This past weekend UK outfit Eureka! released under their Masters of Cinema label what is already one of the most exciting foreign language DVD releases of the year – Nobuhiko Obayashi’s bizarre fantasy horror House / Hausu, arguably the best coming of age story ever to revolve around a house that eats people. The disc includes a new anamorphic widescreen transfer, a 90-minute collection of interviews about the film featuring the director, cast, and crew, a theatrical trailer, and an extensive booklet. The disc is highly recommended for stateside fans who just can’t wait for the eventual Criterion Collection offering (as of yet still unannounced), and is currently offered at 39% below retail at Amazon.co.uk.
Out on the 19th of the month was another fine offering from Shout! Factory, a lavish DVD re-release of Kingdom of the Spiders, previously only available as an expensive German or pathetic Goodtimes release. The new special edition includes a restored 1.77:1 anamorphic transfer, a commentary featuring director Bud Cardos and many of the crew, a new interview with star William Shatner, and a slew of other featurettes. The disc is currently available at a savings of 25% from Amazon.com.
And last but not least among notable new releases is a new multi-film collection from Warner, the 4 Film Favorites: Urban Action Collection, released with absolutely zero fanfare on the 14th of January. The four film collection includes Three the Hard Way, Hot Potatoe, and Black Samson, but the big news of the packages has to be the DVD debut of Jim Kelly’s Black Belt Jones. While budget in price the transfers are great, and the package can be had for $14.99 at Amazon.com (note: you may be able to find a better deal at your local retailers, so shop around).
Upcoming is the just announced Forbidden Planet, slated for Blu-ray release from Warner on September 7th. No word on extras as of yet, but I imagine that (in line with previous Warner hi-def offerings) that the package will more or less mimic the special edition DVD from 2006. Even if it was an unlikely bare-bones release, Wtf-Film would still love to add this classic to his high-def collection.
