Lucky, lucky you. :nod:

.........................

Great response by the way. :thumb:

AIP cuts of several Bava films, Eggshells, not to mention a few films have had their blu-ray world premiere this year from Arrow. Looking back to the launch of Arrow Video, I'm seeing very little that we hadn't already had at one point of other in the UK before, which makes your stance a little bewildering to me. They still seem to be releasing the same type of fare to me, although they've expanded to more areas within the cult spectrum.

Why would films sourced through MGM not be considered cult films? Something can be mainstream and cult; one isn't the antithesis of the other. Look at Star Wars, huge cult following, from a major studio, with mainstream franchise success. Regardless of whether you consider it cult, it’s widely accepted as cult, due to its following. A fair amount of the MGM releases from Arrow were never MGM titles to begin with, it's worth noting, but MGM acquired rights in various different ways (from acquiring catalogs from companies that went under to contributing to funding). Not to mention, plenty of films that were aimed at mainstream audiences failed, and are getting new leases of life due to cult followings (Runaway Train).

I'm aware you're DVD only, (or were?), so a lot of releases may not be worth the upgrade (I'd argue new features, and new transfers from HD materials using more sophisticated technology would be worthy of it, but everyone is different, and it's entirely your prerogative in what you buy.), but it's a bit of a stretch to say they're not releasing cult films anymore. Spider Baby, Motel Hell, Squirm, Lust In The Dust, Runaway Train (considered a bomb, but has a much deserved cult following), Dead End Drive In, etc, all this year, and many more. Arrow have some great stuff lined up next year too, Nightmare City (finally!), Pit Stop (I’m very curious) etc. What they're putting out may not appeal to you, but to be fair, they're still releasing cult films, just covering a much broader swathe.

I’m very hopeful they’ll look at the success of their Academy KickStarter recently, and consider looking at something for the Arrow Video line.

Remo!! Finally I can retire my old vhs. and speaking of old vhs, where has The Mayor gone?? Just saying.....

My Tenebrae has been despatched too now

Remo Williams = cult film. Big Trouble In Little China = cult film. White Of The Eye = cult film. Hell Comes To Frogtown = cult film. Withnail & I = cult film. I could go on.

I'm not sure any of them were! The vast majority originated from AIP, Cannon and United Artists - and in fact Roger Corman has a good laugh at the MGM lion opening The Fall of the House of Usher on the commentary, something that would have seemed utterly inconceivable back in 1960 when AIP was a cheap'n'cheerful exploitation outfit.

Its still a massive departure from the films they were flogging when they were heroes of Cult Labs.

Oh, I'm 100% certain. Cannon, for example, since you mentioned them, have had ties with many a major, including Warner Bros at one point, before their library was picked up by Pathe owner Giancarlo Parretti, which later merged with MGM, and UA, which Parretti also acquired. There's a great book with some very interesting stuff on the history, including the whole Parretti fraud case, but the name escapes me at the moment. I'll be sure to look it up, if you're interested.

That's very true. If, after they had released The House by the Cemetery, Macabre and Sleepless, you had told me they will be releasing steelbooks of Big Trouble in Little China, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Lifeforce and Foxy Brown (for example) in 2013, I wouldn't have believed you.

While I'm here, I thought the comments made from Francesco Simeoni, Label Manager at Arrow to MovieMail were pertinent to the 'cult' films discussions.

Part One and Part Two, for anyone interested. Some very interesting information as a whole, well worth giving those articles a read.

I may not agree with you Dem, but I do feel where you're coming from. It sucks when a label that once felt attuned to your needs suddenly feels so out of touch with your tastes. I feel very similarly with Shameless at the moment (although I haven't checked out if they've announced anything that would interest me of late). But I haven't picked up anything for over a year, The House With Laughing Windows being the last. :(

Discussion closed with one simple quote. :)

I think I sneakily edited that as you were replying. *Looks shifty*.

But it's down to opinion at the end of the day, I guess. I certainly wouldn't label everything they release as cult, but at the same time I think the term cult has become more encompassing. There's a lot of stuff out there, and I think the Internet has aided in connecting fans of films in ways that weren't really possible before, and has broadened the spectrum of what's considered as cult. I hear Grease 2 has a bit of a cult following. :bolt:

On a none related note I think Arrow's store stock has screwed up again. All of the pre-orders have turned to 'in stock'. If it was just the January releases I may have believed it, but up to March? I'm not sure how long it's been like that, it certainly wasn't like that when I made my order for the releases in February.

I think you pretty much nailed my thoughts with this. :nod: :)

I would argue White of the eye classifies as cult. It received a vhs RELEASE YEARS back. Warner's even re-issued it on the Maverick directors label. Then it disappeared. Donald Cammell classifies as a cult director,

"Donald Seaton Cammell (17 January 1934 – 24 April 1996) was a Scottish film director who enjoys a cult reputation thanks to his debut film Performance, which he co-directed with Nicolas Roeg." (wiki)

Also, Arrow are looking at releasing titles like Nightmare city and Beast within.

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but 'The White Of The Eye' is now a steelbox version:

White of the Eye [Steelbook]

I agree. cult film labels should have variety. Even one of the great-pre-cert video labels, Intervision had UA titles. Among the likes of Mark of the Devil, the Brood, the Love Butcher and Kong Island, you had Carrie, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Revenge of the Pink Panther. This actually in my opinion kind of de-mainstreamed them, i.e. putting them in the same context as similar but lower films, i.e. a Leone western alongside A Few Bullets More. VCL too

Theater of Blood!!! nice, a restored Blu should be a must for Price/70s horror fans, sorry if that's old news but that's a great 2014 release for me.(a nice steely?):)

New Arrow Announcements...
 

Fran's one line, "Arrow Video was the brainchild of Almar Haflidason (PR guru then at the Associates and now Fetch PR) and Alex Agran", should be all you need to read to be know how much of a kick in the teeth it is that Arrow abandoned (that's the only way to put it) Cult Labs, when some people from other sites bad mouthed us on the internet (C*nt Labs being one of the names we're called because a few people were banned as we like to be a friendly place instead of letting people insult each other a la Aint It Cool & IMDB. That's what they did, even if they say they left because they could reach more people for free via Facebook & Twitter.

I've just checked my basket and phenomena which I forgot to take out has the price of£0 ??:lol:

What?? :confused: Please excuse my ignorance on this matter. A few people slagged off Cult Labs on some other forums, so Arrow withdrew?
Really? That's a bit of, "It's my ball and I'm going home!" isn't it?
Cult Labs cannot control what is said elsewhere and even if it was the best in the world, someone, somewhere would hate you just for being that.
I guess loyalty and respect are ideals of the past!!

I strongly suspect that the truth was a teensy bit more nuanced, but I wasn't privy to the actual decision.

I think cost-cutting played a part in the decision to stop financially contributing to Cult Labs which, in retrospect, seems regrettable considering how big a fan base there is here and how it feels more personal than Facebook.

As much as I miss their presence on here and the interaction with the fans, since leaving CL they've really upped their game in terms of releases and quality control. I'm not saying this is related to their leaving here but I'd sooner have them as they are now than before

I have absolutely no idea if this is actually the case, but it seems to me that they took me on as a freelance QC examiner at around the same time that they cut ties with Cult Labs.

And since I don't do that job out of the kindness of my heart (not even the most fanatical Lifeforce fan would want to sit through the whole thing nine times in the course of a single weekend, as I had to last September!), this may well be where the money came from. Or at least partly.

It was more than just that of course. They could reach a wider audience through social networking without having to splash the cash to be on a forum, but as hard as it might be to believe, we aren't liked by a few other sites, and i'm sure no company wants to be associated with a place that does get badmouthed by some people on a regular basis.

The first thing you learn when working in a pub?

You can ask 100 different people the same question, and you will get 100 different answers!

So by that logic if we all slag off Facebook & Twitter...:lol::lol:
and dare I say it, this place seems just fine without em, thank you.

Looks like the sale is back up, good I can place my order now

Going back to Tenebrae for a moment - the new steelbook is superb. The transfer is absolutely gorgeous. Finally the film gets the release it deserves - and it's definitely up there among the best Blu transfers out there. Don't hesitate, pick it up!!

Hope mine turns up tomorrow or Saturday

Yep licensed from the Wild side release in France Dae.
WITHOUT the forced subs!:cool:

Yeah watched this last night.
You're spot on mate.It's absolutely ****ing stunning looking.Perfect.

This is indeed the relase it should have been given first time around.


Glad to see they kept (the trio of) Goblin members live at Glasgow's arches as an extra.:clap:

No more onscreen blizzards!

Chucked mine on today for a quick look and it really does look stunning. Funny how one of the worst Argento HD endeavors is now arguably the best!

People stop going on about it!! At least till my copy turns up with any luck will be Monday now

It looks amazing! Just saying. :D :behindsofa:

Better than amazing.
Stupendously crystal clear.
Incredibly transferred.
Clearer than a glacier on a December day.


Sorry.:madgrin:

Anyone managed to pick up a new INFERNO?

Arrow are still out of stock.:rolleyes:

Big Trouble In Little China | Blu-Ray Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

Film 8
Video 8
Audio 8
Extras 9

Couldn't resist buying some more stuff from the store before the prices go back up. Also pre-ordered the March releases. I have 1280 points now. :boom:. At least the prices go up soon and I should hopefully not be tempted to buy more.

Although saying that, surely the next set of announcements must be due soon.

The last time I looked, the prices appeared to have gone back up from what they were during the sale. What was still cheap?