Vinegar Syndrome Reveals New Partner Label Releases
Posted March 2, 2024 10:19 PM by Webmaster
Vinegar Syndrome has revealed fourteen new partner label releases. They are: World War III (2022), Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022), Animation Night In Canada, Vol. 1 (1965-1985), Time of Moulting (2020), Rebel (2022), Scalper (2023), Severe Injuries (2003), Signature Move (2017), The United States of Insanity (2012), The Last Slumber Party (1988), The Absence of Milk In the Mouths of the Lost (2023), Another Body (2023), Jobe'z World (2019), and Karate Contra Mafia (1981).
Description: The official Iranian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards, and the Winner of the Orizzonti Awards for Best Film and Actor at the Venice Film Festival 2022, director Houman Seyedi's savage, mysterious thriller/drama WORLD WAR III is one of the darkest, most enigmatic portraits of class inequality, desperation and murder since Lee Chang-dong's BURNING and Bong Joon-ho's PARASITE. Mohsen Tanabandeh delivers an unforgettable performance as Shakib, an anonymous day laborer still grieving the deaths of his wife and son who's given a job guarding the set of a film about the Holocaust. When the lead actor playing (yes) Hitler is struck ill, Shakib is enlisted to wear the costume and mustache – and for the first time in his life, he has a little money, respect and a place to sleep. Unexpectedly, his sex worker "girlfriend" Ladan (Mahsa Hejazi) shows up, threatening to upset his tenacious hold on prosperity. When Ladan suddenly disappears during filming, it sets off a violent chain of events. What starts out as a dark satire of the Iranian film industry quickly evolves into a near-Hitchcockian thriller of the underclass struggling violently to be heard, to be seen – with an apocalyptic ending that is truly something to behold. Rated 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. In Persian with English subtitles.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
New hour-long video interview with director Houman Seyedi and co-writer Azad Jafarian, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (In Persian with simultaneous English translation)
New commentary by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central)
Description: Valeria's joy at becoming pregnant with her first child is quickly taken away when she's cursed by a sinister entity. As danger closes in and relationships with her family become fractured, she's forced deeper into a chilling world of dark magic that threatens to consume her. A group of witches emerge that could be her only hope for safety and salvation, but not without grave risk.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Commentary track with Director and Co-Writer Michelle Garza Cervera and Director of Photography Nur Rubio Sherwell
Behind the Scene Featurette (3 min)
Three Deleted scenes
Collectiable booklet with essays from Fernanda Solórzano, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Brandon Streussnig
Translated English Subtitles
REGION-A "LOCKED"
FROM PARTNER LABEL CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES:
Description: 14 Oscar®-nominated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada
Long celebrated for its groundbreaking achievements in animation, the National Film Board of Canada has earned international acclaim and dozens of Oscar® nominations for its animated shorts. During a particularly fertile period between 1965 and 1985, the NFB played an instrumental role in the medium's rapid evolution, breaking new ground with a wildly varied and inventive run of films that are alternately abstract, eerie, entertaining, poetic, poignant, and psychedelic. An eye-opening overview of this seminal period in animated film history, Animation Night in Canada, Vol. 1 features 14 Oscar®-nominated classics with style and personality to spare.
Carlos Marchiori's The Drag (1965, 9 min.)
Les Drew and Kaj Pindal's What on Earth! (1966, 10 min.)
Ron Tunis' The House That Jack Built (1967, 8 min.)
Norman McLaren's Pas de deux (1968, 13 min.)
Ryan Larkin's Walking (1968, 5 min.)
Michael Mills' Evolution (1971, 10 min.)
Yvon Mallette's The Family That Dwelt Apart (1973, 8 min.)
Bernard Longpré and André Leduc's Monsieur Pointu (1975, 13 min.)
Caroline Leaf's The Street (1976, 10 min.)
Ishu Patel's The Bead Game (1977, 5 min.)
Co Hoedeman's Oscar®-winning The Sand Castle (1977, 13 min.)
Eunice Macaulay and John Weldon's Oscar®-winning Special Delivery (1978, 7 min.)
