As promised on this week’s radio show, here’s my track list of kung-fu & karate songs. Please feel free to submit more track names (I need more dub & reggae):

1. Tokyo Nights by Puffy AmiYumi

Crazy Sims bubble dance and sushi roll party:

2. Living in Japan by Fun Fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaCF7NmPBMY

3. Whisky & Green Tea by Supergrass

FYI: Chinese Dragons practice kung fu, not karate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oohvMU9H0uY

4. Karate by The Emperors

Featuring footage from ‘Black Belt Jones’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxNX468ehhw

5. Karate Colombiano by Bondo de Role & DJ Chernobyl

6. Karate Boo-ga-loo by Jerry O

I love this crazy string dance from “Maiden’s Spring”:

7. Mein Synthesizer Kann Karate by Quenzo Flax

Synthesizers in space!!!

8. the new karate workout (kanye west + kennedy) by wait what

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvpU-M37rq8

9. The Karate Rap by David Seeger and Holly Whitstock Seeger

Thanks to Dan for this track. I don’t know if thanks properly covers it…

10. Hong Kong Nights by Soft Lightning

11. Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie and the Banshees

12. Dance the Kung Fu by Carl Douglas

‘Kung Fu Fighting’ is better known Stateside, but this dance is indeed ‘Pure Dynamite.’

It even caught on in Bollywood!

13. My Chinese Girl Like Kung Fu Fighting by The Chinese Fighters

Side project of Belgian funk band El Chicles, the super-rare album includes tracks entitled ‘Kung Fu’N’Ky’ and ‘Karatekaze’.

14. Combate a Kung Fu by Wganda Kenya

15. Kung Fu Boy by Kumisolo

16. Kung Fu Master by Dana’s Master

Yes, a Ninja Synth genre exists and has a black belt in awesomeness.

17. Kung Fu by Prince Rhangani

18. Kung Fu Battle ina Brixton by Prince Fatty (Feat. Horseman)

19. Return of the Kung Fu Skinhead by King Hammond

One of the earlier Trojan skinhead reggae revivalists from the UK. His first album was issued in 1987. I don’t think he’s pictured below, but those fellows either have deep pockets or they’re smuggling badgers.

20. Kung Fu by Ash

These guys are from Northern Hi-yareland, part of the UK-ung Fu.

21. Kung Fu by The Dragoneers

22. Kung Fu by The Dirtbombs

From ‘Ultraglide in Black’ (as seen in ‘Only Lovers Left Alive.’)

23. Kung Fu Fighting (A Capella) by Robyn Hitchcock

With spring approaching, why stay inside unless you’re watching something hellaciously entertaining?  Check out the goodies in this edition of Going Deep!

R100: A mild-mannered Japanese businessman caring for a comatose wife while raising their young son finds a secret outlet for his desires: ‘a boutique dominatrix agency that specializes in guerilla acts of public degradation.’

Starring Nao Ohmori (aka ‘Ichi the Killer’ from another masterful masochism-themed movie) R100 begins unassumingly and then goes off the sprockets.

First, it becomes a meta-take on the Japanese ratings board system.  (R100 = No one under 100 admitted.)

Then a deadly mishap with one of the mistresses turns the finale into a madcap actioner, akin to a 60’s-era espionage film, that finds the businessman (and his son) fending off a leather-clad bevy of furious femme fatales.

From R100 to R the rock star.  The Fan (Blu-ray + DVD Combo) is a highly-prized German cult film from the 80’s that’s filled with New Wave music (Neue Deutsche Welle) from Rheingold, eye-popping colors and lots of nudity.  Like R100, this film is a slow-build shocker that proved anathema to stateside distributors.  Mondo Macabre is the first to bring a pristine, uncut Blu-Ray presentation to the US market.

Simone is a high school student obsessed with a rock singer named R.  Though overcome by nerves when she gets the opportunity to meet him in person, she soon gets the opportunity to show the extent of her devotion. Presented in German with subtitles, the combo pack includes a new 20-minute video interview with director Eckhart Schmidt, who reveals surprising layers of subtext and amazing behind-the-scenes drama.

For more S&M kink in luscious B&W, try Kino Lorber’s restoration of Vice and Virtue [Blu-ray].  Set in Nazi-occupied France, this adaptation of Marquis de Sade’s novel, Justine, was directed by Roger Vadim of Barbarella fame and introduced Catherine Deneuve, as a housewife abducted by the Nazis and sadistically trained to serve as a concubine.

And for yet more women in chains, don’t miss the Blu-Ray debut of Filipino trashsploitation pirate and prisoner flick, The Muthers, starring former Playboy Playmates Jeanne Bell (October 1969) and Rosanne Katon (September 1978).

From R100 to ‘Rated V for Violence’: Mark Of The Devil comes to Blu-Ray & DVD in a gorgeous transfer from Arrow Video.

Udo Kier plays Count Christian von Meruh, an 18th Century Austrian witch-hunter apprenticed to Lord Cumberland (Herbert Lom), a vain despot who uses religion as a means to steal wealth and abuse women.  Settings include historic buildings that actually held witchcraft trials.

Legendary for its gruesome imagery, Arrow’s uncut presentation reportedly preserves the colors and film grain and contains a terrific assortment of extras.  Sadly, it does not contain the ‘gag’ item originally given to theater-goers: a barf bag!

From the Mark of the Devil to the Mark of the Beast!  Meet Wolfcop [Blu-ray].  Half-man.  Half-wolf.  All cop.  “Here comes the fuzz.”

For a well-dressed wolf vs. a wolfman in shredded uniform, check out Wolfy, The Incredible Secret, winner of Best Animated Film at the 2014 Cesar Awards and nominated for Best Film at the 2014 Berlinale.  Orphaned Wolfy and his childhood friend (and rabbit), Tom, set out to find Wolfy’s mother at the Carne Festival — a gathering of the world’s most dangerous meat-eaters — and discover the secret of his mother’s disappearance and his true ancestry.

For a wolf with the suave vocal growlings of Benedict Cumberbatch, and an international spy farce that features black-and-white feathered penguins instead of black-leather suited dominatrixes, check out Penguins of Madagascar [Blu-ray].  Look for Short Fuse, a Belgian harp seal/demolitions expert voiced by Ken Jeong (The Hangover)!

For an Academy Award nominated film that contains ancestral secrets, disappearing mothers and selkies (half-man/half-seal: all selkie), check out the highly designed Irish animated feature, Song of the Sea (Blu-ray + DVD + DIGITAL HD), featuring the voice of Brendan Gleeson.

https://vimeo.com/104739617

For more Irish sea tales and femme fatales, Orson Welles plays an Irish sailor and Rita Hayworth plays a sultry blonde in Welles’ film noir classic, The Lady From Shanghai – Blu-ray.  The final shoot-out inside a hall of mirrors is cinematic history and it looks great in this worthy Blu-Ray transfer. (1080p High-Definition Video from a 4k Digital Restoration.  Presented in the Original Aspect Ratio of 1.37:1.)

For an under-acknowledged genre classic, check out Prowler [Blu-ray], newly restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archives and the Film Noir Foundation.  It’s the sordid tale of a cop (played by the manly-monikered Van Helfin) stalking an attractive housewife; he plans to win her heart by offing her husband.  Directed by Jopseph Losey, who also made the Peter Lorre serial killer classic, M (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray].  Written by then-blacklisted and uncredited screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo with Hugo Butler.

Criterion presents another lost noir classic with a new 2K digital restoration: Ride the Pink Horse [Blu-ray].  Directed by and starring Robert Montgomery, it’s a classic revenge the tale.  Here, a former GI comes to a little farmer town in New Mexico to settle with the gangster who killed his best friend.

Co-star Thomas Gomez became the first Hispanic actor to receive an Academy Award nomination for his role as Pancho(!)  Along with gorgeous cover art, the disc includes an essay by indie director, Michael Almereyda.

Here’s a trailer:

No, wait, pink horses don’t have horns.  Here’s the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tTlqfx_dWQ

Criterion also released François Truffaut’s follow-up to his seminal work, Jules and Jim:

The Soft Skin [Blu-ray] is the former film critic’s Hitchcock homage, dealing with marital infidelity.

 

For a giggle, I would consider hiding a different type of movie collection in the afore-mentioned Criterion packages.

Don’t Go In The Woods (Blu-ray + DVD Combo): If you’ve ever watched a horror film or read a fairy tale, the title of this low budget 1981 cult classic provides some sound advice.

For more madmen in the wilderness, here’s an opportunity to buy Aguirre, The Wrath of God [Blu-ray] unbundled from the monumental Herzog Collection.  This legendary film stars Klaus Kinski as Don Lope del Aguirre, a conquistador questing for El Dorado, the City of Gold.  Filmed in the Amazon jungle, Herzog and Kinski’s masterwork is a clear inspiration for Apocalypse Now.

Still wilding out: The Wild One is the original outlaw biker movie starring Marlon Brando as Johnny Strabler, an American icon of rebellion.

FOREIGN

Land Of Storms (aka Viharsarok):  A German co-production with more brooding men mounted on vintage motorbikes and lots of slapping on the Hungarian prairie.  (Seriously, so much slapping this week.)  Shot on 35 mm, the lush landscapes and strong performances garnered many festival and critical plaudits.  It looks stunning and should appeal beyond its niche market.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3f7wIoYISo

The Physician:  Set in the 11th Century, Tom Payne plays a young Christian who must disguise himself as a Jew in order to attend medical school in Persia.  This English-language epic about the search for knowledge contains sumptuous visuals and a stellar international cast (Ben Kingsley, Olivier Martinez and Stellan Starsgård).

This German co-production was directed by Phillip Stölzl (Young Goethe in Love) and written by Jan Berger, who penned “We Are the Night“, a hugely successful female vampire film from Germany that bested many Stateside genre offerings in production values and sheer entertainment.  Variety favorably compares “The Physician” to “Braveheart” and “Gladiator.”  Check out the trailer:

The Way He Looks  Daniel Ribiero’s coming-of-age film deals with Leo, a blind teenager with plans to study abroad; things change when he gets assigned a school project with Gabriel, the new kid in town.  His blossoming feelings for Gabriel create tension with his best friend, Giovana, and his overbearing mother.

Leo’s blindness makes for a surprisingly fresh take on first romance, underscored by the music of Belle & Sebastian.  This was Brazil’s official entry for Best Foreign Film at the 87th Academy Awards.

DOCUMENTARIES

This Ain’t No Mouse Music:  A musical trip through the byways of the American South and the history of Arhoolie Records.

TV

Maude: The Complete Series: Shout Factory presents the complete collection of Norman Lear’s Emmy Award winning sitcom, starring Bea Arthur.  Introduced in All in the Family as Edith Bunker’s opinionated liberal cousin, Maude was a two-hander sitcom that tackled hot-button issues such as abortion from a more liberal and feminist perspective.

Mondovino: The Complete Series: An international saga of wine making, featuring “…übercritic Robert Parker, legendary wine mogul Robert Mondavi, zany art collector Jan Schrem, and the noble proprietor of the mythical Romanée Conti vineyard.  From Florence to Burgundy, New York to Argentina, each hour-long episode stands alone as a passionate and hilarious piece of documentary filmmaking.”

AND MORE…

Low Down: An L.A.-set period piece about fatherhood, heroin and jazz starring an incredibly diverse cast (John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Flea, Peter Dinklage & Lena Headley)!

Son of a Gun An Australian remake of the terrific French film, A Prophet.  (Ewan McGregor, Brenton Thwaites)

Also check out two Tucson cargo-themed classics:

Arizona – 75th Anniversary Series: A drifter and the cavalry help the first woman in Tucson protect her freight line from Indians. (William Holden, Jean Arthur)

White Line Fever – 40th Anniversary Series A Tucson-based produce trucker protects his pregnant wife from a vicious band of cargo crooks.  (Jan Michael Vincent; Jonathan Kaplan)

It’s been a slow trickle for deep finds but there are some real treasures worth getting!

MAJOR RELEASES

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 [Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD]  TGIF!  You can now own THG:M-P1!

 

Beyond the Lights [Blu-ray] Hollywood romance with a breakout performance from Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni Jean, a pop starlet looking to escape her music career by leaping off a balcony.  Kazam Nicol is the hunky police officer who saves her life.   Minnie Driver plays Noni’s domineering stage mother/manager.  Directed by ‘Love and Basketball’ helmer, Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Big Hero 6 won Best Animated Feature along with ‘Feast’ — an Oscar sweep for Disney.  San Fransokyo is a wonderful mash-up of anime and Bay culture, and the first half of the film is a wonderful and empowering depiction of science education, robotics and higher learning.  Just beware tenured professors.

Foxcatcher [Blu-ray]  Dan named this movie the worst of 2014.  Another film-buff friend declared it director Bennett Miller’s masterwork.  Love or hate it?  You should own your opinion:

Whiplash [Blu-ray]  J.K. Simmons won best supporting actor and Whiplash also took home deserved wins for Best Sound Mixing and Best Editing.  The finale is edge-of-the-seat viewing — a showdown that perfectly realizes the film’s themes with a virtuoso fusion of passion, performance and technique.

 

DOCUMENTARY

Algorithms: A look into the life experiences and game strategies of juvenile Blind Chess players in India.  Smartly shot in black-and-white.

Slaughter Nick for President  This self-produced documentary depicts actor Rob Stewart’s 2009 trip to Serbia.  Stewart was the star of “Tropical Heat: Sweating Bullets” — a Canadian “Baywatch Nights” knock-off.  His character, Nick Slaughter, galvanized the country’s anti-Milosovic movement in the 1990s(!)  Slaughter’s tropical shirts, hairy chest and ponytail embodied an ideal of Western freedom that altered the country’s political course.

 

CRITERION
Watership Down [Blu-ray]  Criterion presents a new high-definition digital restoration of Martin Rosen’s animated adaptation of Richard Adams’ classic novel about rabbits seeking shelter after being fleeing from their warren after a terrible vision of military threat.  It’s beautiful and devastating.  The Blu-Ray includes a new interview with the director, and an appreciation given by Guillermo del Toro!

Fellini Satyricon [Blu-ray]  A new 4K Digital Restoration from Criterion: “Federico Fellini’s career achieved new levels of eccentricity and brilliance with this remarkable, controversial, extremely loose adaptation of Petronius’s classical Roman satire, written during the reign of Nero. An episodic barrage of sexual licentiousness, godless violence, and eye-catching grotesquerie, Fellini Satyricon follows the exploits of two pansexual young men—the handsome scholar Encolpius and his vulgar, insatiably lusty friend Ascyltus—as they move through a landscape of free-form pagan excess. Creating apparent chaos with exquisite control, Fellini constructs a weird old world that feels like science fiction.”

NEW TO BLU-RAY

52 Pick-Up [Blu-ray] is a Cannon film about Harry Mitchell (Roy Scheider), a successful Los Angeles entrepreneur and aspiring councilman who finds himself a blackmail target for a gang of pornographers, led by the louche Alan Raimy (John Glover.)  Harry turns the tables and starts pitting the blackmailers against one another.  This pulpy Elmore Leonard adaptation was directed by John Frankenheimer.

The Connection [Blu-ray] Shirley Clarke’s adaptation of Jack Gelber’s Obie-winning play is a film history standard that flips the theatrical ‘Playhouse 90’-style drama to the Flophouse, where a bunch of druggies and jazz musicians hang around in a New York tenement, waiting for their next fix to arrive.  Banned from exhibition, this Blu-Ray exists thanks to the UCLA Film & Television Foundation.

 

In The Land Of The Head Hunters [Blu-ray] is another classic film restoration handled by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.  Filmed in 1914 by photographer Edward S. Curtis, it depicts a warrior’s spiritual quest to rescue his kidnapped bride from a rival tribe.  This dramatic document of the Kwakwaka’wakw Native culture of British Columbia includes scenes of tribal traditions based on oral histories, including the potlatch — a ritual prohibited by Canadian law until 1951.

Eat Drink Man Woman [Blu-ray] is an early Taiwanese feature by Ang Lee (The Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain) about a widowed father who tries to guide his three grown daughters through life with delicious food and sage advice.

Exterminators Of The Year 3000 [Blu-ray]  Post-apocalyptic Italo-trash riff on ‘The Road Warrior‘ — but this band of survivors is searching for water, not gas.  They still have to face a mad bunch of bikers, car chases, explosions and gore galore.  Presented by Shout Factory in its first wide-screen (1:85:1) Blu-Ray edition.

 

Oratorio for Prague Czech New Wave director Jan Nemec began shooting a documentary of the Prague Spring liberation celebrations — and ended up capturing the arrival of Soviet tanks in the streets of Prague.  It is the only filmed document of the 1969 Soviet invasion.  After exposing this brutal truth, Nemec was blacklisted and the film banned  — but the footage found its way around the world and became an important part of history, later sourced for films such as Philip Kaufman’s classic, ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being‘ and Sophie Fiennes’ ‘The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology.’

GENRE

God Told Me to [Blu-ray]  B-movie auteur Larry Cohen (Q, the Winged Serpent) directed this legendary sci-fi/police procedural that examines murder in the name of religious extremism — and alien insemination.  Blue Underground releases ‘a new 4K High Definition transfer from the original uncensored negative.’ Look for Andy Kaufman in his film debut.

New Year’s Evil [Blu-ray]

Shout! Factory won’t stop ringing in the New Year.  This Blu-Ray release is one of the lesser known holiday slasher flicks.  Rock’n’roll radio hostess Blaze is throwing a Day-Glo, mock-punk New Year’s Eve party in 1980s Los Angeles.  During her broadcast she hears from Evil — a long-time listener, first-time killer.  Evil’s resolution is to kill one person at midnight in every time zone in America — and he promises a Blaze of gory when the bell tolls in Los Angeles.

TV

Space Dandy: Season 1 (Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) From the creator of ‘Cowboy Be-bop’, this hallucinatory anime deals with space travel, talking cats, alternate universes and interstellar zombies.

Sons of Anarchy: The Final Season

Sons of Anarchy The Complete Series Giftset [Blu-ray]  Yes, the final season is out on Blu-Ray, as well — but why not go whole hog on the greatest Shakespearean-influenced biker drama ever made?

Chips: Season 3 For those who prefer their biker justice armed with more legal authority, Francis Poncherello and Jon Baker are back on the beat in this long-awaited Warner Home Video release.

Longmire: Season 3 [Blu-ray]  Another long-awaited law enforcement-themed home video release.  Made in New Mexico, the third season of Craig Johnson’s popular crime thriller ended with a can’t-miss cliffhanger — and was then canceled by A&E.  Thankfully, Netflix promises a 10-episode fourth season soon.

Outlander: Season One – Volume One  Lush Scottish settings and thick Scottish brogues enhance this adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s popular time-travel/romance series.

The Game Created by Toby Whithouse (“Being Human”), this 1970s-set BBC Cold War drama stars Tom Hughes and Brian Cox in an engaging tale of love and loyalty tested among spies.

Shakespeare Uncovered: Series 2 Stories behind the Bard’s greatest plays, explored by Morgan Freeman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugh Bonneville, Kim Cattrall and more…  A series that educates in an entertaining and insightful fashion.

Return to the Wild: The Chris Mccandless Story reveals more information about the strange disappearance and death of Chris McCandless, the subject of both Jon Krakauer’s famed book, ‘Into the Wild’ and Sean Penn’s film adaptation.

With the Academy Awards approaching, many of the nominated films — and one foreign film that deservedly expected a nomination — are making their way onto the home market.  But, hey!  There’s also The Interview and Dumb and Dumber To!

Nightcrawler  (Nominated for Best Original Screenplay)  In the dark fringes of Los Angeles, people are always striving to catch a break, to earn a dollar, to make a name.  Jake Gyllenhaal gives a magnificently feral performance as Louis Bloom, a thief willing to sell others’ souls for his gain.

Lou’s the type of talentless chum whose grand ambitions and self-help mantras should land him at the bottom rung of a pyramid scheme — but he instead stumbles upon an old alchemical formula: blood + camera footage = money.

It’s the blackest of comedies that also contains some of the best-staged and lensed practical action sequences of 2014.

Riggan Thompson discovered that cartoon blood + camera footage + latex cowls = lots of money.  Due to his success, his own ego has been supplanted by that of his superhero character, Birdman.

Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) explores Riggan’s attempts to reshape his legacy while grappling with numerous unreliable elements — his mind, his daughter and his finances — during final rehearsals for his Broadway stage debut.

A propulsive jazz score, fluid camerawork, fire-cracker comic performances (and a lovely, grounded turn by Emma Stone) make this movie soar.

Michael Keaton’s biggest competition in the Best Actor category is undoubtedly Eddie Redmayne, nominated for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.  The film’s success is equally due to Felicity Jones’ nominated performance as Jane Hawking.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, vying for Best Animated Feature, is exquisitely hand-drawn by legendary animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder, Isao Takahata.  This quietly entrancing fable’s simple style belies a rich critique of patriarchal systems and fairy tale tropes.  The odd, dream-like finale is magical.

Lastly, the ‘snubs’.  For Best Foreign Film:

Force Majeure [Blu-ray]

A devastatingly funny destruction of family and gender roles, this comedy of manners plays like a Larry David script lensed by Michael Haneke.  I saw it at Fantastic Fest 2014 and went back to the theater with friends when it arrived locally.  It’s best to see with an audience — or with someone you think you love…

For Best Documentary:

Life Itself
This biographical film about Roger Ebert, inspired by his memoir, is a remarkable testament to Ebert’s adage that movies are ‘…the most powerful empathy machine in all of the arts’.  The film fits its title.

CRITERION

Roger Ebert’s list of Great Movies includes Nicolas Roeg’s psychological horror masterpiece, Don’t Look Now [Blu-ray], (based on a ghost story by Daphne du Maurier.)  Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie are a married couple haunted by a family tragedy while taking a sabbatical in Venice.  The film’s cinematography, editing and score are legendary.  You will never forget the little red jacket…

Criterion’s new 4K digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack is the best home viewing experience available.    The Blu-Ray includes interviews with Danny Boyle and Steven Soderbergh discussing Roeg’s influence.

Criterion also releases Yasujiro Ozu’s elegiac last film, An Autumn Afternoon and A Day in the Country, a short film from Jean Renoir.

TV

More films will be found below, but this week’s TV releases are terrific.

If you follow this year’s Groundhog’s Day either more Winter is Coming (in PA) or Blood Will Be Shed (WI).  In either case, what better way to celebrate large rodents and frigid temperatures than Game of Thrones: Season 4 !!!

And — if you like warriors defending Earth from evil hordes, don’t miss out on the original series that gave rise to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  Finally, Super Sentai Zyuranger: The Complete Series debuts in North America.  Uncover the true origins behind all the (same) action scenes you watched (repeatedly) in MMPR!  Plus: Find out who Bandora is, and discover the secret to her longevity.  (She’s over 170 million years old!)  Don’t wait!  Buy now!

If you like genteel time-travelers saving the world from evil hordes, it’s never too late to celebrate Last Christmas (Blu-ray) with the citizens of Dr. Who-ville!!!

The award-winning HBO mini-series Olive Kitteridge stars Frances McDormand (as the title character), Richard Jenkins and Bill Murray.  Directed by Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids are All Right).  It’s been called a masterpiece.  Many proclaim McDormand’s performance to be the best of her career.

Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons: The Complete Series  The year is 2068.  Earth’s greatest defense team, Spectrum, must protect Earth from a sinister race of Martians called the Mysterons.  These evil aliens can assume the likeness of any person or thing they destroy.  Only the indestructible Captain Scarlet and his red hot car can combat the invasion.

This is another classic British SUPERMARIONATION! series from Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds; Space: 1999; Stingray).  The 4-disc set includes all 32 episodes of the original run.  Check it out now, and keep your eye out for WETA Workshop’s Thunderbirds Are Go! reboot, premiering later this year.

Earth: A New Wild  This look at our wild planet visits five continents, exploring plains, forests and bodies of water.  But it is much more than eye candy.  The series explores the wild kingdom as it really is — with humans in the picture.  Dr. M. Sanjayan journeys to the frontiers of where man and animal meet to discover the scientists, engineers and fishermen working to preserve and enrich our planet.

Finally, Season One of Starz’ directorial face-off series, The Chair, arrives along with the DVD release of Shane Dawson’s winning film, Not Cool!  (For Zachary Quinto, the movie apparently lived up to its name, as he took his name off the end product.)  I imagine Hollidaysburg is sipping piña coladas on some tropical beach, and will come to home theaters when it’s good and ready.

 

GENRE

V/H/S: Viral is the third installment of the anthology horror series.  Beware generational loss.

Sub Rosa Studios is one of the boutique labels keeping straight-to-video horror alive with limited-edition clamshell-encased V/H/S releases.  (Also, DVD & Blu-Ray.)  Their latest release is Massage Parlor Of Death…where there are NO HAPPY ENDINGS!

Shout Factory brings an overlooked 1989 version of The Phantom Of The Opera to Blu-Ray.  Starring Robert Englund, it is considered by many horror fans to be one of the best (and bloodiest) film versions of Gaston Leroux’s chilling tale.

RE-ISSUES

If you love Fifty Shades of Gray, you might want to (re-)visit some of the soft-core classics directed by French auteur, Just Jaeckin  and starring Sylvia Kristel.  It’s not Emmanuelle, but Olive Films has released a new Blu-Ray transfer of Jaeckin’s take of the D.H. Lawrence classic, Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
More nudity in this one, folks!

If you want your titillation served with lots of energy but more demure clothing choices, Olive is also releasing Beach Blanket Bingo and Muscle Beach Party (starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello) on Blu-Ray.  Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles and Peter Lorre (!) appear amidst the bikinis and beefcake.

Want to see the beach get destroyed by bikers?  Watch Wild Angels [Blu-ray].  Directed by B-movie king Roger Corman and featuring Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra and Bruce Dern, it was the first movie to feature the Hell’s Angels and inaugurated the ‘youth-in-revolt’ genre.  Behind the scenes crew members included soon-to-be-legendary filmmakers Monte Hellman and Peter Bogdanovich.

F.I.S.T [Blu-ray] was Sylvester Stallone’s first follow-up film to Rocky.  He plays Johnny Kovak (loosely based on Jimmy Hoffa), a blue-collar worker who becomes involved in the labor union leadership of the Federation of Inter-State Truckers (F.I.S.T.)  He compromises his principles, making illegal deals to help expand the union’s influence.  The superlative supporting cast includes Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle and Brian Dennehy.  This Blu-Ray release includes interviews with director Norman Jewison and co-screenwriter Joe Eszterhas.

 

INDIE

Festival favorite Lilting stars Ben Whishaw (aka 007’s Q) as Richard, a man who reaches out to his deceased partner’s mother — a Cambodian refugee living in London.  This attentive film shows their attempts to bridge divides — age, culture, sexuality and language — after losing the man they both loved.

 

The Homesman  Tommy Lee Jones directed and stars in this Western about a man traveling east with a wagon-ful of ‘mad women.’

In Your Eyes  A telepathic love story written by Joss Whedon and directed by Brian Hill.

 

FOREIGN

Stray Dogs [Blu-ray]

Tsia Ming-liang announced his retirement from filmmaking upon winning the Venice Film Festival’s Grand Jury prize for this film.  His use of long takes immerses viewers in the story of a man and his two young children struggling to survive on the streets of Taipei.  The Blu-Ray also includes a short film, Journey to the West, a conversation with Tsai Ming-Liang about filmmaking, and an essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum.

Le Pont du Nord [Blu-ray] (Rivette)
From Jacques Rivette, this cinematic puzzle features two women playing a cabalistic game, following a map that brings them to perilous points of time and space throughout Paris’ arrondissements.

DOCUMENTARY

Terms and Conditions May Apply   Want to learn more about how you are selling your soul to billion-dollar corporations?  This documentary will tell you about all the rights you’re giving away online, whenever you click ‘Agree’.

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For months now, I’ve been tunneling deeper and deeper into the week’s Blu-Ray and DVD releases — and consuming more and more airtime.  Now that our website’s been resurrected, here’s my first attempt at providing a weekly on-line reference that will serve as your very own rabbit-hole.  You will find a range of categories: Anime, (New to) Blu-Ray, Criterion, Documentary, Fantastic Fest, Foreign, Genre, Indie & TV.  Please click on our Amazon link for any purchases you may make — (many of these releases are also available now on Amazon Instant Video) — and send some coin our way!

INDIES

Justin Simien’s satire about college campus race relations, “Dear White People”, won a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at Sundance Film Festival 2014.  The film had a highly successful Indiegogo campaign, where Simien spoke of his desire to launch a new wave of “Black Art-House” cinema, last seen in the heyday of Spike Lee and John Singleton.  He succeeded wildly when “Dear White People” earned a record box office take for a crowdfunded film — dethroning Zach Braff’s “Wish I Was Here”.

Buy Dear White People on Amazon

 

“The Retrieval” — This stunning-looking period piece played too few theaters.  Set in 1864, it is the story of Will, an orphan in the employ of white bounty hunters, who’s sent to retrieve a wanted freedman or face death.  Director Chris Eske’s interview with Filmmaker Magazine contains many insights into the casting, costuming and CGI efforts required to recreate the period.

Get The Retrieval on [Blu-ray]

In Starred Up, a young offender (Jack O’Connell) gets transferred to the same jailhouse where his father (Ben Mendelsohn) is held.  O’Connell’s intensely physical character work anchors this acclaimed film (Rotten Tomato fresh ranking: 99%) and showcases the qualities that made him one of 2014’s breakout stars.  (He also played Louis Zamperini in “Unbroken.”)   Directed by David Mackenzie.

Buy Starred Up on Amazon

Alexandra Essoe’s role in Starry Eyes is another breakout performance — one that breaks skin and bone and spills a lot of blood depicting the travails of a striving Hollywood actor who promises to do anything for a truly transformative part.

Shop for Starry Eyes on [Blu-ray]

The Disappearance of Elanor Rigby, starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, is an ambitious triptych depicting a marriage under strain from different viewpoints — similar in theme to Showtime’s series, The Affair.  It was originally released as two films, Him and Her, then re-edited at the behest of Harvey Weinstein into a single film: Them.  The multiple variations may have proved daunting to track down in cinemas, but should prove a worthwhile undertaking in the home theater.

Get The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby on BD/UV [Blu-ray]

FOREIGN

Boys (Jongens) A Dutch coming-out story that subverts the traditional arc by making the main protagonist, Sieger, the one who tries to quash his inclinations.  The story succeeds most in its depiction of Sieger’s misbegotten romance with a young woman, Jessica.

Click here to bring “Boys” home.

Once Upon A Time, Veronica This sensual sleeper film from Brazil, about a female mental health therapist who begins questioning the meaning of her own life, was inspired by the works of Ingmar Bergman and Mike Leigh.  Filmed in the port city of Recife, it features an acclaimed performance by Hermila Guedes as Veronica, along with award-winning cinematography and score.

Order Once Upon a Time Veronica on DVD

 

ANIME
Coppelion (Blu-Ray/DVD Combo) Anime series about three genetically engineered teenage girls who enter into a post-holocaust Tokyo  to rescue those who were left behind.

Get Coppelion: The Complete Series (BD Combo) [Blu-ray]

Three Studio Ghibli/Disney combo Blu-Ray/DVD releases include works from recently ‘retired’ master animators, Isao Takahata (whose The Tale of Princess Kaguya is nominated for Best Animated Film) and Hayao Miyazaki.

Get The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Blu-ray + DVD)

Takahata’s Pom Poko (1994) has a community of shape-shifting tanuki (raccoon dogs) fighting to protect their forest homes from encroaching suburban development.  Note: tanuki are not raccoons.  They are adorable raccoon dogs that have bulging pouches (where they store their nuts).  They also make for adorable sake and tea sets.

Get Pom Poko [Blu-ray]

 

Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso (1992) tells of a porcine ex-WWI fighter pilot who fights sky pirates during the rise of Fascism.  It features many of Miyazaki’s dazzling aerial sequences.

Get Porco Rosso [Blu-ray]

Finally, Tales from Earthsea (2006), the debut directorial undertaking of Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro, makes its Blu-Ray debut.  Adapted from Ursula K. LeGuin’s series.

Get Tales From Earthsea [Blu-ray]

I also recommend The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness for insight into Studio Ghibli’s history, workings and uncertain future…

Buy Kingdom of Dreams & Madness from Amazon

GENRE

ABCs of Death 2: A series of short films featuring shocking methods of death that progress alphabetically.  The first film quickly evolved into a parlour game for gore-hounds.  Each film gets its title ‘post-mortem’, as it were — allowing viewers the opportunity to guess the method of dispatch.  I felt ABCs 2 was an improvement upon the original when I saw it at Fantastic Fest (but see the first for Xavier Gens’ ‘XXL’!)
Buy ABCs of Death 2 [Blu-ray]
Check out the NSFW trailer:

John Wick: This Keanu Reeves action flick made a great impression at its Fantastic Fest premiere.  Directed by Reeves’ former stunt double, it features cleanly choreographed action sequences and a fantastically realized world where hitmen are their own caste.  This film bests ‘The Raid 2’ for efficient, yet colorful, kick-ass martial arts action.
Buy John Wick [Blu-ray]
And if you’re looking for great pulp noir heroes, I still cannot recommend Charlie Huston’s Hank Thompson
and Joe Pitt book series highly enough!

Exists Eduardo Sanchez co-directed ‘The Blair Witch Project’, basically creating the ‘found-footage’ horror genre.  This well-reviewed film marks his return to, well, footage found in the woods — this time with Bigfoot!

Buy “Exists” from Amazon

Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage: OMG, this looks so bad = awesome = really, really bad.  But maybe super awesome!?  Stiff acting, stop motion animation and CGI combine to tell the story of ‘Sanbad’s’ fifth voyage.  You know — two before the one documented by Ray Harryhausen.  Giant Flick’s film features voice work from Patrick Stewart, and it was filmed in ‘Super Animotion’!

Get Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage on DVD

*DARK MATTERS
The Demon’s Rook Director James Sizemore demonstrates that one needs no more than a fog machine, a woodsy backyard, some spooky synth work, and brilliant latex practical effects to make all hell break loose in this neon-lit homage to 80s Italian giallo.  Also check out ‘Goat Witch‘.

Buy Demon’s Rook on Amazon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9pY5xGa1Pc

CRITERION

Every Man for Himself (Directed by Jean-Luc Godard; Starring Jacques Dutronc, Isabelle Huppert & Nathalie Baye)

Jean-Luc Godard continues to re-shape modern cinema, as evidenced by the National Society of Film Critics’ selection of his 3-D film essay, Goodbye To Language as 2014’s best film.  Criterion presents one of his earlier ‘returns’ to narrative-based cinema — a movie about ‘sex, work and the stunted promise of the sixties.’  Richard Linklater presented a screening of “Every Man” at the Austin Film Society.  Vincent Canby of the New York Times decreed it “a tonic…a single seamless endeavor, a stunning, original work…(that) will outlive us all.”

Get Every Man For Himself on [Blu-ray]

DOCUMENTARIES

Video Games: The Movie  Produced by Zach Braff, (making his second appearance in this column: Hi, Zach!)  Check out our interview with director Jeremy Snead here!
Buy Video Games: The Movie

The Case Against 8 A Sundance and SXSW festival winner, this HBO Documentary presents the behind-the-scenes story of two couples’ battle to overturn California’s Proposition 8 before the Supreme Court.  Direct access to their unlikely legal team of Ted Olson and David Boies (opposing sides in the Supreme Court’s infamous Bush v. Gore recount case) provides an interesting angle.
Buy The Case Against 8

The Overnighters (Drafthouse): Another heralded Sundance winner (for Intuitive Filmmaking!) Migratory workers hunting for fracking jobs in a small North Dakota town find a place of refuge in the local Lutheran church.  But the pastor’s attempt at outreach brings cries of outrage from his embattled congregation and community.  Director Jesse Moss’ ’embedded’ approach brings an intimate touch to a deeply American story of religion, economics and environment.  The film reportedly culminates in a stunning surprise ending.  Released by Drafthouse Films.
Buy The Overnighters on Amazon

Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic A briskly-paced BBC Four/Showtime biographical documentary about Richard Pryor.  Directed by Marina Zenovich (‘Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired’)
Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic [Blu-ray]

TV SERIES

Black Omnibus: James Earl Jones hosted this 1973 public television series, filmed in Los Angeles during the same period as the Wattstax music festival.  It features an eclectic range of interviews and performances with prominent African-American musicians, comedians and other cultural figures, including the afore-mentioned Richard Pryor, as well as Alex Haley, Rufus Thomas, Taj Mahal, and many more. (Four discs, 13 episodes.)
Get Black Omnibus on Amazon

The Wonder Years: Season 2: Rewatch the series and add your own nostalgic monologue!
Get Wonder Years Season 2 (4DVD)

BLU-RAY DEBUTS

About Schmidt (Jack Nicholson; Directed by Alexander Payne)
An American Tail(Fievel!)
Diner (You ever get the feeling there’s something going on that we don’t know about?  Watch this movie and learn how it changed pop culture!)
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story [Blu-ray](Jason Scott Lee)
Kull the Conqueror(Kevin Sorbo)
Love & Basketball [Blu-ray] (Omar Epps & Sanaa Lathan; Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood; “Beyond the Lights”
Lust For Life (Kirk Douglas; Directed by Vicente Minnelli)