OCN Distribution brings a June full of Cult treats. Slope’s Game Room: Cult Movies, Shows and Classic Comics goes into the history of video games based on everything from Howard the Duck to Friday The 13th. Samurai Wolf 1 & 2 take us back to feudal Japan. The Old Ones gets into the world of H.P. Lovecraft. That Most Important Thing: Love is a movie that gets mentioned in the Channel Z documentary. Here’s the press release from OCN Distribution:
We’ve got an early summer smorgasbord this month, with a little bit of something for everyone: ghost stories, video game histories, virtual reality, folk horror, international treasures, and more. And, we’re thrilled to share the first title from new partner label Shudder—plus a new variant for Canadian International Pictures’s release of canuxploitation favorite The Amityville Curse. Save the date: Partners Only month returns in June!
Did you know we carry comic books? In addition to new releases from Vinegar Syndrome Publishing, we’ve got a curated selection of works from underground artists and legendary creators alike. Check it out:
THE OLD ONES (Dark Star)
The latest from low-budget gore auteur Chad Ferrin is a practical effects-laden take on the cosmic horror works of H.P. Lovecraft. This revenge saga about a salty sailor seeking his long-lost love while battling the ancient forces of evil unfolds at breakneck speed and with plenty of blood and guts, crowned by stellar masks and fantastic creatures that belie the film’s limited means. For the devoted horror and Lovecraft fan with a taste for creative carnage.
STREETWISE (Dekanalog)
This striking debut from filmmaker Na Jiazuo is a tragicomic, neo-noir portrait of people on the fringes of society, struggling to survive in the midst of economic, social, and emotional instability. On the neon-lit, often deserted streets of Zhenwu, aspiring young debt collector Dong Zi ekes out less than enough to cover his ailing, combative father’s hospital bills, taking comfort in the motherly affection of Jiu’er, the ex-wife of his powerful gangster boss. A portrait of visual contrasts beautifully captured by cinematographer and Bi Gan collaborator Li Jianeng. Essential viewing for international, arthouse, and crime film fans.
SLOPE’S GAME ROOM: CULT MOVIES, SHOWS AND CLASSIC COMICS (Enjoy the Ride Media)
DJ Slope is back with another collection of wildly entertaining video game explainers—this time, with a focus on genre film and cult cartoon adaptations. From the origins of Howard the Duck to the many (often delightfully terrible) iterations of Friday the 13th-inspired games, the creation of beloved legends Beavis and Butthead and beyond, these shorts have something for fans of both the games and the original movie and TV content, no console or arcade high score required. (And don’t miss the blu-ray exclusive game!)
VACATION! (Factory 25)
What happens when four college girlfriends meet up for the first time in years at a beachside summer rental to tan, flirt, and drop acid from the local weirdo surfer? This early low-budget comedy/thriller from indie filmmaker Zach Clark feels both documentary and otherworldly, climaxing in an outrageous, neon-filled trip sequence for the ages. A time capsule of 2010 that still resonates with the horniness and malaise of today, for fans of independent and art house cinema.
| L’IMPORTANT C’EST D’AIMER (THAT MOST IMPORTANT THING LOVE) (Film Movement Classics) The third and one of the more accessible feature films from iconoclastic Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski prefigures the passions and violence of his most popular masterpiece, 1981’s Possession. Stars Romy Schneider and Fabio Testi both play against type and form two parts of a virulently self-destructive love triangle (with Jacques Dutronc), wrapped in an acid meta-meditation on high and low art making. An important addition to the library of any fan of international, art house, and canonical film. |
SAMURAI WOLF 1 & 2 (Film Movement Classics)
Two seminal, underseen samurai films recently restored. Though considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the genre, much of Hideo Gosha’s filmography has been difficult for new audiences to see, corrected here by a duo of short, powerful early entries that wear their Akira Kurosawa and spaghetti western influences on their wily ronin’s sleeves. Singular discoveries for collectors of Asian cinema and those new to samurai films, and absolutely essential for connoisseurs.
| ULTRAMEGALOPOLIS (Saturn’s Core)A sprawling documentary and vital portrait from legendary underground chronicler Larry Wessel, who captures post-riot Los Angeles in over two hours of beautifully grimy, low-fi footage. From street performances accompanied by boomboxes, to interviews with the formerly incarcerated, records of living mannequins in definitive 90s gear and footage of bombed out bodegas, a stunning, multi-faceted portrait of a city perennially on fire emerges. For documentary and outsider art collectors, and those interested in the history and character of southern California. |
BROOKLYN 45 (Shudder)
Filmmaker Ted Geoghegan (We Are Still Here, Mohawk) brings old-fashioned scares, plenty of heart, and an impressive commitment to practical effects to this first release from new partner label Shudder. Five WWII veterans meet in the history-filled parlor of their grieving, recently widowed host; an ill-planned seance, a shocking reveal, and an obsession with the ghosts of the past collide in real time for a uniquely moving tale of terror—whether in color or gorgeous black and white, both included in this must-have release.
HOUSEBOAT HORROR (Umbrella Entertainment)
A legendary direct-to-video disaster called by some the “worst Australian film ever made,” newly remastered and ready for a fresh, adoring audience. A rowdy rock band, their girlfriends, and a film crew load onto several houseboats for a lakeside video shoot, only to encounter the deadly wrath of ax-wielding maniac Acid Head. The kill count? High. The bloodshed? Plentiful. The plot holes? Too numerous to count! Hours of additional content make this the essential release of this beloved mess, for true genre and SOV freaks and movie lovers with a hearty sense of humor.
GAME OF PLEASURE (VHSHitfest)
Lawnmower Man meets late-night Skinemax in this 1998 SOV joint about a virtual reality game gone wrong. A corporate cover-up; a jealous demon played by Tammy Parks (Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds); delightfully low-budget effects; and loads of nudity make for 62 minutes of pure schlocky fun—topped off with a hearty helping of special features. An absolute must for low-budget sci-fi and horror heads and analog collectors.
| WITHOUT NAME (Yellow Veil Pictures)This feature film debut from Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium, Nocebo) is a folk horror mindwarp set in the haunted wilderness of Ireland. A miserable land surveyor escapes the disconnected modernity of his urban home, sent to measure a mysterious forest nicknamed “Without Name” by the locals; he swiftly falls under the spell of the place, becoming fixated on a previous tenant’s theories of living trees and tripping on mushrooms as his grasp of reality falters. Are the dark figures and frightening forces real, or just a figment of his distorted imagination? For fans of horror and psychedelic cinema. |
