Mrparka's Video Reviews for the Week of April 6th (Episode 99)

Links
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Time Stamps
Label Wars Tier, Year of the Hammer, R.I.P. Joe Pilato and Larry Cohen – 0:13
“God Told Me To” Review – 2:38
“Neighbors” Review – 8:41
“Dark Sister” Review – 14:00
“The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire” – 18:35
“Phantom Lady” Review – 26:08
“Superstition” Review with Jeremy – 31:11
“We Need To Talk About Kevin” Review with Jeremy –40:55
“Terra Formars” Review with Jeremy – 49:42
The VHS Voyage “Eyes of Fire” Review – 58:43
Pick a Movie “Karaoke Terror” Review – 1:05:32
Pick a Movie Drawing – 1:10:58
Questions – 1:11:18
Answers – Have you ever boycotted a movie or label because of their practices? – 1:14:15
Question of the Week, “Favorite Podcast?” – 1:18:15
Update – 1:18:49

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Video Reviews

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"God Told Me To" Blu-Ray Review (Blue Underground)

The critically acclaimed cult classic returns in an all-new Special Edition Blu-ray!

A rooftop sniper guns down 14 pedestrians on the streets of New York City. A mild-mannered dad takes a shotgun and blows away his wife and children. A cop goes on a sudden shooting spree at the St. Patrick's Day Parade. And each of these unlikely killers makes the same dying confession: "God told me to." Now a repressed Catholic NYPD detective (Tony Lo Bianco of THE HONEYMOON KILLERS and THE FRENCH CONNECTION) must uncover a netherworld of deranged faith, alien insemination and his own unholy connection to a homicidal messiah with a perverse plan for the soul of mankind. Written, produced and directed by Larry Cohen (Q - THE WINGED SERPENT), this critically acclaimed cult classic remains one of the most disturbing and thought-provoking horror films of our time. Deborah Raffin (DEATH WISH 3), Sandy Dennis (WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?), Sylvia Sidney (BEETLEJUICE), Mike Kellin (SLEEPAWAY CAMP), Richard Lynch (BAD DREAMS), and Andy Kaufman (TAXI) co-star in this one-of-a-kind chiller, now featuring a brand-new 4K High Definition transfer from the original uncensored negative along with exclusive new Extras created especially for this release!

Bonus Materials
Audio Commentary with Writer/Producer/Director Larry Cohen
Heaven & Hell On Earth - Interview with Star Tony Lo Bianco
Bloody Good Times - Interview with Special Effects Artist Steve Neill
God Told Me To Bone - New Beverly Q&A with Larry Cohen
Lincoln Center Q&A with Larry Cohen
Theatrical Trailers
TV Spots
Poster & Still Gallery

Blue Underground – http://www.blue-underground.com/
“God Told Me To” Blu-Ray – https://mvdshop.com/products/god-told-me-to-blu-ray

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"Neighbors" Blu-Ray Review (Mill Creek Entertainment) 

SYNOPSIS
A Comic-Nightmare

“an offbeat experiment in hallucinatory black humor” – Roger Ebert

Earl Keese (John Belushi, Animal House) is a slightly overweight, fairly average guy who is approaching middle age. He leads a reasonably comfortable life with his family in their suburban home. . . until the house next door is bought by a truly odd couple, Vic (Dan Aykroyd, Ghostbusters) and Ramona (Cathy Moriarty, Raging Bull), who quickly proceed to drive Earl crazy. Vic's lunatic behavior has Earl running in circles while Ramona's coarse seductiveness leaves him panting. In short, Earl's tranquil life is suddenly turned upside down. If it's laughs you want, these are the neighbors to look in on. John G. Avildsen (The Karate Kid) directs a dream comedy cast (including SNL regular Tim Kazurinsky) from a screenplay by the one and only Larry Gelbart (Tootsie, The Wrong Box).

Starring: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Kathryn Walker, Cathy Moriarty

Mill Creek Entertainment – https://www.millcreekent.com/
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“Neighbors” Blu-Ray – https://www.amazon.com/Neighbors-Retro-VHS-Style-Blu-ray/dp/631763260X/

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"Dark Sister" DVD Review (Wild Eye Releasing) 

Art Is A Nightmare.

Troubled artist Cassie suffers with recurring visions of murder, which she copes with by committing the violent acts to canvas. But when her visions begin to manifest in real life, her friends and family begin to turn up dead. Realizing her visions actually provide a direct link to the killer, Cassie must now confront her own past in order to stop the murders and save herself.

Bonus Materials
Director's Commentary
Closed Captions
Trailers
Sales Points
For fans of: Unsane, The Lost Tree, The Ballerina, Ghost House, Hereditary, A Quiet Place, Suspiria
National print and digital advertising and PR campaign planned by Wild Eye to support physical and digital VOD release.
Elevated cinematography/ art direction in this psychological mystery thriller.
Stylistic in scope and tone to Dario Argento's classic (and recent remake) Suspira
Stars Austin Castiglione (City Homicide) Liam Graham (The Legend of Gavin Tanner) and Amanda Woodhams (The Dressmaker).
Stars Nicola Bartlett (Wormwood, Parallax)

Wild Eye Releasing – http://www.wildeyereleasing.com/
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“Dark Sister” DVD – https://mvdshop.com/products/dark-sister-dvd

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"The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire" Blu-Ray Review (Arrow Video)

One of several 'animal-in-the-title' cash-ins released in the wake of Dario Argento's box-office smash The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a gloriously excessive giallo that boasts a rogues gallery of perverse characters; violent, fetishized murders, and one of the genre's most nonsensical, red-herring laden plots (which sees almost every incidental character hinted at potentially being the killer). Set in Dublin (a rather surprising giallo setting), Iguana opens audaciously with an acid-throwing, razor-wielding maniac brutally slaying a woman in her own home. The victim's mangled corpse is discovered in a limousine owned by Swiss Ambassador Sobiesky (Anton Diffring, Where Eagles Dare) and a police investigation is launched, but when the murdering continues and the ambassador claims diplomatic immunity, tough ex-cop John Norton (Luigi Pistilli, A Bay of Blood) is brought in to find the killer... Benefitting from a sumptuous score by Stelvio Cipriani (Nightmare City, Death Walks on High Heels) and exuberant supporting performances from Valentina Cortese (The Possessed, Thieves' Highway) and Dagmar Lassander (The Frightened Woman, The Black Cat), The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a luridly over-the-top latter-day entry in the filmography of acclaimed director Riccardo Freda (Caltiki - The Immortal Monster, Murder Obsession). An archetypal giallo from the genre's heyday, Freda's film is presented here in a stunning new restoration with a host of newly produced extras.

Bonus Materials
New 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Uncompressed mono 1.0 LPCM audio
Original English and Italian soundtracks, titles and credits
Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
New audio commentary by giallo connoisseurs Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
Of Chameleons and Iguanas, a newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic Richard Dyer
Considering Cipriani, a new appreciation of the composer Stelvio Cipriani and his score to The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire by DJ and soundtrack collector Lovely Jon
The Cutting Game, a new interview with Iguana’s assistant editor Bruno Micheli
The Red Queen of Hearts, a career-spanning interview with the actress Dagmar Lassander
Original Italian and international theatrical trailers
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andreas Ehrenreich

Arrow Video – https://www.arrowvideo.com/
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“The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire” Blu-Ray – https://mvdshop.com/products/iguana-with-the-tongue-of-fire-the-blu-ray

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"Phantom Lady" Blu-Ray Review (Arrow Academy) 

From one of the masters of the film noir, Robert Siodmak (The Killers, The Dark Mirror), comes the consummate crime classic, Phantom Lady. After a fight with his wife, Scott Henderson (Alan Curtis, High Sierra) heads to a bar to drown his sorrows. There he strikes up a conversation with a mysterious, despondent lady who agrees to accompany him to a show uptown but withholds her name. Arriving home, Scott is met by grimly countenanced cops - his wife has been strangled with one of his neckties and he is the prime suspect. He has a solid alibi but his theater companion is nowhere to be found and no one remembers seeing them together. When Scott is charged with murdering his wife, it falls to his devoted secretary 'Kansas' (Ella Raines, Brute Force) to find the phantom lady and save Scott from the electric chair... Adapted from a hit novel by acclaimed crime writer Cornell Woolrich, Phantom Lady boasts stylish cinematography, cruel characters and memorable performances from Ella Raines and Franchot Tone (Mutiny on the Bounty). The film is presented here for the first time in stunning High Definition. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation transferred from original film elements • Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio soundtrack • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • Dark and Deadly: 50 Years of Film Noir, an insightful archival documentary featuring contributions from Robert Wise, Edward Dmytryk, Dennis Hopper and more • Rare, hour-long 1944 radio dramatization of Phantom Lady by the Lux Radio Theatre, starring Alan Curtis and Ella Raines • Gallery of original stills and promotional materials • Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Alan K. Rode

Bonus Materials
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation transferred from original film elements
Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Dark and Deadly: 50 Years of Film Noir, an insightful archival documentary featuring contributions from Robert Wise, Edward Dmytryk, Dennis Hopper and more
Rare, hour-long 1944 radio dramatization of Phantom Lady by the Lux Radio Theatre, starring Alan Curtis and Ella Raines
Gallery of original stills and promotional materials
Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options

Arrow Video – https://www.arrowvideo.com/

“Phantom Lady” Blu-Ray – https://mvdshop.com/products/phantom-lady-blu-ray

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"Superstition" Blu-Ray Review (Scream Factory)

Synopsis
The victims who died were the lucky ones.

Something horrible is happening at the old house on Mill Road. A series of ghastly accidents has occurred near the site where a witch drowned centuries earlier. But when an alcoholic minister and his family move into the cursed residence, an idealistic young priest (James Houghton) and a cynical police detective (Albert Salmi) start their own investigation into the unexplained violence. Has the daughter of Satan returned for a rampage of vengeance? Will the laws of the Church be strong enough to cast out this demon? And if evil has truly found a new home, is the entire neighborhood headed straight to hell?

Bonus Features
NEW 2K Scan From The Original Film Elements
NEW That Crazy Witchcraft – An Interview With Director James Roberson
NEW Lake Of Fire – An Interview With Actor James Houghton
Original Theatrical Trailer
Original TV Spot

Shout! Factory – https://www.shoutfactory.com/
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“Superstition” Blu-Ray – https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/superstition?product_id=7035

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"We Need to Talk About Kevin" Blu-Ray Review (Oscilloscope Films)

A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller, Lynne Ramsay's WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN explores the fractious relationship between a mother and her evil son. In a bracing, tour-de-force performance, Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton plays Eva, a mother contending with the increasing malevolence of her baby boy-turned-teenager Kevin (Ezra Miller). Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly is the eternally optimistic husband and father, blind to the devastating dynamic around them. Based on the best-selling novel, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN is masterfully constructed entirely from Eva's perspective, exploring nature vs. nurture on a disturbing new level as Eva's culpability is measured against Kevin's depravity. With a haunting score by Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) and Ramsay's signature visual style, the film's moral ambiguity and unforgettable climax will have people talking about Kevin for years to come.

Oscilloscope Films – http://www.oscilloscope.net/films/
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“We Need to Talk About Kevin” Blu-Ray – https://mvdshop.com/products/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-blu-ray-dvd-blu-ray

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"Terra Formars" Blu-Ray Review (Arrow Video) 

The ever-prolific Takashi Miike, the director behind the likes of Audition, the Dead or Alive trilogy and Blade of the Immortal, returns with this intergalactic epic in which a team of space explorers find themselves pitched against a horde of oversized anthropomorphic cockroaches. In the mid-21st century, humankind has been forced to look to colonising other planets as a means of combating overcrowding on Earth - their first stop, Mars. With a population of cockroaches having been introduced on Mars some 500 years prior to help prepare the way for human colonization, a manned mission sets out to the red planet with the aim of clearing away the bugs. Upon arrival, however, they discover that the roaches have evolved to huge, vicious creatures capable of wielding weapons. Based on the popular Manga series of the same name, Terra Formars is an action-packed space adventure brought to life by one of Japan's most celebrated contemporary filmmakers.

Bonus Materials
High-Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original uncompressed Stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA options
Newly-translated English subtitles
The Making of Terra Formars - feature-length documentary on the film’s production featuring a host of cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
Extended cast interviews
Footage from the 2016 Japanese premiere
Outtakes
Image Gallery
Theatrical and teaser trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing on the film by Tom Mes

Arrow Video – https://www.arrowvideo.com/

“Terra Formars” Blu-Ray – https://mvdshop.com/products/terra-formars-blu-ray

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The VHS Voyage "Eyes of Fire" VHS Review (Vestron Video)

THE SECRET IS SLEEPING IN THE TREES.
A preacher is accused of adultery and he and his followers are chased out of town and become stranded in an isolated forest which is haunted by the spirits of long dead Native Americans.

“Eyes of Fire” VHS – https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Fire-VHS-Dennis-Lipscomb/dp/630026341X/

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Pick a Movie "Karaoke Terror" DVD Review (Synapse Films)

Synopsis
Karaoke Terror: The Complete Japanese Showa Songbook

From the mind of writer Ryu Murakami (AUDITION) comes the satirical tale of two groups of outsiders who make war on each other, set to a soundtrack of retro karaoke hits. A gang of young slacker guys (the Gakis) idle away their time just hanging out, their sole passion in life being elaborate karaoke recreations of their favorite Showa-era songs (oldies from the 40s to the 80s).

Across town, a group of thirty-something divorced women calling themselves the Midoris do much the same thing, until one of the Gakis kills a Midori after he’s rejected trying to pick her up. The Midoris retaliate, and the absurdist battle of revenge is on, with weapons escalating from knives to guns and eventually to rocket launchers and beyond. A pitch-black comedy of violence filled with rage at the status quo and a seething impatience for the ordinary, KARAOKE TERROR captures the angst and spiritual restlessness of two very different generations, both abandoned by society and seeking payback with apocalyptic results.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-16:9 Anamorphic (1.85:1) Transfer
-Original Japanese Language Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
-Newly Translated Removable English Subtitles
-“Making Of” Featurette
-Original Theatrical Trailer and TV Spot
-Liner Notes

Synapse Films – https://synapse-films.com/
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“Karaoke Terror” DVD – https://www.amazon.com/Karaoke-Terror-Complete-Japanese-Songbook/dp/B0012Z367Q/

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​Ask a Question/Answer a Question

P​lease leave a question below to have it answered on the next show!
What is your favorite podcast?

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Podcast Version 

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​https://shutupbrandon.podbean.com/e/mrparka-s-weekly-reviews-episode-99-audio-version/

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Update

​Blu-Ray 
1. Brewster McCloud 
2. The Thing From Another World
3. Flight of the Dragons
4. The Swarm
5. Wait Until Dark
6. Looker 
7. Grave of the Vampire
8. The Manitou 
9. Three Brothers
10. The Assassin 
11. Cinema Paradiso 
12. Property Is No Longer a Theft
13. The Survivalist 
14. Broken Arrow  
15. As Above So Below 
16. Big Jake 
17. No Way Back 

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Film Notes

​God Told Me To – 1976 – Larry Cohen 
Neighbors – 1981 – John G. Avildsen
Dark Sister – 2018 – Sam Barrett
The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire – 1971 – Riccardo Freda
Phantom Lady – 1944 – Robert Siodmak
Superstition – 1982 – James W. Roberson
We Need to Talk About Kevin – 2011 – Lynne Ramsay
Terra Formars – 2016 – Takashi Miike
Eyes of Fire – 1983 – Avery Crounse
Karaoke Terror – 2003 – Tetsuo Shinohara