April Haul #4
Yep we have a massive amount of new items today, three packages from three different retailers. I reckon this will be one of the last pickups of the month unless Anime Limited ships out the Easter sale haul.
#8: Absolute Cinema
Yep we have a massive amount of new items today, three packages from three different retailers. I reckon this will be one of the last pickups of the month unless Anime Limited ships out the Easter sale haul.
#8: Absolute Cinema
Three packages all arriving at the same time was not on my bingo card, but it helped they came together because I always find it awkward when I receive one each day back to back. Haven't felt like this since that time in University when I received like 4-5 packages at the same time.
Starting off with the 88 Films Store package which arrived early as it was originally pushed back to early May's timeframe.
First up we have Robert Clouse's The Amsterdam Kill (荷京喋血) released in 1977. This US/Hong Kong produced film he made in-between Enter the Dragon and Game of Death and stars Robert Mitchum (Cape Fear), Richard Egan (Pollyanna), Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun) and Keye Luke (Gremlins). 88 Films' limited edition release is presented with the US style slim case packaging and a booklet.
We finally get Wong Jing's God of Gamblers II (賭俠) released in 1990. The second instalment in the gambling franchise which I'm surprised has taken this long (considering the previous film was released three years ago) and I'm hoping the rest will follow suit. The film stars Andy Lau (A Moment of Romance), Stephen Chow (From Beijing With Love), Sharla Cheung (Fight Back to School), and Charles Heung Wah-Keung (A Queen's Ransom). 88 Films' limited edition is packaged similarly to the first film but with a poster instead of a booklet this time around.
And here is James Glickenhaus' The Protector (威龍猛探) released in 1985. The latest Jackie Chan film to be re-released for the 4K Ultra HD format and one of the first films of his for the international audience. I liked this film a lot more than I should and look forward to revisiting it, especially as this 4K includes three versions (compared to the Blu-ray's two versions which only one of them was presented in HD); the original US/International cut, the Hong Kong cut that Jackie Chan worked on, and brand new to this edition is the Japanese extended cut, and all of them are presented in 4K Ultra HD.
The 88 Films deluxe limited edition includes a slipcase (exclusive to their store) with poster artwork, rigid box with a 4K amaray case housing the three cuts across two discs per format, a booklet with essays from various folks and a double-sided fold-out poster.
Next is the Arrow Video releases that came from the Terracotta Distribution store. These are also April pre-orders which I sorted out as soon as they were announced so that I didn't miss out on these sets.
First up is Oxide Pang Shun & Danny Pang Phat's The Eye (見鬼) released in 2002. This is the second film from The Pang Brothers after Bangkok Dangerous (recently released by Discotek Media), but this is what I was more familiar with thanks to Tartan Video putting it out back in the day so while I haven't seen the film I was well aware of it, which is why I'm really excited to see another license rescue from Arrow Video and on 4K none-the-less. The film stars Angelica Lee Sin-Jie (The Thieves), Lawrence Chou Chun-Wai (Dream Home), Candy Lo Hau-Yam (Time and Tide) and Edmund Chen (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li). Arrow Video's limited edition release includes an o-card slipcase and a booklet.
Next is John Woo's The Killer (喋血雙雄) released in 1989. Arrow Video's fourth Golden Princess release and one of the most anticipated releases of the year, I am very much glad to have pre-ordered this considering it's selling out fairly fast from what I can tell. The film stars Chow Yun-Fat (God of Gamblers), Danny Lee Sau-Yin (City on Fire), Sally Yeh (Shanghai Blues) and Paul Chu Kong (The Big Heat).
The Arrow Video limited edition includes a slipcase, rigid box with a 4K amaray case housing the 4K Ultra HD disc and two Blu-ray discs with extra features and the Taiwanese cut (exclusive to this edition), a booklet with essays from various folks, six cards and a double-sided fold-out poster.
And here we have the Wandering Ginza Butterfly collection from Kazuhiko Yamaguchi featuring Wandering Ginza Butterfly (銀蝶渡り鳥) and Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2: She-Cat Gambler (銀蝶流れ者 牝猫博奕), both released in 1972. Two classic Yakuza films which fit alongside many of the ones that Arrow Video have released before. The first film stars Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood), Tsunehiko Watase (Battles Without Honor and Humanity), Akiko Koyama (In the Realm of the Senses) and Mieko Aoyagi (Black Ninja) and the second film also stars Sonny Chiba (Survive Style 5+), Junzaburō Ban (A Fugitive from the Past) and Yukie Kagawa (Japanese Spiderman). Arrow Video's limited edition release includes an o-card slipcase and a booklet.
Next is the Radiance Films package consisting of their April 2026 line-up. This is the first time in a while that I decided to go with the bundle instead of grabbing them individually as they were all interesting enough for me to get them sooner,
From Italy we have Damiano Damiani's Confessions of a Police Captain (Confessione di un commissario di polizia al procuratore della Repubblica) released in 1971. This is the sixth film from the director that Radiance Films have brought over so far. The film stars Franco Nero (Django), Martin Balsam (12 Angry Men), Claudio Gora (Il Sorpasso) and Marilù Tolo (The Witches).
From Spain we have Pedro Almodóvar's Matador released in 1986. This is the latest film to be brought over to the 4K Ultra HD format and I'm very interested to check this one out because of its premise. The film stars Assumpta Serna (I, the Worst of All), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), Nacho Martínez (High Heels) and Eva Cobo (Armour of God II: Operation Condor).
From Hong Kong we have Johnnie To's Romancing in Thin Air (高海拔之戀 II) released in 2012. We know Johnnie To is known for his action films but this time we have a romance drama written by Wai Ka-fai who's worked with him for Mad Detective and Running on Karma. The film stars Louis Koo (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In), Sammi Cheng Sau-Man (Infernal Affairs), Gao Yuanyuan (City of Life and Death) and Wang Baoqiang (A Touch of Sin).
And from France we have the latest big box set release with Time to Play: Films by Jacques Rozier, featuring five of his films on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. The films included are:
Starting off with the 88 Films Store package which arrived early as it was originally pushed back to early May's timeframe.
First up we have Robert Clouse's The Amsterdam Kill (荷京喋血) released in 1977. This US/Hong Kong produced film he made in-between Enter the Dragon and Game of Death and stars Robert Mitchum (Cape Fear), Richard Egan (Pollyanna), Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun) and Keye Luke (Gremlins). 88 Films' limited edition release is presented with the US style slim case packaging and a booklet.
We finally get Wong Jing's God of Gamblers II (賭俠) released in 1990. The second instalment in the gambling franchise which I'm surprised has taken this long (considering the previous film was released three years ago) and I'm hoping the rest will follow suit. The film stars Andy Lau (A Moment of Romance), Stephen Chow (From Beijing With Love), Sharla Cheung (Fight Back to School), and Charles Heung Wah-Keung (A Queen's Ransom). 88 Films' limited edition is packaged similarly to the first film but with a poster instead of a booklet this time around.
And here is James Glickenhaus' The Protector (威龍猛探) released in 1985. The latest Jackie Chan film to be re-released for the 4K Ultra HD format and one of the first films of his for the international audience. I liked this film a lot more than I should and look forward to revisiting it, especially as this 4K includes three versions (compared to the Blu-ray's two versions which only one of them was presented in HD); the original US/International cut, the Hong Kong cut that Jackie Chan worked on, and brand new to this edition is the Japanese extended cut, and all of them are presented in 4K Ultra HD.
The 88 Films deluxe limited edition includes a slipcase (exclusive to their store) with poster artwork, rigid box with a 4K amaray case housing the three cuts across two discs per format, a booklet with essays from various folks and a double-sided fold-out poster.
Next is the Arrow Video releases that came from the Terracotta Distribution store. These are also April pre-orders which I sorted out as soon as they were announced so that I didn't miss out on these sets.
First up is Oxide Pang Shun & Danny Pang Phat's The Eye (見鬼) released in 2002. This is the second film from The Pang Brothers after Bangkok Dangerous (recently released by Discotek Media), but this is what I was more familiar with thanks to Tartan Video putting it out back in the day so while I haven't seen the film I was well aware of it, which is why I'm really excited to see another license rescue from Arrow Video and on 4K none-the-less. The film stars Angelica Lee Sin-Jie (The Thieves), Lawrence Chou Chun-Wai (Dream Home), Candy Lo Hau-Yam (Time and Tide) and Edmund Chen (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li). Arrow Video's limited edition release includes an o-card slipcase and a booklet.
Next is John Woo's The Killer (喋血雙雄) released in 1989. Arrow Video's fourth Golden Princess release and one of the most anticipated releases of the year, I am very much glad to have pre-ordered this considering it's selling out fairly fast from what I can tell. The film stars Chow Yun-Fat (God of Gamblers), Danny Lee Sau-Yin (City on Fire), Sally Yeh (Shanghai Blues) and Paul Chu Kong (The Big Heat).
The Arrow Video limited edition includes a slipcase, rigid box with a 4K amaray case housing the 4K Ultra HD disc and two Blu-ray discs with extra features and the Taiwanese cut (exclusive to this edition), a booklet with essays from various folks, six cards and a double-sided fold-out poster.
And here we have the Wandering Ginza Butterfly collection from Kazuhiko Yamaguchi featuring Wandering Ginza Butterfly (銀蝶渡り鳥) and Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2: She-Cat Gambler (銀蝶流れ者 牝猫博奕), both released in 1972. Two classic Yakuza films which fit alongside many of the ones that Arrow Video have released before. The first film stars Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood), Tsunehiko Watase (Battles Without Honor and Humanity), Akiko Koyama (In the Realm of the Senses) and Mieko Aoyagi (Black Ninja) and the second film also stars Sonny Chiba (Survive Style 5+), Junzaburō Ban (A Fugitive from the Past) and Yukie Kagawa (Japanese Spiderman). Arrow Video's limited edition release includes an o-card slipcase and a booklet.
Next is the Radiance Films package consisting of their April 2026 line-up. This is the first time in a while that I decided to go with the bundle instead of grabbing them individually as they were all interesting enough for me to get them sooner,
From Italy we have Damiano Damiani's Confessions of a Police Captain (Confessione di un commissario di polizia al procuratore della Repubblica) released in 1971. This is the sixth film from the director that Radiance Films have brought over so far. The film stars Franco Nero (Django), Martin Balsam (12 Angry Men), Claudio Gora (Il Sorpasso) and Marilù Tolo (The Witches).
From Spain we have Pedro Almodóvar's Matador released in 1986. This is the latest film to be brought over to the 4K Ultra HD format and I'm very interested to check this one out because of its premise. The film stars Assumpta Serna (I, the Worst of All), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), Nacho Martínez (High Heels) and Eva Cobo (Armour of God II: Operation Condor).
From Hong Kong we have Johnnie To's Romancing in Thin Air (高海拔之戀 II) released in 2012. We know Johnnie To is known for his action films but this time we have a romance drama written by Wai Ka-fai who's worked with him for Mad Detective and Running on Karma. The film stars Louis Koo (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In), Sammi Cheng Sau-Man (Infernal Affairs), Gao Yuanyuan (City of Life and Death) and Wang Baoqiang (A Touch of Sin).
And from France we have the latest big box set release with Time to Play: Films by Jacques Rozier, featuring five of his films on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. The films included are:
- 1969's Adieu Philippine - starring Jean-Claude Aimini, Yveline Cery, Vittorio Caprioli (The Boss) and Stefania Sabatini (The Vampire and the Ballerina).
- 1971's Near Orouët (Du côté d'Orouët) - starring Caroline Cartier (The Nude Vampire), Danièle Croisy (Les filles du régiment), Françoise Guégan and Patrick Verde (I Am a Nymphomaniac).
- 1976's The Castaways of Turtle Island (Les Naufragés de l'ile de la Tortue) - starring Pierre Richard (Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom), Maurice Risch (The Last Metro), Jacques Villeret (The Dinner Game) and Caroline Cartier (Lumière).
- 1986's Maine-Ocean Express (Maine Océan) - starring Luis Rego (Attila Marcel), Yves Afonso (Made in U.S.A), Lydia Feld, and Bernard Ménez (Day for Night).
- 2001's Fifi Martingale - starring Jean Lefebvre (The Magnificent One), Lydia Feld, Yves Afonso (The Watchmaker of St. Paul) and Jacques François (Sorceror).
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