Well Go USA gets LOST IN HONG KONG (review)

Failed artist turned brassiere designer Xu Lai is unhappy in his marriage and sees the opportunity to reconnect with his first love in a trip to Hong Kong.  Trying to evade his prying relatives, including his documentary filmmaker brother-in-law, the two are soon being chased through the city by cops, gangsters, killers, and an irate action film director.  After a series of injurious misadventures, Xu Lai starts to wonder if winning over his lost love is meant to be.

REVIEW LINK: Well Go USA (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

LOST IN HONG KONG Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• Mandarin/Cantonese/French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English and Chinese subtitles
• Behind the Scenes
• Bloopers
• Trailer
• Previews

Strand Releasing spends THE SUMMER OF SANGAILE (review)

Seventeen year old Sangaile is fascinated with stunt planes but suffers from crippling vertigo.  When she catches the eye of waitress Astre, the two begin an intense friendship that turns into first love.  As the summer comes to an end, both will have to make decisions about their lives that may split them up while allowing both to grow.

REVIEW LINK: Strand Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE SUMMER OF SANGAILE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Lithuanian Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English subtitles
• Interview with director Alante Kavaite
• "3 Years Later" interview with the stars
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews

Sundance Selects schools SLOW LEARNERS (review)

THE MINDY PROJECT's Adam Pally and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER's Sarah Burns star in this quirky, sweet, and raunchy comedy as a high school guidance counselor and librarian who decide to make a change in their love lives.  Making themselves over as bad boy and crazy girl, they become popular with the opposite sexes but altogether unrecognizable to their family and friends who believe that the two of them are perfect for each other.  VEEP's Reid Scott, SNL's Bobby Moynihan, THE OFFICE's Kate Flannery also star.

REVIEW LINK: Sundance Selects/MPI Media Group (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

SLOW LEARNERS DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer

Wolfe Video cries YOU'RE KILLING ME (review)

In this gay horror comedy mix of DEXTER and THE GILMORE GIRLS, viral video star George thinks he has finally found the perfect man in handsome Joe who seems to have no personality or sense of humor other than his shtick about murdering people.  Of course, he's too hot to be creepy, but George's friends soon notice that their numbers are being thinned out as Joe removes any obstacles between him and George and their future happiness.

REVIEW LINK: Wolfe Video (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

YOU'RE KILLING ME DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Bloopers
• Drew and Edie Improv
• Trailer
• Previews

Arrow Films takes a BACKTRACK (review)

Adrien Brody and Sam Neill star in this Australian ghost story.  A psychiatrist mourning the death of his daughter in a road accident discovers that his patients are all ghosts, and they are pushing him towards solving a mystery that lies in his own past.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Films (UK) Region 2 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

BACKTRACK DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• Audio Commentary by writer/director Michael Petroni and cinematographer Stefan Duscio
• Interviews with actors Adrien Brody, Sam Neill, Robin McLeavy, George Shevtsov, and director Michael Petroni
• Behind the Scenes
• Deleted Scenes

Scream Factory spreads THE CURSE with THE BITE (review)

"Wil Wheaton from STAND BY ME must stand alone against THE CURSE" in this eighties gorefest about a family farm gone beserk when a meteorite contaminates the well water.  Based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft.  Starring Claude Akins, Cooper Huckabee, John Schneider, and directed by David Keith (with effects scenes directed by Lucio Fulci).  In CURSE II: THE BITE, study J. Eddie Peck (LAMBADA) undergoes a monstrous mutation when he is bitten by a snake from a nuclear test site.  Jill Schoelen, Jamie Farr, and Bo Svenson also star.

REVIEW LINK: Scream Factory/Shout! Factory (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

THE CURSE/CURSE II: THE BITE Blu-ray specs:

• The Curse (1987):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Curse II: The Bite (1989): 
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo
• Optional English SDH subtitles

Vinegar Syndrome documents SENSUAL ENCOUNTERS OF EVERY KIND (review)

A three-thousand year old talisman makes the wearer sexually irresistible to other people, and SENSUAL ENCOUNTERS OF EVERY KIND follows its journey from a socialite to a repressed school teacher to a senator to a gym coach and so on.  John Leslie, Leslee Bovee, Serena, Georgina Spelvin, Jon Martin, Ric Lutze, Mike Ranger, and Cris Cassidy star.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

SENSUAL ENCOUNTERS OF EVERY KIND DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Audio Interview with actor Jon Martin

Vinegar Syndrome goes Blu with the EROTIC ADVENTURES OF CANDY (Review)

Carol Connors (DEEP THROAT) stars in this Peekarama double bill of EROTIC ADVENTURES OF CANDY and CANDY GOES TO HOLLYWOOD - getting an HD overhaul courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome - as a twenty year old virginal college student who learns all about sex in hilarious and unconventional ways and then learns the ropes of making it big in Hollywood under the tutelage of the likes of Georgina Spelvin (THE DEVIL IN MISS JONES), John Leslie (NOTHING TO HIDE), John Holmes (INSATIABLE), and others.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

EROTIC ADVENTURES OF CANDY/CANDY GOES TO HOLLYWOOD Blu-ray specs:

• Erotic Adventures of Candy (1978):
• New 2K scan/restoration from the original camera negative
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono
• Candy Goes to Hollywood (1978):
• New 2K scan/restoration of the recently discovered original camera negative
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono

Vinegar Syndrome stings THE BEES (review)

John Carradine, John Saxon, and Angel Thomkins are all that stands between THE BEES and the destruction of the world in this seventies disaster of a disaster film.  When Africanized killer bees are smuggled into the United States by greedy businessmen, they are soon on the loose and the bodies are piling up.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region ALL Blu-ray/Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

THE BEES Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Interview with director Alfredo Zacarias
• Reversible cover.

LionsGate stands up for FREEHELD (review)

FREEHELD is based on the true story of Laurel Hester, a veteran of the Ocean County police department, who discovered that she had late stage lung cancer and ran into homophobia and injustice when she requested the county grant her pension benefits to her life partner.  Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, and Steve Carell star.

REVIEW LINK: LionsGate (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

FREEHELD Blu-ray/Digital HD specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English SDH, English, and Spanish subtitles
• Audio Commentary with Director Peter Sollett, Julianne Moore and Ellen Page
• "The Making of FREEHELD"
• "FREEHELD to Freedom: Ocean County Then and Now"
• Original Academy Award-winning 2007 "FREEHELD" documentary .
• Digital HD download code

Second Run tries SOMETHING DIFFERENT with A BAGFUL OF FLEAS (review)

Second Run DVD presents two early films by noted Czech New Wave female director Vera Chytilova.  Her first feature SOMETHING DIFFERENT contrasts the trials and frustrations of real life Czech gymnast Eva Bosakova with the fictional storyline of unappreciated housewife Vera who raises a troubled child, is ignored by her husband, and takes a younger lover.  In A BAGFUL OF FLEAS, Chytilova's camera takes the POV of a new girl at a textile factory dormitory who observes and comments on the lives of the girls and their defiance of rules set by their superiors.

REVIEW LINK: Second Run DVD (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDBeaver)

SOMETHING DIFFERENT/A BAGFUL OF FLEAS DVD specs:

• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.37:1 fullscreen
• Czech Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles
• SOMETHING DIFFERENT transferred from high definition
• A BAGFUL OF FLEAS restored in 2K by L'immagine Ritrovata of Bologna
• Liner Notes Booklet by Peter Hames

Vinegar Syndrome plucks the ROBIN'S NEST for BELLA (review)

Real-life lovers Eric Edwards and Arcadia Lake headline this obscure duo of porn classics.  In ROBIN'S NEST, newlyweds Robin and Alan separate after six months and discover their true desires in the arms of more sexually liberated friends.  In BELLA, a teenage tart pursues her mother's lover and becomes possessive once she has him.  Paul Thomas and Samantha Fox also star.

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

ROBIN'S NEST/BELLA DVD specs:

• 2K scans of 35mm camera negatives
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen transfers
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Trailer for BELLA
• Interview with Carter Stevens

Arrow Video USA unleashes THE MUTILATOR (review)

Buddy Cooper's eighties unrated slasher classic hits Blu-ray with all of its splattery gore intact.  Ed Jr. and his five friends decide to make a Fall Break holiday out of closing up his father's beach condo for the winter, unaware that Big Ed is lying in wait for them with all manner of sharp implements to hook, spear, chop, and mutilate them with in THE MUTILATOR.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video USA (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

THE MUTILATOR Blu-ray/DVD combo:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English LPCM 1.0 mono
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles 
• Audio Commentary with director/writer Cooper, assistant special make-up effects artist/assistant editor Edmund Ferrell, co-director John Douglass, and actor Matt Mitler
• Audio Commentary with director/writer Buddy Cooper and actress Ruth Martinez Tutterow
• Introduction with writer/director Buddy Cooper and assistant special make-up effects artist/assistant editor Edmund Ferrell
• "Fall Breakers: The Story of The Mutilator" documentary (75 minutes)
• "Mutilator Memories" interview with special make-up effects artist Mark Shostrom
• "Tunes for the Dunes" interview composer Michael Minard 
• Behind-the-Scenes Reel
• Screen Tests
• "The Mutilator" alternate opening titles
• Original Trailers and TV Spots
• Fall Break Theme Song (original and instrumental)
• Opening Sequence Storyboards
• Motion Stills Gallery
• Easter Eggs
• BD-ROM/DVD-ROM: Screenplay (.pdf)
• Reversible Cover

Well Go USA wields MEMORIES OF THE SWORD (review)

In this dazzling but deliriously-plotted Korean swordplay drama, an orphaned girl trained from childhood to avenge the murders of her parents discovers that her own mentor is to be one of her targets and that the other is a ruthless general who has plans to usurp the throne.

REVIEW LINK: Well Go USA (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

MEMORIES OF THE SWORD Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews 

LionsGate, Simon Pegg, and Lake Bell MAN UP (review)

Simon Pegg and Lake Bell star in this romantic comedy from the producers of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ as two strangers thrown together on a blind date that escalates into a series of comic misadventures with stalkers, cheating exes and their wanker lovers.

REVIEW LINK: LionsGate (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

MAN UP Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Optional English SDH, English, and Spanish subtitles
• "The Seven Beats of MAN UP" featurette
• Gag Reel
• Lake and Simon Interview Clips
• Previews
• Digital HD code included

LionsGate stalks THE LAST WITCH HUNTER (review)

Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Michael Caine, and Elijah Wood star in the action fantasy THE LAST WITCH HUNTER.  Cursed with immortality by The Witch Queen, Kaulder has spent the last eight hundred years keeping the peace between good witches and the church while hunting down those who use black magic against humankind.  When his mentor is murdered by supernatural means, he uncovers a plot to resurrect The Witch Queen and unleash a new Black Plague.

REVIEW LINK: LionsGate (US) Region A Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD combo (DVDCompare)

THE LAST WITCH HUNTER Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.40:1 widescreen
• English DTS X, English DTS 2.0 stereo, English DTS Headphone X 2.0 stereo, English Descriptive Audio DTS 2.0 stereo, and Spanish DTS 5.1
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 2.40:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS 2.0 stereo, English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by director Breck Eisner
• "Crafting the Magic: The Last Witch Hunter" featurette
• Animated Short Films "The Origin of the Axe and Cross"
• "The Last Witch Hunter Sizzle Reel/Paint It, Black"
• Deleted Scenes
• Digital HD Code Included 

Sony Pictures Classics pays a visit to GRANDMA (review)

Lily Tomlin, Sam Elliott, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, Laverne Cox, Elizabeth Pena, and Julia Garner star in Paul Weitz's family drama.  No sooner has burnt-out poet Elle breaks it off with her younger girlfriend than her estranged granddaughter turns up in need of money for an abortion.  Flat broke and unwilling to seek help from her daughter, Elle drags her granddaughter around town shaking down friends and old flames and dredging up drama and opening up old wounds.

REVIEW LINK: Sony Pictures Classics (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

GRANDMA Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Portuguese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English, English HoH, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Paul Weitz & actors Lily Tomlin, Sam Elliott, and Julia Garner (with optional English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Thai subtitles)
• "A Family Portrait: Making Grandma" featurette
• Q&A with Lily Tomlin, Sam Elliott, and director Paul Weitz
• Theatrical Trailer (2:06)

Film Movement reveals SECRETS OF WAR (review)

In this Dutch WWII epic, two schoolboys find themselves at odds when the father of one sympathizes with the Nazis and is elected mayor of the town and father and brother of the other have joined the resistance.  Further dividing them is the secret of a new female classmate which puts her life in danger if one of them reveals it.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

SECRETS OF WAR DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Dutch Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Closed Captioning 
• Behind the Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Bonus Short Film "So You've Grown Attached" (Kate Tsang)
• Previews 

Strand Releasing heals THE CUT (review)

In this epic from Turkish/German director Fatih Akin set during World War I, metalsmith Nazaret loses his family, his friends, his faith, and his voice when he is conscripted by the Ottoman Empire and then given the choice to convert or die.  Surviving his execution by the hesitation of his killer, he falls in with bandits and is then taken in by a Turkish soapmaker.  After the war, he discovers that his twin daughters may still be alive and mounts a journey across multiple countries in search of them.

REVIEW LINK: Strand Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

THE CUT DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescree
• Armenian/Arabic/Turkish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews 

Film Movement tries to BREATHE (review)

In this dark French drama of youth, friendship, and jealousy, studious Charlie becomes infatuated with charismatic new transfer student Sarah, but their fast friendship leads to jealousy and the threat of exposed secrets.  As Sarah charms Charlie's family and friends, Charlie finds herself powerless to fight back as the other girl uses embarrassing secrets against her in a subtle bullying campaign.

