Australian label Umbrella Entertainment has announced its December batch of Blu-ray releases. Amongst them are:
Shame (1988),
Apex (2021), and
The Man from Hong Kong (1975).
Shame
Description: A stranger, Asta Cadell (Deborra-Lee Furness, Jindabyne) limps into an outback town on a crippled motorcycle. Trapped while she waits for repairs, Asta stays at the garage of Tim Curtis (Tony Barry, Australia).
The outsider soon discovers that Tim's young daughter Lizzie (Simone Buchanan, My Brilliant Career) is the latest victim of the local sport: gang rape. Some women are intimidated, others make excuses and the law looks the other way – but nothing ever changes.
Attacked herself, Asta is drawn into the struggle of the town's women for safety and dignity. Emboldened by her, Lizzie lays charges and all hell breaks loose. The women rise up, but resistance is never that easy or that simple.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- NEW interview with Steve Jodrell (Director), Michael Brindley (Co-writer), Beverley Blankenship (Co-writer), Simone Buchanan (Lizzie), & Paul Barron (Producer)
- Audio commentary with Steve Jodrell (Director), Simone Buchanan (Lizzie), & Michael Brindley (Co-writer)
- Oral history with film buff Paul Harris and Steve Jodrell
- Original footage from the premiere of 'Shame'- ABC TV
- Artspace interview with Deborra-Lee Furness
- Original archival theatrical trailer
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-FREE
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
The Man from Hong Kong
Description: The Far East picks a fight Down Under in The Man From Hong Kong, a cult martial arts action extravaganza from Ozploitation legend Brian Trenchard-Smith (Dead End Drive-In, Turkey Shoot, and BMX Bandits).
When Hong Kong Inspector Fang Sing Leng (Jimmy Wang Yu, Master of the Flying Guillotine) travels to Sydney to interview drug trafficker Win Chan (martial arts star and director Sammo Hung) he is flung into an international investigation destined to test his mettle and might.
Teaming up with Aussie Detectives Grosse (Hugh Keays-Byrne, Mad Max, Fury Road) and Taylor (Roger Ward, Turkey Shoot), Fang soon discovers a cunning connection between Win Chan's drug imports and larger-than-life local gangster Jack Wilton (George Lazenby, James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service).
Determined to get his man, Fang will stop at nothing – bringing all manner of mayhem to the streets in a full-on fist fighting spectacle of explosive proportions.
A true Ozploitation classic, featuring extraordinary car chases, dangerous stunts and incredible set pieces from Grant Page, The Man From Hong Kong (AKA The Dragon Flies) also stars Bill Hunter, Frank Thring, Rebecca Gilling, and Ros Speirs.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- All NEW - Raw! Real! Quick! - An interview with legendary stuntman Grant Page
- ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ON CD DISC
- Audio commentary with Writer/Director Brian Trenchard-Smith with actor Hugh Keays-Byrne and Stunt Director Grant Page
- Extended interviews from Not Quite Hollywood with Writer/Director Brian Trenchard-Smith, Executive Producer David Hannay, cast members George Lazenby, Rebecca Gilling and Roger Ward, 2nd Unit Cameraman John Steele - and with added interview with Cinematographer Russell Boyd and 1st AD Hal McElroy
- The Stuntmen (1973): A 50 minute documentary by Brian Trenchard-Smith
- Kung Fu Killers (1974): A 75 minute TV special featuring Grant Page and George Lazenby directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Press conference and opening night newsreel footage
- Trailers from Hell trailer with commentary
- Alternative trailer
- HD theatrical trailer
- All new - Brian Trenchard-Smith trailer reel
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-FREE
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Sex and Zen
Description: Sex and Zen raised the bar on Chinese soft porn when it was released. An erotic comedy about sexual dalliances and their retribution, based on an ancient Chinese literary classic – The Carnal Prayer Mat.
Directed by Michael Mak, it is a cautionary tale about a man (Lawrence Ng) who marries a beautiful young woman (Amy Yip) but after a sexually unfulfilling wedding night, decides to set out on an odyssey to conquer as many women as possible. His pursuit for the ultimate erotic pleasure, leads him down the path of decadence, while his hapless bride is forced to work as a prostitute in a brothel. After a series of carnal adventures, with often unusual and hilarious results, the couple is reunited, but not before a sad lesson is inflicted.
