MAD MONSTER PARTY- Starring Boris Karloff, Gale Garnett and Phyllis Diller Arriving 9/4

MAD MONSTER PARTY
Street Date: 9/4/12
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack SRP: $14.99

What better way to get in the Halloween sprit than by celebrating with a monster party? Lionsgate Home Entertainment makes Mad Monster Party available for the first time in High Definition with the release of the Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) as well as HD Digital Download and On Demand arriving just in time for the spookiest holiday of the year as well as the theatrical release of the similarly themed Hotel Transylvania.

From the team who created the stop-motion and animated holiday classics “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman,” Mad Monster Party stars the voice talents of Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) and Phyllis Diller (Eight on the Lam). The Blu-ray Combo Pack bonus materials include a “making of” featurette, plus two featurettes that look at the animation and the music of the film, as well as two bonus sing-along tracks. The Mad Monster Party Blu-ray Combo Pack arrives on September 4th for the suggested retail price of $14.99.

Baron Von Frankenstein (voice of Boris Karloff) has decided to retire as the head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters. But first, he must inform the other monsters about his plans. How to deliver the news? How else - through a Mad Monster Party! Von Frankenstein’s guests include a who’s who of Halloween favorites, including the Werewolf, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Mummy, the Invisible Man and more. But who among them is fit to be the new head of the monsters?

BLU-RAY & DVD COMBO PACK SPECIAL FEATURES*
“Mad Monster Party: Making of a Cult Classic” featurette
“Groovy Ghouls: The Music of Mad Monster Party” featurette
“It’s Sheer Animagic! Secrets of Stop-Motion Animation” featurette
Two Bonus sing-along tracks for kids of all ages
Trailer

*Subject to change

CAST
Boris Karloff       (Frankenstein, Thriller, Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy)
Ethel Ennis            (Feature film debut)
Gale Garnett       (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Overnight)
Allen Swift (TV’s “Diver Dan,” TV’s “The Beagles”)
And Phyllis Diller (A Bug’s Life, TV’s “Family Guy,” TV’s “The Phyllis Diller Show”)

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 1967
Title of Copyright: © STUDIOCANAL - Videocraft International Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Blu-ray Disc and Digital Premiere
Rating: Not Rated
Genre: Family/Animation
Blu-ray Closed Captioned: English SDH
DVD Closed Captioned: English
Blu-ray Subtitles: English and Spanish
Blu-ray Format: 1080P High Definition 4x3 Full Screen (1.33:1)
DVD Format: 4x3 Full Screen (1.33:1)
Blu-ray Audio Status: English Monaural DTS-HD Master Audio
DVD Audio Status: English Monaural Dolby Digital Audio
Feature Running Time: 95 minutes

CLIPS
"All Aboard"
(Features the Voices of: Allen Swift)

"The Escape"
(Features the Voices of: Allen Swift, Gale Garnettand Phyllis Diller)


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MAD MONSTER PARTY- Starring Boris Karloff, Gale Garnett and Phyllis Diller Arriving 9/4

JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK -- DVD review by porfle

Never having seen a single episode of MTV's "Jersey Shore" nor ever been interested in discovering anything about it, I found myself in the rare position of watching the SyFy Channel's JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK (2012) without any preconceptions at all, except that it was supposed to be a "Jersey Shore Meets Jaws" spoof. 

Well, it may be a dandy spoof of the MTV reality show for all I know, but unfortunately it isn't very funny.  The few laughs that there are come mainly from some of the "guido" humor--the main characters are all Italian-American party animals who hang out at the beach looking for A.S.S. (alcohol, sun, and sex)--and the occasional lucky gag that's funny by accident (usually involving either sex or cartoonishly extreme gore).  Also, anything related to former N'Sync member Joey Fatone, whose guest appearance as himself lends the film its one solidly funny moment.

The story, unsurprisingly, is about a 4th of July shark attack on a town whose summer tourist business is crucial, with evil capitalist Dolan (William Atherton) and corrupt mayor Palantine (Paul Sorvino) hushing it up so that construction of Dolan's new resort hotel will continue.  But it's this construction that is sending out underwater vibrations which are disturbing some albino bull sharks and driving them into attack mode.

Meanwhile, guido T.C. "The Complication" (Jeremy Luc) is having chick problems with Nooki (Melissa Molinaro) even as a wet T-shirt contest is taking place at the beachfront bar of Captain Salie ("Sopranos" regular Tony Sirico).  A clash with some rich brats from the local yacht club--who are all bad because they're (gasp) WASPS!--leads to the shark-related death of one of T.C.'s friends, sending the gang into action against the aquatic pests. 

T.C.'s cop dad, Sheriff Moretti (Jack Scalia) doesn't believe their story until the shark attacks escalate into a full-scale invasion.  Grabbing an arsenal of weapons and making off with a police boat, our heroes go shark hunting even as the rich kids come under attack when their yacht is surrounded by sharks. 

One of the main problems with this movie is that the tone is all over the place.  One minute it's an outlandish farce, the next it's trying to be serious--and not just ironic, tongue-in-cheek serious, but actual drama-type serious.  The latter is represented mostly by bad guys Atherton and Sorvino clashing with good guy Scalia in scenes that would fit right into a non-comedic "Jaws" ripoff.  We also get some genuinely sappy romantic moments between T.C. and Nooki and some attempts to make the gang's battle against the sharks come off as true-blue action-movie stuff. 

Not only do these disparate elements fail to mesh, but the shark scenes are marred by SPFX that are sub-par even for a SyFy Channel flick.  The final shark attack sequence itself looks like something that could've been plucked straight out of any number of recent "nature goes amok" duds that SyFy churns out like sausage these days, only with more of the extras dying "funny."  It's hard to get excited seeing swimmers threatened by cartoony CGI thingies that hardly seem more advanced than a 90s video game.  The annoyingly inappropriate musical score doesn't help.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Bonus features include a making-of featurette and a cast and crew commentary track. 

Good things about JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK: a few of the "guido" gags are amusing, the Joey Fatone stuff is gold, and there are some awesome-looking (and refreshingly non-anorexic) babes running around in bikinis and occasionally firing guns.  Unfortunately, the good is far outweighed by the bad, not the least of which being plain old boredom. 


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JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK -- DVD review by porfle

AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT: SERIES 6 -- DVD review by porfle

David Suchet's exquisite portrayal of Agatha Christie's fussy Belgian detective Hercule Poirot continues to delight and entertain with Acorn Media's 4-disc DVD set AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT: SERIES 6. 

With series six, we see the end of the lean, short-but-sweet episodes (under one hour each) in favor of feature-length adaptations of Christie's famous mystery novels.  Naturally, this leads to a more leisurely pace and an increase in what might be called "padding" if it weren't all so much fun. 

Especially enjoyable is the added character interplay between Poirot and his friends and associates, including the dull but reliable Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), his spinsterish, ever-efficient secretary Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran), and Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson), a Scotland Yard man who was once Poirot's rival but is now a staunch friend.

Poirot himself is still the fastidious, obsessive-compulsive little fellow whose no-nonsense demeanor is often betrayed by the twinkle in his eye.  The great loves of his life are gourmet dining, expensive clothes, and solving complex mysteries which baffle lesser minds and challenge his "little gray cells"--after which he isn't above basking in the resulting recognition and praise.

As always, the four mysteries in this collection are impeccably mounted with lavish production values and period atmosphere to burn.  The first, "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" (1995), adds a richly nostalgic Yuletide flavor to the proceedings.  It's the familiar story of a rich, hateful old man (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME's Vernon Dobtcheff) and a houseful of potential heirs (including Sasha Behar of INJUSTICE), each of whom would benefit from his death and be a likely suspect when the old man eventually does turn up murdered.

As usual, Agatha Christie takes these well-used elements and makes them seem new again with interesting characters and circumstances, along with the usual wonderful bits of business with Poirot himself straining his brain to solve a classic "locked door" murder as suspects pile up like presents under a Christmas tree.  Speaking of which, the scene in which Poirot unwraps the gift given to him by Inspector Japp may have fans of the series laughing out loud. 

Poirot's characteristically theatrical "reveal" here is drawn out even longer than usual to allow him (and us) to fully savor it, raking each suspect over the coals as he is wont to do--especially those he doesn't particularly like--before finally unveiling the true identity of the killer.  For the patient viewer who has followed every torturous twist and turn of the story, these sequences can be particularly rewarding.

"Hickory Dickory Dock" (1995) takes place in a students' hostel where a series of minor thefts, apparently the work of a kleptomaniac, leads tragically and inexplicably to murder.  Since the woman who helps manage the place happens to be Miss Lemon's sister, Poirot eventually gets involved and brings his considerable skills to bear against a clever murderer. 

The plot is somewhat convoluted this time, but things get more and more interesting as Poirot starts weaving all the loose strands together.  Pauline Moran makes the most of her rare chance to shine as Miss Lemon while the story's visuals are augmented by a playful subplot involving a mouse who happens to observe the action from its perch atop a grandfather clock.  (Which, of course, it runs down at the stroke of one.) 

There's also a rare foot chase at the end as the main suspect takes flight in a subway station.  The episode's most endearing subplot involves Inspector Japp, who stays with Poirot while his wife is away.  Much comedic mileage is drawn from Japp's dismay at Poirot's eccentric culinary habits as well as the puzzling fountain-like fixture in his bathroom.  The viewer is similarly kept guessing throughout the episode as it draws to a particularly satisfying conclusion.  Damian Lewis ("Band of Brothers") appears as one of the students suspected of the murder.

Captain Hastings gets to indulge his love of golf in "Murder on the Links" (1996) while he and Poirot spend some time at a French resort.  Poirot, as usual, gets involved in murder when a businessman named Paul Renaud (Damien Thomas) implores him to help in a matter in which he fears for his life. 

