New Releases for January 28 2025

VIXEN (1968)

Amid the cultural chaos of 1968 and armed with a budget of only $70,000, producer/director/cinematographer Russ Meyer transcended sexploitation by crafting this "bosomacious melodrama" (Time Magazine) about racism, communism, bush pilots, draft dodgers and a ferociously free-spirited wife named Vixen (the incredible Erica Gavin of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and CAGED HEAT). Despite attempts at censorship that included one of the first-ever X ratings and 23 separate U.S. prosecutions for obscenity, it became one of the year's top-grossing movies, forever transformed independent film and remains the creative template for Meyer's unapologetic vision of American cinema. VIXEN is now scanned in 4K from the original negative restored by The Museum of Modern Art with over 3 hours of new and archival Special Features curated by Severin Films in conjunction with The Russ Meyer Trust. (DVD, BLU-RAY + 4KULTRAHD)

RUNNING ON KARMA (2003)

The tenth film co-directed by Johnnie To (Running Out of Time) and Wai Ka-fai (Peace Hotel) following a string of collaborations that included comedies, romances, action films and historical epics, Running on Karma is a crime thriller with a distinctly Buddhist flare starring a titan of Hong Kong cinema in Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs).

Big (Lau) was once a devoutly religious man, but turned away from his vocation as a Buddhist monk when he could no longer bear the weight of his unusual gift: the ability to see people's past lives and predict the impact of karma upon their present and future. Having found a new life as a bodybuilder, he is drawn to use his sixth sense for good after meeting Lee Fung-yee (Cecilia Cheung, The Legend of Zu), a cop investigating a homicide. But as the two grow closer and work together to catch a murderer, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Big can see Lee's past lives, too…

A film that balances genre thrills with deep philosophical questions on the nature of spirituality and faith, Running on Karma stands with Mad Detective as one of the most interesting and unique collaborations between Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia from a new 2K restoration. (BLU-RAY)

WINCHESTER '73 (1950) (CRITERION) 

Noirish shadows spread across the frontier in this landmark western, the first of the celebrated collaborations between director Anthony Mann and actor James Stewart that redefined the genre with their moral and psychological intensity. Beginning his midcareer transition into increasingly edgy roles, Stewart portrays an avenging sharpshooter whose stolen rifle becomes a harbinger of death as it is passed from one doomed hand to the next. Featuring a stellar cast that includes a touching Shelley Winters, a sensationally sleazy Dan Duryea, and a pre-stardom Rock Hudson, this elemental tale of violence begetting violence broke new ground with its evocation of the West as a no-man’s-land of antiheroes and villains. (BLU-RAY + 4KULTRAHD)

UNDERWORLD BEAUTY (1958)

Retrieving the diamonds he stashed before his arrest, thief Miyamoto hopes to help his old partner Mihara, crippled during the heist. Their former boss, crime lord Oyane, offers to mediate with a foreign buyer, but secretly wants the stones for himself. The deal goes awry when gunmen appear on the scene. Mihara swallows the diamonds but dies in the chase, leaving a valuable corpse in the police morgue. Miyamoto forms an uneasy alliance with Mihara's wildcat sister Akiko to keep the gems away from gangsters, cops and even Akiko's greedy boyfriend. This wildly inventive early noir sees Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill, Tattooed Life) infectiously playing with genre rules and gender stereotypes. (BLU-RAY)

THE MAD ADVENTURES OF RABBI JACOB (1973)

In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assassins from Slimane's country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who's returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert's dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who's about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob. (BLU-RAY)