I think it looks like a great set. Tons of fantastic extras, surely great quality, and every SW gap filled with an HD version is a win in my book. Plus, itās nice for boxes to be a bit diverse, so that thereās something in them for everyone
I agree that itās great to see more SWs being released ā¦ but my first reaction to this announcement was, oh for fucks sake! There are so many better candidates for release than āMataloā and āFind a Place to Dieā , regardless of who champions these titles ā¦ The bottom line is that Arrow want sales ā¦ and poor returns on this collection, will likely mean fewer boxsets or SW releases in general in the future ā¦ and as it probably will be in the same price range as āVengeance Trailsā, nearly Ā£70 ā¦ this does not motivate me at all to buy.
Thatās why I said earlier, these distributors need to know their stuff and their potential market.
Speaking of which I see that the first boxset is being offered now at Ā£34 @ HMV and Ā£35 from Arrow themselves.
The second run of their boxsets comes without booklet and poster and are cheaper than the first editions.
I think Matalo belongs to the handful of SW titles that will attract Arrowās core fanbase of Italian exploitation and horror films, based on how bizarre it is.
It doesnāt surprise me that Stanton rates Matalo that highly tbh.
Mataloās the one that would get my dollar too. No masterpiece, but more off beat, innovative, experimental, atmospheric, psychedelic and weirdly bonkers than any Iāve seen. Havenāt seen Kill the Wicked though.
Ok ā¦ thanks for that info. Do I want to spend a further Ā£35 on a booklet and repro poster ā¦No! Iāve never even looked at the Sartana booklet ā¦ āSome dayā, as Harmonica would say
Ah very good
Have to say I agree and Iām a bit disappointed. Iām still happy the Garko films are getting what will probably be a definitive release, but I didnāt think Matalo! was the best, and while I havenāt seen Find a Place to Die yet, Iāve never liked any of the Carnimeo films that I have seen. It does feel a bit disjointed. If it had been two of El Puro, The Deserter or A Taste of Death instead (or why not just all three? I know theyād charge more but the Sartana release had five films), this wouldāve been my favourite spaghetti release ever. Iām not going to hold my breath, but part of me will still hope they do release those three in some kind of āForgotten Westernā box set eventually.
Edit: Red Coat would be another good one to release in a āForgottenā¦ā set.
How do you rate Kill The Wicked?
For me thereās just no way, not that you canāt like it, but better than
And God Said to Cain
Bandidos
Massacre Time & My Name is Pecos
As well as the two Garko films in this set??? Come onā¦
Whereās @Tom_B when you need him
This is why we love ya, stanton
Great, now Iāve got that song stuck in my head
The list of titles that could have been released instead of this is or that is long. Itās obviously impossible to please everyone, even if they had access to release whatever titles they want, which is not the case.
As Seb said, itās always a win when a SW gets a proper HD release. The question if Matalo or Find A Place to Die belongs in the box or not is nit-picking IMOā¦ And if we are going there, all the movies in this set already has good DVD releasesā¦
Me neither ā¦
But actually it is no masterpiece, the film has its share of flaws, but there is some excellent stuff in it, especially the wonderful longe opening. 8/10
The other one made from that screenplay God Does Not Pay on Saturday (aka Kill the Wicked) is also recommended. 7/10
Well said! And donāt we also have a solo release of a Spag from Arrow coming soon aswell?
Iām pretty happy with the films included. $10,000 Blood Money is one of my personal favourites so really happy to see that and Vengeance is Mine makes a good companion to that. Matalo! is not a personal favourite but can see itās cult appeal and Find a Place to Die is at least one that many will not be familiar with and could be due a re-evaluation.
All in all a decent mix and of course not every film will suit every fan but thatās the nature of box sets I suppose. They can give an opportunity to include something which may not have wide enough appeal on its own. Iām just glad the bloody thing has finally been released.
True, but a little criticism should not be out of the question either. Iām not just going to sit and clap like a mindless seal whenever a spag is released. I think some fair points have been raised. Overall it is good for the genre, but that probably goes without saying doesnāt itā¦
I like all 4 and the 10.000 $ Garko too, but Matalo is in its best scenes more fascinating. I also prefer Matalo to Django Kills, a similar weird film.
This all sounds like Tom Bettsā favourite western is liked by no one, but Matalo was once in the forumās Top 20 rating at # 33, but has dropped continuously since then, and is now at # 46. 15 voters still feature Matalo in their top 20, and at least one voter has it even at the # 1 spot.
Weāll see if such a prestige release will gather some new admirers ā¦
They finally put you out of your misery didnāt they