Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on October 29th, 2010
Nicky Henson plays Tom, the leader of a hellraising biker gang known as the Living Dead. His goal is to make that moniker absolutely literal, and it helps that his mother (Beryl Reid) is a medium who has made some sort of Satanic pact, and the butler (George Sanders, in his final role just before his suicide) might well be an infernal power himself (his precise nature is never made clear). At any rate, all it takes to come back from the dead, apparently, is to kill oneself while firmly believing that one will return. Tom proves this formula to be correct, and soon almost all the other gang members follow suit. The one member who might hold out is his girlfriend Abby (Mary Larkin). Meanwhile, as the Living Dead embark on a reign of terror, will anyone be able to stop them?
This is a pretty odd duck of a film, and quite delightful for precisely that reason. In the first place, the Living Dead are hardly the most threatening biker gang ever to grace the silver screen, and though they do rack up quite the body count of policemen and civilians, many of their other bits of misbehaviour are not so much atrocities, but more in the line of shenanigans (as a fellow viewer aptly put it, the gang don't become flesh-eating zombies, only unkillable twits). The precise nature of Reid's motivation is never made clear, Abby is so whiny and callow that one is hard-pressed to feel any sympathy for her, and there's this strange preoccupation with the idea of the frog as an embodiment of evil. But these very oddities contribute to, rather than detract from, the film's off-kilter entertainment value. There's a wealth of incident, so the viewer is never bored, there are some very fun chase scenes, and (which is a good thing) there is a rather knowing sense of humour about the whole affair. Definitely one of the odder horror films to emerge from England in the 1970s, and an engaging rediscovery.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2010
Anyone who is looking for a direct sequel to the 2008 sleeper hit with Kiefer Sutherland or even a connection to the original Asian ghost film might tend to be disappointed in the direct-to-video Mirrors 2. This is absolutely one of those films where the name is used merely because of its franchise value, and the film's associations are mostly just a few familiar names. Add the same basic idea of a haunted mirror at the center of it all, and you pretty much have all of the connections this movie makes to either of the original projects. With that said, there is a bit more to like about Mirrors 2 than you might suspect on the surface.
This time it's Nick Stahl who plays a down-on-his-luck security guard at another branch of the Mayflower Department Store. He is Max, who has been dealing with a great deal of guilt of late. His fiancée was killed in an auto accident by a drunk driver. But Max was driving and wasn't paying attention to the road. He was playing a game of "find the ring" with his girlfriend when the tragedy occurred. As it turns out, Max's father (Katt) is the owner of the Mayflower Department Store, which is about to reopen its doors in New Orleans. The previous night watchman cut himself quite severely and quit his job, apparently going crazy during a night shift. Of course, we saw what really happened. It was an image in the main mirror that caused his injuries. The grand opening has been plagued with mishaps. Eleanor Reigns (Honore) has been missing for several weeks. Max discovers her spirit in the store mirror on his first night on the job. He also sees a vision of the store's executive buyer, Jenna (Romano) lose her head, literally. Later that night, he discovers that the woman really was decapitated by a shower door. He begins to see other prophetic images and decides something is seriously wrong here.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2010
"So come up to the lab and see what's on the slab."
It was 1975. Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa goes missing. South Vietnam falls. The Superdome opens in New Orleans. Elizabeth Seton becomes the first American saint. Patty Hearst ends her fugitive run. George Carlin hosts the first episode of Saturday Night Live. Phil Collins replaces Peter Gabriel as the lead in Genesis. And The Rocky Horror Picture Show opens to absolutely terrible box office numbers.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2010
A Joss Whedon universe is always a strange and fantastical place to visit. It doesn’t matter if it’s populated by vampires and demons or space cowboys. If Whedon’s name appears anywhere on the credits, you know you’re going to be in for one hell of a ride. It’s been a little while since Whedon’s been back in the saddle. His most recent series, Firefly, was fraught with problems with the network. It was very badly handled, and the show died an undeserved swift death after just a few episodes. Whedon appeared somewhat bitter after all of that and disappeared from the television radar for a few years. They say you can’t keep a good man down, and now Whedon is back with his latest mythology-heavy series, Dollhouse.
For a lot of fans, it looked like Dollhouse was heading down the same black hole that Firefly flew into. There were numerous delays in getting started, not the least of which was the writers’ strike just days after the series was given the green light. Whedon had his cast and crew already in place, but it seemed they were all dressed up with no place to go. Once the strike ended, they quickly punched out the pilot episode from the series. Unfortunately, the new pilot had some issues. Whedon and the network hadn’t exactly been on the same page, and as quickly as it had been made, the pilot was scrapped. Fans were getting restless. It was just this kind of pilot debacle that started so many of Firefly’s problems. Fortunately, a second go went quite smoothly, and the show was off the ground. Ratings were not exactly the atmospheric numbers FOX was expecting from a Joss Whedon series. There was already talk by the middle of the first 12-episode run that the series was in danger. Then there was a problem with the number 12. Apparently FOX and Whedon had another one of their, by now, classic misunderstandings. The network was expecting not 12 but 13 episodes. The result was a pretty unconventional final episode that just might have saved the series as it turned out. Finally, the show finished production with no word on renewal. The show was considered on the bubble, with most predictions leaning toward its cancellation. It seems that the curse was going to make Dollhouse just another of its many victims. But then something unexpected happened, and the marginal show was renewed. But that was to be a short-lived reprieve. The series is gone now and these final 13 episodes are all that you'll have left to remember it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2010
In June of 1987 many of us took to our local theaters to watch two future state governors tackle an alien creature in the jungles of southeast Asia. Director John McTiernan had combined the Rambo mercenary-styled film with that of a creature feature. The result was an impressive $60 million on a mere $15 million budget, and a franchise was born. From its first reveal in those Asian jungles, the Predator was an impressive sight. The creature was highly intelligent, to be sure, but it possessed those baser instincts of hunting and survival. It was a monster, but one who utilized advanced technological weaponry to accent its own fearsome brutal nature. It was the stuff that new nightmares would be made of. A sequel featuring Danny Glover and placing the creature in an urban setting soon followed. While that film is widely disregarded, I found it to be a rather good film. I still think it's an underrated monster movie.
It didn't take very long before the fan boys in Hollywood started getting their imaginations running wild. The inevitable question, since Frankenstein's Monster met up with The Wolfman -- who would win if we put the Predator against the Alien. It was a heavyweight fight just itching to play itself out at the box office. And, it did ... twice. The result might have destroyed both franchises. It seemed that these creatures had finally met their match, and it wasn't each other. Bad writing and wayward filmmaking brought down both creatures. It appeared as if they were both gone, forever.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on October 27th, 2010
This 1972 concert film has been seldom seen since its first release (which was in 1974) and is only now experiencing its first official release onto DVD and Blu Ray (never having been previously released on home video either). Promoting their just released Exile on Main St. album, the setlist is a high energy service to their love of Chuck Berry inspired rock n roll and complete worship of American blues music.
Some bands have become so popular that they have been mythologized in the public eye. The Rolling Stones are no exception, though much of said mythology is less like the mysticism that follows acts like The Beatles, and more lies in the infamous debauchery of its members...be it the drug consumption, partying with Canada's first lady and/or their various (other?) sexual conquests (David Bowie too?). Never the less, it is concert films like this were it is a relief to see such larger than life celebrities churning out some sloppy rock n roll on stage with loads of youthful energy. Granted, they aren't kids at this point, but don't tell that to the stage persona of Mick Jagger as he trollops about in various sparkling, skinny jumpsuits.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2010
"The flamingo is said to be the inspiration for the crimson-winged Phoenix, the ancient symbol of transformation and rebirth. At the end of its life, the Phoenix is consumed by fire. It is then reborn from the ashes."
In one of the more specific full-length documentary features that I've seen in a long time comes Disney Nature's The Crimson Wing. Here the focus is on one species of bird. This is your all-flamingos all-the-time station. Have you ever thought to yourself, "You know, I just can't get enough flamingos"? Look no farther.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2010
"A boy comes running up, and he asks: 'what exactly is the ocean?' 'What is the sea?' You could hit him with a lot of statistics and Latin names. But the answer isn't something you'll find in a book. To really know what the ocean is, you have to see it for yourself. You have to hear it. And taste it. You have to feel its power. To really know the ocean, you have to live it."
And live it you will with Disney Nature's latest entry into their award-winning series of natural documentaries. Walt Disney Studios is no stranger to the world of nature. While the brand is more quickly identified for its animation and other family fare, the tradition of nature specials goes back to the very roots of the company itself. For decades Disney provided some of the most exotic television documentaries on its many outlets that included The Wonderful World Of Disney. The studio was one of the first to take experienced camera crews and equipment out into some of the most remote places on Earth. And, while Disney had appeared to fall behind in the field for some decades, that all turned around with their groundbreaking Earth series. Suddenly Disney Nature was back in the forefront of frontier footage. The tradition is honored here with one of the latest entries in the family: Oceans.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 26th, 2010
Written by Diane Tillis
I will admit, the moment I saw the cover of the DVD I was already convinced this was going to be one of the worst films I have ever seen or a close second. The cover has a dark figure cloaked in a blue throw blanket and is holding a leaf blower as a weapon… a leaf blower?! Four Boxes turned out to be one of those independent thriller films that should have been left on the cutting room floor.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2010
A&E and History have combined for some of the best educational as well as entertaining programs over the years. Many of those shows have taken close looks at the various civilizations and empires throughout world history. Most of these shows take a look at these civilizations from the inside outward. We're not talking the litany of facts and accomplishments that we've seen on hundreds of documentaries as well as our old high school textbooks. These programs look at the day-to-day life of these cultures and peoples. The accomplishments here are the ones that affected everyday life within these empires. These are the kinds of things we tend to take for granted in our modern lives. Things like sanitation, architecture, and basic metro services didn't just appear out of nowhere. These shows give us a rare look into the evolution of the things that have identified human evolution over the millennia. It's said that we are separated from animals by our ability to shape and change our environment. With this massive 14 disc set, you can explore the ways that we have shaped our planet in our quest for civilization.
The disc includes the following series and episodes:
![Mirrors 2 (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/mirrors-2-unrated-edition-blu-ra-large.jpg)
![The Rocky Horror Picture Show (35th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-35th-large.jpg)
![Dollhouse: Season 2 [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/dollhouse-season-2-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Predators ( + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/predators-digital-copy-blu-ra-large.jpg)
![Ladies & Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/ladies-gentlemen-the-rolling-sto-large.jpg)
