Curse
Of The Mayans
(2016/Cinedigm DVD)/Insidious:
The Last Key (2017/Sony
Blu-ray)/Liquid Sky
(1987/Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray)/Path
Of Blood (2013)/Unearthed
& Untold: The Path To Pet Sematary
(2015/both Synapse Blu-rays)
Picture:
B-/B+/B/C+/B- Sound: B-/B+/B/C+/B+ Extras: D/C+/B/A/C+
Films: C/B-/C+/C+/B
And
now for more horror and thriller releases...
So
2012 came and went and there wasn't any end day prophecy that went
down... or was a silent war started without us dumb humans knowing?
In
Curse
of the Mayans
(2016), a group of reptilian lizard men lay await to wage a centuries
old battle with humanity. When a group of underwater explorers
uncover a Mayan temple that's laid dormant and discover the prison
where these aliens are being held, they are soon met with a fate
worse than death.
The
film stars Carla Ortiz, Olga Fonda, and Steve Wilcox to name a few
and is directed by Joaquin Rodriguez.
The
film is presented in standard definition with a widescreen aspect
ratio and a lossy English Dolby Digital 5.1 track, both of which play
fine for the format. The film isn't shot terribly and attempts to
mimic the look of a major Hollywood production. What it's missing is
a more effective cast and a few recognizable names or two to give the
film a boost.
No
extras.
Reminiscent
of The
Decent
films (a bit too much), Curse
of the Mayans
has a few cool creature moments but is nothing groundbreaking.
Lin
Shaye returns to the Insidious
franchise in this spooky fourth installment, Insidious:
The Last Key
(2017), that easily bests the previous two sequels. Centering around
the origin of Shaye's character Dr. Elise Rainer and her troupe of
paranormal investigators. This time she goes back to the haunted
house she grew up in an effort to confront her past and to help a
tormented customer.
All
of the usual tropes of the franchise are present here (which includes
plenty of jump scares) but this film directed by Adam Robitel has a
bit more heart and creepiness factor to it, that makes it almost as
good as the first film.
The
film also stars Josh Stewart, Javier Botet, Spencer Locke, and
Caitlin Gerard.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and
a English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track, the film looks
and sounds up to standards on Blu-ray. The film is pretty dark
throughout but the blacks have been appropriately crushed and the
image is very clear and constant, with no visible issues. A digital
UV is also included.
Special
Features include...
Alternate
Ending
8
Deleted Scenes
Franchise
Recap: "Dive Into the Insidious Universe"
Three
Featurettes:
"Becoming
Elise"
"Going
Into the Further"
"Unlocking
Keyface"
While
I'm sure the Insidious franchise will return, at least it hasn't run
out of too much steam, mostly thanks to the minds at Blumhouse
studios.
Vinegar
Syndrome presents Director Slava Tsukerman's Liquid
Sky
(1982) for the first time in HD. A bizarre and brightly colorful
Sci-Fi/Drug/Comedy, the film centers around some invisible aliens in
a UFO who come to earth searching for heroin. They land on top of a
apartment building that happens to be inhabited by a drug dealer and
her fashion model roommate. The aliens discover something better than
heroin: human pheromones created in the brain during orgasm... and
they soon use the model to mine for this pheromone. To put it
shortly, this film is a little out there...
The
film stars Anne Carlisle, Paula E. Sheppard, Susan Doukas, Otto von
Wernherr, Bob Brady, and Elaine C. Grove.
Presented
in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect
ratio of 1.85:1 and a great sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Mono
lossless track, the low budget film has been superbly restored for
HD. The synth soundtrack is front and center and compliments the
time that the film was made. Even the dated low budget effects don't
look half bad and there's plenty of detail on background and skin
textures, even in this neon colored world. A standard definition DVD
with a compressed presentation is also included, though doesn't look
as good obviously as the Blu.
Special
Features include...
Audio
Commentary track with Slava Tsukerman (director)
Interview
with Slava Tsukerman
Interview
with Anne Carlisle (actress)
Director's
introduction
"Liquid
Sky Revisited"
(2017) - 50 minute making-of documentary
Q&A
from a 2017 Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers screening with: Slava Tsukerman,
Anne Carlisle and Clive Smith (co-composer)
Isolated
soundtrack
Never
before seen outtakes
Alternate
opening sequence
Behind
the scenes rehearsal footage
Multiple
trailers
Still
gallery
Cover
artwork by Derek Gabryszak
If
you're looking for a out there Sci-Fi drug movie with bizarre '80s
fashions, then Liquid
Sky
could be the cult film you're looking for.
At
the end of the 16th century, with the war is over, however various
Samurai now wander the land as Ronin looking for jobs where ever they
can in Japan and beyond... however there is a mysterious path that
has said to reward any Samurai with glory and purpose. Only thing is
that no one has ever returned from the path ...and what swordsman
could pass up on a path that no warrior has ever returned from in the
animated Path
Of Blood
(2013)
Kazuo
is a wandering ronin from battle to battle, it seems like all a
samurai wants is to die in battle with honor ...but without war, a
samurai loses all his purpose. Kazuo hear about a mysterious
mountain path which no one ever has return from and he believes it is
the best place to test his blade, but it is only too late for him to
discover the dangers on the path, rogue samurai, ninjas and a fallen
lord from the previous war.
This
was a movie for all samurai lovers in the animated style of South
Park
of 2-D paper cutouts animation (guess that saves on special effects,
blood and actors). This film is all about blood, gore and
dismemberment. The plot was thin and it basically covers all the
stereotypes of samurai and ninjas, then runs barely over an hour.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is as good as it could
be for the type of animation chosen, but that is still limited, as is
the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix that tends to have a
limited soundfield and tend towards the front speakers.
Extras are where this release really excels and include The
Making of Path of Blood,
a short film, promotional trailer, 'video game' inspired trailer and
image gallery.
Finally
we have Unearthed
& Untold: The Path To Pet Sematary
(2015) a
low budget documentary that gives us a look at the as of yet untold
behind the scenes look at the classic Mary Lambert film Pet
Sematary
(1989), written by Stephen King (in both film and book form). Don't
expect to see any clips from the actual film in this doc, as the
filmmakers cleverly work their way around showing actual clips by
using animated segments, behind the scenes imagery, and some rough
looking home video footage shot by Maine locals. I guess directors
John Campopiano and Justin White (who interview themselves in the
film) didn't want to risk getting sued by Paramount. At any rate,
while it would have been more entertaining with the actual film
footage, there's still a lot to absorb in this 97-minutes-long
documentary that's a enjoyable watch for King fanatics thirsty for
more information.
The
doc features interviews with director Mary Lambert (best known for
her Music Videos from that time), stars Denise Crosby, Dale Midkiff,
Miko Hughes, Brad Greenquist, Andrew Hubatsek, Susan Blommaert, the
Berdahl twins, Michael Lombard, Heather Langenkamp, and others.
While
King's ultra-successful book Pet
Sematary
seems like a no-brainer to be transformed into feature film today,
it wasn't so easy to get it made. After years of trying, Paramount
decided to take the risk and in turn created one of the creepiest
films of all time. Bringing the production to Stephen King's home in
Maine, the small town got the Hollywood treatment and many locals got
a chance at fame.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen presentation of 1.78:1 and
a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) lossless mix, the
presentation is up to Blu-ray quality. A few stills used in the film
have some pixelation issues, however many of the interviews are
pretty clear and the overall look isn't bad. Nothing fantastic in
terms of presentation here but nothing that alters the outcome of the
doc either.
Special
Features include...
Audio
Commentary with Creators John Campopiano & Justin White
Podcast
Commentary with Creators John Campopiano & Justin White
Edited
/ Alternate Scenes
Video
Interview with Creators John Campopiano & Justin White
"PET
TALES
- From the Cutting Room Floor" featurette
PET
SEMATARY Location Photo Compilation
Documentary
Poster Art Concepts
Rare
On-Set Video Footage from Rhonda Carter
Documentary
Sizzle Reel
Promotional
Trailer
Reversible
Art Design by Alexandros Pyromallis
Clearly
a documentary film made by fans for fans, Unearthed
and Untold
sheds some light on the interesting production of Pet
Sematary
since Paramount seems to not be keen on outputting a worthy Blu-ray
edition with more satisfying extras at this time.
-
Ricky Chiang (Blood)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/