Blu-ray Review: TAG: THE ASSASSINATION GAME (1982)

TAG:  THE ASSASSINATION GAME

Written & Directed by:  Nick Castle

Distributed by:  Synapse Films / MVD Entertainment

  If the name Nick Castle rings a bell for you, it's because you probably know him as the actor who played Michael Myers in John Carpenter's 1978 classic, HALLOWEEN.   I hate to admit it, but I had no idea he was a director as well.  In fact, he has 13 films he is listed as the director of on his IMDb page.   A lot of these are comedies, including one of my favorites, MAJOR PAYNE.   I guess I don't pay attention to the credits of films much, or maybe I just forgot, but I certainly didn't remember he directed that one!   

  Castle's directorial career began with the subject of today's review.   1982's "TAG:  THE ASSASSINATION GAME".  Here the basic plot synopsis from the Synapse Film's website:

  Before the majority of 1980s college movies were all about nudity, slapstick comedy, beer bongs and bad decisions, TAG: The Assassination Game gave this genre a killer twist. In this 1982 film noir-inspired gem, a group of students turns dorm life into a mock battle royale by playing a game that could never be done on campuses of today.  The rules of TAG are simple. Players try to “murder” each other using rubber-tipped toy dart guns. If you are shot, you are “killed” and taken out of the game permanently until only one player remains. Unfortunately for this year’s TAG players, one sore loser is determined to win at any cost, even if it means murdering his competition for real!

  Let me start off by saying this was an extremely fun film!   I know it doesn't seem like a movie about a psycho killing off college kids should be described as "fun", but it is done in way that it just is.  The film doesn't take itself seriously, and there is some dark humor throughout the film that lightens the mood.  

  What starts as a simple game of campus tag using rubber darts, descends into something more when the reigning champ, Loren Gersh" gets "killed" in a way he felt was unfair.  This infuriates Gersh to the point that he takes "The Assassination Game" moniker to heart, and he trades in his rubber darts for real bullets!  

  Gersh does a good job of hiding his killings.   My favorite was when he was under the bleachers that his next target was sitting on watching track and field practice.  He times his shot perfectly with the starting pistol the coach shoots to start the race, so no one notices his kill!  

 

  Something else that was so much fun about this film, was seeing actors I knew from other films, but really hadn't seen in many other films.   Robert Carradine plays the lead role in TAG.  I pretty much only know his as Lewis Skolnick from the REVENGE OF THE NERDS films.   Linda Hamilton plays the other lead, and we all know her from her many films, but I mainly know her from TERMINATOR 2, of course.  The part of Loren Gersh is played by Bruce Abbott, of RE-ANIMATOR fame. 

  This is a very unique films as it's hard to categorize into one genre.  It's not truly a horror movie, although it does involve killing and shows dead bodies.  It is more action I would say, and a bit of a psychological thriller.  Throw in a love story with Carradine and Hamilton's characters and you truly have a film that has something for everyone in it!

  TAG: THE ASSASSINATION GAME is available now on Blu-ray and contains the following Special Features:

*  Audio Commentary with Director Nick Castle and star Robert Carradine

*  Original Theatrical Trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from Synapse Films

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment

4K UHD Review: RE-ANIMATOR (1985)

RE-ANIMATOR

Directed by:  Stuart Gordon

Distributed by:  Second Sight Films

 If you haven't seen Stuart Gordon's RE-ANIMATOR, stop what you are doing right now and go watch it.  It's in my list of top 5 horror films of all time.  It's a classic film that never gets old, no matter how many times I watch it.  Here is the basic plot synopsis from IMDb.com:

After an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.

 Now that is a very basic plot synopsis about a film that is anything but basic.  This is a brilliant film that keeps you entertained from start to finish.  The gore effects are amazing and very plentiful!   This was before the age of CGI, so you get to enjoy nothing but gooey practical effects.   The acting is top notch with Jeffrey Combs giving a great performance as Dr. Herbert West and the amazing Barbara Crampton as the Dean of the college's daughter, Megan Halsey.  I assume most horror fans have seen this film, so I am not going to go into any more details about the film itself.  We all know it's amazing.  I am going to focus this review more on the newest physical release of the film from Second Sight Films.   As always, Second Sight has done an amazing job on this new 4K release.   They spare no expense when it comes to extras and presentation. 

 The picture quality of this new 4K release is amazing. Crystal clear picture and vibrant colors.   This is definitely worth the upgrade from your old DVD or Blu-ray copies that I know we all have sitting on our shelves!  

 As great as this movie obviously is, the Special Features are what really steal the show here.  The film itself is really only a small part of this release.  There are hours and hours of special features that go really in depth into the making of this film.   Here is a list of all the Special Features included on this new release:

• New 4K restoration approved by Producer Brian Yuzna

• Presented in HDR with Dolby Vision

• Includes the Integral Version in HD

• New Audio Commentary by Eddie Falvey

• Audio Commentary with Director Stuart Gordon

• Audio Commentary with Producer Brian Yuzna and Actors Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton and Robert Sampson

• The Cosmic Horror of HP Lovecraft: a video essay by Mike Muncer

• Re-Animator at 40: conversation with Actors Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, and Producer Brian Yuzna

• Piece By Piece: Cutting Re-Animator: an interview with Editor Lee Percy

• Suzie Sorority and The Good College Boy: an interview with Actor Carolyn Purdy-Gordon

• The Horror of it All: The Legacy and Impact of Re-Animator

• Barbara Crampton in Conversation

• A Guide to Lovecraftian Cinema

• Re-Animator Resurrectus

• Interview with Director Stuart Gordon and Producer Brian Yuzna

• Interview with Writer Dennis Paoli

• Interview with Composer Richard Band

• Interview with former Fangoria Editor Tony Timpone

• Extended Scenes

• Deleted Scene

• Theatrical Trailer

• TV Spots Still

• Gallery

 The commentary tracks and new conversations with the cast and crew are extremely interesting and is worth the price of this release alone.  Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Second Sight Films new RE-ANIMATOR release asap!  

 Second Sight released this film in two versions, a standard 1 disk 4K version, and a limited edition 3 disk box set with a rigid slipcase with new artwork by artist Krishna Shenoi, a 120 page book with  new essays by Sean Abley, Becky Darke, Lindsay Hallam, Josh Hurtado, Michelle Kisner, Justin LaLiberty, Phil Nobile Jr and Heather Wixson, and 6 collectors arts cards.   

  At the time of this post, it looks like the Limited Edition box set is sold out everywhere I look.  If I find a site that still has them, I'll update this post!   You can still get the standard edition by clicking below. 

CLICK HERE to purchase the RE-ANIMATOR 4K UHD Standard Edition

Blu-ray Review: RE-ANIMATOR (1985)

RE-ANIMATOR
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Distributed by Arrow Films / MVD Entertainment Group

  I love when I get a movie to review that just so happens to be one of my favorite horror films of all time!  It gives me a good excuse to go back and visit it again.   Tonight's review is one of those films.   I first saw RE-ANIMATOR when I was in the 6th grade and I fell in love with it.  I still love it to this day.  It is one of the few films I can watch over and over and never get bored with it.  
Here is the plot synopsis from the MVD press release:

  One of the most wildly popular horror movies of all-time, Stuart Gordon's enduring splatter-comedy classic Re-Animator returns to Blu-ray in a stunning restoration packed with special features!
  When medical student Dean Cain advertises for a roommate, he soon finds one in the form of Dr. Herbert West. Initially a little eccentric, it some becomes clear that West entertains some seriously outlandish theories - specifically, the possibility of re-animating the dead. It's not long before Dean finds himself under West's influence, and embroiled in a serious of ghoulish experiments which threaten to go wildly out of control...
  Based on H.P. Lovecraft's classic terror tale Herbert West - Reanimator and featuring a standout performance from Jeffrey Combs as the deliciously deranged West, Re-Animator remains the ground-zero of '80s splatter mayhem and one of the genre's finest hours.

  I had the chance to watch this film years ago at a Horror Convention in Little Rock, AR with Jeffrey Combs and Stuart Gordon in attendance.   It was fun to see this film on the big screen, especially with the director sitting 2 rows in front of me!   It was just as fun watching it at home though, especially with this great new release from Arrow Video.  This film is crazy with some great over the top gore effects, and like most films from this time period, all are practical effects.   The film is also full of dark humor throughout.  Jeffrey Combs was the perfect actor to play Dr. West, and the beautiful Barbara Crampton is great as always.

  I can't recommend RE-ANIMATOR enough.  If you have never seen it, please do so asap!  If you have seen it, revisit it and especially check out this new release.

  I was so happy when I heard Arrow Video was releasing this film.  As you know, Arrow is one of the top DVD/BD companies out there, always putting tons of effort into their releases.   RE-ANIMATOR is available now and contains the following special features:

2 DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:  

- 4K restorations of the Unrated and Integral versions 

- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation

- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing 

- Exclusive digipak packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Justin Erickson 

- Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by journalist Michael Gingold 

- Re-Animator comic book 

- 4 x postcard-sized lobby card reproductions

DISC 1 - UNRATED VERSION

- Unrated version [86 mins] 

- Mono, Stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround Audio Options

- Isolated Score

- Brand new audio commentary with director Stuart Gordon and actors Graham Skipper and Jesse Merlin of Re-Animator: The Musical

- Audio commentary with Stuart Gordon

- Audio commentary with producer Brian Yuzna, actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott and Robert Sampson

- Re-Animator: Resurrectus - feature-length documentary on the making of the film, featuring extensive interviews with cast and crew

- Interviews with director Stuart Gordon and producer Brian Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, composer Richard Band and former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone

- Music discussion with composer Richard Band

- Barbara Crampton in Conversation - the Re-Animator star sits down with journalist Alan Jones for this career-spanning 2015 interview

- The Catastrophe of Success: Stuart Gordon and The Organic Theater - director Stuart Gordon discusses his early theater roots and his continued commitment to the stage

- Theater of Blood - Re-Animator: The Musical lyricist Mark Nutter on adapting the cult classic for musical theater

- Extended Scenes

- Deleted Scene

- Trailer & TV Spots

- Still Gallery

- Screenplay (BD-ROM Content)
 

DISC 2 - INTEGRAL VERSION - LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE

- Integral Version, available in the US for the first time! [105 mins] 

- 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround Audio

- A Guide to Lovecraftian Cinema - Chris Lackey, host of the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast, provides a comprehensive look at the many cinematic incarnations of Lovecraft's work

- Doug Bradley's Spinechillers: Herbert West-Reanimator - actor Jeffrey Combs reads H.P. Lovecraft's original classic short story
 

'RE-ANIMATOR® ' THE COMIC - LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE

- 92-page perfect-bound booklet containing Re-Animator, the original 1991 comic book adaptation of the movie, reprinted in its entirety

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray