THE STRANGERS (2008) (Second Sight Films Blu-ray Review)

THE STRANGERS (2008) 

Standard Edition Blu-ray 

Label: Second Sight Films

Region Code: B

Rating: Cert. 15

Duration:  85 Minutes 10 Seconds (Theatrical), 87 Minutes34 Se conds (Extended Cut)

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Director: Brian Bertino

Cast: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis,  Gemma Ward, Glenn Howerton

Spooky home invasion thriller The Strangers (2008) opens with young couple James (Scott Speedman, Crimes of the Future) and Kristen (Liv Tyler, Lord of the Rings) driving out to secluded summer home that belongs to the family of James. Earlier they'd been at a wedding reception for a friend where he proposed to Kristen, who turned him down, causing the drive to be an uncomfortably quiet one. Once at the cabin there's still a palpable tension between them, but that quietness is disturbed by an eerie knock at the door at 4 a.m.. Outside the cabin a young blonde woman says she is looking for someone named Tamara. They tell her she has the wrong house and she leaves, but not before saying that she will see them later, and she's not lying about that.

James leaves to go by some smokes and Kristen is left alone, she lights up the fireplace but the place begins to fill with smoke setting off the smoke detector. She manages to knock the squealing smoke detector off the ceiling, but then there's another knock at the door - this time it's someone wearing a creepy pin-up doll mask. Frightened and alone she closes the door and locks it, but then realizes that certain things have been moved around inside the house while she was at the door - the smoke detector she left on the floor has been moved to a chair and her cell phone she left charging has altogether disappeared. Frantic and unnerved she is out-of-her-mind with fright by the time James returns, and while he doesn't seem to believe her at first he eventually comes around when he realizes there are three masked strangers prowling around outside, we have  Dollface (Gemma Ward), Man in the Mask (Kip Weeks) and Pin-up girl (Laura Margolis), three very quiet and creepy strangers who fully intend on harming the young couple for reasons unknown, surrounding the home and taunting the couple, it's a nerve-shredding situation that is well exploited by the film. 

This slice of home invasion is so very thick with dread and atmosphere, the rural and isolated setting is perfect, the lighting is creepy, looking at times like it's lit by only candles, and the three motiveless masked-killers lurking around are absolutely terrifying. The burlap sack masked killer was the most terrifying to me, bringing to mind Jason from Friday the 13th Part 2 and more than a bit of the Scarecrow from Batman's rogues gallery. The violence in this one is not too shabby either, we get an unfortunate shotgun blast to the face and some vicious stabbings, but it's not a gore film either, this is a deep-tension film. What works for it is the unsettling creepiness of the masked characters, the hopeless situation the faltering lovers find themselves in, but working against it are some bad decisions made by our protagonists in the face of mortal danger. At one point they find a gun and some ammo, it's seems a great opportunity for survival but they don't handle the situation with a great deal of thought in my opinion, they really fuck it up actually. Then again, these are supposed to be average people, not tactical strategists, so maybe that's the more realistic approach, but it irked me just the same. There's a nice homage to a slasher classic when the Man in a Mask emerges from a shadowy hallway behind Kristen, she doesn't even notice him, but the way he emerges and disappears reminded me of a similar scene from John Carpenter's Halloween, it's a scene that still gives me the goosebumps. 

This is a film I dragged my non-horror loving wife to back when it hit the theaters originally, she was digging her nails into my arm the whole time, and was actually pretty stressed out by the ordeal and the unhappy ending of it all. The movie is a serious downer, and I think that settled on me even more this time around, it's a real gut-punch of a home invasion flick, though that seems to be par for the course with the home invasion movies, it does not usually end well for the good guys. The movie is well shot and stylish, with a great score and sound design that amps up the tension and melancholy of the movie. 

Audio/Video: The Strangers (2008) arrives on region B-locked Blu-ray from Second Sight Films, offering both the theatrical and unrated versions, there is no information on the standard release version about this being a new scan, so for now I would assume that these are the same HD masters used by licensor Universal for their U.S. Blu-ray. I thought the image looked great, this is a very dark film, and thankfully the black levels are up to the challenge, and colors while a bit muted by design look accurate. Audio includes the option of English DTS-HD MA Surround 5.1, the sound design for this one is very nicely designed with some wonderful use of the surrounds and creepy atmospherics that does good work pulling you into this home invasion thriller, optional English subtitles are provided. The U.S. Blu-ray from Scream Factory also included a stereo track, which is not found on this Second Sight release. 

Second Sight give is a terrific set of extras, we get new-ish interviews by way of the 57-min Because You Were Home: Interview with Director Bryan Bertino; 43-min Cutting Moments: Interview with Editor Kevin Greutert; the 17-min The Fighter: Interview with Actor Liv Tyler; 20-min The Pin-Up Girl: Interview with Actor Laura Margolis (Pin-Up Girl). The new interviews are very good, we get plenty of talk about the making of the film, disagreements with the studio, the deleted scenes and why the identity of the strangers are not revealed, as well as some comment on the sequel for the film. It was also great to hear Liv Tyler talk about her early love of horror films, mentioning how she watched stuff like The Hand (1981), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Cronenberg's The Fly (1986) with her mom when she was young and how that affected her. 

Archival stuff comes by way of the 9-min The Element of Terror: Interviews with Cast and Crew; the 10-min Strangers at the Door: Interviews with Director Bryan Bertino and cast; 5-min Deleted Scenes and the 27-second Trailer, all of which were present on the U.S. releases from Scream Factory and Universal. 

For the sake of comparing the extras the U.S. release from Scream Factory also included a different set of interviews with Director Bryan Bertino, Editor Kevin Greutert and Actress  Laura Margolis (Pin Up Girl), but the Second Sight interviews are longer and a bit juicer. Present on the SF disc but missing here are an interview with actor Kip Weeks (Man in the Mask), but Second Sight also have an exclusive new interview with Actor Liv Tyler - so they both have their own exclusives, pluses and minus. 

This is the single-disc standard release version Blu-ray, Second Sight initially released this as a limited edition release with a rigid slipcover and booklet back in 2020. This standard version arrives in an a black Blu-ray keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork. 

Special Features:

- Includes Theatrical Cut and Extended Cut

- Because You Were Home: Interview with Director Bryan Bertino (56:56) 

- Cutting Moments: Interview with Editor Kevin Greutert (43:01) 

- The Fighter: Interview with Actor Liv Tyler (16:50)

- The Pin-Up Girl: Interview with Actor Laura Margolis (19:55) 

- The Element of Terror: Interviews with cast and crew (9:13)

- Strangers at the Door: Interviews with Director Bryan Bertino and cast (9:37)

- Deleted Scenes (4:57)

- Trailer (0:37) 

The Strangers (2008) is a modern home invasion classic with top-notch dread and edge-of-your-seat tension, plus a great secluded location, memorable masked-killers, and a terrific cast. This standard edition release from Second Sight Films is fantastic, featuring the same set of disc extras from the limited edition set, it comes highly recommended, with the caveat that you should know that Scream Factory are released their own 4K UHD on 9/10, this far no 4K UHD has been announced from Second Sight. 

Screenshots from the Second Sight Films Blu-ray: 

Extras: 

CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KILLER (1985) (Unearthed Classics Blu-ray Review)

CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KILLER (1985)

Director's Cut Blu-ray 

Label: Unearthed Classics

Region Code: A 

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 106 Minutes 32 Minutes 

Audio: English PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)

Director: Mark Blair

Cast: Robert Burns, Berkley Garrett, Actor: Dennis Hill, Sidney Brammer

Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985) was shot year as before another, better known serial killer flick modeled after real-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, that being John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), but it has not enjoyed the infamy of that film, and had a delayed release, though it was picked-up by Roger Corman's New World Pictures it sat on the shelf a few years, not getting a home video release until The Silence of the Lambs was a box office success, and then released on VHS with some truly atrocious artwork that made it look like a The Silence of the Lambs knock-off, which is the furthest from truth. 

The film stars Robert Burns, who is better known as the art director on Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), creating the unsettling eeriness of the Sawyer house, also going on to work on Re-Animator and The HIlls Have Eyes as art director, even directing a few films himself, namely Mongrel (1982) and the found-footage entry Scream Test (1988), neither of which I have seen. His acting career was was pretty much limited to small cameos in The Howling, Microwave Massacre and other stuff, but his sole leading role was in this flick, as Daniel Ray Hawkins (Robert Burns), a serial killer clearly based on the controversial serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. At the start of the film  we see Hawkins driving down a rural road an encountering a woman having car troubles. He pulls over and offers to help her out, then offering her a ride to the nearest gas station, however, it becomes apparent that he has ulterior motives when he passes right by the gas station. As she starts to panic and cry she tries to get him to pull over, and eventually he does, which is when she realizes that the car door does not open from the inside. He then slashes her throat. It;s a perfectly chilling opening to the film and sets the tone for what's to come. 

We then find out that this is being told as a flashback to the crime by Hawkins who is now in the custody of The Texas Rangers, being interrogated by Will Gaines (Berkley Garrett, Red Headed Stranger). Initially Hawkins is not responsive to the harsh interrogation techniques, but when Gaines offers him some burgers and a chocolate milkshake he comes around, and soon enough Hawkins is offering grim accounts of his alleged murder-spree, talking about his prostitute mother, his father who killed himself, and his friendships with accomplice Moon Lewton (Dennis Hill, Mongrel), and his own common law marriage to Moon's sister Molly (Sidney Brammer, Red Headed Stranger), who also partakes in the horrific murders.  

As the interrogation continues we are treated to more flashbacks to the murders he allegedly committed while travelling the highways and byways, even detailing a few of the lucky ones who managed to get away. This is not a film that revels in the gore and sleaze of it all, unlike Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer which did wallow in n the filth of it a bit, but the telling of his first kill with Moon as accomplice is probably the most potent we get here, the murder of a woman named Karen Grimes (Eleese Lester, Lone Star) who is need of a A/C repair but instead finds herself another victim. He also tells how after murdering two people at a convenience store the pair started documenting their crimes with a polaroid camera, which show up as evidence during the interrogation of course. 

Another tale includes Hawkins and Molly hitchhiking along the highway when they encounter Dr. Earl Krivics (Ollie Handley), a naive religious man who who hires Daniel and Molly to help run his electronics repair shop, offering them lodging in a guest house, and eventually Moon shows up, unknowingly putting Krivics, his teen daughter Monica (Dee Dee Norton), and secretary Doris (Demp Toney) in imminent danger. 

Henry Lee Lucas was a notoriously untrustworthy sort, the Texas Rangers themselves fell who interviewed him themselves were have said to plied his ego to get the confessions, at one point he claimed to have killed over 600 people, and many of his confessions were later proved to be patently false, but make no mistake, he was a killer, and this film does good work detailing some of those heinous exploits, it does feel filthy and grimy as we wallow in his and his murder-pals kill sprees, but it does not strike the same tone as Naughton's film, but is still a dour watch. Hawkins as played by Burns is more of a charmer with a Southern tinge, he is disarmingly soft spoken and not without a certain charm, as where Rooker in Henry is a terrifying force of nature, here Burns is sort of affable and disarming, until he's not, and then you're fucked.

I found this to be a fascinating watch, it's an interesting take on the material, and while I do think that Henry - Portrait of a Serial killer is the superior film this alternate accounting of the truly chilling murders are well-executed. Burns was not a career actor, but he does fine work here as Hawkins, that was probably the biggest takeaway for me me, was how solid Burns was in the role, he carries the disturbing film quite well, his deadpan delivery adding a creepy element to the horrific actions, talking about cold-blooded murder like he was describing a salad he had eaten at some point. I also liked how the film plays into the angle of how the Texas Rangers played nice with the killer and sort fo fed him information about unsolved murders he had nothing to do with to perhaps help clear up their cold case files, the very end of the film feeds into that with Hawkins asking if he could get another chocolate milkshake. 

Audio/Video: Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985) arrives on Blu-ray from Unearthed Classics in 1080p HD framed in the original 1.33:1 fullscreen aspect ratio. The film was shot on 16mm and the Blu-ray has an authentically grainy appearance with good detail and texture to it. The grimy film looks excellent in HD with solid black levels and contrast. Audio comes by way of English PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with optional English subtitles, the track is clean and well-balanced, dialogue is never a chore to discern and the atmospherics are nicely prioritized.  

We get a great set of extras from Unearthed for this release, staring with a brand new Audio Commentary with director John 'Mark Blair' Dwyer, director of photography Layton Blaylock and actor Sidney Brammer. The credited director Mark Blair is actually John Dwyer, who went onto co-write the screenplay for the Kurt Russell flick Captain Ron (1992). 

There's also the 6-min The Henry Lee Lucas Story by author and TV New Correspond James Moore who talks about interviewing Henry Lee Lucas and how chilling and  remorseless he was, and how he still has nightmares about him to this day. 

My favorite extras is the 100-min "Rondo and Bob" a feature-length documentary about Robert A. Burns and Rondo Hatton (House of Horrors), Hatton was a 1940's Universal actor  best known for the character The Creeper, and Burn considered himself an authority on him. This documentary which contains dramatic reenactments from both Burns and Hatton's lives is quite fascinating. We also get a 3-min Polaroid Gallery; a 1-min Promotional Gallery, and a pair of Trailers. 

The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, with a numbered spine,  featuring the awful New Horizons artwork that makes it look like a cheap Silence of the Lambs knock-off with an actor not connected to the film wearing one those mouth-guard masks  Hannibal Lecter wore in Silence of the Lambs, but literally has nothing to do with this film, which is probably why this one languished in obscurity so long.  We also get a Limited Edition Slipcover (First-Pressing Only) with the same artwork and numbered spine. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentary with director John 'Mark Blair' Dwyer, director of photography Layton Blaylock and actor Sidney Brammer

- The Henry Lee Lucas Story by author and TV New Correspond James Moore (6:12)

- "Rondo and Bob" Feature-Length Documentary Robert A. Burns and Rondo Hatton (01:40:18) 

- Polaroid Gallery (2:53) 

- Promotional Gallery (1:13) 

- Trailer #1 (1:34)

- Trailer #2 (1:45) 

- Limited Edition Slipcover (First-Pressing Only) 

 

THE LINGUINI INCIDENT (1991) (MVD Marquee Collection Blu-ray Review)

THE LINGUINI INCIDENT (1991) 

Director's Cut 

Label: MVD Marquee Collection 

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: R

Duration: 92 Minutes 49 Seconds 

Audio: English PCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Director: Richard Shepard 

Cast: David Bowie, Rosanna Arquette, Buck Henry, Marlee Matlin, Viveca Lindfors, James Avery, Maura Tierney

The early 90's were a fertile time of quirky, independent cinema and The Linguini Incident (1991) is certainly an oddball gem full of whimsy and weirdness. It's a bit of a romantic-comedy, but also a bit of a heist-caper, but then again, it's not real focused on that either, regardless, it's an entertaining watch, and I loved seeing David Bowie and Rosanna Arquette teamed-up as the leads of this way-out bit of weirdness. 

In it Lucy (Rosanna Arquette, Pulp Fiction) is a waitress at "Dali", a very hip underground eatery in New York City. There she meets a new bartender, the charming and mysteriously compulsive liar Monte (David Bowie, The Hunger), a Brit who is desperate to marry so that he can become a citizen, before he gets deported back to England, where apparently some sort of life-ending comeuppance it waiting for him. He sets his sights on Lucy but she's not too keen on him and the marriage-idea, but later when she alone is at her apartment practicing her Houdini-esque nightclub escape act she nearly hangs herself and is stuck in a pair of handcuffs with a noose around her neck. A random phone call from Monte seems the only way to get out of her predicament and the end result is that Monte ends up coming to her apartment to save the day, and also offers him yet another opportunity to propose another proposal for marriage.

Still into convinced by his charms she is more intrigued when she overhears him on the phone talking about knocking over the eatery, so she inserts herself into his heist plans,. Now officially in cahoots they recruit her neighbor gal pal Viv (singer/actor Eszter Balint, Stranger Than Paradise), a designer of self-defense brasiers, to rob the place and solve their mutual financial woes, but the trio are not quite the criminals masterminds that they think they are, and things expectedly do not quite go as planned. Sparks between them eventually do eventually start to fly, turning this into a quirky romantic-caper chock full of chemistry between out three leads, and some terrific turns from Andre Gregory (My Dinner with Andre) and Buck Henry (The Player) as the eateries fussy and malicious owners, and Marlee Matlin (TV's Picket Fences) as a deaf hostess at the eatery with a stunning pretzel hairdo. .

The colors of the film are wonderfully lush and vibrant, the world it creates both inside the restaurant and around this off kilter NYC neighborhood look terrific. Additionally the one-liners are pretty snazzy, I could see this becoming a bit of cult-classic now that we have a fabulous Blu-ray available. Before MVD announced this I will admit that I had never even heard of this one, and what a gem it is, this is an exciting release, it'd apparently been quite hard to come by till now. Just having Bowie and Arquette teamed-up front and center here is worth the price of admission alone, I don't think I've ever seen Bowie in such a humorous role, there's bit of low-key sinister to him as well, but he's so dang charming and funny here. Arquette is a known quantity and she brings a lot to it, I always felt she should have had more lead roles, and she really shines here as the offbeat waitress. 

Audio/Video: The Linguini Incident (1991) makes it;s worldwide Blu-ray debut from the MVD Marquee Collection, also marking the first-time-ever that the director's cut has been available on home video, presented here in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1) which is advertised as being "struck from a brand new 4K transfer from film interpositive". The image looks terrific, depth and clarity are modest, it's authentically grainy, and colors are well-saturated, especially the inside of the restaurant has a ubique green color palette to it that looks terrific in HD. Textures and fine detail is also pleasing, the oddball assortment of fashion styles have nice textures to them, and close-up reveals plenty of stubble, skin pores and wrinkling in the facial features. Audio comes by way of English PCM 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles, dialogue and atmospherics are well prioritized, and the score from Thomas Newman (The Shawshank Redemption) sounds terrific, as does the stray Meat Puppets tracks on the soundtrack!

This release is packed with extras, we start of with a 2-min Introduction by Director Richard Shepard, then onto a brand new Audio Commentary with Director Richard Shepard, actors Rosanna Arquette and Eszter Balint, co-producer Sarah Jackson and co-screenwriter Tamar Brott, moderated by “Cereal at Midnight’s” Heath Holland, plus a second Audio Commentary by Director Richard Shepard.

On top of that we get the 104-min The Making of The Linguini Incident - a feature-length documentary with interviews from co-writer/director Richard Shepard, co-writer Tamar Brott, actors Rosanna Arquette, Eszter Balint Marlee Matlin, Richard von Ernst, producer Sarah Jackson, production designer Marcia Hinds. This is an in-depth and fun exploration of the quirky film, production woes, and working with Bowie. Disc extras are buttoned-up with a 6-min Photo Gallery with Commentary by Richard Shepard; the 98-min Original Theatrical Version of The Linguini Incident in SD; a 2-min 2024 Theatrical Trailer, and the 2-min Original Theatrical Trailer.

The single-disc release arrives in a clear keepcase with a Reversible Wrap, plus a Limited Edition Slipcover and 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with essays from film historian Graham Rinaldi and director Richard Shepard, both the slipcover and wrap of are only available with the first-pressing. 

Special Features: 
- High Definition (1080p) presentation of the director’s cut of the main feature in 1.78:1 (struck from a brand new 4K transfer from film interpositive)
- Introduction by Director Richard Shepard (2:26) 
- Audio Commentary with Director Richard Shepard, actors Rosanna Arquette and Eszter Balint, co-producer Sarah Jackson and co-screenwriter Tamar Brott, moderated by “Cereal at Midnight’s” Heath Holland
- Audio Commentary by Director Richard Shepard
- “The Making of The Linguini Incident” - Full length documentary feat. interviews with Richard Shepard, Tamar Brott, Rosanna Arquette, Eszter Balint Marlee Matlin, Sarah Jackson, Marcia Hinds & Richard von Ernst (1:44:26, HD, w/ optional English subtitles)
- Photo Gallery with Commentary by Richard Shepard (5:55)
- The Linguini Incident – Original Theatrical Version (98:22) SD
- 2024 Theatrical Trailer (1:42) HD
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:18) HD
- MVD Trailers: Mr. Jealousy, A Guide to Reorganizing Your Saints, Highball, Zariville, Art School Confidential 

- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork
- Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)

- 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with essays from film historian Graham Rinaldi and director Richard Shepard (First Pressing Only)

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STRANGER'S KISS (1983) (Fun City Edition Blu-ray Review)

STRANGER'S KISS (1983) 

Label: Fun City Editions 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 94 Minutes 12 Seconds 

Audio: English 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Matthew Chapman

Cast: Peter Coyote, Victoria Tennant, Blaine Novak, Dan Shor, Richard Romanus, Linda Kerridge
 
Directed by Matthew Chapman,the indie noir-ish gem Stranger's Kiss (1983) is a film about the making of a 1950s noir 'Strange and Dangerous', a sort of a fictional account of the making of Stanley Kubrick's second film, Killer's Kiss (1955). The film's first-time director Stanley (Peter Coyote, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) and producer Farris (Dan Shor, Strange Invaders) scrape together money for the production from a known gangster/Hollywood producer Frank (Richard Romanus, the voice of Harry Canyon from animated cult-classic Heavy metal!) whose girlfriend Carol (Victoria Tennant, Inseminoid) is the female lead in the role. Cast opposite her as a boxer is her romantic co-lead, Stevie (Blaine Novak, Up the Creek), who doesn't look the part of a boxer but has plenty of passion. 

The director, looking to get the best performance of his leads, who are supposed to be lovers, attempts to fan the flames of passion between them, meanwhile Stevie need little help falling for the noir blonde bombshell, but the film's financier, who again is the actresses boyfriend, and an abusive one at that, is starting to get steamed by the obvious chemistry between the leads. I love me a film-with-in-a-film and this one is quite fascinating, a wonderful recreation of 1950s Hollywood, lots of pulpy melodrama, Hollywood shenanigans and noir-leaning romance. I also quite dug how when they are shooting a scene the film goes from color to black and white, and it's got a wonderful jazzy sax-centric a score that s quite intoxicating. 

I was quite enamored with this homage to noir and the early film of Kubrick, and stands on its own as a quirky movie about the making of movies, and how fraught that process is. My favorite scenes are Peter Coyote and Shor as the first-time director/producer navigating the world of independent filmmaking, being manipulative towards the actors and demanding, but also having to appease the increasingly jealous producer, and in the end, selling the finished film to a studio, all of which was quite fascinating. 

The film has long been out of circulation on home video, so I appreciate Fun City Editions for unearthing it and giving it such a wonderful HD release, loaded with extras and attractive packaging options. If you order director from Fun City Editions you can choose between two variant slipcovers, and DiabolikDVD also carries one of the variant covers, both are limited tot he first-pressing.   

Audio/Video: Stranger's Kiss (19883) makes it;s worldwide Blu-ray debut on region-free disc from Fun City Editions presented  in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen (1.85:1) derived from a 4K from its original 35mm internegative. The image looks great, there's very minor blemish by way of speckling and whatnot but overall this is impressive, Colors and skin tones look accurate and natural, and the period costuming and set decoration reveals plenty of fine detail and texture in the close-ups, facial detail also impress. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles. The track has some minor sibilance in spots but nothing that I found ruinous by any means, for the most part dialogue and atmospherics are  well-balanced, and the saxophone heavy score by Gato Barbieri (Last Tango in Paris) sounds great. 

FCE go all out with the extras for this one, which is quite storied, we get the 25-min Comradeship and Love - Video Interview with Matthew Chapman; the 24-min It Felt Like Magical - Video Interview with Victoria Tennant; the 24-min An Enemy of Cliche - Video Interview with Co-Writer/Actor Blaine Novak which is utterly fascinating, his career trajectory is really quite interesting as is the backstory to this production of this film, and his connections to the doomed Bogdanovich film They All Laughed. Additionally there's the 33-min Distributor To Producer - Video Interview with Doug Dilg. All of the interviews are terrific, lots of talk about Bogdanovich and the Dorothy Stratton murder that doomed They All Laughed, the production of this film, it;s promotion, and plenty of interesting name-dropping. Disc extras are buttoned-up with the 10-min Stanley Film - Video Essay by Chris O'Neill; a 3-min Theatrical Trailer, 2-min Image Gallery, and an Audio commentary by Walter Chaw. 

The single-disc release arrives in a clear Viva Elite keepcase with a Reversible Wap with legacy artwork, plus a Limited Edition Slipcover with retro-style front and back artwork sourced from the rare French VHS tape that is embossed and spot-glossed, which is available on the First Pressing Only. Inside there's a 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with essay by Peter Tonguette, also First Pressing Only,, featuring new writing on the film by way of 'Stranger's Kiss: A Dangerous Beauty' by Peter Tonguette, cast and crew information, and a vintage article about the film from the L.A. Time from 1984. 

