Eureka and Masters of Cinema worship THE SONS OF GREAT BEAR (review)

In response to Hollywood and West German westerns that East Germany felt promoted capitalist and colonialist values, the government-controlled studio DEFA mounted their highly successful run of Socialist Realist westerns with Native American heroes with THE SONS OF GREAT BEAR about a Oglala Lakota warrior who tries to keep the U.S. Army from moving his people to the reservations and protect the sacred treasure from greedy gold miners.

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

THE SONS OF GREAT BEAR Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Western scholar Jenny Barrett
• "World Wide West" interview with Austin Fisher, author of "Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western"
• "Homelands" video essay by Lee Broughton, author of "The Euro-Western"
• "Eyewitness Report" 1965 newsreel on the making of the film
• German Theatrical Trailer
• Masters of Cinema Trailer
• Comes in a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Colin Murdoch and a collector's booklet featuring new writing on "The Sons of Great Bear" and DEFA’s approach to the Western by Mariana Ivanova, Academic Director of the DEFA Film Library.

Eureka exposes THE TATTOOED DRAGON (review)

Jimmy Wang Yu plays The Dragon who arrives in Thailand to track down stolen relief funds for Chinese overseas and ends up in the middle of a conflict between villagers and a gang using a casino to rob them of all their money and land.  From the director of THE BIG BOSS.

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

THE TATTOOED DRAGON Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Mandarin and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng (New York Asian Film Festival) and filmmaker Michael Worth
• Audio Commentary by action film experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• "Wei and the Dragon" interview with martial arts cinema expert Wayne Wong
• Alternate English Export Opening Credits
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer (mistakenly authored at 1080p25 and may not play on all U.S. players)
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• The first pressing includes a slipcover featuring new artwork by Sean Longmore, a reversible cover, and a booklet by James Oliver.

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Full Moon Features plugs into ARCADE (review)

In this Full Moon production from producer Charles Band and director Albert Pyun, a gang of teenagers are the test subjects for the new virtual reality game ARCADE that is able to react like a living being and change its strategy.  When members of the group start to literally disappear into the game, they must learn how to beat ARCADE which has learned how to play outside the virtual world.

REVIEW LINK: Full Moon Features (US) Region ALL Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

ARCADE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080i60 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 Fullscreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English SDH Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by actress Megan Ward and producer Charles Band
• Behind the Scenes
• Interview with actor John De Lancie
• Rare EFX Reel
• Video Trailer
• Bonus Trailer

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Blue Underground explores THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU (review)

Christopher Lee stars as a supervillain bent on transforming the world's water supply into a giant block of ice in THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU from director Jess Franco.

REVIEW LINK: Blue Underground (US) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray Combo (DVDCompare)

THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.66:1 Widescreen (Dolby Vision)
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• International Trailer
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• "The Fall of Fu Manchu" interviews with director Jess Franco, producer Harry Alan Towers, and stars Christopher Lee and Tsai Chin
• "Castle of Carnage" interview with Stephen Thrower, author of "Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco"
• International Trailer
• Poster and Still Gallery
• "The Castle of Fu Manchu" 2023 RiffTrax Edition Riffed by Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy
• Comes with a reversible cover and slipcover. 

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Blue Underground chills THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU (review)

Super villain Fu Manchu discovers a powerful ancient Incan poison and abducts ten beautiful women to administer it to his enemies with the blinding "kiss of death" in this Jess Franco action adventure with Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin, Maria Rohm, Gotz George, Shirley Eaton, and Richard Greene.

REVIEW LINK: Blue Underground (US) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray Combo (DVDCompare)

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One (4K UltraHD):
• 2160p24 HEVC 1.66:1 Widescreen (Dolby Vision)
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• International Trailer
• "Sax Rohmer's KISS AND KILL" U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two (Blu-ray):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• "The Rise of Fu Manchu" interviews with director Jess Franco, producer Harry Alan Towers, and stars Christopher Lee, Tsai Chin, and Shirley Eaton
• "Sanguine-Stained Celluloid" interview with Stephen Thrower, author of "Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco"
• International Trailer
• "Sax Rohmer's KISS AND KILL" U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• Poster and Still Gallery
• "The Blood of Fu Manchu" 2022 RiffTrax Edition Riffed by Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy
• Comes with a reversible cover and a slipcover. 

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88 Films executes HER VENGEANCE (review)

When a casino manager is raped by five criminals, she seeks out the help of a wheelchair-bound ex-gangster to realize her bloody revenge in this gruesome Golden Harvest Category III film starring Pauline Wong and Lam Ching-Ying.

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

HER VENGEANCE Blu-ray specs:

• Category III Version:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng, New York Asian Film Festival 
• Category IIb Version:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery
• Comes with a reversible sleeve featuring original Hong Kong poster artwork in a rigid slipcase designed by Chris Barnes, a collectible postcard, and a 40-page perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the film by Frasier Elliott, Matthew Edwards, and C.J. Lines. 

88 Films collides with SEX RIDER: WET HIGHWAY (review)

An unhappily-engaged young woman and a man on the run collide in a nightmare of sex and violence in the Nikkatsu erotic film SEX RIDER: WET HIGHWAY.

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

SEX RIDER: WET HIGHWAY Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.45:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historians Earl Jackson and Jasper Sharp
• "Highway to Nowhere" introduction by film historian Ken Terawaki
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer