Foreign Cinema in BLU (part 2)

[Overpar]

February 16. Icon (Usually Region-free) from UK...

[Giles]

Originally Posted by ali_b

Has anyone picked up the UK BD of Elite Squad? If so, is it region free?

according to the review over at blu-ray.com it's region B.

Elite Squad

[Giles]

Originally Posted by Overpar

February 16. Icon (Usually Region-free) from UK...

but will the supplements be PAL? I'd soooo buy this.

[Overpar]

February 16. Icon (Usually Region-free) from UK...

[Overpar]

Originally Posted by Giles

but will the supplements be PAL? I'd soooo buy this.

Don't know the details yet, but those releases usually have PAL extras. I have a couple of ICON releases myself.

[SomethingMore]

I'd be in for both Once and Maria Full of Grace.

[Giles]

I seriousily need to buy a laptop with a bluray drive.

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by Overpar

February 16. Icon (Usually Region-free) from UK...

I'm still miffed that this wasn't released on Blu-ray in the U.S. when the DVD was released. Oh well.

[Tutut]

French TF1 Video will release Polanski's Pirates on April 2 (region B).

[toddly6666]

Slovakian DVD of BATHORY is out:


buy it here (if you understand anything): http://www.gorila.sk/product/168025

Here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUFdcaborDg


Here's some more Czech or Slovakian flicks and/or Western films on Blu Ray (with English subtitles and/or audio...not sure about Bathory and I served the king of england):


(not the cover, but they have the blu ray)

[D-day]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Here's some more Czech or Slovakian flicks and/or Western films on Blu Ray (with English subtitles and/or audio...not sure about Bathory and I served the king of england):

I Served the King of England has only Czech subtitles. That goes for both the DVD and Blu-Ray.

[beebs]

Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt

I'm surprised by how many people don't shop Canadian. I ordered 21 Grams and Taxi Driver - 2 of my favorite movies from Amazon.ca. Also, Se7en is available through pre-order for a March date.

I don't understand why more people didn't buy Sin City or From Dusk Till Dawn. Alliance releases are great.

If you want a reason, look at the domestic Sin City release compared to the Canada one.

-beebs

[DVD Guy ATL]

Anyone know why Eureka apparently doesn't yet have a spine #1 for the new Masters of Cinema BD line? "Mad Detective" is #2 and "Tokyo Sonata" will be #3. Am I missing something? I'm liking the idea of expanding my MoC collection and wondered if anyone has insight into this one. Thanks.

[PopcornTreeCt]

Originally Posted by beebs

If you want a reason, look at the domestic Sin City release compared to the Canada one.

-beebs

You mean the Canadian one that I'm holding in my hand right now or the domestic release that comes out in 3 months?

[Overpar]

From DVD Times...

Optimum Home Entertainment have revealed a list of titles they have planned for UK Blu-ray Disc in 2009. No further details or dates are available at this time, and the list is subject to change, so with that in mind, here it is...

Whiteout
Santa Claus - The Movie
Cracks
Bunny and The Bull
Tekken
Awaydays
In The Loop
Is Anybody There
Flash of Genius
Highlander Immortal Edition
Hush
Vicky Christina Barcelona
Che Part 2
Che Part 1
Terminator 2 Skynet Edition Endoskeleton
Martyrs - 24th May 2009
The Wrestler
The Signal - 6th April 2009

[GenPion]

I would love to get Once on Blu-ray. Any confirmation on if it's region free, or how the video/audio is?

[toddly6666]

Russia's STILYAGI:

[pro-bassoonist]

^
It has been out for quite some time now. It is not subbed in English and the transfer is slightly above average.

Pro-B

[ali_b]

I believe Che parts one and two are tentatively scheduled for 29th June in the UK...

[Tutut]

For June 17 in France:



No specs about this release yet.

[Raul3]

I almost fainted.

Wow! I never thought they would release Dobermann so soon.

Of course I don't have any hope that it will be region free or have english subs. I don't care too much about the subs, I have watched the movie so many times, but I really hope it's region free.

[Overpar]

So, apparently The Crimson Rivers has been rereleased in France by Gaumont with English Subtitles and is region-free. It is very expensive at Amazon.fr, but I would love to get this some day.

[Tom Army]

Originally Posted by Tutut

For June 17 in France:



No specs about this release yet.

OH PUTAIN!!! [pray]region-free, region-free, region-free, region-free[/pray] (got f*cked with c'est arrivé près de chez vous hopefully this one will be R-free)

could I get confirmation also that le Deuxième souffle is indeed region-free?

[Giles]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Slovakian DVD of BATHORY is out:


buy it here (if you understand anything): http://www.gorila.sk/product/168025

Here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUFdcaborDg

is BATHORY region free?

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Tom Army

could I get confirmation also that le Deuxième souffle is indeed region-free?

I've posted the specs here:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=3823

Originally Posted by Giles

is BATHORY region free?

Yes.



Studio Canal and Universal Studios-France have teamed up for the release of John Guillermin's classic King Kong (1976) which set to arrive in Gallic territories on June 17th.

James Berardinelli:

Common wisdom contends that Dino De Laurentiis' big-budget remake of Merian C. Cooper's classic 1933 film, King Kong, is a bad movie. And, viewed from a certain perspective, perhaps it is, but it's also a lot of fun. Certainly, this version of Kong doesn't have more than an echo of the original's magic associated with it. The same level of painstaking craftsmanship isn't apparent here -- instead of using stop-motion technology, we have Rick Baker in a monkey suit. But the 1976 rendition has a fresh, breezy feel to it. The screenplay, by Lorenzo Semple Jr. (Three Days of the Condor), is relentlessly tongue-in- cheek, and there's an air of self-aware campiness pervading the project.

This movie certainly doesn't offend me like it does many lovers of the original. There are times when the '76 Kong is obviously very bad, but those are more than offset by the things it does right. Although the special effects (which really aren't all that "special") won an Academy Award, they're definitely not the type to impress, even though this is still (barely) the pre-Star Wars era. Semple's script, which effectively brings the story into the '70s, is an asset, as are the performances, which hit the perfect rhythm for this kind of cornball adventure.

In the original King Kong, moviemaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) makes a voyage to the mysterious Skull Island in search of something amazing to capture on film. In his company are his lead actress, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), and a hunky sailor, Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). Once they reach the island, Ann is captured by the natives and offered up to their god, Kong, a thirty-foot high giant ape. After a chase through a dinosaur-infested jungle, Jack rescues Ann, and Denham captures Kong. He brings his prize back to New York, but chains can't hold him. The ape escapes, re-captures Ann, then climbs to the top of the Empire State Building, where he meets his doom in a fight-to-the-death with biplanes.

Forty-three years later, not that much has changed. The principals have slightly different names and roles. The "Denham" character, now named Fred Wilson and played by Charles Grodin, is a pompous oil executive in search of fabled petroleum deposits (this movie was made during the mid- '70s oil crisis). Jack Driscoll has become Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges), a long haired anthropologist who is looking for Kong. And the girl is Dwan, played by Jessica Lange in her screen debut, a starlet looking for a little love and a change of luck. The plot has this group landing on the island in search of oil, and, instead, finding Kong. The finale in New York takes place not at the Empire State Building, but atop the World Trade Center, where Kong battles not only helicopters, but men armed with flamethrowers.

Admittedly, there are times when Kong looks pretty silly. However, for the most part, the concept of Rick Baker in a monkey suit works pretty well. Then there's a life-size, mechanical representation of the ape which gets about 10 seconds of screen time (during the New York escape sequence), and appears as stiff and ridiculous as any failed special effect can. Some of the blue screen shots don't work -- specifically one where Dwan is pounding on Kong's nose. The editing is also rather clumsy. After Kong destroys one of the helicopters in the final battle, the same number are subsequently shown circling him.

It's not all bad, though. In fact, taken in the right spirit, a fair amount of what this updated King Kong offers is quite good. The romance, such as it is, between the male and female leads is developed more fully here than in the '33 version. Ditto for the "relationship" between the humanized Beast and his Beauty. Ann always hated Kong; Dwan, on the other hand, tries to save him and weeps when he dies. There's a cute moment in the jungle where Kong uses puffs of breath to blow dry a soaked Dwan. And there's a welcome transition sequence between the island and New York scenes on board the oil tanker transporting Kong to America.

From a cinematography standpoint, King Kong impresses. Much of the location footage is epic in scope, especially the scene where the initial motorboat penetrates the fog bank surrounding Kong's island. The sacrifice scene, which leads up to Kong's first appearance, is nicely-choreographed, and builds suspense. John Barry's score, which is excellent at establishing moods, is among the most overlooked work of his career.

Semple's script contains numerous witty lines. The performers all ham it up, having great fun with their parts. "Serious" viewers may have difficulty with this style, but, for a movie as fundamentally silly as this one, it works (in fact, it's probably the only reasonable way to play things). Sure, this King Kong remake is loaded with flaws, but, in many ways, they add to the campy charm. De Laurentiis' Kong may not be a grand, glorious modernization of a classic tale, but it's two-plus hours of big-scale, occasionally-foolish entertainment.

Pro-B