On June 9, the detective mystery Marlowe makes its North American debut on Blu-ray. The limited edition release includes a High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of a brand new restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films, special features, and newly commissioned extras.
Philip Marlowe (James Garner, The Great Escape) is a private investigator hired by Orfamay Quest (Sharon Farrell, It’s Alive) to locate her brother in Los Angeles. What begins as a simple missing person case quickly spirals out of control. Everyone wants to silence the snooping Marlowe including someone who sends a martial arts assassin (Bruce Lee, Enter The Dragon, in his American feature film debut).
Marlowe is based on Raymond Chandler’s novel The Little Sister. The cast also includes Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Carroll O’Connor (All In The Family), William Daniels (Knight Rider), and Jackie Coogan (The Addams Family). Garner would later return to a similar role in his legendary TV series The Rockford Files.
Special features include the original lossless mono audio; optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; a brand new appreciation; the original theatrical trailer; an image gallery; and a collectors’ booklet.
Watch the trailer for Marlowe here:
On June 16, the infamous J-horror classic Audition makes its global 4K UHD debut. The film established the director, Takashi Miike, as a global talent (Ichii the Killer, 13 Assassins). The limited edition release features a brand new 4K restoration from the original Super 16mm camera negative by Arrow Films, approved by director of photography Hideo Yamamoto, hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras.
Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi, American Yakuza) finds himself eager to find a new love after mourning his wife’s death but struggles with the modern dating scene. With the help of film producer Yasuhisa Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair), he devises a unique solution. The two decide to stage auditions for a phony TV series, drawing hundreds of hopeful women. Among them is the quiet and enigmatic ex-ballerina Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina, Tokyo Gore Police). Ignoring unsettling inconsistencies in her past, Shigeharu becomes convinced she’s the one. But Asami has plans of her own, and they go far beyond romance.
Special features include a 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible); newly restored original lossless stereo and 4.0 audio, plus optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio; optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; an introduction by director Takashi Miike; an audio commentary by director Takashi Miike and screenwriter Daisuke Tengan; an audio commentary by Miike biographer Tom Mes; a brand new interview with actor Ryo Ishibashi; an interview with director Takashi Miike; an appreciation by Japanese cinema historian Tony Rayns; archival interviews with stars Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Renji Ishibashi and Ren Osugi; an audio essay; trailers; an image gallery; and a collectors’ booklet.
Watch the trailer for Audition here:
On June 30, the long-awaited Jackie Chan’s Breakout Hits limited edition box set arrives, featuring six films that established Hong Kong’s biggest action star as a worldwide superstar. The set includes global 4K UHD premieres of Drunken Master II, Rumble in the Bronx, Thunderbolt, Police Story 4: First Strike, Mr. Nice Guy, and Who Am I?. This 10-disc limited edition release features brand new 4K restorations of each film from the original negatives by Arrow Films, hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras.
New audiences didn’t always get the full picture of Jackie Chan’s signature style, performing his own death-defying stunts without a double. For their original North American releases, these breakthrough films were edited, redubbed, and rescored. This collection includes both the Hong Kong and International versions, allowing viewers to experience these films as originally intended.
Drunken Master II sees Jackie Chan return to the role of legendary folk hero Wong Fei-hung, blending martial arts with slapstick comedy in one of his most celebrated performances. Wong uncovers an operation smuggling Chinese antiquities to Great Britain. He can only bust up the ring with a kung fu style that requires heavy drinking. Rumble in the Bronx propelled Jackie Chan to international box office success. Hong Kong police officer Keung (Jackie Chan) travels to New York City where Uncle Bill (Bill Tung, Police Story) is selling his Bronx grocery store to Elaine (Anita Mui, Executioners). When gang activity threatens the neighborhood, Keung steps in to defend the business against escalating violence. Thunderbolt puts Jackie Chan behind the wheel in a high-octane showcase of automotive stunt work. Chan Foh To (Jackie Chan) is a mechanic with aspirations of being a race car driver, who becomes entangled in a dangerous rivalry with a notorious criminal, leading to a destructive showdown on the racetrack.
Police Story 4: First Strike involves international espionage. Hong Kong police officer Jackie (Jackie Chan) is caught in a globe-trotting espionage mission tied to a stolen nuclear warhead. The action escalates with high-risk stunts including ski chases, helicopter leaps, and underwater encounters. Mr. Nice Guy sees Jackie Chan as a TV chef in Australia who becomes an unwitting target after receiving incriminating footage tied to organized crime. Mobster Giancarlo Luchetti (Richard Norton, City Hunter) pursues Jackie across Melbourne, leading to relentless, large-scale action set pieces. Director Sammo Hung (Wheels on Meals) also appears. Who Am I? follows an elite special forces operative (Jackie Chan) suffering from amnesia after a mission goes wrong. Rescued in the harsh landscape of Namibia, he must piece together his identity while evading those who want him dead.
Special features include a 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible); Audio across the Hong Kong cuts includes original lossless Cantonese, Mandarin and English mono on Drunken Master II; original lossless Cantonese/English (sync-sound) stereo and English (export dub) mono on Rumble in the Bronx; original lossless Cantonese/English (sync-sound) stereo, English (export dub) stereo and English (US dub) DTS-HD MA 5.1 on Thunderbolt; original lossless Cantonese/English (sync-sound) stereo and Mandarin (dubbed) stereo on Police Story 4: First Strike; and Mr. Nice Guy and Who Am I? have lossless English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and lossless stereo audio; optional English subtitles and subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing; the Japanese cut of Thunderbolt and Mr. Nice Guy; the American cut of Drunken Master II; the Electronic Press Kit for Rumble in the Bronx with a Jackie Chan interview; an archival interview with Jackie Chan from 2000; a seven-part series on each film including interviews with stuntmen Mars and Wang Yao, actor Glory Simon, stuntwoman Kathy Hubble and others; The Making of Who Am I?; English export credits; alternate scenes; extra scenes; audio commentaries for each film; alternate English credits; textless outtakes: image galleries; the trailers; 160-page perfect bound book featuring an archive interview with Jackie Chan plus new essays; twenty-four lobby card reproductions; and a reversible poster with vintage artwork.
Watch the trailer for Jackie Chan Breakout Hits! here:
Also on June 30, the martial arts blockbuster series based on the video arcade sensation Mortal Kombat Kollection makes its global 4K UHD debut. The box set includes the original Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The limited edition release features 4K restorations of both films from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films, approved by directors Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil) and John R. Leonetti (Annabelle), hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras. A Blu-ray edition will also be available.
Mortal Kombat introduces a once-in-a-generation martial arts tournament that pits the best fighters from Earthrealm against the supernatural forces of Outworld. If Outworld wins, Emperor Shao Kahn will be able to invade and conquer Earth. Raiden (Christopher Lambert, Highlander) recruits a team of champions, including Hollywood action star Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby, Wyatt Earp), Special Forces soldier Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson, Last Action Hero), and Shaolin monk Liu Kang (Robin Shou, Death Race). Together, they must face the sorcerer Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Showdown in Little Tokyo) and his deadly warriors, including Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and the four-armed champion Goro. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation picks up where the first film left off, though with several new faces in familiar roles. Emperor Shao Kahn (Brian Thompson, Cobra) launches an invasion of Earthrealm despite the tournament’s outcome. Raiden (James Remar, The Warriors), Liu Kang (Robin Shou, Beverly Hills Ninja), Sonya Blade (Sandra Hess, Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus) and Johnny Cage (Chris Conrad, The Next Karate Kid) must unite to stop the invasion and save Earth from total destruction.
Special features include a 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both films; original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio on both films; optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; a collectors’ perfect-bound booklet; two double-sided foldout posters; a brand new audio commentary with director Paul W.S. Anderson; a brand new audio commentary with director John R. Leonetti; brand new audio commentaries; newly filmed interviews with actor Linden Ashby; actor Musetta Vander; cinematographer/director John R. Leonetti; composer George S. Clinton and others; a behind the scenes featurette; on-set interview bites with the cast and director and B-roll footage; the theatrical trailers; and image galleries.
Watch the trailer for Mortal Kombat here:
Watch the trailer for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation here:
Arriving June 30, the early Ozploitation masterpiece Wake In Fright makes its North American premiere on 4K UHD. Director Ted Kotcheff (First Blood, Weekend at Bernie’s) captures the colorful and extreme characters that populate the barren Australian Outback. The limited edition release features a brand new definitive 4K restoration, hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras. A Blu-ray edition will also be available.
John Grant (Gary Bond, Zulu) is a teacher assigned to a one-room schoolhouse in the Australian Outback and eager to return to civilization for his Christmas break. His journey home takes him through the rough mining town of Bundanyabba before a planned flight to Sydney. While waiting, Grant falls in with the locals of “The Yabba,” drinking heavily and learning the gambling game of two-up. Convinced he can beat the odds, his luck quickly unravels. As his situation worsens, he falls under the influence of Clarence “Doc” Tydon (Donald Pleasence, Halloween). Stranded in The Yabba, he becomes dependent on the generosity of hard-drinking locals, spiraling into a nightmarish descent.
Special features include a 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible); original lossless mono audio; optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; an audio commentary by director Ted Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley; an audio commentary by Peter Galvin, author of The Making of Wake In Fright; a visit the film’s Broken Hill locations including a museum dedicated to Mad Max 2; interviews with director of photography Brian West and sound editors Keith Palmer and Eddy Joseph; an appreciation of actor Donald Pleasence by film historian Kim Newman; a discussion between Philippe Mora and Paul Harris; archival interviews with director Ted Kotcheff and actor Jack Thompson; Q&A with Ted Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival; audio interviews with Ted Kotcheff and composer John Scott; alternate scenes from toned down Outback cut; a 2009 TV report on the rediscovery and restoration; behind-the-scenes footage; Chips Rafferty obituary; the US theatrical trailer and TV spot; a trailer reel of Australian films helmed by overseas filmmakers; an image gallery; and a collectors’ booklet.
Watch the trailer for Wake In Fright here:
