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Category:    Home > Reviews > Action > Terrorism > Martial Arts > Comedy > Western > Blaxploitation > Horror > Supernatural > Spy > Cable > Blast (1997/Blu-ray)/Boss (1975/aka Boss N[-word]/VCI Blu-ray w/DVD)/Song Of Solomon (2017/Unearthed Blu-ray/all 3 MVD)/Strike Back: Cinemax Season Five (2017/HBO Blu-ray set)/Transporter 3 4K (2008/L

Blast (1997/Blu-ray)/Boss (1975/aka Boss N[-word]/VCI Blu-ray w/DVD)/Song Of Solomon (2017/Unearthed Blu-ray/all 3 MVD)/Strike Back: Cinemax Season Five (2017/HBO Blu-ray set)/Transporter 3 4K (2008/Lionsgate 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)



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



Now for more rough going action genre releases (including delving into other genres), so get ready to get dirty....



One look at the cover art for Blast (1997) and you can clearly see that its a low budget version of Die Hard. This time, the terrorists target the Atlanta Olympics by kidnapping the women's swim team. It's up to one man, the unlikely janitor Jack Bryant, (who hilariously was also a former Olympic gymnast champion of Tae Kwon Do) whose made amuck of his life has to get his crap together to help save the Swim Team.


Blast is directed by Albert Pyun, and stars Linden Ashby, Andrew Divoff, Kimberly Warren, and Rutger Hauer.


Blast is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a PCM 2.0 Mono mix. The film looks as fine as to be expected considering that its a low budget production from the pre-digital age. There's no doubt that this is the best this film has looked ever as it's heyday was probably back in the era of VHS.


The only extras are Trailers.



Jack Arnold's comical Western Boss (1975/aka Boss N[-word]) from the Blaxploitation Era with Fred Williamson is back in a new Blu-ray/DVD set from VCI, who originality issued it on DVD, a DVD included here and that we reviewed on its own at this link...


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7822/Boss+(1975/aka+Boss+N[-word]/VCI+Entertainmen


In the years since that coverage, a few good Westerns have turned up in the genre (the 3:10 To Yuma remake, Tarantino's Hateful Eight and Django Unchained), the dead genre has had a few (very few) sincere attempts in TV series and telefilm/straight-to-video form, but they were not memorable. Worse, a new cycle of bad retro-Westerns have surfaced so bad that they seem to celebrate being formula and all too often, like the current condition of mostly bad Country Music that resembles Country very little (Ms. Twain, for example), the 'films' do not really seem to take place in their era, seem as exciting as a Little House On The Prairie episode and feel more like the 1980s then the real West. More than a few even seem to be trying to reassert a certain White Supremacy/White Nationalism inherent to the early days of the Western even before it became a full fledged genre in 1939 with the original Stagecoach. Boss gains a whole new value and strength (along with Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles, of course in a whole different way) in the face of these mistakes being (purposely) repeated.


The DVD was a little weak in payback quality, so the HD upgrade, despite its flaws, is very welcome. The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image has some fading and definition issues throughout, but that still is a good improvement over the old DVD and the Todd-AO 35 lensing of the 35mm-shot film overcomes some of these flaws with the character of those lenses. Too bad the colorist(s) could not rehabilitate the color quality enough, but this will do for now. The sound is upgraded to PCM 2.0 Mono and is even more consistent in quality, adding that I doubt it can sound much better than this.


Extras are the same as the DVD version and that's fine, but it is a shame some new featurette was not made, new interview created or some kind of update on the cast and crew present. The film deserves rediscovery and despite its full title, should get it. Definitely worth going out of your way for to see just once, especially for serious film fans.



A welcome entry in the Exorcism-sub genre, The Song of Solomon (2017) makes it way onto Blu-ray after a lot of hype amongst the underground horror fan community and an ambitious crowdfunding campaign. Director Stephen Biro (who also has a small role in this film's opening scene) is the mastermind behind UnEarthed Films and helps keep the underground horror community alive. While this film is certainly too gory to get into mainstream cinemas, the execution, despite its efforts, leaves something left to be desired.


The film's strongest links are not only its fantastic special effects by Jerami Cruise (TOETAG EFX) and Marcus Koch (AGP: Bloodshock) but also in its lead Jessica Cameron (a horror filmmaker in her own right who has directed two features including Truth or Dare, which has hit on the festival circuit), who does fine in her possession role and doesn't have a problem spitting up some guts or being drenched in gallons of fake blood. However, the film could have went even FURTHER I feel with some things to make it even more intense and unsettling. We are in the ballpark of unsettling here... but for an American Guinea Pig film (or at least one its title is being slapped on) I expected this to be more milder than it actually was.


A girl named Mary (Cameron) is possessed by a demon and its up to a handful of exorcists to try to free her from this wicked spell. After forcing her father to kill himself, and fatally wounding a few other priests who try, she comes face to face with one in particular that challenges the unholy spirit within her. Will the demon be exercised or will it be stuck within her forever?


The film is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix, both of which are fine for this being a lower budget production. The cinematography isn't perfect but not necessarily terrible and overall there aren't any glaring issues with presentation here.


Special Features:


Audio Commentary with Stephen Biro & Jessica Cameron


Audio Commentary with Stephen Biro, Marcus Koch & Jerami Cruise


Behind the Scenes/Making of


Outtakes


Photo Gallery


Video Interview with Actress Jessica Cameron


Video Interview with Writer/Director Stephen Biro


Video Interview with Special Effects Artist Marcus Koch


Video Interview with Director of Photography Chris Hilleke


Video Interview with Actor Gene Palubicki


and Video Interview with Actor David McMahon



All in all, Solomon is worth watching but feels a little rushed, especially after all of the hype that surrounded it.



The realistic modern UK war drama, Strike Back: Cinemax Season Five (2017), returns for a fifth season on Cinemax and now lands on Blu-ray disc. Similar in tone to films like Sicario, Strike Back is a gritty drama with realism in its execution down to the casting, production value, and costuming. This season features 10 hard hitting episodes.


This Strike Back stars a whole new cast: Warren Brown, Daniel MacPherson, Alin Sumarwatta, and Roxanne McKee.


The season stars when maniacal terrorist Omair Idrisi escapes from Syrian authorities with plans to launch an unprecedented attack that must be stopped before it begins. It's up to the badass special ops team, Section 20 who are entrusted to track down Idrisi and his British co-conspirator wife, Jane Lowry.


Presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with the original 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix, the show here looks better than it did on its original digital broadcast on television with enhanced sound and picture clarity. Realism is the main thing here and on that front, this presentation delivers. The desert locations are tinted yellow and green while character details take center stage next to the high budget soundtrack. This is definitely a high-end production and the money is on the screen here.


A digital copy is also included.


Special Features include...


The New Team Featurette


and Strike Back Season 5: DeClassified - an inside look at each episode



Finally we have the third (and last for its lead) entry in Jason Statham's hit franchise, Oliver Megaton's Transporter 3 4K (2008), gets a butt kicking new release in 4K Ultra HD. A step up from the (also included) 1080p Blu-ray version of the film, the detail here in incredible despite a lot of movement and action, there's never a loss of clarity and now the film has been remixed in Dolby Vision that makes the film even better. If you're a big fan of the film, then you'll want to upgrade.


The film also stars Natalya Rudakova, Francois Berleand, Robert Knepper, and Jeroen Krabbe. The film is written by Luc Besson (The Professional) and Robert Mark Kamen.


Frank Martin (Statham) returns for a third time with his impeccable car driving and ass kicking skills. This time he has to deliver Valentina (Rudakova) a sexy Ukrainian government official, from Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. On the way there, he has to protect her from a mini army of thugs that want to intercept her.


The film is presented in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image and a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1. As mentioned, this disc features both the Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless mix (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown) that really pushes the film to the next level. Especially in scenes such as the explosive car chase sequence and others that are high in action. Also included is the 1080p Blu-ray from the previous release and similar specs.


A digital copy is also included.


Special Features include...


Audio Commentary with Director Olivier Megaton


"Special Delivery: Transporters in the Real World" Featurette


"Making of Transporter 3" Featurette


Storyboards


Visual Effects


The Sets


and Theatrical Trailer


For another enthusiastic take on the film, try our original Blu-ray/DVD review when the film first hot home video...


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8342/The+Transporter+3+(2008/Lionsgate+Blu-ray+++D



- Nicholas Sheffo (Boss) and James Lockhart

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


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