The DTV Digest

Episode 196: Held, Gates of Darkness, Shadows, Scream Legacy, This Game’s Called Murder, Lucid, Wolves

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle four new features and a fan film...
We start off with HELD, a film which fits into a particular niche of thrillers, where the protagonists are stuck within a single location.
Next is GATES OF DARKNESS, a film which definitely split opinions between us! A wayward teen is suspected to be possessed in this messy but interesting movie!
We've covered many fan films before but this is the first time we've reviewed one which looks to be part of the Scream canon. SCREAM LEGACY finds the daughter of Sidney Prescott returning to Woodsboro with the expected Ghostface shenanigans. if you are a fan of the franchise we think you should definitely check this out - clicking the link will take you to the whole 65min film!
In SHADOWS, two young sisters and their overbearing mother try to survive a post-apocalyptic land and avoid the Shadow creatures which live in the daylight...
Our final feature review is THIS GAME'S CALLED MURDER, and its a film which has made me realise there is a particular type of film which i react rather strongly to. 
Our Short Shot is an excellent horror film called LUCID - click the link to check out the film-maker's website which includes access to the film.
Finally we check out Jason Momoa and Lucas Till in WOLVES, a teen werewolf movie - again, this split opinions!
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 195: Father of Flies, You Are Not My Mother, Trollied, The Contractor

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve take a look at two new releases, starting with FATHER OF FLIES. This finds a young boy trying to navigate the new family dynamic now that his step-mother has moved into his home, while trying to make sense of the supernatural goings-on which started shortly after she arrived!
Our second review is YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER. Set on a council estate in Northern Ireland, a young girl tries to understand the wild shifts in mood that her mother is suffering from.
Our Short Shot is TROLLIED,  very entertaining short featuring one of our favourite tropes, the "inanimate object made evil". Click the link to watch the whole 4 min short.
Finally, our DTV Throwback finds Wesley Snipes as THE CONTRACTOR, an ex-CIA agent sent to London to complete an unfinished mission. 
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 194: The Last Rite, Anonymous Animals, ATOM, Above the Law

This week Mike, Rich and Steve look at two new releases. The first is THE LAST RITE, a possession/exorcism film which marks the feature debut of its director, Leroy Kincaide. 
Next up is ANONYMOUS ANIMALS - and although we've linked the film's trailer, we urge you to go into this one blind. It is a film which is sure to divide people's opinions!
Our Short Shot is ATOM - in which an android lives in solitude aboard a terraforming spaceship. Click the link to watch the whole 10 minute film.
Finally, our DTV Throwback is ABOVE THE LAW - no, not the Seagal one. This is a Belgian production and finds a crew of bank robbers framed for a political assassination. This is available on IMDB TV, via Amazon.
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 
 

Episode 193 - Spirit Walker, Broadcast Signal Intrusion, The Darker The Lake, Fortress, Salvajes, The Ice Forest

This week, Mike and Steve tackle four new releases, starting with the excellent SPIRIT WALKER, a Korean action thriller which never takes its foot of the pedal and demands the audience keeps up with its complex plot!
Speaking of complex plots, next up is BROADCAST SIGNAL INTRUSION, a very compelling mystery surrounding some pirate tv broadcasts!
THE DARKER THE LAKE proves to be both complex and perplexing as it spins a murder mystery set in a small Austrian town!
Finally we have FORTRESS, co-starring Bruce Willis an Jesse Metcalf. Please note that our comments about this film came before the news about Willis retiring for health reasons- having said that, we hardly mention Bruce anyway!
Our Short Shot is SALVAJES - this is some very high grade action, be sure to check it out as well as director Stephen Renney's other shorts!
Finally our DTV Throwback is THE ICE FOREST, an Italian film which resembles a Nordic Noir - but can it pull it off?
 
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 192: Shudder Special - Superhost, Psycho Goreman, The Seed, Blink, Frankenhooker

For this episode, we decided to delve into the depths of horror streaming service Shudder,,,
 
First up is SUPERHOST, which is shortly arriving on Blu Ray, This concerns two young Vloggers who get more than they bargained for when they review a remote vacation home for their website!
Next up is PSYCHO GOREMAN, which is a film which certainly wears its influences on its sleeve, mixing everything from Power Rangers, Calvin and Hobbes to Rick and Morty!
Recently added to the streaming service is THE SEED, in which three supermodels hang out at a remote desert luxury home and have to contend with a strange creature which lands in their swimming pool!
Our Short Shot is BLINK - this has amazing production values, it looks great and is proper scary to boot! Click the link to watch the whole short!
Finally, in our DTV Throwback we revisit a classic, Frank Henenlotter's FRANKENHOOKER - a deranged medical student rebuilds his recently deceased fiancé using body parts taken from dead prostitutes!
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Short Shots Episode 13: All of them Witches, Threshold, Unwelcome Guest, HellCreek

In this Horror Special, Mike and Rich take a look at four new shorts...
 
