REWIND FEATURE: GETTING INTO LASERDISCS IN 2023

Sunday 29th January 2023 - posted by James

It may now be the age of 4K content, but James-Masaki Ryan has decided to start the new year by playing Laserdiscs for the first time in his life. Read the article here detailing his first two weeks with the ancient format which predates this website.

Getting into Laserdiscs in 2023 by James-Masaki Ryan

JEAN ROLLIN DEBUTS ON UHD FROM INDICATOR – 24 APRIL 2023!

Friday 27th January 2023 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

Two films from the beginning and the tail end of the career of French midi-minuit director Jean Rollin will be making their 4K and UHD debuts (1080p Blu-rays sold separately) in April courtesy of Indicator.

Jean Rollin’s third feature film, 1971's The Shiver of the Vampires (Le Frisson des vampires), established themes and visual motifs to which he would return throughout his career, blending horror, eroticism, fairy tale, and surrealism to create his unique cinema of the fantastique.

Arriving at a decrepit chateau for their honeymoon, young newlyweds undergo a series of surreal and sinister encounters, and come to realise that they are the prey of the resident vampires...

With performances from Sandra Julien (I Am Frigid... Why?) and Marie-Pierre Castel (Lips of Blood), ravishing cinematography from Rollin’s regular collaborator Jean-Jacques Renon, and a thrilling jazz-rock score by Acanthus, The Shiver of the Vampires is regarded as one of Rollin’s greatest films.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD SPECIAL FEATURES:

· New 4K HDR restoration from the internegative by Powerhouse Films
· 4K (2160p) UHD presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
· Original French and English mono soundtracks
· Audio Commentary by director Jean Rollin (2006)
· Audio Commentary by "Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol" author Jeremy Richey (2023)
· Virginie Sélavy on ‘The Shiver of the Vampire’ (2023): appreciation by the author and film historian
· "Rouge Vif' updated documentary on the making of "The Shiver of the Vampires" by Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette
· Introduction by director Jean Rollin (1998)
· Interview with Jean Rollin by Patricia MacCormack (2004)
· Deleted Scenes: sex sequences filmed for the export market
· Original French, English and German Theatrical Trailers
· Image Gallery
· New and improved English translation subtitles for the French soundtrack
· New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
· Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by David Hinds, an archival introduction by Jean Rollin, an archival interview with the director by Peter Blumenstock, an archival interview with actor Marie-Pierre Castel, Andy Votel on Acanthus, the mysterious group behind the film’s soundtrack, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits
· World premiere on 4K UHD
· Limited edition of 8,000 numbered units (4,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US

UHD available for pre-order in the UK HERE (Blu-ray HERE)

Originally released in 1997,Two Orphan Vampires (Les Deux orphelines vampires) finds Jean Rollin, the master of the fantastique, returning to the vampire genre with which he had made his name.

By day, blind orphans Henriette and Louise seem to be the picture of innocence. But when darkness falls, their sight returns, and they wander the streets of Paris, encountering the city’s strange nocturnal denizens, and leaving a trail of corpses in their quest for fresh blood.

Featuring startling performances from novice leads Alexandre Pic and Isabelle Teboul, alongside Tina Aumont (Modesty Blaise) and Rollin regulars Nathalie Perrey (The Shiver of the Vampires) and Brigitte Lahaie (Fascination), Two Orphan Vampires is a beautiful and melancholy summation of Rollin’s unique and arresting style.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD SPECIAL FEATURES: · New 4K HDR restoration from the original negative by Powerhouse Films
· 4K (2160p) UHD presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
· Original French and English mono soundtracks
· Audio Commentary by critics and authors David Flint and Adrian J Smith (2023)
· "Memories of a Blue World" updated documentary on the making of "Two Orphan Vampires" by · Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, featuring interviews with actor Isabelle Teboul, assistant director Jean-Noël Delamarre, composer Philippe D’Aram, and others
· "Jean Rollin on Two Orphan Vampires" 2002 extensive, newly edited archival interview with the filmmaker exploring the themes of Two Orphan Vampires and his wider oeuvre
· Interview with Alexandra Pic (2002): newly edited archival interview with the actor
· Interview with Isabelle Teboul (2002): newly edited archival interview with the actor
· Original Theatrical Trailer
· Image Gallery
· New and improved English translation subtitles for the French soundtrack
· New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
· Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Patricia MacCormack, archival introduction by Jean Rollin, archival production report by Peter Blumenstock, archival interview with Brigitte Lahaie, an extract from Rollin’s source novel, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits
· World premiere on 4K UHD
· Limited edition of 8,000 numbered units (4,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US

UHD available for pre-order in the UK HERE (Blu-ray HERE)

EXPERIENCE THE BLU-RAY PREMIERE OF ICONIC 70S SCI-FI

Saturday 14th January 2023 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

Delve deeper into the STUDIOCANAL catalogue with the curated CULT CLASSICS collection. Discover eclectic, boundary pushing rarities, genre classics, and forgotten cinematic treasures.

