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ARROW VIDEO PRESENTS KICK ASS WOMEN KICKING ASS

Meiko Kaji T'is true, most men do say that women are the weaker of the two sexes. But do you know what? Most men also talk a lot of crap! Back in the day, women, both singular or plural, were able to wear bikinis, wield samurai swords, ruffle pom-poms, apply lipstick, and, you know, talk and stuff, without crying, even once. Heck, I can remember a day that some of these delectable dames would cook as well! But enough about that, and more about these releases from Arrow video, come July.





The Swinging CheerleadersThe Swinging Cheerleaders

Jack Hill spent the majority of the seventies specialising in tough female characters. He made movies about girl gangs (Switchblade Sisters), women in prison (The Big Doll House), turned Pam Grier into a star (Coffy), and also contributed to the Cheerleaders line of drive-in favorites with, The Swinging Cheerleaders.

Kate, an undergraduate at Mesa University, goes undercover as a cheerleader for her college newspaper in order to expose 'female exploitation in contemporary society'. But instead of oppression she finds love, friendship, and a bigger fish to fry: namely, corruption in the football team, headed up by the coach and his pals.

This film favorite of Quentin Tarantino's features a cast of cult actresses that include the likes of Colleen Camp (Game of Death), Rainbeaux Smith (Caged Heat), and Rosanne Katon (future Playmate of the Month).




BONUS MATERIALS
  • Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials.
  • High Definition (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD Presentations.
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
  • Audio commentary by writer-director Jack Hill, recorded exclusively for this release.
  • Brand new interview with Jack Hill.
  • Archive interview with cinematographer Alfred Taylor.
  • Archive interview with Hill and Johnny Legend.
  • Q&A with Hill, and actors Colleen Camp and Rosanne Katon recorded at the New Beverly Cinema in 2012.
  • TV spots.
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphrey.
  • Illustrated booklet containing new writing by Cullen Gallagher (first pressing only). 

Release Date: July 5th, 2016 / Genre: Comedy-Drama / Running Time: 91 minutes / Number of Discs: 2 / Audio: NTSC / Language: English / Subtitles: English


Crimes Of Passion
Crimes Of Passion

During the early eighties British bound Ken Russell traveled to America and placed his unorthodox imprint on a pair of US movies. The first was the sci-fi horror-thriller, Altered States, yet out-there its screenwriter credit was disowned. Whereas the second one was the equally crazy, Crimes of Passion, starring Kathleen Turner (Body Heat) at the height of her powers.

Fashion designer, Joanna Crane (Turner), leads a double life. By night she is China Blue, a prostitute who's attracted the unwanted attention of two men. One is a sexually frustrated private detective hired by her employees, whilst the other is a psychopathic priest (played by Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins) in possession of a murderous sex toy.

With its outré screenplay by Barry Sandler and over the top score by Rick Wakeman, Crimes of Passion may just be the most outrageous Ken Russell film ever made - and that's quite some feat!




BONUS MATERIALS
  • Brand new 2K restoration of the film from original film materials.
  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations of the director's cut and unrated versions of the film.
  • Optional subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
  • Audio commentary with director Ken Russell and producer-screenwriter Barry Sandler.
  • Seven deleted / extended scenes with optional commentary by Sandler.
  • Brand-new interview with Sandler recorded especially for this release.
  • Home movie footage of Ken Russell visiting Florida for a retrospective screening of Crimes of Passion at the 2009 Florida Film Festival.
  • Theatrical trailer.
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Twins of Evil.
  • Illustrated booklet containing new writing by Ken Russell's biographer, Paul Sutton, correspondence between Russell and Kathleen Turner, and an on-set interview with Russell (first pressing only).

Release Date: July 12th, 2016 / Genre: Thriller / Running Time: 114 minutes / Number of Discs: 2 / Audio: NTSC / Language: English / Subtitles: English


Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection
Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection

In a career defining role the iconic and beautiful Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) stars in a series of four films collectively entitled, Female Prisoner Scorpion. In each of the four we get to see Nami Matsushima assuming the mantle of "Scorpion" and becoming an avatar of vengeance and survival.

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion introduces Nami, a gullible young woman unjustly imprisoned, who must find a way to escape in order to exact revenge upon the man who betrayed her. 

Next, the visually avant-garde Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41, sees director Shunya Ito and star Meiko Kaji re-unite as Nami and six other female convicts escape prison once more. 

Following this, the Gothic horror-inspired Beast Stable finds Nami branded public enemy number one and on the run. She soon finds refuge with a sympathetic prostitute, but runs afoul of a local gang. 

The final film in the series, #701's Grudge Song (from director Yasuharu Hasebe: Massacre Gun), shows a gentler side of Nami as she falls in with Kudo, an ex-radical suffering from physical and psychological trauma caused by police torture. 

Spiritual kin to Ms. 45, Coffy, and The Bride Wore Black, the Female Prisoner Scorpion series of films is the pinnacle of early 1970s exploitation cinema from Japanese grindhouse studio, Toei, and one of the greatest female revenge sagas ever told.




SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
  • Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3000 copies).
  • Brand new 2K restorations of all four films in the series presented on High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD.
  • Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays) for all films.
  • Optional English subtitles for all films.
  • Double-sided fold out poster of two original artworks.
  • Reversible sleeves for all films featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan.
  • Booklet featuring a new writing on the films, an archive interview with Meiko Kaji, and a brand new interview with Toru Shinohara, creator of the original Female Prisoner Scorpion manga.

Release Date: July 26th, 2016 / Genre: Action / Running Time: 353 minutes / Number of Discs: 8 / Audio: NTSC / Language: Japanese / Subtitles: English

ARROW VIDEO PRESENTS KICK ASS WOMEN KICKING ASS ARROW VIDEO PRESENTS KICK ASS WOMEN KICKING ASS Reviewed by David Andrews on July 05, 2016 Rating: 5

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