabre, nor is it funny enough to qualify as black humor--in fact, the film has very little actual humor at all.  Everything finally comes to a mildly suspenseful conclusion that depends largely on Geoff Zanelli's driving musical score for excitement. 

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 2.35:1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras include a very brief making-of short and a trailer.

BENEATH THE DARKNESS qualifies as mildly passable entertainment if you're in an undemanding mood.  But it's worth watching only on the most basic time-waster level, and after you've spent an hour-and-a-half on it you might feel kind of like the guy in the old commercial who used to whack himself in the head and lament, "Wow--I coulda had a V8!" 



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BENEATH THE DARKNESS -- DVD review by porfle

METAL SHIFTERS -- DVD review by porfle

As I've mentioned before, "cool" and "stupid" can be a pretty winning combination when it comes to junk films.  (I've tried to think of a name for such a combination, but all I can come up with is either "cupid" or "stool.")  Qualifying as both cupid and stool is the SyFy Channel monster flick METAL SHIFTERS (2011), aka "Iron Invader", which, considering the subject matter, is quite literally junky as well.

In a sleepy little town set somewhere in the Great American Northwest, brothers Jake (Kavan Smith, "Stargate: Atlantis") and Ethan (Colby Johannson) are renovating the family inn when they witness the crash of a Russian satellite in a nearby field.  Unaware that the meteor which knocked it out of the sky was carrying a strange alien bacteria, they sell the scrap to old Earl the junk man (Donnelly Rhodes), who is busy building a 17-foot-tall metal "golem" for the town's centennial.  (And of course, what small town doesn't celebrate its centennial with a golem?)

Unfortunately, the alien bacterial goo fancies the big robotlike statue and adds the satellite scraps on which it now resides to the golem, bringing it to life.  Thus, the town is terrorized by the rampaging statue as it seeks out humans for their iron-rich blood, sucking the life force from their bodies.  Since the town is curiously underpopulated--there seem to be only about ten people living in it--it's up to Jake and Ethan, along with Jake's high-school sweetheart Amanda (Nicole de Boer, "Star Trek: Deep Space 9"), her daughter Claire (Merritt Patterson), old Earl and his grandson Max (Jesse Moss), and a few other less-than-stalwart individuals to combat the metallic monstrosity.

Clearly, this is one of the dumber monster-origin stories you'll come across, yet once it's established and the story gets going, the pace doesn't let up for a minute.  And the golem turns out to be a pretty cool monster, especially since the CGI used to render it is acceptably realistic for a change.  This is due mainly to the fact that it's a hard-edged mechanical thing rather than some over-animated, underdeveloped fantasy beastie.  I was reminded of the robot from HARDWARE, particularly during the scene in which it reassembles itself after a run-in with a pickup truck.

In addition to CGI, lots of practical effects are on display including puppetry (a big monster hand is careful to reach through its victims' windows rather than cause expensive property damage), reverse photography, and plain old pull-it-on-a-string stuff.  When the golem's disassembled, bacteria-ridden parts start crawling around on their own it's pretty funny (but in a good way) as our main characters hole up in a bar a la NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD or THE BIRDS.  A fire axe splattered with the alien goo comes to life in one scene and goes after a guy's foot, which is just plain hilarious. 

Paul McGillion, also of "Stargate: Atlantis", plays the usual hard-to-convince sheriff, who finds it unlikely that a robot is sucking the life force out of the local citizenry until it comes after him.  There are comedy relief characters such as Tony the cowardly bartender and his redneck customer Harry, but thankfully the film itself is dead serious without any pesky attempts at self-awareness.  Somehow, this just makes the ridiculousness of the story even more entertaining.  And, of course, the obligatory groan-worthy reference to that famous line from JAWS makes its appearance as one character tells the sheriff, "You'll need a bigger gun." 

Christopher Nickel's pounding score, worthy of a big-time action flick, drives the lively plot to its fairly suspenseful conclusion as things just keep getting wilder and nuttier every minute.  Paul Ziller's sometimes slapdash direction, combined with some messy camerawork, actually enhances the action while the performances of the leads are convincing enough to carry it all along.  The final solution to the monster problem is a pip, leading to the rather amusing sight of a guy with a spray cannister filled with whiskey chasing an errant robot part down the street.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras consist of a making-of featurette and a trailer.

For sheer deadpan nuttiness and old-fashioned cheapo monster movie fun, METAL SHIFTERS is about as entertaining as one of these SyFy Channel flicks gets.  It's in no danger of shoehorning its way onto my "favorites" list any time soon, but I got a kick out of it anyway.



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METAL SHIFTERS -- DVD review by porfle

"Ghost Hunters International Season 2 Part 2" coming to DVD May 22 from Image Entertainment

On May 22nd, Image Entertainment sends you on another paranormal exploration around the globe with “Ghost Hunters International Season 2:  Part 2,” a collection of 13 new episodes brimming with the world’s most historically haunted locations.

This four-disc DVD set with never-before-seen bonus footage will be available for an SRP of $24.98. Pre-book is April 24th.

With an increased focus on the backstories of the locations, join these real supernatural investigators during Season 2 as they explore the 900-year-old Ostrich Inn in England, which served as the inspiration for Sweeney Todd, Hamlet’s Castle in Denmark, a facility in Nicaragua where many employees were forced to quit due to the high level of paranormal activity and many more! 

“Ghost Hunters International Season 2: Part 2” features the following bone-chilling investigations that will cure any doubt of the uncanny:

The Spirit of Robin Hood
Sweeney Todd
Wolf’s Lair
The Devil’s Wedding
The Demons of Nicaragua
Pirates of the Caribbean
Ghosts of the Eastern Bloc: Ukraine and Poland
Unfaithful Spirit: Germany
Amsterdamned: Netherlands
Army of the Dead: Serbia
Shadows in the Dark: Scotland
Soldiers of Misfortune: Puerto Rico

“Ghost Hunters International” debuted as the number one telecast in Syfy history and shows no signs of stopping with its third hit season currently airing!


“Ghost Hunters International Season 2:  Part 2”
Genre:              Television, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Mystery/Suspense, Myths/Legends
Rating:              Not Rated
Languages:       English 
Format:            1.78:1 (16x9 enhanced)
Audio:               Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:          N/A
Year:                2011
SRP:                $24.98
Street Date:      May 22, 2012
Pre-Book:         April 24, 2012
Length:             500 minutes (approx.)
UPC:                014381793321
Cat#:                ID7933PGDVD

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"Ghost Hunters International Season 2 Part 2" coming to DVD May 22 from Image Entertainment

Voting For The TENTH ANNUAL RONDO AWARDS Has Begun!

"Recognizing the best in monster research, creativity and genre appreciation."

It's that time of year again, fan boys and girls!  Nominees for the TENTH Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards are ready and waiting for YOUR votes!

For a ballot and instructions on how to cast your vote, visit the CHFB's "Official Ballot" thread here.  You'll also find it along with lots of information about the Rondos at the official site here.

In the words of David "taraco" Colton of the Classic Horror Film Board:  "These awards are by fans, for fans. Every Rondo nominee...is being recognized for a significant achievement in the genre during the year [of 2011]. So take a look at the ballot and please let the nominees know how much we appreciate their work by voting.

"Thanks again to the thousands who have voted every year. We look forward to hearing from you again. Thanks everyone!"

Voting For The TENTH ANNUAL RONDO AWARDS Has Begun!

ABOVE SUSPICION: SET 1 -- DVD review by porfle

I get depressed just looking at Kelly Reilly because of EDEN LAKE--that's how effective I found both the film and her performance.  In the case of ABOVE SUSPICION: SET 1, however, that depression soon turns to disappointment and, finally, disinterest. 

It's not all her fault, though.  The character created for her by author Lynda Le Plante, who follows up her endlessly impressive "Prime Suspect" series with yet another story of a female homicide detective making her way in a male-dominated force, is nowhere near as rich and multi-dimensional as the earlier show's protagonist Jane Tennison, played to perfection by Helen Mirren.  And without Mirren's talent or screen presence, Reilly is unable to supply the character of Detective Constable Anna Travis with the depth she lacks on the written page.

