New Releases for August 23!

New Release Tuesday! This week we’ve got a classic Black western from Criterion, early Kubrick in 4K, a ton of Ukrainian cinema, and lots more!

100% WOLF (2020)

Freddy Lupin may be a fluffy pink poodle, but he has the heart of a werewolf and he’s going to prove it by graduating from the elite werewolf-only finishing school Howlington Academy! (DVD)

ALI & AVA (2021)

ALI and AVA, both lonely for different reasons, meet and sparks fly. Over a lunar month a deep connection begins to grow, despite the legacy of AVA’s past relationship, and ALI’s emotional turmoil at the breakdown of his marriage. (DVD)

ALL AGES SHOW (2022)

Tri-Cities is about 3 hours south of Seattle and during the early 90s, when Seattle’s music scene was changing the world, Tri-Cities had it’s OWN thriving music scene, one that many didn’t think could exist in a place like this. (DVD-R)

BAD ROADS (2020)

Four short stories are set along the treacherous roads of Donbass, Ukraine during the war. There are no safe spaces and no one can make sense of just what is going on. Even as they are trapped in the chaos, some manage to wield authority over others. Originally presented on stage at the Royal Court Theater in London and adapted powerfully by writer/director Natalya Vorozhbit, BAD ROADS presents a series of tension-packed vignettes, each built around a dangerous encounter on the byways of Eastern Ukraine. With a particular sensitivity to the vulnerability of women during wartime, Vorozhbit’s debut feature, Ukraine’s official submission to the 2022 Academy Awards, “reflects the gloomy political reality of Ukraine and the pressure that Russia exerts on everyday life” (IndieWire). (DVD)

BILOXI BLUES (1988) (SHOUT SELECT)

Matthew Broderick stars as a naive army recruit looking for action – though not the battle kind – in Neil Simon’s hilarious comedy about boot camp during WWII. The year is 1945 and Eugene Morris Jerome (Broderick) finds himself far from the comforts of his Brooklyn home after being sent to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi. Expecting the army to be dolls, doughnuts and USO dances, he instead encounters a tough drill sergeant (Christopher Walken) and a platoon of often hostile recruits. Armed with only his sense of humor, Eugene is determined to leave camp with everything he came in with – except his virginity – in this light-hearted look at one man’s determined plan to march to his own beat. (BLU-RAY)

BUCK AND THE PREACHER (1972) (CRITERION)

With his rousingly entertaining directorial debut, Sidney Poitier, alongside actor-producer Harry Belafonte, helped rewrite the history of the western, bringing Black heroes to a genre in which they had always been sorely underrepresented. Combining boisterous buddy comedy with blistering, Black Power–era political fury, Poitier and a marvelously mischievous Belafonte star as a tough and taciturn wagon master and an unscrupulous, pistol-packing “preacher,” who join forces in order to take on the white bounty hunters threatening a westward-bound caravan of people recently emancipated from slavery. A superbly crafted revisionist landmark, Buck and the Preacher subverts Hollywood conventions at every turn and reclaims the western genre in the name of Black liberation. (BLU-RAY)

BURNED BARNS (1973)

Two titans of French Cinema are brought together for this crime drama set in the snow-covered French countryside on the border with Switzerland. The body of a young woman is found savagely murdered near the isolated Burned Barns farm run by Rose (Oscar®-winner Simone Signoret) and her family. The police work begins and the investigating judge, Pierre Larcher (Alain Delon), soon comes to suspect that Rose’s family, and in particular her sons, may have played a role. Signoret and Delon are outstanding as two forces playing a game of wits with profound consequences. Featuring a stunning soundtrack by electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre. (BLU-RAY)

DEMONIA (1990)

In what fans consider his last great film, Godfather of Gore Lucio Fulci returns to the startling imagery and bloody excesses of his ’70s/’80s classics for an unholy saga of demonic nuns and supernatural carnage. When a Canadian archeological team begins excavating the ruins of a medieval Sicilian monastery, they will unleash the vengeance of a crucified coven of satanic sisters with full-on Fulci fury. Brett Halsey (THE DEVIL’S HONEY), Lino Salemme (DEMONS), Christina Engelhardt (SKINNER), Al Cliver (THE BEYOND, ZOMBIE) and Fulci himself star in this solid horror from a true master (Blu-ray Authority) co-written by Piero Regnoli (BURIAL GROUND, MALABIMBA), now scanned in 4k from the original negative recently discovered in the attic of a Collevecchio convent. (DVD)

DIRTY DANCING (1987) (35TH ANNIVERSARY)

It is the summer of 1963. Innocent 17-year-old Baby vacations with her parents at a Catskill’s resort. One evening, she is drawn to the staff quarters by stirring music. There, she meets Johnny, the hotel dance instructor, who is as experienced as Baby is naive. Baby soon becomes Johnny’s pupil in dance and love. (BLU-RAY + 4KULTRAHD)

DOG SOLDIERS (2002) (COLLECTOR’S EDITION)

During a routine training mission in the Scottish Highlands, a small squad of British soldiers find a wounded Special Forces captain and the bloody remains of his team. When the savage attackers return, the men are rescued by a zoologist, who identifies what hunts them as werewolves. Without transport or communications, the group is forced to retreat to a farmhouse to wait for the full moon to disappear at dawn. (BLU-RAY + 4KULTRAHD)

DONBASS (2018)

In the Donbass region of Eastern Ukraine, mid-2010s: a hybrid war takes place, involving an open armed conflict alongside killings and robberies on a mass scale perpetrated by Russian-separatist gangs. In the Donbass, war is called peace, propaganda is uttered as truth, and hatred is declared to be love. Life is suffused with fear and suspicion. What is real and what is fake news? Called “a darkly satirical omnibus of scathing vignettes” by the Washington Post, DONBASS serves as a crucial interpretation of the Russo-Ukrainian war, but the film is not, ultimately, a tale of one region or one conflict. It is about a world lost in post-truth and fake identities. It is about each and every one of us. “There is no other antiwar film quite like DONBASS” (Los Angeles Times). (DVD)

EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE (2020)

Krasnohorivka: a town on the front lines of the war-torn region of Eastern Ukraine. When poet/filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk first visits the Trofymchuk-Gladky family home, she is surprised by what she finds: while the outside world is made up of bombings and chaos, single mother Anna and her four children are managing to keep their home as a safe haven, full of life and full of light. Every member of the family has a passion for cinema, so it feels natural for them to shoot a film inspired by their own life during a time of war. The creative process raises the question of what kind of impact cinema might have during times of disaster, and how to picture war through the camera’s lens. For Anna and the children, transforming trauma into a work of art is the ultimate way to stay human. Winner of the Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, THE EARTH IS AS BLUE AS AN ORANGE stands not only as a remarkable document of the Russo-Ukrainian War through the lens – literally – of this family’s creative process, but as an optimistic testament to the power of art and beauty in the face of destruction. (DVD)

FERNGULLY: THE LAST RAINFOREST (1992) (30TH ANNIVERSARY)

There’s magic in the rainforest and it’s called FernGully. Deep in the heart of the forest awaits a paradise filled with tiny sprites, winged fairies and tree spirits who all live in joyful harmony. But when their home is threatened by humans, one courageous spirit gives her all to save it. (BLU-RAY and DVD)

GOATLING: SON OF SATAN (2020)

“Goatling” tells the story of a man haunted by his loved ones. The film begins with the story of his father and how the family became cannibals. The film also focuses on his mother and how she awakens the worst in her son with her twisted religiousness. Years later, we see the main character’s final catharsis. He kidnaps his first love, Rosalita, and reproduces the inhuman bizarre caring to which he was subjected in his family relations. (DVD)

HOTEL DU NORD (1938) (CRITERION)

Anguished young lovers, fallen women, wanted criminals, and all manner of social castoffs: these are the disreputable denizens of the Hôtel du Nord, an atmospherically seedy boardinghouse on the bustling banks of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, whose lives collide in Marcel Carné’s bittersweet rhapsody of romance, betrayal, revelry, and violence. Featuring evocative production design by the famed Alexandre Trauner and a colorful ensemble cast of some of classical French cinema’s most illustrious stars—including Annabella, Louis Jouvet, and a divinely dissolute Arletty in one of her most iconic roles—Hôtel du Nord is a jewel of a film and a sublime exemplar of Carné’s celebrated poetics, imbuing working-class lives and dramas with a touching nobility. (BLU-RAY and DVD)

LONE WOLF MCQUADE (1983)

Texas ranger J.J. McQuade (Chuck Norris) likes to work by himself, until a Latino state trooper, Kayo Ramos (Robert Beltran), needs his help to find out who hijacked a U.S. Army convoy and hurt Ramos’ daughter. With the help of FBI agent Jackson (Leon Isaac Kennedy), the team tracks down drug trafficker and arms dealer Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine). After Wilkes kills a federal agent, McQuade battles the criminal using all of his skills and training, including guns and martial arts. (BLU-RAY)

MONOBLOC (2021)

With more than a billion units in circulation worldwide, this deceptively bland piece of furniture was originally conceived by designer Henry Massonnet as a fashionable commodity for upper- class consumers. The pursuit of lowered production costs above all else soon turned the Monobloc into a symbol of cheap design, environmental waste, and bad taste across much of the Western world. Hauke Wendler’s documentary MONOBLOC takes a closer look at its ubiquity and streamlined production process, finding a microcosm of economic globalization and inequality. Filming across five continents, Wendler contrasts this disparaging view of the Monobloc with its role in many developing countries, where its low cost has made it one of the few pieces of furniture that impoverished families can afford. In Uganda we are introduced to Dan Schoendorfer, whose Free Wheelchair Mission has modified inexpensive Monoblocs to make wheelchairs available to millions for the first time. Trips to India and Brazil similarly reveal the chair’s importance to the developing world, where local industrialist families have taken over the production and recycling process. Unexpectedly expansive in scope MONOBLOC reveals how a single consumer product can tell a much broader story of global development aesthetic judgement and economic inequality. (DVD)

MURDER AT YELLOWSTONE CITY (2022)

The once peaceful and booming Yellowstone City has fallen on hard times, but when a local prospector strikes gold, things seem to be turning around. Any hope is soon shattered when the prospector is found dead and the Sheriff quickly arrests a mysterious newcomer. But nothing is so simple in this sleepy western town, and more than a few of the locals have secrets to keep and reasons to kill. As the brutal murders continue, pitting neighbor against neighbor, Yellowstone City goes down a bloody path to a final showdown that not all will survive. (DVD)

NAKED OVER THE FENCE (1973)

Rick Lemming (Rijk de Gooyer) is the operator and owner of a successful Amsterdam arcade. Along with his tenant Penny (Jennifer Willems), Rick’s life takes a turn when their friend Ed (real-life black-belt Jon Bluming), a karate instructor, is hired to act in an art film with his girlfriend, the glamorous singer Lilly (Sylvia Kristel). Lilly and Ed find themselves unsuspectingly immersed in the illicit world of pornography–resulting in death threats and murder. Frans Weisz’s sexy comedy thriller turned cult classic Naked Over the Fence (Naakt over de Schutting) was the first major Dutch starring role of Sylvia Kristel right before she appeared in Emmanuelle. (BLU-RAY and DVD)

NAOMI: COMPLETE SERIES (2022)

When a supernatural event shakes her hometown to the core, Naomi tries to uncover its origins. What she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes. (DVD)

NIGHT’S END (2022)

An anxious shut-in unwittingly moves into a haunted apartment and hires a mysterious stranger to perform an exorcism which takes a horrific turn. (DVD)

PATHS OF GLORY (1957)

During World War I, commanding officer General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) orders his subordinate, General Mireau (George Macready), to attack a German trench position, offering a promotion as an incentive. Though the mission is foolhardy to the point of suicide, Mireau commands his own subordinate, Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), to plan the attack. When it ends in disaster, General Mireau demands the court-martial of three random soldiers in order to save face. (4K ULTRA HD)

REFLECTION (2021)

In 2014, Ukrainian surgeon Serhiy enlists to fight Russian military forces in the Donbass region, where he is captured by enemy soldiers. Now a prisoner of war, Serhiy is forced to witness horrifying scenes of humiliation and violence at the hands of the Russian invaders, his medical background co-opted to dispense mercy killings to the tortured. After his release, he returns to his comfortable middle-class apartment, still suffering from the trauma of his experiences. Looking inward, Serhiy tries to find a purpose in life by rebuilding his relationship with his daughter and ex-wife, learning how to be a human being again through being a father. Written, directed, produced, shot, and edited by acclaimed Ukrainian filmmaker Valentyn Vasyanovych, REFLECTION is a meticulously-composed depiction of pain – and redemption – that Variety called “one of the most intellectually provocative and rewarding films” of the 2021 Venice Film Festival. (DVD)

REVENGE OF THE LIVING DEAD GIRLS (1987)

In 1987, Parisian pornographers Pierre B. Reinhard and Jean-Claude Roy deviated from their usual high-end skin fare to instead create un cassoulet d’atrocityés that remains the most extreme French gore film in history. When a trio of vixens is killed by corporate-tainted milk, their nubile corpses will rise from the grave for a Jean-Rollin-meets-RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD orgy of depravity that DVD Drive-In calls “A fetishistic ode to blood, breasts and brutality.” (DVD)

SAMSON AND THE SEVEN MIRACLES OF THE WORLD (1961) (2 VERSIONS)

Featuring chariot-charging action, fearless tiger-wrestling stunts and an earthshaking climax, Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World is a sword-and-sandal spectacular from the maestro Riccardo Freda (The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, Murder Obsession). Hordes of sadistic Mongol warriors descend upon China, enslaving its people and plotting to assassinate the beautiful young princess (Yôko Tani, The Savage Innocents)—until a musclebound hero (Gordon Scott, Tarzan the Magnificent) rises up and rouses the people to drive the Mongols from their nation’s majestic mountainscapes. A legendary warrior fulfills his destiny and becomes a miracle of a man in this classic peplum adventure film, also known as Maciste at the Court of the Great Khan. This special edition includes both the original cut and the American International Pictures US cut. (BLU-RAY)

SUBURBAN SASQUATCH (2004) (COLLECTOR’S EDITION)

Perhaps the most beloved and recognizable shot on video movie of the last two decades! When a giant blood-thirsty Bigfoot goes on a killing spree in a sprawling suburban park area, it’s up to a couple of park rangers, a reporter and a mystical Native-American Warrior to try and stop Sasquatch’s limb-ripping rampage. (BLU-RAY)

TAHARA (2020)

In this acerbic teen comedy, a funeral becomes a battleground between best friends Carrie Lowstein (Madeline Grey DeFreece) and Hannah Rosen (Rachel Sennott, breakout star of SHIVA BABY). When their former Hebrew school classmate commits suicide, the two girls attend her funeral as well as the ‘Teen Talk-back’ session hosted by their synagogue, designed to be an opportunity for them to understand grief through Judaism. Hannah, more interested in impressing her crush Tristan (Daniel Taveras), convinces Carrie to practice kissing with her, unlocking feelings that turn Carrie’s world upside down. Emotions heightened, the scene develops into a biting depiction of unrequited crushes, toxic friendships, and wavering faith, which ComingSoon calls ‘one of the most original films in the coming-of-age subgenre in a long time. (DVD)

TARZAN VAULT COLLECTION

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ hero has thrilled movie audiences since the days of the silent screen. Tarzan of the Apes(1918), with the brawny Elmo Lincoln in the title role, introduced the character to movie audiences and told the traditional tale of how the orphaned heir to the Greystoke fortune became lord of the jungle. Lincoln was so impressive that he returned in Adventures of Tarzan (1921), this time to rescue his beloved Jane from the clutches of the evil Queen La. By 1935, the public was still fascinated by the nobleman who had been raised by apes, now played by Herman Brix (AKA Bruce Bennet) in The New Adventures of Tarzan. Brix, a star shot-putter at the 1928 Olympics, needed all of his muscle to portray Tarzan in this tale of missing jewels, and explosives powerful enough to destroy the world. Here is your chance to sit back and enjoy a Tarzan trilogy guaranteed to leave you spellbound! (DVD)

TEN MORE GOOD YEARS (2007)

In the latter part of the ’60’s the Civil Rights Movement made its way into the lgbt community. Across the country gay people defiantly stood up and fought for the right to be out, proud, and equal. Today, gay people are out and definitely proud; however, they are far from equal. Those who “could not take it anymore” some 40 years ago at Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco, The Stonewall Inn in New York City, and elsewhere across the United States, are older now and are facing an onslaught of discrimination from their government, social service networks, and even from their own Community. Ten More Good Years introduces remarkable lgbt elders who share inspiring stories of their lives and queer history. Via their stories governmental and social injustices are soon revealed, shedding light on what it is now, and what it will be to grow old and gay in America. Outdated tax laws, Medicaid and Medicare regulations, Social Security and inheritance laws, a lack of cultural competency within Social Services, and the need for non-discriminatory housing are all issues currently facing the Elder LGBT population. Ten More Good Years corroborates these injustices through coast to coast interviews with gerontologists, social service workers, Lawyers from NCLR, Senior Strategists from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, along with a host of other credible figures. Ten More Good Years also investigates the process and outcome of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA); an event scheduled every ten years to guide national policies on aging. (DVD-R)

TOO CLOSE: SEASON 1 (2021)

Dr. Emma Roberston is the psychiatrist assigned to work on the case of a young mother accused of a terrible crime and assess her sanity to determine whether she faces prison, a secure psychiatric hospital, or rehabilitation and release. Emma hopes that the case will make her career, but the sessions quickly become a complex psychological game of cat and mouse. Emma gradually starts to understand what drove the woman to her crime, but is she getting too close to someone who is beyond redemption? (DVD)

WHEN TOMORROW COMES (1939)

A concert pianist unhappily married to a mentally ill woman falls in love with a waitress. (BLU-RAY)

Category: New Releases