What I Watched Last Night In HD/UHD etc (Review).

Status
Not open for further replies.
I rather enjoyed Charles dance in this, an unassuming well spoken, pretty much cliche Englishman who also seems to have a soft spot for Ripley.

The only character in all the films who gets to have carnal relations with Ripley
 
Alien 3 Blu Ray projected

Watched this and Alien resurrection back to back yesterday and currently half way through disc 5 which is the 1st disc of special features, and it's a riveting watch with hours of documentaries starting from Alien and working all the way through to resurrection.

So alien 3 takes another turn and plot twist, Mr Fincher at the helm and it's got enough blood and gore to satisfy the grue lovers, such as myself. It's set on another unforgiving planet/landscape, it's again cold, windy and just down right miserable. If that's not enough, it's also set with a full male cast ( apart from ripley) who just happen to be prisoners for hideous crimes, rape, murder etc etc, and as you can imagine, these inmates haven't laid eyes upon a female for years.

The premise ain't to bad at all, this is never going to be my favourite entry in the series but it works as a, beasty feature, the dark settings on location, another theme of tunnels and airducts that run through all the films in the series, it probably the eeriest way for the Alien to crawl and pop up at any of the several entry points in each location. It adds a level of concealment in the dark shadows, we all know what's there and as the film moves along, it seems to become more common and less terryfying as the kill tally tots up.

I rather enjoyed Charles dance in this, an unassuming well spoken, pretty much cliche Englishman who also seems to have a soft spot for Ripley. Bishop, hicks and newt play parts in this, purely for continuation purposes, but this in essence is another story of survival, kill the Alien or be killed, there is a slight twist to the story which I won't mention if any of you fancy watching this for the 1st time.

PQ, no THX certification on this but it still looks rather nice, yes the CGI on the Alien is ropey at times, but some close ups reveal plenty if detail and finchers keen eye for lighting. Close ups of the Charles dance in the med lab look great, colours are natural and the setting is believable, there's a look the prison for most part that pretty much look.likes it lit by candles, like a gold/yellow hue, especially in the darkened tunnels, but no complaints here.

SQ is a decent dts-hd track, there's enough going on in the surrounds to lend to ambient noises of the prison, a very mechanical feel if that makes sense, no huge set piece explosions here, feels s bit strange after watching the bombastic Aliens, but there's plenty of bone crunching and blood curdling noises to satisfy.

So as I've said, i.watched resurrection straight after and will put my thoughts up later, but as a stand alone film, Alien 3 while not a patch on the 1st or 2nd, really ain't that bad.
I love how the Alien Trilogy (there is no 4th one...….) is like a dark mirror to the original Star Wars one - opener ignores larger mythos and ends on a very insular and finite note (not like A New Hope); the second one is massively action-packed and ends on a real sense of hope (again, unlike TESB - few action setpieces, ending on a real downer); and the final third one, starting with all the good from the second one cruelly wiped out and ending with our lead sacrificing herself (unlike ROTJ where we start with actually rescuing those from the end of the second one and ending with the big bad sacrificing himself to save the day...…).

Ok I might be clutching there, but I love Alien 3 for all the reasons almost everyone seems to hate it - having Newt and Hicks killed was such a powerful and unexpected play and in this dark, corporate world that Alien was set in, that HAD to end with Ripley sacrificing herself and it feel somehow triumphant, she had to have the motivation to do it...….so dark and frankly I would have wept if Newt and Hicks HAD made it because it would have been another moppet in peril movie......although maybe in that one we'd have learnt Hicks' middle name...…..:facepalm:

"Dwayne....."

:suicide:
 
I love how the Alien Trilogy (there is no 4th one...….) is like a dark mirror to the original Star Wars one - opener ignores larger mythos and ends on a very insular and finite note (not like A New Hope); the second one is massively action-packed and ends on a real sense of hope (again, unlike TESB - few action setpieces, ending on a real downer); and the final third one, starting with all the good from the second one cruelly wiped out and ending with our lead sacrificing herself (unlike ROTJ where we start with actually rescuing those from the end of the second one and ending with the big bad sacrificing himself to save the day...…).

Ok I might be clutching there, but I love Alien 3 for all the reasons almost everyone seems to hate it - having Newt and Hicks killed was such a powerful and unexpected play and in this dark, corporate world that Alien was set in, that HAD to end with Ripley sacrificing herself and it feel somehow triumphant, she had to have the motivation to do it...….so dark and frankly I would have wept if Newt and Hicks HAD made it because it would have been another moppet in peril movie......although maybe in that one we'd have learnt Hicks' middle name...…..:facepalm:

"Dwayne....."

:suicide:

Newt is good for a moppet though - she outwits freaking aliens! :D And especially good compared to moppets in films these days of course who just manage to irritate most of the time and get in the way of the film...
 
Newt is good for a moppet though - she outwits freaking aliens! :D And especially good compared to moppets in films these days of course who just manage to irritate most of the time and get in the way of the film...
Aye she is a good moppet...….in Aliens. But I bet another movie with her in would have seen her developing superhuman intellectual capabilities, physical prowess the likes of which doesn't exist outside of Olympic athletes and decision making abilities of a stepped in turd...….
 
Last edited:
esVm336.jpg
 
Project A Part II (Eureka, region B - UK disc)

More period Chan, which can only be a good thing......some of the time.

The scope of this sequel is a significant step up from the first, both in terms of scale and ambition in its storytelling. Thankfully a lot of the goofy comedy of the first has been replaced with labyrinthine plot as Chan has to deal with the pirates left leaderless at the end of the first film, a corrupt partner, a rebel gang AND a secret police force from the mainland...….:eek:

The comedy of the first never clicked with me, so seeing it absent here is not a problem. However, all those plotlines are equally as teeth-gnashingly bad, as they're so dense and so based on ridiculous circumstance for them to all come crashing into each other at the same time that they annoy just as much as goofy, unfunny comedy beats.

Even worse though is that the insanely great action setpieces that Chan and his films are known for (and.....shhhh….the only reason to watch Chan's films) have taken somewhat of a backseat to fit all this plot in. Don't get me wrong - what's there is still stunning: a genuinely breathtaking chase with him handcuffed to his partner just rams sunshine into your life, no matter how crap you're feeling; and the building site finale culminates in an epic Buster Keaton homage that needs to be seen to be believed. Its just there's not enough of them......lose half of those plot strands and replace with Chan action beats and this would be an all time action classic.

The transfer is also s step up from the first, with the picture being a touch more detailed. Grain and lovely rich colours are also present and only the inherent softness to the image (which is wholly appropriate) holding this back. The lossless Cantonese 5.1 track has a real 'fake' sounding quality to its surround action, which is a shame as its almost constant. Its not offensive, but it is noticeable and I switched to the mono track half way through which was a more enjoyable listen. Extras match the first film - 35 min with Tony Raynes gives us every single bit of info we could ever need to know about the film and the HK industry at the time. I was exhausted after that and didn't bother with any of the other myriad of interviews on the disc but it looked stacked.

Summary - slightly below the levels of the first one due to the lack of brilliant action setpieces. Still, the entire boxset is worth it just for the utter pleasure of those inventive, funny and still technically amazing action beats.
 
Aye she is a good moppet...….in Aliens. But I bet another movie with her in would have seen her developing superhuman intellectual capabilities, physical prowess the likes of which doesn't exist outside of Olympic athletes and decision making abilities of a stepped in turd...….

Another movie with her in....made now - yes!

Back then? Maybe not...
 
Another movie with her in....made now - yes!

