Forget Santa’s bag, this December is all about Arrow Video bringing you goodies on Blu-ray.
Giallo Essential (Yellow Edition) boxes together a trio of Italian treats that had been previously release and we’ve reviewed. Included is Sergio Martino’s Torso (Blu-ray Review: Torso | Inside Pulse), Andrea Bianchi’s Strip Nude For Your Killer (Blu-ray Review: Strip Nude For Your Killer | Inside Pulse) with Edwige Fenech and Massimo Dallamano’s What Have They Done To Your Daughters (Blu-ray Review: What Have They Done To Your Daughter? | Inside Pulse). These films will keep you up on a cold night with tales of mysterious killers on the loose. Plan on eating a few pints of Gelato. My Stepmother Is An Alien has Dan Aykroyd getting lucky when he hooks up with Kim Basinger. Except he doesn’t have a clue that she’s an alien being wanting to get ahold of his research. The film was directed by Richard Benjamin (Quark & Diary of a Mad Housewife). You probably remember it being on cable.
Shawscope Volume One: Limited Edition Box is brings all the kicks, chops and blocks of Hong Kong’s legendary studio. The boxset contains 12 of their films from the ’70s. First up is King Boxer which was one of the first Kung Fu hits when released in America as Five Fingers of Death. Also included is Boxer from Shantung, Five Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Temple, The Mighty Peking Man, Challenge of the Masters, Executioners from Shaolin, Chinatown Kid, Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho. You will be welcoming 2022 with brand new bone smashing moves. Even better news about the new year is that Arrow Video will be releasing Shawscope Volume Two with even more exciting action. Here’s the press release from Arrow Video with more details and the bonus features:
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
| New from Arrow Video US Giallo Essentials [Yellow Edition][Blu-ray] (12/7) My Stepmother Is An Alien[Blu-ray] (12/14) Shawscope Volume One: Limited Edition Box[Blu-ray] (12/28) via MVD Entertainment Group |
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| Arrow’s December Lineup Includes Giallo Essentials, Kung Fu Classics, and Out-of-this-World In-Laws Arrow closes 2021 out with two new must-own box sets and a late eighties sci-fi comedy. The party starts on December 7 with Giallo Essentials [Yellow Edition]. Arrow continues to celebrate Italian cult cinema with three more black-gloved thrillers, all remastered in stunning 2K restorations from the original camera negatives. Set includes Sergio Martino‘s Torso, Andrea Bianchi‘s Strip Nude for Your Killer, and Massimo Dallamano‘s What Have They Done to Your Daughters? The 3-disc set represents the best of what giallo has to offer, from psychosexual disorders to motorcycle-rider killers and everything in between. On December 14, Arrow takes a more light-hearted approach with the release of Richard Benjamin‘s sci-fi/comedy, My Stepmother Is an Alien. Kim Basinger stars as an alien sent to Earth on a secret mission to seduce a single father (Dan Aykroyd) that has accidentally disrupted her planet’s gravity. The film was a box-office bombed and panned by critics upon its initial release but has gained cult status in recent years with fans praising the performances of Basinger and Jon Lovitz. Young future Buffy stars Alyson Hannigan and Seth Green co-star. The Arrow release features a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative and a new interview with Benjamin. Also releasing on December 28 is Shawscope Volume One. This 10-disc mega-box set containing 8 blu-rays and 2 CDs, is not only the most anticipated release of the year but is arguably one of the most anticipated releases since blu-ray first launched as a format in 2006. Shaw Brothers Studios officially originated in 1958 as the successor to the Tianyi Film Company. Under the leadership of Run Run Shaw, the company popularized kung fu films and launched many careers of some of Hong Kong’s biggest stars. The studio’s films have had a lasting impact, going on to influence the likes of Quentin Tarantino and the Wu-Tang Clan. With the release of Shawscope Volume One, Arrow looks to shine a much-deserved light on 12 kung fu classics from the Godfathers of Hong Kong Cinema. King Boxer, also known as Five Fingers of Death, is the story of two martial arts schools preparing for a big tournament. The film helped launch the kung fu craze in North America, earning praise for director Chang-Wha Chung‘s distinct style and fast-paced action. Boxer from Shantung follows a poverty-stricken fighter (Chen Kuan-tai) that heads to Shanghai with hopes of finding a life of luxury. Instead, he gets caught up in a world of corruption and gang warfare, forcing him to rely on his unique fighting style to survive. A young John Woo served as assistant director. After the destruction of the Shaolin Temple, five students seek vengeance by mastering their own individual fighting styles in Five Shaolin Masters. Known in some regions as 5 Masters of Death, this bonafide kung fu classic was directed by Chang Cheh and features action choreography from Lau Kar Leung and Lau Kar Wing. The Shaolin Temple stands as the lone place capable of resisting and defeating the Qing Dynasty. With the Qings determined to exterminate the Shaolin, the temple realizes they must quickly train more fighters in their obscure style in order to protect the ways of the Shaolin. Looking to capitalize on the 1976 King Kong remake, the Shaw Brothers took a stab at the giant ape genre with The Mighty Peking Man. Hailed by Film School Rejects as “a true work of genius” and awarded three-out-four stars by Roger Ebert for “general goofiness,” The Mighty Peking Man is a one-of-a-kind film certain to thrill all audiences. In Challenge of the Masters, a young Gordon Liu stars as a teenager that is constantly beaten by students at a rival school. Desperate to be trained by a father that refuses to do so, the teen sets out to learn from his father’s teacher and avenge those that have wronged both him and his school. Based on the life of Hung Hsi-kuan, Executioners from Shaolin is about a son that must learn both the fighting styles of his father and mother in order to defeat Pai Mei. Executioners from Shaolin was dubbed an “essential old school classic” by Mark Pollard of Kung Fu Cinema and sampled by the Wu-Tang Clan. Tan Tung (Alexander Fu Sheng), a young street fighter, escapes the murderous violence of Hong Kong by moving to San Francisco in Chinatown Kid. Unfortunately, he becomes tangled up with the local gangs and crosses the feared crime boss, the White Dragon (Kuo Chui). Chang Cheh’s Five Venoms, also known as Five Deadly Venoms, is one of the most famous kung fu films ever made. A dying martial arts teacher instructs his five last students to track down the previous five and defeat any that are evil. The film’s cultural impact stretches wide, being referenced in Kim’s Convenience, Kill Bill, and by rappers 2Pac and the Wu-Tang Clan. In Cheh’s Crippled Avengers, four men are brutally injured by martial arts master Chu Twin (Chen Kuan Tai) and his son, Chu Cho Chang (Lu Feng). The four men, now each suffering from a different disability, join forces to train and get revenge on the men that crippled them. Gordon Liu stars as Chinese kung fu student Ho Tao in Heroes of the East. After an arranged marriage to a Japanese woman, he inadvertently insults her family in an argument over which country has the better martial arts style. To prove himself, Ho must square off with seven of Japan’s top martial artists. Heroes of the East is notable for portraying Japanese martial artists as heroes alongside the more traditional kung fu fighters from the Hong Kong movies of the day. Unlike most Shaw Brothers’ productions, Dirty Ho trades in the revenge plot and instead delivers the story of a prince posing as a jeweler that hires a thief to protect him from those attempting to assassinate him and take his throne. This martial arts comedy reunites Gordon Liu with The 36th Chamber of Shaolin director, Lau Kar-leung. This limited-edition set includes hours of bonus content including new and archived interviews, newly commissioned artwork for each film, and a 60-page booklet with writing on the films, including cast and crew info and trivia. This is the first of multiple Shawscope volumes Arrow plans to release in the future. |
Giallo Essentials [Yellow Edition]
Four essential Giallo films restored from the original camera negatives
![Giallo Essentials [Yellow Edition]](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAyMTYgMCc+PC9zdmc+)
- List Price: $99.95
- Arrow Video continues its exploration of Italian cult cinema with this second volume of Giallo Essentials, bringing together three more suspense-filled exemplars of the genre! In Massimo Dallamano’s What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (1972), hot-headed Inspector Silvestri (Claudio Cassinelli, The Suspicious Death of a Minor) and rookie Assistant District Attorney Vittoria Stori (Giovanna Ralli, Cold Eyes of Fear) investigate the apparent suicide of a teenage girl, leading them to a sordid prostitution ring whose abusers occupy the highest echelons of Italian society. Sergio Martino’s Torso (1973) helped lay the groundwork for the American Slasher Movie: when a ruthless killer begins to target the female university students of Perugia, Jane (Suzy Kendall, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) and her friends flee for the peace of the countryside, only to discover that the threat isn’t far behind. Finally, Andrea Bianchi’s Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975) delivers depravity in droves as ambitious photographer Magda (Edwige Fenech, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key) and her on-off boyfriend, love rat Carlo (Nino Castelnuovo, The English Patient), team up to solve the spate of highly sexualized murders that are rocking a prestigious Milanese fashion house. Featuring grisly murders, amateur sleuths and motorcycle-riding maniacs, these iconic gialli are restored in 2K from their original negatives and are presented alongside a raft of juicy extras!
Bonus Materials
- 2K restorations from the original negatives
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations
- Two versions of Torso, the original 94-minute Italian cut and 90-minute English cut
- Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks*
- English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
- Rigid box packaging with new artwork by Haunt Love in windowed Giallo Essentials slipcover
- DISC 1: WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS?
- Commentary by giallo expert Troy Howarth
- Video essay by Kat Ellinger, editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine
- Eternal Melody, interview with composer Stelvio Cipriani
- Dallamano’s Touch, interview with editor Antonio Siciliano
- Unused footage
- Alternate English opening titles
- Italian theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
- DISC 2: TORSO
- Commentary critic by Kat Ellinger
- Interview with co-writer/director Sergio Martino
- Interview with actor Luc Merenda
- Interview with co-writer Ernesto Gastaldi
- Interview with filmmaker Federica Martino, daughter of Sergio Martino
- 2017 Abertoir International Horror Festival Q&A with Sergio Martino
- Interview with Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film
- Option to view the film with the alternate US opening title sequence
- Italian and English theatrical trailers
- DISC 3: STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER
- Commentary by HORRORPEDIA.com’s Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
- Sex and Death with a Smile, video essay by Kat Ellinger on giallo icon Edwige Fenech
- A Good Man for the Murders, interview with actor Nino Castelnuevo
- The Blonde Salamander, interview with actress Erna Schurer
- The Art of Helping, interview with assistant director Daniele Sangiorgi
- Jack of All Trades, interview with actor and production manager Tino Polenghi
- Two versions of the opening scene
- Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
- Image gallery
- *The English audio track on the original cut of Torso has portions missing, which were either never recorded or have been lost. These sequences are presented in Italian subtitled in English.
My Stepmother Is An Alien
She’s gorgeous, and she’s never been kissed. Needless to say, she’s from another planet.
- List Price: $39.95
He married a girl from out of town… Way out of town. Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters), Kim Basinger (The Nice Guys) and Jon Lovitz (Southland Tales) star in a fish-out-of-water comedy with a sci-fi twist that questions whether a romance between two star-crossed lovers who are literally worlds apart can ever work. When widowed astronomer Steve Mills (Aykroyd) inadvertently causes a gravitational disruption in deep space, a race of hyper-advanced alien lifeforms sends one of their own to investigate, disguised in the alluring human form of Celeste (Basinger). Tasked with seducing the lovelorn Steve in a bid to gain access to his scientific research, Celeste finds herself falling for the man she’s been sent to swindle. But they’ve not counted on Steve’s young daughter Jessie (Alyson Hannigan, TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who’s none too thrilled by the prospect of a new mother – especially not one from another planet. Funny and touching in equal measure, My Stepmother is an Alien is an offbeat and at times surprisingly risqué comedy that confirms the adage that what unites us is far greater than what divides us… even if what divides us happens to be an entire galaxy.
Bonus Materials
- Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original lossless 2.0 stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by critic Bryan Reesman
- Cosmetic Encounters: Directing My Stepmother is An Alien, a brand new interview with director Richard Benjamin
- Original trailer
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Amanda Reyes
Shawscope Volume One: Limited Edition Box
12 Kung Fu Classics on Blu-ray from the Godfathers of Hong Kong Cinema – the Shaw Brothers!
List Price: $179.95
This inaugural collection by Arrow Video presents twelve jewels from the Shaw crown, all released within the 1970s, kicking off in 1972 with Korean director Jeong Chang-hwa’s King Boxer, the film that established kung fu cinema as an international box office powerhouse when it hit Stateside cinemas under the title Five Fingers of Death. From there we see Chang Cheh (arguably Shaw’s most prolific director) helm the blood-soaked brutality of The Boxer from Shantung and two self-produced films in his ‘Shaolin Cycle’ series, Five Shaolin Masters and its prequel Shaolin Temple, before taking a detour into Ho Meng Hua’s King Kong-inspired Mighty Peking Man, one of the most unmissably insane giant monster films ever made. Chang’s action choreographer Lau Kar-leung then becomes a director in his own right, propelling his adoptive brother Gordon Liu to stardom in Challenge of the Masters and Executioners from Shaolin. Not to be outdone, Chang introduces some of Shaw’s most famous faces to the screen, including Alexander Fu Sheng fighting on the streets of San Francisco in Chinatown Kid and, of course, the mighty Venom Mob in The Five Venoms and Crippled Avengers. Finally, Lau and Liu successfully meld high kicks with humor in two of their masterworks, Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho, both co-starring fan favorite Hsiao Hou. From kickass kung fu killers to crazy kaiju knockoffs to culture clash comedies, this carefully curated and gorgeously presented selection of all-time Shaw Brothers classics merely represents the tip of the iceberg of the studio’s rich output, making it both an ideal starting point for newcomers and a treat for hardcore fans alike.
Bonus Materials
- Hi-Def (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of King Boxer, Boxer from Shantung, 5 Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Challenge of the Masters, Executioners from Shaolin, Chinatown Kid, Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, Heroes of the East, Dirty Ho
- Brand new 2K restorations by Arrow Films from the original camera negatives of King Boxer, The Boxer from Shantung, Challenge of the Masters, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers and Dirty Ho
- Brand new 2K master of the longer international cut of Chinatown Kid from original film elements
- Original lossless mono Mandarin, Cantonese (where applicable) and English audio
- Newly translated English subtitles for each film
- Hours of bonus features including brand new commentaries and critic appreciations on selected films, new and archive interviews with cast and crew, alternate credit sequences, trailer and image galleries for each film and more to be announced!
- 60 page book featuring new writing by David Desser, Simon Abrams and Terrence J. Brady, with cast and crew info for each film plus trivia and soundtrack info
- New artwork for each film by artists including Matthew Griffin, Chris Malbon, Jacob Phillips, Ilan Sheady, Tony Stella, Darren Wheeling and Jolyon Yates
- PRE-ORDER: NOW
- RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 6 2021
- COMING IN 2022…
- SHAWSCOPE VOLUME TWO, AND MORE!
