Bad Milo! [Blu-Ray]

Director: Jacob Vaughan

Cast: Ken Marino, Gillian Jacobs, Peter Stormare, Patrick Warburton

Release Date: Arrives on Blu-Ray & DVD January 21, 2014

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9/10

Disc Rating: 9.5/10

Plot Summary:

A horror comedy centered on a guy who learns that his unusual stomach problems are being caused by a demon living in his intestines.

‘Bad Milo’ tells the story of a normal man (Ken Marino) who is dealing with a lot of stress on both personal and work related angles. The continued excess of stress results in unbearable pain and with the help of an offbeat hypnotherapist (Peter Stormare) who he visits at the insistence of his wife (Gillian Jacobs) he discovers the cause of his inner pain to be a small demon that comes out of him without his knowledge or consent in order to enact vengeance on those who have caused him stress or anger. The result is a wonderful mix of comically bloody insanity and enough laughs to cause you some stomach pains yourself.

Jacob Vaughan does a tremendous job as director and co-writer (along with Benjamin Hayes) of the film and the cast includes a number of hilarious and talented individuals who really help to make this wonderful film just that much more enjoyable. Hilarious performances by Ken Marino, Gillian Jacobs, Peter Stormare, Patrick Warburton and a number others are just the icing on the cake to this fantastic ride.

OVERALL: ‘Bad Milo’ pays homage to classic films such as ‘Gremlins’ ‘Ghoulies’ and the like while taking things to new extremes in the tradition of today’s cinema. In doing so it also delivers silly fun, laughs galore, as well as a surprising amount of heart, and when things get crazy with our little friend it doesn’t shy away from the gore and bloodshed while always maintaining a more upbeat and comedic tone throughout. This is one of the best horror comedies in years (in addition to being one of the best films of 2013), and up there in my opinion with the likes of ‘Tucker and Dale vs. Evil’. This is the kind of movie I would almost go so far as to say is mandatory viewing for horror fans and horror-comedy fans alike (granted they are frequently one and the same, that is not always the case). It has plenty of repeat potential as well and would not be a bad blind buy if you aren’t able to watch On Demand or conveniently rent the Blu-Ray. This is certainly one of those rare gems that I have no question I will personally be re-watching numerous times to come.

VIDEO:

The Blu-Ray release of ‘Bad Milo’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video quality looks pretty great, and leaves some of the duller and blander coloring elements of the film intact as they should be. There may be some minor banding issues in quickly paced segments, but any faults are brief and very minimal. Overall this is a very well done and perfectly adequate high definition video presentation that should leave most fans of the film satisfied for their (likely) many viewings of the film to come down the road.

AUDIO:

The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. While this lossless multichannel soundtrack isn’t constantly throwing effects and music at you from every channel, it certainly does a nice job of adding to the enjoyment of the film as a whole and is especially effective when the more goofy and gory moments of mayhem come into play. This lossless soundtrack does a very capable job of balancing both the high and low volume points of the film and everything sounds detailed, clear and quite impressive overall. This lossless 5.1 soundtrack should leave most of the fellow audiophiles out there quite content.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

For a smaller film such as this, the Blu-Ray release of ‘Bad Milo’ features a pretty impressive collection of fun and informative extras. Included are Extended Outtakes, An Extended and Deleted Scene, ‘Behind Milo: The Puppeteers’ ‘Behind Milo: Raw Take’ ‘AXS TV: A look at ‘Bad Milo’, the theatrical trailer, an interview with Ken Marino and commentary with actors Ken Marino and Gillian Jacobs, in addition to Director/co-writer Jacob Vaughan and writer Benjamin Hayes. Certainly a pretty hefty amount of goodies to keep fellow fans more than occupied for hours to come after their viewing of the film itself.

Film Rating: 9/10

Disc Rating: 9.5/10

‘Bad Milo’ Arrives On Blu-Ray & DVD January 21, 2014 From Magnolia Home Entertainment Under the Magnet Label.