DVD Review: MASSACRE MAFIA style: the family Edition

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Most people who know of Massacre Mafia Style, the epic underground low-budget gangster film from all-around entertainer Duke Mitchell, from its frenetically paced trailer, shown below.? Those of us who make it a practice to seek out these exploitation styled gems know that the film rarely lives up to the trailer.? Is Massacre Mafia Style another such manipulation?? How can a film possibly live up to a trailer this outstanding?? Read on...

While not necessary, it is helpful to have an understanding of Duke Mitchell as a person and an entertainer to fully appreciate Massacre Mafia Style.? Duke was a lounge singer, and a damned good one.? He was friends with Sinatra, he was Mr. Palm Springs, and in the 50's he was part of a Martin & Dean styled comedy team that starred in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.? He was also a proud Italian-American, and it came through in his work.? Massacre Mafia Style was actually Mitchell's second attempt at writing, producing, directing, and starring in his own films.? Gone With the Pope was the first, but it remained unfinished until 2009, when Oscar winning editor and founder of Grindhouse Releasing, Bob Murawski got a hold of it and released it in a touring print through his company.? Massacre Mafia Style was his second and final feature, and, I believe, by far the better of the two.

The film is the story of Dominic "Mimi" Miceli (Duke Mitchell's birth name), the son of an exiled mafia kingpin, who travels from Italy where he is in exile with his father, to Los Angeles to start up the family business again.? Mimi is a take no prisoners kinda guy, he finds a childhood friend who was also a member of his father's family, and they get to work doing the town.? The film is absolutely full of what seems like stereotypical Italian "goomba" behavior, but the whole thing has a very true ring to it.? In his first attempt to get the attention of the local crime bosses from church on Sunday, he kidnaps the local capo, an old underling of his father's, and holds him for ransom.? He announces his demands via a pinky in a box, in a scene that will bring to mind either the toe in The Big Lebowski or the turd in a box from Pink Flamingos, take your pick.? It works, Mimi gets his ransom and big crime boss is released in time to attend his son's wedding.? Who shows up to the wedding but Mimi and his best pal Jolly, apparently they rolled in on their balls of steel, and set up shop at the family table to talk business.

This is how Mimi operates, he sees what he wants, and he takes it, or at the very least, he makes sure no one else can have it.? Eventually he treads a little bit too heavily on the toes of the other bosses in town and they attempt to call in a hit, at which point Mimi and Jolly go apeshit.? They find out that a hit is in, and they don't bother finding out who placed it, they just go around killing anyone they think might be involved.? Again, that is how Mimi rolls, shoot first, ask questions later.

The film was not so much influenced by The Godfather, as it was a challenge to that film.? Duke Mitchell was an auteur, and even though he only made two films, he really made them count.? Mitchell packs Massacre Mafia Style with characters, all sporting mafia nicknames, but none of them really amount to anything.? Massacre Mafia Style is a one-man show, and we are lucky that the one man is Duke Mitchell.? He gives himself all the best lines, he gives himself the prettiest girl, he gives himself a couple of really nicely profound monologues, and he directs it in such a way that he is in almost every single frame of the movie.? For some films that wouldn't work, but with this one, it wouldn't work any other way.? Massacre Mafia Style is Duke Mitchell

Duke Mitchell had no idea that he was making an exploitation film.? You can tell that this film, while violent and ugly, was made with his blood, sweat, and tears.? Mitchell wanted this film to be epic, and while it may fall slightly short of that, it never, not for a second, fails to be entertaining and it overcomes its handicaps in spades.? You can tell that many of the people in the film are not actors, it is perfectly obvious.? I won't tell you that it lends any kind of realism to the film.? Their performances are stilted and most line readings feel like first takes.? However, like I mentioned above, it isn't a film about them.? Duke Mitchell could have been acting opposite cardboard cutouts and this film would have worked.? There is love here, it is in every frame.? Duke made damned sure that HIS film was done HIS way, from the script, to the direction, to the soundtrack, which is filled with his songs.

At the outset of this review I asked if this film would suffer the fate of so many exploitation films and fall short of the expectations built from the trailer.? The answer is a resounding no.? Massacre Mafia Style is the rare film that is better than its trailer, and at a lean 79 minutes, it never lets up.? There is no filler, in this film, it is all killer.

The Disc:

I'm not going to lie, Massacre Mafia Style is ugly on this DVD.? It has the look of an upconverted VHS tape.? This is probably exactly how it looked when it was first released back in the early eighties under the title, "The Executioner".? It is presented in a full frame, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, though I understand that it was projected at 1.85:1 originally, and zooming in on the image with my Blu-ray player leads me to believe that was true.? It crops to 1.85 beautifully.? The audio is similarly unremarkable.? It is presented in mono, which I'm sure was its initial theatrical appearance, and has an unstable sound, but the dialogue is clear, and the over the top sound effects are present as well, so no harm no foul.? All in all, for an exploitation film, it isn't the worst I've ever seen.? There is still some charm in a dirty, scratchy print, and warped sound, and I understand that, but seeing what can be done these days with digital restoration, it is a bit shocking when we do come across something that hasn't been cleaned up.? I don't expect Massacre Mafia Style is really a candidate for that process, and so I'll take this, it is better than nothing.

Where the Massacre Mafia Style: Family Edition DVD really shines, apart from the awesome film, is in the extra features.? For a film as obscure as this, I've never seen such a packed release.? The main feature contains no less than three full-length commentary tracks.? One from Duke's son Jeffrey Mitchell, a second from Duke's longtime friend Frankie Ray, and a third from Duke's friend and longtime valet of Frank Sinatra George Jacobs.? They aren't exactly scholarly, but they each have their moments, and are perhaps worth listening to once.? Also present on the first disc is that legendary trailer, presented in higher quality, presumably from a film reel rather than VHS.? The trailer is great, you can check it out below.

The wealth of extras continues on disc two.? The most impressive is an hour long documentary following the lives of Duke and his son Jeffrey.? For the many of us who are young, or weren't aware of Duke Mitchell's fame and/or notoriety, this is a great way to find out.? Jeffrey narrates much of the doc, adding in interviews from the above commentators and tons of great anecdotes from both his life and his father's.? Duke was not a gentle man, and he didn't take shit from anyone, so you get the feeling that Massacre Mafia Style was a sort of fictionalized autobiography, which make it even more entertaining, if that is possible.? Also included on the second disc are extended interviews with Frankie Ray and George Jacobs.? These interviews are hilarious, with Frankie and George going into numerous anecdotes about Duke, Sinatra, Lenny Bruce, and others that are really great stories.? I definitely recommend checking them out.? Rounding out the features are first a massive photo and audio gallery with photos from Duke's personal collection from Massacre Mafia Style and beyond and featuring a few of Jeffrey Mitchell's songs from the 70's when he was a working musician in the UK, also there is an audio recording from one of Duke's final live performances.? Good stuff, but nowhere near as good as the film itself or the documentary included on the disc.

Massacre Mafia Style is a great forgotten gem.? As of right now, it is only available legally through the official website.? The Family Edition is well-worth the $30 it costs, and normally I wouldn't pay that kind of price for a film, but this one is outstanding and a real winner.

Disc 1:
* Three commentary tracks featuring Jeffrey Mitchell and family friends Frankie Ray (comedy writer for Lenny Bruce) and George Jacobs (Frank Sinatra's assistant and valet). * Original Theatrical Trailer. * Rare Radio Spots, narrated by Duke Mitchell himself! * A preview for the upcoming release of An Impressionistic Tribute to Jimmy Durante, a Duke Mitchell concert film unseen for over 30 years!

Disc 2:

* Like Father, Like Son, a brand-new documentary on the life and work of Duke Mitchell featuring new interviews with Jeffrey Mitchell and family friends Frankie Ray and George Jacobs along with rare home movies and archival footage. * Extended interviews with Frankie Ray and George Jacobs. * An extensive still gallery featuring hundreds of exclusive photographs from Duke Mitchell's own private collection spanning his early career all the way to Massacre, full of candid behind-the-scenes photos and all set to the music of Duke Mitchell and featuring three seventies-era tracks from Jeffrey Mitchell: Jacknife, Whisky and In A Dream. * Rare audio recordings from one of Duke Mitchell's final live performances.

DVD-ROM Extras :

* The film's early treatments, rough draft and final shooting script available as PDFs.

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Blu - ray Review: Avatar Extended Edition

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Last week Avatar came crashing onto DVD and blu-ray in its promised "Extended" edition, incorporating footage from the theatrical re-release as well as some additional scenes held back from the previous cuts of the film. I have something of a tortured critical relationship with Avatar which became a bona fide global phenomenon which even climbed the ranks of genuine contenders for the Oscar. Chances are, if you're a regular reader of this site and/or a genre fan, you've more than likely seen Avatar--possibly more than once. Doubtless it's unnecessary for me to describe at length the particulars of the plot--how crippled Marine Jake Sully travels to the planet of Pandora, and how he comes to admire, love, and join the blue-skinned Na'vi (but there you go, just in case).

I'll admit that over the last year, I've increasingly reflected on the movie through crap-colored glasses thanks to what I sniffed at as a lack of worthiness for either its financial or critical success. Having had a chance to watch the extended version of the movie, I'm not sure I can really understand what the fuss was about at this point, but I'm more than happy to concede that it's a solid, mostly harmless b-picture. James Cameron made a big, dumb, expertly crafted action picture, and on those merits alone, the movie works. Still, I remain unconvinced about the white savior myth at the heart of the movie, cloaking itself in social relevance: in fact, I would lump Avatar in with the same kind of confused, tortured, and somewhat opaque ideology of movies like 300 or worse, Ed Zwick-helmed productions like Glory. On the same note, in spite of their superlative technical prowess, the rousing action scenes don't really jibe with what feels like an entreaty to discover another way beyond the cycle of violence.

Pedantic and garbled politics aside, the movie is quite beautiful to look at. It was my first IMAX experience, and in the moment it was tremendously entertaining. So far it's the most convincing 3-D experience I've encountered up to this point, and Cameron should be commended as more than anything else a brilliant connoisseur of technology. Although the ideas at its core aren't fully formed, the world of Pandora is completely realized visually--it's stunning, really, with a meticulous, even obsessive level of detail paid to every element of the environment. Watching it at home this time around I noticed the particulars of the animal life of Pandora: there's almost no fur. Certainly, a part of that might have had to do with the bother of convincingly rendering hair, but the consistency between the species--a sort of sinewy fleshiness--gives the world an added layer of veracity. I'm hesitant to call it "beautiful," exactly, but it's something approaching that.

My initial harshness up above aside, the movie succeeds beyond simple technical proficiency--there are a couple of standout performances in the movie that serve the material (and in some cases elevate it). Renowned stage actor Stephen Lang, in particular, is as good as it gets as the scenery-chewing Colonel Quaritch. As written, he's essentially a cartoon villain eager to exterminate the locals, but Lang gives the character enough of a vicious, hateful swagger that it brings the character back into the realm of an actual threat. Likewise, Zoe Saldana, Wes Studi, and CCH Pounder should all be commended to giving life and sincerity to their mo-cap performances as the Na'vi.

Lead Sam Worthington fares less favorably. I'll admit I'm unable to understand how the actor is continually embraced as leading man material--he's an exceedingly bland presence with the same lifeless, flat delivery in every role I've seen him in to date. It's not a stylistic thing, I don't think--there's just genuinely no investment on the actor's part in his characters. This undeniable vacancy is always there with the actor, and it's difficult to stick with a movie where he's in the lead. Still, the rest of the cast props him up nicely.

Audio and Video

Would it be enough to say the movie looks gorgeous in the home presentation? That it sounds like a million bucks? Well, it does and it does. Particularly notable is the DTS HD audio mix which brings the world of Pandora alive. Every little sound, every little ambient noise comes through with an astounding level of clarity. Again, the movie excels at the technical, and it's the best presentation you'll get of the movie without seeing a digital projection in a theater.

Special Features

I'm just going to do a little cut and paste from the set's Amazon page since there's a LOT of material here:

Disc 1: Three Movie Versions?

‧ Original Theatrical Edition (includes family audio track with objectionable language removed)
‧ Special Edition Re-Release (includes family audio track with objectionable language removed)
‧ Collector's Extended Cut with 16 additional minutes, including alternate opening on earth

Disc 2: Filmmaker's Journey

‧ Over 45 minutes of never-before-seen deleted scenes
‧ Capturing Avatar: Feature-length documentary covering the 16-year filmmakers' journey, including interviews with James Cameron, Jon Landau, cast and crew
‧ A Message from Pandora: James Cameron's visit to the Amazon rainforest
‧ The 2006 art reel: Original pitch of the Avatar vision
‧ Brother termite test: Original motion capture test
‧ The ILM prototype: Visual effects reel
‧ Screen tests: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana
‧ Zoe's life cast: Makeup session footage
‧ On-set footage as live-action filming begins
‧ VFX progressions
‧ Crew film: The Volume

Disc 3: Pandora's Box

‧ Interactive scene deconstruction: Explore the stages of production of 17 different scenes through three viewing modes: capture level, template level, and final level with picture-in-picture reference
‧ Production featurettes: Sculpting Avatar, Creating the Banshee, Creating the Thanator, The AMP Suit, Flying Vehicles, Na'vi Costumes, Speaking Na'vi, Pandora Flora, Stunts, Performance Capture, Virtual Camera, The 3D Fusion Camera, The Simul-Cam, Editing Avatar, Scoring Avatar, Sound Design, The Haka: The Spirit of New Zealand
‧ Avatar original script
‧ Avatar screenplay by James Cameron
‧ Pandorapedia: Comprehensive guide to Pandora
‧ Lyrics from five songs by James Cameron
‧ The art of Avatar: Over 1,850 images in 16 themed galleries (The World of Pandora, The Creatures, Pandora Flora, Pandora Bioluminescence, The Na'vi, The Avatars, Maquettes, Na'vi Weapons, Na'vi Props, Na'vi Musical Instruments, RDA Designs, Flying Vehicles, AMP Suit, Human Weapons, Land Vehicles, One-Sheet Concepts)

BD-Live Extras

‧ BD-Live extras require a BD-Live-enabled player and an Internet connection. The following extras may be available a limited-time only and are subject to change over time: Crew Short: The Night Before Avatar; additional screen tests, including Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, and Laz Alonso; speaking Na'vi rehearsal footage; Weta Workshop: walk-and-talk presentation

One might consider all of this an embarrassment of riches, even for people like myself who weren't exactly over the moon about the movie. There's a great deal of insightful material here capturing the decade-long creative process that went into this production. The big draw for many viewers would be the extended scenes included here. As such things tend to go they vary in quality and their omission from the final film didn't hurt it any. The most interesting bits are the extended opening, presenting the toxic, polluted Earth of the future, leading up to Sully's induction into the Avatar program. There are also a couple of scenes involving a subplot about an English-language school for the Na'vi and the tragic incident there that lead to Sigourney Weaver's Grace falling out of favor with the tribe. It's not strictly essential material, and to my mind the movie actually works a bit better without the reasons behind her estrangement from the tribe being made explicit.

The sole disappointing omission is a commentary from Cameron (I'm too lazy to look right now, but I'm not recalling any commentaries on previous works from the director).

The 3-disc set also has the distinction of being the second most beautifully-produced blu-ray packaging of the year, second to the Alien set which will be getting its due diligence here soon. Like Alien Anthology, this set is presented in a "book" format with the discs inserted into sleeves in the individual, rigid cardboard "pages." It's essentially a love note to the movie, and whatever feelings one might have towards the film, one can't help but admire the craft put into the presentation of the final product.

Unfortunately, due to some of my own technical limitations, I was unable to check out some of the BD-live features on my home setup, but there was more than enough to digest in what was included on the discs.

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