DVD This Week: October 30th

By: John Thonen
Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2001

VIDEO NEWS

JEEPERS CREEPERS was a sleeper hit this summer and MGM is cashing in on its popularity by rushing it to home video as a January release. There will be a Special Edition DVD release offering a making-of featurette, deleted footage and, most eye-popping of all, alternate opening and ending scenes and a director's commentary. In what the DVD Review website termed a "truly ridiculous move," the DVD is also being advertised as having hidden features. How exactly you can tell someone you have hidden something, I must admit, does seem pretty ridiculous, but whatever sells DVDs. The important thing about all this is that director Victor Salva has finally proven himself as a commercial filmmaker and can now put that "little old" child molestation conviction behind him. Maybe his commentary will allow him to explain how he was just "kidding around."

Dario Argento's name should need no introduction to fans of the fantastic and the Italian filmmaker's U.S. fans will soon get a chance to see his latest work, NON HO SONNO, or SLEEPLESS as it will be titled in this country. While I personally rather liked THE STENDAHL SYNDROME, most fans and critics seemed to feel that Argento's work in the '90s was a far cry from his best. The buzz on SLEEPLESS has been considerably more favorable, in part because the film marks the director's return to the "giallo" sub-genre where he first made his reputation. Max (THE EXORCIST) Von Sydow top-lines the film's cast as a cop investigating a series of murders which seem to be the work of a killer he sought some seventeen years earlier. The SLEEPLESS DVD will feature a director's commentary, which I believe is Argento's first.

THIS WEEK'S NEW RELEASES

THE ANIMAL is comic Rob Schneider's follow-up to [IMG3R]his surprise hit, DEUCE BIGALOW: MALE GIGOLO and it should satisfy fans of that film, but isn't likely to expand Schneider's appeal beyond the cult he currently has. The story has Schneider as a none-too-bright cop who is severely injured (wow, it's funny already, severe injuries, giggle) and is rebuilt with parts from animals. Somehow the parts periodically take control and he takes on aspects of the animals within him, leading to the widely advertised scene where he hits on a female goat. (Bestiality. God, that always gets a laugh out of me - I can hardly see for the tears in my eyes from laughing.) That cutie from the first SURVIVOR series, Colleen Haskell, pops up to show she can't act. This might have made a killer SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE skit, but at eighty-four minutes, it way overstays it's welcome.

EXORCISM is yet another film from the prolific Jess Franco, who also stars in this 1974 bit of sadism, also known as THE SADIST OF NOTRE DAME. Franco's wife, and frequent star, Lina Romay joins her hubby in a tale about a crazed ex-priest, recently released from an asylum, who becomes involved with some thrill seeking college girls who witness a fake black mass ceremony - only Franco's character doesn't know its fake. The rest of the film concentrates on Franco torturing everyone in an effort to drive the demons from their bodies. There are a multitude of different versions of this film, but this is reportedly the uncut original, (the DVD even features a rare Franco commentary) so hold on to your lunch, 'cause this is one sick puppy.

ROUTE 666 is a direct-to-video release that I've been looking forward to for several months as it marks the return of director William Wesley, whose last film, 1988's SCARECROWS, is an unheralded gem of a horror film. This cleverly titled action/horror hybrid doesn't quite equal Wesley's earlier gem, but it's a solid direct-to-video item unlikely to disappoint fans of either genre. The story involves two cops transporting a witness who end up on an abandoned stretch of uncompleted highway where the spirits of murdered convicts wait to exact their revenge. Wesley's cast includes Lou Diamond Phillips, Lori Petty, Steven Williams, Dale Midkiff, Alex McArthur and the always watchable L Q. Jones and Dick Miller, and he gets good mileage out of them all. Sporting some slickly edited action sequences and some welcome humor, this one's a good bet for Halloween viewing.

STAR SLAMMER is a truly classic example of exploitation schlock, and I must confess to loving every minute of it. There's big breasted women who can't stay in their clothes, spaceships, giant mutant rats, scar-faced crazies, ray guns... did I mention the half naked, big-breasted women? This was an early effort from the film factory that is Fred Olen Ray. Today, Ray makes competent, but faceless, direct-to-video fare, but back in the '80s he was churning out goofball fare like this and, while I'm sure he's making a better living now, I suspect he misses making these kind of movies as much as I miss seeing them. If you love trash, don't miss it. All others, you've been warned.

SWORDFISH is a perfectly decent big budget thriller which will probably most be remembered for being the first film to unveil Halle Berry's breasts (at a rumored cost of $250,000 per) and for being the first to be labeled for featuring scenes of terrorist violence. Those two scenes, one a triumph of special effects and the other of God given beauty, are also the main reasons to see the film. Beyond that, there's an implausible, and anti-climactic, action climax and an implausible, but enjoyable, twist ending. Most of the rest of the film is just mindless, glossy fluff of the type producer Joel Silver does so well.

IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF

CHASING SLEEP is a film that doesn't sell itself as horror, preferring the psychological thriller label instead. But what is more horrifying than the human mind? Particularly one that's about to snap. Jeff Daniels headlines this film about a man suffering apparent insomnia and periodic blackouts. He rolls over in bed one day to find his wife missing and his life unraveling by the minute. The entire film takes place in Daniel's home and there are only two even moderately significant characters besides him. The film's ending is no surprise, nor does it intend to be. But there are a few shockers as the real, unreal and surreal become nearly indistinguishable in Daniel's life. The loss of identity is a common sci-fi and horror theme, but CHASING SLEEP turns that on its ear, with the horror being uncovered as Daniels learns of the true identity he tried so hard to lose. While not flawless, deliberately paced and more than a little reminiscent of REPULSION, this one is well worth a look for the adventurous among you.

POSSESSION OF NURSE SHERRI is almost inarguably the best film of the late director Al Adamson. That's not to say it's exactly good 'cause it isn't - it's just that it's not as bad as most of Adamson's grade "Z" productions. This one has a hospital nurse possessed by a cult leader's spirit after he dies in her hospital. There's a little T&A, some crappy optical effects, cheesy murders, bad lighting and sound and even worse acting, however lovers of schlock filmmaking (of which I am one) will want to see it anyway, and are certain to enjoy producer Sam Sherman's commentary on the DVD. Like most of Adamson's films for Sherman, this has had a multitude of different titles, including NURSE SHERRI, BEYOND THE LIVING, HOSPITAL OF TERROR, TERROR HOSPITAL, HANDS OF DEATH and KILLER'S CURSE. I wouldn't be surprised if it's playing in a theater somewhere in the world under yet another title.

REPLICANT is the third film (see DOUBLE IMPACT and MAXIMUM RISK) in

which "the muscles from Brussels," Jean Claude Van Damme, has played two characters, and the second of these to be directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Ringo Lam for whom this is his third Van Damme film, with another yet to come. While hardly a great film, this is easily Van Damme's best he's close to becoming a bad actor, which is way better than he's been before and Lam's best non-Hong Kong production. This is a fairly dark film, with echoes of SEVEN and THE BONE COLLECTOR in its story of a serial killer known as "The Torch" for his penchant for making women all too literally "hot all over." Surprisingly, Van Damme plays the killer, and one suspects from this performance that he should have been playing "heavies" all along. Van Damme also plays the replicant, a clone of "The Torch" who is sent to find the killer, but just may become as evil as his prey. Toss in some good action, slick camerawork and a decent performance from Michael Rooker, and this is an O.K. bet for undemanding action fans.

SERIES 7: THE CONTENDERS deals with the most frightening media development of the past decade, reality TV. The film deals with the contestants on a show where there really is only one survivor, as the competitors kill each other off. This movie is what I'd imagine a Quentin Tarantino-produced reality series would be. It's fast, funny, violent and dark, with sharply drawn characters and strong performances. The concept is nothing all that new - THE RUNNING MAN, the French THE PRIZE OF PERIL and THE 10TH VICTIM had similar basic concepts, but execution is what counts and SERIES 7 is so well done that I'm hoping there'll be a SERIES 8.

SOULKEEPER hits home video today, very likely before many who taped its cable TV premiere some two weeks ago on the Sci-Fi Channel have had a chance to watch it. The video adds a little gore and profanity along with a surprising amount of female flesh (which almost offsets the homo-erotic undertones the film had on TV) but otherwise offers little improvement to a just-too-silly horror/comedy. Actually, it's more comedy/horror as the humor dominates and there is little that would scare even a ten year old. The story involves two thieves who are hired to steal the Rock of Lazarus and end up in the middle of a battle between good, evil and some special effects guys. There are a few laughs and the supporting cast includes the enjoyable likes of Robert Davi, Michael Ironside, Brad Dourif and Karen Black, but this is minor league stuff. Even ANGEL is better than this.

HORROR 101 also debuted on cable TV's Sci-Fi Channel, though over a year ago, and now hits video in time for the Halloween season. It's a pretty standard issue teens and slasher tale about students in a college psychology class on fear. Bo Derek is the killer-babe teacher planning a killer test and... oh yeah, there's a killer. Competent but seldom involving or surprising, this isn't really awful, but it is awfully familiar.

BRUISER is the latest [IMG4R]offering from one of the great maverick filmmakers of all time, George Romero, and is yet another reminder that it's a crime that it's been nearly eight years since his last picture. Like CHASING SLEEP, BRUISER deals with questions of personal identity, though in a much different manner. In fact, the film is, in many way, similar to the much underrated AMERICAN PSYCHO, though Romero is not as subtle with his message, yet is more subtle with his trademark dark humor. The film deals with a man who commands no respect (and almost demands disrespect) who awakens one day to find his face has become a featureless mask. This loss of who he is to others frees him to be who he is within his own mind and he sets out to even the score with all who have wronged him. Visually, the film is Hollywood slick in every way and the performances, often a Romero weakness, are generally solid with a few, particularly lead Jason Flemyng, being quite excellent. The end is a disappointment and the film stumbles here and there, but it's never less than engrossing and its relegation to a quiet, direct-to-video release is a shame.

EASTER EGG HUNT

FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN features a cornucopia of hidden goodies and, as is so often the case, my thanks to the good folks at DVDreview.com for posting them a mere week after the film's video release. Start with disc two and got to "Highlights Menu" from the main menu screen, then press the "Up" and then the "Right" key. This will highlight an onscreen symbol and take you to page two where you again press "Up" and "Right" twice this time and then press "Enter." The result is a two and one-half minute CGI animated version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video.

Going back to the main menu and again to "Highlights Menu," if you now press "Down" you'll access storyboards for an unproduced sequence. Go back to "Highlights Menu" again and select "Character Files." Highlight the arrow and the screen's bottom and then press "Right" two times for a slide show of vehicles from the film. Now, again back to "Highlights Menu" and "Character Files," but this time select "DVD-Rom Content." Then highlight the arrow at the screen's bottom and press "Up" to gain access to more storyboards. Lastly, from the "Main Menu," select "Play Documentary" and press your "Left" button to gain access to some character studies of the character of Aki Ross.

COMING NEXT WEEK

Halloween will be nearly forgotten and the genre pickings get thin, but we'll all get "Wood" as we look at selected works from a filmmaker few would think of as a fantasist, plus some cat scratch fever and even more bottom shelf goodies.

Vidiocy is our weekly Video & DVD column.