Ishu Patel's Paradise (1984, 15 min.)
Richard Condie's The Big Snit (1985, 10 min.)
Special Features and Technical Specs:
All films restored by the National Film Board of Canada
Eight additional shorts from the directors in this collection:
Norman McLaren's Oscar®-winning Neighbours (1952, 8 min.)
Yvon Mallette's Boomsville (1968, 10 min.)
Co Hoedeman's Matrioska (1970, 5 min.)
Les Drew's The Underground Movie (1972, 14 min.)
Ishu Patel's Perspectrum (1975, 6 min.)
André Leduc's Canada Vignettes: Instant French (1979, 1 min.)
Caroline Leaf and Veronika Soul's Interview (1979, 14 min.)
Ron Tunis' This Is Me (1979, 27 min.)
McLaren on McLaren (1983, 8 min.) – The legendary director of Neigbours and Pas de deux reflects on his filmmaking career
Alter Egos (2004, 52 min.) – Laurence Green's documentary about Oscar®-nominated NFB animators Chris Landreth and Ryan Larkin
Booklet featuring a new interview with animator and NFB Head of Animation (1967-1972) Robert Verrall, plus additional notes on the films
Description: Dark, oppressive, and ominous. A heavily atmospheric and harrowing portrait of the ways in which repressed family dynamics can influence and infect the lives of younger generations– not tangible, not namable, but inexorable.
In a small town in 1970s West Germany, Stephanie (played by a charming Zelda Espenschied as a young child, and a surly Miriam Schiweck "ten years later") is raised by two parents who have no business having children. The mother (Freya Kreutzkam, never far from despair-induced collapse) suffers from an unspecified medical condition—one both mental and physical. The father makes it clear that he has no patience for his daughter.
Young Stephanie takes solace in exploring the mysteries hidden away in the increasingly untidy house, particularly the trunk full of her grandfather's butcher's equipment; older Stephanie takes far more sinister comfort in the tools found therein.
Throughout the film director Sabrina Mertens and cinematographer Jan Fabi use a static camera. There are no closeups, and characters are often not centered within the frame. Sometimes, they are obscured by a piece of furniture. It isn't always clear what's happening. The lighting is flat and naturalistic; there is so much darkness that it's difficult to get a sense of place. The house feels like a labyrinth of "stuff" - there are piles of clothing, crockery, furniture and newspapers everywhere, even in the bathroom. As the film progresses, the piles grow larger, and there is less room for the family. The oppressive formalism lingers in the many shadows with a quietly sadistic grin.
57 vignettes adding up to a cryptic whole.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
New interview with writer/director Sabrina Mertens
New interview with co-star Freya Kreutzkam
Q&A at Nitehawk Cinema, Brooklyn, NY Summer 2023 with filmmaker Sabrina Mertens, actress Freya Kreutzkam, and Caryn Coleman of The Future Of Film Is Female
Over 20 minutes of Deleted Scenes and Behind The Scenes Footage
Gentle Moments - a short film starring Freya Kreutzkam by filmmaker Sabrina Mertens
US Trailer
New Essays by Samm Deighan, Stephanie Monohan, and Elizabeth Horkley
Description: When Kamal resolves to change his life for the better, he leaves Belgium to help war victims in Syria. But, having arrived, he is forced to join ISIS and is left stranded in Raqqa. Back home, his younger brother Nassim quickly becomes easy prey for radical recruiters, who promise to reunite him with his brother. Their mother, Leila, fights to protect the only thing she has left: her youngest son.
Description: Everyone around psychic Clementine Carter is being brutally murdered by a masked killer dubbed 'The Scalper.' Is it dead psycho Andrew Lubitz back from the grave, a copycat killer or a horror beyond imagination? Clementine must use her second sight to stay one step ahead of the maniac's blade to solve the mystery.
Description: Melvin Hubble (Charlie Fleming) is the last in a long familial line of extremely unsuccessful serial killers. In an attempt to fulfill his father's dying wish, he takes one final stab at glory by sneaking into the Rho Rho Rho sorority house on the eve of the girls' prospective slumber party. Unbeknownst to Melvin, another killer with similar homicidal intentions is also loose in the same house. Surrounded by a bevy of horny and brainless sorority bimbos, only the bookish psychology major Lauren (Amy Lynn Best) has the wherewithal to perceive the imminent danger afoot.
A satirical send-up of the "sorority house" & "slumber party" slasher epics of the 1980s, Severe Injuries marked the directorial debut of prolific actress and filmmaker Amy Lynn Best; one of the most unique and dynamic female voices to emerge from the primarily male dominated, micro-budget SOV scene. Featuring performances by a veritable who's who of B-movie heavyweights including Debbie Rochon (Terror Firmer), Robyn Griggs (Dead Clowns), Lilith Stabs (Vampire Callgirls), Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger), Brinke Stevens (Nightmare Sisters), Jasi Cotton Lanier (Freakshow), & Ryli Morgan (Runaway Terror), Severe Injuries presented a tongue in cheek deconstruction of slasher film conventions that slightly predated the wave of neoteric genre pasquinades such as Behind the Mask & Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
New 2023 commentary with director Amy Lynn Best and writer Mike Watt
Archival commentary with director Amy Lynn Best, writer Mike Watt, and actress Robyn Griggs
Archival cast commentary with actors Charlie Fleming, Tim Gross, and Jim Steinhoff
"Ouch!: 20 Years of Severe Injuries": a new 2023 retrospective documentary (45 min.)
Archival interview with director Amy Lynn Best
Archival interview with actress Brinke Stevens
Archival on-set cast & crew interviews
Outtakes and deleted scenes
Poster art journey
Trailers
"WereGrrl" (2002) -A short film directed by Amy Lynn Best starring Debbie Rochon
"WereGrrl" outtakes
Archival "WereGrrl" interview from Secret Scroll Digest
"WereGrrl Threesomes" -on set cast interviews
"Zom-B-Gone" (2015) -Short film directed by Amy Lynn Best
"7:45 of the Dead" (2011) -Short film directed by Amy Lynn Best
"Neck Up" (1995) -Short film directed by writer Mike Watt
Description: In Chicago, Zaynab (Fawzia Mirza) is a thirty-something American-Pakistani lawyer who lives with and cares for her recently widowed, TV-obsessed mother (legendary Indian actress Shabana Azmi). Alma (Sari Sanchez) is a free-spirited Mexican-American bookshop owner. After meeting in a bar, the two quickly fall into bed with each other and embark on a romance…but problems aren't far behind. Zaynab's traditional mother still expects her daughter to marry a man, while Alma finds herself reluctant to get involved with the closeted Zaynab, leaving them at odds despite their strong attraction for each other. And then there's Zaynab's latest interest: training in Lucha-style wrestling with a former pro grappler! Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best US Narrative Feature at Outfest and a worldwide festival darling following its SXSW premiere, critics and fans alike agree on the film called "a gem" by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Special Fetaures and Technical Specs:
Feature Audio Commentary by Fawzia Mirza and director Jennifer Reeder
Video Production Diary
Interview with director Jennifer Reeder
Interview with Fawzia Mirza
Interview with Sari Sanchez
A Conversation with Shabana Azmi
Zaynab Loves Movies vignette
Image Gallery
Theatrical trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Description:
"The World's Most Hated Band," notorious rappers Insane Clown Posse, find themselves as unwitting warriors for the First Amendment after they and their one million die-hard fans (called Juggalos) are labeled a gang by the FBI. With the help of the ACLU, the band fights to uncover the reasons behind the designation and get removed from the gang list as their fans begin to losing their jobs, have their children put into protective custody, and face jail time — all because of their musical tastes.
Special Fetaures and Technical Specs:
Special Intro from ICP
ICP Concert
Deleted & extended scenes
Poster gallery
Trailers & teasers
English SDH subtitles
REGION-FREE
FROM PARTNER LABEL AMERICAN GENRE FILM ARCHIVE (AGFA):
Description: A surreal slasher from the wilds of New Orleans, THE LAST SLUMBER PARTY feels like a YA novel by R.L. Stine that was filtered through a haze of DIY madness. The story follows the foul-mouthed, sex-crazed Chris (played with gusto by Jan Jensen), Tracy, and Linda as they prepare for the ultimate slumber party on their last day of high school. But little do the ladies know that the party is about to be crashed by a maniacal killer with a giant scalpel! Rejecting all forms of logic in favor of a dreamlike mood, lifted scenes from HALLOWEEN, and songs by metalheads Firstryke, this is regional horror filmmaking at a magical peak. AGFA is thrilled to rescue THE LAST SLUMBER PARTY from the VHS wasteland with a new restoration from the 16mm camera negative, plus enough extras to fill your next three slumber parties. In the words of Chris: "Let's munch out!"
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
Restoration from the original 16mm camera negative with inserts from the 16mm workprint and 1" tape master
Commentary with director Stephen Tyler, star Jan Jensen, and cast/crewmember Neil Alexander
Q&A from 2016 with Jan Jensen
Outtakes
Original home video trailer
Photo gallery
Preservation of the VHS version from the 1" tape master
Description:
Maria St. John is a ghost of her former self. Ever since her daughter went missing, Maria has forgotten how to eat, how to sleep, how to exist at all. No matter where she goes, there are reminders of her missing daughter, Jessica. On the one year anniversay of Jessica's disappearance, Maria encounters a mysterious milkman who has a strong connection with her lost child, and he may be the only person who can reunite them.
The Absence of Milk in the Mouths of the Lost is the second feature film from bold, young director Case Esparros. His first feature film, King Baby, garnered praise from beloved cult icons John Waters and Jon Moritsugu. This sophomore effort sees the addition of legendary outsider artist Gary Wilson (subject of the documentary, You Think You Really Know Me: The Gary Wilson Story) in the role the milkman, and a tender performance by Hannah Weir (Hustlers, A Ship of Human Skin) as the distraught mother, set to a haunting original score by Aaron Dilloway of experimental noise band Wolf Eyes.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
Feature-length drunk commentary with writer-director Case Esparros
Interview with star Gary Wilson
Interview with director Case Esparros
Director-moderated conversation with composer Aaron Dilloway
Director Q&A From live screening at the University of Central Florida
"Herbert" Case Esparros' short film scored by Gary Wilson
Remastered original trailer
32-page booklet featuring concept art and behind the scenes photos
Description:
Jobe, a mysterious middle-aged rollerblader, spends his days selling drugs to an eclectic mix of downtown weirdos. When he gets the call to make a special delivery to his favorite actor he's completely starstruck. What starts off as an exciting encounter with an A-list celebrity quickly devolves into a nightmarishly comedic trainwreck when the actor dies and Jobe is forced to flee into the night. Afraid and confused, he blades around the streets of lower Manhattan. Dodging paparazzi, police, a cinephilic doomsday prepper, a disturbed comedian, heartbroken superfans, and his raver roommate, he fights to clear his name - all while entertaining his mom who is visiting from out of town! Jobe'z World is a no-budget descent into the worlds of after hours freakery and existential rollerblading. Starring Jason P. Grisell and Theodore Bouloukos, lensed by Good Time's Sean Price Williams, and featuring Owen Kline, Lindsay Burdge, Kate Lyn Sheil and Keith Poulson, it paints a portrait of one paranoid, grim, and darkly humorous night in the Big Apple.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
Deleted scenes
Re-visiting East Village Locations with Sean Price Williams and Michael M. Bilancic
Zane revisited with Owen Kline
Conversation with Theodore Bouloukos and Jason Grisell
Description: Lai Chao, a young sailor and expert in kung fu, inadvertently finds himself dragged into an international diamond smuggling scheme. With both the police and the local mafia don (along with his hooded henchmen) in hot pursuit, Lai Chao is forced to fight for his life as kung fu expert killers lurk around every corner!
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
Featurette Nanaroscope "Kárate Contra Mafia: the Karate film that failed at everything"
Standing ovation for Ramón Saldías at 2016 Nanarland Night screening
Original trailer
French Karate: selection of French kung-fu film trailers scanned in 35mm