Archives for June 2012 | Varied Celluloid

Archive for June, 2012

Familiar makes it to Fantasia Film Festival

Posted by Josh Samford On June - 27 - 2012

For those of you who keep up with the website, you may remember our review for the little indie gem known as Familiar. A genre-bending piece of work, it shows young director Richard Powell firing on all cylinders. It isn’t surprising to see the short picking up steam, but it is always nice to see good work being appreciated. It appears that Familiar will be playing at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival based out of Montreal. The festival is set to take place between July 19th and August 7th. For those unaware, Fantasia Fest is a pretty big deal. Well known for the big name foreign films that it attracts, it is certainly one of the most noteworthy genre-based film festivals in North America. There have been many world and international premieres have taken place at Fantasia Fest, including Shaun of the Dead, Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Midnight Meat Train, and Uzumaki. This is a big opportunity for this small indie production, and we wish nothing but the best for these filmmakers!

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Waves of Lust being released by Raro Video in July

Posted by Josh Samford On June - 25 - 2012

Raro Video has quickly become one of my favorite cult film distributors. Although they have been forced to introduce new prices on their website, they are still one of the most affordable companies to purchase from and their selection of Eurocult titles are unmatched. They have been delivering films that range from obscure arthouse gems, to select titles from the works of well known directors. Their latest release looks to be more like the latter. An early film from director Ruggero Deodato (Jungle Holocaust, Cannibal Holocaust, Live Like a Cop Die Like a Man), Waves of Lust is a film that I have been looking forward to checking out and now that Raro is releasing it – I know I can look forward to a quality release. The official release date has been set for July 31st, and Eurocult fanboys should not miss out on this one. From the press release:

RUGGERO DEODATO’S (CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, LIVE LIKE A COP DIE LIKE A MAN) WAVES OF LUST COMES TO DVD JULY 31 FROM RAROVIDEO

Hailed by cinephiles for expertly restoring rare films by influential filmmakers and publishing them with compelling extras, Italian Film Boutique RaroVideo announces RUGGERO DEODATO’S WAVES OF LUST DVD release on July 31, 2012.

“It is a film that ranks with the best of Deodato’s output like Cannibal Holocaust and The Washing Machine. Highly recommended.” 10KBULLETS
“Deodato’s instincts proved right, Waves of Lust is an entertaining sex flick and an engaging thriller and it delivers a very enjoyable romp making fine use of the confined spaces of the yacht, while generating some real heat with plenty of nudity and teasing sex.” DVD TALK

WAVES OF LUST (1975) A superb example of Deodato’s work not to be missed by fans of Italian sex/crime/thrillers. A shocking and frightening version of Polanski’s Knife in the Water. Two carefree youngsters, Irem and Barbara (Al Cliver and Silvia Dionisio), are invited for a weekend cruise on a yacht owned by Giorgio, a ruthless and cynical industrialist, who is married to Silvia, a disturbed woman who allows herself to be physically and mentally abused by him. Silvia then forms a love triangle with Irem and Barbara who conspire against Giorgio, whose misogyny and paranoia pushes him over the edge into murder. RELEASE DATE: JULY 31, 2012

Along with the press release was this elementary release schedule for North American releases by Raro.

RAROVIDEO’S 2012 U.S. RELEASE SCHEDULE:
FERNANDO DI LEO’S MADNESS – AUGUST
GIORGIO FERRONI’S THE NIGHT OF THE DEVILS – SEPTEMBER
FRANCESCO ROSI’S MANY WARS AGO – OCTOBER
ROBERTO ROSILLINI’S GENERAL DELLA ROVERE – NOVEMBER
THE FERNANDO DI LEO BOX SET VOL. 2 – DECEMBER

After the first Fernando Di Leo box set, I must say that I am genuinely excited to get my hands upon this second box set! December can not get here fast enough!

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Django Strikes Again

Posted by Josh Samford On June - 20 - 2012

	Django Strikes Again (1987)

Director:	Nello Rossati
Writers:	Sergio Corbucci, Franco Reggiani, and Nello Rossati
Starring:	Franco Nero, Christopher Connelly, Licinia Lentini, and Donald Pleasance

The Plot: Deep in the heart of Columbia, our film introduces us to a very familiar monk. This monk is a man with a very dark past who desperately searches for retribution after a lifetime of killing. This man is the infamous gunslinger known as Django. Taking place twenty years after the original titular film Django, we find that our leading man has separated himself from all forms of violence and looks forward to a very simple life. However, Django is soon visited by a woman from his past who claims that she is dying. She asks that Django visit her daughter and look after her, but Django refuses because he feels that he has finally found his calling. The woman soon advises Django that the young girl is his very own daughter, and with that our hero is off to meet his only known relative. When he finds the town where she was supposed to live, however, he discovers that it has been destroyed. Most in this town are now dead, but the few who survived have been taken hostage by the homicidal Hungarian aristocrat Orlowsky (played by Christopher Connelly). Django is soon captured by Orlowsky’s men as well, but quickly manages to escape his prison with some help from a man named Ben (Donal Pleasance). With vengeance on his mind, Django soon digs up his machinegun and decides to take on this European tyrant with every fiber of his being.

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Pistol for Ringo, A

Posted by Josh Samford On June - 5 - 2012

	A Pistol for Ringo (1965)

Director:	Duccio Tessari
Writers:	Alfonso Balcázar and Duccio Tessari
Starring:	Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, and George Martin

The Plot: A Pistol for Ringo tells the story of a young sheriff named Ben (George Martin) who begins his day by arresting a young man named Ringo (Giuliano Gemma), also known as Angel Face, who has killed four men in self defense. This isn’t anything new for Ringo, however, because he has been in front of the judge numerous times for similar incidents. Later, we are introduced to a lunatic bandit known as Sancho (Fernando Sancho) who pulls off an elaborate heist that sees him and his gang robbing the local bank of everything that they have. As Sancho and his crew try to get away, they wind up at the home of a wealthy land-owner who also happens to be the father of Sherriff Ben’s current love interest. Knowing that she will die, along with all of the other innocent hostages, if the Sheriff comes running in to save the day, he concocts another plan. He inevitably promises Ringo 30% of the bank robbery money, and without delay Ringo is undercover inside of the villa where these bandits are hiding out. Will Ringo settle for the 30%, or will he attempt to play for the bad guys in an attempt to get a larger percentage?

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