Anchor Bay Hits the Mean Streets With LOW WINTER SUN: THE COMPLETE SERIES on DVD August 12th

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT HEATS THINGS UP WITH
AMC’S “LOW WINTER SUN: THE COMPLETE SERIES”

EXPERIENCE IT ALL ON DVD AUGUST 12, 2014

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Get ready for underworld thrills that are gritty, gripping and always intense! On August 12th, Anchor Bay Entertainment releases AMC’s powerful original series “Low Winter Sun” on DVD. Available as a 3-disc set, “Low Winter Sun: The Complete Series contains all 10 episodes from the series the New York Post says, “grabs you by the lapels and pulls you – forcefully – right into its seamy, low-rent worlds of intrigue and double-and triple-crosses.” This release also contains plenty of insightful bonus features about the making of the show including behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes and making-of featurettes.

Based on the 2006 award-winning British two-part mini-series of the same name, written by Simon Donald and produced by Tiger Aspect Productions (an Endemol Company), “Low Winter Sun: The Complete Series” is a contemporary story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption in a world where the line between cops and criminals is blurred. “Low Winter Sun” begins with the murder of a cop by a fellow Detroit detective. Seemingly the perfect crime, in reality the murder activates forces that will forever alter the detective’s life, and pull him into the heart of the Detroit underworld.

“Low Winter Sun: The Complete Series” has a talented ensemble cast that includes Mark Strong (Zero Dark Thirty, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood), Lennie James (“The Walking Dead”, Snatch), David Constabile (“Breaking Bad,” Side Effects) and Athena Karkanis (Saw IV, V, VI).

Bonus Features:

    A Look At “Low Winter Sun”      
    Detroit Grit              
    Designing The Precinct                   
    Episode Featurettes             
    Deleted Scenes

“Low Winter Sun” is an unforgettable and uncompromising drama. Here is a cold hard look at the realities of life on the mean streets of modern-day Detroit. For TV binge-watchers, or just fans of edgy crime dramas, “Low Winter Sun: The Complete Series” won’t let you go…and packs a powerful punch when it ends.

About AMC
Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade, or creating acclaimed original programming, AMC brings to its audience something deeper, something richer, Something More. The network reigns as the only cable network in history ever to win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row, and boasts the most-watched drama series in basic cable history with “The Walking Dead.” AMC’s original drama series include “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead,” “Hell on Wheels,” “Turn,” “Halt and Catch Fire” and the forthcoming “Breaking Bad” spinoff, “Better Call Saul.” AMC also explores authentic worlds with bold characters through its slate of unscripted original series like “Comic Book Men,” “Small Town Security,” “Talking Dead,” “Game of Arms” and “Freakshow.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, Sundance Channel, and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Something More.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading home entertainment company.  Anchor Bay acquires and distributes feature films, original television programming including STARZ Original series, children's entertainment, anime (Manga Entertainment), fitness (Anchor Bay Fitness), sports, and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray™ formats.  The company has long term distribution agreements in place for select programming with AMC Networks, RADiUS, and The Weinstein Company. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com.

“Low Winter Sun: The Complete Series” DVD
Street Date:                 August 12, 2014       
Pre-book:                     July 16, 2014
Cat. #:                         AF61602
UPC:                           013132616025
Run Time:                   430 Minutes
Rating:                        Not Rated
SRP:                            $49.98
Format:                        1.78:1/16x9
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                     English SDH and Spanish

Buy it at Amazon.com

Anchor Bay Hits the Mean Streets With LOW WINTER SUN: THE COMPLETE SERIES on DVD August 12th

THE ZOMBINATOR -- DVD review by porfle

If you found a big barrel full of "found footage" movies, dumped it out, and then scraped the bottom, you'd end up with something bearing a close resemblance to THE ZOMBINATOR (2012). 

One of the most basic necessities for this kind of movie--that is, one which is seen exclusively through the various camera lenses of actual participants in the story--is a plausible reason for somebody to be filming everything in the first place and capturing enough of what's going on for it all to be edited into a coherent narrative.  This reason never fails to stretch credulity to some extent, although THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and other superior examples of the genre manage to overcome this.

Here, internet fashion expert Nina (Lucia Brizzi) is having her fabulous daily life documented for her blog by a video crew when a rather unexpected zombie apocalypse strikes the city of  Youngstown,  Ohio.  When it does,  the lackadaisical dorks who have been following her around with their cameras suddenly become the most amazing video documentarians of all time, somehow recording all the action from every conceivable angle and managing to be everywhere at once. 

Even when Nina and her group are herded into the back of a van by the mysterious Zombinator (Joseph Aviel),  an ex-soldier whose vague resemblance to the Terminator is remarked upon ad nauseum, we continue to get equal coverage of both their movements in the van and those of the zombies outside, who inexplicably ignore the cameramen as not to hamper their efforts. 

And when we find out that the unsuspecting populace are being deliberately infected with zombie-ism so that the military-industrial bad guys can clean up by selling everyone the antidote, the evil army guys led by "The Colonel" (Patrick Kilpatrick) continue to allow their highly illegal actions and off-the-cuff confessions of guilt to be documented by two or three live video cameras hovering around their periphery at all times.  Not that we're supposed to notice any of this, of course. 

It wouldn't be so bad if the footage these guys are shooting was compelling in any way.  Most of it, however, is Shaky-Cam at its worst, along with a tendency to pan constantly from side to side as though writer-director Sergio Myers' only instruction was to "shoot everything!"  The acting by the leads mirrors this technique as Nina and her panicky pals spend the entire film shouting over each other in a mish-mash of overlapping dialogue that is mostly improvised chatter.  

Another basic necessity for this kind of movie, incidentally, is for the acting to appear as natural as possible, something most of this cast are unable to pull off.  Even prolific old pro Kilpatrick, one of my favorite character actors from such films as THE STAND, MINORITY REPORT, LAST MAN STANDING, ERASER, and CROSSFIRE TRAIL, finds himself at the mercy of THE ZOMBINATOR's general air of ineptitude. 

Even so, he's the best thing about it even during the painfully bad fight scenes between him and the Zombinator, a former comrade-in-arms in Afghanistan who now battles against the Colonel's heinous schemes.  And at least these scenes are a step up from the constant yakkity-yak of Nina and her friends as they scurry from one place to another amidst the ever-shambling zombie hordes. 

The DVD from Inception Media Group is in 1.78:1 widescreen with 5.1 digital surround sound..  No subtitles.  A trailer is the sole extra.

As for the living dead themselves, every once in awhile some of them will emerge from the darkness and get in a few good chomps or get blasted real good by the Zombinator's shotgun.  Their makeup is fairly good and the digital blood splatters and gun barrel flares are nicely done.  Overall though, as zombie movies go,  the terminally boring THE ZOMBINATOR is pretty much dead on arrival. 

Buy it at Amazon.com

THE ZOMBINATOR -- DVD review by porfle

IFC's "The Birthday Boys--the Complete First Season"--Coming to DVD August 5th from Anchor Bay Films

GET READY TO CELEBRATE!

ANCHOR BAY FILMS RELEASES
IFC’S “The Birthday Boys: The Complete First Season”

ON DVD August 5, 2014
All 10 Episodes Plus Tons Of Bonus Features!

Beverly Hills, CA – Anchor Bay Films releases the first season of the hilarious IFC sketch comedy show “The Birthday Boys: The Complete First Season” on DVD August 5th.  The two-disc set contains all 10 episodes of the series that comes from executive producers Bob Odenkirk (“Breaking Bad,” “Mr. Show”) and Ben Stiller (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, “The Ben Stiller Show”).

The “Boys” are a Los Angeles comedy group that originally made a name for themselves at UCB LA and the Just For Laughs Festival by serving up unique skits that are sometimes surreal, sometimes silly, but always funny. The release also contains 45 minutes of bonus features including audio commentaries, behind the scenes, bonus videos and promos. The SRP is $29.98.

“The Birthday Boys: The Complete First Season” with a nod to absurd yet intelligent legacy sketch shows “Monty Python”, “Mr. Show” and “Kids in the Hall”, the series appropriates familiar scenarios and classic TV, film and sketch archetypes with a fresh take.

Drawing from the unique collaboration between Odenkirk and The Birthday Boys as writers, directors and performers, “The Birthday Boys” features both stand-alone and multi-act sketches that poke fun at real-life moments and cultural touchstones. From Steve Jobs and the rise of the personal computer, Lance Armstrong and the prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs, to the hardships of trying to keep up with too many shows on your DVR - the series takes a hilariously skewed perspective on everyone’s shared experiences.

Bonus Features Include:

    Audio Commentaries                                              
    The Making Of Season One           
    From Stage To Screen                    
    Bonus Videos           
    Promos 

Bob Odenkirk, Ben Stiller, Debbie Liebling, Stuart Cornfeld, Mike Rosenstein and Dave Kneebone are executive producers. Red Hour and Abso Lutely produce the series for IFC. The first season was written by The Birthday Boys and Bob Odenkirk and co-directed by The Birthday Boys’ Chris VanArtsdalen, Jefferson Dutton and Odenkirk.

Along with honorary eighth member Odenkirk, “The Birthday Boys: The Complete First Season” ensemble includes Jefferson Dutton, Dave Ferguson, Mike Hanford, Tim Kalpakis, Matt Kowalick, Mike Mitchell and Chris VanArtsdalen whose collective credits include “Conan,” “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “Portlandia,” Funny or Die, “Comedy Bang! Bang!” and many more. “The Birthday Boys: The Complete First Season” is sure to become another one of those hip comedy fan favorites.

About IFC
IFC creates and champions authentic, original comedies that are “Always On. Slightly Off,” which air alongside an extraordinary collection of films and comedic cult TV shows. IFC.com features exclusive video, web series, podcasts, blogs and additional content that engages fans with IFC originals. The network's On Demand offering, IFC Free, gives viewers the opportunity to watch select content from IFC whenever they want. Established in 1994, IFC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and is available in over 72 million homes on every major cable, satellite and telco provider.

About ANCHOR BAY FILMS
Anchor Bay Films is a division of Anchor Bay Entertainment and provides quality distribution with operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and offers distribution capabilities in other key territories.  Anchor Bay Films uniquely offers the creative community a fully integrated distribution capability on all platforms and an international solution extending beyond the United States.  The company focuses on a platform release strategy for its films with an eye toward maximizing their potential across all ancillary distribution platforms.  Theatrical releases include Billy Bob Thornton’s Jayne Mansfield’s Car starring Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon and Ray Stevenson and Slasher Films’ premiere release Nothing Left to Fear featuring music from legendary guitarist Slash.  Films in its library include the recent theatrical release of Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison and genre favorite Ken Foree, 10 Years starring Channing Tatum and Rosario Dawson, the critically-acclaimed comedy City Island starring Andy Garcia and Solitary Man starring Michael Douglas as well as Kill the Irishman starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken, and Toronto Film Festival award-winner Beautiful Boy with Maria Bello and Michael Sheen.  Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com.

“The Birthday Boys: The Complete First Season” DVD
Street Date:                 August 5, 2014         
Pre-book:                     July 9, 2014
Cat. #:                         AF62072
UPC:                           03132620725
Run Time:                   230
Rating:                        N/A
SRP:                            $29.98
Format:                        1.78:1/16x9
Audio:                         Stereo
Subtitles:                     English SDH, Spanish    

IFC's "The Birthday Boys--the Complete First Season"--Coming to DVD August 5th from Anchor Bay Films

GENERATION IRON -- DVD review by porfle

Massively muscled Kai Greene opens GENERATION IRON (2013) posing in public for an amazed, photo-snapping subway crowd and appears freakish at first--especially with his long, snakellike braid and expressionless mask--until we get used to him and his exaggerated physique.  Kai, an accomplished painter, represents the "I was a juvenile delinquent rescued by bodybuilding" side of the sport and, as we're surprised to find of many bodybuilders, is quite intelligent and introspective.

Phil Heath, equally large or perhaps even moreso, trains far from the urban scene in an idyllic Colorado setting but, as the current Mr. Olympia, is no less intensely focused on his goal to be the world's greatest bodybuilder.  More of an average family man than a quirky "character" type, Phil is no less singleminded in his intent: "For me as Mr. Olympia, it's not about beating your competition, it's about crushing the dreams of those other guys."

Like PUMPING IRON and its distaff (and even more fictionalized) follow-up PUMPING IRON II: THE WOMEN, this docudrama by writer-director Vlad Yudin offers interlocking segments on several bodybuilders as they aspire and perspire their way to the Mr. Olympia crown, building slowly and surely toward the competition and, little by little, making us care about the guys competing in it and which of them will realize his dream of winning.

Also like the earlier films, this one is as shaped and sculpted by its director as the competitors' bodies themselves.  But as it is, Yudin's manipulation of events for cinematic effect is fairly natural and unobtrusive, giving us a good idea of what these guys' everyday lives must be like.  The men themselves are quite articulate and give us ample insight into their thoughts and feelings, which go far beyond the seeming superficiality of the sport. 

And although they're clearly being directed in many scenes, something occasionally happens which isn't pre-planned, just like in the good old point-and-shoot documentaries.  This is especially true when one bodybuilder, immediately after discussing injuries which have hampered his push toward the Mr. O crown over the years, is involved in a shockingly sudden and unexpected accident which, serendipitously for the film crew, is caught on camera. 

Elsewhere,  we get a sense of the remarkable dedication--training, diet,  mental discipline--which sometimes seems to border on fanaticism, obsession, and the always mysterious desire for extreme body modification.  Which makes it even more remarkable when some of these participants turn out to be such seemingly  ordinary and likable guys.  Well-adjusted, even. 

There are the obvious success stories such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, as well as muscle men who simply want to excell at this sport while leading otherwise normal lives as husbands and fathers.  Some, like Victor Martinez (who resembles a giant-sized Vin Diesel) use bodybuilding as a means of supporting themselves and their families, while others find it their only viable way out of poverty and/or into something meaningful in their lives.

