The Japanese classic Big Time Gambling Boss will be released on Blu-ray Disc for the first time Jan. 17 as a limited edition from Radiance Films and MVD Entertainment Group.
Originally released in 1968, the film is set in Tokyo in the 1930s, where gang boss Arakawa is ill and a successor must be named. The choice falls on Nakai, but being an outsider he refuses and suggests senior clansman Matsuda instead. But Matsuda is in jail and the elders won’t wait for his release, so they appoint the younger and more malleable Ishido to take the reins. Clan honor and loyalties are severely tested when Matsuda is released, resulting in an increasingly violent internal strife.
An atmospheric tale of gangland intrigue written by Kazuo Kasahara (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) and starring Tomisaburo Wakayama (Lone Wolf and Cub, “The Bounty Hunter Trilogy”) and genre legend Koji Tsuruta, Big Time Gambling Boss is a classic of the Yakuza genre.
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Special features include a visual essay by genre expert Chris D on the film and its place within the period and genre; “Ninkyo 101,” a masterclass with Mark Schilling, author of The Yakuza Movie Book; a gallery of promotional imagery; the trailer; a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by maarko phntm; and a limited-edition booklet featuring new writing by author Stuart Galbraith IV and critic Hayley Scanlon. The limited-edition release includes 2,000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip.
Originally released in 2007, the 13-episode “Ultra Galaxy: Mega Monster Battle” was linked to a popular Japanese arcade card game in which monsters from across the “Ultraman” series engaged in head-to-head combat. The show is set in the distant future, as the Earth organization Zap Spacy explores unknown planets for much-needed natural resources. Under the leadership of Captain Hyuga, the crew of the spaceship Pendragon crash lands on Planet Boris, a desolate world teaming with warring giant monsters. There they encounter a mysterious young man named Rei who uses a device called the Battlenizer to summon and control his own monsters. The story continues in the 2008 sequel series “Ultra Galaxy: Mega Monster Battle Never Ending Odyssey.” The Pendragon team are attacked by the Reionics Hunters, members of the alien Pedan race that seek to exterminate all of Rei’s kind. The conflict leads the crew to the monster-filled Planet Hammer and an encounter with Alien Reiblood, first of the Reionics.
The Ultraman Zero Collection kicks off with Ultra Galaxy Legend Side Story: Ultraman Zero Vs Darklops Zero, a two-part special first released in 2010. Answering a distress call, Rei and Captain Hyuga become trapped in a pocket dimension where an unknown alien is creating evil imitations of the Ultras. When Ultraman Zero comes to their rescue, he is challenged by the black giant Darklops Zero, an armored warrior who looks just like him.
Released outside Japan for the first time, The Invisible Man Appears and The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly are available on one Blu-ray March 16. Unique riffs on H.G. Wells’ classic character (though undoubtedly also indebted to Universal’s iconic film series), these are two of the earliest examples of tokusatsu (special effects) cinema from the legendary Daiei Studios. In The Invisible Man Appears, written and directed by Nobuo Adachi in 1949, a scientist successfully creates an invisibility serum, only to be kidnapped by a gang of thugs who wish to use the formula to steal a priceless jewel. In addition to being the earliest surviving Japanese science fiction film ever made, the film’s special effects were an early credit for the legendary Eiji Tsuburaya, five years before he first brought Godzilla to life. Eight years later, Mitsuo Murayama’s The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly tells the story of a series of mysterious murders where the only clue is strange buzzing noise at the scene of the crime. Could it be linked to secret wartime experiments in shrinking humans to the size of insects? And can a scientist who’s just invented an invisibility ray be the one to stop it? Extras include “Transparent Terrors,” a newly filmed interview with critic and genre scholar Kim Newman on the history of the ‘Invisible Man’ in cinema; the theatrical trailer for The Invisible Man Appears; image galleries for both films; a reversible sleeve featuring new and original artwork by Graham Humphreys; and for the first pressing only, an illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Keith Allison, Hayley Scanlon and Tom Vincent.
Due March 23 is The Bloodhound (2020). First-time feature director Patrick Picard brings a fresh take to one of the best-known stories from the master of mystery and the macabre Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher. Francis (Liam Aiken, A Series of Unfortunate Events), a dispossessed young man, is summoned to the secluded home of his wealthy childhood friend, J.P. Luret (Joe Adler, The Maze Runner), who is suffering from a mysterious affliction. Upon his arrival, Francis realizes that J.P. and his ethereal twin sister Vivian (Annalise Basso, Ouija: Origin of Evil) are the sole surviving members of the privileged Luret family, whose legacy has been one of depression and self-destruction, and are the only occupants of their family estate. As the old friends attempt to reconnect, a number of inexplicable incidents begin to occur within the house, and Francis finds himself drawn into a world of malaise and despair, where an act of betrayal might provide his only way out. From Leal Naim and Thomas R. Burke, producers of The Endless and Synchronic, The Bloodhound explores themes that are as relevant to today as ever, such as the yearning for emotional connection, the perils of social isolation and the fragility of mental health. Extras include audio commentary by Picard and editor David Scorca; four experimental short films by Picard; “On the Trail of The Bloodhound: Behind the Scenes of a Modern Chiller,” a 45-minute making-of featurette; and for the first pressing only, an illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel.
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In Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters, the battleship Yamato, the largest and strongest of its time, is on patrol when a lookout spots a massive shape half-submerged in the distance. Believing it to be an enemy submarine, they fire and score a direct hit. But they are shocked when the object emits a strange cry as it sinks beneath the waves. Soon after, something much bigger arrives, the massive kaiju Reigo, seething with rage at the murder of its cub. The monster attacks the Combined Fleet. The naval forces are caught off guard, and Reigo is able to destroy the escort ships and damage the Yamato before returning to the ocean depths. The stage is set for a final battle to unfold between the world’s largest battleship and the mysterious dragon-like monster.
Well Go USA Entertainment will release the Japanese film 
Due Aug. 6 is the 1976 slasher film 
Also due Aug. 20 is a collection of Akio Jissoji’s films — This Transient Life, Mandara and Poem — that make up 
This special edition release marks the North American Blu-ray debut of Mothra and includes both the U.S. theatrical cut as well as the original, extended Japanese version of the film. Special features include feature-length commentary with authors and Japanese sci-fi historians Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski, trailers, and a photo gallery.
“We are excited to offer Mothra on Blu-ray as a gorgeous steelbook release,” said Barrett Evans, VP of marketing for Mill Creek Entertainment, in a statement. “The timing is ideal to present the original Mothra as new audiences will soon see the iconic character in the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters movie.”
In Mothra, following reports of human life on Infant Island, the supposedly deserted site of atomic bomb tests, an international expedition to the heavily-radiated island discovers a native tribe and tiny twin female fairies called “Shobijin” who guard a sacred egg. The overzealous expedition leader kidnaps the Shobijin to exhibit in a Tokyo stage show but soon they summon their protector, hatching the egg and releasing a giant caterpillar. Mothra finally transforms into the ultimate beast, impervious to modern weapons.
The Japanese film follows a young boy who embarks on a fantastical journey when his new baby sister is born and learns the importance of family. The voice cast includes John Cho, (Star Trek, Searching), Rebecca Hall (The Town, Christine), and Daniel Dae Kim (“LOST,” “Hawaii Five-0”).
Magnolia Home Entertainment will release Shoplifters on DVD and digital Feb. 12. The Japanese drama is a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film.