We start with ALL OF THEM WITCHES, which takes a wry look at indie film-making before segueing into horror! Next is THRESHOLD, in which a man tinkering in his garage has a strange encounter! Next is UNWELCOME GUEST, where a female author soon realises she might not be alone in her secluded winter cabin! Finally, we have HELL CREEK, a bit of a change of pace in which a time-travelling hunter gets more than he bargained for!
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 191 - Escape from Mogadishu, The Fourth Musketeer, Dragon Knight, Don’t Hide, Absolute Force

This week Mike, Rich and Steve kick off with the much anticipated ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU, which had great word-of-mouth but does it live up to the hype?
We follow this with the latest film from independent film-maker Steve Lawson, THE FOURTH MUSKETEER, a bit of a departure from his previous films!
Then we wind up the main reviews with the DRAGON KNIGHT, the latest from Lawrie Brewster,  another film-maker we've covered in the past, when we looked at The Devil's Machine.
Our Short Shot is DON'T HIDE, from Dillon Vibbart, who had previously impressed us with his short Somniphobia. Click the link to watch the whole short, and check out Dillon's other work!
Finally we have ABSOLUTE FORCE starring Timothy Bottoms, in our DTV Throwback. You can find this available on YouTube (click the link but beware, there are advert breaks every five minutes!)
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 190: The Ledge, The Misfits, Restless, Jester Must Die, Deep Freeze

This week Mike, Rich and Steve start our 190th episode (!) by reviewing THE LEDGE, the latest film from Howard J Ford (The Dead, Don't Let Go). This sees a young climber having to scale a mountain with minimal equipment to escape some killers...
Next is THE MISFITS, starring Pierce Brosnan as a thief recruited by some "Robin Hood" types to pull off a daring heist. This is currently available on Amazon Prime!
Over on Netflix, we cover the recent French thriller, RESTLESS, which sees a corrupt cop having what could possibly be the worst day of his life! This is a remake of a Korean thriller called A Hard Day, which can itself be rented via Amazon (and other streaming sites). 
Our Short Shot is JESTER MUST DIE in which a bodyguard helps the daughter of his boss escape from his clutches. This is directed by Michael Lehr, one of the best fight choreographers out there. Check the link to watch the whole 16min short but do check out his other work too!
Finally we take a look at DEEP FREEZE in our DTV Throwback - a team of post-grad students arrive at a deep mining platform in the Antarctic only to discover something has awoken deep under the ice.
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 
 

Short Shots Episode 12 - Uncharted vs Tomb Raider vs Indiana Jones, Payback, Symphony of The Ronin, Sifu

In this action packed, action centric episode, Mike and Rich take a look at four awesome shorts, kicking off with UNCHARTED vs TOMB RAIDER vs INDIANA JONES. With a concept like that you'd be forgiven for assuming its ambition outweighs its execution - but you'd be dead wrong! Click the link to see the whole glorious film! 
Next up is PAYBACK, the latest fight film from Art School Dropouts, whose work we've enjoyed covering on previous episodes. This is once more a very hard-hitting fight movie but there are attempts at an actual story this time out!
Next up is SYMPHONY OF THE RONIN, which is the most French Arthouse fight film we've ever seen!
Finally, we have SIFU, a promo film to promote the new Playstation game of the same name, If you've played the game, or seen a promo for it, you will be impressed how close this short film matches both the aesthetics and the action from it.
 
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!
 

Episode 189 - Last Man Down, The Diesel, Incarnation, Zeros and Ones, Life is But a Dream, Intruder

This week Mike, Rich and Steve take a look at a couple of films currently available on Netflix. First up is LAST MAN DOWN, starring bodybuilder-turned-actor Daniel Stizen. Then we have THE DIESEL, an Egyptian action film about a stuntman who becomes embroiled in a weird conspiracy...
We also check out INCARNATION, starring Taye Diggs and Michael Madsen, involving a couple who move into a new house only to find themselves sucked into demonic shenanigans!
Mike and Rich then attempt to review ZEROS AND ONES, the latest film from Abel Ferrara and starring Ethan Hawke. Its certainly a ...ahem...challenging film in that it challenges you to find anything to recommend it, and is certainly worth watching just for Ethan Hawke's own reaction to it at the end!
We're on much firmer ground with our Short Shot, as its directed by Park Chan Wook! LIFE IS BUT A DREAM sees a village undertaker rob a grave of its coffin, only to be haunted by its occupant, a long dead swordsman, who forces the undertaker to explain himself. Not only is this a great little film but it was (mostly) shot using the latest iPhone! Click the link to watch the whole film!
We wrap up with our DTV Throwback - INTRUDER is directed by Scott Spiegel and contains a lot of his directorial motifs such as shooting strange POV angles. It does surprise me though that this isn't a more well-known slasher! (Warning - the trailer gives away who the killer is!}. This film is currently available on the SHUDDER streaming service. 
 
Follow the Short Shots TWITTER page, where we will be linking to a short film every day! 
Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on TWITTER and FACEBOOK!