Not a lot for us this week so I’ll start with a 4K release of Zyzzyx Road. Forget never seeing it, I had never even heard of this 2006 film starring Katherine Heigl, Leo Grillo, and Tom Sizemore. Heigl had already done Roswell and Grey’s Anatomy had already started production the same year this was shot so I have no idea why she was in this. When it was released they tried to bank on her name, but for a while it was the lowest-grossing film in history. There’s a reason for that, it’s really not good. Heigl plays the much younger lover to Leo Grillo who is a family man and is planning on leaving his family for her. Sizemore (who was deep into his drug addiction while filming and was arrested during production) plays Heigl’s ex-boyfriend who is killed by Grillo or so he thinks. The lovers drive out to the desert to bury Sizemore’s body, but they realize he might not be dead and must ride out the night. Or it’s all a figment of Grillo’s imagination and Sizemore might be tricking him into thinking Heigl’s character is bad. It’s a mess. I’m sure it has some crazy cult following considering it made like $30 at the box office and is known for being that big of a dud so I’m sure collector’s will love this 4K Collector’s Edition release. If you’ve never seen it and know of it, it might be worth the watch out of curiosity, but if you are a Heigl fan and haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and skip it.
Second we have Shawscope Volume 3 which contains 14 Shaw Brothers films. Those films are: The One-Armed Swordsman, Return of The One-Armed Swordsman, The New One-Armed Swordsman, The Lady Hermit, Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, The 14 Amazons, The Magic Blade, Clans of Intrigue, Jade Tiger, Sentimental Swordsman, The Avenging Eagle, Killer Constable, Buddha’s Palm, and Bastard Swordsman. Thirteen of the movies feature new 2K restorations by Arrow Films from the original negatives, and a new 4K restoration of The One-Armed Swordsman by Celestial Pictures. As someone who grew up watching martial arts films on TV this was right up my alley. The One-Armed Swordsman series is worth the price of the box alone. I remember seeing some of them as a kid and I believe I recently watched a remake as well. I immediately dove into those films first because I was familiar with them. They are classic martial arts storytelling with the first film showing you how he lost an arm (the daughter of his master accidentally chops it off in a fight) and him leaving and trying to live a quiet life before being given a burned book that is only readable for left arm fighting techniques. The series spins off from there with warriors showing up and causing trouble in the sequel when he wants to be retired. The New One-Armed Swordsman stars a new actor whose character chops off his arm after losing a rigged fight, learns to fight with one arm and seeks revenge. The Lady Hermit is about a female swordsman in hiding who trains another woman to defeat the gang leader and his gang. Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan involves murder and a mysterious fighter. It’s a bit different than the rest. The 14 Amazons is about a grandmother leading a clan of women into battle. The Magic Blade is about a swordsman teaming up with rival to take on a bigger enemy. Clans of Intrigue is another whodunit when 3 leaders are poisoned and a man has to prove his innocence. Jade Tiger is about a fighter who leaves his wedding for a fight just to return and find out his father has been killed while he was gone. Sentimental Swordsman is about a man who returns home to defend an ex. The Avenging Eagle is about a Black Eagle member saving another man, but is hunted down by his former troop. Killer Constable is about a constable tasked at finding a group of thieves, but they want him dead. Buddha’s Palm is probably the most fantasy based and feels more like a current film. A swordsman is trained by a blind man and in return he wants to find a mystical pearl to return the man’s sight. Bastard Swordsman is another traditional martial arts involving clans and someone being more than they appear. This set also features an audio CD with music from the films, hours of bonus features and a Korean cut of Killer Constable. It took me DAYS to get through all the films and material and is really, really impressive. If you are a fan of Shaw Brothers or Golden Harvest films this is a must own.
Last we have Ultraman Blazar – The Complete Series + Movie from Mill Creek Entertainment. It is the 35th Ultraman series and originally aired in 2023. This collection features all 25 episodes plus the movie. The series got into more realistic science with global warming playing a major role in the increase of Kaiju activity with government/military organizations created to combat the attacks and clean up afterwards. The lead character is Gento Hiruma who is tasked at investigating an Ultraman who shows up after an attack by kaiju Bazanga. If you read me enough you know I prefer the older Ultraman series/films and this one feels too new. With the use of global warming it’s more about a message than it is an Ultraman story to me. It has all the same fighting, costuming and set design you expect in these Mill Creek Ultraman releases, but I definitely enjoy the classic stuff more. But if you have been picking up these releases then you definitely need to add this one to the collection.
The Nerds Templar 