Dom Robinson reviews

Netherbeast Incorporated

Distributed by
Well Go USA

Cert: Unrated

Running time: 89 minutes

Year: 2007

Released: January 2009

Region(s): 0, NTSC

Chapters: 16

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Languages: English

Subtitles: None

Widescreen: 1.78:1 (16:9)

16:9-Enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: DVD 9

Price: £see Amazon link above

Extras: Original Short film: The Netherbeast of Berm-Tech Industries Inc, Behind the NetherRegions Featurettes, Interview with the Ronalds Brothers, Photo Gallery, Audio commentary, Trailer

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Director:

Dean Matthew Ronalds (Go-Go Guy, Little Victim, Netherbeast Incorporated, Pet Rock, Short: The Netherbeast of Berm-Tech Industries Inc., TV: Screen Wars)

Producers:

Dean Matthew Ronalds, Chris LaMont, Brian Ronalds

Screenplay:

Bruce Dellis

Music:

Tim Clark

Cast :

Otto Granberry: Steve Burns
Pearl Stricklett: Amy Davidson
Turner Claymore: Darrell Hammond
Steven PD Landry: Judd Nelson
Waxy Dan: Jason Mewes
Henry Welby: Dave Foley
Bunyan Pritchett: Bob Rue
President James Garfield: Robert Wagner
Jewel Hightower: Cathy Rankin
Alexander Graham Bell: Bill Lippincott

Netherbeast Incorporated is a low-budget American comedy that spins off from a short film which is also included on this disc. As it began, the only face that was familiar to me, apart from Brat Pack legend Judd Nelson was Dave Foley, but only because I saw him last year in the disastrous Postal, supposedly based on the long-forgotten PC game but I was just waiting for that to end as it definitely outstayed its welcome. Still, I wasn't going to let this film be tainted by that one. Clean slate, and all that.

As this film begins, the boss of the corporation, Turner Claymore (Darrell Hammond, below-right) invites one of his workers, Otto (Steve Burns, right-centre, with Bob Rue and Dave Foley either side) into his office, who instantly notices that a colleague is sat in one of the chairs, dead due to a stake through his heart. Calmly, Turner says he killed Mike because he's a vampire... like it's one of those every day things.

Before long, we learn that the majority of the workers are not vampires, just netherbeats or 'netherfolk'. They claim to be normal... except with a 'birth defect'. They have an addition on their heart which means it needs human flesh to live. Their existence relies on a rare mineral called the Netherstone, which they have at the workplace and, hence, requires that they stay within a mile of it and they'll continue to live a healthy life. Also, Otto has to work with new replacement Pearl (the scrumptuous Amy Davidson). Since she's a newcomer, or 'first-lifer' - so-called because she hasn't died and been reborn, Pearl may just stumble upon the company's dark secret...

It also transpires, for some unknown reason other than to shoehorn Robert Wagner into a cameo role as the dead President, that BermTech is a spin-off from the Bell Technology and that there's a link between Alexander Graham Bell and President James Garfield.

Turner, himself, is 191 years old, even though he clearly looks like a man in his late 40s, but who is suffering from 'Retardations', which like Alzheimer's for the Netherfolk. Occasionally this can reverse itself naturally, but more often it doesn't and it acts much more quickly.

Overall, Netherbeast Incorporated is amusing at times, but it's fairly predictable and doesn't have any big belly-laughs. It soon starts to drag and gets a bit slow in reaching its conclusion. That said, Judd Nelson and Amy Davidson are the best things in it.

Note that the box states Region 1 but isn't actually region-encoded and played on my Xbox in its original Region 2 state.

The film is presented in a 16:9 (1.78:1) anamorphic widescreen ratio, even though the box states 2.35:1 (though there wasn't any obvious cropping so it could've been shot with Super 35 format which allows for a decent open-matter 16:9 print). The picture is very bright and sharp, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is fine without many moments particularly excelling but it does the job.

The extras are as follows:

• Original Short film: The Netherbeast of Berm-Tech Industries Inc (5:42): Presented in letterboxed 16:9, this is just an earlier version of the opening scene between Steve and Turner.

• Behind the NetherRegions Featurettes (26:46): 7 featurettes about the film's beginnings, shooting it on the soundstage, cast, filming with the Ronalds Brothers and the last day of shooting. These are all presented in anamorphic 16:9 and mix many shots of the cast and crew chatting about the film amongst clips of it in the making.

• Interview with the Ronalds Brothers (1:46): A breakfast TV segment about the film with soundbites from the two brothers and on-set footage. Narration on the piece comes from a woman with a very odd squeaky voice with intonation all over the place.

• Photo Gallery (1:48): On-set pics, some from the film itself and some during the filming.

• Audio commentary: from the Producer/Director Ronalds Brothers and writer Bruce Dellis

• Trailer (2:08): Presented in letterboxed 16:9.

Sadly, there are no subtitles for the DVD , but it does have a reasonable amount of chapters with 16 throughout the 89-minute running time. The main menu features clips from the film in the background while bats fly at the screen, along with some of its incidental music. After one play of the loop, the film then starts automatically - which I'd prefer it if a DVD didn't do.

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2009.

DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.

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