The Return Of Dracula (Blu-ray Review)
After Bud Abbott and Lou Costello had a run in with the famous Count himself (In a return to the role by the seminal Bela Lugosi), Dracula pretty much laid dormant in the cinema landscape. Vampires would still be around, but the main antagonist of them all took about a ten year break. Then in 1958, he made an interesting set of returns. History has been stamped with the Hammer film Horror Of Dracula (or just “Dracula” for most territories), but that film wasn’t alone in resurrecting the Count. As a matter of fact, the appropriately titled The Return of Dracula was the other. And its interesting how completely opposite the two films are. One inspired a legacy and countless sequels, also spawning other monsters. Return pretty much came and went and has been forgotten. But not today, we’ll be taking a look at this film as Olive Films will be giving it a Blu-ray debut on October 18th. Continue reading ‘The Return Of Dracula (Blu-ray Review)’
Another wishlist item granted! I specifically wanted a US release of Nighthawks on Blu-ray. Previously, this was only available in German. Now its coming via the Shout Select Collector’s Edition line from Shout! Factory. They’ve only been around since August, but they’ve been pretty much killing it as expected so far. They are basically taking what they’ve done with their highly praised and heralded Scream Factory line and branching it off to other genres or just everything else that isn’t horror. Today’s title actually fell into the horror category when featured in 1981’s compilation film Terror In The Aisles. Only fitting that Shout! Factory snuck this one into the October release slate. This highly underrated and forgotten film in the Sylvester Stallone canon makes its way to Blu-ray in the states on October 18th. 
Purple Rain is without a doubt one of those quintessentially 80’s movies. Whenever you think of musical films from this era, Purple Rain is ALWAYS at the top of the list! But what sets it apart from it’s neon-colored counterparts is the fact that it truly revels in all of it’s over-the-top absurdity. The characters are larger-than-life and the personalities stand right up there with them. Prince stars as “The Kid”, a musician and songwriter trying to make if big with his band “The Revolution”. Along the way he encounters Apollonia; an aspiring singer and dancer hoping that The Kid will consider adding her to his fledgling ensemble.
Vanity Fair called HBO’s limited series, The Night Of, “The best TV you’ll see this summer.” Who am I to argue with that claim? I learned about the show from all the buzz it was experiencing online before the series even premiered. Because of its early release online I made my girlfriend watch it with me on Apple TV. The rest is history. Like a meth addict, we were instantly hooked and waited with anticipation for the new episode each Sunday night. This is ironic too considering we were basically wishing our weekend away because the inevitable would ultimately see us back to the grind at work the very next morning. The drama in this show is just so damn gripping that much like my first experience with the film The Warrior (starring Tom Hardy) I never wanted it to end. Sad, but true things did come to a grueling end on the show here. However, it was a very realistic ending and I applaud it for that even though there’s no more of this to go around (even a second season would be executed much like HBO’s other anthology series True Detective). 
Larry Cohen is no stranger to B-movie cinema geeks like myself. He’s mostly known for all kinds of genre fare, like Q: The Winged Serpent, The Stuff, the It’s Alive movies and even a sequel to Salem’s Lot. But, the man really got his start in Blaxploitation cinema, crafting a couple of Fred “The Hammer” Williamson’s strongest efforts with Black Caesar and Hell Up In Harlem. Aside from his own stuff, he has written plenty of other films. He’s a New York filmmaker and has plenty of experience in “the biz”. After doing the monster film Q, in 1984 he opted to do two thrillers. One of those was a satirical look at Hollywood and filmmaking. It was a sort of different route for the director. That film is Special Effects. 
Last month saw the debut of Lionsgate’s Vestron Video Collector’s Series line. Finally digging into those vaults of not just Vestron Video, but Artisan and other studio catalogs that Lionsgate had acquired over the years. There are some major horror gems that have been getting sat on that people have been screaming for on Blu-ray. And now, they are making REAL good on that (You paying attention Warner Bros?). Vestron Video continues its resurgence with its third release, the Waxwork and Waxwork II: Lost In Time double feature. These are actually (Maybe moreso the first movie) some titles that people had been begging for that are now coming to fruition. This double feature also isn’t just one disc with two movies share, they’ve let them each have their own disc. Going even further, the cover art isn’t split, they’ve given each their own full presentation (You just have to pick a side you want on the outside display). 
Criterion will ring in 2017 with a diverse lineup of films, including three whose directors are joining the collection for the first time. January will feature the films His Girl Friday, Fox and His Friends, Something Wild, and Black Girl. All of these releases will come replete with the treatment and features we have come to expect from the Criterion Collection. Start to make some new year’s resolutions to watch great films as you check out all the juicy details below. 
With the category of found footage on their podcast docket, my WhySoBlu buddies examined a very popular facet of the horror genre this week and so shall I…welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Today I’m dissecting one of the few films that actually disturbed me by giving me full panic pause. It’s a controversial film that has yet to officially be released in theaters, DVD/Blu-ray or even VOD, but was seen early on by yours truly. The product of wide speculation in terms of quality (the reaction at Butt-Numb-A-Thon 9 was so negative the filmmakers bailed on the Q&A!), realism (the finished film was pitched as being authentic like Blair Witch!) and overall creepiness (the eerie music rings in my head!), it’s nevertheless a nasty nugget that lingers long – and then some. Grab a cassette, pop it in the player and get ready to view my pick…The Poughkeepsie Tapes!
Pete’s Dragon, a reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film centered on an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon. Families will be captivated by this magical movie followed by never-before-seen bonus features, including a revealing look at director David Lowery’s personal diary kept during the filming of “Pete’s Dragon,” the design process behind the lovable dragon Elliot, deleted scenes, a tour of the film’s breathtaking production location of New Zealand, audio commentary by filmmakers and actors and hilarious bloopers. Today’s announcement also ushers in tomorrow’s World Dragon Day and the heartwarming adventure arrives on Digital HD, Blu-ray™, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand on Nov. 29; just in time to entertain the entire family this holiday season. 
Though my eyes are cinematically bloodshot film fans (in a good way of course!), I’m nevertheless determined to give the WhySoBlu.com readers their movie money’s worth. So once again I’m taking on a gigantic eight new indie flicks this week alone that range from distressing docs to somber features to even a teen tale that doesn’t suck – all dissected for your reading pleasure. Check out the Encapsulated Movie Reviews of Newtown, The Thinning, Do Not Resist, Certain Women, The Hollow, Friends Effing Friends Effing Friends, The Handmaiden and Desierto all below!
Coming hot off the heels of its debut on Good Morning America, its the latest (And final?) trailer for the first Star Wars spin-off film, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY. This one gives us a bit of a different vibe as well as some more background on Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso. We also get to see some Mads Mikkelsen in action. Once again, this movie looks pretty terrific and like everyone, I’m excited for it to be December already! Two brand new Star Wars movies in two years! That would have been crazy talk back when I was a little padawan. ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY will hit theaters on December 16th! 
It’s insane to come to the realization that Frank Capra’s timeless classic, Mr Deeds Goes Town is celebrating its 80th year of existence. A couple of years ago, I reviewed the Blu-ray for another Capra legend, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. That film and this one share a lot in common with one another. They also have very similar Blu-ray releases. It seems around this time of year, Sony drops one Frank Capra film that’s locked away in their vault in a nice 4K remastered digipack set like this. Last year saw the release of You Can’t Take It With You, which means we’ve also had three years of releases of terrific Jean Arthur films as well. You’ll be able to find this one on October 4th, which actually means you can pick it up at any time. 
The Accountant makes for a stupid film title in my opinion. I don’t care how good the movie is, I still hate the name given. I probably couldn’t come up with anything better, but that’s why I am writing movie reviews and not films themselves. However, you can’t say it doesn’t grab your attention. Come on! I don’t know about you, but my mind strays to thoughts of how boring this flick can be. I can’t help it. I’m high maintenance and like my lifestyle I want a zinger of a movie title to accompany the features I adore. Whoa! Stop the press! This one stars Ben Affleck! The man brought Batman back to life. You can Argo F yourselves. He deserves our undivided attention. So listen up as here comes the 4-1-1 on The Accountant. 
The first kiss could be your last! Two fraternity pledges head to a seedy part of town to find some entertainment for their college friends, but are faced with bloodthirsty vampires in the comedy with bite – and of course Grace Jones – the 1986 camp classic 
IFC Midnight and Scream Factory are teaming to bring the Danish zombie thriller What We Become to Blu-ray in the US for the first time. The Bo Mikkelson film didn’t have much life theatrically, playing in just four theaters to open, but managed to find life through streaming services in Denmark and gradually moving around the globe to find viewers and appreciators. Unlike other zombie/infected films, this one’s promise is to be much more character based with its build, only to have to watch the characters work together, butt heads and struggle to survive a deadly outbreak. The film will be available on a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack from Scream Factory on October 18th, with plenty of time to have it to add some Danish flare to your October Halloween horror movie marathons leading up to the big day. 
The Exorcist II: The Heretic proved that even the worst of sequels cannot effectively kill a franchise. One of the most reviled follow ups of all time, the John Boorman film hardly sees a unironic form of praise anywhere across the criticism community. But, it always finds its place in bizarre or worst sequel lists. While it took some years to follow, a third film in the Exorcist lore came at the hands of its creator. William Peter Blatty adapted his book Legion, which he originally intended as an Exorcist follow up, to become this third film. Said film ran into some head butting and famous reshoots, covering up a different original intention of the film that fans have been clamoring to see for years since its release. Now, Scream Factory has put together a composite version from VHS dailies mixed with scenes from the theatrical version in this souped up collector’s edition of the Exorcist sequel that many are fond of. 
