Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Western > Action > Crime > Spaghetti > Horror > Shorts > Germany > Comedy > Animation > Video Games > Pop Cult > Smash Palace (1981/MVD/Arrow Blu-ray)

Complete Sartana (1968 - 1970/MVD/Arrow Blu-ray Set)/German Angst (2015/Artsploitation Blu-ray)/Isle Of Dogs (2018/Fox Blu-ray w/DVD)/Ready Player One 4K (2018/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Smash Palace (1981/MVD/Arrow Blu-ray)



4K Ultra HD Picture: A Picture: B/B/B+ & B-/B+/B Sound: B/B/B+ & B-/A/B Extras: B/B/B-/B/B Films: B C+ C+ B C+ /C+/C+/B/B



Here's a wide, diverse variety of genre films that take you places you might not have been before...



Complete Sartana MVD/Arrow Blu-ray Limited Edition version of this set is limited to only 2,500 units.


If you're a fan of Italian Spaghetti Westerns then the name 'Sartana' is no doubt familiar. For the first time thanks to Arrow, these little seen films are now available together in a deluxe boxed set that is packed full of hours and hours of entertainment.


The films star Gianni Garko in the title role (with the exception of Trade your Guns for a Coffin which features George Hilton in the role) and he will stun you as the badass Western Anti-hero. The character is a western vigilante of sorts and each film has a high body count that might even make Clint Eastwood think twice...


Similar to films (and their series) like Django, Ringo, and Sabata, this Spaghetti Western series features a hero that shoots first and asks questions later.


The set includes all five of the Sartana films:


If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death (1968) - Crooked bankers plan an insurance swindle and hire a Mexican Gang to steal the bank's gold but they didn't 'bank' on Sartana intervening.


I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death (1969) - Sartana is falsely accused of robbing a bank, and must find the real robbers and clear his name... if its not too late.


Have a Good Funeral My Friend... Sartana Will Pay (1970) - Sartana tries to uncover a murderous plot in the small town of Indian Creek.


Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (1970) - Sartana arrives in a town and tries to find a hidden fortune of half a million dollars in gold and two million dollars in counterfeit money, but he's not the only one looking for this elusive fortune.


Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin (1970) - Sartana is entrusted to protect some gold... but things aren't exactly as simple as they sound.


Presented in 1080p high definition and restored in 2K from the original film elements, these films look and sound incredible on Blu-ray disc. This release features the original Italian and English soundtracks on all five films, 1.85:1 for the first film, then 2.35:1 for all the sequels and Uncompressed DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 1.0 Mono lossless audio on all of the features and newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack. You'll be hard pressed to find these films looking and sounding better than they do here!


Special Features include...


Audio commentary on If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death by filmmaker Mike Siegel


Audio commentary on I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death by Spaghetti Western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke


Gianfranco Parolini on If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death, a brand-new interview with the writer-director


Fabbio Piccioni on If You Meet Sartana... Pray for Your Death, a brand-new interview with the writer


Sal Borgese on I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death and Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming, two brand-new interviews with the actor


Ernesto Gastaldi on I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death and Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming, two brand-new interviews with the writer


Roberto Dell'Acqua on Have a Good Funeral My Friend... Sartana Will Pay, a brand-new interview with the actor


Sartana Lives, an archive featurette on Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming featuring interviews with actor Gianni Garko and director Giuliano Carnimeo


Sartana Shoots First, a brand-new interview with George Hilton on Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin


Erika Blanc on Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin, a brand-new interview with the actor


Tony Askin on Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin, a brand-new interview with the actor as well


Brand-new video essay on the major actors and supporting players in the official Sartana films


Galleries of original promotional images from the Mike Siegal Archive for all five films


Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films by Roberto Curti and an extensive Spaghetti Western timeline by Howard Hughes.


and Limited Edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin



Three cinematic shorts comprise this anthology feature from brutal German horror filmmakers Jorg Buttgereit, Michal Kosakowski, Andreas Marschall, German Angst (2015) is just that. Bloody, sexy, and grisly tales that are definitely more extreme than what we normally see in cinemas in America. Artsploitation is releasing the film here in all its HD glory and with new bonus material not found on previous releases.


The films include Final Girl by Jorg Buttgereit, tells the story of a young girl who lives with her guinea pig in a dirty apartment in Berlin. While at first she seems innocent and lonely, we quickly discover her wicked revenge plot... which deals with a gagged man tied to her bed.


Make A Wish by Michal Kosakowski centers around a young deaf-mute couple who are attacked by a group of skin heads with malicious intentions.


And Alraune by Andreas Marschall. is set at a sex club which promises the ultimate sexual experience by taking a drug made from the roots of the legendary Mandragora plant. As with any drug, there can be some unexpected side effects from getting too high off of it.


German Angst stars Annika Strauss, Milton Welsh, Lola Grave, Andreas Pape, Mathan Harris, and Deseriee Giorgetti.


The film is presented in 1080p on Blu-ray disc with a 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy Polish 5.1 Dolby Digital mix with English subtitles. The transfer is clean and pretty nice with nothing that sticks out as too off. Fans should be plenty happy with this release.


Special Features include...


Q and A at Fantastic Fest 2015


Behind the Scenes Featurette


Crowdfunding Video for Startnext


Crowdfunding Video for Kickstarter


Official Trailers


Teasers



Wes Anderson is a strong and unique voice in Hollywood and debuts another creative and original piece of work with Isle of Dogs (2018). A stop motion animated film similar in style and tone to his previous The Fantastic Mr. Fox (now on Criterion Blu-ray), here he tells the story of a group of dogs that are banished and living amongst themselves on a remote island outside of Japan. Weird, quirky, and unique Isle of Dogs is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Wes Anderson's style and humor.


The voice cast is incredible and includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, and Frances McDormand.


Atari Kobayashi is a 12-year-old ward to sinister Mayor Kobayashi. When all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to vast Trash Island, Atari sets off in search of his beloved dog, Spots. Once Spots befriends a group of unlikely heroes, he sets off on a journey that can end in either triumph or tragedy.


Presented in 1080p on Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix, the presentation is up to standards for the format. The animation style is by far the most interesting aspect of the film and is captured well here with plenty of detail in the imagery. Also included is an anamorphically enhanced, standard definition DVD of the film with a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix and the same widescreen aspect ratio. A digital copy is also included.


Special Features...


Featurettes - Animators, Isle of Dogs Cast Interviews, Puppets, An Ode to Dogs, Magasaki City and Trash Island, and Weather and Elements


Image Gallery


Theatrical Trailer


There's no doubt that Wes Anderson had some wild and crazy ideas for this one. However, Isle of Dogs doesn't quite hold up to his previous stop motion animated film, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, in terms of replay-ability. The animation here is breathtaking, however the story is a bit confusing at times and has some awkward pacing. As in The Fantastic Mr. Fox, the characters love to talk very fast while throwing out some big words and other mumbo jumbo. While this is a choice of the director and at times cute and funny, it may leave some a bit perplexed. Still, the film is a huge achievement and worth checking out for the animation and style alone.



It seems only appropriate for Steven Spielberg himself to direct a film as massive and effects heavy as Ready Player One (2018), which is of course based on the popular book by Ernest Cline. Taking the virtual world concept (not too far off from The Matrix) and filling it with more pop culture references and cameos than you can shake a stick at, Ready Player One is a fun departure for Spielberg, who has been making way too many 'adult' films as of late it seems.


Shooting this picture at the same time as The Post (4K UHD reviewed elsewhere on this site), Spielberg's style has only evolved over time with more and more big budget special effects and awe factor than maybe ever before whenever he feels like diving into his 'adventure side' of filmmaking. So why does it still feel like something is missing here?


