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Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Back by unpopular demand (meaning none at all) it's time for another cavalcade of crap.
Now you know that's not true. I've said to you that I hoped you'd bring this thread back. It literally is one of my favourite threads on here. And as usual you've given me a few flicks to check up on that I didn't really know about beforehand. Also that's very nice and cool about the Warwick Davis thing.



The Man From Hong Kong looks just like my kind of thing. How much did it cost you?
I never quite know with you HK but I think this one's probably your cup of tea. I bought it on ebay about eighteen months ago and can't remember the exact figure, but it wasn't cheap.

I hate Willow. Terrible bloody film. Warrick Davis always seems like a really decent bloke, though. Did you see him in An Idiot Abroad or Life Is Short? Good stuff.
We both know you be trippin cuz Willow is off da chain.

Ahem. I didn't see An Idiot Abroad (I think it was on Sky???), but caught an episode of Life Is Short just before we left the UK (at least that's what I think it was called). It was the one where Warwick took his family to Penzance to meet some pirates and his young son got a bit freaked out. I've not met him, but have it on good authority that Warwick is a really genuine down to earth guy, with a great sense of humour.

Now you know that's not true. I've said to you that I hoped you'd bring this thread back.
Thanks JD. It was just a little self depreciating fun considering the thread has been dormant so long.



I never quite know with you HK but I think this one's probably your cup of tea.
That's alright mate. No one does.

I bought it on ebay about eighteen months ago and can't remember the exact figure, but it wasn't cheap.
I had a quick look yesterday and you're not kidding.

We both know you be trippin cuz Willow is off da chain.
If it's off the chain then do the decent thing and flush it.

Ahem. I didn't see An Idiot Abroad (I think it was on Sky???), but caught an episode of Life Is Short just before we left the UK (at least that's what I think it was called). It was the one where Warwick took his family to Penzance to meet some pirates and his young son got a bit freaked out. I've not met him, but have it on good authority that Warwick is a really genuine down to earth guy, with a great sense of humour.
It's exactly how he came across in An Idiot Abroad. He and Karl are polar opposites and it was great to watch. The first episode especially.



Ok, onwards and...errr...upwards? Hope that meager slice of positivity is better for you JD

Thought I'd make this post a mishmash of American (and French made) crime/noir thrillers, with three jungle adventures tacked on for good measure...



Two Lumets and a Friedkin. These films cost me £5 in total which is pretty amazing considering Cruising (the most expensive at £2.99 from a second hand shop in Hyde, Manchester) has been OOP in the UK for quite a while. I hated it the first time around but Friedkin's daring thriller has grown on me after repeat viewings. The police interrogation scene (you know the one I'm talking about) has to be one of the most bizarre in cinema history. Q&A is Lumet revisiting old ground (shades of Serpico and Prince of the City) whilst Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a somewhat overrated around these parts, but nevertheless decent modern noir.



No surprises with these (overpriced) MGM limited edition discs, three of which (Report to the Commissioner, The Outside Man, and Hickey & Boggs) I reviewed in my thread before the big move. Peter Hyams' theatrical debut Busting is my favourite of the bunch however; a sharply scripted early buddy-cop movie with great tongue-in-cheek performances from Elliot Gould and Robert Blake. Well worth a look considering some of Hyams' excellent later work. Unfortunately the quality of these made to order MGM discs is a little hit and miss though. All are anamorphic widescreen and feature a disclaimer saying they are sourced from the best available materials, but I have to wonder if this is true with The Outside Man which looks a bit on the soft side, and the audio for Busting is frustratingly low and tinny. I think there's a French release of The Outside Man (which was a French production) so it would be interesting to know what that one looks like.



Three absolute gems here. Plumbed for the region 1 edition of Robert Aldrich's The Grissom Gang even though the UK disc was cheaper at the time - just couldn't be sure if it's anamorphic* or not. Great sleazy period gangster flick about a kidnapped heiress who proves to be more manipulative trouble than she's worth. Stellar performances from Kim Darby as said femme fatale, and Scott Wilson (who reminds me of Ryan Gosling in this for some reason) as her most infatuated captor. Aldrich made some great movies in the 60's and early 70's, and even though it's not mentioned as often; The Grissom Gang is certainly one of them. Next up a Shout Factory double feature I bought solely for Lewis Teague's The Lady In Red, not to be confused with the similarly titled Gene Wilder comedy or Chris De Burgh's hit (Teague also made the classic monster flick Alligator). Yet another John Dillinger related biopic this goes the exploitation route and tells the story from his girlfriend's perspective. Highly entertaining with a shockingly nasty support performance from Christopher Lloyd as a sadistic gangster. This would make a nice double feature with John Milius' equally fun 1973 effort Dillinger - both are infinitely better than Michael Mann's lackluster Public Enemies. Saving the best till last with Louis Malle's staggeringly good Atlantic City (found in the same shop as Cruising). An arty, romantic gangster movie about recapturing lost dreams and glory days gone by. Poetic stuff, wonderfully acted by Susan Sarandon (those lemons) and particularly Burt Lancaster as an ageing petty criminal; this one blew me away.



I tabbed The Late Show recently. An almost totally slept on comedy noir in-joker with Art Carney (in a not dissimilar role to that of Lancaster in Atlantic City) playing an aging, washed-up private eye roped into one last murder case by Lily Tomlin's kook. Offbeat and deliberately convoluted (though nowhere near as much as Hawks' The Big Sleep) this odd couple curio is well worth tracking down. John Schlesinger's The Day of the Locust is another overlooked classic (I'd actually go as far as masterpiece), which shouldn't be too hard to believe considering his other work from the period. For any Brits who remember; this scathing depiction of Hollywood was presented by Alex Cox on Moviedrome back in the 80's. Obviously I was too young to appreciate it's charm back in the day because I couldn't remember any of it. Another film about rejection, exploited people and shattered dreams it features one of the late Karen Black's many great performances as an aspiring star rejected by the business. Sadly this UK release is slightly cut for animal cruelty (the cockfighting scene) which is always a tough one to reconcile alongside censorship. I'll also mention that Paramount's transfer is badly in need of a remaster so here's hoping a better edition becomes available (if there's not one already). Lastly another bonafide classic with Bogdanovich's The Last Picture show which should be self explanatory really.



I'm starting to ramble a bit so I'll keep these next two segments shorter. Macon County Line is yet another one I reviewed in my thread. This US edition was cheap as chips when I bought it on Amazon for £3, and well worth the money. Richard Brooks' $ aka Dollars is an early 70's heist flick set in Europe that I haven't gotten around to yet. Expecting good things considering Mark gave it a decent rating in the Movie Tab thread, and I love Brooks' westerns The Professionals and Bite the Bullet. Lastly we all know Jack Reacher is an underrated, old fashioned action thriller that gets better with every viewing right? Shame if it doesn't get at least a sequel if not a franchise (which the makers were clearly aiming for).



Lastly a trip to the jungle beginning with Peter Wier's excellent The Mosquito Coast. Quite possibly one of Harrison Ford's best performances as an idealistic (and slightly mad) scientist who invents an ice making machine; before dragging his family (who include Helen Mirren and River Phoenix) to central America where he plans to wow the natives. A dreamily atmospheric anti-capitalist nightmare; I particularly like the expedition sequence with the block of ice, and the downbeat ending. Next up Friedkin's Wages of Fear remake that bombed on release has finally been restored for this gorgeous edition (we're finally rid of that horrible pan and scan dvd). Sorcerer has stunning visuals and almost unbearable suspense punctuated by a fantastic score from Tangerine Dream. Lastly Boorman's The Emerald Forest (an old stoner college favourite of mine) isn't quite as good as I remember despite being a lot of fun. It just comes off a little goofy at times what with the fictionalised Invisible People tribe, and contrived happy ending. Still the general story is compelling and the film really is quite beautiful to look at. Boorman also gets good performances from his son Charlie as the missing boy who grows up with the tribe, and Powers Boothe as the driven father who never gives up searching for him. This UK disc looks great too.

