Vinegar Syndrome et al.

Vinegar Syndrome, Deaf Crocodile, Imprint, Cinema Guild, and more
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domino harvey
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1651 Post by domino harvey » Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:16 am

This label should be called "A Fool and His Money"

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JSC
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 9:17 am

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1652 Post by JSC » Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:36 am

Well, we know one person who'll be happy...

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1653 Post by What A Disgrace » Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:22 pm

Any guesses on the secret titles?
Never fear as our duo of Secret Surprise Releases will surely satiate your appetite for some of the wildest genre cinema of the 70s and 80s. One offers a mouth watering classic from a regional auteur, which has been meticulously restored from its lost for decades camera original for Blu-ray, while the other is a masterpiece of big budget, non-stop thrill ride from a perfect storm of producer, director, and star who all but reinvented this uniquely 80s genre for 4K UHD and Blu-ray.
We're getting a 70s film from a regional filmmaker with a new restoration from a long lost negative, and an 80s action film from a director-producer-star.

beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1654 Post by beamish14 » Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:33 pm

What A Disgrace wrote:
Fri Mar 15, 2024 12:22 pm
Any guesses on the secret titles?
Never fear as our duo of Secret Surprise Releases will surely satiate your appetite for some of the wildest genre cinema of the 70s and 80s. One offers a mouth watering classic from a regional auteur, which has been meticulously restored from its lost for decades camera original for Blu-ray, while the other is a masterpiece of big budget, non-stop thrill ride from a perfect storm of producer, director, and star who all but reinvented this uniquely 80s genre for 4K UHD and Blu-ray.
We're getting a 70s film from a regional filmmaker with a new restoration from a long lost negative, and an 80s action film from a director-producer-star.
Regional filmmaker: Jon Jost’s Last Chants for a Slow Dance? Hanson and Nilsson’s Northern Lights fits, but I thought Kino was handling it

80’s action: Cobra? (Although Stallone did not officially direct it). Something from Sammo Hung?

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1655 Post by What A Disgrace » Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:26 pm

I think the qualifiers "mouth watering" and "uniquely 80s genre" shouldn't be overlooked, either. I'm not sure what they could indicate, though.

Commander Shears
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:17 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1656 Post by Commander Shears » Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:28 pm

"Perfect storm of producer, director, and star" reads as three different people to me. I'll cluelessly go with Commando.

It'll of course be something with Cynthia Rothrock.

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TechnicolorAcid
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:43 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1657 Post by TechnicolorAcid » Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:32 pm

For 1970s, Flesh Feast could be a good guess, it does involve maggots after all.

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dwk
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 6:10 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1658 Post by dwk » Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:37 pm


beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1659 Post by beamish14 » Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:41 pm

It’ll probably end up being something like Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects

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luxta
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2021 5:16 am

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1660 Post by luxta » Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:58 am

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Last edited by luxta on Mon May 06, 2024 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1661 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:22 pm

beamish14 wrote:
Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:41 pm
It’ll probably end up being something like Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
I know you’re joking, but this would be one of the releases of the year if it was. Bronson’s nastiest, most mean spirited movie meant to please no one.

beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1662 Post by beamish14 » Mon Mar 18, 2024 2:19 pm

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:
Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:22 pm
beamish14 wrote:
Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:41 pm
It’ll probably end up being something like Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
I know you’re joking, but this would be one of the releases of the year if it was. Bronson’s nastiest, most mean spirited movie meant to please no one.
I actually love it, too! J. Lee Thompson’s career arc was as bizarre as Richard Fleischer’s, and it’s truly a depraved work.

The line “An Oriental touched me in my holiest of holies” from this film rivals 8 Million Ways to Die’s “See how my pussy hair glows in the moonlight?” as the craziest lines of dialogue from 1980’s Hollywood cinema

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luxta
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2021 5:16 am

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1663 Post by luxta » Tue Mar 19, 2024 6:15 am

:-s
Last edited by luxta on Mon May 06, 2024 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Mr Sausage
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:02 pm
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1664 Post by Mr Sausage » Tue Mar 19, 2024 6:24 pm

beamish14 wrote:
Mon Mar 18, 2024 2:19 pm
The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:
Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:22 pm
beamish14 wrote:
Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:41 pm
It’ll probably end up being something like Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
I know you’re joking, but this would be one of the releases of the year if it was. Bronson’s nastiest, most mean spirited movie meant to please no one.
I actually love it, too! J. Lee Thompson’s career arc was as bizarre as Richard Fleischer’s, and it’s truly a depraved work.

The line “An Oriental touched me in my holiest of holies” from this film rivals 8 Million Ways to Die’s “See how my pussy hair glows in the moonlight?” as the craziest lines of dialogue from 1980’s Hollywood cinema
Ok, so you guys convinced me to watch this one out of morbid curiosity, and the movie is insane. Bronson outright rapes a john with his own dildo, which is nuts in itself, but then Bronson goes home to have a low key 'I crossed the line; my job's getting to me' talk with his wife as tho' he slapped a suspect in anger or some other minor but troubling transgression. Like, what? And then everything in the movie is so uncomfortably sexual, from Bronson's anxious fear over his daughter's virginity (to the point that he can't stand she's in a bathing suit for her swim meet), to the Japanese co-lead who reads porn manga, gropes hostesses, leers at ongoing sexual assaults, and then tries to commit one himself on the bus with Bronson's underage daughter (he's supposed to be the sympathetic victim of a kidnapping plot!), to Bronson raiding a porn set, to the plot about child sex trafficking, to Bronson either setting up or personally committing rapes as a way to punish criminals.

And that's not even mentioning the endless racism, stereotyping, and cultural condescension. This movie is both scared of the Japanese as a nation of sexual deviants and predators, but also holds them in contempt as a nation of shy, ignorant little babies. The very first scene with any Japanese characters is an ESL and American culture lesson in which the Japanese characters are repeatedly shamed, mocked, and chastised for being oddly unable to understand how to shake hands and stuff. As someone who's taught English to Japanese people, I actually recognized a lot of common pitfalls, such as answering small talk questions like "How are you?" with information that's too serious, or lapsing into Japanese like saying "hai" instead of 'yes', etc. So there's some realism there, but presented with such condescension, wanting us to laugh and cringe at these stupid foreigners who can't get basic American shit right. It kind of hurt my soul. And then there's the way the Japanese are characterized with leering sexual aggression. I mentioned above how the co-lead tries to molest a child after enjoying seeing a woman groped to the point of orgasm on a train in Tokyo (an event starts an outright race riot on the streets of L.A.), but he also gropes bar hostesses, even American ones as the movie pauses to note. Again, this is our co-lead whose child is kidnapped, and whose humanity is meant to redeem the racist Bronson by showing how a "sleazy Oriental" is a human being, too! Fuck me. Oh, and there's so much Japanese racism, I nearly forgot all the sex traffickers are either black or hispanic.

Then there's the more minor stuff, like Japanese salary men in modern Tokyo going home and immediately putting on silk robes and sitting on tatami in traditional Japanese rooms, or Japanese kids extolling the virtues of calligraphy and abacus lessons, or the way the actors are either not Japanese or are Japanese Americans, so everyone's putting on an accent that's either unconvincing or stereotyped (and it often gets the basics wrong, eg. -r is used for -l when it should be the other way around). Also, none of the Japanese people speak Japanese to each other, except when they're excited, then a phrase or two will come out in an otherwise English conversation. Or there'll be the odd scene where the husband and wife argue in Japanese, and then the film will cut to their kids in the next room talking about the fight in English. Then there's the obsequious politeness, where Japanese kids rescued from sex rings will greet their saviours not with tears or thanks, but apologies for putting them to such trouble. And this being a movie with Japanese characters, you can bet at least someone will commit a ritualized suicide due to shame.

I've heard plenty about the racism in Black Rain and Rising Sun, but not a word on this one, the most egregious example of American anxieties about the Japanese bubble economy I think I've ever seen.

