are less pervasive; the stalking of Mabel (Patricia Hamilton) at her laundrette is the only time the technique is used for an ex- tended period. Of course, many critics have suggested that such tracking shots encourage the viewer to identify with the killer. I tend to agree, particularly when the film in question is laden with immature, self-cen- tered characters who all are pre- occupied with drinking, getting laid and acting irresponsibly at every moment. The twenty- something simpletons on stage here continuously regress to teenage-level antics, and their phony accents aren’t exactly endearing, either. The mature woman Mabel is by far the most sympathetic victim, and the per- spective shots are employed ex- tensively before she is loaded into a dryer for a prolonged cycle. For the more expendable characters—basically everyone else—only sporadic instances of the killer’s viewpoint are estab- lished. Given such shallow, un- interesting characters, perhaps the filmmakers recognized per- spective shots would be largely unnecessary since presumably few viewers would object to see- ing any of these paper-thin characters pickaxed.
Released to coincide with the theatrical release of the 3D re- make, this jazzed-up presentation from Lionsgate offers a fair amount of supplemental mate- rial, unlike the featureless Para- mount disc from 2002. Much of the film’s budget was devoted to special effects, according to di- rector George Mihalka, so the edits required in pursuit of an “R” rating were disappointing to ev- eryone involved. This updated DVD release includes the origi- nal theatrical presentation, as well as a welcome extended cut fea- turing the restoration of the graphic sequences that had to be
curtailed in 1981. Both versions are framed anamorphically at 1.78:1, a slight compromise from the original 1.85:1 theatrical ex- hibition spec. The 10 restored scenes, assembled from varying source material, are viewable separately with cast and crew in- troductions, including reflections from special makeup effects de- signers Thomas R. Burman (Philip Kaufman’s INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS) and Ken Diaz (John Carpenter’s THE THING). Some of the standout murder sequences—all best re- alized in the extended cut—in- clude the aforementioned dryer death, a joke gone wrong for a crusty old bartender (Jack Van Evera), one of the genre’s great- est shower scenes, a hanging that transforms into a beheading, and a flashback to a gruesome car- diac evisceration. Other select- able supplements include an interactive history of the modern horror film, which emphasizes the evolution of the slasher film, and the concise featurette “Bloodlust: MY BLOODY VALENTINE and the Rise of the Slasher Film.” A the- atrical trailer for MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D is among the previews for Lionsgate product.
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE
2008, Lionsgate, $39.99, 102m 11s, BR By John Charles
Marvel’s heavily-armed
avenger Frank Castle has had a decidedly checkered history on the big screen. The first at- tempt in 1989, with Dolph Lundgren top-lining, was pro- moted in theaters for months with a spare trailer featuring nothing more than the actor ex- pending large amounts of am- munition. However, before the movie could finally open, New World Pictures filed Chapter 11 and it went on the auction
block. The production eventu- ally ended up at IVE and pre- miered in video stores, two years late. After some corporate takeovers, the movie became an asset of Lionsgate, and the stu- dio distributed a 2004 remake. In contrast to the modest New World project, the budget was upped considerably this time out, with Thomas Jane an in- spired choice to play Castle. Un- fortunately, John Travolta’s hammy but bland villain and an atrocious script made for a very unsatisfactory film. While it wasn’t the summer blockbuster Lionsgate hoped for, the re- make did enough business the- atrically and on DVD for the studio to decide on a smaller budget follow-up in collabora- tion with German production company MHF Zweite Academy Film. Gone this time are the name stars and any pretense of reality. If the first two movies were predominantly straight- ahead gangster pictures with only occasional nods to the source, PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is a full-on comic book extrava- ganza designed to take maxi- mum advantage of the MPAA’s newly relaxed standards for unbridled carnage.
Deciding that the Cesare crime family has evaded justice long enough, Frank Castle (now played by Ray Stevenson) breaks into the mansion of the patriarch (who sports Marlon Brando’s rasp and Larry Flynt’s gold wheelchair) and obliterates everyone in sight. One of the only escapees is Billy “The Beaut” Russoti (300’s Dominic West), an upstart lieu- tenant whose looks are even more important to him than his monthly haul. A later visit from Castle lands Billy in an industrial glass crusher, leaving him with a thoroughly shredded visage that can only be reassembled with plastic, horsehide and staples.
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