Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

Released around the same time as the original Spielberg production of Poltergeist, The Entity is based on a real-life incident that allegedly took place in 1976.

The film does share similarities with Poltergeist in that it also focuses on the impact of a parapsychological experience on a closely-knit family and interestingly, according to some online reports, this film was originally touted as a 1981 release, a year or so before the Tobe Hooper classic appeared in theaters, so intriguingly might have become a far bigger success in cinemas had it arrived at that time.

Directed by Sidney J. Furie and adapted by Frank De Felitta from his novel of the same name, The Entity chronicles the story of single mother-of-three Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) who one night becomes the focus of a rather vicious and malevolent supernatural force who attacks and physically rapes her. The subsequent trauma becomes a point of interest, particularly to a doctor, Dr. Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver), who is cynical about Carla’s interpretation of her experience and tries to add rational medical reasoning. For all this assessment and analysis, it isn’t helping to find a solution as the physical attacks on Carla continue…

The Entity wastes no time in getting to the nitty-gritty of the story and maintains a series of consistent shocks throughout. However, these moments are combined with some really smart performances, especially from the superb Hershey in one of her early best performances, countered by riveting support from competent character actor Silver, who went on to appear in other films like Enemies: A Love Story and Timecop, amongst others.

Technical credits are also impressive, with the music from Charles (A Nightmare On Elm Street) Bernstein, camerawork from Stephen H. Burum (St. Elmo’s Fire, The Untouchables) and some nifty make-up effects from the late, great Stan Winston (T2: Judgment Day et al).

If you like more recent offerings like Paranormal Activity, The Entity will certainly be one that will float above the bed. It’s another welcome Blu-ray re-issue which looks as good as ever.

Overall, even today, The Entity remains a refreshingly intelligent take on parapsychological and unexplained phenomenon. The intent of the evil spirit makes it all the more shocking and the attacks on Carla are disturbingly executed. The subtext of Carla’s own emotional worries and stresses make both the physical and psychological issues all the more of a concern and an interesting focus for people who might want to explore the reality of the context. More recent offerings like Paranormal Activity will also provide some appeal to younger fans to see The Entity.

THE ENTITY (1982) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: SIDNEY J. FURIE / SCREENPLAY: FRANK DE FELITTA / STARRING: BARBARA HERSHEY, RON SILVER, DAVID LABIOSA / RELEASE DATE: 15TH MAY

Although Arnold Schwarzenegger is synonymous with the immortal line ‘I’ll be back’ from James Cameron’s classic 1984 hit The Terminator, it is easy to forget that, previously, the line formed part of a tagline on one of the most famous exploitation hits of all time – ‘If You’re Lying, I’ll Be Back’

It appeared on an unforgettable poster of a man brandishing a flamethrower under cover of dark headgear.

James Glickenhaus’ The Exterminator (1980) is one of the last remnants of the American Grindhouse, alongside Joseph Ellison’s Don’t Go In The House (1980). To the VHS generation of the early 1980s, the original Alpha / Intervision release is a rites-of-passage, with considerably graphic moments for its time, notably the lowering of a mobster into a huge meat mincer.

The film also represents a time when Times Square was the underbelly of sleaze compared to the tourist-friendly haven it has become. Arrow Video did an excellent job on the Blu-Ray release, which was uncut, and which looks great with some neat special features.

Four years on, The Cannon Group put together a sequel to the film, this time directed by the original’s producer Mark Buntzman, with some online reports crediting cult director William Sachs (The Incredible Melting Man) with additional scenes and co-scripting the film.

After his antics in The Exterminator, John Eastland (Robert Ginty) still possesses a flamethrower and has a police scanner to monitor all manner of criminal activity in the Big Apple. He has clearly managed to calm down from the first film and at a local bar he frequents, he befriends a dancer, Caroline (Deborah Geffner) and tries to build a relationship.

The spectre of conflict and violence is never too far away, this time in the form of X (Mario Van Peebles), a gang lord out to conquer the city, who launches a vendetta against Eastland in revenge for the death of his brother at the opening of the film….

Whilst it doesn’t have the same level of graphic violence and notoriety that the original had, in itself such a unique film for the period it was made; though still containing occasional ones, Exterminator 2 is a more action-based affair and does have sufficient stock to satisfy fans of the original. Given the reputation of Golan-Globus for cutting corners and focusing more on the big buck, you can see the compromises throughout the film. Cannon had more than one eye on the box-office, rather than creating a sequel that would be equally satisfying.

There has been debate over the years about the appeal of the late Robert Ginty and even STARBURST admitted back in the mid-1980s that he was not the reason for the original film’s success, as anyone could have been behind the headgear. That said, Buntzman and Sachs should be commended for trying to make Eastland more human than vigilante here. The Blu-Ray transfer makes it a slicker experience and adds to the TLC that a lot of these exploitation offerings from the period are getting digitally.

EXTERMINATOR 2 / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: MARK BUNTZMAN / SCREENPLAY: MARK BUNTZMAN, WILLIAM SACHS / STARRING: ROBERT GINTY, DEBORAH GEFFNER, MARIO VAN PEEBLES / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

With this year marking the 50th Anniversary of the French classic from acclaimed director Luis Buñuel, Belle de Jour arrives in a stunning 4K re-mastering that still holds up after all these years. Mysterious and sensual, this film explores the hidden needs and desires of an apparently placid bourgeois housewife named Séverine with Catherine Deneuve starring as the eponymous dissatisfied beauty who spends her days living the dream as a high-class call-girl while her husband is out at work as a local doctor. Based on the cause célèbre 1928 novel by Joseph Kessel, Belle de Jour was an immediate critical success, and would serve as the template for many dodgy erotic thrillers that followed with all too few of them matching this film’s edgy and subversive spirit.

As much as this is an erotic thriller, this is also a surrealistic exploration into ambiguity, fantasy and reality, yet the lines that separates them are incredibly blurred, even right down to the ending being open to interpretation, even after all these years of discussion amongst critics and audiences. The sound of carriage bells is what’s used to signalise the fantasy sequences, but by the end, you’re not so certain how you can differentiate what’s real or what’s just another figment of Severine’s mind. 

The use of colour in this movie is sumptuous and is used cleverly in certain scenes; Deneuve’s Severine is defined by her wardrobe which ranges from tan, light blue, black and white, while the world around her explodes in glorious warm hues. At the centre of this movie is the mercurial Catherine Deneuve, who exudes a frosty, yet frigid and virginal allure that makes her fascinating to watch on screen. Deneuve was famously given BAFTA nomination for her performance, which would define her as an icon of 20th century cinema long after the film’s release.

Belle de Jour is a film that’s ambiguous and alluring in equal measure, and while that can be alienating for modern audiences, this is a film that is still radical, thought provoking and enticing after 50 years. Its use of colour is exquisite, the lush cinematography is fantastic, Luis Buñuel’s direction is cinematic, and Catherine Deneuve’s central performance is as fascinating and mysterious as the movie itself. With the movie now being released on Blu-ray with its 4K restoration, now is the perfect time to check out this true cinematic gem.

BELLE DE JOUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: LUIS BUÑUEL / SCREENPLAY: LUIS BUÑUEL, JEAN-CLAUDE CARRIÉRE / STARRING: CATHERINE DENEUVE, JEAN SOREL, MICHEL PICCOLI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW 

Ushio & Tora Complete Series Collection contains all 39 episodes of Ushio & Tora. Previous editions of this collection have been out of circulation for a while, therefore this release is a fresh chance for fans of the anime to get their hands on the complete series. 

Tonally speaking, Ushio & Tora can be separated into two halves.

In the first half the show is lighter in terms of tone. There aren’t many episodes in which the plot carries over, and the titular characters are usually concerned with fighting the monster of the week. While there is humour throughout the show, there is more of it in the early part of the show. Since the big bad hasn’t appeared yet, more focus is put on how the characters react to the various challenges they face.

The second half of Ushio & Tora is more serious. The major villain has shown up by this point and episodes are more serious as a result. One of the anime’s themes is the destructive power of hatred. How it can hurt someone to feel hatred as much as it does those around them. This theme slowly develops over the course of the collection’s 39 episodes until it is front and centre. The show also loses its episodic format and the plots of the episodes flow more seamlessly. Even though the words “part 2″ don’t appear often in an episode title, more than one episode towards the end of the show serves to resolve an episode that came before”.

Ushio and Tora‘s change in tone may seem unbalancing when considering all of the episodes together, but it is a change that is earned. As convoluted as the details plot can get it stays grounded emotionally in its themes of anger, friendship, and moving past inner pain. 

Different parts of the collection are therefore bound to appeal to different people. Viewers might enjoy the simple silliness on display early on, but be put off by the more complex story that develops, or vice versa.

Viewers can choose to watch this episode in the original Japanese (with subtitles) or in English. Sub vs. Dub is an ongoing debate among anime viewers. This collection lets viewers choose which approach they would prefer to take. 

Ushio & Tora Complete Series Collection is a new opportunity to watch an anime that has been unavailable through legitimate means for a while. The series itself is an action-packed fantasy, with elements of classic Japanese horror. It can feel a bit overly complex at times, but the narrative ultimately comes together in a satisfying way that builds on earlier story threads. Although it doesn’t offer anything special in terms of special features, it is the most complete version of Ushio & Tora that it can be. It is also is the best value for money for someone looking to watch this series as a whole. 

Special Features: Clean Opening Animations/ Clean Closing Animations/ Japanese Promo Videos/ Also Available from Sentai Filmworks 

USHIO & TORA COMPLETE SERIES COLLECTION / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: SATOSHI NISHIMURA / WRITERS: VARIOUS / STARRING: DAVID MATRANGA, BRETT WEAVER, JOHN SWASEY, LUCI CHRISTIAN, ALLISON SUMRALL, MARTY FLECK / RELEASE DATE: 9TH OCTOBER

Beyond the Boundary the Movie: I’ll Be Here – Past Chapter / Future Arc is a collection of two different movies with different narrative objectives. 

The first of these is an abridged version of the anime series, named Past Chapter. The effectiveness of this movie is somewhat lessened by its structure as a movie. The problem is that the movie is only able to show so much of the series. Major events from Beyond the Boundary are shown but they aren’t always shown in their full context. This results in the movie’s plot feeling somewhat disjointed. It does a good enough job of getting viewers up to speed but it doesn’t quite work as a cohesive whole. Despite being a single movie it might be better viewed as short chunks. 

The second movie is called Future Arc and serves as a sequel to the events summarised in Past Chapter. As a sequel it uses the possibilities presented by the way that the series ended to examine its characters, and what drives them. A particular characters’ amnesia, for example is utilised well for some touching moments between the main characters. This amnesia also allows Future Arc to make deliberate call backs to its predecessor series in a way that not only avoids contrivance, but also feels very fitting for the movie’s emotional tone. 

Between the two movies on offer the second is undoubtedly the stronger. It isn’t hampered by the pitfalls that come from trying to condense the events of a whole series into a single viewing, and so it is free to tell its own story. Future Arc takes the viewers back to the characters they were introduced in the series and is able to use its time to bring resolution to any plot elements that were still lingering from that series.

The special features on offer with this collection are typical of this sort of release. If you have anything licensed by Sentai Filmworks in your collection you will already know what you are getting. These extra features aren’t bad. They are simply utterly typical to the extent that it is difficult to comment on them.

Beyond the Boundary the Movie: I’ll Be Here – Past Chapter / Future Arc is not without its merits, but its flaws also hold it back. Past Chapter is too spotty in its presentation of its subject matter to properly serve as an introduction to or a replacement for Beyond Boundaries. Future Arc is a much stronger addition. It is a more successful attempt to translate the series into movie form. Ultimately anyone considering this purchase should do so with Future Arc in mind. Anyone who wants to be introduced to the anime on the other hand might be better off going with the complete season collection instead. 

Special Features: Japanese Trailer / Japanese Promos / “Future Star” Dance Music Video / Dance Music Video Cleaning Closing Animation / Also available from Sentai Filmworks

BEYOND THE BOUNDARY THE MOVIE: I’LL BE HERE – PAST CHAPTER / FUTURE ARC / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: TAICHI ISHIDATE / WRITERS: VARIOUS / STARRING: CLINT BICKHAM, KRYSTAL LAPORTE, MONICA RIAL, ADAM GIBBS / RELEASE DATE: 16TH OCTOBER

Somewhere in the world, there’s a parent who’s had to sit through Hotel Transylvania just one too many times. Fortunately, help is at hand, because thanks to Mexican production company Ánima Studios, that parent can now sit through cheap Hotel Transylvania knock-off Monster Island one too many times. 

Well, that’s not quite fair. The animation might be right at the economy end of the scale, doing the rather anonymous cast very few favours as they struggle with some equally anonymous characters, and the underlying plot – about self-acceptance and opening your eyes towards understanding a bigger world – might be straight out of Pre-teen Storyline Central. But Aguilar’s film has at least a modicum of visual panache, and moves quickly enough not to overstay its welcome. That poor parent could probably do a lot worse. 

Lucas (Vasquez) is a young lad with blue hair and pointy teeth and ears, whose school life consists mainly of being on the wrong end of pranks and bullying. He’s on the same medication as his dad Nicolas (Jackson, video game voice artist and alumnus of the Scream films, and probably the most charismatic thing here), which appears to be for an asthmatic condition but the want of which, one night when Lucas sneaks off to a Halloween party, has a rather more traumatic effect. We’re in Orange Monster concealment territory, and after Nicolas finds his son and transmogrifies him back into a regular human, Lucas discovers that he comes from a family of monsters lately of Monster Island, where the poor lad’s real mother’s death resulted in Nicolas abandoning his natural home for somewhere less filled with unhappy memories. 

Cue Lucas running away from his non-natural home in an attempt to discover the truth about his family, and in doing so, himself. 

Monster Island flits from one cliché to the next, barely pausing for breath and without attempting to distinguish or disguise a single one. Neither does it bother drawing any tension out of its formulaic situations, with almost all of its predicaments overcome almost before they’ve had time to even register; Lucas’ hunt for his grandmother Carlotta (Leigh) lasts all of maybe two minutes, for example, before the pair are happily reunited, the young girl that Lucas initially irritates is very quickly going all gooey-eyed to the strains of Omi’s Cheerleader.

None of which is really an issue if you’re simply looking for a substitute Hotel Transylvania, it goes without saying. The kids won’t know they’re being short-changed in the story department, and the production design does include some interesting and sympathetic choices that just about make up for the oddly over-garishness on display elsewhere. 

A moderate success for those with low quality standards. 

Special Feature: Trailer

MONSTER ISLAND / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: LEOPOLDO AGUILAR / SCREENPLAY: BILLY FROLICK, ALICIA NÚÑEZ PUERTO / STARRING: PHILLIP VASQUEZ, FIONA HARDINGHAM, ROGER L. JACKSON, KATIE LEIGH, JOHNNY ROSE / RELEASE DATE: 16TH OCTOBER 

John Stockwell is a decent director. Into The Blue with its all-star cast including the late Paul Walker was an enjoyable, if slightly formulaic crime drama. Gina Carano actioner In The Blood demonstrated Stockwell’s strong grasp of action, if it was ultimately somewhat lacking in character. Crazy/Beautiful was an interesting slant on the usual teen romance movie and Kickboxer: Vengeance, well, that was okay too. It’s frustrating, then, that Stockwell’s most recent film Armed Response is tediously plodding, woefully under-written, oddly cast and lacking in anything like the mystery and intrigue it so desperately thinks it has in abundance.

 

For “reasons” the U.S. Government has established several interrogation black sites around the globe. Some are on ships, others on remote islands. The one we’re introduced to is set in an abandoned prison somewhere on the mainland. Each site consists of a large super-computer capable of analysing suspects, ascertaining when they’re lying, and feeding that information to the interrogator. Only something has gone wrong, and all the base personnel have been killed and the system is offline. Step up the only black ops team that can save the day, led by Wesley Snipes, token female Anne Heche and the man who designed the high-tech gizmo in the first place, a permanently surprised looking Dave Annable.

 

The central problem with Armed Response is that the story just isn’t very interesting. Technology becoming in some way psychopathically sentient is an age-old theme – with Stephen King a keen exponent – and as such must be infused with originality. Save a largely tenuous supernatural element, Armed Response fudges that necessity entirely, and resorts to a retribution based plot we’ve seen done many times before.

 

Its other crime is the utilisation of, or non-utilisation of, its key talent. Wesley Snipes is directed to, or chose to, largely underplay his role, here being limited to mooching around dark corridors and getting his arse handed to him in a fight. Heche is there to provide some moral fibre to proceedings, but is far too brooding to be sympathetic. And Annable? Well, he just looks surprised.

Armed Response has all the hallmarks of a film that was never fully thought through, and was made on a whim once some rogue investors misguidedly threw some money at the project. It feels like a film made in a hurry before someone realised what was really going on and cancelled the whole sorry thing. It’s a film that just doesn’t have a place, and sadly just isn’t worth your time. Unless, you want to see Wesley Snipes drive a Winnebago. If that’s your thing, the first twenty minutes are all for you.

 

ARMED RESPONSE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JOHN STOCKWELL / SCREENPLAY: MATT SAVELLONI / STARRING: WESLEY SNIPES, ANNE HECHE, DAVE ANNABLE / RELEASE DATE: 16TH OCTOBER

Kinmoza is fine. Across the twelve episodes of season 1 it does little terribly wrong, but also little to stand out.

The main focus of Kinmoza is on the friendship of its central characters. They have good chemistry with one another and their interactions are the sort of cute fun that is to be expected from this kind of anime. 

This season even offers some variety in its plots. Most episodes deal with a different aspect of school life for the characters. We see characters get used to a new environment, and even celebrate Christmas. 

The problem is that this season is full of elements that are typical, or okay. The humour might elicit a chuckle, but not a laugh. The sad moments might be good enough to get some sympathy for the characters but very little beyond that. Occasionally the quality improves, and an episode does something a little funny, or memorable. These moments are rare however, and they are never really sustained. It would help if it felt like the characters had progressed in some way over the season, but they don’t.

Unlike other high school anime that might focus around an end goal for the students or a particular hobby, there just doesn’t seem to be much of a main identity to Kinmoza. In theory this identity is provided by the two of the main characters having been raised in England, and the cultural differences between them and the others. In practice this doesn’t play much of part in any given episode. Both the English characters spend the vast majority of season 1 able to speak Japanese. One of the Japanese characters has a running sub-plot about trying to learn English, but this is usually forgotten.

The special features included in this collection are also typical. Viewers can watch text less versions of the opening and closing animations, and there are previews of other upcoming shows. Between them they don’t offer enough to make this collection worth buying if you weren’t already planning to do so.

Kinmoza: Complete Season 1 is only worth purchasing if you are already a fan of the series. The series doesn’t offer anything in terms of quality or themes that can’t be found elsewhere. When this is considered with the price of the complete season the result is something that is better avoided. There just isn’t enough to this anime to recommend purchasing it unless you already know that you are going to enjoy watching it. 

It isn’t bad, it’s just really, really, average.

Special Features: Clean opening animation / Clean closing animation / also available on Blu-ray / Disc credits

KINMOZA: COMPLETE SEASON 1 / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: TENSHOU / WRITER: YUI HARA / STARRING: ASUKA NISHI, MANAMI TANAKA, NAO T YAMA / RELEASE DATE: 9TH OCTOBER