New Australian DVD and BD Releases

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
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Michael Kerpan
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1201 Post by Michael Kerpan » Thu Sep 15, 2011 1:02 pm

tojoed wrote:He sometimes contributes at Dave Kehr's blog, but not as much as he used to.
I guess I've somehow missed his posts there.

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John Edmond
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1202 Post by John Edmond » Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:47 am

Madman are releasing Lynch's Lost Highway and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me next February. It's safe to say that these will be the exact same transfers as the French releases

charal
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1203 Post by charal » Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:13 am

Tim Burtall's PETERSEN & LAST OF THE KNUCKLEMEN are out via Umbrella on January 4th. These are identical to the previously released versions [replete with extras] found on the OOP Roadshow boxset .

Perkins Cobb
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1204 Post by Perkins Cobb » Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:27 am

Also James Ricketson's Blackfellas (1993) on the upcoming Umbrella slate.

And it is nice to see those Tim Burstall films from the Hexagon Collection coming back into print; most of them, apart from the two Alvin Purple movies, are worth a look.

charal
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1205 Post by charal » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:30 am

For those studying Oz cinema check out this site. It offers generous excerpts from all important films made during our 'golden age.'

Has anyone ever seen 27A? It looks interesting to me. I can't find any evidence of VHS or DVD versions out there. Does anyone know if Umbrella/Roadshow hold the rights?

I was surprised to see that PURE SHIT (1975) was released 2 years ago. Is this film worth looking into? I've heard people say it is a lost classic.

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Roger Ryan
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1206 Post by Roger Ryan » Thu Dec 22, 2011 10:16 am

That's a well-organized one-stop source for Australian cinema. I loved watching the clips from BLISS (1985), a wonderful little satire that I saw a 35mm print of when first released and just once more on VHS a few years later. Would love to have a Blu-ray of it.

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GaryC
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:56 pm
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1207 Post by GaryC » Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:08 pm

None of Esben Storm's features as director are available on DVD. I watched In Search of Anna just after he died - on an ex-rental VHS copy. It's an interesting movie, and particularly recommended for fans of anti-chronological narrative.

I haven't seen 27A so can't comment. It never had a UK release of any kind.

My review of Pure Shit is here.

charal
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1208 Post by charal » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:44 pm

As it turns out, 27A is available direct from the copyright holders Smart Street Films.

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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1209 Post by Solaris » Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:14 pm

Powaqqatsi blu ray coming in march, also Drowning by Numbers is listed as a blu ray, but me thinks it is just a standard dvd.

charal
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1210 Post by charal » Sun Feb 12, 2012 11:38 pm

I pre-ordered Brook's MARAT /SADE (1966) from Umbrella [due out in March] but for some strange reason it arrived today in the post [3 weeks early]. I was expecting a 4:3 non-anamorphic travesty (Viz R1 NTSC) but was surprised to find a stunning, impeccable 16:9 transfer. What puzzles me is the fact that this DVD is out of print in the US and not out at all in the UK. So why is it out in Oz-Down-under?

The disc is typical of Umbrella's recent releases. Bare-bones, auto-starting with no chapter selection (despite having chapter stops) and no menu page at all.

Re: R2. Could our friends at the BFI be contemplating this 'avant Garde' film as a future Flipside release? After all they have previously released an MGM film [BED SITTING ROOM] in the series and I think this transfer looks better than most of their recent Blu Ray releases.

p.s. Since the print used has no 'cigarette burns' [reel markers] and no scratches, etc. I assume it was struck from the negative and probably restored also!

Perkins Cobb
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1211 Post by Perkins Cobb » Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:07 am

This poor thread has too little going on in it, but I did notice that John Duigan's Casablanca pastiche, Far East, is getting a release from Umbrella.

charal
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1212 Post by charal » Sun May 20, 2012 9:21 pm

John Duigan's MOUTH TO MOUTH (1978) is out on June 6.

http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-3305-mo ... mouth.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

His more sexually orientated film from 1976 THE TRESPASSERS may also come out on Umbrella in the near future. Here is a sampler of that film: http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/trespassers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Perkins Cobb
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1213 Post by Perkins Cobb » Tue May 22, 2012 12:32 pm

Terrific news - Mouth to Mouth is a rare and important one.

Incidentally, I know someone who has tried at length and so far unsuccessfully to coax DVDs of those two Esben Storm films out of Smart Street, so ... good luck, I guess.

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GaryC
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1214 Post by GaryC » Tue May 22, 2012 1:04 pm

That wasn't me, though I did think the chance of them sending review copies to me in the UK was probably zero... I guess I'd better save up for them as I can't see much chance of seeing 27A or the two Haydn Keenan films otherwise.

Mouth to Mouth had a UK television screening on Channel 4 in the late 80s IIRC, which is when I saw it. If memory serves it's very good. Nice to see that and other John Duigan films getting a release. He was born in the UK, by the way, in Hartley Wintney, which is not very far away from where I live.

I also remember that when every time a Duigan film used to play the London Film festival, the souvenir booklet's Duigan filmography always used to misspell the title as Month by Month.

Perkins Cobb
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1215 Post by Perkins Cobb » Wed May 23, 2012 3:53 pm

I don't think it was a problem of reaching them, I think it was more a question of prodding them into action.

charal
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1216 Post by charal » Mon May 28, 2012 6:18 am

MOUTH TO MOUTH came in the post today. The transfer was done with the involvement of both Duigan and Cowan (as the included interviews suggest) but it is a bit soft on detail. The first reels have too much red tone which turns skin tones pinkish but it gets better as the film progresses. I assume this is the best we will get (for now). It is 16:9 anamorphic. Despite this it is a much better film than FJ HOLDEN - a film with themes and characters in common.

I remember seeing it on TV c.1980 but forgot the details with the exception of the scene of the two girls singing Ave Maria. In some ways the film reminded me of the Finnish film RED RIDING HOOD [Bergholm, 1968] in which ex-reform girls are also featured. The ending with one of the girls on a Melbourne street at night with the beautiful theme song playing over is one of the best film endings of any Australian film I have seen. [Don't ask me why, it just felt and looked right.]

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TMDaines
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1217 Post by TMDaines » Thu Jun 28, 2012 9:59 am

The fact that the Aussie release doesn't have North by Northwest, yet has the US packaging, is really starting to make me think that the EU packaging shot was just placeholder art.

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Nadsat
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1218 Post by Nadsat » Sun Sep 16, 2012 4:14 pm

Can anyone tell me if this release of "Solaris" is worth buying?

http://www.ezydvd.com.au/blu-ray/solaris/dp/6112060" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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perkizitore
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1219 Post by perkizitore » Sun Sep 16, 2012 4:21 pm

david hare wrote:The Oz 14 disc BluRay Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection loically released October 20, RRP 169.95.

http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/NewsFiles/ ... ct%203.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If there are further discounted tieups with JB or whoever this could be even less making it a comparable buy to the UK box at circa 97 quid (which I currently have on order like everyone. )
One thing: Universal UK are normally Region fixed "B". Same thing may apply here if it's a port so offshore fixed Rehgion "A" people be cautious.
It's only $130 AUD on Chaos.

charal
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1220 Post by charal » Sun Sep 16, 2012 9:09 pm

Since the special features are the same as on the Criterion DVD / Blu I would assume the Oz blu of SOLARIS is the same transfer as Criterions.

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Nadsat
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1221 Post by Nadsat » Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:26 am

charal wrote:Since the special features are the same as on the Criterion DVD / Blu I would assume the Oz blu of SOLARIS is the same transfer as Criterions.
Yes, I suspected that. Thanks! :D

Perkins Cobb
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1222 Post by Perkins Cobb » Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:29 pm

Manganinnie. Taking forever, but Umbrella is still going with the Oz New Wave and its fellow travelers.

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Nadsat
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1223 Post by Nadsat » Wed Feb 27, 2013 4:37 am

charal wrote:Since the special features are the same as on the Criterion DVD / Blu I would assume the Oz blu of SOLARIS is the same transfer as Criterions.
I have bought this and I can confirm that it is the same transfer as Criterion.

Some other remarks: no optional english subtitles (they are fixed to the image but at least they are not yellow), same extras except for the commentary track, having lossy audio (no "uncompressed audio" as stated on the back cover, no pop-up menu option.

Perkins Cobb
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1224 Post by Perkins Cobb » Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:13 pm

Any idea what happened to Gillian Armstrong's High Tide? Umbrella issued a 16:9 special edition, w/Armstrong commentary & other extras, in October 2010. Now that seems to have disappeared, and there's a 2012 DVD release from some budget outfit called Payless. The DeVoteD page lists the same specs as the Umbrella, but I'm wary -- can anyone confirm it's the same edition and not some 4:3 bootleg?

Perkins Cobb
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Re: New R4 Australian Titles

#1225 Post by Perkins Cobb » Mon Jun 17, 2013 3:43 pm

New from Umbrella: The documentary The Back of Beyond (1954) and two post-New Wave titles I'm eager to see, Duigan's The Winter of Our Dreams (1981) and the David Williamson-scripted The Perfectionist (1987).

And High Tide seems to be back on the Umbrella page, as well.

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