"THE EXORCIST" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr     MOVIE: ***** (out of 5 stars)     BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***** (out of 5 stars)     Rated R     Studio: Warner Bros.     Back to DVD Review Home

WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Hollywood actress and divorced mother Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) is in Georgetown, filming her latest film. However, her attention is pulled from the film when her daughter Regan (Linda Blair) shows signs of mysterious and scary behavior. After a barrage of medical tests that show no abnormality, Chris makes a desperate plea to the Catholic church to allow an exorcism of her daughter. With the help of a local priest (Jason Miller), experience exorcist Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) arrives to help cast the demon out of Regan’s body.

WHAT I LIKED
The cover to the newly released Blu-ray book of “The Exorcist” declares this film to be “The Scariest Film of All Time.” And I can’t argue. Even 37 years after its original release, “The Exorcist” is a brilliantly constructed, chilling tale of demonic possession and medical torture. It’s a slow burn from the beginning with moments that will make you cringe and shudder.

My first experience with “The Exorcist” came when I was only two years old during its initial release. My father had taken me to a kids movie... some cartoon I don’t even remember. We were in the theater bathroom afterwards, and while he was washing his hands, he heard a loud crash. My dad scrambled to see if it was me that caused it, only to discover a grown man who had come out of “The Exorcist” had fainted and knocked over the trash can.

Now, I’m not passing out when I see this movie, but I understand why this happened, especially to someone in an audience in 1973. Sure, the movie is a work of fiction, but the relatively subdued shooting style and the eerily realistic special effects makes the movie hold up even by today’s standards.

I have loved this film ever since I first saw it in high school. It has never been equaled by its three sequels (one of which is okay but the other two are downright awful). The acting is superb, from the highly experienced Max Von Sydow to the newcomer Linda Blair. The almost non-existent soundtrack (because it was rejected by director William Friedkin) is chilling and punctuated perfectly by the off-kilter “Tubular Bells” piece. And the pacing of the film, while seemingly slow to a younger audience, is perfect for the tone of the film.

It may have lost some of its luster with the wacky 70s clothing and the antiquated technical conventions, but “The Exorcist” still remains a favorite of mine. Even the remastered and extended director’s cut doesn’t cause me any problems. This version of the film has some very subtle changes which enhance the film, as well as some deleted scenes that fit very well back into the big picture.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Nothing. Such a fantastic classic movie, I have no complaints.

BLU-RAY FEATURES
The new Blu-ray book comes with both versions of the film (the extended director’s cut and the original theatrical version) in high definition, which look great and sound great. The theatrical disc includes previously released features, including two commentaries, one with director William Friedkin and the other with producer/screenwriter William Peter Blatty. There’s also an introduction by Friedkin, an interview gallery, the original ending and a feature-length documentary from 1998 called “The Fear of God: The Making of the Exorcist.”

The director’s cut disc includes commentary by Friedkin, plus a three-part documentary about the making of the film, its production and its legacy. The three parts include “Raising Hell: Filming The Exorcist,” “The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now” and “Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist.”

Particularly interesting is how the anti-Friedkin sentiment is toned down in the new documentaries. Where Friedkin was portrayed as a bit of an ass in the original documentaries, he’s presented with a much warmer feel in the new versions. I’m not accusing anyone of revisionist history, but it’s neat to see how emotions have leveled out over the past couple decades.

WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who want the shit scared out of them.

	"SPLICE" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr     MOVIE: ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)     BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars)     Rated R     Studio: Warner Bros.     Back to DVD Review Home

WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Two trendy hipster scientists work for a big pharmaceutical company to splice genes together in order to make a viable source of proteins for human betterment. After several failed attempts to birth a new life form, they have some success, but their corporate bosses won’t let them start splicing human genes into the mix. Going against orders, they combine the most recent formula with an anonymous female donor to create a brand new species. Part human and part monster, their creation shows promise for medical science as well as some alarmingly dangerous tendencies.

WHAT I LIKED
Earlier this summer, I considered “Splice” to be the most underrated and unfortunately seldom seen movie of the year. Having been a fan of director Vincenzo Natali’s work since I saw “Cube” many years ago, I was saddened by the fact that very few people (even those that would love the film) made a point to see this in the theater. As a cross between “Frankenstein” and “Species,” this is one of the best constructed sci-fi horror movies in a long while.

“Splice” is the kind of hidden film that I love seeing, having spent many hours at all-night horror movie marathons. While it appears to be a pretty straightforward story, the actual film gives you more in scares and chills – and more to think about – than you’d expect. And it does all this without providing a bait-and-switch from what’s promised in the marketing to what you see on the screen.

There’s an extraordinary level of pathos with the character of Dren, which necessitates a tip of the hat to Delphine Chaneac, who plays the creature. While the Academy will ignore her, she deserves a best acting nod for how she emotes through make-up, digital effects and an inability to talk as her character.

The sardonic humor that comes from “Splice” results from the movie being a non-stop chain of events that could be stopped at any time but isn’t due to the lack of brainpower, foresight and willpower of the characters. The mantra of the movie is “What’s the worst that can happen,” and we see the worst happen at every turn. It’s not a warm and fuzzy film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is fascinating to watch.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
This is not a complaint about the film itself, as I find very few parts that could be improved (aside from the overdose of coolness that is heaped upon Adrien Brody in his role). Rather, this story goes hand-in-hand with my sadness that audiences never found this film. It is a story indicative of how the deck seemed to be stacked against “Splice” from the start.

When I saw this film in the press screening, there was a massive lightning storm in my city. About 15 minutes before the film ended – in arguably the best part of the movie – the electrical storm knocked out the power in my theater. The manager tried to get things running on emergency power, even if it was just to show the final reel of the movie to the press, but the gods were not smiling upon us. The audience was left with the film ending right after the “apology” scene. (If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about.)

Later that week, after I caught a Thursday night midnight show of “Marmaduke” with my kids, I snuck into the midnight screening of “Splice” to see the last ten minutes or so. For as freaked out as the press screening audience was at the point the power went out, they missed out on the real insanity of what happens next. This is one of the most disturbed endings to a film you’ll see in a long while.

So, it seems that Mother Nature herself was against people seeing “Splice.” And that kinda makes you think, doesn’t it?

BLU-RAY FEATURES
Unfortunately, the features on the Blu-ray don’t quite live up to the awesomeness of the movie. All you get is a 30 minute behind-the-scene look at the production in the featurette “A Director’s Playground: Vincenzo Natali on the Set of Splice.”

WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone who likes a chilling, freaky and shocking monster movie.

	"MIRRORS 2" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr     MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars)     BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars)     Unrated     Studio: 20th Century Fox     Back to DVD Review Home

WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The sequel to Alexandre Aja’s creepy horror flick “Mirrors” takes place not in an abandoned warehouse but in a museum. Here, several people are brutally murdered or disfigured by their own reflections in mirrors. A new night guard realizes what’s going on and tries to warn people of the danger while trying to solve the mystery behind the killings and the image of a ghostly woman in his reflection.

WHAT I LIKED
Unlike many film critics out there, I was okay with the first “Mirrors.” It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t the best thing that Aja had done, but I enjoyed it as a mid-level thriller. The sequel plays more like a direct-to-video film, which is accurate since that’s exactly what it is. So, as I began to watch this movie, I wasn’t expecting anything groundbreaking.

If you go in with relatively low expectations, you’ll find “Mirrors 2” to be not bad. It’s not brilliant, but it works for a simple low-budget thriller. For the gorehound, there’s plenty of blood and guts (literally!) to satisfy their tastes. And at the very least, it gives a bit of mystery to uncover (as long as you don’t read the blurb off the cover box, which literally tells the ending of the film).

Finally, there’s a neat little feature to this film that, by pointing it out, will make me look like a perverted pig... but that’s never stopped me before. Fans of the older Disney Channel shows will recognize Christy Romano (Ren Stevens from “Even Stevens”) as one of the victims. Taking a nod from former Disney stars Anne Hathaway and Lindsay Lohan, Romano gives us a rather generous and lengthy nude scene. I was happy, and it’s worth mentioning for an unrated horror film.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Let’s face it, when it comes to direct-to-DVD horror sequels, my standards are pretty low. I enjoyed the film, but the problems were not lost on me. While the film starred some decent names (e.g., Nick Stahl, William Katt and the totally boobilicious Christy Romano), no one really turns in a decent acting performance. This is made worse by the cringeworthy script, which has stretches of awful dialogue that bring the movie down between gore moments.

Finally, as effects go, these aren’t great. Some work, when it comes to old-school blood effects. But the digital trickery looks a little cheap and overused.

BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes with two featurettes: “The Other Side: Making Mirrors 2” and “Keeping It Real: The Visual and Special Effects of Mirrors 2.” There’s also about two minutes of deleted scenes and BonusView, which allows you to watch the film with picture-in-picture point-of-view of the woman in the mirror.

Also packaged with this Blu-ray is a DVD of the film which includes all the special features along with the original Korean feature film “Into the Mirror” (which inspired the first movie) on the flip side. Two movies for the price of one ain’t bad in my book.

WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of direct-to-DVD horror and anyone who wants to see Ren Stevens’ bare breasts.

	"LOST BOYS: THE THIRST" DVD Review by Kevin Carr     MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars)     DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars)     Rated R     Studio: Warner Bros.     Back to DVD Review Home

WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The story of the Frog Brothers continues with Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman) continuing his quest to kill vampires. He is approached by a woman seeking help to find her brother, who she believes to be with a pack of vampires. She lets Edgar in on a secret that a new drug being handed out at raves around the area is actually a vial of vampire blood, which will turn all the partygoers into bloodsuckers. Edgar goes on the offensive, eventually enlisting the help of his brother Alan (Jamison Newlander), who has been recently brought into the legions of the undead.

WHAT I LIKED
I was a teenager when the first “The Lost Boys” came out, so I was the perfect age to become a fan of the film. It has apparently created a legacy that extends to direct-to-video sequels. I’m okay with this for several reasons. First, a decent vampire tales (read as: one in which we don’t fall in love with them and want to kiss, kiss, marry them after whining about it for three movies) is always welcome in my book. Second, it’s nice to see Corey Feldman earning an honest wage.

I never saw the first sequel, but it’s not hard to jump in with this film. It has some decent action, some pretty cool fight scenes and enough blood and boobs to keep my eyes on the screen. Likewise, there’s a certain level of irreverence the film has with Corey Feldman poking fun at himself with lines like “All reality TV is staged.”

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
While it’s fun to watch in a pinch, don’t mistake my praise above for a declaration that “Lost Boys: The Thirst” is a great film. It’s not. It’s fine for a direct-to-video sequel, but on the whole it is a bucket of cheese.

Feldman is looking kinda old, and he’s no longer the cute and out-of-place Edgar Frog from the original film. Yeah, the guy needs a paycheck, but I’m not sure how many more of these sequels I would enjoy. If this goes down the line of the “Hellraiser” sequels from a few years back, it will get tedious fast.

DVD FEATURES
The DVD comes with a featurette about vampires hosted by the lovely Charisma Carpenter called “The Art of Seduction: Vampire Love,” which seems more as a cheap grab for fans of “Twilight,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “True Blood” than anything of relevance to this movie.

WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who can’t get enough of Corey Feldman.

    

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