Kino Lorber in December

From "Beasts Clawing At Straws" (Kim Yong-hoon, 2020)

It's the last month of the year, and while the lineup coming this month from the folks at Kino Lorber is a bit on the light side, there are still some rad titles getting a release in December. I mean, any time that the Barbarian Brothers get a Blu-ray reissue of two of their biggest releases is a good month. There's a bit of everything coming from the Kino family in December; here's a few of my favs.

December 1

I'm not sure what business I had as an 8-year-old watching "D.C. Cab" on HBO, but apparently I did, and it became one of those slumber party movies that always made me laugh, and led to a soft spot for the films of Joel Schumacher. Mr. T was on the poster, ripping a door off a taxi; what kid wouldn't want to see that? It's a cast of "Let's Remember Some Guys": Gary Busey! Marsha Warfield! Irene Cara! Bill Maher! Paul Rodriguez! And the Barbarian Brothers! If memory serves, a group of misfit cabbies have to save a youth center (?) from evil taxi drivers (?). I'm a little fuzzy on that part. It's a killer poster/cover, and I'm sure it's a great way to spend 100 minutes. This Blu-ray releases gets you a commentary track with Scout Tafoya, the theatrical trailer, and eight (8!!!) radio ads, with one en Espanol! Muy bien!

The Barbarian Brothers headline a Cannon Films sword & sorcery flick directed by the man who brought us "Cannibal Holocaust". It can't fail! It turns out, it failed. "The Barbarians" got a DVD release a few years back via Scream Factory; now it receives a Region A Blu-ray release courtesy of Kino Studio Classics. This one got made with Golan/Globus money by Ruggero Deodato, and features a rogue's gallery of B-movie legends: Michael Berryman, George Eastman, and Richard Lynch all show up to kick ass and chew scenery. Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson team up for an all-new commentary track for this newly remastered HD release.

December 8

It's another slumber party classic, 1985's "My Science Project" joins the KSC lineup with a Blu-ray release. I went through this weird period of obsession with rewatching this movie after seeing it in someone's basement during a sleepover; I begged my mom to let me rent it to no avail. I couldn't tell you why. It has a super young Fisher Stevens, playing a greaseball slacker next to John Stockwell. It also features a pre-"Blue Velvet" Dennis Hopper playing a ex-hippie science teacher; I'm pretty sure this is the first time I'd ever experienced him in a movie. Writer/director Jonathan Betuel also wrote "The Last Starfighter", which, unfortunately, didn't keep this early Touchstone Pictures release from getting buried by similar fare during the summer of '85. Mike McPadden from Castle of Horror and Kat Ellinger from Diabolique Magazine handle the commentary duties on this disc, which also features an interview with Fisher Stevens. "My Science Project" is on my short list of science-themed teen movies to introduce my niece to; maybe I'll get her started early.

If you're a fan of Euro-crime, then you immediately pay attention when you see Henry Silva in a credit list. So prepare to perk up for this Blu-ray release of 1974's "Cry Of A Prostitute" ("Quelli che contano") from sleaze merchant Andrea Bianchi. Joseph Brenner brought Bianchi's third film over from Italy in 1976 with the tag line, "For a lousy twenty-five bucks, some people think they can do anything!" And now you know what you're in for. Silva plays a cold-hearted assassin; Barbara Bouchet ("Caliber Nine") is a prostitute turned mob wife as the opposite lead. The print comes from Code Red's 2017 HD remaster, and features both the American alternate opening and the US trailer. This is the sort of film I like to request as a gift from my mom when she wants to buy me something small; otherwise, this will be a good pickup during a sale.

December 15

I've been looking forward to seeing Yong-hoon Kim's debut "Beasts Clawing At Straws" ("지푸라기라도 잡고 싶은 짐승들") since I read a review and saw a trailer earlier this year. Based on a novel by Japanese author Keisuke Sone, what I've experienced so far reminds me a lot of the early Coen Brothers crime films. It's all inept criminals, dirty cops, and a bag of cash found in a sauna. Do-yeon Jeon, star of "Secret Sunshine", leads a cast of well-regarded Korean actors. Every review I've read about "Beasts" has been overwhelmingly positive, the trailer looks dope, that's some good-ass Blu-ray artwork...I'm sold. Sadly, it doesn't look like Artsploitation has provided much in the way of extras, but it's available on both Blu-ray and DVD, and you can cop it on digital via KinoNow. I feel like it's a pretty safe wag.

And that's it for Kino in 2020. No releases for the last two weeks of the year. It makes one sad. Thankfully, there's a MFT of good stuff coming over the first quarter of 2021 that I'm looking forward to. "The Kid Stays In The Picture" on Blu-ray! Reissues of "Devil's Express" and "The Black Gestapo"! Pre-Code James Whale thriller! Deep cut films from Frank Darabont and Joe Carnahan! There's a lot coming; I'm back in 30 to talk a bit about it.