Radiance Films exposes UNDERWORLD CHRONICLES: THREE YAKUZA FABLES BY TAKASHI MIIKE (review)

Takashi Miike had been making Yakuza films as part of Japan's direct-to-video V-Cinema boom but his video-bound project FUDOH: THE NEW GENERATION was given a theatrical launch and ended up with wider exposure through the festival circuit.  Ten years after his gang boss father sacrifices his older brother for a rival gang dispute, teenage Riki trains his classmates for revenge against all responsible.  In AGITATOR, a low-level gang chief takes on three powerful organizations when he realizes he has been used as a pawn in a plot for three gang bosses to move up in their families.  In DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA, a hotheaded gang chief acquires a rocket launcher to avenge his godfather.

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

UNDERWORLD CHRONICLES - THREE YAKUZA FABLES BY TAKASHI MIIKE 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - Fudoh: The New Generation (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.85:1 Widescreen (HDR10)
• Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Takashi Miike and actor Shosuke Tanihara
• Optional introduction by director Takashi Miike 
• Disc Two - Fudoh: The New Generation (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Takashi Miike and actor Shosuke Tanihara
• Optional introduction by director Takashi Miike
• Interview with director director Takashi Miike
• Interview with actor Shosuke Tanihara 
• Disc Three - Agitator (Blu-ray):
• Theatrical Cut (150 minutes):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 1.0
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Tom Mes 
• Two-Part Television Cut (200 minutes):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen (upscaled from standard definition)
• Japanese Dolby Digital 1.0
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Interview with director Takashi Miike
• Theatrical Trailer  
• Disc Four - Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Tom Mes
• Interview with director Takashi Miike
• "Electric Yakuza, Go to Hell!" documentary 
• Limited edition of 5,000 copies, presented in rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow and an 80-page bound book featuring new writing by Tom Mes and Colin Geddes, and archival writing from Tony Rayns. 

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Radiance Films incites Takashi Miike's AGITATOR (review)

When a low-level Yakuza gang boss realizes that he has been used in an underhanded plot of syndicate intrigue that has betrayed his Big Brother and his gang's godfather, he takes on three different organizations on his own in this Takashi Miike epic.

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

AGITATOR Blu-ray specs:

• Theatrical Cut (150 minutes):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes 
• Television Cut (200 minutes):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen (upscaled from standard definition)
• Japanese Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Interview with director Takashi Miike
• Theatrical Trailer
• Comes with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow and a booklet featuring new writing by Tom Mes.

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88 Films initiates a SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE in 4K (review)

A young coed has haunting visions of brutal murder when she moves into the Theta Sorority House.  Left with a few friends for the holiday weekend, only she realizes that there is a knife-wielding killer stalking them one by one in this Roger Corman production.

REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (U.K.) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray Combo specs:

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.85:1 Widescreen (Dolby Vision/HDR10)
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by The Hysteria Continues! podcast and Made for TV Mayhem podcaster Amanda Reyes 
• Audio Commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth 
• Audio Commentary by film journalists Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by The Hysteria Continues! podcast and Made for TV Mayhem podcaster Amanda Reyes 
• Audio Commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth 
• Audio Commentary by film journalists Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz 
• Extended UK VHS Cut 
• "Final Girl Memories" interview with actress Angela O'Neill
• "Concorde Affair" interview with Ryan Gowland of the New World Pictures Podcast
• "No Alphas or Omegas Here" video essay by film historian Heather Wixson
• "A Nightmare on Sorority Row" audio interview with actress Angela O'Neill
• "A Slash Course In Terror: Inside SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE" interview with author/film historian Amanda Reyes 
• "The Final Girl: A Guide to Surviving Slasher Films" video essay with film historians Dr. Richard Howell and Amanda Reyes 
• "Sorority Pledge" interview with producer Roger Corman 
• "Sorority Sister" interview with actress Nicole Rio 
• "Sorority Brother" interview with actor Vinnie Bilancio 
• Theatrical Trailer
• Comes with a slipcase.
• The first pressing features an O-ring slipcover featuring original artwork and a booklet by Calum Waddell. 

Cult Epics probes taboos in 4K with THE KEY (review)

A husband and a wife each discover their other half's forbidden secrets and desires in Tinto Brass' THE KEY, the film that made him a household name as the auteur of classy Italian erotica based on the novel by Jun'ichirô Tanizaki and starring Frank Finlay and Stefania Sandrelli with a score by Ennio Morricone.

REVIEW LINK: Cult Epics (U.S.) 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE KEY 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.66:1 Widescreen (HDR10)
• English/Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles (for Italian dialogue-only)
• Audio Commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Marcus Stiglegger
• Theatrical Trailer
• Tinto Brass Trailers 
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English/Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles (for Italian dialogue-only)
• Audio Commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Marcus Stiglegger
• "Brass' Talisman" interview with actor Franco Branciaroli
• "Keyhole Venice" film locations visit
• "Sensuous Morricone" interview with music historians Pierpaolo de Sanctis and Claudio Fiuano
• Isolated Score by Ennio Morricone
• Archival interview with director Tinto Brass
• Outtakes
• "The Key" Photo Gallery
• Tinto Brass Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Tinto Brass Trailers 
• Comes with a reversible cover, a slipcover, and a 20-Page illustrated booklet by Eugenio Ercolani. 

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Eureka Classics face off against THE INVINCIBLE EIGHT (review)

The children of eight murdered general band together to avenge themselves on a corrupt general in Lo Wei's THE INVINCIBLE EIGHT, his first film for Golden Harvest starring Angela Mao and Nora Miao.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (U.K.) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE INVINCIBLE EIGHT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.39:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng, New York Asian Film Festival
• "Whip Smart" interview with writer Wayne Wong
• Theatrical Trailer
• The first pressing of 2,000 copies comes in a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) with a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on "The Invincible Eight" and Golden Harvest by East Asian cinema expert Camille Zaurin. 

Eureka's Masters of Cinema makes a pact with THE DEVIL'S HAND (review)

A failed painter may lose more than his hand when he makes a deal with the Devil for talent in this French work of fantastic cinema made under Nazi occupation.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (U.K.) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE DEVIL'S HAND Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• French LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film critic James Oliver
• "The Devil's in the Details" video essay by film historian Samm Deighan
• "Continental: French Cinema in the Devil's Hand" documentary
• The first pressing of 2,000 copies comes in a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by John Dunn with a collector's booklet featuring new writing on director Maurice Tourneur by French cinema expert Barry Nevin.
   

Arrow visits SALEM'S LOT in 4K (review)

A vampire plague drifts into a small New England town with the fog and the only people who can stop it are a novelist and a horror-obsessed teenager in Tobe Hooper's iconic miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling novel.

REVIEW LINK: Arrow Video (US/UK) Region ALL 4K UltraHD (DVDCompare)

 SALEM'S LOT 4K UltraHD specs: 

• DISC ONE:
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.33:1 Fullscreen Dolby Vision presentations of the two-part miniseries and the extended movie version
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director Tobe Hooper
• Audio Commentary by film critics Bill Ackerman and Amanda Reyes
• Alternate TV Footage
• Screenplay Gallery 
• DISC TWO: 
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.33:1 Fullsceen Dolby Vision presentation of the international theatrical version
• English LPCM 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Chris Alexander
• "King of the Vampires" interview with Stephen King biographer Douglas Winter
• "Second Coming" appreciation by author and critic Grady Hendrix
• "New England Nosferatu" interview with filmmaker Mick Garris
• "Fear Lives Here" look at the locations of "Salem's Lot" today with filmmaker Elijah Drenner
• "We Can All Be Heroes" appreciation by film critic Heather Wixson, co-author of "In Search of Darkness"
• "A Gold Standard for Small Screen Screams" appreciation by film critics Joe Lipsett and Trace Thurman, co-hosts of the podcast "Horror Queers"
• Trailers
• Image Gallery
• Comes in a slipcase with a reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options, "Salem's Lot" town sign sticker, a double-sided foldout poster featuring two original artwork options, and a collectors' perfect-bound booklet

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Breaking Glass Pictures look for love in SAUNA (review)

A young gay man runs away to the city and lives it up by night while cleaning a sauna by day.  When he meets a trans man on Grindr, a hookup turns into a tumultuous relationship as both try to fit into one anothers' worlds and find out who they are as individuals.

REVIEW LINK: Breaking Glass Pictures (U.S.) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

SAUNA DVD specs:

• 16:9 Anamorphic 1.55:1 Widescreen
• Danish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Burnt-in English Subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Slide Show
• Trailers 

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88 Films wages war in THE DELIGHTFUL FOREST (review)

After avenging his brother's murder on his sister-in-law and her lover, the hero Wu Song accepts his prison sentence only to become entangled in a web of betrayals as rival gangs struggle over a nearby territory.  Ti Lung stars in this Shaw Brothers classic based on the famous novel "The Water Margin" directed by Chang Cheh.

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

THE DELIGHTFUL FOREST Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David West
• "Warrior Lady" interview with actress Yu Feng
• Image Gallery
• Re-issue Trailer
• Comes with a reversible sleeve with brand-new artwork from Aurelio Lorenzo and original Hong Kong art. 
• The first pressing includes a slipcover by Aurelio Lorenzo. 

88 Films infiltrates the SECRET SERVICE OF THE IMPERIAL COURT (review)

Through the manipulation of the court eunuch, the assassination squad of the Ming Dynasty has been turned towards eliminating his enemies.  When the Sergeant of the Guard instead protects the persecuted, the Commander - his own father - orders his death at the hands of his men in this Shaw Brothers classic of court intrigue and mass slaughter. 

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

SECRET SERVICE OF THE IMPERIAL COURT Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Cantonese and Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Still Gallery
• Comes with a reversible sleeve with brand-new artwork from R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien and original Hong Kong art.  
• The first pressing includes a slipcover by "Kung Fu Bob" O'Brien. 

Altered Innocence cruises with TAXI ZUM KLO (review)

By day, Frank is a schoolteacher, by night he cruises the toilets in this German New Wave film about a double life during the early days of gay rights in West Germany based on the life of its star and director Frank Ripploh.

REVIEW LINK: Altered Innocence (U.S.) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

TAXI ZUM KLO Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.26:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English and Spanish Subtitles
• "This or That" video essay by film historian KJ Shepherd
• "From the Classroom to the Tearoom" video essay by film historian Elizabeth Purchell
• Restoration Trailer
• Other Trailers
• Comes with a booklet featuring an essay by Bradford Nordeen.

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Cinephobia Releasing finds love and loss in #300LETTERS (review)

Just as Jero is about to celebrate Valentine's Day on social media, his boyfriend Tom breaks up with him, leaving him three-hundred letters for each day of their relationship explaining what went wrong.  His friend advises him to move on, but Jero cannot resist knowing the truth.. or a version of it in this Argentinian romantic comedy.

REVIEW LINK: Breaking Glass Pictures (U.S.) Region 1 NTSC DVD (DVDCompare)

#300LETTERS DVD specs:

• 16:9 Anamorphic 2.40:1 Widescreen
• Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English and English SDH Subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer
• Start-up Trailers

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