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March
31, 2003
BARREL ENTERTAINMENT GOES WAY OUT!
 Greetings
Earthlings. This is Doctor Skull speaking for Barrel Entertainment.
Prepare for invasion! Prepare for invasion! Prepare for--
That’s
right, prepare for invasion! It’s been a while,
but here’s the Barrel again with another update.
We’ve got a lot of news for you to plow through this
time. Stumble up to the bar, make yourself comfortable, and
get ready!
 BUKOWSKI
LIVES!
 Yes,
stumble up to the bar! Barrel Entertainment is proud
to announce the DVD premiere of Barbet Schroeder’s legendary
documentary on the dirty old man himself, Charles
Bukowski! We’ve got the goods, you’d better
believe it. Over four “fly on the wall” hours of
the legendary poet as he talks about writing, women, drinking,
and surviving. Shot in LA by Schroeder in 1982 (while he was
trying to get Barfly off the ground), The
Charles Bukowski Tapes is the definitive portrait
of one of the world’s most vital voices. “For those
of you interested in madness, yours or mine, I can tell you
a little about mine…”
 Much,
much more on this monumental release as we sort things out.
Keep a few tall ones in the refrigerator, because Bukowski
is back!
“An
outrageously stimulating and unnerving all-night drinking
session with a gutter eloquent barroom philosopher...One of
the most intimate, revealing and unsparing glimpses any film
or video has ever given us of a writer’s life and personality.”
– Los Angeles Times
 BARREL
DOES BULLET!
Dateline, Chicago: No, your eyes do not deceive you! We have
two more new releases in the works! We’re proud to announce
the DVD premieres of Jim Sikora’s Bullet on a Wire
and Walls in the City! Sikora’s work has
been described as a cross between Jim Thompson and Jim Jarmusch,
and we’re not about to disagree! Check out what Shock
Cinema's Steve Puchalski has to say:
 Bullet
on a Wire
Directed by Jim Sikora (who earlier gave us the
gloriously gritty Walls in the City), this quietly
unnerving, character-driven gem is filled with small but
very potent charms. Jeff Strong stars as Raymond
Brody, a dumpy, repressed insurance salesman who's definitely
not a ladies man. Instead, he decides to take out his sexual
and emotional frustrations on an innocent girl named Tanya
(Lara Phillips) with a prank phone call to her mom,
informing her that her daughter is HIV Positive. Toss in
an abusive stepfather and a handy gun, and this sick joke
turns deadly, with Tanya suddenly in jail for murder. But
while Tanya’s boyfriend and mom seem more interested
in selling their story to a true-crime TV show, Ray suddenly
begins visiting the imprisoned girl-- never admitting that
he was the culprit behind that fateful phone call, and quickly
becoming her lone confidant. Hey, I know people who’ve
been as desperate to meet a woman, but never so ruthless.
The script
by Sikora and Joe Carducci is tightly wound,
with characters as genuine as they are lost.  At
the center of it all, Strong offers up a chilling
vision of sociopathic evil lurking just under the nebbish
you barely notice on the street.In fact, there are terrific
performances from top to bottom, particularly Paula Killen
as Ray's sick-of-his-shit sister and Jesus Lizard
vocalist David Yow as boyfriend Eddie. Also look
for NYC underground auteur Richard Kern as Jake the
bartender. Like the best and toughest melodramas of the
‘50s, this is a tense tale of people on the edges of
society, with John Terendy’s stark b&w photography
bringing additional grit and character to the Chicago backdrop.
A simple yet striking gutter-noir with an unexpected pay-off,
this meshes Jim Thompson with Jim Jarmusch
and proves just how effective solid writing and acting can
be, even on a shoestring budget.
“The
scariest character in a film since Taxi Driver.”
– Entertainment Today
“Breathtaking.”
– FilmZone
“Year
end top ten! A small gem!” – Los Angeles Times
Walls
in the City is an anthology of three short films,
shot by Sikora on Super-8 on the gritty streets of Chicago.
Join David Yow, a lonely drifter with a painful
past in A Fly on the Wall. Spend a few hours
with Tony Fitzpatrick, the jaded hero of Love
After the Walls Close In (based on the Charles Bukowski
short story Reunion). Have a drink and imagine
with Bill Cusack and Paula Killen
in One Time She Played the B Side. Here’s
Jim himself, quoted from the UK’s Beat Scene
piece on Walls in the City!
 Walls
in the City
“When I was coming up through high school, I was able
to go into bars. I’ve always been this tall, big guy
and looked older. I signed the right contract. But I would
go to a bar, sit there and listen to people, and drink.
And I learned a lot about life. Sitting there drinking beer,
listening to people about their lives. And I read Bukowski
and I thought, ‘God damn. I relate to this shit. Who
is this guy? That’s me!’
 “I
realized that I was somehow exploring or investigating these
themes that I was interested in. The last installment, One
Time She Played the B Side was the first installment
I shot. The Bukowski segment, Love After the Walls Close
In, was a six page short story (Reunion) that
was a very simple, fun and direct kind of piece. I wanted
to adapt a work of fiction, but not change the dialogue.
We were in fact very true to the dialogue. The main thing
we changed was that it’s now set in Chicago rather
than Los Angeles. Then I realized that it really related
to One Time She Played the B Side.
 “I
had done some film shows around town and people were saying,
‘It’s great; did you write the second piece?’
and I would say, ‘No, I didn’t write that, it’s
an adaptation’ and that kinda got around and people
thought B Side was also a Bukowski adaptation. Then
I realized I should do a third installment and try to complement
and unify the other two. It’s a triptych because there
are similarities and there is a thread, kind of a blood
line running through all three. A Fly on the Wall
unifies all three.”
“Jim
Sikora stands head and shoulders above the others. One of
the top 25 underground films in the last 10 years.”
– Film Threat
"The
kind of territory Charles Bukowski honed in on with his
writings.” – Beat Scene
"Engagingly
raw.” – Chicago Reader
We’ve
got a lot of special features planned for these two releases.
Here’s a quick look at what’s to come!
Walls
in the City
- Walls
in the City, digitally mastered from the original elements!
- Full
running audio commentary by director Jim Sikora and actors
Paula Killen, David Yow, and Jeff Strong!
- Jim
Sikora’s Small Gauge Shotgun short films Bring
Me the Head of Geraldo Rivera, Stagefright Chameleon,
and Xmas ‘73!
- Extensive
photo gallery!
- Much,
much more!
Bullet
on a Wire
- Bullet
on a Wire, digitally mastered at its original 1.78:1
aspect ratio!
- Full
running audio commentary by director Jim Sikora and actors
Lara Phillips, David Yow, Jeff Strong, and Paula Killen!
- Behind
the scenes prison footage shot by The Jesus Lizard’s
David Yow!
- Exclusive
outtake reel!
- Extensive
photo gallery!
- Much,
much more!
 GERALD
KARGL’S ANGST!
As if that wasn’t enough, Barrel Entertainment
is proud to announce yet another title in the works-- Gerald
Kargl’s nihilistic masterpiece, Angst!
Upon
his release from prison for the murder of an elderly woman,
a twice convicted killer (Rudolf Götz) continues to cut
his path through Austria. After a failed attempt at murder,
he runs and finds shelter in a secluded house in the countryside.
A house inhabited by a disabled young man in a wheelchair,
a middle aged woman, and her teenaged daughter. Haunted by
fear and paranoia, the killer deals with his situation in
the only way he knows how…
 Critic
Steven Jay Schneider: “Even more than Michael
Rooker's Henry (modeled on prolific US multiple murderer
Henry Lee Lucas)-- a character described by at least one commentator
as a Marlon Brando/James Dean angry young rebel, complete
with pout, mumbles, short curly hair, square jaw, and white
T-shirt-- Rudolf Götz’s Werner Kniesek-inspired
sociopath comes frighteningly close to providing us with a
true portrait of a serial killer.” more...
We
will be performing a high-definition, anamorphic transfer
from the original 35mm negative in the coming weeks, with
supervision by director Gerald Kargl. Expect the disc to be
full of extras, including a commentary track by director Kargl
and a Kargl interview conducted by Jörg Buttgereit. Keep
watching this space for more details!
RETURN
OF THE LOVING DEAD!
The time has come. Jörg Buttgereit’s follow up to
1987’s Nekromantik, Nekromantik
2 is finally about ready to rear its ugly head!
The two disc set will include the complete (and we mean complete)
scores to Nekromantik and Nekromantik
2, including several never-before-released bonus tracks!
In case you’ve forgotten, here’s what we have in
store for you…
Nekromantik
2
- Digitally
mastered from the original camera negative under the supervision
of producer Manfred O. Jelinski!
- Film
transferred with a Spirit DataCine high definition
film scanner!
- German
language with all new removable English subtitles!
- New
stereo sound mix and original mono!
- Full
running audio commentary by director Jörg Buttgereit,
co-author Franz Rodenkirchen, and actors Monika M. and Mark
Reeder!
- The
Making of Nekromantik 2, 25 minutes of behind
the scenes footage-- in David Kerekes’ English version
AND in the original (subtitled for the VERY FIRST TIME)
German version!
- Fifteen
minutes of NEVER BEFORE SEEN behind the scene footage culled
from the secret locker of Manfred O. Jelinski!
- Rise
Up, a video clip from the Krupps, directed by Jörg
Buttgereit and starring Nekromantik 2’s
Monika M!
- Manne:
The Muwi, an early Buttgereit Super-8 short, subtitled
in English for the very first time!
- Over
100 behind the scene photos from the collection of Manfred
O. Jelinski and Jörg Buttgereit!
- Theatrical
trailers for Nekromantik, Der Todesking,
Nekromantik 2, and Schramm!
- Liner
notes by Buttgereit biographer David Kerekes and Jörg
Buttgereit!
- Much,
much more!
You
can check out some DVD menu samples here.
LAST
HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET!
A big thanks is in order for all of your patience and support
for this release. The disc has gotten rave reviews
and was voted Best US DVD Release of 2002 by the folks
over at Sex
Gore Mutants! The Barrel office has been flooded
with letters. Buddy (Combat Shock) Giovinazzo
had this to say…
I
wanted to say hi and also to thank you for the DVD for LHODES…
What can I say? It's sort of in the category of Cannibal
Holocaust. Not that it’s as gruesome or shocking,
but it’s just as strange. And for that, I congratulate
the Barrel guys! This is a film that could easily
have disappeared forever. The fact that you guys released
it and gave it another life is really fantastic and I appreciate
that. There are images in this film (the animal hoof in
the girl’s pants!) that I will never forget... it’s
a truly unique and twisted film and I’m glad I had
the chance to see it.
 And
here’s a letter from Andy (Mutilation Man)
Copp!
What
you guys have done with this DVD is nothing short of a voodoo
miracle. It is not only a great DVD of a lost film, but
a true portrait of a person who has suffered for his art.
Here is what I have been posting on the various message
boards I frequent:
“I
got to pick up this DVD at Cinema Wasteland this past weekend
(and get to finally meet my good friend Roger Watkins) and
all I gotta say is WOW!
Those
who have never seen the movie will probably complain about
the transfer as it was mastered from the only known print
in existence. But the rest of us who have searched out various
prints of this movie for years will recognize how fucking
incredible it looks. There are details there that were NEVER
visible in any other prints.
The
extras are more than supplements to the disc, they are a
peek into a man's psyche and soul. Roger lays open himself
on these extras and invites all fans to openly examine himself
at any cost. This set becomes a portrait of an artist in
agony and triumph.
The
movie isn’t for everyone, but the DVD set is as close
to a work of art as the medium has come.”
You
guys have set a benchmark in the field with this one!
Take
care,
Andy C.
The
good words keep coming in! We were thrilled to read Michael
Gingold’s review in Fangoria.
The good lads at Film
Threat were very happy with the disc. Gonzo Journalist
Sleazegrinder
was very impressed and Horror
DVDs had this to say. And here's a little something
from Cultcuts
magazine!
Don’t
miss out on your chance to add this film to your collection!
The first pressing is essentially sold out, and as they say,
they’re going fast!
ROLLING…
ROLLING… ROLLING THE WHOLE WORLD ROUND…
We were more than happy to accompany Last House on Dead
End Street director Roger Watkins to the recent Cinema
Wasteland convention in Cleveland, Ohio last October.
Fans had the rare chance to meet ‘Terry Hawkins’
in person and to get the first wave of the LHODES
DVDs signed by the man himself. As an added treat, LHODES
co-star Bill Schlageter was there to surprise Roger and everyone
else in attendance with his first hand stories of the making
of the nefarious film. Thanks goes out to Ken Kish (Cinema
Wasteland), Art Ettinger (Punk Planet, Ultra
Violent), Scott Gabbey (Ultra
Violent), Allana Sleeth, Bruce Holecheck (Deep
Red, Ultra Violent), Bill Schlageter,
and Roger Watkins for making the weekend one to remember.
For those who didn’t attend, you can sample some of the
insanity here.
And
let’s not forget the Pittsburgh, PA screening of Nekromantik
at The Oaks Theater! The Boys from the County Barrel
were there to document
the event, and let us tell you, we had a blast! Thanks goes
out to Art Ettinger for setting things up, Allana Sleeth,
Bruce from Incredibly
Strange Video, and Jamie Summers (Ultra Violent)
for a midnight to remember!
PARTNERS
IN CRIME!
What Barrel update would be complete without a few
words from our friends out there in print land? Here are three
essential publications that you should seek out at any cost!
Tell them the Barrel sent you…
 Headpress
24: Powered by Love
Contents include an exclusive, in-depth, and candid interview
with porn director John Stagliano-- known the world over as
“Buttman”, an interview with Chuck Palahniuk, author
of Fight Club and Choke, an in-depth
look at the fiction writing of Colin Wilson, and an interview
with David X Young, NY jazz loft entrepreneur, painter, and
director of Klaximo-- the film that went too
far for the 1960s underground! Visit www.headpress.com
for more info!
 Sex
and Guts No. 4
Editors Gene Gregorits and Lydia Lunch cut loose with a massive
280 page BOOK, featuring 31 interviews with the likes of John
Waters, Larry Wessel, Lloyd Kaufman, Asia Argento, Jello Biafra,
Jim Goad, Nick Tosches, Jim Van Bebber and 23 others. Visit
www.sexandgutsmagazine.com
for a sample of what's in store. Fair warning to the masses:
You will spend your entire day glued to your computer, reading.
Things like this don't pop up every day, so grab a copy now!
Ultra
Violent No. 5
Contents include exclusive interviews with David Durston,
Jeff Lieberman, Tom Sullivan, Johan Vandewoestijne and Emilio
Vieyra, a detailed dissection of Equinox, an
Indonesian exploitation round-up, the history of the Blood
Island films, behind-the-scenes discussions of William
Hellfire and Joey Smack's DUCK! The Carbine High Massacre
and Fred Vogel’s August Underground, tons
of DVD reviews, and much more!
ROLL
THE WOODPILE DOWN…
OK-- that’s about all for now. Bukowski, Bullet,
Walls, Angst, and Buttgereit.
There’s a lot more brewing in the Barrel, so check
back soon. Thanks again for your continued support. See you
in the front row!
Brian
Krueger / John Szpunar
BARREL |
