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Iphigenia

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If your knowledge of Greek history is limited to Ray Harryhausen films and some half-remembered high school Honors English, then Michael Cacoyannis’ Iphigenia (1977), based on the play by Euripides, might seem above your pay grade. But there’s a reason these mythological tales have such staying power; they’re often built around universal truths, political drama and emotional baggage that’s all too familiar even in the modern era. Minus the stop motion monsters, of course. Despite its resemblance to Clash of the Titans , there are no krakens unleashed in this story of King Agamemnon, ruler of Argos, who’s duped into sacrificing his daughter, Iphigenia, in order to appease the gods and raise the winds that will send his ships to Troy. Iphigenia’s mother, Queen Clytemnestra, rages for her doomed daughter’s plight, enlisting the help of Achilles to convince his fellow soldiers of the tragedy in the making. But in a world of weak, petty men beholden to their positions of power, women –...
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Excalibur 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

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Just as science-fiction cinema was never the same after 2001: A Space Odyssey , modern fantasy films owe a huge creative debt to John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981). Gritty and glorious, this retelling of the Arthur and the knights of the round table was a far cry from the stagey antics of Camelot or even the fantastic mythological adventures crafted by Ray Harryhausen. This felt real! A muddy, bloody medieval slog through the dark ages with a dose of authentic magic for good measure. Orphaned at birth and raised in anonymity, Arthur (Nigel Terry) pulls the sword from the stone and reveals himself as the once and future king…albeit a horribly unprepared one. That’s where Merlin (Nicol Williamson) comes in, schooling the young squire in the ways of proper politics to unite the land. But a bitter love triangle develops between his wife, Guinevere, and most trusted knight, Lancelot, opening the door for an incestual coup d’etat fueled by black magic and family drama. Starring a who’s ...
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The Visitor

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In the annals of WTF film history, few films make a more vivid impression than The Visitor (1978), an Italian-produced horror-sci-fi oddity that manages to rip off movies as disparate as The Omen, The Exorcist, Close Encounters , The Fury and the psychedelic oeuvre of Alejandro Jodorowsky. Add in an all-star cast of old Hollywood icons, some Chariots of the Gods mythology and a child actor with a southern accent as thick as a plate full of chicken ‘n waffles and you’ve got one must-see hot-mess of a movie! Pursuing the progeny of an evil alien entity, Jerzy (John Huston) finds his next target in the heart of Atlanta. Katy (Paige Conner) is a bad-seed with a bad attitude, using her telekinetic powers to torture her mother (Joanne Nail), housekeeper (Shely Winters) and the cop (Glenn Ford) investing a shooting at her birthday party. Her prospective stepdad (Lance Henriksen) coddles this behavior at the behest of a mysterious cabal (led by Mel Ferrer) determined to utilize Katy’s powe...
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Westworld 4K UHD

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While he’s better known as one of the most popular novelists of the past two decades, the late Michael Crichton was a small entertainment industry unto himself. His accomplishments include literary successes like The Andromeda Strain and Congo , director of the hit mid-70s medical thriller Coma , and the producer behind TV’s longtime juggernaut ER . But it’s Jurassic Park that bestowed upon him the same sort of immortality as his genetically-cloned dinosaur creations. As all-encompassing as the book and film became to worldwide popular culture, it was really just a second draft of one of Crichton’s earlier ideas, which he also directed in 1973: Westworld . Delos is the amusement park of the future. Visitors, paying $1000 per night, arrive via hovercraft and are shuttled off to the world of their choice - Medieval World, Roman World or West World – to enjoy a completely authentic experience. This is made possible through high-tech robots indistinguishable from actual human bein...
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American Yakuza

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American Yakuza (1993) was probably destined to slip through the cracks. Marketed as a “mafia vs yakuza” thriller, first time director Frank Cappello’s film feels more like it was a holdover from the Miami Vice era with its internecine gangland warfare, undercover operatives and unmotivated mood lighting. All that’s missing is a Phil Collins drum solo and a couple of commercial breaks. But, taken as a whole, the film is a plain-spoken bit of mid-‘90s direct-to-video action fare, much like its plain-spoken star: Viggo Mortensen. Ingratiating himself with the second-in-command, Nick (Mortensen) manages to work his way into the inner circle of the L.A. yakuza who are at war with the Campanela family, homegrown mafia regulars. While he attempts to lower the temperature between both factions, Nick finds himself torn between loyalty towards his new employers and his official job as a federal agent. Add in an exotic love-interest and some agency meddling and Nick is forced to choose bet...
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Knock Off

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Jean-Claude Van Damme’s career arc is more interesting than all the other action-hero also-rans combined, particularly his ongoing flirtation with the Hong Kong film industry. First teaming up with John Woo for the gloriously overblown Hard Target , the muscles from Brussels proceed to work with Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, giving both directors a chance to bring their signature style to North American screens. 1998’s Knock Off , his second film with Tsui, is a briskly paced cops and robbers story set in the world of counterfeit merchandising with just enough HK action ingenuity to qualify as legit. Marcus Ray (Van Damme) is a street-smart straight shooter whose business parter, Tommy (Rob Schneider) turns out to be an undercover CIA agent playing him for connections. But they both get duped by Russian counterfeiters using knock-offs to smuggle microbombs into the U.S. as part of an extortion scheme. That leaves Marcus on the hook to clear his name and avenge his adopted Hong Kong fami...
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Frightmare

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Modern horror – which critics typically mark with the release of Psycho – made most classic horror stars obsolete overnight. Actors like Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, with their capes, fangs and wizard wands, were suddenly passe. And it took a good ten years before they became trendy again as part of a “retro” resurgence by monster kids. 1981’s Frightmare (aka The Horror Star) tries to pound a square peg into a round hole by making the iconic – but invented – cult actor Conrad Radzoff into a vengeful spirit who can still bring his A-game. Staging his funeral as the final act in a storied career, Radzoff (Ferdinand Mayne) leaves a series of video messages for anyone that disturbs his resting place. That doesn’t stop the members of the local horror film society from stealing the corpse to stage one big farewell party at their creepy old house. Radzoff’s revenge involves plenty of severed body parts, spontaneous human combustion and every fog machine available in southern Cali...
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