The Exister

Since there seems to be quite a bit of interest in this company's DVD releases, I thought I'd start a BU thread to discuss current and upcoming releases.

Here are a few previous threads:

Dead and Buried: http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=290013

Snuff: http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=307952

September & October releases: http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=308733

I'm really looking forward to the three Larry Cohen releases coming out later in August - Bone; God Told Me To; and Q - The Winged Serpent. I always thought God Told Me To and Q were above average horror fare for the times. Haven't seen Bone, but I'll be getting it.

RichDB10

Great stuff! a 'dedicated' Blue Underground thread.

Of the releases due out the end of August i've only seen Q The Winged Serpent before and am intrigued to check out the other Cohen releases.
Also as i never got round to getting the original Anchor Bay version of Q i'm certainly looking forward to snapping up the BU version.

In the long run i'm really looking forward to seeing which if any Dario Argento releases they'll get their hands on..i'd love a 'good quality' anamorphic transfer of 'Tenebrae' (unlike the R2 version) also i'd like to see if they released another Spaghetti Western boxset as the current one is fantastic....for those who haven't picked it up yet am i right in thinking it's due to be a 're-priced' release next year?

The Exister

Not sure if it gets a re-pricing next year, but I do remember reading somewhere about a Spaghetti Western Box vol 2. Anyone else hear anything about this?

DeputyDave

I just bought and watched "Dead and Buried" and I have to say I'm impressed with Blue Underground so far. I look forward to any company who has the guts to do little known and/or controversial horror.

ctyankee

That and that's what they're able to secure the rights to. It's not easy being a start-up. I wish him all the best.

Him being Bill Lustig, who gained experience at Anchor Bay and now is doing his own thing.

I just wish he would lose his aversion to sub-titles.

TomOpus

I keep picking these titles up a little at a time. Just last night I was out at Borders (there's a thread in Bargains about a few of their stores breaking street date on Vacation SE) and I came home with, among others, The Toolbox Murders

Along with others, I'm looking forward to Q. It's weird but the one scene I remember is when Michael Moriarity GETS DOWN to Blue Cheer's "Summertime Blues"

cerial442

I ordered Dead & Buried, but just the fact that Blue Underground released Dead & Buried, they get thumbs up from me.

Why did Bill Ludwig leave Anchor Bay? Was it just to start Blue Underground?

gutwrencher

I've only been dissapointed in 1 dvd/film....and I have them all so far. Venom, as a film...was a bummer. Oliver Reed, Klaus Kinski....great cast. but the real star I wanted to see was the real Black Mamba. I think he got maybe 5 minutes total of film time. still...the dvd featured a nice transfer....and I'll still buy everything BU puts out. already have the next 3 dvds pre-ordered and hope to have them before the 26th.

thanks Exister....for starting this thread. I have been working way over my physical limit and just couldnt muster the energy. dont worry...I'll help you keep it alive.

BlackBeauty92

i have yet own any of their titles yet...

i'm really wondering about Dead & Buried...
is it really gory? i like gory stuff

one of these days i will own one of their movies...
is Two Evil Eyes from AB or BU?

thanx

Chad

gut--just curious, if you could pick one and only one ...what would be your absolute favorite BU title so far?

djtoell

It has a couple of moments, but I wouldn't consider it a gory film - it only got an R rating in the US, after all. It is, however, very funny and very creepy, and I recommend it highly.

DJ

gutwrencher

tough call. I have to give the nod to The Spaghetti Western Collection....great box and one of my fav films...Django.

I also enjoy The Prowler, Contraband and Eugenie: The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion.

and as a fan of Dead and Buried for many years, I can also say to those who still have not seen this film....it lives up to the current hype that it's being given. totally fun and spooky stuff and a solid dvd...done with respect.

this is just the start of a healthy relationship between me and BU.

RichDB10

I agree with your sentiments..and welcome this 'dedicated' Blue Underground thread....however i have to say that Blue Underground aren't the only company out there producing quality 'little known/controversial horror' and i think it's only fair to mention Synapse who also take a great pride in the product they release as anyone with the 'Brain Dead' LE will testify.
Anyway at the end of the day i think both companies are going to keep lots of horror/cult film fans very happy and it's refreshing that there are companies out there who have a love of the 'art' and not only the $.

malkmuz

I recently got both Dead & Buried and Brain Damage: LE, and Synapse does deserve as much praise as Blue Underground. I can only hope they do as great a job on the Wild Zero disc that comes out next month!

RichDB10

Think i must have been 'brain dead' when i first typed that post...i hadn't realised i typed 'dead' instead of what i had meant initially - 'Damage'

Hulkaburger

Anyone know If Blue Underground has a Customer Service phone
number? I know they have an email address on thier website.

My favorite is either The Prowler or Dead & Buried.

The Exister

No problem!

My favorite BU release so far is also the Spaghetti Western Collection. Django is great, and Mannaja is pretty amazing, too.

After that, I like The Crazies (the Romero commentary is great) and the recent Dead & Buried release.

Giles

I am still surprised that BU unearthed an uncut print of "The Prowler", great EFX work by Savini, that I thought I'd never see. (and on that note, it's high time MGM released an unrated print of "The Burning on DVD)

Sunday Morning

What I have so far:

bone
the crazies
dead & buried
god told me to
q the winged serpent SE
snuff
two evil eyes
venom

on the way:

the prowler
revolver
shock waves
the toolbox murders

sold/traded/gave away:

baba yaga
daughters of darkness
emanuelle in america
salon kitty
vampyres
(because I am not into the sexploiters as much)

still need to get:

contraband
eugenie
marquis de sade's justine
quiet days in clichy
the shape of things to come
spaghetti western collection

will not get:

contamination (because it sucks royally)

gutwrencher

one of the best BU releases, I think. it's super Italian SF/Horror cheese at it's best. but aside from the film....it's one hell of a dvd. great transfer and some very cool features. one of my personal favs from BU.

SpinnerX

Why does it seem like more and more people are fans of certain labels first and foremost, and fans of the movies second? I guess this goes along with the whole Criterion spine number collector phenomenon, but it just seems like people are focusing on the wrong thing. When you get people asking, "What Blue Underground disc should I get?" it just seems strange. I mean I get excited or interested by a movie, not by a label.

It's good to know whether or not a label is known for quality releases, but to dedicate yourself to buying every title from a company just to give them support seems a little over-the-top. This isn't directed at anybody in particular, because I see it everywhere nowadays, but it's like the whole comic book fanboy thing where a kid feels compelled to buy every single Marvel comic, or whatever.

I mean, I like a lot of the stuff that Blue Underground is putting out, but that doesn't mean I'm going to buy junk like The Prowler or Snuff just to support them. How long can someone be a Blue Underground completist anyway, when you have something like Shape of Things to Come on the shelf next to Quiet Days in Clichy? Is there an individual who actually loves each of those films? And now with BU heading into new territory with their upcoming Alan Clarke films, I wonder how long somebody can remain a dedicated Blue Underground fanboy.

You just get into weird territory when you get a movie like Made in Britain, which would probably be ignored by a lot of people if it weren't being released by Blue Underground. On the one hand, good on Alan Clarke, but it makes you wonder about this sort of label worship. Are you prioritizing the label over the movie?

gutwrencher

I think I might be the only one here so far who collects them all...so you must be talkin' to me. well...allow me to retort.

does all this really weigh on your mind? I find it funny...thats all. why you would focus your energy on this is mind-numbing. anyway....it's all just a subjective opinion.

I love The Prowler. people differ in taste....what a shock.

...so your saying anyone who likes these films..for whatever reason....must be an idiot.

the bottom line is I watch and collect what i want. I'm a collector. I grew up with some of these films and have a passion for them that does not need to be explained. I never force anyone to understand, and could care less if they ever do. I will continue to collect BU titles for a number of reasons. just so happens I've enjoyed the titles BU has put out. I also have enjoyed or are very interested in the titles that are coming out through the rest of the year. I also respect BU. I share the passion they feel for more obscure films and to get those films to the public. I just love BU...plain and simple, and wont be driving down the guilt highway for buying everything they put out.

if you dont like the films...dont buy them. no need to be concerned about the people that do buy them either. these films are just like all the others....some will love them and some wont. I wont be losing sleep over who loves/hates what.

...just watch and see.

TomOpus

I tip my hat for those that collect for the pure love of the item and not only for monetary gain. They have made a connection and have the ways and means to complete a collection.

Some people collect Criterion... or MGMs Midnite Movies... or Disney Treasures... or even Blue Underground. I, myself, have 9 BU titles. I'm not going to be a completist.

Gut's reason for being a "BU completist" is very noble, IMO. I sense a real feeling of excitement in his posts and it can become infectious... hence the interest in BU from other members (like myself!). You go, Gut!

SpinnerX

I write one post about it and I'm "focusing my energy"? OK, I can tell you're going to take this personally.

Uh, no. That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that those are two unrelated, polar opposite films, and buying them simply because they are Blue Underground clearly places the label before the movies themselves. I'm not saying that there aren't people who are perfectly capable of loving both those films equally, but since you're evangelizing for Blue Underground I have to assume that those wouldn't necessarily be at the top of your shopping list if they were on another label.

Since you said that you own every Blue Underground release, I can either assume that you're a fan of every one of those films or else you're a fan of the label and want to support them no matter what they put out. I'm sure it's more accurate to say that you're a fan of most of Blue Underground's titles and that you will buy the ones you aren't necessarily a fan of just to support them, but hopefully you get my point.

So look at it this way. I'll use examples of similar movies put out by different labels. You bought QUIET DAYS IN CLICHY. Did you buy THE VALLEY OBSCURED BY THE CLOUDS, a superior (IMHO) arthouse erotic hippie movie? If not, would you have bought it if it were released by Blue Underground instead of Home Vision?

You bought CONTRABAND. Did you buy NADA, a much better Fabio Testi crime film? If not, would you have bought NADA if it were on Blue Underground instead of Pathfinder?

You bought SALON KITTY. What about Criterion's THE NIGHT PORTER? That's the film that inspired it.

I'll stop there. Maybe you do own those other movies, but the point still stands. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I'm just trying to point out that it seems to be more about the label than the movies. Just like the many discussions about why people are compelled to buy every Criterion release, I'm just trying to understand this collector mentality. Maybe that will never happen.

gutwrencher

I have TVOBTC on tape. Contraband I bought to keep my Fulci collection going. The Night Porter has been on my list for a little while. jesus christ...I can only buy 5 to 10 dvds a week....give me time. I have 428 titles on my list I either need to get or am waiting for.

...if you are not a dvd/film collector now...no...you wont understand. and explaining my passion for either BU or the titles wont help either. good luck in your search for info.