Vinegar Syndrome et al.

Vinegar Syndrome, Deaf Crocodile, Imprint, Cinema Guild, and more.
Post Reply
Message
Author
Numero Trois
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#26 Post by Numero Trois » Sun Jan 26, 2014 12:48 pm

domino harvey wrote:VS is launching a streaming service for "classic erotica," Skinaflix. Pre-launch invite to the site here
New York Times wrote:Later this year, Mr. Rubin said, Vinegar Syndrome and Distribpix plan to enter the digital streaming market with Skiniflix, a monthly subscription-based online portal, a kind of Netflix for older X-rated films but geared toward cinephiles.
Well, its about goddamn time.

Perkins Cobb
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:49 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#27 Post by Perkins Cobb » Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:27 pm

If they're gonna compare it to Netflix it better send me discs.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#28 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:35 pm

They'll send you dicks only

User avatar
med
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:58 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#29 Post by med » Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:52 pm

At no extra charge?

Numero Trois
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#30 Post by Numero Trois » Fri Jan 31, 2014 12:10 pm

One would hope that eventually they also get into unearthing some of those forgotten French porn films from the seventies.

Perkins Cobb
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:49 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#31 Post by Perkins Cobb » Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:10 pm

domino harvey wrote:They'll send you dicks only
As long as they don't send me Dickstein.

User avatar
Thornycroft
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#32 Post by Thornycroft » Tue Feb 25, 2014 2:04 am

It's just been announced on Facebook that VS is releasing a limited edition Blu-Ray double feature containing the films The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio (extremely rare softcore starring Rene Bond, only had a small VHS release in Australia) and A Clockwork Blue (scanned at 4k, rare enough hardcore that it's hard finding details about it online).

The pressing is limited to 1,000 units and is being sold exclusively through their website. Pre-orders start on Friday. There will be a DVD-only pressing later on that will contain the alternate softcore cut of A Clockwork Blue instead.

They've teased quite a lot of upcoming titles over the past couple of months so I'll try to gather all that info together in a seperate post.

User avatar
Thornycroft
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#33 Post by Thornycroft » Tue Feb 25, 2014 6:16 am

Here's a list copied and pasted from a Facebook announcement they made before Christmas:
SUGAR COOKIES: Our first 4k restoration!

GRADUATION DAY: Another definite 4k restoration, probably releasing around Halloween...

NAKED ZOO: A fun flick if you're down for some Rita Hayworth and Canned Heat!

PEEKARAMA: A new line of pure X rated features, many to be announced soon, the first of which will feature ABDUCTION OF AN AMERICAN PLAYGIRL & WINTER HEAT...available for pre-order at vinegarsyndrome.com!

LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET aka THE FUN HOUSE: All we'll say on this is that it is being worked on and handled with the utmost care for a release in 2014. All other details remain CLASSIFIED.
It has since been mentioned that the LHoDES announcement was somewhat premature, they acquired the interneg at the same time as the HGL negatives but it's faded and will require a lot of work. So it's being worked on but may be a long way off.

Also announced via various sources:

CHRISTMAS EVIL - new restoration and extras

RUNAWAY NIGHTMARE - new restoration from the negative

LUST FOR FREEDOM - new transfer of old Troma WIP flick

To top all that off they announced yesterday that they'd made a deal with underground filmmaker Jon Moritsugu to release four of his films: MY DEGENERATION, TERMINAL USA, MOD FUCK EXPLOSION and FAME WHORE. So there's plenty of stuff in the pipeline; if they keep up their schedule from last year we'll see upwards of 20 releases before this year is out.

