Arrow Video USA packs a MASSACRE GUN (review)

Jo Shishido (A COLT IS MY PASSPORT) plays a hitman who goes to war with his former boss and his former friend when they try to intimidate his brothers in this Nikkatsu production from the director of BLACK TIGHT KILLERS and ASSAULT! JACK THE RIPPER.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video (US/UK) Region ALL Blu-ray/Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

MASSACRE GUN Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 1.0 mono
• DVD: 
• Optional English subtitles
• Tony Rayns on Nikkatsu Studios
• Interview with Jo Shishido
• Theatrical Trailer
• Promotional Gallery

Film Movement presents GOD'S SLAVE (Review)

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

GOD'S SLAVE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• Spanish/French Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Cast and Crew Interviews
• Behind the Scenes
• Short film "Mochsom"
• Theatrical Trailer
• Film Movement Trailers

More Film Movement reviews at Update the Tags: Film Movement.

Film Movement prays for THE NUN (review)

In this lush adaptation of the Denis Diderot novel, Suzanne is forced into a convent by her family.  At first, she refuses her vows until she learns that she is an illegitimate child and has few prospects in the outside world.  When the understanding Mother Superior dies and is replaced by a cold and bullying one, Suzanne appeals to a lawyer to help her annul her vows so she can find her calling in the outside world.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE NUN DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles (and closed captioning)
• Theatrical Trailer
• Film Movement Trailers

More Film Movement reviews at Update the Tags: Film Movement.

Strand Releasing swims FUTURO BEACH (review)

When Brazilian fire brigade officer Donato and German dirt biker Konrad come together over the failed rescue of Konrad's army buddy, guilt and grief lead to a one night stand.  As their attraction develops, Donato impulsively leaves his job, his mother, and his hero-worshipping kid brother behind to join Konrad in Germany.  Even when the two become estranged from one another, Donato stays in Berlin and builds a new life, only to be confronted years later by his grown and angry brother about his abandonment.

REVIEW LINK: Strand Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

FUTURO BEACH DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Portuguese/German/English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English Subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Strand Releasing Trailers

More Strand Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Strand Releasing.

Arrow Video USA investigates THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MISS OSBOURNE (review)

Walerian Borowczyk's hardest-to-see THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MISS OSBOURNE (aka THE BLOOD OR DR. JEKYLL or DR. JEKYLL AND HIS WOMEN) hits Blu-ray and DVD simultaneously in the US and UK courtesy of Arrow Video.  Udo Kier plays Dr. Jekyll who discovers a drug that allows him to tap into his darker, bestial side in the form of Mr. Hyde.  When his theories are challenged and ridiculed, he decides to unleash Mr. Hyde upon the guests at his engagement party including his lovely bride-to-be Fanny (Marina Pierro).  Howard Vernon and Patrick Magee also star.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video (US/UK) Region ALL Blu-ray/Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MISS OSBOURNE Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen
• English and French LPCM 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• English and French Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles for both audio tracks
•  Audio Commentary featuring an archival interview with director Walerian Borowczyk and new interviews with cinematographer Noel Very, editor Khadicha Bariha, assistant Michael Levy, and filmmaker Noel Simsolo, moderated by Daniel Bird
• Short Films:
• "Happy Toy" (1979)
• "Himorogi" (2012)
• Interviews:
• actor Udo Keir
• actress Marina Pierro
• Alessio Piero on "Himorogi"
• assistant Sarah Mallinson on Walerian Borowczyk and Peter Foldes
• Documentaries and Essays:
• Appreciation by Michael Brooke
• "Phantasmagoria of the Interior" by Adrian martin and Christina Alvarez Lopez
• "Eyes That Listen" by composer Bernard Parmegiani
• "Return to Méliès: Borowczyk and Early Cinema"
• Theatrical Trailer with music in place of lost French soundtrack, with English voiceover from UK video trailer "The Bloodbath of Dr. Jekyll", or with optional commentary by editor Khadicha Bariha
• Reversible sleeve with artwork based on Borowczyk's own poster design
• A booklet with new writing on the film by Daniel Bird and archive materials, illustrated with rare stills

Docurama presents THE SIMON WIESENTHAL COLLECTION (review)

Docurama's mammoth eleven-disc THE SIMON WIESENTHAL combines eleven of the twelve Moriah Films productions from the Simon Wiesenthal Center that feature some of the most exhaustive and comprehensive research into Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust including the Academy Award-winning documentaries GENOCIDE and THE LONG WAY HOME.  Featuring narration from Orson Welles, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Douglas, Ben Kingsley, Sandra Bullock, David Paymer, Kevin Costner, Leonard Nimoy, and Christoph Waltz and music by Elmer Bernstein, Carl Davis, and Lee Holdridge.

REVIEW LINK: Docurama/Cinedigm (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

THE SIMON WIESENTHAL COLLECTION DVD specs:

• Disc 1: Genocide (1982)
• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 2: Echoes That Remain (1991)
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 3: Liberation (1994)
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 4: The Long Way Home (1997)
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 5: In Search of Peace (2001)
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 6: Unlikely Heroes (2003)
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 7: Ever Again (2006)
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 8: I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal (2007)
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 9: Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny (2010) 
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 10: It Is No Dream: The Life of Theodore Herzl (2012)
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc 11: The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers (2013)
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning

Vinegar Syndrome presents SUPERSOUL BROTHER (Review)

SUPERSOUL BROTHER, an obscure Flordia-lensed blaxploitation film, gets a resurrection courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome and the American Genre Film Archive.  Having limited success developing a super-strength drug to use for a diamond heist, the drug's investors decide to use a disposable wino from the ghetto as a guinea pig.  "Wildman" Steve is no ordinary wino, and the drug makes him a super lover.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

SUPERSOUL BROTHER DVD specs:

• 2K scan of 35mm American Genre Film Archive archival print
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Vinegar Syndrome tells THE NEW EROTIC ADVENTURES OF CASANOVA (review)

John Holmes plays another century's greatest lover (and snorts a lot of blow) in Carlos Tobalina's pair of oddball period pieces.  The insatiable Casanova seduces women throughout eighteenth century Paris and sires Don Juan who plows his way through Spain.  Somewhere down the line John inherits his ancestors' prowess and takes on America.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

THE NEW EROTIC ADVENTURES OF CASANOVA/CASANOVA II DVD specs:

• 2K scans of the original 35mm camera negatives
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen presenations
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono audio
• Theatrical Trailers for both films

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Revolver Entertainment flies with FANTAIL (review)

In the New Zealand drama FANTAIL, Tania believes she is Maori and embraces the culture despite her blond hair and blue eyes in contrast to the looks of her younger brother Pi who is falling under the influence of his criminal friends.  She works the night shift at a convenience store and caring for her diabetic mother by day to save money to take her and her brother to Surfers Paradise to find their absent dad, but her attempt to be a hero may lead to tragedy in the manner of her favorite Maori children's tale.

REVIEW LINK: Revolver Entertainment (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

FANTAIL DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1

More Revolver Entertainment reviews at Review Archive: Revolver Entertainment.

Revolver Entertainment declares AN ACT OF WAR (review)

Nighttime theater projectionist Jacob Nicks is a war vet suffering from insomnia and undiagnosed PTSD.  Unable to connect with people apart from a handful he meets on his deadening daily routine and followed by a man in a trench coat with mysterious motives, Jacob is on his way over the edge.  When a series of betrayals isolate him further from the world, he becomes determined to take out the scum of the city on his own way out.

REVIEW LINK: Revolver Entertainment (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

AN ACT OF WAR DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo

More Revolver Entertainment reviews at Review Archive: Revolver Entertainment.

Big World Pictures goes CURLING (review)

Not a Canadian sports film, CURLING is a dark drama from Quebec about a man and his daughter who live in fearful solitude and the events that challenge their attempts to interact with the outside world.

REVIEW LINK: Big World Pictures (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

CURLING DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Burnt-in English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Big World Pictures Trailers

Well Go USA battles for SUPREMACY (Blu-ray review)

Inspired by true events, SUPREMACY is the story of Garrett Tully (Joe Anderson), a white supremacist out just one day from his fifteen year prison stint when he murders a black police officer.  He and his girlfriend (Dawn Olivieri) ditch their truck and take a black family hostage, but the father (Danny Glover) is also an ex-con and has an insight into the racist mindset and attempts to protect his family without violence.  Evan Ross and Anson Mount also star.

REVIEW LINK: Well Go USA (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SUPREMACY Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Behind the Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer

Entertainment One reads THE BOOK OF NEGROES (review)

In BET and CBC's epic six part miniseries adaptation of the Lawrence Hill novel THE BOOK OF NEGROES, young Aminata is stolen from Africa and enslaved in South Carolina.  As she escapes to New York and is caught up in the Revolutionary War, her intellect, compassion, and desire to return home influence the lives of others determined not to become slaves again on an exodus to Nova Scotia and then to Sierra Leone as they endeavor to live free.  Louis Gossett Jr., Cuba Gooding Jr., and Jane Alexander guest star.

REVIEW LINK: Entertainment One (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

THE BOOK OF NEGROES DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• English Closed Captioning
• Disc One:
• Episodes 1-3
• Featurettes: "Amistad" and "The Black Loyalists"
• Disc Two:
• Episodes 4-6
• Deleted Scenes (30 minutes)
• Disc Three:
• Interviews with the Cast and Crew (2 1/2 hours)
• Behind the Scenes
• Conversation with author Lawrence Hill
• Booklet by author Lawrence Hill

Tribeca Film rests BESIDE STILL WATERS (review)

In actor Chris Lowell's warm and comic directorial debut BESIDE STILL WATERS, Daniel has tragically lost both of his parents in a car accident and seeks to recapture more innocent days with his childhood friends during a weekend get-together at his family's lake house before it is foreclosed.  When his first love shows up with a fiance, his friends conspire to help him win her back only for secrets and resentments to rise to the surface as the booze flows and the party games get more aggressive.

REVIEW LINK: Tribeca Film/Cinedigm (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

BESIDE STILL WATERS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Audio Commentary by director Chris Lowell and producer Mohit Narang
• Behind the Scenes featurette
• Deleted Scenes
• Alternate Ending (with optional commentary)

Revolver Entertainment's ANGELS OF DARKNESS (review)

In this modern day telling of J. Sheridan Le Fanu's vampire story "Carmilla", an art historian and his troubled daughter Lara travel to the communist-controlled province of Styria to rescue a series of murals from a medieval castle about to be demolished.  When Lara rescues gypsy girl Carmilla from a car crash, the two begin a chaotic friendship that riles up local superstitions when crops whither and the local maidens go mad and become suicidal.

REVIEW LINK: Revolver Entertainment (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

ANGELS OF DARKNESS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.73:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo

Second Run DVD tastes Vera Chytilova's FRUIT OF PARADISE (DVD review)

Vera Chytilova's follow-up to DAISIES is an experimental retelling of the story of Adam and Eve (with a side of Bluebeard) in which Ewa and her husband Josef are wiling away holiday time at a boarding house when they encounter temptation from Robert, a devilishly charming fellow guest who may also be a literal ladykiller.

REVIEW LINK: Second Run DVD (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

FRUIT OF PARADISE DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• Czech Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Short film "Ceiling (Strop)"
• 20-page booklet by author/film programmer Peter Hames

More Second Run DVD reviews at Update the Tags: Second Run DVD.

Scream Factory mounts an ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (review)

Snake Plissken blasts his way back onto Blu-ray in this Scream Factory special edition.  When Air Force One is hijacked and the President's escape pod crashes in the middle of the Manhattan Island prison, outlaw Snake Plissken is sent in to rescue him and recover a valuable audio tape recording to avert nuclear war.  Kurt Russell, Adrienne Barbeau, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Atkins, Charles Cyphers, and Isaac Hayes star in John Carpenter's action classic.

REVIEW LINK: Scream Factory/Shout! Factory (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by actress Adrienne Barbeau and director of photography Dean Cundey
• Audio Commentary by director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell
• Audio Commentary by producer Debra Hill and production designer Joe Alves
• "Big Challenges in Little Manhattan: The Visual Effects of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK"
• "Scoring the Escape: A Discussion with composer Alan Howarth"
• "On Set with John Carpenter: The Images of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK"
• "I Am Taylor" an interview with actor Joe Unger
• "My Night on Set" interview with filmmaker David DeCoteau
• Deleted Scene: The Original Opening Bank Robbery Sequence (with optional audio commentary by
• John Carpenter and Kurt Russell)
• "Return to Escape from New York" featurette
• 2 Theatrical Trailers
• Movie Stills and Behind the Scenes Photos Gallery
• Posters and Lobby Cards Gallery
• Slipcover
• Reversible Cover

More Scream Factory reviews at Review Archive: Scream Factory.

Vinegar Syndrome treats LITTLE SISTERS' POWDER BURNS (review)

In this double billing of extremely rare Alex de Renzy (PRETTY PEACHES) films, a mother encounters lesbians, gay monks, crossdressers, and more as she attempts to rescue her daughters from pirates in the hippie fairy tale LITTLE SISTERS.  POWDER BURNS is a meta-western in which the Sewerpipe Creek sheriff hits upon a plan to fleece the outlaw McNasty Brothers of their money and collect the reward on them for their capture with the help of a topless dancer.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

LITTLE SISTERS/POWDER BURNS DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Parade Deck Films is trapped IN THE HOUSE OF FLIES (review)

In this throwback eighties thriller, young couple Steven and Heather are drugged and wake up in a tiny basement cell at the mercy of a sadistic captor (voiced by Henry Rollins) who engages them in a series of games and challenges for food and slim chances of escape.  From the director of IF A TREE FALLS.

REVIEW LINK: Parade Deck Films (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

IN THE HOUSE OF FLIES DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.00:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Behind the Scenes
• World Premiere: Spain
• Deleted Scenes
• Trailer

Moderncine gets MALIGNANT (review)

CHILD'S PLAY's Brad Dourif plays a mad doctor who has some very unusual methods of treating addictions, whether his patients like it or not, in MALIGNANT (from the director of DARK REMAINS).

REVIEW LINK: Moderncine (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

MALIGNANT DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• "Surgery for the Soul" behind the scenes featurette

Scream Factory summons forth GHOULIES (review)

Scream Factory presents a double bill of Empire Pictures' first tiny terrors.  In GHOULIES, a college student inherits his family home and discovers his late father's interest in the occult.  He calls forth a gaggle of tiny demons that terrorize his friends on a night to remember.  In GHOULIES II, the ghoulies are let loose in a spook house, mutilating obnoxious visitors while simultaneously making it the top attraction at the carnival.

REVIEW LINK: Scream Factory (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

GHOULIES/GHOULIES II Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen transfers of both films
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo tracks on both films
• Optional English subtitles on both films
• Audio Commentary by director Luca Bercovici on GHOULIES
• "From Toilets to Terror: The Making of GHOULIES" featurette
• "More Toilets, More Terror: The Making of GHOULIES II" (16:50)
  Alternate Scenes for GHOULIES II
• Theatrical Trailers for both films
• Still Galleries for both films

More Scream Factory reviews at Review Archive: Scream Factory.

Cinedigm shows up for THE SHIFT (review)

Danny Glover guest stars in this tense medical drama about the conflict between a veteran nurse whose idea of what's best for the patient includes letting them die and a trainee who wants to save patients at whatever costs.

REVIEW LINK: Cinedigm/Random Media (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE SHIFT DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• English Closed Captioning

Cinedigm reveals WOLFY: THE INCREDIBLE SECRET (review)

Orphaned Wolfy has grown up in the Land of Rabbits with his best friend Tom.  When gypsy witch Cornelia reveals that Wolfy's mother was the Princess of Wolfenberg, Wolfy and Tom head to Wolfenberg to find her.  Unfortunately they arrive on the eve of the La Carne Festival when "longfangs" hunt and eat herbivorous "nofangs" and the current prince is not happy about their presence.  Based on the French "Loulou" children's books by Grégoire Solotareff.

REVIEW LINK: Cinedigm/Random Media (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

WOLFY: THE INCREDIBLE SECRET DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• English Closed Captioning 

Ketchup Entertainment hijacks HARLOCK: SPACE PIRATE (review)

In Toei's big screen animated adaptation of Leiji Matsumoto's manga series, space pirate Harlock travels the galaxy raiding supply ships and salvaging failed colonies, but a new recruit discovers his real intentions for the Earth which has become an off-limits sanctuary to protect its beauty and resources from being recolonized.

REVIEW LINK: Ketchup Entertainment (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

HARLOCK: SPACE PIRATE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English Subtitles

Vinegar Syndrome falls for LITTLE MISS INNOCENCE, a TEENAGE SEDUCTRESS (review)

Porn producer Chris Warfield directs this duo of R-rated softcore features.  In LITTLE MISS INNOCENCE, a middle-aged musician makes the mistake of picking up two comely hitchhikers who make their way into his bed and want to stay there.  Sandy Dempsey, Judy Medford, and John Alderman star.  Photographed by Ray Dennis Steckler.  In TEENAGE SEDUCTRESS, a woman whose father abandoned her as a child tracks him down with the goal of seducing him.  Sondra Currie stars.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

LITTLE MISS INNOCENCE/TEENAGE SEDUCTRESS DVD specs:

• Mastered from 2K scans of the original 35mm camera negatives 
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0
• Alternate title card for LITTLE MISS INNOCENCE
• Theatrical Trailers for both film

More Vinegar Syndrome reviews at Update the Tags: Vinegar Syndrome.

Strand Releasing seeks sanctuary with the SALVATION ARMY (review)

It is a difficult life for a gay teenager in Morocco, especially in a traditional Muslim family with a superstitious and manipulative mother and a seemingly mild-mannered but violently unpredictable father.  Looking for love in all the wrong places, Abdellah's one constant is the stability his self-assured older brother brings to the family situation.  When his brother runs off with a waitress, Abdellah must search for a means of spiritual and sexual freedom.

REVIEW LINK: Strand Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

SALVATION ARMY DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.81:1 widescreen
• Arabic/French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Strand Releasing Trailers 

More Strand Releasing reviews at Update the Tags: Strand Releasing.

Scream Factory digs DEEP IN THE DARKNESS (review)

When Dr. Michael Cayle and his family quit New York for peaceful Ashborogh, they soon discover that there is something very wrong with this perfect community and it lurks in the woods demanding sacrifices.

REVIEW LINK: Scream Factory/Shout! Factory (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

DEEP IN THE DARKNESS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Meet the Makers
• Trailer
• TV Spots

More Scream Factory reviews at Review Archive: Scream Factory.

Big World Pictures tells A TALE OF WINTER (review)

In Eric Rohmer's nineties four seasons quartet entry A TALE OF WINTER, Felice and Charles have a whirlwind holiday romance but lose contact due to a mix-up.  They come back into each others considerably more complicated lives years later and must decide between pursuing a relationship or remaining true to their current partners.

REVIEW LINK: Big World Pictures (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

A TALE OF WINTER DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Theatrical Trailer
• Big World Pictures Trailers

Raro Video USA transforms the WEREWOLF WOMAN (review)

Psychologically shattered by a childhood trauma, Daniela Nasseri has lived in seclusion with her father on their country estate.  When she discovers that her lookalike medieval ancestress was a werewolf who was burned at the stake, she starts to suffer vivid nightmares of sex and bloodshed.  When her sister brings home a virile husband from the states, her libido is aroused as well as her bloodlust.  BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE DEVILS' Annik Borel, HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY's Dagmar Lassander, THE CAT O'NINE TAILS' Tino Carraro, NEW YORK RIPPER's Howard Ross, and EAGLES OVER LONDON's Frederick Stafford star in this sexy horror film from DEPORTED WOMEN OF THE SS SPECIAL SECTION's Rino Di Silvestro.  Also known as LEGEND OF THE WOLF WOMAN.