When Renaud's body is found in a sand trap the next day, Poirot's investigation is thwarted by pompous French police detective Giraud (Bill Moody), who is jealous of Poirot's reputation.  Giraud makes a wager with Poirot--if Poirot solves the case, Giraud will give him his trademark pipe.  If Giraud wins, Poirot must shave off his famous, finely-waxed moustache!  Meanwhile, Captain Hastings spends much of the episode in a daze after falling head-over-heels in love with one of Poirot's chief suspects.

Finally, "Dumb Witness" (1996) is a real treat for Agatha Christie fans who love pastoral murder mysteries filled with eccentric characters.  When an old woman seems to be the target of an attempted murder, Poirot advises her to change her will and disinherit her relatives--thus making her death unprofitable for anyone.  She does so but is murdered anyway, and in a particularly bizarre fashion. 

Suspects include the usual ne'er-do-wells sponging off a rich relative, a Greek doctor and his seemingly abused wife, a live-in companion who may have had secret designs on the inheritance herself, and, best of all, the wonderfully weird Tripp sisters, who believe that they can commune with the spirits of the dead.  (At one point Poirot hints that the Tripps may be suspects, to which they react with giddy excitement and ask, "Are you going to interrogate us, like normal people?")  Poirot gains a canine friend in this one, a terrier named Bob who actually helps him solve the case.

The 4-disc DVD set from Acorn Media is in 4:3 full screen with Dolby 2.0 sound and English subtitles.  There are no bonus features.

AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT: SERIES 6 finds both Suchet's remarkable character and his excellent ITV television series in fine form.  Poirot fans should find these four mystery adventures delightful as usual; for the uninitiated, they should serve as an ideal introduction to Christie's celebrated detective.


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AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT: SERIES 6 -- DVD review by porfle

LOVELY MOLLY -- DVD review by porfle

"Scary" means different things to different horror fans these days.  For some, a movie is scary if it features lots of graphic gore and excruciating torture scenes that are hard to endure.  For others, "scary" is still about establishing an atmosphere and mood that makes the viewer feel as though they'd just stumbled into a waking nightmare, in which waiting in dread for a door to creak open can be more unsettling than a graphic evisceration.  For me, "The Blair Witch Project" had that quality in spades, and if you liked it too, then chances are LOVELY MOLLY (2011) will give you a serious case of the creeps.

Not surprisingly, Eduardo Sánchez served as director and writer on both films, and while MOLLY isn't your standard "found footage" novelty, it's shot mostly documentary-style and we see much of what goes on through the lens of Molly's camcorder.  This is due to her desire to document some of the apparently supernatural things that have happened to her ever since she and her new husband Tim (Johnny Lewis) moved into the centuries-old house where Molly grew up with her older sister Hannah (Alexandra Holden) and their deranged, abusive father.  And whatever occurred on the night Hannah and Molly's father was found dead seems to be on the verge of replaying itself.

For much of the story we question whether the paranormal events in the house are real or simply a figment of the increasingly disturbed Molly's imagination.  Either way, anyone who's ever spent the night alone in a spooky old house (truck-driver Tim is often gone for days at a time) will identify with what she's feeling when the unexplainable begins to manifest itself in terrifying ways. 

And anyone who's ever watched a loved one go slowly bonkers will know how Tim and Hannah feel as they observe Molly's behavior become more and more irrational, as though she has been possessed by some evil outside force that will eventually make her dangerous to be around. 

It's Molly's descent into madness--or possession--that becomes the scariest aspect of the movie.  In her film debut, Gretchen Lodge's performance in the title role is outstanding and we're never quite sure what Molly's going to do next, even directing her bursts of violence toward Tim in some of the film's most harrowing scenes. 

The hapless Pastor Bobby (Field Blauvelt), who married the two in happier times, fares no better when his attempts to help Molly are turned back on him in perverse ways.  Molly's stalking of an unsuspecting neighbor woman and her children elevates the story's creep factor considerably as well.  So, while we worry for her, we also fear what she herself will do next as something evil seems to be working through her. 

Sánchez knows how to sustain a steady buildup of fear and suspense in a story like this while introducing little elements along the way that keep us off-balance.  It's all done with more subtlety than most current horror films, playing up the ghostly supernatural angle with the intent of evoking goose pimples rather than jump-scare jitters or nausea. 

However, there are a couple of key scenes in which the violence is both shocking and utterly disheartening--almost in an EDEN LAKE sort of way--and, yes, a jump-scare or two that may have you launching your popcorn at the ceiling.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and English subtitles.  Besides a trailer, extras include a commentary track with director Sánchez and co-scripter Jamie Nash and a series of four featurettes which, in the style of "The Curse of the Blair Witch", explore aspects of the film's story as though it had actually occurred.

LOVELY MOLLY is the kind of horror movie during which you'll either be sitting there thinking "When is something scary going to happen?" or shivering in fear at the scary things that are happening.  While certainly no THE EXORCIST, it should be enough to give you a hefty sense of unease--especially if you happen to be watching it alone in a spooky old house at night. 



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LOVELY MOLLY -- DVD review by porfle

INJUSTICE -- DVD review by porfle

In the suspenseful British mini-series INJUSTICE (2011), now a two-disc DVD from Acorn Media, we get what you might call "Law vs. Order" with a ruthless cop sending 'em up and a crusading barrister getting 'em off. 

The barrister, William Travers (solidly portrayed by James Purefoy of A KNIGHT'S TALE), has a phobia against defending anyone he thinks may actually be guilty.  He's been fooled in the past, resulting in a violent nervous breakdown and a "no more murder cases" rule.  But a former college chum, Martin Newall (Nathaniel Parker), contacts him with an urgent plea: defend him against a charge of murdering his secretary whilst fooling around with her in their hotel room.  Reluctantly, Travers takes the case. 

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Wenborn (Charlie Creed-Miles), who already hates Travers, is assigned the case of a man shot dead on a secluded farm.  Wenborn discovers that the victim is one of Travers' former clients, and there's physical evidence that may place the lawyer at the murder scene.  Is this Wenborn's chance to take Travers down? 

There are various other plot threads during the five episodes of INJUSTICE, including Travers' do-gooder wife Jane (Dervla Kirwan, BALLYKISSANGEL) working with a young inmate in a boys' detention facility who dreams of being a writer, but it's Purefoy and Creed-Miles who command most of our attention.  Purefoy has developed into quite a skilled actor, and scripter Anthony Horowitz ("Foyle's War") gives us a character we want to believe in despite growing evidence that he himself is a killer out to avenge a past miscarriage of justice. 

On the other side of the coin, Creed-Miles leaves teeth marks on the scenery as the abrasive, unscrupulous cop Wenborn whose boss (David Schofield, FROM HELL, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) allows him to bend the rules as long as he "gets results."  If this were an action flick instead of the low-key, slowburn, methodical thriller that it is, Wenborn would be screeching around corners or leaping from building to building chasing down suspects and then beating confessions out of them. 

As it is, his ever-roiling hostility is taken out on a hapless rookie partner (Obi Abili) and, unforgivably, his long-suffering wife Maggie (Kirsty Bushell).  The character is vile but fascinating, and it's interesting to see Creed-Miles in such a role since the only other thing I know him for is as Ian Holm's timid apprentice priest David in THE FIFTH ELEMENT. 

INJUSTICE follows the two investigations as they manage to intertwine not only with each other but also with Jane's attempt to help young inmate Alan (Joe Cole), whose repellent mother (Amelia Lowdell will make you appreciate your own dear old mum a bit more) is shacked up with an illegal gun dealer who may have supplied the murder weapon in the farm killing.  While Wenborn closes in on Travers, the lawyer tries to sort out his client's story as the circumstances around it get darker and more nefarious, with the fear that Newall may really be guilty hanging over Travers all the while. 

The story is involving enough to keep us hooked for all five episodes, giving us some pretty good twists here and there and offering a couple of relatively odd protagonists whom we're never really sure we should be rooting for or against at any given time.  The cast is fine and the production is slickly done, with some imaginative visuals--an early sweeping crane shot of the farm is gorgeous, while director Colm McCarthy ("Murphy's Law", "Single-Handed") has fun with such things as a car exploding in super-duper slow motion and a generous use of rapid-fire editing in the many flashbacks. 

The 2-disc DVD from Acorn Media is in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby Digital sound and English subtitles.  A brief photo gallery is the sole extra.

INJUSTICE progresses at a literary pace and depth, taking its own sweet time to unfold a story which ultimately proves rewarding for the patient viewer and has a twist ending that's fun even if we see it coming.  With that, the main attraction for me was the performances, with Purefoy, Creed-Miles, Kirwan, and Parker heading an exceptional cast. 


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INJUSTICE -- DVD review by porfle

GHOST HUNTERS: SEASON 7: PART 1 -- DVD review by porfle

If you're one of those people who like to make up drinking games at the drop of a cork, here's a good one--watch Image Entertainment's 4-disc DVD set GHOST HUNTERS: SEASON 7: PART 1 and take a swig every time a member of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) says "Wuh-wuh-zat?"  You'll be bombed out of your skull in no time.

Regular viewers will know that this SyFy Channel series follows the supernatural adventures of TAPS founders Jason Hewes and Grant Wilson, who, along with their team of investigators, visit some of the most haunted spots in America and have plenty of opportunities to utter their ubiquitous catchphrase.  Episodes often begin with a dramatization of Jason and Grant going about their day job as plumbers and receiving a call from case manager Ami Bruni, who lays out the facts behind their next exciting exploit.  (It's kind of like "Mission: Impossible" meets Roto-Rooter.) 

