DVD Releases: October 7/14

October 7:

20 Years After (MTI sci-fi)
Beneath The Surface (Well Go USA horror)
Boy A (Weinstein drama)
Cyborg Soldier (First Look action)
Devil's Chair (Sony horror)
Dog Gone (Screen Media family comedy)
Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds (Dimension Extreme horror)
Happening, The (Fox thriller)
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (Anchor Bay horror-comedy)
Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead (Fox horror/thriller)
Kill Switch (First Look thriller)
Memory Keeper's Daughter (Sony drama)
Paranoid Park (IFC drama)
Ripple Effect (Monterey drama)
Trojan Horse (Allumination FilmWorks drama)
Very British Gangster, A (Documentary)
Visitor, The (Anchor Bay drama)
Wicked Lake (Shriek Show horror)
You Don't Mess With The Zohan (Sony comedy)

October 14:

Brotherhood of Blood (Lionsgate horror)
Dance of the Dead (Lionsgate horror)
Dark Floors (Lionsgate horror)
Edge of Heaven (Strand drama)
Exit Speed (PeaceArch action)
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (Par. action)
Last House in the Woods, The (Lionsgate horror)
Mongol (WB action)
Night of the White Pants (Image comedy)
No Man's Land: The Rise of Reeker (Lionsgate horror)
Payback (Maverick action)
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales' Movie (Universal animation)
Room 205 (Lionsgate horror)
Salt (Cinema Epoch thriller)
Saving God (Echo Bridge drama)
Standard Operating Procedure (Sony documentary)
Stuck (Image dark comedy)
Substitute, The (Lionsgate horror)
Tortilla Heaven (Anchor Bay comedy)
Trackman (Lionsgate horror)
Waltzing Anna (PeaceArch drama)
War, Inc. (First Look comedy)
Y.P.F. (ThinkFilm comedy/drama)

The horror movie express has kicked into high gear, with high-profile (well, as high-profile as you can get with DTV releases) films such as Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead, Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds, plus a whole host of releases from the new partnership between Sam Raimi's Ghost House Underground and Lionsgate, all streeting the second week of the month and all looking to be worth a look.

"Blood Wars"

According to Home Media Magazine, MTI Video has announced Blood Wars for a November 11 DVD release.

The plot synopsis is as follows:

Will is a hippie college student who finds himself in the middle of a battle between vampires and a group of warlocks called Sentries; but when he's bitten by a seductive vampire he's forced to come to terms with his new state of being...

Sounds okay aside from the whole cliched seductive vampire thing. Is it just me or is every female vampire portrayed as seductive?

DVD Releases: September 23/30

September 23:

Breathing Room (Anchor Bay horror)
Broken Life (Anchor Bay drama)
Bryan Loves You (Anchor Bay horror)
Copycat (Lionsgate horror)
Deception (Fox thriller)
Far North (Image drama)
Five Across The Eyes (Anchor Bay horror)
Leatherheads (WB comedy)
Mother of Tears (Dimension Extreme horror)
Naked Fear (PeaceArch thriller)
Neighbor, The (First Look comedy)
Pathology (MGM horror)
Re-Cycle (Image horror)
Red Ridge (Vanguard thriller)
Run, Fat Boy, Run (WB comedy)
Sex & the City (New Line comedy)
Unemployed (Lionsgate comedy)
Vipers (Genius Products horror)

September 30:

Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (Magnolia documentary)
Buried Alive (Sony horror)
Devil's Muse (Halo 8 thriller)
Flu Birds (First Look sci-fi)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Universal comedy)
Ghouls (First Look sci-fi)
Iron Man (Paramount action)
Mostly Ghostly (Universal family drama)
Pink Eye (Halo 8 horror)
Pulse 2: Afterlife (Dimension Extreme horror)
Rest Stop: Don't Look Back (WB/Raw Feed horror)
Soccer Mom (Anchor Bay family comedy)
Taxi To The Dark Side (ThinkFilm documentary)
Universal Remote (PeaceArch comedy)
Vanguard, The (Anchor Bay horror)


Now's when the horror DVD releases start getting really plentiful. September 23 offers a few good choices in the claustrophobic Breathing Room, the serial killer thriller Copycat, the latest from Dario Argento, the twisted-looking Pathology, and the cheesiness of Tara Reid getting chased by CGI snakes in Vipers.

