As Pollen season kicks into high gear, you’re looking for good excuses to stay inside on the sofa and away from breathing in all the tree spunk floating in the air. Arrow Video has three good reasons to keep the front door shut, the air conditioner churning and the TV cranked. Three cult favorites including one getting upgraded to 4K UHD. The big news first is the arrival of Donnie Darko on 4K UHD so you can see all the details in the shadows. This is great for fans who are still buzzing over the longer cut of director Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales. There’s plenty of bonus features to get you wondering what was really going on the day the engine fell off an airplane. Another director who has been getting Arrow attention is Nico Mastorakis. After giving us Bloodstone or Blood Tide, we get his directorial debut in Death Has Blue Eyes. The movie brings a touch of Giallo flavor to Greece. Writer director Jack Hill gave us movies about women in prison (The Big Doll House & The Big Bird Cage), Pam Grier kicking ass (Coffy & Foxy Brown) and outrageous cheerleaders (The Swinging Cheerleaders). His Switchblade Sisters got into the girl gangs. Are you ready for a 1975 vision of women who are fighting for their turf and stay out of prison? The bonus features include Jack Hill revisiting the locations. Here’s the Arrow Video press release for all three films with all the details:
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
| New from Arrow Video US DEATH HAS BLUE EYES [Blu-ray] (4/6) SWITCHBLADE SISTERS [Blu-ray] (4/20) DONNIE DARKO [4K UHD] (4/27) via MVD Entertainment Group |
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| Cult Classics and a Hidden Greece Gem Headline Arrow’s April Lineup On April 6, Arrow Video will release the 1976 action thriller, Death Has Blue Eyes. From Nico Mastorakis, the cult Greek director behind Island of Death and The Zero Boys. Death Has Blue Eyes is the story of a pair of friends that turn a string of scams into a bodyguard gig for a woman with telepathic abilities. Mastorakis’ signature mix of sleaze and intrigue, all set in breathtaking Greece locations, is on full display in this seldom-seen gem. Featuring a brand new restoration, sourced from the original camera negative and approved by Mastorakis, Death Has Blue Eyes is not to be missed. Switchblade Sisters, director Jack Hill’s exploitation classic about a female gang, gets the Arrow treatment on April 20. Lace, the leader of the Dagger Debs, feels threatened when new girl Maggie moves into the neighborhood. The distrust causes conflict within the gang and soon an all-out war begins. A failure at the box office upon its release, Switchblade Sisters has developed a strong cult following over the years, being championed by Quentin Tarantino regularly. The new Arrow release includes a brand new audio commentary and a variety of archival bonus features. Arrow closes the month out on April 27 with the limited edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of Donnie Darko. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a troubled teen that struggles with visions of a six-foot rabbit named Frank that encourages him to commit crimes. This feature debut from director Richard Kelly became a cultural phenomenon, with the film earning praise for being daring and original. This new 4K UHD release includes both the theatrical and director’s cut, both with new 4K restorations approved by Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster. This special release also includes a 100-page hardcover book and a double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned art by Luke Preece. |
| Switchblade Sisters So Easy To Kill. So Hard To Love.  List Price: $39.95 THE WILDEST GIRL GANG THAT EVER BLASTED THE STREETS! From Jack Hill, legendary director of Spider Baby, Coffy, Foxy Brown, and The Swinging Cheerleaders comes another iconic cult classic, Switchblade Sisters! Lace (Robbie Lee), the leader of inner city girl gang The Dagger Debs, meets her match when new girl Maggie (Joanne Nail) moves into the neighborhood. Mistrust and conflict turn to friendship as the girls end up in Juvenile Detention together at the mercy of abusive guards. Meanwhile, The Dagger Debs’ male counterparts The Silver Daggers have to contend with the arrival of a new gang, led by the villainous Crabs (Chase Newhart). But when the girls get back on the streets, a planned retaliation strike in tandem with The Silver Daggers backfires and puts Lace in hospital. Maggie assumes control, teaming up with Muff (Marlene Clark) and her gang of African-American militants from across town to declare all out war. But there’s a traitor in their midst… Filled with sharp, clever dialogue and tongue in cheek humor, this Shakespeare-influenced girl gang/women in prison/action movie medley is a stone cold grindhouse classic! High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original uncompressed mono audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary by historians/critics Samm Deighan & Kat Ellinger We Are The Jezebels, an archival documentary featuring director Jack Hill, producer John Prizer, casting director Geno Havans, production designer B.B. Neel, stunt coordinator Bob Minor, and stars Joanne Nail, Asher Brauner, and Chase Newhart Gangland: The locations of Switchblade Sisters, an archival documentary in which Jack Hill and filmmaker Elijah Drenner revisit the shooting locations of Switchblade Sisters Jack Hill and Joanne Nail at the Grindhouse Film Festival, a 2007 archival interview with the director and actor Interview with Jack Hill, Robbie Lee, Joanne Nail, an archival 1990’s interview with the director and stars in conversation with Johnny Legend Galleries of behind the scenes stills, international posters, video covers, and lobby cards Theatrical trailers Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Heather Drain |
| Donnie Darko (UHD) 28 Days. 6 Hours. 42 Minutes 12 Seconds… That is When the World Will End. List Price: $59.95 Fifteen years before Stranger Things combined science fiction, Spielbergian touches and 80s nostalgia to much acclaim, Richard Kelly set the template – and the high-water mark – with his debut feature, Donnie Darko. Initially beset with distribution problems, it would slowly find its audience and emerge as arguably the first cult classic of the new millennium. Donnie is a troubled high school student: in therapy, prone to sleepwalking and in possession of an imaginary friend, a six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days, 06 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. During that time he will navigate teenage life, narrowly avoid death in the form of a falling jet engine, follow Frank’s maladjusted instructions and try to maintain the space-time continuum. Described by its director as “The Catcher in the Rye as told by Philip K. Dick”, Donnie Darko combines an eye-catching, eclectic cast – pre-stardom Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, heartthrob Patrick Swayze, former child star Drew Barrymore, Oscar nominees Mary McDonnell and Katharine Ross, and television favorite Noah Wyle – and an evocative soundtrack of 80s classics by Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran. This brand-new 4K restoration, carried out exclusively for this release by Arrow Films, allows a modern classic to finally receive the home video treatment it deserves. 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS New 4K restorations of both the Theatrical Cut and the Director’s Cut from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films, supervised and approved by director Richard Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of both cuts in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing 100-page hardcover book featuring writing by Nathan Rabin, Anton Bitel and Jamie Graham, an in-depth interview with Richard Kelly, an introduction by Jake Gyllenhaal and contemporary coverage, illustrated with original stills and promotional materials Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece Six double-sided collector’s postcards Limited Edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece DISC 1 – THE THEATRICAL CUT [4K UHD BLU-RAY] Audio commentary by writer-director Richard Kelly and actor Jake Gyllenhaal Audio commentary by Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick and actors Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Katharine Ross and James Duval Deus ex Machina: The Philosophy of Donnie Darko, a documentary by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures on the making of Donnie Darko The Goodbye Place, Kelly’s 1996 short film, which anticipates some of the themes and ideas of his feature films 20 deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by Kelly Trailer DISC 2 – THE DIRECTOR’S CUT [4K UHD BLU-RAY] Audio commentary by Kelly and filmmaker Kevin Smith The Donnie Darko Production Diary, an archival documentary charting the film’s production, with optional commentary by cinematographer Steven Poster Archive interviews with Kelly, actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, James Duval, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Noah Wyle and Katharine Ross, producers Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Hunt Lowry and Casey La Scala, and Steven Poster Three archive featurettes: They Made Me Do It, They Made Me Do It Too and #1 Fan: A Darkomentary Storyboard comparisons B-roll footage Cunning Visions infomercials Music video: Mad World by Gary Jules Galleries Director’s Cut trailer TV spots |
