Acorn Media investigates THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES: SERIES 11 (review)

Detective Mike Shepherd and his team are investigating more twisty murders in the New Zealand town of Brokenwood including an eighties band groupie who takes a fatal plunge, a radio star killed in an exploding pool shed, a victim killed during a seance, the victim of a killer chandelier, a body hanging at the end of a zip line, and a corpse dressed as Santa Claus.

REVIEW LINK: Acorn Media (UK) Region 0 PAL DVD (DVDCompare)

THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES SERIES 11 DVD specs:

• Six feature-length episodes on three dual-layer DVDs
• 16:9 Anamorphic 1.78:1 Widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English HoH Subtitles
• Image Gallery 

Cauldron Films hunts down MAD FOXES in 4K (review)

A jerk with a cool Stingray is pushed to his limits by murderous bikers in this cartoonishly violent vigilante film from Swiss producer Erwin C. Dietrich.

REVIEW LINK: Cauldron Films (US) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Region A Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

MAD FOXES 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray Combo specs:

• Disc One - 4K UltraHD:
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.85:1 Widescreen (Dolby Vision/ HDR-compatible)
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Mono, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles for the English dub and optional English subtitles for the Spanish dub
• Audio Commentary by film historians Nanni Cobretti and Merlyn Roberts 
• Disc Two - Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Mono, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH Subtitles for the English dub and optional English subtitles for the Spanish dub
• Audio Commentary by film historians Nanni Cobretti and Merlyn Roberts 
• "The Untold Story of Robert O’Neal" interview with actor José Gras
• "Erwin and the Foxes" interview with producer Erwin C. Dietrich and actors Helmi Sigg and Eric Falk
• "Mad Eric" interview with actor Eric Falk 
• "Nazi Fox Bikers Must Die" video essay by film historian Troy Howarth
• Image Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Comes in a rigid slipcase with artwork by Justin Coffee and includes a foldout poster. 

Order from AMAZON! 

Eureka ventures into danger with MARTIAL LAW - LO WEI'S WUXIA WORLD (review)

Before he moved to Golden Harvest and made stars of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, Lo Wei worked decades at Shaw Brothers in various genres, directing the first wuxia films before Chang Cheh and King Hu and finishing off his tenure at the company with an impressive trio.  The BLACK BUTTERFLY is a Robin Hood-esque thief who steals from the rich to help the poor victims of a natural disaster but soon finds herself up against her own father when he is hired to protect his village's wealthy businessmen.  In DEATH VALLEY, a duplicitous woman kills her wealthy uncle and sets about seducing and manipulating various martial artists out to avenge their master into fighting each other.  In VENGEANCE OF A SNOWGIRL, a disabled girl goes on a mission of vengeance against the men who killed her parents with the help of a legendary jade sword.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (US/UK) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

MARTIAL LAW - LO WEI'S WUXIA WORLD Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One:
• Black Butterfly:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema 
• Death Valley: 
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema 
• Disc Two: 
• Vengeance of a Snowgirl:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema 
• "A Dish Best Served Cold" interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong 
• The first pressing includes a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) and a  collector’s booklet featuring new writing on all three films in this set by Hong Kong cinema expert Camille Zaurin.

Order from AMAZON! 

88 Films' UNCLE SAM wants you... dead! (review)

When flag burners, draft dodgers, corrupt politicians, tax cheats, lazy cops, and even pot smoking teens disrespect the Fourth of July, an undead Iraq War soldier comes back to life to make this a holiday his home town will never forget.  From director William Lustig (MANIAC) and writer Larry Cohen (GOD TOLD ME TO).

REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

UNCLE SAM Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by director William Lustig, screenwriter Larry Cohen, and producer George Braunstein
• Audio Commentary by director William Lustig and actor Isaac Hayes
• Fire Stunts Behind the Scenes with audio commentary by stunt coordinator Spiro Rizatos
• Gag Reel
• Poster and Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• The first pressing includes an O-Ring slipcover and booklet liner notes. 

88 Films gets tickled by PLAYFUL WHITE FINGERS (review)

Country bumpkin Yuki arrives in the city and falls for charming thief Jiro.  When he is caught and imprisoned, Yuki falls in with the man's other lover Yoko and former cellmate Taku, embracing a life of pleasure and crime in the directorial debut of Toru Murakawa, director of "The Game Trilogy".

REVIEW LINK: 88 Films (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

PLAYFUL WHITE FINGERS Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.45:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by writers Amber T and Jasper Sharp
• "Desire Within" interview with director Toru Murakawa
• "Touchy Feely" introduction by critic Kei Chiba
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer 

Radiance Films gives the chills with DAIEI GOTHIC VOLUME 2 (review)

DAIEI GOTHIC VOLUME TWO brings us three more adaptations of popular Japanese ghost stories and legends.  In THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE, Genji knights must infiltrate the mountain stronghold of bandits lead by a demonic entity.  In THE HAUNTED CASTLE, a governor is bedeviled by a ghost cat that can assume human form.  In THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP, the murder of a blind masseur is visited upon the next generation of both the killer's and the victim's family.

REVIEW LINK: Radiance Films (US/UK) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

DAIEI GOTHIC VOLUME 2 Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - Demon of Mount Oe:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Taichi Kasuga on THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE" film historian interview
• "Bride of the Demon-Slayer" visual essay by Japanese film expert Tom Mes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two - The Haunted Castle:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Mari Asato on THE HAUNTED CASTLE filmmaker interview
• "The Strange Case of Ikuko Mori" visual essay by Japanese film expert Tom Mes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Three - The Ghost of Kasane Swamp:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Select-Scene Audio Commentary by horror film scholar Lindsay Nelson
• "Norio Tsuruta on THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP" filmmaker interview
• "Legacy of Ghosts" visual essay by ghost story scholar Zack Davisson
• Theatrical Trailer
• Limited Edition of 4,000 copies presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases for each film and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings, including an 80-page perfect bound book featuring new writing by Amber T, Jasper Sharp, and Tom Mes, plus archival writing by Daniel O’Neill and original ghost stories The Goblin of Oeyama and The Vampire Cat.

Order from AMAZON! 

Second Run asks WHO WANTS TO KILL JESSIE? (review)

When a scientist who has developed a drug that can influence dreams catches her husband dreaming about the beautiful comic strip heroine Jessie, she uses the drug to rid him of his dreams but it has the side effect of pulling his dreams into reality including Jessie and her villainous foes.

REVIEW LINK: Second Run (UK) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

WHO WANTS TO KILL JESSIE? Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Czech LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Projection Booth podcast commentary by podcasters Mike White, Jim Laczkowski, and Jonathan Owen
• "Those Crazy Czechs" video essay by film historian Michael Brooke
• "Directive [Direktiva]" 1955 short film by Václav Vorlíček
• Comes with a 24-page booklet with new writing on the film by author and Czech cinema expert Jonathan Owen.