Jon Finch (Frenzy) heads an impressive cast as the flamboyant anti-hero of this dystopian, darkly humorous and very adult sci-fi thriller from writer/director Robert Fuest - best-known for the Dr Phibes horror films starring Vincent Price and the original The Avengers TV series, and the acclaimed STUDIOCANAL release And Soon The Darkness. Based on cult novelist Michael Moorcock's acclaimed 1968 novel, and produced by David Puttnam (Stardust, Chariots of Fire), THE FINAL PROGRAMME is presented here in a new restoration making it’s Blu-ray premiere, which brilliantly showcases Fuest’s flamboyant and stylish visuals and production design.

In a far-off future, mankind is in a state of decay. But a group of scientists believe they have found the means to move humanity on to its next level in the creation of an ideal, self-replicating - and thus immortal - human being. Jerry Cornelius, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and playboy adventurer, is vital to the project's success: his recently deceased father devised the formula of this 'final programme'. However, the formula is captured on a microfilm hidden in the vaults of the family's mansion, and jealously guarded by Jerry's drug-addicted, psychopathic brother, Frank...

Jon Finch is outstanding as the black-clad Cornelius, who is like a rock ‘n’ roll James Bond with a PhD, dropped into a psychedelic, action packed sci-fi - and going a little ape in the process (in a sequence that predates the cosmic mayhem of Ken Russell's Altered States). The amazing cast makes the film a must-watch in itself - legendary American actor Sterling Hayden (in what seems like a carry on of his wild role in Dr. Strangelove), Jenny Runacre (Antonioni’s The Passenger), Graham Crowden (Britannia Hospital), Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange, The Avengers), Ronald Lacey (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Harry Andrews (Hawk the Slayer), and genre favourites Julie Ege (The Mutations) and Sarah Douglas (Superman).

THE FINAL PROGRAMME is a weird, wild, totally unique and very British 1970s mind-bender that The Guardian says “gloriously captures the satirical humour and pop-art stylings of the time”.

INCLUDED WITH THE FINAL PROGRAMME: - Brand new interview with actress Jenny Runacre
- Brand new interview with author/critic Kim Newman on Fuest & The Final Programme
- Italian title sequence
- Trailers

The Blu-ray edition also comes with four collector’s art cards

THE FINAL PROGRAMME is available to buy on Blu-ray, DVDand Digital from 20th February 2023.

BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE 1953 FILM NOIR I, THE JURY! UK HOME ENTERTAINMENT PREMIERE OUT 17TH OCTOBER FROM STUDIOCANAL

Wednesday 14th September 2022 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

Discover wonderfully eccentric & eclectic titles carefully curated from the vaults of the STUDIOCANAL library, with CULT CLASSICS. The collection offers an array of genre films, Eurocrime thrillers and wonderful B movies, with more rediscovered films to be added to the range throughout 2023 and beyond.

STUDIOCANAL presents a brand new 4k restoration of the 1953 film noir adaptation of the first in the classic Mike Hammer novel series by Mickey Spillane: I, THE JURY. In the iconic character’s debut big screening outing, Biff Elliot stars as the brutal, brawling ‘one-man police department’, arriving here in digital format and indeed on tape for the very first time too.

It’s nearly Christmas in New York City but private investigator Mike Hammer is out for vengeance when his closest friend Jack Williams is murdered. Hammer vows to identify the killer ahead of the police, working his way through an increasingly large number of suspects. His starting point includes Jack’s fiancée, a beautiful psychiatrist, twin socialite sisters, and a gangster. But as he tracks them down, so too does the murderer, creating a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

Rated ‘X’ on its initial release, this gritty, hard-to-find crime thriller gem was directed by the legendary Harry Essex (who wrote genre classics It Came from Outer Space and Creature from the Black Lagoon), beautifully filmed in monochrome by Oscar-winning cinematographer John Alton, and features a cameo from Hollywood character actor favourite Elisha Cook Jr (The Killing). Ripe for rediscovery by afficianadoes of hard-boiled 1950s noir, and packed with a host of new special features, this immaculate restoration is a must-own for discerning cult film fans.

Extras include:
- 2006 interview with actor Biff Elliot
- Audio Commentary by star Biff Elliot
- Audio Commentary by novelist Max Allan Collins

I, THE JURY is available to buy on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 17th October 2022, and available to pre-order HERE.

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