The Arrow Thread

[Susan Foreman]

NEW UK, US & CAN TITLE 'Incubus' - Pre-order available from Arrow Films direct for Limited Edition Blu-ray - UK$18:00 or 4K UHD - UK$22:00

Release date: January 13

"EVIL HAS NEVER BEEN SO SEDUCTIVE.

It is often said that films about the Devil are cursed with bad luck, but Leslie Stevens' Incubus might be the most cursed of them all. By the time it premiered in 1966, two of its stars had tragically taken their own lives; the eccentric director's insistence on filming in the obscure Esperanto language ensured it failed to receive any distribution; and it was nearly lost forever when the original elements were believed lost in a fire. Decades passed until it was finally saved and unveiled to the public in all its unholy glory!

Wounded in battle, soldier Marc (William Shatner, just prior to being cast in Star Trek) ventures to the remote village of Nomen Tuum to find a well where the waters are said to be blessed with healing powers. Little does he suspect that the inhabitants of Nomen Tuum are demonic seductresses who entice interlopers and lead them to damnation, and one such succubus, Kia (Allyson Ames) has her sights on Marc. As an eclipse shrouds the sun and darkness falls over the village, Marc and Kia's relationship becomes more passionate ... will his soul survive?

Now restored in 4K from the last known surviving 35mm print, this eerie and unforgettable American folk horror from the creator of The Outer Limits survives to chill a new generation as never seen before. Stylishly filmed in Big Sur and other California locations by cinematographer (and future Academy Award winner) Conrad L. Hall, Incubus is a film unlike any other, now accompanied by hours of bonus features delving into the mysteries of this once-thought-lost cult classic."

Special features:

• 4K restoration from the last surviving 35mm print by Le Chat Qui Fume
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original lossless Esperanto mono audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Optional Esperanto subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• New audio commentary by writer and genre historian David J. Schow, author of The Outer Limits: The Official Companion
• Archive audio commentary by star William Shatner
• Archive audio commentary by producer Anthony Taylor, cinematographer Conrad L. Hall and camera operator William Fraker
• Alternate 1.37:1 presentation of the film
• Words and Worlds: Incubus and Esperanto in Cinema, a newly filmed interview with genre historian Stephen Bissette
• Internacia Lingvo: A History of Esperanto, a newly filmed interview with Esther Schor, author of Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language
• An Interview with the Makers of Incubus, an archive interview by Schow with Taylor, Hall and Fraker
• Video trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Richard Wells
• Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Frank Collins and Jason Kruppa

Certainly a curio, but not enough of one to make me spend UK?18:00. When it's cheaper ... maybe

[Susan Foreman]

NEW UK, US & CAN TITLE: 'The Cell' - Pre-order available from Arrow Films direct for Limited Edition Blu-ray - UK$18:00 or 4K UHD - UK$22:00

Release date: January 20

"HIS MIND IS HER PRISON

Sublime, grotesque and visually ravishing, Tarsem Singh's debut feature delivers on the extraordinary artistry of his work in music video and commercials as it takes the audience on a journey through the bizarre worlds inside the mind of a killer.

When serial murderer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) falls into a coma with his latest victim still trapped in an unknown location and waiting to die, the FBI turn to psychologist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) for help. Using an experimental technology she enters the dark dreamscape of Stargher's mind, attempting to learn his secrets before it?s too late. But his unconscious is a twisted nightmare, a labyrinth that threatens to trap her inside his terrifying world forever. To save a life, she'll have to risk her own.

With a script by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend), and a supporting cast that includes Vince Vaughn (Brawl in Cell Block 99) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (In Fabric), The Cell is a gripping, edge-of-the-seat thriller, filled with jaw-dropping imagery that will entrance and unsettle in equal measure."

