Britgeek here.
In the last few weeks, I've been writing DVD and Blu-ray review “specials” as an experiment of sorts, and have now decided to omit them from my regular weekly UK column in favour of giving the bite-size reviews their very own piece, once a week, for the sole reason of length! So, with that said, welcome to the very first “official” AICN UK DVD and Blu-ray review column. I'll be seeing you again next week for yet another instalment of write-ups, and the return of my general column sharing the latest geek developments in the United Kingdom.
Thanks to those who continue to support my efforts in writing the AICN UK content by ordering various products through the Amazon links below. It's greatly appreciated! But most of all, thanks for reading.
SAW: The Complete Collection (Blu-ray)
Available on Blu-ray and DVD now
Whether you love it or loathe it, the SAW series is one of the most notable horror franchises of all time. With THE FINAL CHAPTER hitting cinemas a year ago this month, it seems strange that 2011 is a year without a SAW sequel. Not that I'm complaining, as I was tired of them by the seventh entry. James Wan and Leigh Whannell's original is a great and truly groundbreaking genre film that, along with Eli Roth's HOSTEL, changed the face of modern horror. It's a very important film and one that is as intriguing as it is bloody, the former of which became less and less as the series expanded, with the latter becoming the staple of the franchise.
I'm sure there will be another SAW incarnation in the years to come. THE COLLECTOR was originally written as a prequel, before it became its own beast, so what is there to say that we won't see a film in the future that tells a story set before the games as we know them began in the 2004 movie? For now, however, those games are ostensibly over, and the result is this nice and compact seven-film Blu-ray box set featuring the entire SAW series from its bloody beginnings to its cruel conclusion. And it's loaded with special features.
Oh, and keep your eyes peeled, because I'll be giving away one of these box sets this week.
Extras: Hours upon hours of bonus material. The original short film, music videos, trailers, previews, behind the scenes features, making-ofs, storyboards, interviews, cast and crew audio commentaries, video diaries, deleted and extended scenes, and more.
BLITZ (Blu-ray)
Available on Blu-ray and DVD now
Jason Statham is a hardened London cop who refuses to play by the rules in BLITZ, as he investigates a string of murders committed by a serial killer (Aidan Gillan) who targets fellow police officers.
Paddy Considine is on form as Statham's woefully underused and undeveloped partner, who is transferred from another station but faces slight torment from his colleagues for being homosexual. Why this was relevant to the story I do not know, as screenwriter Nathan Parker (MOON) seemingly forgot about the angle soon after introducing it. The inept script is almost as brutal as the depiction of violence.
BLITZ is a pill of mild entertainment and certainly not one of the best Statham action/thriller vehicles in recent memory.
Extras: 22 minutes of deleted scenes.
THE FACULTY (Blu-ray)
Aside from FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, this is the only film from auteur Robert Rodriguez that he hasn't had a hand in writing. Penned by SCREAM scribe Kevin Williamson, THE FACULTY is one of my favourite horror films of the '90s. In a nutshell, it's INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS at an American high school, with students discovering some form of alien parasite taking over their school, starting with the teachers.
It lacks the profound Rodriguez energy and identity on screen, yet has the inescapable aura of a Williamson script, with an abundance of cinematic references, almost making it a monster movie version of SCREAM. This is a fun, rock 'n' roll '90s genre movie with a fantastic cast of future Hollywood stars, such as Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnett. It looks good on Blu-ray, too.
Extras: Not a sausage, which is a real shame.
DEADTIME STORIES: VOLUME 1 (DVD)
Many have been wondering why the legendary George A. Romero would ever put his name on something as terrible as DEADTIME STORIES, including myself. But then the realisation unceremoniously washes over you that he wrote and directed SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD. My guess is that it has something to do with his history with one of the film-makers behind DEADTIME STORIES, Jeff Monahan, who had an acting role in THE DARK HALF. If that's true, then it's a classy move by Romero to help out his friend, although he fails to add anything to this lacklustre horror anthology, playing himself and ham-fistedly introducing each of the three stories as he reads from an old book in, presumably, his actual living room. The only interesting part of the entire film is the third and final short, directed by Tom Savini, which was actually made in 2004, revealing just how much the concept of DEADTIME STORIES had changed over the years before it finally entered production.
I'm a big fan of anthology films and I love the title, but taking Romero's name into account once again, it's got to be said: it's no CREEPSHOW.
Extras: None.
PUMPKINHEAD (DVD)
The late, great Stan Winston's horror cult classic has found its way back to DVD this month as autumn creeps up on us, and we begin the road to Halloween.
In 1988's PUMPKINHEAD, Lance Henriksen seeks revenge against a group of teenagers who accidentally killed his young son. Instead of hunting them down himself, however, he unleashes a hideous demon to do his bidding with the help of a witch.
I've always enjoyed PUMPKINHEAD, namely for the fantastic puppetry of the eponymous creature. In fact, it's one of my favourite movie monsters of all time, and, to switch it around a little, the film itself is one of my favourite monster movies. Purportedly inspired by a poem by Ed Justice (I think the clue to its legitimacy is in that surname), it's a grim, dark fairytale.
So, if anyone fancies purchasing me a life-size puppet, drop me an email. Yes, that's a joke. Sort of.
Extras: None.
WAR GAMES (DVD)
Available on Blu-ray and DVD now
Italian music video director Cosimo Alema's feature debut, WAR GAMES is a tedious horror film that centres on a group of friends who head out to a remote woodland for what was known as a “BB war” when I was a kid, only to run into armed and dangerous psychopaths who stalk them through the trees. If the plot sounds as stale to you as it did to me, then avoid this film like the plague and find another genre movie to enjoy this Halloween season.
Extras: None.
THIS BOY'S LIFE (DVD)
In my very first column for AICN, I shared my thoughts on Terrence Malick's THE TREE OF LIFE, and how I considered the strained father/son relationship to be underdeveloped, comparing it to the characters portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in the brilliant THIS BOY'S LIFE (based on the memoir of Tobias Wolf), a film that explores the relationship between a teenager and an abusive, hypocritical, authoritarian step-father incredibly well.
It features of my favourite DiCaprio performances, and yet no one really talks about it. The work of young Leo seems to have been lost beneath TITANIC and THE BEACH, which is a real shame. I hope this DVD re-release introduces a new audience to what is a stunningly emotional film.
Extras: None.
KILL THE IRISHMAN (Blu-ray)
Available on Blu-ray and DVD now
Loosely based on police chief Rick Porrello's 1998 book TO KILL THE IRISHMAN: THE WAR THAT CRIPPLED THE MAFIA, the blood-spattered true story of Irish-American mobster Danny Greene, KILL THE IRISHMAN features an all-star cast, gangsters and a lot – and I do mean a lot – of explosions. In fact, there are so many in the third act of the film that it should have been retitled CAR BOMB CITY.
With Ray Stevenson leading the way as Greene and the likes of Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Bob Gunton, Paul Sorvino, Vincent D'Onofrio and Vinnie Jones (with quite possibly the worst Irish accent ever put on screen) supporting, KILL THE IRISHMAN certainly has its fair share of name actors and is entertaining enough throughout, but fails to leave much of a lasting impression.
Extras: The trailer and DANNY GREENE: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE IRISHMAN: a documentary telling the true story behind the film.
POINT BLANK (Blu-ray)
Available on Blu-ray and DVD now
Nifty French action thriller POINT BLANK (A BOUT PORTANT) packs a violent punch from the very beginning and shows no signs of slowing down until the credits roll. Helmed by ANYTHING FOR HER (POUR ELLE) director Fred Cavaye, POINT BLANK's story of a hospital orderly who is mixed up in the criminal underworld after saving the life of a thief, only then to have his pregnant wife taken hostage, has drawn many comparisons to TAKEN, as if it is the be all and end all of kidnapping thrillers, yet is actually a superior film that offers audiences a bigger shot of adrenaline.
Extras: A 50-minute making-of feature, the original theatrical trailer and a photo gallery.
THE DEAD (DVD)
Available on DVD and Blu-ray now
I'm sick and tired of being exposed to sub-par zombie films, so when one comes along that's compelling and enjoyable, I'm quite delighted. So, I'm delighted to inform you that I am... delighted by the Ford Brothers' THE DEAD, a film with a production story that is almost as hellish and interesting as the movie itself.
Set and shot in Africa, the story concerns a military engineer who must fight his way out of the country during an outbreak of the living dead, eventually joining forces with a soldier who's in search of his family. It's effectively a road movie with blood and guts aplenty, set on the delicious backdrop of Africa's sun-scorched vistas. It's a pure, Romero-style joy to watch.
Extras: Deleted scenes.
ASSASSINATION GAMES (DVD)
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins form a tag team of contract killers with a conflict of interest in ASSASSINATION GAMES. Formerly known as WEAPON, this is the film that was quite heavily featured in JCVD's fascinating reality series, JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (bring on a second series). It's fairly decent and manages to stray from being “just another cheesy action flick” like 95 percent of Steven Seagal's work these days. It's more drama-driven than an all-out frenzy of bullets and explosions. The action is far more reserved and rather refreshingly takes a back seat to the performances of Van Damme and Adkins. One of its biggest flaws, however, is the horrible sickly green, yellowish tint that the entire film is bathed in.
Extras: Deleted scenes.
EVIL THINGS (DVD)
The title, sleeve artwork and the fact that it's a film of the found footage variety may put potential viewers off EVIL THINGS (and I wouldn't blame them), but it's a movie that deserves a chance, and one that, although flawed, is both effective and realistic, namely thanks to its great cast, who play their roles with conviction and come across as real people.
Although it precedes the worldwide success of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (although not the film itself), the plot of EVIL THINGS, which was shot in just a week, doesn't feel fresh in the slightest. A group of friends retreat from the hustle and bustle of New York City to spend time at a rural house to celebrate a birthday, and one of them is obsessed with capturing just about everything on his camcorder. However, it becomes clear that they're not the only ones with a camera, as they are being preyed upon by a maddened voyeur with unclear intentions.
Although it is made to look like a tape that had been handed in to the FBI, thus immediately suggesting that things don't end well for the central characters, clarity is something of an issue as the film reaches its abrupt climax. There is a certain sense of ambiguity to the horror as it unfolds, which works well, but there could have been more exposition to carve out the motives and identity of the unknown stalker to reach a compromise, as it's almost too ambiguous.
Extras: Video appeals from friends and family, F.BI. Videotape Evidence: Exhibit No. 2 (deleted scene), the trailer, and a selection of trailers from other genre films.
REGAN (Blu-ray)
Running for four series and spawning two films, THE SWEENEY is fondly remembered by many as being one of the finest British television shows of all time. With the movie remake starring Ray Winstone and Ben “Plan B” Drew soon entering production, the classic TV aficionados at Network DVD have released, for the first time ever on Blu-ray, REGAN, the original one-off feature-length drama from Armchair Cinema in 1974 that gave birth to THE SWEENEY.
The late John Thaw stars as the seminal Detective Inspector Jack Regan, a hardened cop who likes a drink, a smoke, and doing whatever it takes to bring down the bad guys, who, in this instance, are responsible for the violent death of a fellow police officer.
It's gritty, politically incorrect excellence. Fans of the TV series who were not aware of REGAN or never got the chance to see it should certainly pick up this 16mm treasure.
Extras: An option to listen to the music only as the film plays, and an audio commentary with star Dennis Waterman, director Tom Clegg and producer Ted Childs.
See you next week for more reviews of the latest and forthcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases in the UK.
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