The destroyed neighborhoods of Tokyo are home to a group of prostitutes who form a sex worker union and build their own dancehall, Purgatory. Then, the gangsters and pimps make a play for what the women have earned and an unexploded bomb appears.

Based on a novel by Taijiro Tamura and directed by Seijun Suzuki, this is the first of Suzuki’s Flesh Trilogy, followed by Story of a Prostitute and Carmen from Kawachi. The girls are at odds with every man around them — American soldiers and Japanese yakuza — yet make their money by giving their bodies to them. When a soldier, Shintaro Ibuki (Joe Shishido), hides out with them, everyone wants him. The newest girl, Maya (Yumiko Nogawa), wants to run away with him, but that won’t end well.

Seijun said, “The studio wanted to make a skin flick, that’s all. We couldn’t make a real porno back then, though.” What emerges is a movie a lot like one that followed it, The Beguiled.

Making its home premiere for the very first time outside of Japan courtesy of 88 Films, extras include audio commentary by Amber T. and Jasper Sharp, a new introduction by Earl Jakson, an interview with Toei tattoo artist Seiji Mouri, a trailer, a limited edition book, a still gallery and new artwork by Ilan Sheady. You can order it from MVD.

Master hacker Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) was busted by the FBI for infecting their Carnivore program with a computer virus. He can’t even look at a computer ever again. He can’t see his ex-wife Melissa (Drea de Matteo) or daughter Holly (Camryn Grimes) because of a restraining order.

Then, Gabriel Shear (John Travolta) offers him $10 million for one last hacking job.

Ginger Knowles (Halle Berry), who gets him into this, may be a DEA agent. Gabriel could be the boss of Black Cell, a secret organization created by J. Edgar Hoover to battle terrorists. Or he could be dead and the Gabriel we’ve met is someone else.

It could be both, to tell the truth, because Gabriel loves misdirection.

With support from Don Cheadle, Sam Shepard and Vinnie Jones, this starts with a 135 camera-filmed explosion that has CGI elements. It starts strong and keeps moving, a film that really got Jackman and Berry noticed by audiences.

The Arrow Video release of this movie has commentary by director Dominic Sena, interviews with composer Paul Oakenfold and production designer Jeff Mann, the promotional HBO First Look: Swordfish, another feature on the effects, a music video, conversations with the actors, two alternate endings and a theatrical trailer. It comes inside a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket. The sleeve includes a double-sided fold-out poster and an illustrated collector’s booklet. The booklet features new writing on the film by Priscilla Page and an article from American Cinematographer about the film’s opening sequence. You can order Swordfish from MVD.

Terminus, where have you been all my life?

In the year 2037, genetically engineered Mati (Gabriel Damon) has been programmed by an evil doctor (Jürgen Prochnow) to design an AI named Monster, which drives a giant truck in a race for $100 million. Somehow, this brings together its human driver, Gus (Karen Allen) and French Elvis Johnny Hallyday as Stump as they navigate the end of the world.

Directed by Pierre-William Glenn and written by Patrice Duvic, Alain Gillot and Wallace Potts, this is a so out of left field post-apocalyptic cash-in, a film where a truck has a human mouth, where goth kids float in labs, an intro song by  Stan Ridgway from Wall of Voodoo, three parts for Prochnow, Howard Vernon’s voice, a Philip K. Dick license plate, a shout-out to Heavy Metal artist Enki Bilal and despite all the car stunts, it has the core DNA of an art film beating inside what should be a total theft of Australia end of the world cinema.

The MVD releaase of this film has the U.S. and extended French versions of the film, as well as an interview with star Jürgen Prochnow, We All Descend – The Making of Terminus with Vincent Glenn (son of director Pierre-William Glenn), star Julie Glenn (daughter of Pierre-William Glenn) and archival interviews with Pierre-William Glenn, photo gallery, reversible cover artwork, a poster, a trailer and a limited edition slipcover. Get it from MVD.

Howard Thorne (Nick Moriarty) stalks and assaults women on a regular basis. Or maybe he’s just dreaming of it. He wants nothing to do with his junkie wife Vicki (Adele Rein, The Girl With the Hungry Eyes). When they go to a costume party together, she learns who he really is while he learns what it’s like to be a victim. Then, they both go to Hell.

Like many films of this time and genre, there were many prints of this, some with more filthy scenes that could have just been spliced in. The Something Weird VHS of this supposedly had more of the later nightmare footage.

Made for John Lamb (Sexual Freedom In Denmark, The Raw Ones, Sexual Liberty Now, possibly the director of Zodiac Killer) by Jack Hill, this is a drugged and fuzzed-out roughie that’s more art than nearly any other movie in the genre and one that actually is sexy. Credit for that goes to not just Hill, but Rein, who has a volcanic scene with herself in a mirror. There’s also Cathy Crowfoot (who would go on to shoot and produce The Boy With the Hungry Eyes) as The Crow, a martial arts-using vengeance-seeking former victim out to destroy Howard. Also: A Dracula-voiced host, played by Ron Gans, the voice of New World Pictures trailers and the Halloween radio commercial.

You can also see Carol Baughman (My Tale Is Hot), Rene De Beau (Orgy of the Dead), Gaby Martone(Mermaids of Tiburon) and Luana Anders (who convinced Jack Nicholson to join her improv class) show up.

This VCI Blu-ray release has two commentary tracks: one by noted film historian, podcaster and artist Rob Kelly and the other by Jack Hill. There’s also a photo and poster gallery. You can get it from MVD.

When the daughter of an elite family falls in love with a poor samurai named Iemon (Tomisaburo Wakayama), he gets rid of his wife Oiwa by dumping her into a swamp. She comes back on the night of his marriage as a monstrous ghost. Yes, it’s the Ghost Story of Yotsuya remade.

Directed and written by Tai Katô, this adaptation of the kabuki play Tokkaido Yotsuya kaidan isn’t as elegant as others. That’s not a slight by any means; it’s just brutal in how the characters must pay for the horrible things they have done to Oiwa. Those who have done her wrong get the majority of the story, but her deadly intentions weigh heavily on every frame. It’s made with craft and explores every way that film can change the way that we see an expected and known story.

The Radiance Films release of this film has an interview with Mari Asato, a visual essay on tormented female ghosts by Lindsay Nelson, a trailer, a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow and a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Tom Mes and an archival review of the film. You can order this from MVD.

Iwaki (Koichi Iwaki) is a motorbike mechanic who wants to be a racer. He’s tempted by the Red Rose Gang, who are speed junkies destroying everything in their path, as well as the charms of one of their members, Mayumi (Junko Matsudaira),  who doesn’t believe in monogamy, despite being the girlfriend of the gang’s leader, Mitsuda (Yusuke Natsu).

Iwaki is more interested in the more virginal Michiko (Tomoko Ai). That is, he would be, if her overprotective brother Tsugami (Sonny Chiba) weren’t in the way. And oh yeah, Mitsuda doesn’t seem like she’s letting anyone else love Iwaki.

This is the first of four movies in the BAKUHATSU! series. The others are Detonation: Violent Games, Season of Violence (both of which are also directed by Iwaki), and Detonation: 750cc Zoku, which was produced by Yutaka Kohira. It takes its name from the bosozoku motorcycle gangs, who were inspired to ride by kaminari-zoku (thunder gang), who were disaffected war vets who lived in the streets and emulated American early biker culture, like James Dean movies. I also learned — thanks to Takuma on the Kung Fu Fandom message board — that there was a female Toei biker movie, Hell’s Angels: Crimson Roar.

This film just wants to entertain you, whether that’s with rampant nudity, motorcycle racing, or just the authentic, lived-in look that it establishes.

The 88 Films Blu-ray of this movie has an audio commentary by Ashley Darrow and Jonathan Greenaway of the Horror Vanguard podcast, a video essay by Nathan Stuart, stills and a trailer, plus original and new artwork by Ilan Sheady. You can get this movie from MVD.