Arrow Video US - March 2017 Releases Detailed

TAKASHI MIIKE'S DEAD OF ALIVE TRILOGY 

on DVD and Blu-ray (March 14)

HOUSE: TWO STORIES LIMITED EDITION [HOUSE 1 and 2] 

on Blu-ray (March 21)

via MVD Entertainment Group

     
MVD Entertainment Group furthers the distribution of Arrow Video in the US with two amazing releases tailor made for cult and horror fans.

First out is Takashi Miike's classic Dead or Alive Trilogy starring Riki Takeuchi and Show Aikawa as their various characters deal drugs in Tokyo, put their yakuza assassin skills to good use and even meet cyborg soldiers in future Yokohama. Each film deftly shows off Miike at the height of his skills, and weaves a captivating tapestry of crime, action and character study.

Next up is a franchise any horror fan around in the late 80s and early 90s will recognise: House: Two Stories Limited Edition [House 1 & 2] which has a gorgeous 2K restoration of the first two films. With each film telling a different tale, and getting increasingly bonkers as the series goes on, the House films are equal parts funny, scary and entertaining. As much a joy for fans of weird cinema as they are for horror lovers.

Earlier in March, Arrow splits up the Death Walks Twice box set and offers Death Walks On High Heels and Death Walks At Midnight both on DVD and Blu-ray. These two films by Luciano Ercoli are beautifully restored Italian horror classics, with plenty of bonus features.

TAKASHI MIIKE'S DEAD OF ALIVE TRILOGY 

on DVD and Blu-ray (March 14)

Beginning with an explosive, six-minute montage of sex, drugs and violence, and ending with a phallus-headed battle robot taking flight, Takashi Miike's unforgettable Dead or Alive Trilogy features many of the director's most outrageous moments set alongside some of his most dramatically moving scenes. Made between 1999 and 2002, the Dead or Alive films cemented Miike's reputation overseas as one of the most provocative enfants terrible of Japanese cinema, yet also one of its most talented and innovative filmmakers. 

In Dead or Alive, tough gangster Ryuichi (Riki Takeuchi) and his ethnically Chinese gang make a play to take over the drug trade in Tokyo's Shinjuku district by massacring the competition. But he meets his match in detective Jojima (Show Aikawa), who will do everything to stop them. 

Dead or Alive 2: Birds casts Aikawa and Takeuchi together again, but as new characters, a pair of rival yakuza assassins who turn out to be childhood friends; after a botched hit, they flee together to the island where they grew up, and decide to devote their deadly skills to a more humanitarian cause. 

And in Dead or Alive: Final, Takeuchi and Aikawa are catapulted into a future Yokohama ruled by multilingual gangs and cyborg soldiers, where they once again butt heads in the action-packed and cyberpunk-tinged finale to the trilogy. 

Each of them unique in theme and tone, the Dead or Alive films showcase Miike at the peak of his strengths, creating three very distinct movies connected only by their two popular main actors, each film a separate yet superb example of crime drama, character study, and action film making.

Bonus Materials
- High Definition digital transfers of all three films
- Original stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles for all three films
- New interview with actor Riki Takeuchi
- New interview with actor Sho Aikawa
- New interview with producer and screenwriter Toshiki Kimura
- New audio commentary for Dead or Alive by Miike biographer Tom Mes
- Archive interviews with cast and crew
- Archive making-of featurettes for DOA2: Birds and DOA: Final
- Original theatrical trailers for all three films
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Orlando Arocena

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films by Kat Ellinger

Label: Arrow Video »
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run Time: 291 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1999
Director: Takashi Miike
Actors: Riki Takeuchi, Sho Aikawa
Territory: US
Language: Japanese
SRP: $49.95

HOUSE: TWO STORIES LIMITED EDITION [HOUSE 1 and 2]

 on Blu-ray (March 21)

Limited to 5000 units!

Step inside, we've been expecting you! At long-last, Arrow Video is proud to present the first two instalments of hit horror franchise House on Blu-ray for the first time! In the original House, William Katt (Carrie) stars as Roger Cobb, a horror novelist struggling to pen his next bestseller. When he inherits his aunt's creaky old mansion, Roger decides that he's found the ideal place in which to get some writing done. Unfortunately, the house's monstrous supernatural residents have other ideas... 

Meanwhile, House II: The Second Story sees young Jesse (Arye Gross) moving into an old family mansion where his parents were mysteriously murdered years before. Plans for turning the place into a party pad are soon thwarted by the appearance of Jesse's mummified great-great-grandfather, his mystical crystal skull and the zombie cowboy who'll stop at nothing to lay his hands on it! 

From the team that brought you Friday the 13th, House and House II are era-defining horror classics - now newly restored and loaded with brand new extras!

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restorations of House and House II: The Second Story
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- "The House Companion" limited edition 60-page book featuring new writing on the entire - - House franchise by researcher Simon Barber, alongside a wealth of archive material

HOUSE
- Audio commentary with director Steve Miner, producer Sean S. Cunningham, actor William - Katt and screenwriter Ethan Wiley
- Ding Dong, You're Dead! The Making of House - brand new documentary featuring interviews with Steve Miner, Sean S. Cunningham, Ethan Wiley, story creator Fred Dekker, stars William Katt, Kay Lenz, and George Wendt, composer Harry Manfredini, special make-up and creature effects artists Barney Burman, Brian Wade, James Belohovek, Shannon Shea, Kirk Thatcher, and Bill Sturgeon, special paintings artists Richard Hescox and William Stout, and stunt coordinator Kane Hodder
- Stills Gallery
- Theatrical Trailers

HOUSE II: THE SECOND STORY
- Audio commentary with writer-director Ethan Wiley and producer Sean S. Cunningham
- It's Getting Weirder! The Making of House II: The Second Story - Brand new documentary featuring interviews with Ethan Wiley, Sean S. Cunningham, stars Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark, Lar Park Lincoln, and Devin DeVasquez, composer Harry Manfredini, special make-up and creature effects artists Chris Walas, Mike Smithson, visual effects supervisor Hoyt Yeatman, and stunt coordinator Kane Hodder
- Stills Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer

Label: Arrow Video
Run Time: 93 mins
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: STEREO
Year of Production: 1986
Director: Steve Miner, Ethan Wiley
Actors: William Katt, George Wendt, Arye Gross, Jonathan Stark
Territory: US

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (2014) (Blu-ray Review)

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (2014) 

Label: Scream Factory
Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated
Duration: 94 Minutes
Audio: Japanese DTS-HD MA Surround 5.1, Stereo 2.0, English DTS-HD MA Stereo 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Ebizô Ichikawa, Kô Shibasaki, Maiko, Miho Nakanishi, Toshie Negishi, Hideaki Itô, Hiroshi Katsuno, Ikkô Furuya

I will say at the top of this review I am an admittedly casual Takashi Miike movie fan. I have seen a dozen or so of his better known and widely distributed movies, from about 1999 forward. Like many I first became aware of Miike through the notorious movie Audition (1990). I specifically became aware of it and the director through Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments which aired in 2004. It was one of only a handful of the movies featured on the list that I hadn't seen at that point. As any respecting horror fan would I made it a point to seek it out, I found it hard to digest, a slow-burn for sure, but with these weird disturbing moments peppered throughout which hinted at something awful just ahead... and then that payoff ...whoa. 

Afterward I set out to watch more from Miike, I had just started my Netflx physical DVD subscription and they had a decent array of his movies. I saw the more notorious Yakua movies (Ichi the Killer, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka) and a few samurai films (13 Assassins, Hara-Kiri), then onto his Three... Extremes anthology entry and I caught up with his notable episode of from Showtime's Masters of Horror once it hit DVD. All in all  I have seen about a dozen of his films, which is only a tenth of a percent of his over 100 movies! Miike is like Jess Franco during his most prolific period in the seventies and eighties on anabolic steroids, keeping up with his filmography nearly qualifies as a life style choice, it's massive. So, here I am with one of his more recent entries, the Miike journey continues. 

The happenings of this movie revolve around a trio of young actors entwined in a tragic love triangle. Actress Miyuki Goto (Ko Shibasaki), her husband actor Kosuke Hasegawa (Ebizo Ichikawa), and his mistress actress Rio Asahina (Miho Nakanishi). They form a love triangle in the stage play Yotsuya Kaidan within the movie, and off stage in their own private lives the same dynamic holds true, with certain events in the stage play weirdly mirroring what's happening off stage. 

Kosuke carries on an affair with his co-star Rio while his starlet wife Miyuki stays at home with dreams of having Kosuke's child, a thought that weighs heavily on her mind, as does the affair which she seems well aware of. Her sleepless nights at home alone are preoccupied with cooking large amounts of pasta and repeatedly using a home pregnancy test to determine if she's with child, the strain of the relationship and want of a child are clearly driving her away from the safety of sanity, her adulterous husband does little to improve her state of mind, his action may come back to haunt him, much as they do his character in the play. 

The trio are rehearsing for the stage play of Yotsuya Kaidan which concerns a scorned wife who becomes and vengeful ghost spirit, the fun of the movie is that the lines between the play and reality seem to be bleeding into each other as the movie advances, which at times made it hard for me to discern what was real, imagined or maybe even supernatural, which is by design, Miike is in full control as a director and storyteller with Over Your Dead Body, it might not have much weight for the straight horror fans looking for blood and carnage, though there are ample amounts of both, but as a taut psychological thriller that blurs the lines of reality this is an engaging slow-burn with a streak of black humor which I loved. 

The movie is gorgeous and the sets of the play are amazing, at times I wished I could just see the play performed in it's entirety as staged by Miike. Each set has a vibrant and colorful design, both elaborate and surreal. I loved the meta turn of this one, very well crafted. Takashi Mikke can pretty much take on any genre and make it his own, a master craftsmen of cinema, and with Over Your Dead Body he's made a surreal ghost story and a tense psychological love-triangle thriller, it might appeal to every horror fan, but any dark cinema fan should be able to appreciate it, particularly if you enjoyed Audition, which treads similar themes.

Audio/Video: Takashi Miike's Over Your Dead Body arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory with a sharp and attractive 1080p HD presentations, colors are robust, the image is clear and sharp, the wonderful cinematography and staged set designs looks wonderful with some great textures and fine detail ...not to mention the bloody gore that punctuates the movie looks exquisite, with a fine decapitation!.

For the sake of this review I watched the movie with the original Japanese DTS-HD MA Surround 5.1 with English subtitles, the presentation is nice and nuanced, I wouldn't say the surround was overpowering but I will note that my pooch kept peering off in the direction of the surrounds when the discreet sound effects kicked in. The dialogue and score come through crisp and clean, I switched over to the English DTS-HD MA Stereo 2.0 a few times during my viewing and was slightly put off by the dub, not awful but it did lack the subtlety and nuance of the Japanese track.

Unfortunately this is a bare bones Blu-ray from Scream Factory with only a trailer for the movie, I would have appreciated a commentary as I am not familiar with the Yotsuya Kaidan stage pay which is art of the movie, and the movie reality and the play reality begin to blur, I would have enjoyed a few insights into the source material from Miike. I don't think my unfamiliarity with the play detracted from my viewing, but knowing more might have enhanced it.  3/5

DVD Review: 13 ASSASSINS (2011)

13 ASSASSINS (2011)

Label: Magnet Releasing
Region Code: Region 1 NTSC
Rating: R
Duration: 125 mins
Video: 2.40:1 Widescreen 16x9
Audio: English, Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Koji yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuka Iseya, Goro Inagaki

Prolific Japanese cult director Takashi Miike is known for his stylish, twisted, often ultra-violent films. In just twenty years Miike has amassed a filmography of over 85 films, it's an unsettling body of work that I've only just scratched the surface of with viewings of AUDITION (2000), ICHI THE KILLER (2001), DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA (2002), THREE... EXTREMES (2004), SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO (2007) and the MASTERS OF HORROR episode IMPRINT (2005) with MPD PSYCHO (2000) still sitting on a stack of films yet to be watched.  What's that, seven films out of 85, yeesh, it could be a while before I even begin to approach the midway point and by that time he could have 150 films under his belt. What I've seen I've particularly enjoyed. Like most I know it was AUDITION that brought him to my attention after seeing it featured on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments special, but it's ICHI THE KILLER and DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA, his Yakuza films that really captured my attention, brilliantly violent films.

This time out Miike has chosen to remake Eiichi Kudo's 13 ASSASSINS (1963) which I've never seen so I have no comparison's to make. The setting is feudal Japan in 1844. The former Shogun's son and the current Shogun's brother-in-law is Lord Narritsugu (Goro Ingaki, SAIMIN), the heir to Clan Akashi, he is a vile man who uses his royal lineage to get away with the rape and murder of innocents. His disregard for life borders on insanity and his actions threaten the stability of the empire. The Shogun turns a blind eye to these despicable actions. however, one of the Shogun's advisors Sir Doi (Mikijiro Hira, RAMPO) realizes his ascent to power must be terminated. He secretly meets with a retired samurai named Shinzaemon (Koji Yakusho, EKIRO) whom after hearing of Naritsugu's atrocities sets about amassing a band of twelve honor-bound samurai whom will join him on his quest to assassinate the sadistic Lord. 

His band of samurai include his womanizing nephew Shinrokuro (Takayuki Yamada), a master spearsman, two demolitions experts, a deadly ronin, a spirited novice and war weary samurai among others. It's readily acknowledged this is a suicide mission, no one expects to return from battle, only to die a noble death worthy of a samurai. It is shortly before they embark on their grim sojourn that Shinzaemon is visited upon by Hanbei (Misachika Ichimura), someone from his past whom is a samurai in Naritsugu's service who's come to dissuade Shinza from interfering in Naritsuga's affairs. It is quite evident that these battle worn samurai respect one another but both hold separate allegiances, the meeting is civil but tenuous, a promise to meet again is made and Hanbei departs.
 

The decision is made to ambush Naritsugu's entourage, which numbers two-hundred men, in the village of Ochiai as he makes his way through the Edo territories before entering the Akashio domain. The 12 assassins decide to travel through the heavily forested mountains, it is here they encounter a hunter named Koyata (Ysuke Iseya, BLINDNESS), a quirky character that claims to come from samurai lineage but also disparages the samurai at every opportunity, he infuses the film with a great deal of humor and he slings a mean rock, too. The group take him on as the 13th assassin and he guides them through the thick terrain to the village of Ochiai. Once there they evacuate the townsfolk and set about fortifying the village and laying traps in preparation of the ambush.

Thus far the film has been building tension and anticipation, both sides maneuvering their men like chess pieces, positioning them for the epic battle finale. Miike has masterfully led us to this point, and when the kettle boils over he does not disappoint in any way, it's a truly epic forty-five minute battle scene. It's a bloody affair but I may have been expecting a bit more from Miike in the gore department. Regardless, the last 45 minutes of this film are non-stop samurai action, constant momentum, moving forward, blood-spilling awesomeness. 
 

There's definitely some comparisons to made here to Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH (1969) and Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI (1954), as the band of warriors go up against overwhelming odds, it's compelling stuff. Not that I've seen a ton of Miike's films but this had a different kinda feel, it's more polished, it has broader appeal and there weren't many typical Miike moments aside from a few notably disturbing scenes that put Naritsugu's cruelty on display. The first is of him using a family with small children as targets for archery practice, the other is of a woman he's rendered limbless, her tongue removed, as she clutches a paintbrush between her teeth scrawling the words "total massacre" onto a scroll of paper, that was 100% Miike.

That his demented hyper-violent signature isn't stamped across this film doesn't detract from it in the least, this is a modern classic, a samurai epic. The film looks fantastic, the battles are superior, the set pieces are amazing and it's steeped in fate, duty bound honor and glory, the stuff of samurai legend. This could definitely be the film to bring Miike throngs of new fans and I would dare say that this is his most easily digestible film that I've seen, surely one of the greatest warrior films to come along in some time.

DVD: 13 ASSASSINS is presented in it's original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 widescreen and is 16x9 enhanced, it looks quite good, the color scheme is a bit muted, there's lots of earth tones and natural colors, so it's not a very vibrant disc. The print is impeccable, no flaws but I didn't think the SD image was very sharp, I would love to see this on Blu-ray to compare. Audio options include a choice of Japanese or English language Dolby Digital 5.1 with optional English and Spanish subtitles. Both tracks sound great though I would say stick with the original Japanese language track, it's a more nuanced performance than the English dub, naturally.

Special features are pretty slim, there's a Japanese TV interview with Miike, a trailer and nearly 20 minutes of deleted scenes which were trimmed from the Japanese release for the international market. I would have enjoyed seeing them stitched back into the film for this DVD release but that's not to be. Lastly, a collection of Magnolia release trailers and a digital copy for your mobile devices.

Special Features:
- Interview with Director Takashi Miike (18:44) 16x9
- Deleted Scenes (18:14) 16x9
- Theatrical Trailer (2:33) 16x9

Verdict: Miike's 13 ASSASSINS is much more a classical Samurai film than what I would have expected from this gonzo cult filmmaker, but fear not for it's both stylish and ultra-violent if not particularly gory, there's severed limbs, decapitations, harakiri and lots of bloodshed but it's just not glorified to the nth degree. Up next for Miike is HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI (ICHIMEI) which is a remake of Masaki Kobayashi's 17th century Samurai revenge tale HARAKIRI (1963). The film is shot in 3D which doesn't exactly set my mind on fire with anticipation, but knowing what Miike is capable of I'm 100% in at this point. 4.25 outta 5

DVD Review: Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (2002)

DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA (2002)
Arrow Video

RATING: 18 Certificate
RUN TIME: 96 Min.
REGION: 0 PAL
DIRECTOR: Takashi Miike
CAST: Riki Takeuchi (Kunisada), Sonny Chiba, Joe Yamanaka, Yuy Ichida


SYNOPSIS: Following the death of his boss, crazed killer Kunisada (Riki Takeuchi) embarks on a violent quest for revenge, one that takes him on a deadly and surreal road trip as he searches for those responsible for the killing. Driven by madness and a volatile temper, he soon finds himself up against both his enemies and his own Yakuza allies. Pursued by a pair of hitmen, Kunisada is at once the hunter and the hunted, a pawn in a complex game being played out by a cast of double-crossing villains. With his situation spiralling out of control, he realizes that to be the winner will require him to take matters to furthest extreme.

FILM: Five minutes into Takashi Miike's Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (2002) I was hooked. It starts of all guns blazing and is unrelenting 'til the end. Takashi Miike is one of the more prolific filmmakers working todayand one could spend a lifetime delving into his filmography but as is stands I've only seen a handful of his works, so pitiful are they in number I'll share them with you...  Audition (1999), the "Box" segment of the Three... Extremes (2004) anthology film, the "Imprint" episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror and Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) ...pitiful, I told you.
At the start of Deadly Outlaw: Rekka we get some kick-ass Japanese rock n' roll from a band called Flower Travellin' Band, a very raucous proto-metal band and their Satori album comprises the entire soundtrack for the film, great stuff. The acid-tinged Black Sabbath-esque music announces a flurry of action as two hit-men take out the elderly Yakuza boss Uchida and his entourage in a bloody hail of adrenalized gunfire, it's complete non-stop bad assery. The elder boss of the clan is the last to go but not before he gets a death-grasp on the assassin's neck. So firm in fact that even in death he will not relinquish his mighty grip. Despite being severed at the forearm they remain clung to the man's neck. This is when it struck me that the film was going to be darkly humorous. It turns out that the elder Yakuza boss was the father of Kunisama - a Korean blooded hot head of epic proportions. Enraged he swears vengeance but the Yakuza families see his death as a natural restructuring of the crime families and tell Kunisama not to not take it personally. Forget it, this guy is out for blood and sets out on a journey to kill the Otaki bosses who paid the assassins even as the families conspire to elimate Kunisama who they see as a threat. Kunisama is nearly insane and is a force of nature when he loses his cool. When confronted on the street by members of the Otaki clan he snaps and takes-on all 5 members with a crowbar.  The scene is masterfuly shot and edited, frenetic and completely brutal. The crazed look in his eye is disturbing and says a lot about his state of mind. He's clearly over the edge and decimates them all single-handedly.  

As the remainder of the film plays out Kunisama joined by his best-friend mow through Yakuza conspirators dispatching them in bloody-fashion. He even going as far to use a rocket-launcher (which was awesome, darkly comic and awesome) until they finally come face to face with the two enigmatic assassins responsible for his Uchido's death. In typical Miike fashion the film is weird, gratuitous and top heavy with surreal moments of over-the-top ultra-violence and gore, so much so that the camera lense itself is splattered with blood several times.

DVD: The Deadly Outlaw: Rekka will be released on DVD for the first time by Arrow Video on November 22nd 2010. The film receives a brand new transfer with new and improved English subtitle translation. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with a Japanese language 5.1 soundtrack. The special features are not particularly plentiful but the 48 minutes of interviews with Miike are illuminating as he discusses key scenes in the film, the actors and collaborator, filmscore and the ending and it's interpretations. Sadly, my screener of the DVD did not include Arrow Video's usually awesome artwork or the booklet (sigh) but the interviews with Miike were fantastic and insightful. Good stuff.
Special Features...
- Original Trailer (1:19)
- Video Interview with director Takashi Miike (18:12)
- Deadly Outlaw: Miike (30:25)
- Booklet featuring stills and an essay on the film by Tom Mes, author of ‘Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike’
-  Notes on prog rockers Flower Travellin’ Band written by Sam Jones.

VERDICT: This film is completely batshit-nuts and a must-see in my opinion. I've seen but a handfiul of Miike's many, many film but thus far this is my favorite. I'm not well-versed in the workld of Yakuza Cinema and this one has me piqued my interest in the genre.  This is Arrow Video's first foray into Asian Cinema and good on 'em, next up is the cult Japanese film Battle Royale from director Kinji Fukasaku on Blu-ray and DVD.
**** (4 out of 5 stars)


- McBASTARD