Up first this week is a 4K release of The Chronicles of Riddick. I hadn’t seen the film in years so I actually rewatched the Arrow 4K release of Pitch Black before jumping into their The Chronicles of Riddick release. That Pitch Black edition has the animated short that fits between Pitch Black and Chronicles explaining what happened to Riddick, Jack and Imam so I watched that as well. As for The Chronicles of Riddick, it’s a solid sequel, but I think it goes too big compared to the first film. Pitch Black was a nice little surprise with limited characters and limited locations. Chronicles expands the universe (pun intended) and brings in more and more characters whether it’s the bad guys Riddick has to defeat or the prisoners on the prison planet. The special effects are a bit better than Pitch Black which had a much more indie vibe to it. I think the series is underrated and the 4K release is very cool with a ton of bonus features including the theatrical cut and director’s cut. If you are a fan of this sci-fi series, the 4K is worth it.
Second we have another Arrow 4K release, this time it’s Torso, a 1970s Italian Giallo flick. It checkmarks everything you expect from the genre, beautiful women, very nude beautiful women, a killer slashing his way through beautiful people and beautiful locations. This involves a killer and a few female co-eds getting cut down and trying to hide out in a secluded villa. I had never seen it before and it fits the genre extremely well. It’s a fun watch and the 4K is also jampacked with bonus features like multiple interviews, alternate opening and closing credits and so much more. If you are a fan of the film, this is probably the best release it’s ever had. If you are a Giallo fan as well I recommend it too.
Third we have The Brokenwood Mysteries: Series 10. The New Zealand show opens Series 10 with a murder involving a dinosaur fossil. As a dinosaur fan it got my attention quickly. Neill Rea, Fern Sutherland, and Jarod Rawiri star in 5 more episodes in Series 10 involving crimes that include a murder during Day of the Dead, a murder at a writers retreat, the murder of a dentist’s wife, a haunted attraction goes wrong when a teen is killed and Jesus is killed, well an actor playing Jesus during a Nativity act. Brokenwood episodes run a bit longer than most procedurals so each episode is almost like a movie. With six episodes I binged it over 3 days and always enjoy the show. If you are a fan, pick up Series 10.
Last we have Dark Night Of The Scarecrows: Ultimate Collector’s Edition Double Feature which came out last week, but I got it after its release. This 4K set features Dark Night Of The Scarecrow from 1981 and its sequel Dark Night Of The Scarecrow 2 from a few years back. Dark Night Of The Scarecrow was a made-for-TV horror flick I probably hadn’t seen in 30 years on VHS. It starred Larry Drake as a mentally disabled adult with a childlike personality who is accused of killing a girl so a few locals lead by Charles Durning find him hiding as a scarecrow and kill him. When their trial goes their way, the scarecrow hunts them down for revenge. Drake played these characters well whether it was L.A. Law or Dr. Giggles. He wouldn’t be allowed to do it nowadays. It’s definitely a cult classic. I didn’t know they made a sequel 40 plus years later and after seeing it, I understand why no one talks about it. It’s not good. Gone is the charm of the first film as the sequel uses a similar setting, but feels very much like a straight-to-video/streaming horror sequel. Bubba the Scarecrow (Drake’s character from the first film) gets involved with a young boy who moved to town with his mother as part of witness protection. The woman watching him as his mother works is creepy and takes him under her wing and the one cop character is very bad. The acting is subpar even for a 40 plus year horror sequel. The original at least had Drake, Durning and Lane Smith all quality actors. The sequel’s cast should never work again. But having the original in this release is well worth the purchase because it’s such a forgotten gem.
The Nerds Templar 