On February 11, Arrow Video takes you to church with the cult classic Alice Sweet, Alice, which receives its global premiere on 4K UHD. Director Alfred Sole (Pandemonium) tapped a then-unknown Brooke Shields for her film debut in this bloody tale of religion and a dysfunctional family. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and hours of special features.
The two Spages sisters are not getting along after their parents split. Karen (Brooke Shields, Pretty Baby) is the sweet younger sister who is always obedient for her recently divorced mother (Linda Miller, One Summer Love), and older sister Alice (Paula Sheppard, Liquid Sky) is not coping well in the aftermath of the divorce. She acts out by tormenting her younger sister, and scares Karen by wearing a yellow raincoat and a creepy translucent mask. The mother takes comfort in the nearby Catholic church and the guidance of Father Tom (Rudoph Willrich, 9 ½ Weeks). Right before Karen’s First Communion ceremony at the Catholic Church, something terrible happens. The suspect appears to be Alice in her raincoat and mask. Could she have done something this drastic to ruin her sister’s special day?
The special features include presentations of three versions via seamless branching: Communion (original), Alice, Sweet Alice (theatrical) and Holy Terror (re-release); a new audio commentary with Richard Harland Smith; a vintage audio commentary with co-writer/director Alfred Sole and editor M. Edward Salier; video interviews with Alfred Sole, composer Stephen Lawrence and actor Niles McMaster; a tour of the locations from the movie; deleted scenes; an image gallery; a reversible sleeve; an illustrated collector’s booklet; a TV spot; and trailer.
Watch the trailer for Alice, Sweet Alice here:
On February 11, Arrow Video proudly introduces director Kazuo Mori’s A Certain Killer/A Killer’s Key to the English-language home video market for the very first time. The two stylish gangster films featuring a hitman with a unique method of killing were produced by Japan’s Daiei Films. The Limited Edition release features a high definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of both films and hours of special features.
In A Certain Killer, Shiozaki (Raizō Ichikawa, Shinobi: Band of Assassins) appears to be a quiet sushi chef at a low-profile restaurant, but there’s a bit more excitement to his life besides cutting fish and rolling rice: he moonlights as the top hitman in Japan. After a bit of coaxing, Shiozaki accepts a contract to assassinate the boss of a rival Yakuza clan. Instead of using high tech weaponry, the killer’s weapon of choice is a poisoned needle. Things get complicated when a new waitress (Yumiko Nogawa, Gate of Flesh) arrives on the scene.
A Killer’s Key finds Shiozaki working as a traditional dance instructor. The Yakuza pay him a visit, asking him to take out an indicted tycoon freed on bail before he divulges his business arrangement with the local Yakuza boss to the authorities. Shiozaki sharpens his needle when he receives their huge cash offer. But after the hit, the situation gets messy. The gangsters consider Shiozaki a loose end that needs to be snipped. The double cross leads to the hired assassin plotting a lot of free killings.
The special features include commentaries on both films by Tony Rayns; The Definite Murderer, an introduction to the films by Mark Roberts; an image gallery; trailers for both films; and an illustrated collector’s booklet.
Watch the trailer for A Certain Killer here:
Watch the trailer for A Killer’s Key here:
On February 25, Arrow Video takes a walk on the wild side with the controversial and erotic thriller, Cruising, making its world premiere on 4K UHD. Director William Friedkin (The Exorcist) cast Al Pacino (The Godfather) in a riveting film that sparked protests upon its initial release in 1980. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible), and hours of special features.
A serial killer is preying on the gay men that frequent the underground leather and S&M bars in New York City’s meatpacking district. Detective Steve Burns (Al Pacino, Serpico) is assigned to go under deep cover because he resembles the victims who have been dismembered or stabbed to death in cheap hotels around the Village. A shop owner (Powers Boothe, Red Dawn) explains the handkerchief color code to Burns, who hopes the colors in his back pockets will lure out the killer at the clubs or in the park after midnight. His investigation leads him into shadowy spaces that make him question everything from his pursuit of a murderer to his relationship with his girlfriend (Nancy Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark). Can he truly return to his normal life when this intense investigation ends? Cruising also features Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), James Remar (The Warriors), and Joe Spinell (Rocky).
The special features include two vintage audio commentaries with William Friedkin; audio commentary with musicians from the soundtrack; an alternate music score by Pentagram Home Video; deleted scenes; alternative footage; censored material reels; video interviews with actors Karen Allen, Randy Jurgensen, Mike Starr, Jay Aconvone, Mark Zecca; an interview with the manager of the Mineshaft; a visual essay on the hanky-codes with David McGillivray; a short film on the protests; vintage features on the movie; William Friedkin at BeyondFest 2022; an image gallery; the theatrical trailer; teasers; TV Spots; and a 120-page perfect-bound collector’s book with essays, interviews and vintage articles.
Watch the trailer for Cruising here:
