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Movie Reviews
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Written by Alien Redrum
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Friday, 28 April 2006 22:08 |
Dracula’s Curse (aka Bram Stoker’s Dracula’s Curse) DVD Review Review written by Steve "
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" Pattee DVD Released by The Asylum   Mr. Tattinger, vampires are my business. – Rufus King Written and directed by Leigh Scott 2006, Region 1 (NTSC), 107 minutes, Not rated DVD released on April 25, 2006 Starring: Tom Downey as Rufus King Eliza Swenson as Gracie Johannsen Rhett Giles as Jacob Van Helsing Jeff Denton as Rafe Christina Rosenberg as Countess Bathorly   Movie: Rufus King (Thomas Downey – Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter's Cove) and Jacob Van Helsing (Rhett Giles – Frankenstein Reborn) are the leaders of a group of vampire hunters. They are good at what they do. So good, the vampire leaders propose a truce: The vampires will stop hunting humans if the hunters stop killing vampires. Much to the dismay of the soldiers, King and Van Helsing accept the truce. Five years later, humans are being killed again. Rumor has it the killings are the work of Countess Bathorly—a powerful vampire, thought to be long dead. Now King and Van Helsing must rally the troops once again to take down the biggest evil they’ve ever faced. In addition, the two must use every available resource, be it friend or foe, to find out who’s killing the people. And why.   Review: Now this is what I’m talking about. After a string of low-budget versions of big-budget films, this is the Asylum film I’ve been waiting for. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula’s Curse, The Asylum’s most ambitious film to date, the big guns are brought out — both figuratively and literally. Clocking in at just under two hours, Curse is a little bit country — action, suspense and romance — and a little bit rock ’n’ roll — gunfights, swordfights, fistfights and cat-fights. Hell, there’s even a brief wire-fu move in the mix. Curse’s story is a welcome change from The Asylum’s movies of late. Their past few releases have basically been their version of blockbuster movies. For the most part, they were enjoyable, sure, but it’s nice to see something different, something original, from a studio I know is capable of more than what they have been putting out. But as good as Curse’s story is, as cool as some of the scenes are shot and as well as everything comes together, the acting side hurts it a little. Just a little. Rhett Giles, as usual in The Asylum movies he stars in, is the standout. This cat is one step away from a bigger playing field, and why he isn’t there yet is beyond me.     Downey, as the mysterious Rufus, is a blast, also as usual. While he comes across a bit hammy in some parts, it doesn’t matter, because he has an energy that comes off the screen, and you can’t help but have a good time with him. In addition, there are some scenes he completely nails, and it makes up for everything else. Last seen in King of the Lost World, Christina Rosenberg is great as Countess Bathorly. It’s too bad she didn’t play a bigger role in the film, because not only is she cute as hell, she is one of the strongest of the cast and deserved more screen time. Fortunately for the film, these three managed to lessen the blow of some of the surprisingly wooden acting from other Asylum regulars. Rebekah Kochan, whom Sham was impressed with in When a Killer Calls, was not convincing here. One scene, in which she shrieked with rage, made me cringe. I just didn’t buy her as angry Trixie McFly, her character. But Kochan wasn’t the only one below par here. Both Jeff Denton, as the vampire Rafe, and Tom Nagel, as the newly single Rick Tattinger, seemed to be underperforming as well.     Standing right in the middle of the acting is Eliza Swenson as Gracie Johannesen. Swenson is solid when she is required to either be a bad ass or kick ass, but she’s not so solid in the more dramatic scenes. That’s not to say with experience she won’t be more believable, but she’s not at that point yet. Scott himself delivers a fine performance as the Old One; Griff Furst as stoner vampire Konstantinos holds his own; and Sarah Hall, who plays Sadie Macpherson, has a kick-ass scene involving a gun and a monologue. To his credit, Scott put the stronger actors in front to carry the load, and the weaker actors in the background to gain some experience. And once he did that, he made the best movie The Asylum has to offer.   Video and Audio:
It seems The Asylum has taken a step back with its picture quality. For a time, the things that haunted the studio the most seemed to be going away. But in Curse, they seem to have come back in full force. The 16:9 presentation has compression issues, and most of the darks are more muddy than black.   Surprisingly, where The Asylum has normally shined the most, it come up a little short. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack isn’t as full as I’m used to from them. The voices are always clear, and there are no distortions, but it seems the mix just wasn’t there.   Special Features:
The cast and crew commentary offers some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, while keeping the conversation light and, at times, funny. But, once again, I found myself reaching for the remote because of too many people and not enough mics. While I love commentaries from The Asylum, I don’t know how many more I can listen to, because I know I always miss something when they have a room full of people. The behind-the-scenes featurette is amusing. The Asylum always delivers on these. The blooper reel is worth a watch, especially for the bit on Derek Osedach, improv master. It’s pretty amusing. There’s a music video for The Divine Madness’ “Closer” and trailers for Hillside Cannibals, When a Killer Calls, Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers, Dead Men Walking and Dracula's Curse. Fans of Lacuna Coil will probably dig “Closer,” as I did.   Conclusion: Scott has crafted something slick in Bram Stoker’s Dracula’s Curse. It is a perfect starting point for those wanting to delve into the low-budget world.   (Equipment includes a Mitsubishi WS-48613 48” HDTV, Sony DVP-CX875P DVD player and Onkyo HTS-770 Home Theater System and, in some cases, a Sony 27” WEGA TV and a Sony DVP-NS50P DVD player.) Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum.
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Movie Reviews
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Written by Sham
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Friday, 28 April 2006 19:43 |
Hillside Cannibals DVD Review
Written by Sham DVD released by The Asylum   Directed by Leigh Scot Written by Steve Bevilacqua 2006, Region 1 (NTSC), 83 minutes, Not rated Starring: Heather Conforto as Linda Tom Nagel as Bill Vaz Andreas as Callum Frank Pacheco as Magnus Erica Roby as Rhian Marie Westbrook as Tog Tom Downey as Towart Louis Graham as Sheriff Lachlan Leigh Scott as Sawney Bean Crystal Napoles as Tearlach Chriss Anglin as Ted Ella Holden as Amber Justin Jones as Mark   Review: Asylum. It’s a word that evokes such dread and consternation that you barely even want to think about it. You hear the word, and you instantly want to turn away and hide. Ironically, I look forward to spending my time every month with The Asylum. No, I’m not talking about an institution for the criminally insane. I’m thinking more along the lines of the low-budget studio that’s been releasing horror movies, often respectable gems, for several years now. Each month, they release a new movie. December commemorated the release of King of the Lost World, which marketed off of the big-screen debut of Peter Jackson’s ape-sized epic, King Kong. Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers kicked off the New Year in January, hitting video stores alongside its comparable inspiration, The Exorcism of Emily Rose. February was right around the corner, and as the financially successful remake of When a Stranger Calls hit the silver screen, so did When a Killer Calls, a direct-to-video and superior version of the same tale. Hillside Cannibals is one of the latest additions to their increasing collection of movies that market off of other bigger budgeted genre films. It’s no surprise that it promotes itself off the success of The Hills Have Eyes, Alexandre Aja’s remake of the 1977 classic, but there is absolutely no excuse for a movie this redundant. Either The Asylum got lucky with King of the Lost World, Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers and When a Killer Calls, or a wasted opportunity like Hillside Cannibals is completely accidental. I’m hoping the latter. The movie has an annoying opener: Five young friends, looking to be in their mid-20’s but are actually in high school, have just arrived in an isolated desert. As they get out of their vehicle, one character turns to the other and asks, “Did you remember to bring the pot?” More importantly, did she forget to ask during the long drive? It’s a little late to turn back now if they forgot, isn’t it? I understand including plot fillers, a device used to delay the bloodshed yet to come, but that line is incredibly superfluous, especially when the character pulls out a bag of the shit big enough to fit a Butterball turkey. Try fitting that in your pocket, or better yet, try hiding it from the cops. From then on, I lost all interest for the characters. The sooner these characters would die, the happier I’d be. Kidding you not, just as I was thinking this, a clan of murderous cannibals seemingly pops out of nowhere and attacks the party. In less than five minutes, three are graphically dispatched, one is captured, and the fifth gets away. That. Kicks. Ass.     Sadly, immediately following this zestful massacre, the movie loses all momentum. The premise now centers on young couple Linda (Heather Conforto – The Beast of Bray Road) and Bill (Tom Nagel – Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter’s Cove), who, when they’re not being chained up and tortured in a hillside cave, run around the desert the rest of the movie. Conforto and Nagel’s characters are not fleshed out enough to carry the film for the next hour. The script literally calls for the cannibals to walk around in their skin, but I expected dust to fly out for every puncture wound and knife stabbing inflicted on these people. There’s just nothing going on under there. I don’t blame the actors — they do what they can with what they have to work with — but the script could have personified their roles a lot more. What the movie lacks in plot and character development, it tries to make up for in gore. Sadly, the only standout death sequence is the aforementioned scene involving the massacre. The effect, a torso being chopped in half and dragged away, is equal parts gruesome and memorable, and a later shot of the corpse lying on a table is superbly established. There’s also a nasty scene with a character eating — or drinking from — a severed boob, something I never thought I’d see in any movie of any genre. The cannibals, played by people you may have seen in other Asylum pictures, are described by a character as “Deliverance on steroids,” and instead of being haunting and malignant, they are stereotypical and forgettable. I have trouble believing that the cannibals haven’t developed some type of communication, like a language that doesn’t consist of merely grunts and snorts. They act like strangers amongst each other and, during a scene where a cannibal kills his own brother, I questioned why these monsters stayed together in the first place. The script is just terrible. It doesn’t even try to personify any of the cannibals like many other films have, including the original Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn. The cannibals in Hillside each have names according to the credits, but they’re personalities are all the same that you lose track and interest of who’s who. Even when you’re trying to keep up with the cannibals, the other part of your brain is trying to get past the ample amount of plot holes. Truthfully, inbred cannibals do not have longer life spans, so Sawney Bean (Leigh Scott – Dead Men Walking) existing in modern times is completely inaccurate and impossible. Geographically, woods are not in the running distance of the desert. Anatomically, intestines are not in the hip and would not spill out of the bottom half of the body. Lazily, the script and filmmakers don’t correct these flaws. I can overlook a lot of minor problems, but anyone who’s been paying attention to the movie can, and will, notice these things. I know — I shouldn’t be taking the movie so seriously. However, movies that take themselves seriously are less likely to evoke a positive reaction out of the viewer. There are entertaining bad movies, and there are just bad movies in general. Hillside Cannibals is unfortunately the second. Even a bad movie like Shapeshifter, one of The Asylum’s weaker films, seemed to have a self-awareness about it that made it watchable. I can’t say the same for . Hillside Cannibals The Asylum, your name emits feelings of concern and apprehension. Don’t let fans approach your films with the same attitude.   Special Features: - Behind the Scenes Featurette
- Cast and Crew Commentary
- Trailers
The Asylum always delivers with great special features, and the commentary with Leigh Scott, Tom Downey, and Amanda Barton is no exception. Covering many different elements of the film, they discuss the location, costumes, the actors, the script, and also the camera work. The only problem with the commentary is they are often too far away from the mic, and at other times, they are entirely too close. I had to have my remote handy. The 14-minute featurette is absolutely awesome. It’s like a “how to” segment of gore and special effects. Much of the featurette is covered by FX coordinator Rich Calderon, and it’s really cool in seeing how he accomplished some of the effects. Remember the severed boob I talked about earlier? He has a little bit of fun with that here, including a bizarre triple-breast prop that’s oddly intriguing. Topping off the special features are trailers for When a Killer Calls, King of the Lost World, Shapeshifter, Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers, and Hillside Cannibals.   Video and Audio:
Like King of the Lost World, the video quality here is extremely clear and focused. Colors are striking and never bleed, and even the darker sequences are grain-free. The 5.1 Surround Sound is occasionally too quiet in relation to the dialogue, but the bass is great and the music by Mel Lewis is suiting. I just wish that the dialogue, even though there’s not a lot of it, was less subjugated by the score.     Conclusion: If you only care about the quality of the movie, stay as far away from this DVD as possible. If you like interesting special features, consider renting this one.   Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum. © 2006 HorrorTalk.com. No use of this review is permitted without expressed permission from \n
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Movie Reviews
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Written by Peter West
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Friday, 21 April 2006 02:54 |
The Gardener (aka Seeds of Evil) DVD Review Reviewed by
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"Danger Seeker" DVD released by Subversive Cinema 
Written and Directed by James H. Kay 1975, Region 1 (NTSC), 88 minutes, Rated R DVD released on February 28th, 2006 Starring:
Katharine Houghton as Ellen Bennett
Joe Dallesandro as Carl, the Gardener
Rita Gam as Helena Boardman
James Congdon as John Bennett 
Movie: From Subversive Cinema: The first film Warhol-superstar Joe Dallesandro made after leaving the Factory, this horror film features Joe as a mysterious gardener who sleeps with rich women then poisons them with plants. Well it's a little more complicated than that. When one of her friends mysteriously dies, Ellen Bennett hires her suddenly unemployed gardener Carl. More as eye candy than for his gardening skills. However Carl has a way with plants and Ellen's garden makes her the envy of her social circle of bored housewives. As the plants seem to take over her house and her life Ellen wonders if there is something sinister to Carl and his green...thumb. 
Review: Watching The Gardener is like going out on a date with a tease that gets you all hot and bothered then leaves you all wound up with no where to go. Subliminally this film has it all for an erotic thriller, it just isn't erotic or thrilling. I blame that all on director James H. Kay! Kay, who had made several multi-million dollar 007 themed commercials, was given a few bucks to make a film and was so concerned about going over budget and pushing the envelope theme wise, that all he accomplished was guarantying that he would never direct another film. Any fan of the Warhol films knows that Joe Dallesandro acting wise, makes Clint Eastwood look like Sir Lawrence Oliver. The man can barely deliver a line and in The Gardener he doesn't have many to deliver, at least not two in a row. What Joe does provide is long blonde hair and a six pack when nobody had six packs. Katharine Houghton who gave a great performance in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is absolutely marvelous as Ellen Bennett the neglected bored rich housewife who is fascinated by Carl's flowers and tight young body. Her rapport with Rita Gam who plays the equally bored, but single, Helena Boardman is marvelous and is clouded with hints of lesbianism that never happens... After watching The Gardener I felt like I had to go to my room and dig out some hard-core porn. Mesmerizing but so unsatisfying, this movie hints at it all, then delivers nothing. It received an R rating for a little hatchet job in the last few minutes that would barely get a PG-13 nowadays. There's not even any nudity in the shower scene. The anticipation of what was going to happen, that didn't happen, that kept my eyes glued to the film for 85 minutes...bothered me more than anything else about the film. What's really funny though is that if released now on the artsy fartsy Arthouse theater circuit it would make millions and probably get nominated for a bunch of Oscars. 
Video and Audio: Presented in a anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen, The Gardener is probably receiving better treatment in this DVD than it ever received during it's theatrical run. I did find that during the movie the colors were a little too strong. It's funny that in one of the extras I thought the picture was more realistic. Overall it's a very good transfer for a 1975 film. Included are both the original mono mix and a newly created stereo track. Performance wise it's flawless, audio crisp and clear. The music works well with the film and is very pleasant to listen to. Special Features: Wow, does The Gardener deserve this extra special treatment? Three (3) lobby cards, a mini poster in the case along with two (2) full length commentaries (one by star Joe Dallesandro and the other by director James H. Kay), a retrospective documentary, cast bios and a photo gallery. Most important and the one extra you should not miss is "Million Dollar Dream" (aka what went wrong with The Gardener). "Million Dollar Dream" is a great cautionary tale about how everybody that invested in this film lost everything. 
Films that Peter West reviews are played on a Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi DVD player, viewed on a Mitsubishi WS-55413 HDTV and listened to on a THX Ultra 2 Pioneer Elite VSX-59TXi A/V Receiver through a 7.1 setup of JBL Northridge E series Speakers. Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum.
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Movie Reviews
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Written by Daniel Hirshleifer
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Monday, 17 April 2006 20:57 |
Dumbland DVD Review Written by Daniel Hirshleifer
DVD released by Subversive Cinema
Written and directed by David Lynch
2002, Region 1 (NTSC), 33 minutes, Not rated
DVD released on May 28th, 2006
Starring: David Lynch Review: When most people think of David Lynch, they probably think of severed ears and a girl wrapped in plastic. They probably don’t think about an internet-based flash animation called “Dumbland.” And yet, that is exactly what David Lynch made when he first opened his website. World-famous film director David Lynch sat down and personally animated eight cartoon shorts for inclusion on his website. So what is Dumbland, anyway? Well, Dumbland, according to David Lynch, is “a crude, stupid, violent, and absurd series. If it is funny, it is funny because we see the absurdity of it all.” And when Lynch says it’s stupid, violent, and absurd, he means it. The animated shorts star a thickheaded piece of unnamed trailer trash (almost no characters in the series have names), who goes through life generally doing whatever the hell he wants, even if the consequences prove disastrous to himself. An example: In the second episode, the man (voiced, as are all the characters in the series, by David Lynch) sees his wife on a treadmill. He can’t stand the noise she makes, so he throws her off and intends to destroy the treadmill. At first he stomps it, but it is running so quickly that he is blasted out of the house. He comes back with a sledgehammer and attempts to smash it, but it still knocks him out of the house. Next thing we know, the man is saying “OW OW OW OW” over and over. The camera pulls out, and we see why. The sledgehammer has wedged itself into his ass. He then removes it by farting it out. This is pretty indicative of the series as a whole. The wife never speaks, she only screams pitifully, as if life with this man were simply more than any one woman can bear. Or, perhaps she’s meant to represent all women as hysterical good for nothings. His son looks like a half-aborted fetus, and he generally repeats himself over and over, even until his gums bleed. His neighbor has only one arm and sexually molests ducks. The man himself is the epitome of crudity, and there are more swear words than in any given scene of the HBO series "Deadwood." Done by anyone else, this would be nothing but pure potty humor, funny only to drunken frat boys who happen to stumble across it while looking for cheap porn on the internet. But in David Lynch’s hands, the whole things becomes a symphony of absurdism. It’s like Frank Booth’s retarded redneck cousin got his own cartoon. Lynch deftly uses the animation medium to paint an absurd portrait that is often hinted at in his films, but rarely given the spotlight. Lynch as an animator is crude, but then, that is the point. And, in fact, the drawings, while technically simple, are very evocative. Lynch knows exactly how much he has to show to give the impression of a person or an object. So while he puts in the minimum drawing, it still conveys everything he wants it to. Lynch also has, as is his stock in trade, excellent uses of long pauses and sound effects. A good portion of all the episodes involve periods where none of the characters are moving or talking, and all you hear are particular noises. To the average viewer, these sections might seem intolerable and unnecessary, but to a Lynch aficionado, they are easily recognizable in both intent and effect. However, the general content, mixed with Lynch’s particular style, may not sit well with a casual audience. 
Video and Audio:
Dumbland was originally and internet flash animation, and all in black and white to boot, the picture quality doesn’t rise above its source. There’s no pixilation or anything, but obviously it’s not going to look as good as a major feature film. So while there are no major flaws, there’s nothing to shout about, either.
The sound is in stereo. However, as Lynch has shown before, he can make stereo sound very evocative. Every sound on the show is there for a reason, and it’s obvious. So while it isn’t a full-blown surround sound track, it’s still well-crafted and effective.
Special Features:
There are no extras.
Conclusion: Dumbland is crude, rude, stupid, and downright hilarious. Yes, it’s weird. The pacing is strange. The drawings are overly simple. The whole thing is bizarre. But it’s a direct outpouring of David Lynch’s ideas, without anyone else interpreting it for him. And that’s pretty rare. Longtime Lynch fans will find a small treasure trove of material in this DVD. But for anyone else, the nature of the material, combined with the short running time, would not make for a recommended purchase. David Lynch will always polarize viewers, but with Dumbland, he made something exclusively for his ardent fans. The fact that these cartoons first appeared in the for-pay members only section of his website should indicate the type of audience this DVD is geared towards. Lynch fans, rejoice! Everyone else, try borrowing it from your crazy Lynch fan friends. Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum.
