The DTV Digest

Episode 182 - Krays: Code of Silence, The Jack In The Box: Awakening, Jekyll and Hyde, Winterskin, Monsters in the Closet, Streetfighter: Psychosis, The Stranger

Welcome to the first episode to be released in 2022, which we recorded in the dying days of '21!
We kick off the new year with KRAYS: CODE OF SILENCE, and I don't mind saying that this period police procedural took us all by surprise. What a film to start 2022 with!
Next is another pleasant surprise - THE JACK IN THE BOX: AWAKENING is a sequel to the 2019 film and this time the box has been procured by someone who is aware of its powers!
We were all impressed with director Steve Lawson's previous film, Ripper Untold. Now he's back with another indie period drama with hints of horror - will JEKYLL AND HYDE have a similar success?
Speaking of directors we like, I was very happy to see Charlie Steeds' name appear at the start of WINTERSKIN. We've covered his work before and will be reviewing his latest in the near future. This is from 2018 but only just getting a UK release.
Finally we have MONSTERS IN THE CLOSET, an anthology film in which a pulp horror writer's creations start to come to life!
Our Short Shot is STREETFIGHTER: PSYCHOSIS, a fan film in which Ryu is abducted by Shadaloo Agents!  Click the link to watch the whole 13min film!
And our DTV Throwback is THE STRANGER - martial artist Kathy Long stars as the titular mysterious character who turns up in a town overrun by a violent biker gang (available on Prime, but also on YOUTUBE).
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 181 - End of Year Review 2021

Before we embark on a new year of films which didn't make it to the cinema but instead found their way to dvd, blu ray and streaming media, lets take a moment and reflect on what a year 2021 was.
 
In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve (and a cameo from Will) talk about their top 10 short films from the year, followed by our worst 5 and top 10 features. All films discussed have been covered on previous episodes.
 
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 11 - My Dead Husband, Doppelganger, Dead Shed, Shades of Red

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve take a look at four horror-themed short films!
Kicking off with MY DEAD HUSBAND, in which an abused blind woman believes her dead husband has returned to continue tormenting her! 
Next up is DOPPELGANGER, about a man who believes an evil replica of him is trying to replace him. During the review, I allude to a film with similar ideas but couldn't remember the title - i can now reveal its The Broken! 
in DEAD SHED, a young man investigates his shed after his dog suddenly stops barking...
and finally SHADES OF RED riffs off of fairytales and modern social media culture.
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 180: Castle Falls, Achoura, Portal Runner, The Darkness of the Road, Wrath of Man, The Hunt: Savage Within, Fifty Fifty

This episode features two of out semi-regular contributors, Will Bentley and Sean Malloy who we will definitely be hearing more of in 2022!
First up then is CASTLE FALLS, directed by Dolph Lundgren who also co-stars alongside Scott Adkins.
Next is our first Moroccan film, ACHOURA, a horror film which blends a narrative between adults and their past as children in a way which gives Stephen King a run for his money!
We follow this with PORTAL RUNNER, a low budget sci fi which slightly divided opinion between Steve and myself!
THE DARKNESS OF THE ROAD features Najarra Townsend (The Stylist) and actually managed to make me appreciate its moment of in-media res! 
Finally we review WRATH OF MAN in which Guy Ritchie directs Jason Statham in a clever and gritty thriller. This film has gone straight to Amazon Prime in the UK so was fair game for us to review!
Our Short Shot is THE HUNT: SAVAGE WITHIN  in which a Spec Ops team hunt an alien in the jungle, and manages to avoid comparisons to Predator!
Finally Finally, our DTV Throwback is FIFTY-FIFTY, a classic action comedy starring Peter Weller and Robert Hayes (Airplane) and peculiarly directed by character actor Charles Martin Smith (The Untouchables). This is currently available on Amazon Prime - check out the trailer, the voice-over makes it sound like Home Alone!
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 179: Slumber Party Massacre, Red Snow, Night Raiders, Stealing Chaplin, Boglins Return, Get Carter

In this week's episode Mike, Rich and Steve are joined once again by Sean Malloy, host of  I MUST BREAK THIS PODCAST - Sean joined us to record a review for the next episode but stuck around to help out reviewing this week's DTV Throwback...
First up though is SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE a remake of the 1982 classic slasher. This one is directed by Danishka Esterhazy whose film The Banana Splits movie went down well around here! 
Next is RED SNOW , a horror comedy in which a young novelist is "visited" by an injured vampire.
NIGHT RAIDERS is a political allegory dressed up as a Dystopian sci-fi movie and gave us unsettling flash-backs of The Flood!
Our final feature review is STEALING CHAPLIN, a caper movie directed by Paul Tanter (Kill Ratio, Once Upon A Time at Christmas), and starring Simon Philips alongside his brother Doug as a pair of conmen in Las Vegas.
Our Short Shot is BOGLINS RETURN - This is from the MASE BROTHERS who gave us the excellent Cyborg: Deadly Machine. We recommend you click the link to check out their other work!
As mentioned above, Sean Malloy joins us to talk about our DTV Throwback, the remake of GET CARTER starring Sylvester Stallone. Please note that I mistakenly call Stallone's character "John" when in fact it's Jack! You can find Get Carter on IMDB TV, and is free with adverts.
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 178 - Puppet Killer, The Last Matinee, Blond Purple, Resignation Day, The Puppet Masters

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle three new releases...
We kick off with the quirky Canadian horror-comedy, PUPPET KILLER, which has the oldest set of "teens" you're ever likely to come across!
Next up is THE LAST MATINEE, a homage to the like of Argento (colour scheme) and Fulci (more eyes than you can shake a stick at!). What's more its the first film we've seen hailing from the shores of Uruguay!
Then there is BLONDE.PURPLE...yeah we've got some things to say about this film,...
Our Short Shot is RESIGNATION DAY, a film that was shown at the Fighting Spirit Film Festival and is now available on YT - click the link to take a look at this action comedy.
Finally in our DTV Throwback we check out THE PUPPET MASTERS, based on a novel by Robert Heinlein. (This is currently available on Disney+)
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 10 - Fan Films - Silent Hill: Restless Dreams, Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master, Immortal 65, Here Comes the Night, 1986

In this episode of the Short Shots we take a look at some recent fan-made, not-for-profit films!
We kick off with SILENT HILL: RESTLESS DREAMS which does a good job of not only evoking the atmosphere of the game but also the way characters speak.
Next is FORSAKEN MANDALORIAN AND THE DRUNKEN JEDI MASTER - unfortunately no drunken kung-fu but a great short nevertheless!
IMMORTAL 65 gives us a peek at one of the previous Iron Fists, searching for an important book.
HERE COMES THE NIGHT is a Friday 13th fan film. There are two parts - click the above link for Part one, and HERE FOR PART TWO.
Finally we review 1986, a classy DC/Marvel cross-over.
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 177: Ankle Biters, Habit, Ghostbusters Southside, Flight 7500

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle two new releases, a really great fan film and a curious Hollywood attempt at JHorror.
We start with the Canadian horror-comedy, ANKLE BITERS in which four young sisters scheme to kill their future stepdad!
Next up is HABIT, in which 3 party girls disguise themselves as nuns to avoid being killed over a drug deal gone bad!
Our Short Shot this week is one of the best fan films we've seen in a while Check out GHOSTBUSTERS SOUTHSIDE !
Our DTV Throwback is a curio - FLIGHT 7500 is an American film starring Ryan Kwanten, but is directed by  Takashi Shimizu, who directed the original Grudge/Ju-On films. 
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 176 - Repeat, Knocking, Every Last One of Them, Apex Predator, CERA, Collection

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve deal with some highs, some lows and a real surprise!
Kicking off with REPEAT, a UK "hard sci-fi" film in which a professor discovers a way to talk to the recently deceased.
Next is KNOCKING, a Swedish film about a woman who starts hearing loud banging noises in the walls of her new apartment.
We've covered director Christian Sesma's work before: you can hear our reviews of Take Back and Paydirt on previous episodes. His latest is EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM and features Paul Slone on a vengeful rampage!
Bruce Willis picks up his latest paycheck in APEX PREDATOR, a "most dangerous game" style movie with futuristic trappings.
Out Short Shot is CERA, which features Jason Isaacs trying to keep his family safe.
Our DTV Throwback is COLLECTION (aka Reach Me) and has a cast list which needs to be seen to be believed. Despite its very trite subject matter, this one is certainly a curiosity piece! This can be found on Prime but also on The Midnight Screening Channel on Youtube!
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 175: The Flood, Paranormal Prison, Disappearance at Lake Elrod, Coven, Lore, The Haddonfield Nightmare, Bride of Candyman, Savage

In this episode we cover five new DTV releases as well as two fan films and one of the craziest throwbacks we've had in a while!
We start off with THE FLOOD - a brutal but well made film which contain some extended rape scenes, so be warned! You can find our review starting at 1.20
To cleanse the palate so to speak we have something complete different next. PARANORMAL PRISON finds some youtube paranormal investigators on their biggest case yet. Review starts at 16:52.
Next up is DISAPPEARANCE AT LAKE ELROD (originally known as Through the Glass Darkly in the US) - ignore the dvd cover for this one as the tone is completely different! Review starts at 21.58
COVEN sees a group of college witches search for a new recruit to help them unleash a goddess...Review starts at 43.13
LORE is another film given a disingenuous DVD cover, something we discuss in our review, which starts at 58.02
With Halloween Kills hitting the cinemas and splitting fan opinions straight down the middle, we look at a recent Fan Film based on the franchise, THE HADDONFIELD NIGHTMARE (click the link to watch the whole feature!) - this is set after the events of Halloween H20 and follows one of the surviving characters. Our review starts at 1.08.59
Our Short Shot is another fan film, except from the Candyman universe. BRIDE OF CANDYMAN can be seen in all its glory by clicking the link and you can hear our thoughts at 1.22.29
finally our DTV Throwback is a barnstormer. Olivier Gruner (Nemesis) stars SAVAGE This can be found on Youtube so click the link to bask in its awesome nuttiness! Review starts at 1.31.42
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!