Arrow Video has today announced its May disc lineup, which includes stylish a new takedown of Tinseltown from the talented Jim Cummings, the definitive release of a Terry Gilliam classic in UHD, and an outstanding cyber-thriller from Michael Mann.

THE BETA TEST (2021) | 2-disc Limited Edition Blu-ray | 8 May 2023 | £24.99

Eyes Wide Shut meets Office Space, The Player and Black Mirror in The Beta Test, the acclaimed thriller from Jim Cummings, creator of Thunder Road and The Wolf of Snow Hollow.

A ruthless, manipulative, and soon-to-be married Hollywood agent receives a mysterious letter inviting him to an anonymous sexual encounter. After some uncertainty he accepts, but euphoria turns to paranoia as he becomes ensnared in a sinister world of lies, infidelity and murder.

Strikingly shot and with pitch-perfect performances that will make you squirm in your seat, The Beta Test is a stylish, scathing satire of preening toxic masculinity, the dangers of technology, and the hollowness of Hollywood success.

2-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original lossless 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Exclusive bonus disc of short films 
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Anton Bitel
• Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options and Limited Edition slipcover

DISC 1 – FEATURE & EXTRAS:

• Audio commentary by directors Jim Cummings & PJ McCabe
• Sex, Lies & Purple Envelopes, a visual essay by author and film scholar Alexandra Heller Nicholas
• Trapped. Hiding. Boom, a visual essay by author and critic Guy Adams
• The Making of The Beta Test
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

DISC 2 – SHORT FILMS (LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE):

• A two and a half hour collection of short films from the Sundance Award-winning filmmakers behind The Beta Test including: Cory Comes to Christmas, Parent Teacher, The Stop, Marty Loves Katie, Native Stand Up, The Robbery and Us Funny
• Also includes a look behind the scenes and two hilarious short ‘documentaries’ about attending the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and 2017

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998) | Limited Edition 4K UHD | 22 May 2023 | £29.99

Considered unfilmable for decades, Hunter S. Thompson’s literary landmark of psychedelic excess finally met its cinematic match in anarchic visionary director Terry Gilliam (Twelve Monkeys) and two no-holds-barred star performances by Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro.

Raoul Duke (Depp) and his volatile Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo (del Toro) are en route to Las Vegas, ostensibly on a banal journalistic assignment, but the suitcase full of psychoactive narcotics in their possession tells another story. Beset by bats, horny lizards and runaway hotel carpet upon their arrival, the pair plunge deeper into the pharmaceutically enhanced neon underbelly of the City of Sin on a chemically charged savage journey to the heart of the American Dream.

Flashback to Gilliam and Thompson’s trip of a lifetime with this 4K restoration, accompanied by an outstanding selection of bonus material delving into the history of the film and the original book.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:

• 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original negative supervised by Terry Gilliam
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original 5.1 & 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio 
• Optional subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New commentary by Terry Gilliam, moderated by Phil Stubbs
• Savage: Finding The American Nightmare, an appreciation by film historian Ian Christie 
• The Gonzo Papers, an interview with producer Laila Nabulsi
• Grim Memories & Bad Flashbacks, an interview with star Benicio del Toro 
• Ignore This Terrible Drug: The Art and Style of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a featurette including interviews with cinematographer Nicola Pecorini, production designer Alex McDowall, costume designer Julie Weiss and editor Lesley Walker 
• Four deleted scenes with new optional commentary by Gilliam, including the excised prologue A Dress Pattern 
• Spotlight on Location, an original promotional featurette featuring interviews with Gilliam, Depp and del Toro
• Behind the scenes ‘B-roll’ footage and additional EPK interviews with Gilliam, Depp and del Toro
• Theatrical trailers and TV spots
• Extensive image galleries, including original production designs, storyboards and production stills
• Extensive image galleries
• Limited Edition slipcover featuring Ralph Steadman's classic illustration Bats Over Barstow
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Andrew Keen

BLACKHAT (2015) | Limited Edition 4K UHD & Blu-ray | 29 May 2023 | £29.99

Michael Mann (Thief, Collateral), the acclaimed auteur celebrated for his action panache and commitment to cinematic realism, turns his hand to depicting the high-stakes world of global cybercrime in Blackhat, a contemporary, ripped-from-the-headlines twist on the espionage thriller.

Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers, Extraction) stars as Nick Hathaway, a gifted hacker currently serving a lengthy prison sentence. When a Hong Kong nuclear plant goes into meltdown after its security is penetrated, Chinese army cybersecurity captain Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang, Lust, Caution) offers his old college roommate a deal: help identify and apprehend the culprit in exchange for his own freedom. What follows is a frenetic, globe-trotting race against time to avert disaster, fraught with hidden agendas and ever-shifting loyalties.

Praised for its unusually accurate portrayal of cybersecurity, Blackhat boasts an impressive international cast, including Tang Wei (Decision to Leave), Viola Davis (The Woman King) and Yorick van Wageningen (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and showcases one of cinema’s finest filmmakers bringing the skills he honed during a long and storied career to bear on a distinctly 21st-century phenomenon.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the US and international versions of the film
• Original lossless 5.1 audio 
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
• Firewall – brand new video interview with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh
• Zero Day Threat – brand new video interview with production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas
• The Cyber Threat, On Location Around the World and Creating Reality – three archival behind-the-scenes featurettes on the making of the film
• Image gallery 
• Limited Edition slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Andrew Graves
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andrew Graves

The Blu-ray edition will have the same special features, but will have High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of both the US and international versions of the film.