New Releases for December 1!

It’s the first glorious New Release Tuesday of December!

BLU = Also available to rent on Blu-ray disc

3D BLU = Available for rent on lovely 3D Blu-ray, though you must have a 3D TV to experience the full glory

@ = Available for sale in the store (but we can special order anything, see us for details)

The big one this week is Arrow’s amazing release of Kinji Fukasaku’s legendary Japanese gangster saga BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY (@ BLU). Fukasaku, who was also responsible for everyone’s favorire Hunger Game BATTLE ROYALE, directed these five films between 1973 and 1975, and they chart the progression of the Yakuza from the aftermath of World War II into the present day. Populated with dozens and dozens of characters and covering decades, they rely on a near-constant voice over just to articulate the plot while the gangsters engage in one grizly battle after another. This series is among the greatest achievements in Japanese genre filmmaking, and this box set is an incredible tribute, including all five films (and even a sixth movie that condenses the others into one epic-length feature), a gorgeous booklet, and tons of other extras. Maybe the release of the year.

As for the rest, don’t forget to check out the following: The Heroes at the Criterion Collection have a new blu-ray upgrade of 1969 existential Olympic skiing movie DOWNHILL RACER (@ BLU). Altman’s protege Alan Rudolph may have one-upped the master with WELCOME TO L.A. (@ BLU) You can’t miss Sion Sono’s insane Japanese sci-fi gangster hip-hop musical TOKYO TRIBE (@ BLU). Elijah Wood fights cannibal children in COOTIES (@ BLU). MISTRESS AMERICA (@ BLU) proves that girls don’t just wanna have fun. Four more trashterpieces get dissected in MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 VOL. 34 (@). Earth of the future (1990!) gets invaded by bloodthirsty aliens in QUEEN OF BLOOD (@ BLU). And on the TV front we’ve got the first season of FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (@ BLU), because America can’t get enough zombies.