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TechnicolorAcid wrote: Fri Sep 26, 2025 1:39 am Do you have any thoughts on Infra-Man? It’s probably the title I’m most interested in but I want to know if lives up to the hype or not before I check it out.

Like the later Mighty Morphin Power Rangers shows, it's shrill and very repetitive, but it's done with high spirits, and so it's hard to dislike it too much. If you liked Danny Lee as a matinee idol in Mighty Peking Man, he does something similar here, and I enjoyed that a lot. That said, I would rather watch the other Hua Shan films again before I revisit Super Inframan. If I recall right, it predates the selling off of a significant portion of the Shaw Bros backlot, but you'd never know it because the film is so soundstage-bound. I guess my feeling on the movie is neutral, edging towards vaguely fond of it. But I would be much more excited to see a mid-range title in a genre I felt Shaws did really well. Heroes of Sung comes to mind, or The Black Tavern or The Lady Professional (I think some of these have been released in those Shout Factory boxes anyway).

I forgot about House of 72 Tenants. That would be a great part of a contemporary set. The more I think about it, the more I'm disappointed this set wasn't like half horror and half musicals, or something kind of interesting. They could have leaned on the supernatural opera films, like Enchanting Shadow and Madame White Snake, and there could have been an interesting creative and intellectual line drawn between the films of the one genre and of the other. Were I making the choices, I would have gladly forgone Bewitched, the Hex films, Super Inframan, and Battle Wizard in order to include some of the supernatural opera pictures, and some of the other quirky supernatural stuff over the years, like the Cheng Pei-Pei movie Dragon Swamp.

feihong wrote: Fri Sep 26, 2025 3:18 am

TechnicolorAcid wrote: Fri Sep 26, 2025 1:39 am Do you have any thoughts on Infra-Man? It’s probably the title I’m most interested in but I want to know if lives up to the hype or not before I check it out.

Like the later Mighty Morphin Power Rangers shows, it's shrill and very repetitive, but it's done with high spirits, and so it's hard to dislike it too much. If you liked Danny Lee as a matinee idol in Mighty Peking Man, he does something similar here, and I enjoyed that a lot. That said, I would rather watch the other Hua Shan films again before I revisit Super Inframan. If I recall right, it predates the selling off of a significant portion of the Shaw Bros backlot, but you'd never know it because the film is so soundstage-bound. I guess my feeling on the movie is neutral, edging towards vaguely fond of it. But I would be much more excited to see a mid-range title in a genre I felt Shaws did really well. Heroes of Sung comes to mind, or The Black Tavern or The Lady Professional (I think some of these have been released in those Shout Factory boxes anyway).

I forgot about House of 72 Tenants. That would be a great part of a contemporary set. The more I think about it, the more I'm disappointed this set wasn't like half horror and half musicals, or something kind of interesting. They could have leaned on the supernatural opera films, like Enchanting Shadow and Madame White Snake, and there could have been an interesting creative and intellectual line drawn between the films of the one genre and of the other. Were I making the choices, I would have gladly forgone Bewitched, the Hex films, Super Inframan, and Battle Wizard in order to include some of the supernatural opera pictures, and some of the other quirky supernatural stuff over the years, like the Cheng Pei-Pei movie Dragon Swamp.

Shout has released Dragon Swamp in one of their sets.

Not enthused about this selection. Leaning towards passing on this one.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY COLLECTION CONTENTS

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all sixteen films, all newly restored in 2K from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Illustrated 60-page collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by David West, Jonathan Clements and Grady Hendrix, plus cast and crew listings and notes on each film by Ian Jane
New artwork by Matt Frank & Jolyon Yates, Mike Lee-Graham, Chris Malbon and Ilan Sheady


DISC ONE – SUPER INFRAMAN

Newly restored lossless Mandarin, Cantonese and English mono audio
Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
Option to view the film in its US theatrical version, Infra-man, with lossless “Stereo-Infra-Sound” surround audio
Brand new commentary by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng & Erik Ko
Shaws’ Little Dragon, a newly filmed interview with co-star Bruce Le
Super Ultra Infra Action!, a brand new video essay on Shaws’ tokusatsu films written and narrated by Steven Sloss
Theatrical trailers, TV spots and radio spots


DISC TWO – OILY MANIAC / BATTLE WIZARD

Newly restored lossless Mandarin mono for both films, plus English mono for Battle Wizard
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub on Battle Wizard
Brand new commentary on Oily Maniac by critic Ian Jane
Brand new commentary on Battle Wizard by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of the Martial Arts


DISC THREE – BLACK MAGIC / BLACK MAGIC PART 2

Newly restored lossless Mandarin and English mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary for Black Magic by critic James Mudge
Brand new commentary for Black Magic Part 2 by critic Samm Deighan
Alternate US opening for Black Magic Part 2


DISC FOUR – HEX / BEWITCHED

Newly restored lossless Cantonese and Mandarin mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Brand new commentary for Bewitched by critic James Mudge


DISC FIVE – HEX VS. WITCHCRAFT / HEX AFTER HEX

Newly restored lossless Cantonese and Mandarin mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Additional Mandarin voiceover clip for Hex Vs. Witchcraft

DISC SIX – BAT WITHOUT WINGS / BLOODY PARROT

Newly restored lossless Mandarin mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Brand new commentaries for both films by critic Samm Deighan



DISC SEVEN – THE FAKE GHOST CATCHERS / DEMON OF THE LUTE

Newly restored lossless Cantonese and Mandarin mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Brand new commentary for Demon of the Lute by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng

DISC EIGHT – SEEDING OF A GHOST / PORTRAIT IN CRYSTAL

Newly restored lossless Cantonese and Mandarin mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Brand new commentary for Seeding of a Ghost by critic James Mudge


DISC NINE – TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

Newly restored lossless Cantonese and Mandarin mono audio
Newly translated English subtitles
Seamless branching option to watch Cantonese version with additional scene from Mandarin version
Brand new commentary by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng
Newly filmed interview with director/co-writer Alex Cheung
Newly filmed appreciation by film scholar Victor Fan
Theatrical trailer


DISC TEN – BONUS DISC

Hong Kong: The Show of Mister Shaw, a 1972 French TV profile of Shaw Brothers
Brand new video essay on Ho Meng-hua written and narrated by Grady Hendrix
Newly filmed appreciations of Super Inframan by Leon Hunt, Luke White and Kim Newman
Newly filmed appreciation of Bat Without Wings by Wayne Wong
Newly filmed appreciation of Demon of the Lute by Luke White
Newly filmed appreciations of Battle Wizard and Demon of the Lute by Victor Fan
Theatrical trailers for most of the films in the set, some never seen on video before”

Grady Hendrix is one of my favourite disc extra creators, and his novels come highly reccomended too.

I used to read his blog, especially for the reviews of demented old paperback books and his enthusiastic reviews of Tsui Hark films. I've built such a picture of his personality through his writing, I think I'm kind of afraid to find out what he looks or sounds like. Doesn't really matter what the result would be, really. I guess I want to keep my invention of the author in my mind intact, for some reason.

Looking forward to vol 4, some personal favorites in there!
I just picked up Vol 3 and much to my dismay, all the discs have the audio and subtitle tracks locked. All of the Shout! Factory Asian titles have this same problem. I like to be able to change language tracks for some scenes and see how the translation differs or rewatch a scene with the commentary track and see what they have to say about it. Very annoying to have to restart the disc to make any of these changes. Hopefully Vol 4 doesn't have this issue as well.

I've updated the first post of this thread to reflect several of this year's Shaw-related releases. If I seem to have missed anything, let me know

feihong wrote: Sun Oct 05, 2025 4:13 am I used to read his blog, especially for the reviews of demented old paperback books and his enthusiastic reviews of Tsui Hark films. I've built such a picture of his personality through his writing, I think I'm kind of afraid to find out what he looks or sounds like. Doesn't really matter what the result would be, really. I guess I want to keep my invention of the author in my mind intact, for some reason.

He's a shockingly normal-looking guy, although sometimes he has those crazy eyes that tell you "I'm a rabid fan of Asian genre cinema." I used to love reading Kaiju Shakedown, I wish he would write more (aside from his horror novels, which have been a big success for him I believe).

After mentioning five or six times on here that there should be a Shawscope Volumes disc of Lam Ngai Kai's The Men from the Gutter, I'd be remiss not to mention that Vinegar Syndrome has released the film, apparently exclusive to their website(?). Samm Deighan does an audio commentary, there's a making-of documentary, and a special on Jason Piao is on there, and the film looks gritty and great on blu-ray. With only the old Celestial DVD for comparison, there was a huge amount of room for improvement, and the crazy later action scenes in the film feel way bigger with the depth the bluray delivers.

Also on Vinegar Syndrome's website is a blu-ray set of all three of Teresa Woo's Angel films under the "Iron Angels" name. It's pretty great value, quality of which lays waste to the Cargo Records blu from Germany. Angel 2 has some messed-up-looking early scenes, but the rest of these three discs looks brilliant and richly colored. I saw these movies so many years apart from one another, I didn't really reckon with the not-zero amount of continuity Teresa Woo brings to the successive pictures, in spite of losing some of the more expensive cast after the first movie. I didn't remember Elaine Liu was in the second film, or that the Angel with the really intense face and the huge eyes (I think her name is Kharina Isa?) first appears in the second film before replacing Elaine in the third picture. And my impression that Angel II was marred by an endless focus on Alex Fong had to be adjusted somewhat; there's a lot more of the other characters than I recalled from before. I only saw the movie once, on pan-and-scan VHS, so seeing it all classy has changed my view a bit. Still, no David Chiang and more Alex Fong wasn't a big plus of the later movies, even so, and the sequels seem a lot less satisfying as narratives than the first film does. But this is a very good value set; not only is the first movie so very fun, the sequels aren't a total letdown, and both have a lot of high points.

But the cover art on both these exclusive discs is very regrettable.

In the wake of Bruce Lee's contemporary-set kung fu films, legendary studio Shaw Brothers would start their own wave of socially charged martial arts cinema, where brave fighters face off against the dastardly street gangs of Hong Kong!

Jointly directed by action maestros Chang Cheh and Kuei Chih-Hung, THE DELINQUENT tells of a hot-headed young martial artist fighting back against the ruthless triad gang trying to recruit him.

Kung fu prodigy Chen Kuan-Tai stars in THE TEAHOUSE and its sequel BIG BROTHER CHENG as a small business owner reluctantly resorting to violence to protect his establishment and keep the city safe.

The saga continues with the spinoff BIG BAD SIS, where a factory worker uses her formidable combat skills to train her sworn sisters to fight back against the men who oppress them.

Chen Kuan-Tai returns alongside future The Killer star Danny Lee in THE BIG HOLDUP where a group of robbers pulls off a bountiful heist, but there could be a traitor in their midst.

Set in the Republican era, director Chor Yuen's THE CONVICT KILLER stars Shaw luminary Ti Lung, recently released from prison and hellbent on finding the man who framed him, armed with an iron chain and righteous fury.

Finally, in one of the chief inspirations behind John Woo's A Better Tomorrow, an upright police inspector and a powerful triad leader must contend with being bound by blood in Hua Shan's landmark THE BROTHERS.

Swapping aerial sword fights for unflinching street brawls, Shaw Brothers' 1970s thrillers offer gripping and action-packed tales of Hong Kong's criminal underworld, stunningly restored and compiled in this must-have boxset.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 2K restorations of all seven films by Arrow Films from the original 35mm negatives
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of all seven films
- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Tom Fournier
- Collectors' perfect-bound booklet featuring new writing on the films by Jonathan Clements, Samm Deighan, Victor Fan and David West

DISC ONE: THE DELINQUENT / THE TEAHOUSE
- Original lossless Mandarin and English mono audio on The Delinquent and lossless Cantonese and Mandarin mono audio on The Teahouse
- Optional English subtitles for the Cantonese and Mandarin soundtracks and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- Brand new audio commentaries for both films by Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng
- Original theatrical trailers for both films and US TV spot for The Delinquent, released as Street Gangs of Hong Kong

DISC TWO: BIG BROTHER CHENG / BIG BAD SIS
- Original lossless Cantonese mono audio on Big Brother Cheng and lossless Cantonese and Mandarin mono audio on Big Bad Sis
- Optional English subtitles for both films
- Brand new audio commentaries for both films by Frank Djeng
- Original theatrical trailers for both films

DISC THREE: THE BIG HOLDUP / THE CONVICT KILLER
- Original lossless Mandarin mono audio on The Big Holdup and lossless Mandarin and English mono audio on The Convict Killer
- Optional English subtitles for the Mandarin soundtracks and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- Brand new audio commentary for The Big Holdup by Asian cinema expert James Mudge
- Brand new audio commentary forThe Convict Killer by Asian cinema expert David West
- Original theatrical trailer for The Convict Killer

DISC FOUR: THE BROTHERS / EXTRAS
- Original lossless Mandarin mono audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Brand new commentary by James Mudge
- Remaining Fearless, a brand new interview with actor Susan Shaw, filmed and conducted by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2026
- The Iron Monkey of Macau, a brand new interview with actor Chen Kuan-Tai
- Martial Memories, a brand new interview with actors Chen Kuan-Tai and Bruce Le
- Two new interviews with film critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns discussing the films of Kuei Chih-Hung and Chor Yuen
- Predicting Heroic Bloodshed, a brand new interview with Frank Djeng discussing The Brothers' legacy

Thought I should report an odd situation with Shawscope Vol. 2 that I was previously unaware of. I purchased a copy advertised as new via what seemed to be a reputable seller, but even though the set arrived shrink wrapped and intact (including the cardboard wrap-around feature with credit details), when I opened the large sleeve booklet, all the discs were inserted into the sleeves individually wrapped in thin plastic. This struck me as odd, and sure enough, every blu ray disc was actually a burned BD-r. What's strange is that the BD-r's had professional-looking art detail on the non-playable side (as in, completely legitimate-looking).

A quick internet search suggests that this is actually a bit of a known counterfeit issue with Shawscope Vol. 2, with numerous copies of (seemingly) legitimate sets containing burned BDr's turning up. The issue only seems to be with Vol. 2. I'll admit I don't quite understand exactly how this scam works - it just seems to require an awful lot of work (and the necessity of getting one's hands on a fairly luxurious mint condition box). At any rate, buyer beware?

Arrow is going to start breaking up Volume 2 with a release of the 36th Chamber trilogy on January 12. Available in 2 flavors, standard wide release and a site exclusive Tony Stella slipcover.

dwk wrote: Tue Nov 03, 2026 4:38 pm Arrow is going to start breaking up Volume 2 with a release of the 36th Chamber trilogy on January 12. Available in 2 flavors, standard wide release and a site exclusive Tony Stella slipcover.

Just breaking up the existing discs or upgrading select titles to UHD?

Existing discs

2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation of all three films
Uncompressed Mandarin, Cantonese and English mono audio on all three films
Optional English subtitles for the Mandarin and Cantonese soundtracks and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
Limited edition packaging featuring artwork by Tony Stella
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady

DISC ONE - THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN
4K restoration by Celestial Pictures and L'Immagine Ritrovata
Audio commentary by critic Travis Crawford
Select-scene commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2003
Interview with cinematographer Arthur Wong, filmed in 2006
Shaolin: Birthplace of a Hero and Elegant Trails, two archive featurettes with Gordon Liu produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003
Tiger Style: The Musical Impactof Martial Arts Cinema, an overview of Shaw Brothers' influence on hip hop and other music genres, featuring music historian Lovely Jon
Cinema Hong Kong: Swordfighting, a documentary produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003 and featuring interviews with Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-Leung, Cheng Pei-Pei, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Kara Hui, David Chiang and others
Alternate opening credits from the American version titled Master Killer
Hong Kong and German theatrical trailers, plus US TV spot
Image gallery

DISC TWO - RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER / DISCIPLES OF THE 36TH CHAMBER
Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2003
Citizen Shaw, a French TV documentary from 1980 directed by Maurice Frydland, in which Sir Run Run Shaw gives an all-access tour of the Shaw Brothers backlot (including behind-the-scenes footage from Return to the 36th Chamber), remastered in High Definition
Hero on the Scaffolding, an archival featurette produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003
Alternate opening credits sequences for both films
Hong Kong theatrical trailers for both films
Image galleries for both films