Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

88

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Horace Cordier
    Senior Member

  • 88 (Blu-ray)



    Released by: Millennium Entertainment
    Released on: January 6th, 2015.
    Director: April Mullen
    Cast: Christopher Lloyd, Michael Ironside, Kyle Schmid, Jesse McCartney
    Year: 2015
    Purchase From Amazon

    A young woman named Gwen (Katharine Isabelle) suffers from something known as fugue states. A form of amnesia where the sufferer has blackout periods and can't remember what they did while under the condition's influence, she's deeply troubled. 88 opens with her in a diner, slipping back into reality after a fugue episode and panicking when she discovers (after conveniently tripping) that she's carrying a gun. A series of contrived and stupid actions/coincidences lead to her shooting a waitress and suddenly she turns into Geena Davis in THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT.

    Listen. Some auteurs deserve to be buried, and the creator of this unholy mess is one of them. Director/co-writer April Mullen has spent far too much time watching desaturated third rate Tarantino ripoffs. Everything about 88 is derivative and confusing. The plot on paper is deceptively simple - a young lady with a murky past and mental health issues - wants revenge on crime boss Cyrus (a bald Christopher BACK TO THE FUTURE Lloyd) who murdered her boyfriend - but the film insists on an incoherent timeline and excessively jerky editing. Every time the viewer thinks they are getting a handle on what's going on, the movie introduces another flashback or peripheral character. Gwen has a helper of sorts named Ty (Tim Doiron) who shows up to help her execute some sort of revenge plan against Lloyd's bad guy.

    Gwen's killer alter ego Flamingo is a walking cliché that hops around in miniskirts smoking furiously and either rubbing up on various thunderstruck male geeks or shooting people. 88 is filled with scenes you've seen in far better films. Breakout assault on a police station? Hello first TERMINATOR. And how many times have you seen the sexy assassin in a Quicky-Mart flashing some leg for the teenage male cashier? Or the crime lord who kills a sloppy associate in front of his other underlings to "make a point"? Hell, that last one showed in Canon's 80's magnum opus AVENGING FORCE that was recently issued on Blu. Can we get an original idea in the house? And how does this all resolve itself? I'd tell you but I'm not sure I know myself. So call this review spoiler free.

    As for the acting, it's generally good enough but Lloyd seems on auto pilot and Isabelle is too anemically "deer in headlights" as Gwen and too broadly obvious as Flamingo. Michael Ironside shows up in a bit role as a sheriff and he's very good but it isn't enough to save the film. Doiron is saddled with terrible dialog and a kooky character that doesn't really work. The film's visual aesthetic is dull and the camerawork unsettling in an unnecessary way. Everything about 88is just trying too hard. The basic production values are there, and the film never looks cheap, but the whole construct is an empty shell.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    88's 2.39:1 1080p AVC transfer handles the key issues well. Detail is good and color repro unremarkably solid. Any fleeting examples of crush and banding seem very much intentional. Part of the film's derivative nature is its occasional use of screwy color schemes. These bits are handled well, but this will never be a home theatre demo disc. A solid B rating fog the video.

    The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track is similarly competent but nondescript. This is an average track with no serious flaws but lacking in interesting surround effects or noticeably lively LFE. Dialog and effects are well balanced. Gunshots sound a bit flatter than normal but otherwise this is a track that simply gets the job done. A Lossy stereo track and English/Spanish subs are also present.

    The only real extra is a nearly 40 minute "behind the scenes" documentary that rounds up the usual gang of participants (director, cast and crew). This is very much an extended fluff piece with everyone seeming enthusiastic enough about the project. Truthfully though this is really just a long EPK. Fans of the film will find it informative enough however - if a bit overlong. There's also a 3 1/2 minute making of piece that's completely unnecessary considering the presence of the other extra. 4 previews for other discs are also included.

    The Final Word:

    88? You've already seen it and probably bought the T-shirt. An utterly derivative revenge thriller saddled with an unnecessarily confusing script, this one fails to engage on any real level. It's at best a functional time-waster for fans of the DTV revenge genre but honestly you are better off finding an old Cynthia Rothrock flick. Not recommended.


    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!






















    • Mark Tolch
      #1
      Mark Tolch
      Senior Member
      Mark Tolch commented
      Editing a comment
      Man, thanks for that. Almost watched on Netflix yesterday, but it looked suspiciously like another Tarantino ripoff. Even the cover art!
    Posting comments is disabled.

Latest Articles

Collapse

  • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Severin Films
    Released on: April 30th, 2024.
    Director: Lee Frost
    Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
    Year: 1969
    Purchase From Amazon

    Hot Spur – Movie Review:

    Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
    ...
    03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
  • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Mondo Macabro
    Released on: April 9th, 2024.
    Director: Max Pecas
    Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
    Year: 1985
    Purchase From Amazon

    Death Squad – Movie Review:

    Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
    ...
    03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
  • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Quality X
    Released on: February 28th, 2024.
    Director: Chuck Vincent
    Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
    Year: 1982
    Purchase From Amazon

    Roommates – Movie Review:

    Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
  • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Blue Underground
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Jess Franco
    Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
    Year: 1970
    Purchase From Amazon

    Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

    Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
  • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Saul Bass
    Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
    Year: 1974
    Purchase From Amazon

    Phase IV – Movie Review:

    Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
  • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Radiance Films
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
    Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
    Year: 1969-1972
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

    Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
    ...
    03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
Working...
X