Thunder (Italy, 1983)

aka THUNDER WARRIOR

Unfortunately, it seems like the Japanese VHS market is drying up a bit so if I don't post so much about newly purchased Jap. tapes it's not just because I couldn't be arsed to but simply because I don't actually buy any at the moment and haven't for a good while. Well, not until tonight that is; I've just scored Fabrizio De Angelis' (alias Larry Ludman) THUNDER.

The film is Angelis' Italian ripoff of RAMBO - just this time "Rambo" is a native American! And it's the film about which either David Z or Paul Cooke wrote in their splendid book "Tough to Kill"; "Thunder is an excellent and solidly made cheap action film which entertains, no matter how many times it is viewed". I've already got the first sequel (but not the second and final one) also on Japanese VHS. Needless to say, there are no DVD releases (I don't count bootlegs). Winning bid 40 bucks.

LA COMTESSE PERVERSE - Jess Frenco - three versions - three upcoming releases!

I have no knowledge of this film but it's what the cool teenagers talk about when they smoke in the school-yard so I'd better write about it (i.e. pretend I actually know what I'm talking about).

No, seriously, Jess Frenco's LA COMTESSE PERVERSE (France, 1973) is going to get no less than three releases from two different video labels in the very near future; in May it'll come out as both a 1-disc and a 2-disc release from Edition Tonfilm in Germany (or maybe they're in Switzerland I'm not entirely sure), and in June Mondo Macabro are putting it out as a 1-disc release.

Now, bear in mind I've never watched the damn film but this is the info I have from a German forum where one of the people behind Editon Tonfilm posted about it. One of the things he said is that he reckons LA COMTESSE PERVERSE is among the 10 best films from Jess Franco's golden period of the 1960 & '70s!

LA COMTESSE PERVERSE was released in 1973 under that exact title. The original film has never been released on video tape or DVD and it's been a very sought after film (a fan subbed copy of the French tape is being passed around in fan circles).

Then in 1974 it was re-edited and new footage was added to the film. It had a cinema release and came out on VHS in France under the title of LES CROQUEUSES.

BUT there more! In 1975, it was yet again re-released with new erotic scenes (HC I believe) under the title SEXY NATURE.

So THREE different versions of the film exist!!! However, obviously, only the first version is Jess Franco's original director's cut version.

On Edition Tonfilm's 2-disc release they'll be including the original cut on disc 1 and the third version in full on disc 2. The footage from the second version will be included as extras on disc 1. This release will be a world premiere as, like I said, the original edit has never been released to home cinema in any format anywhere! The 1-disc release will contain the SEXY NATURE edit of the film.

Mondo Macabro are releasing the film under the new re-title of COUNTERSS PERVERSE. The disc will contain the original director's cut version only. I have no info about the extras.

Both labels are releasing the film with its original French audio, the MM disc with English subs while Edition Tonfilm's release is going to be subbed in German only.

Specs for the Mondo Macabro release are yet to be announced.

Specs for the Editon Tonfilm releases (from a forum post by the label and yes it's in German, you figure it out):

Amaray-Case mit Alternativcover im O-Ring Schuber

DVD 1
La Comtesse Perverse
Frankreich 1973
Regie: Jess Franco
Darsteller: Robert Woods, Alice Arno, Lina Romay, Howard Vernon u.a.
Länge: 73 Minuten
Sprache: Französisch
Untertitel: deutsch
Format: Originalformat 1.33

Weltpremiere der Originalfassung, erstmalig aus dem Originalarchiv und über lange Zeit gemastert. Seid 40 Jahren gilt dieser Film als einer der gesuchtesten Franco-Filme überhaupt und überzeugt durch eine perfekte Mischung aus Horror und Erotik. Franco bediente sich dem klassischen Stoff „Graf Zaroff – Genie des Bösen (The most dangerous game, 1932)“ und machte seine eigene Version daraus.

Extras:
- Bonusszenen Les Croqueusses (18:32)
- Rohvorspann Comtesse Perverse (1:16)
- Bonusszene Sexy Nature (5:03)
- Restaurationsvergleich (5:01)
- Alternativvorspann Comtesse Perverse (1:08)
- Werbematerial Les Croqueusses (1:34)

DVD 2
Sexy Nature (Les Croqueuses)
Frankreich 1974/1975
Regie: Jess Franco
Darsteller: Robert Woods, Alice Arno, Lina Romay, Monica Swinn, u.a.
Länge: 97 Minuten
Sprache: Französisch
Untertitel: deutsch
Format: Originalformat 1.33
- Bonusheft „Gräfin Zaroff – Genie des Bösen“ 8 Seiten mit Schnittbericht, Bildern und Informationen über Jess Franco und seinem Schaffen.

Disc 2 mit dem Film Sexy Nature ist auch als große Buchbox mit dem original Kinoplakat erhältlich.

Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion - trailer

Coming from Camera Obscura at some stage. According to their Facebook page they won't set a date until they've got the extras ready.

Strike of the Tortured Angels (HK, 1982)

I watched this film tonight and... ahhhh, what a wonderful movie!!! "My kind of movie", as Steve Mayhem would say. xD
So inept it ventures into the bizarre world of the surreal. You look at your glass thinking WHAT AM I DRINKING THIS CAN'T BE REAL... but it is real. It's... STRIKE OF THE TORTURED ANGELS!!!

Released on VHS in Denmark (as "Tortur i Kvindefængslet"), Sweden, USA, and I thiiink there's a Dutch tape as well. The Danish VHS was used on at least one public domain DVD box set in the US! (one reviewer mentioned it has tape-roll so I'll bet my own original VHS looks heaps better! LOL). The YouTube upload (from Member-X) is from the Swedish tape.

And good thing I understand Danish; I wouldn't have wanted to be without those subtitles! They're so badly translated it adds an entire extra level of comedy to the viewing experience!


"Well, at least you had a good go. It's just unlucky for you that you messed it all up."

= Men du har jo en go' skyder! Et held for dig, du ikke tabte den!

[Well, at least you have a good gun! Your luck you didn't lose it!]

ATTACKAFANT on the rampage in Thailand

(March 2012)
FRED ANDERSON (r) with his bf on the left and CHRISTOPH KLÜPPEL in the middle. Klüppel looks like he could crush them both in one go if he wanted to!


A while ago I posted about how Fred Anderson has recently set up his small DVD label ATTACKAFANT ENTERTAINMENT to release forgotten, overlooked, lost, and not least exciting worldweird films and that his first (and so far only) release is the wild Thai-Hong Kong production THE KILLER ELEPHANTS. In the past I have also posted and linked to Fred's interview with Christoph Klüppel, a big (very big) German actor who starred in a number of Thai action films many years ago.

The thing is Fred is a true fan of worldweird cinema and not least the crazy Thai action films. Not only does he watch heaps of these movies, he also reviews them on his blogs and, like I said, he has launched a label to release these forgotten films... but if you think it ends here then you'll just have to think again cos as we speak Fred has actually gone to Thailand to hook up with every soul and his brother who was anything in the old Thai action film industry!!!

Check the above photo; It's aforementioned Christoph Klüppel that Fred has tracked down and went to visit two days ago! Fred and his bf stayed with Klüppel for most of the day. But it doesn't end there; Like I said Fred's first DVD on the ATTACKAFANT label is THE KILLER ELEPAHNTS so needless to say Fred hooked up with Yodchai Meksuwan who played one of the main characters (and strings to meet with the director the next time Fred is down Thailand way have already been pulled!).

Fred with YODCHAI MEKSUWAN.

You can check out some of Meksuwan's many (over a hundred!!) films here.

And here's one more photo of Fred with a celeb who also practically starred in hundreds of Thai movies (and some HK productions); Pawana Chanajit (aka Lau Laan Ying in HK movies). According to Fred she's working as a broker these days. Check some of her films here.

Fred and PAWANA CHANAJIT (aka Lau Laan Ying).

- and finally... someone gave Fred THIS awesome book of mostly stills from GHOSTS OF GUTS EATER!!! No, I'm not green with envy here!




PS: Check my review of GHOSTS OF GUTS EATER on this site if you're not familiar with the film. The only place it's released outside of Thailand is actually on VHS in Sweden (but no, Fred had nothing to do with that ... I don't think. LOL).

Christoph Klüppel on the cover of the rare DARK DAY EXPRESS.

"Frank Agrama - a member of that select group of directors who currently have three separate IMDb entries"

Female Gang aka Essabet el Nissae (Lebanon/Turkey/Egypt, 1968)

I know nothing about Frank Agrama (aka Farouk Ajrama aka Seyfettin Tiryaki) other than he directed DAWN OF THE MUMMY which I've seen. But I stumbled over the above poster at an Lebanese eBay store and thought I'd better check out if there were any DVD releases of the film. I didn't find a DVD but what I did find was a pile of posts about this director and his films, all posted by one fanatical film fan ("Doctor Kiss") on the Classic Horror Film Board (of which I'm not a member).

If you've seen DAWN you might think, "meh" but check out this YouTube collection of clips from Agrama's 1960s films were apparently were much better, or at least more fresh/energetic/youthful (and one of the posts provided a link to a DVD so that was cool. Unfortunately it seems it's un-subbed). And do check out the original posts on the Classic Horror Film Board here.




Kudos to Doctor Kiss for the thorough and detailed work he's provided in that thread.

Got change for a penny, mate?

I bought a pile of stuff for a penny each on Amazon UK! ONE pence!! Mickey Spillane's "The Big Bang" was secondhand but "The Goliath Bone" was brand new. THE NINJA KILLER has a terrible cover that doesn't actually tell you it's a Turkish film starring Cuneyt Arkin. LOL. The old VHS cover is much better.

Hey hey lets go it's Saturday so here's THE RAMONES

Live from 1995 from the end of their career. Short interview segment at the end.

Uhh, baby, come to daddy

I woke up with a blasted headache. Popped a headache table. Waited an hour. Felt fine. Got out of bed. Though I might as well log on and get it over with... i.e. look at the auction I MOST LIKELY did not win during the night. Logged on... and there is was... the ebay auto message, "You won this item, now pay up, fucker".

Gott im himmel!!! I can't believe I'm finally going to get the original Hong Kong release of the very multo mucho rare'o Taiwan film LAST BREATH. It's insane. I hardly place any money on this (in collector circles that is. Ordinary people would certainly think £45 ($71) on an auction for an old video tape is more than enough). The final bid came to £31 ($49).

The tape I won is the HK VHS in Cantonese with English subs. There's one other release, the Chinatown tape from the US. The film has never been released in any other format.

There exist two different cuts of the film, one made for the Chinese markets and an English dubbed version for the international markets. I should point out the English dubbed print is an alternative version they made at the same time that has different scenes with Gwilo actors in it - BUT it's not a cut & paste film! Both versions were official versions made by the film studio simply to cater to different markets. The international version is fairly easy to come by as it's been released on DVD (unfortunately the DVDs are cut, including the German one. And beware, I've seen bootleg sellers advertising copies off the German DVD as being "uncut". Well, it's not uncut!). The video releases are uncut and the best one is the Japanese tape with is fully letterboxed.

"The Girl in Room 2A" from Mondo Macabro

Here's the trailer for MM's new DVD, William Rose's THE GIRL IN ROOM 2A (aka La casa della paura, Italy, 1974). Certainly looks like something we'd like to watch around these shores!! ^_^

Hmm, reminds me I used to live in room 5A for about a year twenty years back. LOL.



Thanks to Jared for the screen grab. Posted on Cinehound.