Back then? Maybe not...
They've already done it...……

Its called Alien Isolation and forget that the character is actually called 'Amanda'.....imagine her called 'Rebecca' and its perfect……...;)
 
Panique (1946) Directed by Julien Duvivier
Screen Shot 2019-01-15 at 20.39.22.png

Brilliant early French noir starring the once again always excellent Michel Simon as Monsieur Hire, he’s a loner who keeps to himself and always avoids small talk as he goes about his daily business, he also possesses a very voyeuristic nature, is wealthy and intelligent and moonlights under a different name as a doctor, the local townsfolk just see him as a harmless eccentric oddball that is until a murder occurs and soon the fingers start pointing in his direction, along the way your thrown into a thrilling story of vicious rumours and mob mentality, added to this comes a memorable hard faced crook equipped with a femme fatale that will bow down to his every whim and do all his dirty deeds in a blink of an eye, like all good noir’s its got a great dark edge running through its story which all comes together with one very unexpected but brilliantly executed ending, needless to say it also looks the business with its superb studio set designs and its wonderfully lit noir sequences.

The extra's are a pretty decent mix especially one on just how important subtitles are and how much thought and work go into how they are displayed and how they have changed over the years.
8/10
 
To Kill With Intrigue

The second in the 88 Films Jackie Chan Collection (which, incidentally, is nowhere to be found on the sleeve), I enjoyed this more than Dragon Fist. Although I certainly didn't understand what the fudge was happening a lot of the time.

The plot involves revenge, betrayal, gangs, lost love and sacrifice, although no real intrigue despite the title. Characters include a gang leader that may or may not be a ghost, an Exorcist Trio that also happen to be members of the Blood Rain gang (the rest of whom dress in bizarre pink garb), Dragon Four (but no Dragons One to Three) and Jackie himself with a very young face and a very bad , very long wig.

The story has a nice supernatural/wuxia tinge to it and some of the fights are a treat (JC vs the Exorcist Trio, for example). But some are stale and repetitive and just a bit to late 70s Kung Fu, with punchs, kicks and dodges all signposted well in advance. Make no mistake, this is not the Jackie Chan style we love. But it moves at a decent pace, except the jilted lover plot, and is fun while it's on. Twenty minutes shorter and a bit more sense and it would be a classic. As it is, its a fun watch but nothing more.

The disc from 88 is a step up from Dragon Fist. Colours are more stable for a start. Against that, some shots are so dark I genuinely could not see what was happened (and these were day time scenes). Sonically, I listened to the Mandarin Stereo track and it was glorious. I defy anyone to not smile when the fight sound effects kick in.

For a tenner (£7.50 in their sale), you could do a lot worse.
 
When A Stranger Calls (Second Sight, region B - UK disc)

An interesting and flawed take on the old urban legend about the phone call and the babysitter.

A hugely atmospheric and strong opening and closing act, that fully lives up to the legend - brilliantly using long lingering shots to ramp up the tension, you can see why Craven completely ripped the opening off for the beginning of Scream. Carol Kane, long seen as either the Ghost of Christmas present in Scrooged or in the hilarious Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (side note: everyone with a Netflix sub should watch it - its genuinely hilarious), leaves those ditzy personas behind to give a really decent portrayal of someone in the middle of this terrible situation.

But the real star is Director and Writer Fred Walton - taking his short and maintaining its integrity to retain all the tension, all the scares, all without the merest sight of blood or real violence, is a real achievement.

So with all that praise, why is it flawed? Pretty much because the middle hour takes us on a complete left turn - we spend the next hour following the antagonist from the opening. We see him strike up a conversation with and stalking his next victim, we see a PI following him and almost catching him...…….its shot and played just as effectively as the first and last segments.

But it feels like a completely different film. We suddenly lose all momentum from the first act, which seeing as where it ended, had to go somewhere different I suppose, because we have nothing carried over from the first act - Kane disappears and even the antagonist was never seen during the first act, meaning there's nothing to really place the two acts together.

It just can't shake the feeling that its two films bolted together. It still works - just - because of Walton maintaining the style of the first act, keeping the tension growing and growing and showing very little. Its still a decent watch, however its just not a wholly successful feature length expansion of what always was a very short little story. Mama, I'm looking at you here also...…..

Its a great package - I even watched the made for TV sequel which is included (not bad, but not as good thanks to the presence of such comedy gold lines as "we're looking for......a ventriloquist!"). Four 15 min interviews with key cast and crew give us some decent insight and the whole package - slipbox, booklet, soundtrack CD, etc - is another belter from Second Sight. Having both films on one disc doesn't appear to have harmed the transfer on either - inky blacks, so important, are all present and correct and while its a touch soft, its rock solid and has no print damage to speak of, the second one looks a tad sharper (possible due to it being 8 or so years younger). The lossless 2.0 tracks also remix nicely thanks to the AVRs upmixer - the thrown voices of the finale of the second film were coming at me from everywhere!

Summary - as a total package, you get two decent thrillers and a raft of interesting extras, for the price of a single film. Its a complete winner and well worth investing in for fans of the genre and even proto-slashers.
 
Last edited:
When A Stranger Calls (Second Sight, region B - UK disc)

An interesting and flawed take on the old urban legend about the phone call and the babysitter.

A hugely atmospheric and strong opening and closing act, that fully lives up to the legend - brilliantly using long lingering shots to ramp up the tension, you can see why Craven completely ripped the opening off for the beginning of Scream. Carol Kane, long seen as either the Ghost of Christmas present in Scrooged or in the hilarious Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (side note: everyone with a Netflix sub should watch it - its genuinely hilarious), leaves those ditzy personas behind to give a really decent portrayal of someone in the middle of this terrible situation.

But the real star is Director and Writer Fred Walton - taking his short and maintaining its integrity to retain all the tension, all the scares, all without the merest sight of blood or real violence, is a real achievement.

So with all that praise, why is it flawed? Pretty much because the middle hour takes us on a complete left turn - we spend the next hour following the antagonist from the opening. We see him strike up a conversation with and stalking his next victim, we see a PI following him and almost catching him...…….its shot and played just as effectively as the first and last segments.

But it feels like a completely different film. We suddenly lose all momentum from the first act, which seeing as where it ended, had to go somewhere different I suppose, because we have nothing carried over from the first act - Kane disappears and even the antagonist was never seen during the first act, meaning there's nothing to really place the two acts together.

It just can't shake the feeling that its two films bolted together. It still works - just - because of Walton maintaining the style of the first act, keeping the tension growing and growing and showing very little. Its still a decent watch, however its just not a wholly successful feature length expansion of what always was a very short little story. Mama, I'm looking at you here also...…..

Its a great package - I even watched the made for TV sequel which is included (not bad, but not as good thanks to the presence of such comedy gold lines as "we're looking for......a ventriloquist!"). Four 15 min interviews with key cast and crew give us some decent insight and the whole package - slipbox, booklet, soundtrack CD, etc - is another belter from Second Sight. Having both films on one disc doesn't appear to have harmed the transfer on either - inky blacks, so important, are all present and correct and while its a touch soft, its rock solid and has no print damage to speak of, the second one looks a tad sharper (possible due to it being 8 or so years younger). The lossless 2.0 tracks also remix nicely thanks to the AVRs upmixer - the thrown voices of the finale of the second film were coming at me from everywhere!

Summary - as a total package, you get two decent thrillers and a raft of interesting extras, for the price of a single film. Its a complete winner and well worth investing in for fans of the genre and even proto-slashers.
There was a later version as well When a Stranger Calls (2006) - IMDb
 
When A Stranger Calls (Second Sight, region B - UK disc)

An interesting and flawed take on the old urban legend about the phone call and the babysitter.

A hugely atmospheric and strong opening and closing act, that fully lives up to the legend - brilliantly using long lingering shots to ramp up the tension, you can see why Craven completely ripped the opening off for the beginning of Scream. Carol Kane, long seen as either the Ghost of Christmas present in Scrooged or in the hilarious Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (side note: everyone with a Netflix sub should watch it - its genuinely hilarious), leaves those ditzy personas behind to give a really decent portrayal of someone in the middle of this terrible situation.

But the real star is Director and Writer Fred Walton - taking his short and maintaining its integrity to retain all the tension, all the scares, all without the merest sight of blood or real violence, is a real achievement.

So with all that praise, why is it flawed? Pretty much because the middle hour takes us on a complete left turn - we spend the next hour following the antagonist from the opening. We see him strike up a conversation with and stalking his next victim, we see a PI following him and almost catching him...…….its shot and played just as effectively as the first and last segments.

But it feels like a completely different film. We suddenly lose all momentum from the first act, which seeing as where it ended, had to go somewhere different I suppose, because we have nothing carried over from the first act - Kane disappears and even the antagonist was never seen during the first act, meaning there's nothing to really place the two acts together.

It just can't shake the feeling that its two films bolted together. It still works - just - because of Walton maintaining the style of the first act, keeping the tension growing and growing and showing very little. Its still a decent watch, however its just not a wholly successful feature length expansion of what always was a very short little story. Mama, I'm looking at you here also...…..

Its a great package - I even watched the made for TV sequel which is included (not bad, but not as good thanks to the presence of such comedy gold lines as "we're looking for......a ventriloquist!"). Four 15 min interviews with key cast and crew give us some decent insight and the whole package - slipbox, booklet, soundtrack CD, etc - is another belter from Second Sight. Having both films on one disc doesn't appear to have harmed the transfer on either - inky blacks, so important, are all present and correct and while its a touch soft, its rock solid and has no print damage to speak of, the second one looks a tad sharper (possible due to it being 8 or so years younger). The lossless 2.0 tracks also remix nicely thanks to the AVRs upmixer - the thrown voices of the finale of the second film were coming at me from everywhere!

Summary - as a total package, you get two decent thrillers and a raft of interesting extras, for the price of a single film. Its a complete winner and well worth investing in for fans of the genre and even proto-slashers.
If you want two films literally bolted together you need to check the masterful work of Godfrey Ho - creator of some of the most extraordinary martial arts films of all time.. ;)
 
Just for a tiny taste - here are some of the superlative works of art that Godfrey Ho has brought to our world - Ninja Terminator, Ninja Tiger, Ninja The Protector, Ninja Squad, Ninja Dragon. A common thread yes but these films need to be seen to be believed.... ahem. ;)

Oh and don't forget....only a ninja can kill a ninja! (and he has to wear a bandana saying Ninja too obviously and have an esoteric taste when it comes to ninja outfit colours...)
 
School for scoundrels. What a magnificent movie. Many have said its either sims or Thomas's movie but it's Ian carmichaels movie. He is, as ever, quite superb. His demolition of Edward Chapman is simply awe inducing.
The ansemble cast is perfect. The bluray is perfect. One can't ask for more
Well maybe one thing.can we please have all of carmichaels comedies released on bluray (along with the naked truth and two way stretch. Movies such as privates progress, right left and centre, lucky Jim, heavens above etc etc should be out.
Yes these movies are from a lost britain but their underlying observations and social satire are as relevant now as then. Maybe that's too close for comfort for today's generation
Are these movies an acquired taste? Maybe they are.maybe they aren't.
One thing matters. They are funny. Many are perfect but school for scoundrels is in the same class as I'm alright Jack. I suspect the latter is way too close for comfort for today's generation. It would have them in tears. Not from laughter either
 
School for scoundrels. What a magnificent movie. Many have said its either sims or Thomas's movie but it's Ian carmichaels movie. He is, as ever, quite superb. His demolition of Edward Chapman is simply awe inducing.
The ansemble cast is perfect. The bluray is perfect. One can't ask for more
Well maybe one thing.can we please have all of carmichaels comedies released on bluray (along with the naked truth and two way stretch. Movies such as privates progress, right left and centre, lucky Jim, heavens above etc etc should be out.
Yes these movies are from a lost britain but their underlying observations and social satire are as relevant now as then. Maybe that's too close for comfort for today's generation
Are these movies an acquired taste? Maybe they are.maybe they aren't.
One thing matters. They are funny. Many are perfect but school for scoundrels is in the same class as I'm alright Jack. I suspect the latter is way too close for comfort for today's generation. It would have them in tears. Not from laughter either


School for sscoundrels is my favourite british comedy of the late 50s / early 60s. It has quite superb performances and a fantastic script which like many films of that era has a wickedly black sense of humour.
Two way stretch, the green man and too many crooks are british classics and should be available in bluray.
The tennis scenes in SFS are simply brilliant.
 
The People Under the Stairs
Is it a horror? A comedy? It's not scary or particularly funny. Well not intentionally. The kid is good and Everett McGill and Wendy Robie are every bit as fun as you'd hope. But at only 101 minutes, it feels interminable. And the less said about the zombie-esque, grunge-styled "people" the better.

File under lower tier Craven along with Deadly Blessing and The Serpent and the Rainbow.
 
The People Under the Stairs
Is it a horror? A comedy? It's not scary or particularly funny. Well not intentionally. The kid is good and Everett McGill and Wendy Robie are every bit as fun as you'd hope. But at only 101 minutes, it feels interminable. And the less said about the zombie-esque, grunge-styled "people" the better.

File under lower tier Craven along with Deadly Blessing and The Serpent and the Rainbow.
Aye, it’s no Deadly Friend is it? ;)
 
Blade II
Man, this has still got it. Yes, some of the CGI-enhanced fights are showing their age (although still not as bad as the burly brawl) but everything else is as fresh as it was seventeen years ago. The sense of fun, the pitch perfect casting of Perlman and Goss, the whole design and feel of the thing, Del Toro's sense of pace and humour, all superb.

It might not be as weighty as his Spanish language classics but, along with Hellboy, this just might be the most rewatchable of his entire oeuvre.
 
Wait Until Dark (WB, region free - UK disc, part of the HMV Premium Collection)

This late 60s mash up of Mike Flanagan's recent Hush, Don’t Breathe and Panic Room is a truly excellent little thriller, with enough smarts and old school Hollywood glamour to have it be actually 'thrilling' some 50 years later.

A slow start following a heroin stuffed doll enter the US introduces us to an impossibly young Alan Arkin as the main antagonist - an amazingly louche, yet terrifying Tom Sizemore wannabe with a beatnik haircut, he is an amazing presence. The doll is then ditched to a random stranger, the husband of Audrey Hepburn, a recently blinded housewife who is adapting to her new disability by attending 'Blind School' (seriously). What follows is a tense cat and mouse between Arkin and his two associates (including an also far too young Richard Crenna) and Hepburn as both try to find this damned doll...….

The first half is set up like a true 'scam' movie - roles are played, scenes are set and fake stories established.....to what end isn't quite clear. As the plot slowly unfolds, quite cleverly it has to be said, Hepburn begins to really show her skills: never overplaying her 'blindness', her slow unravelling of what's going on feels very organic and realistic, never resorting to her other now 'superhuman' senses for easy plot beats.

And as the final act steams into view, the lights go out and we get a genuinely tense and at times actually quite scary stand off between Arkin and Hepburn which makes full use of every audio and visual trick in the book - having the screen go completely black for what feels almost too long works wonders in having the audience fill in the blanks as to what's actually going on.

This was a really great little thriller - its not a horror movie, no matter how bad having anyone terrorise Hollywood golden girl Hepburn may seem. But as a thriller, it works fantastically - a watertight and complex plot gives way to pure cinema for its climax. Anyone still needing to pick up a second film from HMV as part of their offer need look no further than this gem.

Its the usual stuff with the transfer - age/budget/style appropriate softness, robust print with no damage, colours that seem a little faded, although the all important blanks seem deep if a little crushed (although that might very well have been the intent here). The eerie almost out of tune score (it was actually 1/4 note out of tune on purpose, fact fans) is rich and full. Its just a shame the only extra is an 8 min look back that was obviously made for the dvd as its a good decade or two old at least.

Summary - fantastically gripping, from elaborate start to thrilling finish. A decent transfer and weak extras almost don't matter - its the film that counts.
 
Last edited:
Troll (Eureka, region B - UK disc)

You know what's really scary about this almost infamous Charles Band remix of The Gate (tween horror about little things trying to take over the world) and Ghoulies (hilariously bad practical creatures that all look like Hoggle from Labyrinth got left in the microwave too long)?

Not Michael Moriarty's actually painful to watch dad dancing to a punk rock version of Summertime Blues...…..

Not the awful acting from pretty much everyone - step forward as prime example Sonny Bono as a kimono-clad sex pest swinger...….

Not even those woeful visual effects - they make the actual Ghoulies look like James Cameron motion capture eye porn...…

No. What's actually scary is that its all actually really quite fun to watch. Forget its infamous in-name only sequel, this has that 80s cheap creature feature feel to the nines - a ridiculous but nicely feeling mythological back drop to it all, a cute blinking mushroom that doubles as a lamp stand and that Band DNA of fun to everything just means this was 85 mins of glorious 80s trash.

The transfer was passable but nothing special - some very obvious stray hairs wonder across the frame on several occasions hinting that not a lot of clean up work has gone on; it looks soft and washed out, but probably more down to original shooting conditions than an issue with the transfer. The lossless 2.0 track is nice and tinkly and you even got a great 50 min new making of on there as well (the same disc includes both films and these extras, with the second disc in the set housing the feature length making of Troll 2). As good a transfer and set of extras as you could honestly want.

Summary - hugely fun 80s trash. If you love Ghoulies, you'll love this. The set is brilliant fun too - films, making of's, tonnes of good stuff. Who would have thought Eureka and Empire Pictures would be a match made in heaven. What's next? Criterion releasing Asylum pictures?????
 
Troll (Eureka, region B - UK disc)

You know what's really scary about this almost infamous Charles Band remix of The Gate (tween horror about little things trying to take over the world) and Ghoulies (hilariously bad practical creatures that all look like Hoggle from Labyrinth got left in the microwave too long)?

Not Michael Moriarty's actually painful to watch dad dancing to a punk rock version of Summertime Blues...…..

Not the awful acting from pretty much everyone - step forward as prime example Sonny Bono as a kimono-clad sex pest swinger...….

Not even those woeful visual effects - they make the actual Ghoulies look like James Cameron motion capture eye porn...…

No. What's actually scary is that its all actually really quite fun to watch. Forget its infamous in-name only sequel, this has that 80s cheap creature feature feel to the nines - a ridiculous but nicely feeling mythological back drop to it all, a cute blinking mushroom that doubles as a lamp stand and that Band DNA of fun to everything just means this was 85 mins of glorious 80s trash.

The transfer was passable but nothing special - some very obvious stray hairs wonder across the frame on several occasions hinting that not a lot of clean up work has gone on; it looks soft and washed out, but probably more down to original shooting conditions than an issue with the transfer. The lossless 2.0 track is nice and tinkly and you even got a great 50 min new making of on there as well (the same disc includes both films and these extras, with the second disc in the set housing the feature length making of Troll 2). As good a transfer and set of extras as you could honestly want.

Summary - hugely fun 80s trash. If you love Ghoulies, you'll love this. The set is brilliant fun too - films, making of's, tonnes of good stuff. Who would have thought Eureka and Empire Pictures would be a match made in heaven. What's next? Criterion releasing Asylum pictures?????

Ah Coz is trolling the forums again! :D Lets not forget that Criterion did release Armageddon which has always made me snigger (especially when reading the Criterion thread on the other site which is always quite unintentionally amusing...;)).
 
Ah Coz is trolling the forums again! :D Lets not forget that Criterion did release Armageddon which has always made me snigger (especially when reading the Criterion thread on the other site which is always quite unintentionally amusing...;)).
And The Rock - those were brilliant DVD packages.......I’m holding out for the Criterion edition of Pain and Gain......:love:
 
Last edited:
And The Rock - those were brilliant DVD packages.......I’m holding out for the Criterion edition of Pain and again......:love:

I have always disliked The Rock (film or Dwayne :D). And I've always despised the ridiculous Armageddon! :D
 
I have always disliked The Rock (film or Dwayne :D). And I've always despised the ridiculous Armageddon! :D
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.....

......deep breath.....

....oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom