Outrage: Way of the Yakuza Blu-ray & DVD (Magnolia)
This week is notable for bringing us Ryan Gosling in Drive on blu-ray and Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage, as well as some Italian exploitation flicks on blu-ray. All in all, not too shabby. So here are your Asian and genre movie releases for the week of 1/31/12:
ASIAN CINEMA
Outrage (blu-ray/DVD) – Magnet Releasing presents Takeshi ‘Beat’ Kitano’s 2010 bloody Yakuza epic. A must-see for fans of gangster flicks and extreme Asian cinema
Adrift (DVD) – this Vietnamese film co-stars Johnny Tri Nguyen of “The Rebel” and “Clash” fame but don’t any expect any fisticuffs. This is a 2009 erotic drama about desire and sexual angst in modern Hanoi
Another Take on Catherine (blu-ray/DVD) – how to possibly explain this? It’s 70 minutes of Japanese AV idol CoCo in various states of undress, pretending to be a character from the sort-of popular Atlus video game “Catherine
Passions of a Private Secretary (DVD) – this 2008 Japanese film is about a secretary who falls into the world of S&M. Not for the faint-hearted, I suppose
Secrets of a Desperate Housewife (DVD) – this 2008 Japanese film arrives from Tokyo Erotique, the same distributor as the previous film on the list. Apparently, this is the week for Japanese pinku on DVD
FOREIGN CINEMA
Fernando Di Leo crime collection (blu-ray) – now this I have been waiting for. RaroVideo USA takes four of Fernando Di Leo’s Italian crime films, previously released as single disc DVDs, and puts them together in a hi-def set. The titles included are: Caliber 9, The Italian Connection, The Boss, and Rulers of the City (released from 1972-1976)
Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show (DVD) – RaroVideo USA releases this 2010 film that attempts to revitalize the fading Italian horror genre and is supposedly quite good at it
Das Boot (Director’s Cut) (blu-ray) – the 1997 German-language film that put director Wolfgang Petersen on the map is now on blu-ray in its restored 209-minute cut
Behind the Glass (DVD) – a 2008 Croatian-language film from Zrinko Orgresta, the director of “Here” and “Red Dust”
My Tehran For Sale (DVD) – a 2009 Iranian/Australian co-production that seeks to explore the repressesions of middle-class and literate Iranian citizens
Steam – the Turkish Bath (DVD) – RaroVideo USA releases this 1997 Italian-language film about an Italian man who inherits a traditional Turkish steam bath
MAINSTREAM
Drive (blu-ray/DVD) – at last, director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2011 ultra-stylish thriller arrives on home formats. Starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan
In Time (blu-ray/DVD) – the director of “Gattaca” presents this 2011 sci-fi tale starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried
The Double (blu-ray/DVD) – Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen, and Stephen Moyer headline this direct-to-video action flick about a retired CIA agent trying to track down a Soviet assassin
Texas Killing Fields (blu/ray-DVD) – the daughter of director Michael Mann, Ami Mann, helms this based-on-true-events serial killer thriller with a cast that includes Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Chloe Moretz
Adaptation (blu-ray) – Nicolas Cage brings screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s story to life in this 2002 film, now on blu-ray
The English Patient (blu-ray) – the 1996 Academy Award-winning film starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ralph Fiennes, now in hi-def
Cold Mountain (blu-ray) – the acclaimed 2003 Civil War-set drama starring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman, now on blu-ray
Malcom X (blu-ray) – Spike Lee’s landmark 1992 biopic starring Denzel Washington is on blu-ray this week
The Piano (blu-ray) – the Academy Award-winning 1993 drama starring Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter, and Sam Neil
Monkeybone (blu-ray) – the obscure 2001 film from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” director Henry Selick, starring Brenden Fraser, Bridget Fonda, and Chris Kattan, has made its way to blu-ray
INDIE
Hunted by Night (DVD) – a 2010 indie action flick about three friends who intercept a drug dealer’s product on a hunting trip. It looks to feature impressive fight sequences despite a low-budget
CLASSICS
To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (blu-ray) – the classic 1962 film starring Gregory Peck, now on blu-ray
The Apartment (blu-ray) – Billy Wilder’s 1960 film stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray, now in hi-def
HORROR
The Thing (blu-ray/DVD) – this 2011 would-be prequel/remake of John Carpenter’s film failed to connect with audiences but you can discover it on home formats this week
Night Train Murders (blu-ray/DVD) – Blue Underground presents this 1975 Italian horror flick in hi-def. Director Aldo Lado’s film is said to owe more than a little to Wes Craven’s “Last House on the Left”
Dream Home (blu-ray/DVD) – the 2011 haunted house chiller starring Daniel Craig, Noami Watts, and Rachel Weisz. This positively bombed at the box office but maybe it will find an audience on home formats
Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf (DVD) – this is a low-budget 1972 Spanish horror film dubbed in English and rereleased by Apprehensive Films, who say they’ve pressed only 500 units of the DVD
Spiderhole (DVD) – IFC releases this 2010 atmospheric haunted house thriller under their Midnight label
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