WANTED ON BLU-RAY: DRAGONSLAYER (1981)

WANTED ON BLU-RAY:
DRAGONSLAYER (1981)

Rated PG | Color | 109 minutes

UPDATE:  Paramount is releasing DRAGONSLAYER to Blu-ray and 4K UHD on March 21, 2023! Pre-order the standard Blu-ray HERE, the limited edition steelbook 4K HERE, and/or the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray edition HERE!

 

When I was growing up in the late 80s/early 90s, it was an age undreamed of. Between the VHS boom and the rise of cable television, there was just so much stuff to watch! And one of the many films I found myself stumbling across repeatedly while channel surfing was DRAGONSLAYER. Even now, with the leaps in special effects technology, I still think that this film contains my favorite onscreen dragon, which still looks fairly impressive all these decades later!

Synopsis: It is a dark time (in the Dark Ages) for the fictional kingdom of Urland. An ancient horror named Vermithrax Pejorative terrorizes the populace, and so a lottery is begun by their King to send virgin sacrifices to the fire-breathing beast twice a year so that it does not burn their villages and crops. Eventually help arrives in the form of Galen (Peter MacNicol), a wizard's apprentice who takes up his master's quest to defeat the dragon, after the old man is killed.

Using a magical amulet, Galen at first attempts to bury the virgin-snacking monster alive (which does not bode well for many Urlanders), but eventually uses it to forge a weapon strong enough to pierce dragon-hide. As the film heads towards its brilliant climax, the unlikely young hero battles Vermithtrax Perjorative on his own until he tags in help from an unexpected (and powerful) ally!

I've always had an affinity for DRAGONSLAYER ever since I first caught it on (I believe) A&E way back in the day (where it was usually paired with JABBERWOCKY). While the movie's first half is a bit on the slow side, the sheer spectacle of the second half more than makes up for it! The cast is wonderful, the Academy Award-nominated soundtrack composed by Alex North is epic, and Phil Tippet's (almost) Oscar-worthy effects work (using a new process at the time called "go-motion") brings it all together!
 

Though DRAGONSLAYER experienced huge critical success upon its theatrical release, it was surprisingly a box office failure pulling in $14 million on an $18 million budget. But as is the case for many films that are considered flops, DRAGONSLAYER has since garnered a large cult following over the past four decades, and fans are overdue a nice (collector's edition) Blu-ray of this classic fantasy movie!

 

Waiting for this movie to come to Blu-ray has been a pain in the neck I tell ya!

 

Availability: You can easily procure a copy of DRAGONSLAYER on DVD (which oddly seems to get re-released every six years or so) for a relatively low price. It is also available to rent or own digitally in HD!

Current Rights Holder: Paramount.

Blu-ray Wishlist: 

• New 2K (but preferably 4K) restoration made from an original 35mm print of the film! 
• Multiple Cuts of the film - It would be super cool if the theatrical version, the TV edit, and the rare Uncut version (only available ages ago on Laserdisc) were included! At the very least, I'd love to see the fully uncut version of DRAGONSLAYER!
  
• A new audio commentary with director Matthew Robbins (who is still alive as my posting this), or even one with star Peter MacNicol and/or Phil Tippett!
• Cast & Crew Interviews - Getting some behind-the-scenes input on the film from Robbins and MacNicol would be super cool, as would interviews with Phil Tippett and his f/x team (who are still working in the film biz today)!
• Archival or new making of featurettes!
• Trailer
• Poster & Still Gallery
• Really pushing it here, but a soundtrack CD would be wonderful as well!

I'm clearly asking for a lot, but honestly I'd be happy to get even a fraction of what's on my wishlist at this point! I've been fairly impressed with how Paramount has been handling their catalog titles lately, so I wouldn't be shocked if they gave this particular film a little love. And even if they have no interest in it, there's always the chance that DRAGONSLAYER could become a future Shout! Factory release (under either their Shout Select or Scream Factory labels)! All we can really do is sit and wait, and hope for the best.... though it probably couldn't hurt to bug Paramount on Facebook or Twitter in the meantime!

50% COMMANDO. 50% NINJA. 100% AMERICAN. Get Ben Combes' COMMANDO NINJA on Blu-ray Today!

 

BEN COMBES' THROWBACK TO 80'S ACTION CINEMA IS COMING TO BLU-RAY DISC FROM ETR MEDIA!

With the success of several no-budget proof of concept trailers-turned hit indie films like KUNG FURY and TURBO KID, it was no surprise that other indie filmmakers would be inspired to do their own over-the-top takes on 80s action fare as well! Case in point, Ben Combes' 2018 fan favorite: COMMANDO NINJA! Available for free on YouTube for years (so you can try before you buy!), this irreverent love letter to films like KICKBOXER, COMMANDO, RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II, and others arrives on Blu-ray disc for the first time with some really cool bonus features!

Synopsis: 1986: John Hunter is a Vietnam veteran, half commando, half ninja, 100% American. He is forced back into action when his young daughter is kidnapped by a secret ninja organization, led by a Central American dictator who wants to create a new world order through time... Unfortunately for them, she is the only thing he would kill again for. Hunter will have to fight his way through an army of ninjas, vietcongs, punks, dinosaurs, mutants, one of his former commandos and a fully equipped private army. With the help of his old friend Hopkins, Hunter will have to combine the arts of ninjutsu and guerilla warfare to become the ultimate soldier and rescue his daughter.

Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 68 minutes | Region Free
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio - English Dolby Digital 2.0

Extras:

• Feature Length Making of Documentary
• Hopkins: A Commando Ninja Short Film
• Trailer
• Character Biographies
• Theme Song

COMMANDO NINJA is now available from Vinegar Syndrome's partner label ETR Media! The disc should cost between $20 - $28 and you can order it now from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from VINEGAR SYNDROME (which will also net you a limited edition slipcover if you act now)!

On May 19th, Mario Bava's DANGER: DIABOLIK Arrives on Blu-ray Disc!

SHOUT! FACTORY GIVES THIS CULT CLASSIC ITS NORTH AMERICAN BLU-RAY DEBUT WITH A NEW AUDIO COMMENTARY & OTHER BONUS FEATURES!

Truth be told Vault Dwellers, I am fairly familiar with this movie, but I've never seen DANGER: DIABOLIK without a certain trio of silhouettes in the lower left side of my TV screen, lobbing insults at the film. Of course I'm talking about DANGER: DIABOLIK's appearance on the final (Mike era) episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000! Oddly enough though, I didn't really think this movie was truly bad enough to end up on the show, so I'm super glad to see it get a standalone Blu-ray release here in the States! If you enjoy Euro-crime thrillers and/or heist flicks, you may just want to check this one out Vault Dwellers!

Synopsis: The suave, psychedelic-era thief called Diabolik (John Phillip Law - THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, SPACE MUTINY, BARBARELLA: QUEEN OF THE GALAXY) can't get enough of life's good – or glittery – things. Not when there are currency shipments to steal from under the noses of snooty government officials and priceless jewels to lift from the boudoirs of the super-rich.

The elusive scoundrel finds plenty of ways to live up to his name in this tongue-in-cheek, live-action caper inspired by Europe's popular Diabolik comics. He clambers up walls, zaps a press conference with Exhilaration Gas, smacks a confession out of a crime lord while freefalling with him from an airplane, and pulls off the heist of a twenty-ton gold ingot. Impossible? No, diabolical – DANGER: DIABOLIK, to be exact!

Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 105 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (?)

Extras:

• NEW! Audio Commentary With Film Historians Troy Howarth And Nathaniel Thompson!
• Audio Commentary With Actor John Phillip Law And Tim Lucas, Biographer Of Director Mario Bava!
• Danger: Diabolik – From Fumetti To Film!
• The Beastie Boys Music Video Body Movin’ With Optional Commentary By Adam Yauch!
• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer

Shout! Factory's DANGER: DIABOLIK Blu-ray thankfully ports over all the extras from the previous Paramount DVD release, and tosses in that new audio commentary for good measure! DANGER: DIABOLIK will be available wherever Blu-ray discs are sold on Tuesday, May 19th and should cost between $24 - $30! If you want to get "Deep, Deep, Down" with John Phillip Law, order yourself a copy today from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from SHOUT! FACTORY.

Shake the Pillars of Heaven With the Collector's Edition Blu-ray of BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA!

SCREAM FACTORY GOES ALL OUT FOR JOHN CARPENTER'S CLASSIC FANTASY-ADVENTURE, FEATURING HOURS OF NEW SPECIAL FEATURES SPREAD ACROSS TWO DISCS!

Scream Factory inches ever closer to owning the entire John Carpenter library with their impressive release of BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA! With its amazing cast, hilarious (and highly quotable) bumbling hero Jack Burton, and awesome score by John Carpenter (and The Coupe De Villes!), its no secret why this movie has been a longtime favorite all of us here at Vault HQ! While the transfer on this disc is the same as the previous 2009 Blu-ray release (as are a lot of the extras on disc one), Scream Factory really upped the ante by loading their 2-disc Collector's Edition (and Limited Edition Steelbook) with two new audio commentaries and a dozen new cast & crew interviews! (Are you drooling yet Vault Dwellers? I definitely am!)

Brace yourself gang, because it's time to run through the mystic night, through the rollin' fire, through the burnin' blade, through the crawling snakes, through the midnight flame, until they take us away! Cause we've got BIG TROU-BLE, IN LIT-TLE CHI-NA!

Synopsis: Kurt Russell (THE THING, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK) stars as Jack Burton, a tough-talking truck driver whose life goes into a supernatural tailspin when his best friend's fiancée is kidnapped in John Carpenter's BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. Jack suddenly finds himself in a murky, danger-filled world beneath San Francisco's Chinatown, where Lo Pan (James Hong - THE GOLDEN CHILD, THE VINEYARD), a 2,000-year-old magician, mercilessly rules an empire of spirits. Facing down a host of unearthly terrors, Jack battles through Lo Pan's dark domain in a full-throttle, action-riddled ride to rescue the girl. Also starring Victor Wong (PRINCE OF DARKNESS, TREMORS), Kim Cattrall (MANNEQUIN, SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE), and Dennis Dun (PRINCE OF DARKNESS, THE LAST EMPEROR), this special effects-filled spectacle is a non-stop thrill ride to an incredible finish!

Disc Specs:
Rated PG-13 | Color | 100 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio - English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Extras:

DISC ONE

• NEW! Audio Commentary With Producer Larry Franco!
• NEW! Audio Commentary With Special Effects Artist Steve Johnson, Moderated By filmmaker Anthony C. Ferrante!
• Audio Commentary With Director John Carpenter And Actor Kurt Russell!
• Isolated Score
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Vintage Audio Interview With John Carpenter
• Electronic Press Kit – Interviews And Profiles
• Gag Reel
• Music Video
• Deleted And Extended Scenes
• Extended Ending
• Photo Galleries – Movie Stills, Posters, Lobby cards, Publicity Photos, And Behind-the-scenes Photos!

DISC TWO

• NEW! You’re The Hero – An Interview With Actor Dennis Dun!
• NEW! The Soul Of Lo Pan – An Interview With Actor James Hong!
• NEW! Able To Be Myself – An Interview With Actor Donald Li!
• NEW! The Tao Of Thunder – An Interview With Actor Carter Wong!
• NEW! The Tao Of Rain – An Interview With Actor Peter Kwong!
• NEW! The Hatchet Man Speaks – An Interview With Actor Al Leong!
• NEW! Damn Wiley Prescott – An Interview With Writer W.D. Richter!
• NEW! It Was A Western Ghost Story – An Interview With Writer Gary Goldman!
• NEW! The Poetry Of Motion – An Interview With Associate Producer/Martial Arts Choreographer James Lew!
• NEW! Into The Mystic Night – An Interview With The Coupe De Ville’s Member Nick Castle!
• NEW! Since We Were Kids – An Interview With Second Unit Director/The Coupe De Ville’s Member Tommy Lee Wallace!
• NEW! Love And Art – A Conversation With Movie Poster Artist Drew Struzan!
• Return To Little China – An Interview With Director John Carpenter!
• Being Jack Burton – An Interview With Actor Kurt Russell!
• Carpenter And I – An Interview With Director Of Photography Dean Cundey!
• Producing Big Trouble – An Interview With Producer Larry Franco!
• Staging Big Trouble – An Interview With Stuntman Jeff Imada!
• Interview With Visual Effects Artist Richard Edlund!
• Vintage Featurette

EXCLUSIVE SCREAM FACTORY BUNDLES:

BUNDLE #1 - $51.98 - ORDER HERE!

• BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (2-Disc Collector's Edition) with slipcover!
• An exclusive 18” x 24” rolled poster of the new Collector’s Edition artwork by Laz Marquez!
• A 7” green vinyl (via Sacred Bones) featuring music composed by John Carpenter and recorded by John, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. The A-side includes the 2017 version of the main theme, "Porkchop Express" and the B-side contains a never-before-released recording of "The Alley War," recorded by the trio in 2019. Limited to 2,500 copies and housed in a lavish slipcase with new art by frequent Carpenter collaborator Chris Bilheimer!

BUNDLE #2 - $53.98 - ORDER HERE!

• BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (2-Disc Limited Edition Steelbook)!
• An exclusive 28.5” x 16.5" rolled lithograph of the new Steelbook artwork by Nat Marsh!
• A 7” green vinyl (via Sacred Bones) featuring music composed by John Carpenter and recorded by John, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. The A-side includes the 2017 version of the main theme, "Porkchop Express" and the B-side contains a never-before-released recording of "The Alley War," recorded by the trio in 2019. Limited to 2,500 copies and housed in a lavish slipcase with new art by frequent Carpenter collaborator Chris Bilheimer!

BUNDLE #3 - $71.98 - ORDER HERE!

• BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (2-Disc Collector's Edition) with slipcover!
• BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (2-Disc Limited Edition Steelbook)!
• An exclusive 18” x 24” rolled poster of the new Collector’s Edition artwork by Laz Marquez!
• An exclusive 28.5” x 16.5" rolled lithograph of the new Steelbook artwork by Nat Marsh!
• A 7” green vinyl (via Sacred Bones) featuring music composed by John Carpenter and recorded by John, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies. The A-side includes the 2017 version of the main theme, "Porkchop Express" and the B-side contains a never-before-released recording of "The Alley War," recorded by the trio in 2019. Limited to 2,500 copies and housed in a lavish slipcase with new art by frequent Carpenter collaborator Chris Bilheimer!

Egads! Those bundles are a bit rich for my blood (I personally settled on the plain ole steelbook!) but since we're in the thick of the Christmas season, any of these three packages could be an amazing gift for that BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA fan in your life! However, if spending $50+ is not an option, you can get the Collector's Edition of the film for between $23 - $28 from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from SHOUT! FACTORY. The Steelbook costs between $25 - $30 and can also be obtained from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or SHOUT! FACTORY.

On June 26th, Rutger Hauer Will Prove That He is A BREED APART!

SHOUT! FACTORY BRINGS DIRECTOR PHILLIPE MORA'S "A BREED APART" TO BLU-RAY WITH A NEW 2K TRANSFER AND EXTRAS! 

I'm sort of an unofficial fan of Phillipe Mora as I own copies of THE BEAST WITHIN, THE HOWLING II: YOUR SISTER IS A WEREWOLF, THE HOWLING III: THE MARSUPIALS, and THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN INVINCIBLE! And now it appears that I must add A BREED APART to my "Mora Collection" because it sounds pretty awesome!

Synopsis: Deep in the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains, Jim Malden, a mysterious and dangerous recluse (Rutger Hauer - BLADE RUNNER, THE HITCHER) guards a secret with his life. When an adventurer (Powers Boothe - SOUTHERN COMFORT, SIN CITY) dares to steal that secret, Malden's old flame (Kathleen Turner - BODY HEAT, SERIAL MOM) is the only one that can stop the savage war that is about to rage. This tense action-packed thriller from Philippe Mora, the director of THE BEAST WITHIN, also stars Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN) and Brion James (BLADE RUNNER).

Disc Specs: 
Rated R | Color | 95 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - ?

Extras:

• NEW! 2K Transfer Of The Film Taken From The Best Surviving Film Elements!
• NEW! Interview With Director Philippe Mora!
• NEW! Audio Commentary With Director Philippe Mora!
• Theatrical Trailer

A BREED APART will be released on Tuesday, June 26th and costs between $18 - $24! You can order yourself a copy right now from AMAZON, BULLMOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from SHOUT! FACTORY.

SNOW GIRL AND THE DARK CRYSTAL coming to DVD & Blu-ray on August 4th!

LI BINGBING & CHEN KUN STAR IN THIS ROMANTIC FANTASY EPIC! COMING TO DIGITAL HD, BLU-RAY, & DVD ON AUGUST 4TH!  

I don't know about you, but I'm a total sucker for Asian fantasy and adventure flicks! And seeing as how this one is a love story, I could probably even get my significant other to sit down and watch it with me!

Synopsis: Academy Award winning cinematographer Peter Pau (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) makes his third bow as a director (alongside co-director Zhao Tianyu) with the romantic fantasy adventure epic SNOW GIRL AND THE DARK CRYSTAL, debuting on Digital HD, Blu-ray, and DVD from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Shot in scenic locations in Mainland China, and featuring “a story filled with its fair share of demons, monsters, magic and mystics, coupled with romance, danger and spectacular action,” (Film Combat Syndicate), SNOW GIRL AND THE DARK CRYSTAL depicts legendary hero Zhong Kui, a fabled warrior with mysterious powers, who is forced to conquer the realms of Heaven and Hell to save his people and the woman he loves.

The film stars Chen Kun (YOUNG DETECTIVE DEE: RISE OF THE SEA DRAGON, FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE) as the mythic demon hunter, and Li Bingbing (TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, DETECTIVE DEE: MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME) as the alluring snow demon with whom he falls in love.

Check out the trailer now!
 

Bonus content on this release will include the film's original theatrical trailer, and a handful of making-of featurettes about the film's music and special effects. SNOW GIRL AND THE DARK CRYSTAL is available on August 4th in all formats. Order your copy now from Amazon.com on DVD or BLU-RAY!