tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1964740912324492072024-03-18T20:58:43.008-04:00Direct to Video ConnoisseurI'm a huge fan of direct to video action, sci-fi, and horror. In this blog I review and discuss some of my favorites and not-so-favorites.Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.comBlogger1242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-25338849347262233222024-03-16T11:29:00.003-04:002024-03-16T11:42:58.329-04:00Code Name Vengeance (1987)This is one I watched back in May of '21 for the "Ginty Moore Beef Stew" episode of the DTVC podcast, where the guys from Comeuppance and I looked at our top Robert Ginty films. I planned on reviewing it soon after, but it was removed from streaming before I could get any screengrabs, so I had to wait. Now we're finally able to make it happen. In addition to us and the guys at Comeuppance, Mitch Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-22216508106378250752024-03-09T11:34:00.001-05:002024-03-09T11:34:34.907-05:00Miao tan shuang long aka City Cops (1989)With DTVC Hall of Famer and 40-Club member Cynthia Rothrock celebrating her birthday yesterday, I wanted to get a review up for her, and saw that this was available on Tubi. It's one of two Hong Kong films of hers we haven't done yet, the other being Lady Reporter, so I figured it would be perfect. In addition to us, our friends Ty and Brett at Comeuppance have covered this as well.City Cops has Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-54808477256139885802024-03-02T12:54:00.001-05:002024-03-02T12:54:17.727-05:00Fit to Kill (1993)As we continue to work our way through all of Andy Sidaris's LETHAL Ladies films, we're onto this one from 1993. Maybe not as well known as some of the others, it does introduce DTVC Hall of Famer Julie Strain, so it has to at least be notable for that. In addition to us, Mitch from The Video Vacuum has covered this as part of his Sirens of Skinamax series, and SteveQ at Down in the Z Movies.Fit Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-91245376470553014922024-02-24T11:12:00.003-05:002024-02-24T11:12:34.453-05:00Murder City (2023)I've been a huge Mike Colter fan since I saw him in Luke Cage, which is one of my favorite things Marvel has done. When I saw this Tubi Original with him in it pop up on my Tubi recommendations, I knew I had to make it happen. Let's see how it did.Murder City has Colter as a semi-corrupt cop who decides to take his dad (Antonio Fargas) up on an offer to make some easy cash by doing a drop off andDirect to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-37041422026202032432024-02-22T22:53:00.001-05:002024-02-22T22:53:50.782-05:00Equal Standard (2020)I was looking to get some more Ice-T on the site, and saw this on Tubi. The story looked compelling, which was made even more so when I learned that the screenwriter, Taheim Bryan, was murdered about a year after this came out. Great story, great cast, this had all the hallmarks of a solid film.Equal Standard follows an NYPD detective named Chris (Tobias Truvillion) who is out with a friend, and Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-2060912661592533332024-02-17T16:23:00.000-05:002024-02-17T16:23:14.992-05:00The Commando (2022)I saw this on Tubi and wanted to make it happen strictly to get more Michael Jai White on the site, and the fact that it had some other favorites like Mickey Rourke and Jeff Fahey helped. In addition to us, the New York Times, The Guardian, and Variety have covered this too.The Commando has White as a DEA agent suffering from PTSD after accidentally shooting and killing a wife and her two young Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-84083743413970599982024-02-10T16:22:00.001-05:002024-02-10T16:23:24.190-05:00Deadly Impact aka Impatto mortale (1984)With this weekend being the Super Bowl here in the States, and with the Kansas City Chiefs one of the participants, I figured we'd do a Fred Williamson film, considering he played in the first Super Bowl for that same Chiefs team. Also, this is a good time for us to officially celebrate his entry into the 30 Club. In addition to us, the guys at Comeuppance and The Video Vacuum have covered this, Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-51843587813645889022024-02-08T18:08:00.000-05:002024-02-10T15:31:25.654-05:00Craving (2023)In my attempt to get at least one indie movie in per month, I figured I'd see what old friend of the site J. Horton was up to. I saw that this was on Tubi, and had been meaning to watch it for a while, so it seemed like the right time. Unfortunately I was ill and this review sat, but we're making it happen now. In addition to us, another friend of the site, screenwriter Tom Joliffe, has covered Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-70206181891693421082024-02-04T11:41:00.000-05:002024-02-04T11:41:23.350-05:00American Warships (2012)With the unfortunate passing of the great Carl Weathers, a post in his honor was required. He's someone who has only been on the site twice, but his influence is so massive, especially to me as an action movie fan, that finding something to review for him as soon as possible was absolutely necessary. In addition to us, Bulletproof Action has covered this as well.American Warships is about an EMP Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-82986629116110803822024-01-20T12:48:00.002-05:002024-01-20T12:48:40.672-05:00Gunfight at Rio Bravo (2023)This is one Ty and I covered on the site back in episode 128 in June of last year. After Red Prophecies was kind of a dud for our "Casper Van Double Feature" episode, we decided to give Nevesky a second chance, and the fact that this had Gruner and Hues didn't hurt either. In addition to us, Chris the Brain at Bulletproof has done this one as well.Gunfight at Rio Bravo has Nevsky as Ivan Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-50389765701984021322024-01-13T15:30:00.002-05:002024-01-13T15:30:17.754-05:00Astro (2018)This is one that's been on the shelf for a long time. Back in 2020 when I did my Gary Daniels Letterboxd list as part of my 1000th post celebration, I watched this along with a bunch of others of his that I hadn't seen in order to inform my decisions, but unlike those others which I had since reviewed, this one lingered to the point where I needed to rewatch it, and when a film hits the dreaded Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-69916646959467494232024-01-06T22:36:00.002-05:002024-01-06T22:37:28.144-05:00Corrective Measures (2022)Last year at this time, Ty and I covered this film as what was then our second episode together looking at Bruce Willis's recent DTV films, episode 116 We're still looking at those films, only now we've also branched out to other stars, like Bruce Dern, not so much because we've given up, but we found we needed to mix things up with how rough some of those DTV Willis flicks can be.Corrective Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-12318344359723505392023-12-30T10:42:00.000-05:002023-12-30T10:42:57.887-05:00Cypher (2002)Back in September I had screenwriter Tom Jolliffe on the pod to update us on his newest project, The Baby in the Basket, and we also discussed this film. It wasn't one I'd heard of before, but I was intrigued by it, so I was excited to see how it went. For that episode, it's number 134 in the archives.Cypher stars Jeremy Northam as a meek businessperson who wants to get into corporate espionage. Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-35679793315836326362023-12-28T20:14:00.000-05:002023-12-28T20:14:12.612-05:00Beneath Us All (2023)This was a screener submission that producer Joe Williamson sent over. It's the newest film from Harley Wallen, and considering how much I enjoyed Ash and Bone, he was excited for me to give it a look. Unfortunately it got lost in the shuffle between between work and other things I had going on, but as we close out the year, I'm finally able to make it happen. Let's see how it did.Beneath Us All Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-11009330837935424232023-12-23T16:30:00.000-05:002023-12-23T16:30:14.262-05:00The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump (2023)Continuing a tradition I started back in December of 2019 when I covered the documentary on Roger Corman's Fantastic Four film, I'm doing a documentary review for Christmas. This one piqued my interest because of how many films Randall Emmett has produced that we've reviewed on the site, in addition to all the ones Ty and I have been covering on the podcast. It almost felt like I couldn't not do Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-29747597608135392762023-12-16T17:07:00.000-05:002024-01-06T20:59:55.280-05:00The Getback (2023)This is one that was on my radar just for the Theo Rossi factor. I've been a big fan of his since seeing him in the Luke Cage Netflix series. As Ty from Comeuppance and I were looking at more movies to do podcasts on, I felt like this would be a natural one, because it not only had him, but Kim Coates, whom we're both a fan of, and Dermot Mulroney, who had a great showing in Section 8. That Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-31695178191727919142023-12-09T18:46:00.001-05:002023-12-09T18:46:19.830-05:00Outlaw Johnny Black (2023)This is one I'd been waiting for for some time, once I saw it listed on Michael Jai White's IMDb bio. After how great Black Dynamite was, 14 years was plenty of time in between to get his next effort, and I was excited by the fact that he was going to take a stab at Blaxploitation Westerns. When my cable company offered their $1 weekend rental deal again, I figured that was the perfect time to Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-64828170988134290472023-12-03T00:24:00.001-05:002024-02-10T10:48:46.296-05:00Warriors of the Wasteland aka New Barbarians aka I nuovi barbari (1983)In the interests of getting more Fred Williamson on the site, this is one that had been in my Tubi queue for a while, so I figured why not finally make it happen. Of course, when I went to watch it, Tubi had taken it down, so I went to Plex--which it turned out was a bad idea, because Amazon had it on Prime, which I'm already paying for. Anyway, in addition to us, Ty and Brett from Comeuppance Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-35041947048444185022023-11-26T13:04:00.001-05:002023-11-26T13:04:48.860-05:00Chinatown Connection (1990)This is it, Art Camacho becomes our third member of the 50 Club, after Dolph and Gary Daniels. Unlike those two, he's gotten his tags mostly for his work behind the camera, but Ty from Comeuppance made the point that this would be a perfect film for Camacho's 50th on the site, because he has a larger acting role in it. I found it on YouTube, and planned to make it happen sooner, but between otherDirect to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-44217926693381854992023-11-18T17:34:00.000-05:002023-11-18T17:34:55.980-05:00The Courier (2019)Back in June of this year, I had Will from Exploding Helicopter on the podcast to look at two films from Olga Kurylenko. The first was High Heat, costarring Don Johnson, and the second was this film. With the names in this alone, it should've been a sure bet, but as we've seen here on the DTVC, it's often the sure bets that turn out to be duds.The Courier has Olga Kurylenko as, you guessed it, a Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-86467794202774112422023-11-11T16:54:00.003-05:002023-11-11T16:54:29.157-05:00A Time to Die (1991)With the unfortunate passing of Richard Roundtree, I wanted to do a post in honor of him, and saw that this PM flick he was in is available on YouTube, so I figured I'd make it happen. In addition to us, Ty and Brett at Comeuppance, Chris the Brain at Bulletproof, and Simon at Explosive action have all covered this--and in addition to them, IMDb says Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide have also Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-59532940228949752682023-11-06T11:54:00.000-05:002023-11-06T11:54:26.442-05:004Got10 (2015)This is it, Dolph Lundgren's 70th film reviewed on the site, and on the weekend that we're celebrating his 66th birthday. This is also kind of the last of his DTV actioners that we have to cover of his, and it's been sitting for a while because Dolph has been putting out so much new stuff that I've prioritized those over this; but we're caught up on those ones, so figured it was time to finally Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-38518624736679370522023-10-28T17:06:00.000-04:002023-10-28T17:06:42.304-04:00Night of the Wilding (1990)We finish up our DTVC Hall of Fame inductions with, you guessed it, Spiro Razatos! Wait, you thought it was Erik Estrada? I guess I can see where you might have thought that. Anyhow, in addition to us, our friends Ty and Brett at Comeuppance have covered this one as well.Night of the Wilding is an early PM flick starring Erik Estrada as a defense attorney, the best in the business who never losesDirect to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-85010845923234814142023-10-22T10:27:00.000-04:002023-10-22T10:27:34.416-04:00Rowdy Girls (2000)We continue our 2023 Hall of Fame inductions with one of the all-time greats, and someone who played a big part in my love of DTV films, Shannon Tweed. Now you'd think an erotic thriller would probably be a better bet for her induction post, but I saw this was finally on Tubi, and I thought I'd seen it before and remembered liking Tweed in it, plus it was a Troma flick with another Hall of Famer,Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196474091232449207.post-42134525955178826632023-10-21T21:28:00.000-04:002023-10-21T21:28:27.476-04:00Revenge of the Gweilo (2020)Even though we're currently in Hall of Fame month, I figured we'd take a short break from it so I could get this one reviewed. After watching Lady Terror for director/writer/actor/producer Nathan Hill, I wanted to have a better context of him as a filmmaker, so I saw this was on Tubi around the same time and figured I'd give it a look. Unfortunately though I got backed up with work and other Direct to Video Connoisseurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310858965138247572noreply@blogger.com0