DVDBeaver

Happy New Year! Published are our Poll Results of the Best Physical Media of 2025: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/best_p… Let's have a super 2026! Thanks to all those who participated. Best, Gary

RIP Chuck Norris... Chuck Norris passed away on March 19, 2026, at the age of 86 in Kauai, Hawaii, following a medical emergency that led to his hospitalization. • When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris. • Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants. • Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris. • The flu gets a Chuck Norris shot every year. • In the beginning there was nothing… then Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked nothing and told it to get a job. • Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door. • When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he isn’t lifting himself up — he’s pushing the Earth down. • Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch. He decides what time it is. • Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the speed of light. • Chuck Norris can divide by zero. • When Chuck Norris looks in a mirror, the mirror shatters. Not even glass is dumb enough to get between Chuck Norris and Chuck Norris. • Chuck Norris’ tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. • Chuck Norris can hear sign language. • Death once had a near-Chuck-Norris experience. • Chuck Norris can unscramble an egg. • Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet as Chuck Norris. • Chuck Norris can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves. • Chuck Norris doesn’t cheat death. He wins fair and square. • If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win. Forever. • Chuck Norris was riding a horse but it wasn’t going fast enough, so he got off and uppercut it in the head. You’re welcome — we now have giraffes.

FIVE EASY PIECES 1970 • 98 minutes • Color • Monaural • 1.85:1 aspect ratio Following Jack Nicholson’s breakout supporting turn in Easy Rider, director Bob Rafelson devised a powerful leading role for the new star in the searing character study Five Easy Pieces. Nicholson plays the now iconic cad Bobby Dupea, a shiftless thirtysomething oil rigger and former piano prodigy immune to any sense of responsibility, who returns to his upper-middle-class childhood home, blue-collar girlfriend (Karen Black, in an Oscar-nominated role) in tow, to see his estranged, ailing father. Moving in its simplicity and gritty in its textures, Five Easy Pieces is a lasting example of early-1970s American alienation. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack • One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features • Audio commentary by director Bob Rafelson and interior designer Toby Rafelson • Soul Searching in “Five Easy Pieces,” a 2009 program featuring Bob Rafelson • BBStory, a documentary about the legendary film company BBS Productions, with Rafelson; actors Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, and Ellen Burstyn; filmmakers Peter Bogdanovich and Henry Jaglom; and others • Documentary featuring critic David Thomson and historian Douglas Brinkley • Audio excerpts from a 1976 AFI interview with Rafelson • Trailer and teasers • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • PLUS: An essay by critic Kent Jones 4K UHD + BLU-RAY COMBO EDITION SRP: $49.95 PREBOOK: 4/28/26 STREET: 6/2/26 CAT. NO.: CC3818UHDBD ISBN: 979-8-88607-431-4 UPC: 7-15515-33481-5 DISC COUNT: 2 CHARADE 1963 • 113 minutes • Color • Monaural • 1.85:1 aspect ratio In this comedic thriller, a trio of crooks relentlessly pursue a young American, played by Audrey Hepburn in gorgeous Givenchy, through Paris in an attempt to recover the fortune her dead husband stole from them. The only person she can trust is Cary Grant’s suave, mysterious stranger. Director Stanley Donen goes deliciously dark for Charade, a glittering emblem of 1960s style and macabre wit. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack • One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features • Audio commentary from 1999 featuring director Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone • Trailer • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • PLUS: An essay by film historian Bruce Eder 4K UHD + BLU-RAY COMBO SRP: $49.95 PREBOOK: 4/28/26 STREET: 6/2/26 CAT. NO.: CC3819UHDBD ISBN: 979-8-88607-432-1 UPC: 7-15515-33491-4 DISC COUNT: 2 WEST INDIES: THE FUGITIVE SLAVES OF LIBERTY 1979 • 116 minutes • Color • Monaural • In French with English subtitles • 1.85:1 aspect ratio Mauritanian French firebrand Med Hondo puts colonialism itself on trial in this one-of-a-kind musical spectacular—a collective effort of unprecedented scale and ambition that proved a watershed event in African cinema. Aboard an enormous mock slave ship, Hondo stages a series of imaginative reenactments and intricately choreographed dance numbers that trace the devastating effects of French imperialism across centuries of enslavement and injustice. Beyond mere extravaganza, West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty is a stirring call to Pan-African independence and a dazzling yet critical reconception of an entire people’s history of oppression and rebellion. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack • New interview with African-cinema scholar Aboubakar Sanogo • Program featuring archival interviews with director Med Hondo • Excerpted archival interview with cinematographer François Catonné • Trailers • PLUS: An essay by film programmer and critic Ashley Clark BLU-RAY EDITION SRP: $39.95 PREBOOK: 5/5/26 STREET: 6/9/26 CAT. NO.: CC3820BD ISBN: 979-8-88607-433-8 UPC: 7-15515-33501-0 DISC COUNT: 1 HIGH ART 1998 • 102 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • 1.85:1 aspect ratio In a revelatory performance, Ally Sheedy stars in writer-director Lisa Cholodenko’s debut feature, a wry and incisive look at the politics of the New York art scene wrapped in the guise of an emotionally spiky queer romance. When Lucy Berliner (Sheedy), a once prominent photographer who has retreated into a life of heroin abuse with her faded-actress lover (Patricia Clarkson), is rediscovered by Syd (Radha Mitchell), an up-and-coming editor at a photography magazine, professional ambition and personal attraction become dangerously entwined. Stripping away art-world glamour to tell a seductive yet troubling story of complicated human connection, High Art stands as an essential work of both queer and 1990s independent cinema. DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Lisa Cholodenko, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack • Audio commentary from 2004 featuring Cholodenko • New conversation between Cholodenko and filmmaker Karyn Kusama • New interviews with actors Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell and photographer JoJo Whilden • Dinner Party (1997), a short film by Cholodenko • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • PLUS: An essay by critic B. Ruby Rich BLU-RAY EDITION SRP: $39.95 PREBOOK: 5/12/26 STREET: 6/16/26 CAT. NO.: CC3821BD ISBN: 979-8-88607-434-5 UPC: 7-15515-33511-9 DISC COUNT: 1 HAIRSPRAY 1988 • 92 minutes • Color • 2.0 surround • 1.85:1 aspect ratio After decades of pushing the boundaries of bad taste with his underground provocations, John Waters found surprising mainstream success with this infectiously irreverent rock-and-soul comedy. It’s 1962, and the only things bigger than the bouffant hairdos are the popular dance crazes sweeping the nation. When Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) shoots to stardom on a local TV dance party, her radical self-confidence and support for racial integration launch a movement that takes the city by storm. Costarring the inimitable Divine in a fiercely funny double role, Hairspray finds Waters marrying his wildly subversive sensibility with a newfound bubblegum sweetness for what may be his most irresistible film. DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director John Waters, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack • Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack • In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features • Audio commentary featuring Waters and actor Ricki Lake • New conversation between Waters and WFMU DJs Dave “the Spazz” Abramson and Gaylord Fields • New interview with Lake and actor Colleen Fitzpatrick • Reflections from actors Debbie Harry, Jo Ann Havrilla, Leslie Ann Powers, Clayton Prince, Shawn Thompson, and Pia Zadora • Deleted scenes • Behind-the-scenes documentary • Get to Know John Waters (1987) • Interview with production designer Vincent Peranio • Trailer • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • PLUS: An essay by critic Jessica Kiang 4K UHD + BLU-RAY COMBO SRP: $49.95 PREBOOK: 5/19/26 STREET: 6/23/26 CAT. NO.: CC3822UHDBD ISBN: 979-8-88607-435-2 UPC: 7-15515-33521-8 DISC COUNT: 2 BLU-RAY EDITION SRP: $39.95 PREBOOK: 5/19/26 STREET: 6/23/26 CAT. NO.: CC3823BD ISBN: 979-8-88607-436-9 UPC: 7-15515-33531-7 DISC COUNT: 1 DESPERATE LIVING 1977 • 90 minutes • Color • Monaural • 1.66:1 aspect ratio Following the unrepentant outrageousness of Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble,director John Waters brought his notorious trash trilogy to a fittingly twisted close with this antifascist fairy tale. After hysterical housewife Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) murders her husband with the help of her fed-up housekeeper (Jean Hill), the newfound “sisters in crime” escape to the bizarro shantytown of Mortville, a depraved penal colony presided over by a despotic queen (Edith Massey) whose tyranny pushes her subjects to shocking revolt. Deviant cops, death by dog food, DIY surgery—Waters unleashes all this and more in an at once relentlessly warped and oddly moral vision of queer rebellion. DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director John Waters, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack • In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features • Audio commentary featuring Waters and actor Liz Renay • Optional Italian dub track • New conversation between Waters and film programmer Cristina Cacioppo • Back to Mortville, a tour of the film’s main Baltimore location, led by Waters, • New interview with actors Susan Lowe, Mary Vivian Pearce, and Mink Stole • Interview with production designer Vincent Peranio • Trailer • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • PLUS: An essay by critic Grace Byron 4K UHD + BLU-RAY COMBO EDITION SRP: $49.95 PREBOOK: 5/19/26 STREET: 6/23/26 CAT. NO.: CC3824UHDBD ISBN: 979-8-88607-437-6 UPC: 7-15515-33541-6 DISC COUNT: 2 BLU-RAY EDITION SRP: $39.95 PREBOOK: 5/19/26 STREET: 6/23/26 CAT. NO.: CC3825BD ISBN: 979-8-88607-438-3 UPC: 7-15515-33551-5 DISC COUNT: 1 IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT 2025 • 103 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • In Persian with English subtitles • 1.85:1 aspect ratio In this Palme d’Or winner