Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

^ I know. I was hoping that there would be a domestic release soon that would be a little less pricey, but if that doesn't happen soon I'll just buy this UK release.

It's crazy that the 1976 version of King Kong has not been released on Blu-ray in the United States, but I think the reason is that Studio Canal's Blu-ray has been released all over the world and its region free and it's been out forever and it's cheap as hell... Anybody who wants the movie already has it, right? I've got the Japanese release. I think it cost me $15?

It varies from company to company and studio to studio. If you have two boutique labels in two countries releasing basically the same films it makes sense that they would go region locked so that they wouldn't compete with each other when they should have their regions all to themselves.

^ I'm awful tempted, but the way these catalog releases of older genre films are piling up right now I feel that something that's pretty much a direct port of that version may be released in America soon.

Coming in April from Shout Factory! I think this is the last of the Hammer / Peter Cushing vampire flicks that is finally coming out on BD

Now all we need is Scars and we'll have all the Hammer Dracs!

(The Quatermass films are still my number one most wants)

Another gem coming our way courtesy of Kino Lorber March 26th





I did not see this in its 1977 theatrical run, but did see it on its network premier on ABC and it scared me silly! Shatner, I thought was quite good and of course, everything is here is real. No CGI tarantulas!

Karloff/Lugosi Universal set from Shout!

It'll include The Raven, The Black Cat, The Invisible Ray and Black Friday. Release date April 23.

Well, another Universal title (though released by Paramount), is getting its blu-ray release apparently soon from Kino Lorber - Dr. Cyclops!

With the avalanche of catalog releases happening in the past year or two it's as good a time as any to revisit my wish list for blu-ray releases.

A lot of stuff I want but I know is coming. Criterion will slowly release their Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd films, between Shout Factory and Kino all the Universal genre films will be released, Shout Factory is also slowly putting out the Val Lewton and unreleased Hammer films as well.

Of course, Criterion's Godzilla set is the big thing that we're all waiting for.

- Toho/Tsuburaya/Daiei toku stuff. Anything as yet unreleased and, if I may be so bold, some stuff that has been released could do with improved new releases. (Thinking about those new 4K masters they made for the Gamera trilogy in Japan).
- The Thin Man series. I'd like 'em as a box set, but if the Warner Archive wants to drip feed me by making me buy them all individually, sure. There are several other William Powell and Myrna Loy films that I love that are all great candidates for Warner Archive releases. I Love You Again and Libelled Lady come to mind.
- The original Japanese Ring and Grudge films. I know Arrow Video is putting out a Ring set in the UK, but apparently rights issues in the US are holding up a domestic release. Hopefully that gets sorted out. There's apparently a new American remake of The Grudge later this year, so maybe there'll be movement because of that?
- '80s through early '90s John Woo and Jackie Chan movies. Lot of them are unavailable, and even the ones that had been previously released are such terrible quality that all of them need some serious TLC. I know Criterion will be releasing both Police Story movies in a few months, so hopefully that's a sign of things to come!
- All of the Marx Brothers movies currently owned by Warner Brothers need to be released.
- Come to think of it, the catalog of Laurel & Hardy films also needs HD releases.
- Athough classic Hollywood genre films are some of the most popular catalog titles and thus are getting a lot of attention there are still a few that are nowhere on the horizon, presumably because of rights issues? The George Pal version of War of the Worlds as well as Invaders from Mars come to mine. The original Dawn of the Dead is also held up by issues with the rights holder

Shout Factory literally just announced via their FB page that they'll be releasing Quatermass and the Pit and Quatermass II for a BD release this summer.

WOOOHOOOOO!!!

Kino comes through again,announced that they will be releasing The Land Unknown on BD later this year. That makes what five or six of those movies from the Universal Ultimate Sci-Fi Collection DVD sets that are getting BD releases now? Should I upgrade those films to the BD releases? Wasn't someone saying that those collections have issues?

On a side note does anyone know who has the licenses to the various Ray Harryhausen films? I'm hoping they do Blu-ray releases of them as I've been thinking about upgrading my DVDs.

Many of the Harryhausen titles are out of print in the United States right now, but there are so many region free Blu Ray options available internationally that with a little digging you can get pretty much everything. I'm sure the rights will get snatched up for new domestic releases before too long.

Shout announces their Quatermass Blu-Rays at the same time that we find out Legendary is rebooting Quatermass as a film franchise.. obviously, Quatermass is the definitive cultural touchstone of the coming decade.

Right. Right?

We should start tracking every time someone says or writes Quatermass as QuaRtermass