OUTLAND and RED PLANET in 4K: Arrow Goes to Space

OUTLAND and RED PLANET (4K UHD)

Arrow Video

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Butt Nugget😸

In addition to taking place in the near future on distant worlds, these two films have something else in common: We here at Free Kittens feel they remain underappreciated and undeservedly forgotten (at least compared to other sci-fi films of their eras). But Arrow Video does right by both titles with a couple of new 4K editions.

Sean gets sassy.

OUTLAND (1981/109 min) - I always hated the term, “lost classic,” because it’s basically an oxymoron. But if I were to ever use it, 1981’s Outland would certainly make the list. This is gritty, violent, adult sci-fi that’s often been called High Noon in space. Sean Connery plays a weary law-enforcer assigned to keep the peace on a mining colony on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons...only nobody really wants him to enforce the law. This becomes clear after several miners go apeshit and kill themselves due to their addiction to a synthetic drug created to boost production, but the powers-that-be (led by Peter Boyle) send assassins to kill Connery. 

Outland is similar to Alien in look and tone, but essentially a cop drama that happens to be set in outer space. Like a lot of equally-underrated movies written and directed by Peter Hyams, it's fun, fast-paced junk food with decent special effects, witty dialogue and well-conceived characters. It also features a terrifically understated performance by Connery.

I’m of the opinion that Hyams has never really gotten the accolades or respect he deserves. But in addition to the outstanding 4K restoration, this set boasts bonus features that spotlight his quietly impressive film career (including a great interview where we hear it from the horse’s mouth). Other material includes a few commentaries (one that’s new), a critical analysis and an interview with the FX supervisor who discusses the process known as “Introvision,” which was new and innovative at the time. However, whoever designed that godawful new slipcover deserves to be fired.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS - A Corridor of Accidents is an excellent 50-minute interview with writer/director/cinematographer Peter Hyams, who discusses his career from his beginnings through the early ‘80s. This is easily the best of the bonus features; Introvision: William Mesa on Outland features the FX artist discussing his use of Introvision; Outlandish is an interview with cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, who’s candid about his mostly symbolic film credit.

NO PLACE FOR HEROES - This is a visual essay by Josh Nelson, who goes into detail about Outland being a western (not really all that revelatory, since most of us already knew that).

HOLLYWOODLAND OUTLAND - A visual essay about Peter Hyams, by Howard S. Berger.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By Peter Hyams; 2) By critic Chris Alexander.

2 TRAILERS

IMAGE GALLERY - Mostly stills from the film, with a bit of promotional artwork.

"Based on what I just stepped in, I think a dog beat us here."

RED PLANET (2000/106 min) - This was a critical and box office bomb back in 2000, which also contributed to Val Kilmer’s freefall as a bankable leading man. Further sealing its fate was another sci-fi film released just a few months earlier (Mission to Mars) that was conceptually similar. While Brian De Palma would go on to find more work (sort of), Red Planet remains director Atony Hoffman’s only film. 

But it ain’t that bad. Sure, the thing’s got its share of narrative issues, such as waaay too much upfront exposition offered by voice-over narration, and perhaps more plot than the film actually needs. In the future, Earth is slowly dying, so efforts are being made to terraform Mars by growing oxygen-producing algae. But when the experiment begins to fail, a mission is sent to investigate. However, a solar flare damages the ship, so most of the crew are trapped on the surface and running out of air.

You could actually jettison most of the Earth-in-peril stuff and still have a fairly gripping survival tale. In addition to suffocation, the landing partly must deal with a scary-ass rogue robot that’s turned homicidal and is hunting them down. Those scenes are pretty cool, but sometimes undermined by the episodic nature of the story, which presents one new crisis after another. Still, the performances and cast are decent (including Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Tom Sizemore and Benjamin Bratt), while the special effects and production design are excellent. If nothing else, this is a great looking film that’s been nicely restored on 4K and comes with a smattering of bonus features.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEWS - The Martian Chronicles is an interview with FX supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun; Suit Up is an interview with helmet & suit designer Steve Johnson.

ANGRY RED PLANET - A visual retrospective by critic Heath Holland, who discusses the good and bad aspects of the film.

DELETED SCENES

TRAILER

Revisiting IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS in 4K

IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (4K UHD)

1994 / 95 min

Arrow Video

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Home video has been pretty damn good to John Carpenter over the years. He’s done movies that run the gamut from great to good to abysmal, yet Halloween notwithstanding, none of them were blockbusters. But you’d be hard-pressed to name another director responsible for more movies that went on the become cult classics due to getting a second life on VHS and DVD. 

For years, Shout Factory led the charge in curating Carpenter classics (and a few that are not-so-classic), releasing and re-releasing collector’s Editions of most of his movies with good restorations, loads of bonus features and great packaging. This includes 1994’s In the Mouth of Madness, one of the most Lovecraftian films that isn’t actually based on one of his stories.

One of Carpenter’s better late-career films, it’s also emblematic of a lot of his ‘90s output…two-thirds of a great movie that doesn’t quite stick the landing, at least narratively, with a final act that’s a bit more disjointed than it needs to be. But tonally and visually, In the Mouth of Madness might be the director’s most immersive film since The Thing and has enough of a cult following deserving of the 4K treatment. 

The scariest part of the movie? The price of that popcorn bucket.

This time, however, Arrow Video is doing the honors. Having previously seen both Warner Bros’ and Shout Factory’s Blu-ray editions, I can say this 4K transfer is an overall improvement, with a generally excellent video restoration, as well as two audio options, the best one being the well-balanced 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. This release also comes with a nice selection of new and archival bonus features, the latter carried over from Shout’s Blu-ray edition. Carpenter's considerable cult of fans should have no complaints.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

NEW INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with producer Sandy King Carpenter, actor Jurgen Prochnow, actor Julie Carmen.

ARCHIVAL INTERVIEW - With FX artist Greg Nicotero, (carried over from the Shout Factory blu-ray release).

WE ARE WHAT HE WRITES and REALITY IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE - These are a couple of new appreciations for John Carpenter and the film.

3 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By director John Carpenter & cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe; 2) By director John Carpenter & producer Sandy King Carpenter. 3) By Colors of the Dark podcasters Rebekah McKendry & Erlic Kane (not Sutter).

FEATURETTES - Horror’s Hallowed Grounds focuses on the shooting locations; The Making of In the Mouth of Madness; Home Movies from Hobbs End.

TRAILERS & TV SPOTS

Revisiting CREEPSHOW 2 in 4K

CREEPSHOW 2 Limited Edition (4K UHD)

1987 / 90 min

Arrow Video

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

As a big fan of Stephen King, George A. Romero and anthology horror films in general, I loved the original Creepshow. While not as flat-out scary as I expected, the movie was a hell of a lot of fun, with great stories, plenty of humor and a colorful aesthetic that paid homage to the ancient horror comics that inspired it. Decades later, it remains the best (certainly the most consistent) anthology film I’ve ever seen. 

For once, here was a horror film that justified and deserved a sequel…maybe lots of sequels. 

So imagine my initial disappointment at 1987’s Creepshow 2, which was (and still is) inferior in almost every way. Shorter (only three stories), cheaper and aesthetically drab, the movie largely eschews the comic book flourishes that made the first one unique. Though Romero returns to write the screenplay based on King stories, he’s sorely missed in the director’s chair, replaced by longtime associate Michael Gornick. And save for one segment, much of the original’s giddy gallows humor is conspicuously absent. At the time, I felt like those responsible for the sequel didn’t really give a damn about it, resulting in a movie that should have been called CHEAPshow.

But you know what? Time has actually been somewhat kind to Creepshow 2. While it still doesn’t hold a candle to the original (nor to many episodes of the recent Shudder series), I’ve revisited the movie on numerous occasions over the years, and like Jordy Verrill's fungus, it has sort of grown on me. Without the baggage of elevated expectations, I’ve learned to enjoy it on its own terms. So have many other fans, because what was once a critical and commercial dud has since earned something of a cult following.

Shoulda gone to Supercuts.

As for the stories themselves, I enjoy the first one, “Ol’ Chief Woodenhead," more than I used to. A fairly straightforward tale of just-desserts, its utter predictability doesn’t help, but the segment features a terrific villainous performance by a very young Holt McCallany (who’s now a reliable character actor) and some nice atmospheric touches. Conversely, one of King’s best stories, “The Raft,” is turned into the movie’s cheesiest segment, with unlikable characters, shitty performances and a man-eating slab of lake-dwelling goo that resembles a bunch of Hefty bags tied together. However, this one does feature some nasty gore effects. 

The best segment, “The Hitchhiker,” is the only one that would have been right at home in the first film. The story of a hit-and-run victim who won’t stay dead, this one boasts fun performances by Lois Chiles as a self-absorbed driver and Tom Wright as the title character seeking revenge. Creepshow 2 also has a wraparound story tying it all together, that of a comic book fan getting revenge on bullies with the help of Venus fly traps. This story (as well as The Creep himself) is animated, and cheaply, too, but it’s pretty amusing.

In the end, I no longer think Creepshow 2 was made by folks who didn’t give a damn. They simply did their best with the talent and meager resources available to them at the time. So all things considered, everyone involved who wasn’t a pencil pusher did manage to put together an entertaining little horror film. 

Now it’s available on 4K as a limited edition boxed set and features a pretty good video upgrade, though the three audio options are the same as Arrow’s previous Blu-ray release (and not really a complaint since the DTS-HD Master Audio track is really good). Having been sent a promo disc for review, I can’t comment on any physical supplements, but all of the other bonus material (outlined below) is the exactly same as the Blu-ray. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

FEATURETTES - Screenplay for a Sequel is an interview with screenwriter George A. Romero; Tales from the Creep is an interview make-up legend with Tom Savini (who plays The Creep in the wraparound segments); Poncho’s Last Ride and The Road to Dover are interviews with actors Daniel Beer (Randy) and Tom Wright (The Hitchhiker); Nightmares in Foam Rubber is special effects featurette, including interviews with Howard Berger & Greg Nicotero; My Friend Rick is an appreciation of make-up artist Rick Baker, featuring Howard Berger.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Michael Gornick.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE

TRAILERS & TV SPOTS

SCREENPLAY GALLERIES

Revisiting LOST IN SPACE (1998) in 4K

LOST IN SPACE Limited Edition (4K UHD)

1998 / 130 min

Arrow Video

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😼

In between the endearingly campy original 1960s series and an inevitable (but surprisingly decent) Netflix reboot, Lost in Space was adapted as a big screen epic with obvious franchise aspirations. That never happened, and over the years, the film sorta disappeared into the same space-time rift that swallowed the hapless Robinson family.

As someone who grew up watching Lost in Space reruns after school, I looked forward to checking out an updated version, even though attempts to turn classic TV shows have always been wildly hit or miss. We seemed to get a glut of ‘em back in the ‘90s, and for every Mission: Impossible, there was a cinematic suppository like Wild Wild West. 

While not as aggressively shitty as The Avengers or McHale’s Navy, Lost in Space may have been guilty of an even bigger crime at the time: It left no impression whatsoever. Lacking the kitchy campiness of the original show or the narrative elements & characters that made Star Trek relevant again, the movie looked and sounded great, but seldom ever rose above expensive eye candy (to be honest, I kinda missed the budget-friendly look of the TV show, with a Jupiter II that resembled a drain plug).

And despite an pretty impressive cast, only the great Gary Oldman managed to rise above the material. Everyone else - including William Hurt, Mimi Rogers and a seriously miscast Matt LeBlanc - were merely perfunctory in their roles, not helped by a screenplay more in love with its convoluted concept (which it took way too seriously) than character development. Leaving the theater back then, I wouldn’t say I felt ripped off, but certainly never gave the film another thought afterwards, to say nothing of ever being compelled to watch it again.

Mimi Rogers...foosball legend.

But one of the cool things about Arrow Video is it operates on the understanding that every movie has its share of dedicated fans, even those which aren’t necessarily classics…or even cult classics. Over the years, they have released countless highly-supplemented 4K restorations of titles that never would have gotten such treatment from anyone else (including the studios that produced them). Add Lost in Space to the list, which probably has just enough fans to justify this great looking Limited Edition 4K UHD disc with new packaging and bonus material. 

As for me, it’s an opportunity to reassess a film that left me fairly cold two decades ago. My overall opinion hasn’t really changed, but knowing what to expect this time around (without the baggage of high expectations), there are some aspects of Lost in Space that deserve a few attaboys. First off, the visual effects are impressive and have held up pretty well over the years, especially as presented in 4K. The action and melodrama are accompanied by a terrific score from Bruce Broughton, though the musical highlight is Apollo 440’s blistering take on the original TV theme. The disc’s DTS-HD Master Audio track not only provides a great showcase for the music, the overall audio mix is pretty solid. Finally, I appreciate the stunt casting done in the name of nostalgia. While it’s nice seeing actors from the original show pop-up in small roles, I love that they brought Dick Tufeld back to once again provide the voice for the robot (and of course, he urgently delivers that iconic line, “Danger, Will Robinson!”).

The disc also includes an abundance of new bonus material, including plenty of interviews with people who were most responsible for the final product. That final product may not be all that great, but what they discuss about it all these years later is revealing and entertaining. Those who do still love the film will probably get big kick out of this release.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

INTERVIEWS - New, individually-filmed interviews with director Stephen Kopkins, director of photography Peter Levy, producer/screenwriter Akiva Goldman, art director Keith Pain, critter creator Kenny Wilson, sound mixer Simon Kayes & re-recording mixer Robin O’Donohue.

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By director Stephen Kopkins and producer/screenwriter Akiva Goldman; 2) By FX supervisors Angus Bickerton & Lauren Ritchie, director of photography Peter Levy, editor Ray Lovejoy and producer Carla Fry.

VIDEO ESSAY - By film critic Matt Donato.

FEATURETTES - Building the Special Effects; The Future of Space Travel; TV Years is a Q&A with the cast from the original TV show.

BLOOPER REEL

DELETED SCENES