Last week of March comes to us and as always the videostore hoping this week’s cinema might raise an eyeborw or two of my fellow movie nerds. A little bit of this and little bit of that comes bubbling up at the shop including Dario Argento’s 2001 film Sleepless. This beauty is a forgotten gem mainly because it’s been out of print for 20 freaking years. Well no longer good people as it returns and for the first time on Blu Ray. Okay…on with the list…
People are being taken hostage by aliens and subjected to unbearable terror. Only a completely fearless task force that has the mission to track down intruders and destroy them can stop the aliens.
Takashi Miike’s audacious horror about a widower who stages a mock audition in order to meet a new partner only to become infatuated with a woman who is not what she seems to be. Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, 1999.
Charming, low budget sci-fi remake of the Magnificent Seven from Roger Corman. Written by John Sayles. Robert Vaughn, John Saxon, George Peppard, Sybil Danning. 1980.
Detective Mark Corley storms his way onto an alien spaceship to rescue his estranged son. When the ship crashes in Southeast Asia, he forges an alliance with a band of survivors to take back the planet once and for all.
A former policeman sets out to unleash violent vengeance upon deer poachers when they rape and kill his long lost daughter. Michael Sopkiw, George Eastman, Lamberto Bava, 1984
Jimmy Bones (Snoop “Doggy” Dogg) is a legendary protector and patron of his thriving neighborhood. Cool, handsome and respected – Bones is the benevolent caretaker of his people until he is betrayed by those closest to him. Flash forward 20 years. Crime and drugs have crumbled the neighborhood and Jimmy Bones has become a charismatic emblem of better times. But his spirit is about to make a comeback
A boy communicates telepathically with his dog as they scavenge for food and sex, and they stumble into an underground society of cannibals. Don Johnson, Jason Robards, L.Q. Jones, Written by Harlan Ellison, 1975.
Seijun Suzuki’s flabbergasting & brutal pop-art yakuza film about a chimpmunk cheeked assassin with a fetish for sniffing boiled rice who botches a job and ends up a target himself. 1967.
Three malfunctioning security droids terrorise a group of teenagers locked inside a shopping mall.
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)
After a meteorite lands in the front yard of their farm, Nathan Gardner and his family find themselves battling a mutant extraterrestrial organism that infects their minds and bodies, transforming their quiet rural life into a technicolor nightmare.
Two-part documentary mini-series which tells the story of the rise and fall of the most feared and violent organised crime leader ever, Toto Riina.
Russian sci-fi about an alien race who challenges Earth to game of space soccer. Dzhanik Fayziev, 2020.
The chilling story of identical twin gynecologists who share the same practice, same apartment and the same women. When a new patient challenges their eerie bond, they descend into a whirlpool of sexual confusion, drugs and madness. Jeremy Irons.
Oddball French action-horror about a action movie enthusiast young boy who must defend himself and his grandfather from a killer dressed as Santa Claus. Brigitte Fossey, René Manzor, 1989.
In the not-too-distant future against a backdrop of advanced undersea technology, a group of scientists and Navy personnel discover they are in an underwater Alien rip-off. Greg Evigan, Miguel Ferrer, Nia Peeples, Sean S. Cunningham, 1989.
Indie film favourite starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Donnie is a troubled high school student with an imaginary friend, a six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days 06 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Richard Kelly (2001)
Fantastic 4 Movie set of the films from the great Ray Harryhausen!
A squad of Russian soldiers must go to a remote East German village to locate missing comrades in the waning days of Word War II. Unearthing a plot to resurrect fallen soldiers, the squad becomes the target of cobbled-together monsters.
This Is the FINAL BOXSET the videostore will be able to bring in of this now OUT OF PRINT collection.
Brand new high definition transfer and restoration of the allegorical blaxploitation vampire film. Duane Jones, Marlene Clark.
Two young boys accidentally release a horde of nasty, pint-sized demons from a hole in a suburban backyard. Now they must overcome a nightmarish hell that literally begins to take over the Earth. Tibor Takács (1987)
Sadistic convicts run rampantly after an ambush sets them free.
A frustrated Boston detective searches for the maniac responsible for mutilating a number of university coeds.
Story of Gypsy-Punk band Gogol Bordello, following them as they move from being underground legends to being internationally recognized. 2007.
Twin boys move to a new home with their mother after she has face changing cosmetic surgery, but under her bandages is someone the children don’t recognize. Susanne Wuest, Lukas Schwarz, Elias Schwarz, 2014.
New Blu Ray Release! After a high school track star dies in the middle of a race, her teammates begin to be killed off in various creative ways in this 1981 horror. Christopher George, Michael Pataki, Linnea Quigley, Vanna White, Herb Freed, 1981.
New York college student Justine (Lorenza Izzo), a lawyer’s daughter, meets a student activist named Alejandro (Ariel Levy) when he goes on a hunger strike on behalf of underpaid janitors. Smitten, Justine agrees to help Alejandro undertake his next project: to save the Amazon. She soon learns to regret her decision when their plane crashes in the Peruvian jungle and she and the rest of their group are taken captive by a tribe of hungry cannibals.
A beautiful young Frenchwoman, Alex (Maïwenn Le Besco), travels out to the country to visit her family and brings along her friend Marie (Cécile de France). Soon after they get settled in the secluded home, Alex’s parents are brutally attacked by a psychotic truck driver (Philippe Nahon), who proceeds to stalk the two women as well. When the killer kidnaps Alex in his truck, Marie hides in the back to try and rescue her, but the bloodshed is far from over.
In the mid 1980s, 17yo Vicki is randomly abducted from a suburban street by a disturbed couple. As she observes the dynamic between her captors she quickly realizes she must drive a wedge between them if she is to survive. Ben Young (2016)
Indescribable psychedelic Japanse ghost tale that’s equal parts absurd and nightmarish, Scooby Doo and Mario Bava. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977.
Solid double feature genre Blu Ray.
Nikki (Laura Dern), an actress, takes on a role in a new film, and because her husband (Peter J. Lucas) is very jealous, her co-star Devon (Justin Theroux) gets a warning not to make any romantic overtures — especially since the characters they play are having an affair. Both actors learn that the project is a remake of an unfinished film in which the stars were murdered
Ultra low budget legendary cult classic about a Druid cult seeking to resurrect their dead queen. Norman Kelley, Tanna Hunter, Bruce Detrick, Ed Adlum, 1972
After a mysterious apocalypse leaves the world with few survivors, two families are forced to share a home in an uneasy alliance to keep the outside evil at bay — only to learn that the true horror may come from within.
All three John Wick films in one nice Blu Ray set.
Rare exploitation film which highlights the masochistic Catholic cult of Los Hermanos Penitentes who celebrate Lent by flagellation, self-mutilation, and crucifixion!
Film which celebrates the life and rock `n’ roll philosophy of Motorhead frontman and bassist Lemmy. Still touring, still enjoying the rock `n’ roll lifestyle, still inspired by Little Richard and the Beatles, Lemmy remains the ultimate unredeemed and unrepentant rocker.
Beloved / hated 80s cult children’s film about a boy who discovers an incredible and gruesome world of monsters under his bed. Fred Savage, Howie Mandel, Daniel Stern, Richard Greenberg, 1989.
In the year 2274, young residents enjoy an idyllic, hedonistic lifestyle within the protective confines of a domed city. The general belief is that when each person turns 30, they are reincarnated for another blissful life cycle. Those who know the much darker truth become “runners” and flee to a hidden sanctuary. When law enforcement officer Logan (Michael York) goes undercover to locate the refuge, he winds up instead trying to initiate a revolution with runner Jessica (Jenny Agutter).
The Notorious Horror Classic with a new 4K restoration. Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Gail Lawrence, Kelly Piper, Tom Savini, Hyla Marrow, William Lustig, 1980
A supernatural, maniac killer cop teams up with a Times Square serial killer to get the revenge on those who killed him in prison. Written by Larry Cohen. Robert Davi, Claudia Christian, Michael Lerner, Willian Lustig, 1990.
Cult homage to the Universal monster matinees of the 1940s. Duncan Regehr, Tom Noonan, Fred Dekker, 1987.
Sweet double feature set of WWII classic!
A melon farmer battles organized crime and a hit man who wants to kill him. Written by Elmore Leonard. Charles Bronson, Linda Cristal, Al Lettieri, 1974.
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality. Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, David Lynch.
A lavish trip through Europe quickly unfolds into a race against time to solve a murder aboard a train. When an avalanche stops the Orient Express dead in its tracks, the world’s greatest detective — Hercule Poirot — arrives to interrogate all passengers and search for clues before the killer can strike again.
Mike Leigh’s abrasive, brilliant and controversial “Angry Young Man” film featuring an incredibly acidic & bitter David Thewlis.
John Carpenter’s horror film about a research team who find a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church which may contain the DEVIL! Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, Victor Wong, Alice Cooper, 1987.
Follows the legendary vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend), who has reinvented himself as a rock star in the contemporary American music scene. His music wakes Akasha (Aaliyah), the queen of all vampires, and inspires her desire to make Lestat her king. Akasha’s malevolent power is so great that all the immortal vampires must stand against her if they want to survive. Meanwhile, a young London woman with a fascination for the dark side (Marguerite Moreau) falls in love with Lestat.
Mothra. Triple Feature. Nuff Said!
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.
A pregnant woman returns to her recently-deceased grandparents’ old family home to spend time with her estranged mother. What begins as a tenuous reunion slowly turns terrifying. Julia Ormond, Emma Draper, Jake Mahaffy, 2020.
Undercover cop Jim Raynor (Jason Patric) is a seasoned veteran. His partner, Kristen Cates (Jennifer Jason Leigh), is lacking in experience, but he thinks she’s tough enough to work his next case with him: a deep cover assignment to bring down the notoriously hard-to-capture drug lord Gaines (Gregg Allman). While their relationship turns romantic during the assignment, they also turn into junkies, and will have to battle their own addictions if they want to bring down Gaines once and for all.
An uncompromising story of life in a British juvenile offender institution in the 70’s. Alan Clarke (1979)
In Seattle during the era of grunge music, the lives and relationships of a group of young people, all living in the same apartment building, go through a period of flux. Among them are waitress and aspiring architect Janet (Bridget Fonda), who finds herself obsessed with bad boy musician Cliff (Matt Dillon) ; Linda (Kyra Sedgwick), an emotionally fragile environmentalist on the look-out for love; and Steve (Campbell Scott), a quintessential nice guy who studies traffic patterns.
A cunning and resourceful housewife vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist. Meryl Streep, Roseanne Barr, Ed Begley Jr., 1989.
When a virus threatens to turn friendly alien hybrids against humans, Capt. Rose Corley and her team of elite soldiers embark on a mission to an extraterrestrial world to save what’s left of mankind.
The owner of a slaughterhouse facing foreclosure instructs his obese and mentally disabled son to go on a killing spree against the people who want to buy his property. Rick Roessler (1987)
Classic campy horror film about a slasher running amuck in summer camp. 1983.
In this contemporary giallo, a retired police detective and a young amateur sleuth team up to find a serial killer who’s resumed a killing spree in Turin, Italy after a 17-year period. Max von Sydow, Chiara Caselli, Dario Argento, 2001
A rural community is dying in strange and gruesome ways, the health inspector coming to the terrifying conclusion that giant slugs are breeding in the sewers and feeding on the locals! Juan Piquer Simón (1988)
A Beverly Hills teen (Billy Warlock) discovers his parents are part of a gruesome orgy cult for the social elite.
A woman goes to a back alley abortion clinic, only to have her aborted fetus attack her, her boyfriend, and everyone else at the clinic. Francis Teri (1990)
A dark fairy tale about a gang of five children trying to survive the horrific violence of the cartels and the ghosts created every day by the drug war. Issa López, 2017.
Twenty-five years after members of a religious cult committed mass suicide, the lone survivor returns to the scene of the tragedy with a documentary crew in tow. Jessica Alba, Thomas Jane, Phil Joanou, 2016
As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn (James Woods) is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon “Videodrome,” a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend (Deborah Harry) auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.
While searching for a missing teen in a densely forested area north of St. Petersburg a team encounters a dark spirit called the Limping Widow. Ivan Minin, 2020.
After the death of his mother, the evil mutant wizard Blackwolf (Steve Gravers) discovers some long-lost military technologies. Full of ego and ambition, Blackwolf claims his mother’s throne, assembles an army and sets out to brainwash and conquer Earth. Meanwhile, Blackwolf’s gentle twin brother, the bearded and sage Avatar (Bob Holt), calls upon his own magical abilities to foil Blackwolf’s plans for world domination — even if it means destroying his own flesh and blood.
Eight people are invited to their old high school for their ten-year reunion where a fellow former student, disfigured from a prank gone wrong, is out to seek revenge. George Dugdale (1986)
Starring William Shatner, in rural Arizona countless killer tarantulas are migrating through a farm town, killing every living thing in their path. The town’s veterinarian will do everything in his power to survive the onslaught. John ‘Bud’ Cardos (1977)
Blue-collar family man Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) scoffs at supernatural phenomena — until he lets his wife’s sister, Lisa (Illeana Douglas), put him into a hypnotic trance. Upon waking, Tom realizes he has a psychic connection with his son, Jake (Zachary David Cope). He also has alarming hallucinations of a missing teenage neighbor named Samantha (Jennifer Morrison). Tom, convinced his visions will lead him to the girl, begins a desperate search that puts him into a life-threatening situation.
A female scientist performs experiments on three college girls that turn them into drooling, murderous mutants. Henri Sala, 1986.
And there we go kids. Another fine weekend of solid and silly cinema to get you through Easter Long Weekend. As always movies should be here on Thursday and remember…the videostore loves you…Cheers!
