Criminal
Life Of Archibaldo De La Cruz
(1955/VCI)/Giallo
Essentials: Volume Three - Black Edition
(1972 - 1974*)/Necro
Files
(1997/Wild Eye)/The
Righteous
(2021*)/Sacred
Spirit
(2021/*all Arrow)/Xpiation
(2017/Unearthed/all MVD Blu-rays)
Picture:
B/B+/B-/B+/B+/B+ Sound: C+/B+/B/B+/B+/B+ Extras:
C/B+/B/B/B/C+ Films: C+/C+/C/C+/C+/C-
Here's
a bizarre cross-section of genre films for you to consider....
We
start with a murder thriller by Luis Bunuel, The
Criminal Life Of Archibaldo De La Cruz
(1955) was a hit in its time, with a young boy who seems to get the
deadly wishes of other people to die when he gets a music box. A
coincidence or something more supernatural, we join him as an adult
and the 'music box trend' continues and death seems to visit all the
women he comes into contact with.
Playing
like a precursor to the original Rod Serling Twilight
Zone,
some moments are truly creepy, while others do not always age or work
as well. Serling and his writing team (Charles Beaumont and Richard
Matheson in particular) quickly perfected this kind of storytelling
and in quicker time, but were criticized when the sow expanded to an
hour. This kind of tale is hard to sustain for more than a
half-hour, but this film runs 87 minutes and holds its own well
enough.
We
do get some fine performances from the cast that includes Ernest
Alonzo as the title character as an adult, Miroslava, Rita Macedo,
Andrea Palma, Adriane Welter, Rodolfo Landa and others who more than
deliver. There are slight Noir elements here and it can get surreal,
though not as full blown as Bunuel has been in other, more famous
films of his. Thus, it is a very interesting entry in his
filmography to check out and see a legendary artist in rare form.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfer can show the age of the materials used at times, but this is
far superior a transfer to all previous releases of the film and
holds its own against the rest of the titles here, which range 17
years to 67 younger. The restoration from the 35mm archival
negatives. It is a 4K scan and more hard work went into this than it
would first appear. Good work!
The
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is not bad and I had hoped for a
lossless track, but this is good ands you can still hear parts of the
surviving audio elements that just were not able to be totally fixed.
That is not very frequent, but it happens and of course, this has
subtitles.
A
video essay on the film lasting nearly a half-hour by Dr. David Witt
is the only extra, but it is a good one worth seeing after you watch
the film.
Arrow's
Giallo
Essentials: Volume Three - Black Edition
(1972 -
1974) comes out in another collectible box set that's a must for fans
of the classic Italian sub genre. The other two volumes in this
black collection (the Red
and Yellow
editions, reviewed elsewhere on this site,) these erotic mysteries
are all very well done and were made in the height of the movement
when filmmakers like Dario Argento were making a splash with similar
films: Smile
Before Death
(1972,) The
Killer Reserved Nine Seats
(1972) and The
Weapon, the Hour, the Motive
(1974)
Disc
One: Smile
Before Death
Silvio
Amadio's Smile
Before Death
centers on a girl whose mother dies in an unusual way and she is lead
to believe that her stepfather made be involved.
The
film stars Jenny Tamburi, Silvano Tranquilli, Rosalba Neri, Hiram
Keller, Dana Ghia, and Zora Gheorgieva.
The
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and audio mixes:
English dubbed and Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks that sound great.
Special
Features:
Brand
new audio commentary by authors and critics Troy Howarth and
Nathaniel Thompson
Original
Italian and English front and end titles
Smile
of the Hyena,
a brand new video interview with Stefano Amadio, film journalist and
son of director Silvio Amadio
Never-before-seen
extended nude scenes, not used in the final film
and
an Image Gallery.
Disc
Two: The
Weapon, The Hour, The Motive
In
Director's Francesco Mazzei crime / thriller, a priest is killed in a
church and was thought to be a bit more sexually promiscuous than he
should be for his role. Who is responsible?