Their clients can be employees, tour guides, or other interested parties who work in a haunted building, or they can be homeowners with unwelcome houseguests.  The latter are usually the most compelling, since these people and their families have to live with some pretty scary goings on every day and night, and their stories are the closest the show ever comes to anything like "Poltergeist" or "The Amityville Horror."  (Although nothing even nearly that extreme ever actually happens.)

Besides Jason and Grant, who are a couple of regular, likable guys, the core team consists of case manager Ami, tech guy Steve Gonsalvez (who sets up all the cameras, recording devices, and other equipment), investigator Dave Tango, and trainee Adam Berry, who is pretty much Ami's sidekick for most of the season.  A new canine addition to the team, Maddie, proves valuable due to her innate sensitivity to things that go bump in the night.  After learning the background of each case, the team enter the location in question and it's "lights out", after which they wander around in the dark for several hours inviting any ghosts in the vicinity to interact with them. 

The first episode, "Haunted Town" (mislabled "Alcatraz" on my DVD), gets things off to an interesting start since TAPS' client in this case is the entire town of Alexandria, Louisiana, including the mayor.  Apparently many businesses on their main street are haunted and the citizens of the town want our heroes to get to the bottom of it all.  The climactic "reveal", in which Jason and Grant offer the evidence they've gathered to the client, takes place at an actual town meeting.

"Pennsylvania Asylum" is, as described in the episode, "one of the world's most nefarious madhouses" and the sort of place where you'd expect one of those mockumentary horror movies to be filmed.  Shadowy figures and moaning greet the team within its darkened halls.  "Century of Hauntings" concerns a Massachusetts family in a centuries-old house whose renovations reveal odd things behind the walls and under the floorboards.  After that, we visit the U.S.S. Olympia, whose interior is so cramped that only shoulder-mounted and stationary cameras are used during the investigation.

"French Quarter Phantoms" takes place at the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans, a creepy, crumbling old ruin said to be haunted by the ghost of a man who was hanged there after the Civil War.  "Hotel Haunts Unleashed" is Maddie's debut, as the team visit a hotel near Mt. Rushmore and manage to debunk most of the claims of ghostly encounters there.  (One of the nicest things about "Ghost Hunters" is the extent to which the TAPS team go to try and offer logical explanations for things instead of automatically accepting them as supernatural.)

"Frozen in Fear" takes place on frigid Mackinac Island in Michigan, where a lamp will turn on by itself in the hotel room Jason's sleeping in and disembodied voices are heard.  The most suspenseful part of this one is whether or not Steve, who refuses to fly, will be stranded on the island if the ice around it gets too thick for the ferry to take him back to the mainland. 

"Residual Haunts" concerns an old military fortress in Maine where people are said to sense the "presence of evil."  Then we visit a family in North Carolina who keep seeing Grandpa standing on the porch of his house even though he's dead.  In "A Soldier's Story", the sorta-blah investigation of an old opera house in Connecticut is followed by another North Carolina family living in terror because their house seems to be infested with apparitions. 

"Pearl Harbor Phantoms" finds the team wandering through a couple of huge hangars at the Pacific Aviation Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, where all sorts of cool stuff happens including running footsteps, rooms illuminated by mysterious floating lights (captured on video), voices speaking entire sentences (saying things aircraft mechanics might say such as "Come over and weld this wing!"), and, best of all, spirits seemingly turning flashlights on and off at the prompting of team members (one flashlight also rolls around on its own). 

The episode ends with Steve, who didn't come because he's afraid to fly, urgently calling Jason and Grant to return to Rhode Island to help a family whose four-year-old daughter Hannah is being terrified by apparitions and other domestic frights.  "Urgent!" continues the story with the Pearl Harbor reveal and the investigation of the Rhode Island house, in which Jay and Grant make a discovery about the house's electro-magnetic field which may prove to be a breakthrough in dealing with Hannah's fears.

Maddie the dog returns just in time to get the wits scared out of her in the final episode, "Hill View Manor", about another one of those big old decrepit institutions that just seem to breed otherworldly malevolence.  It's another lively mission in which the flashlight trick is used once again to impressive effect and the team have a wealth of mindboggling personal experiences with the unknown.

The 4-disc DVD set from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital stereo sound.  No subtitles.  Disc four consists entirely of bonus footage and extended scenes. 

Of all the methods used by TAPS on GHOST HUNTERS: SEASON 7: PART 1, the flashlight game is my favorite.  There's simply no other explanation for the phenomenon besides one of two possibilities: either the show is rigged, or the spirits are real.  Skeptics will no doubt choose the first without question.  As for me--having once heard footsteps in an empty room myself (and thinking, "Wuh-wuh-zat?"), I tend toward giving the TAPS gang the benefit of the doubt. 


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GHOST HUNTERS: SEASON 7: PART 1 -- DVD review by porfle

AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER -- movie review by porfle

(NOTE: This review originally appeared online in 2006 and is based on the VHS release.)


After having just watched the Shane Ryan short film collection, BIG BOOBS, BLONDE BABES, BAD BLOOD, I was aware of what a flamboyantly visual director he can be. So when I popped in AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER (2006), my first feature-length Ryan film, I expected more of the same. Little did I know that, here, he would almost completely eschew any semblance of style in order to create a straightforward cinema verite' experience presented solely through the lens of a video camera in real time.

The video camera belongs to Brandon (Ryan), a serial killer who coaxes young women to strip and have sex with him for the purpose of making "amateur porn films", while his actual intention is to make snuff films. He does this only for his own sick gratification, not to sell them--in fact, we're told in the postscript that he likes to rent movies at various video stores, replace them with his own horrific home movies, and return the tape cases to the store to be rented later on and viewed by unsuspecting patrons.

As the movie opens, we see Brandon getting ready to leave the house to cruise for his next victim. (During much of the film there's also a picture-in-picture view of one of Brandon's earlier on-camera victims, played by the beautiful Jan Gould, who does a striptease and eventually engages in sex with him. We never see him kill her, though, so is this simply for our voyeuristic gratification, or is it a statement about voyeurism? Or both?)

Brandon keeps the camera running all the time, so even when he isn't carrying it, it sits somewhere and records his actions. Thus, we follow him as he gets in his car, drives the dark streets for awhile, and pulls to the curb to lure a young girl named Stacy (Michiko Jimenez) into his car.

They drive to a motel, where for the next hour or so Brandon will coax and cajole the shy, reticent Stacy into eventually removing her clothing a little at a time for the camera. He starts out with friendly small talk, joking about what kind of movie they are going to make ("How about a documentary about you?" he laughs), and gradually begins to introduce the subject of amateur "adult" films.

Except for very few cuts, this is all done in real time, and most if not all of the dialogue is improvised. In an interview that is included with the movie, Michiko Jimenez tells us: "Well, before we started filming, he just told me the storyline, and that's just where I...I don't know, just put myself into character. Just act what he told me, and it just came out natural, I don't know. I didn't have any lines--I just did it right off the top of my head, basically..."

In my review of BIG BOOBS, BLONDE BABES, BAD BLOOD (I hate typing that dumb title), I mentioned how good she was in the short film "The Cold Heat", and here she's amazingly believable. Her "Stacy" sits on the bed nervously responding to Brandon's prodding questions, glancing around, smiling sheepishly, playing with her hair. Although eighteen at the time, she really seems to be the thirteen-year-old girl she's portraying, and, knowing what will eventually happen, we hate Ryan's character for using her with such evil intent.

"And because of 'The Cold Heat', it kinda broke the ice in order to do this."

On and on this goes--AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER certainly isn't the nail-biting, body-count slasher film suggested by the title--until I was beginning to write it off as a failed experiment on Shane Ryan's part. At around the half-hour point, Stacy hesitantly removes her jeans; much later her top comes off. Not that I wanted her to do this, mind you--I just wanted the poor kid to get the hell out of there--but I was anxious for the story to advance at more than a snail's pace.

Gradually, though, Brandon moves into camera range and begins to fondle her. She obviously doesn't like it, but we see him grinning with a perverse, growing excitement (he looks a bit like Ralph Fiennes in SCHINDLER'S LIST) that is only increased by her trembling unwillingness.

"It was very...it was very realistic, actually. I mean, there were a couple of times when I had to take breaks, you know what I mean, cuz it was so intense."

Finally all pretense disappears and Brandon is having rough sex with Stacy as the camera impassively observes. At one point, there are a few blurry, shadowy shots that make it appear as though Shane Ryan's erect "member" has actually joined the cast of the film. Which made me wonder: am I watching an exploitation flick about a guy who makes amateur porn movies? Or a porn movie with artistic aspirations?

"It's to show how bad porn can get, actually, you know?"

At any rate, Ryan seems to be making a point about voyeurism here, although this is hardly the sort of thing I would watch in order to satisfy that particular impulse. In fact, I almost wanted to take a shower after it was over, especially after seeing what happens at the end.

Without the normal conventions of plot or any traditional cinematic devices (besides an evocative musical score by Daniel A. Scott and Boneshin), AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER is basically our ticket to a slow, relentless descent into depravity, presented in a disturbingly realistic manner. There's no blood 'n' gore, no graphic violence, no need to consult Tom Savini for technical advice.

What finally happens at the end is no less shocking for its sudden, matter-of-fact inevitability; in fact, after such a slow, sometimes boring build-up, it comes as an emotional payoff. This movie has stayed on my mind off and on since I watched it, but I can't say whether or not I really "liked" it. I've even had a hard time deciding what rating to give it.

But it certainly had a lasting effect on me, which would seem to indicate that Shane Ryan succeeded in what he set out to do here. AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER is definitely an unforgettable work by a talented filmmaker. I'm just not sure I'll ever feel like seeing it again.

