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Discussed in this episode:
The Assassin of the Tsar (1991): A man in a Soviet mental institution insists he has killed two different tsars, despite the fact that he would have had to be centuries old to do so. Karen Shakhnazarov directs Malcolm McDowell (versions were filmed in both English and Russian) in this psychological time-traveling mind-bender. Buy The Assassin of the Tsar.
Eyes Without a Face (1960): Read the Canonically Weird entry! Nothing new from this Criterion collection classic release, it’s just the 4K upgrade. Buy Eyes Without a Face.
Ferat Vampire (1982): A race car driver gets a new vehicle that runs on blood. A bizarre regional cult film from Czech New Wave icon Juraj Herz. Buy Ferat Vampire.
Jacob’s Ladder (1990): Read the Canonically Weird entry! This Limited Edition 4K disc comes exclusively from Lionsgate and includes a never-before-seen featurette (something called “The Rungs of Jacob’s Ladder“) along with legacy features. Buy Jacob’s Ladder directly from Lionsgate.
School in the Crosshairs (1981): A high school girl uses her psychic powers to stop a fascist alien takeover of her school. Of the four rare Nobuhiko Obayashi movies Cult Epics is releasing this year, School in the Crosshairs seems by far the wildest and the closest in spirit to Hausu. Buy School in the Crosshairs.
“Treasures of Soviet Animation, Vol. 1”: This Deaf Crocodile compilation contains 3 short (the longest is 48 minutes) psychedelic sci-fi Soviet cartoons: “The Mystery of the Third Planet,” “The Return,” and “The Pass.” These shorts are remastered and available for the first time outside of Russia. Buy “Treasures of Soviet Animation, Vol. 1”.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
W.M. Weikart of Soul to Squeeze will be our guest on Pod 366 next week. In written reviews, Shane Wilson fits a date with Frankenhooker (1990) onto his reader-suggested Halloween viewing card, while Gregory J. Smalley takes in a fall Harvest (2024). And don’t be surprised if there’s a surprise review in there as well. Onward and weirdward!