



Olive Films Announce January Blu-ray Releases Posted January 2, 2018 07:13 PM by



Belle Epoque, Bigas Luna's new wave classic Jamón Jamón and The Red Squirrel, and Brian Dorton's Preexisting Conditions a.k.a. Trashology 2 (a Slasher // Video release).



Belle Epoque



Synopsis: Spain, 1931 is a politically divided nation and on the brink of war. With allegiances torn between Republican and Traditionalist factions, Fernando (Jorge Sanz, Conan the Barbarian), a disillusioned soldier, has chosen a third option  going AWOL. Fate intervenes during his escape when he meets Manolo (Fernando Fernán Gómez, All About My Mother), an admiring land owner who sees himself mirrored in the young man and welcomes him into his home  a home inhabited by Manolo's four visiting daughters, each more beautiful than the other. Clara (Miriam Díaz-Aroca, High Heels), Violeta (Ariadna Gil, Pan's Labyrinth), Rocío (Maribel Verdú, Y Tu Mamá También) and Luz (Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) will prove to be more than just a pleasant distraction for Fernando. While seeking refuge from the chaos of the outside world, he'll find romance at every turn in the witty love story Belle Epoque.



Belle Epoque, director Fernando Trueba's (The Queen of Spain) 1994 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, is written by Rafael Azcona (from a story by Azcona, José Luis García Sánchez and Fernando Trueba) and co-stars Agustín González (El abuelo) and Chus Lampreave (Volver).



In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.



STREET DATE: JANUARY 30.



Jamón Jamón



Synopsis: From director Bigas Luna (Golden Balls) comes Jamón Jamón, starring Academy Award® winner Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) making her motion picture debut opposite Academy Award® winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and co-starring Jordi Mollà (In the Heart of the Sea), Stefania Sandrelli (1900) and Juan Diego (Your Next Life).



Written for the screen by Cuca Canals, Bigas Luna and Quim Monzó, Jamón Jamón traces the romantic entanglements of the beautiful and pregnant underwear factory worker Silvia (Cruz); José Luis (Mollà), the father of her child and heir to the factory fortune; Raul (Bardem), underwear model, seducer and would-be-bullfighter; and Conchita (Sandrelli), José Luis' doting mother, family matriarch and Raul's lover. Through a series of Machiavellian plot machinations, Conchita will seek to tear apart the relationship between her wealthy son and the second-class Silvia. Melodramatic, surreal (a duel using ham legs is a highlight) and oozing with sexual tension, Jamón Jamón is soap opera at its grandest.



In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.



STREET DATE: JANUARY 30.



The Red Squirrel



The Red Squirrel (La Ardilla Roja), written and directed by Julio Medem (Tierra) and starring Emma Suárez (Julieta) and Nancho Novo (Lovers of the Arctic Circle), is a stylish thriller à la Hitchcock  with echoes of Vertigo  set in a Spanish campground.



Jota (Novo), a musician with a career in decline and a romantic life in shambles, is on the verge of ending his life by jumping from a bridge when a mysterious figure on a motorcycle comes roaring  quite literally  into his life. Rushing to aid the injured cyclist, Jota discovers the driver is a beautiful young woman (Suárez) who's lost her memory in the crash. Seeing an opportunity to start a new life, Jota creates a fictional backstory for Sofia, the amnesia victim whom he now calls Lisa, claiming that they're a couple. Fearing her growing suspicion of his ruse, Jota cuts Lisa's hospital stay short by whisking her off to The Red Squirrel, a remote campground far away from prying eyes. But they soon attract the attention of the other campers, leading to an escalation in Lisa's erratic behavior. What secrets are hiding in Lisa's past? And who is Félix (Carmelo Gómez, Tierra), the mysterious stranger who appears at the camp site in search of Sofia? Twists and turns abound in The Red Squirrel.



In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.



STREET DATE: JANUARY 30.



Tierra



"Doused throughout in the red hues of the Aragon landscape, and stunningly composed in widescreen by d.p. Javier Aguirresarobe, the picture has an unearthly feel that's a potent stage for the elemental central love story." - Variety



Tierra (Earth), a quirky, romantic dramedy from Sex and Lucia director Julio Medem, stars Carmelo Gómez (Vacas) as Ángel, a pest control specialist (and recently released mental patient) working the soil in Spanish wine country to rid the terrain of destructive grubs. Unexpectedly, Ángel will find romance and adventure beyond his wildest imagination when he falls for two of the locals: the earthy and soulful farmer's wife, Ángela (Emma Suárez, The Red Squirrel); and the sensuous, amorous (and much too young) Mari (Silke, The Dark Hour). Tierra's flights of fancy include spectral doppelgangers, irate migrant gypsies, fierce lightning storms, and one very jealous husband.



Tierra, written and directed by Julio Medem (The Red Squirrel, Vacas, Sex and Lucia), features Karra Elejalde (Biutiful) and Nancho Novo (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) and is beautifully lensed by cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (The Road, Vicky Cristina Barcelona).



In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.



STREET DATE: JANUARY 30.



Vacas



Set in Spain's Basque Country, Vacas (Cows) tells of a bitter rivalry and a decades-old feud between three generations of the Mendiluze and Iriguibel families, stretching from the Third Carlist War through the Spanish Civil War. These families, not unlike the tale of the Hatfields and McCoys, have carried a simmering, deep-seated hatred dating back to a war-time act that left brave Carmelo Mendiluze dead on the battlefield and the cowardly deserter Manuel Iriguibel crippled but alive. Years have not cooled the animosity between these houses as the film traces the lives, loves, and deaths that propel the atmospheric story forward to its inevitable outcome. Directed by Julio Medem (Tierra, The Red Squirrel) from a screenplay by Medem and Michel Gaztambide, Vacas stars Carmelo Gómez (Tierra, The Red Squirrel), Emma Suárez (Julieta, The Red Squirrel), Ana Torrent (The Other Boleyn Girl) and Karra Elejalde (Tierra).



Director Medem is immeasurably aided by cinematographer Carles Gusi (El Niño), whose camera captures the lush foliage of the Basque countryside and cocoon-like farmhouse interiors, successfully recreating a bygone era. The film also features a dramatic score courtesy of composer Alberto Iglesias (The Constant Gardener).



In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.



STREET DATE: JANUARY 30.



Preexisting Conditions



Déjà vu! The gang is back in Preexisting Conditions (Trashology 2). Beginning with a visit to the local library in search of the titular tome, we're treated to the further adventures of those co-dependent gal pals, Katrina Lizhope (writer/director Brian Dorton, Trashology) and Melissa Couch (Douglas Conner, Trashology) along with the irrepressible Ms. Green (Gerica Horn, Trashology), a diabetic, half-blind, wheelchair-bound mother out to avenge the murder of her son, unaware that houseguests Katrina and Melissa are responsible for his death.



In the grand tradition of Trashology, Preexisting Conditions (Trashology 2) pays homage to the genre films made famous by Pink Flamingos director John Waters while creating its own unique world of sex, violence, fried chicken and revenge.



Slasher // Video presents Preexisting Conditions (Trashology 2), written and directed by Brian Dorton (Trashology, Crazy Fat Ethel) and co-starring newcomer Ayana Moore and Jenny Coulter (Trashology).



Special Features and Technical Specs: "A Handsome Dick" short film

Deleted and Alternate Scenes

Katrina's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Outtakes and Blooper Reel

Photo Gallery

Trailer

Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 30.









Source: Blu-ray.com | Permalink | [Country settings]



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I*heart*Criterion Jan 02, 2018 hmmmmm. Nope. Nothing of interest for me this month. nitin Jan 02, 2018 Interested in the Spanish titles if the transfers are good (already have the Spanish release of The Red Squirrel though)

Monroville Jan 02, 2018 I will definitely be getting the Julio Medem titles, as I've had the dvd box set from Spain for 10 years now. REALLY happy that TIERRA is getting a release.

RICKBONDOO7 Jan 02, 2018 What is this ???? This is the Best you can release ???

film_junkie Jan 02, 2018 I'm really excited to see the focus on foreign titles here and I'm glad they'll be available so soon! Belle Epoque and Jamon Jamon are day one purchases for me. membrane Jan 02, 2018 Duds, all of them

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Top reviewerTop contributor pro-bassoonist Jan 02, 2018 Bigas Luna is a master director. It would have been great if this batch also had The Golden Balls, but most likely it is still with a different party. The DVD release came from Millennium Entertainment.



The Tit and the Moon is also a superb Luna, probably one of the best films from the Spanish New Wave. Great selections

jmat91 Jan 02, 2018 Fantastic news on JAMON JAMON, now all we need is ANGUISH to get a proper release. Interesting array of Spanish titles, must have come in a package.



Trashology VOL 2, EASY PASS. Vol 1 was absolute rubbish, olive should really drop Slasher// Video... more like Crapper//Video

Jimmy W Jan 02, 2018 Gone International, Olive? Hope you're not abandoning classic catalog titles! There's still tons out there needing Blu releases.

Hope February is more promising on that note.

jaydecay Jan 02, 2018 Never heard of any of these. My bank account is safe this month.

BluBonnet Jan 03, 2018 Was just watching the Spanish release of Belle Epoque just the other day - still one of the sexiest movies of all time! And Penelope looked just gorgeous when she was about 18... riderontherain Jan 03, 2018 Bigas Luna and Julio Medem are 2 of the best directors in Spanish cinema (Luna died in 2013). People who are not familiar with their works should really take a look at these films. I'm really hoping Olive (or some other label) would release more of their films on blu, especially Medem's Lovers of the Arctic Circle.

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Top reviewerTop contributor toddly6666 Jan 03, 2018 Too bad they not releasing Lovers of Arctic Circle on blu.

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Top reviewer ravenus Jan 03, 2018 I loved Julio Medem's Room in Rome, and will be keeping an eye out for these releases, hope Olive does them well. Will they do some kind of box for Medem?

lesco Jan 03, 2018 I remember reading something about Kubrick liking 'The Red Squirrel' years ago and checked it out - I liked the girl in it. atcolomb Jan 03, 2018 I guess Olive has become a Greek Olive!

RedHarvest Jan 03, 2018 Miss all the great catalog titles Olive used to release. Hoping they get back to the good stuff soon. mattshiv Jan 03, 2018 BELLE EPOQUE and JAMON, JAMON are day 1 pickups for me. I honestly never thought I'd see them make the jump to Blu-ray. JAMON, JAMON never even got a U.S. DVD release! These are terrific films and I can't wait to own them.

johnny Jan 03, 2018 Looking at the cover of Jamon Jamon, made me wonder if Penelope and Javier had a small spark for each other at the time, since they have been married to each other since 2010.....

35mm Jan 04, 2018 Jamon Jamon for me. This one is great.

AKORIS Jan 05, 2018 the difference between KINO and OLIVE-- both labels release many titles I've never heard of... but the KINO titles are at least something I'm interested in seeing! moosetvtv Jan 06, 2018 Was hoping Olive would continue to release 80's films....hope one day they'll release The Rachel Papers, Just One of the Guys, Morgan Stewart's Coming Home, Joy of Sex or O.C. and Stiggs....

Monroville Jan 07, 2018 jmat91: "now all we need is ANGUISH to get a proper release."



There has been a pretty good release in Germany for a few years now. I have the mediabook and the regular amaray case versions: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews56/anguish_blu-ray.htm



And THE TIT AND THE MOON (1994) is the movie with Matilda May, correct?

robtbass Jan 08, 2018 Looking forward to Jamón, Jamón, which I haven't seen since I found a possibly Chinese DVD of it in 2006! musicfann Jan 12, 2018 It seems to be OLIVE is running out of titles ? HOW is that possible ? NONE please !

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