The Official 88 Films Thread

[Levon]

Sorry if this has already been discussed.

Does anyone think these guys could do Corbuccis The Great Silence? Just picked up The Mercenary today and will get Navajo Joe at some point. 88 films releasing The Great Silence makes sense.

[CrockettandTubbs]

There's going to be an interview with 88 Films on dvdcompare.net:

[Show spoiler]"We will be holding an interview with independent British distributor 88 Films for our readers.

If you have any questions in particular you would like us to ask about past, present and future releases, then e-mail us at admin@dvdcompare.net using the subject heading 88 FILMS.

Questions must be submitted by the 4th February to be considered!"

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by CrockettandTubbs

There's going to be an interview with 88 Films on dvdcompare.net:

[Show spoiler]"We will be holding an interview with independent British distributor 88 Films for our readers.

If you have any questions in particular you would like us to ask about past, present and future releases, then e-mail us at admin@dvdcompare.net using the subject heading 88 FILMS.

Questions must be submitted by the 4th February to be considered!"

Great.

Wish more of the boutiques would do this. Bravo to Fabulous Films and 88 for doing these, and of course to Sam for getting them

[Member-222782]

I don't see the point of Q&A sessions with labels if all we get are answers like "we have no plans at this time" or "thanks for the suggestion - we'll look into it". Or my favorite, the ever-dire "that didn't do so well for us so there won't be any more coming". For once, I'd like label heads to come on a forum and spout off a list of titles that ARE available to license and let people pick the ones they want. It's useless to have folks ask for a film only to be told "we don't have access to it".

[Blu MacReady]

Originally Posted by Cinema74

I don't see the point of Q&A sessions with labels if all we get are answers like "we have no plans at this time" or "thanks for the suggestion - we'll look into it". Or my favorite, the ever-dire "that didn't do so well for us so there won't be any more coming". For once, I'd like label heads to come on a forum and spout off a list of titles that ARE available to license and let people pick the ones they want. It's useless to have folks ask for a film only to be told "we don't have access to it".

Yes add the “we’ll see” ......but rarely do see it or when a title is requested and the answer is “we love that movie too” but that’s it, so are you releasing it or have plans to or can’t? Just pointless.

I prefer it when told “Yes we have plans for that” or “No. X has that one”. I know CW has a personal hate campaign trying to spoil Arrows releases, but at least he gives straight info, whether asked for or most likely not asked for.

[CouncilSpectre]

To be fair - the Q&A with FF was part of dvdcompare's scoop on the Universal titles they'd successfully acquired.

We haven't even had the 88 Films one yet....

The past isn't always prologue

[Xapi3]

Originally Posted by Cinema74

I don't see the point of Q&A sessions with labels if all we get are answers like "we have no plans at this time" or "thanks for the suggestion - we'll look into it". Or my favorite, the ever-dire "that didn't do so well for us so there won't be any more coming". For once, I'd like label heads to come on a forum and spout off a list of titles that ARE available to license and let people pick the ones they want. It's useless to have folks ask for a film only to be told "we don't have access to it".

I f***ing hate it when someone asks Arrow on Facebook if they can release a film that Arrow know they can’t possibly get the rights to and they reply with the “thanks for the suggestion we’ll look into it” line.

[Bumblefeet]

Originally Posted by Xapi3

I f***ing hate it when someone asks Arrow on Facebook if they can release a film that Arrow know they can’t possibly get the rights to and they reply with the “thanks for the suggestion we’ll look into it” line.

So you're telling me they lied when they told me they'd look into the original unaltered Star Wars trilogy theatrical versions?

[Xapi3]

Originally Posted by Bumblefeet

So you're telling me they lied when they told me they'd look into the original unaltered Star Wars trilogy theatrical versions?

Don’t worry they managed to get the rights to those. There will be separate releases of limited edition, steelbook, Dual Edition and single disc edition for each film in both the uk and the us at different times, so that’s 24 announcements to look forward to.

[yer wot?]

Originally Posted by Xapi3

I f***ing hate it when someone asks Arrow on Facebook if they can release a film that Arrow know they can’t possibly get the rights to and they reply with the “thanks for the suggestion we’ll look into it” line.

I hate it when people get offended by a company being polite to their potential customers.

[samdvd1]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

To be fair - the Q&A with FF was part of dvdcompare's scoop on the Universal titles they'd successfully acquired.

We haven't even had the 88 Films one yet....

The past isn't always prologue

We've done them with Second Run, Terracotta, Arrow, Signal One (where we got to announce Kiss of Death and Eyewitness), Fabulous (announced their TV sets), Powerhouse (where they initially revealed they had a bunch of
Hammer and Eyes of Laura Mars) in the past = full list - http://dvdcompare.net/features/index.php

Also did an 88 Films one a long time ago and they have moved on a lot since then - http://dvdcompare.net/features/88filmsinterview.php

My personal favourite was the BBFC one - http://dvdcompare.net/features/bbfc.php

Seriously, we take a good look through the questions and submit a good mix IMO. Of course, there are a lot of stock answers but we've been pretty successful in revealing some pretty great news.

[PowellPressburger]

I know I’ve bashed the image quality of the 88 Films Transfer of The Toolbox Murders (1978) and I still prefer my Blue Underground US BLU but obviously if you can’t compare the two editions then ignorance is bliss...

That being said I really love the Justin Kerswell of The Hysteria Lives / The Hysteria Continues podcast team moderated by Calum Waddell and for a film like this I don’t really know that much on the background or trivia of the film and the commentary is filled with interesting tidbits and is entertaining.

Its worth owning for the commentary track which is why I bought the release I love all commentaries with Justin Kerswell (and the Hysteria Continues podcast team)

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by samdvd1

We've done them with Second Run, Terracotta, Arrow, Signal One (where we got to announce Kiss of Death and Eyewitness), Fabulous (announced their TV sets), Powerhouse (where they initially revealed they had a bunch of
Hammer and Eyes of Laura Mars) in the past = full list - http://dvdcompare.net/features/index.php

Also did an 88 Films one a long time ago and they have moved on a lot since then - http://dvdcompare.net/features/88filmsinterview.php

My personal favourite was the BBFC one - http://dvdcompare.net/features/bbfc.php

Seriously, we take a good look through the questions and submit a good mix IMO. Of course, there are a lot of stock answers but we've been pretty successful in revealing some pretty great news.

Thanks for the links Sam. I've read some, but not all of those, so I'll have a look through the rest

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

I know I’ve bashed the image quality of the 88 Films Transfer of The Toolbox Murders (1978) and I still prefer my Blue Underground US BLU but obviously if you can’t compare the two editions then ignorance is bliss...

That being said I really love the Justin Kerswell of The Hysteria Lives / The Hysteria Continues podcast team moderated by Calum Waddell and for a film like this I don’t really know that much on the background or trivia of the film and the commentary is filled with interesting tidbits and is entertaining.

Its worth owning for the commentary track which is why I bought the release I love all commentaries with Justin Kerswell (and the Hysteria Continues podcast team)

Calum has his detractors , but he's in his element with stuff like this. Arrow's loss is very much 88's gain.

[horrorslash80s]

Happy to see Grizzly (1976) is being released by 88. Maybe Day of the animals will follow.

[eddyw78]

Originally Posted by horrorslash80s

Happy to see Grizzly (1976) is being released by 88. Maybe Day of the animals will follow.

Yeah I really like Grizzly and never got around to getting the Scorpion BD. I still have the Shriek Show DVD. I did get the Scorpion BD of Day Of The Animals though.

[gshearer]

Originally Posted by yer wot?

I hate it when people get offended by a company being polite to their potential customers.

AMEN! My exact thoughts... No pleasing anyone these days.

[Aclea]

“It’s not a finger.”

It’s perhaps unfair to compare father and son directors, but when both work in the same genre it can be hard not to at times. Lamberto Bava certainly never developed father Mario’s great sense of visual style – many of his films have that typical 80s-90s straight to video look – but he did inherit his tendency to be distinctly hit and miss, albeit more miss than hit in his case. 1992’s Body Puzzle aka Misteria is one of his better efforts, but this late giallo is more okay than inspired. While certainly better than A Blade in the Dark, it’s the kind of thriller that’s fairly well made but lacks thrills or atmosphere despite its grande guignolesque plot – someone has not only dug up the body of Joanna Pacula’s husband but is also leaving body parts from his apparently random victims wherever she’s staying. Naturally detective Tomas Arana’s investigation uncovers the skeletons in the departed’s (literal) closet as the body count mounts and people start acting very stupidly (to be fair, the script does try to blame that on a heatwave, but Bava doesn’t really know how to convey that humidity in a film where no-one even sweats).

It’s the kind of film you can see working on paper, boasting one decent twist that it isn’t too hard to see coming and a few setpiece killings that are generally delivered in a fairly perfunctory fashion that cries out for a more imaginative and bravura director and makes it easy to understand why Bava Jr. didn’t direct another film for 13 years. It doesn’t help that Bava is not exactly a master of pacing or editing, more of a plodder, or that there’s no chemistry between Pacula and Arana, both of whom, like spaghetti western star Gianni Garko (Sartana) as Arana’s stereotypical boss, clearly gauged the tone of the film and deliver competent professionalism but nothing above or beyond the call of contractual duty.

It’s not immune to some fairly outrageous silliness from time to time, not least using Pacula’s nervousness after finding a hand tied to the doorknocker as an excuse for her to get out of the house and go for a swim so Bava can get her into a bikini, while a promising killing in a swimming pool becomes absurd as despite multiple stab wounds and the removal of a major internal organ not a drop of blood can be seen in the water (maybe they didn’t have the budget to clean the pool after?). But then it’s often a surprisingly bloodless affair, with only the odd bit of splatter (one of them landing on the face of a blind child while his teacher is being murdered in front of her unseeing class: in another bizarre bit of silliness, the kid doesn’t seem to notice, let alone wipe it away), and nothing that would keep it off TV. But for the most part it’s just a solid and undemanding genre entry that doesn’t thrill but doesn’t bore either. It’s just a shame that the story didn’t find its way into the hands of a director who could have made more of it.

88 Films’ Bluray offers a respectable widescreen transfer, albeit cropped from 1.66:1 to 1.85:1 without feeling overcropped and only with the English language soundtrack (the Italian version used Carmina Burana for the murders but this replaces it with Night on Bald Mountain, apparently for legal reasons). Extras are limited to a brief trailer and Italian opening and closing credits. No sign of the booklet/leaflet advertised in my copy.

[horrorslash80s]

Originally Posted by eddyw78

Yeah I really like Grizzly and never got around to getting the Scorpion BD. I still have the Shriek Show DVD. I did get the Scorpion BD of Day Of The Animals though.

I wanted both scorpion blus but grizzly was always more expensive to import so I held out hoping a UK company like 88 would release it. I'm glad my waiting has finally paid off.

[Kuroneko]

Originally Posted by horrorslash80s

Happy to see Grizzly (1976) is being released by 88. Maybe Day of the animals will follow.

I just wish 88 films could provide their releases with some extras. This looks (again) like a barebones release while the ShriekShow release had some nice extras. The Jaws with Claws doc would've been nice.

[Pete S]

Originally Posted by samdvd1

My personal favourite was the BBFC one - http://dvdcompare.net/features/bbfc.php

Interesting interview - when was it conducted?

Something I've been wondering - why can't distributors self-classify works as 18, and in the box where it says things like 'contains strong violence' have it say 'this film has been self-classified as 18'. That way the distributors won't need to pay the fees (unless they think it'll be possible to be released as a 12 or 15 or PG and think they'll get some extra sales), children are protected, BBFC keeps saying it's a non-profit so they won't notice any loss in revenue, and if there was something illegal on a disc then people can inform the relevant authorities (which is what happens when anything else illegal happens).

If the BBFC published a list of what's unacceptable at a self-classed 18 rating (egregious animal cruelty, I think the other one is minors on set during sex scenes cf Kids) then it's highly unlikely the distributors would release the material if then they're definitely liable for prosecution. But really it would be a massive net gain for the distributors who would be able to increase their margins for pay rises or more acquisitions.