Blu-ray Review: KNIGHTRIDERS (1981)

KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) 

Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD

Label: Arrow Video
Region: B/2
Duration: 147 Minutes 
Rating: 15 Certificate 
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English Mono 2.0 PCM with Optional English SDH Subtitles 
Cast: Ed Harris, Patricia Tallman, Tom Savinni, Ken Foree, John Amplas
Director: George A Romero
Tagline: Ride to Love. Live to Die. 

I remember watching George A. Romero's follow-up to the zombie epic DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) for the first-time and the immediate disappointment that set in immediately afterward. The weird fantasy-action film left me cold, I wasn't sure what I had just watched or why Romero would stray from zombie film making to create such an odd film. I was about 15 at the time and just could not appreciate what George had put onscreen, I was a very unhappy teen. 

I revisited Romero's film as the new Millennium came and went with the Anchor Bay DVD with fresh eyes and it was quite a different experience for me, I could see the film's "chasing the dragon" theme more clearly and how King Billy (Ed Harris) and his troupe of jousting motorcycle carnies paralleled Romero's own long fought battles as an independent film director against commercialism in an industry built on hype and commercial success at all costs.

At the heart of the hard-to-categorize film is King Billy, played by a very youthful Ed Harris, the self-styled King Arthurian idealist whom leads a troupe of anachronistic medieval-styled jousters who dress in armor and sit atop motorcycles in lieu of horses. The troupe travel the country performing their Renaissance-esque show to the delight of drunken locals. Billy is a charismatic and lives according to a  strict code of honor and integrity but problems arise when the cash-strapped troupe come to a divide when a sleazy promoter Bontempi (Martin Ferrero) lures the troupe's star performer, Morgan the Black Night (80's splatter master Tom Savini) with the promise of fortune and fame. That's pretty much the story of the film, the corruption that plagues the troupe when the lure of commercial success infiltrates it's ranks in the face of King Billy's idealistic and unbending ways. 

It's quite a sight when the film opens with a scene of Billy sitting nude in the picturesque forest knelt in front of his sword in a silent moment of prayer, it's a gorgeous scenario that might have you believe it's a Medieval period piece until he straddles his motorcycle with his Queen (Amy Ingersoll). Harris is striking as King Billy, an ardent and stoic idealist in a reality that crushes idealism, it's not easy and you can feel him bend while swearing never to break. It's easy to admire his strict code in the face of financial woes and adversity but we also see the hardships his idealism forces upon the rest of the troupe. Example, when he refuses to give corrupt cops a payoff they beat the snot outta the character of Bagman (Don Berry) until a financial arrangement's can be agreed upon, the incident is one of several factors that drive a wedge between Billy and Morgan, whom felt Billy should have just paid the cops off, but his code of ethics forbid him from doing so and others must pay the price.    

There's a great cast of Romero familiars, notably John Amplas from MARTIN (1976) as the mime Whiteface, Romero's future wife (Christine Forrester) appears in a small role as do DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) alumni Scott Reiniger, Tom Savini and Ken Foree. It's a real treat to see so many familiar faces from Romero's own troupe of performers. Some not so familiar faces include the wonderful Brother Blue as a tattooed medicine-man Merlin and Patricia Tallman (ARMY OF DARKNESS), whom would go on to feature in Savini's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) remake, as the local-girl love interest of Sir Alan (Gary Lahti). We also have a sweet Stephen King cameo is author Stephen King as a rather slovenly drunken spectator at one of the jousting events. 

At over two and a half hours in length the film is overlong but certainly entertaining, the tone is off-kilter but the subverted Arthurian lore really comes through. there's a great cast of characters and some fun action-packed jousting sequences, the motorcycle stunt work is pretty dazzling. It's not a perfect film but it's the very definition of a cult-classic, a weird anachronistic fantasy action film from George A. Romero.  

Blu-ray: Arrow Video bring George A. Romero's KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) to 1080p Blu-ray with an MPEG-4 AVC encode and it's a damn sight better than my old standard def Anchor Bay DVD (2000) but it's not quite eye-popping either. Colors are strong, black levels are decent and the 1080p upgrade affords the film some minor depth. Overall it's a sharper image with some scenes being a bit sharper than others, it's a definite upgrade that I would call impressive but not quite stunning. The audio presentation consists of  quality English Mono 2.0 PCM with Optional English SDH Subtitles. It's clean and suffices, it's a basic stereo track with some moderate stereo channel separation and depth, Donald Rubinstein's folky score sounds quite nice and dialogue and effects are balanced and free of distortion  clicks and pops, very nice. . 

Reversible Artwork 

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include the audio commentary with George Romero, Tom Savini, John Amplas Christine Romero and film historian Chris Stavrakis ported over from the region 1 Anchor Bay DVD edition. It's an entertaining and informative track, everyone is is in fine form as they point out the myriad of actors onscreen and recall various production notes and anecdotes. 

We also get a selection of brand new High Rising Productions produced special features by way of three interviews with the principle cast. The Genesis of a Legend (13:08) features star Ed Harris reminiscing about his first leading role as King Billy in the film, he seems quite fond of the strange little film. 