REVIEW LINK: Film Movement (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

BREATHE DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• French Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Closed Captioning
• Cast and Director Interviews
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews
• Bonus Short Film 

Tempe Digital moves in with THE DEAD NEXT DOOR (review)

J.R. Bookwalter's Super 8mm zombie epic from Ohio comes to Blu-ray in a 2K restoration stacked with extras, including the earlier DVD transfer, the original VHS transfer, and multiple audio commentary tracks.  The Zombie Squad travel from Washington D.C. to Ohio in search of the serum that caused the original outbreak in order to create a zombie anti-virus and run into a diabolical cult with their own use for the zombies.

REVIEW LINK: Tempe Digital (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

THE DEAD NEXT DOOR Blu-ray specs:

• Disc 1 (Blu-ray):
• Brand New 2K Restoration
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC pillarboxed 1.33:1 fullscreen and 1.78:1 widescreen options 
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options for the dubbed and original cast mixes
• Optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary by J.R. Bookwalter, line producer & co-star Jolie Jackunas-Kobrinsky and associate producer Scott P. Plummer
• "Restoration of the Dead" featurette
• "Capitol Theatre Screening" featurette
• "The Nightflight Screening" featurette
• Behind the Scenes Footage with audio commentary by J.R. Bookwalter
• Deleted Scenes & Outtakes with audio commentary by J.R. Bookwalter
• Still Galleriess
• Around the World
• Storyboards
• Behind the Scenes
• Production Stills
• Trailer
• Previews
• Disc 2 (DVD):
• 2005 Anchor Bay DVD restoration
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director J.R. Bookwalter, actor Michael Todd, and cinematographer Michael Tolochko (2005 version) 
• 1990 VHS Version
• 4:3 non-anamorphic 1.33:1 fullscreen
• English and Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by The No-Budget Nightmares Podcast (1990 Version) 
• 2005 Extras
• "20 Years in 15 Minutes" featurette
• Video Storyboards
• Video Preshoots
• Auditions
• 2000 Frightvision Reunion
• Music Video
• Trailer
• Tempe Video Trailers
• 2015 Extras
• "The Dead Up North" Canadian Screening
• Local TV Appearances
• Local TV Commercials
• 1995 Making-of Excerpts
• Short Films:
• "The Flesh Eater" (1979) with audio commentary by J.R & Benji Bookwalter
• "Zombie" (1980) with audio commentary by J.R & Benji Bookwalter
• "Tomorrow" (unfinished 1985) with audio commentary by J.R Bookwalter
• Disc 3 (CD):
• Extended Soundtrack CD (24 Tracks)
• Limited Edition Double-sided Cover and Insert Booklet

Strand Releasing wades into MARSHLAND (review)

Rural Spain, 1980 - Two detectives are called to a small village to investigate the disappearance of two sisters.  When the bodies are discovered horribly mutilated, the detectives learn that these are actually part of a pattern of murders that the locals are reluctant to investigate.  Seen as troublemakers in a town where support of the fascist Franco government is still strong five years after the dictator's death, the detectives discover a mindset that victimizes young women torn between the modern and traditional, making them vulnerable to the killer.

REVIEW LINK: Strand Releasing (US) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDBeaver)

MARSHLAND DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen
• Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Optional English subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews 

Kino Lorber unmasks FANTOMAS (review)

Before there was Dr. Mabuse or just about any other master criminal, there was FANTOMAS, the master of disguise who terrorized Paris in thirty-two serialized novels before making the leap to the big screen with five feature-length serials directed by Gaumont's Louis Feuillade.  The master criminal takes on several identities and is pursued by Inspector Juve and journalist Fandor who also don a series of disguises to fool their foe.

REVIEW LINK: Kino Lorber (US) Region A Blu-ray (DVD Drive-in)

FANTOMAS Blu-ray specs:

• Five feature-length serials on two discs
• 4K Restorations by Gaumont for the 100th Anniversary
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 fullscreen
• Music Dolby Digital 2.0 mono
• Optional English subtitles for the French Intertitles and Text
• "Louis Feuillade: Master of Many Forms" documentary
• Louis Feuillade Short Films:
• "The Nativity"
• "The Dwarf"

Vinegar Syndrome deflowers STAR VIRGIN (review)

Move over FLESH GORDON, director Howard Ziehm documents the "big bang" of the futuristic STAR VIRGIN as she is born into womanhood and insatiably curious about how humans "duplicate."

REVIEW LINK: Vinegar Syndrome (US) Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

STAR VIRGIN DVD specs:

• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono
• Audio Commentary by director Howard Ziehm