"Above Suspicion" begins with the callow young DC Travis joining a squad led by her late father's friend DCI Langton (Ciarán Hinds).  Langton is the stereotypical gruff, blustery, chauvinist boss who orders the female officers to fetch him coffee and food and makes the occasional sexist remark.  Fortunately for Anna, however, even this sort of character has evolved somewhat since Jane Tennison's day, and the young DC doesn't face nearly the sort of ridicule and discrimination suffered by the earlier heroine.  (The other women in the squad seem to regard their boss fondly even as they're running errands for him.)  In fact, being that Anna is the daughter of a former, highly-respected colleague, Langton pretty much nursemaids her along. 

Not that she needs much help, since she's one of the luckiest rookie cops ever.  After throwing up at her first murder scene and fainting dead away during the post-mortem (which is understandable considering the realism of the worm-ridden, ultra-gruesome dead bodies concocted for the show by its FX staff), she begins to stumble upon major pieces of evidence with amazing providence and happens to notice little things overlooked by her experienced peers.  At one point during their investigation of a series of prostitute killings, Anna's intuition leads to the discovery of a secret closet compartment filled with evidence.

The initial two-episode pilot is interesting enough, as the identity of the serial killer is narrowed down to two suspects, one of which happens to be a world-famous film celebrity.  Jason Durr gives an impressive performance as movie star Alan Daniels, whose interrogation scene is perhaps the most harrowing and intense sequence in the entire series.  Here, "Above Suspicion" (the title referring to arrogant suspects whose obvious guilt is frustratingly difficult to prove) lives up to its promise in a way that is rarely seen.

Next comes the three-part story "Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia", in which a copycat killer re-enacts the notorious Black Dahlia murder.  Surprisingly, neither Langton nor anyone in his squad have heard of the original case (it's only one of the most famous unsolved murders of all time) so it takes them forever to make the connection.  There's another extremely gruesome body from the FX department, plus some horrific actual photographs of a post-mortem Elizabeth Short (the real-life "Black Dahlia") whose exploitative overuse for the sake of shock value seems gratuitous.

After coming out of the gate with such brilliance in her first case, Anna's subsequent newbie mistakes tend to make her seem a bit dense at times.  This is particularly true in her naive dealings with inquisitive newspaper editor Richard (Edward MacLiam), who woos and beds her with such transparent intent that we're not the least bit surprised to see the sneaky cad rifling through her case folders while she's asleep.

This is such an incredibly stupid lapse on Anna's part that henceforth it's hard to have much respect for her character.  Strangely enough, though, it finally puts some dramatic spark into the story when she's subsequently chewed out by Langton and ostracized by her co-workers, serving to derail her storybook rapid-advancement (that is, until her next brilliant flash of intuition puts her right back on track again).

This time, the suspect who fancies himself "above suspicion" is Charles Wickenham (Simon Williams), the patriarch of an upper-class but incredibly dysfunctional family whose kinky eccentricities and other downright weird behavior give the story some nicely twisted moments.  Not only is there evidence of the family engaging in incestuous BDSM sessions, but Wickenham's two-fisted daughter Justine actually pounces on DC Travis in one scene and pummels her senseless.  Despite its shortcomings, the story is pretty engaging and ends on a nicely morbid note.  Venerable actress Sylvia Syms is a welcome presence as the family's housekeeper and nanny, Mrs. Hedges, who knows more than she's telling.

The two-disc DVD from Acorn Media is in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby sound and English subtitles.  Extras include two behind-the-scenes docs, cast and crew interviews, photo galleries, and more.

While lacking the gravitas of La Plante's earlier work and not nearly as memorable, "Above Suspicion" is brisk, fast-moving storytelling that is shot, as one castmember describes it, in "the American style."  But the main character advances so quickly in the first couple of episodes that we wonder how much room has been left for her to grow and learn as a detective.  And the hint of an impending and ill-advised romantic relationship between Anna and Langton at the end of episode five just doesn't bode well at all.  (More interesting is Langton's affair with his no-nonsense female boss Commander Leigh, well-played by Nadia Cameron-Blakey.)  While passably entertaining, ABOVE SUSPICION: SET 1 is pretty weak tea after "Prime Suspect" and fails to leave one with a sense of keen anticipation for more. 



Buy it at Amazon.com

ABOVE SUSPICION: SET 1 -- DVD review by porfle

"THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW: CARL REINER'S FAVORITES" -- coming May 1st from Image Entertainment

On May 1, Image Entertainment is proud to release twenty classic episodes personally handpicked by comedy genius and creator/producer Carl Reiner with The Dick Van Dyke Show: Carl Reiner’s Favorites.

These special selections from the man behind the legendary series will be available for an MSRP of $24.98.  Pre-book is April 3rd.

A winner of 15 Emmy® Awards – including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Comedy – “The Dick Van Dyke Show” is not only one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, but one whose immediate and subsequent enduring success literally changed the face of episodic TV comedy.  Starring Dick Van Dyke (Mary Poppins, “Diagnosis Murder”), Mary Tyler Moore (“Mary Tyler Moore Show,” Ordinary People), Rose Marie (“Alan Richter Controls the Universe”) and Morey Amsterdam (“Love, American Style”), this timeless series remains as popular – and relevant -- as ever.

Episodes:

Never Name a Duck, The Attempted Marriage, Hustling the Hustler, A Bird in the Head Hurts, Gesundheit, Darling, Will You Two Be My Wife?, Ray Murdock's X-Ray, Don't Trip Over That Mountain, The Sam Pomerantz Scandals, Divorce, Laura's Little Lie, Very Old Shoes Very Old Rice, The Life and Love of Joe Coogan, The Plots Thicken, The Return of Edwin Carp, Pink Pills for Purple Patients, Baby Fat, No Rice at My Wedding, A Day in the Life of Alan Brady, Obnoxious Offensive Egomaniac Etc.

The Dick Van Dyke Show: Carl Reiner’s Favorites (DVD)

Genre:             Classics, Comedy, Television, Classic Comedy, Classic Television, Comedy Series, 60’s
Rating:            Not Rated
Languages:      English
Format:            Full-frame
Audio:             Dolby Digital Mono
SRP:                $24.98
Street Date:     May 1, 2011
Pre-Book:        April 3, 2011
UPC:               014381801729
Cat#:               ID8017PBDVD


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"THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW: CARL REINER'S FAVORITES" -- coming May 1st from Image Entertainment

"THE TWILIGHT ZONE: MORE FAN FAVORITES" 5-DVD set coming May 8th from Image Entertainment

May 8, Image Entertainment will release, by popular demand, another round of classic episodes from the series Daily Variety called “The best that has ever been accomplished in half-hour filmed television.”

The Twilight Zone: More Fan Favorites, a new 5- DVD set containing another twenty unforgettable episodes from the legendary series – over 8 hours of content – will be available for an SRP of $29.98. Pre-book is April 10th.

Featured stars include:

William Shatner                       
Buddy Ebsen                           
Buster Keaton
Cliff Robertson                       
Cloris Leachman                      
Dennis Weaver
Lee Marvin                              
James Best                              
Lee Van Cleef
Richard Kiel                            
Shelley Berman            
And more!

The Twilight Zone: More Fan Favorites includes the following episodes:

The Passerby                          
The Grave                              
Death’s Head Revisited
Perchance to Dream              
The Hitch-Hiker                     
King Nine Will Not Return
Shadow Play                          
Third from the Sun                 
The Shelter
To Serve Man                         
The Fugitive                           
Nick of Time
The Prime Mover                   
It’s A Good Life                     
The Mind and the Matter
The Last Flight                      
Once Upon a Time                 
The Trouble with Templeton
The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank
A Hundred Yards Over the Rim

The Twilight Zone:  More Fan Favorites
Genre:             Sci-fi/Fantasy, Television, 60’s
Rating:            Unrated
Languages:      English 
Format:            N/A
Audio:             Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles:         N/A
Year:               1959 - 1964
SRP :                $29.98
Street Date:     May 8, 2012
Pre-Book:        April 10, 2012
Length:            500 minutes
UPC :               014381801620
Cat#:               ID8016CUDVD


Buy it at Amazon.com

"THE TWILIGHT ZONE: MORE FAN FAVORITES" 5-DVD set coming May 8th from Image Entertainment

"ROBOTROPOLIS" -- Coming to DVD April 17th From Image Entertainment

On April 17th Image Entertainment drops you in the middle of Robotropolis, an action-packed sci-fi thriller where the human race’s moment of triumph and innovation becomes a struggle to escape extinction. Coming to DVD with an SRP of 27.97. Pre-book is March 20th.

Mankind has taken the next step forward, with the unveiling of a state-of-the-art city called New Town, fully serviced by robots fulfilling all of the functions previously held by humans.  Covering this revolutionary achievement is GNN reporter Christiane Nouveau (Zoe Naylor, The Reef) and her crew members.  But when a robot suddenly murders an innocent football player in the backdrop of her newscast, a day of advancement becomes a fierce battle for survival. 

Capturing every stunning development in the shocking robot revolution live on camera, Christiane records each frenzied moment, as our last great hope becomes our worst nightmare. Filled with explosive special effects and relentless action, this chilling sci-fi vision of the future will blow you away!

Robotropolis DVD
Genre:                          Action/Adventure, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Feature Film 
Rating:                          Not Rated
Language:                     English 
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Audio:                          Dolby Digital 5.1
Year:                            2011
SRP :                            $27.97
Street Date:                  April 17, 2012
Pre-Book:                    March 20, 2012
Length:                         84 minutes
UPC :                            014381797329
Cat#:                            BLE7973DVD


Buy it at Amazon.com

"ROBOTROPOLIS" -- Coming to DVD April 17th From Image Entertainment

SANDS OF OBLIVION -- movie review by porfle

Oh, no!  Another Sci-Fi Channel movie with Stephen Baldwin in it!  Oh, wait--that's Adam Baldwin.  Whew!  Okay kids, false alarm--you can all come out from under your desks now.

As Sci-Fi Channel movies go, SANDS OF OBLIVION (2007) is pretty good.  The premise is interesting--while filming the original silent version of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS in 1923, Cecil B. DeMille has a lot of genuine Egyptian artifacts shipped out to his California desert location, and along with one of them comes an evil curse that results in violent death for several crew members.  When the movie wraps, DeMille has everything--artifacts, sets, the whole shebang--buried beneath the sand in hopes of containing the curse for all time.

Eighty some-odd years later, however, it all gets dug up again by some film historians led by Alice Carter (Morena Baccarin, "Firefly", SERENITY) and her estranged husband Jesse (that's Adam Baldwin), thus reactivating the curse and resurrecting the jackal-headed monster god Anubis.  After several gruesome deaths, Alice and her site coordinator Mark (Victor Webster, MUST LOVE DOGS), an Iraq war vet with whom she's been getting awfully chummy lately, must find a way to defeat both Anubis and the new pizza-faced version of Jesse, who is now possessed by the evil entity. 

There's a lot of CGI in this movie, and most of it looks pretty fake.  This works in the ancient-Egypt prologue due to its storybook quality, but later when it's used to show DeMille's massive sets being torn down or to depict various evil creatures, it tends to come off a tad on the crappy side.  Anubis himself (itself?) is a guy wearing a big flap-jawed jackal head, which is okay in quick shots but not so much whenever we get a good long look at him.  He sometimes gives the movie the feel of a cheap 50s horror flick, but maybe that's not such a bad thing since it doesn't take itself all that seriously in the first place.

Partial compensation for such negatives is the fact that SANDS OF OBLIVION boasts some really nice cinematography, a good cast with appealing romantic leads, and a story that harkens back to those Mummy movies of the 40s while also giving us some pretty graphic images (one early death scene involving a runaway backhoe is worthy of THE OMEN).  The pace is leisurely at first but not boringly so, gradually picking up as Alice and Mark experience a series of narrow escapes. 

It's interesting to see Dan Castellaneta being Cecil B. DeMille instead of Homer Simpson for a change.  Charles Lister is funny as Buford, Mark's survivalist pal who supplies him with deadly weapons while getting henpecked by his wife.  In an all-too-brief cameo role, George Kennedy is a welcome presence as Mark's grandfather, who was there on the set of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS as a child and leads Alice and her crew to the location years later right before an unpleasant reunion with Anubis.

Unfortunately, the final moments of the film get pretty silly.  There's a really unnecessary dune buggy chase that isn't very well done, and a good guys vs. Anubis showdown that looks like it was finished in a hurry because everybody was tired and wanted to go home.  Anubis looks his dumbest here, and when he magically brings a bunch of two-dimensional painted warriors to life and they hop down off the walls to do battle with Mark, the man-against-cartoons effect is just plain dorky.

Be that as it may, SANDS OF OBLIVION is still a pretty fun movie that I enjoyed watching.  It does commit one major, unforgivable sin, though--it gives away the ending of CITIZEN KANE!  What the hell's that all about?  It's only, like, the numero uno spoiler of all time!  For this alone, co-writers Jeff Coatney and Kevin VanHook should have their butts kicked from one end of Hollywood Boulevard to the other. 


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SANDS OF OBLIVION -- movie review by porfle

Troma's "FATHER'S DAY" Premieres in New York February 10

ONLY TROMA WOULD CELEBRATE VALENTINES DAY WITH FATHER'S DAY

February 1, 2012, New York, NY - Greetings from Tromaville! Bring a date and celebrate Valentines at the Sunshine, with the midnight premiere of Troma/Astron-6's Father's Day on February 10. We guarantee you'll never look at a priest the same way again! Hosted by Father's Day producer, creator of The Toxic Avenger and President of Troma Entertainment, Lloyd Kaufman, this ecumenical splatterfest with a dollop of patricide promises to make The Exorcist look like Bambi. A perfect date movie!

Variety calls Father's Day "a gleefully tasteless quasi-grindhouse nasty that's funnier than most of the many such parodic cheesefests that have been created since, well, Grindhouse!" Ain't it Cool News adds "Father's Day is over the top, tasteless, senseless, and completely hilarious."

The gritty, gruesome, grindhouse Father's Day follows that classic story we all grew up with: boy watches father murdered, boy grows into a vengeful one-eyed man, man teams up with a priest and a male prostitute to take down his father's killer. With good reason, Father's Day won Best Film, Most Original Film, Best Kills, and Best Poster at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and has been invited to other prestigious festivals all over the world. Sounds romantic, doesn't it?

Sunshine Cinema is located at 143 East Houston Street, New York. Father's Day starts at 12am on the night of Friday, February 10th, with another screening on February 11th. 

For more on Father's Day and additional theatres where the film will be presented, visit www.thefathersdaymovie.com

In the meantime, remember to lock up your fathers.


ABOUT TROMA ENTERTAINMENT
Established in 1974 by Yale friends Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, Troma Entertainment is one of the longest-running independent movie studios in United States history, and one of the best-known names in the industry. World famous for movie classics like Kaufman's The Toxic Avenger, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, Class of Nuke'em High, Mother's Day and Tromeo and Juliet, Troma's seminal films are now being remade as big budget mainstream productions by the likes of Brett Ratner, Richard Saperstein, Akiva Goldsman, and Steven Pink. Among today's stars whose early work can be found in Troma's 800+ film library are Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Jenna Fischer, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Costner, Fergie, Vincent D'Onofrio and Samuel L. Jackson. Visit Troma at www.troma.com, www.lloydkaufman.com, www.twitter.com/lloydkaufman, and www.tromapast.tumblr.com.

Troma's "FATHER'S DAY" Premieres in New York February 10

OUT -- DVD review by porfle

First of all, this isn't about gay people coming out of the closet, which was the first thing that occurred to me when I saw the DVD cover for OUT (1978).  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but if that's what you think you're going to see then you'll probably be disappointed when a hardboiled British crime drama from the late 70s pops up on your TV screen instead.

If that is what you're expecting, however, then chances are you'll be pretty much delighted by this six-episode miniseries from Thames Television (kicked off by their distinctive mirror-image logo) about a suave criminal named Frank Ross (Tom Bell) returning to London after an eight-year prison stretch and trying to track down the "grass" (Brit slang for snitch) who blew the whistle on his big bank job and betrayed him and his mates. 

Fans of the classic 90s series "Prime Suspect" will be interested in seeing a younger, cooler version of the guy who played lady cop Helen Mirren's narrow-minded nemesis DS Bill Otley.  Here, Tom Bell plays a steely, self-confident tough guy without being stereotypically coldblooded, callous, and cruel--his concern for his estranged wife and son, not to mention his former associates, humanizes him while his quiet restraint is more interesting and effective than if Bell had played the part more broadly. 

Still, he's not a good guy in the traditional sense because we don't get the feeling he's at all repentent for his earlier crimes, and he's not above threatening someone's girlfriend to persuade him to cough up info (although we feel he'd never actually follow through with the threat).  It's fun watching his self-assured handling of dangerous situations and the way he uses his wits--the sequence in which he cons his way through an illegal poker game to earn some cash is a particular highlight--and when he does have to get violent it's quick and businesslike. 

The first episodes are a long, deliberately-paced windup with several dramatic and action highlights along the way.  The scenes between Frank and his mad wife Evie are rather chilling, with Pamela Fairbrother giving an outstanding portrayal of deep-seated manic psychosis which, unfortunately, is probably the result of living with Frank.  There's an amazing sustained shot in episode four in which the camera slowly moves into an extreme closeup of her as she gradually reveals the depth of her insanity.

Other dramatic elements include Frank's doomed attempts to reconnect with his troubled son (Andrew Paul) and his turbulent relationship with Anne (Lynn Farleigh), an old flame who loves him but isn't sure she can't stand being with him.  Brian Croucher is very good as Frank's old friend Chris, one of the few people he can really trust and a big help in trying to get his personal life back together.  One of the show's funnier moments involves Chris trying to intimidate a bookish accountant who's come to collect a business debt, and then getting his own ass kicked by the smaller man instead.

All of this, however, is second in importance to Frank's unwavering quest for revenge, which is replete with gritty, hard-edged dialogue ("The way Frank's going he'll be back inside by Easter...or covered in dogshit in an alley with a white line drawn round him") and intense situations.  We meet a rogue's gallery of thugs, goons, and petty crime bosses as he makes his way through the London underworld, including a startlingly young and fit-looking Brian Cox (MANHUNTER, X-MEN 2) as Frank's main nemesis, the vile McGrath.  Tension mounts when McGrath hires a never-fail hitman to dispose of Frank, while further peril comes from the other side of the coin as old enemy Det. Insp. Bryce (Norman Rodway) and his men work tirelessly to put the troublesome ex-convict back behind bars.

Other notable supporting players include Katherine Schofield as the unwilling keeper of some dangerous information, Bryan Marshall as crooked cop Hallam, Hugh Fraser ("Captain Hastings" of "Agatha Christie: Poirot") as a surveillance expert helping Frank keep tabs on a few key people, and familiar character actor John Junkin ("Shake" in the Beatles' A HARD DAY'S NIGHT) as an old friend who serves as Frank's strong-arm goon in the lively and eventful final episode. 

With episode six, all the build-up finally pays off with some big revelations and a few low-key action scenes, though the story is mostly resolved though dramatic confrontations (Bell and Rodway are stunning in their last scene together) and delectable dialogue.  As with the rest of the series, Trevor Preston's screenplay is scintillatingly sharp with flashes of brilliance.  Jim Goddard's direction is equally good as he wields his modest television budget to often noteworthy effect.  That familiar old cheap-film look of many British dramas of the time gives the show a suitably dreary atmosphere, and the tacky late-70s period flavor is fun.

The 2-disc DVD from Acorn Media is in 4:3 full screen with Dolby Digital stereo and English subtitles.  The sole extra is a final-episode commentary track featuring the show's producer, director, and writer.

While Tom Bell's gentleman outlaw Frank Ross is the hero-by-default of OUT and not the usual sadistic thug, we're never quite sure what he's going to do when he finally catches up with the guy who sent him to prison.  That's one of the things that makes his character interesting and keeps us guessing right up to the intriguingly inconclusive ending which, instead of setting us up for a sequel, just leaves us wanting more.



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OUT -- DVD review by porfle

OUTLAW -- movie review by porfle

According to the makers of OUTLAW (2007), the current legal system in England is shockingly non-punitive toward the bad guys, who often get the old "slap on the wrist" for their crimes, which means that there may be an increase in vigilante violence in the future.  Which is what this bloody, action-packed thriller is about.  Which is why I thought it was pretty cool.

Sean Bean, one of those solid actors whose presence in a film is always welcome, plays Sgt. Danny Bryant, a paratrooper who has just returned from Iraq to find his wife in the arms of another man.  He moves into a cheap hotel that has a security guard named Simon Hillier (Sean Harris) who likes to watch people with the pinhole cameras he's hidden in their rooms.  Simon was rejected from the military on medical grounds but is generally good and hostile, which is why he becomes fascinated with Sgt. Bryant and all those cool guns he has in his suitcase. 

Meanwhile, we see various storylines featuring normal, non-violent men who are terrorized and degraded by bullies and thugs.  Gene Dekker (Danny Dyer) lives in fear that he will be unable to defend himself and his bride-to-be if attacked by hooligans, which comes to pass after a minor traffic accident leads to his getting the crap kicked out of him.  He's also pushed around by his boss at work, which adds to his constant humiliation.  Cedric Munroe (Lennie James) is a lawyer prosecuting a ruthless gang boss named Manning, and when he refuses to let up, his pregnant wife is murdered by Manning's underlings.  And then there's Sandy Mardell (Rupert Friend), whose scarred face and equally scarred psyche are souvenirs of a vicious beating by thugs who subsequently received light sentences and walked. 

Before long, Simon the security guard begins to introduce each of these wronged men to Sgt. Bryant, who, having nothing else constructive to do at the moment, decides to teach them not only how to defend themselves but to also aggressively seek revenge against the men who wronged them, with special emphasis on Manning and his murderous crew.  AFter a false start or two, they eventually form a unit that goes around doling out some serious butt-kicking to deserving slimeballs.  Bob Hoskins also stars as Walter Lewis, an aging cop who's tired of trying to work within the system and decides to help the vigilantes by giving them inside information.  But before long, the course of action they've taken leads to a downward spiral of increasing violence, betrayal, and moral turmoil that climaxes in a bullet-ridden bloodbath.

Sounds pretty cool, huh?  Not to a lot of English critics, who found the film morally repugnant and offensively violent.  But geez, isn't that what a good revenge flick is all about?  As long as it's well-made, which this film certainly is, I love seeing a movie where bad guys who have evaded their just desserts get what's coming to them, whether they be loudmouthed, bullying hooligans, intimidating smartass bosses, or gangsters who think they're above the law because they have the police on their payroll.  And if things fall apart in the end for our heroes and everything goes straight to hell in a bloody handbasket--well, that just makes the whole thing even more entertaining, doesn't it?

The cast, especially Sean Bean and the ever-wonderful Bob Hoskins, are superb, and director Nick Love (THE FOOTBALL FACTORY, THE BUSINESS)  shows lots of verve and style in putting his self-penned script to film.  With a Tangerine Dream-like musical score by David Julyan, who gained points for MEMENTO, lost them all with THE LAST DROP, and then gained them all back with this, OUTLAW looks good thanks to director Love and cinematographer Sam McCurdy's uncommonly skillful use of Shaky-Cam and muted colors. 

The action scenes, which include lots of beatings, shootings, and even a hanging or two, are well done, leading to the aforementioned blam-blam pow-pow sequence at the end which has a DIRTY DOZEN "who'll be left standing?" quality about it.  And just when it looks like the ending will be a real letdown, the last five seconds send the movie off with a satisfying bang.

OUTLAW is an updated version of the good old-fashioned DEATH WISH-style vigilante vengeance tale, with a meatier story, modern production values and sensibilities, and a cool twist here and there.  If you're not skittish and easily offended by such boorish subject matter, and you enjoy seeing the (comparative) good guys give the bad guys a healthy dose of their own medicine once in a while, then this movie just might temporarily slake your all-consuming thirst for vengeance.



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OUTLAW -- movie review by porfle

MIDSOMER MURDERS: SET 19 -- DVD review by porfle

With Acorn Media's 4-disc collection MIDSOMER MURDERS: SET 19, we return once again to that sleepy English county where every quaint little village has a murder rate that would make the average urban dweller's hair stand on end. 

Putting forth his best effort to root out the killers and make those unquiet burgs safe again for farmers, shopkeepers, and greedy country squires is former MI6 agent Tom Barnaby, now a detective chief inspector who'd rather be having a pint in front of the telly if there weren't a murder to solve every five minutes.  He seems a hair's breadth away from retirement in the small town of Causton with his lovely wife Joyce (Jane Wymark), with whom he shares an amusingly prickly relationship, but every new case clearly gives him that certain buzz he undoubtedly lives for.

As played to a tee by John Nettles, Barnaby's easygoing demeanor and wry wit are only one side of the coin--the tenacious, no-nonsense detective has a razor-sharp intellect and little tolerance for lawbreakers or suspects who try to dodge his probing questions.  His dignity is rarely ruffled, which is more than can be said for his younger partner, Detective Sergeant Ben Jones (Jason Hughes), who, while capable enough, is often the brunt of both Barnaby's mischievous sense of humor and his withering criticism.  But we know that the older detective is confident his partner will evolve into a top detective with the benefit of his daily tutelage.

The four feature-length episodes in this set should be familiar stuff to longtime fans of the series while varying considerably in quality.  First up is "The Made-to-Measure Murders", a typical Midsomer tale in which a series of gruesome murders sparks smalltown intrigue and keeps the local gossip mill churning.  It begins with an unlikable man dying of a heart attack in his garden, whereupon we find his widow on the two-year anniversary of his death suffering from some mysterious guilt that she's about to confess to the village vicar before she's brutally murdered right outside the church.  

Meanwhile, the tailor shop owned by the deceased man's brother and son is one of the businesses in danger of being closed by their landlord, a wealthy landowner who runs the town like a feudal estate.  As tempers flare and desperation mounts, more murders are imminent even as Barnaby and DS Jones are being fitted for new suits (Jones wants one just like Cary Grant wore in NORTH BY NORTHWEST).  Forensic expert Dr. Bullard (series regular Barry Jackson) ponders the strange symmetrical slash marks on the victims' throats while Barnaby tries to find a motive for the killings among the various suspects.  It's a solid episode, though one the writers could probably come up with in their sleep at this point.

Much more fun is "The Sword of Guillaume", in which our detectives accompany the Causton town council on a bus trip to Brighton beach where the mayors of the two towns are enmeshed in the usual shady land dealings which seem to fuel many of these stories.  A festive setting and colorful cast of guest characters make this one of the livelier entries as does a series of gory beheadings by a cloked figure wielding an ancient sword, one of which takes place in the seaside amusement park's spook ride. 

With a very unusual motive for murder, some intriguing surprises, and enough morbid touches to make Dario Argento smile, "The Sword of Guillaume" is my favorite episode in this collection.  Mark Gatiss, currently a producer, writer, and co-star (as Mycroft Holmes) of the successful "Sherlock" series, is in peak form here as Rev. Giles Shawcross, a profoundly conflicted priest with a terrible secret.  Also making his first appearance as Barnaby's cousin DCI John Barnaby is Neil Dudgeon, who will eventually replace Tom Nettles as the series' star.

Next comes "Blood on the Saddle", which is, I can say without reservation, the goofiest installment of the show that I've seen thus far.  Not that it isn't fun, because it is, with our protagonists taking part in a Wild West fair that includes ropin', ridin', gunfights, and, of course, murder.  However, the writers must've been smoking something funny when they came up with this one.

Once again the apparent motive involves a land dispute between dueling families, the sort of plot complication that I find totally uninteresting in this sort of story, so instead I concentrated on how weird it was seeing a bunch of Brits dressed like cowboys and acting like Billy the Kid.  After watching one victim get roped and dragged to death by an unknown outlaw, we're treated to a fantasy sequence with Barnaby and Jones in full Western regalia fleeing down the main street of Dodge City with the killer blasting away at them with both six-guns.  You haven't lived until you've seen John Nettles as Wyatt Earp--it's kind of like watching Fred Dalton Thompson play the Duke of Windsor.

Lastly, "The Silent Land" brings us back to (relatively) normal Midsomer territory with a dark and atmospheric tale in which a lonely man is murdered upon the grave of a long-dead girl with whom he's become mysteriously obsessed.  The graveyard adjoins an abandoned sanitarium where people suffering with TB once came to die, now empty but host to some strange goings-on that might possibly be supernatural in origin. 

Even the level-headed Mrs. Barnaby drives off the road one night when she sees a ghostly figure passing in front of her car, although her skeptical husband and their daughter Cully (Laura Howard) suspect her of seeing things.  Danny Webb (ALIEN 3) gives a delightful guest performance as a con man running "ghost tours" through the old graveyard and sanitarium, while the lovely Christina Cole plays a librarian who stands to benefit from the original murder.  There are plenty of other suspects, however, in this eerie tale which ends on a suitably spooky note.

The DVD set from Acorn Media contains four discs in slimline cases, all of which are in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby Digital sound and English subtitles.  The sole extra is a brief photo gallery for "Blood on the Saddle."  (Also available in a 2-disc Blu-Ray version.)

Midsomer fans will want to check out MIDSOMER MYSTERIES: SET 19 while newbies should find it a fairly pleasing collection of detective stories that presents the long-running series at both its best and worst.  Even when not quite up to par or coasting over familiar ground, the adventures of DCI Tom Barnaby continue to be a satisfying and often delightfully amusing way for mystery buffs to pass some quality TV time.



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MIDSOMER MURDERS: SET 19 -- DVD review by porfle

THE DEAD -- DVD review by porfle

With the release of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, it turned out that George Romero, in addition to creating a classic zombie movie, had established a basic premise that would inspire a seemingly endless number of variations, continuations, and reimaginings.  One of the latest chapters in the saga of what happened after "that night" is the Ford Brothers' THE DEAD (2010), a rich and surprisingly moving horror-adventure tale set in the wilds of Africa.

As usual in the post-Romero zombie apocalyptic world, no explanation for the fact that the dead are rising and eating the living is necessary before we're plunged right into the story.  This time an American Air Force engineer named Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) is on a doomed evacuation flight attempting to flee a zombie-ridden Africa before going down near the coast.  Making it to shore, Murphy then sets out through the perilous bush country to find another means of escape so that he may somehow rejoin his wife and daughter.

Meanwhile, an African soldier named Sgt. Daniel Dembele (Prince David Oseia) returns to his ravaged village to find his wife dead and his son having been taken to a distant military base.  He and Murphy eventually hook up and, after a slow process of gaining each other's trust, become allies in their mutual quest to survive the inexorable zombie onslaught as they travel through the wasteland in an abandoned truck. 

While delivering the sort of gruesome stuff one expects in this type of film--namely, an abundance of exploding heads, dismembered limbs, entrails, gory, gooey flesh feasts, and horrific makeups--there's a lot more to THE DEAD than a series of shocks and gross-outs.  In fact, the journey of Murphy and Daniel sometimes feels as much like a behind-enemy-lines war movie than a horror flick, with the ever-present zombies as the occupying enemy force.  Much of what we see in the wake of the marauding ghouls resembles actual newsreel footage of war-torn Africa. 

Freeman and Oseia sell their characters with restrained, realistic performances that are never less than totally convincing.  These guys aren't super soldiers or action heroes, just a couple of fathers yearning to find their families while doing what they have to in order to survive.  Their relationship is well-developed as an initial mistrust gives way to a growing bond and concern for one another's well-being.  The script gives them several moments in which their humanity is explored, adding depth to their characters rather than simply having them go through a series of stock horror situations.

There is, however, an abundance of shivery suspense and all-out shock as they encounter the living dead at every turn.  Instead of a group of humans fending off attack from within a fortified location, THE DEAD's protagonists must make their way unprotected through open terrain from which zombies may appear in growing numbers at any moment (sort of an extended version of the gas pump scene in NOTLD).  These are the slow-moving, shuffling Romero-style ghouls instead of the track-and-field stars of later films, yet their sheer numbers and the fact that they never stop advancing lends a constant menace and suspense to their frequent appearances.

Shots of ghostly zombies flickering in and out of the truck's headlights at night are particularly eerie, as is the sight of several of them slowly closing in from all sides as Murphy and Daniel race to perform a task such as gassing up their vehicle before it's too late.  When the two men creep through an abandoned village or some dense foliage the threat of attack is always skin-crawlingly imminent, and even the act of stopping to rest and replenish themselves leaves them dangerously vulnerable and exposed.  Later in the story, the fortress-under-siege element comes into play as hordes of the living dead force their way into a military base with no escape for the terrified humans cowering within. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras consist of a fine commentary track by the Ford Brothers, a brief behind-the-scenes short, and a deleted scene.

The authentic African locations and extras lend an invaluable visual richness to the film that is beautifully captured by co-directors Jonathan and Howard J. Ford, who, along with their cast and crew, endured hellish conditions and near-fatal bouts of malaria to get their long-simmering screenplay on film.  The fact that THE DEAD is a hard-earned labor of love shows both in the intensity of the lead performances and in the quality of the finished product.  More than just your usual zombie flick, it's an emotionally gripping journey that will stay with you after the disquieting fadeout.


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THE DEAD -- DVD review by porfle

OUTRAGE: WAY OF THE YAKUZA -- DVD review by porfle

When the CEO of a corporation decides to downsize, you get a pink slip with your paycheck.  But when the big cheese of the Yakuzas thinks it's time to whittle down the old workforce, you're more likely to get ventilated.  In Takeshi Kitano's OUTRAGE: WAY OF THE YAKUZA (2010), you need a program to keep up with all the guys who are being forcibly retired the hard way.

The Yakuza boss known as "Mr. Chairman" looks like a Japanese version of Dennis Mitchell's neighbor Mr. Wilson, a prime example of the banality of evil who orders executions as offhandedly as one might ask you to pass the salt.  When an underling named Ikemoto is told to cold-shoulder rival family boss Murase, with whom he made a "sake pact" in prison, the resulting bad blood erupts into a domino effect of killing with a body count that would make Jason Voorhees green with envy.

This chain reaction of graphic violence has guys getting shot, beaten senseless, or maimed in just about every other scene.  In fact, every time someone walks into camera range we wonder just when and how he's going to get it and who's going to do it.  We never really get to know any of the loads of characters who pop up in the first part of the film just long enough to get whacked, and the dry, somewhat disjointed narrative doesn't become involving until well past the halfway point when it finally settles on one or two key players we can root for, relatively speaking.

Not that we really care about any of them--like one of the taglines says, they're ALL bad guys--but actor-writer-director Kitano's character of capo Otomo, a hangdog, workaday mobster who still retains a shred of honor from the old-school days, seems to have one redeeming quality, which is that he prefers to kill people according to some legitimate business strategy.  With Kitano (who I'll always think of as Sgt. Hara in MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE) giving his usual good performance, Otomo's fight to keep himself and his crew from becoming obsolete is what keeps the film from being just a string of brutal vignettes.

Otomo expects to be treated fairly by his superiors, so he's understandably miffed when they betray the hell out of him after he's brutally murdered everyone on his to-do list.  One of the most interesting things about OUTRAGE, in fact, is seeing whose dirty tricks, betrayals, and reprisals will ultimately prove most effective against everyone else in the ongoing power struggle.  Unlike GOODFELLAS, it skips the part that shows the gangsters enjoying their criminal lives before greed and paranoia turn them against each other.

With all the killing going on in this movie, it's a wonder the surviving Yakuzas have anyone left to order around.  Besides the old bang-bang, Otomo engages in some creative dentistry that will have you cringing, while his sense of humor comes to the fore when he orders someone to stick his tongue out and then cuts it off with an uppercut to the jaw.  Another impromptu execution involving a noose, an automobile, and a guy who's in the wrong place at the wrong time displays more than a little ingenuity.  Meanwhile, more conventional modes of killing and maiming occur in abundance yet their impact is lessened by our lack of emotional investment in them.

The DVD from Magnolia's Magnet label is in 2.35:1 widescreen with Japanese Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras include two making-of docs, various cast and crew interviews and Q & A's at Cannes, U.S. and international trailers and TV spots, and trailers for other Magnolia releases.

It's only in the last twenty minutes or so that the various characters and plot threads begin to gel enough for us to be fully invested in what's going on, as the web of deceit closes in around Otomo and his men and Mr. Chairman plays his final cards.  The ending is so matter-of-factly unsentimental that I found it strangely exhilarating.  I only wish that the rest of OUTRAGE: WAY OF THE YAKUZA, as superficially entertaining as it may be, was as engaging.


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OUTRAGE: WAY OF THE YAKUZA -- DVD review by porfle

THE DOUBLE -- DVD review by porfle

Sometimes you like to sit down to a long, complicated game of chess.  Other times, you just want to play a little air hockey.  Compared to the drawn-out chess games of a Le Carre' spy thriller such as TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, director Michael Brandt's THE DOUBLE (2011) is the equivalent of a few brisk rounds of air hockey--breathless and exciting, without the need to expend too many grey cells in order to appreciate it.

Playing the role of retired CIA agent Paul Sheperdson, Richard Gere shows what a deceptively subtle yet effective actor he's become over the years, especially now that he's no longer perceived mainly as an ambulatory fashion ad (although he stills look better than I do on his worst days).  He's fun to watch here, using his understated skill to fully inhabit his character without having to overdo anything.  Matching him all the way is former sitcom star Topher Grace ("That 70s Show") whose talents as a dramatic actor are fully realized as young FBI agent Ben Geary.

With the apparent reappearance of long-sought Soviet superspy "Cassius" in the USA--and his suspected assassination of a senator--Sheperdson is called back into service to resume the hunt for him while unwillingly saddled with the callow Geary as his partner.  Naturally, they form a grudging respect for each other while seeking out the elusive Cassius, with Sheperdson becoming fearful that Geary, who has a wife and two kids, is unaware of the threat their ruthless quarry poses to himself and his family. 

Their search is an exciting one which begins with a prison visit to former Russian spy "Brutus" (Stephen Moyer, "True Blood"), who then stages a frantic escape attempt, and leads a Cassius associate named Bozlovski (the imposing Tamer Hassan, KICK-ASS, FREERUNNER) whom they suspect of actually being the mysterious spy himself.  Former boxer Hassan is an imposing and very physical actor who gives Shepherdson and Geary's attempts to capture Bozlovski a generous measure of hard-hitting excitement. 

While simpler than your usual spy thriller, THE DOUBLE does have its share of big plot twists, one of which is revealed right there in the trailer.  I'm giving it away in this paragraph (if you don't want to know, skip ahead) since writers Brandt and Derek Haas originally intended for it to be known from the start that Shepherdson himself is, in fact, Cassius, and has been working as a double agent all along.  This amps up the tension between him and Geary and enriches his character by having him develop an attachment to the eager young agent and his family.  What we don't yet know, however, is why Cassius is now acting on his own and what his secret agenda is.

But there are more surprises ahead which keep the story interesting enough while the action moves things along.  The finale, which takes place in a warehouse district on the Potomac River (with Detroit standing in for Washington, D.C.), allows director Brandt to stage a good old-fashioned car chase between Gere and Hassan that's like something out of the gritty 70s.  It's a cracking good sequence (which the editors of QUANTUM OF SOLACE would do well to study) that ends in a spectacular car crash stunt before proceeding to the final good spy/bad spy showdown and a parting plot twist that'll have the less prescient among us doing a mental doubletake.

The supporting cast is top-notch, including Martin Sheen as CIA director Tom Highland and Chris Marquette in an amusing turn as an FBI office drone eager to get points by helping Geary on the case.  Odette Yustman (AND SOON THE DARKNESS, OPERATION ENDGAME) is winsome as Geary's unsuspecting wife Natalie, who helps to spark Shepherdson's humanity during a cozy family dinner.  As the unpredictable Brutus, Stephen Moyer is all raw nerves and kinetic desperation.

Brandt and Haas, who also scripted 3:10 TO YUMA, WANTED, and 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, have fashioned a Lite version of the old Cold War tales updated to modern times and adjusted to appeal to shorter attention spans.  That's not always a bad thing (remember my clever "air-hockey" metaphor), and, in this case, results in a breezier than usual dash through spy-thriller territory.  The film itself lacks that "A-list" look but is stylishly directed and nicely photographed.  John Debney's musical score benefits from the participation of Rush lead guitarist Alex Lifeson, whose own composition "Don't Look Back" graces the closing credits crawl. 

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 2.35:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras include trailer, behind-the-scenes featurette, and an engaging commentary track with Brandt and Haas.

Lean, fast-moving, and fun, THE DOUBLE isn't the kind of spy thriller that involves the viewer on a deeper level like one of Le Carre's torturously taut epics, nor is it anywhere near as memorable.  But it is entertaining, and sometimes that's all a movie really needs to be.


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THE DOUBLE -- DVD review by porfle

Best British TV on DVD - I, Claudius, J.R.R. Tolkien, Virginia Woolf, Sigmund Freud, Prime Suspect creator

Acorn Media (British TV) and Athena (Best Documentaries) DVD Release Calendar

“Acorn Media, chief curators of the best Brit TV” –TIME Magazine

*Acorn Media on Facebook and Twitter

January 31

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT, Series 1 and 2 (Blu-ray debuts, DVD) – The first and second series of Agatha Christie’s beloved Belgian detective starring David Suchet. Blu-ray debut and DVDs are newly remastered and restored to their original U.K. broadcast order. 

POLDARK: The Complete Collection (Value-priced collection) – “The BBC production seduces us completely” (The New York Times). A must-see for costume drama fans, Poldark is now available in a value-priced complete collection. Hailed as a British Gone with the Wind, the classic miniseries debuted on PBS in May 1977, was featured on “The Best of Masterpiece Theatre” special, and voted one of the 10 most popular shows in the series’ history in a recent PBS poll. The Emmy®-nominated miniseries tells the story of a dashing 18th century English army officer (Robin Ellis), who finds the trials and travails at home every bit as perilous as what he faced in war. INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: Lead Actor Robin Ellis

February 7

NORTHERN LIGHTS: The Complete Collection (Home Video Debut) – Robson Green (Being Human, Wire in the Blood, Touching Evil, Reckless) and Mark Benton (Career Girls, Waterloo Road, Murphy’s Law) star in the lighthearted buddy Britcom. Broadcast on BBC America and produced from 2004-2008, the ITV series follows lifelong friends and rivals Colin Armstrong (Green) and Howard Scott (Benton) on a hilarious series of misadventures. Features all 12 episodes and two movies plus a 46 min. behind-the-scenes bonus feature.

NEW TRICKS, Season 6 (DVD Debut) – Retired cops solve cold cases in this smash hit, ongoing BBC series seen on public television. Combining compelling stories, likeable characters, and a top-notch cast, this long-running series stars Amanda Redman (Sexy Beast), Dennis Waterman (The Sweeney, Circles of Deceit), Alun Armstrong (Garrow’s Law, Patriot Games), and James Bolam (The Beiderbecke Affair) as a team of semi-retired and somewhat curmudgeonly detectives investigating cold cases. New Tricks has run on the BBC for eight seasons and has already been renewed for a ninth and tenth season.

THE BRONTES OF HAWORTH– This literary family biopic stars Michael Kitchen (Foyle’s War, My Week with Marilyn) in one of his early roles. This finely crafted portrait explores the soaring artistic achievements and personal tragedies of England’s most accomplished literary family (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights). Featuring a stellar ensemble cast (Alfred Burke, Barbara Leigh-Hunt) and an outstanding script, this acclaimed period drama is a sensitive exploration of the Brontës’ tender and tragic family history. The miniseries aired in the U.K. in 1973 but has not aired on U.S. television.

February 14

BATTLEFIELD DETECTIVES (Athena, DVD Debut) – Seen on the History Channel, the series features new scientific insight into history’s greatest battles. Investigators re-create the conditions of history’s major battles using 3-D computer models, maps, artifacts, original footage, and dramatic reenactments. From the muddy fields at Hastings to the sweltering jungles of Vietnam, a variety of experts offer compelling new evidence on the wars that shaped the modern world. Produced in 2003.

ROBIN OF SHERWOOD, Set 2 (Blu-ray debut) – The conclusion to the definitive retelling of the Robin Hood legend with breakthrough roles for Jason Connery and Ray Winstone (Indiana Jones, The Departed, Sexy Beast). Presented in stunning high-definition, the Blu-ray 3-disc/DVD bonus disc set includes 13 episodes and more than nine hours of special features, including several now on the 2007 DVD release.

SHADES (DVD Debut) – “A quirky romantic comedy of life after death” (The Times), this poignant drama stars Dervla Kirwan (Ballykissangel) and Stephen Tompkinson (Wild at Heart). They meet in London under unusual circumstances…both are recently deceased. The two mismatched souls find themselves still in this world, thrown together in a weird and wonderful afterlife. This touching and gently humorous British drama explores what it means to have a chance to help—or hinder—those left behind. Produced in 2000.

February 28

MIDSOMER MURDERS, Set 19 (U.S. debut, DVD, Blu-ray debut of series) – Acorn’s best-selling series debuts on Blu-ray. John Nettles stars as the unflappable DCI Tom Barnaby, with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé. Guest stars include James Wilby, Kenneth Cranham, and Neil Dudgeon in his first appearance as DCI John Barnaby. These episodes were produced in 2009 and have not aired in the U.S. The Mysteries: The Made-to-Measure Murders, The Sword of Guillaume, Blood on the Saddle, and The Silent Land. PaperMag says about the series, “Phenomenally enjoyable… this show has only gotten better and better through the years…A sumptuous feast for mystery lovers.”

FRENCH FIELDS Complete Collection (DVD Debut) – The sequel to Fresh Fields offers a classic domestic comedy in the tradition of I Love Lucy. William Fields (Anton Rodgers, May to December, Lillie) and his wife, Hester (Julia McKenzie, Agatha Christie’s Marple) move to France. The complete collection includes all three series (1990-93).

THE BRIEF Complete Collection (DVD Debut) – From the creators of Inspector Morse, Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) stars in the seriocomic misadventures of clever criminal law barrister, whose every day is a juggling act between surviving his messy personal life and pleading cases only he can win. Produced in 2004-05 and syndicated on public TV.

March 6

ABOVE SUSPICION, Set 1 (U.S. Debut) - A riveting new detective series from the creator of Prime Suspect. This ongoing, hit British police drama is a “younger, sassier successor to Prime Suspect” (The Telegraph). Rising star Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes feature films) plays a rookie detective trying to prove herself in what is still mostly a man’s world. Acclaimed actor Ciarán Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter, There Will Be Blood) co-stars as Anna's mentor. Includes two-feature length mysteries and behind-the-scenes segments.

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT Series 3 (Blu-ray debut, DVD) - Newly remastered and restored to their original U.K. broadcast order, the impeccable Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) is back on the case in these 11 mysteries from the hit series. Series 3 previously aired in 1991. As seen on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery!

March 13

IN THEIR OWN WORDS (Athena, U.S. Debut) - Fascinating documentary with archival footage of great thinkers and novelists including J. R.R. Tolkien, Sigmund Freud, George Orwell, Jane Goodall, Salman Rushdie, Evelyn Waugh, Margaret Mead, and the only surviving voice recording of Virginia Woolf. Available to U.S. Audiences for the First Time with this release, this remarkable set gathers archival footage from BBC interviews, documentaries and films—much of it available for the first time since its original airing—with two programs British Novelists and Great Thinkers. The landmark programs were produced in 2010-11 but have yet to air in the U.S. With such rarities as J.R.R. Tolkien reading in his invented Elvish language and Jane Goodall discovering behavioral links between humans and chimpanzees, In Their Own Words serves as a real-life compilation of historic moments. As an overview of the social and political forces of the 20th century, it’s beyond comparison as compelling viewing and an exceptional glimpse of the geniuses who have shaped the modern world.

OUT (U.S. Debut) - Hard-edged BAFTA-winning crime drama makes its U.S. debut starring Tom Bell (Prime Suspect) in a BAFTA-nominated performance and Brian Cox. After an eight-year prison stint for a failed bank heist, Frank Ross returns to his old gangland haunts to find the snitch who sent him to jail. Available to U.S. audiences for the first time, the series aired in the U.K. in 1978 but never aired in the U.S.

March 27

I, CLAUDIUS: 35th Anniversary Edition (bonus packed with many previously unavailable extras) – Called “A true masterpiece” (San Francisco Chronicle) and rated one of the “100 Best TV Shows of All Time” by Time magazine, this epic BBC series spans the history of the Roman Empire from Augustus through Claudius, a stuttering scholar who learns early to play the fool and stay alive. Based on the novels by Robert Graves, it stars Derek Jacobi (The King’s Speech, Cadfael) in a career-defining role. Winner of an Emmy® and numerous other awards, this riveting tale of ambition, debauchery, and intrigue remains one of the most popular and acclaimed dramas in Masterpiece Theatre history. Siân Phillips (The Age of Innocence), John Hurt (The Elephant Man),  George Baker (The Ruth Rendell Mysteries), Margaret Tyzack (Cousin Bette), James Faulkner (The Bank Job), and Patrick Stewart (X-Men) also star. BONUS Extended original versions of episodes 1 and 2; “I, Claudius”: A Television Epic, a behind-the-scenes look at the series (74 min.); The Epic That Never Was, a documentary recounting the failed 1937 film adaptation (71 min.); NEW Derek Jacobi interview (12 min.); favorite scenes of the cast and director (36 min.); and more.

SINGLE-HANDED, Set 2 (U.S. Debut) - A lone cop fights crime and corruption in rural Ireland in a new, ongoing detective series. His position as local Garda sergeant puts Jack Driscoll (Owen McDonnell, Wild Decembers) at the heart of his community—and often at odds with it. Filmed against the spectacular and foreboding backdrop of Connemara, this second set contains three new feature-length crime dramas.

MURDER INVESTIGATION TEAM, Series Two (DVD Debut) - Called “The U.K.’s answer to our CSI” and seen on A&E, the series authentically profiles the gritty realities faced by the Special Crimes Unit of London’s Metropolitan Police. From the creators of The Bill, this critically acclaimed police thriller follows an intense team of investigators led by DC Rosie MacManus (Lindsey Coulson, EastEnders) and DS Trevor Hands (Michael McKell, Emmerdale Farm). Claire Higgins (Hellraiser), Kenneth Cranham (Rome), and Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) guest star in these final episodes.

Coming up in April 2012: The Commander Set 2, Secret War, Bill Moyers: Capitol Crimes, Agatha Christie’s Poirot Series 4, Monroe starring James Nesbitt, and the debut of the original Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on Blu-ray.

Early January Releases: The Windsors: From George to Kate (U.S. Debut, Athena), an absorbing 2011 documentary tracing the recent history of the British monarchy from the real King George VI (portrayed in The King’s Speech) through Prince William’s recent wedding; Man in a Suitcase, Set 2 (DVD Debut), the conclusion to the thrilling 1960s spy series features a candid and unfiltered, 69-minute bonus interview with star Richard Bradford (The Untouchables, Cagney & Lacey); Dr. Willoughby (DVD Debut), a hilarious behind-the-scenes television satire starring Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous); Bill Moyers: Amazing Grace (DVD Debut), an inspiring, Emmy-winning PBS documentary tracing the history of the beloved hymn; and George Gently, Series 1 (Blu-ray debut), likened to Foyle’s War and Midsomer Murders, Martin Shaw (Judge John Deed, The Professionals) stars as the principled detective George Gently during the tumultuous 1960s.

Best British TV on DVD - I, Claudius, J.R.R. Tolkien, Virginia Woolf, Sigmund Freud, Prime Suspect creator

Image Entertainment goes "BENEATH THE DARKNESS" starring Dennis Quaid -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD February 28th

Dennis Quaid Stars In A Thriller That Will Take Your Breath Away

IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT GOES "BENEATH THE DARKNESS"

Coming to Light on Blu-ray™ and DVD February 28, 2012

CHATSWORTH, CA – The rural bliss of small town life has been celebrated as part of the American dream, but sometimes a small town is the perfect place to hide one’s secrets, one’s mistakes, one’s sins. And once discovered, it doesn’t take long for the American dream to become the American nightmare. On February 28th, Image Entertainment unleashes the small-town shocker Beneath the Darkness on Blu-ray™ and DVD. Starring Golden Globe™ nominee Dennis Quaid in a rare villainous turn and coming off a recent national theatrical release, this gripping psychological thriller entwines cold-blooded murder, sinister secrets and modern hauntings on Maple Street.  SRP is $27.97 for the DVD and $29.97 for the Blu-ray™, with pre-book on January 31st.

Directed by Martin Guigui (My X-Girlfriend’s Wedding Reception, National Lampoon’s Cattle Call) and written by the late Bruce Wilkinson, Beneath the Darkness is a taut thriller pitting high school kids against a psychotic killer in a community where adults blindly refuse to see the ominous dangers right before their eyes.  Along with Quaid, Tony Oller (Nickelodeon’s “Gigantic,” Disney’s “As the Bell Rings”) co-stars as Travis and Aimee Teegarden (Scream 4, “Friday Night Lights”) co-stars as Abby. 

In the film Quaid plays Ely, the well-respected mortician of rustic Smithville Texas, where he was once a heralded high school football star.  Among the kids, however, he is legendary for a more sinister reason -- rumors that his house is haunted.  The truth is, this pillar of the community is actually a flesh-and-blood monster who buries his victims alive; a sociopath who befriends adults and police while openly flaunting his murderous intentions to the youths.  Beware Ely’s charming smile – it may be the last thing you see, looking up from your freshly dug grave...

Bonus features on Beneath the Darkness Blu-ray™ and DVD include a behind-the-scenes featurette and the original theatrical trailer.

ABOUT IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Image Entertainment, Inc. is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and more than 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights, as well as digital download rights to over 2,100 video programs and approximately 400 audio titles containing more than 6,000 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California. For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to www.image-entertainment.com.

Beneath The Darkness Blu-ray™
Genre:                         Horror, Thriller, Slashers/Serial Killers
Rating:                        Not Yet Rated
Language:                   English 
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)  
Audio:                         DTS HD Master Audio 5.1               
Subtitles:                     English, Spanish 
Year:                           2011
M SRP :                        $29.97
Street Date:                 February 28, 2012
Pre-Book:                    January 31, 2012
Length:                        96 minutes
UPC:                           014381782059
Cat#:                           BTD7820BD

Beneath The Darkness DVD
Genre:                         Horror, Thriller, Slashers/Serial Killers
Rating:                        Not Yet Rated
Language:                   English 
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)  
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                     English, Spanish 
Year:                           2011
M SRP :                        $27.97
Street Date:                 February 28, 2012
Pre-Book:                    January 31, 2012
Length:                        96 minutes
UPC:                           014381780628
Cat#:                           BTD7806DVD

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DVD
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Image Entertainment goes "BENEATH THE DARKNESS" starring Dennis Quaid -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD February 28th