Dario Argento and others thrillers/horror movies directors

[Guillaume]

I assume that the german BR 4K release of July 23rd will include at least some extras/features/supplements from the american BR 4K release of Vinegar Syndrome released some time ago:





Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to present THE CARD PLAYER in its world UHD debut, newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative and loaded with a full deck of both new and archival extras.

directed by: Dario Argento
starring: Stefania Rocca, Liam Cunningham, Silvio Muccino, Adalberto Maria Merli, Claudio Santamaria, Fiore Argento
2003 / 103 min / 1.85:1 / English, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Additional info:

2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray
4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
Presented in its original English language 5.1 surround soundtrack, as well as its Italian language 5.1 surround soundtrack with newly translated English subtitles
Commentary track with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
Playing the Game (27 min) - a brand new interview with actress Stefania Rocca
Digital Nightmare (19 min) - a brand new interview with composer Claudio Simonetti
Like in War (10 min) - a brand new interview with make-up artist Sergio Stivaletti
Sharp Cuts (20 min) - a brand new interview with editor Walter Fasano
Watch Me When I Kill (18 min) - an archival interview with director/screenwriter Dario Argento
Taking Risks (9 min) - an archival interview with screenwriter Franco Ferrini
A Chip and a Chair (12 min) - an archival interview with set designer Antonello Geleng
Game Over (8 min) - an archival interview with actress Fiore Argento
Archival behind-the-scenes featurette (9 min)
Reversible sleeve artwork
English SDH subtitles





I have the french Blu-ray released two years ago, which is good, but I will probably buy one of these foreign releases for the 4K (the french Blu-ray is a "classic" 2K Blu-ray) and especially for the extras, interviews (with the lead actress, the editor, the screenwriter, etc.).

[cthulhu]

Well, this seems to be 8K fotos you posted for a 4k BR... very, very big...

But my question is, do you own a region free BR player? The disc shows it's coded A and i thought the french region was also coded in B.

I've seen another great John Frankenheimer movie:

The Manchurian Candidate - John Frankenheimer, 1962

A really suspenseful, psychological political Thriller,  a still very intense watch i found it to be. But i guess most of you will have seen this classic.

[Guillaume]

But my question is, do you own a region free BR player? The disc shows it's coded A and i thought the french region was also coded in B.

No, my Blu-ray player is indeed region B, so I can only play the french Blu-ray or the german Blu-ray that's coming out next month. However, if I had a 4K Blu-ray player (and a 4K TV), I could play the american Blu-ray whose cover I posted, because 4K is no longer region-restricted.

[cthulhu]

And i thought that was your hand holding the BR..

[cthulhu]

I saw a mindblowing masterpiece and i think here is the best place to recommend it:

MAD GOD - 2021 by Phil Tippet

This is really one of a kind, i have never seen such an atmospheric, really disturbing dystopic but at the same time fascinating beautiful movie. The whole production lastet 30 years! and is a stop-motion film. There are some just astonishing scenes in there, visual effects that look so fascinating combined with a great soundtrack you almost can't believe what you are seeing. This is not an easy watch though, it's really dark!

Beware the Trailer:
Mad God - Official Trailer [HD] | A Shudder Original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jas8OABbn0Y


And another really special one:

On The Silver Globe - 1988 by Andrzej Żuławski

Production took place from 1976 to 1977, but was interrupted by the Polish authorities.
....
On 1 June 1977, work on the film was stopped by Janusz Wilhelmi, vice-minister of cultural affairs. Wilhelmi shut down the film project, which was eighty percent complete, and ordered all materials destroyed. The reels of the unfinished film were however preserved, along with costumes and props, by the film studio and by members of the cast and crew.
At the end of 1985, Żuławski agreed to complete the film. In 1986, shots were shot from the streets of contemporary Poland, to which the director added voice-over describing the missing scenes. The acting team and cast members abroad were dubbed.
On 10 July 1987, the film passed inspection In May 1988, a version of the film, consisting of the preserved footage plus a commentary to fill in the narrative gaps, premiered at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.

This is maybe for those who love Stalker by Tarkowski. A visually stunníng film but more of an experimental, philosophic storytelling, i must admit i didn't get the story as much, but i loved watching it, though it also felt exhausting a bit.

On The Silver Globe (Trailer) | Austin Film Society
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBFRiSlcBAg

[Guillaume]

Dario Argento, now 86 years old, announced last spring that he would be shooting his new film with Isabelle Huppert this autumn in France... I hope to have news very soon (the project dates back to 2022/2023, and was postponed, among other things, due to Argento's health problems).

On The Silver Globe - 1988 by Andrzej Żuławski

i loved watching it, though it also felt exhausting a bit.

I think "exhausting" sums up Zulawski's films! Haha. I'm joking a bit, but I had a hard time with "La femme publique" and "Possession" back then; they were too "hermetic" and hysterical for me, even though there are scenes and images from the latter that have stayed with me. I have fond memories of "L'important c'est d'aimer" with the late Romy Schneider; I'm going to rewatch it soon because I bought the french Blu-ray. What other Zulawski films have you seen, Cthulhu?

[Master Ray]

Oh, Dario, for the love of everything that is Holy Or Unholy, please give it up.  You used to be the greatest horror director of all time... but your recent work would embarrass some stoned kid just out of film school.  After that ****-awful Dracula movie I can't bear to watch anything new from you.   :'(

[Guillaume]

Oh, Dario, for the love of everything that is Holy Or Unholy, please give it up.  You used to be the greatest horror director of all time... but your recent work would embarrass some stoned kid just out of film school.  After that ****-awful Dracula movie I can't bear to watch anything new from you.   :'(

Have you seen "Occhiali Neri" ("Dark glasses"), his latest film released in 2022? It's a solid film. I don't know if Dario will make this film with Isabelle Huppert, but "Occhiali Neri" will remain his "swan song" for me for various reasons.

Here's a nice -but SPOILERS- video about the film and Argento's career in general:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrfHPhZGyps&t=2s

[cthulhu]

What other Zulawski films have you seen, Cthulhu?

I haven't seen any other Filmy by Zulawski, this was a new experience for me. Always thought i have to see Possession in expectation for it to be more of a performance Art thing and sometimes i look out for a copy, but it is more on a secondary list than i really need to see this list.

What i'm totally looking forward to is the new 4K restoration release of The Devils by Ken Russel!!

Censored for over half a century, Ken Russell’s visionary masterpiece The Devils will be back on the big screen in its definitive version on 30 October 2026, released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland by BFI Distribution in partnership with Warner Bros. Clockwork. Fully restored in 4K and cut to Ken Russell’s specific direction, Ken Russell’s The Devils is the first publicly released version of the film as intended by the filmmaker. Fifty-five years after its initial release, the definitive version of The Devils was unveiled at the 79th Cannes Film Festival as an official selection in Cannes Classics. Warner Bros. Clockwork will be releasing the film in all other territories, beginning with the US on 16 October for an exclusive one-week engagement.

An enduring masterpiece of cinema starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, Ken Russell’s The Devils is a prescient epic of obsession and corruption, and a defining work of art from seminal filmmaker Ken Russell. Inspired by the true story of 17th-century priest Urbain Grandier, accused of bewitching a convent of nuns, the film lays bare the collusion of church and state through a searing vision of religious persecution, collective hysteria and institutional corruption. In addition to powerhouse performances from Reed and Redgrave, Ken Russell’s The Devils showcases the stunning work of artists at the peak of their craft: Academy Award-winning cinematographer David Watkin (Out of Africa, Chariots of Fire); editor Michael Bradsell (Local Hero, Jabberwocky); visual artist Derek Jarman (Jubilee, Caravaggio), whose work as production designer marked his feature film debut, and costume designer Shirley Russell (Women in Love, Agatha, Yanks).


I was thrilled when i finally got the Blu version, to me this is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best films ever, but as said it was so controversial that it was heavily censored and the combination of an even better scan and rework with hopefully the real director's version is a blast. I would travel some miles to see it in a theater, i hope it will be screened in germany.

[Guillaume]

I was thrilled when i finally got the Blu version, to me this is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best films ever, but as said it was so controversial that it was heavily censored and the combination of an even better scan and rework with hopefully the real director's version is a blast. I would travel some miles to see it in a theater, i hope it will be screened in germany.

I saw "The Devils" a few years ago and like pretty much everyone else, I was impressed by this film (and I really like Oliver Reed, brilliant in "Burnt Offerings," among others great films). It's a film that remains relevant in what it says about the madness engendered by beliefs/religions... Other films I would recommend by the great Ken Russell are "Altered States," "Crimes of Passion," and "The music lovers" I even enjoyed "Whore" back then (but I like Theresa Russell, a somewhat forgotten actress) and "Lair of the White Worm"!

[cthulhu]

I think we have talked about Russel and i haven't seen Crimes of Passion and The music Lovers and Whore, so these will be searched for. Altered States is mindblowing fantastic, Lair of the White Worm is bloody great and i totally recommend: The Billion Dollar Brain and Gothic

[Guillaume]

I got a movie ticket for Halloween/October 31, I'm finally going to see one of my favorite (horror) films, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, on the screen of my small town's theater. Unfortunately, it's in a french dubbed version (if it's the 1985 dubbing, it's decent as I recall), but it will remain the unforgettable, timeless A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET by the late Wes Craven on an 8 or 10-meter big screen! I was supposed to see A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET in the same theater on Halloween night 2020, but the screening was canceled the day before because of the second COVID lockdown in France! I hope the audience will be calm, but when I saw Carpenter's HALLOWEEN in the same theater, a few years ago, also for Halloween night, the teenage audience was respectful and quiet.

I think we have talked about Russel and i haven't seen Crimes of Passion and The music Lovers and Whore, so these will be searched for. Altered States is mindblowing fantastic, Lair of the White Worm is bloody great and i totally recommend: The Billion Dollar Brain and Gothic

I need to give GOTHIC another try. I saw it on DVD, but as I recall, despite the interesting subject matter, I struggled with the hysterical aspects and the casting. So, I'll definitely watch it again because there are some Ken Russell films I like... There's a film I'd like to see on a similar theme to GOTHIC: HAUNTED SUMMER by Ivan Passer. I think I saw BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN, but I only vaguely remember it. I have the dvd of FRENCH DRESSING by Ken Russell, but I haven't seen it yet. Others Russell films that tempt me are WOMEN IN LOVE, MAHLER (Robert Powell is an underrated actor), and LISZTOMANIA. I'd also like to see ALTERED STATES on the big screen; because it's a visually stunning film.