Non-Criterion Boutique Home Video Discussion (Kino, Warner Archive, Arrow, Indicator, Vinegar Syndrome, Code Red, etc.)

Morvern Callar!

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/frontpage-partner-labels/products/morvern-callar-fun-city-editions

good god, about time

Not sure we can count Paramount as a "boutique" label, but they're doing a very boutique move by releasing The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance in 4K in April.

I spoke too soon about those Australian boxes, one of the Silver Screams transfers was no better than you'd see on YouTube and the remaining Hammer discs are the Carlton transfers, they even have the idents to prove it.

Halfway through the Shaw Brothers and folk horror sets and both are tremendous, so much so I have other boxes lying unloved because I can't get onto them.

Currently watching The Brute, the Julian Glover domestic violence film. It's a bit challenging.

As a result of reading too many EOY lists I ended up buying both Major Dundee and Mill of the Stone Women and regret neither.

Major Dundee is an absolute Peckinpah epic with a fascinating backstory about how nobody believed in him. Both Harris and especially James Coburn are the acting draws although Charlton Heston is pretty damn good. The Moby Dick narrative really comes through on the non-studio edit buy with a sense of futility not in the book. Both prints are lovely although maybe a bit light on extras.

Mill is frankly astonishing. Like Douglas Sirk made a Hammer Gothic. The picture is so full, the colours so vivid and the plot (even if utterly predictable) is a cracker. If there's one reissue from last year that stands out above all the rest it's this one.

I think Major Dundee is one of the two or three key LBJ films in J. Hoberman's The Dream Life: Movies, Media, And The Mythology Of The Sixties.

Swanky new edition of The Wicker Man from the Aussie label Imprint. Ultimately it's the previously issued Final Cut and soundtrack discs with a new set of extras from various Indicator etc alumni and I instinctively put it in the basket then checked the conversion rate before hitting checkout and I'm not paying £85 for it no matter how nice it is.

Extremley niche comment that might as well be on this thread: lols at the Indicator Sam Fuller box of films written but not directed by him featuring an interview with Tim Robbins waxing poetic about the films he's directed alternating with clips from Power Of The Press, which Fuller has a "story by" credit on but which is an entirely hokey piece of Americana whose end result he almost certainly must have hated.

In terms of niche, Indicator have announced for April a box of Stanley Long's 'Adventures of...' series. I can't say I'm not tempted but I might be able to resist until the next sale.

lol I was just about to post that the Stanley Long boxset might be a step too far even for me ... but then I was looking at that Mary Millington box set in HMV the other day ...

I watched them all on Prime during lockdown so they're familiar in my mind, to the point where I can say Private Eye is definitely my favourite.

But I'm resolute to wait for a sale. Or the Very Low Stock warning.

lol that Robin Askwith boxset is surely just around the corner

I know 80's Sammo Hung/Jackie Chan stuff is a v different flavour but I still wish Eureka would lay off the martial arts releases to give me a bit of time to finish that Arrow Shaw box.

I wonder if/when there will be a Vol.2 of the Shaw boxes, end of the year again perhaps?

it's def a when not if, the liner notes of vol 1 make references to stuff being in vol 2

Yeah one of the debates is whether 8 Diagram Pole Fighter will be in it because Nicky Wire Bananaman put out the UK edition and it's not 100% clear how exclusive their rights are (although elsewhere I'm reading their release of Mardi Gras Massacre means Severin are certain to release it in a box soon so not sure if that's an indication one way or the other).

Thanks! I'd love it if they included one or two of their Bond-style flicks in Vol.2, never seen any, but they look pretty interesting.

I definitely enjoyed their not strictly genre films the most in the box - Mighty Peking Man, the first half of Heroes Of The East which is a straight-up romcom and Dirty Ho (which Tony Rayns confidently declares to be a gay romcom on one of the extras docs).

The book from vol 1 states the following for vol 2:

Invincible Shaolin
Magnificent Ruffians
Kid With The Golden Arm
Ten Tigers of Kwangtung
My Young Auntie

A podcast appearance confirmed 36 Chambers of Shaolin

So that's half the box, assuming it's the same size.

I guess I should read the book!

I was quite interested in hearing about the other films by the King Boxer director, would be nice to see some of that stuff. I never watched Human Goddess but it's cool when that stuff gets imported

Kino putting out Fritz Lang's You and Me on Blu soon.

because Nicky Wire Bananaman put out the UK edition

Cursed phrase.

And yet one you understand

Bad news.

Some followers of the INDICATOR label may be aware that, some years back, we teased Robert Altman’s CALIFORNIA SPLIT for a future release. Sadly, and despite a great deal of time and effort, legal complications have proven too much of a hurdle and we can now confirm that this release will not be happening. We are, of course, as upset with this news as you are, but hope to make up for it with many exciting releases of other great films to come.

I've gone for the bundle again this month. The Pemini box looks great.

Bogey noir set yes plz
https://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk/collections/frontpage/products/columbia-noir-5-humphrey-bogart-le

Dead Reckoning is good fun, like a generic brand version of Bogart's persona. Knock On Any Door I remember as being an insufferably preachy Social Problem film, worst Ray I've seen.

I felt the same about the second one.

Christopher Lee Eurocrypt volume 2 yes please.

Astonishingly, Mad Dog Morgan (which was only released by Indicator this month) is nearly sold out. Would never have guessed it was so popular.

Very much looking forward to the Pemini Organisation set and God help me I saw a review of the Stanley Long box that has nearly tempted me. I think first sale with it in I might crack.

Does anyone have any clues as to the two Vinegar Syndrome secret films?

That Pemini Org thing seems intriguing, never even heard of them before.

Me neither but the films look great and have quite big names in them.

Roger Corman birthday sale at Shout Factory: https://www.shoutfactory.com/sale/roger-corman-sale

A lot of this stuff doesn't look like much of a bargain at first blush but probably about half of the selections are website-exclusive limited editions or otherwise just plain out of print.

Fun City Editions brings Makavejev's The Coca Cola Kid to Blu.

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/frontpage-partner-labels/products/the-coca-cola-kid-fun-city-editions

StudioCanal launching a Cult Classics line, first three releases are Walter Hill's Extreme Prejudice and two Castellari joints: High Crime and Kill Them All And Come Back Alone. The High Crime blu seems to be a cut version tho.

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=30576

One Passer down, another in the works. Look for more info in this space in the months to come. For now, please keep a spot open in the #FCE section of your shelving. #FunCityEditions #CutterandBone #CuttersWay #cultmovie #1981 #JeffBridges #JohnHeard #NewtonThornburg #IvanPasser pic.twitter.com/gbyhgUVvCH

— FunCityEditions (@FunCityEdition) May 9, 2022

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/the-films-of-doris-wishman-the-twilight-years-agfa

I saw this rumoured a long while ago and while I'd rather the early stuff or a complete set it does say 1 of 3 so what the hell, I'm on.

*in*

Vinegar Syndrome sale is live:

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/

There's just so much they have now I don't know where to start. Maybe I'll finally buy that blu-ray of Tammy and the T-Rex.

Severin putting out a Ray Steckler boxset, 20 films on 10 discs
https://severinfilms.com/shop/incredibly-strange-steckler-box/

A poster on the Criterion Forum found this kinda-sorta Easter Egg on the Vinegar Syndrome site: they've picked up distribution for Mondo Vision and their catalogue of Zulawski DVD/Blus. Unfortunately, these aren't part of the sale, but they are available at a lesser discount all the same and stock is VERY LIMITED. I was also unaware they'd reissued all of their titles minus all the bric-a-brac from the collector sets.

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/mondo-vision

There's an Australian Blu of Possession that has all the same stuff (same transfer, same bonus material); I bought that one not long ago.

Uggggh, why did I open this thread?!? I already gave VS a bunch of money in the middle of the night. Do I really have to give them more money now? And Severin? I...I don't see where I have a choice.

P.S. Some enterprising redditor made a list of the VS titles that are closest to being sold out. A few days out of date at this point but a useful metric all the same.

Give in, give in. (I had been planning on getting a couple of things the other week and glad I held off, perfect timing!)

i grabbed:

beyond the door iii
prime evil / lurkers
murder weapon / deadly embrace
nightmare sisters

consider me a roberta findlay and david decoteau fangirl

I predict that you will have fun with those.

Kinda want to upgrade my DVDs of those three DeCoteaus (even if only to see how he managed to make an alternate TV edit of wall-to-wall nudie fest Nightmare Sisters but I'm not sure it would be worth it if VS fixed the thing where one of the movies goes full blue screen at some point in the midst of what was clearly a very half-assed VHS transfer. It's a thing of cheap-ass beauty.

Kino Lorber Summer Sale!

https://www.kinolorber.com/list/view/code/spring-into-summer-sale-2022?

A lot of newly rotated in titles, but the important thing is you can save on a Blu of Killdozer.

DVD Beaver on the Doris Wishman Box (NSFW)

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_154/films_of_doris_wishman_twilight_years_blu-ray.htm