Vinegar Syndrome exposes ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU CHOU (review)

A young student is one of the many Japanese youths who seek escape in their worship of pop singer Lily Chou Chou but the pressures of the real world including bullying, theft, prostitution, and murder may be too much.  Director Sunji Iwai's masterpiece.

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

ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English Subtitles
• Feature-length making-of (88 minutes)
• About Film Movement
• Booklet by Stephen Cremin

Order from AMAZON!

Film Movement and Vinegar Syndrome prey on L'INNOCENTE (review)

Luchino Visconti's final film looks at nineteenth century hypocrisy when Tullio is unfaithful to his wife Giuliana with widowed young countess Teresa and only begins to desire his wife again when she has an affair of her own.  Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, Jennifer O'Neill, Massimo Girotti, and Marc Porel star.

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

L'INNOCENTE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen 
• Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono 
•  Optional English Subtitles 
•  "Reframing L'INNOCENTE" visual essay by Ivo Blom 
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Film Movement Trailers 
• Booklet by Dan Callahan  

Available directly from Vinegar Syndrome with a 1,000-copy limited special edition slipcover.

Film Movement and Vinegar Syndrome get BENT (review)

The 1997 screen adaptation of the 1979 Martin Sherman play looks at the forbidden intimacy between two gay men in a concentration camp during World War II.  Clive OWen, Lothaire Bluteau, Ian McKellan, and Mick Jagger star.

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

BENT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen 
• English LPCM 2.0 Stereo 
• Optional English SDH subtitles 
• Behind the Scenes 
• "Streets of Berlin" music video by Mick Jagger
  
• Cast Interviews
• Re-release Trailer 
• Original Trailer 
• Previews 
• Booklet by Steven Alan Carr 

Available directly from Vinegar Syndrome with a 1,000-copy limited edition slipcover.

Film Movement and Vinegar Syndrome gaze into THE REFLECTING SKIN (review)

Seth Dove is living the "nightmare of childhood" when he suspects his widowed neighbor is a vampire in Philp Ridley's disturbing British/Canadian "American Gothic" THE REFLECTING SKIN.  Viggo Mortensen, Lindsay Duncan, and Jeremy Cooper star.

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

THE REFLECTING SKIN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Philip Ridley
• "Angels and Atom Bombs" documentary featuring director Philip Ridley, cinematographer Dick Pope, actor Viggo Mortensen, and composer Nick Bicât
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailers
• Booklet by film historians Travis Crawford and Heather Hyche

Available directly from Vinegar Syndrome with a special limited edition spot gloss slipcover designed by Time Tomorrow limited to 2,000 units.

Or order from AMAZON!

Film Movement and Rainer Werner Fassbinder crack the case of KAMIKAZE 89 (review)

Filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder had his first film lead and final acting role in 1982's KAMIKAZE '89.  Loosely based on Per Wahlöö's "Murder on the 31st Floor", the film finds Fassbinder as alcoholic police lieutenant Jansen investigating a bomb threat against The Combine, the monolithic company that controls all arts, news, and entertainment for The Federal Republic of Germany.  He's got "ninety six hours to crack his last case... his time's already up."

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement/Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

KAMIKAZE 89 Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by producer Regina Ziegler
• Hour documentary "Rainer Werner Fassbinder: The Last year"
• Theatrical Trailer
• John Cassavetes' Radio Spots for KAMIKAZE 89
• Previews
• Booklet by Nick Pinkerton and Samuel B. Prime

Order from AMAZON!

Film Movement and Vinegar Syndrome cherish THAT MOST IMPORTANT THING: LOVE (review)

A down on his luck photographer meets a failed actress on a porn set and tries to foster her talent with tragic results in Polish exile Andrzej Zulawski's first French film.  Romy Schneider, Fabio Testi, Jacques Dutronc, and Klaus Kinski star.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement/Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

L'IMPORTANT C'EST D'AIMER Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• French and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Interview with director Andrzej Zulawski
• Theatrical Trailer
• About Film Movement
• Booklet by film historian Kat Ellinger 

Available directly from VINEGAR SYNDROME with a 1,000-copy special limited edition slipcover designed by Steak Mtn.

Also available without slipcover from AMAZON!

