DVD Review: All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, And The Spirit Of I.F. Stone

I’ve always believed that governments somewhat routinely play with or ignore the truth. But I’m not sure any leader has lied with such unfailing consistency as does the current occupier of the White House. Not a single word he utters is to be trusted. But perhaps something good can come of it. Perhaps it will get people questioning and thinking critically about everything that’s told to them by government officials, rather than blindly accepting such stuff as truth. The documentary All Governments Lie: Truth Deception, And The Spirit Of I.F. Stone celebrates some of the independent journalists who, in the spirit of I.F. Stone, work to uncover the truth on subjects not being discussed in the mainstream media.

The film opens with that famous footage of Trump’s role model Richard Nixon swearing that he never obstructed justice and that he’s not a crook. It cuts then to Colin Powell talking about Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction, and swearing he’s delivering facts. And it’s not long before we get footage of Donald Trump speaking of his proposed Muslim ban, and telling his supporters that Mexicans are rapists. These are clear examples of the government lying to its people, but of course if the government is willing and eager to tell these large lies, why should we trust them not to tell us smaller ones as well?

I.F. Stone was an independent investigate journalist who published his own newsletter, I.F. Stone’s Weekly, in which he routinely exposed the lies of the government. The film does include snippets of interviews with him, including footage of his appearance as a guest on The Dick Cavett Show in 1969. But in large part it follows current journalists who in a way are continuing Stone’s work, folks like Matt Taibbi, John Carlos Frey, Amy Goodman, Jeremy Scahill and David Corn. And through this, the film also delves into certain stories. For example, the mass graves found along the U.S./Mexico border. Sound familiar? No? Well, that’s because big media companies didn’t cover the story, as many of the choices they make are related to the entertainment value of a story, and the deaths of immigrants aren’t seen as entertaining. The film raises the question of whether those running large media empires are any more ethical than those in charge of oil companies or tobacco companies. After all, they profited from Trump’s campaign, getting plenty of entertaining news out of it. I wish we could go back in time and see what would have transpired had the media simply not covered Trump’s campaign, or at least not given him so much coverage.

And if you’re wondering, no, Barrack Obama is not left alone in this film. His questionable activities with drones are addressed here. Hillary Clinton likewise does not escape attention. And that’s the point, really. All governments lie. But the work of the journalists shown in this excellent documentary does give me hope. The film also includes interviews with Noam Chomsky, Ralph Nader, Carl Bernstein (who says that conventional wisdom is “the real enemy of great reporting”), Dick Cavett, and Michael Moore (who talks about the use of humor, and how “it is very hard to respond to it”).

Special Features

The DVD contains several bonus scenes, including more on Jeremy Scahill addressing young journalists about The Intercept and about the risks of investigative reporting, and Kai Wright talking about The Nation and objectivity. There is also footage of Sharif Abdel Kouddos speaking of how he became active in political journalism. John Carlos Frey talks about getting himself hired as a grape-picker in order to get the footage he needed. There is also more with Glenn Greenwald, Ralph Nader, Carl Bernstein and Chris Hedges.

All Governments Lie: Truth Deception, And The Spirit Of I.F. Stone was directed by Fred Peabody, and is based in part on All Governments Lie: The Life And Times Of Rebel Journalist I.F. Stone by Myra MacPherson. It was released on DVD on May 23, 2017 through First Run Features.

Blu-ray Review: Voodoo Black Exorcist

Voodoo Black Exorcist is a strange one about a man who was entombed alive and who now many years later finds a chance to come out of his sarcophagus while it is being transported aboard a luxury ocean liner by a scientist, his associate and his secretary/lover.

The opening scenes show a man and woman making love in a canoe until the woman’s husband arrives, ruining the romantic moment. The man kills the husband, but then in a violent ritual, the woman is executed and the man is entombed. These scenes, completely devoid of dialogue, are effective in commanding our attention. While the man is being entombed in a psychedelically lit cavern, an authoritative off-screen voice tells us about life repeating itself. “Blood will be spilled, terrible things will happen again, and everything will start again.” No, it’s not the best narration. But no matter. Oddly, the film then cuts to a rocket taking off into space, and the opening credit sequence is shown over images of the moon. A strange choice for a mummy film, but this movie doesn’t allow us to take it seriously. Every time we might get the inclination to do so, it delivers some goofy bit of humor.

