Come cani arrabbiati – Camera Obscura Blu-ray (First Look)

Come cani arrabbiati (Mario Imperoli, 1976)

Three vicious, robbing, raping, scumbags lead by Rico (Cesare Barro) and his twisted girlfriend Germana (Annarita Grapputo) stick two fingers up at the law as they evade capture at every turn. Determined cop Tony (Jean Pierre Sabagh) tries as he might to find the masked maniacs even resorting to having his girlfriend and fellow police officer Silvia (Paola Senatore) pose undercover as a lady of the night. The trap pays off, almost. She’s stripped naked and almost knifed before the approaching law alert the troublesome trio who make good their escape…

Mario Imperoli directed a handful of films but none of them match this one for sheer outrageousness of content. Kidnapping, misogynistic humiliation, homophobic beatings, point blank head shots and a good old tyre screeching Alfa Romeo car chase keep this juggernaut of euro trash barrelling down the highway of political incorrectness.

Grapputo pulls out all the stops and pretty much steals the show with her penchant for brutality equal if not higher than her male compatriots, plus the fact that she frequently strolls around buck naked helps one keep focused on the screen when the action takes a rest.

A sadly under-appreciated sleazy gem that deserves to be sat up there with Euro-cult sleaze royalty such as Night Train Murders and Terror Express, it may even stick a shotgun in their face and tell them to take a seat elsewhere… (Italian Film Review)

The above review was written a few years back when the only copy of this film available was from a beaten up Greek VHS that had no English track and a far from ideal aspect ratio. Fast forward to 2014 and Camera Obscura are set to unleash a pristine, high definition transfer that is, simply put, a revelation.

 (Click images for FULL SIZE versions)

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Perfectly framed you can now see all of the original Techniscope image in perfect clarity, Camera Obscura have really done this one justice revealing detail you could never have imagined via the previously available VHS version.

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Audio is Italian language only (dub tracks were never made for this film in any other language other than the native Italian) so subtitles are provided for non-Italian speakers in either English or German.

Extras: Featurettes with Romano Albani and Fabio Claudio Bernabei and Melelli (Blu-ray exclusive) Audio Commentary with Marcus Stiglegger and Christian Kessler (German language with English subs), image gallery, trailers, booklet (German / English) by Kai Naumann

Pre-order at: DIABOLIK DVD

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Halloween Competition: Win a Blood: The Last Vampire Poster

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From the World to Your Wall, quite – that’s the strapline for what’s becoming Britain’s premier poster specialist, Film Poster Art.

The Overlook Movie Store has teamed up with the awesome chaps from Film Poster Art to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a 2000 Blood: The Last Vampire Film Poster worth £45.00. It comes framed and mounted, ready for your wall!

Here are the details:

Blood: The Last Vampire

2000: Original Japanese Chirashi Film Poster

Framed and Mounted

Condition: Grade C9

Size 10 x 7 inches

All you have to do to have a chance of winning is click on the link below and tell the Film Poster Art guys the name of the scariest movie you’ve ever seen. It’ll take one minute and it’s completely FREE!

You can enter the competition here. The winner will be picked on 31st October.

Good luck.

Fantastiq news! Derby to host new fantasy film festival

Facebook Page at THIS LINK please head on over and ‘Like’

Fantastiq news! Derby to host new fantasy film festival

Summer 2013 slot confirmed at one of the UK’s leading indie cinemas

QUAD and Reel Solutions are proud to announce FANTASTIQ, a new three-day film and TV festival focusing on fantasy, sci-fi and horror. Fans of the genre will be thrilled and chilled to learn that this exciting new venture is born of a dynamic partnership between QUAD, one of the best independent cinemas in the country, and Reel Solutions, the respected Yorkshire-based film bureau known for its work on an array of festivals across the UK.

The first edition of FANTASTIQ will take place on the weekend of August 9-11 2013 at Derby QUAD, the vibrant three-screen complex in the centre of Derby that enjoys a reputation for intelligent film programming. FANTASTIQ will form part of an acclaimed annual programme that already includes iDFest, Whooverville, and Edge-Lit making Derby one of the strongest hubs for genre film programming in the country.

As its name suggests FANTASTIQ will be heavily rooted in “films fantastique”. Fantasy film fans can look forward to the best of the gory, glory days of Universal, AIP, Hammer and Amicus as well as European shockers, forgotten gems from the vaults and an array of cult figures on the guest list.

Plans for 2013 include a 50th anniversary celebration of Doctor Who and centenary screenings dedicated to the late, great master of fantastic cinema Peter Cushing (1913-1994).

Programming will be led by Reel Solutions’ Tony Earnshaw and QUAD’s Adam J Marsh

Adam J Marsh, Cinema Programmer at QUAD says: “It is great to be able to bring Fantastiq to Derby. Fantasy, science-fiction and horror play a strong part in the British film industry, in its past, present and future, so it is an honour to be able to represent genre cinema with this wonderful three-day festival.”

Tony Earnshaw, Programming & Festivals Director at Reel Solutions says: “We are delighted to be working with QUAD. We wanted to do something different to the standard genre film festival and we were thrilled that our partners at QUAD shared our enthusiasm and vision. We look forward to making Fantastiq a unique and must-attend annual fixture on the festival calendar.”

Tony Earnshaw has a reputation as one of the UK’s leading genre film programmers having organised the popular Fantastic Films Weekend in Bradford for 10 years. He was previously Head of Film Programming at the National Media Museum in Bradford and artistic director of Bradford International Film Festival for 12 years. He was part of the project team that helped deliver Bradford’s designation as the world’s first UNESCO City of Film and has programmed for the National Film Theatre in London. He is also a journalist, broadcaster and award-winning author specialising in the cinema.

Adam J Marsh has more than10 years’ experience in independent cinema culminating in his current position as QUAD’s cinema programmer and Director of iDFest. He has overseen QUAD’s growth in commerce and reputation over the past three years. He is also a screenwriter – whose debut feature film Devil’s Tower is currently in post production – and a freelance lecturer on Sheffield Hallam’s Screenwriting BA course”

MUCHAS GRACIAS SEÑOR LOBO – Paul Naschy book from Creepy Images

Pre-orders are now being taken for what looks like an amazing book from Creepy Images. Check out the specs below…

MUCHAS GRACIAS SEÑOR LOBO deals with the advertising material from the movie of one of the true icons of (European) horror movies: Paul Naschy and contains the largest collection of posters, lobby cards and other promotional items from his movies ever published.
MUCHAS GRACIAS SEÑOR LOBO focuses on Paul Naschy‘s horror movies of the late 1960s until the 1980s. 30 movies of this period will be featured in form of seperated chapters in the main part of the book while advertising material from his non-horror-movies and his newer films will be compiled in an additional chapter.
Besides high quality reproduction of movie posters, lobby cards and other memorabilia items, the book contains details insight into the distribution history of the movies and we are sure that some facts will even surprise the most dedicated fans of the Spanish Lon Chaney.
Important facts:

  • Limited hardcover edition
  • approx. 370 pagescompletely in color,measuring 21 x 29,7 cm
    (approx. 8.3 x 11.7 inches)
  • more than 1.200 pictures, including more than 160 movie posters, almost 750 lobby cards, over 100 press stills, a large part of which have never been published yet, more than 100 reproductions of admats, rare sales material that was only handed out to distribution companies and much more from more than 20 different countries.
  • Introduction by Paul Naschy‘s son 
    Sergio Molina
  • Complete Text in German and English
  • Besides the countless images the book also contains detailed information about distribution history of the movies
  • It took more than 18 years to put together the collection that serves as a basis for this book

Pre-order now!

The official streetprice will be 39,50 Euro, but until September 25th 2012 you can pre-order the book for only 34,50 Euros.

Everybody who pre-orders the book will get a small, but nice gift that is only available during the pre-order period.

Pre-order this book via the Creepy Images site at THIS LINK

Bond Blu-ray Box Extras Revealed

The specs for the complete James Bond Collection have been released and are up on Blu-ray.com .

Although it certainly looks like an impressive set at first glance, there’s a couple of glaring niggles – there are no exclusive new features on the film-specific discs (although there is a 23rd disc with a couple of new documentaries and the SKYFALL videoblogs) and Casino Royale is the standard single disc release from 2007 rather than the deluxe 2-disc set from 2008. I’d also hoped that the rather lacklustre selection of QUANTUM OF SOLACE extras was due for beefing up too but alas, that was not to be either.

Gripes aside, the set is on sale for around £90 on Amazon and HMV, so it’s a very reasonable way to give 22 films an HD upgrade. UK release date is set for 24th September.

DISC TWENTY THREE – Bonus Material

  • NEW – The World of Bond – the 007 films have a look, style and attitude that is signature Bond. From the cars, to the women, to the villains and even the music, Bond films stand apart. The World of Bond takes the viewer through the best of five decades worth of classic James Bond in one thrilling montage. The World of Bond showcases the fascinating and entertaining interplay among unforgettable moments of danger, seduction, adventure and a dash of that distinguished humor that fans have cherished from the beginning up until now. To add to the experience, The World of Bond featurette will also offer a Pop-Up Trivia option to challenge even the sharpest of fans with little known facts and interesting trivia from the Bond Universe.
  • NEW – Being Bond – there’s only one James Bond – but he’s proven too much for only one actor to play the role. In the franchise’s 50-year run, six distinguished actors have taken on the part and secured a spot in cinematic history. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig each reflect on the impact and importance of taking on such a famous role. With this piece, gain insight into what each actor brought to the character and discover how they shaped the world’s most timeless secret agent.
  • SKYFALL Videoblogs – behind-the-scenes look at the making of SKYFALL from the cast and crew

DISC ONE – Dr. No (Over 3 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Terence Young and cast and crew
  • 6 Featurettes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Photo Galleries

DISC TWO – From Russia With Love (Over 3 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Terence Young and cast and crew
  • 2 Featurettes
  • Animated Storyboard Sequence
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Photo Galleries

DISC THREE – Goldfinger (Over 5 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Guy Hamilton
  • Commentary with the cast and crew
  • 3 Featurettes
  • Original Screen Tests with Theodore Bikel and Tito Vandis
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Original Publicity Featurette
  • Original Radio Interviews With Sean Connery
  • Photo Galleries

DISC FOUR – Thunderball (Over 6 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Terence Young
  • Commentary with Editor Peter Hunt and Screenwriter John Hopkins
  • 4 Featurettes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Photo Galleries

DISC FIVE – You Only Live Twice (Over 4 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Lewis Gilbert and cast and crew
  • 4 Featurettes
  • Animated Storyboard Sequence
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Photo Galleries

DISC SIX – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Over 4 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Peter Hunt and cast and crew
  • 4 Featurettes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Photo Galleries

DISC SEVEN – Diamonds Are Forever (Over 4 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Guy Hamilton and cast and crew
  • 3 Featurettes
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots

DISC EIGHT – Live and Let Die (Over 7 hours of content)

  • Commentaries with Director Guy Hamilton, Roger Moore and Tom Mankiewicz
  • 3 Featurettes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Photo Galleries

DISC NINE – The Man with the Golden Gun (Over 5 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Guy Hamilton and the cast and crew
  • Commentary with Roger Moore
  • 2 Featurettes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Photo Galleries

DISC TEN – The Spy Who Loved Me (Over 5 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Lewis Gilbert and cast and crew
  • Commentary with Roger Moore
  • 3 Featurettes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots

DISC ELEVEN – Moonraker (Over 5 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Lewis Gilbert and cast and crew
  • Commentary with Roger Moore
  • 4 Featurettes
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Photo Gallery

DISC TWELVE – For Your Eyes Only (Over 7 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director John Glen and the cast and crew
  • Commentary with Roger Moore
  • Commentary with Producer Michael G. Wilson and crew
  • 4 Featurettes
  • Animated Storyboard Sequences for Snowmobile Chase & Underwater
  • Music Video performed by Sheena Easton
  • Deleted Scenes and Expanded Angles
  • Original Theatrical Trailer, TV and radio spots
  • Photo Galleries

DISC THIRTEEN – Octopussy (Over 6 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director John Glen
  • Commentary with Roger Moore
  • 4 Featurettes
  • Original Screen Tests with James Brolin
  • “All Time High” Music Video
  • Original Theatrical Trailers

DISC FOURTEEN – A View to a Kill (Over 6 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director John Glen and the cast and crew
  • Commentary with Roger Moore
  • 4 Featurettes
  • A View to a Kill Music Video performed by Duran Duran
  • Original Theatrical Trailers and TV spots

DISC FIFTEEN – The Living Daylights (Over 5 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director John Glen and cast and crew
  • 3 Featurettes
  • Deleted scenes with introductions from Director John Glen
  • The Living Daylights Music Video performed by A-Ha
  • Original Theatrical Trailers

DISC SIXTEEN – Licence to Kill (Over 6 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director John Glen and cast
  • Commentary with Producer Michael G. Wilson and crew
  • 3 Featurettes
  • Licence to Kill Music Video performed by Gladys Knight
  • “If You Asked Me To” Music Video Performed by Patti LaBelle
  • Opening Titles Sequence
  • Original Theatrical Trailers
  • Photo Galleries

DISC SEVENTEEN – GoldenEye (Over 5 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Martin Campbell and Producer Michael G. Wilson
  • 8 Featurettes
  • Deleted scenes
  • GoldenEye Music Video performed by Tina Turner

DISC EIGHTEEN – Tomorrow Never Dies (Over 9 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Roger Spottiswoode and Dan Petrie, Jr.
  • Commentary with Vic Armstrong and Producer Michael G. Wilson
  • 2 Featurettes
  • Interview with Composer David Arnold
  • Deleted and Extended Scenes with introduction from Director Roger Spottiswoode
  • Tomorrow Never Dies Music Video performed by Sheryl Crow
  • The James Bond Theme (Moby’s Re-Version)

DISC NINETEEN – The World Is Not Enough (Over 6 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Michael Apted
  • Commentary with Peter Lamont, David Arnold and Vic Armstrong
  • 4 Featurettes
  • Opening Titles Sequence
  • The World Is Not Enough Music Video performed by Garbage
  • Deleted, Extended and Alternate Scene
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Photo Galleries

DISC TWENTY – Die Another Day (Over 8 hours of content)

  • Commentary with Director Lee Tamahori and Producer Michael G. Wilson
  • Commentary with Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike
  • 5 Featurettes
  • MI6 Datastream Trivia Track with Branching Video
  • Opening Titles Sequence
  • Photo Galleries

DISC TWENTY ONE – Casino Royale (Over 1 hour of content)

  • Becoming Bond
  • James Bond: For Real
  • Chris Cornell Music Video

DISC TWENTY TWO – Quantum of Solace (Over 1 hour of content)

  • 2 Featurettes
  • “Another Way to Die” Music Video
  • Original Theatrical Trailers

 

UK Premiere! Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films that Ruled the ’70s

FRIGHTFEST 13: EMPIRE CINEMA, LEICESTER SQUARE, LONDON.

SATURDAY 25TH AUGUST – UK PREMIERE – EUROCRIME! THE ITALIAN COP AND GANGSTER FILMS THAT RULED THE ‘70S

 


Directed by Mike Malloy. Starring Franco Nero, Enzo G. Castellari, Henry Silva, Richard Harrison and John Saxon. USA 2012, 127 mins.

ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH, MILAN CALIBRE 9, CRY OF A PROSTITUTE, HOW TO KILL A JUDGE… just four of the hundreds of ‘poliziotteschi’ movies the Italian Film Industry churned out during the turbulent 1970s once the Spaghetti Western and Giallo trends subsided. First they aped the American crime hits of the day DIRTY HARRY and THE GODFATHER. But soon they addressed typically Italian issues like the Mafia, Camorra, Red Brigade and even ‘scippo’ – Vespa bag-snatching. And rushed production methods meant ‘poliziotteschi’ superstars Franco Nero, Richard Harrison, Luc Merenda and Maurizio Merli performing their own stunts, directors stealing shots, no live sound recording and a rapid bleed-over between real crime torn from newspaper headlines and violent movie action. Here those once involved in the genre paint a brilliant picture of all that madness and mayhem in this lucidly explained visually dynamic documentary packed with fabulous clips and poster artwork.

Full festival passes are on sale now and single performance tickets go on sale 28th July – Check the Frightfest website for further details

Four Amicus Classics Bow in July

The UK’s Studiocanal will release a quartet of Amicus adventure films on 30th July. The films include THEY CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1967), THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1975), AT THE EARTH’S CORE (1976) and WARLORD’S OF ATLANTIS (1978).

The films are presented in widescreen with mono sound. The only confirmed special features are interviews with Kevin Conor and Susan Penhaligon on THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT.

Source: The Digital Fix

 

Pre-Order Now! House of Psychotic Women – FAB Press (Kier-La Janisse)

UPDATE! PRE-ORDERS NOW BEING TAKEN!

House of Psychotic Women is an autobiographical exploration of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films. Anecdotes and memories interweave with film history, criticism, trivia and confrontational imagery to create a reflective personal history and examination of female madness, both onscreen and off.

God, this woman can write, with a voice and intellect that’s so new. The truth in the most deadly unique way I’ve ever read.
– Ralph Bakshi, director of Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic, Fire and Ice, etc.

This sharply-designed book with a 16-page full-colour section is packed with rare stills, posters, pressbooks and artwork that combine with family photos and artifacts to form a titillating sensory overload, with a filmography that traverses the acclaimed and the obscure in equal measure. Films covered include The Entity, The Corruption of Chris Miller, Singapore Sling, 3 Women, Toys Are Not for Children, Repulsion, Let’s Scare Jessica to Death, The Haunting of Julia, Secret Ceremony, Cutting Moments, Out of the Blue, Mademoiselle, The Piano Teacher, Possession, Antichrist and hundreds more!

HARDBACK STRICTLY LIMITED TO ONLY 250 COPIES WORLDWIDE
Limited edition hardback comes with alternative cover artwork, plus an exclusive free gift of a flexi-disc postcard featuring the song ‘Somebody’s Waitin’ for You’ by Charles Bernstein, from the 1972 film PIGS!

PRE-ORDER THE STRICTLY LIMTED EDITION HARDBACK HERE

Possession – Andrzej Korzynski’s Score Released For the 1st Time

From the Finders Keepers site…

“As our maiden voyage into an expansive vat of unreleased music by Polish composer Andrzej Korzynski, Finders Keepers Records presents his previously unreleased electro/orchestral/experimental score for Andrzej Zulawski’s surrealist 80s horror classic, Possession…

…This is the first time any of this music has been released outside of the films original context and is packaged on CD, 12″ vinyl and conceptual green compact cassettes housed in miniature clamshell cases reminiscent of the films original VHS release that briefly adorned UK video shops in the early 1980s”

More info and audio clips at this link

Pre-order the CD or luxury vinyl edition at this link