THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS (1983) (Warner Archive Blu-ray Review)

THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS (1983)

Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-FREE
Duration: 90 Minutes 
Rating: R 
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono with Optional English SDH Subtitles
Director: Carl Reiner 
Cast: Steve Martin, Kathleen Turner, David Warner, Paul Benedict, Richard Brestoff, James Cromwell, George Furth, Peter Hobbs

In this zany 80s sci-fi comedy we have noted brain surgeon Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (Steve Martin, The Jerk), an arrogant but sort of dim doctor, with a promising career. He's developed a revolutionary procedure called "cranial, screw-top brain surgery", which is quite literally screwing off the top of some one's head to reveal the brain. He's recently widowed and still grieving, but when he runs into (literally, with his car) gorgeous blond bombshell Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner, Serial Mom), his thoughts turn to love. After he saves her life in surgery she seduces him with a bit of boner-rific finger-sucking and the two are quickly married, with Hfuhruhurr not realizing his gorgeous new bride is a gold digging femme fatale intent on killing him and inheriting his fortune. 

Dolores pulls away from his sexual advances in favor of banging the hired help around the house, this drives Hfuhruhurr absolutely crazy, the guy becomes a frustrated walking erection with his wife feigning illness and headaches to avoid consummating their marriage. When Hfuhruhurr and his wife take a working honeymoon to Vienna so he can attend a medical conference he meets another brain surgeon and amaetuer mad scientist, Dr. Alfred Necessiter (David Warner, Waxwork), who shows him his cool brain collection back at his Gothic-castle decorated condo, with paper thin walls. The brains are all kept on neon-colored liquid filled jars, the liquid a fluid developed by Necessiter which keeps the disembodied brains alive. Hfuhruhurr discovers he's telepathically able to communicate with one of the brains, a woman with an equally odd name, Anne Uumellmahaye (voiced by an uncredited Sissy Spacek, Carrie). Hfuhruhurr eventually realizes what a gold-digging bitch Dolores is and begins to fall in-love with the disembodied brain of the very sweet Anne, but what to do about her lack of a body? 

Luckily, Necessiter has developed a process by which he can transfer the thoughts and data of the brains into another body, but so far he has only been able to transfer brains into the body of a gorilla. This sets the doc on a murderous trip through the city, looking for a prostitute to kill in which to place his newfound love's disembodied brain into, eyeballing numerous sex-pots,sizing them up, which eventually bringing him the high-voiced American hooker Fran (Randi Brooks), and much hilarity ensues. 

This movie is so damn quotable, which is a credit to the writing team and Martin's delivery, after thinking on the possibility of transferring Anne's brain into a gorilla for a bit too long Hfuhruhurr responds "I couldn't fuck a gorilla!", another scene has Necessiter's butler (Paul Benedict, of TV's The Jeffersons) asking if the doctor's wife is ill, to which he responds, "She's not ill, she's a cheap, vulgar slut", and then there's my hands-down favorite line, when the doc tosses his cheating wife into a puddle of mud, declaring "into the mud, scum queen!", which is a line I repeated ad nauseum for weeks after watching the film as a kid.  

The movie certainly winks at the audience, riffing on retro sci-fi shlockers like Donovan's Brain (1953) and The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), loaded with fun non-sequiturs and goofy humor, this is a nutty film that is light hearted and meant to be taken lightly. It's a spoof, the humor is silly, but the writing is crafty and well-executed. This is my favorite Steve Martin movie, even more so than The Jerk (1979), which he also made with director Carl Reiner (Summer Rental). There's loads gags to guffaw over, like Steve Martin's suction-cup hands, or a recurring gag about a cat in the surgery room, goofy stuff but I loved every minute of it, even when some of the puns don't exactly land they're still a blast.  

Martin is wonderful, landing nearly all the gags and jokes with the deftness of a comic in his prime, and for her part Turner is having a blast riffing on her sex-pot character from Body Heat (1981), she's a fantastic conniving bitch. Horror fans should keep an eye out for a brief appearance from a pre Re-Animator (1986) Jeffrey Combs as a doc caught shaving pubes! 70s TV personality Merv Griffin also shows up as a serial killer which proves pivotal in the happenings of the movie, though I think his identity might be lost on kids today, my kids certainly had no idea who he was or why his identity would be funny, it's probably the one gag too dated to land nowadays. 

This movie has aged pretty well otherwise, it's not reliant on the dated special effects, most of the references aren't time-stamped, it's just a goofy sci-fi comedy, a fun spoof on brain-schlock cinema and mad scientists, and everyone is up to the comic task, bringing their a-game to the movie. I've always thought Martin was best as a "wild and crazy guy", once he started doing more mature, grown-up stuff I sort of lost interest, this is my preferred Steve Martin. 

