Their Finest (Blu-ray Review)
July 11th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
Here’s a good little movie that many should check out. Despite plenty of praise coming out of a few film festivals and an eventual release that allowed the film to hold onto screens in arthouse theaters for a few months, Their Finest still only went so far at the box office. A bit of a shame, as the film is a solid period drama/romantic comedy that received strong reviews. That said, hopefully it will be found over time, especially since it has a connection to the Dunkirk evacuation, which is about to become much more of a known event to people outside of the U.K. With a film like this, which has a lighter touch, I could see a unique double feature coming out of it.
a Continue reading ‘Their Finest (Blu-ray Review)’
Last year, Scream Factory completed the Species series’ Blu-ray representation by releasing all the sequels (Species II by itself and a double feature of the TV-movie ones). Now, they are just gonna cap off the hole in the series in their line by putting out a new edition of the original film. Since its MGM we should have expected this was coming along, but it was still a nice little surprise. As for those who are word about the shoddy video transfer that haunted the previous Blu-ray releases, Scream Factory is replacing it with a brand new one. And, its got everything ever, plus a couple new bonus features, so its taking up 2-discs. You can pre-order it from the link below (Or order it on the Shout! Factory site to get a free poster of the new key artwork featured on the slip cover) to have it in time for release on July 11th. 
When I first sat down to work on this movie review prior to seeing the actual movie itself this spring I thought to myself what a wonderful world. LOL. I am kidding. I pondered about what they can do in this outing that hasn’t been done in the previous seven ones. I must admit I was a bit nervous. However, the one thing I always manage to do is have fun with this franchise. Therefore, I wasn’t expecting anything less than a good time with this eighth episode in the franchise. Much like attending a Posion concert back in the late 80’s you can always count on the Fast & Furious franchise to deliver nothing but a good time. You don’t even need to know about cars except the fact that they can fly in these movies. All you need to do is come equipped with the ability to laugh, giggle and excite from the larger-than-life action pieces and humorous one-liners. I think the majority of us can at least do that. What say you? Let’s tackle Universal’s newest 4K release.
The Fifth Element seems to be one of those films that is every sci-fi + A/V enthusiasts wet dream. I’m not saying by any means it’s the greatest movie ever made, but you can definitely have fun with it if you allow it. The film’s audio surround track has always been heralded as a favorite amongst home theater enthusiasts/fans. This one practically screams 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray treatment so much so that I’m really shocked Sony didn’t release it last year. Maybe they were waiting for the the all-new bonus featurette to be completed. It’s even presented in 4K here. In “The Director’s Notes: Luc Besson Looks Back” extra the acclaimed director discusses the origins and impact of the celebrated film. Whatever the reason of delay for this historic 4K UHD release the day is finally among us and the wait is practically over. Join me below in celebrating everything The Fifth Element releasing in glorious, eye-popping 4K Ultra HD July 11th. Read on baby!
Shag was a film that came out to really no big fanfare in 1989. While it had critical praise, even from Roger Ebert ( “It has a charm based on its innocence, its conviction … the actors in Shag are some of the best of the younger generation in Hollywood, and they treat their material with the humor and delicacy it deserves.”), it didn’t catch with audience and made not a blip on the box office radar. It found its life on home video, though controversially it had two releases. Apparently there were some music rights issues with it and they had to replace songs. Its coming from Olive Films to Blu-ray here on June 27th. I can confirm that the cut of the film is being used for the release IS the theatrical one with the original songs. Olive Films has reached to me to and informed me they were able to put that version out. A version which hasn’t been seen in maybe 20 some years! 
One week later and here I am doing more Jess Franco. Granted, a HUMONGOUS sigh of relief as this is not another Fu Manchu movie. I’ve had enough of those for a lifetime, with the caveat that I only want to see it again if its done by Rifftrax or MST3K in a (hopefully) 12th season. His women in prison movie had long been censored throughout the world, but Blue Underground swings in to save the day by making this Blu-ray edition the uncut version of the film. It comes with a slew of extras in a combo pack with a DVD. And in a smooth move, the film comes with a CD featuring the soundtack of the movie. 
Lee Frost’s once quite controversial film 
Slasher // Video continues its relationship with Olive Films, bringing some of the most obscure and very hard to find cult horror films to the Blu-ray format. This time around, its Jeff Hathcock’s Victims! that gets to come on over for a format jump. This 1985 film comes from the end of the first run of slasher films of the early 1980s. This was right when Freddy Krueger was coming in to breathe new life into the genre. While this one gets stuck with the slasher label, its more of the scary hillbilly/lets molest and abuse women subgenre that a stalk and slash. While I don’t know that director of this one, he has had his hand in directing a Troma film and apparently has a film called Night Ripper which he is more known for. Victims!, which happens to be his feature film debut, will release onto the Blu-ray format June 27th. 
21 years ago, Trainspotting arrived. One of the biggest trends in film of the 1990s was the rise of the independent film and Trainspotting was one of the largest. It was the second film from Danny Boyle (Go seek out Shallow Grave, his first, its awesome), but its the one that really launched him. It also launch the careers of Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Johnny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald and Ewan Bremner as well. The film was one of those “MTV Generation” kind of movies, but damn was it ever so energetic and effective. Rewatching it for this review, I had just forgotten how damned good and powerful it was. Now, we’re here 21 years later (2o for the characters in the film) for a reunion movie and follow up that had been discussed by Danny Boyle for many years. And, is it also ever so exciting to see a Danny Boyle film getting a 4K Ultra-HD release! The film will be available for purchse on June 27th and can be pre-ordered below. 
21 years ago, Trainspotting arrived. One of the biggest trends in film of the 1990s was the rise of the independent film and Trainspotting was one of the largest. It was the second film from Danny Boyle (Go seek out Shallow Grave, his first, its awesome), but its the one that really launched him. It also launch the careers of Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Johnny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald and Ewan Bremner as well. The film was one of those “MTV Generation” kind of movies, but damn was it ever so energetic and effective. Rewatching it for this review, I had just forgotten how damned good and powerful it was. Now, we’re here 21 years later (2o for the characters in the film) for a reunion movie and follow up that had been discussed by Danny Boyle for many years. The film will be available for purchse on June 27th and can be pre-ordered below. 
If the year 2011 taught us nothing but the fact that good things can come from rebooting a beloved franchise, then I’d be alright to call it a day right here and now. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever conjured up such a crazy notion that the quirky Planet of the Apes franchise could ever be resurrected after that feeble attempt by Tim Burton (I really wish they could have went through with the Adam Rifkin script) way back in the summer of 2001 before our economy took a crap and I have been broke ever since because of low interest rates. However, I digress. We are not here to discuss our nation’s economy because if the fictional ape character of Caesar was real, I have no doubts that it would thrive once again under his direction. All hail Caesar, right? Exactly! That’s exactly the sentimentality I want you all to have over the course of the next five minutes or so as I impregnate your mind with a world dominated by apes, or at least on the cusp of that becoming a reality in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Just what the world needed…another reboot of a legendary franchise. That was exactly my sentiments when I first learned about the production of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I remember watching and enjoying the original films as a kid, but not enough to warrant my full attention to what was going on behind the scenes of this new production. I still cant get the bad taste of the Mark Walhberg adventure out of my mouth. Then one day I had not one, but several friends asking me if I caught the new trailer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Astonishingly, all of their recounts and tales had one thing in common. They all included the word bada$$. How could they all be wrong? So I reluctantly caved in and gave it a watch. And much to my surprise I thought…not bad! But that didn’t mean I became an instant fanboy overnight. Quite the opposite happened. 
Blue Underground is bring the 1970s cult horror exploitation film Death Line (Which was also known as and sold under the title Raw Meat) to Blu-ray in a suped up edition. The film stars Donald Pleasence and Christopher Lee, legends of the genre, and deals with the darkest depths of the subway tunnels. A 2K transfer and restoration by Blue Undergound has been done for the release and the disc is chock full of brand spanking new extras, including interviews and a commentary track to go along with a nice little booklet. You can pre-order using the Amazon link following the review to make sure you have yourself a copy of this new Blue Underground masterwork (Seriously, their stuff can turn into a rare collector’s item real fast) on your doorstep or in your mailbox when it releases on June 27th. 
It feels like Vestron Video had been dormant for a little bit, with no releases in the oeuvre since that sweet little Wishmaster Collection set many months ago. But, if you think about it, there were four Wishmaster movies and if you did one per month, we’d be just fine (Look at the blowhard defense lol). Well, its summer and they are finally back, venturing int 1980s religious horror with The Unholy. This Ben Cross-led film was formerly of those horror multipacks and one of the more frequently requested titles for them to put out. Now its here and it looks to be stocked and loaded. You can make sure you have yourself a copy of this sexy bit of sanctity fright when it drops on Blu-ray for the first time June 27th by clicking on the Amazon link and securing one via pre-order. 
Cinema is no stranger to taking the older, dated classic television program that there may or may not be a nostalgia for and turning it into a comedy film. Heck, CHIPS here isn’t even the only one this year; there’s also Baywatch from this summer. However, Baywatch plays the self aware game akin to 21 Jump Street. However, both Baywatch and CHIPS didn’t really find the success they intended to at the box office. With poor reviews and no one showing up, we’ll not see a 2nd CHIPS effort. But, if you’re like most of America and missed it in theaters, you get a chance to see what all the no buzz was about on June 27th. Telling, too, is the fact that they forewent putting this on the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format opting for standard only. 
Sometimes I wonder if those reading ever wonder why I choose to take on some of the films I do for Blu-ray reviews? Like, who would watch that…oh that guy. When it comes to pure action resembling the late 80s and 90s, I’m a sucker as I was a big fan of that film fad. They still make them nowadays, most are straight to video and yeah, a lot are no good. But, when I take on something like this, I’m either looking to see what one of my favorite action legends is up to lately, maybe it could be some hidden gem or on the other end maybe its trashy and silly enough to be a good passage of time. Anyway, maybe now you can see why, when Brian offers me an action film starring Dolphen Lundgren AND Denise Richards that takes place on a plane high up in the sky, I accept the challenge and go for it on the review. Anyway, Altitude will be available June 30th on Blu-ray. 
