Artsploitation Films has packed the months of June and July
with a very busy release slate of new DVD and Blu-ray product offerings … so
let’s get right to it.
Heading to the domestic market place on June 9 as both DVD
and Blu-ray product offerings is Berlin-born filmmaker Till Kleinert’s
mind-blowing, mixed-genre delight, Der Samurai.
Deep in the forest there is a sleepy little town (filmed on
location in Bernöwe, Germany), where the local law comes in the form of Jakob (Michel
Diercks), who is sort of a Paul Blart or Barney Fife type of cop — he doesn’t
get a whole lot of respect from the locals.
His latest case involves a wolf on the prowl, but what he
finds out there in the spooky woods is no wolf! It’s a sword-wielding tranny — honest,
complete with long blonde hair — who launches into a night of terror by
slaughtering off the townies one by one by loping off their heads. Efforts by Jakob to put an end to the madness
prove futile … and as the night wears on an eerie bond begins to form between
the killer (played by Pit Bukowski) and his pursuer.
It is as if Red Riding Hood met Zatoichi (dressed in drag)
on a dark night in one of the most bizarre “slasher” tales ever put to film.
Presented in German with English subtitles … bonus features
include commentary from writer/director Till Kleinert (The Longest Night) and a
behind-the-scenes featurette.
The following week, June 16, Artsploitation Films is back
with the DVD-only release of filmmakers Jay Lee and Jim Roof’s The
House with 100 Eyes.
Ed (Jim Roof) and his perky wife, Susan (Shannon Malone),
are the seemingly perfect suburban couple.
Young, “professional” and who just happen to have converted one of their
bedrooms into a movie set — like a miniature sound stage. Cameras are in place (for multiple angles),
a dingy mattress — or other set pieces — can be perfectly staged and properly
lit for their movie-making specialty, snuff films. Thrill kills for the connoisseur!
In a cinema vérité
approach to their craft, the fun-loving Ed and Susan address their audience,
show how their “cast members” are recruited and then how they bring them,
willingly, to their little studio for their moment of fame. On this particular day, we join these film auteurs for a night of moviemaking like
no other, the production of a triple feature!!!
Bonus goodies include a gag reel, director commentary and a
“sizzle” reel.
The June release schedule closes out June 23 with both DVD
and Blu-ray editions of director Romain Basset’s award-winning Horsehead.
The hauntingly beautiful Jessica (Lilly-Fleur Pointeaux) has
been plagued her entire life with a recurring nightmare. Rather than suppress it, she has entered into
a dream-therapy experiment to try and discover the underlying meaning of her
bizarre visions.
This is interrupted with the news that her grandmother has
died and that she is needed at the family’s countryside estate — she’s not all
that eager to go since she doesn’t get along with her mother.
Once there, and after the perfunctory family conflicts with
her “dear” mother, Jessica is suddenly stricken with a bad case of the “flu”
and finds herself bedridden. Is it the
flu? Hmmm, maybe; maybe not.
In any case, she decides to use the downtime for a little
dream exploration, and soon enters a dream state. Being
naked in a bathtub and having a wolf companion as her only protection against a
sinister creature that is bedecked in a horse’s head become a common occurrence. The dreams (nightmares) become more bizarre
… and soon what is real, and what is not, come together.
Bonus features include an extended making-of documentary
titled Inside Horsehead and four of filmmaker Romain Basset’s short
films, including Bloody Current Exchange and Projection.
The release calendar for the month of July beings on July 7
with the domestic Blu-ray and DVD rollout of director Hans Herbots’ detective
thriller, The Treatment.
Filmed in Belgium and presented in Flemish (with English
subtitles), we are introduced to Inspector Nick Cafmeyer (Geert Van Rampelberg),
who is investigating what appears to be a home invasion and the abduction of a
child. This particular case has a
profound impact upon him as his own brother was abducted when he too was put a
child.
As he digs deeper and deeper into the mystery he soon
discovers something so sick and twisted as to shake him to his core. Solving this mystery could take him places
that no sane individual would ever want to go … and possibly bring him full
circle back to events in his own life.
July 14 marks the domestic DVD debut of Dutch filmmaker Joram
Lürsen’s Reckless, which is a superior remake of The Disappearance of Alice Creed.
Rico (Marwan Kenzari) and Victor (Tygo Gernandt) kidnap
Laura Temming (Sarah Chronis), the daughter of a wealthy industrialist.
Their plan is perfect.
Everything, down to the last detail has all been carefully planned
out. There is just one little problem …
and that’s Laura. She picks their
partnership apart, takes control of the scheme and manipulates everything,
right up until the final denouncement!
Who lives and who dies is not part of this “perfect” plan! Reckless will keep you guessing!
Presented in Dutch with English subtitles.
Lastly, Artsploitation Films closes out the month of July
with the domestic DVD debut of legendary French adult filmmaker Jean-François
Davy’s newest film,
Transgression … an “erotic” road trip as Davy explains the
process (as a thinly disguised documentary) of casting an adult film.
There are plenty of willing beauties ready
to answer his call.
As a bonus, Artsploitation Films has fully restored his
similarly-themed 1975 documentary classic, Exhibition, which showcased the many
talents of Claudine Beccarie. Presented
here, for the first time, is the fully restored director’s cut of the film.
This double-feature is presented in French with English
subtitles.
