It's time for a survey. I don't do these very often (ever?) but I want to ask the fine readers of this blog what their top five or top ten films that aren't currently available on DVD in the U.S./Canada. If they're available in other markets, that's cool -- feel free to note it. If they're available via a streaming source like Netflix, please note it. But, what I really want is a list of movies that just aren't legitimately available but should be. Please shoot me an email via mwhite at impossiblefunky dot com by 12/31/2010 with the subject line "Not on DVD". Thanks!
17 comments:
Hi, I linked here via Mike Malloy...! Here are my top 5:
1. I, THE JURY (1982, Richard T. Heffron - the German dvd bootleg is terribly compressed, vhs sourced and edited - one of the best action/exploitation films of the 80s)
2. THUNDER WARRIOR (198?, Fabrizio De Angelis - so far I have yet to find a VHS version that was released in the proper scope 2.35:1 aspect ratio...the entire trilogy is long overdue for a proper DVD or even Blu-Ray release)
3. THE MAN FROM ONAN (1971, Alan Ruskin - saw this in an old film book called 'Film as a Subversive Art' and the plot sounds amazing. I wonder if a film print even exists?)
4. THE DEVIL'S HONEY (198?, Lucio Fulci - I have an Italian DVD of this w/o English options and I think maybe a terrible Hong Kong bootleg was released a few years back w/ English...but this is one of my fav Fulci films and one of his only ones currently unavailable on U.S. DVD)
5. WHEN WOMEN HAD TAILS (1970, Pasquale Festa Campanile - the first "weird" non-mainstream movie I ever saw staying up watching late night cable - I was 8 or 9 - and I never looked back. Never saw a legit DVD of this...I remember loving it, but the reviews I read are pretty bad!
1. 'That's Adequate' - an uneven but mostly funny mockumentary with a whole bunch of famous and semi-famous actors in small parts.
2. 'Crimewave' - Sam Raimi and the Coen brothers teamed up only to have their vision compromised by the studio heads. And yet it's still a pretty entertaining film. (available on R2 DVD, but not in the U.S.)
3 and 4. 'The Decline of Western Civilization' parts 1 and 2. Classic case of music rights preventing the release of important films. Part 1 documents the L.A. punk scene of the early eighties, part 2 the L.A. metal scene of the mid to late 80's. Good stuff in both.
5. Most of Russ Meyer's films. Import R2 versions are easy (and fairly cheap) to find, but not everyone has a region free DVD player.
I second "The Decline of Western Civilization"!
Abby-
William Girdler classic of the blaxploitation genre. It's out on a bootleg, but not a legit release.
Combat Cops-
Another Girdler classic. This is also a blaxploitation flick.
Three on a Meathook-
ANOTHER William Girdler joint. This was a great Grindhouse/Drive-In flick.
Grizzly 2-AKA Predator: The Concert
"All hell breaks loose when a giant Grizzly, reacting to the slaughter of Grizzlies by poachers, attacks at a massive big-band rock concert in the National Park." NEED I SAY MORE!!
Nightbreed-
The Barker cut of the film. There is ONLY a barebones edition that sucks out there.
1. The Monster and the Girl (1941)
2. Open Season (1974)
3. 92 in the Shade (1975)
4. Deadhead Miles (1972)
5. Hickey and Boggs (1972)
Crimewave was released here in the US - it's just OOP, now.
Ken Russell's The Devils
Ghostwatch (BBC TV film)
Genghis Cohen
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
1. Kinski's directorial debut, "Paganini." Out on a two disc set in Europe but has yet to hit these shores domestically.
2. "Get Crazy." This underrated Alan Arkush film is ripe for re-discovery.
3. "The Incident." 1960's masterwork with an all-star cast including a young Martin Sheen, an even younger Donna Mills and an charismatic and frightening performance by Tony Musante. From what I understand, it got a laserdisc release by no DVD.
There are more, but these are the ones that come immediately to my mind.
Here's my Top Ten
Cinderella (1977)
Nashville Girl (1976)
Housekeeping (1987)
High Risk (1981) needs Remasterd & OAR
Unholy Rollers (1972)
Roadracers (1994) Region 2
Deadly Blessing (1981) Region 2
Willard (1971)
The Bed Sitting Room (1969) Region 2
Gorp (1980)
Astenicheskiy sindrom
1989 — a.k.a. The Asthenic Syndrome
Ceddo 1977
Deseret 1995
Maynila: Sa mga kuko ng liwanag
1975 — a.k.a. The Nail of Brightness
Méditerranée 1963
Une histoire de vent 1988 — a.k.a. A Tale of the Wind
Trop tôt, trop tard 1982 — a.k.a. Too Early, Too Late
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)
1. “Dangerous Men” (2005) John S. Rad’s hysterically funny action-adventure feature, so inept it gives Tommy Wisseau’s “The Room” for WTF? Immortality.
2. “Young Warriors” (1983) Director Lawrence D. Foldes’ follow-up to his infamous Don’t Go near the Park.” A college frat takes the law into their own hands after a brutal rape and murder. Just as risible as “Park.”
3. “My Friends Need Killing” (1976) Depressing, scorched-earth feature about a Vietnam vet who kills all his old combat buddies. Minimal and low budget ion the extreme, starring TV’s “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” Greg Mullavey in the lead.
4. “If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?” (1971) Christian fundamentalist mayhem from the Ormond family. Communist takeover results in white bread families forced to listen to tape recordings of “Christianity is stupid, Christianity is stupid.”
5. “Strawberries Need Rain” (1970) Larry (“Zontar the Thing from Venus”) Buchanan’s take on the existentialist art film.
It Came from Hollywood and Terror in the Aisles! I guess rights issues will keep these off DVD forever.
Un Lac - Phillippe Grandrieux
The Long Day Closes - Terence Davies
L'Argent - Robert Bresson
Razorback - Russell Mulcahy
Kuroneko - Kaneto Shindo
RAZORBACK is available through Warner Archive on R1.
On that has been on my mind lately is:
"Cabaret Balkan" ("Bure Baruta" literal title "The Powder Keg") - 1998, Serbia by Goran Paskaljević
Saw this in the theatre and it blew me away. Kind of a "one-night" in the life of people after the war between the Croats and Serbians. Really dark comedy - very interesting. Criterion should seek this out and do something with it!
1. PSYCHO FROM TEXAS - a hicksploitation classic
2. RIOT ON! - Finnish doc about a mobile phone start-up that runs itself into the ground in a cloud of excess and debauchery
3. CARNIVAL MAGIC - insane Al Adamson kid's movie that was recently on TCM, but dammit, I found out after it had already aired
4. OUR LADY OF THE TURKS - very wild Carmelo Bene film; I think I read that it may be released in North America later in 2011, but not sure
5. CASE FOR A ROOKIE HANGMAN - adaptation of Gulliver's Travels, one of the few films directed by Czech screenwriter Pavel Juracek; there are a bunch of other Czech New Wave films I'd love to see released here....
Not a "top" 5, but it'd be nice if we got Electric Dreams and Never Too Young To Die on R1. Oh, and not a movie, but the uncut WKRP, too.
THE COOL ONES
THE PHYNX
COOL AS ICE
OUT OF SIGHT (1966)
Tex Avery cartoons!!!
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