September 10, 2021
THE POOP SCOOP: Middle Earth, the Squad and Welles in 4K
Celebrate 20 years of adventure and friendship as Warner Bros. releases the Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition, timed to the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The 31-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth saga contains new special features along with the theatrical and extended versions of all six films in 4K Ultra HD and on Blu-ray discs remastered from the 4K master. The Ultimate Collector’s Edition will be released on October 26. The Ultimate Collector’s Edition includes the theatrical and extended versions of the six films from New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures in 4K UHD with HDR - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
THE SUICIDE SQUAD on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD 10/26
The Ultimate Collector’s Edition comes in unique “Puzzle Box” collectible packaging and includes a 64-page booklet featuring costumes, photography and production notes from the film, and art cards featuring travel posters and images from iconic locations throughout Middle-earth including The Shire, Lake-Town, Erebor, Anduin, Rohan, Minas Trith, and Rivendell. Also included are the original Cannes Film Festival presentation reel, and footage from the recent Alamo Drafthouse cast reunion featuring director Peter Jackson along with cast members Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellan, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortenson, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood.
Witness the collection of the most degenerate delinquents in the DC lineup when “The Suicide Squad” arrives for Premium Digital Ownership at home on September 17. The film is directed by James Gunn (the “Guardian of Galaxy” films) from his own screenplay and stars Margot Robbie (“Birds of Prey,” “Bombshell”), Idris Elba (“Avengers: Infinity War”), John Cena (“Bumblebee”), Joel Kinnaman (“Suicide Squad”), and Jai Courtney (the “Divergent” franchise). The film will also be available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD beginning on October 26. The film was produced by Charles Roven and Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, Nikolas Korda and Richard Suckle executive producing. The film also stars Peter Capaldi (“World War Z,” TV’s “Doctor Who”), David Dastmalchian (“Ant-Man and the Wasp”), Daniela Melchior (“Parque Mayer”), Michael Rooker (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films), Alice Braga (“Elysium”), Pete Davidson (“The King of Staten Island,” TV’s “Saturday Night Live”).
CITIZEN KANE arrives in 4k from Criterion Collection in November; More Titles to Follow
The Criterion Collection has announced that it will release on 4K Blu-ray Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941), starring Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, and Ray Collins. The release will be available for purchase this November. The most dazzling debut in cinema history, Orson Welles's Citizen Kane was Criterion's first laserdisc release 37 years ago. It now rejoins the library after a long absence, making its first appearance in 4K Blu-ray along with Allen and Albert Hughes riveting breakthrough, Menace II Society; Jane Campion's Academy Award–winning The Piano, starring Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin in her breakout role; David Lynch's Mulholland Dr., a tale of love and jealousy in the city of dreams; Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's singular Technicolor fantasia The Red Shoes; and Richard Lester's timeless movie musical A Hard Day's Night, which brought the Beatles' revolutionary talent and irreverent humor to the big screen. Each title will be available in a 4K Blu-ray+Blu-ray combo pack including a 4K Bu-ray disc of the feature film as well as the film and its special features on Blu-ray. Select films will be presented in Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos. Stay tuned for more details in the November announcement!
September 8, 2021
A LIFE AT STAKE: Lurid Lansbury
1955 / 78 min
The plot has down-on-his-luck architect Edward Shaw taking a lucrative construction job financed by Gus Hillman (Douglass Dumbrille), building houses which would be sold by Hillman’s wife, Doris (Lansbury). Edward initially doesn’t approve of the stipulation requiring him to take out a hefty insurance policy on himself, but since he’s already begun an affair with Doris and needs the money, he reluctantly agrees to Gus' terms. However, he soon begins to suspect the couple is plotting to kill him to collect the insurance payout, exacerbated by information from Doris’ well-meaning younger sister that doesn’t jibe with what he was told. Is Doris really in love with him, or just using him?
FROM THE FILM DETECTIVE
Review by Mr. Paws😼
I remember the first time I saw the original Manchurian Candidate. This was when I mostly knew Angela Lansbury from such fluffy fare as Bedknobs & Broomsticks, Beauty and the Beast and the role she’s most-often associated with, author-turned-sleuth Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote. So her dark turn as a vindictive, conniving monster was a revelation, like learning your grandma used to moonlight as an assassin.
Of course, nobody forges a seven-decade career by playing nothing but kindly old ladies...I’d simply never seen anything where she wasn’t one.
