Sunday, December 31, 2023

SCHOOL DAZE (1988) (Sony 35th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD Review)

 

SCHOOL DAZE (1988)
35 Anniversary Edition 4K Ultra HD 

Label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 120 Minutes 
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1), DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: Dolby Atmos 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen, 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Lawrence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell, Ossie Davis, Kadeem Hardison, Spike Lee

Spike Lee's (She's Gotta Have It) sophomore film was the musical-comedy School Daze (1988) and was based in part on his own experiences as a student at the historically black Morehouse College, the events of the film occurring during Homecoming Weekend at the college. The film stars Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) as the politically active anti-apartheid protestor Vaughn "Dap" Dunlap who leads a group of student known as "Da Fellas", which includes Grady (Bill Nunn, Do The Right Thing), Monroe, (James Bond III, Def By Temptation), Jordan (Branford Marsalis, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno), Edge (Kadeem Hardison, Def By Temptation), and Booker T. (Eric Payne, Juice). The flick also stars Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) as Julian "Big Brother Almighty" Eaves, the president of the Gamma Phi Gamma feat, who along with his frat's Big Brothers  Chucky (Rusty Cundieff, director of Tales from the Hood), Dr. Feelgood (Cylk Cozart, White Men Can't Jump), Lance (Tim Hutchinson, Tales from the Hood), X-Ray Vision (Darryl M. Bell, TV's A Different World), and General George Patton (Leonard L. Thomas, King of New York) show up to disrupt the protest causing friction between the Greeks and the non-Greeks. Other players include Spike Lee playing Dap's cousin Half-Pint who is driven to become a "Gamma man"; having pledged to Gamma Phi Gamma, where the pledges are referred to as Gammites, which also include Doo-Doo Breath (Anthony Thompkins, TV's Diff'rent Strokes), Double Rubber (Guy Killam, TV's Better Days), Mussolini (Kevin Rock, Malcolm X), Mustafa (Dominic Hoffman, TV's Hangin; with Mr. Cooper), Yoda (Roger Guenveur Smith, Summer of Sam), Slim Daddy (Erik Dellums, TV's The Wire), and Sir Nose (Kirk Taylor, Death Wish 3)

Another storylines involves the frat adjacent sorority The Gamma Rays lead by Tisha Campbell (Jane Toussaint, House Party), who get caught up in rivalries, with non-Greeks by way Dap's girlfriend Rachel Meadows (Kyme, TV's Chicago Hope) over the politics of hair and skin color. 

The flick is lighthearted but heartfelt, touching on serious social issues like skin politics, social activism, and hazing in the black communities at schools, and chock full of some kinetic dance numbers via a step competition featuring dance numbers choreographed by Otis Sallid (Fame). The music is pretty bumpin' and very late-80's; but not exactly my cup of tea then or now, but I certainly enjoy it more now, as back in '88 I was a somewhat close-minded teen and a total metal head, and this would have been absolute anathema to me. The film is well-crafted with a terrific cast and some nicely layered characters that offer more than the usual college fraternity comedy that came before it and after. Also be on the lookout for Joe Seneca (The Blob) as school President McPherson, and Ossie Davis (Bubba Ho-Tep) as Ossie Davis as Coach Odom. 

Audio/Video: School Daze (1988) gets a new 4K Ultra HD release from Sony to celebrate it's 35th anniversary, presented here in 2160p Ultra HD widescreen (1.85:1) with Dolby Vision WCG enhancement. The source showcases filmic looking grain textures, clarity and depth were quite pleasing and black levels are solid. The WGC tone-mapping really brings out the primaries, but isn't overbaked, things look natural. The 4K resolution also brings out some nice fine detail and texture in the image as well. Audio comes by way of new Dolby Atmos remix, as well as the uncompressed DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 audio with optional English subtitles. The Atmos track is solid, it's not showy or overly immersive but it delivers the dialogue with clarity, and the music comes through full-bodied and robust with a solid low-end. 

Extras are carried over from the previous 30th Anniversary Blu-ray, we get a fairly subdued Audio Commentary with Director Spike Lee, and a thankfully more engaging Audio Commentary with Cast Members Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, Bill Nunn, Darryl M. Bell and Kadeem Hardison. 
The a 33-min Anniversary of School Daze Q&A with Cast & Crew featuring director Spike Lee, actors Campbell and Hardison, and casting director Robi Reed. The 24-min 
Birth of a Nation with the cast who talk about the themes of the film; the 19-min College Daze with Lee and cast talking about their own college experiences; the 20-min Making a Mark behind-the-scene featurette; plus 14-min of Music Videos for "Be One" Music by Phyllis Hyman, "Da Butt" by EU, and "Be Alone Tonight" by The Rays featuring Tisha Campbell, Jasmine Guy, Paula Brown, and Angela Ali. 

The single-disc 4K Ultra HD arrives in a standard black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original movie poster for the film. There is no accompanying or a digital copy of the film.  

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Director Spike Lee
- Audio Commentary with Cast Members Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, Bill Nunn, Darryl M. Bell and Kadeem Hardison
- Anniversary of School Daze Q&A with Cast & Crew (33 min) 
- Birth of a Nation (24 min) 
- College Daze (19 min) 
- Making a Mark (20 min)
- "Be One" Music Video by Phyllis Hyman
- "Da Butt" Music Video by EU
- "Be Alone Tonight" Music Video by The Rays, Tisha Campbell, Jasmine Guy, Paula Brown, and Angela Ali

Available from www.MovieZyng.com
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MCBASTARD'S BEST OF 2023 - THE BEST OF NEW FLICKS, STREAMERS, 4K UHD, BLU-RAY, BOX SETS & FILM DISCOVERIES!

MCBASTARD'S BEST OF 2023

Truly, I hate to use 'Best of' for something so subjective as favorite movies and physical media, but these Top 15 lists are unapologetically my favorite feature films, streaming, physical media releases and film discoveries of 2023. There's plenty I didn't get around to see that I wanted to, so there's bound to be some obvious holes, but hey, I can only gauge what I actually saw. Also, as always these are lists of my favorite 15 in no particular order.  

BEST OF NEW FILMS IN 2023 

Here they are, my favorite new flicks of 2023 that I saw both at the cinema and streaming at home - keep in mind, these are in no particular order and there's still a few 2023 flick that I still have not watched yet including the new Godzilla flick. I will say that as far as my favorite theater going experience this year I would give first pace to seeing Eli Roth's long anticipated Thanksgiving, a terrific old school slasher that brought back the whodunit to the Holiday masked-slasher game.  

3. THANKGIVING https://amzn.to/47aA4r2
4. INFINITY POOL https://amzn.to/3RHjJUY
5. M3GAN https://amzn.to/3H0mawY   
6. COCAINE BEAR  https://amzn.to/3v9whNi
7. TOTALLY KILLER
8. IT'S A WONDERFUL KNIFE
9. THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER  https://amzn.to/3vh2pyD
10. NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU
11. TALK TO ME https://amzn.to/3tA8pSE
12. ONYX THE FORTUITOUS AND THE TALISMAN OF SOULS https://amzn.to/48cxhiw
14. LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND 
15. BOSTON STRANGLER  

BEST OF TV & STREAMING SERIES
With as many movies as I watch it's hard to believe I actually find time to watch streaming series, but I do - these are my favorites of series that hit the streaming platforms this year. I thought it was another stellar year of streaming programming - especially for genre fans. As you will see I am a bit of a basic-bitch when it comes to Star Wars series, but easily the best time I had watching a streaming series was Mike Flanagan's phenomenal The Fall of the House of Usher, his modernizing of the Poe tale that wove in elements of many of Poe's stories was breathtaking, I loved it. 
.  
1. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (Netflix)
2. THE LAST OF US (HBO) https://amzn.to/3RWt38W
3. BODIES (Netflix) 
4. MONARCH (Apple TV) 
5. GEN V: S1 (Prime Video)
6. INVINCIVBLE: S2 (Prime Video)
7. CREEPSHOW: S4 (Shudder) https://amzn.to/3vhgEUe
8. FARGO: S6 (FX)
9. AHSOKA: S1 (Disney+)
10. BLACK MIRROR: S6 (Netflix) 
11. RESERVATION DOGS: S2 (Hulu) 
12. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: S4 (FX)
13. CHUCKY: S3 (USA) 
14. THE MADALORIAN: S3 (Disney+)
15. LOKI: S2 (Disney+)

BEST OF 4K ULTRA HD

We've been hearing about the death of physical media for several years now, yet here we are with another fantastic year that was stuffed to the freaking gills with amazing physical media releases, particaurly re-issues of catalog titles and cult films on 4K UHD. From the obscure to classic major studio releases we were truly spoiled rotten in 2023. These fifteen 4Ks are what excited me most as a cinema fan, more so than a 'Best Of' based on technical or artistic merit, but I will say that I as far as pure excitement it was Dragonslayer which git my nostalgic 80's heart pumping the most. 

1. DRAGONSLAYER (1981) 4K Ultra HD 
2. TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) 4K Ultra HD (Dark Sky Films) https://amzn.to/47mclUJ
4. MARTIN (1977) 4K Ultra HD (Second Sight Films) https://amzn.to/4aDUOuk
5. THE WARRIORS (1979) Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Arrow Video) https://amzn.to/3RWrHuS
6. CREEPSHOW (1982) Collector's Edition 4K Ultra HD ++ Blu-ray (Scream Factory) https://amzn.to/3NHYNMu
HD + Blu-ray (Cauldron Films) https://amzn.to/3GYU31b
8. GHOULIES (1985) 4K LaserVision Collection 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (MVD Rewind Collection) https://amzn.to/3RWrw2G
10. ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Paramount) https://amzn.to/3Rz9X7o
11. GORGO (1961) 4K Ultra HD (Vinegar Syndrome) https://amzn.to/41GqMSy
12. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (2022) 4K Ultra HD (Capelight) 
13. DROWNING BY NUMBERS (1988) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Severin Films) 
14. TOUCH OF EVIL  (1941) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Eureka Entertainment) 
15. DUEL (1971) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Warner Bros.) https://amzn.to/3TJ82Qi

BEST OF BLU-RAY 

It was another wonderful year of Blu-ray releases as well, so much terrific stuff getting HD disc release, sone for the first time, and some just getting amazing re-issues. Again, these are in no particular order and cater to my specific tastes, and do not necessarily represent the most technically robust presentations nor the ones with the most prolific extras - though there are plenty that look wonderful and have awesome extras. The main deciding factor is the level of excitement it generated for me, and if I was to pick one title that got me the most giddy it was that 80's highschool slasher Fatal Games (1994) which finally got a  proper disc release from Vinegar Syndrome.

1. FATAL GAMES (1984) Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome) 
2. MESSIAH OF EVIL (1974) Blu-ray (Radiance Films) 
3. THE HAUNTING OF JULIA (1977) Blu-ray + CD (Imprint Films)
4. ROBOT MONSTER (1953) 3D Blu-ray (Bayview Entertainment) https://amzn.to/3RUR6oF
5. BIG TIME GAMBLING BOSS (1968) Blu-ray (Radiance Films) 
BEST OF BOXSET & COLLECTIONS

So many wonderful box set this year, collections and multi-film sets that explored everything from low budget cinema auteurs, to classic animation and erotic flicks. I couldn't afford everything I wanted to own, or make time to pour through several sets already sitting on my shelf, so again, its just what I had access to and time to watch. Again, these are in no particular order but if there's one set that absolutely astounded me with it's depth, construction and presentation it's the massive 24-Film, 15-Disc Blu-ray/CD The Sensual World of Emanuelle box set from Severin Films, it's a thing of erotic beauty. 

2. SUPERMAN 5-FILM COLLECTION (1978-1987) 4K Ultra HD Box Set  (Warner Bros.) https://amzn.to/3vgPeOa
3. SAVAGE GUNS: 4 CLASSIC WESTERNS VOL. 3 Blu-ray Box Set (Arrow Video)
4. THE TOXIC AVENGER COLLECTION (1988-2000) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Box Set (Troma) https://amzn.to/3RDmWoK
5. COSA NOSTRA: FRANCO NERO IN THREE MAFIA TALES BY DAMIANO DAMIANI (1968-1975) Blu-ray Box Set (Radiance) 
https://amzn.to/3TMqiZj
10. ANDRZEJ ŻUŁAWSKI: THREE FILMS Blu-ray Box Set (Eureka) 
11. CUSHING CURIOSITIES (1960-1974) Blu-ray Box Set (Severin Films) https://amzn.to/3RYtO16
12. THE PROPHECY I, II, III (1995-2000) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome) https://amzn.to/3txXOrs
14. VINEGAR SYNDROM'S LOST PICTURE SHOW Blu-ray Box Set (Vinegar Syndrome) 
15. ESSENTIAL FILM NOIR: COLLECTION 5 (1940-1962) Blu-ray Box Set (Imprint Films) 

FILM DISCOVERIES OF 2023 

A new category for me this year are new releases that didn't make my favorite releases of the year but were first-time watches for me that I would consider absolute gems worth seeking out. 

1. MAGIC COP (1990) Blu-ray (88 Films) 
https://amzn.to/3GYR2xT
2. FEAR (1966) Blu-ray (Mondo Macabro) 
https://amzn.to/3NIwhu1
3. CAGED (1950) Blu-ray (Warner Archive) 
https://amzn.to/3NLFgL7
4. UPTIGHT (1968) Blu-ray (Imprint Films) 
5. BORDER INCIDENT (1949) Blu-ray (Warner Archive) 
https://amzn.to/3tEJ6Pe
6. I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD (2003) Blu-ray (Imprint Films)
7. MEATCLEAVER MASSACRE (1976) Blu-ray (101 Films) 
9. THE POSTMAN FIGHTS BACK (1982) Blu-ray (88 Films) 
10. SHANGHAI JOE (1973) Blu-ray (Cauldron Films) 
11. AMNESIA (2001) Blu-ray (Cult Epics) 
https://amzn.to/3v9rOu0
12. DARK POWER (1985) Blu-ray (Kino Cult) 
13. BIKINI BEACH (1964) Blu-ray (MGM)
https://amzn.to/48z26NX
15. GAY PURR-EE (1962) (Warner Archive) 

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Saturday, December 30, 2023

THE LOST (2006) (Ronin Flix Special Edition Blu-ray Review)

THE LOST (2006) 
Special Edition Blu-ray 

Label: Ronin Flix
Region Code: Region-Free 
Rating: Unrated 
Duration: 119 Minutes 25 Seconds 
Audio: English Uncompressed DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 
Director: Chris Sivertson 
Cast: Marc Senter, Robin Sydney, Shay Astar, Alex Frost, Michael Bowen, Ed Lauter, Megan Henning, Dee Wallace

When The Lost (2006) was first released I was quite interested in it, based on the same-titled novel by Jack Ketchum (The Girl Next Door) it was at least in part based on the true crime story of Tucson serial killer Charles "Schmitty" Schmid, the Pied Piper of Tucson. A few years before I did a stint working at the world-famous Toxic Ranch record store and the proprietor Bill Sassenberger told me the story of Tucson own serial killer from the 60's, which made national headlines. He also turned my onto the book Cold-Blooded: The Saga of Charles Schmid, the Notorious "Pied Piper of Tucson"  by author John Gilmore, and it was quite an interesting story about a charismatic loser who killed three young girls here in Tucson, all the while so enthralling his teen acolytes that they went along with it. The story was made into a  film with The Todd Killings (1971), which inspired the punk rock song of the same name by The Angry Samoans. There's a pretty good episode of the "A Crime to Remember" (2014)  series that covers the crime as well if you're curious. Anyway, it was the true crime book that piqued by curiosity about the film when it first arrived on home video.  

The Lost film is an adaptation of the Ketchum novel and the connection to the Tucson killings is more in spirit than anything portrayed here, keeping the element of a violent charismatic loser (who stuffs his boots with aluminum cans to appear taller and an artificially exaggerated beauty mark) who kills a couple of girls and enthralls his loser's club of friends into keeping it a secret for a number of years. I was a bit disappointed by that when I initially saw it, so I was pretty keen to revisit the flick with a good fifteen years since my last viewing to see how it held up. At the start of the film the Charles Schmidt stand-in Ray Pye (Marc Senter, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Break), his girlfriend Jennifer (Shay Astar, TV's 3rd Rock from the Sun), and his best friend Tim (Alex Frost, Elephant) are in the woods fucking around when Ray encounters a pair of attractive lady campers (Misty Mundae, Ruby Larocca), when Ray sees them kissing he is disgusted by it and suggest that they should "pop them". Sure enough, later than night Ray follows through and shoots both of the women as they talk around a camp fire. As he prepares to bury them one of them has recovered enough of run off into the woods, and before Ray can finish her off she is found by a couple in a truck on the road, but she falls into a coma and dies four years later, never able to identify her killer. 

Detective Charlie Schilling (Michael Bowen, Night of the Comet, Kill Bill) has long suspected Ray of the killings but Jen and Tim have kept tight-lipped about what they saw and they've never been able to put together a solid case against him. Ray is still dating Jen, while also chasing after every girl he can, and Tim is still his pal, but both are abused by Ray, and Tim is crushing hard on Jen. Ray works as a motel manager for his mom, and it there that he meets new employee Sally (Megan Henning, I Know Who Killed Me) who catches his eye, but he becomes is frail ego is crushed when she brushes off his flirtations, as she is involved with a much older retired cop Ed (Ed Lauter, Cujo) who is Schilling's former partner. He is temporarily distracted the arrival a new girl in town, sexy daddy's-little-girl (Robin Sydney, Big Bad Wolf) Katharine who is immediately attracted to Ray seeming self assuredness and his bad-boy darkside.  

The flick has a strong open, the killing of the two girls in the woods starts things off nicely, and establishes Ray as someone willing to pursue his darker impulses, and his friends as abused/enthralled toadies who will pretty much do whatever their told to do by the charismatic psychopath. The middle part of the film sort of settles into a dark hang out flick, we see Ray hosting drug-fueled parties at the hotel with underage teens, having sex with Jen and various women, we see Schilling following Ray around, trying to squeeze info out of him and his cohorts, and we see Ray's darker side re-emerge, especially once it becomes clear that not only does Sally have no interest in him, but that Jen, Tim, and Katherine are turning on him as well, and that's when things start heating up, gearing up for the final leg of this as Ray goes on an explosive kidnap/murder spree. 

Re-watching this after the better part of  15 years I found the flick holds-up well, but a lot of what annoyed me about it the first time around annoyed me once more, if to a lesser degree. I was able to watch it at least without the Pied Piper of Tucson baggage, but the frenetic and disjointed style still irked me. There are scene where they use a degraded almost retro 16mm look in short flashes that just distracted me more than brought me into any mindset it might have been going for. There's also some interesting choices of music on the soundtrack that I love as well, but when combined with the at times jagged editing style sit still managed to annoy me. The soundtrack features songs from Boris, Blood Duster, The Baseball Furies, The Ponys, The Black Heart Procession, and the Oblivians -  a lot of whom I fucking love, but the music cues just didn't work for me on the whole, so I was a bit conflicted. Still the flick still has a serious deranged and unsettling power about it, the core story here about a handsome and charismatic leader able to enthrall his friends into helping him cover-up a murder is strong, but at just a hair under two hours, the movie which starts off strong and closes with some potent unhinged violence, loses it's way a bit in the soft middle section, that probably could've been tightened up a bit.

The film was directed by Chris Sivertson (I Know Who Killed Me) and produced by Lucky McKee (May) who also co-directed All Cheerleaders Die (2013) with Silvertson. This was basically his first feature film, and despite some reservations about the aesthetics and editing I think it's still  a bit of an early 00's banger worth checking out. Also be on the lookout for notable cameos from Dee Wallace (The Howling), the always lovable Richard Riehle (Office Space) and author Jack Ketchum. Notably, this was the first film adaptation of Ketchum's novels, and would be followed by The Girl Next Door, Red, The Offspring, and The Woman, several of which were directed by McKee.  

Audio/Video: The Lost arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Ronin Flix in 1080p  framed 2.35:1 widescreen, sourced from a brand new NEW 2K remaster produced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative completed by Ronin Flix. The flick looks better than ever with this new remaster, the previous Blu-ray was quite unsatisfactory with compression issues throughout and lossy audio, but here we get  a cleaner more polished presentation that still has the film grain intact, the imperfections that were baked into the degraded footage is still there, it's part of the look of it, but colors and fine detail are nicely improved up, Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo and a newly created 5.1 Surround DTS-HD MA  with optional English subtitles, a wonderful upgrade considering the previous Blu-ray only had 5.1 Dolby Digital. There are still some inherent low-budget source limitations but also quite an improvement. 

Extras include a new Audio Commentary with director Chris Sivertson and producer Lucky McKee, and the archival Audio Commentary with Jack Ketchum moderated by writer Monica O’Rourke. Also new are 51-minutes with of New Interviews with actors Marc Senter, Robin Sydney, and Shay Astar; these interview are pretty great and feature the cast talking about getting into character by reading Ketchum's novel and researching Charles Schmidt, shooting scenes at a swingers club, the special effects, working off each other, Sivertson's directing styles and a lot more.  We also get a host of archival extras by way of  7-min of Audition Tapes; 16-min of Outtakes; a 3-min Storyboard Sequence of the film's opening, plus the 2-min Original Jack and Jill Short Film by Chris Sivertson which features in McKee's May. 

The single-disc release arrives in a clear keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, which is mirrord on the Limited Edition Slipcover (First-Pressing Only), the same key artwork is also featured on the pressed Blu-ray disc. 

Special Features:
- NEW! Audio Commentary with director Chris Sivertson and producer Lucky McKee
- Historical Audio Commentary with Jack Ketchum moderated by writer Monica O’Rourke
- NEW! Becoming The Demon - Interview with Marc Senter (11:36)
- NEW! This Is So Real - Interview with Robin Sydney (19:51)
- NEW! A Tale of Survival - Interview with Shay Astar(20:32) 
- Audition Tapes (6:56) 
- Outtakes (16:17).
- Storyboard Sequence (3:29)
- Original Jack and Jill Short Film by Chris Sivertson (2:06) 
- Limited Edition Slipcover (First-Pressing Only)

Screenshots from the Ronin Flix Blu-ray:




















































Extras: 
















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