Shaw Brothers' "THE BRAVE ARCHER" Rescheduled

The following update comes to us courtesy of Richard York, Media Blasters Production Supervisor:

As you may have noticed, THE BRAVE ARCHER did not come out in December 2008 as originally announced. We encountered some technical snafus that delayed the release. We've since remedied those problems and we're rescheduling the release for April. Right now, the date is set for 4/7/2009 and so far there are no apparent reasons for it to be delayed any further. We apologize for the delay but we're confident that you'll be pleased with the results. With that said, here's what you can expect.

THE BRAVE ARCHER
Running Time: Approximately 121 minutes
2.35:1 Anamorphic (and progressive)
English Mono and newly created 5.1
Mandarin Mono with English Subtitles
English Subtitles: Brand new translation!
Audio Commentary with Asian Film and Pop Culture Critic Brian Camp
Extensive Image Gallery provided by Brian Dyer and Celestial Pictures
Shaw Brothers Trailers

Right now the next Shaw title we'll be releasing is MARTIAL CLUB, whichis tentatively scheduled for March. Thanks for your patience and support!

Richard York
Media Blasters Production Supervisor

Shaw Brothers' "THE BRAVE ARCHER" Rescheduled

An Interview with Media Blaster's Richard York: Shaw Brothers and Beyond!

HK Films

1. Richard, can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Media Blasters?

I moved to New York in 2004 from Oklahoma City where I was a writer/producer for an advertising agency. I learned that I had a mutual acquaintance at Media Blasters that I wasn't aware of. I eventually got to visit the office and one of the producers, William Hellfire, and I hit it off and was able to get my foot in the door. I immediately began doing press relations for them. Eventually, a producer position opened up, which I was offered. That's what I've been doing for the past year or so.

2. How many Shaw Brothers titles has Media Blaster licensed from Celestial?

We've licensed ten titles from Celestial (in order of their release).

HEROES TWO

THE MASTER

CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS

THE DEADLY DUO

THE BRAVE ARCHER

MARTIAL CLUB

TEN TIGERS FROM KWANGTUNG

BLACK MAGIC 2

THE FLAG OF IRON

FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS

3. Is the plan to release a title once a month (as August does not seem to have a title being released that month)?

I think initially we planned on releasing a title per month, but it's not going to happen that way. But rest assured they'll all come out eventually.

4. Linn Haynes work a great deal on the Shaw Brothers DVD in terms of providing extras, helping to find materials, and even doing a commentary for Heroes Two before his untimely death. Are there any plans for others to do commentary tracks and also for the uses of material that Linn may have prepared for other titles?

Linn was a great help in the early goings. He helped me choose the available materials for all titles from Celestial, put me in touch with Mike Leeder and provided some nice extras. I loved his commentary and wish he could've done more. Plus he and other people provided some great video and gallery extras on HEROES TWO. Otherwise, we didn't get too far on subsequent titles before his untimely death. But I've since been in contact with collectors and are looking into what they have for the remaining titles and what Celestial will or will not allow us to include. Future commentaries are not out of the question and I'm talking to people about it now.

5. Can you talk a little about the work Mike Leeder has been doing for the discs?

Mike is a true professional and has tremendous access to some of these great Shaw Brothers stars. He did a great job with the first round of interviews with Chen Kuan Tai and we're currently looking into future interviews.

6. Some fans were a bit surprised about the fact that The Master DVD was only letterbox can you explain that situation to us? Also will all other titles be anamorphic?

I think it was erroneously reported early on that all our titles would be anamorphic. But other than THE MASTER, that is true. The situation is simply that Celestial didn't have a true anamorphic master to provide us.

7. Also there has been concern about interlaced transfers and the suggestion that all that is needed to make the disc progressive is for a changing of a flag during the authoring stage. Can you comment on it?

For our HD titles, Celestial is providing us with PAL HD D5 50i masters. HEROES TWO was our first time working with this format so it was a learning experience both for us and for the lab converting these masters for us. There's an apparent misconception that whether or not a disc is progressive is a simple matter of remembering to push a button. It's a lot more complicated than that. But I can tell you that we've worked out the kinks and all remaining titles will be progressively encoded. I will say however that HEROES TWO looks great and plays fine on most setups.

8. Will all of the films be mastered from HD and have English dubs? Also how is Media Blasters handling subtitles and translations?

THE MASTER, BLACK MAGIC 2 and TEN TIGERS are the only titles without HD masters. English dubs are not available from Celestial for BLACK MAGIC 2 and MARTIAL CLUB. However, we're aware they exist somewhere out there in the world and hopefully we can work something out with Celestial to include them in some form. As for subs, we're working off the Celestial-provided scripts, but we have our own translator as well who goes over them, making appropriate changes and so forth. Then they're proofread for grammar and to make sure things make sense.

9. Does Media Blasters plan on licensing any other Shaw Brother titles and how has Heroes Two been doing?

I understand our Shaw titles have been doing pretty well. If the others perform well, acquiring additional titles is a definite possibility.

10. Does Media Blasters have any interest in licensing any titles from Fortune Star (which contain the Golden Harvest, Cinema City, and other classic HK film studios)?

I'm not aware of any activity on the Fortune Star front as far as Media Blasters is concerned. I certainly wouldn't mind working on some of those titles though.

11. How is the threat of bootlegging effect MB’s release efforts caused by Red Sun and its dummy sister companies? How is MB planning to combat this problem?

Bootlegging is difficult to combat and would probably be a full-time gig to try and track them all down. And even then, it wouldn't go away. We go after who we can, but we also just have to put our faith in the audience that they're going to want legitimate releases of a higher quality.

Euro-Cult

1. Is anymore Fulci perhaps on the horizon from MB, even if in the form of a low price collection set?

A Fulci three-pack of previous releases is a possibility down the road but right now we have no plans to release additional Fulci titles.

2. How about Bruno Mattei? Bruno Mattei’s last three films have yet to be released anywhere in the world. His other films before that popped on budget Russian labels or Japanese labels and even Snuff Trap in the US without any menu and indicating it was copied from another source. Obviously Media Blasters can do a lot better with these titles.

3. Related to that what about some of Bruno Mattei’s action films he made with Flora Films? Some of these where his teaming with the “amazing” Reb Brown such as Strike Commando, Robo War, and others like Shocking Dawn (using the Vincent Dawn name).

4. Any chance of Ruggeo D’s Raiders of Atlantis (directed under Roger Franklin)? It has previously appeared only on a old Goodtimes VHS release and the only uncut print was a hard subbed VHS from Northern Europe?

5. Do you think there can be a market for Euro-Cult Action films in the US, (especially since there was often overlap with many famous horror directors)?

6. Somewhat related any chance MB might want to release some of the crazy action films of the Philippines (such as films made by Silver Star) or Indonesia (like Intruder aka Rambu)?

2-6

Shriek Show is finally making a comeback, and dipping into the Euro-Cult well is not out of the question. I'd certainly be happy about that. There is a list of potential acquisitions including many gems. All I can say right now is we'll have to wait and see. I don't want to jinx anything or give anyone false hopes. But hopefully we can get back into that stuff. If anything happens on that front, I won't keep it a secret.

An Interview with Media Blaster's Richard York: Shaw Brothers and Beyond!

A small note on Media Blasters Shaw Brothers DVD.

I talked briefly with Richard York of Media Blasters today in preparation for a larger interview that should appear on the site by the end of July. He had some great news to pass onto Shaw Brothers fans: Challenge of The Masters and all future Shaws will be progressive and not interlaced.

Stay on the look out for our full interview in the future.

A small note on Media Blasters Shaw Brothers DVD.

Heroes Two Media Blaster DVD Review by Ian

Heroes Two is considered by many to be one of the quintessential and milestone Shaw Brothers films. Cheng Cheh with the help of choreographers Tang Chia and Lar Kar Leung and actors Chen Kwan Tai and Alexander Fu Sheng deliver a truly remarkable kung fu film with the use of real martial arts and a wonderful tale of revenge and brotherhood. The film is set in the Qing Dynasty after the burning of the Shaolin Temple by the Manchu’s. It’s not exactly a tale told once, but with Cheng Cheh and cast and crew, it’s a tale told well! This is the first Shaw Brothers release from Media Blaster and an amazing DVD film with excellent extras and options that make this DVD a MUST BUY!

Video: Heroes Two is anamorhpically enhanced and looks wonderful Media Blasters, like Dragon Dynasty before and BCI in the future has utilized HD masters for their transfers which help to alleviate any of the problems associated with PAL to NTSC conversion (ghosting, smearing, softness) as seen on releases by IVL in Hong Kong or by Image in the United States. Heroes Two suffers from none of these problems. The disc has strong vibrant colors, excellent detail in the picture, and no damage or issues with the source material. In short until Heroes Two has a Blu-ray release, the image quality is not going to be better anywhere else.

Audio: The disc contains English Mono, Mandarin Mono (with English Subtitles or Slates for signs, notes, etc) and English 5.1. The English 5.1 remix I suspect was done by Media Blasters as it does not suffer from added sound effects or music. It simply expands the music and sound effects giving it a wider range. It is quite nice to hear the theme in 5.1 without any added effects or additional “music”. All the tracks are clear and free of any damage and sound great with clean audio that is easy to hear and understand.

Extras: This disc has a bevy of incredible extras that just scream buy me! The first one is an excellent audio commentary by Kung Fu Film Historian Linn Haynes. Linn’s commentary is amazing with rarely any downtime and a great sense of humor that listeners will greatly enjoy. The facts the Linn displays shows why he was the king of Kung Fu film knowledge. That aside this is a really wonderful track and gives you a great history of the film and the people who made and starred in it. The bar for Shaw Brothers Kung Fu Commentaries has now been set quite high.

Tragically though this is the only commentary track that Linn Haynes recorded, he sadly died in a car accident shortly after. Media Blasters included a slate after their credits (after the movie) in memory of Linn. I can say personally from knowing and talking to Linn frequently in the last two years, that I had never meet anyone before someone so kind and generous with, and boundless in their knowledge of martial arts movies. He will be greatly missed and I thank Media Blasters for including the memorial.

There is also a short, but excellent ~8 minute interview with Chen Kwan Tai (more parts will be appearing on future Media Blaster Shaws DVD release, such as I suspect The Master coming out in May). The interview is quite detailed as one would expect as something produced by Mike Leeder, Editor of Impact magazine and know for his work on the extras for Hong Kong Legends and Dragon Dynasty among others.

The DVD also features the short feature Three Styles of Hung Fist that preceded the movies by a few weeks in theatres and later attached to Heroes Two during its theatrical run. This short feature discusses the type of martial arts that will be in Heroes Two featuring demonstrations by the actors and including narration (even referring to the actor’s real name). There is an option to watch this separately or seamlessly attached to the movie. This feature is anamorphically enhanced looks great and is in Mandarin with English subtitles. Media Blasters also includes the English language version of this feature, taken from a European VHS source. It is certainly strange to hear the dubbers refer to the actors who they portrayed by their real name. This feature is a pretty beaten up and with foreign subtitles embedded on it. However, the fact that Media Blasters was able to include this extra (which also comes with the original English language credits and title fonts) is incredible and the unremastered nature of it (which is noted before any non-Celestial footage) is irrelevant. The original Mandarin trailer (along with a Celestial video promo) is also included along with the original English Language Export trailer sourced from a foreign VHS tape (but is still anamorphically enhanced). This trailer is something I’ve never seen and will be a real treat for fans. There is also a stills galley and Tokyo Shock trailers for other upcoming releases (including the original Mandarin trailer for the Master).

