Mrparka's Video Reviews for the Week of May 11th (Episode 104)Blue Underground Contest Drawing

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Time Stamps
Blue Underground Prize drawing– 0:20
“Escape From Women’s Prison” Review – 1:30
“Death Warmed Up” Review– 6:56
“Mélo” Review – 12:40
“Black Gunn/ The Take” Review – 16:19
Patreon Pick “Children of Men” Review – 27:16
Patreon Pick “Talk Radio” Review – 34:50
The VHS Voyage “The Keep” Review – 41:50
Pick a Movie Drawing – 49:19
Questions – 50:33
Answers – “Have I or another reviewer ever gotten you to buy a movie and if so did you like it?” – 53:43
Question of the Week, “What is your favorite Hammer Horror flick? “ – 58:04
Top 10 VHS Voyages and Bottom 8 – 58:13
Update – 1:05:40

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Video Reviews 

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"Escape From Women's Prison" Blu-Ray Review (Severin Films) 

Written by MrParka 
​ 
                Severin Films presents the exploitation flick “Escape From Women's Prison” in HD for the first and probably only time. Actor turned filmmaker, Giovanni Brusadori, directed this sleaze fest filled with illogical and deplorable characters.
                Quartets of violent female prisoners escape and kill two plain clothed cops in the process. The leader of the gang is part of a terrorist organization and had some outside help from her brother who has been wounded. The group quickly takes over a bus full of young tennis players and hole up in the home of a warped judge, who also becomes a hostage. Soon enough the mansion is surrounded and has become a new prison. With nowhere to turn to, the prisoners amp up their exploitation of the hostages.
                “Escape From Women’s Prison” is a dark and nasty movie, it would probably be a little more appalling if the entire thing weren't as poorly executed. There are attempts at genuine points of interest.  Some of the attempts at social commentary come through in an argument between the communist terrorist leader and one of the students about her methods and ideology. The most shocking scene is when one of the quartet is demoted in the gang and raped by the capitalistic judge in her lowest point.  Are these statements, pad time, or a reason to show more skin? Maybe all or maybe none. The Prisoners, along with the judge, seem to have the most depth to them although they never become sympathetic. At times the development of these characters becomes laughable. For instance, the overweight prisoner makes a confession to someone that she eats when she is afraid. When this character meets her end in a blaze of bullets, she crashes to the table and is faced with food. She reaches out in her dying breath, but she dies before a final comfort snack. The scene is played straight which makes the whole thing silly and enjoyable. “Escape From Women’s Prison” doesn't lack action or nudity, even if a lot of it is unpleasant. There are several rape scenes, as expected; including a lesbian rape as well. As ridiculous as the entire affair plays out, it will undoubtedly fill the void for those Italian Exploitation fanatics out there, but may not do much for any other viewers.
                Severin Films has remastered “Escape From Women’s Prison” to the best of their abilities with the material provided. The presentation is far from perfect, but very watchable and understandable due to the circumstances. Included on the disc is an interview with the film’s director where he goes in depth with the casting of the film and the box office.

Description
From legendary exploitation producer Dick Randall – whose credits include classics like THE WILD, WILD WORLD OF JAYNE MANSFIELD, THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE and PIECES – comes one of the most strangely depraved EuroSleaze sagas of the ‘70s: When four hardened female convicts escape and take a women’s tennis team hostage, they’ll force the girls into a nightmare of lesbianism, Marxism and murder. Supermodel-turned-porn-queen Lilli Carati (Joe D’Amato’s THE ALCOVE) and Zora Kerova (ANTHROPOPHAGUS, CANNIBAL FEROX) star in this politically charged filth-fest – also known as JAILBIRDS and WOMEN AGAINST WOMEN: A STORY OF SEX AND VIOLENCE – from writer/director ‘Conrad Brueghel’ (aka Italian actor Giovanni Brusadori of EMANUELLE, QUEEN OF THE DESERT), now featuring a new 4k scan of a dupe negative seized from notorious NYC distributor 21st Century Film Corp.

Special Features:

Le Evase: Italian cut
Freedom, Sex & Violence: Interview with Director Giovanni Brusadori
Trailer

Severin Films – https://severin-films.com/
 
“Escape From Women’s Prison” Blu-Ray – https://severin-films.com/shop/escape-from-womens-prison-bluray/

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"Death Warmed Up" Blu-Ray Review (Severin Films) 

Written by MrParka
​                       Severin films brings the New Zealand splatter cult favorite “Death Warmed Up” to Blu-ray stateside. Before Peter Jackson's Bad Taste, there was this under seen oddball filled with hospital massacres and mutations. 
                A doctor performs an experiment on a young man, turning him into an assassin to take care of his uncooperative business partner. Unfortunately for the brainwashed assassin his targets are his parents. After dispatching them he spends several years in an asylum regaining his sanity. When our tortured protagonist is released, he decides to pay the doctor a visit, now residing on an isolated island, and his experiments have not stopped. In fact they have gotten even more extreme and now the small island is filled with mutations and weirdos.
                “Death Warmed Up” is an oddity for sure as well as ahead of its time, but none the less a huge mess. The acting is very patchy, excluding small roles from Bruno Lawrence and Ian Watkin who do their brief appearances to the best of their abilities. The main henchman grates on your last nerve and the lead is a selfish, destructive prick. As for the splatter, it's pretty solid with blood spurts and decent makeup. The atmosphere during a scene when the mutations attack a small cabin in a thick haze of fog is top notch, creating a certain nightmare mood. The hospital finale also packs a punch with nurses lying in puddles of blood and graphic brain surgeries galore. However, the film just never seems to come together and the last moments of the film are aggravating. The attempt at dark nihilism in something so goofy doesn’t do this film any favors. With such a wild and compelling concept it doesn't seem to have much happening. Thankfully, the movie does sport a short runtime so it doesn’t wear out its welcome. This film will satisfy gore hounds and horror fans who are interested in seeing the birth of the New Zealand splatter film, but not many more.
                Severin Films has really cleaned this one up, it sounds great and looks the same. Included on the disc is a new interview with David Letch who played the infamous mutant and a slew of archival interviews with the filmmakers.

Description
Three years before Peter Jackson’s BAD TASTE, a young New Zealand filmmaker sprayed international movie screens with brains, blood and bizarre body fluids for the first splatter movie in Kiwi history: Director David Blyth (WOUND, GHOST BRIDE) launched his genre career with this relentlessly graphic – and still-intense – story of mad doctors, nude teens, psychotic mutants, shotgun murders, power drill lobotomies, explosive action and punk attitude that AXS.com calls “weird, wonky and one hell of a ride that will have gorehounds howling!” Michael Hurst (HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS), Bruno Lawrence (THE QUIET EARTH) and Ian Watkin (DEAD ALIVE) star in this landmark gore thriller from “New Zealand’s master of transgression” (Fangoria).

Special Features:

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE: Original New Zealand 4×3 VHS cut
Audio Commentary with Director David Blyth and Writer Michael Heath
I’ll Get You All: Interview with Actor David Letch
Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary by Director David Blyth and Writer Michael Heath
Interview Featurette with David Blyth and Michael Heath
Theatrical trailer
VHS  trailers
TV Spot
Reversible Wrap
Exclusive Slipcover

Severin Films – https://severin-films.com/
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“Death Warmed Up” Blu-Ray – https://severin-films.com/shop/death-warmed-up-bluray-slip

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"Mélo" Blu-Ray Review (Arrow Academy) 

​Master director Alain Resnais (Last Year At Marienbad) blurs the line between cinematic technique and theatrical artifice in his acclaimed Mélo, adapted from Henri Bernstein's classic play about a doomed love triangle in 1920s Paris. Pierre (Pierre Arditi, Love Unto Death) and Marcel (André Dussollier, A Good Marriage) are both celebrated concert violinists and lifelong friends, in spite of their differing temperaments. Pierre is modest, sensitive and content with his lot; Marcel is hungry, driven, and pursues a solo career that takes him to the four corners of the world. After years apart, the two friends reunite when Pierre invites Marcel to his home for dinner. It is then that Marcel first meets Pierre's wife Romaine (Sabine Azéma, Cosmos), sparking a passionate affair that can only end in tragedy before the curtain falls. As thrillingly intimate on film as it was on the stage, Mélo's César award-winning cast and inventive direction are highlighted in a stunning new restoration, revealing a hidden gem in Resnais' celebrated body of work waiting to be rediscovered.

Bonus Materials
Brand new 2K restoration of the film
High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentation
Original 2.0 Stereo soundtrack
Optional English subtitles
Newly-filmed introduction by critic Jonathan Romney
Archive interview with director Alain Resnais
Archive interview with producer Marin Karmitz
Archive interviews with actors Pierre Arditi and André Dussolier
Archive interview with script supervisor Sylvette Baudrot
Archive interview with set designer Jacques Saulnier
Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bilge Ebiri

Arrow Video – https://www.arrowvideo.com/
 
“Mélo” Blu-Ray – https://mvdshop.com/products/melo-blu-ray

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"The Take/ Black Gunn" Blu-Ray Review (Mill Creek Entertainment) 

SYNOPSIS
A knock-down, drag-out, take-no-prisoners double feature - starring Billy Dee Williams and the notorious Jim Brown. 

THE TAKE – Meet the brother with a badge on the take who takes on the mob and wins both ways.

BLACK GUNN – When the man comes up with mob violence, it's time to Gunn him down.
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Mill Creek Entertainment – https://www.millcreekent.com/
 
“Black Gunn/ The Take” Blu-Ray – https://www.amazon.com/Black-Gunn-Take-Feature-Blu-ray/dp/B07MWQY42D

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Patreon Pick "Children of Men" Streaming Review (VUDU)

THE FUTURE'S A THING OF THE PAST.
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
 
“Children of Men” Blu-Ray – https://www.amazon.com/Children-Men-Blu-ray-Clive-Owen/dp/B001YV502C/

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Patreon Pick "Talk Radio" Streaming Review (VUDU)

THE LAST NEIGHBORHOOD IN AMERICA.
A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national.
​
“Talk Radio” VUDU Streaming – https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Talk-Radio/5158

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The VHS Voyage "The Keep" VHS Review (Paramount Home Video) 

THEY WERE ALL DRAWN TO THE KEEP. THE SOLDIERS WHO BROUGHT DEATH. THE FATHER AND DAUGHTER FIGHTING FOR LIFE. THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALWAYS FEARED IT. AND THE ONE MAN WHO KNOWS ITS SECRET… THE KEEP TONIGHT, THEY WILL ALL FACE THE EVIL.
Nazis take over an ancient fortress that contains a mysterious entity that wreaks havoc and death upon them.
​
“The Keep” VHS – https://www.amazon.com/Keep-VHS-Scott-Glenn/dp/6300214346/

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Ask a Question/Answer a Question

"What is your favorite Hammer Horror film? 

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​Podcast Version 

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https://shutupbrandon.podbean.com/e/mrparka-s-weekly-reviews-episode-104-audio-version/
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Top 20 VHS Voyages/ Bottom 8

All 52 Films Covered 
1. Terror In the Swamp
2. The Night Brings Charlie
3. Night Life
4. Elves 
5. The Rejuvenator
6. The Cellar
7. Hollow Gate
8. Attack of the Beast Creatures
9. Iced
10. The Ladies Club 
11. The Loch Ness Horror
12. The Channeler 
13. The Black Room
14. Terrorgram
15. The Lawless Land
16. Blood Games
17. Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies 
18. The Brain
19. They Bite
20. Hollywood’s New Blood
21. Hunter’s Blood
22. Shreck
23. Home Sweet Home
24. The Prey 
25. Deadline 
26. Homebodies 
27. Death Weekend
28. Demonwarp
29. Death Moon 
30. Severed Ties
31. I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses
32. The Granny
33. Project : Metalbeast
34. Transmutations 
35. The Video Murders
36. Blood Beach
37. Tales of the Unknown
38. Strays
39. High Crime
40. Open House
41. Surf 2
42. Wheels of Terror
43. Eyes of Fire
44. Tag: The Assassination Game
45. Night of the Living Babes
46. Night of the Juggler 
47. Dead Girls
48. Beverly Hills Body Snatchers
49. The Jar 
50. Mindkiller
51. Kamillions
52. The Keep 

Top 20 
1. Hunter’s Blood
2. Homebodies 
3. Blood Games 
4. Death Weekend
5. Surf 2
6. Demonwarp
7. Attack of the Beast Creatures 
8. The Brain
9. Night of the Juggler 
10. Tag: The Assassination Game
11. Night Life 
12. The Night Brings Charlie 
13. Shreck 
14. Elves
15. Eyes of Fire
16. The Rejuvenator
17. The Ladies Club 
18. The Granny
19. Terrorgram  
20. Deadline
Bottom 8 Avoids 
1. Death Moon
2. The Loch Ness Horror 
3. The Jar
4. Mindkiller
5. Home Sweet Home 
6. Hollywood’s New Blood
7. The Lawless Land 
8. Dead Girls 

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Update

​Blu-Ray 
1. Dragged Across Concrete
2. Billy Madison 
3. Tommy Boy
DVDS
4. Baxter
5. Slimoids 

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Film Notes

​Escape From Women’s Prison – 1978 – Giovanni Brusadori
Death Warmed Up – 1985 – David Blyth
Mélo – 1986 – Alain Resnais
Black Gunn – 1973 – Robert Hartford-Davis
The Take – 1974 – Robert Hartford-Davis
Children of Men – 2006 – Alfonso Cuarón
Talk Radio – 1988 – Oliver Stone
The Keep – 1983 – Michael Mann