The low-key and languidly paced narrative is visually appealing and nicely scored with ambient synth music which, as composer Jeff Rona points out, emphasizes the emotional undercurrent of the film.  Mickey Rourke provides the narration in his own strong but understated style. 

The human aspects of the story are well-handled, as in the charming scenes between Roelly Winklaar and his grey-haired trainer,  Sibil "Grandma" Peeters, a former bodybuilder herself who now accompanies Winklaar in both a professional and a maternal capacity.  Roelly's need to first win a European competition in order to qualify for Mr. O provides some suspense along the way.

Arnold,  whose brief appearance in the film closes the circle between his charmingly ruthless PUMPING IRON persona and his current standing as the  absolute pinnacle of success in the sport, at least as most of us perceive it, expresses concern that bodybuilding judges now ignore symmetry in favor of sheer bulk.  In regard to this, a brief but very concise and informative sidestep into the world of steroids rears its head at about the halfway point, just as we knew it would sooner or later. 

Most of the bodybuilders seem to accept them as a necessary evil but express disdain for those who misuse them and expect them to do all the work in building muscle.  As one expert puts it,  "almost all top-level sports professionals take some  form of performance-enhancing drugs", and while they don't make training any easier, they "allow [contestants] to take it to the extreme level."

The film culminates in Las Vegas with the Mr. Olympia competition itself, which is the least "staged" part of the documentary and thus provides the most suspense and excitement. This is especially true since by now we've gotten to know these contestants and their aspirations intimately. 

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 include a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, an extended interview with Lou Ferrigno, and a commentary track featuring Yudin along with the winner of the film's Mr. Olympia competition.

"Bodybuilders are very self-centered and selfish," admits contestant Branch Warren, but GENERATION IRON demonstrates that there's a lot more going on with these guys, and with the unusual sport that drives them with such fierce determination, than one might otherwise suspect.  With this lovingly crafted documentary, Vlad Yudin has helped portray modern bodybuilding less as a freak show and more as a life-affirming endeavor among some very identifiably human aspirants. 

Buy it at Amazon.com
DVD
Digital/VOD

GENERATION IRON -- DVD review by porfle

JUNCTION -- DVD review by porfle

An interesting low-budget thriller, JUNCTION (2012) mixes equal parts morbid humor and nail-biting suspense with a plot that keeps heading up unexpected pathways and getting more and more intense as it goes along.

The four main leads all do excellent work as a group of edgy addicts huddled in a dilapidated car on their way to try and score some more meth.  David (Tom Pelphrey), the de facto leader of the group because it's his car, is at a disadvantage when dealing with meth-lab maestro Tai (Anthony Ruivivar, STARSHIP TROOPERS) since he doesn't have any money. 

Tai, who operates out of his mom's basement, comes up with a deal--he'll supply the goodies if David and company come up with a TV set for his mom's birthday.  Thus given an offer they can't refuse, the four jonesing junkies set off on a mission to break-and-enter their way back to wellness.

Trouble is, they're all on the verge of a spaz attack even while creeping through the home of some unknown family and trying to make off with their flat-screen TV.  David is relatively level-headed, and so is his female friend Kari (Summer Crockett Moore), but Kari's boyfriend "Spot" (Harris Doran) is a nervous bundle of free-floating hostility while addlebrained addict Donald (Neal Bledsoe, SEX AND THE CITY 2) makes Scooby-Doo's pal Shaggy look like Alistair Cooke. 

Up to this point, JUNCTION is toodling along nicely as what seems mainly to be a very deadpan comedy leavened with suspense, some ominous foreshadowing, and an underlying sense of tragedy from seeing these otherwise fairly decent people wasting their lives and bodies away (they really look awful) in pursuit of the next elusive fix. 

All at once things take their first really sharp left turn thanks to an inadvertent discovery by Donald in the attic.  I won't tell you what it is, but it's something that affects him on such a deeply personal level that the sudden appearance of the house's owner, Connor (Anthony Rapp, A BEAUTIFUL MIND), causes the seemingly harmless Donald to attack him like a wild animal, beat him brutally, and then tie him up and torture him.  (It's also the first jarring indication of just how graphic this film's violence is capable of getting.)

This doesn't set well with the others so Donald attacks them for trying to stop him, and pretty soon the situation has become a harrowing free-for-all in which we don't know who's going to go off on whom.  One thing we do know, though, is that in addition to its more ruefully comic moments, JUNCTION now functions on a much darker level where anything can happen and, with Donald getting crazier and more desperate by the minute, chances are it will be bad. 

Further complications appear in the form of Connor's wife Jennifer (Sharon Maguire), who also must be tied up, and young daughter Mia (Danielle Kotch), whom Donald is convinced he must rescue from what, in his mind, are her evil parents.  Worst of all, Mia manages to call 911 and bring supercops Tarelli (David Zayas, "Dexter") and Walters (Michael O'Keefe, CADDYSHACK, THE GREAT SANTINI) into the mix along with most of the city's police force. 

This is where JUNCTION begins to take on elements of past films such as THE DESPERATE HOURS and DOG DAY AFTERNOON as the hostage crisis escalates amidst much interpersonal drama between both cops and criminals.   (All of which is handled nicely on the film's small budget.)  David and Kari's basic decency puts them at odds with the now extremely dangerous Donald, while Spot's focus on self-preservation makes him  yet another unpredictable wild card. 

Zayas and O'Keefe keep things hopping on the law-and-order side as they prove themselves to be two of the most capable character actors at work today.  The sharp script by first-time director Tony Glazer lags a bit here and there but always manages to get its second wind--aided by some very nimble direction and editing--as things build to a fairly riveting conclusion. 

The DVD from Grand Entertainment Group is in 1.33:1 widescreen with 5.1 and 2.0 sound.  No subtitles.  Extras consist of the film's trailer and a making-of featurette. 

With lead actors who are truly convincing as meth addicts scraping the bottom of life's barrel, JUNCTION establishes a solid basis from which to spring a disorienting series of events on the viewer.  The climax is cathartic, but there's a final touch at the fadeout that's troubling even though you'll probably sorta see it coming.

Buy it at Amazon.com

JUNCTION -- DVD review by porfle

TENTACLE 8 -- DVD review by porfle

Siskel and Ebert, who often lamented the lack of complicated plots in Hollywood movies, once criticized Brian DePalma's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE for having a plot that was too complicated. 

The funny thing is, I had no trouble following what was going on in that movie.  The plot of TENTACLE 8 (2014), on the other hand, makes MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE look like PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.  This is pure spy thriller stuff of the most hush-hush kind--dense, complex, very dry, very involved--and even if you pay utmost attention to every word and action the whole time you're still liable to get as lost in it as I was.  (I was halfway through the similarly plot-heavy Alec Guinness version of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" before I realized I was going to have to start over from the beginning in order to get up to speed.)

Still, I enjoyed it for its smart dialogue, fair-to-good performances, and general air of deep-penetrating paranoia in which various branches of the U.S. Intelligence Community are worried about what the other branches are up to, especially after a devastating computer virus wipes out a bunch of top-secret records and may be the first sign of something really scary to come.

One National Security Agency code analyst, Ray Berry (Brett Rickaby, THE CRAZIES, BEREAVEMENT) gets sucked into the whole mess far beyond his usual work-a-day status and suffers brutal torture when he's suspected of being part of the problem.  Even his impromptu romantic relationship with a female CIA agent named Tabitha (Amy Motta, SPREAD) may be based more on deceit than their mutual love of old books.  But his main concern is Mosely (Joshua Morrow, "The Young and the Restless"), a dogged young agent who has been assigned to track him down.

Rickaby's Ray Berry is the kind of everyday hero we can identify with--all he wants is to be an average working stiff with a normal life, something which an older, world-weary agent who's helping him (Bruce Gray, STARSHIP TROOPERS' "Sky Marshall Dienes") sadly informs him is long out of his reach.  Even more sadly,  Ray discovers that what makes him most dangerous to his superiors is the fact that he has a conscience which guides his actions. 

Forced into self-preservation mode, Ray is interesting to watch as necessity makes him draw upon all his cunning and resources to stay one step ahead of his pursuers.  We never know who's on his side or merely conning him, including the homeless guy who hits him up for spare change outside a convenience store.  Even when he's with Tabitha he can never completely let his guard down, although their scenes together come closest to giving TENTACLE 8 its only truly heartfelt moments. 

In his feature writing-directing debut, John Chi turns in a more-than-competent job with some nice flashes of style.  While Chi says he was inspired by such films as Coppola's THE CONVERSATION and Alan J. Pakula's "Paranoia Trilogy" (KLUTE, THE PARALLAX VIEW, and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN), his comparatively micro-budget effort takes place mostly in comfortably low-budget rooms and street locations with lots of money-saving dialogue scenes in place of action.   Still, the story is intense enough to sustain interest despite such limitations. 

The DVD from Grand Entertainment Group is in 1.33:1 widescreen with 5.1 and 2.0 sound.  No subtitles.  The sole extra is a trailer for this and other GEG releases. 

TENTACLE 8 is, as John Chi states, "a film that's supposed to knock you sideways a little."  It certainly did that for me, although I can't help but think I would've enjoyed it more if, while being knocked sideways, I'd also had a better idea of what the hell was going on.  But it speaks well for the film that I liked it anyway.  And another viewing may clear up some of those pesky plot complexities that me and Siskel and Ebert sometimes have trouble with.

Buy it at Amazon.com
Official site

TENTACLE 8 -- DVD review by porfle

WALKER PAYNE -- movie review by porfle

(NOTE: This review originally appeared online at Bumscorner.com in 2006.)

The only thing Walker Payne (Jason Patric) loves more than Brute, his sweet-tempered pitbull, is his two young daughters Sara and Beth.  But his spiteful ex-wife Lou Ann (Drea de Matteo) won't let him see the girls anymore until he comes up with $5000 so she can leave her smalltown life behind for better things.  Broke and out of work, Payne has no choice but to hook up with a shady, sharp-dressed hustler, Syrus (Sam Shepard), and enter Brute into sadistic and illegal dog-fighting competitions.

Set in a tiny Illinois town in the 50s, WALKER PAYNE (2006) has a good period atmosphere and captures the era and the setting well.  The script by Alex Paraskevas and director Matt Williams (who does a solid job for a TV sitcom veteran) avoids big showy moments in favor of an understated realism (my favorite line is when Syrus describes Payne as "too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash"). 

After establishing the main conflict and introducing a love interest for Payne--pretty bank teller Audrey (KaDee Strickland) from Chicago--this leisurely-paced, slightly soapy drama starts to heat up and take on a feeling of dread as Payne's dealings with Syrus get darker and more dangerous.

Jason Patric does a good job here of helping me forget that he's the guy from THE LOST BOYS.  As the ex-wife from hell, Drea de Matteo totally sheds her Jersey persona from "The Sopranos" and is surprisingly convincing as a poor Midwestern gal.  Sam Shepherd, of course, can do no wrong, and neither can the venerable Bruce Dern as Payne's animal-loving friend, Chester. 

Guy Boyd, another one of my favorite character actors, shows up as the resident dog-doctor during the fight scenes, which was a very pleasant surprise since I've thought he was dead for about the last ten years.  The whole cast is good--heck, even the dog gives a moving performance.

As a contrast to the lazy, hazy smalltown ambience we see early on, the dogfight scenes are pretty disturbing.  By this time we're well aware of the close bond between Payne and his dog, and it's pretty hard to watch as he sends Brute into the fighting pit, desperate to get the money to buy his daughters back. 

These scenes take place in isolated backwoods locations where danger and paranoia hang heavy.  A couple of police chases amp up the suspense, especially since Payne's breaking his parole by both participating in illegal dogfights and crossing the state line to do it. 

Some brief nudity pops up now and then, which is nice, except that one of the bare backsides we catch a glimpse of during the film belongs to Jason Patric.  (As he was sitting nude on the bed, I kept thinking, "Don't stand up...don't stand up...", but he stood up.)  Of course, I guess this is a plus if you're a big Jason Patric fan. 

There's very little comedy relief past the first third or so--even during an impromptu lovemaking scene by a scenic lake, the budding romance between Payne and Audrey is low-key and somber.  And if you love dogs, the scenes during and after the final dogfighting "championship" may be hard to watch.

It's here that a final surprise comes right out of left field.  Earlier, Syrus tells Payne the story of a man who once brought his pitbull into a bar and bet everyone that he could skin it alive without a whimper ("A bulldog's indestructible," chuckles Guy Boyd's character while stitching up the ravaged Brute after a fight).  And in one startling moment, we see just how much of a bastard Syrus really is.

Buy it at Amazon.com

WALKER PAYNE -- movie review by porfle

LINGERIE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS: LACE VS. LEATHER -- DVD review by porfle

(NOTE: I reviewed a barebones screener for this.  The press release states that it will come "packed with exclusive extras, including deleted scenes, interviews, music videos, media appearances and more.")

It didn't take long for me to figure out that LINGERIE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS: LACE VS. LEATHER (2013) was your usual WWE-inspired "sports entertainment" production with colorful fictional contestants battling according to a scripted storyline.

It didn't take much longer after that, unfortunately, to ascertain that this particular example of the genre not only lacked the budget, gloss, and relative excitement of the WWE, but that it failed even to match the dubious standards set by the old TV series "G.L.O.W. (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling)."

Whereas "G.L.O.W." presented over-the-top archetypal characters such as the all-American girl, the psycho, the farmer's daughter, the punk rocker, the fascist femme fatale, etc. performing broad farce before, after, and during some ferocious ring action, the women of L.F.C. are barely distinguishable from one another apart from race and body type.  They're also a dull bunch whose personas, if one can call them that, are as bland and limp as their faux fighting skills. 

The low-rent arena doesn't even offer the excitement of live spectators, instead giving us a blurry simulated crowd undulating in some kind of green-screen limbo.  The fights themselves consist of a pair of lingerie-clad babes hopping around throwing weak jabs and slappy kicks and then rolling around for awhile until, mercifully, a horn blows and there's a judges' decision. 

The image has the murky, cheap-video look of a full-screen picture stretched into widescreen, with jittery camerawork and choppy editing used to inject some vitality into the listless "bouts."  Half the fight time consists of cutaways to talking heads blathering endlessly to disguise the fact that nobody involved seems to know how to actually choreograph this kind of action.

The heads doing most of the talking are L.F.C. founder Roni Taylor, a statuesque redhead who supposedly saw two ring girls get into a fight during a MMA match once and noticed that the audience was more interested in them than in the actual bout, and her husband Jason Parsons, a former MMA fighter who coaches one half of the girls. 

The other half are coached by musclebound former wrestler Arik Loegen, whose extreme vanity, horndoggishness, and cluelessness about mixed martial arts (along with just about everything else) provide the show with its only real comedy, meager as it is.

We also get endless interview segments with the girls themselves,  who make the lady wrestlers of "G.L.O.W." seem like Emmy contenders.  Part of this can be blamed on a script that doesn't give them anything interesting to say, but it's clear that they weren't hired for their acting skills, which are totally non-convincing even within the context of a scripted comedy-based storyline. 

Anyone watching this for the titillation factor is likely in for a disappointment since none of the contestants are actual knockouts and the lingerie they wear isn't overly exciting.  There is some eye candy, of course, depending on each individual viewer's tastes--my favorites were blonde bodybuilder Feather Hadden and generously-endowed snake handler Jenevieve Serpentine. 

Tara "Guillotine" Gaddy manages to generate a bit of ring excitement with her signature move, which consists of smothering her opponent with her breasts (a tactic she refers to as "The Motorboat") while a bout between the two Asian girls in the group,  buxom Helen Mei and Hawaii native Susan Nakata, has a nice moment or two.  A surprise finish in the mismatch between muscular Hadden and diminutive Jody Connacher, while predictable, stretches credulity even for a show of this nature. 

At any rate, these limply staged fights and the endless interview clips that augment them are hardly anything to go out of your way to see.  Most of the between-match plotline is boring as well, with the only really sexy scene I can recall being a brief one in which the girls try on some new lingerie in front of their dressing room mirror.  Otherwise, the terminally unentertaining LINGERIE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS: LACE VS. LEATHER is pretty much tapped out from the starting bell.

Buy it at Amazon.com
Official site

LINGERIE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS: LACE VS. LEATHER -- DVD review by porfle

MR. JONES -- DVD review by porfle

Throw in elements of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PICKMAN'S MODEL along with a dash of the old Rod Serling/ "Night Gallery" vibe, shake furiously, and then bake for about half an hour too long,  and you'll have something similar to MR. JONES (2013).

It starts out like one of those "oh no, we're lost and getting loster" ordeals like the recent IN FEAR, until--surprise!--Scott (Jon Foster, PANDORUM) and Penny (Sarah Jones, "Sons Of Anarchy") actually find the place they're looking for.  It's a picturesque little love nest in the sticks where these young city dwellers hope to get away from it all while Scott soaks up inspiration for a nature documentary he's hoping to film.

Cabin fever and ennui quickly drag their good intentions down until the former lovebirds are almost at each other's throats. Until one day, they run across some strange "scarecrows" in the woods, and discover that a nearby neighbor is none other than the mysterious "Mr. Jones", a reclusive artist whose primitive work is highly sought-after by art galleries and who is known to mail his grotesque scarecrows to ordinary people, seemingly at random, who then report being strangely affected by them.

Suddenly Scott's documentary has a new and more sensational subject, but as curiosity gets the better of them, they end up finding out way more about Mr. Jones than they bargained for.  At this point, the BLAIR WITCH first-person-camera trope starts to make a little more sense storywise (although it never completely stops being somewhat awkward) as Scott and Penny venture into Mr. Jones' creepy shack in the woods and down into the dark, shadowy sub-level with its mazelike tunnels (shades of PICKMAN'S  MODEL). 

Before their fateful encounter with the wraithlike title character,  however, Scott makes a foray into the city to interview people about the enigmatic artist.  This gives director Karl Mueller (in his feature debut) the chance to include some additional faces including those of David Clennon (the dope-addled "Palmer" of John Carpenter's THE THING), Diane Neal ("NCIS", DIRTY MOVIE),  Stanley B. Herman (BLACK SWAN), and STAR TREK's ill-fated "Captain Robau",  Faran Tahir.  Their ominous testimony about Jones and his work, which is somehow related to the dark zone where reality and nightmares overlap, causes Scott to reconsider trying to get closer to him.

Meanwhile, Penny has stayed behind to keep an eye on things and has a much more personal encounter with both the art and the artist when she sees Mr. Jones putting up a few scarecrows in the forest at night.  This sequence and those within the subterranean maze, especially those involving Scott losing his way in the dark and hearing blood-curdling whispers and animal growls (this film's sound design is very well done), keep the first half of MR. JONES keenly compelling with the promise of some truly frightening developments to come.

Unfortunately, the whole thing begins to drag as the concept of the real world clashing with the nightmare world gives way to extended goofing-around montages and other cinematic confetti that is neither suspenseful, scary, nor particularly interesting in general.  Several effective moments surface amidst all of this, but not enough to sustain or reinforce the mood established earlier.  The final scenes are more tedious and confusing than scary, and ultimately anti-climactic as well when the most obvious "Night Gallery" ending drops into place with a thud.

Jon Foster and Sarah Jones give it their all and manage to make their characters both believable and sympathetic.  Writer-director Mueller, who also co-wrote the fine apocalyptic thriller THE DIVIDE, does his best to sell this tortured tale and almost pulls it off.  In fact, I can imagine some people enjoying it more than I did as long as they don't find some aspects as overly familiar and strenuously overdone. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  No extras.

The lead-up to Scott and Penny's final encounter with MR. JONES is atmospheric and intriguing, with an initial premise that had my imagination a-flitter with expectations.  The movie didn't quite fulfill them, but heck, since I've seen way worse than this earnest effort I just can't resist giving it a partial recommendation.

Buy it at Amazon.com
DVD
Blu-Ray

MR. JONES -- DVD review by porfle

DEATH DO US PART -- DVD review by porfle

One of the oldest and tired-est horror subgenres is the hoary story of the young party animals spending a fun weekend in an isolated location, only to get scared, stalked, and slashed by some Jason-like psycho killer.  Every once in a while, however, a movie comes along that proves the old genre's still got a little life left in her. 

DEATH DO US PART (2014) does this and more--in fact, it's been awhile since I started watching a movie with such low expectations only to end up being blown away to this degree.   Everything we've all seen a thousand times is right here--same premise, same set-up, same cabin in the woods, same, same, same--and yet how it's done and by whom is what makes the difference between just another piece of dreck and what, for me anyway, has the potential to become a genuine cult classic.

Writers Ryan Copple and Peter and Julia Benson know they're treading over familiar ground here, so instead of just dishing out the same rehashed story they infuse it with every imaginative twist and turn they can come up with and then supercharge it with exceptionally good filmmaking. 

Nicholas Humphries, whose previous directorial output appears to consist entirely of short subjects and some TV episodes, proves himself more than ready for feature films by giving this one a look and style beyond its budget and by keeping the pace at a fever pitch from start to finish. 

Even the familiar stereotypes are a little more interesting than usual thanks to a dash of realism and a cast that can act.  The Bensons play Kennedy Jamieson and Ryan Harris, a couple of lovebirds celebrating their impending marriage by having a "Jack and Jill" stag party in a secluded cabin with a small group of friends and family.  Unsurprisingly, the previously unseen cabin turns out to be a dump haunted by a crazy backwoods caretaker named Bo (Dave Collette), who looks like he'd be right at home stalking and slashing city folk.

Kennedy, we discover, has her own history of emotional problems and is on the verge of becoming a nervous wreck as her nuptials grow nearer. She insists on bringing her wedding dress along--the same one we see her wearing at the beginning of the film as the police find her staggering, blood-splattered and delirous, along the road.

Emilie Ullerup (HUNT TO KILL, "Smallville") is the lonesome Emily, who fears losing her best friend Kennedy to Ryan, while the bride-to-be's sister Hannah (Christine Chatelain, FINAL DESTINATION) has a really big and potentially devastating secret that she's doing her best to keep.  Chet (Kyle Cassie) is the usual obnoxious party animal, while Ryan's mysterious cousin Derrick (Benjamin Ayres, who reminds me of a young Billy Zane), is mixed up in some very dangerous business and has an ulterior motive for coming along. 

Things progress as you might guess with the group's party plans eventually interrupted by sudden terror and death.  But instead of simply presenting us with a clearly-identified "boogeyman" and then serving up a series of gore-enriched kills, DEATH DO US PART does something a lot more difficult and infinitely more satisfying by keeping the killer's identity a mystery, which not only helps generate edge-of-your-seat suspense but also keeps the story consistently scintillating and surprising. 

Due to the various jagged edges in this mismatched group's dynamic,  everyone is a potential suspect with a motive to kill.  So along with the jump scares and blood-chilling suspense (director Humphries does "creepy" right) we're constantly second-guessing who the killer is and changing our minds about it from one scene to the next. 

Even when the final reveal happens, or we think it happens, this story isn't through pulling the rug out from under us.  Which is so much more interesting than just sitting through a succession of boring death scenes garnished with gore effects and followed by the obligatory "Chucky" ending in which the killer seems to be dead and then keeps coming back to life over and over again.

The cast is terrific, with delightfully buxom Julia Benson ("SGU Stargate Universe", "Harper's Island") really selling us on her character during each stage of Kennedy's emotional turmoil.  The acting in general is much more realistic than in the usual slasher flick, and while the script contains an undercurrent of tongue-in-cheek humor, it's all much more subtle than SCREAM's self-aware self-awareness.  And never does it reach a point in which DEATH DO US PART is anything less than a full-blooded and richly effective horror flick with an old-school feel. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1:78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  The sole extra is a making-of featurette.

It seems to me that taking a seemingly worn-out genre and doing something worthwhile with it is one of the hardest things filmmakers can do, especially when so many others have already had a go at it.  That's what makes DEATH DO US PART so impressive, and such a joy for the hungry horror fan.  It's like a full-course dinner after a steady diet of junk food, and it's done to a tantalizing turn. 

Buy it at Amazon.com

DEATH DO US PART -- DVD review by porfle

"Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1" Premieres in Belgium April 14th

RETURN TO NUKE 'EM HIGH VOL 1 PREMIERES IN BELGIUM AT THE BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL MONDAY NIGHT APRIL 14TH. LEGENDARY DIRECTOR LLOYD KAUFMAN TO BE IN ATTENDANCE

3 1/2 out of 4 Stars!
"Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1 is undeniably funny, brave and so unlike anything else being put out today that it practically demands respect." - FANGORIA


(Read our review HERE.)

New York, N.Y., April 11, 2014 - Greetings from Tromaville! While Troma President and Creator of the "Toxic Avenger," Lloyd Kaufman prepares to unveil "Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1" in Helsinki, Finland at the Night Visions Film Festival, the Troma Team is proud to announce that the country of Belgium will soon honor the legendary director and his latest Tro-Masterpiece.

On the evening of Monday April 14th (technically Tuesday April 15th) the 32nd Annual Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival will host the Official Belgium Premiere of "Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1" with a Special Late Night Screening beginning at 12:30am at the Centre for Fine Arts.

Director and Star, Lloyd Kaufman will be in attendance as an honorary guest to introduce his sistine chapel film to Belgium and participate in a crowd interactive Q & A session afterwards. Lloyd Kaufman, along with the Toxic Avenger, will be available for FREE Photo Opportunities and Signings on all of your favorite Tromabilia.

Having made it's World Premiere at the Cannes film festival, been selected by the Museum of Modern Art for their prestigious 2013 "Contenders" series, and been honored by the world-renowned American Cinematheque, "Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1" continues to premiere across the world picking up critical acclaim along the way.

Troma Entertainment is proud to present it to Belgium for the first time ever at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. The screening begins at 8:30am, come out and celebrate Troma's 40th Anniversary and get ready to Return to Nuke 'Em High!

For more information on the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival please visit or to purchase your tickets for the Official Belgium Premiere of Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1:
Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1 Belgium Premiere

Here's what the critics are saying about "Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1!"

Interview Magazine -
"People were cheering, yelling, laughing, jumping out of their seats, and just contributing wholeheartedly to the onscreen festivities. It was amazing."

Sundance Channel -
"...delicious sci-fi horror comedy"

Dread Central -
"...Return the Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1, the film is ultimately Troma
at it's best."

Electronic press kit for "Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1"
Theatrical trailer for "Return to Nuke 'Em High: Vol. 1"

MORE ON TROMA'S "RETURN TO NUKE 'EM HIGH: VOLUMES 1 & 2":

Quentin Tarantino has long been a fan and friend of Troma Entertainment. When he made "Kill Bill" in two volumes to create an 'Event Film,' Lloyd Kaufman took note: "Michael Herz and I decided that to mark Troma's upcoming 40th year, we, too, would produce an 'Event Film' in two volumes just like Quentin did," said Kaufman, "except slightly less lavish in the budget department."

"Return to Nuke 'Em High: Volumes 1 & 2", directed by Lloyd Kaufman, is a hilarious, thoughtful sci-fi Event Film with themes ripped straight from today's headlines: the contamination and degradation of the world's food supply, rampant bullying and LGBTQ love triumphing over prejudice and violence. The film-a revisiting of Troma's 1986 Class of Nuke 'Em High-is in the same vein as other classics such as Class of 1984, Rock 'n' Roll High School and Carrie, but it's seen through the unique vision of Lloyd Kaufman and the Troma Team.

Welcome to Tromaville High School, where, unfortunately, the glee club has mutated into a vicious gang of Cretins. Chrissy and Lauren, two innocent lesbian lovers, must fight not only the Cretins, mutants and monsters, but also the evil Tromorganic Foodstuffs conglomerate. Can they and Kevin the Wonder Duck save Tromaville High School and the world?

Read more about the upcoming film "Night of the Witch" Lloyd Kaufman's collaboration with Finland's Roger! Pictures

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 it's 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 & 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 luminaries 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, Samuel L. Jackson, James Gunn and Eli Roth. Troma's latest productions are "Return to Nuke 'Em High: Volumes 1 & 2". Visit Troma at www.troma.com, www.lloydkaufman.com, www.twitter.com/lloydkaufman and www.tromapast.tumblr.com.

"Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 1" Premieres in Belgium April 14th

95ERS: TIME RUNNERS -- DVD review by porfle

The chintzy cover art and awkward title led me to think this was going to be a SyFy-type movie, but 95ERS: TIME RUNNERS, aka "95ers: Echoes" (2013) is way too good to be mistaken for such piffle.  In fact, this densely plotted and visually stimulating adventure is so sharply made that it kept me keenly interested even when I wasn't sure what the hell was going on.

A surehanded directorial debut by Thomas Gomez Durham, it's the story of a beautiful FBI agent named Sally Biggs (the director's wife,  Alesandra Durham) who has the ability to turn back time for nine seconds whenever she wants to.  This means that she never drops a dish, always wins at guessing games, and makes every shot in pool, since she has the luxury of unlimited second chances.

Why she's like this and how it affects the time-space continuum in general is just, as one character puts it, the tip of the tip of an iceberg which also involves the strange disappearance of her scientist husband Horatio Astaire Biggs (Joel Bishop, SAINTS AND SOLDIERS), who was doing advanced time travel research, and a larger storyline in which future time travelers escaping from a devastating, ongoing war have been causing multiple timeline distortions with catastrophic results.

Believe me, there's too much to all  this to try and encapsulate here, especially since Thomas Durham and his co-writer brother James have conceived a vast "95ers" backstory which they hope to parlay into a multimedia franchise.  Only time will tell, as it were, whether or not this will extend beyond the current film, which had a gestation period of at least five years. 

In its own way, the "95ers" saga is just as scintillating as the original MATRIX (with the potential for more substantial sequels).  It's the kind of time travel story that goes way beyond  simply jumping from one date to another, exploring all the ramifications of how messing around with timelines can disrupt both individual lives and the fate of humankind itself. 

Agent Sally Biggs finds this out for herself when faced with an opportunity to erase her marriage and current pregnancy due to second thoughts about her relationship with her missing husband.  She's unexpectedly given this chance to change things by her mysterious boss, Hamilcar Grandon (Terence Goodman), whose motives we're never quite sure of. 

Grandon, who knows much more than he's telling about Horatio's disappearance and time travel in general, is aware of Sally's time-rewind abilities and is able to thwart them in creative ways--some of the film's most exciting scenes involve the two of them battling for control of the situation at hand.

Meanwhile, Sally must also deal with ghostly visions of Horatio--which may be echoes of other timelines--and attacks from unknown assailants from the future.  Her investigations into seemingly paranormal occurrences (one might call them "X-files") may be the key to solving the mystery. 

At any rate, we're thrust right into the middle of the Durham brothers' grand "95ers" universe without any explanation and expected to just hold on tight and figure it out as we go along.  Which I managed to do, while enjoying myself very much along the way.  The film is deftly directed and consistently engaging even when nothing's going on besides Horatio's voiceover accompanying a montage of images from his diary as Sally pores over it. 

The action scenes are especially fun when Sally's time-rewind power is put to use fine-tuning things until she manages to extricate herself from her current peril.  Her personal life also yields the film's more sentimental moments as she agonizes over whether or not to change her own timeline and nullify her marriage.  A theater group led by her sister-in-law (Anne Sward, who played Lyla Montgomery on "As the World Turns" back in the 80s) influences her decision by rehearsing Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" in her home, causing her to ruminate upon past,  present, and future.

Alesandra Durham is a dynamic and charismatic lead, with able support by the rest of the cast.  Some scenes involving extreme emoting are handled rather awkwardly, but these instances are rare.

SPFX and the overall look of the film are very well done for such a relatively modest production.  James Durham supplies a lush musical score that also includes several songs and some library tracks.  A quick glance at the credits finds them full of Durhams and other names, with various people doing double-duty or more. 

The DVD from Inception Media Group is in 16 x 9 (1.78:1) widescreen with 5.1 digital surround sound and subtitles in English.  Extras include a homey commentary track with Tom and Ali Durham, deleted and extended scenes, and trailers for this and other Inception releases.

After such low expectations,  I was delighted to find 95ERS: TIME RUNNERS to be so well and fully realized, in addition to being a stimulating and invigorating sci-fi fun ride filled with timelines in flux, tipping points, convergences, and all that other good stuff. Now if only the Durhams had access to the budgets that were squandered on the conceptually-challenged MATRIX sequels...

Official site
Buy the DVD

95ERS: TIME RUNNERS -- DVD review by porfle

"The Zombinator"--Coming to DVD & VOD May 13th from Inception Media Group

Inception Media Group Proudly Presents
THE ZOMBINATOR

It’s Death by Design

LOS ANGELES — May 1, 2014 — For Immediate Release — A town relies on one man to save them from planned destruction in The Zombinator, coming to DVD and VOD May 13 from Inception Media Group.

While filming a documentary in a small, Ohio town, a group of college students come face to face with the undead, turning the class project into a horrific nightmare.

Behind the zombie takeover is an evil corporation intent on lowering the town’s population and a mercenary working for the company, the Colonel (Patrick Kilpatrick, Minority Report, Eraser, Last Man Standing), has exposed the locals to an infectious serum.

Now, their only hope of survival is the Zombinator (Joseph Aviel, Divergent), a former soldier-turned-zombie killer, who must protect them from the Colonel and fend off the walking dead … But can one man save them all?

The Zombinator is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of (1.78:1) and 5.1 digital surround sound. 

About Inception Media Group
Inception Media Group, LLC is based in Los Angeles and is a diversified media company specializing in the production, acquisition and distribution of motion pictures and other filmed entertainment across all media platforms and channels of distribution. Inception Media Group's management team has extensive relationships with exhibitors, retailers, distributors and technology companies, enabling the Company to maximize the services performed on behalf of its content partners. The company boasts a catalog of approximately 100 filmed entertainment properties and over 2,500 hours of digital content encompassing feature films, episodic television series, documentaries and special interest programming. More information is available at www.inceptionmediagroup.com

The Zombinator
Inception Media Group
Genre:  Horror/Zombies
Not Rated
Format:  DVD
Running Time:  Approx. 82 Minutes
Suggested Retail Price:  $26.98
Pre-Book Date: April 8, 2014
Street Date:  May 13, 2014
Catalog #:  IMG1296DVD
UPC Code:  #815300012260

Buy it at Amazon.com

"The Zombinator"--Coming to DVD & VOD May 13th from Inception Media Group

"Piggy"--Psychopathic Thriller Slashing Up DVD and VOD May 13th from Inception Media Group

Inception Media Group Proudly Presents
Piggy

A New Breed of Vigilante 

LOS ANGELES — May 1, 2014— For Immediate Release — A grieving brother takes justice into his own hands with the help of a new friend in the bloody, revenge thriller Piggy, slashing up DVD and VOD May 13 from Inception Media Group.

When John (Neil Maskell, Kill List, Atonement, Basic Instinct 2) is brutally murdered, his shy, mild-mannered brother, Joe (Martin Compston, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Red Road), finds solace in Piggy (Paul Anderson, The Sweeney,  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), one of John’s long-time friends.

Taking the reclusive, grieving brother under his wing, Piggy teaches Joe his gritty, vigilante ways. As their friendship grows, Joe finds himself in an increasingly dangerous,  murky world of violence and revenge as the duo embarks on a bloody mission to exact justice upon John’s killers.

As his life collapses around him, Joe begins to question his mentor’s ways … Now, could he be the next one on the butcher’s block?

Also starring Josh Herdman (the Harry Potter franchise), Ed Skrein (Ill Manors, The Sweeney, HBO’s Game of Thrones) and Louise Dylan (Vampire Killers), Piggy is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16 x 9 (2.35:1) and 5.1 digital surround sound. 

About Inception Media Group
Inception Media Group, LLC is based in Los Angeles and is a diversified media company specializing in the production, acquisition and distribution of motion pictures and other filmed entertainment across all media platforms and channels of distribution. Inception Media Group's management team has extensive relationships with exhibitors, retailers, distributors and technology companies, enabling the Company to maximize the services performed on behalf of its content partners. The company boasts a catalog of approximately 100 filmed entertainment properties and over 2,500 hours of digital content encompassing feature films, episodic television series, documentaries and special interest programming. More information is available at  www.inceptionmediagroup.com

Piggy
Inception Media Group
Genre:  Thriller/Horror
Not Rated
Format:  DVD
Running Time:  Approx. 106 Minutes
Suggested Retail Price:  $26.98
Pre-Book Date: April 8, 2014
Street Date:  May 13, 2014
Catalog #:  IMG1294DVD
UPC Code:  #815300011706

Buy it at Amazon.com

"Piggy"--Psychopathic Thriller Slashing Up DVD and VOD May 13th from Inception Media Group

Commemorate Memorial Day With Two Wartime Classics From Olive Films This May

OLIVE FILMS RELEASES TWO CLASSIC WAR THEMED FILMS

FLYING TIGERS
AND
HOME OF THE BRAVE

ON BLU-RAY™ AND DVD MAY 13, 2014

Newly Remastered in HD and on Blu-ray™ for the First Time!

CHICAGO, IL – Olive Films releases two classic films that honor the military just in time for Memorial Day, Flying Tigers and Home of the Brave (1949), on Blu-ray™ and DVD May 13th. Flying Tigers (1942) stars John Wayne in a story set just prior to the invasion of Pearl Harbor and contains some of the most nail-biting aerial combat sequences ever shot.

Home of the Brave is a more hard-hitting personal story of an African American solider and the discrimination he faces during his service in WWII. Newly remastered in HD for the first time, these films have never looked better. SRP is $29.95 for the Blu-ray™, and $24.95 for the DVD. Pre-book is April 8th.

Flying Tigers follows a small and daring band of American mercenaries who soared into battle against Japan in defense of China’s freedom. The 'Flying Tigers' were heroic adventurers and America’s hottest ace pilots. Possessing unmatched skill and bravery, Capt. Jim Gordon, played by Wayne, was the Tigers’ leader and top gun. Gordon faces a battle on and off the ground when his good friend and ace pilot, Woody Jason (John Carroll, Hit Parade of 1943) is suspected of recklessly and selfishly endangering the lives of his fellow pilots.

Gordon’s fight to retain his respect for Woody while maintaining the solidarity of his pilots is an explosive battle of courage and heroism that lights up the sky with action. Directed by the great and underrated David Miller (Lonely Are the Brave, Sudden Fear) with rousing score by Victor Young (My Favorite Spy, The Quiet Man), Flying Tigers is a memorable story of daring, and was nominated for three Academy Awards®.

Based on a play by Arthur Laurents (Rope), Home Of The Brave recounts the story of a young black soldier who has suffered a nervous breakdown and developed psychosomatic paralysis. Crippled by rage and trauma, his condition was induced by experiences encountered during a reconnaissance mission combined with a lifetime of racial discrimination. He may be able to walk again, but only if he can overcome his anger and frustrations.

The film’s theme revolves around a diverse group of men subjected to the horror of war and their individual struggles. Home Of The Brave was one of Hollywood's first bold statements regarding the issue of race and the realities of war. The cast includes Frank Lovejoy, Lloyd Bridges, Douglas Dick, James Edwards, Steve Brodie and Jeff Corey. Produced by Stanley Kramer (On the Beach) and directed by Mark Robson (Champion) with a screenplay by Carl Foreman (High Noon). The National Board of Review named the movie one of the 10 best of 1949.

About Olive Films
Olive Films was founded in 2003 by Farhad Arshad as a boutique theatrical and distribution label. Currently located in Chicago, Illinois, its catalog boasts over 500 titles cultivated from the libraries of Paramount, Republic, Warner and HBO and includes such Hollywood classics as the Oscar® winners High Noon starring Gary Cooper and John Ford’s The Quiet Man starring John Wayne, the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers starring Kevin McCarthy, Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900 starring Robert DeNiro, the John Wayne classics Rio Grande, McLintock! and Sands of Iwo Jima, along with such contemporary classics as Stephen King’s Cujo, the Wachowski’s Bound, The Running Man starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ironweed starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.

Flying Tigers Blu-ray™
Street Date:                 May 13, 2014
Pre-book:                     April 8, 2014
Cat. #:                         OF776
UPC:                           887090077606
Run Time:                   102 Minutes
Rating:                        N/A
SRP:                            $29.95
Format:                        1.37:1 (16x9)
Audio:                         Mono

Flying Tigers DVD
Street Date:                 May 13, 2014
Pre-book:                     April 8, 2014
Cat. #:                         OF775
UPC:                           887090077507
Run Time:                   102 Minutes
Rating:                        N/A
SRP:                            $24.95
Format:                        1.37:1 (16x9)
Audio:                         Mono

Home of the Brave Blu-ray™
Street Date:                 May 13, 2014
Pre-book:                     April 8, 2014
Cat. #:                         OF772
UPC:                           87090077200
Run Time:                   86 Minutes
Rating:                        N/A
SRP:                            $29.95
Format:                        1.37:1 (16x9)
Audio:                         Mono

Home of the Brave DVD
Street Date:                 May 13, 2014
Pre-book:                     April 8, 2014
Cat. #:                         OF771
UPC:                           87090077101
Run Time:                   86 Minutes
Rating:                        N/A
SRP:                            $24.95
Format:                        1.37:1 (16x9)
Audio:                         Mono

Buy "Flying Tigers" at Amazon.com
Blu-Ray
DVD

Buy "Home of the Brave" at Amazon.com
Blu-Ray
DVD

Commemorate Memorial Day With Two Wartime Classics From Olive Films This May