New Release Tuesday! This week there’s vintage Chuck Norris, gnarly shot-on-video slashers, the return of Cronenberg, and lots more!

499 (2020)

ALASKAN NETS (2021)

Metlakatla is Alaska’s last Native Indian reserve. For hundreds of years two distinct traditions have defined their community—fishing and basketball. Watch as two cousins lead their local High School team toward a shot at their first state championship in over 30 years. In the aftermath of an unimaginable tragedy, a basketball title has the ability to breathe new life back into this small town. (DVD)

APPLES (2020)

Amidst a worldwide pandemic that causes sudden amnesia, middle-aged Aris (Aris Servetalis) finds himself enrolled in a recovery program designed to help unclaimed patients build new identities. Prescribed daily tasks on cassette tapes so he can create new memories and document them on camera, Aris slides back into ordinary life, meeting Anna (Sofia Georgovasili), a woman who is also in recovery. Through images deadpan, strange and surreal, Greek writer-director Christos Nikou posits a beguiling reflection on memory, identity, and loss, exploring how a society might handle an irreversible epidemic through one man’s story of self-discovery. Are we the sum of the images we compile and display of ourselves, or are we something richer, and deeper? (DVD)

BACK TO THE BEACH (1987)

Veteran beach-movie favorites Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello return the screen in this hip, hilarious update of their surf-and-sand adventures. Break Dancing may have replaced The Twist in the intervening years, but Frankie and Annette still know how to have a good time – and they teach their own ’80’s new-wave children a thing or two in the process. A host of familiar faces – Bob Denver, Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers, Don Adams, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, Pee-Wee Herman and more – joins the fun in the California sun! (BLU-RAY)

BATTLE OF THE WORLDS (1961) (FILM DETECTIVE SPECIAL EDITION)

A runaway asteroid dubbed “The Outsider” mysteriously begins orbiting the Earth and threatens it with lethal flying saucers. Filmed in Italy at the height of the country’s sci-fi craze, this independent classic stars Golden Age-star Claude Rains (Casablanca, The Invisible Man, Notorious), Bill Carter, Umberto Orsini, Maya Brent, Jaqueline Derval and Renzo Palmer. (BLU-RAY)

COCOON (2020)

Described as “seductive and well-acted” (The Guardian), Cocoon tells the coming-of-age transformation of Nora, a 14-year-old from Berlin, over the course of one blisteringly hot summer. A shy girl with a troubled mother and loving but boy-crazy older sister, Nora must contend with the many tribulations of early teenage years largely by herself. She gets her period for the first time, falls in love with another girl, has her heart broken, and, inevitably, learns to stand up for herself and what she wants. Shot with a deep understanding of teenage-girl desires, Cocoon is a sun-soaked tale of one girl’s self-discovery on the cusp of young adulthood. Bonus short film, Summer of Bees, directed by Ida-Maria Olva. (DVD)

CODE NAME BANSHEE (2022)

A former government assassin (Antonio Banderas) is forced out of hiding when his deadly protégé known as Banshee (Jaime King) discovers there is a bounty on his life. To survive, they must fight off the CIA backed killers coming for them. (DVD)

CRIMES OF THE FUTURE (2022)

As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed… Their mission – to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution. (BLU-RAY and DVD)

DR. LAMB (1992)

A mentally disturbed taxi driver lusts for blood every rainy night, and several young women are brutally murdered. He likes to take photos of the victims’ dismembered bodies as his special mementos after sex with their corpses and stores their severed breasts in pickle jars. Inspector Lee and his team are called onto the case in this bizarre, nasty, and notorious Cat III film. (BLU-RAY & DVD)

EVENT HORIZON (1997) (2 DISKS)

