March 31, 2015

Blu-ray & DVD The Digital Dread Report for March 31s!

Two absolutely Must Own collections, one Sci-Fi movie that we can't wait to check out on Blu-ray, and two DVD's that we could take or leave; this is the Digital Dread Report for the week of March 31st!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R55U198/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00R55U198&linkCode=as2&tag=thehorclu0a-20&linkId=RWUHVV6NEO2D7P76
If you're looking to get into the Blu-ray world of Dario Argento flicks, then this 3-Disc set from Blue Underground is the perfect way to take the leap. Deep Red and Inferno are two of his best movies (and our favorites), and even though we would preferred that The Bird With the Crystal Plumage round out this collection instead of The Cat O' Nine Tails, this set is beyond awesome. Especially for only $23.

*Note: This 3-Disc set is a re-package of the individual Blue Underground releases, so there are no new transfers or special features to be found here.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R55U120/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00R55U120&linkCode=as2&tag=thehorclu0a-20&linkId=WNTZJXSTHJNAAKKN
As with the Argento set above, this 3-Disc set of Lucio Fulci classics from Blue Underground is a great place to start your Fulci Blu-ray education. We actually like this set a bit better than the Argento one, as all three of these movies are favorites of ours; we already owned the City of the Living Dead disc, but we ordered this set anyhow, because we do not yet have House by the Cemetery or New York Ripper in our Blu-ray Collection. Again, Horror fans would be hard pressed to find a better Blu-ray value for under $23, and a Must Own for Horror fans who don't already have these classics gems in their collections.  

*Note: This 3-Disc set is a re-package of the individual Blue Underground releases, so there are no new transfers or special features to be found here.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SI7GCJK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SI7GCJK&linkCode=as2&tag=thehorclu0a-20&linkId=ZTVA264AFFVRJ5TF
We'll be buying Interstellar because its exactly the kind of movie that Blu-ray was created for; we really can't wait to see how gorgeous the far reaches of space look on our home setup. Oh yeah, and the movie itself was pretty good; not Christopher Nolan's best work by a long shot, but we still found it to be top-notch entertainment that even had a bit of an emotional kick to it.

Great flick, great Blu-ray release.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SFRHJO0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00SFRHJO0&linkCode=as2&tag=thehorclu0a-20&linkId=LLR2CMHI4Q6BCGYZ
From the Press Release: "Housekeeping follows Lucy (Adriana Solis), a medical student who takes a housekeeping job in order to make some quick cash. The almost-too-convenient new job soon takes a turn for the worse as Lucy’s haunting past emerges and she begins to lose her grip on reality."

Remember After Dark Films? You know, the company that gave us the 8 Movies to Die For festival releases way back in 2006? Well they're back with this new release, and who knows, maybe this will be the start of a new run of decent Horror flicks for us to enjoy. Right?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RDEIRLU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00RDEIRLU&linkCode=as2&tag=thehorclu0a-20&linkId=CG2OM7TBT2DEC5YO
From our review: "Out of the Dark isn't a bad movie at all, but it surely is a painfully bland one. It's easy enough to watch, and we didn't really feel like we wasted our time doing so, we just didn't really care about it either way when all was said and done. Is it worth a rental? Kinda. You'll be fine either way you go."

Out of the dark makes a far better Netflix watch than it does a purchase, but if you love Julia Stiles, or if the average Lifetime Channel movie of the week is "your thing," then maybe this one is for you.

Read our review HERE.

...as always, is a crap-shoot.

allannightout

Blu-ray Review: Land of the Dead (2005)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418819/
(aka Big Daddy's House.)
Release Date: June 24th, 2005.
Country: USA.
Rating: R.
Written by: George A. Romero.
Directed by: George A. Romero.
Starring: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper. and Asia Argento.

Big, polished, gory, and as socially-relevant as ever, Land of the Dead is our favorite of George Romero's zombie flicks.

Cast stones at us if you will (you wouldn't be wrong to do so), but we just can't help but love this entry in the "Dead" series above the others.
Even after Zombie Apocalypse, leave it to we humans to still live divided as a society; the rich elite get a privileged life in the lavish high-rise community of Fiddler's Green, while the poor and less fortunate live in the filthy ghettos below. And no, there is no middle class, because that shit never existed to begin with.

THE RICH: KEEPING THE POOR MASSES DISTRACTED BY BRIGHT SHINY THINGS SINCE FOREVER.
From on high, the ruler of Fiddler's Green, Kaufman, sends the expendable losers of the ghetto below out into the word to forage for supplies and such; after all, the poor exist to augment the lives of the rich. That's what they're there for. At least Kaufman has given them a heavily-armored battle wagon called the Dead Reckoning to make their jobs easier though... because if they die, who will ensure that the rich and well-to-do are able to maintain their lives of privilege?

THAT THING'S GOT MISSILES!
Unbeknownst to Kaufman (and everyone else), the undead are becoming smarter. They're learning to reason, communicate, and to do simple tasks, all of which are bad things for the humans; the dead are tired of being held down by the living man, and so they're off to take Fiddler's Green for themselves, and eat everyone who crosses their path while doing so. Class warfare ensues.

GUESS WHO WINS?
If you were to rank George Romero's zombie movies from best to worst, you'd probably have to put Land of the Dead behind Night and Dawn, at least; those two movies were so influential and important to the Horror genre (and to movies in general), that it would be disingenuous to rank any of the later "Dead" movies ahead of them.

If you're talking about which George Romero zombie flick that we enjoy the most though, and which one that we could watch over and over again without getting tired of, then Land of the Dead would be number one with a bullet.

For reasons that I can not explain or justify to you, or even to myself, George Romero's Land of the Dead is our favorite entry in his Dead Universe of films. I honestly think it's because LOTD feels like it's his most polished and complete zombie effort to date. All of the familiar biting social commentary and insane gore gags are there, and it's got a budget bigger than all of his other Dead movies put together (and then some), and it really shows. Whatever the reason, Land of the Dead just clicks on all cylinders for us.

CHOLO.
This movie also has Dennis Hopper playing the bad guy, and does it get any better than Dennis Hopper playing the bad guy in a zombie flick? No, it does not. Speaking of the cast, John Leguizamo and Asia Argento add a further level of legitimacy to the proceedings, and even Simon Baker was a solid choice to play the lead.

And in all honesty, Big Daddy is one of the most interesting zombie characters to ever appear in a movie. We loved how Romero toyed with the idea of the undead getting smarter in Land, and Big Daddy was the perfect "man" to lead the zombies into battle against the entitled humans. Bub (Day of the Dead), Tarman (Return of the Living Dead), and Big Daddy are probably the three best zombie characters of all-time.

THE SIMON PEGG & EDGAR WRIGHT CAMEOS WERE SUPER COOL TOO.
Even after Zombie Apocalypse, there's a huge divide between the Have's and Have-not's of the world. How shocking.

"POOR PEOPLE, MAN, THEY CREEP ME OUT."
The guy who was wearing his headphones and riding a skateboard while being all alone at night in the middle of a zombie-filled area. That's exactly the kind of idiot who deserves to die in these films.

AND HERE WE THOUGHT THE UNDEAD WERE BRAINLESS.
George Romero + zombie movie= plenty of excessive gore. You definitely want to watch the Unrated Cut to get the maximum amount of gore though.

"YOU'RE EMBARRASSING YOURSELF."
A topless dancer in a strip club, and Asia Argento changing clothes, and that's it. Romero movies have never been all that heavy on the nudity, and this one is no exception.

SORRY, ASIA. NO NUDITY FOR YOU THIS TIME.
After five decades in the business, Land of the Dead shows that Romero still has it in him. Also, 20 years after her feature film debut, so does Asia Argento.

...AND THEN SOME.
Of all of Romero's "Dead" films, Land of the Dead will always be our favorite. Maybe it's because with Land, we finally got to see what Romero is capable of with a big budget, or maybe it's because we love the cast so much. We can't honestly say. Favorite or otherwise though, this is one slick, blood-soaked sequel that is deserving of any zombie lover's affection, or at the very least, attention.

A

Land of the Dead is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008R65XS8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B008R65XS8&linkCode=as2&tag=thehorclu0a-20&linkId=SMLVBXMIETM2MVHR

Asia Argento is a classic.

March 29, 2015

Horror Hotties: Lauren Cohan

With the season finale of The Walking Dead looming over our heads like a dark cloud, we figured it would be nice to pay tribute to the show's resident big sister, Maggie Greene.

"WHO, ME?"
Now that Emily Kinney is gone, Aussie beauty Lauren Cohan might just be the hottest chick on The Walking Dead. That's no knock on the other women of TWD, because they're all lovely in their own way, but there's just something about Lauren that makes her stand out. Even when she's filthy and covered in zombie guts, she's gorgeous.

SHE'S EVEN HOTTER WHEN SHE'S COVERED IN NOTHING.
As far as her character goes, how can you not love a girl from the deep south who falls in love with an Asian fella, despite the fact that most of her neighbors think that such a thang is a sin? Maggie Greene doesn't care, she follows her heart! She's also sympathetic as hell, having survived while her entire family has died painful, gruesome deaths. How she keeps her sanity, we'll never know. 

If (when) Glenn dies, she's probably going to lose her shit. Until then though, we'll enjoy her as the sexy ass-kicker that she is.

SHE STRIKES POSES.
SHE'S ALSO A DEEP THINKER.
SHE'S WACKY. ZANY, EVEN.
DO NOT TRY TO CUCK HER.
"YOU'RE DEAD, I'M NOT! LOL!"
SHE'S ANGRY.
HER GREATEST WEAPONS.
WITH HER HORSE, BUTTERNUT.
...and now for the Hottie pics, because that's really why we're here.