Posts by Dan Holland

The films in this BluRay double feature are connected through two commonalities: the actor Gene LeBrock, and each having an Italian director. The films were produced around the same time, one in ’89 and the other in ’90, and they are both your typical schlocky Italian horror films. Although they may not be as noteworthy as the films of Mario Bava or Dario Argento, they most certainly emulate many of the aesthetics within the “giallo” genre. In other words, where they lack in story and acting talent, they make up for in cinematography, set design, and editing.

Metamorphosis follows Dr. Peter Houseman (LeBrock), a geneticist whose research is geared to develop a formula to stop human aging. Having exhausted the previous year’s grant money, his research must be reviewed in order to progress with funding. Having not published any of his findings, the College Board does not grant him money to continue his research, but he manages to convince the woman who writes the grants (Cathrine Daranov) to observe his research for herself. Running out of time and test subjects to prove his theories, Dr. Houseman injects the formula into his own brain with horrifying results.

When Calls the Heart is a typical romantic drama series from the Hallmark channel, with forty-five minute episodes. This particular disc, When Calls the Heart: Heart and Home is a combination of episodes six and seven from season two. While combining the two episodes places this particular disc at feature length, it does not give context to what has happened to the characters in previous episodes. In other words: being introduced to this disc as a standalone movie, without prior knowledge of the television series, may not be the best way to watch it.

At this point in the story, Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) must take a leave of absence from teaching in order to return home and tend to a family emergency. Thatcher’s sister, Julie (Charlotte Hegele) is involved in a car accident with her boyfriend, and her father is looking to press charges. In addition to this storyline there is an “intense” high-stakes poker game involving ownership of land, multiple rifts in relationships (including Elizabeth and her betrothed, Jack, played by Daniel Lissing), and multiple threats involving money/land disputes.

Sometimes films can move at a rather slow pace, but have a tremendous payoff. In many cases, this pacing pattern is identified by cinephiles as a “slow burn.” How slow the “burn” actually is depends solely on the director’s choice; some can be a little too slow for the amount of “burn” it provides at the film’s climax. Felt had no such problem with either of these concepts. The film is slow, yes, but its pacing fits so well with the devolving psyche (the “burn”) of the main character.

Felt is Jason Banker’s second feature film in the director’s chair. The story follows Amy (Amy Everson) as she spirals downward into a pit of post-traumatic depression. Suffering from an undisclosed trauma, we watch as Amy struggles with her homo-social relationships with Elizabeth and Roxanne (Elizabeth Ferrara and Roxanne Knouse) and attempts to develop a new intimate relationship with Kenny (Kentucker Audley). The film traces Amy’s damaged psyche: a maze of past relationships, burgeoning sexual tensions, and perverse reparative behaviors.

Perhaps if I knew a little bit more about Amadeo I prior to going into this film, I would have enjoyed it a little bit more. Luis Miñarro’s Stella Cadente, or Falling Star, focuses on the short-lived reign of Amedeo I as the King of Spain. Originally hailing from Italy, Amadeo was elected King of Spain in 1871. Upon his election, his primary backer was assassinated, leaving the foreign king alone to deal with the restlessness of Spain’s government. Falling Star sets up this sequence of events well enough to follow, but soon thereafter dwindles into a slow-paced fictionalization of the difficulties that faced Amadeo I.

No matter how accurate or inaccurate a foreign period drama is, I typically enjoy myself while watching. Falling Star gave me no such pleasure, but I have a really hard time pinpointing why. Everything that bothers me about this film never bothers me in any other film I have seen. Perhaps it is the culmination of multiple faults into a single film that really made this film less enjoyable than it could have been. As with many period dramas, the pacing of the film is rather slow. I expected this, considering that the DVD case advertises the look of an Art House film. While many art films move at a snail’s pace, I am always able to enjoy one aspect of the film, normally the acting or the cinematography.

“We like to believe that it’s false reporting because we just, in general, don’t want to believe that rape happens at the level that it does.”

These words are spoken by Diane Rosenfeld, and are probably some of the most poignant words spoken in this documentary. Lisa Jackson’s film It Happened Here tells the story of young women who have been raped during their stay at college. Each one of the girls recount their traumatic experiences and each one do everything in their power to make this horrifying reality known to the public. Having been active in some of America’s universities over the past seven years (both as student and faculty), the message being conveyed in this film is one that hits close to home.

There are an awful lot of people online who do not approve of Northmen: A Viking Saga, and they base their opinion in one of two things: either it’s a “ripoff” of the popular television series Vikings, or they criticize the film’s historical inaccuracies. I can’t defend the film’s creation being linked to the television show, nor will I pretend to know much about Viking history. However, I can provide an interesting question that will, with out a doubt, provoke some thought about the matter: so what? Through this review, I hope to nullify some of the current dismissive reviews and provide the fair review the film deserves.

Northmen: A Viking Saga follows a small, independent group of Vikings, led by Hjorr (Ed Skrein), who have fallen out of favor with their major tribes. During their journey, they happen upon a caravan transporting Inghean (Charlie Murphy), the daughter of a king. The soldiers escorting the caravan, knowing the reputation of Vikings, immediately attack the troupe and lose (despite their overwhelming numbers). After achieving a small victory in the initial battle, the Vikings decide to kidnap Inghean in hopes of bargaining for a hefty ransom. As they venture onward, Inghean begins to appreciate the Vikings’ nobility and camaraderie.

I am a huge fan of the horror genre. Very rarely will I turn a horror film down, no matter how bad it is. This commitment begs the question: what exactly makes a horror film bad? (Although my aim for that question is to be rhetorical, I hope to answer that question through this review of Appetites.) As a horror fan, you typically read the cover of the DVD and already know what you are getting into (for the most part). You decide to lend your time to the film, knowing full well that the odds of watching the next Halloween or The Shining are not in your favor. Regardless, you pop the disc into the player and begin your journey into the unknown, hoping to watch something worth your time. Enter Appetites.

The run-of-the-mill plot summaries of Appetites read as follows:

Blackbird follows high school senior Randy Rousseau (Julian Walker) as he comes to terms with his sexuality growing up in a small, conservative, Southern Baptist town. To make matters worse, his mother, Claire (Mo’Nique), never quite recovered from the kidnapping of her daughter six years prior; causing her husband (Isaiah Washington) to leave the family. In an effort to make a rather loaded story accessible in a brief synopsis, several other dramas unfold within Randy’s circle of friends: Randy experiments with his sexuality, his secret crush is dating the town pastor’s daughter, and he joins a group of college filmmakers in an effort to find comfort in his true sexuality.

The acting in this film is its greatest strength. Julian Walker delivers a beautiful performance as a confused homosexual teenager, and he also is given plenty of opportunity to show off his wonderful singing voice. Watching him perform the nuances of that specific confusion is probably the most fun part of the film. Given that he is actually an amateur actor in his first feature film, I hope to see much more of him in future films. Speaking more to his natural talent as an actor, his chemistry with other actors is wonderful, particularly Isaiah Washington (his father), Torrey Laamar (his secret crush, Todd), and Kevin Allessee (his lover, Lance). I’d say my favorite of the three is the relationship between son and father.

Joan Rivers left behind an enormous legacy after leaving us in September of 2014. Known for her sharp wit and celebrity stings, the comedienne proved she was a force to be reckoned with. Most known for her television vehicle Fashion Police (started in 2002 and still running), she has had a major influence in the world of comedy, and her death really shook that world. Perhaps my favorite project she has worked on was the brilliantly-titled In Bed With Joan. While televised, it was also released as a podcast. The show featured a half-hour, no-holds-barred talk with a comedian selected by Joan, which takes place in her bed. She was indeed a brilliant woman, and I hope to see more brilliant women follow in her footsteps.

With that said, this box set is an interesting look into her early career. Yet another brilliant title That Show (which is always followed by “starring Joan Rivers”) demonstrates that her wit and sense of humor are rather timeless. The general format of the show is as follows: Joan performs 3-5 minutes of stand-up comedy (more often than not consisting of crowd work), then invites two guests to sit down and discuss a particular theme: an expert and a celebrity. The expert is chosen based on that week’s theme, and, from what I understand, the celebrity is just who is available that night. For example, an episode about married couples fighting showcases Dr. Geo Bach (who wrote the book on fighting in marriage) and James Earl Jones, who give their own perspectives on the issue. The show’s runtime is approximately 30 minutes long.

I’m such a big fan of the late Charles Bronson. Though I have not seen every film on his résumé, I have seen enough to know that if you give that man a gun, you have a movie. From his leading roles in Once Upon a Time in the West and the Death Wish franchise, to his supporting roles in The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven: if he is in it, I want to see it. Perhaps he is best known for his leading roles as hardened vigilantes or silent hit men, but it is safe to say, you are not watching Borderline for the story. You are watching it for Bronson.

Borderline takes place on the Mexican border, 20 miles from San Diego. Charles Bronson stars as Jeb Maynard, a seasoned border patrolman. One night, his long time partner Scooter Jackson (Wilford Brimley) is shot and killed by Hotchkiss (Ed Harris, in his first theatrical role), a ‘coyote’ smuggling immigrants across the border. Hotchkiss makes a decent living by smuggling immigrants onto a ranch owned by Carl J. Richards (Bert Remsen). With the help of the newly employed Jimmy Fante (Bruno Kirby), Maynard tracks down Hotchkiss and tries to take down Richards’ ranch in the process.