Back on Earth, the coffin is being loaded onto the ocean liner. And there are actually some carefully crafted shots, like the one when the coffin is being moved to the cargo hold of the ship. The camera stays on the face on the lid of the sarcophagus. Poor Freddy is left to guard the coffin, instructed by Dr. Kessling that he’ll even have to sleep there in the cargo hold. Geez. But I suppose they must take precautions. After all, there are some strange characters aboard this ship. Like the guy who flirts with a married woman using the line, “I have a slaughterhouse in Chicago.” How could she not fall for him? Or the drunk woman who is first shown with a giant deck of playing cards, and then shown reading the Tarot and predicting an unexpected visitor will come aboard the ship. In a slightly better movie, this character would be played by Shelley Winters. She and her hapless husband provide much of the humor of the film.

Of course, it’s not long before the coffin opens and our friend emerges. Hey, where did Freddy go? The mummy immediately wins me over by showing his distaste for cats. Interestingly, we then get shots from the mummy’s perspective, and apparently all he wanted to do was go above deck and look out at the ocean. While he does so, we see his skin slowly return to its former glory. Well, as the narrator warned us, “Everything will start again,” and it turns out everyone involved in those opening scenes is traveling on this ship. The executioner from the ritual is now a bartender. And the woman the mummy once loved is Dr. Kessling’s secretary/lover, Sylvia. You see, this is actually a love story of sorts. However, seeing her makes him return to his ugly mummy state for some reason. Hot redheads can have that effect on men, I suppose. But after a bit of rest in the coffin, he’s able to deliver a gift to Sylvia. Sometimes it’s tough buying for a woman, particularly if you’ve just met her and don’t know her taste. However, most men know that women don’t generally like receiving severed heads.

At one port, Dr. Kessling is supposed to meet a colleague, but the mummy – looking human – takes the other scientist’s place. And this is where it gets weird, because the mummy actually wants to help Dr. Kessling with his research on voodoo, telling him he could provide more help than the other scientist ever could. Ah, all any of us wants is to feel needed, I suppose.

By the way, the other character that is there mainly for humor is the detective trying to solve the murder of the bartender. At one point he says: “You see, I have a system. When I don’t have a lead, I drink gin and wait.” You’d be surprised how many crimes are solved with this system. Then later, when Dr. Kessling asks him how he’s doing, the detective replies: “Terrible. Moody. Perplexed. It’s so damn hot here, don’t you think?” There is some unintentional humor as well. During the fight scene when the mummy retrieves his special ring, be sure to look in the mirror and say hi to the camera man, who is plainly visible. And the mummy tells the scientist that he learned English from being in museums for so many years, which of course makes me wonder just where was Dr. Kessling transporting the sarcophagus from? And where was he taking it?

And if you’ve been wondering about the exorcist, I’m going to spoil the surprise and tell you there isn’t one. No exorcist in Voodoo Black Exorcist. This movie was released in 1974, a year after The Exorcist, and I’m sure that other film’s popularity had something to do with the choice of English titles for this film. It’s not a great movie, but it is truly enjoyable. The end, however, feels rushed.

Voodoo Black Exorcist is being released on Blu-ray and DVD today, May 23, 2017, through The Film Detective. The film has been digitally remastered, restored from the original 35mm film elements, and it looks good. The Blu-ray contains no special features.

DVD Review: Teenage Ghost Punk

Teenage Ghost Punk is a quirky combination of comedy, supernatural suspense and teen love story. It’s about a divorced mother who moves with her two children to another town in order to take a job at her uncle’s company. Both she and her daughter have a hard time adjusting, but the ghost that haunts their new home might be the answer for the daughter. It stars Grace Madigan as Amanda, Jack Cramer as Brian, Adria Dawn on Carol and Noah Kitsos as Adam.

The film’s opening sequence cuts between a séance and some geeky ghost hunters, and is definitely played for comedy. Part of what the medium says to contact the spirits includes a reference to David Bowie: “Like David Bowie, go Station To Station” (this film was made before Bowie’s death). This opening really stresses the supernatural aspect of the story, but ultimately does the film a disservice because the mood it establishes isn’t really the mood of the film, and the characters it establishes don’t really play all that important a role. While there certainly is a playful tone to the film, the story has a lot more heart than this opening suggests.

We are introduced to Carol and her two children, Amanda and Adam. Adam is a precocious child who enjoys sounding mature beyond his years. While it might not be quite believable when he says things like “Zeus’ beard, did you see that,” it’s all right, because of the film’s playful tone. The family’s new neighbors present them with gifts, including a can of beans and talismans to ward off evil energy. Amanda understandably misses her friends, and especially her boyfriend, Taylor. At night after she hears a tapping at her window, a hand reaches up and knocks over her bedside photo of Taylor.

Soon Carol and her children see other unexplained movements of their possessions. I like that when they come home to a mess in the front room, Carol immediately ushers them back outside. It’s refreshing to see characters acting sensibly and contacting the police rather than investigating on their own. By the way, one of the detectives who respond to the call is played by Mike Cramer, who also wrote and directed the film. He tells Carol: “This to me looks like the work of teenagers… Or maybe it was ghosts. That’s what my idiot partner says.” Of course, the idiot partner is correct. And Amanda finds she is able to see the ghosts, and finds herself falling in love with Brian, the ghost who died at the house a few decades earlier, a ghost who plays guitar on the roof and is into punk music, enjoying Carol’s records more than Amanda’s.

There are some really funny moments in the film. I love when the geeky ghost hunters play on the idea of adding “X” to something to make it sound cooler. As they get their gear ready to hunt the ghost, they add an X to every item, and it’s hilarious. I also love when Adam relates the ghost’s message: “Disco sucks, punk rules.” There is a scene I especially appreciate when Brian is weirded out because Amanda listens to music on her phone. It’s not that he is frightened of technology; it’s that he realizes that is not a good way to listen to music. And he makes a strong case on behalf of albums, using London Calling as an example.

The movie does have some minor problems. There is a twist that you can see coming from very early on, and then when it is revealed, that moment feels very rushed. It’s an important moment for three of the characters, particularly Carol, and she is not really given the chance to react. This, in some ways, really should be her moment, the climactic moment of her character, and instead it passes by too quickly. The idea of evil energy and spirits introduced early in the film doesn’t really pan out, but that’s actually fine, because this turns out to be a rather sweet film. As I said, it has a lot of heart, which I appreciate.

Much of the music of the film is provided by The Raging Spectres, Monkey Stealing Peach and Snake Oil Salesman, all of which are basically the same band, featuring cast member Jack Cramer on guitar. Jack, who is the son of writer/director Mike Cramer, co-wrote some of the music. Mike Cramer also wrote some of the music.

Teenage Ghost Punk is available on Digital HD and Cable VOD, as well as on DVD.

Blu-ray Review: 2016 World Series The Complete Game 7: Ultimate Edition

I’m from Massachusetts and so while I didn’t grow up a Cubs fan, I of course, as a Red Sox fan had a certain affinity for, and understanding of, Cubs fans. Both groups of fans went through the same sorts of heartache and frustrations, year after year, decade after decade. Cubs fans had two more decades of it than did Red Sox fans. So after the Indians took the Red Sox out of the post-season last year, I started rooting for the Cubs. This seemed to be their year. They had the best record in Major League Baseball. But of course things can get weird in the post-season. It all came down to one hell of a Game 7, one of the most incredible games in the history of baseball. And now, thanks to Shout! Factory’s release of the two-disc set, 2016 World Series The Complete Game 7: Ultimate Edition, we have a chance to revisit it.

This game is almost as exciting the second time around as it was the first, and I found myself cheering as if it were happening now. This game has it all – stolen bases, picked-off base runners, double plays, home runs, sacrifice bunts, errors, blown leads, an extra inning and even a rain delay. And a couple of firsts in baseball. Dexter Fowler starts the game with a home run, the first ever lead-off home run in a Game 7 of the World Series. Later there is the first ever game-tying home run in the 8th inning or later of World Series Game 7 (this by Rajai Davis). That stuff is great, but the entire game is exciting. You certainly don’t need to be a Cubs fan to enjoy watching this one again (but it might be tough for Indians fans).

This set presents a couple of audio options, which is cool. You can listen to the audio of the television broadcast (in English or Spanish), but also listen to either the Cleveland radio network or Chicago radio network broadcast. And of course all commercial interruptions are cut (and most of the rain delay is also cut – we have three or four minutes of the seventeen-minute delay). The first disc contains approximately twenty minutes of post-game coverage, including presentation of the trophy and the Most Valuable Player award.

The second disc contains Cubs postseason game highlights, including the National League Division Series against the Giants, and the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers (like that wild moment stealing home), as well as footage from the first six games of the World Series against the Indians. This footage totals approximately an hour and seventeen minutes. There is also footage of the Cubs World Series victory parade, as well as the team posing for photos on the field, and footage of speeches from a few players. This is approximately sixteen minutes.

2016 World Series The Complete Game 7: Ultimate Edition is scheduled to be released on Blu-ray on and DVD May 9, 2017 through Shout! Factory.

Blu-ray Review: Humpback Whales

Every day it seems the world is getting uglier because of Donald Trump and his rabid gang of racist halfwits. We’re desperately in need of beauty to offset the damage that has been done – not just to the country, but to our souls. Well, one solution I can mention is watching the gorgeous documentary film Humpback Whales. This movie was filmed for the IMAX screens, but its beauty is still tremendous even on our smaller personal televisions (but don’t you dare watch it on your phone; that is no way to watch any film).

Narrated by Ewan McGregor, Humpback Whales not only offers some incredible footage, but also plenty of information on the whales. The material on how the whales eat, particularly the information on the group feeding, is fascinating. And that footage is something I’d never seen before. The sound for this film is also remarkable, with great audio of the whales’ song. Apparently the whales that sing are all males, and, according to this documentary, humpbacks produce a greater variety of sounds than any other whale. We are treated to several examples of the sounds they make.

The footage of the mother with her newborn is magnificent. I especially love the footage of the young copying the mother’s movements. And I love the footage of those folks working to untangle a young whale from a line. Yes, the film does touch upon the history of hunting whales, but its focus is on the whales themselves, and has a very positive and uplifting tone. This film might be just the thing we need to remind us that the world is actually a good place.

This documentary is offered as a two-disc set, with 4K UHD, 3D and 2D Blu-ray editions all included. Also, there is a behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews with director Greg MacGillivray, producer Shaun MacGillivray, director of photography Brad Ohlund and others involved in the production. This special feature also includes more information on the whales’ behavior, and is approximately seventeen minutes. The film’s trailer is also included.

Humpback Whales is available now through Shout! Factory.

Blu-ray Review: Chupacabra Territory

In 1980, the movie Cannibal Holocaust was released. In this film, a documentary crew had traveled to the jungle to film cannibal tribes, and then was never heard from again. The crew’s footage, however, is recovered. Then, nearly two decades later, The Blair Witch Project was released. In this movie, a documentary crew goes into the forest to document a local legend, and then is never heard from again. The crew’s footage, however, is recovered. Yeah, same thing, except The Blair Witch Project did it without style or any actual scares. But it was a surprising hit (surprising to me because it’s such an awful, pointless film), and its success basically guaranteed that we’d be subjected to a seemingly unending stream of so-called “found footage” films. These movies are characterized by shaky camera work, repetitive bare-bones scripts, and some of the worst acting imaginable. Now, don’t get me wrong, occasionally we’ll get a halfway decent found-footage film. But most of them are just fucking terrible, filled with lines like “What was that?” and “Did you just hear that?” and “What the hell is that?” and “What the hell was that?” and “What the hell happened?” Yes, all of those lines are in Chupacabra Territory, the latest offering in this tired (and tiresome) sub-genre of horror.

