Painkiller, scorpion & friends

I recently spent a week watching nothing but musicals. While I'm proud of the resulting article, I think I caught something brushing up against Rent (2005) at the video store, and I've had show tunes buzzing in my ear like flamboyant tinnitus ever since. Thankfully, it's time to cleanse the system with a roundup of this month's less mainstream DVD releases.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936, Legend House) Standing in stark contrast to Tim Burton's musical (out on DVD on Tuesday), this first film portrayal of the murderous barber contains no songs and doesn't look like a My Chemical Romance music video. Instead, it's a grim, bombastic adaptation from director George King, featuring early British horror star Tod Slaughter.

The Upright Citizens Brigade: Asssscat! (2008, Shout! Factory) Generally, the manic energy of improv comedy approximates a game of Charades in a crack house. But there are hilarious moments amid the twitchy hysteria of this taped performance by New York troupe the Upright Citizens Brigade, featuring SNL's Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz.

Painkiller Jane: The Complete Series (2007, Anchor Bay) Based upon the comic book character, titular cop Jane Vasco heals from every injury but chews Tylenols like chalk-flavoured bubblegum. The show's intense action scenes place star Kristanna Loken firmly in the company of foxy female action heroines teetering between empowerment and exploitation, a wardrobe malfunction away from a Girls Gone Wild-sponsored kickboxing tournament.

The Del Tenney Collection (Shout! Factory) The Horror of Party Beach (1964) is the highlight of this collection spotlighting B-movie impresario Del Tenney. Incongruously mixing graphic violence and Mickey Mouse Club pep like a wolverine let loose in a sock hop, the story of blood-sucking sea mutants features a performance of the great Zombie Stomp track from forgotten surf-rockers The Del-Aires.

Legend of the Black Scorpion (2006, Alliance Atlantis) If George Balanchine had staged his Ballets Russes inside a meat grinder, he'd have come close to the bloody yet graceful action sequences in this gorgeous kung-fu adaptation of Hamlet.

The Mark of Cain (2000, Microcinema) To some, tattoos spark conversations with sexy clerks at organic food co-ops. To a Russian convict, they keep a running tally of murdered prostitutes and prison sentences, as seen in Alix Lambert's depressing documentary on the codification of Russian criminal tattoos.

The Lost (2007, Anchor Bay) This torturous, hallucinogenic story of a sociopathic youth's descent into psychosis amid small-town banality packs the surreal punch of a grotesque carnival, especially during the brutal finale. Think a Cirque du Soleil matinée at the Manson Family ranch, and try not to cry.

Sam & Max: The Complete Series (1997, Shout! Factory) These animated episodes about a crimefighting dog and hyperactive rabbit are great, but emotionally exhausting. The chaotic colour schemes look like Jackson Pollock throwing up paint, and the insane storylines are equivalent to six people yelling comic book plots at the same time.

Warts & All: The Films of Danny Plotnick (1986-2001, Microcinema) While the grimy, grungy short films of punk auteur Danny Plotnick are a staph infection ready to happen, remember that whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Think of these hilarious, low-budget and foul-mouthed comedies as a cinematic flu shot.

Lethal Force (2002, Unearthed) It's difficult to tell if Alvin Ecarma, the director of this broadly entertaining exploitation and kung-fu film spoof, is a loving cult film buff, a mordant satirist, or a glue-huffing Quentin Tarantino. Nevertheless, the film's story of an unstoppable hitman hits the mark as a great comedy, and the screaming helps drown out the tinnitus.

alkratina@gmail.com