It's Name that Movie Monday! Challenge #28!

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

Welcome back to Name that Movie Monday!

It's time for Challenge #28 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!

Solved! Update coming soon!

For a look at the still unsolved Challenge #27, click here.  Ditto for Challenge #24!  We also have quite a few unidentified Grab Bag photos, if you really want to show your stuff. And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is updated, um... not as often as it should be the last few weeks, but stop by and preorder some cool stuff anyway!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

The Return of Grab Bag! Mystery Photos #26-30!

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

Welcome back to the ol' Arcana for another round of Grab Bag Goodies!

As outlined in previous installments, I purchased a few hundred promotional stills that have had their title captions trimmed off. Some I recognize, most I don't. It's up to my faithful readership to help me decipher what they're promoting. Hell, solve enough of 'em and maybe I'll send you some of the duplicates I received!

For those not familiar with promo stills, they occasionally carry a helpful hint or two. Some are branded with a cataloging code of letters and numbers which usually signify an abbreviation of the title (sometimes a retitling) and, if you're especially lucky, maybe the year of release (not to be confused with year of production). And that's pretty much all we have to go on...

The sixth batch is below; let's see what you've got!

#26: FSW-9

Thanks to Eric Hoffman for figuring out which Mexploitation monstrosity this photo is from!  According to him, "#26-FSW-9 looks like a shot from the first of the 'Aztec Mummy' films, Rafael Portillo's La momia azteca (1957) with the film's heroine Rosa Arenas on the slab about to be sacrificed by the mummy." The entire trilogy was released to DVD by BCI Eclipse, and even though the set is currently out of print, copies can be found on Amazon pretty cheaply.

#27: OK-3

#28: TDOF-52

#29: ZEX-35

The Hoff-man scores another!  Thanks, Eric!  "#29-ZEX-35, is from what got released here as The Electronic Monster (1958). Its original title in England was Escapement and was based on a novel by Charles Eric Maine. Before its final release, the film was going to be distributed over here as Zex, The Electronic Fiend or Zex, The Electronic Monster by Columbia. Hence the ZEX in the still number."  Directed by Montgomery Tully and David Paltenghi, there's no DVD to my knowledge, but the old VHS from VCI can be found on Amazon.

#30: No Markings!

Like what you see? Be sure and check out our previous Grab Bag Photos, some of which are still unidentified. Speaking of which, Name that Movie Monday Challenges #27 and #24 are still open; I've since added a few worthless hints for frustration's sake.

And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is updated, um... not as often as it should be lately (damn you, Amazon vs. CA!), but stop by and pre-order some cool stuff anyway!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

The VHS Archives: Massimo Pirri's FATAL FIX (1980)

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

FATAL FIX

Massimo Pirri's Eroina (1980)

The VHS Archives Factsheet
Label: Mogul Communications, Inc.

Catalog: MOG1015

Box Type: Clamshell
Year of Release: ?
Runtime: 91:22
Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs
Extras: None

About the Film
Director: Massimo Pirri
Year of Release: 1980
Country of Origin: Italy

Stars: Helmut Berger, Corinne Clery, Karl Zinny, Roberto Caporali, Franco Citti

AKAs: The Tunnel, Heroin

Verbatim Box Synopsis

A hard hitting shocking story of today, a story which could have happened to anybody anywhere.  A shocking, sensational expose of heroin-addiction in the inner city.  A story of lost people and their struggle for survival in the twilight world of drug-abuse.

U.S. Mogul Communications sleeve!

 Italian VideoService Europa sleeve!

French DEC sleeve!

Danish Video Media sleeve, courtesy of Nucleus Films' Marc Morris!

Dutch Empire Video sleeve, courtesy of Chris Catastrophy!

Looking for Fatal Fix on VHS? It's available on Amazon here.

Investigate more titles with Project: MOGUL!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

It's Name that Movie Monday! Challenge #27!

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

Welcome back to Name that Movie Monday!

It's time for Challenge #27 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!

Solved! Update coming soon!

For a look at our last Challenge, click here. While you're at it, Challenge #24 is still unsolved, so click here to try your luck! We also have quite a few unidentified Grab Bag photos, if you really want to show your stuff. And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is constantly updated, so stop by and preorder some cool stuff!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

The VHS Archives: Bruce Le & Joseph Velasco's THE NINJA STRIKES BACK (1982)

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

THE NINJA STRIKES BACKS

Bruce Le & Joseph Velasco's Xiong zhong (1982)

The VHS Archives Factsheet

Label: All American Video
Catalog: AAV103
Box Type: Clamshell
Year of Release: ?
Runtime: 83:55
Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs
Extras: None

About the Film
Director: Bruce Le, Joseph Velasco
Year of Release: 1982
Country of Origin: France / Hong Kong
Stars: Bruce Le, Jang Lee Hwang, Harold Sakata, Bolo Yeung, Andre Koob, Dick Randall, Jean-Marie Pallardy
AKAs: Eye of the Dragon, Bruce Lee Fights Back

Verbatim Box Synopsis

Ninja... a name that conjures up dread, loathing and gut wrenching fear in all who have ever had the misfortune to cross their path.  With death defying feats, a total disregard for everything human and their own very special brand of vengeance, Ninjas are a force to be reckoned with.  Ninjas deal in DEATH, in any shape or form, be it slow torturous death, letting their victims scream themselves into a state of oblivion, or death can come like a streak of lightning... so fast that the victim's head goes on talking for seconds after being severed by the flashing blade.  So, when the two greatest masters in the art of sudden death collide in combat, it becomes two death-dealing human fighting machines in the battle of the century.

U.S All American Video sleeve! 

Dutch World Home / Centre Video Int. sleeve, originally scanned by "Harm"!

German UFA Video sleeve! 

Italian Avo Film sleeve! 

French Proserpine sleeve, taken from Nanarland! 

Alternate French Proserpine sleeve, also taken from Nanarland! 

Yet another alternate French Proserpine sleeve! 

French TeleK7 sleeve, originally scanned by "Airbeez"!  This was one popular movie in France!

Bonus ninja fight clip, uploaded by ChanWeiMan1828!

Looking for The Ninja Strikes Back on VHS? It's available on Amazon here. However, a better option is Media Blasters' anamorphic DVD, released in their RareFlix, Vol. 3 box set!

Investigate more titles with Project: MOGUL!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.