Hot on the heels of Partners Only Month, OCN Distribution (aka Vinegar Syndrome’s distribution company) is proud to present thirteen new releases that are sure to bring heat into your summer (and give you a reason to stay cool in your house)! There’s truly something for everyone this month, from the parking lot hangouts of the iconic HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT to the provocative and hypnotic LUX AETERNA, alongside unearthed gems of American and Canadian cinema like Bobby Roth’s HEARTBREAKERS and George Kaczender’s DON’T LET THE ANGELS FALL, respectively. This month features films released from the 1950s through 2020s, across six different countries and a broad spectrum of genres. We have violent 90s thrillers (RAW NERVE), Japanese romantic comedies (TREMBLE ALL YOU WANT), Gothic horror from New Zealand (JACK BE NIMBLE) and even a contemporary genre-bender that defies any and all classification, while being one of this year’s very best films, with WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR. Read more about each film below and make sure to follow the individual labels, and OCN social channels, for more updates on upcoming releases!
 Canadian International Pictures gives the first ever Canadian film to be nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or the blu-ray release it deserves; a beautifully shot (1.37:1, black and white) domestic drama from the late 60s that all but predicts a slew of similar films from famed filmmakers that would become hallmarks of cinema in the 1970s including, and especially, canon of the New Hollywood movement across the border.
Bobby Roth’s LA set relationship drama is one of the unsung great American films of the 1980s, featuring incredible cinematography from Michael Balhaus and a massively underrated score from Tangerine Dream! Very excited that Fun City has resurrected this from home video purgatory, as it’s been out of print on video since VHS, with a brand new restoration.
There’s not much to say about Jeff Krulik and John Heyn’s seminal short film that hasn’t been said before and this release presents that iconic film alongside hours of other short films, including the companion films HEAVY METAL PICNIC and HEAVY METAL BASEMENT as well as a wealth of supplements. Plus, it features brand new art from Johnny Ryan! This is a VS site exclusive and there will be no standard edition.
This artful, gothic horror film out of New Zealand has been newly restored for its worldwide blu-ray debut by Altered Innocence. Long under the radar and featuring an ensemble of great performances, including lead Alexis Arquette, it’s a perfect example of early 90s horror done right and by a country seldom associated with the genre (even if Peter Jackson’s DEAD ALIVE predates this by a year).
Gaspar Noé needs no introduction and his latest, hallucinatory, masterpiece is a barely hour long barrage of strobe effects and split screen, offering up a potent example of the intersection between horror and art-cinema. Yellow Veil present this as a two disc set, featuring a second disc of seminal short films that inspired the film, including works by artists as revered and provocative as Pier Paolo Pasolini and Kenneth Anger. It’s an indispensable release for one of the year’s greatest films thus far.
Pacific Northwest set horror, shot on super-16mm, that feels decidedly Lynchian but also, somehow, weirder than that. Likely not for everyone, but the more adventurous horror fans and people with a taste for the stranger side of American independent cinema of the 2010s will find a lot to admire here.
If you dug SINISTRE earlier this year than you’re likely already eager awaiting the blu-ray debut of Ronnie Sortor’s action packed, gory, SOV follow-up film which takes everything that worked about his first film and accelerates it, past the limits of the medium and boundaries of good taste. And, as usual, Saturn’s Core have packed this release with extras including a feature length documentary about the making of the film.
David A. Prior’s twisty 90s thriller features an unreal cast for the era, including Ted Prior, Traci Lords, Jan-Michael Vincent and none other than Glenn Ford! It’s exactly what you’d expect from a 1991 procedural thriller from Prior, which is to say that it’s a little classy, a little trashy and a lot of fun.
It seemed like everyone under the sun wanted ILYA MUROMETS when it was released in May and Deaf Crocodile have suitably followed the success of that release with another fantastical epic by Aleksandr Ptushko with SAMPO (released in the US as THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE), presented in another glorious restoration.
Joe Wiezycki’s ultra-mean, Floridian exploitation movie is the type of sweaty 70s sleaze that feels right at home in the AGFA library; teeming with Satanism, brutality and not an ounce of good taste throughout its under 90 minute runtime. Features a commentary with the one and only Elizabeth Purcell!
Akiko Ohku’s Japanese, teen romantic comedy is the perfect type of unassuming cinema, where you get a lot more than expected from any description; consistently defying trends of the genre (and even incorporating a rousing musical number), it’s another exciting curatorial effort from KANI, shining a light on a recent Asian film that didn’t get the release it deserved back in 2017 and is now available for audiences to discover. And it comes with two sticker sheets!
Maya Vitkova’s epic, 155 minute, absurdist comedy drama is about a baby born without an umbilical cord, and a whole lot more! There’s really nothing else like it out there and Richard Brody even put it as his fourth favorite film of the year, in its year of release!
Easily one of the best, and most unique, films of 2022 thus far, Jane Schoenbrun’s internet era horror film is the best type of genre work – where you’re constantly second guessing if it even is a horror film or not. Best experience knowing as little as possible and featuring a truly immersive 5.1 surround track which only increases the dread of being a teenager browsing the internet at night. This also features a glow in the dark slipcover, which is fun!
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