BLOOD FEAST (2016) (Synapse Films 4K UHD Review)

BLOOD FEAST (2016) 

Label: Synapse Films

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 98 Minutes 39 Seconds 

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

Video: Dolby Vision (HDR10) 2160p Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Director: Marcel Walz

Cast: Robert Rusler, Caroline Williams, Sophie Monk

The Godfather of Gore Herschell Gordon Lewis’s seminal gore-classic Blood Feast (1963) ushered in a new era of schlocky blood and guts into the drive-in back in the early 60's, and beginning in the 00's several of Lewis's film were re-made for a contemporary audience, including Two Thousand Maniacs (2005) and The Wizard of Gore (2007), followed by this 2016 remake by German director Marcel Walz (La Petite Morte), who knows a thing or two about gore.

H,G.'s story is brought into the 21st Century with a contemporary stab at the story about a An American Fuad Ramses (Robert Rusler, Weird Science) who lives with s wife Louise (Caroline Williams, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and their college-aged daughter Penny (Sophie Monk, The Hills Run Red) outside of Paris, France where they run a retro American diner. The diner has fallen on hard times and Faud takes on a second job at a museum as an overnight security guard where he is strangely attracted to a statue statue of the seductive goddess, Ishtar. With money tight Fuad stops taking his anti-psychotic medication, and his grip on reality begins to slip, he starts having visions of the Egyptian Goddess Ishtar (Sadie Katz, Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort) in his basement, who tells him he must prepare the titular Blood Feast to honor her so that they will be united for eternity. 

Preparing for the feast requires a bit of murder and cannibalism of Fuad's part, he begins killing his daughters' friends, among them the lovely Annika Strauss (German Angst) and Liliana Nova (Sharknado 5: Global Warming), experimenting with new recipes with exotic meats (wink, wink), and lots of bloody, gore-soaked carnage ensues. I'll be honest, I do respect HGL's original flick for the schlocky gore class-sick that it is, and that tasty organ score, but it's no great shakes and doesn't get a lot of play on my TV screen.  I applaud this remake for taking the original premise and sort of doing it's own thing, I like that Fuad has a wife and daughter this time around, his psychotic snap has a bit of depth to it, but it's not super deep or anything, and Rusler does good work in the role, even if some of the dialogue here is clunky as fuck. A scene that stands out is one of Fuad interacting with a woman (Metisha Schaefer) who's car has broken down in front of the diner, he let's her inside and after some conversation her compliments her on how pretty her eyes are; she responds "I'm glad you like them. Would you like to see them with cum all over my face?", to which Fuad says "No. I think I'd like to rip them out and serve them in a tossed salad", before killing her 'natch. I also could have done without the inclusion of Officer Faith (Roland Freitag, The Curse of Doctor Wolffenstein) as a love interest for Penny, none of those scenes did much for me aside from lengthening the flick. 

In the gore department we get some great Hostel-esque gruesomeness by way of a serrated knife castration, slicing off ass cheeks, the infamous tongue-ripping scenes get updated, a solid throat slashing, and munching on fleshy human bits - especially during the climactic Blood Feast.  

Something that I didn't care much for was how dark a film this is, HFGL's original was quite a colorful and splashy film by comparison (I'm watching it right now, and I give a chef's kiss to Arrow Video for that transfer!), but this sucker is bathed in darkness for much of it's run time, it's very shadowy which lends atmospheric qualities, but also obscure the set design of Fuad's makeshift temple he's assembled in his diner basement and some of the gory scenes, I didn;t care much for that. 

At the end of the day though this is a pretty decent remake of HGL's original, even if it does smack a bit more of Blood Diner at times, which is fine, I prefer it to original. Also noteworthy, HGL make a video conferencing cameo as Professor Lou Herschell, which I loved seeing. 

Audio/Video: The original uncut version of the Blood Feast (2016) arrives on region-free 4K UHD from Synapse Films in 2160p UHD framed in 2.35:1 widescreen with HDR/Dolby Vision WGC color-grading, marking the first time the full strength gory version has has a U.S. release.  This is a solid UHD presentation is sharp and detailed, colors are pretty muted by design but spilled blood and gore benefits from the WGC color-grading and has a nice blush to it. As the flick is quite dark and shadowy I also appreciate the deeper, inkier blacks and superior contrast that the Dolby Vision offers, allowing for excellent shadow detail. 

Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5,1 with optional English subtitles. Dialogue and sounds effects sound great, the score by Klaus Pfreundner (La Petite Mort II) resonates quite nicely, it's a pretty ominous score that compliments the film, there's even a bit of "Dance of the Sugar Plumb Fairies" during the "blood feast" finale. 

Disc extras come by way of archival stuff, we get the 29-min Making of Featurette; a 4-min Chilli Con Curtis “Tonite” – Music Video; the 29-min Blood Feast – Red Carpet Premiere; the 6-min Blood Feast – Scare Cam; the 1-min Indiegogo Promotional Teaser; and a 1-min Theatrical Trailer for the flick. The single-disc 4K UHD arrives in a black eco-case with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork. This is the first time I've seen a Synapse release get the cheaper eco-case packaging and I must say I am not a fan. We also get what I assume is a first-pressing only Slipcover. Inside there's a 2023 Synapse Films catalog. 

Special Features: 
- Original uncut version of the film available for the first time in the USA
- Indiegogo Promotional Teaser (1:08) 
- Theatrical Trailer (1:29) 
- “Making of” Featurette (28:52) 
- Chilli Con Curtis “Tonite” – Music Video (3:38)
- Blood Feast – Red Carpet Premiere (28:51) 
- Blood Feast – Scare Cam (5:44) 
- Reversible Cover Art

- Slipcover 

At the end of the day this is a decent and quite gory remake of the HGL film, it's removes much of the camp and humor I love about the schlocky classic, going for more of a torture-porn aesthetic, but also not too serious for it's own good. I prefer the schlocky charms of the original a lot more than I do this; though I am willing to bet there's quite a few out there who feel differently about it. Synapse's UHD looks and sounds top-notch, a fun gore-flick for sure, and I appreciate them bringing the full-blooded uncut version to us here in the U.S. for the first time. 

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3U8vIOv

MONDO NEW YORK (1988) (MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray Review)

MONDO NEW YORK (1988)

2-Disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray + CD

Director Harvey Keith’s 1988 documentary Mondo New York (1988), which was produced by Night Flight creator Stuart S. Shapiro, opens with notorious no-wave performance artist Lydia Lunch (The Gun is Loaded) giving a monologue with the NYC skyline behind her; "Home to outcasts, misfits, losers, perverts, lunatics, gangsters, pranksters, outlaws, neurotics, psychotics, maniacs, brainiacs, hippies, yippies, yuppies, junkies, flunkies, monkeys, all trying to claw their way to the top of trash heap, all screaming me, me, I want my fame my fortune, my lousy fifteen minutes, my, what the fuck whatever it is - You want it? We got it! It's MONDO NEW YORK."

We then meet a nameless young woman (Shannah Laumeister Stern, Vegas Vacation) who wanders through the streets of Manhattan where she encounters junkies weirdos, and the strange and shocking performance artists found in the basement clubs and alternative performance spaces of New York City in the 1980's, a time before the city was sanitized and Disney-fied. One of her first encounters is a band headed by Phoebe Legere (The Toxic Avenger II) performing the song "Marilyn Monroe" as the singer (Legere) jaunts around stage, writhing on the ground provocatively and flicking the bean, which makes for quite a spectacle. Then onto a church (of all places!) where a performance artist calling himself Professor Mambuzu (Joe Coleman) delivers a weirdo monologue, bites the heads off of two seemingly still alive white mice and then sets his shirt on fire which sets off firecrackers strapped to his chest. A bit later she peeps through a hole in the wall and witnesses a man (Frank Moore, Sex O'Clock U.S.A.) with what looks to be some degenerative muscular disease in a wheelchair being danced around and upon by nude women, Veronica Vera (Night Hunger) and Annie Sprinkle (Young Nurses in Love), whose are bodies are painted.

Up next on this tour of NYC decadence is an encounter with the gender-bending Devilish Joey Arias (Big Top Pee-Wee) in a neighborhood performance art-installation junkyard crooning "Fish Out Of Water", before heading to Washington Square Park to watch  comedians Charlie Barnett (D.C. Cab) and Rick Aviles ("Rat Man" from TV's The Stand) perform stand-up centered around racial and homosexual stereotypes. that would certainly get them both cancelled today in New York minute. Other encounters include a monologue from Ann Magnuson (The Hunger), an unsavory cock-fight, a sex-slave auction, the kinky tune "Hustle With My Muscle" by John Sex, some threatening poetry from Emilio Cubeiro (Subway Riders), scenes from the mosh pit at CBGBs during a ripping performance of The Dictators "New York New York" by Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, performance art not involving yams but egg yolks and glitter from Karen Finley, and closing the flick with a wild performance of "Fuck You" from Dean Johnson & The Weenies, a tune that rails against pop-culture and capitalism.

As a late 80's shockumentary it succeeds, an anti-yuppie tour de force as odyssey through the seedier side of NYC, chock full of shock, sex and bad taste. At times it tries a bit too hard to be "mondo", and I could have lived without seeing the heads bitten off live mice and a chicken, that kind of animal cruelty is just not necassary and will likely be a deal-breaker for anyone with an aversion to such nonsense contemplating a watch, but as a time capsule of the late-80s NYC underground scene I found it quite a fascinating doc. 

Audio/Video: Mondo New York (1988) makes it's Blu-ray debut from MVD Rewind Collection in 1080p HD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen, sourced from a brand new 2K HD transfer from the original camera negative. Having never seen it before I cannot say how this compares to past releases but I thought it looked excellent here; the source shows some blemish by way of minor scratches and speckling in spots but grain looks solid colors are pleasing and the black levels are adequate. There are some inconsistencies here owing tot he way it was originally films, some scenes are blurry or soft-focused, but this is baked-in to the source.  Audio comes by way of uncompressed LPCM 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and free of any major issues, the source does have some audio that I strained to decipher as levels dip a bit due tot he way ot was recorded, so I was thankful for the subtitles, but overall it sounds authentic to the source. 

On disc extras include a 50-min producer/performer Interview with Joe Coleman; a 50-min Interview with Joey Arias; a 36-min Interview with Shannah Laumeister and a 27-min Interview with producer Stuart Shapiro, plus a Photo Gallery. The interviews which were filmed in 2022 are all pretty great, exploring the explore the boundaries the doc pushed, question what art is, gender identity and much more. We also get an 14-track Soundtrack CD featuring music and stand-up from Johnny Pacheco & Louis Perico Ortiz, Rick Aviles, Phoebe Legere, Dean And The Weenies, Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, Joey Arias and John Sex. and it makes for uneven listening just as it did uneven watching. 

The 2-disc Blu-ray/CD arrives in a standard keepcase with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork which is replicated on the Limited Edition (First Pressing Only) Slipcover. Inside there's an 18-Page Illustrated Booklet Booklet with new writing of the film by Producer/Creator Stuart S. Shapiro chock full of archival images, and we get a Collectible 2-Sided Mini-Poster.

Special Features: 
- Brand new 2K HD transfer from the original camera negative presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio LPCM 2.0 Stereo Audio
- Optional English Subtitles
- Interview with Joe Coleman (HD, 49:33)
- Interview with Joey Arias (HD, 49:48)
- Interview with Shannah Laumeister (HD, 36:16)
- Interview with producer Stuart Shapiro (HD, 27:20)
- Photo Gallery (80 Images) 
- Soundtrack CD (14 Songs, 36 min) 
- 18-Page Illustrated Booklet
- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork
- Collectible 2-Sided Mini-Poster
- Limited Edition Slipcover

This at time over-the-top, shocking/disturbing cult-classic 80's shockumentary is a pretty mondo time capsule of New York City at a time when it was still edgy and dangerous, clearly made in the vein of Mondo Cane and a cool companion piece of sorts to the cult punk rock doc D.O.A: A Right of Passage - which is also on Blu-ray from the MVD Rewind Collection. 

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3TLCNnR

BUTCHER'S CROSSING (2022) (Sony Pictures Blu-ray Review)

BUTCHER'S CROSSING (2022)

Label: Sony Pictures

Region Code:

Rating: R

Duration: 107 Minutes 

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

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.00:1)

Director: Gabe Polsk

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Fred Hechinger, Xander Berkeley, Rachel Keller, with Jeremy Bobb, Paul Raci

Directed by Gabe Polsky and based on the 1960 novel of the same name by John Edward Williams, Butcher's Crossing (2023) is set in 1874, it tells the tale of Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger, Fear Street) a young man who drops out of Harvard in search of real life experiences, which leads him to a rural frontier town in Kansas. Will has a romanticized idea about buffalo hunting and wants to join a buffalo hunt and see the frontier. 

 

There he seeks out a former acquaintance of his father, McDonald (Paul Raci, TV's Perry Mason), who runs a fur trading outpost, but the man seeing how green and inexperienced the young man is turns him down. 

He then encounters seasoned buffalo hunter Miller (Nicolas Cage, Renfield) who tells him if he can front him $200 to put together the expedition he can join his hunt, a journey that will take them to a secluded valley mountainous Colorado pass where Miller promises they'll find untold numbers of buffalo for the taking. Will agrees and joins miller, alongside a vulgar skinner, Fred Schneider (Jeremy Bobb, Under the Silver Lake), and a one-armed bible-thumping alcoholic cook, Charlie Hoge (Xander Berkeley, Candyman), on the arduous arduous journey through mountainous, hostile terrain. The trip there is filled with sweat and toil, water becomes scarce and tempers flare, but once they arrive the find that the buffalo are in even greater numbers than they could have imagined. The hunt is a huge success, they've slaughtering buffalo and end up with a legendary haul of pelts, but the harsh elements, hard work and temperaments of the men slowly begin to chip away at not only the men's resolve, but their sanity. As tempers flare and the men scrape each others nerves things are made worse when Miller refuses to leave end the hunt, and they end up having to winter in the rugged mountain terrain. 

This frontier western is rugged and gritty, the entire cast is excellent as they're sanity begins to collapse around them, Will's story of a green-eared Ivy league student looking for real life experience is engaging, and Cage, Bobb and Berkeley are all in fine form. Cage, who has had a pretty stellar resurgence these past few years in my opinion, is reigned in here, while there's ample opportunity for him to get patently intense with the character's more obsessive, Ahab-esque behaviors, it's all in the service of the characters and is never too unhinged for the it's own good. The antagonistic relationship between the camp cook and the crude skinner is another highlight, one which results in treachery and murder. Also, be on the lookout for Rachel Keller ( TV's Legion) as a kind-hearted whore at the fur-trading post, onscreen time is brief but welcomed, and she returns later inthe film in not only the vulgar conversation of Schneider but the nightmares of Will.

Shot on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana the rugged terrain and buffalo herds are practically the top-billed stars of the film, the gorgeous open terrain and snow-covered mountains are quite dazzling, giving the film a grizzled, authentic frontier feel that pulls you right into the story and sets the tome and period quite nicely. This is a pretty terrific psychological western with a fantastic cast, definitely recommended. 

Audio/Video: Butcher's Crossing (2023) arrives on Blu-ray in 1080p HD widescreen (2.00:1), offering a sharply detailed and crisp looking amateur. The gorgeous location scenery is a highlight with rugged mountainous terrain that looks quite wonderful. Clothing textures and detail in facial features are pleasing throughout. 

Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. Zero complaints, a solid track, dialogue and atmospheric Foley work (cracked of camp fires, call of the buffalo) well-defined, and the tense score from Leo Birenberg (Edge of Tomorrow).

Sadly no extras, this is a barebones release. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, and the first-pressing at least includes a slipcover with the same artwork. 

Special Features: 

- None 

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3tJ9UOu

Mexico Bárbaro II (2017)(Unearthed Films Blu-ray Review)

Mexico Bárbaro II (2017)

Label: Unearthed Films

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 87 Minutes 3 Seconds 

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

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen 

Directors: Abraham Sánchez, Carlos Meléndez, Christian Cueva, Diego Cohen, Fernando Urdapilleta, Lex Ortega, Michelle Garza, Ricardo Farias, Sergio Tello

The second installment of the México Bárbaro II (2017) horror anthology series features nine Mexican directors offering eight stories ranging from eerie and haunting to grotesque and brutal, all exploring Mexican folklore and legends. 

First up is the supernatural revenger "La Leyenda de Juan Soldado", directed by Abraham Sánchez (Devastación), set in 1939 a man accused of a heinous crime professes his innocence over and over to his captors, but his pleas fall on death ears. He is brutalized and executed, and in death finds himself in hell where he is tortured by demons, while there he makes a deal with the devil, and those who wrongly executed get a horrific comeuppance.  

In "Paidós Phobos", directed by Diego Cohen (Mark of the Devil), a young woman who through flashbacks appears to have been the victim of rape and who might or might not have a child fantasizes about drowning the child, which she keeps locked up in a room. I think that's what we have here, but the brief duration doesn't allow for much development or exploration of what seems an interesting idea, it just sort of comes and goes, and I was scratching my head to be honest. Not without some haunting atmosphere, but under developed in my opinion. 

In "Potzonalli", directed by Fernando Urdapilleta (Estrellas solitarias), a family that has been cruelly abused by the patriarch prepare a very special dinner. We see flashbacks of the swine of a man molesting his daughter, abusing his wife, disfiguring one son with hot oil, and humiliating the other, and when he returns home they have their gruesome revenge on him, carving him up like pig, and served up in a soup pot to unsuspecting guests. This is one of the most grisly of the stories, the black humor of it is sharp, and the gory special effects are stomach churning.

In "Bolas de Fuego", directed by Christian Cueva & Ricardo Farias, two low-rent porn actors/content creators hire a pair of attractive women who star in a live stream with them, the women start pleasuring them for the cams but they end up sucking off more than just usual jizz from the two young men. A cautionary vampiric porn tale this one is somewhat annoying because of the bizarre pop-up style ads that were quite distracting, but if you get past that it's pretty entertaining if shallow. 

In "No te Duermas", directed by Sergio Tello (the co-writer of Atroz), a young boy is chock full of night terrors and weird bedtime rituals because of the scary stories his late grandmother told him, resulting in phobic behaviors and bed-wetting. His father assures him these are made-up stories, but he might be dead wrong about that. 

In "Ya es Hora", directed by Carlos Meléndez (Hysteria), two teen girls perform a black magic ritual to summon an entity that will enact their revenge on a group of mean-girl teens that have maligned them. The incantation works and as the intended girls are gathered together at a sleepover they each experience gruesome deaths by way of vomiting blood and nails, melting, zombification, and one blows up like Thunder from Big Trouble in Little China. The practical effects and prosthetic works is highly satisfying in this gory entry, though there is some shite digital blood work. Extra points for the Claymation in this one!

In "Vitriol" directed by Michelle Garza Cervera (Huesera: The Bone Woman), a model alone her apartment disfigures herself with acid, we don't know why at first, but it all comes into focus when a photographer joins her for dinner and secrets come to light. This was a potent entry that not only is chock full of dread and disturbing visuals, but well-crafted.

With "Exodencia", directed by Lex Ortega (Atroz), we have a young woman in the depths of addiction, that addiction represented by a Cenobite-style demon that makes increasing demands for gruesome sacrifices, which leads to get cutting of fingers, hands and feet. Ortega really has a knack for capturing the scuzzier, dark side of life, and after this one you might need a shower, this one not only has some unsettling drug use but some gory self-inflicted trauma that hits hard, making for a difficult watch. 

The lack of a proper wrap-around story detracts from this one a bit for me, I am a traditionalist when it comes to to anthologies, and I feel they should have a thru-line, as the first film did. That aside, these eight stories offer eight very different tales, the production values vary a bit story to story, and that affects the fluidity of it, but taken on their own what we do get is a pretty nasty compendium of terror. This is a much lower-budget production than the recently reviewed Satanic Hispanics, it's also quite a bit darker, and if you're tastes run toward the darker side of horror I think this anthology will deliver the goods. I would single-out "La Leyenda de Juan Soldado", "Potzonalli", "Ya es Hora" as my personal favorites of the bunch. This Mexican horror anthology is a reflection of a culture rich with legends and folktales, and these legends make for fertile story ideas to be explored by the directors, and while not all of them are zingers, each one has a unique voice and style worth checking out.

Audio/Video: Mexican horror anthology Mexico Barbaro II (2017) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Unearthed Films in 1080p HD widescreen, As you might expect from a low-budget horror anthology the quality and production value of the source material varies, some of these look quite good, others looks a little cheap, but the Blu-ray handles the varying materials well. Audio comes by way of Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1 or PCM 2.0 Stereo with optional English subtitles. Like the video the audio has ups and down, some more spatially designed than others but all deliver sloid audio presentation, dialogue is clean and the music and effects are well-balanced. 

Extras include five Featurettes for Bolas de Fuego, La Leyenda de Juan Soldado, No Te Duermas, Exodontia and Vitriol, adding up to about 25-min , plus a Still Galley and Theatrical Trailer. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork. 

Special Features:
- Bolas de Fuego Featurette (7:59) 
- Exodoncia Featurette (2:30) 
- Juan Soldado Featurette (9:12) 
- No Te Duermas Featurette (3:32) 
- Vitriol Featurette (0:36) 
- Stills Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer (1:53) 

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/48wYBYu

HAIL CAESAR (1994) MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray Review)

HAIL CAESAR (1994) 

Label: MVD Rewind Collection

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: 

Duration: 97 Minutes 18 Seconds

Audio: English PCM 2.O Stereo with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Director: Anthony Michael Hall

Cast: Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Judd Nelson, Frank Gorshin, Nicholas Pryor, Bobbie Phillips

Hail Caesar (1994) is an offbeat vanity project directed by it's star Anthony Michael Hall (National Lampoon's Vacation), it would be the first and last film he ever directed. In it Hall plays Julius Caesar MacGruder, the lead singer/guitarist of the struggling three-piece rock group Hail Caesar with bass player Annie (Leslie Danon, Sometimes They Come Back... Again) and Russian drummer Wlad (Ilia Volok, Kolobos). Having just been expelled from college and no other prospects MacGruder vows to make the band his priority, but finds that hard to do with his commitment to his girlfriend Buffer (Bobbie Phillips, Showgirls), the high maintenance daughter of goofy arms dealer Bidwell (Nicholas Pryor, Damien: Omen II). Bidwell absolutes loathes Julius and offers him $100K to disappear from his daughters' life and never return. Instead of taking the money Julius makes a bet with the old man... that if he comes up with $100,000 in six months, Mr. Bidwell must let them be together, if not he's got to dump the daughter and be gone for good. 

In an effort to sabotage the bet Bidwell and his Reagan-youth sidekick Remora (Kane Picoy, TV's Beverly Hills, 90210) get him a job at a pencil eraser factory to keep and eye on him, eventually promoting him to plant manager when the former plant manager Dewitt (Frank Gorshin, The Riddler from TV's Batman) discovers a secret file named "Big Pink", causing Remora to off him, and then promoting the clueless Julius tot he position. 

This is such an odd and ill-conceived attempt at comedy, most of the jokes/gags fall flat, the acting is certainly heightened, and it just feels like reheated leftovers from a lower tier 80's comedy, sometime devolving into non-sequitur vignettes like when he gets thrown in jail after being framed for burning down the pencil eraser factory, where he is reunited with his Breakfast Club co-star Judd Nelson, the pair discussing JFK conspiracy theories while giving a Malcolm X speech to a black inmate (and yes he does adopt a vocal affectation for it), or a speech on the factory floor that channels both Jimmy Hoffa before heading straight into the "my little friend" from Scarface. It's all so weird, but not really funny, at least not in the intended way. It seems that Hall called in some favors to old friends, he even got Robert Downey Jr. (Weird Science), before his post-drug superstar comeback, to come in for a scene where MacGruder attempts to pitch his band's demo to a record exec played by Downey, only to find out he's from the mailroom. Another cameo comes by way of Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) as Julius' mailman who is constantly attacked by his humongous dog, and Downey's father Robert Downey Sr. (director of Putney Swope) shows up as Bidwell's butler. 

It's sort of so silly and off the wall that I was entertained, but it's no great shales for sure, ending with Julius falling face first into a fortune all his own, and one of those 'my true love was right there in front of me the whole time' endings. Notably, most of the songs the band plays are co-written and performed by Hall, which I thought was cool, even though the songs didn;t do anything for me. This is a movie I am pretty sure I have never heard of until this was announced, I had more or less loss track of Hall after Edward Scissorhands and don't remember him popping back up till his successful run on the TV adaptation of Stephen King's Dead Zone. I know he did quite a bit of stuff but looking at his filmography there's not one thing between Edward Scissorhands in 1990 and Halloween Kills in 2021 that I can tell you I saw aside from Freddy Got Fingered - and even then I don't actually recall Hall in it, sorry dude. There's no extras on this release, which makes me wonder if he'd wish we'd not remember him in this either?

Audio/Video: Hail Caesar (1988) gets a region-free Blu-ray from the MVD Rewind Collection in 1080p HD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen. There's no information about the HD master for this release but it looks like it's probably a dated master, with that said it's fine. Grain is intact but looks overly managed in spots, detail and clarity are modest, but colors fare well. Audio comes by way of uncompressed English PCM 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and well-balanced, there are no issues with source related hiss or anything, dialogue is never hard to decipher and the soundtrack 

The only on-disc extras are a Theatrical Trailer for the film plus a selection of MVD Trailers - it seems no one wanted to look back on this one. The single-disc release arrives in a clear keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, the same artwork is recycled for the Limited Edition (First Pressing Only) Slipcover which in standard MVD Rewind Collection fashion has a shelf worn VHS aesthetic with slightly a sun-bleached look about it with rental stickers. Both the wrap and slip are number (this being no. 54 of the MVD Rewind Collection) 

Special Features:

- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:15)
- Optional English Subtitles
- Collectible Mini-Poster
- Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)

- Trailers: Hail Caesar (2:15), Men At Work (1:45), Joy Sticks (2:09), Delirious (2:20)

Sadly, Hail Caesar (1988) is no lost 90's comedy gem, it's a dud, but it's still an interesting curio with a surprisingly interesting cast that might appeal to the deep-diving comedy spelunkers out there. 

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/48CD94d

THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS (1988) (88 Films Blu-ray Review)

THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS (1988) 

Label: 88 Film s

Region Code: A, B

Duration: 95 Minutes 

Rating: Unrated 

Audio: Cantonese 2.0 Dual Mono, English 2.0 Dual-Mono  with English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 

Director: Wellson Chin

Cast: Sibelle Hu, Cynthia Rothrock, Kara Wai, Regina Kent, Ellen Chan, nn Bridgewater, Sandra Kwan Yue Ng, Joanna Chan, Pei-ling Lee,  Ming-Si Lai,  Wai-Man Lau, Alex To, Billy Lau, Stanley Sui-Fan Fung, Michael Man-Kin Chow, Anthony Carpio, Mars, Tat-Kwong Chan, Ricky Hui 

Produced by Jackie Chan for Golden Harvest the HK cop-comedy The Inspector Wears Skirts (1988) aka Top Squad, Madame Wu (Sibelle Hu, Devil Hunters) has been assigned to the Hong Kong Police Academy to train an elite squad of female cops called Banshee Squad Members. She is less than impressed with new recruits May (Kara Hui, The Brave Archer), Karen (Ann Bridgewater, Operation Pink Squad II), Amin (Lee Pooi-Ling, Police Story 2), the wise-cracking Amy (Sandra Kwan, Royal Tramp), and Betty (Regina Kent, Ghost Busting), all of whom bicker over petty differences and romantic interests, as well as  the academy's male Tiger Squad members who train next door, who are lead by Inspector Kan (Shui-Fan Fung, The Ghost Snatchers), who himself is quite enamored with Wu. To get them in line Madame Wu brings in Interpol agent Inspector Madame Law (Cynthia Rothrock, Righting Wrongs) to set them straight prior  to the squad first assignment, going undercover to thwart a planned heist at a big-stakes jewelry exhibition by jewel thief (Jeff Falcon, Six-String Samurai) and his gang, but of course nothing goes as planned.

This action-comedy is a film of two minds, while it opens and closes with some strong action the middle-section is a very Police Academy-esque hang-out comedy with Sandra Kwan offering most of the comic relief, and some fun training montages. I love the goofy comedy but as an action film the flick leaves a bit to be desired and the two don't blend together the best, but it's still quite an entertaining flick, even of Rothrock is criminally underused, though she gets a bad-ass introduction as she and Madame Wu kick the asses of terrorist who set out to assassinate a visiting sheikh. While not quite the Girls with Gun actioner I was hoping for I am a fan of wacky comedies and it certainly offers that, and the female cast are quite likable. 

Audio/Video: The Inspector Wears Skirts (1988) arrives in region A,B Blu-ray from 88 Films, presented here in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1), advertised as being "2K Remaster from the Original Camera Negative". The source is in fine shape, no issues with blemished, and filmic grain is present, which can get a bit heavy during the darker scenes. Depth and clarity are quite pleasing, and colors are nicely saturated and vibrant. Audio comes by way of either post-dubbed Cantonese or English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. The tracks are clean and well-balanced, the more action oriented sequence sound great, dialogue is never a chore to discern. 

Disc extras include an Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng; the 17-min Shooting Her Shot - An Interview With Cynthia Rothrock; the 16-min The Director Wears Pants - An Interview With Director Wellson Chin; 3-min ”Top Squad” English Opening and Closing Titles; 4-min Hong Kong Trailer; 2-min English Trailer and a 2-min Stills Gallery.

The single-disc release arrives in a black keepcase with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork featuring both a new artwork by Sean Longmore and the original HK artwork. Inside there's a Double-Sided Fold Out Poster featuring both artworks as well as a 32-Page Illustrated Booklet with the Girls with Skirts - A Look at 'The Inspector Wears Skirts' Role in the girls with Guns Genre' essay by Paul Bramhall. We also get a Limited Edition (First Pressing Only) slipcover with the cool Sean Longmore artwork. 

Special Features: 
- LIMITED EDITION - Slipcase with brand-new artwork from Sean Longmore
- 2K Remaster from the Original Camera Negative
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray Presentation
 -2.0 Cantonese Dual Mono with English Subtitles
- 2.0 English Dual Mono
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng
- Shooting Her Shot - An Interview With Cynthia Rothrock (16:46) 
- The Director Wears Pants - An Interview With Director Wellson Chin (19:04) 
- ”Top Squad” English Opening and Closing Titles (2:46) 
- Hong Kong Trailer (3:32) 
- English Trailer (2:02) 
- Stills Gallery (1:41) 

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3NODIA6

SATANIC HISPANICS (2022) (Epic Pictures Blu-ray Review)

 

SATANIC HISPANICS (2022) 

Label: Epic Pictures 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R

Duration: 113 Minutes 

Audio: 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Directors: Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sánchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Alejandro Brugues

Cast: Efren Ramirez, Greg Grunberg, Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Jacob Vargas, Hemky Madera, Patricia Velasquez, Demián Salomón, Luis Machin. Ari Gallegos

Satanic Hispanics (2022) is an indie horror-anthology that dishes out both humor infused and serious minded terror with a Hispanic culture twist to it. It opens with “The Traveler” directed by Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider), wherein the cops raid a house in El Paso, TX and find it full of dead immigrants, the lone survivor is a mysterious man named Garcia (Efren Ramirez, Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite!). Detectives Arden (Greg Grunberg, TVs Heroes) and Gibbons (Sonya Eddy, V/H/S/99) bring him in for interrogation but his cryptic supernatural explanations less than satisfactory, and when they begin to question him about a collection of relics he carries with him he spins four tales related to the trinkets, this becomes the wraparound story, and the action-packed final segment.

The first tale he spins is “Tambien Lo Vi”, directed by Demian Rugna (Terrified), in it wanna-be Rubik’s Cube champion Gustavo (Demian Salomon, Terrified) lives in his dead grandmother's home, a spooky old place where he practices solving Rubik's all day, as well as having perfected some sort of light algorithm that seems to open up a portal between this world and the next. This skill attracts the attention of a podcaster looking to connect with his dead mother, but the process also opens up a nightmare world for Gustavo, conjuring something that should have been left unconjured. This chilling entry is moody and well shot with some gruesome gore effects that make this a highlight of the anthology. If you're familiar with the director's previous film Terrified it dabble in the same sort of shadowy spookiness with a similar aesthetic, which works great for me.  

Up next is a comedic vampire tale “El Vampiro” directed by Eduardo Sanchez (Exists), wherein a 500 year-old vampire (Hemky Madera, TV's Ash vs The Evil Dead) enjoys the one night a year he can wander the streets freely, Halloween 'natch. We catch up with him as he's exsanguinating a bar room full of patrons, but when his familiar Maribel (Patricia Velasquez, Malignant) calls him to remind him that it's daylight savings time and the sun rises an hour earlier than expected he has to make a mad dash home before dawns breaks, but finds that delinquent egg-throwing teens and cops prove an obstacle, as does morning drive-time traffic! This is played for laughs and is really quite a bit of good fun in the spirit of What We Do In The Shadows by way of My Grandpa Is A Vampire, I loved it. 

 In “Nahaules”, directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero (Bingo Hell, México Bárbaro), De La Cruz (Ari Gallegos, V/H/S/85) is a C.I.A informant looking to be forgiven for his past crimes, but when he stumbles upon a shaman ceremony the witchy Madre Tierra (Gabriela Ruiz), leader of the animalistic “Nahuales” is not so forgiving of his trespass. Perhaps my least favorite of the vignettes here, not awful, but there's not a lot to latch onto, but it does whip up some spooky gruesomeness by the end at least. 

The slapsticky “The Hammer of Zanzibar” is directed by Alejandro Brugues (Juan of the Dead), starts with the beat-up looking Malcolm (Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) meeting his ex-flame, Amy (Danielle Chaves) at a bar they use to frequent. He regales her with wild tales that he feels are linked to curse that afflicts their group of friends from an encounter years earlier. This one has some time-shifts in it as parts of the story are relayed, and eventually we get a Cuban demon by the name of King Zombie (Morgana Ignis, Stan Against Evil) and a mythical phallus-shaped demon-killing weapon - so yeah, it's pretty humorous stuff with an Evil Dead demonic vibe I couldn't resist, even if it comes off super-goofy and a bit disjointed. 

Then onto the the wraparound story coming full circle with the traveler finally convincing the detectives of the truth of his stories, and hoping to get his hands on a saint-killer gun to kill the San La Muerte, or Saint Death, a vengeful Paraguayan wraith that's been pursuing him for many years, ending the anthology on a action-packed supernatural siege at the police station.  . 

I thought this was quite a solid horror anthology, I enjoyed the Hispanic elements and folklore which gave it a certain flavor that we don't get from most anthologies, so it set it apart, and it was certainly one of the more polished and entertaining that I've seen in quite a few years, we get portals leading to other worlds, mythical beings, demons and the undead, I for one was a very happy horror fan after watching this one, I am only sorry it took me so long to see it! Sure, as with every anthology not all the segments are created equal, some work better than others, but for the most part I thought the blend of the more serious stuff and the more comedy slanted made for a wholly entertaining watch. 

Audio/Video: Satanic Hispanics (2022) arrives on Blu-ray from Epic Pictures in 1080p HD widescreen (2.35:1) and looks great. The digital shot film is crisp with good depth and clarity, the colors were vivid and the black levels are strong. Audio comes by way of lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 surround with optional English Subtitles. I am still surprised that Epic go with lossy audio on the HD format, but the track is serviceable, it's just not as robust as it could have been. 

Extras include an Audio Commentary with Producers/

Directors Mike Mendez and Alejandro Brugues and Directors Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, the 26-min Dread Talk, this is an interesting zoom-style conversation hosted by Dread Central with directors Mike Mendez, Alejandro Brugues, Eduardo Sanchez, and Gigi Saul Guerrero. We also get a slideshow of Theatrical Posters, the 2-min Theatrical Trailer; plus a selection of Epic Pictures Trailers including Colonials, The Jester, Island Escape, Last Night At Terrace Lanes. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original movie poster artwork. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentary with Producers/Directors Mike Mendez and Alejandro Brugues and Directors Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero

- Dread Talk (36 min) 

- Theatrical Posters 

- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) 

- Epic Pictures Trailers: Colonials, The Jester, Island Escape, Last Night At Terrace Lanes

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3NLHoCy