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The Doom Generation (BLU)
Director Gregg Araki's first "heterosexual movie" (his words not mine) got a nice new restoration and blu-ray release from Strand. I think this is one of the quintessential edgy/angsty teen movies. It has a kick ass soundtrack and it's super moody and weird and everyone's looking sharp.
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Killer Condom (BLU)
This is a title that I skipped past for many years. It sounds dumb... almost too dumb. And Troma put it out so I didn't have high hopes. Thanks to Vinegar Syndromes recentish release I finally read more about it and found out it's a German film, shot almost entirely in New York City in the 90s. This movie is way weirder than you'd ever image. It's based on 2 different graphic novels published in Germany. At it's heart it is an oddly (for the time and genre) sympathetic portrayal of a homosexual detective, his trans ex-partner and, yes, killer condoms. I was not expecting the often more serious tone, and kinda loved it. Oh, and H.R. Geiger worked on this movie. Crazy, right?
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Magic Crystal (BLU)
One of the more purely fun HK action flicks. The humor was better than average, it had tons of great fights, lots of weird gags I hadn't seen before and some crazy stunts.
Richard Norton (and his Cantonese dubber) were great in this. Cynthia Rothrock get's plenty to do as well.
For a movie that has a little kid and a magical crystal it's pretty great! One of my favorite watches of the past year.
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Existenz
Cronenberg's most Cronenberg film. When this came out in 1999 I wasn't a huge fan. His last movie was Crash, and I kinda thought he was on a downhill trend. I was so wrong. I rewatched Existenz at a retrospective in LA a few years ago and this movie blew me away. This new release looks better than ever with its new 4K transfer. If you let yourself get into this world of virtual reality video games played on biological blob devices and people acting like they're in a trance half the time, you are in for a treat of extraordinary creativity. The design work that went into this is just ... gross in the best way. Top 3 Cronenberg for me.
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Pied Piper / Cat City / Visitors From the Arkana Galaxy (BLU)
3 releases from the Deaf Crocodile label.
Pied Piper is a Czech animated take on the classic story of the man who saves the town from a hoard of rats. This time it's done in this crazy carved wood looking animation. It looks like no other movie I've seen. It's kinda nuts.
Cat City is a Hungarian animation from the 80s about a world run by evil Bond Villain cats and the crafty mice that have to fight back. It's got musical numbers, Bond-esque gadget filled cars, culturally insensitive mariachi bats, and some great bonus short films.
Visitors From the Arkana Galaxy is a Czech/Yugoslavian film where a sci-fi author's writings become reality as a group of aliens descend on an island near Dubrovnik. Weird stuff happens, but the real kicker is a lengthy dinner party massacre featuring a large weird alien creature designed by famed animator Jan Svankmayer.
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Archangel / Tales from the Gimli Hospital (BLU)
Guy Maddin is one the most creative filmmakers alive. These first 2 features of his have recently been restored and newly released on blu-ray. The show off his love of silent film tropes and design, and his ingenious camera work and editing. The re-release trailer for Archangel is only 35 seconds and it's just fantastic. Can't wait for his third movie, "Careful", which I think should be next.
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Phase IV
My favorite intelligent ant sci-fi movie of the 70s is getting a swanky new box from Vinegar Syndrome. I can't wait to see the new restoration. The ant photography in this is just beautiful. I just love this movie. This will mark the first time where Saul Bass' original ending will be included in an extended cut of the film. Previously it was only a special feature on the excellent UK release from 101 Films.
You may know Saul Bass from his extremely famous poster work (Man With the Golden Arm) or his always excellent opening title sequences (Seconds, Psycho). Well this is his only feature film.
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Hold Your Horse Is (LP)
Hella
Before Zach Hill was in Death Grips, he was in this Nevada County "math rock" duo. I am hugely partial to this band and specifically this, their first, album. Hella, and also The Advantage (Hella guitarist extraordinaire Spencer Seim's other band that did NES covers) were my favorite live bands of the time.
Hold Your Horse Is, might be one of the most perfect albums of this style. Unlike some other bands, and a couple of their next albums, it has plenty of riffs and melody to actually latch on to, not just a noodly mess. Lots of insane drumming, as you'd expect, and equally daunting guitar playing chock full of unconventional chord arrangements and strumming/tapping technique. The original vinyl release was long out of print, and this being limited, will probably go that way in the near future. Hopefully we'll still have it once this goes live.
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New Drifters (LP)
The American Analog Set
The American Analog Set were an under the radar indie band out of Austin Texas that got it's start in the mid 90s. This box set covers their first 3 albums and a whole double LP of singles and bonus tracks. After this period their sound really changed and lost a lot of it's initial magic. One might say it was the departure of organist Lisa Roschmann that caused them to jump the shark. The first 2 records are old favorites of mine. I love the droning farfisa sound, the drums played with brushes, the kinda twangy guitar... it's all great. I was introduced to them in college by a good friend who said he listened to them on repeat while playing the Sega Master System game Fantasy Zone. This has to be the most stoner thing I've ever heard from someone who didn't smoke and I still think about it when I listen to these records 26 years later. This new Numero box looks amazing and I hope it finds them a new audience and gets them back into that pre 21st century groove.
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Crashin' From Passion (LP)
Betty Davis
Betty Davis is the most! This is her last album, rich with various musical leanings (jazz, funk, synthpop, disco, reggae & calypso, plus Anita and Bonnie Pointer. Martha Reeves, and Patryce “Choc’let” Banks are on vocals with Betty. This had originally been shelved, so glad this release had Davis' participation before she passed, and this album is finally getting the light it deserves.
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