| Yesterday at 4pm, Arrow Video announced their upcoming Blu-ray and DVD releases for July 2015 via their Twitter feed, which we enthusiastically retweeted as they were announced. Not everyone uses Twitter, of course (were we not shoehorned into doing so, we probably wouldn't either as it happens), so we thought it would be useful to summarise those announcements and list the details confirmed for each of the releases. And, as ever, it's a cracking bunch. 
 Mona Lisa | 6th July 2015 | Blu-ray Five years after The Long Good Friday, Bob Hoskins returned to the gangster genre, but his character George is a mere underling this time, a chauffeur hired by a mesmerisingly slimy gangland kingpin (Michael Caine) to transport a high-class prostitute (Cathy Tyson) from client to client. When she enlists his help in tracking down an old friend, George finds himself exploring a hellish underworld that he never imagined existed. Hoskins’ immensely complex, subtle and moving performance hoovered up almost every Best Actor award going (Cannes, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe) and remains one of his greatest roles – a man sucked by circumstance into a life of crime but still righteous enough to seize the opportunity to do good when it presents itself. Director Neil Jordan (The Company of Wolves, The Crying Game) and co-writer David Leland (Made in Britain) achieve a perfect blend of hard-edged realism and unexpected fantasy, with the regular appearance of the Nat King Cole title song turning seedy British locations (Soho, Brighton) into something far more romantically evocative. Special Edition contents: 
                        
                          Brand new restoration sourced from the original camera negative, approved by director Neil Jordan and cinematographer Roger Pratt
                          High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
                          Original uncompressed PCM mono 1.0 sound
                          Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
                          Audio commentary by Bob Hoskins and Neil Jordan
                          Brand new interviews with director Neil Jordan, writer David Leland and producer Stephen Woolley
                          Original Trailer
                          Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
                          Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Mike Sutton, illustrated with original production stills   
 3 Women | 13th July 2015 | Blu-ray Maverick filmmaker Robert Altman continued a stunning run of celebrated work that included McCabe and Mrs Miller, The Long Goodbye and Nashville with 3 Women, a dreamy masterpiece that would fend off the titanic Star Wars as Roger Ebert’s best film of 1977. In a California resort town shy and impressionable Pinky (Sissy Spacey, Badlands, Carrie) strikes up a friendship with her fellow nurse ‘Thoroughly Modern’ Millie (Shelley Duvall, Nashville, Thieves Like Us). As the two spend more time together Pinky becomes dependent on Millie, adopting aspects of her personality and appearance, things take an unusual and darker turn as Pinky discovers Millie with a man, a local bar owner whose wife forms the third of the title’s three women. Based on a series of dreams and influenced by Ingmar Bergman’s Persona, Robert Altman famously cut the deal for 3 Women with 20th Century Fox in a matter of minutes and the remarkable faith of the studio would produce one of the most striking works of the period. Special Edition contents: 
                        
                          High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
                          Original uncompressed PCM mono audio
                          Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
                          New video interview with David Thompson, editor of ‘Altman on Altman’ and producer of the BBC’s ‘Robert Altman in England’
                          Archive interview with Shelley Duvall from the Cannes Film Festival – The actress describes working with Altman, his methods and how she started acting
                          Galleries featuring behind-the-scenes photos, the Cannes Film Festival press conference and promotional images
                          Trailer
                          Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
                          Booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic David Jenkins and excerpts from Altman on Altman, illustrated with original stills   
 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | 20th July 2015 | Blu-ray From the writer of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Big Trouble in Little China comes a pop-sci-fi adventure that defies convention and went on to become one of the cult hits of the 80s. Peter Weller is Buckaroo Banzai, a physicist-neurosurgeon-martial arts master-secret agent-rock star who has just made history with his invention, the Oscillation Overthruster. The Overthruster allows him to travel to the 8th Dimension, but this feat draws the attention of the Red Lectroids, an alien race (led by Christopher Lloyd) who have teamed up with Banzai’s nemesis, the deranged Dr Lizardo (John Lithgow). Lizardo and the Red Lectroids are seeking the Overthruster to take over the world and Banzai, with his team of agents/band musicians, The Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop them before it’s too late! With strong references to sci-fi and pop culture that span Thomas Pynchon and Orson Welles, Buckaroo Banzai is a film made by fans for fans and counts filmmakers including Wes Anderson and Kevin Smith among its admirers. Check out our 2005 DVD review. Special Edition contents: 
                        
                          High Definition Digital transfer of the film from original elements by MGM
                          5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
                          Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
                          Audio commentary with writer-director W.D. Richter and Reno (writer Earl Mac Rauch)
                          Q&A with stars Peter Weller and John Lithgow moderated by filmmaker Kevin Smith, filmed at Lincoln Center, New York
                          Buckaroo Banzai Declassified – An original featurette on the making of the film featuring W.D. Richter, stars Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow and more!
                          Visual essay by critic and author Matt Zoller Seitz
                          Alternate opening featuring Jamie Lee Curtis
                          Closing sequence
                          Deleted scenes, featuring fourteen scenes from the workprint
                          New Jet Car Trailer and Teaser Trailer
                          Gallery
                          Trivia track by Pinky Carruthers
                          Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
                          Booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic James Oliver, illustrated with original stills   
 Cemetery Without Crosses | 20th July 2015 | Dual format (Blu-ray & DVD) Inspired by the international success of the Dollars trilogy, and dedicated to director Sergio Leone, Cemetery Without Crosses offers a Gallic spin on the Spaghetti Western formula thanks to its star and creator, Robert Hossein (best-known to English-speaking audiences for his role in Jules Dassin’s Rififi). After her husband is lynched by bandits, Michèle Mercier (Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath) seeks revenge and turns to an old friend, played by Hossein, for help. A solitary figure who lives in a ghost town and dons a single black glove before each gunfight, Hossein is initially reluctant but soon infiltrates the widow’s enemies to force a showdown. Cemetery Without Crosses is a darker breed of Western, bleak and melancholy in tone amid the explosive set pieces. It also boasts an outstanding score by composer André Hossein (father of Robert) and the catchiest of themes, sung by cult figure Scott Walker. Special Edition contents: 
                        
                          Brand new 2K restoration of the film from original film elements
                          High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
                          Original Italian and English soundtracks in uncompressed PCM mono audio
                          Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
                          Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
                          Remembering Sergio – an all-new interview with star and director Robert Hossein, filmed exclusively for this release
                          French television news report on the film’s making, containing interviews with Hossein, and actors Michèle Mercier and Serge Marquand
                          Archive interview with Hossein
                          Trailers
                          Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by James Flames
                          Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing by Ginette Vincendeau and Rob Young     Eaten Alive | 27th July 2015 | Dual format (Blu-ray & DVD) Nearly a decade before he donned Freddy Kruger’s famous red and green sweater, horror icon Robert Englund delivered a supremely sleazy performance in Eaten Alive – another essay in taut Southern terror from Tobe Hooper, director of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Deep in the Louisiana bayou sits the ramshackle Starlight Hotel, destination of choice for those who like to check in but not check out! Presided over by the bumbling, mumbling Judd (and his pet croc which he keeps in a large pond out front), the patron of this particular establishment may seem like a good-natured ol’ Southern gent – but he has a mean temper on him, and a mighty large scythe to boot… Oozing atmosphere from its every pore (the entire film was shot on a sound-stage at the famous Raleigh Studios, which lends it a queasy, claustrophobic feel) Eaten Alive matches The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for sheer insanity – and even draughts in Chain Saw star Marilyn Burns as the terrorised woman-in-peril, alongside William Finley and Mel Ferrer. Director-approved Special Edition features: 
                        
                          Brand new 2K transfer from the original camera negative
                          High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
                          Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
                          Audio commentary with co-writer and producer Mardi Rustam, make-up artist Craig Reardon and stars Roberta Collins, William Finley and Kyle Richards
                          New introduction to the film by director Tobe Hooper
                          Brand new interview with Hooper
                          My Name is Buck: Star Robert Englund discusses his acting career
                          The Butcher of Elmendorf: The Legend of Joe Ball – The story of the South Texas bar owner on whom Eaten Alive is loosely based
                          5ive Minutes with Marilyn Burns – The star of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre talks about working on Eaten Alive
                          The Gator Creator: archival interview with Hooper
                          Original theatrical trailers for the film under its various titles Eaten Alive, Death Trap, Starlight Slaughter and Horror Hotel
                          US TV and Radio Spots
                          Alternate credits sequence
                          Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
                          Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
                          More to be announced! |