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Movie Reviews
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Written by Alien Redrum
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Sunday, 16 April 2006 15:47 |
Magic DVD Review Written by
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DVD Released by Dark Sky Films   Directed by Richard Attenborough Written by William Goldman 1978, Region 1 (NTSC), 107 minutes, Rated R DVD released on April 25th, 2006 Starring: Anthony Hopkins as Corky/Voice of Fats the Dummy Ann-Margret as Peggy Ann Snow Burgess Meredith as Ben Greene Ed Lauter as Duke   Movie: After failing miserably at his debut, magician Corky (Anthony Hopkins – The Silence of the Lambs) refines his craft and a year later is blowing up on the club circuit. He’s added something new to his show that the crowds love: Fats, a foul-mouthed dummy. When his manager, Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith – Rocky), informs him that a television deal is within reach, and all Corky needs is a medical clearance, Corky freaks out and leaves town to get away from the pressure. He ends up hiding out in the Catskills, at a cabin owned by Peggy (Ann-Margret – Grumpy Old Men), a woman whom he had a crush on in high school. Peggy is in a loveless marriage, and after some talking (and sex), the two decide to run off together and get away from their problems. However, Fats has other plans, because no one is gonna come between him and Corky. And if they try, they die. Jealous little bastard.   Review: When Dark Sky Films announced they were releasing a special edition of Magic, I was elated — for a couple of different reasons. The first was, considering the work they did with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and The Manson Family, I knew I’d be in for a treat. The second was this movie scared the piss out of me when I was a young buck, and I was quite curious to see how it held up. Well, one thing’s for sure: This is not the same movie I remember. The movie I remember was about an evil dummy with a switchblade that it used to kill people. The movie I watched is about a man having a mental breakdown, who has a dummy, and people die. And it is better than the movie I remembered. Instead of a Chucky-esque story of an evil doll running around hacking people to bits, I was treated to Hopkins’ stellar performance as a man going mad.   Now, don’t get me wrong, killer dolls are a blast. But a killer doll movie doesn’t leave you with any more thoughts after it’s over. Well, other than maybe “that was cool” or “that sucked.” The bottom line is, generally, they aren’t very deep. But not Magic. Magic is a thinking man’s maniac doll movie. In one of his early roles, a young Hopkins shines. It is easy to see why he eventually became the well-respected actor he is today. And, dare I say it, Hopkins’ performance as Corky easily rivals, and in some instances is better than, the one that solidified Hopkins as a household name — Hannibal Lecter. The Lecter character was just plain evil. In Magic, Hopkins was required to play both hero and villain. He made it look easy. And while Hopkins’ performance is stellar — and it is — Burgess Meredith as Ben Greene is amazing. Greene is a man who puts up with no shit, and Meredith handles the role so well that I’m damn inclined to believe part of the real person is shining through. Throw in the beautiful Ann-Margret, who manages to easily hold her own as the love interest, and you have some great performances.   But even great performances require a great script, and Magic shines there, as well. Written by William Goldman — author of All the President’s Men, Misery and Marathon Man, and novels such as "The Princess Bride" (as well as its script) — Magic manages to not only be believable, but never cross the line into hokey. And, let’s face it, when dealing with killer dolls (or dummies), that line is very easily crossed. Richard Attenborough, the Oscar winning director of Gandhi, should be mentioned as well. He not only pulled outstanding performances out of one already outstanding actor and one up-and-coming one, he took a tight script and turned it into a gripping movie without missing a beat. Oh yeah, and Ann-Margret gets naked.   Video and Audio:
Like everything else about the movie, the 16:9 presentation is great. Colors are natural — with reds being especially vibrant — and blacks are suitably dark. In addition, I saw no spots or damage on the film. That’s right, no visible blemishes. A beautiful picture.   The 2.0 track is very clean. While I wish there were more bass, but all things considered, it’s more than adequate. English subtitles are available.   Special Features:
- Fats and Friends Featurette
- An Interview with Victor J. Kemper
- An Interview with Anthony Hopkins
- Anthony Hopkins Radio Interview
- Ann-Margret Make-Up Test
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV and Radio Spots
- Photo Gallery
Dennis Alwood, ventriloquist and creator of Fats, is the centerpiece of the “Fats and Friends Featurette.” Clocking in at just under a half hour, this featurette covers a lot of ground, from a brief history of ventriloquism to some interesting trivia about Magic — some of which is told by Fats himself. If you watch no other special feature on this disc, watch this one. Victor Kemper, Magic’s cinematographer, explains what a cinematographer does, and the choices he made when filming Magic. This cat has done almost 60 movies, including Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Arthur! Arthur!, Eyes of Laura Mars and Dog Day Afternoon, and the 12-minute interview is pretty damn good. There are two interviews with Hopkins, a radio interview and a television interview. The television interview was obviously filmed for a Spanish station, as the interviewer asks Hopkins questions in English and immediately translates the questions to Spanish (as well as Hopkins’ response). It’s not too annoying, as the interview runs just over six minutes, but it does get somewhat distracting.   The radio interview is just over three minutes and it plays over a video of some behind-the-scenes clips as Hopkins briefly talks about the film. Ann-Margret’s make-up test is about a minute and a half and has no audio. But it’s a minute and a half of Ann-Margret, so that’s cool with me. The trailers, TV and radio spots are exactly that. The trailer has a very interesting opening tagline that some horror fans may find amusing. And one of the TV spots (“English 2”) is interesting, as it only aired once, but was pulled due to complaints from parents. Sweet. The photo gallery contains 26 pictures, including lobby cards and posters. But the last few contain head shots of Fats and Hopkins. I’m not a fan of photo galleries, but the Fats head shots were pretty neat.  
  Conclusion: Sometimes you catch a movie you haven’t seen in years, and it’s different than you remember it — especially if you haven’t seen the movie since you were kid. But it’s very rare when the movie that scared you as a kid still affects you as an adult. Magic does that. It’s better than I remembered and it still creeps me out — but this time on a completely different, higher, level. Go out and buy it. It’s more than worth its $19.98 MSRP.   (Equipment includes a Mitsubishi WS-48613 48” HDTV, Sony DVP-CX875P DVD player and Onkyo HTS-770 Home Theater System and, in some cases, a Sony 27” WEGA TV and a Sony DVP-NS50P DVD player.) Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum.
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Movie Reviews
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Written by Milos Jovanovic
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Sunday, 16 April 2006 02:18 |
Cold Grip DVD Review Written by
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Released by Screen Entertainment Written and directed by Javier Barbera 2004, Region 0 (PAL), 79 minutes, Rated 18 (UK) DVD released on October 24th, 2005
Starring: Alejandro Cardenas
Jeff A. Hartman
Anna Lluch
Sara Raya
Juan Sola
 
 
Movie: Robert (Juan Sola), a young businessman in his late 20s - early 30s, arrives to LA from New York, seemingly on the verge of closing some deals for his company. What Robert does not know is that he's being carefully looked upon by the prying eyes of Greta (Anna Lluch), an attractive latin girl, who surreptitiously takes a Polaroid photo of him as he's exiting the airport building. Greta then casually forces him into splitting a cab together, and there they start a random conversation, which ends with two of them exchanging numbers. Later that night, they arrange to meet each other for a drink, which (of course) leads to two of them having sex at his hotel room. Morning comes and Robert wakes up in an empty bed, but there is a big surprise for him in store — the room mirror is covered with a huge "H I V" painted in lipstick red, along with a drawing of a sad smiley below it. Turns out, Greta is a vengenful character whose main occupation is spreading the deadly virus to unsuspecting flirting males, as witnessed by her ever-growing collection of polaroid snaps. But Robert is not gonna let this one slide. Oh no. He rents a carpenter's workshop, then stakes Greta out and kidnaps her. And then, the real fun begins.  
Review: It seems that the good ol' '70s subgenre of "boy meets girl, girl rubs boy wrong, boy hacks girl up" is enjoying a big time revival these days. Javier Barbera's Cold Grip is another example of such a revenge tale, with some original things, but a rather bland and inept execution. For starters, nobody is going to rent a revenge gore thriller to marvel at its cinematography or acting talent. So, when you go out and get yourself a copy of, say, I Spit on Your Grave, you're doing so just because you want to see blood. The meat of Cold Grip is the scenes in which Robert demonstrates his skill at carpentry on Greta, yet those very scenes are pretty tame. Due to the budgetary constraints, Greta is almost exclusively shown from her back, and Robert's hurting yields very little blood for all the effort. All the punches and slaps which he inflicts on her are very fake (when he slaps her, the sound effect resembles one's hand cutting through a stream of water, rather than a juicy "swisssshhhhhthwap"). Finally, the thing he does to Greta in the end is presumably VERY gory — but the viewer sees nothing of it. Not a damned thing. Just the male lead operating an instrument, with girl's hand the only body part in frame. The concept of vengeance through HIV spreading started off interesting, but as Barbera gives us no gore to gawk at, it goes all for naught. The only moment which delivers is well after the midway chop-a-thon, and looks rather realistic - still, one convincing gore scene in 80 minutes which were once promising is just too few. What's arguably worse is that Barbera essentially padded a 35 minute feature into an 80 minute feature. The script is filled with stilted dialogue and unfunny jokes, and the bulk of all scenes are either slo-mo'd to make them look either more artistic, or more procrastinating, or just unneccessary. When Robert takes the subway to the carpenter's workshop, the director wastes about five good minutes with shots of Robert walking through the subway, inspecting the maps, then focusing on the carpenter, his tablesaws, etc. That's not as heinous as some of the things at the tail end of the picture, but I'll leave that to you to figure out. What we ultimately get is a film whose non-action parts are stretched for the sake of filling the disc, and whose action parts are short and flat. The acting is decent, although you will have a hard time believing Robert is a businessman from New York with his thick latin accent. Best impression is left by the guy running the carpentry workshop, and he might be either Jeff A. Hartman or Alejandro Cardenas, as the film credits fail to tell us who is who. I'm leaning towards Hartman though, as two male actors out of three have hispanic accents here, and Hartman somehow sounds most caucasian, in accordance with his speech pattern. Summed up short, give this one a wide berth. If you do fancy seeing young women slashed to pieces, however, rent some of the Guinea Pig movies instead.  
 
Video and Audio: Cold Grip is presented in 4:3 fullscreen aspect ratio, despite IMDB reporting that this film was originally shot in 1.85:1 widescreen. Considering, however, that Barbera is hardly Sergio Leone, this manipulation is very minor and almost nothing is lost. I would go as far to judge the IMDB information false, as all shot compositions look tailored for the near-square lens. The quality of the video is a bit worse than expected — the first two thirds of the film have noticable grain and pixellation, while the final 20 minutes suddenly become too pixellated and generally messy, like a lo-res Google video feed which got fullscreened. The only audio option is a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, which is decent and clear-sounding. The film is well-partitioned in 16 chapters - actually, considering that the whole thing runs not even 80 minutes, maybe that's a touch too well.  
Special Features: The extras appear in form of one trailer, which is also in fullscreen, and a customary (for Screen Entertainment, that is) Other Attractions feature, which is essentialy a catalogue of their releases, honoured here with either a cover still, or a trailer, or, well, both.
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Written by The Hitman
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Saturday, 15 April 2006 20:52 |
Don’t Go Near the Park DVD Review Written by Eric "The Hitman" Strauss DVD released by Dark Sky Films   Directed by Lawrence D. Foldes Written by Linwood Chase and Lawrence D. Foldes 1981, Region 1 (NTSC), 84 minutes, Rated R DVD released on April 25th, 2006
Starring: Aldo Ray as Taft Meeno Peluce as Nick Tamara Taylor as Bondi Barbara Monker as Patty, Tra, Griffith’s wife and Petranella Crackers Phinn as Mark and Gar and Linnea Quigley as Bondi’s mother   Review: Don’t Go Near the Park is billed as “one of 39 films banned by the UK courts as depraved,” according to distributor Dark Sky Films’ box cover. But frankly, the most disconcerting thing about it is the jailbait look of star Tamara Taylor, who plays a 16-year-old virgin, looks even younger, and goes topless — crying for her Daddy — during a would-be-rape scene. And for an early-’80s horror release that has cannibals, zombies, laser beams and 8-year-old Meeno Peluce (of “Voyagers” fame), there’s surprisingly little to recommend it. I’m sure it made its way onto the blacklist because of a couple of stomach-churning, if obviously fake, effects, and those early kills are the high point of the movie. But the effects budget seems to have run low after that, and two late-film cannibal attacks don’t even break the skin. Seriously. The film’s first two cannibal kills feature fake stomachs being torn open and fake guts being munched in almost nauseating fashion. The third involves bloody fingers pressing down really hard on an actress’ real stomach, then smearing the blood around while she holds her breath. There’s more realistic violence on prime-time television these days. And if violence is a film’s selling point — Park can’t have been banned for bad acting alone — the violence better measure up. And, despite the gut-munching and some effective late-film zombie makeup, Park’s doesn’t. It’s not like there’s anything else the film can hang its hat on. Among the leads, the veteran character actor Aldo Ray (The Green Berets) is passable, if overbilled, and it says something about a film when future scream queen Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons) gives the second-best performance. Peluce and Taylor (who’s really about 20, the same age as her “mother,” Quigley) are cute, especially when delivering dialogue that sounds like it comes from someone three times their age. But from the opening scene, which features a dizzying “earthquake” that consists of first-time director Lawrence D. Foldes shaking his camera like the proverbial ferret on crystal meth, Park is 100% grade-Z cheese. It doesn’t help that Barbara Monker and the implausibly named Crackers Phinn ridiculously overact as the film’s 12,000-year-old villains. It’s no wonder both used pseudonyms — I wouldn’t admit to those performances, either.   As for the plot, well, those villains have to kill Taylor’s character, a girl named Bondi, for some reason never adequately explained. That way, they can achieve eternal youth; otherwise, they are aging in dog years, which they can only slow by killing and eating younger people. They’re apparently hiding in California’s Griffith Park, the land where they’ve always lived. I say “apparently” because the park is barely shown in any obvious way, but is referred to from time to time and gives the movie its current title (of the many it’s had over the years). Otherwise, the film is pretty much the occasional cannibal attack alternating with scenes of Taylor screaming, Taylor running or Peluce talking about exposition with Ray. A special demerit should go to whoever edited the first half of the movie — it jumps around so abruptly, you can almost see where the film is spliced. There’s even a spot where it cuts from Quigley raising her nightgown over her head straight to her wedding. It’s not like Foldes is avoiding the nudity — she’s topless twice in her short stint — he’s just making viewers wonder what the heck is going on. On the bright side, the filmmakers did cut out Taylor’s other jailbait nude scene.   Video and Audio: The anamorphic widescreen image suffers from the flaws in the source material, but Dark Sky has done an admirable job of working with what it had. The movie is a cheapie from 25 years ago, so the picture is soft, there is plenty of grain and some noticeable print damage. The dark scenes suffer the most, particularly at the film’s climax, which takes place at night, in a cave, and is nearly lost in the subsequent lack of light. That “nearly” may be damning with faint praise, but it is nonetheless a positive for Dark Sky’s video achievement — the DVD is far clearer and brighter than any VHS tape could hope to be, and Park needs every line of the anamorphic resolution. The struggle with the final scenes is an unfortunate end to a surprisingly watchable film. The only audio track provided is a Dolby mono 2.0. It is serviceable, but the dialogue — much of which is clearly looped, and about half of which is delivered by an 8-year-old boy or an overacting woman — is very, very tinny. Screams, too, tend to top out, and that’s even more of a detriment to the film, given how often one of those screams turns into an unintended screech. My guess is that this is again a weakness of the material Dark Sky had to work with, and no fault of the company’s. English subtitles are provided.
  Special Features: Give Dark Sky credit: It put together a nice package of extras for this little-known flick. Foldes (who was only 19 at the time, and has worked as a director as recently as 2003, believe it or not) and Quigley provide a commentary on an alternate track, along with moderator David Gregory. Park was Foldes’ directorial debut and one of Quigley’s first films, so both seem to really enjoy reminiscing. Foldes does the vast majority of the talking, and despite a few dead spots, keeps the commentary both entertaining and informative. He mentions how he sort of swept the film under the career rug for a while, but he seems genuinely fond of it. A second nice extra is some extended and deleted scenes, which feature almost a half-hour of trimmings. A note says they were culled from the only existing source, and thus inferior to the main movie’s quality. That’s too bad, because there’s plenty that could have been made the film better — or at least more interesting. There’s additional cannibalism, the Quigley nudity missing from the bad pre-wedding cut and that second disconcerting Taylor sex scene — which was probably excised because, even though she’s willing this time around, somebody probably realized she’s supposed to be a virgin sacrifice.   Strangely enough, the clip labeled “Grue!! (Gore Outtakes)” is a bit of false advertising, with a lot less blood than the extended scenes. It’s only two and a half minutes of the same few effects, repeated from different angles. And unlike the extended scenes, it’s no more gory than the film’s finest moments. There are two trailers, labeled “English” and “Spanish,” but the Spanish one is a subtitled version of the cheesy red-band English one (which dramatically overplays the minor zombie angle). A TV spot is shorter and slightly less cheesy. A decent photo gallery is a nice addition and includes posters for several of the film’s various titles.  
  Conclusion: Don’t Go Near the Park is a novelty because of its “video nasty” label, but that’s all it is. What was shocking in 1981 is unlikely to impress audiences in 2006. There’s a little bit of good-quality gore, but not enough, and Tamara Taylor’s perpetually-braless outfit may provide the most uncomfortable moments in the film for post-pubescent male viewers. It might be worth a rental for insatiable fans of gut-munching, and “video nasty” completists probably will snap it up for their collection. But they’ll be the only ones who appreciate Dark Sky’s wasted effort on the DVD.
  (Weapons of Choice: Mitsubishi 1080 series 42” TV, Sony DVP-CX995V DVD player, Bose Lifestyle 25 Series II speakers and, in certain situations, Panasonic 27” TV, Panasonic A110 DVD player and Bose TriPort headphones.) Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum.
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Written by The Hitman
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Saturday, 15 April 2006 16:18 |
Doom: Unrated Extended Edition DVD Review Reviewed by Eric "The Hitman" Strauss DVD released by Universal Home Video   “Tell me you didn’t let a fine-looking piece of ass like that get away from you, Reaper.” “She’s my sister.” Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak Written by David Callaham and Wesley Strick 2005, Region 1 (NTSC), 113 minutes, Unrated Starring: Karl Urban as John Grimm Rosamund Pike as Samantha Grimm Raz Adoti as Duke and The Rock as Sarge     Review: Movies based on computer and video games have one inherent problem: There is often not enough plot to go around, meaning the film must depend on a script that fleshes out its thin world. And, plot-wise, few video games are as thin as a first-person shooter. But few are as popular, so it was probably inevitable that the mother of all “FPS” games, “Doom,” would eventually be made into a movie. The trouble with this box-office flop is, of course, the fleshing-out went about as smoothly as the experiment in genetics that set the whole film in motion. By “experiment in genetics,” I’m not talking about former professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the biggest name in the cast. But it is the Rock upon whom the film often rests. And as anyone who has seen his underrated performances in films such as Walking Tall and The Rundown knows, that’s not a bad thing. That’s because, while the Rock may never be confused with Sir Laurence Olivier — or even the steady Karl Urban, his co-star — he has an undeniable charisma that easily endears him to fans. There’s a reason he was dubbed “the People’s Champion” back when he was the future of World Wrestling Entertainment.   