Dead
Still
(2020/Acorn DVD)/Possession
(2008*)/Solid
Metal
Nightmares: The Films Of Shinya Tsukamoto
(1989 - 2018/Arrow/*both MVD Blu-rays)/Survive
The Night
(2020/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
C+/Blu-rays: B+ Sound: C+/Blu-rays: B+ Extras: C/C+/B/C+
Main Programs: C+/C+/C+ (Films:
C+/C/C/B/C/C/C+/C+/C/C+)/C
Here's
a wide-ranging look at different thrillers...
We
start with a new TV series that might be a mini-series or become a
longer multi-season affair. Dead
Still
(2020) is about a still portrait memorial photographer named Brock
Blennerhasset (Michael Smiley from the Luther
series, in Charles Dance mode) making his living many decades ago in
Victorian Ireland. Business is good because he is very good in an
ear of plates and before roll film becomes common, but a series of
murders starts to take place and some wonder if his camera is
capturing 'ghosts' or the like.
A
detective (Aidan O'Hare) steps in to investigate, with Irish mobsters
of the time also afoot and it will take more efforts from he and his
two assistants Connal (Kerr Logan) and niece Nancy (Eileen O'Higgins)
to figure out all that is going no, no matter what.
The
series is not bad and well cast, looking convincingly period for the
most part, should it play this as all serious drama, be an outright
comedy or a bit of both? In this case, it chooses a little more
comedy than I thought it should and that undermines both its period
feel and the development of its own more mature style. You might
like its approach more if you find yourself interested, but I was a
little disappointed.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image has a little softness, but
looks good color wise and is not badly shot throughout, while the
lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is passable, but suggests there is more
sound here should a lossless version ever turn up.
The
only extra is a behind-the-scenes featurette, but it runs over an
hour.
Sarah
Michelle Gellar (Buffy
the Vampire Slayer)
stars in Possession
(2008), which has received a new 1080p Blu-ray release on the MVD
Marquee Collection label. Gellar is quite good in the film and plays
a more dramatic role than she typically does. The film was a big
flop in the box office and came out in the dismal 2008 year where
Gellar had just come out with those awful Grudge remakes so it's not
a shock it didn't captivate too many audiences then.
The
film also stars Lee Pace, Michael Landes, and William B. Davis (The
X-Files).
It is directed by Swedish filmmakers Joel Bergvall and Simon
Sandquist.
Gellar
is newly married woman whose husband and cruel brother end up in a
car accident and comatose. When her husband wakes up, he is in his
brother's body. Soon, Gellar comes to grips with the fact that her
husband was involved in some kind of bizarre body swap... but is he
who he thinks he is? Or is there something more sinister at play?
Possession
is presented in 1080p on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec and a
widescreen aspect ratio in 2.40:1 with audio mixes in English DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit) and English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz,
16-bit) lossless mixes. The film is beautifully photographed and has
a highly cinematic look.
Special
Features include:
Making
of Featurette with star Sarah Michelle Gellar
Deleted
and Alternate Scenes
Original
Theatrical Trailer
and
Reversible Artwork
Next,
if you're into nightmarish Japanese-based body horror and bizarre
fusions of man and machine then you may want to check out the new
Arrow Films boxset of the works of controversial Japanese filmmaker
Shinya Tsukamoto. Solid
Metal Nightmares: The Films Of Shinya Tsukamoto
is a packed set that is a must for lovers of this type of obscure
cinema.
Films
featured in the set include Tetsuo:
The Iron Man
(1989) / Tetsuo
II: Body Hammer
(1992) / The
Adventure of Denchu-Kozo
(1987) / Tokyo
Fist
(1995) / Bullet
Ballet
(1998) / A
Snake of June
(2002) / Vital
(2004) / Haze
(2005) / Kotoko
(2011) / Killing
(2018).
You
can see an interesting arch in Tsukamoto's work in this box set, from
the more experimental and hellish visuals of the Testo
films to a more natural and modern world in Kotoko
and Haze.
This
set is definitely for cult film fanatics with a strong stomach as the
graphic nature of some of these films may be unsettling. However,
Arrow has done a fantastic job of presenting the work of this cult
auteur in a comprehensive manner.
The
films are all presented in 1080p on Blu-ray with MPEG-4 AVC codec
with varying aspect ratios in 1.85:1, 1.81:1, 1.78:1, 1.34:1, and
1.33:1.
As
for as audio mixes they are mainly Japanese DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
Mono lossless sound or different for the following:
Original
lossless PCM 1.0 Mono audio on Tetsuo:
The Iron Man,
Tetsuo
II: Body Hammer
and Tokyo
Fist
Original
lossless PCM 2.0 Stereo audio on Bullet
Ballet
and Haze
Original
lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 on A
Snake of June,
Vital,
Kotoko
and Killing
Optional
lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 on Bullet
Ballet
Special
Features are vast in this set and include:
Audio
commentaries by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes on all ten films,
including brand new commentaries on Tetsuo,
Tetsuo
II,
Tokyo
Fist,
A
Snake of June,
Kotoko,
Killing,
The
Adventure of Denchu-kozo
and Haze
Brand
new career-spanning interview with Shinya Tsukamoto
An
Assault on the Senses,
a brand new visual essay on the films and style of Shinya Tsukamoto
by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp
Multiple
archival interviews with Shinya Tsukamoto, covering every film in the
collection
Shooting
A Snake of June,
an archival behind-the-scenes featurette on the film's production
Archival
The Making of Vital
featurette
Archival
behind-the-scenes featurette on Vital's
world premiere at the Venice Film Festival
Archival
featurette on Vital's
special effects
The
Making of Haze,
an archival behind-the-scenes featurette on the film's production
Kaori
Fuji at the Locarno Film Festival, an archival featurette focusing on
Haze's lead actress
Archival
Background to The
Adventure of Denchu-Kozo
featurette
Tokyo
Fist,
Bullet
Ballet
and Vital
music
clips
Multiple
trailers and image galleries
Limited
edition packaging featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
by Gilles Vranckx, Gary Pullin, Ian MacEwan, Chris Malbon, Jacob
Phillips, Tommy Pocket, Peter Strain and Tony Stella
Double-sided
fold-out poster
and
an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films
by Kat Ellinger, Jasper Sharp and Mark Schilling.
Finally,
Bruce Willis' career continues to fall into obscurity with another
tired home invasion thriller with next to no relatable characters.
Survive
the Night
(2020) centers around Willis' son in the film, a failed doctor and
his family, who are held hostage by a gunman and his brother, who are
both fresh from a killing spree and several robberies.
Willis
plays a dry father in the role and doesn't really stand to action
until about midway through when he finally snaps. Unfortunately
there's a lot of screaming, bad dialogue, and bad acting that will
likely put you to sleep before that point.
The
film also stars Chad Michael Murray, Lydia Hull, Tyler Jon Olson, and
Shea Buckner.
Survive
The Night
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a MPEG-4
AVC codec and an original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.00:1 and
paired with an English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix.
The film is shot like an action thriller with a nice color grade and
a majority of the scenes shot at night. The presentation is fine for
Blu-ray disc, with a digital copy also included.
Special
Features:
"The
Making of Survive the Night"
Featurette
Director/Cast
Interviews
and
Trailers
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Still)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/