The DTV Digest

Episode 277: Slingshot, Dark Feathers, The Stoic, The Avenger, The Engineer, Trapo Sucio, Enemies Closer

This week Mike, Rich and Steve take a look at five new reviews: click the links to see the trailers for each!
Kicking off with SLINGSHOT (Signature Entertainment) - Laurence Fishburne and Casey Affleck star in this sci-fi movie about astronauts on a mission to Titan.
DARK FEATHERS - DANCE OF THE GEISHA (Miracle Media) is one of the strangest films to head our way in a while, in which a detective investigates an enigmatic dancer after several of her dance partners mysteriously die...
THE STOIC (High Fliers) has an interesting cast and the makings of a good script, as a gang of hardened mercenaries are hunted by an elite assassin/smuggler.
THE AVENGER (Miracle Media) is a low budget tale a la Taken, in which a brawler must rescue his daughter when she is kidnapped on holiday!
THE ENGINEER (High Fliers) is set in Israel, and finds mercenaries and CIA operatives trying to capture a bomb-maker following a terrorist attack.
 
Our Short Shot is TRAPA SUCIO, in which a family tries to protect their land from corrupt developers. Click the link to watch the whole film!
Our DTV Throwback is ENEMIES CLOSER -  JCVD takes the villainous role, trying to recover a shipment of drugs and running into the local park ranger... the version we watched is available on Amazon but didn't have subs for the French language parts.
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!
We are also now on Bluesky! Follow us here: @thedtvdigest.bsky.social and @dtvshortshots.bsky.social
 
 
 

Episode 276: Classified, Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge, The Hangman, Hellhounds, The Well, No Man's Land, The Triangle

In this episode Mike and Steve tackle five new releases - click the links to see the trailers for each film!
As its Halloween week, what better way to start than...with an action movie? in CLASSIFIED (Signature Entertainment), Aaron Eckhart is a CIA hitman who discovers a dark secret about the Division he works for!
Next is GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS: DEATH AND PORRIDGE (High Fliers) - a group of friends arrive at the wrong location for their annual reunion and soon come to regret it!
in THE HANGMAN (High Fliers), a father searches for his missing son in the Appalachians while clashing with drug dealers and satanic cultists.
HELLHOUNDS (High Fliers) pits werewolf bikers against werewolf hunter...bikers...
Set in Italy, THE WELL (High Fliers) finds an art restorer plagued by hellish dreams while she restores a sinister painting...
 
Our Short Shot is an Alien fan film! NO MAN'S LAND (Kennedyboy Productions)is set during WW1 and some Australian soldiers make their way to the enemy trenches after they've gone silent for 2 days...I wonder what they'll find! Click the link to watch the whole film!
Our DTV Throwback is THE TRIANGLE, a faux-documentary about some film-makers invited to document the inner workings of a young community living off-grid! The film is currently available to stream via FreeVee and possibly elsewhere.
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!
 
 

Episode 275: Azrael: Angel of Death, Blood Star, Subservience, Clawfoot, Darkgame, Topelt Turbo, Hit List

This week Mike, Rich and Steve tackle five new releases! As usual, click the link to see the official trailer for each...
We kick off with AZRAEL: ANGEL OF DEATH (Signature Entertainment), starring Samara Weaving as a woman trying to survive in a post-Rapture apocalypse!
In BLOOD STAR (Plaion Pictures), a young woman is trapped in a game of cat and mouse with a murderous sheriff out in the desert!
SUBSERVIENCE (Vertigo Releasing) sees Megan Fox as an artificial humanoid purchased by a family to look after their young daughter...
CLAWFOOT (The Movie Partnership) finds a wealthy housewife having to deal with an obnoxious and sinister handyman supposedly hired by her absent husband...
DARKGAME (The Movie Partnership) follows a FBI special agent's attempt to capture a serial killer broadcasting torture and death on the internet...
 
Our Short Shot is the action film, TOPELT TURBO and you can watch the whole 30min short, HERE!
Our DTV Throwback is HIT LIST, starring Jan Michael Vincent who must rescue his son when he is mistakenly kidnapped by a mafia assassin!
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 274: The Convert, Take Cover, Prom Car '91, The Rage

Its been a while, but we're finally back on track! And to kick off we have two new films to talk about!
First up is THE CONVERT (Vertigo Releasing), directed by Lee Tamahori. Guy Pierce stars as a lay preacher who arrives in a British colony in New Zealand and must deal with the threat of neighboring warring Maori tribes.
Next is TAKE COVER (Signature Entertainment), in which Scott Adkins finds himself trapped in a penthouse suite with a sniper trying to get him in his sights!
 
Our shot shot is PROM CAR '91, an awesome horror comedy - click the link to watch the whole film!
Finally our DTV Throwback is THE RAGE, starring Lorenzo Lamas as a FBI agent on the hunt for a serial killer. This film had loads to recommend it and its available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 273: Duchess, Thine Ears Shall Bleed, Cash Out, Loop Track, Is Now a Good Time? El Chicano

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve take a look at four new DTV releases - click the links to check out the trailers for each film!
 
We kick off with DUCHESS (Vertigo Releasing), the latest film from Digest fave, Neil Marshall. Charlotte Kirk stars alongside Sean Pertwee and Philip Winchester in an action packed gangster movie...
THINE EARS SHALL BLEED (Miracle Media) is not about a Death Metal band, as I'd initially surmised, but a period-set horror involving a pastor and his family stuck in the woods and encountering other-worldly sounds!
CASH OUT (101 Films) sees retired master criminal pulled back in for one last job and facing off against his ex girlfriend, the police negotiator!
LOOP TRACK (Arrow Video) is a New Zealand film about an insular guy finding something weird going on during his nature hike!
Our Short Shot this week: IS NOW A GOOD TIME? - Jim Cummings directs and stars as a Disney rep trying to grant a wish to a dying child, only to be faced with some pertinent questions he might not be equipped to deal with!
Our DTV Throwback is a banger - EL CHICANO is about a policeman who discovers not only a conspiracy to return California to Mexican control, but that his deceased brother was preparing to take on the mantle of a renowned folk-hero vigilante. You can find this on Amazon Prime and comes highly recommended by us!
 
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!

Episode 272: Poolman, Deadland, The Last Breath, Jade, Axel F, The Baku, Reptilian

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve  tackle five main releases - as usual, click the link to check out the trailers for each film!We kick off with POOLMAN (Signature Entertainment), starring, directed by and co-written by Chris Pine. Check out our review to find out if its worth a watch!
Set on the US/Mexican border, DEADLAND (Lightbulb Film Distribution) follows a conflicted Border Patrol officer dealing with a mysterious dead body and the sudden appearance of his estranged father.
THE LAST BREATH (Signature Entertainment) is the latest entry into the Shark Attack genre, as some old college friends become trapped inside the wreck of WW2 battleship, surrounded by sharks!
Director James Bamford had already  proved himself to be a decent DTV director with Airforce One Down. JADE (101 Films)  doubles down on that, making him a director to look out for and serves up a new action star, Shaina West!
Going straight to Netflix, AXEL F is exactly the nostalgia piece you'd expect. Check out our review to see whether we enjoyed it!
Our Short Shot this week is THE BAKU - click the link to see the whole 30min short. Former Power Ranger Jonny Yong Bosch made the excellent short Ark Exitus a few years back, so we were eagerly anticipating his latest film!
Finally, our DTV Throwback is REPTILIAN, aka Reptile 2001, aka Yongary. This is a Korean produced Kaiju, featuring a giant dinosaur resurrected by invading aliens. You have to dig hard, but it is available on Prime and other locations.
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!
 
 
 
 
 

Episode 271: Chief of Station, The Prank, Birthday Girl, What Remains, The Spider, Samurai Cop 2

Hi everyone and welcome to a belated episode - I've recently had eye surgery and the recovery has been longer than expected! As usual, click the link to see the trailer for each of the main reviews!
In this episode, we kick off with CHIEF OF STATION (Signature Entertainment) - the latest action thriller from director Jesse V. Johnson, starring Aaron Eckhart and Olga Kurylenko!
THE PRANK (Signature Entertainment)  is a dark comedy in which two highschoolers spread a rumour that their science teacher murdered a student - with hilarious results!
There's certainly nothing hilarious about BIRTHDAY GIRL, where a mother tries to help her daughter after she is date-raped on a cruise ship.
Things get even more somber with WHAT REMAINS (Icon Films), in which a self-confessed serial killer starts to question his own guilt.
 
Our Short Shot is THE SPIDER, a genius take on the Spiderman origin tale! Click the link to see the whole short film!
In our previous episode, we reviewed Samurai Cop as our DTV Throwback. This time, we review the sequel, SAMURAI COP 2! All I'll say is: this really defied all of our expectations!

Episode 270: Among the Willows, Sorry, Charlie, You Can't Run Forever, Lackadaisy: Ingenue, Samurai Cop

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve check out three new releases:
 
AMONG THE WILLOWS (Miracle Media) is a western in which two old guys must put aside their own feud in order to hunt down a gang of killers...
SORRY, CHARLIE (Miracle Media) is another film in which an actor spends most of the running time on her own, talking to people on a phone. Can this film do enough to stand out from the rest? Check out our review!
YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER (Signature Entertainment) finds the always excellent J K Simmons as a psychotic killer hunting down a traumatised teen...
 
Our Short Shot is LACKADAISY: INGENUE - this is the latest animated short about a gang of bootleggers in the  Prohibition era. We covered a lengthier cartoon featuring these characters back in episode 229 and most certainly recommend you check them out!
Our DTV Throwback is SAMURAI COP - a film which defies expectation. Its been lampooned before (There is a RiffTrax version out there) and friend of the show Rob Hill has recently made a 40 minute documentary on it. Please note that the version we've linked to, on Youtube, is edited for nudity - there are full versions available to rent. We urge you to watch the film, then check out Rob's documentary, HERE.
 
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!

Episode 269: Silence of the Prey, The Last Kumite, Breathe, Mr and Mrs Smith: Love and War, The Fantastic Four

This week Mike, Rich and Steve check out three new releases:
 
SILENCE OF THE PREY (The Horror Collective) mixes a bit of folk horror and uncomfortable right wing politics a la Get Out...
THE LAST KUMITE (Altitude Film Distribution)  brings together a stellar DTV cast for a love letter to tournament movies gone by...
BREATHE (Signature Entertainment)  also brings together a great cast in what is also a familiar tale...
 
Our Short Shot is MR AND MRS SMITH: LOVE AND WAR - this is made by Big Films, who made one of my all-time favourite shorts, Warlike. Check out the whole film by clicking the link, and explore some of their other work while you are there!
 
In honour of the late, great Roger Corman, our DTV Throwback is THE FANTASTIC FOUR - this is a film shrouded in urban legend (check out our review where Rich has to correct me on getting the details wrong) - a film which was basically made purely to allow someone to retain the rights, and never officially released! We discovered a very decent copy of the film on Youtube, HERE. If you want to learn more about the film's history, check out the documentary DOOMED
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 268: Founders Day, Hellhound, Witch, Hope and Glory - a Mad Max fan film, The Spider within, Timelapse

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve look at four new films - as usual, click the link to view the trailer for each:
FOUNDERS DAY (Blue Finch Film Releasing) is a slasher from the people behind last year's She Came From The Woods - a film highly regarded by us. Will their latest reach the same heights?
Louis Mandylor stars as a contract killer sent to Thailand in HELLHOUND (Miracle Media). Could this be one of his better outings of late? 
WITCH (101 Films) is a low budget horror film with awesome production values, but does it have what it takes in the story department? And will it annoy Mike with one of his pet peeves??
 
HOPE AND GLORY is a Mad Max fan film, but at 42minuted running time we decided to cover it with the other feature releases. Attempting to ride the coat-tails of Fury Road seems a very risky proposition - can this pull it off? Check out the link to watch the whole film!
 
The Short Shot is THE SPIDER WITHIN, an official short set within the Sony/Marvel animated Spiderverse, and sees Miles Morales having a particularly stressful day. Click the link to watch the whole short film!
 
The DTV Throwback is TIMELAPSE, in which some flat-mates discover a machine which takes photos 24 hours in the future and tries to exploit it to get rich, with predictably disastrous results!
 
Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films!
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK!