Candy
Apple
(2015/Anchor Bay*)/Deadman's
Barstool
(2018*/**)/Jade
4K
(1995/Paramount/Imprint/ViaVision Import 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
w/Blu-ray)/Saga
Of The Phoenix
(1989*/**)/She
Shoots Straight
(1990/**all 88 Films Blu-ray/*all MVD)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B-/B-/B-/B/B Sound:
B-/B-/B-/B/B- Extras: C/C-/B/B/B- Films: C/D/C+ (Director's
Cut) & C/B/B-
Now
for an odd mix of thrillers....
Candy
Apple
(2015) is a gritty punk rock film that is set in the gritty streets
of New York City's Chinatown. Grungy and dirty, the film features a
cast of colorful characters in the mix of a father and son who
attempt to keep their lives together long enough to fulfill personal
creative endeavors but are ultimately consumed by the city's
undercurrents of vice and depravity.
Candy
Apple
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and audio mixes in
lossy English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
mixes. Considering it's an indie production the film is made pretty
well with no glaring issues.
Special
Features: Trailer and What
is Punk Rock Cinema?
featurette.
Candy
Apple
reminds me a little bit of Trainspotting
in that it captures an honest look at the lives of a punk rock
counter culture specific to its New York setting.
The
wife of a well-known televangelist partners with his mistress to
screw him out of his fortune in Deadman's
Barstool
(2018). The familiar premise of the film spins the story into a
comedy or at least an attempt at one with a group of wild characters
that don't quite mesh. The indie film tries to be something like a
Guy Ritchie movie but lacks a cohesive plot and characters the
audience can relate to. The result is a film that even under 80
minutes to an endurance test to sit through.
The
film stars Jasmine Poulton, Victoria Beltran, Becca Blackwell, Brad
Calcaterra and directed by Dean Dempsey
Deadman's
Barstool
Special Features include a Trailer and The Plank Podcast with Dean
Dempsey.
William
Friedkin's Jade
4K
(1995) is a surprisingly deluxe, all out reissue and upgrade of the
film that was not the success it could have been, one we reviewed a
while ago in its U.S. Blu-ray edition. On that, I wrote...
''Joe
Eszterhas wrote Basic
Instinct
and every studio wanted another such hit, so studio head Sherry
Lansing paired Friedkin (her husband) with the script for Jade
(1995) and a cast that included David Caruso (still a target after
leaving NYPD
Blue),
Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Biehn, Richard Crenna,
Kevin Tighe and Angie Everhart in a murder thriller with a killer
wielding an old hatchet. It is too similar to the previous hit in
plot, but Friedkin tries to make it work. This is the shorter
R-rated cut and does not work as well as the uncut version, in
fairness to all involved. Add the critics out to get Eszterhas with
those out to get Caruso and the film did not have a chance.''
This
new Imprint/ViaVision Import 4K edition has the uncut version, though
it only works so much better, it is now a throwback to a time when
the studios would at least try to do an intelligent thriller and we
rarely see any of that now. With Friedkin sadly no longer with us,
doing even an ambitious thriller beats the many bad ones we seem to
get every other week and it is sort of sad to see it not work. The
cast makes sense and even if Friedkin (who I always liked) was a
better director than the usually shameless Eszterhas was as a writer,
Friedkin could keep his overindulgences in check. Too bad it did not
work out, so the set makes for an interesting look at what happened.
The
extras far outdo the old Blu-ray that only had a trailer, with a
mini-hardcover booklet on the film, three new featurettes on the
film, two new audio commentary tracks, a bunch of vintage
supplements, terrific boxed packaging (again!) and the excellent 2002
documentary on producer Robert Evans The
Kid Stays In The Picture
on Blu-ray! You can read all about at the ordering link below. If
you happen to be a fan of the film, you are in luck!
Saga
Of The Phoenix
(1989) is an incredible genre film to watch as it really shows a
great use of imagination and creativity with filmmaking on a
practical scale. The film reads like an anime as the characters are
wild and some of the costumes and effects are very ambitious. A
sequel to Peacock, Saga
of the Phoenix
centers on the Holy Maiden of Hell named Ashura who holds the power
to destroy humanity. Her realm grants her seven days to live with
her friends on the planet one last time meanwhile the demon realm
summons her back to a life of cruelty.
