Blu-ray Review: DEATH RACE 2050 (2017)

DEATH RACE 2050
Directed by  G.J. Echternkamp
Distributed by:  Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

 Very seldom do I come across a sequel to a film that really captures the look, feel, and atmosphere of the original...especially a sequel that came out over 40 years after the original film.  That is just what DEATH RACE 2050 has succeeded in doing, though.

  Here is the basic plot from the Universal Home Entertainment website:

  Legendary filmmaking icon, Roger Corman, is back with his most outrageous film yet in this sensational, action-packed and darkly humorous reboot of the original Death Race 2000! It’s the year 2050 and America is controlled by an all-powerful corporate government ruled by The Chairman (Malcolm McDowell). The masses have been brainwashed with violent virtual-reality entertainment. The event of the year is the Death Race, in which a motley crew of violent drivers compete in a cross-country road race, scoring points for shamelessly running people over and driving each other off the road. The reigning champion and fan favorite, Frankenstein (Manu Bennett), who’s half-man half-machine, wants to take the crown, but his rebel spy co-pilot threatens his legacy.

 There is no doubt that this is a sequel to Roger Corman's DEATH RACE 2000.  It has the exact look of the original film with the crazy cars and even features the comically sped up footage of the race cars like the original film had.  The cars look about as futuristic as the ones in the original DEATH RACE 2000 which I found surprisingly satisfying.  The cars and the film overall have the exact same campy feel as the original film.

  The film also contains the awesome kills you would expect, including some that are pretty gory, like a guy getting sliced in half.  My only fault with this is most of the gore scenes are CGI, and don't look very realistic at all.   That doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the film, though, in fact it goes right along with the campiness of the rest of the film.

  Overall the acting in this film is excellent, with one of my favorite performances being that of the character, Perfectus, played by Burt Grinstead.   While at first I found the character somewhat annoying, he really grew on me and later became one of the highlights of the film for me.

  If you are a fan of Roger Corman's original DEATH RACE 2000, you should love this new film.   DEATH RACE 2050 is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment and contains the following special features:

*  The Making of Roger Corman's DEATH RACE 2050
*  The Look of 2050
*  Cars!Cars!Cars!
*  Cast Car Tours
*  Deleted Scenes


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

DVD Review: DINOCROC VS. SUPERGATOR (2010)

DINOCROC VS. SUPERGATOR
Directed by:  Jim Wynorski
Distributed by:  Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay brings us another of  SyFy's animal mix up movies with DINOCROC VS. SUPERGATOR.    This is another film in the likes of SHARKTOPUS and DINOSHARK that was produced by Roger Corman.   Here is the plot from the Anchor Bay website:


They were created deep within the secret island laboratories of an unscrupulous biotech corporation and grown to horrific proportions...until they both escaped. Bullets won’t stop them. Explosives only make them meaner. And their ravenous reptile appetites for scientists, tourists, S.W.A.T. teams and swimsuit models have only just begun. Now an undercover investigator, a sexy Fish & Game officer, and a cold-blooded swamp hunter known only as ‘The Cajun’ are all in pursuit of the scaly beasts that can outrun SUVs, crush buses, and snack on sleazy producers in hot tubs. But when these monster lizards ultimately meet in battle, will mankind be the defeated species? David Carradine (Kill Bill, Death Race 2000) – in one of his final performances – stars in this epic Syfy smash about the bone-crunching, body-chomping, earth-trembling smackdown of Dinocroc Vs. Supergator!

 If you liked SHARKTOPUS and DINOSHARK, then I don't see any way you would not like DINOCROC VS. SUPERGATOR.   These are all basically the same movie, just with different creatures, and this film is different in that we dont' have any sharks in site.  Now were are dealing with gators and crocs that have been genetically engineered and have grown to massive size.   With the shark movies, you were at least safe if you stayed away from the water, but with these creatures, you are not safe anywhere...land or water. 

 The acting in this film is well....lets face it.  It is just not that good.  In fact, in some instances it is just awful.  But are you really watching this film for the acting?  No.  We watch these types of films for one thing and one thing only, and that is to see the creatures eat people.  Simple enough.  I do have to mention that there is one bright spot when it comes to the acting, and that is of course the legendary David Carradine.  He is not in the film much, but in the few scenes he is in, he brings a huge sense of genre credibility to the film.   It looks like this was one of the the last few films Mr. Carradine did before his untimely death in 2009.

 Now, on to the good part....the creatures eating people!  I think this film had a much higher body count than SHARKTOPUS or DINOCROC...I am not 100% sure on that, so don't quote me, but it definitely felt that way to me.   There was one scene in particular where a woman is literally bitten in half by one of the creatures. It was very well done and very effective.

 If you are a fan of the creature features, you will definitely want to check this one out.  Special features on the DVD include the  trailer and an Audio Commentary with Executive Producer Roger Corman and Director Jim Wynorski (A.K.A.  Jay Andrews).  DINOCROC VS. SUPERGATOR was released on DVD and Blu-ray this past Tuesday, 7/12, so is available now!



CLICK HERE to visit the official website of the film and watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD or Blu-ray



CLICK HERE to visit the official website of Anchor Bay Entertainment

DVD Review: PIRANHA (1978)

I hate to admit this to you, but I had never seen the original PIRANHA before. And now after seeing the PIRANHA 3D remake footage, I got really excited about flesh eating fish and decided the time was right to finally sit down and watch it.

My only regret is that I waited this long!!

PIRANHA was produced by Roger Corman and directed by Joe Dante, so you have some awesome genre vets at the helm of this film. PIRANHA is one of those films that everybody knows about, but is very surprising when it comes to how many people have actually seen it. If you haven't seen this film, please, do yourself a favor and watch it soon! A new special edition DVD just came out today, so there is no excuse for not watching this now!

Here is the basic plot of the film from imdb.com:

When flesh-eating piranhas are accidental released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.

Ha, short synopsis, but really, it says it all! This isn't a movie that makes you think, it just tries to entertain you for 94 minutes, and in that it succeeds greatly!

One thing I was really surprised about was the amount of blood and gore in this film. For a film that came out in the late 70's, it was much more graphic than one would expect based on other films released in that same era.

A great thing about this film is there were no real slow parts....it was entertaining all the way through. If you are a fan of JAWS, then you will love PIRANHA. In fact...dare I say it....I might have enjoyed this film even more than JAWS! Is that possible? Have I gone insane? Have you seen PIRANHA...what do you think?

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer