What a great monster! I always loved watching "Kronos" as a kid....who couldn't love this massive metal giant rectangle stampeding across the country using it's piston shooting legs?!?!? And now the new DVD release finally gives us the film in it's original widescreen (scope!) ratio....WOW!!! I remember the full-frame version chopped off newspaper headlines and other action terribly. This new transfer looks great. Ya, the movie suffers a little bit from talky moments, but it's still campy fun and whenever Kronos is on screen...it's Fantastic! Industrial Mayhem!!!! Kronos will suck you dry!

This is supposed to be the late 70's at the legendary disco? You got to be kidding! Neve Campbell in the 70's ---aw, come on! With Philippe and her together here, I thought I was watching a "Scream" or "I Know What You Did..." sequel or something! Geeez! OK - Mike Myers as Steve Rubell is the one stand-out in this dreck, but unfortunately the film focuses mainly on Philippe's character and his romantic exploits instead of on the club's guru-owner. Even most of the disco music used isn't authentic for the period. What a waste! "54" is a dreadfully banal attempt at recreating a long-gone era and it fails miserably. The "E True Hollywood Story" on Rubell and Studio 54 was 100,000 times better than this teeny-bopper Gen-X attempt at recreating the 70's. Skip it!

I hadn't seen this piece of 80's dreck since it was first released so when a friend brought over his new double-disc DVD Collector's Edition, I said what the heck! The 138 minute running time for the "director's cut" scared me a bit, but I was interested in seeing the "new" stuff so 2 1/2 hours it was! I'm not a fan of the "Superman" movies and normally would not waste time on such stuff, but if you like really BAAAAD movies, this one BITES big-time! From the ultra-cheesy effects (you won't believe your eyes!), to the banal dialogue ("I want the oxyhedron so I can rule the world!"), to Dunaway and Vaccaro trying to ham it up (and failing miserably), to the non-existent plot (Supergirl spends more time with her schoolmates eating at Popeye's than she spends on her mission), to the rampant product placement (the Popeye's restaurant is the biggest building in this town and you get to hear about almost every item on it's menu!) to the very bad acting from all involved (WHAT was Mia Farrow doing in this? ), to the constant breaches of logic (why does Supergirl swear everyone to secrecy! ---what difference does it make? ), to the lack of scope (Dunaway wants to rule "the World" but never leaves the small desert town -- is that town "the world"? ). My friend clued me in to what all the extra scenes were in this longer version and some of this stuff was hysterical, too! The final wrap-up stuff when the characters are all leaving town...."Hey! What's up!"...Reply - "Hi , See ya!", Reply -"OK - Good luck! Bye!"....The End....HUH! Another great line - "Are you alright?" Reply - "Oh, I hit my head"....CUT...end of scene. I swear half of it sounds improvised (and badly). This is very AWFUL filmmaking and is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Invite your friends over, have a few brewskies and ENJOY!

OK - I got my replacement DVD (the first one was defective) so here goes. This DVD compilation of 40 industrial band music-videos from CLEOPATRA is a cool compilation featuring such groups as Die Krupps, Einsturzende Neubauten, Spahn Ranch, Chemlab, Throbbing Gristle, Test Dept., Leaether Strip, Razed in Black, Clock DVA, Pigface and more. This DVD basically compiles ALL the videos that were on Cleopatra's earlier three VHS releases: Industrial Revolution Vol. 1, Industrial Revolution Vol. 2 and Gothic Industrial Alternative Visuals. The digital mastering of the DVD is average and I compared it side by side with the old VHS releases. In some cases the DVD looks sharper (although with some slight artifacts), but in other cases the VHS has much better contrast. Just compare the shot of the demon in Chemlab's "Codeine Glue & You" video....on the VHS it's crystal clear, but on the DVD you can barely make out it's face no matter how much you fiddle with the controls. Other videos suffer in the same way, but all in all, the DVD is definitely satisfactory. There is a simple menu where you can access each song (and if you do it manually by skipping you will find that the 40 videos are broken down into 3 separate sections --- from the old VHS releases --- and you will have to fast forward to get to the next set! --- very strange). There is also extra information on some of the bands listing other video releases that feature them. There is also no booklet. A bare-bones DVD, but if you like the old Cleopatra stuff, it's a good purchase and way cheaper than buying the 3 separate videos.

The DVD of ALICE SWEET ALICE is a decent presentation, but the print used is not one of the best. Many scenes have vertical scratch marks that sometimes last for over a minute and occur in some crucial scenes. The image itself is also not the sharpest, but it is satisfactory. Other than that, the DVD doesn't include a trailer, but instead has the alternate opening "Communion" credit sequence (the same as the ASA opening except for the title). Commentary track by director Sole is quite interesting, however.

The movie itself is a stylish little horror-mystery which is somewhat reminiscent of "Don't Look Now". Unfortunately, it starts off way better than it ends. The first hour is pretty excellent and full of thrills and twists....but as soon as the murderer is revealed, the movie really loses it. The final 30-40 minutes are very average and really hampered my opinion of this film. It's too bad, because it could have really been a great little horror film. As it is, it's still worth seeing and definitely NOT a waste of time, but if you want something as good as "Don't Look Now"...don't look here!

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT is Hammer horror at it's best and Anchor Bay's DVD is a gem. Christopher Lee and Charles Gray battle it out (and put their all into their roles) in a very entertaining satanic tale of good vs. evil. Although some of the effects are dated and some of the dialog can invoke a chuckle here and there, the film is still very solid and engrossing. The moment early on where the demonic spirit of a black man with glowing yellow eyes appears is still very creepy and effective...easily one of the scariest moments in any Hammer film ever. So when the movie's creepy, it's fun...and when it's a bit hokey or campy, it's fun as well. The DVD includes the US and UK trailers --- almost identical except the title of the film and the UK trailer blacks out parts of the image (like the spider)! There is also a commentary track by Christopher Lee and actress Sarah Lawson. Lee, who had a BIG hand in getting this film made at the time, is understandably very knowledgeable about satanism-witchcraft, Wheatley's book and the film itself. It's an interesting track and a great testimony to Hammer. It is sad that Peter Cushing never had a chance to do a commentary for any of his Hammer roles. Anyway, this is great Saturday afternoon viewing...you can't go wrong here!

IMAGE has done a fine job with this DVD release of the orignal italian version of Bava's horror masterpiece, but it is still lacking in a few important aspects (at least in my opinion). First of all, the film looks absolutely INCREDIBLE -- the colors are completely vibrant - reds, greens, blues, oranges, purples - if you thought "Suspiria" was colorful, you ain't seen nuthin' yet! You can easily see where Argento was influenced by this and other Bava works. It's great to have the film with it's original score, with the stories in the correct order, and without the changes AIP made to it in the US.

However, my problem with the DVD is related to just that. Because the film is only presented in the italian version, we lose all of the real english-speaking voice of the great Boris Karloff (not to mention Mark Damon). Maybe with other actors it would be more forgivable, but Karloff's voice is sorely missed (especially in the Wurdalak story) and the dubbing of him almost feels sacriligious. The prologue and epilogue (new to the US) features the dubbed Karloff, but the old AIP inter-segments featuring him are now missing completely (shot later by another director).

OK, I understand why it's not all here...AIP-ORION-MGM must own the American version and these segments, but it sure would have been nice to have them on this as an extra. And even if the extra Karloff segments couldn't be used, an English track with Karloff's voice should have been included. So it's a great DVD of this version of the film, but I'm still holding on to my old VHS of the US version for Karloff and his voice.

Anchor Bay screws up Big Time. Their DVD release of SLEEPAWAY CAMP is edited missing a few brief scenes (a male skinny dipping shot and several moments of a later death scene). Hold on to your VHS until a definitive version ever gets released to DVD. It will be interesting to see if Anchor Bay does a recall or just tries to shove this one under the rug. Another DVD disappointment. Is anybody awake out there?

The new IMAGE DVD of Jess Franco's "Female Vampire" is a welcome addition to any Francophile or euro-horror fan's collection. The movie reeks with an ethereal mood and pace and the euro-lounge theme music (played through about 90% of the flick!) is catchy and will haunt you long afterwards. Irina the lonely vampire goes from one victim to the next --- that's about it for story --- but who cares! This is Franco at his best! Be forewarned --- this is definitely a Very Mature movie so keep the young ones away! Released in a few different versions over the years, this 101 minute version is closest to "The Loves of Irina" version once released on VHS by Private Screenings. Alternate scenes from the "Erotikill" version are included as a supplement (app. 8 minutes) and basically include all the attack scenes which show Irina drinking blood. For some reason, the alternate scenes are not in chronological order. The movie is letterboxed at 2.35:1 and looks fine, but some shots seem to be over matted (but maybe that's just the way it is). Image quality is a bit soft and there are two moments of print damage (streaking of image for app. 30 seconds -sprocket hole damage?), but basically it's a very nice presentation and a MUST BUY!!! The DVD also has one trailer (in French only).

THE MINUS MAN is a serviceable drama about a serial killer who comes to a small town and starts killing off some of the residents. It plays more like an episode of a TV drama than any kind of serial killer thriller, though. There are no real shocks, scares or anything really compelling about any of it so fans of films like "Henry" or "Silence of the Lambs" will most likely be disappointed. The performances are all excellent, though, and this helps the film at least retain some sort of interest (but at 114 minutes, even they outstay their welcome). It's a shame it really doesn't even play well as a psychological study of a sick mind. Overall, a watchable movie, but most likely destined to be forgotten in the vast video wasteland.