I remember watching this one on late night cable when I was way too young, not even 11 years old yet. I tuned in because I thought it was a sci-fi horror movie, and at the time I felt it sort of raunchy, at least it was for me at the time, when the hooker Fran (Randi Brooks, Terror Vision) shows up it about sent my adolescent boner through the roof when she disrobes. It felt dirty, I had my hand on the cable box power button the whole time in case my parents happened to wake up and walked into the room so I could snap it off in a heartbeat. Watching it now it's far less racy, and if my dad had caught me he probably would have watched it with me, ha ha. Something I caught this time around was not just what movies this was riffing on but what an influence this must have been on the Frank Henenlotter cult-classic  Frankenhooker (1990), if you love that sort of silly sci-fi fun go back and check this one out!  

Audio/Video: The Man with Two Brains (1983) arrives on Blu-ray from the cinema lovers at the Warner Archive with a brand new 2017 remaster, presented in the original 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio in 1080p HD! Whatever the source of the new HD master, it looks wonderful, it would not surprise me if this is straight from the OCN. Near flawless with a bare minimum of white speckling present, the grain is tightly managed, the neon colors are vibrant and fine detail is abundant. The image is a bit brighter than I remember the DVD being, which is a good thing, colors pop nicely, this is just a wonderful presentation. The lone audio option on the disc is an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono track with optional English subtitles. Dialogue is crisp and clean, the goofy, but apt, sci-fi synth score from composer Joel Goldsmith (Laser Blast) sounds terrific, too. 

The only extra on the disc is an HD Widescreen theatrical trailer for the movie, looking a bit rough around the edges, but there it is. I do think it's too bad we didn't get a commentary from Reiner and Martin, I love this film a bunch, and I am not alone, and I would have loved to hear their recollections of making and writing the movie. 

Special Features: 
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 min) HD

I am pleased as punch that Warner Archive saw fit to Blu this 80's comedy classic, I think it's Steve Martin's funniest film, a sweet slice of 80s screwball comedy loaded with awful-awesome puns, farce and visual gags that are ripe for a revisit. The Man With Two Brains has never looked better on home video, a top notch A/V presentation from the Warner Archive! 

SHAKES THE CLOWN (1991) (Mill Creek Blu-ray Review)

SHAKES THE CLOWN (1991)

Label: Mill Creek Entertainment 
Region Code: A
Rating: R
Duration: 87 Minutes 
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait
Cast: Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, Kathy Griffin, Paul Dooley, Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, Sydney Lassick, LaWanda Page, Tim Kazurinsky 

Shakes The Clown (1991), written, directed and starring Bobcat Goldthwait exploits of an alcoholic clown named Shakes (Goldthwait), which is an appropriate name for a  beer-soaked clown, right? The film opens with him waking up the morning after a one-night stand with a clown groupie (played by Florence Henderson, TV's Brady Bunch), he's passed out on the floor in front of the toilet when the woman's kid takes a leak, missing the bowl, and pissing straight onto Shakes head, waking him from his drunken slumber. This sad scene pretty much sets the pace and tone for the movie, the down and out life of a burned-out clown with a taste for booze. His long suffering, an amusingly lispy, girlfriend Judy (Julie Brown, Bloody Birthday) has had just about enough of his boozing a cheating ways, bolstered by her girlfriend, played by comedienne Kathy Griffin (Pulp Fiction), who insists Judy needs to dump his drunk clown-faced ass. 

It's not just his personal life that's suffering because of his chronic drinking, his clown-career suffers, too, when his agent Mr. Cheese (Paul Dooley, Sixteen Candles) finds it hard to book him new gigs at kids parties, because he rummages through their parent's cupboards looking for liquor. He has a pair of friends, Dink, played by Adam Sandler (The Wedding Singer)in his first movie role, and Stenchy, played by Blake Clark (the voice of slinky the dog in the Toy Story films) who join him on his adventures around Palukaville, USA. 

Shakes is up for the job as the host of a kiddie TV show, as the current host Peppy the Clown (Sydney Lassick, The Unseen) is retiring, but his rival Binky (a pre-Spongebob Squarepants Tom Kenny) is also up for the role, and Tom Kenny steals every scene he's in as the coke-snorting, ball-punching evil clown of the movie, his voice is instantly recognizable. The main gist of the movie involves Shakes being framed for the murder of his agent Mr. Cheese, by Binky, and there's not a whole lot more to it than that. The movie is simplistic but good, sarcastic fun, and I dig the way the characters don't really acknowledge that their in clown make-up, it's just their way of life. The clowns also have rivalries with mimes, and rodeo clowns, so we have a Warriors type gang thing going on in the background, and sometimes in the fore.  

The movie is loaded with cameos, aside from everyone I've already mentioned we have the late-great Robin Williams (World's Greatest Dad) as a mime instructor, and LaWanda Page (Mausoleum) as a foul-mouthed barfly clown, cracking dirty jokes, like this little nugget, "I got one of them peanut butter pussies: it's brown, smooth and easy to spread". My second favorite quote is Dooley as Mr. Cheese who walks in on Binky and friends snorting lines of coke, screaming "You clowns are on dope!", good stuff. The movie lags a bit from time to time, it can be slow, but it's just so demented and sarcastic, it just makes me laugh. I often hear this compared to Bad Santa and in tone that's not too far off the mark.  

Audio/Video: Shakes the Clown (1991) arrives on Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment in 1080p HD, framed in 1.78:1 widescreen - looking solid but not perfect. There's a nice looking grain field, but at times it looks noisy in certain scenes, blacks aren't the deepest, but colors look nicely bright and saturated, the clown make-up and costumes look great in HD. There's not a lot of depth but the clarity is nice and the fine detail is plentiful. Audio wise we get an uncompressed English LPCM 2.0 stereo track, it does the job, well-balanced and clean, dialogue is crisp, and the tasty music cues from Muddy Waters, NRBQ, and composer Thomas Wright Scott (of The Blues Brothers) sounds very good. Optional English subtitles are provided. 

There's only one extras but as Mill Creek are not known for having new extras in their releases it's worth pointing out, we have a brand new audio commentary with Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, and Tom Kenny, which is a lot of fun. The trio reminisce about the making of the movie, working with the various cast, with Bobcat speaking about working with the Brady Bunch's Florence Henderson, who was apparently fond of blue humor, chitlin circuit comedienne LaWanda Page, Adam Sandler in in his first role, and the fallout Bobcat received from clowns following the scathing film, which he says was more an indictment of stand-up comics at the time, also pointing out that Milton Berle does not actually appear in one of the opening scenes, despite the familiar face, it's actually his friend Martin Charles Warner. It's a fun track and fans of the film should have a blast joining the trio for their memories about making the movie. 

This release comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork, pretty standard release from Mill Creek, but this time around they go a step beyond and offer up an O-ring (slipcase) with pretty much the same artwork but with a white background instead of yellow. That they've also included a new audio commentary with stars Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, and Tom Kenny is something special. Mill Creek have a vast and varied catalog of titles, everything from b-movie schlock to Hollywood blockbusters, I would absolutely love to see them go above and beyond and actually create and/or license new extras for their genre titles, it really does make them more desirable. They've also announced their first Steelbook with the upcoming Blu-ray release of 90's supernatural thriller Flatliners (1990)- keep it up Mill Creek!   

Special Features: 
- New Audio Commentary with Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, and Tom Kenny.

Shakes the Clown (1991) gets  fun Blu-ray release from Mill Creek, I am pleased they sprung for the commentary track and the slipcase, otherwise it's bare-bones, but hopefully they're starting off small and we see more newly-produced extras from them in the future. This is a fun, sarcastic, drunk-clown movie, and one deserving of some space in your movie collection, if you enjoy the other movies that Bobcat directed, or Bad Santa, there's a good chance you're gonna love this slice of black humored clown comedy. 

SYNAPSE FILMS BRINGS THE BELOVED 90s CULT HORROR COMEDY POPCORN TO BLU-RAY THIS OCTOBER!

POPCORN (1991) 

Label: Synapse Films
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: R
Duration: 91 Minutes 
Video: 1080p HD WIdescreen (1.78:1) 
Audio: English  DTS-HD MA English 7.1 Surround & English 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Director: Mark Herrier
Cast:  Jill Schoelen, Derek Rydall, Dee Wallace, Malcolm Danare, Ivette Soler, and Elliott Hurst

"Highly recommended... now available on Blu-ray in the best possible presentation, and with informative and entertaining bonus material too." - The Digital Bits

In the history of Synapse Films few titles have generated as much excitement as POPCORN, director Mark Herrier’s 1991 cult favorite that’s been one of the most in-demand genre films of the Blu-ray era. Unavailable for over a decade, POPCORN now comes to HD in a deliciously butter-topped Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD release that will have fans craving for refills!

What could be scarier than an all-night “Horrorthon”? A group of film students finds out when they stage just such an event at an abandoned movie palace. In addition to the three features — MOSQUITO, THE ATTACK OF THE AMAZING ELECTRIFIED MAN and THE STENCH—they decide to screen a bizarre short called THE POSSESSOR, whose creator, Lanyard Gates, killed his family and set the theater on fire after its first showing. Maggie (Jill Schoelen, THE STEPFATHER) has been having frightening dreams that seem to be connected to THE POSSESSOR, and as the festival proceeds, the nightmare comes true for her and her friends as they are stalked and slain by a mysterious killer. Has Gates survived to continue THE POSSESSOR’s deadly legacy?

