New Release Roundup for the Week of October 16th, 2018

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS on Blu-ray
https://amzn.to/2QHAz58

TRILOGY OF TERROR on Blu-ray
https://amzn.to/2IQpDzj

SHAMPOO on Blu-ray (Criterion)
https://amzn.to/2CFiNwf

SCHLOCK on Blu-ray (Arrow)
https://amzn.to/2yeTe1k

DRACULA A.D. 1972 on Blu-ray (Warner Archive)
https://amzn.to/2IQpDzj

SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS on Blu-ray (Twilight Time)
https://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/36222/SHORT-NIGHT-OF-GLASS-DOLLS-LA-CORTA-NOTTE-DELLA-BAMBOLE-DI-VETRO-1971/

NIGHTWING/SHADOW OF THE HAWK on Blu-ray (Mill Creek)
https://amzn.to/2QKV7tm

KAZAAM on Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)
https://amzn.to/2yzBmO0

IT'S PAT on Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)
https://amzn.to/2QNmfYH

SANGAREE on 3D Blu-ray (Kino Lorber)
https://amzn.to/2EdDP6O

SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST on Blu-ray (Twilight Time)
https://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/36223/SWORD-OF-SHERWOOD-FOREST-1960/

BLACK WIDOW on Blu-ray (Twilight Time)
https://www4.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/36221/BLACK-WIDOW-1954/

THE ADVENTURES OF HAJJI BABA on Blu-ray (Twilight Time)
https://www4.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/36220/THE-ADVENTURES-OF-HAJJI-BABA-1954/

CITY SLICKERS on Blu-ray (Shout Factory)
https://amzn.to/2pQ2KU7

Just The Pods Vol. 15

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS - Peter Biskind
Bill Ackerman sits down with author/film critic Peter Biskind (EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS) to talk about his new book THE SKY IS FALLING and his history as a film writer from the late 60s to the present.

http://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/supportingcharacters/episode42

Itunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/supporting-characters/id1092702104?mt=2

THE SPLATHOUSE - FANGORIA LIVES! Interview with Phil Nobile Jr. 

Stephanie "Scoop" Crawford talks to Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director Phil Nobile Jr. about the new volume/issue of the magazine and what has gone into it's packed 100 + pages in terms of design and creative approach for this new incarnation of an old horror staple. Inspiring stuff. I immediately subscribed after hearing this interview!

https://soundcloud.com/user-616846084/splathouse48-fangoria-lives
Itunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-splathouse-podcast/id1158620935?mt=2

THE PROJECTION BOOTH - SUSPIRIA
The Projection Booth is kicking off their #Shocktober2018 in style with a discussion of Dario Argento’s 1977 film Suspiria - Maitland McDonagh (Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento) and Rob St. Mary join Mike to discuss this classic, atmospheric horror tale. Authors Alexandra Heller-Nicholas(Suspiria) and Clare Nina Norelli help unravel the mystery of Argento's most note-worthy film.
http://www.projectionboothpodcast.com/2018/10/episode-384-suspiria-1977.html
Itunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast/id421863760?mt=2

THE MAGIC LANTERN - GET OUT
Cole and Ericca have a very thoughtful and insightful discussion of Jordan Peele's modern classic tale of horror on this excellent episode of The Magic Lantern. A great primer for Halloween viewing!

http://www.magiclanternpodcast.com/episodes/episode-087-get-out/

Itunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-magic-lantern/id1028878738?mt=2

ZEBRAS IN AMERICA #74 - Jared Gilman
Actor Jared Gilman (MOONRISE KINGDOM, PATERSON) joins Scott and Marcus to talk about some favorite movies from 2018. The discussion lands on MANDY for a little while, which I very much enjoyed, but it was also really nice to hear how much Gilman loves film and is continuing to move forward with his own interest in cinema and seeing as many movies as he can. Warms my heart to hear younger people talk movies this way and have a driving passion about them. Gives me hope for the future!
http://www.pinnlandempire.com/2018/10/zebras-in-america-episode-74.html
Itunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/zebras-in-america/id1220264878?mt=2