The
film stars Renzo Montagnani, Bedy Moratti, Eva Czemerys, Salvatore
Puntillo, Claudia Gravy, and Alcira Harris.
The
film is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an
MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a lossless
Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono track with optional English subtitles.
Special
Features:
Brand
new audio commentary by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
A
Man in Giallo,
a brand new video interview with actor Salvatore Puntillo
Front
and end titles for the lost English-language dub
and
an Image Gallery.
Disc
Three: The
Killer Reserved Nine Seats
Nine
people are all brought to a theater where they are trapped inside and
targeted by a killer in this unique tale of revenge and murder. This
film is full of fun characters, and has some sexual innuendos behind
it too.
The
Killer Reserved Nine Seats
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and English dubbed and
a lossless Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks. The filmmaking is
interesting and creative and the set of the old theater is pretty
atmospheric.
Special
Features:
Brand
new audio commentary by author and critic Kat Ellinger
Hanging
with Howard,
a video interview with actor Howard Ross
Writing
with Biagio,
a video interview with screenwriter Biagio Proietti
Italian
theatrical trailer (in Italian and English)
Image
gallery
and
Individual illustrated collector's booklets for each film in the
First
Pressing Only.
If
you like zombies, gore, demonic babies and other madness then you'll
want to check out the outrageous horror flick, The
Necro Files
(1997) which is an intense underground film now getting a new release
on disc. This has been named an American Video Nasty by many and
hasn't been easy to locate over the years.
The
zombies in The
Necro Files
aren't just interested in flesh eating, but have sexual urges for the
living as well in this twisted film from Matt Jaissle. The film
stars Steve Sheppard, Gary Browning, and Todd Tjersland. Let's just
say this NC-17 rated film earns its rating.
The
film is presented in upscaled 1080i on Blu-ray disc with lossy,
English 2.0 Dolby Digital sound and lossless, English DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 2.0 audio mixes (both barley stereo) and optional
English Subtitles. The movie has a very grainy and shot on video
look to it that isn't helped much by 1080p high definition let's face
it.
Special
Features:
Limited
Edition Slipcover: FIRST
PRESSING ONLY
Brand
New Audio commentary with producer/ director Matt Jaissle
Second
Audio Commentary with Matt Desiderio of Horror Boobs and Billy
Burgess of the Druid Underground Film Festival
Brand
New Video chat with director Matt Jaissle
Matt
Jaissle Super 8 Short Films
Chilean
Talk Show Segment
Dong
of the Dead: The Making of The Necro Files
documentary
The
Necro Files Original Trailer
The
Corpse:
Super 8 Short Film
Bonus
Movie: Necro
Files 3000
(2017 sequel)
Necro
Files 3000 Trailer
Visual
Vengeance Trailers
Retro
VHS sticker set
The
Necro Files Official Condom
Reversible
Sleeve featuring original VHS art
Collectible
Mini Poster
and
a 2-Sided Insert.
The
Righteous
(2021) is
a stunning directorial debut from Mark O'Brien and is a black and
white modern day horror film centers on a priest whose mourning the
sudden death of his daughter when a mysterious man shows up at his
doorstep. When the priest and his wife set the man stay with him
then get bleak in this supernatural occult thriller.
The
film is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an
MPEG-4 AVC codec, a black and white HD image, a widescreen aspect
ratio of 2.39:1, and lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1
(48kHz, 24-bit) and LPCM 2.0 Stereo mixes.
Extras
include:
Brand
new audio commentary by writer, director and actor Mark O'Brien and
editor Spencer Jones
Cast
and crew interviews with writer/director/actor Mark O'Brien, producer
Mark O'Neill, actors Henry Czerny, Mimi Kuzyk, and Kate Corbett,
editor Spencer Jones, cinematographer Scott McClellan, and production
designer Jason Clarke
Roundtable
discussion with Mark O'Brien and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
and Chad Villella of Radio Silence
Stage
Presentation and Q&A with Mark O'Brien and Henry Czerny from the
World Premier at Fantasia International Film Festival 2021
Grimmfest
2021 live-streamed Q&A with Mark O'Brien
Original
soundtrack
Image
gallery, accompanied by the film's original score by Andrew Staniland
Reversible
sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Grant Boland and Oink
Creative
and
FIRST
PRESSING ONLY:
Fully illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the
film by Sean Hogan.
The
Sacred Spirit
(2021) involves a
missing girl and a Spanish UFO group comprised of several strange
individuals, all which supernatural beliefs. As the community mourns
this missing girl, her uncle holds a secret to her disappearance, and
goes about strange preparations when nobody is looking. Things get
more complex when he was to look after her twin sister and a ritual
with Egyptian influence is uncovered.
The
film is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an
MPEG-4 AVC codec, an original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and lossless,
Spanish DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and LPCM 2.0
Stereo mixes with English subtitles (optional). The film is nicely
photographed and in an interesting manner. It captures the Spanish
culture well and has several visual motifs. The filmmaking on a
whole here is quite solid.
Special
Features include:
Exclusive
second disc containing a selection of award-winning short films by
director Chema Garcia Ibarra
Fully
illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by
Shelagh Rowan-Legg, author of The
Spanish Fantastic: Contemporary Filmmaking in Horror, Fantasy, and
Sci-fi
Fold-out
poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Oink
Creative
and
a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
by Oink Creative.
Disc
One (paired with feature)
Beyond
the Eye of Horus,
a visual essay about the use of surveillance and Egyptology in The
Sacred Spirit
by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Pyramid
Scheme,
a visual essay examining conspiracy, class and capitalism in The
Sacred Spirit
by Josh Nelson
Domestic
Science Fiction,
an interview with writer-director Chema Garcia Ibarra
Behind
the Scenes, four short featurettes shot during production
Elche
Vision,
a series of six location reports about the making of the film, hosted
by actress Lorena Iglesias in character as Esther Armengol, presenter
of The Sacred Spirit's fictional local TV show
Promotional
videos in which the characters of The
Sacred Spirit
talk about themselves
Uncut
TV Clips, background television broadcasts shot especially for the
film and presented here in full
Image
gallery
and
a Theatrical Trailer.
Disc
2
Domestic
Sci-Fi: The Short Films Of Chema Garcia Ibarra
(Limited Edition Exclusive)
The
Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5
(2008) 7 mins, Sundance Film Festival Award Winner
Protoparticles
(2013) 8 mins, Sundance Film Festival Award Winner
Mystery
(2013) 12 mins, Berlin International Film Festival Award Winner
Uranes
(2014) 59 mins
The
Disco Shines
(2016) 12 mins, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent
Cinema Award Winner
and
The
Golden Legend
(2019) 11 mins, Ann Arbor Film Festival Award Winner.
Finally,
Xpiation
(2017) is
a surrealist torture film that aims to mix torture with weird
nightmarish visuals to an overall unpleasant viewing experience. The
effects are photography is interesting, but the story is paper thin
as this is strictly one for fans of this niche horror sub-genre and
the gore-hounds.
A
heavily tattooed man is duct taped to a chair and tortured in an
abandoned warehouse while a weird old lady watches. As the film
progresses, the man gets more and more tortured until he must wear
heavy bandages on his face. All of the while, this weird lady
watches and records it.
The
film stars Emanuele Delia, Chiara Pavoni, Simone Tolu, Karen Lynn,
and Chris Milewski.
Xpiation
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and lossless 2.0 PCM
Stereo audio mix. Considering this is an independent underground
film, it looks and sounds fine for what it is.
Special
Features:
Bloopers
Interview
with Director
Stills
Gallery
and
Trailers.
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Cruz)
and James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/