by Daniel Roth

New release Tuesday! This week brings poverty row sci-fi, a silent Napeloenic epic, a long-gap horror sequel, a hot young teenage delinquent James Spader, and more.

2LDK (2003) (BLU-RAY)

Anyone who’s ever had a difficult roommate will relate to this outrageous and violent Japanese comedy. Small town girl Nozomi and her glamorous, big city roommate, Lana, share a Tokyo apartment. They already have their little disagreements, but when it comes to light that they are competing for the same movie role AND the same man, their fights escalate from arguments to all-out power tool battles! Taking place entirely within the confines of the apartment, 2LDK is a short, thrilling ride for fans of offbeat cinema.

8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (1984) (BLU-RAY)

After one of its lead actors (cherub-faced action icon Alexander Fu Sheng) unexpectedly died midway through production, fight-choreographer-turned-master-director Lau Kar-leung (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) retooled his latest film, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, as the ultimate action spectacular in tribute to his young star.  One of Shaw Brothers’ final all-star martial arts epics before they ceased filmmaking altogether, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is often regarded as Lau’s masterpiece, as elegiac and suffused with anguish as it is thrillingly violent (not least in its bone-crunching, teeth-smashing climax).

ANNETTE (2021) (REGION B BLU-RAY)

An epic musical on the pitfalls of love, fame and fortune from visionary filmmaker Leos Carax (Holy Motors), starring Adam Driver (Marriage Story) and Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose).The glamorous lives of a seemingly perfect celebrity couple – a provocative stand-up comedian and an internationally renowned opera singer – take an unexpected turn when their daughter Annette is born with a mysterious gift. 

THE APARTMENT (1960) (4K+BLU-RAY)

Insurance worker C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) lends his Upper West Side apartment to company bosses to use for extramarital affairs. When his manager Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray) begins using Baxter’s apartment in exchange for promoting him, Baxter is disappointed to learn that Sheldrake’s mistress is Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), the elevator girl at work whom Baxter is interested in. Soon Baxter must decide between the girl he loves and the advancement of his career.

ARMAGEDDON A.K.A ARMAGUEDON (1977) (BLU-RAY, DVD)

After years of poverty, Carrier (Jean Yanne), a repairman, inherits a large sum of money upon his brother’s death in an accident. Now rich, he decides it is time to make his mark and build a lasting reputation for himself. Becoming more and more mentally unstable, Carrier begins threatening the police and various government institutions while operating under the alias Armageddon. A detective (Alain Delon) from Interpol heads the investigation and prepares a trap for the madman at an international conference of world leaders in Paris.

BEFORE WE DIE – SEASON 1 (2021) (DVD)

When Detective Inspector Hannah Laing kisses her married lover Sean Hardacre goodbye one morning, she never imagines it will be the last time she will see her fellow detective alive. But Sean goes missing and his body is recovered the following day.

BODY OF MY ENEMY (1976) (BLU-RAY, DVD)

After spending seven years in prison, an ex-convict (Jean-Paul Belmondo) hunts for the man who framed him for murder.

CREATION STORIES (2021) (DVD)

Music impresario Alan McGee’s journey from his native Glasgow into the heyday of ’90s British rock music, intercut with an older version of himself recounting these events to an interviewer.

DEADHOUSE DARK -SEASON 1 (2020) (DVD)

Inspired by recent social, cultural and online phenomena, DEADHOUSE DARK is a boxful of six stories that all take place within the same world – a modern world driven by online connections, constant surveillance, insta-celebrity and an ability to instantly gratify just about any need or desire, no matter how fleeting or dark.

DEATH ON THE NILE (2022) (BLU-RAY, DVD)

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this dramatic tale of love gone wrong features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement.

EASTERN PROMISES (2007) (4K+BLU-RAY)

Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is both ruthless and mysterious, has ties to one of the most dangerous crime families in London. He crosses paths with Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife who has come across potentially damaging evidence against the family, which forces him to set in motion a plan of deceit, death and retribution.

EDGAR G. ULMER SCI-FI COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)

This collection brings together three later science fiction works from poverty row auteur Edgar G. Ulmer, the director of The Black Cat (1934) and Detour (1945). Includes The Man From Planet X (1951), Beyond the Time Barrier (1960) and The Amazing Transparent Man (1960).

F.T.A. (1972) (BLU-RAY)

In 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War, Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland toured an anti-war comedy show across Southeast Asia. Despite being highly controversial, it was a huge success among stationed soldiers. Out of circulation and difficult to see for decades, F.T.A. has now been fully restored by IndieCollect in 4K.

THE GARDEN OF TORMENT (1976) (BLU-RAY)

In the 1930’s a young doctor is forced to flee from Paris because he is involved in a drug scandal. On his passage to China he meets a beautiful, eccentric woman. After their arrival in China, she introduces him into a circle of decadent Europeans which created a torture garden for their amusement. While the bored imperial upper class is torturing the locals the revolution is rising.

HANDMAID’S TALE – SEASON 4 (DVD)

The complete fourth season of the TV series The Handmaid’s Tale.

THE ICE DEMON (2021) (DVD)

Ksyusha hardly remembers her biological father after he suddenly disappeared when she was a child. 10 years later, his icy body is found in the local mountains. Incredibly, he begins showing signs of life. He is brought home in an attempt for him to recover. Ksyusha’s mother remarried many years ago and her father’s return begins to destroy the once quiet life the family had known. Supernatural occurrences begin to happen within their once peaceful home. Ksyusha begins to suspect that something chilling, evil and demonic resides within her father. She will have to protect the family from The Ice Demon!

IMMORTAL (2019) (DVD)

Chelsea, a high school track star comes clean about sexual misconduct with her coach only to find out her confession might be too late.

JOCKEY (2021) (DVD)

An aging jockey (Clifton Collins Jr.), hopes to win one last title for his longtime trainer (Molly Parker), who has acquired what appears to be a championship horse. But the years and injuries have taken a toll on his body, throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion. And the arrival of a young rookie rider (Moises Arias), who claims to be his son, and whom he takes under his wing, further complicates the path to fulfilling his dream.

KEN BURNS’ BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (2022) (BLU-RAY, DVD)

Ken Burns’s two-part, four-hour documentary, Benjamin Franklin, explores the revolutionary life of one of the 18th century’s most complex and consequential figures, whose work and words unlocked the mystery of electricity and helped create the United States. “Write things worth reading,” he said in Poor Richard’s Almanack, “or do things worth the writing.” Benjamin Franklin did both.

LET IT RIDE (1989) (BLU-RAY)

On one great day, Jay Trotter (Richard Dreyfuss) has a chance to make all his dreams come true. ‘Let it ride’ is Trotter’s motto. After learning about a horse arranged to come in first, he is determined to place a bet and then parlay his money. Trotter thinks he might have a chance to win a fortune if he doesn’t listen to the advice of his friends – a funny assortment of characters who bring new meaning to the expression ‘the odds’. 

LONG NIGHT (2022) (BLU-RAY, DVD)

A devoted couple’s quiet weekend takes a bizarre turn when a nightmarish cult and their maniacal leader come to fulfill an apocalyptic prophecy.

MALCOLM (1986) (BLU-RAY)

Malcolm is a chronically shy mechanical genius who has just been fired for building his own tram. He gets Frank, who has just been released from jail, to move in to help pay the bills. Malcolm, with Frank’s help, turns to a life of crime.

THE MEANING OF HITLER (2020) (DVD)

An inquiry into decades of cultural fascination with the Nazi leader, and the ramifications of such a fascination on present day politics.

NAPOLEON (1927) (REGION B BLU-RAY)

This ambitious silent film, renowned for its groundbreaking camerawork and editing, portrays the early life of French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte (Albert Dieudonne). Originally conceived by its director as the first of 6 films about Napoleon, this newly-restored five and a half hour epic features full scale historical recreations of episodes from his personal and political life, from the French Revolution to the heroic arrival of French troops in Italy that marked the beginning of the First Italian campaign of 1796.

THE NEW KIDS (1985) (BLU-RAY)

A brother and sister arrive in a small town to help their relatives run an amusement park, and they find the town is terrorized by a local street gang. From the director of Friday the 13th, this film also stars James Spader, Lori Loughlin and Tom Atkins, among others.

OF MICE AND MEN (1968) (DVD)

Made-for-TV adaptation of the classic John Steinbeck novel starring George Segal and Nicol Williamson.

PARALLEL MOTHERS (2021) (BLU-RAY, DVD)

Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way. From acclaimed Spanish director Almodovar.

PRE-HYSTERIA! 2 (1994) (DVD)

Those adorable pint-sized dinosaurs are back in PREHYSTERIA! 2, the frantically funny follow-up to Moonbeam Entertainment’s smash 1993 family film classic PREHYSTERIA! When the Taylor family goes away on vacation, they put their tribe of diminutive dinosaurs – Elvis, Paula, Jagger, Hammer and Madonna – under the care of the kindly Mr. Cranston. But the creatures escape and wind up being shipped across the country, where they’re discovered by a young girl named Naomi and a lonely rich kid named Brendon. Soon, the heroic dinos are called into action to help Naomi save Brendan from his cruel governess.

SCREAM (2022) (BLU-RAY, DVD)

Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a terrifying new killer resurrects the Ghostface mask. As the deaths mount, Woodsboro’s new targets must seek help from the survivors of the original Ghostface attacks. Now, only Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), former sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) can find a way to stop the killer when everyone is a suspect. 

SOAPDISH (1991) (BLU-RAY)

Celeste Talbert (Sally Field) is the star of the long-running soap opera “The Sun Also Sets.” With the show’s ratings down, Celeste’s ruthlessly ambitious co-star, Montana Moorehead (Cathy Moriarty), and the show’s arrogant producer, David Seton Barnes (Robert Downey Jr.), plot to aggravate her into leaving the show by bringing back her old flame, Jeffrey Anderson (Kevin Kline), and hiring her beautiful young niece, Lori Craven (Elisabeth Shue).

THEY SAY NOTHING STAYS THE SAME (2019) (DVD)

In the debut directorial feature by actor Joe Odagiri, The Say Nothing Stays the Same follows an old ferryman in a remote Meiji-era community. His life is a peaceful, cyclical existence, given meaning by the essential role he plays in transporting people, livestock and goods across the water, connecting villages and lives. When news arrives that a bridge is being built, it’s clear that his services will no longer be needed. Meanwhile, his life will be equally transformed by the appearance of a mysterious young woman whom he saves from drowning. Shot by star cinematographer Christopher Doyle and featuring an array of cameos from Japan’s top stars.

VICIOUS FUN (2020) (DVD)

Joel, a caustic 1980s film critic for a national horror magazine, finds himself unwittingly trapped in a self-help group for serial killers. With no other choice, Joel attempts to blend in or risk becoming the next victim.

THE VIOLENT BREED (1984) (BLU-RAY)

Mike Martin is an ex CIA agent who goes on a final mission to Thailand to expose a group of KGB infiltrators in the area.

 

NEW CATALOG ADDITIONS

DRIVE ANGRY (2011) (3D + BLU-RAY)

A vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.

THE REVENANT (2009) (REGION B BLU-RAY)

In Los Angeles, a fallen soldier who has joined the ranks of the living dead reunites with his best friend in order to deal with the city’s drug dealers and killers – a perfect way to collect the blood that one of them so desperately needs.

BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD (2013) (REGION B BLU-RAY)

A documentary that shows how George A. Romero gathered an unlikely team of Pittsburghers to shoot his seminal film: Night of the Living Dead (1968).

EXAM (2010) (BLU-RAY)

Eight candidates for a highly desirable corporate job are locked together in an exam room and given a final test with just one seemingly simple question. However, it doesn’t take long for confusion to ensue and tensions to unravel.

FANTOMAS (1964) (BLU-RAY)

The best men of France – a brave journalist and an extremely energetic commissioner – attack the trail of a mysterious criminal mastermind.

FEMALE AGENTS (2008) (BLU-RAY)

London, 1944: SOE’s section for French ops parachutes 4 women into France, plus a woman there, to free an English geologist and kill SS colonel Heindrich.

THE WOMAN WHO LEFT (2016) (BLU-RAY)

After 30 years of wrongful imprisonment, a woman plans to take revenge on her former lover.

VIVA LAS VEGAS ROCKABILLY WEEKEND 13 (2011) (DVD)

Bop-crazed rockabilly wildies, stark raving rock ‘n’ rollers, skull bustin’ blues blasters, hillbilly bopsters, screamin’ surf-ites. Dig it pops! The rockabilly scene is alive and rockin’. This DVD explores the ins and outs of the planet’s biggest rockabilly event.

CRY IN THE WILD: THE TAKING OF PEGGY ANN (1991) (PAL/CODE 2 DVD)

Bicycle Pete is a lonely and deranged backwoodsman living rough near the Pennsylvania town of Shade Gap. Out of a perverse idea of love, he kidnaps young Peggy Ann and takes her deep into the wilderness. Despite her fear Peggy Ann develops sympathy for the man who has abducted her, and recognizes his humanity even as she seeks an escape. Meanwhile, numerous law enforcement agencies fan out across the state searching for the missing girl.

SKI TRIPPIN’ (2005) (DVD)

Ski Trippin’ is a nonstop comedy adventure revolving around three friends who embark on the vacation of their life! Anticipating a heavy break from the norm of daily life, three friends travel together to a local ski lodge where they attend a radio-sponsored ski event.

HOLLYWOOD SAFARI (1997) (DVD)

An animal trainer and his family must race to save their trained mountain lion from being destroyed, after it is mistaken for the one that killed a teenage boy in the forest.

UN CARNET DE BAL (1937) (BLU-RAY) 

Christine, newly widowed and consumed by the memory of a ball she attended at age 16, decides to track down the men she danced with that night and discover their fates.

THE COLOR OF LIES (1998) (BLU-RAY)

After the body of a murdered 10-year-old girl is found, the residents of a small seaside town suspect René Sterne (Jacques Gamblin), a formerly famous painter who has become an art teacher. Sterne, the person last seen with the victim, proclaims his innocence. It seems that his wife (Sandrine Bonnaire) is the only one who believes him. Police chief Frédérique Lesage (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi), who is new to the area, must gauge Sterne’s guilt, since there is no hard evidence.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (1935) (BLU-RAY)

A character created by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in his famed novel of the same title, Raskolnikov (Peter Lorre) is a Russian man who follows an unusual moral code. A combination of vigilantism and hubris fuels his decision to aid a hapless prostitute (Marian Marsh) by removing her antagonist, a local merchant. Raskolnikov is locked up for the murder, and while he does not deny committing the crime, he tries to persuade the police that he should not be charged.

THE DAYS OF ABANDONMENT (2005) (BLU-RAY)

Olga’s life is shattered when her husband abandons her. This prompts her to fall into a period of self-degradation and self-destructive behaviors.

EXISTENZ (1999) (BLU-RAY)

Video game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) has created a virtual reality game called eXistenZ. After a crazed fan attempts to kill her, Allegra goes on the run with Ted (Jude Law), a young businessman who falls into the role of bodyguard. In an attempt to save her game, Allegra implants into Ted’s body the video game pod that carries a damaged copy of eXistenZ. Allegra and Ted engage in a series of experiences that blur the lines between fantasy and reality.

GREGORY’S GIRL (1981) (BLU-RAY)

Gregory Underwood (Gordon John Sinclair) is a graceless teen soccer player on a hapless team. When a girl named Dorothy (Dee Hepburn) shows up to play, things change quickly; Dorothy becomes a top player, while Gregory and the rest of the team become enamored of her. Gregory works up the courage to invite Dorothy on a date. She accepts, but Gregory finds he’s been deceived into taking out another girl. Despite his confusion, Gregory eventually warms to the situation.

LACOMBE LUCIEN (1974) (BLU-RAY)

In 1944, an 18-year old boy from small-town France, collaborates with the Nazi-regime and subsequently falls in love with a Jewish girl.

TOMORROW IS FOREVER (1945) (BLU-RAY)

An American World War I soldier, whose disfigured face is reconstructed by Austrian plastic surgeons, returns home after twenty years, but no one recognizes him, his widow is married to another man, and his son is a grown young man.

TROUBLING LOVE (1995) (BLU-RAY)

A woman travels home to Naples for her mother’s funeral. While there, she tries to piece together the curious circumstances of her mother’s death, and begins to confront her own childhood memories.

VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR (2009) (BLU-RAY)

A look at the life of legendary fashion designer Valentino.