The DTV Digest

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!

Episode 159 - Imprisoned, Elyse,Safe Inside, Agony, It's Me Billy, Eighth Wonder, Blunt Force Trauma

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve look at a couple of films involving comatose characters!
First though, there's IMPRISONED (aka Night Walk), where a wrongfully imprisoned man seeks both redemption and vengeance. Mickey Rourke makes a brief appearance as a drug dealer who lords over the other inmates, so naturally he gets prominence on the DVD Cover!
ELYSE is an arthouse film in which an emotionally struggling woman battles for her marriage and sanity, and features a short appearance from Anthony Hopkins...
SAFE INSIDE sees an American couple in France, whose experience working as labourers on a country estate  goes awry...
Asia Argento stars in AGONY, as a woman who discovers her mother has just died, despite being told that she had died decades before...
ITS ME, BILLY is a fan-made sequel to the original Black Christmas, set in the present day. Click the link to watch the whole 42minute film!
Our Short Shot is EIGHTH WONDER, from JKK Films - we highly recommend you check out this short as well as some of their other work!
Finally, our DTV Throwback is BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA, one of my all-time favourites! Will Rich and Steve enjoy it too??
 
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 158 - Search and Destroy, The Fifth Execution, Cargo, Shakedown

This episode was originally recorded in Jan 2021.
 
Mike and Rich take a look at SEARCH AND DESTROY and have a very interesting debate on whether:
a. The film is MEANT to be toungue-in-cheek, and/or
b. The film is the most overtly gay-coded action flick made so far.
Check out the film on Amazon Prime and let us know if we are barking up the right trees on this one!
 
There's more confusion on our part with our next film, the totally bonkers THE FIFTH EXECUTION, which is definitely a film suffering from multiple personality disorders! Check out our review to hear us try and analyze just what the heck is going on in this film! (Also available on Prime as of time of publishing). 
Our Short Shot is CARGO, in which a new employee makes an unwitting and terrifying discovery on his first day!
Finally, our DTV Throwback is SHAKEDOWN, starring Erika Elaniak, Ron Perlman and Scott Wolf. Unfortunately, since recording this episode the film has been removed from Prime's library - For Shame, Prime! It can be picked up for a pittance though, and I thoroughly recommend doing so! (This is also a really bad trailer!)
 
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 157: Vanquish, No Man's Land, A Reckoning, Behind The Trees, Oasis, Beowulf

In this episode Mike, Rich, Steve and Will take a look at four new films. We kick off with VANQUISH, in which Ruby Rose is forced to act as a courier for retired, wheelchair-bound dirty cop Morgan Freeman.
Then it's off to the Mexican border for NO MAN'S LAND, which finds a young man fleeing for his life after a bit of vigilante border patrolling goes horribly wrong.
Lance Henriksen pops up briefly in A RECKONING, a low budget western in which a widow takes it upon herself to track down her husband's killer.
Finally, we're off to India for BEHIND THE TREES, in which an American couple meddle with local beliefs and supernatural forces.
 
Our Short Shot is OASIS, a very visually stunning film set in a desert where water has odd properties. This is from the same people who made Bad Hit, which we covered a few episodes ago!
 
Finally, our DTV Throwback is BEOWULF - starring Christopher Lambert and Rhona Mitra. This is set in a post-apocalyptic land which has reverted back to the days of swords and armour. It's certainly an odd one!
 
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 156: Justice League: Snyder Cut, Batman: Dying is Easy, Darkman 2: The Return of Durant

Mike and Rich embark on the 4 hour marathon which is the JUSTICE LEAGUE SNYDER CUT and are pretty impressed by the sights along the way! In keeping with the superhero theme, our Short Shot is a Batman fan film called DYING IS EASY. The company behind this short are called Bat In The Sun and we recommend you check out some of their other shorts!
To round things off, our DTV Throwback is a DTV sequel to Sam Raimi's Darkman. In DARKMAN 2: THE RETURN OF DURANT, Arnold Vosloo takes over from Liam Neeson. Cue melting faces and big explosions!
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 155: Initiation, Great White, Daughter of the Wolf, The Swordsman, Snake Dick, The Final Girls

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve check out the new slasher INITIATION, which is heavily influenced by the Brock Turner rape case from a couple of years ago and has a lot to say about toxic Fratboy culture. The its off to Australia for the latest Shark Peril movie, GREAT WHITE, which finds five people adrift in shark-infested waters!
Gina Carano and Richard Dreyfus star in our next review, DAUGHTER OF THE WOLF, which surprised us with some of its narrative choices. Last but certainly not least, we review THE SWORDSMAN, the latest "man seeks kidnapped child" movie, this time from Korea. 
Our Short Shot is the very on-the-nose titled SNAKE DICK, in which two attractive ladies turn the tables on some guys harassing them when their car breaks down at a gas station. A quick shout-out to ALTER for hosting this on their youtube channel!
The DTV Throwback is THE FINAL GIRLS, a meta love letter to 80's slashers and a big favourite of the team, so take a listen as we enthuse about 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!

Short Shots Ep 4 - Timothy J Cox - Jungle of Accounting, Camera Test, Miss Freelance

Welcome to a belated Short Shots, the podcast where Mike and Rich focus exclusively on short films!In this episode we look at three shorts featuring actor TIMOTHY J COX, a film-maker who has impressed us before with his work on Doll it Up and To Be Alone.
First up is THE JUNGLE OF ACCOUNTING, a fun pastiche of both old tv crime shows and office politics. Then in CAMERA TEST, an actor muses about the pointless assignment he is currently working on. We finish with MISS FREELANCE, in which a young woman of negotiable affection breaks some hearts and has her own tested.
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 154: The Virtuoso, Without Remorse, The Ninth Passenger, Jack Walker, The BIke Thief, Batman: Other Worlds, Zulu

Mike, Rich and Steve check out THE VIRTUOSO, in which a professional assassin takes on the proverbial "one last job". Then we tune in to Amazon Prime for WITHOUT REMORSE, featuring Michael B Jordan for some Tom Clancy-inspired mayhem! Afterwards we try to figure out just who is THE NINTH PASSENGER, before rooting for fictional ex action star JACK WALKER to make a rousing come-back! Finally, we watch THE BIKE THIEF, hiding all sharp objects beforehand.
Our Short Shot is BATMAN: OTHER WORLDS, a very wry comparison between the different iterations of the Caped Crusader. We also talk about a similar themed short, BATMAN EVOLUTION, which we recommend you take a look at also!
Finally, in the DTV Throwback we check out ZULU on Amazon Prime. This is not the Michael Cain/Stanley Baker classic, rather a taut thriller set in Cape Town and stars Orlando Bloom and Forest Whitaker!
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!