New Releases for December 24 2024

MAYBE IT'S LOVE (1984)

Following her parent's separation, 10 year-old Marbles is sent to live with her grandmother in the outskirts of Hong Kong. Also new to town is the seductive pageant queen Rita (Cherie Chung) whose skin-tight leotards pique the interest of a dashing postman (Kent Tong) already involved with the shopkeeper's wife, Lin (Elaine Jin). Meanwhile, the curious Marbles, who has made it a habit of spying on her neighbors with her binoculars, witnesses a murder on a stormy night. A ragtag team of kid detectives comes together. Who is the killer? Where is the body?

Angie Chen, the first female director at Shaw Brothers Studio, began her career with a rich and unclassifiable ensemble film: part comedy of manners à la Shaw, part Nancy Drew-esque nod to Hitchcock's Rear Window — all of which was marketed by the studio as an erotic whodunnit. Chen's film unfolds as all these things and more: a self-aware portrait of a small-town mentality and community, fore-fronting the interconnected lives of women whose tenacity would become a major theme of Chen's work. (BLU-RAY)

CLOSE YOUR EYES (2023)

Set in contemporary Madrid, an aging filmmaker named Miguel Garay is called upon to recount his memories of working on his final and still unfinished film, "The Farewell Gaze." During its production, the lead actor and Miguel's close friend, Julio Arenas, disappeared without a trace, leaving in his wake a mystery that would haunt the lives of everyone associated with the film. Miguel never directed another project, instead living a quiet life as a writer by the coast. He remained reluctant to unravel the mystery surrounding Julio until approached by an investigative television program reviving the case decades later. With careful reflection, he reconnects with the film's crew, former lovers, and Julio's daughter, seeking closure for the disappearance and what it meant for all of their lives. (BLU-RAY)

CASH CALLS HELL (1966)

Facing the final days of his prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, Oida (Tatsuya Nakadai) dreads reentering society as a ruined man with no future prospects. Sensing his street smarts, Oida's cellmate promises him a pile of loot if he tracks down and kills three men whose names are on a list. Reluctantly accepting the task, he finds himself embroiled in a web of stolen money, betrayal and other sordid vices. Torn between compassion and desperation, Oida discovers danger lurking around every corner as he navigates a treacherous path of cold-blooded fate. (BLU-RAY)

ORDERS (1974)

Following the shocking kidnapping of two prominent political figures in October 1970, Canada's federal government invokes the War Measures Act, an extreme law that strips citizens of their most fundamental human rights. Over the course of several weeks, 450 unsuspecting Québécois are abruptly ripped from their families and imprisoned without formal charges or explanations. Told through the eyes of five prisoners subjected to abuse and humiliation that borders on torture, ORDERS is an unsettling and unforgettable immersion in one of the most dystopian chapters in Canadian history.

The sophomore narrative feature from master cinematographer and filmmaker Michel Brault (a formative influence on director Denis Villeneuve), this unflinching prison drama explores the most egregious injustices perpetrated during the historic October Crisis. Drawn from extensive testimonials and told in the cinéma direct language Brault helped pioneer, ORDERS is a masterpiece of Québécois cinema that delivers a vision no less infuriating and impactful half a century after it won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. (BLU-RAY)

NEITHER THE SEA NOR THE SAND (1972) 

Seeking a respite from her deteriorating marriage, Anna is vacationing on the English Channel Island of Jersey when, whilst walking along the shoreline one wintry afternoon, she encounters a mysterious and brooding younger man, Hugh. The pair quickly form an intense bond and embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, but their romance is cut short when Hugh suddenly and unexpectedly drops dead whilst on a getaway to Scotland, leaving Anna utterly devastated. However, that very night, a shadowy figure appears at the door of their holiday cottage - Hugh has miraculously returned to the land of the living, or so it at first seems… (BLU-RAY)