Film Movement Classics tails MOONLIGHTING WIVES through THE NAKED FOG (review)

From the "Ingmar Bergman of 42nd Street" comes a pair of salacious dramas.  The MOONLIGHTING WIVES are ambitious and take it upon themselves to run a prostitution ring to make a bit more than mere pin money.  THE NAKED FOG is the haze in which a struggling writer finds herself as she goes from one perverse relationship to another.

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

JOSEPH W. SARNO RETROSPECT SERIES #5 Blu-ray specs:

• Moonlighting Wives:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
• Audio Commentary by film historian Tim Lucas
• The Naked Fog:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
• Interview with writer/director Joe Sarno 
• Interview with cinematographer Jerry Kalogeratos
  

Film Movement crowns QUEEN OF GLORY (review)

Just as she is preparing to run off to Ohio to follow her married boyfriend, Ghanian-American moleculary biology student Sarah learns that her mother has passed away and left her a Christian bookstore.  While trying to tie up loose ends, Sarah finds herself unwillingly stepping into her mother's shoes and dealing with family and friends she never really knew, as well as her long-absent father.  Nana Mensah writes, directs, and stars.

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

QUEEN OF GLORY DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 Widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Audio Commentary by writer/director/actress Nana Mensah, producers Kelley Robins and Jamund Washington, and editor/co-producer Cooper Troxell
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Short Film "Da Yie" by Anthony Nii
• Trailers
  

Film Movement bids ADIEU GODARD (review)

Village elder Ananda spends all of his money buying illegal pornographic DVDs which he shows to his friends to the dismay of his wife and daughter.  When one of the DVDs turns out to be a Jean-Luc Godard film, Ananda becomes obsessed with the filmmaker and wants to bring his films to the villagers by throwing a film festival which will have drastic repurcussions for fall.

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

ADIEU GODARD DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 Widescreen
• Odia/Hindu/English/French Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailers
  

Film Movement spins the WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY (review)

Started before the Award Winning DRIVE MY CAR and finished during that production's COVID haitus, WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY has director Ryusuke Hamaguchi spinning three tales of fate and chance involving a love triangle with two models, a honey trap for a prestigious scholar, and an unusual reunion between two classmates.

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

WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English Subtitles
• Interview with writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi
• Theatrical Trailer
• "The Chicken" short film directed by Neo Sora
• Bonus Trailers
  

Cineventures' Best of 2020 Blu-ray and DVD List

With over two hundred reviews this year and even more worthy product, it was hard to narrow down my favorites to just ten. The two top ten releases consist of films making their Blu-ray debut while worthy upgrades are listed among the honorable mentions.

TOP TEN EXPLOITATION:

• TIE: DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS, Blue Underground (US) Region ALL 4K Blu-ray/Region ALL Blu-ray/CD Soundtrack and HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, Blue Underground (US) Region ALL Blu-ray/CD Soundtrack
• Daughters of Darkness available from Amazon 
• House by the Cemetery available from Amazon (also as Blu-ray 4K reissue)
• DAWN OF THE DEAD, Second Sight (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon (also as Blu-ray 4K edition).
• SEVEN WOMEN FOR SATAN, Mondo Macabro (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• SHIVERS, Vestron Video/Lionsgate (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• THE SIN OF NORA MORAN, The Film Detective (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• THE COMPLETE LENZI/BAKER GIALLO COLLECTION, Severin Films (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• MACABRE, 88 Films (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• THE BEAST AND THE MAGIC SWORD, Mondo Macabro (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• FORGOTTEN GIALLI: VOLUME 1, Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• MY BLOODY VALENTINE, Scream Factory/Shout! Factory (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• DEADLY MANOR, Arrow Video USA (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon. 
• MALABIMBA, Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• DREAM DEMON, Arrow Video USA (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• ASSIGNMENT TERROR, Scorpion Releasing (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Ronin Flix.
• SWEENEY!/SWEENEY 2, Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• TIE: NIGHT OF OPEN SEX, Severin Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray + CRIES OF PLEASURE, Severin Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray
• Night of Open Sex available from Amazon.
• Cries of Pleasure available from Amazon.
• ARMOUR OF GOD II: OPERATION CONDOR, 88 Films (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• P.O. BOX TINTO BRASS, Cult Epics (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• SHINING SEX, Severin Films (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• CECILIA, Blue Underground (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.

TOP TEN ARTHOUSE/MAINSTREAM: 

• TENDERNESS, Second Run (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• GOODBYE, DRAGON INN, Second Run (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• MADE IN HONG KONG, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• SÉRIE NOIRE, Film Movement, Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• BLACK RAINBOW, Arrow Video USA (US) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• CLAUDE SAUTET & ROMY SCHNEIDER DUO: CÉSARE ET ROSALIE/LES CHOSES DE LA VIE, Film Movement (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• TIE: BUSTER KEATON: THREE FILMS - VOLUME TWO, 1924-1926, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray + BUSTER KEATON: THREE FILMS - VOLUME THREE, 1923-1927, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray.
• Buster Keaton: Three Films - Volume Two, 1924-1926 available from Amazon.
• Buster Keaton: Three Films - Volume Three, 1923-1927 available from Amazon.
• HOUSE BY THE RIVER, Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS: 

• VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS, Second Run (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• THE WOMAN IN BLACK, Network (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• UNDER THE SHADOW, Second Sight (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• ALASTAIR SIM'S SCHOOL FOR LAUGHTER, Film Movement (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• THIS GUN FOR HIRE, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• THE CHICKEN CHRONICLES, Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• WALKABOUT, Second Sight (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• CRISS CROSS, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• THREE EDGAR ALLAN POE ADAPTATIONS STARRING BELA LUGOSI, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
• THE THOUSAND EYES OF DR. MABUSE, Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray, available from Amazon.
  

Film Movement Classics shelters in RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN (review)

A Buddhist temple is the setting for intrigue as an Abbot is about to name his successor and other parties attempt to get their hands on a priceless scroll in King Hu's final feature film.

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

RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns
• "Treasure of the Spirit" video essay by Chinese-language film expert and author Stephen Teo
• Theatrical Trailer
• Trailers
• 20-page booklet with a new essay by New York Asian Film Festival Executive Director Samuel Jamier

 

Film Movement butters up MR. TOPAZE (review)

Peter Sellers' first and last directorial effort casts him as the idealistic teacher MR. TOPAZE whose naivete makes him vulnerable to the schemes of a local politician and his mistress.  From the play by Marcel Pagnol.  Herbert Lom, Nadia Gray, Leo McKern, Billie Whitelaw, and Michael Gough co-star.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

MR. TOPAZE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Abigail McKern Remembers Her Father, Leo McKern inteview
• "The Poetry of Realism" video essay by Kat Ellinger
• "Let's Go Crazy" 1951 short with Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan
  
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Trailers
• Booklet
  

 

Film Movement gets a bite from CARMILLA (review)

A lonely girl living on a remote estate finds a new friend who might be a vampire in this British adaptation of CARMILLA.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

CARMILLA DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• English Closed Captioning
• Behind the Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Short film "Three Towers"
• Bonus Trailers
• About Film Movement

 

Film Movement corrupts L'INNOCENTE (review)

Luchino Visconti's final film looks at nineteenth century hypocrisy when Tullio is unfaithful to his wife Giuliana with widowed young countess Teresa and only begins to desire his wife again when she has an affair of her own.  Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, Jennifer O'Neill, Massimo Girotti, and Marc Porel star.

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

L'INNOCENTE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Reframing L'INNOCENTE" visual essay by Ivo Blom
• Theatrical Trailer
• Film Movement Trailers
• Booklet by Dan Callahan

Film Movement Classics presents a CLAUDE SAUTET AND ROMY SCHNEIDER DUO (review)

Film Movement presents two films by Claude Sautet starring Romy Schneider.  In CÉSAR ET ROSALIE, a young woman is pulled between her older boyfriend and an old flame, both of whom prove infuriating in their attempts to possess her and make her happy.  In LES CHOSES DE LA VIE, a man's life flashes before his eyes in the midst of a road accident, causing him to question his insecurities about starting a new relationship with his younger girlfriend and how he has taken his ex-wife and grown son for granted.  Remade as INTERSECTION with Richard Gere and Sharon Stone.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

CLAUDE SAUTET AND ROMY SCHNEIDER DUO Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - César et Rosalie (1972):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• French LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "César et Rosalie, sérénade à 3" documentary featuring script girl Geneviève Cortier, editor Jacqueline Thiedot, producer Michelle de Broca, scenarist Jean-Loup Dabadie, actor Bernard Le Coq, and Claude Sautet's assistant Jean-Claude Sussfeld
• About Film Movement 
• Disc Two: Les Choses de la Vie (1970):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• French LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Symphonie Metallique" documentary featuring assistant Jean-Claude Sussfeld, composer Philippe Sarde, editor Jacqueline Thiedot, script supervisor Geneviève Cortier, and screenwriter Jean-Loup Dabadie
• About Film Movement
• Insert booklet by film critic David N. Meyer

Film Movement learns L'IMPORTANT C'EST D'AIMER (review)

A down on his luck photographer meets a failed actress on a porn set and tries to foster her talent with tragic results in Polish exile Andrzej Zulawski's first French film.  Romy Schneider, Fabio Testi, Jacques Dutronc, and Klaus Kinski star.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

L'IMPORTANT C'EST D'AIMER Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• French and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Interview with director Andrzej Zulawski
• Theatrical Trailer
• About Film Movement
• Booklet by film historian Kat Ellinger

Film Movement enrolls in ALASTAIR SIM'S SCHOOL FOR LAUGHTER (review)

The talents of British comedy treasure Alastair Sim are showcased in this four-film set.  Sim plays a dual role as the headmistress of a gang of delinquent schoolgirls and her shifty twin brother in THE BELLES OF ST. TRINIAN'S.  In SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS, he is a professor of the school of lifemanship who tutors a hapless young man on the art of one upsmanship.  In LAUGHTER IN PARADISE, Sim is one of four heirs who must execute a humiliating and possibly illegal task in order to collect an inheritance.  In HUE AND CRY, he is a comic strip artist who learns that his work is being used by the criminal underworld to spread plans for citywide crimes, and it is up to a gang of schoolboys to stop it.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

ALASTAIR SIM'S SCHOOL FOR LAUGHTER Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - The Belles of St. Trinian's:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen 
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Interview with film historian Geoff Brown
• Interview with Dr. Melanie Williams, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies
• Interview with Alastair Sim's biographer Merlith McKendrick
• Interview with Steve Chibnall, Professor of British Cinema, De Montfort University
• "The Girls of St. Trinians" interview with surviving cast members Gillian Ferguson, Pauline Drewett, Annabelle Covey, and Diana Day
• About Film Movement
• Disc Two - School for Scoundrels:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen 
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Interview with Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw
• Interview with Terry-Thomas biographer Graham McCann
• Interview with Stephen Potter's grandson Chris Potter
• Theatrical Trailer
• About Film Movement
• Disc Three - Laughter in Paradise:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• About Film Movement
• Disc Four - Hue and Cry:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Interview with Steve Chibnall, Professor of British Cinema, De Montfort University
• Location Featurette
• About Film Movement
• Collector's booklet with an essay by film critic Ronald Bergen

Film Movement raises a ZOMBI CHILD (review)

Haitian immigrant Melissa is trying to fit in at an exclusive girls' school in Paris while privileged Fanny wants to be different.  When Melissa joins a secret sorority by telling a secret about her past, Fanny makes a decision that will have devastating repurcussions in Bertrand Bonello's horror-tinged and idiosyncratic take on the teen genre.

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

ZOMBI CHILD DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• French/Haitian/English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by dirctor Bertrand Bonello
• Theatrical Trailer
• Short Film "Children of the Sky" by Philip Montgomery
• Bonus Trailers

Film Movement catches WINTER FLIES (Review)

Unable to cope at home, young Mara steals an Audi and takes off from Prague to stay with his hero of a grandfather.  He picks up nerdy classmate Hedus along the way, along with a rescued mutt, and a hitchhiking girl.  As the adult world encroahes on their adventure, they go to childish extremes to escape in this Czech coming of age comedy.

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

WINTER FLIES DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen
• Czech Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• English (CC) Closed Captioning
• Short Film
• Bonus Trailers