Cinemaniac Mark

  NEON EAGLE VIDEO brings to Blu-ray the brazenly bonkers Japanese pinky violence thriller ZERO WOMAN: RED HANDCUFFS (1974), a down and dirty, visually arresting plunge into the grimy world of an undercover female cop with the titular crimson cuffs, bend on viciously violent vengeance! Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4blMMWB (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  For those of a certain age and lascivious nature, Cinemax After Dark films were a fun way to spend a solitary Friday night. Looking at them again so many moons later, well, now they're on DVD from MVD Entertainment Group as part of a series of "SkinMax Double Features", lean on extras and looking exactly like they did on cable way back when. I took a look at the double-your-pleasure DVD of GALAXY GIRLS (1997) and PETTICOAT PLANET (1996), featuring Gail Thackray, Elizabeth Kaitan, Fred Olen Ray, Jim Wynorski (the latter in non-nude roles, sorry ladies), and bevy of buff dudes and lovely ladies. Are they good? Well.... Are they amusing for the right and wrong reasons? Indeed! Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4di26Fm (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  In theaters now (soon on VOD and Blu-ray) from Severin Films is director David Gregory's deep dive into the wild world of Bruceploitation cinema, ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE (2024), featuring interviews with many of the 1970s Bruce Lee "tribute performers" and a crazy collection of clips from the films they chopped and kicked their way through. Thoroughly entertaining for fans of martial arts cinema, cult movies, and filmmaking in general. Fast, funny, and surprisingly touching at times. Still playing in theaters, so see it with an audience before you buy the Blu! Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4diVyGj (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  One of the initial pair of US releases from longtime UK boutique Blu-ray label Eureka Entertainment, the silent Universal horror classic THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927) is now available, part of the Masters Of Cinema line. Crisp transfer with original color tinting and a new recording of the original score that accompanied the film theatrically, this nicely shot spooker is given several scholarly extras, and nicely packaged. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/44fGDc9 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  A quick pre-review look at upcoming May 7 - July 9, 2024 releases (with Amazon links for full specs and purchasing):  JOYSTICKS (1983) on Blu-ray from the MVD Rewind Collection (Street Date: 5/7/24): https://amzn.to/44heP6W   FRIVOLOUS LOLA (1998), on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray from Cult Epics (Street Date: 5/7/24):  https://amzn.to/3Qo3wEi   TOO MUCH SLEEP (1997), on Blu-ray from Whole Grain Pictures (Street Date: 5/7/24):  https://amzn.to/4b9fJVi   THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS 3 (1990), on Blu-ray from 88 Films (Street Date: 7/9/24):  https://amzn.to/49UTykT   THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS 4 (1992), on Blu-ray from 88 Films (Street Date: 7/9/24):  https://amzn.to/49XN0lm   HARDWARE WARS (1978), on Blu-ray from the MVD Rewind Collection (Street Date: 5/7/24):  https://amzn.to/3xZDQry   SABOTAGE (1996), on Blu-ray from MVD Rewind Collection (Street Date: 5/7/24):  https://amzn.to/49ULErF   SHINOBI, on Blu-ray from Radiance Films (Street Date: 5/28/24):  https://amzn.to/44hfc1k   Reviews coming so

A quick look, fresh from the mailbox, of the new Vinegar Syndrome Blu-rays of the documentary MOM N' POP: THE INDIE VIDEO STORE BOOM OF THE '80s / '90s and HEY FOLKS! IT'S THE INTERMISSION TIME VIDEO PARTY!, a compilation of all six volumes of Something Weird Video's 1990s VHS releases of hardtop and Drive-In theater intermission reels and snack bar ads. Available via Vinegar Syndrome here: MOM N POP: https://vinegarsyndrome.com/.../mom-n-pop-the-indie-video... HEY FOLKS! https://vinegarsyndrome.com/.../hey-folks-its-the...

  A quick note ahead of my review... If you're interested in the new Eureka Entertainment Masters Of Cinema Blu-ray of the 1927 silent Universal Horror THE CAT AND THE CANARY, it's currently just over half off at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JC6RvN (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

  Synapse Films' INVALUABLE: THE TRUE STORY OF AN EPIC ARTIST (2014) is a must for serious fans of THE EVIL DEAD, delving deeply into the life and work (focusing on the first two films in the series) of Tom Sullivan, FX master and creator of The Book Of The Dead for the horror classic. Includes interviews with many of the cast and crew from the original film, plus a bonus feature-length documentary on Sam Raimi collaborator Josh Becker, and his work with and without the EVIL DEAD gang. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3JkT6l8 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  Luc Besson returns to directing with an odd action-drama, DOGMAN, starring Caleb Landry Jones as a wheelchair-bound drag performer and master of an army of canines ready to growl and prowl on his command. Points for using actual trained dogs and not CGI foolery, proof that things can still be done the old fashioned way and (shockily!) be all the more impressive for it. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3Q6Pln3 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Former lawman and current bounty hunter Henry Fonda helps milquetoast sherrif stand up against a local trigger-happy bully in Anthony Mann's Paramount western THE TIN STAR (1957), now available in a crisp black and white transfer on Blu-ray from Arrow Video. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3UnBUlo (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Fun City Editions brings to Blu-ray the 1983 revenge film HANDGUN (aka DEEP IN THE HEART), British director Tony Garnett's look at American (and specifically Texan) gun culture through the eyes of a Boston schoolteacher (Karen Young) assaulted by a smarmy acquaintance (Clayton Day), and her subsequent journey toward payback. Presented in a gorgeous, clean transfer that drops you right into early 80s Dallas, with great use of real locations and non-actors in supporting roles, really giving you the feel of time and place. Solid extras and great throwback packaging (especially if you haunted 80s video stores and have a fondness for the look of old Thorn-EMI or HBO Video tapes) make it another nice rescue from obscurity by FCE. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/49DXS7T (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  I'd long heard reverent tales of the legendary NYC indie video store Kim's Video, but it wasn't until the new documentary from @drafthousefilms and directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin that I had a chance to take a peek inside (via archival footage) and hear the story of how that iconic shop came to be, and moreover the even more incredible story of what happened after it closed. More than just a documentary about a video store, the film shows the impact and power of film, community, historical preservation, and how a mountain of video tapes and DVDs can lead to international intrigue. Currently in theaters, available to own via Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3vPugqr (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  Still in theaters (if you act fast) is the bonkers Indian action film BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN, a buddy-soldier geopolitical thriller with machine guns, bombs, metal-masked terrorists and twists a-plenty. Thoroughly entertaining and giggle-inducing moments of slo-mo badass machismo and storytelling. Subtitled in English, but a LOT of spoken English throughout, for those with tired eyes. Kind of plays like an Indian G.I JOE film at times. Go in as blind as I did, don't watch the trailer, and prepare for pivots in the story that will leave you wide-eyed. BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN (2024), starring Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manushi Chhillar, Alaya F, Sonakshi Sinha, and Ronit Roy. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Full review here:

  I really wanted to like Dev Patel's directorial debut, the set-in-India action revenge spectacle MONKEY MAN, but unfortunately the film looked like it was shot by a chimp, impossible to focus on the action due to horrendous camerawork and cutting. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/49J2wBw (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  Film Masters continues its rescue mission to salvage long-neglected public domain film titles from bargain-bin transfers and presentations with a crisp new Blu-ray of Bert I. Gordon's lighthouse spooker TORMENTED, starring CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE's Richard Carlson, with fun and fascinating extras on the filmmakers and cast. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4ayP0lo (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Radiance Films brings to Blu-ray the Japanese samurai/spy/western action thrillers THE BOUNTY HUNTER TRILOGY, in crisp transfers with fun extras. Cool and quirky, with gadgets, guns, and geysers of blood, tastefully rendered. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3Jhpl4J (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  20th Century Studios brings THE FIRST OMEN to theaters...no, not first OMEN starring Gregory Peck, but a prequel to that film (so, technically, OMEN ZERO or OMEN MINUS ONE), set in Italy in 1971 and concerning a nun that finds herself with child...be it for holy or sinister purposes. If you know THE OMEN story, you know where this one is going, and while it has some nice atmosphere and moments that invoke the chills of the original (sometimes just repurposing the "greatest hits" of that film, THE FIRST OMEN pales in comparison to the concurrently released IMMACULATE. Probably best for those who don't know the original film terribly well, or are just up for a big-screen, big-budget creeper. Full review here:

  A quick pre-review look at upcoming April 23 - May 21, 2024 releases (with Amazon links for full specs and purchasing):  MISUNDERSTOOD (1966) on Blu-ray from Radiance Films (Street Date: 4/30/24):  https://amzn.to/49yXnMl   THE SHAPE OF NIGHT (1964), on Blu-ray from Radiance Films (Street Date: 4/30/24):  https://amzn.to/3xAEiMB   SHADOWZONE Remastered (1990), on Blu-ray from Full Moon Features (Street Date: 5/7/24):  https://amzn.to/4cU1yoZ   THE BEAUTY OF BEAUTIES (1965), on Blu-ray from 88 Films (Street Date: 5/21/24):  https://amzn.to/3xBBSxa   BLACK MASK (1996), on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment (Street Date: 4/23/24):  https://amzn.to/3vRzsKg   THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927), on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment (Street Date: 4/23/24):  https://amzn.to/3Ugjlzc   Reviews coming soon!  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  The other "nun on the run from unexpected pregnancy that might be miraculous or malevolent" film currently in theaters, IMMACULATE with Sydney Sweeney, was a lot of fun, feeling very much like a 70s Italian nunsploitation horror film, with gore and shock moments devoid of modern horror techniques and cliches. In theaters now from Neon, available via Amazon VOD here: https://amzn.to/4aBbGRN (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Currently in theaters from Yellow Veil Pictures is the fabulously nutty "kids on a quest" fantasy adventure comedy RIDDLE OF FIRE. Screening in some theaters on 35mm, it feels like a lost 80s cult kid classic, best experienced going in knowing as little as possible to let its quirky charms surprise you along the way. Great natural performances by the little leads, with a solid grown-up supporting cast, and a shocker of a final music cue for fans of Eurocult cinema. Also available as digital rental or purchase via Amazon here: https://amzn.to/49AA3xQ (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Full Moon Features brings to Blu-ray a remastered version of the 1992 creature feature throwback SEEDPEOPLE, looking great in all its goofy, goopy goodness! Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3UcBgXu (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Arrow Video brings John Wayne's final film, THE SHOOTIST (1976) to Blu-ray in a solid transfer with quick-draw extras. Directed by Don Siegel, a somber look at the final days of a famous pistoleer, idolized by a young Ron Howard, viewed with suspicion by his mother Lauren Bacall, and looked at as a target by those who want to make a name for themselves or get revenge on behalf of gunned-down relatives. Stong performances and great final curtain for The Duke. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3xkgmNo (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  Cult Epics brings Marleen Gorris' plane crash survivor drama THE LAST ISLAND (1990) to Blu-ray, sourced from the last surviving print and looking great overall, a solid character piece with highs, lows, and some unexpectedly shocking moments. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/49fZMvr (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Blue Underground releases Jess Franco's take on WITCHFINDER GERNERAL/MARK OF THE DEVIL Old English perverse punishment with their new 4K UHD + Blu-ray edition of NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTER (1970), starring Christopher Lee as the bloody judge, persecuting and executing those who dare go against the king or practice witchery. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4aArTpZ (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

88 Films goes back to the Hong Kong police academy with their Blu-ray release of THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS 2 (1989), a star-studded action comedy with the female members of the S.K.I.R.T.S. team training a new batch of recruits including Amy Yip, as they go toe to toe with their male counterparts over which team is tops. Featuring stunts by the Jackie Chan Stunt Team. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3J0Uc5q (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Coming soon to a film festival or indie theater near you from BayView Entertainment is FILM IS DEAD. LONG LIVE FILM!, Peter Flynn's (DYING OF THE LIGHT ) fantastic new documentary about film collectors and preservationists, presenting their stories (and collections) with great humanity, humor, and stunning visuals. Seek it out! Full review here: