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:
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Brand new restoration sourced from the original camera negative, approved by director Neil Jordan and cinematographer Roger Pratt
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High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
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Original uncompressed PCM mono 1.0 sound
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Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
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Audio commentary by Bob Hoskins and Neil Jordan
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Brand new interviews with director Neil Jordan, writer David Leland and producer Stephen Woolley
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Original Trailer
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Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
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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:
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High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
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Original uncompressed PCM mono audio
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Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
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New video interview with David Thompson, editor of ‘Altman on Altman’ and producer of the BBC’s ‘Robert Altman in England’
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Archive interview with Shelley Duvall from the Cannes Film Festival – The actress describes working with Altman, his methods and how she started acting
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Galleries featuring behind-the-scenes photos, the Cannes Film Festival press conference and promotional images
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Trailer
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Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
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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:
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High Definition Digital transfer of the film from original elements by MGM
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5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
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Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
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Audio commentary with writer-director W.D. Richter and Reno (writer Earl Mac Rauch)
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Q&A with stars Peter Weller and John Lithgow moderated by filmmaker Kevin Smith, filmed at Lincoln Center, New York
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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!
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Visual essay by critic and author Matt Zoller Seitz
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Alternate opening featuring Jamie Lee Curtis
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Closing sequence
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Deleted scenes, featuring fourteen scenes from the workprint
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New Jet Car Trailer and Teaser Trailer
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Gallery
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Trivia track by Pinky Carruthers
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Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
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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:
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Brand new 2K restoration of the film from original film elements
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High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
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Original Italian and English soundtracks in uncompressed PCM mono audio
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Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
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Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
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Remembering Sergio – an all-new interview with star and director Robert Hossein, filmed exclusively for this release
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French television news report on the film’s making, containing interviews with Hossein, and actors Michèle Mercier and Serge Marquand
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Archive interview with Hossein
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Trailers
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Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by James Flames
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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:
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Brand new 2K transfer from the original camera negative
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High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
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Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
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Audio commentary with co-writer and producer Mardi Rustam, make-up artist Craig Reardon and stars Roberta Collins, William Finley and Kyle Richards
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New introduction to the film by director Tobe Hooper
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Brand new interview with Hooper
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My Name is Buck: Star Robert Englund discusses his acting career
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The Butcher of Elmendorf: The Legend of Joe Ball – The story of the South Texas bar owner on whom Eaten Alive is loosely based
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5ive Minutes with Marilyn Burns – The star of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre talks about working on Eaten Alive
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The Gator Creator: archival interview with Hooper
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Original theatrical trailers for the film under its various titles Eaten Alive, Death Trap, Starlight Slaughter and Horror Hotel
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US TV and Radio Spots
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Alternate credits sequence
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Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
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Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
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More to be announced!
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