Montage Pictures assists KILLS ON WHEELS (review)

In the blackly comic Hungarian thriller KILLS ON WHEELS, an ex-fireman who fell through a burning floor has become a hitman for the mafia.  He takes under his wing two disabled teenagers who use him as the inspiration for their comic book.  When his boss orders him to get rid of them, he must chose between his life and training them to fight back.

REVIEW LINK: Montage Pictures/Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray/Region 2 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

KILLS ON WHEELS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• Hungarian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Trailer

Lost Empire visits TALON FALLS (review)

Two young couples on fall break stumble upon the TALON FALLS haunted house attraction and think nothing of the express pass braceles given to them to bypass the huge line, but realize all too late that they are about to become part of the "interactive" exhibits.


REVIEW LINK: Lost Empire/MVD Visual (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

TALON FALLS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Behind the Scenes
• Trailer

MVD Visual visits BRACKENMORE (Review)

Having inherited a house belonging to an uncle she never knew, Kate travels to the remote Irish island of Brackenmore and discovers amidst their pagan traditions memories of a childhood she has only seen in her nightmares.

REVIEW LINK: MVD Visual (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

BRACKENMORE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.27:1 widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Stereo

Vinegar Syndrome hunts down FUGITIVE GIRLS (review)

Left to take the blame for a liquor store robbery in which the proprietor was killed, Dee is sent to a desert correctional facility for women.  Claimed by butch inmate Kat, she becomes the unwilling fifth wheel in a daring escape across the desert that leads to erotic and violent encounters with unwashed hippies, horny motorists, rapist bikers, and terrified farm couples in this grungy sexploitation work from A.C. Stephen scripted by Ed Wood Jr.

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

FUGITIVE GIRLS Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary by filmmaker Frank Henenlotter and Ed Wood biographer Rudolph Grey
• Archival Audio Interview with actress Tallie Cochrane conducted by Casey Scott
• Theatrical Trailer
• Promo Trailer
• Reversible Cover

Vinegar Syndrome takes LUCIFER'S WOMEN to DOCTOR DRACULA (Review)

John Wainwright gives up academia for the stage when he declares that he is the reincarnation of Svengali.  His publisher turns out to be a Satanist who needs him to draw a dancer name Trilby into his cult in order to allow them to replenish their psychic energy with a human sacrifice in this heretfore lost seventies sexploitation film.

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

LUCIFER'S WOMEN Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Interview with actor Paul Thomas
• Digital Essay by Samm Deighan
• Theatrical Trailer
• Alternate Television Version DOCTOR DRACULA reedited with additional scenes directed by Al Adamson
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary by producer/distributor Sam Sherman
• DVD Copy with both features and extras
• Reversible Cover

Arrow Video USA gives THE GRUESOME TWOSOME a taste of blood (review)

Herschell Gordon Lewis' THE GRUESOME TWOSOME are a mother and son running a boarding house whose unsuspecting female tenants serve as unwilling wig donors for mother's side business.  In the bonus feature A TASTE OF BLOOD, a Florida businessman learns that he is descended from Count Dracula who possesses him to take revenge on the descendents of his killers.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video USA (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

THE GRUESOME TWOSOME Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 pillarboxed fullscreen
• English LPCM 1.0 mono
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary with director Herschell Gordon Lewis, Mike Vraney from Something Weird Video and Jimmy Maslon from Shock Films
• Introduction by Herschell Gordon Lewis
• "Peaches Christ Flips her Wig!" interview with performer Peaches Christ
• Theatrical Trailer
• Radio Spots
• Bonus Feature: A Taste of Blood
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 pillarboxed fullscreen
• English LPCM 1.0 mono
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary with producer/director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Introduction by Herschell Gordon Lewis
• "It Came From Florida" interview with filmmmaker Fred Olen Ray
• "Herschell vs The Censors" interview with Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible Cover 

Kino Lorber contracts KILLS ON WHEELS (review)

In the blackly comic Hungarian thriller KILLS ON WHEELS, an ex-fireman who fell through a burning floor has become a hitman for the mafia.  He takes under his wing two disabled teenagers who use him as the inspiration for their comic book.  When his boss orders him to get rid of them, he must chose between his life and training them to fight back.

REVIEW LINK: Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

KILLS ON WHEELS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• Hungarian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Deleted Scenes
• Making-of
• Trailer

Montage Pictures hires THE HOUSEMAID (review)

In French-occupied Vietnam, Linh travels from her village to the Sa-Cat looking for a job.  Hired as a housemaid, she learns of the plantation's haunted past including the ghosts of tortured workers and the wife of her French employer who went mad and committed suicide.  As Linh gets closer to her employer, it appears as if vengeful ghost is targeting her and anyone else who comes between her and her husband.

REVIEW LINK: Montage Pictures/Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray/Region 2 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

THE HOUSEMAID Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• Vietnamese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer

Scorpion Releasing choreographs ETOILE (Review)

Before BLACK SWAN, Jennifer Connelly had her psyche fractured by the world of ballet as a young dancer who goes to Budapest to audition at a prestigious academy only to fall under the supernatural spell of a choreographer who wants to restage a version of "Swan Lake" that ended in the death of its star a century before.

REVIEW LINK: Scorpion Releasing (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

ETOILE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Interview with director Peter Del Monte
• Interview with producer Claudio Mancini
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews

Available from Ronin Flix.

Redemption Films avenges THE DIABOLICAL DR. Z (review)

Jess Franco put yet another spin on his Dr. Orloff saga with this tale of a devoted daughter who avenges her professor father's death on the doctors who ridiculed his theories by brainwashing a nightclub performer named Miss Death and sending her out to seduce and kill.

REVIEW LINK: Redemption Films/Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

THE DIABOLICAL DR. Z Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen
• English and French LPCM 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Tim Lucas
• Theatrical Trailer

Arrow Academy seeks THE WITCHES (review)

Dino De Laurentiis hired a roster of famous Italian directors and an all-star cast for this anthology film showcasing the talents of his wife Silvana Mangano, the former Miss Rome.  She plays a glamorous actress, a flighty socialite, a Sicilian belle, a deaf-mute, and a bored housewife to nerdy Clint Eastwood in five stories by Luchino Visconti, Mauro Bolognini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Franco Rossi, and Vittorio de Sica.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Academy (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

THE WITCHES Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Tim Lucas
• Alternate English-dubbed Version with English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono audio and optional English SDH subtitles
• Reversible Cover featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Pasquale Iannone and Kat Ellinger

Arrow Video investigates PHENOMENA (review)

A vicious killer is stalking girls at a Swiss boarding school.  The police are baffled but an entomologist and a girl who has discovered she can communicate with insects may be able to find the killer if he does not get to them first.  Jennifer Connelly and Donald Pleasance star in Dario Argento's horror/thriller hybrid.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

PHENOMENA Blu-ray specs:

• 4K restoration of the long Italian cut
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen
• Italian and hybrid English/Italian audio tracks, both in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Troy Howarth
• "Of Flies and Maggots" two hour featurette with Dario Argento and other surviving cast and crew
• English Theatrical Trailer
• Italian Theatrical Trailer
• Music Video directed by Dario Argento
• Japanese Pressbook
• Reversible Cover

Montage Pictures envisions a NEW WORLD (review)

An undercover cop has risen through the ranks of a Korean gang over ten years hoping to retire when the corrupt chairman is murdered, but his cop handlers hope to use him to manipulate the outcome of the election of the chairman's successor between a flamboyant Chinese gangster and an arrogant Korean gangster, both violent and uncontrollable in this Korean thriller from the maker of THE TIGER.

REVIEW LINK: Montage Pictures/Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray/Region 2 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

NEW WORLD Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen
• Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews

Second Sight and THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES (review)

Long unseen in its original version, Sergei Parajanov's THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES charts the life of poet and troubador Sayat Nova through his birth, childhood, his ill-fated love of a princess, his ordination into the Armenian Christian church, and his execution by the invading Persian army in a series of wildy experimental and highly visual tableau that visualize the poet's inner world.

REVIEW LINK: Second Sight (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 pillarboxed fullscreen transfers of the restored Armenian version (79 minutes) and the Russian recut version (72 minutes)
• Georgian/Armenian LPCM 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Annotated Subtitle Commentary by academic James Steffens on the Armenian Version
• Audio Commentary by cultural anthropologist Levon Abrahamyan on the Russian Version
• Disc Two:
• Sergei Parajanov's short film "Kiev Frescoes" (with optional annotated subtitle commentary by Daniel Bird)
• "Poetry, Pomegranates and Parajanov" visual essay by Daniel Bird
• "Pomegranates Rediscovered" Cecilia Penciarelli of Bologna Cineteca on the multi-national efort to save the film
• "Free Parajnov!" Tony Rayns on the campaign to free Parajanov
• "The World is a Window: The Making of the Colour of Pomegranates" documentary (76 minuts)
• "Memories About Sayat Nova" Levon Grigoryan's documentary feature extracts from the rushes
• "Parajanov: A Requiem" documentary (59 minutes)
• Limited edition featuring a 114-page book featuring Martin Scorcese introduction, archive material, new writings, costume designs, storyboards and original literary script

Second Run roasts THE CREMATOR (review)

Juraj Herz's alternately chilling and absurd THE CREMATOR, Kopfrkingl takes great pride in his work and espouses the virtues of cremation to potential customers.  As the influence of the Nazi party begins to seep into Czech society, the increasingly unhinged master cremator may finally find appreciation for his skills and his craft.

REVIEW LINK: Second Run DVD (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE CREMATOR Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen
• Czech LPCM 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Diabolique magazine's Kat Ellinger
• The Proejction Booth Podcast with Mike White and Samm Deighan on the film
• Short Film "The Junk Shop"
• Introduction by The Quay Brothers
• 16-page booklet with an essay by Daniel Bird

Well Go USA pursues THE ADVENTURERS (review)

Andy Lau and Jean Reno star as master thief and relentless detective in this heist flick that takes a trio of thieves across Europe in search of three jewels that together make up a priceless treasure.

REVIEW LINK: Well Go USA (US) Region A Blu-ray/Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

THE ADVENTURERS Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• Mandarin/English/Russian DTS:X and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen
• Mandarin/English/Russian Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Making-of Featurettes
• Trailer
• Previews

Acorn Media mixes up LOVE, LIES AND RECORDS (review)

When Kate Dickinson is promoted to senior registrar of the Leeds Office of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, she is on top of the world until jealous co-worker Judy starts blackmailing her over a dalliance with handsome Rick, her daughter starts acting out, her stepson and his girlfriend move into the house, and co-worker James starts wearing women's clothes and wants to be called Jamie.  Other intrigue arrises as her long-term boyfriend Rob investigates a case of human trafficking that could be trying to utilize the office for sham marriages and a woman's body is pulled out of the river in this soapy comedy from Kay Mellor.

REVIEW LINK: Acorn Media/RLJ Entertainment (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

LOVE, LIES AND RECORDS DVD specs:

• Six episodes on two dual-layer DVDs
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English HoH subtitles
• Behind the Scenes
• Quick Fire Q and A
• Behind the Scenes Still Gallery
• Still Gallery

Film Movement crosses THE TEACHER (Review)

Every year, teacher Maria welcomes a new class of pupils, but she is far less interested in them as individuals than in what their parents do and what they can do for her.  Since she is the local chairwoman of the Communist Party, the children of helpful parents do well while the children of those who resist suffer in their grades and self-esteem.  As the parents meet to debate filing a formal complaint, the in-fighting, bullying, and intimidation mirror that of their children in the classroom in this wickedly clever comedy.

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

THE TEACHER DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• Slovak Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Short Film "Sacrilege"
• Trailers

Film Movement practices the HARMONIUM (review)

In Koji Fukada's HARMONIUM, the seemingly happy but empty family life of Toshio, wife Akie, and daughter Hotaru is upset and invigorated by the arrival of Toshio's childhood friend Yasaka who has just been released from prison after murdering a man.  As he worms his way into the family, Toshio starts to wonder if Yasaka resents what he has and is trying to take it from him.

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

HARMONIUM DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.66:1 widescreen
• Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• NYAFF interview with actor Kanji Furutachi
• Short Film "Birds"
• Trailers

Film Movement celebrates GLORY (review)

When railway worker Tzanko finds stolen money on the train tracks, his friends and colleagues think he is a fool for turning it in.  The transport minister, however, is eager to deflect attention from a scandal and hire a publicist to make a hero out of Tzanko who finds out too late that he is just a pawn in a game he is destined to lose.

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

GLORY DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• Bulgarian Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Short Film "Helium"
• Previews

Acorn Media investigates DETECTORISTS: SERIES 3 (Review)

Best friends Lance and Andy return to their metal detecting hunting grounds for a third series and face new challenges.  Not only does Andy hate his job, he is keeping secrets from his wife and mother-in-law while Lance is trying to sort out his personal life with his girlfriend, his daughter, and his ex.  Additionally, they discover that they stand to lose their allotted land to a solar energy farm just as they discover what seems to be a Roman burial site.

REVIEW LINK: Acorn Media/RLJ Entertainment (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

DETECTORISTS: SERIES 3 DVD specs:

• Six episodes on one dual-layer DVD
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• "Welcome to the Clubhouse" featurette
• "Mum's the Word" interview with actress Diana Rigg
• "Meeting Mackenzie Crook" interview
• "Meeting Sophie Thompson" interview
• Picture Gallery
• Behind the Scenes Galler

Film Movement rides with BAD LUCKY GOAT (Review)

When bickering siblings Cornelius and Rita run over a goat while running an errand, they attempt to fix their mother's truck without her knowing by selling off the goat piece by piece.  Unfortunately, they find more than bad juju on the road as the goat's gangster owner comes after them.

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

BAD LUCKY GOAT DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Creole Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Short Film "Miss World"
• Trailers

Strand Releasing's ALIAS MARIA (review)

ALIAS MARIA looks at armed conflict between guerillas and paramilitary troops from the perspective of child soldier Maria who is tasked with delivering the forbidden offspring of two soldiers to safety when she learns that she too is pregnant and does not want to give up her child.

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

ALIAS MARIA DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen
• Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews

Scream Factory gazes into the EYE OF THE CAT (review)

When globe-hopping playboy Wylie returns home to San Francisco, fetching hairdresser Kassia draws him into a plan to become the sole beneficiary of his dying aunt's fortune.  Unfortunately, she has left her money to her house full of stray cats.  Since Wylie is deathly afraid of the fleabags, replacing them in his aunt's affections may be harder than they think.  Michael Sarrazin, Gayle Hunnicutt, Eleanor Parker, and Tim Henry star.

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

EYE OF THE CAT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Full TV Broadcast Version in standard definition
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Radio Spot
• Reversible Cover

Arrow Video wields THE CAT O'NINE TAILS (review)

A scientist is pushed in front of a train days after someone breaks into the genetics institute in which he is conducting top secret experiments.  As the man's killer takes out subsequent victims, a blind crossword puzzle creator, his niece, and a young reporter try to piece together disparate clues to discover who the killer is and why he is killing in Dario Argento's follow-up to THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE.  Karl Malden, James Franciscus, and Catherine Spaak star.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video USA (US) Region A/B Blu-ray/Region 1/2 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

CAT O'NINE TAILS Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English and Italian LPCM 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English and Italian Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles for the Italian track and English SDH subtitles for the English track
• Audio Commentary by Dario Argento biographer Alan Jones and critic/writer Kim Newman
• Interview with director Dario Argento
• Interview with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti
• Interview with production manager Angelo Iacono
• Interview with actress Cinzia de Carolis (missing from the review copies due to an authoring error but will be present on the retail copies)
• Original Scripted Ending
• Trailers:
• Italian Theatrical Trailer
• International Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp
• A double-sided fold-out poster
• Four lobby card reproductions
• Limited edition booklet illustrated by Matt Griffin, featuring an essay on the film by Dario Argento, and new writing by Barry Forshaw, Troy Howarth, and Howard Hughes

Code Red plucks SEVEN BLOOD STAINED ORCHIDS (review)

When the "Half Moon Killer" targets a series of women, the survivor of one of his attacks and her husband carry on their own investigation while the police attempt to prevent the killer from reaching other prospective victims. Antonio Sabato, Marisa Mell, Uschi Glas, Marian Malfatti, and Pier Paolo Capponi star in this Umberto Lenzi giallo.

REVIEW LINK: Code Red/Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

SEVEN BLOOD STAINED ORCHIDS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Troy Howarth
• Interview with director Umberto Lenzi
• Archival Interviews with director Umberto Lenzi and actress Gabriella Giorgelli
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews