These New Imprint Hardboxes Are AMAZING! | April 2026 Pickups

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:01][music] >> Imprint have just sent me a wonderful package full of three hard box editions of their long-running series of sorts.

[00:00:20]We've got noir, we've got westerns, we've got adventure films here. We've got a proper mix. All three sets feel very different and they're all something that I'm really excited and something that I'm eager to dive into and just get watching. They're kind of easy, fun films. They make it so enjoyable to be a film fan. So, let's look at the first set we have here, which is Essential Film Noir Collection 6. Now, I think this is my fourth set on that. I'm missing one or two of these, which is about a shame, but it's it's not the end of the world.

[00:00:57]Um this one has four films: Naked Alibi, Ring of Fear, Hell's Island, and Flame of the Islands. Now, if you look at these ones, probably the the biggest headline title here is Naked Alibi, a hard-edged noir about a police chief who is convinced a man is guilty even when the evidence starts suggesting otherwise. It's got that classic obsession destroying morality angle that just makes these noirs sing. It's probably the most famous of the titles here and one that I'm really looking forward to revisiting. Ring of Fear, a little bit different. It's a kind of mystery thriller that's set in a circus. I haven't seen this one before. You've got Clyde Beatty in this one as well. And honestly, it sounds so weird. I don't think I've ever seen a noir set in a circus before, so I am really curious to see how that works out.

[00:01:55]Hell's Island, again, we're changing different tact here. It's going to a tropical noir.

[00:02:03]We've got smugglers, murder, betrayal, shady characters, the kind of typical setup but in a different locale and I love to see when the the genre is kind of push things a little bit.

[00:02:15]And finally, we have Flame of the Islands.

[00:02:18]Which, honestly, sounds a bit like a melodrama noir hybrid with wealthy families, manipulation, lots of tension bubbling underneath. It feels like one of those films where the atmosphere is probably more interesting than what the plot's going to be. Yet still, it's a really kind of mixed set. Lots of things going on here.

[00:02:39]We've got Some of these films are getting Blu-ray debuts as well. Ring of Fire, Hills Island, and Flame of the Islands is the first time they've ever been on Blu-ray, so that's just interesting to still be getting discoveries like that.

[00:02:54]So, yeah. Essential film noir is something is easily in my wheelhouse and something that I just love. Now, the second set and a new collection that they've put out is something that's really interesting and I love the way that Imprint really put these boxes together. This is the Wild West Collection 2. Now, we have got five titles here. We've got Five Card Stud, Will Penny, Something Big, The Revengers, and Quantez. Five Card Stud is the one that I've seen before and I really like it. It's a kind of different feeling Wild West. It's a revenge western where a mysterious killer starts to target poker players after a lynching goes wrong. And honestly, Dean Martin, Robert Mitchum, and a western already sells itself. I've seen this one before. It has and it feels strange to say that, a kind of almost giallo-like feel to it with the way that you have this person stalking and killing people.

[00:03:58]It's really interesting, really fun.

[00:04:00]Next up, we've got Will Penny, which is a really strong reputation.

[00:04:05]A character-driven Western film of an aging cowboy struggling in a changing world. A lot of people seem to consider this is a really underrated film. I've heard a few of my friends talk about it.

[00:04:17]I'm interested. Something big. We've got a kind of lighter Western, I'm guessing looking at the trailer, starring Dean Martin again, this time playing an outlaw, promised a Gatling gun in exchange for one final job.

[00:04:30]It sounds very playful. And to be honest, I like the idea of just seeing Dean Martin finally getting this Gatling gun at the end of it, hopefully. The Revengers sounds far more brutal. William Holden hunting down the people responsible for murdering his family. Pure revenge Western territory. I'm hoping this one's dark, moody, and a little bit explosive as well. And then finally, we have Posse with Kirk Douglas. I've seen this one a long time ago. Kind of looking forward to revisit it as well.

[00:05:03]He directs and stars in this one, which I think's really great. An aging marshal who's using a outlaw to really push his political aspirations.

[00:05:14]And it's kind of, from what I remember, very cynical and very different than traditional Westerns. So, yeah, rounding off that set with a really interesting kind of film.

[00:05:27]Finally, we're moving on to the long-standing Tales of Adventure sets. Now, we are now up to number 10 on this.

[00:05:36]Again, I have I have maybe five or six of these.

[00:05:39]Really enjoyable, mostly.

[00:05:43]And I I I I just I find these to be almost Sunday afternoon movies and I refer to that a lot as in ones that you could just put on they're bright, they're colorful. There's nothing really deep here. They're just entertaining and something a little bit different. So, this set includes The Magic Carpet, Sudan, Shalom, The Sword of Ali Baba and from 1959 1001 Arabian Nights, which is a bonus feature on one of the discs. Um it's like I said, easy, fun, colorful, nothing too deep, just entertaining short movies. We have The Magic Carpet, a fantasy adventure involving a prince reclaiming his rightful place with the help of a magic flying carpet. And honestly, the premise alone just feels flimsy, but probably they get a lot of fun out of this one and it's a worldwide first on Blu-ray as well. Sudan is a wartime adventure romance set during a conflict in Sudan with political tensions and survival elements running through it. It feels very much classic 40s filmmaking.

[00:06:50]Yeah, I think you can ignore what you're getting here.

[00:06:53]Looking at the trailers, the most visually extravagant film here is probably Shalom.

[00:06:58]It looks like it's a an epic story, lavish sets and costumes. It's got some great stars at it.

[00:07:05]It's probably going to look incredible in HD to be honest.

[00:07:09]And then finally, we have The Sword of Ali Baba, another worldwide Blu-ray debut. Classic Arabian stuff, heroes, villains, sword fights, that kind of thing by the looks of it. Pure Saturday matinee energy and then you know, it's kind of fun.

[00:07:26]And then I like the bonus features as well, which I will probably check out.

[00:07:30]Um yeah, these are kind of like the the set palate cleansers of films as I like to call them. Ones where you don't need to think too much. There's not a great deal going on in the adventure set, but they're just fun. They they entertain you for the 80 90 minutes that they run.

[00:07:46]This is where I I really like boutique labels in general when they come out with these collections together often forgotten films that may not sell individually but you package them together there's something really kind of fun. We've got adventures, we've got westerns, we've got noir, we've got all kind of things here.

[00:08:02]They feel as if there is some interesting movies in them. There might be some filler in there as well but that just lets the the good films shine even more. Are these any of these sets the kind of thing that you're into as film fans? Have you picked up any of these sets previously? Do you have the hard box edition from Imprint? They feel kind of impressive when you first get them. I'd love to know your thoughts on them. So let me know in the comment box below whether you're picking any of these up. If you've seen any of the movies and you want to recommend and champion one, you know, get to this one first it's a terrific example of that genre.

[00:08:39]Let me know. It just lets me prioritize movies when I get to them rather than just going chronologically through the box. Sometimes you just want to hit something really great at the right point.

[00:08:48]You lovely people are going to advise me on that. As always, there is more content up here. You can see more of my stuff in the description box below are links to Patreon membership program man be film.com always in which you can support me. Thanks for watching.

[00:09:01]See you next day.