Demons (Special Edition) (1986) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)What can be said about Demons ? The one thing that comes to mind is that it's stood the test of time after 16 years. I consider myself a huge movie buff and this is one of the films that scarred me as a child. I can reall watching this flick with my dorm buddies in both the Air Force and colleage and they were enterainted by it. What makes this film so scary is the gore and effects. When I was 4 my parents banned from me seeing this movie. My first time seeing it I know why the film isn't for those who can't handle gore or have weak stomach. The musical score and tense pacing are amazing and if you watch the film in pitch black with surround sound it'll give you a few scary moments. I give the fim *** out of four. I give this rating based on the camera work and score. The film's only bad point is the dubbing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Demons (Special Edition) (1986)

DEMONS - DVD Movie

Get 50% OFF

Click here for more information about Demons (Special Edition) (1986)

Ghetto Freaks/Way Out (1970) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Something Weird's typically garish sleeve design and sensationalistic copy don't really do these two topical films justice. In fact, in the case of WAY OUT (1967), based on a stage play by reformed junkie John Giminez (who also plays a role in the film), it would seem history itself has also not done the film justice, consigning it to the dustbin of reformed junkie pictures until Something Weird rescued it from an undeserved oblivion.
Though ostensibly the second feature on Something Weird's double bill, WAY OUT is actually the more important film cinematically and perhaps historically, utilizing as it does a largely Puerto Rican cast of real-life former heroin addicts who, surprisingly, are extremely capable performers. Their experiences clearly inform the characters they play, and while we're only given small hints about the kind of socio-economic conditions that might lead a young man (or woman) to start mainlining (the dingy New York boroughs in which the film was shot are a fairly obvious visual clue), we're spared no grisly detail of the chronic addiction cycle experienced by them once they do, and the lives and families they often destroy.
This is a film that would probably stand up to inclusion in the Criterion Collection, not so much for what it "says" (heroin is bad; nothing new there) but for how it dared to say it with an amateur cast in 1966, a time when most exploitation pictures dealing with drugs adopted one of two crackpot philosophies: a) junkies and hippies are evil and only the law, the government or the church can stop them (in films made by conservatives); or b) junkies and hippies are pacifist heroes, screwed over by the law, the government, the clergy or all three (films made by liberals). WAY OUT has no such agenda beyond illustrating in often graphic detail the day-to-day existence of the addict, the circle of lowlifes he must traverse in search of another elusive "fix", and the people he hurts on his way down.
This is raw meat for 1966, often downright painful to watch and never preachy until the heartfelt coda where the performers all break character, confess that Jesus saved them, and march down the street in unison belting out a gospel tune! Yes, this is, at its heart, a Christian film, though one probably made more with neighborhood rehabilitation clinics and missions in mind than grindhouses or drive-ins or even churches. Where "churchy" pictures, then as now, tended to be downright laughable in their conservative moralizing and wrongheaded portrayals of sinners of all imaginable stripes, WAY OUT doesn't look down on its lost souls. It simply shows you how they live, the bleak, almost microcosmic worldview they embrace, how they hurt, and how difficult it really is to break the vicious cycle. Remove the invitation to Christ from the last five minutes and this is still a harrowing journey, and the fact that it's not enacted by a cast of famous Hollywood method actors slumming for awards makes it all the more believable.
Though director Irwin S. Yeaworth (better known for THE BLOB and the 4-D MAN, but a Christian filmmaker before and after his dalliances with sci-fi) is no longer with us, many in the cast and crew still are, as is Yeaworth's wife Jean, who served as co-writer and music supervisor on the picture, which makes one pine for some kind of audio commentary that would enlighten us about the production of what it probably the first realistic anti-drug picture to headline an ethnic minority cast.
The other film in this two-fer is GHETTO FREAKS, retitled from the original LOVE COMMUNE and SIGN OF AQUARIUS after some clever distributor inserted an incongruous two-minute sequence of a black shaman leading a bizarre love cult ritual. Surrounding that dopey sequence is the episodic tale of a group of hippie pals protesting, panhandling, consuming and loving their way through an ugly Cleveland winter while sharing a run-down pad. Into their free-for-all comes a sweet young thing from the suburbs who doesn't take long to dig their vibe, imbibe their goodies and get it on with their leader (Paul Elliot). Along the way they're hassled by the police for unlawful public assembly, and frowned upon and argued with by Cleveland's blue collar conservative element that wishes they'd just get jobs, haircuts and baths. Eventually, Elliot's former drug dealer bosses squeeze him to rejoin the circuit, and his refusal leads to tragedy, placing GHETTO FREAKS squarely in the second philosophical category of drug films I mentioned above: the hippie stoner as harmless hero, bullied by society above and the "real" vermin below.
More a series of vignettes than a cohesive plot, GHETTO FREAKS moves like molasses - most sequences run longer than necessary, but two of them are verite gold: one sees the cast panhandling FOR REAL on the streets of Cleveland, recorded covertly from some distance away; the other sees them debating their very existence with an arguably "real" working class stiff in a public square, filmed both from afar and by a "news camera" flitting about the crowd. As with nearly every other sequence in the film, both of these doses of realism overstay their welcome in hindsight, but their fascinating time capsules while they play out.
Something Weird goes a little light on the extras this time around, with five sensationalistic trailers for other junkie films of the period and a short classroom scare film, in color, called NARCOTICS: THE INSIDE STORY, which explains the dangers of drugs and exalts the virtues of being young, white, beautiful and frolicking on the beach. Good times.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ghetto Freaks/Way Out (1970)

Hanging out at a late-sixties rock club, stoner-freak Sonny watches as a wealthy mother tries to "rescue" her daughter from the corrupting hippie environment. Acting quickly, Sonny slips the girl the address of his nearby House of Hippies and, moments later, she's taking her first LSD trip and having group sex on the floor! Sonny then shows her the joys of panhandling and the thrill of protesting in the park before some drug dealers remind everyone that reality really sucks.... Originally released as both Sign of Aquarius and Love Commune, this stoned-out slice of hippie life -- filmed in Cleveland of all places -- was rereleased as Ghetto Freaks courtesy of a bogus blaxploitation ad campaign and the addition of two minutes of new footage featuring the black leader of a kinky love cult. Plus: From Irvin S. Yeaworth, the director of The Blob, 4D Man and Dinosaurus, comes Way Out, an intense and surprisingly affecting story of Puerto Rican drug addicts in the Bronx. Frankie and Jim are best buddies who enjoy getting high until their addiction to heroin forces them to burrow through a harrowing underworld of fellow junkies, crime, and violence where their only goal is "to get that fix, get that fix...." With a cast comprised entirely of real-life former addicts -- who break character at the end to provide a startling and hopeful coda -- "this is a crazy Way Out world which squares just won't believe...."

Click here for more information about Ghetto Freaks/Way Out (1970)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2-Disc Ultimate Edition) (1974) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First, the movie. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is probably one of the scariest movies ever made. It was unique for its time, and there's still nothing quite like it today. The plot doesn't sound like much- 2 women and 3 men make a drive to rural Texas to check out a graveyard that has been 'defiled', and to also relax and enjoy themselves. This last part of their vacation plan doesn't go real smoothly, as they make the mistake of wandering into an area where an insane, backwoods, inbred, cannibalistic sociopathic family live. Things get more and more horrifying from there.
I've heard people complain this movie isn't scary and not gory enough. As far as the gore, it is fairly low-key by today's standards (though I'm sure my mother wouldn't want to watch it, and it couldn't be shown un-cut on regular network TV). There's not a lot of blood till the end of the movie, but the acting is so good, and the screams of the victims so wrenching, your imagination fills in the rest and it actually is painful to watch. I will agree that the movie is kind of slow to get started- I admit the first time I saw it as a teenager I was getting impatient for some action. However, the last half of the movie more than makes up for it.
But if you think this movie isn't scary, I seriously doubt you've watched alone, at home, at night, with all the lights off. The first time I saw it was in the daytime, and it still made my hair stand on end. When I got the Special Edition DVD I unwisely watched it after midnight with the lights off. I couldn't sleep until the sun came up. The opening scene of the rotting corpse in the cemetery wired to a headstone alone made my skin crawl. The scene where Pam first discovers Leatherface's room, with the furniture made of bones and the chickens in bird-cages, gets scarier each time I see it. The last 20 minutes, at the dinner table, has to be one of the most grueling and realistic scenes to sit through ever made. The final few images--well, over 10 years went by between the last time I saw the movie and the time I watched it on DVD a few weeks ago, and I *still* could remember those shots so vividly it was like I saw it yesterday.
The DVD is incredible-the transfer is so crisp that it seems like the movie was filmed last year instead of in the early 70's. Since I'd only seen it on "pan & scan" VHS, I never really appreciated how beautiful some shots of the rural setting are, and also how well-thought out and carefully put together most of the cinematography is. Breathtaking, actually. Until the commentary pointed it out, I never realized how perfect and effective the long, continuous shot of Pam hesitantly getting up off the porch swing and slowly walking to the screen door is. This movie does not look at all amateurish, even though it was made on an extremely low budget.
The DVD is packed with cool and interesting special features. First, the commentary by Tobe Hooper, Gunnar Hansen aka Leatherface, and director of photography Daniel Pearl is fascinating. There's lots of subtle but powerful elements in the movie I missed till now-for instance, the lack of almost any score or soundtrack that gives it a documentary feel, making it that much more disturbing. Hardcore fans of this movie know already this was NOT an easy shoot by any standards, but their accounts of how much energy and work it took to get certain things right, not to mention the really tortuous things many of the actors went through...well, if any actor deserves to be paid millions for a movie, this cast certainly earned it. The dinner scene was the most horrendous- they could only do one take, it went on for 20+ hours, and this was in 110 degree heat with no air conditioning. Gunnar Hansen said that by the end, he was so out of it he started to think he wasn't acting. Kind of gives the tag line "Who will survive and what will be left of them?" a whole new meaning.
There's also some deleted and alternate scenes, including some "lost footage" never available before. With many of them, you can read the script excerpt of the scene first. There's a hilarious blooper reel-the quality isn't that great, but you'll laugh your butt off. There's lots of production notes and stills, along with shots of rare publicity material. A couple scenes are broken down shot by shot, with Hooper explaining why he made the directing and editing choices he did. There's even more, I just don't have room for it all. The menu is also pretty great. I highly recommend the Special Edition to anyone who is a fan of TCM. You'll be able to spend hours enjoying it, and they couldn't have done a better job. My recommendation (for what it's worth) is to get this one fast, because it would be a shame if it went out of print and so many people missed this wonderful collector's edition.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2-Disc Ultimate Edition) (1974)

It has been called "grisly," "sick," and "perverse," as well as "raw," "unshakeable," and "the movie that redefined horror." It was attacked by churches, banned by governments, and acclaimed by only the bravest of critics. It stunned audiences worldwide and set a new standard in movie terror forever. In 1974, writer-producer-directorTobe Hooper unleashed this dark, visionary tale about a group of five young friends who face a nightmare of torment at the hands of a depraved Texas clan. Today it remains unequaled as a landmark of outlaw filmmaking and unparalleled in its impact as perhaps the most frightening motion picture ever made.
Dark Sky Films presents this masterpiece like you've never seen or heard it before, newly transferred in High Definition from the 16mm camera originals, remixed in 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo Surround, and featuring never-before-seen Bonus Features produced exclusively for this definitive collection.
Bonus Features:

Steelbook Packaging
Feature-length commentary with actors Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danzinger, and art director Robert A. Burns
Feature-length commentary with director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl, and actor Gunnar Hansen
Theatrical Trailers & TV and Radio Spots
"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth"
"Flesh Wounds"
A Tour of the TCSM house with Gunnar Hansen
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
Blooper Reel
"The Shocking Truth" Outtakes
Still Gallery

Click here for more information about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2-Disc Ultimate Edition) (1974)

Grindhouse (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (2007) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This set is getting bad reviews, based on a few people who really don't know what they're talking about. One of the reviews gave the blu ray a one-star review because this set isn't available on DVD. How does that make sense? Some other reviews, bashed the fact that these aren't the "extended" versions. Of course there not, you can already buy those. The point of this set is recreate the entire theatrical experience, so of course they have the theatrical cuts of the film and in my opinion, this is the way these films were meant to be seen. Also keep in mind that most of those bad reviews, came out before this edition did, therefore they aren't first hand reviews and are inaccurate.
I received the set today and it's great, packaging is great incredibly detailed and really adds to the feel of the fims. The movies play just as they did in theaters, which to me is the best way to see them and it is packed with special features, a good amount of them exclusive to this set. If you liked the Grindhouse films, but didn't get to see them in theaters, or if your like me and wanted to recreate that experience, then I highly recommend this set. If you want the extended cuts, well then go buy those.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Grindhouse (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (2007)

Together for the first time the Rodriguez/Tarantino Double Feature GRINDHOUSE is back and better than ever! These rip-roaring and adrenaline-pumping films are now featured in the original theatrical exhibition format. Loaded with over 2 hours of bonus content, including the fan favorite "Rodriguez's 10 Minute Cooking School", this 2-disc Blu-Ray will deliver a new experience like never before!

Get 47% OFF

Click here for more information about Grindhouse (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (2007)

Grindhouse Presents, Death Proof - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2007) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Just giving a heads, one of the things i wanted to know is if the fake movie trailers would be on the dvd, so once i found out on Movieweb I figured I'd pass it along, nor will they be on the Planet Terror dvd. I was looking forward to Eli Roth's fake trailer for the horror film Thanksgiving.
I personally don't mind that there not being released together and am looking forward to purchasing both movies, although obviously it would be nice to get both together.
Death Proof is one of the best of 2007 so far. It is another cool, original and stylish film from Quentin Tarantino. A cross between a slasher movie where a car is used in place of a knife and an action movie with a chase scene that would rival The French Connection.
Keep an eye on Vanessa Ferlito the actress that plays butterfly, watch for the lap dance scene. She has a real original look. Also Zoe Bell the stuntwoman in real life who worked on the Tarantino's Kill Bill movies, who now is making her acting debut as what else, a bad blank stuntwoman, and she does her own stunts, she performs one, if not the best car chase scene I've seen in a movie.
Special features:
*) Never-before-seen footage including the "missing reel" (containing Vanessa Ferlito's unseen lap-dance sequence) as well as a black-and-white segment in the film's second act
*) Finding Quentin's Gals featurette
*) The Guys of Death Proof featurette
*) Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike featurette
*) Introducing Zoe Bell featurette
*) Quentin's Greatest Collaborator: Editor Sally Menke featurette
*) Trailer for Double Dare
*) International poster gallery

Click Here to see more reviews about: Grindhouse Presents, Death Proof - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2007)

A deranged stuntman stalks his victims from the safety of his killer car, but when he picks on the wrong group of badass babes, all bets are off in an adrenaline-pumping, high speed, white-knuckle automotive duel of epic proportions, where anything can happen.

Get 15% OFF

Click here for more information about Grindhouse Presents, Death Proof - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2007)

