Archenemy
(2020/RLJ Blu-ray)/Come
Play
(2020*)/Cut
Throat City
(2020/Well Go Blu-ray)/The
Deeper You Dig
(2019/Arrow**)/Freaky
(2020/w DVD*)/Greenland
(2021 w/DVD/*all Universal Blu-rays)/Sky
Sharks
(2020/Umbrella Region 4 Import PAL DVD)/Wild
West Days
(1937/John 'Mack' Brown/Universal/VCI/**both MVD Blu-rays)
Picture:
B/B+/B+/B+/B+ & B-/B+ & B-/C/B- Sound: B/B+/B+/B/B* &
B-/B+ & B-/C/C+ Extras: C/D/B/B+/B/C+/D/D Main Programs:
D/C+/B/B/C+/C+/C+/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Sky
Sharks
Import DVD is now only available from our friends at Umbrella
Entertainment in Australia, can only play on DVD, 4K and Blu-ray
players that can handle Region 4 locked PAL DVDs and can be ordered
from the link below.
Up
next are a wide variety of genre releases...
Joe
Manganiello stars in Archenemy
(2020), a confusing fusion of animation and live action that is
trying to be in the same vein as Sin
City
or The
Matrix
films, but misses the mark. From the producers at Spectrevision
(Color
Out of Space,
Mandy),
I was expecting a more cohesive and interesting film than this
judging from the semi-interesting log line. The result is a mess
that will leave you bored and scratching your head more than once.
If you have a friend or loved one that you would like to torture
maybe sitting them in front of this horrid film would be suitable.
The
film also stars Luis Kelly-Duarte, Skylan Brooks, Zolee Griggs, and
Paul Scheer.
Manganiello
stars as Max Fist whose a hero from another dimension (that's
animated) that's thrown to Earth as a homeless guy and has no powers.
A few kids start to believe his stories and they join forces to take
down a crime boss spearheading a crime syndicate.
Archenemy
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec and a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and paired with a
lossless English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix. The film looks
fine in HD, but could look better in 4K. However, I'm not sure many
will be clamoring to see this trainwreck again.
While
it looks semi-intriguing on the surface, Archenemy
is a mess and an endurance challenge to see if you can finish it.
Yeah, it's THAT bad.
Special
Feature: The
Making of Archenemy
featurette.
In
Come
Play
(2020), a
demon named Larry lives inside a young autistic boy's smartphone and
taunts and attacks him with a story about him until he finds a way
through into the real world. No electronic devices are safe from
this mad man in this (at times painfully) slow burn. Surprisingly
Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment is behind this production, which
gave me a bit more higher expectation I suppose.
The
film stars Gillian Jacobs, John Gallagher Jr., Rachel Wilson, Azhy
Robertson, and Winslow Fegley. The film is directed by Jacob Chase
and is based on a short film that he made.
The
film has some interesting cinematography and camera movement, namely
mainly scenes where there is tension and (an excess amount of ) jump
scares. This feels similar to something that you would see in an
Insidious
style film and even lifts a little bit of inspiration from Guillermo
Del Toro's production Mama.
Still, Come
Play
is fine popcorn fare that might scare teens or the squeamish.
Come
Play
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a
widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a lossless English DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mix. The film as mentioned is
very well shot and has an intense slasher-style soundtrack. The
movie is mostly dark and takes place inside spaces where the monster
lurks, but the production end is fine.
No
extras.
Come
Play
has an interesting story angle and isn't without some creepy moments
that are fun. But I wouldn't say that its necessarily memorable after
one watch.
Four
boyhood friends growing up in the slums of New Orleans, after
Hurricane Katrina are left with decimated neighborhoods, homes, no
jobs and no aid. Desperate they turn to a local gangster who offers
them a job to rob casinos. But when the job goes south things keep
getting from bad to worse, when the local kingpin thinks they have
stolen his heist. Now, not only the police are after them but they
are caught in between a turf war between a gangster and a kingpin in
The RZA's Cut
Throat City
(2020).
Blink,
Miracle, Dre and Junior are four friends who have grown up together
in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina the
are left high and dry (or wet in this case) with no work, no homes,
families to feed and denied aid from FEMA. FEMA instead is trying to
buy their land for dirt cheap prices and sell high to casinos and
they want to 'remake' the Lower Ninth Ward, but in order to do so
they need to get the people out of the Lower Ninth. Desperate, the
four friends take on a job from a local gangster not knowing they
been set up to rob from the local Kingpin, the Saint (Terrence
Howard). After a failed job, they discover they are only in more
debt and somehow have to make peace with the Kingpin. Realizing they
are trapped, they are unable to stop committing crimes, always
thinking the next robbery will fix all their problems. But with no
help or aid, they are dying one by one until Blink is the last man
standing and only then he wonders what was it all for, his brothers
are dead and blood is on his hands. However, there was a double
ending, in which it shows another path in which if they didn't commit
the robberies and instead worked, they would have lived.
This
movie has an all-star black cast including Terrence Howard and Wesley
Snipes (god he got old) and is the story that is all too familiar to
those of color. In a world of corruption and desperation people are
forced into committing acts of violence to survive, sadly it seems
like it always falls on black communities first. It shows not all
black people are gangsters, but they have dreams, families and want
to live. Guess we should only take these urban action films so
seriously.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image and DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless sound mix are at least modern and
competent technically, so no problem there, a digital shoot with some
digital sound with punch (no pun intended) and works well enough in
combination.
Extras
include behind the scenes, deleted scenes and trailers.
The
Deeper You Dig
(2019) is
a surprisingly well made and gripping horror feature that's got a
fantastic screenplay and all around solid performances by the
filmmaking family that star in and made the film - John Adams, Zelda
Adams, and Toby Poser.
A
man named Kurt (John Adams) hits a young woman named Echo (Zelda
Adams) with his truck one night on a backroad whilst drinking.
Thinking she's dead, he takes her back to this old house that he is
remodeling and (for some reason) actually does kill her.
Echo's
Mother (played by her real life mother Toby Poser) is meanwhile up
around the small town putting up missing posters and searching for
her missing daughter - she is also something of a mystic / psychic /
card-reader. Kurt buries the Echo in the woods, but is soon haunted
by her ghost. Now, there's a few very fun and creepy moments between
Kurt and Echo's ghost - namely one scene where she infects Kurt's
mind and makes him hallucinate. Knowing too that offscreen this is a
father and daughter makes the film that much more impressive. As the
girl ghost infects his mind, he is also confronted by her vengeful
spiritual mother who seeks answers through her own sources. The film
is quite unique and never exactly goes where you think it will. It is
stunningly well - an all around gripping 90 minute watch.
The
Deeper You Dig
is presented in 1080p on Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio
of 1.78:1 and a lossless English LPCM 2.0 Stereo audio mix. The film
is eloquently shot and appears to be a much bigger budgeted film than
what it likely was. Arrow also does a top notch job on their
presentations and this one is no exception.
Special
Features (per the press release):
DISC
ONE - THE DEEPER YOU DIG
Audio
commentary by writers/directors/stars Toby Poser and John Adams
At
Home with the Adams Family,
an exclusive, in-depth interview with the trio of filmmakers
responsible for The
Deeper You Dig
It's
in the Blood: The Family in the Horror Genre,
an exclusive visual essay by critic Anton Bitel exploring the theme
of family in The
Deeper You Dig
and the Adams Family's broader filmography
Special
effects breakdown with commentary by Trey Lindsay
FrightFest
TV interview with the Adams Family
Hellbender
music videos
Theatrical
trailer / Image gallery
DISC
TWO - THE HATRED
Kid
Kalifornia music videos
ADDITIONAL
CONTENT
Reversible
sleeve featuring two exclusive choices of artwork
Double-sided
fold-out poster
and
Limited Edition illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing
by Neil Mitchell
The
Deeper You Dig
is a great movie and you should definitely check it out on this Arrow
release for maximum effect!
I
wasn't expecting too much going into Blumhouse's Freaky
(2020), but it surprised me as a fun gory horror comedy that doesn't
take itself too seriously and is actually pretty good. Inspired by
Friday
the 13th,
Scream,
and Freaky
Friday
- Freaky
is a body switch film, where in this case a teenage girl (Kathryn
Newton) switches bodies with an intense serial killer (Vince Vaughn)
thanks to a mystical dagger. The gore is fun and over the top and
the film does a great job of mixing humor with horror surprisingly
well as both actors are pretty convincing in their roles. I'm sure
slasher fans will get a kick out of the opening sequence as well as
it feels very similar to a Friday
the 13th
flick. (Boy do I miss those.)
The
film also stars Alan Ruck, Katie Finneran, and Uriah Shelton. The
film is written and directed by Christopher Landon.
Freaky
is presented in 1080p on Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio
of 2:39:1 and a lossless English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz,
24-bit) mix. The film looks fine on disc and would be a good
candidate for 4K Ultra HD. The soundtrack is notably fun and lively
and helps sell the slasher genre well. There is also a standard
definition, anamorphically enhanced DVD version with a compressed
version of the film with a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital audio mix.
Special
Features:
Audio
Commentary with Co-writer/Director Christopher Landon
Deleted
Scenes:
The
Butcher Lends a Hand
Charlene
Hears a Rumor
Late
for the Party
Split
Personalities: Millie vs. The Butcher
Crafting
the Kills featurette
Christopher
Landon's Brand of Horror
featurette
and
Final
Girl Reframed
featurette
If
you're into horror and black comedies then Freaky is worth checking
out.
Gerald
Butler stars in Greenland
(2020), which is a flying comet disaster movie that echoes others in
the genre (and follows a lot of the same story beats), but is a
pretty enjoyable film at the end of the day.
The
film paints a dramatic and semi-accurate picture of what it would
likely be like if asteroids fell from the sky and follows one
family's journey through it all as Florida is mostly wiped out from
falling debris. It shows the desperation of mankind from the
asteroids and the hard choices that have to be made along the way in
order to survive.
Gerald
Butler seems like a natural choice for the role given his past action
flicks and is fine here. At the end of the day, any Hollywood
leading man would have fit in the bill too even Tom Cruise who played
a similar role in Spielberg's War
of the Worlds.
Watching Greenland
might make you a little happy that despite all the craziness going on
in the world that at least THIS hasn't happened (yet.)
The
film also stars Scott Glenn, Morena Baccarin, and David Denman with
direction by Ric Roman Waugh.
Greenland
is presented in 1080p on Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio
of 2.39:1 and a lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix.
Also included is an anamorphically enhanced standard definition DVD
with a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital
mix. The film has impressive special effects and is quite well put
together with fast paced editing and a nice score.
Special
Features:
Audio
Commentary with Director Ric Roman Waugh and Producer Basil Iwanyk
Deleted
Scenes with Introductions by Director Ric Roman Waugh
and
Humanity
- Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Director Ric Roman Waugh and VFX
Supervisor Mark Massicotte take audiences behind the scenes of the
exhilarating story
Greenland
is a dramatic and intense film at times that will definitely make you
feel things that fall from the sky. Much better than I expected.
In
the Arctic, a frozen Nazi battleship is discovered, but what they
thought was dead, was the undead, zombified Nazi soldiers on flying
mutated super sharks. After being thawed from the arctic these Nazi
zombie soldier now reigns terror in the skies. Only a scientist, a
team of highly train soldiers and two sisters are able to stop this
undead army and save humanity in Marc
Fehse's Sky
Sharks
(2020)
Dr.
Klaus Richter was a former Nazi scientist who was recruited after the
war by operation 'Paperclip' to help advance American science. He
helped created a super serum that turns men into super soldiers,
raise dead into zombies and women into zombie hoes. Now he and his
two sultry daughters Angelique and Diabla must lead a team of
soldiers into the heart of an invisible flying Nazi battle/ghost ship
and destroy an army Nazi zombified soldiers and their killer mutant
sharks before they spread around the world.
Be
warned as noted above, you need a multi-region player in order to
watch this movie. This movie doesn't have much plot, but it is
filled with violence, sex, nudity, gore and zombies. Any character
in a nude or sex scene is attacked by zombies and dies a gruesome
death. All the special effects were stylized and low quality, and
every scene has punk metal rock music in the background. Tony Todd
and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa lead the cast.
The
resultant anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is not what it could
be and makes this harder to watch and enjoy than expected, which
extends to the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix that is a little
inconsistent in its soundfield. There are no extras.
Finally,
a old Saturday Movie Serial Western, one with Universal and star John
'Mack' Brown entitled Wild
West Days
(1937) that runs 13 chapters / 250 minutes with the usual overlap)
and is the first of his titles we have seen on Blu-ray. VCI has
issued many of the films on DVD, so he still has an audience, but is
usually for more diehard fans of the genre and as one who is not as
big a fan of he or the genre, it is more of the same.
However,
despite the battle between good guys and outlaws harassing an
innocent couple, et al, they sure go out of their way to set up all
kinds of situations for the stuntmen to hash it all out.
Unfortunately, this is not much more memorable than his B-movies and
the use of 'Indians' as side villains who always pop out of nowhere
to start trouble, this is a formula work indeed and one that only
fans might like. I do like most serials, but this one is not up to
the energy level of the better ones either. Now, you can see for
yourself.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfer (they claim it is a 4K scan) can show the age of the
materials used, but this is par for the course of all serials we have
seen on Blu-ray to date, lucky they have survived as well as they
have and still has some detail and better Video Black than you would
get if this were a DVD version. The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is
a little rougher and does not help the age of the audio. In a
lossless version, this might have been a little warmer and clearer,
but this is what we get. There are no extras.
To
order the
Sky
Sharks
Umbrella import DVD, go to this link for it and other hard to find
releases at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
-
Nicholas Sheffo (West),
Ricky Chiang (Cut,
Sky)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/