Cut
(2000/Blu-ray*)/Fuller
House: The Complete Fourth Season
(2019/Warner DVD Set)/Hot
Dog ...The Movie
(1983/Synapse Blu-ray)/Mr.
Nice Guy
(1997/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/The
Wheel
(2019 PAL DVD/*both Umbrella Imports)
Picture:
B+/B-/B/B+/B- Sound: B+/B-/B-/B+/B- Extras: B/D/B-/C/D
Main Programs: C+/B-/B-/B/C-
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Wheel
DVD and Cut
Blu-ray are now only available from our friends at Umbrella
Entertainment in Australia, can only play on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD
players that can handle the PAL DVD format in the case of Wheel,
while Mr.
Nice Guy
is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive
series. All can be ordered from the links below.
This
is a mix of comedy with all kinds of twists and turns, for better and
worse....
Molly
Ringwald stars in Cut
(2000), which is a fun slasher film in the same vein as Scream
and Wes
Craven's A New Nightmare.
A low budget slasher film called 'Hot Blooded' is made and the
killer on the set actually commits murder, rendering the film never
finished. Decades later a group of film students attempt to complete
the film and even get its star Vanessa Turnbill (Ringwald) back as
the lead. However the production of the film is cursed and soon the
screenplay becomes frighteningly real.
The
film also stars Jessica Napier, Sarah Kants, Cathy Adamek, Geoff
Revell, and Stephen Curry to name a few.
Cut
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a 1.78:1
widescreen aspect ratio and a 2.0 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Stereo
lossless mix, both of which look and sound fine for the format. The
soundtrack is pretty 1990s but works fine for the time period in
which the film was made. This is a new 4K restoration from the
original 35mm interpolative and has a nice saturated look. To my
knowledge, this is the film's first release in HD.
Special
Features include:
Audio
Commentary with Director Kimble Rendall and Writer Dave Warner
Behind
the Scenes of CUT
Interviews
with Cast & Crew
Storyboards
HAYRIDE
TO HELL Short (1995)
and
an Original Theatrical Trailer
Cut
is a fun slasher film that's worthy of revisiting in this new release
from Umbrella.
It's
the next generation of Full
House
with literally the next generation. Fuller
House: The Complete Fourth Season
(2019)
follows the life of DJ, her sister Stephanie and their best friend
Kimmy as they all now live together in their father's San Francisco
bay home, raising their kids and babies just like their fathers' did.
Now, it's the girl's turn to deal with raising teenagers. Ahh,
youth... the pleasure, the pain, ...it's all there... along with the
family.
Fuller
House
continues with along with DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy and their families
all living together in the same house. DJ has 3 sons, Jackson, Max
and Tommy. Kimmy has one daughter Romona and is being a surrogate
mother for Stephanie and Jimmy's baby. For some reason DJ, Stephanie
and Kimmy are all single mothers (on and off) in various
relationships. DJ basically takes the place her father, as the heart,
spirit and leader of the house. Stephanie has taken the place of
Uncle Joey and is the funny aunt. And Kimmy has taken Uncle Jesse's
place as the irresponsible (but lovable) aunt.
Fuller
House
is, of course, the continuation of the popular series from the 1980s,
Full
House.
Taking place in the heart of San Francisco with a very extended
family all living under one roof. It is the dream of what would life
be like if you could live and grow up with a group of your best
friends. It is filled with family drama and comedy, mixed in with
modern day pop culture reference. The jokes are family oriented and
at times it breaks the 4th and 5th wall. From time to time, the
original actors from Full
House
will show up as guest stars.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image and lossy Dolby Digital 5.1
sound is the same as the previous DVD sets, professional at best for
the older format, but nothing beyond a typical sitcom and there are
no extras.
Episodes
this time include:
Oh
My Santa
- It's Christmas and it's up to DJ to get everyone in the Christmas
spirit.
Big
Night
- Steve and DJ goes out on a date but get stuck in traffic and
everything goes wrong.
A
Sense of Purpose
- Stephanie begins turing into a mom-zilla as the baby is coming.
Ghosted
- Steve and DJ must find a way to celebrate their 2 week anniversary
together.
No
Escape
- DJ and Steve go out on a double date with Matt and his girlfriend.
Angel's
Night Out
- DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy go for a girls night out on a 70's cruise,
while uncle Joey gets to watch the kids.
President
Fuller
- Max runs for class president and Stephanie has a showdown with a
clown.
Driving
Mr. Jackson
- Jackson and Romona go to their first high school party ...with
beer. Uncle Jesse is really popular with all the single mothers.
Perfect
Sons
- Fernando's mom comes for a surprise visit, and everyone has to
pretend it is 'Fernando's' house.
Golden-Toe
Fuller
- Jackson becomes a football star, but how long will stardom last?
It's
Always Open
- DJ worries that Jimmy isn't going to be a responsible father when
the baby comes.
The
Prom
- Jackson and Ramona go to their first prom, but... things go wrong
and they all end up single.
and
Opening
Night
- It's ladies night out, but then Kimmy starts going into labor.
Peter
Markle's Hot
Dog ...The Movie
(1983) always gets chuckles still to this day when it is brought up
and the idea that it has received an impressive new restoration is
getting more laughs as so many serious classics still need work and
this film gets the help it needs first, I get the irony. However,
the film (a hit at the time) is a bit forgotten, has a following and
is one of the best of the films that were made in the wake of the
massive blockbuster success of John Landis' National
Lampoon's Animal House,
The
Blues Brothers,
Porky's
and Caddyshack.
Made
before the advent of the Internet en masse, the rise of home video,
before AIDS was considered a concern for everyone and as the XXX sex
film industry was about to capitulate to the home video market,
Patrick Houser plays a small town guy who loves skiing and believes
he has a talent that would make him a freestyle champ, so he gets a
van and drives to a competition, meeting a young lady (Tracy N.
Smith) along the way. As they sort of get involved, she sticks with
him al the way to his destination, he quickly delves into the events
on and off the slopes.
There
is his Germanic competition (John Patrick Reger with a pre-Arnold
Schwarzenegger accent), his ex-girlfriend (all-time Playboy Magazine
Playmate great Shannon Tweed, more than holding her own before ever
pairing up with KISS legend Gene Simmons), and David Naughton
(Landis' An
American Werewolf In London,
keeping his clothes on this time) as the head guide to the local team
taking on the Germans. The supporting cast and extras are also good,
getting in the spirit of things.
For
those unfamiliar with these kinds of films, expect nudity and soft
core sexual situations, but at the time, it was no big deal and the
approach and attitude would continue in films like Youngblood
with Rob Lowe (though the Brat Pack films would be strangely sexually
oppressive too in their own way) and Real
Genius
with Val Kilmer (though the genius/geek films would be more about
comedy) before movies started becoming too mall friendly and phony,
thus killing fun filmmaking like this.
Yes,
you can also say some of this is definitely politically incorrect and
increasingly, you would not see some of the moments in the film
appearing in most films today, so that is sad and makes this a time
capsule none of the makers could have imagined it being at the time.
Not for children, the film will finally get its due for a whole new
generation thanks to this Synapse Blu-ray release and though no
masterwork of cinema, it knows what it is, goes with it and that is
better than most of the bad comedies and pretentious blockbuster
garbage we have suffered through all too often in recent years.
Those interested should definitely give this one a look.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer comes from a
new 4K Ultra HD scan of the original, uncut 35mm negative and though
there are a few parts that can show the age of the materials used,
but this is far superior a transfer to all previous releases of the
film and the color quality is impressive as it is rich. Yes, you can
see some heavy grain here and there, but this will surprise those who
have never seen the film in a quality film print or have low
expectations of the film. The skiing work is a huge beneficiary,
though it is not a Warren Miller film or as good as the James Bond
skiing sequences of the time (For
Your Eyes Only,
The
Spy Who Loved Me)
it tries to emulate at times, its better than many that followed and
was itself imitated.
Sound
is here in a new DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix as well as
a reproduction of its original theatrical monophonic sound in DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless sound, but I actually liked the
5.1 mix a bit more and thought it clarified dialogue and music, plus
resolved the overall mix better than expected. A truly pleasant
upgrade, purists can still turn to the old version if they disagree.
Extras
include
HOT
DOG: THE DOCUMENTARY
- An all-new 50-minute featurette including new interviews with
director Peter Markle, co-producer/writer Mike Marvin, and cast
members David Naughton, Tracy Smith, John Patrick Reger, and Frank
Koppala, a Feature Length Audio commentary with co-producer/writer
Mike Marvin, Original theatrical trailer, a TV spot, radio spots, and
music video. Plus, a paper pullout with liner notes by TEEN MOVIE
HELL author, Mike McPadden.
Pre-Rush
Hour
Jackie Chan stars in Mr.
Nice Guy
(1997), directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung) which is an action packed
extravaganza from scene one. Definitely worth seeking out in this
exclusive (limited) Warner Archive Collector's Edition, the film has
been remastered for Blu-ray and looks better than ever. Fun watching
for Jackie Chan's signature fight choreography alone, the simple plot
is well executed well here for a fine popcorn muncher.
The
film is presented in this release in its full extended original cut
(97 min) as well as the original edited (88 min) version of the film
as well.
The
film also stars Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, Richard Norton, Miki Lee,
Karen McLymonth, and Barry Otto to name a few.
A
news reporter (Fitzpatrick) gains brutal evidence against a drug lord
who has no problem dropping a dump truck full of granite on anyone
who crosses him (quite literally in the opening sequence.) Luckily,
this reporter bumps into Jackie Chan who helps protect her from this
villainous gang, who are hot on their tails.
Mr.
Nice Guy
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a
widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and an English DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) lossless 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mix. The score by Peter Kam is
lively and fun as well to aid on the journey.
Special
Features include:
New
Line Cinema Edited Version of the film
and
a U.S. Trailer (bad SD quality).
Finally,
there are some movies so bad that few ever speak of them. The
Wheel
(2019), also known as 2099:
The Soldier Protocol,
is one of those films.
A
man in a wheelchair named Matt volunteers for an experimental
government program where he is injected with some super serum in
hopes of regaining mobility in his legs. After which he is tortured
over and over again in different ways and monitored in a program
known as 'The Wheel', only he miraculously gains healing abilities
just like Wolverine from the X-Men
series. Of course, one of the scientists helps him escape and he is
soon on the run to escape the facility he is being held in and faces
those who tortured him.
The
film stars Jackson Gallagher, Kendal Rae, Belinda McClory,
Christopher Kirby, and David Arquette with direction by Dee
McLachlan.
The
Wheel
is presented in an anamorphically enhanced standard definition DVD
with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossy 5.1 Dolby
Digital mix. Compression issues are evident throughout as is the
norm with the format but it looks as good as it can here. The
cinematography isn't too bad given the budget and the fact that most
of the film takes place in a futuristic government-type facility.
Most of the film is heavily reliant on green screens as nearly every
shot has some type of futuristic panels or digital tech of some sort.
The result is mixed.
No
extras.
The
Wheel
is soulless and drab with actors that are stiff as boards. The
concept has been done before in more effective ways than this. If
you can make it to the end, which is a feat in itself even though the
film only has a 90 minute runtime, there are a few unpoetic twists
that you can see coming from a mile away.
To
order
either of the
Umbrella import Cut
Blu-ray and/or Wheel
DVD, go to this link for them and other hard to find releases at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
...and
to order the Warner Archive Blu-ray Mr.
Nice Guy,
go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases
at:
http://www.wbshop.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Hot
Dog),
Ricky Chiang (Fuller)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/