Produced and Abandoned #16

A few more titles deserving a region 1 DVD release:

1. Arcane Sorcerer (1996)- Pupi Avati's 90's cult film has been a gray market floater for years now, perhaps becoming even more sought after when filmmaker Guillermo del Toro named it one of his favorites in this book last year. Regarded as a major influence for his terrific kids chiller "The Devil's Backbone", the film has never been released on home video. Even del Toro admits to seeing the film as a bootleg copy. The film itself deals with a plot that sees a young priest meeting an old priest supposedly involved in black magic.

2. Ailsa (1994)- I remember reading about this film in the early 90's in "Film Comment". It even made a few best of lists that year, then promptly vanished. The description of the film sounds very Hitchcockian, as a young man becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman who moves in next door. Starring no one of much consequence, "Ailsa" seems to be one of those indie films that made small waves at film festivals.

3. This Sweet Sickness (1977)- French filmmaker Claude Miller's bloody and disturbing psychological thriller stars a young Gerard Depardieu as a man obsessed with creating an imaginary life with the woman he loves. No one does passive-aggressive violence quite like the French, so this late 70's film has been on my list to track down for a while now. VHS copies do exist out there.

4. Man Facing Southeast (1986)- Directed by Eliseo Subelia, "Man Facing Southeast" is about a man who walks into a psychiatrist's office and claims to be from another planet. One of those films that seemed to be in heavy rotation back in the day on either IFC or Sundance, and now totally gone. It's also said to be the inspiration for "K-Pax" with Kevin Spacey... and possibly an outright remake of it. There are region 2 Mexican DVD versions out there, but that's it.

5. Three For the Road (1987)- One of my very favorite 80's movies, starring Charlie Sheen and Alan Ruck as two men assigned to deliver a politician's daughter (Kerri Green) from a mental institution. It's been years since I've seen this one, and I don't know if it holds up, but having grown up watching it, I'd love the opportunity to see it again.