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

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:

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 2, Joel 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 Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William 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 Time, Andy 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. 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  Watch trailer » 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. 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