Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 2nd, 2018
When I think of buddy cop movies, two movies spring to mind as favorites. No, not Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop. Not Bad Boys 2 and Rush Hour, either. While all of those are good films, the best for me are Hot Fuzz and 48 Hours. 48 Hours was a classic match-up of Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, while Hot Fuzz lampooned every single cliche they could think of and then some. Also, if you said The Heat or Ride Along as your two favorite buddy cop movies, I'm going to need you to move along. Move along to reading my Blu-ray review for Dragnet, because seriously, you need better taste.
"Because even in the City of Angels, from time to time, some halos slip. That's where I come in, doing my job to the best of my ability on a daily basis. I work here. I carry a badge."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 3rd, 2018
“The world doesn't want any more saints.”
Maybe the world didn't want any more Exorcist movies...at least not any that looked like Exorcist II: The Heretic. This follow-up to William Friedkin's 1973 genre-defining horror classic is not only regarded as one of the weakest sequels of all-time, but some consider it to be one of the worst films ever made. I hate to throw out a ***SPOILER ALERT*** so early in my review, but...I don't think this is the worst film ever made. ***END OF SPOILER ALERT*** Instead, I find Exorcist II to be a nonsensical, somewhat intriguing disaster whose fatal flaw is that it took everything that everyone loved about The Exorcist...and decided to do almost the exact opposite.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 23rd, 2018
As I was working on this review, I came across a term that might just turn out to be a new pet-peeve. I am referring to the term or phrase, "Dated". This term is often used with movies that could have only existed and made in that time period. It gets used even more when it involves a comedy, especially one with jokes or concepts that could only occur in a certain decade. What's worse is that it is almost never used in a positive light, it solely exists to be negative and demeaning. Well, perhaps I can slowly change the connotation of that reference as I explore Doctor Detroit on Blu-Ray. Is it dated? Perhaps, but unlike other dated comedies of the 80's, it is wonderfully so.
A little Devo hits our speakers, hey it's the theme from Doctor Detroit. Except we are in Chicago. Professor Clifford Skridlow (played by Dan Aykroyd) is power walking down the street through everything in his path. It doesn't matter if it is a kissing couple, children playing or even speeding cars. He stops (and power walks in place) next to a swanky car driven by Diavolo (played by T.K. Carter). In the back is Smooth Walker (played by Howard Hesseman) and his four ladies of the night.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 6th, 2017
One thing that you can probably surmise about me fairly quickly is that I am a product of the 80's. I still wear Converse shoes when I'm not working. I watch a regular dose of Transformers (first generation, 1984) and my favorite movie is Escape from New York (1981). My wife was even born in the eighties. Probably not the same thing, huh? Anyway, I usually jump at the chance to review an 80's movie and today is no different. The movie is called Into the Night with Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer from 1985. Never heard of it? Surprisingly, me neither. Let's take a look.
A plane touches down on a dark night at LAX, the Los Angeles Airport. A little bluesy up-tempo number by B.B. King fills the speakers. We take a look at a Shell gas station and the local doughnut shop. It's just another night, cars are being towed and Ed Okin (played by Jeff Goldblum) is wide awake laying in bed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 19th, 2017
When it comes to hearing the name Loch Ness, just about everyone will think about the giant lake where “Nessie” the mythical monster inhabits. Whether you are a believer or not thousands converge to the Scottish Highlands location in hopes to be one of the lucky ones to catch a peak of the elusive beast. But the Loch Ness I am talking about is a beast of a whole other ilk. Thought the TV series does take place in a small tourist town that thrives on the legend that haunts the cold water, the series instead is about a serial killer that has been unleashed upon the town and given its residents something more to fear other than a giant monster that roams the lake.
A group of friends decide that they want to play a hoax by creating a fake plesiosaur carcass and placing it along the lake shore. While using fake innards that salvaged from the local slaughter house it is later discovered a human heart managed to somehow get mixed up in the remains. With a human heart found and no body, this of course sends an uneasy shock-wave through the town. Detective Annie Redford (Laura Fraser) is tasked with leading her first murder investigation in a town that rarely has experienced its share of violence and it doesn’t take long before a body is found (not one that belongs to the missing heart) and it is understood that they have a serial killer on their hands. Investigator Lauren Quigley (Siobhan Finneran) is called in to take lead of the investigation where she also brings criminal psychologist Blake Albrighton (Don Gilet) to assist.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 2nd, 2017
It’s been 40 years since the release of The Man Who Fell to Earth, and in that time a lot has changed. If I’m being honest, this isn’t a film that really holds up too well. Last year the star of the film, David Bowie, passed away, and it would seem prosperous and logical to crank out an anniversary edition of the film. As it stands this film isn’t considered so much a classic, but a cult film that fans of Bowie and certain sci-fi fans hold in high regard. For me, this was simply a title I had heard of in passing during talks about Bowie or sci-fi films, but it was never a film that really called to me. To the disappointment of several friends, I’m not much of a fan of David Bowie’s music, and science fiction just isn’t a genre I’m in love with. But when the call came in from Upcomingdiscs headquarters about reviewing this film, well, I decided to finally check this film out, and the result…well it certainly left me pondering the film afterwards.
