// Category Archive for: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews

Blu-Ray Review: Track The Man Down

By Brad Henderson

It’s funny how simple movies were back in the day. That’s not a bad thing. It seems these films relied more on acting and cinematography rather than some intricate plot. Lately I’ve been checking out a lot of Olive Films releases and been pleasantly surprised with what I’ve been seeing.

Last night I checked out a very low-key crime drama, Track The Man Down. As I said in the beginning, some of the films from this era have basic plots and focus more on the look and performances; Track The Man Down is a perfect example of this. A group of men rob a dog track and one of the gang members holds onto the cache of cash. Once they figure out the cops are onto them they split, leaving the cash with one of the gang member’s girlfriends. From there the story unfolds more, giving us little surprises along the way.

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Blu-Ray Review: Every Man For Himself

By Brad Henderson

Jean-Luc Godard is a name I’ve been familiar with for a while and from a very young age. I first discovered Godard because of Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino was in an interview discussing movies and whatnot and mentioned he named his company after a French film called Band Of Outsiders. I immediately tracked it down because I was a nerd and Tarantino is a favorite of mine; he has introduced me to so many films that I cherish to this day.

After watching Band Of Outsiders, I did my best to try to track down other Godard films. Contempt, Alphaville, Breathless, and other films have really impacted me. Recently The Criterion Collection reissued his 1980 film, Every Man For Himself. My familiarity with Godard is through his films from the ‘60s and ‘70s so anything past that is new to me, but I was happy to dive into a Godard that was a little alien.

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DVD Review: Blood Car

By Brad Henderson

Well, I just watched Blood Car. I freaking loved Blood Car.

Blood Car was apparently made in 2007 and is just now getting a physical media release in 2015. Criminal. Going into it I wasn’t expecting much because it seemed from the plot and cover art it was going to be an overly gory schlock fest. Well, it was an overly gory schlock fest but a damn fine one that had me tearing up I was laughing so hard. That’s something to be said because I’m not really a “LOL-er” or whatever the hell you call it. I laugh, but it’s mostly inside. Soulless is another name for it, so I’ve been told.

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Blu-Ray Review: The ABCs Of Death 2

By Brad Henderson

W Is For Wish

The setup for The ABCs Of Death is brilliant. Get 26 badass directors and give them some cash to make something sick and twisted. Unfortunately, not structuring it properly resulted in an extremely discombobulated flick with some high quality shorts among a barrage of lame and not so great ones. When I first saw the movie I was extremely disappointed, but over the past few years I’ve grown to love a handful of shorts and continue to watch them on and off again. D, L, O, Q, R, S, U, and Y were my favorites but everything else was either very bland or just not good. Now we have The ABCs Of Death 2 which is completely different. Regrettably, that “difference” is that they are all quality shorts but very few are entertaining.

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DVD Review: The Scared Stiff Collection, Vol. 1

By Jeffery X Martin

You know that moment when you first start getting a hangnail? You know you should get the clippers and cut it off before it becomes a real hassle, but instead, you play with it. You twist it around, push it back into the already ruptured skin, or pull on it. Sometimes, you can make it bleed. It hurts. You know you should stop. You don’t even understand why you’re putting yourself through that pain. But you keep doing it because part of you, a dark nameless section of your psyche, enjoys it. It loves the pain. It needs the humiliation.

If you’re a fan of that level of masochism, you’ll have a great time with The Scared Stiff Collection, Vol. 1. Low-budget horror can be a wonderful thing. Even some zero-budget stuff can be all right. But there are some movies that are not watched as much as they are gawked at, where wretched ineptitude is the real star of the show and it hurts.

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Blu-Ray Review: V/H/S: Viral

By Brad Henderson

The V/H/S series is something I’ve loved and hated at the same time. I say that with the utmost respect; I’m not trying to be an asshole. When the first installment was released I was fucking stoked. Between the filmmakers involved and the trailer that was released, I couldn’t wait until the day I saw it. I remember very vividly renting it at midnight on VOD and being overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time. I’ve actually felt this way with every entry and that’s because all the installments are 50/50 for me.

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Blu-Ray Review: 20,000 Days On Earth

By Brad Henderson

Nick Cave: That name is all you have to say in order to get someone’s attention rather quickly. Nick Cave is The Man among men and a God among musicians.

One person that knows this is Nick Cave.

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Blu-Ray Review: Jimi: All Is By My Side

By Brad Henderson

Ever since I was a kid I’ve been fascinated by Jimi Hendrix. Everything about the guy, from his skills to his backstory, intrigued and inspired me and still does to this day. A few years ago I remember OutKast’s André 3000 being announced for a Hendrix film, Jimi: All Is By My Side. Ever since then it has been on my radar and I knew I needed to see it.

I’m sad to say it’s by far one of the worst biopics I’ve ever encountered.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Mule

By Brad Henderson

Leigh Whannell, along with his partner in crime, James Wan, erupted onto the scene with Saw back into 2004. Together they wrote some of the sequels, plus Dead Silence, and Insidious 1 & 2 (and soon to be part 3) Now Whannell has brought us a non-horror flick, The Mule.

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Blu-Ray Review: Compañeros

By Brad Henderson

As a kid I grew up on a variety of different films. My mother loved horror, dad loved westerns and action flicks, my grandma was obsessed with dramas, and I loved everything. I’m thankful for the upbringing I had because it made me who I am today. Even though I was a cinephile by the time I was seven or so, I still missed a lot of films. Now I’m 30 and I’m still making epic discoveries on my own. Recently I discovered one of the best westerns I’ve ever seen, Compañeros.

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