The DTV Digest

Episode 166: Midnight in The Switchgrass, The God Committee, Union Bound, A Deadly Legend, Cyberpunk 2077: Phoenix Programme, The Maddening

This week Mike, Rich and Steve are joined by the awesome TIMON SINGH, creator of The Bristol Bad Film Club, author of BORN TO BE BAD volume 1 and Volume 2 and, it would seem, professional game show contestant!
We start the episode chatting to Timon about his books before getting him to assist us with reviewing this weeks films.
We start off with MIDNIGHT IN THE SWITCHGRASS, yet another film to contain a dash of Bruce Willis, but actually starring Megan Fox, Emile Hirsch and Lukas Haas.
Next up is THE GOD COMMITTEE. This is a medical drama starring Kelsey Grammer and is a film that we were not looking forward to sitting through...did it win us over?
UNION BOUND is the latest "true story" from the American Civil War to reach the UK. Only myself and Rich managed to sit through this one....
A DEADLY LEGEND is an American Folk Horror movie regarding the uncovering of a stone circle...or is it? 
Our Short Shot this week is a fan film based on the a video game: CYBERPUNK 2077 - PHOENIX PROGRAMME has a lot going for it but with a 40 min running time have they over-egged the pudding? Click the link to watch the whole 40 min film!
Having put Timon through his paces with the films so far, we really test his mettle with THE MADDENING in our DTV Throwback. Starring Burt Reynolds, Angie Dickinson and Mia Sara, this is a crazy psycho horror which has just popped up 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 165: Werewolves Within, Mass Hysteria, Rot, D-Railed, Daddy's Wallet,Demonic

Note: This episode was recorded back-to-back with Ep 164, when I was in week 3 of recovery from COVID, so you may hear a bit of coughing in the background and my voice go "funny" in a couple of places!
 
In this horror heavy episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle four new releases, starting with the excellent WEREWOLVES WITHIN. I mention in our review that I'm keen to see what director Josh Rubin does next, forgetting that his previous film Scare Me is currently available on Shudder!
Next up is MASS HYSTERIA, set in Salem during Halloween, about a young actress playing a witch and being accused of witchcraft herself! I was lucky enough to interview the cast and crew of the film last year - you can check that out HERE.
Next we have ROT. Interestingly Rich was so put off by the name and cover art for this film that he decided not to watch it. However Steve and I were rather surprised by what this film actually contained!
Finally there is D-RAILED, in which a bunch of passengers are threatened with:
a. Violent train robbers
b. Drowning in a lagoon when their train carriage derails,
c. Being eaten my monsters, or
d. All of the above.
 
As a palette cleanser from the horror, our Short Shot this week is DADDY's WALLET. This is directed by Matthew Kyle Levine, whose film Miss Freelance we covered on the Short Shots Episode 4.
Getting back to the horror theme, our DTV Throwback is DEMONIC, in which Frank Grillo and Maria Bello team up to solve a multiple murder scene with supernatural overtones. This film is currently available on Amazon 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!

Episode164 - Rogue Hostage, Out of Death, Project Ithaca, Plurality, Settlers, Out of Mecca, Legendary

So we've had to take a break due to COVID but are now back and ready to rock!
In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve check out five new releases, starting with ROGUE HOSTAGE starring Tyrese Gibson and John Malkovich in the latest iteration of the "Die Hard.....in a..." genre.
Speaking of Die Hard, our next film OUT OF DEATH co-stars John McClane himself, Bruce Willis alongside Jaime King - who unwittingly witnesses a cop shooting someone in the back.
In PROJECT ITHACA, a group of people are having their minds and memories messed with by aliens on board their spaceship!
Taiwanese film PLURALITY sees police using a futuristic mind transfer device to get to the bottom of a kidnapping...
SETTLERS sees Sofie Boutella try to protect her daughter in the barren wastes of Mars...
Our Short Shot is OUT OF MECCA - which contains some of the best examples of POV gun battles outside of Call of Duty.
And finally in our DTV Throwback we have LEGENDARY, in which Scott Adkins and Dolph Lundgren clash while trying to capture a mythical beast!
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 163: The Birthday Cake, Black Medicine, Alone, Blood Brothers, Trigger Point, The Mandalorian 16.5, Shade

This week we welcome back Sean Malloy from I MUST BREAK THIS PODCAST, who joins us to talk about our DTV Throwback.
But before that Mike, Rich and Steve take a look at four new releases. First up is THE BIRTHDAY CAKE , a mobster tail in which a young up-and-comer must bring a cake to his gangster uncle's birthday party. The cast is very notable here, especially Val Kilmer post throat operation!
BLACK MEDICINE really piqued our interest, a thriller set in Northern Ireland which manages to skip any mention of terrorism. In its stead there is a vulnerable yet resourceful young woman faced with the worst dilemma imaginable! 
Next up is ALONE, in which a young woman is stalked by a guy who could either be a well-meaning klutz or a serial killer...we recommend you don't actually watch the trailer and just dive straight in to this one!
BLOOD BROTHERS is a very dry, emotionally stifled costume drama which surprisingly divided the panel quite widely! 
Last but by no means least, we have TRIGGER POINT, starring Barry Pepper as the kind of character who could easily carry a series of novels, Jack Reacher style! 
Our Short Shot is a fan film which follows on from the end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian in THE MANDALORIAN: CHAPTER 16.5: THE HUNTING, a 15 minute film boasting some excellent production values - click the link to watch the whole film!
As mentioned above, Sean Malloy joins us to discuss our DTV Throwback: SHADE. Check out the cast in this and wonder how you'd never heard of it before!
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 162: Occupation: Rainfall, The Tomorrow War, Lapsis, Molly, Crazy Samurai 400 vs 1, The Soul Collector, The Dark and the Wicked, Witch Hunt, The Return of Dr Bees, Collision

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve tackle another bumper crop of new releases, starting with four sci-fi movies:
We start with OCCUPATION: RAINFALL, the 2nd instalment of the Australian alien invasion franchise which a mixture of bitter grit and big flashy fx set-pieces. We follow this with another big-budget sci-fi movie, THE TOMORROW WAR starring Chris Pratt - this one is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime.
Our third sci-fi movie is LAPSIS, an off-kilter look at the plight of workers who are part of enabling a new level of technology.
Then it is off to a post-apocalyptic future in MOLLY, a sequel of sorts to a film we covered way back in episode 95 called Kill Mode. Molly features a 30 minute fight sequence made up of long takes as its finale. Meanwhile our next film goes even further. CRAZY SAMURAI: 400 vs 1 sees real-life samurai Musashi Miyamoto (Tak Sakaguchi) enter into a 77minute one-shot, unedited fight scene against 400 angry warriors! 
THE SOUL COLLECTOR (aka 8) is the first of three horror films discussed in this episode, a folk horror film set in South Africa. This is followed by the atmospheric THE DARK AND THE WICKED where supernatural shenanigans occur around a rural farm.
Finally, we discuss WITCH HUNT, a film which it is fair to say took all of us by surprise!
Our Short Shot this week is THE RETURN OF DR BEES, from animator Harry Partridge. We highly recommend you also check out his other DR Bees shorts, DR BEES and #CHANGETHEBEES!
And finally...in our DTV Throwback we stand around and gawp at COLLISION, in which a clean-shaven Frank Grillo and his femme fatale wife get caught up in a traffic accident in the Moroccan  desert! This is available on Amazon Prime but be warned there are key moments missing subtitles!
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 161: Final Voyage, Endangered Species, My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To, Unearth, Ripper Untold, Triumph, Tyger Tyger, Somniphobia, Final Voyage

In this bumper episode Mike, Rich and Steve face something of an endurance test...
Kicking off with FINAL VOYAGE, a German sci-fi in which two men discover and repair an old space ship, only to struggle to decide where to travel to.
Then its off to Kenya for ENDANGERED SPECIES, in which a family make some terrible choices and end up facing the consequences. 
In MY HEART CAN'T BEAT UNLESS YOU TELL IT TO, we have a teen vampire a million miles removed from the Cullens of Twilight!
UNEARTH finds farmer Marc Blucas (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) struggling to make ends meet  and also suffering from some bad decisions when a fracking op unleashes some primordial ooze...
RIPPER UNTOLD is a low budget procedural which gives an interesting slant on a possible identity for "Saucy Jack"!
R. J. Mitte (The Oak Room) plays a highschool student with cerebral palsy who has to overcome many obstacles to achieve his goal of being on the wrestling team in TRIUMPH...
and finally, we venture into a drug fueled wilderness in TYGER TYGER...
 
Our Short Shot is the excellent SOMNIPHOBIA - grab yourself 25min and check out this excellent horror thriller!
And our DTV Throwback is FINAL VOYAGE - yes, our first and final films share the same name! This one stars Dylan Walsh, Ice T and Erika Elaniak in a Die Hard on a Cruise Liner movie! (available on Amazon 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!
 

Short Shots Ep 7 - The Stylist Short Cuts

In this episode Mike and Rich look at the winners of the Stylist Short Cuts competition, conducted by Arrow.
There are eight short films, showcasing the talents of female film-makers both in front of and behind the camera. The whole series of shorts are available on Arrow's streaming service, however we have put links below to those which are available on either Youtube or Vimeo:
ALCHEMIA Dir Natacha Thomas
ATTENTION dir Nora Unkel
BED BUG dir Zoe Holmes/Patrick McDonald
BLOODHOUND - Dir Sophia Cacciola
REPTILE HOUSE - Dir Tristan Risk
THE CURSE - Dir Ellie Stewart
TICKS - dir Chloe Carroll
UNSAFE SPACES - Dir Connor Sandheinrich
 
Click Here to learn more about the competition.
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 6: Etheria Special

In this episode, Mike and Rich take a look at the films selected for this year's Etheria Short Film Festival, which showcases films from female directors and filmmakers. 
As this is a live competition at this time we are unable to link to the actual films, however if you are a SHUDDER subscriber you will be able to see them between June 25 through July 25. 
There are nine films altogether, covering a diverse range of genre, from time travel, murderous rampage, post-apocalyptic nightmares, westerns, racial tensions and good old fashioned schlock. I dare say there is something for everyone here and not a weak link among them.
For more information about the films and the people who made them, CLICK HERE.
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 160 - Edge of the World, Brighton, Skyjacked, Parallel, Metroid: Attack of Ridley, Men of War

This week Mike, Rich and Steve are joined by SEAN MALLOY of I Must Break This Podcast  to discuss this week's DTV Throwback!
But before that, we must review four current releases, starting with EDGE OF THE WORLD, based upon the real-life explorer Sir James Brooke, played here by Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Then its time to get the deckchairs out and enjoy a bit of sunshine in BRIGHTON, based upon a play by Stephen Berkoff. 
Its been a while since we covered an Asylum movie so we rectify this with SKYJACKED, aka SKY BATTLE - the film is currently available on Amazon Prime under this title!
Our Short Shot is METROID: BATTLE OF RIDLEY which brought back memories of owning a Nintendo Game Cube for me!
Finally, as mentioned above, Sean Malloy of "I Must Break" This Podcast which looks at the filmography of Dolph Lundgren, joins us to talk about MEN OF WAR, now available on Amazon 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!

Short Shots Ep 5: The Collector, Tiger Man, Lady (1&2), Redemption

Its all about action in this episode! Mike and Rich start with one of prolific director Godefroy Ryckewaert's latest films, THE COLLECTOR (I would say latest but he is so prolific he's probably made at least one more since we recorded!). If you're not familiar with Godefroy's work we highly recommend you check out his Youtube channel!
We follow this with TIGER MAN in which Elvis Presley shows off his skills while rehearsing in Las Vegas!
Stephanie Pham co-directs and stars in our next film, LADY 2  in which a mysterious lady comes to the aid of some women abducted by sex traffickers. 
Finally we have REDEMPTION, a classy action short boasting strong production values although some of its narrative is a bit wooly. 
 
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!