Cabin Fever (Unrated Director's Cut)

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: February 16, 2010

Rated: Unrated

Runtime: 98 Minutes

The Movie:

I really don't understand the hate on this film. Film critics were very mixed on the movie, but then you have big name directors like Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds) praising this movie. Tarantino even referred to Roth as "The Future of Horror."

Just about everybody that I know that has seen this movie hated it, yet they claim to be big horror movie fans. Well, I personally believe if you are a true horror movie fan, this movie will please you! Now first of all, if you like horror movies, you have to enjoy and respect the independent and low-budget horror movies that are frequently made. While most are either lame and/or forgettable, there's always that one that stands out, and this little film is one of them!

This film starts out in the typical sense with a group of college kids on their way to spending, what they hoped would be, an enjoyable weekend by renting a cabin in the woods. You have your stereotypical cast of the nice guy in love with the girl from his childhood, the good girl, the rude and offensive guy (who could possibly be the jock), and the conceited and sexually active couple. Then throw in some stereotypical locals, a racist old shop-keep, and a weird, mullet-rocking, martial arts kid, just for fun.

Once the kids arrive at the cabin, here's where the story ditches the stereotypical horror movie. There are no demons coming for them, no guy with a chainsaw, no guy with a machete or no crazy inbreds. No, its worse than all that combined. This killer is silent and can't be killed once it gets you.. So, what is it? Why, it's a flesh-eating virus that is spreading rapidly among the group!

Ok, I know what you're thinking. This can't be scary. Well when you think about it, it actually is. You can get away from someone thats chasing you with a chainsaw, if you are lucky enough, but a flesh-eating virus? There's no stopping it if it gets to you.

The theatrical version (which isn't included on the blu-ray) runs at 93 minutes, where the unrated version runs at 98 minutes. The added scenes don't really add that much more to the movie, but they are interesting. One focuses on Bert, another on the local townsfolk, an homage to The Evil Dead, and a smoother cut of the conclusion.

There is plenty of nudity and there are tons of really well shot and creative gore and death scenes. And top that off with tons of blood. Some of the scenes can even be cringe-worthy. If a horror movie is able to make you cringe, flinch, or even give you goosebumps for a moment, then you know that movie is doing something right.

Watching this movie, you can see Eli Roth's passion for horror movies. Even in his other movies, Hostel & Hostel 2 (which I wasn't a fan of when I saw them), his passion of horror movies are strongly present. He knows what he wants and he's not afraid of doing what he believes will work. And he demonstrates that well with his directorial debut here. Watching the "making-of" for this movie you see how passionate he is, as well as the entire cast too. Sure there are a few scenes that make absolutely no sense at all (Pancakes, anyone?), but its those scenes that will stand out and be remembered when you think about this movie.

I saw this when it came out in theaters back in 2003, and I frequently return to visit this movie on dvd, and now on blu-ray. It's rare to come across a movie with originality that actually works, but Roth was able to pull it off here. The payoff at the end with the racist shop-keep was one of my favorite parts of this movie. Cabin Fever is easily one of the better American-made horror films to come out in the last ten years, hell, maybe even longer!

Presentation:

This film is presented in full 1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. This low-budget movie comess off looking good on blu-ray. Now it's not a movie that you would consider as a "demo" disc, but it is a very passable upgrade. Colors are strong, with red always standing out and blacks are very deep. The detail on the special effects is easily a noticeable upgrade over the dvd. Background detail doesn't standout as well as you would hope on a high-definition transfer, but that's expected with this being a independent low-budget movie.

Overall, the transfer is a noticeable upgrade over dvd, but not by much. However, for fans of this movie that have been waiting to see the Unrated Director's Cut, blu-ray is your only option. Keep your eyes open in certain retail stores because one of them is known for selling Lionsgate blu-rays for a very-low price, making the upgrade a very affordable and easy choice.

Audio:

I was surprised to see this film get a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Not much is going on in the film to warrant this audio. There's very little sound effects, but the splattering and squishing sounds that happen throughout the course of the movie sounded great. Dialogue sounded clearer as well when compared to the dvd, so there's another plus there.

Bonus Material:

All of the extras that were on the dvd release have been ported over EXCEPT for the original FIVE audio commentary tracks that were found on the dvd, and the "Chick-o-vision," which was actually an amusing subtitle track that would put "hands" on the screen whenever something scary was to happen.

• Audio Commentary - Is a new commentary that was recorded for the blu-ray release featuring director Eli Roth, actors Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, Cerina Vincent and Joey Kern. Fans of James DeBello will be disappointed as he is not in the commentary. It is a good commentary that included Roth talking about the changes between the two versions, and the actors sharing some interesting stories since they made the film. Definitely worth listening to.
• Family-Friendly Version (480p, Runtime 1:13) - A HEAVILY edited version of the movie for kids to watch... It's actually entertaining for what it is and its length.
• Director's Shorts: The Rotten Fruit (480p, Runtime 18:26) - A series of funny (possibly offensive to some), stop-motion shorts about a band that consist of talking fruit. Episode 2 and Episode 4 are exclusive to the blu-ray release. NOTE: There is an audio issue on one of the shorts. If your blu-ray player is internet-connected, when you first load the disc, it will ask you to download the update. Download it, and you will be fine.
• Beneath The Skin: The Making of Cabin Fever (480p, Runtime 29:00) - A funny making of that includes interviews with the cast and crew, Eli Roth explains how he became a fan of horror movies, and how sincere the cast was on the film.
• Pancakes! (480p, Runtime 1:45) - The kid that shouts out "Pancakes" for no reason in the movies shows off some more off his martial arts.
• Postcards from Bunyon County (1080p, Runtime 2:32) - A short feature of still that were collected during the production of the movie.
• Trailers - Cabin Fever (which is only in 480p, not even 1080p), and a Lionsgate Blu-Ray promo.

I'm actually disappointed in the fact that Lionsgate couldn't include the original commentaries, plus not including both cuts of the movie. Normally when I upgrade a movie to its blu-ray counterpart, I would get rid of the dvd. In this case, the dvd is staying on the shelf.

Bottom Line:

Haters will hate on me, and let them. It's their loss if they can't appreciate a well done low-budget horror movie that is Cabin Fever. Hardcore fans will want to upgrade in order to see the Unrated cut, but regular fans will probably be content with their dvd. It has a very passable transfer, good and clear audio, and a nice new audio commentary that's worth listening to. If you are able to come across this movie with a low-price that Lionsgate has been known for, then this is a no brainer!

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Theatrical)

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: April 6, 2010

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: FotR - 178 Minutes, TT - 179 Minutes, RotK - 200 Minutes

"Is this the one trilogy to rule them all?"

The Movie:

Is there anyone that doesn't know what the Lord of the Rings movies are about? Well, for those that are unfamiliar with this trilogy, allow me to provide you with a quick summary with a video from YouTube below.

Anytime I think of Lord of the Rings, Clerks 2 is the first movie that comes to mind. Haha. But, to be honest, I'm not a big sci-fi person. I am actually NOT a fan of Star Wars at all! However, I did enjoy the LOTR movies. And after rewatching the trilogy on blu-ray, I forgot how much I enjoyed these movies.

But anyway, heres a quick summary: The Lord of the Rings focuses on a hobbit, Frodo, who volunteers to leave his home, called The Shire, and travel through the dangerous Middle-earth to the volcanic Mount Doom in Mordor, where he must destroy the "One Ring" by throwing it into the fires. The "One Ring" was created by Lord Sauron to conquer Middle-earth. Traveling along with Frodo on his epic journey are his hobbit friends (Merry, Pippin and Samwise), Aragorn (the future heir to Gondor), Legolas (an Elf), Gimli (a Dward), Gandalf (the wizard) and Boromir (human warrior). Together they become the "Fellowship of the Ring." And let the journey begin.

Along their journey they encounter all kinds of evil such as Saruman, a group of Ringwraiths, and a powerful army of Orcs all trying to do whatever it takes to retrieve that Ring. Just like in any story, the inevitable happens and the Fellowship is broken up, and they go on their separate ways to continue fighting or trying to save their friends that have been captured. Frodo and Samwise are attacked by Gollum, who then leads Frodo to believe that he will help them get to Mordor, when Gollum's real motive is to be reunited with "his precious," aka the Ring. A Character that meets his departure earlier on, re-emerges to continue to help the battle. Gandalf & Théoden rally their forces to defend Gondor from Sauron. Aragon takes the throne of Gondor and then summons a ghost army to help defeat Sauron. After a long journey and many obstacles in their way, Frodo and Sam make it to Mount Doom to finally destroy the One Ring once and for all. And then cue all the endings that follow next.

Oh yes, I left ALOT out. Thats because there's too much too cover in a short little summary. But you get the point. And if you still haven't seen these movies, I don't know what you're waiting for. Unless you have zero interest in seeing these movies, or just don't have the time to dedicate to watching all three films (Over nine hours in total for the Theatrical, and over ten hours for the Extended Editions).

But after re-watching these for the first time since the Extended Editions came out years ago, I forgot how good these movies really are. Yes, they are long, but well worth the time! The amount of detail is amazing in these films. And to note that each film was made for under $100 million (which is almost nothing for a film now), impressive isn't even the word.

All the Academy Awards it's won, including Best Picture of 2003, all the money it's made, all the positive reviews, it's all worth every bit of the hype! The cast was amazing. I actually forgot about certain actor's being involved, and now recognized actors that I didn't know of back then. Every actor involved puts on one hell of a memorable performance. This trilogy is one that's gonna be remembered for many years to come.

Presentation:

All of the films are presented in full 1080p in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

• FotR: Wow. First, let me go ahead and say that it does look better than the dvd. BUT, for a blu-ray release, especially for one of the most anticipated blu-rays since the HD era began, this is VERY disappointing! The image is very blurry, colors do not stand out like they should, objects look flat and lack detail, and even the CGI looks pretty weak. Facial shots upclose do look good at times, but the skintones are so oversaturated and just don't look right at all. Probably due to excessive use of DNR.
• TT: Ok, LOTR fans, calm down. This movie looks ALOT better than FotR. Detail was alot more sharper, and the CGI looked alot smoother and clearer, especially The Eye of Sauron and the scenes involving Gollum. Colors were vibrant and strong. Some facial closeups still looked a little blurry, but nothing too distracting. Background images and textures looked really smooth. Again, DNR is still present, and can be heavily obvious at time, but it's not as annoying as it was in part one.
• RotK: Easily the best looking of the three. The whole opening with Smeagol's transformation looked incredible! Also Smeagol seemed to have even more visible detail than was noticeable in part two. Colors were alot more vibrant, blacks were solid, backgrounds were clearer, and the detail on the CGI looked alot better. The only color that seemed to show issue was white (particularly with Gandalf). DNR was still present throughout, but it wasn't as bad and noticeable in this one as it was in part one.

Audio:

Thankfully all three of the films are given a 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. If you have a surround sound system, be prepared to be blown away. Even for those without surround sound, they will still be impressed with the audio track provided. All the dialogue, sound effects and soundtrack come through crystal clear! The LOTR Trilogy was meant to be heard in HD!

Bonus Material:

Ok. This trilogy is a 9 disc set. Each movie gets 3 discs and heres how it breaks down:

• Disc 1 of each movie is the blu-ray disc, which contains the full movie and trailers for the LOTR movies, a trailer for the new "Aragorn's Quest" video game, and a trailer for the trilogy on blu-ray.
• Disc 2 of each movie is THE EXACT second disc that was released with the original theatrical dvd's back in 2002, 2003, and 2004. They even have the trailer for the Extended Edition DVD (yes the DVD, not blu-ray) that was coming out later that year.
• Disc 3 of each movie is a digital copy of each film.

Bottom Line:

It's the LOTR trilogy finally on blu-ray! Hardcore fans of LOTR are going to be highly disappointed because of the lack of releasing the Extended Editions (which Peter Jackson confirmed will be coming with all new special features). However, this is currently the only way you can watch LOTR in HD. Minus the lackluster image of the first movie, the image for the second and third is great! And the audio is top notch! If you really have to have the LOTR trilogy on blu-ray, or don't care about the Extended Editions or special features, then go for it. Otherwise, just hold out a little longer for the Extended Editions with all the special features and all the "new" special features!