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What A Disgrace wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:45 pm If I were to purchase both of these at once, will the December titles ship by themselves, or with the first batch of subscription titles?

If you buy them as one transaction they would ship with the last thing in that order just like any other preorder. From January this is how all items, including the 2024 bundles will work.

reaky wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2023 1:11 pm With it not released until October, it sounds as if they underestimated demand.

Or just because they announced it early, as a surprise title announcement? If they'd waited and announced it as part of their July announcements (i.e. 3 months prior to release) rather than May (i.e. 5 months prior), then it likely would've sold out much closer to the actual release date. Either way it's clearly a huge success for them, and has been available to pre-order for 3 months which is plenty of time. IIRC, Fran mentioned other individual titles would get the LE slipbox treatment so I'm excited to find out what those are!

(Sales might have also been helped by the long lead-up, meaning some people would've pre-ordered it with other titles on a whim and/or to get free shipping.)

Hints for 2024 releases in the bundle:

Forthcoming releases include films by Bava, Bunuel, Comencini, Damiani, Fukasaku, Rivette, Suzuki, a variety of countries and genres featuring poliziotteschi, gothic, ninjas, samurai, serial killers, Japanese New Wave, American Indie, European arthouse, plus new and ongoing collections including World Noir Vol 2 and more to be revealed!

Does Mawu Films have their own thread? I think they're going to need it.

Please let the Suzuki be A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness.

Pistol Opera would be awesome

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2023 2:05 pm Pistol Opera would be awesome

Yes please

+ Lisa and the Devil

Huh, I wasn't aware Arrow's was OOP. While that's my favorite Bava, I'd rather it be something else since Radiance isn't doing 4Ks and likely aren't going to improve on the transfer much

I'd take new blus for Rabid Dogs or Black Sunday. The Bunuel title is probably for Viridiana, and the Rivette could be L'Amour Fou.

Rabid Dogs would feel most on-brand, good call

I could see the Buñuel being either/both THE BRUTE and/or CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ, both of which got recent (mediocre) state side releases recently.

Radiance taking any/all of the Bava titles after Arrow lost them would be a coup.

Damn, could they really have gotten L’Amour Fou or is the Rivette more likely to be a Region B version of one of the Cohen releases?

There's certainly plenty of room for them to improve on those Cohen releases if so. What's the rights situation for Va Savoir+?

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2023 2:34 pm Huh, I wasn't aware Arrow's was OOP. While that's my favorite Bava, I'd rather it be something else since Radiance isn't doing 4Ks and likely aren't going to improve on the transfer much

Surely, the Arrow BD from a decade ago could be improved upon. But perhaps you'd rather wait for a 4k.

I wasn't certain it's OOP, btw, I just figured since it's not on the website any more

Maltic wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2023 4:40 pm

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2023 2:34 pm Huh, I wasn't aware Arrow's was OOP. While that's my favorite Bava, I'd rather it be something else since Radiance isn't doing 4Ks and likely aren't going to improve on the transfer much

Surely, the Arrow BD from a decade ago could be improved upon.

It could be, but my impression from this label thus far hasn't been that they're improving the PQ too much upon already-released films, or prioritizing using new masters, etc. despite using strong encoders. The draws seem to be in other departments.

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2023 4:47 pmIt could be, but my impression from this label thus far hasn't been that they're improving the PQ too much upon already-released films, or prioritizing using new masters, etc. despite using strong encoders. The draws seem to be in other departments.

They did a stellar correction on Fill 'Er Up with Super, so it's plausible...

I would imagine Radiance will be looking toward Hercules in the Haunted World, Danger: Diabolik or Planet of the Vampires for their Bava release.

foggy eyes wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2023 4:56 pm

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2023 4:47 pmIt could be, but my impression from this label thus far hasn't been that they're improving the PQ too much upon already-released films, or prioritizing using new masters, etc. despite using strong encoders. The draws seem to be in other departments.

They did a stellar correction on Fill 'Er Up with Super, so it's plausible...

True, I didn't mean to insinuate that they're slacking or anything - everything looks great to me - just that it's not the major priority for the label. But I'll be happy to be wrong

The prices for the single titles LE releases will now be going up to £18. The boxsets have already increased from £40 to £45. The Facts of Murder is being released as a standalone title in the U.S.

AVAILABILITY WATCH

The Sunday Woman 95% sold out
Red Sun 95% sold out
Miami Blues 95% sold out
The Hot Spot 95% sold out
Fill 'Er Up with Super US 85% sold out
The Bride Wore Black 80% sold out
The Iron Prefect 80% sold out
Yakuza Graveyard US 80% sold out
Cosa Nostra 70% sold out
Cosa Nostra US 70% sold out
Red Sun US 70% sold out
Yakuza Graveyard 75% sold out
A Woman Kills 75% sold out
A Woman Kills US 70% sold out
She Dies Tomorrow 70% sold out
A Moment of Romance 65% sold out
Red Sun US 60% sold out
Thieves Like Us 65% sold out
O.C. and Stiggs 60% sold out
Fill 'Er Up with Super 55% sold out

Great announcements, in for all four but might skip Raro pre-orders until reviews come in. Especially excited for the Radiance titles but also very happy to see another Mawu title finally (and one I very much am intrigued to see)!

Glad to hear we have Buñuel, Suzuki, Bava, Rivette titles, and more Fukasaku too! I assume the Damiani will be Goodbye & Amen, which is cool.

My guesses for the Buñuel titles are things like Él, The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, Nazarin and Fever Mounts at El Pao, but I'd be very happy if they managed to bag Los Olvidados, The Brute, Viridiana, The Exterminating Angel or Simon of the Desert. I finally bought the StudioCanal box recently, so this is good timing (though Fran already teased Buñuel a while back, so I kinda knew we'd get at least one in 2024).

As for Suzuki, the obvious 'hits' would be his later colour films like Pistol Opera or Princess Raccoon, but I'd be equally happy with earlier Nikkatsu works like Underworld Beauty, Gate of Flesh, Story of a Prostitute or Fighting Elegy (assuming there's a Nikkatsu deal in place, since Fran did work with them a lot when at Arrow).

What A Disgrace wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2023 4:57 pm I would imagine Radiance will be looking toward Hercules in the Haunted World, Danger: Diabolik or Planet of the Vampires for their Bava release.

Those last two are long-anticipated in the UK, crazy Arrow never managed to get either of them. I actually managed to get a copy of Imprint's Danger Diabolik release in Oxfam not long ago, but would double-dip if Radiance were releasing it (it's good fun of course).

Planet of the Vampires would be even better, have wanted to see the film for ages and was waiting for a decent UK release.

(Another possibility is that they have newly formed UK-Italian label Malombra Films as one of their hosted labels, who have Bava's The Road to Fort Alamo lined up...)

I have to say that I like the way Raro and Manwu are packaging their titles, similarly to Radiance themselves.

Guesses / wish list, based on clues...

Bava - As already stated, Hercules, Vampires, or Diabolik
Bunuel - Nazarin
Comencini - Incompreso
Damiani - Goodbye and Amen
Fukasaku - Under the Flag of the Rising Sun
Rivette - L'amour fou
Suzuki - Boxed set of Fighting Elegy, Story of a Prostitute, and Gate of Flesh, with the theme of the box being World War II and the films ordered according to real world chronology

Poliziotteschi - Street Law (Castellari)
Gothic - Castle of Blood (Margheriti)
Ninjas - Ninja in the Dragon's Den (Corey Yuen)
Samurai - The Third Shadow Warrior (Inoue)
Serial killers - The Devil Strikes at Night (Siodmak)
Japanese New Wave - Shura (Matsumoto)
American Indie - Last Chants for a Slow Dance (Jost)
European arthouse - Hunger (Carlsen)

Pretty sure Fran already shot down the possibility of Story of a Prostitute and Gate of Flesh.

And, again, Under the Flag of the Rising Sun is a Toho title (that is who the HvE DVD was licensed from) and Toho seems to a no go for anyone right now.

What A Disgrace wrote: Thu Sep 07, 2023 3:05 am Guesses / wish list, based on clues...

American Indie - Last Chants for a Slow Dance (Jost)

I’d love a box set of his work. Insanely overlooked oeuvre

Have to say though that the bundle system really wasn't clear originally, and that I'm wondering how many orders will be cancelled when people realise that, actually, you can't buy random months as if they're "surprise" monthly packages, and that you're unlikely to want to buy all 6 or 12 months bundles in ONE order as it means "pay now, get everything in ONE package in 8 or 15 months" (which I believe only a tiny fraction of people will choose to do).

I'm glad Radiance then did a graph to explain the different options, as it's so much clearer now, but I wouldn't be surprised if several people will fall through the updates, or that people made their orders before it's been clarified.