Here we are again, ladies and gentlemen.  ANOTHER glorious post of Recent Blu-Ray Hauls.  Now, in case you haven’t noticed, not everything that I’ve been picking up lately has been strictly Blu-Ray.  There’s definitely some standard DVDs in there.  As much as I love watching movies in high-def, sometimes paying upwards of 30 bucks for a single movie, especially if it has no special features, doesn’t make a lot of fiscal sense.  DVD has been around for nearly a quarter of a century.  Yet, when it comes to physical media, DVD are still the largest chunk of that market, whilst UHD 4K discs are the smallest.  There are collectors out there who prefer to collect movies on the best-looking format possible, but those folks are not the majority.  They are a specific kind of collector.  Nothing wrong with that, but these guys tend to have the best possible home theater setup to show off their movies.  Me?  I’m more concerned about preservation regardless of picture/sound quality.  But enough waffling.  Y’all are here to see what I got this time around.  It’s not as big of a haul as the last two, but there’s some decent stuff here.

Hardcore – Kino Lorber

This one’s my most recent buy.  Hardcore is about a religious midwestern businessman who goes in search of his missing daughter, who disappeared on a church trip in Los Angeles.  Played by the legendary George C. Scott, Jake VanDorn enters the seedy underworld of pornography and prostitution thinking that his daughter was kidnapped and forced into the industry.  What he discovers will shake him to his core.  I’m usually one for going in for the sleazy movies, but this one is surprisingly tame compared to the other 70s thrillers that I’ve seen.  Still, it’s a gritty film.  Scott puts in one of his best performances of his career, but the real highlight is his relationship to a part-time sex worker named Niki.  It’s a pretty heavy-hitting movie about a man who gets in WAY over his head in a world that he really knows nothing about.  They actually shot in real sex shops and porn theaters, and you can definitely tell that Scott himself was very uncomfortable in these places, so that made it all the more real.  Only two commentaries and trailers on this disc.  I was kind of expecting a little bit more.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 – Paramount Pictures

If I’m being perfectly honest, and there’s no reason to suspect that I’m not, the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard were completely forgettable.  The idea of bringing back Patrick Steward as Jean-Luc Picard was a good one.  The final adventure of the Next Generation crew was…less than stellar, shall we say, even though I enjoyed Nemesis.  The problem was that the first two seasons of this new show was that it was far too violent and mean-spirited towards the main character, and they just didn’t work for me.  Enter Terry Matalas for Season 3.  This final season of Picard is one of the best seasons of Star Trek that I’ve ever seen.  The entire crew of The Next Generation returns for this one final epic adventure and it knocks it out of the park.  The acting is the best I’ve seen from some of these actors, specifically Gates McFadden as Dr. Crusher and Jonathan Frakes as Captain Riker.  Legacy characters like Seven of Nine(Jeri Ryan) are given their moments to shine.  Todd Stashwick nearly steals the show as Captain Shaw of the USS Titan.  Amanda Plummer is amazing as Vadic, this season’s villain.  She’s scary.  But the overall story of this season is amazing and emotional.  It’s also incredibly satisfying.  I think if you’re a huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, this is a perfect send-off for that crew.  There’s some really outstanding special features on these discs.  Really good stuff.

The Last House on the Left(2009) – Universal Pictures

The Last House on the Left is one of those movies that’s definitely not for the faint of heart.  This version is superior to the 1972 movie in nearly every way, but that doesn’t make it easier to sit through.  I recently reviewed this film, so if you want more of my thoughts on the film, you can check it out here.  This disc from Arrow Video comes with all new interviews with Sara Paxton, Garret Dillahunt, Wes Craven’s son Jonathan, and other cast and crew members.  It’s also got a commentary and brand new introduction by the film’s director, Dennis Iliadis.  The set also comes with the unrated version of the film.  I prefer the theatrical cut, though.  Still, it’s nice having options.  It’s a fantastic horror thriller, but again, it’s not for the average fan.

The Flash – Warner Bros.

I realize that my opinion on The Flash was not overly favorable.  There was a lot of stuff that I liked about it, but the way it was put together didn’t quite work.  Well, having seen the film for a second time, and knowing where to set my expectations, it’s actually a really fun movie.  I still wouldn’t put it in the pantheon of great comic book movies, but I’ll still watch this over Morbius any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  Ignoring all the legal issues with Ezra Miller, they do a fantastic job in this movie, even as annoying alternate-Barry.  But really, what most people are going to remember from this movie is Michael Keaton’s return as Batman and he’s fantastic.  Also, Sasha Calle as Supergirl is AMAZING.  I really hope she gets her own movie at some point.  She deserves it.  It’s been said that you only get one chance to make a good impression.  The Flash didn’t make a good first impression, but I believe in second chances, and the second viewing of the film, I enjoyed it a lot more.

Holy smokes!  I actually kept my haul to about four movies this time!  It’s been a while since I’ve done that.  Don’t worry, I won’t let it go to my head.  Or maybe it already has.  You’ll never know.  Anyway, I hope y’all found it interesting and found something worth taking a look at.  Until next time!

 

HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD!  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Released: March 2009

Director: Dennis Iliadis

Run Time: 110 Minutes

Rated R

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Cast:
Garret Dillahunt: Krug
Monica Potter: Emma
Tony Goldwyn: John
Sara Paxton: Mari
Riki Lindhome: Sadi
Aaron Paul: Francis
Spencer Treat Clark: Justin

I’ve gone on ad nauseum about remakes and their value to audiences and the film industry.  A great many remakes often fail to recapture what made the original film so impactful.  This happens quite a bit with horror movies.  More often than not, the film-makers take a drastically different approach, often trading atmosphere and tension for gore and shock value.  It’s not to say that I don’t appreciate some of them, as some are pretty decent, but more often than not, there’s a great deal that’s lost in translation.  When it comes to the late Wes Craven and HIS movies, some of the remakes are better than the original film: The Hills Have Eyes is a perfect example.  I enjoyed the 1976 movie a great deal, but the remake packs more of a visceral punch.  The other remake that I feel outdid the original film was The Last House on The Left.

The story of The Last House of the Left follows two girls, Mari and Paige, who end up being kidnapped by a group of vile criminals led by the vicious Krug.  The girls are brutally assaulted and left for dead, while Krug, Francis, Krug’s son Justin, and Sadi find themselves at the vacation home of John and Emma, Mari’s parents, who let them stay the night not realizing that Krug and company did something terrible to their daughter.  When they find out, Emma and John unleash hell on their unsuspecting guests.  This kind of story has been told multiple times in different ways since Ingrid Bergman’s The Virgin Spring, the film that inspired Wes Craven’s 1972 shocker.  It’s a brutal and unrelenting tale of revenge.  The difference here is that the original House was also a reaction to the Vietnam War.  It was a very political and social condemnation of a war that never needed to happen and cost many lives.  This 2009 version doesn’t really have a lot to say politically, but socially it still maintains that veneer of not hanging around the wrong crowd and trusting the wrong people.

There a number of changes to the story that I feel DO elevate this film above the original.  First of all, the tone is far more consistent than the 1972 movie.  Don’t get me wrong, the original film was intense in its own way, but it was definitely a product of its time, especially when it came to the music.  The tone was all over the place.  It jumped from being goofy at times to outright horrifying at others.  This movie takes a more consistent approach in building up tension.  I want to get the assault out of the way.  The assault on Mari and Paige is nothing short of harrowing brutality.  Unlike the original film, the assault doesn’t last very long, but it’s brutal.  At the end of the assault in the original film, both girls end up dead.  Here, Mari manages to survive being shot in the back and makes her way home where her parents find her.  Having one of the victims actually survive brings a different level of tension and makes for a more emotional confrontation with Krug.  In the original film, the parents are simply out for revenge, while in this film, they’re trying to save their daughter’s life, and that’s far more compelling.  Also, having Justin subtly alert the parents to what happened to their daughter is a pretty smart move as it shows that children aren’t necessarily their parents.

The acting in this movie is really good and a huge step up from the original film.  First of all, you’ve got Garett Dillahunt as Krug, Aaron Paul as Francis, and Riki Lindhome as Sadi, our group of scumbags.  The late David Hess was incredible as Krug, but Dillahunt brings a whole new kind of menace to the character.  These characters are pure evil, and the actors do a phenomenal job of making the audience wanting them to die horribly.  Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter are amazing as Mari’s parents.  Tony’s always been a fantastic, yet underrated actor.  The opening moments show a much lighter side to the family that allows the audience to connect.  When things go wrong and the parents find out what happened, it’s intense.  Sara Paxton is pretty good as Mari.  Her character gets put through the wringer, and Sara was all in on that.  In recent interviews on the Arrow Blu-Ray, Sara had to convince Dillahunt to be even rougher with her, even though he wasn’t comfortable with it.  The result is a far more harrowing sequence.

Now, for a movie like this, people want the revenge to come swiftly and violently.  Director Dennis Iliadis brings the violence and then some.  One of the biggest complaints about the original film when it was released back in 1972 was not necessarily the rape sequence, but the revenge part of the film.  It’s always bugged me why people were more concerned about the degree of violence unleashed on evil-doers than the horrific acts that were inflicted on innocent victims.  What I feel makes this movie different, and subsequently better than the first film, is that the violence is not just about revenge.  Now that Mari managed to survive, they need to protect their little girl, which means bringing the fucking pain.  The most brutal death of the film has to be Aaron Paul’s Francis.  This particular kill was SAVAGE.  But each subsequent kill was satisfying in its own way.  Even the way that Krug meets his end was satisfying, if a bit comical.  The pacing of the movie was pretty quick for a film that runs 110 minutes.

When all is said and done, I don’t think the 2009 version of The Last House on the Left has the same impact that Craven’s original film did.  That movie came out during a time of major division and social upheaval.  People were not ready for it, yet the 70s gave us The Exorcist, The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Alien.  All of which were pretty brutal for their time.  The tagline for the original film was: To avoid fainting, keep repeating “it’s only a movie.  It’s only a movie.  It’s only a movie.”  It was a movie that upset a lot of people, which is what Wes Craven had intended.  The 2009 movie has been viewed by some as to be another “torture-porn” kind of movie.  It really isn’t.  Is it a horror movie or a dark thriller?  Yes.  It definitely walks that line, but arguments could be made for whatever genre this movie falls under.  The original film has its followers and fans, and I’m one of them, but I feel that the 2009 remake does it better in nearly every way.

It’s been a while, ladies and gentlemen.  Been busy with life and stuff.  I’m going to make this intro short and sweet.  As always, when I buy 4 or more movies on physical media, I will do one of these posts.  It’s my way of sharing with you guys what I’ve been watching and collecting as of late.  Well, I’ve picked up quite a few things on the way, so let’s get right to it, shall we?

And Soon The Darkness – Anchor Bay

This is my most recent one pick-up.  And Soon The Darkness follows two beautiful women who are on vacation in Argentina.  After missing the bus, they get into a fight and Amber Heard’s character storms off, leaving Odette Yustman’s character alone.  Stephanie(Heard)goes back to check on Ellie(Odette Yustman) only to find that she’s vanished.  She enlists the aid of an American ex-pat, Mike(Karl Urban)to help find her friend.  I love a good kidnapping thriller.  And Soon The Darkness isn’t a bad example, but if you’ve seen one kidnapping thriller, you’ve seen this.  It also doesn’t offer much in the way of twists.  It’s as straight-forward a thriller as one can get, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  This is also a remake of a 1970s thriller of the same name, but I haven’t seen that one, yet.  Still, this isn’t a bad way to waste 90 minutes.  It’s well-paced.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – Kino Lorber

Most vampire movies are about a dime a dozen these days.  But it’s rare to see a vampire movie from Iranian film-makers.  It’s even more rare to see a vampire movie that is equal parts spaghetti western, boy-meets-girl romance, and horror movie all-in-one.  The film is also in black-and-white.  The best part about all of this?  It works.  It’s a good story, and it’s got some really great acting especially from Sheila Vand who plays The Girl.  It’s unique in so many ways.  It’s charming, it’s funny at times, and it’s incredibly heart-felt.  I was taken by surprise with this film, and I absolutely recommend it to anybody who happens to be a fan of vampire movies.  These are the kinds of movies the cinema was made for.

Holy Spider – Utopia

The second Iranian film on my list, Holy Spider tells the story of the notorious Spider Killer, who murdered 16 sex workers in the holy city of Mashhad.  A female journalist, Rahimi(Zar Amir Ebrahimi)is on the case, despite direct opposition from the local government.  Fighting against a misogynistic system, Rahimi tries to find and trap the serial killer who claims to be murdering in the name of God(don’t they all?).  Holy Spider is a phenomenal crime thriller that was banned in Iran because of its…views on Iran’s theocracy.  The movie was filmed in Jordan, since Iran refused(shocking, I know).  It’s an incredibly revealing look at a system that doesn’t value women at all and how that system inadvertantly creates monsters like the Spider Killer.  It’s a rough watch, but it’s really good.  I can’t wait to see more from these folks.

Babylon 5: The Road Home – Warner Bros.

Babylon 5 has been regarded as one of the greatest science fiction shows of all time.  Spanning 5 seasons, a spin-off show, and several DTV movies, Babylon 5 remains etched in the imaginations of many a sci-fi nerd.  It was one of those rare shows during the 90s that was serialized, not episodic.  That means each episode in each season led somewhere to a larger overall story-line.  It was brilliantly written with excellent characters and decent visual effects at the time.  Well, we’ve got ourselves a new animated movie set in the Babylon 5 universe.  You want to know something?  It’s really good.  Most of the original cast return to voice their characters, although some of the original actors have since passed away, but the people taking over for them do a fantastic job.  It’s a great combination of 2D and 3D animation that works for the story being told.  I’m kind of over the whole multi-verse/alternate timeline deal, but this little flick does an amazing job keeping everything going and telling the story in a way that you can follow.  If you’re a fan of science fiction and/or Babylon 5, this is one you should keep your eyes out for.  Highly recommended.

Trade – Lionsgate Studios

Human trafficking is about the ugliest thing that people can do to each other.  Movies and TV shows have been trying to convey that over the past 40 years.  Most of them make the mistake of focusing on the bigger picture when that image is made up of much smaller pictures, and that’s where Trade gets it right.  It focuses on 4 people: Adrianna, who was kidnapped along with Veronica to be sold off in the sex trade; Jorge, who is Adrianna’s brother, and Ray, a Texas cop searching for HIS daughter who was taken over a decade ago.  The film allows the audience to get to know these characters and how they forge bonds beneath horrifying circumstances.  It’s told in a personal way, and that is far more effective a story-telling tactic than just blurting out numbers of how many people are trafficked each year.  It’s a powerful film.  Do yourselves a favor, skip Sound of Freedom and watch this instead.

Justice League: Warworld

DC’s been a spot of trouble with their live-action movies lately.  They’ve been performing extraordinarily poorly.  Well, at least the ones that were connected to the old DCEU.  The animated movies have been equally bizarre.  Justice League Warworld tells three stories that follow each of the three main DC heroes: Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman.  I w0n’t spoil the overall plot, but it’s actually pretty interesting.  The art style is interesting, but not my favorite style.  That said, there’s plenty of action involved.  The first story is actually a Western, and you don’t see that in an animated DC movie.  The second is a Conan-style story, while the final one is a black-and-white detective story with a twist.  It’s all pretty good.

The Pope’s Exorcist – Sony Pictures

When it comes to horror movies, I have a passion for the supernatural.  Anything that deals with demons and angels gets my attention.  Possession stories are not easy to tell, especially when you’re trying to capitalize on the success of The Exorcist, the greatest of all exorcism movies.  That said, The Pope’s Exorcist is a lot of fun.  Most of that has to do with Russell Crowe playing the real life Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, Father Gabriele Amorth.  Crowe’s clearly having a blast with this, and it’s just a bonkers ride from beginning to end.

Fast X – Universal Pictures

Look, it goes without saying that the Fast and Furious movies have always been silly.  F9 took that silliness to beyond absurd levels and ended up being one of the worst movies in the franchise.  Now, I’m not saying that Fast X is believable, but it pulls back enough on the ridiculous to make it an enjoyable ride(pun intended).  What really makes this movie so much fun is Jason Momoa as Dante Reyes.  His character’s flamboyant style makes him incredibly fun to watch.  I also like this movie, because Dante is multiple steps ahead of Vin Diesel’s Dom for most of the movie.  It even ends on a cliffhanger.  I honestly can’t wait to see how silly the final movie’s going to be.  Vin wanted two more movies, but Fast X didn’t do well enough domestically to warrant a final trilogy, just enough for an eleventh.  Still, if you put yourself into a certain mode, this movie can be a lot of fun.

Scream 6 – Paramount Pictures

I’m not going to lie.  I didn’t like the last Scream movie at all.  I felt it was too identical to Wes Craven’s movie from 1996.  Thankfully, this new movie shakes things up quite a bit.  First of all, the movie takes place in New York City.  Secondly, the killers in this movie don’t play be the rules.  It doesn’t follow the standard slasher formula, which the series has been known to riff on.  There’s a scene in a subway car where a lot of people are wearing the Ghostface mask,   You had no idea who the killer was, but you knew that they were there.  That’s masterclass tension right there.  Also, the kills in this movie are the most brutal the series has seen yet.  I dug this movie because it changed things up and it’s all the better for it.

The Birds – Universal Pictures

Alfred Hitchcock was a master story-teller.  Whether it was North by Northwest, Rear Window, Vertigo, or Psycho, Hitchcock knew how build tension and keep it nice and tight.  The Birds is HIS monster movie.  There’s no explanation for why the birds attack people in the movie, just that they do.  It’s a surprisingly intense little thriller that gets pretty gruesome at times.  The acting is top-notch across the board.  It’s one of the most iconic movies ever made.  Hitchcock never disappoints.

And with THAT, we come to the end of another glorious haul of movies on physical media.  Hope you folks enjoyed reading this, and maybe you find something interesting here.  That’s the idea, really.

 

Released: August 2023

Director: André Øvredal

Rated R

Run Time: 118 Minutes

Distributor: Universal Studios

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Cast:
Cory Hawkins: Clemens
Aisling Franciosi: Anna
Liam Cunningham: Captain Eliot
David Dastmalchian: Wojchek
Chris Walley: Abrams
Woody Norman: Toby
Javier Botet: Dracula/Nosferatu

There have been MANY adaptations of the character of Dracula.  From 1922’s unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nosferatu, to the various Christopher Lee films, to Francis Ford Coppola’s film starring Gary Oldman, and Van Helsing’s Richard Roxburgh, Dracula has captured the imaginations and nightmares of people all around the world for well over a century.  So many actors have played the famed vampire.  Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Frank Langella, and Rutger Hauer.  This year saw TWO movies dealing with the Transylvanian count:  Renfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter.  Demeter is the one I will be talking about today because it’s one of those movies that takes a different approach to Dracula.  My favorite Dracula movie has always been a toss-up between 1932’s Dracula and Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation. Although, I will admit I do have a fondness for Mel Brooks’ send-up, Dracula: Dead and Loving It.  When it comes to serious vampire movies, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is one of the better ones.

The film starts in a port in Bulgaria, where the crew of the schooner, Demeter, take on mysterious cargo in the form of multiple boxes adorned with the symbol of a dragon.  After setting off for London, the crew discovers a female stowaway, Anna, in one of the boxes.  Strange things begin to happen over the course of voyage with crew disappearing one by one.  The ship’s newest crewmember/doctor, Clemens and Captain Eliot discover that Anna was not the ONLY stowaway on board.  The other “passenger” is an evil being that feeds on blood.  Anna reveals this beast to be Dracula.  The remnants of the crew are forced into a desperate battle for survival against a creature of unbelievable power.  Anybody who has read Bram Stoker’s novel or seen any of the adaptations will know exactly how this story ends.  It is inspired by the captain’s log which was part of chapter 7 from the book.  Yet, despite knowing how the story ends, it’s still incredibly compelling, because all the audience knew about the Demeter was that it arrived in London with all hands missing.  We could only surmise what had happened.  The Last Voyage of the Demeter explores this mysterious part of Stoker’s story in detail.  Obviously, there’s going to be liberties taken, because of the lack of detail in the captain’s log.  Despite knowing the outcome, this is an intense little movie.

Demeter differs from most movies based on Dracula, in which the focus isn’t on the monster himself, but rather the crew.  The interactions between the crew members is great.  Some of the characters are dirtbags, but most of them are just trying to make a living only to find themselves being threatened by something completely unnatural.  The reason why the chemistry between the characters is so strong is because of the cast.  Cory Hawkins plays Clemens, the newest member of the crew who tries to make logical sense of what’s going on.  Liam Cunningham is outstanding as Captain Eliot.  The character is tough, fair, and about ready to retire.  Cunningham brings the right amount of world-weariness that the character requires.  David Dastmalchian as Wojchek?  There’s something otherworldly about how David inhabits a character.  He’s a chameleon.  He can go from playing a goofy superhero character like Polka-Dot Man to a straight-faced Harkonnen in Piter de Vries in Dune.  Aisling Franciosi plays Anna, the stowaway.  The only other movie that I saw this actress in was The Nightengale, which was a very brutal period piece set in New Zealand.  She’s outstanding.  Her character is the only one that really knows what’s going on, yet she tries to help.

You wouldn’t think a movie dealing with Dracula on a boat wouldn’t be intense.  You’d be wrong.  The Demeter is not the biggest ship, but it’s big enough to have enough hiding spaces for a vampire.  If there’s a movie that I could compare this to, it would be Alien.  It sounds cliche, but it IS an apt comparison.  It’s also incredibly claustrophobic.  Between being out in the open sea with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.  It’s incredibly atmospheric and there were definitely times where I felt the hairs on my neck stand straight up.  The movie is a bit of a slow-burn, but when it all hits the proverbial fan, it hits hard.  When you’re talking about a movie that’s inspired by a piece of Stoker’s novel, you need to see the beast himself.  THIS version of Dracula, is not the sexy version that you see in the Christopher Lee films or even the 1992 film.  This thing is an absolute monster, and the creature’s design is incredible.  It’s clearly inspired by the 1922 film as well as Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot.  The creature is played Javier Botet, a Spanish actor and writer who stands at nearly 7 feet tall.

For a movie that has only a 45 million dollar budget, it looks and feels a lot bigger than that.  I have to credit the film-makers for making the most of that budget.  It’s also surprisingly easy to see things going on despite the darkness in the film.  The set designs are incredible.  The schooner looks and feels like a ship that people have actually lived and worked in.  Same thing with the costume designs.  There is definitely some CGI here, but for the most part, the effects are practical.  Honestly the only negative thing I can really say about this movie is simply the fact as a fan of Bram Stoker’s novel and the various adaptations that have been made since, I know how this part of the story ends.  Between the outstanding acting, great atmosphere, and white-knuckle tension, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is not only a pleasant surprise, but it’s one of the better vampire movies I’ve seen in the last couple of years.  With all due respect to Nicolas Cage’s outrageous performance as Dracula, THIS one is far more terrifying.  Sadly, according to several box-office reports as of this writing, Demeter is going to flop, and it’s going to flop hard.  It’s too bad, there’s a great movie here for fans of Dracula and vampires in general.  It’s a lot better than I was expecting it to be.  I guess people are skipping it because they’re unfamiliar with this part of Dracula’s story.  Still, The Last Voyage of the Demeter comes as a must-see recommendation from me.  Check it out if you can.