Welcome back to The Wall, ya bunch of delinquents.
A slambam week of cool as MANIAC COP 2 & 3 hit Blu-ray in a demo worthy presentation from Blue Undergound, John Carpenter ASSAULTS Scream Factory, and even Gregory Hines is slinging bullets to get in on the action. If I’d known it was gonna be that kind of party I would have stuck my dick in the mashed potatoes.
As mentioned, MANIAC COP 2 & 3 are blasting their way into your collection from Blue Underground who’ve had a quiet 2013, they released a few DVDs and some complilations but they more than make up for their Blu-ray absence with this one-two punch of action and horror. William Lustig has long thought MANIAC COP 2 to be his favorite of the series and it’s tough to disagree with him. Though I have always been partial to the first film, there’s no denying the 2 does have the comic book feel that Lustig was trying to hit. Mastered at 4K from the original camera negatives, this is demo worthy. It is one of the best looking releases of the year. This thing is a jaw dropper. To see this level of care in a film like MANIAC COP 2 is something we should all stand up and applaud. Fans of grindhouse cinema owe Lustig a solid for this bad-boy.
Next up, Scream Factory is bringing their balled up fists to the party with John Carpenter’s ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and NIGHT OF THE COMET. Though many Carpenter films were created with westerns in mind, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 is an unabashed update of Howard Hawks’ RIO BRAVO. Originally called THE SIEGE, Carpenter was able to make this film with the help of his USC colleagues, notably producer J. Stein Kaplan. Though the action scenes are visceral and chaotic which create a reality to the situation, it’s the soundtrack of this movie that I find to be the most effective element; moments of haunting silence that are broken by gunfire and intensity. There is a vintage feel to this film, whether it’s the hawksian dialogue or the old school charm of Napolean Wilson (played by Darwin Joston) I’m not sure, but it’s one hell of ride. Written by John Carpenter, produced by J. Stein Kaplan.
As for NIGHT OF THE COMET, Perry took a look at this last week and thought that what “works best in the film is the melding of genre conventions, setting up a perfectly proper sci-fi scenario and then treating it like a contemporary horror film, leaving the camp behind, aside from decade-appropriate behavior. This is what I think THE BLOB remake was going for, telling a classic sci-fi story to a generation of slasher and gore fans, but where that film might come across as a tad bit silly – or excruciatingly hilarious – NIGHT OF THE COMET never breaks character, and never forgets what and when it is: a Romero-esque set-up not unlike DAWN OF THE DEAD melded with an 80s-era teen empowerment flick.”
Those are big Holy Shitters this week. We were away last week so we included those releases as well. Next week the Zatoichi set from Criterion arrives to set you back three bills, THE GRANDMASTER will kick your ass, and Ethan Hawke will drive you to heartbreak with his dreamy eyes in GETAWAY.
As always, click the order now button to buy from Amazon.com and help keep our scummy doors open.
See ya next week, kids.
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Tags: Blu-ray, dvd, new release, release
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