Frankly, as an actor (and that’s what a professional wrestling star is, in many ways), he puts one-note martial artists like Jean-Claude Van Damme to shame. How the Rock measures up to the granddaddy of all unlikely action stars, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is probably a matter of preference, experience and script choice (edge: the Governator), but it’s not out of the question that he could one day be that kind of fan favorite. As evidence of his acting ambitions, reports mentioned he was offered the lead role of John “Reaper” Grimm — eventually played by Urban (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ghost Ship) — but chose instead the role of “Sarge” because he felt it was the more interesting part. Unfortunately, that’s where the script lets the Rock, and the movie, down. Because after 90 minutes of entertaining, if by-the-numbers, action horror, Sarge’s personality doesn’t evolve so much as it takes a 180-degree turn, and the unexpected and abrupt character transition heralds Doom’s descent from shallow entertainment into cartoonish cliché. It’s a fine line, to be sure. “Doom,” the game, had a simple plot: You’re some kind of soldier, sent to Mars to kill some kind of monster. You run around a dark building, shooting things. And Doom, the movie, follows in its footsteps: A team of “rapid response” Marines is sent to Mars after some kind of containment breach, with strict orders to find missing scientists and kill whatever it is they let loose — only to find they may be in way over their heads.   The movie’s Marines are a mix of familiar one-note archetypes and bipolar now-I’m-this-now-I’m-that confusion. (Sarge isn’t the only character mishandled this way, which to me points the finger at writers David Callaham and Wesley Strick, not the Rock’s acting talent or any lack thereof.) Speaking of the Rock’s acting talent or lack thereof, to their credit, the filmmakers don’t make the mistake of surrounding him with vastly superior performers, allowing their headliner to stand out. But that’s not to say they didn’t fill Doom with solid actors. Urban and former Bond Girl Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day) are low-key, but undoubtedly the most polished as the leads, giving the cast a solid core. And, unlike another lovely former Bond Girl, Denise Richards, Pike does not seem the least bit out of place playing a scientist. But it’s role-players Raz Adoti (Resident Evil: Apocalypse), as the grinning horn-dog Duke, and Richard Brake (Batman Begins), as the leering pervert Portman, who darn near steal the show — they’re the comic relief, and they get the best lines. The rest of the team is solid, but young Al Weaver, playing the appropriately nicknamed “Kid,” is saddled with another mood-swinging character, and should be singled out for handling it well.   As with any action horror movie — particularly one based on a “shooter” — the guns, monsters and cinematography often take center stage, and Doom comes through on all three counts. Weapons and villains are mean-looking, realistic and distinctive. And the fight sequences range from the near-comical to the downright brutal, while director Andrzej Bartkowiak and his crew usually avoid the too-quick cuts that have plagued many recent actioners. The highlight for “Doom” fans will undoubtedly be a five-minute sequence near the climax of the film that is shot in over-the-shoulder first-person, effectively and entertainingly mimicking the game as one of the Marines blasts his way through a military complex in true “search and destroy” fashion. Of course, that’s sandwiched by Sarge’s character meltdown and the ridiculously over-the-top ending brawl. But after enjoying so much of the film, it was nice to see the filmmakers take such a risk, even as the movie came apart around it. Why Doom was a disaster in its theatrical run is anybody’s guess. It had not one, but two built-in fan bases — the game’s and the Rock’s — and it is certainly no worse than a typical action film. In fact, it’s got a better cast than most, and more money and polish. Yes, it’s flawed, but they’re not fatal flaws. I suspect this is a movie that, like many recent run-and-shoot flicks, will wind up in plenty of DVD collections. Two months after its release, it’s already a lot closer to the top of some online sales charts than it ever was to the top of the box office.   Video and Audio: The anamorphic widescreen image is generally excellent, as befitting a very recent film. It’s a dark, dark movie, and blacks are solid and images remain sharp and clear at almost all times. The only flaws are some occasional softness and the presence of some faint grain in the backgrounds of several of the darkest, smokiest scenes. Disappointing, considering the general quality, but likely a fault of the source material — no compression issues are noticeable at all.   Typical of an ultra-modern action film, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is superb. Doom hits all the marks on volume levels and dialogue clarity, and the surrounds are well-used for both the multitude of gun battles and the general atmosphere. French and Spanish 5.1 tracks are also available, as are English closed captions and French and Spanish subtitles.   Special Features: The extra features consist of six featurettes that add up to nearly an hour of runtime. Although Doom doesn’t get special-edition treatment — undoubtedly due to its poor theatrical showing — the extra footage in any “unrated” blood-and-guts shooter is almost a special feature unto itself, and Doom has 12 minutes of it. If the highlight of the film for fans is the FPS scene, the highlight among the special features will probably be the inside look at that “First-Person Shooter Sequence.” The creation was every bit as challenging as you would think, and the featurette, every bit as interesting. The featurette is followed by what’s implied is the “full” sequence, but it mirrors the one in the extended version of the film. Oddly, this featurette is exclusive to the unrated DVD, so it’s not like the sequence is there to show buyers of the theatrical version what they missed. Still, it’s nice to be able to see the scene right with the featurette, and not have to try to remember back to the film. “Basic Training” is Doom’s version of the latest trendy action-film featurette: A look at the training several of the actors went through so they would move and fire guns look like genuine soldiers. I enjoy these training clips, and this one — featuring a British commando-turned-technical adviser — is no exception. Two of the clips cover the film’s makeup effects: “Rock Formation” is a short look at the techniques used to transform the Rock’s face for one crucial scene. “Master Monster Makers” is more wide-ranging, covering the movie’s “imp” and “hell knight” monsters and how they were created — a challenge, given that the full-body suits were based on popular game creatures. And it’s nice to get a look at the monsters under good light; it really shows off the effects artists’ hard work, which isn’t always so apparent in a low-light film. (Define irony: Many of the monsters that began life as pixels in a computer game were not created with CGI.)   “‘Doom’ Nation” is the longest featurette, nearly 15 minutes long, and covers the phenomenon that is the computer- and video-game series. It’s a nice look at the classic games that inspired the movie, which went from cult hits to cultural icons — imagine, historical perspective for a shallow popcorn film! (It should be said that, to the featurette’s credit, even though I’m nowhere near a hardcore “Doom” player, I found it quite interesting.) If “‘Doom’ Nation” suggests the DVD is aimed squarely at fans and/or potential buyers of the game, “Game On!” makes that completely clear. It’s seven shallow, but funny, minutes of basic tips for “Doom 3,” the game’s latest incarnation. Xbox owners can go yet another step further, since there’s a “Doom 3” demo included. One gripe from a DVD standpoint: Doom continues the disappointing trend of lacking the movie’s theatrical trailer.     Conclusion: Doom got a bad rap when it was released, and it died quickly. But that fate seems a bit unfair — it’s easy to focus on what Doom isn’t. It isn’t very deep, it isn’t very well written, most of it isn’t anything action horror fans haven’t seen before. But Doom has several good things going for it — first and foremost, the Rock and his castmates. And for the most part, the film does what it sets out to do — entertain fans, with big weapons and bigger monsters. (Weapons of Choice: Mitsubishi 1080 series 42” TV, Sony DVP-CX995V DVD player, Bose Lifestyle 25 Series II speakers and, in certain situations, Panasonic 27” TV, Panasonic A110 DVD player and Bose TriPort headphones.) Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum.
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Written by Neon Maniac
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Friday, 14 April 2006 22:25 |
Natural City DVD Review Reviewed by Neon Maniac DVD released by Tartan Video 
  Written and directed by Byung-chun Min
2003, Region 1 (NTSC), 114 Minutes, Rated R DVD released on April 18th, 2006
Starring: Ji-tae Yu
Jae-un Lee
Rin Seo
Eun-pyo Jeong
Doo-hong Jung
Ju-hye Ko
Chang Yun
Movie:
It's 2080, and the world is filled with cyborgs that are more human than human. R and Noma are friends, and members of the MP's, a military squad whose job it is to regulate the robots. R goes off the deep end. He starts illegally selling black market cyborg parts and to top it all off, he falls in love with a cyborg stripper named Ria. She's got a built in 3 year life span, and it ends in 3 days. R will stop at nothing to keep her alive, even if it means selling out the MP's and losing his friend Noma. It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?
 
Review:
Do the storyline and screen shots look like something out of Blade Runner? While the movie has an original plot, it is as if it was dropped right in the middle of Los Angeles, 2019. In fact, there are more than the obvious parallels, including their version of the 'off world colonies' and the Tyrell Corp. This is not necessarily bad. The story and characters are interesting enough to stand on their own, and the movie is very well done. It is also not the first time an Asian film has used a US film as inspiration.
For the most part, the special effects are done well and the movie is beautiful to watch. It also makes an attempt to bring the science back to Science Fiction, something that has been sorely lacking in US Sci-Fi films for years. Not that the movie lacks action, it brings on the bullets and does not let up until the very end.
Some of the acting is not that great. Lead Ji Tae Yoo is a cardboard cutout, and Rin Seo plays Ria the cyborg as an inanimate appliance. There is no charisma there, and it's hard to see why Ria would want anything to do with her. However, the rest of the cast, inclduing Chan Yoon as the duty bound Noma and Jae-un Lee as the hooker innocently entangled in everything, are very believable.
Natural City is a welcome addition to the Sci-Fi / Action genre, and is worth your attention.
  Video and Audio: The picture quality is competent, considering that almost every scene is either digitized or done on a green screen. At some times this is obvious, other times it is not. All in all, it's done fairly well, although the movie gets very soft at some points to help mask the effects. Most people will happy with it, but videophiles may find it lacking. Natural City comes with both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 tracks in the original Korean language. Both are crisp and clear, but not very inspired. This is an action movie, yet the surround speakers are rarely used. Special Features:
The Natural City DVD contains quite a few extra features. There are deleted scenes, cast interviews, traielrs, and a short called, "The Story of Natural City." The deleted scenes and short are definitely worth a watch, while the interviews are hit and miss.
(Neon's Movie Lounge contains a Zenith 42" Plasma EDTV, Oppo DV971H DVD player using a DVI connection, Pioneer 815 7.1 receiver and JBL Northridge E Series speakers.) Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum.
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Written by Neon Maniac
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Friday, 14 April 2006 21:07 |
Marebito DVD Review Reviewed by Neon Maniac DVD released by Tartan Video 
Directed by Takashi Shimizu
Written by Chiaki Konaka
2004, Region 1 (NTSC), 92 Minutes, Not rated
Starring: Shinya Tsukamoto
Tomomi Miyashita
Kazuhiro Nakahara
Miho Ninagawa
Movie:
Masuoka, a freelance cameraman obsessed with trying to understand the nature of fear, accidentally captures footage of a man committing suicide in the Tokyo subway. Intrigued by the event, Masuoka returns to the scene, where he finds a passage into the underworld. Exploring the subterranean tunnels and caves of the netherworld, he finds a naked girl chained up in an alcove. Masuoka rescues her and brings her back home to his small apartment.
Once back home, Masuoka finds that she is not an ordinary girl. She does not eat, drink or speak. In many ways, she acts like a dog. Soon, a mysterious Man In Black begins following Masuoka and making anonymous calls to his cell phone. And who is that weird lady who Masuoka sees lurking under stairs and around corners? What has he gotten himself into, and should he go deeper? It's too late to back out now...
 
 
Review:
Filmed in only eight days, Marebito is an intriguing film. Based heavily on Richard Stark's Hollow Earth Theory, Marebito comes across as part folk tale and part suspense film. While it is not necessary to understand all of the mythological and literary references, it does make for richer viewing.
In many ways, Masuoka is like Max Renn from Cronenberg's Videodrome. A freelance cameraman, Masuoka is more comfortable when viewing life from behind the lens. He has seen everything, from the violent to the unexplained; and he wants to see more. He wants to experience something new, something terrifying. Something that will make an impact on his jaded soul. Masuoka's narration drives the story along, and slowly, subtly, his driving desires become our own.
Marebito is a very well done film, from a great horror director. While Takashi Shimizu may always be more well known for the Ju-On films, Marebito is definitely one of the best he has done so far. Similarly, screenwriter Chiaki Konaka might be better known for his work in anime, but this film adaptation of his own novel is superb. Actress Tonomi Miyashita is excellent as the mysterious girl, only known as F. She is both subtle, and animalistic. All traces of her humanity has been wiped from her.
Marebito is a must see for any self respecting J-Horror fan.
Video and Audio:
Marebito delivers a clean, crisp picture. This movie is unique, in that about half of the movie is seen through the 'eye' of Masuoka's camera lens. These scenes are of course rough and unfiltered; and provide a great contrast to the sharp, focused film we see the rest of the time. The only exception is when Masuoka is in the giant cave. There, the special effects of the enormous cavern are only slightly better than watching Marshall, Will and Holly run through Sleestak City. It's only a small part, and will not detract from the watchability of the film.
While most of the film takes place in dark lighting, no macroblocking was evident.
Marebito is presented with both a Dolby Digital 5.1 and a DTS 5.1 soundtrack in the original Japanese. Both tracks sound excellent. Even with two 5.1 tracks, do not expect any major rumbling from your speakers, the soundtrack in Marebito is mainly dialog.
Special Features:
Special features on the disc include interviews with director Takashi Shimizu, actor Shinya Tsukamoto and producer Hiroshi Takahashi. There is also a trailer for Marebito, along with trailers for other Tartan releases. J-Horror fans will undoubtedly eat the interviews up, while the more casual fan might find themselves pressing the Menu button.
(Neon's Movie Lounge contains a Zenith 42" Plasma EDTV, Oppo DV971H DVD player using a DVI connection, Pioneer 815 7.1 receiver and JBL Northridge E Series speakers.) Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum.
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Movie Reviews
– The terrible script set this one up for disaster from the very beginning.
– The 5.1 sounds great.
– I’m barely recommending the DVD. The movie is bad, but the bonus material is worth the rental.
– (The drawings are crude as crude can be, but there is more to it than meets the eye)
– One trailer and some covers/trailers on the side equal nothing.
– The best gore scenes have lost their power with age and the advent of better effects, and they’re all the film has in its favor. 
