When it comes to low-budget action flicks, few directors embrace the chaos quite like Gregory Hatanaka. With Night Cops, he delivers a brisk, no-nonsense cop thriller that feels like a throwback to the VHS days of tough talk, gunfire, and grit — for better and for worse. At just over an hour, Night Cops doesn’t waste time.
Read MoreDark Deeds (2022)
Gregory Hatanaka’s Dark Deeds is a sleek, intoxicating thriller that blends drama and mystery with his signature exploration of passion. The film follows a veteran detective, played with grounded gravitas by Nino Cimino, who finds himself drawn into a web of desire and intrigue when a woman—portrayed compellingly by Cassandra Schwiebert—becomes a suspect in a string of murders. Hatanaka’s strength has always been his ability to capture raw, human passion, and here it shines.
Read MoreCrack (2023)
Gregory Hatanaka’s Crack is a wild ride through the gritty world of crime, and while it’s far from perfect, it has a strange charm that makes it entertaining in its own way. The story is simple but effective: a young drug dealer, Byron, stands at a crossroads, forced to decide whether to fully embrace a life of crime or try to escape before it’s too late. The plot doesn’t overcomplicate things, which works in its favor—sometimes a tight, focused story is exactly what a crime drama needs.
Read MoreQuarantine Girl (2022)
Quarantine Girl is a unique, if polarizing, indie horror-thriller that plunges viewers into the unnerving mental landscape of a young woman navigating self-isolation during a global health crisis. Clocking in at a brief 61 minutes, the film is a tight, character-focused study of isolation, anxiety, and human connection, led by Nicole D’Angelo, who also co-directed and co-wrote the piece. D’Angelo delivers an intense, unflinching performance as the titular character, giving the audience a front-row seat to her slow descent into frustration and despair during lockdown.
Read MoreCall Me Emanuelle (2022)
Call Me Emanuelle is a daring, if uneven, exploration of sexual self-discovery and personal liberation. Directed by Gregory Hatanaka, the film follows Emmy, a woman trapped in a high-stress job and a loveless marriage, as she awakens to a new sense of desire and begins to embrace the Emmanuelle inside her. Shoko Rice delivers a quietly compelling performance, supported by a diverse cast including Chris Spinelli, Shane Ryan-Reid, and Saint Heart, who bring subtle depth to the film’s dreamlike and often surreal atmosphere.
Read MoreOne Million Babes BC (2024)
Mark Polonia’s One Million Babes BC is a delightfully chaotic romp through prehistoric times, blending sci-fi and adventure with a heavy dose of campy charm. The premise is simple but engaging: Ogg, the leader of a wild band of cavemen, selects the young Nila for a ritual sacrifice to appease the sky gods, setting off a series of absurdly entertaining escapades. From the very start, the film establishes its uniquely offbeat tone.
Read MoreKill Plan (2021)
Gregory Hatanaka’s Kill Plan is a lean, 1-hour-and-12-minute action ride that doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not—and in its own way, that’s part of its charm. The story follows jaded CIA agent Nash as he races against time to recover the deadly nerve agent XZ-9 and thwart a rogue government plot to wipe out humanity. It’s a simple, high-stakes setup, executed with a scrappy, low-budget energy that fans of Hatanaka will recognize and appreciate.
Read MoreThe Creativity Workshop (2025)
Jamie Grefe’s The Creativity Workshop is a refreshing mix of comedy, thriller, and game show antics that keeps viewers both laughing and on edge. Centered on Jack Woods, a high-energy film director tasked with guiding two actresses through a self-development game show, the film cleverly blends real-life creative exercises and fun challenges with an escalating sense of suspense. The premise is delightfully offbeat: what begins as a motivational, playful series of exercises takes a darkly thrilling turn when news of the infamous Chatsworth Butcher threatens the production.
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