Scream Factory Triple Feature: The Island, Terror Train and Death Valley

Scream (Shout) Factory is one of my favorite companies pounding out blu-ray releases. They focus their efforts or more obscure/cult horror titles from the 80's, which automatically makes me want to throw my money their way. It's not in haste though, because they've already cranked out such winners as They Live and Halloween II & III. So I decided to drop knowledge on a few more choice cuts from their catalog... enjoy.

The Island
(1980) [Trailer]
Director: Michael Ritchie [IMDB]

Synopsis: Father and son get highjacked in the Caribbean by a group of pirates who have managed to avoid the trappings of modern society.

If you've ever sat at your shitty desk job and thought to yourself "I wish I had some excitement in my life... I wish I was a swashbuckler on the high seas"... then The Island is the movie for you. It's an odd little gem that could be considered a cross between Lord of the Flies, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Michael Caine is fantastic... there involves a scene with him and a Gatling gun that is worth the price of admission alone. This film spends its time in two locales, at sea and on the island... and both sites are interesting to visit. There's plenty of violence and gore... actually a few moments that shocked me. All and all, it's a good movie and the transfer to blu-ray is pleasing. Get it.

Terror Train
(1980) [Trailer]
Director: Roger Spottiswoode [IMDB]

Synopsis: Jamie Lee Curtis and a group of college kids board a party train with a murderous guest who is uninvited.

Terror Train is alright I suppose, but it starts to loose its luster about a half hour in. It's pretty obvious who the killer is, but it's interesting to see him absorb the different costumes of all his victims... I thought that was a clever idea. Besides Jamie Lee Curtis, this film also stars David Copperfield and he looked like he  just got off the set of Saturday Night Fever. I liked the use of a small train to contain the story and it also provided some interesting scenery. Terror Train isn't amazing, but still a good time and worth a poke if you're into slasher films.

Death Valley
(1982) [Trailer]
Director: Dick Richards [IMDB]

Synopsis: Ralphie from A Christmas Story travels to Death Valley with his mom and her new boyfriend... and they fuck with the wrong serial killer.

This is also a standard slasher movie... only a little more family friendly. There's some cool cinematography involving the desert... it makes you want to take some peyote and go find your spirit animal. The acting coming from the mom and BF isn't the greatest, but Ralphie was okay. The killer had a quasi Norman Bates feel to him, only not as cool. The ending serves up lots of examples where you realize the protagonists are morons... the typical "why the hell don't they go check and make sure he's really dead" moments. Death Valley is neck and neck with Terror Train... a fun time but nothing amazing.

Undefeated

Undefeated
(2012) [Trailer]
Directors: Daniel Lindsay [IMDB], T.J. Martin [IMDB]

There are a few documentaries that came out in 2012 that I really wanted to see, but never got the chance too... Undefeated is one of them. I saw the trailer for this awhile back and immediately thought it looked like a real life version of Season 4 in Friday Night Lights, which is one of the greatest television programs of all time. So why would I not want to see it?

Synopsis: A high school coach struggles to build a successful football program in the inner city of West Memphis.

This is a fantastic documentary and just an overall enjoyable experience. Most effective documentaries have a strong character who is an interesting subject to watch on camera... Coach Bill Courtney is that man. He is so sincere and genuinely cares about, not only building a great team, but making a difference in his players lives. The team dynamic is robust but there are few members that tend to get the focus of the film. Watching the way things unfold over the season is captivating and there's definitely a few tear jerking moments in Undefeated's run time.

If you like docs, this is a must see and highly recommended by me.

A Mario Bava Bender (Kill Baby Kill, Bay of Blood, Lisa and the Devil, The House of Exorcism)

I've reviewed a few Mario Bava films on this site and have made no secret of my love for him. Recently I noticed a bunch of his titles have popped up on Netflix Instant so I decided to check out a few.

Kill Baby, Kill
(1966) [Trailer]
Director: Mario Bava [IMDB]

Synopsis: The ghost of a little girl haunts and murders folks in a small town in 18th century Italy.

Kill Baby, Kill has all the stylistic elements that make viewing a Bava film a real treat. Great sets, check! Cool lighting, check! Ace cinematography, check! Visually speaking.... everything is extremely pleasing. However, the story is pretty simple and could have been a bit more memorable. Everyone loves an evil little kid and this movie features one, although I think they could have made her a little creepier. Kill Baby, Kill is an average title, nothing groundbreaking , but worth view.

Bay of Blood (aka Twitch of the Death Nerve)
(1971) [Full Movie]
Director: Mario Bava [IMDB]

Synopsis: People visit a bay... then get hacked up at said bay.

Bay of Blood is cited as one of the first Slasher films ever and is highly influential within the genre. In fact, Friday the 13th Part 2 directly steals two kill scenes from this film. It's a lot more violent and gory than most Bava films, but it also has all the traits that make his art so special. The story line is a bit complicated and involves a lot of characters, most of them have little to no real development. The biggest WTF moment is the ending, it really comes out of left field and I'm not sure if I liked it, or hated it. I would recommend this, just for the sake of the experience of it, it's a weird one, but pretty entertaining.

Lisa and the Devil
(1974) [Trailer]
Director: Mario Bava [IMDB]

Synopsis: A lost tourist runs into who she thinks is the devil incarnate and ends up staying at a mansion where things get weird.

There are two versions of this film... the original, which is being reviewed by me, right here and now.... then there is "The House of Exorcism" which I will review next. That's right, I watched both (no life). Lisa and the Devil stars Kojak as the devil and after watching this, I think that casting was perfect... he's an evil looking dude. The pacing of this film is slow and creepy, verses fast and in your face. I enjoyed this but it's a little odd and probably not for everyone. It's a far better cut than The House of the Exorcism, which is a perfect example of how someone can ruin a good film.

The House of Exorcism
(1974) [Trailer]
Director: Mario Bava [IMDB], Alfredo Leone [IMDB]

Synopsis: Same as Lisa and the Devil except now there's an exorcism.

I actually watched this version first and was completely turned off by it. So much so that I decided to pull up the interwebs and see what the hell happened. Because William Friedkin's Exorcist was such a huge hit, Alfredo Leone came on board to "help" Bava turn what was considered a flop, into a hit. It did not work. This film is a mess. The pacing and story line are all over the map and ultimately the added scenes ruin it for me. The new scenes are such a direct rip off of The Exorcist that it's almost comical and how they disbursed them into the original story makes no sense. Definitely pass on this cut.

Manhattan

Manhattan
(1979) [Trailer]
Director: Woody Allen [IMDB]

This movie is considered a masterpiece by many and is widely considered one of Woody Allen's best films. I've never considered myself a huge fan of Allen's work, I've seen a few of his movies and always felt they were ok... but not great. Let's see if Manhattan wins me over.

Synopsis: An aging writer in New York struggles to balance his love life between two women.

Manhattan falls in line with all the other Woody Allen films I've seen, but it's the best of all of them so far. It was an enjoyable watch, but wasn't very impactful. Manhattan is considered a comedy, but I didn't really laugh during its run time. It's humorous in its tone I suppose, but more of a drama in my opinion. I really enjoyed the old b&w footage of the city and being a resident here for the last 8 years.... it made me want to go take a stroll through Central Park in the snow. The cast were all strong, but as with most Woody Allen films I've seen, he is the show runner and star.

Also a side note... when it comes to Ingmar Bergman, I'm on team Allen... team Keaton can piss off.

Hitchcock

Hitchcock
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Sacha Gervasi [IMDB]

My radical wife recently gifted me the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection containing 14 of his films on glorious baby blu! I recently watched all of them (I know, no life, right?) and reviewed them HERE. After getting my Hitchcock fill, I decided to check out this bio pic and learn a little more about the master of suspense.

Synopsis: This story focuses on Hitchcock's relationship with his wife during the making of Psycho.

Hitchcock (this film, not the man) wasn't all that impressive. It actually doesn't shed too much light on anything and spends most of it's time focused on the story of Hitchcock's marriage... which really wasn't too strained or interesting. I was hoping to learn a lot more about the behind the scenes of Psycho, and while that's present in this movie, there's just not enough time spent with it. Anthony Hopkins pulls off a decent Hitchcock, but the dialogue is pretty corny at times. There are a few cringe worthy moments, I was surprised someone didn't call the writers out on their bullshit. Scarlett Johansson is an after thought and really left no impression on me, normally I love her. I was just really indifferent about this and wouldn't recommend it.

Searching for Sugar Man

Searching for Sugar Man
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Malik Bendjelloul [IMDB]

I keep hearing lots of good things about this documentary and it's been in my watch list for a few months now. Tonight I decided to rent it and see what all the hype is about.

Synopsis: Rodriguez is an obscure singer/songwriter from Detroit  who released records in the 70's that you never heard about. Turns out, he's the Elvis of South Africa and they are curious to know what the hell happened to him?

Searching for Sugar Man is one hell of a film. It's beautifully orchestrated and is a really easy documentary to digest. The cinematography is incredible... some of the scenes filmed in Detroit are breathe taking... and one normally doesn't say that about Detroit. The film is stocked with music by Rodriguez and being someone who is unfamiliar with his work... I am now a fan. Searching for Sugar Man's greatest strength is its story. It's amazing, I really don't want to spoil anything and I would highly recommend you go in with your blinders on. The less you know, the better, so stay off  Wikipedia and don't watch the trailer... even though I posted it up there... I'm an asshole.

This documentary is a must for any fan of music and if you're into the documentary stylings of Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, or James Marsh .. you'll love this.