|
|
|
Drive-In Delirium: The Final Conflict
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (31st July 2021). |
|
The Film
 "Drive-In Delirium: The Final Conflict" After multiple volumes on DVD and Blu-ray, Umbrella Entertainment's series of trailer complications "Drive-In Delirium" is coming to a close. On Blu-ray, first there was "Drive-In Delirium: '60s and '70s Savagery", which was released alongside "Drive-In Delirium: Maximum '80s Overdrive" which had a combined total of 250 movie trailers from those decades. The next entry borrowed its name from the "Gremlins" sequel, with "Drive-In Delirium: The New Batch" with 175 more trailers. "Drive-In Delirium: Dead by Dawn" was next, borrowing its name from the "Evil Dead II" subtitle, and simultaneously there was "Drive-In Delirium: With a Vengeance", taking its name from the third "Die Hard" film. With hundreds of film trailers already showcased throughout these five volumes, it might seem like there would be little left for a sixth volume. But the series is back with 181 trailers all from HD sources compiled together with no overlap with the previous volumes. "The Final Conflict", which borrows inspiration from the third "Omen" film, is a mix of almost every genre there is. Horror films are represented, comedies are frequent, science fiction classics, cops and crime thrillers, sexy adult themed works, pretty much something for everyone. The represented films are from the 1950s to the 1980s, with 70s and 80s films getting the most screen time. Below are the list of the 181 trailers included in this set: Trailers (with Play All) - Part 1 "The Heretic" (207:50) -- Pre Show -- "Queen of Outer Space" -- "The Lost Continent" -- "Godzilla vs. Megalon" -- "The Final Programme" -- "Dark Star" -- "Invasion: UFO" -- "Alien Attack" -- "Star Wars" -- "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" -- "Superman II" -- "Raiders of the Lost Ark" -- "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" -- "The Dark Crystal" -- "Conan the Barbarian" -- "Conquest" -- "Fire and Ice" -- "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" -- "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" -- "Defcon-4" -- "Star Crystal" -- "The Falling" -- "Remote Control" -- "Bug" -- "The Giant Spider Invasion" -- "Squirm" -- "Empire of the Ants" -- "Kingdom of the Spiders" -- "The Uncanny" -- "Prophecy" -- "Swamp Thing" -- "Link" -- "Uninvited" -- "The Captive Female" -- "Axe" -- "Race with the Devil" -- "Burnt Offerings" -- "The Evil" -- "The Fury" -- "Magic" -- "Dracula" -- "Beyond Evil" -- "The Watcher in the Woods" -- "Phobia" -- "Nightbeast" -- "Julie Darling" -- "Re-Animator" -- "Street Trash" -- "The Hitcher" -- "Scared Stiff" -- "Fright Night II" -- "A Black Veil for Lisa" -- "Schizoid" -- "Who Saw Her Die?" -- "Knife of Ice" -- "All the Colors of the Dark" -- "A Candle for the Devil" -- "Lisa and the Devil" -- "The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue" -- "Strange Shadows in an Empty Room" -- "The Cat's Victims" -- "The Chosen" -- "The Killer Nun" -- "Macabro" -- "Tenebrae" -- "A Blade in the Dark" -- "Paganini Horror" -- "Beyond the Door III" -- "Scream of Fear" -- "The Scorchers" -- "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" -- "And Soon the Darkness" -- "Fright" -- "I, Monster" -- "From Beyond the Grave" -- "Bram Stoker's Dracula" -- "Satan's Slave" -- "Inseminoid" -- "Seance on a Wet Afternoon" -- "Klute" -- "Marathon Man" -- "The Deep" -- "The China Syndrome" -- "Body Heat" -- "The Fan" -- "The Seduction" -- "The Star Chamber" -- "The Osterman Weekend" -- "The Mean Season" -- "D.O.A." -- "Dead Calm" -- "Death on the Nile" -- "The Mirror Crack'd" -- "Ordeal by Innocence" -- "Murder by Decree" -- Intermission - Part 2 "The Quest for Peace" (211:49) -- Pre Show -- "Ransom" -- "Juggernaut" -- "The Towering Inferno" -- "The Hindenburg" -- "Rollercoaster" -- "Airport '77" -- "The Concorde: Airport '79" -- "The Delta Force" -- "Sister Street Fighter" -- "Kill or Be Killed" -- "Shaft's Big Score" -- "Shaft in Africa" -- "Cleopatra Jones" -- "Friday Foster" -- "Death Occurred Last Night" -- "Caliber Nine" -- "The Death Dealer" -- "The Tough Ones" -- "Point Blank" -- "P.J." -- "The Thomas Crown Affair" -- "Midas Run" -- "Villain" -- "Prime Cut" -- "Hickey & Boggs" -- "Bonnie's Kids" -- "The Candy Snatchers" -- "Badge 373" -- "The Klansman" -- "The Killer Elite" -- "Street People" -- "The Enforcer" -- "The Silent Partner" -- "Cruising" -- "Lone Wolf McQuade" -- "Beverly Hills Cop" -- "Malibu Express" -- "Commando" -- "Wanted Dead or Alive" -- "Blind Fury" -- "The Cycle Savages" -- "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" -- "White Line Fever" -- "Smokey and the Bandit" -- "Act of Vengeance" -- "Angel" -- "Savage Dawn" -- "The Annihilators" -- "3:15" -- "A Dandy in Aspic" -- "Some Girls Do" -- "007: On Her Majesty's Secret Service" -- "007: The Spy Who Loved Me" -- "007: A View to a Kill" -- "Hopscotch" -- "Duel at Diablo" -- "Death Rides a Horse" -- "Soldier Blue" -- "The Spikes Gang" -- "The Green Berets" -- "The Bridge at Remagen" -- "Zulu Dawn" -- "Uncommon Valor" -- "Hell Camp" -- "Little Fauss and Big Halsy" -- "Junior Bonner" -- "The Longest Yard" -- "Big Wednesday" -- "Skatetown, U.S.A." -- "Victory" -- "Rocky IV" -- "Windrider" -- "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie" -- "FM" -- "The Muppet Movie" -- "Meatballs" -- "Monty Python's Life of Brian" -- "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" -- "Ghostbusters" -- "Top Secret" -- "Spies Like Us" -- "Vampire's Kiss" -- "Nurses for Sale" -- "Percy's Progress" -- "Sunset Cove" -- "Felicity" -- "Fairytales" -- Post Show -- Also Available In addition to the HD trailers, there is a bonus compilation of trailers taken from VHS source materials entitled "The Curse of VHS Delirium" and those trailers are as follows: "The Curse of VHS Delirium" trailers (123:43) - Home Video promo - "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" - "The Incredible Melting Man" - "The Humanoid" - "Bronx Warriors 2" - "Starman" - "The Blob" - "My Stepmother Is an Alien" - "The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" - "The Confessional Murders" - "Grizzly" - "Piranha II: Flying Killers" - "Creepshow" - "Mortuary" - "Phantom of the Opera" - "Dark Tower" - "Watch Out, We're Mad" - "Odds and Evens" - "Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure" - "Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams" - "Cheech & Chong in Things Are Tough All Over" - "No Sex Please, We're British" - "The Van" - "Stir Crazy" - "Stripes" - "The Toy" - "Hanky Panky" - "Spring Break" - "Screwballs" - "One Night Stand" - "Big Trouble" - "Erik the Viking" - "Enter the Ninja" - "Ninja III: The Domination" - "Missing in Action 2: The Beginning" - "Rappin'" - "Doctor's Wives" - "The Burglars" - "Gloria" - "Escape from El Diablo" - "Thunder" - "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" - "Spymaker" - "Hells Angels Forever" - RCA Columbia Pictures promo - Thorn EMI promo - "Holocaust 2000" - "Suspiria" - "Brutes and Savages" - "The Jupiter Menace" - "Amin: The Rise and Fall" - "The Bushido Blade" - "Ator" - "Death Vengeance" - "Rottweiler" - "Superman III" - "Carry On Up the Jungle" - "Carry On Abroad" - "Carry On Girls" - "Percy" - "Bullshot" - "My Tutor" - Thorn EMI promo "Part One", titled "The Heretic" after "The Exorcist II", starts with a "pre-show" which includes advertisements for Universal Studios featuring Alfred Hitchcock, a toy commercial for "Charlie's Angels" figures and a curious promo to go to your local place of worship. After that are more than three hours of movie trailers. Starting off with science fiction as the theme, there are trailers such as "Queen of Outer Space" (1958), "Godzilla vs Megalon" (1973), "Dark Star" (1974), "Star Wars" (1977) and more. The "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1978) promo is a fascinating one, as a six minute trailer that plays more like a featurette as it also includes interviews with the cast and crew as well. Continuing on are a series of mostly 1980s adventure films, with "Superman II" (1980), "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989), "The Dark Crystal" (1982), and more, concentrating on the major studios. Insect and creature features come next