I’m going to start off by saying this is a strange film, not just in subject matter but how the story is told. Today we’re used to seeing films in a traditional linear manner, where basically the story unfolds from start to finish in an ABCD manner. Well, this film goes that direction but chooses to skip over C to get to D. What I mean is there are gaps in story and time that are not explained, and there is no reason for this, and don’t dwell on it much despite how often this occurs.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on November 29th, 2016
Fresh out of the vaults comes another cult classic. Vestron Video has decided to unleash Return of the Living Dead 3 for horror fans to snatch up this holiday season. Considering the titles that Vestron has already released, for some this might be a title that will leave fans scratching their heads about there being an urge to re-master this film, much less crank out a Blu-ray with so many features. Well, the simple answer is that the person in charge of acquiring and releasing these titles knows that there are fanboys like me out there who will shell out the money for a product that’s given this kind of attention. Return of the Living Dead is a cult classic and is mostly responsible for casual moviegoers making the connection with zombies and brain eating (yes, we real horror fans know better, but I always thought it was cute when an old girlfriend would dress as a zombie for Halloween and shuffle around moaning “brains”). If I’m being straight with you, I can’t remember the sequel at all, but the third I do remember, and there are some fond memories that still hold up with this title.
When Curt (J Trevor Edmond) picks up his girlfriend Julie (Melinda Clarke), he’s got a surprise for her, only it ends up being the start of the many bad decisions to follow. He’s decided to steal his dad’s key card and use it to access Top Secret areas on the base his father works at. His father is Colonel John Reynolds (Kent McCord), and as it would turn out, the Colonel is in charge of a program that uses a unique chemical, Trioxin, to re-animate corpses. That’s right; the military is at it again trying to create a weapon that will no doubt turn against them. Curt and Julie slip far enough into the base to get a glimpse at some of the gruesome experiments and reluctantly decide they’ve seen more than they can handle.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 3rd, 2016
“Warning! The truly unusual motion picture you are about to see contains many scenes of graphic violence. It is not intended for the faint of heart, nor the young and impressionable.”
Anyone who makes it all the way through 1987's Blood Diner — a gleeful, inspired exercise in bad taste — can't say they weren't warned. That being said, the tongue-in-cheek disclaimer that precedes the film still may not be enough to prepare you for the utter silliness and depravity that follows.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 1st, 2016
“I guess I’m just not used to being chased around a mall in the middle of the night by killer robots.”
It’s October, and that means it’s the start of 31 Nights of Terror, and this year we’re kicking things off with one of my guilty pleasures growing up, Chopping Mall. This came out at a time when slashers were pretty much a dying genre, but there was still a demand to have horror films up on the big screen. I never got to see this in theaters, but I remember the VHS box art from my local mom-and-pop video store. The idea of the robotic hand clutching a shopping bag with a head on it was something that gripped the teenager in me. Sure, the film is nothing like what the box art teases, and the original title Killbots is a far more accurate title, but from a promotional standpoint, in the vein of the old Roger Corman films, I get why they did this. So what’s it all about? Well, grab your keys, grab your wallet, because we’re about to take a trip to Park Plaza Mall and see what it’s all about.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 15th, 2016
“Who do you think I am? Miss Marple?”
Despite his knack for becoming entangled in byzantine plots and conspiracies, no one would confuse Jack Irish for an Agatha Christie character. Instead, Jack is the creation of novelist Peter Temple, and the character's rumpled charm and general aversion to violence means he has more in common with Jim Rockford than Hercule Poirot. The character has been adapted for Australian television and brought to life thanks to a winning performance by the great Guy Pearce. You can now get to know Jack yourself since Acorn Media was nice enough to put three Jack Irish TV movies on Blu-ray.