User avatar
colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#34 Post by colinr0380 » Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:08 am

Thornycroft wrote:
LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET aka THE FUN HOUSE: All we'll say on this is that it is being worked on and handled with the utmost care for a release in 2014. All other details remain CLASSIFIED.
It has since been mentioned that the LHoDES announcement was somewhat premature, they acquired the interneg at the same time as the HGL negatives but it's faded and will require a lot of work. So it's being worked on but may be a long way off.
Here's hoping that they can do some sort of agreement with Barrel to port across their extras from their DVD, particularly the commentary between Roger Watkins and critic Chas Balun (both of whom are now deceased), which is one of the most entertaining, amusing and informative commentaries I've heard. The rarity of the film and the number of issues to discuss during it (especially whatever happened to the director after that time, and how much responsibility he really has for the chopped up final film we are left with) provides a lot of material to deal with (especially the Otto Preminger connections!) and luckily Watkins is very candid in his remarks. To back up the above, I seem to remember during the commentary that they talk about splicing in some of goriest footage from a VHS-quality print and there was only a "red Venezuelan print owned by a collector" that was the only other option, so the film would definitely need a lot of work to 'restore'.

As to the film itself, I don't think it is great (another reason why having a commentary to listen to during it is such a blessing!), but it does have some of the most bizarre images in the history of film, including the infamous 'doe's hoof blowjob' scene and the one in which a wife sits at her bedroom mirror, puts on blackface and then goes downstairs in her negligee to a swinging party where she proceeds to get whipped in the centre of the room by a malicious dwarf! Needless to say everything after that scene is an anti-climax!

User avatar
Thornycroft
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#35 Post by Thornycroft » Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:44 pm

I recall a lovely moment early on in the commentary where Balun cracks a joke about the activity onscreen that makes Watkins laugh, and Watkins says he had been so bitter over the history of the film that he'd thought he could never laugh about it again. The catharsis Watkins seems to gain from commenting on the film is what makes that track special beyond the sheer wealth of information it contains. I doubt that VS or anyone could better the extras from the Barrel release but I do hope they can license as much as possible.

IIRC, the majority of the Barrel transfer was taken from the battered Venezuelan collector's print and colour-corrected as best as possible. The missing 90 seconds of surgery footage from the end of the film were sourced from the Sun Classics VHS. Vinegar Syndrome has the 35mm blow-up negative, but it's badly deteriorated. At least 10 minutes worth are unusable. But they do have a complete 35mm print in very good shape. It looks like they'll end up doing some sort of composite, though I imagine it'll take a fair amount of effort to decide which portions of the negative are worth restoring and which should simply be replaced. At the very least the entire film can be sourced from 35mm without any VHS inserts.

Speaking of Watkins, VS also has the negative for CORRUPTION, one of his most revered adult films. No word on when it might get a release, I imagine rights issues will need to be sorted out, but cinematographer Larry Revene is keen to supervise a restoration. In the meantime, Anthology Film Archives in NY are screening a print of the film on March 30th, with Revene and star Kelly Nichols in attendance.

And as a final sidenote, VS are also going to be restoring and releasing the filmography of Wakefield Poole. No announcements for further releases since BIBLE came out in December but they've said that all of them are coming out eventually.

Thomas Dukenfield
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:42 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#36 Post by Thomas Dukenfield » Mon Mar 03, 2014 5:59 pm

Thornycroft wrote:I recall a lovely moment early on in the commentary where Balun cracks a joke about the activity onscreen that makes Watkins laugh, and Watkins says he had been so bitter over the history of the film that he'd thought he could never laugh about it again. The catharsis Watkins seems to gain from commenting on the film is what makes that track special beyond the sheer wealth of information it contains. I doubt that VS or anyone could better the extras from the Barrel release but I do hope they can license as much as possible.

IIRC, the majority of the Barrel transfer was taken from the battered Venezuelan collector's print and colour-corrected as best as possible. The missing 90 seconds of surgery footage from the end of the film were sourced from the Sun Classics VHS. Vinegar Syndrome has the 35mm blow-up negative, but it's badly deteriorated. At least 10 minutes worth are unusable. But they do have a complete 35mm print in very good shape. It looks like they'll end up doing some sort of composite, though I imagine it'll take a fair amount of effort to decide which portions of the negative are worth restoring and which should simply be replaced. At the very least the entire film can be sourced from 35mm without any VHS inserts.

Speaking of Watkins, VS also has the negative for CORRUPTION, one of his most revered adult films. No word on when it might get a release, I imagine rights issues will need to be sorted out, but cinematographer Larry Revene is keen to supervise a restoration. In the meantime, Anthology Film Archives in NY are screening a print of the film on March 30th, with Revene and star Kelly Nichols in attendance.
My favorite admission by Watkins from the commentary is that the budget for the film was around $800, all of which he spent on crystal meth for the two week shoot.

The Barrel transfer is actually from a North American theatrical print provided by Mitch Davis (programmer of the Fantasia Film Festival), and this was indeed red, as was the negative because it was screwed up during the 1st 35mm blow-up attempt. The "Venezuelan print" refers to the version that aired on Venezuelan television and was subsequently released on VHS and bootlegged, and not to an actual film print. This is the version that is about 90 minutes because it is slowed down, and the black and white stag scenes are tinted. FWIW the missing 90 seconds was from a Sun Video master and not an actual VHS tape.

On top of all the Barrel DVD extras, there are two other shorts by Watkins on the German DVD release by CMV Laservision.

I think Corruption is well worth checking out if you're a fan of LHODES.

User avatar
Thornycroft
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#37 Post by Thornycroft » Mon Mar 03, 2014 8:51 pm

Thomas Dukenfield wrote:The Barrel transfer is actually from a North American theatrical print provided by Mitch Davis (programmer of the Fantasia Film Festival), and this was indeed red, as was the negative because it was screwed up during the 1st 35mm blow-up attempt. The "Venezuelan print" refers to the version that aired on Venezuelan television and was subsequently released on VHS and bootlegged, and not to an actual film print. This is the version that is about 90 minutes because it is slowed down, and the black and white stag scenes are tinted. FWIW the missing 90 seconds was from a Sun Video master and not an actual VHS tape.
Thanks for the correction. I should have double-checked rather than posting from memory. Would I be right in assuming that the colour screw-up during the 35mm blow-up means that all potential elements (barring the miraculous rediscovery of the 16mm originals) suffer from the same problem?

Thomas Dukenfield
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:42 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#38 Post by Thomas Dukenfield » Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:21 pm

Thornycroft wrote:
Thomas Dukenfield wrote:The Barrel transfer is actually from a North American theatrical print provided by Mitch Davis (programmer of the Fantasia Film Festival), and this was indeed red, as was the negative because it was screwed up during the 1st 35mm blow-up attempt. The "Venezuelan print" refers to the version that aired on Venezuelan television and was subsequently released on VHS and bootlegged, and not to an actual film print. This is the version that is about 90 minutes because it is slowed down, and the black and white stag scenes are tinted. FWIW the missing 90 seconds was from a Sun Video master and not an actual VHS tape.
Thanks for the correction. I should have double-checked rather than posting from memory. Would I be right in assuming that the colour screw-up during the 35mm blow-up means that all potential elements (barring the miraculous rediscovery of the 16mm originals) suffer from the same problem?
I would guess so. Now that I think of it, Watkins said that he shot it on reversal 16mm and it was mostly shot in camera with very little cut out (this is the original 177 minute version). The entire negative may have gotten red in the botched blow-up, or maybe only part of it, or maybe just a copy of the neg. I'm not sure. They may be separate problems where the theatrical print was color corrected at the time but then turned red with age.

User avatar
AlexHansen
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:39 pm
Location: Idaho

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#39 Post by AlexHansen » Fri Mar 07, 2014 12:01 am

VS is offering up some Andy Milligan titles for free download (though the option to pay what you want is available as well): FLESHPOT OF 42ND ST, THE NIGHT HUSTLERS, and GURU, THE MAD MONK.

User avatar
Thornycroft
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#40 Post by Thornycroft » Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:54 pm

AlexHansen wrote:VS is offering up some Andy Milligan titles for free download (though the option to pay what you want is available as well): FLESHPOT OF 42ND ST, THE NIGHT HUSTLERS, and GURU, THE MAD MONK.
To be pedantic THE NIGHT HUSTLERS isn't Milligan and they've been offering that for a while. Otherwise, yep they're giving away really nice 720p encodes of some Milligan films.

FLESHPOT is taken from a very damaged theatrical 35mm print. The whole thing is littered with green dirt and scratches, though still watchable overall. GURU is practically pristine in comparison, only a few thin scratches popping up occasionally.

They're accessible from the 'GRATIS' link on the VS website.

User avatar
L.A.
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 7:33 am
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#41 Post by L.A. » Tue Mar 11, 2014 7:39 pm

Sylvia AKA A Saint... a Woman... a Devil (1977) reviewed @ Mondo Digital.

User avatar
Thornycroft
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#42 Post by Thornycroft » Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:35 pm

Vinegar Syndrome Facebook wrote:We've been wanting to announce this for a while, but starting in May, we're going to be releasing the [nearly] complete filmography of legendary San Francisco X rated filmmaker, Alex DeRenzy! In addition to his feature films, we're also going to be issuing a few volumes of his early short films, which haven't been seen since the late 60s/early 70s! The owners of the DeRenzy estate also have hours of amazing video interview footage with Alex that will be making it's world premier on these releases.

fatboyslim142
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:49 am

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#43 Post by fatboyslim142 » Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:09 pm

Thornycroft wrote:
Vinegar Syndrome Facebook wrote:We've been wanting to announce this for a while, but starting in May, we're going to be releasing the [nearly] complete filmography of legendary San Francisco X rated filmmaker, Alex DeRenzy! In addition to his feature films, we're also going to be issuing a few volumes of his early short films, which haven't been seen since the late 60s/early 70s! The owners of the DeRenzy estate also have hours of amazing video interview footage with Alex that will be making it's world premier on these releases.
Will this include 'Animal Lover' amongst the films?

User avatar
Thornycroft
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#44 Post by Thornycroft » Fri Mar 14, 2014 10:25 pm

I don't have any official information but I think it would be fair to assume not.

fatboyslim142
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:49 am

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#45 Post by fatboyslim142 » Sat Mar 15, 2014 7:35 am

I'm surprised that their first Renzy release is Pretty Peaches 2 & 3. Why isn't the 1st release Pretty Peaches 1 & 2 or a triple bill of all the complete Pretty Peaches trilogy? Seems strange.

User avatar
CR2
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:37 pm
Location: Location Location

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#46 Post by CR2 » Thu Apr 17, 2014 9:35 pm

The latest episode of "The Fogelnest Files" podcast:
Joe Rubin runs Vinegar Syndrome which specializes in restoring/releasing classic X-rated and exploitation films. Louis Justin runs Massacre Video which specializes in restoring/releasing low-budget and hard to find horror/cult/exploitation VHS tapes. These weirdos join Jake to talk about what lead them to do what they do, the process of tracking down directors to be able to re-release films, and their thoughts on the current state of cinema. Along the way they’ll take a look at some of the films they’ve re-released such as Game Show Models & Black Devil Doll From Hell.
http://www.earwolf.com/episode/vinegar- ... cre-video/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#48 Post by domino harvey » Fri May 30, 2014 2:54 pm

Runaway Nightmare Blu-ray/DVD combo is up for pre-order. Limited to 1000 copies and VS sez they're already 1/3 sold out and it just went live today

User avatar
EddieLarkin
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:25 am

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#49 Post by EddieLarkin » Fri May 30, 2014 3:33 pm

Thanks for the heads up. Figured this was as good a time as any to make my first VS purchase, and picked up Runaway Nightmare, Night Train to Terror, Massage Parlour Murders, and the Herschel Gordon Lewis set. Very disappointed that I've seemingly missed out on the The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio/A Clockwork Blue double feature though.

User avatar
Thornycroft
Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome

#50 Post by Thornycroft » Sat May 31, 2014 6:23 am

The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio/A Clockwork Blue double feature is available on DVD. Though I must admit the primary joy I got from A Clockwork Blue was the perverse glee that comes from seeing such unbearable trash in pristine high-def.

Post Reply