While not quite the homage to '50s horror flicks that its jacket promotes, "SLUGS" is still a surprisingly fun film.  While the premise of "toxic waste" causing creatures(slugs) to mutate is a staple of the "Cold War" Sci-fi films, those also had a certain polish to them.  "Nothing" about "SLUGS" is well polished.  Everything about it is amateur!  But, that's also part of what makes it appealing.  There's plenty of cheap-looking special effects and gore, some decent looking girls and bad acting.  In short, just enough to make this fun on repeated viewings.  ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT deserves credit for their dedication to the 16:9 format!  Even with a minor title such as "SLUGS" they've chosen to offer the film with 16:9 enhancement!!!

The transfer is fine, although a little grainy at times.  The 1.85:1 ratio is perfectly captured, and while there are no stunning compositions, the film's easy on the eyes, ...when slugs aren't attacking them in close-up!

The mono sound is unremarkable.  A trailer is included.

The strained but remarkable relationship between actor Klaus Kinski and Director Werner Herzog, are explored in the fascinating film, "MY BEST FRIEND", just released by ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT.  With clips and interviews from actors whom have worked with them both, including the lovely Claudia Cardinale, we learn some amazing and entertaining info on both men.  While this documentary won't appeal to the masses, anyone lucky enough to have viewed the films of these geniuses, will certainly enjoy it!

The transfer is generally impressive.  ANCHOR BAY has chosen to present the film with 16:9 enhancement and this certainly helps the resolution.  Still, various clips alternate in quality.  Grain is sometimes present as are infrequent artifacts.  The colors are generally strong and contrast is fine.  The surround sound offers no real directional effects, but the dialogue-driven film is always intelligible.

While there are undoubtedly "some" fans, somewhere whom may actually enjoy "Mirror Mirror", don't count this reviewer as one of them!  This poorly made, amateur horror film stars "Rainbow Harvest" as a troubled teenager whom seeks refuge from the taunts of her classmates by developing a rapport with a mirror.  Suddenly, one-by-one, her tormentors meet grisly deaths!  The film is entirely predictable and it's sad to see otherwise decent actors stuck in this!  The film appears in full-frame and nothing appears to have been cropped.  The transfer looks fine, with solid colors and minimal grain.  There is infrequent shimmering.  The stereo sound offers no directional effects or real separation, but the dialogue is always intelligible.

"THOU SHALT NOT KILL...EXCEPT" has been released by ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT.  While Director/writer Josh Becker actually displays some style, this "Platoon" meets "Death Wish" plot has actually been done much better by James Glickenhaus.  When Marine Sergeant Jack Stryker came back wounded from Vietnam, he had no idea what he was in store for, and neither did the bad guys responsible for kidnapping his girlfriend.  Sounds vaguely familiar?  Well, there's nothing original here.  ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT has done a tremendous job though in presenting the film with its correct aspect ratio of 1.66:1  While the image looks excessively grainy in spots, the master print couldn't have fared much better due to the low budget!  Colors are fine, and the opening segment in Vietnam displays solid color values throughout the entire scene.  Fleshtones are natural, contrast is decent, but again, not as high in quality, as achieved by most ANCHOR BAY releases. 

The mono sound is fine, with intelligible dialogue and no distortion.  The co-writer and director of the film provide a running commentary, and it's actually much more entertaining than the film itself.  These guys are real film lovers and their knowledge of film helps demonstrate how much smarter they are than their film would suggest.

There is a deleted scene sequence which adds nothing to the actual film, and the quality of the image is pretty bad with horrible contrast.  An alternate title sequence is actually entertaining, and we wish it had been included as an option for the film's beginning.

John Carpenter is the Executive Producer of "THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT", and it actually stands up there quality-wise with the best of his films.  Although directed by Stewart Raffill, "THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT" mixing sci-fi with a love story, is clearly venturing into Carpenter's domain.  Michael Pare(remember "Eddie and the Cruisers" and Nancy Allen star in this entertaining twilight zonish film.  We're supposed to believe that in 1943, a top-secret government experiment, dealing with the ability to make ships invisible to radar, goes wrong.  Various people are molded into parts of the ship, while others vanish.  Two of them are actually transported into the future, which is where the majority of the film takes place.

The transfer from ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT is terrific.  The colors are solid and fleshtones are always natural.  Contrast is close to perfect, even in the darkest segments.  There aren't a great deal of special effects, as the story actually focuses on a strong narrative and character development instead of action, but when the effects are there, excellent clarity helps greatly.  The newly remastered dolby digital 5.1 sound also comes to life during these effects sequences, creating a tornado of surround effects.