Mike Spring
I’m covering two weeks’ worth of releases this week, as I’ll be away on vacation next week. There will probably be a few more July 30th titles arriving while I’m gone, so I’ll catch up with those when I get back. All of the July 30th titles have the date next to them for clarity. Also, don’t forget, I am now indicating whether or not each title includes a Digital Copy! Enjoy!
The Fall Guy
The Movie: So, I’ve now seen The Fall Guy twice, and I actually had a very different experience the second time around. The first time I watched the film, I enjoyed it but I was a little underwhelmed by it. It felt a little too long and the actors occasionally felt like they were ad-libbing their meandering dialogue a bit too much. But then I watched it again to review it and I had a completely different experience. I really enjoyed the movie a lot more the second time. I bought in more on the characters, the dialogue issues didn’t bother me, it didn’t feel too long anymore, and I just had a lot more fun with it in general. I don’t know why, either. I would chalk it up to having lowered expectations, but honestly, the trailer didn’t do much for me so my expectations weren’t that high to begin with. Whatever the reason, I now consider myself a Fall Guy fan, so I’m glad to have it on 4K Ultra HD in my collection! This home video release includes an Extended Cut which adds 20 minutes back into the movie. I feel like it’s a little on the long side already, but you do get more bang for your buck, and you can watch the Theatrical Cut if you prefer.
The 4K Video/Audio: The Fall Guy is a surprisingly good-looking movie from a visual standpoint, and the 4K Ultra HD transfer reflects that nicely. The imagery is extremely sharp, clean and clear, and the visual and practical effects really shine in Ultra HD. Colors are at a premium and contrasts are strong, with deep, rich black levels. Obviously, the print is clean and devoid of any debris or blemishes. The surround soundtrack immerses your living room in the action, of which there is plenty, as the active surround channels and booming low end bass ensure your ears are constantly picking up something new. The soundtrack music — which makes surprisingly good use of KISS’s semi-disco hit “I Was Made For Loving You” is also balanced well, while the dialogue never gets lost in the mix, resulting in a terrific sound presentation overall.
The Special Features: First off, you get both the Theatrical Cut of the movie plus an Extended Cut, which adds a whopping 20 minutes back into the film, so that’s pretty cool. Then, there are 10 making of featurettes that focus mostly on — what else? — the stunts, and run roughly about an hour combined. You also get an audio commentary track with the director and producer, a gag reel, alternate takes, and more.
Digital Copy Included?: Yes
The Wrap-Up: The Fall Guy wasn’t a bomb in theaters, but it wasn’t really a bona fide hit, either, falling into that weird mid-range where it made almost a hundred million dollars domestically, but thanks to a big budget it probably wasn’t profitable enough to see a sequel. Still, it’s a lot of fun and it definitely holds up to repeat viewings.
Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection
The Movies: Before I dive into the movies themselves, I have to say that I don’t really love Warner’s strategy here. Last year, they released a collection of Rocky I-IV, with Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky IV Director’s Cut included. Many fans, myself included, lamented the fact that the set didn’t just include the entire saga and feature Rocky V and Rocky Balboa. Well, now, WB has double dipped and brought us the Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection, which adds Rocky V, Rocky Balboa, and Stallone’s Director’s Cut of Rocky Balboa to the previous four films. I don’t know why they didn’t just wait and put out the complete set to much greater fanfare. Sigh. Anyway, that said, I don’t know if there are many characters from the 80s more iconic than Rocky Balboa. (Yes, I know he debuted in the ’70s, but come on… Rocky personified the 80’s.) Anybody born in the 70s or 80’s basically can’t help but be a Rocky fan; even if you don’t like boxing, the Rocky films weren’t just movies, they were events. Heck, it’s even hard to pick a favorite; sure, the first film is arguably a classic but Rocky III is probably my favorite of the series. And who doesn’t get chills seeing that iconic image of Rocky wrapped in the American flag in Rocky IV? Great stuff. And while Rocky V is the obvious weak point in the franchise. Rocky Balboa is a great legacy sequel that I have a real soft spot for. And then you technically get two extra movies: Rocky Vs. Drago, an alternate director’s cut crafted by Sly himself, which adds some 40 minutes of footage to Rocky IV, and the director’s cut of Rocky Balboa, which adds 14 minutes back into the film. All in all, it’s the best Rocky collection we’ve seen yet, and it’s hard to argue with that.
The 4K Video/Audio: Each movie has been remastered and looks and sounds better than I’ve ever seen them on home video. Obviously, the films are older and so it’s not like you’re watching a new movie shot on digital, but I think these releases nicely replicate the theatrical experience. Color saturation is deep and rich when appropriate, while you also get nicely sharp imagery, and deep, rich black levels. The prints, impressively, are almost devoid of any blemishes or debris 9with the very few that occur only on the earliest movies). The surround soundtracks have a lot to work with in terms of creating atmosphere and bringing the action to life and they don’t waste any opportunities to fill your living room with uppercuts and knockouts. There’s also a nice low end bass channel that gives many of the scenes an effective rumble that you’ll feel in your chest. It’s a strong technical effort.
The Special Features: There are only extras included on Rocky (three audio commentaries, including one with Stallone) and Rocky Balboa (an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and about 40 minutes of making-of featurettes.) As an added bonus, there’s a fifth disc that includes a making-of feature about the new Rocky IV cut that runs about an hour and is kind of like getting a sixth film as well. Also on that disc are about 80 minutes of making-of and retrospective extras from the first four films. Rocky V fans, you’re out of luck. My biggest complaint is the missing extra features. Sure, you still get some previously released extras, but there are some heavyweight extras that were on previously released Rocky discs that aren’t here, and that’s a letdown.
Digital Copy Included?: Yes
The Wrap-Up: While I’m not a fan of double dipping in consecutive years, I am a fan of the Rocky franchise and I’m happy to finally have the entire series in one place and on such a great format. For Rocky fans, this really is the ultimate collection.
Hatchet: The Complete Collection
The Movies: Remember back in the ’80s, when slasher flicks were in their heyday? Well, director Adam Green does, and he spent several years bringing back that decade’s slashery goodness with the four-film Hatchet series. Comprised of Hatchet, Hatchet II, Hatchet III, and Victor Crowley, the series brought back over-top-kills, a Jason Voorhees-esque killer, and plenty of blood and guts, all mixed with a great sense of humor, creative kills, and lots of familiar faces in the casts. Writer/director Adam Green has been one of the few filmmakers in recent years to make a successful franchise in the slasher genre, and his films are like love letters to all the great ‘80s Friday the 13th and Halloween movies. The series is set in the swamps and bayous of New Orleans, where the monstrous Victor Crowley claims his victims, mostly made up of tourists and shady criminals. The resultant movies are filled with gore, mayhem, and black humor, exactly what you’d want from a great slasher flick. Now, Dark Sky films has finally collected all four movies into one deluxe collection, and it’s a real beauty. Wrapped in a Steelbook case, you get one Blu-ray for each movie plus a bonus fifth disc of extra materials, both of which are all new. It’s a real treasure trove for Hatchet fans! This set also marks the first release in the new Dark Sky Selects line, which will be curated releases from the studio’s archive in premium releases. Available only at DarkSkySelects.com, this is a limited edition release. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!
The Special Features: There are almost two hours of new bonus features included here, as well as a number of archival materials. First up, the new extras start with Swamp Tales, a new documentary with writer/director Adam Green, director of photography Will Barratt, and producer Sarah Elbert sharing a number of fun stories about the production of the films. It runs almost an hour. Then there’s The Production Journals, a one-hour documentary that features journal entries that were kept by the cast and crew on the set of Hatchet, read out loud by the cast and crew and featuring tons of behind the scenes footage.
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up: I love the Hatchet franchise, and this new Steelbook 5-Disc Collection is a real treat. It was great to go back to revisit the films and dive into all the new extra features. If you love the Hatchet movies, or even if you’ve never seen them but you love slasher films, you need to track this set down before it disappears into the swamp!
Anselm
The Movie: You might not be familiar with the name Anselm Kiefer, but if that’s the case director Wim Wenders wants to change that. His new film Anselm is a documentary that is one of the early releases of Janus Contemporaries, a new line of home-video editions of first-run releases, fresh from theaters, following their streaming premieres on the Criterion Channel. Anselm is a profile of Anselm Kiefer, who is an artist who works in a number of mediums and formats and produces powerful works. Now, I’ve used the words profile and documentary pretty loosely, as this is still a Wim Wenders film. It’s highly stylized, and it plays out almost like an art installation itself. Much of the film is just an exploration of the art with no commentary, and then Wenders also employs two actors to portray Kiefer as a young boy and as an adult man, which is an interesting choice. There are a few brief clips with Kiefer himself as well, but the focus is on the artwork. Wenders also made the film in 3D and, this home video release includes the 3D version as well as a traditional 2D version, so if you still have a 3D Blu-ray player, you’re in luck!
The Special Features: While Anselm isn’t technically a Criterion Collection disc, it sure looks and feels like one. Except in the extra features department, which just includes a new interview with director Wim Wenders and the film’s trailer. I’m used to a little more than that from a Criterion disc, but, like I said, this isn’t technically a Criterion disc.
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up: Anselm isn’t necessarily my regular cup of tea, as I’m not into modern art all that much and Wenders’ filmmaking style here doesn’t speak to my natural preferences but I got more out of it than I expected to. The movie is a fascinating production and I think art lovers will also enjoy it a lot. Plus, the home video release from Janus Contemporaries/Criterion is an overall outstanding release.
Danza Macabre: Volume Three (July 30)
The Movies: While Italy’s Giallo genre and Korea’s K-Horror are probably the most well-known international sub-genres of horror, Spain also has a long tradition of creating gothic horror movies, some of the most notable of which are being collected by Severin Films in a series of box sets. While there are now three box sets total in the Danza Macabra series, this is the first volume in this series that I’ve gotten to review, and I have to say, I’m impressed. This newest volume includes four movies: Necrophagous, Cake of Blood (an anthology movie), Cross of the Devil, and The Night of the Walking Dead (which is actually a vampire movie, and not a zombie movie.) The films are all visually dazzling, somehow both capturing the 1970s and defying the trends of the era at the same time, and they all feature no small amount of sexual material, which is no surprise from international cinema. While I can’t say that I’m suddenly a fan of Spanish gothic horror, I can appreciate what it has to offer and how unique the films feel from other horror offerings. This box set comes in a gorgeous box with each movie having been remastered and restored and presented on Blu-ray.
The Special Features: Each movie comes with new bonus materials, with hours of total extras to dive into. Necrophagous includes an Audio Commentary With Andy Marshall-Roberts, an Appreciation By Ángel Sala, a Remembrance By Maria Pilar Rafáles, Daughter Of Sitges Film Festival Founder Antonio Rafáles. Cake of Blood includes Commentary By Rod Barnett And Dr. Adrian Smith, Interviews With Marisa Paredes, Jaime Chávarri And José Lifante, and an Appreciation By Ángel Sala. Cross of the Devil comes with Commentary By Kim Newman And Barry Forshaw, and Interview With Juan José Porto, an Appreciation By Ángel Sala and Fantasy And Imagination: The Legacy Of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, which is a Video Essay By Xavier Aldana Reyes. Finally, The Night of the Walking Dead features a Commentary By Kat Ellinger, an Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Interviews With Juan José Porto And José Lifante, and Spain’s Cinematic Vampires, a Video Essay By Xavier Aldana Reyes.
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up: I enjoyed Cake of Blood and The Night of the Walking Dead the best out of the four movies included in this box set, but I suppose everyone will have their favorites. Regardless of which movie you enjoy most, you will be impressed by the high quality of this outstanding genre box set.
Sting (July 30)
The Movie: If you are afraid of spiders, you will either want to rush out and grab a copy of Sting or else you will want to avoid it like the plague. The film sees a tween-aged girl capture a spider — that unbeknownst to her is not of this earth — and make it her pet. Unfortunately, it’s growing exponentially and, oh yeah, it can mimic sounds. None of which is good for the residents of her apartment building. Here’s the thing about Sting: I had really mixed feelings about it. The beginning of the film is pretty good, the ending is pretty great, but the middle part… ehhh, I didn’t love it. I feel like the movie tried way too hard to create conflict between the characters that felt unnecessary, since there’s plenty of conflict with the giant man-eating spider. Did we need every character to be having difficulties or treating each other like crap on top of that? I know the filmmakers were trying to create realistic characters, which I appreciate, I just wish every horror filmmaker didn’t feel the need to make every character in their movies so damaged. That said, there are some great thrills and chills and creature effects in Sting, so horror fans should check it out for themselves.
The Special Features: There is a behind-the-scenes feature with interviews with the cast and crew as well as a dive into the special effects and how the spider was created.
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up: Sting isn’t great but it’s not bad, either. I enjoyed parts of it, even though the middle lost my interest for a little bit. If you like creature features, I’d say it’s definitely worth giving it a watch and seeing if you feel differently than I did.
Sherlock Holmes/Sherlock Holmes and The Deadly Necklace (July 30)
The Movie: Sherlock Holmes has been adapted to film numerous times, but I’ve realized that while I’m familiar with some of the most well-known ones (the Basil Rathbone series in classic Hollywood and the Robert Downey Jr. blockbusters), there are a lot of smaller Sherlock Holmes movies that are new to me. This Week, Severin Films releases two of those lesser-known movies on Blu-ray for the first time. First up is the simply titled Sherlock Holmes, which sees Peter Cushing play the world’s most famous detective. Turns out it’s not a movie, but a British television series from 1968. Apparently, most of the series has been lost to time, but there are six episodes that are still in the archives, and they’re collected here for the first time ever. That includes a two-part adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is extremely cool. Then we have Sherlock Holmes and The Deadly Necklace, a 1962 feature starring Christopher Lee as Holmes. This international production is a bit more disjointed than the other offering, but seeing Lee play Holmes as the prickly, arrogant character that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his as is quite fascinating. Both releases come on Blu-ray and feature new bonus materials, making these a real treat for Sherlock Holmes aficionados.
The Special Features: Sherlock Holmes comes as a two-disc release that gives you the six surviving episodes, plus Audio Commentaries for all episodes featuring film authors Kim Newman, Barry Forshaw, and David Stuart Davies. You also get an Illustrated Peter Cushing Audio Interview with David Stuart Davies, as well as
Missing Episode Clips with Optional Commentary by Jonathan Rigby, Author Of English Gothic, And Horror Historian Kevin Lyons. Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes and The Deadly Necklace includes an Audio Commentary With authors Kim Newman & Barry Forshaw, an interview featurette called Tony Dalton Interviews Terence Fisher, another featurette called Tony Dalton On Terence Fisher, and the movie’s Trailer.
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up:
The Linguini Incident
The Movie: If you’re ever playing trivia and the question is something along the lines of, “In which romantic comedy did David Bowie play a bartender alongside Rosanna Arquette and Marlee Matlin,” boy, will you be in luck! Because that movie is The Linguini Incident, a 1991 oddball of a movie directed by Richard Shepard, whose only other notable cinematic credit (he’s directed loads of TV shows) is the criminally underrated The Matador, starring Pierce Brosnan. This movie sees two employees of an artsy deli get fed up with their bosses and decide to rob the place, which of course goes 100% smoothly and nothing goes wrong at all. Okay, not really, but you get the idea. It’s an interesting movie that has some parts that are quite enjoyable and some that don’t quite work, but it does have charm and a strong sense of style that is quite unique. Bowie’s performance is different than anything I’d seen him do before (which admittedly isn’t a ton), and it’s certainly an easily watchable film (even if it is a little bit dated.) Unearthed Classics (who is coming on strong these days in terms of giving us great special editions of cult classic films) has managed to put together an impressive package for a movie I’d never even heard of before it came up for review. That includes the Director’s Cut of the film as the main feature.
The Special Features: Where they managed to put all these extras together is beyond me, but you get an Introduction by Director Richard Shepard, an Audio Commentary with Director Richard Shepard and Rosanna Arquette (along with a few other cast and crew members), another Commentary by Richard Shepard by himself, a feature-length documentary about the making of the film (that literally runs almost two hours!), a Photo Gallery with commentary by Richard Shepard, and two trailers. Also, this disc includes both the Director’s Cut and the Theatrical Cuts of the film. Wow!
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up: As a movie, The Linguini Incident is enjoyable and offbeat. As a home video release, it’s absolutely top-notch. Fans of any of the players involved should definitely track this Blu-ray down.
Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara
The Movie: Sometimes, when you’re reviewing movies you know nothing about, you very quickly realize that your perception of what you’re watching is 100% wrong. Such was the case with Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara, which I assumed going into it was a typical kidnapping thriller. It’s not. Instead, it’s based on a true story and takes place during the 1800s in Italy, when a young Jewish boy is ad-hoc baptized by his babysitter. Word makes its way to the church, who invokes Catholic law to remove the child from his family so he can be raised Catholic instead of Jewish. The film then follows the next 16 years of the family’s life as they fight to get Edgardo back and he is raised in the eye of The Pope. So, while not at all what I was expecting, it’s actually quite an impressive film, filled with strong performances and writing that often feels like it’s about to veer towards cheesy melodrama but always pulls back before it does.
The Special Features: There are a few: an introduction by the film’s director, an interview with the director, and the trailer, which is better than nothing.
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up: At times a difficult watch, Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara doesn’t play like an action movie or a thriller, but it is still upsetting to see a child forcefully separated from their parents. It’s a powerful film that will appeal to viewers who want something with a little weight to it.
Alienoid: Return to the Future (July 30)
The Movie: The Alienoid movies are not easy to explain, partly because they’re not always easy to follow. For example, here’s the synopsis of the first film in the series: “For ages, aliens have kept their prisoners locked inside human bodies, but the guard in charge opens a gate through time in an attempt to prevent their escape. The portal links to 630 years in the past, where a master swordsman and others try to seize a legendary sword. Chaos and confusion ensue when travelers from the present cross paths with those from the past, and all are trying to find the mystical divine blade that holds the key to everything.” Sooo… yeah. Watching that film (which ultimately was so over-the-top crazy) was quite an experience, and now we have a sequel to it, so I guess it was successful in its native Korea, Alienoid: Return to the Future picks up with our heroine Anh once again in search of the sword that will open a time-travel portal to bring her cohorts to the present. A lot of convoluted stuff happens which eventually leads to a semi-apocalyptic scenario in which our heroes must save the day. That’s the best way I can describe it to you, but once again the movie is a huge, action-packed, special-effects driven spectacle, and it is quite enjoyable, despite the gonzo storyline. You definitely need to watch the first movie before you dive into this one, however, so keep that in mind.
The Special Features: You get a making-of featurette and two trailers. It’s not extensive, but it beats a featureless disc.
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up: If you enjoyed Alienoid, you will definitely want to watch Alienoid: Return to the Future. Narratively it’s complicated (but not too hard to follow, ultimately), but it is a visual treat and a fun adventure, so returning fans should find it quite enjoyable.
Deer Camp ’86
The Movie: I love that people are continuing to make slasher films, as I’m a huge fan of the genre, I just wish that sometimes they were making them better. Deer Camp ’86 isn’t a bad slasher film per se but it’s far from a great one. The story sees a group of six guys on a hunting weekend in the woods, but when a nearby Native American bartender is murdered, a vengeful spirit comes after our protagonists (even though they didn’t murder her. It’s part of a local legend.) The film has some parts that work, but it takes too long to get going and the biggest sin is that the characters are all pretty much complete jerks. I guess that’s great for not being sad when you’re favorite character gets killed, but honestly, you can’t care about any of these guys. There are a few good moments of clever dialogue in the film and it doesn’t go overly gory, which I like, but at the end of the day it’s just decent and nothing more.
The Special Features: Unfortunately, there are no extras.
Digital Copy Included?: No
The Wrap-Up: Deer Camp ’86 is set in the ‘80s, ostensibly, but there’s very little to give it an actual ‘80s vibe. A lot of other recent horror movies have captured bygone eras much better, so while there’s some entertainment value here, it’s really only for the die-hard slasher completists.
