Russ Meyer

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

I had heard about the Meyer news a while ago and that it apparently took a lot of negotiating and work to make it happen. Beyond excited this is happening.

As for catalogs that need opening, the Golden Harvest titles by Warner Bros. needs to be dug into further (other than the big Jackie Chan films and the two Once Upon a Time in China films Criterion licensed). The Blade, Slickers vs. Killers, Too Many Ways to Be No. 1, Pantyhose Hero, Comrades A Love Story, Encounters of the Spooky Kind II, Enter the Fat Dragon, Pedicab Driver, Butterfly Lovers, and the Hong Kong cuts of Police Story 4 and Rumble in the Bronx.

[Peacock]

WB’s silents are still largely untouched aside from a Criterion and a couple of WAC releases. Classic Indian cinema is absurdly inaccessible. Warhol’s catalogue aside from some old DVDs. Jack Smith in his entirety. The Kuchar Bros aside from some Mike Kuchar on dvd. James Benning in HD. Etc etc. Still a long way to go! But every year recently has been full of surprises.

[MichaelB]

The Rob Houwer-produced batch of five early Paul Verhoeven films is another obvious one. Plus of course the Tyburn productions from the mid-70s.

[domino harvey]

The fact that we got Sleuth on Blu-ray last year is evidence that literally anything can happen, no matter how unlikely

[swo17]

Sleuth is out on Blu-ray???

[domino harvey]

France put it out last year! It looks good too and is region free

[tenia]

Though we're still unsure how it happened, contractually speaking...

[domino harvey]

Whoever successfully tricked a clueless higher-up into signing off on it is probably not going to step forward to confess!

[swo17]

Wow, I had no idea

[beamish14]

The Rob Houwer-produced batch of five early Paul Verhoeven films is another obvious one. Plus of course the Tyburn productions from the mid-70s.

Oh, god, yes. I still hold onto the terrible-looking Anchor Bay DVDs for Verhoeven’s wonderful audio commentaries. I can live without Business is Business, but the others are incredible

[Peacock]

Sleuth is also out in Germany (although possibly without an English soundtrack) and Spain.

Here’s a review for the DNR’d French Blu which everyone reports is still a decent upgrade from the DVD.

[dwk]

I had heard about the Meyer news a while ago and that it apparently took a lot of negotiating and work to make it happen. Beyond excited this is happening.

As for catalogs that need opening, the Golden Harvest titles by Warner Bros. needs to be dug into further (other than the big Jackie Chan films and the two Once Upon a Time in China films Criterion licensed). The Blade, Slickers vs. Killers, Too Many Ways to Be No. 1, Pantyhose Hero, Comrades A Love Story, Encounters of the Spooky Kind II, Enter the Fat Dragon, Pedicab Driver, Butterfly Lovers, and the Hong Kong cuts of Police Story 4 and Rumble in the Bronx.

I expect Criterion will include Encounters of the Spooky Kind II and the WB owned Mr. Vampire when they get around to releasing the first Spooky Kind and Mr. Vampire 1-4 on disc. And there have been rumors that they have licensed The Blade and Pedicab Driver, but those conflict with the rumors that WB isn't willing to license out the Golden Harvest stuff. So, we'll see.

[hearthesilence]

So what is left to crack open? The Golden Princess catalog, Palomar/ Bristol Myers Squibb and Disney start licensing out Fox titles..

At least 101 other movies.

I was just lamenting how Latcho Drom (1993) has never had a decent home viewing presentation. Joe Boyd and David Byrne raved about it this week during a promotional appearance for Boyd's new history book, which even names a chapter after it.

[MichaelB]

My Australian DVD is OK, but it certainly could do with an upgrade.