Saturday, January 2, 2016

TOP 50 RELEASES FOR 2015 PART 5

Here we go! These are the ten best releases of the past year, at least in my opinion.

10. THEM (WARNER) BLU-RAY...One of the best bi bug movies of the 1950's gets a beautiful Blu-ray release, and I can only hope there will be more.

9. BLACK SABBATH (KINO) BLU-RAY...One of Mario Bava's best efforts stars Boris Karloff as host who introduces each sequence as well as starring in one himself. Great looking disc and sound quality that is unmatched.

8. THE ONE AND ONLY (OLIVE) BLU-RAY...Henry Winkler stars in this long overlooked gem about a man who is a natural born performer whio is struggling to make ends meet for his wife and child. When he enters the world of pro wrestling it all changes for him. This is one of the most original comedies I have ever seen and I am very grateful to Olive for having the ability to put this out. Sadly, they released it with very little fanfare.

7. CRIMSON CULT (KINO) BLU-RAY...Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee and Barbara Steele star in this horrific tale about a evil worshiping cult. A long awaited release and a top notch transfer from Kino. The original music track had to be replaced because of rights issues, but who cares. It's a great film and very welcome on digital format.

6. VINTAGE SCI-FI COLLECTION (MILL CREEK)Another excellent collection of sci-fi film from Columbia. The films in this set are H MAN, VALLEY OF THE DRAGONS, 12 TO THE MOON, BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE, NIGHT THE WORLD EXPLODED and 27TH DAY. Great collection well worth picking up.

5. BATMAN THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON 1-3 (WARNER)... Again, it has been a long wait and finally this show has come to DVD and Blu-ray. The Blu-ray set was released in 2014, but I waited until it was made available on regular DVD in 2015. Nothing but a good time is in store when you un-spool these again for your entertainment. One of the best shows ever made for TV.

4. MANOS THE HANDS OF FATE (SYNAPSE) BLU-RAY... An ebay purchase, an accidental discovery and a kickstarter campaign brought the actual shooting print of this movie to Blu-ray after two years, an a huge thanks to Synapse for having the guts to put the title out. They say this is the worst film ever made, but I have seen much worse come to theaters and TV in just the last six months. The movie looks fantastic, with deep colors and good audio. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for your collection.

3. SUGAR HILL (KINO) BLU-RAY... Sexy Marki Bey is Sugar Hill, a woman who uses the living dead to gain revenge on the men who murdered her lover. One of the most entertaining blaxploitation films you will ever see.

2. BLOOD AND LACE (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY...Oh my God!! This vastly underrated movie finally makes it's digital debut in the US after many years of obscurity. A young woman is out into a home for wayward teens that is run by a psychotic woman and her henchmen. There are some very disturbing images in this film, and the last line of the movie makes you feel really sick in your gut. Man, film makers today would never have the courage to make a film like this again. Kudos to Shout for making this available.

And now, after five weeks of countdown...here is my pick for the best release of 2015......

1. DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (OLIVE) BLU-RAY...Five tales of horror are told to passengers on a train by a mysterious man with taro cards. The stories involve such things as voodoo, creeping plants, werewolves and much more. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough and Donald Sutherland are just four of the stars in this wicked and wild horror film from Amicus. I have owned a copy I taped on VHS from TV many years ago and kept waiting for this to come to disc or tape. Finally Olive announced it in 2015 and my prayers were answered. The film looks the best I have ever seen it, and it qualifies as the BEST RELEASE OF 2015.

Well there you have em. the top 50 releases of the past year in five separate chapters over the last five Saturdays.

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