A Journey of Discovery

The UK Blu-Ray Labels You Need to Know

- By Anton van Beek

Whether you're on the hunt for vintage TV, foreign language cinema, cult genre titles or the best of British film, there's a homegrown Blu-ray label ready to serve, discovers Anton van Beek

88 Films

Launched in 2012, 88 Films is your go-to if your cinema diet is heavy on martial arts movies and cult horror. The label currently has four imprints: 88 Asia, 88 Vault, Slasher Classics, and The Italian Collection, meaning its titles range from hard-boiled Italian crime flick The Tough Ones through the Anaconda franchise to some of the best from Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung et al. Releases typically feature new 2K or 4K restorations, newly commissioned extras and gorgeous sleeve art. The label's first 4K Blu-ray releases Dragons Forever and Drive (1997) - are set for August.

Disc of delight: Although a 4K upgrade is inbound, 88 Films' previous Blu-ray treatment of martial arts classic Dragons Forever is a doozy, with three cuts of the film, plus myriad bonuses, spread over two discs.

101 Films

This UK indie has gone from strength to strength in recent years, bolstering its lineup with acquisitions from the former Metrodome and Palisades Tartan libraries, and signing a deal with the cult movie-focused American Genre Film Group. Meanwhile, the introduction of its Black Label Blu-ray imprint has targeted more serious collectors with desirable feature-packed limited editions of Paul Verhoeven's Black Book, Lucasfilm's Howard the Duck, and others - although an occasional willingness to settle for lower-quality source materials (see its recent Blu-ray debut for Johnny Mnemonic) has come in for justifiable criticism.

Disc of delight: Spookies (1986) might be something of a dud as a horror film, but the deluxe package 101 Films put together for its 2021 BD (Black Label # 019) is nothing less than phenomenal.