Flesh, The (1990/Cult Epics Blu-ray w/DVD)/Girls Trip (2017/Universal Blu-ray w/DVD)/God Of War (2017/Well Go Blu-ray w/DVD)/The House (2017/Warner Blu-ray w/DVD)/Innocent Blood (1992/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/The Otherworld (2013/Severin Blu-ray)/ReelGore Collection (2011 - 2016 Blu-ray Set)/The Sea Wolf (1941/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/Sex Murder Art: The Films Of Jorg Buttgereit (1987 - 1993/Cult Epics Blu-ray Set)/Sniper: Ultimate Kill (2017/Sony Blu-ray)/Tokyo Godfather (2003/Umbrella Import Blu-ray)

Picture: B & B-/B+ & B-/A- & B/B+ & B-/B+/A-/B/B/B/B-/B Sound: B & B-/B & B-/B+ & B-/B+ & B-/B+/B/B/B-/B/B-/C+ Extras: C+/A/C/B/C/B/B/C/B/D/B Films: B/B/B+/C-/B/C+/C/B/C/C-/B+

PLEASE NOTE: The Sex Murder Art: The Films Of Jorg Buttgereit Cult Epics Blu-ray set has been issued in two versions, including one with a booklet limited to only 500 copies. The Tokyo Godfathers Import Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment in Australia and can play on all Blu-ray players, while the Innocent Blood and Sea Wolf Blu-rays are now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series. All can be ordered from the links below.

Here's a bunch of new titles, mostly sex, action, some comedy and horror to go with Halloween 2017, but all are worth knowing about, no matter how weird or graphic...

The Flesh

This odd yet romantic film by Marco Ferreri (La Grande Bouffe), The Flesh (1990, aka La Carte), is an Italian language love story presented in this new deluxe edition that showcases the film in a newly restored HD print.

Nominated for the Palme d'Or Award at Cannes upon its initial release, the film explores the subjects of sex, lust, loneliness, and the human condition as it tells the story of a piano player and his muse. Finding her in the nightclub where he plays, she quickly helps him get over his failed marriage and estranged children. However intense the love begins, it soon starts to fizzle as the film is an interesting and realistic look at falling in both love and lust.

The film stars Sergio Castellitto, Philippe Leotard, Elena Wiedermann, Salvatore Esposito and Francesca Dellera.

The 1080p transfer with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.72:1 (original aspect ratio is 1.85:1) is pretty sharp and clear for the most part, however, some scenes do have some film artifacts, scratches, and grain due to the age of the print. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track in its original Italian language track is crystal clear with English subs. A standard definition DVD is also included with a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo mixes and compressed, if anamorphically enhanced image.

Special Features include...

Behind the Scenes

Trailer

Interview with Marco Ferreri, Francesca Dellera, and Sergio Castellitto

Cannes Film Festival 1991

Photo Gallery

If you're a fan of foreign films, see it!

Girls Trip

Four overworked (and-over-the-hill) life long friends/moms decide they want to get the band back together to remember the good old days when they were once known as the 'Flossy Posse'. So the girls decide to get together again for one last huzzah in New Orleans and have the ultimate girls night out where anything can happen and there are no rules in Malcolm D. Lee's Girls Trip (2017).

Ryan, Sasha, Lisa and Dina are successful black women, but they feel like they have been missing something. Ryan keynote speaker and she and her husband is a TV power couple, but then she finds out her husband has been cheating on her. Sasha blogger for a celebrity gossip site. Lisa is a (repressed) single mother and Dina is still the irresponsible party animal, but after 20 years and a cheating husband, they go out to New Orleans to make up for all the girl talk, wild parties and fun they missed out over they years, getting drunk, getting high and getting laid. When her husband's affairs become public, can the girls pull together to help each other one last time?

This was a comedy movie about friendship and girlfriends, it was like the movie Bad Moms with Black women instead and mixed female empowerment. It was filled with dirty and raunchy jokes that only girls can say to each other (without getting sued for sexual harassment) on how friendship, true friendship can hold together through anything. This is a big screen reunion for Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah from their underrated Set It Off longer ago than we'd like to remember, joined by Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Larenz Tate and Deborah Ayorinde. Casting is a plus for the film.

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image and DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track on the Blu-ray is about as good as this is ever going to look and sound, so the standard definition, anamorphically enhanced DVD with lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is only so watchable. Extras include deleted scenes, outtakes, planning the trip, outrageous moments, essence of NOLA, extended performance by Ne-Yo, commentary and trailers.

God Of War (2017)

During the 16th Century, China was plagued with Japanese pirates all along the coast line, attacking villages and plundering everything. After months of trying to stop them General Yu (Sammo Hung) recruits a new young general, Qi Jiguang. Out numbered 5 to 1, General Qi must train now train his own ragtag army to defeat an army of 20,000 with his 3,000 in Gordon Chan's God Of War (2017).

General Qi is a bright new upcoming general for the Empire. His success is due to his studies of new tactics and the improvement of weapons and armor. While older generals continue to order men charging forward in battle (and get more men killed), Qi takes into consideration condition, timing and tactics. Qi trains his new army with hard work, courage and wisdom in order survive and overcome greater odds. And while other generals care for glory, honor and power, General Qi teaches them to stay alive, care for one another and family. But pirates don't care for tactics and strategy (and fight dirty), will General Qi and his new army be ready in time to stop invading pirates?

This was a historical fictional movie with martial arts and epic battles. It is story of how even on the battlefield, using tactics and strategy can help overcome incredible odds and win. It is also about leaders who care about those under them are far more honorable (and useful) than those who care about winning political points.

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image and DTS: X 11.1 mix (DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless core track for older systems) on the Blu-ray here too looks as good as this is ever going to look and sound unless Well Go issues it in a 4K 2160p disc, making it one of their best Blu-ray playback performers to date. The standard definition, anamorphically enhanced DVD with lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 sound are a letdown, but more here with so much action throughout. Extras include a making of the movie featurette and trailers.

The House

The new comedy The House (2017), starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler, plays out like a bad R-rated SNL skit that is way longer than it should be. The film starts out with a date rape joke, which infuriated a lot of critics but it's only the tip of the iceberg, as most of the humor is based upon characters who try to act like they are who they swear they aren't and doing what they swear they're not doing. Some of it works but most of it doesn't as this comedy was obviously loosely scripted and mostly improvised on the set with the actors simply trying too hard to be funny. It's a shame because both Farrell and Poehler are obviously trying, but there's only so much that they have to work with.

The House also stars Allison Tolman, Jason Mantzoukas, Steve Zissis, Michaela Watkins, and Andrea Savage. The film is directed by Andrew Jay Cohen (Neighbors).

Two middle-aged parents (Ferrell and Poehler) are having empty nest syndrome when their Daughter goes off to college. Part mid-life crisis and part stupidity, the couple end up creating a casino in their basement in an effort to pay for their daughter's education. Along the way, they take advice from their screwball gambler friend Frank (Mantzoukas) who leads them from one bad decision to the next. Soon, the parents in the town end up attending the 'house casino' and start doing drugs and getting out of hand as Ferrell grows more and more like a mob boss every day.

Presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2:39.1 and DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), the presentation is fine for a comedy with bright vivid colors and natural colors that aren't too stylized. Also included is a standard definition DVD with an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track. While compressed and not as detailed as the Blu-ray, the film looks fine for the format. Also included is a digital UV copy.

Special Features:

Featurette: The House: Playing with a Loaded Deck

Featurette: If You Build The House They Will Come

Deleted Scenes

Extended/Alternate Scenes

Gag Reel

Line-O-Ramas

The House isn't very funny or recommendable. Definitely a one-timer.

Innocent Blood

Director John Landis found a nice balance of horror and comedy with the cult classic An American Werewolf in London (1981, reviewed elsewhere on this site), and tried to match that same tone with Innocent Blood (1992), a fun and sexy Vampire flick set in early 1990s Pittsburgh. Mixing the Vampire genre with the Mob genre is an unusual choice for Landis but it oddly works here for the most part. It's also one of the least talked about films in Landis' mixed career of hits and misses, that is definitely worth checking out again.

