various artists - Mojo Presents: Kidology (A Radiohead Companion)

Side note: I moved a bunch of old links over from Mediafire to Workupload. So if you've encountered a dead link in the past, it's high time you gave it another shot.

This is another Mojo freebie where I really wish I had the issue that this comp came with. Yet again, I find myself wondering how some of these songs relate thematically. Sure, I can get Mingus and Messiaen and Slint as inspirational touchpoints. And clearly there are a pair of Radiohead covers present. But it's another instance where how this was compiled would be a lot clearer if I just had the copy of Mojo. The "why" matters to me. It probably shouldn't, but I'm kinky that way.

This one leads off with Clinic, Can, and Charles Mingus, and that's pretty solid a trifeca as you'll find on one of these. Truth be told: I think I'd rather listen to each of the artists here, rather than Radiohead. I won't give any sort of Pitchfork-y snark; I'll just say I'm kind of worn out by them. And that's as someone who definitely queued up for a couple of midnight Radiohead releases.

Discogs

Click here to download.

various artists - Mojo Presents: This Is A Call! (15 Brainmelting Dispatches From The Golden Age Of U.S. Alt-Rock)

This is a just a front-to-back KILLER collection of what, indeed, was the Golden Age of U.S. alt-rock. Sure, maybe it kicks off with a lessor Sugar song (if you can deem any Sugar song as a "lesser" effort). But things spring right back in with a run of Superchunk/Sebadoh/Shudder To Think/Lotion/GvsB. That's a Murderer's Row of boys and guitars (apologies to Ms. Ballance). Things take a relative break with contributions from Pond and Madder Rose, a pair of bands I definitely vaguely remember from issues of CMJ and Option, but otherwise own nothing by. Then things pick back up with my favorite Built To Spill song, Bob Pollard, Sunny Day Real Estate, and the god-damn Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. It's all capped off with the Grifters, who I only discovered and appreciated in the last few years, and the Jesus Lizard, who I discovered first of all these, and have loved the longest.

I'm not ignoring Red Red Meat for any good reason; I just typically skip the track, the remnant of a poor impression they left me with when i saw them open for Smashing Pumpkins at the Salem Civic Center on the "Siamese Dream" tour. And remembering that reminds me that it took place 31 years ago, which is just...man, that is a terrible realization.

Discogs

Click here to download.

various artists - All Aboard The C.N. Express: Rock Steady And Boss Reggae Sounds 1967-1968

The releases on Doctor Bird are so dope. As Cherry Red's reggae reissue label, Doctor Bird has been revisiting so many of the classic Trojan comps and long-play releases from their initial heyday AND, in many instances, expanding upon them. They've also been collecting and theming era-specific releases, bringing new context to every period of JA music, from the birth of ska up until the dawn of dancehall. And the cool thing is that they continue to uncover tracks that haven't been available for 50 years or more. They're keeping this work alive; a noble goal, and one that I want to support.

Now, the rub is that, as a UK label, and much like other Cherry Red releases (coughCaptain Oi!cough), it's pricy to import, and impossible to find on the shelves here in the States. Doubly so now that vinyl is all anyone can talk about. So when I do turn one up for a reasonable price, I make a point of grabbing it. No clue when I'll see it again for less than $25 shipped, know what I mean?

This one is the third of Doctor Bird's Clancy Eccles compilations, focusing on his production from 1967 & 1968. That's a period that I don't know a ton about; coming up, I bought a ton of reissues from the ska period, and the entire reggae period was well covered and easily available. But a lot of the rocksteady era wasn't super visible for me, especially that timeframe where the sound was simmering down. This collection, which has 17 tracks that had never been available digitally until this release, features names I knew already (Lee Perry, Alton Ellis, Monty Morris) and a ton I didn't. But most importantly, it helped connect some dots that were previously invisible to me.

Discogs

Click here to download.

Adulkt Life - Book Of Curses

I've had terrible luck with computers and the like lately. As noted earlier, I misplaced my HDD, holding the widest part of my collection, and have yet to turn it up. The battery in my MacBook Pro recently gave up the ghost; it was a real trooper, having lasted almost 7 years. Finally, what I had prepped on the servers to share didn't exactly raise my blood pressure. I think I've used the expression before, but I couldn't be arsed to kick out a few hundred words on much of anything. Having a computer go dead and staying busy at work all combined to give me a perfectly cromulent excuse NOT to hunker down.

It's the first Friday in March, though, and so it is that Bandcamp Friday has come to pass. Has it been a year of these yet? It's truly a great excuse/time to support an independent artist. So it is that I come to insist you check out Adulkt Life, a very very sexy band of grown-ass punks from London town who I'd give my eye teeth to see and shake asses in person to once this pandemic ends.

Adulkt Life is fronted by Chris from Huggy Bear, and includes John and Kevin from Male Bonding, along with newcomer Sonny. They jumped up last year with a trio of PDF zines ahead of their first release, an LP released by What's Your Rupture? Sonically, you can hear the members' previous bands, along with a healthy dose of British riot grrrl and post-punk, as well as Chris Thomson-style vocal madness. The first song on "Book Of Curses", "Country Life", musically takes me back to "The Birth Of The Ulysses Aesthetic", all skronky saxophone and hip shaking. Hell, I'd go so far as to call out some musical cues that bring Sonic Youth's "Goo"-era to mind. All of it adds up to a record that's pretty close to the kind of music I'd like to make myself.

Tl;dr? I think you ought to spend a few shekels on "Book Of Curses" this Bandcamp Friday. It'll put ardor in your larder, the dowser in your trousers, take you back to those days of mixtapes and barrettes in the mid 90s. It's a 10-song refreshing dose of the Before Time, and I'm kind of ashamed I forgot to add it to my Best of 2020.

Bandcamp

The Best New Things I Heard in 2020

Spanish Love Songs (photo by Alan Snodgrass)

Here's the list of old Ape's favorite things he heard for the first time in 2020. Is someone speaking about himself in third person? Yes, it's been a tough year. Maybe it's time for a little forgiveness and compassion. This monkey uncle only had one drink all year, but faithfully took his antidepressants every day. He also bought a metric fuckton of music. So here you go. In no particular order. Let's do it. OK.

Antibodies - collected works

I'm fairly certain I ordered tapes from these guys a few months ago, but I'm oddly disaffected by not having received them yet. The sound of the basement, the stink of sweat, the taste of electrical charge; it's what I'm always seeking in my DIY music...it's what I pick up here. Fuckin' Prince Edward Island, y'all. Must be something in the water.

NØ MAN - "ERASE"

My favorite Majority Rule songs are on their split with Pageninetynine. So when the old lineup got together with a new vocalist (who did guest vox on that split) and started NØ MAN a few years back, of course I paid attention. "ERASE" has such a power to it, like the best crust and D-beat records. But it's the defiance spirit present throughout that I keep coming back to. It's an inspiriation I revisit every day I feel hopeless or small or impotent in the face of the world.

William Onyeabor - "Who Is William Onyeabor?"

What's weird about this one is how many times I came across it in the wild over the years, and thought it was some outsider Christian music that David Byrne compiled and reissued. Obviously, I was so very wrong. The bummer comes in knowing I could have snagged a copy for less back then, and that I had to spend full price to get one this year. It's Nigerian funk from the late 70s through the mid 80s, and it's arguably better and more danceable than anything Prince has ever made (fight me!).

The Comes - "No Side"

La Vida Es Un Mus reissued this crucial 1983 Japanese hardcore record the week after my birthday last year, but I didn't lay mitts on it until early this year. I've really tried to do a deep dive into late 70s - mid 80s JP punk/HC this year, and this is definitely my favorite new discovery. I'm really hoping that someone like Bitter Lake ends up getting the rights to their 1986 mini-album, "Power Never Die", or either of vocalist Chitose's post-Comes projects, Virgin Rocks and the Wretched.

Wire - "I Am The Fly" b/w "Ex-Lion Tamer"

If it's the goal of authority to eliminate dissent, then I want to be the fly in the ointment.

Fraykers Revenger - "Blacksploitation Style Funk From The Library" Vol. 1-5

This series came through one of the many blogs I follow (tho I forget which one), and, as someone who's loved the music of black action cinema since he was a kid, I had to download it. While the downloads were long on content, they were short on context, so I still have no clue if this is actual library music from the 70s, or something a mega fan cooked up at home by themself. Regardless, it's really excellent funk that I was stoked to turn up. These tracks will end up a fair amount of my mixes going forward.

SOUL GLO - collected works

FUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHCCCCCKKKKKKK! It blows my mind how good these guys are. The first show I go to if shows happen again will be SOUL GLO. Hell, they're one of the many reasons I'm thinking about moving back to the East Coast; I'll have a better chance of seeing them locally. They exceed every bit of hype that's popped up. Their live set at WKDU, their new 12", their back catalog: it's all great.

Manuela Iwansson - "Strangers On A Train" and "Blank Surface"

Noteworthy if only because it got me writing again.

No Note - "If this is the future then i'm in the dark"

I'm not sure what the initial reason was for downloading this; maybe it was because it was from Baltimore, one of the tags on Bandcamp was "sass", and they recorded in the same place my last band did. I have no clue. It's just a bold, damaged, post hardcore record from a band that played one show. And if that ain't art, I don't know what is.

Fiona Apple - "Fetch The Bolt Cutters"

Is this the quarantine record of the year? I'd argue it's one of the best hip-hop records of 2020. Due to my Ms. Fiona biases, she could have farted on a snare drum for 60 minutes and I would have preordered it as soon as it was announced.

101 Strings - "Astro-Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000"

Think of how many 101 Strings records you have to go through before you find the actual good ones. If there was ever a reason to keep digging through the bins at Goodwill, looking at every piece of beater vinyl, it's that you might turn this one up. It's Esquivelian space age MOR genius. I'll probably post it in the new year.

Run The Jewels - "RTJ4"

I feel like I've read a lot of reviews where critics have been all, blah, blah, blah, it's not as good as their other records. But this is the one I haven't been able to put down. "Walking In The Snow" is an amazing protest song. It's capturing the anger I've felt all year at my government and at big business.

Coriky - "Coriky"

The punks are getting older. But the best of us are still angry prophets, and Coriky is a three-person Elijah, bringing down fire and demanding we account for our sins.

Special Interest - "The Passion Of"

You've already read the reviews, I'm sure, reader. And this blog is starting to drag a bit. I will say this is one of the sexier records I bought this year; not quite Sade-level, but definitely enough to raise my pulse and get me tingly.

Bob Vylan - "We Live Here"

Another outstanding angry record from 2020, this time combining London grime with modern metalcore. It's not quite as musically progressive as SOUL GLO, but it hits like the first time a kid hears Rage Against The Machine, or the Clash, or Public Enemy.

Worriers - "You Or Someone You Know"

I remain a bit fan of Lauren Dinetzio, and it surprises me that "You Or Someone You Know" didn't get a bit more love this year. Was it because it came out as COVID-19's first wave as cresting? Did Jeff Rosenstock suck up all the attention for smart punk pop this year? The lyrics here are heartbreaking and really embody a lot of the anxiety I felt this year, so, yeah, I'm in love with this record. Plus...Mikey Erg on drums...of course it's great.

Jeff Rosenstock - "NO DREAM"

Another punk who made a pretty amazing record this year. Unlike Worriers, I've listened to this one out of sequence and in fits and starts, but every song, when it comes on, reminds me of being a kid and having a song on the radio grab me by the collar and force me to pay attention to it, singing along and hoping that the DJ will tell me just who this is when the song is over.

various - "Habibi Funk 014: Solidarity With Beirut"

A German label, focused on Arabic music from the 70s and 80s, picking through their collection to benefit the survivors of the August explosion in Beirut. It's a pretty great sampler of music I've avoided for its spirituality in the past. Yet here I am, digging in, and digging it.

Osanna - "Milano Calibro 9"

I picked up a pair of Fernando Di Leo box sets from the folks at Raro Video US earlier this year, because they were 50% off SRP, I had a bit of fuck around money, and I really wanted to dive into the world of Eurocrime in earnest. Di Leo's 1972 poliziotteschi "Milano calibro 9" was the first disc in the first set, and from minute one, I was hooked because of the score. Argentine/Italian film composer Luis Bacalov ("Django", "The Grand Duel") collaborated with prog rock band Osanna for their second record, "Preludio Tema Variazioni Canzona", with was released here as "Milano Calibro 9". It's a pulsing score, like an Italian counterpart to Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" album. If you've never heard it before, check it out.

Silent Era - "Rotate The Mirror"

I'm not sure how I ended up with "buy random records" money this year, but at some point I decided to preorder this from Nervous Intent, and it was a really good pickup. Oakland-based (as so many good things are), hardcore with NWOBM and post-punk influences, female vocals, and it's got some of my favorite cover art and vinyl coloring of the year.

Basic Dicks - "Sick Sad Dicks"

"Lo-fi feminist weirdo punx". It's the mad lib that will pique my interest every single time. "Covers of Void and Madonna". Well, I just went from half mast to full chub. "Daria"-influenced cover art? That's just the cherry on top of this tasty sundae.

All Men - "Men And Their Work"

There's a palatable sense of relief when old friends start new bands and it exceeds your expectations. All Men is seriously great post punk outta Portland, released by one of the best labels in the game, Iron Lung, and earning every bit of praise it's received. It's jittery and brash and I really want to watch it live and shake like I touched the third rail.

Gaffer - "DEMO"

Western Australia's answer to the Angelic Upstarts, except faster? I wish it wouldn't have cost $20 to get a tape from these dudes.

Spanish Love Songs - "Brave Faces Everyone"

This is the record I've gotten into most recently, thanks to it being Sophie's Floorboard's top record of 2020. Kevin likened them to the Menzingers and Captain, We're Sinking, two bands I really dig. I think SLS is a step above those two...maybe approaching Jawbreaker-status with their blend of powerful playing and iconoclastic vocals. This is one I'll be playing a lot into 2021, and more than likely beyond.

Y'all still reading? Go home. This blog is over!

New Bomb Turks - Nightmare Scenario (the old and the new)

Typically, I'm reluctant to share a record when there's a perfectly good alternative to purchase; in this case, for a wonderful cause. But here's a chance to compare, contrast, and see how goddamned good the original version is.

Back in August, Columbus' pride and joy, the New Bomb Turks, created their own Bandcamp page, and posted the original mixes of 2000's "Nightmare Scenario". Their fifth LP, as well as third and final release for Epitaph, "Nightmare Scenario" was the first Turks record I ever purchased. I know, I know...but they weren't playing basement shows or getting written up in HeartattaCk or Profane Existence. I just didn't know any better at the time.

As the story goes, the team of Davidson, Weber, Reber, and new drummer Sam Brown (ex-Gaunt) embarked to Detroit for a four day recording sesh with Jim Diamond, master of ceremonies of legendary studio Ghetto Recorders. As Lance Forth notes on the Bandcamp:

Over four days and nights, the band enjoyed their easiest and most fun recording session – the only break being a jaunt over to a bar to see a reunited Real Kids, their first show in years, which floored the band and only added more mezcal to the fire.

Final mixes were left to Jim Diamond, and by the time he forwarded them to the band, overdub ideas had hatched, and about half the record was remixed with local studio wiz, Jeff Graham, in Columbus. A middle ground was eventually found, and what resulted was Nightmare Scenario (Epitaph Records, 2000) – the fifth album in their six album/three compilation catalog, and the one the band believe is their best.

Did 22-year-old me have any clue any of this was going on? Hell, no. I just had finally discovered a band on Epitaph worth hearing. "Automatic Teller" and "Spanish Fly By Night" are still on my list of garage rock DJ go-to's, getting tons of spins on the radio and at parties. I liked what I heard, I still like it...

...but I gotta say, I think I like this one more. Diamond's mixes are raw as hell, like tossing lighter fluid onto a hot grill. It's been 20 years since the initial release, but here's a record that sounds alive, vital, like the spit you shoot into the eye of someone who's been kicking the hell out of you.

The "Diamond Edition" got released back on Bandcamp Friday in August, and I'm kinda bummed I've missed it for four months until now. Old pal Henry Owings revamped the original Eric Wheeler photograph for a all-new, spare cover. All proceeds generated by the digital release will be donated to Black Queer & Intersectional Collective and Columbus Freedom Fund. So, it's really a simple thing: download the original, long out-of-print, then go drop a bit of coin towards a pair of good causes. It's the holidays, for cripes' sake. And let's hope 2021 sees a physical release!

Discogs

Click here to download "Nightmare Scenario".

Click here to download "Nightmare Scenario (Diamond Edition)".

No Stagediving

The best laid plans of mice and men called for an in-depth, last Bandcamp Friday of 2020 blog, detailing all the stuff on my wishlist that I'd spend money I don't really have on, all in the name of supporting the little guy.

And then I took a nap after work, laid in bed with my wife, watched "Bob's Burgers" and ate too much Jack in the Box. What I'm saying is, I turned into a real turd this evening.

So I'll limit comment here to an ongoing project supporting artists from Baltimore and organized by the team at the Ottobar. Readers here know I'm an Ottobar alum, having worked the door, mopped the floors, backed the bar, and played the stage. From its first location on Davis St., to its present haunt at 26th and Howard, it was my spot until I split town in 2014. Even still, it's where Mrs. Ape and I will plan to meet friends for a drink should we ever make it back home.

Organized by Jerrod and Steve, and backed by Tecla, Todd, and Dana of the Ottobar's management, "No Stagediving" is a two-volume, 106 track collection of Baltimore past and present, grouped solely by having appeared onstage at 2549 Howard St. Some names, you'll already know: Future Islands, Dan Deacon, Lower Dens, and Wye Oak. Baltimore punk, hardcore, and emo also represents, with 90s groups like Cross My Heart and Daybreak mixing with current leading lights like War on Women and Truth Cult. It's one of the few surveys available covering any sort of historical swath of Baltimore hip-hop, as Labtekwon, Rye Rye, and Soul Cannon all turn up. If it's played that stage, it's probably turned up here.

Each collection is a $10 donation and, as happens every Bandcamp Friday, all proceeds go to the bar and bands. Get into the City that Breeds.

Bandcamp

Shout! Factory in December

From "The Rising Hawk" (Akhtem Seitablayev/John Wynn, 2019)

I can sit here and spend your reading time bitching about what a kick in the dick 2020 has been (and, make no mistake, it has been a size 12 steel-toed boot to the testes for almost everyone). But once a month since May, I've hunkered down and detailed every single release Shout! Factory has put out on their various imprints. I would have never gotten to do that if I hadn't been laid off, or locked inside due to COVID, or gotten a job with a company overseas working from home. That's been cool. So let's finish a day late and a dollar short: here's December.

December 1

I am an absolute sucker for Movies For Guys Who Like Movies (TM TNT, 1992). Shout! Factory releases a lot of the direct-to-video, spiritual grandchildren of Cannon and American International. Here we have last year's "The Rising Hawk: Battle for the Carpathians", starring the T-1000, Elsa Schneider, and Chibs. Without having seen a trailer or done anything more than read a logline, I'm preemptively scoring this a 7 out of 10 on the MFGWLM Meter. It's Mongols versus Carpathians, shot on location in Ukraine, and featuring heroism in the face of otherwhelming odds. I wonder who's going to win. This sort of title sells a shit ton via Walmart, which isn't a dig; I just see their racking full on Tuesday and clear within a week. Look for it on Blu-ray or DVD!

If you're treating your fella to a copy of "The Rising Hawk" for his Christmas stocking, why not treat yourself to a copy of James D'Arcy's 2020 film "Made In Italy"? The English actor, who I know best from playing Anthony Hopkins in "Hitchcock", made his writing and directorial debut this year with this tale of a London widower who travels to Tuscany with his estranged son to sell the villa of his now-dead wife. Comic hijinx ensue? Five will get you ten that father and son discover some things about their relationship, and that they each find people to help them live again. I like that Liam Neeson still makes these kind of movies, alternating Brit-roms and B-shooters. There's comfort in that fact. Also available on Blu-ray or DVD. Get one for your auntie with all the cats!

Last, but certainly not least, is the debut thriller from Dave Franco, "The Rental", who I believe to be the more likeable of the two Francos. Starring personal fav Alison Brie, "Downton Abbey" hunk Dan Stevens, the fella who plays Lip on "Shameless", and the incredibly underrated Sheila Vand, it reads like a siege story, with two couples stuck in an Oregon vacation house by an unknown threat, all while slowly losing trust in each other. Joe Swanberg ("Easy", "Drinking Buddies") co-wrote the screenplay with Franco. This one's right up my alley. It feels creepy, the trailer is really well cut together, and it sure seems that Toby Huss might be the villain in this one. I hope this ends up in my stocking, Santa.

December 8

I've yet to have a chance to mention it here, so credit where credit's due: Shout! does a fantastic job with their baseball championship releases. I've ended up with a few of these over the years, and even though my beloved Orioles have yet to receive their own volume, these Blu-rays are always entertaining if you're a baseball fan. This year celebrates the first L.A. Dodgers World Series win in 32 years, as the likes of Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw, and WS MVP Corey Seager overcame years of disappointing playoff finishes with a 6-game win over Tampa Bay. Diehards will want to wait for the Collector's Edition that comes out in February; that version costs three times as much, but features eight complete games (all six World Series contests, plus the NLCS and NLDS clinchers). But if you weren't around in 1988 for Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser bringing home the trophy, you'll probably want a copy of this to watch while waiting for the 2021 season to begin.

December 15

I remember how hyped we all were for November's "MacShayne" release. But I hope you held onto a bit of that excitement for December, since another volume of Kenny Rogers TV movies has arrived. 1981's "Coward of the County" and 1985's "Wild Horses" were helmed by long-time TV director (and 2nd unit director on "Piranha II"!) Dick Lowry, and starred the Gambler himself, garnering the kind of ratings on CBS that would make a network exec ejaculate with joy in 2020. Was this all just a clever ruse to work "ejaculate" into a preview? Bet your ass it was. Sorry, hi-def fans: this is a DVD-only release. Get ready to upscale!

Back in the day, before Scream Factory became a whole thing, Shout! Factory was known for their MST3K sets and the vintage cartoon boxes they released. They originally put out the "Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales" Complete Collection back in 2012, but they're reissuing it here, I'm assuming in a more value-oriented package. It would appear that all the extras in the 2012 version still apply here, so you're no worse or better off if you already own the original copy. I have few frames of reference to "Tennessee Tuxedo": I remember an old boss calling a co-worker Chumley, and it came from the same studio that put out "Underdog". So this is either completely your thing, or you have no clue what I'm talking about. Moving on...

GKids continues their series of Studio Ghibli steelbook reissues with "Spirited Away" and "Castle In The Sky". That leaves only "Porco Rosso" and "The Wind Rises" to be released in this steelbook packaging. You're either a collector of these, or you're not. But as I've said before, it's a great excuse to add copies of Miyazaki films that you don't already own, in a package that looks really sharp. Truth be told: I've been considering selling off my older versions and replacing them with these. At $27 a pop, they're not inexpensive, but I bet they look great on a shelf.

2011's "From Up On Poppy Hill" ("コクリコ坂から") was the first theatrical release in the partnership between Studio Ghibli and GKids here in the States. Director Gorō Miyazaki's second feature told the story of two students working to save their school's clubhouse from demolition, and remains incredibly well-regarded in the ten years since its Japanese release. The video was originally distributed via New Video, so its been long overdue for a reissue under the Shout!/GKids umbrella. Available once again as either a combo pack or standalone DVD, the "Poppy Hill" set has a ton of extras and a really good reminder that Papa Hayao isn't the only great filmmaker in the Miyazaki clan.

From "The Rental" (Dave Franco, 2020)

It's a very short month, as Decembers tend to be. And, as with some of the other video houses, there will be a three week holiday until the first batch of January releases. But when those come...oooh, boy! A pair of John Carpenter classics come to UHD, the new "Lupin III" feature makes its home video debut here in the States, and Araki Joh's "Bartender" finally gets a US debut via a 15th anniversary box set. All this, plus pithy commentary, in less than 30 days. Be there...aloha.

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.

The Criterion Collection in December (plus The Best of 2020!)

From "Amores perros" (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2000)

Christ, where would I be in 2020 if I hadn't been writing these?

I started writing back in May because I decided, with my therapist, that I needed to talk about something good. I live on the other side of the country from most of the people I love, and we're all locked in the house (or should be), and my spouse is susceptible to all manners of infectious disease, which happens when you take chemo, and half the nation seems hellbent to rush us into some afterlife that's not necessarily promised to anyone. I could either give into the desperation, and wallow in the depression I've experienced my entire life, or, you know, I could revel in something that was enjoyable.

So, here we are. Eight months on, reviewing the last Criterion releases of the year of our Lord 2020. It's fun. It's something I look forward to. That shit is crucial right now. I hope you dig them.

December 1

Frankly, I've been rooting for a Criterion edition of "Fast Company", but I suppose we all have to "settle" for the 4K restoration of David Cronenberg's "Crash". I've been rewatching what Cronenberg I own in my collection throughout the pandemic (I wonder why), but I don't own a copy of "Crash", so the timing is good, I suppose. This is the sixth release Criterion has done with the Canadian director, and while the extras are fairly bare bones, "Crash" has only been available as a made-on-demand DVD-R release here in the States for most of the past decade. It's the first time it's been available on a Region A Blu-ray...ever. So, I have to assume its release will fill a fairly big hole in most of our collections. The extras look to carry over from the 1998 Warner Home Video DVD release. Still...Cronenberg. Get weird with it.

December 8

This week is all about the reissues, as Criterion reissues a pair of mid-aught catalog pieces with Blu-ray editions for the first time. Now, neither of these have ever grabbed my attention, probably because I'm more likely to rewatch "Maximum Overdrive" than view Ozu for the first time, but I guarantee they'll be on a number of folks' wishlists. The "Symbiopsychotaxiplasm" films by documentarian William Greaves are the sort of features that I almost certainly should be aware of, but I wasn't aware of until now. "Take One", originally released in 1968, is a work of meta art, the likes of which wouldn't be widely seen until its being championed by Steve Buscemi and Steven Soderbergh in the 90s. It's a feature about a documentary, which is in turn being documented, and then again documented. It's very incepted. "Take 2 1/2" revisited a pair of the leads of "Take One", some forty years after the original shoot. I've suddenly become very interested in this in the course of writing it up. Thanks, blogging! I can't tell if these releases feature the same transfer as the original 2006 Criterion DVD release, but it's on Blu-ray for the first time, ya know?

Also getting a first-time domestic release on Blu-ray: Robert Bresson's 1967 film "Mouchette". Bresson's another French New Wave director whose work I'm only very lightly familiar with. I feel like I saw "Au hasard Balthazar" on a date when it got re-released in 2003...or maybe I just own a copy thanks to Mrs. Ape's cultured influence. You know "Au hasard Balthazar", right? Story of a mistreated donkey? It's great, just great. So I probably should be forgiven for not having seen "Mouchette" before. Instead of an abused ass, it's a teenage girl whose name translates to "little fly" going through 81 minutes of trauma. Look, I have a fair amount of intellectual curiosity about what makes "Mouchette" renowned, but in this Year of our Dark Lord 2020, I don't have any sort of masochist drive to watch something that's going to inevitably depress me, no matter if it's got a fresh 4K restoration. Maybe I'll just save this one over for next year...should we make it that far.

December 15

We come to the end of 2020 with the debut film from Mexican director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2000's "Amores perros". I remember becoming aware of "Amores perros" around the same time as Alfonso Cuarón's "Y tu mama tambien", and really just falling in love with both directors' work. In Iñárritu's film, three strangers' lives collide (literally) in a tragic accident. It's a violent, funny, dire, and class conscious piece of work that just really springs off the screen. Just writing about it makes me want to rewatch it (it's been a minute since I last saw it). Iñárritu would get a nom for an Academy Award for "Perros", and go on to win Best Director Oscars for 2014's "Birdman" and 2015's "The Revenant".

He, along with D.P. Rodrigo Prieto, has overseen the 4K digital restoration of "Perros", which includes a remix to 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray. There are a ton of new extras created for this release: a new making-of documentary, conversations with the cast and the director, and all three music videos Iñárritu shot for the soundtrack. It's a great way to end the year's releases with Criterion, and the one of my two must-haves from December.

From "Crash" (David Cronenberg, 1996)

Speaking of which, I've been considering my favorite additions of 2020 to the Criterion Collection. It's fun to write about these ahead of the release, but I really haven't gone back and mentioned how they turned out for me. There's a 50% off sale at Barnes & Noble on all Criterion releases running thru the end of November, so feel free to take this as my recommendations for what you might pick up.

1. "Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits" (various, 1971-1978)
2. "Parasite" (Bong Joon Ho, 2019)
3. "Come And See" (Elem Klimov, 1985)
4. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Wes Anderson, 2014)
5. "Paris Is Burning" (Jennie Livingston, 1990)
6. "The Great Escape" (John Sturges, 1963)
7. "Holiday" (George Cukor, 1938)
8. "The War Of The Worlds" (Byron Haskin, 1953)
9. "Dance, Girl, Dance" (Dorothy Arzner, 1940)
10. "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire", (Céline Sciamma, 2019)

I'm back in around 30 with the first releases of 2021 by the Criterion Collection: a Luis Buñuel box set featuring his final three films, Scorsese shoot Dylan, and features from Bing Liu and the late Larisa Sheptiko. Be there...aloha!

Shout! Factory in November

from "Let's Scare Julie" (Jud Cremata, 2019)

It's the last big release month of 2020 for the folks at Shout! Factory, with 16 titles coming out in November. The schedule has shifted a lot over the past few months, with "Event Horizon" in particular seeing its street date move multiple times. It's not a huge deal, though; there's some good stuff coming out in time for the stuffing of stockings and whatnot. Let's take a peek, shall we?

November 3

Well, I guess I'm a week late on this post, which makes me a real bum-ass. GKids has reissued a trio of their classic animation catalog on Blu-ray, a welcome return after each of these went out of print in the recent past. 2009's "The Secret of Kells", and 2010's "Chico & Rita" and "A Cat In Paris" all received Oscar noms for Best Animated Feature, and set GKids up as a strong home for progressive animation. Each of these came out under their prior distributor; "The Secret of Kells" never got a Blu-ray release in the States. While there aren't any new additions to these releases, it's great to get to revisit each of these acclaimed features without having to track down a copy in the secondary market.

Jud Cremata's debut, "Let's Scare Julie", came out in October via video-on-demand, and came out a month late via this Scream Factory release. The conceit is that a bunch of teenaged girls pull a prank on their neighbor, which has terrible results. I'm always down for a well-choreographed single-take movie, and the cast, a lot of whom we've already seen via streaming releases, makes this look like a potential fountain of new talent. With a cheap price point, this is definitely a title I'll end up getting; whether I order it now, or wait a few weeks until it's $10 or less at Walmart, is the only question.

"Misbehaviour" is one of those films that I'll see a trailer for in a 25-minute compilation on YouTube, say, "Hey, that looks like a larf!", then promptly forget about. That's not a mark of its quality; it's more an indictment of the current theatrical distribution and marketing models. Phillipa Lowthorpe's second feature, in the midst of an acclaimed career in television, looks to be the kind of film that Miramax and Lionsgate made their names on 20 years ago, and the sort that Shout! Studios is building a strong catalog out of. Set during the 1970 Miss World Pageant, "Misbehaviour" is a collision of race, gender, and culture, starring the likes of Kiera Knightly, Suki Waterhouse, and Greg Kinnear. I'm down to give it a look.

November 10

Stop: Hammer time! Here's another in Scream Factory's long series of Hammer Films reissues. This time, it's 1960's "The Brides of Dracula", the sequel to 1958's "(Horror of) Dracula", directed again by Terrance Fisher and starring Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. Yeah! This has been available as a standalone British release for years, and as part of Universal's 2016 "Hammer Horror 8-Film Collection", but has received a really nice release via Scream Factory. The print has received a 2K scan, and is viewable in both a 1.85:1 and a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. There are also new features highlighting Fisher, D.P. Jack Asher, and score composer Malcolm Williamson. Add a new commentary track, carry-over features from the earlier UK releases, and a killer cover, and this Collector's Edition is on my wishlist!

I'm definitely interested in GKids' release of the 2019 French animated feature "Marona's Fantastic Tale" ("L'extraordinaire Voyage de Marona"). Ya like dags? Well, Marona is a dog what ping-pongs from name to name and owner to owner, in a tale of blind love. This got a bit of theatrical play before COVID-19, and while the story seems a bit sad (it's all told in retrospect after MARONA WAS HIT BY A CAR!!!!), the blend of animation styles looks fantastic.

"How To Make A Monster" reads like a 50s meta-thriller; a master make-up artist is fired by the new owners of American International Pictures and creates monsters to seek revenge. It's a Arkoff/Nicholson presentation, starring Henry from "Valley Of The Dolls"! It has both a teenage werewolf AND a teenage Frankenstein! It's a B-movie freakout! You get a 2K fine grain scan, two commentary tracks, a featurette on director Herman Cohen, an interview with both teenage monsters (hopefully in character), and the trailer to the movie.

It's been a minute since there have been any "Sesame Street" releases, and, normally, yeah, you'd say "Who cares?" if you don't have kids. But these first two "Old School" releases, covering 1969 to 1974 and 1974 to 1979 should be fairly interesting to collectors who follow classic television. Each volumes has five complete season premieres, along with an archival release (the pitch film on Volume 1, the pilot episode on Volume 2). It should be of no small interest to also see the entertainers featured from those first ten seasons: everyone from Jackie Robinson to Richard Pryor to Lena Horne all make appearances over these two volumes. This is the era of "Sesame Street" I was raised on; I'm really excited to introduce my niece to this huge influence.

Colonel Glenn Manning (one of the pseudonyms I travel under) returns disfigured, brain damaged, starving, and still 70 ft. tall after falling off the Hoover Dam in "War of the Colossal Beast", the 1958 sequel to the previous year's "The Amazing Colossal Man". This quickly-assembled AIP B feature has recycled footage, a mentally disabled antagonist, and some dogshit FX. Of course it got the MST3K treatment. This Blu-ray debut gets a 2K scan, commentary from film historian C. Courtney Joyner, filmmaker Donald F. Glut and monster historian Eric Hoffman, a featurete on director Bert I. Gordon, and the alternate 16mm ending originally created for syndication. It's a bit weird to see this come out before Scream releases "The Amazing Colossal Man". But what do I know?

November 17

GKids released some really nice editions of "Weathering With You" back in September. But the Collector's Edition coming out in November looks to be the definitive version. It's a 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo, and includes Radwimps' soundtrack from the film. The set also includes a feature-length making-of documentary, a 108-page art book, a mini poster and a decal, along with all the extras that appeared on the previous GKids releases. If you've been holding off on snagging a copy, and/or have a UHD player, this is the version to buy.

One can make an argument that the definitive television version of Las Vegas appeared via the 1994 NBC Friday Night Mystery movies "MacShayne: Winner Takes All" and "MacShayne: Final Roll Of The Dice". One can make that argument, but they'd probably be wrong. You, however, can determine it for yourself, via this first-ever home video release. Starring the Gambler himself, Kenny Rogers, as a small-time hustler fresh out of the clink, these got your Nana all worked up back when you were in middle school.

These last two are releases I've actually been looking forward to. I've read a ton of good reviews of this year's "Relic", an IFC Films release that I think would have gotten a lot more publicity had COVID-19 not squashed its theatrical run. Produced by the Russo Brothers and Jake Gyllenhall, Natalie Erika James's first feature is a meditation of family and infirmity, wrapped within a haunted house story. The recaps I've read so far tell me this is a slow burn that really blows up in the third act. As with "Let's Scare Julie", I'll be keeping an eye out for an inexpensive copy of this over the next few months.

I have a ton of fond memories of "Twins" when I was a kid. I actually experienced Arnold Schwarzeneggar first in comedic roles like this; I wasn't going to get to go see "Red Heat" or "Commando", but I could go see this and "Kindergarten Cop" with my parents. It was also my first exposure to comedy legend Danny Devito, and the first time I'd seen an Ivan Reitman film. So, you know...fond memories. There are a pair of new featurettes on this Blu-ray debut, along with the theatrical trailer. But you ain't buying it for all that; you're looking for the mismatched antics of the Terminator meeting the Penguin. And this movie delivers twice as many antics as you can handle!!!

from "Brides Of Dracula" (Terence Fisher, 1960)

There are a lot of titles in November, but not a ton of must-haves. "Twins" probably tops that list for me, with the two new horror releases also ranking up there. Had I not already bought a copy, I'd probably queue up for that "Weathering For You" Collector's Edition as well. There are a few noteworthy releases coming in December: a new pair of Studio Ghibli steelbooks, Dave Franco's "The Rental", and another Kenny Rogers TV movie collection. I'm back in less than 30 to tell you all about them!

Kino Lorber in November

Mel Gibson as Max in "Mad Max" (George Miller, 1979)

I find myself going back and buying from the folks at Kino Lorber a lot this year. They release and distribute a lot of really interesting genre and indie films, as well as some amazing historical artifacts. They also do a ton of sales, which obviously gets my attention. So I figured it's time to chat a bit about their upcoming releases for November. There are some rad reissues headed our way, along with a few great sounding documentaries.

November 3

I think we'd gotten a promo copy for in-store play of "Discord" sometime back in 1998 when I worked at this bookstore. It grabbed my attention because DJ Spooky was performing on the record, although I knew nothin about the composer. It was my first conscious exposure to Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto; I'd discover later that I'd unknowingly heard his work before via the scores for "The Last Emperor", "Aile De Honnêamise" ("The Wings of Honneamise"), and "Wild Palms". It lead me to check out Yellow Magic Orchestra, "Neo Geo", modern composition in general.

So, obviously, I'd like to see "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda", Stephen Nomura Schible's 2017 documentary about the Oscar and Grammy winner. Shot in the period between the release of "Three" and "async", "Coda" explores Sakamoto's recovery from cancer, his activism, and his creation of art in the autumn of his life. It sounds cool as hell. Also included is Schible's concert film from 2018, "async at the Park Avenue Armory", featuring one of the first live performances of Sakamoto's most recent studio album.

"Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President" has been running on CNN since early September, and it's no understatement to say it'd be nice to have someone running the executive brand who's into being kind to the world and who likes Bob Dylan. I've yet to watch Mary Wharton's documentary about the 39th President's relationship to rock 'n' roll. But as someone who's always had the highest respect for President Carter, someone from Georgia who grew up listening to Little Feat and the Allman Brothers, and someone who wants desperately to cocoon on Election Day, this seems like a pretty good watch. Wharton previously directed an episode of "American Masters" on Joan Baez back in 2009 that I remember being pretty good, and the work that CNN Films releases is strong, so I feel pretty comfortable suggesting watching this one.

November 10

Kino Studio Classics has been slowly reissuing the films of Clint Eastwood with 2K and 4K restorations, making them must haves if you're a Blu-ray collector. Their latest round features Clint's directing debut, 1971's "Play Misty For Me", along with 1972's "The Beguiled" (Don Siegel) and 1975's "The Eiger Sanction". All three of these are great; "Eiger" is one of those mid-70s Euro thrillers that are imminently watchable, and "The Beguiled" was remade by Sofia Coppola in 2017 to some strong acclaim. In my house, however, we mark out hard for "Misty".

"Misty" freaks me out more than "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Halloween". It's one of the movies that make me jump everytime I see it. Mrs. Mallory Archer herself, Jessica Walter, is a perfect foil to Clint's DJ Dave Garver, and Donna Mills is tremendous as the woman caught in the middle. The music is top notch, from Errol Garner's "Misty" serving as title inspiration to cameos from Cannonball Adderly, Johnny Otis, and Joe Zawinul at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Best of all, it was shot in Mrs. Ape's hometown, and was lensed by longtime Eastwood collaborator Bruce Surtees. In short, it's a fantastic Hitchcock homage for Clint's first directorial gig. This has a ton of extras included: a 2K restoration, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, a making-of documentary. And, HEY! It has an o-card! I'm pretty psyched. Just don't tell the missus: she'll be getting this for her birthday.

November 17

Code Red is one of the KL-distributed imprints, and they are a fount of trashy cinema. A lot of their releases are licensed from overseas, and are pretty bare bones, in terms of extras. I'm actually hyped at this reissue, with new art, of their 2017 release of "So Sweet, So Dead", aka "The Slasher", aka "Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile". Directed by Robert Bianchi Montero, and starring Stewart Granger, this 1972 giallo about a serial killer targeting unfaithful wives was best known in the States for being re-edited as a porno called "Penetration". The change here from the 2017 release is in the title and the cover art, adopting the artwork from the Italian poster. If you copped this a few years back, there's no reason to rebuy. BUT if you don't already own this, and are looking for a tense, well acted horror movie, this is one to snag.

November 24

Zine dorks rejoice! Scott Crawford, whose debut documentary "Salad Days" is a big favorite of mine, is back with a look at Detroit's favorite rock 'n' roll mag, Creem Magazine. CREEM was the champion of the underbelly of pop music throughout the 70s; undercapitalized and geographically separate from the industry scenes in L.A. and New York, it fostered writers like Robert Christgau, Richard Meltzer, and Peter Laughner, and was memorably led by Lester Bangs from 1971 to 1976. If Rolling Stone provided legitimacy to its cover subjects, Creem ensured they'd stay hip.

"CREEM: America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine" has been streaming since the start of COVID-19, but debuts on the 24th with this DVD-only release. Most of the folks you'd expect to see in a doc like this make appearances: Alice Cooper, Wayne Kramer, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley. Musicians like Thurston Moore and Michael Stipe pop in, no doubt to provide the 70s reader perspective. In different hands, this could end up like a VH-1 special from the 90s. But I've seen Crawford at work before, and I'm interested in his take on this writer's paradise.

Finally, a classic I'm sworn to buy every fucking time they reissue it. I've owned no less than a half dozen copies of "Mad Max" over the years: VHS, laserdisc, DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray box set, UMD. Shoot, if I'd ever owned a Beta machine, I'd probably have copped it on Beta. My current watching copy is the Collector's Edition released by Scream Factory a few years back. Kino Studio Classics is releasing the first ever 4K UHD version of George Miller's classic. There's been no mention yet as to any restoration that's been undertaken on the print itself, but, like with that Scream Factory release, we get both the original Aussie soundtrack and American theatrical dub, both in gleaming lossless mono. In fact, it appears that all of the extras from the 2015 Collector's Edition get reprised in this 2020 UHD/Blu-ray combo. The additions? A new interview with George Miller, a "Trailers from Hell" featurette, and new cover art based on the French and American theatrical posters. Like I said above, I took a vow when I was young to support any and all releases of "Mad Max", so, even though I don't currently own an Ultra HDTV or a 4K Blu-ray player, I'll be preordering this bad boy.

Jessica Walter and Clint Eastwood in "Play Misty For Me" (Clint Eastwood, 1971)

This is just a small sample of what Kino Lorber has releasing in November. Between their in-house releases and distributed labels, there are a total of 45 film & TV releases this month. That seems to be pretty typical for them. As with the other video houses I write about, I suggest buying direct, because they always seem to offer better discounts than anywhere else in the world, and their free shipping threshold is $50. They also get new releases in my hands anywhere from three to 10 days before the street date, which is nice as hell. So, you know, check 'em out.