Doom Asylum (Richard Friedman, 1987) Sleazy lawyer Mitch (Michael Rogen) and his lover Judy LaRue (Patty Mullen) are celebrating after winning a large sum of money in a court case – presumably from Judy’s ex-husband. Judy has left her daughter behind, and the couple are driving through country roads in Mitch’s convertible whilst swigging champagne. Mitch crashes the car, however, and Judy is killed. Mitch is left nursing his lover’s severed hand, and he too appears to expire. An autopsy is performed, but Mitch isn’t quite dead. He awakens, attacking and killing both the doctor and his assistant. Ten years later, a car load of young people travel along the same road. The car carries Darnell (Harrison White), whose name we know because he handily wears it on chain around his neck; baseball card fan Dennis (Kenny L Price); Jane (Kristin Davis, late...

Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell, Bastards! (Suzuki Seijun, 1963) Private investigator Tajima (Shishido Jo) works for Detective Bureau 2-3, alongside his two eccentric colleagues. When an exchange taking place between two yakuza gangs (the Sakura and Otsuki clans), and involving a truckload of guns taken from a US army base, is interrupted by gunfire from a third group travelling in a Pepsi Cola truck, the police – led by Captain Kumagai (Kaneko Nobuo) – seek Tajima’s help in identifying the attackers. Their only lead is Manabe (Kawaji Tamio), a low-ranking yakuza who the police have arrested but who is soon to be released owing to a lack of evidence. Kumagai asks Tajima to go undercover – as a PI, Tajima is less likely to be recognised than an undercover police officer – and assume the identity of Tanaka Ichiko, a hoodlum who is currently serving time in prison. The plan is for Tajima to earn the trust of Manabe, inveigling himself into the gang with which Manabe is associated, and investigate the crime from within. When Manabe is relea...

The Boondock Saints (Troy Duffy, 1998) In Boston on St Patrick’s Day, the McManus brothers – Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) – visit their church and listen to the priest’s sermon before spending the day at work at a meat packing plant, where they come to blows with a colleague. After work, Connor and Murphy visit their local pub, McGinty’s, where they spend time with their friends – including low-ranking member of the Italian Cosa Nostra, Rocco (David Della Rocco). McGinty’s is under threat of closure because the Russian mob has been buying up the neighbourhood. Two Russian gangsters enter McGinty’s and demand that the landlord close shop for the day. To second generation Irishmen on Saint Patrick’s Day, this is a red rag to a bull, and a barfight ensues in which the two Russians are injured and humiliated. The next day, the two Russians are found dead in an alleyway: they followed Connor and Murphy home with the aim of seeking retribution, but the McManus...

"L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars" (2017) Anne Shirley (played by Ella Ballentine) is turning thirteen and her quaint life in Bolingbroke, Nova Scotia is turning into a series of little complexities. She is looking to her first sleep over with her best friend Diana Barry and classmate (played by Julia Lalonde), is in a constant rivalry with classmate Gilbert (played by Drew Haytaoglu), and she is having many insecure moments throughout. Her guardians, elderly siblings Matthew (played by Martin Sheen) and Marilla (played by Sara Botsford) are in constant disagreement on raising Anne, with Marilla treating her strictly while Matthew looks at a more free spirited look. Anne is all about helping others and doing good deeds, but it sometimes ends up in a minor mishap. Whether it is forgetting about a pie in the oven, running into the wrong room and scaring an elderly woman half to death, or mucking u...

"Silent Tongue" (1993) Talbot Roe (played by River Phoenix), despite the pleas of his father Prescott (played by Richard Harris), insists on guarding in a traditional burial tree, the body of his wife Awbonnie (played by Sheila Tousey) who has died in childbirth. Afraid his son will lose his mind, Prescott goes in search of Eamon MacCre (played by Alan Bates), the showman who had traded his half-Indian daughter for horses. He intends to buy Eamon's second daughter Velada (played by Jerri Arrendondo) in the belief that only she can save Talbot from his terrible grief. When Eamon's son Reeves (played by Dermot Mulroney) objects, Prescott kidnaps the girl leading to a manhunt in the wild. Writer and actor Sam Shepard's second feature film as a director is in the fitting western genre filled with the supernatural, ...

"Silent Tongue" (1993) Talbot Roe (played by River Phoenix), despite the pleas of his father Prescott (played by Richard Harris), insists on guarding in a traditional burial tree, the body of his wife Awbonnie (played by Sheila Tousey) who has died in childbirth. Afraid his son will lose his mind, Prescott goes in search of Eamon MacCre (played by Alan Bates), the showman who had traded his half-Indian daughter for horses. He intends to buy Eamon's second daughter Velada (played by Jerri Arrendondo) in the belief that only she can save Talbot from his terrible grief. When Eamon's son Reeves (played by Dermot Mulroney) objects, Prescott kidnaps the girl leading to a manhunt in the wild. Writer and actor Sam Shepard's second feature film as a director is in the fitting western genre filled with the supernatural, ...

The central conceit of many film noirs is typically a mystery, but viewers should know they are in for something special and subversive when the killer is revealed within the first few minutes of a picture. What then remains? Something bizarre and atypical, that is exactly how to describe “Hangover Square” (1945), a film that featured just as much insanity and strife on screen as it did on set. Star Laird Cregar and director John Brahm famously did not get along when making this film, constantly clashing over the direction of the picture. Cregar’s chief concern seemed to be getting typecast as a villain, though strangely he was the one who pushed Fox to buy the rights to the novel of the same name, with the intention of starring in it. Either way, the real problems likely stemmed from Cregar who employed a dangerous diet of amphetamines in order to achieve the right physical appearance for his character. This was the same regimen he used on his previous picture, “The Lodger” (1944), only this time the end result was severe: death. “Hangover Square” stands as his final outing, and what a way to go out. A shopkeeper is attacked by a...

Today's teens are a far cry from the faux innocence that I experienced way back in the day; today's youth freely express themselves in front of all parties, including single parents, and the profanity simply comes with the territory now a days. Morally, they are goal oriented and self-pleasing, seeking satisfaction wherever it lies. Responsibility is a dirty word and is shuffled off like a nasty habit. Today's youth, at least the ones in this film, are very much alive and focused on the present moment. No one in this film ever stops to think about the future; there is no discussion of college, what are the future goals of the characters, no one speaks about life outside of the comfortable shell of existence that they inhabit. Repercussions are ignored and stupid ideals are pursued, full speed with no concern beyond the moment that the character exists in. And I guess that is fine for them, but for me as a film goer, I tend to balk at the lack of plausibility and refuse to join in on the runaway train of giddy emotions that propel the characters from scene to scene. In "Flower", today’s selection for review, we open with a scene of the main character Erica Vandross (Zoey Deutch) f...

In 1975 filmmaker James Szalapski managed to capture lightning in a bottle; he was in Nashville to document what was at the time the flourishing Outlaw Country movement and the results of that effort was the cult favorite documentary, "Heartworn Highways". Now nearly 40 years later we have director Wayne Price picking up the torch and trying to document a new generation of outlaws that live and work in Nashville. Since I have not seen the original film, I cannot compare the two products, but it become abundantly clear early on that there is a lot of talent assembled here for Price’s camera. This is the new generation of talented and dedicated singer-songwriters and it is extremely clear that it is the song itself that matters. Just as the first film managed to capture the early skills of such later talents as Townes Van Zant, Guy Clark, and David Allen Coe, this time around all new players, some as yet unsigned and undiscovered, including ...

The Endless (Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, 2017) and Resolution (Benson & Moorhead, 2012) Arrow Video’s Blu-ray release of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s new film The Endless (2017) contains both The Endless and the film to which it may loosely be defined as a sequel, Benson and Moorhead’s Resolution (2012). Whilst The Endless is the main feature within this release, it’s difficult to talk of the two pictures as if they were entirely separate entities. Resolution focuses on graphic designer Mike Danube (Peter Cilella), who receives a mysterious recording showing his old friend Chris Daniels (Vinny Curran) in a shack in the desert. The footage shows Chris, clearly under the inf...

The Endless (Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, 2017) and Resolution (Benson & Moorhead, 2012) Arrow Video’s Blu-ray release of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s new film The Endless (2017) contains both The Endless and the film to which it may loosely be defined as a sequel, Benson and Moorhead’s Resolution (2012). Whilst The Endless is the main feature within this release, it’s difficult to talk of the two pictures as if they were entirely separate entities. Resolution focuses on graphic designer Mike Danube (Peter Cilella), who receives a mysterious recording showing his old friend Chris Daniels (Vinny Curran) in a shack in the desert. The footage shows Chris, clearly under the inf...

In the aftermath of the fourth volume of RWBY, team leader leader Ruby Rose (voiced by Lindsay Jones) arrives in Haven with uncle Qrow (voiced by Vic Mignogna), Juane Arc (voiced by series co-writer/co-director Miles Luna), perky but brave Nora Valkyrie (voiced by Samantha Ireland), and Lie Ren (voiced by Neath Oum) to meet Professor Leonardo Lionheart (voiced by Daman Mills) at Haven Academy where one of the relics is hidden. Having escaped her domineering father, former RWBY member Weiss Schnee (voiced by Kara Eberle) has hitched a ride on a cargo ship toward Mistral but it crashes and she finds herself held ransom by the members of the Branwen tribe (including Ruby's estranged mother Raven [voiced by Anna Hullum

Golden Globe (Best Foreign Language Film): Russia (nominated) - Golden Globes, 2004 César (Best Foreign Film): Andrey Zvyagintsev (nominated) - César Awards, 2004 Golden Eagle (Best Feature Film): Andrey Zvyagintsev and Dmitriy Lesnevskiy (winner), (Best Cinematography): Mikhail Krichman (winner),(Best Sound): Andrey Khudyakov (winner),(Best Director): Andrey Zvyagintsev (nominated), and (Best Film Editing): Vladimir Mogilevskiy (nominated) - Golden Eagle Awards, 2004 'CinemAvvenire' Award (Best First Film): Andrey Zvyagintsev (winner), Golden Lion: Andrey Zvyagintsev (winner), Luigi De Laurentiis Award: ...

I love when a film has a mysterious quality behind it, when it is more than a mere vehicle for entertainment purposes; I enjoy films that are filled with human foibles and quirks of character, however very few films come close to possessing the power of a well written short story by a masterful writer like Raymond Carver or Alice Munro. So it is with no expectations that I cracked open Kino Lorber’s latest feature, "The Return", only to be left visually impressed and hungry for more because this debut film from Director Andrey Zvyagintsev is exactly what I am often seeking and rarely finding. The film starts with an underwater sequence as the camera glides over the ocean’s floor and slowly reveals the form of a sunken rowboat, foreshadowing future events to come. We see a rite of passage as several young boys are atop a towering structure above the water and dare each other to brave enough to jump into the water below; among the boys is a pair of brothers: teenage Andrey (Vladimir Garin) and younger Ivan (...

This is Andrey Zvyagintsev’s second feature after the stunning debut, "The Return" (2003) which greatly impressed me and I was curious to see what this film would be like. "The Banishment" is a similar breed of film but most certainly stands alone on its own merits; the source material was William Saroyan’s novel, "The Laughing Matter". Once again, Zvyagintsev’s focus is on the family but this time his attention turns to the adults and their problems. In "The Return", Konstantin Lavronenko was the missing father who mysteriously returns after a 12 year absence; Lavronenko (Alex) once again is the main character, but this time he is a man placed in a precarious emotional position when his wife Vera (Maria Bonnieve) informs him that she is pregnant, but he is not the father. Utilizing a pastoral country setting, Zvyagintsev uses the great natural setting of the imposing landscape to further isolate and restrict his characte...

“Thou shall not covet thy Neighbor’s Wife.” Man, I must be on some type of sucker list because I keep getting these really bad films sent to me. Take "Consenting Adults" for example, I see that Alan J. Pakula directed it and I know that he has had a few winners in the past, such as "All The President’s Men" (1976) and "Presumed Innocent" (1990), but those were a long time ago, and I will bet money that those screenplays were well written as well. This thriller was scripted by Matthew Chapman and he must have been saving the good stuff for his solo projects, "The Ledge" (2011) because this film starts out with some life in it, but quickly becomes a muddled mess during the second half. The film’s opening scenario sets the stage for what follows. We are introduced to Richard (Kevin Kline) and Priscilla (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), a white bred suburban couple if there ever was one. Richard is shown at work in the studio, because he is one of those frustrated musicians that is paid to create jingles to accompany commercials, an...

Just finishing a four year sentence for the murder of his lover Ida (Effi Briest's Barbara Valentin) in a jealous rage, Franz Biberkof (Das Boot's Günter Lamprecht) has grown accustomed to total isolation apart from exercise and daily meals, and he finds the prospect of being thrown back into "the same mire as before" frightening. After reliving the horror of his crime with Ida's sister Minna (What Have You Done to Solange?'s Karin Baal) and almost being tempted back into the pimping by devoted former prostitute Eva (The Marriage of Maria Braun's Hanna Schygulla) and her shady partner Herbert (...

"L'eclisse" (1962) Vittoria (played by Monica Vitti) is a young translator working with writer Riccardo (played by Francisco Rabal) who is also her older lover. But happiness is not one of the strengths in their relationship and Vittoria decides to call it off even though Riccardo begs and pleads for a second chance. As they say their goodbyes, Vittoria tries to lead to a new direction. She tries to converse with her mother (played by Lilla Brignone) but mother is more preoccupied with the stock market trade than anything else. She also tries discussing her feelings to her neighboring girl friends Anita (played by Rosanna Rory) and Marta (played by Mirella Ricciardi but the ladies are also in their own little worlds. But one person that catches Vittoria's attention and vice versa is the stock broker Piero (played by Alain Delon) - a young man who is working with Vittori...

"Pacific Banana" (1981) Martin (played by Graeme Blundell) is an airline pilot having some unfortunate issues. First of all he has a strange condition in which his sneeze would cause him to lose his erection, causing unfortunate sexual failures. As for his professional life, he loses his job due to a bizarre mishandling of the CEO's wife but he gets a second chance by being transferred to the low reputation Banana Airlines. He becomes co-pilot to Paul (played by Robin Stewart who is quite the opposite of Martin. He is a womanizer with a girl in every port while engaged to two flight attendants Sally (played by Deborah Gray and Mandy (played by Alyson Best), full of confidence, and at the same time strict to his passengers. Martin on the other hand is insecure and bumbling but it seems things are about to change, as it become Paul's goal as well as all the ladies around to help Martin overcome his erection fail during their travels. Director ...

The Complete Sartana If You Meet Sartana… Pray for Your Death (Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte; Gianfranco Parolini/‘Frank Kramer’, 1968) Clad in black and riding a white horse, Sartana (Gianni Garko) follows a stagecoach in which an elderly man and his wife are travelling. The stagecoach is held up by a group of outlaws; the elderly couple are killed, but Sartana enacts revenge by employing a derringer pistol hidden up his sleeve to outshoot the gang of thugs. This event is watched from a distance by Morgan (Klaus Kinski). Sartana rides into a nearby town where a politico, Stewal (Sydney Chaplin), and a banker, Alman (Gianni Rizzo), have formed an alliance with a Mexican outlaw, General Tampico (Fernando Sancho). One of Tampico’s me...

The Complete Sartana If You Meet Sartana… Pray for Your Death (Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte; Gianfranco Parolini/‘Frank Kramer’, 1968) Clad in black and riding a white horse, Sartana (Gianni Garko) follows a stagecoach in which an elderly man and his wife are travelling. The stagecoach is held up by a group of outlaws; the elderly couple are killed, but Sartana enacts revenge by employing a derringer pistol hidden up his sleeve to outshoot the gang of thugs. This event is watched from a distance by Morgan (Klaus Kinski). Sartana rides into a nearby town where a politico, Stewal (Sydney Chaplin), and a banker, Alman (Gianni Rizzo), have formed an alliance with a Mexican outlaw, General Tampico (Fernando Sancho). One of Tampico’s me...

The Complete Sartana If You Meet Sartana… Pray for Your Death (Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte; Gianfranco Parolini/‘Frank Kramer’, 1968) Clad in black and riding a white horse, Sartana (Gianni Garko) follows a stagecoach in which an elderly man and his wife are travelling. The stagecoach is held up by a group of outlaws; the elderly couple are killed, but Sartana enacts revenge by employing a derringer pistol hidden up his sleeve to outshoot the gang of thugs. This event is watched from a distance by Morgan (Klaus Kinski). Sartana rides into a nearby town where a politico, Stewal (Sydney Chaplin), and a banker, Alman (Gianni Rizzo), have formed an alliance with a Mexican outlaw, General Tampico (Fernando Sancho). One of Tampico’s me...

The Complete Sartana If You Meet Sartana… Pray for Your Death (Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte; Gianfranco Parolini/‘Frank Kramer’, 1968) Clad in black and riding a white horse, Sartana (Gianni Garko) follows a stagecoach in which an elderly man and his wife are travelling. The stagecoach is held up by a group of outlaws; the elderly couple are killed, but Sartana enacts revenge by employing a derringer pistol hidden up his sleeve to outshoot the gang of thugs. This event is watched from a distance by Morgan (Klaus Kinski). Sartana rides into a nearby town where a politico, Stewal (Sydney Chaplin), and a banker, Alman (Gianni Rizzo), have formed an alliance with a Mexican outlaw, General Tampico (Fernando Sancho). One of Tampico’s me...

The Complete Sartana If You Meet Sartana… Pray for Your Death (Se incontri Sartana prega per la tua morte; Gianfranco Parolini/‘Frank Kramer’, 1968) Clad in black and riding a white horse, Sartana (Gianni Garko) follows a stagecoach in which an elderly man and his wife are travelling. The stagecoach is held up by a group of outlaws; the elderly couple are killed, but Sartana enacts revenge by employing a derringer pistol hidden up his sleeve to outshoot the gang of thugs. This event is watched from a distance by Morgan (Klaus Kinski). Sartana rides into a nearby town where a politico, Stewal (Sydney Chaplin), and a banker, Alman (Gianni Rizzo), have formed an alliance with a Mexican outlaw, General Tampico (Fernando Sancho). One of Tampico’s me...

The feature film debut of acclaimed director Milos Forman (Valmont), Black Peter is plot-wise nothing more than a chronicle of a few days in the life of an aimless sixteen-year-old boy. Petr (Slaughterhouse-Five's Ladislav Jakim) has left school and is making his first tentative steps towards manhood with a trainee position at a grocery shop. Amidst a gaggle of female shop assistants, Petr has been appointed a store detective by his boss (Frantiska Skalova) who schools him in keeping his eyes out for shoplifters in spite of otherwise proclaiming that he runs his shop on the honor system and trusts his customers implicitly. His father (Intimate Lighting's Jan Vostrcil) harangues him on a daily basis about his s...

"Bride of Re-Animator" (1989) / "Beyond Re-Animator" (2003) Following the fan favorite "Re-Animator" in 1984, first time film director Stuart Gordon and first time film producer Brian Yuzna's careers were quickly on the rise for projects. The two collaborated again in the horror genre with 1986's "From Beyond" - another H.P. Lovecraft adaptation and on 1987's "Dolls" which were not immediate hits critically or financially. They turned to a new direction in 1989 - on a family-friendly project. Working with none other than Walt Disney Pictures to produce "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", the original story by Gordon and Yuzna was initially prepared with Gordon directing and Yuzna producing as...

"Bride of Re-Animator" (1989) / "Beyond Re-Animator" (2003) Following the fan favorite "Re-Animator" in 1984, first time film director Stuart Gordon and first time film producer Brian Yuzna's careers were quickly on the rise for projects. The two collaborated again in the horror genre with 1986's "From Beyond" - another H.P. Lovecraft adaptation and on 1987's "Dolls" which were not immediate hits critically or financially. They turned to a new direction in 1989 - on a family-friendly project. Working with none other than Walt Disney Pictures to produce "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", the original story by Gordon and Yuzna was initially prepared with Gordon directing and Yuzna producing as...

"Re-Animator" (1985) Writer H.P. Lovecraft was never able to see any of his works adapted to screen during his lifetime, as he died at the age of 46 in 1937. It would take a few decades to see works such as "The Haunted Palace" (1963), "Die Monster Die" (1965), and "The Dunwich Horror" (1970) among others to be made into feature films. But in 1985 an independent horror came along that would bring his name to a new generation of film audiences - "Re-Animator", based on the short story serials "Herbert West - Reanimator" published from 1921-1922. Young scientist Herbert West (played by Jeffrey Combs enrolls at the Miskatonic University in Massachusetts after studying abroad in Switzerland. Ambitious, unique, and challenging the rules of scientific morals, his main goal is to further his studies in reviving the dead through a re-animation fluid he has ...

In 1831, Sydney, Australia is a prisoner's colony where British undesirables are sent to serve sentences either imprisoned or in servitude. The new governor Sir Richard (Indiscreet's Cecil Parker) arrives with his foppish nephew Charles Adare (Stage Fright's Michael Wilding) with the intent of seeking his fortune. Upon arrival, he is preyed on by banker Cedric Potter (Quo Vadis?'s John Ruddock) who finagles a meeting out of the young man during which he is disappointed to discover that Adare does not have a penny to his name. Adare becomes interested in Potter's other client Samuel Flusky (Citizen Kane's Joseph Cotten), a fellow Irishman wh...

Dark River (Clio Barnard, 2018) Independent British cinema often struggles to break free from the shadows of the likes of Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and the British ‘New Wave’ filmmakers of the 1960s. With her 2013 debut fictional feature film The Selfish Giant, Clio Barnard used her experience making documentaries to deliver a realist ‘regional’ picture that invited comparisons with Ken Loach (especially Kes, 1969) whilst avoiding a slavish emulation of the work of Loach or the British New Wave. Like her contemporary Steve McQueen, Barnard received her training in art school and for a while was associated with the world of art installations in which video played a prominent role, exhibiting both at the Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her first feature length film was The Arbor in 2010, an experimental documentary about the life of Andrea Dunbar (the writer of Alan Clarke’s Rita, Sue and Bob Too). Barnard has joined a small but distinctive group of fascinating British female filmmakers, a...

The daring and provocative films of maverick American filmmaker Samuel Fuller (1912-1997) were some of the most hard-hitting, outspoken, politically progressive and visually audacious of the Hollywood studio era. This seven-film Blu-ray box set brings together Fuller’s entire output as a writer and director for Columbia Pictures: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937), a witty satire on the movie-making business, co-written by Fuller; ADVENTURE IN SAHARA (1938), a gripping thriller based on a Fuller story; POWER OF THE PRESS (1943), a daring drama about a corrupt newspaper publisher, based on a Fuller story; SHOCKPROOF (1949), a brooding film noir written by Fuller and directed by the great Douglas Sirk; SCANDAL SHEET, a tense drama about a compromised newspaper editor, based on Fuller’s acclaimed novel The Dark Page; THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), Fuller’s frank and unsentimental detective thriller which attacked the prejudice, ignorance and bigotry that Fuller saw all around him; and UNDERWORLD U.S.A. (1961), Fuller’s unflinching depiction of the brutal world of organised crime. This collectable four-disc box set also contains an array of new and archival extra features, limited edition booklets with newly c...

The daring and provocative films of maverick American filmmaker Samuel Fuller (1912-1997) were some of the most hard-hitting, outspoken, politically progressive and visually audacious of the Hollywood studio era. This seven-film Blu-ray box set brings together Fuller’s entire output as a writer and director for Columbia Pictures: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937), a witty satire on the movie-making business, co-written by Fuller; ADVENTURE IN SAHARA (1938), a gripping thriller based on a Fuller story; POWER OF THE PRESS (1943), a daring drama about a corrupt newspaper publisher, based on a Fuller story; SHOCKPROOF (1949), a brooding film noir written by Fuller and directed by the great Douglas Sirk; SCANDAL SHEET, a tense drama about a compromised newspaper editor, based on Fuller’s acclaimed novel The Dark Page; THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), Fuller’s frank and unsentimental detective thriller which attacked the prejudice, ignorance and bigotry that Fuller saw all around him; and UNDERWORLD U.S.A. (1961), Fuller’s unflinching depiction of the brutal world of organised crime. This collectable four-disc box set also contains an array of new and archival extra features, limited edition booklets with newly c...

The daring and provocative films of maverick American filmmaker Samuel Fuller (1912-1997) were some of the most hard-hitting, outspoken, politically progressive and visually audacious of the Hollywood studio era. This seven-film Blu-ray box set brings together Fuller’s entire output as a writer and director for Columbia Pictures: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937), a witty satire on the movie-making business, co-written by Fuller; ADVENTURE IN SAHARA (1938), a gripping thriller based on a Fuller story; POWER OF THE PRESS (1943), a daring drama about a corrupt newspaper publisher, based on a Fuller story; SHOCKPROOF (1949), a brooding film noir written by Fuller and directed by the great Douglas Sirk; SCANDAL SHEET, a tense drama about a compromised newspaper editor, based on Fuller’s acclaimed novel The Dark Page; THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), Fuller’s frank and unsentimental detective thriller which attacked the prejudice, ignorance and bigotry that Fuller saw all around him; and UNDERWORLD U.S.A. (1961), Fuller’s unflinching depiction of the brutal world of organised crime. This collectable four-disc box set also contains an array of new and archival extra features, limited edition booklets with newly c...

The daring and provocative films of maverick American filmmaker Samuel Fuller (1912-1997) were some of the most hard-hitting, outspoken, politically progressive and visually audacious of the Hollywood studio era. This seven-film Blu-ray box set brings together Fuller’s entire output as a writer and director for Columbia Pictures: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937), a witty satire on the movie-making business, co-written by Fuller; ADVENTURE IN SAHARA (1938), a gripping thriller based on a Fuller story; POWER OF THE PRESS (1943), a daring drama about a corrupt newspaper publisher, based on a Fuller story; SHOCKPROOF (1949), a brooding film noir written by Fuller and directed by the great Douglas Sirk; SCANDAL SHEET, a tense drama about a compromised newspaper editor, based on Fuller’s acclaimed novel The Dark Page; THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), Fuller’s frank and unsentimental detective thriller which attacked the prejudice, ignorance and bigotry that Fuller saw all around him; and UNDERWORLD U.S.A. (1961), Fuller’s unflinching depiction of the brutal world of organised crime. This collectable four-disc box set also contains an array of new and archival extra features, limited edition booklets with newly c...

The daring and provocative films of maverick American filmmaker Samuel Fuller (1912-1997) were some of the most hard-hitting, outspoken, politically progressive and visually audacious of the Hollywood studio era. This seven-film Blu-ray box set brings together Fuller’s entire output as a writer and director for Columbia Pictures: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937), a witty satire on the movie-making business, co-written by Fuller; ADVENTURE IN SAHARA (1938), a gripping thriller based on a Fuller story; POWER OF THE PRESS (1943), a daring drama about a corrupt newspaper publisher, based on a Fuller story; SHOCKPROOF (1949), a brooding film noir written by Fuller and directed by the great Douglas Sirk; SCANDAL SHEET, a tense drama about a compromised newspaper editor, based on Fuller’s acclaimed novel The Dark Page; THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), Fuller’s frank and unsentimental detective thriller which attacked the prejudice, ignorance and bigotry that Fuller saw all around him; and UNDERWORLD U.S.A. (1961), Fuller’s unflinching depiction of the brutal world of organised crime. This collectable four-disc box set also contains an array of new and archival extra features, limited edition booklets with newly c...

The daring and provocative films of maverick American filmmaker Samuel Fuller (1912-1997) were some of the most hard-hitting, outspoken, politically progressive and visually audacious of the Hollywood studio era. This seven-film Blu-ray box set brings together Fuller’s entire output as a writer and director for Columbia Pictures: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937), a witty satire on the movie-making business, co-written by Fuller; ADVENTURE IN SAHARA (1938), a gripping thriller based on a Fuller story; POWER OF THE PRESS (1943), a daring drama about a corrupt newspaper publisher, based on a Fuller story; SHOCKPROOF (1949), a brooding film noir written by Fuller and directed by the great Douglas Sirk; SCANDAL SHEET, a tense drama about a compromised newspaper editor, based on Fuller’s acclaimed novel The Dark Page; THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), Fuller’s frank and unsentimental detective thriller which attacked the prejudice, ignorance and bigotry that Fuller saw all around him; and UNDERWORLD U.S.A. (1961), Fuller’s unflinching depiction of the brutal world of organised crime. This collectable four-disc box set also contains an array of new and archival extra features, limited edition booklets with newly c...

The daring and provocative films of maverick American filmmaker Samuel Fuller (1912-1997) were some of the most hard-hitting, outspoken, politically progressive and visually audacious of the Hollywood studio era. This seven-film Blu-ray box set brings together Fuller’s entire output as a writer and director for Columbia Pictures: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD (1937), a witty satire on the movie-making business, co-written by Fuller; ADVENTURE IN SAHARA (1938), a gripping thriller based on a Fuller story; POWER OF THE PRESS (1943), a daring drama about a corrupt newspaper publisher, based on a Fuller story; SHOCKPROOF (1949), a brooding film noir written by Fuller and directed by the great Douglas Sirk; SCANDAL SHEET, a tense drama about a compromised newspaper editor, based on Fuller’s acclaimed novel The Dark Page; THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959), Fuller’s frank and unsentimental detective thriller which attacked the prejudice, ignorance and bigotry that Fuller saw all around him; and UNDERWORLD U.S.A. (1961), Fuller’s unflinching depiction of the brutal world of organised crime. This collectable four-disc box set also contains an array of new and archival extra features, limited edition booklets with newly c...

Limited Blu-ray Edition (UK Blu-ray premiere) When a reporter and cameraman are assigned to cover the daily routine of a nuclear power plant, they witness and record an accident which could have wiped out the whole of Southern California, but their bosses refuse to broadcast the footage. Starring Jane Fonda (The Chase, Klute) Jack Lemmon (Some Like It Hot, Missing) and Michael Douglas (Basic Instinct, The Game), this daring and controversial thriller was nominated for four Academy Awards®, and proved to be horrifyingly prescient when the real-life Three Mile Island accident happened at a nuclear generator in Pennsylvania just 12 days after it was released in US cinemas....

Limited Blu-ray Edition (World Blu-ray premiere) Neurotic, self-obsessed Robert Cole (Albert Brooks) is a successful film editor who splits up with his on-off girlfriend (Kathryn Harrold), only to try and win her back when he finds he can’t live without her. Considered by many to be one of America’s greatest comic talents, and sought out by filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Judd Apatow, Steven Soderbergh and Nicolas Winding Refn, actor-writer-director Brooks created what is perhaps his most caustic and excruciatingly honest film in Modern Romance....

Wham, bam, thank you Lau Kar-leung!! The legendary director of such kung-fu mega hits as 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978), TIGER ON THE BEAT (1988) and DRUNKEN MASTER 2 (1994) got his career rolling with the martial arts masterpiece THE SPIRITUAL BOXER (1975) a standout chopsocky classic from the glory days of Hong Kong genre cinema. Adding comedy to the familiar fisticuffs formula, this beloved blockbuster tells the story of a travelling conman who claims to have supernatural powers. Robbing village after village, our antagonist quickly bees expected to use these fictional strengths against some sudden enemies... Resulting in several hilarious moments combined with breakneck examples of all out action and adventure! Fans of head-cracking carnage cannot possibly go wrong with THE SPIRITUAL BOXER... finally unleashed in HD by the Asian celluloid scholars at 88 Films!!!...

The sequel to the 1975 Hong Kong horror spectacular has finally arrived in HD!!! Long considered one of the greatest Asian fright films ever concocted, and released in 1976 to the sound of stomachs churning all across the Far East, most fans will be in agreement that BLACK MAGIC 2 (1976) is even more outlandish than its provocative plasma-packed predecessor! Starring the genius of Ti Lung (A BETTER TOMORROW) and directed by the legendary Meng Hua Ho (THE OILY MANIAC) this is one of the original Oriental zombie horrors as the undead begin to crawl out of their graves whilst perplexed 'experts' try and work out why they are being faced with corpses that can't be controlled! Meantime the macabre moments come thick and fast alongside several gross out set pieces that have to be seen to be believed! Originally released in American theatres under the title REVENGE OF THE ZOMBIE'S, where it proved a surprise grindhouse success, 88 Films is proud to present the powerfully creepy perfection of BLACK MAGIC 2 on UK Blu-ray!!!...

The late great Wes Craven (SCREAM) planned to produce the third in his classic THE HILLS HAVE EYES franchise and let his son Jonathan take the directorial reigns but a last minute title change gave us MIND RIPPER instead of THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART 3!! Starring the legendary Lance Henriksen (ALIENS) as a scientist who accidentally resurrects a fully blown brain-hungry cannibal during some re-animation experiments, 1995's MIND RIPPER is a more supernatural slant on the slasher formula than the demented desert terror of THE HILLS HAVE EYES. Even so, fans of slice and dice delirium can expect plenty of stalking, suspense and splatter theatrics in this all-time classic of video rental violence, now finally unleashed in HD from 88 Films!!!...

Lynda La Plante's murder thriller set in the dark underworld of London's comedy club circuit A two-part British drama written by one of Britain's most notable playwrights Lynda La Plante, unveiling a rarely-seen, dark and distorted side of British life. Lazar (Tim Guinee) is a struggling, second-rate American stand-up comedian trying to make it big on the London circuit. His self-destructive tendencies mean he has blown his chances of hitting it big in the States, and often leads him to trouble. But misfortune follows Johnny, and his life is transformed after he witnesses a gangland hit. Becoming a target himself, he has to live his life on the run. Starring BAFTA-nominee Lennie James (The Walking Dead), Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones), Tim Guinee (Iron Man) and Danny Webb (Alien 3) Directed by BAFTA-winner Diarmuid Lawrence (Silent Witness) and Produced by BAFTA-winner Verity Lambert (Doctor Who)...

Five classic, iconic and slyly subversive westerns collected on Blu-ray for the very first time. Containing a wealth of new and archival extras – including extensive interviews with director Budd Boetticher, expert audio commentaries, appreciations by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, and new critical analyses by film critics Christopher Fraying, Edward Buscombe and Kim Newman – this collectable five-disc box set also contains an 80-page book with newly commissioned essays, archival interviews and film credits, and is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

Five classic, iconic and slyly subversive westerns collected on Blu-ray for the very first time. Containing a wealth of new and archival extras – including extensive interviews with director Budd Boetticher, expert audio commentaries, appreciations by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, and new critical analyses by film critics Christopher Fraying, Edward Buscombe and Kim Newman – this collectable five-disc box set also contains an 80-page book with newly commissioned essays, archival interviews and film credits, and is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

Five classic, iconic and slyly subversive westerns collected on Blu-ray for the very first time. Containing a wealth of new and archival extras – including extensive interviews with director Budd Boetticher, expert audio commentaries, appreciations by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, and new critical analyses by film critics Christopher Fraying, Edward Buscombe and Kim Newman – this collectable five-disc box set also contains an 80-page book with newly commissioned essays, archival interviews and film credits, and is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

Five classic, iconic and slyly subversive westerns collected on Blu-ray for the very first time. Containing a wealth of new and archival extras – including extensive interviews with director Budd Boetticher, expert audio commentaries, appreciations by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, and new critical analyses by film critics Christopher Fraying, Edward Buscombe and Kim Newman – this collectable five-disc box set also contains an 80-page book with newly commissioned essays, archival interviews and film credits, and is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

Five classic, iconic and slyly subversive westerns collected on Blu-ray for the very first time. Containing a wealth of new and archival extras – including extensive interviews with director Budd Boetticher, expert audio commentaries, appreciations by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, and new critical analyses by film critics Christopher Fraying, Edward Buscombe and Kim Newman – this collectable five-disc box set also contains an 80-page book with newly commissioned essays, archival interviews and film credits, and is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units....

Director Juhn Jai-hong (who reached critical acclaim and feminist approval with 2008's shattering BEAUTIFUL) produced another instant classic with 2014's riveting and shocking GIFTED. In this tense thriller an everyday Joe, laid off from his job, finds a freelance gig that involves nothing in the way of pay but plenty in the way of murderous pleasure! A tense and twisted tale of life and death in modern South Korea - 88 Films is proud to give this underseen (at least in the West) story of shock and awe an HD British debut!...

Sergio Martino (director of All The Colours Of The Dark, The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh, Torso) invites you on the trip of a lifetime - to THE MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD for sun, wildlife and... flesh munching natives! You might just never come home... Ursula Andress (Bond Dr No, 10th Victim, The Nurse) travels to the New Guinea jungle in search of her scientist husband who s vanished in the untamed Green Inferno. Soon, giant spiders, killer crocs and deadly snakes bare their teeth as her expedition, lead by cult-fave Stacey Keach, journeys towards the sacred mountain of the Cannibal God! There a flesh-eating demon will enslave her in an eruption of frenzied orgiastic climax... and full porky bestiality! Banned as a video nasty , Shameless now reinstates the original dramatic gore and the complete extended explicitness to serve up the world s first 2K-sharp restoration of this ferocious unflinching exploitation treat, to be devoured in all its blood-soaked glory!...

The Mad Death is a television serial made by BBC Scotland. It was filmed in 1982 and transmitted 1 year later in 1983. The three-part series examined the effects of an outbreak of rabies in the United Kingdom and was noted for its occasionally chilling content. It has been described by at least one reference book as being one of the most bleak and disturbing drama series ever attempted. A French visitor to Scotland smuggles her cat into the country, sparking a terrifying outbreak of rabies which threatens to engulf an entire community. When a pet cat, affected by rabies is smuggled into Britain, the spread of the disease among the animal population goes undetected - until the first human falls victim to the terrible Mad Death....

Directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz (Dragonwyck, All About Eve, Cleopatra) from the play by Tennessee Williams (A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) and brilliantly adapted for the screen by Gore Vidal (Ben-Hur, Myra Breckinridge), Suddenly, Last Summer casts three of Hollywood’s most iconic talents (Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift) in a daring and often delirious mix of lurid drama and Gothic horror. Sensational and wildly controversial at the time of its release, Suddenly, Last Summer now stands as a classic – and stills packs a provocative punch....

Roger Corman’s most ambitious and expensive production – his only film for a major studio – is a violent and lurid account of the events leading up to one of the most infamous events in American crime history. Detailing the bitter and brutal rivalry between feuding Chicago mob bosses Al Capone and ‘Bugs’ Moran, Corman’s vividly realised film features terrific performances from Jason Robards, Ralph Meeker and George Segal, and remains one of Corman’s best films....

Following the worldwide impact of JAWS in 1975 directors and producers were fast to cash-in on the success of the Steven Spielberg terror-trendsetter and to instigate a short-lived sub-genre of killer animal movies. Perhaps the most successful of all was 1976's GRIZZLY which took in mega-money upon its release and had audiences glued to their seats and avoiding natural parks for the foreseeable future! Starring the Great Christopher George (CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD) and directed by the genius exploitation master William Girdler (DAY OF THE ANIMALS), GRIZZLY traces the bloody rampage of the titular animal who is chomping, tearing and terrorising innocent campers and showcasing a case of insatiable hunger. If JAWS is the ultimate killer shark flick then GRIZZLY is the world's greatest marauding-mammal movie and, thanks to 88 Films, this all time classic horror film is finally available to UK audiences in gloriously gruesome HD!...

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Paul Zindel, Paul Newman’s second film as director stars his wife Joanne Woodward (Three Faces of Eve, Sybil) as an abusive, over-bearing mother raising her two daughters (Nell Potts and Roberta Wallach) in an atmosphere of bitterness and hatred. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds is a powerful, searingly unsentimental and ultimately transformative drama, with a trio of towering performances from the three female leads at its core....

Little Bo Peep, Old King Cole, Little Tommy Tucker, Snow White, and many others, have all grown up and are ready for action! These enchanting characters from beloved nursery rhymes sing, dance, lust, and romance their way through this hilarious, naughty, and twisted tale where music, mirth, and merriment are the rule of the day. In a clothing optional land of make believe where everything is possible. See “Scream Queen” Linnea Quigley star in her first feature role in this erotic musical funfest!!...

