Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

The works of Philip K. Dick remain a goldmine for film and TV creators looking for science fiction to adapt. The Man in the High Castle is one of Amazon Prime’s best series, and this year will see the long-awaited sequel to Blade Runner. It’s appropriate, then, that HMV’s ‘Premium Collection’ range should bring us this re-release of A Scanner Darkly, one of the most striking adaptations of his work.

 

A Scanner Darkly was one of Dick’s most personal novels, reflecting his time in a house of drug users, with his addiction struggles mirrored in the character of Bob Arctor. The story, which Richard Linklater’s film sticks closely to, is set in the near future and has a sci-fi twist – Bob lives a double life as government agent Fred, tasked with investigating the source of the drug known as Substance D. But as he is growing addicted to this very drug, these identities split between the two sides of his brain; Fred forgets he is Bob while Bob forgets he is Fred.

 

This trippy concept is enhanced by the strange ideas that give detail to the world, such as the scramble suits, which cause a person’s appearance to constantly alter and which the police agents wear to protect their identities even from each other – an idea which stemmed from one of Dick’s heavier drug experiences. This striking visual would be difficult to pull off on film, and may be one reason why Linklater decided to animate the film – it was shot as a live-action movie and then digitally rotoscoped, with the animators adding in both sci-fi elements and hallucinations. It’s an unusual approach, but it fits perfectly with the off-balance life of the drug-addled characters and looks captivatingly cool to boot.

 

It’s also worth pointing out that, despite all this weirdness, the film convincingly portrays the everyday lives of these characters. The interactions between those who live with Arctor, particularly Robert Downey Jr.’s obsessively paranoid Jim Barris and Rory Cochrane’s unstable junkie Charles Freck, is pure stoner tragicomedy, reminiscent of the likes of The Big Lebowski. Thanks to a combination of Dick’s real life experiences and Linklater’s sharp, witty dialogue, it all feels very believable and very twenty-first century.

 

And that’s what works so well about A Scanner Darkly – it stays faithful to Dick’s story, which was very reflective of his own ‘70s experiences, but updates it in a way that the characters, world, and themes still resonated in 2006, as George Bush was continuing the war on drugs, and in fact, still do today. This new release includes two behind-the-scenes documentaries, one covering the filming and one the unconventional animation process, as well as a commentary and trailer, and is well worth adding to your collection.

 

A SCANNER DARKLY (2006) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: RICHARD LINKLATER / STARRING: KEANU REEVES, ROBERT DOWNEY JR, WINONA RYDER, WOODY HARRELSON, RORY COCHRANE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (HMV EXCLUSIVE)

With the resurgence of board games and role-playing games in the mainstream (they’ve never gone away in geekdom), indie auteur Daniel Falicki’s latest takes the public perception of such gamers to the most extreme level.

Three friends spend most of their time getting stoned and playing various games – board and video – taking the pastime very seriously indeed, so when one of them buys a vintage copy of a legendary ‘banned’ game, they just have to play it. The game, 13 Daemons, was taken off sale when players were accused of murder. It seems they believed themselves to be really within the realm created by the board and were genuine warriors against the evil demons. So, ignoring the bad smell that comes from the box when it’s opened, the trio begin to play. They soon become engrossed with the game mechanics and fully invested in the characters they are portraying. So much so that people start turning up dead in neighbouring streets…

Movies based around gamers taking their pursuits a little too far are not new – neither is the real-life ‘moral outrage’ surrounding such products. From Dungeons & Dragons to the truly controversial F.A.T.A.L. (which was not only offensive to most minorities, it practically glorified rape), role-playing games have given filmmakers carte blanche to depict players in the most caricatured manner. Falicki, however, doesn’t mock or degrade the players here. Sure, they have the usual quirks that would probably leave them open to mockery to the general public, but for the film’s sake, they are not losers or oddballs just really into their gaming. As the game begins to consume their minds and starts to control their actions, it’s more akin to a mental illness than mere fanatic behaviour -almost in the same way as in the 1982 Tom Hanks flick Mazes and Monsters – the big difference here, however, is the film is almost entirely set in one squalid room. The rare occasions we leave the room, namely in the prologue in which two of the friends are beginning to be interviewed by the police while still covered in blood and the psychedelic-type slaying scenes (which look as if a whole range of After Effects filters were used), actually make the board game scenes feel more intense and involving.

If you’re a non-gamer (as this reviewer is), the dialogue during the scenes of play is as baffling as ancient Greek but those who love RPGs may get a kick out of hearing some of the details of the ‘quests’ and the attention to detail to the mythology created for the game. That’s not to say it’s not enjoyable for the layman. It’s an absorbing (if fantastical) look into a certain psyche. Those looking for a Game of Thrones-type actioner should look elsewhere, but – like Falicki’s other films – there’s plenty to enjoy if you’re willing to accept the limitations of the budget.

13 DEMONS / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: DANIEL FALICKI / STARRING: MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM, STEPHEN GREY, JACKSON EZINGA, DANIEL FALICKI, PATRICK HENDREN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (US)

 

The opening scenes of Werner Herzog’s Salt And Fire are promising. United Nations scientist Laura (Ferres) and her colleagues are dispatched to study a pending man-made ecological disaster in South America known as El Diablo Blanco. Landing in an unnamed country they are immediately whisked away by pseudo-kidnappers under the command of industrialist Matt Riley (Shannon) and detained in his sprawling estate. So far, so good, but instead of the film developing into an interesting science versus capitalism debate Herzog instead seems to have scripted a collection of his random thoughts and musings.

Much of the problem comes from a strangely disjointed script. Lines feel entirely unconnected with those previous or following, and come across more as emotional outbursts than carefully constructed narrative. Combined with an excessive amount of awkward exposition that struggles to adequately explain the plot, Salt And Fire feels unfinished and in many ways rushed. You sense the cast are doing their best, but it feels uncomfortable at times to watch Michael Shannon struggle with what is a curiously flat character. Despite the central premise, Riley offers little tangible threat or menace, apart from the bizarre decision to abandon Laura in the middle of El Diablo Blanco with only his two handicapped sons for company. If he’s making a point, the one that stands out is emphasising his lack of parenting skills, but we sense that wasn’t what he was going for.

Herzog may have had more success had he produced Salt And Fire as part documentary. There is obviously a story here, and one that the director feels strongly about, but it quickly becomes lost amidst the convoluted, jargon-heavy dialogue. What you are left with is something that feels very Herzog-lite, almost as if the director ran a filmmaking competition where the challenge was to make something in his style and include a series of his quotes. What we have here then is the winner; a film that feels and looks like a Herzog film, but ultimately is lacking in any of the director’s style and bravado. A poor imitation if you will.

It seems likely that everyone involved will quickly consign Salt And Fire to the “well, it seemed like a good idea” section of their filmography and while it will hurt no-one’s career, it certainly won’t further. And feel sorry for Gael Garcia Bernal – after a few early scenes he quickly disappears into confinement at Riley’s estate suffering from diarrhoea, never to be seen again.

SALT AND FIRE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: WERNER HERZOG / STARRING: MICHAEL SHANNON, VERONICA FERRES, GAEL GARCÍA BERNAL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The ‘Australian New Wave’ of the late 1970s yielded some impressive films from the likes of George Miller, Peter Weir, Fred Schepisi and Philip Noyce to name but four, with titles like Mad Max, Picnic At Hanging Rock, The Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith and Newsfront.

However, there were a number of other titles, some of which got a limited VHS UK release in the early 1980s (through companies like Precision) that were equally worthy of attention and took advantage of the home video revolution to gain exposure. The BBC screened a number of these cult titles around the same time, among them Long Weekend, Crosstalk, The Money Movers and Goodbye Paradise. Sadly, some of these examples have not had much of a screening or release since then…

(However, to clarify this, Long Weekend, an existential rural drama, is available in the UK and is well worth seeking out)

One such title that made it into the heady days of that decade’s video library boom circa 1981 – 82 was David Hemmings’ The Survivor. Adapted from a novel by James Herbert, the opening sequence, according to press notes, made this the most expensive Australian film of its time. It now makes its UK Blu-Ray debut release through Severin Films in 2K HD and the release also comes packed with bonus features, both historical and modern.

The Survivor chronicles the backdrop of a plane crash in a Sydney suburb, when all on board perish – except for the pilot, Keller (Robert Powell), who emerges seemingly unscathed in the immediate aftermath of the wreckage. Naturally, loved ones and associates are understandably puzzled by Keller’s demeanour, but almost straightaway the pilot begins to suffer the after-effects in subtle ways. As a result, despite ongoing amnesia issues, Keller decides to backtrack with the help of a local psychic, Hobbs (Jenny Agutter) – and hopefully solve the mystery that plagues his psychological problems….

Robert Powell was very prolific both in film on television around this time, notably with the title role in Jesus Of Nazareth and a remake of The Thirty-Nine Steps. He is excellent in the role of Keller, with his piercing eyes. Agutter is also very good as the psychic.

Almost four decades on, The Survivor remains atmospheric and stylish enough to give pleasure to the intended audience. As a parallel, Final Destination could be the Hollywood equivalent, as both chronicle the events after a plane accident. The Survivor does approach the subject in a more subtle way and Hemmings structures the narrative around some neat moments of unease and surprise. The overall atmosphere of the film is also helped along by John Seale’s soaringly textured cinematography and Mad Max’s Brian May’s understated score.

Hollywood legend Joseph Cotten took his final bow in The Survivor as a priest who plays a part in Keller’s need and gives an assured, balanced-but-brief performance. The film was also produced by maverick Antony I Ginnane, who produced the likes of Thirst, Patrick and Turkey Shoot (aka Blood Camp Thatcher).

As a footnote, we really do hope that some of the titles mentioned above will get a Blu-Ray release soon, as they are intriguing contributions to Australian Cinema history.

THE SURVIVOR (1981) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: DAVID HEMMINGS / SCREENPLAY: DAVID AMBROSE / STARRING: ROBERT POWELL, JENNY AGUTTER, JOSEPH COTTEN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The glorious period of film madness that we enjoyed/endured (depending on your point of view) is always ripe for both pastiche and homage, which is just what this Italian sci-fi/horror/comedy does so wonderfully.

It’s Halloween night and a group of friends has decided to have a private drug-fuelled party with a couple of prostitutes rather than hang out with their girlfriends. After all, they haven’t seen each other for ages and they’ll understand, won’t they? Well, the answer to that is soon answered when they also arrive at the house as one particularly image-obsessed lady manages to track her philandering fella down to the deserted house they’ve commandeered. It just so happens there has been a meteor storm that night and an alien has begun stickily taking over the bodies anyone who comes into contact with it.

It’s easy to see where the influences for Alienweed are. One of the production companies is named Empire Video after all, and there’s a definite air of Charles Band goodness in the approach for this wild, if slightly haphazard, romp. The effects are throwbacks to the likes of Terrorvision and Troll, but there are nods to The Evil Dead and Demons and the gross-out humour is more akin to Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste and Brain Dead as well as fantastic later-day Paul Naschy shocker Mucha Sangre than the satirical and lighter films of the ‘80s.

There’s a lot to enjoy here despite the slapdash nature of the story at times. As well as some over the top effects (mostly physical, just like in the good old days), there’s an attempt at some heart with a subplot about the reason two friends became estranged. Bizarrely, there are cutaways to a rock DJ who is continually being abused by his listeners while his frustrated producer tries to make sense of what’s going on in the outside world (and in one of the best moments, interviews a ‘top rapper’ whose cursing while ranting about ‘keeping it real, yo’ prompts his mother to ring and chastise him. Little moments like that – plus a large dollop of irony to mix in with the gloop – make this well worth seeking out. Had Alienween been made in the US, it would already be a massive cult hit along the lines of Night of the Creeps, but such is the blinkered nature of the distributors. Discover it for yourself and have a blast.

ALIENWEEN / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: FEDERICO SFASCIA / STARRING: GUGLIELMO FAVILLA, FEDERICA BERTOLANI, ALEX LUCCHESI, FRANCESCA DETTI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (US)

 

As censorship relaxed in the late 1960s and through the 1970s,
enterprising filmmakers everywhere took advantage of emerging international
markets and a new period in cinematic hucksterism was created.  For some countries like Italy, an entire
industry sprang up making ‘homages’ (that’d be rip-offs) and unofficial sequels
to the big (usually American) hits of the day. Ramp up the violence, sex and
gore, frequently give it a lurid title and then sell it everywhere. 

Perhaps never quite as graphic as
their European peers, Australian writers and directors still gave it a good
shot.  ‘Ozploitation’ has become a
grouping term for all kinds of films from that period that took their movies
global.  Films like Mad Max are
still very popular today but there’s much more to the output of the time than
Mel Gibson’s classic.  Which brings us to
Felicity from 1978. 

A few years earlier the notorious
French soft core film Emmanuelle had been a big international hit.  Following a brief period where widely
released hardcore films like Behind the Green Door almost ushered in
mainstream legitimacy for pornography, these types of softly shot skin flicks
had become popular too.

Following Emmanuelle‘s
template, Felicity tells the story of a young woman at a Catholic
boarding school determined to explore her sexuality.  Felicity gets the opportunity to do just that
when her father arranges for a trip to Hong Kong.  Here she meets various people who introduce
her to physical pleasure, before she falls in love with Miles. 

From the outset it leaves nothing
to the imagination.  Writer and director
John Lamond seems to be going through a smut checklist: fantasy lesbianism,
voyeurism, a sauna scene, Catholic schoolgirls in short skirts, and so on.  It’s difficult to criticise any of the
filmmaking, as Lamond knows how to shoot a film professionally. 

As writer he adds Felicity’s
inner monologue, reaching for a The Story of O attempt at giving all
this nonsense some depth.  And that’s
what it is of course.  Nonsense to hang
lots of nudity and sex scenes on.  Arriving
with regularity, it’s what the film is all about and in that respect it’s
perhaps commendable that Lamond shows no real pretence at making anything other
than a sexploitation film.  

It’s very much a product of its
time, hiding behind a veneer of exploring a liberated woman’s sexual life and
seriously dubious gender politics to put as many female body parts on screen as
possible.  You’re unlikely to find it
erotic, more likely boring, and you’ll probably find yourself utterly
desensitised to nudity by the end of it, having been hit with a sledgehammer
besiegement of boobs and bums.

Having said that, as a piece of film
history and specifically the development of Ozploitation it has its place and
if you’re interested in that side of things, our rating reflects that.  Just don’t play a ‘every time there’s a
nipple on screen have a swig’ drinking game, you’ll be in a drunken stupor
inside the first 15 minutes.

FELICITY / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENWRITER: JOHN D. LAMOND / STARRING: GLORY ANNEN, MARILYN ROGERS, JONI FLYNN, CHRISTOPHER MILNE, JODY HANSON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

As Swedish director Lasse Hallström’s latest outing A Dog’s Purpose arrives in UK cinemas, this award-winning early film in his career gets a Blu-Ray release, reminding us of why he’s been able to cross over from arthouse to mainstream Hollywood success. 

There’s clearly something about dogs, which fascinates Lasse Hallström. His latest release is A Dog’s Purpose, he made Hachi: A Dog’s Tale in 2009 with Richard Gere and back in 1985, My Life As A Dog bagged him an Oscar nomination for both writing and direction, and won a Golden Globe as Best Foreign Language Film. 

Dogs play an important role in this story of a 12-year-old boy, Ingemar, in late 1950s rural Sweden. With an absent father and a very sick mother, young Ingemar dotes on his beloved dog but soon has to try to come to terms with being separated from his brother, mother and pet when he’s sent away to a small village to stay with his Aunt and Uncle as his mother slowly fades. 

In the village, eccentric characters (a boy with green hair, a man who never stops fixing his roof, a tomboy who wants to box and play soccer and hide her emerging breasts), help to distract Ingemar from the real horrors he faces, quietly sensing that his mother will not recover and that, actually, his dog hasn’t really gone to a kennel at all but has been put to sleep.

Throughout, he muses fate, reciting stories of accident and downfall. In particular, he recalls Laika, the Russian dog who was sent into orbit to test stress levels of space travel but who, ultimately, died alone in space of starvation. Things could be worse, thinks Ingemar, when compared to what happened to poor Laika.

Surrounding this, the theme of awakening sexuality is constantly present. 

My Life As A Dog is a charming film. Not a lot happens – this is all about people and their interactions, and about growing up. It manages the difficult trick of being whimsical and forthright at the same time. It’s hard to imagine a film now showing a 12-year-old girl showing a 12-year-old boy her small breasts and asking him to touch them. At times we feel we’re intruding whilst at others, we’re in on Ingemar’s narration.

Great performances aid the tone greatly, with young Anton Glanzelius, looking and behaving like a terrier himself, making sure we all fall in love with him. If Hallström has sometimes since overdone the schmaltz in films like Chocolat, here he gets it just right. 

It may be over 30 years old but this film is as playful as a puppy.

MY LIFE AS A DOG (1985) / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: LASSE HALLSTRÖM / SCREENPLAY: LASSE HALLSTRÖM, BRASSE BRÄNNSTRÖM, PER BERGLUND / STARRING: ANTON GLANZELIUS, TOMAS VON BRÖMSSEN, ANKI LIDÉN, MELINDA KINNAMAN / RELEASE DATE: 5TH MAY 

Frank Henenlotter has a reputation as a purveyor of gory low-budget exploitation horror films that marry graphic thrills with a dark sense of humour. His second feature, 1988’s Brain Damage, is enough to confirm it’s a notoriety he fully earned. It tells the grim story of Brian, a stable young man who will succumb to a terrifying addiction that costs him everything he cares about. It’s also the tale of Aylmer (or Elmer if you’re so inclined), a centuries-old parasite that resembles a brainy penis. Aylmer loves munching brains but to get around he needs a human to help. In return, Aylmer shoots his juice into the companion’s brain causing a high the likes of which nothing else can compare. It’s a symbiotic relationship and mind-bending euphoria that at first Brian can’t get enough of. But Brian can’t cope with the murderous mayhem his parasitical pal is causing and resolves to get clean before it’s too late.

 

This could almost be an ultra-dark update of those ‘30s and ‘40s ‘reefer madness’ flicks that tried to warn kids of the perils of drugs, whilst at the same time revelling in depicting the acts themselves in prurient detail. Henenlotter isn’t interested in disguising the thinly-veiled allegorical nature of Brain Damage however, because he’s more excited about punctuating Brian’s descent with some outstandingly bloody sequences of Aylmer chewing down on his unfortunate victims in vividly executed practical-effects set pieces. They’re the sort of effects that could feel quaint in these days of CGI if they weren’t still just so nasty. The splatter is offset by a running thread of pitch-black humour and commentary provided by the smooth Aylmer himself (in a stroke of genius Aylmer is given life by the mellifluous vocals of venerable TV horror host John Zacherle). You also get a solid central performance from Rick Hearst as Brian. Overall, there’s not much to it other than gross-out and in truth, even though it’s only 86 minutes long, it sags a little. But despite that it’s still the triumph of a twisted, witty imagination and deserves the cult reputation it has.

 

Picture-wise it’s generally in great shape for a film that cost almost next to nothing 30 years ago. We imagine Henenlotter probably never imagined his film would get the type of treatment this superlative Arrow release provides. Fans of the film will find a brand new info-packed commentary by the excitable Henenlotter, a substantial making of documentary and plenty of other worthwhile extras. If you already love this film, this is a release that’s inarguably essential and for those new to Henenlotter it’s also a great place to start.

 

BRAIN DAMAGE (1988) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: FRANK HENENLOTTER / STARRING: RICK HEARST, JOHN ZACHERLE, JENNIFER LOWRY / RELEASE DATE: 8TH MAY

 

Onur Tukel’s Catfight, is a surprisingly violent but troubled black comedy about a bitter rivalry. Between the ludicrous feud at the heart of the story and the years-spanning structure, Tukel’s inspirations can be traced to classic tragedy and, more interestingly, Robert Zemeckis’ Death Becomes Her.

 

Anne Heche aces the self-absorbed struggling artist whilst Sandra Oh shines as an entitled housewife, it’s a friends-turned-rivals scenario and that’s always fun when it goes all out. There are some sheer hate-fuelled all out bust ups in Catfight. The dialogue on cyclical violence is fine, but it’s a film too often robbed of its fun by increasingly dour happenstance and repetition. Bad luck gets in the way of everything and a potentially dystopian background of political turmoil gives the world a sudden ability to drop bad luck on either character and readdress the delicate balance of power.

 

Zemeckis’ Death Becomes Her, a gothic thriller about immortal bitches, is a dead-on dialogue about the dead-end nature of hatred, Tukel’s Catfight is an interesting modern take on those ideas. If anything Catfight feels like it wants to point out the inherent problems with far-left or right wing stereotypes by showing how incompatible/insane they are. Behind all of the slapstick Tukel is wagging a finger vehemently in the direction of the last US election. In a way, that really works because polarised thinking led to much of the current political climate. Tukel presents two self-absorbed caricatures whose hatred is symptomatic of bad attitude as opposed to politics.

 

Even if the ideas are all fine, the film is just too dark. Heche and Oh are consummate performers, and Alicia Silverstone gives a nice supporting turn, but the fights are eventually tedious and the world too depressing to enjoy. Catfight is best when flinging two superb performers at each other fist-first, but those moments are rare and not outrageously varied. The script doesn’t allow its actors enough room to exploit the latent stupidity of the story, which results in an uncomfortably preachy vibe. On one hand, Catfight is a farcical feud, boisterous and resolute, on the other it’s a depressing moral tale without the energy to keep up its premise.

 

CATFIGHT / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: ONUR TUKEL / STARRING: ANNE HECHE, SANDRA OH, ALICIA SILVERSTONE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

Expected Rating: 5/10

 

Actual Rating:

The opening titles helpfully inform us that every year at least three million cases of sleep paralysis are documented in the U.S. This is the temporary inability to speak or move in the period before going to sleep or waking.

Kate Bowman (Jocelin Donahue) is a social worker who suffers from this condition, and is drawn into investigating the subject after the death of her sister, Beth (also played by Donahue). At her funeral, the rather creepy Dr. Hassan Davies (Jesse Borrego), who specialises in sleep disorders, is told by Kate that her sister died from an asthma attack. Dr. Davies says that’s odd because she didn’t have asthma.

On the night of Beth’s death Kate has a sleep paralysis episode when she briefly sees an entity at the end of her bed, and she wakes up panicked. She immediately rings her Father to check on Beth, and he finds her dead in her bed.

Something disturbing is going on, and in a second meeting with Dr. Davies, he says that in the past 30 years hundreds of victims in excellent health, have been frightened to death in their sleep. All of them reported a figure sitting on top of them strangling them and they called it “the sitting ghost”. It is an ancient phenomenon also known as the Old Hag Syndrome.

Kate accuses Evan (Jesse Bradford) an artist friend of her dead sister, of bringing her down, but they strike up a friendship to explore what is going on. She also has another friend, Linda Noble (Brea Grant), who suffers from this condition.

Having more than adequately established the facts of sleep paralysis, director Phillip Guzman, cranks up the tension with Kate being stalked by a dark entity who is intent on killing her and her friends in their sleep.

Dr. Sykes (Lori Petty), at the Somna clinic says sleep paralysis is harmless and Dr. Davies is making her imagination ‘go nuts’ and ‘it is all superstitious madness’ caused by hallucinations. We all know she is going to be proved wrong!

It is useful that this film provides a showcase for this frightening condition, yet by turning its causation into an actual entity it is likely to induce more fear than understanding in real-life victims of this phenomenon.

Dead Awake is like a public information film mixed with horror and suspense. It knowingly draws on A Nightmare on Elm Street, but it puts more weight on its characters and their performances than special effects. The acting, editing and sinister soundtrack contribute to a pleasing and effective film with a neat twist at the end.

DEAD AWAKE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: PHILLIP GUZMAN / SCREENPLAY: JEFFREY REDDICK / STARRING: JOCELIN DONAHUE, JESSE BORREGO, JESSE BRADFORD, BREA GRANT, LORI PETTY / RELEASE DATE: 15TH MAY