Last Embrace – Cinématographe (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1979
Director: Jonathan Demme
Writers: Murray Teigh Bloom, David Shaber
Cast: Roy Scheider, Janet Margolin, John Glover, Christopher Walken, Charles Napier, Sam Levene, Joe Spinell

Release Date: July 23rd, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 101 Minutes 23 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $59.98

"Harry Hannan (Roy Scheider, The French Connection) is a United States government agent newly released from a long stay at an asylum following the murder of his wife during a botched mission in Mexico. Upon returning to government work, Hannan becomes increasingly paranoid, constantly questioning his sanity and who he can trust in the wake of receiving mysterious threats written in Hebrew. Hannan, along with Princeton doctoral student Ellie Fabian (Janet Margolin, David and Lisa), must unravel an arcane mystery that follows them from the streets of New York City to the rushing waters of Niagara Falls, before time runs out." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "a new restoration from its original camera negative."

Last Embrace comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.8 GB

Feature: 60.6 GB

This brand new transfer looks excellent; it is a noticeable improvement over Kino Lorber’s 2014 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Last Embrace comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 32.9 GB

Feature: 25.8 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in great shape; it is a noticeable improvement over Kino Lorber’s 2014 Blu-ray release. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, the score sounds appropriately robust and range-wise, things sound very good, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 55 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with producer Michael Taylor (10 minutes 41 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by Samm Deighan titled The Labyrinth of Last Embrace: From Hitchcockian Suspense Film to Erotic Revenge Thriller (16 minutes 33 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell, a J-card MediaBook slipcase and a 40-page booklet (limited to 6,000 units) with an essay titled Don’t Over Do It: A Reappreciation of Jonathan Demme’s Last Embrace written by Jeva Lange, an essay titled Embracing Excess: Last Embrace and Jonathan Demme’s Crime Films of the 70s written by Justin LaLiberty, and an essay titled What Goes Around Comes Around: Jonathan Demme’s Last Embrace Reconsidered and Rediscovered written by Jim Hemphill.

Summary:

Jonathan Demme directed Last Embrace. His notable films are Something Wild, Married to the Mob, The Silence of the Lambs, and Philadelphia.

An intelligence man who recently recovered from a nervous breakdown starts to believe that someone is trying to kill him. Is it all in his mind, or has someone marked him for death?

When it comes to cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers, they all have one thing in common: when you watch their films, there are moments that could have only been directed by them. This is especially true of Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker who pioneered techniques, most of which are still widely used in the present. That said, there are two ways that filmmakers pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock: camera techniques and reimagining plots from his films. Then there’s Jonathan Demme’s Last Embrace, a film that balances between these two ways of paying homage to Alfred Hitchcock.

Last Embrace is a film with two distinct halves. What starts off as a spy thriller, along the way, takes an abrupt turn into the realm of revenge cinema. The protagonist is wise to be wary of his employer's hostile intentions since his nervous breakdown; unfortunately, this creates a blind spot in which he allows someone more dangerous into his life and lets his guard down with them. When the reason someone wants to kill the protagonist is revealed, bringing clarity to the initial tension, which had primarily stemmed from the protagonist's fear.

Last Embrace has a solid cast who are all great in their roles, especially Roy Scheider (The French Connection) and Janet Margolin (David and Lisa). Cast in the roles of the protagonist and the woman who comes into the protagonist's life at an opportune time, their onscreen chemistry reinforces the evolution of their characters' relationships. The most surprising performance is Christopher Walken’s (The Dead Zone) portrayal of Eckart, the man who the protagonist works for. Despite only being in two scenes, he creates this film’s most memorable character.

From a production standpoint, Last Embrace is a film that delivers and then some. The narrative executes the setup well, builds tension phenomenally, and provides a very satisfying finale, concluding the events that preceded perfectly. Miklós Rózsa’s exemplary Hitchcockian score (Spellbound) and the visuals create a fusion that heightens mood. The most memorable moment is an assassination sequence in a bell tower; this scene is pure Hitchcock. Ultimately, Last Embrace is a solid example of a filmmaker paying homage to the cinema of Alfred Hitchcock.

Last Embrace gets an exceptional release from Cinématographe that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Reptilicus – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: Denmark, 1961 (Danish Language Version), USA, 1962 (English Language Version)
Directors: Poul Bang (Danish Language Version), Sidney W. Pink (English Language Version)
Cast: Bent Mejding, Asbjørn Andersen, Povl Wøldike, Ann Smyrner, Mimi Heinrich, Dirch Passer, Carl Ottosen, Ole Wisborg, Birthe Wilke, Mogens Brandt, Kjeld Petersen (Both Versions), Bodil Miller (Danish Language Version), Marlies Behrens (English Language Version)

Release Date: July 23rd, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 81 Minutes 33 Seconds (English Language Version), 95 Minutes 41 Seconds (Danish Language Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 (English Language Version), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (English Language Version), 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Danish Language Version)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English (English Language Version), DTS-HD Mono Danish (Danish Language Version)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Versions), English (Danish Language Version)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $54.98

"A group of mining engineers prospecting for copper in the mountains of Lapland make an incredible discovery when their drilling unearths the remains of a giant, prehistoric amphibious reptile. A section of the creature’s tail is exhumed from beneath the frozen tundra and transported to the National Aquarium in Copenhagen, where it’s placed in a cold room to be studied by Professor Otto Martens and his research team. But when the door to the room is accidentally left ajar, the tail segment begins to thaw, quickly regenerating itself into a gigantic beast! Now loose and embarking on a cross-country rampage, the military are forced to employ all means necessary to rout the creature - now dubbed “Reptilicus” - before it launches a full-scale attack on the capital." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (English Language Version - Blu-ray), 4/5 (Danish Language Version)

Here’s the information provided about the English language versions transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative."

Reptilicus, the English language version, comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.2 GB

Feature: 59.2 GB

The source looks excellent; it is a noticeable improvement over Shout Factory's 2015 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, contrast and black levels are strong, image clarity and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Reptilicus, the English language version, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.2 GB

Feature: 22.3 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Here’s the information provided about the Danish language versions transfer, "HD transfer".

Reptilicus, the Danish language version, comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.7 GB

Feature: 22.5 GB

Though the source for this version looks great—only minimal print debris—it is a few notches below the English language version. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Danish)

The English language version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The Danish language version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Danish with removable English subtitles and removable English SDH. In the Danish language track, some English dialog is spoken. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the English language track sounds fuller than the Danish language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with film historian Nicolas Barbano and novelist and film critic Kim Newman.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc with the English language version include an interview with illustrator, author and film historian Stephen R. Bissette titled Invincible... Indestructible! who discusses Reptilicus and its enduring legacy (28 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with filmmaker/historian Jay Jennings titled Pink Goes West: Life After Reptilicus who discusses director Sidney W. Pink (10 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a new retrospective featuring film historian/producer Robert Parigi and screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner titled Fifty Million Years Out of Time: Revisiting Reptilicus (32 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Nicolas Barbano and Kim Newman.

The Danish language version comes on a separate single-layer Blu-ray disc.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a foldout poster, and a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 6,000 units).

Summary:

The frozen carcass of a giant prehistoric reptile is brought back to life inadvertently by scientists.

Reptilicus has the distinction of being Denmark’s first, last, and only giant monster film. The Danish and English versions were shot simultaneously. In the English-language version, Marlies Behrens replaced Bodil Miller in the casting. And though the Danish cast spoke their lines in Danish and English, in the case of the latter they would be dubbed because of their accents. Also, this is not a case of filming the same scenes in two different languages; there are significant differences narrative-wise.

Though many are already familiar with Reptilicus, I had a distinct advantage having never seen it before. This new release from Vinegar Syndrome offers two versions. I went into Reptilicus expecting the worst because of word of mouth about the English language version. Having now watched both versions, I can confirm that the English language version deserves its reputation.

Despite a strong opening that sets the stage, things quickly get bogged down by mundane moments waiting for the giant prehistoric reptile to arrive on screen. Unfortunately, the giant prehistoric reptile does not appear until around the 41-minute mark. And when the giant prehistoric reptile finally appears, it is only sporadically; it is almost like they wanted to avoid showing it too much.

At just over 80 minutes in length, the narrative feels much longer than it actually is. To say that things moved along slowly would be an understatement. The use of miniatures is a staple of the giant monster films, and in this regard, Reptilicus succeeds. The scores are another area where the two versions differ, and Lex Baxter’s (House of Usher) score for the English language version is filled with menacing music cues. That said, no one would ever honestly call Reptilicus a good film, and yet it is a highly entertaining film that on some levels works despite its shortcomings.

When it comes to the Danish language version, there are numerous areas where it differs; besides different music cues, some scenes are longer; there are shots of Reptilicus flying, a romance subplot, a scene where children sing a song, and more screen time devoted to Reptilicus causing destruction. Also, despite being longer, the Danish language version's narrative just flows better than its English language counterpart. Being able to see both versions, it is clear that the Danish language version is a better film than the overly campy English language version.

Reptilicus gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

                                            Danish Language Version Screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story & A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1994 (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story), Hong Kong, 1998 (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2)
Directors: Bosco Lam (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story), Cho Kin-Nam (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2)
Cast: Yvonne Yung, Lawrence Ng, Tommy Wong, Ching Mai, Oh Yin-hei, Kenny Wong, Elvis Tsui, Kingdom Yuen (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story), Mark Cheng, Yolinda Yam, Lam Wai-Kin, Yeung Fan, Yang Hsiung, Chu Ben-Ke (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2)

Release Date: July 23rd, 2024
Approximate running times: 93 Minutes (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story - Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), 91 Minutes 50 Seconds (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Both Films), DTS-HD Mono English (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story)
Subtitles: English (Both Films), English SDH (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $44.98

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story: "A beautiful young woman named Little Cabbage is sold by her family to a wealthy scholar named Yang in order to become his future concubine. However, Yang's overbearing wife becomes jealous of Little Cabbage and arranges to have her married off to a well-endowed peasant. When Little Cabbage's new husband is found dead, poisoned by a powerful aphrodisiac, Little Cabbage and Yang are brought in front of a bloodthirsty court to face charges of conspiring to commit murder. Maintaining their innocence, Little Cabbage and Yang are forced to endure unspeakable torture at the hands of a corrupt judge in an attempt to make them confess. Cleverly told in a series of flashbacks, this horrific and hilarious film features wall-to-wall sex and violence, culminating in an explosive "climax" unlike anything you've seen before." - synopsis provided by the distributor

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2: "Ma, a man rising in the ranks of politics, is traveling to the capital when he is accosted by two down-on-their-luck bandits, Wong and Cheung. Taking pity on the two lowly peasants, Ma agrees to help his new friends better their lives, partly due to Ma's attraction to Wong's sister (who also happens to be Cheung's fiancée), the young and beautiful Lotus. When they all arrive in the capital to take Ma up on his generous offer, they discover that Ma has embroiled them in an elaborate con, and soon find themselves caught up in a saga of jealousy, betrayal, and of course...torture. An equally deranged follow-up to its infamous predecessor, this in-name-only sequel does its best to increase not only the amount of sex and eroticism, but also the levels of cringe-inducing violence." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story - Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), 4/5 (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story - Alternate Mandarin Language Edit, A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "Newly scanned and restored in 2K from their 35mm original negatives."

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray. 

Disc Size: 45 GB

Feature: 24.8 GB (Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), 19.7 GB (Alternate Mandarin Language Edit)

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray. 

Disc Size: 34.3 GB

Feature: 24.6 GB

All of the sources are in great shape; any source imperfections are very minor and never intrusive. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, black levels are strong, and image clarity and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.25/5 (All Audio Tracks)

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD mono mix in English.

Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track, removable English SDH for the English language track, and a second removable English subtitle track for Cantonese dialog and text when watching the English language track.

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles.

All of the audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, they should sound robust when they should, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include an alternate Mandarin language edit of A Chinese Torture Chamber Story (92 minutes 19 seconds, DTS-HD mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian Samm Deighan for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story, the Hong Kong theatrical cut.

Extras on disc two include a English language theatrical trailer for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story (1 minute 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a Cantonese language theatrical trailer for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story (2 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), English opening title sequence for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story (1 minute 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with English text), an interview with Wong Jing, producer of A Chinese Torture Chamber Story and A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 (5 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a video essay by film historian Erica Shultz titled Titillating Torture (17 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by Justin Decloux of The Important Cinema Club titled The CAT III Films of Wong Jing (17 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian Frank Djeng for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 6,000 units), and a 20-page booklet with an essay titled A Taste of Sugar, A Taste of Shit: Two Wong Jing Torture Chamber Stories written by Grady Hendrix.

Summary:

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story: A young woman named Little Cabbage falls in love with her master, a scholar named Yeung Naai Miu. When her master is away, Little Cabbage discovers that his wife has been having an affair. Then the master's wife finds out that Little Cabbage knows her secret; she then marries off Little Cabbage to a poor villager with an unusually large member. To cover up her affair, the scholar's wife sets up her husband and Little Cabbage for a murder to keep her secret hidden.

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story wastes no time establishing itself as one of the most notorious Category III films ever made. The opening credits set the tone immediately, with various acts of torture on display, including the severing of a man’s balls and penis. After the opening credits have finished, the narrative moves quickly, and we learn most of the story through flashbacks. In-between each flashback, there are torturous scenes. 

Though the moments of torture are what A Chinese Torture Chamber Story is most known for, not far behind is its sex-themed martial arts sequence. In this sequence, there are two lovers who incorporate sex into their martial arts battles. Some of the names of the martial arts moves are “Invincible Mouth,” “Oral Attack,” “Invincible Wheel,” and “Wonder Screw,” all of which make up their wondrous arsenal of carnal fun. You cannot fully appreciate this style of martial arts until you see it in all its glory.

Despite its graphic moments of torture, humor actually plays a role in the story that unfolds. One such moment of note is a running gag where the song Unchained Melody plays every time Little Cabbage touches her husband with the usually large member. The funniest moment in the film is when Little Cabbage’s husband's penis is about to explode, and she mounts him so he can go out with pleasure instead of pain. This scene borrows heavily from the scene in the movie Ghost where Demi Moore is making pottery.

From a production standpoint, A Chinese Torture Chamber Story is a film that achieves its goals and then some. Its well-constructed narrative does a phenomenal job building moments towards its climax, and brisk pacing ensures there is never a moment to catch your breath. Also, when discussing A Chinese Torture Chamber Story, one cannot overlook Wong Jing’s connection to this film. In the 1990's, no one brought the masses trashy violent cinema like producer Wong Jing, whose other Category III classics include Naked Killer and Naked Killer 2: Raped by an Angel. Wong Jing would hit the peak with A Chinese Torture Chamber Story. Ultimately, A Chinese Torture Chamber Story is a perfect blend of violence and sex, making it a must-see film for fans of Cat III cinema.

A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2: This time around, the narrative is mostly told via a series of flashbacks. A well-connected political man befriends a trio of bandits, two men and a woman, who revolve around him. Two bandits, despite coming from different worlds, lower their guard. When it becomes apparent that someone has betrayed them, it's too late for them to take action. The third party has already taken advantage of their momentary lapse.

Many sequels fail to live up to their predecessor, case in point: A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2. Though it carries over violent scenes of torture and moments of erotica, the two staples of its predecessor, the result is a film that never reaches the delirious heights that A Chinese Torture Chamber Story did.

Though A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 might feel like a letdown when compared to its predecessor, at least when it comes to moments of torture, this is one area where it's on par. In the main torture set piece, the female bandit is restrained by a spider web-like net, and she is sliced with 1,000 slices, resulting in the removal of her own nipples. Ultimately, A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 is a much darker film and has a more serious tone than its predecessor.

Vinegar Syndrome gives A Chinese Torture Chamber Story and A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 2 a solid release, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer