INVADERS FROM MARS (1986)

INVADERS FROM MARS (1986) 

Label: Scream Factory
Release Date: April 7th 2015
Region Code: A
Duration: 99 Minutes
Rating: PG
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0, 5.1
Video: HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Tobe Hooper

Cast: Laraine Newman, Louise Fletcher, James Karen, Bud Cort, Timothy Bottoms, Hunter Carson, Karen Black

I remember watching the original Invaders from Mars (1953) during one of those Saturday afternoon chiller matinees that aired back in the '80s and it scared the crap right out of me before, for weeks afterward I had recurring nightmares of my family and neighbors becoming alien drones, I'd wake up in a cold sweat scared to death, those were some frightening nightmares. I tell you that between watching this and the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) I was convinced that some insidious alien menace would conquer my small town before spreading out into the surrounding areas before conquering the world.

Tobe Hooper's remake of Invaders from Mars (1986) begins with young David Gardner (Hunter Carson) watching a meteor shower with his father out in the yard, afterward he lays down to sleep when a bright light in the sky catches his attention,. Peering through the bedroom window he sees an alien spacecraft landing in the sand quarry just beyond the hill behind his house. David freaks out at the eerie sight, but of course when his parents have a look out the window the UFO is nowhere to be found and they assume it must have been a bad dream. The next morning his father (Timothy Bottoms) doesn't seem quite himself... hmm, could he maybe be and emotionless drone controlled by an invaders from Mars?

As happens with most of these kids films from the '80s no one believes young David when he tells them that the aliens have landed and have begun to take over the town, no one except the school nurse, played by horror great Karen Black (Burn Offerings). David's science teacher Mrs. McKeltch (Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) seems to have been assimilated along with his father and has her eye on David and the rest of the children, she's even organizing a science trip out the sand quarry. The scene of David discovering that Mrs. McKeltch is under the control of the alien force is pretty creepy and somewhat humorous watching it as an adult, she scarfs down a frog specimen from the science lab head first with the legs protruding from her mouth, scary stuff. 

Most of the adults in town seem to have fallen under the control of the alien invaders, David and the nurse are not sure who they can trust anymore and are left to seek the only help left in the area, the damn Marines.In a way that can only work in a film designed for children General Wilson (James Karen, Return of the Living Dead) believes the wild story and launches an all out assault on the aliens out at the sand quarry without much proof or questioning, and this is when the film loses a bit of steam. It does creepy and paranoid quite nicely from the start, the pure terror of knowing your parents are not your parents and no one believes you, that you are a shrinking minority of free-thinkers is scary stuff, especially for a kids film from the '80s, but once the action is amped up during the finale it just feels a bit bloated. 

Onto the look of the alien menace we are given choice of two distinct creatures, the four--legged worker drones and the veiny supreme martian intelligence, both designs are pretty cool and were designed by artist William Stout and realized by John Dykstra and Stan Winston to great effect. A lot of the effects didn't have the same sway on me that they did when I was younger but on a purely nostalgic level this was a lot of fun. The alien spacecraft is a massive ship buried under the sand which can suck people down into the sand where they are implanted with device thereby losing their free will and becoming one of the worker drones for the martians. The interiors set design for the spacecraft has a cool organic feel about it and are drenched in colored lighting and fog machines, very '80s and a lot of fun. 

Not surprisingly the movie had more of an impact on me in my youth, but I can say that about most of the stuff I watched at that magical age. Watching it now as an adult with my own kids it made for a fun watch laced with a fair amount of nostalgia and some '80s camp, it definitely feels more goofy science-fiction than kiddie horror to me  watching now but that didn't make it any less fun of a watch, I still love this movie. 

Blu-ray: Invaders from Mars arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory presented in the original widescreen aspect ratio (2.35:1) and the results are very pleasing. There's some print damage evident by way of vertical lines and speckling throughout but overall this is a solid hi-def presentation. Color saturation is strong with nicely managed film grain and some decent depth and clarity, a definite upgrade from the MGM Midnite Movies presentation. 

The English language DTS-HD MA 2.0 or DTS-HD MA 5.1 both sound great, crisp and clean without any distortions. The surround mix is pleasing with eerie sound effects and Christopher Young's at times over-the-top score bleeding into the surrounds - though most of the action is front and center. 

Onto the extras we have quite a some really great stuff beginning with a brand new audio commentary from director Tobe Hooper moderated by Michael Felsher of Red shirt Pictures. Hooper is not the most active commentator so having Felsher there to prod him along is a good thing. They touch on Hooper's three-picture deal with Cannon Films which spawned this film plus TCM2 (1986) and Lifeforce (1985), it tends not to be scene specific but has some great anecdotes about the making of the film.  

Speaking of Red Shirt Pictures they created a new 37- minute making of doc with new interviews from Director Tobe Hooper, Actor Hunter Carson, Special Creature Effects Artists Alec Gillis and Gino Crognale, and Composer Christopher Young, some great insights and a look into creating the creatures for the film. Bonus content on the disc is buttoned-up with a production illustration gallery with commentary from artist William Stout, a still gallery, the theatrical trailer and a TV spot for the film. A nice touch is a reversible art option which 

Special Features
- Audio Commentary with Director Tobe Hooper
- The Martians Are Coming! (37 Minutes) - The Making of "Invaders From Mars", an all-new retrospective featuring interviews with Director Tobe Hooper, Actor Hunter Carson, Special Creature Effects Artists Alec Gillis and Gino Crognale, and Composer Christopher Young 
- Theatrical Trailer (1 Mins) HD
- TV Spot (1 Mins) SD
- Original Storyboards (4 Mins) HD
- Original Production Illustration Gallery from Artist William Stout with Commentary by Stout (14 Mins)
- Still Gallery (27 Images) 

Verdict: Hooper seemed to be going for a straight-up homage to the original film and other schlocky b-movie science fiction films from the '50s with a addition of a thin veneer of '80s cheesiness and is largely successful. The movie has a great cast and enough kiddie creepiness and sci-fi goofiness to make this an easy recommend, particularly if you're looking for something not-too-scary to watch with your own kiddies. They just don't make 'em like this anymore, there was something special about these dark kiddie fantasy and science fiction films from the  '80s that cannot be duplicated, more '80's awesomeness on Blu-ray is a good thing. 

ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD (1987)

ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD (1987) 

Label: Olive Films
Release Date: March 31st 2015
Region Code: A
Rating: PG
Duration: 99 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Video: HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Gary Nelson
Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, James Earl Jones, Cassandra Peterson, Robert Donner, Henry Silva

I remember watching King Solomon's Mines (1985) in a second-run theatre sometime in '86 and enjoying it quite a bit. At the time I would have been thirteen and already a huge fan of the Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark plus the sequel and this was something squarely designed to cash-in on the success of that action-adventure blockbuster and the following series of adventure-romance films like Romancing the Stone. Coming into this viewing I thought for sure I had watched this but now I am doubting if I even knew there was a sequel to begin with, so it was a pleasure to watched this with a fresh set of eyes.

It appears to be a few months after the events of the first film and Allan Quatermain (Richard Chamberlain, The Swarm) and his fiance Jesse Huston (Sharon Stone, Total Recall) are living comfortably on a plantation in Africa with plans to travel to America where they will e wedded. Jesse is clearly beside herself with happiness at the prospect of marrying but adventurer Allan doesn't seem quite ready to forgo the adventuring lifestyle just yet. As fate would have it the night before they are to embark to the US a stranger arrives at their estate and dies shortly after, but not before informing Quatermain that his long lost brother Robeson (Martin Rabbett) has found the legendary Lost City of Gold and is being held captive there by a lost race of white people. With this information in hand Jess and Quatermain put together a hasty expedition into the heart of the African jungle and along the way they enlist the help of an African warrior named Umslopogaas (James Earl Jones, Conan the Barbarian) and a cowardly Fakir named Swarma (Robert Donner, Vanishing Point).

Our adventurers must cross the treacherous Sahara desert and only just barely survive elaborate booby traps and an attack by a swarm of warrior tribesmen during which Umslopogaas brandishes his battle axe like the whirling blades of a fan thereby dispelling the numerous spear and arrows hurled at them. It's a scene straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon and poor James Earl Jones has this look on his face that clearly says I only did this for the money. Afterward Quatermain launches fireworks into the air and of course the the primitive tribesmen assume he must be some sort of white devil, thus they allow the adventures passage through their territory unscathed. There's some sketchy race stereotypes throughout the movie, the primitive people are depicted about as poorly as you would expect from an Italian cannibal from the '70s, just has a slightly larger budget but this is clearly an PG rated exploitation film. The worst offender is the portrayal of the bug-eyed Indian mystic Swarma, a cowardly and greedy type who craves the golden treasures of the lost city and is the butt of many a joke.

The action-adventure set pieces are fun if a bit uninspired, an underground river puts the group up against serpents and a geyser of flame threatens to consume them but the preceding underground rapids ride will douse your enthusiasm long before the first canoe goes up in flames as the cast comically duck out of the way of low-hanging rocks through what looks like a water slide.

Arriving at the Lost City of Gold Quatermain is reunited with his long lost brother who has not been help captive against his will but is enjoying life in the idyllic village, which is not all that impressive, for a Lost City of Gold this pace is a letdown. The city is ruled by two sister Queens, the good Queen Nyleptha (Aileen Marson) and the evil Queen Sorais (Cassandra Peterson of Elvira notoriety), the latter of whom has aligned herself with the High Priest, Agon (Henry Silva, Ghost Dog). Agon is a frizzy haired weirdo who brought to mind Kevin Dubrow, the late singer of Quiet Riot. The maniacal high priest enjoys his power over the community and leads through fear, regularly dipping his followers headfirst into a vat of molten gold creating a series of macabre statues. It's not quite Temple of Doom but that's what they're going for, it's a pretty lazy script through and through, and feels very episodic without the benefit of any proper follow through.

As you might expect our adventures must wage war against the evil priest and free the city from his tyranny so it can once again return to the ways of an idyllic and peaceful society... or some such nonsense. The finale is overwrought and runs out of steam long before our adventures enter the Lost City of Gold. The finale features Quatermain melting an enormous statue of a lion which stops Agon and his followers in their tracks in an ironic sort of way, it's certainly silly.

Richard Chamberlain is an easy guy to like with charisma to spare, some decent comic timing, he seems game but there's only so much he can do with what's written on the page, and this is some weak stuff. Sharon Stone has even less to work with in what amounts to a cameo as a woman in distress that just pops up from time to time, pretty sure this was not a break-out role for her.

At the end of the day this is what you have come to expect from a Cannon Films action-adventure film, these are after all the same fine people who brought you Ninja III: The Domination (1984), and if you loved that gem of b-movie making I can pretty much guarantee you will find enough to enjoy with this one. Obviously after years of digesting cheap Italian knock-offs I have developed a high tolerance (or maybe even a craving) for this type of stuff and I am pleased as punch to see it on Blu-ray from Olive Films.

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold arrives on Blu-ray from Olive Films with an AVC encoded transfer in the original scope aspect ratio, the image is pretty decent but grain seems to be unnaturally heavy throughout, but there is a decent amount of fine detail and some minor depth to the image. It may not be Criterion-worthy, but it's certainly Cannon-worthy, just kidding. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 does a decent job exporting dialogue, score and effects. Notably much of the score is recycled from the first film which is largely a poor man's knock-off of John Williams iconic Indiana Jones score, apologies to Jerry Goldsmith, but true.

Unfortunately the only extra on the disc is a trailer for the feature film, there's no making of documentary, no audio commentary or a booklet with new writing on the film from some random film historian. This having been a Golan-Globus production there must be some entertaining behind-the-scenes anecdotes someone could have shared with us. but it was not to be. I do appreciate just having this trashy action-adventure sequel in HD, while it may not be a great slice of action-adventure cinema I do find it to be a great deal of fun with a few cold brews and couch full of friends.

42ND STREET FOREVER: THE PEEPSHOW COLLECTION VOL. 10 and SNOW HONEYS (1983) on DVD 5/12 from IMPULSE PICTURES!

42ND STREET FOREVER: THE PEEPSHOW COLLECTION VOL. 10 

Label: Impulse Pictures
Release Date: May 12th 2015
Run Time: 114 Minutes
Not Rated 

Full Screen 1.33:1 

English Dolby Digital 

Mono Region 0
Director: Various
Cast: Vanessa del Rio, Leslie Winston, Susan Nero, Jessie St. James

Synopsis: Their place in history is undeniable. Hardcore 8mm stag films introduced explicit human sexuality to the public. Predating every other moving picture home format, these inauspicious productions provided not only a window to a whole other world, but also immediate relief for those not fortunate enough to make their fantasies into reality. Thousands of these underground movies were made between the 1960s and 1980s, and sold in the back of sex magazines or distributed to the almost 60,000 private “peep show” booths located in adult stores in most major cities. Impulse Pictures is proud to present 42ND STREET FOREVER® - THE PEEP SHOW COLLECTION VOL. 10, a new, continuing series of salacious 8mm shorts, re-mastered from original film prints.

This collection features fifteen classic “loops” with titles like “Blond Bombshell”, “Private Nurse”, “Hot Lez Love”, “All Day Suckers”, “Anally Yours” and more. Watch for adult film stars Vanessa Del Rio, Leslie Winston, Susan Nero and Jessie St. James in these raunchy rarities!

Bonus Features:
- Liner Notes from Cinema Sewer Editor, Robin Bougie 

SNOW HONEYS (1983) 

Label: Impulse Pictures
Release Date: May 12th 2015
Run Time: 75 Minutes
Not Rated 

Full Screen 1.33:1 

English Dolby Digital Mono 

Region 0
Director: Adele Robbins (aka Joseph F. Robertson)
Cast: Seka, John Leslie, Kandi Barbour, Vanessa del Rio

Synopsis: At an unnamed ski resort, Ken Starbuck and Kara walk to their private cabin and complain that the filmmakers are only giving them $10 up front to do this film, as they introduce us to the steamiest sex scenes of the early eighties. Full of odd and hilarious overdubbing, this feature is a series of hot vignettes with your porn star favorites. Watch for “Super Rod” (they aren't kidding) and “Lois Canal” in a hilarious spoof of Superman that gets beeped whenever they mention the comic character names!

A man comes back from a trip to have sex with his girlfriend on a really ugly couch. In a fantasy scene, a “dirty old man” and another foxy lady get amorous while being overdubbed with hilarious French accents. In a scene from “Sweet Cheeks”, two lesbian lovers burn up the screen on a fuzzy rug in front of a cozy fireplace. In one of the oddest scenes in adult film history, we watch three folks get crazy while completely covered in grease (set to calliope music, of course). Seka get a montage of sexual antics with many, many of her best friends, and there’s even a 3-way slow motion jam set to crazy classical music!

SNOW HONEYS is a hot, sexy adult film, featuring scenes with all your favorite adult film stars. Watch for Seka, Rhonda Jo Petty, Vanessa del Rio, Kandi Barbour, Desiree Cousteau and Becky Savage!

Bonus Features:
- Chapter Selections
- Reversible Cover Art

LATE PHASES: NIGHT OF THE LONE WOLF (2014)

LATE PHASES: NIGHT OF THE LONE WOLF (2014) 

Label: Dark Sky Films
RegionCode: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 96 Minutes

Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: HD Widescreen (2.39:1) 

Director: Adrian Garcia Bogliano 

Cast: Nick Damici. Ethan Embry, Lance Guest, Tina Louise, Tom Noonan, Erin Cummings, Al Spenza, Karen Lynn Gorney 

A decent werewolf film is about as east to come by as a decent Bigfoot movie and let me clear things up early on by saying that both are pretty damn rare birds these days. I can count the number of really good werewolf films over the past two decades on one hand, the ones that spring to mind quickly are Ginger Snaps (2000) and Dog Soldiers (2002). I had a lot of hope coming into this one, having been directed by Adrian Garcia Bogliano who directed Here Comes the Devil (2012), which I have enjoyed more and more with each subsequent viewing. This lycanthropic indie just happens to be his English language debut and casting Nick Damici from Stake Land (2010) certainly didn't hurt, the guy's a juggernaut of of an actor. 

As the story goes we have a blind 'Nam vet named Ambrose McKinley (Damici) who is being moved into the seemingly quiet suburban retirement community Crescent Bay located on the outskirts of town.Blind though he may be Ambrose comes off as tough-as-nails and a bit gruff, not the friendliest person on the block as a trio of aging stepford wives find out when they come calling to welcome him to the neighborhood. He does hit it off pretty well with his neighbor Delores (Karen Lynn Gorney) though, but that night poor Delores is torn apart by a furry and furious critter that enters her home, the beast also shreds Ambrose's loyal seeing eye dog which makes it personal. It's quite a good bit of excitement and starts the film off strong. 

When the cops arrives they find Ambrose holding his dead dog and his neighbor in shredded on her floor, but attribute the deaths to an animal attack and warn the vet to stay clear of the edge of the woods and to remain inside at night... even though he was attacked inside his house... movie cops.

Being the determined guy that Ambrose is he sets about sleuthing the murder of his neighbor and beloved dog and determines that t might just be a werewolf on the loose in the neighborhood, and with a month before the next full moon he has plenty of time to prepare himself and to maybe figure out who in the community might be the cursed beast.

With a fantastic start featuring some truly howling action and a great set-up we now have to wind down our expectations a bit because things do slow down and settle into a very slow burn, which I didn't mind. Ambrose sets about physically training himself and becoming more familiar with his new home, placing an array of weaponry in strategic places, preparing inevitable full moon showdown. 

He also wanders out into the community to get a better feel for the area and the people, aside from the wrinkly stepford wives (notably one of them is played by Tina Louise, Ginger from Gilligan's Island) we meet the local priest played by Tom Noonan (Monster Club) who starts to look more and more like our furry culprit, which gives the film an inevitable shade of Stephen King's Silver Bullet, there's even a man with a eye-patch around town.  Some of this down time allows us to feel out the strained relationship between Ambrose and his son played by Ethan Embry, whom he keeps at a distance, it makes for some pretty decent character driven story moments, these two actors are quite good together, intense and magnetic.

As good as Embry is you cannot look away from Damici who inhabits the character of the blind 'Nam vet who seems destined and determined to face off against the lycanthropic monstrosity threatening the inhabitants of Crescent Bay, the guy just never turns in a poor performance and he hold this together from start to finish. Damici takes the notion of a blind man battling a werewolf beyond absurdity and straight into reality. Major props to Noonan as the priest who gives the role more than what it probably asked for on paper. 

There's a lot of good onscreen here, the frenzied initial attack on Delores, the set-up of the inevitable face-off, and some great nuanced character development through and through... now for the bad. As a werewolf film the transformations must be judged by by the juggernauts of the sub genre,of course I speak of An American Werewolf in London (1981) and The Howling (1981), there's just no way around it. The transformations themselves actually look pretty great and owe a lot to An American Werewolf in London with the elongated fingers, bulging body parts, and jaws protruding from the face during the metamorphosis, but the end result and aesthetic owed more to The Howling and Dog Soldiers. When we see the werewolf in brief glimpses obscured by shadows it is effective, but eventually we get the full on body shot bathed in the headlight of a car and the effect is not so great, it looks like a man in a pair of furry overalls with a sweet animatronic head. It diminishes the move a little but but not enough for me to say that this is not a great little werewolf flick, it's not the next best thing but it is a damn decent character driven werewolf film with some cool transformation effects that if not a straight-up purchase is guaranteed to be an above average weekend rental. 

The Blu-ray from Dark Sky Films looks fantastic with strong color saturation and deep blacks which make for a fantastic HD viewing. Audio option include both English DTS-HD MA 2.0 and a more immersive 5.1 surround mix with optional English subtitles. Extras include a commentary from the director, a fifteen-minute making of video piece and half hour FX featurette documenting the creation of the werewolf effects used in the film. .

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentary with Director Adrian Garcia Bogliana

- Making of (15 Mins) 

- FX Featurette (30 Mins) 

- Trailer (2 Mins) 

AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (1972)

AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (1972) 

Label: Shout! Factory

Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 94 Minutes

Audio: , German DTS-HD MA 2.0, German DTS-HD MA 2.0, English DTS-HD 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: HD Full Frame (1.33:1) 

Director: Werner Herzog

Cast: Klaus Kinski, Ruy Guerra, Helena Rojo

Werner Herzong's Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) begins with a group of forty Spanish Conquistadors whom are sent in search of the fabled City of Gold by Commander Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repulles), whom after conquering the Incan Empire develops a lust for the fabled treasure. The expedition is lead by a trio of Spanish noblemen, commander Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra), Fernando de Guzman (Peter Berling), and Ursua's second in command, the very intense Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski). The men traverse the Peruvian jungle via a rafts under constant threat of disease, starvation and arrow attack from the indigenous people, who have no love the conquering conquistadors now invading their land. 

Along for the expedition are Ursúa's young mistress, Doña Inéz (Helena Rojo) and Aguirre's teenage daughter, Florés (Cecilia Rivera) and priest Brother Gaspar de Carvajal (Del Negro), the latter of whose real-life journal writings are in part what inspired the various accounts depicted in the film to some degree, though Herzog has stated that the film is largely a work of fiction. 

Things opens with a dizzying image of the armor clad conquistadors traversing a perilous, fog-drenched mountain trail which at times has the almost hallucinatory effect of an M.C. Escher drawing. We are definitely knee-deep in the wilds of the Peruvian jungle and this is one of the ultimate man versus nature films, or more accurately, a man versus man versus nature film of which there can only be one winner, because as we all know mother nature is a cold and unforgiving bitch.

Throughout the film men are lost to diseases, mishap and the poisoned arrows of the indigenous people, as things become more and more desperate Aguirre (Kinski) becomes mad with greed and power and through a violent coupe overtakes leadership of the expedition, with no one to protest his leadership he drives the men onward towards certain death in search of wealth and infamy. Against their better judgement the men continue on under the oppressive rule of Aguirre who proves to be quite a tyrant becoming more and more consumed with the idea of conquering South America and laying siege to the fabled lost city of El Dorado.

The final images are potent, we have a supremely crazed Aguirre, alone on a raft full of corpses drifting down the Amazon on a raft overrun with chattering monkeys. Amidst this nightmare scene he launches into an unforgettable monologue that begins with  "I, the Wrath of God, will marry my own daughter and with her I will found the purest dynasty the world has ever seen...".  Yeah, i's a stunner of a film with unforgettable scenes of gorgeous jungles and maddening visions, including a large wooden ship inexplicably stranded among the branches of a large tree. A true masterpiece of minimalist cinema and my personal favorite work from either Werner Herzog or Klaus Kinski.

Given the legendary behind-the-scenes madness it is surprising that Kinsi and Herzog would go onto make four more movies together, a lot of which is discussed in Herzog's documentary My Best Friend and I highly recommend a viewing of it if you have any interest in discovering more about the madness of Klaus Kinski and his work with Herzog, it's pretty fascinating stuff. I could understand accusations of this being a bit of a slow burn which I would agree with, but one the best slow burns I can imagine. A slow and intense build-up without a strong narrative, infected with madness and the dangerous beauty of the jungle, it's a beast of a film and Kinski is ferocious. 

Audio/Video

Shout! Factory present Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God in it's original full frame aspect ratio with an AVC encoded HD transfer, and the results are quite pleasing. Colors are vibrant, particularly the jungle fauna which is all consuming. There's an abundance of fine detail allowing for full enjoyment of the turbulent waters of amazon and the craggy facial features of madman Klaus Kinski, a very nice visual presentation from Shout! Factory. 

Onto the audio we have two German options, a DTS-HD MA 2.0 and a 5.1 surround option, plus a DTS-HD MA 2.0 English option. Of the three I preferred the 2.0 German option, the surround mix was odd to me. The overall complaint would be it felt forced and unfocused, definitely losing some of the potency of the Popul Vuh score, and the dialogue at times had an unfortunate reverb or echo to it that was unpleasant. Stick with either the German or English 2.0 audio options, both are decent. 

Special Features

- Audio Commentary With Writer/Producer/Director Werner Herzog moderated by Norman Hill (In English)
- Audio Commentary With Werner Herzog, Moderated By Laurens Straub (In German With English Subtitles)
- Theatrical Trailer (3 Mins) HD
- Still Gallery (40 Images) (5 Mins) HD 

Onto the extras we have two audio commentaries, one featuring Writer/Producer/Director Werner Herzog alone, and another with Werner Herzog, Moderated By Laurens Straub (In German With English Subtitles). Herzog is in fine form in both the English and German commentaries tracks offering a treasure trove of anecdotal filming information and the prerequisite tales of working with Klaus Kinski, a troublesome genius who Herzog threatened with a gun to keep him on set at one point during filming, threatening to murder Kinski before putting a bullet in his own skull if need be, damn, that's some legendary stuff right there. The disc also includes a theatrical trailer for the film and a photo gallery. 

I first came to awareness of Werner Herzog through this film after stumbling upon it at the public library some years ago, and it perhaps ruined subsequent Herzog viewings to some degree by fact that it was Aguirre, the Wrath of God I viewed first, a film I consider to be the director's finest moment. While I enjoy the films to varying degrees each have all paled in comparison to Aguirre, a masterwork of minimalist cinema and what I consider to be the director's finest work. The Shout! Factory Blu-ray looks fantastic with a strong video presentation and the commentaries are intriguing, a recommend of the highest order, a fascinating and potent film anchored by the ferocious performance of one of cinema's most volatile personalities.

 

MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH (2013)

MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH (2013) 

Label: Parade Deck Films, MVD Visual 
Region Code: 0 NTSC
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 104 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Don Thacker
Cast: Jeffery Combs, Adrian Digiovani, Ken Brown, Danielle Doetsch

Ian (Adrian Digiovani) is suffering through some severe mental depression which is never quite explained but we do know he has become something of a dirty hermit who is a shut-in and does not venture outside of his apartment for any reason whatsoever. His daily routine involves watching episodic TV programming on a vintage '60s era tube television and taking a semi-regular dump in the bathroom, His apartment is overflowing with months worth of pizza boxes and cereal bowls. he eats, sleeps and lives on the couch watching a  stream of mind-numbing TV trash, because of his sedentary lifestyle he is covered head to toe in unsightly bed sores and his t-shirt is stained with sweat and food stuff best not though about too long. Yup, he is a bearded weirdo who for whatever reason has opted to drop out of society and live among the trash heaps in his dingy apartment.

While it might appear disgusting to normal people Ian seems pretty damn content with his filthy and lonely existence, that is until one day sad his beloved TV (which he named Kent) up and dies in a brief puff of smoke. Distraught he takes one last semi-regular dump before cooking up a caustic suicide soup of household chemicals in the bathtub, but before the venomous vapors can have the desired effect he is knocked unconscious, when he comes to a bit later he finds that the fungus which has been growing in the corner of his restroom is sentient and in a mood for some serious conversation. The fungal oddity which prefers to be addressed as The Mold somehow manages to win the favor of Ian and inexplicably sets about putting the recluse on a brighter path, beginning with cleaning  the filthy apartment, shaving the crumb-infested beard and wearing clean clothing on a regular basis for a change.

The Mold is voiced by Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) and he does a fantastic job of giving the fungus some real character, assisted by some great puppetry work from the special effects team on the film. Combs' voice is velvety smooth and mesmerizing with a series of mold-isms like "right now you're an goldfish in an eight ounce glass, you got nowhere to go and you don't even know it, you're stuck ", it's not that hard to imagine being mind-fucked by this particular fungus. 

Also along for the ride are a series of visitors to Jack's apartment, since he never ventures outside we must rely on a steady steam of visitors, beginning with a weird TV repairman who has quite a fetish for that old tube TV, so much so that he pretty much molests it. There's the sassy grocery store clerk who comes and goes plus a young woman named Leah (Danielle Doetsch) who Ian peeps through the peephole on his door on a daily basis, having memorized her daily habits, which is just super creepy but she seems into it for some reason and begins a short-lived friendship with the recluse. There's also the beast named Box, the hulking landlord, a potentially violent and scary presence throughout the film. 

The bond between the mold brought to mind the parasitic relationships found in both Frank Henenlotter's Basketcase and Brain Dead, they're definitely kindred spirits, but the humor is a bit different, it's darker. With every shot happening inside Ian's apartment  it does have the tendency to feel stagey but the strong visual style of the inventive cinematography manages to obscure the monotony using skewed angles and interspersing some mind-altering fantasy sequences, including an alien cop drama TV program and a morning workout show, there's also a few cool 8-bit animated sequences. Another bonus is that the entire score for the film sounds like it was composed on a Nintendo NES or Commodore 64, which makes for some seriously sweet vintage 8-bit audio which gives the film a surreal edge layered atop the  barrage of trippy visual images. 

I didn't know quite what to expect with this one going into it, but I'm willing to give just about anything a chance that features the talents of Mr. Jeffrey Combs (From Beyond) and I was not disappointed. Adrian Digiovani's performance is strong and nuanced just enough, all the back and forth with his character and Combs as The Mold is pure verbal dynamite, this particular fungus is quite the moldy charmer and when he goes apocalyptic towards the end it is most certainly frightening stuff. 

Motivational Growth is quite an indie entry from director Don Thacker, and a strange one. One. A bizarre dark comedy about a dirty little shut-in with some serious gross out humor laced within. It's not horror movie but it is very dark, and disturbing on several levels. Check out the multiple vomiting scenes or the strange sight of Ian sucking off a mold-tit if you doubt me. If you are a neat freak you are about to enter a nightmare world, if you loathe mold you are about to traipse through a field of fungus, and if you fear succumbing to depression and dying alone, there's that, too. 

Special Features:
- Trailer (1 Mins) 
- Teaser Trailer (2 Mins)
- Photo Gallery (7 Mins)
- Audio Commentary w/ actors Jeffery Combs, Adrian DiGiovanni and Director Don Thacker

A fantastic watch with some trippy visuals and a sweet 8-bit score, the unique blend of visuals, great casting and strong writing bring this indie entry to life. An original and apocalyptic vision from director  Don Thacker, a very high recommend. I can see this not sitting well with some, it's not a film for everyone, but I loved it. 

VINEGAR SYNDROME NEW RELEASES IN MAY!

MADMAN (1981) 

Label: Vinegar Syndrome
Release Date: May 26th 2015
Run Time: 88 Minutes
Color Widescreen 1.85:1

English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono Region 0
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Joe Giannone
Cast: Gaylen Ross, Tony Fish, Paul Ehlers

Years ago, Madman Marz violently murdered his family only to escape into the woods before his execution could be completed. Legend has it that anyone who calls his name can summon him back to continue his bloody rampage. But teenage Richie, away at camp, doesn't believe the old legend and calls his name. As night falls, strange things start happening at at camp and soon Madman Marz is back, axe in hand, to finish the killing spree he started decades ago. One of the true classics of 80's slasher cinema, Vinegar Syndrome proudly presents MADMAN on Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored in 4K from the camera negative!

Bonus Features:
- New 4k restoration from the 35mm camera negative
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- TV spots
- Cast/Crew interviews
- The Legend Lives: 91 minute documentary on the Making of Madman
- Commentary track by The Hysteria Continues!

FAST CARS FAST WOMEN (1981) / STARSHIP EROS (1979)  Label: Vinegar SyndromeRelease Date: May 12th 2015  Run Time: 145 Minutes Widescreen 1.66:1 English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono  Region 0 Rating: NR Director: Scott McHaley Cast: Kay Parker, Mike Ranger, Bill Margold, Becky Savage FAST CARS FAST WOMEN: Welcome to the erotic world of female racecar drivers! These high octane girls know how to rev up everyone's engine, but when a group of sleazy mobsters begin attacking the girls and their friends, it's up to their tough coach (Kay Parker) to unleash her own brand of revenge! STARSHIP EROS: Aboard the Starship Eros, the all-female crew have nothing but time to indulge in their erotic fantasies, with the help of their robotic servant. Bonus Features: - New 2k restorations from the 35mm camera negatives - Original theatrical trailer - Interview with producer Wesley Emerson - Outtakes from FAST CARS FAST WOMEN SEX WORLD (1977)  Label: Vinegar SyndromeRelease Date: May 12th 2015  Run Time: 91 Minutes Color Widescreen 1.85:1  English Dolby Digital Mono  Region 0 Rating: NR Director: Anthony Spinelli Cast: Annette Haven, Kay Parker, Leslie Bovee, John Leslie, Joey Silvera Sex World is a luxury resort, advertised as the ultimate sex-themed getaway, where people travel to try and overcome their sexual problems. As the resort's guests slowly become aware of their inhibitions, fears, and repressed urges, with the help of robotic surrogate lovers, director Anthony Spinelli's camera paints a haunting picture of human insecurities set against a science fiction backdrop. One of the biggest hits of the late 1970's SEX WORLD is a thoughtful analysis of eroticism, punctuated with striking and at times abstract visuals. Featuring an all-star cast, including Annette Haven, Leslie Bovee, Kay Parker, John Leslie, Joey Silvera, and with Hollywood level production values, SEX WORLD remains one of the most significant and thought provoking feature films ever produced. Vinegar Syndrome presents this genre classic newly restored in 4k from the original 35mm camera negative, featuring brand new interviews with its talented stars. Bonus Features: - New 4k restoration from the 35mm camera negative - Original theatrical trailer - Video interviews with Kay Parker, Joey Silvera and Joel Sussman LONG JEANNE SILVER (1977)  Label: Vinegar SyndromeRelease Date: May 12th 2015  Run Time: 65 Minutes Full Screen 1.33:1  English Dolby Digital Mono  Region 0 Adult Erotica Rating: NR Production Year: 1977 Director: Alex deRenzy Cast: Jeanne Silver, Paul Thomas, Joey Silvera, Sandy Pinney From master filmmaker Alex deRenzy, comes one of the most radical films of the 1970's, LONG JEANNE SILVER. Part documentary, part vignette film, LONG JEANNE SILVER follows the sensual encounters of beautiful amputee, Jeanne Silver, as she invites her lovers to experience her unique sexual gift. DeRenzy's cinema verite styled camera captures Jeanne as she experiences the pleasures of men and women alike, between heart felt and candid glimpses of her real life and personality. Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present this incredibly unique film on DVD fully uncut and newly restored from rare 16mm vault elements. Bonus Features: - New 2K restoration from 16mm vault elements - Audio Commentary with star Jeanne Silver