Mario Bava was a fascinating character. He’s best known today for his horror films and being the first guy to make a Giallo. But he made lots of other types of films, including science fiction stories, sword and sandal pictures, and even a comedy or two. 

Danger: Diabolik is his take on a James Bond-esque spy caper. It’s super stylish and so much fun. I like it better than probably half the real Bond films.  Eureka Entertainment presents the film with a new UHD transfer and loads of extras. 

Other films coming out this week that look interesting:

Highest 2 Lowest: Spike Lee’s take on Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low isn’t nearly as good as that film, but its still a good watch.

Dust Bunny:  A fun, quirky flick about a little girl and an assassin fighting bad guys and possibly a monster under her bed.  Mads Mikkelsen is the hitman, Bryan Fuller directed. I’ll have a full review up soon.

Innerspace: Fun little 1980s sci-fi flick about Dennis Quaid getting shrunk down to the size of a pea and getting injected into Martin Short’s body.  Arrow Video has this release, and I reviewed the film here.

John Singleton’s Hood Trilogy: Includes Boyz in the Hood, Poetic Justice, and Baby Boy. I’ve only seen Boyz but that film was important to my growth as a cinephile, so I should really check out the others.

The Living Dead Girl: Jean Rollin was the master of sexy vampire movies. This one’s about a dead girl revived by a toxic spill who has an insatiable thirst for blood. Eureka is giving it the upgrade with lots of extras.

Soldier: Arrow Video brings us this action flick starring Kurt Russell as a bio-engineered super soldier who is about to be replaced.

Boxcar Bertha: Martin Scorsese’s second feature length film was a for-hire gig. He was paid by Roger Corman to make it, but you can tell his heart wasn’t in it. Famously, John Cassavetes told him it was shit and that he should make something personal. Scorsese took him to heart and made Mean Streets and became the beloved director we know today. Boxcar Bertha isn’t actually that bad. It is well worth watching, and now it’s coming to UHD.

Grapes of Death: Another Jean Rollin vampire flick being put out by Eureka.

So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious: This Italian flick is mostly what you expect, with a beautiful young woman (Gloria Guida) getting naked every chance she can, but it is also surprisingly tender and modern. You can read my full review at Cinema Sentries. 

Eclipse Series 48: Kinuyo Tanaka Directs: Six films from a Japanese director I’ve never heard of. I love these Eclipse Series from Criterion, as they give us a bundle of films at a cheap price. They come without their usual extras, but they are still cleaned up and look great.