Listening
(2014/MVD Visual DVD)/The
9th Life Of Louis Drax
(2016/Summit/Lionsgate Blu-ray)/Ozland
(2014/MVD Visual DVD)/Dario Argento Presents Sergio Stivaletti's Wax
Mask
(1997/One 7 Movies Blu-ray)
Picture:
B-/B/B-/B Sound: B-/B/B-/B Extras: B/C/D/C Film:
C+/C+/C/C
Here's
a new round of genre film releases for you to know about...
No
doubt inspired from the works of Philip K. Dick is Listening
(2014), an independent Sci-Fi thriller from filmmaker Khalil Sullins
and stars Thomas Stroppel, Artie Ahr, Amber Marie Bollinger,
Christine Haeberman, and Arn Chorn-Pond. For anyone who has
wondering what it would be like to be able to read the minds of
others, this is defiantly a thought provoking film that will
entertain.
When
a group of broke college students invent a device that can read minds
and take influence over other users to perform whatever they are
commanded, the government steps in and decides to use the technology
as a weapon. Fighting against time and his friends, David must fight
to protect his own mind and stop his invention from falling into the
wrong hands.
Presented
in standard definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track, this is definitely a film that
could benefit from 1080p high def version. For being an indie, the
color correction isn't half bad throughout, with several sequences
that mimic the look of a bigger budgeted production. A winner in the
festival circuit, I wouldn't be too surprised to see this film on
Blu-ray sooner or later.
Special
Features...
-
British Film Institute Q and A with Director, Cast, and Crew at the
International Premiere at the Sci-Fi London Film Festival
-
Making the Score with Composer Edward Patrick White
-
A Look into Editing Listening with Editor Howard Heard
-
Theatrical Trailer
-
Alternate Posters
-
BTS Photos
Better
than expected, Listening
is a solid concept and screenplay that could be taken a step further
and made into a bigger budgeted film with a more renowned cast if
given the opportunity.
The
9th Life Of Louis Drax
From
Director Alexandre Aja (The
Hills Have Eyes
remake) comes the drama/thriller The
9th Life of Louis Drax
(2016). Interesting from a story and visual perspective, the film
stars Jamie Dornan (50
Shades of Grey),
Oliver Platt (Lake
Placid),
Sarah Gadon (Dracula
Untold),
and Aaron Paul (Breaking
Bad).
I hadn't heard much buzz on this film prior to the Blu-ray release
but found it to be a pleasant and interesting surprise and a nice
welcome back to form for Aja. In many ways, I could see Tim Burton
making this film in a bit more of a weird and stylized way and its
interesting on many levels despite an at times dodgy screenplay.
Louis
Drax has had a tough childhood and many close to death encounters.
When he falls off a cliff on his 9th birthday and ends up in a coma,
many question if he will bounce back - with many fingers pointing as
his dad (Paul) as the one who pushed him. Under the study of Dr.
Allan Pascal (Dorman), Louis is given special treatment that allows
one to dive into the boy's unconscious mind. While the kid's
beautiful mother Natalie (Gadon) lies waiting and falls for Dr.
Pascal, stunning revelations about the case emerge. Will Drax regain
his former memory and self or be forever lost in a coma?
Presented
in 1080p high definition, the Blu-ray disc has a widescreen aspect
ratio of 2.39:1 and a nice sounding English, lossless 5.1 DTS-HD
Master Audio mix that looks and sounds standard for the format. The
presentation shines on some of the films more surrealistic scenes
with high contrast and cinematic tones and the exteriors balance
whites and skin tones well. Also includes is a Digital UV copy.
Special
Feature: The
Making of The 9th Life of Louis Drax
An
interesting film that's worth checking out for its visual flair
alone.
Ozland
Michael
Williams' independent post apocalyptic thriller Ozland
(2014) is an interesting character study and a interesting
re-imagining of The
Wizard of Oz
without all of the special effects and magic. Sporting interesting
cinematography and production design, the film rests on the shoulders
of its two leads Casey Heflin and Glenn Payne - who aren't bad, but
don't give performances that will blow anyone away per say. Relying
more on visuals to tell the story, Ozland
looks great but falls short in some of its writing and more dramatic
scenes.
Two
loners wander a dry and dusty world that has seen the fall of
mankind. When one of the men finds a copy of The
Wizard Of Oz,
he begins to grow optimistic that there could be a better world for
the two of them out there. Against loneliness and impossible odds,
the two men struggle to survive and find their place in the harsh new
reality they are stuck in.
Presented
in standard definition with a 1.77:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track the film looks and sounds fine
for DVD but lacks the detail seen in 1080p. An upgrade would do
nothing but improve the presentation, however it isn't too bad all
things considered.
No
extras.
Dario
Argento Presents Sergio Stivaletti's Wax
Mask
Boasting
some cool practical effects but far from perfect is the Dario Argento
(Suspiria)
produced Wax
Mask
(1997, also known as Maschera
di Cera),
which would have been the last Lucio Fulci (The
Beyond)
film. Directed by SFX artist Sergio Stivalletti, the project was
entrusted to him by Fulci to complete and available here for the
first time on the Blu-ray format. In many ways, this film reminds me
of the Waxwork
films (reviewed elsewhere on this site), which just got a nice
release from Vestron and Lionsgate films, but lacks some of the
imagination that those films had. Still, for fans of Fulci, this is
a title worth seeing and makes you wonder how different it would have
been had the late auteur been at the reigns.
A
wax museum opens up in town and is surrounded by mystery and fright,
as it recreates vicious murders with its figures. When a young man
is dared that he can't stay the night there and survive, he ends up
dead the following morning. Baffling police, new murders start to
appear at the museum, which causes questions to arise as to who is
responsible for this deadly murders and who will they strike next?
The film stars Robert Hossein, Romina Mondello, Riccardo Serventi
Longhi, and Gabriella Giorgelli.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and
a lossless Dolby TrueHD tracks in Italian (with English Subtitles)
and English dub, the film looks fine for the Blu-ray format but isn't
anything too flashy or impressive. No digital copy.
Special
Features...
-
Backstage Scenes
-
Special Effects Scenes
An
interesting concept that isn't executed quite to the standard I was
hoping, but not without some cool effects scenes. I found Wax
Mask
to be a mediocre film when it could have been an amazing one.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/