THE Q & A - ANGEL HEART (30th Anniversary)
Jeff Goldsmith interviews director Alan Parker about not only the amazing ANGEL HEART and how it came to but, but also touches on some of his early work like BUGSY MALONE, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS and PINK FLOYD: THE WALL. His Oliver Stone stories from the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS days are priceless:

http://www.theqandapodcast.com/2018/09/angel-heart-30th-anniversary-q-sir-alan.html

Itunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-q-a-with-jeff-goldsmith/id426840843?mt=2

Check out Jeff's Digital Magazine BACK STORY here:

https://backstory.net/

Underrated '78 - Daniel Budnik

Dan Budnik's second book, '80s Action Movies On The Cheap, is available now and can be ordered from Amazon. His first book, Bleeding Skull!: A 1980s Trash-Horror Odyssey, is out of print but can still be found by those who look hard enough. His writing is on the Some Polish American Guy Reviews Things blog and the Bleeding Skull! website. He is host of the Eventually Supertrain and the Dan's Drive-In Double Feature podcasts, located at eventuallysupertrain.blogspot.com. He is also co-host of The Made For TV Mayhem Show and part of the Podcastmania horror discussion.

High Ballin’ – I love a good trucker film. (This is the year of “The Foundlings,” the BJ and the Bear TV movie, which will never be underrated.) Ballin’ is a pretty fine one. Made in Canada, starring Peter Fonda, Jerry Reed and Helen Shaver. There’s a bad guy named King trying to put all the independent truckers out of business. That sh*t ain’t gonna fly. The High Ballin’ begins! I think the thing that really grabs me about this one is the snow. I’m so used to truckers out on the open, endless roads of the desert or faceless highways, maybe passing some woods. Snow rarely shows up. (I can only think of one BJ episode with snow.) This film has lots of snow. It gives all the trucker scenes a bit of added gravitas and excitement, especially during a kickass chase about half way through. I think this one’s a charmer regardless of whether or not I like Jerry Reed. (Not usually.)

Stunt Rock – I recommend this film at every opportunity. It’s Brian Trenchard-Smith! It’s the great Australian stuntman Grant Page doing lots of stunts! It’s Monique van De Van as Undercover Girl! It’s Margaret Gerard (Mr. Trenchard-Smith’s wife) as a reporter! It’s SORCERY! (the Los Angeles one, not the Chicago one) And they rock! With magic! This film requires all these exclamation points! It is awesome! Watch it now! (On the big screen if possible.) You will be rocked! Mightily!

The Redeemer - I recommend this film at every opportunity. (I do that a lot.) It’s a great proto-slasher that takes place in a shutdown high school. Six people assemble for a (fake) class reunion. The Son of Satan (who loves dressing up and is Sinisterly Camp) is throwing this party and he’s claiming these six souls for assorted “sins.” (He’s Satan’s Son. He’s not nice.) That’s all fine and dandy. The structure of the film is where I really get grabbed. The film’s around 80 minutes. The first 20 or so (in a wonderfully eerie fashion) introduces the six people and the killer. The next 50 minutes (or so) is an abbreviated slasher film. The last 10 minutes wrap it up in a way that certainly must have made sense to someone. (Maybe Byron Quisneberry?) It’s a lot of fun. It never lingers too long in one spot to be dull. And the music is killer. (Best scene: The one that intercuts the POV of a car going down a deserted road with the preparation of a latex mask. I don’t know why but it scares the drawers off me and my dog.)

Sextette - I’d heard about this one for ages. I’d heard it was terrible. I’d heard Mae West looks as if she’d died three weeks before production began but you know the business: “The Show Must Go On!” I’d heard everyone looks vaguely embarrassed throughout. It’s all true. And it’s all wonderful. This movie is a level of High Camp that I’ve only seen matched in several 1970s variety shows, specifically The Paul Lynde Halloween Special, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour and Lynda Carter’s specials. I watched the whole movie semi-slack jawed. It’s all so slightly off in every possible way that I adored it. The scene with Mae West surrounded by hunky guys singing “Happy Birthday, Twenty One” is astounding. But, the scene where she sings “Baby Face” to a room full of diplomats is so unenergetic that I couldn’t stop watching it. I just kept imagining the director telling the actors before each take “All right, everyone! Big smiles! The word for today is Lassitude! 5, 6, 7, 8…” Lassitudinous Camp. Is that a thing?

Force On Thunder Mountain - I’ve seen a lot of movies where almost nothing happens, many of them foreign where that was the actual purpose behind the venture. (I have been to Marienbad and I spent a year there.) I have seen some films where, presumably, things were meant to happen but kind of don’t. (Night of Horror being the finest example.) Force is (pretty much) one of these movies. A dad (named Dad) and his son (I forgot his name. Chris?) go to the woods on a dad/ son bonding hike to Thunder Mountain. They encounter strange forces, including lots of stock footage of the wilderness that makes The Prey look like a textbook example of how one uses stock footage sparingly. The film is so inert that, at the right time, this is absolutely the right movie. Do not watch while operating heavy machinery.

The Varrow Mission - It’s the late 1950s and we’re at The Old Mill. (You’ve been there.) A bunch of kids are planning to setup a Spook Alley/ Haunted House-thing at the long-abandoned Mill. But, there are Others living in this abandoned place and they don’t want the kids hanging around. (I realize I am greatly stretching the use of the word “abandoned” by this point.) Where are they from? And what is going on with their heads when they think there’s no one looking? I’d put this one in the same headspace as Thunder Mountain. It’s cheap. It’s regional. It’s charming. But, whereas Thunder Mountain makes you feel the encroaching entropy of the universe with its inertness, Varrow is livelier. Well, it does its best anyway. I was going to say I like a lot of films from around this time period that are like this. But, I won’t because 1) you’re reading the list and can probably figure that out and 2) it’s an Underrated ’78 list. All the movies are from the same time period. This movie forms a pretty tremendous double feature with the next film on my list.

The Force Beyond – Donn Davidson brought his special brand of hucksterism to this example of the 1970s speculative documentary genre. It starts with footage of Orson Welles talking about his War of the Worlds broadcast. Then, a warning appears on screen. (Literally the word “WARNING” flashing at us.) It promises speculative terror beyond our wildest imaginings. Then, oh boy, it proceeds to show us footage we may have seen in other movies, lie about important discoveries and do a Bigfoot segment that’s way too short. And I adored every moment. Most of these documentaries smacked of hucksterism anyway. (Overlords of the UFO, I am looking directly at you.) When someone raised in this realm joins in the game, you can guess that it’s going to be great long before it starts. We need more of these types of films showing up on Blu-Ray. The Late Great Planet Earth is the only one I can think of at this moment. It’s all right but it ain’t The Force Beyond, baby.

Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park - Or, more specifically, Attack of The Phantoms. I haven’t seen the US TV version in years. But, yes, I do watch the European theatrical cut a lot. It’s much shorter and includes better music. (Mainly the best tracks from their solo albums of that year.) It still takes far too long for Kiss to get involved. But, if you can stick with all the setup, the moment the band appears, you will become happy everywhere. The boys are mystical, magical and they will send the rock down your spine. The concert footage is kickass. The fights are raucous, especially the one in the Haunted House. The boys aren’t the best actors but they do OK. (They have good actors around them, which helps.) Once the film gets rolling, it’s a treat. Just make it through those early minutes. It’s like a Godzilla movie. His presence is there at the start but most of them don’t really get rolling until he shows up. This is the same but with Gene Simmons being the one wrecking the buildings. Half a dozen, etc.