THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS:
REGULAR SHOW: THE COMPLETE FIRST & SECOND SEASONS
2013; $24.98-$29.96; UR
Now available in a money-saving two-season combo pack, DVD or Blu-ray, this Cartoon Network series is a waking hallucination of cultural touchstones, plus some completely off-the-wall shit that defies description. It’s also damn funny. A badly drawn blue jay with attitude, and his best friend, a raccoon, lead regular lives as groundskeepers at a park owned by a giant lollipop. But the fun is in spotting all the razor-sharp slacker/pop-culture references: Bruce Campbell in-jokes segue into Loverboy parodies amid “Back to the Future” plotlines that end with the testicle scene from “The Crying Game” — and somehow it all makes hilarious sense! Recommended.
SOLOMON KANE
2009; $15.98; R
Solomon Kane is “Conan” author Robert E. Howard’s most overlooked anti-hero. He appeared in only about a dozen tales, yet he remains one of Howard’s most striking and mysterious characters. This movie treatment stars James Purefoy (“The Following”) as Howard’s dour Puritan hellbrand, now slashing up demonic monsters more often than evil humans as he attempts to rescue Rachel Hurd-Wood from the clutches of a devil in human form. Sadly, the film didn’t inspire a series, as fans of Howard had hoped, largely because of a ham-handed distribution arrangement that has kept people from seeing it. Not a perfect film, but a solid, dark, blood-soaked fantasy adventure steeped in the war between good and evil in all of us. We liked it.
•••
42
2013; $24.98-$35.98; PG-13
The true story of Jackie Robinson, the first black professional Major League baseball player — at a time when blacks were not allowed to use white bathrooms — and Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who quite literally changed the color of America. Chadwick Boseman plays Robinson, No. 42, as a man constantly struggling to hold his head high as he and his family endure hatred at every turn. Harrison Ford’s Rickey, while conflicted and challenged, focuses on one simple notion: Robinson is the best man for the job. Highly recommended.
BIDDER 70
2012; $19.98; UR
We love this doc! George W. Bush set up a thinly veiled giveaway to his energy-industry cronies in 2008: thousands of acres of public land in Utah, “re-purposed” for mining in the guise of “energy exploration to make our country secure.” All it required was a simple Federal Lease Auction. And that’s where a college student named Tim DeChristopher stepped in: He bid, and won, the mineral rights before anyone knew what happened — despite not having any money to pay for them! It’s what happened next that’s fascinating.
BULLET TO THE HEAD
2012; $24.98; R
Legendary director Walter Hill was tagged to lead Sylvester Stallone’s latest film resurrection. He’s a hitman from the Big Easy who teams with an NYC cop (Sung Kang, “Fast & Furious”) to take down a sadistic killer who murdered both of their respective partners. Simply put: This is a welcome throwback to the great buddy movies of the ’80s/’90s; entertaining as hell and damn funny. And violent: an R-rated bloodbath co-starring lovely Sarah Shahi (“Fairly Legal”). Gangs of fun.
DARKEST NIGHT
2012; $24.98; UR
This all-but-unknown fright-fest from the Philippines is an edge-of-your-seat thriller starring indie-horror auteur DJ Perry and exotic hotties Issa Litton and Jill Palencia. When we tell you it’s a found-footage movie, supposedly based on real events from Malaysia, about a family besieged by supernatural terrors, you’re probably thinking, “Been there, done that,” but this little gem rocks thanks to a great cast, tight direction and good writing. There are some unfortunate technical lapses and more straight-up gore than necessary, but all in all we liked it.
EVIL DEAD
2013; $19.98-$35.98; R
An unnecessary and extremely graphic rebooting of Sam Raimi’s seminal 1981 no-budget classic cabin-in-the-woods screamer, with none of the humor. Ask for the original.
HEAVY TRAFFIC
1973; $14.98-$19.98; R
In 1972, edgy animator Ralph Bakshi shocked the world with his pornographic ode to the funny papers, “Fritz the Cat.” Looking to give his growing fanbase some insight into his work (long before the Internet became the pox that it is), he created this very odd movie about an underground animator (Joseph Kaufmann, in his last film, channeling Bakshi) trying to survive and express himself in a violent, hodge-podge urban hell. A rare combination of live action and animation unlike anything you’ve ever seen — and not for the easily offended — now available on Blu-ray.
ROOSTER TEETH: BEST OF RT SHORTS AND ANIMATED ADVENTURES
2013; $15.98-$19.98; UR
For the uninitiated: Rooster Teeth Productions are the lads behind “Red vs. Blue” and other crazy-wild videos made entirely from video-game footage. Here they offer fans a backhanded mockumentary: a goofy look at daily life around the office that plays out more like sketch comedy peppered with knowing winks to the gods of Xbox. Also includes a best-of compilation disc of fan-picked faves including “Angry Birds: The Movie” and “Siri: The Horror Movie.”
SEXUAL FREEDOM: SEX STORIES 3
2013; $21.99; UR
Doe-eyed keister-delivery-system Liza Del Sierra stars in the finale of Ovidie’s “Sex Stories” trilogy. Yes, this is porn; unapologetically empowering feminist porn, lush, evocative and extremely sensual. Ovidie plays a skeptical TV journalist doing a piece on a swingers’ commune in the quiet countryside. After a while, she comes to consider the commune as the potential next step in human evolution, challenging her mundane beliefs about how people “should” experience love. Caution: If you watch this, you won’t be able to resist buying parts 1 and 2!
WHITE FROG
2012; $19.98; UR
A passel of teen stars from “Glee,” “Teen Wolf,” “The Wizards of Waverly Place,” “The Vampire Diaries”” and “Twilight” gather together for a family drama about mental illness, death and sexual identity. Sounds like a real toe-tapper, don’t it? But we’re just being glib: It is an extremely well-done and very positive tale of the importance of friendship and family in a scary world where you just don’t seem to have a place. Recommended.
A more complete listing and free vids at videotapeworm.com.
More recommended videos for our online readers only!
BERT STERN: ORIGINAL MAD MAN
2011; $24.98; UR
While the name may be new to you, the life of Bert Stern is wound tightly with your own. Stern (who died on June 26, 2013) was the legendary photographer-cum-filmmaker whose amazing flashes captured the visual soul of everyone from Louis Armstrong to Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Hepburn, and he was credited with launching the modern fashion photo industry. He was also a lovable nut-job whose humor and warmth gave him access throughout the world. You will enjoy this free-flowing look at his life.
CANNIBAL POSSESSION: HEART OF ICE
2012; $14.98; UR
This low-rent horror is a hoot. An “ethno-historian” does a newspaper piece about the Wendingo, a native-Canadian boogeyman who turns people into murderous cannibals. Now, people associated with the report are committing gory man-eating attacks on innocent people — and the cannibal plague seems to be spreading! Wonderfully awful.
ERASED
2012; $15.98-$26.98; R
Aaron Eckhart does some slumming in this cheap — if very entertaining — tale of a spy and his estranged daughter (burgeoning talent Liana Liberato) marked for death in a global conspiracy. Aka “The Expatriate,” Eckhart is at the top of his game, though nubile Liberato steals scenes from him left and right, while Russian Olga Kurylenko (“Oblivion”) is a dangerous distraction. Not the best movie of the year, but exciting and fun escapist fare; worth your time.
FEMME FATALES: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
2011; $26.98-$29.98; TV-MA
Sexy Tanit Phoenix is the provocative and mysterious hostess of this half-hour pulp anthology series from Cinemax. It’s a late-night guilty pleasure of ours, loaded with sex, skin, danger and mischief. Each half-hour episode stands alone, yet each manages to reveal something about the overarching tale of Phoenix’s dark character, Lilith. Reminds us of “Twilight Zone” or maybe Bill Gaines’ old horror comics with extra sleaze (and cheeze). Highly addictive; 12 tales on three discs with lots of bonus goodies. Fun and addictive.
LIFE AFTER DEATH PROJECT
2013; $22.98; UR
Wow. We really don’t know what to say about this. The late Forry J. Ackerman was the greatest movie fan who ever lived: the publisher of Famous Monsters magazine and muse to generations of moviemakers. But according to this doc, he also posthumously communicated with the living by editing writer’s notes, which are then given the full “CSI” treatment to prove their authenticity. Includes comments, tributes and testimonials by Forry fans and friends such as Richard Matheson, Whitley Strieber — and even Forry himself!
RICK SPRINGFIELD’S AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART
2013; $21.99; UR
A wild, gushing hormone-laced ride with former rocker Rick “Jessie’s Girl” Springfield. Say what you will, Springfield’s fan base is incredibly loyal (if sliding feet-first into menopause), very vocal and stupefyingly supportive. For his part, Rick is aging well enough to piss the two of us off — still remarkably handsome, with a chiseled body and dreamy eyes — and still puts on a frenetic stage show. A genuinely warm, up-close and personal doc for fans.
THE ADORED
2013; $24.98; UR
A surprising Euro-lesbian romance flick from Britain with supernatural overtones. Laura Martin-Simpson is a straight, married fashion model whose life and career go down the tubes after a personal trauma. She hopes to get things back on track with the help of a famed nut-job photographer (Ione Butler) but is distracted by her first-ever romantic feelings for the woman. Meanwhile, they both begin to sense something threatening about their isolated house/studio. Or is it in themselves? Or does it have something to do with Frankenstein? We won’t spoil the surprise.
THE BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY
2009; $21.98-$26.98; R
It took the writer/director of the original BDS 10 years to get this sequel made — and another three just to get it to Blu-ray! — all of which is surprising considering its popularity. Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery, hiding in Ireland with crazed dad Billy Connolly, return to Boston for revenge after a beloved priest is killed. This sets up a reprise of the original’s bloody, violent crusade against sinister forces in the mob. Simply over-the-top excellent with Clifton Collins Jr. from “Star Trek,” Julie Benz from “Dexter,” Peter Fonda and Judd Nelson. Recommended.
WILD BILL
2011; $23.98-$29.98; UR
A devastating drama about a felon, out on parole, unwilling to take responsibility for his two sons abandoned by their mother. The older son has a job and is doing the best he can to be a surrogate dad, but without a role model himself, he doesn’t know how. So he threatens to have the dad sent back to prison unless he gets his act together — and that’s when the man’s old crime buddies show up. Blistering and raw with Charlie Creed-Miles and Will Poulter.
WOULD YOU RATHER
2013; $9.98-$29.98; UR
Lovely Brittany Snow runs afoul of Jeffrey Combs in this wildly successful — if sadistic — no-budget indie horror. Her brother is in trouble, so she accepts an offer of assistance from Combs, only to discover that she is one of eight people trapped in a brutal game of self-mutilation, degradation, murder and despair — and only the last one alive gets the help! With Jonny Coyne (“Gangster Squad”) as the evil butler, Sasha Grey (“The Girlfriend Experience”) and John Heard, slumming. Extremely good, if not for everyone, with a wickedly perverse ending.
This article appears in July 9, 2013.