Master thread for boutique label Asian releases

[Yihetuan]

Jared Auner from Mondo Macabro and Jesse Nelson from Diabolikdvd were the latest guests on By They Live By Film podcast discussing their new venture, NEON EAGLE.

https://anchor.fm/theylivebyfilm/episodes/Episode-79-Neon-Eagle---The-Return-of-Jared-Auner-and-Jesse-Nelson-e1talsn

[Yihetuan]

Neon Eagle now has their own website.

https://www.neoneaglevideo.com/

Cauldron Films’ Jesse Nelson and Brian Izzi, in collaboration with Mondo Macabro’s Jared Auner areproud to announce the formation of a new home video boutique imprint, Neon Eagle Video (NEV), that will focus on the trashier side of Asian cinema, highlighting exploitation, action, horror, and other CULTfilms that have been neglected in the High Definition era.

Each disc will be lovingly curated and produced by Jared Auner, with restoration, authoring,manufacturing, and distribution handled by Cauldron Films. Each release will be sold through the Cauldron Films site and DiabolikDVD.com.

“Our goal is pretty simple”, says Auner, “And that’s to issue deluxe collector’s edition Blu-rays of filmswhich we love that have not gotten the kind of attention we feel they deserve. Films from all over Asia, with a focus on the grubbier, grittier, more low budget side ofthings”.

To that end, NEV is working closely with the legendary IFD Films in Hong Kong. “The crazy trash aesthetic that IFD perfected in the 1980s, with the films they both distributed and produced, is exactly the kind of thing we love and want to celebrate with this new label”, Auner says further.

Putting their money where their mouth is, NEV will debut with a deep cut from the IFD catalog, the wild Taiwanese exploitation marvel KILL BUTTERFLY KILL, in a ridiculously elaborate double Blu-ray limited edition release. This set will have not only IFD’s 1983 English language dub version of the film and its later 1987 variant AMERICAN COMMANDO 6: KILL BUTTERFLY KILL in glorious 1080p taken from brand new 4K restorations, but will also feature a standard definition print of the original Taiwanese cut of the film, UNDERGROUND WIFE, along with an SD trailer compilation from the IFD vaults, highlighting Taiwanese exploitation and crime films as well as the complete AMERICAN COMMANDO series.

UNDERGROUND WIFE was part of the ‘Taiwan Black Movie’ wave that originated in the late 70s and early 80s combining a concern for serious social issues with gutter exploitation, ridiculous action, and sometimes even outright horror. "UNDERGROUND WIFE is a pretty tough revenge film that fans of MS. 45, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE will definitely appreciate”, says Jared Auner, who made the deal for the film and is producing this release.“It has a gritty grindhouse feel to it and will also appeal to fans of Japanese Pinky Violence and later Category III films from Hong Kong. The violence is so outrageous and cartoonish that it mostly reminds me of the cheap and wild Turkish genre films of the 70s and 80s. What more could you want?”

IFD Films distributed this picture to foreign markets in the mid-80swith a slightly re-edited and English dubbed version they called KILL BUTTERFLY KILL, and this is the version of the film that is highlighted in this release. “It’s actually superior to the Mandarin language version. IFD did an amazing job re-jigging the film for an international trash audience”, Auner concludes.

The film got another lease on life in the late 1980s when it got the patented IFD ‘cut and paste’ treatment and was issued as part of the ongoing AMERICAN COMMANDO series. This version edits out some scenes in favor of newly-produced footage featuring actors like Mike Abbot and Mark Miller, and makes it a more straight-forward action film, albeit a truly crazy one. “Although one thing I’d like to correct about this version”, Auner says, “no matter what the IMDb says, Godfrey Ho did not direct it!”

The director of this version is Charles Lee Chiu, although likely the rumor that Ho made it will live on. KILL BUTTERFLY KILL will go up for pre-order in November alongside a much-anticipated Euro-horror release from Cauldron Films.

Future releases will include more from IFD including some honest-to-God(fry Ho) cut and paste cult classics, as well as a bona-fide pinky violence gem from Toei Studios in Japan, and possibly even some insane action/exploitation from Indonesia!

Keep an eye on this site for more info!

 

Edited January 18 by Yihetuan
fixed incorrect formatting

[Yihetuan]

Sogo Ishii's Punk Samurai Slash Down coming to blu ray in March from TWF.

 

[Yihetuan]

Coming soon from a new 2K scan of a 35mm theatrical print. For the first time in widescreen. Anywhere.

https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=9554&display_set=eng

 

Edited January 21 by Yihetuan

[Yihetuan]

Chameleon Films finally announced the extras on their forthcoming Election 1 & 2 release.

[Drunken Monk]

Crunchyroll are putting out a pretty good looking 25th anniversary set of Cowboy Bebop. Apparently, they're the same discs that have been previously released. They just haver a few more bells and whistles.

[Yihetuan]

Radiance Films release of Yakuza Graveyard is up for pre-order at diabolikdvd.com with a street release date of May 16 in the US and Canada. Curious about the easter egg!

Tech specs & Extras:

Blu-ray Limited Edition Special Features:

• High-Definition digital transfer
• Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Appreciation by filmmaker Kazuya Shiraishi (2022)
• The Rage and the Passion – A visual essay by critic Tom Mes on Meiko Kaji and Kinji Fukasaku’s collaborations (2022)
• Gallery of promotional imagery
• Easter Egg
• Trailer
• Newly translated English subtitles
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mika Ko on the representations of Koreans in the yakuza film, and newly translated re-prints of a contemporary review and writing by screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara
• Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

[Yihetuan]

Appears Gold Ninja is getting around to scanning Mantis in the Monkey's Shadow.

 

 

Edited February 10 by Yihetuan

[Yihetuan]

Chameleon Films is offering this 3 pack of O-ring glossy slipcase covers for their 3 previously released titles. I think they should've offered this to begin with but better late than never. I went ahead and ordered these for $11.

[Yihetuan]

Glad to see that this title is selling very well for Radiance. Bodes well for future Japanese releases including Yakuza Graveyard. If you're on the fence, grab the limited edition while it's still in print.

[dwk]

Criterion is releasing Branded to Kill on UHD in May.  As with all their UHDs so far, it has the same special features as the Blu-ray.

• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Interviews with director Seijun Suzuki and assistant director Masami Kuzuu
• Interview with Suzuki from 1997
• Interview with actor Joe Shishido
• Trailer
• PLUS: An essay by critic and historian Tony Rayns

Bit of a surprise that the first Japanese title to get a UHD from Criterion is a Seijun Suzuki film.

[ShawAngela]

On 2/11/2023 at 6:52 PM, Yihetuan said:

Glad to see that this title is selling very well for Radiance. Bodes well for future Japanese releases including Yakuza Graveyard. If you're on the fence, grab the limited edition while it's still in print.

I loved it, but I hated the

Spoiler

sad fate of our hero

!

I should say the

Spoiler

unjust hero's fate. He tried his best to keep the peace and save his friend, but... as I said, what a sad

fate !

[Yihetuan]

Introduction to Radiance Films:

https://reprobatepress.com/2023/02/15/an-introduction-to-radiance-films/

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 2/15/2023 at 3:26 PM, ShawAngela said:

I loved it, but I hated the

  Reveal hidden contents

sad fate of our hero

!

I should say the

  Reveal hidden contents

unjust hero's fate. He tried his best to keep the peace and save his friend, but... as I said, what a sad

fate !

@ShawAngela I hid the spoilers for those that haven't seen the movie yet. 

To use this feature simply highlight the part of your post that contains spoilers and click on the eyeball icon in the tool bar above the text box (between the quotation marks and the smiley symbol).

[Yihetuan]

Yakuza Graveyard is now up for pre-order from the Radiance Films shop. Amazon & diabolikdvd.

https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/yakuza-graveyard-le

https://www.amazon.com/Yakuza-Graveyard-Limited-Tetsuya-Watari/dp/B0BVGWBZ1Z/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?crid=1811REV4AOCF2&keywords=yakuza+graveyard+blu+ray&qid=1676944568&sprefix=yakuza+graveyard%2Caps%2C463&sr=8-1-fkmr1

https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/yakuza-graveyard-us-radiance-films-le-blu-ray-all-region-preorder/

Those that ordered Big Time Gambling Boss directly from Radiance also received a special A4 sized "Dirty Arthouse" fanzine with Takashi Miike on the cover. Wonder if this one will come with any surprises? Also this blu ray also contains an "easter egg" - curious about that as well.

Edited February 21 by Yihetuan

[TheMuffinMan656]

That's gotta mean a Miike film from Radiance in the near future, right? I know Arrow does this sometimes, with little cards inside the cases signalling upcoming releases, sometimes which haven't been revealed yet.

[Chemical Lemon]

AGFA releasing the Shaolin Invincibles and Seven to One

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/shaolin-invincibles-seven-to-one

[Yihetuan]

Umbrella is releasing a I Saw the Devil collector's edition. Up for pre-order now.

[nahnahnah]

Carlotta will be releasing Johnnie To's The Heroic Trio and Executioners on 4K UHD in France: https://www.amazon.fr/executioners-2-Johnnie-steelbook-édition-Limitee-Blu-Ray/dp/B0BW2CNQB3?__mk_fr_FR=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&crid=2SUEOJVYZ8YRB&keywords=Heroic+Trio+%2B+executioners-2+Films+de+Johnnie+to-2+uhd+steelbook-édition+Limitee&qid=1678193094&sprefix=heroic+trio+%2B+executioners-2+films+de+johnnie+to-2+uhd+steelbook-édition+limitee%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1&tag=bluraycom05-21

[Yihetuan]

Coming to blu ray from Severin Films later this year is the Toei horror film, Bakeneko: A Vengeful Spirit, better known in the West as The Cursed Pond.

 

 

[Yihetuan]

From Imprint Films is Zhang Yimou's Not One Less and the Peter Chan's sports film, Leap coming to blu ray & both are scheduled for a June release.

[TheMuffinMan656]

Let's gooo! I love Zhang Yimou, so I'm so happy they are releasing even more. This will be nice to sit alongside their massive 8 film boxset of his collaborations with Gong Li, and their release of The Road Home, Zhang Ziyi's first starring feature. Leap also sounds fantastic, so I'll probably pick that up as well.

[ShawAngela]

On 2/21/2023 at 2:45 AM, Yihetuan said:

Yakuza Graveyard is now up for pre-order from the Radiance Films shop. Amazon & diabolikdvd.

https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/yakuza-graveyard-le

https://www.amazon.com/Yakuza-Graveyard-Limited-Tetsuya-Watari/dp/B0BVGWBZ1Z/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?crid=1811REV4AOCF2&keywords=yakuza+graveyard+blu+ray&qid=1676944568&sprefix=yakuza+graveyard%2Caps%2C463&sr=8-1-fkmr1

https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/yakuza-graveyard-us-radiance-films-le-blu-ray-all-region-preorder/

Those that ordered Big Time Gambling Boss directly from Radiance also received a special A4 sized "Dirty Arthouse" fanzine with Takashi Miike on the cover. Wonder if this one will come with any surprises? Also this blu ray also contains an "easter egg" - curious about that as well.

I ordered Big... from radiance almost right after they announced the movie, and I'm almost sure that I didn't receive this. I'll have to check my dvd to verify, but this doesn't rign a bell at all.

[Yihetuan]

5 hours ago, ShawAngela said:

I ordered Big... from radiance almost right after they announced the movie, and I'm almost sure that I didn't receive this. I'll have to check my dvd to verify, but this doesn't rign a bell at all.

well from what I heard, those A4 fanzines weren't ready when the first preorders were fulfilled. So unfortunately for you and the others who preordered your copy right when it was announced did not get a copy. In fairness, Radiance should've sent all the pre-orders a copy once they had them but guessing it was cost prohibitive to ship them again separately.

[One Armed Boxer]

8 hours ago, ShawAngela said:

I'll have to check my dvd to verify, but this doesn't rign a bell at all.

I'm afraid @Yihetuan is correct, the booklet wasn't an inlay to the Blu-ray due to its size, so if you received it you'd definitely know.