Similarly, she’s a femme fatale in the little-seen, low-budget film noir, A Life at Stake. Angela Lansbury as a scheming sexpot? Hell, that’s like learning your grandma once posed for Playboy. Seeing someone typically associated with musicals and cozy mysteries playing a young seductress might be initially off-putting, but she’s easily the best part of the film, acting circles around her beefy-but-bland co-star, Keith Andes.
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| Bourbon, She Drank. |
Running a scant 78 minutes, the movie briskly moves from point A-to-B with little muss or fuss. Lansbury notwithstanding, the performances are perfunctory and there aren’t any earth-shattering narrative surprises. Still, the story is interesting and the mountain cabin climax is fairly exciting. A Life at Stake may only be a mere footnote in the history of film noir, but it’s well made on a limited budget. At the very least, the sight of one of England’s most beloved senior citizens sexing-it-up (convincingly) is certainly something to behold.
EXTRA KIBBLES
“HOLLYWOOD HITCH-HIKERS: INSIDE THE FILMMAKERS” - The Filmmakers was an indie production company co-founded by Ida Lupino. Not very long, but it's interesting.
SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET - Includes an essay about Angela Lansbury and low budget film noir.
AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Jason A. Ney
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
September 7, 2021
THE GATEWAY and the Kick-Ass Social Worker
2021 / 91 min
Sure enough, Mike immediately goes back to his old ways, doing a job for local druglord Duke (Frank Grillo) that involves shooting up a rival’s business front and making off with a cache of heroin. Though he’s being watched by the police, Mike’s increasingly reckless behavior endangers his family, of whom he’s violently possessive. Meanwhile, even after losing his job for punching a coworker, Parker is determined to protect them, at the risk of his own life.
FROM LIONSGATE
Review by Tiger the Terrible😸
Though he doesn’t look or act the part, Parker (Shea Whigham) is a social worker. He smokes, drinks, does drugs and appears perpetually hungover. But we never doubt his dedication to his job. Perhaps because he grew up in the Foster Care system after being abandoned by his own father (Bruce Dern), Parker has a lot of empathy for the neglected or at-risk children in his caseload.
One such case is the crux of the narrative in The Gateway. Parker is particularly invested in Ashley (Taegen Burns), who has trouble getting to school on time every day because her mother, Dahlia (Olivia Munn), works nights as a blackjack dealer. When Dahlia’s abusive, criminal husband, Mike (Zach Avery), is released from prison and returns home, Parker is concerned for their safety.
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| "Go fish." |
Though touted primarily as an action film, The Gateway gets off to a slower start than fans of the genre might like, mainly to establish Parker’s character as someone who appears morally questionable and carries quite a bit of emotional baggage due to his own tumultuous childhood. These details are not only important to earn the viewer’s empathy, they give the violent showdown during the final act a lot more dramatic weight.
Parker is an engaging character and Whigham turns in an effective, low-key performance, conveying quiet desperation appropriate for the role. And even though he can play cantankerous old curmudgeons in his sleep, Dern is once again enjoyably eccentric. Conversely, Mike is strictly a one-note villain, wildly overplayed by Avery. And though prominently billed, Grillo only appears in a few scenes, all of them seated at a bar. But despite a few lazily written characters, The Getaway tells an interesting story. It takes a while to get going, but by the time bullets and punches start flying, we’re emotionally invested in how everything’s going to turn out.
EXTRA KIBBLES
FEATURETTE - “Living Legends: The Cast of The Gateway”
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
THE POOP SCOOP: Kult Kollectors Edition
Regarded by horror fans the world over as two of the greatest Italian horror films ever made, Lamberto Bava’s Demons films are not only major cinematic nightmare fuel, but also hugely entertaining splatterfests of the highest order. Synapse’s 2013 Blu-rays remain two of their most popular releases, and now they’re bringing these favorites to 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray in brand-new spectacular 4K restorations! These horrific splatter classics produced by Dario Argento (Suspiria) have never looked or sounded better and are packed with hours of special features, making this the ultimate home video release of these horror favorites.
STEEL DAWN is available for the first time on limited-edition Blu-ray (plus Digital) 10/26
In Demons, a masked man offers tickets to a horror movie sneak preview at the mysterious Metropol cinema. When a patron is scratched by a prop displayed in the theatre lobby, she transforms into a flesh-ripping demon! One by one, the audience members mutate into horrible creatures hell-bent on destroying the world! Can anyone escape this gory orgy of terror? In 1986’s ambitious sequel Demons 2, the apocalyptic terror continues! A televised horror film spells doom for the residents of a luxury high-rise apartment, as demons are unleashed through the TV screen at a young girl’s birthday party. As more and more residents are infected and transformed into blood-thirsty demons, a young couple fights to survive as they try to escape Hell on Earth.
The acclaimed Vestron Video Collector’s Series delivers a gripping dystopian punch when the suspenseful and action-packed Steel Dawn — available for the first time on limited-edition Blu-ray (plus Digital) — arrives on October 26 from Lionsgate. Golden Globe® nominee Patrick Swayze (1996, Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar) stars as a new breed of warrior in a post-nuclear era where laws are useless and water is more precious than blood. "Whoever controls the water controls the valley," proclaims the evil Damnil in this cult favorite starring Patrick Swayze as Nomad, an ex-soldier roaming the desert wastes of a war-ravaged world. When his mentor is killed before he can take the job of peacemaker in the town of Meridian, Nomad lends the townspeople his fighting skills instead, gaining the trust of war widow Kasha and her son, Jux. But after Damnil learns of a secret water supply flowing under Kasha’s farm, his thirst turns truly murderous in this dystopian ’80s gem featuring Anthony Zerbe and Brion James.
THE COLONY arrives on Blu-ray (plus Digital) and DVD 10/12
Executive produced by Roland Emmerich (Midway), the new visually stunning sci-fi thriller film The Colony arrives on Blu-ray (plus Digital) and DVD October 12 from Lionsgate. The Colony stars Nora Arnezeder (TV’s “Origin,” “Mozart in the Jungle,” Safe House), Iain Glen (TV’s “Titans,” “Game of Thrones,” Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (Department Q: The Absent One, TV’s “Knightfall,” “The Bridge”), and Sope Dirisu (TV’s “Gangs of London,” “Humans,” The Huntsman: Winter’s War). In this riveting sci-fi thriller from executive producer Roland Emmerich, Earth has been decimated by climate change, pandemics, and war. Years after the ruling elite escaped to another planet, a mission was launched to find out if a return to an uninhabitable Earth were possible. That mission was lost. Now, a lone astronaut in search of answers struggles to survive the hostile planet, and she must ultimately make a choice that will seal the fate of the wasteland's remaining populace.
31 arrives on Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook from Lionsgate, exclusively at Target 10/26
From beloved cult director Rob Zombie comes the new re-release of his spine-tingling carnival of horrors, 31, arriving October 26 on Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook from Lionsgate, exclusively at Target. Written, directed, and produced by Zombie, 31 is a fiendish Halloween horror-gore romp set in 1976, in which five happy-go-lucky carnies on a cross-country road trip are kidnapped and hunted by murderous clowns in an escape room-style hideaway in the middle of nowhere. With an ensemble cast that includes Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Richard Brake, Jane Carr, and Malcolm McDowell, 31 is tailor-made for diehard horror fans and Rob Zombie acolytes. Featuring brand-new reconceived artwork from award-winning graphic artist Vance Kelly, 31 will be available on Blu-ray + Digital Steelbook at Target.
SLAXX: The Citizen Kane of Killer Pants Movies
2020 / 76 min
FROM RLJE FILMS
Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat
Yes, Slaxx is yet another horror-comedy centered around a willfully ridiculous premise. Fortunately though, it isn’t a one-joke movie coasting entirely on its title and concept.
As you could probably deduce from the title, Slaxx is about killer pants. More specifically, a pair of designer jeans that comes to life and begins offing the employees of Canadian Clothing Clothiers, an ultra-trendy retail store. We’ve all visited places like this...colorful, blindingly bright stores filled with immaculately folded, overpriced clothing and manned by perpetually-grinning young adults armed with headsets. Half of the film is a clever parody of companies like Old Navy, the type of people who work there and the phony teamwork atmosphere instilled by managers who act more like cheerleaders.
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| Some people just can't dress themselves. |
The main protagonist, Libby (Romane Denis), is a new employee assisting the team after-hours, getting the store ready to sell a new brand of jeans called Super Shapers. But these are no ordinary pants. Super Shapers were made from an “experimental” cotton picked by slave labor in India, where one of the young pickers was killed by getting sucked into a cotton thresher. Possessed by her vengeful spirit, the pants start slaughtering people in a variety of creatively gory ways. Since the store is in lockdown, no one can escape, while ambitious, conniving manager Craig (Brett Donahue) refuses to call the police for fear it'll affect his promotion chances.
While not always laugh-out-loud funny, much of this is pretty amusing. More importantly, the humor isn’t always centered around the inherent silliness of murderous pants, which is a good thing since the novelty wears off pretty quickly (as it does with most one-joke horror-comedies). The narrative is bolstered by a sharp, satirical depiction of influencers, corporate greed and ruthless ambition, mostly personified by Craig, who’s easily the funniest character (wonderfully played by Donahue).
EXTRA KIBBLES
FEATURETTES - “The Story Behind Slaxx”; “The Pants Are Alive”; “Producing a Killer Pants Movie”; “Call in the Death Consultant”; “Casting Slaxx”
PHOTO GALLERY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
September 6, 2021
STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL 4-MOVIE COLLECTION: A Nearly Definitive Upgrade
1979-1986 / 585 min (4 movies)
The set features both the Director’s Cut and theatrical version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (another reason I’m vexed over why they didn’t do the same for The Motion Picture). While I agree this film is probably the high-point of the entire franchise, I’m in the minority opinion regarding the Director’s Cut. The four minutes of restored scenes are interesting, but do nothing to improve the film. And for the sake of journalistic integrity, I must confess taking a shortcut for this review: Having seen Wrath of Khan so many times over the years - in theaters and every video format - I only checked out how certain key sequences look in 4K.
Finally, there’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the conclusion of a three-film story arc that began with Wrath of Khan. Though affectionately known today as “the one with the whales,” the film’s comedic tone and environmental message were not-only a big surprise back in ‘86, its appeal extended beyond the Trekkie crowd, even if some newbies weren’t quite up-to-speed on the story. Though the characters and humor are still charming and its themes more relevant than ever, The Voyage Home looks more like a product of its decade than any other film in the franchise, but that’s obviously due to its present-day setting. Catherine Hicks is still annoying, though.
FROM PARAMOUNT
Review by Stinky the Destroyer😸
Star Trek in 4K was inevitable, of course. And predictably, the films included in this set have never looked better on home video. Right after popping-in the very first disc, it’s immediately obvious Paramount has put the same effort into this one as they did with the recent Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection.
But a few things perplex me. First, why just the first four movies? There are six films featuring the cast from the original series, and while I’m sure everyone besides William Shatner is content to forget Star Trek V, it’s a shame they aren’t all included because Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is one of the franchise’s underappreciated gems.
Second, the set features the original theatrical cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, arguably the second-most maligned entry in the series. Why not include the vastly superior 2001 Director’s Cut overseen by director Robert Wise? That version not-only featured newly-created special effects to remedy the rush-job done back in 1979, his editorial changes and audio flourishes made it a much better film. Even so, of all the films in this set, The Motion Picture benefits most from the 4K treatment, the most striking example being the still-awesome sequence where the Enterprise travels through the V’Ger cloud. Disc one also includes the lone new bonus feature of the entire set, an Isolated Score option showcasing Jerry Goldsmith’s incredible music.
I always thought Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was one of the more underrated films in the franchise. Granted, it ain’t as rousing or action-packed as the previous film, but that was obviously a deliberate move, since the overall theme of friendship dictates that the story would be more subdued and humanistic. For the first time in the series, Admiral Kirk comes across as a fallible, vulnerable human being rather than a stoic, fearless superhero. And considering Shatner’s reputation for overacting, he gives a remarkably low-key performance (which he’d also carry into the next film). This film also looks amazing in 4K, particularly the sequences set on the disintegrating Genesis Planet, as well as the first appearance of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey. I always knew the ship was green, but I’d forgotten how green.
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| Perhaps "What does this button do?" should remain a rhetorical question. |
The set also comes with digital copies and Blu-ray discs of each film, where all of the bonus features are located. While there’s a ton of ‘em, be advised that none of the extras are new, all carried over from previous Blu-ray releases. Additionally, those who already have the films on DVD should still hang onto them, since some of those discs’ supplemental material are not included here. But all four films look outstanding in 4K, and if the best possible picture is paramount to you (no pun intended), this nicely packaged boxed set is definitely worth the upgrade. Only the omission of the last two movies keeps it from being definitive.
EXTRA KIBBLES
4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES (all movies)
“LIBRARY COMPUTER” MODE (all movies) - This was my favorite featurette from the previous releases, which allows the viewer to access various text info while watching the film.
AUDIO COMMENTARIES (all movies) - ST: TMP has one, all the others feature two.
ORIGINAL TRAILERS (all movies)
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE:
ISOLATED SCORE
“PRODUCTION” FEATURETTE - “The Longest Trek: Writing the Motion Picture”
“THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE” FEATURETTES - “Special Star Trek Reunion”; “Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 001: The Mystery Behind V’Ger”
STORYBOARDS
11 DELETED SCENES
TEASER & TV SPOTS
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN:
THEATRICAL & DIRECTOR’S CUT
TEXT COMMENTARY (Director’s cut only) - This is another great goody from previous releases, sort-of a “Pop-Up Video” features with trivia related to the film and the Trekverse.
“THE GENESIS EFFECT: ENGINEERING THE WRATH OF KHAN”
“PRODUCTION” FEATURETTES - “Captain’s Log”; Designing Khan”; Original Interviews”; The Visual Effects of Star Trek II”; James Horner: Composing Genesis”
“THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE” FEATURETTES - “Collecting Star Trek’s Movie Relics”; “A Novel Approach”; “Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 002: The Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI”
TRIBUTE TO RICARDO MONTALBAN
STORYBOARDS
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK:
“PRODUCTION” FEATURETTES - “Ken Ralston on Models and Creature Effects”; “Captain’s Log”; Terraforming and the Prime Directive”; “The visual Effects of Star Trek”; “Spock: TheEarly Years”
“THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE” FEATURETTES - “Space Docks and Birds-of-Prey”; “Speaking Klingon”; “Klingon and Vulcan Costumes”; “Star Trek and the SciFi Museum and Hall of Fame”; “Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 002: The Mystery Behind the Vulcan Katra Transfer”
STORYBOARDS & PHOTO GALLERIES
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME:
“PRODUCTION” FEATURETTES - “future’s Past: A Look Back”; “On Location”; Dailies Deconstruction”; “Below the Line: Sound Design”; “Pavel Chekov’s Screen Moments” (Walter Koenig still sounds resentful over his minor role in the franchise)
“THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE” FEATURETTES - “Time Travel: The Art of the Possible”; “The Language of Whales”; “A Vulcan Primer”; “Kirk’s Women”; “Star Trek: The Three-Picture Saga”; “Star Trek for a Cause”; “Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 002: The Whale Probe”
2 SFX FEATURETTES
ORIGINAL INTERVIEWS - Individual interviews with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy & DeForest Kelley, running about 15 minutes each.
TRIBUTES - “Roddenberry Scrapbook”; “Featured Artist: Mark Lenard”
STORYBOARDS & PRODUCTION GALLERY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.
September 5, 2021
One Bad HABIT
2021 / 81 min
However, they don’t try all that hard to stay hidden, nor do they appear very concerned for their own safety. It’s obvious the whole nun aspect of the plot is an excuse to show...well, sexy nuns with guns. However, there’s nothing sexy, likable or even interesting about these three. Every aspect of these characters - their dialogue, nastiness and overall nihilism - reeks of superficial attempts at edginess.
FROM LIONSGATE
Review by Fluffy the Fearless😾
Habit isn’t simply a bad movie. It’s clueless, like that nerdy guy who desperately wants to fit in with the “cool” kids but has no idea how.
Making a film with cult appeal is harder than a lot of people think. It ain’t just quirky characters, outrageous behavior, self-awareness and scenes created for shock value. Its appeal to the fringe crowd should appear effortless, a film the director probably would have made regardless of its potential audience.
But even then, the basics of moviemaking still apply...the characters, story and execution need to be engaging, even if only for a niche crowd.
Habit is an abject failure on all counts, a blatantly calculated attempt at Tarantino-esque hipness while neglecting to provide a single reason we should give a damn about any of these characters and the situation they've gotten themselves into. That situation has slutty slacker Mads (Bella Thorne) and her two dim-witted besties getting on the wrong side of psychotic, perpetually-screaming drug dealer Queenie (Josie Ho) by losing $20,000 of her money. They decide to disguise themselves as nuns so they can hide-out in the home of a kindly blind woman.
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| When habits kick back. |
Speaking of which, Habit apparently raised the hackles of a few Christian groups due to elements they perceived as blasphemous, such as depicting Jesus as a lesbian and Mads speaking directly to Jesus while having sex with a hunky priest. But ultimately, they’re just simple-minded attempts to shock. There’s no message or commentary behind them. Those religious groups would’ve been better off getting their panties in a bunch over a movie that actually had something to say about Christianity. All they managed to do here was briefly give an inconsequential movie more attention than it deserves.
Habit is a film with obvious cult aspirations, but ultimately so desperate and tone-deaf that some viewers might experience a little second-hand embarrassment for everyone involved. After all, doesn’t a small part of us feel sort-of bad for that nerd who doesn’t realize the so-called “cool” kids are laughing at him, not with him?
EXTRA KIBBLES
TRAILER
DIGITAL COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
BLEH! LIKE COUGHING UP A HAIRBALL.
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