This movie has both a plot and a faux behind-the-scenes story. The faux behind-the-scenes story is that the film is a lost masterpiece by producer Louie Q. Goldstone and starring M. Eric McCormack (played by Eric McCormack) but a falling out between the two led Mr. Goldstone to destroy all copies of the movie before it was released. Now, 50 years later, a lost print of the movie has been discovered and we get to see it for the first time. This rather superfluous setup exists only to explain why the movie is an homage to B-movie Sci-Fi films of the 1950s without just saying it's an homage to B-movie Sci-Fi films of the 1950s.

The plot of Alien Trespass is simple enough. Aliens crash on Earth, one is called the Ghota and is a ravenous killer that will eat and divide until it has destroyed all life on Earth. The other is called Urp, and it's goal is to capture the Ghota before it can divide, but in order to do so, it has to possess the body of Ted Lewis, an astrophysicist who was studying a meteor shower when the alien spacecraft first crashed. Now with the help of one of the residents of the small town, Tammy, and with the less than helpful assistance of skeptical sheriff, Vernon, Ted / Urp must defeat the Ghota and return to his home planet.

This movie earned weak reviews and utterly bombed during its limited release. The only time it did well on a per theater basis is when it had a special showing at the Fantasia Montreal Film Festival, which is a good way to judge its appeal. If you are interested in genre films like this, then it might be worth checking out; otherwise, stay far, far away. It's a loving homage to a type of film that just isn't made anymore, and for good reason. The special effects are cheesy, the dialogue is corny, the delivery is heavy-handed, the climax is anti-climatic, etc. However, if you grew up with these movies, you will laugh along with the film, which is what the filmmakers intended.

Extras on the DVD start with the ability to watch the movie with or without the introduction. The introduction basically gives the setup I mentioned above and adds a bit to the overall enjoyment of the film. Watch the Skies has the main cast of the movie talking about the film, as if the setup was real. For instance, they talk about how their relatives were the stars of the movie, which is why they look so much like them. Meet the Person is another faux special feature that treats the film as a real historical picture. Here we see an interview with M. Eric McCormack done during the making of Alien Trespass. Continuing this theme is Breaking News and Live News Update, which tells how the print was discovered. Finally, there's a real interview with director, R.W. Goodwin, and the star, Eric McCormack.

I do not have the Blu-ray, but it only costs $4 more, so even if there are no additional extras, and I don't know if it does or not, but even if it doesn't, it's still worth paying the extra amount.

If you've seen The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and liked it, you will almost assuredly like Alien Trespass. Granted, this movie has a much higher budget (I would assume the Ghota cost more to make than The Lost Skeleton's total budget) but it has the same feel. It's a loving homage to a bygone era, and it's a great amount of fun. For a low-budget limited release, both the DVD and the Blu-ray have plenty of extras (but sadly no audio commentary track) and for fans there's enough replay value here to be worth picking.

Bad Lieutenant - Buy from Amazon
Bad Lieutenant is a rather notorious film from the early 1990s starring Harvey Keitel. It was written to be an NC-17 film, which meant it was never going to be a mainstream hit. But will audiences be receptive to this latest DVD offering?

Harvey Keitel stars as an unnamed police lieutenant working on a case involving two youths who raped a nun. But this isn't a movie about a police case and the effects of crime. This is a movie about Harvey Keitel's character, who is a bad cop. He's a drug user, a drug dealer, a thief, and worse. We watch him solicit prostitutes, steal from criminals, do drugs (repeatedly), drink too much (repeatedly), sexually harass two young ladies he stops for a traffic violation, and slowly get into so much gambling debt that his life is nearly forfeit. While investigating this nun's rape, he learns that she doesn't want them prosecuted, because she forgives them, and this sets him off on an emotional and moral journey where he has to seek redemption. But will it be too late?

