Empire of the Ants/Jaws of Satan double feature (Blu-ray)
Empire of the Ants: Mutant mayhem and pestilent payback ensues in this creature feature about good bugs gone bad.
Jaws of Satan: Commanded by the Prince of Darkness, snakes terrorize a small town in Alabama just as the town’s new dog racing park is about to open. The local doctor, the town priest and a “snake expert” must band together to save the town from his evil scheme.
Giant ants are as close to an iconic representation of 70’s B-movies as one can get. In the first picture, a group of unsuspecting, upper-class, prospective investors stumble upon the area’s hideous secret. Of course many of them don’t live to tell the tale, but it’s unlikely anyone would believe the story about a colony of enormous insects anyway. The latter picture must have employed an excellent snake charmer on set as they slither in the background exactly as required. Much of the rattle snakes’ evilness is accomplished via menacing shadows and second unit footage. In both cases, the premises are ridiculous though the snake movie does unexpectedly end on a sillier note.
Special features include: new commentary by director Bert I. Gordon; photo gallery; radio spots; and theatrical trailers. (Scream Factory)
The Food of the Gods/Frogs double feature (Blu-ray)
The Food of the Gods: On a remote island, a mysterious substance is oozing from the ground. A farmer sees that it acts as a growth hormone and thinks his fortune is made. But when rats, chickens, worms and wasps begin sampling the potent substance, they morph into bloodthirsty giants. Now, it’s up to the island’s few residents and visitors to destroy “the food of the gods” before the animals take over for good.
Frogs: Jason Crockett (Ray Milland) is an aging, physically disabled millionaire who invites his family to his island estate for his birthday party. The old man is more than crotchety — he’s crazy. Hating nature, Crockett poisons anything that crawls on his property. But on the night of his shindig, it’s nature’s payback time, as thousands of frogs whip up every bug and slimy thing into a toxic frenzy until the entire environment goes environ-mental.
Though creature features would reach their practical and aesthetic peak in the ‘80s, the ‘70s is when much of the fun was had as everyday beasts were transformed into giant, vindictive monsters. It’s clear the size of the animals in the first picture is accomplished via close-ups and miniature replica sets, which makes it difficult to take their threat seriously. Instead viewers may wonder how many rats drowned in the making of the film. Similarly, reptile fans will likely take more pleasure in the nature footage used to create the latter picture than the loose narrative the scaly creatures bring to life. Nonetheless, even if they’re not scary, both pictures are thoroughly enjoyable representations of their genre.
Special features include: new commentary by The Food of the Gods director Bert I. Gordon; new interviews with actress Belinda Balaski and Joan Van Ark; photo gallery; radio spots; and theatrical trailers. (Scream Factory)
Gun Woman (Blu-ray)
A brilliant doctor (Kairi Narita) vows revenge on a crazy sadistic killer (Noriaki Kamata) following the murder of his wife and devises the perfect assassination plan by turning a young woman (Asami) into the most lethal assassin the world has ever seen. This outrageous plan will unfold in the killer’s heavily fortified underground lair. The lethal assassin will be placed into a temporal state and sent into the facility as a dead body; but when she wakes, it is everyone else in the compound who will be deprived of their lives.
This is a cross between an American tall legend and crazy Japanese revenge movie. Japanese director Kurando Mitsutake flew his ideal cast to America to shoot the peculiar narrative, though it opens with two American actors sharing the story over a long drive. Kamata plays the psychotic Hamazaki’s Son perfectly, allowing his deranged sensibilities to pollute his eyes and add an additional level of creep to the character. The first two acts are somewhat dull as Mastermind breaks down and builds up the woman via several montages of training. And although her infiltration of a mad facility to get to her insane target is a bloody, outrageous mess, it’s still the most entertaining 30 minutes of the movie.
Special features include: commentary by writer/director Kurando Mitsutake and actress Asami (In Japanese With English Subtitles); commentary by writer/director Kurando Mitsutake (In English); behind-the-scenes featurette; and theatrical trailer. (Scream Factory)
Let Us Prey (Blu-ray & DVD)
Reporting to work at a neglected police station in a Scottish backwater town, Rachel (Pollyanna McIntosh) is in for a hell of a night. A mysterious prisoner known only as ‘Six’ (Liam Cunningham) is brought into the station and immediately has a strange effect on everyone present. With her fellow officers being pushed to the edge and the prisoners seemingly going mad, Rachel must fight just to survive her first shift and live to see the morning.
This movie is a slow burn with the horror of the situation quietly percolating below the surface, occasionally releasing a disruptive burst. Six is a fantastically disturbing character. His purpose is a mystery, yet his effect on his fellow inmates is increasingly obvious. How he knows their dark secrets or compels them to self-punish is a captivating unknown. McIntosh is once again cast in the role of a woman unwillingly dominated by men and who turns out to be stronger than any of them. Playing on opposite sides of the bars, McIntosh and Cunningham carry their respective scenes and work well together as their characters begin to interact more. Applying an Assault on Precinct 13 style of storytelling to a more supernatural narrative makes this an appealing genre picture.
Special features include: making-of featurette. (Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada & Raven Banner Entertainment)
Ray Donovan: Season Two (Blu-ray)
Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber) Boston bouncer turned Hollywood crisis fixer, can protect just about anything except the unity of his family. As his estranged ex-con father (Jon Voight) dodges the law, Ray’s lonely wife Abby finds herself drawn to a cop. Son Conor may be too close to home while daughter Bridget is slipping away. Ray finds that what he wants the most is the hardest thing to fix.
After the closing events of season one, it was difficult to predict where this chapter would find the Donovans. Unsurprisingly they’re not in a great place and are caught in a downward spiral they can’t seem to escape. On the surface it appears the events of last season made them stronger, but it’s gradually revealed the opposite is true. Ray’s marriage is falling apart and he refuses to acknowledge it; Terry is still hung up on Fraces; and Mickey can’t stop taking advantage of his sons. On top of their personal issues, a reporter (Vinessa Shaw) investigating Sully’s death is getting dangerously close to the truth; an ambitious FBI director (Hank Azaria) wants the Donovan’s to play by his rules; and Ray’s new client (Eion Bailey) has no self-control.
Special features include: commentary on select episodes by actors Schreiber, Voight and Pooch Hall. (Paramount Home Media Distribution)
Sons of Liberty (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
As riots consume the streets of Boston, a dangerous game plays out between a British governor and ringleader Sam Adams (Ben Barnes), which escalates to extreme measures: street brawls, black market dealings, espionage and murder. A sizzling, romantic affair percolates against a backdrop of rising civil unrest, the infamous Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere’s (Michael Raymond-James) legendary ride. From the Battle of Lexington, a clash between the dedicated colonists and the superior British Army ensues, and the colonies join forces as a single, united country in the most epic revolution of our time.
If you enjoy historical dramas with a little more flair, this miniseries will definitely be of interest. Filmmakers do an excellent job of squeezing nearly 20 years of oppression, rage, defiance and independence into five hours. The actors cast in the key roles, including those mentioned, Marton Csokas, Henry Thomas, Rafe Spall, Jason O’Mara and Dean Norris, perform their parts with charisma that captures the audience’s attention. Focusing on the major events that would lead to the creation of the United States, this show brings history (accurate or otherwise) to life in a way that is not only interesting but exciting. The action-packed miniseries never stays quiet too long, moving to the next conflict or battle and ending a note apparently more patriotic than the actual signing of The Declaration of Independence.
Special features include: making-of featurette; “Men of Independence: The Historic Figures of Sons of Liberty”; and “The Choreography of War: Creating the Battles and SPFX of Sons of Liberty.” (Lionsgate)
What We Do in the Shadows (Blu-ray)
The big-city housemates yearn for virgin blood and someone to clean up the kitchen, yet they can’t seem to get the party started when it comes to the ladies. Their attempts to hit the town usually end up with an encounter with a rival pack of sartorially-challenged Kiwi werewolves. The vampire frat house includes the 18th century neat-freak Viago (Taika Waititi), who frets over the indelibility of bloodstains, the sloppy slaughterer Vladislav the Poker (Jemaine Clement), the Lugosi-ish Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and the Nosferatu-like ghoul Petyr (Ben Fransham), who is about eight thousand years old and is best kept in the basement. He doesn’t like plasma TV. The “new guys” are boorish, newly-turned Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) and unlikely human best-friend Stu (Stu Rutherford), a too-nice-to-kill chap who introduces the gang to the Internet and social media.
Eccentric doesn’t quite describe this hilarious romp on the not-so dark side. The film opens as Viago gathers everyone for a flat meeting, in which they discuss blood stains on the now red couch and five-year-old dirty dishes. Clement and Waititi are also the movie’s co-writers and directors. Combining their extensive and effective comedy experience produces a consistently hilarious film that capitalizes on the genre’s conventions. Moreover, the script is exceptionally witty with lines you’ll love and love to repeat. Positioning the production as a project with “The New Zealand Documentary Board” and making minor “errors” during filming simply adds to the illusion of the mockumentary. And Clement’s insistence that vampires are real during promotional interviews demonstrates his sense of humour and commitment to the film. The actors are all perfectly cast and excellent in their roles. They appear wholly dedicated to the vampire caricatures they depict (see Deacon’s private performance for his roommates), indicating an understanding of their centuries or weeks of bloody history.
Special features include: deleted scenes; interviews; video extras; poster gallery; promo videos; and photo gallery. (Video Services Corp.)