Grindhouse Presents, Planet Terror - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2007) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First, a word about this childish boycott. "Grindhouse" gave us two brilliant genre films for the price of one in the theaters. It was a once in a lifetime experience for most of us and a chance to see the two most bada$* directors in Hollywood give us 3+ hours of hardcore horror entertainment including the funniest faux-trailers your likely to ever see. And it bombed. Big time. Why? Because lazy America said it'd wait for the DVD because the film was too long and lost the chance to support a truly brilliant idea and show that we are sick and tired of cardboard cutout PG-13 teen horror and bad remakes of beloved cult classics. They went to see "Disturbia" instead. "Grindhouse" was what true horror fans -hell, what all true film fanatics- have been dying for and shame on all of you who missed it. So the studio took a loss for taking a chance on this idea and as a result, they've split the two films up with extra scenes that were cut for time and are giving us these two films as we haven't yet seen them, each in double-dic editions packed with extras. Awesome, right? Weeeeeellllll, now the same whiners who stiffed the films in the theaters are angry they missed out and want both films on one DVD (as if there'd even be room) for a discount price. Sorry, but it don't work that way. The theatrical cut was packaged as just that, an experience for the theaters simulating the double-feature drive-in days of old. Even if that experience would translate to DVD, why would the company re-release it in a form that already failed miserably? The bottom line is this: we now have another chance to show that THIS is what we as horror fans want to see and the only way to do that is to buy these great-looking DVDs. The notion that making the films bomb yet again on DVD is going to lead to some super-duper deluxe theatrical edition must have been conceived in the mind of a five year old on crack. If we don't support these editions, these films will die and the studio will waste no more money on this failed project or any like it in the future. This is basic business sense. Support true horror and boycott crappy remakes and bloated sequels *cough*Spiderman3*cough* instead.
"Planet Terror" as you already know, was Robert Rodriguez's half of "Grindhouse" and while it's artistically inferior to it's sister film (Tarantino's "Death Proof"), Rodriguez brings the campy action, hardcore gore, and zombie awesomeness hard and fast like you know he can. The music, as always, rocks and grooves, the deaths will make you laugh and recoil in disgust, and Rose McGowan may well be the sexiest thing on the planet. The story is nonsense, of course, and the dialogue is hammy and shooting a grenade launcher directly into the ground will NOT launch you into the air (not in one piece, anyway) like a superhero, but this film is of the kind where this sort of unreal madness only makes you love it more and leaves you drunk and giddy with the chaos. It's silly, but you will love it. Much of "Planet Terror" makes me feel like I'm watching the most kicka$# video game ever made; a game I'd really love to play.
The movie is packed with recurring jokes and funny, memorable dialogue (much of which is based on Rose McGownan's real personality) that pays off in spades down the line. Rodriguez did not skimp on the cast, either. Sure, he cast most of his family plus his doctor and even his freakin' real-estate agent, but they are all fantastic. Bruce Willis chews the scenery, Freddy Rodriguez is THE zombie-killing machine, Quentin Tarantino plays "rapist #1", and you know it's a true undead party when Tom Savini hits the scene. Also, Fergie plays a lesbian who gets her brain eaten by the marauding undead. Yes, I know if this was realistic the scene would have played out like the Simpsons episode where the zombies moan "braaaaaainsss" as they feel her head and then, finding none, leave the so-vapid-she's-sexy pop tart to ponder her 15 minutes of fame; but like I was saying, this is not a realistic movie and any dead Black-eyed Peas member is a good one.
If anyone knows how to do extras right, it's Robert Rodriguez. You've got the standard commentary, plus the audience reaction track from the film's premiere (a personal favorite), his patented "10 minute film school", and yes, the "Machette" trailer still precedes the film. Sweet. The rest of the bonus features largely mirror the "Death Proof" DVD with lots of love for the cast and stuntpeople; very informative and very entertaining. I was actually hoping for more restored footage to the actual movie then we get (more crazy babysitter twins, anyone?) and the visual defects and missing reel -which was fun in the theater- are still there and not nearly as cute, but these are my only gripes. I could seriously write for days about all the things I love about this movie, but I'll just say one more thing before wrapping up: I sure could go for some barbeque.
"Planet Terror" brings some seriously awesome action-horror that delivers everything you want in a zombie film and you'd be a fool to pass on it just because you don't get a whole other movie free. Buy it, buy "Death Proof", and then go wave your copies at the moron down the street who's boycotting.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Grindhouse Presents, Planet Terror - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2007)

(Horror) A fun zombie film that busts at the seams with gross special effects, amazing action, and deliciously over-the-top moments, as gun-legged Cherry Darling and one man wrecking crew El Wray try to save the world from a horde of flesh-eating zombies.

Get 31% OFF

Click here for more information about Grindhouse Presents, Planet Terror - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2007)