Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

How are you all doing, my Physical Medians? I want to start off this week with a plug! First, as most of you should already know, I am the Co-Director of the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track, along with the witty and talented Joe Crowe. To help provide a little relief from the ongoing world crisis, we have started doing a weekly geeky panel for everyone to enjoy! It broadcasts LIVE on Thursdays (usually) on our Facebook group (linked up there, please join us!), where you can take part in the discussion, or you may watch it later on our YouTube Channel! The first two are there now, please go give them a look!

Now that the shameless self-promotion is out of the way, let’s get down to our filthy business.

We actually have quite a few things landing this week, the last of April, which has lasted at least two decades. Once again, I hope that you are getting your selections delivered, or at least curbside pickup. Let’s stay safe out there, my Physical Medians.

Malabimba (1979) “After the matriarch of once rich and influential aristocratic Caroli family dies, her nearly bankrupt family decides to hold a seance in their decrepit castle and contact her spirit. Unfortunately, they contact instead the malicious and possibly demonic spirit of their evil, hedonistic and decadent late cousin Lucrezia that, after assaulting and messing a bit with those present at the summoning, ends up possessing the dead woman’s virginal teenage daughter Bimba. Bimba suddenly becomes overtly sexual and starts acting out in a completely unhinged, aggressive and sexually provocative manner in front of her family and their guests, all while brutally insulting them. She tries to satisfy her confusing demonic urges with masturbation but quickly moves on to seducing those around her.” OH MY! Part of the nunsploitation wave of the 70s, this weird little flick is brought to us by the fine folks at Vinegar Syndrome. It was supposed to be out a few weeks ago, but is on the list again today. This isn’t gonna be for the whole family, but for those who do like this kind of thing, here you go.

The Lost Continent (1968) “The nightmare begins when Captain Lansen attempts to transport illegal explosives and a motley group of passengers on a rusty tramp steamer that becomes stranded in the vast floating swamp of the mysterious Sargasso Sea. Under cover of night, the terrified travelers encounter unspeakable monsters, man-eating seaweed, vicious mutant pirates and stupendously endowed women.” Another Hammer Films classic brought to us by Shout Factory (I swear they are not paying me!). It’s a riff on “The Land That Time Forgot”, and while it’s not one of Hammer’s best, it’s worth a look.

Speaking of being lost on an island…

Arrow: The Eighth and Final Season (2019-2020) and Arrow: The Complete Series (2012-2020) “After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his loved ones welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory.” Yes, it started out with Oliver being very much like that guy from Gotham, very grounded, and chock full of trademark “CW Nightime Soap” moments. But that let them draw in an audience, hooking them before finally breaking out everything the tights and capes crowd was waiting for. While the second season is, to me, the height of the show that they never quite reached again, as a whole it’s more good than bad. Yes, it has its flaws (like Oliver never learning to play well with others), it’s also the show that launched a TV DC Universe that is better than most of the DCU films. Without it, we don’t have Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightening, the various shows on the DC App, or the very well done Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation. Not bad for a story about a guy with a bow.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020) “After the vicious slaughter of his family by stone-cold mercenary Sub-Zero, Hanzo Hasashi is exiled to the torturous Netherrealm. There, in exchange for his servitude to the sinister Quan Chi, he’s given a chance to avenge his family – and is resurrected as Scorpion, a lost soul bent on revenge. Back on Earthrealm, Lord Raiden gathers a team of elite warriors – Shaolin monk Liu Kang, Special Forces officer Sonya Blade and action star Johnny Cage – an unlikely band of heroes with one chance to save humanity. To do this, they must defeat Shang Tsung’s horde of Outworld gladiators and reign over the Mortal Kombat tournament. Prepare to witness all of the bone-crushing action in this riveting Mortal Kombat Legends animated feature!” This is the third or fourth adaptation of the classic bloody video game (and realizing that MK is old enough to count as a classic makes me feel very old), but this time focusing on fan-favorite demonic undead fire ninja Scorpion’s view of the tournament. Because it’s animated, they get to do all kinds of cool, cruel, and vicious things to the kombatants. You can pick this up on Blu, 4K, or a Best Buy exclusive that comes with a Scorpion action figure. And I want you all to know that it took me a supreme effort of will to not say that you could get him over here…

Pale Blood (1990) “Michael Fury is a vampire. But contrary to myth and legend, he does not stalk innocent victims to drain them of blood – and life – rather he only drinks what he needs to survive. But when a vicious, and very human, killer begins murdering young women in Los Angeles by biting them and draining their blood, sparking fears that a vampire is prowling the city, Michael realizes that it will be up to him to unmask the fiend behind these deaths to save the good name of his vampire brethren.” I do not remember this flick, but the concept of a vampire hunting down a serial killer to preserve the masquerade (yes, I play V:tM, are you surprised?) is a great hook. Another Vinegar Syndrome exclusive, this is limited to only 2,000 copies, so I’d order it soon.

Dolly Dearest (1991) “An American family moves to Mexico to fabricate dolls, but their toy factory happens to be next to a Sanzian grave and the toys come into possession of an old, malicious spirit.” No, it’s not an exposé about the country music legend. This is an evil dolls movie, and the third Vinegar Syndrome release of the week. They’re not paying me either, they’re just devoted to releasing the cult stuff that I think we’ll all enjoy.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) “Elvira, the wise-cracking vamp wants to take her act from the little screen to the glitzy stages of Las Vegas. So it seems a stroke of luck when her great-aunt Morgana dies and, despite having no prior knowledge of the relative, she is a beneficiary of the woman’s will. Thus Elvira makes the journey to Falwell, Massachusetts to stake claim to her inheritance, but is disappointed when she learns that she has only inherited a dilapidated house, a poodle and a cook book, and finds the conservative folk of Falwell are reticent to welcome a sexed-up and unconventional woman like her. To compound this she is accused of being a witch! Elvira discovers the evil force in the town and finds that only she has the power to stop it’s plans.” The Mistress of the Macabre, The True Queen of Halloween, Goth Icon, The Ghoul of Your Dreams. Either you love her, or you’re wrong. Anyway, her first feature is getting a nice deluxe release from Arrow Video (hitting the trifecta of studios I plug way too much for not getting paid to do so), so you can enjoy all of her special features in Blu-Ray quality.

The McPherson Tape (1989) “On a typical fall evening in 1983, a young man was videotaping his niece’s 5th birthday party. As the night’s strange occurrences took place, he kept his video camera running, recording the entire event.” One of the early pioneers of the Found Footage genre, this is one I want to see. However, as it’s about those little grey aliens, this is definitely Needless Things podcast host Dave‘s Must Skip of the week!

Other titles of note: Deadline (1984), The Wind (1986) both of which were supposed to be out earlier this month and already mentioned in previous columns, Kill or Be Killed (1976), Guns Akimbo (2019), Butt Boy (2019)

So yes, we have quite a wide selection escaping out into the wild this week. Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!

Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

Well, my Physical Medians, we’re entering week 7,674 of everyone staying home, and I hope that you’ve all maintained your sanity, as I have. Getting any projects done? I have started something I’ve been wanting to do for a few years, an actual catalogue of my physical media. I figure as I have the time, and that I am writing these articles, it was a good idea to finally get it done.

I’m entering everything in an Excel spreadsheet, with the title, year of release, genre, MPAA rating, Blu or DVD, Steelbook or not, 4K or not. I’m about four an a half hours into the project, 154 entries so far, with what looks like at least 200 more to go. If people are interested, I might post it online for everyone to look at, and see what I consider important enough to own.

It may take me a while to finish, however, as SHOUT! Factory is having a “Cabin Fever” 20% off sale on their inventory. My Steelbooks for Streets of Fire and the Transformers: The Movie 30th Anniversary edition both arrived today.

And then there’s all of the new stuff coming out each week! Like everything below! (Ooooh, such a smooth segue.)

The Gentlemen (2019) “A very British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.” That’s . . . almost accurate. The drug lord is an expat American in England, and the buyer is not from where the wheat is as high as an elephant’s eye. But it’s close enough, I guess, as gists go. Guy Ritchie returns to the crime genre that launched his career, and it’s a fun ride. It feels like a 90s crime flick, a little dated (especially with some of the humor), but it’s tight, has a rock-solid cast, including a magnetic Matthew McConaughey, a fun Colin Farrell, a sleazy Hugh Grant, and probably the best performance I’ve seen out of Charlie Hunnam to date. Get it on Blu-Ray or 4K, ya reprobates.

The Turning (2020) “A young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the deaths of their parents. A modern take on Henry James’ novella “The Turn of the Screw”.” The trailers didn’t look great, but it’s got that kid from Stranger Things, and the original story is considered a foundational work of horror, one that defined what ghost stories can be and do to a reader. Sadly, the movie wasn’t out for long, which does not bode well, so now I’ll have to see it as a rental.

The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) “In Spain, Leon is born on Christmas day to a mute servant girl who was raped by a beggar. His mother dies giving birth and he is looked after by Don Alfredo. As a child Leon becomes a werewolf after having been taken hunting. As a young man, he works in a wine cellar and falls in love with the owner’s daughter Cristina. One full moon, he again turns into a werewolf and terrifies the town…” Another Hammer Films classic. For the longest time, this was my favorite werewolf movie (these days, that’s either Dog Soldiers or Ginger Snaps, depending on my mood), and it’s still in my top five. Oliver Reed is fantastic in the lead role; it’s tense, and oozes that lurid Hammer style that I just love. This edition is from the fine folks at Scream Factory (I swear, they’re not paying me, as much as I mention them. I’m just a fan), with another gorgeous painted cover by Rondo Award Winning artist Mark Maddox. Check it out.

Colour from the Dark (2008) “It’s the 1940s. The entire planet is at war, yet Pietro and Lucia live on a peaceful, isolated farm with Lucia’s fifteen year old sister Alice, who suffers from severe mental problems. Unlike his three brothers, Pietro has been spared from fighting due to a deformed knee. But even despite Pietro’s crippling malady, the poor farmer works tirelessly to till the soil and care for his crops so that his family will be able to eat. Then, one day, as Pietro and Alice attempt to draw water from their well, they inadvertently release something from deep within the Earth’s womb. Entranced, the couple peers down the well to see an otherworldly color flutter beneath the water before disappearing without a trace. In the following days, the entire farm is beset by a series of inexplicable occurrences. When the sun falls over the horizon, the surrounding vegetation begins to glow with a sinister light that seems not of this Earth. As the color continues to spread throughout the farm, into the family home, and ultimately into the very minds of Pietro and his family, they are gradually drawn into a sickening world of suffering, blood, and death.” Once again, I’ll never understand BR.com’s gist policy, where some are short, missing, or inaccurate, and others are whole Wikipedia articles. Anyway, this is the Italian 2008 take on Lovecraft’s The Color Out of Space, and it’s divorced enough from the story that I missed it in my list of adaptations of the tale.

Between this adaptation and the other version; the other one has Academy Award Winner© Nicolas Cage, so, you know, choose wisely.

Carnival Magic (1981) “A magician in a carnival–who actually can read minds and levitate people and objects–works with a superintelligent chimp named Alex, who can also talk. The magician and the chimp soon become the stars of the carnival, drawing in big crowds. However, the wild-animal trainer, who has been displaced by the team as the carnival’s top act, decides to kidnap Alex and sell him to a medical laboratory for experimentation, thereby getting rid of his competition.” Yes, this was in the MST3K reboot, but now you can get it bot-snark-free. BUT WHY WOULD YOU?

Sea Fever (2020) “The crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply.” You had me at Irish Trawler, movie. Hey, I have a brand to stick with here, people.

Other titles of note: Bad Boys for Life (2020), Ip Man 4 (2019), Ultraman X: The Series + The Movie (2015 + 2016), Track: Search for Australia’s Bigfoot (2020)

So that’s it for this week, my Physical Medians. Please stay safe, keep washing your hands, and order whatever you’re picking up this week either online or curbside pickup. Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!

Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

So, my Physical Medians, how are you holding up under the quarantine? If you’re an essential worker, I hope that you are staying safe.

Sadly, we have another week of fairly slim pickings this week, but there are a few gems that you can get shipped to you so you can keep yourself entertained as you stay home. So let’s dive right in!

The Wind (1986) “A novelist is stalked by a psychopath one stormy night.” I’m not familiar with this one, but it stars Meg Foster and her intense eyes (you are probably most familiar with her from her appearing in They Live, Stepfather 2, and Leviathan, amongst other 80’s fare), as well as David McCallum. The film is getting the deluxe treatment by the fine folks at Arrow Video, so it should be worth a look.

Possession (2008) “A woman’s husband collides with his brother in a freak car accident, landing both of them into comas. Complications arise when the brother wakes and believes that he is the woman’s husband.” A PG-13 horror vehicle for post-Buffy Sarah Michelle Gellar. I don’t really remember enough about it to say if it’s bad, but that also means I can’t say if it’s good, either. But it also has Lee Pace, so it can’t be terrible.

Underwater (2020) “Mysterious creatures terrorize crew members aboard a research station located seven miles below the surface of the ocean.” I did catch this one in the theater. I mean, it’s horror set at the bottom of the ocean with a large Cthulhu-like creature, so I had to see it. I have a brand to maintain, you know? Anyway, the movie, sadly, is not that great. It tries to be a mix of Aliens and The Abyss, but it’s more Leviathan (there’s that movie again, I think I need a rewatch) and Sphere, in that there’s an interesting premise here, but not enough happens to keep you engaged through the whole thing. Some interesting visuals/cool monsters, but the sparsity of the action, along with the flat characters, made the movie a let down for me, with a score of 4/10, if I had to give it one.

Police Squad!: The Complete Series (1982) “A spoof of traditional police dramas, this original slapstick series from the Zucker brothers is bursting with non sequiturs and sight gags that parody the labored lives of law enforcement. Leslie Nielsen stars as the foolish flatfoot Detective Frank Drebin, whose literal quips and absurd antics disentangle each misdemeanor and perpetuate each laugh-out-loud moment in this classic show.” Six episodes of pure comedy gold. From the team that brought you Airplane!, this show cemented Leslie Neilsen’s career shift from stalwart leading man to comedy legend. If you enjoy the Naked Gun movies, you should see where they got their start. this is my top pick of the week.

V: The Final Battle (1984) “The Battle begun in the Miniseries ‘V’ continues. The war is told from the view point of the resistance group based in Los Angeles, CA as they struggle to find weaknesses of the aliens they can exploit. In addition, not all the aliens feel their invasion was right, and also work to stop the war.” The follow-up mini-series to the most excellent V, this one suffers the standard diminishing returns of most sequels, but it’s still good and worth a look. Though the title is a bit of a lie, because the battle kept on battling into the V TV series.

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) “A master swordsman and former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant hunt vampires.” That description does not do this Hammer Films classic the justice it deserves. So you should tune into the Needless Things podcast (which you should already be doing anyway), specifically episode 307, so you can listen to Dave tell you exactly why this movie is awesome, and why you should buy this as his (unknowing) pick of the week!

The Golem (1920) “In 16th-century Prague, a Jewish rabbi creates a giant creature from clay, called the Golem, and using sorcery, brings the creature to life in order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution.” Another classic of the silent era, brought to us by Kino Lorber. This movie laid a lot of the foundations for what horror films could do, and could become. Like I said last week, I am a fan of the golden age of cinema, and I am so glad to see these films being preserved and presented to a modern audience. I hope that you check it out.

Death Kappa: 10th Anniversary Attack! (2010) “The kappa, in Japanese folklore, are water goblins that are closely associated with a certain town in the country. Unfortunately, the area is also home to a militant splinter group of researchers dedicated to developing amphibious super soldiers based on the kappa of legends. When their experiments result in murders by some escapees, the appearance of an actual kappa, and the triggering of an atomic bomb, the consequences are of epic proportions. A monster arrives in the midst of the nuclear fallout, and Japan’s defenses are helpless against it. Mankind’s only savior is an irradiated water goblin that is on the rampage with death in its eyes. DEATH KAPPA is a throwback to old-style kaiju films by writer/director Tomoo Haraguchi.” The gist there sounds like something out of a Jonathan Mayberry Joe Ledger novel (that’s a good thing), so combine that with kaiju and folklore, and this is one I’m definitely going to have to check out.

Other titles of note: Gutterballs (2008), After Midnight (2019), Eye See You (2002)

Again, not a whole lot, but there are some real gems here. Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!

Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

While it’s not exactly a packed week, we do have a limited number of genre releases this week, my Physical Medians. I do hope that you are doing well during your quarantine, and that you are picking up your selections via your online retailer of choice.

I want to start this week with a tip of the hat to the most excellent writer, podcaster, convention panelist, and one of the best friends a person could ask for, Mr. Michael Falkner, host and writer of Creative Criticality for the shout-out he gave me last week. If you’re tuning in because of his recommendation, please let him, and me, know.

I heartily encourage you to check out his Timestamps Project (great name), where he’s been watching every episode of Doctor Who from the very beginning, yes, starting with 1963’s “An Unearthly Child.” He has reached Series Four of the Modern Era (Tennant as Ten). If you like the Doctor, you will enjoy his insights.

Now, let’s see what’s on deck this week for our entertainment pleasure.

VFW (2019) “A typical night for a group of war veterans at the local VFW turns into an all-out battle for survival when a teenage girl runs into the bar with a bag of stolen drugs. Suddenly under attack from a gang of punk mutants looking to get back what’s theirs – at any cost – the vets use every weapon they can put together to protect the girl, and their VFW, in the biggest fight of their lives.” This was supposed to be out last week, but it looks like it was delayed a week. Once more, with this cast, and that premise, I am interested. Add in that Horror Rocker and genre fan Ryan Cadaver gave it a thumb’s up, I have to check this out.

Dolittle “A physician discovers that he can talk to animals.” Again, great gist there, B-R.C. I’ve heard everything from this is ok for kids to that it’s absolutely atrocious. I avoided it, and plan on continuing to do so, as I don’t think I’ll get that bored. Still, if you want it, you can get it in Blu and 4K.

Beyond the Door (1974) “A young married woman becomes the pregnant bearer of the seed of Satan. As the evil within her grows, she is subjected to a terrible and demonic metamorphosis.” An Italian knock-off of The Exorcist combined with Rosemary’s Baby, this movie has it’s fans, and is getting a very nice release from the fine folks at Arrow Video, including a 2K scan, and remastered audio, for the Satanic horror collector.

Thunderbirds (2004) “Having narrowly averted a major disaster on an oil rig, the Thunderbirds have just returned home to their secret base when TB5, their space based station, is critically damaged in a suspected meteor strike. Unbeknownst to them, the attack on TB5 is a deliberate ply by international master criminal The Hood to get them off the island. He takes over the island and drugs Brains into submission. But he has overlooked one key factor: Alan, Fermat and Tin Tin are still on the island.” The live-action film based on the supermarionation classic, this wasn’t a terrible kid’s flick. It has a decent cast (including Ben Kingsley & Bill Paxton), is well directed by Johnathan Frakes, but it just didn’t take off as the franchise the studio was hoping for. It’s worth a rental.

Swift (2019) “Thinking he is a seagull, a bird named Manou discovers that he is actually a swift who was adopted. When tragedy strikes, Manou sets off on a quest to learn his true identity — and save his friends and family along the way.” A CGI flick staring Kate Winslet & Willem Dafoe. I wonder if he will match his performance as Gill? SHARKBAIT! SHARKBAIT! OOH-HA-HA!

Supernatural (1933) “SUPERNATURAL stars Hollywood legend Carole Lombard as a woman possessed by a murderer’s dark soul. Roma, whose twin brother has recently been murdered, becomes easy prey for a corrupt medium who arranges a séance to conjure up the lost twin’s supposedly troubled soul. Meanwhile, a murderess accused of strangling her lovers awaits her fate in the electric chair. Before she dies, she agrees to donate her body to a scientist for his unique life-after-death research. Eerily, the doctor’s first experiment on the now-deceased woman occurs at precisely the same time as the séance. In an evil twist of fate, Roma becomes possessed by the murderess’ wicked spirit. In a race against time, the doctor and Roma’s fiancé struggle to undo the horrible curse in this inventive ghost story.” I love classic Hollywood. I know it can be difficult for some people to get into these old films, but there’s a magic to these features. This one is definitely a keeper. It’s nice to see these films being preserved and updated, and I hope that you give it a chance.

Cats (2019) “A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.” This film has taken on a strange, legendary, Jellicle life. I will always have a kind place for it in my heart, as it got me writing again (see my review here). It has inspired so many people who love it, sincerely or ironically. They’re holding online viewing parties (one friend has it and the 1988 version on a near constant loop), and people are demanding the Butthole Cut (which, unlike the Snyder Cut, is probably a real thing. Yeah, I said it!) It is a legitimate phenomenon, it haunts me, and now you can own it on Blu and 4K. I’m kind of hoping that they include the pre-patch version, and I wonder why it’s not getting a Steelbook.

Other titles of note: 3-D Rarities Volume II (1941-1983), Terror Train (1980), Camp Cold Brook (2018), Absurd Horror Double Feature: Nightmare on Elmo’s Street & Frankenshark (2015-2016)

Not a bad collection this week. Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!