Flatliners and Running Out of Time hit Blu-ray from Arrow in August

Disc Announcements, News

As we get into the home stretch of summer, you’re still wanting something to give you an excuse why you can’t go outside. Arrow Video has two titles that will make your friends want to come on over for the evening instead. First is the 4K UHD release of Flatliners. This is the original version with a star-studded cast playing med school students that want to get a glimpse of the other side of life. At the time, there were a few people who called a sequel to St. Elmo’s Fire since it had a young cast and was directed by Joel Schumacher. The film was a big hit in the summer of 1990. The second release is a boxset of the Running Out of Time movies from Hong Kong. Director Johnnie To gives us a tale of a criminal mastermind nearing his death who does one last criminal masterpiece. Running Out of Time 2 has a new crook ready to challenge the police force. Both films were hits at the box office and critically praised. Here’s the press release from Arrow Video:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
New from Arrow Video US
Flatliners[4K Ultra HD](8/2)
Flatliners[Blu-ray](8/2)
Running Out of Time Collection[Blu-ray](8/30)

Via MVD Entertainment Group

A ’90s Cult Classic and Award-Winning Hong Kong Action ThrillersHeadline Arrow’s August Lineup

This summer, Arrow unleashes two more stunning titles that film fanatics will want to add to their collection. Released on August 2Joel Schumacher‘s early ’90s classic, Flatliners, packs a punch with its powerful, all-star cast and themes of life and death.
Five young and ambitious students (Kiefer SutherlandJulia RobertsKevin BaconWilliam Baldwin, and Oliver Platt) dream of changing the world by answering the question everyone has thought about at least once – what awaits us when we die? The students develop an experiment that allows them to enter into a “near-death” experience. Unfortunately, this brings dark consequences as past tragedies begin to jeopardize their lives. 

Flatliners has been lauded for its striking visuals and stellar cast. Famed critic Roger Ebert praised the film as “an original, intelligent thriller” while applauding the cast for having the “right mixture of intensity, fear, and cockiness.” Rita Kempley of The Washington Post adored the film, calling it “a heart-stopping, breathtakingly sumptuous haunted house of a movie.”

Arrow will be releasing Flatliners on 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray. Each release features a brand-new 4K restoration from the original negative, approved by the director of photography Jan de Bont. Each release will include enough new bonus content to fill a body bag. First pressings will include an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Amanda Reyes and Peter Tonguette.

Next, on August 30, Arrow will release the Running Out of Time Collection. This 2-disc set includes two stunning Hong Kong action thrillers from director Johnnie To

In 1999’s Running Out of TimeAndy Lau stars as a cancer-ridden criminal who challenges a police negotiator (Lau Ching-wan) to a 72-hour battle of wits and courage. The film was a smash hit, earning six nominations at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards including Best Film and Best Director. For his performance as the complicated criminal, Lau took home the award for Best Actor. Running Out of Time delivers “invigorating suspense and inventive twists (Hong Kong Digital).”

Two years later, Ching-wan returned to the role of Inspector Ho Sheung Sang in the “constantly entertaining” (Far East Films) 2001 sequel, Running Out of Time 2. In this go-around, Ching-wan battles wits with a clever criminal (Ekin Cheng) that has plans to extort money from a wealthy businesswoman (Kelly Lin). Much like its predecessor, Running Out of Time 2 was well-received, earning five Golden Horse Awards nominations, including wins for Best Action Choreography and Best Film Editing. 

This 2-disc set includes an abundance of bonus content, new and archived. Special features include brand-new audio commentary tracks for each film with Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng and the 2003 documentary Hong Kong Stories. This breathtaking box set serves as the perfect entry point into the works of Johnnie To and modern Hong Kong action cinema.

Flatliners
Five medical students embark on a dangerous experiment to pierce the veil between life and death in an attempt to learn more about the afterlife.
Flatliners

List Price: $49.95  for 4K UHD
List Price: $39.95 for Blu-ray

SOME LINES SHOULDN’T BE CROSSED. Known for his impressively eclectic filmography and for helping to launch the careers of several young Hollywood stars of the 80s and 90s, Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, St. Elmo’s Fire) tackles the existential question that, at one time or another, haunts us all: what awaits us after we die? At the University Hospital School of Medicine, five ambitious students subject themselves to a daring experiment: to temporarily induce their own deaths, hoping to glimpse the afterlife before being brought back to life. But as competition within the group intensifies and their visions of the world beyond increasingly bleed into their waking lives, they’re about to learn that the greatest threat comes not from the spirit world but from the long-suppressed secrets of their own pasts… Stylishly photographed by Jan de Bont (Basic Instinct) and featuring a cast of Hollywood’s hottest talent – including Kiefer Sutherland (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me), Julia Roberts (Secret in their Eyes) and Kevin Bacon (Wild Things) – Flatliners is the ultimate life-and-death thrill ride.
Media
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Bonus Materials
Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative, approved by director of photography Jan de Bont
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 surround soundtracks
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
The Conquest of our Generation, a brand new video interview with screenwriter Peter Filardi
Visions of Light, a brand new video interview with director of photography Jan de Bont and chief lighting technician Edward Ayer
Hereafter, a brand new video interview with first assistant director John Kretchmer
Restoration, a brand new video interview with production designer Eugenio Zanetti and art director Larry Lundy
Atonement, a brand new video interview with composer James Newton Howard and orchestrator Chris Boardman
Dressing for Character, a brand new interview with costume designer Susan Becker
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Amanda Reyes and Peter Tonguette

Running Out Of Time Collection
Director Johnnie To (The Heroic Trio) is on top form with slam bang action-thriller Running Out of Time and its equally electrifying sequel.
Running Out Of Time Collection
List Price: $49.95  

Acclaimed director Johnnie To (The Heroic Trio, The Mission) is on top form with slam bang action-thriller Running Out of Time and its equally electrifying sequel. Expert hostage negotiator Ho Sheung-sang (Lau Ching-wan, Black Mask, Mad Detective) is drawn into a psychological game of cat-and-mouse when a criminal mastermind with weeks to live (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs, House of Flying Daggers) decides to take on the entire Hong Kong Police Force. There’s more to his plan than meets the eye, but can Inspector Ho figure it out and catch him in time? He’s got 72 hours to try. A huge box office hit, Running Out of Time swept the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards and spawned a popular sequel in Running Out of Time 2, in which Lau Ching-wan returns as Inspector Ho – this time in pursuit of a sophisticated art thief with a taste for drama and theatrical flair.
Media
 Watch trailer »
Bonus Materials
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentations of both films, scanned and restored in 2K
Original lossless Cantonese and Mandarin 5.1 audio options, plus lossless English mono (Running Out of Time) and lossless English 5.1 (Running Out of Time 2)
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Lucas Peverill
DISC 1 – RUNNING OUT OF TIME
Brand new audio commentary by Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Audio commentary by writers Laurent Cortiaud and Julien Carbon, moderated by Hong Kong film expert Stefan Hammond
Archival interview with screenwriters Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud
Archival interview with director Johnnie To
Archival interview with star Lau Ching-wan
Archival interview with composer Raymond Wong
The Directors’ Overview of Carbon and Courtiaud, an archive featurette
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
DISC 2 – RUNNING OUT OF TIME 2
Brand new audio commentary by Hong Kong film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
The Making of ‘Running Out of Time 2’, an archive featurette
Hong Kong Stories, a 52-minute documentary from 2003 by director Yves Montmayeur about Hong Kong cinema mythology via Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud’s experience as writers in the HK film industry, working for Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark and Johnnie To
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the films by David West

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.