A loving homage to ’50s/’60s B-movies (the trio of flicks shown at the Horrorthon all have accompanying William Castle-style gimmicks), POPCORN is also an insanely fun horror/comedy in its own right. Pseudonymously written by Alan Ormsby (CAT PEOPLE, DEATHDREAM), who directed the films-within-the-film, it celebrates the joys of old-fashioned creature features and ’80s-style stalk-and-slay, with a great cast additionally including Dee Wallace Stone (THE HOWLING), Tony Roberts (AMITYVILLE 3-D), Ray Walston (THE STAND), Malcolm Danare (CHRISTINE) and Kelly Jo Minter (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5). Pop some popcorn of your own and settle in to watch this new high-definition transfer, which comes with a box full of bonus features!

SHOCK-O-RIFIC SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
- All Region Encoded/Playable Worldwide!
- All-New 2K Scan of an Archival 35mm Interpositive
- All-New Blu-ray 7.1 Surround Sound Mix Supervised by Synapse Films (Original 2.0 Stereo Mix Included)
- All-New 5.1 Surround Mix for DVD
- Audio Commentary with Director Mark Herrier, Stars Jill Schoelen, Malcolm Danare, and Special Makeup Effects Artist Mat Falls
- Midnight Madness: The Making of “Popcorn” featuring interviews with Director Mark Herrier, Stars Jill Schoelen, Derek Rydall, Dee Wallace, Malcolm Danare, Ivette Soler, and Elliott Hurst, Special Makeup Effects Artist Mat Falls, Composer Paul Zaza, and Distributor Executive Jonathan Wolf (55 mins, HD)
- Electric Memories – An Interview with Actor Bruce Glover
- Original Theatrical Trailer, Television Trailer and TV Spots
- Still Gallery
- English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Blu-ray reversible cover art by Chris MacGibbon

Attack Force Z (1981) 35th anniversary edition starring Mel Gibson on Blu-ray 11/7

ATTACK FORCE Z, the World War II action classic starring 
Mel Gibson, makes its high definition debut from 

Umbrella Entertainment and MVD Entertainment Group

ATTACK FORCE Z (1981) 

Label: Umbrella Entertainment 

Duration: 95 Minutes

Audio: Stereo Mono 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen 

Director: Tim Burstall

Cast: Mel Gibson, Sam Neill, John Phillip Law, Chris Haywood, John Waters

The film celebrates its 35th anniversary with a long awaited special edition release

Directed by Tim Burstall (End Play) and written by Roger Marshall (Twisted Nerve), Attack Force Zstars Academy Award© winner Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Lethal Weapon), three-time Golden Globe nominee Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Thor: Ragnarok), John Phillip Law (Barbarella), Chris Haywood (Shine) and John Waters (Breaker Morant).

Attack Force Z was originally released theatrically in North America in June 1982 and is in the company of a collection of films that include Mad Max, The Road Warrior and Gallipoli that introduced Mel Gibson to U.S. audiences before his star making turn in the Academy Award© winning The Year of Living Dangerously.

Long before Gibson tackled the subject of World War II in Hacksaw Ridge, Attack Force Z tells the classic story of an elite military team of commandos lead by Captain P.G. Kelly (Gibson) dispatched during World War II to locate and rescue the survivors of a shot down plane stranded on a South Pacific island occupied by the Japanese. One of the castaways, a defecting Japanese official, holds the secret to ending the war and must be saved at all costs.

Making its debut in high definition Attack Force Z boasts a brand new 4K scan and restoration from the film's inter-positive, presented for the first time ever on 1080p Blu-ray in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio along with the original uncompressed dual channel mono audio. Additional special features in the disc include "The 2-Men Debriefed", a 25 minute featurette that includes interviews with executive producer John McCallum and actors John Waters and Chris Haywood (presented in standard definition) a photo gallery and the film's original theatrical trailer.

Eric Wilkinson, MVD Entertainment Group's Director of Acquisitions and Sales shares his excitement about announcing this release...

"Previous home video versions of this film have looked sub-par. Umbrella Entertainment has done an amazing job restoring this film to its original glory. As a collector of physical media, myself, I'm happy to announce that Attack Force Z represents the first of many classic films on Blu-ray that MVD will be releasing in the near future."

Attack Force Z makes its home video debut on November 7th 2017 on Blu-ray (UPC# 9344256016103) and Digital/VOD from MVD Entertainment Group in North America.

Blue Underground ready BEST OF MIDNIGHT BLUE (1975-1993) 6-disc set for October release!

BEST OF MIDNIGHT BLUE (1975-1993) 

Limited edition 6-Disc DVD Set

Label: Blue Underground
Region Code: Region-FREE 
Release Date: October 31st, 2017
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Duration: 723 Mins.
Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono 
Video: Full Screen (1.33:1) 
Stars: Harry Reems, Ron Jeremy, Marilyn Chambers, Seka, Arnold Schwarzenegger, O.J. Simpson, Debbie Harry, Gilbert Gottfried, Penn and Teller, Annie Sprinkle, Larry Flynt, Vanessa Del Rio, Annette Haven, Veronica Hart, Al Goldstein

Synopsis: From 1975 to 2002, MIDNIGHT BLUE was NYC late-night cable’s most depraved cavalcade of politics, pornography and perversion hosted by controversial Screw Magazine publisher Al Goldstein. In this 6-Disc Set, you’ll meet the real legends behind DEEP THROAT (including Harry Reems and Carol Connors) in graphic and shocking interviews that go far beyond any other adult documentary. Then the legendary ladies from “The Golden Age of Porn” reveal all like never before: Marilyn Chambers, Georgina Spelvin, Seka, and more. You’ll see scandalous celebrity segments and jaw-dropping star interviews with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, O.J. Simpson, Gilbert Gottfried, and Penn & Teller. 

MIDNIGHT BLUE also featured the freakiest freaks, gruesomest geeks and sleaziest sexual deviants ever seen on late-night cable. As the popularity of the porn industry grew due to the advent of home video, the rising porn stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s (including Vanessa Del Rio, Ron Jeremy, Annette Haven, and Teri Weigel) exposed themselves like never before. Plus much more, including the show’s original commercials for swinger clubs, adult toys, leisure spas, and escort services that dropped jaws – and pants – all over New York City and lit the fuse on the battles against the FCC that still rage today!

Special Features: 
- Trivia Tracks
- Al’s Adventures on Demerol by Scream Queen Linnea Quigley
- “Hot Seat with Wally George” featuring guest Al Goldstein
- Ron Jeremy’s Guide to Cunnilingus
- Annie Sprinkle’s Titty Cupcakes
- Al Goldstein’s “F**k You!” to Jenna Jameson

Sell Points:
- Limited Edition 6-Disc Set with low SRP
- Release timed to HBO’s new show, THE DEUCE, from the creator of THE WIRE and starring James Franco & Maggie Gyllenhaal
- The ground-breaking, controversial NYC cable-access show MIDNIGHT BLUE ran from 1975 until 2002
- Executive produced and hosted by Al Goldstein, publisher of Screw Magazine
- “HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! There’s No Disputing The Fact That Fans Of Vintage Adult Cinema Need This Release!” – DVD Talk
- “A Legendary Show That Wowed Viewers Every Week!” – AV Maniacs
- “SMUTTY, SLEAZY, AND SCANDALOUS – And Those Are Just Its Good Points!” – DVD Verdict

THE ZODIAC KILLER (1971) (AGFA Blu-ray Review)

THE ZODIAC KILLER (1971)

Label: AGF/Something weird Video
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 86 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles 
Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.33:1)
Director: Tom Hanson
Cast: Hal Reed, Bob Jones, Ray Lynch, Tom Pittman, Mary Darrington, Frank Sanabek, Ed Quigley, Bertha Dahl, Dion Marinkovich, Doodles Weaver, Gloria Gunn, Richard Styles

Synopsis: Directed by Tom Hanson, who had previously owned a chain of Pizza Man restaurants, THE ZODIAC KILLER was made to capture the real-life Zodiac Killer. That plan didn't work. Instead, we got the most outrageous and compelling "tabloid horror" vortex in the history of planet Earth. And beyond. During theatrical screenings, Hanson constructed in-theater "traps" to lure the killer from hiding. These included the use of an ice cream freezer filled with rent-a-cops and a raffle with a motorcycle as a prize. You won't get insight like this by watching a David Fincher movie. But you will get it while watching THE ZODIAC KILLER.

Director Tom Hanson made this 16mm slice of true crime sleaze in '71 when the real-life Zodiac killer was still on a murder spree in and around San Francisco, which is bizarre, the movie is said to have been made as his attempt to capture the Zodiac, and it opens with a disclaimer from the very real San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery, who describes the movie as a public service, which I think is a nice exploitative touch. I really think the making-of story of this film might be more interesting than the film itself, but that's not to say I don't love this slice of true-crime tabloid terror, because I had a blast with it.  

The film opens with the titular psychopath committing s few heinous crimes, we begin with a taxi driver being shot at point blank range through his open car window, then an assailant wearing a fake nose and glasses knifes a teen girl to death on the sidewalk of a suburban street, her blood trickling through the cracks of the sidewalk to form the circle and cross  symbol of the Zodiac Killer! . We're then introduced two our two main characters, a hard-drinking truck driver named Grover (Bob Jones) and a frustrated postal worker named Jerry (Hal Reed). Both men are angry, frustrated weirdies in their own right, with Grover being a misogynistic divorcee who at night puts on a ridiculous wig and frequents the bars, picking up the ladies and pretending to be a big shot. Jerry is more quiet, he tends to his rabbits at home, at one point becoming rattled by the death of one his furry friends. He is further tormented by a woman on his route who thinks he does a lousy job at delivering the mail, he's also friends with an old perv (Doodles Weaver, The Birds) in the neighborhood who reinforces his hatred of women, telling Jerry he likes his woman plump, juicy and dumb! Jerry has some serious daddy issues, too, which we get more of  late in the film, he yearns for his father's affection and approval, while visiting his father in the loony bin. The movie sets these guys up as the possible zodiac killers, but which one could it be? The safe money is always on the frustrated postal worker, but I'll let you figure it out, and there's a plot twist mid-way that caught me off guard and that makes it pretty clear who it is. 

