Oliver Carter

With the current state of the DVD industry it is hard to predict what will be released in the coming year.  What follows is a list of my most anticipated DVD/Blu-Ray releases of 2010.  There will no doubt be others added over the year but here are the ones that have caught my eye so far:

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (Frank De Felitta, 1981) Lionsgate, USA: DVD. Date TBC

A little known television movie starring Larry Drake and Charles Durning.  This was originally going to be released on Blu-Ray and DVD by Image Entertainment but since they are currently considering filing for bankruptcy it looks as if Lionsgate will be attaining the rights to this cult classic.

Elvis: The Movie (John Carpenter, 1979) Shout Factory, USA: DVD. 2 March 2010

Issues with music rights have prevented this little seen John Carpenter film, which was the first of many collaborations with Kurt Russell, from being released.  Hopefully it will be the full uncut version and will feature a typically excellent commentary track from Russell and Carpenter.  Shout Factory are probably the American DVD label to watch in 2010.

The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973) Warner Brothers, USA: Blu-Ray. October 2010

One of my favourite films of all time, I just hope that Friedkin doesn't continue his unwelcome trend of tampering with his original edit as he has done with Cruising (1980) and the Blu-Ray release of The French Connection (1971).  Warner have confirmed that both the 1973 and 2000 versions will be included. 

Kingdom of the Spiders (John 'Bud' Cardos, 1977) Shout Factory, USA: DVD. 19 January 2010

William Shatner as a veterinarian trying to save a town from tarantulas.  What is there not to like?  This will be the third time I have purchased a DVD of this film.  What makes this release particularly attractive is the special features; an interview with the film's spider wrangler (what a great job title), an interview with Shatner and a commentary track with Cardos.  Another great offering from Shout Factory.
 
So Sweet, So Dead (Roberto Bianchi, 1972) Camera Obscura, Germany: DVD. February 28 2010

Aside from the forthcoming releases from maligned American label Mya Communication (I will discuss this in a forthcoming blogpost), Camera Obscura could be the label to keep an eye on for releases of rare gialli.  That cover art is sublime.

Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977) Cine Excess, UK: Blu-Ray. Today!

This should be with me tomorrow morning courtesy of Amazon.  Advance reviews have praised this anticipated release.  What next, Cine-Excess?

Thriller: The Complete Collection, Image, USA: DVD. TBC

With Image threatening to declare bankruptcy it is doubtful whether this release will happen which is disappointing considering that Tim Lucas and other respected genre enthusiasts have been recording audio commentaries for the release.  Perhaps Shout Factory can come to the rescue?

The Twilight Zone Complete Collection, Image, USA: Blu-Ray. TBC

Again, a release announced by Image.  I have been putting off completing my Twilight Zone collection on DVD ever since it was rumoured that there would be a Blu-Ray release.  Hopefully it will appear and will look as good as the Star Trek and The Prisoner Blu-Ray releases.

Urban Action Collection Warner Brothers, USA: DVD. 12 January 2010

I first saw Black Belt Jones (Robert Clouse, 1974) on VHS in the late 80's and loved Jim "Bullshit Mr Han Man" Kelly in the lead role.  It has never appeared legally on DVD and is part of this great value four-film Urban Action Collection.   It contains other Blaxploitation action classics such as Hot Potato (Oscar Williams, 1976), Three The Hard Way (Gordon Parks Jr, 1974) and Black Sampson (Charles Bail, 1974).

Who Dares Wins (Ian Sharp, 1982) Arrow, UK: Blu-Ray. 8 March 2010

Who would have expected this to be released on Blu-Ray in 2010?  Another film I remember fondly from my youth.  Lewis Collins is great in the lead role and the build up to the action filled finale is well executed. 

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What other releases would I like to see in 2010?  Fingers crossed for the following:

The Amazing Spider-Man Live Action Television series (something tells me that Marvel do not want this to see the light of day on optical disc.  I prefer it to Raimi's recent offerings).
Cold Case Files: The Complete Collection (morbid I know but this is the best true crime television series I have seen).
The Equalizer: Series Two onwards
High Crime (Enzo G. Castellari, 1973)
One Step Beyond: Seasons Two and Three
Profondo Rosso (Dario Argento, 1975) Blu-Ray (hopefully the Blu-Ray release of Suspria will lead to some of Argento's other classics being released on the HD format).

                   

According to a poster over at the AV Forums HMV are selling their branded Limit Blu-Ray player for £49.99, reduced from £99.99.  Before you think that it is cheap electronic tat you might be interested to find that it offers multi-region playback for DVD and Blu-Ray and will play HD MKV files via the USB input.  This really is a steal and beats the excellent Aldi Tevion multi-region Blu-Ray player which is now selling for £69.99.  This is an ideal Blu-Ray player and you will notice very little difference, if any at all, in picture quality compared to a higher quality player.  The only real downside is that it looks rather ugly and firmware updates will most likely not exist meaning that some of the more advanced future Blu-Ray releases may not play.  But if you are looking for a cheap multi-region Blu-Ray player look no further.  The deal is only available instore and not online.  I am tempted to pick one up and sell my Samsung BDP-1000, the first ever UK Blu-Ray player, but I am snowed in.  The snow here is so bad that I was unable to attend the 2010 MeCCSA conference in London today where I was supposed to be presenting a paper with Faye on media teaching and learning.  Living in a village has very few perks.  Hopefully it will fully clear tomorrow.

UPDATE: 10/01/10

Maybe these are not so much of a bargain after all.  I managed to purchase one of these on Friday afternoon, finally being able to to get out of my road.  On unpacking it, the player looked rather cheaply made but nice and compact.  Firstly, I tried the first disc from the The Prisoner Blu-Ray set and it played perfectly.  But anything else I tried, Blu-Ray or DVD, would not play at all; the disc just kept on spinning in the machine and the screen was blank.  Final verdict, not so much of a bargain after all.  I returned the player on Saturday for a full refund and was told by the manager that five players have so far been returned to the store.  Methinks that there might be a few more coming their way, after all, there is a reason why they were only £50.  So, I will be sticking with my trusty multi-region LG BH200 Dual HD-DVD and Blu-Ray player for now.  According to the discussion on the AV Forums thread some people are having no problems at all with the player so perhaps it is purely the luck of the draw.

This news has taken me by surprise.  On December 11 the outstanding Korean film Memories of Murder will be released on Blu-Ray in South Korea.  Thankfully it will have English subtitles and it will be a limited pressing so those who are fans of the film may want to get their pre-orders in early as these Korean limited pressings can sell out quickly.  For those of you who are unaware of the film it is based on the unsolved series of murders that occurred in South Korea during 1986 and 1991 which were committed by the countries first serial killer.  This well received film documents the case and features strong performances from the leading actors and many stand out moments.  This is by far my favourite Korean film, closely followed by The Chaser (Hong-jin Na, 2008).  I have just pre-ordered a copy from the reliable company Yes Asia along with the Hong Kong Blu-Ray release of Infernal Affairs (Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, 2002) which I have been meaning to purchase for some time now.  I cannot recommend Memories of Murder highly enough and suggest all Blu-Ray/cult cinema aficionados purchase a copy as soon as possible.  This also reminds me that I should get my rare British Quad poster of this film framed.  If only I had somewhere to hang it.

Since watching the acclaimed documentary Not Quite Hollywood (Mark Hartley, 2008) I have been on an Ozploitation binge.  Amongst others I have seen Brian Trenchard-Smith's quality actioner The Man from Hong Kong (1975), his stunt set piece follow-up Deathcheaters (1976) and the tense Road Games (Richard Franklin, 1981).  Clips from Wake in Fright (aka Outback) were shown in the documentary but the film wasn't truly brought to my attention until it was announced that this once assumed 'lost' film was being released in Australia on Blu-Ray. 

Based on Kenneth Cook's novel of the same name, Wake in Fright follows the life of teacher John Grant (little known Brit actor Gary Bond) who teaches in the very small Australian Outback town Tiboonda.  Unable to leave his job due to the contract he has committed to with the Australian government he is stuck in the middle of nowhere.  For the Christmas holiday he plans to visit his girlfriend in Sydney but first he has to travel to Bundanyabba to get the necessary flight.  Upon arriving at 'The Yabba' he becomes embroiled in the aggressively masculine way of life.  Seeing gambling as an easy way to make money to buy himself out his teaching contract he plays the Two-Up coin game with the locals.  Though successful at first he becomes too greedy and ends up losing all of his money.  Finding himself stuck in The Yabba with no money he befriends several locals, most notably the alcoholic town doctor 'Doc' (brilliantly acted by Donald Pleasance) and ends up living off the aggressive generosity of others.  The oppressive atmosphere of The Yabba ultimately takes it toll on John Grant as he descends further into hell. 

Beautifully filmed and genuinely uncomfortable, Wake in Fright is a memorable film that fits in well with many of the other downbeat films common in the early 1970s.  The 360 degree opening shot of the desert landscape is simply breathtaking in HD.  It shows the sparsity of the town of Grant teaches and introduces the viewer to his frustration; Grant has come to Australia to live the 'good life' surfing and spending time on the beach with his girlfriend, not to live in the middle of nowhere.  The Yabba is portrayed as Grant's hell.  The intense temperature and the temptations offered by the Yabba and its frighteningly over-friendly male inhabitants are as equally unbearable for the viewer as it is for Grant.  The infamous Kangeroo hunt scene which utilises actual hunt footage intercut with the actors performances adds to the uncomfortable atmosphere and is genuinely difficult to watch.  The performances are outstanding, many non-actors are used throughout the film which adds to the overall realism.  Pleasance as the alcoholic Doc really steals the film from Bond and demonstrates the level of performance he could deliver.  It is quite easy to see why the film received a nomination for the Golden Palm award in the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.

Presumed lost, the original negative was finally traced to the United States and after a long search it was found in a waste container where it was waiting to be destroyed.  Lovingly restored by the National FIlm and Sound Archive in Australia, the Australian region-free Blu-Ray release by Madman is the best way to view Wake in Fright.  The high resolution offered by high definition amplifies the oppressive atmosphere of The Yabba and highlights the sparsity of the Outback landscape at the beginning.  We are fortunate to see this film in any version at all, let alone a beautifully restored Blu-Ray disc. The sound is equally as clean and there are some interesting extra features, such as an audio commentary and interview with director Kotcheff, a documentary about the restoration of the film amongst others.  There is also an informative booklet detailing the production and restoration included. 

This is without doubt one of the best films I have seen this year and could possibly be my favourite Blu-Ray release of the year.  Due to the limited print runs of Australian DVDs I urge you to purchase a copy before the DVD and Blu-Ray become hard to find, the Blu-Ray is already showing as out of stock on the majority of Australian DVD e-tailers websites.  Copies are available on eBay at the usual inflated prices.  I purchased my copy from the ever reliable DVD Crave.  A DVD release is also available. 

This is something of a surprise.  On January 18, 2010, Cine-Excess will release Suspiria on Blu-Ray in the UK.  The film has already been released on Blu-Ray in Italy but it does not have any English options and the picture quality has been heavily criticised by the fan community.  Whilst I fear that this release will use the same HD master as the Italian release it is still a welcome release.  I just hope that Cult-Excess will decide to change the proposed cover-art.

Source: blu-ray.com

I finally watched Greg McLean's Rogue on Friday night via the recently released region-free UK Blu-Ray disc.  I had really enjoyed his earlier film Wolf Creek (2005) which starred the excellent John Jarrett as the brutal Mick Taylor and was eager to see this crocodile on the loose film.  What is particularly striking about McLean's films is use of scenery.  Both Rogue and Wolf Creek are beautifully shot and make good use of their locations.  McLean is skilled at making the picturesque Australian countryside seem both claustrophobic and terrifying.

A group of tourists on a boat tour respond to an SOS flare.  Unbeknownst to the the tour guide they enter the territory of an aggressive crocodile that destroys the tour boat.  Stuck an island with the tide coming in the tourists have to find away to get to shore and survive the giant croc.

Whilst it may not be entirely original and it is in keeping with B movie traditions, Rogue achieves what many recent blockbusters cannot; a constant air of tension throughout.  Clearly inspired by Alien (1979), Jaws (1975) and the lesser known other Aussie croc film The Dark Age (1987), McLean follows the old adage of 'less is more' by using the crocodile sparingly until the final moments of the film.  The cast turn in strong performances, particularly John Jarrett who is in a completely different role compared to his psychotic Mick Taylor from Wolf Creek.

The UK Blu-Ray disc released by Icon offers a near flawless presentation of the film.  Both audio and video are top notch; the scenery of the gorge looking especially awesome.   The extras are also worthy of attention, particularly the fascinating 40 minute making of. 

So, if you are looking for a good old fashioned animal on the loose horror movie for Halloween look no further.  It may not be perfect but it if certainly a fun way to spend 90 minutes of your time.  I anxiously await Greg McLean's next offering.

Now we will move on to my favourite DVD releases of the year in no particular order:

1. Four Flies on Grey Velvet (Dario Argento, 1971) Retrofilm: Germany.
2. Twisted Nerve (Roy Boulting, 1968) Optimum: UK.
3. The Burning (Tony Maylam, 1981) MGM: USA.
4. Revenge (Sidney Hayers, 1971) Network: UK.
5. Assault (Sidney Hayers, 1971) Network: UK.
6. Who Can Kill a Child? (Narciso Ibáñez Serrado, 1976) Dark Sky: US.
7. Above the Law (Cory Yuen, 1986) Dragon Dynasty: US.
8. Cruising (William Friedkin, 1980) Warner: US.
9. The Psychic (Lucio Fulci, 1977) Severin: US.
10. Someone’s Watching Me (John Carpenter, 1978) Warner: US.

It was great to see Four Flies on Grey Velvet find its way to DVD even if the release was an authorised bootleg (rumour has it that an official release could be on way courtesy of Koch in Germany). Kudos goes to Network for releasing two excellent Sidney Hayers thrillers and to Optimum for their release of Twisted Nerve. I hope that these two labels continue to release such obscure British cult films. Even though I was a little disappointed with the DVD release of Cruising due to its new digital enhancements it was still good to see the film finally issued. I thought I would include Severin’s release of The Psychic in the list as the release of any giallo is greatly welcomed. Though it may not perfect it does not deserve the criticism it is currently receiving from so called fans.

What about the best DVD boxset releases?

1. Man from U.N.C.L.E: The Complete Series Time Life: USA.
2. The Mario Bava Collection (volumes one and two) Starz Entertainment: USA.
3. Dark Shadows: The Beginning (volumes one and two) MPI: USA.
4. The Invaders: Season One Universal: UK.
5. The Fugitive: Volume One CBS: US.
6. Mission: Impossible (seasons two and three) CBS: US.
7. Seinfeld: Season Nine Sony: US.

Who would have thought that we would see classic shows like The Invaders, The Fugitive and The Man from U.N.C.L.E appears this year? 2007 was the year of Mario Bava as the majority of his classic films were released by Starz Entertainment in the US. The pre-Barnabas episodes of Dark Shadows, the greatest soap opera of all time, were finally released by MPI as were the best seasons of Mission: Impossible by CBS.

2007 was the year that I went “dual format” and upgraded from using my laptop media centre as a combined Blu-Ray and HD-DVD player to dedicated stand alone machines. My favourite Blu-Ray disc of the year is Halloween (1979); it was like watching the film for the first time. The release of Tony Scott’s director’s cut of Revenge (1990) also deserves a mention as does Sony’s release of Casino Royale (2006). I found it much harder to choose a favourite from all of the HD-DVD discs I have purchased over the past year. I was particularly impressed by the picture quality of The Prestige (2006), The Warriors (1979) and The Graduate (1965) but the standout HD-DVD release was the ‘Ultimate Collection’ release of Blade Runner (1982). This set contains five different versions of the film including the definitive “Final Cut” edit.

The accolade of best DVD seller of the year goes to Xploited Cinema. No online shop can compete with the outstanding service offered by Tony and his team. I was disappointed to see MovieTyme’s high level of service decline at the end of 2007. Delivery times which were once lightening fast have become snail paced. Hopefully this problem will be rectified in 2008. After hearing very good things about DVDs Limited I placed one order with them in December and was impressed with their speed of delivery. They may be a little more expensive but if you want a release quickly and it to arrive via recorded delivery give these guys a try.

In the final post of my review of 2007 I will identify my favourite books, magazines, music, software and hardware. See you then.