A.
I. Rising (2018/Lionsgate
DVD)/Greasy Strangler
(2016/MVD/FilmRise Blu-ray)/Kolobos
(1999*)/Man Who Killed
Hitler and then Bigfoot
(2018/RLJ Blu-ray)/Terra
Formars (2016/*both
MVD/Arrow Blu-rays)
Picture:
B-/B/B-/B+/B+ Sound: B-/B/B/B+/B+ Extras: C+/B/B/C+/B
Films: C-/B/C/B/C+
Here's
one of our wackier sets of genre films of late, not even going into
how some of them are just pure exploitation and/or ripping off better
films...
The
modestly budgeted and sexualized sci-fi film, A.I.
Rising
(2018) is perhaps better than you might expect from the tacky DVD art
(which doesn't even have the lead star Stoya as the robot), but
doesn't offer up anything too new on the subject that hasn't already
been covered by Phillip K. Dick or Issac Asimov. Directed by Lazar
Bodroza, the film explores the relationship between a man and his
female android which goes from professional, to sexual, to deadly.
Blurring the lines between sci-fi and soft core porno, A.I.
Rising
grows tiresome pretty quickly.
The
film stars Sebastian Cavazza, Stoya, Marusa Majer, and Kirsty
Besterman.
A.I.
Rising
is presented on standard definition, anamorphically enhanced DVD with
a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.66:1 and a lossy English 5.1 Dolby
Digital mix. While the image is compressed due to the format and not
as sharp as it could be in HD, this is a passable way to watch the
film, and may make some of the more lackluster digital effects look
better.
Special
Features include...
Behind
the Scenes of A.I. Rising
featurette
Deleted
Scenes
A.I.
Rising - About the Movie
featurette
Interview
with Stoya
and
a Trailer Gallery
One
of the funniest cult comedies in recent memory, The
Greasy Strangler
(2016) is a cinematic journey that you don't want to miss. This
special Director's Edition of the film presents the film in glorious
HD, but in terms of extras there's nothing too new here from the
previous release.
The
equivalent of 'if John Waters made a Napoleon
Dynamite-type
film'. The key highlight of the film is the acting duo of Michael
St. Michaels and Sky Elobar as Big Ronnie and Big Brayden, who play
off one another very well.
Also
starring in The
Greasy Strangler
are Joe Walters, Abdoulaye N'Gom (Grandma's Boy), Holland
MacFallister, Sam Dissanayake, and Elizabeth de Razzo as Janet.
Enjoyment of the film will be based on your sense of humor and I
would suggest watching it with a group for maximum enjoyment as its a
great 'party movie'.
Big
Ronnie (Michaels) and his nerdy son Brayden (Elobar) are a father and
son duo who are living in the midst of a vicious serial killer known
as The Greasy Strangler - a man who not only strangles his victims,
but covers himself in thick amounts of grease before he does so.
While Ronnie and Brayden struggle to maintain their tours of famous
disco locations in their hometown, they soon butt heads over the
presence of Janet (Razzo), a eluding woman who quickly steals both of
their hearts. While the Strangler's victim body counts starts to
increase, the father/son duo must maintain their sanity while keeping
their food extra greasy at the same time.
The
Greasy Strangler
is presented in 1080p high definition with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect
ratio, but no new lossless mixes of any kind, so we have to settle
for English lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and English 2.0 sound that is
good but who knows if we are still missing any sonic details despite
the low budget. The transfer here is much better than the MVD DVD,
with more detail in the clothes and details on some of the more
unflattering features of some of the characters. The film is pretty
colorful overall and has a wide color palette that's nicely utilized.
The score is about as bizarre as one could conjure up, and has to be
heard to be believed.
Special
Features (same as the previous MVD DVD release, reviewed elsewhere on
this site) include...
Feature
length audio commentary with Director Jim Hosking and stars Michael
St. Michaels and Sky Elobar
Interview
with Cast and Crew
and
a Trailer
There
is a release of the film out from Monster Pictures' that contains
over three hours of supplemental material, however, is exclusive to
that release. It's too bad some more of than content wasn't put out
on this release, to make this one more special. This appears to be
identical to the 2016 Blu-ray disc also from Filmrise.
Again,
if you're into raunchy and nonsensical humor, The
Greasy Strangler
can't be recommended enough for a few cheap laughs.
Kolobos
(1999) is a late '90s indie horror flick that's been restored in this
nice Blu-ray edition from Arrow Video. When a group of teens sign up
for a TV reality show in a nice secluded house with cameras rolling
in every room, they soon find themselves trapped inside and are then
forced to combat the house's many deadly traps and tricks... but
everything isn't quite as it seems.
The
film stars Amy Weber, Nichole Pelerine, Ilia Volok, Kim Simms Thomas,
and Linnea Quigley.
Made
in the post-Scream/pre-Saw
era of horror flicks, Kolobos
is set up in a similar fashion in terms of narrative. I can see where
this might have been an inspiration for Cabin
in the Woods
as well in its initial setup. However, the film runs out of gas
halfway through with a painfully predictable ending you can see
coming from a mile away.
Kolobos
is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio
of 1.78:1 and an English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix.
The film is nicely shot and cut, but a bit grainy throughout, which
is likely the intention of the filmmakers, but still a distraction at
times. This is a new 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera
negative with new color grading, so it does look considerably better
than prior releases.
Special
Features include...
Audio
commentary with co-writers and co-directors Daniel Liatowitsch and
David Todd
Ocvirk
Real
World Massacre: The Making of Kolobos
- brand new featurette on the making-of
Kolobos
including interviews with Daniel Liatowitsch, David Todd Ocvirk and
co-writer producer Nne Ebong
Face
to Faceless
- a brand new Interview with "Faceless" actor Ilia Volok
Slice
& Dice: The Music of Kolobos
- a brand new interview with composer William Kidd
Behind-the-Scenes
Image Gallery
Super
8mm short film by Daniel Liatowitsch with commentary
Original
Trailer
and
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully illustrated collector's booklet with new
writing on the film by Phillip Escott
Sam
Elliot shines in the new genre film, The
Man Who Killer Hitler and Then Bigfoot
(2018), which was a huge hit on the film festival circuit. Equal
parts dramatic and comedic, the film maintains a more dark and
serious tone (not unlike Logan
in some early scenes), while it could have easily went a much campier
direction. Despite the fun plot points in the title, the film's
biggest enemy is its B-story which is a romance that's a bit
anti-climatic. Still, this is definitely worth checking out for Sam
Elliot's performance and the absurdity of the story alone.
The
film also stars Aidan Turner, Ron Livingston, Sean Bridgers, Caitlin
FitzGerald, and Larry Miller. It is written and directed by Robert
D. Krzykowski, and is his debut feature.
Calvin
Barr (Elliott) reminisces on his long life full of accomplishments
one night at a bar. Thinking back to the time that he joined the
war, posed as a Nazi soldier, and murdered Adolf Hitler in cold
blood. Thinking that his days of adventure are nearly over, he's
soon called upon to defeat another threat - this time in the shape of
Bigfoot.
Presented
in 1080p on Blu-ray disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and
an English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix, the film looks
and sounds fantastic. The image pushes the limitations of the format
and has plenty of detail and levels of saturation. It would be a
good candidate for the 4K format, so hopefully that'll come down the
line.
Special
Features...
Making
of Featurette
Deleted
Scenes
Elsie
Hooper Short Film
Concept
Art Gallery
and
Reversible Cover Art/Slip Case
And
finally, Takashi Miike's big budget genre film Terra
Formars
(2016), which is similar in some ways to Starship
Troopers
in that a Sci-Fi military must fight off alien creatures resembling
cockroaches. An interesting choice for Miike, whose work is usually
lower budget and more raw, his offbeat (and oftentimes gross) humor
still shines through. The film stars Rinko Kikuchi, Rila Fukushima,
and Shun Oguri.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio and
DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 5.1 lossless
audio mixes in Japanese with English subtitles. The film has a sleek
look to it and has been remastered nicely here with plenty of detail
on the characters, visual effects, and backgrounds.
Special
Features include...
The
Making of Terra Formars
- feature-length documentary on the film's production featuring a
host of cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
Extended
cast interviews
Footage
from the 2016 Japanese premiere
Outtakes
Image
Gallery
Theatrical
and teaser trailers
Reversible
sleeve featuring two artwork options
and
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully illustrated collector's booklet with new
writing on the film by Tom Mes
While
not as engaging as Starship
Troopers,
Terra
Formars
is an interesting films that fans of Miike will want to check out to
see the Director's variety if anything.
-
James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/