Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom

The film world can now be divided into two parts: those who have seen this excellent Criterion edition of Pasolini’s controversial film, and those who have not. Unlike today’s torture porn (The Human Centipede, Hostel), though, which challenges the audience to watch horrific acts as sheer endurance with no artistic payoff, the experience of watching Salo leaves you both exhausted and, oddly enough, exhilarated. You feel like a survivor who wants, no…who needs to go back and see it again because underneath the horror is absolute cinematic artistry. What the story of the four fascist libertines living out their ultimate desires in a remote villa means to you — or does to you — is a personal experience unlike any other you will have from watching a movie. And, as the six essays in the booklet accompanying the film show, that’s OK. Just know that once the final scene ends, you will never be the same.

Gamera Trilogy

Godzilla and King Kong may rule the movie monster world, but as this excellent collection proves, there is always room for a guy dressed in a giant rubber turtle costume when it comes to saving the world. And, as fans know, that is said with all the love in the world. Although it’s easy to make fun of Gamera — he is, after all, a giant turtle who flies by pulling in his legs and blasting rockets out of the leg holes (which causes him to spin like a spiralling firework when he flies) — this set reminds us that these films weren’t played for laughs. They’re action/adventure movies made with the same seriousness as Jurassic Park, only with a tenth of the technical skills and a millionth of the budget.

A Haunting in Salem

Maybe it’s because it was shot in 3D and needed to be lit in a certain way, but there’s something definitely off about this haunted house film from director Shane Van Dyke: It’s too bright! It’s creepy, and there are a few good scares in it, but the fact that most of the scenes, particularly the ones set inside the house, are shot in such stark and unflattering light, that it bleeds the tension out of the scenes. And that’s too bad because even though it’s a bit predictable, at least in terms of the story, it’s a pretty good horror movie. The acting is strong, particularly from Bill Oberst, Jr, as the head of the family being haunted by the ghosts who live in the house, and Jenna Stone as his daughter, the one that the ghosts use as a medium to deliver their message.

Beavis and Butthead: Mike Judge’s Most Wanted

Watching this collection of cartoons featuring the world’s most famous animated underachievers is an absolute blast, particularly if you are old enough to remember when Beavis and Butthead first aired on MTV almost 20 years ago. These episodes seem tame, even quaint, when measured against today’s animated bad boys from South Park or Family Guy, but as the excellent DVD extras remind us, the establishment really hated and feared Beavis and Butthead when they came out because they knew if kids watched Frog Baseball they’d want to go out and play frog baseball. That probably never happened, but the influence of Mike Judge’s creation runs deeper than parents could ever imagine.

Fast Five

If all you are looking for in Fast Five is a couple of hours of fast cars racing around and wrecking stuff through the streets of Brazil, then you will be extremely satisfied with what director Justin Lin has slapped together to make this movie, the fifth in the series. Trying to imagine if what these guy do — stealing a vault from a heavily guarded police station, for example – could actually be done is as useless an exercise as trying to find out why they never seem to get hurt no matter how many times they crash, get shot at or beaten up. Stop thinking about anything but the cool factor of the film and you’ll be just fine.

Escape From Vampire Island

When young Akira (Hideo Ishiquro) finds out that his missing brother is actually being held captive on a remote island, he bands together with his friends to rescue him. Akira soon discovers that his brother isn’t a prisoner; he’s actually on the island trying to defeat an army of blood-thirsty vampires bent on destroying the world. What follows is 90 minutes of martial arts mayhem as Akira and his crew hack and slash their way through the vampires to get at their leader. Director Tae-gyun Kim has a stylish eye when it comes to directing the action scenes in the movie, and he sure isn’t shy about spattering the blood and gore around. At more than two hours, though, it’s almost too much of a good thing.

Dracula: The Vampire and the Voivode

Don’t let the terrible title stop you from checking out this well-done documentary that explores both the life of Bram Stoker, the man who gave the world its most famous vampire, and the real life ruler that inspired the legend. While the film, directed by Michael Nayley Hughes, does a good job of detailing the history behind the Count, it is the interviews with the modern day followers and fans that really makes the movie come to life. Whether it’s the local Transylvania merchants who have built a cottage industry out of making Dracula crap to sell to tourists or the people from the same village who think the whole idea stinks, it’s a new angle to an old story.