Scorpion Releasing: 2011 in Review(s)

Here is a review index of my 2011 Scorpion Releasing coverage just in case any of you might have missed out on some of their interesting releases (including the launch of their Katarina's Nightmare Theater line).


February 22
LEGACY at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver
QUEST FOR LOVE for DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

April 19
I WANT WHAT I WANT for DVD Drive-In
SEXTETTE for DVD Drive-In

June 28
ALIEN THUNDER (Dan Candy's Law) for DVDBeaver
DOGPOUND SHUFFLE for DVDBeaver

August 23
WHERE THE BOYS ARE '84 at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

September 20
KATARINA'S NIGHTMARE THEATER: THE DEVIL WITHIN HER at DVDBeaver
KATARINA'S NIGHTMARE THEATER: FINAL EXAM at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

October 18
KATARINA'S NIGHTMARE THEATER: NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT - at DVDBeaver
KATARINA'S NIGHTMARE THEATER: THE PYX at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

November 8
KATARINA'S NIGHTMARE THEATER: THE CARPENTER at DVD Drive-In
KATARINA'S NIGHTMARE THEATER: SATAN'S BLOOD at DVDBeaver

November 15
KATARINA'S NIGHTMARE THEATER: HUMONGOUS at DVD Drive-In

Review links for ALL Scorpion Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Scorpion Releasing.

Intervision's THE ABCs OF LOVE AND SEX: AUSTRALIA STYLE (review)

Dr. Leonard B. Lovitt conducts a class in sexual education by screening a film of an A-Z glossary of the sexual vocabulary explicitly demonstrated by photogenic and uninhibited models (the ones from the Swedish second unit are even more uninhibited).  Directed by John D. Lamond of AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK, FELICITY, and NIGHTMARES!

REVIEW LINK: Intervision Picture Corp. (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

THE ABCs OF LOVE AND SEX DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by director John D. Lamond, moderated by NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD's Mark Hartley

More Intervision Picture Corp. reviews at Update the Tags: Intervision Picture Corp.

Intervision's AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK (review)

John Lamond (FELICITY) goes behind the glitz and glamor of Australia's night clubs and strip clubs to explore AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK.  See white witches, black magic, body painting, UFO sightings, boozers, gentlemen's clubs, bikini culture, boozing, and more in Lamond's contreversial debut film.

REVIEW LINK: Intervision Picture Corp. (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by director John D. Lamond, moderated by NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD's Mark Hartley

More Intervision Picture Corp. reviews at Update the Tags: Intervision Picture Corp.

Eureka Video is LOVELY BY SURPRISE (review)

Carrie Preston (TV's TRUE BLOOD) is a writer experiencing a bizarre kind of writer's block with her first novel.  Her story of two brothers living sheltered from the outside world on a boat in the middle of a field takes on a life of its own when she tries to kill off one of the brothers.  He escapes into the real world and starts rewriting the novel while intervening in the lives of a grieving husband and his mute daughter.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)


LOVELY BY SURPRISE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio
• Audio Commentary
• Deleted Scene
• Theatrical Trailer

More Eureka Video reviews at Update the Tags: Eureka Video.

Raro Video USA has a MURDER OBSESSION (review)

HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK director Riccardo Freda's final film is a gory body count supernatural thriller about an actor who returns to his childhood home where he killed his father as a child.  His clingy cougar of a mother and her sinister manservant receive his friends coldly, and pretty soon someone is prowling the grounds with an axe and a chainsaw.  Stefano Patrizi (CONVERSATION PIECE), Silvia Dionisio (LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN), Anita Strindberg (THE ANTICHRIST), John Richardson (BLACK SUNDAY), and Martine Brochard (PAPRIKA) star.

REVIEW LINK: Raro Video USA (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

MURDER OBSESSION DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• English subtitles for Italian-only scenes
• Interview with Sergio Stivaletti
• Liner Notes Booklet

More Raro Video USA review links at Update the Tags: Raro Video.

THE WORLD IS BIG AND SALVATION LURKS AROUND THE CORNER for Olive Films (review)

When Alexander loses his memory in a car crash, his Bulgarian grandfather Bai Min travels to Germany to care for him.  When attempts to jog his grandson's memory fail, Bai Min decides to take Alexander back to Bulgaria with him traveling back home along the path his parents took to escape communist Bulgaria in order to recover his memories.  A Bulgarian/Slovenian/German/Hungarian co-production.

REVIEW LINK: Olive Films (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE WORLD IS BIG AND SALVATION LURKS AROUND THE CORNER DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• Bulgarian/German/Slovenian/Italian/English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Burnt-In English Subtitles

Depardieu rolls like a retiree in MAMMUTH (review)

Gerard Depardieu (GREEN CARD) plays Serge, a slaughterhouse worker who has retired after ten years.  When he finds out that ten of his previous jobs have failed to claim benefits for his retirement, his wife Catherine (Yolande Moreau, THE PACK) sends him off on his 1973 Mammuth motorbike to retrieve the paperwork from a series of defunct and/or shady businesses.  Along the way, Serge runs into the ghost of a dead lover and reconnects (in disturbingly intimate ways) with his cousin and his grown niece.  Of course, when a hooker steals the cellphone that Catherine gave Serge to stay in touch, Catherine and her best friend grab a shovel and a forty-gallon trash bag and go after her.  Isabelle Adjani (QUEEN MARGOT) and Anna Mougalais (MERCI POUR LE CHOCOLAT) co-star.

REVIEW LINK: Olive Films (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

MAMMUTH DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.83:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Burnt-In English Subtitles

Intervision exposes AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK (review)

John Lamond (FELICITY) goes behind the glitz and glamor of Australia's night clubs and strip clubs to explore AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK.  See white witches, black magic, body painting, UFO sightings, boozers, gentlemen's clubs, bikini culture, boozing, and more in Lamond's contreversial debut film.

REVIEW LINK: Intervision Picture Corp. (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by director John D. Lamond, moderated by NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD's Mark Hartley

More Intervision Picture Corp. reviews at Update the Tags: Intervision Picture Corp.

Code Red and Maria Kanellis host CAGED MEN! (review)

A naive college student gets on the wrong side of the law and experiences "the 'different' kind of brotherly love that makes prisoners riot" in CAGED MEN (aka I'M GOING TO GET YOU... ELLIOT BOY!), a rare Canadian exploitation film on Code Red's Maria's B-Movie Mayhem DVD line.

REVIEW LINK: Code Red Releasing (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

CAGED MEN DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by Alonso Duralde and Dave White
• Audio Commentary by Nathaniel Parker and David DeCoteau
• Unmatted Nude Scene
• Theatrical Trailer
• Code Red Trailers

More Code Red Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Code Red Releasing.

Intervision learns THE ABCs OF LOVE AND SEX: AUSTRALIA STYLE! (review)

Dr. Leonard B. Lovitt conducts a class in sexual education by screening a film of an A-Z glossary of the sexual vocabulary explicitly demonstrated by photogenic and uninhibited models (the ones from the Swedish second unit are even more uninhibited).  Directed by John D. Lamond of AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK, FELICITY, and NIGHTMARES!

REVIEW LINK: Intervision Picture Corp. (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE ABCs OF LOVE AND SEX DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by director John D. Lamond, moderated by NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD's Mark Hartley

More Intervision Picture Corp. reviews at Update the Tags: Intervision Picture Corp.

Olive Films has a case of LOVE EXPOSURE (review)

In Sion Sono's four hour epic, Yu is so eager to please his sin-obsessed priest father that he goes from inventing sins to becoming the master of the art of voyeur photography.  Using ninja techniques, he spins, leaps, and whips underneath womens skirts in search of his very own Virgin Mary. 

REVIEW LINK: Olive Films (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

LOVE EXPOSURE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Permanent English subtitles

MTI resurrects THE UNDYING (Review)

After the tragic death of her fiance, surgeon Elizabeth transfers to a new hospital and rents a Civil War-era farmhouse with its own Confederate ghost.  When a stabbing victim is declared brain dead, Elizabeth thinks she can transfer the ghost's soul into the body.  The result is successful, until she finds out that the stabbing victim was a murderer.  Robin Weigert (TV's DEADWOOD) stars.

REVIEW LINK: MTI Home Video (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE UNDYING DVD specs:*

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Audio Commentary
• MTI Home Video trailers

*screener disc review, final technical specs based on press release

More MTI Home Video review links at Update the Tags: MTI Home Video.

Artificial Eye and Takashi Miike take on 13 ASSASSINS (review)

Takashi Miike's epic samurai pic hits UK DVD and Blu-Ray courtesy of Artificial Eye.  The Japanese version ran roughly twenty minutes longer than the international version, but the DVDs feature all of the trimmed footage in the deleted scenes section!

REVIEW LINK: Artificial Eye (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD vs Magnolia/Magnet (USA) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

13 ASSASSINS Artificial Eye DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Interview with Takashi Miike
• Deleted Scenes

13 ASSASSINS Magnolia/Magnet DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Interview with Takashi Miike
• Deleted Scenes
• Digital Copy disc

BODY PUZZLE DVD comparison (Image/Flamingo/Raro) at DVDBeaver

A classical music-loving psychopath is mutilating citizens in Rome and making off with various body parts and internal organs.  When grisly souvenirs find their way into the home of a recent widow (Joanna Pacula, THE KISS), a detective (Tomas Arana, THE CHURCH) searches for the connection between her dead husband (whose grave has been robbed) and the escalating killings.


DVD COMPARISON LINK: Raro Video/eOne (USA) Region 0 NTSC DVD vs Flamingo Vidoe (IT) Region 0 PAL DVD vs Image Entertainment (USA) Region 0 NTSC (DVDBeaver)


BODY PUZZLE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio
• Liner Notes Booklet by Chris Alexander

More Raro Video reviews at Update the Tags: Raro Video/eOne.

Code Red Releasing: 2011 Review Index

Code Red Releasing have published their 2011 DVD checklist HERE, so I thought I would remind you of which 2011 titles I have covered. You can find review links to all Code Red Releasing titles that I have covered at Update the Tags: Code Red Releasing.

January 11

• A LONG RIDE FROM HELL (1968) at DVDBeaver / DVD Drive-In

January 18

• THE BLACK KLANSMAN (1966) 45th Anniversary Edition at DVDBeaver / DVD Drive-In

February 8

• GROUP MARRIAGE (1973) at DVD Drive-In

February 15

• THE WORKING GIRLS (1974) at DVD Drive-In

February 22

• THE BEING  / COP KILLERS (1983/1973) Double Feature at DVD Drive-In
• HOW TO SCORE WITH GIRLS / WHITE RAT (1980/1972) Double Feature at DVD Drive-In

March 8

• Exploitation Cinema: WHERE TIME BEGAN / ENCOUNTERS WITH THE UNKNOWN (1976/1973) at DVDBeaver

March 15

• Bill Osco's ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1976) at DVDBeaver

April 5

• UNKNOWN COMEDY SPECIAL / URBAN LEGENDS / ART OF NUDE BOWLING (1998/1995) at DVDBeaver

April 19

• MARCY (1969) at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

August 2

• JULIE DARLING (1983) at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

August 16

• CUT-THROATS NINE / JOSHUA (1972/1976) at DVDBeaver
• STONEY / KILLER LIKES CANDY (1969/1968) at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

August 23

• BLADE / RING OF DEATH (1973/1969) at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

September 20

• Maria's B-Movie Mayhem: HAUNTED (1977) at DVD Drive-In / DVDBeaver

September 27

• Maria's B-Movie Mayhem: MARDI GRAS MASSACRE (1978) at DVD Drive-In

October 11

• Maria's B-Movie Mayhem: NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1980) at DVD Drive-In

October 18

• Maria's B-Movie Mayhem: VAMPIRE AT MIDNIGHT (1988) at DVD Drive-In

October 25

• Maria's B-Movie Mayhem Double Feature: VOODOO DOLLS / MADONNA: A CASE OF BLOOD AMBITION (1989/1990) at DVD Drive-In

November 29

• Maria's B-Movie Mayhem: CAGED MEN [aka I'M GOING TO GET YOU. . .ELLIOTT BOY] (1971) at DVD Drive-In

VOODOO DOLLS and MADONNA attack Code Red's Maria Kanellis (review)

Code Red and Maria's B-Movie Mayhem present a double feature of Canadian schlock.  In the girls school screamer VOODOO DOLLS, a Louisiana private school's drama department decides to perform a previously lost play about voodoo and black magic written by a student who slaughtered the school's previous headmaster and two students forty years before.  In MADONNA: A CASE OF BLOOD AMBITION, a graphic designer falls for a bewitching fashion model whose previous lovers have a habit of murdering and being brutally murdered.  Both films were based on novels by Ed Kelleher (screenwriter of SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED and INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS) and Harriette Vidal, who authored a handful of sexy, gory horror paperbacks in the eighties for the memorable Leisure Books paperback line.

REVIEW LINK: Code Red Releasing (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

VOODOO DOLLS/MADONNA DVD specs:

• 4:3 open-matte 1.33:1 fullscreen versions
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional Maria's B-Movie Mayhem wraparounds
• Maria's "Fantasy" Music Video
• Code Red Trailers

More Code Red Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Code Red Releasing.

Artificial Eye and Wim Wenders present PINA (review)

Wim Wenders' visually ravishing tribute to the great choreographer Pina Bausch comes to DVD from Artificial Eye.  Several of Bausch's students and collaborators recreate some of her memorable work on sound stages, out in the middle of cities, and in picturesque nature before Wenders' cameras which give the dance performances an even more visual dynamic.  More of a performance piece itself than a documentary, PINA is recommended even to viewers who are not dance aficionados.

REVIEW LINK: Artificial Eye (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

PINA DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• German/English/Croation/Russian/French/Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Interview with Wim Wenders

Raro Video pieces together Lamberto Bava's BODY PUZZLE (review)

A classical music-loving psychopath is mutilating citizens in Rome and making off with various body parts and internal organs.  When grisly souvenirs find their way into the home of a recent widow (Joanna Pacula, THE KISS), a detective (Tomas Arana, THE CHURCH) searches for the connection between her dead husband (whose grave has been robbed) and the escalating killings.


REVIEW LINK: Raro Video/eOne (USA) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)


BODY PUZZLE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio
• Liner Notes Booklet by Chris Alexander

More Raro Video reviews at Update the Tags: Raro Video/eOne.

Code Red and Maria Kanellis present NIGHT OF THE DEMON (review)

The goriest bigfoot film ever finally hits legit DVD from Code Red Releasing.  Bigfoot is ripping off limbs (of all sorts) off of moronic campers (and bikers).  An anthropology professor and his students trek into the backwoods in search of the beast and face off against the "furry avenger" on the NIGHT OF THE DEMON.


REVIEW LINK: Code Red Releasing (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)


NIGHT OF THE DEMON DVD specs:

• 4:3 open-matte 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional Maria's B-Movie Mayhem segments
• Maria's "Fantasy" Music Video
• Code Red Trailers

More Code Red Releasing titles reviewed at Update the Tags: Code Red Releasing.

Code Red's Maria Kanellis is stalked by a VAMPIRE AT MIDNIGHT (review)

Jason Williams (FLESH GORDON) is a Hollywood cop on the hunt for "The Vampire Killer"... hmm, could it be the Eastern European hypnotist who promises soon-to-be victims power and immortality?  A forgotten slice of eighties low-budget horror with plenty of big hair, leg warmers, and smoke machines.


REVIEW LINK: Code Red Releasing (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)


VAMPIRE AT MIDNIGHT DVD specs:

• 4:3 open-matte 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by star Jason Williams and director Greg McClatchy, moderated by Jeff McKay
• Interview with actor Gustav Vintos
• Playable with optional introduction by Maria Kanellis
• Code Red trailers

More Code Red Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Code Red Releasing.

Code Red and Maria Kanellis host a MARDI GRAS MASSACRE (review)

A ritualistic killer is stalking "evil women" in New Orleans in the weeks before Mardi Gras.  A detective and a hooker pair up to find the killer and hit the disco floor!  A forgotten piece of late seventies gore and sex.


REVIEW LINK: Code Red Releasing (USA) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)


MARDI GRAS MASSACRE DVD specs:

• 4:3 open-matte 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Viewable with optional Maria's B-Movie Mayhem wrap-arounds
• Maria's "Fantasy" Music Video
• Code Red Trailer

More Code Red Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Code Red Releasing.

Upcoming Reviews: Four from Code Red and Maria's B-Movie Mayhem!

Check out this blog next week for reviews of FOUR Maria's B-Movie Mayhem/Code Red Releasing titles (review links will also be posted in the comments section of this post).

In NIGHT OF THE DEMON, a college professor and some of his students head deep into the backwoods in search of a Bigfoot with a penchant for ripping off limbs (of all sorts).  Hilariously gory with a high body count and a droning score.  You've never seen Bigfoot (even if you have glimpsed him in real life) until you've seen NIGHT OF THE DEMON.

• 4:3 open-matte 1.33:1 transfer
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Playable with optional Maria's B-Movie Mayhem Wraparound
• Code Red Trailers

Order it HERE!

REVIEW LINK: DVD Drive-In

In MARDI GRAS MASSACRE, a creepy guy is looking for an "evil woman" and sacrifices enough hookers for the New Orleans officials to be concerned about the bad publicity for the Mardi Gras tourist crowd.  Wall to wall disco music and some gnarly heart-ripping in this obscure slasher.

• 4:3 open-matte 1.33:1 transfer
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Interview with actor William Metzos
• Playable with optional Maria's B-Movie Mayhem Wraparound
• Code Red Trailers

 Order it HERE!
 
REVIEW LINK: DVD Drive-In

In VAMPIRE AT MIDNIGHT, Jason Williams (FLESH GORDON) is a cop on the trail of the "Vampire Killer" who leaves his victims drained of blood.  Could it be the Eastern European dude with the mesmerism act?

• 4:3 open-matte 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio
• Audio Commentary by actor Jason Williams
• Interview with actor Gustav Vintos
• Playable with Maria's B-Movie Mayhem wrap-around
• Code Red Trailers

Order it HERE!

REVIEW LINK: DVD Drive-In

In the US/Canadian production CAGED MEN (aka I'M GOING TO GET YOU... ELLIOTT BOY), Elliot tries to impress his girlfriend as the get-away driver in a bank heist gone wrong.  He gets 2-5 in prison and experiences several "men in prison" cliches in this racy seventies production.

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by David DeCoteau and Nathaniel Thompson
• Audio Commentary by Alonzo Duralde and David White
• Theatrical Trailer
• Unmatted Nude Scene
• Playable with optional Maria's B-Movie Mayhem wrap-around
• Code Red Trailers 

Order it HERE!

REVIEW LINK: DVD Drive-In

More Code Red Releasing review links at Update the Tags: Code Red Releasing. 

Indomina Releasing presents Tsui Hark's DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (review)

Andy Lau (INFERNAL AFFAIRS), Carina Lau (2046), Tony Leung Ka Fai (THE LOVER), Bingling Li (Jackie Chan's 1911), and Chao Deng (ASSEMBLY) star in Tsui Hark's exciting and suspenseful period thriller DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME.  As the coronation of the first female Empress nears, founding officials and the leaders of ruling clans plot to overthrow her; but there is an even greater danger in the "Phantom Flame" which mysteriously and spontaneously reduces its victims to ashes.  Exiled Detective Dee is brought back to the palace to discover who or what is behind this deadly phenomena.  Action choreography by Sammo Hung.

REVIEW LINK: Indomina Releasing/Vivendi Entertainment (USA) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English and French subtitles
• The Making of DETECTIVE DEE
• Creating the Characters
• The World of Dee
• Theatrical Trailer
• Poster Galleries
• Exclusive QR code for additional bonus materials

More Indomina Releasing review links at Update the Tags: Indomina Releasing.

