BUY: TERMINATOR: SALVATION

Director MCG’s surprisingly dark take on the Terminator mythology met with great resistance from the press. Critics called the flick soulless (Uh, it’s post-apocalyptic, people) and chose to focus their reviews on Christian Bale’s infamous obscenity-laced, on-set rant against a careless crew member. Even James Cameron, director of Terminator 1 & 2, reportedly had lukewarm feelings towards the fourth chapter in the John Conner saga.

Well, fuck James Cameron in the neck. Terminator: Salvation is by far the best entry in the franchise. Sure, the first two Terminators were cool when they first came out–much like stone-wash jeans–but they just don’t stand the test of time. The story is still one of the most compelling in sci-fi, but you have to get through a lot of cheese to get to the meat of the Terminator mythos.

"Is there a crew guy behind me?"

Set in the year 2018, Salvation doesn’t waste time with cute cyborg-out-of-water scenarios (though there are cyborgs in the water). Instead, the film, a prequel of sorts, skips the time travel to paint a brutally dismal future where a variety of  killing machines–each more frightening than the last–hunt down human survivors. John Connor (Bale) is now leading the war against Skynet and has discovered its plan to harvest people to use in the development of their new human/cyborg hybrid … the T-800.

Along with providing the origins of the T-800, Salvation also introduces Conner’s father Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) as an adolescent. Other new characters joining in on the battle against the bots include more human than human cyborg Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) and femme-fatal warrior and pilot Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood).

Terminator: Rise of the ... well, you know.

Salvation really comes through in story and jaw-dropping effects (think The Road meets Transformers). The scope and intensity MCG has brought to the franchise is impressive and sure to pump up fans for a new series of Terminator movies. It should also be noted that Bale has given us a John Connor we can finally stand behind (hard to believe Edward Furlong’s whiny teen-bitch Connor grew up to be such a bad-ass).

Terminator: Salvation is available on DVD and Blu-ray disc from Warner Home Video. If you have the means, I recommend the Blu-ray. Along with a handful of bonus features, the BD includes an R-rated Director’s Cut of the movie that features a little more violence and a deleted brief topless scene from the very sexy Moon Bloodgood.

RENT: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT BOX SET (PARTS 3, 4, 5)

The first Silent Night, Deadly Night is the amusingly disturbing tale of a boy named Ricky Caldwell who grows up to be a serial killer after witnessing the murders of his parents by a killer in a Santa suit. The film is holiday classic and definitely a must own. It’s four sequels, however, add up to a steaming pile of coal. But, that’s not stopping Lionsgate Home Video from releasing a three-disc set priced at $19.99 (you can pick it up at Amazon for $14.99). The box set marks the first time the following three titles are available on DVD:

Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out finds Ricky stalking a blind clairvoyant girl as she travels with her brother to meet her family on Christmas Eve. Cast includes stunner Laura Harring (One Missed Call, Dead Women in Lingerie) and Bill Moseley (Devil’s Rejects, Halloween) as Ricky Caldwell.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation dashes off in a completely different direction by centering its story around an ancient Egyptian cult. Noteworthy actors include “Moonlighting’s” Allyce Beasley, Bond-girl Maud Adams, and B-movie icon Clint Howard (Halloween, the Dentist 2).

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker stars a then 71-year-old Mickey Rooney as a beloved toy maker with a Geppetto complex who may be up to no good.

These sequels are awful, but worth a few laughs if viewed while intoxicated. I suggest using your Netflix.

BURY: DEADLINE

Brittany Murphy stars as Alice, an emotionally unstable writer out to finish a manuscript in a desolate Victorian house. Spooked by unexplained noises and an ongoing sensation that she’s being watched, Alice explores the house and finds camera tapes belonging to a troubled couple that once lived at the residence . The woman in the video (Thora Birch) appears tormented and it soon becomes clear to Alice that the woman is dead and haunting the home.

Deadline is pretty generic stuff. In fact, it’s so dull, I couldn’t help but to think about the deadlines I was missing by watching this flick. No scares. No suspense. And , the make-up is Halloween shop caliber. All this could have been forgiven with some frivolous Birch boob shots, but such was not the case.

Deadline is available from First Look Studios. Both DVD and Blu-ray include a short BTS featurette and trailers.