They Must Defeat the ROBOT MONSTER

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on DVD from director Phil Tucker and Bayview Entertainment celebrating the 70^th Anniversary Restoration in 3-D comes the 1953 classic ROBOT MONSTER.

One day while out walking, Johnny (Gregory Moffett) meets the Professor (John Mylong) and colleague Roy (George Nader). They are digging in a local cave and Johnny, along with little sister Carla (Pamela Paulson), are curious as to what the two men are searching for. After an incident, something drastically changes.

Determined to destroy all human life on Earth, a strange, antennae Ro-Man (George Barrows) is an alien who has one single purpose, end the life of any humans found. He is constantly being monitored by the Great Guidance Ro-Man (John Brown) making sure the clean sweep of Earth is carried out. Ro-Man informs the surviving group that consists of the Professor, his wife (Selena Royle), daughter Alice (Claudia Barrett) Roy along with Johnny and Carla that they are the last survivors.

Told to surrender and end life quietly, the Professor refuses to give up and convinces the others that they can fight against Ro-Man. There are two things in their favor: 1) a vaccine the Professor had given the survivors and 2) Ro-Man has feelings for Alice.

That doesn’t stop the surviving humans from doing everything possible to not only survive but try to evade the clutches of Ro-Man. It might be the simple human condition of love that stops Ro-Man from listening to the Great One. But is this all real? Is everything the humans are experiencing part of something unseen?

Bayview Entertainment is one of America’s leading independent distributors of feature films, fitness, wellness, and special-interest video releases. Bayview’s programs are available on the major streaming sites around the world plus on DVD and Bluray. Bayview can be found online at http://bayviewentertainment.com.

Founded in 1990 by award-winning producer, author and motion picture archivist Bob Furmanek, 3-D Film Archive is the first organization dedicated to saving and preserving our stereoscopic film heritage. Since 2014, 3-D Film Archive has restored over thirty vintage three-dimensional feature films for release on home video. 3-D Film Archive are now the leading experts in vintage stereoscopic film restoration. For more information, please visit http://3dfilmarchive.com.

3-D Bonus Features Include Stardust In Your Eyes (1953) – Robot Monster’s original prologue starring Slick Slaven aka Trustin Howard. New 4K scan from left/right 35mm master positives, Memories of a Pooped-Out Pinwheel (2022) – Greg Moffett shares his personal recollections of filming on location over a period of four days in March 1953, Travels Through Time & Space (2023) Newly curated vintage slide presentation from Stereoscopic Anthropologist, Hillary Hess, Adventures in 3-D (1953) – Newly restored Golden Age 3-D Comic Book, presented in association with Carl Scheckel at Carl’s Comix and Additional Trailer’s Vintage Shorts and a Restoration Demo.

2-D Bonus Features Include Saving Slick (2023) – Sean Thrunk’s new documentary short explains how 1950’s nightclub comedian Slick Slaven is reminded of his long-forgotten act and identity when his lost 3-D film is revived in 2003, Joe Dante, Trailers from Hell (2013) – 1956 Monster From Mars reissue trailer hosted by Joe Dante, courtesy of Trailers from Hell, Mistakes & Innovations (2023) – Bob Furmanek describes the original day-for-night footage and Phil Tucker’s innovative use of “Double Film” aka “3-D Blinkey”.

Also, Rescuing Ro-Man (2023) – This documentary short by filmmaker Sean Thrunk tells how an accidental discovery of two forgotten 35mm prints in 1990 saved the only complete 3-D footage, Feature Commentary Track (2022) with Greg Moffett, Mike Ballew, Eric Kurland and Lawrence Kaufman, Was I A Man (2022) – New song by The Other Favorites, aka Josh Turner and Carson McKee, played during the post-feature restoration credits and memorabilia gallery, Memorabilia Gallery (2023) – Created by Charles Barnard with original newspaper ads, posters, lobby cards and publicity photographs and Bela Lugosi – You Asked For It (July 27, 1953) – Appearance on live television, newly restored.

ROBOT MONSTER is a mixture of the end of humanity, family, a crazy ape light furry helmeted intelligent creature, love, death and camp all rolled into this 70^th anniversary release. The children are learning that the end of the world an adulthood isn’t that dissimilar as the kids are watching how this whole thing will play out.

The romance between Roy and Alice is a bit queasy, campy, charming and driven by angst that is more what I’d expect from teenagers but hey, there’s a weird alien wanting to end your life so get what you can get in case it all goes bottom’s up. The Professor believes that a vaccine he has created to cure all illnesses is what’s keeping the alien from discovering their true location, can we get ahold of that vaccine because it would be awesome in a game of hide and seek now.

Definite shout out to George Barrows for playing Ro-Man. I would bet money in Vegas that wearing that suit for the four days of filming proves that he should have won an award for just doing that. He is smart, slightly obedient, in love and its all wrapped up in fur, well done sir.

The ROBOT MONSTER Bluray restoration is presented in both BD3d (for those with the necessary equipment) and compatible anaglyphic 3-D which will play on any system or monitor, plus in standard 2-D as well. In addition, one pair of red/cyan anaglyphic glasses are included.

In the end – they are out there!

 

 

 

He is living NORTHERN SHADE

 

Jeri Jacquin

On bluray from writer/director Christopher Rucinski and Bayview entertainment is the story of a veteran and the past with NORTHERN SHADE.

Justin McLaughlin (Jesse Gavin) is an Army veteran living on his father’s boat and steering clear from family and basically everyone for years. He works and returns to the boat day after day. A knock from police to tell him his truck has been found; Justin is confused since he gave it to younger brother Charlie (Joseph Poliquin).

Now everyone thinks Charlie has gone missing and Justin knows he must break his isolation to go out and find him. When the police aren’t interested, he meets Frankie (Titania Galliher), also a vet who tried being a cop but found private investigations more her style. Justin gets information that his brother might be with a man named Billy (Romano Orzari) who is an extreme paramilitary leader.

Going to their base, Justin discovers that instead of getting his brother, Billy wants Justin to join up and help train the men at the camp. Justin is immediately turned off having lived his own personal nightmare of war. Billy lets him go but not without a parting shock!

Surprised by his brothers decision to stay at the camp, Justin decides that he is going to get his brother no matter what he has to say about it. Frankie joins him as back up and what they discover about Billy’s plans are frightening and Charlie is caught in the middle of it. There is no time and split decisions are made in order to stop it all – but do they make it in time?

Gavin as Justin is a man haunted by his own experience growing up, a dysfunctional family and the trauma of war. What he didn’t realize is that his own self-isolation has caused pain for those who love him. Realizing he must save his brother; Gavin gives us the experience of the war memories and what happens after. He might not say a lot but his actions are clear and without question.

Orzari as Billy is just out of his mind plain and simple. He gets into the minds of those in his camp and distorts truth in order to get them to carry out his heinous plan. Orzari delivers his lines with distain and hostility to make you believe this character walks the earth today as so many of them do.

Galliher as Frankie has her own experiences with war and the trauma that it caused her during time as a cop. She lets Justin know that she understands and that getting his brother may be filled with danger but it is worth every step to save him.

Poliquin as Charlie is a young man just trying to deal with trauma of his own. His confusion comes from a brother that didn’t save the boy when he needed it the most. That confusion has turned to anger and to fill it, Billy convinces him that the camp and its people are his family and support him in everything. Poliquin gives his character the bottom line of that he just wants his pain to be heard.

Other cast include Nick Santoro as Matthew, Sheila Ball as Rachel, Alejandro Bravo as Noel Acosta, Terrance Carty as Freeman, Alex Haase as Vin, Marian Edminston as Nancy McLaughlin, Sheena Henderson as Giles, Kit Kindell as Mary, Brian McDonald as Captain Tim Smith and Rose Marie Guess as Michelle.

Bayview Entertainment has been a full-service media company committed to acquiring, developing, producing, marketing and distributing audio-visual content. With a catalog of over 3,500 titles across a wide range of genres, BayView has been home to some of the biggest names in the industry, including titles that have been nominated for or won Independent Spirit Awards, Golden Glove Awards and NAACP Image Awards, as well as premiered at festivals such as TIFF, Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW, Tribeca and Fantasia. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.vayviewentertainment.com.

The film has also voted Best Narrative Feature by the Fargo Film Festival, Best Drama Feature, Best Actor for Jesse Gavin by the Legacy Theatre Film Festival, Best Feature 2^nd Runner Up by the Woods Hole Film Festival, Best Screenplay by the Phoenix Film Festival, Best Feature by the Poppy Jasper Film Festival and Best Actor by the DTLA Film Festival.

NORTHERN SHADE covers so much with its story set during Covid. There are so many themes it actually covers. First and foremost is the dysfunction of Justin’s family prior to the military. A father who wasn’t a father and a mother who had issues of her own. He reacted terribly to both these things and took his anger out on a youngster.

Joining the military might have seemed like a good idea at the time but, as with most soldiers, there is intense trauma that has effected Justin’s ability to live day to day. Self-isolating once he returns home is one of the symptoms of PTSD and avoiding family is certainly another that has become sadly commonplace.

Trying to do the right thing by his brother, he comes into contact with the outside world again only to discover that it is just as ugly as he remembered. Justin pushes on and even if he falls occasionally, he does push on to one goal – to get his brother home once again.

In the end - bring him home!

It is the ENORMITY OF LIFE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray/DVD and Digital from writer/director Eric Swinderman, Carmen DeFranco and Bayview Entertainment is the ENORMITY OF LIFE.

Casey (Breckin Meyer) is a man that is floating through life seemingly with no emotion attached to anything. Deciding that perhaps its time to check out, he is stopped by fate when a telephone call changes his life. A great-aunt decided that the only family member worth her small fortune is Casey.

Adding to his newfound life is Jess (Emily Kinney), a young woman who is having a rough time with a boss that makes her cringe until Casey steps in. Having a few bucks in his pocket starts bringing family out of the woodwork. Sister Missy (Debra Herzog) makes it clear that she is entitled to half of the money and now his own mother has gone missing.

Taking Jess to her home, Casey doesn’t find her but instead has a deep conversation with Jess about life, home and deep-rooted feelings about childhood. Offering to help Jess, Casey picks up young daughter Jules (Giselle Eisenberg) who puts him through the ringer with questions and has quirks of her own.

It doesn’t end there, Mom Dorothy’s psychiatric issues have surfaced in a serious way that causes Casey to make a financial death with sister Missy. On their way home, Jules has a serious episode wanting to go to a town where a school shooting took place to speak to a survivor. The crazy day has caused emotions to run high with Casey and Jess as unravel where they stand with each other after four days.

Meyer as Casey has had a hellacious life which explains his feelings about, well, nothing. Receiving a financial windfall does not change how he feels, in fact it just confuses him more. Meyer gives us a character that does not give the viewer anything, as if we needed anything else with the other chaos just happening one after the other. Yet, there is an acceptance by Meyer’s character that he already learned at a young age that no one is actually hearing what he has to say and certainly does not believe in moments of happiness. A fantastic job, truly.

Kinney as Jess has also seen her share of what life can do when your busy serving up food. Trying to do what is right by her daughter, she also realizes there is only so much you can do. Jess accepts her fate but, the difference between she and Casey is that Jess feels in the midst of her own tornado and invites Casey to merge his so they can go through it together. Kinney is lovely and understanding in this role.

Eisenberg as young Jules is a whirlwind of emotions. After seeing what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary, this character has an unhealthy addiction to facts and figures regarding mass shootings. Her mind can not get past the horror so that now the horror follows every step she takes. Eisenberg is wonderful and her reaction to Jules mindset is so well done and intense.

Herzog as Missy is that sister who can not be trusted with any responsibility. When Casey realizes that there is only one way to get her to do the right thing, it means a trust that is already on a razors edge.

Other cast includes Aubree Stone as Emily, Bryant Carroll as Randy, David Vegh as Detective Dunn, Allen O’Reilly as Abe Berkman, Katherine DeBoer as Connie Richman, Meg Rasmussen as young Dorothy, Jeff Timlin as Daniel Repas and Davis Aguila as Antonio.

BayView Entertainment, LLC, is a full-service media company committed to acquire, develop, produce, market and distribute audio-visual content. For over fifteen years, BayView made its name by being dedicated to releasing only the best programs in each category from some of the most trusted names in the field. BayView is honored to partner with hundreds of independent film and video producers who have trusted BayView with carefully planned distribution for their labors of love. For more please visit www.bayviewentertainment.com

ENORMITY OF LIFE is a story of one man’s journey through a hell that he feels no one else can possibly understand. Believing from childhood that his life is a target for death, there is nothing that has happened from then to adulthood to change that feeling. Jess and Jules coming into his life is a view into how it all could be.

The twists and turns take the viewer on a chaotic journey but that is important if we are to understand the thought process and the jaw dropping ending. This is an emotional lesson on the frailty of human beings from the first scene to the end.

In the end – sometimes to love you have to let go!