Archive for the 'Eureka! Masters of Cinema' Category
May 26th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present three early silent features from Universal Pictures, all fully restored as part of the studio’s ongoing restoration program. Skinner’s Dress Suit (dir. William A. Seiter, 1926) – Reginald Denny stars as a shy clerk who asks his boss for a raise at the urging of his wife. His request is rejected, but he lies to his wife, who immediately goes out and buys an expensive suit, an act that upends his once-ordered life. (4K Restoration) The Shield of Honor (dir. Emory Johnson, 1927) – The LAPD has a new method of fighting crime, the Air Police! Their newest recruit, young hotshot pilot Jack MacDowell (Neil Hamilton), is tasked with catching a gang of jewellery thieves. (2K Restoration) (Worldwide Debut on Blu-ray) The Shakedown (dir. William Wyler, 1929) – Dave Roberts (James Murray) is a fighter better known for taking falls in fixed fights than for taking home the prize money. But then he falls head-over-heels for a fiery waitress (Barbara Kent) and a rough-and-tumble orphan (Jack Hanlon), and he begins to dramatically alter his life inside and outside of the ring. (4K Restoration) Early Universal Vol. 1 is released on Blu-ray August 16, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘Early Universal Vol. 1’ on Blu-ray August 16, 2021!’
May 24th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Robert Foxworth and Talia Shire star as a doctor and his wife who travel to Maine to research the impact of the lumber industry on the local environment. They begin to investigate a succession of mysterious and terrifying events: ecological freaks of nature and a series of bizarre and grisly human deaths. Something unimaginably horrible waits in the woods. Something unwittingly created by man, that will become an uncontrollable, merciless machine of destruction. A graphically violent piece of environmental horror from director John Frankenheimer, Prophecy comes to Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK! Continue reading ‘‘Prophecy’ on Blu-ray August 16, 2021!’
April 30th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
A streetwise young man becomes a bodyguard to score quick cash. He soon befriends a once disillusioned mercenary determined to make a fresh start with his new wife. Although the two men find themselves working together to foil an assassination attempt, their partnership is short-lived. Through uncontrollable circumstances, they will unknowingly be propelled toward the opposite sides of a deadly confrontation. A noir infused Hong Kong action thriller from Tsui Hark (Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain; Once Upon a Time in China) starring Nicholas Tse and Wu Bai (who would later appear together in New Police Story), Time and Tide was nominated for six Hong Kong film awards and remains one of Tsui’s most acclaimed features. Time and Tide is released on Blu-ray in the UK May 24, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘Time and Tide’ on Blu-ray May 24, 2021!’
April 30th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Chow Yun-fat gives a career best performance in Wild Search, his third collaboration with director Ringo Lam (City on Fire, Full Contact). Yun-fat plays Lau, a widowed police officer investigating a gang of gun runners. When a shootout with the criminals leaves a woman dead, and her daughter the only surviving witness, Lau must protect the young girl from the ruthless gang that wants her dead. A loose re-imagining of Peter Weir’s 1985 film Witness, Wild Search showcases Ringo Lam’s often underrated versatility as a director. With beautiful cinematography by Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs) and a dreamy score by Lowell Lo, Eureka Classics is proud to present Wild Search in its UK debut on Blu-ray July 19, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘Wild Search’ on Blu-ray July 19, 2021!’
April 30th, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
The Far East meets the Old West in this iconic action-packed adventure from the inimitable Sammo Hung. Hung plays a loveable rogue who teams up with an incorruptible Sheriff (Yuen Biao; Project A, Wheels on Meals) to save their home town from certain destruction. Featuring an explosion of brawls, bandits, and bordellos; The Millionaires’ Express [Foo gwai lip che] is Sammo Hung’s loving tribute to classic Western tropes, but also one of his finest pieces of action cinema. An electrifying fast-paced fusion of dynamic martial artistry, death-defying stunts, and physical comedy. Also starring Rosamund Kwan, Richard Ng, and Cynthia Rothrock (plus an abundance of cameos from other Hong Kong cinema legends) – The Millionaires’ Express makes its UK debut on Blu-ray in this definitive edition as part of Eureka Classics. The Millionaires’ Express is released on Blu-ray in the UK July 26, 2021!
Continue reading ‘‘The Millionaires Express’ on Blu-ray July 26, 2021!’
April 1st, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Set against a Hong Kong that never sleeps, a stolen police gun triggers a suspenseful chain of events. Tracking down his missing gun before dawn, Sergeant Lo first has his car vandalized and is then beaten up. Suddenly he finds himself edged between two gangs on the brink of a bloodbath, whilst at the same time staving off investigations by both Vice Squad and Homicide Units embroiled in their own turf war. His only lifeline is a maverick Police Tactical Unit squad who have one night to help him find his gun. An atmospheric noir thriller from director Johnnie To, The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present PTU in its UK debut on Blu-ray June 21, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘PTU’ on Blu-ray June 21, 2021!’
March 31st, 2021 by Gerard Iribe
Reuniting the star and director of Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, The Hands of Orlac [Orlac’s Hände] is a deliciously twisted thriller that blends grand guignol thrills with the visual and performance styles of German Expressionism.vBased on a novel by medical-horror novelist Maurice Renard, it charts the mental disintegration of a concert pianist (Conrad Veidt) whose hands are amputated after a train crash, and replaced with the hands of an executed murderer. When Orlac’s father is murdered by the dead man’s hands, Orlac begins a steady descent towards madness. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present The Hands of Orlac for the first time on home video in the UK in a special Blu-ray edition. The Hands of Orlac is released on Blu-ray in the UK June 14, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘The Hands of Orlac’ on Blu-ray June 14, 2021!’
December 16th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
In the future, life will be a dream. And reality a nightmare. In a post-apocalyptic world, one woman (Marta Alicia) relies on computer fantasies to entertain herself, but a glitch sends her to a far-off wasteland to deal with monsters called Crawlers. She is saved by a young rebel (Bruce Campbell; the Evil Dead franchise, Bubba Ho-Tep), but the pair are later captured and brought underground by the Crawlers. There, an overlord called the Seer (Angus Scrimm; the Phantasm series) presides over the kingdom and tries to make life miserable for his captives. Mindwarp will be released on Blu-ray February 22, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘Mindwarp’ on Blu-ray February 22, 2021!’
December 16th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
Women are being abducted for bio-hacking experiments. Can Mia unravel the nightmare, or will she become the next test subject? A renowned health supplement company, run by a ruthless businesswoman (Signe Egholm Olsen), is selecting and abducting young women as part of an experiment bio-hacking babies DNA to enable her clients to reverse the ageing process. When Mia (Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Borgman) goes to investigate, she finds herself trapped, branded and tortured in a grim underground facility. Familiar faces start to appear, and she realizes that she is not alone in this. Can she somehow find inner strength and escape from the nightmare? Montage Pictures presents Breeder, on Blu-ray February 15, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘Breeder’ on Blu-ray February 15, 2021!’
