Monster Summer (2024)

"Highly enjoyable horror adventure for all ages"

There's something strange going on in a small town on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Children are disappearing for a few hours and when they turn up again they seem to have been drained of all their youthful vitality. The disappearances have coincided with the arrival of black-clad Miss Halverson (Lorraine Braco) who rents a room from the mother of teenage Noah (Mason Thames). Soon Noah and his friends are convinced that she's a witch. But how to prove it? And what to do when they do? Can mysterious retired policeman Gene (Mel Gibson) help, or will he just make things worse?

MONSTER SUMMER is teenaged adventure horror done right. Director David Henrie exhibits the kind of lightness of touch, yet seriousness of approach that we used to see from Joe Dante, or even Steven Spielberg, with a confident and frequently inspired sense of visual storytelling that means you're never less than fully involved in the story.

The young leads are likeable and work well together, and while some films of this type can overdo the cultural references, dialogue mentioning NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD or THE TERMINATOR never feels forced. Mel Gibson as the retired policeman with a past is excellent, delivering a nuanced, touching and appealing performance, such that by the end when there's talk of vampires and werewolves you'll be wanting this disparate group to have another adventure. Surprisingly good. Here's a trailer:

MONSTER SUMMER is coming out from Signature Entertainment on Digital on Monday 25th November 2024

Cooking Price-Wise (1971)

 

"Even More Entertaining Than You Might Expect"

And that's a lot down to some excellent extras on this, the BFI's Blu-ray release of Vincent Price's cookery show, broadcast on ITV in the early 1970s, often on a weekday at around 4pm just before children's programming kicked in. 

Shot at a rate of about one a day, the format was simple: Vincent Price, in a mock-1970s studio fitted kitchen, takes the viewer through recipes that at the time would have seemed immensely exotic. One wonders how many husbands came home looking forward to fish and chips or shepherd's pie only to be presented with Moroccan lamb and a cucumber crocodile. One also wonders what the reaction might have been.

There are six episodes here, each with a central theme  - lamb, cheese, bacon, and so on, with the first reserved for the potato. Try watching it and not feeling the urge to repeat Mr Price's pronunciation of that particular vegetable. We also get a brief history of some of the ingredients used, along with rather charming line drawings, and the recipes get summed up at the end so have pen and paper ready.

Extras include commentary tracks on three episodes (potatoes, bacon and cheese) from three different pairs of commentators. Vic Pratt and William Fowler - The 'Bodies Beneath' Boys - on potatoes, Lisa Kerrigan and Josephine Botting on bacon and Jenny Hammerton and Peter Fuller on cheese. It's an excellent idea as everyone comes at the subject matter from different angles. Pratt and Fowler discuss the ins and outs of this kind of TV broadcasting of the period, and I do hope Jenny and Peter succeed in their search for the saucepans used on the show.

Jenny Hammerton returns for two featurettes - Monster Munch (24 minutes) in which she takes you through some of Vincent Price's recipes, and Kitchenfinder General (21 minutes) in which she talks to Vic Pratt about Price and his love of food. Price's culinary predilections are also discussed by his daughter Victoria Price in Until We Eat Again (18 minutes).

Finally, the BFI once again offers up a cornucopia of curios from its film vaults with a batch of interesting short subjects, not all of them complete (or at least the comedy How to Cook a Cabbage does come to a rather abrupt end). These include a selection of films made by the Orwellian-sounding Ministry of Food, Tea Making Tips from 1941 and a culinary train journey on the Centenary Express from 1980. 

To some this release may seem a little odd while others (and especially fans of Vincent Price and the Flipside series in general) will completely understand why it's been brought out. All I'll say in summary is that it's a release that's packed with stuff, such that if you have any interest in the subject matter this is a must buy.

COOKING PRICE-WISE is out from the BFI in their Flipside series on Monday 25th November 2024

Louis Feuillade: The Complete Crime Serials (1913 - 1918)

Eureka are releasing a massive nine disc Blu-ray set of four silent crime serials directed by the hugely influential French film-maker Louis Feuillade, all in 1080p presentations from 4K restorations, with excellent music scores from the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra and Patrick Laviosa. The set also includes a 98 page book featuring new and archival writing on the films but for now, let's take a look at the serials and what extras we get:

Fantômas (1913 - 1914)

In a series of five linked films (or just one lengthy serial if you prefer), Fantômas is probably the earliest (and certainly best known) movie supervillain. In the short term the serial influenced Fritz Lang's Dr Mabuse series, but watching these it's also possible to see the groundwork being laid for the villains of James Bond and even the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies. To that end here's a summary of each episode, as they're all rather fun:

Disc 1

1 In the Shadow of the Guillotine

In which Fantômas steals a large sum of money from a Princess, and is found to be responsible for the death of Lord Beltham when the man's body is found in a steamer trunk. Sentenced to death, Fantômas concocts a plan to escape the gallows with Lady Beltham.

2 Juve Vs Fantômas

In which Fantômas again faces his nemesis Inspector Juve, the man he thwarted in the previous episode. The crushed body of a woman has been discovered at the house of a doctor 'above suspicion' but guess who he is? Also includes a daring train robbery featuring some endearing model work, plus possibly the fattest policeman disguise in silent cinema. Be warned, amidst all the entertaining chasing about and an exploding house, the end of this episode does feature a python meeting what looks like a genuinely unpleasant end. 

3 The Murderous Corpse

After Lady Beltham's villa exploded at the end of episode two Inspector Juve has lost his memory and disappeared, leaving it to his journalist chum Fandor to investigate the bizarre case of a convicted murderer whom we know to be innocent, who dies in police custody and whose body subsequently disappears. After this, the dastardly crimes which would usually be attributed to Fantômas all bear the dead man's fingerprints. The reason is rather gruesome in a highly entertaining pulp crime way.

Extras: David Kalat provides an engaging commentary track (recorded in 2010) for the first two episodes that's also an excellent potted history of silent cinema and how Feuillade's FANTOMAS fits in and how it influenced subsequent moviemakers, including Fritz Lang.

Disc 2

4 Fantômas Vs Fantômas

A vague rumour that Jude might actually be Fantômas leads to him being locked up while our villain plots to steal a vast sum at a charity ball. It's fancy dress which provides ample opportunity for all concerned (including the police) to don a variety of flamboyant outfits, plus more than one Fantômas turns up, too.

5 The False Magistrate

Villains steal 250,000 Francs' worth of jewels and the 250,000 Francs as well. Meanwhile Fantômas is in prison in Belgium which to the French police simply will not do. Juve springs him and impersonates him with the intention that Fantômas will return to France where he can be arrested and tried 'properly'. It all gets even more complicated when Fantômas assumes the identity of the judge presiding over the robbery.

Extras: An excellent 38 minute Kim Newman talking head piece that you need to watch after having finished the entire set as there are quite a few spoilers.

Les Vampires (1915 - 1916)

Not supernatural (unfortunately), 'The Vampires' is the name given to a criminal gang that operates in Paris. The entire serial is just under seven hours long which, if you consider it as a single work, makes it one of the longest films in existence. If you've watched FANTOMAS first you'll spot some familiar sets and locations, and once again we have a hero working with a sidekick to track down the baddies. 

Disc 1 contains the first four episodes, in which reporter Phillipe Guérande, on the track of 'Les Vampires' learns that the policeman in charge of the case has been found decapitated, has to spend the night in a creepy house with sliding panels and finds the missing severed head in a box. He then gets captured after witnessing a dancer killed by a poisoned ring at the ballet, and finds a codebook that leads him to 'Irma Vep' (an anagram of vampire and played by the iconic Musidora). He avoids Irma's attempts to kill him but she and her accomplice escape over the Paris rooftops. Episodes vary from 15 minutes (episode 2) to 39 minutes (episode 3) in length and episodes 3 and 4 have commentary tracks from David Kalat who provides another excellent contextualisation of this series of films.

Disc 2 has episodes 5-7. Highlights include a scene where the vampires gas an enter ballroom full of people so they can steal their jewellery (episode five) and Musidora's pretty much see-through black bodystocking in episode seven. Beware, though, of episode six which features the killing of two bulls in a flashback sequence. Pamela Hutchinson talks about Musidora for 22 minutes in this disc's special feature.

Disc 3 contains the concluding three episodes plus a short essay (12 minutes) from Elizabeth Ezra on 'The Spectre of War in Les Vampires'

Judex (1916)

Considered by some as a precursor to more modern heroes like The Shadow and Batman, Judex is a cloaked avenger and was possibly conceived as the flip-side of FANTOMAS after critics complained to Feuillade that his previous two serials had made criminals look too good. You can certainly see the groundworks being laid for future superhero adventures here. The father of the man who will become Judex dies a miserable death caused by a villainous banker, after which our hero assembles a disparate group to help him get his revenge.

Disc 1 includes the 40 minute prologue and the first five episodes, with Tim Lucas commentaries on the prologue and the first two. Disc 2 has the remaining seven episodes (Lucas commentaries on episodes 11 and 12) giving a runtime for this serial of just under six and a half hours. The other extra on the second disc is a 30 minute piece by Neil Brand who begins by asking the entirely reasonable question for the uninitiated of why should we spend hours and hours watching old silent French serials, before launching into a lengthy and excellent answer. 

Tih Minh (1918)

Tih Minh is a woman from Vietnam who, along with Jacques d'Athys, the man she comes home with after he has completed his expedition to Indo-China, becomes the target of thieves and spies. The MacGuffin in a book Athys has unwittingly brought back to France with him that contains a code leading to both government secrets and treasure.

As Neil Brand states in his extra on JUDEX Disc Two, TIH MINH is very much a case of 'one damn thing after another', its nearly six and a half hour running time filled with incident rather than plot all of which is, nevertheless, as entertaining as the other serials in this set. 

Disc 1 includes episodes 1-6 with Tim Lucas commentaries on episodes 1 & 3 while Disc 2 has episodes 7-12 with a commentary on episode 12. Also included on the second disc is a 42 minute piece from Tony Rayns which gives us 'A Closer Look at Louis Feuillade'.

LOUIS FEUILLADE: THE COMPLETE CRIME SERIALS is out in a nine disc Blu-ray set from Eureka on Monday 11th November 2024

Bookworm (2024)

The new film from Ant Timpson, director of 2019's COME TO DADDY and producer of THE ABCS OF DEATH movies, gets a digital release from Signature Entertainment.

The bookworm of the title is precious, fiercely intelligent and extremely well-read 11 year old Mildred. When her mother suffers an electric shock from a malfunctioning toaster and ends up in a coma, Mildred's long-absent father Strawn (Elijah Wood) turns up. Disappointed that Mildred appears unimpressed with her father's career as a second rate TV magician, Strawn agrees to accompany her into the wilds of New Zealand on a hunt for the legendary Canterbury Panther. It's not long before the two of them are enjoying adventures and undergoing hardships neither of them could have predicted.

COME TO DADDY was a deserved hit on 2019's horror festival circuit and while BOOKWORM might not sound like an obvious follow-up, we're not long into the running time before this very much feels like another Timpson picture, filled with quirky charm and clever wit, engaging performances from all concerned and, this time around, some stunning location photography. Nell Fisher is excellent and likeable as Mildred, and the always reliable Elijah Wood adds yet another eccentrically appealing character to his CV in this highly entertaining piece. Great stuff. Here's a trailer:

Ant Timpson's BOOKWORM is out on digital from Signature Entertainment on Monday 11th November 2024

Advent (2024)

 

After its premiere at Halloween Frightfest, writer-director Airell Anthony Hayes' pseudo documentary-cum found footage picture gets a digital release from Miracle Media.

Hayley (Rasina Pavlova) has a YouTube channel (which is where the found footage angle comes in) and wrote her university thesis on urban legends. She buys a 'Krampus calendar' online, which turns out to be a Christmas-tree shaped wooden box with 24 doors. Each time you open one it presents you with a challenge. Get to the end and Krampus steals your soul and ensures your body ends up in a messy suicide.

And that's the main problem with ADVENT. It's never adequately explained why Hayley would want to go through the various trials (which range from walking around your Christmas tree three times to staying up all night to sitting naked in front of an open fire - audiences of 'sophisticated' cinema should not get worked up about this, however) just to end up dead and consigned to hell.

It's a very low budget homemade-feeling endeavour with the standout performance being Nicolas Vince who is required to spout a lot of background dialogue and is presented to us as an expert filmed from the same two camera angles over and over, filling us in on information at regular intervals throughout the film. ADVENT is not scary, it's not especially involving and ultimately it's not worth its admittedly brief (77 minutes) running time. Here's the trailer:

Advent will be released on UK Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play) by Miracle Media on 25th November 2024 

Magpie (2024)

Following its premiere at Halloween Frightfest last weekend, Sam Yates' thriller featuring a cast of familiar faces gets a digital release from Signature.

Ben (Shazad Latif from Penny Dreadful and Star Trek: Discovery) and Annette (Daisy Ridley from the trio of Disney Star Wars movie sequels) are thrilled when their young daughter is cast in a costume drama. However, when author Ben gets to meet star Alicia (Mathilda Lutz from Coraline Fargeat's REVENGE) he immediately becomes a bit too enamoured and the frequent trips to the studio lead to pancakes at her place, and we all know what that means.

And that's one of MAGPIE's key strengths - letting you think you know what's going on when perhaps you don't. Much is made of Ben and Annette's rocky relationship, with Annette's career seemingly on hold while they raise their two children. A business meeting between Annette and former boss Richard (Alistair Petrie from decent gothics EIGHT FOR SILVER and VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN) becomes excruciating due to the presence of Annette's baby son Lucas and there's the suggestion Annette may be on medication for depression.

The thing that carries MAGPIE through to its satisfying conclusion, though, is the acting, which is just the right side of melodrama to keep the whole thing believable, at least for the running time of the movie. A perfectly entertaining adultery-themed thriller for a winter's evening. Here's the trailer:

MAGPIE is out on Digital from Signature Entertainment on Monday 11th November 2024