88 Films

[colinr0380]

Since I have been collecting the Japanese films that 88 Films have been putting out recently I thought I would do a quick easy reference list of them:

Japanarchy line (in order of release)
Tokyo Decadance (1992) (Dir: Ryu Murakami) (Prod. Company: JVD Co.) - Previously released on DVD in the UK by Arrow: this edition Blu-ray, Region B
Evil Dead Trap (1988) (Dir: Toshiharu Ikeda) (Prod. Company: Japan Home Video Inc., aka JHV) - Not previously released in UK, but had a DVD edition in US by Synapse Films in 2000 and US Region A Blu-ray from Unearthed Films: this edition Blu-ray, Region B
Evil Dead Trap 2 (1992) (Dir: Izo Hashimoto) (Prod. Company: Japan Home Video Inc., aka JHV) - Not previously released in UK, but had a DVD edition in US by Unearthed FIlms in 2005 and US Region A Blu-ray from Unearthed Films: this edition Blu-ray, Region B
Love & Crime (1969) (Dir: Teruo Ishii) (Prod. Company: Toei) - Dual Format Blu-ray (Region A & B) and DVD (Region 1 & 2)
Pinocchio √964 (1991) (Dir: Shozhin Fukui) (Prod. Company: IPS Network / Home Kubo) - Not previously released in UK, but had a DVD edition in US by Unearthed Films. This UK edition Dual Format Blu-ray (Region B) and DVD (Region 2)
Yakuza Wives (1986) (Dir: Hideo Gosha) (Prod. Company: Toei) - Blu-Ray (Region A & B)
Jakoman & Tetsu (1964) (Dir: Kinji Fukasaku) (Prod. Company: Toei) - Blu-ray (Region A & B)

Nikkatsu line
Apartment Wife: Affair In The Afternoon (1971) (Dir: Shogoro Nishimura) - Dual Format Blu-ray (Region B) and DVD (Region 2)
Night of the Felines (1971) (Dir: Noburo Tanaka) - Blu-ray (Region B)
Woods are Wet (1973) (Dir: Tatsumi Kumashiro) - Dual Format Blu-ray (Region B) and DVD (Region 2)
Sweden Porno: Blonde Animal (1973) (Dir: Masano Sako) - Dual Format Blu-Ray (Region B) and DVD (Region 2)
Watcher In The Attic (1976) (Dir: Noburu Tanaka) - Dual Format Blu-Ray (Region B) and DVD (Region 2)
Assault! Jack The Ripper (1976) (Dir: Yasuharu Hasebe) - Dual Format Blu-Ray (Region B) and DVD (Region 2)
Girl Hell (1977) (Dir: Masaru Konuma) - Dual Format Blu-Ray (Region B) and DVD (Region 2)
Sex Rider: Wet Highway (1971) (Dir: Koretsugu Kurahawa) - Blu-ray (Region B)
Tokyo Emmanuelle (1975) (Dir: Akira Katô) - Blu-ray (Region B)
Playful White Fingers (1972) (Dir: Toru Murakawa) - Blu-ray (Region B)

[dwk]

88 is releasing Annie Hall

Winner of four Oscars – amongst them Best Picture – and universally reckoned to be one of the funniest films ever made, Annie Hall is one of writer/ director Woody Allen's greatest triumphs, detailing the on-off love affair between nebbish New Yorker Alvy Singer (Allen himself) and Diane Keaton as the free-spirited Annie.

A smart, incisive and very, very funny take on modern romance, 88 Films are proud to present a true American classic.

INCLUDES LIMITED EDITION RIGID SLIP CASE

SPECIAL FEATURES:

High-Definition Blu-Ray Presentation In 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
Original Mono 2.0 Audio
Optional English SDH
Image Gallery
Trailer

[andyli]

Not taking this opportunity to release a 4K UHD, or at least a 4K-remastered BD is like 'what's the point?'

Hope the specs get updated soon.

[swo17]

If they can fix that one subtitled scene

[Finch]

That's probably going to be it in terms of specs. Recall that Allen didn't want extras produced for the Arrow editions. A new scan would have been nice but that doesn't seem to be a priority for Amazon right now, and perhaps never. If 88 get to Purple Rose of Cairo, I'd buy a copy once they sell off the slipcover versions or Rarewaves has a sale going on.

[andyli]

The 4K restoration for Annie Hall has existed for years, along with that of Manhattan. They have both been screened reasonably frequently in the festival circuit but never released on disc. Any other restoration for Woody Allen's works seems to have stalled...

[Finch]

Ah, I didn't know Annie Hall and Manhattan got restored.

[nicolas]

Dailyan at BR posted this today:

Annie Hall" and "Manhattan" have had 4K restorations for years but, supposedly, a certain label (not hard who to guess) has made MGM not make them license-able (Arrow's discs were suppose to use these restos but were forced to use the MGM discs).

I find it hard to believe that any label would be able to force the owning studio not to be able to license their masters / property to different labels unless there’s a contract in place that actively says the opposite.

…and 88 just replied to my question about the masters:

The 4K master is not approved for home video apparently. We obviously requested it but were denied access. We also wanted to make a new transfer but again weren’t allowed to.

Still, it’s a favourite of mine and nice to add to our catalogue

[CSM126]

I assume he’s referring to Criterion but that seems wrong. Allen is notorious for not allowing special editions of his films and I can’t imagine Criterion making an arrangement just to, what, wait for Allen to die so they can ignore his wishes and do a big box or something? I think he’s wrong about any label forcing MGM to do anything here.

[nicolas]

I assume he’s referring to Criterion but that seems wrong. Allen is notorious for not allowing special editions of his films and I can’t imagine Criterion making an arrangement just to, what, wait for Allen to die so they can ignore his wishes and do a big box or something? I think he’s wrong about any label forcing MGM to do anything here.

If Dailyan’s info is true, I’d think of Criterion too although I’d be surprised if they actually want to release the films at all as they surely deliberately removed any trace of Allen’s involvement in Godard’s King Lear on the back cover and in the booklet. Extras-wise, Criterion have done BD releases with very little special features, so that’d probably not be the biggest roadblock if they actually wanted to put the films out.

[dwk]

Unless the mystery label paid for the masters and has a contract with MGM, there is no reason that they wouldn't be offered to a licensee. I suspect that Allen has to sign off on the 4K restorations being used for home video and that just hasn't happened and MGM don't see any reason to force the issue.

[Calvin]

Fairly sure he is also incorrect about the Arrow discs, as they pre-date both restorations. As evidenced in the old thread on this forum, Arrow did expect to be able to author them themselves (and fix the rooftop scene subtitles) before they re-read the contract.

It is pretty weird that the restorations haven't been approved for home video though. I'm not sure who could block them other than Allen himself and I can't fathom why he would; while his stance on extras is well documented, I don't think he has ever had issues with a new master / restoration.

Sent from my SM-S938B using Tapatalk

[Cash Flagg]

Not taking this opportunity to release a 4K UHD, or at least a 4K-remastered BD is like 'what's the point?'

Given everything, I’m surprised we’re getting *any* new Allen re-issues, 4k or otherwise.

[Finch]

The Prince Charles Cinema will be showing a new 4K restoration of Scum in August, and as per their press release, it'll be released by 88 in August.

Scum has been transferred by Filmfinity into a new 4K DCP from the original Camera Negative, kindly supplied by Tigon Films and commissioned by 88 Films. Extensive cleanup and grading have been performed and it now looks better than it would have done upon release back in 1979. The film originally premiered at The Prince Charles Cinema to both acclaim and controversy, and quickly became one of our box office successes. In fact, Tim Roth has often credited seeing SCUM at the PCC as the film that made him want to become an actor - reportedly watching it once, then immediately sitting through it three more times back to back!

Scum will be released on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD by 88 Films on 18th August.

[andyli]

A strange acquisition... I wonder if Indicator is letting the rights lapse even if they knew a newer restoration was on the horizon, given their policy of not upgrading existing titles to UHD.

[jlnight]

The Indicator edition of Scum was deleted at the start of last year. They probably lost the rights because Screenbound probably lost the rights. If 88 Films do a super deluxe edition then they should include a billiard ball in a sock!

[Finch]

August titles:

American Wedding
Devils Fetus
Come Drink With Me UHD
The Cat
Scum UHD
Rats UHD
I Am Frigid, Why?
Neither the Sea, Nor the Land (Tigon)
The Cannibal Man

[reaky]

88 Films’ latest mailout announces two Jose Benazeraf films in their French collection, Naked Sex and The French Love. I only know of Benazeraf from Pete Tombs’ Immoral Tales book, and the episode of Eurotika devoted to him. Tombs classes him with the likes of Rollin and Borowczyk, suggesting he was a very intelligent and cultured man who chose to make sex films. Can anyone comment? Is Benazeraf, and are these films, a discovery to be made? Or is he just a hack like Max Pecas?

I should add that these films have zero reviews on Letterboxd, and I can find nothing on Google.

[domino harvey]

Little bit of discussion starting here

[colinr0380]

The Cannibal Man is one of the artier of the films caught up in the 'video nasty' situation - it has been available for a long time uncut in the US but hopefully this may get the film out in the UK uncut. Albeit the old Redemption VHS edition was only cut by three seconds! The title is a bit misleading as it is more of a 'chain of murders' drama, where the main character accidentally kills someone and then has to keep killing the next person who finds out about it, and the next, and so on. So the original title "The Week of the Killer" is much more appropriate, although of course just the title "The Cannibal Man" is most likely the primary reason why it ended up getting onto the video nasty list more than anything else! The most queasy stuff is the mondo-esque slaughterhouse footage that opens the film.

In addition to the above titles, the upcoming Japanese releases are: Tokyo Emmanuelle and 1971's Sex Rider: Wet Highway (from director Koretsugu Kurahara, brother of Koreyoshi Kurahawa, who would go on to the notorious Eros School: Feels So Good, that Impulse Pictures released on DVD in the US) in the Nikkatsu line on 7th July; and Detonation Violent Riders! (directed by Teruo Ishii) in the Japanarchy line on 21st July.

[Finch]

September titles are Heart of Dragon 4K, Hackers 4K, Her and She and Him, Shadowzone and The Man Called Noon.

[Finch]

the master given to 88 of Sunset Warriors had AI applied , with smeared background faces like in Eureka's DEFA set or WellGo USA's The Wailing 4K, as well as disappearing or smudged text.

[dwk]

MifuneFan found some upcoming US releases:
SS Experiment Love Camp UHD
Eleven Days, Eleven Nights 2 (AKA Web of Desire) UHD
Rosa (Yuen Biao film) Blu-ray

[Finch]

letterboxd reviews are not good for Rosa, the only US title I was interested in.

[Peacock]

Wow! Eleven Days Eleven Nights 2… (aka Part 4) in UHD?! How bizarre, I didn’t expect it even as a Blu. Hopefully this leads to the third film soon! Always great to get more D’Amato.

The reviews for the Naziploitation flick are particularly poor sadly.