REVIEW LINK: Raro Video USA (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDBeaver)

WEREWOLF WOMAN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 VC-1 1.85:1 widescreen
• Italian and English LPCM 2.0 mono tracks
• Optional English subtitles 
• Interview with director Rino di Silvestro
• English and Italian Theatrical Trailers

Well Go USA seeks VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN (Blu-ray review)

Brothers Natee and Tara have been raised by their mechanic uncle since their parents were mysteriously killed.  When Natee seeks the truth behind the murders, he ends up training as a top assassin to take vengeance on the perpetrators.  When he foils the kidnapping of a politician's pretty daughter, he brings down the wrath of a crime family on himself and his loved ones in this film from the choreography of ONG BAK and the director of ONG BAK 2 and 3.

REVIEW LINK: Well Go USA (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

VENGEANCE OF AN ASSASSIN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• Thai DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Trailer

Mondo Macabro stalks THE FAN (review)

Seventeen and obsessed with a pop star... and batshit crazy!  Simone worships musician R and waits in vain for him to respond to her love letters.  When he does not reply, she starts to believe that jealous people are trying to keep them apart.  She packs a bag and hitches to Munich to meet him in the flesh, (and to get under it in this eighties German arthouse shocker.

REVIEW LINK: Mondo Macabro (US) Region ALL Blu-ray/Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

THE FAN Blu-ray/DVD combo:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• German and English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono tracks
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• German and English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono tracks
• Optional English subtitles
• Interview with director Eckhart Schmidt
• "Rheingold and the German New Wave" essay
• About the Film essay
• Cast and Crew Filmographies
• More from Mondo Macabro

More Mondo Macabro reviews at Update the Tags: Mondo Macabro.

Disney ventures INTO THE WOODS (review)

REVIEW LINK: Disney (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

INTO THE WOODS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
• French, Spanish, and Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English, English SDH, Cantonese, French, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish (Latin), and Thai subtitles
• Deleted Song "She'll Be Back"
• Behind the Scenes Featurettes:
• "There's Something About the Woods" featurette
• "The Cast as Good as Gold"
• "Deeper into the Woods" four-part featurette
• Music & Lyrics
• Digital HD Copy

Grindhouse Releasing is GONE WITH THE POPE (review)

Duke Mitchell's follow-up to MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE in which a group of ex-cons decide to kidnap the pope and ransom him for "a dollar from every Catholic" never saw the theater screens and sat unfinished in the care of his son musician Jeffery Mitchell until the nineties when Sage Stallone and award-winning editor Bob Murawski (THE HURT LOCKER) set about restoring the passion project over a fifteen year period.  Now it hits Blu-ray and DVD from Grindhouse Releasing with a bevy of extras to accompany this oddball exploitation film from the star of BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA!

REVIEW LINK: Grindhouse Releasing (US) Region ALL Blu-ray/Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

GONE WITH THE POPE Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 1.0 mono
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1, 2.0 stereo, and 1.0 mono
• GONE WITH THE POPE - The Players - interviews with actors Joe Lo Bianco and John Murgia, editors Robert Florio and Bob Leighton, cinematographer Robert Santoro, and Mitchell family friend Matt Cimber
• Shooting GONE WITH THE POPE with Robert Santoro
• Restoring GONE WITH THE POPE
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Inserts
• "Frankie Carr and the Nov-Elites: Live in Vegas"
• Hollywood Premiere
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Galleries
• DVD-ROM: Script notes and screenplay, essay on the restoration
• Fold-out poster with essay by John Skipp on the reverse