The following week is highlighted by the next in the Rest Stop saga, a Pulse sequel, and a few First Look sci-fi/horror films.

"Dead of Winter"

According to Home Media Magazine, Lionsgate has announced the DVD premiere date for Dead of Winter as November 25.

The plot synopsis is as follows:

After leaving a New Year's Eve party, Kevin (Al Santos) and Tiffany (Sandra McCoy) find themselves battling the elements as well as inner demons as they try to make their way out of the deep forest.

That's a very vague synopsis; the artwork is nice though. Hopefully, the movie lives up to it.

"Zombie Diaries"

According to Home Media Magazine, Dimension Extreme has announced Zombie Diaries for a November 18 DVD release.

The synopsis is as follows:

Set in England during a world-wide viral infection, this documentary-style frightfest records the rise of the undead from the videocams of several survivor groups. As each struggles against the flesh-eating hordes, an even more horrifying fate lurks among them.

Color me skeptical. Sounds a little too much like George Romero's "Diary of the Dead," which Dimension Extreme also distributed.

"Red Ridge"

According to Home Media Magazine, Vanguard Cinema has announced Red Ridge for a September 23 release on DVD.

The plot synopsis is as follows:

Chronicles the scandalous true events currently taking place in small towns along the Texas/Mexico border. Innocent young women are being kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery and prostitution.

Not exactly uplifting fare, heh.

DVD Releases: September 16

88 Minutes (Sony thriller)
Another Cinderella Story (WB sequel)
Babysitters (PeaceArch drama)
Before The Rains (Lionsgate drama)
Death Racers (Asylum action)
Finding Amanda (Magnolia comedy)
Finding Rin Tin Tin (First Look family comedy)
Flood (RHI action)
Harold (City Lights comedy)
I-See-You.com (WB comedy)
Kabluey (Sony comedy)
Legend Of Bloody Mary (Lionsgate horror)
Lone Rider (RHI western)
Love Guru, The (Paramount comedy)
Made Of Honor (Sony rom-com)
Never Cry Werewolf (Genius Products horror)
Noise (Anchor Bay drama)
Scorpion (Anchor Bay action)
Snow Angels (WB drama)
Speed Racer (WB action)
They Wait (Vivendi horror)
Tortured (Sony thriller)
Young@Heart (Fox documentary)

A decent week for horror releases but soon enough, we'll have more per week than we'll know what to do with as Halloween approaches.

Looking forward to checking out "Death Racers" just because it sounds odd (The Isane Clown Posse star, after all), "Never Cry Werewolf" because a werewolf flick starring Kevin Sorbo can't be all bad, and "They Wait" because it looks to have decent production values and the attractive Jaimie King in the lead role can't hurt.

"Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds"

According to Home Media Magazine, Dimension Extreme has announced Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds for an October 7 release on DVD.

The film continues the story of the monstrous onslaught against a group of people holed up in a bar out in the middle of nowhere.

The first was a lot of fun and I cannot wait to see what director John Gulager has devised for the follow-up. "Feast 3: Happy Finish" is in production as well.

"Forfeit"

According to Home Media Magazine, MTI Home Video has announced Forfeit for an October 21 DVD release.

The thriller's plot is as follows:

An armored car guard's elaborate plan for revenge is threatened by his relationship with an old friend -- a brilliant and unpredictable television preacher.

The preacher angle is definitely unique but perhaps too off-the-wall if not handled properly.

"Kemper"

According to Home Media Magazine, Lionsgate has announced the DVD premiere date for Kemper as November 25.

The plot synopsis is as follows:

Inspired by the events surrounding Ed Kemper, the Santa Cruz serial killer commonly referred to as the "co-ed killer." An ordinary man leading a routine life, no one is more surprised by the fact that Ed Kemper is responsible for the gruesome murders than his friend Detective Tom Harris. Assigned to find the killer, he's betrayed when Ed reveals himself as the killer. Harris is trapped in a cat and mouse game, hoping to bring Ed to justice and stop the horrific killings.

Ulli Lommel has noting to do with it, so that's a start. Instead, someone named Rick Bitzelberger is the director. His previous experience includes directing a short film comedy titled "Say the Secret Word" and producing a bunch of softcore pornography, which somehow makes him ideal for this project.

"The Devil's Curse"

According to Home Media Magazine, Lionsgate has announced the DVD premiere date for The Devil's Curse as November 18.

The plot synopsis is as follows:

In this psychological/horror thriller, five longtime friends are forced to confront their darkest secrets and test their faith when break into their former Catholic school residence hall in London. They thought it was abandoned and that they were alone...On the contrary, they find themselves trapped, and although the circumstances are not exactly clear, they're definitely NOT alone.

Sounds interesting enough. Hopefully, the payoff, whether it's in the form of a monster or a corporeal entity, is worth the build-up.

"20 Years After"

According to Home Media Magazine, MTI Video has announced 20 Years After for an October 7 release on DVD.

The film concerns the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust in which the few remaining survivors attempt to build a new life, only to face trouble from an unknown force.

The whole idea has been done quite well by the unfairly canceled TV show "Jericho" so this take will have to offer something new and different to garner attention.

Brief review: "The Wizard of Gore"

Distributor: Dimension Extreme



A bizarre mindfuck of a movie, The Wizard of Gore manages to be only sporadically entertaining.

Magic, madness and mayhem join in this diabolical remake of the 1970 horror cult classic. Crispin Glover ("Willard") stars as a master illusionist whose female audience participants (Suicide Girls) are hideously murdered onstage, only to miraculously reappear untouched. But when an underground reporter (Kip Pardue, "Remember the Titans") finds they're later turning up dead with the same wounds as those inflicted during the performance, his investigation leads to unimaginable terror.

What is it with the movies I've watched lately? They start out intriguing only to fall apart at the end. First "Skinned Alive" and now The Wizard of Gore.

Director Jeremy Kasten's film establishes a visceral, real alternative world, a sort of carnival of horrors atmosphere during the opening minutes. This world is populated with all sorts of freaks, interesting and uniquely entertaining. At the center of this weirdness is Crispin Glover as Montag the Magnificent, a magician whose tricks are a lot gorier and deadly than any magician I've ever seen. The scenes of Montag performing his "tricks" on oddly willing participants (played by uniquely attractive models from The Suicide Girls website), often beginning with Montag pointing out in the audience to the participant and proclaiming "Sit down, bitch! You're going to die tonight!" are quite riveting because you just don't know what will happen next. On top of that, Glover is such a quirky method actor that you can't take your eyes off him. The tricks are all about degradation, starting with Montag stripping the women naked in front of a large audience before he eventually maims and/or mutilates them. These scenes work because of the performances mixed with the "What will happen next?" mystery.

Unfortunately, the film gets away from the showmanship aspect and devolves into a lame "who and how did they do it?" attempt at a mystery with way too much emphasis on making things bizarre and surreal that it forgets to be entertaining. Kasten has to share the bulk of the blame because he not only directed but also edited the film. It is his fancy, inane showy for showy sake editing that almost singlehandedly derails the film. Not that the dull lead performance by Kip Pardue helps matters. The man couldn't seem more disinterested in the proceedings if he tried. And poor Bijou Phillips is given next to nothing to do. Only the aforementioned Glover and Brad Dourif seem to be having fun with their roles.

Really, that's the problem with the film as a whole. While it starts off fun and intriguing when Glover and the Girls take center stage, once Pardue becomes the main focus The Wizard of Gore becomes an over-edited bore.