THE EPITAPH VOL. 65
ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN 1 & 2 (2007-2009) 4-Disc Ultimate Edition Blu-ray - THE COVENANT (2023)
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital - THE MAN FROM TORONTO (2023)
Blu-ray + Digital - CRACKED (2023) DVD
ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN 1 & 2 (2007-2009) 4-Disc Ultimate Edition Blu-ray
HALLOWEEN (2007)
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R 18+
Duration: 121 Minutes (Unrated), 110 Minutes (Theatrical)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Rob Zombie
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie, Tyler Mane, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, William Forsythe
HALLOWEEN (2009)
Label: Via Vision Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R 18+
Duration: 119 Minutes (Unrated), 104 Minutes (Theatrical)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Rob Zombie
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, Scout Taylor-Compton
Special Features:
Disc 1: Halloween: Unrated Cut (121 min) HD + Extras
- Unrated Director’s Cut Feature-Length Commentary by Writer-Director Rob Zombie
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary (22:19)
- Alternate Ending with Optional Commentary (3:45)
- Bloopers (10:18)
- The Many Masks of Michael Myers (6:26)
- Reimagining Halloween (19:11)
- Meet The Cast (18:26)
- Casting Sessions (29:52)
- Scout Taylor-Compton Screen Test (7:47)
- Theatrical Trailer
Disc 2:
- Michael Lives: The Making of Halloween (4:20:00)
- A Conversation with Rob Zombie (8:43)
Disc 3: Halloween II: Unrated Cut (119 min) + Extras
- Audio Commentary featuring Rob Zombie
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes (HD 25:14)
- Blooper Reel (HD 4:16)
- Audition Footage (SD 9:37)
- Makeup Test Footage (SD 3:35)
- Uncle Seymour Coffins’ Stand-up Routines (HD 8:40)
- Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures Music Videos (HD 19:11)
- Previews
Disc 4:
Halloween (2007) – Theatrical Cut (110 min) HD
Halloween II (2009) – Theatrical Cut (105 min) HD
Rob Zombie's Halloween flicks were mighty divisive in their moment, and while I thought the design of Myers mask was one of the best in the series after Carpenter's original, and that the kills were pretty vicious I found his entries pretty grating, especially the white-trashification od the series, that first half-hour in the first film was quite grating, the characters were all so loathsome, and I hated all the lets get to know why Mike Myers is so fucked up, and all the stuff set inside the asylum, just awful. Things picked-up for me when Myers escapes the asylum and the murder-spree kicks off proper though. The violence is glorious, I love the gritty look of the film, and the soundtrack is bonkers good, but for me it's really only about a 1/3 of good film. I think even less of the sequel, though again I thought he kills were great at least, but the white-trashification, ugh.. Here we have a 4-disc region-free set from Via Vision Entertainment with both the Theatrical and Unrated cuts of the film, and watching these again for the first time in a while I re-affirmed that I still "prefer" the theatrical versions. It's great to have both cuts here in one set, the Scream Factory Halloween box set only featured the unrated cuts and it's been getting harder to track the theatrical cuts down in HD. Via Vision carry-over all the previously released extras (nothing new) from what I can tell, including the massive four hour plus making of doc for the first film which is truly a pretty great doc all on it's own. This 4-disc set arrives in an oversized keepcase with flipper trays housing the discs, which is housed inside a side-loading slipcase. The case advertises this is being region B locked but I can confirm that it is region-free and plays fine on region A player. If you're looking to get both cuts of both film with a comprehensive set of archival extras this release is the way to go.
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital
Label: WBHE
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 103 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, True HD 7.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Directed: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Antony Starr, Alexander Ludwig, Bobby Schofield, Emily Beecham and Jonny Lee Miller
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) focuses on U.S. Army Sergeant John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Salim), whom is recruited after the squad's original interpreter is killed. Ahmed comes highly recommended with the caveat that he can sometimes be difficult, but he proves himself to be quite a skilled fighter and someone with exceptional instincts. After an ambush wherein everyone in the squad is KIA aside from Kinley, who is gravely wounded, the resourceful Ahmed goes above and beyond to save Kinley’s life, transporting him across hostile territories at great personal risk. That's the first half of the film, the second half deals with Kinley who has been transported stateside while recovering, only to learn that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, and his conscious won't allow him to stand by and see the injustice, to that end he travels back to the Afghanistan to attempt to retrieve Ahmed before the Taliban hunts him and his family down, as he is now one of the most wanted men in all of Afghanistan. This is a pretty terrific military thriller, at two hours longs it plugs away, I was never bored, the action is terrific, the drama and tension are palpable, and it's handsomely shot. It's not usurping Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan or Jarhead as top-dog in my military actioner collection but it's a very solid flick. The Blu-ray is razor-sharp and looks fantastic, plus we get a house-rumbling and full-bodied mix that puts you right in the center of the action. Sadly there are no extras aside from a digital copy of the film.
Special Features:
- Digital Copy
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) focuses on U.S. Army Sergeant John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Salim), whom is recruited after the squad's original interpreter is killed. Ahmed comes highly recommended with the caveat that he can sometimes be difficult, but he proves himself to be quite a skilled fighter and someone with exceptional instincts. After an ambush wherein everyone in the squad is KIA aside from Kinley, who is gravely wounded, the resourceful Ahmed goes above and beyond to save Kinley’s life, transporting him across hostile territories at great personal risk. That's the first half of the film, the second half deals with Kinley who has been transported stateside while recovering, only to learn that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, and his conscious won't allow him to stand by and see the injustice, to that end he travels back to the Afghanistan to attempt to retrieve Ahmed before the Taliban hunts him and his family down, as he is now one of the most wanted men in all of Afghanistan. This is a pretty terrific military thriller, at two hours longs it plugs away, I was never bored, the action is terrific, the drama and tension are palpable, and it's handsomely shot. It's not usurping Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan or Jarhead as top-dog in my military actioner collection but it's a very solid flick. The Blu-ray is razor-sharp and looks fantastic, plus we get a house-rumbling and full-bodied mix that puts you right in the center of the action. Sadly there are no extras aside from a digital copy of the film.
Special Features:
- Digital Copy
- Slipcover
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THE MAN FROM TORONTO (2023)
Label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Region Code: A, C
Rating: PG-13
Duration:
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen
Director: Patrick Hughes
Cast: Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Ellen Barkin
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Blu-ray + Digital
Region Code: A, C
Rating: PG-13
Duration:
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen
Director: Patrick Hughes
Cast: Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Ellen Barkin
Kevin Hart is gonna Kevin Hart, there are no shades of Kevin Hart, there's just Kevin Hart, so know that going into this. Honestly I've always like his stand-up, but his films are not my cup of tea for the most part, so I was pleasantly surprised by this comedy actioner team-up with Woody Harrelson, I dug it. Hart plays Teddy Jackson, a down on hi luck wanna-be entrepreneur who goes on a vacation with his wife, but ends up at the wrong Airbnb because his hand writing is atrocious. He walks into a weird torture scenario and is mistaken for a assassin known as “the man from Toronto.” After managing to escape the ordeal unscathed he is picked-up by the FBI but is cleared of any wrong-doing, it's pretty obvious this guy is no assassin, but they choose to recruit him, dangling him as bait in an attempt to lure out the real Man from Toronto. It doesn't take long for the real assassin (Woody Harrelson, basically riffing on his hard-nosed Tallahassee character from Zombieland) to arrive, and he and Hart reluctantly team-up to evade not just the FBIO but a bevy of hired killers, all different "Men from..." types who are looking to make a name for themselves by taking out the Man from Toronto. This was a surprisingly fun action-comedy with loads of action and the repartee between Hart and Harrelson had me laughing quite a bit. We only get a Blu-ray for it, but it looks and sounds solid, too bad we do not get a 4K UHD, but it is still streaming on Netflix in 4K if you want to go that route. The only extras are a selection of deleted scenes, plus we get a digital copy of the film.
Special Features:
- Deleted Scenes
- Deleted Scenes
- Slipcover
- Digital Copy
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CRACKED (2023)
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DVD
Label: Film Movement
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 93 Minutes
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.39:1)
Audio: Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital & 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.39:1)
Audio: Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital & 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Surapong Ploensang
Cast: Chayanit Chansangavej, Nichkhun
A creepy Thai horror entry wherein Ruja (Chayanit Chansangavej) returns to Thailand from the U.S. with her young daughter Rachel to settle her late father's estate. Included in her inheritance are two mysterious portraits of a bewitching woman that she is told are worth a fortune, if only they weren't damaged. Ruja needs the money to pay for an eye-surgery for her daughter who's sight is quickly failing her, and desperate to sell the paintings she hires art restorer Tim (Nichkhun) to repair and prepare the canvases for sale. The restoration reveals not only cracks in the painting but sinister long-held family secrets that threaten to destroy Ruja and her young child, with some eerie supernatural happenings. I found this to be a solid enough Thai ghost story for a one and done, it's not bad, it just didn't sink it's teeth into me the way I wished it would have. There are some pretty twisted moments towards involving her sadistic father and the woman who modeled for the painting, the FX are solid and the cast is excellent, but it's not something I think I would ever need to revisit. The DVD is barebones and contains no extras.
Special Features:
- None
Blu-ray
Label: Well Go USA
Region Code: A
Rating:
Duration: 82 Minutes
Audio: Filipino DTS HDMA 5.1, 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.25:1)
Director: Joey De Guzman
Cast: Brandon Vera, Pepe Herrera, MJ Lastimosa, Joey Marquez, Ricci Rivero
In the Filipino zombie flick Day Zero (2022) a former U.S. Special Forces soldier named Emon (Brandon Vera) has been imprisoned for the past eight years, he's up for parole but an altercation with another prisoner fucks that opportunity up. Nonetheless, a plague of fast-moving undead are sweeping through the surrounding city and bleeds into the prison population, in the ensuing chaos the prisoners are freed, with Emon desperate to navigate his way through the city to reunite and save his estranged wife Sheryl (Mary Jean Lastimosa) and young daughter Jane (Freya Fury Montierro). Entertaining enough, but a fairly by-the-numbers entry that doesn't do anything new under the sun, but it;s a solid if predictable watch offering plenty of action and gore, cool zombie effects, alongside some tender family-man moments that give it a modicum of emotional weight. Vera is a former MMA fighter, so expect the prerequisite bad-assery on his part, I just wish this zombie flick offered more to chew on and attempted to do something a little different. The Well Go USA Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but only offers a trailer as an extra.
Special Features:
- Trailer
- Slipcover