Psycho Killer is a curiously bad horror film directed by film and TV producer Gavin Polone from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker. The film depicts a satanic serial killer that is hunted by a highway patrol woman, whose husband was murdered by him. There’s not much else to say about this film because it’s not very good. My understanding is it was produced with a release year of 2023 in mind, but was shelved until 2026. Malcolm McDowell has a small cameo in the film, but his presence really adds nothing to it other than oh that’s Malcolm McDowell.
A standard English Dolby Digital Surround soundtrack is included along with an Audio Description Soundtrack and English Captions for the deaf and hearing impaired encoded as options. The picture quality is fine with 4K DolbyVision, but otherwise there are no extra value features whatsoever on this digital copy aside from two trailers that one could see on the main menu before one plays the film if they’re watching it on iTunes.
Psycho Killer is available now on digital copy through Movies Anywhere as well as other digital media distribution services online.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is not so much a sequel to Avatar: The Way of Water. It is a continuation of one story in the same way that Kill Bill: Volumes 1 and 2 are halves of the same story. The big difference, though is that Avatar often repeats the same plot points and lacks any of the colorful characters that would make one be invested in the good protagonist and question the antagonist in a meaningful way.
Given the nature of both films, I feel this comparison is fair.Tarantino had memorable characters and real villains to be afraid of, and you cared about the journey of the Bride while Cameron‘s characters are mostly flat with little range nor much to distinguish themselves individually in a meaningful way. Even with the introduction of an alternative group of Navi that are actually somewhat more interesting than the Sully family, in the end just the acts theatrics and eye candy, but no substance. At times certain sequences seem simply ridiculous in unintended ways, Avatar is not terrible. The first film was a trendsetter that presented a realistic alien world that we all could disappear into when we saw it, but this series has squandered so much of that initial goodwill.
This digital copy is one of the most comprehensive ones I have ever watched, which is interesting considering the film itself is so weak in many ways. The picture quality is excellent. The English Dolby ATMOS 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is in some ways better than the picture itself.
A Spanish Language Dubbed Soundtrack and English and Spanish Language captions are also provided as options. The menus are standard interactive, steel frames with music from the film and are easy to navigate. There’s also a family friendly, listening option that takes out any of the adult words spoken in the theatrical cut of the film.
Extra value features include the documentary Igniting The Flame: The Making of Avatar: Fire and Ash (2 hours and 55 minutes), which can be viewed collectively or individually in 13 parts covering all aspects of the production. A tribute to Producer Jon Landau (21:00), a 13 minute RDA in world orientation and marketing materials made up of music videos and theatrical trailers wrapped up the bonus content.
While I was disappointed with the film, I still do appreciate having it on digital and I do intend on buying the 4K ultra HD Blu-ray when it becomes available because I’m a completist and I want the entire series on physical media. The value proposition is very good. You get a lot for your money and so that’s what makes this review all the more harder for me because it’s not that Avatar Fire and Ash is the worst movie ever made, but it’s just not as good as the original and it feels repetitive because it’s really just the second half of a two part movie that should’ve been edited into one film to make it more coherent. Avatar: Fire and Ash is available now at online retailers like Movies Anywhere and iTunes.
The Transylvanian Mission: A Speculative Analysis.
What if the "Sweet Transvestite" from Transsexual, Transylvania was actually the commander of a sophisticated extraterrestrial biological mission?
In this deep dive, we step away from the music and the hedonism to analyze the Transylvanians through a scientific and sociological lens. From their extreme UV light sensitivity (explaining the sunglasses at night) to their advanced antimatter weaponry and the "Medusa Ray," we explore the biology and technology of these visitors from another galaxy.
We examine their use of "Cultural Camouflage"—using American Gothic art and supernatural tropes to hide in plain sight—and ask the question: How much of their "androgynous" nature is actually a biological trait of their home world?
"Don't Dream It. Be It."
If you have your own scientific theories on the physiology or technology of the Transylvanians, leave a comment below!
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The American Blu-ray disc is strictly bare-bones with a perfectly fine 1080p full HD wide screen picture as well as an English DTS HD MA 5.1 soundtrack and stereo soundtrack along with English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired provided as options. There are no extra value features to be found on this Blu-ray release.We Bury The Dead is available now on Blu-ray disc at retailers on an off-line courtesy of Vertical in the United States.
Sam Raimi’s latest feature thriller is the hybrid dark comedy and horror film Send Help, which stars Dylan O’Brien as an entitled dishonest boss who gaslights a seemingly socially awkward associate, played by Rachel McAdams, due for an executive promotion, but passed over in favor of a less qualified candidate, who happens to be a fraternity brother of O’Brien’s. To soften the blow and to keep her on hand for her familiarity with an upcoming corporate merger, O’Brien and McAdams’ characters end up becoming sole survivors on a deserted island when the private plane they were passengers aboard crashes. Now they must overcome past grievances and work together to stay alive. But they're not in the office anymore, and an unsettling, wryly humorous battle of wills and wits begins in this original, darkly comedic psychological thriller.
McAdams’ character comes across as a more confident version of the Selena Kyle character Michelle Pfeiffer played in Batman Returns, with the island becoming a place where she can finally thrive and reveal her other talents and secrets. O’Brien‘s character is somewhat reminiscent of the character played by Dabney Coleman in the classic 1980s comedy 9 to 5 and he shares many of the same character flaws. Sam Raimi manages to inject some signature gross out humor, but for the most part he is somewhat restraint in his directing approach.
This digital copy now available on platforms such as Movies Anywhere and iTunes presents the film and a beautiful 2160p 4K Ultra HD presentation with both HDR-10 and DolbyVision viewing options as well as English Dolby ATMOS 5.1 Surround Sound and English Language Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as Spanish Language Subtitles encoded as options.
Extra value features include a reel of 22 deleted scenes that can be viewed individually or through a play all feature totaling in 1 hour and 18 minutes of extended and removed scenes. A blooper reel, five behind the scenes featurettes as well as feature length audio commentary with Director Sam Raimi and Producer Zainab Azizi wrap up the extra value material.
Send Help is available at Movies Anywhere and other digital retailers online now.
