Alongside an Editor’s Blog, Part 3 of Video Tales offers up reviews of Jake West’s superlative documentary Video Nasties: Draconian Days (Severin / Nucleus Films) + Grindhouse Trailer Classics.
Jake West’s follow-up to Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010) is another superb chapter in the history of Britain’s Video Nasties era, in which the lack of any ratings system by a government agency was in large part responsible for a glut of unrated films in rental shops…
Part 2 of Video Tales includes a review of Jake West’s excellent 2010 doc Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship and Videotape (Severin / Nucleus) + scans of another 1980s video store catalogue!
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Britain’s infamous Video Records Act (VRA) in which 72 horror films (dubbed ‘video nasties’ by sleazebag media outlets such as the Daily Mail) were banned by the BBFC due to ‘depraved content,’ Severin Films have picked up the North American video rights to Jake West’s superb documentary…
Synapse Films released a swanky new Blu-ray / DVD combo edition of Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter’s slasher classic The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982) which, like Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead (1981), was branded by Britain’s paranoid censor board as a Video Nasty…
Review of Frank Henenlotter’s vivid and very epic genre chronicle That’s Sexploitation! (2013) on Blu from Severin Films + an Editor’s Blog on creating a Plan B in the event bricks & mortar shops like Toronto’s iconic Suspect Video begin to close in rapid succession.
Arrow Video’s first venture in publishing is this limited hardcover book that gathers many of the essays, intros, and preambles designed to not only accompany selected Blu-ray & DVD releases in England and America, but contextualize the films and series…
Film: Excellent/ DVD Transfer: Good/ DVD Extras: Standard Label: Severin Films / Region: 1 (NTSC) / Released: October 8, 2013 Genre: Documentary / Video Nasty / Film History Synopsis: Still provocative chronicle of the emotional fervour that led to the banning of videos in 1980s Britain during the “Video Nasty” era. Special Features: Bonus Featurette – […]
From a rare 1980s photograph of his old corner video shop, author and podcaster Noel Mellor imposed a unique challenge on his viewing habits: find the actual VHS tapes in that photo of long-gone Video World, re-experience exploitation classics on a VCR and old tube TV…
Michael Winner’s espionage thriller is really a thinly veiled variation of his prior film, the hitman classic The Mechanic (1970), in which an aged & experienced ace ultimately becomes the target of his younger partner, a cocksure snot eager to raise his own profile and become the top in his profession…
Tribute to one of the greatest film composers, Italy’s Ennio Morricone, who passed away at 91.
Jess Franco’s Polar Erotica: CRIES OF PLEASURE (1983) + NIGHT OF OPEN SEX (1983)
Severin’s mining of the Jess Franco-Golden Films Internacional S.A. Productions catalogue continues with two polar gems from 1983, CRIES OF PLEASURE + NIGHT OF OPEN SEX, both on beautiful bodacious Blu.
Making a Toothy Debut with Death Machine (1994)
Before BLADE (1998) came DEATH MACHINE (1994), Stephen Norrington’s directorial debut…
Podcast: Jason Pichonsky on Restoring Julian Roffman’s THE BLOODY BROOD (1959) + PHOBIA (1980)
Alongside a podcast with CanCon film historian Jason Pichonsky are revised reviews of Julian Roffman’s THE BLOODY BROOD (1959) + John Huston’s PHOBIA (1980), both from KINO Lorber / Unobstructed View.
Podcast: ANNE WITH AN E composers Amin Bhatia & Ari Posner
Podcast interview with ANNE WITH AN E’s composing team Amin Bhatia and Ari Posner.
Podcast: Austin Wintory’s REMNANTS + ERICA (2019)
In a new podcast, composer Austin Wintory discusses scoring the interactive PS4 video game ERICA + the eclectic music on the compilation album REMNANTS.
BR: Cries of Pleasure / Gemidos de placer (1983)
Cries of Pleasure / Gemidos de placer (1983) focuses on a Libertine’s new girlfriend who soon meets his wife, newly released from – where else – an asylum, but Cries is credited as…
BR: Night of Open Sex / La noche de los sexos abiertos (1983)
That interplay between calm and vulgar could be the film’s most consistent element: for some easy cash, Moira (Lina Romay) is asked by a client to help him extract truth from Tina Klaus…
Film: Very Good Transfer: Excellent Extras: n/a Label: Turbine Medien Region: Region B Released: 2015 Genre: Science-Fiction / Horror Synopsis: After being promoted as CEO of a highly profitable arms corporation, Hayden Cale finds her rejection of a resident development whiz lethal when he unleashes his personal death machine – all teeth, no love. Special Features: Director’s Cut […]
Bandolero! (1968) + 100 Rifles (1969) and au revoir to Twilight Time
Reviews of two Raquel Welch westerns – BANDOLERO! (1968) + 100 RIFLES (1969), and Twilight Time bids farewell!
Twilight Time’s stellar Blu-ray features one of the heaviest fact-filled commentary tracks by Cinema Retro’s Lee Pfeiffer, historian Paul Scrabo, and Dean Martin biographer Tony Latino…
Written during his busiest period (1968-1970), Quincy Jones’ score for John and Mary was quite sparse, leaving obligatory space for the film’s myriad dialogue exchanges and source music, but the score is memorable for being atypical of the material Jones was writing at the time: action comedies (The Italian Job, The Hell with Heroes), comedies (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,Cactus Flower), and the funky style of They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!
For some soundtrack fans, it was a bit of surprise to learn the composer of pioneering synth scores had begun his career with large orchestral scores for John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) and Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal (1982)…
LP: Bourne Identity, The (2002)
The first film in the enduring franchise gave John Powell the perfect opportunity to write what remains both his definitive action sound, and the definitive action score of that decade, blending large orchestral sounds with layers upon layers of electronics…
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