Vinegar Syndrome Reveals New Partner Label Releases
Posted February 3, 2024 11:44 PM by Webmaster
Vinegar Syndrome has revealed fourteen upcoming partner label releases. They are: Nightsiren (2022), Man on the Brink (1981), Réjeanne Padovani (1973), Bubble Bath (1980), Carpet Cowboys (2023), Everything to Entertain You: The Story of Video Headquarters (2023), Simon Killer (2012), Blind Faith (1988), Stice's Satyricon (2021), Stranded + Cosmic Psychos (2013-2015), Totally Wired: Three Films By Nathan Silver (2013), Where the Devil Roams (2023), and The Zombie Army (1991).
In a remote mountain village, two sisters grow up at the mercy of their abusive mother. A terrible accident happens when the eldest, Šarlota, escapes into the woods, followed by her sister Tamara. Otyla, a Roma woman living on the outskirts of town, is blamed for the girls' disappearance and accused of witchcraft. Twenty years later, Šarlota unexpectedly shows up in the village. As she digs into her past, the locals grow suspicious. Only a young and eccentric herbalist, Mira, is willing to befriend her. When the animals in the village start to fall ill, the locals accuse Šarlota of conjuring Otyla's spirit.
Impatient with low-level police work, rookie cop Chui (Eddie Chen) recklessly accepts his superior's offer to go undercover. With few ties and an ambiguous moral compass that soon starts to spin out of control, his life outside the underworld begins to crumble.
Following the success of Cops and Robbers (1979), Alex Cheung's Man on the Brink further redefined the Hong Kong crime sub-genre. While indebted to New Hollywood staples such as Sidney Lumet's Serpico (1973), this Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor Golden Horse Award winner unleashed a new appetite for undercover cop mayhem, prefiguring classics such as the Infernal Affairs trilogy (2002-2003) with its jaw-dropping synthesis of urban grit, realistic drama and high stakes, captured with evocative hand-held, on-location camerawork. A missing link – if not a turning point – in Hong Kong action cinema, ready to be rediscovered.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Interview with director Alex Cheung (2022, 39 minutes)
Commentary with Director Alex Cheung and Assistant Director Teddy Chan (2022, 100 minutes)
Q&A Post Screening Talk (2019, 72 minutes)
8mm Shorts:
Man on the Brink Making Of (1981, 14 minutes)
C.I.D. Making Of (1976, 1 minute)
Young Teddy & Alex Cheung (1973, 1 minute)
"Come Together" Music Video (1973, 3 minutes)
Booklet: New writing by John Charles, Archival Photos
English subtitles
REGION-A "LOCKED"
FROM PARTNER LABEL CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES:
Montreal mafioso Vincent Padovani (Tadpole and the Whale's Jean Lajeunesse) has spent years building a diversified crime empire fronted by "legitimate" business interests and sustained through illicit political connections. Having secured a much-publicized government contract for his thriving construction company, Vincent is throwing an opulent private dinner to thank his many co-conspirators, including the Mayor of Montreal (Blind Trust's René Caron) and a host of other highly placed powerbrokers. But when the evening is thrown wildly off course – by press at the door, a looming construction protest, and the sudden reappearance of Padovani's estranged wife Réjeanne (Dirty Money's Luce Guilbeault) – the mob enforcers and corrupt cops that serve Vincent are called into action for a long and bloody night's work.
Three decades before winning the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for The Barbarian Invasions, Denys Arcand started his fiction filmmaking career with an informal trilogy (Dirty Money, Réjeanne Padovani, and Gina) that remains the high-water mark for Canadian crime cinema. Powered by an all-star Quebecois cast – many playing thinly veiled versions of real-life politicians and gangsters – Réjeanne Padovani is a grand, gloriously acidic indictment of the pervasive corruption that infiltrated all corners of '70s Quebec. Mixing the upstairs-downstairs satire of The Rules of the Game with the mafia intrigue of The Godfather, this is one of Canada's sharpest and most incriminating cinematic self-portraits.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE by Éléphant - mémoire du cinéma québécois with sound transferred and restored from the original magnetic final mix and optical track
Audio commentary featuring author and professor Anthony Kinik
Shooting Réjeanne (2023, 24 min.) – New interview with director Denys Arcand
New audio interviews with cast members Gabriel Arcand (10 min.), Paule Baillargeon (11 min.), and Céline Lomez (23 min.)
Trailers for Arcand's Dirty Money (1972), Réjeanne Padovani (1973), and Gina (1975)
Booklet featuring a new interview with author Peter Edwards (The Encyclopedia of Canadian Organized Crime)
BUBBLE BATH (HABFÜRDÖ) – 1979, 79 min. Hungarian director György Kovásznai's wildly idiosyncratic animated musical is one of the most indescribably strange, personal and totally irresistible cartoon features ever made. Shop window decorator Zsolt (voiced by Kornél Gelley, with Albert Antalffy singing) bursts into the apartment of his fiancée's best friend Anikó (voiced by Vera Venzcel, with Kati Bontovits singing), paralyzed with fear at his impending marriage. Zsolt is like an anxious hippie alley cat, or an Eastern European Frank Zappa in a tux; medical student Anikó a more curvaceous and leggy post-modern Betty Boop – and both unsure of their attraction to each other, of the choices they've made, of what life has in store for them.
A truly insane and surprisingly sexy mash-up of styles, from 1920s Art Deco to 1960s Psychedelia to late 1970s louche Roxy Music decadence, BUBBLE BATH is incredibly restless and creative, the bohemian love-child of Bill Plympton's off-kilter individualism and Ralph Bakshi's wonderfully warped, rubbery visual style. In other words: it's not quite like any animated film you've ever seen before. Sadly, this was director and animator Kovásznai's only feature film after making a number of brilliant cartoon shorts at Pannónia filmstúdio -- he died of leukemia in 1983 shortly after its release. BUBBLE BATH has been beautifully restored by the National Film Institute in Hungary for its first-ever U.S. release by Deaf Crocodile. In Hungarian with English subtitles.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEWLY RESTORED by the National Film Institute in Hungary
New commentary track by film historian Samm Deighan
New essay by film historian and professor Jennifer Lynde Barker
"Interview with BUBBLE BATH Composer János Másik" – 2021, 7 min., dir. Yvonne Kerékgyártó
"Restoring BUBBLE BATH" – 2021, 9 min., dir. Yvonne Kerékgyártó. A fascinating look at the restoration of this Hungarian animated classic featuring interviews with György Raduly, director of the National Film Institute and the NFI film archivists
5 Rare Short films by György Kovásznai:
Monologue (Monológ) - (1963, 12 min.) – lovely and surreal cut-out animation in a pre-Terry Gilliam / Monty Python style, a wild combination of Victorian imagery and Mod 1960s design
Metamorphosis (Átváltozások) - (1964, 7 min.) – Two faces – a woman and a man – blend and change and liquify, reflecting the history of 20th century art
Wavelengths (Hullámhosszok) - (1970, 9 min.) - Kovásznai's abstract masterpiece with hints of Henri Matisse in its depiction of human forms floating in space, set to a surreal soundtrack of radio broadcasts
Nights in the Boulevard (Körúti esték) - (1972, 9 min.) - Kovásznai's stunningly beautiful hand-painted short of a night in the city – poets and lovers in café's, a constant hum of music and drinks and conversation – done in a gorgeous post-Psychedelic style with hints of YELLOW SUBMARINE and his feature BUBBLE BATH to come
A Memory of Summer (A 74-es nyár emléke) - 1974 (1974, 10 min.) – Painted animation at its finest in Kovásznai's stream-of-consciousness portrait of life in the Summer, color and form and brushstrokes constantly morphing and changing, all driven by a kinetic rock score
All of the above short films in Hungarian with English subtitles
In Dalton, GA, the "Carpet Capital of the World," we find the unsung creators behind the psychedelic carpets lining casinos, offices, and hotel hallways. These visionaries are shaping the ground beneath our feet.
Everything to Entertain You: The Story of Video Headquarters is a documentary about one of the greatest video stores in the country: Video Headquarters from Keene, New Hampshire. The store existed for 32 years from 1983-2015. It's owner, Ken McAleer, was a prominent figure among independent video store owners and this documentary examines how one man, with a single video store far outside the film hubs of New York and L.A., can have such a big impact in the industry. The store, voted the best video retailer in the country in 1997, not only served as a cultural institution in southwest New Hampshire but Ken McAleer served prominent roles in trade organizations and buying groups to help bolster independent stores around the country. This documentary is as much about Ken and his contributions to the industry as it is about the store. A labor of love from a first time filmmaker and former employee, this nostalgic look back at the video store era includes interviews with Ken McAleer, former employees, customers, comic artist and former video store owner, Stephen Bissette, and a treasure trove of archival audio, video, photographs, and documents from the store.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Audio Commentary from the Director
Extended and Never Seen Interviews
Radio Interview about the film
Making of Documentary
Featurette on the Score
Featurette on the Documentary's Titles
Interview with Film Archivist and Historian Justin LaLiberty
A heartbroken American on a soul-searching trip to Paris finds his buried secrets clawing their way to the surface in this neo-noir thriller from writer/director Antonio Campos (Afterschool). Lovelorn in the aftermath of a recent break-up with his longtime girlfriend, American college graduate Simon (Brady Corbet) wanders the streets of Paris aimlessly, and drifts into a sex parlor where he encounters mysterious prostitute Victoria (Mati Diop). His emotions suddenly reawakened, Simon hatches a plan to blackmail one of her wealthy clients -- a crime that has some unexpected repercussions for all involved.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Newly recorded audio commentary with Co-Writer / Director Antonio Campos and Co-Writer / Star Brady Corbet
Video Conversation with Co-Writer / Director Antonio Campos and Co-Writer / Star Brady Corbet
The Case of the Curious Camera - interview with Antonio Campos on the aesthetics of Simon Killer
The Last 15 - Antonio Campos' 2007 short film
Behind the scenes and rehearsal footage
Sundance Alumni Spotlight - interview with Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Josh Mond
Original theatrical trailer
Booklet with new writing by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Ted Partridge is a mass murdering serial killer going around killing unsuspecting woman — brutally torturing them beyond imagination. It is up to Detective William Lindsay and Psychologist Richard Stroud to try to stop this killer before more innocent people meet their maker.
Based upon the true story of Philadelphia serial killer Gary Heidnik, Blind Faith is an unsung late 80s regional slasher/thriller hybrid that uniquely unravels to one of the most jaw dropping final moments. VHSHITFEST is so happy to bring this movie to disc for the first time along with hours and hours of extras that showcase the forty year career of director Dean Wilson.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Audio commentary with director Dean Wilson
Interview with Dean Wilson
Interview with actor David Winick
Interview with Michael Heinz
Trailer
Photo gallery
Bonus movies:
My Father's Gun (1976, 23min)
Coming Soon: A Bullet from My Father (1976, 3min)
Clayton County Line, (1978, 73min)
Boots MacAllistar (1981, 12min)
Free Amerika Broadcasting (1981, 44min)
Director's Cut : The Making of Free Amerika Broadcasting (1981, 9min)
In the oldest known work of literature (written by Petronius in 63-65 AD), an educated man named Encolpius wanders around ancient Rome with his slave, Giton, getting into every kind of trouble imaginable. Encolpius encounters poets, prostitutes, witches, minotaurs, and more in the pursuit of adventure and pleasure.
Famously adapted by Federico Fellini in 1969 on 35mm Panavision, this manic adaptation was shot primarily on a built-in laptop camera, then chopped up and collaged into gorgeous, hypnotizing oblivion. The story is interspersed with sublime digital animation and Jake Lichter's alternatingly beautiful and abrasive music. Starring director Caroline Bennett in every role, Stice's Satyricon is bold, brassy, and must be seen to be believed.
Art Label is proud to present this jaw-dropping piece of contemporary video art from two of the most fiercely unique and prolific artists working today.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Feature-length commentary with Director Caroline Bennett and Composer Jake Lichter
Isolated Map Interstitials from Stice's Satyricon
All 10 music videos from the album "The Very Best of Stice"
All 12 music videos from the album "Here Come The Baton"
Lunch Cult music video for "Return to Cucumber Castle"
Live Stice performance (20 min)
"Accoustice" live a capella performance by Caroline Bennett (11 min)
The 1970s Punk Rock movement: New York had The Ramones, London had Sex Pistols, Australia had The Saints...
STRANDED takes a look at the role four musicians from suburban Brisbane played in the explosion of one of the all time greatest musical movements.
Featuring interviews with the members of the band, including its leaders Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey, as well as the likes of Sir Bob Geldof, former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra and Buzzcocks guitarist Steve Diggle, STRANDED examines how the oppressive and conservative government of Joh Bjelke-Petersen in the 1970s helped act as a catalyst for the rise of punk rock in Australia, and how as a result The Saints went on to be one of the most influential bands in the country.
Cosmic Psychos
For 30 years, the Cosmic Psychos have blazed a trail of empty beer cans and busted ear drums around the globe with their quintessential Australian drawl and pounding punk rock songs.
With appearances (and party tricks) by Eddie Vedder, Mudhoney, The Melvins, Butch Vig, Hard-Ons, L7 (to name but a few), this doco is a full frontal assault on the senses. Loud, rugged and entertaining Blokes You can Trust shows all of the Psychos' highs and lows riches and rip offs, line up changes and loss.
This is an extraordinary tale of Australia's most unique cultural ambassadors, who sing about dead kangaroos, pubs and schnitzels. It's a tribute to a country lad, a family man, still rocking and rolling, when most have retired to the couch.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
nterviews with Bob Geldof, Jello Biafra, Ed Wreckage, Steve Diggle, Mick Harvey, Pauline Murray, Kim Bradshaw, Ivor Hay
With no place to call home, 19-year-old Elena takes a job as a live-in aide. She finds herself thrust into the middle of a family in crisis: all the things that go on between a father, grandmother, mother, and cat. Eventually, Elena strikes something of a balance though... That is, until the prodigal son returns home.
Soft In The Head
Thrown out of her New York City apartment, Natalia, a 25-year-old hot mess, relies on the kindness of friends and strangers…
Stinking Heaven
Jim and Lucy run a commune for sober living out of their New Jersey home. Although there's constant bickering and many fires to be put out, they have established a haven for these outcasts. But the harmony is interrupted when Ann, a recovering addict and the ex-lover of one housemate, arrives.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
Riot - A short film by Nathan Silver
Nathan Silver interview by Ricky D'Ambrose
Booklet includes: Essays by Jonathan Lethem (Author of The Fortress of Solitude and Motherless Brooklyn), Rick Alverson (The Mountain and The Comedy), and Cindy Silver
The Pentagon has purchased an abandoned insane asylum as a training ground for The Lethal Ladies; an elite experimental female combat unit. Unfortunately, two former psychotic inmates were left behind in the asylum's deserted fallout shelter. One is a shock therapy obsessed lunatic who fancies himself as a psychiatrist. The other, an unhinged nymphomaniac hellbent on lethal seduction. Together, they wreak havoc by capturing soldiers and turning them into mindless zombies by means of electricity. Trapped within the subterranean catacombs of the old asylum, The Lethal Ladies must rally their troops and do battle with the flesh-ripping hordes of the living dead.
Shot in Wilmington, Delaware and utilizing a real, abandoned asylum location, The Zombie Army was the brainchild of former military vet turned writer / producer John Kalinowski who harnessed local cable production talent to help realize his dream of staging a regional SOV zombie epic. Directed by local high school drama coach Betty Stapleford and featuring an amateur cast of hundreds firing live ammunition rounds, The Zombie Army is an outrageous eruption of exploding heads, melting faces, eyeball gouging, acid showers, gut-munching gore, and surprising nudity. Directed by a woman and featuring an oddly empowering feminist slant, The Zombie Army would go on to become a '90s rental store and fanzine favorite that continues to bewilder unsuspecting audiences.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
Audio commentary with Richard Mogg, Author of Analog Nightmares: The Shot on Video Horror Films of 1982-1995
"Incubators of Death: The Asylum in Horror Cinema" -a visual essay by Dr. Will Dodson and Ryan Verrill of Someone's Favorite Productions
"Analog Outlaw" -Distributor / filmmaker J.R. Bookwalter discusses The Zombie Army
"The Video Makers" -3 episodes of the vintage cable access TV show hosted by writer / producer John Kalinowski
Archival contest video
Isolated music by The Killtoys
Original trailer
Reversible sleeve
English SDH subtitles
REGION-FREE
FROM PARTNER LABEL AMERICAN GENRE FILM ARCHIVE (AGFA):
THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION is the true story behind one of the strangest pop culture phenomenons of the 1980s. Before being mysteriously replaced by Chuck-E-Cheese, the ShowBiz Pizza chain (and its animatronic rock band, the Rock-Afire Explosion) took the U.S. by storm and eventually inspired the hit video game FIVE NIGHT'S AT FREDDY'S. This documentary chronicles the rise and fall of ShowBiz Pizza, the Rock-Afire Explosion, and the obsessive fans who have kept the dream alive. Produced DIY-style by filmmakers Brett Whitcomb and Bradford Thomason (GLOW: THE STORY OF THE GORGEOUS LADIES OF WRESTLING), THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION is a joyful and touching look at the importance of nostalgia and the eternal quest to stay young. AGFA is excited to bring this overlooked doc to Blu-ray for the first time, complete with enough extras to inspire a million animatronic sing-alongs.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
Preservation from the original digital master
Audio Commentary with filmmakers Brett Whitcomb and Bradford Thomason