Arrow Video is excited to announce the Blu-ray world premiere release of Yasuharu Hasebe’s Retaliation starring Jo Shishido (Branded to Kill). This gritty and cynical Japanese thriller will be released in both the UK and US from 11th/12th May 2015.
Hasebe and Shishido are here on the upswing from their earlier collaboration on the cool monochrome Massacre Gun as Nikkatsu makes Retaliation an ‘A’ movie, shot in colour, with a starrier cast, this time adding genre icon and the studio’s biggest star (hence the A production values), Akira Kobayashi (Battles Without Honour and Humanity), and in an early role, the soon-to-be superstar Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion).
Featuring exclusive new interviews, with star Jô Shishido and an extensive study of both Hasebe and Shishido’s careers by renowned critic and historian Tony Rayns. The package also features a trailer, gallery and a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan. The enclosed booklet features new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp and is illustrated throughout by MacEwan.
Synopsis
In 1969 future sexploitation specialist Yasuharu Hasebe (Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter) teamed up with the inimitable Jô Shishido (Branded to Kill, Youth of the Beast) for a follow up to their yakuza hit Massacre Gun.
A tale of gang warfare that features a raft of the period’s most iconic stars, Akira Kobayashi (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, The Flowers and The Angry Waves) is a yakuza lieutenant who emerges from jail to find his gang dispersed and his aging boss in his sickbed. Shishido is the rival waiting to kill him and a young Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) is the girl caught in the crossfire.
Gritty and cynical, Retaliation is a hardboiled precursor to Kinji Fukasaku’s revisionist yakuza pictures of the 1970s.
Special Features
· Limited Edition Blu-ray (3000 copies only)
· Restored High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation, on Blu-ray for the first time in the world!
· Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
· Newly translated English subtitles
· Brand new interview with star Jô Shishido
· Interview with renowned critic and historian Tony Rayns
· Original theatrical trailer
· Gallery featuring rare promotional images
· Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan
· Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, newly illustrated by Ian MacEwan and featuring original archive stills
On August 31st, 2013, Aesthetic Perfection's Daniel Graves did something never imagined possible: He played an entirely acoustic concert as Aesthetic Perfection. Pulling it off took a year of planning, months of preparation and weeks of rehearsal. Even then, nothing was perfect. How could it be? No computers, no backing tracks, nothing but what each musician brought with them to the stage. For this special live show, Aesthetic Perfection's music was presented by a band comprised of Daniel Graves on vocals, Lauren Krothe on piano and backing vocals, Marquis Howell III on upright bass, Tim Van Horn on drums, and Tim Skold on acoustic guitar. Recorded at Complex in Glendale California, a venue renowned for its incredible sound system and intimate concert experience.
Graves said of the experience "I was more musically vulnerable than I had ever been before. The whole experience taught me that it's ok to be vulnerable, it's ok to be flawed, it's ok to make mistakes, it's ok to relinquish control and put your trust in others. Though much of this has been part of the Aesthetic Perfection "philosophy" since Day 1, putting that into practice is easier said than done. As a self confessed control freak, it pushed me to the brink of madness. Now that all is said and done, I'm not stressed anymore. I'm just proud of what my friends and I accomplished, and I'm grateful to them for their hard work and creativity that made my vision come to life. I'm grateful to the fans who came and showed their support for an utterly absurd idea: An acoustic "industrial" show. And now, I'm excited that I can share this little piece of Aesthetic Perfection history with those who were unable to be there or wish to see it again. Who knows? Maybe we'll do this again sometime."
01. The Great Depression
02. Tomorrow
03. Inhuman
04. Vapor
05. Devotion
06. Hit The Streets
07. Antibody
08. The Siren
09. Pale
10. Spilling Blood
11. One And Only
12. Big Bad Wolf
13. Spit It Out
DVD contains:
Interview +
live video of:
The Great Depression
Tomorrow
The Siren
Pale
Big Bad Wolf
The band continue to ignore the lure of lucre and bright lights and remain steadfastly in Sunderland, opening their own record store in the city’s redundant Tourist Office bringing much heralded impetus to the creative heart of Sunderland and it’s many like-minded souls. Amongst the artist who have supported their venture and played recently are The Vaccines, Franz Ferdinand and James Bay.
‘Decency’ follows 2013’s ‘The Days Run Away’ and sees the band continue their uncanny knack for conjuring up moments of introspective beauty whilst encapsulating the band’s ideals, both socially and politically. The pop suss that flowed through previous releases still reigns but ‘Decency’ embellishes those hooks and melodies creating some of the band’s best work to date.
Recorded at the tail end of last summer at Leeds’ Suburban Homes studio with MJ (Hookworms) at the controls, ‘Decency ‘ also sees Futurehead Ross Millard on extra-curricular duty with guitar and vocal artistry making his recording debut as a fully-fledged Heartstring.
Meanwhile, Frankie & The Heartstrings embark on their first major shows of 2015 with shows throughout May …
May
5th BRISTOL Crofters Rights
6th PORTSMOUTH Drift Southsea
7th TUNBRIDGE WELLS Forum
8th BRIGHTON Bleach
9th COVENTRY Kasbah
11th MANCHESTER Night & Day
12th LEEDS Brudenell games room
13th NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
14th SCUNTHORPE Lincoln Imp
15th SHEFFIELD Plug
16th MIDDLESBROUGH Westgarth Social Club
Vemod from Trondheim/Norway are one of the most promising and visionary bands of the vibrant and eclectic contemporary metal underground and already made quite an impact in well-informed circles. Combining such diverse influences as Ulver, Dead Can Dance, Brian Eno and Paysage d'Hiver, the three musicians pursue a unique musical and aesthetical approach, thus reaching a distinct expression and atmosphere at an early stage of their career. This is showcased imposingly on their debut album "Venter På Stormene" (2012) and their few select live appearances throughout the years.
Therefore, we are very happy to welcome Vemod to the Prophecy Productions roster and accompany the band's further efforts - not only with respect to their second album, which Vemod are diligently working on at the moment, but also their upcoming live performance at Prophecy Fest in September!
J. E. Åsli on the signing: "Prophecy Productions is the ideal partner for Vemod in our pursuit and further exploration of the vast world that is atmospheric music. As we seem to share a very similar approach to music, art and aesthetics, we are both humbled and honoured to become part of such a high quality roster. This marks the beginning of a new and very exciting phase in our existence; we look forward to working on our next album as well as any other projects that may be appearing on the horizon. Let it all unfold..."
THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON ARRIVES ON DVD 11th MAY 2015 Following the success of their most recent foreign language TV drama titles, notably Gommorah and The Legacy, Arrow Films will continue to house quality international crime thriller shows from various European territories and beyond, under their newly launched sub-label ‘Noir’.
These new releases will continue with the arrival of the second season of Fogs and Crimes, on DVD 11th May 2015, following the release of the first series last October, which will sit amongst other Italian crime dramas such as Inspector De Luca and Inspector Nardone. A passion for solving difficult cases makes Franco Soneri the best investigator in Ferrara, Italy - but it also makes him a hard man to manage. He's brusque and irascible, but he and his team manage to uncover what others might prefer to keep hidden. Cases from season two include two senior citizens found in their car at the bottom of the River Po, a body of a woman washed up onto its banks, a hit-and-run fatality, the brutal killing of a prostitute, a murdered teenage girl and a high-profile attorney found dead in his apartment. Filmed on location in the atmospheric countryside of northern Italy, these mysteries are based on the characters from the bestselling crime novels by Valerio Varesi.
