tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-210489054742501452024-03-05T04:58:03.412-05:00Basement of Ghoulish Decadencea collection of observations, complaints, and muses regarding Horror and Cult film, DVD, and VHS.Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.comBlogger1497125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-25659804072197038032016-10-06T14:42:00.000-04:002016-10-10T11:44:09.096-04:00Phantasm Ravager Deleted Scenes(?) End Credits Rundown <div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI0a_wRy0cW1g9cmLDz_lQSMAm8gep8OZ90HGIzOvEiJLsDNKZ2KNC-K8gSFOaLxYHk_qRiUmJu4fLE1bs8AVYqgFq9eEHZW_IQniZQ8x9k69UzbL5A_TfIDTj9Rty1ZLAfQ3mFDXoA/s1600/8765785.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI0a_wRy0cW1g9cmLDz_lQSMAm8gep8OZ90HGIzOvEiJLsDNKZ2KNC-K8gSFOaLxYHk_qRiUmJu4fLE1bs8AVYqgFq9eEHZW_IQniZQ8x9k69UzbL5A_TfIDTj9Rty1ZLAfQ3mFDXoA/s320/8765785.png" width="320" /></a>Figured I'd go through and post descriptions of all the clips that play under the end credits that <i>aren't </i>in the final film. There's a surprising amount and I have no idea why all this was omitted. Possible deleted scenes on the Blu-ray/DVD? Possible signs of a re-edit midway through production? Maybe one day a fan edit could be created to slice out the "Reggie Dilemma" and un-bullshit the film's events with these scenes (<i>if ever released as a Blu-ray extra or something, that is</i>). I've tried to list them in keeping with the film's order, but a few scenes don't match at all. <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Opening Desert Road Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">A shot of the Cuda thief yelling the <i>"Get outta the road, asshole!"</i> line out of the window.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #f1c232;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Opening Desert Road Scene</span></i><span style="color: #f1c232;">: </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">The Cuda driving over and crushing a disabled sphere.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Dawn Death Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Reggie quickly grabbing a switchblade off a dresser and tensing up against a door after the sphere unlatches from her head.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Dawn Death Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Straight-on angle of Reggie crashing through a window while escaping (<i>a side angle of this can be seen in the trailer</i>).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Wooded Path Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Two spheres come up on both sides of Reggie's head and protrude their spikes, his eyes nervously dart between both.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Wooded Path Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Reggie being "beaten up" by spheres striking his chest, knee, and head. He drops his pistol in the process.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #f1c232;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Wooded Path Scene(?):</span></i><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Reggie using his quad barrel to blast an approaching sphere.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Mausoleum Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #ffe599;"> The Lady in Lavender rising up after being shot by Reggie screaming as her eyes become demonic.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Mausoleum Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Shot of the Tall Man standing amongst the tombs (<i>might be a composite made for the credits sequence</i>).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>"Cave" Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Reggie lying on the ground then suddenly slicing an attacking dwarves' chest open with his sword.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>"Future" Hospital Scene(?)</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Three shots of Coscarelli and Hartman dressed as resistance fighters battling dwarves (<i>also seen in the street scene in the film</i>), an unknown man appears in one shot fighting along with them. Eventually the dwarves get the best of them.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Red Planet Scene(?)</i>:</span><span style="color: #ffe599;"> Reggie cowering trying to cover his face while a giant vortex swirls behind him.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Red Planet Scene(?)</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">The Tall Man raising his arm to point and say something with the right half of his face ripped off.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Outside "Future" Hospital Scene(?)</i>:</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Quick shot of Mike firing his pistol directly at the camera.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Outside "Future" Hospital Scene</i>:</span><span style="color: #ffe599;"> Two shots of the same scene where Mike and Reggie fire upon and slice up dwarves and gravers.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">(Scene Unknown):</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Shot of a sphere blasting out through the face of an unknown man.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">(Scene Unknown):</span><span style="color: #ffe599;"> Quick shot of Reggie firing his pistol.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">*(Scene Unknown):</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Two unknown heavily dressed men in a snow-laden forest fire and strike a giant sphere in the sky with a rocket launcher.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">*(Scene Unknown):</span><span style="color: #ffe599;"> Jet fighter "threading the needle" between two giant spheres just as they crash into each other.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">*(Scene Unknown):</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Giant sphere crash landing and destroying a building as it rolls toward the camera.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">*(Scene Unknown):</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"></span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Giant sphere blowing up a car with a laser, seen from the dash of the Cuda as it speeds toward the crash.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;">(Scene Unknown): </span><span style="color: #ffe599;">Shot of the Cuda taking a turn on a road with a giant sphere hovering in the clouds (<i>not the one seen at the end</i>).</span></li>
</ul>
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">*</span><span style="color: #f1c232;">Assuming the unused giant sphere stuff might be more flashbacks intended to show the Tall Man's takeover of mankind.</span></i><span style="color: #f1c232;"> </span><br />
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Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-50437089924920023362016-10-05T18:39:00.000-04:002016-10-06T10:22:23.766-04:00Phantasm Ravager (2016), The Biggest "F*ck You" in Horror History?<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK10D9hI_PC6zhJiiJRflooK2Z3FadP0-qwj8jdNKJ28Wm-MywtNs2O7mLaGgj3dcHm1zsQ9Fwxzr3zi8EE7H8OOhrRObWvpqwAmKJF1WdfJVBgUzw3GIqUpQ6hBsEMNzFi6Yjoc1C5Q/s1600/Ravager-poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK10D9hI_PC6zhJiiJRflooK2Z3FadP0-qwj8jdNKJ28Wm-MywtNs2O7mLaGgj3dcHm1zsQ9Fwxzr3zi8EE7H8OOhrRObWvpqwAmKJF1WdfJVBgUzw3GIqUpQ6hBsEMNzFi6Yjoc1C5Q/s320/Ravager-poster.png" width="216" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #f1c232;">*SPOILER WARNING, don't think I'll be able to talk about the film without spoiling key points, beware.</span></i><br />
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Flat out, the fifth and presumably final entry in Don Coscarelli's epic <i>Phantasm</i> series is an awful film and even worse sequel. The franchise has etched out its own special place and has maintained a dependable consistency over the decades. Incredible when considering the long waits between sequels filled with years of false starts and speculation. While other genre icons have branched into more mainstream crowds, even Ash, the apocalyptic yarn of Mike (<i>A. Michael Baldwin</i>), Reggie (<i>Reggie Bannister</i>), and Jody (<i>Bill Thornbury</i>) has always stuck to close to familiar waters of its extremely loyal fanbase forged from late night airings and rentals. This makes it especially hard to see what Coscarelli, and director/co-writer David Hartman, have decided to make of this last stand against the Tall Man (<i>Angus Scrimm</i>).<br />
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Getting the obvious out of the way, this is an extremely cheap production, shot here-and-there over several years, and shortcomings are constantly apparent. There's a heavy reliance on computer generated effects; everything from spheres taking flight, splattery gunshots, the creation of the (still) mysterious red planet, and even superimposing Scrimm's face on his Tall Man character at times. None of this is any real issue as it's been a minor miracle the series, with successively much lower budgets, has clawed to four sequels over three decades. Hell, the very existence of <b>Phantasm II</b> (1988) alone will forever defy all kinds of conventional film business logic. Although it probably would have been a good idea to launch a phantasmic crowdfunding effort a few years ago. I mean, if Tom Savini and Dario Argento can promise the world and not deliver a single frame, then why not?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHB56w_12l_0xNQ13o-kvn00fV5UDEqwmQliir9R5tULEHWL07DabkmgFWPTPW-wgTBWDEZcNqPmKgZj7TKkhV_ZBWAXJCj_q8zfT5xUElbOi47UsEPouJWNNhAwxv-djXELlNBpd7g/s1600/COGAcjVU8AAaruG.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHB56w_12l_0xNQ13o-kvn00fV5UDEqwmQliir9R5tULEHWL07DabkmgFWPTPW-wgTBWDEZcNqPmKgZj7TKkhV_ZBWAXJCj_q8zfT5xUElbOi47UsEPouJWNNhAwxv-djXELlNBpd7g/s320/COGAcjVU8AAaruG.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-small;">"Fuck everything, man..."</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What practically breaks this sequel's balls, and the entire series (<i>if you let it</i>), is how Coscarelli and Hartman allow an interesting concept to nullify <i>everything</i> that is Phantasm. It turns out, nearly forty years and five films can be chalked up to grand tall tales told to Mike by a now elderly Reggie in hospice suffering from dementia. That's right, all of the events in 1979 and eternal struggle since end up as bullshit since none of it ever happened. <i>Thanks again phans for waiting all this time!</i><br />
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Watching in despair are Mike and Jody, who apparently still died in a car accident but appears alive in "reality" later on, powerless as their longtime friend mentally slips away. The various sequences of Reggie continuing the fight against the Tall Man are all just increasingly warped delusions colored by the worry of his circumstances. Early on Mike brings up the "possibility" of other planes of existence, but it's obvious that's not at play here. This might be the most insane case of sacrificing an entire premise for a silly concept film in all of genre history. <i>Why?!?</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBrhyphenhypheniM3w53v0iSOUYMytawWvXKLU4Ni9sbChZYgIa-6Rba0_ikZ7nCJdQuio4zCdVA9iHIwF69Zbcgkso_7Gj-1OAycQ7yR7jQzv_x-Bh9763j2eQaQoYRNxbaRZg3HAML2VSep5fA/s1600/747.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBrhyphenhypheniM3w53v0iSOUYMytawWvXKLU4Ni9sbChZYgIa-6Rba0_ikZ7nCJdQuio4zCdVA9iHIwF69Zbcgkso_7Gj-1OAycQ7yR7jQzv_x-Bh9763j2eQaQoYRNxbaRZg3HAML2VSep5fA/s320/747.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Really?"</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Honestly, <i>Ravager</i>'s wanton destruction of the series makes it tough to view anything in a positive light this time around. Suddenly learning the <i>Phantasm</i> universe was an excuse for a Lifetime Channel melodrama can do that. Still, if one <i>completely</i> disregards that aspect, the story tries to satisfy fans with an albeit rushed depiction of a world finally under the Tall Man's total dominion. Fun sequences for sure, but again, now rendered meaningless.<br />
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Everyone seems game here, especially Scrimm, who conveys more things of importance than the usual terse Tall Man one-liners. Series vet Christopher L. Stone's often lively score is excellent and helps hold together what usually feels like a patchwork of strung together scenes. Despite being hardly utilized, it's also nice to see Kathy Lester and Gloria Lynne Henry reprise roles. Curious also is what appears to be quite a few deleted scenes playing under the end credits. Many of which featuring special effects, even one that looks like the Tall Man with half his face ripped off. I can't help but wonder whether plans changed during this sequel's long production and the film took a detour into the heap before us today.<br />
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It's easy to imagine some longtime fans concocting half-assed explanations to make the "Reggie Dilemma" not totally negate the established mythos. However, it's impossible for me to get beyond <i>everything</i> literally being all for not. What's the point when three principal characters aren't who've they've always been across four previous films? They're suddenly just ordinary people whom we never actually knew. For all we know Reggie could have been a used car salesman, Mike a professor, and Jody a mechanic. So who cares what happens to them after it's revealed to be a grandiose lie. Ultimately, <b>Phantasm Ravager</b> just feels like some snide attempt by Coscarelli to take back his creation that's long rested under the care of a legion of fans. Something like <i>"Oh, you think Phantasm has depth? Okay well suck on this twist."</i> Not clever, nor interesting, just a tarnish on the silver sphere.<br />
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Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-15301453189803910362016-02-16T13:25:00.001-05:002016-02-16T18:46:30.919-05:00The Return of Japanese AV Distributor MAD VIDEO? <div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWzQ-Xl6QyX0IlclZ-Y59_Y2pnc0GzVZX3yU5KT0NjXOuPN9FuGzMpdv7tL9_AQUTMkrLw5kcKBDmZWc1fWS_KtSViBp-YtyG9uWYRg5fycrJCCSOUaNZd0nGqHiBRQNIhE2OU-DVxg/s1600/STK644689.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWzQ-Xl6QyX0IlclZ-Y59_Y2pnc0GzVZX3yU5KT0NjXOuPN9FuGzMpdv7tL9_AQUTMkrLw5kcKBDmZWc1fWS_KtSViBp-YtyG9uWYRg5fycrJCCSOUaNZd0nGqHiBRQNIhE2OU-DVxg/s320/STK644689.png" width="233" /></a>Details are sketchy, my Japanese is awful, but it appears the rebirth of one of the most notorious home video labels is imminent. During the late '80s to mid '90s, V&R Planning's Mad Video released a gamut of brutal shockumentaries mostly comprised of newsreel culled from Asia and South America. Their most proficient series, <i>Death File</i>, ran for fourteen volumes with a final omnibus completing the set. Mad also released several<i> Faces of Death</i> installments and the <i>Guinea Pig</i> compilation <b>Slaughter Special</b> in 1988. V&R became so involved in these shock films that studio founder Kaoru Adachi, who narrated the <i>Death File</i> series, acted as co-director and executive producer of <b>Faces of Death 4</b> (1990). Even going as far as to travel to Brazil to capture footage firsthand. <br />
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Almost understandably, none of these have been officially made available on anything but their original VHS editions in Japan. Although now V&R is resurrecting Mad Video beginning in June. Adachi has been filming a new shot-on-video feature under the working title, <b>よみがえり遊び ひとりかくれんぼ</b> (roughly: <i>Resurrected: Hide and Seek</i>), for debut on the revamped label. It's unclear whether Mad is looking to re-release their prior catalog, but this <a href="http://ameblo.jp/madvideo2016/entry-12125262727.html" target="_blank">blog entry</a> seems to indicate they're waiting for a ban to be lifted later this year.<br />
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As to what this ban entails? I'm unsure since I always believed their brand of especially insane shockumentary was never formally "banned" even after the copycat crimes of Tsutomu Miyazaki and infamous Charlie Sheen/FBI incident cast shade upon the <i>Guinea Pig</i> series. Along with their blog above, Mad Video has been ramping up their social media presence on <a href="https://twitter.com/MADVIDEOVANDR">Twitter</a>, interesting to note their header is from <b>American Guinea Pig</b>, and a new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfn2dY00UuPlGpSBcpp4oxg">YouTube</a> channel with a brief interview with Adachi. Japanese cult clothing outfit Terror Factory, that ship internationally, have also released a Mad Video logo <a href="http://www.terrorfactory.net/?p=1744" target="_blank">t-shirt</a> and <a href="http://www.terrorfactory.net/?p=1749" target="_blank">hoodie</a>. Guess it's fair warning to get those barf bags ready for summer...<br />
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<span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Kaoru Adachi on the set of よみがえり遊び ひとりかくれんぼ)</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVLJa3EH6RTRI-8EngikXr96kInl9y76XCvTdVSrgVGbMVmYabJseoo2hb1MrwMDLQsTKT9MpcWsajUOSmDED2dEydehWXHnl_UN-0n0qxkb8u7A_prPj97s8jUTfMAffOK5JnIXRjw/s1600/CSqq5jCVEAArr7j+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVLJa3EH6RTRI-8EngikXr96kInl9y76XCvTdVSrgVGbMVmYabJseoo2hb1MrwMDLQsTKT9MpcWsajUOSmDED2dEydehWXHnl_UN-0n0qxkb8u7A_prPj97s8jUTfMAffOK5JnIXRjw/s640/CSqq5jCVEAArr7j+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-50686512660091685972016-02-12T18:14:00.001-05:002016-02-12T20:29:40.327-05:00Some quick thoughts on Zombie Fight Club (屍城 / Dead City) (2014)<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0kkLCJzsGdPHXboMJeVxATYOtpJoziHihKb2AtmalgLvIFeGSH0MeSggsFGitAKNFY3eSRH3619hhowPjsx3pqFU5Z-uUP_7ZXX2xUvl3k_x10Y6NE8DzL_Wggyb235KHwPu7uKIbw/s1600/7856745.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0kkLCJzsGdPHXboMJeVxATYOtpJoziHihKb2AtmalgLvIFeGSH0MeSggsFGitAKNFY3eSRH3619hhowPjsx3pqFU5Z-uUP_7ZXX2xUvl3k_x10Y6NE8DzL_Wggyb235KHwPu7uKIbw/s320/7856745.png" width="224" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #ffd966;">A sudden zombie outbreak occurs in an "anonymous" apartment building in Taipei driving residents, including a SWAT team on a corrupt mission caught in the wrong place, to fight or die. Eventually, "fight or die" becomes the mantra as humanity falls and the living are forced to battle the undead with their bare hands.</span></i>
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Nothing like truth in advertising...or not. Joe Chien's far too serious <b>Zombie Fight Club</b> is godawful, falling terribly short of the light and fun standards of other Eastern zombie outings like fellow Hong Kong production <b>Bio-Zombie</b> (1998), Thailand's <b>SARS Wars</b> (2004), or Japan's <b>Junk</b> (2000). Still being my very-forgiving-toward-zombiedom self, this hyperactive piece of crap obviously aimed at the hollow-headed teen demo has to fail on several fronts to entertain, or make much sense, to earn this much damnation.<br />
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The worst sin Chien commits, that's actually quite reminiscent of Uwe Boll, is the flaky structure of even the most basic storytelling. Starting thirty minutes before the chaos, we're introduced to the principals, which only amount to three characters despite throwing in a slew that ultimately only appear important. Model Jessica C. is Jenny, a damsel in distress whose only job is to be attractive at the hip of our hero, the only moral police officer Andy (<i>Andy On, True Legend</i>). Jack Kao (<i>Shinjuku Incident</i>) appears as a father who turns to ruthless means to protect his infected daughter and Michael Wong (<i>Beast Cops</i>) is mostly wasted as the bastard captain of the SWAT team. Everyone else acts as nameless zombie chow in the same few apartments and hallways over-and-over to pad the ninety minutes.<br />
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Then suddenly, literally a few seconds into the exact one hour mark, <b>Zombie Fight Club</b> finally becomes a fight club with zombies (<i>original!</i>). On-screen text introduces us to the same world one year later. Kao's crazed father character has gone full <i>Night of the Living Dead Harry</i> refusing to admit the zombified state of his daughter while lording over living vs. dead brawls. Ridiculous, right? A tonal shift so striking it's tough to mentally wrap one's head around. Seemingly as of Chien purposely edited one hour of a film entitled <i>"Emergency! Taipei Apartment Zombies!"</i> to smashcut together with what originally was <b>Zombie Fight Club</b>. The last half-hour picks up after the redundancy of the first sixty minutes with a couple scraps of flashy fisticuffs. However, events play out as expected if you've ever seen Romero's 1968 classic as Jessica and Andy struggle to remain unbitten.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHn5aGhwoanXX_cPJSW73F-m7GHIWH5eCRXPTpud67K0SN7hUjR7wT90e-jsmCCg6S0Ao8uVfPcMuDIt64TnanuE8duvJK00gtZq9YN0nkRJmufPzgr5IbYesW85l_IlEw1mvusEetg/s1600/0978685.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHn5aGhwoanXX_cPJSW73F-m7GHIWH5eCRXPTpud67K0SN7hUjR7wT90e-jsmCCg6S0Ao8uVfPcMuDIt64TnanuE8duvJK00gtZq9YN0nkRJmufPzgr5IbYesW85l_IlEw1mvusEetg/s320/0978685.png" width="320" /></a>Major plot grumbles aside, <i>Apartment Complex Fight of the Dead</i> does something that will piss most aficionados off even more. Every splatterly squib, blown-off head, or ripped limb is completely CG. That shitty fast n' cheeseball CG too and not the more skillful touch often seen in <i>The Walking Dead</i>. There's a few great zombie make-up jobs, but the computer-assisted onslaught proves impossible to ignore. Nothing involving the red stuff remains untouched. This even extends into gunfire and explosions, so the visceral impact of both the horror and action simply isn't there. Of course, if you can get beyond this, you might be able to find enjoyment while also ignoring the structural frustrations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZupKTEAIRvT1_faVtCs7TDSly8Om1eYzeKOQggkFppInYTGPATUdNLIj2mGgK-bM_cHVePZPh5qR7wnsehlXOSG54Zq8WKc_YOTxlynmMHYINHyigGHNH4gq2PDGMB_Yeom3OdZ2U-A/s1600/9865b.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZupKTEAIRvT1_faVtCs7TDSly8Om1eYzeKOQggkFppInYTGPATUdNLIj2mGgK-bM_cHVePZPh5qR7wnsehlXOSG54Zq8WKc_YOTxlynmMHYINHyigGHNH4gq2PDGMB_Yeom3OdZ2U-A/s320/9865b.png" width="320" /></a>Being too hard on what's knowingly popcorn junk? Nah, problem is there's plenty of other zombie flicks that also don't reinvent the wheel but are actually very entertaining. <b>Zombie Fight Club</b> is a mess that constantly prohibits your brain from shutting off. It's bad when the most interesting aspect is the odd choice of having ample English peppered randomly amongst the Mandarin. Sometimes even characters that at first speak Mandarin switch to English, that's <i>not</i> dubbed in, for no reason. For the curious, wait to pick it up used from all those Walmart impulse purchases and don't be fooled by the title, cover, or Scream Factory's straw grabbin' synopsis on the back cover.<br />
<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-70180179922728049542014-08-24T16:09:00.001-04:002014-08-24T16:13:46.846-04:00Hiatus Explanation, Not Dead and Will Be Back... <div style="text-align: right;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Just 'cuz I watched this classic last night</span></i></td></tr>
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Hi guys, just a quick update on the status of <i>Basement of Ghoulish Decadence</i> and its author. Well, first off I'm sorry posts were spotty and then this little blog suddenly flat-lined. Back in March, the day after my <i>Raiders of the Doomed Kingdom</i> write-up, I had the damn luck of having a house fire due to a still unexplained wiring fault. Thankfully, no one was injured, but my dogs and cats sadly perished. Despite the fire being confined, soot damage was tremendous especially downstairs. Literally it was as if flat-black spray paint was layered from floor to ceiling. TVs melted off their wallmounts, windows shattered, and canned foods exploded across the house from the ignition point. Although ash got into virtually <i>everything</i> to some extent. My collection suffered a bit and it took an incredible amount of meticulous cleaning, that's still ongoing, to get things both big and small to approach normalcy again.<br />
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The worst aspect, outside of the loss of my pets, was the fire destroying the main junction box. The process of restoring the house's electrical wiring is another ongoing and rather frustrating element. This is where BoGD's hiatus comes in, having none and now minimal electricity has hampered daily life, and I've been mostly limited to mobile Internet access. Hence my continued activity over on Facebook and Twitter. If you want to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jayson.kennedy" target="_blank">friend</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/ghoulbasement" target="_blank">follow</a> me, please feel free, it's like this blog in microcosm. I'm still watching, collecting, and trying to get to flea markets when I can.<br />
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Also, my father suddenly passed away peacefully in his sleep several weeks ago. Of course, I love and miss him dearly, but more immediately he was an <i>immeasurable</i> help in the post-fire repair. So it's been harder since and I've been trying to be proactive both for my own and my mother's sanity. Now, I'm not posting any of this for sympathy. I just felt the need to update those, if anyone is, still stopping in periodically. I haven't abandoned this blog and won't, but inevitably life encroaches on the fun and dampens it for awhile. This time life struck big time.<br />
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I hope to be back sometime in the coming weeks because I truly miss babbling here and delivering my half-assed insight about whatever. Before all this, I also just began writing for <a href="http://www.horrortalk.com/" target="_blank">HorrorTalk</a>, and being great guys (and gals) they've been nothing but understanding and I'll be firing back up there as well. So thanks to everyone for the kind condolences and those who've inquired about the long absence. I'll be back and hope to begin sharing brighter days with all of you again. <br />
<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-29422514229347003032014-05-10T22:03:00.001-04:002014-05-10T22:07:58.260-04:00Argento's OPERA (1987) debuts on Blu-ray in Japan...<div style="text-align: right;">
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Kadokawa/Eclipse is set to release Dario Argento's <b>Opera </b>(<i>Terror at the Opera</i>) (1987) on Blu-ray in Japan on July 25th. Unfortunately, details on supplements either haven't been announced yet or perhaps this edition, along with a new DVD, might be barebones. However; this both marks the film's debut on Blu-ray anywhere and the first time a release has been seen on DVD or BD in Japan.<br />
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These editions are also being heavily touted as the 107 minute uncut version, as the Japanese theatrical release was cut by some twelve minutes. The Blu-ray is advertised as featuring English audio, but only in standard Dolby Digital Mono. Both editions have Italian as their main tracks, with the BD in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, but only with Japanese subtitles.<br />
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Here's the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%AA%E3%83%9A%E3%83%A9%E5%BA%A7-%E8%A1%80%E3%81%AE%E5%96%9D%E9%87%87-%E5%AE%8C%E5%85%A8%E7%89%88-Blu-ray-%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%8A%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF/dp/B00K1T9RO0/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt" target="_blank">Amazon.jp listing</a> for the Blu-ray with a pre-order price of about $37 USD. The picture format on the listing incorrectly states 1.78:1, which I'm assuming is a mistake like many new Amazon listings tend to be. Eclipse's BD/DVD trailer is seen below (in the film's correct aspect ratio).<br />
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<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-25890153887294271732014-03-21T18:56:00.001-04:002014-03-22T14:53:49.355-04:00Some quick thoughts on Raiders of the Doomed Kingdom (1985)<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPJevmqCHsFcIMmo5ynSlHLqJP7dWya2t97gjpTzWqFZ_Z5xQc4uEqc1v8-PQDth2JoxcryoybAkS1B5HB-AOP17sOQ93HrdRQkq_vU6C6toF40ZFPgC2xbnKXUoL1N3kZkrLALrjKA/s1600/0016nvb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPJevmqCHsFcIMmo5ynSlHLqJP7dWya2t97gjpTzWqFZ_Z5xQc4uEqc1v8-PQDth2JoxcryoybAkS1B5HB-AOP17sOQ93HrdRQkq_vU6C6toF40ZFPgC2xbnKXUoL1N3kZkrLALrjKA/s1600/0016nvb.png" height="400" width="287" /></a><i><span style="color: #f1c232;">A band of Thai mercenaries embark on one last mission to save a general after the Fall of Saigon. Posing as Chinese Red Guard, they infiltrate a compound and regain the general only to be given chase. Racing to the shore, while picking up several female soldiers, they escape on a fishing boat with their pursuers in toe. The jungle island both parties reach happens to be a leper colony, and while the horribly disfigured inhabitants are friendly, they become pawns in the ensuing battle. Now the mercs must dig in for their lives against a Red Guard commander who just doesn't relent.</span></i><br />
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<i></i>Joseph Lai's <i>International Finance Development Films & Arts</i> is a Hong Kong production company known among trash aficionados for their streak of '80s kung fu, ninja, and action flicks. The studio's output was so cheaply made that scenes were often liberally "borrowed" between several films. To stretch their dollar, minimal new footage was then shot and built around this pre-existing material. Although sometimes different territories saw different versions of the same film tailored to their region. The studio likely assumed their generic pap screened in dime theaters all ran together. Who's going to notice that same throwing star fight repeated across three flicks anyway? <br />
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<b>Raiders of the Doomed Kingdom</b> is one of their action productions which are always delightfully nonsensical and <i>extra</i> exploitative. Just to get this out of the way, the already shaky story falls apart after they reach the island and the characters essentially fall into either good or bad guys. Our lead, Sergeant Cobra (<i>Sorapong Chatree</i>), is only that due to being more well kept than the other good guys. Everyone being <i>terribly</i> dubbed also doesn't help performances.<br />
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The production feels larger in scope than other IFD flicks, with several impressive sequences, including protesters storming the U.S. Embassy in Saigon and hundreds of defectors trying to leave. To this end, writer Godfrey Ho tries to use what at least <i>sounds</i> factual to the period in history. Ho also infuses some political sentiment with a sour depiction of the nationalities involved, including Americans, except for the Thai mercs. In a surprising showing of gender equality, a pair of women soldiers are given the final showdown with the Red Guard commander instead our male hero. Cobra instead fights a trader within his troop, but I'm still unsure at which point the guy turned bad among the incoherence of the final reel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hHIgi2kCs299CqxGYultqNserlAGVmBo19a2e4cP8yr0Mji2Pms6Kn5wMM9Yob726TPbAQTcQPYupGIh89IxYVbrEc15625iNgbQCgk8bOhWYGrAwOj6Qj-sbQmQns5U8udmTcFv7g/s1600/755.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hHIgi2kCs299CqxGYultqNserlAGVmBo19a2e4cP8yr0Mji2Pms6Kn5wMM9Yob726TPbAQTcQPYupGIh89IxYVbrEc15625iNgbQCgk8bOhWYGrAwOj6Qj-sbQmQns5U8udmTcFv7g/s1600/755.png" height="192" width="320" /></a>Of course, most aren't going to give a shit about these aspects, and instead focus on how brutal <i>Raiders</i> frequently is. We get disturbing newsreel of Vietnam atrocities, bodies mowed down, jungle traps, decapitations, knife fights, and even an overlong and rather graphic scene of cunnilingus. Raw mayhem substituting for plot is something IFD specialized in. Almost as if the studio was trying to make up to viewers who tried to apply logic. Finally, as a callback to IFD's cost-cutting, when the droning score quiets, pieces stolen from <i>First Blood</i> (1982), <i>Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior</i> (1981), and <i>Tenebre</i> (1982) are heard.<br />
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There's only a few VHS releases of the movie worldwide. Amazingly a U.S. VHS release is floating around, from "Atlantic Film & Video", but it's very scarce. The Danish, Finnish, Greek, and Japanese also saw English-language tapes, but the Finnish is severely edited. Both the Greek and Japanese releases are also in 1.85:1 widescreen. I have the North American and Greek (<i>pictured below</i>), both appear uncut, with the Japanese arriving shortly. I'll post my findings/impressions upon receiving it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1Gt_8r4s88g1p2SGJHvanAnjcUXOsDsKrkCxKG5nHy0nWIdcoYnV29qVQlH4RZds7VPFtsfQLzvPcQm_oOq1xB6P4fFFT1tTSK-N_xSJ2uzPxSXQ7pN-eBptxqwTihCv-1P77rdI8Q/s1600/004.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1Gt_8r4s88g1p2SGJHvanAnjcUXOsDsKrkCxKG5nHy0nWIdcoYnV29qVQlH4RZds7VPFtsfQLzvPcQm_oOq1xB6P4fFFT1tTSK-N_xSJ2uzPxSXQ7pN-eBptxqwTihCv-1P77rdI8Q/s1600/004.png" height="457" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-17055388794932147332014-03-03T15:34:00.005-05:002014-03-03T19:33:38.919-05:00Some quick thoughts on Adam Chaplin (2011)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqwgCkwK52Y0pHk8FXX3mp8TjdEs1VrLjJs8Dryjd_yr5ds8-GN51qwdDacWxl1uuFVSI-sXVgIfI8CcUoj1fc1s21slVd1wT3xuORd3oN1yKyJMU6DwBeVi0HTbGYVFqqn4i2VjdsQ/s1600/854.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqwgCkwK52Y0pHk8FXX3mp8TjdEs1VrLjJs8Dryjd_yr5ds8-GN51qwdDacWxl1uuFVSI-sXVgIfI8CcUoj1fc1s21slVd1wT3xuORd3oN1yKyJMU6DwBeVi0HTbGYVFqqn4i2VjdsQ/s1600/854.png" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #f1c232;">After the horrific immolation of his wife at the hands of disfigured mob boss Denny (Chiara Marfella), Adam Chaplin (Emanuele De Santi) calls upon the dark to assist in his quest for vengeance. With the aid of a demonic cherub that spawns from his back, and the superhuman strength it grants, nothing will stand in the way of his revenge.</span></i><br />
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Originally, I was going to talk about the state of slow decline and then immediate death of Italian horror cinema over the past thirty years. Yet with <b>Adam Chaplin</b> all that bittersweet history doesn't really matter because despite being of Italian origin, it bears little resemblance to the country's previous horror output. It's something more akin to the hyper-gory anime <i>Fist of the North Star</i> occurring in the world of <i>Hobo with a Shotgun</i> in Italian language.<br />
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Aside from fountains of grue, <i>Chaplin</i>'s most impressive aspect is how director De Santi, who filled most of the production's roles, conceals the budget with technology unavailable at this level of filmmaking a relatively short time ago. Much digital image manipulation was employed to hide the smallness of sets while minimal CG acts as enhancement to the practical effects without replacing the abundance of gore. In contrast, fellow Italian Massimiliano Cerchi relied so much on terrible graphics with his <b>Flight to Hell</b> (2003) that it might be the <i>worst</i> horror film to ever come from the country.<br />
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The screenplay, also by De Santi, wisely chooses to give background to the characters of Adam and Denny. This adds weight to their feud; however, there's still many questions, like Denny's own dark pact, and the film's post-apocalyptic world remaining unexplored. Adam's demonic companion, an imp insidiously driving his bloodlust, is a great touch that's again short on any answers. Though this lack of explanation isn't crippling since everything plays like the pages of a pissed off indie comic book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq8QW4dc6bZkjjvJ0l7Jx8b1BK6IQ5SHUH6qmbaBZE_wzh8MRHYwSi9-lYX6z26P8Nt0VZ11N3q0fSQQ7JIPAce6lH9QR8iYhrP0sam5hWqiLrGrpyUpZRFKl1uw0NHjnuyH8fXJ4Kg/s1600/w964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq8QW4dc6bZkjjvJ0l7Jx8b1BK6IQ5SHUH6qmbaBZE_wzh8MRHYwSi9-lYX6z26P8Nt0VZ11N3q0fSQQ7JIPAce6lH9QR8iYhrP0sam5hWqiLrGrpyUpZRFKl1uw0NHjnuyH8fXJ4Kg/s1600/w964.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
The gore effects are the biggest attraction as Adam's flesh-shredding strength leaves faces brutally dismantled and limbs ripped asunder. An apparently new blood polymer was created for the film with much more "sling" on impact, so splat blooms look less watery while never approaching reality. If you're a gorehound, you'll love this mayhem, but the parallels to the gory battles in <b>Fist of North Star</b> border on theft. Many of the action shots are lifted wholesale from the anime series. This wasn't by chance as short clips from the anime are seen in the DVD's supplements.<br />
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So <b>Adam Chaplin</b> isn't some grand return of Italian horror. It's just a lot of fun that's more interested in the ride than specifics. The self-billing as <i>"goriest movie ever"</i> is debatable though. I'd still consider Peter Jackson's <b>Braindead</b> (<i>Dead Alive</i>) (1992) as the pinnacle of gory wizardry. The attention to character development pushes this one among the best splatter flicks I've seen along with <b>The Story of Ricky</b> (1991) and <b>Plaga Zombie: Mutant Zone</b> (2001). The clearly passionate De Santi might impress further with a more ample budget and it'll be interesting to see if he works with production company Necrostorm again.<br />
<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-46466330432691135222014-02-26T14:06:00.001-05:002014-02-26T14:12:41.366-05:00The Lost Boys (1987) - 1987 Warner Home Video Japan VHS<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rOesywZfhcexVzZsvyZJseh22I2RIwsOQIoVns5Lf6LnkjtWVwS_8VsWrzHsAhU55-oJj4_6lYhnKWuZPpURgK25M3btocZbK2cUdnWEZMuMX-vMgsNpnnkRPMSLxwV8AMKhmwO0Mg/s1600/754.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rOesywZfhcexVzZsvyZJseh22I2RIwsOQIoVns5Lf6LnkjtWVwS_8VsWrzHsAhU55-oJj4_6lYhnKWuZPpURgK25M3btocZbK2cUdnWEZMuMX-vMgsNpnnkRPMSLxwV8AMKhmwO0Mg/s1600/754.png" height="320" width="225" /></a>Joel Schumacher's <b>The Lost Boys</b> wasn't a film I immediately warmed to. I didn't see it until Warner released their first DVD edition in 1998 being a Christmas present that same year. At the time, I was still fairly new to the horror genre and voraciously renting classics I had read about in Michael Weldon's must-own <i>Psychotronic Video Guide To Film</i>. It was also then that I was discovering Christopher Lee's iconic turns as Dracula. So this contemporary '80s take on vampire lore was a victim of timing. The fifteen-year-old me couldn't see reasoning behind the praise while lost in the gothic majesty of Hammer productions.<br />
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Eventually <i>Lost Boys</i> proved itself a classic in subsequent viewings as an evolutionary step in horror comedies. Enduring qualities of the vamp subgenre are respected and balanced with slick levity and teenage awareness absent in prior major studio meldings like <b>The Goonies</b> (1985). The young cast does an excellent job, and what seemed the norm for its decade, the screenplay crafts characters that feel realistic regardless of their ages. A shame Schumacher didn't return to horror until 2009's <b>Blood Creek</b> (<a href="http://www.ghoulbasement.com/2011/01/some-quick-thoughts-on-blood-creek-2009.html" target="_blank"><i>thoughts here</i></a>).<br />
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This Warner VHS from Japan is fairly common, just like their US tape, but I figured I'd share. The seller claimed it was dubbed in Japanese, but probably only watched the couple Japanese previews in the beginning. The cropped full screen feature is in English with small Japanese subtitles. At least on VHS/Beta, I don't believe Warner released this dubbed. This copy has no fading to its sleeve, making it a decent find, since blues and reds bleached out quickly once these old rental editions found swap meet sunshine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrLegU8jtNYroOzPj00-gwPK-TyBo0NXDkhlXUZhyt7xeYvi4v39KMARzw0fLouExyiO7n-panaP6LWb50277qacKROv8SYCkFDDiBZwO5NSZQEkLIi_3KMk3xfDhc6fz7e656JjHfA/s1600/003f.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrLegU8jtNYroOzPj00-gwPK-TyBo0NXDkhlXUZhyt7xeYvi4v39KMARzw0fLouExyiO7n-panaP6LWb50277qacKROv8SYCkFDDiBZwO5NSZQEkLIi_3KMk3xfDhc6fz7e656JjHfA/s1600/003f.png" height="488" width="640" /></a></div>
Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-28312364840733354642014-02-20T17:56:00.000-05:002014-02-20T19:37:06.537-05:00Some quick thoughts on Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoh-rhrzu3VgGRd9WNK81IiFzZk1OBR912Kpgr6HhYUVSCJOWtdv6ZW2hXsLwy2F0YMuHvA9U_FPDFlNIqPs7PSsqJqrT0YOAItMwhjaGOkHY7pBulB6rM34Fzd5rwNXGhovCJkbgfdA/s1600/220614_full.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoh-rhrzu3VgGRd9WNK81IiFzZk1OBR912Kpgr6HhYUVSCJOWtdv6ZW2hXsLwy2F0YMuHvA9U_FPDFlNIqPs7PSsqJqrT0YOAItMwhjaGOkHY7pBulB6rM34Fzd5rwNXGhovCJkbgfdA/s1600/220614_full.png" height="400" width="261" /></a>Andy Sidaris spent nearly an entire career trying to crack the Enigma Code of '80s action cinema. By distilling bankable elements of the genre, like big bosoms with big guns and buff brodudes with even bigger guns, he cranked out a succession of steamy actioners custom built for heavy weekend rentals. The filmmaker also did something a bit differently with casting, much to the chagrin of feminists, the women weren't just sexbombs but fiercely independent leads to the men orbiting around them. Though this may have hurt profitability since the lack of any male marquee names to plaster on covers might have led renters to thumb past for the latest Stallone or Van Damme effort.<br />
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<b>Hard Ticket to Hawaii</b> could be called the third film in the Sidarius saga proper, after <b>Seven</b> (1985) and <b>Malibu Express</b> (1986), that saw the director active nearly every year until his last film in 1998. While transporting an incredibly deadly python by plane, two stunning DEA agents in Hawaii, Sidaris regulars Dona Speir and Hope Marie Carlton, run afoul of diamonds destined for a local coke lord. After the kingpin discovers the missing cargo, the pair get pressed hard but manage to escape and team up with two male agents to raid the entire operation...and take down that pissed biological weapon of a snake.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhg-aSsS4999wIzl6b60TIOxtN3QHb5fYmLh6RqgZ-zZrkPoleNKyCbjpa9IK4p9Tu0HASzHjLaVQfF3m9GqT9rpbM5mzqWK9GAcl7W8dQSpXNGYLF1IsbietiYxN_auBxCR9wSLyEsA/s1600/001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhg-aSsS4999wIzl6b60TIOxtN3QHb5fYmLh6RqgZ-zZrkPoleNKyCbjpa9IK4p9Tu0HASzHjLaVQfF3m9GqT9rpbM5mzqWK9GAcl7W8dQSpXNGYLF1IsbietiYxN_auBxCR9wSLyEsA/s1600/001.png" height="217" width="400" /></a></div>
It has all the director's staples; babes, boobs, muscly dudes, guns, bigger guns, explosions, and picturesque locales. Do these aspects automatically make a good action film? Not quite, <i>Hard Ticket</i> is still fairly crappy, getting too bogged in the mechanics of its simple story. Although it's pleasingly self-aware, never taking anything seriously, and therein lies the vibe that make Sidaris' films so likable. They know their purpose in the action lexicon and only aim to mindlessly entertain.<br />
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The breezy, carefree atmosphere and beauty everywhere smooth the uneven pace until the action picks up. Funny one-liners and goofball detours, like a razor-rimmed frisbee and bazooka meeting a blow-up doll, really make <i>Hard Ticket</i> worth seeing. Sidaris even cameos as a scuzzy TV producer that's immediately accused of nearly raping one of the busty female characters before becoming preoccupied with a waitress's breasts. All in stupid fun. <br />
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The VHS pictured, originally straight from Sidaris' own Malibu Bay Films, is quite interesting. Most promotional screeners were sent out to video stores in an attempt to sell copies for rental. Meaning distribution deals were already struck and it was only a matter of moving home video product. This unique screener is pre-distribution of any kind and was sent out in the hopes of gaining theatrical exhibition. The back description makes the VHS out to be only three-minutes long, but the theatrical trailer, several teasers (dated 3/2/87), and complete film with timecode is included. The video quality is quite dark, however; this might have been done on purpose just in case copies leaked. The tape's video signal totally drops in between the trailer and teasers. Another dropout occurs exactly one hour into the feature with the video popping in again immediately for the last half hour. The film appears to the same "official" ninety-six minute version seen on retail VHS and DVD.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtG8TFj7m2uO498AfmdZk7NB2DdqYCPx7gC8R205p02VEYNS0Qdv3DT0zwiI74TdDtzc2CRI0tsUVkEBHbaoa3vxOEYg93L5q9gOb-Dw0w4a-kPRRyJZFONcOc2hoChjiXxPQfeHylw/s1600/004.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtG8TFj7m2uO498AfmdZk7NB2DdqYCPx7gC8R205p02VEYNS0Qdv3DT0zwiI74TdDtzc2CRI0tsUVkEBHbaoa3vxOEYg93L5q9gOb-Dw0w4a-kPRRyJZFONcOc2hoChjiXxPQfeHylw/s1600/004.png" height="472" width="640" /></a><br />
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Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-55122964558268020722014-02-15T19:14:00.002-05:002014-02-15T20:35:21.134-05:00Some quick thoughts on Rewind This! (2013)<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrz5DGUzgEdB7KTMYIhf7FQLKq_64k_ScA1nwDpKyfyrhh8L1vKQbhvXTa-lH54aV3ivd3JBIpnzdKZe4xGn-ZrURln_DMZhTlzuFKbUMNw2ad_euNRP_xE9JT4kDPD7BobpKWtzVKw/s1600/1679194h.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrz5DGUzgEdB7KTMYIhf7FQLKq_64k_ScA1nwDpKyfyrhh8L1vKQbhvXTa-lH54aV3ivd3JBIpnzdKZe4xGn-ZrURln_DMZhTlzuFKbUMNw2ad_euNRP_xE9JT4kDPD7BobpKWtzVKw/s1600/1679194h.png" height="400" width="282" /></a>From the back:<i style="color: #f1c232;"> "In the 1980s, videotape changed the world and laid the foundation for modern media culture. Rewind This! traces the rise and fall of VHS from its heyday as the mainstream home video format to its current status as a nostalgic relic and prize to collectors who still cherish it. Featuring interviews with both filmmakers and enthusiasts from the VHS era, including Troma legend Lloyd Kaufman, indie auteur Atom Egoyan, and Hobo with a Shotgun filmmaker Jason Eisener, Rewind This! is the definitive story of the format that came to be synonymous with the home video revolution. So gather up your friends and start the pizza party - just make sure to have your tapes back on time."</i><br />
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I've been quite conflicted over this review. Being passionate about VHS has me wanting to find some profound criticism over a documentary covering a wide variety of aspects of the format's history and current subculture. However; Josh Johnson's scattershot <i>Rewind This!</i> is sadly a letdown. None of the topics are explored to any in-depth extent, lending to a presentation that seems targeted to those who're just amazed there's any interest in the video relic today.<br />
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Being comprised solely of interviews, one gets the impression it was a struggle to snitch responses together as they often don't quite follow the topic at hand. At one turn, we're hearing ninja flicks on Hong Kong tapes from Japanese producer Yoshinori Chiba and then director Frank Henenlotter bitching about aspect ratios in a loose portion about distributor oddities during the video boom. While never uninteresting, this approach makes everything seem unfocused with information that could help round out each portion never presented. A host might have smoothed this persistent issue, maybe something in a cheap shot-on-video vein like Cameron Mitchell's goofy appearance in <b>Terror on Tape</b> (1983).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnwC-aDvlur41x2oeck2xxL7SxYeDWAt1KEPlFnoPPtgNdvoIg8WdScn2woQ6fiVEPS16GJPM0CoWg16FFpRJWAF_gC5sQw0oT_D6ueFI3K__MqVNvUcj_aCjC6qTthuFsVuvgv91xQ/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-02-14-16h34m10s90.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnwC-aDvlur41x2oeck2xxL7SxYeDWAt1KEPlFnoPPtgNdvoIg8WdScn2woQ6fiVEPS16GJPM0CoWg16FFpRJWAF_gC5sQw0oT_D6ueFI3K__MqVNvUcj_aCjC6qTthuFsVuvgv91xQ/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-02-14-16h34m10s90.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Hardly any time is devoted to the VHS vs. Betamax war and it's boiled down to recording time. While that was a factor, the time it's given in <i>Rewind This!</i> makes one believe the battle was over in literally no time. In the grand scheme, it was, but for a defeated format Beta garnered an <i>enormous</i> catalog of titles and players compared to the modern day failure of Toshiba's HD DVD. Such contrast could have helped a layman place the great format war of the '80s into better perspective. Afterward, Frank Henelotter talks about Andre Blay's Magnetic Video Corporation, a first distributor to convince major studios to licence their films for home video. Why delve into Magnetic <i>after</i> discussing the format war when MVC arguably marked the very first rumblings of content on home video?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqhtupa8zRuCQ1uN3obbHSyK5MYRW2NqUm53Zx6uFsTTJSM5FMPj7oUpban2el3gNuVoROSMaInZUspCLC2S0lMxgrr9esMxs7ue5GwIZ2DGZCDvord0kY-9PPyFMHm7WJMXEgZ-Z3Q/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-02-15-17h14m11s37.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqhtupa8zRuCQ1uN3obbHSyK5MYRW2NqUm53Zx6uFsTTJSM5FMPj7oUpban2el3gNuVoROSMaInZUspCLC2S0lMxgrr9esMxs7ue5GwIZ2DGZCDvord0kY-9PPyFMHm7WJMXEgZ-Z3Q/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-02-15-17h14m11s37.png" height="180" width="320" /></a>Roy Frumkes, director of <b>Street Trash</b> (1987), comments throughout with a disdain for VHS being a LaserDisc aficionado. The LD format isn't explored which leaves his attitude unexplained to the uninitiated. There's a five minute segment devoted to the format in the deleted material on the DVD, but annoyingly a collector makes the ridiculous claim that the format is "very flawed" due to laser rot. While this is an issue, just like tape mold or DVD delamination, mention of this issue has no purpose in a small clip about a format that could support an entire documentary unto itself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRE-7ZvFmjgMWXKeiUvr9Y2QAcyUPcVkIqgcv4gRcA_bivI-ssQJmpiUrOdIWQw3kpjKJ16nz-QaIL2v914u4yCAS-yl8GYSO20pSi55rQRxVOGH3_6ecPdr3xPETKDeJJdcqI-JaXw/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-02-14-19h09m05s101.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRE-7ZvFmjgMWXKeiUvr9Y2QAcyUPcVkIqgcv4gRcA_bivI-ssQJmpiUrOdIWQw3kpjKJ16nz-QaIL2v914u4yCAS-yl8GYSO20pSi55rQRxVOGH3_6ecPdr3xPETKDeJJdcqI-JaXw/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-02-14-19h09m05s101.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Several Japanese interviewees appear, like Toei producer Kazuo Kato and actress Shoko Nakahara, but there's no context as to why they're more important to include than say, an Australian or German perspective. This could have helped just by pointing out how video crazy the country got, with a dizzying amount of world cinema released onto VHS that easily rivaled the output of North America. Of course, being a Japanese tape collector I found their inclusion valuable despite their insights being interchangeable with anyone else. Several porn directors are also interviewed without any mention of the long-standing Nihon Ethics Video Association censorship board and how that shaped the video landscape in Japan. Very disappointing when even obvious region questions aren't asked. And on the censorship note, the only mention of the British Video Recordings Act of 1984 is a segment in the deleted material, why didn't such a influential event in home video make the cut?<br />
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That's continually the deal with <b>Rewind This!</b>, a sloppy documentary that provides a long line of questions that usually aren't answered, especially if you've already an enthusiast. The majority of information and insight is easily available elsewhere and I don't find myself wanting to see this again. If you're unfamiliar with the recent nostalgic spike of interest in VHS, <b>Rewind This!</b> may be worth seeing, although active collectors may not pull much from the experience. <br />
<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-15963355598282749862014-02-04T19:22:00.001-05:002014-02-04T20:58:34.686-05:00Just a few hours left to buy an original graveyard cross from Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE (1979)<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWVixt3uSJhdskh_DSXp5tI5abHX-0N2uNlJ1eRjb5V0VtWDT1IL_Cmrn1jDxpBh82s0wRwaSnFa8qBjKgYJLAJWgEKjt5lHEBlw0e4diL5V8PV5-crFwOsblo4Q1KEj2kkmWQsiPAg/s1600/64.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWVixt3uSJhdskh_DSXp5tI5abHX-0N2uNlJ1eRjb5V0VtWDT1IL_Cmrn1jDxpBh82s0wRwaSnFa8qBjKgYJLAJWgEKjt5lHEBlw0e4diL5V8PV5-crFwOsblo4Q1KEj2kkmWQsiPAg/s1600/64.png" height="212" width="320" /></a>A supposedly original three-foot tall cross from the graveyard scene in Lucio Fulci's <b>Zombie</b> (<i>Zombi 2</i>) (1979) is ending in about fifteen hours over on Yahoo! Auctions Japan (<a href="http://page5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e131477425" target="_blank">auction link here</a>). The translation is rough, but it states the cross was one of four obtained from the film's prop master, who also worked on <b>The Gates of Hell</b> (<i>Paura nella città dei morti viventi</i>) (1980), during production on location in the Dominican Republic. Three rusted nails, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, and typed history of ownership is included.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFePN16fdLRw33dNvmoiYZGrpbXYVn9W6ZYtv9CC69q4b3Cptrf90x2MkfveGMXccFiZVeg6hKIE6SWqudBcqf_xDaEhcmXUGCdIO8T19kcrdg4XOOgYpGoeQRE5VWEHvGKyC57vv9fQ/s1600/87.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFePN16fdLRw33dNvmoiYZGrpbXYVn9W6ZYtv9CC69q4b3Cptrf90x2MkfveGMXccFiZVeg6hKIE6SWqudBcqf_xDaEhcmXUGCdIO8T19kcrdg4XOOgYpGoeQRE5VWEHvGKyC57vv9fQ/s1600/87.png" height="178" width="320" /></a>The provided details of its history are sketchy. The cross was apparently owned by "Adam Park", a "<i>famous UK horror collector</i>" and writer for a "<i>famous European horror magazine</i>", who received it along with the other crosses/nails from "Robert Kirsch" (or Karsh?). Kirsch, hired by producers Ugo Tucci and Fabrizio de Angelis, was the prop maker who fashioned the crosses for the sequence. The seller also claims to have another cross that was damaged, but the one in this auction is in perfection condition.<br />
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Of course, with a non-returnable "Buy It Now" price of about $670US (¥68,000), you'd have to have balls of steel to take such a chance on two bits of wood tacked together. That's probably why it still hasn't sold, even after being re-listed several times over the past few weeks. If definitively proven original, it's certainly something special, despite not appearing exactly screen used. Using Yahoo! Auctions outside of Japan is impossible without a forwarding service like <a href="http://www.jauce.com/">Jauce</a> or <a href="https://www.rinkya.com/en/">Rinkya</a>. Even then, there's a learning curve and all sales are final, even if the item arrives destroyed. So this dubiously "one of a kind" piece will probably remain in Japan for now.<br />
<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-25279622493775093992014-02-03T16:32:00.001-05:002014-02-03T20:01:24.235-05:00Some quick thoughts on Don Dohler's Galaxy Invader (1985)<br />
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One of the late Don Dohler's passions was making, by most measures, bad movies. Searching around for opinion makes this clear as there's no shortage of those that love to dump on his filmography. Yet there's something transcendent about his brand of schlock differentiating itself from the usual trashy late night pizza 'n beer offerings.<br />
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Dohler's work has an extremely likable, earnest quality tending to be absent on this tier of filmmaking. Acting as editor for all but one of his films, he had keen ability in cutting even mundane scenes to avoid the usual drag that can accompany cheap productions while also invoking tension and dread when necessary. While always short of resources, real care was placed into every project and loyal regulars like Anne Frith and George Stover aided in his vision of a more innocent time of genre cinema. John Paul Kinhart's excellent 2007 documentary, <i>Blood, Boobs & Beast,</i> does a fantastic job of articulating this for the uninitiated, but they're aspects naturally felt throughout his work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw48d0A5yv95i6XWLBakSbwDDR70A6akfDgOVhCPRe2_v9xyQGh-iOd7NWQUOw5MViyLYv64m85ZKi_peSyKnE3joN6-BR1jM-tScCl2GaF5Jear0heiMf2o7xq1iUOUrHqcB-NWLbWg/s1600/Galaxy_Invader_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw48d0A5yv95i6XWLBakSbwDDR70A6akfDgOVhCPRe2_v9xyQGh-iOd7NWQUOw5MViyLYv64m85ZKi_peSyKnE3joN6-BR1jM-tScCl2GaF5Jear0heiMf2o7xq1iUOUrHqcB-NWLbWg/s1600/Galaxy_Invader_1.png" height="206" width="320" /></a>Similar to his previous <b>Nightbeast</b> (1982), <b>Galaxy Invader</b> details a scaly mossy-green alien crashing into backwoods and having to deal with yokels wanting to capture the invader with hopes of dollar signs. Unlike the raging extraterrestrial beast of the '82 feature, this creature is passive, almost reducing the sci-fi angle to a moot point. The narrative actually revolves more around a violent lush, played by another regular Richard Ruxton, spearheading the backward hunt. Every booze-fueled decision eventually drives him to be at deadly odds with his own family. Unlike Dohler's other straight foward potboilers, <b>Galaxy Invader</b> offers a morality play over the destructive nature of alcoholism with a side of ugly alien, cheesy optical laser effects, and flashpot explosions. Though it's doubtful the director ever wanted viewers to dissect his work to such a degree.<br />
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Sadly, <b>Galaxy Invader</b> seems to have gone public domain in the last decade with a myriad of cheapo DVD sets. Back in the VHS era; consistent editions from the likes of VCI Entertainment and United Home Video kept the movie in-print for years. Japan only saw one VHS release with totally cracked artwork from CLS Video's Clarion sublabel. This edition is actually taken straight from United's U.S. tape, right down to the opening copyright notice and United logo. Clarion releases are generally rare, this one exceptionally so, as I've only ever seen this single copy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Fot8OA7rH602rAZXerAQuUEREzgqwM_G1yEO-P4g9chbRm0Fi-RBFAGsL6sDYfJL95O7sGO5ErKyUGznqwMpFODWmbKV9IC2ywc9j8CBH8VKNDFxDpvEek0z6OsqkgjtDzFAsvJaAg/s1600/001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Fot8OA7rH602rAZXerAQuUEREzgqwM_G1yEO-P4g9chbRm0Fi-RBFAGsL6sDYfJL95O7sGO5ErKyUGznqwMpFODWmbKV9IC2ywc9j8CBH8VKNDFxDpvEek0z6OsqkgjtDzFAsvJaAg/s1600/001.png" height="400" width="241" /></a><i><span style="color: #f1c232;">Years after being traumatized witnessing the drownings of her father and stepmother as a teen, a wealthy young woman, Elise (Marion Joyce), is released from a sanitarium and returns to the remote country estate where she grew up. Shortly afterwards, her estranged stepbrother, psychiatrist, and his fiance converge on the estate and a series of grisly murders begins.</span></i><br />
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Roger Watkins' <b>Shadows of the Mind</b> is really only worth a look if you're a devotee of the director's prior <b>The Last House on Dead End Street</b> (1977). Much like that infamous effort, Watkins apparently had a terrible experience with <i>Shadows</i>, disowning it and having his name taken off the film's credits prior to release. Watkins only finally revealed in 2005 that he had worked on the film under the name "Bernard Travis". Ryan C. over at <i>Trash Film Guru</i> has has more about the man, who effectively destroyed Watkins' mainstream hopes, behind that pseudonym in his <a href="http://trashfilmguru.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/shadows-of-the-mind-a-pale-shadow-of-roger-watkins-at-his-best/" target="_blank"><i>recent entry covering the film</i></a>. Disenchanted, Watkins' helmed several adult features before surfacing again after the new millennia upon rekindled interest surrounding <i>Last House</i>. Ultimately, Watkins never attempted to reclaim copyright over this meek slasher before his passing in 2007, a strong indication of his feelings toward it.<br />
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<i>Shadows</i> simply doesn't possess the constant manic rawness of his chipped 1977 masterpiece. It's about forty tedious minutes of watching a disturbed woman listen to inner voices followed by Watkins' rough-hewn style finally flourishing in several murders. Even then; an overbearing, hackneyed score blaring over the killings undermines their shock value. By the last twenty minutes, you might feel a little of what the director felt after wasting so much unappreciated time on someone else's project.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8q1zyrinqz9WUdp5TSseBAnWfrBwNkIg0gm4p5pkwcKmvtelaWphjjlQbhVzMhunH0cYjJwUFBOiA8X0HLpeLcmIz5x_08ZG3WqOWS72Rz2Uk1Ee5QTHRNuoqUu263NK7loLAcWzgKQ/s1600/Clipboard01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8q1zyrinqz9WUdp5TSseBAnWfrBwNkIg0gm4p5pkwcKmvtelaWphjjlQbhVzMhunH0cYjJwUFBOiA8X0HLpeLcmIz5x_08ZG3WqOWS72Rz2Uk1Ee5QTHRNuoqUu263NK7loLAcWzgKQ/s1600/Clipboard01.png" height="228" width="320" /></a>Co-writer and lead Marion Joyce's Elise is just another boring psychotic stereotype. We never feel anything for her character, making the inevitable killing spree all the more unsurprising. A better, or at least more game, actress might have tried valiantly to breathe life the role, making the experience more bearable, like the unhinged Sallee Young in <b>Demented</b> (1980). The few other cast members add nothing than a body count and their connections to Elise are barely sketched out.<br />
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A great example of this <i>Shadows</i>' terrible pacing is when Elise's stepbrother, who wants her out of the picture to inherit the estate, makes it known to the caretaker that his sister <i>probably</i> doesn't want to live there and he might lose his gig. His immediate response in the very next scene is to try and strangle her while screaming, <i>"I need to talk to you!"</i> and <i>"Listen to me!"</i> while her stepbrother pleasingly looks on in the distance. Then right afterward the caretaker is mysteriously killed (<i>seen above</i>). This entire sequence literally makes no sense because the caretaker is hardly given any screen time prior, much less his motives established. Was he always intending to kill her, easily swayed, or mentally handicapped? Or did Elise's stepbrother somehow magically know telling the caretaker that would lead to an altercation that would then drive her to kill the caretaker so he's not a nuance?! My damn head hurts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0n8VPz_CGedQ0uulI09DNs5tBALdC_bhoAdeAx-ON0TdTfVQtoky0WQiqBbk6pHsp3BULzuUDWpr0eZ3FYQD-E8UmhrVedZ4WtJ7yeTMj5Ls68e8GiIHzUC1U1XcGCm7sVVyFQ6gcGA/s1600/Clipboard01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0n8VPz_CGedQ0uulI09DNs5tBALdC_bhoAdeAx-ON0TdTfVQtoky0WQiqBbk6pHsp3BULzuUDWpr0eZ3FYQD-E8UmhrVedZ4WtJ7yeTMj5Ls68e8GiIHzUC1U1XcGCm7sVVyFQ6gcGA/s1600/Clipboard01.png" height="218" width="320" /></a>Though the film's choppy nature echoes the fate of <i>Last House</i>, which was massively truncated to under eighty minutes from an over three-hour version essentially stolen away from Watkins (<i>sadly still the only version known to exist today</i>). Who knows how much <i>Shadows</i> was tampered with, but likely Watkins didn't have any say in the editing process and it's curious to note the basic credit sequences also resemble those of <i>Last House</i>. <b>Shadows of the Mind</b> is only for those that either love stuffy slasher also-rans, I know you're out there, or wish to see a director's last embittered shot at legitimacy in the face of those that couldn't have given a damn about him as a filmmaker.<br />
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However; copies of <b>Shadows of the Mind</b> are pretty damn scarce. The film<i> </i>only received VHS releases in Australia, Netherlands, Venezuela, and Japan. There hasn't been an authorized DVD released anywhere yet. So needless to say this Japanese tape screened for this review, from obscure distributor TSI Group, is <i>extremely</i> rare with just a couple copies ever surfacing. The full frame presentation is in English language with small Japanese subtitles. The Japanese title, 血に飢えた少女, translates to <i>"Bloodthirsty Girl"</i>.<br />
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Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-13318992627347221662014-01-16T17:25:00.000-05:002014-01-16T17:44:28.860-05:00So I finally found out there's the potential of an EVIL CULT (2003) prequel!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_FaxPaYXNxVFTNerT8tE8YbcftIpWY_CtDG93PsBg6mX7lcCxjdNtbCSfxfgT-6oUraJH5oXZTEpfWG0eTo1cqddyQ00T2WGFy8LauY30in7Z-6rHvB2D_sbM1LJE4zlhUiY5j5R-w/s1600/655.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_FaxPaYXNxVFTNerT8tE8YbcftIpWY_CtDG93PsBg6mX7lcCxjdNtbCSfxfgT-6oUraJH5oXZTEpfWG0eTo1cqddyQ00T2WGFy8LauY30in7Z-6rHvB2D_sbM1LJE4zlhUiY5j5R-w/s1600/655.png" height="320" width="227" /></a>This sounds dumb, but Rob and Neil Taylor's no budget horror comedy <b>Evil Cult</b> has heart. Rob Taylor stars as Neil Stryker, a man of mysterious origin given a ride by the head of a seemingly peaceful communion. The curious Stryker soon discovers their dirty secrets, including mangling and imprisoning unwillingly participants, with his only option total annihilation after the dangerous cult attempts to melt his brain. Heaps of dismembered bodies, an ultimate showdown with the cult's powerful leader, and a time-jumping surprise from the past ensue.<br />
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What separates <b>Evil Cult</b> from the homebrew shot-on-video masses is its sheer creative spirit. Taylor plays quirky badass Stryker with an infectious confidence that, paired with surprisingly balanced comedy, drives straight through the film's rough patches. Tongue-in-cheek nods to <b>Evil Dead</b> kick into overdrive as the character sets upon a path of destruction and it's exactly the kind of goofy movie a middle schooler who's just discovered Raimi's classic would dream up. That's not a slight, a sense of fun sure-footedness conquers <b>Evil's Cult</b>'s <i>extremely</i> modest resources and its been an SOV favorite of mine for years. <br />
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Still, I never figured there'd be a follow-up. Before stumbling upon "<b>The Mad Scientist</b>" few days ago, I had no clue that the Taylor brothers and friend Nic Costa, who also appeared in the first film, have been chipping away at a prequel since 2005. They even staged a successful Kickstarter campaign a few years back, <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1008341264/the-mad-scientist-a-feature-film" target="_blank">still up here</a>, to help complete the project and judging by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/212908965409707/" target="_blank">the film's group</a> on Facebook progress is still being made. Rob Taylor also has a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/robttp/videos" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a> with the complete <b>Evil Cult</b>, trailers, and pitch videos. It already looks like a hoot and I'm excited to see what these guys have in store. Here's to hoping this obvious labor of love sees a release this year.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="385" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/we244QH9i8A?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-53951695039734557052014-01-12T17:11:00.000-05:002014-01-12T18:26:04.792-05:00Some thoughts and images from The Making of Sweet Home (1989)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Toho Video's Sweet Home VHS</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></span></td></tr>
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Kiyoshi Kurosawa's <b>Sweet Home</b> might be a criterion of sorts, a pioneering example of a video game and film developed in conjunction and released on the same day. However, the certainty of their partnered development is shaky, as the parallels are so strong that it seems hard to believe an entire game was built off of a finished film in such a short span. Despite the film's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Home_(film)" target="_blank">Wikipedia entry</a> citing an interview with game director Tokuro Fujiwara speaking to a collaborative effort, I'd lean toward the role-playing Famicom game by Capcom coming first with the film adapting from its groundwork.<br />
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Either way, this haunted house picture enlivened by inventive effects work is great fun, and seemingly more known to retro game enthusiasts than most horror fans. Toho mounted an impressive marketing blitz upon <b>Sweet Home</b>'s "dual" release with one of the fruits being this ninety-minute documentary covering the film's special effects. A wide range of methods were employed, everything from simple lighting tricks to large animatronics, all explored in great detail. Make-up effects legend Dick Smith was tapped to do on-location aging make-up and there's glimpses of him at his craft.<br />
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Naturally the entire feature is narrated in Japanese without subtitles, but if you're interested in the film or practical effects it's well worth the time and so comprehensive any language barrier is easy to forgive. There are two small snippets of English of Smith stating it's an honor to work on the film and an American member of the animatronics team describing the difference between what Japanese and American audiences demand from visual effects (<i>Japan has a much higher suspension of disbelief</i>).<br />
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According to Tom Mes in <a href="http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/sweet-home/" target="_blank">his review</a> at Midnight Eye, Kurosawa effectively disowned the film over producer Juzo Itami, who also had a prominent role on-screen, looming large over production. This documentary goes a long way to reinforcing this, as Itami is often seen storyboarding and coordinating sequences with Kurosawa mostly in the background (the second shot below is the only "hands-on" footage of the director included). Itami even makes the VHS's cover front and center posing with one of the SFX props. Pardon the lack of a picture of said cover, I was very graciously sent a DVD-R copy by Yui (<a href="https://twitter.com/LucioFulci74">@LucioFulci74</a>) of the <a href="http://chimasp13.wordpress.com/">Splatter, Slasher, Thriller Club</a> (<i>thanks again!</i>). I've collected some stills from this making-of and uploaded the film's theatrical trailer over on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/sehnzeleid" target="_blank">BoGD's meager YouTube channel</a>. Hopefully, <b>Sweet Home</b> makes it to DVD/BD eventually, it's still <i>only</i> on VHS and LaserDisc in Japan, and if it ever does this excellent companion piece <i>must</i> accompany it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdkQrjBj8S_CJSBFaVrOl_b_8cv0uQhCxe7D4Na6DNK1BTiBkv2mQWVQiwT56eq8SPwZznvaiV7F-JI64o-sXiedPBOnKoc1IiPz063dEkqoX9fCnEHNf7c2D32cRI8wPVSOCHJOGmQ/s1600/019.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdkQrjBj8S_CJSBFaVrOl_b_8cv0uQhCxe7D4Na6DNK1BTiBkv2mQWVQiwT56eq8SPwZznvaiV7F-JI64o-sXiedPBOnKoc1IiPz063dEkqoX9fCnEHNf7c2D32cRI8wPVSOCHJOGmQ/s320/019.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMrTWKEwF2bQdKrf-TrXBiNQ0KIpfqRlzUcuJUvxZG_BSMWeiD6MC96bFI5odZD2z8kmGZZtAK_iXEldjtuhmzBzzHX4v6-K-eGmsTDOU0rsYY7lnEKQ1vRyOBk4gdJw1hJzPtGK9ug/s1600/017.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMrTWKEwF2bQdKrf-TrXBiNQ0KIpfqRlzUcuJUvxZG_BSMWeiD6MC96bFI5odZD2z8kmGZZtAK_iXEldjtuhmzBzzHX4v6-K-eGmsTDOU0rsYY7lnEKQ1vRyOBk4gdJw1hJzPtGK9ug/s320/017.png" /></a>Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-74378322925786203122014-01-04T07:59:00.003-05:002014-01-04T14:53:11.810-05:00Impressions of the Japanese Blu-ray of Dawn of the Dead (Theatrical Version) (1978)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAdCFh4U7QWaZVdjdzVRfQxrzfXjofmK2zVr0NIF5X9QRk6R5pLdxUsJIu2zKvzsW7c1l2HLvdxleiWIboQW59jY1x-RABRi1NIv0rd4Ufjlr3GgqEovP0mkhZIPycnuBR5zHE1ABaA/s1600/IMG_2958.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAdCFh4U7QWaZVdjdzVRfQxrzfXjofmK2zVr0NIF5X9QRk6R5pLdxUsJIu2zKvzsW7c1l2HLvdxleiWIboQW59jY1x-RABRi1NIv0rd4Ufjlr3GgqEovP0mkhZIPycnuBR5zHE1ABaA/s400/IMG_2958.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Unlike <a href="http://www.ghoulbasement.com/2013/10/some-thoughts-on-scream-factorys-day-of.html" target="_blank">my thoughts</a> of Scream Factory's <b>Day of the Dead</b> (1985) Blu-ray, I'll cut to the chase. Although I will say that I'm a huge fan of <b>Dawn of the Dead</b> and own multiple releases across different formats from various countries. Being still in the stoneage, I lack a BD-ROM, so sorry, no direct screenshots. I viewed this BD on a calibrated Panasonic TC-P50VT25 plasma and Samsung HL-P5085W (720p) DLP using an non-modded Sony BD-P185 (<i>the disc loaded up quickly with zero issue</i>).<br />
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First, the specifications, as reported <a href="http://www.ghoulbasement.com/2013/12/update-on-happinets-35th-anniversary.html" target="_blank">here</a>, the encode is indeed MPEG-4 AVC on a 50GB disc. Bitrates tend to mean nothing, but megabytes per second never seems to dip below thirty-five and spike into the forties. The English 5.1 track is in lossless Dolby TrueHD with their recent 96kHz upsampling feature (<i>confirmed 96kHz by my Onkyo</i>, <i>hovering around 2.0mbps</i>). Both the English and Japanese Dub 2.0 are standard 640kHz Dolby. All three tracks sound fine but the 5.1 track has a distinct harshness at times due to the age of the film. Two sets of non-forced Japanese subtitles, not even on by default when selecting English audio. <br />
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The only extras are three original US trailers/teasers in full frame standard definition. There are twenty-five chapter stops and the total feature runtime is 2:07:02. Just to compare the Arrow Video UK runs 2:07:03 while the Anchor Bay US runs 2:07:06. There appears to be nothing different about the Japanese disc and other releases of the theatrical version. The Blu-ray case is a thicker style case with a small flyer advertising a few other horror discs from Stingray. <br />
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On to the good aspects of Happinet/Stingray's transfer. Overall, the image quality is noticeably improved over both the Anchor Bay and Arrow BDs. Both of those suffer from varying degrees of digital noise reduction, employed as part of a quick "remastering", only hampering fine detail. The Anchor Bay BD especially looks downright blurry. The lack of this on this Happinet BD with healthy grain structure leads to clothing and facial detail being much more lifelike and look less like watching video. On those grounds, this is <i>certainly</i> the best the film has ever looked on home video.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5rDGaSI1DYshPVEiRA2pEucpWOr6GkGG4Lkamli3lY_aqyb30g-0-iVasKYnalHbwVx5NhnURkRwrOofohgtpK99Sl4xgwZVQR-roF_zbzj5_x4Tl6ksCzTkKYm-WVGvqPuLOnv_fA/s1600/IMG_2949.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5rDGaSI1DYshPVEiRA2pEucpWOr6GkGG4Lkamli3lY_aqyb30g-0-iVasKYnalHbwVx5NhnURkRwrOofohgtpK99Sl4xgwZVQR-roF_zbzj5_x4Tl6ksCzTkKYm-WVGvqPuLOnv_fA/s400/IMG_2949.png" width="283" /></a></div>
However; this new BD sadly has a few very obvious picture issues. The worst being blown out contrast levels. Contrast is elevated overall, but the real problem is that any direct light source, gleam from reflective surface, and sometimes even the sky in outdoor shots blooms and burns an intense solid white. It becomes distracting and actually hard to look at. Very reminiscent of Sony's recalled <b>Robocop</b> (1987) Blu-ray which also suffered similarly blazing hot white levels.<br />
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One of the more obvious examples is the fluorescent tube right outside the door where the group is holding up. It's so <i>super fucking</i> bright there's distortion to the shots it's featured in. The same light on the Anchor Bay and Arrow looks perfectly normal. As noted, this problem also appears in the sky at times, totally blanking out clouds. Especially apparent in the shot of the zombie climbing out of a junker while Roger's trying to hotwire one of the BP trucks. The sky behind the zombie is so bleached white that it almost obscures him. And again the sky in both the US and UK discs looks fine in this regard.<br />
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This generally bright contrast only exacerbates what print damage is present. I'm not one to throw a bitchfest over some lines and flecks (<i>both the US and UK have such damage</i>), but there's a really odd anomaly that appears repeatedly throughout. As pictured above, "rainbowing" aliasing pops up to the center right of the frame. It only lasts for a frame or two and takes on different "blob" or line shapes that sometimes move in a strobing fashion before disappearing. The most effected portion of the film is when the young SWAT member commits suicide up until Roger escapes to the basement for relief. Can anyone identify what could be causing this? I'm at a loss to whether it's on the print or haywire digital encoding. Both displays I viewed this BD on exhibited this and I've never seen anything quite like it. Regarding the other "normal" damage, it's interesting this presentation doesn't share any of same wear-and-tear seen on the Anchor Bay or Arrow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IXhG6JUlqTCWDfAfzSmJBEXI50l33Yd7B3TAaxYwsNaDJ4qIpPfknkdaY3npyvzCyU015LPJTIZN4rehv6LvQEd3buL-wXQzlTNM-PTap7pHGmq8H07bQNCsRv1bxyEm1-UvBa94ww/s1600/IMG_2919.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IXhG6JUlqTCWDfAfzSmJBEXI50l33Yd7B3TAaxYwsNaDJ4qIpPfknkdaY3npyvzCyU015LPJTIZN4rehv6LvQEd3buL-wXQzlTNM-PTap7pHGmq8H07bQNCsRv1bxyEm1-UvBa94ww/s400/IMG_2919.png" width="400" /></a>Color is also a bit wonky, but I'm unsure if it's "creative" colorgrading done to this transfer or inherent to the print used. Some shots lean toward a greenish tint, while others reddish, yet others neutral. Sometimes shots within the same sequence have different hues.<br />
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An example being when the old priest surprises Peter and Roger in the tenement cellar. The shot of the priest looks normal while the very next shot of the two SWAT members aiming their rifles at him leans red. Or the climax before zombified Stephen reaches their hideout. The shots of Peter telling Fran about Stephen are very warmly hued, then suddenly after the door is wrenched open, the color turns cool. This isn't a massive issue, but the Anchor Bay and Arrow definitely have more consistent, but probably still not "accurate" color schemes.<br />
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So it's really a judgment call. The increase in detail is very clear and fantastic to finally see after all these years. Yet the problems described above are also quite apparent. With Anchor Bay's DVD/BD distribution license recently expiring, it's up to how long you're willing to wait for a better or worse Blu-ray re-release. Although if you're a fanatic you'll of course want this edition as it's not just a simple port of an existing transfer (<i>like Happinet's <b>Day of the Dead</b> BD</i>). You can certainly see the potential for a truly fantastic presentation of <b>Dawn of the Dead</b> in this release, but ultimately we're not quite there.
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<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-29082408600644689682014-01-01T13:19:00.001-05:002014-01-01T17:32:51.858-05:00Some quick thoughts on Zombie Night (2013)<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5EfLj1_SU2P0d8AucII-0Zdc7_JMUvTD_OQ5_e6WYie8fkuM-s9jvtgpxSR569a_6MAXNtzUYls6C1mwuBd_H8Z8H45uzPgUqy758N8rfUL0ro7g9Qy9dYxG3fDi-kkrjN7Qhw8iGw/s1600/001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5EfLj1_SU2P0d8AucII-0Zdc7_JMUvTD_OQ5_e6WYie8fkuM-s9jvtgpxSR569a_6MAXNtzUYls6C1mwuBd_H8Z8H45uzPgUqy758N8rfUL0ro7g9Qy9dYxG3fDi-kkrjN7Qhw8iGw/s320/001.png" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #f1c232;">To adapt a quote from Alex Cox's <b>Repo Man</b>, ordinary fucking people that you hate fight for survival when zombies arise and begin feasting by night.</span></i><br />
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There's two predominant camps that will bash John Gulager's <b>Zombie Night</b>, those that cast it off merely for being an Asylum production and those that stupidly expect <i>The Walking Dead</i>. Throwing out those junk opinions, everyone else just won't care for it and that's understandable. After two off-the-rails <i>Feast</i> sequels and the disastrous <b>Piranha 3DD</b><i> </i> (2012), it's easy to blame Gulager for screwing up this formulaic outing. It might be a mess, but its an interesting one and the director really is the least responsible.<br />
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With obvious riffs from <b>Night of the Living Dead</b> (1968), including lethargic zombies, some of the characters in <b>Zombie Night</b> are copied verbatim from the Romero classic. Alan Ruck, who's finally showing some age, is essentially Cooper, a family man swearing by his safe room and stubbornly refusing to help others out of fear for his loved ones. His wife, played by Jennifer Taylor, is Cooper's wife Helen, in contention with her husband's decisions over their bitten son. Shirley Jones of <i>Partridge Family</i> fame embodies an elderly version of the near comatose Barbra. So you'd think lead Antony Michael Hall would be similar to Ben, but a crippling problem arises with not just his character, but also everyone else.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2Xe9Keb0oIRX7mX6suYGM1uM25OG78WbqE_-djNbwV7wrvDCIEA7SK95EwxtQkoqRm6Esz6Dc-Hk6wNjVp7GGnQXMm-IXKqoPs_BO11eOxi_behDfC2Tyz9JxE3Asy2MBFSxNawffQ/s1600/vlcsnap-2013-12-31-23h14m04s169.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2Xe9Keb0oIRX7mX6suYGM1uM25OG78WbqE_-djNbwV7wrvDCIEA7SK95EwxtQkoqRm6Esz6Dc-Hk6wNjVp7GGnQXMm-IXKqoPs_BO11eOxi_behDfC2Tyz9JxE3Asy2MBFSxNawffQ/s320/vlcsnap-2013-12-31-23h14m04s169.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Even if your only exposure to the subgenre is <i>The Walking Dead</i>, you probably get that effective zombie siege fiction tends to need at least one character with a measure of common sense. That individual needn't be a white-bread protagonist or even necessarily right, but someone who endears viewers through sensible actions. We first root for their plans to work and if those collapse hope for the survival of the character. Duane Jones' Ben is that person in the original <b>Night of the Living Dead</b>. On the other hand, <b>Zombie Night </b>lacks such characters as we watch people we never grow to care for running from place-to-place, continually making stupid choices along the way. Literally no one is likable, and although the cast is on auto-pilot, this aspect seems part of the material. There's also some gigantic logic gaps, the biggest being (<i><span style="color: #f1c232;"><b>spoilers</b></span>, click and drag to highlight</i>) <span style="color: #20124d; font-style: italic;">one of the survivors overhearing that all zombies die off at dawn so they just have to survive until then. If this was a first time phenomena, how in the hell would anyone know that would happen?!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVGuUbFDRYMWX5AN7WBUPL5yHVMfXZmkdTqM5SXfD7Bf1IYwYSZip5YRExNICrb5jxZcM4y_5ABVJltrD8DWDMFbVbeu0rdEDWarAxUnhcJXkanMMh_9-RWKuZWx3Fjy90x8kMLGXOw/s1600/vlcsnap-2013-12-31-23h39m10s51.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVGuUbFDRYMWX5AN7WBUPL5yHVMfXZmkdTqM5SXfD7Bf1IYwYSZip5YRExNICrb5jxZcM4y_5ABVJltrD8DWDMFbVbeu0rdEDWarAxUnhcJXkanMMh_9-RWKuZWx3Fjy90x8kMLGXOw/s320/vlcsnap-2013-12-31-23h39m10s51.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Here's a quick example of how unbelievably dumb characters frequently are. We're introduced to a cop who's arresting a looter, and upon returning to his precinct, finds it abandoned and ransacked with phones ringing off the hook. Picking one up he recognizes the voice as one of his old high school teachers, Shirley Jones' character, and promises he'll be right over to assist. It's well apparent zombies have risen as he's forced to leave his squad car after being attacked and witnessing a little girl shot dead and suddenly reanimate (<i>ascribing to the "revised" Romero/Walking Dead rules</i>). So does he have better things to do like finding family and friends in the chaos? Doesn't seem so, when we see him next he's approaching the empty house of his once teacher to investigate. <i>Seriously?</i> <br />
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Ultimately, <b>Zombie Night</b> is more a wasted opportunity than just bad outright. It actually has the chops to be a decent, albeit run-of-the-mill timewaster. Gulager's capable direction guides a film, with solid zombie make-up, that wisely keeps its ambitions within its slim budget. Unlike The Asylum's recent <i>Zombie Apocalypse</i> and <i>Rise of the Zombies</i> that end up straining with how high they aim. Yet dumb, unsympathetic characters paired with an aimless story and paycheck acting make this one a chore. If you're still interested, The Asylum now has three movies of the same ilk and I'll bet we'll see a cheapo three-pack at Wal Mart soon. Also I'm unsure what's new/different in this unrated version compared to Syfy's airing, but the total runtime is 1:28:21. <br />
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Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-36306827658165374512013-12-29T15:44:00.000-05:002013-12-29T17:24:33.348-05:00Some quick thoughts on Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH7EcDC5XZfSs7pMaIWuwtiABLOafhMnlDmu5oTbFU-jaiEqFKSeO6RfVKeY-OlRgswJJiYKjqqMq3nEvScIMLW9RS9reSXKJTw6UQEA1pGqRzfCEqxFGY2VklRd8pu8lbsx9VDGe5Q/s1600/1677576h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH7EcDC5XZfSs7pMaIWuwtiABLOafhMnlDmu5oTbFU-jaiEqFKSeO6RfVKeY-OlRgswJJiYKjqqMq3nEvScIMLW9RS9reSXKJTw6UQEA1pGqRzfCEqxFGY2VklRd8pu8lbsx9VDGe5Q/s320/1677576h.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><i>Picking up shortly after the events of the first film, Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) start anew with their children in the home of Josh's mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hersey). Amidst lingering questions over who, or what, killed Elise (Lin Shayne), it becomes clear the family is still under otherworldly threat. Only an unexplained occurrence buried in Josh's past can save them, as the malevolence targets Josh himself to serve its own dastardly ends.</i></span><br />
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Back when <b>Insidious</b> was fresh, I wrote <a href="http://www.ghoulbasement.com/2011/07/insidious-is-sign-of-health-in-modern.html" target="_blank">this review</a> proclaiming the film a "<i>sign of health in modern horror.</i>" Repeat viewings have only strengthened this praise, but its positive qualities simply don't carry over in this ho-hum, but amazingly box office successful follow-up. It's surprising this sequel has an association via director and lead to the vastly superior <b>The Conjuring</b> (2013), <a href="http://www.ghoulbasement.com/2013/10/some-quick-thoughts-on-conjuring-2013.html" target="_blank">review here</a>, released theatrically a short time prior. Although director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell aren't entirely to blame. A potential sea change in this brand of horror could be the cause of this follow-up feeling too overfamiliar.<br />
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Despite its intriguing premise, <b>Insidious 2</b> is too self-indulgent, rolling out vital twists without much more consideration than any of its other beats. <b>Insidious</b> geared itself toward a grand reveal of a parallel spirit dimension and this build toward something so ominous greatly helped smooth over the film's issues with barreling through finer details. There's nothing that mysterious in this sequel which, even if the film was on par with the first, would relegate it to feeling smaller. The biggest reveal, again played out with little sense of importance, just leads to the narrative messily skipping across dimensions and timelines. And not to get too into spoiler territory, but Lin Shayne does make an appearance only for her character's vast knowledge and circumstance to be completely wasted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkuAQZncR_KkKDk1J2TFgMXCNHqwULMmSJzBpyPoC7rQTnTNClrxVajXm1VwgE1OSgIGape24vB8SNNG5WN8GAisxsEOgHVkwuvm-S-99CBMobP-pxB6cnRt-3o3OhaeLlF34HIr8HA/s1600/6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkuAQZncR_KkKDk1J2TFgMXCNHqwULMmSJzBpyPoC7rQTnTNClrxVajXm1VwgE1OSgIGape24vB8SNNG5WN8GAisxsEOgHVkwuvm-S-99CBMobP-pxB6cnRt-3o3OhaeLlF34HIr8HA/s320/6.png" width="320" /></a>The most chilling scene, Barbara Hershey's Lorraine recalling a brush with an apparition while working as a hospital nurse, is also the simplest scare illustrating the "less is more" mantra that made the first film more effective. It's not uncommon for a sequel to branch out, but the story soon bloats, becoming laughable at times, causing any concern for the characters and unsettling atmosphere to become muddled. <b>Insidious</b> did a fantastic job of straddling this line, never quite becoming so far-fetched as make one become very aware they're sitting in front of a horror movie. So in a very "theatrical horror show" sense this sequel succeeds, though you'll probably likely forget about it soon afterward much like other labored ghost flicks in recent years.<br />
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One of the best horror films of 2013, <b>The Conjuring</b>, is really to blame for my sour reaction to <b>Insidious 2</b>. By that's film's precise simplification of the poltergeist formula, Wan's effort here feels antiquated in all its bloat. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out between the eventual sequels of both series. If <i>Conjuring 2</i> keeps up the quality and beats <i>Insidious 3</i> to the box office, the third coming of "The Bride in Black" might perform significantly less if it continues this over-the-top routine. Of course, this 6.8 IMDB-rated sequel made a shit pot full of money, so what do I know? If you're a fan of the first <i>Insidious</i>, best remain content considering it as a standalone and view <b>The Conjuring</b> as James Wan's logical evolution. Just pray the <a href="http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3264204/exclusive-new-linewb-prepping-three-the-conjuring-spinoffs/" target="_blank">recent news</a> of three <i>Conjuring</i> spin-offs doesn't mar that series.<br />
<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-7182463729421550722013-12-27T22:26:00.001-05:002013-12-27T22:56:58.417-05:00Second Update on Happinet Japan's Dawn of the Dead Blu-ray Box (w/ screenshots!)<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-i777e3zYI2jj117fvG4IKNs95fkratF1adtF1Jshcqk5Z2mD3BBuN4iDO6G8jMIPtznP33wah9VjAtNjEAg8LdT1n9lb04Hmdzw1XEUqA2wkIrX7VWY5fvbkCHWnvW1T3zj1xGaSQ/s1600/tc+us+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-i777e3zYI2jj117fvG4IKNs95fkratF1adtF1Jshcqk5Z2mD3BBuN4iDO6G8jMIPtznP33wah9VjAtNjEAg8LdT1n9lb04Hmdzw1XEUqA2wkIrX7VWY5fvbkCHWnvW1T3zj1xGaSQ/s640/tc+us+2.png" width="640" /></a>
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<span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: x-small;">(click for full size, not zoomed or resized)</span></div>
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Thanks goes to my buddy Christian for the quick work with <i><a href="http://pastebin.com/aunNwcCp" target="_blank">these screenshots</a></i> comparing all three versions across four Blu-ray editions (US/UK/JP/FR). Tentatively based off these few captures, it looks like Happinet Japan has stepped up and surpassed the previous Theatrical Version Blu-ray offerings (<i>JP marks the first-ever Extended Version Blu-ray</i>). Here's my impressions based off these shots: <br />
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<li><i><span style="color: #f1c232;">Theatrical Cut</span></i>: Both Anchor Bay US and Arrow Video UK (<i>darker contrast levels</i>) are from the same master, probably originally made for Anchor Bay's 2003 DVD. </li>
<li><span style="color: #f1c232;"><i>Theatrical Cut</i>:</span> Both the US and UK suffer from excessive digital noise reduction (<i>AB more so</i>), automatic scratch correction, and digital artifacts from weak encoding.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #f1c232;">Theatrical Cut</span></i>: The Happinet JP doesn't have these problems and exhibits damage (<i>perfectly fine trade-off in my opinion</i>), but is zoomed-in a little on all sides while bumping out the widescreen aspect ratio to 1.78:1. It also <i>might</i> suffer from some blown out contrast, note the intensity of the light above the biting zombie. However; color, overall contrast, tonality, and detail look clearly improved. <i>Finally!</i></li>
<li><i><span style="color: #e69138;">Extended Cut</span> (Japanese)</i>: Based off the one capture provided, it appears to be virtually identical to the Japanese Theatrical <i>(at least with regards to framing</i>).</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Argento Cut</span></i>: Both the French and Japanese sadly appear to be identical with grid-like mosquito noise (<i>not grain</i>). The Japanese is a bit more detailed with the noise level and has better contrast.</li>
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Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-18208814069252277012013-12-27T09:17:00.000-05:002013-12-27T20:04:48.230-05:00Update on Happinet's 35th Anniversary Dawn of the Dead Blu-ray Box from Japan <div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARbnnFzz-UueuKXwX7g-arPok1rTYbprquSQLN1URpCbmQD_k1_12W22xJ5wsv1XqmX3ft0c8H_df3yd7cXvpknNhMvlO4YW4W_DutpYoENj2sxWmWalZiutEIWNHUZ_917ZifSgm4Q/s1600/546085.1020.A.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARbnnFzz-UueuKXwX7g-arPok1rTYbprquSQLN1URpCbmQD_k1_12W22xJ5wsv1XqmX3ft0c8H_df3yd7cXvpknNhMvlO4YW4W_DutpYoENj2sxWmWalZiutEIWNHUZ_917ZifSgm4Q/s320/546085.1020.A.png" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #f1c232;"><i>EDIT: Just ordered the Theatrical Version Blu-ray from Amazon.jp, so of course I'll do a follow-up with impressions! </i></span><br />
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Here's an update to <a href="http://www.ghoulbasement.com/2013/09/dawn-of-dead-35th-anniversary-ultimate.html">this September entry</a> detailing Happinet's plans to release a three Blu-ray set of George A. Romero's <b>Dawn of the Dead</b> (1978) back on December 3rd. That date slipped to the 20th, and I've just started to see images from Japanese collectors getting their copies within the last week. The images below are from <a href="http://catalina.blog.so-net.ne.jp/"><i>catalina.blog.so-net.ne.jp</i></a>.<br />
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Initial reports indicate generally good quality of all three high definition transfers, some are stating the Theatrical Version just looks fair, but I haven't found any screenshots to get a better gauge. The back specs do confirm all three versions being 1080p HD encoded with MPEG-4 AVC with all featuring English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (<i>w/ 96kHz upsampling</i>) and 2.0 tracks. The supplemental material is still skimpy with mostly theatrical trailers/teasers previously available on Anchor Bay's DVDs and Blu-ray.<br />
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Although if the image quality of the transfers is great, advertising claims "state of the art" restorations, then this set will certainly be worth picking up. There's certainly room for improvement beyond both the Anchor Bay and Arrow Video UK Blu-rays. Regardless, this set's packaging is fantastic, reminiscent of Bandai Emotion's stunning silver "Perfect Collection" LaserDisc set from 1995 (<a href="http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/00189/BELL-745/Zombie---Dawn-of-the-Dead:-Perfect-Collection-(1978)" target="_blank"><i>seen here</i></a>). The Blu-ray cases also appear to be the thicker, more conventional DVD style not seen stateside. I'll keep abreast of information and screenshots, but I'm waiting before ordering until hearing more definitive word. Check the first link above for Amazon.jp and CDJapan seller links if you're bold enough to order straight away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQJh-IGvrMSt2RPTG7cA3Cudp1W34D43I2r2NEvMy9spor9FY1mXj5kqz_WGrSMGaQWj7nOuN-_T3JB6HJytt2X2N1iSLTzVuqAOe_T_JiQ97dtawyoXt3QdC0f2Jlm7UfzHjL_U9zw/s1600/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-01.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQJh-IGvrMSt2RPTG7cA3Cudp1W34D43I2r2NEvMy9spor9FY1mXj5kqz_WGrSMGaQWj7nOuN-_T3JB6HJytt2X2N1iSLTzVuqAOe_T_JiQ97dtawyoXt3QdC0f2Jlm7UfzHjL_U9zw/s320/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-01.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpFqb_RzJAnC4xI-r5eb4FluwXMYTQLW85whFHTj6oVgXm1DaGr6BCmbSMIey-lXs78hCeVcWPse6yxhPRMu5T1a2m_YzCHSPUzikjNoM4567JTf5o7LanlJ1DxoAcfBSl06daRJT_A/s1600/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-02.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpFqb_RzJAnC4xI-r5eb4FluwXMYTQLW85whFHTj6oVgXm1DaGr6BCmbSMIey-lXs78hCeVcWPse6yxhPRMu5T1a2m_YzCHSPUzikjNoM4567JTf5o7LanlJ1DxoAcfBSl06daRJT_A/s320/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-02.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CM0mdLAp1aXq3E2vqsd6Db7ImyE4EXj_OPr3bwy_1Jo8-Ycfc9yFusjgmEHhIfj2amOuexrE0Hvda7P57Rk8m5kKA4XWr9ouIl8Tq3DHtfhZoYfGMepzJ2gmLd-ACUAz-w43Uxe9Uw/s1600/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-05.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CM0mdLAp1aXq3E2vqsd6Db7ImyE4EXj_OPr3bwy_1Jo8-Ycfc9yFusjgmEHhIfj2amOuexrE0Hvda7P57Rk8m5kKA4XWr9ouIl8Tq3DHtfhZoYfGMepzJ2gmLd-ACUAz-w43Uxe9Uw/s320/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-05.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzOBpdBeBMkUL_hYobF1U7K2i78H-Hr6ioJbsfHMIV8f4T9MO4GSdvu0w5fcdcKU_Z_ltFUqQF23ye56IRDkV_a4Z3Ekflynk31eCllUgg-EAKbGS839UvtigBt084pqE4aF_6I9Wvw/s1600/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-06.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzOBpdBeBMkUL_hYobF1U7K2i78H-Hr6ioJbsfHMIV8f4T9MO4GSdvu0w5fcdcKU_Z_ltFUqQF23ye56IRDkV_a4Z3Ekflynk31eCllUgg-EAKbGS839UvtigBt084pqE4aF_6I9Wvw/s320/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-06.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KMfWQGCcu2zKNl8ZBaCRgqv0noc-phuTQNO0YxGW4kgCY8XO4sIswT7igKk65_pTquAHaEBJPSzIA2K0xpiDk8yPQXMALZjakKDAyRtEkceFkGQscHIj3mA0mfpzXnBldww4k9WKPg/s1600/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-03.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KMfWQGCcu2zKNl8ZBaCRgqv0noc-phuTQNO0YxGW4kgCY8XO4sIswT7igKk65_pTquAHaEBJPSzIA2K0xpiDk8yPQXMALZjakKDAyRtEkceFkGQscHIj3mA0mfpzXnBldww4k9WKPg/s320/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-03.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGgkDttqC_Q49-sETeN2qn5kgx_Hkznk7DRLSz4x_1pcfX4EXTCGmxOtdFILCqDeFNtRoFetpTeKF6bIGD8I09XPA7v2X42IUyBF-lsTRE_6YpGGSBZHHI7BdK_REQrWwAI4z4tEi-Q/s1600/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-04.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGgkDttqC_Q49-sETeN2qn5kgx_Hkznk7DRLSz4x_1pcfX4EXTCGmxOtdFILCqDeFNtRoFetpTeKF6bIGD8I09XPA7v2X42IUyBF-lsTRE_6YpGGSBZHHI7BdK_REQrWwAI4z4tEi-Q/s320/2013-12-20-ZOMBI_BD-04.JPG" /></a>Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-8878491572727166762013-12-14T15:19:00.003-05:002013-12-14T15:49:13.987-05:00Some quick thoughts on Jungle Rats (1988) <div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWqrMAy7JH-aFVF-mDKyzYw-OFV3eIBgdDuwyqUhgY4hgMio6i1S3_yK51xT6whX8inmzg_WwUjoNb2TwOjxAcnlRMMZLTxEH6_70Ma4RWVzCcBjTrY53Rzw3-XxYpNugANWJNtyi9w/s1600/001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWqrMAy7JH-aFVF-mDKyzYw-OFV3eIBgdDuwyqUhgY4hgMio6i1S3_yK51xT6whX8inmzg_WwUjoNb2TwOjxAcnlRMMZLTxEH6_70Ma4RWVzCcBjTrY53Rzw3-XxYpNugANWJNtyi9w/s400/001.png" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #f1c232;"><i>Rom Kristoff leads a squad specializing in underground tunnel combat back into Vietnam to rescue several POWs, including jungle action veteran Mike Monty, after the war's official conclusion.</i></span><br />
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There's something innocent about these cheap <i>Rambo</i> echoes from the late '80s. It's hard to fathom there being a market for these even back when these were fresh. I can only figure the only target audience for this very niche brand of war flick, especially nowadays, is wannabe veterans or those that those that grossly inflate their service simply to impress others that also don't have very discriminating cine tastes. In that respect, these old flicks are like those old guys in that they're usually harmless with their bullshit stories, yet you can never really expect too much from them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1IyF1hvCbYwF6T6GGNrvZFN0NxDEfLaCFbGtHZFV_yKq3Z0NkDsC7xbQ42mVuWro5c2oUWUZhpKswc5Vxf4PG6pdr2DF3mafgeDNpCiW-0jrv1S0dG8sqM6I8P6sLPF5cwta5dDfoQ/s1600/001gg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1IyF1hvCbYwF6T6GGNrvZFN0NxDEfLaCFbGtHZFV_yKq3Z0NkDsC7xbQ42mVuWro5c2oUWUZhpKswc5Vxf4PG6pdr2DF3mafgeDNpCiW-0jrv1S0dG8sqM6I8P6sLPF5cwta5dDfoQ/s320/001gg.png" width="320" /></a>As far as these Philippines-lensed war actioners go, Teddy Page's <b>Jungle Rats </b>is fairly generic. The team assembles, engages in skirmishes with Vietcong, rendezvouses with a female defector, encounters more micro battling, gets a bead on the prisoners, and a finally climatic blow-up ensues. With its story being your standard POW rescue, the many goofy details outside the plot become the reason to keep watching. In the initial capture of the soldiers, flashbangs are indiscriminately fired at scattered American fighters that somehow magically explode <i>exactly</i> about two feet from each of them. We're introduced to the team, all with goofy nicknames (<i>Boom-Boom, Batman, Blackstar</i>), and despite being all decked out to remain hidden in the green inferno, one wears a bright blue baseball cap for reasons beyond comprehension.<br />
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There's also an intense scene in which a landmine is defused with its would-be victim still standing on it. Kristoff then stands back and detonates it since naturally loudass explosions <i>aren't</i> a dead giveaway to enemy forces potentially nearby. After finally reaching a few tunnels over an hour into the movie, one of the supposed experts in underground warfare whines about it being so dark. In the concluding battle, apparently short wild sprays of machine gun fire can accurately strike and kill ten-to-fifteen Vietcong soldiers at a time. Just some of the crazy oddball aspects that constantly remind your brain to remain shut off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8Q_D9p6CZid6Ov0G1r2Pc53qJQlWlRek3tJ6QK7dXCC7Gb4RbvmEdm894uy0X1Hhk5Whe1dn2-Uh4SZeswTcpiFK09ehkLWT1Ydf1IvmD88kE8F3TyQWPq2ML9_5rwTGWXL7MMmbVQ/s1600/JimGaines.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8Q_D9p6CZid6Ov0G1r2Pc53qJQlWlRek3tJ6QK7dXCC7Gb4RbvmEdm894uy0X1Hhk5Whe1dn2-Uh4SZeswTcpiFK09ehkLWT1Ydf1IvmD88kE8F3TyQWPq2ML9_5rwTGWXL7MMmbVQ/s320/JimGaines.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>(From Nanarland's <a href="http://www.nanarland.com/Chroniques/chronique-commandophantom-commando-phantom.html" target="_blank">Phantom Commando review</a>)</i></span></td></tr>
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There's two last tidbits of note concerning <b>Jungle Rats</b>. Director Teddy Page and writer/co-star Jim Gaines (<i>pictured</i>) had a professional partnership spanning the decade with several jungle brawlers. So curiously Gaines' character nicknamed "Killer", a misfit soldier that constantly goes over the head of his commander, is by far the most fleshed out even trumping Kristoff's one dimensional lead. Yet still, like everything else here, don't expect anything more than a poorly written take on the token stereotypical asshole seen in many other war pictures. <br />
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Concerning the soundtrack, much of it is actually Jack Trombey from the De Wolfe collection of library music, even the two Trombey pieces heard in George A. Romero's <b>Dawn of the Dead</b> (1978) are played several times throughout. I thought I was hearing things when same music from Roger struggling with his rifle with zombies nipping at his boots in the truck barricade sequence played over the team's first descent underground. Neither as fun as Bruno Mattei's <b>Strike Commando</b> (1987) or as ridiculously over-the-top as Ignazio Dolce's <b>Commander</b> (<i>The Last American Soldier</i>) (1988), <b>Jungle Rats</b> isn't one to watch as a first experience, but you'll want to track it down once becoming acclimated to these meat n' potatoes 'Nam-fueled actioners.<br />
<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-75042232316823234422013-11-22T18:52:00.000-05:002013-11-22T19:07:51.228-05:00Some quick thoughts on Dead in Tombstone (2013)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFruPGDwzqJoOAkrTt9dz8Nf7IZ5h4IdtGGLq82r2pL5-8QABT_yHlhepPi5srzFL5ov_P46SwvqZsGiYhHWbcrkhv1anZ2AXRRLeeuIFZFmv8Vk2zsVJuDVfYFvima4r1SKcPC4XWw/s1600/87.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFruPGDwzqJoOAkrTt9dz8Nf7IZ5h4IdtGGLq82r2pL5-8QABT_yHlhepPi5srzFL5ov_P46SwvqZsGiYhHWbcrkhv1anZ2AXRRLeeuIFZFmv8Vk2zsVJuDVfYFvima4r1SKcPC4XWw/s320/87.png" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #f1c232;">Betrayed and brutally slain by his own outlaw gang over control of a town, Guerrero (Danny Trejo) descends into Hades for his sins, but strikes a deal with Satan (Mickey Rourke) to trade the six souls of his murderers to save his own from damnation. Resurrected yet very much mortal, the black angel digs himself forth from his earthen tomb to exact vengeance, but he only has twenty-four hours to kill 'em all...</span></i><br />
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Before tearing into this dog, I must thank the kind folks over at <a href="http://www.horrortalk.com/">HorrorTalk.com</a> for the opportunity to win this Blu-ray combo. Upon receiving it a few days ago I was at first was baffled before realizing I had entered their contest! You'll soon see that my review isn't colored from the pleasant surprise of actually winning something for once.<br />
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Danny Trejo in an action "horror western" was an inevitability, but the Western genre is deceptively complex. To produce even a "decent" example a convincing drama needs to be constructed around punctuated violence. The screenplay, penned by the duo behind the awful killer clown slasher <b>Drive Thru</b> (2007), instead strings along action sequences with scattered bits of shallow exposition. In that respect, <b>Dead in Tombstone</b> succeeds and shows how well a measly five million dollars, and major studio backing, can be utilized. The <i>Deadwood</i> aesthetic is in full effect with a western town backlot and actors drenched in that unnatural "readymade rustic" grit. Frenzied editing hampers most nuance of the camerawork, but the sound design is <i>extremely</i> impressive and the film never once sounds its low cost.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwR8YGDT6iUYsKYnYkKFgPjAqHAB8bJS2fgWfCN-wF6nitWWCpSZIZVgPzU_5cYQyYZEMihelCHGhMdRq9MNClDlWFdBPe52F3IvBwelXtv5_Zjm7f7zwP3tywF1biK1VGKSNlKvGIg/s1600/564.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwR8YGDT6iUYsKYnYkKFgPjAqHAB8bJS2fgWfCN-wF6nitWWCpSZIZVgPzU_5cYQyYZEMihelCHGhMdRq9MNClDlWFdBPe52F3IvBwelXtv5_Zjm7f7zwP3tywF1biK1VGKSNlKvGIg/s320/564.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Trejo seems well aware he can phone-in these DTVers with his now widely recognized marquee and unique badass visage. So the veteran actor doesn't even try beyond mumbling one-liners with his more expressive lines coming off totally unbelievable. Hearing him act surprised at his gang's betrayal or the realization he's in Hell actually provokes chuckles. He's definitely no Bronson.<br />
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The supporting cast is sketchy as well with Mickey Rourke lumbering along looking like he's given up on himself in a boring turn as Beelzebub. Anthony Michael Hall appears as the gang's new leader responsible for Guerrero's murder, and while not given much, his grizzled performance makes one wish he were in Trejo's role instead. Dina Meyer, the only actress to appear besides some background boobs, provides a thankless performance as a shorn woman out to avenge the murder of her husband at the gang's hands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePLzib-oDEXA-GW9K8W9k2B_BnY46AlTKxfFhHsoiJihGtQW0Q4iHrlCOR-tJcPHrr3PdXrQHsjIyuva152dHQdmVfzyvQb1Re0gIxHFP94KLxUsG_JszDFDA3x7DbZBYsiWZPCnFLQ/s1600/65.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePLzib-oDEXA-GW9K8W9k2B_BnY46AlTKxfFhHsoiJihGtQW0Q4iHrlCOR-tJcPHrr3PdXrQHsjIyuva152dHQdmVfzyvQb1Re0gIxHFP94KLxUsG_JszDFDA3x7DbZBYsiWZPCnFLQ/s320/65.png" width="320" /></a>Finally, there's a few weird odds-and-ends like the story never making the effort at a redemption arch for Guerrero. He's just a nicer shade of scumbag that instructs his gang to limit collateral damage. Nice guy, eh? Satan is apparently a dumb yet trustworthy emperor of the damned, failing to realize the gang's souls are already condemned before making the deal and ultimately granting Guerrero's life back.<br />
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The film makes a point of showing us Guerrero's dual three-barreled engraved revolvers (<i>pictured</i>), but we only see him use a single Smith & Wesson Model 586. A revolver of precisely machined parts introduced over a hundred years (1981) after this film's depicted time. Way to go, prop master. Also unexplained is Rourke obviously being dubbed by a voice actor for the entire scene of Satan's deal with Guerrero, only for his natural voice to appear in later scenes.<br />
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Unless you're a Trejo diehard or hate Westerns, it's safe to pass on this made-for-Redbox quickie. Although billed as a "horror western", the only thing horrifying is how much of a wasted opportunity this represents. More consideration toward Guerrero's internal plight and maybe even a lack of Trejo as lead could have resulted in one of the best low budget Westerns in years. Instead <b>Dead in Tombstone</b> feels spearheaded by a pair who believe gunfights and explosions are the <i>only</i> thing the genre is good for.
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<br />Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-77645123645450861642013-11-17T16:51:00.000-05:002013-11-17T18:00:23.854-05:00Some quick thoughts on All Hallows' Eve (2013) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqraUWP6zD7Ud1h_JEksZ9W1QcUbzQQb8KEVOIS9kqhgqkEFrMSdebu5fpwqcauPeQ3wsB7bP1R3rpxSRIe7urBiz50E4k83jurcjpmLpZMtQ0IckP_uOC-q_by-15TaLRM4nGStbww/s1600/1665349h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqraUWP6zD7Ud1h_JEksZ9W1QcUbzQQb8KEVOIS9kqhgqkEFrMSdebu5fpwqcauPeQ3wsB7bP1R3rpxSRIe7urBiz50E4k83jurcjpmLpZMtQ0IckP_uOC-q_by-15TaLRM4nGStbww/s320/1665349h.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #f1c232;">A young babysitter (Katie Maguire) on Halloween discovers an unlabeled VHS slipped into one of the kid's trick or treat bags. Hesitant to watch, the contents are reveled to be a horror movie of several stories involving a terrifying clown, but the more she watches the more an intense sense of something unwanted lurking about permeates the house. </span></i><br />
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Built around two of writer/director Damien Leone's prior shorts, <i>The 9th Circle</i> (2008) and <i>Terrifier </i>(2011), his debut feature <b>All Hallows' Eve</b> might prove the anthology the wisest approach for agreeable indie horror. This kind of storytelling's resurgence in the genre could be indicative of filmmakers realizing the advantages of the format especially when tackling projects on a shoestring. Everything can be streamlined to save precious money, and to the benefit of the viewer, if a particular tale gets stale just wait a few minutes and another will begin.<br />
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Although <b>All Hallows' Eve</b> is a bit different since Leone had the ingenious idea of mining a feature through the use of his two already completed shorts. The babysitter wraparound and sci-fi tinged second story are new with the shorts respectively serving as the first and third. Without giving anything away, all three stories are straightforward with understandably little involvement with the wraparound. Due to the meager budget, everything moves with brevity so it's not advised to expect the second coming of <b>Trick 'r Treat</b> (2007). Even Steve Sessions' <i>ultra</i> cheap <b>Cremains</b> (2001) exhibits a greater degree of creativity in each of its yarns. That's not to say they're bad, just nothing new done well enough to hold interest with a surprisingly effective score by new retro wave artist Noir Deco (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/N0IRDEC0/videos" target="_blank">listen here</a>). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXkNpQguGI8VDp7tXAAVLFDF4axiUYCu7enmoiMMOvCe3kR4cMqMf9xwdrOfQpkckvDHE1viyQ-_Vp3Akm5_6lbDIGydgeyHgI0Sx0inP_AIBNys91p8IguTXE_ju3UWZIHrnvzX_dQ/s1600/Terrifier-ArttheClown3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXkNpQguGI8VDp7tXAAVLFDF4axiUYCu7enmoiMMOvCe3kR4cMqMf9xwdrOfQpkckvDHE1viyQ-_Vp3Akm5_6lbDIGydgeyHgI0Sx0inP_AIBNys91p8IguTXE_ju3UWZIHrnvzX_dQ/s320/Terrifier-ArttheClown3.png" width="320" /></a>However, the one constant, Art the Clown (<i>Mike Giannelli</i>), is terrifying. Leone, who also provided the make-up effects, gives the character gaunt, almost alien-like features while Giannelli's silently gleeful performance imparts the murderous force with much untapped potential. The swiftness of this anthology helps the character only become scarier as there's zero hint of his origins or reasoning behind his methodology. Sure, there's quite a few psycho clowns roaming the horror landscape ever since Pennywise left his mark, with most being awful, but you'll be left wanting as the credits roll.<br />
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That's ultimately a nagging aspect to <b>All Hallows' Eve</b>, it's like a test run by a filmmaker ironing out the kinks of venturing into his first feature. That's not a slight, Leone clearly shows an ability to stage frightening sequences along with building atmosphere and Art the Clown has the legs to perhaps become a recognized future slasher figure. Thankfully, according <a href="http://www.horrortalk.com/features/3940-interview-damien-leone.html" target="_blank">this interview</a> over at HorrorTalk.com, Leone is planning a conventional sequel with a focus on Art. Given this film has landed on Wal Mart shelves, it'll receive a fair amount of undeserved criticism from such exposure, but if you want to experience a burgeoning talent and his creation that could both go somewhere in the genre give this one the time, preferably after midnight.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="385" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jsMPc4C5rYQ?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21048905474250145.post-61016700081499268422013-11-15T18:33:00.000-05:002013-11-15T18:33:20.966-05:00Halloween's 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Has Shed That Damn Cardboard! <div style="text-align: right;">
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This might seem like a small detail, but I knew I'd pass upon finding out Anchor Bay's recent 35th Anniversary <b>Halloween</b> (1978) Blu-ray came packaged in a cardboard digi-pak that housed the disc in a freakin' envelope. Blu-ray does have a hardcoat meant to resist scratching (<i>and protect an incredibly sensitive data layer</i>), but after years of collecting the DVD format, I still get antsy over the prospect of disc contact. Inevitably the disc will receive a degree of wear, especially over repeated viewings if slipped in and out of its sleeve. Not to mention every copy I spotted in-store had dings to the cardboard. <br />
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So this regular Amaray case release stuck to my hand until bagged when spotted at Best Buy today. There's an identical steelbook edition released by Anchor Bay in the United Kingdom; however, I personally don't care much about going out of the way to collect esoteric and rare BDs. This standard case release also might indicate the digi-pak being a limited run, so if you're a collector snatch one up soon. It may not be as eye-catching, but I'm glad to slip it next to the slew of other releases of this classic in my collection. Jayson Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14883805003597885908noreply@blogger.com2