by Malakie Peters

New Release Tuesday! This week we’ve got another round of classic martial arts, some Spanish folk horror, a bunch of new catalog titles, the Godfather saga in 4K, and lots more. 

6:45 (2021) (DVD)

Bobby and Jules’ weekend getaway in a small New England coastal town is thrown into complete turmoil when the couple relives a horrific day over and over again, beginning each morning at 6:45am. Bobby attempts to change different things every day to break the terrifying time loop, but if he can’t figure out how to get out, he may be stuck in the unimaginable nightmare forever.

ALAIN RESNAIS: FIVE SHORT FILMS (DVD)

Icarus Films is proud to present five newly restored early short film masterpieces from legendary filmmaker Alain Resnais. This unique collection includes:

PAUL GAUGUIN (1949, 13 minutes)

PAUL GAUGUIN uses the artist’s own writings and artwork to trace his creative journey. The film begins with Gauguin losing his job in finance – the catalyst for his commitment to paint every day and continues through to his final days in Tahiti.

VAN GOGH (1948, 18 minutes)

Winner of the 1950 Academy Awards Best Short Film, this boundary pushing short brilliantly evokes the life of Vincent Van Gogh, using only his paintings as visuals.

GUERNICA (1949, 14 minutes)

GUERNICA, about the city’s horrifying bombing during the Spanish Civil War, features Picasso’s paintings, drawings and sculptures. Co-directed with Robert Hessens.

ALL THE WORLD’S MEMORY (1956, 21 minutes)

ALL THE WORLD’S MEMORY pays homage to the National Library of France and takes us on an impressive and impressionistic tour. Winner Best Picture Award at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.

THE SONG OF STYRENE: LE CHANT DU STYRENE (1957, 14 minutes)

Alain Resnais carries out a poetic investigation into the origins of plastic. It is the perfect example of how to turn a commissioned industrial film into a lyrical, satirical film masterpiece.

BACK STREET (1941) (BLU-RAY)

Based on the bestselling novel by Fannie Hurst, BACK STREET is a quintessential tearjerker in which a couple meets and falls in love but is unable to marry due to impossible circumstances. However, despite their situation, they carry on a lifelong illicit affair until tragedy strikes.

BELLY OF THE BEAST (2020) (DVD)

When an unlikely duo discovers a pattern of illegal sterilizations in women’s prisons, they wage a near-impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. Filmed over seven years with extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, BELLY OF THE BEAST exposes modern-day eugenics and reproductive injustice in California prisons.

BLUE SKIES (1946) (BLU-RAY)

Dancing star Jed Potter (Fred Astaire) and singer/nightclub owner Johnny Adams (Bing Crosby) are both in love with songstress Mary O’Hara (Joan Caulfield). She marries Johnny but his passion for buying and selling nightclubs drives them apart. So Jed steps in, hoping to win Mary’s heart – until fate steps in and changes the lives of all three.

CAPTAIN OF THE CLOUDS (1942) (BLU-RAY)

Oscar-winner James Cagney stars in this WWII adventure about a mail flier who joins the Canadian Air Force for fun but finds himself having to prove his worth when he goes to war.

COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) (BLU-RAY)

When the Governor’s son is taken hostage by bandits, a mysterious swordsman named Golden Swallow is hot on their trail to ensure the son’s release. What the bandits don’t realize, however, is that Golden Swallow is actually a woman, and that the hostage is her brother. Determined to set him free, no matter how many goons she has to fight her way through in doing so, she is aided in her quest by a drunken beggar who may have a closer connection to the bandits’ leader than he initially lets on.

THE COMMANDO (2022) (DVD)

A DEA agent returns home with PTSD after a botched mission and must now protect his family from a home invasion when a recently freed convict and his henchmen come after their stash of millions hidden inside of the agent’s home.

THE CORE (2003) (BLU-RAY)

Fear is in the air as research reveals the earth’s core is stalled and unless it gets a jumpstart, the world will burn. The world’s last possible chance rests on the shoulders of a team of ‘terranauts,’ who travel to the center of the earth to try and save the planet.

DEXTER: NEW BLOOD (2021) (BLU-RAY, DVD)

Set 10 years after Dexter went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura, the series finds him living under an assumed name in the small town of Iron Lake, New York. Dexter may be embracing his new life, but in the wake of unexpected events in this close-knit community, his Dark Passenger beckons.

DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS LOST FILMS DOUBLE FEATURE: DOUBLE TROUBLE (1915) / MR FIX-IT (1918) (BLU-RAY)

In DOUBLE TROUBLE, banker Florian Amidon, a somewhat shy and timid young man, is assaulted, robbed and knocked out while on vacation. When he wakes up, he discovers that he’s in the booming oil town of Bakerstown, but has no memory of how he got there–and that there’s a five-year gap in his life from the time he was robbed until that moment. He and his friend, Judge Blodgett, enlist the services of a clairvoyant, Madame Leclaire, to help Florian find out what happened to him. What she discovers changes his life forever. In Mr. Fix-It, ​​a young man impersonates his best friend, and in doing so, upsets the decorum at a stuffy family gathering and falls in love.

 

DEATH (2021) (DVD)

As patients entering the operating room of Dr. Christopher Duntsch for routine spinal surgeries start leaving permanently maimed or end up dead, two fellow surgeons and a young Assistant District Attorney set out to stop him.

THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (1965) (BLU-RAY)

A downed airplane is a motley group of men’s only protection from the relentless desert sun in this psychologically charged disaster epic. James Stewart is the veteran pilot whose Benghazi-bound plane—carrying passengers played by an unshaven ensemble of screen icons including Richard Attenborough, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Dan Duryea, Peter Finch, and George Kennedy—crash-lands in the remote Sahara. As tensions simmer among the survivors, they find themselves forced to trust a coldly logical engineer (Hardy Krüger) whose plan to get them out may just be crazy enough to work—or could kill them all.

THE GODFATHER TRILOGY (1972, 1974, 1990) (4K UHD)

For the first time in one collection, this is the essential, definitive saga of the Corleone family, overseen by director Francis Ford Coppola and based on the bestselling novel by Mario Puzo. A global cultural touchstone captivating fans across generations, the enduring cinematic legacy of THE GODFATHER has immeasurably influenced popular culture, and rightfully earned its legacy as one of the greatest in the history of motion pictures. Remastered and Restored in 4K UHD with HDR-10 and DolbyVision, this collection includes Academy Award winners for Best Picture THE GODFATHER and THE GODFATHER PART II, alongside the acclaimed conclusion MARIO PUZOS THE GODFATHER CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE. Bonus discs include both the Theatrical and 1991 Cuts of THE GODFATHER PART III, as well as a special features Blu-ray featuring all-new content.

THE ISLANDS (2011) (DVD)

Ivan is desperate due to lack of work. One day, looking for a job, he arrives at an island where he finds himself stuck, penniless and unable to return home, namely the squalid apartment he shares with his sick father. When help arrives, almost magically, he meets a mute young woman, Martina. 

LA LLORONA (1933) (BLU-RAY)

An early horror classic drawn from Mexico’s rich tradition of folklore, LA LLORONA recounts the chilling tale of the ‘wailing woman’ who kills herself and her child before returning to haunt the living. Expressionistic, lyrical and atmospheric, Ramón Peón’s film draws on the influence of Universal Pictures’ contemporaneous horror cycle and incorporates elements of period melodrama and romance.

THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES: SERIES 1 (2021) (DVD)

Jean White is an antiques dealer who runs a successful business with her husband, Rory. But when he suddenly dies and leaves her nearly penniless, Jean relocates to their one remaining asset – a cottage in French antiques hub Sainte Victoire – and begins investigating Rory’s mysterious death.

MARIO PUZO’S GODFATHER CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE (1990) (DVD)

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of The Godfather: Part III, director/screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola brings a definitive new edit and restoration of the final film in his epic Godfather trilogy—Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), now in his 60s, seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia)… but he may also be the spark that turns Michael’s hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. The film’s meticulously restored picture and sound, under the supervision of American Zoetrope and Paramount Pictures, includes a new beginning and ending, as well as changes to scenes, shots, and music cues. The resulting project reflects author Mario Puzo and Coppola’s original intentions of The Godfather: Part III, and delivers, in the words of Coppola,“a more appropriate conclusion to The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II.”

MODERN VAMPIRES (1998) (BLU-RAY)

Los Angeles has a discreet community of tortured, bloodthirsty creatures of the night. But when a mysterious vampire (Natasha Gregson Wagner) enters the scene, The Count wants this blood-sucking seductress eliminated before her rampage of death exposes the cult. Her only chance at immortality lies in the fangs of Dallas (Casper Van Dien). But when a distraught mortal, Dr. Frederick van Helsing (Rod Steiger), seeks revenge on the vampires that damned his son, he vows to kill them all, slowly. Together with a band of vampire hunters, Dr. Van Helsing declared war on the underground church of damnation. 

MONKEY KUNG FU (1979) (BLU-RAY)

From director Mar Lo and starring Siu-Tung Ching comes this fast-moving Wuxia classic from the legendary Shaw Brothers studio. When prisoner Ching is given half of a wooden keepsake by a one eyed-master about to be executed, he breaks out of prison to go in search of the other half to discover its purpose. However, on his quest he is pursued by a gang leader who will also stop at nothing to find out its secrets. 

NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2021) (4K + BLU-RAY, DVD)

From visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes this noir-style psychological thriller starring Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett. When a manipulative carnival man (Cooper) teams with an equally deceptive psychiatrist (Blanchett) to grift the wealthy in 1940s New York society, he learns that his new partner in crime might be his most formidable opponent yet. 

NOW AND FOREVER (1934) (BLU-RAY)

Screen legends Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard star along with the charming Shirley Temple in Now and Forever. Penny (Temple) is a poor-little-rich girl whose father, Jerry (Cooper), a jewel thief and con artist, comes to claim her from his late wife’s stuffy relatives. Together with new spouse Toni (Lombard), Jerry has sworn to mend his ways and set a good example for his beloved daughter. He soon discovers that old habits die hard, especially when the best schools cost money that Jerry does not have. Directed by Hollywood great Henry Hathaway and featuring unforgettable performances, this endearing tale of love, honor and sacrifice will touch your heart—now and forever.

THE PHANTOM OF THE MONASTERY (1934) (BLU-RAY)

This film tells the macabre tale of a troupe of hikers who become lost in a forest and take refuge in a haunted monastery. There, they encounter shape-shifting shadows, ominous sealed doorways, and a cellar crowded with coffins… An expressionistic Gothic triumph which has tragically languished in obscurity outside of Mexico, The Phantom of the Monastery has now been lovingly restored and is presented on Blu-ray at long last in a world debut edition, along with a selection of illuminating extras.

THE RED STAR (2021) (DVD)

The Red Star is a mockumentary about the fictional Leila Salama, a mysterious woman who may have contributed to the capture of Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires in 1960, but was neglected by the official history. Putting together the pieces of the puzzle, the film discovers a secret that was hidden for years.

ROLLING LIKE THUNDER (2021) (DVD)

Before street art became mainstream, the anonymous outlaws of “freight writing” put graffiti on the map. One of the most extreme and risky iterations of the art form, freight train graffiti culture has a rich history, laden with myth-like artists, remarkable romances, and competitive graffiti crews. Delving into the underground subculture reveals the deep connection between graffiti and the American landscape, as well as the artists’ obsession with putting life and limb on the line to make their voices heard.

SHAOLIN MANTIS (1978) (BLU-RAY)

When scholar Wei Fung is hired by the Emperor to infiltrate a clan of rebellious Ming loyalists, his mission goes adrift when he falls in love with the clan leader’s granddaughter and his plans are discovered. From legendary director and star Lau Kar Leung, Shaolin Mantis is another superlative entry from the never ending showcase of 70s martial arts productions. An absolute must for collectors of classic Shaw Brothers movies. 

A STAR IS BORN (1937) (BLU-RAY)

The first of several! When a young actress (Janet Gaynor) arrives in Hollywood with hopes of stardom, a chance encounter places her under the wing of older actor Norman Maine (Fredric March). Adopting the stage name Vicki Lester, she co-stars with Norman in a major motion picture, but his success is clearly fading even as her career begins. After the couple wed, Vicki’s fame continues to grow, but Norman descends into alcoholism, and she must decide between pursuing her dream and caring for him.

STARFLIGHT ONE (1983) (DVD) 

Special effects guru John Dykstra (Star Wars) brings his technical expertise to this futuristic vision of the maiden flight of the world’s first hypersonic transport jet. Touted as a technological breakthrough, the super-speed aircraft debarks amid much fanfare. All systems are “go” until a misguided missile renders the craft helpless, pushing it into a deadly orbit above Earth that threatens the total annihilation of its passengers. 

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1921) (BLU-RAY)

This new restoration of Douglas Fairbanks’ 1921 adaptation of The Three Musketeers – produced in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art – features a new score created and performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. 

A TIME FOR DYING (1969) (BLU-RAY)

The final western from one of the genre’s greatest directors, Budd Boetticher, and the last screen appearance of war hero-turned-movie star Audie Murphy, A Time for Dying is an offbeat, elegiac look at the Old West. Richard Lapp stars as a young man with fine shooting skills who crosses paths with real-life figures, such as Jesse James (Murphy) and Judge Roy Bean (Victor Jory), only to discover the true violence of the West. 

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011) (4K +BLU-RAY) 

Gary Oldman leads an extraordinary all-star cast in this masterful adaptation of John le Carré’s bestselling novel that redefined the spy thriller. At the height of the Cold War, a precarious operation goes deadly wrong, and the head of British Intelligence wonders if a double agent is leaking vital secrets. Brought out of retirement to expose the potential mole, master spy George Smiley (Oldman) is the only one who can be trusted to expose one of their own. Or can he? As the emotional and physical tolls mount on the high-ranking suspects, Smiley will be forced into the ultimate international spy game where everyone’s motives are in question. 

TO SLEEP SO AS TO DREAM (1986) (BLU-RAY)

Two private detectives hunt for an actress trapped within the reel of a silent ninja film in the dreamlike debut of Kaizo Hayashi, a magical double-handed cinephilic homage to the movie worlds of the 1910s and 1950s. When private eye Uotsuka and his sidekick Kobayashi are approached by Madame Cherryblossom, an aged former actress, to go in search of her kidnapped daughter Bellflower, their investigations lead them to the studios of the mysterious M. Pathe company. Here Uotsuka has a strange vision in which he comes face to face with the beautiful star of a 1915 chanbara film that appears to have no ending. From then on, things begin to get a little strange… 

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM (1962) (BLU-RAY)

Wilhelm (Laurence Harvey) and Jacob Grimm (Karl Boehm) are writing a historical manuscript for a local duke (Oscar Homolka), but the project is late because Wilhelm spends his time gathering fairy tales. When Wilhelm drops part of the manuscript in a creek, he catches pneumonia while retrieving it. Near death, he dreams of various characters that want to be written — and upon his recovery, a shaken Jacob agrees to work on a book of fairy tales with him, beginning the brothers’ illustrious career.

 

NEW ADDITIONS

THRILLING BLOODY SWORD (1981) (BD-R)

The daughter of a queen and a comet is abandoned by her family. One day, she comes across a prince fighting a multi-headed dragon and falls in love with him. However, some wizards try everything to keep them apart.

CHICAGO (1927)  (BD-R)

A married woman becomes famous when she goes on trial for shooting her lover and tries to stop herself from being convicted.

RIDER ON A TRAIN (1970) (BLU-RAY)

A US Army colonel in France tries to track down an escaped sex maniac.

FAIR GAME (1986) (BLU-RAY)

Outback ranch wife and conservationist Jessica wound up having more than just harsh words with the trio of kangaroo poachers who rolled into town… as they ambushed her and subjected her to unspeakable physical, mental and sexual abuse. Stunning Ozploitation vengeance staple.

MY FAIR LADY (1964) (4K UHD)

A professor agrees to a wager that he can transform an unrefined Cockney flower girl and make her a proper lady.

TRUE ROMANCE (1993) (4K UHD)

In Detroit, loner Clarence marries a call girl named Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood. Meanwhile, the owners of the cocaine, the mob, track them down and try to reclaim it. 

ROCKETMAN (2019) (BLU-RAY + 4K UHD)

Set to his most beloved songs, it’s the epic musical story of Elton John, his breakthrough years in the 1970s and his fantastical transformation from shy piano prodigy to international superstar.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) (BLU-RAY + 4K UHD)

Based on Jane Austen’s classic novel, Sense and Sensibility tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne, whose chances at marriage seem doomed by their family’s sudden loss of fortune.

TWO WOMEN (1960) (BLU-RAY)

During World War II, Italian widow Cesira (Sophia Loren) must leave Rome with her devout daughter when the city comes under attack by Allied forces. The pair flee to a small village, where they meet — and both fall for — the charming Michele (Jean-Paul Belmondo). But the war uproots the life of mother and daughter once again when soldiers attack the duo and subject them to sexual assault. Their bond is strained as they struggle to overcome the tragedy that changes them both forever.

FRAMED (1947) (BLU-RAY)

A femme fatale lures an unemployed man into helping her with a criminal scheme.

GARMENT JUNGLE (1957) (BLU-RAY)

On the mean streets of the garment district in New York City, Alan Mitchell discovers that the dress business owned by his father is being controlled by the mob. Alan must join forces with rebellious labor union leaders in order to save his family’s company from thugs. 

THE BANISHMENT (2007) (BLU-RAY)

A trip to the pastoral countryside reveals a dark, sinister reality for a family from the city.

THE RETURN (2003) (BLU-RAY)

In the Russian wilderness, two brothers face a range of new, conflicting emotions when their father – a man they know only through a single photograph – resurfaces.

THE BEATLES: 1 (2015) (BLU-RAY)

Compilation of almost all The Beatles’ music videos, with other television appearances and live performances.

THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES (1960) (BLU-RAY)

Angela Barrows, an accomplished business analyst from the US, attempts to contemporise the late MacPherson’s tweed factory, shaking the very foundation of a men-only company.

VINCERE (2009) (BLU-RAY)

Inspired by the life of Benito Mussolini’s first wife, Ida Dalser, the film tells the story of tragic love amidst the tides of war. Ida, taken by the young and unemployed Benito, marries him and soon has his child. The two are separated at the outbreak of World War I, and Benito remarries. When Ida finds out, she tries to assert her place in his life, but the fascists are less than willing to tarnish the image of the man who is now a dictator.

ELENA (2012) (BLU-RAY)

A young Brazilian woman named Elena travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood, which was spent hiding during the years of the military dictatorship.

EXTREME PREJUDICE (1987) (BLU-RAY)

Jack Benteen (Nick Nolte) is a Texas Ranger who has taken a very different path than his childhood buddy, Cash Bailey (Powers Boothe), a ruthless drug lord. While Benteen and Bailey are on opposite sides of the law, they share a common interest in the lovely Sarita Cisneros (Maria Conchita Alonso), who has been involved with both men. The tension between Benteen and Bailey gets further heightened when the lawman plays a key role in a major narcotics bust, resulting in a fierce showdown. 

TAKING OFF (1971) (BLU-RAY)

While searching for their runaway teenage daughter, the parents rediscover life’s joys as they get acquainted with a self-help group for parents of vanished children.

A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA (1965) (BLU-RAY)

In 1870, a Jamaican colonial family sends its children to Britain for proper schooling but their ship is taken over by pirates who become fond of the kids.

GUNMAN’S WALK (1958) (BLU-RAY)

A powerful rancher always protects his wild adult son by paying for damages and bribing witnesses, until his crimes become too serious to rectify.

THE FUNHOUSE (CODE B) (1981) (BLU-RAY)

Four teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement. They soon discover, however, that there is nothing innocent or amusing there at all.

LES PARENTS TERRIBLES (1948) (BLU-RAY)

Michel is in love with Madeleine, so he decides to tell his parents of his intention to marry her. He thinks his announcement is innocent enough; his engagement, however, threatens to reveal dark secrets lurking within his family’s home.

THE MEN (1950) (BLU-RAY)

A paralyzed war vet (Marlon Brando) tries to adjust to the world without the use of his limbs.

SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949) (BLU-RAY)

Haunted by personal demons, Marine Sgt. John Stryker is hated and feared by his men, who see him as a cold-hearted sadist. But when their boots hit the beaches, they begin to understand the reason for Stryker’s rigid form of discipline.

OUTSIDE THE LAW (1920) (BLU-RAY)

Under the gentle tutelage of Confucian monk Chang Lo (E. Alyn Warren), father and daughter criminals Silent Madden (Ralph Lewis) and Silky Moll (Priscilla Dean) are attempting to go straight. When rival Black Mike Sylva (Lon Chaney) falsely pins a murder on Silent Madden, Silky and Dapper Bill (Wheeler Oakman) agree to help Sylva with a jewel heist, planning to double-cross him. Holed up with the stolen jewels, Silky Moll undergoes a religious conversion that causes her to repent her many sins.

LA GUERRE EST FINIE (1966) (BLU-RAY)

A middle-aged political activist tries to dissuade his young followers from taking radical action.

HENRY OF NAVARRE (2010) (BLU-RAY)

A soldier fighting for religious freedom becomes king of France during the 16th-century.