Another week of cinema is coming a few days and i figured I would post the list a bit early. On of the more intriguing releases is the import Blu Ray of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller which has been unavailable for quite some time. On top of that it is a mix of old, new, and cult classics. Let’s take a look shall we…
Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a successful author who enjoys worldwide acclaim debunking supernatural phenomena — before he checks into the Dolphin Hotel, that is. Ignoring the warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson), he learns the meaning of real terror when he spends the night in a reputedly haunted room.
The original 1991 Aeon Flux series was a series of short, silent, surreal animated films on MTV’s Liquid Television that featured a mysterious secret agent, Aeon Flux, from Monica and her complex, often fatal, interactions with her lover and antagonist, Trevor Goodchild, the dictator of the neighboring city-state of Bregna. Her missions involved swiftly carrying out bloody “justice” and thwarting Bregna’s plans
The first 6 Alien flicks together!
The allure of easy money sends Mary Mason, a medical student, into the world of underground surgeries which ends up leaving more marks on her than her so called “freakish” clients. Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska (2012)
Disillusioned with her chosen profession and perpetually broke, medical student Mary Mason finds herself drawn into a shady world of underground surgery and body modification.
15 hours of Bruce kicking ass!
A father and son, both coroners, are pulled into a complex mystery while attempting to identify the body of a young woman, who was apparently harboring dark secrets. André Øvredal (2016)
Finney Shaw is a shy but clever 13-year-old boy who’s being held in a soundproof basement by a sadistic, masked killer. When a disconnected phone on the wall starts to ring, he soon discovers that he can hear the voices of the murderer’s previous victims — and they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL (Takashi Miike 2017)
A highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle.
STARS: Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki, Sôta Fukushi
13 ASSASSINS (Takashi Miike 2010)
A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.
STARS: Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya
A woman’s panicked decision to cover up an accidental killing spins out of control when her conscience demands she return the dead man’s body to his family. Bethany Anne Lind, Will Patton, Elisabeth Röhm, Matthew Pope, 2019.
Joel and Ethan Coen began their long career with this razor-sharp, hard-boiled noir set somewhere in Texas, where a sleazy bar owner sets off a torrent of violence with one murderous thought. M. Emmet Walsh, Frances McDormand.
Nothing can prepare you for BOARDINGHOUSE. Jim (director John Wintergate), a psychic-gigolo who wears a leopard-print thong, rents a haunted house to “beautiful women with no ties.” From there, this unworldly slasher transforms into a sleazy, hallucinogenic maelstrom of gore, sex, chainsaws, pie fights, killer refrigerators, jacuzzis, beds that eat people, a new wave band called 33 and 1/3, and a leading lady known only as Kalassu. BOARDINGHOUSE is the first shot-on-video horror film to be blown up to 35mm and released theatrically. AGFA + Bleeding Skull! are thrilled to bring the 35mm theatrical cut to home video for the first time in this 2-disc set, which also includes PSYCHO KILLER (a previously unreleased alternate home video cut) and SALLY & JESS (the previously unreleased “family film” from the makers of BOARDINGHOUSE).
Riotous Japanese exploitation film about a nihilistic samurai who forsakes honour for hedonism, joining a clan that lives by a deviant pleasure-driven code. Tetsurō Tanba, Gorō Ibuki, Teruo Ishii, 1973
Neo-noir prison action thriller about a drug mule who must kill a man held in a maximum security prison to rescue his pregnant wife from a vengeful drug lord. Vince Vaughn, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, S. Craig Zahler, 2017.
Singular post-nuke performance art porno set in a post-apocalyptic world where impotent voyeurs watch erotic performances of the underclasses. Michelle Bauer, Paul McGibboney, Marie Sharp, Stephen Sayadian (AKA Rinse Dream), 1982
A three film DVD collection containing AT MIDNIGHT I’LL TAKE YOUR SOUL, THIS NIGHT I’LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE and EMBODIMENT OF EVIL. This trilogy of films contains the classic story of Coffin Joe’s descent into madness and violence as he murders and tortures men and women in his unholy quest to find the perfect bride.
A novelist’s (Christopher Walken) wife (Lindsay Crouse) and son (Joel Carlson) see him changed by an apparent encounter with aliens in the mountains.
