THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS:
NURSE DIARY: WICKED FINGER
1979; $19.98; UR
Yes, it’s another visit to the skin-obsessed world of Nikkatsu Studios, Japan’s infamous adult-film juggernaut of the 1970s. This is the first in a trilogy of films featuring nurses, such as the one played by Etsuko Hara, secretly dating a hunky doctor at Murata Hospital — until a peeping tom spills the beans! And when his wife finds out, the whole thing slides into slapstick nonsense with screwy ex-lovers, pushy lesbians and runaway household appliances forcing the poor girl into ever more hilarious and embarrassing situations. Wonderfully naughty fun for adults or those who wish they were.
SPRING BREAKERS
2013; $14.98-$27.98; R
This unabashed tease/stroke flick stars four of the hottest nubiles ever to fall from Disney’s graces, clad only in bikinis and handcuffs through much of the movie. Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”), Selena Gomez (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), Ashley Benson (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Rachel Korine (“Trash Humpers,” who actually shows some titty) quickly wind up in trouble with the law when they rob a fast food joint and snort cocaine (sorta). Their hero is rapper “Alien” (James Franco), who posts their bail and guides them into a world of more controlled debauchery. Or something like that. It’s really hard to follow the plot with a handful of suntan lotion … Hollywood is going to need a new Oscar category.
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ADMISSION
2013; $19.98-$34.98; PG-13
A PG-13 rom-com-drama made for adults by adults. Tina Fey, a prim and by-the-book Princeton admissions officer, finds Paul Rudd, her former schoolmate and now high school administrator, to be something of a rascal. Now for the unexpected plot twist: Rudd has a student (Nat Wolff) who just may be Fey’s son, given up for adoption at birth! The kid isn’t Princeton material, but Fey — for complex reasons — decides to bend the rules for the first time in her life, leading to an unexpected romance. Watch it; life is an adventure.
DEAD MAN DOWN
2013; $18.89; R
Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace lead Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper and Isabelle Huppert in this first American outing for director Niels Arden Oplev (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”). It’s a dark actioner about an NYC mob boss’ right-hand man (Farrell) who gets seduced by a beautiful woman-child (Rapace), unaware that she seeks revenge on his employer. Nicely gritty, well written, with great actors; worth your time.
HANDS OF THE RIPPER
1971; $21.98-$29.98; R
The first Blu-ray release of an infamous lost Hammer Studios outing. Angrard Rees (“Poldark”) is the daughter of — dunt dunt DUUUUN — Jack The Ripper! And as an infant, she watched him murder her mother. Now an adult, she is a prostitute, the pawn of a fake psychic, when shrink Eric Porter comes to suspect that she may be unconsciously killing people. She might even be possessed by her father’s bloodthirsty spirit! Wonderful Freudian psycho-nonsense follows. Now available for the first time ever in its bloody, unedited, original form; a must-own for any Hammer fan.
QUINCY, M.E.: SEASON SIX
1981; $34.98-$39.98; UR
This was one great show, the progenitor of the scores of “CSI”-ish programming that clogs up today’s screens. Jack “The Odd Couple” Klugman was the titular gruff, ornery medical examiner who each week got himself into and out of all manner of comic trouble using his vast knowledge of forensics. His complete lack of sensitivity about the gory nature of the work is a great part of the fun; the first season’s gag about the “Lazy ‘S’ autopsy technique” is priceless. In turns intense, angry, incensed, bullying, caring and supportive, Klugman roars through every episode.
ROBOT CHICKEN: DC SPECIAL
2012; $12.98-$19.98; UR
A Robot Chicken mash-up with the DC Comics universe — including the incredibly obscure Mr. Banjo! — allowing Seth Green to wallow in his trademark silliness on a grand scale. Our favorites? “That’s Bane,” in which Bane keeps sneaking up behind Batman and breaking his back in a spoof of “Punk’d,” Lex Luthor getting repeatedly beamed by a kickball, and Glenn, who works in the Hall of Doom’s mailroom. One of his best.
THE HOST
2013; $24.98; PG-13
Stephenie Meyer’s follow-up to the “Twilight” series contains many of the same elements, though with a lot less animal lust. The amazing Saoirse Ronan plays one of the last uninfected humans after our world is taken over by parasitic aliens. She is finally captured but forms something of a truce with “Wanderer,” her internal alien “soul” as they set out to discover love, putting them in the crosshairs of the remaining invaders. The symbolism is a bit heavy-handed, but Ronan’s performance more than makes up for it. Frankly, this flick has been roasted by critics, but we found it a notch above “Twilight,” with some solid sci-fi underpinnings.
UNFORGETTABLE: SEASON ONE
2011; $38.98-$59.98; UR
We’re big fans of this show, if only for its pedigree: It follows a woman who suffers from hyperthymesia, a real medical condition where the sufferer is cursed with a “perfect” memory — she remembers absolutely every detail about every moment in her life, reliving it over and over, never able to forget anything. What a nightmare that would be! Poppy Montgomery plays NYC homicide detective Carrie Wells (based on a real-life hyperthymesiac, actress Marilu “Taxi” Henner — really!), whose memories are presented in a clever visual gambit that lets the viewer play along. Good stuff.
WAREHOUSE 13: SEASON FOUR
2012; $37.98; UR
Right up front: We’re not raving fans of this SciFi Channel series; it is the very definition of cheap sci-fi, and too self-referential for the occasional viewer to follow. That being said, we are in the minority: Everyone we know loves this fantasy/comedy, revels in the guest stars (often from “Eureka” or other SciFi Channel shows), and wallows in the Fortean history behind each week’s goofy scavenger hunt. Five discs, 20 episodes guest starring Brent Spiner (“STNG”) and Sam Huntington (“Being Human”), along with newer members Aaron Ashmore and CCH Pounder.
A more complete listing and free vids at videotapeworm.com.