[.ca] Contamination

From Amazon.com:
Director Luigi Cozzi's science fiction thriller, which borrows wholesale from Alien for its loopy plot, is a gleefully cheesy gorefest that should please horror fans with a fondness for the lowbrow. Long-suffering Eurocult Ian McCulloch (Zombie) stars as an astronaut who joins an investigation into the appearance of extraterrestrial eggs on a ghost ship in New York's harbor. Their search uncovers an Earth-based conspiracy to cultivate the eggs for world domination. Despite the abundant gore and lunk-headed script, Contamination has an endearingly naive tone that suggests '50s-era B science fiction (of which Cozzi is a fan); as such, one can't be too harsh on a film that displays its affections so openly. Amazingly, Contamination has been banned in England since being named in the "video nasty" debacle of the early '80s. Blue Underground's widescreen DVD is uncut (with 5.1 Dolby and DTS sound!), and should be a welcome addition to any cult collector's cache. --Paul Gaita

Additional Features:
In addition to the image and audio presentation, Blue Underground's DVD includes an English-language theatrical trailer (for the original release, not Cannon's version, which was retitled Alien Contamination for U.S. audiences). A pair of behind-the-scenes documentaries is also offered. The first is an Italian-language short made after the film's release in Europe, which offers a wealth of grainy making-of footage as well as glimpses of Cozzi's home and hobbies. The second, titled Alien Arrives in America (the film's original title), is a talking-head interview that allows Cozzi to detail the numerous production problems he faced before, during, and after its completion, as well as his love for vintage sci-fi. A gallery of poster and still reproductions round out the extras; viewers with a DVD-ROM can also access a 56-page graphic novel based on Cozzi's original script (which often differs considerably from the completed film). --Paul Gaita

Avocado of Death:
No, this is not about Pinkwater's Snarkout boys. Instead it is about a movie called Alien Contamination (A.K.A. Toxic Spawn) a strange but entertaining foreign film set in America with shades of Atomic Submarine and The Arrival. A runaway freighter is boarded and found to contain a gruesomely dead crew and boxes marked coffee that contain large avocado-like pods or eggs. These eggs explode on maturity and any mammalian life nearby will explode seconds later. Research shows the eggs to be non-terrestrial in nature. A chance landing by alien spores is ruled out and the failed Mars mission is suspected. The surviving astronaut from the Mars mission is now a drunk. He had claimed to have seen avocado-like eggs on Mars but the rest of the crew denied his claims. With his help the coffee shipment is tracked to a plantation in South America and the action moves there. It turns out that the Mars crew mate is not dead. He is alive and running the operation to destroy all human life. He is under the control of a being known as the Cyclops. He brought a Cyclops spore back from Mars where he was hypnotized. After some fun scenes the heroes triumph in the end and the menace from Mars is ended. Despite the feeling of wrongness that foreign films in English often have, this is actually well above the usual monster shlock movie. In a way it reminds me of The X-Files with investigators that actually investigate records instead of just stumbling along. It was much more of a detective film with aliens than an alien movie with detectives. I recommend this film for anyone who likes better horror and science fiction films.

They came, they cracked, they killed:
I don't know about you, but I always get a kick out of these Italian knock-offs of successful American science fiction films. In this case, it's Alien that serves as the major inspiration, although one can't help but draw a similarity here and there with the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as well. Naturally, Contamination (or Alien Contamination, as it was called in the USA) doesn't even begin to compare with Aliens, but it is worth viewing - if you're a fan of the genre, at least. I think it's safe to say that those who care nothing about low-budget science fiction and horror films will not enjoy this film at all, and those without the stomach for gore should also stay away. The film basically has just one gory effect, but it's a pretty good one and is used on a number of occasions. Gorehounds like me, of course, will revel in the "he done blowed up real good" moments. Contamination opens with a cargo ship barreling into New York Harbor, its crew unwilling or unable to respond to radio calls. Once authorities corral the thing and pull it in, the mystery of the missing crew is solved - they're all very dead, their bodies seemingly ripped open from the inside. Of the three men sent in to explore the ship, only local cop Tony Aris (Marino Mase) comes back out alive. Having found a bunch of strange egg-like things in the ship's hold, the other two made the mistake of picking one up - quickly demonstrating to Aris the awful, immediate, and painful way in which everyone on board the ship must surely have died. That's more than enough reason for the government to quarantine the entire area and send in Colonel Stella Holmes (Louise Marleau) to figure out what the heck is going on. Tests soon reveal the deadly acidic nature of the "eggs," as well as the fact that they are not terrestrial in origin. So where did they come from? As it so happens, Commander Ian Hubbard (Ian McCulloch) had described finding the same sorts of objects in a Martian cave he explored on a recent manned mission to the Red Planet. No one believed him, though - until now. He reluctantly joins Holmes and Aris as they follow the deadly cargo's trail back to a coffee warehouse in Colombia, where all things are revealed. Not surprisingly, Contamination has its share of weaknesses. Special effects, apart from your general lab design details, aren't among them. Sure, the dark-ish nature of the print sometimes makes it hard to fully enjoy the sight of people exploding from the inside out, but writer/director Luigi Cozzi's commitment to quality gore is obvious. The storyline, though, is rather weak, the acting is not of the highest caliber, and you have to slog through several sections of painfully boring exposition on your way to the end. I should also mention the fact that there are basically two versions of this film. Unfortunately, I was only able to find the American version (released as Alien Contamination), which has a run time of some 84 minutes. The original film runs a full 95 minutes, so you'll definitely want to pick up that full-length version if at all possible. Why would they cut a full ten minutes out of this film, you ask? It almost surely stems from the fact that the UK's infamous Video Recordings Act originally led to Contamination being branded a "video nasty," effectively banning it at the time. (It has since been released in the UK with a 15 certificate.) Apparently, slow-motion shots of characters exploding were just too extreme for the mother hens clucking over the British Isles.

Never pick up alien eggs:
"Contamination" is one of those low budget Italian science fiction potboilers that provide countless hours of fun. There's something deeply nostalgic about these films for me; I spent whole evenings watching this pap on cable television back in the mid 1980s. There was nothing like coming home in the summer, ordering a pizza, and spending all night with these delicacies. I guess things haven't changed too much since I am still watching them thanks to the DVD revolution. That these movies look and sound better now than they did when they first came out is one of those technological marvels that stagger the mind. Thanks go to Bill Lustig and the folks at Blue Underground for taking the time to release "Contamination" with a plethora of extras coupled with a great audio and video presentation. If you have never sampled the wonders of Italian schlock films, this is a great place to start. "Contamination," in case you haven't guessed, is a shameless rip off of Ridley Scott's classic science fiction gorefest "Alien." But don't expect to see Sigourney Weaver or John Hurt appear anywhere near this cheesy little number. Eggs. "Contamination" deals primarily with eggs. An abandoned ship sails into New York harbor loaded with weird, pulsating pods the size of basketballs. When the authorities attempt to investigate this strange ship, a bunch of people die horribly when the eggs blow up and spray them with a viscous goo. The hapless souls coated with explosive yolk simply don't keel over and die in a nice, peaceful manner, though. Nope, they explode in ultra slow motion, with their chests and throats opening up with a bang. Obviously, the origins of these objects represent a significant threat to the human race, so the government quickly gets involved in the whole affair. Scientists quickly learn the pods are not of this world, a discovery that brings up a recollection of a disastrous trip to Mars some years before. In an effort to discover what the heck is going on, the government agents, headed up by sexy Colonel Stella Holmes (Louise Marleau), track down an astronaut who survived the ill-fated mission. With an annoying New York cop in tow, Holmes must work fast if she is to save humanity from a fate with decidedly alien implications. Yay! The emotionally destroyed astronaut, Commander Ian Hubbard (Ian McCulloch of "Zombie" fame), just cannot bring himself to cast his mind back to that horrible time on the red planet. Eventually he does, of course, and in the process recalls a cave filled with millions of pulsating pods and a light as bright as the sun. What does it all mean? Not much at first. Then we discover that some lunk head Hubbard knows only too well managed to bring back the pods, and something else much more dangerous, to earth. The exploding eggs are the central linchpin in a plot to conquer the world. It is up to the psychologically unbalanced Hubbard, the mouthy cop, and Colonel Holmes to thwart this dastardly deed before people start blowing up on a regular basis. Their mission takes them around the world in search of a coffee magnate who smuggles the eggs in wooden boxes filled with beans. All the while, Hubbard's flashbacks about the mysterious cave on Mars reveal more and more clues about what is occurring here on planet earth. Can our heroes stop this nefarious plot before it gets underway? Can Hubbard overcome his difficulties and save the world? Will that cop ever shut up? These questions, and many more unimportant ones, will find resolution by the end of "Contamination." The movie isn't a masterwork of cinema, even for an entry in the low budget Italian horror-science fiction genre, but it does have its moments. Ian McCulloch is always fun to watch in these types of movies, and he does a good job in the role of the horrified Hubbard. The rest of the cast, well, let's just say the word "forgettable" applies on more than one occasion. At least the gore keeps you on your toes; director Luigi Cozzi wisely spaces out the gruesome death scenes throughout the film, which greatly helps the pacing in an otherwise slow film. Moreover, the effects, from the grue to the pulsating eggs, are well done considering the ultra low budget. Throw in some scenic shots from different locales along with a pounding score from Goblin, and you have the makings of an entertaining little shocker. And let's face it; we all could use more exploding torsos and melting heads to help us get through the day. "Contamination" gives us all of that and not much more. Cozzi is no Sergio Leone, but he doesn't need to be when making a zero cost science fiction puker. The extras included on the disc are as good as they are surprising for such an obscure film. You get trailers, of course, but you also get so much more. Blue Underground got Cozzi to do an interview about the film, an interview that sheds light on many aspects of the film. With all of the framed 1950's movie posters on the wall behind the director during the interview, it is obvious he likes classic science fiction films. Indeed, Cozzi emphasizes his love for old science fiction and how the genre inspired him to lens "Contamination." Add in a grainy looking featurette made during the filming of the movie and some poster stills, and you have yourself a very nice DVD worth purchasing. Give Cozzi's film a shot if you like your sci-fi gooey and cheap. If not, you can always rent "Alien" again.

Blue Underground, I adore you!:
1979 was a very important year for the Italian film industry. Why? Because two American genre films -- DAWN OF THE DEAD and ALIEN -- spurred a slew of imitators from the land of Folcelli pasta. Although DAWN's rip-offs were countless and have gained cult status (some of them have become minor classics), most Italian ALIEN clones have been discarded like yesterday's trash. Directed by Luigi Cozzi, a sort of poor man's Lucio Fulci, CONTAMINATION was made immediately after the success of the Ridley Scott classic. Cozzi also blessed us with the silly STAR WARS-inspired STARCRASH in 1979. Like many Italian exploitation films of the early 80s, CONTAMINATION begins on location in New York City. A ship enters a harbor with seemingly everyone dead on board. A group of scientists and police garbed in protective gear discover a bloody mess, as well as a bunch of mysterious eggs that look like lime jello footballs. Getting to close to these eggs could prove deadly, as they spew some goo at you and make your body combust from the chest outwards. A stereotypical Italian NYC cop (Marino Masé) survives the ordeal and teams up with a female military scientist (Louise Marleau). She calls on a now reclusive, alcoholic former astronaut (Ian McCulloch) who returned from Mars without his companion and with unbelievable stories about deadly alien eggs. Proof has now given his tales some clout, so the three trace the strange cargo back to a coffee company in South America! After more victims explode like overcooked meatballs in a microwave oven, a 50s-style Cyclops alien appears and is basically the force behind this mad plot to take over the earth. CONTAMINATION was released in the U.S. as "Alien Contamination" and when it came out on video, it was pretty much was ignored in favor of rentals of DR. BUTCHER M.D. and ZOMBIE (both also with Scottish thesp McCulloch). It's basically low-grade, cheap thrills with some nice gore effects (nobody did it better than the Italians, Savini included) and homages to INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and other sci-films. It starts with a bang, ends with a semi-bang, but there's lots of rubbish in the middle. McCulloch is always a hoot to watch and lifts the film above its otherwise mediocre level. Blue Underground has done a stellar job releasing CONTAMINATION on DVD. The film has dull color schemes and bad lighting to begin with, but this transfer is still excellent. Letterboxed at 1.78:1 with Anamorphic enhancement, it almost looks as though it was made yesterday. The audio is equally impressive, with four separate audio tracks: Mono, Dolby 2.0, Dolby 5.1 EX, and DTS 6.1, so Goblin's pounding score never sounded better. A few nice extras are included here. "The Alien Arrives on Earth" is a solid video interview with director/co-writer Luigi Cozzi. Say what you will about his talent, but he's an obvious fan of science fiction, and the 50s classics in particular. Cozzi tells us everything you need to know about CONTAMINATION, including little tidbits like how he originally wanted Caroline Munro to play the scientist, but the producer didn't want to cast a beauty queen. "Luigi Cozzi on the Set of Contamination" is an original production short film from 1980 (probably shot in 16mm) that takes us from Cozzi's fantasy-art filled office to the set of the film. Both of these are in Italian with English subtitles. Rounding out the extras are the European theatrical trailer, a photo/still/poster gallery and a graphic novel based on Cozzi's original storyboards. This feature can be opened up on your PC using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.

Alien arrives on Earth, indeed.:
A search of a supposedly deserted ship uncovers a gruesome mystery. The crew is dead, literlly torn apart by some unknown force, and the ship's cargo is not coffee, but groaning, glowing eggs that make people explode whenever contact with the slimy green filling is made. Writer/director 'Lewis Coates' (aka Luigi Cozzi) crafts an incomprehensible story of alien invasion (or simple destruction, the exact goal is never made clear) in this most famous (or infamous) Italian cash-in on Alien. In the to be expected excellent supplements (the disc is from Blue Underground, so special things are almost a matter of routine) Cozzi comes across as a real classic sci-fi geek. Too bad that love didn't infuse his script or direction. While the movie is entertaining, it is mostly for the wrong reasons, and Cozzi fumbles chances for suspense during key moments in the film (i.e. having the female lead trapped in a bathroom with an alien egg) by dragging the scenes out until they become ludicrous. Nonetheless, fans of this long gone era of movie making (late seventies/early eighties low budget schlock cinema) will find something to enjoy in the movie. I did.