Crumb
Catcher
(2020*/**)/Detonation!
Violent Riders
(1975/88 Films*)/Lethal
Weapon 4K
(1985/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/Nightwatch
Collection
(1994, 2023 (Demons
Are Forever)/**all
Arrow/*)/Tattooed
Dragon
(1973/Eureka! Blu-ray/*all MVD Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B Picture: B-/B-/B-/B/B- Sound:
B-/C+/B-/B-/C+ Extras: C-/B-/C/B-/B- Films: C-/B-/B-/B- &
C+/C+
Here's
a real interesting group of genre action films, including some prime
entries by some big name stars known for these films...
Chris
Skotchdopole's Crumb
Catcher
(2020) wants to be some kind of twist on a home invasion thriller,
but this scenario has been done way too many times and the twist here
is that a married couple (who blacks out) go on their honeymoon, only
for the waiter and bartender they never expected to see show up
knocking on the door. As soon as they knew they were knocked out,
they should have gone to the hospital, not to their private wedding
destination.
From
there, even with that considered, this just gets lamer and lamer and
lamer and lamer and the characters are so cardboard, I was bored. As
I watched, I hoped there was a point and that this would pick up, but
it does not and just gets worse and worse. Guess that's the way the
cliches crumble? Unless you are somehow curious to see this one,
don't 'catch' it
Extras
include a
brand new feature length audio commentary by writer-director Chris
Skotchdopole, recorded exclusively for Arrow Video in 2025
Catching
Crumbs: The Making of Crumb Catcher,
a 38-minute behind-the-scenes, featuring interviews with the film's
cast and crew, created exclusively for Arrow Video
The
Egg and the Hatchet
(2016), a short film by Chris Skotchdopole starring Taylor Zaudtke
and Jeremy Gardner (21 mins)
Camp
Out
(2010), a short film by Chris Skotchdopole (13 mins)
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Illustrated
collector's booklet featuring an introduction by producer Larry
Fessenden and new writing on the film by Richard Newby and Tori
Potenza
and
a reversible sleeve featuring original artwork by Tessa Price and
Sister Hyde.
Teruo
Ishii's Detonation!
Violent Riders
(1975) is one of the great biker films and a Japanese one at that
with Sonny Chiba in the lead in a film that has much more sex,
violence and action than many of its U.S. and U.K. counterculture
counterparts and though it is not a perfect film, there is plenty
going on here and more than enough to make this worth a look for all
serious film fans who love this kind of movie.
Chiba
is the overprotective older brother of a pretty young gal (Tomoko Ai)
who falls for a bike mechanic (Koichi Iwaki) who wants to race
professionally, but the criminal element, her still-around ex
boyfriend and their activities are also getting in the way. The
pace, energy, editing and flow of the film are impressive and this is
one of Chiba's best films, back with Ishii
after their Executioner
films. For fans of this cycle of filmmaking, it may be considered a
classic or at least minor classic, so it is recommended.
Extras
included
in this LIMITED EDITION includes INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED OBI STRIP
Richard
Donner's
Lethal
Weapon 4K
(1985) is back in Ultra High Definition at a time when Mel Gibson is
as controversial as ever and still making films, as well as a TV show
remake a few years ago cut short by the death of of one of its leads
(Bill Paxton) that is still hard to believe. You can read about the
film in my old coverage of the Theatrical-Only version in the
obsolete HD-DVD format at this link:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3946/Lethal+Weapon+(Warner+HD-DVD/Theatrical+Version
The
film has aged in odd ways, the new 4K cover is practically the same
cover as always, its tendency to knock-off Dirty
Harry
more obvious (especially after that film's 4K release recently,
reviewed elsewhere on this site) and its manipulations a little more
obvious than they once were. Still, it has its moments and those
still interested and curious can catch it in this upgrade.
Extras
include Digital Movie Code, while the disc adds:
·A
Legacy of Inspiration: Remembering Richard Donner
featurette
·and
''I'm
Too Old for This...''
Ole
Bornedal's Nightwatch
Collection
(original 1994 film, plus Demons
Are Forever
(2023)) is a Danish cinema classic and a belated, recent sequel with
mixed results, the first film helped put Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on the
map as a young new nighttime attendant in a morgue. Creepy job, but
a serial killer is on the loose, some of it harkens back to where he
works and when things get really bad, he suddenly is the top suspect
to be the killer!
Of
course, he is innocent and has to investigate on his own to find out
who the real killer is and tis this individual trying to frame him.
What starts out as creepy with mystery and some comedy just gets
darker, even after we start to find out what is really happening and
cheers to all involved for keeping up the momentum, suspense and pace
to make this work all the way through. The best film (and
best-looking transfer) of all the films here, All serious film fans,
especially horror and mystery fans, will want to see this one.
Coster-Waldau
shows up in the sequel, but not for that long and the daughter of his
character (Fanny Leander Bornedal)
takes over night duties with more creepiness in store and a new
series of murders. This might be fun for some of the fans of the
first film, but it plays it too safe, is not as effective, does not
look as good and despite some good efforts by the cast and same
director returning, is more of a belated package deal than anything
else. Now you can judge for yourself.
Extras
include LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS: Reversible sleeve featuring newly
commissioned artwork for both films by Peter Strain
Lo
Wei's The
Tattooed Dragon
(1973) is a showcase for Jimmy Wang Yu (The
Man From Hong Kong)
as the title character, a skilled fighter and good guy always out to
help the people in most jeopardy, here stopping a criminal gang from
overrunning and taking over a village. The cast is not bad and
script mixed, but Wang Yu (who sadly died recently) was in early
prime form here and his moves mow over some of the film's flaws.
Wei
had brought Bruce Lee classic The
Big Boss
and Fist
Of Fury
to life, which became hits all over again when Lee passed away, Wang
Yu was one of the 'best of the rest' in big screen martial arts
action, so this is a curio for those in the know and has enough
moments that those interested should give it a good look. Wang Yu
should have been a bigger star in the U.S., but all his films need
restored, reissued and this is another good place to start. The
Man From Hong Kong
has been issued on Blu-ray several times and needs a 4K release at
this point. We'll see what gets reissued next.
Extras
include
in this first version of the release limited to 2,000 copies:
Now
for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.85 X 1, HDR (10;
Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on
Lethal
Weapon 4K
is somewhat of an improvement over the older Blu-ray/HD-DVD transfer,
but has new issues with scenes looking a little darker than they
should and color that seems off more often than it should, reminding
me of issues with the recent 4K releases of Cameron's Aliens
and Cobra.
Is it the older film stock when they were still perfecting low fade
color negative and still had not finished figuring that out? The
lack of Dolby Vision may suggest the 4K masters are a little older
than we night know, but here they are. The
lossless Dolby Atmos mix for both cuts are on the weak side,
especially considering the film was issued in Dolby's old A-type
analog stereo surround Dolby System format and thought the 5.1 mix
from the older disc fared better. Be careful of high volume playback
and audio switching just in case.
The
1080p 2.00 X 1 digital High Definition image on Crumb
Catcher
is one of the newer shoots here, but it is not that memorable, though
somewhat consistent for the slightly dark look chosen, It did not
stay with me much, nor did the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix that is a bit lacking in
soundfield consistency and mixed professionally at best. The
combination is fairly good, but not as good as it could have been.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Detonation!
has some great color, detail and depth, but also has more than a few
shots that are a little off, hindering it a bit. With a very
consistent look, the daylight scene hold up well too, but the
Japanese PCM 2.0 Mono sound can be a bit boxy and aged, easily
outdone by the image at its best.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Nightwatch
is one of the best here with a really good, solid transfer that is
well done, well shot and very involving, while the 1080p 2.35 X 1
digital High Definition image transfer on the Nightwatch sequel is as
good for being the newest shoot here, but does not resonate or is as
effective, playing it too visually safe like the rest of the film.
The
Danish DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and PCM 2.0 Stereo lossless mixes
on both films are not bad, with the older film having a more
interesting mix and both options being pretty good. However, the 5.1
is not overall better than the stereo versions in either case.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Tattooed
Dragon
is also looking good, with some detail and age issues
here and there, the Mandarin PCM
2.0 Mono also being a bit boxy and showing its age. Like
Detonation!,
the picture outperforms the older audio.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