Without Harvey Keitel's performance, this movie would have been an unmitigated disaster. With his performance, the movie is very flawed and lacks the emotional weight needed to be worth enduring. And you don't just watch the movie, you have to endure it. First of all, I hated this character, because as far as I could tell, he had no redeeming qualities. When he had his big emotional scene in the church where he's talking to Jesus Christ asking what to do, I just didn't care. I had no emotional response to this scene, because I didn't care what happened to the character. Your main character doesn't have to be perfect; in fact, a flawed hero is more compelling than a perfect one. However, if your lead character is 100% repugnant, like he is here, then there no reason for the audience to ... well ... give a damn. Maybe it's just me, but I don't go into movies automatically caring about what happens to the main character, just cause they are the main character. I have to be convinced that they are worth caring about, and this never happened here. We don't know how he became what he is, so we can't tell if there was some trauma that set him off, or if he was just a worthless human being. If it is the latter, I have no interest in what happens to him. Then again, I hold a minority opinion here, so keep that in mind.

Extras on the "Special Edition" DVD include a three-part making of featurette that runs just over 30 minutes long. It's broken up into the pre-production, the filming, and the film's "post production." While the last section is called Post Production, it is mostly about the film's reception with critics and audiences.

Bad Lieutenant is being remade and that film will be released later this year, so it makes sense that this film is being re-released on DVD. For fans of (unrelentingly) gritty movies, Bad Lieutenant has its strengths. But for most people, it's a movie they won't enjoy. Even those who like the movie probably don't enjoy it. The Special Edition DVD does have a 30-minute making-of featurette that adds enough insight into the movie that it is worth checking out for many, picking up for some.

Jason Statham and Ryan Phillippe star as Quentin and Shane, two cops working in Seattle. Quentin's the grizzled veteran who is used to bending the rules, and who is just coming off a suspension after a violent incident where someone died. Shane is an educated rookie, whose dad was a legend in the force, but who is trying to get by on his abilities and not his legacy. They are teamed up to catch Lorenz, the leader of a team of high tech criminals who have robbed a bank in an explosive manner. Now the pair have to catch the criminals before the big twist is revealed.

Like I said, this movie was made in 2004 and sat on a studio shelf for four years before being dumped direct-to-DVD in 2008. Normally this would be a horrible sign, but this movie isn't that bad. Granted, it is not a great movie, but compared to most direct-to-DVD releases, it is more than entertaining enough to be worth checking out. There are a few plot points that feel a little forced, and perhaps the surprise twist isn't all that surprising, but there's enough action and suspense to keep you interested.

As for the extras on the Blu-ray, they are a little more mixed. There is an audio commentary track with the director who fills the track with enough information and has enough energy to make the track worth checking out. (On a side note, while talking about reviews, he makes a snide remark about some critics liking Cutthroat Island. Coincidentally, I'll be reviewing that Blu-ray next.) There is also a 12 minute making-of featurette that's the usual mix of talking heads, behind-the-scenes footage, and clips from the movie. As for the film's High Definition presentation, I was impressed. The video is strong, while the audio is among the first 7.1 tracks I've had the pleasure to review. For a bargain price, this was better than expected.

As a movie, Chaos is a solid rental, but for most there's not enough replay value to elevate it above that level. The Blu-ray is well below the price of most. In fact, at just $14, it is cheaper than a lot of DVDs, and that might be enough for many to lift it to the purchase level.

The film focuses on two groups of pirates, one led by Morgan Adams, the daughter of a legendary pirate who helped capture the largest pirate treasure of all time, with the help of his two brothers. However, the other team is led by her uncle, Dawg Brown, who has killed the other two brothers and is on the search for the final piece of the map needed to find the treasure. Morgan Adams, meanwhile, has that piece of the map, and with the help of an educated slave named William Shaw, they must stay ahead of her uncle while trying to find the treasure before the rest of the crew mutiny or before the authorities catch them.

The obvious question to ask about this movie is... Is it as bad as its reputation? No. Then again, it is considered one of the biggest bombs of all time, and that's not the worst part. It has the reputations of destroying a studio (Carolco Pictures), nearly ending two careers, killing a genre, and perhaps even ending a marriage. There's no way it could be as bad as it's reputation, but it certainly isn't good. It tries hard to be a rousing adventure on the high seas, but it tries way too hard. Nothing in this film feels natural, not the cast, not the dialogue, not the pacing. Nothing. Not once did I feel Geena Davis was a real pirate from the 1600s. Everything she said and the way she said it made her feel like a modern woman. I don't know who is to blame for this, but it is likely a combination of the actor, the director, and the screenwriter. There are numerous other flaws present here, including one-liners that were meant to be witty flop badly. The chemistry between Geena Davis and Matthew Modine in non-existent. And the special effects feel horribly dated at times. The only one who comes out of this movie looking good is Michael Douglas, who reportedly was set to play William Shaw, but dropped out before production began.

The only kind thing I can say about the movie is that it is so over-the-top, that it can be entertaining at times. But even here, at more than two hours it will wear out most audience members long before the end credits roll.

Extras on the Blu-ray include just an audio commentary track and a short behind-the-scenes featurette, neither of which has a lot of replay value. The film does look good in High Definition, even if some of the special effects look rather dodgy by today's standard, while the 7.1 audio is impressive. Or impressively loud, depending on your point of view.

This is a movie that had a bad reputation and hasn't aged well at all. The genre was reinvigorated by Pirates of the Caribbean, and this film feels like a low-budget imitation of that film. Yes, I know it was made nearly a decade before that film and cost close to $100 million, but it still feels like a low-budget imitation when you watch it today. That said, at $14, it's hard for fans of Cutthroat Island to pass up the Blu-ray, but for most people who have never seen it, a rental will be enough.

The film tells the story of two relationships, the first between Peter and Zooey, who at the beginning of the movie get engaged. While trying to figure out who should be his best man, Peter realizes he never really had any guy friends growing up, and Zooey encourages to find a guy friend. After a few failed attempts, he meets Sydney, whose honest approach to life is a refreshing change from Peter's more conservative life. However, while at first Zooey is happy for Peter and supports his relationship with Sydney, the situation begins to change when Sydney's wild ways interferes with Peter's job, and woth Peter's relationship with Zooey. Strangest love triangle ever.

They call the relationship between Peter and Sydney a 'Bromance', which would mean this film is like a 'Bromantic comedy. However, that brings up one important question. Would you watch a romantic comedy were one of the leads was an obnoxious jerk? Given the reviews and its run at the box office, either I'm in the minority for thinking Sydney's a jerk, or it doesn't matter to most people. Then again, I will admit I laughed a lot at this movie, but mostly when he wasn't on the screen. (On a side note, apparently the character was modeled after Russel Brand.) It's a very funny movie filled with very funny actors (J.K. Simmons is seriously underrated) and I can easily recommend it to anyone who enjoyed such movies as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Wedding Crashers, etc. However, because of that character, I don't consider it one of the best of the genre and the replay value is more limited.

Moving onto the extras, the DVD has plenty starting with an audio commentary track with the director and the two leads. It's rather chatty and they certainly bring the energy, although it is also informative. Next up is a seventeen-and-a-half minute long making of featurette, which is the normal mixture of talking heads, clips from the movie, and behind-the-scenes footage. Extras has a collection of alternative takes for nine scenes. There are also six extended scenes, three deleted scenes, and just over 11 minutes of outtakes. A very solid line-up of extras.

As for the Blu-ray... It hasn't arrived yet. I hope to get it this week and I will update the review as soon as it does arrive. However, given the type of movie and the 44% increase in price, it better have something more, even if it is just a few additional deleted / extended scenes.

I Love You, Man is a very funny more hampered by a character I found annoying. It is still worth checking out, and the DVD is worth buying. I'm not so sure about the Blu-ray, but hopefully I'll be able to make that call after the screener arrives.

The cover of this DVD has a woman in a bikini holding a bloody knife. Boy, do they know their target audience. This is a slice of 'Low Expectations Cinema' that offers nothing more than the offer than the prospect of Boobs and Blood. The issue here is the film tries to be too clever and doesn't just deliver what it is obviously promising with that cover. While at the resort, the evil causes the four friends to turn against each other and we watch as they bring up petty psychological traumas they suffered in the past. A woman has her tongue cut out at the beginning of the movie, so you complaining that your best friend is a little bossy is not compelling at this point. The film is barely more than an hour in length (not counting the credits) and it takes far too long for the plot to get going, and when it does it is just one cliché after another. Even on the limited front of Boobs and Blood, this film fails to deliver.

As for extras, there are none. The back of the DVD case even has "Widescreen Presentation" as a special feature, so you know there's nothing here.

America Olivo is in an upcoming movie called Bitch Slap. I don't expect that movie to be award-worthy, but it looks about 1000% better than this movie. The Last Resort promises little, but sadly fails to deliver even there, while the DVD is devoid of special features. I can't even rate it a rental.