A Date with Destiny (12:03) features 80's splatter master Tom Savini recalling his role as Morgan the Black Knight. If you don't already know Savini has acted quite a bit through the years including appearances in William Lustig's MANIAC (1980), Robert Roqriguez's PLANET TERROR (2007) and Kevin Smith's ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO (2008). He's also a director in hos own right, helming the fantastic 1990 Romero-penned remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) also featuring  KNIGHTRIDER'S co-star Patricia Tallman

Medieval Maiden (17:43) features actress/stunt woman Patricia Tallman discussing moving to NYC just after college only to come back to her hometown of Pittsburgh to work with Romero on what would be her screen debut. She has very kind words for Romero from the perspective of a new actress, she also touches on becoming a stunt woman. 

Separate from the Blu-ray features we get an exclusive 35 page booklet with new writings on the film by author/critic Brad Stevens who does a great job framing the oddball fantasy film in context of Romero's filmography and sussing out the "chasing the Dragon' theme of the film. Calum Waddel offers up an interview with composer Donald Rubinstein, brother of producer Donald P. Rubinstein who worked on several Romero films including BRUISER (2000) and MARTIN (1976). Dan Yakar's archival interview with George A. Romero from American Film (1981) is great, he speaks of a meeting with American International Picture's Sam Arkoff and pitching a medieval period set King Arthur film, it was Arkoff's negative response and Romero's sarcastic quip in response that planted the seed for the film. 

Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with George Romero, Tom Savini, John Amplas, Christine Romero and film historian Chris Stavrakis
- The Genesis of a Legend (13:08)
- A Date with Destiny  (12:03)
- Medieval Maiden (17:43)
- Theatrical Trailer (2:27)
- TV Spots (:42)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nat Marsh
- 35 Page Collector’s Booklet featuring new writing on the film by author and critic Brad Stevens, an archival interview with Romero and a new interview with composer Donald Rubinstein, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Verdict: KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) does not enter the top-tier of George A. Romero for me but I do enjoy it a bit more every time I watch, which is not to say I love it. Arrow Video's 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD does the film justice with very nice picture and audio quality and a decent array of special features, a recommend for fans of the film and a cautious endorsement for the uninitiated, it's an odd one. 3 Outta 5

 

DVD Review: TROLLHUNTER (2010)

TROLLHUNTER (2010)

LABEL: Magnet Releasing
RELEASE DATE: August 23rd 2011
REGION CODE: 1 NTSC
RATING: PG13
DURATION: 103 mins
VIDEO: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
AUDIO: English, Norwegian Dolby Digital 5.1
DIRECTOR: Andre Ovredal
CAST: Otto Jespersen, Robert Stoltenberg, Glenn Erland Tosterud, , Tomas Alf Larsen, Urmila Berg_Domaas, Hans Morten Hansem, Johann Morck
TAGLINE: You'll Believe It When You See It

Here we are again with yet another found-footage film shot in the cinema verite style but fear not visitor's to the Mausoleum, this one is a keeper. TROLLHUNTER begins with a trio of Norwegian college students whom set about documenting what they believe is a series of illegal bear poachings. The crew consists of on-screen talent Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterudwhen), sound recordist Johanna (Johanna Morck) and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen). After speaking with a group of hunters whom are outraged at the illegal killing they track down the alleged "poacher", a mysterious man named Hans (Otto Jespersen). They eventually sleuth the location of the elusive character and further trail him into the woods late one night where they believe he stalks his illegal game. What they discover is that he is not a poacher but is in fact a Trollhunter who works for the Troll Security Service (TSS), a secretive government agency devised to keep the existence of trolls hidden from the public. Hans has been tasked with locating and destroying trolls who stray from their assigned remote territories. After some reluctance he allows the persistent trio to document his trollhunting exploits. Hans has a few strict rules the trio must adhere to if they wish to join him. First, his word is final and they must adhere to his every command, troll hunting is quite dangerous as you can well imagine. Second, if any among them are believers in Christ they may not join him for trolls can smell the blood of Christians, it's true. All confirm they are non-believers but one among them is not forthcoming and it proves disastrous to their well being. They must also mask their natural body odor by smearing themselves in the putrid gelatinous essence of troll stench, which seemed pretty gross. Having sworn to obey his every word, disavowing Christ and covered in smelly goo the trio keeps the film running while he tracks and kills several species of troll which range from the 20ft. tall, three-headed variety to the enormous twenty story tall mountain troll. Along the way he expands on the mythology of the trolls with some cool references to Scandinavian folklore, it's captivating stuff.

The Norwegian mountains and wilderness makes for a gorgeous setting, the lush green gorges, rocky outcroppings, waterfalls and snowy landscapes go a long way towards creating a setting in which one can truly believe in the fantastical, it brings trolls from the fairy tales into the modern age, I totally bought into it. The night scenes filmed deep in the wilderness and lit by the glow of moon are truly magical and eerie, there is some seriously fine world building and mythology transpiring on screen.

Good acting all around but the film is anchored by Hans (Jespersen), the craggy, bearded trollhunter  whom completely sold the realism of the situation for me. He trucks around the Norwegian hills in a custom SUV dragging a camper behind it with protective armament's and charms, his weapon of choice, a super-powerful ultra-violet light canon which either turns trolls to stone or causes them to explode, depending on the species. His vehicle is marred by the scars of troll battle, huge claw marks, tears and gashes cover it's exterior, and does his own storied face.

The trolls look fantastic, obviously they're digital renderings but are quite well done and manage not to draw too much attention to themselves, very natural for the most part. These creatures come right off the pages of a dark  fairytales, only way more menacing, these are great creature designs. The film's is also not wanting for action, as the group flee from trolls through the Scandinavian forest it's pretty harrowing stuff, a ground shaking fun time.

It's actually quite rare I get a screener that I can enjoy with my kids, ages eleven and twelve, so it was a real treat to throw this on and watch it with 'em with a nice big bowl of buttered popcorn, much like myself they were completely enthralled from start to finish... should I tell them trolls don't really exist? Nah. 
  

DVD: The films looks pretty good, it's grainy, the night scenes particularly, but the colors pop and the cinematography stays within it's cinema verite concept but it's not too shaky. The 5.1 sound design is pretty great and definitely pulls you into the fantastical reality as the trolls call out into the night, it gave the surrounds quite a work. There's a decent amount of features on the disc but they're not outstanding, interesting, but not what I would call essential viewing. We get nearly 40 minutes of deleted scenes, bloopers, extended scenes, a nifty visual effects featurette (with no audio) plus a behind-the-scenes mini doc, good breezy stuff. These are presented 16x9 enhanced widescreen with Norwegian audio and optional English subtitles. The last of the features include a HDNet featurette and a collection of Magnolia trailers.
 

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Deleted Scenes (3:34)
- Improv and Bloopers (2:06)
- Extended Scenes (7:54)
- Visual Effects (6:06)
- Behind the Scenes (23:23)
- Photo Galleries
- HDNet: A  Look at Trollhunter (4:20)
- Magnolia Trailers (9:15) - HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, 13 ASSASSINS, GOOD NEIGHBORS, THE PERFECT HOST

VERDICT: Last year's MONSTERS (2010) was a like-minded cinema verite style film that I quite enjoyed but those neon-alien-squids just don't stand a chance against these Norwegian trolls, this is right up there with REC. (2007), CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980) and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) in my opinion. A definite recommend from me, worth a purchase sight unseen.

Film Review: Heartless (2009)

HEARTLESS (2009)

“The darker it gets the more you see”

RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 114 Min.
DIRECTOR: Philip Ridley
CAST: Jim Sturgess, Noel Clark, Joseph Mawle, Eddie Marsan, Timothy Spall,

ANECDOTAL: HEARTLESS is directed by Philip Ridley whom has not directed a film in 14 years, welcome back dude. His previous films are THE PASSION OF THE DARKLY NOON (1995) and THE REFLECTING SKIN (1990), neither of which I’ve seen, but having watched HEARTLESS, I’ll need to remedy this oversight ASAP.

SYNOPSIS: A troubled young man, taking note of the increased violence and odd happening in his neighborhood, suspects demonic foot soldiers are on the prowl in London.

THE FILM: Jamie Morgan (Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe) was born with a large heart-shaped facial birthmark. This disfigurement makes it difficult for James to feel part of normal society, he feels depressed and awkward. Lacking affection from the opposite sex he focuses his energies into photography. Sturgess’ portrayal of Jamie is very natural and convincing, underplayed, not too quirky. While on an evening photographic expedition he encounters a shrieking, demonic-faced youth wearing a hoodie. His encounter combined with reports of murderous masked figures brutally setting people aflame convinces Jim that something more than random acts of violence are occurring. Not long afterwards Jim and his mother are attacked; his mother dies a fiery death. James, wracked by grief, and in want of revenge, decides he must discover the truth behind the escalating violence and his mother gruesome death. His pursuit leads to a meeting with the dark figure known as Papa B (Joseph Mawle). James soon discovers that this character is seemingly the mastermind behind the recent plague of evil deeds. After a failed attempt to avenge his mother’s death James makes a Faustian Deal with Papa B, whom promises him that his disfiguring birthmark will disappear, in exchange for some minor acts of vandalism. As with all Faustian Deals, it’s not as black and white as it would appear. Along the way James falls in love with Tia (Clemence Poesy), and meets The Weapons Man, played in a brief, but scene stealing performance by Edie Marsan, it’s a great bit, played with humor, and it works.


DVD: HEARTLESS is filmed in high definition and it looks amazing. The 2.35:1 HD digital cinematography captures the urban sprawl of East London quite well .The film has been making the festival circuit; a DVD release is slated for October in the US. The Region 2 DVD is currently available.

VERDICT: HEARTLESS is a fantasy-horror film, a modern day Faustian-tale, and it’s played for realism, it is never so fantastic that I fell out the reality of the film. I was enraptured from start to finish. This is a haunting film; I was similarly affected upon my first viewing of DONNIE DARKO. The FX, both practical and CGI are well done, it’s not a splatter fest, but it is highly satisfying. I strongly recommend this film.
**** (4 out of 5 stars)