Scarecrow

The Seasoned Ticket #106

Robert Horton is a Scarecrow board member and a longtime film critic. He will be contributing a series of “critic’s notes” to the Scarecrow blog—a chance to highlight worthy films playing locally and connecting them to the riches of Scarecrow’s collection.

Read More

New Releases for September 22!

by Bryan Theiss

This week’s new arrivals include remastered Jodorowsky, re-released Vincent Price, a vampire in Brooklyn, some vampires in WWII, a sasquatch, a Yeti/wolfman, some super heroes, some time travelers, some time traveling super heroes, a couple true crime stories, an anti-fascist in rural Italy, and much more.

THE ART OF LOVE (1965) 

Carl Reiner wrote and co-stars in this comedy directed by Norman Jewison (Moonstruck) about a failed painter (Dick Van Dyke) who fakes suicide to increase the value of his paintings. Also starring James Garner, Elke Sommer, Angie Dickinson and Ethel Merman. With commentary by film historian Peter Tonguette.

(DVD)

BABYTEETH (2019) 

This Australian comedy-drama stars Eliza Scanlen (Little Women) as a terminally ill teenager who freaks out her parents (Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn) by having a relationship with a troubled 23-year-old drug dealer. Debbie Zhou of The Guardian called it, “A lovely, achey coming-of-age story that bursts with rare respect for its characters while tragedy peeks in through the curtains.”

(DVD)

BAREFOOT IN THE PARK (1967)

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda star as mismatched newlyweds in a Greenwich Village apartment, adapted by Neil Simon from his play. Mildred Natwick was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress playing the mother of Fonda’s character.

(Blu-Ray)

BLOOD VESSEL (2019)

A life raft full of survivors of a torpedoed WWII hospital ship come across an abandoned German minesweeper. Well – not abandoned by the vampires. From Australian FX supervisor turned director Justin Dix (Crawlspace).

(DVD)

CHARLIE’S ANGELS (2000) (4KULTRA/BLU-RAY)

I don’t know about you, but director McG’s two goofy, giggly celebrations of girl power, bygone pop culture and preposterous action still bring a huge smile to my face. This first one teams the crimefighting trio of Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu with Bill Murray as Boswell, facing the villainy of Sam Rockwell, Tim Curry and Crispin Glover, with Tom Green, Matt LeBlanc and Luke Wilson playing boyfriends. There’s also an early appearance by Melissa McCarthy. Now you can enjoy their wire-fu and gratuitous dancing in 4K ultra hi-def if you have the equipment (if not we rent it with the standard blu-ray).

(4K Ultra HD with Blu-Ray)

CHRIST STOPPED AT EBOLI (1979 )(CRITERION)

The adaptation of the memoirs of a doctor exiled to a remote village for his anti-fascist views during the reign of Mussolini is presented in its full length four part version for the first time on video. Criterion’s extras include a new interview with translator and author Michael F. Moore, 1978 documentary on Italian political cinema, and excerpts from 1974 and 2014 documentaries featuring director Francesco Rossi and author/subject Carlo Levi.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980) (SCORPION SPECIAL EDITION)

Also known as Gates of Hell, this favorite from Italian horror master Lucio Fulci (The Beyond) tells the story of Dunwich, a former haven for witches where a series of bizarre occurrences and deaths may foretell an impending invasion of the dead into our world on All Saint’s Day. This jam-packed special edition boasts a new 4K color grading and restoration, commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson, another one with director of photography Sergio Salvati and camera operator Robert Forges Davanzati (in Italian with English subtitles), interviews with some of the actors, the writer, production designer, cinematographer and FX artist, video essays, trailers, TV and radio spots, and more.

(Blu-Ray)

COLD HEAVEN (1991)

Theresa Russell stars as a woman who’s about to leave her husband (Mark Harmon) when he dies in a boating accident and then miraculously comes back to life in this psychological thriller from director Nicolas Roeg (Walkabout, The Witches).

(Blu-Ray)

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (1960) / THE HAUNTED PALACE (1963)

Scream Factory has reissued their long out of print Vincent Price Collection box set, and though they’ve lost the rights to his introductions to the films, they’ve kept all the other extras (commentaries with Roger Corman, Lucy Chase Williams and Tom Weaver, interview with Corman, audio interview with Price, Price retrospective by Williams), and added a new commentary with film historians Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr, plus an intro by author Kim Newman.

(Blu-Ray)

FANDO Y LIS (1968) (SPECIAL EDITION)

The feature debut of director Alejandro Jodorowsky “created from hazy memories of the controversial Fernando Arabal play he staged in Paris” supposedly caused riots when it premiered, this surreal tale of a couple traveling through a wasteland feels whimsical and Fellini-esque compared to his better known films. Maybe that’s just the gorgeous black and white photography talking. Also included are La Cravate (1957) (Jodorowsky’s 20-minute adaptation of Thomas Mann’s The Transposed Heads), the feature length documentary La Constellation Jodorowsky and a new Jodorowsky interview. From the box set Alejandro Jodorowsky: 4K Restoration Collection, which presents these previously out-of-print films in new 4K restorations from the original 35 mm elements, with new color corrections supervised by the director.

(Blu-Ray)

THE FURY OF THE WOLFMAN (1970)

A college professor on a Tibetan expedition is bit by a Yeti, so obviously he turns into a werewolf. This is the fourth of twelve wolfman movies starring Spanish actor/writer Paul Naschy. Includes audio commentaries by film historian Mikek Lipinski and Troy Howarth.

(Blu-Ray)

GIRL WITH A BRACELET (2019) 

This French film about a teenager standing trial for the murder of her best friend is a remake of the 2018 Argentinian film The Accused. Variety’s Guy Lodge writes that it “retains many of the merits of its source, similarly building an old-fashioned did-she-or-didn’t-she mystery… into a more probing, ambiguity-laced psychological profile.”

(DVD)

THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (1973) (SPECIAL EDITION)

Many of us at Scarecrow consider Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain to be an essential film – a massive, bizarre spectacle of surrealism and Tarot symbology, both grotesque and beautiful, and literally unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s about a thief who looks like Jesus who climbs a tower where an alchemist (played by Jodorowsky) turns his excrement to gold and sends him on a journey to enlightenment with seven others representing different planets. Also there’s a chimpanzee character and a part where the conquest of Mexico is re-enacted by toads. You sort of have to see it. Includes new interview with Jodorowsky, intro by Columbia University Film Studies professor Richard Peña, video essay by Ben Cobb, featurette about Jodorowsky’s personal assistant, deleted scenes with commentary, and a Jodorowsky short about Tarot. From the box set Alejandro Jodorowsky: 4K Restoration Collection, which presents these previously out-of-print films in new 4K restorations from the original 35 mm elements, with new color corrections supervised by Jodorowsky.

(Blu-Ray)

THE IDOLMAKER (1980)

Peter Gallagher made his movie debut playing a busboy who a bigshot rock ’n roll manager (Ray Sharkey) tries to turn into a star. It’s also the first film for Joe Pantoliano. Includes commentary by director Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Ray).

(DVD)

THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK (1972) 

The first feature film about sasquatch was a phenomenon in drive-ins and then early video stores, but somehow has never had a legitimate release until now. Director Charles B. Pierce’s daughter has had it restored in 4K for this authorized release, so it’s the first time any of us will see it actually looking good.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW: SEASON 5

More time-traveling and demon-battling adventures for DC Comics characters like The Atom and John Constantine in this more fantastical spin-off of Arrow.

(DVD)

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964) (2 VERSIONS)

The new blu-ray of the Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe/Roger Corman classic from Scream Factory’s Vincent Price Collection box set reissue boasts a new extended cut that’s about a minute longer, commentary with film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw, intro by film historian Stephen Jones, plus the previous commentary with film historian Steve Haberman and interview with Corman.

(Blu-Ray)

MOST WANTED (2020)

Josh Hartnett plays a Canadian journalist investigating the suspicious arrest of a young heroin addict imprisoned in Thailand and facing the death penalty for alleged drug trafficking. Based on a true story.

(Blu-Ray)

NEVER STEAL ANYTHING SMALL (1959) 

James Cagney plays a longshoreman who tries to steal his lawyer’s wife (Shirley Jones) in this “rapid-fire, song-filled spoof of union politics.” With commentaries by film historians Daniel Kremer and Lee Gambin.

(DVD)

THE OTHER LAMB (2019) 

A teenager (Raffey Cassidy, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) raised in a remote forest commune begins to question the teachings of the male “Shepherd” (Michiel Huisman, The Haunting of Hill House) of her otherwise all-female cult. (We previously got this on DVD and have now added a blu-ray.)

(Blu-Ray)

P.O.W. THE ESCAPE (1986)

From the people who saw Rambo: First Blood Part II (specifically, Missing in Action producer Gideon Amir) comes this story of David Carradine as a one-man-army going behind enemy lines to rescue P.O.W.s in Vietnam, co-starring Mako (Conan the Barbarian) and Steve James (American Ninja). With new HD transfer, interviews with Amir, screenwriter James Bruner and stuntman Steve Lambert.

(Blu-Ray)

PERFECT NANNY (2019) 

This is a psychological thriller, so you will not be surprised to find that the titular nanny is in fact far from perfect. It’s a French film based on a French novel, itself inspired by a true crime that happened in Manhattan in 2012.

(DVD)

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961) / THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (1971)

Two Vincent Price classics from two distinct decades. First he plays a Spanish Inquisitor, then a colorful musicologist who commands an animatronic band and uses biblical plagues to avenge the surgeons who failed to save his wife.

This reissue from Scream Factory’s new Vincent Price Collection box set includes new commentaries with film historians Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr, plus previous commentaries with directors Roger Corman and Robert Fuest, as well as author Justin Humphreys.

(Blu-Ray)

PSYCHOMAGIC: A HEALING ART (2019)

El Topo director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s latest is a documentary about his unusual theory of trauma therapy. “In the film, Jodorowsky works directly with real, suffering people who are eager to solve their problems through the use of this radical and transformative mode of therapy.” From the box set Alejandro Jodorowsky: 4K Restoration Collection, which presents these previously out-of-print films in new 4K restorations from the original 35 mm elements, with new color corrections supervised by Jodorowsky.

(Blu-Ray)

THE PUBLIC EYE (1992)

In that glorious post-Goodfellas period when Joe Pesci could headline a movie, Howard Franklin (Quick Change) directed him as a freelance tabloid crime photographer who falls for a widowed night club owner (Barbara Hershey) in debt to the mob. Co-starring Stanley Tucci and Richard Schiff. With audio commentary by Franklin and film historian Daniel Kremer.

(Blu-Ray)

RICK AND MORTY: SEASON 4

Ten more episodes of the beloved Adult Swim cartoon created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

SANCTUARY: SEASON 1

This SyFy show from the writers and producers of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis is about a team who study and defend monsters because, as the tagline says, “Even Things That Go Bump in the Night Need Protection.” With commentaries, making-of featurettes, webisodes, bloopers, etc.

(DVD)

THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER (1965)

Henry Hathaway (True Grit) directed this western about four brothers (John Wayne, Dean Martin, Earl Holliman and Michael Anderson Jr.) who return to Texas for their mother’s funeral, only to discover that their father gambled away the family ranch and was murdered. So they decide to get revenge and their ranch back.

(Blu-Ray)

TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1989)

This ‘80s take on the Agatha Christie classic includes Donald Pleasence, Brenda Vaccaro, Herbert Lom and, uh, Frank Stallone in its cast of ten strangers summoned to an African safari only to be picked off one by one by their mysterious host.

(Blu-Ray)

3:15: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH (1986)

Another VHS-only hold out finally makes it to disc (specifically blu-ray). Adam Baldwin (Firefly), shortly before Full Metal Jacket, plays a teen who quit the Cobras, a violent gang that rule the school, and now has to fight them after class. Also starring Rene Auberjonois, Ed Lauter, Wayne Crawford, Deborah Foreman and Mario Van Peebles, with appearances by Dean Devlin, John Doe, Gina Gershon, Rusty Cundieff and Wings Hauser. This Scorpion Releasing edition has a new HD master and interview with actor Danny De La Paz.

(Blu-Ray)

THE TICK (2016): COMPLETE SERIES

Both seasons of the short-lived cult series updating the beloved comic book and cartoon super hero parody for the post-Christopher-Nolan era. Starring Peter Serafinowicz (Shaun of the Dead) as The Tick, Griffin Newman (Vinyl) as Arthur and Jackie Earle Haley (The Bad News Bears) as The Terror.

(DVD)

EL TOPO (1970)(SPECIAL EDITION)

The first ever “midnight movie” combines a violent western with surrealism as the titular black-clad gunslinger (played by director Alejandro Jodorowsky) travels the desert in a spiral to kill four masters, along the way physically and spiritually transforming into a saint. Includes new and archival interviews with Jodorowsky and new extensive interview with his son/co-star Brontis. From the box set Alejandro Jodorowsky: 4K Restoration Collection, which presents these previously out-of-print films in new 4K restorations from the original 35 mm elements, with new color corrections supervised by Jodorowsky.

(Blu-Ray)

THE TWO JAKES (1990)

Sixteen years after Chinatown, Jack Nicholson returned to the role of private eye Jake Gittes in a film he also directed. Harvey Keitel plays the other Jake, a real estate developer who gets him to help confront his allegedly cheating wife (Meg Tilly), and pulls him into a whole lot of trouble. At the time, much of the press focused on the long and troubled development of the film, but Roger Ebert described it as “an exquisite short story about a mood, and a time, and a couple of guys who are blind-sided by love… written with meticulous care, to show how good and evil are never as simple as they seem, and to demonstrate that even the motives of a villain may emerge from a goodness of heart… It’s a deep movie, and a thoughtful one, and when it’s over you can’t easily put it out of your mind.”

(Blu-Ray)

VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN (1995)

Eddie Murphy loved horror movies and wanted to star in one. Wes Craven was sick of making horror movies and wanted to do a comedy. The odd results were not well received at the time, but are at least a little more interesting than given credit for. Murphy gives a good performance as the suave African vampire Maximillian (who also morphs into a few more comical alter egos), Kadeem Hardison plays a victim who becomes his rotting henchman, and any movie with Angela Bassett as the protagonist can’t be without merit.

(Blu-Ray)

THE WIND RISES (2013) 

Hayao Miyazaki is easily one of the most rented directors in Scarecrow history. My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Miyazaki and others have been top sellers and renters from the day they were released, without wavering. His most recent feature The Wind Rises is a little different. A biography of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of fighter planes used in World War II, it lacks the fantastical worlds and creatures of Miyazaki’s other films, but shares their gentle humanity and almost religious awe for the act of flight. It’s a love story, and also the story of a passionate artist who has to make deals and compromises to get funding for his creations. Shout Factory’s edition includes the storyboards for the entire film and a few featurettes. You can watch it in the original Japanese (starring the voice of Evangelion and Shin Godzilla director Hideaki Anno) or English (with Werner Herzog in a supporting role!).

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968)

The fictionalized biography of sadistic, self-appointed 17th century witch hunter Matthew Hopkins is cited by many as Vincent Price’s darkest and scariest role. This disc from Scream Factory’s reissued Vincent Price Collection box set includes commentary by producer Philip Waddilove and actor Ian Ogilvy, interviews with Vincent and Victoria Price, a featurette about the movie, and more.

(Blu-Ray)

The Seasoned Ticket #105

Robert Horton is a Scarecrow board member and a longtime film critic. He will be contributing a series of “critic’s notes” to the Scarecrow blog—a chance to highlight worthy films playing locally and connecting them to the riches of Scarecrow’s collection.

Read More

New Releases for September 15!

by Bryan Theiss

In this week’s new arrivals we have two surreal Ethiopian sci-fi freakouts, two movies about standup comics and murder sprees, two Telly Savalas vehicles, two Bob Hope/Paulette Goddard haunted house comedies, two movies starring and directed by Ray Milland, three Cary Grant movies, but only one violent home invasion thriller about a little girl fighting off neo-Nazi Kevin James. Also look out for a French mini-series about gay rights, some British shows, Claire Denis from Criterion, Howie Mandel as a funny monster, Jeremy Renner as a real life monster, David Cronenberg’s first feature, a new one from Abel Ferrara, and much more.

Read More

The Seasoned Ticket #104

Robert Horton is a Scarecrow board member and a longtime film critic. He will be contributing a series of “critic’s notes” to the Scarecrow blog—a chance to highlight worthy films playing locally and connecting them to the riches of Scarecrow’s collection.

Read More

New Releases for September 8!

by Bryan Theiss

This week’s new arrivals include the latest works from from Kelly Reichardt and Superman, classics from Roger Corman, Kinji Fukusaku, Takashi Miike, Jules Dassin, Lucio Fulci and Larry Cohen, documentaries about stray dogs and undercover nursing home residents, two Doctor Who movies starring Peter Cushing, an uncut version of Psycho not seen in 60 years, and much more. We also brought in a bunch of limited edition blu-rays by Twilight Time.

AENIGMA (1987)

Lucio Fulci’s last horror hit of the ‘80s involves a bullied girl getting telepathic revenge while in a coma, and features a famous death-by-snails scene. Severin presents a new 4K scan from the original negative, plus commentary with Fulci biographer Troy Howarth, interview with screenwriter Giorgio Mariuzzo and the featurette Italian Aenigma: Appraising Late Day Fulci.

(DVD)

AND SHE COULD BE NEXT (2020) 

PBS documentary about the new wave of women of color in politics. Filmed during the 2018 midterms, it follows organizers and candidates including Rashida Tlaib and Stacey Abrams.

(DVD)

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA (1972)

One of Charlton Heston’s passion projects was directing and starring in this ‘70s Shakespeare adaptation “with surprisingly grand battle scenes shot in Spain on land and sea.” This Twilight Time edition includes isolated music track, commentary with film historians Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo and a making-of documentary with Fraser C. Heston.

(Blu-Ray)

ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS (1957)

Roger Corman’s famous atomic crustaceanfest in a new Scream Factory edition with new 2K scan of a fine-grain print. Includes commentary with film historians Tom Weaver, John Burns and Mike Brunas, and A Salute to Roger Corman featurette.

(Blu-Ray)

BAD EDUCATION (2019)

Not to be confused with the 2004 Almodovar movie, this is the true story of a Long Island superintendent (Hugh Jackman) who seemed like he was doing a great job until a reporter at the school newspaper uncovered his $11 million embezzling scheme. Co-starring Allison Janney, Ray Romano and Geraldine Viswanathan and directed by Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds). Writer Mike Makowsky (I Think We’re Alone Now) was a student at the school when it all went down.

(DVD)

BEATS (2019) 

The story of two teenage best friends in Scotland sneaking out to a rave for their last night hanging out together in 1994, when unlicensed dance parties were banned in the UK. Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, who tried to recruit director Brian Welsh for a project after seeing his “The Entire History of You” episode of Black Mirror. Welsh turned the offer down, but showed Soderbergh the script for Beats and convinced him to help get it made.

(DVD)

BETTER THINGS: SEASON 1 (2017)

The first season of the superb FX comedy starring and created by Pamela Adlon (the voice of Bobby Hill!). Any description of what it’s about (a former sitcom actor trying to get work, date and raise three hilarious daughters) can’t really convey the unique storytelling and point-of-view of this outstanding series.

(DVD)

THE BIG FIX (1978)

Richard Dreyfuss stars as an ex-hippie p.i. searching for a fugitive pal from his Berkeley activist days (F. Murray Abraham) on behalf of someone running for governor in this satirical neo-noir adapted by Roger L. Simon from his own novel. This Twilight Time edition includes an isolated music track.

(Blu-Ray)

THE BIG UGLY (2020)

London mobsters Vinnie Jones and Malcolm McDowell try to launder money by investing with Ron Perlman in a West Virginia oil deal. Violence ensues. Co-written by Tarantino! Well, some guy named Paul Tarantino (no relation).

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

BREEZY (1973)

Clint Eastwood’s first time directing without starring was this romantic drama about middle aged William Holden falling for teenage hippie Kay Lenz. With commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and C. Courtney Joyner.

(Blu-Ray)

BRUTE FORCE (1947) (CRITERION)

Jules Dassin (Rififi)’s first crime movie stars Burt Lancaster as an inmate hoping to escape from under the tyranny of sadistic guard Hume Cronyn. Criterion’s blu-ray features a new 4K restoration and commentary by film noir specialists Alain Silver and James Ursini.

(Blu-Ray)

CAGED HEAT (1974) / JACKSON COUNTY JAIL (1976)

Shout Factory brings us a double feature of ‘70s jail-themed Roger Corman productions. The former is directed by Jonathan Demme and the latter stars Tommy Lee Jones, so don’t worry, it’s all very respectable. Each has a director’s commentary track, a Leonard Maltin interview with Corman and a trailer. The Demme commentary also includes director of photography Tai Fujimoto, who continued to collaborate with him through Philadelphia, Silence of the Lambs, The Manchurian Candidate and more.

(Blu-Ray)

CANNON FOR CORDOBA (1970) 

George Peppard loves it when a plan comes together, so in this western set during the Mexican Revolution he leads a band of misfits into Mexican territory to blow up half a dozen cannons. Includes audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson.

(Blu-Ray)

CARO DIARIO (1993) 

It’s always exciting when something we’ve only had on VHS for years finally shows up on disc. This is an Italian comedy with three vignettes presented as the chapters of a diary. Director Nanni Moretti’s subsequent films include We Have a Pope, Mia Madre and Santiago, Italia.

(DVD)

CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI (2008)

Roger Spottiswoode (Under Fire, Tomorrow Never Dies) directed this historical drama about a British journalist (jonathan Rhys Meyers) and Australian nurse (Radha Mitchell) trying to save orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China. Co-starring Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh, with cinematography Zhao Xiaoding (House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower, Shadow).

(Blu-Ray)

CORDILLERA OF DREAMS (2019) 

Director Patricio Guzman, who left Chile when the military dictatorship took over more than 40 years ago, explores the cultural impact of the Andes, interviewing artists, a vulcanologist and a photographer of protests. This Cannes Film Festival best documentary winner completes a trilogy with Nostalgia for the Light and The Pearl Button.

(DVD)

COVERED WAGON (1923) 

The first big budget western epic features a love triangle, a buffalo stampede, a prairie fire and a cast of thousands. Includes a commentary by film historian Toby Roan, a Wurlitzer score by Gaylord Carter and The Pie-Covered Wagon, a 1932 one-reeler spoof starring Shirley Temple.

(Blu-Ray)

DEATHSPORT (1978) 

A thousand years from now, post-Great Neutron Wars, the death ranger Kat (David Carradine) is plucked from the wastelands and forced to play Deathsport. You know how Lord Zirpola is, always doing stuff like that. Scream Factory’s blu-ray includes commentary with co-director Allan Arkush and editor Larry Block.

(Blu-Ray)

DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEKS (1965)

Peter Cushing stars as the famous Timelord in the first ever Doctor Who movie adaptation – also the first time the character was ever seen in color. 2K restoration with new commentary by scholars Kim Newman, Robert Shearman and Mark Gatiss, 57-minute documentary Dalekmania and interview with author Gareth Owen.

(Blu-Ray)

DOCTOR WHO: DALEKS’ INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. (1966)

Peter Cushing returns as the Doctor to help the human resistance escape from the iron, uh… toilet-plunger-looking-thinged grip of the Daleks. This one also has a commentary, the same Dalekmania documentary and interviews with actor Bernard Cribbins and author Gareth Owen.

(Blu-Ray)

ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT (1986)

A man falsely committed to an insane asylum by his greedy uncle actually turns crazy, escapes, and goes on a vengeful priest-themed killing spree. Yet another interesting rarity brought to use by Vinegar Syndrome, who call it “A seedy and perverse slasher-soap opera as only exploitation auteur Paul Leder (I Dismember Mama) and co-writer William Norton Sr. (Night of the Juggler) could achieve.” New restoration and interviews with stars Bernard White and Lauren Woodland.

(Blu-Ray)

FIRST COW (2019)

Kelly Reichardt wrote and directed this simple drama about a traveling chef and a Chinese immigrant in the Oregon frontier who become friends and plot to steal milk from the only cow in the area. Many critics have called it one of the best films of 2020. A.O. Scott of The New York Times writes, “First Cow is fundamentally a western: It takes up questions of civilization, solidarity and barbarism on the American frontier. And like many great westerns it critiques some of the genre’s foundational myths with bracing, beautiful rigor, including the myth of heroic individualism.”

Reichardt is one of the newest additions to our director’s section – you may also want to rent her films River of Grass, Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, Night Moves and Certain Women.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

FOR LOVE OF IVY (1968)

Sidney Poitier and Abbey Lincoln star in this romance about a hustler blackmailed into seducing a housekeeper. With a jazzy score by Quincy Jones and featuring Beau Bridges and Carroll O’Connor.

(Blu-Ray)

GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995)

Mamoru Oshii’s influential cyberpunk anime classic makes it to the 4K-Ultra format (rented with standard blu-ray, in case you don’t have a player for that).

(4K-UHD/Blu-Ray)

GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (1975)

Kinji Fukusaku’s starkly realistic story of the rise and fall of real-life gangster Rikio Ishikawa is given the Arrow treatment, featuring a new commentary by critic Mark Schilling, a visual essay by Projection Booth podcast host Mike White, an appreciation of Fukusaku called A Portrait of Rage, and an interview with assistant director Kenichi Oguri.

