Author: UncaScroogeMcD

DURHAM – Can you smell the reality in the air? I’m not talking about those painfully staged reality shows on TruTV. What’s just around the corner is the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, NC. From Thursday, April 3 to Sunday, April 6. This is the friendliest and most relaxed film festival in the world. Because most of the screenings take place within a single complex, there’s no racing all over the city to find obscure screening rooms. You don’t have to worry about the weather. The hotel rates are reasonable. You just show up, pick out the films and watch away. That’s a lot less troublesome than Sundance, Toronto and SXSW. Plus you can always have sweet NC BBQ.

The film’s big tribute is to Steve James. The filmmaker got major notice and robbed of Oscar glory with Hoop Dreams. We interviewed him a while back about his ESPN movie about Allen Iverson. Doug Block gets the opening night slot with 112 Weddings. He deals with couples whose weddings he had previously shot. How are they doing after all these years? I’m curious having worked a few weddings in the past. Joe Berlinger will be there to talk about Metallica Some Kind of Monster. I want to ask what Lars’ tears smell like.

There’s a lot of films including quite a few free public showing. It’s a great day trip. You can get details from visiting http://fullframefest.org/ Please guess what films I’ll be viewing. Remember if you see me, I don’t have any of the Freddie buttons to hand out. But I might have a few uneaten pretzels that I’ll gladly share.

EL REY FOR EL ME

For the first few weeks that El Rey Network appeared on my cable box, I kept thinking it was a competitor for Univision. I took enough Spanish in college to know that it’s Spanish for “The King.” So it seemed it was Spanish. Then one boring morning, I flipped it on to see what Starsky and Hutch sounded like dubbed in Spanish. Turns out David Soul was giving the business to Paul Michael Glaser in English.

What’s the deal with this channel? Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez is a part owner. The man who gave us Sin City and From Dusk Till Dawn finally has a way to reach people 24 hours at a time. He’s high octane guy who hangs with Tarantino. So you’d expect a high octane channel. His first big thing is turning From Dusk Till Dawn into a series. A smart move since the viewers should enjoy vampire strippers. It’d be like HBO combining G String Divas with True Blood. Although that seems to be the only high profile project being promoted. Although one show is what too many cable channels offer in marathon binges.

Most of the broadcast day consists of Dark Angel, Starsky and Hutch, Texas Justice (a court show from the ’00s) and The X-Files. It’s kind of strange since the channels was given carriage space by Comcast to reach a Latino audience. They do offer soccer from Mexico and lucha libre.

Is the channel really going after the Latino audience? Or fanboys that like to eat at Gingoagogo? Are you like BBCAmerica showing The Matrix because you need the easy ratings? I know the channel is young and there’s not been exactly a treasure trove of English language TV shows featuring Hispanic stars. You can run the Jimmy Smits seasons of LA Law and NYPD Blue. Why not have a Smits Sunday for the ladies?

The biggest bonus of the channel is all the Shaw Brothers action flicks. So far I’ve been seeing a bunch that weren’t even released on the Dragon Dynasty DVDs. This makes them must DVR. But there’s a big problem because El Rey’s website currently sucks. I went there to see the schedule and there was none. There were a bunch of embedded videos of Robert talking about what the channel was going to be like. Seeing how it’s been on the cable box for three months, you might want to upgrade from potential to what viewers need to be experiencing.

The channel needs hosts. Give it a few real faces and now merely a flaming logo. It’d be cool to have a videostore clerk giving us the importance of the various Shaw Brothers and other cult films you’re running. Sure the channel wants to push the Grindhouse image, but the harsh fact is that 99 percent of your viewers who saw these films found them on a VHS tape in Dave’s Videodrome or other shady rental joint.

SCREAM FACTORY SHOUTS

Darkman: Collector’s Edition brings Sam Raimi’s edgy superhero masterpiece to high definition with a bonus bonanza. Raimi wanted to make The Shadow. When he was told no, he created his own superhero that looked at the evil in men’s souls. Liam Neeson (Taken) is a scientist trying to make a breakthrough in artificial skin. His ex-girlfriend (Fargo‘s Frances McDormand) gets Liam tangled in a fight between her boss and a gangster. Liam’s laboratory gets lit up and he’s presumed dead. But the doctor is merely burned beyond recognition. He barely recovers and uses his not quite their fake skin to get revenge on everyone involved. It’s a movie that plays bigger than its budget. The star of the show is Larry Drake as the diabolical gangster. He was playing the brain damaged janitor on LA Law so this role was a shocker to TV viewers. The bonus features range from brand new interviews to vintage media packages. Director of Photography Bill Pope gives a master class on the audio commentary. They even allow the henchmen to have their own featurette. The make-up and special effects get fully explored. This was a landmark moment when Hollywood didn’t resort to a comic book character to make a comic book movie.

Slumber Party Massacre remains one of the best films in the mad killer interrupts a fun night flicks. Michele Michaels wants her friends on the basketball team to hang out for the night. It was the ’80s when such events were commonplace. But little did she know that something worse than nerds looking for panties would crash their affair. An escaped mental patient with a drill is ready to add to his body count. What’s really amazing about this film is that it was written by feminist novelist Rita Mae Brown and directed by Amy Jones. Jones gave up a chance to edit E.T. But let’s face it, would you rather say you cut E.T. (which everyone will give your credit to Spielberg anyway) or declare you made Slumber Party Massacre? She made the right choice. The big bonus feature is the first part of Sleepless Night that covers the making of this film. The high definition transfer adds to the creep factor as the body count adds up.

Beneath is what I really wish happened at the end of American Pie. A group of kids head up to the lake after graduating from high school. They’re ready to party. What they don’t realize is that they’re also ready to be lunch for a massive creature under the water. They find themselves stranded on a leaky boat and being picked off. The movie originally aired on Chiller. The bonus features include director Larry Fessenden talking about Jaws.

Bad Dreams & Visiting Hours gives an HD upgrade to the original DVD release put out a few years ago. Bad Dreams brings back my ’90s crush on Jennifer Rubin. She’s the only survive of a religious cult that had a mass suicide via fire. She comes out of her coma only to discover that the crisp remains of the cult leader wants her to join them in the embers. It’s an uncomfortable supernatural battle between her and the demons of her past. Andrew Fleming (The Craft) makes this memorable. Visiting Hours has William Shatner in a supporting role. Lee Grant is attacked by a stranger and rushed to the hospital. Little does she know that attacker wants to finish the job and a couple night watchmen aren’t going to stop him. Can the Shatner come to her rescue. The bonus features include a new interview with Jennifer Rubin. Screenwriter Brian Taggert walks us through the creation of Visiting Hours. It’s a double feature worth watching in the emergency room.

BLU-RAY HEAVEN

Enemies Closer is good old Jean Claude Van Damme dishing out the Van Dammage. He’s doing a major stretch here as he plays a Canadian. He’s out to find a missing drug package. Did I mention he’s the bad guy? Even more outrageous in this film is Orlando Jones (MadTV) playing a semi-bad guy. He looks good kicking ass. But can the 7-Up guy really go foot to face with Van Damme? Once famous director Peter Hyams gets to have a little fun in the Canadian wilderness with his stars. This a film that demands a few cases of Labatts be cracked open to add to the enjoyment.

VINEGAR SYNDROME PEEKS

Peekarama: Sadie & The Seductress is a double feature directed by Bob Chinn. Sadie is Chinn’s version of Joan Crawford’s Rain. He updated the tale of a hooker on Borneo to the Vietnam War era. But she’s still the hooker dealing with the Holy Roller politician. This is a great discovery. The Seductress is about a couples who hook up for a wild nights with others. What they don’t know is that the fun is being photographed. Who is blackmailing these people who just wanted to live a Penthouse Forum fantasy? Both films have their original trailers.

Peekarama: The Altar of Lust & Angel on Fire were directed by Roberta Findlay. Turns out Roberta was a woman and a cinematography of lustful epics. The Altar of Lust explores the events that turn a woman into a lesbian. This one ought to be given a review in Psychology Today. Harry Reems has a big role in turning this woman against men. She’s ultimately asking a psychiatrist to make her straight again. Angel on Fire has a jerk get hit by a car after dumping his pregnant girlfriend. As punishment, he’s returned to Earth as a woman. She discovers how bad it can get when she hooks up with Jamie Gillis. He’s perfect once more. Why wasn’t this edgy actor allowed to crossover to rough and tumble cinema? Odd factoid: Gillis graduated with honors from Columbia University. Finally an Ivy Leaguer worth celebrating.

A Saint, A Woman, A Devil is an X-rated version of All About Eve from the co-writer of Raging Bull, the book. Peter Savage has a lot of fun with a woman with multiple personalities and a raging libido. There’s no stopping her when she flips her personality. My favorite part of this X-rated version is the thanks to the NYU Undergraduates who worked on the film. How come this isn’t one of those movies NYU loves to promote as an accomplishment? Joanna Fields is amazing in the split roles. However she doesn’t seem to have done anything major after this. What a shame. You’d figure one of those NYU film students would have used her in their feature film debut.

DVD SHELF

Power Rangers: Seasons 13 -17 covers the versions that aired from 2006 to 2009. First off is Power Rangers S.P.D. The Power Rangers run a Police Academy to train the new generation. The Earth has changed to an alien melting point that wants to cripple the planet. Guess who has to keep saving the world. S.P.D. stands for Space Patrol Delta. Power Rangers Mystic Force returns to the concept of five teenagers in a sweet town of Briarwood having to fight an army of darkness. This time it’s the evil Morticon throwing all he has at them. The kids have Magi Staffs and Mystic Morphers. Power Rangers Operation Overdrive is a battle for the Crown of the Gods. Turns out the mythical hat is real. But there’s a few jewels missing. An evil force wants them to control the crown. Naturally it’s up to five new kids to save the universe from such a fate. Power Rangers Jungle Fury has three students looking for a new Master after their original one is killed and a pal gets possessed by a demon. They ultimately become the new Power Rangers. They use animal Kung Fu techniques. Power Rangers RPM is a world ravaged by a computer virus so humanity breaks down. The only thing protecting the last of humanity from the evil computer is the Power Rangers. They have cool combat vehicles. There’s a bonus disc that covers the prop master, cast members memories and major fans. This is an overload of Power Ranger action.