Overall: Buy it. I really should not need to say anything else. This is a wonderful package Media Blasters has put together for Heroes Two. I cannot wait to see what The Master (due around May 13^th) is like.

Just click http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.545350/aid.85597/qx/details.htm and grab your copy!

Heroes Two Media Blaster DVD Review by Ian

Interview with Linn Haynes about the Upcoming Shaw Brothers Media Blaster Releases

Interview with Linn Haynes about the Upcoming Shaw Brothers Media
Blaster Releases.


1.Can you tell us a little about yourself and how did you first got interested into Shaw Brothers films?

Now that is a LONG story, here's the short version: When I was kid, I just watched kung fu films, not really knowing about the production companies and the like, but I DID watch everything around the age of seven or eight. As for the Shaw Brothers, like a lot of U.S. fans, I caught their films as part of the Black Belt Theater package on TV. We could actually barely get the station (this was before we got cable), and I stayed up late at night to catch it. Luckily my parents never caught me! I saw a handful of movies in the theater locally, but mostly television was where I really watched most of the films. When BBT stopped, I started watching Kung Fu Theater on USA Network. Saturdays were usually spent watching cartoons until noon when my parents changed the channel to USA for the rest of the day. I've still got an old tape of Kung Fu Instructor off of Kung Fu Theater that's a prized possession of mine.

After that, I took a break and saw just a few films over the next six years or so. I had started reading martial arts magazines as a kid, so I never really fell out of some of what was going on, but I didn't really have access to any current films. By that same logic, it helped me out a bit, because I could only watch period kung fu films on video. It wasn't until towards the end of high school that I really got back into the genre with a great deal of force.

I went to a convention in Atlanta called Dragon Con and came across a guy selling kung fu tapes. He was talking up a few films, and I recognized Jackie Chan's Police Story. I had heard about the film and wanted to see it. So I got that, Dragons Forever (the dealer said it was great), and A Chinese Ghost Story (still one of my all time favorite films),and went home. That night I watched them all and that was all it took. The next day, I went back, and bought something like twenty tapes. What's funny is, I recognized a LOT of actors from my Kung Fu Theater days, so I wasn't a lost as I thought I would be. I didn't know Sammo Hung's name, but I certainly knew his face! From that point on, I was a kung fu fanatic and started looking everywhere for kung fu tapes. I started renting films and making copies. I soon found a kung fu trading site online called Rindge on the Fringe that listed people from around the world with their lists and wants where I made a lot of friends I still stay in contact with today. I started doing everything I could to learn about these films, from digging in Chinese groceries to buying Chinese books and magazines. I even hired a guy at a local Hong Kong restaurant to translate some things for me! Within two years, I saw perhaps two hundred films. Now, I don't even want to think how many I've seen!

I started writing about the films where I could, first in a college newspaper. Damon Foster gave me a break with some reviews in his Oriental Cinema Magazine, and then I was off! Later I discovered a voice online and joined a couple of forums, notably Kung Fu Fandom, which I became an administrator for. In a couple of years, I'd written for and been interviewed in publications all over the world. Though I didn't start off doing this, it seemed everything I wrote of any substance was dealing with Shaw Brothers films. I realized just prior to doing this interview, I've never written anything that's been published on Golden Harvest. For whatever reason, I really gravitated to the Shaw Brothers films. Part of it was my local video store had some of the old “Shaw Brothers Video” releases, so the core films were easier for me to see. And of course I remembered seeing that Shaw Brothers films as a kid, as they were the main staple until about 1984 or 85, when it became more Taiwanese films.

2. How long has Media Blasters been interested in distributing the Shaw
Brothers films?

For as long as I've been involved with the company, since the release of Seven Grandmasters a few years ago. The issue has often been one of availability of titles, or viability of the market. It certainly hasn't been lack of want, as many of the people there are fans themselves of the films. I think their list of titles speak to that fact.

3. Media Blasters got some very well known titles, it was long thought that anything well known was controlled by Dragon Dynasty or Image. How could such well known titles slip through the cracks?

You'd be surprised how often this happens. It often comes down to one of three things: 1. Companies don't know enough about the films to make a valid judgment on the titles they're looking at. 2. The people viewing availability lists don't know the original international titles (meaning titles prior to them being changed for US releases), so they don't recognize the “good” films. 3. There's of course certain titles a company is looking for and some are naturally not chosen due to a set limit they have. To be honest, it's often VERY surprising to me what's not picked and what is picked. In the case of the Shaw Brothers films, many were not available until they were set for release in Hong Kong.

4. Shaw Brother releases in the United States have been extremely un-even at times. Is Media Blasters committed to doing more than just ports of the IVL discs?

First off, the majority of Media Blasters titles will be from High Def masters. That means that they'll be no issues with the PAL to NTSC transfers that have plagued all the IVL releases and some of the US DVDs.

Also, in the rare case a HD master isn't available for a title, they will be working with the original PAL masters to do a transfer, so those titles should be a step above the HK releases. One thing to keep in mind, all of the Media Blasters releases will also be 16:9 enhanced, which nearly all of the HK DVDs of these titles were not.

5. When do you expect the first title to hit retail and is Media Blasters planning to make the Shaw Brother titles a major part of their 2008 releases?

The first title is currently set to come out the second quarter of 2008. The idea is that one title a month afterward. Black Magic 2 is a natural for October I think. The Shaw releases are one of the cornerstones of Media Blasters release schedule for next year and they really want to do a good job on these.

6. Does Media Blaster rights extend only to DVD or also to next generation formats?

Media Blasters at the moment have no plans to release Shaw Brothers films on next generation formats.

7. Will sub-titles be retranslated by Media Blasters?

The plan is to retranslate problem subtitles.

8. Will the original English dubs be used? What steps are being done to find dubs that Celestial does not still have? Also would Celestial allow the use of collector prints for rare dubs (which seem to be coming out of the woodwork once again)?

Yes, the original dubs are being used. As a matter of fact, some may be 5.1 audio. And before fans freak out, mono tracks for both English and original languages will also be included. For the titles Media Blasters are releasing, there's only a couple that don't have complete English audio available, and every attempt is being made find missing elements if they exist.

9. What type of extras is Media Blasters aiming for the discs?

I talked to Mike Leeder (Editor of Impact Magazine, interviewer for Hong Kong Legends) almost immediately after I heard about the Media Blasters releases. Mike is on my short list of the most knowledgeable people on Hong Kong films in the world. Mike and I have been hoping to do something together for a while. I also contacted a lot of friends around the world looking for footage for extras and the like. I've contacted Frederic Ambroisine, an old friend of mine in France who handled the extras for the well known French Wildside releases, about looking into interviews he had done. I'm still looking for English trailers for these films BTW, so if anyone's got some out there, contact this site!

10. Are their attempts to interview some of the more uncommon subjects for the discs (English dubbers, Shaw crew members and non-actors, major actors who did not appear on the DD discs such as Ti Lung and Lar Kar Leung)?

If everything goes as planned, I think fans will be VERY happy with the extras for these releases. Media Blasters, Mike and myself are trying to set the bar high, some might say too high, for the extras. If everything works out, there's no way fans wouldn't enjoy what they find extras-wise. And yes, every effort is being made to get interviews.

11. Many people were pleasantly surprised with the skill the RZA displayed on the 36th Chamber of Shaolin commentary, is there any ideas about working with the RZA or other Wu-Tang Clan members on the discs? It seems with the new release of a Wu-Tang Clan CD in December entitled 8 Diagrams that it would be good marketing (with the Wu-Tang Clan in the news) to get them on the discs.

I was also impressed with the 36th Chamber commentary. As for getting him on the Media Blasters discs, we'll see.

12. Are there any plans for documentaries about the Shaws and how should documentaries be handled.

We've got some ideas we're floating around, but nothing set in stone at the moment. I don't want to get fans to excited and then something come up to slow things down. This is not an exact science after all.

12. Are there any plans for audio commentaries?

Media Blasters have asked me to do some. To tell the truth, I'm hesitant to do it, as every time I have, something bad has happened. The last time I agreed to it, I brought in a friend to be on it, only to have the DVD canceled the night before the commentary was to be recorded. I worked in radio for a couple of years, so I don't have a problem being on the mike, and I practice every time I watch a film with someone. I drive a few of my friends nuts!

14. Is it possible for footage of lost/un-made Shaw films to be licensed by Media Blasters as extras? Is it also possible for films to be licensed that Celestial declined to re-master themselves (ie Hong Kong Godfathers and To Kill A Mastermind)?

Mike and I have plans to try and find anything we can as far as vintage materials go. I sent him some things to look for, but it's currently too early to really comment on that. As for titles Celestial hasn't remastered: It's a possibility. You certainly mentioned the top two on my list. [Note: Just after this interview was done, it was revealed that BCI had purchased the rights to Hong Kong Godfathers and fourteen other films. Linn was responsible for picking those titles and specifically requested BCI to seek out the film for release.]

13. Any hint on what the first title will be?

The first title at the moment is Heroes Two. That doesn't mean something can't change between now and then, but I personally think it's a perfect title to start with.

14. Thanks again for taking the time to do this interview with HK AND
CULT FILM NEWS.

Thank you. And thanks to everyone reading this for supporting Asian
film releases throughout the world.

Interview with Linn Haynes about the Upcoming Shaw Brothers Media Blaster Releases

Red Sun and FYE/Transworld Back Together Again to Screw up Legit Shaws!

Yep, and he's even using a new fake company.

This isn't old Red Sun covers and cases. There are new covers for this 4 in 1 sets (as you can see from the pics they look nothing like the old ones and look legit almost). They make no mention of Red Sun. The company listed is Ying Yang with a logo even! I don't think FYE thinks these are Red Sun discs. They are in 4 packs themed by actors, Ti Lung, Lo Lieh, Chen Kuan Tai, in films by and larged OWNED by Media Blasters and Dragon Dynasty (Ten Tigers, The Master, Heroes Two, The Master, Blood Brothers, Chinese Boxer, Aka Hammers Gods and Fist of the White Lotus). The Dragon Dynasty titles were confirmed by us recently via research done at the US copyright office.

It seems like an attempt to dump old discs in new sets before legit discs from Media Blasters and more titles from Dragon Dynasty start appearing. FYE is fully stocking these with SKUS and such.FYE Is blowing out the old Red Sun on the back ones. These new sets retail for 24.99 , but seem to be on sale for 19.99.

Here are some samples as you can see there is no way to know they are Red Sun for the common shopper might otherwise ignore it. The worst part is as mentioned that most of these titles belong to Media Blaster and Dragon Dynasty. These is an obvious attempt to dump product and at the same time kill the legit releases, ensuring the survival of Red Sun.

If your sick of this crap. Please call Transworld's CFO. I doubt he would like consumers calling him about his company selling bootlegs. Trust me I think it will work. :)

Contact Us
For corporate or financial information or questions, please contact:

John J. Sullivan
Executive Vice President, Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer
E-mail: corpcomm@twec.com
Ph: 518-452-1242

Red Sun and FYE/Transworld Back Together Again to Screw up Legit Shaws!

Upcoming Media Blasters Cover Art!

Thanks to Richard York.

Upcoming Media Blasters Cover Art!

Media Blaster's 2007 Schedule

Thanks to Richard York

10/23
SCRAP HEAVEN (Tokyo Shock)

10/30
RICA 2: LONELY WANDERER (Exploitation Digital)

11/20
BLOODY SCHOOL GIRLS 3-Pack: Includes GIRLS NITE OUT, BLOOD SISTERS and
ONE DARK NIGHT (Shriek Show)

11/27
MIDNIGHT MOVIES 2 (Steckler 4-pack!): Includes BODY FEVER, LAS VEGAS
SERIAL KILLER, HOLLYWOOD STRANGLER MEETS THE SKIDROW SLASHER and BLOOD
SHACK (Shriek Show)

12/11
LATITUDE ZERO (Toho/Tokyo Shock)

12/18
RICA 3: JUVENILE'S LULLABY (Exploitation Digital)
LEGEND OF DINOSAURS AND MONSTER BIRDS (Tokyo Shock)

Media Blaster's 2007 Schedule

Upcoming Media Blater Cover Scans.

Thanks again to Richard from MB.

Upcoming Media Blater Cover Scans.

Media Blaster Upcoming Schedule Till July 2007

Many thanks to Richcard York at MB for giving HK FILM NEWS their upcoming schedule. We'll post some cover scans later. I can tell you that many of us at HK FILM NEWS are looking forward to Frankenstein Conquers the World.

5/1
ART OF THE DEVIL 2-pack (Tokyo Shock)

5/15
BLACK KISS (Tokyo Shock)
Asuka (Reika Hashimoto), an aspiring model, moves to Tokyo to pursue
her career. She takes up residence with a moody acquaintance named Kasumi
(Kaori Kawamura). Across the street from their apartment, Asuka witnesses a
bizarre murder — the body was flayed, disemboweled and arranged into a
hideous work of art. A series of coincidental murders occurs, all of which contain
what is possibly the murder's calling card: a black lip print dubbed "The
Black Kiss". This gruesome crime thriller in the tradition of SILENCE OF THE
LAMBS and SEVEN was originally known as SYNCHRONICITY ("Shinkuronishiti") and
features Ken Mitsuishi (AUDITION) and Masanobu Ando (BATTLE ROYALE).

Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
The truth of Black Kiss
Mystery of Black Kiss
Theatrical Trailer

5/29
ICHI THE KILLER Blood Pack (Tokyo Shock)
When a yakuza boss is murdered and his money is stolen, both truth and
revenge are brutally sought. Leading the charge is Kakihara (Tadanobu
Asano), the bleach-blonde pain junky whose interrogation methods are
fetishistically sadistic. As the layers of the sordid tale are peeled
back, it appears that someone is trying to turn rival gangs against each
other.
The centerpiece of this strategy is Ichi the Killer (Nao Omori), a
mysterious and completely unhinged master of slaughter. When the final
showdown comes, it's a psychologically cataclysmic event. This one of a
kind, over-the-top, stomach-churning, live-action cartoon from Takashi
Miike (VISITOR Q, IMPRINT) remains an extreme and influential modern classic.

Disc 1
NEW 16 X 9 1.85:1 transfer
-Commentary with director Takashi Miike and Manga artist/writer Hideo
Yamamoto
-5.1 English Dub
-5.1 Japanese Mix
-Original Trailer
-Featurette with Horror film Director Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever)
-Photo Gallery

DISC 2
-Featurette The Cult of ICHI (featuring horror writer JACK KETCHUM,
Fangoria’s Tony Timpone, director Mike Mendez, actress Barbara
Nedeljakova
(HOSTEL)
And many more)
-Interview with Producer Dai Miyazaki
-Actors Sabu and Tsukamoto discuss ICHI.
-“Memories of ICHI” The Making of Ichi the Killer
CAST interviews with:
-Interview with Tadanobu Asano (Kakihara)
-Interview with Nao Omori(Ichi)
-Interview with Sabu (SUZUKI) Susumu Terajimaas Sabu
-Interview with Shinya Tsukamoto (Jijii)
-Miike trailer reel

6/12
ID (Tokyo Shock)
The ID, our unconscious, contains all our selfish drives and desires.
Our conscious keeps these instincts in check, repressing them, in order to
maintain the civility required by society. But what happens when the ID
takes control and is allowed to run free? You get ID, this grim,
shocking, contemplative and experimental exploration of the horror that lies
dormant within us all. Lawlessness, death and complete psychological abandon
befall a rural community, home to factories, pig farms and general squalor.
Here, it's difficult to tell the humans from the animals. What transpires
ultimately defies description. But this rumination on repression,
apathy and the influence of violence is brimming with raw and unbridled
creativity.

Director Kei Fujiwara began her career as an actress and later gained
notoriety for her involvement in Shinya Tsukamoto's legendary TETSUO:
THE IRON MAN (1989) as well as her directorial debut, the disturbing yet
artful ORGAN (1996).

6/26
FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (Tokyo Shock)
The still-beating, disembodied heart of Frankenstein's monster was
transported from Nazi Germany to Japan for experimentation during World
War II. But the heart is believed lost when Allied Forces drop the bomb on
Hiroshima. Several years later, a feral boy is running rampant through
Hiroshima, killing and feasting on small animals. This causes alarm and
arouses the curiosity of an American scientist, Dr. Bowen (Nick Adams),
and his assistant (Kumi Mizuno, MATANGO) who take the boy into their care.
Soon, the boy is growing at an alarming rate and exhibiting incomparable
strength.
The scientists only have one explanation: this is the mutated monster
of Frankenstein himself! But this town isn't big enough for two monsters.
The destructive, underground-dwelling Baragon emerges to do battle with
Frankenstein to the death!

Known originally as FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON, this fan favorite Toho
production has been a popular fixture on American television for the
past quarter-century. Tokyo Shock is proud to bring FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS
THE WORLD to U.S. DVD for the first time.

DISC ONE:
FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD "English Language Version" (84:47)
English Mono / English 5.1
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen (contrary to the earlier reports saying it
was 1.78:1, which was premature on my part)

EXTRAS:
Special Announcement (40 seconds)
Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes)
Extra International Footage (alternate octopus ending)
Deleted Scenes (approx 5 minutes)
Photo Gallery (approx 150 images)

DISC TWO:
FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON "International Version" (93:04)*
FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON "Japanese Theatrical Version" (89:53)
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Japanese Mono / Japanese 5.1 / English Subtitles
Audio Commentary with Sadamasa Arikawa (Director of Special Effects
Photography) with English Subtitles
Trailers for ATRAGON, DOGORA, MYSTERIANS, MATANGO

7/3
SODOM THE KILLER
Bad things happen when innocent blood is shed. In the early 1700s, Lord
Sodom Ichibei is happily celebrating his wedding day when his
wife-to-be suddenly dies during the ceremony. In his search for an explanation, he
kills any and every suspect he comes across. When Lord Ichibei tortures
and kills two innocent girls, Catherine and Theresa, their death brings
about a curse on the Sodom family. Three hundred years later, one of Sodom's
descendents, Ichiro, is also set to be married. But Catherine has been
reincarnated as Ichiro's sister and kills everyone at the wedding. This
transforms Ichiro into the evil and vengeful "Sodom the Killer", a
cursed man hell-bent on slaughter and world destruction. But Theresa,
reincarnated as a detective, is keeping a watchful eye on Ichiro...

Hiroshi Takahashi, writer of the seminal Japanese horror film RINGU,
makes his directorial debut with this twisty and campy take on the genre he
helped create.

7/31
MUTANT MONSTERS Triple Feature (Includes: THE BEING, THE DARK &
CREATURES
FROM THE ABYSS)

Media Blaster Upcoming Schedule Till July 2007