ARROW VIDEO Brings Masumura, Harlin, and Fulci To Blu-Ray And 4K This March!
Physical media collectors may have noticed that some of the longest-standing labels in the game are offering a far more diverse catalog of titles. For example, one only has to look at the slate of releases Arrow Video is putting out in March. From the “debaucherous Japanese nightclub scene” to shark-infested waters and Italian homicides, Arrow’s slate of releases is as eclectic as they are enjoyable. Check out the details on what they have coming this March, which includes Yasuzō Masumura’s “Play It Cool,” Renny Harlin’s “Deep Blue Sea” in 4K UHD, and rounding things out with Lucio Fulci’s “Don’t Torture A Duckling” which is finally getting a long-awaited update from Arrow’s from 2017.
On March 4, Arrow Video exposes the debauchery of the Japanese nightclub scene in Play It Cool, with celebrated director Yasuzō Masumura (Red Angel and Blind Beast) deftly merging the erotic pinku-eiga genre with the dangerous Yakuza world. Play It Cool is being released for the very first time for the home video market outside of Japan in a brand new high-definition transfer on Blu-ray with hours of special features.
Yumi (Mari Atsumi, The Bodyguard) does her best to stay focused on graduating from college while her mother Tomi (Akemi Negishi, King Kong vs. Godzilla) works as a hostess at a local club to make ends meet. She dreams of a better life for Yumi, but those dreams get shattered when Yumi’s stepfather assaults her. In the wake of the incident, Yumi finds herself alone. To survive, she takes over her mother’s position as a hostess at the club and struggles with lecherous men and Yakuza who can’t keep their hands off her. Will she survive the dangerous world of nightlife culture?
The special features include audio commentary with critic and Japanese cinema specialist Jasper Sharp and professor and Japanese literature specialist Anne McKnight, video essay on Play it Cool and the career of writer-director Yasuzō Masumura by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts, the theatrical trailer, an image gallery, and an illustrated collector’s booklet.
On March 18, Arrow Video releases Deep Blue Sea, the blockbuster action/adventure film from acclaimed director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger). The Limited-Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration approved by the director on 4K UHD, packed with special features. There is also a limited-edition Blu-ray.
Chief researchers Susan McCallister (Saffron Burrows, Troy) and Jim Whitlock (Stellan Skarsgård, Ronin) are conducting experiments on mako sharks in the hopes of finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease. They soon discover that they’ve created super intelligent sharks at their underwater laboratory, and the situation plunges into chaos when the genetically engineered sharks go on a rampage. The cast of potential snacks for sharks includes Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Thomas Jane (Boogie Nights), LL Cool J (Halloween H20 and NCIS: Los Angeles), Michael Rapaport (True Romance), Jacqueline McKenzie (Romper Stomper) and Aida Turturro (The Sopranos).
The special features include audio commentaries with screenwriter Duncan Kennedy, filmmaker and critic Rebekah McKendry, archival commentary by director Renny Harlin and star Samuel L. Jackson, interview with production designer William Sandell, visual essay by film critic Trace Thurman, archival Making Of featurettes about the film and sharks, deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by director Renny Harlin, the theatrical trailer, an image gallery, a double-sided fold-out poster, postcards from Aquatica, a 60-page perfect bound collector's book with essays, and unseen production art and designs.
On March 25, Arrow Video presents the classic Giallo thriller Don’t Torture A Duckling, from director Lucio Fulci (The Beyond, Zombie), the undisputed king of Italian gore films. Don’t Torture A Duckling makes its 4K UHD debut and features a brand new restoration with hours of special features.
A picturesque rural village seems like an ideal place to raise children. A trio of boys enjoying a fun day of mischief in the hilly community takes a dark turn when one of them goes missing. The Italian press swarms to nab the inside story. Andrea Martelli (Tomas Milian, The Big Gundown), a journalist from Rome, finds out that the quiet village is filled with suspects, and the town gypsy (Florinda Bolkan, A Lizard in a Woman's Skin) has been performing suspicious rituals. The cops immediately suspect the mentally challenged Giuseppe (Vito Passeri, The Psychic), but could he really be capable of inflicting harm on a child? Can Martelli uncover the real child predator lurking in the charming community before the cops do? The tense thriller has proven to be the most satisfying movie of Lucio Fulci’s long and celebrated cult career.
The special features include commentary by Troy Howarth, a video discussion with author Mikel J. Koven, a video essay by critic Kat Ellinger, a rare 1988 audio interview with the Lucio Fulci, interviews with actresses Barbara Bouchet and Florinda Bolkan, cinematographer Sergio D’Offizi, editor Bruno Micheli, and makeup artist Maurizio Trani, the theatrical trailer, and an illustrated collector’s booklet.
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