a Mondo Digital subsite

Looking for the Upcoming Releases List? Here it is!

Cinema Arcana presents The VHS Archives!

Looking for Something Else? Check our Table of Contents!

Swing by our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Pages for more news and updates!

Follow our movie reviews at Letterboxd!

Showing posts with label Catalina Home Video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catalina Home Video. Show all posts

Monday, October 25, 2010

It's Name that Movie Monday! Challenge #18!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome back to Name that Movie Monday!

It's time for Challenge #18 here at the ol' Arcana! Can you identify this week's mystery photo, scanned direct from The Holecheck Archives? If you think you recognize it, post a comment below. As the week goes on, if no one guesses correctly I'll begin adding some pretty useless hints. Easy, right?

Here ya' go -- good luck!


UPDATE:

And Chris Poggiali (Temple of Schlock) takes the lead, scoring four by naming Lucio Fulci's The Psychic (1977), a supernatural-tinged giallo whose U.S. retitling and tagline kind of give away some of its worthy surprises.  After receiving visions of a vicious murder, a woman uncovers a skeleton at her husband's family estate.  Believing his cries of innocence, it's up to her to piece together the mystery of the images she saw, before it's too late...

Originally titled Seven Notes in Black, this transitional film for Fulci (smack dab in the middle of his earlier, more traditional thrillers like A Lizard in Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling and his later, legendary gore romps) is easily one of his best.  Its compelling script peels away its layers carefully, and the director is constantly aided by a wonderful score and nice photography by frequent collaborators Fabio Frizzi and Sergio Salvati, respectively.  While usually overlooked in favor of Lucio's more graphic endeavors, The Psychic has at least found itself memorable enough to be paid tribute in some unexpected places: there's an awesomely daft Bollywood remake named 100 Days, and a soundtrack cue popped up during an especially inspired sequence in Kill Bill, Vol. 1.

Group 1 released the film to domestic theaters in 1979, attempting to wring some name value out of former Cover Girl model and descending actress Jennifer O'Neill.  Like most of their holdings, it hit VHS care of Catalina Home Video, and was later reissued by Lightning Video.  (There's apparently a Video Treasures tape, too, but I never had it.)  DVD-era rumors circulated that the title was slated for re-release from Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder Pictures--a clip was even included in one of his introductory wraparounds--but it was never to be.  Image Entertainment had their hands on it for a time, but that never materialized, either.

Finally, Severin Films gave The Psychic its English-friendly digital debut in 2007 (discounting the Alfa Digital bootleg that married the French DVD's video with an old VHS' audio track), containing a good-looking transfer of the full European version (the U.S. prints were all missing some credit footage and other minor bits), Group 1's preview and a half-hour featurette with writer Dardano Sacchetti and others.  (I contacted Jennifer O'Neill's reps requesting an interview for the disc; I never heard back...)  (And screw Fed Ex for losing my 35mm trailer on its way to Severin!)  A nice package for a highly recommended film.



Television ad swiped from Fred Adelman's magnificent Critical Condition, of course.

For a look at last week's entry, click here. And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is constantly updated, so stop by and preorder some cool stuff!
 
© 2010 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

Monday, August 23, 2010

It's Name that Movie Monday! Challenge #9!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome back to Name that Movie Monday!

It's time for Challenge #9 here at the ol' Arcana. Can you identify this week's mystery photo, scanned direct from The Holecheck Archives? If you think you recognize it, post a comment below. As the week goes on, if no one guesses correctly (which hasn't been a problem lately... Challenge #8 was nailed in ten minutes flat!) I'll begin adding some pretty useless hints. Easy, right?

Here ya' go -- good luck!


UPDATE:

Congrats to Todd Bridges for finally identifying Juan Lopez Moctezuma's The Mansion of Madness (1973) after a record-setting 26-day stint!  Based on Edgar Allan Poe's 'The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether,' the film is an inmates-take-over-the-asylum piece, spiced up considerably with the director's surreal touches (he had previously collaborated with both Alejandro Jodorowsky and Fernando Arrabal) and some exceptional production design and locations.  While it doesn't reach the insane heights of his later Alucarda (then again, what does?), it's still an interesting movie well worth checking out for lovers of the weird and wild.

Group 1 International released a slightly trimmed version Stateside in 1976 under the more exploitative handle Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon, waiting a short time before pairing it with other acquisitions like Amuck (see Challenge #2). It fared pretty well on VHS, with two issues in the '80s; one by Catalina Home Video, and later by Magnum Entertainment.  (The former definitely more rare than the latter.)

These transfers were recycled into the DVD age through numerous budget-bin companies, and The Mansion of Madness didn't see a proper disc until 2005 when genre saviors Mondo Macabro cleaned it up for a nice, new, full-length special edition.  Their remastered presentation really adds to one's appreciation of the visuals, and they've supplemented it with several good extras, including a look at the director's work, a tribute by Guillermo del Toro, and more.  Be sure and give it a chance!



The double-bill newspaper ad was swiped from Fred Adelman's Critical Condition.

For a look at last week's entry, click here. And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is constantly updated, so stop by and preorder some cool stuff!
 
© 2010 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

Monday, June 28, 2010

It's Name that Movie Monday! Challenge #2.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome back to Name that Movie Monday

Here's installment Numero Two-o of our ongoing series.  The rules are simple:  try and identify this week's still.  If you think you know the film it's advertising, leave a comment below.  As the week progresses, if no one guesses correctly I'll begin adding hints.  Simple enough, right?  

Here ya' go -- good luck! 


UPDATE:

Congrats to Jonny Redman for correctly identifying this challenge's still as being from Silvio Amadio's Amuck! (1972), a sleazy, underrated giallo starring a Eurotrash beauty killer combo of Barbara Bouchet and Rosalba Neri.  Farley Granger's also in it, if that sort of thing matters to you.  It sat unreleased in the US until 1978, when Group 1 decided to give it a shot paired with Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon (their retitling of Juan Lopez Moctezuma's Mansion of Madness (1973)), later reissuing it under its less recognized moniker, Maniac Mansion (double-billed with Living Nightmare, their retitling of Mario Caiano's Nazi Love Camp #27 (1977)).  Keeping all that straight?  Its eventual VHS, like most Group 1 offerings, was issued through Catalina Home Video in an uncut but brutally cropped transfer.  However, in the '90s Something Weird Video released a true oddity:  they found and transferred a theatrical print under the previously unknown alternate title Leather and Whips.  The good news is that it retained the full 'scope 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the bad news is that it's been shorn of almost 20 minutes!  Of course it's way out-of-print now, so good luck finding a copy!

While no properly licensed DVD exists, bootleg outfit Eurovista did put one out sourced from the old Catalina release, and it's unfortunately the best game in town.  Supplements include brief interviews with Barbara and Rosalba and a stills collection.  (I don't think I've ever seen a trailer pop up on any compilations, but I know one exists -- I was outbid on eBay years back!)  Amuck! is screaming for a legit DVD; it'd be the perfect title for a company like Severin to tackle and do up right.  The rights are available, and the two lead actresses are obviously willing to discuss their involvement... so how 'bout it?





For a detailed comparison of the cut and uncut prints, click here.  (Careful: Spoilers Galore!)

The Maniac Mansion ad was stolen from Fred Adelman; be sure and visit his essential Critical Condition website.

For a look at last week's entry, click here.  More goodies coming soon!

© 2010 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.