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1665 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Tue Mar 19, 2024 6:34 pm

Mr Sausage wrote:
Tue Mar 19, 2024 6:24 pm
beamish14 wrote:
Mon Mar 18, 2024 2:19 pm
The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:
Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:22 pm


I know you’re joking, but this would be one of the releases of the year if it was. Bronson’s nastiest, most mean spirited movie meant to please no one.
I actually love it, too! J. Lee Thompson’s career arc was as bizarre as Richard Fleischer’s, and it’s truly a depraved work.
It kind of hurt my soul.
A great pull quote for an inevitable reissue. You also forgot to mention the prolonged multi-rape scene inflicted on the kidnapped daughter. I appreciate the write up as I think you captured best what a nutzo film it is. I'm surprised Death Wish 3 is spoken about as the gonzo Bronson movie, because this is the true nasty one that embodies Cannon Films at their most low rent and tawdry.

I highly recommend "Bronson's Loose Again", the Paul Talbot book about the making of a selection of Bronson's non-Death Wish films (and an addendum to his previous book's write-up on Death Wish 2). They interview the screenwriter who basically says the entire film turned the way it did due to a writer's strike and that he originally wrote a film based on his sympathy for the Japanese after being stationed there after the Second World War. If I recall, he was horrified by the results and may mention that at this point, J. Lee Thompson was a massive alcoholic.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1666 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Mar 20, 2024 12:14 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:16 am
This label should be called "A Fool and His Money"
Obviously I know what you mean here, as there are so many titles that hold little to no appeal for me (including this halfway to BF slate), but having watched the 4K releases of eXistenZ, Phase IV and Little Darlings recently, not sure if there is a home video company putting out more interesting releases at the moment. I love as much as anybody when Arrow makes a deal with Universal to put out a bunch of really successful and exciting titles, but VS is doing the "R1 Rescue" stuff we'd give an award for on this forum for the longest time. Titles that have either never been reissued on disc or haven't been in a long while, with perhaps the least fussed-with scans of 35mm of any boutique label (meant as a compliment). I would say I "discover" a film I really love via VS more often than Arrow, Second Sight, Criterion put together - because I so often know those films already, and am just deciding if I want to upgrade to a nicer copy of Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Carlito's Way or whatever. YMMV.

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1667 Post by What A Disgrace » Wed Mar 20, 2024 12:21 pm

Vinny's eclectic lineup, combined with their partner labels, make the first of the month the day I am most excited about for title announcements, and the day my wallet most dreads on that same level. They seem to be taking their criticisms to heart by both doubling down on what they were doing before AND expanding their palette, and finding ways to tantalize naysayers on both fronts (here I am buying porn and roughie films despite being pretty solidly ace).

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therewillbeblus
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1668 Post by therewillbeblus » Wed Mar 20, 2024 1:03 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:
Wed Mar 20, 2024 12:14 pm
I love as much as anybody when Arrow makes a deal with Universal to put out a bunch of really successful and exciting titles, but VS is doing the "R1 Rescue" stuff we'd give an award for on this forum for the longest time. Titles that have either never been reissued on disc or haven't been in a long while, with perhaps the least fussed-with scans of 35mm of any boutique label (meant as a compliment). I would say I "discover" a film I really love via VS more often than Arrow, Second Sight, Criterion put together
Well put, mfunk. Singapore Sling is a great recent example - this was a film Fran explicitly said was too expensive to clear music rights to for physical releases, and yet VS managed to do it

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luxta
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2021 5:16 am

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1669 Post by luxta » Sat Mar 30, 2024 5:08 am

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Last edited by luxta on Mon May 06, 2024 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Finch
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Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1670 Post by Finch » Mon Apr 01, 2024 12:37 pm

Cinematographe's next title is Touch.

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Former evangelist Bill Hill (Christopher Walken, King of New York), discovers Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich, Scream), a purported miracle worker who can heal people simply by touching them and bears the marks of stigmata on his body. Hill, no stranger to exploiting others, sees a potential fortune in Juvenal and primes him for show business but Hill’s plans go awry when the woman he entrusts to seduce Juvenal (Bridget Fonda, Jackie Brown) falls for him and a fundamentalist reverend (Tom Arnold, True Lies) threatens to put a stop to the whole enterprise.

Based on a novel by noted crime author Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown) and
adapted for the screen and directed by Paul Schrader (Hardcore, Affliction), TOUCH is a burst of post-Tarantino dark comedy, matching Leonard’s offbeat characters with Schrader’s unwavering examination of theology in America. Featuring an ensemble cast that also includes the likes of Gina Gershon (Bound), Lolita Davidovich (Raising Cain), Paul Mazursky (director of An Unmarried Woman), Janeane Garofalo (Reality Bites) and LL Cool J as himself, TOUCH is quintessential Paul Schrader and ripe for rediscovery. Cinématographe is proud to present this often overlooked entry in the career of one of America’s most prized filmmakers in its first ever blu-ray release, sourced from a new 2K scan of its original camera negative.

directed by: Paul Schrader
starring: Bridget Fonda, Christopher Walken, Skeet Ulrich, Gina Gershon, Tom Arnold, Paul Mazursky, LL Cool J, Lolita Davidovich
1997 / 96 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD MA Dolby Stereo

Additional info:

Region A Blu-ray
New 2K restoration from the 35mm Interpositive with original Dolby Stereo soundtrack
New video interview with writer/director Paul Schrader
New audio commentary with film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell
New video essay by Daniel Kremer
Essays by film critics Chris Cabin and Bilge Ebiri and filmmaker/writer Cosmo Bjorkenheim
English SDH subtitles

Vinegar Syndrome's next titles are:

Paganini

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Niccolò Paganini was a legend in his time; a master violinist and renowned composer who brought new depth and complexity to the art of music. But in his private life Paganini was a brute and a womanizer who used his talents to seduce and manipulate beautiful women, driving himself, his young son, and devoted wife to the brink of madness.

A mesmerizing biography of the infamous composer as imagined through the eyes of equally notorious actor and director Klaus Kinski (Aguirre, the Wrath of God), PAGANINI explores the violinist's descent into derangement and carnal mayhem. Moving between the abstract, the beautiful, and the erotic, Kinski distills Paganini's life into a consuming cinematic fever dream as photographed by Pier Luigi Santi (Weapons of Death). Vinegar Syndrome Labs is excited to offer the Blu-ray debut of Kinski's sole feature film directing effort, newly restored in 2K from its 35mm original camera negative and loaded with an abundance of fascinating behind-the-scenes footage along with a selection of new interviews with cast and crew, detailing the untold and often harrowing story of how this unique outlier in Italian genre cinema came to be.

directed by: Klaus Kinski
starring: Klaus Kinski, Debora Caprioglio, Nikolai Kinski, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Marcel Marceau
1989 / 84 min / 1.66:1 / English & Italian DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

Additional info:

Region Free Blu-ray
Newly scanned and restored in 2K from its 35mm original camera negative
Presented in its original Italian language mono soundtrack with newly-translated English subtitles, as well as its English language dub soundtrack
Brand new commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth
My Life with Kinski (16 min) - an audio interview with actress Debora Caprioglio
The Devil's Left Hand (30 min) - an interview with music consultant / violinist Salvatore Accardo
The Voice of Madness (26 min) - an interview with soundman Luciano Muratori
Aiming at the Director (29 min) - an interview with unit manager Stefano Spadoni
How to Kill a Producer (30 min) - an interview with film historian Eugenio Ercolani
Paganini - 95-minute English language director's cut (sourced from tape)
Behind-the-scenes footage (sourced from tape, partially translated, 52 min)
Klaus Kinski press conference from Cannes 1988 (5 min) • English theatrical trailer
English opening titles and end credits
Reversible sleeve artwork
Newly-translated English subtitles

The House Where Death Lives

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Meredith Stone, a home care nurse, has been assigned the duty of looking after a wealthy invalid named Ivar Langrock. Cooped up in Langrock's stately country mansion, Meredith quickly suspects that someone sinister is lurking in the manor's dark halls only to discover that Ivar's demented and violent son has been locked away in a hidden room. Shortly thereafter, Ivar's grandson Gabriel also moves into the house and with his arrival a mysterious killer soon begins murdering members of the Langrock family along with their live-in staff.

An unjustly obscure early slasher made while the genre was still discovering and establishing its key tropes, Alan Beattie's THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES (aka Delusion) offers a twisted murder mystery which bridges the more nuanced and character-driven thrillers of the 70s with the stalk-and-slash structure of the early 80s. Starring Patricia Pearcy (Squirm) and John Dukakis (Jaws 2) along with Hollywood legend Joseph Cotten (The Third Man), Vinegar Syndrome is proud to bring this hidden gem of spooky-old-house atmosphere and blood-soaked mayhem to Blu-ray, newly restored in 4K from its 35mm camera negative and presented in its longest and most complete version ever released on home video.

directed by: Alan Beattie
starring: Patricia Pearcy, John Dukakis, Joseph Cotten, David Hayward, Alice Nunn, Patrick Pankhurst
1981 / 91 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

Additional info:

Region A Blu-ray
Newly scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
Commentary track with The Hysteria Continues!
Dear John (19 min) - an interview with actor John Dukakis
Stuck in That House (15 min) - an interview with actor David Hayward
Mad House (25 min) - author Stephen Thrower on The House Where Death Lives
Reversible sleeve artwork
English SDH subtitles

Lady Reporter

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LADY REPORTER (aka Blonde Fury) was Cynthia Rothrock's first official leading role, as well as one of her last Hong Kong productions before switching to American-made films. Directed by actor and stunt coordinator Mang Hoi (Yes, Madam!) and featuring fight choreography by Corey Yuen (Righting Wrongs), LADY REPORTER delivers a barrage of head-spinning fight scenes including a climatic pole fight between Rothrock and fellow American martial artist Jeffrey Falcon (Six-String Samurai). Featuring strong supporting performances by Roy Chiao (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), Melvin Wong (Ghost Nursing), and actor/director Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason), Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present this landmark in Cynthia Rothrock's filmography for the first time on Blu-ray in North America, newly restored from studio-provided masters.

directed by: Mang Hoi
starring: Cynthia Rothrock, Siu-Ho Chin, Elizabeth Lee, Melvin Wong, Roy Chiao, Jeffrey Falcon, Vincent Lyn, Ronny Yu
1989 / 88 min / 1.85:1 / English & Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

Additional info:

Region A Blu-ray
Newly restored by Vinegar Syndrome from existing 2k studio masters
Includes both the 88-minute Hong Kong theatrical version in Cantonese with English translated subtitles and the 90-minute English language export version
Brand new commentary track with martial arts film historian Frank Djeng for the Hong Kong version
No Mediocre Action (14 min) - an interview with actress Cynthia Rothrock
Playing the Villain (21 min) - an interview with actor Vincent Lyn
Cantonese theatrical trailer
English trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve artwork
English SDH subtitles

Witch Story 4K

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Following the tragic death of their parents, a sister and brother take a group of friends to rural Florida to stay at a rickety old house which they’ve recently inherited. Little do the youngsters realize that some decades before, a woman suspected of being a witch was burned at the stake on the property by the zealous townsfolk. With the group settled in for a few days of drinking and partying, the demonic forces that reside in the house are quick to take hold - possessing a number of the teens and prompting them to take up knives, axes and chainsaws against their friends in an orgy of death and dismemberment. As the carnage escalates, the few remaining members of the group are forced to seek out the assistance of a local aged priest, in the hopes of putting an end to the horror.

The directorial debut of Alessandro Capone, who had previously penned Ruggero Deodato’s slice-and-dice effort Body Count, WITCH STORY (which was originally marketed in the US as a sequel to the 1982 supernatural slasher Superstition) is a prime example of late 80s Italian splatter, featuring an astonishing array of nastiness with numerous bodies being hacked, slashed and generally beaten to a pulp. Frantically blending The Evil Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Exorcist and slasher elements in a way that only the Italians can, the celluloid sorcerers at Vinegar Syndrome have conjured up WITCH STORY for its world UHD debut, newly restored in 4K from its original camera negative and loaded with a bewitching assortment of new and archival extras.

directed by: Alessandro Capone
starring: Amy Adams, Pierre Agostino, Jeff Bankert, Ian Bannen, Bob Bouchard
1989 / 97 min / 2.35:1 / English & Italian DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo

Additional info:

2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray
4K UHD presented in High-Dynamic-Range
Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
Presented in its original English language 2.0 stereo soundtrack, as well as its Italian language dub soundtrack (untranslated)
Commentary track with film historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani
Directing a Witch Story (32 min) - an interview with director Alessandro Capone
Producing the Witch (34 min) - an interview with producer Giuseppe Pedersoli
The Light of Witches (12 min) - an interview with cinematographer Roberto Girometti
The It-Brit Connection: British Actors in Italian Horror (17 min) - video essay by Mike Foster
An Italian Witch in Florida (44 min) - archival making-of documentary featuring interviews with director Alessandro Capone, cinematographer Roberto Girometti and composer Carlo Maria Cordio
Raw audition footage (45 min)
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve artwork
English SDH subtitles

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1671 Post by Finch » Mon Apr 01, 2024 12:43 pm

From the partner labels:

All About Lily Chou Chou (Film Movement)

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For kids around the world, music is often the only salvation when the pain and anxiety of teenage life becomes too much to bear. Yuichi (Hayato Ichihara) is in the 8th grade and he worships Lily Chou-Chou, a Bjork-like chanteuse whose epic music is lush and transcendent. Yuichi only lives for Lily Chou-Chou's big Tokyo concert, where the lies and violence can be washed away by the presence of his goddess and her powerful music. But fate has yet another obstacle in store for Lily's devoted fan.

directed by: Shunji Iwai
starring: Hayato Ichihara, Shûgo Oshinari, Ayumi Ito, Takao Ohsawa, Miwako Ichikawa, Izumi Inamori, Yû Aoii
2001 / 146 min / 1.78:1 / Japanese LPCM 2.0 & 5.1

Additional info:

Region Free Blu-ray
Making-Of Featurette
New essay by Stephen Cremin (deputy director NYAFF)
English subtitles

The Great Land Of Small (Canadian International Pictures)

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Where it doesn’t matter how big you are.
Just how big you dream.

Armed with a sack of gold dust and five magic spells, kind-hearted dwarf Fritz (Twin Peaks’ Michael J. Anderson) leaves his fantastical home to test the intentions of humans. Soon after his arrival, he crosses paths with Flannigan (The Vindicator’s Ken Roberts), a shady hunter who makes off with the magical gold and starts plotting evil deeds. After forging a friendship with siblings Jenny (Karen Elkin) and David (Michael Blouin), Fritz takes them to the alternate dimension he calls home: The Great Land of Small. As the authorities search for the missing children, Jenny and David are wowed by a fantastical world of acrobats and a gold-spitting creature known as Slimo. But when the King and Queen plot to make these kids their own, Fritz must risk his own well-being to get them home – and stop Flannigan from wreaking magic havoc.

Described by Miloš Forman as “the spiritual father of the Czech New Wave,” director Vojtěch Jasný (The Cassandra Cat) somehow found his way to Quebec in the mid-’80s to direct this fifth instalment in producer Rock Demers’ Tales for All series. A low budget riff on The Wizard of Oz and The NeverEnding Story – with a strong resemblance to Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre – The Great Land of Small is a surreal, logic-bending family phantasmagoria that proves to be an ideal showcase for the talents of Michael J. Anderson (who appears in a dual role), Cirque du Soleil, and the animation of Pascal Blais Productions. Distributed by New World Pictures in the United States, this oddball gem has remained largely unavailable for decades, but it is finally back to cast its spell on anyone with an appetite for the unusual..

directed by: Vojtěch Jasný
starring: Karen Elkin, Michael Blouin, Michael J. Anderson, Ken Roberts, Rodrigue Tremblay (Chocolat), Lorraine Desmarais, Gilles Pelletier, André Melançon
1987 / 91 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD MA 2.0

Additional info:

Region A Blu-ray
Scanned and restored in 2K from the 35mm original camera negative by Éléphant - mémoire du cinéma québécois
New audio commentary featuring film historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
The New World Pictures Podcast episode on The Great Land of Small
Small Actors, Big Roles (2023, 17 min.) - New interviews with stars Karen Elkin and Michael Blouin
The Great Land of Effects (2023, 10 min.) - New interview with visual effects producer Pascal Blais
Animating in the ’80s (2023, 9 min.) - Blais discusses the animation techniques used in the film
Beyond Vaudeville (1991, 27 min.) – Episode of the classic public-access TV show featuring actor Michael J. Anderson
Archival interview with Jasný from The Other Europe series (1988, 26 min.)
Bohemian Rhapsody (1969, 16 min.) – Jasný’s celebrated short about his home country
It’s Not Always Cloudy (1949, 68 min.) – Jasný’s feature-length student film co-directed by Karel Kachyňa
Theatrical trailer
Booklet featuring an essay by film programmer Marc Lamothe
Reversible cover artwork
Alternate French language audio track
English SDH subtitles

The Tunnel & The Tunnel: The Other Side of Darkness (Umbrella)

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“One of the Top 5 best found footage movies ever made.” - Eduardo Sanchez, Director of The Blair Witch Project

As well as The Tunnel, includes the full feature length behind the scenes documentary The Tunnel: The Other Side of Darkness

In 2007 the New South Wales government suddenly scrapped a plan to utilise the water in the disused underground train tunnels beneath Sydney’s St James Train Station. In 2008, chasing rumours of a government cover-up and urban legends surrounding the sudden back-flip, investigative journalist Natasha Warner led a crew of four into the underground labyrinth. They went down into the tunnels looking for a story – until the story found them. This is the documentary of their harrowing ordeal…

directed by: Carlo Ledesma
starring: Andy Rodoreda; Bel Deliá; Luke Arnold; Steve Davis
2011 / 94 min / 2.35:1 / English DTS-HD MA 2.0 & 5.1

Additional info:

Region Free Blu-ray
The full feature length behind the scenes documentary The Tunnel: The Other Side of Darkness
Audio Commentary with director Carlo Ledesma, producer / writer / editor Enzo Tedeschi and producer / writer / editor Julian Harvey
The Tunnel: Beneath the Surface Documentary
Popcorn Taxi World Premier Post Screening Q&A
Alternate Ending
Meet the Cast
Timelapse Videos
Production Videos
The Tunnel at Screamfest LA
Press Sneak Peek Hype Reel
TV Crew Bootcamp
Music Videos
Trailer
English SDH subtitles

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TechnicolorAcid
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:43 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1672 Post by TechnicolorAcid » Mon Apr 01, 2024 12:51 pm

Correction, Paganini is a Vinegar Syndrome Labs release not a regular Vinegar Syndrome release and actually looks pretty interesting, does anyone know if it’s just pure unhinged trash or is it more mature than it first appears.

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1673 Post by Finch » Mon Apr 01, 2024 12:52 pm

Are we honestly going to split hairs over whether it's from VS or VS Labs? Really?

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TechnicolorAcid
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:43 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1674 Post by TechnicolorAcid » Mon Apr 01, 2024 12:58 pm

For the record it was just for clarification’s sake, I don’t care that much.

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dwk
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 6:10 pm

Re: Vinegar Syndrome et al.

#1675 Post by dwk » Mon Apr 01, 2024 2:09 pm

I assume All About Lily Chou-Chou is just the old Film Movement disc with a slipcover?

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