(Blu-Ray)

GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (2002)

Oh, hey, look, it’s Takashi Miike’s stylish quasi-remake of the aforementioned Fukusaku gangster classic, reimagining the concept for the hedonistic 21st century Japanese criminal underground. With new commentary by Miike biographer Tom Mes, visual essay by author Kat Ellinger, and archival features including interviews, making-of featurette, premiere special, and more. (Blu-Ray)

THE GREY FOX (1982)

Richard Farnsworth (The Straight Story) stars as a convicted stagecoach robber who gets out of prison in 1901, sees The Great Train Robbery, and starts getting ideas. New 4K restoration with commentary by director (of Repo Man, but not this) Alex Cox and interviews with producer Peter O’Brian and composer Michael Conway Baker.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

HELLO, FRISCO, HELLO (1943)

A quartet of Vaudevillians try to make it big in turn-of-the-century San Francisco. The song “You’ll Never Know won the best original song Oscar.

(Blu-Ray)

LIGHTFOOT, GORDON: IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND (2019)

This new documentary “follows Lightfoot’s evolution from Christian choirboy to troubled troubadour to international star and beloved Canadian icon.”

(DVD)

LIMBO (1999) (PLUS 2 SHORTS)

Tina Krause is an actress with over 100 IMDb credits since the mid-‘90s, mostly in no budget exploitation movies like Shriek of the Lycanthrope, The Infamous Bondage Murders and An Erotic Vampire in Paris. Now our friends at the American Genre Film Archive and Bleeding Skull! present her only film as a writer/director, which they describe as “what might happen if David Lynch and Nine Inch Nails collaborated on a shot-on-video horror movie.” Transferred from the original S-VHS master tape, with commentary by Krause and the Bleeding Skull! Team, archival making-of documentary, Fantastic Fest Q&A and short films Answering Machine and Eaten Alive.

(Blu-Ray)

LOS REYES (2019) 

A documentary following two stray dogs, Chola and Football, who hang around the oldest skate park in Santiago. “The human world appears in stories of adolescents in transit to adulthood. We listen to their voices and see fragments of their bodies as part of the environment that surrounds the world of dogs.”

(DVD)

A MAN CALLED PETER (1955)

The story of Peter Marshall (Richard Todd), a Scottish immigrant in a New York seminary who became a Presbyterian pastor and chaplain of the United States Senate, based on a book by his wife Catherine (played by Jean Peters in the movie). Twilight Time’s disc includes an isolated music track, audio sermon by the real Peter Marshall and Fox Movietone newsreels.

(Blu-Ray)

MASTERMIND (1976) 

Zero Mostel stars as Inspector Hoku Ichihara (hmm…), who imagines he’s a samurai as he chases a stolen robot in this spoof of Charlie Chan mysteries.

(Blu-Ray)

MOLE AGENT (2020)

Is this documentary, an 83-year-old is hired to go undercover in a Chilean retirement home suspected of elder abuse, and becomes involved in the lives of the residents.

(DVD)

MR. MERCEDES: SEASON 3

Brendan Gleeson stars as Stephen King’s retired detective character Bill Hodges in a show developed by David E. Kelley. In this season he tries to catch the killer of a beloved local author who also stole valuable unpublished novels.

(DVD)

MY GAL SAL (1942)

Musical biography of songwriter Paul Dresser (Victor Mature), with Rita Hayworth as the titular stage star who helps him make it big. Includes isolated music track.

(Blu-Ray)

NAKED CITY (1948) (CRITERION)

Jules Dassin’s influential police procedural, shot on location in New York. Criterion’s blu-ray features a new 4K restoration, commentary with screenwriter Marvin Wald, and interviews with Dassin, film scholar Dana Polan and James Sanders on the film’s locations.

(Blu-Ray)

NAUGHTY VICTORIANS (1975) (XXX)

An adaptation of the anonymous Victorian novella The Way of a Man With a Maid, Vinegar Syndrome describes this as a “bawdy erotic comedy” with “elaborate production design and glossy cinematography.” New restoration with historical commentary track by author and professor Dr. Laura Helen Marks, plus trailers and and an article gallery.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

A NICE GIRL LIKE YOU (2020) 

A violinist (Lucy Hale) is accused of being uptight, so she creates a list of wild things to do. Co-starring Mindy Cohn from The Facts of Life!

(DVD)

OLD IRONSIDES (1926) 

Wallace Beery leads a ragtag band into the middle of a pirate war. This new restoration from the Library of Congress includes commentary by film historian Toby Roan and score by J.S. Zamecnik and Hugo Riesenfeld, adapted for piano by Rodney Sauer.

(Blu-Ray)

THE ONION FIELD (1979) 

LAPD officers John Savage and Ted Danson (in his movie debut) pull over a car for an illegal u-turn and find themselves kidnapped by bank robbers James Woods and Franklyn Seales. Directed by Harold Becker (Sea of Love, Malice) and adapted by Joseph Wambaugh from his 1973 true crime book. Includes interview with Savage, commentary by Becker and Ring of Truth documentary.

(Blu-Ray)

PERFECT STRANGERS (1984)

Vinegar Syndrome brings their world class treatment to a lesser known Larry Cohen thriller about a hitman who has a murder witnessed by a young child and seduces his single mother to find out how much the kid knows. Includes an interview with star Ann Carlisle and archival interview with Cohen.

(Blu-Ray)

PSYCHO (1960) (60TH ANNIVERSARY) (UNCUT) (2 VERSIONS)

Wait – what!? It turns out the version of Psycho we’ve all been watching our whole lives “was edited for content and subsequently used for TV broadcasts, theatrical re-releases and home entertainment over the last 60 years.” That version is included on this blu-ray, but so is “the extended version of the movie as seen in theaters in 1960… exactly as intended by Alfred Hitchcock and now available with additional footage for the first time ever”! That plus a ton of bonus features like newsreel footage about the release, excerpts from the Hitchcock/Truffaut interview, shower sequence storyboards by Saul Bass, commentary with Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho author Stephen Rebello, and more.

(Blu-Ray)

RETALIATION (2017) 

Orlando Bloom plays against his Elf/pirate hearthrob image in a disturbing thriller about a demolition worker who sees his childhood abuser while out drinking with friends and decides to get revenge. Formerly titled Romans, the film is well reviewed, particularly for Bloom’s performance. They photoshopped him to look kind of like John Travolta on the cover though.

(DVD)

RING OF BRIGHT WATER (1969)

The real life husband and wife who starred with Elsa the Lion in Born Free take things to the next level by starring with Mij, the “delightfully mischievous otter who’ll enchant viewers of all ages.” With commentary by film historian Lee Gambin.

(Blu-Ray)

SAYONARA (1957)

Marlon Brando plays an Air Force major facing discriminatory military policies after falling in love with a Japanese actress (Miiko Taka) while stationed near Kobe, Japan. Also starring Ricardo Montalban and featuring a score by Franz Waxman.

(Blu-Ray)

THE SIN OF NORA MORAN (1933) (SPECIAL EDITION)

Zita Johann (The Mummy) stars as a young woman sentenced to death for a crime she didn’t commit, but she can’t reveal the truth without damaging the lives of loved ones. This is a limited edition disc from Film Detective, featuring a 4K restoration from the UCLA Film & Television Archive and an original documentary called The Mysterious Life of Zita Johann.

(Blu-Ray)

STREETWALKIN’ (1985) 

Long before being on Homicide: Life On the Street or winning an Oscar for The Fighter, Melissa Leo starred as a teenage runaway resorting to prostitution to survive the streets of New York City. With commentary by writer/director Joan Freeman (Satisfaction) and producer/co-writer Robert Alden.

(Blu-Ray)

SUPERMAN: MAN OF TOMORROW (2020)

DC Comics may have recently ended their long-running “DC Animated Movie Universe” continuity with Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, but they’re still at it with standalone movies like this new take on young Superman, emphasizing his alien origins and using a cleaner, more retro design style. Darren Criss (American Crime Story: The Death of Gianni Versace) plays Superman, with Alexandra Daddario (We Summon the Darkness) as Lois Lane and Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) as Lex Luthor.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

SUPPOSE THEY GAVE A WAR AND NOBODY CAME? (1970)

From the director of I Love You, Alice B. Toklas comes this comedy-drama about an army base trying to improve relations with the locals by throwing a community dance. The cast includes Brian Keith, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Ivan Dixon, Suzanne Pleshette and Don Ameche. New 4K scan with commentary by film historians Dr. Eloise Ross and Dr. Dean Brandum.

(Blu-Ray)

TROMASTERPIECE THEATRE EP.2: POULTRYGEIST (2020) 

Corny the talking popcorn box and Reel the talking film reel riff on Troma’s 2006 film Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.

(DVD)

THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG (2019) 

George MacKay (the main guy in 1917) plays the legendary Australian outlaw in a fictionalized account of his gang on the run in the 1870s. Russell Crowe plays his mentor, and Nicholas Hoult and Charlie Hunnam are also in it. Director Justin Kurzel previously did The Snowtown Murders, The Turning, Macbeth (the one with Michael Fassbender) and Assassin’s Creed.

(DVD)

WITNESS TO MURDER (1954) 

Barbara Stanwyck witnesses a woman being strangled in an apartment across the street, but the police can’t find a body, so they tell her she was dreaming. Great work, guys. This noir from the director of The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T got left in the dust when the similarly themed Rear Window came out less than a month later.

(Blu-Ray)

YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF (1977)

Three strangers go on a road trip together in a tearjerker from Tora-san creator Yoji Yamada. It was the first Best Picture winner at the Japan Academy Prize.

(Blu-Ray)

ZPG: ZERO POPULATION GROWTH (1972) 

In this Soylent Green-esque dystopian tale, Oliver Reed and Geraldine Chaplin star as a couple trying to secretly have a child, despite rules designed to save the world from calamitous overpopulation. With commentary by film historian Steve Ryfle.

(Blu-Ray)

The Seasoned Ticket #103

Robert Horton is a Scarecrow board member and a longtime film critic. He will be contributing a series of “critic’s notes” to the Scarecrow blog—a chance to highlight worthy films playing locally and connecting them to the riches of Scarecrow’s collection.

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New Releases for September 1!

by Bryan Theiss

This week’s arrivals include horror from Russia and Argentina, German thrillers both old and new, a variety of documentaries, a killer sax player, Megan Fox fighting a lion, Boris Karloff and Rutger Hauer both playing good guys (not in the same movie though), an indigenous Canadian zombie film, anime from the studio that made Mind Game, two Malcolm McDowell movies, two early-‘90s Stephen King adaptations, a swimmer biopic, and much more. 

BABA YAGA: TERROR OF THE DARK FOREST (2020)

In this new Russian horror film, a family moves to a new apartment on the outskirts of the city, and their oldest son notices something scary about their new nanny. Specifically that she’s Baba Yaga, terror of the dark forest, I’m guessing!

(DVD)

THE BALCONY (1963)

Customers of a brothel live out their fantasies oblivious to a revolution going on outside in director Joseph Strick (Tropic of Cancer)’s adaptation of a Jean Genet play. The all-star cast includes Shelley Winters, Peter Falk, Leonard Nimoy and Ruby Dee. With commentary by film historian Tim Lucas and a new interview with star Lee Grant.

(Blu-Ray)

A BIGGER SPLASH (1974) 

A hybrid of improvised fiction and documentary about artist David Hockney at the end of an affair with his American muse Peter Schlesinger. With commentary by director Jack Hazan and two shorts – Love’s Presentation (1962) and Portrait of David Hockney (1972). (Note: This is not the basis of the 2015 film starring Tilda Swinton – that was named after the same painting, but loosely based on the 1969 French film Swimming Pool.)

(Blu-Ray)

BLACK CASTLE (1952) 

Boris Karloff plays a doctor, but not a mad one – he’s the hero trying to rescue his friends trapped in a castle by a sinister Austrian count (Stephen McNally). New 2K scan from a fine grain film element, with commentary by author/film historian Tom Weaver and a new featurette about Universal Horror in the ‘40s. (From Scream Factory’s Universal Horror Collection: Vol. 6 box set.)

(Blu-Ray)

BLACK GRAVEL (1961)

A hard boiled German film set in a vice district in post-WWII Germany, where men work in the black market and women serve as entertainment for American soldiers. It was re-edited after people were upset by its frank depiction of antisemitism – this release includes both the censored and original versions, plus commentary by film historian Olaf Möller.

(DVD)

BLACK TEST CAR (1962) / BLACK REPORT (1963) 

Arrow presents a double feature by director Yasuzo Masumura (Blind Beast). Black Test Car is a satire about a bitter war of industrial espionage between two car companies, while Black Report is a police procedural and court room drama about the murder of a food company boss. Includes a new critical appreciation by Jonathan Rosenbaum.

(Blu-Ray)

BLOOD QUANTUM (2019)

Believe it or not, Canadian writer/director Jeff Barnaby has come up with a new spin on the zombie genre; this is about the residents of a First People’s reservation who find they’re immune to the zombie outbreak, set up an island compound and have disagreements about whether or not to shelter uninfected white people. In the classic George Romero tradition it has plenty to say, but not at the expense of delivering the goods with gory zombie encounters and cool hero characters like the sheriff turned leader played by Michael Greyeyes (True Detective). We also have Barnaby’s first film, Rhymes For Young Ghouls (2013).

(DVD)

BREWSTER’S MILLIONS (1985)

Shout Select presents a collector’s edition of Walter Hill’s ‘80s version of this oft-remade tale of a regular guy inheriting a bunch of money with weird stipulations about how to spend it. In this case Richard Pryor plays a minor league ball player who has to figure out how to spend every penny of $30 million within 30 days without giving it away, investing it or telling anyone he’s trying to go broke. John Candy is very funny as his catcher friend. Includes new commentary by Critically Acclaimed podcast hosts William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold, new interview with screenwriter Herschel Weingrod, and a full 1945 version of the same story starring Dennis O’Keefe and Helen Walker.

(Blu-Ray)

BRITANNIA HOSPITAL (1982) 

Director Lindsay Anderson and star Malcolm McDowell conclude their series on the character Mick Travis from if… and O Lucky Man! as he becomes the victim of a Frankenstein-type experiment in this sci-fi black comedy. With commentary by film historian Samm Deighan and an interview with McDowell about Anderson.

(Blu-Ray)

CHILDREN OF THE SEA (2019) 

Based on the manga of the same name, Children of the Sea tells the story of a junior high student on summer vacation who meets mysterious brothers with a connection to supernatural phenomena happening in and near the sea. Animation by Studio 4°C (Mind Game, Tekkonkinkreet) and a score by Miyazaki’s regular composer Joe Hisaishi.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

CITY OF THE SUN (2017) 

Meditative documentary about the residents of a near-ghost town in Chiatura, Georgia that once supplied more than half the world’s supply of manganese. “Brings to mind scenes from Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker, infusing the post-industrial environment with a post-apocalyptic feeling,” writes Eurobeam.

(DVD)

CULT OF THE COBRA (1955) 

A woman who can turn into a cobra (Faith Domergue) haunts American soldiers after they intrude on a Hindu ceremony. New 2K scan from a fine grain film element, with commentary by film historians Tom Weaver, Steve Kronenberg, David Schecter and Rober J. Kiss, and TV spots. (From Scream Factory’s Universal Horror Collection: Vol. 6 box set.)

(Blu-Ray)

CUT OFF (2018) (UNRATED EDITION) 

After a coroner finds his daughter’s phone number inside the skull of a murder victim he must follow a trail of clues to rescue her from a deranged killer. Based on the international best-seller by Sebastian Fitzek and Michael Tsokos, and directed by Christian Alvart (Antibodies, Pandorum). Includes options to watch in German with English subtitles or dubbed into English.

(DVD)

THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK (1933)

Fredric March, Cary Grant and Carole Lombard star in an anti-war drama about rival WWI pilots. With new commentary by author/film historian Lee Gambin and actress/film historian Rutanya Alda.

(Blu-Ray)

ENTER THE FORBIDDEN CITY (2018) 

Two exiled opera singers risk their lives to perform for the Emperor Qianlong’s 80th birthday celebration in this origin story of Peking Opera from director Hu Mei (Confucius).

(DVD)

FULCI FOR FAKE (2019) 

The first biographical documentary of Italian horror legend Lucio Fulci, told through interviews, home movies and behind-the-scenes footage as an actor (Nicola Nocella) conducts research to play him. This is released by Severin, so it has tons of special features, including more home movies (with commentary), audio tapes, outtakes, and interviews with director Simone Scafidi and Fulci’s daughter Camilla.

(DVD)

GIRL CRAZY (1943) (WARNER ARCHIVE)

Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland’s ninth and final film together was this adaptation of the George & Ira Gershwin stage musical about putting on a show with the Tommy Dorsey band to save a small agricultural college. Songs include “But Not For Me” and “I Got Rhythm.”

(Blu-Ray)

GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990) 

A mysterious large creature and/or a whole lot of rats terrorize the employees of a textile mill at night in this adaptation of a short story from Stephen King’s Night Shift collection. Brad Dourif shows up as “The Exterminator.”

(Blu-Ray)

HO, DENISE: BECOMING THE SONG (2020) 

Documentary about Denise Ho, a Hong Kong-based Cantopop singer who was arrested and blacklisted for supporting the students of the Hong Kong free elections movement. Director Sue Williams follows her on her 2017 tour of the UK and North America, as she tries to rebuild her career, before the protests explode again in 2019.

(DVD)

IRRESISTIBLE (2020) 

Jon Stewart wrote and directed this political comedy starring his Daily Show cohort Steve Carrell as a Washington DC political consultant. After being impressed by a Marine Colonel’s speech in a viral video, he tries to get him to run for mayor as a Democrat in his rural Wisonscin town, leading to various cultural tensions. Co-starring Rose Byrne, Chris Cooper, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace and Natasha Lyonne.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

KIDDING: SEASON 2 (2018)

Final season of Showtime’s Michel-Gondry-produced dark comedy starring Jim Carrey as a beloved children’s puppet show host adapting to life after a tragedy. Episodes are directed by Gondry, Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank), Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) and Bert & Bertie (Troop Zero).

(DVD)

MARIN, MAGUY: TIME TO ACT (2019) 

Documentary about “one of the most important figures in French modern dance,” with live footage and interviews. “The son of the experimental choreographer Maguy Marin covers her revolt against conventional beauty, her love of the grotesque and the awkward, her political principles and struggles, in this career documentary. “

(DVD)

MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID (1952) (WARNER ARCHIVE)

American swimming champ turned entertainer Esther Williams stars in a biopic of Australian swimming champ turned entertainer Annette Kellerman. Directed by Mervyn Leroy (Gypsy, Quo Vadis, Mister Roberts), co-starring Victor Mature and Walter Pidgeon, and featuring choreography by Busby Berkeley.

(Blu-Ray)

THE NEWSPAPERMAN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN BRADLEE (2017) 

HBO documentary about the legendary Washington Post editor who published the Pentagon Papers and helped break open the Watergate scandal, or as we know him around here, “the guy Tom Hanks played in The Post.” (The Post is really good if you haven’t seen it.)

(DVD)

OUR TIME WILL COME (2017) 

Zhou Xun stars as a school teacher who becomes involved with resistance guerrillas in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong. Directed by Ann Hui (July Rhapsody, Night and Fog, The Golden Era).

(DVD)

THE OUTPOST (2020)

Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom and the sons of Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson play some of the small team of American soldiers attacked by hundreds of Taliban fighters at “the deadliest outpost in Afghanistan.” Directed by Rod Lurie (Deterrence, The Contender), based on the “untold story of American valor” book by CNN’s Jake Tapper. 

(DVD)

PAT AND MIKE (1952) (WARNER ARCHIVE)

Romantic comedy about a sports promoter (Spencer Tracy) who signs a golfer (Katharine Hepburn). Co-starring Aldo Ray, featuring Charles Bronson (when he was still Buchinski), Jim Backus and Chuck Connors, directed by George Cukor (A Star Is Born, My Fair Lady) and co-written by Ruth Gordon, who received an Oscar nomination for it.

(Blu-Ray)

RAGING MOON (1971) 

Malcolm McDowell stars in a romantic drama about a man who mysteriously loses the ability to walk and strikes up a relationship in a convalescent home. With commentary by film historian/filmmaker Daniel Kremer.

(DVD)

ROGUE (2020) 

Surprisingly well-reviewed action vehicle for Megan Fox (Jennifer’s Body), who plays a mercenary trapped during a mission in Africa and hunted by a lion. Directed by M.J. Bassett (Deathwatch, Solomon Kane), written with her daughter Isabel. “Fox is a strong heroic presence, bringing a bit more emotional depth to her performance than I anticipated,” writes Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak.com.

(DVD)

SANTIAGO, ITALIA (2018)

Documentary about the 1973 coup d’État that ended Salvador Allende’s democratically elected government in Chile and the Italian Embassy’s part in relocating citizens targeted by the new fascist regime. (DVD)

SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961) 

A cat must avenge the murder of its owner by her servants and husband (Andre Morell). New 2K scan from a fine grain film element with commentary by author/film historian Bruce G. Hallenback, new interview with star Barbara Shelley and TV spot. (From Scream Factory’s Universal Horror Collection: Vol. 6 box set.)

(Blu-Ray)

SPLIT SECOND (1992)

Rutger Hauer stars as a burnt out homicide detective hunting a monstrous serial killer in this ‘90s sci-fi cult classic set in the futuristic year 2008. MVD Rewind Collection’s special edition features a new 4K transfer and a ridiculous bounty of special features including commentary by action film historian Mike Leeder, interviews with producers, actors, the composer, creature effects designer and cinematographer, plus the original 1992 making-of special, a 95 minute Japanese cut, deleted scenes, promos, and trailers.

(DVD and Blu-Ray)

STREAMLINERS COLLECTION V.4: THE MUSICALS (1942) 

This latest collection of streamliners (producer Hal Roach’s series of movies designed to be longer than shorts but shorter than features) includes All American Co-ed (1941), Fiesta (1941) and Flying with Music (1942).

(DVD)

STRIKE BACK: SEASON 7 (2010)

The final season of the Cinemax action series has the team on a mission to contain a stolen virus and coming into conflict with terrorist brothers possessing an even deadlier weapon.

(DVD)

SUBWAY RIDERS (1981) 

A New York City psycho (John Lurie) lures his victims to deserted places by playing saxophone, then shoots them. Robbie Coltrane, Susan Tyrrell and Lydia Lunch co-star. Written and directed by NYC No Wave pioneer Amos Poe (The Blank Generation, Alphabet City).

(DVD)

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE (1990)

Scream Factory brings us a collector’s edition of the slept-on horror anthology written by Michael McDowell (Beetlejuice) and horror master George Romero, based on stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and Stephen King. The cast includes Debbie Harry, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Christian Slater, William Hickey, David Johansen, James Remar, Rae Dawn Chong and Robert Klein. This edition includes a commentary by co-producer David R. Kappes, a feature length making of documentary, and more. Trivia: director John Harrison not only composed the score for Romero’s Day of the Dead, but played the screwdriver zombie in Dawn of the Dead.

(Blu-Ray)

TERRIFIED (2017) 

Acclaimed Argentinian horror film about a neighborhood in Buenos Aires plagued by crazy supernatural business, beginning with a women hearing voices from her sink. Germain Lussier of io9 praises it as, “A very unique and surprising horror film. It not only delivers legitimate scares from beginning to end, it also has delightfully disgusting images, interesting characters, and a fascinating story.”

(DVD)

THE THING THAT COULDN’T DIE (1958)

You know how it is – you’re a psychic and you dig up a crate that’s been buried on your aunt’s ranch for hundreds of years and inside you find the head of a 16th century devil worshipper and it’s still alive. Shenanigans ensue. New 2K scan from a fine grain film element with commentary by authors/film historians Tom Weaver and C. Courtney Joyner. (From Scream Factory’s Universal Horror Collection: Vol. 6 box set.)

(Blu-Ray)

THE VAGRANT (1992) 

The late great Bill Paxton stars as a businessman who buys a new house and is harassed and driven crazy by the drifter (Marshall Bell) who was previously squatting there. This darkly comic cult classic thriller was directed by special effects makeup genius Chris Walas (The Fly II).

(Blu-Ray)

VIRAL: ANTISEMITISM IN FOUR MUTATIONS (2020)

PBS documentary about the ways antisemitism is spreading across the US and Europe, “mutat[ing] across cultures, borders and ideologies, making it all but impossible to stop.”

(DVD)

THE WILD GOOSE LAKE (2019) 

Acclaimed Chinese crime-noir about a small time mobster hiding out in Wuhan after he accidentally kills a cop and has to hide from the police as well as criminals who want to claim a bounty on him. Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily writes, “This hyper-stylish manhunt drama laces slow-burn atmospherics with abrupt outbursts of staccato action, and boils down characterization to the leanest of bare bones, making for minimalist existentialism in the style of Jean-Pierre Melville.” From the director of Black Coal, Thin Ice.

(DVD)

WITHOUT LOVE (1945) (WARNER ARCHIVE)

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn star in a romantic comedy about a WWII era scientist and his assistant in a marriage of convenience. Also starring Keenan Wynn, Lucille Ball and Gloria Grahame.

(Blu-Ray)

Z (2019)

When a kid exhibits destructive behavior that he blames on his imaginary friend Z, his mother medicates him, only to find that now Z wants her to be his friend. Come on, Z. Leave these people alone. Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting says, “Z offers up a fairly familiar premise, but it does deliver on atmosphere, chills, and a couple of memorable moments that had the audience gasping.” We also have another movie by the same director called Still/Born.

(DVD)