Dark Star - The Hyper-Drive Edition (1974) Review

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(More customer reviews)VCI Entertainment presents ~ "DARK STAR-HYPERDRIVE EDITION" (1974) (83 min/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Take for instance director John Carpenter who may be known for his other accomplishments of motion pictures we now realize were good even great --- But this film was the groundbreaking moment that gave us other films from other directors and writers, such as Star Wars --- Now enters co-conspirator Dan O'Bannon, the two filmed this with a zero budget, much like a student project and became a cult classic. --- Not bad for two college chums that started out as a student film and was eventually expanded into a theatrical feature, lucky for us fans, as they say the rest is history.
The copy of the film is quite good and the documentaries are an added plus for all collectors and film enthusiasts --- This new "Hyperdrive" edition is a great update thanks to its abundant special features. Let there be light, indeed --- A must have for your collection of rare and early films in this genre.
Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Image: 4 1/2 Stars
Sound: 4 Stars
Extras: 4 1/2 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Both Versions of Dark Star & Bonus Features]
Under the production staff of:
John Carpenter [Director/Screenwriter/Producer]
Dan O'Bannon [Original Story]
J. Stein Kaplan [Associate Producer]
Jack H. Harris [Executive Producer]
John Carpenter [Original Score]
Douglas Knapp [Cinematographer]
Dan O'Bannon [Film Editor]
the cast includes:
Brian Narelle ... Lt. Doolittle
Cal Kuniholm ... Boiler
Dre Pahich ... Talby
Dan O'Bannon ... Sgt. Pinback
BIOS:
1. John Carpenter [Director/Producer/Writer/Actor/Composer]
Date of Birth: 16 January 1948 - Carthage, New York
Date of Death: Still Living
2. Dan O'Bannon [Director/Screenwriter]
Date of Birth: 30 September 1946 - St. Louis, Missouri
Date of Death: 17 December 2009 - Santa Monica, California
DISC ONE (1):
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Interview with Sci-fi author Alan Dean Foster
2. Audio Commentary by "Super-Fan" Andrew Gilchrist
3. Interview with actor Brian Narelle - "Lt. Doolittle"
4. 3D Guide to the Dark Star Ship
5. Written Intro by Dan O'Bannon
6. Trivia
7. Original Dark Star trailer
8. Both Versions of Dark Star
DISC TWO (2):
BONUS FEATURES:
1. "LET THERE BE LIGHT: THE ODYSSEY OF "DARK STAR" - An all new, feature-length documentary exploring the controversial making of the John Carpenter (HALLOWEEN) and Dan O'Bannon (ALIEN),
2. Exclusive interviews with actor Brian Narelle and cinematographer Doug Knapp
Special footnote, Won and Nominated Awards ~ Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films,(USA) Won Golden Scroll "Best Special Effects" (1976) recipients were Douglas Knapp, Bill Taylor, John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon --- Nominated for Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America 1976 Nebula Award "Best Dramatic Writing" (1976)
for recipients John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon --- Hugo Awards (1976) Nominated "Best Dramatic Presentation"

The talking bomb is one of the funniest characters to ever appear in a space movie, rivaling HAL and the robot in Forbidden Planet --- This is a deep and meaningful film inclusive with humor and thought provoking scenes ---There is a look of insight into the human spirit, plus the plight of the isolation --- You won't be disappointed as I highly recommend to fans of a good science fiction storytelling, who won't be hesitant to laugh out loud when the door of humor is opened --- It's an acquired taste, and if you're in the right frame of mind you'll love it --- The country song "Benson Arizona" still gets my funny bone -- good memories still linger.
Total Time: 83 min on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment #8550 ~ (10/26/2010)

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Halloween 5 - The Revenge of Michael Myers (Divimax Edition) (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)Halloween is the best horror movie series. This DVD will be perfect even if it only included the High Def transfers. I hope they are working on the Blu-Ray Halloweens.
What is included:
* Widescreen Presentation enhanced for 16x9 TVs
* Audio commentary with director Dominique Othenin-Girard and actors Danielle Harris and Jeffrey Landman (HALLOWEEN 5)
* Inside Halloween 5: Documentary featuring rare behind the scenes footage, a cut scene, and interviews with Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Don Shanks, Executive Producer Moustapha Akkad and Cinematographer Rob Draper
* Introduction by stars Danielle Harris and Ellie Cornell
* On-Set Halloween 5 Footage: Rare, never-before-seen footage taken on the set
* Theatrical trailer

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MICHAEL LIVES. AND THIS TIME, THEY'RE READY! Now Remastered In HD And Featuring An All-New Audio Commentary!Because Hell would not have him, Michael Myers survived the mine explosion thought to have killed him. One year later, his traumatized young niece Jamie (Danielle Harris of HALLOWEEN 4) is horrified to discover she has a telepathic bond with her evil Uncle…and that Uncle Michael is on his way back to Haddonfield. But Dr. Loomis (the late, great Donald Pleasence) has a new plan to destroy The Boogey Man in his childhood home using Jamie as bait. Tonight, the carnage begins again: Michael Myers is back with a vengeance! Ellie Cornell and Beau Starr return for this hit sequel that features grisly gore by K.N.B. EFX Group (ARMY OF DARKNESS, SCREAM, HOSTEL), and is now fully remastered in DiviMax™ for the ultimate in Michael Myers mayhem!

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Halloween (1978) Review

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(More customer reviews)Halloween. What a perfect title for a Horror movie. It's hard to believe back in 1977 that there had never been any movie, let alone a Horror film, that incorporated that title. And what good usage it got. Written, directed, and even musically scored by John Carpenter (with great assistance by then girlfriend Debra Hill), this was truly a film that brought Horror to it's roots, leaving an impact that only George Romero's Night Of The Living Dead did ten years earlier. Showcasing a deranged killer by the name of Michael Myers who in childhood murdered his sister in cold blood on Halloween night, only to escape his asylum to return to his Illinois home to hunt down babysitter (and eventually known little sister) Jamie Lee Curtis 15 years later, was truly an amazing film that never exploited the genre, keeping the imagination and terror flowing within the viewers mind rather than blatantly on the screen. For it's time it was the number one profitable independent film ever made, and after almost thirty years, it still terrifies and never grows old. A true classic film. Every single DVD collector should own it....
But which one?
Not in the sense of sequels, but rather in which version of the original should you add to your collection. You see, this film has had the DVD distribution rights by Anchor Bay Entertainment (now known as Starz), and they have re-released this classic now a total of six times. So I would like to compare the two most popular versions to see which one should be for you, the "Restored" or the "25th Anniversary"
Starting with the "Restored" version, this DVD was authored way back in 1999. However, it was personally restored by Halloween original cinematographer Dean Cundey, trying to preserve as much of the look of it's original theatrical run. This version has been released a whopping three times. But for the film's "25th (2003) Anniversary", Anchor Bay remastered the film yet again for another release "Halloween 25", this time taking the remastering process in their own hands, something of which Cundey was not happy with. You see, comparing the two's video, you'll notice that each are different. One point is brightness and sharpness. In the Cundey version, overall picture is dark and not as sharp while for 25 the white levels have been raised and it's overall color saturation has been lowered. To me, while the original with it's dark blue hue running throughout looks good, at times it's hard to see certain shots in the dark. The 25th version has fixed that, even going as far as making the film look more natural. As for sharpness, the 25th beats it by far. Audio wise, each film seems on the same level, so a tie there, but it's the video that should be considered when purchasing: the Cundey-more true to the original film/the 25-a sharper, more realistic picture.
Next would be the use of the disc space. Restored is one of those discs that wanted to cater to the early 2000's audiences of giving them both a widescreen and a fullframe on the same disc. Because of this, the bitrate is pretty small for both presentations. However, the 25th is a 2 disc set that only offers on Disc One the Widescreen presentation, and it's Divimax as well. But to be honest, it's bitrate isn't up to say Superbit quality. It's better, but with a total of four audio tracks to choose from, the entire dual layer disc is only used by 75%, and that other 25 could have went to more video bitrate, but alas it's not. But to me, the bitrate still is higher on the 25, not to mention it's compression is four years younger than Restored, so 25 wins again.
Finally is Extras, Restored has a 30 minute documentary called Halloween Unmasked 2000, narrated by Twisted Sister's Dee Snider. Why is he on here than just being a popular fan, beats me. But on 25's second disc is a whopping 87 minute documentary called A Cut Above The Rest which expands on the original and gives much greater detail on the film. 25 also includes another ten minute featurette called On Location, going back to view all the houses and such that were used in the film that Restored does not include either. And if that wasn't enough, 25 has the original Laserdisc commentary by John Carpenter with additional vocals with Jamie Lee Curtis and Debra Hill. This might be the best extra 25 has over Restored, because it's got to be one of the most personal commentaries I've ever heard. Carpenter doesn't hold anything back, a must listen. And sure, both have the same trailers, TV Spots, and such, but again to me 25th Anniversary wins this one too.
But the main reason why I'm writing all this is because back in 2007, Anchor Bay decided to stop releasing the 25th Anniversary and instead re-issue the Restored version. Why, I'm not sure. Dean Cundey was never happy with 25, and maybe his name on the back of Restored's box was a selling-point, I don't know. Maybe the 25's cover was confusing buyers because it looks a little like sequel H20's version? But I do know for your money, the 25th Anniversary is still the best way to go. What's sad is to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the classic film, Anchor Bay is yet again double-dipping it's audience by releasing a six disc collection featuring Parts 1, 4, 5, the NBC-TV edit, the 25 Years Of Terror special and a Blu-Ray version of the original. But again, both the DVD and Blu-Ray (BD version rumored to be a video-hybrid of both) are from the 1999 Cundey master (but the Blu does have the Cut Above special and commentary too). It would have been nice if the DVD was the 25 so fans could have both versions, but no, 25th Anniversary seems lost now.
In conclusion, if you want the best overall 1978 Halloween package, go with the 2003 25th Anniversary Edition. More extras, a more realistic picture, and a commentary to die for. Ratings-wise then from me is:
Restored: (8.5/10)
25th Anniversary: (9.5/10)
Thanks for reading,
RedSabbath

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HALLOWEEN - Blu-Ray Movie

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