with "Bug" (1975), "The Giant Spider Invasion" (1975), "Squirm", and more. Supernatural and psychic abilities are featured in the next round with "The Fury" (1978), "Magic" (1978), "The Watcher in the Woods" (1980) and more. Cult gory horrors come next with "Re-animator" (1985), "Street Trash" (1987) and others. Italian giallo and horror films get a large chunk of the time with "All the Colors of the Dark" (1972), "Tenebrae" (1982), "A Blade in the Dark" (1983), etc. Classic 70s suspense films such as "Klute" (1971), "Marathon Man" (1976), "The China Syndrome" (1978) are next, plus an assortment of many more until Part One comes to a close with an intermission. By choosing "Play All", it will play both parts back to back. "Part Two" titled "The Quest for Peace" after "Superman IV", starts again with a "pre-show", this time with a fairly funny vintage United Artists Theaters promo for movie theater etiquette featuring Chevy Chase, plus commercials including one for "Star Trek" action figures. Disaster movies start off this part, with "Ransom" (1974), "The Towering Inferno" (1974), "Airport '77" and others. Martial arts and exploitation comes next with "Sister Street Fighter" (1974) being the lone Japanese film in this set, followed by "Kill or Be Killed" (1976), and Blaxploitation classics with "Shaft's Big Score" (1972), "Shaft in Africa" (1973), and more. Italian crime films follow with "Caliber Nine" (1972), "The Tough Ones" (1976) and more. Tough cops can be found in works such as "Badge 373" (1973), "The Klansman" (1974), "The Enforcer" (1976) and others. Things get tougher with titles such as ,a href="http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=12831">"Commando" (1985), "Blind Fury" (1989), "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977), and more. Next comes the vengeance films, with "Act of Vengeance" (1974), "Angel" (1983) among others. Spy films are big with a trio of "007" films and the comedic "Hopscotch" (1980). War and westerns are next with "Soldier Blue" (1980), "Zulu Dawn" (1979), "Uncommon Valor" (1983), etc. It takes quite some time, but finally some Australian films are showcased with "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie" (1972) and "Windrider" (1986), but unfortunately that's it for the country for now. Comedy classics follow with "The Muppet Movie" (1979), "Ghostbusters" (1984), "Vampire's Kiss" (1988), and more. Finally some sex comedies, with "Percy's Progress" (1974), as well as the Australian cult classic "Felicity" (1979) being included. Overall the trailers cover a lot of ground and a lot of classics and cult titles are represented. As always is a complaint is that there are too few Australian titles covered in these "Drive-In Delirium" releases, especially coming from the Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. In addition, this release only features one Japanese film and the only other non-English language titles come from dubbed Italian films. The rest of Europe is not represented, nor is Hong Kong cinema which made a slew of martial arts and action classics throughout the 70s and 80s. The series does lean more towards the mainstream studio trailers rather than the indie and B-movie drive-in titles, but all are nostalgically great fun to see, especially how different trailers used to be edited and narrated in comparison to differing eras, genres, and countries. Far different from how they are in the modern era, these vintage trailers can be seen as works of art themselves, taking some of the best of the best, and in essence sometimes spoiling the movies they are marketing by including the best portions in the trailers themselves. The VHS trailers presented in the additional segment are basically theatrical trailers from the 70s and 80s, but transferred to VHS as ads before the main feature. These are not particularly exclusively differing trailers compared to the theatrical counterparts, but just the theatrical trailers transferred to standard definition video and cropped to fit the 1.33:1 television aspect ratio. As these were taken from Australian VHS releases, some have Australian age rating superimposed and some video promo text overlayed. In addition there are some video promos that are included such as at the beginning and end of the reel. So is this really the end of the "Drive-In Delirium" series? Well, "The Final Conflict" was not at all the end of "The Omen" series, and there is much more to be explored as well. While it may have been years before the drive-in movie experience, the 1930s and 1940s were great eras in film trailers. Exploring more trailers from foreign countries would be wonderful as well. Japanese cinema in the 60s and 70s were quite wild and they would be welcome additions. Though drive-in cinemas were basically gone in the 1990s, there is nostalgia for 90s content and seeing those would be fun for new audiences. With hundreds and hundreds of movie trailers offered with these six volumes on Blu-ray already, this supposed final entry is yet another winner with lots of content to be enjoyed, and it will guarantee to have you memo titles that you would like to revisit or possibly see for the first time. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the main trailers in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 in varying aspect ratios ranging anywhere between 1.66:1 and 2.35:1, depending on the title. Like their previous installments, all the trailers come from HD transfers. Due to all of them coming from differing sources, the quality will change depending on the age, the source, and the remastering quality. Some look absolutely exceptional, such as the "Indiana Jones" and "Star Trek" trailers with colors and visuals looking just as striking as the films themselves. "The Captive Female" on the other hand is riddled with scratches and debris, which was remastered but not cleaned up. "Kill or Be Killed" looks fairly clean but the colors are very faded. Almost every trailer will have some damage of some kind to be seen, from tramlines to speckles to scratches, but for the most part a lot have been digitally fixed and look wonderful. Obviously almost all will look even better than an actual drive-in theater experience where the trailers would be played over and over until they looked unwatchable with damage. There are not serious issues to be reported for these. For the VHS trailers, Umbrella Entertainment presents them in 720p AVC MPEG-4 in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, transferred from PAL VHS sources. These trailers look much rougher than the above, as they are transferred from already dirty prints for the most part, coupled with video artifacts and errors. None of them thankfully have serious problems such as tracking and video noise, looking fairly good. Colors are not as sharp, the image is slightly blurry, but as for recreating the VHS experience, it's as authentic as it gets without having to rewind or mess with the tracking.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo The theatrical trailers are given a lossless audio track while the VHS trailers are given a lossy audio track. Like the video, the audio here will vary between the sources. Some will sound excellent in music, narration and effects, while others will have hissy and crackly audio with muffled voices. Most trailers are in mono while a few are in stereo. On the brighter side, there are no issues of dropout or sync errors to speak of, offering an authentic experience for each. In addition, all the trailers offered are the English language versions, even for the foreign language films. There are no subtitles for any of the trailers.
Extras
Technically the VHS trailers are the extra trailers. There are no commentaries, interviews or anything else. Embedded below is the promo trailer for this release, courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.
Packaging
Packaged in a standard keep case, inside has a list of all 181 theatrical trailers found on the disc as well as an ad for the previous entries.
Overall
"Drive-In Delirium: The Final Conflict" offers another huge assortment of remastered classic and cult movie trailers in one fun package, along with another two hours of VHS trailers. Is it really the final? We'll just have to wait and see. Highly recommended.
|
|||||
|