After transferring to a Los Angeles high school, Sarah (Robin Tunney) finds that her telekinetic gift appeals to a group of three wannabe witches, who happen to be seeking a fourth member for their rituals. Bonnie (Neve Campbell), Rochelle (Rachel True) and Nancy (Fairuza Balk), like Sarah herself, all have troubled backgrounds, which combined with their nascent powers lead to dangerous consequences. When a minor spell causes a fellow student to lose her hair, the girls grow power-mad.
Starring James Coburn, A German commander places a squad in extreme danger after its Sergeant refuses to lie for him. Sam Peckinpah (1977)
Fighting for survival at an isolated fishing outpost, Eva and her crew are cursed after making the choice to not help a sinking ship off the coast. Facing the consequences, a darkness consumes them all, creating chaos and death at every turn.
A small-time wrestling company accepts a gig in a backwoods town, only to discover the community is run by a sinister cult and a mysterious leader. Chris Jericho, Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg. Lowell Dean. 2025.
When young Marylee Williams (Tonya Crowe) is found viciously mauled, all hell breaks loose in her small rural town. A gang of bigots pursue a suspect: her mentally challenged friend Bubba Ritter (Larry Drake).
The 1981 TV mini-series “The Day of the Triffids” follows Bill Masen, a sighted individual who survives a meteor shower that blinds most of humanity, as he navigates a post-apocalyptic world overrun by mobile, carnivorous triffid plants that have escaped from their farms and become a lethal threat to the helpless, newly blind population. Bill teams up with others to survive, facing not only the triffids but also other groups with differing agendas, ultimately trying to build a future in the new, terrifying reality.
America, 1976. The last day of school. Bongs blaze, bell-bottoms ring, and rock and roll rocks. Among the best teen films ever made, Dazed and Confused eavesdrops on a group of seniors-to-be and incoming freshmen. A launching pad for a number of future stars, the first studio effort by Richard Linklater also features endlessly quotable dialogue and a blasting, stadium-ready soundtrack. Sidestepping nostalgia, Dazed and Confused is less about “the best years of our lives” than the boredom, angst, and excitement of teenagers waiting . . . for something to happen.
An unflinchingly grim, twisted, and cynically comedic study of a man’s slow descent into madness, punctuated by expertly rendered and creatively staged gory deaths. A hidden gem of Canadian horror cinema of the Tax Shelter era, Mario Azzopardi, 1980.
A satirical twist on the gory and sexually charged 1980’s slasher genre presented as the only surviving VHS copy of the reviled horror franchise’s third, and final, installment. Tomm Jacobsen, Michael Rousselet, Jon Salmon, 2015.
Joe (Anthony LaPaglia) runs Empire Records, an independent Delaware store that employs a tight-knit group of music-savvy youths. Hearing that the shop may be sold to a big chain, slacker employee Lucas (Rory Cochrane) bets a chunk of the store’s money, hoping to get a big return. When this plan fails, Empire Records falls into serious trouble, and the various other clerks, including lovely Corey (Liv Tyler) and gloomy Deb (Robin Tunney), must deal with the problem, among many other issues.
Gaspar Noé’s English language “psychedelic melodrama” about a drug-dealing teen who is killed in Japan, after which he reappears as a ghost to watch over his sister. Paz de la Huerta, Nathaniel Brown, 2009.
Cronenberg’s obtuse and low-key spoof of the addictive nature of immersive computer games. Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, Ian Holm. 1999.
Nothing else has ever looked or felt like director René Laloux’s animated marvel Fantastic Planet, a politically minded and visually inventive work of science fiction. The film is set on a distant planet called Ygam, where enslaved humans (Oms) are the playthings of giant blue natives (Draags). After Terr, kept as a pet since infancy, escapes from his gigantic child captor, he is swept up by a band of radical fellow Oms who are resisting the Draags’ oppression and violence. With its eerie, coolly surreal cutout animation by Roland Topor; brilliant psychedelic jazz score by Alain Goraguer; and wondrous creatures and landscapes, this Cannes-awarded 1973 counterculture classic is a perennially compelling statement against conformity and violence.
For Your Height Only is a legend amongst lovers of truly “out there” cinema. A film about a two and a half foot tall Filipino secret agent: a kung fu master and suave loving machine who struts his stuff in a Travolta style white suit…
Can it be true that such a film exists? It can and it does. Unquestionably one of the most whacked out movies in the world, it tells the incredible story of how agent 00 – played by the legendary Weng Weng – takes on the mysterious “Mr Giant” and his death dealing gang of white slavers and drug dealers. See him fly through the sky in his mini jet pack, see him fell his opponents with below the belt kung fu action….just see him!
The disc also features the amazing Bruce Le – king of Brucesploitation – in his best film ever. Red hot martial arts action and thrills as two secret agents race around the globe to foil a crazed madmans plans for world domination. Presented here for the first time ever on DVD in a stunning new 2.35:1 widescreen transfer.
Teenage Charley Brewster is a horror-film junkie, so it’s no surprise that when a reclusive new neighbor moves next-door, Brewster becomes convinced he’s a vampire. It’s also no surprise when nobody believes him. After strange events begin to occur, Charlie has no choice but to turn to the only person who could possibly help: washed-up television vampire killer Peter Vincent.
When Ann, husband George and son Georgie arrive at their holiday home they are visited by a pair of polite and seemingly pleasant young men. Armed with deceptively sweet smiles and some golf clubs, they proceed to terrorize and torture the tight-knit clan, giving them until the next day to survive.
A California skateboarder (Christian Slater) solves and avenges the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother.
Residents of an island off the coast of Ireland learn that the only way to survive an invasion of blood-sucking aliens is to stay drunk.
In an America ravaged by atomic warfare, nomads spend their days scavenging for scrap in a blasted landscape. That’s how ex-soldier Moses Baxter (Dylan McDermott) comes into possession of some spare android parts. He buys them as a present for his artist girlfriend, Jill (Stacey Travis), who plans to put them in a sculpture. What they don’t know is that the pieces come from a new kind of android that is capable of reassembling itself — and is programmed to kill.
An adventurous wrestler (Tom Papa) battles supernatural forces and the evil Dr. Satan (Paul Giamatti).
Swedish documentary. Fictionalized documentary showing the evolution of witchcraft, from its pagan roots to its confusion with hysteria in modern Europe. Benjamin Christensen (1922)
Traumatically jilted a psycho turns to brutally dispatching brides-to-be in this distastefully bad slasher notable as the first movie appearance of Tom Hanks! Don Scardino, Caitlin O’Heaney, Elizabeth Kemp, Armand Mastroianni, 1980.
A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one, The Hidden Fortress stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan’s princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director’s most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas’s Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity.
Restored and remastered Blu-ray of Akira Kurosawa’s 1962 domestic drama about an industrialist whose family is targeted by a ruthless kidnapper. Toshiro Mifune, Japan.
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)
Gruesome, amphibious, sexually depraved creatures rise from the ocean depths to impregnate human women and destroy terrified men. Produced by Roger Corman. 1980.
Wong Kar-wai’s visually extravagant mood piece about the mannered relationship between neighbours in 1960’s Hong Kong. Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung. 2000.
Jim Henson’s The Storyteller is a fantasy anthology series where a Storyteller, played by John Hurt, narrates European folk tales to his talking dog, performed by Brian Henson. Each episode presents a dark, enchanting, and sometimes gory folktale, transitioning from Hurt’s narration to live-action and intricate puppetry from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to illustrate the story. While the tales often feature trials and harsh elements, they ultimately conclude with good triumphing over evil, providing a classic storytelling format with memorable characters and lessons.
During WWII, soldiers guarding an eerie fortress accidentally unleash an ancient evil that preys on them. Scott Glenn, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McKellen, Michael Mann, 1983.
An uncompromising masterpiece of tension and all-too-realistic violence! A gang of masked men break in and take an entire family hostage demanding the father hand over everything or his family dies. Miguel Angel Vivas, 2010.
Real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal as Mollie Burkhart, a member of the Osage Nation, tries to save her community from a spree of murders fueled by oil and greed.
When fate brings Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed ‘low life scum’ Naoise & Liam Og, the needle drops on a hip hop act like no other. Rapping in their native Irish language, KNEECAP fast become the unlikely figureheads of a Civil Rights movement to save their mother tongue. But the trio must first overcome police, paramilitaries & politicians trying to silence their defiant sound – whilst their anarchic approach to life often makes them their own worst enemies. In this fiercely original sex, drugs and hip-hop biopic KNEECAP play themselves, laying down a global rallying cry for the defense of native cultures.
Jeff, a down on his luck office worker finds out he is the last living relative of horror novelist H.P. Lovecraft. What he doesn’t know is that Lovecraft’s monsters are real and will soon threaten the very existence of mankind. Jeff and his best friend Charlie are forced to embark on a perilous adventure and they enlist the help of high school acquaintance, Paul, a self proclaimed Lovecraft specialist. Together the three unlikely heroes must protect an alien relic and prevent the release of an ancient evil, known as Cthulhu.
Meek flower shop assistant Seymour (Rick Moranis) pines for co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene). During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey II, which feeds only on human flesh and blood. The growing plant attracts a great deal of business for the previously struggling store. After Seymour feeds Audrey’s boyfriend, Orin (Steve Martin), to the plant after Orin’s accidental death, he must come up with more bodies for the increasingly bloodthirsty plant.
Independent film director Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is making his first feature. Everything that can go wrong does: the rebellious catering crew refuses to replace spoiled milk, his actors are flaky and getting an unspoiled take is nearly impossible. Tension between lead actress Nicole (Catherine Keener) and actor Chad (James LeGros), who have just slept together, contributes to the many problems on set. As money and time run out, Nick struggles to complete his film.
When Eddie breaks into a luxury SUV, he steps into a deadly trap set by a self-proclaimed vigilante who delivers his own brand of twisted justice. Trapped inside the car, Eddie soon discovers escape is an illusion and survival is a nightmare.
The activities of rampaging, indiscriminate serial killer Ben (Benoît Poelvoorde) are recorded by a willingly complicit documentary team, who eventually become his accomplices and active participants. Ben provides casual commentary on the nature of his work and arbitrary musings on topics of interest to him, such as music or the conditions of low-income housing, and even goes so far as to introduce the documentary crew to his family. But their reckless indulgences soon get the better of them.
A young nobleman’s life becomes a tragedy when his mouth is slashed into a hideous grin by his father’s political rivals in this 1928 silent masterpiece that inspired Batman’s nemesis the Joker.
Two young women who were both victims of abuse as children embark on a bloody quest for revenge, only to find themselves plunged into a living hell of depravity.
In the murky alleyways of New York City, homeless Maxx huddles in his box and dreams of crushing evil villains. But when he bursts into the colorful netherworld of the Outback, the Maxx is a hero, in full purple splendor. His friend Julie, a freelance social worker, thinks the Maxx’s alternate universe is just an escape from the harsh reality of New York-not realizing that she, too, roams the Outback as the Jungle Queen. Join the Maxx for deliciously demonic adventures in both worlds, as he scours streets and jungles in search of the link between his two realities. Will he be able to find the connection before it’s too late?
Notorious exploitation film allegedly depicting the grotesque tortures and experiments conducted during WWII by the Japanese military on Chinese & Russian prisoners of war. Tun Fei Mou, 1988.
The notorious and disturbing sequel! A young, idealistic doctor practicing in WWII Japan discovers the notorious prison and attempts to free the prisoners. Godfrey Ho, 1992.
This sequel details the final days of Unit 731, Japan’s most notorious military prison during WWII, and a bastion of inhuman biological research. Godfrey Ho, 1994.
Mike Leigh’s abrasive, brilliant and controversial “Angry Young Man” film featuring an incredibly acidic & bitter David Thewlis.
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.
In the 1830s, estate agent Thomas Hutter travels to Transylvania for a fateful meeting with Count Orlok, a prospective client. In his absence, Hutter’s new bride, Ellen, is left under the care of their friends, Friedrich and Anna Harding. Plagued by horrific visions and an increasing sense of dread, Ellen soon encounters an evil force that’s far beyond her control.
Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he’s abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.
Brian De Palma’s (Scarface, The Untouchables) classic musical cult comedy remastered! William Finley, Jessica Harper, Paul Williams, Brian De Palma, 1974
Wim Wenders’ moving character study of a man searching for his estranged wife. written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard. Nastassja Kinski, Harry Dean Stanton.
A teenage runaway splits from Ohio and ends up in Los Angeles staying at an old rundown hotel full of weirdos. Ayn Ruymen, John Ventantonio, Paul Bartel, 1972.
