8/29/23

 Arrow Video in August:

Jackie Chan’s Star-Making Tribute to Bruce Lee, 4K Sci-Fi Comedy,

 Shockingly Bold Wes Craven Horror Remake and
Psychological British Thrills    

On August 22nd, Arrow Video delivers a new 4K UHD of the John Hughes classic sci-fi teen comedy Weird Science. Lowly high school nerds Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) have concocted the perfect plan to go from zeroes to heroes, using Wyatt’s computer to create the perfect AI girl of every teenage boy’s fantasies. The duo gets more than they bargained for with dream-girl Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), a wild party, a biker gang straight out of Mad Max (led by The Road Warrior’s Vernon Wells, no less), and Wyatt’s antagonistic brother (Bill Paxton) all thrown into the mix. Mixing raunchy humor with earnest romance, Weird Science is the kind of high school comedy that made Hughes a legend.

The Limited Edition release features a new restoration by Arrow Films from a 4K scan of the original 94 min theatrical negative in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible), plus a seamlessly-branched Extended Version (97 mins) – featuring  two additional scenes; an Edited-for-TV version of the film (SD only, 94 mins), plus a comparison featurette highlighting the alternate dubs and edits; there’s also an option to watch additional scenes from the extended version separately. Additional content includes Casting ‘Weird Science,’ Dino The Greek, an interview with supporting actor John Kapelos; Chet Happens, an interview with special makeup creator Craig Reardon; Fantasy and Microchips, an interview with editor Chris Lebenzon; Ira Newborn Makes The Score It’s Alive! Resurrecting Weird Science; Theatrical trailers, TV spots and radio spots; Image galleries; an Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring writing on the film by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Amanda Reyes; a Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tracie Ching; and a Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tracie Ching.

Also coming on August 22nd, Unman, Wittering And Zigo makes it worldwide home video debut on Blu-ray. John Mackenzie’s (The Long Good Friday) second feature film follows young schoolmaster John Ebony (David Hemmings), who begins working at the remote Chantrey School for Boys. He was expecting an easy, quiet assignment. He soon discovers that the school is full of reckless and angry young men who may be responsible for the previous schoolmaster’s untimely death. A chilling tale, loaded with unexpected twists, Unman, Wittering And Zigo remains a scathing indictment of toxic mob mentality.

The special features include brand new audio commentary by Sean Hogan and Kim Newman; brand new appreciation by critic, broadcaster and cultural historian Matthew Sweet; Unman, Terhew, Lipstrob and Mrs. Ebony, a featurette with cast members Michael Howe, Michael Cashman, James Wardroper and Carolyn Seymour looking back at the production; the original 1958 recording of Giles Cooper’s radio play; Original trailer; Image gallery; Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Eric Adrian Lee; Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Eric Adrian Lee; and an Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kevin Lyons and Oliver Wake.

On August 29th, New Fist of Fury is released on Limited Edition Blu-ray. Lo Wei directed this sequel to his original Bruce Lee classic, and introduces a soon-to-be superstar in his feature film debut: Jackie Chan. After the death of Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee), his fiancée Li Er (Nora Miao), is on the run from Japanese authorities led by karate master Okimura (Chan Sing), who plans on overtaking all Chinese-owned martial arts schools. The only chance for Li Er and the schools is a young criminal named Ah Long (Jackie Chan), who steals Chen’s prized weapon. Will Ah Long fight alongside Li Er against the evil Okimura and become the New Fist of Fury?

The special features include a new 2K restoration from the original negatives of the 120-min original theatrical cut and the 82-min 1980 re-release cut; New feature commentary on the theatrical cut by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng & Michael Worth, co-directors of Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee; a new feature commentary on the re-release cut by action cinema expert Brandon Bentley; Dueling Furies, a new video essay by Bentley comparing New Fist of Fury to the rival sequel made simultaneously, Fist of Fury Part II; Trailer gallery, including a Chen Zhen trailer reel of sequels and reboots; Image gallery; Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella; Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella; Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Clements and an archival retrospective article by Brian Bankston.

On August 29th, the 2009 remake of Wes Craven’s controversial 1970s grindhouse classic, The Last House On The Left, makes its debut on Limited Edition 4K UHD. A simple decision changes the fates of Mari (Sara Paxton) and her parents (Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter) while they’re on vacation. After meeting Mari and a friend in town, escaped prisoner Krug (Garret Dillahunt) and his gang of evil criminals viciously assault them and leave them for dead. The gang then hides out at Mari’s family’s vacation home and face the full force of revenge from her parents.

The special features include two versions of the film: the original Theatrical Version (4K
Ultra HD Blu-ray) and the Unrated Version (Blu-ray); Exclusive new filmed introduction by director Dennis Iliadis; Brand new audio commentary by David Flint and Adrian Smith; A River of Blood, a new 31-minute interview with Sara Paxton; The Notorious Krug, a new 27-minute interview with actor Garret Dillahunt; Suspending Disbelief, a new 18-minute interview with screenwriter Carl Ellsworth; Reviving the Legend, a new 33-minute interview with producer Jonathan Craven; Look Inside Featurette, from the film’s original 2009 release; Deleted scenes; a Theatrical trailer; an Image gallery; an Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Zoë Rose Smith, Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Eric Adrian Lee.