MORE BRAINS returns to RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (review)

Here it is!  The most comprehensive documentary on the eighties cult classic RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD that you will ever see... EVER!  Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Linnea Quigley, James Philbin, Brian Peck, Jewel Shepard, producer Graeme Henderson, effects artists Tony Gardener, Kenny Myers, and William Munns, production designer William Stout, cinematographer Jules Brenner, casting director Stanzi Stokes, assistant editor John Penney, singer Stacey Q, and others are interviewed (the segments on parts 2 and 3 feature even more series actors like Michael Kenworthy, Suzanne Snyder, and J. Trever Edmond). 

REVIEW LINK: Michael Perez Entertainment (USA) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Featurettes on RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PARTS 2 AND 3
• Documentary Deleted Scenes
• Final Interview with Dan O'Bannon
• Stacey Q Live! "Tonight" Music Video
• Film Locations Today
• RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD in 3 minutes
• 
  

Artificial Eye visits WARD NO. 6 (review)

Anton Chekov's short story gets the mockumentary treatment in the award-winning WARD NO. 6.  A camera crew interviews friends and colleagues of psychiatrist Dr. Ragin in order to find out just how he ended up among the lunatic residents of his own asylum's Ward No. 6.

REVIEW LINK: Artificial Eye (UK) Region PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

WARD NO. 6 DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• Russian Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Dominoes and Checkers documentary
• Theatrical Trailer

Charlotte Gainsbourg communes with nature... again in THE TREE (review)

Charlotte Gainsbourg (ANTICHRIST) heads back to the forest for Julie Bertuccelli's THE TREE.  Based on the Judy Pascoe novel "Our Father Who Art in a Tree," the film follows a family living in the Australian countryside when the father suddenly dies.  The mother Dawn (Gainsbourg) is left with four children, bills, her own loneliness, and her daughter Simone (Morgana Davies) thinks her father's spirit is alive in the massive tree near their house.  Marton Csokas (ASYLUM) also stars.

REVIEW LINK: Artificial Eye (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE TREE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Behind the Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

Karen Black has a date with THE PYX (review)

Karen Black (BURNT OFFERINGS) has a date with THE PYX.  When a hooker dies from a mysterious fall off a penthouse balcony, Christopher Plummer (THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE) investigates the last hours of her life as someone else starts slaughtering their way through anyone who tied to the investigation.  Based on the novel by John Buell, THE PYX is a chilling piece of Canadian horror cinema that has been finally restored to its Panavision framing courtesy of Scorpion Releasing.

REVIEW LINK: Scorpion Releasing (USA) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE PYX DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen HD master from the original negative
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Playable with optional Katarina's Nightmare Theater intro
• Audio Commentary by actress Karen Black
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Trailers for other Katarina's Nightmare Theater releases

More Scorpion Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Scorpion Releasing.

Nucleus Films presents GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS 3 (review)

Once again, Nucleus Films takes us into the bowels of the grindhouse with this 55-trailer party disc collection that covers everything from the mondo films, gialli, super chicks, good ol' boys, blaxploitation, and more in GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS 3 (featuring an introduction and guide to the grindhouse by critic Kim Newman).

REVIEW LINK: Nucleus Films (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• 55 Grindhouse trailers
• Introduction by Kim Newman
• Kim Newman's Guide to the Grindhouse
• Poster Gallery
• Trailers for all Nucleus Films and Naughty releases

Shout Factory has a trio of LETHAL LADIES (review)

Jeannie Bell, Jillian Kesner, and Cheri Caffaro kick ass in Shout Factory's LETHAL LADIES COLLECTION.  In TNT JACKSON, Black Belt Bell flies to Hong Kong searching for her brother and gets tangled with the heroin trade.  In FIRECRACKER, karate champ Kesner heads to the Philippines in search of her missing sister and ends up fighting her killer in the Arena of Death!  In TOO HOT TO HANDLE, GINGER's Caffaro is the foxy Samantha Fox, a contract killer assigned to take out a number of Manilla's worst.  Vic Diaz co-stars.

REVIEW LINK: Shout Factory (USA) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

LETHAL LADIES COLLECTION DVD specs:

• 2-disc set
• new 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen transfers
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary on TOO HOT TO HANDLE by actress Cherri Caffaro
• Trailers

More "Shout Factory" reviews at Update the Tags: Shout Factory.

Scorpion Releasing and Katarina Leigh Waters present THE PYX (review)

Karen Black (BURNT OFFERINGS) has a date with THE PYX.  When a hooker dies from a mysterious fall off a penthouse balcony, Christopher Plummer (THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE) investigates the last hours of her life as someone else starts slaughtering their way through anyone who tied to the investigation.  Based on the novel by John Buell, THE PYX is a chilling piece of Canadian horror cinema that has been finally restored to its Panavision framing courtesy of Scorpion Releasing.

REVIEW LINK: Scorpion Releasing (USA) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

THE PYX DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen HD master from the original negative
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Playable with optional Katarina's Nightmare Theater intro
• Audio Commentary by actress Karen Black
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Trailers for other Katarina's Nightmare Theater releases

More Scorpion Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Scorpion Releasing.

Nucleus Films presents GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS 3 (review)

Once again, Nucleus Films takes us into the bowels of the grindhouse with this 55-trailer party disc collection that covers everything from the mondo films, gialli, super chicks, good ol' boys, blaxploitation, and more in GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS 3 (featuring an introduction and guide to the grindhouse by critic Kim Newman).

REVIEW LINK: Nucleus Films (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (Lovelockandload)

GRINDHOUSE TRAILER CLASSICS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• 55 Grindhouse trailers
• Introduction by Kim Newman
• Kim Newman's Guide to the Grindhouse
• Poster Gallery
• Trailers for all Nucleus Films and Naughty releases

MTI pulls a HOAX FOR THE HOLIDAYS (review)

Martha MacIsaac, Callum Keith Rennie, and Ricky Mabe star in this bittersweet Christmas tale.  Casey lives in an economically depressed town with her father, who spends most of his time at the bedside of Casey's comatose sister while Casey tries to take care of the house and keep a minimum wage job at a doughnut shop.  A prank involving a cup of coffee and the image of Jesus quickly spirals out of control and has the hole town believing in miracles.  Directed by George Mihalka (MY BLOODY VALENTINE).

REVIEW LINK: MTI Home Video (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

HOAX FOR THE HOLIDAYS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio
• English Closed Captioning
• Optional Spanish subtitles
• Trailers

More MTI Home Video reviews at Update the Tags: MTI Home Video.

MTI reveals THE SHADOW WITHIN (review)

In this worth Italian horror flick, a WWII French village is haunted by spirits from the beyond. Laurence Belcher, Hayley J. Williams, and Beth Winslet (sister of Kate) star in Silvana Zancolo's creepy supernatural thriller THE SHADOW WITHIN.

DVD REVIEW LINK: MTI Home Video (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE SHADOW WITHIN DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional Spanish subtitles
• Trailer
• Trailers for other MTI releases

More MTI Home Video reviews at Update the Tags: MTI Home Video.

Scorpion Releasing and Katarina Walters present THE CARPENTER (review)

Wings Hauser is armed with power tools in the Canadian slasher THE CARPENTER.  Alice is already not playing with a full deck, but when her cheating husband buys a country house, she has the ghostly presence of a carpenter (who works only by night) to dismember various rapists, burglars, and anyone else who happens to piss her off.  Is it all in her head or is THE CARPENTER real?

REVIEW LINK: Scorpion Releasing (USA) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-In)

THE CARPENTER DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional Introduction and Closing Remarks by Katarina Leigh Waters
• Scorpion Releasing trailers

More Scorpion Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Scorpion Releasing.

Showbox pushes the PANIC BUTTON (review)

Four users of the social networking site All2gether.com are invited on an exclusive private jet trip from London to New York to have a chance at winning expensive prizes.  Once in the air, they are put through a series of increasingly bizarre tests that range from the embarrassing to the deadly.  Who is their unknown host?  Why have they been chosen?

REVIEW LINK: Showbox Media Group (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

PANIC BUTTON DVD specs*:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Trailer Gallery
• Gag Reel
• Outtakes and Deleted Scenes
• Making of Featurette
• Still Gallery
• Blu-Ray features exclusive documentary

*review is of the screener disc, specs based on press release