An exiled man drifts through postwar Mexico obsessing over a younger American in this adaptation of William S. Burroughs. Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville, Luca Guadagnino, 2024.
In this French horror, a young woman, studying to be a vet, develops a craving for human flesh. Julia Ducournau, 2016.
The entire REC Collection together!
A high school slacker commits a shocking act and proceeds to let his friends in on the secret. However, the friends’ reaction is almost as ambiguous and perplexing as the crime itself. Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, Tim Hunter, 1986.
Starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino, an ex-con drifter with a penchant for brawling is amused by a homeless ex-sailor, and they partner up as they head east together. Jerry Schatzberg (1973)
Set in 1930s New York, a reformed criminal becomes a superhero. With the aid of a beautiful female friend, a playboy millionaire with a dark past sets out to bring the evil Shiwan Khan to justice. His quarry, who is determined to attain world domination, is a deadly descendant of Genghis Khan and will not surrender without a fight.
After hitting a young woman with her car, Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee) and her photographer boyfriend, Tun (Ananda Everingham), begin seeing a shadowy figure haunting the background of Tun’s photographs. Concerned that the figure is the vengeful spirit of the young woman from the accident, Jane does some research and soon discovers that the girl was named Natre (Achita Sikamana) and had been a classmate of Tun’s. As the haunting continues, Jane uncovers a shocking secret.
A mother-and-son team of strange supernatural creatures move to a small town to seek out a young virgin to feed on. Mick Garris (1992)
An animator embarks on a mission to finish her mother’s cinematic project, only to find herself ensnared in a series of uncanny occurrences.
Fading actress Elisabeth Sparkle becomes distressed when her chauvinistic boss fires her from her aerobics show. She soon injects herself with a mysterious serum that promises a younger, better version of herself, but things go horribly wrong.
Deathstalker / Deathstalker II / The Warrior and the Sorceress / Barbarian Queen
five youths on a weekend getaway in the Texas countryside fell prey to a butcher in a mask made of human skin and his cannibalistic family, and horror cinema would never be the same. Violent, confrontational, and shockingly realistic, director Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE terrified audiences in a way never thought possible when it was unleashed on a politically and socially tumultuous America in 1974. Facing a storm of controversy, censorship, and outcry throughout its troubled release, this masterpiece of horror has stood the test of time to become a landmark motion picture and cultural milestone.
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.
Cult mocumentary that hilariously chronicles a failing British rock band’s disastrous US tour and absurd antics. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, 1984
In The Van (1977), Bobby blows all his college savings on a van and tries to get the girl of his dreams. In Darktown Strutters (1975), Syreena must investigate the disappearance of her mother, Cinderella. A series of wild complications follow.
V/H/S/85: Sixth installment in the found-footage V/H/S franchise.
V/H/S/94: After the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police swat team launch a high-intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy.
V/H/S/99 harkens back to the final punk rock analog days of VHS, while taking one giant leap forward into the hellish new millennium. In V/H/S/99, a teenager’s home video leads to a series of horrifying revelation
Horror comedy based very loosely on a video game, a forest ranger & a postal worker must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community. Milana Vayntrub, Sam Richardson, Josh Ruben, 2021.
A wild, nostalgia‑charged doc tracing Mad Magazine’s anarchic rise from 1952, packed with celebrity fans and creator confessions. Quentin Tarantino, Bryan Cranston, Judd Apatow, Alan Bernstein, 2025.
In 1630 New England, panic and despair envelops a farmer, his wife and their children when youngest son Samuel suddenly vanishes. The family blames Thomasin, the oldest daughter who was watching the boy at the time of his disappearance. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, twin siblings Mercy and Jonas suspect Thomasin of witchcraft, testing the clan’s faith, loyalty and love to one another.
A group of teenagers on a camping trip fight for their lives against a deadly humanoid alien, which attacks its victims by throwing bloodsucking discs at them. Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Greydon Clark, 1980
Idiosyncratic horror-comedy about a misfit cop investigating a rash of murders of young women in the sleepy town of Snow Hollow. Robert Forster, Jim Cummings, 2020.
A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master (Toshirô Mifune), enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon (Kamatari Fujiwara) and sake merchant Tokuemon (Takashi Shimura) to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
And there go guys. Movies arrive on Thursday. Cheers!