OK I'll leave it there for now. Lots more to come including plenty of horror and sci-fi as promised...

* Looking back through this thread some of the editions I've either picked up cheap, or owned since the early days of dvd have been non-anamorphic and rather substandard. Last year I had a purge and upgraded many of these titles (where possible) to anamorphic editions. Some of these will be included in the next few updates, but I'll also try to do a separate post afterwards for the titles not mentioned.



I remember really liking The Emerald Forest when it came out, but I think I only saw it once after that and it was a good few years ago. Ditto The Mosquito Coast and, while I still liked it for the most part, I think it went on too long and the end didn't really work well enough for me. But maybe that's because it went on too long?

Still to check out Jack Reaper, despite having it, while Macon County Line I remember from your previous review. I really liked Cruising, while The Grissom Gang and The Lady In Red sound like films I might like. I remember turning off The Day Of The Locust, though. I really didn't like the physical look of that film, but maybe I'll give it another go someday?



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Ok, onwards and...errr...upwards? Hope that meager slice of positivity is better for you JD
Oh absolutely. Your positivity is absolutely overwhelming!


Anyway onto this latest batch of DVDs and there are very few I've actually seen, but a fair amount that I'm interested in.

Q & A, Atlantic City, Last Picture Show, Sorceror and Emerald Forest I all have recorded on disc but not watched them yet. Grissom Gang I actually blind bought on DVD a while back but also not watched. And Cruising I've been curious about for a while thanks to its controversial reputation.

Of those I hadn't heard of I'll be looking up Busting, The Late Show and Lady in Red. You got me intrigued about the last one with the mention of Christopher Lloyd.

I think there are only two there that I have actually seen. Day of the Locust I watched a while back and kind of hated it. Just could not get into it in the slightest but may give it another shot someday. Jack Reacher however I really liked. That was a really pleasant surprise of a film. I enjoyed just how old-fashioned and bare bones it was. Definitely need to give that one a rewatch sometime soon.



Still to check out Jack Reaper
Is that some new slasher I've not heard of?

Seriously though, thanks for the comments as ever HK even if I think your opinions are barmy sometimes.

Of those I hadn't heard of I'll be looking up Busting, The Late Show and Lady in Red. You got me intrigued about the last one with the mention of Christopher Lloyd.
Appreciate the feedback JD. It's hard to say whether these three are your cup of tea really. The Late Show feels a little bit like a Woody Allen film thanks to Lily Tomlin's scatty performance, so if you're not a fan of his (I know many on MoFo aren't) then you might want to reconsider purchasing. The disc is long OOP so I'd look for another source if you know what I mean.

The Lady In Red is an exploiter full of t&a, and is really a story about the life of Dillinger's moll, with the iconic gangster making only sporadic appearances. Lloyd is good but his role is minor so don't expect to see a lot of him. The film is reasonably well made and very entertaining, but I would recommend John Milius' Dillinger first if you've not already seen it. Warren Oates and Ben Johnson make for great adversaries in that one.

Busting may well be your best bet, but the disc is pricey and the audio isn't the best. Very well written movie though.



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
The Late Show feels a little bit like a Woody Allen film
And you lost me! For I am indeed one of those MoFo's who is most certainly not enamoured with the work of Woody Allen.

I The disc is long OOP so I'd look for another source if you know what I mean
I have absolutely no idea what you're inferring.




By the way I'm assuming you already know Matt but just when I was starting to check out some of the films I stumbled upon the fact that there was a sequel to Macon County Line though I'm unsure how connected it is.

Oh and just out of curiousity have you seen The Guest? I watched and enjoyed it last night and felt like it might be something that would appeal to you. But then I also just watched and really enjoyed John Wick which I know you hated so what the hell do I know?!



Sorry, been away for the weekend.

Yes I know about Return to Macon County with Nick Nolte but haven't seen it. As far as I know it's unrelated to the original and not as good. The whole movie us up on Youtube though, so I may well check it out and make up my own mind. If you watch it let me know what you think.

I've not heard of The Guest but will look out for it on your recommendation. Thanks for the tip.



I'm a fan of the Jack Reacher books, read all of them. I scoffed when TC announced he was Reacher, cos I'm not a fan of his either, but begrudging respect for the film as it wasn't bad at all.



Ahh sorry for not replying to your post Christine. I haven't read the books, but the fact you have, and still rate the film despite not liking Cruise says a lot. Looks like another Reacher installment is in the works so hopefully it'll be more of the same.

Anyways there's a nice little collection community going at the moment so I should probably crack on with my own updates...



Kicking off with three Shout Factory blu rays. As a James Herbert fan I've wanted to see Robert Enter the Dragon Clouse's Deadly Eyes for years but (to the best of my knowledge) it was never released in the UK, and so I had to make do with Bruno Mattei's crappy Rats: Night of Terror instead. To be fair Clouse's film is only marginally better than Bruno's. It's a formulaic Canadian set nature-runs-amok horror with a bunch of hyperactive dachshunds dressed in giant rat suits - it feels more than vaguely reminiscent of Ray Kellogg's laughably awful The Killer Shrews. A modicum of gore and phoned in support from the likes of Scatman Crothers amp up the ironically-craptastic factor, making this a solid purchase for fans of shonky creature features. Saturn 3 is an upgrade from the dreadful non-anamorphic R2 Carlton dvd - steer clear of that one. A trashy semi-remake of the 1956 classic Forbidden Planet with cool production design and a decent cast. The Nest is far and away my favourite of these three. Another upgrade from my old pan-and-scan Dutch dvd release; Shout Factory's anamorphic presentation is a marked improvement. Genetically modified giant roaches invade a small island and wreak the expected havoc. This was produced by Corman's Concorde Pictures and has great support characters like a neurotic female scientist sexually aroused by bug bites; as well as some decent icky gore effects.



Sticking with the killer bugs theme here's three more. The aptly titled 1975 flick Bug is another killer roach movie (this time they breathe fire!!!) with ultra low budget production values, a typically seventies minimal electronic score, and OTT performance from TV regular Bradford Dillman. This one starts out shoddy and unremarkable before a postal Dillman goes off the grid to research the critters that killed his wife. The second half of the movie is rather good and plays a lot more like Saul Bass' Phase IV (which I love) as the now cross bred roaches become sentient and begin to communicate with Dillman's character. Weird and culty with lots of piss poor effects. Rewarding if you're in a patient mood. Hopefully Arachnophobia needs no introductions. Easily the best of the bunch it's a witty killer spider movie with a great cast (particularly Sands and Goodman) and a truly thrilling climax - not bad for £1. Kingdom of the Spiders is a slightly overrated (it's painfully slow) affair buoyed by the casting of William Shatner and exploitation starlet Tiffany Bolling from The Candy Snatchers, and Bonnie's Kids . Once the creepy crawlies show up it turns into a half decent siege flick with inventive (for the time) use of real spiders and a genuinely chilling final matte painting/shot.



I'd never seen Phantoms before but took a punt on it for a quid and never looked back. A cool little B-flick with a decent cast (Rose McGowan hubba hubba!), Ben Affleck and best of all the late Peter O'Toole. Adapted from the Dean R. Koontz novel this isn't exactly Oscar winning stuff (it's decidedly second rate) but has a great ghost town setting and plenty of yucky monsters. In other words perfect Saturday afternoon fodder for my wife and I. Ahhh...Tobe Hooper's infinitely entertaining Lifeforce, thank you Shout Factory (I've heard Arrow's R2 release looks even better though). Finally an anamorphic disc of this guilty pleasure fave which I've ranted on about loving many times on MoFo. Lasers, space vampires, zombies, gore, Patrick Stewart getting possessed by said space vampire, and the drop dead gorgeous Melinda May in the buff - Hallelujah! I would have included my old MGM dvd in the shot but traded it in as soon as this edition arrived. Anyone else here like Scott Mann's riotous actioner The Tournament? I've not seen it mentioned much on MoFo (though I imagine quite a few members have seen it). I love it. Particularly the psycho guy from the deep south who dresses in white and shoots dogs for fun (not that I would do that). Oh god it's just so violent and full of funny stuff - kind of like The Running Man ramped up to crazily junky proportions. This has everything, cool fight sequences, loads of gun play and bloody squib effects - plus Ving Rhames playing the same badass dude he plays in what seems like every other B-flick these days. Liam Cunningham (Dog Soldiers, The Guard) always plays a good baddie too.



Cripes! I've hardly scratched the surface on these updates. Dredd is in my top ten faves and this blu ray was a surprise upgrade gift from my wife. Apparently there's a superior French edition out there but I'm happy just to have it on both formats as well as further support the movie with a second purchase. The film rocks 'nuff said. I got Edge of Tomorrow half price in the Target closing down sale. Not as nice as Nausicaä's lovely edition, but it'll do for me. Incidentally living in Ontario means that by law, dvd and blu ray releases have both English and French on the covers. Nothing against the beautiful French language, but from an aesthetic point of view it's just horrible and puts me off buying many Canadian releases. Wish they'd change this for the sake of anal collectors like myself who like a purdy looking box. Think yourself lucky you don't live in Ontario Nausicaä.

Finally the R1 release of Panos Cosmatos' Beyond the Black Rainbow. I remember Justin tabbing this with a lowly 1.5 popcorn buckets not long after it was screened at the Tribeca film festival - after which the critics tore it apart. Understandably I was put of by reports of a slow, surreal flick with loads of padding and bogus symbolism. Not true. I caught it on Netflix a few months back and it blew me away. Like watching a druggy cross between Lucas' THX 118, Cronenberg's Scanners, and Jean Rollin's Night of the Hunted with some of the coolest retro looking production design I've ever seen. Set in 1983 (which we see in large letters at the beginning) this has the simplest of narratives loaded with playful symbolism, and ambiguous sub-plots. Clearly a semi-homage to his late father, the film plays like an underwater fever-dream-commentary on everything from the sell out eighties baby boomers, to covert government funded mind control, and the death of hippy culture. Far from empty as some have commented, the film is a perfectly coherent, but slow mood piece brimming with ideas and complemented by a hypnotic score of minimal bleepy audio cues, and ambient synth pop. I like to think of the seemingly idyllic Arboria Institute as something infiltrated by the CIA's notorious MKUltra experiments that ran from the fifties to the early seventies. Fantastic stuff this got me interested in watching movies again after a dry spell of disillusionment. A real cult classic with legs and the final metaphorical shot (excluding post credits) is genius. Like moving from one tangible prison to the invisible conformist one we all live in.

Loads more updates to come when I can be bothered...



I love seeing Kingdom Of The Spiders on there. You know how I love that film

I don't think I've not heard of The Tournament at all. Looks dreadful with a cast that'd put me off instantly. However, your recommendation and the way you described it does have me interested. There's a nagging at the back of my mind which leads me to believe I might have The Nest somewhere. Saturn 3 I remember liking more when I was a teenager than I did on later viewings. Don't think I've seen it for a good 15 years, though.

Anyway, get bothered and post more, dammit!



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Woohoo, another UF DVD update. Love this thread so much.

And for once there are a few I've actually seen. Usually if I've just heard of a few I'm doing well.

Arachnophobia I have really fond memories of but I haven't seen it for years and years, decades even. Keep meaning to watch it again. Kingdom of Spiders I watched a year or two ago (mostly because of HK's love for it) and kind of hated it. Just found it terrifically dull. Phantoms and Lifeforce I've not seen but will someday. Hadn't heard of either The Tournament or Beyond the Black Rainbow but will check them both out. The Tournament in particular caught my attention. I love The Running Man so if it's anything like that I'd be happy. Although the Arnie film was already pretty 'crazily junky' so I'm curious to see how it tops it in those stakes.

And I've seen and really enjoyed both Dredd and Edge of Tomorrow (or Live Die Repeat as it appears to have been renamed). Have you watched Edge of Tomorrow out of interest?

Incidentally living in Ontario means that by law, dvd and blu ray releases have both English and French on the covers. Nothing against the beautiful French language, but from an aesthetic point of view it's just horrible and puts me off buying many Canadian releases. Wish they'd change this for the sake of anal collectors like myself who like a purdy looking box.
Oh you have my sympathy bud. Every once in a while when I buy a region 1 DVD I unwittingly get a Canadian DVD that has the French on it and it always really p*sses me off!



Thanks for the comments guys.

Love this thread so much.
Oh god there's a lump in my throat and I've gone all misty eyed...I love your threads too man

Kingdom of Spiders I watched a year or two ago (mostly because of HK's love for it) and kind of hated it. Just found it terrifically dull.
Yup, I can see where you're coming from. It really takes it's sweet ass time to get going and only delivers the goods in the last twenty or so minutes. I wanted more ham from Shatner. Kingdom of the Spiders was the first ever film I watched on Youtube. It was in seven or so parts and I think the excitement of hitting each one must have been what got me through it so easily. Enough to want to purchase a copy anyway. I had to explain as much to Kathy who was bored to tears and asked me why the hell I'd bought it.

The Tournament in particular caught my attention. I love The Running Man so if it's anything like that I'd be happy. Although the Arnie film was already pretty 'crazily junky' so I'm curious to see how it tops it in those stakes.
Lets see. How about Robert Carlyle as an alcoholic vicar who teams up with a beautiful Asian hitwoman when he inadvertently gets caught up in the titular battle of assassins after swallowing a tracking device that one of them has dumped in his coffee after removing it from their own body - Filmed in Middlesbrough.

Have you watched Edge of Tomorrow out of interest?
Yes...loved it. Particularly Bill Paxton's tache.



Ok I was heading into sci-fi territory with my last update so let's kick off with this TV classic...



Yes it's the complete X-Files including the two theatrical films. I loved this when it was first aired in the UK and had a blast re-watching the whole thing over six months last year. Back in the day I had a huge crush on Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson still looks great) and David Duchovny's dry witted Fox Mulder would easily make my top ten list of favourite TV characters. I still think William B. Davis aka The Smoking Man looks like Arsene Wenger, and always thought Robert Patrick's agent Doggett was a great hard nosed addition to the series (the episode Medusa from season eight is fantastic). Other favourites include the two episodes involving Eugene Tooms (Tooms and Squeeze) but there are so many I love. Of course not all of it was great. I was less appreciative of the spoofy episodes and think they introduced too many supporting characters in the final series, but overall the show has held up remarkably well. I even like the second theatrical film I Want To Believe (which is an underrated, low key and mature thriller) and would love to see the studio green light a third and final installment that neatly wraps the saga up.

This boxset looks great by the way apart from the season six episode Triangle which for some reason has a dreadful transfer.



The R1 dvd of Dreamscape cost me £3 on Amazon and is an old video favourite. Brits if you see the cheapo MIA dvd then avoid it like the plague due to the horrible non-anamorphic transfer and bizarre instances of missing footage (i.e. weird edits that shorten some scenes). The film is a fun sci-fi romp with poor man's Harrison Ford, Dennis Quaid getting involved in experiments to enter and cure the nightmares of others. Odd to think it was released the same year as Craven's A Nightmare On Elm Street which did far better business at the box office. I much prefer Ruben's film, and snakeman is still scary I don't care what anyone says. There's even an extra on the disc that has him pop up on screen for a few seconds *shudder*.

Next up the remastered edition of effects whiz Douglas Trumbull's Brainstorm. this OOP dvd edition (I know there's a blu ray now, but the transfer on this disc is incredibly sharp) was going for silly money on Amazon when I was back in the UK - £25 and upwards!!! Within a fortnight of arriving in Canada I found it for $3.99 in a Value Village. Unbelievable. Christopher Walken and Louise Fletcher play scientists who invent a headset that can record someone's experiences and play them back for anyone (think Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days) This is an odd release in that only the playback footage is presented anamorphically whilst everything else is letterboxed with black bars at the top and sides. This presentation works up to a point but I think you need a really large screen to benefit fully. Overall it's decent, cerebral if somewhat talky sci-fi with some inventive effects work.

Last and certainly least is another relic (this got shown a lot on UK TV back in the eighties) in Runaway. Hokey beyond belief this Michael Crichton penned misfire hasn't aged well (it was cheesy back then) and would probably benefit from a CGI overhaul/remake (can't believe I just said that). Selleck keeps his trademark tache for a showdown with Kiss bassist Gene Simmons which is where my dvd copy goes awry. I know you have this one JD so perhaps you can compare. Essentially when Selleck is at the top of the elevator on the construction site the audio appears to cut out completely for around ninety seconds. Is it just my copy? I should have probably returned it, but for the fact it was £3 and I'm not overly fond of the flick.



I've had this Synapse limited edition of Henenlotter's Brain Damage for nearly two years now after getting rid of my old (BBFC cut) Palace VHS copy. For anyone interested I reviewed the flick (very badly) in my old 80's Trash thread years back so I wont go into detail here, save to say it's a classic eighties horror flick that owes a lot to early Cronenberg. The middle disc is a Shout Factory set of four video rental era crapfests which include the intergalactic gladiator gas Arena, post apocalyptic battle of the sexes outing America 3000, mad scientist flick Eliminators (which stars B-movie ledge' Andrew Prine who I'll get to in my next couple of posts), and disappointing Aussie sci-fi The Time Guardian. I was already fully aware that only The Time Guardian is presented with a decent anamorphic transfer here, whilst the other films are full frame and look like they were sourced from VHS copies. Seeing as that's the only one I wanted (mainly for the presence of Carrie Fisher) then I wasn't bothered in the slightest. Lastly James L. Conway's cult monster movie The Boogens which was only available on VHS before the dvd and blu release (last year I think). Another formulaic creature feature without much feature seeing as the rather cool looking beasties only really show up in the final reel. I avidly collect these monster movies though, and would only recommend this one to hardcore fans who probably already own the blu ray anyway.



Ahhh at last a photo I can write a bit less about because I've not seen Robert Fuest's The Final Programme aka The Last Days of Man On Earth yet. I've wanted to see this apparently weird British sci-fi movie (adapted from the Michael Moorcock novel) for a while now but it went straight into our shipping right after I purchased it, and I haven't been in the mood since. I saw Mark panned the film in the movie tab recently so we shall see. Mark if you read this and would care to elaborate on your score then I'd love to hear your thoughts. Abel Ferrara's Ms. 45 has been mentioned by a few recently and this is a nice upgrade from my old bootleg of the French dvd with the alternate Angel of Vengeance title. Handgun I covered favourably in the Movie tab a few weeks back. There.



Wasn't quite sure where to put these three French movies in the grand scheme of updates so they can round off this post. I covered Beineix's Diva in my old review thread a couple of years back, and tabbed Florent-Emilio Siri's crackerjack action flick The Nest a few months ago. The UK disc is/was very cheap and I really can't recommend this excellent movie enough to action fans. Anyone who likes Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 should track this unofficial reworking down; it really is that good. Lastly Besson's suave, wavey, and very eighties style-fest (at least that's how I remember it) was a long overdue addition to my collection before finding it in an Oldham charity shop for £1.99. Bargain. I haven't seen the movie since the mid nineties so you'll have to excuse me if I don't go into much detail. I do remember liking Lambert in this a lot more than Highlander though. I mean come on...a Frenchman playing a Scot...not to mention a Scot playing a Spaniard?!?

Next up...horror...



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Now we're talking.

First up, I love The X-Files. As I've stated on here before it is my favourite TV show of all time. Like you I was hugely in love with Scully, and Mulder is one of, if not my #1 favourite TV character ever. Back when we had the top TV shows countdown I did a write-up about the show and had planned to start a thread dedicated to discussing the show (favourite episodes and the like) but forgot about it. I'm assuming you're at least aware of the Kolchak TV movies and one-season series that served as a huge inspiration to Chris Carter.

I remember buying a season of the X-Files as one of my first ever DVDs, certainly my first boxset of any kind. And back in the day it was like £80 or something!!! Just insanity

would love to see the studio green light a third and final installment that neatly wraps the saga up.
While there's no news about a third film have you heard about the six-episode revival coming to TV early next year?


Onto the films and I really am on a bit of a streak. I've seen all 3 of the films in your first group. In fact I've actually done write-ups for each of them on here somewhere. Dreamscape I did a proper review, and the other two got smaller write-ups. Like you I really liked Dreamscape. Great fun. And I love the poster/cover art from the great Drew Struzan that shamelessly apes his work on Indiana Jones. Brainstorm was interesting with some stuff I really liked, but as you say was a touch talky and slow at times. Given how dated much of it is due to the technology it's one of the rare occasions where I think a remake would actually be welcome.

Runaway is really pretty bad and excessively cheesy but as a result there's some fun to be had with it. I don't think I actually have that one on DVD UF, I think I've only got it recorded from TV. Though I'm not entirely sure! That's when you know your DVD collection is too large, when you're not sure what you actually have! I do now for definite though that I have Diva and Subway. I don't really remember much about Diva even though it was only a couple of years back I watched it but wasn't hugely enamoured with it I think. Subway I started watching a while back but got distracted by something and for some reason never picked back up on it. Not seen or heard of The Nest but I'll definitely be checking it out thanks to your glowing recommendation, particular the comparison to Assault on Precinct 13 which I love

Now that we're in the sci-fi section I'll follow up my question/recommendation of The Guest by asking have you seen Predestination? One of the more intriguing sci-fi flicks I've seen for a while

Oh and nice to see you were such a big fan of Edge of Tomorrow. I really liked that one too; could see it becoming a bit of a favourite over time. Some solid action, loved the streak of black comedy as they concocted one way after another to kill Cruise (I particularly enjoyed the moment where he attempted to roll under a tank but got squished by the tracks) and was surprised by Emily Blunt; girl kicked some serious ass! Just a shame it lost it a little with the ending



That's great news about the six new X-Files episodes. I had no idea, but was aware a series ten comic got released. If you create an X-Files thread I'll definitely drop in to nerd-out over my favourite episodes and speculate on the new stuff.

As for Kolchak I've seen The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler but not the TV series which I heard is terrible - is it? I liked the movies well enough, though The Night Strangler is really just a carbon copy of the first one with a different monster (that rotting dude who lives under the city if I remember correctly - it's been a while). Naturally I'm aware of the huge influence they had on Chris Carter and the X-Files. Darren McGavin even played Arthur Dales in the show before M. Emmet Walsh took over, as I'm sure you know.

I've not seen Predestination or The Guest yet. They're a ways down my list, but I'll get to them eventually.