December 16th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
In every second of every day, it improves our lives. And in a flash, it can end them. In today s world of modern conveniences, everything we rely on is run by electricity. But what happens if the power we take for granted turns against us? Old man Holger knows. He claims electricity is a living presence, whose voice can only be silenced by getting rid of anything that can hear it. Bill Rockland (Cliff De Young; Shock Treatment, Flight of the Navigator) however, refuses to believe him. It must have been an accident when an electric spark ruptured the gas pipe that nearly killed Bill s son (Joey Lawrence). And it s surely a coincidence when his wife (Roxanne Hart) is severely scalded by their electric water heater. But when his own power tools attack him and an electrical fire turns their home into a blazing inferno, Bill realizes Holger may have been right after all, and perhaps the time has come to finally pull the plug! Pulse will be released on Blu-ray via Eureka Classics February 22, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘Pulse’ on Blu-ray February 22, 2021′
December 16th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
The final film from one of German cinema’s great filmmakers, The Last Warning, from a 4K restoration on Blu-ray, arrives February 2021. Adapted from Thomas F. Fallon’s 1922 Broadway play of the same name, The Last Warning is based on the story The House of Fear by Wadsworth Camp and centers on an unsolved murder that occurs during a live Broadway performance. When the victim’s body goes missing, the death remains unsolved and the theater is condemned. That is, until years later when a suspicious new “producer” arrives to re-stage the play with the original cast and crew. Part of Universal s ongoing silent restoration initiative, The Last Warning honors the studio’s rich film history that has spanned more than a century. Universal’s team of restoration experts conducted a worldwide search for The Last Warning s available elements, ultimately working with materials from the Cinémathèque française and the Packard Humanities Institute Collection in the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the completed 4K restoration on Blu-ray, the first time the film has ever been available on home video in the UK. The Last Warning is presented on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration on home video for the first time in the UK February 15, 2021! Continue reading ‘‘The Last Warning’ on Blu-ray February 15, 2021!’
October 14th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
“What about Japan? ” asked Zanuck. “Would you like to shoot a picture there? ” “Holy mackerel, Darryl, now you re talking! ” When offered the opportunity to film an entire movie in Japan, (Fox would be the first major American studio to do so) Samuel Fuller jumped at the opportunity and the result is House of Bamboo, a lushly photographed, cold-as-ice film-noir like no other. Japan, 1954. A military train is robbed of its cargo by a ruthless gang of professionals led by the sadistic, but brilliant, Sandy Dawson (the incomparable Robert Ryan). Weeks later, one of the thieves lies dying in a Tokyo hospital, shot by his own accomplices. Recently released convict Eddie Spanier (Robert Stack) arrives in Tokyo, and joins up with the gang, impressing Sandy so much he quickly becomes his “ichiban” (number one man), greatly displeasing the former favorite, Griff (Cameron Mitchell). But is Eddie all he seems? Also starring the beautiful Shirley Yamaguchi, House of Bamboo is a stunning, brutal masterpiece, featuring incredible widescreen photography by Joe MacDonald, and hard-boiled dialogue and action that is the Fuller trademark. House of Bamboo full is presented in full 1080p on Blu-ray from Fox’s 2K restoration House of Bamboo is released on Blu-ray December 7, 2020! Continue reading ‘‘House of Bamboo’ on Blu-ray December 7, 2020!’
October 14th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
Featuring a staggering central performance from the young Petr Kotlár alongside a star-studded international ensemble including Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgård, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands and Barry Pepper. The Painted Bird has won ecstatic acclaim, with The Guardian’s Xan Brooks describing the film as “a monumental piece of work” rewarding the film with a five-star review. The film follows the journey of a boy, entrusted by his Jewish parents to an elderly foster mother in an effort to escape persecution. Following a tragedy, the boy is on his own. Wandering through the desecrated countryside, the boy encounters villagers and soldiers whose own lives have been brutally altered, and who are intent on revisiting this brutality on the boy. When the war ends, the boy has been changed, forever. Shot in crisp black and white 35mm – Václav Marhoul’s The Painted Bird does far more than simply depict the horror of war. It is an unflinching examination of the very worst of humanity. The Painted Bird is released on Blu-ray in the UK November 16, 2020! Continue reading ‘‘The Painted Bird’ on Blu-ray November 16, 2020!’
October 13th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
Death, dementia, dark arts… it’s just another day in the forbidding and fascinating world of the Inner Sanctum! Get ready for unlimited thrills and chills as all six classic Inner Sanctum Mysteries come to Blu-ray in the UK for the first time ever! Based on the popular radio shows of the 1940’s, horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man), gives timeless performances in six spooky feature-length films. Inner Sanctum Mysteries will be released in the UK on Blu-ray December 7, 2020! Continue reading ‘‘Inner Sanctum Mysteries’ on Blu-ray December 7, 2020!’
September 21st, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
Ronny Yu (The Phantom Lover; Warriors Of Virtue; The Bride of Chucky) directs The Bride with White Hair; a highly operatic fable based on a well-known martial arts novel with Leslie Cheung (A Better Tomorrow; Farewell, My Concubine) and Brigitte Lin (Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain; Police Story) as doomed lovers caught in the crossfire of warring clans. Cheung plays Zhuo Yihang, a rebellious but extremely talented swordsman of the Wudang Sect (aka the Wu-Tang Clan, a fictional martial arts sect that appears in many wuxia novels and films). One day he meets and falls in love with Lian Nichang (Lin), the adopted daughter of a rival cult led by the villainous Ji Wushuang. Zhuo convinces Lian to leave the cult to be with him, a decision which will ultimately lead to death and betrayal. With beautiful cinematography by Peter Pau (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and over-the-top action sequences, The Bride with White Hair is one of the best swordplay fantasy films ever made, and Eureka Classics is proud to present the film from a brand new 4K restoration in its UK debut on Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘‘The Bride with White Hair’ on Blu-ray November 9, 2020!’
September 4th, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
Eureka Entertainment to release WAXWORKS, Paul Leni’s expressionist anthology masterpiece, on Blu-ray presented from a new 2K restoration on home video for the first time in the UK. Available as a part of The Masters of Cinema Series November 9, 2020. The first print run of 2000 copies will be presented with a Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase. As there is no surviving original negative of Waxworks, this newly restored edition—a joint effort by the Deutsche Kinemathek and Cineteca di Bologna, L’Immagine Ritrovata (with funding from the German Commission for Culture and the Media)—is composed of contemporary prints and additional film materials from archives around the world. The elements, including English intertitles, were scanned in 4K resolution and then restored in 2K. Presented by The Masters of Cinema Series and Flicker Alley in a special Blu-ray edition, there is an option of two new scores to accompany the film: one by the Ensemble Musikfabrik (commissioned by ZDF/ARTE), and the second by composer Richard Siedhoff. Continue reading ‘‘Waxworks’ on Blu-ray November 9!’
September 3rd, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
In Tokyo, a mysterious radioactive liquid is dissolving people into slimy, sentient, seemingly indestructible, blobs of destruction! Part-Japanese gangster noir, part-gooey body melting horror, The H-Man (Bijo to Ekitai-ningen – ‘Beauty and the Liquid People’) is one of the most unique sci-fi films of the 1950s. A series of mysterious catastrophes sweep the globe, causing the world’s scientists to conclude that beings from another planet are attacking Earth, and the world must unite to defend itself in a gigantic battle in outer space! With wonderful special effects sequences by Eiji Tsuburaya (Godzilla, Ultraman), and a rousing score by Akira Ifukube (Godzilla), Battle in Outer Space is a glorious sci-fi extravaganza. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present two classics of Japanese sci-fi cinema, both directed by the great Ishirō Honda, for the first time ever on home video in the UK. Continue reading ‘‘Ishiro Honda Double Feature’ on Blu-ray November 16!’
September 2nd, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
One of the most iconic Japanese kaiju, Mothra has appeared in over a dozen feature films. Presented here is her debut, a gloriously vibrant piece of filmmaking that forever changed how kaiju eiga would be produced in Japan. Following reports of human life on Infant Island, the supposedly deserted site of atomic bomb tests, an international expedition to the heavily-radiated island discovers a native tribe and tiny twin female fairies called “Shobijin” who guard a sacred egg. The overzealous expedition leader kidnaps the Shobijin to exhibit in a Tokyo stage show but soon they summon their protector, hatching the egg and releasing a giant caterpillar. When Mothra arrives in Japan and transforms into her final form, the nation and its people face their destruction. Psychedelically colorful, with an intelligent, benevolent protector as its lead kaiju, Mothra was radically different to every other monster movie that had come before it, and it remains a classic of the genre to this day. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Ishirō Honda’s Mothra on Blu-ray for the first time on home video in the UK. Continue reading ‘‘Mothra’ on Blu-ray November 16, 2020!’
