RONDO Award Winners Announced!

The 9th Annual Rondo Awards are now horror history, and the winners have been announced (courtesy of David Colton, aka "taraco") at the Classic Horror Film Board.  You can check them out HERE, and then go HERE to read various comments on the outcome.  It's all over but the screaming!

Congratulations from us here at HK and Cult Film News to all the winners.  And if your favorites didn't win this year, just remember--as Mr. Hatton himself seems to be telling us in the picture above--"Them's the breaks!"

Our review of the Best Film of 2010
Our review of the Best TV Presentation

RONDO Award Winners Announced!

THE INHERITANCE -- DVD review by porfle

It's like Black History Month gone bad when young cousins from five families, descended from slaves, learn more about their "roots" than they bargained for in THE INHERITANCE (2011).  And, as is usually the case in movies like this, the pagan superstitions blithely dismissed by the sophisticated modern youths turn out to be horribly true. 

Writer-director Robert O'Hara's script seems a little dry and talky at first as the five cousins--Karen (Golden Brooks), Henry (D.B. Woodside), Tyrone (Darrin Dewitt Henson), Lily (Rochelle Aytes), and the irreverent Simpson (Shawn Michael Howard)--congregate in an isolated snow-covered mansion to await the arrival of "the Elders" of the five families and find out who's going to eventually inherit what. 

Things get a little livelier that night as their booze and weed-stoked revelries are interrupted when Lily, seemingly possessed, goes into a wild dance and then screams her head off at the sight of the words "The flesh is the strength" scrawled across a window.  The creepy Elders show up the next day, led by Uncle Melvin (Keith David at his most super-smug), and begin to school the young 'uns on their heritage.  It seems their enslaved ancestors were promised freedom and prosperity if they would sacrifice their "best and brightest" children to a fearsome godlike being named Chakabazz (Lanre Idewu), which they did.
 


Despite Simpson's vocal skepticism, this pretty much lets us know what we and the five sacrificial lambs--err, cousins--can expect for the rest of the film.  As little by little we learn how bizarre and malevolent the Elder cult really is, O'Hara's direction and camerawork become wilder and more frantic.  He stages some nice setpieces, such as Lily's attempted escape from the house and a spooky candlelit bath during which Karen discovers she's the lucky "chosen one" of you-know-who. 

Some ghostly apparitions are fairly well-rendered although, despite a "gotcha!" or two, the film never really scares.  It does, however, get our adrenaline going as the cousins flee for their lives.  It goes without saying that (a) their car won't start, (b) one of them suffers a crippling injury, and (c) everything they try to do goes straight south real quick.  O'Hara manages to keep it all from getting too chaotic, and his dialogue displays some welcome color as in this exchange involving defensive weaponry:

Henry: "Will you man the f-ck up?  You have a hatchet, g--dammit!"
Simpson: "He's got a chainsaw and you've got a snowmobile!"

The finale takes place back at the house, where the survivors make a last ditch effort to fend off the Elders while Simpson tries to contact the outside world on his laptop.  Things remain pretty suspenseful right up to the fadeout, although the ending is much too abrupt.  It's as though O'Hara ran out of ideas and, lacking an imaginative resolution to his story, simply settled for the most arbitrary one he could think of.  Just when things are at their peak, the end credits appear and leave us hanging.



Despite the fact that some of the ensemble acting doesn't quite jell, the cast is generally above average.  Standouts include Golden Brooks and D.B. Woodside, who have at least one really good scene together, and of course the always reliable Keith David.  In a brief appearance as Aunt Felicia, who shows up unexpectedly early on to warn the young folks about the old folks, Adriane Lenox makes a strong impression.

Gorehounds looking for a good bloodbath will have to settle for some after-the-fact stuff like a head on a stick and a torso (no moreso, just a torso), with most of the violence occurring offscreen.  The film benefits from a rather robust musical score by Nathan Furst.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.85:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  A trailer is the sole extra.

While THE INHERITANCE doesn't rise that far above the pack of similar flicks about dwindling groups of imperiled young people, its premise does boast a few unique elements.  And just when you think you're in for a preachy history lesson or something, it does a cannonball right into the deep end of the hokey horror pool.  

 
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THE INHERITANCE -- DVD review by porfle

THE RESIDENT -- DVD review by porfle

After watching Hammer Films' THE RESIDENT (2011), I wondered how they could possibly make a trailer for it without giving everything away.  But sure enough, they managed to stick one together, mainly by showing just a bunch of hands and feet.  Too bad I can't show just a bunch of hands and feet in my review, because sometimes it's hard to stick one of these things together and remain 100% spoiler-free, especially when the big reveal occurs before the movie's even half over.

Not that it's any mind-boggling twist or anything, but this modern Gothic-tinged tale of madness and obsession does have us guessing at first who the crazy person is going to turn out to be.  Hilary Swank plays Juliet Devereau, an ER doctor fresh out of a bad break-up and moving into one of those spacious old too-good-to-be-true Brooklyn apartments on her own.  The landlord, Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, WATCHMEN), seems like a really nice guy, but is he really crazy? 

Max's creepy, decrepit old granddad, August (Hammer legend Christopher Lee), seems crazy--does this mean he's really sane?  And what about Juliet's ex, Jack (Lee Pace), who keeps trying to get Juliet to return his calls and even seems to be stalking her...is he crazy?  Or is Juliet the crazy one, and we're getting the old dipsy-doodle pulled on us?



Whoever the nut is, Juliet's big, spooky apartment (which looks like it was decorated by Dario Argento) is a voyeur's dream, with peepholes in every electrical outlet and secret passages behind every wall.  Everything makes some kind of unsettling noise and shadows hover around every dark corner, and it doesn't take long for Juliet to get the sneaking feeling she's being watched.  Often the camera puts us right in the peeper's POV, inviting us to peer at the semi-nude or naked Juliet (Hilary Swank actually looks sexy in this movie) and reminding us how vulnerable she is. 

As you might guess, a romantic spark eventually flares between Juliet and Max just as Jack shows up hoping for a reconciliation.  And enigmatic old August is always peeking through his doorway, watching all.  We already know Juliet's in danger, and we begin to suspect that she's not the only one.  The script isn't rocket science or anything, but so far it's one of those familiar, old-fashioned woman-in-peril creepers that keeps you comfortably involved as you settle in and wait for things to get progressively spooky. 

It's around this time that the film does something interesting--it whips us back to the beginning of the story and reveals something to us that skews the whole thing in a new and disturbing way.  This is the surprise reveal I was referring to earlier, and at this point I can't really say much more except that this new revelation ratchets things up in a big way, setting the stage for the terror to come.



Finally, Juliet makes a shattering (and really icky) discovery in the latter part of the story which, for me, is pretty much the film's climax.  After this creepy-crawly shock, THE RESIDENT degenerates into the standard, prolonged cat-and-mouse sequence that one comes to expect (and dread) from this kind of thriller when it doesn't really know how to end. 

Once the plot has been resolved to a certain degree, then, as far as I'm concerned, endless attempts to drag out the action and suspense become tiresome.  Worst of all, there's even the obligatory "he's dead...he's not dead" thing that should've been retired after the first "Chucky" movie.  While the ending didn't totally wreck the movie for me or anything, it does lower it to the level of the more mundane and cliche-ridden entries in this genre. 

The film itself is well directed by Antti Jokinen and attractively photographed, with atmospheric production design and a rich, shadowy look that does seem a bit Argento-like at times.  The cast is good (look for "Deep Space Nine" vet Nana Visitor in a tiny role as a real estate agent), although to me Hilary Swank's performances often seem to waver between being assured and awkward.  At any rate, I've never seen a director more capably evoke her unusual sex appeal.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 2.35:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  A trailer is the sole extra.

THE RESIDENT doesn't re-invent the "lone woman menaced by nutcase in spooky old apartment" tale, but it's a pretty entertaining example of it.  I just wish the writers could've re-invented the stock ending that causes so many of these yarns to fizzle out instead of going out with a bang.  

Buy it at Amazon.com:
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THE RESIDENT -- DVD review by porfle

VANQUISHER -- DVD review by porfle

The Thai action flick VANQUISHER, aka "Final Target" (2010), is loaded with action but it's a hit-and-miss deal, with several sequences that don't quite live up to their potential.

CIA black ops agent Claire (Jacqui A. Thannanon) is sent to Thailand to capture a terrorist.  She's also ordered to liquidate her "Vanquisher" task force once the job is done, so she takes off in a helicopter with her captive and then blows up the dock that the ladies are standing on. 
One of them, a Thai police force agent codenamed "Gunja" (Sophita Sriban), survives and returns to duty.  When Claire is ordered back to Bangkok two years later in pursuit of another terrorist, she runs into Gunja again, and this time the two warrior women are on decidedly less-than-friendly terms. 

VANQUISHER is nicely directed and shot for the most part, but the fact that this is Manop Udomdej's first action film is pretty obvious.  Camerawork and editing are all over the place in several scenes even though the choreography is good enough not to need such cosmetic misdirection.  The action is often confusing as we try to make out what the seemingly capable performers are doing through a barrage of shaky-cam images.



Still, the film manages to be exciting once things pick up around the halfway point and there aren't so many scenes of people sitting around spouting exposition.  Once all the plot details are ironed out the pace stays pretty brisk through a steady series of gunfights, sword battles, and chases, all featuring an impressive variety of stunts.  The frustrating thing is, you keep wanting these scenes to be better than they are--with more skillful handling, this movie could've been downright exhilarating.

Doing their part to keep us on the edge of our seats are the three leading ladies, who are not only beautiful but can kick some big-time ass in the action setpieces.  At first, Sophita Sriban looks way too cute and likable for the role of Gunja, but this impression is quickly dispelled as soon as she starts slinging a sword or blasting away with twin automatics.  Like Bruce Willis, she has a great "war-face", which director Udomdej captures exquisitely as he does the other female leads--the guy does love to photograph these ladies at their best.

As the duplicitous Claire, Jacqui A. Thannanon has a strong presence and is both sinister and exotic.  The only downside to her performance is that she seems to stumble a bit over the English dialogue--when speaking her native tongue (the film has a bilingual screenplay) she's terrific.  Lovely and lithe Nui Ketsarin plays Sirin, a Thai cop who teams up with Gunja against Claire and her ninja goons, and matches Sophita Sriban's acting skills in the frenetic fight scenes.
 

A late plot development has Bangkok on the verge of being racked with explosions which the bad cops plan to blame on the terrorists, and, while this angle isn't explored as fully as it should've been, it does give the SPFX guys an excuse to cook up some fake-looking fireworks.  Other digital effects range from fair (the scene where Gunja jumps a dirt bike onto a moving train which is then blasted with a bazooka) to not-so-hot (a ninja turns into a cartoon during an upwards leap).  One of the film's strengths is a robust, percussion-heavy musical score by Patai Puangchin.

The DVD from Magnolia's "Magnet" label is in 1.78:1 widescreen with English and Thai Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  In addition to the international trailer, extras consist of an eight-minute "making of" featurette and another which gives us a look behind the scenes during filming.

VANQUISHER survives a slow start to become a hokey but fun guns-and-swords fest with some very appealing female characters.  The main drawback is that you might wear yourself out trying to mentally reshoot and re-edit the action scenes so that they'll be as good as they should have been.


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VANQUISHER -- DVD review by porfle

Antonio Banderas, Sam Elliott and Snoop Dogg star in THE BIG BANG coming to Blu-ray and DVD May 24th from Anchor Bay Entertainment

 

 

An All-Star Cast In a Thriller About Murder, Money, Sex and Particle Physics!

ANTONIO BANDERAS STARS IN ANCHOR BAY FILMS’ "THE BIG BANG" ON BLU-RAY™ AND DVD MAY 24

Exclusive LA and NY Theatrical Engagements Planned


BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Screen legend Antonio Banderas (Desperado, the Zorro and Spy Kids franchises, Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger) leads an all-star cast in the  sexy, slick and action-packed detective thriller The Big Bang, out on Blu-ray™ and DVD May 24th.  Bending the laws of the film noir genre, The Big Bang dazzles with sharp dialogue, colorful characters, hidden agendas, and shocking twists that will leave audiences guessing until the very last frame.

In addition, the film will have exclusive New York and Los Angeles theatrical engagements starting Friday, May 13th. SRP is $26.98 for the DVD and $34.99 for the Blu-ray™, with pre-book on April 27th.

Late one night, Los Angeles private investigator, Ned Cruz (Banderas) gets a visit from a recently paroled Russian boxer with an intriguing job offer: find Lexie, his missing girlfriend—and the 30-million dollar stash of diamonds she’s hiding. As Detective Cruz sets out to find her, the clues send him into the city’s seediest corners, from a Hollywood action star with a dirty little secret (James Van Der Beek, “Dawson’s Creek,” Varsity Blues), to an enterprising porn producer who takes a personal interest in his own work (Snoop Dogg, Old School, Starsky & Hutch), and a kinky waitress with an unusual fetish for particle physics (Autumn Reeser,“No Ordinary Family,” “Entourage”).  Lexie proves to be as elusive as she is beautiful and Cruz becomes obsessed with finding her.

With time running out, Cruz discovers the trail leads to reclusive billionaire (Sam Elliott, Thank You for Smoking, Tombstone), and his physicist (Jimmi Simpson, Date Night, “Breakout Kings”), intent on recreating The Big Bang underneath the New Mexico desert. Tailed by a trio of cops also looking to find the missing diamonds, and with the body count piling up, Cruz soon realizes that what appeared to be a standard missing person’s case is anything but, and could quite possibly bring about the end of the world as we know it.

Directed by Tony Krantz (producer of Mulholland Dr., and Fox’s “24”), written by Emmy® award winner Erik Jendresen (“Band of Brothers”) and featuring the debut solo soundtrack by The Smiths’ legend Johnny Marr, The Big Bang is a neo-noir detective thriller for the 21st century.  The film also stars Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, Valkyrie), William Fichtner (Drive Angry, Date Night,“Prison Break”), Robert Maillet (Sherlock Holmes, 300) with Delroy Lindo (Gone in 60 Seconds, “The Chicago Code”.)

Richard Rionda Del Castro (executive producer of Casino Jack, The Son Of No One and Touchback) co-produced the film with Krantz and Jendresen. Executive Producers are Patricia Eberle, Cassian Elwes, Gary Howsam, Lewin Webb, Richard Salvatore and Ross Dinerstein.

Bonus features on The Big Bang Blu-ray™ and DVD will include filmmakers’ commentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, extended scenes and the theatrical trailer.

THE BIG BANG

Street Date: May 24, 2011

Pre-book Date: April 27, 2011

Run Time: 101 minutes

Rating: Unrated

SRP:
-Blu-Ray: $34.99
-DVD: $26.98

Format: 2.40:1/16x9

Audio:
-Blu-Ray: DolbyTrueHD  5.1
-DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles: English, Spanish

 

Antonio Banderas, Sam Elliott and Snoop Dogg star in THE BIG BANG coming to Blu-ray and DVD May 24th from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Warner Bros. Entertainment Offers Five Additional Movies For Rent Directly On Facebook®

STUDIO EXPANDING TEST TO INCLUDE “HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE,” “HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS,” “INCEPTION,” “LIFE AS WE KNOW IT” AND “YOGI BEAR” 

MILLIONS OF WARNER BROS. FACEBOOK FANS CAN NOW RENT MOVIES USING FACEBOOK CREDITS AND STREAM WITHIN STUDIO’S MOVIE FAN PAGES


BURBANK, CALIF., March 27, 2011 – Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD), a market leader in video-on-demand and electronic sell-through, announced it will expand its test offering of movies for rental through Warner Bros. Entertainment’s Facebook Movie Pages.  Starting today at 10:00 pm Pacific Time / 1:00 am Eastern Time, consumers will be able to rent five additional titles directly through each film’s official Facebook Page using Facebook Credits.   The films include “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Inception,” “Life as We Know It” and “Yogi Bear.”

To rent a film, consumers simply click on the “watch now” icon to apply their Facebook Credits, and within seconds they will begin enjoying the film.  This offering is presently available only to consumers in the United States. 

“We’re pleased to expand our test with a variety of titles that will appeal to a broad audience,” said Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.  “These titles have substantial followings on Facebook.  The Fan Pages for ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Inception’ alone are two of the most popular and active communities on the site.” 

Fans will have full control over the film while watching it through their Facebook account for up to 48 hours from purchase.  They can choose to watch it in full screen, pause the movie, and resume playing it when they log back into Facebook.  Consumers will also have full Facebook functionality including the ability to post comments on the movie, interact with friends and update their status.     

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.  Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR.
(s11)
 
About Warner Bros. Digital Distribution
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) oversees the electronic distribution of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group’s content through Video-On-Demand, Pay-Per-View, Electronic Sell-Through and Subscription Video-On-Demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels.   WBDD also distributes content through third party digital retailers and licensees.  A worldwide industry leader since its inception, WBDD also manages the Studio’s E-commerce sites that include WBShop.com and WarnerArchive.com.  Twitter: @WBDigitalDist

Warner Bros. Entertainment Offers Five Additional Movies For Rent Directly On Facebook®

MESKADA -- DVD review by porfle

When two bumbling burglars break into a home and end up killing a little boy, the impromptu murder sparks an investigation which has unexpected consequences in MESKADA (2010).

Nick Stahl (TERMINATOR 3, "Carnivale") is Noah Cordin, the smalltown detective on the case, with Rachel Nichols (the green-skinned "Gaila" from STAR TREK) as Leslie Spencer, a county deputy assigned to assist him.  Although Leslie reminds me of certain soap opera characters who are prematurely promoted to detective seemingly on the strength of their youth and sex appeal, she proves that she can handle the job during a couple of tense altercations.

A clue leads to Nick's nearby hometown of Caswell, where out-of-work locals are fighting for the approval of a new factory that will supply them with hundreds of jobs.  When Nick's investigation proves a detriment to the town's future, he and his family face the ire of a desperate citizenry on the verge of violence.



The story is about as low-key and unsensational as it gets, starting out as a leisurely police procedural and ambling into more complicated matters as Noah and Leslie poke their way into sensitive areas that put the townspeople on the defensive.  Stahl gives a reserved performance that's a far cry from his "Yellow Bastard" in SIN CITY, with Laura Benanti as the murdered boy's mother doing most of the heavy emoting.

TWILIGHT's Kellan Lutz is the simple-minded Eddie, who neither comprehends the enormity of his crime nor has the brains to keep a low profile.  Jonathan Tucker (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) plays his partner Shane, whose motive for the robbery is to help pay for his nephew's much-needed operation.

Tucker is an actor I've always liked and is very good here, giving his character a sympathetic element that enriches the story.  I also like Norman Reedus ("Scud" of BLADE II) who plays Shane's hotheaded brother-in-law Dennis, an early suspect in the murder.  Shane clashes with both Dennis and the irresponsible Eddie as he attempts to evade the inevitable consequences of his guilt.

Writer-director Josh Sternfeld's script burns with a slow fuse that touches off occasional flashes of gripping drama.  Noah's deteriorating relationships with various childhood friends lead to some tense situations, and his tough interrogation of Eddie's girlfriend Nat (Meryl Streep's daughter, Grace Gummer) after she's caught fencing stolen goods is one of the film's livelier moments. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  A trailer is the sole extra.

Although in dramatic terms MESKADA comes to a fairly satisfying conclusion, there's a melancholy lack of resolution to the story that's both realistic and frustrating.  Neither an action-packed crime drama nor a by-the-numbers detective tale, it draws the viewer in by being quietly unpredictable. 


Buy it at Amazon.com

MESKADA -- DVD review by porfle

10,000 A.D.: LEGEND OF THE BLACK PEARL -- DVD review by porfle

A worthy effort to do something epic on a low budget without resorting to all the usual exploitation elements, 10,000 A.D.: LEGEND OF THE BLACK PEARL (2010) works hard to impress but fails to entertain.

After a ROAD WARRIOR-like montage of apocalyptic images, we see a future Earth in which all of civilization has been reduced to two tribes--the warrior Hurons and the weaker Plaebians.  When a new threat appears in the form of shadowlike wraiths known as the Sinasu, who are bent on destroying them both, a young Huron named Karupi (Julian Perez) must fulfill his destiny to become the savior of mankind. 

Since Karupi's mentor Tukten (Loukas Papas) has disappeared, another warrior, Ergo (writer and co-director Raul Gasteazoro) steps in to take his place.  But Ergo leads Karupi down a different path that may end in ruin.  Meanwhile, Maitreya (Edgar Feliciano) rises from among the Plaebians to play a surprising role in the ultimate fate of humanity.

The first thing I noticed about this film is that it's filled with stunning location photography, shot in a number of national parks in various countries by a skeleton crew.  Most mainstream films would kill for such a breathtaking array of lush, panoramic backdrops as those seen here.  The beautiful beachfront scenes in Puerto Rico alone are enough to help BLACK PEARL transcend its low budget, and they're only a small part of the visual splendor that's maintained right up until the final shot.