from the Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi, a chance encounter sets in motion an urgent moral thriller. When a stranded driver (Ebrahim Azizi) walks into his shop, mechanic Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) believes he has come face-to-face with Eghbal, a notoriously brutal guard who tortured him during his political imprisonment. Gathering a band of fellow former inmates and other allies, Vahid sets out to take justice into his own hands—but does he have the right man? Shot in secret after Panahi’s longtime ban from filmmaking in his home country, It Was Just an Accident is a tour de force of sustained tension and mordant humor, provocatively shifting perspectives to examine vital questions of trauma and revenge. DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New digital master, approved by director Jafar Panahi, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack • In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features • New conversation between Panahi and filmmaker Ramin Bahrani • Cannes Film Festival press conference from 2025 featuring Panahi and members of the cast and crew • Trailer • New English subtitle translation 4K UHD + BLU-RAY COMBO EDITION SRP: $49.95 PREBOOK: 5/26/26 STREET: 6/30/26 CAT. NO.: CC3826UHDBD ISBN: 979-8-88607-439-0 UPC: 7-15515-33561-4 DISC COUNT: 2 BLU-RAY EDITION SRP: $39.95 PREBOOK: 5/26/26 STREET: 6/30/26 CAT. NO.: CC3827BD ISBN: 979-8-88607-440-6 UPC: 7-15515-33571-3 DISC COUNT: 1 DVD EDITION SRP: $29.95 PREBOOK: 5/26/26 STREET: 6/30/26 CAT. NO.: CC3828DDVD ISBN: 979-8-88607-441-3 UPC: 7-15515-33581-2 DISC COUNT: 1 MAGELLAN PART OF CRITERION PREMIERES 2025 • 163 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • In Portuguese, Spanish, and Cebuano with English subtitles • 1.33:1 aspect ratio A hypnotic journey engraved in images of staggering beauty and horror, this monumental achievement from Lav Diaz boldly rewrites the imperialist mythmaking of the Age of Discovery. Elegantly minimalist yet overpowering in its scale and impact, Magellan follows the sixteenth-century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (Gael García Bernal) as he embarks on his epochal quest to cross the Pacific—a voyage that spirals into zealotry and violence when he attempts to impose Christianity upon the people of the Philippines. Abetted by García Bernal’s radically antiheroic portrayal, Diaz composes a stark vision of the brutality at the heart of European conquest and a haunting elegy for a lost precolonial past. INCLUDES • Meet the Filmmakers: Lav Diaz, a Criterion Channel original interview • Trailer • Notes by critic Beatrice Loayza BLU-RAY EDITION SRP: $29.95 PREBOOK: 5/19/26 STREET: 6/23/26 CAT. NO.: JF053BD ISBN: 979-8-88607-442-0 UPC: 7-15515-33591-1 DISC COUNT: 1 DVD EDITION SRP: $24.95 PREBOOK: 5/19/26 STREET: 6/23/26 CAT. NO.: JF054DVD ISBN: 979-8-88607-443-7 UPC: 7-15515-33601-7 DISC COUNT: 1 ECLIPSE SERIES 6: CARLOS SAURA’S FLAMENCO TRILOGY PART OF ECLIPSE FROM CRITERION 1981–1986 • 275 minutes • Color • Monaural/2.0 surround • In Spanish with English subtitles • 1.33:1, 1.66:1, and 1.85:1 aspect ratios One of Spanish cinema’s great auteurs, Carlos Saura brought international audiences closer to the art of his country’s dance than any other filmmaker, before or since. In his Flamenco Trilogy—Blood Wedding, Carmen, and El amor brujo—Saura merged his passion for music with his exploration of national identity. All starring and choreographed by legendary dancer Antonio Gades, the films feature thrilling physicality and electrifying cinematography and editing—colorful paeans to bodies in motion as well as to cinema itself. Blood Wedding • Carmen • El amor brujo PLUS: An essay by author and film critic Michael Koresky BLU-RAY EDITION SRP: $59.95 PREBOOK: 5/26/26 STREET: 6/30/26 CAT. NO.: ECL220BD ISBN: 979-8-88607-444-4 UPC: 7-15515-33611-6 DISC COUNT: 2 BLOOD WEDDING 1981 • 71 minutes • Color • Monaural • In Spanish with English subtitles • 1.33:1 aspect ratio Carlos Saura began what would become his Flamenco Trilogy with this depiction of a single dress rehearsal for choreographer Antonio Gades’s adaptation of poet and playwright Federico García Lorca’s tale of passionate revenge. No mere recording of a ballet, Blood Wedding (Bodas de sangre) uses gripping camera work and heart-pounding rhythmic editing to evoke the experience of moving with the dancers every step of the way. CARMEN 1983 • 101 minutes • Color • Monaural • In Spanish with English subtitles • 1.66:1 aspect ratio Carlos Saura’s biggest international box-office success was this self-reflexive meditation on both Georges Bizet’s popular opera Carmen and the original novella by Prosper Mérimée. Antonio Gades plays a choreographer who gets involved with his neophyte lead dancer (Laura del Sol), and grows dangerously jealous. Depicting the ups and downs of their affair in between rehearsals for Gades’s ballet, Carmen is a visually hypnotic hall of mirrors in which the dancers become inseparable from their personas. EL AMOR BRUJO 1986 • 103 minutes • Color • 2.0 surround • In Spanish with English subtitles • 1.85:1 aspect ratio The Flamenco Trilogy’s most straightforward narrative is also its most forthrightly theatrical, a modern take on composer Manuel de Falla’s Roma ballet, dressed up in pink sunsets and hellishly red fires. Set in a dusty Andalusian village, El amor brujo (Love, the Magician) is a seductive melodrama of a man (Antonio Gades) whose beloved is haunted by the ghost of another.

Coming in June: a one-of-a-kind Pan-African musical spectacular; an essential 1990s NYC queer romance; an irresistible rock-and-soul comedy; an antifascist fairy tale; an urgent moral thriller from Iran; and, fresh from theaters, a radically antiheroic portrait of a sixteenth-century explorer. Plus: three colorful paeans to bodies in motion; a masterpiece of early-1970s American alienation; and a deliciously dark 1960s comedic thriller.

Caitlin Cronenberg's "Humane" Blu-ray - Peter Gallagher, Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Enrico Colantoni, Uni Park @VinegarSyndrome @Shudder US: amzn.to/46Up3go BONUS CAPTURES: patreon.com/posts/caitlin-… OUR REVIEW: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film4/… Humane (2024) is the directorial debut of Caitlin Cronenberg (daughter of David Cronenberg), a tense sci-fi horror thriller that unfolds almost entirely during a single dysfunctional family dinner in a near-future world ravaged by environmental collapse. Governments have mandated a drastic 20% population reduction through a voluntary (and sometimes conscripted) euthanasia program, where participants' families receive financial compensation. Retired news anchor Charles York (Peter Gallagher) gathers his adult children—including Jared (Jay Baruchel), Rachel (Emily Hampshire), and others—to announce his and his wife's plan to enlist, but when things go awry with a runaway spouse and a stern government agent (Enrico Colantoni) arrives to enforce the quota, the evening devolves into chaotic moral dilemmas, betrayal, and violence as the privileged family must decide who will be sacrificed. Blending dark satire, family drama, and psychological horror with commentary on climate crisis, privilege, and state-sanctioned death, the film received mixed reviews for its intriguing premise and polished execution but occasional uneven pacing and heavy-handed allegory. *** Caitlin Cronenberg's Humane is a taut, single-location psychological horror-thriller that weaponizes family dysfunction against the backdrop of a chillingly plausible dystopian crisis. Set in a near-future where unchecked climate collapse has depleted resources to catastrophic levels - necessitating a global mandate for 20% population reduction through a government-run voluntary (and occasionally conscripted) euthanasia program - the film confines its action to one upscale home during a fateful dinner. Patriarch Charles York (Peter Gallagher - The Underneath, Late For Dinner, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Conviction, Summer Lovers, Malice,) a retired news anchor whose career profited from fear and misinformation, summons his fractured adult children - right-wing anthropologist Jared (Jay Baruchel - This Is the End, BlackBerry, Cosmopolis, Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up, Million Dollar Baby, Almost Famous,) ruthless pharma CEO Rachel (Emily Hampshire - Fitting In, Self Reliance, TV series Schitt's Creek, 12 Monkeys, Chapelwaite), struggling actress Ashley, recovering addict Noah, and young granddaughter Mia - along with his second wife, celebrity chef Dawn (Uni Park - Kim's Convenience, Coroner,) to announce that he and Dawn have enlisted in the program for patriotic reasons and to secure a hefty financial payout for the family. Thematically, Humane operates as a dark satire on privilege, nepotism, and the hollow ethics of the elite in crisis. Overall, the film earns solid accolades as a promising, entertaining debut: diverting psychological thrills with timely bite, if not quite revolutionary depth. It succeeds most as a mirror to contemporary anxieties - climate helplessness, governmental overreach, familial fracture - delivering a grimly funny, gut-punch reminder that in extremis, the monsters aren't always outside the door; sometimes they're already seated at the table. The Blu-ray of Humane honors Caitlin Cronenberg's assured debut with a technically excellent a/v presentation and thoughtfully extras. While lacking bells-and-whistles (4K UHD edition) or extensive featurettes, this release stands as an appealing home-video version for genre enthusiasts, delivering the film's sharp, atmospheric aura that elevates to a dark satire on privilege, apocalypse and bureaucratic disregard and overreaction. Humane offers a nightmarish extension of real-world debates around Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), particularly in Canada, where rates are among the highest globally and expansions have sparked controversy over whether it's truly about dignity or a cost-saving measure when social supports (disability aid, housing, mental health) fall short. Critics and ethicists have raised alarms that MAID risks becoming a "solution" for poverty, disability, or despair rather than terminal illness - echoing the film's dystopia where death is paperwork, quotas, and contractors demanding bodies like delivery orders. We're living in a world so broken that it treats voluntary mass death as civilized progress. Reliable sources project Canada will reach 100,000 cumulative MAID deaths around mid-to-late April 2026, assuming the rate holds steady (about 1,450–1,500 per month.) It is also very easy to obtain (less than a day wait - see HERE.) We could do with more films like Humane that expose the absurdity of MAID-like policies by satirizing state-sanctioned euthanasia as a bureaucratic, quota-driven "solution" to societal crises. Voluntary death is rebranded as patriotic and humane while revealing class hypocrisy, corporate indifference, and the dehumanizing reduction of human life to paperwork and incentives - particularly resonant in Canada's real-world context of expanding assisted dying amid debates over dignity versus systemic failures. I enjoyed the film for it's boldness in exposing the chilling implications and underexplored real-world controversial topic. For that we endorse.

Tadashi Imai's "Cruel Tale of Bushido" Blu-ray - Kinnosuke Nakamura, Shibiku-Shosuke Hori, Kyôko Kishida, Masayuki Mori, Takeshi Katô, Yoshiko Mita, Ineko Arima @mastersofcinema @Eurekavideo US: amzn.to/4sAIqUK CAN: amzn.to/4uprIJ1 UK: amzn.to/4qt1DGF BONUS CAPTURES: patreon.com/posts/tadashi-… OUR REVIEW: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film4/… Best known for dramas such as Until We Meet Again and An Inlet of Muddy Water, the Japanese filmmaker Tadashi Imai was also the director of Revenge, a highly accomplished and brutal jidaigeki picture. These two sensibilities come together in the film that might just stand as Imai’s masterpiece: Cruel Tale of Bushido. Kinnosuke Nakamura (Miyamoto Musashi) stars in multiple roles, playing seven generations of men belonging to the same family. In the modern day, salaryman Iikura is devastated by his wife’s attempted suicide. To distract himself, he begins working through his recently discovered family records. As he traces his personal history across 350 years, he discovers tale after tale of men who have suffered, debased themselves and made untold sacrifices in the name of bushido, or the moral code of the samurai. *** Tadashi Imai's Cruel Tale of Bushido stands as one of the most radical and unflinching deconstructions of the samurai myth in Japanese cinema, a Golden Bear winner at the 1963 Berlin Film Festival that systematically dismantles the romanticized image of bushido as noble honor by exposing it as a centuries-long mechanism of psychological, sexual, and social oppression. At its core, the film is a Marxist-inflected leftist critique (Imai was one of the few Japanese directors who remained a committed Communist into the postwar era) of how bushido was never about personal integrity but a tool wielded by the powerful to extract total obedience from the weak. Loyalty flows only upward; lords and later corporations demand everything - dignity, sexuality, family, life - while offering nothing in return. The code proves infinitely flexible: it justifies sexual assault, betrayal, and murder when convenient for the elite, yet punishes any deviation by subordinates with ruin or death. The film ends on a note of tentative awakening rather than triumph, leaving the question open: can one man finally break the chain that has bound his bloodline for centuries? In 1963, and still today, that remains a radical and unsettling challenge. Masters of Cinema's Blu-ray is a triumphant debut for Cruel Tale of Bushido in the West, combining a strong 4K-derived restoration, solid audio options, and thoughtful new extras that illuminate its radical anti-authoritarian message without ever softening its bleak power. As one of the most unflinching deconstructions of bushido in cinema, the film benefits enormously from this HD treatment that elevates it beyond mere rediscovery into an essential artifact of 1960s Japanese filmmaking, making this release highly recommended for collectors and cinephiles alike despite its niche appeal and unrelenting darkness. Certainly endorsed.

Mike Stasko's "Vampire Zombies... From Space!" Blu-ray - Judith O'Dea, Craig Gloster, Jessica Antovski, David Liebe Hart @CleaopatraEnt US: amzn.to/4rTiLG6 CAN: amzn.to/4d8idrh BONUS CAPTURES: patreon.com/posts/mike-sta… OUR REVIEW: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film2/… Vampire Zombies... From Space! is a delightfully over-the-top 2024 Canadian independent comedy-horror film directed by Mike Stasko that gleefully mashes up classic 1950s drive-in B-movie creature features with vampire lore and zombie apocalypse chaos; in the story, the infamous Dracula arrives from outer space with a diabolical scheme to transform the hapless residents of a small American town called Marlow into his unstoppable army of vampire zombies, forcing a ragtag group of clichéd heroes—including a grizzled detective, a rookie cop, a chain-smoking greaser, and a plucky young woman—to band together and save the world from the absurd invasion. Blending the campy style of Ed Wood, the satirical humor of Mel Brooks, and the irreverent edge of South Park, the movie embraces visible strings on bat transformations, cheesy effects, and R-rated gags to pay affectionate homage to retro sci-fi horror while delivering schlocky, self-aware fun for fans of low-budget genre spoofs. *** Mike Stasko's Vampire Zombies... From Space! stands as a bold, self-aware Canadian indie horror-comedy that masterfully channels the spirit of 1950s drive-in B-movies while injecting modern irreverence and gore. At its core, the film is an affectionate homage to Ed Wood's low-budget masterpieces like Plan 9 from Outer Space, deliberately embracing visible strings on flying bats, flimsy sets, melodramatic dialogue, and earnest-yet-clumsy special effects to recreate that era's charming technical limitations - yet it never feels like mere mimicry. Instead, Stasko (with co-writers Jakob Skrzypa and Alex Forman) mashes up classic sci-fi invasion tropes, Universal-style Dracula mythology, George Romero's zombie apocalypse framework, and splatter-era gore from the 1970s, creating a hybrid monster that's literally an alien vampire who turns victims into vampire zombies. Vampire Zombies... From Space! is a respectable, value-packed Blu-ray release for a niche cult comedy-horror that prioritizes charm over blockbuster polish - the modest file size and bitrate keep it efficient on a single-layer disc, while the clean 1.78:1 transfer, strong audio, and loaded extras make it a worthwhile pickup for B-movie lovers who enjoy earnest tributes to Ed Wood, Troma, and drive-in schlock. It doesn't push the envelope on technical dazzle, but it faithfully beams up the film's heartfelt nostalgia/homage tones without major flaws, earning solid marks as a fun, no-apologies gem for those who can never get enough of the genre tropes (humming saucers, bared fangs, ripping flesh, stake thuds, crowd panic, and more.)

I enjoyed Ilsa, The Tigress of Siberia. I'm not ashamed.

Takashi Miike's "Agitator" Blu-ray - Taisaku Akino, Toshikazu Atsushiba, Naoyuki Chiba @FilmsRadiance US: amzn.to/4b41DrN UK 4K SET: amzn.to/4bDVJxy BONUS CAPTURES: patreon.com/posts/takashi-… OUR REVIEW: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film3/… A yakuza (played by Miike himself in a cameo) is murdered after violently assaulting a hostess on rival turf, providing the catalyst for a gang war between a number of factions seeking a redistribution of power. In this densely-layered gangland drama , the backroom maneuvering of the senior figures in the yakuza, overseen by Mr. Kaito (Hiroki Matsukata, The Rapacious Jailbreaker), are juxtaposed against the actions of the street-level mobsters, as the two sides head towards an inevitable collision. Written by Graveyard of Honor scribe Shigenori Takechi, Miike directed Agitator in 2001, arguably the most notable year of his career, alongside Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, and The Happiness of the Katakuris. Epic in scope, the film is presented here in its original theatrical version, and in a two-part 200 minute extended version, until now only available on Japanese VHS. *** Takashi Miike's Agitator stands as one of the director's most ambitious and mature entries in the yakuza genre, often described as his attempt at a magnum opus within the form. Clocking in at roughly 150 minutes (with an extended cut nearing 200), the film unfolds as a sprawling, multi-layered crime saga that echoes the epic scope of classics like The Godfather or Sergio Leone's machismo tales, while channeling the gritty, hierarchical intrigue of 1970s Japanese yakuza films (such as those by Kinji Fukasaku, whom Miike would later homage directly in Graveyard of Honor). At its core, the narrative revolves around power consolidation within the massive Tenseikai Syndicate: ambitious executive Kaito (Hiroki Matsukata) schemes to absorb the rival Yokomizo and Shirane families by orchestrating assassinations and installing puppet leaders, turning traditional clan mergers into cold, corporate-style takeovers. This top-down machination collides catastrophically with the chaotic, street-level reality of the underworld, where loyalty is personal rather than institutional. The film's central emotional axis is the intense, almost fraternal bond between the volatile, hot-headed enforcer Kunihiko Kenzaki (Masaya Kato) and his aniki (big brother/mentor) Higuchi (Naoto Takenaka), a rebellious mid-level boss who refuses to bow to betrayal after the elderly Yokomizo patriarch is murdered. Violence erupts in sudden, brutal bursts (often off-screen or matter-of-fact), contrasting sharply with lengthy dialogue scenes, domestic interludes, and boardroom politicking that expose the yakuza's shift toward bureaucratic capitalism. Ultimately, Agitator offers a nihilistic yet strangely moving portrait of "honour amongst thieves" in terminal decline - the old codes of personal loyalty clash irreconcilably with modern power grabs, culminating in a fiery, apocalyptic gesture of defiance. While some critics note its slow pace and occasional lack of focus, the film's dense character work, thematic depth, and refusal to glamorize the lifestyle make it one of Miike's most intellectually rewarding yakuza efforts, a gritty epic that prioritizes human messiness over spectacle. This Radiance Blu-ray edition is highly recommended for anyone invested in Miike's early-to-mid career or Japanese crime cinema.

Jean LaFleur's "Ilsa, The Tigress of Siberia" 4K UHD - Dyanne Thorne, Michel Morin, Anne Marie Guenette, Nicole Fortin, Bertha Pierre, Carole Peloquin @KinoLorber @KLStudioClassic US: amzn.to/49EWuUJ CAN: amzn.to/4cBcHNI BONUS CAPTURES: patreon.com/posts/jean-laf… OUR REVIEW: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film3/… Having served the diabolical whims of Nazis (Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS) and Middle Eastern oil barons (Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks), the singularly sadistic Ilsa (Dyanne Thorne) became the overseer of a Stalinist gulag in Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia. At the end of Stalin’s reign, Ilsa torches the prison camp and disappears into the snowy wildnerness. Decades pass and Ilsa transforms herself into the madame of a brothel in 1977 Montreal. When a team of Soviet hockey players visit her establishment, Ilsa comes face to face with one of her most unbreakable prisoners, Andrei Chikurin (Michel Morin). The sleeping tigress within Ilsa is awakened, and she unleashes a new high-tech arsenal of abuse upon her political victims and sexual playthings. *** Ilsa, The Tigress of Siberia, directed by Jean LaFleur and produced under pseudonyms linked to Ivan Reitman and with ties to Roger Corman, stands as the final official chapter in the infamous Ilsa sexploitation quadrilogy starring Dyanne Thorne. Unlike the prior entries' more singular prison-camp focus - Nazi (Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS), Middle Eastern harem (Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks), or women's asylum - the film boldly splits its narrative across two eras and settings, creating a structurally ambitious yet uneven grindhouse epic. The first half unfolds in 1953 at the fictional Gulag 14 in Siberia, where "Comrade Colonel" Ilsa reigns over political prisoners with escalated sadism: grotesque tortures including electrocution, ice-water immersion, chainsaw "arm-wrestling" amputations, feeding body parts to her pet tiger, and orgiastic dominance over competing male guards. This section amplifies the series' gore and nudity while riffing on real historical gulag brutality under Stalin, culminating in a chaotic prisoner revolt sparked by news of Stalin's death, forcing Ilsa to massacre inmates and flee. The abrupt shift to 1977 Montreal sees her running a high-end brothel / massage parlor as a front for mind-control experiments (via pseudo-technological chambers inducing hallucinatory breakdowns), where she encounters a surviving prisoner, now a hockey coach, seeking vengeance in a revenge-driven climax featuring Canadian-flavored kills like snowmobile clashes and snowblower deaths. Ilsa, The Tigress of Siberia polarizes more than its predecessors. Some hail it as the sleaziest and most entertaining entry for its heightened gore, creative death set-pieces, and Dyanne Thorne's (Point of Terror, The President's Analyst, Love with the Proper Stranger, Naked City TV series,) magnetic, unapologetic performance - portraying Ilsa as a compelling, kinky monster who remains dominant without the series' usual "vulnerable lust-bunny" reversal, adding a layer of one-dimensional ferocity that some find refreshingly desirable. Ultimately, Tigress embodies late-1970s Canuxploitation excess: low-budget ingenuity, explicit sex and violence for shock value, and a gleeful disregard for taste or continuity (Ilsa's miraculous resurrections across films defy logic). It serves as both a fittingly over-the-top finale to the saga - pushing boundaries further while exposing formula fatigue - and a cult artifact that rewards exploitation devotees with memorable depravity, even if it never quite roars as fiercely as its Siberian tiger promises. In summation, this Kino Cult 4K UHD is a loving, definitive home-video resurrection for one of the grimiest entries in the Ilsa saga. If you're collecting the series (as Kino has done for all four with Ilsa, The Wicked Warden coming out at the end of April 2026,) this is another enticing upgrade that amplifies the film's disjointed, over-the-top depravity without sanitizing its exploitation soul; highly recommended for devotees of 1970s drive-in sleaze, even if the movie itself remains the "weakest" in the quadrilogy for some. For most, I'd say "pass".

🔥🚨DEVELOPING: Television viewers are discussing how original versions of TV shows get shortened when they are sent to streaming. Many viewers are noting that history is being edited and replaced right in front of us.

Karel Kachyňa's "Long Live the Republic!" Blu-ray - Zdenek Lstiburek @SecondRunDVD UK: amzn.to/4rivIIq BONUS CAPTURES: patreon.com/posts/karel-ka… OUR REVIEW: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film3/… From Karel Kachyna, director of The Ear and Coach to Vienna, this landmark film views the end of WWII through the eyes of 12-year-old Oldrich as he witnesses the retreat of the German Army and the arrival of the Soviets in 1945 rural Czechoslovakia. With Long Live the Republic!, Kachyňa established his lyrical reputation, combining poetic and dreamlike evocations of the boys’ inner fantasy world with the harsh reality the war’s final days, of his brutal home life, rivalries with other boys, and the grim realities to come under Soviet rule. *** Karel Kachyňa's Long Live the Republic! stands as a pivotal early work in the Czechoslovak New Wave, subverting the official socialist realist narratives of World War II liberation that dominated Czechoslovak cinema in the preceding decades. Set in the Moravian village of Nesovice during the chaotic spring of 1945, the film unfolds through the subjective, fragmented perspective of 12-year-old Oldřich (nicknamed Piňda or Olda, portrayed with raw authenticity by non-professional actor Zdeněk Lstibůrek), a small, bullied, and mistreated boy whose abusive father forces him to hide the family's mare and cart in the woods to protect them from requisitioning armies. Kachyňa's direction, aided inventive editing, poetic visual motifs (such as recurring images of the horse as a symbol of fragile innocence and imposed responsibility), and a caustic irony that exposes universal human failings rather than ideological heroism. The ironic title mocks triumphalist propaganda about the Republic's rebirth under Soviet influence, presenting instead a disillusioned coming-of-age where the child's maturing gaze reveals the absurdity and tragedy of wartime morality: victors and vanquished alike exhibit vice, self-interest, and brutality, with no clear ethical divide. Comparisons to Andrei Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood (1962) arise from the shared focus on war's psychological impact on a young protagonist, yet Kachyňa's film distinguishes itself through its darker, anti-heroic tone and refusal to romanticize either side. The film's structure, oscillating between present action and the boy's inner world, creates a hallucinogenic intensity that mirrors childhood confusion amid chaos. Second Run's Blu-ray edition of Long Live the Republic! is a commendable and essential release for this undervalued gem of the Czechoslovak New Wave - delivering the film's first proper high-definition presentation with a respectful transfer, solid audio, and relevant extras that highlight its artistic and historical value. Region-free and well-produced, it brings long-overdue international accessibility to Karel Kachyňa's poignant, ironic wartime portrait, earning high recommendation for collectors interested in Eastern European cinema of the 1960s. Absolutely recommended.

Lynne Littman's "Testament" Blu-ray - Jane Alexander, William Devane, Rossie Harris, Lukas Haas, Rebecca De Mornay, Kevin Costner @Criterion US: amzn.to/4riFdaC CAN: amzn.to/4rdY4DB BONUS CAPTURES: patreon.com/posts/lynne-li… OUR REVIEW: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film2/… Taking a hauntingly intimate approach to an often sensationalized subject, the singular Testament depicts one family’s daily life in the wake of nuclear devastation. After an atomic attack near her small California town, Carol Wetherly (Jane Alexander, in a fearlessly vulnerable, Oscar-nominated performance) must find the strength to care for her three children as the family contend with radiation sickness and the realization that their close-knit community will never be the same. With a diaristic focus on the emotional toll of unimaginable events, director Lynne Littman puts forth a wrenchingly humane vision of what it means to go on living in a shattered world. *** Lynne Littman's Testament is a poignant and unflinching drama that explores the aftermath of a nuclear war through the lens of a single suburban family in the fictional town of Hamelin, California. Released in 1983 amid heightened Cold War tensions, the film stars Jane Alexander in a career-defining role as Carol Wetherly, alongside William Devane (The Dark, Rolling Thunder, Report to the Commissioner, Marathon Man, Jesse Stone) as her husband Tom, and young actors Rossie Harris, Roxana Zal, and Lukas Haas (Witness, Dark Was the Night, While She Was Out) as their children Brad, Mary Liz, and Scottie. Originally produced for PBS's American Playhouse series, Testament eschews the spectacle of explosions or geopolitical intrigue typical of nuclear-themed films, instead delivering an intimate, character-driven narrative that focuses on the gradual erosion of everyday life due to radiation sickness, societal breakdown, and profound loss. With a runtime of just 90 minutes, the film's minimalist approach - devoid of special effects, mushroom clouds, or explicit violence - amplifies its emotional impact, making it a stark counterpoint to contemporaries like The Day After (1983) and Threads (1984), which emphasized broader chaos and graphic destruction. Lynne Littman's Testament and Nicholas Meyer's The Day After both emerged during the height of 1980s Cold War nuclear anxieties, released just weeks apart - Testament hit theaters on November 4th, while The Day After aired as a massive ABC TV event on November 20th, drawing over 100 million viewers and sparking widespread debate. If The Day After screams "this could happen" through explosive spectacle and broad-scale suffering, Testament whispers "this is what it would feel like" through intimate, unrelenting quiet despair - together, they form two sides of the same terrifying coin from 1983's anxious zeitgeist. This Criterion Blu-ray release is a welcome and definitive home-video release elevating the film's quiet devastation through exemplary technical care and substantial extras that honor its humanistic anti-war message; while not flashy, the restoration and supplements make it essential for fans of 1980s socially conscious cinema, Jane Alexander's powerhouse acting, or thoughtful depictions of apocalypse's intimate toll - highly recommended for those seeking substance over spectacle.

Marcel Carné's "Port of Shadows" 4K UHD - Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Michele Morgan @KinoLorber US: amzn.to/45ihqiR CAN: amzn.to/4sDHCOl BONUS CAPTURES: patreon.com/posts/marcel-c… OUR COMPARISON: dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film9/… Jean, (Gabin, La Grande Illusion) a deserter, arrives in Le Havre and looks for a shelter before leaving the French territory. Housed in a shed on the harbour, at the end of the docks, he meets an eccentric painter and a mysterious and beautiful girl called Nelly (Morgan, The Fallen Idol)… From then on he will be trapped in a tragic destiny, in spite of his passion for Nelly and his will to live… This haunting pre-war drama was one of the key films that influenced Film Noir in 1940’s Hollywood. *** Marcel Carné's Le Quai des Brumes (Port of Shadows) stands as a cornerstone of French poetic realism, a cinematic movement that blended gritty social observation with lyrical fatalism. Directed by Carné (Children of Paradise) with a screenplay by Jacques Prévert (The Crime of Monsieur Lange,) the film stars Jean Gabin (Hi-Jack Highway, Touchez Pas Au Grisbi, French Cancan, Razzia sur la chnouf, Speaking of Murder aka Le rouge est mis, La Grande Illusion, La bête humaine, Le Jour Se Leve) as Jean, a disillusioned army deserter; Michèle Morgan (The Chase, Naughty Girl, Passage to Marseille) as Nelly, a vulnerable young woman; Michel Simon (Blanche, La Poison, Not Guilty, Beauty of the Devil, La Chienne, Boudu Saved from Drowning, The Head) as Zabel, her enigmatic guardian; and Pierre Brasseur (Eyes Without a Face, Spotlight On A Murderer, The Love of a Woman) as Lucien, a petty gangster. Adapted from Pierre Mac Orlan's novel, the story unfolds in the fog-enshrouded port of Le Havre, capturing a brief, doomed romance amid a milieu of outcasts and criminals. This work not only solidified Carné's reputation but also encapsulated the pre-World War II zeitgeist of despair and disillusionment in France. Kino's 2026 4K UHD of Le Quai des Brumes stands as a definitive home video release for Marcel Carné's poetic realist masterpiece, offering a strong restoration that vastly improves the visual experience while respecting the film's inherent limitations, paired with enriching extras - including the valued commentary - that illuminate its production turmoil, cultural impact, and enduring themes of fatalism and human ambiguity. It outshines all previous editions (see comments on them HERE,) earning high marks for its most impressive faithful presentation and making it an essential for any serious collection of French cinema or classic film noir. This 4K UHD is a most-own.

"A pivotal early work in the Czechoslovak New Wave [...] A commendable and essential release for this undervalued gem... Absolutely recommended." @DVDBeaver review Kachyňa's astounding LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC! dvdbeaver.com/subsite/film3/…