Vinegar Syndrome has announced its August batch of 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases. They are: Amazon Jail / Amazon Jail II (1982-1987), Killer Condom (1996), The Cardona Collection Volume Two (1967-1987), and Guest House Paradiso (1999). The four releases will be available for purchase on August 29.
Deep in the Amazon, dozens of beautiful women are being held hostage in bamboo huts, waiting to be sold on the white slave market. The operation is run by Edgar, a perverted drunk, and Helena, a vicious lesbian. However, when Edgar's young nephew attempts to help the women escape from their tropical prison, the group are quick to learn that the jungle is no less trecherous…
An exceedingly crass take on the women-in-prison genre, Oswaldo de Oliveira's AMAZON JAIL features Brazilian matinee idol, Elizabeth Hartmann along with character actors Maurício do Valle, Sergio Hingst, and Vanessa Alves and is presented in a stunning new 4K restoration of its original 35mm negative.
AMAZON JAIL II (Prisioneiras da Selva Amazônica)
When a group of tribeswomen are kidnaped, to be sold to a Japanese white slave trader, they find unlikely aid in the men who have been hired to transport them to captivity. Fleeing with the girls, the unlikely traveling companions become lost in the jungle, having to contend with unexpected dangers - both human and animal. But their would-be slaver, and his dwarf assistant, are unwilling to give up on such a prize catch so easily…
Part jungle adventure and part crime-thriller, Conrado Sanchez' AMAZON JAIL II blends action and T&A, with an all but surreal sense of self-parody and stars Vanessa Alves alongside Brazilian cult actor, Chumbinho and is presented newly restored in 4K for the first time!
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC BLU-RAY SET
NEW 4K RESTORATIONS from its 35mm original camera negative (Amazon Jail) and a 35mm answer print (Amazon Jail II)
Presented in their original Portuguese language soundtracks with newly translated English subtitles and English dub tracks
Audio Commentary track with with film historian Fábio Vellozo for AMAZON JAIL
A brand new interview with AMAZON JAIL lead actress Elizabeth Hartmann (13 min)
A conversation with AMAZON JAIL II director Conrado Sanchez (40 min)
A conversation with supporting actress Vanessa Alves (24 min)
"Latin American Exploitation Cinema" (19 min) - an interview with film historian Dr. Victoria Ruétalo
"The Sadean Woman in Prison" (60 min) - a video essay by film historian Annie Rose Malamet
Description: In one of the seediest parts of Midtown, Manhattan, strange things are going down at the aptly-named Hotel Quickie. The male patrons, who use the establishment as a playground for their every sexual whim, are mysteriously getting their genitals bitten off, with bizarre claims abounding about a carnivorous condom on the loose. Assigned to the peculiar case, Sicilian-born cop Luigi Mackeroni is initially skeptical - but the matter soon becomes intensely personal when, during an encounter at the hotel with a young rent boy, he himself is attacked by one of the man-eating prophylactics, losing a testicle in the process. It quickly transpires that the Big Apple is being besieged by an entire army of ravenous rubbers, and Mackeroni must work to crack the case before the emasculation epidemic escalates!
Based on the best-selling adult comic books by Germany's Ralf König, Martin Walz's KILLER CONDOM is a delirious horror-comedy in the vein of Frank Henenlotter by way of film noir, and featuring gag-inducing special effects by notorious splatter master Jörg Buttgereit (Nekromantik, Schramm) along with Academy Award-winner H. R. Giger (Alien, Species) serving as creative consultant. Finally unleashed in its never-before-released director's cut (in addition to the theatrical version) and newly restored in 4K from its original camera negative by the mad celluloid scientists at Vinegar Syndrome, KILLER CONDOM crawls up from the sewers in its worldwide 4K Blu-ray debut - endowed with a girthy array of both brand new and archival extras, offering film fans plenty to sink their teeth into!
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K BLU-RAY/TWO-DISC BLU-RAY SET
NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Two versions:
118-minute Director's Cut (4K Blu-ray & Blu-ray)
108-minute Theatrical Version (Blu-ray only)
Brand new commentary track with co-writer/director Martin Walz and special effects supervisor Jörg Buttgereit (Director's Cut)
Archival commentary track with Martin Walz and Jörg Buttgereit (Theatrical Cut)
"A Rough Ride" - a brand new interview with co-writer/director Martin Walz
"This Is What We Built!" - a brand new 'show and tell' with co-writer/director Martin Walz
"Severed Parts" - a brand new interview with special effects supervisor Jörg Buttgereit
"Rubber and Rushes" - a brand new interview with editor Simone Klier
"Holy Mackeroni!" - a brand new interview with co-writer/director Martin Walz and actor Udo Samel
"What Is This?" - a brand new interview with actor Adriana Altaras
"It's Just a Movie" - a brand new interview with actor Peter Lohmeyer
"Really Special Items" - a brand new interview with prop collector Roman Güttinger
"Ich hätt's ihm früher sagen sollen..." - a 2003 short film directed by Martin Walz
Archival making-of featurette
Behind-the-scenes footage
Archival on-set interviews
"Would You Use This Condom?" - an archival featurette
René Cardona Jr. was the king of Mexican exploitation cinema throughout the 70s and 80s, directing dozens of films in a variety of genres and taking creative inspiration from the most popular trends in American and Italian genre cinema. Vinegar Syndrome presents The Cardona Collection: Volume 1, containing three of his violent, horror tinged adventure and disaster movies, all newly restored from their original negatives.
Beaks: The Movie
When TV reporter Vanessa is given an assignment to cover some local bird attacks, she sees it as a lowly assignment from her sleazy producer. But as the number of deadly incidents grow and Vanessa's investigation deepens, she discovers something much more sinister waiting in the wings. Soon humanity is under violent siege from all forms of avian predator and nowhere is safe to hide from these fearsome fowl, who hope to pec and gouge their way to world domination!
A globe-trotting and action packed classic from the animal attack genre, Rene Cardona Jr's BEAKS (aka Birds of Prey) pays playful homage to Hitchcock while infusing this story with way non stop carnage and death defying stunts as only he can. Starring Michelle Johnson (Tales From the Crypt), Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon) and Sofia Infante (Los placeres ocultos), Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present the world Blu-ray debut of BEAKS, presented in its uncut international version and newly restored in 2K!
Under Siege
When an organized crime group pulls the heist of their criminal careers things quickly spiral out of control into a nightmare of violence. After robbing several casinos in a synchronized attack, the group splinters in order to escape, only to be dogged by police task forces and relentless detectives at every turn. When one faction ultimately takes refuge in the home of an upscale family, it's up to the father to save his family as the criminals fall, one by one, and desperation sinks in.
A stellar example of Cardona Jr.'s prowess as a director, this film grabs you from its opening moments and the tension never lets up. Pulling from an all-star ensemble featuring Stuart Whitman (The Longest Day), Francisco Rabal (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!), Hugo Stiglitz (Nightmare City), Antonella Interlenghi (City of the Living Dead) and Marisa Mell (Danger: Diabolik) Under Siege (aka Hostages), is a non-stop thrill ride, newly restored from the 35mm camera negative of its original Spanish language version.
La casa que arde de noche
Eleazar is a smooth talking strong man who works at a notoriously sleazy brothel. His charming ways have put him in the good graces of the house's madame. That is until Lalasana, a seductive new prostitute, enters the brothel and does everything in her power to get to the top. While Eleazar and Lalasana vie for the favor of the house madame they will do anything to stop the other, but when their feud turns into a sexual fire, the intensity and heat threaten to turn all they've worked for into a pile of ash.
A mid-80s entry into the psycho-sexual thriller genre, this film is a twisting and turning tale with all the sex and sleaze you can handle. Starring frequent Cardona collaborators Sofia Infante (Treasure of the Amazon) and Salvador Pineda (Beaks: The Movie), La casa que arde de noche (aka The House That Burns at Night) is a welcome addition to U.S. home video, restored from its 35mm original camera negative.
S.O.S. Conspiración Bikini
Alex Dinamo is the top agent at The International Service and is always busy either taking down criminals or making ladies swoon. But now, the criminal enterprise, Secret Organizational Service (S.O.S.) is about to complete its long-in-the-works plot to destabilize the world with illegal arms deals. Using an international fashion show as their front, they're getting together for one last meeting before enacting their master plan. Will Agent Dinamo be able to pry away from all the scantily clad models long enough to foil S.O.S.'s plans or will they succeed?!
In this lighter action comedy, Cardona Jr. sets his sights on sending up the spy film genre. Filled with action set pieces and chase sequences, Cardona is in familiar territory while keeping the mood and pace free and fun. Starring Julio Alemán (El Tunco Malclovio), Sonia Infante (Beaks: The Movie), Sonia Furió (Aventura) and Noé Muayama (Infernal Rapist) and in a new restoration from its 35mm internegative, Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present S.O.S. Conspiración Bikini.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
THREE-DISC BLU-RAY SET
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVES
Commentary track with film historian Viviana García-Besné for S.O.S. CONSPIRACIÓN BIKINI
"On The Run" (19 min) - an interview with filmmaker René Cardona III on UNDER SIEGE
"We Were Wild" (16 min) - an interview with UNDER SIEGE actor Hugo Stiglitz
"Don't Shoot" (10 min) - an interview with UNDER SIEGE actor Orlando Urdaneta
"All in the Family: The Cardona Legacy" (15 min) - an interview with Andrea Cardona, granddaughter of René Cardona Jr.
"Union City: Behind the Entertainment" (14 min) - an interview with LA CASA QUE ARDE DE NOCHE production assistant Felipe Marino
"From P.A. to Producer" (17 min) - an interview with LA CASA QUE ARDE DE NOCHE actress Mineko Mori
Description: Richie Twat and Eddie Elizabeth Ndingombaba proudly run the worst hotel in the world. With bills piling up and a myriad of issues coming to a head, it's up to them to provide the perfect Guest House Paradiso experience to the Nice family during their stay... if only they stayed somewhere else. A weekend of nightmarish situations involving exotic lingerie, Italian movie stars, getting trapped in an oven, and more vomit than you can imagine await anyone foolish enough to stay at the Guest House Paradiso.
The final collaboration between Adrian Edmondson and the late Rik Mayal (Drop Dead Fred, TV's The Young Ones), co-founders of the anarchic '80s UK comedy troupe The Comic Strip, director Edmondson's GUEST HOUSE PARADISO is bizarre, uncomfortable, non-stop hilarious, culminating in the greatest (and most voluminous) vomit gag in cinema history. Reprising their characters from the famed British sitcom Bottom Mayal and Edmondson are joined on-screen by Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Irreversible), Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead) and Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Star Trek) in one of his first movie roles, Vinegar Syndrome Labs offers the definitive home video release this unsung classic of British comedy, newly restored in 4K from its 35mm interpositive.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM AN INTERPOSITIVE
"Paradiso Pegg" (12 min) - a brand new interview with actor Simon Pegg
"The Making of Guest House Paradiso" (37 min) - an archival making-of featurette
"From the Cutting Room Floor" (9 min) - a collection of outtakes