THE WOODS (2006) (Olive Films Blu-ray Review)

THE WOODS (2006) 

Label: Olive Films 
Region Code: A
Rated: R
Duratione: 91 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround 
Video: 1080p HD Widesreen (2.35:1)
Director: Lucky Mckee
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Patricia Clarkson, Emma Campbell, Agnes Bruckner, Lauren Birkell

Set in 1965 Lucky McKee's The Woods follows a troubled pyromaniac young woman named Heather Fasulo (Agnes Bruckner) who is sent away to an all-girl school, the Falburn Academy, which is nestled away in deep in the woods of New England. She's sent their by her cold-fish mother Alice (Emma Campbell) and put-upon father Joe (Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead) who are at their rope's end with her teenage rebellion, it seems that the boarding school was the idea of her mother, who is embarrassed by her rebellious teen daughter's behavior. 

She is greeted by the dean of the school, Ms. Traverse (Patricia Clarkson, Six Feet Under) who take an unsettling interest in the young woman right away, going so far as to offer a scholarship to the cash-poor family, she's always talking about how "special" and "different" Heather is. As she settles into life at the school Heather befriends misfit Marcy Turner (Lauren Birkell) and makes an instant enemy of school bully Samantha Wise (Rachel Nichols), all these ladies are quite adorable in their schoolgirl uniforms. One night Heather is told of the local urban legend about the academy, that one hundred years ago three young girls emerged from the woods, they turned out to be witches who killed the teachers and disappeared again into the woods, where they are said to inhabit to this day, and thus we have the mythology behind this witchy supernatural entry. 

Heather is plagued by nightmares which feed into the strange disappearance of some of the student at the academy, which the staff attribute to the teens having run away from school, but strange things are certainly happening at the school, leading Heather to suspect that the school might be lead by coven of witches, an idea which becomes more and more clear as the movie moves forward, Heather is put through a series of tests which seem designed to trigger a latent supernatural power within her, which the witchy women of the academy are hoping to harness to their own benefit somehow, but they should have had the foresight to see that bringing a pyromaniac into the fold in a woodland area might not work out so well in their favor. 

The woods (2006) was the follow-up to McKee's break through debut May (2002), this was a studio film with a decent budget that for some ungodly reason was shelved for far too-long and tinkered with by the studio before being dumped onto DVD a few years later, but the movie is still quite a treat. McKee does a great job with the higher-budget afforded the film loading it with creepy visuals and loads of atmosphere. the woods which surround the school are dark and foreboding, the trees have a life of their own and indeed carry out the wishes of the witches who want Heather, there's some digital effects work by way of vibes that threaten to snatch away a few of our characters, and for 2006 they don't seem too awful either. 

The Woods gets a lot of comparison's to the Dario Argento classic Suspiria (1977), and not without good reason either, there are some familiar notes that definitely recall Argento's masterwork. For starters we have an all-girl boarding school, a few sinister teachers, witchy supernatural elements and a creepy score with strong whispering vocal elements, but that's about it. I wouldn't say that the story is original but it is pretty damn good, a bit of a slow burn but well paced and eerie through and through, helped immensely by the slow-moving camera of cinematographer John R. Leonetti with loads of skewed camera angles, ratcheting up the tension at every turn without resorting to fast-cutting action.  

Heather Agnes Bruckner (Blood and Chocolate) is damn good in the role of the rebellious 60's teen through witch we experience the movie, craving her cold mother's love and spurring the staff at the academy, drawn to other social misfits at the school, and I love the feud between her and the blond bitch played by Rachel Nichols, a character who could be one-note but actually goes a little deeper here, I enjoyed the writing and the performances. Patricia Clarkson as the Dean of students is brilliant as always, very underplayed but with a certain witchy menace about her, likewise we have the twitchy Ms. Mackinaw (Marcia Bennet, The Woman) and the stern Ms. Leland (Catherine Colvey) as teachers at the school, both quite good, and damn scary. Bruce Campbell appears in a serious supporting role as Heather's father, turning in a solid performance, there's a scene of him with Clarkson in the hospital which is pretty effective as the head witch poisons him with a black liquid seeping from her torn open palm, some good disgusting stuff.The movie doesn't score much in the gore department but there's some, a tiny bit of axe killing during a flashback scene but what the film does well is suck you into the story with the strong performances and atmospheric storytelling, set in a creepy woodland setting, which gives the sixties-set movie a Gothic charm.. 

Audio/Video: Praise be to Olive Films for bringing us Lucky McKee's THE WOODS in 1080p at long last! The movie is presented in the original scope aspect ratio, the image is crisp and nicely detailed, the autumnal colors look great. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound audio presentation is also crisp and strong, the surrounds get some nice use with discreet effects and the haunting John Frizzell score coming through the surrounds, and that 60's soundtrack of Lesley Gore songs is brilliant. Unfortunately this is a bare bones disc, I had been hoping that the long-lost Lucky McKee commentary that Sony seemed to have trashed prior to the original DVD release might re surface, but this is sadly not the case. 

The Woods is a good watch, a witchy period movie loaded with atmosphere and mystery, it won't appeal to everyone but if you love a supernatural slow-burn this is a high recommend. Hoping we see a Blu-ray of McKee's May coming soon, that one is long overdue. 3/5

TURKEY SHOOT (1981) (Severin Films Blu-ray Review)

TURKEY SHOOT (1981)

Label: Severin Films

Region Code: Region-FREE

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 93 Minutes

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 

Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith

Cast: Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, Michael Craig, Roger Ward, John Ley, Lynda Stoner, Gus Mercurio, Carmen Duncan, Steve "Crusher" Rackman, Michael Petrovich, Noel Ferrier

Brian Trenchard-Smith's Turkey Shoot (1982) a ridiculous Australian update of the classic man-hunt movie The Most Dangerous Game with some trashy women-in-prison tropes and and dystopian future stuff thrown into the mix for some added entertainment value. Set in the once futuristic sounding year of 2000 the government doesn't care much for dissent among the people, you're either a non-questioning member of society or you are interred in one of the prison camps where you are subjected to a nightmarish blend of social re-education and behaviour modification including physical punishment, rape and brutal murder.

The most notorious of the concentration camps is Camp 47, which is where we catch up with three subversive members of society sent for rehab, there's an innocent shopkeeper Chris Walters (Olivia Hussey, Black Christmas), a suspected whore Rita Daniels (Lynda Stoner) and repeat dissident Paul Anders (Steve Railsback, Lifeforce) notorious for having previously escaped from the other camps. The prison facility is run by sinister character warden type character Charles Thatcher played by actor Michael Craig (Vault of Horror), a role that could have easily been over-the-top but the actor keeps it pretty straight-faced, which works quite nicely against Railsback who seems to be off on another planet as the unbreakable subversive Anders, we have yet again another overly intense character from Railsback, which is a lot of fun, he keeps it entertaining.Olivia Hussey as the innocent seems a bit frazzled, not sure if that's her character or just her, it's noted on the special features she was deathly afraid of the Aussie wildlife, whatever the reason her fear translates well on-screen, but the woman just cannot handle weaponry, she looks pretty damn ridiculous firing a mounted 50 cal rifle.

Thatcher has a pair of henchmen who enforce the camp rules, the brute Ritter (Roger Ward, Mad Max) and the whip-wielding Red (Gus Mercurio, The Blue Lagoon), both of whom taunt and brutalize the subversives interred at the camp for fun. Ritter at one point makes an example of a young woman whom he nearly beats to death when she cannot recite the camp mantra, another is burned alive after an escape attempt, while Anders is made to stand in a narrow cage under a large weight which threatens to crush him. All this prison camp stuff is just foreplay to the real meat of the movie - the titular turkey shoot - a manhunt sponsored by Thatcher for the benefit of his wealthy friends. We have Secretary Mallory (Noel Ferrier, The Year of Living Dangerously), and VIPs Jennifer (Carmen Duncan, Harlequin) and Tito (Michael Petrovich, The Exorcism of Hugh). Each of the VIPS, including Thatcher, select a prisoner from camp to hunt for sport with the understanding that if the prisoner is able to evade the hunters until sundown they will have earned their freedom and entrance back into society. The chances of the unarmed prisoners making it till sundown seems pretty damn slim, but they have little 
opportunity to complain.

The weapons of choice used by the hunters include a paralyzing pistol, a crossbow with explosive-tipped bolt, and then there's my favorite of the bunch, a nutty looking man-beast named Alph (Steve "Crusher" Rackman) who looks a bit like Mr. Hyde with his top-hat! Once the prisoner's are released the game is on and as you might expect the tables are turned as the hunters become the hunted. The ensuing violence is action-pack, weird and loads of fun as the some of the hunted are killed-off in a myriad of gruesome ways and the wealthy cronies get a proper comeuppance, culminating in an action-packed air strike by the government. 

Turkey Shoot is not a flawless movie by any means, the special effects can be a bit goofy but the b-movie action and carnage is straight-up entertaining from start to finish, though some of the early camp scenes do go on for a bit too long, basically a vignette of scenes modelled after women-in-prison movies. Some of it is played for thrills and some just seem to be comedy, such as when the half-man, half-beast circus freak bites off the pinky-toe before giving his victim a fatal back-breaker wrestling move, it's just goofy stuff. Carmen Duncan as the deadly huntress with a crossbow is a lot of fun, filled with murderous desire and list, sending one bolt after another into the flesh of her victims with so much delight. There are some nice moments of gore peppered throughout, we have a pair of hands chopped off at the wrist which is done very nicely, the after image of the victims hands pulled up inside his sleeve not so much, ha ha. someone else meets their end when they are sliced in half by the plow of a bulldozer, screaming in pain as his lower half and entrails slide down a tree. Not all the effects are as effective, but Trenchard-Smith front loads this one with plenty of action and b-movie carnage. 

Audio/Video: Turkey Shoot arrives on Blu-ray from Severin Films looking very nice, uncut and restored from the original camera negative, offering an eye-popping presentation of this Ozploitation nutter. A few minor blemishes here and again by way of white speckling but otherwise very nice, a little on the soft side at times but colors are solid, black levels are nice and skint ones look accurate, I only wish there'd been more of Olivia Hussey bare-skin to properly judge, ha ha. audio comes by way of an English language DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo track that is also solid and renders audio crisp and clean, free of distortion, the Brian May score, dialogue and sound effects come through strong, there are no subtitle options. 

Onto the extras we have what appear to be all the bonus content from the old Escape 2000 DVD from Anchor Bay including the Brian Trenchard-Smith commentary plus a 10-minute interview with BT-S in one of his patented Hawaiian short. They also carry-over the  24-minute Blood and Thunder Memories featurette with actors Michael Craig, Roger Ward and Lynda Stoner, the latter of whom doesn't exactly seem to love the movie, scoffing at the idea that it is a cult-classic, not a phrase she seems to appreciate. They also have the Escape 2000 Alternate Title Sequence and the original theatrical trailer for the movie.

Severin have brought a new wave of extras for their Blu-ray, beginning with 77-minutes of extended interviews with Brian Trenchard Smith, Antony I. Ginnane, Steve Railsback, Lynda Stoner, Roger Ward, Gus Mercurio, Bob McCarron from director Mark Hartley's awesome Not Quite Hollywood doc, which are all focused on Turkey shoot. If you have not seen the doc 
it is mandatory viewing for b-movie and cult cinema fans. 

The Ozploitation Renaissance – round table discussion with director Brian Trenchard-Smith, producer Antony I. Ginnane and Ozploitation cinematographer Vincent Monton regroups the creative trio who brought us the movie as they discuss the ozploitation heyday and the various films they worked on, from the early sexploitation movies through to the nadir of the scene, more good stuff.  

Special Features:
- Not Quite Hollywood Extended Interviews with Brian Trenchard Smith, Antony I. Ginnane, Steve Railsback, Lynda Stoner, Roger Ward, Gus Mercurio, Bob McCarron (77 Mins) SD 
- The Ozploitation Renaissance – round table discussion with director Brian Trenchard-Smith, producer Antony I. Ginnane and Ozploitation cinematographer Vincent Monton. (26

minutes) HD
- Turkey Shoot: Blood and Thunder Memories – featurette (24 minutes) (24 Mins) SD
- Brian Trenchard-Smith Interview (10 minutes) (10 Mins) SD
- Audio Commentary with Director Brian Trenchard-Smith
- Turkey Shoot Trailer (3 Mins) SD
- Escape 2000 Alternate Title Sequence (2 Mins) SD
- Blood Camp Thatcher Alternate Title Sequence (2 Mins) SD (Easter Egg) 

Turkey Shoot is everything you would expect from a Ozploitation update of The Most Dangerous Game, a sleazy, action-packed slice of b-movie perfection. The Blu-ray from Severin looks mighty impressive and is stuffed with value-added extras, a very high recommend for b-movie fanatics who crave some mondo exploitation in HD.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP (1982)

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP (1982) 

Label: Warner Archive 
Region Code: A 
Rating: R
Duration: 136 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: George Roy Hill
Cast: Robin Williams, Mary Beth Hurt, Glenn Close, John Lithgow, H, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Swoosie Kurtz, James Mccall, Peter Michael Goetz, George Ede, Mark Soper

T.S. Garp (Robin Williams) is the bastard-son of feminist author Jenny Fields (Glenn Close) and this is his story, from the beginning of his life until maybe the end, we follow the youthful exploits of him as an inquisitive young boy, a horny teenager and as a frustrated and horny married man. It has been and probably always will be my favorite performance from the late Robin Williams, a movie that has always touched me, through laughter and through tears in remains a poignant and sweetly dark movie loaded with both saccharine and salt, and it only gets better the older I get.

Garp as a young man is an aspiring writer of sad stories, his writings spur his mother to write about her own life in an autobiographical book she titles 'Sexual Suspect', which finds a home with a small publisher and it unexpectedly becomes an overnight sensation, becoming a feminist manifesto, which attracts all sorts of women, creating a cult around the author, from battered-wife refugees to the transsexual Roberta Muldoon (John Lithgow, Blow Up), a former NFL footballer turned woman, plus a radical cult of women who have cut off their own tongues to protest the rape of a young woman named Ellen James, who was kidnapped and raped, her captors having cut out her tongue so she could not speak their names and identify them. Hearing the story horrifies Garp, that these women would disfigure themselves in such a way deeply disturbs him,and the encounter fuels his next book, which angers his other's supporters, receiving numerous death threats against him. 

In Garp's own life he has married his teen-crush Helen Holm (Mary Beth Hurt) and has fathered two loving sons Walt and Duncan, he has his own career as an author but is frustrated that his own career has been overshadowed by his that of his mother, he is commonly identified as "the bastard son of Jenny Field". His marriage faces difficulties, his own wandering eye for the horny babysitter and his wife's attraction to a persistent young graduate student she teaches among them.

There's a wonderful symmetry to the movie, events that happen during Garp's formative years come around again in various ways, during an adolescent semi-sexual encounter with a neighbor girl Garp is bit on the ear by her father's dog, years later Garp takes a chunk out of the same dog's ear, this sort of life-symmetry happens throughout in a myriad of way with a sense of sometimes tragic poetry, such as an early assassination attempt on his mother by an anti-feminist, which is thwarted, but comes back around. There's underlying sense of doom and dread throughout, a scene of Garp's son Walt standing into the ocean mirrors an earlier scene of Garp as a boy, and then there are numerous references by Walt about Death and dying, scenes I hadn't noticed in my youth but which sent shivers down my spine this time around

I do believe this was the feature film debut of actress Glenn Close who turns in a brilliant performance as the feminist writer Jenny Fields, her matter-of-fact approach to feminism and child rearing is odd, her approach to sex is clinical and detached, the story of how she came to be pregnant with Garp is quite a story, one she reveals to a shocked older gentleman as she explaining how she cam to be preggers without the baggage of having to be a married woman, by raping a near comatose patient during WWII, one with a handy hard-on which made mounting easy.

Garp as portrayed by Robin Williams is so damn relateable, he cuts to the center of the everyman in a way that Williams was so very good at, he could always find human-center of any character, through his acting told a truth and never more so than as the bastard son of Jenny Field. His character loves being a father and wears his worry for their well being of his on his sleeve, which I can now appreciate as a father, when I first saw it these scenes as a kid they were touching but didn't resonate with me that way they do now. I certainly shed a few tears watching it this time around, i is still deeply affecting. 

Eagle eyed viewers might recognize actor Brandon Maggart from the cult-classic Christmas Evil (1980) as Helen's father, the wrestling coach, and he also happens to be the father of singer Fiona Apple.  Lithgow's performance as an transsexual former star athlete seems so prescient watching it now in the era of Bruce Jenner turned Caitlyn Jenner, that the sensationalism of it at the time n the early was so downplayed here also seems so progressive, it also serves to heighten the humor of the line, "I mean, I had mine removed surgically under general anesthesia. But to have it bitten off in a Buick..." with the character referencing the unfortunate outcome of a poorly timed blow-job, in a rather tragic scene. 

Audio/Video: The World according to Garp (1982)looks superb on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive. Colors are nicely saturated, there's a layer of film grain, black levels are deep and the skin tones look accurate. The English language DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo soundtrack exports audio nicely, dialogue, score and sound effects are crisp and clean without any distortion, optional English subtitles are provided. There are no extras on the disc which is pretty standard for the Warner Archive MOD titles.

This is not a film I can approach on a genuine clinical level, I saw it in my youth at a very formative time, I found it deeply affecting then, at a time I could not fully appreciate the more sophisticated and adult-oriented subject matter, and I only appreciate it more now with each passing year as the themes become more poignant and personal, and that is the mark of not just a good movie, but a truly great movie, it becomes more meaningful with age. Another great title comes to Blu-ray from Warner Archive, a movie that seems all the more poignant as I grow older and with the passing of it's star Robin Williams, highly recomended. 4.5/5

WOLFEN (1981)

WOLFEN (1981) 

Label: Warner Archive

Region Code: A

Duration: 114 Minutes

Rating: R
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.40:1)
Director: Michael Wadleigh
Cast: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines, Tom Noonan, Dick O'Neill

It's been a decade or so since I last watched Michael Wadleigh's Wolfen (1981), I remember watching it late one night on cable TV as a youth, and to be honest not exactly loving it. The opening scenes with the violent deaths of NYC real estate magnate Christopher Van der Veer, his wife, and their bodyguard in Battery Park starts off on a high note. We have some cool thermal-vision POV shots as they are stalked through the park, the deaths are violent and bloody. The cops initially attribute the deaths to a terrorist group known as Götterdämmerung but  NYPD Captain Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney) thinks differently, after noting that the bodyguard wore a voodoo-themed ring he thinks there might be something more to the deaths than just politics and radical agendas. 

He's not alone in his thinking, when Coroner Whittington (Gregory Hines, Deal of the Century) cannot match a weapon to the massive wounds inflicted on the victims he thinks outside the box, perhaps an animal could be the culprit, but what sort of animal can slice of a hand and nearly decapitate someone? The notion confirmed by local zoologist Ferguson (Tom Noonan, Manhunter), who verifies that hairs found at the crime scenes belong to a member of the wolf family. Adding an ancient mysticism to the mix is a Eddie Holt (Edward James Olmos) a Native American activist whom is suspected of having been involved in the gruesome murders. Olmos is crazy young here, this was before his turn in Ridley scott's Blade Runner (1982), and his performance is a bit of the deep end at times. After he is questioned by Wilson (Finney) about the murders ge reveals his ability to shape-shift, and a few scenes later we find him naked on the shore of the ocean howling away at the moon, it's wild stuff. 

Finney's character has just been called back into active duty following a mental-health fueled leave of absence, and he does seem a bit detached but also very sarcastic. He's partnered up with an attractive NYPD criminal psychologist named Rebecca Neff (Diane Venora), who at first attributes the murders to the radical terrorist group, but comes around to the theory of wolves when she finds herself face to face with them. Neff brings a serious tone to the role, professionally detached in her own way, and of ourse she becomes a love interest for the older Finney, and thankfully the over-long love scene is shot with some amount of obscurity, preventing a full-on shot of Finney's aged ass, which I think we can all appreciate. 

Wolfen came out the same year as several other noted wold-movies, Joe Dante's The Howling and the John Landis' classic An American werewolf in London, which might have hurt it a bit. As a kid I thought I was coming into an urban-werewolf movie, which was a failure of expectation on my part, once I firmly knew that there would be no actual werewolves I was bummed, what I wanted I did not get, but watching it now years later I am quite impressed by the movie and how well it has stood the test of time. I love the inner-city South Bronx setting, the urban decay captured on film is just a great setting and the socio-political commentary you can read into this is impressive on many levels and as sadly relevant today as it was thirty years ago. 

While we do not get a lycanthropic menace of the werewolf lore we do get a bit of the Native American shape-shifting mysticism introduced into the story, and the wolves certainly do seem supernatural in nature at various points. This might not have the most satisfying conclusion if you come into it expecting traditional werewolf movie in an urban setting, but I applaud it for bringing something new to the table, and something that sets it apart from any other movie of the time. 

The relationship between the snarky Wilson and the offbeat coroner is a lot of fun, the two have a chemistry and near the end of the film they both head into the South Bronx with sniper rifles and night vision lenses to hunt the Wolfen menace, with the coroner cracking wise throughout, the way things pan out for the coroner is a bit of a heart breaker, I loved that character a bunch, and you hate to see him go. 

The Wolfen are kept hidden away in the shadows till near the very end of the movie, which I think was a wise choice, the use of the thermal wolf-vision is in use from the very beginning, the shots are effective, and when I was a kid I was so sure we were gonna get a werewolf right up until be catch a proper glimpse of the Wolfen. I was disappointed in my youth but now I can appreciate the fear and dread the cinematography and thermal-vision brought to the movie, it's creepy stuff. The attacks are violent, a bit short of gory, but certainly visceral and bloody. In earlier seen of the Wolfen's glowing red eyes as seen in a dilapidated church in pretty effective stuff, proving that some minimal scares are hugely effective. 

Audio/Video: Wolfen (1981) comes to Blu-ray from Warner Archive as a MOD (Manufactured- On-Demand) option, the image looks quite nice with a healthy layer of film grain present, there's some modest depth and fine detail present, colors and skin tones look natural. Audio gets a nice bump over the previous snappercase DVD with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound presentation, the DVD was stereo, so this is a nice upgrade from which to enjoy the powerful James Horner score, which heightens the dread, this one has a great sound design, very effective stuff. 

Unfortunately the only extra on the disc is a standard-def trailer (2 Mins) for the movie, which is a bit of a shame, this is a movie with a somewhat storied production with director Michael Wadleigh having been yanked-off the picture during the post-production phase, having never completed his own director's cut of the movie, would have loved some insight into that but I guess most studio aren't exactly chomping at the bit to highlight tumultuous movie projects. 

Wolfen (1981) is a damn good variation on werewolf movies without actually being a werewolf movie, which might be problematic for some viewers, it certainly proved so for me in my youth, but it holds up extremely well. A top-notch nail-biter with with an awesome cast, glad to see this come to Blu-ray with a nice A/V presentation from Warner Archive. I am hoping Warner Archive get around to releasing a few '80s slashers on Blu-ray in the near future, would love to see Nightschool and Killer Party in HD. 3/5

FELLINI'S CASANOVA (1976)

FELLINI'S CASANOVA (1976)

Label: Mr. Bongo

Rating: 18 Certificate 
Region Code: Region-FREE

Duration: 154 Minutes

Audio: English LPCM 1.0, Italian with LPCM 1.0 with optional English subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Frederico Fellini

Cast: Donald Sutherland, Tina Aumont, Cicely Browne, Carmen Scarpitta, Daniel Emilfork

Synopsis: Federico Fellini’s darkest film cracks through the myth of Giacomo Casanova. As played by Donald Sutherland (M.A.S.H, Don’t Look Now), the notorious womanizer is presented as a pitiable and terrifying figure. Casanova craves respect as a scholar and yearns to pursue his interest in alchemy. A sex scandal lands him in prison, but an escape to Paris provides him a new lease of life. Yet every Court in Europe and its attendant patrons and hostesses will only entertain him if he lives up to his reputation in the ritual displays of sex and courtship which form part of the daily life of 18th Century Europe. Fellini had dealt with the theme of the frustration of human desires in La Dolce Vita and 8 ½. In Casanova, the nobleman’s search for happiness achieves tragedy, a painful reflection of the human condition.

Before this viewing my only exposure to the films of Frederico Fellini was the "Toby Dammit" segment of the Spirits of the Dead anthology horror movie, I have the Criterion Blu-ray of 81/2 sitting on my shelf but have not yet watched it, so I am by no means familiar with the majority of his work, but this adaptation of the 18th century adventurer and world famous lover starring American actor Donald Sutherland seemed like as good a place as any to jump in. 

The movie opens at a festival of some sort in Venice, quite a sight, fireworks exploding in the night sky, elaborately costumed party goers, some sort of enormous bust or statue rising from the waters of the canal. we catch up with Giacomo Casanova (Sutherland) standing at the edge of the water reading from a letter by candle light, the letter comes from an admirer, supposedly a naughty nun, who wants to meet with the famed lover of women. The scene is slightly surreal, a staged ocean of black waves made u what appear to be garbage bags, having been shot completely on a sound stage the whole of the movie has a stagey feel about it, which I liked. The  naughty nun takes him back to a home owned by a wealthy French aristocrat enjoys voyeurism, and quietly peeps the couple in the throws of passion. Sutherland's Casanova is played for laughs it seems, his love making prowess is clownish, exaggerated love-making thrusts and goofy fornication-faces, this is being played for laughs. At the end of the session Casanova addresses he aristocratic voyeur through the peephole in a painting, begging for him to please use his influence to spread the word of Casanova's  knowledge as an inventory, schemer and master of alchemy and the black arts, but the words seem to fall on deaf ears, leaving the famed lover to row back to the mainland, en route he is apprehended and arrested for his debaucherous lifestyle, imprisoned in a squalid cell, from which he eventually escapes, to carry on his adventuresome and libidinous lifestyle. 

The movie further follows the exploits of Casanova throughout the 18th century as he regularly charms and beds many women throughout Europe in Paris, France and beyond, sometimes in search of love and at other times seeking recognition for his self-said genius by never truly finding either. Fellini seems to be aggressively pointing out the superficial and unflattering truth about the famed lover of women as a vain, shallow and empty morally corrupted vessel, at one point arousing the aged Madame d'Urfé , who seeks some sort of remedy through his sexual prowess and alchemy, but he cannot do it without the aid of a young woman whom he must rely on to arouse him, otherwise he would not be able to rise to the occasion. 

We meet quite a cast of freaks and royal weirdos during his many sexual adventures, a humpbacked homosexual played by Daniel Emilfork (City of the Lost Children), a giantess and her dwarfs, the supposed love of his life Henrietta (Tina Aumont, Torso) and a bizarre orgy at a hostel. From there we have a bizarre encounter with his own mother whom he encounters by chance and a sexual entanglement with a mechanical marionette doll named Rosalba, this was such a strange and surreal watch from the beginning tot he end, and while it might have been a head-scratcher it was never dull in any way, scene after scene of elaborately staged and ornately decorated scenes of bawdy humor and empty sexual conquest, it paints a rather sad and empty portrait of the lover as a man who's vices have deterred him from ever being taken seriously, right up until the end of his life. 

Sutherand's performance is very strange, for beginner Fellini had him shave his head t recende his hairline in an odd way, furthermore he looks to wearing a prosthetic nose and a chin, but Sutherland's charm does come through, but he doesn't seem to have a good read on the character, again his Casanova comes off as clownish and empty, but you can tell he is deeply yearning for recognition of his knowledge and skills, for he seems to only be noted for his sexual prowess. 

The strange electronic-keyboard score from Nino Rota is appropriate and oftentimes quite silly during the bawdy sex scenes, additionally these scenes are made even stranger by the regular appearance of a mechanical birds which brought to mind Bubo from Clash of the Titans in a perverse sort of way. There's definitely an episodic feel to the movie as it jumps from one strange sexual encounter to the next which was slightly off putting but I loved the surreal and imaginative set designs, and Sutherland's odd but captivating perform ace as the famed lover craving recognition. 

Audio/Video: Fellini's Casanova arrives in 1080p HD in the form of a Region-FREE Blu-ray disc from Mr. Bongo with gorgeous colors and some modest depth and fine detail, this is a very nice image which I can only assume far surpasses an previous DVD release that may be out there. The disc includes both English and Italian Uncompressed PCM 2.0 Stereo audio with optional English subtitles. Audio sounds crisp and clean, with no issues whatsoever. Unfortunately there are absolutely no special features on the disc, which as a Fellini novice I would have appreciated.

This was not what I was expecting but I enjoyed it, the presentation from Mr. Bongo looks fantastic and this definitely has me excited to check out more from Fellini, and cinematic adventure that is long overdue, this is a Donald Sutherland performance you will not soon forget. This probably won't appeal to your standard horror-fan but if you enjoy some arty foreign cinema this might be a fun watch, just strap yourself in for the bawdy 154-minute ride. 3/5

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (2014) (Scream Factory Blu-ray Review)

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (2014)

Label: Shout! Factory
Release Date: September 29th 2015 
Region Code: A
Duration: 104 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 7.1 Surround, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1) 
Director: Peter Strickland
Cast: Chiara D'Anna, Eszter Tompa, Eugenia Caruso, Fatma Mohamed, Monica Swinn, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Zita Kraszkó

The Duke of Burgundy comes to us by way of Director Peter Strickland whose previous movie, the tense Giallo homage Berberian Sound Studio, was a film that split viewers right down the middle, either you thought it was a pretentious slice of arthouse cinema and loathed it or you thought it was an arthouse slice of cinema and loved it. I firmly fell into the latter category as I have love for both the stylized Italian whodunit and for the artier side of world cinema, ever since an accidental screening of the Krzysztof Kieślowski movie The Double Life of Véronique (1991) during my formative teen years, truth be known I loved '90s arthouse long before I discovered the whodunit movies of Sergio Martino and Dario Argento. 

Being a fan of arthouse helped my viewing, but point in fact when The Duke of Burgundy arrived I was not aware of who directed it until I put it on for a watch. It was evident from the very beginning that this would be one of those artier viewings though, one with a heavy European cinema flavor beginning with an atmospheric chamber pop score from composers Cat's Eye, whom provided a dreamy chamber pop score to accompany the baroque cinematography. 

Set in the idyllic countryside of some undefined European place we have the icy butterfly researcher Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen, Borgen) living in a somewhat run down estate nestled away in a fairytale-esque woodland area. She is visited by  Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna, Berberian Sound Studio), a younger woman who performs chores around the home for Cynthia, but it quickly becomes evident that the two are lovers and this role playing routine is mere foreplay before the sadomasochistic sex and bondage games begins, but this is some seriously restrained stuff, don't come in expecting a lurid spectacle or you will be disappointed.  

As the movie plays on we see the two lovers repeat the cycle with the unhappy mistress and incompetent maid routine with slight variations, it's a strange and wonderful sort of erotic game, minus the nudity but with an atmosphere and stylish cinematography. What we have here is an interesting examination of the power dynamics of the women's relationship, while Cynthia at first glance seems to be the dominant it becomes very clear that the Evelyn craves the punishments layed upon her and she becomes increasingly frustrated when Cynthia does not completely embrace her role as the icy sadomasochistic mistress. While this is a world I am not familiar with with any amount of authority, I loved the way its portrayed and acted in the film, the relationship is layered and complex, with Strickland focusing not on the lurid aspects, including some hinted at water sports, but instead focusing on the quirky relationship of the women and what they're willing to sacrifice to make the other happy, and the toll that takes on both.

The world Strickland has created seems carved out of a fantasy, the setting is evocative of the eighteenth century, the women travel on bicycles, there are no men present and no modern conveniences of note, and it doesn't are to explain any of the idiosyncrasies. Strickland also seems to avoid the more fantasy driven male gaze and the story has a more feminine touch, watching it I would not have guessed that a man had directed this one. 

Visually the movie feels like an authentic slice of '70s European cinema with slow, gorgeous cinematography with a slightly hazy fairytale aesthetic with a painter's eye and a languid pace that might prove to be an acquired taste for some viewers, but I loved it. On top of that there's the lush chamber pop orchestrations of composer's Cat's Eye who created the score, a wonderful blend of string and wind instrumentation that perfectly compliments the visuals.

Audio/Video: The Duke of Burgundy looks superb on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory, framed in the original scope aspect ratio it opens up wonderfully on screen with a vibrancy of color, more often than not settling for an array of earth tones. The image is crisp and clean, not sure if this was shot on film but it certainly feels that way to me, this feels like an art from the '70s in the best possible way

The English DTS-HD MA 7.1 Surround sounds great, an immersive experience with subtle use of the surrounds, the buoyant and atmospheric score from Cat's Eye sounds superb, optional English SDH subtitles are provided. This is a score I would love to own, I wish there had been an isolated score option on the Blu-ray disc. 

Extras on the disc include an audio commentary with director Peter Strickland, plus a 12-minute video interview, both offering some fascinating insight about the making of the movie and it's Eurocult influences. We also have 44-minutes of deleted scenes with a text-intro for each from the director explaining the scene and the various reasons they weren't used in the final cut of the movie. Additionally we have a Cat's Eye promo, one of Strickland's early short movies 'Conduct Phase', a gallery and a theatrical trailer for the movie, plus a bonus DVD with the same content as the Blu-ray. 

Bonus Features
- Audio Commentary By Director Peter Strickland
- Interview With Director Peter Strickland (12 Mins) HD
- Deleted Scenes (44 Mins) HD 
- Cat's Eye Promo (5 Mins) HD 
- Short Film – Conduct Phase (8 Mins) HD 
- Still Gallery (103 Images) HD 
- Theatrical Trailer (2 Mins) HD 

In some ways I think this movie is being marketed as a kink or erotic movie, and while that may not be untrue, it is  more along the way of the more refined erotic movies produced by Radley Metzger in the '70s minus the lurid sex and infused with a feminine European sensuality, more so than anything from Jess Franco or Jean Rollin, but you can definitely feel the influence of both upon the director and the movie. The Duke of Burgundy is a quirky little love story wrapped up in some dazzling arthouse wrappings, it certainly won't be for everyone one, but I loved it, and look forward to Peter Strickland's next movie. 4/5

SPACED INVADERS (1990)

SPACED INVADERS (1990)

Label: Mill Creek Entertainment
Duration:101 Minutes
Rating:PG
Region A
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Patrick Read Johnston
Cast: Douglas Barr, Royal Dano, Ariana Richards, J.J. Anderson, Gregg Berger, Wayne Alexander

Now this is a movie I would have sworn I had watched before, it definitely looks like something I would watch, which honestly is not exactly a mark of quality, I sort of love bad movies, and this one comfortably falls into the realm of not-a-good-movie. We have a crew of five Martians from Mars (Duh), members of the Civilian Asteroid Patrol, the civilian branch of the Atomic Space Navy; Blaznee, Captain Bipto, Corporal Pez, Dr. Ziplock and Lieutenant Giggywig. The Martian launch and armada against their sworn enemies the Arcturans but our crew have veered woefully off course and are lost in space, until they intercept a Halloween broadcast of Orson Welle's Mercury Theatre presentation of H.G. Welles War of the Worlds, which they mistake for actual news footage of the Martian invasion and head straight for the source of the signal, the agriculture town of Big Bean, Illinois.

On Earth we have small town Sheriff Sam Hoxly (Douglass Barr, TV's The Fall Guy) and his daughter Kathy Hoxly (Ariana Richards), plus the overly serious Deputy Russell Pillsbury (Fred Applegate). Then we have Royal Dano (Ghoulies 2) as Wrenchmuller, a strange old man on the verge of losing his farm to the unscrupulous banker Klembecker (Gregg Berger), a pretty typical small town prick out to screw over the little guy.

The Martians crash land into a barn owned by Wrenchmuller ho hopes to capitalize on the discovery of aliens to save his farm, meanwhile the aliens run around town trying to unsuccessfully launch an invasion, which is difficult when no one takes you seriously, it's Halloween and the grown-ups assume the green men with antennae are kids in costumes. At first only young Kathy and her friend Brian (J.J. Anderson), a kid dressed as a duck, seems to realize they're for real, at least until the Martians blow-up a silo full of corn feed, leaving an avalanche of popcorn in their wake.

As things play out the human and aliens must also contend with a Enforcer Droid bent on destruction and Kathy befriends an overly cute Scout-in-a-Can droid who only seems to be there to play up to the younger kids in the audience. Spaced Invaders is a mighty silly '90s artifact, without a doubt if this had been released in the mid '80s I would have seen it in the theatre but in 1990 I was seventeen and chasing after the opposite sex with a fury and this would have been something I deemed to be way to kiddie, and I would have been right. 

The young cast are pretty good, cracking wise and being cute, the Martians are a fun bunch, the alien-costumes are not he most articulated special effect but they are good enough, the pilot Blaznee is an easy favorite, his voiced modeled after Christian Slater or a young Jack Nicholson, as if their was a difference. What sapped my viewing experience the most was the overly extended running time, over 100-minutes in length, a film that easily could have run eighty-five and been done. 

Spaced Invaders feels very '80s but it also feels very '90s straight-to-video at the same time, which is not to say I did not enjoy it, this is a fun '90s science fiction comedy for the kids and the young at heart who love bad movies. 2/5