Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

With mainstream multiplex horror now the domain of tedious scare-free franchises and lightweight thrillers aimed at unsophisticated teens, it’s left to the indie sector and the straight-to-DVD market (what’s left of it) to provide any hope of serious nasties for the more jaded palette. Sacrament (not to be confused with Ti West’s 2013 pseudo-found footage effort The Sacrament) is very definitely aimed at an audience at ease with slightly stronger material and, if such a thing were to still exist, would probably be a contender for one of the old ‘Video Nasty’ lists which bedevilled genre fans back in the 1980s.

Initially we’re in territory which seems worryingly familiar. Lee and Blake are a young couple enjoying a spring break along the Texan coast with a handful of friends. An approaching storm forces them to pitch up in the peaceful town of Middle Spring smack in the middle of the Bible Belt where barbecue season is in full swing – and the fanatically-religious townsfolk are quite fond of serving up meat hewn from the ‘sinners’ who unwittingly wander into their quiet and apparently-idyllic community. It all sounds fairly mundane but director/writer Ewert has taken the time to develop lead characters who aren’t the usual empty-headed bell-ends who tend to populate dumb horror movies. Lee, Blake and their friends are a bit more likeable and relatable than the typical vacuous air-heads of most generic slasher flicks; they smoke pot, one or two of them are carrying a few extra pounds, they call their elders ‘Ma’am’ and ‘Sir’ and, refreshingly, don’t wander around gazing blankly into their cell phones (which is, in restrospect, a shame because they could have done with some contact with the outside world when things get icky). Because we get to know them as real people – progressively, the lead couple are gay – we feel increasingly uneasy as the Middle Spring butchers close in for the kill. But kill they do and the death sequences are gruesome, graphic  and more disturbing than we might expect because Ewert’s characters are a more amenable crew than the canon fodder who get what they generally richly deserve in cheap horror movies.

On a tiny budget – just $25,000 – Ewert has crafted a slick and atmospheric movie and populated it with an enthusiastic cast of unknowns (and special guest roles for Texas Chain Saw veterans Marilyn Burns – who passed away shortly after filming -and Ed Guinn), some creepy wild-eyed Bible-bashing nutjobs and layered on some decent stomach-disturbing gore. There are, inevitably, a couple of missteps; the concurrent narrative focussing on a Middle Spring victim who escapes the town but can’t escape its clutches runs out of steam halfway through the movie when Ewert clearly can’t think where to take it and the ending is frustratingly terse and disappointingly unsatisfying. Minor quibbles, in the scheme of things, for a tense and accomplished slasher which easily puts to shame the insipid efforts regularly rolled out by the Hollywood studios in the name of horror.

Special Features: Behind the scenes featurette / Cast and crew interviews / Audition footage / Deleted scenes

INFO: SACRAMENT / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: SHAWN EWERT / STARRING: TROY FORD, AVERRY PFEIFFER, MARILYN BURNS, ED GUINN, AMANDA REBHOLZ / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

Milano Calibro 9 is a masterpiece of poliziotteschi; a frantic, high intensity crime thriller with a slightly gangster-tinged feel, all drenched in a deliciously apt soundtrack of energy, emotion and insatiable Italian chic.

The action centres on Ugo Piazza (Gastone Moschin), an ex-con who has just been released from prison and who is in the bad books of his former boss due to a large amount of missing cash. Adamant that he had nothing to do with the disappearance of the money, poor Ugo is set upon as soon as he gets out of prison, with some heavies, led by Rocco (the excellently-moustachioed Mario Adorf), drilling home the point that the big boss, “The Americano” (Lionel Stander), hasn’t forgotten about his missing pieces of eight. In order to find out who really took the money, Ugo agrees to fall back into the world of crime and work alongside Rocco for The Americano. With tensions high and trust issues aplenty, Milano Calibre 9 then unravels the type of story that makes for attention-monopolising viewing. Trust us, once you start watching the first of Di Leo’s Milieu Trilogy you won’t be able to look away.

Fernando Di Leo, a true master of his craft, arguably never created anything better than Milano Calibro 9, itself inspired from the works of Giorgio Scerbanenco, and his shooting style is perfectly complemented by Amedeo Giomini’s meticulously-timed editing and Goffredo Salvatori’s pitch-perfect musical anecdotes. Of course, another key component to this beautifully crafted tale is the casting. With Moschin doing wonders as the understated Ugo and Barbara Bouchet dazzling as former flame Nelly, it’s Adorf’s amped-up, cocksure Rocco who devours every scene he’s in, particularly when it involves playing off of Moschin’s toned-down turn as Ugo. Added to this, every single supporting player is delivered sublimely, be they friends-turned-hitmen, former bosses, politically-angled lawmen or simply bar staff.

Milano Calibro 9 really is a joy to behold, with its inquisitive, probing narrative dragging you along on its murky journey through the corrupt and dangerous Milanese streets. Despite its obvious nature, the film remains relatively gore-free yet manages to shock at regular intervals. Then there’s a wide variety of tiny nuances which bring great attention to the detail of the film’s key players yet manage to pass by under the radar, subtly advancing the plot as they go.

With this wonderfully restored Blu-ray release, there’s also a glutton of extras, some old, some new. Noteworthy bonus features are the making-of feature and the lookback on Fernando Di Leo’s work within the genre, and the particular highlight of the extra content sees Garth Marenghi’s Dark Places’ writer, Matthew Holness, discuss the history of the poliziotteschi genre in general.

Simply put, fans of stunningly-constructed cinema need to add Milano Calibro 9 to their collections at the earliest convenience. Equally, the same can be said for fans of fantastically-styled moustaches.

Special Features: ‘Calibro 9’ making-of / ‘Fernando Di Leo: The Genesis of the Genre’ documentary / Two featurettes / Trailers / Collector’s booklet

INFO: MILANO CALIBRO 9 / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: FERNANDO DI LEO / STARRING: GASTONE MOSCHIN, MARIO ADORF, BARBARA BOUCHET / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

What began as a distinctly Japanese take on the superhero formula quickly developed into a smart and stylish dissection of celebrity culture and reality TV. Set in the futuristic city NC 1978 (a fictionalised, re-imagined New York) where justice and hero antics have been outsourced to media conglomerates, with the background bureaucratic machinations offering a grim and realistic spin on the idea. Decades before, Noted Entities with Extraordinary Talents (NEXTs) take on superhero mantels. The most famous wind up working for sponsor companies and have corporate logos festooned on their suits. All the while their good deeds are broadcast on Hero TV where they bag points for every action. It was a great idea that resulted in the stonking success of the 2011 anime.

The first film may have only recapped the first few episodes, but the follow up is a completely new work. The end of the series saw the old fashioned hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi/Wild Tiger dropped to B-grade status, mentoring a bunch of incompetent up-and-coming heroes. The film follows directly on, where Barnaby Brooks Jr/Bunny is forced to take on a new partner in the cocksure Ryan Goldsmith, thrusting Barnaby back into the first league limelight. With his ever diminishing power, Tiger opts out, deciding to spend more time with his daughter and awkwardly adjusts to civilian life in a tender portrayal of a displaced super. But the encroaching threat forces him back into action.

Masafumi Nishida’s well written exploration of super life and depth of character is the stock and trade of the series and it’s more of the same here. High schooler Karina Lyle/Blue Rose, for example, uses her super hero status to supplement and boost her singing career. Then there’s Nathan Seymour/Fire Emblem. A character who’s both black and gay is something to be celebrated, and his rocky past struggling with his sexuality and gender identity is a rare and earnest exploration of LGBT issues in anime. But his sexuality so frequently is his character; despite the showrunners claims he’s ‘gender free’, the bright make-up, hot pink hair, mincing movements and groping hands speak volumes. But in The Rising he’s left comatose and forced to confront his troubled adolescence, and the conclusion is empowering and moving.

The CGI-tinged animation, tremendous direction and jazzy score are up to the high standard set by the series, even if the story isn’t. The Rising is a sweet sign off that allows room for infinite new entries; it’s well worth your time if only to remind you just how good the original series was.

Special Features: Opening and closing animation / TV series special digest / Art gallery / Trailers

INFO: TIGER & BUNNY MOVIE 2: THE RISING / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: YOSHITOMO YONETANI / SCREENPLAY: MASAFUMI NISHIDA / STARRING: HENRY DITTMAN, YURI LOWENTHAL, YUUICHI NAKAMURA, HIROAKI HIRATA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

Science had come a long way in terms of pop culture creditability. After decades of well-meaning-yet-stuffy attempts at making this crucial discipline interesting to the general public, shows like The Big Bang Theory and The Infinite Monkey Cage hit upon a formula. Make ‘em laugh and if that fails, wheel on the explosions.

The Festival of the Spoken Nerd is a team of three comedians who are also all about the nerdy love of maths, spreadsheets, physics and puns. Their latest show, Full Frontal Nerdity, is unashamedly nerdy, as the title suggests. It’s for those of us who tend to laugh straight away at XKCD cartoons or have a collection of puns based around the word ion. The main attraction is their 100-minute long show, which is a mix of stand-up comedy, practical demonstrations and the odd song or two.

The show can be broken down by performer. Helen Arney’s act seems to mostly consist of sweetly sarcastic songs with a vague scientific basis; some more involved than others. Though they seem a little strained at times, the songs also have lovely accompanying footage and are rather fun. Certainly fans of the likes of Jonathan Coulton or The Doubleclicks will enjoy these pieces quite a lot. Matt Parker’s act seem mostly based around maths, spreadsheets and the fact that the performer’s persona is that of a total dork. He fills the stage with the nervous energy of someone who knows some terribly important things about the world but can’t quite explain it all to you. This, combined with some rather silly practical demonstrations, makes for more than a few good laughs.

Steve Mould has a similar sort of act, though his focus is more on interesting natural phenomena. The most laid back of the three, he also happens to have a genuine scientific discovery named after him, a fact that he mines for as many laughs as he can get. His laconic wit and strong presence holds the other two together, rounding off the act quite nicely. The Festival of the Spoken Nerd is often at its funniest when they’re bickering between each other, again, to great comedic effect.

The DVD set comes with a booklet (which is nicely packed with jokes and references to the show) and an additional disc with mockumentaries and music videos. These are a nice bonus and make an already strong product almost unmissable.

If you like nerd humour, or you know someone who does, you should take a look at Festival of the Spoken Nerd: Full Frontal Nerdity. It’s great fun for geeks.

Special Features: 85-minutes of extras (inc. ‘Backstage Nerdity’, ‘The Mould Effect Effect’, music videos and science features) / Subtitles (inc. Klingon and Binary) / Director’s Commentary / Director’s Commentary of Director’s Commentary / American Language Soundtrack / Slightly Safer for Schools Soundtrack / 20-page booklet

INFO: FESTIVAL OF THE SPOKEN NERD: FULL FRONTAL NERDITY / CERT: 12 / STARRING: MATT PARKER, STEVE MOULD, HELEN ARNEY / RELEASE DATE: JULY 1ST 
 

SoniAni: Super Sonico The Animation is the 2014 misadventures of Sonico: marine biology major, occasional waitress, model, and frontwoman for three-piece indie rock outfit First Astronomical Velocity. Given her origin as company mascot for video game firm Nitroplus, her calculated appearance and personality traits are hardly surprising. But it’s for this very reason why she never develops, instead left static and relegated to avatar status. As a list of traits (a ditsy, overburdened do-gooder with a penchant for sleeping in, homeless cats and oversized headphones) she fills out an entertaining 12 sessions.

Like the series’ namesake, the recurring characters don’t develop. Her fellow band members, leader and bassist Suzu Fujimi and snack-obsessed drummer Fuuri Watanuki, both featured in Nitro+’s visual novel Axanael, and it’s much of the same here. Her affectionate manager Kitamura, who sports a kabuki mask and sometimes a sword, shows nothing but fatherly concern for Sonico, but the air of ambiguity prevents any real empathy. It’s only minor characters that prove dynamic and relatable. In Session 5, New World, Sayaka Kinomoto, a disillusioned journo with shattered dreams and a half-finished novel, reluctantly covers Sonico for a magazine spread. After spending the day with her, Sayaka is soon inspired, her whole dour outlook changing. She even finishes her novel!

Session 6, Cruising of the Dead, throws a demented spanner in the works when zombies show up at the halfway point. The tonal shift after the feel-good glitz and jangly J-Pop was whiplash-inducing, as the band try and survive against a hungry horde. Episode 7, Star Rain, is the show’s highpoint, where you get an insight into how good a series it could have been if a few of the odder ideas were tossed out and the rest was tightened up. It put the comedy on the back burner and saw Sonico as Forest Gump, travelling alone and encountering and affecting a variety of disparate people. It’s the episode which allowed the luscious animation to really indulge itself in the delicate glass-blowing sequence or the mesmerising star scape.

The series pulls in too many directions for it to be taken as one complete package, its tonal detours and narrative shifts only work against it. The creative team, headed up by Black Lagoon handyman Kenichi Kawamura, never seemed to fully understand what they wanted to do: Session 9 is a ‘murder’ mystery, while 10 is all about Sonico’s cats. Super Sonico The Animation is a bittersweet slice of life, that’s oddly affectionate and bursting with untapped possibility. Another series might just set the record straight.

Special Features: Opening and closing animation / Outtakes / Blooper reel / Radio spots / Photo shoots / Trailers

INFO: SONIANI: SUPER SONICO THE ANIMATION / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: KENICHI KAWAMURA / SCREENPLAY: YOUSUKE KURODA / STARRING: AYANO YAMAMOTO, MAMI OZAKI, MAI GOTOU, RYOUTA TAKEUCHI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

  

Princesses no Rondo, being the third outing of Familiar of Zero, based on the light novels of late scribe Noboru Yamaguchi, sees high schooler Saito Hiraga loose the runic bond that ties him to the aristocratic and short-tempered mage Louise. Him reverting to average Joe status forces the duo to find some new context for their relationship outside of the familiar/master confinements. It was a strong start that, following the war-torn second series, would have made for a pensive character study. But by the end of the second episode, equilibrium is restored and the plot takes a sharp U-turn, gurning out another ten forgettable episodes. The rest is a further caustic riff into the fanservice trope, continuing the back and forth between Louise and Saito and their testy love/loathe relationship. In other words, just like the previous two series.

It’s a stylistic improvement over its predecessors, with enough subtle changes around the character models to notice, and with more adventurous direction from Yuu Kou, who took over from Yoshiaki Iwasaki (before he was taken back on board for the fourth and final series). It tempers the gratuitous fanservice with bouts of genuine charm, likewise, there are moments of giddy humour and finely rendered action sequences, but when even the mid-episode title cards sport cleavage and panties, it’s hard to look past the seinen demographic.

The harem conventions have been duly plumbed, cherry picking some of the more obvious enablers, including the obligatory bathing episode, incidents involving love potions and body swapping and the beach bound OVA. When the most intriguing and amusing character is a talking sword, you know something is amiss. With sword and sorcery explored and utilised far better in more recent titles (Maria the Virgin Witch, DanMachi, Heroic Legend of Arslan) and funnier titles besides, Familiar of Zero doesn’t have much to convince those outside of its demographic to stick around. And even they aren’t getting anything the first two series hasn’t already covered.

Special Features: Clean opening / Clean closing / OVA ‘Seductive Beach’ / Trailers

INFO: FAMILIAR OF ZERO, SERIES 3: PRINCESSES NO RONDO / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: YUU KOU / SCREENPLAY: YURI KAWAHARA / STARRING: RIE KUGIMIYA, SATOSHI HINO, YUKA INOKUCHI, MAMIKO NOTO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

The Redeemer, “the most feared man in Latin America,” is a vigilante warrior on a perpetual mission, travelling to one anonymous place after another, defending innocent townsfolk from thugs and criminals while he hunts for the villainous Scorpion.

The Redeemer is a quintessentially mysterious character, distant, brooding and with only the briefest of human interaction, he speaks only when necessary and in short, succinct sentences, never saying any more or any less than is required. He is made even more intriguing by his rituals prior to commencing combat, first praying at a makeshift portable altar and playing a round of Russian roulette as though asking God for permission to continue. Even as he squares off with the groups of thugs he genuinely tries to end the fights before they begin, quietly suggesting to “Get on your knees and ask God for forgiveness.” Of course, none of them do, so we are then treated to some fast, brutal and superbly choreographed fight sequences, usually against multiple opponents of varying levels of menace.

As the eponymous warrior, Marko Zaror has a physicality to his presence that comes from more than just his sculpted physique. His blend of various fighting styles lets him move with speed, strength and agility, and he radiates an aura of raw power similar to the likes of Scott Adkins or Gary Daniels. Without the aid of CGI or wirework to augment them, the fights are instead a mix of balletic grace and extreme violence, with bottles smashed in mid air and then stabbed into throats, or faces rammed into spinning propeller blades.

With an uncompromising attitude and willingness to stand up to criminals most people are terrified of, the Redeemer comes off as a street-level superhero like Daredevil, Punisher or Green Arrow, his tattered hooded jacket even acting like a basic cowl. He lives in cheap motels and drives a rusting car quite literally held together with duct tape, as though allowing himself any kind of material comfort would be a distraction from his mission. Speaking of which, as the truth behind what inspired the Redeemer to begin his eternal rampage, you begin to question who exactly it is who requires redemption. Redeemer may be a short and uncomplicated film, but that doesn’t stop it from being distinctive and highly enjoyable.

INFO: REDEEMER / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: ERNESTO DIAZ ESPINOZA / SCREENPLAY: ERNESTO DIAZ ESPINOZA, GULLERMO PRIETO, ANDREA SANZ, DIEGO AYALA / STARRING: MARKO ZAROR, LORETO ARAVENA, JOSE LUIS MOSCA, MAURICIO DIOCARES, NOAH SEGAN / RELEASE DATE: TBC

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

Actual Rating:
  

In search of a better life for their unborn baby, desperate couple Kurt and Eve sneak over the border into the United States of Europe. Once inside the fortress nation, they are picked up by an immigration patrol and separated due to Eve’s pregnancy, so Kurt must do what he can to reunite them while conforming to the rules of this brave new world.

Index Zero’s plot is based around the Sustainability Index, a complex calculation the USE’s government applies to every individual, quantifying the monetary expenditure it takes to sustain a person balanced against how their myriad circumstances allow for maintaining themselves. Essentially, single numbers are used to rate and rank the financial worth of human lives. The concept is monstrous.

Once immigrants have worked enough to some nebulous standard, their index value will eventually rise out of the negatives (hence the film’s title), at which point they are declared eligible to become citizens of this democratic plutocracy and live the lives the system deems them worthy of. “Freedom isn’t sustainable”, an immigration officer comments.

The film opens with Kurt and Eve traversing a desolate wasteland, surviving on ground insects and rainwater, so we can only imagine what sort of despondent existence they are attempting to escape from. Like many immigrants even today, whatever bleak and miserable life awaits them once they’re over the border, it’s infinitely preferable to the hardships they left behind. The sterile uniformity of the immigrant compound provides a stark contract to the dry mud of the shanty towns they initially pass through, but you can’t help but wonder if when they eventually enter the country, they will truly be any freer.

The pan-continental setting of the futuristic superstate allows events to take place in a vague and undefined location and thus avoid passing comment on any one nation’s international policy, while also neatly explaining away the clashing accents of the international cast (although an Italian film, everyone speaks in English).

Like a lot of classic pulp sci-fi, Index Zero uses its futuristic setting to make a point about modern society, and in the wake some countries having their economic growth crippled by austerity measures while others are ending up run by sociopathic millionaires, the film’s bleak itemised vision of the future is not all that difficult to imagine coming to pass.

INFO: INDEX ZERO / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: LORENZO SPORTIELLO / SCREENPLAY: LORENZO SPORTIELLO, CLAUDIO CORBUCCI, FRANCESCO CIOCE / STARRING: SIMON MERRELLS, ANA ULARU, VELISLAV PAVLOV, ANTONIA LISKOVA / RELEASE DATE: TBC

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

Actual Rating:
 

An inexpensive action adventure flick with a soupcon of supernatural content, The Four Warriors is actually relatively short on both action and adventure – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a look.

The premise is promising. Returning from the Crusades, three warriors and their captive “infidel” happen upon a village somewhere in the east of Europe, populated only by women – the children and men having been taken by outside forces. Richard (Christopher Danes, also on scriptwriting duties), leader of the soldiers, thinks they have been seized by slavers, whereas Alina (Alex Childs), head woman of the village, is convinced that something more devilish is responsible. As it turns out, neither is wrong. When Alina’s son Dimitri disappears, the scene is set for an expedition into the lair of the Demon in an attempt to rescue the lost children.

There are very few surprises along the way, and the characters are composed of all the archetypes you’d expect. Of the warriors, Richard is bearded and serious, Hamish (Fergal Philips) youthful and easily distracted, and William (Glenn Spears) is a mostly effective comic foil – and probably the real heart of the film. The “fourth” warrior, Khushtar (Hadrian Howard) is predictably taciturn, and there won’t be any prizes for guessing what trajectory his character development takes. The two women we meet are equally epitomical, with Jessica Blake as Dahra providing perhaps the film’s only surprise, when it turns out that her character isn’t suspicious, as we might have been given to predict.

With a little more nuance or lightness of touch, this could have been a film from which you expect little and are more than pleasantly rewarded. As it is, it’s rather talky and takes itself more seriously than it really intends to, and as such struggles to excite. However, the photography is gorgeous and despite some rather laboured scene-setting, the characters mostly feel genuine enough to engage (with the exception of the rotund and good-natured seer, Baliphar, a cameo from Kristian Nairn), and you do end up caring about them.

With no money for prosthetics, the demonic forces are presented only in black cloaks and cheap-looking masks, and the effects budget seems not to stretch any further than a couple of Paintbox shots and a flaming sword, the result of which being a final act that doesn’t reward the anticipation it has built. Nevertheless, the dialogue, while being clichéd and inconsistently inauthentic, at least keeps the film both watchable and, for the most part, entertaining, although the fight sequences feel very much pre-The Matrix in construction. Very much slower than you might expect (at least, until the last third), The Four Warriors is a poor cousin to the likes of 300, but is not without merit.

Special Features: TBC

INFO: THE FOUR WARRIORS / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: PHIL HAWKINS / SCREENPLAY: CHRISTOPHER DANE / STARRING: CHRISTOPHER DANE, KRISTIAN NAIRN, ALEX CHILDS, HADRIAN HOWARD, FERGAL PHILIPS / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 29TH (DIGITAL RELEASE)