Hell Ride on blu-ray

From Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino (Grindhouse Presents: Death Proof) and Writer/Director Larry Bishop (Mad Dog Time) comes this lean, mean mayhem machine - fully loaded with bikers, babes, and booze. Michael Madsen (Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2), Eric Balfour (TV’s “24″) and legendary “Easy Rider” Dennis Hopper are part of a wild motorcycle gang bent on avenging the death of one of their own. With Vinnie Jones (The Condemned) as the crazed arrow-wielding rival gang leader, Hell Ride is a savagely enjoyable good-time where the women are hot, the bikes are even hotter, and the action never stops!

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Land of the Dead on blu-ray

Bolstered by the success of 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, the Resident Evil movies and the hit remake of his own Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero returns to the horror subgenre he invented with Land of the Dead. The fourth installment in Romero’s zombie cycle (and the first since 1985’s Day of the Dead) presents a logical progression of events since 1968’s horror classic Night of the Living Dead: Zombies (also known as “stenches” for their rotting odor) are the dominant population, and they’ve begun to show signs of undead intelligence and gathering power. The wealthiest survivors live comfortably in a luxury high-rise within a barricaded safe zone, ignoring the horrors of the outside world while armed scavengers stage raids in the zombie-zone to gather much-needed food and supplies.

Simon Baker and John Leguizamo play mercenaries-for-hire; Dennis Hopper is their nefarious boss; and horror favorite Asia Argento (daughter of Suspiria director Dario Argento) plays a former hooker recruited into Baker’s scavenger squad. While none of this seems particularly fresh or inspired, Land of the Dead benefits from hints of the social satire that made Romero’s earlier zombie films so memorable. Not so much funny as gruesomely peculiar, Romero’s plot isn’t as inventive as it could’ve been, but as a big-scale B-movie, Land of the Dead delivers a handful of shocks and horror-celebrity cameos (including gore-masters Tom Savini and Greg Nicotero) that should keep horror buffs happy until the next zombie opus comes along.

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Sleepwalking on Blu-ray

A dark and troubling fable leavened by streaks of hope and redemption, Sleepwalking follows Tara Reedy (AnnaSophia Robb, Because of Winn-Dixie) and her young uncle James (Nick Stahl, Carnivale) after Tara’s mother Joleen (Charlize Theron) abandons them. After James loses his job and Tara suffers through the foster-care system, the two set off on a road trip that leads to a heart of darkness: The farm where James and Joleen grew up, where their father (Dennis Hopper) still lives.

The bleaker side of Sleepwalking is redeemed not so much by the affection that grows between James and Tara (which feels a bit forced and precious) as by the emotional commitment of the cast. Stahl turns in what may be his best performance yet, delving into the weak and aimless qualities of James yet keeping an active presence in the movie. Robb and Theron, two emotionally compelling actors well-cast as mother and daughter, turn in high-quality performances; Hopper creates another portrait of chilling brutality, all the more terrifying for being so ordinary. The rest of the solid cast includes Woody Harrelson, Matthew St. Patrick (Six Feet Under), and Deborra-Lee Furness (Shame) as a coworker sympathetic to James.
By Bret Fetzer

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