I love a good Western. I really love a good Italian Western. I really, really love a good boxed set from Arrow Video. So it will come as no surprise that when I discovered this Italian Western boxed set from Arrow Video was hitting the street this week I immediately made it my Pick of the Week.
I know absolutely nothing about these four films (I Want Him Dead, El Puro, Wrath of the Wind, and Four of the Apocalypse), and I don’t care. A quick look indicates they are all dirty, and violent, sometimes political, and always cynical. Four of the Apocalypse was directed by Lucio Fulcio so you can expect plenty of gore and maybe even a little cannibalism.
Arrow Video presents each film with a new 2K transfer and you can bet they look better than they ever have, and have given them loads of extras.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
The Warriors: Walter Hill’s wonderful, gritty portrayal of street gangs in 1970s New York City is getting a 4K transfer filled with lots of extras from Arrow Video.
Avatar Collector’s Edition: I’m not really a fan of this James Cameron epic, but if you are then this is an amazing-looking release. It has a new 4K transfer, comes with three versions of the film (theatrical, special edition, and collector’s extended cut), and more extras than one can possibly fathom.
Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol. 4: Shout Factory continues to release these wonderful boxed sets of classic Shaw Brothers martial artist films. This one contains 20 films released from 1980-1984.
The Exorcist: Believer: William Friedkin’s original The Exorcist is one of the all-time greatest horror movies ever. The first couple of sequels, I’d argue, are actually pretty good (and you can read my full review of The Exorcist II: The Heretic here), but after that, I lost track. This new one is from the same people who brought us the mostly terrible new Halloween trilogy, and the reviews for it have been pretty bad. I’ll probably watch it eventually, maybe next October.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines: Pet Sematary, the novel, is one of my favorite Stephen King books. It is gory, terrifying, and sometimes rather moving. There have been two cinematic adaptations of it and neither have been particularly good. This film serves as a prequel, taking place some 50 years before the events of the original story. Reviews have been absolutely terrible. See what Greg Hammond thought.
Elegant Beast: Radiance Films brings us this Japanese drama from 1962 about a greedy family involved in all sorts of shady schemes.
Battle Kaiju Series #2: Ultraman vs. Alien Baltan: One of these days I gotta watch me some Ultraman. This set features every episode in which Ultraman battles Alien Baltan.
Life is Cheap…But Toiletpaper is Expensive: One of the strangest films I have ever seen. Wayne Wang’s film is more a series of increasingly antagonistic vignettes than a straight narrative film, and it is a difficult watch. But it is also worth sitting through for it contains many visual delights and absurdist comedy.
