Schlock-Wire: Gritty Cult Fave STREETWALKIN' To Make Its DVD Debut In August
And the folks at Shout! Factory just keep rolling 'em out: the latest official announcement is Streetwalkin', a mid-1980's flick about prostitution that is half exploitation film and half docudrama. It was an early film role for future Oscar winner for Melissa Leo and also features a memorable turn from Pet Sematery alum Dale Midkiff as a crazy pimp in the Vice Squad tradition. This will be the first-ever DVD release for Streetwalkin' and it will also feature a commentary track from director Joan Freeman. Read on for all the street corner sleaze details...
ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER MELISSA LEO HEADLINES IN THIS GRITTY, EMOTIONAL ROLLER-COASTER OF A TEEN PROSTITUTE ON THE SLEAZY STREETS OF NEW YORK CITY
STREETWALKIN’
Starring Melissa Leo, Dale Midkiff , Leon Robinson,
Antonio Fargas and Julie Newmar
Strutting onto Home Entertainment Shelves August 2, 2011 From Shout! Factory
“Fact paced … vicious … full of surprises.” New York Times
Long before her star turns in Homicide: Life on the Street, Frozen River, Welcome to the Rileys, HBO's Treme or The Fighter, Oscar®- winner Melissa Leo delivers a tour-de-force performance in the 1985 motion picture Streetwalkin’ as a teen runaway seduced into the sleazy world of Times Square hookers, pimps, gangsters and lowlifes. There's plenty of action -- on and off the mean streets of New York City , in the bars, cars, apartments, hotel rooms and back alleys -- that turns good girls bad, bad girls badder and repays kindness with death.Directed by Joan Freeman (Satisfaction), who co-wrote the screenplay with her husband, Robert Alden, Streetwalkin' is a time capsule that captures the sights and sounds of the underbelly of 1980s Times Square, with it's streetwalkers, gunsels, transvestites, S&M freaks and assorted dope fiends and outcasts. Featuring newly re-mastered anamorphic widescreen movie presentation, Streetwalkin’ is a must-have for fans of Roger Corman’s Cult Classics, Melissa Leo, and cult film buffs -- available August 2 on DVD ($14.93) from Shout! Factory, in association with New Horizons Picture Corporation. Pre-order now on Amazon.com, ShoutFactoryStore.com and major retailers.SynopsisMelissa Leo stars as Cookie, a teen runaway who escapes her abusive stepfather and heads for the Big Apple along with her younger brother (Randall Batinkoff, Kick-Ass). When she arrives at the Port Authority bus terminal, she meets a charming but psychopathically violent pimp named Duke (Dale Midkiff, Pet Sematary). With nowhere to go, Cookie is soon working for Duke, who introduces her to the harsh, brutal life of a prostitute. Also stars Antonio Fargas (Starsky and Hutch) as Finesse, an over-the-hill pimp; Julie Newmar (TV’s Batman) as Queen Bee, a hooker/madam who takes no guff from any man; and Leon Robinson (Cliffhanger), Khandi Alexander (Treme), Deborah Offner (Black Swan) and Greg Germann (Ally McBeal).DVD Special Features:
- New anamorphic widescreen transfer (1.78:1)
- Commentary with director-writer Joan Freeman and producer-writer Robert Alden
- Reversible DVD cover with original '80s theatrical poster key art on the other side
- Trailers
STREETWALKIN’ (1985)Concorde PicturesStarring Melissa Leo, Dale Midkiff, Leon Robinson, Antonio Fargas, Julie Newmar, Randall Batinkoff, Khandi Alexander, Deborah Offner, Greg GermannProduced by Robert AldenDirected by Joan FreemanWritten by Joan Freeman and Robert AldenDirector of Photography: Steven FierbergEdited by John K. Adams and Patrick RandArt Direction: Jeffery RobbinsOriginal Music by Matthew Ender and Doug TimmRated RRunning time: 86 minutesSpecial features are not ratedShout! Factory will continue to present Roger Corman's Cult Classics home entertainment releases in 2011. Upcoming highlights include The Ron Howard Action Pack, The Women in Cages Collection, Battle Beyond the Stars and many others.