Arrow in July: Japanese Crime Films, Spaghetti Westerns & Two Bruces Featured This Month

Somehow the Arrow's lineup of titles for July slipped past us. Thankfully, the program doesn't really kick off until this coming Friday, July 7th. On a techincality we are not late. Huzzah!

There is a lot going on, most of it covered in the official announcement, so we will keep in brief. July sees a mix of Japanese crime films, spaghetti westerns, a smack of Bruce Lee films, a film from Bruce Campbell that is not from the Evil Dead series (Yes, he did other things), and currated programs from Josh Ruben & Josh Ashurst.

The official announcement follows.

ARROW Offers Classic and Cutting Edge Cult Cinema

July 2023 Lineup Includes Spaghetti Westerns, a Trip Through History, the Inspiration of Josh Ruben and More!

July 2023 Seasons:

Permanent Vacation, You're History,

Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest, Josh Ruben Selects,

Blood Money Selection, Sam Ashurst Selects

Arrow Video is excited to announce the July 2023 lineup of their subscription-based ARROW platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

July 7 starts the month in sun and fun with Permanent Vacation (UK/IRE/US/CA).

In desperate need of a vacay? Well, be careful who you book with, because the flicks trips in Permanent Vacation are dream holidays that you’ll never return from.

Featuring murderous mini-breaks and sun, sea, sand and psychos, these gory getaways feature everything from island paradises full of monsters and mutants to nature breaks from the rat race that will be the death of you. So, pack your sunglasses and flip-flops, but don’t bother buying a return ticket, because you’re going on a Permanent Vacation.

Titles Include: Horrors of Malformed Men, Lake Michigan Monster, The Wind.

Also on July 7, subscribers are invited to dig up Yakuza Graveyard (1976, UK/IRE/US/CA).

When he falls for the beautiful wife of the jailed boss of the Nishida gang, things start to spiral out of control for detective Kuroiwa (Tetsuya Watari, Graveyard of Honour). In a world where the line between police and organised crime is vague, he finds himself on the wrong side of a yakuza war when his superiors favour Nishida’s rivals, the Yamashiro gang. Co-starring the iconic Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) and featuring Nagisa Oshima as chief of police, Yakuza Graveyard sees director Kinji Fukasaku (Battles without Honour and Humanity) at the peak of his powers.

On July 14, take a trip through the ages with You're History (UK/IRE/US/CA).

Hop aboard the ARROW Time Machine for a selection of trips to all the time periods you could possibly imagine in You’re History.

This curated collection features historical epics, time capsule slices of life and period pieces all featuring blood, swords, romance, political intrigue, unforgettable events, crazed killers and flying fighters. The past has never been as entertaining, or dangerous, as it is in You’re History.

Titles Include: Eros + Massacre, Vengeance is Mine, Khrustalyov My Car!

Also on July 14, Bruce Campbell is Running Time (US/CA).

Campbell (The Evil Dead series, TV's "Burn Notice") stars as Carl, a man who launches a full-scale heist to steal mob money from the prison that just released him. With the help of an old friend (Jeremy Roberts, The People Under the Stairs), a driver and a safe-cracker, Carl's attempt to carry out the heist is fraught with incompetence and bad luck. As the clock ticks and the circumstances turn tragic, Carl is forced to make the most important decision of his life.

On July 21, explore the cinema that inspires multi-hyphenate Josh Ruben (actor-writer-director, Scare Me, Werewolves Within, Death to 2021, A Wounded Fawn) with Josh Ruben Selects (UK/IRE/US/CA).

"First, ARROW asked if I'd list my favorite movies currently streaming on their epic service... then came a flood of shame... cult films? Have I seen any!? Am I a BAD CINEPHILE?! And yet, there they emerged, one after another in alphabetical order, from Basket Case onward came title after title, some of which I haven't thought about since I was a wee one. Enjoy a taste of the delightfully dark and salacious gems, many of which moulded me at too young an age."

Titles Include: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Bad Moon, The Guyver.

July 24 brings the spaghetti westerns to subscribers with Blood Money Collection (UK/IRE/US/CA).

In the mid-1960s, the runaway success of Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy gave rise to an explosion of similar productions. Filmmakers by the dozen sought to capitalize on this new, uniquely Italian take on the western, which was characterized by their deeply cynical outlook, morally compromised antiheroes and unflinching depictions of savage violence. This specially curated selection gathers together four outstanding examples of the genre from the height of its popularity, all centered around the theme of blood money.

In Romolo Guerrieri's $10,000 Blood Money (1967; a.k.a. $10,000 for a Massacre), Gianni Garko, best known for his portrayal of supernatural gunslinger Sartana, takes on the part of another beloved western antihero, Django, who is on the trail of bandit Manuel Vasquez (Claudio Camaso, A Bay of Blood). But what started as a job for hire soon turns personal, with Django swearing vengeance against the unscrupulous outlaw. Then, in the film's spiritual successor, Giovanni Fago's Vengeance is Mine (1967; a.k.a. $100,000 for a Killing), Garko and Camaso once again lead the cast, this time as estranged half-brothers, one a Confederate soldier now riding with renegade outlaws, the other a bounty hunter tasked with bringing him in alive.

Next, in Giuliano Carnimeo's Find a Place to Die (1968), Jeffrey Hunter (The Searchers) plays Joe Collins, a disgraced former soldier who assembles a ragtag band of scoundrels. They are lured into helping a woman (Pascale Petit, A Queen for Caesar) to rescue her prospector husband, who is trapped at their gold mine cave-in, though in reality, they have designs on the gold strike themselves. Finally, in Cesare Canevari's psychedelic Matalo! (Kill Him) (1970), double- and triple-crosses abound as a band of outlaws, having holed up in an isolated ghost town, set about terrorizing travelers Ray (Lou Castel, Orgasmo) and Bridget (Ana María Mendoza, 7 Women for the MacGregors) - only to get more than they bargained for when Ray fights back, armed only with his weapon of choice: a bag full of boomerangs.

Featuring a wealth of key Euro-cult talent both behind and in front of the camera, Arrow Films is proud to present these four classic westerns in sparkling High Definition restorations, alongside a plethora of brand-new bonus materials.

Titles Include: Find a Place to Die, $10,000 Blood Money, Matalo! Kill Him.

July 28 brings the Seasons to a close with Sam Ashurst Selects (UK/IRE/US/CA).

Sam Ashurst is the director of Frankenstein’s Creature, the writer/director of A Little More Flesh and A Little More Flesh II, and the co-host of the Arrow Video podcast.

“Being asked to curate a selection of films for Arrow’s streaming service is like getting to break into your favourite video store after hours to pull from the best shelves. Limited to twenty* rentals, this would be the stack coming home with me. So, brace yourself for crazy kung-fu, stoic heroes, lots of female rage, and some of the coolest movies ever made.”

Titles Include: Boxer’s Omen, Day of Anger, Burst City.