Sundance Selects schools SLOW LEARNERS (review)

THE MINDY PROJECT's Adam Pally and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER's Sarah Burns star in this quirky, sweet, and raunchy comedy as a high school guidance counselor and librarian who decide to make a change in their love lives.  Making themselves over as bad boy and crazy girl, they become popular with the opposite sexes but altogether unrecognizable to their family and friends who believe that the two of them are perfect for each other.  VEEP's Reid Scott, SNL's Bobby Moynihan, THE OFFICE's Kate Flannery also star.

REVIEW LINK: Sundance Selects/MPI Media Group (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

SLOW LEARNERS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer

Gorgon Video reveals the EVILS OF THE NIGHT (review)

It's summer vacation and necking couples in a quiet college town are disappearing from the local lake, but the killer is not a sex maniac but a group of alien vampires who need teenage blood to survive.  John Carradine, Neville Brand, Aldo Ray, Tina Louise, and Julie Newmar star in this eighties body count pic from EATEN ALIVE producer Mardi Rustam.

REVIEW LINK: Gorgon Video/MPI Media Group (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

EVILS OF THE NIGHT DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Alternate full TV version
• Outtakes
• Trailer

Gorgon Video welcomes THE ROOMMATES and A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN (review)

Gorgon Video resurrects these two Arthur Marks productions, seldom-seen since their theatrical release.  In THE ROOMMATES a quartet of college gals and one of their virginal cousins head to Lake Arrowhead for the summer and encounter sun, sex, and murder.  Marki Bey (SUGAR HILL), Roberta Collins (THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA), Pat Woodell (PETTICOAT JUNCTION), and Laurie Rose (THE WORKING GIRLS) star.  In A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN, hard-ass construction millionaire Walter brings home a stripper wife from Las Vegas, much to the frustration of his grown children who think they will be out of the will unless they can do something about daddy's will and his scheming new wife.  Keenan Wynn (BLACK MOON RISING), Judy Brown (THE BIG DOLL HOUSE), Andy Robinson (DIRTY HARRY, HELLRAISER), Peter Hooten (BO DEREK'S FANTASIES), Alex Rocco (BLOOD MANIA), and Don Porter (GIDGET) star.

REVIEW LINK: Gorgon Video/MPI Home Video (US) Region A Blu-ray/Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

THE ROOMMATES/A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 mono
• DVD: 
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary on THE ROOMMATES by director Arthur Marks, moderated by Elijah Drenner
• Interview with Arthur Marks and THE ROOMMATES' Roberta Collins
• Interview with Arthur Marks and A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN's Judy Brown
• Theatrical Trailer and TV spots for A WOMAN FOR ALL MEN

Gorgon Video lounges at the DEATH SPA (review)

"You'll sweat blood" when you visit the DEATH SPA, one of Gorgon Video's most popular titles from the video era finally making it's digital debut with a Blu-ray/DVD combo edition.  The clientele of the Starbody Health Spa start dropping like flies when the automated computer systems turn on their users.  Is someone trying to sabotage the business or is there a literal "ghost in the machine"?  Shari Shattuck (IMMORTAL SINS), Brenda Baake (AMERICAN GOTHIC), Chelsea Field (DUST DEVIL), SAINTS AND SINNERS' Hank Cheyne, Tane McClure (FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS), and FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR's Karyn Parsons star.  Also known as WITCH BITCH!

REVIEW LINK: Gorgon Video/MPI (US) Region A Blu-ray/Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

DEATH SPA Blu-ray/DVD combo:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Audio Commentary by director Michael Fischa, producer Jamie Beardsley, and editor Michael Kewley
• "An Exercise in Terror" making-of featurette with brand new cast and crew interviews
• Theatrical Trailer
• Video Trailer

FilmBuff and MPI plot A NECESSARY DEATH (review)

From director Daniel Stamm (THE LAST EXORCISM) comes the DVD debut of his earlier faux-documentary feature A NECESSARY DEATH.  Gilbert, a young L.A. Film Conservatory decides to do his thesis project on suicide and searches for an interview subject who is ready to actually commit the deed on camera.  He finds the perfect candidate in Matt, a young British immigrant who has an incurable brain tumor.  Despite misgivings of his crew (as well as the filmmaker documenting the making of his controversial documentary) and the potential legal trouble, Gilbert presses on.  As Gilbert and his crew get to know Matt (and vice versa) neither side is sure that they can go through with the their side of the project; but ambition, financial troubles, jealousy, and manipulation may lead to a more deadly finish than any of them had anticipated.  Several years in the making, A NECESSARY DEATH intelligently uses the faux-documentary genre conventions while nicely balances drama, black comedy, and suspense.

REVIEW LINK: FilmBuff/MPI Media Group (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

A NECESSARY DEATH DVD specs:

• Original 1.33:1 Fullscreen Aspect Ratio (inside 16:9 frame)
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Audio Commentary by director Daniel Stamm
• Audio Commentary by actor/producer G.J. Echternkamp and actors Valerie Hurt and Matt Tilley
• 35 minutes of deleted scenes
• Alternate Ending
• Two Trailers for the film

RICKY sprouts wings courtesy of François Ozon and Artificial Eye (review)

In François Ozon's latest pic, a single-mother working in a depressing factory hooks up with a Spanish co-worker and they conceive a very unusual child.  Alexandra Lemy and Sergi Lopez star.

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

RICKY Artificial Eye DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Photos en Famille" unsubtitled short
• Theatrical Trailer

RICKY IFC/MPI DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English SDH, English, and Spanish subtitles
• Trailer