When Bryan Kristopowitz drags you behind the velvet curtain of late‑night video stores — the hum of fluorescent lights and the scent of worn VHS — you discover that direct‑to‑video films are not failures but secret adventures. In this episode of Cinema Yugen, Bryan tells the improbable story of how a trove of rescued reviews became a book celebrating fifty explosive action movies that skipped theaters but burned bright in rental aisles and bedrooms.
From Mario Van Peebles’ discarded sci‑fi to Rutger Hauer’s trench‑coat bravado and the gloriously strange careers of Seagal and Van Damme, the conversation hurtles through treasure‑hunt anecdotes, unforgettable one‑liners, and the bittersweet thrill of films that almost slipped into oblivion. Each story peels back the cheap special effects to reveal the heart — the weird logic, the raw charm, the moments of accidental genius — that made these films worth loving.
Fast, funny, and fiercely nostalgic, this episode invites listeners to rummage the bargain bin, relive the golden age of video stores, and open Kristopowitz’s book like a map to hidden explosions, knife fights, and madcap heroics that prove some movies never needed a big screen to become unforgettable.
CHECK IT OUT:
https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Theater-Near-Direct-Video/dp/B0FS2MQ4ZH
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