The Worldweird Top 7 of 2006!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, here's my (Jared, your editor-in-chief!) list for the top 7 "Worldweird" DVDs released during the calander year of 2006.
Let's get this shit out there!

7) BOXER’S OMEN (Celestial/Image) - One of the wildest films ever, this HK horror head-fuck is one of the most unlikely and welcome DVD releases of the year, and probably my favorite movie unleashed this year. So why isn’t higher? Despite informative and well-written liner notes by Steven Gladwin , this DVD is pretty bare bone’d and could’ve used a few more bells and whistles to send it into orbit. A Cantonese language soundtrack would’ve been nice as well. But it seemingly is fairly unaffected by the somewhat lackluster PAL-to-NTSC video transfers that have marred the previous Celestial/Image SB titles BLACK MAGIC and SUPER INFRA-MAN. The former there I think is also one of the year's more significant DVDs , being a great movie and an important one for understanding an entire strain of Asian Horror. But the picture quality is a little problematic on that one, so a bride’s maid it remains. Get BOXER’S though. It is an entirely awesome and unbelievable spectacle.

6) STREET LAW (Blue Underground) – Sawing through my eyes unlike any Italo-crime potboiler ever had before, SL is a masterpiece of gritty Roman celluloid madness. Castellari has crafted balls-out slug-fest that batters and surprises at every hook and angle. Franco Nero, DJANGO himself, tops that legendary performance in my mind with his astonishing portrayal of an ordinary man pushed to far. He makes that crap-movie cliché come to vivid existence like almost no actor before or since. Incredible soundtrack too, for those who care about such things (like me). Utterly essential, if you love Italian genre or 70s crime films. The other Castelleri BU DVS BIG RACKET and THE HEROIN BUSTERS are the tops too, but don’t quite leave the bruises that STREET LAW does. There were lots of great Italian pop-thrillers re-born this past year, from both BU and the stellar NO SHAME label. All in all, a fine year for the once lost or ignored cinematic treasures of our Italian friends. Let’s hope it keeps up, eh?

5) MANSION OF THE LIVING DEAD (Severin) – The biggest surprise of the year for me. I wasn’t expecting much from this one. Interested yes, of course. But I focused most of my pre-release enthusiasm on it’s sister Jess Franco release MACUMBA SEXUAL, which is indeed a bizarre and groovy psycho-sex flick, while only picking up MANSION when I found it used at a local musique shoppe. Imagine my surprise when it emerged from the screen a far more fascinating, odd and haunting film than MACUMBA, in fact it’s more fascinating, odd and haunting than almost any film I saw all year. MANSION builds from its obnoxious, frothy sex comedy beginning to a cheesy-but-uneasy horror movie cliché middle act and on to an utterly mind-rending finale, full of weird, ambient dread and kinky mindgames. Some have slogged this one as a minor, barely entertaining blip in director Jess Franco’s career, but we have to disagree most aggressively. MANSION OF THE LIVING DEAD is one of Franco’s most outré and arrestingly original films. Yeah, deal with it.
MACUMBA does rule too, however and both DVDs feature typically fantastic interviews with ole Jesus himself as well as his longtime companion and singular filth muse Lina Romay. You need both of these, trust me.

4) WITCH’S MIRROR (CasaNegra) – Uncanny. Otherworldly. These adjectives come most easily to mind when wanting to describe this Mexican horror oddity. But neither really comes close. A true cinematic poetry arises out of the cheesy hodge-podge of horror movie tropes and stock stories the make up the plot of WITCH’S MIRROR, unlikely as it may seem. It’s a spell-binding experience, a ‘pure’ cinema, full of searing images, which could awaken magick possibilities in the imagination of the viewer if he/she is in the right frame of mind. It’s fun too; those plot mechanics are handled with utter confidence and even perhaps knowing wink here and there. Outstanding cinema and an essential DVD. Close behind this masterpiece is more Latin Gothic weirdness in the form of BRAINIAC and CURSE OF THE CRYING WOMEN. Amazing surrealist fever-dreams dressed as silly b-movie monster mashes. Fucking Christ, so good it almost hurts.

3) DUST DEVIL (Subversive) - South African director Richard Stanley’s metaphysical serial killer opus is possibly the best single movie I saw all year (that I hadn’t seen before, anyway) and Subversive’s 5-disc (!!!) special edition is topping various “Best Of” lists for a very good reason: it’s one of the most comprehensive DVD releases in the history of the format. Every aspect of the film’s labored history is explored and well as other aspects of Stanley’s career via his startling and original documentaries. It’s an exhaustive and astounding set that every film fan needs to have in his collection. It’s limited; though so, pick it up while you still can!

2) 3 DEV ADAM (Onar Films) – Check our original review here. It says everything pretty much. But to summarize: Onar’s amazing and unlikely DVD is boon for all cult film fans and for obscure international pop culture awareness. The movie itself is 75 minutes of gonzo comic-book exhilaration and hysterical disbelief. Absolutely essential. As are the earlier KILINK discs we also reviewed here. Be on the lookout for the TURKISH HORROR DOUBLE FEATURE and the TURKISH SUPERMAN DVDs coming up soon enough. They promise to be even better, weirder, more obscure and are all guaranteed to bring a mischievous smile to every weird film fan’s relieved visage.

1) BOLLYWOOD HORROR COLLECTION VOL. 1 (Mondo Macabro) – The most fun I had in front of the TV screen all year. Absolutely joyous Curry-Gothic blockbusters of the most rare and delectable sort. PURANA MANDIR and BANDH DARWAZA take 50s and 60s Euro-Goth stories and apply them to the wild and wooly homegrown recipes for film madness that the Indians are famous (or infamous to some in the West) for. I don’t think there was a single moment in either film when I wasn’t overwhelmed with sheer good old fashioned movie-watching exhilaration. Mondo Macabro deserves a heapin’ helpin’ of good will for laying this doozy on us. But it was merely the peak in an overall outstanding year of DVD releases from our favorite label. SATAN’S BLOOD was my other fave, an outrageous and surreal Spanish horror that lingered in my mind unlike any other film I saw this year. Bizarre, sexy and totally fucking off-it’s-rocker, SATAN’S is the year’s most essential Eurohorror re-release. Although the Gallic shocker DON’T DELIVER US FROM EVIL comes damn close. It’s a downbeat and subtle yarn that possesses a unique and morbid vision, a true-crime film that flirts with a kind of existential-fantastical quality. MM also gave us two amazing Indonesian efforts this year. THE DEVIL’S SWORD you can read about here. VIRGINS FROM HELL, aside from being a completely nutty blast of celluloid cheesiness boasts the year’s single most entertaining special feature: an entire disc of Indonesian exploitation and fantasy trailers. Fun, fun, fun. I also was extremely pleased that the two titles I was somewhat ambivalent about, LIFESPAN and SNAKE DANCER turned out to be real winners as well. Both are terrific, odd little films with their own weird concerns and methods. Consider all these MM titles to be must-buys discs. If you want your collection to be sufficiently Worldweird you need to pick each one up and absorb them into you subconscious at your earliest convenience. Ah, fuck that, GO AND BUY THEM NOW! What are you waiting for?

And now, I (Jared, again) am proud to present a series of competing Top 7 lists from esteemed contibuters and friends!Firstly, here are two (!!) lists is the singular Scott Wallis!

TOP 7 DVD RELEASES 2006:

BLACK MAGIC ('75)
The first domestic Shaw Bros. release from CELESTIAL FILMS. They have over 750 Shaw titles in their library, and have been making them available overseas since 2003. It's about time they spread the wealth. Fuck the Weinsteins and their Dragon Dynasty DVD!

3 DEV ADAM ('73)
My favorite of the ONAR FILMS releases. A reason to love being alive, and be of wage-earning age!

THE GLORIOUS LIFE OF SACHIKO HANAI ('05)
"George W. Bush in a Pink Film?" was the oft-accompanying tag of this low budget bizarre mindfuck overflowing with wall-to-wall nudity and softcore sex. My fave of the New Wave.

GANJA & HESS ('73)
Finally! This replaced the existing VHS print, BLOOD COUPLE, which was cut by 30 minutes! All Day Entertainment seems to be picking up steam with two releases this year.

MARJOE ('72)
Another much anticipated release in excellent quality! Infamous child evangelist Marjoe Gortner went out of the snake oil racket with a bang in this "how-to" documentary.

REN & STIMPY: THE LOST EPISODES ('03)
All six eps John K. made for Spike TV (back when it was still "The New TNN"), three of which were never aired in the original 2003 run. A genius recognized.

BEST OF MATCH GAME DVD COLLECTION ('73-'75)
The second best game show ever (Gong Show is #1), this box set contains 30 uncut episodes and some very nice extras. A wonderful tribute!


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TOP 7 FILM/TV EVENTS 2006

THE THIRD MOTHER
Argento is finally completing the trilogy that began 30 yeras ago.

BARRICADE
Timo Rose is back with a buzz that has me champing at the bit. As a result, German Splatter gets the well-deserved videohound spotlight.

UNEARTHED FILMS
Finally getting their shit together and getting their shit out the door.

CODE RED DVD
The website was up for nearly two years before their first release, but the gears are finally turning to crank out their awesome catalog.

CASA NEGRA
Mexican horror from the '60s, uncut and pristine. 'Nuff said.

JOHN WATERS PRESENTS: MOVIES THAT WILL CORRUPT YOU
13 films hand-picked and introduced by the Pope of Trash, for the PPV network HERE!. Some rare gems and tasty offerings added to my collection for cheap.

TIM AND ERIC
Creators of TOM GOES TO THE MAYOR had a hell of a year with new eps of TGTTM, a brand new series to debut in '07, and a two city interactive live show tour, which I was lucky enough to attend, that either confirmed their genius, or verified their mental deterioration.

That's grippa tight.
Now feast you eyes on the unrelenting Undead Film Critic's List of Lists! From the chilly area beyond the beyond ...

07. 3 DEV ADAM - Super Collectible Edition (1973) - Finally! Thanks to Onar Films, one of cult cinema's weirdest & wildest achievements received the tender loving care that it so richly deserved.

06. GOJIRA - Godzilla Classic Collector's Edition - Presenting both the original 98-minute Japanese horror film & the 79 minute "Raymond Burr" cut, this release was a long time coming. I was particular impressed by the packaging and presentation of the material. An essential addition to any DVD collection.

05. Severin Films - The Criterion of Smut! God Bless 'em. Bringing to the masses GWENDOLINE AND HER MANY ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF THE YIK YAK was a steamy introduction to a company that understands the sweaty and sleazy appeal of the more carnal cult gems.

04. GIRL BOSS GUERILLA / TERRIFYING GIRLS HIGH SHCOOL: LYNCH LAW CLASSROOM - Panik House released two titles from their The Pinky Violence Collection (boxset) as stand alones, so those of you who don't already own the box set can finally bear witness to some of the GREATEST films ever made. If you don't already own the The Pinky Violence Collection (boxset), which was released last year, you owe it to yourself to seek it out. It has to be my favorite box set ever. If it had a little sexual hole on the side of it, I would take it to bed with me every night.

03. KAMIKAZEE GIRLS (2004) - I fell deeply in love with Kamikaze Girls this year. A kinetic & colorful film filled with Female Punk Rock Scooter gangs, 18th Century French fashion, Cabbage & Embroidery. Entertaining as all hell, Kamikaze Girls is like making out with Japanese Pop Culture. And yes, there is a happy ending.

02. OLDBOY - 3-Disc Collector's Edition - The second chapter of Park Chan-wook's Revenge Trilogy is a modern masterpiece. And this 3 disc set goes above and beyond in terms of presentation. A think tin case encloses 3 all encompassing discs, a film cell and a copy of the manga of which the film is based.

01. CasaNegra - A division of Panik House, CasaNegra has found a place for itself by filling a void. Latin cinema simply had not be properly presented in the US on DVD, until now. Treating each title with reverence and respect, CasaNegra has set it self up as THE label to watch in 2007. This year I was especially impressed with their release of BRAINIAC (Barón del terror, El) & THE VAMPIRE COLLECTION - 2-Disc Special Edition.

Honorable Mention - THE BOLLYWOOD HORROR COLLECTION (Volume 1) / DUST DEVIL - The Final Cut - Limited Collector's Edition / THE EMILIO MIRAGLIA KILLER QUEEN Box Set - Limited Collector's Edition / THE GREAT YOKAI WAR - Double-Disc Special Edition / STREET TRASH - Special Two-Disc Meltdown Edition

Great!
And here we have another outstanding list! This one from the gregarious Greg Goodsell!

The year 2006 saw the release of two of my favorite films on DVD! SINGAPORE SLING and THE DEVIL’S SWORD both joined the digital age at long last – and another wayward film from Thailand shocked, surprised and entertained me.

1. SINGAPORE SLING (Greece)
2. THE DEVIL’S SWORD (Indonesia)
3. THE WAYWARD CLOUD (Thailand)
4. THE FIFTH CORD (Italy)
5. COP KILLERS (USA)
6. SHE MALE and SINS OF RACHEL (USA)

Be sure to purchase DVD’s from Code Red DVD – THE FOREST and the upcoming SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS and LOVE ME DEADLY! All three feature commentary tracks hosted by yours truly!

You heard the man! Check out them digs, kids!
And last but you better believe not least our Hero from Hellas, magik Miltos Kordas! Who of course is a.k.a. CINEHOUND.
Listen to him, he knows his stuff.

VAHSETIN ESIRLERI (Turkish gory western, 1971)

SALDIRGANLAR (Turkish mega-violent hardcore)

A HITMAN CALLED PAPAKO (Brazilian weird h/c Django western)

THE LADY OF THE BLACK MOONS (Egyptian erotic horror, 1971)

WOLVES DON'T EAT MEAT (Egyptian strong sleazy action/crime, 1973)

VENGEANCE (Hindi "woman's revenge for rape", 80s)
MAUT (Hindi Horror)

Infreakingcredible!
Thanks to all these Kings among Critics for lending us their thought and ops. And thanks to you for checking us out in 2006. And in 2007! Right? Right?
Happy New Year!
Worldweird Cinema loves you!!!