Blu-ray Review: PUNK VACATION (1987)

PUNK VACATION (1987)

2-Disc Blu-ray + DVD Combo

Label: Vinegar Syndrome

Region Code: 0 
Duration: 93 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 StereoDirectors: Stanley Lewis
Cast: Stephen Fiachi, Sandra Bogan, Roxanne Rogers, Rob Garrison

When some L.A. punks roll into a small rural town for a much needed vacation from the urban decay of the city the shit hits the fan when a young punk named Bobby (Rob Garrison) loses forty-cents in a soda vending machine, all the money he has in the world. Now he's pissed and vandalizes the soda machine, that is until the diner owner chases him off with a shotgun. Bobby returns a short time later with the entire gang of what are supposed to be threatening punks but what look to be teased hair new-wavers in rather heavy make-up, but this was the 80's and TV and film never did quite capture the true essence of punk, anyone remember that infamous punk episode of Quincy? The gang of bike riding trouble-makers are are lead by a somewhat threatening chic-punker named Ramrod (Roxanne Rogers) and the ensuing altercation ends with the diner owner dead and his young daughter apparently molested and catatonic. As the punks flee the scene the older daughter Sally (Karen Renee) and her cop boyfriend Steve (Stephen Fiachi) arrive on scene injuring Bobby with his squad car, but the rest of the punks get away.

In the aftermath Bobby is taken to the hospital with a broken arm where a vengeful Sally attempt to stab the punker with a pair of surgical scissors while he's handcuffed to the bed, and failing miserably.  She only further complicates matters when she attempts to track down the punks on her own which leads to her capture, she's stripped down to her undies and chained to a tree, thus becoming their prisoner. 

Her deputy boyfriend Steve enlists the help of the local sheriff and a group of rednecks with rifles whom manage to track the punks to an abandoned farm where a shootout ensues, it's pretty lackluster and not very entertaining in the traditional sense but it plenty entertaining as a slice of inept trash cinema, particularly entertaining is the cigar-chomping Sheriff Virgil (Louis Waldon) who spews a verbal tirade against the commie pinko punk rockers, it's hilarious stuff that expectantly devolves into an cartoonish 80's punks vs. rednecks debacle.

Punk vacation (1987) is a film from a director and writing team who went on to do absolutely nothing else and for a very good reason, this is a stinker! We have a cast of first-time actors giving it their best and still coming up short, perhaps the most egregious offense would be the complete lack of a punk rock soundtrack, instead we get a shitty synth score that does little to enhance the proceedings, not that it would have polished this turd of a revenger but it couldn't have hurt, Keith Morris and Black Flag chugging through "I Don't Care" in HD audio, that would have been fucking sweet! As it is this is a stale "punk" revenger that's just so bad that there might be some intrinsic entertainment value, but you would have to be a serious connoisseur of 80's schlock n' trash to appreciate it.  

Blu-ray: Vinegar Syndrome give this low-budget "punk" revenger a 1080p widescreen (1.85:1) transfer with an MPEG-4 AVC encode from a master that was scanned and restored in 2K from 35mm archival film elements, and considering what a low-rent production it was the presentation is quite stunning. Skin tones are spot on, color reproduction is accurate nicely saturated and there's quite a bit of detail, some of the darker scene suffer from black crush but overall this looks pretty great, way better than it probably deserves to in actuality. 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 does the film justice, there's some very minor audio hiss and the dialogue is a bit muffled at times but it's never difficult to decipher. My main beef is that for a film titled Punk Vacation there's very little... um, actually no punk rock to be found anywhere, instead we get some 80's new-wave synth which is quite a disappointment but overall this is a decent audio presentation, but abandon all hopes of a Repo Man (1984) worthy punk soundtrack. 

Main Menu

Onto the the special features we get two video interviews, one with producer Stephen Fusci whom speaks about his previous feature Nomad Riders (1984) and Punk Vacation (1987), his aspirations to become a Roger Corman-esque low-budget producer and working with the original director of the film, whom was apparently quite a pain the ass, he was replaced by cinematographer Daryn Okada at some point during filming. The second video interview is with Production Coordinator Steve Rowland who was also the stunt coordinator on the film, he speaks about teaching the inexperienced cast to ride motorcycles, low budget shortcuts and a scene with the rats that featured in the film  terrorizing an aerobics studio full of women which was cut from the film,  also pointing out that Clint Eastwood was shooting Pale Rider in the very near vicinity plus a fun anecdote about a messy port-a-pottie incident. There's also an image gallery with 100 behind-the-scene pics and still from the film. 

The best extra is the inclusion of the Stephen Fusci produced Nomad Riders (1984) from director Frank Roach presented on the DVD portion of the 2-disc set, sourced from a 1" tape master that's quite watchable in a full screen VHS sorta way, and it's a fun trashy watch. This one features a cop named Steve Thrust (Tony Laschi) who sets out for revenge against a crime boss named Mister Vacci, played by director Frank Roach. Vacci hires a trio of bikers known as the Marauders to send a message to Thrusts, I was never sure what that message was but the Marauders end up blowing-up his wife and child, it's fun stuff. As the film opens Thrust is airborne in a glider (WTF) as his wife and kid wait for him on the ground, as he approaches for landing the bikers arrive on scene and force his wife and kid into a tent, douse it with gasoline and toss in a grenade. As the bikers ride off Thrust lands and in hilarious slow-mo he jumps from the glider and tears off his member's only jacket screaming as the tent goes up in flames. The Marauders next victims are a site surveyor using the a port-a-pottie, again a grenade is used and then they run wild through some old woman's house, destroying it. The first five minutes of this film are pretty great  but the last 75 are not so great with Thrust riding around in his Trans Am with his sunglasses on avenging his families death... when he's not busy bedding a babe, of course. 

Special Features: 
- Video Interviews with producer Stephen Fusci (17:57)

- Video Interview with Production Coordinator Steve Rowland (13:54)
- Still Gallary (4:41)

- Bonus Feature Film: Nomad Riders (82 Minutes) - DVD Only

Verdict: Not sure what would lead Vinegar Syndrome to bestow the 2-disc special edition treatment upon the rather inept Punk Vacation (1987) but every shit 80's revenger should be so damn lucky, it's a great looking release with some striking artwork and the inclusion of the feature length film Nomad Riders (1984) doesn't hurt, it definitely loses points for it's lack of punk rock and the fact that it sorta stinks, definitely a low-rent 80's trash fest. 2 Outta 5 

Blu-ray Review: POSSESSION (1981)

POSSESSION (1981) 

Label: Second Sight Films

Region Code: B 

Rating: Cert. 18
Duration: 124 Minutes

Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.66:1)

Audio: LPCM 1.0 with Optional English SDH Subtitles
Director: Andrzej Żuławski

Cast: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Heinz Bennent

Synopsis: With their marriage in tatters Anna (Adjani) and Mark’s (Neill) tense relationship hasbecome a psychotic descent into screaming matches, violence and self-mutilation. Believing his wife’s only lover is the sinister Heinrich, Mark is unaware of the diabolical, tentacled creature that Anna has embarked on an affair with. The unhinged woman visits her monstrous lover in a deserted Berlin apartment and will stop at nothing to protect him.With its dark subject matter and high gore quotient, Possession is not for the faint hearted.

The Film: Possession (1981)  is the harrowing story of a young couple Anna (Isabelle Adjani – Subway) and Mark (Sam Neill – Jurassic Park), as their relationship deteriorates into madness, these two people crumble under the weight of the cold distance that's developed between them, they just can't seem connect in anywayl, they're completely disconnected from each other. Their lives have devolved into daily screaming matches punctuated by outbursts of violence, as Mark becomes more obsessive she becomes more unhinged and distanced. When she asks for a divorce Mark suspects that his wife is having an affair and his fears are confirmed with the revelation of a lover named Heinrich (Heinz Bennent – The Tin Drum)... but she also has another more sinister lover, one more supernatural in nature that neither men know of.

Despite the affair Mark refuses to give her the divorce, soon after Anna flees apartment in the dark of the night, leaving Mark alone to care for their young son Ben. Already a hot mess Mark further spirals out of control without her, slipping in and out of manic and catatonic states, losing his already tenuous grip on reality. He seeks and confronts Heinrich about the affair, Mark attempts to assault his wife's lover but is instead bloodied by the the man who reveals that Anna's left him as well, he has no idea where she might have gone. Returning home Mark finds Anna at the apartment, he confronts here about her whereabouts and beats her bloody before she storms off. The next day a venomous argument in the kitchen results in Anna taking an electric-knife to her neck, in the aftermath Mark can be seen in the kitchen cutting his own arm repeatedly with the same knife. Yeah these two aren't healthy for each other  dysfunctional doesn't even begin to capture what's happening here.

After the neck-shredding wound Anna again disappears and Mark hires a private eye to track down his wife, in the interim he takes up a brief affair with his son's school teacher Helen (also played by Adjani). The investigator tracks her down to a shitty unfurnished apartment and under false pretense gains access to the dwelling, inside he discovers a strange tentacled creature and Anna's slashes him with a broken-bottle, now the film gets even stranger! More deaths, more psychotic behavior and a freakish apocalyptic ending, it gets a bit confusing but I gotta say that I loved this film!

What a weird and beautiful film, they just don't make 'em like this anymore, that's for sure! A strange, frenzied psychological thriller set in the shadow of the oppressive East Berlin Wall. Sam Neil and Isabelle Adjani are fantastic in their unhinged performances, particularly Adjani who gives a terrifying performance during a subway miscarriage/possession scene, it was pretty gut-wrenching stuff as she seeps various fluids from pretty much every possible orifice, bizarre stuff! Neil is an underrated actor, this might be my favorite performance, definitely check out him out in Even Horizon (1997) and John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995). The film also benefits from some grotesque special effects and make-up from Italian legend Carlo Rambaldi (Alien, Dune) but what anchors the film are the passionate and erratic performances from the two leads, daring stuff that t times threaten to go off the rails but I think they're great, particularly Adjan who completely loses herself in the role, truly a bravura performance.

A few quick facts, the film was banned in the UK as a Video Nasty alongside the films of Lucio Fulcio and Dario Argento but watching it now I can hardly see why, it's harrowing and creepy but not overly offensive or even that graphic. Apparently much like David Cronenberg during The Brood director Andrzej Żuławski was enduring a bitter divorce with his wife at the time with a child thrown into the mix, you can see it's influence on the film. In the US the film was re-edited and cut by some forty minutes with a new score and some poorly executed solarization effects, this edition is the original director's features. 

Blu-ray: Andrzej Żuławski's Possession (1981) arrives on Region-B locked Blu-ray for the first time from the UK's Second Sight Films with an MPEG-4 AVC encode, presented in 1080p widescreen (1.66:1) it's looks quite nice in it's restored glory. Sourced from a gorgeous print with nice strong colors and a fair amount of depth, this is a very pleasing presentation. Some of the darker shadow detail is lacking from time to time but overall this is a very nice image with some nice hi-def clarity, cinematographer Bruno Nuytten's excellent visuals have never looked better than on this Blu-ray, great shots and framing from start to finish, a very striking film.

The English language LPCM 1.0 mono audio is nice, the sound design is fantastic with a creepy but sparse score from Andrzej Korzynski - it's powerful stuff, definitely a film that brings the visual and audio elements together in superb fashion. Unfortunately we don't get a stereo or surround mix but what we get sounds quite nice, dialogue, effects and score are balanced and crisp, there are also optional English SDH subtitles.  

Onto the special features we get two audio commentaries, one with director  Andrzej Żuławski and a second with co-writer Frederic Zulawaski, a fantastic 51 minute retrospective making of documentary and interviews with director Andrzej Żuławski, composer Andrzej Korzynski and producer Christian Ferry. We also get two featurettes, one about the artist who created the theatrical artwork and a second  featuring a comparison of the original cut and the awful re-cutting of the film for cinemas in the U.S., I love these type of features! The last f the extras is a theatrical trailer, this is quite an outstanding set of extras.  There's no uncut version of the film on Blu-ray in the U.S. so if you love this film get yourself a region-free Blu-ray player, it's so worth it!

Special Features: 
- The Other Side of the Wall - The Making of Possession
- Audio Commentary with Andrzej Żuławski
- Audio Commentary with Frederic Tuten
- Andrzej Żuławski Interview
- Repossessed – The Re-Editing of Possession
- A Divided City – Interview with the composer Andrzej Korzynski
- Our Friend in the West – Interview with legendary producer Christian
Ferry
- Basha – featurette on the artist who created the famed film poster
- Theatrical Trailer

Verdict: Possession (1981) is a taut, paranoid psychological thriller with some nice horrific elements and arthouse leanings, it's a tense bit of insanity that makes for a rewarding and uncomfortable watch. Second Sight continue to put out some fantastic Blu-ray editions with awesome special features, a high recommend! I will definitely be checking out more films from Polish auteur Andrzej Żuławski after this mesmerizing introduction, great stuff.  4 Outta 5

DVD Review: ARTHUR C. CLARKE COLLECTION - 8 DISC EDITION

ARTHUR C. CLARK COLLECTION

The Complete Original + Groundbreaking Series - 8 Disc Edition

MYSTERIOUS WORLDS (1980) - 13 Episodes (325 Minutes) 

MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE (1985) - 26 Episodes (650) Minutes

WORLD OF STRANGE POWERS (1995) - 13 Episodes (340 Minutes) 

Label: Visual Entertainment Inc. / ITV Studios

Duration: 1315 Minutes
Region Code: 1 NTSC 

Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 

Video: Fullscreen (4:3) 

Years before Agents Mulder and Scully of the X-Files TV series rekindled my interest in Cryptozoic oddity and the unexplained sci-fi author Arthur C. Clark (2001: A Space Odyssey) opened my young mind to the myriad of unexplained phenomena in 1980 with the 13-part British mini-TV series Mysterious Universe (1980) documenting some of the most perplexing and sensational weirdness known to man. The show was my early introduction to the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, and flying saucers. Each episode was introduced and ended by Arthur C. Clark and stuffed with first hand accounts and fascinating filmed footage, it was pretty thrilling stuff when I was 10 and watching it again over thirty years later it's still pretty damn entertaining. Watching each episode I found myself cruising Wikipedia to further investigate each strange topic, scouring the Internet for some new tantalizing tidbit of evidence or video footage to appease my craving for more weirdness. 

Revisiting all 52 episodes I was surprised at just how much ground is covered, we get the face on Mars, fairies, zombies, secrets of the Egyptian pyramids,  spirits from the beyond, crop circles, ancient civilizations, the Bermuda triangle and dozens more unexplained phenomena, there's a little bit of everything here for lovers of science fiction, the occult, the supernatural, aliens and pretty much every bizarre phenomena you can imagine.  

Arthur C. Clarke was the perfect commentator for the subject at hand, clearly a man of science with a true passion for the unexplained. He was not given to blind belief without some science-based proof, offering his own observations and beliefs on each sensational topic at the end of each episode. Clarke's a skeptic but a skeptic who seemingly wants to believe there's something more out there in the universe what we can rationally explain, offering the most probable scientific explanation for each oddity. As he says, "I don't pretend to have all the answers, but the questions are certainly worth thinking about.", very true. 

What this set contains are all 52 half-hour episodes of the three separate series - Mysterious World (1980), World of Strange Powers (1985), and Mysterious Universe (1995) spread out over 8 discs.  Strangely, up to the release of this set these episodes have never before been available on DVD. The source material can be a bit sketchy and grainy from time to time but this is a pretty crisp video presentation considering the age and varying source elements of the video footage. We get an English language Dolby Digital stereo audio track with no subtitle options and the set includes no special features whatsoever,  we have only a basic start-up menu offering either the option to play all or choose individual episodes. 

Despite the fact that the presentation is a bit dated without benefit of fancy editing and the fact it can be a bit dry from time to time I still have to give this 8-disc set a high recommend, particularly for fans of conspiracies, the unexplained, TV's In Search of... , Kolchak: The Nightstalker and The X-Files. These tales of the paranormal are thirty plus years old but the mystery and intrigue are timeless, watching it with my own three children I was pleased to see them take an interest in the unexplained wonders of the cosmos much the same way I did thirty plus years ago when I was about the same age, even without the benefit of nostalgia, this is great set. 4 Outta 5 

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SCREAM FACTORY 2013-2014 Releases with Artwork and Special Features

Updates Shout Factory / Scream Factory releases for 2013/2014

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR TRILOGY

Out on 10/1 

Blood drips from the walls. A terrifying chill permeates through the rooms. Menacing eyes glow from the upstairs window and inside this charming Long Island home, an unspeakable evil lurks the halls, waiting to torment all who dare enter. Experience the ultimate in haunted house films…and delve deeper into the history of the films with vintage special features and all-new special features created for this deluxe collector’s set.

Experience AMITYVILLE 3-D like never before on home video ….in Blu-ray 3-D

VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION

Out on 10/22

- FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (1960) 

- THE HAUNTED PALACE (1963)

- THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964)

- THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961)

- WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) 
and its alternate U.S. version of the film, THE CONQUEROR WORM 

- THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971) 

Special Features:

FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
• Vintage and rare Introduction and final words from Vincent Price
• Audio Commentary with Roger Corman
• Vincent Price Retrospective Commentary with author Lucy Chase Williams featuring Piotr Michael as the voice of Vincent Price
• Audio interview with Vincent Price by historian David Del Valle
• Theatrical Trailer
•Still Gallery

THE HAUNTED PALACE
• Vintage and rare Introduction and final words from Vincent Price
• Audio Commentary by author Lucy Chase Williams (The Complete Films of Vincent Price) and Richard Heft
• Audio Commentary by author Tom Weaver
• A Change of Poe- an interview with director Roger Corman
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
• Vintage and rare Introduction and final words from Vincent Price
• Audio Commentary by author Steve Haberman (Silent Screams: The History of the Silent Horror Film)
• Interview with Roger Corman
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
• Vintage and rare Introduction and final words from Vincent Price
• Rare Prologue
• Audio Commentary with Roger Corman
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery

WITCHFINDER GENERAL
• Vintage and rare Introduction and final words from Vincent Price
• Audio Commentary with producer Philip Waddilove and actor Ian Ogilvy
• Witchfinder General: Michael Reeves’ Horror Classic
• Vintage Interview with Vincent Price conducted by film historian David Del Valle (1987)
• Vincent and Victoria: an Interview with Victoria Price
• Theatrical Trailer
• Additional Vincent Price Theatrical Trailers
• Still Gallery

THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES
• Audio Commentary with director Robert Fuest
• Audio Commentary with author Justin Humphreys (Names You Never Remember, With Faces You Never Forget)
• Introductory Price: Undertaking “The Vincent Price Gothic Horrors”
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery

CHILLING VISIONS: 5 SENSES OF FEAR

Out on 10/22

From the people that brought you Steve Niles’ Remains and Dead Souls comes a terrifying new anthology film based on the human senses…

SMELL – Directed by Nick Everhart. Left by his wife and stuck in a dead-end job, Seth Kyle’s life is the definition of undesirable…until a mysterious saleswoman shows up at his door offering him “a scent to die for.” Armed with a new air of self-confidence and a never-ending barrage of attention, Seth quickly learns that the smell of success comes with a deadly price.

SIGHT – Directed by Miko Hughes. Unsatisfied with his own version of reality, an optometrist develops a machine that can harness the visions of all of his patients. In an attempt to show his favorite patient’s abusive boyfriend the error of his ways, the doctor injects a series of viciously brutal images into his mind, leading to a visceral bloodbath of reality and hallucinations.

TOUCH – Directed by Emily Hagins (My Sucky Teen Romance). After a car accident leaves him stranded in the middle of nowhere, a 12-year-old blind boy stumbles into the stomping grounds of a sadistic serial killer. Using his memory and strong sense of touch, he must navigate through the unfamiliar territory as the killer quickly closes in.

TASTE – Directed by Eric England. A street-smart hacker is brought in for a job interview with a mysterious corporation. He soon learns that the company is led by a man-eater who has impeccable taste…and doesn’t take “no” for an answer.

HEARING – Directed by Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton (YellowBrickRoad). While researching an urban legend about a song that’s long been thought lost, a group of friends piece together all the existing recordings of it, bringing it back to life for the first time in decades. Before long, they discover the bone-chilling truth of what happens to anyone who listens to it and why it was buried for so long.

ALL NIGHT HORROR MARATHON, Vol. 2 [4-Film Feature]

Out on 10/29

THE DUNGEONMASTER (AKA Ragewar) – 1985/Color/PG-13/77 minutes/Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)

Paul, a young computer ace, is forced to pit his physical and mental skills against unimaginable odds when a hulking wizard looking for formidable opponents picks him as his next challenger. Paul faces a series of seven spectacular and death-defying challenges and must survive not only to save his life but that of his girlfriend too.

CELLAR DWELLER – 1988/Color/NOT RATED/78 minutes/Full Frame

The promising career of a horror comic book artist ends in a fiery death when he confronts the carnage of his own imagination in his studio. Years later, an ardent devotee of the artist's work becomes a resident in his house, now an art academy, unaware that her imagination has revived the grotesque murderer of the past…and that she may be the next victim.

CATACOMBS – 1993/Color/R/84 minutes/Full Frame

For over 400 years, the curse of the Abbey at San Pietro was kept a secret. Buried deep beneath the monastery lies the Beast of the Apocalypse. The power of evil is unleashed when an American priest and a beautiful young schoolteacher uncover the unholy terror of a diabolical spell cast centuries ago. Now, it will take the ultimate sacrifice for the curse that will not be denied.

CONTAMINATION .7 (AKA The Crawlers AKA Creepers) – 1993/Color/Rated R/94 minutes/Anamorphic Widescreen (1.87:1)

When radioactive waste from a nearby nuclear plant turns the local trees into man-eating plants, a group of determined villagers must fight them to the death.

NIGHT OF THE COMET (Collector's Edition)

Out on 11/9

Special Features: 
- Commentary with Writer/Director Thom Eberhardt
- Commentary with Stars Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart
- Commentary with Production Designer John Muto
- Valley Girls At The End Of The World – Interviews with Stars Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart
- The Last Man On Earth? – Interview with Actor Robert Beltran
- Curse of the Comet – Interview with Special Make-Up Effects Creator David B. Miller
- Still Galleries (Behind the Scenes and Official Stills)
- Original Theatrical Trailer

JOHN CARPENTER’S ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (Collector’s Edition) 

Out 11/2013

The original classic siege thriller is intensified further with all-new ‘Scream’-produced extras. Check out the newly-designed key art for our upcoming Blu-ray Collector's Edition of John Carpenter's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, nicely illustrated by artist James Rheem Davis. (Nov 2013) 

Special Features:

- NEW Commentary with Art Director & Sound Effects Editor Tommy Lee Wallace
- NEW interview with actress Nancy Loomis Kyes
- NEW interview with actor Austin Stoker 
- Commmentary with writer/director John Carpenter 
- Interview with John Carpenter and Austin Stoker 
- Theatrical Trailer 
- Radio Spots
- Still Gallery

BODY BAGS (11/12) 

EVE OF DESTRUCTION (11/19)

EVE OF DESTRUCTION – The 1991 Gregory Hines android-gone-amok sci-fi thriller hits Blu and anamorphic widescreen for the first time. 

THE HORROR SHOW (11/26)

Special Features: 

- New commentary with legendary Producer Sean S. Cunningham 

SATURN 3 (12/3)

SATURN 3 – This post-Alien 1980 Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett vs. Evil Robot flick gets a considerable upgrade to Blu-ray for the first time. New extras planned. 

TV TERRORS (ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE ALONE? / THE INITIATION OF SARAH) (12/10)

SCREAM FACTORY “TV TERRORS” –Two made-for-TV movies - 1978’s THE INITIATION OF SARAH and ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE ALONE? – will be packaged together on DVD for the first time at a good price. Fans have been asking us if we could exploit more of this made-for TV content so consider this an “experiment”. If this sells well, we would love to look into bringing you a “Volume 2”.

THE BEAST WITHIN (12/17)

CRAWLSPACE (12/17)

CAT PEOPLE (Jan 2014)

CAT PEOPLE (Collector’s Edition) – The 1982 feline flick (with Nastassja Kinski, sex, violence and a great David Bowie single) arrives on Blu for the first time with all-new extras 

- THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN / THE NEANDERTHAL MAN 

(Jan 2014) 

DIE MONSTER DIE (Jan 2014)

DARKMAN (Collector’s Edition) (2/18)

The 1990 Sam Raimi cult classic gets the full on ‘Scream’ treatment with all new extras.

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (early 2014)

VISITING HOURS / BAD DREAMS Double Feature (early 2014)

WITCHBOARD (early 2014)

- NOSFERATU (2014)

- NIGHTBREED - THE CABAL CUT  (2014)

http://www.shoutfactory.com/

Blu-ray Review: IN LIKE FLINT (1967)

IN LIKE FLINT (1967)

Label: Twilight Time DVD
Region Code: Region FREE
Rating: Not Rated 
Duration: 114 Minutes
Video: 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 with Optional English SDH Subtitles
Director: Gordon Douglass 
Cast: James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb, Jean Hale, Andrew Duggan

The man with the panther stroll James Coburn returns as super-spy Derek Flint in this whimsical Bond-spoof actioner from director Gordon Douglass and once again we get pretty much anything one could want for from a spy-comedy. There are fantastic sets, exotic locations, irreverent and sexist humor, kitschy gadgets, go-go dancing chics, gnarly fashions, and it's all wrapped up in the candy-colored veneer of 1960's technicolor.

Flint once again returns to aid Z.O.W.I.E. when an insidious group of women who run the Fabulous Face Spa infiltrate and replace the President of the United States with a double and assume control of a new space lab orbiting the Earth. Armed with nuclear weapons they threaten to blow up the world unless control is handed over to women - yup, that's right, feminist terrorism. Hilariously the secretive group recruit women for the cause by brainwashing them with hairdryers armed with subliminal messages, "Brainwashing by hair washing". Yeah, sure it's goofy but it's a lot of fun too.  

Aside from the charismatic presence of Coburn as super spy Derek Flint a definite highlight is the return of befuddled spy chief Lloyd C. Cramden         (J. Cobb) who goes undercover dressed in drag to the Fabulous Face spa, it's quite a sight. The set pieces and locations are fantastic, plus the action is ramped-up including a great snow-covered rooftop pursuit that's on par with any 007 film, thrilling stuff. In Like Flint (1967) is not just a great spy-spoof sequel, it's a spy film on par with many of the 007 entries. 

Blu-ray: Twilight Time presents In Like Flint (1967) with a 1080p AVC encoded transfer in it's original CinemaScope aspect ratio, the source print used for the transfer is fantastic. There's a nice grain structure, colors are vibrant, greens and red especially pop, it's a sharp presentation with wonderful clarity and some actual depth to the 1080p image, a very nice transfer. 

There are two audio options including a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono and a 5.1 surround mix. The 5.1 sounds quite nice, dialogue, Jerry Goldsmith's score and effects all sound balanced and clear, it's a punchy track and the Goldsmith score sounds fantastic, there's some nice atmospheric use of the surrounds which add some minor depth. I was surprised at the inclusion of the 5.1 as the previous Our Man Flint (1967) Blu-ray offered only a mono mix, optional English SDH subtitles are included.  

As with their presentation of Our Man Flint (1965) Twilight Time offer copious amounts of extras on the disc beginning with Jerry Goldsmith's isolated music score, a fantastic score with some great spy themes and jazzy swing, it's a lot of fun. 

We get another Audio Commentary with Film Historians Lee Pfeiffer and Eddy Friedfeld who talk at length about spy films of the 60's and 70's. 

There;s over an hour of featurettes with interviews from co-author John Cork, director Michael Mann, author Collin Stutz, Lisa Coburn, Mathew Bradford and many others covering all facets of the production, the parodies it inspired, the kitschy style, the future retro design and spy gadgets and Jerry Goldsmith's fantastic score, this is a pretty stuffed disc. 

My favorite segment would have to be James Coburn: The Man Behind the Spy (14:53) which reveals much about the man with the panther stroll, such as did you know Coburn studied under Bruce Lee! Coburn was a very quirky guy who was into youth culture and marched to his own beat. There's loving tributes from his daughter Lisa Coburn, screenwriter Ben Starr and producer Hilard Elkins as they speak about his career, suffering crippling arthritis in the 70's and winning an Academy Award at the age of 79 plus voicing the character of Waternoose in Pixar's Monsters, Inc (2001)

The plethora of extras are finished off out by screen tests and trailers plus a full-color 8 pg booklet with writings from Twilight Time staff writer Julie Kirgo whom offers an appreciation of the spy spoof, James Coburn and the the film's take on the burgeoning feminist movement. .

Twilight Time's In Like Flint (1967) Blu-ray is bursting at the seams with extras and and a sweet 1080p transfer, this is a great disc. The disc is strictly limited to 3,000 editions and is available from www.screenarchives.com or for inflated prices on Amazon.com or eBay. If this release intrigues you you'd best snap it up quick before it's gone.  

Special Features: 
- Isolated Score Track 

- Audio Commentary with Film Historians Lee Pfeiffer and Eddy Friedfeld

- Derek Flint: The Secret Files (15:34) 

- James Coburn: The Man Beyond the Spy (14:53)

- Designing Flint (11:33)

- Flint vs Zanuck: The Missing 3 Minutes (7:09) 

- Take it Off (8:41) 

- Puerto Rico Premiere (11:42)

- Future Perfect (7:28)

- Feminine Wiles (6:29)

- Spy School (6:28)

- Musician's Magician (5:11)

- Spy Vogue (5:59)

- Screen Test (2:15)

- Trailer #1 (:56)

- Trailer #2 (3:22) 

Verdict: James Coburn again wins me over with his anti-Bond spy persona, super-smart and super-cool from start to finish, if you love spy cinema this is a no-brainer, you must own this technicolor marvel, a blast of retro-spy awesomeness. 4 Outta 5