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Does anyone know anything about the Stray Cat Rock series? I'm curious as to why HVE would release just the third in this five-film series. Has anyone seen Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter, and does it stand alone? Since all five films were released in a two-year period, I'm assuming the films have a continuity...

Those Stray Cat Rock films look tasty:

http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/straycatrock.shtml

Now I know where Tarantino got the idea for that mad girl in school uniform on Kill Bill vol. 1...

Wouldn't mind buying a boxset with all 5 plus a six disc dedicated to japanese exploitation films of the 70's a la Yakuza Papers...

Hopefully that will be forthcoming since HVE seem to be heading that way with the upcoming release of the Hanzo films. Here's another nice article about that whole scene:

http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/round-up_010.shtml

Just watched HVE's Wisconsin Death Trip and want to wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. It's radically different in its approach, tone, structure, and cinematography from any documentary (in the broadest sense) that I've seen. It manages to document the hysteria, violence, poverty, and ugliness of a specific town, and successfully links it to its modern day counterpart. To do so, it uses day-to-day excerpts from a archive of the time (via Michael Lesy's book of the same name), and for history buffs, especially those of this particular period in American history like myself, it's an amazing slice-of-life. It's haunting (and haunted) and very beautiful, an attribute I can only apply to perhaps a handful of other documentaries. Plus, it's got a wonderful score by John Cale, and it features songs by DJ Shadow, and Blind Lemon Jefferson. It's an oft-overlooked HVE title, but it's definitely worth a look for the curious.

Thanks for that recommendation. Somehow I was not even aware of the film or the DVD. It looks so fascinating I'll keep an eye out for it and watch it as soon as I get the chance. Looking into the director, James Marsh, a little bit I learned that his follow-up film, The King, is in post-production.

Wisconsin Death Trip was awesome

So sad HVe titles get so little attention compared to Criterion.....

Does the HVE DVD of the Wisconsin Death Trip have english subtitles?

Does the HVE DVD of the Wisconsin Death Trip have english subtitles?

Nope, unfortunately. In fact, it doesn't have any subtitles at all.

Are there any English-spoken HVE titles that do have subtitles?
I just noticed that The Cars That Ate Paris doesn't have'm either...

Miguel wrote:Are there any English-spoken HVE titles that do have subtitles?
I just noticed that The Cars That Ate Paris doesn't have'm either...

English-language HVE titles with English subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing):

Twelfth Night/Macbeth
More
Waydowntown (even though their Web site doesn't say so on this one, I believe it does.)

That's off the top of my head, not an attempt at a complete list.

They've started doing them. Hopefully they will continue to do them.

You probably need to keep bugging them.

HVe released two japanese mystery films a few months ago. Has anyone talked about them yet? I just saw Zero Focus and was throughly disappointed, did anyone else have the misfortunate of seeing it?

Zero Focus

I actually rather enjoyed this. Not great art -- but I liked the actresses, and they did reasonably well. Also some nice cinematography. The plot was a bit of a muck -- but such is life.

I asked them if they were planning to release any more films of the Stray Cat Rock series and this is what they had to say:

Thank you for your inquiry!

We do not hold the rigths for any of the other films in the SEX HUNTER series and I
have not heard of any plans to acquire the rest of the movies in that series.

Bummer...

Annie Mall wrote:I asked them if they were planning to release any more films of the Stray Cat Rock series and this is what they had to say:

Thank you for your inquiry!

We do not hold the rigths for any of the other films in the SEX HUNTER series and I
have not heard of any plans to acquire the rest of the movies in that series.

Bummer...

That's a shame...Thanks for finding out though Annie...

2 more Kiyoshi Kurosawa films are coming in May:

http://www.kungfucinema.com/news/2005/022402.htm

Hi,

Mai Slate:

Ron Mann's "Go Further"
http://www.homevision.com/cat.asp?id=FUR010

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's "Aboon"
http://www.homevision.com/cat.asp?id=ABO010

And both Kurosawa's mentioned above:
Charisma
http://www.homevision.com/cat.asp?id=CHA260

Séance
http://www.homevision.com/cat.asp?id=SEA070

I'm happy about Go Further

Regards,

Dennis

Donald Trampoline wrote:

Miguel wrote:Are there any English-spoken HVE titles that do have subtitles?
I just noticed that The Cars That Ate Paris doesn't have'm either...

English-language HVE titles with English subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing):

Twelfth Night/Macbeth
More
Waydowntown (even though their Web site doesn't say so on this one, I believe it does.)

That's off the top of my head, not an attempt at a complete list.

They've started doing them. Hopefully they will continue to do them.

You probably need to keep bugging them.

Hey, Miguel. One more. Go Further is listed as having English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Oh dear God, there are still quite a few films in Home Vision's catalog I haven't seen, but I'd wager that "Go Further" is one of the stupidest films they've ever chosen to release. They apparently have a contract with Ron Mann, but they probably didn't see this one coming. Instead of any intelligent discussion of the benefits of sustainability, organic food, etc., it's just a boring series of scenes of Harrelson et al driving around the country in a "psychedelic," hemp-powered bus giving soundbites, having 30-second conversations with people, and behaving like complete buffoons. They seem unaware that, in the longrun, mass-produced vegetable-oil-based biodiesel is probably not a feasible alternative fuel for large numbers of people because it currently takes more energy to produce the vegetable oil than it yields when burned.
The film might have been funny at least, but instead it was just a dull reinforcement the stereotype of people who are committed to sustainability and environmental issues as pot-smoking, jam-band-listening, uninformed jackasses -- a stereotype that many of us work hard to undo. Thanks, Woody!

The other three all look to be great releases, however. "Charisma" is one I haven't seen and it looks pretty odd.

How do these Kurosawas compare to Cure?

Tribe

Seance is a much lesser film than Cure. It's one of Kurosawa's weakest films. Charisma is excellent, but it's very unlike Cure. It has elements of comedy and surrealism as well as the sort of overarching feeling of dread that pervades Cure and his other, best films. I'd recommend a buy on Charisma and a rental on Seance, if that's a feasible option for you.

Seance is all right. It'll give you your fix if you're into the director.

Anyone have an opinion of the 1965 version of the novel, Seance ona Wet Afternoon? It's also a HVE release, incidentally.

I agree Séance is on the weak side, but it's kind of nice to see it before watching Doppelgänger.

How does Kurosawa's Séance compare to Seance on a Wet Afternoon then? The latter is an incredibly atmospheric, slightly on the edge film that I've enjoyed very much.

Tribe

Oh dear God, there are still quite a few films in Home Vision's catalog I haven't seen, but I'd wager that "Go Further" is one of the stupidest films they've ever chosen to release. They apparently have a contract with Ron Mann, but they probably didn't see this one coming. Instead of any intelligent discussion of the benefits of sustainability, organic food, etc., it's just a boring series of scenes of Harrelson et al driving around the country in a "psychedelic," hemp-powered bus giving soundbites, having 30-second conversations with people, and behaving like complete buffoons. They seem unaware that, in the longrun, mass-produced vegetable-oil-based biodiesel is probably not a feasible alternative fuel for large numbers of people because it currently takes more energy to produce the vegetable oil than it yields when burned.
The film might have been funny at least, but instead it was just a dull reinforcement the stereotype of people who are committed to sustainability and environmental issues as pot-smoking, jam-band-listening, uninformed jackasses -- a stereotype that many of us work hard to undo. Thanks, Woody!

My thoughts exactly. This "film" only reinforces the stereotype that environmentalist have going againts them. Pot-smokers, hemp wearing, environment saving fanatics. Woody Harrelson just makes a fool of himself (although that isn't to hard to do) and the environmentalist community that really care for finding alternate resources for fuel and for saving the decaying environment.

I know I`m coming late into the game, but I recently recieved The Yakuza Papers Box which is the single most expensive DVD collection I ever bought, and one that I blind bought as well, mostly due to the comments on this website, and the fleeting glance of the Street Mobster trailer.

I just finished the Vol.1 and am blown away.

I don`t even mind the minor scratching of the edges of the digipack (which, I`ll say it, is blown way out of proportion on this forum).

I feel a wave of blind Fukasaku buying coming up.