Innocent Blood stars Anne Parillaud (who played Nikita in Luc Besson's classic La Femme Nikita) as Marie, a sexy Vamp that roams the cities at night thirsty for human blood. Her latest craving has been 'Italian', which just so happens to be members of the Mob lead by Sallie The Shark (the late Robert Loggia). Once Sallie tries to take sexual advantage over Marie, she kills him out of self defense, making her more desirable to the Mob than ever. Soon after this incident, she unexpectedly falls for a Policeman (Anthony LaPaglia), who may be her only defense against the relentless clan of goons hot on her trail. More madness is added to the mix once Sallie comes back from the dead with a cannibalistic appetite of his own. As Sal grows more and more powerful, he soon starts killing and regenerating his associates. Now the Mob are more powerful than ever but can Marie stop them before its too late?

The film also stars David Proval, Chazz Palminteri, Angela Bassett, the late Don Rickles, and Kim Coates (Resident Evil). There's also fun blink and you'll miss 'em cameos by horror (and film) icons Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead), Dario Argento (Suspiria), Frank Oz (Star Wars), the late and great Forest J. Ackerman (Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine), and Tom Savini (Makeup FX master and legend).

Special Effects by Hollywood great Steve Johnson (Ghostbusters, Big Trouble in Little China) are also a highlight in the film with a vamp that isn't afraid to get bloody with red glowing eyes and very animalistic actions. Of course, this was made before the rise of digital effects so everything here is mainly practical, making it all the more impressive. There's plenty of shout outs to classic horror movies too (usually playing in the background of a scene on a TV), such as Hammer's Dracula with Christopher Lee and some of the original Universal Monsters Films.

Originally shot in 35mm, this new HD restoration of Innocent Blood looks gorgeous on 1080p Blu-ray disc. With a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 (original aspect ratio of 1.85:1) and a great sounding English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless track with Pro Logic surrounds, the presentation obviously bests previous editions of the film on lesser formats. Most of the film takes place during the night, and these scenes are all exposed nicely and never without plenty of detail. The score from Ira Newborn also fits the tone of the film well and is worth seeking to hear out on its own.

The only extra is a Trailer, which is a shame as there wasn't any retrospective interviews with John Landis or others. Still, this is a fun film that's definitely worth revisiting on the Blu-ray format.

The Otherworld

If you could take a trip perhaps to another world, another time would you? Deep within the French Pyrenees there is said to be perhaps a gateway known as 'The Zone' in an old castle that is said to have a portal to another dimension. While there is no real scientific proof, it is said a place where old magic is still alive and legends are reborn ...and only those who have experienced it will believe in Richard Stanley's The Otherworld (2013).

Though the centuries have passed and the people are gone, but Castle Montsegur was said to be a place where occult science was once practiced by the ancient alchemists. Built on the principals of occult science at highest peak it is surrounded by other mountains and monasteries, creating strange magnetic fields around Montsegur. During the lunar eclipses and summer solstice witness have claimed to have seen a beautiful woman dressed in white walking it's halls. People have walked there have claim to felt strange energy, lost time and seen and even been to places that couldn't have exist. Many legend tells of unsolved mysteries surrounding the place (and also a possible resting place of the Holy Grail). Perhaps at the center of the magnetic fields it causes people to see things, experience phenomenons science has yet to explain.

This was a well made film putting together beautiful scenery with mystical background music, but unfortunately the interviewee are from people who believe in the occult and look like if they have been 'touched' (on some kind of hallucinogen). And while there ARE mysteries science has yet to explain or understand, it is considered a mystery when the ancient people did something beyond the realm of common knowledge and sense.

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image and DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track are fine through, so playback is never an issue. Extras include making of the film, deleted scenes and trailer.

ReelGore Collection (2011 - 2016 Blu-ray Set)

Violent Sh#t The Movie / The Orphan Killer / Masks / The Curse of Dr. Wolfenstein

Specific Films: C/C-/C+/C

Reel Gore is a fairly new label launched by Nico B from acclaimed label Cult Epics. The first four films to be released are available here in this set are all extreme horror films that wouldn't dare play in most theaters in the US. All of them made within the past few years (the oldest one being Masks from 2011), these films aren't to well known but most American Horror fans but should be as they are all nicely produced and interesting films.

Violent Sh#t The Movie (2015)

Taking a page from John Carpenter's Halloween in its intro and influenced by other films in the franchise that started back in 1989. Luigi Pastore's Violent Sh#t The Movie marks the return of steel masked slasher villain Karl the Butcher, who is a mix of something between Jason, Michael Myers, and Leatherface.

Karl the Butcher's favorite past time is mutilating the bodies of his victims by cutting off their arms, heads, and legs - leaving a mangled torso behind. Pushing the film forward is a great soundtrack by Goblin, which was included in the single release of the film from ReelGore and (sadly) not included here. This was the first title that the newly established Reel Gore released back in 2015 as launched by Nico B from acclaimed label Cult Epics.

The film stars Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Antonio Zequila, Michela Foresta, Vincenzo Pezzopane, and Steve Aquilina. The film takes place in Rome, where a series of grizzly murders start adding up. Similar to Amsterdamned (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and many films by Italian Horror Maestro Dario Argento (Suspiria), the film uses the 'Detective following the crime' storyline as the killer is always one step ahead of the Police. Throwing in a B-plot about Political corruption, the film succeeds in its moments of gore but doesn't bring too much else noteworthy to the table.

The film sports a 1080p high definition image with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and several different audio tracks in dubbed English and German DTS-HD 5.1 (with English Subtitles) and lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. Shot on HD, the film is a bit grainy in places but overall a surprisingly well shot and put together film. I was expected some of the Z-grade video quality of earlier installments of the franchise but when I first saw it.

Special Features:

Making they Movie by Director Luigi Pastore

The History of Violent Sh#t - Interview with Producer Steve Aquilina

Tribute to Lilli Carati - The Last Interview

Interviews with cast members Vincenzo Pezzopane, Michela Foresta, Daniela Ciccone, and Erika Kamese

World of Stars - Interviews with cast members Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Antonio Zequila, producer Steve Aquilina, and director Luigi Pastore

Trailers and Slides Show

Check my recent review of the Violent Sh#t Collection, which was recently released by Synapse, and covers films in the series from 1989 - 1991.

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14972/The+Violent+Sh#t+Collection+(1989+-+1991/Syn

The Orphan Killer (2011)

The weakest entry in the set, The Orphan Killer (2011) is a slasher film that tries hard to create another Jason or Leatherface-type iconic character named Marcus Miller but fails pretty bad. While masked and comfortable using weapons of all shapes and sizes, Miller is just your run of the mill slasher and has an affected voice like Bane from the Dark Knight films. Ripped off of all of the greats (he even stalks his estranged sister like Michael Myers), the film isn't very intelligent or scary at all. Aided by a hardcore metal-head soundtrack that dominates the tone of the film and makes it feel less menacing. This misfire almost seems to be begging its audience for a franchise instead of standing on its own.

Marcus Miller is a serial killer whom abducts and tortures his sister Audrey. As the torturing commences and many lives are lost, the sister proves that she has a spark of killer in herself. The more we learn about this girl, the more we wonder which Miller is the most dangerous... but who (if anyone) will survive?

The film stars Diane Foster, David Backus, Matt Farnsworth, Margot White, Ivan Martin, and Mike Doyle. It's also directed by Matt Farnsworth, who also did the Serial Killer Biopic Gacy and oddly enough, got his start working on a few episodes of the G-rated TV series 7th Heaven.

Presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and an English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track, this low budget gore-flick looks as good as it can on Blu-ray, with little to be desired considering the nature of the content.

Special Features...

Behind The Murder - Exclusive Video Diary

Trailer/Teaser

Music Clip

Slideshow

The Curse of Dr. Wolfenstein (2016)

Taking a page out of Rob Zombie's book, The Curse of Wolfenstein is a crazy German slasher that was definitely inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Hostel films. It's quickly clear that the German censors let a lot more fly as this time is ten times as brutal as those films and is sure to gross you out at least once.

The plot is pretty simple: a group of wild teens just want to party and have sex on a vacation away... but they soon encounter the evil Dr. Victor Wolfenstein whose an 80-year-old psycho maniac of the highest caliber. In an attempt to create a vaccine that will make him immortal and cure his horribly infected his body with a flesh-rotting form of necrosis. As the Doctor's limbs literally fell apart, he tries replacing them the only way he knows how: by crudely severing arms and legs of the local villagers. This also has a side effect of revenge, as these are the same local villagers that captured him and buried him alive for his crimes. In present day, five teenagers plan to attend an out of town rave that goes awry, and end up stranded in the village where the Mad Doctor wakes up and gets back to what he loves best.

The film is presented on 1080p Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a German DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 that sounds pretty great. The digitally-shot film has some interesting locations that are natural looking in the film and not too over stylized.

Special Features include...

