Cinemaniac Mark

  88 Films dips back into the realm of Eurosleaze with their new 4K UHD+Blu-ray release of Joe D'Amato's softcore erotic melodrama ELEVEN DAYS, ELEVEN NIGHTS 2 (1991 - actually the third film in the series). What's a saucy lady to do when a freshly-deceased ex-lover asks her in his will to determine which of his conniving and perma-randy family members should inherit his business and fortune? Accept the challenge, of course, and get naked a lot. Unintentionally hilarious in its English-language audio option, as the American cast was apparently chosen more for looks and willingness to disrobe than acting ability, with some of the flattest line readings this side of Amber Waves. Notable for a late-period (and very chaste) appearance by Laura Gemser, who actual voice can be heard on the English track. The set includes a 4K UHD disc with the film, commentary, and Italian opening and closing credits as an extra, and a Blu-ray with those and many more insightful and amusing suppl...

  Now on Blu-ray from 88 Films is ROSA (1986), a Hong Kong buddy cop action comedy with Yuen Biao and Lowell Lo protecting the girlfriend of a mob witness, with baddies Dick Wei and James Tien out to silence any who know of their dastardly deeds! Features two kick-ass fight melees and a bit of non-PC Hong Kong farce. Currently 35% off at Amazon: https://amzn.to/490oZvz (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  88 Films brings the sequel to THE PEACOCK KING (1988) to Blu-ray, SAGA OF THE PHOENIX (1989), starring Yuen Biao, Abe Hiroshi, Gloria Yip, and a Salacious Crumb-looking muppet, in a tale of otherworldly supernatural forces engaging in fireball-shooting, palm energy beams, Kung Fu, and frolicking through fields. It's pretty nutty. Currently 30% off at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3L26KOk (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  Robert Altman's rare 80s teen comedy O.C. AND STIGGS (1985) makes its Blu-ray debut this week, courtesy of Radiance Films . The transfer is great, the extras copious, and the cast more loaded than Jane Curtin's character in the film, but for me, it just didn't work. Excellent edition from Radiance for those who do enjoy its aggressively quirky tale and characters, though. Currently 40% off at Amazon here: https://amzn.to/4jbDul0 Full review here:

  THE IDIOT BOX is back, and Severin Films has it! Alex Winter and Tom Stern's outrageous and subversive 1991 MTV sketch comedy series is finally available on home video, looking great and tickling (and occasionally breaking) ribs once more, with fun extras that dig into the creation of this long-lost (and fondly remembered) bit of cathode ray anarchy. Available directly from Severin here (currently 28% off): https://severinfilms.com/products/the-idiot-box-blu-ray-w-le-slipcover Full review here:

  88 Films brings the Nazisploitation Eurosleaze nugget SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP (1976) to 4K UHD looking great, with insightful extras, a very nice release of a very sleazy and unintentionally funny film that ultimately revolves around a ball transplant. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/49OnhQc (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  A random ramble ruminating upon revved-up cinematic automotive mayhem. What are YOUR favorite car movies?

Arrow Video brings the 2006 prequel to the remake of the iconic 70s horror classic to 4K UHD, with a loaded edition of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING. Pretty much everything I don't like about prequels, remakes, and early 00s horror filmmaking, but if you're a fan, I can't imagine you'll find an edition better than this one. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3K1v7ew (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

Cult Epics continues their excellent releases of HOUSE director Nobukiko Obayashi's dreamlike cinematic output with SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS (1981), a melodrama that gets wilder as it progresses. The film begins as a tale of a studious schoolgirl dealing with social codes within school walls, but develops into a battle of wills, ideologies, and interdimensional forces, with mind-melting HOUSE-like visuals. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3LOQzUD (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  Just in time for the Holidays, Cauldron Films brings to 4K UHD and Blu-ray the totally bonkers Eurosleaze jaw-dropper MAD FOXES (1981). Nazi bikers, a hot Stingray, multiple assaults, Kung Fu and Krokus...who could ask for anything more? Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3X0jx6z (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  MVD Entertainment Group brings the excellent 2023 documentary on Andy Kaufman, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, to Blu-ray, a real treat for both fans and the curious. The film attempts to peel back the artifice and get at the man behind the comedic mayhem, through the words of Kaufman himself and those who knew him, and a treasure trove of clips and home movies. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4nRl0a0 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  MVD Entertainment Group and Kit Parker Films, along with Jeff Joseph at Sabucat present LAUREL & HARDY: THE DEFINITIVE RESTORATIONS VOLUME 2, a gorgeous and lovingly restored set of the classic comedy duo's shorts, along with extras and detailed notes on how these are the best and most complete these films have looked since their original releases. Highly recommended. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3K0cLdU (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  Eureka Entertainment delivers three times the Sammo with TRIPLE THREAT: THREE FILMS WITH SAMMO HUNG, featuring three lesser-known Golden Harvest films from one of the icons of Hong Kong action cinema. In THE MANCHU BOXER (1974), Sammo has the smallest role of the three films on the set, as a thug hired by a Kung Fu master with poor sportsmanship ideals, who hires Mr. Hung and another thug to take out contestants in a rural martial arts tournament. Old-school Kung Fu with some nice choreography by Sammo. In PAPER MARRIAGE (1988), Sammo co-stars with Maggie Cheung as an average Hong Kong guy, living in the U.S. (really Canada), who agrees to a sham Green Card marriage with Maggie in order to make some money that will allow him to avoid a beating by debt collectors and not have to fall back on his skills as an underground kickboxer. Pleasant mismatched romantic comedy that saves the majority of its action for a wild last 10 minutes, set in a giant mall with a pirate ship and waters...

  Like Christmas movies? Wanna see a string of celebs and critics discuss their faves, along with behind-the-scenes stories of the making of some of them from the original cast and crew? Well, pally, BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER! is the doc for you, and the MVD Rewind Collection has it just in time for the Holidays! Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4nVyUZ1 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

In theaters this week from Bleecker Street is the ZAZ-esque DOWNTON ABBEY spoof FACKHAM HALL, with Damian Lewis, Tom Felton, Thomasin McKenzie, Katherine Waterson and Ben Radcliffe. While the jokes fly fast and furiously, most didn't quite land for me. A shame, as I'm a longtime fan of British comedy and co-writer Jimmy Carr (portraying an absent-minded vicar here). The cast is certainly on point and does their best to keep a straight face while delivering an aggressive assault of absurdity, and it's a nicely-shot widescreen affair. Still, glad to be able to see this on the big screen. Full review here:

  Arrow Video brings Peter Hyams' 1981 space western thriller OUTLAND to disc in sharp and loaded 4K UHD presentation, with Sean Connery starring as a new lawman on a remote mining colony on the Jupiter moon of IO. Things seem pretty routine until miners start offing themselves in gruesome ways, to the nonchalant reaction of mining supervisor Peter Boyle. It's up to Connery to stop the madness, if sinister forces don't stop him first... Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/4hRre8s (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here:

  Now streaming is the indie canine-centric horror film GOOD BOY (2025), featuring perhaps the most profoundly poignant pooch performance of the year, in a tale of a dog and his owner, a man seeking to heal himself at a remote family cabin, where dark forces may or may not lurk in the shadows. Full review here:

Arrow Video brings THE NIGHTWATCH COLLECTION to Blu-ray, containing the original Denmark serial killer thriller NIGHTWATCH (1994) and its sequel, NIGHTWATCH: DEMONS ARE FOREVER (2023), both from director Ole Bornedal, and both excellent. The transfers look great, and the extras shed light on the film's origins, production, and legacy (including a US remake of the original film). Definitely a film that deserves more discussion and recognition, and a sequel that's one of the few decades-later follow-ups I've seen that I felt was worth the time. Get your copy now from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3WvxnNW (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Full review here: