Housewife (2017*)/Occupation (2018/Lionsgate Blu-ray)/Skyscraper (2018/Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Sleep No More (2018/*both RLJ DVDs)/Sunset Society (2018/Cleopatra/MVD DVD)/The X-Files: The Complete Season 11 (2018/Fox Blu-ray Set)

4K Ultra HD Picture: A Picture: B-/B/B-/B-/C/B+ Sound: B-/B/A/B-/C-/B+ Extras: D/D/B/D/C/B Main Programs: C+/C/B/C+/C/B

Here's more horror and monster releases for the Halloween season...

We star with Can Everneol's Housewife (2017), a disturbing Turkey horror film that is sure to make you feel on edge. Clementine Poidatz stars as Holly, a young woman whose haunted by memories of her disturbing childhood past... a past in which her mother murdered her father and Sister right before her eyes!

Twenty years after these horrific events, Holly joins a cult called the Umbrella of Love and Mind, where she realizes the motives behind her mother's killing spree and a shocking truth about herself!

Housewife also stars David Sakurai, Alicia Kapudag, Ali Aksoz, and Defne Halman.

The film is presented on anamorphically enhanced standard definition DVD with a 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The film is short nicely and much like a Dario Argento film with a lot of beautiful colors and surreal photography. An HD update would be a welcome one, but for DVD this isn't a terrible looking film by any stretch.

No Extras.

A low budget Australian alien invasion flick, Occupation (2018) takes more than one page from Spielberg's remake of War of the Worlds, Battle L.A., Independence Day, Skyfall and other films of the like. While it's a fun concept, the film suffers from plastic looking props, one dimensional characters, and mediocre digital effects. What's worse is the look of the aliens themselves, which wear Stormtrooper-like costumes at first and when their masks come off they look too fake to take seriously.

The film stars Rhiannon Fish, Dan Ewing, Stephanie Jacobsen, Izzy Stevens, and Temura Morrison (Star Wars fans know him as Jango Fett).

A small town is invaded by aliens and life as it was seizes to be so simple. While at first mankind is surprised and taken off guard, they soon rally in numbers in an attempt to be one step ahead of their attackers before it's too late.

The 1080p Blu-ray presentation of the film has a 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix, both of which are of the norm for the format. The cinematography is kind of a mixed bag in this film, with some shots looking very clean and cinematic while others are too bright and always over exposed looking.

The special features are 'Also from Lionsgate' Trailer reel... which I don't really consider to be an extra.

Occupation has the feel of a blockbuster film at times, but is too derivative of stronger films in the genre.

Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) stars in Skyscraper (2018), a film that is certainly better than its trailers make it out to be. While it takes more than one page from the Die Hard franchise, Skyscraper is a pretty fun summer popcorn flick that won't win any Oscars or change any lives but it just may entertain you for 102 minutes. This is also the type of film that is great to watch on the 4K Ultra HD format as it brings that brings to life all of the details in this big budget film.

The film also stars Neve Campbell (who still looks great and does fine here), Pablo Schreiber, Chin Han, and Byron Mann.

Will Sawyer (Johnson) was a sharp shooting FBI agent who sustained some major injuries during the line of duty. Ten years later, Will is an amputee and has a beautiful family with his wife (Campbell) and two twin children. Now retired from the business, Sawyer assesses skyscraper security and gets a job assessing a new one being built in China. The world's tallest and most technologically advanced skyscraper of its kind, Sawyer ends up in a fight for his life as the building catches on fire and he gets framed for it. His family in danger against numerous terrorists inside, Sawyer must do whatever it takes to save them.

Presented in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image and a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Paired with a Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless mix and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mix, this is simply a top notch home presentation. It's no surprise that a new $125 Million movie like this one so incredible on 4K Ultra HD disc and with the amount of action and explosions, make it ideal of someone with a nice home theater setup.

Also in the set is a 1080p Blu-ray edition with the same sound and widescreen specs and a Movies Anywhere digital copy. The Blu-ray still looks pretty good for the format but is lacking in some of the finer details that are evident in the 2160p version.

Special Features (from the press release):

Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber - Go behind the scenes with Dwayne Johnson and the rest of the cast of Skyscraper.

Extended Scenes with Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber

Dwayne Johnson: Embodying a Hero - Go behind the scenes to see what it took for Dwayne Johnson to bring the intense character of Will Sawyer to life.

Inspiration - Meet real life amputee and motivational speaker Jeff Glasbrenner, the inspiration for Dwayne Johnson's role of Will Sawyer. See how Jeff's consultations helped inform Dwayne's character from day one.

Opposing Forces - There's no holding back as the women of Skyscraper get in on the action. Now, see first-hand what it took for Neve Campbell and Hannah Quinlivan to be fight ready.

Friends No More - When Dwayne Johnson and Pablo Schreiber met face to face, they immediately knew what they were up against. Witness first-hand the making of the intense apartment fight between two former on-screen friends, Will and Ben.

Kids in Action - In Skyscraper, everyone gets in on the action, even the Sawyer children. Go on set with Noah Cottrell and McKenna Roberts to discover the moves behind their stunts.

Pineapple Pitch - Hear first-hand from Dwayne Johnson how writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber pitched him the idea of Skyscraper. It may be a little fruitier than you think.

and Feature Commentary by Director Rawson Marshall Thurber

Skyscraper is also available on 3D Blu-ray which we are not reviewing at this time, but I'm sure it benefits from.

From the creator of the Final Destination franchise comes Sleep No More (2018), which is a creepy new play on many of the same themes as the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. The concept is on sleep deprivation and the question of, 'how long can one person stay awake?'

Five college students end up taking a controversial study where they try to find 'the cure for sleep' and are forced to stay up for 200 hours straight... but once they reach that breaking point of no sleep - can they be responsible for their actions? Delusions and strange hallucinations start to occur and the test subjects soon become a danger to not only themselves.. but those around them too.

The film stars Emily Hart, Brea Grant, Lukas Gage, Christine Dwyer, and Keli Price.

Sleep No More is presented on standard definition DVD with a 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix. The film is very nicely shot and has a big budget feel even though it was likely only shot for a couple million. While the colors seem a bit compressed due to the DVD format, it would certainly look even better on HD.

I found the '80s setting appropriate for the storyline and the soundtrack was appropriate with a very synth-type feel. There's no doubt that the creators were influenced by '80s horror here and it definitely shows it more than one instance.

No extras.

Sleep No More is something of a slow burn and surprisingly better than I thought and worth checking out if you're interested by the premise. Just don't expect Freddy Krueger to show up.

Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, who passed on sadly a few years back, stars in Sunset Society (2018), a vampire flick that fans will want to check out for his inclusion. Shot on a shoestring, the film doesn't really deliver anything new to the genre that hasn't been done before and is up there quality wise with many Troma titles.

Hollywood is secretly a home to vampires and one such group, (known as the Sunset Society) happen to be musicians as well. Ace (Lemmy) is the leader of the musician vampire gang and helps keep the group away from the public. However, as more and more vampires start popping up, the risk of exposure starts to grow.

The film also stars Ron Jeremy, Aaron Groben, Sarah Nicklin, Tracii Guns, and Dizzy Reed.

The film is presented in anamorphically enhanced standard definition on DVD with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2.0 Stereo mix. Shot digitally (on different formats), there are some scenes that certainly look better than others. The film also utilizes crude animation and there are several instances where it cuts to these digital elements, none of which are impressive. The sound varies from scene to scene due to the low budget nature of the film and that it was likely shot with different sound equipment.

Special Features...

Lemmy Statue Unveiled at the Rainbow Bar and Grill

Slideshow

and trailers from Cleopatra Entertainment

It's fun to see Lemmy onscreen one last time and XXX survivor Ron Jeremy as a vampire but this film is pretty silly and nothing new.

Iconic Sci-Fi characters Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) return for The X-Files: The Complete Season 11 (2018). This time around the stakes are even higher and each episode is packed with interesting plot lines and awesome special effects in.

Creator Chris Carter is still behind the camera of this great Sci-Fi series and this season is definitely an improvement over the last season, which had a very odd ending. There are a few episodes here that definitely push the limits of what network broadcasting will allow in terms of violence and disturbing content and the show still has its fair share of surprises after all these years.

X-Files: Season 11 also features Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner, William B. Davis as the Cigarette Smoking Man, Dean Haglund, Laurie Holden, Robert Patrick, and more.

The series is comprised of ten episodes which include My Struggle Ill, This, Plus One, The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat, Ghouli, Kitten, Rm9sbG93ZXJz, Familiar, Nothing Lasts Forever, and My Struggle IV.

The show is presented commercial and watermark free in a nice looking 1080p high definition with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix. It looks much cleaner than the original network broadcast and certainly more cinematic.

Special Features:

Solve for X: Constructing Season 11 (Blu-ray exclusive)

Implanted Memories: 25 Years of The X-Files (Blu-ray exclusive)

Gag Reel

Audio Conversation on the Fox Lot

The Scully Effect

Green Production

and an Audio Commentary on the episodes Kitten and My Struggle IV.

- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/