When it comes to the MANIAC COP films,
the first one has always been the Don.
I just think the story is better, the pacing is better, its just a more fluid film. Having said that, I realize I am the nerdy kid playing by himself on the playground while everybody else is on the monkey bars with the cool kid known as MANIAC COP 2. Lustig himself told me he thinks MC2 is a better flick. So color me happy as fuck when I learned that MANIAC COP is finally coming to Blu-ray, although some of the extras that were on Synapse’s original DVD release aren’t being ported over.
While you do get an interview with Robert Z-Dar and Tom Atkins, you don’t get the commentary tracks from Bruce Campbell, Larry Cohen, or Bill Lustig. You also don’t get the handful of scenes that were filmed for the Japanese television broadcast. You do get a badass flick in 1080p though, so don’t even hesitate to drop the coin on that title.
As for SOUTH OF HEAVEN, I haven’t seen it yet but I will let you bastards know what I think.
Here is the release from the Synapse crew:
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SYNAPSE FILMS PRESENTS
COPS, ROBBERS, and REVENGE
Synapse Style!
William Lustig’s classic MANIAC COP
and the bizarro
SOUTH OF HEAVEN
invade your home this Fall!
MANIAC COP hits blu-ray and J.L. Vara’s SOUTH OF HEAVEN comes home.
CLICK THE COVER ART TO PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON
Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell, TV’s BURN NOTICE and THE EVIL DEAD Trilogy) finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered. As Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins, DRIVE ANGRY and LETHAL WEAPON) investigates, the death toll rises and he suspects a mysterious police cover-up. This “maniac” cop must be stopped, but it might not be so easy. He seems inhuman, and ready to take on the entire police force, hell-bent on revenge! Restored and remastered from original vault materials by Synapse Films, MANIAC COP looks and sounds better than ever in this brand-new 2011 high-definition transfer, featuring newly remixed DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound! Long considered a classic of the horror genre, MANIAC COP was written and produced by Larry Cohen (IT’S ALIVE, PHONE BOOTH) and directed by William Lustig (MANIAC, VIGILANTE).
CLICK THE COVER ART TO PRE-ORDER THIS FROM AMAZON
A bold anti-hero origin story steeped with atmosphere and ultraviolence! When Roy Coop finished his stint in the Navy, he only had two things on his mind: seeing his brother Dale, and writing the great American novel. What he gets, however, is the homecoming from Hell! A pair of violent vaudevillians (NAPOLEON DYNAMITE‘s Jon Gries, and Thomas Jay Ryan) mistake him for his brother, looking to collect on a debt he didn’t know he owed. Eight fingers later, Roy is burnt to a crisp, forged by fire into a new man. Roy is dead. Nobody is born. Now it’s Nobody’s turn to have his wicked revenge, and to save his brother before it’s too late. Wrapped in bandages and ready for blood, Nobody is determined to kill those that gets in his way, even the murdering masochist named Mad Dog Mantee (Shea Whigham, MACHETE and HBO’s BOARDWALK EMPIRE). Dodging bullets and dodging dames, Nobody meets the nasty ne’er-do-wells Lily (Diora Baird, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING) and Veronica (Elina Löwensohn, SCHINDLER’S LIST). In this wonderful neo-film-noir, violence and vengeance are destined to meet in a little townthey call… SOUTH OF HEAVEN.
Bonus Features include Three Audio Commentaries, Three Short Films from Director J.L. Vara
Special Features and Disc Info (MANIAC COP):
- Maniac Cop Memories – Interview with Robert Z’Dar
- Out the Window – Interview with Tom Atkins
- Three Minutes with Danny Hicks Featurette
- Motion Still Gallery
- Additional Scenes Filmed for Japanese TV
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Spanish Radio Spot
Director: William Lustig
Starring: Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins
Run Time: 87 minutes
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Language: English (6.1 and 4.0 Surround)
Aspect Ratio: High-Definition 1080p Widescreen (1:85:1)
Format: Blu-ray
Special Features and Disc Info (SOUTH OF HEAVEN):
- Three Audio Commentaries featuring Cast Members, Filmmakers, and Critics
- Three Short Films by Director J.L. Vara
Director: J.L. Vara
Starring: Shea Whigham, Diora Baird, Elina Löwensohn
Run Time: 97 minutes
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Language: English (5.1 Surround)
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic 1.78:1
Format: DVD
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SEE YOU ON FORTY DEUCE,
G
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