DVD Review: SOME GUY WHO KILLS PEOPLE (2011)

SOME GUY WHO KILLS PEOPLE (2011) 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region Code: 1 NTSC

Rating: R
Duration: 97 Min.Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 

Director: Jack Perez

Cast: Kevin Corrigan, Barry Bostwick, Karen Black, Ariel Glade, Lucy Davis


Synopsis: At first glance, Ken Boyd (Kevin Corrigan, TV's Fringe) may seem like an average comic enthusiast, living with his mother (Karen Black, Trilogy of Terror) and working to make ends meet as an underpaid, underappreciated ice cream parlor attendant. But Ken has a dirty little secret: he fantasizes about killing people. After being released from a stay in the loony bin, for severe mental trauma suffered when he was beaten and tortured by a gang of high school thugs, Ken’s repressed anger suddenly reaches a boiling point. With gleeful enthusiasm Ken hunts down his tormentors, one by one, and exacts his bloody revenge.

The Film: I love me some Kevin Corrigan, from Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990) on thru to TV's Grounded for Life and dark-comedies like Superbad (2007) and Pineapple Express (2007), the guy just adds value to any endeavor and I was just as pleased as punch to see him in a starring role. In Jack Perez's indie-slasher Some Guy Who Kills People (2011) Corrigan plays an awkward outsider employed at anl ice cream parlor alongside his loyal friend friend Irv whom is played by Leo Fitzpatrick whom you may recall as "Telly" from the still  super-disturbing film Kids (1995). Ken's just been released from the loony-bin and is trying to get back on his feet, unfortunately he lives with his mother Ruth (Karen Black, Burnt Offerings) who's more than just a little bit nagging. It's not too hard to see where some of  Ken's  insanity might have come from. Not helping with his mental well-being is a ridiculous ice cream costume he wears during catered events - if I was forced to wear that monstrosity I might think about killing a few folks too.


It turns out Ken is a pretty gifted comic artists. When he isn't laying in bed staring intently at the ceiling he spends his time scrawling macabre images of death into a sketchbook. Throughout the film we get flashback to Ken being bullied in high-school - it's more than bullying though - it's torture at the hands of kids back in high-school. Obviously this trauma has left an indelible mark on his fragile psyche. In fact it seems he's knocking off this former tormentors and displaying their corpses in bizarrely staged poses. The deaths aren't particularly elaborate or ingenuous but they're effective nonetheless - we get a hatchet to the head, a machete decapitation, a throat slashed and a brutal stabbing - not too gory but bloody as Hell. 

There's an unexpected introduction of Ken's estranged daughter coming into his life - a child even his own mother was unaware of until she shows up on the doorstep. Amy (Ariel Gade, Dark Water) is a precocious 11-year old who decides to spend time with her father against her mother's wishes after arguing with her and her Jesus-freak boyfriend. It's an awkward transition for the socially inept Ken but he tries his best. There are a surprising number of tender moments between the damaged father and daughter - they're good for reach other but when she observes daddy's night-time activities it strains the relationship to say the least. Also figuring into the film are a quirky sheriff (Barry Bostwick, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) who's dating Ken's nutty mom and Lucy Davis (Shaun of the Dead) as a not-too-annoying a love interest.


The films has a great cast too with solid performances from start to finish, it's a bit quirky from time to time but appropriate for the material which goes right back to the script which is spot-on witty and darkly comedic -  a great blend of genre film-making. The gore leaves a bit to be desired but it's  definitely an entertaining character study of a wounded psyche laced with some sharp dark humor. 

Special features on the disc include the short The Fifth (2007) which inspired the film and stars Sam Lloyd of TV's Scrubs as a an unemployed serial-killer whose nighttime activities put the damper on poker night, fun stuff. We also get a theatrical trailer, an audio commentary and a 'Making of' featurette which includes a brief video interview with executive producer John Landis (American Werewolf in London) who was originally slated to direct the film before dropping it to direct his passion-project Burke and Hare (2010) starring Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg.


