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If Quentin Tarantino is a cinema god, the historic Vista Theater is his church. On Tuesday night, his disciples flocked to the hallowed aisles of the Los Feliz venue (which he owns) for the first-ever live taping of his podcast with Roger Avary and Gala Avary, “The Video Archives.”

The podcast, named for the iconic movie rental store of the same name where both Tarantino and Roger Avary once worked, sees the trio revisit some of their favorite old B-movies and discover new ones.

The live event, held exclusively for Patreon members, hosted about 400 cinephiles (dozens of whom were naturally clad in “Pulp Fiction” shirts) for a surprise screening curated by the the “Video Archives” team, followed by an off-the-cuff edition of the popular podcast.

Before the screening began, Tarantino cued up a selection of four wild 35mm trailers for films previously discussed on the podcast: “The Illustrated Man,” “Straw Dogs,...

Stars: Bella Thorne, Gavin Rossdale, Libby Mintz, Andreja Pejic, Josie Ho, Jamie Hince | Written by Janell Shirtcliff, Libby Mintz | Directed by Janell Shirtcliff

Even before it was out of post production, Habit (not to be confused with the 2017 cannibal film of the same name), was stirring up controversy. According to Variety, it was the subject of a petition due to its casting. Specifically the casting of Paris, daughter of Michael, Jackson as a lesbian Jesus. Whether it was the product of legitimate outrage or a bit of marketing it certainly got Habit noticed. And since I’m reviewing it, it obviously didn’t stop its release. Although maybe it would have been better if it did rather than being responsible for it getting a distributor.

Mads is a party girl with a Jesus fixation. She moves to Los Angeles and picks up a gig selling drugs for Eric (Gavin Rossdale...

Raro Video continues remastering rare and obscure Italian titles with the long unavailable 1970 curio from Duccio Tessari, Death Occurred Last Night. A rare hybrid of police thriller and giallo, this fascinating title is a definite highlight in the little known Tessari’s varied filmography. Most noted for his work in spaghetti westerns, those unfamiliar with his work will surely be interested in seeking out other available titles. As seedy and ridiculous as it is intriguing and unfailingly amusing, its attention to character and narrative development sets it apart from similar titles of the time period, preceding comparable American fare such as Paul Schrader’s 1979 Hardcore.

A self-controlled yet increasingly desperate father (Raf Vallone) informs Detective Duca Lamberti (Frank Wolff) at the police station in Milan that his girl is missing. As he answers a round of questions, we discover his girl is actually a mentally handicapped twenty five year old...

With its Wait Until Dark nods, underwater sea helmut night lights, chainsaw action, amnesia, bad guys with nonstop colds and a tiny dog named Whisky all in tow, the 1974 Duccio Tessari giallo Puzzle (L’ Uomo senza memoria) manages to weave around its budget shortcomings with plenty of offbeat fun. Luc Merenda (Violent Professionals) is the central character with amnesia that has no idea what the hell is going on. He wakes up one day and slowly learns he has a wife and life, but no clue where they are. Suddenly fate kicks in and he finds himself on the run and put back in touch with his wife, played by Senta Berger (Quiller Memorandum). The title comes into play as the layers of the story slowly start peeling back revealing more and more clues, along with numerous red herrings as to why he has amnesia and why the bad guys...