New Australian DVD and BD Releases

[Aunt Peg]

I feel Pal Cox made four near or flat out masterpieces: Lonely Hearts, Man of Flower, My First Wife & A Woman's Tale. Innocence isn't too far behind. His other films than range from very good to fair but I would not rate any of the lesser films as bad. Just poor cousins of all the better ones.

His work from Lonely Hearts (1982) to A Woman's Tale (1991) is certainly his 'golden era'. A box set would be a dream come true and I think it would be possible because surely the US/UK rights must have lapsed on most of his films that were released.

Cox's film were (and may still be) available to purchase on-line from a site that had most of them listed but for very hefty prices. The site is/was Australian and clearly set up by whoever the Australian rights holder was/is - indicating but the number of films that the rights to most of Cox's films in Australia have reverted back to the producer/production company.

I wasn't prepared to pay the prices they were asking suspecting that they were probably not restored though it was interesting to note that the one Paul Cox film I have never seen, Inside Looking Out (1978) was listed. I contacted them to ask why, as I would have purchased that, and they replied that it was in need of major restoration so I hope that film is also included in the deal with Jeremy Thomas. I missed it when it played very briefly in Sydney back in 1978 or 1979.

[GaryC]

I wasn't prepared to pay the prices they were asking suspecting that they were probably not restored though it was interesting to note that the one Paul Cox film I have never seen, Inside Looking Out (1978) was listed. I contacted them to ask why, as I would have purchased that, and they replied that it was in need of major restoration so I hope that film is also included in the deal with Jeremy Thomas. I missed it when it played very briefly in Sydney back in 1978 or 1979.

I've not seen that either. However, it did have one UK screening that I'm aware of - in the May 1978 Australian season that was shown at the National Film Theatre (now the BFI Southbank). A bit before my time for visiting the NFT, as I was thirteen then. It showed with Cox's short We Are All Alone My Dear, which is one of the shorts that could be used as extras on these hypothetical Blu-ray releases, rights and materials permitting of course.

[beamish14]

I just bought the Criterion Michael Haneke set, so of course Umbrella goes nuts with him. Wow

[andyli]

I’ve never spent this much on a single set, but this is very tempting!

[spectre]

I feel Pal Cox made four near or flat out masterpieces: Lonely Hearts, Man of Flower, My First Wife & A Woman's Tale. Innocence isn't too far behind. His other films than range from very good to fair but I would not rate any of the lesser films as bad. Just poor cousins of all the better ones.

His work from Lonely Hearts (1982) to A Woman's Tale (1991) is certainly his 'golden era'. A box set would be a dream come true and I think it would be possible because surely the US/UK rights must have lapsed on most of his films that were released.

Cox's film were (and may still be) available to purchase on-line from a site that had most of them listed but for very hefty prices. The site is/was Australian and clearly set up by whoever the Australian rights holder was/is - indicating but the number of films that the rights to most of Cox's films in Australia have reverted back to the producer/production company.

I wasn't prepared to pay the prices they were asking suspecting that they were probably not restored though it was interesting to note that the one Paul Cox film I have never seen, Inside Looking Out (1978) was listed. I contacted them to ask why, as I would have purchased that, and they replied that it was in need of major restoration so I hope that film is also included in the deal with Jeremy Thomas. I missed it when it played very briefly in Sydney back in 1978 or 1979.

Is it possibly the (now defunct) Artfilms label you're referring to? If so, I wasn't aware Inside Looking Out was ever included in that collection (no longer available to buy anywhere, to my knowledge, though much of it is available to borrow on DVD at Picture Search Video, for anyone who's in Melbourne): https://artfilmsblog.wordpress.com/2010 ... ollection/

They stopped selling DVDs in 2021 (I really regret missing their closing-down sale! https://mailchi.mp/artfilms/last-chance ... -a-bargain) but seem to have transferred operations to Bloomsbury. It seems to be streaming only, but they have most of Cox's films available to watch via subscription – not Inside Looking Out, however, as far as I can tell: https://www.bloomsburyvideolibrary.com/ ... Collection

[Calvin]

There have been rumours of Curzon doing a Haneke set, so I'll hold off for now but that looks like a tremendous release. It's fantastic to finally see Lemmings get a release, and I also spot Three Paths to the Lake as an extra. Even in an unrestored form, it would have been great to get Who Was Edgar Allan?, Variation, and Fraulein as I can't imagine them getting individual releases at any point

[Aunt Peg]

I feel Pal Cox made four near or flat out masterpieces: Lonely Hearts, Man of Flower, My First Wife & A Woman's Tale. Innocence isn't too far behind. His other films than range from very good to fair but I would not rate any of the lesser films as bad. Just poor cousins of all the better ones.

His work from Lonely Hearts (1982) to A Woman's Tale (1991) is certainly his 'golden era'. A box set would be a dream come true and I think it would be possible because surely the US/UK rights must have lapsed on most of his films that were released.

Cox's film were (and may still be) available to purchase on-line from a site that had most of them listed but for very hefty prices. The site is/was Australian and clearly set up by whoever the Australian rights holder was/is - indicating but the number of films that the rights to most of Cox's films in Australia have reverted back to the producer/production company.

I wasn't prepared to pay the prices they were asking suspecting that they were probably not restored though it was interesting to note that the one Paul Cox film I have never seen, Inside Looking Out (1978) was listed. I contacted them to ask why, as I would have purchased that, and they replied that it was in need of major restoration so I hope that film is also included in the deal with Jeremy Thomas. I missed it when it played very briefly in Sydney back in 1978 or 1979.

Is it possibly the (now defunct) Artfilms label you're referring to? If so, I wasn't aware Inside Looking Out was ever included in that collection (no longer available to buy anywhere, to my knowledge, though much of it is available to borrow on DVD at Picture Search Video, for anyone who's in Melbourne): https://artfilmsblog.wordpress.com/2010 ... ollection/

They stopped selling DVDs in 2021 (I really regret missing their closing-down sale! https://mailchi.mp/artfilms/last-chance ... -a-bargain) but seem to have transferred operations to Bloomsbury. It seems to be streaming only, but they have most of Cox's films available to watch via subscription – not Inside Looking Out, however, as far as I can tell: https://www.bloomsburyvideolibrary.com/ ... Collection

Thanks for the tips.

[Aunt Peg]

I’ve never spent this much on a single set, but this is very tempting!

I've just ordered it primarily for the TV films as I already have the feature films on either US or UK editions.

Also ordered Ozploitation Rarities Volume 3 solely to finally have Goodbye Paradise on Blu Ray. It has been high on my wish list and the DVD release from a few years ago was rather poor.

I've never seen Scobie Malone so I cannot comment on it but Goodbye Paradise & The Empty Beach are not Ozploitation. Goodbye Paradise is a satire on a number of things primarily Australian politics and The Empty Beach is a crime thriller. There is nothing exploitive about either of them. But whatever, I'm thriller to finally have Goodbye Paradise coming to Blu Ray.

[nicolas]

Info from Umbrella about the Haneke set:

Fidelity in motion authors our 4K/UHD releases, however we are utilizing local authoring facilities for our Blu-ray releases.

They will mostly be high-definition masters, 10 of the 15 are new never before seen restoration master.

[mfunk9786]

I wonder if that Seventh Continent poster is going to be aggressively folded. Plan is to frame it, it’ll be a bummer if there are creases.

[swo17]

I think all Umbrella's posters are folded so they can fit in a box. If you want rolled posters, buy from Shout

[mfunk9786]

Sadly this is gonna be what it’s gonna be, gotta trust “I’ve Been Framed” in Miami to do the job right. If their work is anything like their name, it’ll be in good hands

[pianocrash]

I wonder if that Seventh Continent poster is going to be aggressively folded. Plan is to frame it, it’ll be a bummer if there are creases.

Can't believe this company isn't touting this as "pre-destroyed" in keeping with the themes of the film But I suppose it's all just a matter of "time".

But really, I'm a little disappointed they didn't choose a different image to reproduce similarly, you know, for kids:

SpoilerShow

Sadly this is gonna be what it’s gonna be, gotta trust “I’ve Been Framed” in Miami to do the job right. If their work is anything like their name, it’ll be in good hands

[Big Ben]

I bought the set and will happily let you all know how the poster turns out. I cannot fathom ever using it however because it would be impossible to describe to the average person just what Haneke is all about.

[Peacock]

Rubber’s Lover by Shozin Fukui is getting a Blu-Ray release at long last this year from new Australian label New Wave Video (confusingly similar to the UK label’s name!). It will be their debut release and they will be focussing on Japanese cinema.

Fans of Pinocchio 964 might want to check this out! I’m currently working my way through the recent 88 Films Disc.

—————————————-

Announcement #1: Rubber's Lover (1996)

A cyberpunk nightmare, drenched in industrial horror and psychedelic visions, unfolds in this underground classic. Rogue scientists conduct sadistic experiments, pushing the boundaries of sensory overload and drug induced psychic abilities, leading to madness and destruction. From the visionary mind of Shozin Fukui (964 Pinocchio), Rubber's Lover transports viewers into a world of tech, sensory overload, and mind-melting paranoia.This brutal fusion of body horror and high-concept sci-fi is shot in stark black and white, creating a raw and visceral look that fans of the cyberpunk genre won't want to miss!

New Wave Video is proud to be restoring this masterpiece from the original camera and sound negatives.

Working closely with Shozin-san, this Director Approved edition will be stacked with newly commissioned art, essay writings, and special features.

Although we don't have a release date yet, as it's currently in production, we expect it to be released in the second half of 2025.

[Finch]

Angel's Egg getting a 4K from Umbrella later this year. Someone mentioned in the Radiance speculation thread that GKIDS are doing a US release though I don't know which format.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

For now GKIDS has said they'll be bringing it back to theaters. Since we're still waiting on a physical release of GITS 2 since they brought that back to theaters last year it may be awhile for Angel's Egg. Unless GKIDS has plans to release both on disc at the same time this year?

[49CHOMPS]

The Haneke boxset was removed from Umbrella's website, but has now returned with the inclusion of Happy End.

Before I was tempted to cancel my pre-order if Curzon announced something.
This is very good news. I'm incredibly excited for Umbrella's Haneke collection.

[Matt]

I've never bought an Umbrella release, are they reliably good in terms of video/audio quality? I can't imagine this set being duplicated in the US and am ready to spend the money if it's of reasonable quality.

[nicolas]

I've never bought an Umbrella release, are they reliably good in terms of video/audio quality? I can't imagine this set being duplicated in the US and am ready to spend the money if it's of reasonable quality.

No, as with Imprint their video quality is not up to par with what we’re getting from the better labels. They’ve started hiring David Mackenzie / Fidelity in Motion for their 4K discs a few months ago but the Blu-ray’s are done at a local facility that does terrible work. If you’re usually sensitive to encoding issues you should essentially see the same noisy, buzzy grain field across the films. Of course the set isn’t yet out and we don’t know if they finally changed any encoder settings for the better but from past experiences the above has proven true since at least 2021.

[Finch]

Noroi The Curse (BD) is among Umbrella's August 2025 announcements which is good news for anyone like me who didn't want to buy Arrow's Japanese horror set just for this film.

Specs: NEW! Audio commentary with writer and critic Tom Mes
NEW! Found Again: 2025 Interview with director Koji Shiraishi
NEW! Chaos and Evidence: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on Noroi and the Horror Mockumentary
Director's POV: Interview with director Koji Shiraishi
The Man in the Shadows: Interview with producer Taka Ichisei
The Aftermath: Tom Mes on modern J-Horror
Trailers
In Japanese, with English subtitle

Also coming: a 4K of Salute of the Jugger and BDs of Funny Things Happen Down Under and a Full Moon Fright Box Vol 2 set.