Anatomy & Anatomy 2 (2000 - 2003)

Movie: 4.5/5
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extra: 0/5
Overall: 3/5

"Can We Get a Recall?"

It's a shame that Sony, creator of the Blu-ray format, has given up on releasing their movies on Blu-ray! Well, it's a good thing that Mill Creek decided to step in and release titles for them. I managed to order this Blu-ray from one of my favorite webstores and scored it for under $6. This Blu-ray would be perfect, if it wasn't for one small, but large flaw.

Anatomy: 5/5

Paula Henning (Franka Potente, Princess and the Warrior) is accepted into one of Germany's best medical schools. As she arrives to Heidelberg, we learn that there is a secret underground society that is conducting illegal dissections on people. As Paula discovers the mystery, her friends are dying off one by one.

I thought this was a great German horror film. Franka Potente does a great job as does Benno Furman. Which is a great duo as they are foes in this film and lovers in Princess and the Warrior. And it's really nice that we have a different kind of horror movie; it's a slasher, but the methods are unique as the killers are obsessed with the human body. 5/5.

Anatomy 2: 3.5/5

Jo is a young med student who is trying to find a cure for his brother's muscular disease. While at the same time, the same group of medical madmen are operating at his university. This time, this branch of the Anti-Hippocratics are focusing on improving the human condition. Jo is soon accepted into the group and realizes he is in over his head.

For a sequel, it was good. Franka Potente has a cameo in the film and is in it for about five minutes and that's it. The cast is ok. Just the plot of this film does not compare to the first film. Considering that these people are not preserving, but, essentially destroying the human body as they want to replace everyting with synthetic muscles and everything else under the sun. I give the film a 3.5/5

Video: 4/5

Anatomy: 4/5

Mill Creek's transfer of the film Anatomy is pretty good as it is in 2.35:1, 1080p, and MPEG4/AVC. This is a different source which was not used on the Sony DVD. The credits on the DVD were in English whereas all of the credits on Mill Creek's Blu-ray are in German. Grain is pretty strong in most spots. There was only three instances of print damage that I could spot while viewing the film; 56 minutes, 67 minutes, and in the final scene during the end credits. There might be some dirt here and there, but it's not as bad as the transfer was on the DVD. Sony and Mill Creek give Anatomy a quality debut on Blu-ray. 4/5.

Anatomy 2: 4/5

NOTE: I would give this a zero out of five stars, but, I don't feel it's entirely fair.

The biggest problem with the transfer on Anatomy 2 is that English subtitles are hardcoded into the video transfer of the film. So, if you decide to watch the film with French or Spanish subtitles, you have to watch it with English subtitles on top of that. This is something that you expect with a DVD. I cannot recall any Blu-rays that I have seen where the subtitles are actually hardcoded into the video itself.

While setting this aside, the video quality is pretty good for a film that is now ten years old. Presented in 1080p, in 2.35:1, and in MPEG4/AVC. I never saw Anatomy 2 on DVD, so, I cannot comment on the quality differences between both formats. Grain is present throughout. I give the video presentation, despite the hardcoded subtitles, a 4/5.

Audio: 4/5

Anatomy: 4/5

This is another oddity, the original German audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and the English dub is presented in Dolby Digital DTS-HD MA 5.1. Why Sony handed off the original audio in an inferior soundtrack is questionable. English is the default audio track on the film. But, are most people going to listen to the film in it's English dub? We also have the film with a French Dolby Digital 2.0 track. I give the audio presentations a 4/5.

Anatomy 2: 4/5

Unlike Anatomy, we do not have an English dub track for the second film and we now have the German audio in DTS-HD MA 5.1. Then we have a Spanish dub in Dolby Digital 5.1 for the film, which the first film didn't have. And on top of that, French Dolby Digital 2.0. I'd say the sound levels all sound even in comparison to the first film. But, I think the English subtitles are more of a distraction compared to listening to the audio. I give the audio presentation a 4/5.

Extras: 0/5

Can't say if there was any extras on the second film, but all of the bonus material from the first film is non-existant on this Blu-ray. I can't think of any Mill Creek Blu-rays, with the exception of the Gamera trilogy, that had extra features. 0/5.

Overall: 3/5

I got this for under $6; if the problem of hardcoded English subtitles on the second film doesn't bother you, then go for it. I think I'll wait until Sony Germany releases Anatomy 2 on Blu-ray over there and see if it has English subs. I just think it's such a doozy that this happened; was there any quality control done on this Blu-ray? Setting that problem aside, 3/5.

Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)

Movie: 4.5/5
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 2.5/5
Extras: 0/5
Overall: 3/5
"A Great Catalog Release From Mill Creek!"

The "Ernest" films were watched frequently in my childhood. I had a VHS tape of Ernest Scared Stupid that I had watched constantly throughout the years. Jim Varney is Ernest, the "Great Redneck Hope" in this family themed horror film. Ernest awakens an ancient troll hellbent on kidnapping children and turning them into wooden dolls. After he collects five, he can bring about his evil army to destroy the world.

Seeing this constantly as a child, this film means a lot to me. It's a great blend of horror-comedy with Jim Varney as the bumbling Ernest. It's not perfect, as you can crack a lot of jokes about the film. Like; why do none of the parents want Ernest near the kids? That comes up a lot in the film with no real reason why. I mean, has Ernest met Chris Hansen? With To Catch a Predator jokes aside, the film is pretty entertaining, especially with the visual effects of how the trolls look. Our main trill, Trantor looks frightening that might be a little much for smaller children. I give the film a 4.5/5.



Video:
Mill Creek has given Ernest Scared Stupid a fantastic visual presentation. Presented in 1080p with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, the film is near perfection. The only real problem is print damage which pops up here and there. Also, there's a scene where there's some discoloration on the right side of the screen towards the end of the film. Other than that, for a film that is over twenty years old, this is the best it will ever look. 4.5/5.

Audio:
Mill Creek gives us a basic Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track for Ernest Scared Stupid.It would have been perfect if it had a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, but we can only dream. The audio track itself is average, leaving you for more out of this release. 2.5/5.
Extras:
None, 0/5.
Overall:
Despite the bad audio and no extras, Mill Creek has given us a great visual presentation on Ernest Scared Stupid. And the great thing is that you can get this release for $1 at Dollar Tree! I give this release a 3/5 and I quite recommend it.

Another Stakeout (1993)

Movie: 3/5
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 0/5
Overall: 3/5

The First of Many Touchstone/Mill Creek Releases...

Another Stakeout is one of the many licensed out Touchstone releases that Disney handed over to Mill Creek to distribute. Considering the age of the films in question, they have received a very low, affordable price tag of $5. Another Stakeout, while not as great as the first film, it does have some entertainment value to it. I am left scratching my head as to why Mill Creek decided to release the second film and not the first right off the bat; maybe they didn't get the distribution rights from Disney? Anyway, back to the film, I give it a 3/5. It's got it moments, but not as great as the first outing with just Estevez and Dreyfuss.

The video is very nice for a movie that's pushing towards twenty. However, it seems like this is a dated master. But, we're not talking plagued with problems or anything like that. From a distance, it's not that bad at all really. The video presentation is the best one out of the four Touchstone/Mill Creek titles I currently own which popped up at Target about a month and a half ago. The video get's a cool 4/5.

The sound is very nice for a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. It's incorrectly stated on the cover that it's a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. That does sound kinda scary for the only audio option, but thankfully it was wrongfully stated. The audio sounds great for a DTS-HD MA track, but I don't think it meets its full potential in the end. I feel that the audio deserves a 4/5.

There are sadly no bonus materials at all on the disc; 0/4. And that gives us 2.75/5 which I feel comes to 3/5. If there was any bonus material at all, it would help somewhat. It's pretty easy to find for $5 and I'd recommend it for that price.

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) / Attack of the Legion (1996)

Movie: 5/5
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 0/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Two Great Kaiju Flicks, ONE LOW PRICE!!!

Picked it up for around $9 after shipping from Amazon. Really pleased with how the quality turned out on this. Plus, it's great that I don't have to shell out a ton of money to import these from Japan. I will probably be picking up the Japanese release of Gamera 3 if a U.S. release doesn't come out within the next six months or so. Even though there is no extras, the overall comes to 3.25 and I'll round that up to 3.5.

Total Terror: A Brush with Death (2007) / Harvest of Fear (2005)

Movie: 0.5/5
Video: 2.5/5
Audio: 2.5/5
Extras: 0/5
Overall: 1/5

It Only Got Worse!

Ok... where should I start? Should I even call A Brush With Death a movie? I know in the thread for Total Terror Vol 1 that I bashed the hell out of Demonic, but I admit, I was wrong. Uninvited had my hopes up for Total Terror Vol 2. I am going to give A Brush With Death 0 out of 5. This film was an insult to my intelligence and I've never really been the one to call a movie THE WORST FILM EVER, but for me, this is it. Now, Harvest of Fear is just dull as hell and not really that interesting. I give it a 1 out of 5.

Let's break it down:

Movies - 0 + 1 = 1/2 = 0.5 total.

Video - 2 + 2 = 4/2 = 2.0 total.

Audio - 2 + 2 = 4/2 = 2.0 total.

Extras - 0 + 0 = 0/2 = 0.0 total.

Overall - 4.5/4 = 1.125 and let's round that down to 1.0 for the total.

If you want to see a film with ZERO PLOT AND ZERO ACTING SKILLS, see A BRUSH WITH DEATH!!! Don't pay more than $5 for this junk.

Total Terror: Demonic (2005) / Uninvited (1993)

Movie: 1.5/5
Video: 2/5
Audio: 2.5/5
Extras: 0/5
Overall: 0.5/5

You Get What You Pay For.

Ok, let's break the films down: Demonic - 0.5/5. Uninvited - 2/5. Demonic has no real plot and is just pointless T&A for 84 minutes. Uninvited fares a bit better, but not that much. It's structured but is just not that interesting to boot.

Video: Demonic - 1.5/5. It honestly looks like a PAL DVD at 576i up-converted to 1080p. It looks rough. And there's these weird vertical lines that pop up constantly in shots. Uninvited - 2.5/5. It is a bit stronger but it is also really dull too.

Audio: Demonic - 2.5/5. Audio isn't my strong suit. If I can hear it, then I hear it. I'll just come out and say this; "If you think my reviews on the audio are really wrong, I'll gladly agree. I could hear the audio find on both movies. Sure, the audio was bit low on Demonic and then the music would be loud, but I think it's because they didn't do any ADR in post. Uninvited - 3/5. It's better than Demonic, but not by that much.

EXTRAS: NADA!

Overall - 0.5/5. You really do get what you pay for with this release. If you can get it for $6 total like I did and you love watching really crappy horror films, then go for it.