19th May2013

Tinto Brass – ‘The Key’ and ‘All Ladies Do It’ Blu-ray Review(s)

by Phil Wheat

One of the true pioneers of adult and erotic cinema, Tinto Brass is renown as one of Europe’s leading figures in softcore erotic filmmaking, earning a worldwide reputation for his blend of art and extremity. After joining the Italian film industry in the early 1960’s Brass worked alongside the likes of Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini, before directing his debut solo feature in 1963. However it was not until 1976 that Brass would gain worldwide recognition, when Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione chose him to direct the infamous Caligula. Despite numerous editing and post-production issues, which caused Brass to disown the film, it made millions at the box office and ultimately gained him global notoriety.

And now Arrow Video bring us The Key and All Ladies Do It in two dual format editions including brand new uncut and uncensored versions of each film, which have been painstakingly restored for Blu-ray and DVD.

The Key

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Stars: Frank Finlay, Stefania Sandrelli,  Franco Branciaroli, Barbara Cupisti, Maria Grazia Bon, Gino Cavalieri, Piero Bortoluzzi | Written and Directed by Tinto Brass

Tinto Brass’s first major film since Caligula, The Key, originally released in 1983, stars Frank Finlay as a man who is terrified of losing his voluptuous wife Teresa (Sandrelli) because he is unable to satisfy her sexually. He arranges for her to have an affair, by taking erotic photographs of her and asking her would-be lover to develop them. Meanwhile, he keeps abreast of her burgeoning relationship by reading her diary, in the full knowledge that she in turn is reading his.

An adaptation of the 1956 Japanese novel “Kagi” by Jun’ichirô Tanizaki, The Key moves the story from fifties Tokyo to a pre-war Venice, allowing Brass to wallow in the decadence of the era giving his film a sleazier edge and to satirize Italian politics, reaffirming the same socio-political agenda Brass brought to Caligula. However unlike Brass’ Roman epic, The Key sees the director working in a much more restrained manner – amping up the erotic overtones when needed but keeping the film on a much more melancholic slant for the most part, after all this is the story of a marriage with troubles…

Sadly the melancholy overshadows the story and the sex, leaving The Key feeling much like a meandering tourist video for Venice rather than the masterpiece of erotica many claim it to be.

Film: * 1/5
Blu-ray: *** 3/5

All Ladies Do It

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Stars: Claudia Koll, Paolo Lanza, Franco Branciaroli, Ornella Marcucci, Isabella Deiana, Renzo Rinaldi | Written and Directed by Tinto Brass

The longest version of All Ladies Do It ever released in the UK sees the stunning Claudia Koll indulge her unquenchable sexual appetite in a softcore epic loosely inspired by the Mozart opera Così fan tutte (the title is a direct translation). Lensed in 1992 but looking like something that has stpped straight out of the mid-80s, the film tells the story of Diana (Koll) and Paolo (Lanza), a happily married couple who have very different sexual appetites – whilst she loves to flirt and experiment, he’s content to simply listen to the stories of her various adventures. But, when she has an affair that’s much too close to home, he throws her out, and she moves into a Venetian flat to embark upon an erotic voyage of sexual discovery, while at the same time trying to win him back.

All Ladies Do It is, for the most part, a very different movie to The Key. Whereas that film was ultimately a dull, meandering tale of a marriage in breakdown, this is a fun and humorous  frolic into a very similar territory. It also focuses much more on Brass’ most famous fixation – the arse! What also raises this film above Arrow’s other Brass release is it’s star Claudia Koll. Not afraid to lay her body or her sexuality bare on the screen, Koll gives a mesmerizing performance as the (anal) sex hungry Diana whose hedonistic behaviour drives All Ladies Do It through the monotony of Brass’ story.

Filled with Brass’ trademarks: mirror shots, toilets, urination and plenty of arses, All Ladies Do It is, like The Key, one for Brass fans and completists only. Everyone else will probably left a little cold.

Film: ** 2/5
Blu-ray: *** 3/5

Another pair of interesting releases from Arrow Video, both films look fantastic on Blu-ray, however both releases are let down by a lack of special features. All Ladies Do It comes with a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic David Flint, illustrated with rare production stills, whilst The Key comes with a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Tinto Brass scholar Alexander Tuschinski.

All Ladies Do It and The Key are released on Double-Play Blu-ray by Arrow Video on May 20th.

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18th May2013

‘Black Sabbath’ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Boris Karloff, Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Jacqueline Pierreux, Gustavo De Nardo, Mark Damon, Susy Andersen, Massimo Righi | Written by Mario Bava, Alberto Bevilacqua, Marcello Fondato | Directed by Mario Bava

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Mario Bava had been steadily working away in Italian cinema before he hit it big with 1960s Black Sunday, a film which introduced many to both his work and to Italian horror cinema in general. In fact his 1960 opus was such as success that a horror follow-up was eagerly demanded. An so came Black Sabbath, a three-part horror anthology blending modern and period stories, featuring the iconic Boris Karloff as host and star of one of the segments.

Black Sabbath opens with the Victorian-era ‘The Drop of Water’, in which a nurse steals a ring from the corpse of a dead spiritualist, who naturally tries to get it back. This is swiftly followed by the giallo-style ‘The Telephone’, where a woman is terrorised by her former pimp after his escape from prison, and tries to escape him with the help of her lesbian lover, who has a dark secret of her own. However Bava saves the best tale for last – the 19th-century set ‘The Wurdalak’ the only tale in this anthology to feature the great Boris Karloff as a much-loved paterfamilias who might not be entirely what he seems. This tale is also the closest, thematically and visually, to Black Sunday.

From an era that placed atmosphere and storytelling over visual effects and gore, Black Sabbath seems remarkably quaint when viewed today – even when compared to its filmic peers from Tigon and Hammer. The movie is also somewhat of an oddity. From the same era as Hammer yet feeling far removed from that studios output; it was lensed in Italy, yet the tales in this anthology are actually based on stories by Russian writers Chekhov and Tolstoy! Yet Bava manages to bring everything together in a movie that both harkens to horror cinema of the past yet sign-posts Italian cinemas future.

Black Sabbath comes to Blu-ray, courtesy of Arrow Video, in two editions: I tre volti della paura – the European version with score by Roberto Nicolosi and the more familiar AIP release Black Sabbath, re-edited and re-dubbed with Les Baxter score; and both versions of the film look and sound remarkable – especially given the films age. Arrow’s restoration is easily on a par (if not better) with the restored Hammer films from Studio Canal and actually looks better than their release of Bava’s Baron Blood, even though that film was lensed almost a decade later.

An example of superb 60s horror, Black Sabbath is out now from Arrow Video.

Film: **** 4/5Blu-ray: ***** 5/5

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12th May2013

‘Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Dungeon Collection’ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Bret Hart has had a long and historied wrestling career, from his early days in his fathers promotion Stampede Wrestling, to his time in the WWE and the controversial Montreal Screwjob in 1997; from his days in WCW to his return to the WWE in 2010, Bret Hart is also one of the most famous wrestlers of the past three decades and this new Blu-ray collection shows why…

Bret-Hart-photo

Bret Hart is an “interesting” character. One of the greatest stars of the WWE during the 80s and early 90s, Hart was – much like John Cena, Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker – one of those superstars that could do no wrong. No matter whether he was face or heel, Hart had his fans and they loved him. But then along came the Attitude era, his personal problems (including a severe concussion in 1999 which led to his October 200 retirement), his much-publicised falling out with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and the death of his brother Owen Hart in 1999, and the luster of Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation faded.

Of course Hart has since made his peace with Vince McMahon and the WWE and has made numerous appearances at WWE events (most recently at Royal Rumble 2013) and is, of course, an inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame. However I, sadly, don’t think Bret Hart ever really recovered from the infamous Montreal Screwjob, he may have made some professional inroads back into the spotlight but that magic is no longer there, the “The Excellence of Execution” isn’t as excellent as it once was.

However despite my feelings on Bret Hart he can still draw a crowd. And pull in DVD sales… Already the subject of two documentaries – Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows and Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be, Hart’s career has been covered quite substantially already so this latest WWE release had to be something special.

Essentially a companion piece to the previous WWE release, Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Dungeon Collection was compiled by Bret Hart himself and features over 8 hours of in-ring action, encompassing matches never before released on DVD or Blu-ray, including some pre-dating Hart’s time in the WWE – in fact all the way back to the late 70s and Hart’s first few appearances in the Stampede Wrestling promotion.

As Hart’s personal story has already been well documented, this release see Hart takes viewers behind each match in brand new interview footage detailing the inside stories surrounding these hand-picked matches. And what matches! Not only does feature plenty of Hart’s WWE and WCW matches – including those against some familiar (wrestling) faces: Bam Bam Bigelow, Andre The Giant, Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair, Yokozuna, Sting, Booker T; but it also includes two matches with the UK’s own Dynamite Kid, Hart’s match at the Tokyo Dome in Japan where he wrestled Tiger Mask II and his feud with his own brother, Owen Hart, from 1995.

Whilst this is the Bret Hart story, Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Dungeon Collection is also a look at the history of wrestling through Hart’s matches and as such is essential viewing for not only Bret Hart fans but also for those true wrestling aficionados who appreciate the skill as well as the spectacle.

Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Dungeon Collection is released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 13th, courtesy of FremantleMedia.

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06th May2013

‘Baron Blood’ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Joseph Cotten, Elke Sommer, Massimo Girotti, Rada Rassimov, Antonio Cantafora, Umberto Raho, Luciano Pigozzi | Written by Vincent Fotre | Directed by Mario Bava

Italian director Mario Bava was responsible for some truly great horror movies of the 60s and 70s, including The Mask of Satan, Black Sabbath, Blood and Black Lace, Lisa and the Devil and proto-slasher A Bay of Blood. However some, whilst a success at the time, haven’t aged quite so well… like Baron Blood.

The film is yet another gothic horror from Bava that, like Black Sunday before it, features a witch’s curse – this time placed on Baron Otto von Kleist, Austria’s legendarily murderous ‘Baron Blood’, whose corpse is inadvertently revived when an ancient incantation is read out as a joke by a descendant and his girlfriend. Naturally, the Baron decides to carry on where he originally left off, with the help of an entire vault of elaborate torture devices.

Lensed in 1972, two years before the more popular Lisa and the Devil, but looking and feeling much like a product of the 1960s, Baron Blood stars Elke Sommer, who would go on to star in Bava’s Lisa and the Devil, provides the eye-candy as she’s chased, mini-skirt and all, through fog-shrouded alleyways by Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane, The Third Man), who in turn chews up the screen as the deceptively charming Baron of the title.

Whilst the film is incredibly dated, Bava does at least manage to add his usual flair to proceedings – a foggy chase through the castle grounds and a séance sequence are real standouts – Bava even manages to throw in some early gore effects but nothing can save the film from an inherent cheesiness, which is not helped by the ridiculous dialogue and over-exposition from Sommer and her woefully wooden on-screen boyfriend Antonio Cantafora.

Despite being one of Bava’s lesser works, Arrow have done a sterling job on this new edition of Baron Blood. Not only does the film look superb but this release features three versions of the film: Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga with Italian opening and closing titles (and incredibly cheesy, 60s travelogue style music) and Baron Blood with English opening and closing titles and the European English export version audio, and, for the first time on home video, the AIP version with alternate score by Les Baxter.

The Arrow Video Double Play (Blu-ray and DVD) edition of Baron Blood is, like all of Arrow’s releases, packed with special features including an audio commentary with Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas; introduction to Baron Blood by author and critic Alan Jones; “Delirium Italian-style” – Ruggero Deodato on Mario Bava and the golden age of Italian genre films; “Mario Bava at work” – a photo gallery of Bava behind the scenes on his films; as well as trailers and radio spots.

A not-so-great film presented in a more-than-great Double Play (Blu-ray and DVD) package, Baron Blood is out now from Arrow Video.

Film: ** 2/5
Blu-ray: **** 5/5

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24th Apr2013

‘Knightriders’ Blu-ray Review

by Mark Allen

Starring: Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman, Ken Foree | Written and Directed by George A. Romero

knightriders

Have you ever heard of Knightriders? Because I sure hadn’t when I got the screener from Phil in the mail. The name’s something of a red herring and made me think that it’d be a hokey TV movie starring David Hasselhoff, but I was pleasantly surprised to find not only that there were no talking cars in the movie whatsoever, but also that it was written and directed by master of horror himself George A. Romero. But even knowing that I’d no idea what to expect, being that the first five minutes of the movie consist of Ed Harris waking up in a forest with a princess, flogging himself in a river and kneeling – naked – in front of his sword before putting on a suit of armour and riding a motorbike back to his renaissance fair/stunt jousters in rural Pennsylvania.

…Yeah, me too. Anyway, getting over the fact that Romero had clearly made a conscious decision to make Knightriders between Dawn of the Dead and Creepshow I settled into the feel of the movie, which is decidedly lighter than most of his other fare, but not without moments of darkness: for every hick line spouted by hoagie-eating hicks (ably played by Stephen King and his wife Tabitha) there’s a mother who gets pranged by a rogue bike; for every sex joke Tom Savini’s pretender to Harris’s throne Morgan makes there’s a heartfelt discussion about the troupe announcer’s confused sexuality; and for every clumsy flirtation between Harris’s Lancelot and a local girl there’s, uh, some uncomfortably-placed domestic violence between her parents that’s never resolved or even mentioned ever again.

So the movie’s not exactly sure what it wants to be, but that’s okay because it has plenty of fun trying to figure that out. Romero’s films have never been know for high production value or spectacular action sequences but Knightriders gives them a good enough go, with ramps, motor-lancing and a pretty ingenious sidecar/chariot-style hand weapon battles actually making for pretty entertaining fare – up to a point.

With a high-concept, low-budget film like this, you’d imagine the shorter the better, and Knightriders’ 150-minute runtime proves your imagination right. King Harris’s court becomes something of a soap opera fairly quickly, with the group falling apart due to outside interests and Ed’s own Arthurian delusions which see him hallucinating and putting his life in danger to protect the ideals he thinks wearing plastic armour and smashing melons with cardboard axes represents.

This was Harris’s first lead role in a movie and he plays King Billy (yep) as straight as a ruler, which is pretty much how the movie sticks together. Regular Romero players Ken Foree and Tom Savini (on top rambunctious form as ever – a bizarre photo shoot involving him and lots of leather is particularly enjoyable) turn up and there’s a great deal of humour to help the chubby pot plod along, which ends exactly as you’d think from the first 15 minutes.

…Well, apart from when (Spoiler alert, but it is 32 years old) King Billy finally flies the coop and kisses the fender of a speeding semi truck at the very end. Seriously. The last scene is his funeral and everyone else moving on to the next town. It’s f***ed up.

So yeah, it’s far too long and is never too sure what its own message is (other than being an analogue for its director’s career), but it’s just enough of an oddity to stay on the right side of charming/interminable. Oh, and the accountant from Jurassic Park is in it as basically the same asshole but ten years younger and equally slimy, which is kind of almost worth the rambling second half. Much like this review.

If you’re a hardcore Romero fan and you haven’t seen Knightriders then you really ought to check this out. If you just want to see what happens when The Once And Future King looks like in leather? Well, I guess it beats Excalibur there.

Knightriders is out on Blu-ray now from Arrow Video.

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20th Apr2013

‘For All Mankind: The Life & Career Of Mick Foley’ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

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Mick Foley broke into sports-entertainment in 1983 shortly after a fateful trip to see his idol Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka inspired him to pursue his dream. Now, 30 years, 3 personas, 3 WWE Championships, multiple New York Times best sellers and countless bumps and cheap pops later, the WWE brings Mick Foley’s story to DVD and Blu-ray with For All Mankind: The Life & Career Of Mick Foley.

Let’s get this out of the way first. I don’t think there’s a single wrestling fan out there who doesn’t love Mick Foley. The man has worked his mind and his body hard to give wrestling fans across the globe what they want – damn good, often one-of-a-kind, matches may with the extra special WTF factor. Foley’s story has been told many times before, from the promos he cut as Mankind in the WWE to his autobiographies. But now friends, family, peers and the Hardcore Legend himself detail his story from being Mrs. Foley’s baby boy in Long Island, New York to becoming an international superstar, philanthropist and author.

Of course let’s not forget that For All Mankind: The Life & Career Of Mick Foley is a WWE production, so there are a few gaps in Foley’s life story. However this new documentary was apparently overseen by Foley himself so we do get some of Foley’s fantastic early work included in both the documentary and the matches in this 2-disc Blu-ray set (the DVD runs across 3 discs). If you’ve ever watched WWE you’ll know that Foley can tell great stories in the ring but he’s also a great storyteller in real life – as this Blu-ray will attest. And it’s not just Foley who can tell a great story… His friends, in particular Vader, The Rock and Triple H, tell a great tale too. It’s these men, talking about someone who they have not only had great matches with, but also admire in and out of the ring, that brings a real emotional core to the documentary. What is also surprising is Foley’s love for Vince McMahon and he reveals that despite his hard-faced public persona, McMahon is actually a man who cares for his employees (although some will say that, being a WWE production, there couldn’t be a hard word said against the “boss”.

Besides the fascinating documentary, this release is packed with over 15 matches spanning his career, some having an alternate commentary option featuring Mick Foley himself and former ECW announcer Joey Styles. Including Foley’s brutal matches in ECW and Japan, his feuds with Vader and Sting in WCW, his notorious Hell in a Cell matches, his retirement match against Triple H and Mick Foley’s evolution from Jack Foley to Cactus Jack, Mankind and Dude Love, and back again.

One of the best Blu-ray releases that the WWE have ever produced, For All Mankind: The Life & Career Of Mick Foley is both a look at a man revered by fans and his peers and at the evolution of wrestling itself. If you consider yourself a wrestling fan then this is an essential purchase.

For All Mankind: The Life & Career Of Mick Foley is released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 22nd, courtesy of FremantleMedia.

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16th Apr2013

‘WWE Royal Rumble 2013′ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Royal-Rumble-2013

WWE kicks off 2013 with the Royal Rumble and once again The Rock is back and this time he’s setting his sights on CM Punk intending to dethrone him as WWE Champion and regain the title he last held 10 years ago! Plus, 30 or more Superstars compete in WWE’s historic over-the-top rope main event where one superstar earns a chance to main event WrestleMania 29.

The Royal Rumble has always been a favourite PPV of mine, ever since the glory days of Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior facing off mid-Rumble in 1990 (I was, and always will be, a huge Warrior fan). However recent years have seen the event turned into nothing more than an advert for Wrestlemania – and the 2013 Royal Rumble is no different. Taking place at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona and saw a number of long-standing (at least in wrestling terms) feuds come to a head both in the Rumble and before. Opening with a rematch featuring World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio defending his title against Big Show in a Last Man Standing match which, given the Big Show’s previous match with Del Rio, I wasn’t expecting much from. And I was right. A bitter disappointment that was not made any better by a ridiculous finisher that saw Big Show taped to the ring!

One bad championship match was followed by another as reigning WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) defended their titles against Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow). The less said about this match the better… Although I will say Rhodes and Sandow do make for a great tag team.

So on to the Rumble itself. And all I can say is thank god for Dolph Ziggler, who once again managed to use his skills to put over others, lasting a huge 50 minutes – all the way to the final four – before being finally thrown over the top by Sheamus. But it was not only Ziggler who put on a great show, thankfully the WWE decided that this year should be the year of “surprises” as not only did Chris Jericho return to the WWE for the Rumble, so did Goldust (battling his brother Cody Rhodes) and The Godfather. But the biggest surprise of the 2013 Royal Rumble has to go to Kofi Kingston who, about to be eliminated, jumps onto the back of recently eliminated Tensai who puts him on to the announce table. Kingston then gets back on to the apron using a chair like a pogo stick! It was a brilliant sight to see, just a shame Kingston was pretty much eliminated straight away after putting on such a crazy show. If there were a number of surprises during the Royal Rumble, one thing that wasn’t surprising was the conclusion – the fact that John Cena and The Rock would face off at Wrestlemania 29 was well telegraphed so it came to no surprise that Cena won the Rumble.

The main event features reigning WWE Champion CM Punk defending his title against The Rock in a match that has no surprises and was, compared to the Rumble that took place before it, a bit of a damp squib and a rather mediocre ending to a less than stellar Royal Rumble. The only highlight of the main event was the appearance of The Shield – a faction that are providing some of the best moments in the WWE universe right now.

A poor start to the 2013 WWE calendar, WWE Royal Rumble 2013 is out now on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of FremantleMedia.

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11th Apr2013

‘Bloodstone: Subspecies 2′ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

BLOODSTONE: SUBSPECIES 2
Stars: Anders Hove, Denice Duff, Kevin Spirtas, Melanie Shatner, Michael Denish, Pamela Gordon, Ion Haiduc | Written and Directed by Ted Nicolaou

Radu

The centuries-old conflict that has plagued the villages of Transylvania explodes into bloodshed. The mad vampire Radu (Hove) becomes obsessed with Michelle (Duff), who loves his half-mortal brother Stefan. In his quest to possess Michelle and the sacred relic, the Bloodstone, Radu destroys Stefan as he sleeps. Michelle steals the Bloodstone and escapes from Radu’s castle. She finds a lair beneath a theatre in Bucharest and stalks the streets in torment, torn between her fading humanity and her growing thirst for blood. Radu, desperate to regain the Bloodstone, seeks help from his monstrous mother, the ageless sorceress Mummy, who demands the he destroy Michelle before she destroys him…

Released two years after the original film this time round Anders Hove’s experience as the character see the actor turn in a superb scene-stealing OTT performance as he hunts down Denise Duff’s Michelle who, replacing Laura Tate, gives the character much more layers and depth as Michelle fights her vampirific urges and desires. The cast is rounded out by the fantastic Melanie Shatner as Rebecca; Michael Denish as Professor Nicolai Popescu, an eccentric professor and Ion Haiduc as a seemingly comical cop – both of whom provide some much-needed comic relief in this much-more serious take on vampire lore. Once again the location plays a big part in this story and the Bucharest streets provide all the creepy atmosphere a vampire movie could possibly want.

Whereas the original movie felt like a low-budget, yet refreshing, take on the vampire mythos, Subspecies 2 feels like a completely fresh start for the series. With a director more in control of his story and actors more comfortable in their roles (and some replaced by better actors to be honest) this sequel takes everything that was good about the first film and turns it up to eleven. Which means that Subspecies 2 joins the small pantheon of sequels that surpass the original film.

The 88 Films Blu-ray of Subspecies 2 is superb, the picture quality is excellent and the lossless 5.1 DTS sound is the best the film has EVER sounded. Plus, for the purists, the disc features the original stereo mix too. Special features include a commentary track, featurette and a montage of the series’ best moments; and if you’re not a fan of the new artwork, this Blu-ray release comes complete with a reversible cover!

Bloodstone: Subspecies 2 is out now on DVD and Blu-ray from 88 Films.

 ***** 5/5

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10th Apr2013

‘The Marine 3′ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin, Neal McDonough, Ashley Bell, Jared Keeso, Jeffrey Ballard, Ben Cotton, Steve Bacic, Sean Tyson, Darcy Laurie, Nicola Anderson | Written by Scott Wiper, Declan O’Brien | Directed by Scott Wiper

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WWE Studios return to one of their most popular franchises with The Marine 3: Homefront, which this time features WWE superstar, and former The Real World participant, Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin who plays the titular marine, Sgt. Jake Carter, who returns home on two weeks leave just in time for his sister to be abducted by a band of violent extremists. Opting to launch a one-man assault on their base of operations, Carter discovers that their plans are far darker than just straightforward abduction and soon he is racing to stop a deadly terrorist attack. With no time to pause, Carter steps into the breach to save the lives of thousands of innocent people…

The WWE has been home to a number of action movie stars over the years: Hulk Hogan, The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to name a few. More recently the wrestling stable has made the move into filmmaking themselves, at first co-producing some of The Rock’s early flicks, before forming WWE Studios and producing their own movies, starting with the original The Marine (although the Kane starring See No Evil was eventually released first). Starring John Cena and Kelly Carlson, The Marine did well enough on in US cinemas and on DVD (the film is the highest grossing WWE film produced to date) to warrant a sequel, which followed in 2009. Starring Ted DiBiase Jr., son of the wrestler The Million Dollar Man, The Marine 2 did not fair as well, even for a straight to DVD release, so a third film in the series comes as somewhat of a surprise. What’s even more surprising is that the WWE handed the starring role to mid-carder The Miz after originally announced lead Randy Orton was dropped from the film due to his past with the USMC.

By the time you get to the third film, especially in a franchise as unconnected as this, you should know what to expect. Fights, guns, explosions and a ad-ass hero. And we get that. Sort of. I will say one thing for The Miz, he can certainly sell a fist fight – much moreso than Ted DiBiase Jr. did in the previous film and his “bad boy” in-ring persona translates well to the screen, giving his marine a bit more of an edge. Although, in all fairness, the fight scenes are few and far between (relying more on gunfights than fist fights) – the film spends more time with the villains, led by the always watchable Neal McDonough, as they plan their machinations. As for the ending, sadly the tension needed in a film like this was lacking and at no time, despite the cliched use of “outrun the bomb timer”, did I think The Miz, or any of the characters he cared about, were in the slightest bit of danger. Which left a lot of the final third of The Marine 3 feeling a bit of a damp squib.

Damp squib is maybe a little harsh. Maybe I expected more – especially given the names involved in the film. Directed by Scott Wiper, who returns to the directors chair for his second WWE Studios film (the first being the fantastic Stone Cold starrer, The Condemned). Wiper also penned the film with Declan O’Brien, who genre fans may know as the writer/director of the last three Wrong Turn movies. Then there’s Neal McDonough. Already familiar with working opposite wrestlers, having worked with The Rock on the first Walking Tall movie, McDonough is known for playing strong-willed villains – and what does The Marine 3 have him do? Spout a lot of rhetoric before essentially “giving up” on his master plan when cornered by the cops! If there’s ever a definition of an actor having the metaphorical wind taken out of his sails thanks to a middling script, then this is it.

No a bad movie by any means but just not a great example of the genre, The Marine 3: Homefront is released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 15th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

*** 3/5

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10th Apr2013

‘Bait’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Julian McMahon, Phoebe Tonkin, Alex Russell, Dan Wyllie, Lincoln Lewis, Cariba Heine | Written by John Kim, Russell Mulcahy | Directed by Kimble Rendall

bait-3d

In a sleepy Australian beach community shoppers at the underground Oceania supermarket are under attack by a crazed bandit. Suddenly, the unimaginable happens. A monster freak tsunami swallows up the town hook, line and sinker. Now trapped, with rushing waves threatening to entomb them in a watery grave, the survivors discover they are not alone. For the tsunami has brought unwanted visitors up from the depths. Not only must they overcome the threat of drowning and the psycho robber in their midst, but also a hazard far more deadly and bloodthirsty – a pack of hungry sharks.

Jaws has a lot to answer for. Today it seems shark movies are a dime a dozen, from big budget Hollywood films like Deep Blue Sea and Open Water, to low-budget, straight to DVD fare such as Blood Surf, Megalodon and Sharktopous. And the Syfy channel seem to commission new shark flicks every other week! However it’s not just Hollywood that has a fascination with the demons of the deep, Australia has recently discovered it’s love for all things shark, with Andrew Traucki’s 2010 effort The Reef, which brought true-to-life terror back to the ocean, and now Bait (or Bait 3D to give the film its full title), which goes the exploitation route but on a bigger and better scale than say, The Asylum’s recent shark flicks.

Director Kimble Rendall first came to my attention for his Y2k slasher movie Cut, which starred former brat-packer Molly Ringwald and Aussie singer Kylie Minogue in a post-Scream horror that, like many of the time, played with the conventions of the genre in an “ironic” way. Since then Rendall has cut (pardon the pun) his teeth as a second unit director on a number of big-budget Hollywood action flicks including the two Matrix sequels, Ghost Rider, I Robot and the recent Jason Stathma flick Killer Elite. Bait marks his return to the directors chair (at least in filmic terms – he did direct episodes of the Aussie comedy Jesters) and what a return. Showing just how to shoot a “nature gone wild” flick, Rendall has a fantastic eye for the eerie – from the moment we see a huge flock of birds fleeing… something, to the fantastic tidal wave and the devastation it causes and the frankly creepy underwater scenes with dead bodies floating past the camera as the action plays out in the background.

Of course being a modern shark movie there’s a reliance on CG for the sharks, but thankfully Rendall’s use of CGI in this case works perfectly to both enhance the physical prowess of the sharks in the movie and convey the 3D aspect of the film and even in 2D the forced perspective shots of the sharks jumping out of the water and into the camera look awesome. I have no doubt that there will be plenty of people who decry the over-use of CG in a film like this, but me? I didn’t mind the over abundance of computer-generated sea creatures in the film (which is a first for me to be honest) as it was all done so bloody well and blended in perfectly with the exploitation aspect of the film. After all, what’s a giant killer shark movie without a scary-looking giant killer shark?

A slice of cinematic cheese – the good kind I may add - Bait is not a film to be taken seriously, which is probably why a number of my fellow critics just didn’t “get” the film. Hey it’s not high-art, and it’s certainly not Jaws, but the film is a fantastic man vs. nature flick that throws in some Dawn of the Dead-esque tropes in it’s tale of shoppers stuck in a water-logged basement supermarket with two 12 foot great whites!

Bait is released on DVD and 3D Blu-ray on April 29th.

**** 4/5

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09th Apr2013

‘Subspecies’ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

SUBSPECIES
Stars: Angus Scrimm, Anders Hove, Irina Movila, Laura Mae Tate, Michelle McBride, Ivan J. Rado | Written by Charles Band, Jackson Barr, David Pabian | Directed by Ted Nicolaou

Radu

After being banished from his home town, villainous vampire Radu Vladislas (Hove) returns and murders his father in order to claim a powerful bloodstone. Then, in an attempt to harm his good-hearted brother Stefan (Watson), he sets his sights on turning his sibling’s friends, Michelle (Tate), Mara (Movila) and Lillian (McBride), into vampires. Can Stefan stop Radu before it is too late?

The first in what turned out to be a five-part vampire saga, Subspecies was one of Full Moon Entertainment’s flagship franchises and like it’s Charles Band-produced brethren the film was a staple of video stores across the country. More interestingly, this movie was one of the first American productions to film in a post-Communism Romania, using the landscapes and historic castles to great effect (it doesn’t hurt that the country has a mythological folklore all its own), giving the film an authentic, traditional edge – a tradition which translates to Radu himself, who looks very much like the the original movie vampire, Nosferatu; and the superb Harryhausen-esque stop motion demons borne of the broken fingers of the vampirific leading man.

The authenticity  of the setting also is carried through the casting. The three female leads aren’t you’re typical “horror bimbo” types which proliferated many DTV films of this era. The trio of Irina Movila, Laura Mae Tate and Michelle McBride come across more as actual students than actresses playing them. Whether that’s great acting or just amateur actresses we’ll never know – lead actress Laura Mae Tate was replaced for the sequel by the more experienced Denise Duff, a decision which irked many a fan of this original film…

There have been a number of reviews of this Blu-ray release of Subspecies which mention the poor quality of the high definition transfer. Yes this doesn’t look as good as 88 Films Puppet Master discs, but personally I have no qualms with the PQ (considering the quality of some of the films in Full Moons archives this is top notch!) and I’m just glad we get to see the film make it to a HD format. Special features on the Blu-ray include a commentary track from Full Moon’s Charles Band; cast and crew interviews, featuring director Ted Nicolaou; the usual trailers and an archival episode of the Full Moon video magazine, Videozone.

With a charm not found in many modern DTV horror flicks, which belies the low-budget nature of the film, Subspecies is out now on DVD and Blu-ray from 88 Films.

**** 4/5

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08th Apr2013

‘Pitch Perfect’ Blu-ray Review

by Dan Clark

Stars: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Ben Platt, Skylar Astin, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee | Written by Kay Cannon | Directed by Jason Moore

PitchPerfect2

Sometimes you run into one of those movies that knows what it is and embraces it with full force. Often that is the case for the turn your brain off action thrillers, but those types of films can also be found in other genres. Such is the case for the corky comedy Pitch Perfect.  Riding on the coattails of the cultural phenomenon that is Glee,Pitch Perfect tells the story of an all-girls collegiate acapella singing group that is attempting to beat the odds and win Nationals. It comes off as a recipe for disaster; another studio film attempting to jump on the current zeitgeist hoping it will garner an audience. While that may have been the reason for its creation the end product is a film that is fun, full of spunk, and never takes itself too seriously.

In the film Anna Kendrick plays Beca, an alternative college teen looking to make a career in music. She has no interest in college, but due to her over possessive father has no other choice. Her father, who is also a professor at the college, tells her she has to get a college education first before she can move to Los Angles to pursue her dream to be a music producer.  This college is a little different as acapella fever is at an all time high. Beca has no interest at first and is more caught up in mixing her own music together. However, while singing in the dorm shower a member of the Bellas, the college’s all girl acapella group, overhears and demands she enter tryouts. With all these forces pushing her to join she finally gives in, and before she knows it she begins to enjoy the lifestyle she previously cast off. When the Beca character was first introduced it was rather worrisome. Her character had generic anti-conformity written all over it. Luckily it toned down the ‘alternative’ side to make her feel like a real person just trying to find her place in this crazy world.

Opposing the Bellas in their quest to claim the National crown is their in-school rival the Treblemakers. Yes the punful names are just a small example of the humor that is all over this movie. The Treblemakers are lead by Bumper (I can only assume that’s his real name) the overly arrogant and vocal force behind their success. Adam DeVine plays Bumper and unquestionably goes all in with his performance. Much of the humor relies on irony and his character is the loudest example of that fact. His over puffed up attitude is only exemplified by his ignorance to his own awkwardness. He has a lot to be arrogant about as his Treblemakers are the hottest thing going in the world of Acapella. The Bellas on the other hand are on the opposite side of the spectrum coming off a catastrophe of a performance in last year’s Nationals. Hopefully with new members and a new look they can dethrone the Treblemakers to become champions.

I’m a fan of Anna Kendrick as an actress and think she has quite the career ahead for her. Most know her for her great performance in Up in the Air, and some may see this as a step back for her career.  That is an unfair assessment because she is a big part of what makes this movie work. For one she can act and it turns out she is quite the singer. There are not many vehicles that allow actresses to show off their multitude of talents so I don’t blame them for taking advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself. The cast in general is rather strong with people who are legitimate triple threats. Their singing talents are strong, their acting is on par, and they have some decent comedy chops. Easily the stand out performance is Rebel Wilsonn who plays the self titled Fat Amy. When watching her performance it’s hard not to recall Melissa McCarthy’s performance in Bridesmaids. Both are off the wall characters who are always there at the right time to make a funny comment. If you know anything about Rebel Wilson’s career you know it’s full of these types of roles. Her character is used wisely and never wore out its welcome. She would often break up the drama when things were getting too soapy and melodramatic.

The overall plot is rather predictable and obvious, but the film is the first to admit that issue. There were a number of meta moments when it would comment on movies and the common tropes we have come to expect. Still that exercise didn’t make up for how muddled the plot got at times. Unnecessary conflict and subplots were the major issues. Much of it felt like filler as it was attempting to buy time between musical performances. Anytime it tried to get serious it would falter under the weight it created with its comedy. Everything was so absurd it was impossible to take any type of drama seriously. The comedic moments however were typically strong with plenty of self deprecating humor that would call out its own corniness.  A lot of the comedy was also found in the array of off the wall characters. Almost every member of the Bellas has some strange feature that became a running joke. By the end all those running jokes did grow tiresome. There is only a certain amount of acapella puns one can take before that well runs dry. Also while it was open to poking fun at its own expense it would also be overtly clever as if to say, “Yes we are a joke, but don’t forget we are still great”. It’s like that guy who wants to gain geek cred by making random Star Wars references, but then will make fun of you for liking the movie. You never have a complete grasp of where its head is at.

A big question obviously is how was the music. Music is hard to judge as people have so many different taste, but overall it worked with the movie. Nothing blew me away or had me running to iTunes after the film was over, but I was never wishing for a song to end. Though I may need to go into some server music detox to get “I Saw the Sign” out of my head. The standout performance was when Anna Kendrick sang a solo just using a cup as her instrument. It was a welcome break to have such a simple and poignant moment with so much absurdity surrounding it. Personally acapella is a form of music I appreciate far more than I enjoy.  When done right it is rather impressive to hear the music people can create just using their mouths, but when done wrong its awkward for everyone involved. In Pitch Perfect it worked far more than it failed. Overall that is a sort of a mantra for the film. Pitch Perfect is an easy watch to that has plenty to enjoy. It doesn’t hit on every note, but its tuned enough to make your movie going experience pleasurable. This certainly won’t be a number one hit, but it’s good enough to make it on the charts.

Pitch Perfect is released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 15th.

**** 4/5

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08th Apr2013

‘The Best Of WCW Monday Night Nitro Vol.2′ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Nitro_Vol_2_DVD

World Championship Wrestling was the number one competitor to the World Wrestling Federation during the late 1990′s to early 2000′s with their flagship television show, WCW Monday Nitro. Following on from the success of the inaugural release, The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 brings you more wrestling action taken from 5 years worth of programming.

Host Diamond Dallas Page returns to present Volume 2 of the wildly successful Best of WCW Nitro, with eight more hours of the revolutionary nWo, electrifying cruiserweights and unparalleled star power that delivered an endless supply of timeless matches and moments. All the greatest WCW stars are included such as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kevin Nash, Rey Mysterio, Eric Bischoff, Goldberg and more.

WCW never really had the same huge exposure here in the UK as it did in the States. Originally broadcast on regional ITV during the early 90s (I remember watching WCW WorldWide at a friends house as he got Granada TV and we only got Yorkshire…) just as the WWF was exploding on Sky television, it wasn’t until years later that the brand got its due on British TV, first with the weekly broadcast of Monday Nitro on TNT, which was at the time the third most watched show on satellite and cable TV (only beaten by WWE Raw and football on Sky Sports), then the transmission of WCW WorldWide once again, this time on Channel 5 in 1999.

That lack of exposure led many fans, myself included, to keep up to date with the goings-on in the WCW through which ever home video releases we could get our hands on. So this compilation, like the first volume, contains a number of matches and promos that I have never seen before, so this second volume actually features matches that feel fresh and new, despite the majority of the matches being over 15 years old!

It’s interesting to note that this compilation, unlike the just reviewed WWE: Best of Raw & Smackdown 2012, doesn’t suffer from the same disjointed presentation. The stories are laid out and detailed by host DDP whilst the matches often speak for themselves…

Besides a whole heap of wrestling matches (some of which were never-before-released on DVD), The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 includes more Nitro Girls, Nitro parties, WCW’s spring break bashes, and what became WCW’s “trademark” in the latter years – celebrities: including that most infamous of WCW celebrity superstars, Dennis Rodman.

The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 is released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 29th and it’s yet another essential purchase for fans of WCW and good wrestling in general.

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06th Apr2013

‘WWE: The Best of Raw & Smackdown 2012′ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Best_RAW__SmackWWE: The Best of Raw & Smackdown 2012 is a look back of the best WWE matches that were (given the title) shown on the WWE universe’s flagship television programmes Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown. Featuring over 25 matches, many cool promos/moments and featuring John Cena, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Daniel Bryan, AJ Lee, Kane, D-Generation X and many more, this is the definitive collection for reliving the best of Raw and Smackdown in 2012…

Definitive maybe. Exciting? Not so much.

You will often hear wrestling fans say that it’s the wrestling that matters (hell, even the TNA used that as a slogan) but watching this compilation of the best matches from Raw and Smackdown I couldn’t help think that I would prefer a little more background on the story and “plotting” that led to each match and not just be thrown in at the deep end to watch a match cold. And this Blu-ray is a VERY deep end, featuring as it does over eight hours of matches – including a number from the woeful John Laurinaitis “era,” as well the superb 1000th episode spectacular.

Whilst the matches may not provide too much excitement, and yes there’s a little too much concentration on CM Punk and John Cena, what does shine through in this compilation are the promos: The Rock putting on his “Rock” concert, his feuding with John Cena and (my personal favourite) the reformation of the awesome Degeneration X during the 1000th episode – complete with all five original members, reminding everyone of just how good that faction was, and still could be.

If you can get past the disjointed nature of a “clip show” – especially one that references matches and actions that are not available to watch – then you may get a kick out of WWE: The Best of Raw & Smackdown 2012. I’d say this isn’t my personal Best of… but it is a good way to catch up on what happened in the WWE universe in 2012. Plus this is a great way to fill in the gaps in stories and feuds for those that only watch WWE via the home video releases.

The Blu-ray of WWE: The Best of Raw & Smackdown 2012 features 90 minutes of exclusives, including six bonus Raw and Smackdown matches together with a host of back stage footage and interviews.

WWE: The Best of Raw & Smackdown 2012 is released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 8th.

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