Arrow Video Preps July Release Slate Toplined By 4K Ultra HD Editions Of Cobra (July 22) And The Stuff (Also July 22)

Arrow Video, with MVD Entertainment Group providing domestic sales and distribution support, will be loading up on new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray titles during the month of July.

Do you — or did you back then when the film opened — notice anything about the casting in Cobra (making its 4K Ultra HD debut on July 22), a film written by and starring Sylvester Stallone?   

Back in 1986 (Memorial Day opening as the kickoff to the summer season), when the film opened theatrically, Stallone did a series of consumer press interviews in which he revealed that his screen adaption of Paula Gosling’s 1974 novel titled “A Running Duck,” was a tribute to Clint Eastwood and his Dirty Harry persona. 

To enforce that, both Reni Santoni (Eastwood’s partner in Dirty Harry) and Andrew Robinson (as Scorpio, the villain in Dirty Harry) were cast in leading roles.

Adding to this “family reunion” nature of the film’s production is that the direction was by George Cosmatos (the previous year Stallone and Cosmatos teamed for Rambo: First Blood Part II) and Brigitte Nielsen (who plays Ingrid, a key witness and Stallone’s love-interest), was married to Stallone at the time and co-starred in the 1985 release of Rocky IV. 

Critics at the time savaged the film, but Stallone had the last laugh as audiences loved it. 

This new 4K restoration from Arrow Films is from the original 35mm negative. 

As to bonus goodies, there are three commentary options.   The first is the archived 1998 commentary from director Cosmatos, while the other two are newly prepared and feature film critic and novelist Kim Newman, who is teamed with film journalist Nick de Semlyen, and film scholars Josh Nelson and Martyn Pedler join forces for the second.

Interesting, Arrow is including the television cut of the film (which has a number of edits and features previously unseen footage).

There are three newly-minted featurettes — “Slashing the Night Away,” “Dark Glasses, Violence & Robots” and “Dark Glasses, Violence & Robots”— and a half-dozen archival featurettes — “Stalking and Slashing,” “Meet the Disease,” “Feel the Heat,” “Double Crossed,” “A Work of Art” and “The Making of Cobra.”

Next up in July on the 4K front is Arrow Video’s 4K restoration (from the original 35mm camera negative) of writer/director Larry Cohen’s 1985 biting sci-fi satire on consumerism, The Stuff (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack on July 22).

You have to wonder if Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ever saw The Stuff and if so, did it start him on the path of questioning everything that is in our food?   Regardless, The Stuff neatly foreshadows the horrors of consumption of “popular” products that are actually making you sick (did you ever look the contents of “the stuff” you buy at the supermarket these days?) … “Are you eating it, or is it eating you?”

The Stuff was the second tag-team of filmmaker Larry Cohen with actor Michael Moriarty, they delivered the 1982 genre gem, Q: The Winged Serpent … and then would join forces again in 1987 for both It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive (also starring Karen Black) and A Return to Salem’s Lot.

There are two viewing options.   The 4K is of the theatrical release, while the companion Blu-ray features a pre-release version of the film, which includes roughly 30 minutes worth of footage culled from the final theatrical cut.

Bonus goodies kick off with the archive commentary of the late filmmaker and the newly-prepared commentary by writers and critics David Flint and Adrian Smith. 

Also included are two of documentary filmmaker Calum Waddell’s feature-length films related to the life and times of Larry Cohen — from 2014, Can’t Get Enough of the Stuff: Making Larry Cohen’s Classic Creature Feature, and the following year, 42nd Street Memories: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Notorious Street.

Between the theatrical cut and the pre-release cut of the film, plus the two Waddell documentaries, you are actually get four feature films in this one 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack from Arrow Video.

There is also the newly-prepared featurette titled “Enough is Never Enough” included with the 4K Ultra HD releases of The Stuff.

On the Blu-ray release front from Arrow Video in July look for the 2K restoration (from a 4K scan of the original 35mm negative) of director Jon Steven Ward’s 2000 film release of Lovers Lane (July 8, includes commentary).

Also arriving on July 8 is Japanese filmmaker Toto Murakawa’s Game Trilogy, featuring The Most Dangerous Game, The Killing Game and The Execution Game.   Commentary is included on all three films … presented in Japanese with English subtitles. 

On July 15, writer/director Chris Skotchdopole’s home invasion thriller, Crumb Catcher, makes its Blu-ray debut (includes commentary, two short films — Camp Out and The Egg and the Hatchet — and a making-of featurette).

On the same date, July 15, director Basil Dearden’s 1969 film release of The Assassination Bureau makes it to Blu-ray.   Includes commentary and the extended featurette titled “Right Film, Wrong Time.”

July 22 brings The Nightwatch Collection to Blu-ray.   This is the double feature of Nightwatch (1994) and Nightwatch: Demons are Forever (2023) … presented in Danish with English subtitles (commentary and more).

Closing out the month on July 22 are Warriors Two and Hand of Death … both feature commentary and English-dubbed or Mandarin (with English subtitles) viewing options.