Behind the Scenes

Bloopers

Short Film

Masks (2011)

Andreas Marschall's film is a mix of Suspiria, surrealism, and Italian horror as it centers around a gorgeous blonde named Stella who attends an acting school in Berlin that is threatened by a creepy killer that likes to kill with scissors. With the plot behind VERY similar (or we will say 'inspired by' Dario Argento's Opera (which is a must see if you haven't seen it, reviewed elsewhere on this site), the film centers around the 'school world' and the 'killer world' and what happened when those two worlds meet.

Turns out that this Private Acting School also holds a dark secret, as it's been rumored that the school's founder practiced a unique style of learning that involves murder and pushing the students to the mental limit. As Stella starts to see weird things (including Clown faces), she soon starts to fear for her life as it and everyone she knows becomes a potential victim.

The film stars Michael Balaun, Lucyna Bialy, Lisa Blaschke, Franziska Breite, and Zübeyde Bulut.

Presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1, the film has a dominant yellow tint to it with many scenes, including daytime exteriors rich in that tint. The sound mix is in German DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless surround and is pretty intricate. No dubbed version on this release though surprisingly. The film was released on DVD prior to this release and, while I haven't seen it, I can only speculate that this is the stronger version. The theme, which is a haunting guitar solo, helps lend that Suspiria-like Goblin vibe during creepy moments.

Special Features:

Behind the Scenes Featurette

Deleted Scenes

Music Video Clip

Trailer and Slideshow

In the individual release, the soundtrack CD for the film was included as well as a nice 24-page booklet in its first release. However, the disc looks great and is packed with a good bit of material.

Long story short, if you get this set you'll get the same discs as the individual releases but you won't get the limited edition packaging, soundtracks, or insert booklets.

I was pleasantly surprised by this Blu-ray set and found these films to be oddly complimentary to one another despite their differences. The horror genre hasn't been too original or interesting lately with many reboots and remakes of '80s franchises coming back. At least these films (with the exception of Violent Sh*T) are making original horror flicks that aren't afraid to show some skin and buckets of blood, just like the good old days.

The Sea Wolf

Michael Curtiz's 1941 adaptation of Jack London's The Sea Wolf might never be the book, but it is a really good film with a great cast and Warner Bros. Studios in great form. Edward G. Robinson is the thankless captain of a ship that some have been shanghaied (kidnapped and forced to serve on) including a young man (John Garfield) who has no idea what he is in for. Ida Lupino is great as a woman running from authorities after escaping a place she does not want to be. Add a solid supporting cast that includes Alexander Knox, Gene Lockhart and Barry Fitzgerald, along with a full-sized ship mockup on a Warner set loaded with plenty of gallons of water from their water tower and that's a movie!!!

Seriously, this is well written ans seeing it for the first time in eons and the first time ever in its full 100 minutes, you can see how ambitious and usually successful it is, especially for its age. It may have gotten lost in the success (I won't say pool) of similar ocean-bound dramas, but it also shows the amazing talent the studio had working for them (read the credits and you'll recognize more than a few names on their way to greater success) and it is a film everyone should rediscover.

Note again it will not be available in stores, but from the Warner Archive website, so see more at the end of these reviews. In the meantime, a restored cut means excellent playback on all home theater systems.

The 1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image transfer can show the age of the materials used, but the added materials to make this version the longest yet look good and this is easily superior to all previous releases of the film. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless sound is also surprising and the combination is very watchable and enjoyable. Extras include an Original Theatrical Trailer and later-produced half-hour radio drama adaptation with Robinson that sounds great. For serious radio drama fans used to vinyl records, 8-tracks, cassette tapes, MP3s and hit or miss CDs of such materials, this is also in lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono and proves the fidelity of such dramas can sound even better than most are used to. Its a pleasant surprise here.

Sex Murder Art: The Films Of Jorg Buttgereit (1987 - 1993/Cult Epics Blu-ray Set)

Nekromantik (1987) / Nekromantik 2 (1991)

Films: C/C/C+/C

Cult Epics presents Sex Murder Art: The Films of Jorg Buttgereit, a collection of the German filmmakers key four sexually explicit underground horror films; the necrophilia classics Nekromantik & Nekromantik 2, the death and suicide anthology Der Todesking (The Death King) and the serial killer film Schramm. None of these films are for the faint of heart or those who don't like their movies too extreme. However, if you're a hardcore gore fan, these are must haves for the collection.

Nekromantik (1987) / Nekromantik 2 (1991) / The Todes King (1990) / Schramm (1993)

Hailed as the Citizen Kane of Necrophelia movies (yes, this sub genre exists in the world of Horror Clinema), is Buttgereit's Nekromantik (1987) and its sequel Nekromantik 2 (1991). Starting out a little similar to Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, in that a couple in love end up dying in a deadly car accident, the film quickly takes a morbid turn in a film that you have to see to believe as the man (Daktari Lorenz) brings home a decomposing corpse for his girlfriend and ...you can guess what's next. There's also a second disc with supplemental material as well.

The second film was infinitely seized by authorities in Munich shortly after its release back in 1991, an action which had taken place there since the Nazi era. Which sort of gives you a background of what atrocities you're in for. Switching the main character to a female nurse this time, the woman tries to hide her necrophilia desires from her new boyfriend but still has pieces of her last lover lying around for private time.

Both films are presented in standard definition with full frame aspect ratios and lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. The films were shot on ultra low budgets so the quickly has a sort of experimental/grainy look to it that adds to the effect of what it's aiming for. Part art film, part porn, and just plain disgusting, these films are certainly aimed at a select audience.

The Todes King (1990)

The Todes King is an experimental film that (third of a trilogy), much like the ABCs of Death, focuses on different examples of suicide, death, and murder though here it is categorized by days of the week instead of letters of the alphabet. The film has no reoccurring or main characters, a non-narrative plot line, and outrageously grotesque scenarios. The only thing that connects the pieces together is the vision of a rotting corpse that grows more and more rotten as the film goes aloud... profound.

While I can see some artistic purists gloating about the 'brilliance' of this production, I found it to be ineffective and dumb. Even being a fan of David Lynch and Andy Warhol, this film felt to be more violence for the sake of violence. Maybe that's the point?

Don't be swayed by my opinion if you are interested in the film though and this really is a nice release and is packed with extras, a high definition presentation, and a collectible postcard for the feature-length documentary included.

SPOILERS...

Monday: A man comes home, phones his boss to resign from his job, writes mysterious letters, cleans his apartment & swallows poison in his bathtub. His death is simultaneous with the death of his fish, the only being that was close to him.

Tuesday: A man rents a film in a video store, a movie in which Nazi soldiers are torturing a prisoner. When the young man's girlfriend comes home, she yells at him until he shoots her. He then places a picture frame over the place on the wall where her brain matter was splattered. This whole episode is being shown on a TV screen in a room where somebody has been hanged.

Wednesday: A man and a girl meet in a park in the pouring rain. The man tells the girl about his disastrous sex life with his wife which led to him killing her. The girl pulls out a gun to kill him, but the man takes it from her and shoots himself.

Thursday: A motorway bridge somewhere in Germany, superimposed by the names, ages & occupations of the people who have jumped from it.

Friday: A woman, alone in her apartment, is observing a young, seemingly happy couple in the neighborhood. She spies on them and finds a chain letter in front of her door, urging her to kill herself. Obviously everybody in the house got the letter. She ignores it, eats chocolates and falls asleep, dreaming of surprising her parents when they make love. The camera shows the young couple, dead on their bed. This one, I just kept picturing Dr. Evil from Austin Powers saying 'riiighttt.'

Saturday: A young woman, equipped with a camera and a gun, kills several people in the audience of a rock concert & records it on film, until someone kills her. This hits a little close to home for most Americans as shootouts are not uncommon, this adds to this one being disturbing. What joy do these criminals get out of pointless death? Goes over my head.

Sunday: A man, alone on his bed, is crying and banging his head over and over, violently against the wall, until he succumbs to brain damage. I felt that this was a lackluster and kind of dumb way to end the film but, hey, it's experimental.

Presented in standard definition with a full frame 1.33:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, the film looks as good as to be expected on DVD. However, there is a Blu-ray edition out that looks a lot better.

Schramm (1993)

Using his unique visual storytelling skills, this intense look at the life of a serial killer named Lothar Schramm who lies dying in his own blood and haunted by the unspeakable flashbacks of his life. Wrestling with themes of paranoia, self-harm and rejection the film is a trip into the mind of a Borderline Personality Disorder psychopath.

The film is also presented in standard definition with a full frame aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 track. The lower definition, much like the others in the set, brings a degraded feel to the film.

The discs are packed with extras, which include:

New Director's Approved HD Transfers

Two versions of Nekromantik

Exclusive Introductions for each film by Jorg Buttgereit

Q&A with Jorg Buttgereit

Audio Commentaries

The Making Ofs

Featurettes

Still Photo Galleries

Jorg Buttgereit Trailers

Documentary: Corpse F#cking Art

Short films; Hot Love, A Moment of Silence at the Grave of Ed Gein, Horror Heaven, Bloody Excess in the Leaders Bunker, My Father

Music Video by Jorg Buttgereit; Half Girl - Lemmy I'm a Feminist

Original Motion Picture Soundtracks

Live Concert of Nekromantik 2

DVD Exclusive new art design by Silver Ferox

DVD Exclusive 40-page perfect-bind booklet with Interviews & exclusive photos (first 500 copies only)

Sniper: Ultimate Kill

Claudio Fah's Sniper: Ultimate Kill (2017) is the latest, horrid installment of the extremely tangential, highly unconnected series if Sniper films that is war porn's answer to the XXX hardcore Emmanuel sex films from the 1970s, but not as smart or interesting. This time, poor Tom Berenger (looking like a KGB double for Richard Dreyfus!!!) leading two other soldiers (Chad Michael Collins and Billy Zane, who deserves much better) are heading to Columbia to take out the head of a drug cartel... Continue when you stop laughing.

Danay Garcia is the local 'special agent' who will help them on their mission that is about as realistic as oil and water mixing. Joe Lando also shows up in this awful, goofy mess from people who obviously missed the first few seasons of Narcos and anything else nearly as good. At a long, long, loooonnnnggg 93 minutes, how the actors got through it all without busting a gut rolling on the floor laughing is commendable and shows their highly professional skills in the industry, but this is just inexcusable bad and it is one of the worst straight-to-video torture tests we've endured in a while. Avoid it at all costs!

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is styled down, while the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is harsher than it needs to be and is inconsistent. There are thankfully no extras.

Tokyo Godfathers

On Christmas Eve in Tokyo, three homeless people finds an abandoned baby in a trash on their daily routine search for food. Gin, Hana, and Miyuki are then taken on a epic mission all over Tokyo in search of finding and reunited the baby to it's parents. Along the way, they meet gangsters, policemen, hitmen and taxi cab drivers who all become part of their tale to help reunite parent and child in Satoshi Kon & Shogo Furuya's animated Tokyo Godfathers (2003).

Gin, Hana and Miyuki are three homeless people living together in the back allies of Tokyo. After finding a baby (which they name Kiyoko) they are faced with the moral dilemma of what to do with the child. As they search for the baby's parents they keep running into one trouble after the another. Gin is an alcoholic and left his family after he fell into debt from gambling. Hana is former hostess drag queen who fell onto hard times. And Miyuki ran away from home after she got into a fight with her father and stabbed him ...but all that is set aside when they discover baby Kiyoko.

As they search for Kiyoko's parents, they end up being chased by gangsters, policemen and taxi cab drivers and all the meanwhile taking care of the baby. When they thought they finally found Kiyoko's mother, she turns out to be a kidnapper who wants to commit suicide after her husband left her. Gin, Hana and Miyuki will have use all their wits and skills to rescue and return Kiyoko, and prove that even the homeless can make miracles.

This was a comical, tongue-in-cheek movie. It is about a group of miss matched homeless nobodies who are able to set aside their own differences to (somehow) help an innocent child. Throughout the film as you learn more about each character's backstory they face their own fears, demons and problems. In the end, they help remind you of what is truly precious in life ...family.

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image and DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix are not bad, but I thought the sound was a bit lacking, especially versus the image playback. Extras include behind the scenes featurette, Making of Tokyo Godfathers featurette, sound and art gallery, interview with music director and trailers.

To order the Tokyo Godfathers Umbrella import Blu-ray, go to this link fr it and other hard-to-find releases:

http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/

… and to order either of the Warner Archive Blu-rays Innocent Blood and The Sea Wolf, go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases at:

http://www.wbshop.com/

- Ricky Chiang (War, Otherworld, Tokyo), Nicholas Sheffo (Sea, Sniper) & James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/