2-DISC LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restorations of both the 107-minute Theatrical Cut and the 109-minute Director's Cut by Arrow Films, approved by director Tarsem Singh
• Includes bonus disc containing a previously unseen version of the film with alternate aspect ratio and alternate grading created by director of photography Paul Laufer
• Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Illustrated collector's book containing new writing on the film by critics Heather Drain, Marc Edward Heuck, Josh Hurtado, and Virat Nehru
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Savieri

DISC 1 - FEATURE & EXTRAS

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of both the Theatrical and Director's cuts of the film in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio
• Brand new audio commentary with film scholars Josh Nelson & Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Brand new audio commentary with screenwriter Mark Protosevich & film critic Kay Lynch
• Archive audio commentary with director Tarsem Singh
• Archive audio commentary with director of photography Paul Laufer, production designer Tom Foden, makeup supervisor Mich?le Burke, costume designer April Napier, visual effects supervisor Kevin Tod Haug, and composer Howard Shore
• Projection of the Mind's Eye, a new feature-length interview with director Tarsem Singh
• Between Two Worlds, a new in-depth interview with director of photography Paul Laufer

DISC 2 - ALTERNATE VERSION & EXTRAS

• Previously unseen version of the Theatrical Cut of the film, presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio with alternate grading, from a 2K master created by director of photography Paul Laufer
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Paul Laufer Illuminates, a new interview about the alternate master of The Cell presented on this disc
• Art is Where You Find It, a new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• The Costuming Auteur, a new visual essay by film critic Abby Bender
• Style as Substance: Reflections on Tarsem, an archive featurette
• Eight deleted / extended scenes with optional audio commentary by director Tarsem Singh
• Six multi-angle archive visual effects vignettes
• Theatrical trailers
• Image gallery

Not interested. I got rid of the DVD version years ago

[Susan Foreman]

NEW UK TITLE: 'The Gift' - Pre-order available from Arrow Films direct for Limited Edition Blu-ray - UK$18:00 or 4K UHD - UK$22:00

Release date: January 27

"THE ONLY WITNESS TO THE CRIME WAS NOT EVEN THERE

Director Sam Raimi combined the spooky underpinnings of his early work with his newly proven talent for handling powerful drama in the supernatural thriller The Gift, coaxing nuanced performances from a star-studded cast to bring a gripping script by Billy Bob Thornton & Tom Epperson (One False Move) to life.

In rural Georgia, recently widowed psychic Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) works as a tarot reader to support her young family. When she is introduced to her son's affable school principal (Greg Kinnear) and his socialite fiancee (Katie Holmes), Annie has a grisly premonition of things yet to come. After her violent vision comes true, all eyes turn to Annie, leaving her with no choice but to use her clairvoyant abilities to find the culprit herself. Could it be the abusive husband (Keanu Reeves) of one of Annie's regular clients (Hilary Swank)? Or the nervy mechanic (Giovanni Ribisi) whose yearning for friendship masks an uncontrollable rage? Or is another terrible secret hiding in plain sight?

Made right before a certain web-slinger finally catapulted Raimi from the cult fringes onto Hollywood?s A-list, The Gift is an underappreciated but vital entry in his filmography that is ripe for reappraisal with this brand new 4K remaster."

Special Features:

• New 4K remaster from the 35mm interpositive by Arrow Films and Shout! Factory
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and optional lossless stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson
• Brand new audio commentary by critic Meagan Navarro
• Isolated music and effects track
• Haunting Visions, a newly filmed interview with actor Chelcie Ross
• Savage Waters, a newly filmed interview with editors Bob Murawski and Arthur Coburn
• Southern Gothic, a newly filmed interview with composer Christopher Young
• Four archive featurettes
  - The Gift: A Look Inside
  - The Making of The Gift
  - The Cast on Sam Raimi
  - Sam Raimi on The Cast
• Promotional interviews with Sam Raimi, Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves and Giovanni Ribisi
• Footage from the film's world premiere
• Music video for "Furnace Room Lullaby" by Neko Case
• Theatrical trailer, TV spots and radio spots
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Thinh Dinh
• Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bilge Ebiri, original production notes and an excerpt from the book The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi by John Kenneth Muir

Not interested

[Susan Foreman]

NEW UK, US & CAN TITLE: 'Inglourious Basterds' - Pre-order available from Arrow Films direct for Limited Edition Blu-ray - UK$25:00 or 4K UHD - UK$30:00

Release date: January 13

"ONCE UPON A TIME ... IN NAZI OCCUPIED FRANCE

One of the most celebrated filmmakers of our time harnesses the power of cinema itself to rewrite history in this electrifying WWII thriller.

Narrowly escaping the massacre of her entire family by the SS, Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) flees to Paris and forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Meanwhile, a guerilla band of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), are waging a bloody war of attrition behind enemy lines but Europe remains beneath Nazi bootheels. Believing themselves unstoppable, the leaders of the Third Reich assemble in Paris for the premiere of propaganda epic Nation's Pride. The location? Shosanna's cinema. With all the rotten eggs in one basket, "The Basterds" join forces with British Commando Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) and German film star / undercover allied agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) to infiltrate the premiere. Their plan? Blow up the basket ...

Brim-filled with shocking violence, thrilling action and excruciating suspense, Inglourious Basterds was a box office smash around the world garnering eight Academy Award (2009) nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay, with Christoph Waltz winning Best Supporting Actor for his star-making turn as the chilling SS Col. Hans Landa. Witness the war as it might have been in this stunning new edition, packed with explosive extras!"

2-DISC LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS

• Limited edition 'Operation Kino' packaging with new art by Dare Creative
• 60-page 'Films & Filmmakers' collector's book with writing by film critics Dennis Cozzalio and Bill Ryan
• Double-sided fold-out poster
• Replica Nation?s Pride Premiere programme booklet
• La Louisianne beermat
• 3 postcard sized double-sided art cards
• Strudel recipe card
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative

DISC 1 - FEATURE

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by film critic and author Tim Lucas

DISC 2 - EXTRAS

• What Would Sally Do?, a new interview with editor Fred Raskin
• Blood Fiction, a new interview with special make-up effects supervisor Greg Nicotero
• Doomstruck, a new interview with actor Omar Doom
• Making it Right, a new visual essay by film critic Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film
• Film History on Fire, a new visual essay by film scholar Pamela Hutchinson, author of BFI Film Classics Pandora?s Box
• Filmmaking in Occupied France, a new interview with film scholar Christine Leteux, author of Continental Films: French Cinema Under German Control
• Extended and alternate scenes
• Nation's Pride
• The Making of Nation's Pride, an archival featurette
• Roundtable Discussion, an archival interview with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and Elvis Mitchell
• The Original Inglorious Bastards, archival featurette
• A Conversation with Rod Taylor, archival featurette
• Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitter, archival featurette
• Quentin Tarantino's Camera Angel, archival featurette
• Hi Sallys, archival featurette
• Film Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell, archival featurette
• Trailers

I already have this on Blu-ray. It may not be as 'extra-filled' as this one, but it's good enough for me

[Mojo]

Nothing for me again.
Which frees up funds for the upcoming Indicator and Radiance releases.
And, of course, The Stone Tape.

[Rob4]

Incubus definitely. One or two of the others, in a sale maybe...

[will graham]

If I can pick it up cheap, the gift.

Always reminds me of a line from Harold and kumar go to white castle.

"What was katie Holmes boobs like?"
"Do you remember the holocaust?"
"Yeah"
"Completely the opposite!"

[nosferatu42]

Need more Shat on Blu.


Kingdom of the Spiders and Devils Rain at least.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Incubus - colour me intrigued, probably in a sale or secondhand
The Cell - not at all interested, not even from Music Magpie or CeX
The Gift - I remember liking this, but don't own a copy, so the most likely one I'll buy
Inglourious Basterds - it is overlong, goes downhill after the tense and superbly acted opening scene, and it feels self-indulgent, so I'll stick with the Blu-ray I have

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Inglourious Basterds ? it is overlong, goes downhill after the tense and superbly acted opening scene, and it feels self-indulgent, so I?ll stick with the Blu-ray I have

The only Tarantino film i've never bothered watching a second time. As you say a great opening scene but quickly goes downhill.

I've watched Castellari's original version several times across the years just as a comparison.