The Punisher 1989 - 2 discs special edition (Japan) - 09/04/18

[Jerry_Dam]

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-P...lu-ray/203478/
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07C81WCL4/
http://www.happinet-p.com/jp3/releases/HPXR-255

2-discs set including:
Special packaging,
4-pages booklet (theatrical program/pamphlet reprint?),
mini-poster,

- the Uncut theatrical version (entirely HD, unlike UK, French, and Australian releases),
- the R-rated cut,

and the existing extras initially produced the German 2013 Mediabook release:
- the workprint cut,
- director Mark Goldblatt's commentary,
- behind the scenes footage montage (aka "gag reel"),
- trailers

it seems that the workprint cut will be featured in 2 versions, the vintage Beta tape transfer, and a re-edit with the available HD footage from the final feature film...

[travisbickle]

Still the best Punisher movie by far.

Hopefully the price comes down a bit. $50 US seems a bit high for a 2 disc set.

[e_d]

Pretty normal for Japan tbh.

[travisbickle]

Happinet's Night Of The Living Dead Blu only cost me around $14 shipped from CDJapan a while back...

Too bad Lionsgate won't get off their lazy asses and release the uncut/HD version here in the US.

[JosephNYC]

I'm excited for this release. I think it's better than it's reputation suggests. It's certainly better than WAR ZONE!

[Jerry_Dam]

Originally Posted by travisbickle

Happinet's Night Of The Living Dead Blu only cost me around $14 shipped from CDJapan a while back...

Shipping is free from yesasia
https://www.yesasia.com/global/the-p...0-en/info.html

[Jerry_Dam]

Reversible / alternate cover for the inside case:




Trailer for 4 upcoming Japanese Blu-ray releases including THE PUNISHER

厳é�¸æ´‹ç”»åŠ‡å*´Blu-rayシリーズ リベンジï¼� PV 　デス・ウィッシュ第３作「スーパー・マグナãƒ*ã€� 元祖「パニッシャーã€�「ブラジルã�‹ã‚‰æ�¥ã�Ÿå°‘å¹´ã€�「ダイヤモンドã�®çŠ¬ã�Ÿã�¡ã€� - YouTube

[agenda]

Still waiting when it arrive to caps-a-holic.

[Jerry_Dam]

Package preview (note that it will also include a poster, and reproductions of the theatrical chirashi flyer and program in booklet form)

[Jerry_Dam]

[JosephNYC]

Just got my copy in the mail the other day. The movie looks pretty good. The opening credits looked a little shaky and dirty but after that it looked fine.
I wish I read Japanese cause it looks like there are 4 different cuts on the second disc. I'd like to know what they are. I wish we could get an HD version of the cuts with his origin at the beginning. It looked interesting.
Overall it's a very nice set. Now why couldn't Artisan issue this in the US??? Do they still own the rights?
As much as I like this film I have to admit it's strange seeing Lundgren as a brunette.

[Jerry_Dam]

The workprint version is included twice:
- as shown in its original Beta tape SD transfert
- and in an SD/HD version with the HD parts of the final cut re-edited into it

[apollo828]

Originally Posted by Jerry_Dam

The workprint version is included twice:
- as shown in its original Beta tape SD transfert
- and in an SD/HD version with the HD parts of the final cut re-edited into it

Yep. It basically breaks down as follows.

Disc 1: Unrated cut (with commentary)
Disc 2: R-rated cut, workprint from the Beta tape (1.33:1 - SD), workprint reconstructed from the unrated cut and cropped workprint inserts (1.85:1 - HD - included twice), extras.

I'm glad the producers included the two different workprint cuts. The reconstructed workprint has a bit of creative cropping in order to get rid of the workprint watermark while maintaining the aspect ratio. This can make some of the framing a little odd. It's not a terrible idea. It's just a shame that the producers were forced to make this choice.

That said, there is something peculiar. The reconstructed workprint is included twice. I haven't watched both versions all the way through but it appears the only difference is that one has English audio, while the other has Japanese audio for everything except the workprint inserts (English), at which point Japanese subs kick in. The two files have the same length and virtually the same size! Why the disc authors couldn't just include it once and use different audio/sub tracks is beyond me. That's 15 GB that could've gone towards a better bitrate for the reconstructed cut. (The pure workprint is SD and, at 10 GB, probably has more than enough bits tossed at it already.)

As for the set itself...well, if you like the movie, you'll enjoy the set (if you can stomach the high price tag). If you've never seen it, watch it first. It's the kind of cheese I really enjoy. Others will disagree. Fair enough.

[travisbickle]

Yeah, love the movie but I'm not paying $60.

[bigrob]

Does this feature lossless audio or lossy audio (seems to be a trend for this film)

[apollo828]

Originally Posted by bigrob

Does this feature lossless audio or lossy audio (seems to be a trend for this film)

Lossless.

[Jerry_Dam]

Actually it does feature lossless audio which is particularly notable for the uncut version of the movie (only DD 2.0 on the German disc).


I also have to add that it does include two extra deleted scenes:

1/ one that was not on any version known of existence but seen on publicity stills, in which Berkowitz empties his desk after seeing Castle in prison and quitting:




2/ one that was on the 1st workprint version retrieved (not the WP cut transferred the Blu-rays), where Berkowitz visits Sam Leary at the hostpital and then he gets abducted by Franco's men:

[RLM002]

Originally Posted by Jerry_Dam

Actually it does feature lossless audio which is particularly notable for the uncut version of the movie (only DD 2.0 on the German disc).


I also have to add that it does include two extra deleted scenes:

1/ one that was not on any version known of existence but seen on publicity stills, in which Berkowitz empties his desk after seeing Castle in prison and quitting:




2/ one that was on the 1st workprint version retrieved (not the WP cut transferred the Blu-rays), where Berkowitz visits Sam Leary at the hostpital and then he gets abducted by Franco's men:

Am I missing something or is it only Japanese audio for these deleted scenes with no subs? I’d really like to hear / read the dialogue from the hospital scene.

[Jerry_Dam]

Originally Posted by RLM002

Am I missing something or is it only Japanese audio for these deleted scenes with no subs? I’d really like to hear / read the dialogue from the hospital scene.

Indeed, but the first one has no dialogue and the hospital scene can be caught (and not too hard to find) on another version of the workprint with bad image quality...

[DoctorHver]

Does anyone know if this will work in Blu-ray players from Europe.?