Archive for the 'Eureka! Masters of Cinema' Category
February 2nd, 2023 by Gerard Iribe
Four more tales of terror from the vaults of Universal Pictures, starring Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, and Rondo Hatton. A maniacal hunter and collector of wild animals uses them to dispose of rivals and enemies in the shockingly violent Murders in the Zoo (dir. A. Edward Sutherland, 1933). Bela Lugosi stars in a creepy tale of strange characters, secret passages and a murderer who masters the art of “mind over matter” in Night Monster (dir. Ford Beebe, 1942). What started out as a treasure-making scheme ends up deadly for a group of people stuck in a haunted castle with a killer known as “the Phantom” in Horror Island (dir. George Waggner, 1941). And finally, Rondo Hatton is “the Creeper”, a giant of a man used as an instrument of evil by a mad sculptor in House of Horrors (dir. Jean Yarbrough, 1946). Creeping Horror will be released on Blu-ray April 17, 2023! Continue reading ‘‘Creeping Horror’ on Blu-ray April 17!’
January 30th, 2023 by Gerard Iribe
Ken Takakura stars as a mad bomber who plants a device on a high-speed Japanese train, programmed to detonate if the train’s speed drops below 80 kilometers per hour. The trains conductor (Sonny Chiba) must keep the train moving whilst the police track the madman down. Most well-known for inspiring the 1994 Hollywood blockbuster Speed, The Bullet Train is a remarkably tense thriller from director Junya Satō, and Eureka Classics is proud to present it in this definitive edition for its UK debut on Blu-ray, from a 2K restoration of the original film elements. The Bullet Train will be released on Blu-ray April 24, 2023!
Continue reading ‘Catch ‘The Bullet Train’ on Blu-ray April 24!’
June 22nd, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
In 1920, having served a slapstick apprenticeship in the shorts of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Buster Keaton had earned the opportunity to headline his own series of two-reel comedies. The very moment at which he emerged as a star of his own shorts, Keaton was recruited to appear in his first feature film,The Saphead, based on a popular stage play. Keaton stars as Bertie Van Alstyne, the pampered son of a powerful Wall Street financier (William H. Crane). Having known no other lifestyle but privilege, he wanders through a variety of misadventures―an attempt at courtship, a trip to an illegal gambling den, and a tumble onto the floor of the Stock Exchange―oblivious to the obstacles that stand before him. The Saphead is released on Blu-ray in the UK August 22, 2022!
Continue reading ‘‘The Saphead’ on Blu-ray Aug. 22!’
June 21st, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
Train-hopping his way to Wyoming, nomadic cowboy Dempsey Rae (Douglas) saves the life of young Jeff Jimson (William Campbell; Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte). Taking Jeff on as his protégé, Dempsey teaches him the life of a cowhand; how to ride a horse, rope and herd cattle, and how to shoot… Despite the land they work on being open range, Dempsey is horrified to find the local ranchers are resorting to the usage of barbed wire and refuses to work for anyone who uses it. But when an unscrupulous ranch owner (Jeanne Crain, Pinky) hires a brutal group of killers to push the other ranchers off the land, Dempsey is the only one who can help them fight back. Man Without a Star is released on Blu-ray in the UK August 15, 2022!
Continue reading ‘‘Man Without A Star’ on Blu-ray Aug. 15!’
June 12th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
Angela Mao and director Huang Feng (The Shaolin Plot) were a superstar pairing that produced an incredible series of top tier kung-fu classics including Deadly China Doll, When Taekwondo Strikes and the two films presented here – Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind. Two excellent martial arts films make their debuts on Blu-ray—and the first time Lady Whirlwind has ever been available in the UK—from brand new 2K restorations! Angela Mao: Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind will be released on Blu-ray August 22, 2022!
Continue reading ‘ANGELA MAO: HAPKIDO & LADY WHIRLWIND on Blu-ray Aug. 22!’
May 25th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh team up in this action masterpiece! Featuring some of the most dangerous stunts ever performed on camera, Police Story 3: Supercop represents the pinnacle of Jackie Chan’s unique style of Hong Kong action filmmaking. A dazzling blend of gritty action cop drama, impeccably choreographed martial-arts sequences, and bone-crunching stunt work. Police Story 3: Supercop is released on Blu-ray September 26, 2022!
Continue reading ‘Police Story 3: Supercop on Blu-ray September 26!’
May 25th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
The most action-packed trilogy of all time comes to Ultra HD Blu-ray for the first time ever! Featuring some of the most dangerous stunts ever performed on camera, these three films represent the pinnacle of Jackie Chan’s unique style of Hong Kong action filmmaking. A dazzling blend of gritty action cop drama, impeccably choreographed martial-arts sequences, and bone-crunching stunt work – this series of films revitalized the Hong Kong action genre and established Jackie Chan as a worldwide superstar. The Police Story Trilogy is released on 4K UHD Blu-ray September 26, 2022!
Continue reading ‘‘The Police Story Trilogy’ on 4K UHD Blu-ray September 26!’
May 11th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
A trio of horror tales from the vaults of Universal Pictures, all starring the iconic Boris Karloff. In the pulse-pounding crime thriller Night Key (dir. Lloyd Corrigan, 1937), Karloff plays the eccentric inventor of a high-tech security system who is kidnapped by a gang of burglars and forced to help them commit a series of robberies. Then, in the lavishly produced The Climax (dir. George Waggner, 1944), Karloff plays the house physician at an Opera house whose insane jealousy drives him to murder. And finally, Karloff stars as a doctor who risks his own life to save the captives of a mad count in The Black Castle (dir. Nathan H. Juran, 1952). Universal Terror: Three Films Starring Boris Karloff is released on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK July 18, 2022!
Continue reading ‘‘Universal Terror: Three Films Starring Boris Karloff’ on Blu-ray July 18!’
March 31st, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
In Outside the Law, Dean plays hard-boiled jewel thief Molly Madden. When her father is framed for murder by Black Mike Sylva (Lon Chaney), Molly partners with safecracker Dapper Bill (Wheeler Oakman) to stage a double-cross of their own. Outside the Law was Browning’s second film with actor Lon Chaney, whose gifts for elaborate makeup and ruthless villainy would flower under Browning’s direction, setting the stage for a series of monstrous characterisations that would revolutionize the melodrama and lay the foundations of the American horror film. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Outside the Law from a 4K restoration for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK June 13, 2022!
Continue reading ‘‘Outside the Law’ on Blu-ray June 13!’
March 30th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
Hong Kong movie veteran Chen Hsing (The Iron-Fisted Monk) plays a tyrannical ruler with the aim of collecting all existing Chinese martial arts manuals in order to obtain ultimate power. After obtaining the Wu Tang manual, he sets his sights on the Shaolin Temple and the secrets of their fighting style. Two Shaolin Monks (Casanova Wong and Yeong-moon Kwon) must team up with a Wu Tang fighter (James Tien) to defeat the villainous despot. On home video for the first time in the UK from a new 2K restoration, Eureka Classics is proud to present a towering classic that deserves to be recognised as one of the best and most important works of martial arts cinema. The Shaolin Plot is released on Blu-ray June 20, 2022!
Continue reading ‘‘The Shaolin Plot’ on Blu-ray June 20!’
March 29th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
Since his childhood, Pei Gang (Ou Wei) has been spoiled by his rich grandmother who raised him after the death of his parents. Unable to control himself, in a fit of rage, Gang kills a pregnant woman – who indicated him as the father of her unborn child – and her cousins; for this he is sentenced to death, and will be beheaded in autumn, the traditional season for executions. His grandmother tries to save him, but this proves to be a task beyond her means. So, she makes him marry the young Lian (Tang Pao-yun), an orphan raised within the family, in prison, so that the Pei line does not die out. Execution in Autumn is released on Blu-ray June 20, 2022! Continue reading ‘‘Execution in Autumn’ on Blu-ray June 20!’
March 9th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
After directing his triptych of political (and acclaimed) spaghetti westerns (The Big Gundown; Face to Face; and Run, Man, Run), Sergio Sollima directed two crime thrillers in the poliziotteschi genre – the name given to the violent and action-packed Italian crime thrillers that had become exceedingly popular amongst Italian audiences. Sollima was a perfect fit for this style of filmmaking, and the two films he directed in the genre are both essential viewing. Presented here is the second, Revolver, starring Oliver Reed and Fabio Testi. “Makes Death Wish look like wishful thinking!” was the immortal tagline that accompanied the film upon its US release (also retitled Blood in the Streets), but Revolver—as is to be expected from Sollima—is a much more complex film. Sollima was a highly political director and his films were often allegorical, implicitly opposed to the corruption endemic in Italian society at the time. With music by the late maestro, Ennio Morricone (including one of his most beloved compositions, Un Amico), Eureka Classics is proud to present Revolver from a new 4K restoration for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK! Revolver is released in the UK on Blu-ray May 16, 2022! Continue reading ‘‘Revolver’ on Blu-ray May 16!’
March 1st, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
The first foray into sound filmmaking by one of cinema’s pivotal artists, Vampyr remains a cornerstone work of the horror genre. The dreamlike tale of an occult-obsessed student’s visit to a small French village, as he is drawn into the unsettling mystery around a stricken family’s struggle with malevolent forces, remains an unparalleled evocation of the uncanny. Adapting the haunted stories of Sheridan Le Fanu, Carl Th. Dreyer‘s ceaseless innovation delivers a tour-de-force of supernatural phantasmagoria and creeping unease, via audacious camerawork and sound design. Vampyr is released on Blu-ray in the UK May 30, 2022! Continue reading ‘‘Vampyr’ on Blu-ray May 30!’
February 5th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
Brothers Yipao (Yuen Biao) and Taipao (Leung Kar-yan) are a couple of down on their luck con-men. After getting soundly defeated by the kung fu master, Silver Fox (Lau Kar-wing), the brothers realize it would be in their own self-interest if they learn how to fight, and they ask him to train them. Unfortunately, their new master is actually a ruthless killer, and when the brothers realise this, one of them is murdered. To get revenge, the surviving brother must learn a unique form of kung-fu from an unlikely source, a beggar who just happens to be a master fighter! Knockabout is released on Blu-ray April 25, 2022! Continue reading ‘‘Knockabout’ on Blu-ray April 25, 2022!’
February 4th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
A trio of chilling sci-fi tales from the vaults of Universal Pictures, starring a number of genre legends including Lionel Atwill (Son of Frankenstein), Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man), and Grant Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man). A mad scientist transforms a carnival performer (Lon Chaney, Jr.) into a murderous monster in Man-Made Monster (dir. George Waggner, 1941). In The Monolith Monsters (dir. John Sherwood, 1957), a giant meteor crashes to Earth and the fragments begin to spread – turning everyone they come into contact with to stone! And finally, fear stalks the seemingly tranquil halls of Dunsfield University in Monster on the Campus (dir. Jack Arnold, 1958) when a paleontology professor becomes infected with irradiated blood and begins to devolve into a primitive beast. Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror is released on Blu-ray April 11, 2022! Continue reading ‘‘Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror’ on Blu-ray April 11, 2022!’
February 4th, 2022 by Gerard Iribe
Dreadnaught is a cult favorite amongst martial arts fans, and Eureka Classics is proud to present the film in its UK debut on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration! A violent criminal known only as ‘White Tiger’ (Yuen Shun-yee; Iron Monkey) is hiding amongst a theatre troupe, murdering anyone who discovers his identity (as well as anyone who happens to annoy him). Mousy, a timid laundry man (Yuen Biao; Project A), crosses paths with White Tiger several times but always manages to escape. When the killer instead targets his friend (Bryan “Beardy” Leung; Warriors Two), Mousy must overcome his cowardly nature and acquire the skills necessary to defeat the White Tiger. Dreadnaught is released on Blu-ray in the UK April 25, 2022! Continue reading ‘‘Dreadnaught’ on Blu-ray April 25, 2022!’
December 9th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Widely considered the greatest classical weapons movie ever made, Odd Couple stars Sammo Hung, Lau Kar-wing (also directing) and Bryan “Beardy” Leung Kar-yan (Dreadnaught, The Victim) in a classic tale of rivalry and vengeance. Two aging masters of the spear and sword engage in an epic mountaintop battle every ten years, but the outcome invariably ends in a draw. Realising that neither one of them will ever outclass the other, they each agree to take on a younger student and train them to champion their cause, thus putting an end to their longstanding rivalry.Showcasing some of the most intricate and explosive weapons choreography ever seen, this masterpiece remains a quintessential classic from the Golden Age of Hong Kong Cinema, and now makes its UK debut on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration! Odd Couple will be released on Blu-ray March 21, 2022! Continue reading ‘‘Odd Couple’ on Blu-ray March 21, 2022!’
December 4th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Hearing impaired Kyung-mi (Ki-joo Jin) catches the attention of Do-Sik (Wi Ha-Jun; Squid Game), a mysterious serial killer that’s been stalking their neighbourhood. Do-Sik targets Kyung-mi, presuming her deafness will make her an easy target, sparking a twisted game where the killer hides in plain sight. An intense, unpredictable thriller from debut director Kwon Oh-seung; Midnight joins the pantheon of great South Korean thrillers. Midnight will be released on Blu-ray in the UK March 14, 2022!
Continue reading ‘‘Midnight’ on Blu-ray March 14, 2022!’