Special Features: 

- Audio commentary with co-producer/director Jack Perez and writer/producer Ryan Levine

- Short Film, "The Fifth," That Inspired The Feature (12:36) 16:9
- Making Of Featurette (13:06) 16:9
- Trailer


Verdict: This was quite a fun watch, it's not necessarily what I was expecting but that's not a bad thing either- the unexpected is nice from time to time and especially when it stars the awesome Kevin Corrigan, this is a rental at the very least. 3.5 Outta 5 

DVD Review: SNUFF BOX - THE COMPLETE SERIES (2006)

SNUFF BOX - THE COMPLETE SERIES (2006)
DVD/CD

LABEL: Severin Films
RELEASE DATE: October 11th 2011
REGION CODE: 1 NTSC
DURATION: 168 mins
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
VIDEO: 16:9 Widescreen (1.85:1)
DIRECTOR: Michael Cumming
CAST: Matt Berry, Rich Fulcher

SNUFF BOX was a short-lived British cult comedy series starring Matt Berry (THE IT CROWD) and Rich Fulcher (THE MIGHTY BOOSH) which premiered in the UK on BBC3 in 2006 and though it ran only briefly has garnered a loyal cult fan base via YouTube clips and word of mouth.

The series follow the exploits of the High Executioner to the King of England Matt Berry and his American assistant Rich Fulcher as they spend their down time at the exclusive Hangmen’s Club. The two occasionally venture out into the world make strange attempts to charm the opposite sex, stab each other in the back and randomly burst into song, which is usually a variation on the shows main theme composed and sung by Matt Berry.

A bit if a odd sitcom that devolves into warped sketches which are strange, bizarre and plenty offensive with a heavy sprinkling of words like "fuck" and "cunt" thrown in to pepper the warped sketches. The paunchy leads are acerbic, dark and often mean-spirited to each other with Berry stealing most of Fulcher's romantic pursuits .

The sketches run together like a foul-mouthed Lynchian nightmares punctuated by re-occurring bits like Matt Berry's "Boyfriend" sketch in which he meets attractive ladies, befriends them performing some chivalrous act and then at the mention of a boyfriend literally drops (or kicks) what he's doing, mutters "fuck off" and walks away. Their are also musical sketches like Rich Fulcher's YouTube sensation "Rapper with a Baby", Matt Berry's "Suicide IV" which riffs on the Edgar Winter group (of "Frankenstein" fame) and the offensively awesome "The Fuck Song".

The show doesn't readily feel derivative of anything but sitting here watching the show and reveling in my discovery of it I am reminded of a time a friend handed me two VHS cassettes marked MR. SHOW sometime in the late 90's which I took home and for two days straight laughed myself stupid with the genius of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, it's a lot like that.
DVD: Severin's DVD contains all six half-hour episodes presented in 16:9 widescreen (1.85:1) and it looks good if not overly sharp. I would imagine that the series is an PAL-NTSC conversion and that may account for some of the image softness and lack of detail. The Dolby Digital stereo audio does it's job well and dialogue, effects and Matt Berry's score come through winningly.

The sets bonus content is nearly as lengthy as the entire six episode run  beginning with Taking Control of Your Body (31:47) featuring appreciations of the series and it's creator's from Paul Rudd (KNOCKED UP), Rob Schrab (THE SARAH SILVERMAN SHOW), Simon Pegg (SHAUN OF THE DEAD) and "Weird Al" Yankovic (UHF) among others, the series definitely has a strong following.

Locations Walking Tour With Berry and Fulcher (12:36) features the shows stars returning to the East London streets where five years previously many of the series sketches were filmed. The street tour is fun with Berry seemingly not able to recollect much through the fog of intoxication aside from the location at 29 Hamburg St, where Annie Chapman, Jack the Ripper's 2nd victim, was killed over a century ago. Along the way they visit an art gallery where they shot one of the sketches, Fulcher pulls alongside a gallery visitor and asks of she's aware of the show, embarrassingly she is not.

Inside the Snuff Box (17:58) is nearly eighteen minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the series with lots of Python kissing, rehearsing the "Rapper with a Baby" musical sketch among others.

The Score With Matt Berry (4:50) features the musician slash writer/actor speaking about the composition of the series main theme and breaking it down into it's two main chords then performing it. I find this song so addictive that I've slipped it into several of my iPod playlists of late.

Testimonials (14:58) is a collection of riffs in the series from Andrew Daly (YOGI BEAR) who sumbits the idea that Rich Fulcher's mere presence may be a turn off to American viewers and should therefor be edited out of the show altogether and replaced via green screen with Daly, of course. Steve Agee (SUPER) offers up series specific trivia including the nugget that the show is based on the German sketch comedy program "Ich Bein Asshole" and Jeaninie Garafolo goes into a spiel on why her star has fallen since the 1990's and her soft midsection before praising the show's genius. It's a fun, sarcastic bit of promotion.

Rounding out the well-stuffed disc are Outtakes (7:54) and three audio commentaries from Berry and Fulcher for episodes one, two and six which offer some insight into the show's particular brand of humor as well as just being funny in and of itself. Aside from the fun testimonials the sets' best feature is a separate disc featuring 23 tunes and incidental music from the series including the toe-tapping main theme, "Rapper with a Baby" and "The Fuck Song".

EPISODES:
1."Rich's Mother"
2."Matt's Diary"
3."Punchline"
4."Oh Brothers"
5."Love Triangle"
6."Wedding"

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Taking Control of Your Body Exclusive New Interview Featurette With Simon Pegg, Paul Rudd, Noel Fielding, Rob Coddry, Rob Schrab, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Paul Scheer And More! (31:47) 16:9
- Locations Walking Tour Exclusive New Featurette With Berry and Fulcher (12:36) 16:9
- The Score Exclusive New Featurette With Matt Berry (4:50) 16:9
- Inside the Snuff Box Featurette (17:58) 4:3
- Testimonials Exclusive New Featurette With Janene Garofolo, Steve Agee And More! (14:58)16:9
- Outtakes (7:54) 16:9
- Commentaries For Three Episodes Featuring Berry, Fulcher And Director Michael Cumming
- Easter Egg (1:30) 16:9

BONUS DISC: CD Of Music From The Show (23 songs, 36 mins)

VERDICT: SNUFF BOX just does not seem like a series that could ever have been greenlit let alone unleashed upon late-night TV audiences but somehow through a confluence of timing, place and impeccable taste it did in fact air on BBC 3 for six week in 2006. Like most great things it went away far too quickly but it's here on DVD where it's cult status will continue to grow. Definitely not for everyone but if you enjoy the irreverent and warped comedy of MR. SHOW and THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMAN this short-lived series will reward repeated viewings for years to come. A classic cult-comedy series and a high recommend for you comedy-cunts out there.

DVD Review: Stuck (2007)

STUCK (2007)
"Two destinies are about to collide"


RUN TIME: 85 Min.
DIRECTOR: Stuart Gordon
CAST: Mena Suvari (Brandi), Stephen Rhea (Thomas Bardo), Rusell Hornsby (Rashid), Rukiya Bernard (Tanya), Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (Peterson)


SUMMARY: Brandi is a hard-partying, overworked, nursing assistant desperate for a promotion at the retirement home where she works. After a night of drug-binging and partying, she accidentally hits a certain Thomas Bardo a deadbeat and recently evicted man who gets stuck in the windshield of her car. Not wanting to call for help since she is driving under the influence, Brandi, chooses not to get Thomas medical help and instead drives home and leaves him clinging to his life in the windshield of her car. While Brandi frantically tries to decide what she is going to do, Thomas, tries to free himself knowing his time is running out.

THE FILM: Stuart Gordon has made some phenomenal films, particularly in the mid-late 80's, classic genre cinema including RE-ANIMATOR (1985), FROM BEYOND (1986), DOLLS (1987) and DAGON (2001). Outside of his theatrical work he's also directed some decent genre TV fare like Showtime's MASTERS OF HORROR series of which he directed two episodes, the H.P. Lovecraft inspired "Dreams in the Witch House" and the Edgar Allen Poe adaptation "The Black Cat" featuring longtime collaborator Jeffrey Combs. After the demise of MoH he went on to direct an episode FEAR ITSELF,  the Cajun-cannibal episode "Eater". Between these television projects he directed this "ripped from the headlines" revenge thriller featuring Mena Suvari (AMERICAN BEAUTY) and Stephen Rhea (THE CRYING GAME). The actual crime involved a registered nurse in Fort Worth, TX striking a homeless man. The man is trapped in the windshield, mortally wounded but still alive, she drives home and leaves him in the garage for several days until he dies. Afterwards she attempted to burn the car and the body in an effort to dispose of the evidence. WTF, right? An act so heinous and unbelievably callous that it boggles the mind, forget about serial killers and imagined bogeymen, this is the true evil of the world. Director Stuart Gordon gives this man the filmic revenge that he deserved in life, the script is about half fact-based the rest is pure revenge-fantasy.

As the opening credit role we're treated to a a cool hip-hop tune which kind of threw me. I don't associate Gordon films with urban music, I think of the great film scores for RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND by Richard Band, but I'll role with it as it suited the film. We meet Brandi, a nursing assistant at a assisted living facility. What a job, it's bad enough cleaning up after incontinent old men but when they ask for you by name to do so? After work she and gal pal Tanya (Rikiya Bernard) blow off steam by hitting the club and tripping on ecstasy courtesy of boyfriend Rashid (Russell Hornsby). Afterwards, Brandi gets behind the wheel and heads home, visibly inebriated. Enter Thomas Bardo (Stephen Rhea), he's been evicted from his apartment and is plagued by the phrase "It's your choice". Fate is transpiring against him, there are no real choices, just the cold fact that he's newly homeless, alone and desperate with nowhere to go.  While he's wondering the streets pushing his newly acquired shopping cart and contemplating the woes life he's viciously slammed into by Brandi at an intersection. She's swerving all over the road and fucking with her cell phone, she doesn't see him until it's too late. It's a brutal scene as his knees and shins break against the car, face smashing through the windshield. Knowing she's drunk and at fault she speeds home, shockingly unnoticed by anyone except a homeless man. She parks the car in the garage and makes no effort to help as he pleads for assistance, it's difficult to watch. Leaving him alone in the garage she's shaken but no so much so that she can't fuck her man as Tom lays dying in her garage just a few yards away. Rusell Hornsby as Brandi's lover is awesome, he's a funny cat and his portrayal of her drug-dealing,  philandering boyfriend is good stuff. Stephen Rhea is amazing, you feel his suffering throughout the film, as well as his rage. It's torture watching him as he extricates himself from her car, a windshield wiper piercing deep into his side. While one can't help but feel sadness at the tragedy of this film I couldn't help but elicit a few laughs at the complete dumbassery of Brandi and Rashid's actions throughout the film. She's always going on and on about how could HE do this to HER -  it just boggles the mind how self-obsessed she is. Tom's revenge is is slow in the coming, he suffers a lot and it's excruciating to watch, but it's thrilling to see.

DVD: The DVD release of STUCK is released by Image Entertainment. Presented in it's theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with a 5.1 surround audio track. No special features, not even a commentary. Sad really as I would have loved to hear director Stuart Gordon's thoughts on the crime that inspired the film. The image quality and sound are quite good, no complaints there.

VERDICT: This is a first class revenge thriller/dark comedy with some truly inspired performances from Stephen Rhea, Mena Suvari, and Russel Hornsby.  It was a surprise how much I enjoyed Suvari's performance after the steaming-turd that was Steve Minier's DAY OF THE DEAD remake.  Stuart Gordon's still got I'm happy to report.  

**** (4 out of 5 stars)