In Chupacabra Territory, a young documentary crew goes into the woods to document a local legend and then is never heard from again. Their footage, however, is recovered. Sound familiar? Yes, because it’s exactly the same stupid shit that all of these films give us. It opens with title cards telling us, “In 2013, the FBI released footage by four campers who went missing in the North Pinewood territory” and, of course, “Police recovered several video cameras, their bodies remain undiscovered.” Then Joe, before their trip into the woods, talks about how four experienced campers hiked into the area and three days later were reported missing. Those aren’t the four this movie is about, however. Joe and three friends go into the area, hoping to document the presence of the chupacabra, and they are the four that are the subject of this film. Joe has a strange book that is supposedly made of chupacabra skin and contains spells for contacting the creature. No word on how he obtained such a book. He is accompanied by Amber, who is completely gung-ho about the project and is clearly a little nuts; Dave, who mans the camera and is almost never seen; and Morgan, who introduces himself by saying he hates camping, dirt, cameras and chupacabras. He claims to be there because of his good looks “and of course my giant dong.”

A gas station attendant gives them information about the local legends and relates how he happened to personally see the chupacabra. He also draws a map for them, showing them the site where the other four people had camped. The map is like a child’s sketch, and it’s completely unbelievable that anyone could follow it, but that really doesn’t matter. They next encounter a park ranger, who tells them the trail is closed and that they have to go back. He says, “Trees are dying, falling all over, coyotes have been found dead, pieces of them found spread everywhere.” Great dialogue. Amber and Joe see this as evidence of a conspiracy. Amber says: “I feel like there’s a lot of mystery in this forest. I feel like people really want to help us, but they’re just too afraid to really talk.” What? They’ve met a total of two people, one of whom not only talked, but drew them a map. Not a good map, granted, but a map nonetheless.

Each of the four friends straps a camera to his or her head, ensuring plenty of shaky camera work. And they – against the warnings of the park ranger – head up the trail. I do appreciate that they point out a misspelling on a trail sign: “TRALHEAD.” I wonder if that was in the script, or if someone in the art department made a mistake and the actors decided to play with it. By the way, even though they all have cameras now, we still mainly get Dave’s perspective for some reason. (The reason is that he is the director of photography, and not really an actor.) On the trail, they meet three hikers who are looking for their friend Bobby. (So in this land, apparently people can only camp in groups of four.) They go their separate ways, promising to meet up later. And then suddenly we get footage from those three hikers, because one of them has a camera. It’s ridiculous that they are suddenly filming everything too, but they have to because this is a “found footage” film. However, there is a fun moment when they play a prank on the park ranger. There are actually some good moments in this movie. I like when a camera catches something that their eyes did not – a cool touch.

Suddenly Amber declares that the other campers are in trouble. Apparently, Amber has psychic abilities. And then the film cuts back and forth between their campsite and the campsite of those three hikers (four, once Bobby returns). So who is responsible for that sort of editing in the story of this film? The FBI? Well, those hikers have only one camera, so they’d better place it in just exactly the right spot to catch everything. Of course, I don’t believe for a second that they would leave the camera running, set at the perimeter of their camp and aimed into the camp. It’s completely ridiculous. But how else can the filmmakers show us what’s happening at that other camp? Oh, I’ve got a solution: don’t make found footage films. But hey, it’s a good thing that girl landed right in front of that one camera – not once, not twice, but three times. Another problem with these movies is that people inexplicably continue to film once things have gone really wrong, which is never believable. And yet another problem is that you know from the beginning how these movies will end. After all, no one ever comes back to tell the tale. But this movie does provide a few jolts, a few scares. The creature is pretty cool, and is used sparingly. And, rare as it is for this type of film, the cast actually isn’t bad. The film stars Sarah Nicklin as Amber, Michael Reed as Joe, and Alex Hayek as Morgan.

Special Features

The DVD includes two behind-the-scenes featurettes. The first includes interviews with cast members Michael Reed, Sarah Nicklin, Elliot Book, Alex Hayek and Megan Hensley, as well as production footage. The second features interviews with some key crew members, including director Matthew McWilliams, executive producer Christopher D. Maltauro and editor Carlos Ramirez. Interestingly, the story for this movie came about from a camping trip that Matthew McWilliams took with some friends, where he shot footage of them pretending they were looking for the chupacabra.

The special features also include a photo gallery and the film’s trailer.

Chupacabra Territory was directed by Matthew McWilliams, and was released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 11, 2017.

(Note: I also posted a slightly different review of this movie on my Good Things About Bad Movies blog.)

Blu-ray Review: The Vampire Bat

The Film Detective continues its series of restored films with a special edition of the 1933 horror film The Vampire Bat, starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas and Dwight Frye. The Vampire Bat is about a series of mysterious deaths which the superstitious and frightened townspeople believe are the work of a vampire. Skeptical inspector Karl (Melvyn Douglas) investigates the deaths.

The film opens late at night, with a single figure making his way through a street. He is startled by a noise and looks up to see a man on the roof of a nearby building. The camera then moves up to a window of that building, and as we hear a woman scream, the light in that room is extinguished. Several bats on a tree outside then fly off. Not a bad opening, eh? We learn that six people in the town have died, their bodies drained of their blood, puncture wounds found on their necks. Unlike more recent vampire films, most of the men gathered to discuss the crimes in The Vampire Bat immediately come to the conclusion that they are dealing with a vampire. The inspector is the only one who mocks this conclusion. One of the other men says to him: “But the bats, man. The bats!” There is some good dialogue in this scene, as when they talk of an earlier account of local vampirism. The burgermeister says, “Why, this record from the town archive proves it.” Karl responds, “Says it, not proves it.”  And then as he leaves, the inspector teases the others: “Good night, gentlemen. Don’t let the vampires get you.”

Of course there is a science laboratory, and it is in the basement, where all good science laboratories should be. But it is kind of a surprise when we see it is a woman working down there, Ruth (Fay Wray), who assists Dr. Otto (Lionel Atwill). By the way, this film was released the same year that Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill appeared together in Mystery Of The Wax Museum, and the same year that Fay Wray starred in King Kong. As Karl takes Ruth in his arms and kisses her, the cork in a beaker pops like champagne, a nice bit of humor. And in fact, there are some good humorous touches in several scenes of this film. I love when Aunt Gussie enters and asks Karl how he’s doing. As he begins to answer, saying he is quite well, Gussie interrupts, “Well I’m not,” and goes on to complain about various imagined ailments. It’s a delightful moment, and begins a recurring joke.

Dwight Frye, who played Renfield in Dracula, here plays Herman, a strange and creepy fellow who likes bats, and so course is suspected by the townspeople of being the vampire. He likes them because they’re soft, reminding me of Lennie from Of Mice And Men. Herman at one point even puts a bat in his pocket so he can stroke it. Interestingly, this movie came out a few years before Of Mice And Men was published. Did John Steinbeck see this film? This movie features some nice camera work. I like the shot when Martha is attacked; the camera moves swiftly to the windows, as they open, then over to the bed, as if following a not-quite-visible character. The movie is presented in black and white, but has an interesting moment when the torches of the search party are in color. A note before the film starts tells us, “Hand-color sequence restoration by West Wing Studios, Inc. Fotokem.” By the way, the picture in this restored edition looks excellent.

Special Features

This Blu-ray disc includes a commentary track by Sam Sherman, a film producer himself, responsible for Independent-International Pictures. He starts by talking about superstitions, and how they affect our lives. He also talks about producer Phil Goldstein, and about meeting some of the cast members. He mentions Bronson Canyon, and offers information about the tinted torches of the original print, and about that tinting process. He also gives some thoughts on the film’s music.

The special features also include Becoming The Son Of Melvyn Douglas, featuring an interview with Gregory Hesselberg who says, “I never connected emotionally with the man on the screen until very late in life.” Through watching his father’s old movies, he gets closer to his father. His father was not really present during his early childhood. He mentions that it was Melvyn Douglas’ performance in Inherit The Wind that first made him impressed with his father’s acting. This featurette features several still photographs.

This special edition of The Vampire Bat is scheduled to be released on April 25, 2017 through The Film Detective, in collaboration with UCLA Film & Television Archive.