Funny and outrageous, with lots of eroticisms, the movie has become a cult hit worldwide, with its lavish sex and imaginative sex scenes.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Interview with director Michael Mak (English subtitles)
- Theatrical trailer
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Apex
Description: Five elite Hunters pay to hunt a human on a deserted island. But each Hunter begins to fall as the Prey fights back with mind-games, traps, and a determination to survive they have never witnessed before. Serving a life sentence for a crime he didn't commit, ex-cop James Malone (Bruce Willis) is offered a chance at freedom if he can survive a deadly game of Apex.
Six hunters pay for the pleasure of hunting another human on a remote island, but once Malone arrives all hell breaks loose as the hunters begin to fight among themselves. Laying traps and playing mid games, Malone allows his enemies to take one another out on his quest to survive and get revenge on Samuel Rainsford (Neal McDonough), the reigning champion of Apex and the man who framed him. As the stoic game master, West (Alexia Fast) refuses to stop the carnage, the elite hunters become the prey.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Original theatrical trailer
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
The Devil's Playground
Description: Internationally renowned filmmaker Fred Schepisi's celebrated first feature is a lushly photographed period drama detailing a young boy's coming-of-age in a strict Catholic seminary in 1950s Victoria.
A semi-autobiographical retelling of the director's own training for the priesthood, the story follows 13-year-old Tom Allen (Simon Burke), a serious, likable boy whose calling for the church is complicated by guilt associated with his masturbation and sinful thoughts. While the ascetic Brother Francine (Arthur Dignam) prowls the school's corridors looking for evidence of ''the undisciplined mind'', the hard-drinking Brother Victor (Nick Tate) refutes the harsh discipline that scars the hearts and minds of the students - through each battle a desire to consummate the pleasures of the flesh.
This Australian film classic cemented the rise of director Fred Schepisi (The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith) when it won six AFI awards including Best Film and Best Director and made a breakthrough screening at the Cannes Film Festival in 1976.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Featurette with director Fred Schepisi and key cast and crew
- Interview with Fred Schepisi
- Audio Commentary with Fred Schepisi (39 min)
- Stills Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Never Look Away
Description: Inspired by real events and spanning three eras of German history, NEVER LOOK AWAY tells the story of a young art student, Kurt (Tom Schilling), who falls in love with fellow student Ellie (Paula Beer). Ellie's father and famous doctor, Professor Seeband (Sebastian Koch), is dismayed at his daughter's choice of boyfriend and vows to destroy the relationship. What neither Kurt nor Ellie knows is that their lives are already connected through a terrible crime Seeband committed decades ago.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Original trailer
- In German, with English subtitles
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Buena Vista Social Club
Description: With a small film crew, Wim Wenders accompanied his old friend Ry Cooder, who had previously written the music for PARIS, TEXAS, and END OF VIOLENCE, on a trip to Havana.
Cooder wanted to record his material for Ibrahim Ferrer's solo album at a studio there—following the first "Buena Vista Social Club" CD (which had not yet been released at that time). Wenders immersed himself in the world of Cuban music. Over the course of several months, he observed and accompanied the musicians—first at home in Havana and then, weeks later, in April 1998, on their trip to Amsterdam for the first public performance of the band (who had never played together outside a studio) and then, still later, in July 1998, to their triumphal concert in New York's Carnegie Hall.
He thus followed the old heroes of the traditional Cuban Son music on their path from being completely forgotten to becoming world-famous—within the period of just a few months. "I thought, I'll shoot a documentary," Wenders said, "and here we were, about to witness a fairy tale that no one could have imagined in this form." The music documentary became a cinematic sensation and an international success. Along with an Academy Award nomination for the best documentary film, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB won this category of the European Film Awards, the German Film Prize in Gold, Germany's Golden Camera, and the Grand Prize for Film in Brazil as well as numerous other awards.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Additional Scenes
- "Candela" - Amsterdam
- Alberto Korda's Photographs
- "Cien Fuegos Tiene Su Guaguanco" - Egrem Studios
- Theatrical trailer
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Frank Hurbert's Dune Collection
Description: This comprehensive collection of Frank Herbert's 'Dune Chronicles' begins with the landmark science fiction epic DUNE, a stunningly realised four-and-a-half hour miniseries produced by the Sci-Fi Channel, and continues with the spectacular follow up CHILDREN OF DUNE, which combines the second and third books from the series. Featuring a stellar cast worthy of such an epic saga, these award-winning productions are landmark in their vision and scope and remain two of the highest rating sci-fi programs in history.
DUNE (2000)
Oscar-winner© William Hurt stars as Duke Leto Atreides, charged to rule the desolate planet Arrakis, the universe's only source of Melange, a spice that enhances mental performance and makes interstellar travel possible. But soon Leto's bitter enemy, the evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Ian McNeice, Rome), a former ruler, wins back Arrakis and hands power over to his brutal nephew Rabban. When the Atreides family escape to the inhospitable desert with the help of the Fremen – a race of displaced desert nomads – the revitalising power of Melange enables Paul (Alec Newman, Frankenstein), the Duke's son, to organise the oppressed Fremen and wage war on the Empire.
CHILDREN OF DUNE (2003)
The future of humanity is left in doubt as the twins of Paul Atreides become embroiled in the turbulent political landscape of Arrakis. Born with special abilities and superhuman prescience that not only empowers them but place them in considerable jeopardy amongst their kind Leto (James McAvoy, IT: Chapters 1 and 2) and Ghanima (Jessica Brooks, Supernova) continue the fight against the malevolent forces of Baron Harkonnen. With the looming threat of civil war amongst the Fremen and Princess Wensicia's (Oscar-winner© Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking) own devious plot to assassinate the Atreides heirs, their survival is paramount to ensure the future of the universe for generations to come.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- CHILDREN OF DUNE
- Making of Storyboard with Audio commentary
- Visual effects
- DUNE
- Making of Part 1 - "The Filmmakers' Vision"
- Making of Part 2 - "The Production Story"
- Trailer
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-FREE
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Description: Crusading nobleman Robin of Loxley (Cary Elwes, The Princess Bride) escapes from prison in Jerusalem and returns home to find that the evil Prince John (Richard Lewis, Leaving Las Vegas) has confiscated his family estate and is abusing the citizenry. Robin enlists his blind attendant, Blinkin (Mark Blankfield, Dracula: Dead and Loving It), his friend Will Scarlett O'Hara (Matthew Porretta, Alan Wake), and Little John (Eric Allan Kramer, Lodge 49) to help regain his home. Robin also hopes to woo the beautiful Maid Marian (Amy Yasbeck, The Mask), but her chastity belt may prove a challenge.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Behind the scenes featurette
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Lost in Translation
Description: A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray, Moonrise Kingdom) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson, The Avengers), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film a Japanese whiskey commercial Charlotte is accompanying her celebrity-photographer husband. Strangers in a foreign land, the two find escape, distraction, and understanding amidst the bright Tokyo lights after a chance meeting in the quiet lull of the hotel bar. They form a bond that is as unlikely as it is heartfelt and meaningful.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Deleted scenes- "Lost" on Location- Matthew's Greatest Hits
- "City Girl" Kevin Shields music video
- "Found" in Conversation: Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray
- On the Set of Sophia Coppola's "Somewhere"
- Theatrical trailer
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Gangs of New York
Description: Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception) is a young Irish immigrant released from prison. He returns to the Five Points seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood), a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Amsterdam's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people in 1860's New York.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Audio commentary with Director Martin Scorsese
- A look at the history with Lue Sante
- Dante Ferretti (Set Design) - Exploring the sets of Gangs of New York
- Sandy Powell (Costume)
- Trailer
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.
Stir Crazy/Hanky Panky
Stir Crazy (1980)
Set up and wrongfully accused, two best friends (Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder) will be sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit. However, no prison cell could keep them locked in. Directed by Sidney Poitier.
Hanky Panky (1982)
A completely innocent man, Michael Jordon (Gene Wilder), is drawn into a web of government secrets when a girl carrying a mysterious package gets into a taxi with him. When she's later murdered, Michael becomes the chief suspect and goes on the run, teaming up with a woman determined to find her brother's killer (Gilda Radner). Directed by Sidney Poitier.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Trailers
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- REGION-B "LOCKED"
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 1.