Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

THE LAST WAVE (1977)

CERT: TBC / FORMAT: BLU-RAY / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (AUSTRALIA)

As the Australian weather takes an unpredictable turn, a lawyer (Richard Chamberlain) is tasked with defending five Aboriginal men accused of murder. As he tries to understand their culture, he has a series of dreams involving one of the men (David Gulpilil), who is seemingly trying to tell him something. As he probes deeper, he becomes convinced the constant rain (including spates of black rain, large hail, and showers of frogs) is a sign of the coming apocalypse.

Peter Weir followed up the hit Picnic at Hanging Rock with this low key, brooding look at indigenous folklore and, way ahead of its time, climate change. Chamberlain is superb as the lawyer out of his depth but determined to get the men off their murder charge. Strange shaman and a hidden, sacred underground site add to the otherworldliness of the tale. Bolstered by some gorgeous cinematography by Russell Boyd, The Last Wave has arguably become more enjoyable and essential as years have passed. Largely and cruelly forgotten, it’s a deliberately paced, stunningly visual think piece that deserves a bigger audience.

Aussie label Umbrella Entertainment has released the HD version with a wealth of great special features. Interviews with the producer, Jim McElroy and Boyd are fascinating, but the most engaging and rewarding is a video call (filmed during the lockdown) with star Richard Chamberlain. Now in his 80s, he is still recognisably the star he was and has plenty to say about the production and working with the director and crew.

The film is ripe for rediscovery, and this release more than does it justice.

MONSTER FORCE ZERO

CERT: TBC / RELEASE DATE: VOD OUT NOW

Adam Singer, Aeon Cruz, and Dalena Nguyen are the cosplaying creators of a comic book, who accept an invitation for a costume battle that turns into something much bigger in Monster Force Zero, the debut feature from award-winning short director Nathan Letteer. Featuring turns from former WWF and WCW wrestler Pat Tanaka as a wise, old janitor, and Star Trek: Voyager’s Garrett Wang as himself, Monster Force Zero is a light-hearted genre romp, which spins out from the convention floor, through the sexy after party (as if!), and finally into a battle for the future of planet Earth.

Letteer clearly has an affection for the Comic Con culture, and the film never feels as though it is mean-spirited. Rather, these are real people having an adventure as a result of their hobby, and as much as the world might like to classify that hobby as geeky, the cosplayers and comic creators on show here are nothing to be laughed at, except when they want you to. Some of the cast are more polished than others, but this matches the lo-fi, 1980s aesthetic of the piece, like some last-minute grab from the convenience store VHS rental section that you can never remember the title of years later but that worked perfectly well at the time.

There’s a lot to like about Monster Force Zero, the debut feature from award-winning short director Nathan Letteer, and while it has its shortcomings, they’re easily overlooked because it’s obvious how much fun everyone is having making this film. Monster Force Zero is eighty-five minutes of silly fun, and there’s plenty of room for that in 2020.

TREMORS: SHRIEKER ISLAND

PLATFORM: DVD, BLU-RAY, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD | RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 16TH

Considering their straight-to-video status and their lack of Kevin Bacon, you’d be forgiven for writing off the abundant sequels to 1990 cult hit Tremors. Forgiven until now, that is, because we’re telling you that they’re well worth the time of anyone who enjoyed the first film.

Much like Inspector Clouseau, who debuted as a supporting role in The Pink Panther before taking centre stage in the sequels, the Tremors movies quickly honed in on Burt Gummer, the oddly loveable, survivalist gun-nut played by Michael Gross in the first film. Gummer is the lead character in all six subsequent movies (not to mention appearing in the short-lived TV-series).

The franchise took something of a downward turn after the original creators stopped having any involvement, starting with Tremors 5: Bloodlines. This also marked the introduction of Travis, the estranged son of Gummer, played by Jamie Kennedy. Travis returned for the sixth movie but is noticeably absent here – noticeably because of how blatantly his character has been re-worked into a ‘new’ character played by Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder. Contrived as it all feels, Heder is a welcome upgrade.

In Shrieker Island, humans are no longer the most dangerous game; Graboids are. A wealthy hunter has been shipping them to his private island, but inevitably, things go wrong and Burt is drafted to save the day. Coming from largely the same creative team as the previous two movies, this one features a more confident and playful feel than the franchise has had in a while. While it’s far from the best that Tremors has to offer, there’s plenty of Graboid action, a handful of great gags and a surprisingly emotional climax which ultimately renders Tremors: Shrieker Island much closer to perfection than you might think.

G-LOC

CERT: 12 | PLATFORM: DVD, BLU-RAY, APPLE, AMAZON, GOOGLE PLAY | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Director Tom Paton is best known for his low-budget and high concept Sci-Fi movies, that tend to focus on cool action sequences, breath-taking locations and snappy dialogue. G-LOC is perhaps his most ambitious movie so far, being a pure sci-fi movie set mostly aboard space-ships.

In G-LOC, the Earth is about to die. Humans are fleeing to another world called Rhea but thanks to complications with space-travel and time-dilation, the humans on that world aren’t keen on a regular flood of refugees. Stephen Moyer plays Bran, a man desperately trying to flee Earth because he has nothing else to lose. He’s assisted by Edison, an AI assistant which looks very cute and is brilliantly sarcastic. Edison is voice acted by Mike Beckingham; a regular with Tom Paton’s movies and we can see why; despite being only a voice in a box, Edison’s performance is resonant and memorable.

Bran’s efforts to flee Earth are hindered by those on the Rhean supply ship, namely Ohsha (Tala Gouveia) and Decker (Casper Van Dien). We get the occasional flashback to Earth to add some extra pathos to Bran’s journey, but mostly it’s contrast the vast open skies of Earth to the cramped and hostile confines of the space-craft. The performances are pretty strong; Moyer’s desperate refugee plays well against Gouveia’s working-class every-person. Van Dien also delights in his role, chewing the scenery when he can.

G-LOC is an old-school sci-fi tale. It addresses current issues by using the future as a way to explore the past and present. It’s low-budget is quite obvious and we would really love to see what Paton can do with some heroic funding.

ERASERHEAD

CERT: 18 | PLATFORM: BLU-RAY 4K | RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 19TH

David Lynch’s debut picture Eraserheard is next up to get a fresh release by the ever-great folks over at the Criterion Collection. A trippy body horror that put Lynch on the map in a major way, the film centres on Jack Nance’s Spencer as he becomes the father of a deformed child amongst the backdrop of a dystopian industrial landscape. That’s likely about as much justice as we can do to the utterly unique (and oft-nuts!) plot of Eraserhead.

As is so often the case, the main selling point of a new release of an old favourite is the new sheen given to the movie and to the additional material contained as part of the release. On that front, the 4K restoration overseen by Lynch himself is great. Beforehand, the black and white approach to Eraserheard instantly made it stand out from its contemporaries upon the film’s initial 1977 release, and that impact is ten-fold here. The 4K restoration gives an added crispness and clearness to this most strange of tales.

Where the bonus material is concerned, the stars of the show are likely the six Lynch shorts from over the years that have been given the HD treatment. There’s also an interesting new collection of interviews with the cast and crew of Eraserhead, with some archival talking heads in there, too. Likewise, Lynch’s 2001 Eraserhead Stories documentary is always brilliant to revisit, even if Lynch die-hards may have been hoping to see further new material included. There is a booklet featuring an interview with David Lynch from Chris Rodley’s Lynch on Lynch book also included, although that wasn’t available to us at the time that this review was compiled.

In recent years, the Criterion Collection has given new cleaned-up, crammed releases to so many classics of yesteryear, and in this new Eraserheard release they’ve yet again knocked it out of the pack.

HOME VIDEOS: THE COMPLETE BODY COUNT

The Home Videos series has been around for a few years. Put together by low budget specialists Trash Arts and Vestra Pictures, the films take the found footage and anthology format of the likes of V/H/S to the extreme. With some great underground directors involved such as Jason Impey, Sam Mason Bell, Tony Newton, and Jason Figgis, the results are way above expectations. It’s also good to see familiar indie actors such as Martin W. Payne

One of the great things about this concept is it allows filmmakers with no budget to let their creative juices (and blood) flow. In the first instalment, for example, Jason Impey mashes genuine footage of his childhood with modern slices of horror. This gives us a much more voyeuristic feeling than we’d get with the average found footage flick. It brings to mind the cine film in Peeping Tom where the antagonist’s father filmed his child to record his reacts to fear. Not that there’s a sinister motive in Impey’s father’s recording of his child’s birthdays and such. Other sections vary from engaging to surreal and experimental, and there are not many that don’t hit the mark. Stories intersperse and there are random flashes of innocuous footage as if the tape has been reused.

The DVD release contains all three instalments of Home Videos, each running 90 minutes, so it’s not really advisable to binge watch them as the impact will be lessened greatly. There are some really good sections amongst the vast collective running time, and some genuine nasty moments. In the third film, for example, Noel J. Rainford’s Fare Game involves footage from a taxi camera and focuses on the downright offensive passengers the poor driver picks up.

If the three Home Videos weren’t enough to tempt you to grab the disc, the release also includes Melvin, written and directed by Henry Weintraub. Running at just over an hour, this is a Toxic Avenger-type revenge film in which the title character becomes a reluctant cannibal and gets his own back on the bullies who continually prank him. The packed disc isn’t finished, as there’s a half-hour look at various American monster legends such as Sasquatch and Boggy Creek.

There’s no faulting the value for money on the DVD, and fans of raw, indie filmmaking will get a lot of out the shorts put together here.

REDWOOD MASSACRE: ANNIHILATION

CERT: 18 | PLATFORM: VOD | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Redwood Massacre: Annihilation, the latest movie from independent horror writer / director David Ryan Keith, is the follow-up to 2014’s The Redwood Massacre. Set ten years after the first film, the plot focuses on manipulative psychopath Max (Grimm‘s Damien Puckler) and his attempts to locate his idol, the original Redwood killer. Along the way, he recruits the family of one of his former victims who are looking for answers as to the whereabouts of their missing relative.

Genre fans will be happy to see scream queen Danielle Harris as lead role Laura Dempsey, but long-time fans of the former Jamie Lloyd will no doubt be disappointed once again to find that a quality non-Halloween role has still not materialised. Perhaps it’s time that she started looking for a new agent… Danielle is as professional and charismatic as ever but, unfortunately, one sprightly performance is nowhere near enough to redeem this car crash of a movie.

David Ryan Keith seems to have no idea how to script dramatic, coherent or even human-sounding dialogue, and some of the character choices and plot points often seem either baffling or like borderline continuity errors. Damien Puckler is mostly believable as the unhinged psycho and Benjamin Selway (seen here as the masked killer) does an admirable job of aping Kane Hodder, but the movie is so bogged down with incredibly amateurish performances that their efforts feel futile. It would be unfair to say this film is completely without merits, as there are some well-executed moments from a technical filmmaking perspective and the numerous gore effects are all done practically. Does that stop this movie from being garbage? No, it bloody does not.

TRAIN TO BUSAN: PENINSULA

PLATFORM: CINEMA, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, BLU-RAY, DVD | RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 6^TH (THEATRICAL), NOVEMBER 30TH (HOME VIDEO)

Four years after Train to Busan, this second sequel (following Seoul Station) strives to do something different with the franchise but flounders under the weight of its underdeveloped characters, concepts, and subplots. The script follows a group of Koreans living in Hong Kong who return to a quarantined, zombie ravished Incheon to retrieve a truck containing $20 million. Naturally, their path is beset with the salivating undead but it’s more than just zombies the gang should watch out for.

The plot, led by established protagonist Jung-seok (Don-Wong Gang), splinters into several strands which, when combined make it muddled and chaotic. Potentially interesting supporting characters are introduced but are not developed enough to lend weight or resonate. A prologue provides context and compels momentarily but emotional/character arcs are sacrificed for synthetic CG laden set-pieces that unravel like glitching screensavers.

The lawless, post-apocalyptic Incheon and its survivors, led by an ex-military dictator-like sergeant Hwang (Min-Jae Kim), provide the backdrop for a gawkily woven second half which connects family dramas to the cash stash and a separate rescue mission, not to mention the zombie apocalypse itself which saturates the milieu like a franchise anchor, stunting both character and narrative growth.

Act 1 amuses along with later rambunctious set-pieces yet Peninsula feels panic-fashioned to be epic and distinct, resounding as a protuberant cash cow drained to enervation. Peninsula adheres to contentious franchise characteristics and tries to do, and be, too much at once. Despite these grand ambitions, this (hopefully) final entry is a superfluous zombie clotted CG kerfuffle and discombobulating VFX smudge that’s a sometimes fun but frequently unfocused victim of its own branding.

WWE: ATTITUDE ERA – THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

CERT: 15 / PLATFORM: DVD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Without question, the famed Attitude Era of the ‘90s and into the 2000s is one of the most beloved periods in professional wrestling history. Reflecting back on that time, we’ve got our hands on the new WWE: Attitude Era – The Complete Collection DVD set. Amassing 20 hours across nine discs, let’s take a look what’s under the hood with this all-encompassing collection.

Generally speaking, the Attitude Era of the then-WWF is seen as being in full swing from 1997 up until early 2001. And here, that whole period is covered with a ridiculous number of matches and segments showcased. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin flipping the bird, drinking beer, and dropping Stunners? Check. The Rock adorned in $500 shirts and raising eyebrows? Check. Mick Foley partaking in hardcore battles and dance parties? Check. Triple H’s ascension to the top of the mountain? Check. The terrifying, destructive presence of Kane? Check. The Undertaker being, well, The Undertaker? Triple check.

Not just those names, though, for WWE: Attitude Era – The Complete Collection features a who’s who of that special period in wrestling history. There’s Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, the Hardy Boyz, Edge & Christian, the Dudley Boyz, Goldust, Val Venis, Ken Shamrock, Sable, Owen Hart, and even the greatest in-ring talent to ever lace up a pair of boots – Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart.

While the first six discs are the more well-known matches and segments, it’s the final three discs that offer the most for long-time fans. That’s because those discs are full of non-televised material, meaning that we get a slew of unique match-ups and battles that have long been discussed but rarely seen.

Of course, there is one clear elephant in the room where WWE: Attitude Era – The Complete Collection is concerned. Despite being a new, nine-disc boxset, WWE: Attitude Era – The Complete Collection is actually a collection of three previous boxset releases – those being 2012’s The Attitude Era, 2014’s The Attitude Era, Vol. 2, and 2016’s The Attitude Era, Vol. 3: Unreleased.

Being perfectly honest, if you’ve already got those three previous releases, there is zero incentive to buy WWE: The Attitude Era – The Complete Collection. This new release is literally those exact three releases bundled together. If you do not own WWE: The Attitude Era – The Complete Collection, however, then this release has so much to offer for wrestling fans both casual and die-hard.

300 (4K UHD)

PLATFORM: 4K UHD / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 5

Ever heard the one about the 300 Spartan warriors who decided to take on an army made up of millions? That’s the loose plot summary for Zack Snyder’s 300. Based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name, Snyder’s 2006 movie had Gerard Butler’s King Leonidas and his personal guard of 300 soldiers step up to try and put a stop to the all-conquering ways of the Persian deity Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). It’s bloody, it’s brutal, and it’s a movie that was – and still is – a visual delight that mixes live-action with CGI backdrops to create a comic book-esque tone. And now, 300 is the latest Warner Bros. film to be given a 4K UHD upgrade.

As is so often the case with any such new release of an old favourite, the main draw here for a lot of people will be the 4K UHD treatment given to Zack Snyder’s film. Given how 300 is already a visually stunning movie, the 4K sheen only adds further to so much of what makes 300 great. In terms of the definition on faces and armour, the 4K works wonders, but it’s the colours of battle and looming skies that are the true standout of this upgrade. The palette and unique style of 300 shines through for all to see here, with the impact of the oft-contrasting colours bursting from your screen and a sense of more weight and power added to proceedings.

Where the special features are concerned, 300 die-hards may be a little disappointed to see that there is no new material included here. That’s not to say that the release isn’t bursting at the seams, mind, for the massive amount of extra material from the previous Blu-ray release is all featured here. The highlights are likely The Frank Miller Tapes – because any time spent listening to Frank Miller is usually a good time, right? – and The 300: Fact or Fiction, although there is so much to get your teeth stuck into here. Whether it’s extensive webisodes, history lessons, a fascinating proof-of-concept piece, or an audio commentary, this new 300 release is packed full of extras – it’s just that those who have earlier releases of the film will have seen all of this before.

If you’re looking to see the rich, deep imagery of 300 play out in the most beautiful, bone-crunching way possible, this 4K offering is absolutely a must-have. If you’re more concerned about checking out new bonus material, then this could be a release worth holding back on. As for those who’ve never checked out Zack Snyder’s 300 before, this is something well worth adding to your collection sooner rather than later.