The Official 88 Films Thread

[CrockettandTubbs]

Originally Posted by Kuroneko

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.

At least it looks like they're using a normal amaray:

[Show spoiler]

- I can add a tray and put the 2nd disc of Shriek Show extras in

Said extras on the 2nd disc:

Jaws with Claws: A Look Back at Grizzly featurette (36:37)
Reflections of Grizzly: A 2005 Screening of the 1976 Classic featurette (5:23)
Movie Making in the Wilderness 1976 featurette (7:00)
Photo Gallery (:55)
Radio Spots (:59)

[yer wot?]

Originally Posted by Pete S

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.

On the face of it I see two problems.

1) The BBFC would have to issue very detailed guidelines as to what is acceptable as an 18.

2) The potential for abuse with companies releasing U to 15 certificate material as 18 to get out of paying BBFC fees. Sure there could be a complaints procedure through say Trading Standards, however this would no doubt ultimately be administered by the BBFC who would want payment.

I think a simple opt out completely scheme applicable to all releases perhaps with a "no certificate" mark would be easier all round and let retailers decide what they sell and to who. However as such a scheme would expect purchasers to use common sense and take responsibility for their choices I can't see either the British general public or government taking to the idea.

[88 Films Official]

Originally Posted by Kuroneko

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.

We've tried on numerous occasions to licence extras and we either get told a straight "no" or the asking price is often more than the film licence!

We produce them when we can but as budgets are tight they will often be an interview rather than a documentary and in the case of grizzly and quite a few titles in 2018 we've struggled to find anyone to interview.

[samdvd1]

Originally Posted by Pete S

Interesting interview - when was it conducted?

A couple of years ago now at least... early 2015?

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by CrockettandTubbs

At least it looks like they're using a normal amaray:

[Show spoiler]

- I can add a tray and put the 2nd disc of Shriek Show extras in

Said extras on the 2nd disc:

Jaws with Claws: A Look Back at Grizzly featurette (36:37)
Reflections of Grizzly: A 2005 Screening of the 1976 Classic featurette (5:23)
Movie Making in the Wilderness 1976 featurette (7:00)
Photo Gallery (:55)
Radio Spots (:59)

A friend and former boss of mine ran the marketing campaign for this in New Zealand, where they managed to start a grassroots campaign, complete with roadside signs, to get the Grizzly added to the ballot list for the next election - and even managed to get the support of one of the major party candidates.

[Pete S]

Originally Posted by yer wot?

On the face of it I see two problems.

1) The BBFC would have to issue very detailed guidelines as to what is acceptable as an 18.

Accepted, but I think the broad guidelines are already available on their website:
http://bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/guidelines
I think more detailed guideline documentation probably exists somewhere.

Originally Posted by yer wot?

2) The potential for abuse with companies releasing U to 15 certificate material as 18 to get out of paying BBFC fees. Sure there could be a complaints procedure through say Trading Standards, however this would no doubt ultimately be administered by the BBFC who would want payment.

I think a simple opt out completely scheme applicable to all releases perhaps with a "no certificate" mark would be easier all round and let retailers decide what they sell and to who. However as such a scheme would expect purchasers to use common sense and take responsibility for their choices I can't see either the British general public or government taking to the idea.

But it wouldn't be "abuse", it would be the whole point of the change. If a distributor didn't wanted to pay the fees to classify a film as U and stick a self-certified 18 on the film, that's their own prerogative. They'd be the ones weighing up the lost sales vs the no-fees from BBFC. For a 2 hour film that's £1k, over a number of releases a year it adds up to a fair whack. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think special features also accrue BBFC fees.

As examples, if Disney wanted to release a film they'd probably go down the certification route so that parents can buy the films for their kids with no worries. With something like 'Sunrise' by Eureka, that's a U film but realistically the only people buying the release are going to be over 18 anyway. Eureka may decide that they'd release the film as a self-certified 18 because they'd only be losing out on an extra 10 sales.

I feel an additional 'no certificate' mark would add to confusion about who can retail that item to people, whereas with an 18 there's no confusion - if you're not an adult you're not getting it.

[Aclea]

Except censorship and certification is no longer voluntary in this country: it's a legal requirement in the UK and has been since the Video Recordings Act in 1984. It's not just a matter of slapping on a not suitable for children label since there are legal considerations about content to take into account as well - animal cruelty, depiction of minors in sexual situations, etc - which, let's be honest here, there are plenty of smaller labels who'd happily ignore if self-certifying.

Whether the BBFC should have a government granted monopoly on the process is certainly debatable (though thankfully we're a long way from the bonkers mindfarts that passed for James Ferman's moral reasoning), more for financial reasons than anything else (like all monopolies, the BBFC can set the price and insist of resubmitting titles multiple times to rack up their quarterly earnings) but self-certification is not a good way to go.

[El_Fez]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

The next four 88 Asia titles (and slipcovers) have been added to their Coming Soon page.

That's some sweet, tasty Kung Fu. I was thinking of getting the One Armed Swordsman from yesasia, but the box set prices - about a hundred bucks, give or take - kept putting me off. This seems the smarter way to go.

[yer wot?]

Originally Posted by Pete S

Accepted, but I think the broad guidelines are already available on their website:
http://bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/guidelines
I think more detailed guideline documentation probably exists somewhere.

Such guidelines are open to interpretation, even the BBFC can be inconsistent.

Originally Posted by Pete S

But it wouldn't be "abuse", it would be the whole point of the change. If a distributor didn't wanted to pay the fees to classify a film as U and stick a self-certified 18 on the film, that's their own prerogative. They'd be the ones weighing up the lost sales vs the no-fees from BBFC. For a 2 hour film that's £1k, over a number of releases a year it adds up to a fair whack. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think special features also accrue BBFC fees.

No distributor is going to stick an 18 cert on a blu-ray aimed at kids. Why would they? It would be sales and financial suicide.

However I could see some distributors taking say an old public domain Tod Slaughter horror film that these days passes for a moderate PG and slapping an 18 certificate on it despite it not qualifying. That would be abuse of the system and such things would potentially heavily effect customer confidence in both home video product and the BBFC itself.

Originally Posted by Pete S

As examples, if Disney wanted to release a film they'd probably go down the certification route so that parents can buy the films for their kids with no worries. With something like 'Sunrise' by Eureka, that's a U film but realistically the only people buying the release are going to be over 18 anyway. Eureka may decide that they'd release the film as a self-certified 18 because they'd only be losing out on an extra 10 sales.

But wouldn't it then make more sense to release Sunrise without a certificate so as not to potentially mislead customers?

Originally Posted by Pete S

I feel an additional 'no certificate' mark would add to confusion about who can retail that item to people, whereas with an 18 there's no confusion - if you're not an adult you're not getting it.

I agree with the first part of your paragraph. I was just throwing the idea out there with no thought behind it. However I think you're over estimating the intelligence of the average consumer. Unless the contents really do qualify for an 18 then putting an 18 cert on a release would piss a lot of people off.

Plus why deprive those under 18 of a film the BBFC would have deemed suitable for a lesser certificate?

I believe a USA style opt in system with unrated releases of all types is the best system as it levels the playing field in many ways and (in theory) inspires customers to be a bit more thoughtful when purchasing. However...

As Aclea points out, and the same occurred to me last night, animal cruelty and child protection legislation would be a big sticking point regarding such a scheme.

How much in the real world this would be a problem I don't know. I mean how many films are made each year that actually feature depictions of minors in sexual situations of a type that would potentially overstep child protection legislation? And wouldn't the vast majority of companies cut such material so as to not risk prosecution?

[xxnomad]

Can't wait for these 3 other asian titles with slips to move from 'coming soon' to 'pre order'. I think I might be able to get free shipping to USA if I order the 4 current asian titles with slips. I've become a complete mark for this line and really have enjoyed what I've watched so far.

[yer wot?]

Originally Posted by xxnomad

Can't wait for these 3 other asian titles with slips to move from 'coming soon' to 'pre order'. I think I might be able to get free shipping to USA if I order the 4 current asian titles with slips. I've become a complete mark for this line and really have enjoyed what I've watched so far.

Most consistent collection 88 Films have done so far. The martial arts films have universally been very good to excellent, and though they have their unsettling moments I've found the horror titles memorably and entertainingly off kilter rather than scary (I rarely find horror films more than superficially scary any way)

The only one that's left me cold is Mighty Peking Man, but that's probably to do with it failing to live up to it's reputation as an icon of what I guess we used to call Incredibly Strange Films (© Re/Search Publishing, "borrowed" by Johnathan Ross) It's not a bad film, it's just a mediocre one.

Haven't yet watched Casino Tycoon while my Enchanting Ghost pre-order is on it's way direct from 88 Films.

[Brutalizer79]

Thinking about placing an order directly with 88 Films. For those in the US that have done so, how was the experience? How long did the shipping take?

[Ste7en]

Originally Posted by CrockettandTubbs

I can add a tray and put the 2nd disc of Shriek Show extras in

Isn't that the one where the film was in the wrong ratio? Pretty sure I still have that somewhere.

[CrockettandTubbs]

Originally Posted by Ste7en

Isn't that the one where the film was in the wrong ratio? Pretty sure I still have that somewhere.

According to dvdcompare, it's the German dvd that was cropped to 1.85 instead of 2.35.

http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=6632

I know that on the Just Before Dawn dvd, the film’s dialogue falls out of sync with the movie when the commentary track is on.

[Bonzi]

Just got Just Before Dawn from Amazon. Unfortunately, it came without the slip-cover or the booklet. I guess those were/are exclusive to the 88 Films store.

[Carmine01]

Originally Posted by CrockettandTubbs

According to dvdcompare, it's the German dvd that was cropped to 1.85 instead of 2.35.

http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=6632

I know that on the Just Before Dawn dvd, the film’s dialogue falls out of sync with the movie when the commentary track is on.

Not 88 related, but I've experienced lip sync issues with the DVD releases of House of a 1000 Corpses, and Arrow's release of Martin. Only an issue when you activate the commentaries.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Bumblefeet]

Checked out 88's Italian collection entry "Watch me when I kill" today, solid Giallo entry that similarly to "Suspicious Death of a Minor" which I watched a week ago owes a lot to Profondo Rosso. I like "Watch me when I kill" for how it plays with your expectations of where the killer will show up or where the story will take you. There are some neat jump scares and sequences (the dressing room, the bathroom) and the Italian clone of Charles Brownson does a good job of playing the lead. The score by "Trans Europa Express" is fun and there is a recurring theme that rips off Goblin, but where it gets great is in the second half of the picture and the end credits track is great. It's also fun to hear a Goblin'esque instrumental playing during exposition scenes where Italian Charles Brownson is simply chatting with characters to uncover the truth.

As much as these Giallo's rip off each other, I applaud the way they make the effort of having the reveal be something one would deem ludicrously convoluted in the real world, yet in Giallo logic it kinda works lol. The scene with the tea cups is another one of those moments.

The 4K transfer looks great, but the colors felt very flat with flesh tones too white/green'ish, not sure that is the intended look, but only a minor complaint. Very decent giallo entry.

Oh, and a shout out for the scene with the crazy guy in the abandonned house.

[Flack999]

Coming early April

https://88-films.myshopify.com/produ...=6166442770470

[El_Fez]

Argh - the waiting for Supra Inframan to go live is killing me. I so want to get my preorders in straight away.

[Markgway]

With 88 Asia's introduction of Korean films does that mean we'll be getting less Shaw Brothers titles?