Rawhide: The Seventh Season – Volume 1 & Volume 2 brings to an end the time Gil Favor (Eric Fleming) spent riding the range with the endless cattle run. Turns out that Gil was quitting the show to dedicate his career to feature films. His fate would not come close to co-star Clint Eastwood. Little did he know that his first big role after Rawhide would be his last. He’d drown during a stunt in Peru. There’s 30 episodes show him in his iconic role. The big amazing episode of the season is “Canliss.” Why? Because it has Dean Martin playing a gunman trying to go straight with his new bride. But he gets offered one less job at an amazing price. Can he resist a deal that can set him up for life? Dean is always a natural in his cowboy roles. This is one of his finest. The next season he’d be on TV with his variety show. There’s a lot of future stars of The Wild Bunch making cameos. The show would only last a half season with Clint Eastwood in the lead. But it didn’t hurt Clint a bit because he was becoming a star everywhere but America with A Fist Full of Dollars. Eric Fleming will always be keeping those doggies rollin’ thanks to this collection.

Flashpoint: The Final Season brings to an end the greatest series about Canadians with guns. They’re as dangerous as Americans when armed. The final 13 episodes put the Strategic Response Unit (SRU) on their toes until the end. Kind of sad knowing that this was the end of Enrico Colantoni (Just Shoot Me) getting to really shoot people as Sgt. Greg Parker. Plus there’s former Power Ranger Amy Jo Johnson is a real adult role. “Broken Peace” has them dealing with a divorced husband wanting to give his ex-wife a lead alimony check. “No Kind of Life” has proof that Canadian healthcare systems aren’t close to perfect. “Sons of the Father” tracks a serial killer through his brother. Damn shame this show ended since it had the coolness of S.W.A.T. with the heart of Due South.

LA Law: Season One brings back the original show that changed the rules of legal dramas. Before LA Law, legal shows were aped Perry Mason. The lawyer’s life outside of the case wasn’t given much screen time. All that mattered was the courtroom. LA Law got audiences demanding to know what was going on in the lawyer’s bedroom. They wanted their legal briefs on the floor. The series starts off with a dead lawyer and a shooting in the office. This is not an easy viewing legal drama. The season has Jimmy Smits as the new lawyer who isn’t afraid to rock the firm. My personal favorite element is the return of Susan Dey in a role that’s more impressive than her time in The Partridge Family. Perfect show to binge watch on a rainy spring day. The 22 episodes are spread over 6 DVDs.

The Practice: The Final Season isn’t quite the end to the series. Sure it brought an end to several of the lawyers like Ellenor (Camryn Manheim) and Eugene (Steve Harris). But the show ended its eighth season by allowed Alan Shore (James Spader) turn the series into Boston Legal. This means for the final season we get a taste of Denny Crane (Star Trek‘s William Shatner). This is the season that won Shatner the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama. Do you understand how this changed the way we viewed honored actors? Who could have ever guessed Shatner would be a hardware king at the Emmys? The season starts with the law firm dealing with major partner splits. The series focuses on if the remaining lawyers can keep their office afloat. Are they ready to be a unit? Not to spoil the 22 episodes, but it’s a massive struggle.

Breaking Amish: Season One takes a quintet of religious kids from their country life to the heart of New York City. This would have been a major shock in 1977. But the newer and cleaner New York City isn’t quite the urban jungle. Although there’s got to be a culture shock when they enter the Times Square Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. They still have a lot of things to bowl them over. Can they remain pure to their beliefs or will they embrace the life of the English? Can they deal with the lack of barn buildings in Soho?

The Red Skelton Show: The Lost Episodes has 16 episodes from his early TV series. Instead just doing a series of sketches, Skelton would perform a sitcom as one of his characters including Clem Kadiddlehopper, San Fernando Red and Freddie the Freeloader. He lines up plenty of great guest stars for his fun including Eve Arden, Vivian Vance, Sebastian Cabot, Jackie Coogan and Buster Crabbe. The bonus features include two episodes where Red couldn’t make the show. His fill in hosts were Danny Thomas, Arthur Godfrey and Jackie Gleason. These are hilarious dips into the Golden Age of Television that are must see TV for people who want a time when TV comedies weren’t dominated by Chuck Lorre.

Grizzly Adams: The Renewal is a special TV movie that deals with an Easter theme. If you need a family TV special for the holiday, why not embrace Dan Haggerty, Denver Pyle and Ben the bear? Grizzly must help out some nearby settlers and Indians to protect their religious ceremonies. Of course nowadays we have pundits on Fox News doing this work. But none of them are as heartwarming as Haggerty. Who needs bunnies when you have a giant bear looking for eggs?

Drawing With Mark is a series with illustrator Mark Marderosian giving lessons to viewers on how to improve their artistic skills. Something Fishy!/A Day at the Aquarium makes the subject aquatic. Instead of merely sitting in his studio, Mark takes the viewers to Woods Hole Science Aquarium to get an eye for what they’re trying to capture. He wants you to go beyond the simple fish. Good to Grow!/Life on the Farm puts Mark with the animals. What kid doesn’t like a little help figuring out how to make their figures more realistic? The good part about watching on DVD is that you can pause the frame and get a true sense of how he’s making the animals appear on the page. There’s also bonus art projects including making an Origami fish and a horse puppet.

Terry Fator: Live In Concert lets you know what the winner of America’s Got Talent has been doing on stage in Las Vegas. Fator took over Danny Gans’ mantle when he arrived at the Mirage. Like Gans, he understands how to do a great impersonation. But instead of merely acting them out, he brings them on stage with his puppets. He also has a few of his own characters. Think of him a Jeff Dunham without the terrorist jokes. Odds are high you might want to check out his new show if you’re wandering down the Las Vegas Strip. He’s the hottest thing in that town since Dan Tanna.

Nurse Jackie: Season Five brings back Edie Falco as the stressed out emergency room nurse. With her marriage falling apart and her job not going well, she must maintain her sober lifestyle. The influences lead to her to become a patient in her own hospital. Is she going to be one of those “know it all” patients? Of course. You might want to buy this boxset quick since Showtime starts airing the sixth season on April 13. Try to watch this without drinking. No matter what, Jackie’s life is trauma.

Mortal Enemies is pure buttkicking cinema. Two orphans cross paths years later when one is kidnapped by pirates. Don’t need to give away the big twist, but it’s a shocking reunion for the duo. Is their brotherhood enough to bond them once more? Robin Shou and Verdy Bhawanta are good at the throwdown action.

Traci Long is back with more installments of her Longevity Series. The latest three videos including Defining Shapes, Step Forward & Staying Power. You’re going to be burning some calories keeping up with her routines. Defining Shape focuses on creating lean muscles with a total body strength workout. Step Forward is a high energy step workout. She uses all sides of the step to keep you in motion. Staying Power is all about boosting your cardio routine. Long has a good connection with the camera as she goes through the routines. Learn to burn before its bikini season.

BRUTEVILLE – Alan Spencer is best known as the creature of the ’80s cult TV series Sledge Hammer! The series was noted for elevating the level of violence found in a network sitcom. He returned in the 21st century with Bullet In the Face which took casualty comedy to a higher level. The IFC series featured a notorious criminal who has the face of the cop he killed grafted onto his mug. The police give the hitman a chance to hit back at the underworld empire that had marked him for death. Over the course of six episodes, this epic revenge comedy plays for laughs between trigger pulls. Eddie Izzard and Eric Roberts play the mob bosses calling the shots in a city over run by criminals.

The Party Favors had a chance to call up creator Alan Spencer to chat about the short series that’s just been released on DVD from Shout! Factory. The first question dealt with his approach to making a show that’s only six episodes long.

“Because it was ordered straight to series, we didn’t make a pilot like we did Sledgehammer,” Spencer said. “We were using a new paradigm. Which is very interesting because we used to make a pilot, then they’d evaluate it and whether or not to order a series. Creatively and economically it makes more sense to go straight to series. Take that money for a pilot, spend a little bit more and get the whole thing. I got a six episode order with the caveat that I write them all. Which I did.”
Because of the six episode order, Spencer didn’t follow the conventional production technique of treating each episode as a separate entity.

“It was not shot one episode a week,” he said. “It was shot like a movie out of sequence. I knew it was going to be shot that way in advance so I wrote for that. When I met Eddie Izzard, he thought it was a very interesting character. He said, “Why did you make him agoraphobic?” I said, “So I could shoot you for five days in the same location.” I figured out ways to maximize getting our big guest stars. I was repeating locations. It also gave us more latitude for the bigger things we were doing.”

Shooting in Montreal during the wintertime was something that required quite a bit of latitude.
“I was also eliminating exteriors since that was out of our control. The weather was so wild up there in Montreal. One day it was sunny, the next day it snowed. It was schizophrenic weather to match my personality. It’s the only time I’ve been in a hotel where I saw my breath in the lobby. The heater was barely putting a dent in the cold. I would have rather stayed at the base in The Thing or Ice Station Zebra. It definitely cold and it was beautiful too.”

I joked if being in the cold of Canada made him feel like he was stuck in a David Cronenberg movie.
“A little bit. Certainly when I was catching a human head when I did a cameo. There was real gore in it. It’s very eerie to look at a prosthetic human head that looks very real. The actor did the life mask the day before and he’s not on the set and you’re holding his head. You get really worried that the make-up people are method actors.”

Turned out the head was fake and the actor was alive after all. Montreal did prove to be a perfect location to be the sinister Bruteville.

“The city itself has various locations that resemble different parts of the world. But it’s heavily Americanized. When I first arrived at the hotel, the concierge said, “Have you seen all our fine local restaurants?” I’ve seen Five Guys, McDonalds and Subway. They call it Five Guys in Montreal. I thought they’d call it Five Monsieurs.” Alan did get to eat at non-chain restaurants. “Really great food in Montreal.”

The city of Rocket Richard and Ken Dryden proved worth of Bruteville’s stature. One person outside the city didn’t like the fictional town’s slogan.

“I called it a melting place of crime so it was more Eurotrash. I wanted it be various nationalities and cultures in there. It’s interesting that the place was called Bruteville, A Melting Pot of Crime. One of the network executives didn’t like it. He didn’t give a reason why. It defines the town and explains the city. It explains to the people why they’re hearing all these crazy accents. Once it aired, people were quoting it.”

Oddly enough, there wasn’t too many objections at the network to the level of violence in the series. Was Spencer amazed at what he could get on the air?

“I wasn’t amazed, Spencer said. “I knew I could do it since there’s big difference between 1986 and now. I’m amazed at how much violence I can get away with in real life now.”

His original series had to be lightened down as it made it through pre-production. “Sledge Hammer! was originally written as a feature film that would have been R-Rated,” Spencer said. I made it as violent or maybe a little more violent than a Dirty Harry film. It went to HBO where it was still was R-rated. Then it was picked up by the ABC network where we toned it down. It was still considered at the time as out there, extreme and very off beat. The level of violence I was dealing with, people wouldn’t have blinked in an hour drama show because they deal with that all the time. Breaking Bad has a decapitated head on a tortoise. But for dealing with a half hour comedy, it was considered unusual. I don’t know what it says about me that this is all normal. When I was a kid, I watched Get Smart. It frequently had people getting shot and stabbed in it. That’s what a normal sitcom looked to me. People getting physically harmed and I’m not talking about Two and a Half Men with people getting harmed off camera.

There was a little controversy when IFC ran a trailer featuring severed heads during afternoon episodes of Malcolm in the Middle. “The parents get upset for the kids. But the kids have no trouble.”

Spencer is charmingly proud about the attention his creative violence receives. But he knows it gets tougher every year to get noticed.

“It becomes increasingly harder to shock people because we get desensitized. That was something I was saying about Bullet in the Face with this unrepentant character and the world of violence. The PTC put out a report about all the violent shows on TV and the amount of acts of violence per hour. It was amusing that we ranked highly and we were the only comedy. I’m really proud that even in the half hour form, we held our own against hour long shows and their violence. We got the press from it. We were between the Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. I was very proud that counts of violence per half hour is my specialty. ”

Spencer had no desire to take the series longer than the original six episodes.

“I only had a deal for six. At one time, the network gave a note, “In case we do more, hold back.” I don’t do that. I go for broke. I wrote the final episode as if it would be the final episode. Even though I put a little question mark to make it ambiguous. But if you watch it closely, there is an ending. There is a resolution. I just don’t spell it out. Versus the first season of Sledgehammer where I knew the show wasn’t coming back so I blew up the world. Then I had to figure what to do when we got a second season.”

Having all six episodes on a single DVD will allow folks a chance to watch the series in an evening sitting which seems to be the craze according to Netflix streaming.

“It’s easier to binge watch these six,” Spencer said. “Nobody watches a TV show week after week unless it’s a reality or contest. Everybody waits and watches it unfold in its sum total. That’s fascinating.”

Spencer was about to meet with a production company over an unscripted series idea. “It’s such a burgeoning field.” However he’s hesitant to call it “reality TV. “I don’t know how you can call it reality when people are being filmed. I can call Bullet in the Face a reality show since it’s my reality.”

A major difference between Sledge Hammer! and A Bullet In the Face is the speed of response from viewers. Twitter has changed the game.

“It’s very interesting to see the immediacy. Back in the day when I did Sledgehammer, people had to write fan letters and use snail mail. And it took longer since they had to cut the letters out of the newspaper. That’s the kind of fan mail I would get. On Twitter, it’s immediate. You do a #bulletintheface and see what people were saying. Although a lot of them just put WTF. My Twitter following shot up 10,000 and some of them were real. ” His twitter handle is @mralanspencer. Feel free to follow him.

SCREAM FACTORY SHOUTS

Cat People: Collector’s Edition brings back my crush on Nastassia Kinski in 1080p resolution. Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) tackles Val Lewton’s original movie with a horror as sleek as its black panther stars. This movie still rocks with its tale of an African tribe where women were mated with the big cats (and we’re not talking Ernie Ladd). Kinski arrives in New Orleans to see her adopted brother (A Clockwork Orange‘s Malcolm McDowell). He goes out for the night and doesn’t come back. Why? Because he turned into a black panther and mauled a hooker. Instead of going to jail, the panther is locked up in the zoo. Kinski finds him while visiting the Crescent City’s tourist spots. She gets involved with zoo keeper John Heard. Can she really hook up with the guy? It seems her people have a knack for turning into panthers after getting frisky. This edition includes interviews with Schrader, Kinski, McDowell and music legend Giorgio Moroder.

Die, Monster, Die! brings together Boris Karloff and H.P. Lovecraft. This adaptation of “The Colour Out of Space” takes place in England. Nick Adams (Frankenstein Conquers The World) arrives in a remote town to see his girlfriend’s family. What he doesn’t know is there is something extra evil and glowing lurking in the basement. This is Meet the Parents with a Lovecraft twist. Karloff is her father and he’s up to his mad scientist ways. There’s strange creatures and plants lurking around the creepy old house. It’s a messed up haunted house movie courtesy of American International Pictures. It’s good to enjoy Karloff in HD. The bonus feature is the trailer.

The Beast of Hollow Mountain & The Neanderthal Man Scream Factory Double Feature is a prehistoric twin bill. Beast is the better of the two since it features the special effects work of Willis O’Brien. He’s the man who manipulated the original King Kong. Now he’s back with the tale of the last T. Rex roaming around a swamp in New Mexico. A few cowboys get up the nerve to see the king of the dinosaurs in person. He proves tougher than an Apache attack. The Neanderthal man takes the mad scientist out to the country. Seems that a saber tooth tiger is roaming the wilderness. How could this be? Turns out it’s a project of a scientist who has no problem experimenting on people. This is how he turns his maid and himself into early humanoids. This is a fine Creature Double Feature worthy of being announced on WLVI-56 in Boston.

Night of the Demons Collector’s Edition brings forth one of those classic titles that would stand out on the shelves at Phar-Mor’s VHS rental department. This movie is a classic for doubling up the evil in a party house. A bunch of kids want to get wild on Halloween so they bust into an abandoned funeral home. This is normally enough of a scary place to get Demons bounding out of the dry wall. But it turns out that the house was also owned by a mass murderer. What good can come from having a séance at such a site? None. This is good for viewers eager to see the partygoers have their fun turned into a raging nightmare. Demons take control of many of the kids. The special effects are good and gruesome. There’s a nipple effect that will leave you wincing in pain. The bonus features are packed. Director Kevin Tenney and his actors and producers contribute two commentary tracks. There’s interviews with all the major players. The original video trailer that lured kids to rent the weirdness is included. There’s also a DVD to go with the Blu-ray.

Witchboard reminds people that communicating with the dead to liven up a party might turn bad. The host wants to impress his friends that he can talk to the spirit of a dead 10 year old boy. Everyone gathers around the Ouija Board to speak to the other side. But the conversation turns ugly when a drunk disturbs the spirits. The next day Tawny Kitean (Tom Hank’s fiancé in Bachelor Party) uses the Ouija Board to get the dead to locate a lost object. What she doesn’t know is that the nice boy talking to her has been replaced by an evil demon. You know that just means trouble is going to happen. Mostly this happens in the form of Tawny getting possessed by the demon. Can she be saved and the evil Ouija Board destroyed? I feel bad they didn’t do a sequel about a possessed Magic 8 Ball. There’s a lot of great ’80s hair on the screen. Witchboard was directed by Kevin Tenney, the man behind Night of the Demons. It’s nice to see him get the top notch treatment from Scream Factory for his legendary VHS legends. There’s a lot of bonus features although no evil Ouija Board in the Blu-ray case.

BLU-RAY HEAVEN

Star Trek: Enterprise – Season: Three is when the show finally established itself as more than just another cookie cutter from the Star Trek franchise factory. They roughed up the show by introducing a worthy enemy in the Xindi. Unlike all those other sweet and misunderstood aliens, the Xindi arrived at the end of season two with a massive arrival. They tore apart Florida worse than Bugs Bunny . In the past, Star Trek shows kept their stories to one or two episodes. The Xindi dominate the entire season. Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and crew are scooting around the unchartered galaxy looking to track down and face off with the enemy. The show is a lot more brooding with the intensity jacked up. There’s a major fear that the Xindi are coming back to finish off the planet. There’s also a time travel episode, but mostly this season is about Enterprise coming into its own. Sadly viewers had tuned out the previous season and weren’t coming back to the UPN. At least they can now catch up on what they missed on these Blu-rays. The bonus features include a nearly 90 minute documentary exploring how the show shifted its tone. They ported over all the special features from the previous DVD release. This really is the start of the show.

DVD SHELF

Wolverine Vs. Sabertooth brings Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi’s comic book series to motion as part of the Marvel Knights Animation universe. This is a main card battle that tops a UFC fight. Two mutant enemies are not backing down on this battle. It does seem that only one of them will emerge from this Thunderdome beatdown. There’s plenty of blood splattered across the screen. It’s more fun to watch the action his way than in the comic book. The motion and slashing is fierce. Another prime battle between Wolverine and a worthy opponent.

Power Rangers Megaforce: The Mysterious Robo Knight is the latest installment of the saga. Troy, Noah, Emma, Gia and Jake must defend the world from more evil monsters from outer space. Luckily they don’t have to do it completely alone. They have the Robo Knight arriving in the nick of time. Their big weapons are a Vulcan Cannon and Lion Zord. The boxset has the episodes “United We Stand,” “Harmony and Dizchord,” “Who’s Crying Now?” and “Robo Knight.” The big bonus is a Mega Bloks Micro Figure of the Red Power Ranger from this series. You can watch and play!

You’re Next is a great film for why you should avoid your parent’s wedding anniversary. A family gathers at a remote estate to celebrate mom and dad being together for so long. What they don’t know is that somebody wants to put an end to their streak. Who is it? The killers are wearing animal masks and using crossbows to attack. It’ll make you just mail a card to your parents when their special day comes around.

Frankenstein: The Real Story brings together three of the History Channel’s specials about the iconic monster. “In Search of the Real Frankenstein” gets into the science of bringing animals and corpses back to life. Was Dr. Frankenstein on the right track when he harnessed the lightning? “It’s Alive! The True Story of Frankenstein” looks at the movies revolving around the creature. There’s been plenty of them from the silent era onward. They even cover Young Frankenstein. Frankenstein deals with the stories that could have influenced Mary Shelley’s book. All three specials are fun watching for the Franky fans. The specials are subtitled.

Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars explores the new wave of air attacks. The remote control drones have taken over security duties since they’re relatively cheap, have no chance of pilot death and can tote heavy weapons. It’s like a big old videogame as they snoop around the air. Director Robert Greenwald and his crew go into Pakistan to meet people who have been victims of drone attacks. Is this weapon convenience turning foreign countries against America? Can some man at a remote computer terminal determine what’s really happening on his video screen?

Greedy Lying Bastards reminds us that a corporate press release shouldn’t be taken as the truth. The documentary directed by Craig Rosebraugh and produced by Darryl Hannah looks at who is pushing the anti-climate change agenda. Are major corporations backing scientists that are willing to publicly act contrary to mounting evidence to create uncertainty? Of course there’s coverage of the Koch brothers. The movie explores how companies factor profits over damage to people and land. It’s a tough look at “Kind hearted” private businesses that love running PSAs making themselves look so wonderful.

Counting Cars: Season 2 Volume 2 gives more tales of Danny “The Count” Koker and his Las Vegas creative car crew. The 13 episodes include quite a few guest stars. “Zombie Truck” has him working on a vehicle for rocker Rob Zombie. How do you make a car that impresses a man who wrote a song about the Dragula? “One Love, One Car” lets the Count fix up Bob Marley’s old Mercedes. Can he make things right and proper for the icon’s cruising mobile? He also fixes up quite a few cars for ordinary people. This spin-off from Pawn Stars does a fine job at letting folks know what’s the cost and effort of bringing a car back to life. They include 35 minutes of bonus footage on the DVD.

African-American Leaders Past & Present is a five film documentary collection from the History Channel. This is a fine set for people eager to celebrate the lives of five major men. “Civil War Journal: Frederick Douglass gives plenty of facts about the man who escaped slavery and struggled to free others. “Who Killed Martin Luther King, Jr.” ponders if it was a bounty that led to that fateful day in Memphis. “Malcolm X: A Search for Identity” gets into the revolutionary’s actions. “Thurgood Marshall: Justice for All” follows this lawyer to a seat in the Supreme Court. “Barack Obama” gives the early rise of our current president.

Duck Dynasty: Season 4 captures the sensation of America’s favorite family that made themselves endearing with their bushy beard and country wisdom. These episodes were made before the recent “he said what?” controversies involving Phil Robertson. The family is noted for being extremely rich thanks to their duck calls. Of course the family has become extra rich thanks to massive endorsement deals that have made them their own industry. They had Chia Pets last Christmas season. They are massive stars, but the show does its best to keep them simple folks. Basically the show is a modified sitcom without a studio audience or laugh track. They just bobble around and do their best to impress the folks in Middle America.

My Little Pony: Classic Movie Collection contains 4 movies from the earlier version of the show. This isn’t the same animation or voices as the Friendship is Magic version. While there is Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spike the Dragon, you also get Minty. The movies include “The Princess Promenade,” “Dancing in the Clouds,” “The Runaway Rainbow” and “Friends Are Never Far Away.” It’s a fine set for Bronies looking for the early work involving their favorite ponies.

Crossing Lines: Season One is an international police series. William Fichtner is an ex-NYPD detective who comes to Holland. Why? Because he’s hooked on drugs. He does have a job at the carnival. But he finally gets control of his demons to become a member of the International Criminal Court located in the Hague. The 10 episodes show him going around Europe tracking brutal criminals that need to be taken before the court. Donald Sutherland appears as part of the team. It kind of throws back to the old ITV shows with its use of great locations and international goons.

Semi Colin is a documentary about graphic novelist Colin Murray. The man’s comic books are rather erotic. Director Damien Lay explores the artist who hid his desires for decades until rather late in life he released The Lady and the Vampire, Riveria Moon Goddess and The Palace of a Thousand Pleasures. The books have become collector’s items. Murray is kind of like a dirty version of Grandma Moses. While the film seems to be a great addition to Crumb. This is a strange tribute to a man who finally stopped listening to others and pursued his dreams.

The Contradictions of Fair Hope is a documentary about what black communities in the south did after the end of slavery. Many of them joined together to form “benevolent societies.” These groups helped address those who needed major help. The film goes to a place in rural Alabama which still has their society in effect. They’re called “The Fair Hope Benevolent Society.” There’s a lot of preaching as members deal with the sins of the world and heavenly aspirations. Whoopi Goldberg narrates the movie.

Hazel: The Complete Final Season wraps us Shirley Booth’s domestic career as the maid that controlled everyone. This fifth season starts off with the shocker that the Baxters have moved to Iraq and left their son Harold (Bobby Buntrock) with her. She’s moving in with Mr. Baxter’s brother Stephen (Ray Fulmer). He’s in the real estate business. His wife Barbara (Lynn Borden) is not prepared for Hazel to take over her house. Hazel will not merely do as she’s told. It’s only a matter of a few episodes before she whips these next Baxters to do her will. The 29 episodes change up the previous shows by having stories dealing with odd real estate deals. Hazel gets into flipping property action long before all those cable shows. It’s rather sad when it comes to an end. Hazel knew how to take care of a family. Although I still question why nobody seemed to know what happened to the original Baxters. They just took Hazel’s word for why they left so suddenly.

Perry Mason: Movie Collection – Volume 1 has the first 6 TV movies that brought back Raymond Burr in the role of the greatest attorney on TV. “Perry Mason Returns” revitalizes the character who had become a judge. Why would he give up his robes? Because his old secretary Della Street (still played by Barbara Hale) is up on murder charges. Perry’s not going to let some punk young attorney handle her case. She’s been framed by a killer in her dress. Paul Drake Jr. (Greatest American Hero‘s William Katt) is Perry’s new investigator. In a confusing bit of casting, Richard Anderson (The Six Million Dollar Man) is a suspect and not a cop. The TV movie did well enough for 25 more of them. “The Case of the Notorious Nun” is an unholy homicide. “The Case of the Shooting Star” is a special effect gone bad. “The Case of the Lost Love” gets Perry’s old flame put on the fire. She’s being blackmailed and her husband might have offed the creep. “The Case of the Sinister Spirit” conjures up Robert Stack (The Untouchables) and Dwight Schultz (The A-Team). “The Case of the Murdered Madam” has four guys getting blackmailed by the woman holding the little black book. Who was the John that pulled the trigger? These are six movies worthy of letting Burr return to the courtroom. He has a beard for this go around.

Instructions Not Included proved to be a smash indie hit. A major Casanova gets a massive surprise when a former lover dumps a daughter on his doorstep. The guy can’t be stuck with a child. He heads to Hollywood to return the gift. While in Tinseltown, he gets a gig as a stuntman. Although the biggest stunt is him growing up to become a father. How does he react when the mother return? The film does a fine balance of comedy and heart.

House of Versace lets Gina Gershon work her lips to their fullest potential. She portrays the legendary Donatella Versace who was forced to run the family’s fashion business when her brother was gunned down. This is what you crave from a Lifetime Original movie. There’s a lot of jet set and eurotrash action. Gershon gets to put Donatella through her drug issues and emotional breakdowns. She not only survives, but thrives. Although it’s hard to watch the film without remembering Showgirls.

Thanks For Sharing is about what happens when a sex addict falls in love. Is this just going to unleash the beast and destroy his pledge? It’s a crazy romantic comedy about people who just want to get it on. This has an A level cast with Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow Josh Gad and Pink (as Alecia Moore). The movie has its charms since it’s from the people behind The Kids Are All Right. Did I mention Carol Kane is in it?

Living By the Gun i s a fine cowboy flick with plenty of shots fired. It’s the classic tale of a man returning home to avenge the death of his brother. This ultimately leads to a young girl wanting her revenge for the situation. There’s plenty of ruthless action and hot lead zipping around the screen. Like the Highlander, there can be only one. There’s more guns in this movie than a season of Pawn Stars.

Joanie Loves Chachi: The Complete Series, Seasons 1 & 2 brings back the time when this young kids ran off to Chicago in search of fame. The Happy Days duo wants to be big time recording stars. What Joanie (Erin Moran) and Chachi (Scott Baio) didn’t count on was Al (Al Molinaro) being part of the picture. But he has the new fancy Chi-town restaurant that needs a band. The first season was only 4 episodes, but proved to be a major hit. This seemed like it would be another Laverne & Shirley. Would America have a love affair with these two foolish lovers? Sadly the second season is only 13 episodes. The show was dumped onto an 8 p.m. Thursday slot. Even with a visit from the Fonz, the show didn’t last half a season. Erin and Scott sang original songs on the show. The trouble was that their music sounded more Peaches and Herb than Beatles. They just weren’t right for the time. When is the last time this aired on TV? Now all 17 episodes are out on DVD for those who still have a crush on Joanie. There is a lot of Chachi’s exposed chest. For those extra curious, Al Molinaro is still alive at 95. Why hasn’t the Kennedy Center honored him?

Laverne& Shirley: The Seventh Season could be considered the final true season. This was the last time the whole cast was around for the full season. The girls are still faking it in Hollywood with big dreams while working at a department store. “Most Important Day Ever” has Lenny (Michael McKean) and Squiggy (David L. Lander) in the talent agency game. They would go on to form CAA in the ’80s. “The Defiant One” brings out the amazing Richard Moll (Night Court). Did you know he isn’t really bald? Charles Grodin plays himself in “Friendly Persuasion.” Jeff Goldblum (The Fly) buzzes on “Watch the Fur Fly.” Goldblum still refuses to admit he died in New Zealand. It’s a double Harry on “Star Peepers” when both Harry Dean Stanton (Paris, Texas) and Harry Shearer (The Simpsons) arrive. Shearer would team up with McKean to form Spinal Tap. “Perfidyin Blue” scares me. Shirley fears Laverne wants to kill her. The final season has Shirley leave the show quickly. She was as good as dead. I’m still impressed they were able to clear the Beatles stand up in their apartment. There’s a gag reel as the bonus feature.

All Is Lost is the return of Robert Redford to bad ass cinema. He plays a rather quiet guy who heads out on his sailboat for a solo journey. What could go wrong by himself? Pretty much everything goes wrong. Even without a Gilligan, Redford appears cursed by the elements. His boat gets a huge hole from an unexpected source. A storm makes things worse. He can’t call for help because of another screw up. Somebody up there hates him. But he’s not going to give up even as the sharks sniff him out in the big open ocean. The film is the perfect survival at sea flick. Imagine Hitchcock’s Lifeboat as a quiet one man show. Shame he didn’t get an Oscar nomination, but that shouldn’t stop you from wanting to spend a nice night on dry land watching what can go wrong above the waves.

Seal Patrol is pure men on a mission adrenaline rush. A group of ex-Navy SEALs now offer up their services for those who can afford and deserve their military expertise. In this case it’s Eric Roberts (Bullet in the Face & Star 80) who has to make the call. Roberts heads a company about to make a major breakthrough in energy. But something went wrong at the secret lab and now the brainy scientist is about to go boom. Can the ex-Seals get down to save this person and save humanity from a bleak future? There’s a lot of explosions to make your sound system really go boom.