Overview: Rock star Prince makes a spectacular feature film debut in this highly autobiographical blockbuster that won both an Oscar® and a Grammy®. Headstrong, vulnerable young musician The Kid (Prince) struggles with his own inner demons and with his alcoholic father who beats his mother.

But the madness infects his music, fueling a sound that transforms the struggling young rocker into a star.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Purple Rain (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this June 25th, 2024.

For my money, this Purple Rain (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Purple Rain presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (54.90 Mbps), Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.85:1, and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit).

And that was what stood out for me, the 4K’s new DTS-HD 5.1 MA mix, which differs from both earlier Blu-rays. The film’s audio was also restored from the original Dolby Stereo (LCRS) archived 35mm magnetic film source elements containing the separate dialogue, music, and effects (DME) tracks. These restored elements along with the 20th anniversary’s 5.1 multi-channel print master were used to complete a newly remastered 5.1 presentation for the film.

Thus, the result is, as expected, an incredibly rich and vibrant sound stage ... at least during the film’s numerous high-octane musical performances, which absolutely come alive in the main three channels and occasional spill over into the rears for a convincing you-are-there concert atmosphere.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, and telling it like it is, when this movie first came out back in 1984, Prince was one of the hottest acts around. Everyone wanted to see this movie, which was not much more than a extended music video. The acting was pretty bad, but what can you expect from musicians acting on the big screen for the first time?

Despite that, it was still a very entertaining film! Morris Day and Jerome Benton provide some all time classic comedy, especially their rendition of The Password, which will make you think of Abbott & Costello doing their Who’s on first baseball routine!

Apollonia (who went by a single name then) provided some beautiful beats, but also possessing a beautiful body, meant we were also brought forth some brief nudity from her. And, of course, my oh my, the soundtrack of the album/film is one of the best Prince ever recorded.

As we all know, Prince later on had a fallout with Warner Bros. and changed his name, but at this particular time in his career, he was at the top of his game and this film is the most perfect homage to a musical genius, a man taken too soon from us.

This movie is directed by Albert Magnoli (Street Knight) and stars Prince (Graffiti Bridge), Apollonia Kotero (Black Magic Woman), Clarence Williams III (Deep Cover), Morris Day (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Jerome Benton (Under the Cherry Moon).

The story line for this picture is pretty good and has dynamic circumstances, characters and music that align perfectly with the plot. The concert scenes, purification sequence and the motorcycle are legendary. Prince’s mannerisms and body language are classic and absolutely must see television.

Which all goes to prove that now Warner Bros. have released this film on the magnificent 4K platform, we can all indulge ourselves within the wondrous purple world of the great one all over again.

The Purple Rain 4K UHD Disc includes the following previously released special features:

Commentary by director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo and cinematographer Donald E. Thorin
First Avenue: The Road to Pop Royalty - featurette
Let’s Go Crazy – music video
Take Me with U – music video
When Doves Cry – Music Video
I Would Die 4 U/Baby I’m a Star – music video
Purple Rain – music video
Jungle Love – music video
The Bird – music video
Sex Shooter – music video

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its theatrical release, Purple Rain, the iconic 1984 film starring Prince in his film acting debut, will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time on June 25. Purple Rain will be available to purchase on June 25 on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and more.

Purple Rain stars music icon Prince in his first film role as The Kid, alongside Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Olga Karlatos and Clarence Williams III.

The film was directed by Albert Magnoli from a screenplay by Magnoli and William Blinn and was produced by Robert Cavallo, Joseph Ruffalo and Steven Fargnoli. The original songs were composed and produced by Prince.

Purple Rain won the Academy Award® for Best Original Song Score (Prince), the Grammy Award® for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special (Prince and the Revolution), and the NAACP Image Award® for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Prince).

Overview: Don’t breathe! Don’t look back! Just run for your life when a destructive force of nature comes howling straight toward you, destroying everything in its path – when you’re running from a Twister.

Academy Award-winner Helen Hunt stars as Dr. Jo Thornton-Harding, who as a small girl watched her father sucked to his death from her family’s storm cellar by a massive tornado.

Now a storm chaser, a scientist who risks her life to study the dark side of nature by taking her data-transmitting instruments directly into the path of a deadly storm, Jo chases the largest tornado ever to strike Oklahoma as her marriage implodes and rival scientists will stop at nothing to steal her breakthrough.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Twister (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this July 9th, 2024.

For my money, this Twister (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Twister presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, when atmospheric conditions are conducive to tornadoes, a weatherman (Paxton) tracks down his separated wife (Hunt) and inadvertently joins their storm-chasing team in the Midwest, because he can’t resist seeing his sensor invention finally put to use. Jami Gertz plays his new love, Cary Elwes a pompous rival and Philip Seymour Hoffman a wild team member.

Twister (1996) could be categorized as a disaster flick, but with the distinction that the protagonists are constantly chasing the potential disaster. The entire film takes place in the prairies or forests of the Midwest with ominous skies and intermittent destructive tornadoes. It’s called Twister after all and, well, that’s what you get!

The writers keep things interesting by adding human interest with the, admittedly contrived, love triangle and the rival storm-chasing team that has corporate sponsors (the horror, the horror). I didn’t mind the love story. When two people belong together, they belong together. Perhaps the fiancé will realize this, perhaps not. You will just have to watch it and see, I guess (if you haven’t already). Speaking of which, I’m glad they didn’t make her (Gertz) out to be an unreasonable biyatch, like in The Parent Trap!

At the end of the day, Twister gives you what you pay for. It’s not rocket science, but it’s hugely entertaining and full of tornado-oriented thrills, which explains why it was a huge hit at the box office (and rightly so).

The Twister 4K UHD Disc includes the following new and previously released special features:

The Legacy of Twister – Taken by the Wind (NEW)
Chasing the Storm: Twister Revisited
Anatomy of a Twister
The Making of Twister
Van Halen Music Video – Humans Being
Commentary by director Jan de Bont and visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier

Twister, action-packed iconic disaster film directed by Jan de Bont (Speed) will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time on July 9th, 2024.

Overview: Lucy (Rosanna Arquette, Pulp Fiction) is an underpaid waitress at “Dali”, a terminally hip New York City restaurant, who’s seriously in need of cash. Dali’s new, mysterious, charming (and very in debt) bartender, Monte (David Bowie, The Hunger) needs to marry someone, anyone, by the end of the week, or else!

Together they join forces — along with Lucy’s lingerie designing best friend, Viv (Eszter Balint, Stranger Than Paradise) — to rob the popular eatery and solve their financial woes. However these three are far from master criminals and they soon learn that in robberies, as in love, things never go as planned.

This “lively and amusing” (Los Angeles Times) romantic caper co-stars Andre Gregory (Demolition Man), Buck Henry (Heaven Can Wait) and Academy Award® winner Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God) and features “David Bowie’s zaniest most underrated film role” (Collider) in this engaging romantic comedy from acclaimed director Richard Shepard (The Matador) in this never before seen director’s cut.

Blu-ray Verdict: Thankfully for all concerned, this is a movie that doesn’t do us the disservice of taking itself seriously. We’re able to suspend disbelief and have fun with the wacky characters without wondering how they could possibly exist. I agree with other people that I have talked to about it down the decades, that the pacing could have used work. But those who complain (and trust me, they still do) that one shot of a bridge doesn’t prove a movie is set in New York, obviously thought movies benefit from being set in New York; a point with which I personally don’t agree.

But, I digress. I enjoyed Lucy’s character and thought Arquette was the right person to play her. Viv, on the other hand, bothered me. Eszter Balint’s slight Hungarian accent got on my nerves from the beginning. I’m of the camp that feels an actor should either have an accent or not. If you have one, don’t spend thousands of dollars training to cover up 99.5% of it, because the other .5% will still give you away.

And as much as I love all-things David Bowie, and much as he probably sold this movie for most people browsing in the video store, he really phoned in his performance here. Much was made on the cassette box, and in the reviews, of the fact that Monte is a mystery man. That we don’t know whether he’s a liar or a gambler or any of several things he claims to be early on.

Problem is, at no time is it made clear to us why we should care what he is. He’s boring, morose, mumbles far too many of his lines, and only turns on that famed Bowie sexiness about twice in the whole movie (once during a make out scene that is charming until it is cut off abruptly). I was quite happy to see his character bound into the fish tank to rescue Lucy, because it was the only time I saw any kind of light in his eyes. Though I suppose it might have just been sparkles from the water!

Yeah, yeah, I know, I complain a lot, but I liked the fact that this plot was clean as a whistle, no big holes to mull over at the end, and the happy ending was sweet (if not entirely articulated, but then, by that time we could tell how things ended up and didn’t need it spelled out for us, I guess). The dialogue is mostly quite clever, the costumes are fabulous (Lucy in her bejeweled Houdini-era flapper gowns is adorable), and I love what happened to the ring! Very watchable, even today, so please buy this new Director’s Cut Collector’s Edition blu-ray and rediscover it for yourselves.[C.C.C.]

Special Features:
High Definition (1080p) presentation of the director’s cut of the main feature in 1.78:1 (struck from a brand new 4K transfer from film interpositive)
Audio: LPCM 2.0 Mono
Optional English Subtitles
Introduction by Director Richard Shepard
Commentary with Director Richard Shepard, actors Rosanna Arquette and Eszter Balint, co-producer Sarah Jackson and co-screenwriter Tamar Brott, moderated by “Cereal at Midnight’s” Heath Holland
Commentary by Director Richard Shepard
“The Making of The Linguini Incident” - Feature length documentary about the making of the film featuring interviews with Richard Shepard, Tamar Brott, Rosanna Arquette, Eszter Balint Marlee Matlin, Sarah Jackson, Marcia Hinds and Richard von Ernst (1:44:26, HD, with optional English subtitles)
Photo Gallery with commentary by Richard Shepard
The Linguini Incident – Original Theatrical Version (SD, 98:00)
2024 Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Reversible Artwork

Overview: From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court.

Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist - West Side Story), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor - The Crown) -- his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.

As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.

Blu-ray Verdict: Challengers emerges as a sizzling narrative that explores the complexities of a love triangle entwined with the high stakes of professional tennis. The film navigates through the emotional volleys between two lifelong friends, both vying for the affection of the same woman.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of competitive tennis, Challengers delivers a well-crafted and compelling story. The film’s strength lies in its ability to keep the audience engaged with an enjoyable romp filled with unexpected twists that cleverly shift our allegiances. The script deftly interlaces humor throughout, ensuring a light-hearted touch amidst the drama.

At the heart of Challengers is Zendaya’s portrayal of Tashi, a role that she inhabits with an effortless grace. The film goes to great lengths to portray Zendaya’s beauty, employing meticulous cinematography, dynamic choreography, and a wardrobe that is as striking as it is elegant. Indeed, Zendaya’s Tashi is not just a visual treat, but someone with wit, intelligence and charm.

However, the film is not without its faults. One notable discord is the disparity in the romantic playing field, where Tashi’s rivals being well out her league. Additionally, I couldn’t understand why Zendaya would be interested in either as she is clearly in love with herself!

In conclusion, and that aside, Challengers serves up a visually stunning and emotionally resonant tale. It’s a testament to the power of love and ambition, all wrapped up in the world of elite sports. While it may not ace every shot, it certainly wins the match for being an entertaining and thought-provoking film. [R.R.]

The much buzzed about film, Challengers, from Amazon MGM Studios, will be available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray on July 9th, 2024.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name”), the film is written by Justin Kuritzkes and produced by Amy Pascal, Luca Guadagnino, Zendaya, Rachel O’Connor.

Overview: With Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, director Guy Ritchie established himself as a master of bravura set pieces and buddy movie banter, before proving he could successfully meld the irreverent spirit with classic properties in his Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Now, Ritchie brings his signature touch to his big-screen translation of the beloved 1960s television spy show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

1963: in the thick of the Cold War, roguish CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill, Mission: Impossible – Fallout) forms an uneasy alliance with brooding KGB officer Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name) to thwart a criminal organization with apocalyptic intentions. The rebellious daughter of a missing nuclear scientist (Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina) is their only ticket inside the sinister ring – but to whom is she truly loyal? A desperate race against time will determine whether the scientist’s atomic research will shatter the delicate balance of power in the world.

A thrilling spy romp with rich period detail and an infectious soundtrack of cool pop classics, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. puts a colorful, contemporary twist on 1960s espionage and delivers pure entertainment with swaggering ease.

Blu-ray Verdict: Guy Ritchie’s 2015 spy thriller The Man from U. N. C. L. E. is a chic and highly entertaining film that infuses the traditional espionage genre with a newfound dynamic energy. The film centers on the unexpected alliance between American CIA agent Napoleon Solo (played dapperly by Henry Cavill) and KGB spy Illya Kuryakin (portrayed intensely by Armie Hammer), set against the backdrop of the Cold War.

Ritchie’s trademark fast-paced direction combined with the dynamic duo’s compelling chemistry produces the ideal balance of humor, action, and intrigue.

Indeed, what sets The Man from U. N. C. L. E. apart is its commitment to retro coolness, from the sleek 1960’s aesthetic to the jazzy soundtrack. The film effortlessly weaves a tale of international espionage with moments of wit and charm, making it a delightful throwback to classic spy cinema that I personally adore.

Alicia Vikander’s portrayal of the enigmatic Gaby Teller adds depth to the trio, and the film’s well-choreographed action sequences and clever narrative twists keep viewers engaged throughout. With its impeccable style, charismatic performances, and a playful approach to the spy genre, The Man from U. N. C. L. E. stands as a modern classic that pays homage to the golden age of espionage cinema. [M.G.]

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10/compatible)
Original lossless Dolby Atmos sound
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
The Hollywood Way – brand new interview with co-writer/producer Lionel Wigram
A Lineage of Bad Guys – brand new interview with actor Luca Calvani
Legacy of U.N.C.L.E. – brand new featurette celebrating the original 1960s TV series and its influence on the 2015 movie, featuring Helen McCarthy, David Flint and Vic Pratt
Cockneys and Robbers – brand new featurette exploring director Guy Ritchie’s oeuvre, featuring Kat Hughes, Hannah Strong and Josh Saco
Spy Vision: Recreating 60s Cool, A Higher Class of Hero, Metisse Motorcycles: Proper and Very British, The Guys from U.N.C.L.E. and A Man of Extraordinary Talents – five archival featurettes exploring the making of the film
U.N.C.L.E.: On-Set Spy – four archival, bite-sized featurettes going behind the scenes on the film set
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Double-sided fold-out poster, featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Barry Forshaw, and a reprinted article from CODEX Magazine on the film’s cinematography
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative

www.arrowfilms.com

Overview: Hollywood legend Howard Hawks (The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo) floors the accelerator in Red Line 7000, a late career treat that gave James Caan (The Godfather, Rollerball) his first starring role and would later be an influence on Quentin Tarantino.

Overnight fame, overnight fortune, and any-night girls, the men of Banjo Baker’s racing team press ‘em all to the limit in this story of three ambitious young drivers trying to make their names in the thrilling world of stock-car racing. It’s a dangerous life for the drivers and the women who love them. In the red zone beyond 7000 RPM the engine might blow, but it’s the only way to win.

Shot by Milton R. Krasner (All About Eve) with a screenplay by George Kirgo (Spinout) and a supporting cast that includes Charlene Holt (El Dorado), Marianna Hill (High Plains Drifter), and a pre-Star Trek George Takei, Red Line 7000 features pulse-pounding scenes of real life racing and crashes that will take your breath away.

Blu-ray Verdict: One of the strangest race car movies of all time is also the most grounded, deliberately mundane, and yet directed by an old Howard Hawks starring a young James Caan, it’s worth both watching and re-watching since there’s so much going on! (albeit barely on the racetrack!)

Caan is one of several racers holed up at a Holiday Inn and partaking in various affairs while driving for Norman Aldan, whose tomboy sister Laura Devon winds up quickly bedded with the film’s buried lead in muscular John Robert Crawford, whose rushed backstory of a farm boy wanting to be the fastest takes away from an against-the-odds story that should have been Caan’s role (in my humble opinion).

Instead he’s the most contented and dependable of the drivers, and often seems bored despite his natural screen presence, eventually winding up in the arms of his future brother’s trophy wife, Marianna Hill from THE GODFATHER 2, a spurned foreign beauty who, like the other relationships mixed and matched throughout this sport genre melodrama, consists of mismatched couples bickering till they bang!

But what makes RED LINE 7000 shine despite the lack of plot and action is its colorful 1960’s template, looking more 1967 than 1965, a two-fold time-piece showcasing that era’s womanizing yet equally vulnerable playboy types and their reluctant-till-their-not dames. Also including Gail Hire as a widowed co-owner of the kind of groovy nightclub that’s neat to hang around in within this mellow hangout vehicle, the film may sound tedious but it is far from that and fully deserves another viewing via this beautiful new Blu-ray presentation from Arrow Films. [F.M.]

BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman
Bruce Kessler: Man in Motion, a new interview with assistant director Bruce Kessler
Gas, Gears, Girls, Guys & Death, a new visual essay on the film by filmmaker and critic Howard S. Berger
A Modern Type of Woman, a new visual essay on the “Hawksian Woman” in Red Line 7000 by film scholar Kat Ellinger
Image gallery of posters, lobby cards, and stills
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing by film critic Martyn Conterio

www.arrowfilms.com

Overview: He’s back! One of the most infamous B-movie maestros to have ever sat in a director’s chair, Nico Mastorakis returns to Arrow Video with a collection of sci-fi shenanigans and screwball comedies that will take you out of this world!

First up, Nico then shows a more thoughtful side in The Time Traveller, where the widow (Adrienne Barbeau, The Fog) of an astronaut and her young son come across a mysterious man (Keir Dullea, 2001: A Space Odyssey) with uncanny powers on a beach in Greece. The wacky Sky High sees three American jocks on holiday in Greece being handed a tape by a mysterious figure, who begs them to not let it fall into the wrong hands before being shot by an unseen assassin.

Featuring an early score from the great Hans Zimmer, Terminal Exposure focuses on two carefree beach photographers, who accidentally photograph a murder and immediately set after the assassin: a tall, gorgeous blonde with a rose tattoo on her behind. Glitch! sees two bumbling burglars whose attempt to throw the house party of the century in the luxury home of a Hollywood producer is foiled by a group of mobsters determined to collect what the producer owes them – no matter what.

Take a martial arts school, throw in a snotty rich kid, a clumsy geek, a paranoid survivalist, two beach joggers, a cool secret agent and a mime, and you get Ninja Academy, a madcap karate comedy like no other starring Gerald Okamura (Big Trouble in Little China).

Finally, in The Naked Truth, Mastorakis pays homage to a certain Billy Wilder film when two friends decide to pass as women and pose as makeup artists for a local beauty pageant to elude a vicious mafia boss. It seems like the perfect cover, until the mafioso gets the hots for one of them!

Zany, shocking and unhinged, Nico Mastorakis offers a satirical and sardonic skewering of American cinema with a chutzpah that must be seen to be believed!

Blu-ray Verdict: First up is The Time Traveller (aka The Next One) (1984), where an astronaut’s widow and her young son meet a stranger from the future on a Greek island. One day while traversing a deserted stretch of beach they come upon a naked man (Keir Dullea) washed ashore. On his back is an imprinted magnetic number. They befriend the stranger, give him clothes, drugs, money, and sex. In return, they find out where he is from and that he just missed seeing his brother by two days or two millennia.

Can he ever go back? If so will he ever return? What would you do? The story is more a study of human nature than it is sci-fi or time travel, but it works on so many levels that it was enjoyable to watch from start to finish.

Up next is Sky High (1985) where a group of American students traveling in Greece find themselves accidentally involved with a new type of drug--and the gang that wants it.

Man, Mastorakis made some crazy movies! Especially this one, in which a bunch of teens on a Greek vacation discover an entirely new kind of drugs: audio cassettes that deliver orgasms via hallucination filmed music videos. No, really. What is this, The Digital Underground’s Sex Packets: The Movie?

It also has a soundtrack filled with songs by Chris de Burgh, the guy who wrote Lady In Red, so it has that going for it. Also, Seiko paid big money to get their Data 2000 watch into this movie, as if the people who watch Nico Mastorakis movies are looking to upgrade their digital watches!

This is a movie about an old man inside the cassettes trying to get the three heroes to find the second tape, which will weaponize the music video orgy inside. So basically Porky’s meets Videodrome, but Debbie Harry never puts out a cigarette on her breast!

Then comes Terminal Exposure (1987) and tell the story of two beach combing-shutterbugs who accidentally capture a murder on film. Now detectives, the boys set out to capture a murderess shot only from behind, with a rose tattoo on her behind. Fun in the sun turns dangerous when they end up shooting bullets instead of film.

Coming from Mastorakis, who gave us the taboo-busting video nasty Island of Death, Terminal Exposure was never going to be a tasteful movie: it would probably be labelled as problematic by Gen Z today, or worse by the uber woke society, as the film being full of scantily clad young women (the focus on their shapely backsides), with a few camp gay stereotypes for comic relief.

All of this means that it is perfect entertainment for an old dinosaur like me, who couldn’t give two hoots about political correctness when it comes to good, old-fashioned entertainment.

As for the film, well, Terminal Exposure is a prime example of dumb ’80s trash, with a nonsensical plot, atrocious acting, laughable dialogue and basic direction. Mastorakis chucks in wacky WTF? Scenes that boggle the mind: a blonde dominatrix with a swastika tattoo on her butt; a surprise party held by a bunch of mafiosi; the two young heroes disguising themselves as bushes; an ice cream fight on the beach; and an exciting finalé in which an assassin tries to escape the police on a skateboard!

Up next is Glitch! (1988) and is the story of two thieves who rob a large fancy house when the owner is away. But when a visitor mistakes them for the owner, and they find out about a casting party mis-scheduled for that day, they decide to stick around for the fun. There’s only one small problem, a little glitch in their plan. The real owners owe some bad dudes a lot of money, and they show up to collect!

As one could only ever expect, Glitch! is a dopey and oddball mistaken identity comedy that in the end doesn’t get up to hell of a lot. Although Dan Speaker as Brucie the casting shoot’s gay bodyguard did make the most of his scenes with the odd comical line of dialogue.

So the gist is that two burglars break into a skeezy movie producer’s mansion, whose just left for a holiday trip. While in the process of stealing they’re mistaken for the owners when a casting party (for a sleazy b-action pic) is accidentally scheduled for that day. One involving a lot of bikini clad women so they obviously decide to stay!

So begins the glitch (and the script’s running gag) in the duo’s plan. Thinking on the fly, lands them in even more trouble. Very unexpected trouble. Life-threatening trouble!

Oh, but do stick around to the very end of the closing credits for the thank you messages. Probably more amusing then the film itself. Even their own copyright warning message took me by surprise!

Along for the cinematic ride next is Ninja Academy (1989) where this Police Academy-styled film offers its laughs at the expense of students of the obvious school for ninjas.

This is B-movie perfection! Stereotypes are twisted and turned every which way possible. The film is so light-hearted and mad-cap that you can’t help but laugh your way through.

The greatest thing about this movie is that it gleefully breaks all the rules and mocks the martial arts movie genre soundly, while not completely disrespecting it.

The level of absurdity could not be raised much higher than it was raised here in Ninja Academy. You either love it or hate it I suppose. If you like B-movies then you’ll adore it. Otherwise, your taste is too refined and elite for me!

Finally comes The Naked Truth (1992) where two friends, both named Frank, accidentally obtain a suitcase at the airport. It contains incriminating evidence against a mafia boss, who sends his Terminator-like lackie to find them.

The Franks hide by impersonating make-up women for a beauty pageant. While in drag, the mafioso falls in love with one of the Franks.

OK, bear with me here as I am going to be brutal, but in all honesty, this piece of celluloid is what you get when you take Bosom Buddies and The Naked Gun and have them stripped of everything funny! This is the type of film where a character says Black Russian to a bartender and the white bartender responds saying that he’s just really tanned!

Was that ever funny ... ever? This is the type of film where two gentlemen are in side-by-side helicopters and one guy asks the other if he has some Grey Poupon. This is the type of film where some guy ignores a bunch of good-looking women in skimpy swimsuits and instead gets all hot and bothered by some dude in drag.

In short, this is the type of film that doesn’t have even a shred of originality and would be destroyed if we lived in a civilized society! I can understand the likes of Bubba Smith, Lou Ferrigno and Zsa Zsa Gabor showing up in junk like this. The saddest moment for me, however, was seeing the wonderfully talented Yvonne De Carlo make an appearance. Sure she fully deserved to be given more roles in the ’90s, just not stuff like this! [But hey, five out of six ain’t bad!]

BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations
Original stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Nico’s Self Interviews, six brand new interviews with writer, director and producer Nico Mastorakis where he looks back on how the films in this collection came to be, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and cast and crew interviews
Dan Hirsch: A Revealing Self-Interview, a brand new interview with the star of Sky High Dan Hirsch looking back on his role in the film
Gerald Okamura, Ninja Academy’s “Chiba” Remembers, a brand new interview with Gerald Okamura, looking back on his role as Chiba in Ninja Academy, and his career as an actor and martial artist
Original trailers for each film
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the career Nico Mastorakis by critic Barry Forshaw
Limited Edition Deluxe packaging with reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch

www.arrowfilms.com

Overview: Inspector Otaka (Hiroshi Fujioka) vows revenge after an armed couple (Stuart Ong and Michiko Nishiwaki) stage a shocking jewelry heist, ending in bloodshed and the death of Okata’s assistant.

Meanwhile, Rachel Yeung (Cynthia Khan), a rookie cop in Hong Kong, ends up entangled in the same mess with the detective when the Japanese thieves make their way to Hong Kong. Together, Otaka and Yeung are on a mission to bring the cold-blooded and desperate thieves to justice.

Blu-ray Verdict: A pair of stylish Japanese thieves steal some valuable gems at a fashion show, and during their escape, they kill the partner of a ruffled detective (Hiroshi Fijioka). The detective swears revenge, and the thieves played by Michiko Nishiwaki and her terminally ill partner/lover played by Stuart Ong plan on going to Hong Kong, sell the loot, and buy weapons for the Red Army.

All the while Cynthia, a rookie cop in Hong Kong, tries to get in on the action of the task force she has been assigned to, but unfortunately her superior is her uncle who wants to keep her out of harms way. The Japanese thieves and the detective trailing them, all make their way to Hong Kong, and Cynthia ends up entangled in the same mess with the detective, trying to bring the cold blooded and desperate thieves to justice.

People on both sides are killed, leading to crossed paths of personal revenge, everyone out for each others blood.

Cynthia Khan takes over from Michelle Yeoh in this girls with guns action thriller which has a mix of comedy, drama and hard-hitting action. It’s a strange concoction as on one hand you have light humor between Cynthia and her uncle, who doesn’t want her to be a cop, and on the other you have two cold-blooded villains who make Bonnie and Clyde seem like church-going devotees (they cold-bloodedly kill, and are part of the Red army).

They are pretty dark characters. Plus you got a detective, who looks like a cross between Sonny Chiba and Columbo, who is on a mission to nab the killers. It’s not as good as Royal Warriors, but it’s a satisfying piece of action mayhem with a good plot, good humor and some intense and exhilarating action scenes. Plus Cynthia Khan looks cute and is also likeable .. and kicks loooooooots of butt! [C.R.]

Limited Edition Special Features:
2K Remaster from the Original Camera Negative
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray Presentation
2.0 Cantonese Dual Mono with English Subtitles
2.0 English Dub
Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng & Michael Worth
Interview with John Sham by Frédéric Ambroisine
Hong Kong Trailer
English Trailers
English Credits
Reversible sleeve featuring original Hong Kong artwork

www.88-films.myshopify.com

Overview: Donnie Yen and Cynthia Khan play two cops from both sides of the Pacific on the trail of a drug trafficking syndicate. Khan and Yen discover to their dismay that the syndicate has more than one insider working in the law enforcement agencies.

As they break the rules to save a witness, the two find themselves pursued by American assassins, Hong Kong gangs and the law.

Blu-ray Verdict: The action (thanks to the great Yuen Woo Ping) is typical of the series, inventive and brutal, but what sets this one apart is the sheer number of action scenes. There are three kung fu fights and a shoot-out in the first fifteen minutes. In total (and yes, I counted) there are fourteen kung fu battles, three shoot-outs, a brief ice locker torture scene, a car bomb, two scenes involving hitmen on motorcycles, and two interrogation room beatings!

Cynthia’s highlights are a great fight on a moving ambulance in which she is shoved though the window, her head dangling above the pavement, fighting on top of it, hanging off the front grill, and another fight with a fugly gwailo woman in a warehouse that involves some precarious scaffolding and elevator shaft fu!

Donnie, however, has a the majority of the good fights, like a motorcycle chase and joust, as well as his fantastic final fight with a beefcake Ike Turner lookalike. If you are looking for action every three minutes, look no further!

The In The Line Of Duty series is mainly known for showcasing the talents of female action stars, Michelle Khan (Yeoh) and Cynthia Khan, however this entry is mainly Donnie Yen’s chance to shine and one of the first films to gain him any notoriety as a lead. [I.D.]

Limited Edition Special Features:
Stunning new 2K restoration of the Hong Kong cut, featuring 2.0 Cantonese Mono with English Subtitles & 2.0 English Mono
New 2K restoration of the Export Version of the film featuring the Classic English Dub
Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng and Michael Worth
Archival commentary by Hong Kong expert Stefan Hammond and lead actor Michael Wong
Archive Interview with Donnie Yen
Hong Kong Trailer
English Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original Hong Kong artwork

www.88-films.myshopify.com

Overview: The Miracle Fighters is a comedic tale of taoist magic directed by the martial arts maestro behind Drunken Master, The Magnificent Butcher and Iron Monkey - the legendary Yuen Woo-ping!

During the Quing dynasty, marriage between Manchu and Han people is outlawed. When it is discovered that high-ranking official Kao Hsiung (Eddy Ko) has taken a Han wife, the Emperor informs him that he will be forgiven - but only if he kills his beloved before the court. When he refuses, Kao Hsiung is marked for death by the powerful Sorcerer Bat (Shun-yee Yuen) and forced to watch as his wife is slain before his eyes.

Kao Hsiung flees, kidnapping the Crown Prince during his escape - but soon the prince is dead, and Kao Hsiung is forced to silently replace him with another young boy. In adulthood, that innocent child - Shu Gut (Yat-Chor Yuen) - finds himself relentlessly pursued by Sorcerer Bat, and turns to two quarreling taoist priests in the hope of protecting himself with their magic.

Made in the same mold as its contemporaries Encounter of the Spooky Kind and The Dead and the Deadly, this riotous kung fu fantasy was followed by two equally entertaining thematic sequels in Shaolin Drunkard and Taoism Drunkard. Eureka Classics is proud to present The Miracle Fighters on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration.

Blu-ray Verdict: I think everyone who has seen this movie already knows that this film has some cheesy fights, cheesy effects, cheesy characters and so everything that a fan of cheese cinema wants to see in a film!

The story is about a man whose wife has been killed by the local emperor and he is sentenced to death. Therefore, in order to flee he kidnaps the emperor’s son and flees with him. On the way, the emperor’s son is killed accidentally, and the man who is chased by the emperor’s soldiers gives his nephew a medal that had belonged to the emperor’s son before he was killed.

Phew! Later on, the bad guys appear and everything becomes so cheesy that you won’t stop laughing! On the top of that, there are many wine bottles flying around, but I digress. Simply put, Miracle Fighters is another Yuen woo-Ping action movie, only this time, it is not only based on kung-fu, but also on magic, sorcerers and a LOT of humor.

Special Features:
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration
Original Cantonese mono audio and optional classic English dub
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong theatrical version by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Brand new audio commentary on the export version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
John Kreng on Yuen Woo-ping – brand new documentary featurette by Michael Worth
Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
Trailer

Overview: From the director of The Skyhawk, Broken Oath and King Boxer, Jeong Chang-hwa’s “The Double Crossers” is an action-packed revenge story produced by Golden Harvest, starring South Korean martial artist Shin Il-ryong (The Dragon Lives Again) and featuring the legendary Sammo Hung (The Magnificent Butcher).

Following his late father’s murder, police officer Detective Lung (Shin) discovers that both of his parents were involved in a smuggling ring - and that his father was killed by its leader, a violent criminal now living in Hong Kong under the name Wang (Chao Hsiung, The One-Armed Swordsman).

Determined to avenge his father’s death, Lung resigns from the police force to take matters into his own hands. Teaming up with a smuggler who was once a close friend and partner-in-crime to his parents, Chang (Chan Sing, The Chinese Boxer), Lung heads for Hong Kong and sets about drawing Wang into a trap.

Blu-ray Verdict: Following in the footsteps of Golden Harvest’s earlier Bruce Lee vehicles, The Double Crossers was made in the years following Lee’s death, when the company was in search of a new generation of martial arts stars. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film in its worldwide debut Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration.

In truth, Jeong Chang-hwa’s brilliant The Double Crossers is just about all you need to feature in a film that you are hoping turns out to be an action-packed revenge story (and bonus points if you had your fingers crossed for it to be produced by Golden Harvest and starring South Korean actor and martial artist Shin Il-ryong and the legendary Sammo Hung).

The story follows Detective Lung (Shin), and after the death of his late father, he discovers that both of his parents were mysteriously involved in a smuggling ring, of all things. Oh, and to cap that all off, he quickly learns that his late father was killed by its leader, a violent criminal now living in Hong Kong under the name Wang (Chao Hsiung).

So he soon resigns from the police force to enable him to, well, take matters into his own hands, and teams up with a smuggler who was once a close friend and partner-in-crime to his parents, Chang (Chen Sing).

The trap will soon be set and so I hope you enjoy The Double Crossers as much myself and my family have always done, and especially now as part of Eureka’s 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration.

Special Features:
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original English language export cut from a brand new 2K restoration
Original Mandarin and optional classic English dub (Hong Kong theatrical cut
Classic English dub (Export version)
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong theatrical version by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Brand new audio commentary on the export version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
Trailer

Overview: The mighty Sonny Chiba (Bodyguard Kiba) stars in two spectacular martial arts movies based upon the real life of Masutatsu Mas Ōyama - the fabled bull-slaying karate master who trained none other than Chiba himself.

In Karate Bullfighter (or Champion of Death), a karate tournament is crashed by an enigmatic martial artist calling himself Ōyama (Chiba), who arrives in tattered rags and beats all who dare challenge him. But Ōyama’s entrance into the world of karate has unforeseen consequences, and soon he is fighting for far more than sporting victory.

Then, in Karate Bearfighter, Ōyama is expelled from the karate community for refusing to pull his punches. With no where else to turn, he takes a job with the yakuza after running into Kimura (Hideo Murota), who Ōyama once knew as a fellow member of the Imperial Japanese Air Service before he turned to a life of crime. Ultimately, though, Ōyama has no more respect for his superiors on the streets than he did in the dojo.

Blu-ray Verdict: Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Sister Street Fighter), Karate Bullfighter and Karate Bearfighter were adapted from the popular manga series Karate Baka Ichidai by Ikki Kajiwara, which ran from 1971 to 1977 and chronicled the life and legend of Mas Ōyama. Eureka Classics is proud to present both films for the first time ever on Blu-ray from brand new restorations of the original film elements by Toei.

Karate Bullfighter (1975) is based on the true life story of a Korean fighter named Choi Bae-dal (who later changed his name to Masutatsu Ōyama), the founder of Kyokushin Karate in Japan.

The story told here is interesting enough in its very brisk flit through the early life of Ōyama. We see his frustration with the world of karate, his killing in self defense of a man and his subsequent attempts to make it right in regards the man’s widow and young son. There isn’t a lot of drama in the telling though and not a great deal of characterization to gets one teeth into – interesting in the overview to a point but not a gripping story.

This leaves the martial arts action to carry the burden and this it does, to a point. The fights are reasonably enjoyable but they are pretty straight in their delivery with very little in the way of impressive choreography or design to them.

In closing, Sonny Chiba is good, there’s some energetic camerawork, but it also feels a little methodical in places, even though the runtime is less than 90 minutes. It’s good enough for those who really like down-and-dirty martial arts movies though, like me, so I think you will all enjoy it also.

The other movie is Karate Bearfighter (1975) is, once again, based on the true life story of a Korean fighter named Choi Bae-dal (who later changed his name to Masutatsu Ōyama), the founder of Kyokushin Karate in Japan!

Ace karate master Masutatso Ōyama (Sonny Chiba, as fearsome and ferocious as ever) earns the resentment of his peers in the martial arts community after he wins a major tournament using his unorthodox style. After meeting and befriending a lonely little boy named Rinato, Ōyama agrees to fight a bear in order to raise the money to take care of Rinato’s injured father.

Director Kazuhiko Yamaguzhi relates the engrossing story at a snappy pace and maintains a stark serious tone throughout. Naturally, Chiba lays on his trademark no-holds-barred savagery something fierce as he takes out opponents with a single lethal blow and more than holds his own against multiple attackers.

The scenes between Chiba and the little boy are quite moving while the big match between Chiba and the bear (some guy in a pretty decent suit) rates as a real corker. Yumi Takigawa lends able support as Ōyama’s loyal and long-suffering girlfriend Chiyako. The lovely Yutaka Nakujima has a regrettably smallish role as the sweet Sumiko. Yoshio Nakajima’s vibrant cinematography makes neat use of zooms and whiplash pans.

Special Features:
1080p presentations of both films across two Blu-ray discs, from new restorations of the original film elements by Toei
Original Japanese mono audio
Brand new feature length audio commentaries on both films by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema
In Search of the Ultimate Truth – Brand new video essay by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of the Martial Arts
Original theatrical trailers

Overview: Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman fresh off an almost career-ending accident. Colt is persuaded to return to his stunt career when he’s told his ex, Jody (Emily Blunt), is directing a film and asked for him specifically.

With hopes of winning back the love of his life, Colt returns to set only to find the movie’s leading man missing and production in peril. Ensnared in an increasingly wild conspiracy, he must solve the mystery to save Jody’s film and get one last shot with her.

What could possibly go right? David Leitch (director of Bullet Train and producer of John Wick) delivers a hard-hitting, hilarious action-thriller with The Fall Guy.

Blu-ray Verdict: Many film fans and industry professionals have been calling for stunt people to be given the credit and acknowledgement they deserve. Well, there may not be any big awards for them yet, but this film certainly celebrates the craft in a great way. The Fall Guy is a big popcorn action flick that I’ve been waiting to see for a while now, and I have to say, it was very entertaining.

Indeed, you could just tell the filmmakers involved were making this a love letter to stunts, while also trying to tell a very fun story at the same time. So if you’re looking to have a good time at home with the family, and maybe, just maybe you remember the Lee Majors TV show from the early 80s of the same name, then I wholeheartedly recommend this brilliantly fun, action-packed new rendition of an old gem!

After an injury, stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) saddles back up and returns to a new film set, where his crush happens to be the director (Emily Blunt) of the film and the main star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has secretly gone missing. You very soon realize though that he was hired onto this film by the producer so that she can send him on a hunt to find the movie star.

With a nice relationship between Blunt and Gosling, this film sings with charisma and humor, while the rest is about celebrating Hollywood and the stunts that go into a movie. I thought the overall story was ridiculous and fun, while the romance was adorable. OK, sure, the movie could’ve been a little funnier at times, but that’s a very small nitpick.

In terms of where the story goes, I predicted most of it throughout, but the cast is so good that I was able to ignore the formula. Winston Duke as Colt’s friend/boss is terrific and their scenes together were some of my favorites in the movie and Hannah Waddingham as the film’s producer stole a few moments as well.

I will say what perplexed me was that the main credits at the start of the film listed Teresa Palmer when I believe she briefly appears twice and maybe has one or two lines. I was shocked to see her in the top billing without even really being in the movie. Aside from that, this cast was incredible together. Now, let’s wrap this up by diving into why a lot of people will likely enjoy it.

The Fall Guy, as I said, is a film that celebrates stunts, and throughout almost every single frame, it all looked like it was shot on location and without many visual effects. That is rare for a big-budget movie these days and that just put a smile on my face. The explosions looked real, the car stunts looked real, and most importantly, it didn’t seem like a lot of green screens were used for certain settings.

It felt like this film was 90% in-camera and that’s never going to be a bad thing in my book. Director David Leitch began his career as a stuntman himself, and after now directing five feature films, I can confidently say that I think The Fall Guy is his best work so far. For action, romance, or comedy fans, I recommend this one. It’s not amazing by any means, but the story is good enough to service a big, fun, entertaining popcorn flick.

As for what makes this version extended, well, viewers get the theatrical cut of the film as well as the titled extended edition clocking in at an extra 20 minutes that further fleshes out secondary character development and prolongs a few of the frenetic fight scenes.

Oh, and stay away from the check out button on the remote when you think the movie is done as the credits reveal some great behind-the-scenes looks at how things were done and the laughs the cast had at Ryan’s expense (sometimes).

Extended Cut Blu-ray & Digital Extras:
Extended Cut & Theatrical Version
Gag Reel
Alternate Takes
Stunts on Stunts and so much more!

Overview: Relive every punch from one of the most iconic and beloved sports drama franchises with the ROCKY I-VI 4K Collection, newly remastered in stunning 4K Ultra HD. Sylvester Stallone stars in the greatest boxing saga of all time and triumphs as one of the most inspirational characters in cinematic history.

Witness every epic, action packed fight and unforgettable moment as Rocky punches his way to the top against impossible odds when the ROCKY I-VI 4K Collection is released on July 16, 2024.

The ROCKY I-VI 4K Collection includes the MGM feature films ROCKY, ROCKY II, ROCKY III, ROCKY IV, ROCKY V and ROCKY BALBOA, along with the ROCKY IV Ultimate Director’s Cut, ROCKY VS. DRAGO and the ROCKY BALBOA Director’s Cut.

The collection contains a Blu-ray disc featuring the hour-long behind the scenes documentary on the making of the extended director’s cut of ROCKY IV, Sylvester Stallone’s commentary on ROCKY BALBOA along with an alternate ending, deleted scenes and four behind the scenes featurettes from the film. The disc also includes a selection of previously released special features.

In addition, ROCKY V and ROCKY BALBOA will be available individually in steelbook packaging.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the always-a-pleasure-to-view Rocky 6-Film Collection (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this July 16th, 2024.

For my money, this Rocky 6-Film Collection (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have are the first six films in the series presented to us over 7-Disc’s with a sheet for a Digital HD Copies. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: Rocky 4K: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps) and Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono.

Rocky II 4K: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps).

Rocky III 4K: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps).

Rocky IV 4K: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit), English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps).

Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Dutch.

Overall, these are all very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentations, and, for the most part, the audio tracks remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the stories to hand, well, first up is the leader of the pack, Rocky (1976). This rousing underdog tale from writer/star Sylvester Stallone and director John G. Avildsen struck a chord with audiences around the world and won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. When flamboyant heavyweight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) announces a Bicentennial bout in Philadelphia, local pug boxer Rocky Balboa (Stallone) gets a dream shot at taking the title.

Rocky is a terrific film in every aspect. The acting is what amazed me the most. Stallone gives such an impressive performance it is very hard to believe he is also the star of films like Over the Top, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot and Judge Dredd, and from the other Rocky films for that matter.

Not only Stallone is impressive, Shire, Young and Meredith find perfect notes for their characters as well. Every little thing that happens seems natural through their acting and of course Stallone’s screenplay does a great job here.

Director John G. Avildsen serves this material the way he should and it shows throughout. Of course, he is no Martin Scorsese, for Raging Bull stays the better directed film, but he knows how to tell this story.

Next up is Rocky II (1979) where Rocky is struggling in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.

Rocky II is just one of those sequels that is just as good as the original, if not better in some aspects. I can’t say it’s better than the original, because you can’t have the second film without the first one. Meaning that this film does not stand on it’s own, you need the first film to understand the characters and back stories of everything in this film. But, all in all, I think Rocky II is slightly more enjoyable than the original Rocky without outshining it.

In all honesty, I think this film is better directed than the first film. The story seems to flow quite nicely and is slightly faster paced than the original. Not only that, but the main fight in the film is much more exciting and longer than the original one, which is nicer for us to view.

Then we get Rocky III (1982) where Rocky faces the ultimate challenge from a powerful new contender, and must turn to a former rival to help regain his throne as the undisputed fighting champion.

For a series as long running as the Rocky movies, it’s only natural for there to be the occasional need for a breath of fresh air - a fresh perspective on a tried and tested formula. After the last movie relied heavily on the first movie, a fresh rethink was called for by creator/writer, director and star Stallone despite the previous film’s box office success.

After meddling with scripts and the movies editing on his last two pictures Stallone is back in full creative control. And it’s to the movies benefit. Stallone is at his best when playing Rocky - it is his vision and his creation - and despite what Hollywood wants us to think, he is not a bad director either.

From the supercharged Eye of the Tiger opening this film just does not let up. All of the cast are great, none more so than Stallone himself. The scene of Mickey’s death after Rocky’s destruction at the hands of Clubber Lang is brilliant. But the Masterstroke here lies in making Apollo a far more central character after Mickey’s death.

All of this and I still haven’t even mentioned CLUBBER! Mr .T is perfect as Clubber Lang a great adversary for Rocky and the power and intensity his character displays in the ring is ferocious!

Then comes Rocky IV (1985) where Sylvester Stallone is back as heavyweight champ Rocky Balboa, this time squaring off against towering Soviet boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), an unstoppable fighting machine who has already killed one man in the ring. All this, and a plea for global understanding, too.

The sheer effort Dolph (Ivan Drago), Sylvester (Rocky Balboa) and Carl (Apollo Creed) must have gone into training for this film must have been truly awesome. They all look amazingly fit and sculptured. I think more so than any current modern day boxer.

Kudos to Dolph who in almost his first major feature film (his first was View to a Kill) made, at least for me, a major impact. Despite his lack of dialog I must break you is right up there with Schwarzenegger’s I’ll be back. He looked amazingly strong - a freak almost - just as the plot intended. Scary. He looked even taller than the 6 inch difference between him and Stallone.

Oh, and the movie did give us some great music too, like Hearts On Fire by John Cafferty, No Easy Out by Robert Tepper, and Living in America by James Brown, and which are all great songs. Still, I was really hoping for the Bill Contri Gonna Fly Now to make appearance in the film, but regardless, Vince DiCola did a good job with the soundtrack.

Next up is Rocky V (1990). The fifth entry in the ever-popular series finds Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky down-and-out-of-moolah in Philadelphia. He takes talented young boxer Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison) under his wing, but the fighter betrays him and signs with a sleazy promoter. Rocky goes up against Gunn, but does he have the stuff to clobber his powerful, deceitful opponent?

Stallone recruited his own son for the role of Robert (Rocky’s son) and the result is one of the best father son relationships ever committed to celluloid. The scene where Rocky realizes that he has been a negligent father and must make his peace with the boy is affectionate and heartfelt and could never been as realistic without the real life history behind these two people.

OK, there are some flaws and I am not too naive to suggest this movie is worthy of an Oscar. The casting of Tommy The Machine Gunn could have been better as real life boxer Tommy Morrison sometimes appears wooden and is never really threatening enough to Rocky for the final fight to have any tangible tension.

Similarly, aside from the final tune of Elton John’s The Measure of a Man the music does not measure up to the awesome and inspirational anthems that have accompanied previous installments. Any flick in the early nineties that used rap music as its primary soundtrack has ultimately dated for a modern audience and so too this is the case here sadly.

The final scene provides the usual over done fight with, well, if you’ve seen the others and enjoyed them, the fights and the stories, you should like this, too.

Lastly we get Rocky Balboa (2006). Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed, and (of course) stars in the sixth film in the beloved franchise. In the wake of Adrian’s death, the once-great Rocky agrees to an exhibition bout with current heavyweight champ Mason The Line Dixon (Antonio Tarver), who wants to fight the living legend to earn some respect. Will stepping into the ring one last time give Rocky’s life the meaning it’s been missing?

In Philadelphia, the retired former champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) misses his beloved deceased wife Adrian; tries to get closer to his son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia) and has a routine life helping people, running his restaurant telling his past glories to clients and taking pictures with his fans.

When the television shows a virtual fight between Rocky and the unappreciated undefeated heavyweight titleholder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) wined by Rocky, he feels the need to return to the ring to practice boxing in little fights as a sport.the fight of the century. And fighters gonna fight!!

In my humble opinion, this is Stallone’s best acting ever. The only downfall, I thought was the soundtrack, as Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) entrance music to the fight is great, and of course the theme to Rocky is great, but other than that the soundtrack was not good at all. However as we all know we cannot judge a movie by its soundtrack and so this is, as a stand alone cinematic piece, a true must see!

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray will include an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with each feature film in 4K with HDR, a bonus Blu-ray disc with the documentary and a selection of pre-existing special features, and a Digital version of the feature films.

Ultra HD Blu-ray showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before.

For the complete 4K Ultra HD experience with HDR, a 4K Ultra HD TV with HDR, an Ultra HD Blu-ray player and a high-speed HDMI (category 2) cable are required.

The Ultra HD Blu-ray disc featuring the films ROCKY, ROCKY II, ROCKY III, ROCKY IV, ROCKY IV Ultimate Director’s Cut, ROCKY VS. DRAGO, ROCKY, ROCKY BALBOA and the ROCKY BALBOA Director’s Cut will feature Dolby VisionTM HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame.

Overview: Almost a decade after Lucky McKee burst upon the indie horror scene and became a ‘Master of Horror’ in the making thanks to his directorial debut May, he teamed up with legendary cult author Jack Ketchum for his most shocking and brutal film to date: The Woman, an instant cause célèbre on its Sundance premiere.

The Woman (Pollyanna McIntosh, The Walking Dead) is the last surviving member of a deadly clan of feral cannibals that has roamed the American wilderness for decades. When successful country lawyer Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers, Room) stumbles upon her whilst hunting in the woods, he decides to capture and “civilize” her with the help of his seemingly perfect all-American family, including his wife Belle (Angela Bettis, May) and daughter Peggy (Lauren Ashley Carter, Darling). The Cleeks will soon learn, however, that hell hath no fury like The Woman scorned!

Experience McKee and Ketchum’s uncompromisingly twisted vision of the dark side of the American family in a definitive edition, including a 4K remaster, a slew of bonus features, and a bonus disc featuring a restoration of its gut-churning 2009 predecessor Offspring, also starring McIntosh.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: This is a very strong movie, centralized around the concept of the strength of the human nature - not the weak and/or mind crippled end product of the 21st century, but the pure core of it. This is where the difference between this and the other movies starts.

Usually, the victim of the killer-freak breaks instantly, getting into panic, horror and so on. Here, The Woman just can’t be broken - she sees all of this just as another battle for survival, the thing she does all her life. She doesn’t have a feeling for good/evil, just for what is right and wrong.

All of the actors play especially strong, showing (as I see it) all possible types of reactions to the madness of their world (coming from the pretty messed up father, think of it as Dexter, but at the same time exactly the opposite of Dexter). The mother, who wants to protect his children, but is too afraid to stand up against her husband.

The son, who got messed up just like his father. The big daughter which is in constant shock and horror, and the little daughter who is trying to block by not acknowledging the evil (she is too old not to be able to understand all of this, and she never cried or got afraid, even in the brutal scenes).

At the end of the movie, The Woman prevails in the situation too quick (I was expecting a longer battle), but, I think that is the right way to do it - she is just too good compared to the father and the son - they are just the typical mad people, they don’t have what she has.

I find the contrast between her and the human-dog thing a very nice final touch to the movie. Without it, it would seem that the movie makes a comparison between the father, an educated human-beast and her, an uneducated beast. But she clearly shows that she has more humanity than the father, and more humanity than the dog-freak.

Also I liked how she took care of the father - at the beginning, with the ring, she gave him that special look of determination while she ate part of him, and at the end she looked at him the same way, as if saying Told you it will end that way.

Also, for the record, the sound effects are superb, and the standard visual horror special effects are used carefully, so they are pretty darn good also. Sure the movie could use some more suspense in the last 20 minutes of it, and a better first scene, but aside from those little moans, I implore you to watch this film tonight and see how it affects you soon thereafter (as most assuredly will). [M.O.M.]

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K restorations of The Woman and Offspring, supervised and approved by Lucky McKee and Andrew van den Houten
Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork for both films by Vanessa McKee
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing by Michael Blyth, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Kevin Kovelant

DISC ONE - THE WOMAN (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
4K restoration supervised and approved by Lucky McKee
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary with director Lucky McKee, editor Zach Passero, sound designer Andrew Smetek and composer Sean Spillane
Audio commentary with star Pollyanna McIntosh
Audio commentary with critic Scott Weinberg
Archive commentary with director Lucky McKee
Dad on the Wall, a 75-minute fly-on-the-wall behind-the-scenes documentary filmed by the director’s father Mike McKee
Being Peggy Cleek, an interview with star Lauren Ashley Carter
Malam Domesticam, an archive making-of featurette
Meet the Makers, a short featurette on the making of the film
Deleted scenes
¡Mi Burro!, a short film by editor Zach Passero
“Distracted” music video by Sean Spillane
Frightfest Total Film Panel Discussion, a 2011 onstage chat about the future of American indie horror at the popular horror film festival, featuring Lucky McKee, Andrew van den Houten, Larry Fessenden, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Ti West
Theatrical trailers
Image galleries

DISC TWO - OFFSPRING (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
4K restoration supervised and approved by Andrew van den Houten
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary with director/producer Andrew van den Houten and digital colorist Matt McClain
Archive commentary with writer Jack Ketchum, director/producer Andrew van den Houten and producer/cinematographer William M. Miller
Interview with Pollyanna McIntosh and Andrew van den Houten
Fly on the Wall, a behind-the-scenes documentary
Extended interview with Jack Ketchum
Restoration comparison
Audition comparison
Progeny: The Birth of Offspring, an archive behind-the-scenes featurette including interviews with cast and crew
First Stolen’s Bailout, an archive behind-the-scenes featurette
Webisodes, short featurettes used to promote the film online
Archive Easter Eggs
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: The ultimate struggle for power. Men against kings, kings against gods. From such conflict legends are born! In Clash of the Titans, Perseus (Sam Worthington), son of a god but raised as a man, is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld.

With nothing to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson), king of the gods, and unleash hell on earth. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, can Perseus accept his power and defy fate to create his own destiny?

Wrath of the Titans picks up ten years on from his heroic battle with the monstrous Kraken, with Perseus now living a quiet life by the sea with his young son. But war is raging between the gods and the Titans, and Perseus learns of a treacherous plan for world domination by his power-hungry uncle Hades and godly half-brother Ares (Édgar Ramírez).

No longer able to ignore his calling, Perseus joins forces with warrior queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son Agenor (Toby Kebbell) and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy) to enter the underworld, rescue the banished Zeus and overthrow the Titans once and for all.

A star-studded cast delivers legendary performances under the direction of Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) and Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls, Battle: Los Angeles) in two action-packed tales of mythic high adventure, presented for the first time on home video in stunning 4K Ultra HD.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Opening with Clash of the Titans (2010), born of god but raised by humans, Perseus, the demigod son of mighty Zeus, the king of the gods, vows to take his revenge on Hades, the terrifying ruler of the Underworld, when he sees his mortal family perish. As the race of men summons up the courage to rebel against the gods of Olympus, the doomed city of Argos becomes a battlefield, as Hades threatens to unleash the legendary sea-monster, Kraken, unless the fair Princess Andromeda willingly offers herself as a sacrifice.

Now, having nothing more to lose, Perseus embarks on a daring, peril-laden quest to stop the forces of evil before Hades plunges the world into chaos and darkness. But, to survive the relentless onslaught of demons and terrible adversaries, Perseus must first embrace his destiny. Will Perseus defy the gods, and save humankind in the clash of the Titans?

Cherish your fond memories of the cult film favorite Clash of the Titans (1981) with Harry Hamlin, because Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier’s remake twists virtually everything inside out! The superior remake eliminates some characters, replaces them with others, and alters the line-up of scenes.

Indeed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Clash of the Titans revised the Greek myth of Perseus, but the Warner Brothers redux gives the legend a heavy-duty overhaul. Scenarist Travis Beacham along with Æon Flux co-scripter’s Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi have taken even more liberties with Greek mythology than Beverley Cross dared in the original.

Comparatively, Leterrier and his scribes have surpassed the original simply because special effects technology has come so far since stop-motion guru Ray Harryhausen dazzled audiences with the 1981 version. Leterrier assembles gargoyles, gigantic back-hoe sized scorpions, a reptilian Medusa with writhing vipers for locks and a gaze that turns men into statues, and a humongous sea monster that resembles the adversary in Leterrier’s Incredible Hulk sequel.

Unlike the tongue-in-cheek, juvenile-oriented original, the Clash of the Titans remake takes itself pretty seriously and its solemn, larger-than-life shenanigans boast a brawny, believable look. Gone is the toy mechanical owl from the original, but the remake acknowledges Bubo the Owl before it consigns it to oblivion. The chief error that Warner Brothers made with this $126-million remake is they converted it from 2-D to 3-D. No Clash of the Titans was not lensed in 3-D. Indeed, some shots display some extraordinary depth from the foreground to the background.

Nevertheless, you will miss nothing if you watch Clash of the Titans without your glasses. The edges around some characters and objects may appear fuzzy, but not as fuzzy as usual. The dead giveaway that the action was not photographed in 3-D is the absence of anything being hurled at you throughout this 106-minute melodrama.

Then we get Wrath of the Titans (2012) where a decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus-the demigod son of Zeus-is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans.

Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld.

Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

The Wrath of the Titans comes with action right out the gates of Tartarus! I was a little surprised that the fun began so quickly, but it didn’t last. We get this great battle as Perseus (Sam Worthington) faces the Chimera, and then we are taken to school for a Greek mythology lesson. This film does look deeper at the Gods, specifically the relationship of the top brothers. The three major Gods seen in the Clash of the Titans have returned, including Liam Neeson as Zeus. Fortunately, his role is so much more expanded this time around and not completely defined by one catch phrase!

Releasing the Titans was exactly what takes place in this story and it is pretty spectacular to witness. Practically every mythical creature ever conceived in Greek mythology was on display and in some battle with Perseus. Since he pretty much lost everyone who fought beside him the last time he now teams up with some new comrades, Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) who is leading the Greek army into battle and Agenor (Toby Kebbell) who is a bit of a scoundrel.

The entire film took a very somber serious tone, I kept thinking man this is dramatic. It wasn’t until well into the 99 minutes running time that we get some comic relief from Hephaestus (Bill Nighy). The tone lightened up for a minute, then Ares (Edgar Ramirez) makes a really cool entrance and then into the labyrinth we go, which was absolutely stunning. I was very impressed by the special effects in this film. Aside from how realistic all the titans appeared, a few other things crossed my mind, one that I really liked and the other I considered must have been for realism.

This series is the first time that I have seen Pegasus as a black beauty, which coordinated very well with how dirty everyone stayed throughout the entire film. In battle who has time for a shower before, Action! Good thing Perseus is a demi-god otherwise he would have never survived all the times that he was hurled into a rock or a stone pillar. This story is not plot driven, it’s not character driven and with all the different accents in Greece, which were a bit distracting, but if a film could stand solely on the special effects and the realism that you would expect in the chance that you meet a Cyclops, then this it that film! [E.D.]

2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both films
Original 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Illustrated collector’s book containing new writing by author and critic Guy Adams and film scholar Josh Nelson
Double-sided fold-out posters for each film featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Wilson
Six postcard sized artcards
Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Wilson

DISC 1 - CLASH OF THE TITANS:
Scaling Mount Olympus, a brand new interview with producer Basil Iwanyk
Sam Worthington is Perseus
Zeus: Father of Gods and Men
Enter the World of Hades
Calibos: The Man Behind the Monster
Tenerife: A Continent on an Island
Scorpioch
Actors and Their Stunts
Wales: A Beautiful Scarred Landscape
Bringing Medusa to Life
Prepare for the Kraken!
Sam Worthington: An Action Hero for the Ages featurette
Alternate ending
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery

DISC 2 - WRATH OF THE TITANS:
Unleashing the Beasts, a brand new interview with producer Basil Iwanyk
Who Are the Titans?
Hephaestus: God of Fire
Lost in Tartarus’ Labyrinth
Creatures of the Titans
Path of Men (behind the scenes)
Battling the Chimera
Agenor: The Other Demi-God
The Cyclops Fight
Prison of the Titans
Minotaur: The Human Nightmare
The Heavens Raise Hell on Earth
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: A Tex-Mex tornado of fire and fury, writer-director Robert Rodriguez’s astonishing ‘Mexico Trilogy’ broke fresh new ground in American independent and action cinema, catapulting the filmmaker and his largely Hispanic cast and crew into the Hollywood stratosphere.

Rodriguez’s ingenious 1993 debut El Mariachi (infamously filmed for only $7000) sees a naive young musician entering a godforsaken border town and finding himself in the middle of a deadly case of mistaken identity. The major studio follow-up Desperado sees Antonio Banderas take up the mantle of the mysterious Mariachi, stalking the Mexican underworld with enough bullets up his sleeves for every bandito in his path.

Finally, 2003’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico sees Rodriguez use every cutting-edge technological innovation in his arsenal to bring the trilogy’s explosive conclusion to the screen, as the Mariachi finds himself in the center of a bloody war for the soul of Mexico itself.

Fun, fast and full of invention and inspiration, this deadly trio cemented Robert Rodriguez’s reputation as an action auteur worth following, and are accompanied here by insightful new interviews with the director and his crew of collaborators.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: The trilogy opens on El Mariachi (1993), which tells a simple tale of mistaken identity. The protagonist and title character is a mere wandering mariachi looking for work, until he is confused with an escaped prisoner. Then of course, all hell breaks loose. Bullets fly and the fun begins.

Strictly on its cinematic merits, El Mariachi is not as great as you have probably heard. The story, as I described, is nothing special. The acting doesn’t detract at all from the movie, but no one stands out either. There are a number of continuity errors; shots within individual scenes are inconsistently lit; some of the cuts seem unusual; and the special effects are elementary. The technical aspects, except the necessarily innovative cinematography, are not quite up to Hollywood standards. All of this would not seem to add up to a classic independent film.

But the borderline crude nature of all these pieces add up to a fascinating film, and they do that for one reason: Robert Rodriguez. His creativity and vision collide with his lack of money to produce a fascinating film. Filling virtually every major role on the crew, he creates a style all his own. Within this style, all of the problems are transformed into resourcefulness and creativity, the product of which is a consistent look akin to what he forged in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and his other films.

Next up is Desperado (1995) and the no-named Mariachi player is now being played by Antonio Banderas. He is after Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida), the big boss who was pulling the strings when his old flame was killed. He will go from town to town and bar to bar leaving a trail of dead bodies in order to find Bucho.

Helping him is his friend played by Steve Buscemi. Also helping him is his new flame, Carolina (Salma Hayek). Like I said, upgrades all around.

This is a shoot ’em up action flick with a Mexican flare. It’s somewhat of a throwback to Spaghetti Westerns, yet with a modern day flare. Looking purely at body count and bullet count, this movie could be virtually indistinguishable from your typical Hollywood action movie. But, just the subtle change of location, accents, and substituting white faces for brown faces and suddenly the new packaging makes the entire product much better.

Banderas is brilliantly-cast as a brooding longer on the hunt and leaving a very large trail of dead bodies behind him. The gorgeous Salma Hayek plays his love interest in what I guess was one of her first ever roles, and, on a personal note, I loved Buscemi’s contribution!

Lastly is Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), an all out action, thriller movie starring, once again, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, but now they are joined by stars such as Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Danny Trejo, Enrique, Marco Leonardi, Cheech Marin, Ruben Blades and Willem Dafoe.

The fugitive couple from the last film (Hayek and Banderas) are still on the run from the criminals who’ve survived their last gun battle. We finally learn who’s behind all of the EL Mariachi’s troubles. Will he and his bride ever find peace and solace in the desert towns of Mexico? Can they ever settle down and raise a family?

The visual effects are also pure Rodriguez, which is both good and bad. Rated R for strong violence, Mexico earns its rating time and time again as men are blown ridiculous distances by bullets and explosions. Over the top? Yes, but somehow they almost seem possible in the portrayed world.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all three films
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of Desperado
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Carlos Aguilar and Nicholas Clement
Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
Double sided posters featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
Collectable poster featuring Robert Rodriguez’s original poster concept for El Mariachi

DISC 1 - EL MARIACHI (BLU-RAY)
Original uncompressed Latin-American Spanish stereo audio, plus an English dub in lossless stereo
Optional English subtitles, plus English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
Big Vision Low Budget, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
The Original Mariachi, a newly filmed interview with producer/star Carlos Gallardo
The Music of ‘El Mariachi’, a newly produced featurette on the music in the film, featuring interviews with composers Eric Guthrie, Chris Knudson, Alvaro Rodriguez and Marc Trujillo
Ten Minute Film School, an archive featurette produced and narrated by Rodriguez
Bedhead, a 1991 short film by Rodriguez
Theatrical trailer and TV spot

DISCS 2 & 3 - DESPERADO (BLU-RAY / 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
New 4K restoration from the original camera negative by Sony Pictures
Original uncompressed stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Audio commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
Lean and Mean, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
Shoot Like Crazy, a newly filmed interview with producer Bill Borden
Kill Count, a newly filmed interview with stunt coordinator Steve Davison
Lock and Load, a newly filmed interview with special effects coordinator Bob Shelley
Game Changer, a newly filmed appreciation by filmmaker Gareth Evans (The Raid: Redemption)
Ten More Minutes: Anatomy of a Shootout, an archive featurette narrated by Rodriguez
Textless opening (“Morena de mi Corazón”)
Theatrical trailers

DISC 4 - ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (BLU-RAY)
Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Commentary by writer-director Robert Rodriguez
The Revolution Will Be Digitized, a newly filmed interview with Rodriguez
Troublemaking, a newly filmed interview with visual effects editor Ethan Maniquis
Eight deleted scenes, with optional commentary by Rodriguez
Ten Minute Flick School, an archive featurette narrated by Rodriguez
Inside Troublemaker Studios, an archive featurette on Rodriguez’s studio in Austin
Ten Minute Cooking School, an archive featurette in which Rodriguez shows you how to cook Puerco Pibil
Film is Dead: An Evening with Robert Rodriguez, a presentation by the director given in 2003
The Anti-Hero’s Journey, an archive featurette on the arc of the Mariachi
The Good, the Bad and the Bloody: Inside KNB FX, an archive featurette on the film’s special effects
Theatrical trailers

www.arrowvideo.com

Overview: Weary of the rigid codes of the underworld, gambler Tokijiro (Kinnosuke Nakamura, Goyokin) wanders Japan in search of freedom. But escape proves to be impossible when an obligation to a gang boss leaves him with no choice but to kill a man.

To atone for his crime, he vows to take care of his victim’s widow and young son. But the gang won’t rest until they’ve killed the entire family - including the man who stands in their way.

With this breathtakingly stylized film, Tai Kato broke all the conventions of the yakuza genre, fusing blood-spurting action with melodrama worthy of Japanese cinema’s greatest masters.

Blu-ray Verdict: The brilliant Kinnosuke Nakamura stars as Kutsukake Tokijiro, a wandering Yakuza traveling the countryside who bound by honor code kills a man in a duel as a favor to a clan who gave him shelter. With his last words, the man asks Tokijiro to take care of his wife and son, seeing them to safety with a distant family member.

What a film! Tai Kato’s direction is utterly superb, bringing together all the classic elements of the Ninkyo genre into a stunning, and beautifully shot piece of cinema that is both highly emotional and also delivers some fantastically choreographed (and extremely bloody, for its time) swordplay.

Kinnosuke Nakamura’s performance is truly excellent, bringing his highly charismatic screen presence and skill with a blade and meeting it with a deeply nuanced role where he gets to show off his range. I particularly loved his bond with the young boy and the genuine way they interacted.

But man, I would be remiss not to mention the beautiful Junko Ikeuchi who almost steals the show with her strong willed and completely believable performance as the widow. She really shines in a role that much like Nakamura’s pulls off a wide range of emotions that packs quite a punch by the end.

As you can tell, this film really knocked me for six, a tremendous Ninkyo that comes with the biggest possible recommend for genre fans. It’s a real treat to finally be exploring Kato’s work and I couldn’t be any more excited to dive deeper into this particular one, now it is out via Radiance Films and with a smorgasbord of lovely special features included.

Special Features:
High-Definition digital transfer
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Interview with film critic Koushi Ueno about the film’s place in genre cinema history
A visual essay on star Kinnosuke Nakamura by Japanese cinema expert Robin Gatto
New and improved English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by scholar Ivo Smits and a newly translated archival review

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: As the Spanish Civil War draws to a close, Fando, a young boy, is tormented by violently conflicting feelings towards his mother, who he suspects may have had a role in his father’s capture by fascists; feelings that manifest themselves as a nightmare onslaught of terrifying and bizarre imagery.

Based on Fernando Arrabal’s own brutal experiences during the Civil War, Viva la Muerte is a shockingly provocative work of surrealist cinema from the artist and film-maker, who co-founded the Panic Movement collective alongside Alejandro Jodorowsky.

Acclaimed on release by critics and scorned by censors, Viva la Muerte would later achieve notoriety as a midnight movie, and was a favorite film of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Restored in 4K with the collaboration of Fernando Arrabal, Radiance is proud to present Viva la Muerte on English-subtitled Blu-ray for the first time ever.

Blu-ray Verdict: Viva la Muerte (Long Live Death) is a surrealist assault on church and state. The semi-autobiographical film discerns the brutalities of his childhood existence after his mother reported his father as a communist, who was subsequently arrested and detained by Francisco Franco’s regime.

Arrabal was a co-founder of the Panic Movement, a collective concentrated on chaotic surrealness, and this film features some striking images as the child protagonist is continually disturbed by the mental visualizations of his father being tortured or executed. These thoughts are represented through a filtered selection of primary pop art colors, and the cognitive turmoil generates a bombardment of strangeness and motivates some contradicting emotions towards his mother.

Arrabal repeatedly allows the creativity of his unconscious mind to recall the work of artists like Luis Bunuel frequently, and the film overall feels like the output of a man who has been driven insane after coming of age under a repressive and authoritative dictator.

It’s a real treat to finally be deep diving back into this film after all these decades, and I couldn’t be any more excited to take a run through all the great new special features included on this new Blu-ray, out now via Radiance Films.

Special Features:
New 4K restoration of the original 35mm negative by the Cinémathèque Toulouse in collaboration with Fernando Arrabal
Audio discussion from the Project Booth podcast featuring Mike White, Heather Drain and Jess Byard (66 mins)
Sur les traces de Baal - a short documentary by Abdellatif Ben Ammar in which the filmmaker followed Arrabal’s film and captured him at work on Viva la Muerte! (1970, 20 mins)
VIDARRABAL - a feature-length documentary on Arrabal by Xavier Pasturel Barron capturing the life and work of this singular filmmaker, playwright, painter and essayist, featuring interviews with admirers, friends and family, including members of the Panic
Interview with scholar and Spanish cinema expect David Archibald
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
Booklet featuring new writing by Sabina Stent and archival interview with Fernando Arrabal

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: In a bitter divorce settlement from her billionaire husband Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head), Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) becomes the new owner of AFC Richmond, a struggling British English Premier League football team. She’s assisted by her garden gnome Director of Communications (and later Director of Football Operations) Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), who formerly worked for her husband.

Her first order of business is to fire the team’s current manager and replace him with American football coach Theodore [Ted] Lasso (Jason Sudeikis). Formerly a small-time coach from Wichita Kansas, Ted and his friend, assistant Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) cross the pond to take up the management of the team’s long, albeit modest history.

Although he is nationally ridiculed for doing something so stupid, Ted works to change the team’s profound mediocrity. Richmond is about to change the way they’re doing things, from now on, it’s the Lasso way!

All 3 seasons of the Emmy-award winning series are available in this box-set which includes a double sided BELIEVE poster Included as a Gift-With-Purchase, While Supplies Last. Quantities Limited.

Blu-ray Verdict: He walks onto the pitch with a folksy charm, a Kansas drawl thicker than treacle, and a biscuit tin in hand. Meet Ted Lasso, the American football coach turned unlikely leader of AFC Richmond, a floundering Premier League team in England. What follows is not your typical sports drama, but a heartwarming odyssey of kindness, resilience, and, yes, even a healthy dose of biscuits.

Ted Lasso, the show, is a triumph of heart over cynicism. Jason Sudeikis embodies the titular character with infectious optimism and genuine warmth. He’s a walking Hallmark movie come to life, radiating positivity like a beacon in the often cynical world of professional sports. But don’t mistake his niceness for naivete. Ted’s folksy wisdom and unwavering belief in people, combined with a surprising tactical mind, slowly chip away at the cynicism of those around him.

The supporting cast is a delightful ensemble. From the gruff yet endearing Roy Kent to the ambitious and conflicted Rebecca Welton, each character is richly drawn and relatable. Their journeys of growth, intertwined with Ted’s optimistic influence, form the emotional core of the show. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and maybe even cheer for a team you never knew you cared about.

This isn’t just a show about football though. It’s about the human condition. It tackles themes of grief, betrayal, and self-doubt with surprising depth, all while maintaining its feel-good charm. It’s a show that reminds you to believe in the good, to find humor in the face of adversity, and maybe, just maybe, to try a biscuit with your tea.

Is Ted Lasso perfect? Perhaps not. Some might find its unrelenting optimism saccharine, and the occasional football jargon might fly over the heads of non-fans. But these are minor quibbles in the face of the show’s overall brilliance.

And as much as I can praise Jason Sudeikis all day, for he is truly wonderful as the eponymous character whose positivity and folksy attitude keeps him and the team going, despite his mental trauma (I mean, it was a genius move for him to take this character he created on NBC Sports to AppleTV where he, Brendan Hunt, Bill Lawrence and Joe Kelly developed in a character who we can all relate to), but allow me to take some time and highlight most all the other mainstay characters also.

For much like the Lasso character, it is all about the team, and the supporting cast pounce their claws into their characters and make them memorable. Hannah Waddingham is marvelous as Rebecca who starts out as a vengeful owner, but changes into a charming, caring woman who finally appreciates what Ted is doing and develops a mind of her own. Brendan Hunt is wonderful as Beard, the brains and voice of reason. Jeremy Swift is great as Leslie, Juno Temple is sassy as Keeley, Phil Dunster settles very well into Jamie Tartt, James Lance’s deadpan sarcastic wit is a perfect fit for Trent Krimm, and Toheeb Jimoh is great as Sam.

Continuing onward, and Cristo Fernandez is funny as Dani Rojas, Kola Bokinni brings in both toughness and vulnerability as Isaac, Billy Harris is very good as the closeted Colin, Nick Mohammed finally gets his breakthrough as Nate Shelley and the rest of the team contribute memorable moments.

But, for me personally, it is Brett Goldstein who is the true second star of the show. Literally coming out of nowhere, he towers over the supporting cast by giving the most memorable character ever created, Roy Kent. For within that acerbic, icy foul mouthed persona is a wholehearted lover of football and Richmond who can’t leave. And we root for him throughout, did we not!

In closing, Ted Lasso is a must-watch for anyone seeking a heartwarming escape, a reminder that kindness can be a powerful force, and a testament to the fact that sometimes, all it takes to win is a little bit of belief ... and maybe a well-timed shortbread dunk! Just remember, you might shed a tear or two, but don’t worry, they’ll be happy tears. After all, as Ted would say, Football is life, but also, life is biscuits.

It’s time to BELIEVE! The heartwarming and critically acclaimed comedy series, Ted Lasso, is making its highly anticipated debut on Blu-ray and DVD, bringing its infectious blend of humor, heart, and hope directly into the homes of fans.

Experience the magic of the series all over again, or for the first time, with all 34 episodes from Seasons 1-3 in one special box-set that will include a limited edition, double-sided BELIEVE poster, available while supplies last.

Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way will be available for purchase online and in-store at major retailers on July 30, 2024. Pre-order your copy now!

Overview: Starring Jimmy Wang Yu (The One-Armed Swordsman) and directed by Lo Wei, the man behind the smash-hit Bruce Lee vehicles The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, A Man Called Tiger is a martial arts extravaganza released at the height of an international kung fu craze.

Chin Fu (Wang Yu) is a formidable martial artist who suspects his father’s apparent suicide was actually a cold-blooded murder. His desire for answers - and revenge - leads him to Japan, where he becomes entangled with the yakuza.

With the aid of his fellow countryman Liu Han-ming (James Tien, Hand of Death) and a nightclub hostess (Maria Yi, Fist of Fury), Chin Fu sets out to infiltrate Tokyo’s underworld, expose a criminal conspiracy and uncover his father’s true fate by any means necessary.

Long rumored to have been planned as the third collaboration between Lo Wei and Bruce Lee before Lee made his directorial debut with The Way of the Dragon, A Man Called Tiger instead became a vehicle for another martial arts superstar in Jimmy Wang Yu.

Eureka Classics is proud to present the film for the first time ever on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration.

Blu-ray Verdict: To me, Jimmy Wang Yu is one of the all-time Kings of Cool. He is the precursor to Chow Yun Fat — this long lean inscrutable action star who wears cool suits, stares down bad guys with a dispassionate heat, then proceeds to kick their asses even if the odds are 15 to 1. And he does it believably too, with all legs and arms akimbo!

The last time I watched a Wang Yu movie, it was Beach of the War Gods — a period piece. As a matter of fact, most of the Wang Yu flicks I’ve seen are period. So this one was extra cool — he was a Chinese guy in Japan who joins up with a yakuza group to help them collect money from a rival yakuza.

At first glance this really seemed to be a Yojimbo/Fist Full Of Dollars reboot quickly segued into a REVENGER. Which is what all the best Wang Yu movies are. He attacks revenge with a cool attitude. Hardly breaks a sweat. Hardly makes any announcements of anger on his face. He just whips his head around, stares down the barrel of the camera and gives a little nod: Let’s fight!

All the women love him. All the dudes want to be him. The movie is confusing despite its simple premise — who killed his dad and who will eat fist for doing it and yes, it does careen a little all over the place. Gets kinda crazy trying to follow it. I got lost a few times, sure, but never lost my grip on what was unfolding action wise. I also never got tired of the fights and trust me when I say this one ends in an absolute BANGER!

The movie withholds the bloody fights that Lo Wei has done in the past — ending in a blood soaked battle that is beyond thrilling. It has been a while since I ventured down this path with Jimmy Wang Yu, but now this has just been released as part of Eureka’s 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from the original Hong Kong theatrical cut, itself from a brand new 2K restoration, well, this latest flashback rewatch was just as exciting to me!

Special Features:
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration (79 mins)
1080p HD presentation of the rarely seen extended export version from a brand new 2K restoration (112 minutes)
Original Mandarin and classic English dub audio options (original mono presentations)
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong version by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Brand new audio commentary on the export version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
Trailer

Overview: The Bikeriders captures a rebellious time in America when the culture and people were changing. After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy (Jodie Comer) is inextricably drawn to Benny (Austin Butler), the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals led by the enigmatic Johnny (Tom Hardy).

Much like the country around it, the club begins to evolve, transforming from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the new blockbuster The Bikeriders (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this August 13th, 2024.

For my money, this Bikeriders (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is The Bikeriders presented to us as a two-disc with a 4K UHD + Blu-ray + sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

In particular, one scene (amongst many) that stood out for me was the Take The Jacket Off Scene, where set in a dingy bar, Butler is told he cannot wear his biking colors inside, and what follows, well, I won’t give it away, but it is just so well lit for where it is that along with Hardy out there doing his best Brando, the film just glides sumptuously along.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and Audio descriptive.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, in 1960’s America, Kathy (Jodie Comer) is a young woman trapped in a relationship that’s growing increasingly volatile. She starts to get noticed by Benny (Austin Butler), a young buck hoping to make it big in The Vandals, a notorious biker gang, led by Johnny (Tom Hardy), a cool, calculated character who sees promise in Benny.

When Kathy and Benny become an item, his commitment to her and his loyalties to The Vandals become dangerously inter-wined, coming to a head when young buck, Sonny (Norman Reedus) offers some credible rivalry with his gang, The Renegades.

The biker gang has always held a magnetic sway with that contingent of movie-goers that relate to the appeal of belonging to a gang, most notably the 1969 film Easy Rider, and various other incarnations over the years. With The Bikeriders, writer/director Jeff Nichols, attempts to compartmentalize the format into an autobiographical, true life account of life in that world, taken from true life accounts from the 50’s/60’s period. An idea with great potential, that sadly (and although it does hold your attention in check), never feels fully realized here.

Comer’s strong, improvised Brooklyn accent over the voiceovers, combined with the oldies 50’s/60’s soundtrack and the freeze frame interludes, give the film a Goodfellas-lite kind of feel, albeit switched from the Italian mafia to a biker gang, but with the same basic set up and characters.

Performances wise, Butler has presence as the dreamboat young pretender, while Hardy manages his trademark intense persona, as the mean, moody head boy, while fellow big screen tough guy Michael Shannon makes a surprise return in a lesser role as a grizzled old timer, whose brain’s so fried he no longer makes any sense.

There’s an all star cast in dynamic, promising roles. But while there’s enough to make you care about these characters and their outcomes, all-together it’s ultimately a definite workmanlike effort that doesn’t really offer anything surprising or new.

That said, as personally, I enjoyed it as a home theater, 4K cinematic experience immensely, The Bikeriders totally hit the mark for me. It manages to be extremely entertaining without ever skimping on the characters or it’s heavy themes.

Furthermore, it tackles such an interesting era in history and one that has now left me with a real itch for more movies about this period of time in our lives that I never actually bore witness to myself.

The Bikeriders 4K UHD Disc includes the following special features:

Johnny, Benny & Kathy
The Era of The Bikeriders
Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jeff Nichols
And More!

Overview: In COCAINE WEREWOLF, cocaine, cash and a crew filming a low-budget horror movie in the eerie woods of northern Pennsylvania clash when an unexpected visit from a blood-thirsty werewolf literally enters the picture!

A Gothic Industrial and Psychobilly Rock soundtrack featuring music from THE 69 CATS, PINK FAIRIES, HAWKESTREL, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, SWITCHBLADE SYMPHONY, THE BRAINS, MIKE PINERA, HOLLYWOOD AFTER DARK and more perfectly sets the mood for one wild and crazy howling at the moon affair that DEADLINE called “a thrilling yet humorous ride”!

Blu-ray Verdict: As we all can only hope, in cinematic life, what low budget movies lack in effects they make up for in writing and story line and thank fully that is exactly what Cocaine Werewolf does.

Apparently it’s not linked to Cocaine Bear, but the same team produced Cocaine Shark, so that leaves me a little confused, but whatever. Regardless, this is a low budget horror comedy that works on most all low levels. Indeed, it’s one of those films that’s (at times) so bad it’s just that bloody good! It’s the kind of movie you would watch with friends for belly laughs galore, as they are provided throughout (intentionally and unintentionally, of course!)

As for the movie itself, well, around nice guy Mark Polonia has made a movie about doing so much cocaine you turn into a werewolf! Yep, that’s about that, but still, and regardless of all the meta stuff about making micro-budget movies along with some throwaway dialogue about pronouns, and a lot of misplaced music that was no doubt shoehorned in by one of the producers, Cocaine Werewolf is truly a blast of a home viewing, small screen ride!

The Bonus Features includes exclusive “Director’s Commentary,” Trailer and even a Slide Show.

www.cleopatra-entertainment.com

Overview: Mistaken as a witness to a crime, Nino (Giuliano Gemma, The Iron Prefect), learns from a friend he has been put on a Mafia hit list and is being stalked by an assassin (Michele Placido, Romanzo Criminale). A man with a troubled past, Nino knows only too well what he faces and uses all his strength and cunning to keep himself and his family alive.

Featuring stunning performances from both leads, Damiano Damiani (The Day of the Owl) applies his trademark realism and socio-political commentary to A Man on His Knees, charting Nino’s desperation as he refuses to kneel before the power of organized crime.

Newly restored in 4K, Radiance Films is proud to present one of Damiani’s finest films on Blu-ray for the first time in the world.

Blu-ray Verdict: In the mafia films made in Italy in the late 1960s, the mob always wins, and the individuals trying to stand up against it are, again and again, shown to be naïve and childish in their belief they can make a difference. A Man on His Knees, however, tells a different story.

Targeted by the criminal powers that be in Palermo for his alleged role in a kidnapping plot in which he was uninvolved, ex-con Nino Peralta (Giuliano Gemma) decides to stand up to the threat. He would rather, as the title suggests, live on his feet than die on his knees, so he confronts the man who has been hired to kill him repeatedly, eventually beating him up in the hope of driving him away. But then things get complicated.

What does living on your feet look like? How much can you compromise before you realize you’re kneeling after all? And how bad is it, really, to kneel, if it means your life, and that of your family?

The proud Nino is forced to consider and reconsider these questions as he tries to simultaneously stay alive, protect his family, and not compromise his personal principles. Sometimes, that looks like collaborating with his own would-be killer. Sometimes, it means calling that man a friend. At other times, though, it means returning to his former life of crime, and even committing murders of his own.

Though Damiano Damiani’s (he of 1968’s excellent mafia film — also set in Sicily — The Day of the Owl) film takes at least 30 minutes to truly get going, once it does it’s awfully good. Rather than the broad examination of corruption that was at the heart of those earlier films about organized crime, A Man on His Knees offers instead a close look at one man in crisis, and whether or not individuals can ever survive when facing the overwhelming power of the mafia.

As Nino, Gemma is excellent: still, serious, and resolute, showing little on his face, but expressing emotions loudly through his body language and posture. It’s an impressive performance from a man who is typically best in roles that offer him the opportunity to show humor, one that deservedly earned him a major acting prize in Italy. And just as good as Gemma is Michele Placido as Platamona, Nino’s would-be killer.

Where Gemma is all contained rage, Placido is vociferous indignation, offering noise and aggression in place of Gemma’s wary reserve. Always clad in a sharp suit, Platamona is an alluring, often overwhelming presence, one that is sometimes cocky and dangerous and, at others, tentative and desperate. It’s a wild, riveting performance and, ultimately, the one upon which the film hinges.

By the end of A Man on His Knees, nothing has been resolved. Nino lives to fight another day, but whether or not he’ll win is very much an open question, and the power of the mafia seems to go on forever, no matter how many fissures Nino is able to open up in its facade. It’s perhaps a less grim conclusion than the ones that ended films like The Day of the Owl and We Still Kill the Old Way, but there’s also no assurance that, ultimately, Nino will make any more difference than did the protagonists of those earlier, superficially darker films.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
New 4K restoration from the original negative
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Archival interviews with stars Giuliano Gemma, Tano Cimarosa and assistant director Mino Giarda
New interview with Alberto Pezzotta, author of Regia Damiano Damiani
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista
Booklet featuring new writing by Roberto Curti
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and marking

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: Tetsuo (Hideki Takahashi, Fighting Elegy), a low-level yakuza is double-crossed by his boss and attacked. His younger brother Kenji (Kotobuki Hananomoto, This Transient Life), an aspiring artist with no connections to crime, comes to his aid and kills Tetsuo’s assailant.

Fearing repercussions from the yakuza they flee to Manchuria where they risk coming under suspicion of rival gangs. Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill) remains loyal to the conventions of the yakuza film, but Tattooed Life contains flashes of his later creative genius, including a final act of explosive visual excess that has become one of the director’s all-time classic scenes.

Blu-ray Verdict: Suzuki is back into the yakuza genre with another movie where two siblings see themselves not only finding love, but also on the run from the criminal group and the police after the killing of one of the former’s members in a double cross.

Unsurprisingly, the action is well choreographed, though I wouldn’t personally place it on the top list from the director. Well, maybe except for the climax. There’s some great and subtle work done with the blocking of the scenes. The cinematography is also excellent and held me throughout, especially the little moments; such as the killing scene of the boss with the rain and all. The main performances are also really great, especially by our two on-screen siblings. I mean, the final shot had me in tears!

All in all, another very good entry in the director’s filmography that sees him once again nailing the action with the romance. Not his best work in this regard, but still an enjoyable one.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
High-Definition digital transfer
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Audio commentary by William Carroll, author of Seijun Suzuki and Postwar Cinema (2024)
Newly edited archival interview with director Seijun Suzuki
Newly edited archival interview with art director Takeo Kimura
Trailer
Newly improved English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Tom Vick and a newly translated archival review of the film

www.radiancefilms.co.uk

Overview: Watching television can be hazardous to your health ... and bring the end of the world! There’s a scary movie on television and the residents of a luxury high-rise apartment building have their eyes glued to their sets. Unfortunately for a young birthday girl, an eternal demonic evil is released through her TV and partygoers soon find themselves fighting an army of murderous monsters!

Acid blood, demonic dogs, possessed children and rampaging zombies wreak havoc on the trapped tenants! As more and more people are infected and transformed into blood-thirsty demons, a young couple fights to survive as they try to escape hell on earth! From the minds of Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava comes Demons 2, the sequel to the surprise horror masterpiece, Demons!

Starring Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni (Dario Argento’s Opera), Bobby Rhodes (Demons), and Asia Argento in her very first film role, Lamberto Bava’s Demons 2 is a jaw-droppingly gory fright-fest from the golden age of Italian splatter films!

Features an amazing soundtrack of 80’s alternative/new wave music by The Smiths, The Cult, Dead Can Dance, Art of Noise, Peter Murphy and MORE!

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Italian Horror icon, Lamberto Bava’s grisly Demons rigorously revivified horror in the mid-’80s no less emphatically than fellow movie maestro, Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator, so a splattery sequel was inevitable. Just like AC/DC, you have to create something ostensibly new to appease loyal fans, but resolutely keeping the winning formula intoxicatingly undiluted.

Audaciously, the prodigiously talented, Lamberto Bava not only successfully maintains the hyperbolic hysteria that abounded so phantasmagorically in the original, Bava miraculously ups the day-glow demented ante! The spectacularly slime-slathered, skin-shredding sequel is an outrageously gruesome, pyrotechnically perverse explosion of deliriously demonized death dealing that should satisfy the hardiest of splatter mad hatters!

In an austere, Ballardian, seemingly impregnable Tower Block a broad demographic of characters have their upwardly mobile lives diabolically descended into brutal, carotid-shredding torment by the Videodrome-esque return of exquisitely evil, permanently pus-seeping, razor-toothed, gut-guzzling demons!

The innocent-looking birthday party for pretty protagonist, Sally Day (Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni), a singularly overwrought young lady, is to be ghoulish ground zero for the feral flesh-filleting, bravura body-melting carnage that gorily ensues after her polite soirée is impolitely crashed by a maniacal, plague-bearing fiend!

Once this eldritch contagion spreads rapidly throughout the demon-besieged building, Demons 2 unleashes a fantastically gory display of deliciously demented deviltry that no horror fan should miss.

Demons 2 (1986) remains a jawsome ’80s blockbuster, in my humble opinion. The production values are exemplary, the garish, neon-splashed aesthetic and gruesomely realized creatures make for horrific-looking hell-raisers. No one watches lurid Italian horror films for the nuanced acting, I shall therefore bestow deserved, Neon-hued praise upon the many innovatively shriek-inducing, plasma-soaked set pieces.

The sepulchral, Gothrock-enshrouded score also works remarkably well and the uproariously welcome return of the eternally bellicose, magisterially moustachioed, sleek-headed figure of cult demon-killer, Bobby Rhodes was a marvel to behold once more! [W.W.]

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Newly remastered in 4K from the original camera negative in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 5.1 & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes derived from the original archival audio masters
Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 true stereo theatrical mix
New audio commentary by film critic Travis Crawford
Bava to Bava: interview with Luigi Cozzi on the history of Italian horror
Creating Creature Carnage: interview with Sergio Stivaletti
Demonic Influences: Federico Zampaglione Speaks
The ‘Demons’ Generation: Roy Bava discusses a legacy in lacerations
The New Blood of Italian Horror featuring Sergio Stivaletti
Screaming for a Sequel: The Delirious Legacy of Demons 2 with Lamberto Bava
A Soundtrack for Splatter: interview with composer Simon Boswell
Together and Apart: a new visual essay on the space and technology in Demons and Demons 2 by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
Newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English version
Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian version

www.synapsefilms.com

Overview: Spinning a modern-day allegory of the turbulent times we’re living in, Terror Firma is a sci-fi thriller and debut film from writer-director Jake Macpherson. It weaves a dark, out-of-this-world mystery of family, betrayal, and deadly floral.

Blu-ray Verdict: When struggling artist Lola has nowhere else to go she uncomfortably leans on her older brother Louis for help. They haven’t seen each other in over a year and the awkwardness is hard to hide as he welcomes her to stay with him in his run-down East Hollywood home.

There’s one catch though ... Lou has a strange roommate named Cage whose instant interest in Lola is made agonizingly clear.

Within minutes of Lola’s arrival, the city of LA goes into a vague, mysterious lockdown with not much information for anyone other than the occasional police message from a circling helicopter. As the city keeps everyone inside, a packet of seeds arrives from the outside with no label and no answers.

Curiosity gets the best of a locked down Lola so she plants the seeds and waits. What follows is a hypnotic journey down a psychedelic-juice-covered rabbit hole as reality bends and the three must grapple with the ever-changing landscape. While Lou is warped out of this world and Cage is turning violent, Lola is trapped in the middle.

All culminating into a twisted, bloody affair in which she must fight to survive her own creation. With a heart-pounding, electric-synth score reminiscent of classic John Carpenter this film will rock your senses, leaving you with a sense that there is more to this world than meets the eye.

What secrets does this plant hold? Will its answers set Lola free? Or will it drive this trio to madness? To answer these questions we implore you to buy this Blu-ray now as it is a first class, small screen, inventive cinematic experience, of that you have our word.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Director’s Commentary on the main feature
Terror Firma Extended Director’s Cut
Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
Optional English Subtitles (main feature only)
Theatrical Trailer

www.darkartsentertainment.com

Overview: From the early 60s, Film Masters brings you two independently produced films, both with their own cult following. Representative of the neo-noir crime films of that era, these regional films make for a perfect back-to-back viewing late at night!

The more famous of the two, Door-to-Door Maniac, originally released in 1961 as Five Minutes to Live. Starring Johnny Cash as a hardened criminal (Johnny Cabot), the wife (Cay Forester) of the bank vice president is taken hostage in her own home. What follows is a robbery gone awry in every way! Directed by Bill Karn, this thrilling crime-drama also stars Donald Woods. Also look for a very young Ronnie Howard in a small role, and Vic Tayback (best known as Mel from the TV show, Alice).

In the little-known film, Right Hand of the Devil, Aram Katcher makes his bid to become the next Hitchcock. While prominent movie director he is not, Turkish-born Katcher does star in the film ... and not just on-screen. Producer, story creator, editor, title designer, and costume designer are just some of the other roles he took with his magnum opus.

Katcher leads the cast as an ingenious criminal mastermind who hires a motley crew of questionable henchmen who are intent on robbing a sports arena. Along the way, and critical to their plans, he seduces a middle-aged cashier, but she is not so easily convinced as she may appear. Will Katcher triumph in his hard won leading role?

Blu-ray Verdict: Up first is Door-to-Door Maniac and it really says something about the general misogyny of the time that a star vehicle like this would feature said star murdering a woman in cold blood and shooting another in the face! That said, I did like how Cash conveys getting nuts the same way Keaton does in Batman, grabbing a fire poker and smashing things on a mantle, but definitely could have done without the sexual assault, sorry.

Not sure what anyone behind this was thinking, to be very honest as to my mind it would have been easy to solidify Cash’s outlaw persona with a Western or something, but they opted to have him running through suburbia using a kid as a bullet shield! That he’s sad when the kid appears to have been shot doesn’t do a lot to absolve him, in my humble opinion.

Interestingly, the title card suggests the film was once called Five Minutes to Live, same as its tie-in song, but was renamed Door-to-Door Maniac, evoking those obsolete jobs like milkman and waterman, the latter of which I didn’t know was a thing until I saw it in another old movie last night, but I digress.

In closing, and as much as I have said all that, the film is still very much something of a cult favorite today. Chiefly for it’s inclusion of the aforementioned Johnny Cash as a sociopath thief/killer, one of a mottle who embark on a killing spree in a small U.S. town, ringing doorbells of random homes, then slaughtering whomever answers, of course.

Oh, and Cash’s performance has a neophyte charm, but is delightfully weird and he even manages to sneak his musical talents in a few times, which was unexpected, and yet works seamlessly.

Along next is The Right Hand Of The Devil, which is, for all intents and purposes, an ultra cheap, violent crime gem from the early sixties. Aram Katcher, wrote, starred and directed himself in this B-movie that benefits from Los Angeles location shooting in its first half.

For me, it’s always fun to see what a major city looked like so long ago. The movie itself is fun too, but not always for intended reasons. Katcher seems to be reading cue cards in an early scene where he recruits a cohort for a heist. He’s never really convincing as an actor, but fortunately the movie is more interested in action.

After romancing and taking an older woman for a hilarious beach romp, Katcher assembles his gang of three. They pull off the robbery, but Katcher has a nasty way to pay them off. He also has to deal with the older woman, who was a witness (which doesn’t end well either!) Fleeing to Rio (all shown in stock footage), Katcher lives the high life, until an unexpected associate shows up one day for an absolute WOWZER of a finale!

Somewhat famous for a graphic acid-bath death scene, the violence is crudely done and not a single actor shows any real chops, sure, but the movie was nearly impossible to see for a long time and now that it’s available again here via Film Masters, well, it’s definitely worth a look for those drawn to it.

Special Features:
Feature length commentary for Door-to-Door Maniac by Author/Podcaster Daniel Budnik and Film Historian Rob Kelly
Feature length commentary for Right Hand of the Devil by the Monstery Party Podcast
Visual essay, by Someone’s Favorite Productions