88 Films and Jackie Chan join the MAGNIFICENT BODYGUARDS (review)

Jackie Chan, James Tin, and Bruce Leung are the MAGNIFICENT BODYGUARDS escorting a beautiful lady, her sick brother, and lethal twin swords women across deadly mountain terrain teeming with bandits and witches in the first Hong Kong 3D production.  Directed by Lo Wei.

REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (U.S./U.K.) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

MAGNIFICENT BODYGUARDS Blu-ray specs:

• Three-disc set featuring 1080p24 MVC Real3D and 2D and anaglyph 3D MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen transfers
• Cantonese, Mandarin, and English LPCM 2.0 Mono Tracks
• Alternate English LPCM 2.0 Mono Track with alternate music cues
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by NY Asian Film Festival's Frank Djeng and filmmaker F.J. DeSanto
• "Punching Into the 3rd Dimension - James Mudge on Magnificent Bodyguards"
• "Magnificent Bodyguards - A New Dimension in Action?" visual essay by film historian Steve Lawson
• Mandarin Theatrical Trailer
• English Theatrical Trailer 
• Comes with a reversible cover, lenticular slipcover, one pair of anaglyph 3D glasses, and booklet by Thorsten Boose and "Kung Fu Bob" O'Brien.

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Deaf Crocodile checks into DEAD MOUNTAINEER'S HOTEL (review)

A police detective called deep into the mountains to a ski resort for a crime that has not happened has his rational mind tested by mysterious happenings in this Estonian adaptation of a novel by the Strugatskiy Brothers (STALKER, HARD TO BE A GOD).

REVIEW LINK: Deaf Crocodile (U.S.) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

DEAD MOUNTAINEER'S HOTEL 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray specs:

• 2160p24 HEVC Dolby Vision and 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Estonian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Michael Brooke
• "Snow Job: A Routine Investigation in Dead Mountaineer's Hotel" visual essay by Ryan Verrill & Dr. Will Dodson of Someone’s Favorite Prod.
• "Bonus Track" excerpt from the 2016 Riho Vastrik documentary on composer Sven Grünberg and his score for the film
• "Closeup: The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel" 2010 Estonian Public TV documentary
• "Soviet Estonia Newsreel # 6 - The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel" 1979 Soviet Estonian Newsreel

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Also available in a Deluxe Limited Edition directly from DEAF CROCODILE! 

Radiance Films exposes THE PORNOGRAPHERS (review)

Under the guise of selling medical supplies, Sabu is a pornographic filmmaker and dealer who believes he is performing a public service but he is surrounded by greed inside and outside of his dysfunctional surrogate family in Shohei Imamura's first independent directorial effort.

REVIEW LINK: Radiance Films (U.K.) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE PORNOGRAPHERS 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 2.35:1 Widescreen (Dolby Vision/HDR10)
• Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Masaomi Kondô on The Pornographers" 
• "Steve Corbeil on Akiyuki Nosaka"
• "Tony Rayns on The Pornographers"
• Theatrical Trailer
• Limited edition of 5000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings, including a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow, and a booklet featuring new writing by Jasper Sharp. 

Troma bakes up SUGAR COOKIES (review)

When producer Max Pavell kills porn star Alta Lee in a sexualized game of Russian roulette, Alta's bisexual lover Camelia provides an alibit.  When she meets aspiring actress Julie - an exact double of Alta - she sets about remaking the starlet in order to draw Max into a sexy and deadly game.  Mary Waranov, Lynn Lowry, and George Shannon star.  Directed by Theodore Gershuny (SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT).

REVIEW LINK: Troma Films (U.S.) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SUGAR COOKIES Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Introduction by Lloyd Kaufman President of Troma and Executive Producer
• "Making SUGAR COOKIES" interview with actress Lynn Lowry
• "Remembering SUGAR COOKIES" interview with producer Lloyd Kaufman Interview with actress Lynn Lowry Interview with actress Mary Waranov 
• Troma Video Release Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
• "Looking for Oliver Stone, Associate Producer of SUGAR COOKIES"
• "Troma's JFK Asassination Theory"
• "Entombed: Seeing Red" music video
• "Toxic Advice"
• INNARDS! Music Video
• Radiation March
• "Spice Up Your Sleepover with Troma Now!" promo
• "TA in 4K!" Toxic Avenger 4K Promo
• Coming Distractions

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MVD Visual gets terrorized by TROLL (review)

A family move into a San Francisco apartment building where a magical troll is planning to open the gate to his dimension by transforming the unfortunate tenants into fairie creatures in this Empire Pictures production from Charles Band directed by special effects designer John Carl Buechler.  Starring Michael Moriarty, Noah Hathaway, Julie Louis-Dreyfuss, Gary Sandy, Sonny Bono, Phil Fondacaro, and June Lockheart.

REVIEW LINK: MVD Visual (U.S.) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

TROLL Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• "Troll Empire: The Making of TROLL" documentary
• Theatrical Trailer
• Photo Gallery
• Bonus Trailers
• Comes with a reversible cover and slipcover.

Available exclusively from MVD Visual. 

Eureka's Masters of Cinema chases Buster Keaton on THE GENERAL in 4K (review)

Buster Keaton went over-schedule and over-budget on the epic comedy THE GENERAL in which he played a Southern train engineer who single-handedly attempts to foil a Northern plot and rescue his two great loves: his girl and his engine.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka (U.K.) Region ALL 4K UltraHD (DVDCompare)

THE GENERAL 4K UltraHD specs:

• 2160p24 HEVC Dolby Vision 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Music Score by Carl Davis in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Original English Intertitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• "Bound for Glory: The General as Keaton's Cinematic Manifesto" video essay by Imogen Sara Smith, author of "Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy"
• "A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride" video essay on locomotives in the films of Buster Keaton by film critic and editor Luke Ryan
• "Peter Kramer on The General" interview 
• "The Silent Years" 1971 TV Introduction by Orson Welles
• "Silents Please" 1960 TV Introduction by Gloria Swanson
• "Filming Locations" featurette
• "Video Tour of The General" featurette
• Home Movie Footage
• The first pressing of 2,000 copies comes with a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring package design by Nick Wrigley and a booklet featuring archival material and essays by critic Philip Kemp and animator Richard Haynes.

Radiance Films revitalizes the sea with WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE (review)

A laid-off salary man supporting a wife and child who live away from him has no choice but to head to a seaside village to find a possibly imaginary treasure left behind by a recently-deceased older friend.  He gets distracted from his goal when he meets a young woman with strange sexual powers in the final feature film by Shohei Imamura.

REVIEW LINK: Radiance Films (U.K.) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE Blu-ray specs: 

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Introduction by filmmaker Takashi Miike
• Interview with screenwriter Daisuke Tengan
• Making-of Video Documentary
• 2001 discussion between director Shohei Imamura and former assistant Takashi Miike
• Theatrical Trailer (2:05)
  Teaser Trailer with introduction by filmmaker Takashi Miike
• Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings, including a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow, and a booklet featuring new writing by Bastian Meiresonne.