Black Swarm + King Of The Hill (2007/Genius/Dimension
Extreme DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Films: C-
If you
can’t do a great film, maybe you can have fun trying to do one of its type
within certain familiar confines. In
Horror/Thrillers, there is the nature rage pic and hunter/hunted flick. David Winning’s Black Swarm (2007/Genius with RHI) is a TV movie where wasps have
developed metallic singers and are on the kill against an unsuspecting
town. A good idea, it all goes wrong
when the makers decide to take the phony/funny route and it becomes a mess.
King Of The Hill (2007, not to be confused with
the animated comedy series of Steven Soderbergh drama) is a tale about a man
who becomes involved with a mysterious woman sexually, then finds himself
hunted by a sniper. It could have been
creepy and chilling, but it takes one too many twists and they never work as
well as what was working earlier on, though it is an ambitious work for what
that’s worth. It is in Spanish and made
in Spain.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is a little soft and detail challenged
in both cases, but they are watchable with Jill benefiting from less digital
work getting in the way. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 in both cases have their limits, with Swarm desperate to sound good when it was not recorded well, while Hill had a low budget, but also has its
share of quiet or dialogue-based moments (English dub or original Spanish) so
it can only do so much with its mix.
There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