Seven years ago, pioneering research spacecraft “Event Horizon” mysteriously vanished without a trace on its maiden voyage. But then, in the darkness of deep space, a persistent signal prompts a rescue crew to wing its way through the galaxy on a bold rescue mission. What they uncover is an unimaginable interstellar horror that will test the entire team’s sanity and souls. (BLU-RAY + 4KULTRAHD)

FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK (2021)

Sometime in the 1960s, in sunny Sacramento, two Filipina-American sisters got together with other teenage girls to play music. Little did they know their garage band would evolve into the legendary rock group Fanny, the first all-women band to issue an LP with a major record label (Warner/Reprise, 1970). Despite releasing five critically-acclaimed albums over five years, touring with famed bands from Slade to Chicago and amassing a dedicated fan base of music legends including David Bowie, Fanny’s groundbreaking impact in music was written out of history… until bandmates reunite 50 years later with a new rock record deal. With incredible archival footage of the band’s rocking past intercut with its next chapter releasing a new LP today, the film includes interviews with a large cadre of music icons, including Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Bonnie Raitt, The Go-Go’s Kathy Valentine, Todd Rundgren, The Runaways’ Cherie Currie, Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian, The B52’s Kate Pierson, Charles Neville, and David Bowie guitarist and bassist Earl Slick and Gail Ann Dorsey. Fighting early barriers of race, gender and sexuality in the music industry, and now ageism, the incredible women of Fanny are ready to claim their hallowed place in the halls of rock ‘n’ roll fame. Bonus feature includes 5 featurettes with over 35 minutes of additional footage. (DVD)

FLYING GUILLOTINE PART II (1978)

Follow up to Master of the Flying Guillotine, cited as one of Quentin Tarantino’s favourite movies, FLYING GUILLOTINE 2 AKA PALACE CARNAGE continues in the same vein as the original with its visceral mix of martial arts expertise and weapons-grade violence. To fight against the evil emperor’s reign of terror outlaw rebel Ma Teng joins a group of female freedom fighters, however, she soon finds herself embroiled not just in a battle with enemy forces but also in with group leader’s torn family loyalties. Brutal, fast and furious FLYING GUILLOTINE 2 is an even more off-kilter Shaw Brothers entry than usual, containing familiar tropes as well as unique elements, it is arguably the best of the Flying Guillotine sequels, rolling along at an impressively enjoyable pace. (BLU-RAY)

FORCE OF ONE (1979)

A team of undercover narcotics agents is conducting an investigation when things mysteriously begin to go haywire. One by one, the squad is eliminated by an assassin. To help discover the identity of the karate killer, the police enlist the aid of karate champion Matt Logan. (BLU-RAY)

GOOD GUYS WEAR BLACK (1977)

Chuck Norris plays John T. Booker, a Vietnam veteran who finds out that several of his army buddies lost their lives in a mission that was intended to fail from the beginning. Seeking the reason behind his comrades unanswered deaths, Booker quits his job as a high school teacher in order to track down the last surviving members of his unit. In the midst of a plethora of martial arts, gunfire, and explosions, Booker discovers that his buddies are being systematically murdered by sinister forces, orchestrated by a crooked and politically untouchable politician. (BLU-RAY)

GREEN PLANET (2022) (2 DISKS)

Plants live secret, unseen lives. Using specialist cameras, this spectacular series allows us to travel beyond the power of the human eye, to look closer at their interconnected world, showcasing over two decades of new discoveries. (DVD)

HARRY POTTER 20TH ANNIVERSARY: RETURN TO HOGWARTS (2022)

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson join filmmaker Chris Columbus and other esteemed cast members across all eight Harry Potter films as they travel back to Hogwarts for the first time to celebrate the anniversary of the franchise’s first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which premiered 20 years ago. The retrospective special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts will tell an enchanting making-of story through all-new in-depth interviews and cast conversations, inviting fans on a magical first person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all time. (DVD)

HEAT (1995) (3 DISKS)

HOT SEAT (2022)

L.A. AIDS JABBER (1994)

One of the rarest and most sought-after bad taste movies of the SOV era. Jeff, a mentally unstable young man is diagnosed with AIDS and takes his anger out on the world by filling a syringe with his own tainted blood and trolling the seedy streets of Los Angeles looking for victims in an acid-washed and venomous delirium. Police slowly piece together his crimes in an attempt to stop this ticking virus time bomb from jabbing again. This is the first wide release of the movie since it was self-distributed by director Drew Godderis himself, and the Blu-ray is packed with newly produced bonus features and commentary from the original creators. (also known by its 90’s VHS name “Jabber”) (BLU-RAY)

LAST SEEN ALIVE

LITTLE MAN, WHAT NOW? (1934)

Margaret Sullavan (Next Time We Love) stars in this deeply moving romantic drama by the great Frank Borzage (Bad Girl, A Farewell to Arms, Desire, Disputed Passage). Fired for marrying his sweetheart Emma (Sullavan) instead of his boss’s daughter, Hans (Douglass Montgomery, The Mystery of Edwin Drood) moves his pregnant wife to Berlin where he gets a job as a salesman. Dismissed for insulting a customer, Hans has only Emma’s love to sustain him as he seeks opportunity in a country where work is scarce and the Nazis are rising to power. Blending themes of politics and social crisis with love and compassion, this Pre-Code classic showcases one of cinema’s most impactful auteurs, Borzage, and a wonderful cast that includes Alan Hale (The Good Fairy), Fred Kohler (Goin’ to Town), Mae Marsh (Intolerance), Hedda Hopper (Skinner’s Dress Suit) and Paul Fix (The Ghost Breakers). (BLU-RAY)

MEN (2022)

In the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Harper retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to have found a place to heal. But someone or something from the surrounding woods appears to be stalking her. What begins as simmering dread becomes a fully-formed nightmare, inhabited by her darkest memories and fears. (BLU-RAY & DVD)

NEPTUNE FROST (2021)

Multidisciplinary artists Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman bring their unique dynamism to the Afrofuturist vision of Neptune Frost. It is a sci-fi-punk-musical that’s a visually wondrous amalgamation of themes, ideas, and songs that they have been exploring in their work, including on Williams’ 2016 album MartyrLoserKing. Neptune Frost takes place in the hilltops of Burundi, where a group of escaped coltan miners form an anti-colonialist computer hacker collective. From their camp in an otherworldly e-waste dump, they attempt a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region’s natural resources – and its people. When an intersex runaway and an escaped miner find each other through cosmic forces, their connection sparks glitches within the greater divine circuitry. Set between states of being – past and present, dream and waking life, colonized and free, male and female, memory and prescience – Neptune Frost is an invigorating and empowering direct download to the cerebral cortex and a call to reclaim technology for progressive political ends. (BLU-RAY)

NEXT TIME WE LOVE (1936)

Margaret Sullavan (The Good Fairy) stars opposite James Stewart (Made for Each Other) in his first leading role in Next Time We Love, a captivating romantic drama co-starring Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend). When newlywed reporter Christopher Tyler (Stewart) is posted to Rome, his actress wife, Cicely (Sullavan), refuses to go with him, preferring to stay in New York. Devoting themselves to their thriving careers, they become increasingly estranged, seeing each other only in passing. When a longtime admirer (Milland) proposes she get a divorce and marry him instead, Cicely must decide what she loves most…her husband, friend or career. The heart-tugging story by Ursula Parrott (There’s Always Tomorrow) springs to life courtesy of director Edward H. Griffith (The Animal Kingdom) and writer Melville Baker (The Gilded Lily). (BLU-RAY)

NITRAM

OCTAGON, THE (1980)

Martial arts superstar Chuck Norris (Code of Silence) teams up with screen legend Lee Van Cleef (Death Rides a Horse) to take on a terrorist training camp known only as The Octagon in this deadly tale of revenge! Plagued by painful memories as a fighter, Scott James (Norris) has stayed away from the dark side of battle. But when a vengeance-seeking heiress (Karen Carlson, The Candidate) hires him to infiltrate an international terrorist operation run by his adopted brother (Tadashi Yamashita, American Ninja), Scott has no idea what he’s coming up against. Drawn closer and closer to The Octagon, Scott realizes his brother is using his skill in the deadliest manner, training men in the ninja style of killing. Now it’s up to Scott to battle his brother in the ultimate showdown of Good vs. Evil! (BLU-RAY)

OLD MAN MOVIE (2019)

PAM & TOMMY (2022)

SAMIRA’S DREAM (2021)

The story of a Zanzibari woman, Samira, who aspires to have a family like all of her friends, but is also determined to pursue higher education and a career. Throughout seven years of her life, amidst social pressures and the ever-present need to respect traditions, she must choose one life over the other, it seems. A brilliant look at the inspiring trajectory of a modern, young African woman’s goals and freedoms. Filmed with a sensitive eye that imbues Samira’s story with the context of day-to-day life in urban Zanzibar Town, compared to many nuances of life in the fishing village of Nungwi. (DVD)

SHORT PEACE (2013)

In 1995, Katsuhiro Otomo’s anthology Memories showcased the work of upcoming superstars of the anime world. Now, Otomo’s spotlight shifts to a fresh generation of master creators with an all-new anthology of visionary films:

Possessions: A lone traveler is confronted by unusual spirits in an abandoned shrine in this 2013 Academy Award nominated short, directed by Shuhei Morita (Coicent, Kakurenbo).

Gambo: A mysterious white bear defends the royal family from the predations of a red demon. Directed by Hiroaki Ando (Five Numbers!) from Redline‘s Katsuhito Ishii’s original story, with character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion).

A Farewell to Weapons: The focus shifts from supernatural to science fiction as Mobile Suit Gundam designer Hajime Katoki helms Otomo’s tour-de-force saga of men battling robotic tanks in apocalyptic Tokyo.

Combustible: Grandmaster Otomo himself assumes the directorial reigns for a spectacular tale of love, honor and firefighting in ancient Japan with the multi-award winning final entry in the anthology. (BLU-RAY)

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (2022)

The world’s favorite blue hedgehog is back for a next-level adventure in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2. After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. (DVD)

TEY (2012)

Tey (Today) is a beautiful, sensual, humane tale starring Saul Williams (Neptune Frost) and directed by Alain Gomis (Félicité). In a village outside Dakar, the gods – or the stars, or destiny, have spoken: Satché (Williams) must die by the end of the day. Until nightfall, the film follows him making his goodbyes to those around him – his family, his friends, his lover, his children, his wife. Initially fêted by his community with an enthusiasm tainted by melancholy, Satché, the one chosen to disappear, soon finds himself set apart from those closest to him, in beautiful scenes that seek to show those elements of friendship, desire, sadness, affection and anger that are usually left unsaid. (DVD)

TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE (1960)

The Trials of Oscar Wilde chronicles the true story of the renowned playwright’s courtroom clashes with the Marquess of Queensberry and the tragic turn his life takes because of it. Peter Finch (Network) gives a fascinating, BAFTA-winning portrayal of the brilliant Irish writer, who brings a libel suit against the Marquess (Lionel Jeffries, The Quatermass Xperiment) after he accuses Wilde of seducing his son, Lord Alfred Douglas (John Fraser, Isadora). The hearing results in Wilde’s own scandalous trial and prosecution for gross indecency and sodomy. Directed by Ken Hughes (Cromwell, The Internecine Project) and co-starring Yvonne Mitchell (The Queen of Spades), James Mason (The Man Between) and Nigel Patrick (The Sound Barrier), The Trials of Oscar Wilde is a riveting, controversial look at the most notorious court battle of the late 19th century. (BLU-RAY)

VIVO