First in April from Arrow Video comes Booger on Limited Edition Blu-ray, multi-talented director Mary Dauterman’s unflinching exploration of grief, identity and resilience with a darkly comic edge. With a unique blend of horror, humour and heart, Booger transforms the mundane into the macabre, delivering a deeply human exploration of love, loss, and the strange ways we cope with pain, that lingers long after the credits roll. The Blu-ray includes a host of extras, along with a reversible sleeve and an illustrated collector’s booklet.
Next in April, A Fistful of Dollars, on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Limited Edition Blu-ray. It wasn’t really the first film of its kind, but the western all’Italiana – or “spaghetti Western” – was never the same again after Sergio Leone’s groundbreaking film, starring Clint Eastwood in the classic role that made him an international icon. Leone’s clever and contemporary inversion of Western archetypes was not only the first entry in a much-beloved trilogy, but the director’s first collaboration with the brilliant composer Ennio Morricone. Now fully uncut and freshly restored in glorious 4K with an arsenal of new and old bonus material – as well as a poster, reversible sleeve and perfect bound collector’s booklet – the Man with No Name rides again like never before! To complete The Dollars Trilogy, Arrow Video will also be releasing in May and June Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray editions of both For A Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966). Each edition will feature additional artwork from Tony Stella that will tie all three releases together through a collective spine.
Also in April, Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy star in F/X & F/X 2: The Grande Illusion on Limited Edition Blu-ray. In the 1980s special make-up effects artists became stars, pushing the boundaries of what could be shown on screen as audiences around the world reacted with shock and delight. No surprise then that sooner or later they’d get a movie that made them the hero: F/X: Murder by Illusion, which was a smash-hit, so a sequel – F/X 2: The Deadly Art of Illusion – was inevitable. Beloved by a generation of movie fans and featuring two of the most charismatic character actors ever to grace the screen, in Brown and Dennehy, F/X and F/X 2 are the kind of charming action-thrillers they just don’t seem to be making anymore. The 2-disc Limited Edition 4K UHD includes a 60-page perfect bound collector’s book, a reversible sleeve, double-sided fold out poster, and stickers.
Next in April, V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal, on Limited Edition Blu-ray, a collection of some of the best the Japanese crime film has to offer. In 1989 legendary Japanese studio Toei launched their V-Cinema line of direct-to-video genre features. Jam-packed with action, thrills, and double-crosses, V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal is an electrifying compendium of gems from this Japanese video underworld, including Crime Hunter, Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes the Bullet, Stranger, Carlos, Burning Dog, Female Prisoner Scorpion: Death Threat, The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses, Danger Point: The Road to Hell, and XX: Beautiful Hunter. This amazing 5-disc set comes with nine postcard-sized art cards, limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned, an illustrated collector’s booklet, and fantastic extras including newly filmed intros and interviews, video essays and trailers.
Finally in April, the action blockbuster The Long Kiss Goodnight on Limited Edition 4K UHD. From screenwriter Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys) and director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) comes one of the very best 90s action thrillers. Geena Davis is a revelation as the wholesome school teacher struggling to reconcile with her deadly alter ego Charly, while Samuel L. Jackson brings his quintessential charm to a role that so enamoured test audiences that they refused to let him die. With unforgettable action sequences and dialogue to die for, this is a hell of a good time, so strap yourselves in and hold on tight! The 2-disc release features a brand new 4K restoration by Arrow, new audio commentary, and includes limited edition packaging with a reversible, an illustrated collector’s booklet, a seasonal postcard and a sticker.
For more information on these titles, visit the Arrow website.
Bloody Flicks 