Adapted from the controversial stage play by Jules Feiffer (Carnal Knowledge), this savage, nihilistic black comedy was the startling directorial debut of actor Alan Arkin. When a severely depressed fashion photographer (Elliott Gould M*A*S*H, The Long Goodbye, California Split) meets an optimistic young woman (Marcia Rodd Citizens Band, Last Embrace), she is determined to save him amidst the series of random muggings, sniper shootings, garbage strikes and total blackouts that are ravaging the city of New York....

When ten-year-old Karen (Brooke Shields – in her first screen appearance) is killed in church on the occasion of her first communion, her seemingly innocent older sister Alice (Paula Sheppard) becomes the prime suspect. Matters become complicated as more of Alice’s family members are attacked, along with residents of her apartment building. Can a twelve-year-old girl be capable of such mayhem, or is someone else with a vicious plan destroying her family?...

If the slasher film formula teaches us anything it is not to bully a young child because, chances are, they might grow up to slice, stab and slaughter those who once wronged them. And from Jason Voorhees to PROM NIGHT (1980) and the late eighties shocker OFFERINGS there is one thing for sure - the body count is going to build and build as an adult avenger takes on a slasher rampage of their own! Released in 1989, the blood-splashed classic OFFERINGS serves up a small town revenge-rampage that is among the genre's most madcap and mesmerising. A perfect example of videotape-era terror, with a knife-wielding avenger that is guaranteed to provoke a spine-tingling reaction, this darkly comic - and proudly plasma-packed - example of teen-tormeting excellence has finally arrived back onto UK shelves in horrible HD courtesy of the controversy-courters at 88 Films!...

God bless the brilliance of Danny Lee (THE KILLER/ THE UNTOLD STORY) who emerged onto the Shaw Brothers scene with such outlandish fantasies as MIGHTY PEKING MAN (1977) and THE SUPER INFRAMAN (1975) - a tale of futuristic heroism and spandex costumes that could only have been dreamed up during the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. Featuring the sort of ambition that puts most superhero flicks to shame, this is a brilliant bicep-flexing bout of good vs. evil - as a costumed Chinese patriot takes the fight to a city-destroying mega-villain. Undoubtedly one of the finest Far Eastern action flicks of all-time, THE SUPER INFRAMAN makes its UK debut in a muscular HD transfer that could only have come from the Oriental-cinema obsessives at 88 Films!...

One of the greatest zombie movies you probably never saw is finally back to chew its way into your 88 Films collection! Released in 1991, THE BONE YARD is a certified cult classic of the VHS era that mixes the bad taste splatter humour of such classics as THE EVIL DEAD and RE-ANIMATOR with enough corpse-shambling thrills and ghoulish chills to make for an essential late night watch. Telling of a living dead outbreak in a coroner's office, THE BONE YARD is a claustrophobic love letter to George A. Romero that inotrduces some original ideas to the well-worn meat-munching trope. With a cast that includes television legend Phyllis Diller and B-movie veteran Ed Nelson (A BUCKET OF BLOOD) and with ertswhile makeup effects genius James Cummins (THE THING) as director - this is one low budget bout of blood-splattered brilliance that more than deserves its HD premiere from 88 Films!!...

Written by Barry Hines ( Kes ) and directed by Mick Jackson ( The Bodyguard ). The BBC drama which shocked an entire generation is given a meticulous 2k restoration from the original BBC CRI 16mm prints. This remaster is available for a limited time only, and is exclusive to the UK. Winner of four BAFTAs including 'Best Single Drama', the story follows everyday Sheffield townsfolk as they struggle to survive nuclear attack and the years of that follow. Originally broadcast at the height of the nuclear paranoia of the 80s, it sent shockwaves throughout the country and arguably changed the global political discourse on nuclear war. This 2-disc set presents the original film remastered in 2k, available uncut for the first time in the UK....

SEA FOG is one of the Korean wave's most potent stories and a visually arresting action-packed effort. Telling of an illegal immigrant operation in South Korea, focused on bringing 30 mainland Chinese star-watchers to the hustle and bustle of Busan and Seoul, which ends in terrifying tragedy, SEA FOG is a tense thriller and a blistering viewing experience. Produced by the legendary Bong Joon-ho (THE HOST) and with a cast that includes the great Kim Yoon-seok (THE CHASER) and K-pop icon Park Yoo-chun (formerly of TVXQ), SEA FOG is an adventure on the high sea that ranks as one of East Asian cinema's most masterful recent achievements!...

If you loved director Meng Hua Ho's awesome game-changing martial arts masterpiece THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (1974) then you will lose your head over his decapitation-packed follow-up THE DRAGON MISSILE (1976). Headlined by the legendary kung-fu icon Lo Lieh (THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN) this brutal tale of rivalry and skullduggery in ancient China packs a potent punch from start to finish. Absolutely crammed full of carnage - the blood flies thick and fast as the 'missile' itself glides across the screen and slices limbs from bodies in this wuxia wonder that is finally on BluRay in all of its HD chopsocky glory! Sit down to THE DRAGON MISSILE and remind yourself why Hong Kong was once at the forefront of world action cinema - for this is a must-have motion picture that positively re-invented the excess of East Asian adventure epics!!!...

Gerry Otley (Tom Courtenay The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Billy Liar, 45 Years) is a charming scrounger who stumbles unwittingly into espionage, murder, espionage and double crossing as he is mistaken for a spy, kidnapped, and becomes romantically embroiled with a sexy foreign agent, played by Romy Schneider (Purple Noon, Ludwig, Death Watch). Adeptly balancing thrills and laughs, this Sixties comic spy thriller from writer-director Dick Clement (TV s The Likely Lads, Porridge, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet)is a stellar addition to the British canon of post-Bond spy flicks....