Spielberg doesn't self reference his films (or associated films) as much as one might expect in this world, with only cameos by Back to the Future's DeLorean (and Doc Brown) and a scene involving the T-Rex 'Rexy' from Jurassic Park most noticeable, when he could have REALLY went far and included a easter egg from all his movies here somewhere (or did he?), but I guess he might have felt that too was too cheap or easy. However, the film is packed full of SO MANY references, you'd have to watch it a hundred times with a fast finger on the pause button to catch each and every one. Most impressive, however is (SPOILERS) a sequence where they recreate the set of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980) that is very precise and cool for fans familiar. Ready Player One is pretty close to its source material, aside from some subtle changes here and there.


Ready Player One stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, and T.J. Miller. The soundtrack is by Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future) instead of John Williams, who is the usual soundtrack collaborator. I guess Williams was working on The Last Jedi around the same time, but still makes one wonder if his musical accompaniment would have helped make the film any better.


The future is a depressing place... which is why everybody spends their time in The Oasis, a virtual reality world where you can be anyone and do anything. Wade Watts (Sheridan) is an average video game obsessed kid, who has a massive amount of admiration for The Oasis' late creator who suddenly and mysteriously dies. A contest (not unlike the one in Willy Wonka) for the inheritance of the keys to the Oasis gaming world (and a heck of a lot of money) is hatched and soon players from all over the world attempt to solve the mystery. While Wade Watts starts to unlock the challenges and gain success in the contest, the evil Sorrento attempts to stop him. Along the way, Wade makes new friends, falls in love, and becomes the best version of himself both in (and out) of the gaming world.


Presented in 2160p HEVC/H.265, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image with a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossless 11.1 Dolby Atmos mix, this is top of the line work done by Warner Bros. Also on the disc are tracks in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and in various languages. The 4K Ultra HD features just the feature film itself while the 1080p Blu-ray disc has all of the extras. The film looks great on 4K and doesn't have any issues with motion blurring which is surprising as the film certainly whips around a lot. The colors are rich and everything is highly detailed. This is a great great looking (and sounding) presentation, folks.


Also included is a digital Movies Everywhere copy.


Special Features include...


Game Changer: Cracking the Code


Effects for a Brave New World


Level Up: Sound for the Future


High Score: Endgame


Ernie & Tye's Excellent Adventure


The '80s: You're The Inspiration


Thanks to special effects breakthrough films like Avatar and others, a film of this scale is possible. While it's not exactly perfect story-wise or up there with some of Spielberg's other classics, it's still a lot of fun and looks great on 4K UHD disc.



And finally, an interesting and exhilarating film to say the least, Roger Donaldson's Smash Palace (1981) and stars Bruno Lawrence.


The film centers on Al Shaw (Lawrence), a man who retires from auto racing to take over his father's garage (called Smash Palace) in New Zealand. His wife, Jacqui, is happy that he's no longer risking his life for race, but she quickly becomes bored without the glamorous life they once had. She ends up cheating on him with a policeman and announces that she's leaving Al and taking their daughter, Georgie, with her. Al ends up losing it and decides to kidnap his daughter and head further out into the frontier to start a new life.


The film also stars Bryan Johnson, Don Lee, Anna Maria Monticelli, Desmond Kelly, and Margaret Umbers.


The film is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a fantastic sounding English LPCM 2.0 mix and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix as well. The film was restored and remastered by the New Zealand Film Commission.


Special Features...


Feature Length Audio Commentary by writer-director Roger Donaldson and stunt driver Steve Millen


The Making of Smash Palace, a 51-minute documentary on the film's production featuring interviews with Donaldson, actor Keith Aberdein, filmmaker Geoff Murphy and others


Theatrical trailer


Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips


FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Ian Barr, a contemporary review by Pauline Kael and the original press book.



- James Lockhart

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


Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com