Special Features: 
- Comradeship and Love - Video Interview with Matthew Chapman (24:36) 

- It Felt Like Magical - Video Interview with Victoria Tennant (23:58) 

- An Enemy of Cliche - Video Interview with Blaine Novak (24:28) 

- Distributor To Producer - Video Interview with Doug Dilg  (32:33) 

- Stanley Film - Video Essay by Chris O'Neill (9:40) 
- Theatrical Trailer (2:37)

- Image Gallery (2:23) 
- Audio commentary by Walter Chaw
- 16-Page Illustrated Booklet with essay by Peter Tonguette (First Pressing Only)
- Limited edition slipcover with retro-style front and back artwork sourced from the rare French VHS tape. First Pressing Only)
- Double-sided wrap with legacy artwork
 -New 4K Restoration from the film's original 35mm internegative

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DEMONS (1985) + DEMONS II (1986) (Synapse Films 4K Ultra HD Reviews

DEMONS (1985)

Standard 4K Ultra HD 

DEMONS II (1986)

Standard 4K UHD 

It's starting to look like like Demons I & II films are Synapse Film's version of what the Evil Dead franchise was to Anchor Bay and now Lionsgate, and I say that in a loving way, because I have owned at one time or another every fucking version of the Evil Dead trilogy, and now Demons and Demons II, on every digital home video format since VHS, and I was pleased as punch to buy every one of 'em! Now here we are with a pair of standalone 4K UHD releases, which is the first time they've offered them on 4K UHD as separate releases, previously available in a now OOP Special Limited Edition 4K UHD set with both films.

DEMONS (1985)

Label: Synapse Films

Duration: 91 Minutes

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Audio: English or Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 Surround, English DTS-HD MA English 2.0 U.S. Theatrical Mono Audio  with Optional English SDH Subtitles

Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.66:1)

Director: Lamberto Bava

Cast: Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Geretta Geretta, Bobby Rhodes

In the splatter-tastic Italian horror Demons (1985), directed by Lamberto Bava (A Blade in the Dark), a young woman named Cheryl (Natasha Hovey) is approached by a menacing looking guy (Michele Soavi, City of the Living Dead) wearing a metal mask in the Berlin subway, alarmed by his appearance she attempts flee but it turns out he's only trying to give her free passes to a invite-only movie screening at the Metropol Cinema. That night she is joined by her friend Kathy (Paola Cozzo, Demonia) to the screening where they meet two young flirtatious men; George (Urbano Barberini, The Black Cat) and Ken (Karl Zinny, Delirium).

Also in attendance are a bad-ass pimp (Bobby Rhodes, Demons 2) named Tony and two of his prostitutes, one of which is named Rosemary, played by Garetta Garetta (Rats: Night of Terror). In the lobby of the theater there is a movie prop of a samurai riding a motorcycle wielding a samurai sword and wearing creepy kabuki-style metal mask, not dissimilar to the one the guy handing out the free tickets was wearing. Rosemary pulls the mask off the mannequin and wears it for a second as a lark, but when taking it off it scratches her slightly on her face, drawing blood. I love it when the pimps reprimands here with "That's what you get for touching stuff"!, and the English-dubbing of the pimp is awesome.

As the movie begins we see that movie they're attending is a demonic horror film involving a group of teens and the prophecies of Nostradamus. It's a fun movie-with-a-movie device, as the story line in the movie unfolds on screen it seems to mirror what is happening in the theater at the same time. The hooker that was scratched by the mask starts to feel ill and heads to the bathroom where she discovers the scratch has become grotesquely infected, the pulsating boil erupts in a spray of demonic green jizz as she transforms into a gnarly toothed, green slime drooling demon with a fierce set of claws.

As the movie goers slowly become aware that something terrifying is happening in the theater they're helpless to escape as the doors have been barred. The pimp Tony takes charge of the situation, hollering a barrage of quotable gems as they attempt to thwart the demonic siege that is well underway. The gruesome make-up effects from Sergio Stivaletti (Cemetery Man) are plenty of fun with loads of torn flesh and gouged-eyes with an excess of blood and gore. A scene of a demon being birthed from the back of one of the infected is quite violent and fun - definitely a film that does not disappoint with a steady barrage of squirm inducing practical in-camera special effects. I also loved seeing Nicoletta Elmi, the creepy girl from The Night Child, show up here as Ingrid the movie usher! 

Demons is directed by Lamberto Bava (A Blade in the Dark) and produced and co-written by Dario Argento (Four Flies On Grey Velvet) and the great Italian screenwriter Dardano Sachetti (The Beyond). The film has a distinct Argento flavor about it with some great moody lighting and stylistic choices - this is a very vibrant film with some fantastic colors throughout. Away from the Argento influence it should be noted that Bava (son of the legendary Mario Bava, A Bay of Blood) is quite a good director in his own right with the films A Blade In The Dark (1983) and Macabre (1980) under his belt, that said it's the Demons movies he's probably most known for but I recommend digging into his other films to discover a few fun late-era Giallo entries.

The film has a few storytelling hiccups along the way such as the introduction of a group of coked-up punk rockers forty-minutes into the film whom add very little to the story other than some appreciated nudity. At times it does feel like a series of gore skits patched together and the pacing suffers at points, but not enough to suck out the fun, because this is a party movie, a blast from start to finish. The onscreen action comes at you fast and furious with a fun sword-swinging spin on a motorcycle through the theater and a helicopter which crashes through the ceiling of the theater all set to a fun metal-infused soundtrack, this is a damn fun party film with an apocalyptic ending.

Demons (1985) is a classic Italian splatter film and a Hell of a fun watch, while it can be a bit disjointed at times - like so many Italian horror films, but it earns high marks for the sweet gore and fist-pumping metal soundtrack. Demons is right up there with The Return of the Living Dead and Trick Or Treat as  a horror flick with a terrific soundtrack, it never fails to deliver the demonic goods, and is easily one of my favorite Italian splatter-platters of the 80's.

DEMONS 2 (1986)

Label: Synapse Films

Duration: 89 Minutes 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Audio: English or Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 Surround, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 True Stereo Theatrical Mix with Optional English SDH Subtitles

Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.66:1)

Director: Lamberto Bava

Cast: David Edwin Knight, Nancy Brilli, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Asia Argento

At the start of the sequel the demonic plague unleashed in the first film bleeds over into the confines of high rise when a sad birthday girl is infected by her TV screen in a scene lifted straight outta David Cronenberg's Videodrome. Now transformed into a snarling, blood-spewing demon she attacks her party guests and more demonic mayhem ensues.

We have a nice change of venue as we go from the cinema of the first film to a high rise, which sort of brought to mind Cronenberg's Shivers. Another nice change is that the demonic possession is initially transferred via the medium of a TV screen and not a movie screen or the demonic metal mask from the first film. It's definitely a sequel that takes the Gremlins 2 approach of throwing everything and the kitchen sink into the sequel with the wonderful additions of demonic dog, Alien-esque acidic blood and a demonic child that all add new levels of absurd intensity to the demonic onslaught.

There are also quite a few nods to the original, I appreciated that they brought back badass Bobby Rhodes (The Great Alligator) who played the pimp in the first film, this time as an ass-kicking gym instructor who leads a group of shirtless muscle heads and leg warmer wearing foxy ladies who find themselves trapped in the parking garage up against a horde of the demon-possessed, but sadly he meets a nut-shredding fate.

I loved the make-up effects of the demons in this sequel even more than the first film. I don't recall the demons in the first film spewing so much blood from their face, in fact some of the blood is acidic and eats through the floor and into the level below, some of which is lapped up by a cute dog who transforms into a snarling demon-beast. Plus we have an infected child thrown into the mix who torments an expectant mother before dying, at which time a winged baby demon is spawned from it's corpse!

The most memorable demon after the child is that of the sad birthday gal named Sally (Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Opera) who is the first to be infected by watching a demon-possession flick on her TV and then further spreads the demonic plague as she tears birthday revelers apart. She gets a sweet transformation scene with the gnarly teeth and claws popping out from her fingertips. A top-notch sequel that amps up the insanity with fun gore gags and a fun soundtrack that changes up the metal soundtrack of the first film with a terrific new-wave flavor featuring the Smiths, the Cult and Peter Murphy among others.

Demons 2 is a fun amped up sequel with nods to Cronenberg's high-rise set parasitic horror Shivers and the mind-bending reality of Videodrome, plus the pint-sized creatures of Gremlins and Alien among others. A bit sillier than the original with a non-stop parade of awesome gore from start to finish, a sequel that in my opinion stands toe-to-toe with the original.

Audio/Video: Both Demons and Demons 2 are presented on separate 4K UHD releases presented in 2160p HD framed in 1.66:1 widescreen, remastered from the same 4K restorations from the original 35mm camera negatives Synapse released in 2021. For Demons 1 & 2 we get both the full-length original cut in English and Italian, plus the shorter U.S. version of Demons featuring alternate dubbing and sound effects. As stated these are the same gorgeous scans from the OCN released by Synapse in 2021, if you own those there is no need to upgrade unless your a completist, and they they still looks absolutely fantastic. The 4K UHD offering an appreciable uptick in quality over the still quite solid Blu-ray counterparts with tighter looking grain and clarity throughout  fine details are enhanced by the 4K resolution and the Dolby Vision (HDR10) color-grading offers deeper and richer primaries, and as I said this is a very colorful film so it pays off, also deepening black levels and improving contrast. The Blu-ray edition looks terrific, but the 4K UHD is phenomenal. 

Audio, for Demons we have an uncompressed English and Italian DTS-HD 2.0 and 5.1 audio mixes on the original cut derived from the archival audio masters, plus English DTS-HD MA 2.0 U.S. theatrical mono audio newly remastered back in 2021 by Synapse Films. Demons 2 has uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 5.1 and Italian 5.1 or 2.0 audio mixes derived from the original archival audio masters, plus uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 true stereo theatrical mix also remastered in 2021 by Synapse Films. Both films feature newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English versions, and newly translated English subtitles for the Italian versions. The audio sounds crisp and dynamic throughout with terrific soundtrack selection, including Motley Crue, Billy Idol and Accept on the first film alongside a fantastic Claudio Simonetti (Goblin), and a more new wave/goth tinged soundtrack on the sequel with choice cuts from Dead Can Dance, The Cult and The Smiths, with a score by Simon Boswell (Hardware).

As with the transfer these releases feature the same set of extras as the previous releases with each film, with the caveat that if you only owned the 2-disc Special Edition Blu-ray double-feature release from Synapse that set was a few extras shy compared to the 4K UHD version, and these standalone 4K UHD releases have all the extras. 

On the Demons disc we have a brand new Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain, co-hosts of the Hell’s Belles podcast, who turn in a top-notch discussion of the splatter-classic, plus we get a new 27-minute visual essay, Produced by Dario Argento, by author and critic Michael Mackenzie exploring Argento's career as a producer. For Demons 2 we get an Audio Commentary by film critic Travis Crawford, and another 27-minute video essay, Together and Apart on the space and technology in Demons and Demons 2 by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. Additionally we have hours of archival extras ported over from the previous Synapse steelbook editions.

The separate single-disc standard 4K UHD releases of Demons and Demons 2 arrive in black keepcases with a reversible sleeve of artwork featuring botht he original theatrical artwork plus new artworks that mirror the North American VHS designs with a twist, by designer Chris MacGibbon. Inside we get some cool ephemera by way of a reproduction of the original movie ticket from Demons with information about the transfer on the reverse side, plus we get a Demons 2 birthday party invitation with notes about the transfer as well. 

Demons Special Features:  

- Two versions of the film: the full-length original cut in English and Italian, and the shorter U.S. version featuring alternate dubbing and sound effects

- Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes on the original cut derived from the archival audio masters

- Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 U.S. theatrical mono audio newly remastered in 2021 by Synapse Films

- Audio commentary by critics Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain, co-hosts of the Hell’s Belles podcast

- Audio commentary with director Lamberto Bava, SPFX artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer Claudio Simonetti and actress Geretta Geretta

- Monstrous Memories: Luigi Cozzi on Demons (29 min) (4K UHD Exclusive) 

- Splatter Spaghetti Style: interview with long-time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi, Carnage at the Cinema: Lamberto Bava and His Splatter Masterpiece (34 min) (4K UHD Exclusive) 

- Profondo Jones: The Critical Perspective (13 min) (4K UHD Exclusive) 

- Produced by Dario Argento: a new visual essay by author and critic Michael Mackenzie exploring the legendary filmmaker’s career as a producer (27 min)

- Dario’s Demon Days: interview with writer/producer Dario Argento (11 min)

- Defining an Era in Music: interview with Claudio Simonetti (9 min)

- Dario and the Demons: Producing Monster Mayhem (16 min)

- Splatter Stunt Rock: interview with Ottaviano Dell’Acqua (9 min)

- Original Italian Theatrical Trailer (2 min)

- Original English International Theatrical Trailer (2 min)

- U.S. Theatrical Trailer (2 min)

- Newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English version

- Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian version

Demons II Special Features: 

- Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 5.1 & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes derived from the original archival audio masters

- Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 true stereo theatrical mix remastered in 2021 by Synapse Films

- Audio commentary by film critic Travis Crawford.

- Bava to Bava: interview with Luigi Cozzi on the history of Italian horror, Demonic Influences: Federico Zampaglione Speaks (10 min) (4K UHD Exclusive) 

- The New Blood of Italian Horror featuring Sergio Stivaletti (16 min) (4K UHD Exclusive) 

- Creating Creature Carnage: interview with Sergio Stivaletti (20 min)

- The ‘Demons’ Generation: Roy Bava discusses a legacy in lacerations (35 min)

- Screaming for a Sequel: The Delirious Legacy of DEMONS 2 with Lamberto Bava (16 min)

- A Soundtrack for Splatter: interview with composer Simon Boswell (27 min)

- Together and Apart: Visual essay on the space and technology in DEMONS and DEMONS 2 by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (27 min)

- Original Italian Theatrical Trailer (3 min)

- Original English Theatrical Trailer (3 min)

- Newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English version

- Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian version

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THE EPITAPH VOL. 83

THE EPITAPH VOL. 83

UNDER WESTERN STARS (1938) - SWINGERS (1996) - CLASSS (1983) - WAREHOUSE 13 - THE COMPLETE SERIES (2009-2014) - CHALLENGERS (2024) - TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY (2024) 

UNDER WESTERN STARS (1938) 

Label: Film Masters

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 64 Minutes 58 Seconds 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.O Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: B&W 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1) 

Director: Joseph Kane 

Cast: Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Carol Hughes, Maple City Four

Under Western Stars  (1938) was Roy Rogers starring role film debut, playing a likable singing-cowboy who at the start of the film is helping some water-starved farmers free some much needed H20 from greedy water baron John Fairbanks (Guy Usher), causing a bit of a ruckus at the damn. His actions are reported to the authorities but he ends up only being fined $1 by a sympathetic judge, who then encourages Rodgers to follow in his father's footsteps and make a run for Congress, eventually travelling to Washington to try his hand as a politician and to get some legislation passed to free-up the water supply in the territory. These quaint westerns starring Rogers were never by cup o' tea and while I did think it was a breezy 65-minute watch it still doesn't do much for me, but I did think that Film Masters restoration look pretty snazzy, though it should be noted this is not a pressed disc but an MOD BD-R, but I had no issues with playback. The black & white image is quite pleasing, the source shows minor imperfections by way of vertical lines and white speckling and occasional blemish, but grain structure looks solid with pleasing contrast and grayscale. Audio comes by way of English  DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with optional English subtitles. There's some minor background hiss throughout, the track shows it's pre-WWII vintage with an authentic shallow depth and fidelity I'd expect from this vintage, but it does the job. Dialogue is easily discernible, and the Roy Rogers tunes sound terrific. Sadly, there are no extras for this one, it arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork. 

Special Features: 

- None 

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SWINGERS (1996) 

Label: Paramount Pictures 

Rating: R

Duration: 96 Minutes 25 Seconds 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Director: Doug Liman 

Cast: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Patrick Van Horn, Heather Graham

Before Jon Favreau made it big as a big-time Hollywood writer, director and producer he made this mid-90s indie comedy, starring himself as a struggling stand-up comic named Mike (Favreau, Daredevil) who moves to L.A. from NYC after his girlfriend of six years dumped him. In L.A. he hangs out with his womanizing pal Trent (Vince Vaughn, Return to Paradise), who does his best to lift Mike's spirits and get him to move on from his last relationship, but Mike;s a sad, neurotic sack and prefers to wallow in his misery. At the top of the film they embark on a roadtrip to Las Vegas where they hope to win bit at the casino and make it with some ladies. They don't win big and when they do hook up with a pair of waitresses Mike's ruins it by obsessing over his ex. Back in L.A. the guys hang with their friends, all of whom are seemingly trying to make the L.A. scene, hanging at bars and parties. Eventually Mike meets a lovely young lady named Lorraine (Heather Graham, Boogie Nights), but the question remains, is he willing or able to move-on from the memory of his ex, or will he fuck it up? I remember watching this on VHS when it hit home video and having quite a bit of fun with it, but I had not rewatched it since, so this was a fun revisit. It holds-up quite nicely, it's a pretty fun bro-mance, it's fast-paced, and both Vaughn and Favreau are terrific. The dialogue is aces and the actors have great chemistry with each other,  it still feels fresh even though there have been tons of bromance comedies since this came around, but few have done it better. I'd forgotten how much fast-talking Trent says, stuff like "You're so money!" and "That's money!", it's actually quite irritating, but entertaining. A scene of Mike calling and leaving cringe voicemails on an answering machine to his ex are still my favorite scene in the film, and it was also great to see Ron Livingston (Office Space) in an early role as a struggling actor pal of Mike's who is always complaining about being cast as Goofy at Disney world. It's a fun time capsule of 90's L.A. nightlife, the dating scene, and the world of struggling actors just trying to navigate the scene and find sex and/or love. This release is not a pressed Blu-ray but an MOD BD-R, but it played flawlessly on my player and looks top-notch, and we get an array of archival extras, this hip indie buddy-comedy from the mid-90's comes recommended. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentary with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn 

- Audio Commentary With Director Doug Limon and Editor Stephen Mirrione 

- Making It In Hollywood (49:19) 

- Cutting Room Floor (13:56) 

- Swing Blade (3:27), 

- Also from Lionsgate: Rounders, Hostage, Good Will Hunting, Warrior,  (5:32)

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CLASS (1983) 

Label: MGM

Region Code:

Rating: R

Duration: 98 Minutes 28 Seconds 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) (1.85:1) 

Director: Lewis John Carlino

Cast: Rob Lowe, Jacqueline Bisset, Andrew McCarthy, Stuart Margolin, Cliff Robertson, John Cusack, Rodney Pearson, Alan Ruck, Remak Ramsay, Casey Siemaszko

This 80's coming-of-age flick is one I thought I had never watched before, but I must have seen it on cable just once because it was vaguely familiar to me as I watched, and a welcomed re-visit of what I would consider to be an underrated gem. It's set at a prep-school where son-of-privilege senior Skip (Rob Lowe, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) gets a new awkward roommate by way of  Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy, Pretty in Pink). They initially pulls pranks on each other and bond over there mischievousness, and when Skip finds out that his new pal has yet to bust his cherry he is intent on helping Jonathan lose his virginity. Jonathan eventually goes into Chicago alone after a prank gets him banned from the school dance, and hooks up with a very sexy older women named Ellen (Jacqueline Bisset, The Sunday Woman) who plucks his cherry, afterward they start secretly seeing each other on the regular, with Jonathan lying about his age, and she keeping secrets herself, but she dumps him when she finds out he's a teenager. Later when Skip invites Jonathan home for Christmas break, to help him get over his mystery lady,  things start to unravel when it's discovered that the older woman he was sleeping with was Skip's Mom! Also, and she's married, to Skip's father Mr. Burroughs (Cliff Robertson, Obsession)! This is a teen sex-comedy with a lot more heart and nuance than other early 80's flicks of this ilk, making  this one is quite a gem. It's also quite notable for featuring a young cast , many of whom would go onto later stardom, we have early sightings of John Cusack (One Crazy Summer), Casey Siemaszko (Three O'Clock High), Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), and Virginia Madsen (Candyman), who are all so young and babyfaced, it was a trip seeing them all so young and fresh-faced! The Blu-ray from MGM looks and sounds terrific, sadly no extras but has no extras, not even a trailer, but I am glad to see that MGM vast cataloged is getting physical media releases under Amazon;s ownership, keep it up folks, I am loving it! 

Special Features:

- None 

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WAREHOUSE 13 - THE COMPLETE SERIES (2009-2014) 

Label: UPHE 

Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 2776 Minutes 

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD WIdescreen (1.78:1) 

Cast: Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, Saul Rubinek,

The five season SyFy series Warehouse 13 (2009-2014) gets a Blu-ray repackage from Universal, featuring all five seasons. This was a terrific sci-fi mystery-adventure show about the secretive Warehouse 13 where the strangest and most dangerous artifacts from around the world are kept under lock and key, items imbued with potentially dangerous energies are gathered by Secret Service agents Lattimer (Eddie McClintock, TV's Shooter), Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly, TV's Vanished), Claudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti, Chastity Bites), Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore, The Shrine), and Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek, Amazon Prime series Hunters), who each episode embark on  missions to obtain the harmful historical heirlooms. The show certainly smacks of X-Files by way of the Friday the 13th TV series, but it was always charming and never wore out it's welcome with a blend of comedy, drama, and science fiction, as well as the charisma of the main characters and the creative, often uncanny adventures while in pursuit of ancient antiquaries with the help of modern technology. If you missed this show the first time around this 15-disc set is a great way to revisit it, all five seasons collected here, each season getting it owns dedicated keepcase, the five season set is housed in a slipbox, and the discs are absolutely loaded with extras with a bevy of deleted scenes, gag reels, animated wed episodes, holiday specials, commentaries and loads of featurettes. 

Special Features: 

- Two Special Holiday Episodes

- Two Animated Web Series

- Deleted and Extended Scenes

- Gag Reels

- Episode Commentaries with Cast & Crew; Eureka Crossover Episode; and more!

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CHALLENGERS (2024) 

Label: WBDHE
Region Code:

Rating: R

Duration: 131 Minutes 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen 

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Cast: Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist

I don't consider myself a sport-film fan, and it's for that reason Challengers didn't jump out at me initially, but I was drawn in eventually because it's directed by Luca Guadagnino (Suspiria, Bones and All) who I find to be an incredibly intriguing and exciting director, and stars Zendaya (Dune: Part II) who more often than not chooses some rather interesting roles. Here she plays former tennis superstar Tashi, a former college prodigy who was severely injured during her college career at Stanford. She's now married to Art Donaldson (Mike Faist, The Bikeriders) a player in the pro tour and is now trying for a career Grand Slam, but whose confidence has been jostled after an injury. Tashi pulls Art off the tour and puts him in a a lower level Challenger tournament in New Rochelle, NY, where he plays against old friend turned rival, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor, TV's The Crown), a seemingly washed-up player looking to make a comeback. The wrinkle is that he was once Art's best mate and also dated Tashi, which dredges up a lot of baggage from the couple's past. The non-linear story is chock full of tasty sexual flashbacks to the trios past, told with an abundance of style and not a whole lot of substance, but that's fine by me. This tennis-centric love-triangle makes for terrific viewing, especially the early scenes of their initial meeting with both Art and Patrick pursuing Tashi during her heyday, she having total control over the sexual dynamic, including a bit sexual tension between the two men. Highly stylized and full of flashy editing this is a sports melodrama with a sexual bite to it, but sadly the sexual exploits are quite tame, but the tension and manipulation is thick, and while it does feel a bit self-indulgent, and the characters are a truly unlikable, cold and arrogant sort, I still found it quite engrossing.

Special Features: 

- None

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TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY (2024) 

Label: WBHE 

Rating:

Duration:

Audio: 364 Minutes 

Video: 1080p HD WIdescreen 

Director:  Issa López

Cast: Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, Anna Lambe, Aka Niviâna, Isabella Star Lablanc, Joel D. Montgrand.

True Detective: Night Story, the fourth season of the anthology crime show, is set in the rural town of Ennis, Alaska where Police Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster, Silence of the Lambs) and State Trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) join forces to investigate the disappearance of eight scientists from the Tsalal Arctic Research Station. The two had previously worked on a case involving the still unsolved murder of an indigenous woman, causing bad blood between the pair, with Navarro quickly convinced that the new missing persons case is entangled with the decade old cold case when a severed tongue is found on at the scene that belonged to that earlier victim. I thought this season was pretty fantastic, Foster and Reis are the heart of the show and they fantastic, both characters have tons of pathological peccadillos that fueled by love of the season. Written and directed by showrunner Issa López (Tigers Are Not Afraid) this season was a fine return to form for the series, it has plenty of atmosphere, set during the time when Ennis is dark for 24-hours a day, the frigid snow-bound setting is frightful, intriguing indigenous characters and indigenous mythology, interesting side characters (especially Fiona Shaw (The Butcher Boy) as the enigmatic  Rose), and some terrific supernatural vibes that kept me guessing right up until that last shot. The bodies of ten scientist are eventually found huddled naked together in a twisted frozen mass, which really does bring to mind John Carpenter's The Thing. I also really dig the connection back to the first season of the series, and how committed showrunner Lopez is to fully commit to supernatural leanings, and how dread filled this season gets, it's quite dark, and well shot by Florian Hoffmeister (Tár) who brings a gorgeous darkness to the eerily frigid location. In my opinion this is the best season since the first, I was quite enamored with it, and was sad it only lasted six episodes, I would have been down for six more I was so pulled into it. Sadly no 4K UHD for this stellar season that aired in 4K with HDR and Atmos audio on HBO, but Blu-ray is top-notch and sounds terrific just the same, plus we get a handful of extras, none of which are in-depth enough for my tastes, and the the season itself I wanted more.   

Special Features:  

- Meet the True Detectives - Cast Q&A (2:56) 

- New Chapter – Issa López (Showrunner/Writer/Director) and cast discuss Night Country’s unique role in the series (2:59) 

- Exploring Indigenous Themes - Delves into Alaska Native culture and how it has informed this season. (2:43)

- Max Inkblots - Get to know cast through show-themed inkblot interpretations. (3:13) 

- Setting Featurette - Sets up Alaska as a pivotal character in the story. (2:17) 

- Atmospheric Teases - Social environmental shots to tease key moments from the series.

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