The
film stars Gloria Yip, Loletta Lee, Yuen Biao and is directed by Nam
Nai Choi.
Special
Features:
Audio
Commentary by HK Cinema Experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto
Saga
of Golden Harvest - The International Connection:
Albert Lee discusses Golden Harvest's
strategy
of distribution overseas
Alternate
Japanese Footage
Image
Gallery
Original
Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original Hong Kong poster artwork
Limited
Edition includes:
O-Ring
and rigid slipcase featuring artwork by R.P. ''Kung Fu Bob'' O'Brien
Collectable
Postcard
40
page illustrated perfect bound book with new essays by Andrew Heskins
and David West and exclusive cover art
Saga
of the Phoenix
has a lot of imagination and impressive filmmaking behind what is
essentially a live action anime.
Corey
Yuen's She
Shoots Straight
(1990) is one of many films Sammo Hung landed up being behind as a
producer, but it stands out from the usual martial arts fare despite
plenty of action because it is trying to do a little more and some
genre fans might think of it as the best Michele Yeoh film Michele
Yeoh never made and a key film in the long list of Hong Kong action
entries.
After
two inspectors get married in an elaborate wedding, Mina (Joyce
Godenzi) has to battle a deadly Vietnamese gang who starts targeting
their entire family, so you know all kinds of action, violence and
madness will result. To the film's credit, the cast is solid, the
script has more than just phony plot device developments dealing with
the characters as we see the family under other circumstances that
totally rings true, choreography and stunts top notch and a
consistent look to the film helps. The directing and chemistry
between the cast top it all off.
Not
that it is two separate films, as all of it fits together very well,
but we still have seen some of this before in other films, but the
energy helps and Hung shows up in a key role too. This one is a
must-see for all serious film fans, especially of the genres the film
covers.
Extras
include
an O-RING SLIP CASE WITH NEW ARTWORK BY SEAN LONGMORE
Audio
Commentary with Asian Cinema Expert Frank Djeng
Alternate
English credits
Image
Gallery
Original
Hong Kong Trailer
and
a Reversible Sleeve.
Now
for playback performance. While the 1080p Blu-ray in this Jade
4K
set repeats the old Lionsgate/Paramount Blu-ray we reviewed years
ago, the 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.78 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image is more like it with
grit, color, warmth and an approach that you would expect from a
superior filmmaker like Friedkin to offer in such a genre film.
Both
cuts in both formats offer DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 stereo
lossless mixes, but sadly, only the theatrical version is also
offered in lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1, all of which sound
better than the U.S. Blu-ray soundtrack and are all as good as the
film will ever sound.
Candy
Apple
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and audio mixes in
lossy English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
mixes. Considering it's an indie production the film is made pretty
well with no glaring issues.
Deadman's
Barstool
is presented in 1080p high definition on regular Blu-ray disc with an
MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and audio mixes
in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mixes, but
why no lossless presentations?.
Saga
of the Phoenix
is presented in 1080p high definition on 2K Blu-ray disc with an
MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a Cantonese
LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) sound mix. 88 Films has done a
wonderful job restoring this film for this nice release. I haven't
seen prior releases of the film, but this one is up to standards and
looks fine on disc.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Straight
rarely shows the age of the materials used, but a few parts can seem
a bit off. Otherwise, it is impressive, from the lusher scenes to
the action scenes, wisely shot differently without being too
different. The
lossless Cantonese DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and PCM 2.0 Stereo
are both dubbed post-production and much better than the lame English
dub, but you even get sonic limits and little issues here and there
in all of the mixes, though the DTS 5.1 is easily the best of them
all.
To
order the
Jade
4K
Imprint/ViaVision import 4K/Blu-ray set, go to this link to order it:
https://viavision.com.au/shop/jade-1995-4k-uhd-blu-ray-limited-edition-hardbox-hardback-booklet-imprint-collection-497/
-
Nicholas Sheffo (4K, Shoots)
and James Lockhart
https://letterboxd.com/jhl5films/
