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Drucker wrote:The former awesome if true, considering many of us missed out on the Twilight Time release! Was this posted on FB/Twitter/Bluray.com boards?

I've read on blu-ray.com that Tim Lucas let slip that he is recording / has recorded audio commentaries for them.

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Awesome. Also, doesn't Videodrome have implications with regard to Sony licensing in Europe?

Drucker wrote:Awesome. Also, doesn't Videodrome have implications with regard to Sony licensing in Europe?

Obviously not, since Sony never had anything to do with the film. I suspect you're confusing it with Crash.

Indeed - it was Universal, and their Blu release was not exactly met with open arms as it was the cut version and distinctly lacking in extras. So if ( [-o< )an Arrow edition is coming it doesn't have a huge amount of competition...

The Train would be fantastic-- I'm still pissed that one sold out right under my nose

repeat wrote:+1 for Yoshida, but I don't know if it's really Arrow's niche (more MoC or Criterion maybe) - but really there is so much Japanese stuff from the 60's-70's crying out for English-friendly release (Nakahira, Hani, et al.), it would really be a job for yet another dedicated label!

Whether or not there's enough of a market for a dedicated 'Arrow Asia' label, I don't know but there's certainly a lot I'd love to see them release.

However, these have all come out on Blu-Ray in Japan recently (or will soon) and could fit under Arrow Video:

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (Shinji Somai) - 4K master (this is the only Somai film on Blu-Ray so far but I'd love Academy releases of Moving and Typhoon Club)
Resurrection of the Golden Wolf (Toru Murakawa) - 4K master
The Beast Must Die (Toru Murakawa) - 4K master
Brutal Tales of Chivalry
Abashiri Prison
Mermaid Legend (Toshiharu Ikeda)

I'd love to see more Italian genre films, in decent transfers, especially the Steve Reeves Hercules and Blood & Black Lace.

tenia wrote:Seems like Frankenheimer's The Train and Cronenberg's Videodrome will be coming to Arrow.

I think I might pass on TT's upcoming Zardoz, as it seems my luck'll lead to Arrow releasing it as well.

[-o<

Yeah, I feel Zardoz is a good candidate for Arrow or Eureka.

I'd still like to see Arrow try some old school kung fu. I'd advise them away from Fortune Star, who is impossible to deal with and supplies SD upscales in place of HD, but maybe Celestial is less restrictive these days and won't insist on the big package deals. The waters need to be tested with trial titles like Super Infra-Man and Masked Avengers (cult faves with sci-fi and horror overtones), not glutted with crap like Lion vs Lion.

Posts of the interior packaging of Mann's THIEF over at Blu-Ray.com reveal a nice postcard surprise - the Hammer HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is a forthcoming Arrow title. It would be very nice if they can do a bunch of Hammer titles now that they've wrapped up(?) their Corman/Poe/Vincent Price releases.

Most Hammer titles are off limits to Arrow, I'm afraid - The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the rare exceptions.

Great news - this is a fantastic film and I can't wait to see it in HD. It's a shame the film flopped as Hammer had intended to make more Holmes films, and Cushing would have been eager (and indeed did take the role for the BBC).

Playing the Fantasy Extra game, it would be nice to see contributions from David Pirie and Peter Hutchings as both have had interesting things to say on the film in their books. It would also be interesting to have Fisher's other Holmes film, Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace in there as well - it's not in the same league, but does have Christopher Lee as Holmes and Thorley Walters as Watson as compensation.

Blu-Ray.com users have reported postcards for Hellraiser and Buckaroo Banzai with their copies of Thief and Mark of the Devil.

And since the dated HD transfer has already made an appearance in the US and the UK, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Hellraiser will surely be a new 2K transfer. Perfect way for me to watch it for the first time.

I really hope so too, and I'm a little bit jealous Eddie, being able to see Hellraiser for the first time. I don't think I'm really going out on a limb when saying that it's easily one of the best horror films of the '80's.

Hopefully this leads to Hellbound getting released also. I wonder if there might be a way to tie in mamoth documentary-in-progress, Leviathan, about the first two films, with Arrow's release?

Arrow are asking Facebook followers which Kitano films they'd like to see released, with Hana-bi, Sonatine & Violent Cop getting the most mentions. A Scene At The Sea would also be nice.

As would Boiling Point.
I don't know if the titles being revealed for the coming year and onwards have any connection to the wider playing field enabled by Arrow's expansion into the US, but it certainly feels that way.

Finch wrote:Arrow are asking Facebook followers which Kitano films they'd like to see released, with Hana-bi, Sonatine & Violent Cop getting the most mentions. A Scene At The Sea would also be nice.

It would be fantastic if they could get them away from Second Sight.

I'd fly the flag for Nagisa Oshima's final film, Taboo, which he's in. It's sublime - and OOP on both sides of the Atlantic.

I know it's not of highest importance since it's had many releases, and it's not a directorial effort anyway, but man, Battle Royale looks drab as fuck in all of its Blu-ray incarnations, barely better than an upscale. Would love to see Arrow get ahold of the elements and give the film a proper showing.

Sorry, what is "a directorial effort" and why is Battle Royale not one?

He means that Kitano is only in it as an actor, ulike the other titles mentioned these last few posts, which were written/directed/edited by Kitano.

Ah, thanks. I'm only halfway through my morning coffee.

Finch wrote:Arrow are asking Facebook followers which Kitano films they'd like to see released, with Hana-bi, Sonatine & Violent Cop getting the most mentions. A Scene At The Sea would also be nice.

Oh this would be wonderful news if they could get their hands on his older work that are long overdue for a blu-ray release. I just hope that it isn't a tease, do Arrow usually post that kind of messages on their facebook page?

JackM wrote:Does anyone know who now owns the rights to Leos Carax's Les Amants du Pont-Neuf? On their Facebook page, Arrow says they no longer have it.

I was just wondering about this myself. The Japanese Blu-ray that came out last month looks absolutely gorgeous.

Finch wrote:Arrow are asking Facebook followers which Kitano films they'd like to see released, with Hana-bi, Sonatine & Violent Cop getting the most mentions. A Scene At The Sea would also be nice.

Any would be nice really! Assuming Second Sight don't still have the UK rights to most of them. Or Artificial Eye and StudioCanal with most of the remaining films in his catalogue.

I'm pretty sure my DVD copy of Hana-bi is Momentum, who are eOne now right? I wonder if they had the exclusive rights, and if they're out of date now?

Also, a quick Amazon search tells me Brother - despite the FilmFour banner - was a VCI release (now 2entertain) and that was back in 2003...so I suppose that's available. And Fox distrubted Kikujiro, and I'm sure they'd let a label license that particular film.

I for one would love to see a Kitano box set from Arrow potentially, and would definitely back a Kickstarter if necessary (of course the masters would likely be in good condition though, considering the films aren't that old). I think the response to the Kitano post on the Arrow Facebook page has shown the widespread eagerness for these films to be released on blu-ray, and reason enough for them to at least consider a few of his films if at all possible (preferably earlier ones).