Blast
(1997/Blu-ray)/Boss
(1975/aka Boss
N[-word]/VCI Blu-ray
w/DVD)/Song Of Solomon
(2017/Unearthed Blu-ray/all 3 MVD)/Strike
Back: Cinemax Season Five
(2017/HBO Blu-ray set)/Transporter
3 4K (2008/Lionsgate 4K
Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A Picture: B/B- & C/B/B+/B+ Sound:
B-/B- & C/B/B+/A Extras: C-/C/B/C+/B Main Programs:
C/C+/C+/B/C+
Now
for more rough going action genre releases (including delving into
other genres), so get ready to get dirty....
One
look at the cover art for Blast
(1997) and you can clearly see that its a low budget version of Die
Hard.
This time, the terrorists target the Atlanta Olympics by kidnapping
the women's swim team. It's up to one man, the unlikely janitor Jack
Bryant, (who hilariously was also a former Olympic gymnast champion
of Tae Kwon Do) whose made amuck of his life has to get his crap
together to help save the Swim Team.
Blast
is directed by Albert Pyun, and stars Linden Ashby, Andrew Divoff,
Kimberly Warren, and Rutger Hauer.
Blast
is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio
of 2.35:1 and a PCM 2.0 Mono mix. The film looks as fine as to be
expected considering that its a low budget production from the
pre-digital age. There's no doubt that this is the best this film
has looked ever as it's heyday was probably back in the era of VHS.
The
only extras are Trailers.
Jack
Arnold's comical Western Boss
(1975/aka Boss
N[-word])
from the Blaxploitation Era with Fred Williamson is back in a new
Blu-ray/DVD set from VCI, who originality issued it on DVD, a DVD
included here and that we reviewed on its own at this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7822/Boss+(1975/aka+Boss+N[-word]/VCI+Entertainmen
In
the years since that coverage, a few good Westerns have turned up in
the genre (the 3:10
To Yuma
remake,
Tarantino's Hateful
Eight
and Django
Unchained),
the dead genre has had a few (very few) sincere attempts in TV series
and telefilm/straight-to-video form, but they were not memorable.
Worse, a new cycle of bad retro-Westerns have surfaced so bad that
they seem to celebrate being formula and all too often, like the
current condition of mostly bad Country Music that resembles Country
very little (Ms. Twain, for example), the 'films' do not really seem
to take place in their era, seem as exciting as a Little
House On The Prairie
episode and feel more like the 1980s then the real West. More than a
few even seem to be trying to reassert a certain White
Supremacy/White Nationalism inherent to the early days of the Western
even before it became a full fledged genre in 1939 with the original
Stagecoach.
Boss
gains a whole new value and strength (along with Mel Brooks' Blazing
Saddles,
of course in a whole different way) in the face of these mistakes
being (purposely) repeated.
The
DVD was a little weak in payback quality, so the HD upgrade, despite
its flaws, is very welcome. The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High
Definition image has some fading and definition issues throughout,
but that still is a good improvement over the old DVD and the Todd-AO
35 lensing of the 35mm-shot film overcomes some of these flaws with
the character of those lenses. Too bad the colorist(s) could not
rehabilitate the color quality enough, but this will do for now. The
sound is upgraded to PCM 2.0 Mono and is even more consistent in
quality, adding that I doubt it can sound much better than this.
Extras
are the same as the DVD version and that's fine, but it is a shame
some new featurette was not made, new interview created or some kind
of update on the cast and crew present. The film deserves
rediscovery and despite its full title, should get it. Definitely
worth going out of your way for to see just once, especially for
serious film fans.
A
welcome entry in the Exorcism-sub genre, The
Song of Solomon
(2017) makes it way onto Blu-ray after a lot of hype amongst the
underground horror fan community and an ambitious crowdfunding
campaign. Director Stephen Biro (who also has a small role in this
film's opening scene) is the mastermind behind UnEarthed Films and
helps keep the underground horror community alive. While this film
is certainly too gory to get into mainstream cinemas, the execution,
despite its efforts, leaves something left to be desired.
The
film's strongest links are not only its fantastic special effects by
Jerami Cruise (TOETAG EFX) and Marcus Koch (AGP:
Bloodshock)
but also in its lead Jessica Cameron (a horror filmmaker in her own
right who has directed two features including Truth
or Dare,
which has hit on the festival circuit), who does fine in her
possession role and doesn't have a problem spitting up some guts or
being drenched in gallons of fake blood. However, the film could
have went even FURTHER I feel with some things to make it even more
intense and unsettling. We are in the ballpark of unsettling here...
but for an American Guinea Pig film (or at least one its title is
being slapped on) I expected this to be more milder than it actually
was.
A
girl named Mary (Cameron) is possessed by a demon and its up to a
handful of exorcists to try to free her from this wicked spell.
After forcing her father to kill himself, and fatally wounding a few
other priests who try, she comes face to face with one in particular
that challenges the unholy spirit within her. Will the demon be
exercised or will it be stuck within her forever?
The
film is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect
ratio of 1.85:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix, both of
which are fine for this being a lower budget production. The
cinematography isn't perfect but not necessarily terrible and overall
there aren't any glaring issues with presentation here.
Special
Features:
Audio
Commentary with Stephen Biro & Jessica Cameron
Audio
Commentary with Stephen Biro, Marcus Koch & Jerami Cruise
Behind
the Scenes/Making of
Outtakes
Photo
Gallery
Video
Interview with Actress Jessica Cameron
Video
Interview with Writer/Director Stephen Biro
Video
Interview with Special Effects Artist Marcus Koch
Video
Interview with Director of Photography Chris Hilleke
Video
Interview with Actor Gene Palubicki
and
Video Interview with Actor David McMahon
All
in all, Solomon
is worth watching but feels a little rushed, especially after all of
the hype that surrounded it.
The
realistic modern UK war drama, Strike
Back: Cinemax Season Five
(2017),
returns for a fifth season on Cinemax and now lands on Blu-ray disc.
Similar in tone to films like Sicario,
Strike
Back
is a gritty drama with realism in its execution down to the casting,
production value, and costuming. This season features 10 hard
hitting episodes.
This
Strike
Back
stars a whole new cast: Warren Brown, Daniel MacPherson, Alin
Sumarwatta, and Roxanne McKee.
The
season stars when maniacal terrorist Omair Idrisi escapes from Syrian
authorities with plans to launch an unprecedented attack that must be
stopped before it begins. It's up to the badass special ops team,
Section 20 who are entrusted to track down Idrisi and his British
co-conspirator wife, Jane Lowry.
Presented
in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with the original 1.78:1
widescreen aspect ratio and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless
mix, the show here looks better than it did on its original digital
broadcast on television with enhanced sound and picture clarity.
Realism is the main thing here and on that front, this presentation
delivers. The desert locations are tinted yellow and green while
character details take center stage next to the high budget
soundtrack. This is definitely a high-end production and the money
is on the screen here.
A
digital copy is also included.
Special
Features include...
The
New Team Featurette
and
Strike
Back Season 5: DeClassified
- an inside look at each episode
Finally
we have the third (and last for its lead) entry in Jason Statham's
hit franchise, Oliver Megaton's Transporter
3 4K
(2008), gets a butt kicking new release in 4K Ultra HD. A step up
from the (also included) 1080p Blu-ray version of the film, the
detail here in incredible despite a lot of movement and action,
there's never a loss of clarity and now the film has been remixed in
Dolby Vision that makes the film even better. If you're a big fan of
the film, then you'll want to upgrade.
The
film also stars Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper,
and Jeroen Krabbe. The film is written by Luc Besson (The
Professional)
and Robert Mark Kamen.
Frank
Martin (Statham) returns for a third time with his impeccable car
driving and ass kicking skills. This time he has to deliver
Valentina (Rudakova) a sexy Ukrainian government official, from
Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. On the way there, he has to
protect her from a mini army of thugs that want to intercept her.
The
film is presented in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image and a widescreen aspect
ratio of 2.35:1. As mentioned, this disc features both the Dolby
Atmos 11.1 lossless mix (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown) that really pushes
the film to the next level. Especially in scenes such as the
explosive car chase sequence and others that are high in action.
Also included is the 1080p Blu-ray from the previous release and
similar specs.
A
digital copy is also included.
Special
Features include...
Audio
Commentary with Director Olivier Megaton
"Special
Delivery: Transporters in the Real World"
Featurette
"Making
of Transporter 3"
Featurette
Storyboards
Visual
Effects
The
Sets
and
Theatrical Trailer
For
another enthusiastic take on the film, try our original Blu-ray/DVD
review when the film first hot home video...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8342/The+Transporter+3+(2008/Lionsgate+Blu-ray+++D
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Boss)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
