The DTV Digest

Episode 174: Warning, We Need to Do Something, Bigfoot Hunters, Kingdom of Ashes, Here to Stay, The Last Survivors

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle four very different new releases!
We start with the most prestigious  of them with WARNING, which features Thomas Jane, Alex Pettifer and among its cast. 
Next up is WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING, a tense horror thriller set almost entirely within one setting.
BIGFOOT HUNTERS is a very humorous mockumentary which sees a couple of film-makers working for an online news network are sent to do a piece on Bigfoot, much to their chagrin!
Finally there is KINGDOM OF ASHES, a Spanish production shot in English.
 
Our Short Shot this week is HERE TO STAY, a very creepy tale with some great sound design - i recommend watching with headphones!
And finally our DTV Throwback is THE LAST SURVIVORS (available on Prime).
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 173 - Whitetail, Potter‘s Ground, The Ghosts of Borley Rectory, Yellow Belt Fury, Tiger House

This week we have three new features to review. Mike and Steve kick off with WHITETAIL, about a family trying to bond after a tragedy by shooting a deer, only to find something more sinister out in the woods!
Next is POTTERS GROUND - I was initially nervous about tackling another low budget film set during the American Civil War, but this one surprised me!
Mike and Will then take a look at THE GHOSTS OF BORLEY RECTORY, the second film to be set in Borley by prolific director Steven M Smith. His previous film ended up hanging around the DVD top 100 chart for months - time will tell if this does as well!
Our Short Shot is YELLOWBELT FURY in which a woman starts taking karate lessons to wreak vengeance on the aliens who killed her husband!
Finally our DTV  Throwback is TIGER HOUSE, a British home-invasion style movie starring Dougray Scott and Ed Skrein.
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 172 - Death Ranch, The Survivalist, Night Drive, The Time Travelling Sheriff, Fanboys

For this episode Mike, Rich, Steve and Will were joined by special guest, Leo from GEEK LEGION OF DOOM  to help review the latest batch of films.
We kick off with DEATH RANCH, the latest film from indie film-maker Charlie Steeds, who is fast becoming a favourite of mine and a name to take note of! Be warned, that trailer is extra splattery!
Next up is THE SURVIVALIST. The director, Jon Keeyes, didn't impress us much with his previous film Rogue Hostage - perhaps he does better here with the likes of Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Julian Sands!
Then there's NIGHT DRIVE, in which a "ride share driver" picks up a mysterious passenger and shenanigans unfold! This is a film none of us had heard of prior to this week - take a listen to hear what we thought!
Rich then joins us to discuss the latest Short Shot - THE TIME TRAVELLING SHERIFF by youtuber Zach King - definitely check out this short and also anything else by this man, he's literally magic!
Our DTV Throwback is FANBOYS, in which Star Wars fans try to break into Lucas's ranch to steal a copy of The Phantom Menace. The whole idea seems so stupid in retrospect, doesn't it? Take a listen to hear what we think of this....film.
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 Ep 9: Broken, The Witch, Warlike, Blood Thirsty

A much belated episode this, we recorded it back in the Summer but have struggled to find time to get it published, so without further ado...
In this episode, Mike and Rich tackle for action shorts worthy of your time. We start off with BROKEN, the latest fight scene from Art School Dropouts. Check the link for the short.
Next is THE WITCH, which gets points for trying something a little different!
Then there is BLOOD THIRSTY, which doesn't seem like it at first but is in fact a fan film, uniting two very different sets of heroes from the Marvel-verse!
Finally there is WARLIKE, in which a team of Spec Ops suddenly realise their target is right in amongst them.
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 171 - The East, The Inheritance, Dementer, The Last Exorcist, Deadlock, Open Graves

In this episode Mike, Will, Rich and Steve take a look at an eclectic bunch of films...
Starting with THE EAST, a Netherlands film set in Indonesia just after WW2. Next up is THE INHERITANCE, a US film set in The Ukraine and bears certain similarities to Agony, starring Asia Argento which we covered Episode 159!
Will and Mike then take a look at DEMENTER, a film I really wanted to see as it was by the director of Jugface (which we covered in Episode 105!
Then Mike and Steve check out THE LAST EXORCIST and we have some....choice things to say about this one!
 
Our Short Shot this week is DEADLOCK, which takes the concept of Ghostbusters, ditches the humour and adds a more real-world take.
Finally, our DTV Throwback is OPEN GRAVES, a 2009 horror which was a US/Spain co-production and features Eliza Dushku!
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 8 - Fighting Spirit Film Festival Round-up

In this slightly belated episode, Mike and Rich give their thoughts on this year's Short Film Competition which is an integral part of the Fighting Spirit Film Festival, held this year in Stratford in September.
We also single out the following films as they are readily available for you to watch, and we recommend you do!
DEADLY SHAPES OF SHAOLIN A tribute to the Kung Fu classics of old, dedicated to the onscreen heroes of Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and many others...
JIU JITSU SAVED MY LIFE TWICE Born in the favelas of Brazil, we follow the unbelievable life story of Neto Nunes - the journey of London's strongest Jiu Jitsu fighter and family man.
QUARANTINE WITH LOVE Joseph filled his fridge with his favorite candy to face quarantine, while Dagmar forgot to buy her own and is taking his chocolates one by one...A homage to Jackie Chan and the silent greats will take place when these two lovers face each other.
WELCOME TO THE STING A fresh faced fighter takes his first step into the deadly world of crime syndicates, endeavoring with an undercover detective to bring it all down, but he has to survive his audition first. 
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 170: Hall, Sacrilege, The Manor, Interview with David Creed

With Rich and Steve taking a week off, it's down to Mike and Will to tackle this week's slate of horror films. 
We kick off with HALL, a new  Canadian horror which is set primarily in the a corridor of an upmarket hotel. We follow this with SACRILEGE, a British folk horror film in which four female friends unwittingly become sacrifices to a pagan goddess!
Our Short Shot is THE MANOR, directed by Blake Ridder and features four film-makers scouting out a new location for their horror film. Click the link to see the whole 14min short!
Instead of a DTV Throwback this week we have an interview with the director of Sacrilege, David Creed!
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 169 - FSFF Special: The Paper Tigers, Notorious Nick, Yakuza Princess, Fight to Win, Shootfighter, Interview with FSFF Programmer Will Blaik

This episode is being released in the leadup to this year's Fighting Spirit Film Festival (FSFF), being held on the 11th and 12th of September at the Stratford Picture House. As a tribute to the festival, which is now in its sixth year, this episode is all about Martial Arts, starting with THE PAPER TIGERS which is getting its UK premier at the festival.
Then we have NOTORIOUS NICK, based on the life of Nick Newall, who fought his way to a MMA Championship despite being born with just one arm!
After this its off to São Paulo in Brazil, which apparently has the largest number of  Japanese residents outside of Japan itself. This is where the dark, brooding action thriller YAKUZA PRINCESS is set!
Coincidentally, our Short Shot is also set in São Paulo - FIGHT TO WIN finds a young man's antibodies try to defend him against the Coronavirus! Click the link to watch the whole 5min short.
For the DTV Throwback we have a classic - SHOOTFIGHTER stars Bolo Yeung, as well as Cobra Kai alumni Martin Kove and William Zabka! This is available on Amazon Prime so if you are a subscriber, check it out!
Finally we finish the episode with a very interesting chat with Will Blaik, one of the programmers for this year's Fighting Spirit Film Festival!
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 168: The Last Job, Wired Shut, Override, Mute, Thick As Thieves

This week Mike and Rich shoulder on without their colleague Steve (who will be back for the next recording!)...
First up is THE LAST JOB, a crime thriller starring Richard Dreyfus as a retired gangster and Mira Sorvino as his police detective daughter. Take a listen to find out whether we were onboard or not.
Then there is WIRED SHUT, in which a reclusive novelist recovering from reconstructive surgery is visited by his estranged and bitter daughter just in time for both of them to be terrorised by an uninvited guest.
OVERRIDE sees Luke Goss living an idyllic life with his a beautiful android partner....or is he?....or is she?? 
Our Short Shot is MUTE - we didn't quite see eye-to-eye on this one...see if you agree with either Rich or me by clicking the link to watch the whole film!
Finally our DTV Throwback is THICK AS THIEVES - not the one starring Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, this stars Alec Baldwin as a professional thief who ends up in a battle of wills with local gangster Michael Jai White! This is available on Amazon Prime (and unlike the trailer is in widescreen) so go check it out!
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 167 - Jason Rising, Bloodthirsty, A New World Order, A Feral World, Battlefield 2025, Deed of Death, Black Market Brawl, Cold Moon

In another stuffed-to-the-gills episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle a whole bunch of horror, sci-fi and martial arts madness!
We kick off with a new Friday 13th fan film, JASON RISING - not the first nor the last Friday 13th fan film we're covering this year! This is almost an hour long and fits neatly into the series' timeline. Click the link to watch the whole film!
2021 seems to be the Year of the Werewolf, as our next film BLOODTHIRSTY is the fourth lycanthopic tale to come out this year!
Next we have three sci-fi movies: A NEW WORLD ORDER sees a young couple trying to evade the robotic overlords who have taken over. This leans very heavily into the concepts in A Quiet Place. Next is A FERAL WORLD which plays like a post-apocalyptic version of Oliver Twist! Then we have BATTLEFIELD 2025 in which a group of strangers' lives intercross on the eve of an alien invasion.
Our final new feature is DEED OF DEATH, a Malaysian film which I incorrectly identify as Indonesian in the episode! This film wins the award for most hated character on the planet!
Our Short Shot is BLACK MARKET BRAWL. If you enjoyed the short Bad Hit, we think you will like this too. Click the link to see the whole 10 minute short!
Our DTV Throwback is COLD MOON, starring Josh Stuart and cameoing Christopher  Lloyd. It has a bit of a rocky start but is definitely worth sticking with as it gets all kinds of crazy!
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!