by Malakie Peters

New Release Tuesday! This week we’ve got Ghostbusters, brain eaters, big red dogs, slumber parties, Douglas Sirk, and lots more.

AMERICAN RUST (2021) (DVD)

In an economically devastated Pennsylvania steel town, a complicated and compromised chief of police is forced to decide how far he’s willing to go when the son of the woman he loves is accused of murder. 

THE ANNE BANCROFT COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)

Celebrate the extraordinary film career of Anne Bancroft in this first-ever collection of some of her most iconic performances!

THE MIRACLE WORKER (1962) (BLU-RAY)

Blind and deaf after suffering a terrible fever as a baby, young Helen Keller (Patty Duke) has spent years unable to communicate, leaving her frustrated and occasionally violent. As a last chance before she is institutionalized, her parents contact a school for the blind, which sends half-blind Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft) to teach Helen. Helen is initially resistant, but Annie gradually forms a bond with her and shows Helen ways of reaching others.

AGNES OF GOD (1985) (BLU-RAY)

Dr. Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda) is a court-appointed psychiatrist sent to evaluate Sister Agnes (Meg Tilly), a young nun whose infant has been found strangled. With Agnes claiming a virgin conception and having no memory of giving birth, Livingston must distinguish between the lies and the nun’s perception-altering faith. Complicating her investigation, Livingston continually clashes with the overbearing Mother Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft), who insists that Livingston leave Agnes alone.

84 CHARING CROSS ROAD (1987) (BLU-RAY)

New York City bibliophile Helene Hanff (Anne Bancroft) writes to the London bookshop Marks & Co in search of some titles she has not been able to turn up locally. Store manager Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins) responds politely to her chatty letter, and over the course of two decades, a deep, long-distance friendship evolves. 

ARREBATO (1979) (DVD)

Horror movie director Jose is adrift in a sea of doubt and drugs. As his belated second feature nears completion, his reclusive bubble is popped by two events: a sudden reappearance from an ex-girlfriend and a package from past acquaintance Pedro: a reel of Super-8 film, an audiotape, and a door key. From there, the boundaries of time, space, and sexuality are erased as Jose is once more sucked into Pedro’s vampiric orbit. Together, they attempt the ultimate hallucinogenic catharsis through a moebius strip of filming and being filmed.

BLACK MAGIC (1949) (BLU-RAY)

This costume drama stars Orson Welles as the infamous 18th-century hypnotist and charlatan Cagliostro, following his misadventures as he honed his gifts at mesmerism to pursue revenge against the nobleman who killed his parents, and to exert his influence over the court of Louis XVI of France.

BRAIN EATERS (1958) (BLU-RAY)

When a strange structure emerges from the earth in a small Illinois town, scientist Dr. Paul Kettering is sent to investigate its mysterious origins and purpose. Kettering soon discovers the shocking truth: the object houses subterranean parasites capable of controlling the minds of anyone by attaching themselves at their necks. With the citizenry slowly infiltrated and overtaken and the town cut off from the outside world, Kettering and a small band of those left unenslaved must take on the insurmountable task of halting this menacing invasion from spreading.

BRINGING HIM BACK (2021) (DVD)

Moi travels with his boyfriend, Biel, to his family home after the death of his mother. Despite arriving to the warm embrace of his sister, Moi struggles to come to terms with his new reality – manifesting in a new emotional distance from Biel. When his sister’s boyfriend surprises everyone with his unannounced arrival, their delicate seclusion is shattered – replaced by a potently sensual and tense mood. 

BURN MOTHERFUCKER, BURN! (2017) (DVD)

On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles exploded when four police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. But the city had been smoldering for years. This provocative documentary looks at how decades of racial tensions, injustice and a troubled relationship between the LAPD and the African-American community led to the uprising. Local residents, artists and community organizers share firsthand accounts of police brutality, the ’65 Watts riots, the rise of LA street gangs, and the ’92 incident.

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG (2021) (DVD)

When middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth meets a magical animal rescuer who gives her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. While her single mom is away for business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle set out on an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat as our heroes take a bite out of the Big Apple!

A COPS AND ROBBERS STORY (2020) (DVD)

A New York City police officer’s career is threatened by revelations about his former life as a gang member.

DELIRIUM [SPECIAL EDITION] (1979) (BLU-RAY)

An ex-soldier is hired by local right-wingers as a vigilante to clean up criminals and street people. He does a great job until he freaks out and starts killing off everybody…

DETAINEE 001(2021) (DVD)

The complex legal story of John Walker Lindh, a young American who fell under the spell of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

EDGE OF DARKNESS (1943) (BLU-RAY)

In the Nazi-occupied Norwegian village of Trollness, citizens are preparing to resist their invaders. As British forces sneak a cache of weapons into the woods near the village, town doctor Martin Stensgard, his daughter, Karen, and her fisherman fiancé, Gunnar, lead the resistance. But when Karen’s Nazi-collaborator brother, Johann, reappears in town, she must decide if she can betray her family for her village.

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (2021) (BD/DVD)

When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

THE GREAT MOMENT (1944) (BLU-RAY)

Inspired by the true life story of Dr. William Morton, a dedicated dentist (Joel McCrea) discovers ether, otherwise known as anesthesia, in 1846. The doctor’s great contribution to humanity, the tribulations he later faced sharing his knowledge, and his reluctance to capitalize on his discovery are all meticulously laced with typical Preston Sturges humor and drama.

I’M YOUR MAN (2021) (DVD)

A scientist is persuaded to participate in a study to get funding for her research. For three weeks, she must live with a humanoid robot designed to be the perfect life partner for her.

JUDGE ARCHER (2012) (DVD)

In 1920s China, Judge Archer takes on the dangerous job of settling disputes between warring schools of martial arts. When a mysterious woman asks him to avenge her father’s murder, Archer poses as a fruit seller in a distant town to stake out his prey. To distract and seduce Archer, the clever killer sends a gorgeous woman, who proves to be a talented warrior herself.

L.A. WARS (1994) (DVD)

A trigger-happy ex-cop goes undercover in a mafia organization under the guise of protecting the crime boss’s daughter from a new rival, which ignites a bloody war on the streets of L.A.

THE LAST TYCOONS (2019) (DVD)

Directed by Florence Strauss, this 8-part documentary series highlights the brave men and women who, from 1945 to 1980, produced the landmark films that have had a profound influence on the history of cinema and continue to inspire filmmakers and audiences for generations to come.

MAINSTREAM (2020) (DVD)

A young woman finds a path to internet stardom when she begins making YouTube videos with a charismatic stranger.

MIDSOMER MURDERS: SERIES 22 (2021) (DVD)

Detectives Barnaby and Winter investigate an urban myth turned deadly and a series of suspicious deaths within a postoperative rehab club.

MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE (1946) (BLU-RAY)

A barber in the court of King Louis XV, Monsieur Beaucaire (Bob Hope), falls in love with a beautiful maid (Joan Caulfield). When the king has had enough of the inept barber’s shenanigans, Beaucaire is led to the guillotine where he is about to lose his head! Luckily for him, the Duc de Chandre (Patrick Knowles) rescues Beaucaire from his inevitable fate, transporting him to the Spanish court. However, when he later poses as a nobleman, it seems he may have pushed his luck a little too far. 

THE MOON AND SIXPENCE (1959) (DVD)

Loosely inspired by Paul Gauguin’s life, this is the story of Charles Strickland, a staid, dull Englishman who abruptly abandons his middle-class life, his family, and his duties to become a painter in the South Seas. 

OFF THE RAILS (2021) (DVD)

Three fifty-something women set out to repeat the European interrailing adventures of their youth after their close friend passes away leaving them rail tickets and a final request: to take her teenage daughter with them.

SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (2021) (BLU-RAY) (DVD)

A remake of the 1982 slasher film in which a slumber party turns into a bloodbath as a psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill disrupts the fun.

THE SPINE OF NIGHT (2021) (DVD) (BLU-RAY ARRIVES NEXT WEEK)

When ancient, dark magic falls into sinister hands, a group of heroes from different eras and cultures must band together to defeat it at all costs.

SUPERHOST (2021) (DVD)

Two travel vloggers check into a vacation rental with a host that will do anything for a good review.

TOKYO DECADENCE (1992) (BLU-RAY)

In the most lavish penthouses, visible only through keyholes, there exists a dangerous and erotic world. High-paid sex workers who specialize in high-stakes games make the rounds. The richer the client, the wilder the ride. When fantasy gets too rough for one young girl, escaping becomes her reality. 

TRANSGRESSION: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT (1994) (DVD)

While investigating a string of murders, Mary Selby, a TV news reporter, ends up getting abducted by the killer and taught a thing or two about how to be a deranged lunatic. She wanted to get inside the mind of a serial killer…now she can’t get out!

VIENNA BLOOD: SEASON 2 (2021) (DVD)

1900s Vienna is a hotbed of philosophy, science and art, where a clash of cultures and ideas collide in the city’s grand cafes and opera houses. Brilliant Dr. Max Liebermann is a student of Sigmund Freud, and together with Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt, they investigate a series of unusual and disturbing murders.

WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (2019) (DVD)

WBCN and The American Revolution tells the amazing, untold story of the radical underground radio station WBCN-FM, set against the dazzling and profound social, political, and cultural changes that took place in Boston and nationally during the late 1960s and early 70s.

WHERE THERE’S LIFE (1947) (BLU-RAY)

The American son of an Eastern European monarch wounded in an assassination attempt becomes a target for a terrorist organization.

WORK IN PROGRESS: SEASON 1 (2019) (DVD)

Abby, a self-identified “fat, queer dyke” who lives with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, enters into a vibrantly transformative relationship during a time of crisis.

WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956) (BLU-RAY)

The Technicolor expressionism of Douglas Sirk reached a fever pitch with this operatic tragedy. Alcoholism, nymphomania, impotence, and deadly jealousy—these are just some of the toxins coursing through a massively wealthy, degenerate Texan oil family. When a sensible secretary (Lauren Bacall) has the misfortune of marrying the clan’s neurotic scion (Robert Stack), it drives a wedge between him and his lifelong best friend (Rock Hudson) that unleashes a maelstrom of psychosexual angst and fury.

THE YEAR OF THE EVERLASTING STORM (2021) (DVD)

Featuring seven stories from seven auteurs from around the world, the film chronicles this unprecedented moment in time, and is a true love letter to the power of cinema and its storytellers.

ZANDER THE GREAT (1925) (DVD)

Marion Davies stars in this charming light comedy as Mamie, who grows from a young orphan into a daring young woman. Circumstances force her to embark on a road trip to the wilds of Arizona, along with a young boy in her care named Zander, in hopes of finding his father. Finally arriving out West, she finds shelter at a ranch housing a cowboy and his two pals, who have both the sheriff and marauding bandits hot on their trail. Part love story, part rollicking Western, Zander The Great has more twists than a desert rattlesnake!