Scream Factory charges THE BATTERY (review)

In this $6000 DSLR zombie epic, two baseball players stick to the New England backroads during a zombie apocalypse and discover that living are far more dangerous than the flesh-eating dead.

REVIEW LINK: Scream Factory (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

THE BATTERY Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English SDH subtitles
•  Audio Commentary by writer/director/actor Jeremy Gardner, actor/producer Adam Cronheim, and cinematographer Christian Stella 
• "Tools of Ignorance" behind the scenes (90 mins)
• Outtakes
• Rock Plaza Central at The Parlor
• Theatrical Trailer
• Scream Factory Trailers

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Scorpion Releasing in the grip of ISLAND CLAWS (review)

An experiment to speed up the maturity cycle of crabs to solve world hunger goes horribly wrong with a nearby power plant leak superheats the waters causing the mass migration of aggressive and rapidly growing crabs onto land near an unsuspecting town.

REVIEW LINK: Scorpion Releasing (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

ISLAND CLAWS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono
• Interview with writer Ricou Browning

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

Jinga Films takes in THE LAST HORROR MOVIE (review)

REVIEW LINK: Jinga Films (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE LAST HORROR MOVIE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Audio Commentary by director Julian Richards and writer Kevin Howarth
• Behind the Scenes
• Cast Auditions

Drafthouse Films invites BORGMAN into your homes (review)

In this twisted Dutch film, a mysterious vagrant and his team of underlings undertake the systematic infiltration and destruction of a dysfunctional wealthy family.

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

BORGMAN DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Dutch/English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Burnt-in English subtitles
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Drafthouse Films Trailers
• Reversible Cover
• Digital Copy Code

Entertainment One visits WOLF CREEK 2 (review)

Pig-shooter Mick Taylor is back hunting unwelcome tourists in the outback in WOLF CREEK 2.  Intense chases, explosions, and gut-wrenching gore are Mick's way to teaching his victims that "you don't get between a man and his meal".

REVIEW LINK: Entertainment One (UK) Region 2 DVD (DVDBeaver)

WOLF CREEK 2 DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English/German Dolby Digital 5.1
• Burnt-in English subtitles for the German language parts
• Making-of Featurette
• Deleted Scenes

Acorn Media investigates THE SUSPICIONS OF MR. WHICHER (review)

Paddy Considine stars as Jack Whicher, one of London's first real life detectives in four television films inspired by true events.  In THE MURDER AT ROAD HILL HOUSE - based on the infamous true crime - the discovery of a murdered boy in his own home leads to public outcry for swift apprehension of the guilty party.  Whicher is sent from London to the country to lead the case and turns the public against him when his shocking findings direct the investigation away from a stranger to one of the family.  In THE MURDER IN ANGEL LANE, a woman appeals to Whicher - now a private investigator - to find her missing pregnant niece.  In BEYOND THE PALE, Whicher investigates the persecution of a young British family by a sailor from India.  Finally, in THE TIES THAT BIND, Whicher's investigation into a simple divorce case leads to murder, manipulation, and a village's dark secrets.

REVIEW LINK: Acorn Media/RLJ Entertainment (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE SUSPICIONS OF MR. WHICHER DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Four TV films on four discs:
• "The Murder at Road Hill House"
• "The Murder in Angel Lane"
• "Beyond the Pale"
• "The Ties That Bind"
• Behind the Scenes
• Photo Galleries

Scorpion Releasing causes an AVALANCHE (review)

Rock Hudson, Mia Farrow, and Robert Forster face six million tons of icy terror in the Roger Corman-produced Irwin Allen-esque disaster epic AVALANCHE.  A business mogul risks everything to open up a brand new Colorado resort beneath a picturesque mountain where silver miners were killed by an avalanche years before.  Despite warnings from an environmentally-concerned wildlife photographer, the opening festivities proceed and place hundreds of innocents in the path of disaster.

REVIEW LINK: Scorpion Releasing/Kino Lorber (US) Region A Bluray (DVD Drive-in)

AVALANCHE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono
• Interview with producer Roger Corman
• Interview with co-star Robert Forster
• Theatrical Trailer

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Artificial Eye goes CYCLING WITH MOLIÈRE (review)

In this intellectual and delightfully funny French comedy, a TV star wants to do something more respectable and decides to mount one of Moliere's most difficult plays on the stage.  He approaches a reclusive former actor for advice only to find himself vying for the lead in his own play.  A warm friendship develops, but it could all fall apart when a beautiful yet blunt Italian widow comes into their lives.  Fabrice Luchini and Lambert Wilson star.

REVIEW LINK: Artficial Eye (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

CYCLING WITH MOLIÈRE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Burnt-in English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer

More Artificial Eye reviews at Update the Tags: Artificial Eye.

Film Movement presents ILO ILO (review)

Anthony Chen's award-winning feature-length debut tells the story of the growing friendship between a Filipino maid and a troubled Singaporean boy as his working parents face career crises and marital dissatisfaction during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

ILO ILO DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• Mandarin/Tagalog/English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• English Closed Captioning
• Behind the Scenes
• Biographies
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Short Film
• Film Movement Trailers

More Film Movement reviews at Update the Tags: Film Movement.

Image Entertainment bathes in VARSITY BLOOD (review)

The varsity cheerleading squad and football team are in for a bloodbath when they decide to party after the Halloween homecoming game at an abandoned farmhouse when their own mascot starts stalking them with a tomahawk and a bow and arrow.  Could the reason be the accidental death of one of their own the year before?  There are plenty of suspects but even more sexy victims in VARSITY BLOOD.

REVIEW LINK: Artificial Eye (UK) Region 2. PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

VARSITY BLOOD DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0
• Start-up Trailers 

BFI and BBC witness THE CHANGES (review)

In this landmark piece of British children's television base don the trilogy of novels by Peter Dickinson, people inexplicably start destroying modern technology and reverting to earlier ways of living, but with this simpler existence comes amplified racism, sexism, and superstition.  A young schoolgirl separated from her parents makes a trip across the country running into friends and foes and risks being branded a witch as she tries to discover the reason for THE CHANGES.

REVIEW LINK: British Film Institute (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE CHANGES DVD specs:

• 4:3 anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Ten Episodes on Two Discs
• "At Home in Britain" Vintage Featurette
• Essay Booklet

Vinegar Syndrome presents CRY FOR CINDY/TOUCH ME/ACT OF CONFESSION

In Vinegar Syndrome's first PEEKARAMA 3 UNIT! SHOW, they present more of the works of Anthony Spinelli.  In CRY FOR CINDY, hairdresser Ann (Hustler Honey Amber Hunt) starts turning tricks to help pay for her boyfriend's medical school tuition and then gets lost in a whirlpool of wealthy clients, kinks, and pimps that has only one way out.  In TOUCH ME, Dr. Lloyd Davis conducts an encounter group to help a group of sexy strangers face their sexual hangups head on.  Rene Bond, Sandy Dempsey, Ric Lutze, Suzanne Fields, Richard Smedley, and George "Buck" Flower star.  Finally in the long lost AN ACT OF CONFESSION - sadly available only in its softcore cut - Sister Beatrice thinks becoming a Bride of Christ will solve her sensual yearnings for men and women alike but it only exacerbates her wild fantasies.  Her confessions tempt others and it may take the lord himself to satisfy her.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

CRY FOR CINDY/TOUCH ME/ACT OF CONFESSION DVD specs:

• Two Disc Set
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen presentations of CRY FOR CINDY and TOUCH ME (from 2K scans of 35mm archival prints)
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen presentation of ACT OF CONFESSION (softcore version - from a 2K scan of the only surviving print)
• Bonus presentation of the softcore version of CRY FOR CINDY
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Canteen Outlaws is looking for LOVE OR WHATEVER (review)

In the romantic screwball comedy LOVE OR WHATEVER, psychiatrist Corey is horrified to discover that his longtime boyfriend has dumped him for one of his own female patients.  After a series of disastrous blind dates, his sister gets him onto the social network where he discovers that the pizza guy he has been drooling over is looking for "love, friendship, or whatever" and Corey soon finds that he has no idea which of those the man of his dreams actually wants from him; but can he risk embarrassment or rejection to find out?

REVIEW LINK: Canteen Outlaws (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare/The Rewind Forums)

LOVE OR WHATEVER DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Trailer
• Previews

Synapse Films goes to PROM NIGHT (review)

Death turns the high school prom into a bloodbath in the slasher cult classic PROM NIGHT.  The past comes back to haunt the class of 1980 on the day of the prom and the student body starts disappearing from the disco dance floor one by one.  Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen star.

REVIEW LINK: Synapse Films (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

PROM NIGHT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Paul Lynch and writer William Gray
• "The Horrors of Hamilton High" retrospective documentary with the cast and crew
• Additional Scenes from the TV Version
• Rare Outtakes
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Radio Spot
• Poster and Stills Gallery

Blue Underground gets a case of STAGE FRIGHT (review)

Michele Soavi's gory and stylish Italian slasher pic STAGEFRIGHT gets the high definition treatment from Blue Underground.  A dysfunctional troupe of actors rehearsing a musical about a murderer in an owl mask.  Little do they realize that actual insane killer actor Irving Wallace has joined the production and plans to hack and slash his way through the cast and crew when they are locked in the theater on a dark and stormy night.  David Brandon, Barbara Cupisti, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Robert Gligorov, Mickey Knox, and Mary Sellers star.

REVIEW LINK: Blue Underground (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

STAGEFRIGHT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles
• Interview with director Michele Soavi
• Interview with actor David Brandon
• Interview with actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice
• Interview with make-up effects artist Pietro Tenoglio
• Interview with composer Simon Boswell
• Theatrical Trailer
• Poster and Stills Gallery

Jinga Films watches on CLOSED CIRCUIT EXTREME (review)

In this Italian slice of found footage horror, two students suspect a handyman in the mysterious disappearance of their best friend.  When the police do not listen to them, they break into the man's house and plant five closed circuit cameras to find incriminating evidence.  What they do find is more gruesome than they could have imagined.

REVIEW LINK: Jinga Films (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Compare)

CLOSE CIRCUIT EXTREME DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Trailer

Vinegar Syndrome presents MAI LIN VS SERENA/ORIENTAL HAWAII (review)

In this double bill from Carlos Tobalina, superstars Mai Lin and Serena enter into a ballin' bet to see who is the hottest for a $25,000 movie roll in MAI LIN VS SERENA.  In ORIENTAL HAWAII, Mai Lin and Jade Wong bring some spice into a middle class family when they rent rooms in the household.  John Leslie stars.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

MAI LIN VS SERENA/ORIENTAL HAWAII DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen transfers of both films from 2K scans of the original 35mm camera negatives 
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono tracks
• Theatrical Trailers

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Vinegar Syndrome frees the PRISONER OF PARADISE (review)

When WWII sailor John Holmes washes up on a desert island, he discovers a Nazi camp and captured American females.  When his plan to rescue them fails, he becomes te PRISONER OF PARADISE and his third leg may be his only weapon to help him and the captives achieve freedom.  Directed by Bob Chinn and also starring Seka and Jade Wong.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

PRISONER OF PARADISE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Theatrical Trailer
• Caribbean Films Promo Reel

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Second Run tells A JESTER'S TALE (review)

In this fanciful account of the Thirty Years War from Czech auteur Karl Zeman merges live action and animation as we follow the adventures of ploughman Petr, conman Matej, and beautiful Lenka as they try to elude both sides of the battle, their fates being subject to the whims of the God of War.

REVIEW LINK: Second Run DVD (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

A JESTER'S TALE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• Czech Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (restored)
• Optional English subtitles
• Liner Notes Booklet by Ian Haydn Smith

More Second Run DVD reviews at Update the Tags: Second Run DVD.

Cult Epics's TINTO BRASS: MAESTRO OF EROTIC CINEMA (review)

From Italy's premiere ass aesthete Tinto Brass and Cult Epics come a five disc (four Blu-rays, one DVD) collection of four of his recent skin flicks.  In CHEEKY!, a Venetian blonde in London tangles with lesbians, swingers, and flashers while trying to remain true to her boyfriend.  BLACK ANGEL is Brass' fleshy but mainstream adaptation of the novella "Senso" (previously made by Luchino Visconti) updated to World War II Venice starring Anna Galiena and Gabriel Garko as a Venetian housewife and a Nazi officer.  PRIVATE is an anthology of erotic sketches about couples giving into temptations and fetishes of various kinds.  In MONAMOUR, the fire has gone out of the new marriage of Venetian Marta and her Milanese publisher husband.  When she meets a handsome French artist, she discovers that jealousy is the strongest aphrodisiac.  The set also includes a ninety-minute interview with Tinto Brass on a bonus DVD and a booklet.

REVIEW LINK: Cult Epics (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

TINTO BRASS: MAESTRO OF EROTIC CINEMA Blu-ray specs:

• Blu-rays:
• Cheeky! (Tra[sgre]dire):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• Italian and English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Making-of featurette
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Black Angel (Senso '45):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Making-of featurette
• Promo Video
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone (43 minutes)
• Private (Fallo):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• Italian and English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Making-of featurette
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Monamour: 
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo and English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Making-of
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus DVD:
• "Tinto Brass: Maestro of Erotic Cinema" documentary (93 minutes)
• 40-page liner notes booklet

Strand Releasing seeks REFUGE (review)

Krysten Ritter and Brian Geraghty star in this drama based on the stage play by director Jessica Goldberg.  Amy had to give up her dreams of college and career when her parents abandoned her and her brain-damaged brother and moody teenage sister.  When an aimless drifter comes into their lives and moves into their household, Amy falls in love with him but she may not be ready to give up on her dreams of another life.

REVIEW LINK: Strand Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

REFUGE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Strand Releasing Trailers 

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

Strand Releasing ponders THE EMPTY HOURS (review)

Seventeen year old Sebastian is charged with looking after his uncle's seaside motel while the older man is in the hospital.  He soon finds a way to pass the time with Miranda, a career woman who meets her married lover at the hotel.  When her lover becomes increasingly late and starts breaking their dates, Miranda and Sebastian enter into an awkward, teasing, and playful relationship.

REVIEW LINK: Strand Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE EMPTY HOURS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English Subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Strand Releasing Trailers

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

88 Films attends the BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS (review)

In Ted V. Mikels' BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS, Mara is the head of a coven of man-sacrificing witches who kill for profit.  Starring Leslie McRae (GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS), Tom Pace (THE ASTRO ZOMBIES), Sherri Vernon (THE DOLL SQUAD), Annik Borel (WEREWOLF WOMAN), and William Baghdad (MISSION: KILLFAST).  Music by Carl Zittrer (CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS).

REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by director Ted V. Mikels
• Theatrical Trailer
• Viewing Notes by Calum Waddel
• 88 Films Trailers

More 88 Films and Full Moon reviews at Update the Tags: 88 Films.

BFI presents BBC's THE BOY FROM SPACE (review)

In this memorable "Look and Read" series aimed at increasing children's reading comprehension and encouraging them to pick up books, two siblings track what they believe to be a meteor only to discover an alien boy who is being pursued by a sinister "thin man" who may also be an alien.  The original 1971 serial was shot on color film but broadcast in black and white with video segments featuring host Wordy providing grammar lessons and reviewing the details of the story.  This footage was wiped by the BBC but the film materials remained, so new color video segments with Wordy and his companion Cosmo were created in 1980 around the original serial.  This is the version presented on BFI's 2-disc set.

REVIEW LINK: British Film Institute (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE BOY FROM SPACE DVD specs:

• Disc One:
• All ten episodes of the 1980 "Look and Read" serial
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Disc Two:
• Feature version of the 1971 film serial
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• BBC Records LP Audio Version
• Newly-edited film version utilizing audio from the LP and video from the serial
• "Wordy's Think-Ups" Musical Segments from the "Look and Read" Serial
• DVD-ROM: the 1971 and 1979 booklets of the story (45 pages each in PDF)
• Essay Booklet

Scorpion Releasing steals GREEN ICE (review)

Ryan O'Neal, Anne Archer, and Omar Sharif star in this British-produced eighties action flick.  An electrical engineer and an heiress go to Colombia in search of her sister who mysteriously disappeared in the mountains.  They get tangled up with bandits, the local emerald concession, and a daring high tech heist.

REVIEW LINK: Scorpion Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

GREEN ICE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Isolated Music and Effects Track
• Scorpion Releasing Trailers

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

Vinegar Syndrome gets fitted for GRADUATION DAY (Review)

"The Class of '81 is getting fitted for caps and gowns... and coffins!" in Herb Freed's memorable eighties slasher.  Just before graduation, the members of the varsity track team start dying in grisly manners.  Is it related to the accidental death of the team's star four months earlier, or is someone on the faculty just sick of the obnoxious seniors?  Christopher George, Michael Pataki, and Vanna White star.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

GRADUATION DAY Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by producer David Baughn
• Audio Commentary by The Hysteria Continues
• Interview with star Patch Mackenzie
• Interview with director Herb Freed
• Interview with producer David Baughn
• Interview with editor Martin Jay Sandoff
• Theatrical Trailer

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.