Arrow Video / Arrow Academy USA Discussion Thread

[fuzzymctiger]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Told ya! Delay schmelay - it's all poppycock. Copies are already in the wind.

I'm kicking myself for paying through the nose for a copy from Diabolik when Amazon now has it for $19.99. Gonna try to ask them to apply the payment to something else. I'd feel less foolish about the whole sorry situation.

On another note, I was one of those sorely disappointed in Arrow's October announcements but after watching an unboxing video for the Gamera set I now understand why their lineup feels so light and crappy. They spent all their time and energy on that set! I think Arrow is done for this year.

Ignoring the comments about the delays since that’s a UK one that never had a slipcover and wasn’t delayed.

Absolutely agree about Gamera. As well as that, we have the Jodorowsky set finally coming out this month in the US and UK, and now that we have confirmation of a Grefe title, maybe we’re finally getting that set announced in the next couple months

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by fuzzymctiger

Ignoring the comments about the delays since that’s a UK one that never had a slipcover and wasn’t delayed.

Absolutely agree about Gamera. As well as that, we have the Jodorowsky set finally coming out this month in the US and UK, and now that we have confirmation of a Grefe title, maybe we’re finally getting that set announced in the next couple months

Wonder when they'll announce the Doris Wishman set that SWV confirmed Arrow were doing.

[ianungstad]

When the Doris Wishman films screened at UCLA last fall, they were credited to Severin.

[OceanBlue]

It's a pity Laurin isn't being presented by a boutique label. Sounds like the sort of thing Arrow would release. Sting of Death sounds unique.

[vortexx]

Originally Posted by bruce holecheck

From my Cinema Arcana FB Page:

Another year, another Fantasia International Film Festival – though this year’s COVID-dodging virtual screenings are certainly a bit removed from the Canadian gala’s traditional celebration of the macabre. Historically known for showcasing the weirdest and wildest cinema the world currently has on offer, the festival also hosts a section of retro programming featuring new restorations of older titles worthy of additional attention ahead of their eventual home video releases, and this year is no different.

Arrow Video are debuting their fresh restoration of William Grefe’s STING OF DEATH (1966), the first bit of public confirmation towards their long-rumored collection of the Florida exploitation mainstay’s work. The film centers around a pool partyin’ group of spring breakin’ bikini gals who run afoul a man-sized jellyfish monster, escaped from the Everglades and determined to find love at all costs! Full of groovy tunes, shakin’ butts and the most ridiculous cryptid ever seen on cinema screens, it’s a guaranteed good time for fans of silly ‘60s regional horrors. Lucky to have survived at all—Something Weird Video had to literally scrape mold off the negative for their DVD—Arrow’s all new refurbishment should work wonders for the film’s sunny, colorful visuals.

Previously discussed as being in the works, the festival will also host the world premiere of Severin Films’ 4K restoration of Alex de la Igelsia’s THE DAY OF THE BEAST (1995), direct from its original camera negative. It tells the tale of a Catholic priest who’s hell-bent on committing as many sins as he can to properly prepare to do battle with the Antichrist, whose foretold appearance seems imminent. He teams up with an overweight metal-head and a tabloid TV host for a crash course in evil, but is there enough time? A wonderfully twisted horror comedy from the consistently great Iglesia, THE DAY OF THE BEAST is ripe for rediscovery and Severin aim to help as much as they can with reissues of this and his amazing PERDITA DURANGO.

Personally, the most exciting announcement for me is Severin Films’ acquisition of COMBAT SHOCK director Buddy Giovinazzo’s underseen, underrated NO WAY HOME (1996). His second feature, NO WAY HOME centers around Tim Roth, fresh from a prison stint, planning to stay on the straight and narrow. However, brother James Russo has different plans, and as household dynamics and outside forces come into play, things start to drift towards dangerous decisions for everyone involved. Subject to distribution issues, I caught the film on late night cable once and it seemed to disappear ever since. Locked away in Lionsgate’s vaults for decades, Severin have miraculously managed to break it free, allowed for a new 4K remaster from the original negative, hopefully giving the title a real chance to find the audience it deserves.

Additional retro content screening this year includes a trio of Coffin Joe favorites and Robert Sigl’s beautiful German fairy tale, LAURIN (1988) – though these unfortunately aren’t being presented by boutique labels, so their domestic home video status is uncertain.

© Bruce Holecheck, 2020

I love the art!

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Guiltydrummer

Oh i get it. Collectors just want limited editions, slipcovers etc. They don't really care about the films.

Nope. You just proved ya don’t get it.

[Guiltydrummer]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Nope. You just proved ya don’t get it.

I guess you missed my other post but i was saying there IS a large contingent of collectors who never even open their blu rays. No interest in watching them. That's a fact.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Guiltydrummer

I guess you missed my other post but i was saying there IS a large contingent of collectors who never even open their blu rays. No interest in watching them. That's a fact.

Just like I’m sure there’s a whole bunch that do watch them. I can’t say “that’s a fact”, because there’s no empirical data to support that.

[ianungstad]

Sting of Death Trailer - YouTube

Arrow's trailer for Sting of Death. It actually looks pretty decent. I'm not familiar with Grefe. Reminds me of Herschell Gordon Lewis but looks more competently made.

[Guiltydrummer]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Just like I’m sure there’s a whole bunch that do watch them. I can’t say “that’s a fact”, because there’s no empirical data to support that.

Obviously i was referring to the latter. As far data, you're gonna tell me that users here with 4,000-6,000 blu rays have actually watched them? No way man.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Guiltydrummer

Obviously i was referring to the latter. As far data, you're gonna tell me that users here with 4,000-6,000 blu rays have actually watched them? No way man.

I can’t speak for them. I have over 5k, and have watched them all. Watching Jack Ryan S2 right now.

[Gunsnroses092789]

Originally Posted by Guiltydrummer

Obviously i was referring to the latter. As far data, you're gonna tell me that users here with 4,000-6,000 blu rays have actually watched them? No way man.

I don't have a huge collection since I'm a little picky and know that I won't watch most movies more than once, but I have seen over 5,500 films So it's not impossible.

[Guiltydrummer]

Originally Posted by rickah88

I can’t speak for them. I have over 5k, and have watched them all. Watching Jack Ryan S2 right now.

I stand corrected.

[Cinema84]

My Blu-ray collection currently stands at 3,656 titles - this is not including UHDs or DVDs, which I still own a decent number of. I estimate I've only watched about 60% of my entire collection (a good portion of these include films I've seen countless times). I'm not going to watch a movie I'm not in the mood for just so I can reduce my unwatched pile - this isn't a race. I add stuff to my collection all the time and I'll watch the new pickups when I'm in the mood. I actually don't expect to ever watch 100% of my collection but I'm still glad I have what I have. It's better than doing drugs or hanging out in street corners.

[fuzzymctiger]

Originally Posted by ianungstad

Sting of Death Trailer - YouTube

Arrow's trailer for Sting of Death. It actually looks pretty decent. I'm not familiar with Grefe. Reminds me of Herschell Gordon Lewis but looks more competently made.

I am incredibly sold.

PLEASE let there be a full set

[A Tortured Duckling]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

My Blu-ray collection currently stands at 3,656 titles - this is not including UHDs or DVDs, which I still own a decent number of. I estimate I've only watched about 60% of my entire collection (a good portion of these include films I've seen countless times). I'm not going to watch a movie I'm not in the mood for just so I can reduce my unwatched pile - this isn't a race. I add stuff to my collection all the time and I'll watch the new pickups when I'm in the mood. I actually don't expect to ever watch 100% of my collection but I'm still glad I have what I have. It's better than doing drugs or hanging out in street corners.

Same here, but this is not because I keep things closed and sitting on a shelf. I buy a lot of shit when it's on sale and don't get around to watching them for months and, in rare cases, even longer than that. I think this is how it works for most people with this hobby considering we're always on the lookout for the lowest prices and tend to jump on all the big sales. It may sound crazy to some but to me it just makes sense that we always have an excess of films sitting around.

[Gerby]

Originally Posted by Gunsnroses092789

I don't have a huge collection since I'm a little picky and know that I won't watch most movies more than once, but I have seen over 5,500 films So it's not impossible.

I think that's a conservative amount tbh...i've seen well over 10,000 films in my 43 years.

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

It's a pity Laurin isn't being presented by a boutique label. Sounds like the sort of thing Arrow would release. Sting of Death sounds unique.

Laurin already has a pretty good, English-friendly release in Germany if you are Region-free. It was approved by the director too. I have the Special Edition of it but there's a standard edition that's pretty cheap: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Lauri.../247338/#Forum

[A Tortured Duckling]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

Laurin already has a pretty good, English-friendly release in Germany if you are Region-free. It was approved by the director too. I have the Special Edition of it but there's a standard edition that's pretty cheap: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Lauri.../247338/#Forum

Nice, another one for the wishlist.

[SuperFlyHighGuy]

Originally Posted by ianungstad

[Show spoiler]Sting of Death Trailer - YouTube

Arrow's trailer for Sting of Death. It actually looks pretty decent. I'm not familiar with Grefe. Reminds me of Herschell Gordon Lewis but looks more competently made.

In my opinion, it's nowhere near the quality of HGL films. I found it dreadfully dull when I watched the SWV disc years back, but the new restoration in that video looks phenomenal. Maybe it'll make the movie better?