"...but I will, eventually. I will eventually watch it."



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AMATEUR PORN STAR KILLER -- movie review by porfle

HOLY FLYING CIRCUS -- DVD review by porfle

And now for something completely different--a (very, very loosely) fact-based "mock-u-drama" about Monty Python but with actors playing them and actual events depicted as a string of vaguely Pythonesque comedy sketches, animations, fantasy sequences, non-sequiturs, and various other bits of silliness.

HOLY FLYING CIRCUS (2011) is the story of the legendary British comedy team's controversial 1979 film "Monty Python's Life of Brian" and the storm of protest that greeted its premiere.  While Christian organizations and religious leaders branded the film blasphemous without having seen it, many communities were bypassing its general audiences rating and stamping it "X."  Not only that, but the Pythons themselves encountered considerable harrassment, possible legal consequences, and even death threats.

What "Life of Brian"'s staunch detractors failed to understand is that the film was, as its Wikipedia entry points out, simply lampooning the New Testament era itself the way its ground-breaking predecessor, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", poked fun at the Arthurian legend.  In no way is Jesus Christ ridiculed or made sport of during the story (Eric Idle would later comment: "He's not particularly funny, what he's saying isn't mockable, it's very decent stuff..."), which focuses on a hapless schlub named Brian (Graham Chapman) who is mistaken for the Messiah as his life runs a parallel but comically skewed course to that of the real thing.

As a Christian, I found the film remarkably unoffensive upon my first-run viewing, with some scenes featuring Christ in the periphery but not as the target of any mockery.  Strangely enough, HOLY FLYING CIRCUS itself is considerably more blasphemous, with a surf-bum Christ (Ben Crispin) arguing with his "Dad" (Stephen Fry) and, in the opening scene, passing an unholy amount of flatulence.  By comparison, "Brian" is exceedingly tame in that area.

Writer Tony Roche was in a decidedly silly mood when he wrote the screenplay for this BBC Four production, basing much of the Pythons' behavior on that of their best-known fictional characters and trying to recapture the atmosphere of their films and TV series.  Little of the genuine Python spirit comes through, however, and almost none of their distinctive visual and directorial style.  While the film boasts some extremely oddball characters (especially BBC Four's talk programming head Alan Dick, as played in the broadest manner by a manic Jason Thorpe) and situations, most of the comedy is of a more generic bent.

What should make HOLY FLYING CIRCUS most interesting to fans is the actors' portrayals of the Pythons themselves.  While I didn't find Thomas Fisher and Phil Nichol to be especially reminiscent of Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam, Steve Punt's Eric Idle comes to life during one of his familiar rants.  Oddly, Rufus Jones doesn't really bring Terry Jones to mind all that much until he's in drag (as Michael Palin's wife), at which time he becomes a delight to watch.

The most eerily accurate performances are those of Charles Edwards as "nice guy" Michael Palin and Darren Boyd as abrasively opinionated John Cleese.  Both have the voices and mannerisms down cold, as well as bearing remarkable resemblances to Palin and Cleese.  One recurring gag is Palin's tendency to lapse into vivid fantasies which result in much of the film's most off-the-wall visuals.  (I was reminded of "Time Bandits" during one or two of them.)  Edwards' Palin, despite his apparently being married to Terry Jones, is the story's island of calm and reason and the only main character to appear in an even halfway serious scene.
 
Boyd, on the other hand, is an exquisitely volatile, high-strung, verbally caustic combination of both Cleese's "Basil Fawlty" and "Argument Clinic" personas, supplying HOLY FLYING CIRCUS with several of its most nostalgia-provoking comedy highlights.  These include a heated dispute with a newspaper vendor (which ends with a Basil Fawlty-style leaping attack with tree branch) and some amusing run-ins with a religious group whose members include a man suffering from extreme Tourette's Syndrome.

The film's climax is a televised debate on BBC Four's "Friday Night, Saturday Morning", moderated by Tim Rice (Tom Price), with Cleese and Palin defending their film against conservative humorist Malcolm Muggeridge (Michael Cochrane) and the Bishop of Southwark (Roy Marsden).  What may have been an uncomfortable experience for Palin and Cleese in real life is depicted here as nothing less than a nightmarish ordeal of frustration and miscommunication as the Pythons' reasoned arguments are met with smug sarcasm and unyielding dismissal.  It's a strange sequence that's actually rather unpleasant to watch until a final cathartic burst of insanity reminiscent of "Sam Peckinpah's Salad Days."

The DVD from Acorn Media is in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby Digital stereo and English subtitles.  Extras consist of deleted scenes (9 min.), outtakes (19 min.), production stills, and a look at the making of the astoundingly impressive phonotrope which graces the opening titles.  The film is presented in a 2-disc Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack.

While Python fans will definitely want to give HOLY FLYING CIRCUS a peek simply out of curiosity, it may appeal to non-fans as well for its grab-bag style of off-kilter whimsy and occasional brief snatches of historical interest.  I liked it mainly because of Darren Boyd's marvelous portrayal of my favorite Python, John Cleese, and because it made me want to dig out my DVD of "Life of Brian" and watch it again.


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HOLY FLYING CIRCUS -- DVD review by porfle

THE SINKING OF THE LACONIA -- DVD review by porfle

Based on an actual event which occurred in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa in 1942, THE SINKING OF THE LACONIA (2010) is an odd, moody, atmospheric little war saga that takes advantage of its cramped settings to put much of the human drama into pinpoint focus. 

Of course, before we get shut up in that tiny U-boat for most of this two-part BBC film there's the matter of the titular event, which is rather stunning.  The Laconia is a White Star cruise ship pressed into service as a military transport and currently carrying 1,800 Italian POWs, their brutish Polish guards, and a number of civilians.  Dedicated young U-boat captain Werner Hartenstein (Ken Duken) doesn't know about the civilians and POWs, however, and can't resist such a juicy target.  A couple of well-placed torpedoes later, and the grand old tub is on her way down to Davy Jones' locker.

The great Brian Cox (MANHUNTER, X2) appears all-too-briefly as the Laconia's world-weary Captain Sharp, but the main focus is on junior officer Thomas Mortimer (Andrew Buchan), a family man about to receive very bad news from the homefront, and a German woman named Hilda Smith (RUN, LOLA, RUN's Franka Potente) posing as a British citizen so that she and her baby will be granted passage.  The grief-stricken Mortimer seeks solace from Hilda before discovering her secret, then shuns her until she reveals her own personal tragedies as a result of Hitler's Third Reich. 

There's little of the conventional use of exciting music, quick cuts, etc. to build suspense.  Instead, Hartenstein's boat slowly and methodically stalks the ship as director Uwe Jansen depicts it all in low-key, matter-of-fact style.  The sinking itself is realistically chaotic but not theatrically overwrought.  Jansen indulges himself sparingly, as in the breathtaking shot of a filled lifeboat upending on its way down to the water, its hapless passengers tumbling out like rag dolls.  SPFX consist mainly of some pretty well-rendered CGI. 

Upon realizing that there are hundreds of civilians and Italian POWs now struggling to survive in the water, lifelong sailor Hartenstein observes the rules of the sea and begins a rescue mission whereupon the women, Italians, and injured are squeezed aboard the U-156 while the lifeboats containing everyone else are tethered together to the U-boat. 
Thus begins the main dramatic thrust of the film, with Hartenstein's humanitarian instincts outweighing his military duty while his wartime enemies begin to develop a grudging respect and admiration for him and his crew.  Except, that is, for the only German civilian aboard, Hilda Smith, who can't forget that Hartenstein serves not just Germany but Hitler and the Third Reich.

Like THE LONGEST DAY, this film presents German officers realistically rather than as moustache-twirling stereotypes, including a well-cast Thomas Kretschmann (Peter Jackson's KING KONG) as Admiral Dönitz, who is sympathetic to Hartenstein's cause while trying to avert the ire of his superiors.  The crew consist of a bunch of regular guys such as rookie Fiedler (Frederick Lau), suffering a grueling initiation as a new member of the crew, and the boat's affable chief Rostau (Matthias Koeberlin), who gently reminds Hartenstein of his duty to the Fatherland at every turn.

Hartenstein himself is presented essentially as a modern-day saint, all the more so in contrast with the film's withering depiction of many Allied characters including a dithering British officer who chooses to do absolutely nothing in response to U-156's call for a rescue truce, instead passing the problem along to a U.S. Army Air Corps squad secretly stationed in the South Atlantic. 

Since the film needs a bad guy, it falls to--whoops, big surprise--the Americans to fulfill the role as a group of callow young airmen "yee-hah" their way into their bomber and set out to attack the U-boat.  (One of them, no kidding, actually says "Yippee-ki-yay.")  Despite the special conditions inherent in this particular story, I have to admit that it's a bit disconcerting to see British characters in a World War II movie pointing to an American plane and imploring their German captors to "Shoot the f**kers!"

The other big action scene in the second half of the film is one which is obligatory to any U-boat adventure--the full emergency dive that tests the hull capacity of the boat at great depth as valves spring leaks, rivets threaten to pop, dials creep past maximum, and people sweat profusely.  This time it's made all the more difficult by the presence of a couple hundred civilians weighing the vessel down. 

For the most part though, THE SINKING OF THE LACONIA features lots of dialogue shot in extreme close-up, with the characters sometimes barely speaking above a whisper.  Fortunately, these actors can handle such intimacy with the camera.  RUN, LOLA, RUN fans will especially enjoy seeing lovely Franka Potente making the most of such a juicy role.  Another standout is Lindsay Duncan as oversexed British socialite Elisabeth Fullwood, who realizes only too late how much she loves her long-neglected daughter when she's unable to locate her after the ship's sinking. 

The 2-disc DVD (running time 171 minutes) from Acorn Media is in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby stereo sound and English subtitles.  Disc two's bonus feature is the half-hour documentary "The Sinking of the Laconia: Survivors' Stories." 

After being a ship-sinking disaster tale, a tense U-boat adventure, a political thriller, and an intimate human drama, THE SINKING OF THE LACONIA ultimately winds up as a survival tale as those remaining in the lifeboats make their way across hundreds of miles of empty ocean to the coast of Africa.  Mainly, though, it's a thoughtful and deeply contemplative look at how even the staunchest wartime adversaries can still interact as human beings under the right circumstances, even if some of them happen to be the misguided minions of the big "H."  Still not quite sure if I'm voting "yes" on sainthood for Captain Hartenstein, but he definitely rates a hearty thumbs-up.


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THE SINKING OF THE LACONIA -- DVD review by porfle

STORM HAWKS: HAWKS RISE AGAIN -- DVD review by porfle

(NOTE: This review originally appeared in 2007.  It's based on a no-frills screener so there's no mention of the final disc's bonus features.)

It took me awhile to get into STORM HAWKS: HAWKS RISE AGAIN (2007), but once I did, it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable cartoon. 

Produced by Nerd Corps Entertainment and the Cartoon Network, this series comes to DVD on a five-episode disc that begins with a two-parter called "Age of Heroes."  Here we learn that the good people of the planet Atmos, where the people live in mountaintop cities called "Terras", are constantly under attack from the evil Master Cyclonis and her Talon warriors.  Defending against her sinister schemes for world domination are a high-flying force of heroes called Sky Knights.  One of these teams, the Storm Hawks, is made up of five callow youths (average age--fourteen) who must constantly prove themselves in order to be taken seriously by the older Sky Knights and become officially recognized by the Sky Council.

Aerrow, their leader, assembled the team to carry on in place of the original Storm Hawks, who were killed when a Sky Knight named Dark Ace betrayed them and joined forces with Cyclonis.  Other members are Finn, the wise-cracking sharpshooter; Junko, a big, reptilian dynamo who's really a pussycat at heart; Piper, the girl member of the team who navigates their carrier ship, the Condor, and plans battle tactics; Stork, ship's pilot and technical whiz who's a bit on the creepy side and would rather avoid danger; and Aerrow's co-pilot Radarr, a small furry creature.  In "Age of Heroes", the new Storm Hawks are denied membership in the Sky Knights due to their age but end up saving the day during a fierce sky battle with Cyclonis' minions. 

The animation, which looks like old-style cel art manipulated by computers, is beautiful, with great character design and dazzling backgrounds that create a richly-detailed fantasy world.  The main characters are likable and their funny, sharply-written dialogue and often slapstick-tinged interplay keep the stories light even in the most perilous situations.  And you don't have to worry about your tykes being traumatized, because nobody ever gets killed on this show--everyone involved in the mile-high mayhem is wearing a parachute.

One thing that bugged me during the initial two-part episode was the pacing.  There's a scene in THE CROW where a speed-fueled Skank is hyperactively pantomiming the story of his buddy T-Bird's demise and Top Dollar wryly comments, "Maybe we should just tape this and play it back in slow-motion."  That's how I felt during most of the sky-cycle dogfights and other action here.   The attention-deficit editing is so rapid-fire that scores of beautifully-designed images go by in a blur--it's like watching something that's stuck on fast-forward, and the excitement and suspense don't get a chance to build because you just get numb to it after awhile. 

Fortunately, by the next episode on the disc, "Gale Force Winds", the pace is slowed down a tad and we're give more time to enjoy the action and appreciate the visuals.  Bob Buckley's zippy musical score also gets a chance to stretch out and not be such a sonic barrage.  The airborne battle scenes are exhilarating once we can actually tell what's going on, especially as the personalities of the characters begin to develop more fully.

Next comes "The Code", a cool story in which the Storm Hawks are challenged to a competition by the foppish, conceited Sky Knights known as the Rex Guardians, who have a screaming fan following and even their own action figures.  When the evil Dark Ace gets into the act, there's a spectacular aerial battle over the fan-filled arena. 

The final episode, "Tranquility Now", is about a group of wizened timekeepers who tend a giant clock which regulates the navigational systems of all Sky Knight carrier ships.  This is disrupted when two of Cyclonis' main baddies, Ravess and her musclebound brother Snipe, invade the clock fortress and force the timekeepers to shut it down.  Junko comes to the fore in this tale when he loses his knuckle-busters, on which he depends for increased punching power, and must do battle with his own fists and fortitude.  There's a lot of good bone-crunching action in this episode and another exciting sky battle between Aerrow and the Dark Ace. 

As I said before, I didn't like this cartoon very much at first but it really started to grow on me after awhile.  Once you get past the frazzling pace of the initial episodes and settle in comfortably with these characters and their high-flying adventures, STORM HAWKS: HAWKS RISE AGAIN is a lot of fun.


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STORM HAWKS: HAWKS RISE AGAIN -- DVD review by porfle

Image Entertainment unveils "RE-ANIMATOR" for the first time on Blu-ray™ September 4th!

“One of the greatest horror movies ever made.” --Entertainment Weekly

RE-ANIMATOR COMES TO LIFE ON BLU-RAY™ FOR THE FIRST TIME!

On September 4th, Image Entertainment resurrects one of the greatest horror films ever made with the Blu-ray™ debut of Stuart Gordon’s cult classic H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator. Presented in a brand-new 1080p HD transfer approved by producer Brian Yuzna, the 1985 shocker was ranked #32 of 50 on EW’s “Top 50 Cult Films,” inspired two sequels as well as an award-winning stage musical!

Featuring high-resolution DTS-HD audio and packed with bonus features, the Re-Animator Blu-ray™ hits retail with an SRP of $17.97. Also available on DVD for an SRP of $9.98.  Pre-book for both is August 7th.

Adapted by Dennis Paoli, William J. Norris and Stuart Gordon from the H.P. Lovecraft short story, Re-Animator tells the strange tale of medical student Dan Cain (Bruce Abbot) and his girlfriend Megan Halsey (Barbara Crampton), both of them drawn to odd new student Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) who’s conducting secret experiments involving the re-animation of dead tissue. When one of the instructors, Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale), stumbles upon their activities, West murders him -- but is brought back to life, now thirsting for revenge as well as lusting after Megan. The final denouement features the re-animated Dr. Hill squaring off against Herbert and Dan in a battle royale within the school’s morgue, complete with resurrected “henchmen” and undoubtedly one of the greatest visual double entendres in all horror cinema!

Bonus features for the Re-Animator Blu-ray™ include:

    * Documentary: “Re-Animator Resurrectus”
    * Audio Commentary by Director Stuart Gordon
    * Audio Commentary by Producer Brian Yuzna and Actors Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Robert Sampson
    * Interview with Director Stuart Gordon and Producer Brian Yuzna
    * Interview with Writer Dennis Paoli
    * Interview with Composer Richard Band
    * Music Discussion with Composer Richard Band
    * Interview with Fangoria Magazine editor Tony Timpone
    * Deleted and Extended Scenes
    * Theatrical trailer
    * TV Spots


H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator BD
Street Date:                 September 4, 2012
Pre-Book:                    August 7, 2012
UPC #:                        014381822052
Catalog:                       REA8220BD
Aspect Ratio:              Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio:                         DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Retail Price:                 $17.97
Genre:                         Horror, Sci-fi/ Fantasy, Creature Features, 80’s, Feature Film, Cult Movies, Cult/Classic Horror, Monsters
Rating:                        R
Run Time:                   95 minutes
Year:                           1985

DVD also available:

H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator DVD
Street Date:                 September 4, 2012
Pre-Book:                    August 7, 2012
UPC #:                        014381821925
Catalog:                       REA8219DVD
Aspect Ratio:              Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Retail Price:                 $9.98
Genre:                         Horror, Sci-fi/ Fantasy, Creature Features, 80’s, Feature Film, Cult Movies, Cult/Classic Horror, Monsters
Rating:                        R
Run Time:                   95 minutes
Year:                           1985


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Image Entertainment unveils "RE-ANIMATOR" for the first time on Blu-ray™ September 4th!

ON THE INSIDE -- DVD review by porfle

Here's another one of those movies about life ON THE INSIDE (2011) in which a guy who really isn't all that bad has to make it through life in the slammer (or, in this case, nuthouse) one day at a time while dealing with the genuine psychos and nutballs he's forced to live with. 

Only this time, Allen (Nick Stahl) isn't an innocent man, or someone who accidentally killed someone, as was Alan Alda's character in Truman Capote's THE GLASS HOUSE.  In the first scene we see him getting ready to murder a man for raping his girlfriend--which, in movie terms, is perfectly acceptable--but, alas, accidentally targeting the wrong guy.

So, we're pretty ambivalent toward Allen to begin with and will become more so when flashbacks reveal how troubled he really is.  This makes for a fairly interesting main character to serve as a vehicle for writer-director D.W. Brown's themes of redemption and forgiveness.  Stahl's performance is low-key almost to a fault (that's pretty much his style anyway, SIN CITY's "Yellow Bastard" notwithstanding), but then again, Allen is meant to be a little numbed by it all.

Living as he does in a psychiatric evaluation facility he meets a variety of interesting people including Pruitt Taylor Vince (NATURAL BORN KILLERS, DROP DEAD SEXY) as the rotund, googly-eyed Ben, a very troubled man yearning for friendship but plagued by terminal weirdness and the occasional burst of "acting out."  Ben hates women--which he attributes to a glandular problem--although he also admits to "a few non-women-related problems" too.  He's probably the film's most entertaining character and the talented Vance doesn't seem to have to work too hard to make him that way. 

The other two people in Allen's new life are ultra-violent sociopath Carl Tarses (Dash Mihok, THE FP, I AM LEGEND) and timid, insecure female inmate Mia (Olivia Wilde, COWBOYS & ALIENS, TRON: LEGACY).  An experimental program to bring male and female prisoners together socially allows Allen and Mia to meet-cute and fall in love, but their private time together will be shattered when Carl escapes from maximum security and wreaks bloody havoc within the facility, eventually ending up right between the two lovebirds with a pair of scissors. 

Mihok does his best but doesn't really invest Carl with either the unsettling menace or the "banality of evil" quality that we expect.  He's basically just a big hyperactive bully who kills, and is actually more funny than scary.  As Mia, Olivia Wilde struggles against some bad dialogue--her scenes with Stahl aren't all that well written--and direction in the final scenes that would probably make any actress look bad. 

Cross-cutting between Carl's escape and Allen and Mia's romantic encounter builds to a clash that should've been a lot more intense than director Brown manages to make it.  The whole thing finally becomes pretty mawkish and melodramatic at the end--made even more so by being awash in music that underscores every moment full-tilt--until the final minutes are so overwrought as to border on ludicrous.  A similar scene at the end of THE GLASS HOUSE shows how a bit less unrestrained sentiment can be much more effective. 

Tariq Trotter gives a good, natural performance as sympathetic guard Tom Bogotus, while Shohreh Aghdashloo is the very picture of the ineffectual, bleeding heart authority figure as Dr. Lofton.  When Tom tries to talk to her about lax security in the facility, she chalks his attitude up to difficultly with his transition back to work from vacation.  Later, a little blatant symbolism illustrates her cosmetic approach to problem solving. 

Joanne Baron ("Sledge Hammer!", DRAG ME TO HELL) is also fine as Mrs. Standings, whose caring demeanor helps bring Mia out of her shell.  Mrs. Standings is the only authority figure we see besides Tom who seems to know what she's doing and actually cares about helping the inmates.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and English and Spanish subtitles.  The sole extra is a commentary featuring director Brown, actress Joanne Baron, and actor Daniel Franzese, who plays one of the bad guards whom we just know is going to get his sooner or later.  The movie is also available as a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack.

ON THE INSIDE is technically efficient and fairly involving, but no more so than that.  The over-the-top ending, an overt effort to wring out some sort of big statement, works against what should have been a simpler and more straightforward story.


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ON THE INSIDE -- DVD review by porfle

Latest From Acorn Media--Best Brit TV: Damian Lewis in "Forsyte", "Holy Flying Circus", "Cloudstreet", "Injustice", "Laconia"

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

July 17th: JAMES MAY’S 20th CENTURY (U.S. debut), the Top Gear host explores the innovations that made the modern era; M.R. James’s CASTING THE RUNES (DVD Debut), offers a classic tale of mystery and the supernatural from the father of the modern ghost story; and BILL MOYERS ON ADDICTION: CLOSE TO HOME, called “TV’s most comprehensive look ever at addiction and recovery” (San Francisco Chronicle).



July 31:

THE STORY OF THE COSTUME DRAMA (U.S. Debut) – Required viewing for any fan of British television, this captivating new documentary tells the stories behind iconic productions with stars and scenes from Brideshead Revisited; I, Claudius; Upstairs, Downstairs; Pride and Prejudice; The Jewel in the Crown; Poldark; Doctor Zhivago; and many more. The first episode aired on PBS stations in spring 2012; however, Acorn is releasing the complete five-episode series on DVD. Narrated by star Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes; Upstairs Downstairs), these five episodes give an inside look beyond the ornate clothing, sprawling manors, and addictive story lines that have riveted millions of television viewers for decades.

THE COSTUME DRAMA CLASSIC COLLECTION – Representing the finest of the captivating costume drama genre with sumptuous costumes, lavish sets, and addictive plots, this set features four celebrated, star-studded Masterpiece Theatre period dramas PLUS The Story of the Costume Drama documentary listed above. The value-priced 15-disc collection includes more than 36 hours of star-studded programming, including Doctor Zhivago, the 2002 adaptation starring Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Atonement); Lillie, the BAFTA-winning 1978 drama with Francesca Annis (Wives and Daughters, Cranford); Lost Empires, starring Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) in a coming-of-age story from 1986; and Upstairs, Downstairs, Series 1, the iconic British drama’s original 1971-1972 series. (15-disc, $99.99)

THE KENT CHRONICLES (DVD Debut) – Three historical miniseries (The Bastard, The Rebels, and The Seekers) featuring William Shatner, Kim Cattrall, Don Johnson, Patricia Neal, George Hamilton, Delta Burke, and Tom Bosley. Chronicling the saga of the Kent family in early America, the star-studded Revolution-era romp is based on the bestselling novels by John Jakes (North and South), the “godfather of the historical novel.” The miniseries follow the fortunes of a young Frenchman (Andrew Stevens, Dallas) as he immigrates to America during the Revolutionary War and crosses paths with historical heavyweights including Paul Revere (William Shatner), Benjamin Franklin (Tom Bosley, Happy Days), Samuel Adams (William Daniels, St. Elsewhere), and George Washington (Peter Graves, Mission: Impossible). Nominated for two Emmys® and a Golden Globe®. Broadcast in the late 1970s.



August 7:

THE SINKING OF THE LACONIA (DVD Debut) – “The best bit of drama on the BBC in 20 years”(The Independent) – New, gripping WWII tale with an outstanding cast offers a harrowing true story of heroism, heartbreak, and unexpected humanity during the midst of World War II. Seen on Ovation Network’s “The Best You’ve Never Seen” premieres in spring of 2012, the miniseries features Ken Duken (Inglourious Basterds), Andrew Buchan (Garrow’s Law), Franka Potente (The Bourne Identity, Run Lola Run), Lindsay Duncan (Rome) and Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy). In September 1942 at the height of the battle for the Atlantic, a German U-boat torpedoed the RMS Laconia, sinking the British ship without knowing that it carried more than 2,000 passengers, many of them civilians. BONUS: Documentary featurette, “The Sinking of the Laconia: Survivors’ Stories” (29 min.)

GARROW’S LAW, SERIES 3 (U.S. Debut) – “BBC period drama at its very best” (British Heritage) – Conclusion of the acclaimed British legal drama ripped from the pages of history. Seen on BBC and PBS. Award-winning series stars Andrew Buchan (The Sinking of the Laconia, Cranford) as virtuous barrister William Garrow, a man unafraid to confront the injustices of the 18th century English legal system. Series also stars Alun Armstrong (Little Dorrit, New Tricks), Rupert Graves (Sherlock, The Forsyte Saga) and Lyndsey Marshal (Rome, Being Human, The Hours).



August 14:

THE FORSYTE SAGA COLLECTION – “Stunning any way you look at it” (Vanity Fair) - Damian Lewis (Homeland, Band of Brothers, Life), Gina McKee (Notting Hill, The Borgias), Rupert Graves (Sherlock, Garrow’s Law), Ioan Gruffudd (Horatio Hornblower, Ringer), Julian Ovenden (Foyle’s War), and Corin Redgrave (Trial & Retribution) star in acclaimed literary adaptation. Value-priced complete collection includes footage not seen in the hit PBS broadcast. The two complete miniseries tell the story of a family bitterly divided by ambition, adultery, and revenge. Based on John Galsworthy’s epic Forsyte novels, the sumptuously addictive adaptations impressed critics and fans alike when they aired on PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre from 2003-2004 and were voted #2 on the list of viewers’ favorite programs of all time. The DVD 5-dics boxed set includes the complete unedited U.K. broadcast edition, featuring more than 20 minutes of Series 1 footage not included in the edited U.S. broadcast; as well as a bonus 20-minute making-of featurette.



August 21:

MEGACITIES (Athena, U.S. Debut) – “A must-see” (The Times) – Fascinating new BBC documentary looks at the future of urbanization and human habitation through five of the globe’s most populous cities. Filmed on location in five of the world’s largest cities in everything from sleek high-rises to swarming slums, and hosted by BAFTA-winning journalist Andrew Marr, Megacities explores how these metropolitan hubs define every aspect of their inhabitants’ daily lives. The documentary includes segments on London, U.K.; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Tokyo, Japan; Mexico City, Mexico; and Shanghai, China. Available to U.S. audiences for the first time, Megacities aired on BBC One in June 2011 but has not aired on U.S. television.

CRISIS AT THE CASTLE (Athena, DVD Debut) – Three grand homes—three big headaches – This dramatic exposé of the challenges of castle ownership follows the owners of the magnificent Sudley Castle, Burton Court, and Kelburn Castle as they are faced with pivotal decisions about how to preserve the family home in the face of rising costs, fading public attention and crumbling infrastructures. Seen on public television in 2007.



August 28:

INJUSTICE (DVD Debut) – “Cancel all plans this week - you won't want to miss this stylish thriller" (The Sun) – An exciting psychological thriller from the creator of Foyle’s War. James Purefoy (Rome, Episodes, and opposite Kevin Bacon on FOX’s forthcoming series The Following) leads a distinguished cast featuring Dervla Kirwan (Ballykissangel), Charlie Creed-Miles (Five Days), and Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) in this taut five-part thriller that merges legal drama, police investigation, and high-tension suspense in an atmosphere of moral ambiguity. Injustice was broadcast on ITV and DirecTV in 2011. Besides Foyle’s War, BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Anthony Horowitz’s other credits include Collison, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Midsomer Murders, the most recent Sherlock Holmes novel, The House of Silk, and the hit Alex Rider book series.

Agatha Christie’s POIROT, SERIES 6 (Blu-ray and DVD) – Sixth series of Agatha Christie’s beloved mysteries debuts on Blu-ray. Newly remastered and in original U.K. broadcast order. Seen on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery! and A&E. Starring David Suchet with guest star Damian Lewis (Homeland) in one of his first roles. Four feature-length episodes previously aired in 1995-96.



September 4:

CLOUDSTREET (DVD Debut) – “Handsome period drama” (Entertainment Weekly) – Adapted by Tim Winton from his award-winning novel, the acclaimed Australian miniseries is exquisitely filmed with an outstanding ensemble cast led by Kerry Fox (An Angel at My Table) and Essie Davis (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries). Broadcast on Ovation in April 2012 as part of their “The Best You’ve Never Seen” premieres, the miniseries was nominated for eight Australian Film Institute awards, including best miniseries. Set around Perth from 1943–1963, it tells the story of two rural families, each scarred by catastrophe, who end up sharing a large, ramshackle house that shudders and groans with memories of its own. The DVD 3-disc set includes all six-episodes and a bonus disc with five behind-the-scenes segments.

HOLY FLYING CIRCUS (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Debut) – “A-…Sharply written, hilariously profane ‘docudrama’” (Entertainment Weekly) – Offering a Pythonesque peek behind the scenes of one of the most notorious—and beloved—films from the legendary troupe, the fantastical docudrama was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Single Drama. This hilariously heretical docudrama reimagines the controversy behind Monty Python’s Life of Brian and the resulting debate pitting Michael Palin and John Cleese against a Church of England bishop and a staunchly Catholic broadcaster. Broadcast on the Ovation Network in April 2012 as part of their “The Best You’ve Never Seen” premieres, Holy Flying Circus is written by Oscar®-nominated writer Tony Roche (In the Loop) and stars Darren Boyd (Little Dorrit) as John Cleese, Charles Edwards (The Shell Seekers) as Michael Palin, Roy Marsden (P.D. James mysteries), Tom Fisher (The Illusionist), and Stephen Fry (Jeeves and Wooster) as God. Bonus features include deleted scenes, stills, and outtakes.

YOUNG JAMES HERRIOT (U.S. Debut) – “The ultimate in feel-good...dramas” (The Times) – New miniseries offers a fascinating look at the early life and education of a beloved British author and vet. This inspiring British drama unfolds against the backdrop of rising fascism in Europe and profound social change at home. But for young James Herriot, learning to become a veterinarian always came first. The three-part miniseries aired on the BBC in the U.K. in December 2011 but is available to U.S. audiences for the first time with its DVD release. Using his many years of veterinary experience, James Herriot wrote a series of books about animals and their owners and his bestselling books were the basis for the long-running BBC adaptation All Creatures Great and Small.



Late September-October:

From Acorn Media: The Crimson Petal and the White, New Tricks Season 8, Special Branch Set 1, Thomas & Sarah, Kidnap & Ransom Complete Series 1 & 2,  Vexed Series 1, Waterloo Road Series 1, and The Complete Red Green Show

From Athena: Joseph Campbell: Mythos – The Complete Series, Understanding Art Impressionism, Brave New World, and Bill Moyers: A World of Ideas II



January – July 3, 2012 DVDs:

From Acorn: DOC MARTIN, Series 5 (DVD Debut); WASHINGTON: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (Home Video Debut); NEW TRICKS, Season 7 (DVD Debut); LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE (Long-awaited DVD Debut) starring Judi Dench; THE BEST OF FOYLE’S WAR; MIDSOMER MURDERS, Set 20 (U.S. Debut, Blu-ray and DVD), John Nettles’ final episodes of the series; GEORGE GENTLY, Series 4 (U.S. Debut, Blu-ray and DVD); MONROE, Series 1 (U. S. Debut); MURDOCH MYSTERIES, Season 4 (U.S. Debut, DVD/Blu-ray); I, CLAUDIUS: 35th Anniversary Edition (bonus packed with many previously unavailable extras); BBC’s TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (Now on Blu-ray); Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE TRILOGY; ABOVE SUSPICION, Set 1 (U.S. Debut), from the creator of Prime Suspect and starring Ciarán Hinds (Harry Potter); AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT Series 1-5 (Blu-ray debut, DVD); and POLDARK: The Complete Collection (Value-priced collection), a must-see for costume drama fans

From Athena: THE CODE (U.S. Debut); THIS IS CIVILIZATION (DVD Debut); TIME TEAM: UNEARTHING THE ROMAN INVASION (U.S. Debut); TREASURE HOUSES OF BRITAIN (DVD Debut); IN THEIR OWN WORDS (Athena, U.S. Debut) includes 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; SECRET WAR (DVD Debut); BATTLEFIELD DETECTIVES (Athena, DVD Debut); BILL MOYERS: CAPITOL CRIMES; and THE WINDSORS (U.S. Debut, Athena).



Acorn’s and Athena’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com and www.athenalearning.com.

Latest From Acorn Media--Best Brit TV: Damian Lewis in "Forsyte", "Holy Flying Circus", "Cloudstreet", "Injustice", "Laconia"

HIJACKED -- DVD review by porfle

A not-bad effort to generate AIR FORCE ONE thrills on a hoo-hah budget, HIJACKED (2012) does its best to make us believe we're flying first class even though it's strictly an economy ticket all the way.

Aside from a pretty lively shoot-out during which we say "hi" and "bye" to my man Vinnie Jones in all too short a time, the first fifteen minutes or so are just exposition to get us on that private jet where a terrorist group known as "The Tribe" will take over and try to force big-time business tycoon Bruce Lieb (Craig Fairbrass) to transfer a couple billion bucks into their bank account. 

Little do they know, though, that CIA agent Paul Ross (Randy Couture, THE EXPENDABLES) is aboard, and he's already peeved because his girlfriend Liv (Tiffany Dupont), who just went to work for Lieb, is currently giving him the cold shoulder.  So he's all set to kill, maim, and generally interfere with some bad guys, which, of course, he will eventually get to do for our viewing pleasure. 

But first, innocent people get messily blown away, a ticking time bomb is discovered, and certain good guys turn out to be working for the bad guys.  Plot turns such as this force Randy Couture to act, which really makes him mad.  Fortunately, he's not all that bad.  In fact, he kind of reminds me of a cross between Jason Statham and a bulldog, and the fact that he's not matinee-idol handsome adds a gruff realism to his character. 

His counterpart, terrorist leader Rostow Pawlak, is played by Holt McCallany (ALIEN 3, FIGHT CLUB) in a casual, unaffected style that's way better than the usual moustache-twirling villainy and adds some subtle humor to even the most hardbitten scenes.  Stuntwoman Ashley Cusato isn't bad as his right-hand woman Liesel, one of those coldblooded babes who enjoys shooting first and then shooting again later.  The rest of the performances hover between good and fair.

Director and co-writer Brandon Nutt has a pleasing directing style and the camerawork is fairly good here, so even though the film still looks low-budget, it's at the high end of low-budget.  Viewers accustomed to the sometimes cheesy SPFX of the AIRPORT movies will probably give the CGI shots of the airplane's exterior a pass for not always looking absolutely convincing. 

What's harder to overlook is the abundance of stupid moves made by the good guys, constantly giving the bad guys chances to escape, not hitting them hard enough to knock them out, or, incredibly, simply leaving them unattended with guns and knives lying around.  Co-writer Declan O'Brien (WRONG TURN 3, 4, and the upcoming 5) may be used to getting away with this kind of lazy writing in his slasher flicks, where we expect such rampant derpitude, but in an action movie it tends to hinder our suspension of disbelief. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound.  No subtitles or bonus features.

As a hardboiled action flick, HIJACKED is strictly small potatoes from the "take it or leave it" bin.  Still, with a fair amount of suspense and some pretty good action here and there, it isn't nearly as bad as it could have been in less capable hands.


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HIJACKED -- DVD review by porfle

"DEXTER: The Complete Sixth Season" Debuts on Blu-ray & DVD August 14

THE MOST-WATCHED ORIGINAL SHOWTIME® SERIES RETURNS WITH A SEASON TO DIE FOR

DEXTER: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON

Featuring Behind-The-Scenes Interviews With Cast Including Special Guest Star Colin Hanks, The Critically Acclaimed Series Debuts On Blu-ray and DVD August 14

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (May 30, 2012) – America’s favorite serial killer is back for a new season of thrilling drama and unexpected twists when DEXTER: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON arrives on Blu-ray Disc and DVD August 14 from Showtime Networks, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution. Featuring gripping performances from special guest stars Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Yasiin Bey, Colin Hanks (King Kong) and Academy Award® nominee Edward James Olmos (”Battlestar Galactica”), catch up on every suspenseful episode of the Emmy-nominated sixth season before new episodes premiere on SHOWTIME on September 30.

Golden Globe winner* Michael C. Hall continues to captivate audiences with his portrayal of mild-mannered, yet grisly serial killer Dexter Morgan. It has been a year since the fifth season’s emotional conclusion, and Dexter has finally come to terms with his identity. As he tries to move on, his existence is shattered when he crosses paths with an enemy unlike any that he’s faced before. The new adversary, a delusional religious zealot with unflinching convictions, draws Dexter into a dangerous game that could end in disaster. With powerful performances by series stars Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Lauren Velez, David Zayas and James Remar, DEXTER: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON is a killer good time.

DEXTER: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON Blu-ray includes three discs of all twelve episodes of the sixth season, plus bonus features via BD LIVE, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $67.99 U.S. The DVD includes four discs which feature all twelve episodes and special features plus bonus content via E-Bridge Technology for the suggested retail price of $54.99 U.S.

The DEXTER: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Surround, Spanish 2.0 and French 2.0 with English Subtitles. The DVD is presented in widescreen 16:9 with English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0, Spanish 2.0 and French 2.0. The Blu-ray and DVD are not rated in the U.S. The total running time is approximately 618 minutes. Episodes and special features are as follows:

Episodes:

·       Those Kinds of Things
·       Once Upon A Time…
·       Smokey and the Bandit
·       A Horse of a Different Color
·       The Angel of Death
·       Just Let Go
·       Nebraska
·       Sin of Omission
·       Get Gellar
·       Ricochet Rabbit
·       Talk to the Hand
·       This is the Way the World Ends

Special Features:      

·       Interviews (on Disc 4 on DVD; via BD Live on Blu-ray)
·       Michael C. Hall
·       Jennifer Carpenter
·       David Zayas
·       Lauren Velez
·       C.S. Lee
·       Colin Hanks
·       Desmond Harrington

·       First Two Episodes of “House of Lies” (on Disc 4 on DVD; via BD LIVE on Blu-ray)
·       First Two Episodes of the Fifth Season of “Californication” (via E-Bridge Technology on DVD; via BD-Live on Blu-ray)
·       First Two Episodes of the Second Season of “The Borgias” (via E-Bridge Technology on DVD; via BD-Live on Blu-ray)


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"DEXTER: The Complete Sixth Season" Debuts on Blu-ray & DVD August 14

MIDNIGHT SON -- DVD review by porfle

Jacob (Zak Kilberg) is already a little weird--he burns in the sunlight and must remain nocturnal, living alone in a basement apartment and working the night shift as an office building security guard--but now he seems to be developing a ravenous appetite that can't be satisfied by food.  The janitor where he works (Tracey Walter) jokingly suggests that since the human body stops growing at 25, and since Jacob is now 24, perhaps he's on the verge of transforming caterpillar-like into a new being.  He happens to be right, but MIDNIGHT SON (2011) isn't about butterflies--it's about vampires.

Writer-director Scott Leberecht pays homage to the standard vampire flick here and there, especially when Jacob rents the original "Fright Night" to see if it can shed any light on his new condition, but this story is more concerned with what it would be like to be a vampire in the real world.  When Jacob discovers that his newfound hunger is for blood, he must find various ways to procure it while hiding his ghastly addiction from the rest of the world.  (One of the film's subtle bits of humor comes when he tries to order whole human blood over the phone.)

Eventually he ends up dealing with a hospital worker named Marcus (Jo D. Jonz) who first supplies him with expired human blood and then, for a price, something a little fresher.  Jason's moral strength is thus tested when it clashes with his unquenchable thirst.  This sick and ill-fated relationship gives MIDNIGHT SON some of its most horrific moments as Marcus' methods become more extreme and he draws Jacob into some truly disturbing situations. 

In the middle of all this, naturally, comes romantic interest Mary (Maya Parish), whom he meets selling candy and cigarettes on the street corner.  She's attracted by his "lost boy" quality until he starts doing strange little things like biting her throat during lovemaking and sporting day-glo eyes at odd moments. 

Parish is endearingly effective as Mary and we empathize with her confusion over Jacob's behavior as she tries to reach out to him, gradually realizing that there's something really wrong with the pale, frail loner besides a skin disorder and a social dysfunction. 

The film's pace is deliberate, almost dreamlike, while building slowly and inexorably toward a conclusion that, while lacking the jaw-dropping quality of a David Cronenberg finale, is nevertheless memorably disturbing and even exhilarating.  Along the way there are a number of standout scenes as Jacob's "condition" compels him to strike out violently when vexed (as a rude office executive discovers to his regret) while suffering flashbacks of brutal attacks he can't quite recall committing.  With the murder of a female office worker outside the building comes a doggedly inquisitive cop (Larry Cedar as Detective Ginslegh) who helps ratchet up the suspense in the film's second half. 

Leberecht's sure-handed direction and the imaginative cinematography by Lyn Montcrief give the film a look that transcends its meager budget.  The cast is uniformly good, with Kilberg's bleary-eyed restraint contrasting nicely with Parish's nervous energy.  As Marcus, Jo D. Jonz does a great job with his character's extremes and the various shadings in between.  Arlen Escarpeta is also good as Marcus' little brother Russell, who gets caught up unwillingly in the increasingly dark proceedings.  Tracey Walter (BATMAN, AT CLOSE RANGE) is a welcome presence in his brief but important role as Jacob's co-worker.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound.  No subtitles, but closed-captioning is available.  Extras include deleted scenes, cast and crew interviews, a trailer, and an entertaining commentary track featuring Leberecht, Kilberg, Parish, and Jonz. 

MIDNIGHT SON is one of those horror movies that tries to get at the source of the folklore--in this case, how the more outlandish vampire legends over the years might have originated with normal people suddenly succumbing to a bizarre genetic disorder--and does so in a creative and compelling way.  What it lacks in expensive gore effects is made up for with some gruesomely effective situations and lots and lots of blood.  And while it does explore the emotional consequences of Jacob's condition, it doesn't go all emo on us like some of the more recent vampire tales.  In other words, this is definitely not your sister's "Twilight." 


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MIDNIGHT SON -- DVD review by porfle

BALL & CHAIN -- movie review by porfle

How would you like it if, when you reached a certain age, your parents started shopping around for the person you would marry and spend the rest of your life with?  And you'd be introduced to that person for the first time at a dinner attended by both families?  Pretty horrible, huh?

BALL & CHAIN (2004) lets us vicariously experience that horror through the eyes of Bobby (Kal Penn, HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE, SUPERMAN RETURNS), a nebbishly-nice Indian guy who is trapped by cultural tradition into just such an arrangement.  The funniest part of the movie, in fact, occurs early on as the reluctant Bobby sits down at the dinner table and scans the faces around him to see what his pending bride will look like.  His eyes light upon a very attractive young woman named Saima (Lisa Ray), and he breathes a long "Hi!" of relief.  But Saima realizes Bobby's mistake and nods to the right, indicating the person sitting next to her.  Bobby follows her nod until his expectant gaze lands upon the most hideous creature this side of a Basil Wolverton portrait from MAD magazine. 

The horse-faced Ruby (Purva Bedi) is gawky, has stringy hair, a big nose, a startling facial mole, and sports some kind of scary dental apparatus that is dripping with cookie crumbs.  Bobby does a take worthy of a Tex Avery cartoon and screams "Aw, HELL NO!" before fleeing the table like a man on fire.  Ruby begins to bray like a lovesick donkey as masticated cookies dribble from her mouth.  Bobby returns for another look -- surely he must've been hallucinating -- but the beast is still there.  "Uh-uh!" he affirms, running off to find a window to jump out of.

The film never gets quite this funny again, although there are several moments that should provoke howls of laughter (such as the subsequent wedding scene) but never quite hit the bullseye.  And the funniest characters, Bobby and Ruby, are shoved to the sidelines as the rest of the movie focuses on Bobby's friend Ameet (Sunil Malhotra), who soon faces his own arranged engagement with the lovely Saima.  We can tell Ameet likes her but chafes at the thought of marriage.  Saima, on the other hand, can't stand Ameet, especially since every time he's around her she ends up drenched with various liquids. 

We know, of course, that they will eventually fall madly in love, but this occurs after Ameet has so successfully turned Saima's parents against him (especially when he tells them he's quitting his job to become a dancer, and proves it by shucking his pants and boogeying around on the dinner table) that they banish him from their daughter's presence forever.  So Ameet must somehow find a way to win Saima back even as her Papa (Asrani, who looks like a cross between Jack Soo and Larry Storch) begins to interview other prospective husbands. 

One of these suitors is the lizardlike, self-adoring ladies' man Ashol (Ismail Bashey), who wins over Papa with his baby-oil charm while showing his true bastardly horndog side to the horrified Saima.  At one point he ogles a large-breasted woman in a restaurant and tells Saima that she must get a boob job, then reveals his violent nature when she refuses.  This moment is played a bit too realistically for a comedy.

As their wedding day grows imminently closer, Saima flees to the arms of Ameet every chance she gets, and they share romantic walks on the beach and cutesy love talk and stuff like that as the movie occasionally veers dangerously close to "chick-flick" territory, leaving us to wonder: "Where are the laughs?  What happened to the funny?" 

Ameet tells Saima of his fantasy in which he arrives at his wedding to the girl of his dreams on an elephant, just like an Indian prince.  Of course, this gives us an idea of how the movie is going to end, with Ameet crashing Saima and Ashol's wedding on an elephant, but the image we conjure in our minds is much funnier than the actual scene, which is played more for it's "aww, isn't that romantic" qualities than for it's humor. 

While at first it looks like the final sequence is going to be a spoof of Dustin Hoffman's mad dash to the church at the end of THE GRADUATE, this doesn't really go anywhere, and the only satisfyingly funny thing about the ending is seeing the comeuppance that Ameet and Bobby have planned for Ashol.

It may sound as though I didn't like BALL & CHAIN very much, but I did enjoy it, although it was hardly the laugh-fest the trailer seemed to promise.  All of the lead characters are appealing, Ashol is a very effective bad guy, and the story sometimes glows with a genuine warmth that most comedies don't strive for.  I especially like the way Bobby and Ruby grow closer as the movie progresses--she gradually turns from an ugly duckling into, uh, a somewhat less ugly duckling--which made me wish we'd gotten to see a lot more of them.  My overall impression of BALL & CHAIN is similar to Kevin Costner's assessment of Bill Pullman in WYATT EARP -- not all that great, but "affable."  If anything, this movie is definitely affable.


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BALL & CHAIN -- movie review by porfle