The movie is tonally strange, it has a weird regional movie sort of feel about it in that it's goofy, but it also has some harrowing murder scenes, a few of which are based on the then very current and real murders the zodiac, some bare an uncanny resemblance to the scenes we saw decades later in David Fincher's phenomenal take on the material in Zodiac (2007). The two most effective kills are the real life murder of a couple parked on a lover's lane and another pair caught necking on a blanket near the edge of a lake, these are done very realistic and they are executed surprisingly well, they gave me the chills. Other kills are a bit more over-the-top and corny, a pair of them involve the Zodiac happening upon older women with car issues stranded on the side of the road. He bashes one old broad over the head with a spare tire, the other he murders by slamming the hood of her car on her repeatedly. When the Zodiac's not busy killing folks he's hanging out at the beach freaking out a young couple and rescuing a cat from a tree at the park, or calling the police and newspapers to go off on one of his diatribes, and then there's the bizarre worshipping evil at an altar stuff, the "zodiac supreme" to his "children" about a new cycle of life, the slaves he will take into the afterlife, and building pyramids... weird stuff. 

Yeah, it's a weird and wild stuff one all around, the mix of true crime details mixed with wacky made-up stuff makes this one a strange watch, but it's hard to deny that a few of these scenes are actually quite harrowing, it feels gritty in Last House on the Left (1972)sort of way, though this movie came first. The Zodiac Killer (1971) has a few keen moments that dread filled terror, but then you have the weird, slightly inept, regional film making tonal shifts, but that's what makes this such a strange and entertaining watch. 

Audio/Video: This crazy true-crime slice of exploitation arrives on Blu-ray/DVD combo from a wonderful team-up between AGFA (The American Genre Film Archive) and Something Weird Video. It arrives in the original full frame (1.33:1) aspect ratio in 1080p HD, derived from a fresh 4K scan of the only known surviving theatrical print, blown up from the original 16mm. The movie has the patina of a well-worn grindhouse print, loaded with grain that's inherent to the 16mm film, it's faded, there's damage to frames and all that good stuff, but it looks natural in all it's faded glory and was never less than watchable. Audio on the disc comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with optional English subtitles. It's not pristine audio but it suits the video component nicely with some hiss and pops along the way, there are some anomalies along the way going back to the low-budget source material, but it's relatively clean, though crisp is not a word I would use to describe it, notably the movie has some cool jazzy freak-out moments that make for a great backdrop to the weirdness. 

Onto the extras we get a new audio commentary with director Tom Hanson and producer Manny Nedwick moderated by Joseph A. Ziemba and Sebastian del Castillo from AGFA, it begins with AGFA guys giving a nice tribute to Something Weird Video and the late Mike Vraney before being joined by Hanson and Nedwick who give a fine recounting of making the film, and a bizarre story about screenings of the movie which were set-up to capture the Zodiac Killer who was still active at the time, including a strange story about perhaps meeting the dreaded killer during one of those screenings! Not sure if I believe it, but they sure do, and it makes for an fun commentary.  

There's also a three minute on-camera interview with Hanson and Nedwick, a brief but entertaining piece with the two discussing Hanson's pizza business, how he broke into movie making, and setting up the screenings to capture the Zodiac killer. There's also a selection of true-crime 70's trailers from the AGFA archive, these include Carnival of Blood, The Manson Massacre, The Other Side of Madness, Three On A Meat Hook and The Toolbox Murders, all in HD, all well-worn and lightly tattered. 

Reversible Artwork

The last of the video extras is the full length second feature, Another Son of Sam (1977) in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1), a 2K scan derived from a 35mm print, like The Zodiac Killer it has the grindhouse patina, well-worn and cheaply shot, but it looks pretty decent all things considered. The film itself is not great, it has nothing to do with the Son of Sam NYC killings, but instead is about a guy who escapes from the loony bin and embarks on a murder spree. The release also contains a DVD with the same feature and extras.   

This release comes housed in a clear Blu-ray keepcase with a sleeve of reversible artwork, plus a 14-page booklet containing an interview with director Tom Hanson conducted by Chris Poggiali of Temple of Schlock. The booklet also contains images from the film, notes about the transfer, and information about both AGFA and Something Weird Video. 

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with director Tom Hanson and producer Manny Nedwick moderated by Joseph A. Ziemba and Sebastian del Castillo from AGFA 
- Interview with director Tom Hanson and actor Manny Nedwick (4 min) HD
- Tabloid-horror trailers from the AGFA archive! Carnival of Blood (1970)(2 min) HD, The Manson Massacre (1971)(2 min) HD, The Other Side of Madness (1971)(2 min) HD, Three On A Meathook (1972)(1 min) HD, The Toolbox Murders (1978)(2 min) HD,
- Liner notes and director Tom Hanson interview by Chris Poggiali of TEMPLE OF SCHLOCK!
- Reversible cover art!
- Bonus Movie: ANOTHER SON OF SAM (1977)(72 min) HD, New 2K scan from a 35mm theatrical print!

I'm a huge fan of what the obscure and cult-cinema archivist at AGFA have been doing with their first two releases, right out of the gate, rescuing these weird slabs of oddball cinema from disintegration, presenting them with their natural, well-worn patinas intact in HD. These guys are truly doing the cult cinema Lord's work, and God bless em for it. It was revealed by Joseph Ziemba and Bret Berg from AGFA on a recent episode of the Shock Waves podcast what the next few releases from AGFA will be. We can expect more team-ups with Something Weird Video, beginning with Bat Pussy (1973) on October 17th, Ed Wood's The Violent Years (1956) in November, and in January 2018 comes The Sword and the Claw (1975) (aka Lion Man), then later in 2018 AGFA and Bleeding Skull are teaming up for a series of Blu-ray releases! Lovers of 70's cinema weirdness, true crime exploitation and oddball regional strangeness need this sort of culty awesomeness in their collection.

AMSTERDAMNED (1988) (Blue Underground Blu-ray Review)

AMSTERDAMNED (1988) 

LIMITED EDITION (3000) 2-DISC DVD/BD 

Label: Blue Underground 
Release Date: August 29th 2017 
Rating:  R
Duration: 113 Minutes 
Region Code: Region-FREE
Video: 1080P HD Widescreen (1.85:1) 
Audio: Blu-ray: Dutch DTS-HD 5.1; Dutch, English: DTS-HD MA 2.0; French: Dolby Digital Stereo / DVD: Dutch Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX; Dutch, English, French Dolby Digital Stereo with Optional English, English SDH, Español Subtitles 
Director: Dick Maas
Cast: Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, Serge-Henri Valcke

Dutch slasher Amsterdamned (1988) comes to us from the director of the Christmas crime-slasher Sint (Saint) from 2001, but this action-slasher is maybe even more odd than that weird genre mash-up. Here we have a scuba-diving slasher stalking the canals of Amsterdam, and that's pretty weird, but also a rather good slasher film with strong police procedural elements and some keen action set-pieces. 

The film opens with a POV shot of our scuba-slasher stalking the canals of Amsterdam, his POV rising out of the water like the shark in Jaws, eventually coming across prostitute who's already had a shitty night, but it's about to get even worse. The black dive-suited attacker leaps from the canal and plunges a diver's knife into her flesh before dragging her into the murky depth of the canal. The next day her mangled corpse is hung from a bridge where it is struck by a passing tourist boat, her bloody body is dragged along the entire length of the glass-roofed boat to the scream-filled horror of boy scouts and nuns! The whole set-up of the first kill and it's aftermath is a real showstopper, this movie wastes no time getting it's hooks right into you! 

As more bodies emerge from the canals over the next few days it becomes clear that a serial killer is on the loose, and hard boiled detective Eric Visser (Huub Stapel, The Lift) is brought in on the case and the film plays out more or less like an Italian style Giallo crime thriller with some cat and mouse games between the cop and the killer with some stylish kills and a surprising amount of well-executed action scenes, including a thrilling speedboat chase through the narrow canals, which crosses over into the surface streets, it really puts to shame the boat chase in The World is Not Enough (1999), this is high-octane stuff, and not something you would normally find in a slasher movie. 

Detective Visser is a divorcee, and has custody of a young daughter named Anneke (Tatum Dagelet), we get a bit with her and a friend looking into the murders themselves, narrowly missing him, but at one point she walks into the bathroom and aims a gun at her father while he's bathing in the tub, and then.... nothing, no follow-up! WTF! This is a Dick Maas film, so I've come to expect some weird humor from him, and this movie does not disappoint, aside from the odd gun-incident Anneke answers the phone only to tell her dad's boss that he's in the bathroom, probably masturbating! There's also a strange pursuit of a youthful offender by Visser that ends in a bakery with the perpetrator face down in a cake, eating frosting with a fun exchange between the baker and cop, I really like director Dick Maas's strange sense of humor here. 

The kills in the flick are pretty great, we get stabbings, decapitations and even a suicide by harpoon gun, there's no shortage of creative kills. The killer in a decked-out in a black wetsuit and comes across like an aquatic version of the miner from My Bloody Valentine (1981) with the heavy breathing through a mask... and flippers, a very cool killer indeed and quite unique. The best kill scene for me was a young women on an inflatable raft that brought to mind Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) and the infamous trampoline scene from Eli Roth's fake-trailer for Thanksgiving (2007), great stuff.

On the downside there are some stretches of film that put the sleepiness right into me, there's a love story I didn't care for, but just as I feared I might be overcome by the sandman we get another great kill or some god awful 80's fashion or a quirky 80's synth music cue that brought me back from the edge of boredom, it's not a perfect film, but it's  an odd 80's Dutch slasher with Giallo-esque tendencies that's certainly entertaining, loaded with action and with a decent body count and a very peculiar sense of humor.

Audio/Video: Amsterdamned (1988) arrives on 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD from Blue Underground, framed in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1), benefitting from a 2K restoration from the original camera negative. The movie looks great, the 1.85 framing shows more information than my Shameless Screen Entertainment. Film grain is nicely managed, colors are robust, fine detail is abundant. Audio options include Dutch DTS-HD 5.1; Dutch and English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles, the Dutch 5.1 wins the day with the most dynamic presentation, but if you;re the kind of person that might prefer the English dubbed track, good news, it's solid, one of the better English dubs in recent memory.
  

Onto the special features, we begin with a brand new audio commentary with Writer/Director Dick Maas and Editor Hans van Dongen moderated by David Gregory of Severin Films which covers all the facets of making the film. There's also the vintage making of doc which runs 36-minutes, and a new interview with actor Huub Stapel who speaks for nine minutes while on a boat touring the canals of Amsterdam, the very same canal where the speedboat chase happens. He talks favorably talking about director Dick Maas, calling him the only Dutch peer of Paul Verhoeven, speaking about a accident during the speedboat chase scene in which he was injured and laid up for a few days. 

Stunt Coordinator Dickey Beer shows up for an 18-minute interview, he speaks about his start as a stuntman on A Bridge Too Far, before moving to England and working a Return of the Jedi and Indiana Jones, and coming back to Holland to work on Amsterdamned. He goes into some great detail about filming the harrowing speedboat scenes and some mishaps along the way.The disc is finished up with a music video for "Amsterdamned" by group Loïs Lane, a song featured during the film;s end credit, directed by Maas, with a serial killer theme. There's also the Dutch and English trailers for the film. There's also an Easter Egg tucked away, more of the interview from Dickey Beer discussing his work on An American werewolf in London. 

This release comes housed in a Criterion-style thick clear Blu-ray keepcase, with a sleeve of reversible artwork, though I am not such a fan of the reverse option, it looks a bit too photoshop-style layout for my tastes. The Blu-ray and DVD discs mirror the artwork options on the sleeve. This release comes with a 20-page collector's booklet with cast and crew info, chapter selection and a new essay by former Fangoria editor Michael Gingold, plus images from the film, behind-the-scenes pics, and poster artwork.

Reversible Artwork Option 

Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Dick Maas and Editor Hans van Dongen moderated by David Gregory of Severin Films
- The Making of AMSTERDAMNED (36 min) HD
- Tales From The Canal - Interview with Star Huub Stapel (9 min) HD
- Damned Stuntwork – Interview with Stunt Coordinator Dickey Beer (1 min) HD
- Dutch Trailer (3 min) HD
- U.S. Trailer (2 min) HD
- Loïs Lane Music Video – “Amsterdamned” (Directed by Dick Maas)(4 min) HD
- Poster and Still Gallery (85 Images) HD
- BONUS Collectible Booklet with new essay by author Michael Gingold
- Easter Egg: Stunt Coordinator Dickey Beer speaking of his time filming An American Werewolf in London. (2 min) HD 

Amsterdamned (1988) is a fun action-slasher with strong police procedural elements, it's a bit long in the tooth at times but the general weirdness and brutality  of it kept me rapt, and the speedboat chase is damn epic. The new 2K restoration from Blue Underground looks and sounds fantastic and we get some nifty extras, this amphibious Dutch slasher classic has never looked better.


ATTENTION: From the Blue Underground Facebook page on September 5th 2017: 

AMSTERDAMNED BLU-RAY ANNOUNCEMENT:
After the AMSTERDAMNED Blu-ray was shipped to customers, we were made aware of some minor compression issues. Therefore, we corrected and will be offering a replacement V2 Blu-ray disc.

If you purchased AMSTERDAMNED and the Blu-ray Disc Art does not have Item# “BLU-BD-7072-V2” on it, you may request a replacement Blu-ray Disc by sending an email to AmsterdamnedBDreplacement@yahoo.com. You MUST include the following information in your email to qualify for a replacement disc:
· Your Name
· Complete Mailing Address (including country if outside the U.S.)
· Copy of sales receipt showing purchase of the AMSTERDAMNED Collector’s Edition
The V2 Blu-ray Discs will be available to mail out in approximately 4 weeks. We thank you for your continued support and patience!
THE LIFT and DOWN Blu-ray releases have been slightly delayed to ensure they don’t have the same issue.