Another week is upon dear friends and the world of the video store is always restocking, adding, and doing it’s best to make you question your watching habits. This week’s haul is another mixed bag of cinematic goodness and badness so let’s take a look shall we?
As always a staple to the shop. Kubrick triple feature!
When plans with her boyfriend fall through, high school senior Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) ends up babysitting the Anderson kids, Brad (Keith Coogan) and Sara (Maia Brewton). What should be a quiet night in, however, turns into a series of ridiculous exploits, starting when they leave the house to pick up Chris’ friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller). Soon, Brad’s buddy Daryl (Anthony Rapp) is involved, and the group must contend with car thieves, blues musicians and much more.
During the “Age of Reason” of the late 18th century, the Turkish army lays siege to a European city where a theater production about the extraordinary heroics of famed German aristocrat Baron Münchhausen is underway. A man steps forward to object that the performance is full of inaccuracies, claiming that he is the real Baron Münchhausen (John Neville). When the Turkish army approaches with gunfire, the baron undertakes his latest adventure with his promise to defend the city.
In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after the nuking of the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo’s supernatural powers suddenly manifest. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment’s secrets.
Set in 1973, it chronicles the funny and often poignant coming of age of 15-year-old William, an unabashed music fan who is inspired by the seminal bands of the time. When his love of music lands him an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to interview the up-and-coming band Stillwater — fronted by lead guitar Russell Hammond and lead singer Jeff Bebe William embarks on an eye-opening journey with the band’s tour, despite the objections of his protective mother.
American tourists David and Jack are savaged by an unidentified vicious animal whilst hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. David awakes in a London hospital to find his friend dead and his life in disarray. Retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse to recuperate, he soon experiences disturbing changes to his mind and body, undergoing a full-moon transformation that will unleash terror on the capital…
After leaving their company Christmas Party together, David (Brian Geragthy. The Hurt Locker) and Emily’s (Alice Eve, Entourage, Starter for 10) impromptu first date takes an unexpected turn when their coworker, Corey (Josh Peck, The Wackness), asks them to make a late-night stop at an ATM. What should be a routine transaction turns into a bloody battle for survival when an unknown man appears and traps them inside the vestibule. With the wintry temperatures dipping below freezing and the morning sunrise still hours away, they have no choice but to play the man’s deadly game of cat-and-mouse if they want to live through the night. With nail-biting suspense, ATM crafts one of the most shocking and suspenseful horror tales in years.
Documentary centers on the vending machine popularized in the 20th century that offered fresh cooked meals in a commissary-style eatery. Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elliott Gould, Lisa Hurwitz, 2021.
Shocking French thriller of two young women who go on a violent spree against a society in which they feel marginalized. Karen Lancaume, Raffaëla Anderson, Céline Beugnot, 2000.
Starring Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto. When three workers try to steal from the local union, they discover the corruption of the union instead and decide to blackmail them. Paul Schrader (1978)
Back In Stock. When a group of cannibal savages kidnaps settlers from the small town of Bright Hope, an unlikely team of gunslingers, led by Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell), sets out to bring them home. S. Craig Zahler, 2015.
Henry Creedlow is a creative director for Bruiser, a successful magazine firm, who lives an unhappy life. His high-strung, contemptuous wife Janine is indifferent to him which leads to him having fantasies about suicide. Henry meets with his best friend, Jimmy Larson on their way to work downtown.
Back In Stock. Legendary Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis star as elderly Elvis and geriatric JFK, who end up in the same old age home, but the two must join forces to battle an ancient Egyptian Mummy and save the souls of their fellow residents. Don Coscarelli (2002)
In 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director Robert Wiene and a visionary team of designers crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community. This authoritative edition of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 4K restoration scanned from the (mostly) preserved camera negative at the German Federal Film Archive.
The hauntingly beautiful horror classic, after a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival. Herk Harvey (1962)
Silly comedy about a caveman seeks revenge on a much larger competitor for the hand of a beautiful cavewoman. Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long, 1981.
Back In Stock. An insane action-comedy about a young lunatic director and his devoted cult of cinema terrorists who kidnap a movie goddess and force her to star in their underground movie. Vowing to punish the crass sins of commercial cinema, fueled by revolutionary zeal and their self-imposed sexual frustration, Cecil B. DeMented and his guerrilla production crew invade the streets of Baltimore to shoot their no-budget epic. When Cecil says “Action,” he means action! Nothing is going to stand in his way.
Bawdy 70s softcore version of the timeless tale of a poor girl, her wicked step family and the handsome prince – except with more sex and nudity. Cheryl Smith, Yana Nirvana, Marilyn Corwin, Michael Pataki, 1977.
Black comedy about an accidental murder suspects finds himself mixed up in a series of murders and a lovable sociopath trucker takes him under his wing. Vince Vaughn, Joaquin Phoenix, Georgina Cates, Janeane Garofalo, 1998.
Back In Stock. A loving father dons a clown outfit and makeup to perform at his son’s sixth birthday, only to later discover that the costume – red nose and wig included– will not come off, his own personality changing in horrific fashion. Jon Watts (2016)
Cocaine, cash and a crew filming a horror movie in the mysterious woods of northern Pennsylvania clash when an unexpected visit from a Werewolf literally enters the picture.
Back In Stock. After finding an old rifle, a young boy joins the Soviet resistance movement against ruthless German forces and experiences the horrors of World War II. Elem Klimov, 1985.
A wise grandmother (Angela Lansbury) tells her granddaughter Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson) a disturbing tale of innocent maidens falling in love with handsome strangers … and of their sudden mysterious disappearances when the moon is full and accompanied by the strange sound of a beast in the woods. Nominated for four BAFTA awards including Best Costume Design, Best Make Up Artist, Best Production Design/Art Direction and Best Special Visual Effects, The Company Of Wolves is a tale that will chill you like no other …
Guillermo del Toro’s feature debut about a kindly antiques dealer who finds himself possessor and victim of the sinister, addictive powers of a device which grants immortality. Ron Perlman, Federico Luppi, 1993.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s arresting new wave Japanese horror and international breakthrough hit. Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, 1997.
When a woman learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival but things don’t go as planned. Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Robert Zemeckis, 1992.
Back In STock. From the minds of Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava comes the horrific Heavy Metal splatter film classic, DEMONS! Presented in a stunning new high-definition transfer and re-mastered audio!
Back In Stock. Hard-boiled detective Dick Tracy (Warren Beatty) is searching for evidence that proves Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice is the city’s most dangerous crime boss. He may have found the key to unraveling the crimelord’s illegal empire in Breathless Mahoney (Madonna), an enigmatic barroom singer who has witnessed some of Caprice’s crimes firsthand. However, she seems more set on stealing Dick away from his girlfriend, Tess (Glenne Headly), than helping him solve the case of his career.
A bored suburban housewife, seeking adventure to her life, accidentally gets hit on the head, wakes up with amnesia, and is mistaken for a free-spirited New York City drifter named Susan. Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, Aidan Quinn, 1985.
In the Hollywood Hills, Ariel is learning the ropes of the modeling industry while her cousin Tracy takes center stage as his top model. Ariel dreams of frolicking poolside with the gorgeous models who come to work and play at Scardino’s estate, but in reality she is stuck inflating their beach balls and rubbing oil all over their chiseled bodies.
Back In STock. Two fallen angels who were ejected from paradise find themselves banned in Wisconsin. They are now headed for New Jersey where they find a loophole that can get them back into heaven. The only catch is that it will destroy humanity. A group bands together to stop them.
Director Jim Jarmusch followed up his brilliant breakout Stranger Than Paradise with another, equally beloved portrait of loners and misfits in America. When fate lands three hapless men—an unemployed disc jockey (Tom Waits), a small-time pimp (John Lurie), and a strong-willed Italian tourist (Roberto Benigni)—in a Louisiana prison, a singular adventure begins. Described by Jarmusch as a “neo-Beat noir comedy,” Down by Law is part nightmare and part fairy tale, featuring sterling performances and crisp black-and-white photography by esteemed cinematographer Robby Müller.
Back In STock. David Lynch’s breakthrough feature is both a lasting cult sensation and a work of extraordinary craft and beauty. Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, David Lynch, 1977
4K remaster of the 2013 reimagining of the Raimi’s classic Evil Dead. Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, 2013.
It began as a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between two of the greatest icons of the fantasy genre: Controversial animator Ralph Bakshi (director of FRITZ THE CAT, WIZARDS and the original THE LORD OF THE RINGS) and legendary illustrator Frank Frazetta
An evil yet adorable Gingerbread man comes to life with the soul of a convicted killer – this real life cookie monster wreaks havoc on the girl who sent the killer to the electric chair. Gary Busey, Robin Sydney, 2005.
Suburban soccer moms find themselves constantly competing against each other in their personal lives as their kids settle their differences on the field. Jocelyn DeBoer (2019)
After assassin Martin Blank (John Cusack) has trouble focusing on his work, resulting in a failed assignment, he returns to his hometown, Grosse Point, Mich., for his 10-year high school reunion. There he meets Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver), an old girlfriend that he stood up for the prom. Martin’s secretary (Joan Cusack) sets up a hit for him while he is in town, but Martin starts to reconsider his life. Meanwhile, he is hounded by an unstable rival hit man, Grocer (Dan Aykroyd).
This box set comprises three 4K remastered films from one of the longest running horror series in cinema history: HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS / HALLOWEEN H20 / HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION
During a camping trip from hell, a father battles a murderous cult and a bloodthirsty demon, known as The Hangman, to save his kidnapped son.
In turn-of-the-century England, a young boy watches helplessly as his sister drowns in a lake; 20 years later, David (Aidan Quinn), still wracked by guilt, is a professor of psychology and a professional skeptic. He receives a call from an elderly nanny named Tess (Anna Massey) who believes her household is haunted. Returning to the same village where his sister died, he meets Christina (Kate Beckinsale), Tess’ charge. Soon, strange happenings and sad memories shake David’s faith in reason.
Radio personalities Larry Abbot (Gene Wilder) and Vickie Pearle (Gilda Radner) are stars of a mystery show. Since they announced their engagement, Larry has been plagued by speech problems and, seeking out an unconventional cure, he returns to his boyhood home, a mansion in the countryside, bringing Vickie along. Larry reunites with numerous family members, including the flamboyant Aunt Kate (Dom DeLuise), but discovers that there are sinister things afoot within the walls of the creepy estate.
In this offbeat road comedy from Finland, an amateur metal band from Finland travels to Norway to be in a huge heavy metal festival in order to seek fame and fortune. Juuso Laatio, Jukka Vidgren, 2018.
Back In Stock. A homicide detective and an FBI agent team up to find the human host of an alien life-form responsible for turning citizens into homicidal maniacs.
There can only be one! Highlander on 4K UHD!
A trio of country singers becomes stranded at a haunted mansion and gets mixed up with spies. Joi Lansing, John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., Basil Rathbone, Merle Haggard, Jean Yarbrough, 1967.
Ti West directs this 80’s throwback horror about a cash strapped college student who foolishly takes a babysitting job in a remote mansion where she discovers that she is trapped by a maniac. Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, 2009.
Starring Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman. The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his inner madman. Lars von Trier (2018)
A mother of two who inherits a home from her Aunt. On the first night in the new home, she is confronted with murderous intruders and is forced to fight for herself and her daughters’ lives. Pascal Laugier (2018)
A sorority pledge begins to crack when she starts to remember her parents gruesome sexually charged murder. Vera Miles, Daphne Zuniga, Hunter Tylo, Clu Gulager, 1984.
Acclaimed filmmaker Gaspar Noé’s unflinching exploration of human savagery and the uncompromising nature of time. Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, 2002.
Mourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam war veteran attempts to discover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusion, and perception of death. Tim Robbins, 1990.
From the disordered mind of Godfrey Ho comes this Hong Kong revenge thriller about a distraught woman who is taught to become an assassin in order to destroy the men who raped her. 1987.
Starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland. A small-town detective searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute. Alan J. Pakula (1971)
A rapturously stylized quartet of tales of demonic comeuppance and spiritual trials, featuring colorfully surreal sets, luminous cinematography, existentially frightening and meticulously crafted. Masaki Kobayashi, 1964.
A brave unicorn and a magician fight an evil king who is obsessed with attempting to capture the world’s unicorns. Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, 1982.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a group of military officials hatch a daring plan to neutralize Hitler’s fleet of German U-boats during World War II. Made up of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, the top-secret combat unit uses unconventional techniques to battle the Nazis and change the course of the war.
Stuck working the late shift at the amusement park arcade, Alex receives a surprise visit from her friends on her 21st birthday. However, their night of fun soon turns into a fight for survival when a killer dressed as Mickey Mouse crashes the party.
Chaotic Spaghetti Western featuring Burt Reynolds as a First Nations man who seeks revenge against a man who wronged him. Aldo Sambrell, Fernando Rey, 1966.
Cowboy Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) meets gorgeous Mae (Jenny Wright) at a bar, and the two have an immediate attraction. But when Mae turns out to be a vampire and bites Caleb on the neck, their relationship gets complicated. Wracked with a craving for human blood, Caleb is forced to leave his family and ride with Mae and her gang of vampires, including the evil Severen. Along the way Caleb must decide between his new love of Mae and the love of his family.
In this Stephen King adaptation, a mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected. Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Fraser C. Heston, 1993.
A deceptively simple tale of a group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse who find themselves fending off a horde of flesh-eating ghouls, Romero’s claustrophobic vision of a late-1960s America literally tearing itself apart rewrote the rules of the horror genre, combined gruesome gore with acute social commentary, and quietly broke ground by casting a black actor (Duane Jones) in its lead role.
Shot outside Pittsburgh on a shoestring budget, Night Of The Living Dead is a midnight hit turned box-office smash that became one of the most influential films of all time.
An aspiring joker moves to Gotham City to make it big, but ends up grappling with her gender identity while forming an anti-comedy troupe and combatting a fascistic caped crusader. Helmed by writer/director/editor/star Vera Drew and using her own life experiences as a basis for the film, THE PEOPLE’S JOKER is a deeply personal journey that’s as much documentary as it is parody.
A darker version of the classic Gaston Leroux novel featuring Robert Englund as the titular Phantom. 1989.
John Waters’ infamous and daring cinematic transgression! On Criterion!
In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber gets sprung from jail by a wealthy warlord whose adopted granddaughter has gone missing. He offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct in five days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman — and his own path to redemption.
Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is only 12 years old, but is already familiar with the dark side of life: her abusive father stores drugs for corrupt police officers, and her mother neglects her. Léon (Jean Reno), who lives down the hall, tends to his houseplants and works as a hired hitman for mobster Tony (Danny Aiello). When her family is murdered by crooked DEA agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman), Mathilda joins forces with a reluctant Léon to learn his deadly trade and avenge her family’s deaths.
Ultra sleazy disturbing Italian horror about a diminutive & murderous Rat Man who controls rats and terrorises a tropical island. David Warbeck, Nelson De la Rosa, Giuliano Carnimeo, 1988.
Alex Cox’s singular sci-fi comedy stars the always captivating Harry Dean Stanton as a weathered repo man in desolate downtown Los Angeles, and Emilio Estevez as the nihilistic middle-class punk he takes under his wing.
Reality TV gets a reality check in Run Ronnie Run!, a hilarious comedy starring David Cross and Bob Odenkirk of HBOs Mr. Show. Ronnie Dobbs (Cross) is a drunken, mullet-haired criminal who cant seem to keep himself from getting arrested. When spotted once again on a national reality show, a Hollywood TV producer, Terry Twillstein (Odenkirk), gets the brilliant idea to base an entire show on Ronnie himself. Overnight, Ronnie is a national TV star and the toast of Hollywood! But it isnt long until clean living and morality get the better of him and he cant get arrested anymore, no matter how hard he tries. Is this the end of his career…or the beginning of a new one? Featuring cameos from an all-star comedy cast, Run Ronnie Run! is nonstop insanity that turns reality TV on its head!
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s notorious final film, Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom, has been called nauseating, shocking, depraved, pornographic . . . It’s also a masterpiece. The controversial poet, novelist, and filmmaker’s transposition of the Marquis de Sade’s eighteenth-century opus of torture and degradation to Fascist Italy in 1944 remains one of the most passionately debated films of all time, a thought-provoking inquiry into the political, social, and sexual dynamics that define the world we live in.
Gonzo arthouse exploitation film from about an aging porn star who is roped into making an “art” film which proceeds to have him commit increasingly demented and depraved acts. Srdjan Spasojevic, 2010.
A samurai answers a village’s request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food. A giant battle occurs when 40 bandits attack the village.
Steven Soderbergh’s provocative feature debut focuses on the complexities of human intimacy and deception in the modern age. Andie MacDowell, James Spader.
Todd (Kurt Russell) has been trained since birth, through brutal conditioning, to be an emotionless killing machine. After 40 years, Todd and his comrades are deemed obsolete when Col. Mekum (Jason Isaacs) promotes a new breed of genetically flawless soldiers. Discarded on the trash-covered planet of Arcadia 234, Todd is rescued by colonists Mace (Sean Pertwee) and Sandra (Connie Nielsen) — but he’s soon forced to face his stronger replacements when the military seeks to wipe out the colony.
Based on a short story by Stephen King, a man and his family return to his home town, but he is then harassed by teenagers that died when he was a kid. Tim Matheson, Brooke Adams, Robert Rusler, William Sanderson, Tom Mcloughlin, 1991
After learning of a disaster at a remote military base in Antarctica, the CIA sends Capt. Sam Cage (Clayton Rohner) and Maj. Callie O’Grady (Chase Masterson) to investigate. They find only two survivors — Dr. Jennifer Wells (Faith Ford) and Brian Shebanski (Max Perlich), the base’s operations officer. Neither has any idea what happened to the rest of the team, but, after Wilson sees a ghost from her past and bodies mysteriously start piling up, they begin to suspect they’re not alone.
Adapting a science-fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Andrei Tarkovsky’s final Soviet feature is a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic post apocalyptic landscape. 1979.
In the sleazy, foreboding world of winos, derelicts and drifters in lower Manhattan, two young runaways – eighteen-year-old Fred (Mike Lackey) and his younger brother, Kevin (Mark Sferrazza) – live in a tire hut in the back of an auto wrecking yard. Life is hard, but the most lethal threat to the boys is the mysterious case of “Tenafly Viper” wine in Ed’s liquor store window.
Life is looking pretty bleak for theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman). His wife and daughter have left him, his therapist is more interested in plugging her new book than helping him with his problems, and a strange disease is causing his body to shut down. Caden leaves his home in Schenectady, N.Y., and heads to New York City, where he gathers a cast of actors and tells them to live their lives within the constructs of a mock-up of the city.
Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city. When Travis meets pretty campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the world, first plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, then directing his attentions toward rescuing 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster).
Giallo horror classic where An American writer in Rome is stalked by a serial killer bent on harassing him while killing all people associated with his work on his latest book. Dario Argento (1982)
Tobe Hooper’s sequel to his beloved cult classic is wild, outrageous, and unbelievably gory mix of southern fried terror and surreal humour. Dennis Hopper, Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson, 1986.
Kim has a fight with her mother and runs off into the woods. A chance meeting with a local photographer sons turns into a living nightmare as Kim is captured and run through a series of gruesome tortures, one worse than the last. Graphic and disturbing.
A profoundly stirring evocation of elemental humanity and universal heartbreak, Tokyo Story is the crowning achievement of the unparalleled Yasujiro Ozu.
A down-on-his-luck author finds an UFO in the remote jungle. Ready to announce his find to the world, a mishmash of government agents, organized crime members, neo-Nazis and extra-terrestrials want to stop him. Franco Nero, William Berger
After a cop (Beat Takeshi) is fired and his sister is kidnapped, he goes on a mission to get the kidnapper and his boss.
A faithful big-screen adaptation of Richard Adams’s classic British dystopian novel about a community of rabbits under terrible threat from modern forces. Martin Rosen, 1978.
