Arrow Video / Arrow Academy USA Discussion Thread

[JupiterMission]

Originally Posted by rickmiddlebrooks

Actually, if you have a 4K player you can play the disc to a 2K TV. The player will downscale it to Blu-ray resolution. It's not ideal, but it does allow you to at least see the movie and check that the disc is all right.

Rick

That's what I did for a while before I got my TV! Specifically so I could watch the Tremors 4k Arrow put out.

Unfortunately I bought a player without DolbyVision capability, thinking I'd never get a TV that could do DolbyVision... and then I got a TV that can do DolbyVision. So now I'd have to spend $400 to get a new DV capable player, or just be happy with what I've got. Don't make my mistake, kids!

[TolerancEJ]

Originally Posted by rickmiddlebrooks

Actually, if you have a 4K player you can play the disc to a 2K TV. The player will downscale it to Blu-ray resolution. It's not ideal, but it does allow you to at least see the movie and check that the disc is all right.

Rick

I can handle the cost of a 4K Player and Receiver. Whenever that time comes, I will go for the 4K region free from 220 Electronics. I already have that planned. My expensive component is a projector I need to upgrade. I have Sony now, with which I've been happy. I'd like to go up to the 4K model or possibly Pioneer or JVC (mid-range).

I am almost fearful to go back and start adding up all my movie purchases for the year. I am pretty sure I've spent near to the value of a new home theatre.

[filmlover22]

Originally Posted by Dr. Phibes

I think the Coffin Joe set is a much more interesting announcement personally. The Chucky movies have had several HD releases (and 4Ks like you mentioned that are available from Shout if you really needed to upgrade), the Coffin Joe stuff hasn't been released in HD anywhere in the world as far as I know. I'm a Child's Play fan, and I've only seen, I think, 3 of the movies in the Coffin Joe, but a set of 10 never on Blu-ray titles is much more interesting to me than re-releases of movies I already own and have seen many, many times.

Good point. At this point, though, too many box sets/LEs coming out that I want. Will wait for this to hopefully still be available for lower price next year and then will pick it up.

[Röckzilla]

I'm really hoping that Arrow Video will release a deluxe 4K UHD set to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of this film next year:

[Show spoiler]

[MifuneFan]

This was mentioned in the Blackhat thread (credit to Roonan). It looks Arrow has updated the listings at Amazon to say the Director's Cut will be exclusive to the Limited Edition

2-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Three cuts of the film, including the home video premiere of Michael Mann’s re-imagined director’s cut
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andrew Graves

DISC ONE – THE US AND INTERNATIONAL VERSIONS (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of both the US and international versions of the film
• Original lossless 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
• Firewall – brand new video interview with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh
• Zero Day Threat – brand new video interview with production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas
• The Cyber Threat, On Location Around the World and Creating Reality – three archival behind-the-scenes featurettes on the making of the film
• Image gallery

DISC TWO – THE DIRECTOR’S CUT (BLU-RAY) [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of Michael Mann’s director’s cut of the film
• Original lossless 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by filmlover22

Good point. At this point, though, too many box sets/LEs coming out that I want.

& NOT enough money to buy them all.

[TolerancEJ]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

This was mentioned in the Blackhat thread (credit to Roonan). It looks Arrow has updated the listings at Amazon to say the Director's Cut will be exclusive to the Limited Edition

That sounds great. So, this will technically be an Arrow 4K UHD + Blu-ray combo. I may order if that will be the case. Why not go for the director's cut?

[MifuneFan]

Some notable standard editions are coming December 12th. This will be my first post of three.

First off, Arrow will be releasing films from their Shawscope Volume One set broken down into volumes. It will include 11 of the 12 films from that set. The only one missing is Mighty Peking Man.. Not sure if they are planning an individual release for that, or if it'll remain exclusive to the set.

The Shaw Brothers: Chang Cheh

Bonus Materials

DISC ONE - FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS / SHAOLIN TEMPLE

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films
• English subtitles for both films, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
• Appreciation of Chang Cheh by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
• Interview with star Kong Do, filmed in 2003
• Elegant Trails: David Chiang and Elegant Trails: Ti Lung, two featurettes on the actors produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003
• Alternate standard-definition version of Shaolin Temple
• Alternate opening credits from Five Masters of Death, the US version of Five Shaolin Masters
• Alternate opening credits sequences for Shaolin Temple
• Trailers
• Image galleries for both films

DISC TWO - THE FIVE VENOMS / CRIPPLED AVENGERS

• 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films plus Cantonese mono for The Five Venoms
• English subtitles for both films, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
• Commentary on The Five Venoms by critic Simon Abrams
• Interview with star Lo Meng, filmed in 2003
• Chang Cheh: The Master, a featurette about the director produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003
• Trailers for The Five Venoms
• Hong Kong theatrical trailer for Crippled Avengers
• Image galleries for both films

The Shaw Brothers: Basher Box

Bonus Materials

DISC 1: KING BOXER

• 2K restoration by Arrow Films from a 4K scan of the original negative
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Restored uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio
• English subtitles for the Mandarin audio, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
• Commentary by David Desser, co-editor of The Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema and The Cinema of Hong Kong
• Appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
• Interview with director Chung Chang-wha, filmed in 2003 and 2004
• Interview with star Wang Ping, filmed in 2007
• Interview with Korean cinema expert Cho Young-jung, author of Chung Chang-wha: Man of Action, filmed in 2005
• Cinema Hong Kong: Kung Fu, the first in a three-part documentary on Shaw Brothers’ place within the martial arts genre produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003, featuring interviews with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Gordon Liu and others
• Alternate opening credits from the American version titled Five Fingers of Death
• Trailers
• Image gallery

DISC 2: THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG

• 2K restoration by Arrow Films from a 4K scan of the original negative
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio
• English subtitles for the Mandarin audio, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
• Interview with star Chen Kuan-tai, filmed in 2007
• Interview with assistant director John Woo, filmed in 2004
• Interview with star David Chiang, filmed in 2003
• Conversation between stars Chen Kuan-tai and Ku Feng, filmed at a Shaw Brothers reunion in 2007
• Trailers
• Image gallery

DISC 3: CHINATOWN KID

• 2K restoration of the 115-minute International Version from original film elements
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• 90-minute Alternate Version
• Uncompressed original Cantonese audio for the International Version, with English subtitles
• Uncompressed original English audio for the International Version, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles
• Uncompressed original Mandarin audio for the Alternate Version, with English subtitles
• Commentary on the International Version by Terrence J. Brady, author of Alexander Fu Sheng: Biography of the Chinatown Kid
• Select scene video commentary by co-star Susan Shaw from 2021
• Elegant Trails: Fu Sheng, a featurette on the actor produced by Celestial Pictures in 2005
• Trailers
• Image gallery

The Shaw Brothers: Lau Kar-Leung

Bonus Materials

DISC ONE - CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS / EXECUTIONERS OF SHAOLIN

• 2K restoration of Challenge of the Masters from the original negative by Arrow Films
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for Challenge of the Masters
• English subtitles for both films, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
• Appreciation of Lau Kar-Leung by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
• Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2002 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Interview with star Chen Kuan-Tai, filmed in 2007 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Textless opening credits for Challenge of the Masters
• Alternate English credits for Executioners from Shaolin
• Trailers
• Image galleries for both films

DISC TWO - HEROES OF THE EAST / DIRTY HO

• 2K restoration of Dirty Ho from the original negative by Arrow Films
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films
• English subtitles for both films, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
• Commentary on Heroes of the East by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of the Martial Arts
• Appreciation of both films by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
• Interview with Heroes of the East star Yasuaki Kurata, filmed in 2003 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Alternate opening credits for Shaolin Challenges Ninja, the international version of Heroes of the East
• Alternate English credits for Dirty Ho
• Trailers
• Image galleries for both films

[MifuneFan]

Next up, Arrow will be releasing a Standard Edition of their Enter The Video Store: Empire Of Scream box set on December 12th. Likely a cheaper outer box, and no posters, or other physical extras this time. Unfortunately, no individual releases in sight for those hoping for that.

[MifuneFan]

Finally, Arrow will be releasing a Kinji Fukasaku Collection here on December 12th. This is the same collection that was released in the UK some years back, not sure why it took them so long to bring it here too.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• High-Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of three films by Kinji Fukasaku: Street Mobster, Cops Vs Thugs and Doberman Cop
• Original uncompressed mono audio on all films
• Optional English subtitles
• Special Edition packaging featuring new artwork by Ian McEwan
• Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon and Ian McEwan

DISC ONE – STREET MOBSTER

• Audio commentary by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
• Theatrical trailer
• Still Gallery

DISC TWO – COPS VS THUGS

• Beyond the Film: Cops vs Thugs, a video appreciation by Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane
• A visual essay on cops & criminals in Fukasaku’s works by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
• Original theatrical trailer

DISC THREE – DOBERMAN COP

• Beyond the Film: Doberman Cop, a video appreciation by Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane
• A video interview with actor Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba
• A video interview with screenwriter Koji Takada
• Original theatrical trailer

[Mushi Minion]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Some very notable standard editions are coming October. This will be my first post of three.

First off, Arrow will be releasing films from their Shawscope Volume One set, individually. It will include 10 of the 12 films from that set. Missing ar Mighty Peking Man, and Shaolin Temple. Not sure if they'll do indivudal releases for those, or if they'll remain exclusive to the set.

The Shaw Brothers: Chang Cheh

Shaolin Temple is in the Chang Cheh set.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Mushi Minion

Shaolin Temple is in the Chang Cheh set.

Oh my mistake. I was trying to figure out what was missing,and just quickly looked at the cover arts, and missed it. There's definitely another missing as this adds up to 10, let me see.

edit: Miscounted too ..Looks like just Mighty Peking Man is missing.

[Mushi Minion]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Oh my mistake. I was trying to figure out what was missing,and just quickly looked at the cover arts, and missed it. There's definitely another missing as this adds up to 10, let me see.

It's just Peking Man that is missing. There's two four film sets and one three film set, which adds up to 11 of the 12.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Mushi Minion

It's just Peking Man that is missing. There's two four film sets and one three film set, which adds up to 11 of the 12.

Yeah, just noticed that when I was doing the count. That's what I get for juggling so much at once . Wonder if that's getting a solo release.

[starsteam]

Interesting approach to the Shaw Brothers films, I figured they would have just tried to make a cheaper version of Shawscope in standard cases and no CDs.
Admittedly I would have waited for these so I could get just the films I was interested in.

I wonder why no single for Mighty Peking Man. Maybe they're going to combine it with some other films?

[MifuneFan]

Waterworld 4K Standard Edition coming too. Interestingly it includes the Ulysses Cut, which they had said was exclusive to the LE.

TWO-DISC 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS[LIST]


DISC ONE – THE THEATRICAL CUT (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the original theatrical cut
• Dolby Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio options
• Maelstrom: The Odyssey of Waterworld – feature length making-of documentary including extensive cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage
• Dances With Waves – original archival featurette capturing the film’s production
• Global Warnings – film critic Glenn Kenny explores the subgenre of ecologically themed end-of-the-world films
• Production and promotional still gallery
• Visual effects still gallery
• Original trailers and TV spots

DISC TWO – THE ULYSSES CUT (BLU-RAY)

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the extended European Ulysses cut, which includes previously censored shots and dialogue
• Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio options

[starsteam]

^Maybe not, those specs are for the LE. Mentions including a poster and book too.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by starsteam

^Maybe not, those specs are for the LE. Mentions including a poster and book too.

Yeah, the top blurb is for the LE (I'll remove that), but I do think the Ulysses cut will likely be included as it was included with the Standard Edition on Blu-ray. I think just the TV cut has remained exclusive to their LE sets.

[Labor_Unit001]

Originally Posted by starsteam

Interesting approach to the Shaw Brothers films, I figured they would have just tried to make a cheaper version of Shawscope in standard cases and no CDs.
Admittedly I would have waited for these so I could get just the films I was interested in.

I wonder why no single for Mighty Peking Man. Maybe there's going to combine it with some other films?

The only film I can see it being bundled with is Boxer's Omen in Volume 2. There's enough supplements on Peking Man that it would work as a standalone disc, but I guess they want to keep these films in sets in some way.

[MifuneFan]

Looks like MVD may have posted the wrong dates for those standard editions. They were pulled, but I can still access the pages, which now show a December 12th release date.