Unfortunately, along with this comes a screenplay that's both exceedingly talky and hard to follow.  The story moves at a snail's pace while characters assail each other with stilted dialogue ("Do not kindle my slowly burning fire...the wick is short and the scar long") delivered in a melodramatic, mock-classical style that's beyond the abilities of most of the cast. 

The thinly-disguised political message is simplistic (the word "Sinasu" gives it away pretty quick) while the film's efforts to be taken seriously grow tiresome.  Much of the murky narrative may leave you scratching your head trying to figure it all out.



Relieving the solemnity at various points are some fight scenes that are shot in confusing fashion.  Filmed in "chunks" (as one of the directors puts it in the commentary), these sequences are clumsily choreographed with most of the actors displaying a lack of martial arts skills that the choppy editing and shaky-cam fail to disguise. 

More successful are a distinctly homoerotic training sequence with Kurupi and Ergo, and Ergo's short-lived romance with a beautiful blonde warrior woman named Lana (Lilly Husbands), both of which were shot on the beach in Puerto Rico.  In regard to special effects, the decision to forego CGI in favor of some imaginative camera tricks and other visual sleight-of-hand was a wise one.  The film also benefits from an exceptional musical score.

The DVD from Indican Pictures is in 4x3 full frame with Dolby Digital sound.  No subtitles, except for in the early scenes when the characters are speaking in their native language.  Extras consist of a commentary with co-directors Raul Gasteazoro and Giovanni Messner, plus trailers from this and other Indican releases.

It's admirable for indy filmmakers with meager funds to attempt something as ambitious as 10,000 A.D.: LEGEND OF THE BLACK PEARL, even when the final result falls short.  Maybe it could've used less speechifying and a few more of those exploitation elements that make post-apocalyptic Earth a little more fun to visit.



Buy it at Amazon.com

10,000 A.D.: LEGEND OF THE BLACK PEARL -- DVD review by porfle

BEHEMOTH -- DVD review by porfle

When a SyFy original movie has the words "worldwide destruction" in the synopsis, you can pretty much bet you're going to hear about it more than see it, with most of the action taking place in a centralized location with occasional dollops of bad CGI.  In BEHEMOTH (2011), the location is a mountain community in the wilds of Canada, and the CGI dishes up one of the goofiest monsters this side of REPTILICUS.

A rash of earth tremors and some mysterious deaths have the citizens of Ascension on edge, including concerned geologist Emily Allington (Pascale Hutton, GINGER SNAPS: UNLEASHED) and government agent Jack Murray (Ty Olsson, "Defying Gravity").  A lovable, quasi-senile old professor, William Walsh (William B. Davis, who was Cancer Man on "The X-Files"), believes that the ravaged Earth has dredged up a mythical beast to purge itself of Mankind as it sometimes does whenever we get too destructive with our global warming and whatnot. 

Ed Quinn ("Eureka") makes a pretty stalwart hero as logger Thomas Walsh, William's son and Emily's old boyfriend, who ends up guiding Jack up the quake-prone Mt. Lincoln in search of some vital equipment left behind by two missing agents.  Naturally, Emily insists on going along, and, even more naturally, Thomas' headstrong younger sister Grace (Cindy Busby, "Heartland") and her dopey boyfriend Jerrod (James Kirk) are camping out on the same mountain.
 


The behemoth, it turns out, is so big that it practically wears the mountain like a backpack and can flex its enormous CGI tentacles for miles.  Just as the romantic Jerrod picks the perfect moment to hit a knee and propose to Grace (thus marking himself for death), a giant eyeball pokes out of a hole in the rock wall and peers angrily at the two lovebirds.  Their reactions are somewhat comical as they scamper off down the mountain screaming "What was that!  What was that!" as a tentacle makes a grab for them.  This would probably be a good time to mention that some of the acting and dialogue in this flick aren't quite up to par.

Meanwhile, Thomas and Emily are having their own tentacle problems as they search for Jack's missing equipment, which turns out to be an anti-behemoth weapon.  We know exactly what they're going to do with it, too, because it's foreshadowed in the most obvious terms possible by one of William B. Davis' early lines.  Speaking of which, Professor Walsh and his waitress friend Zoe (Jessica Parker Kennedy) get trapped in a diner that's gone down a sinkhole and has tentacles sliding past the window like city buses.
 


The screenplay takes its time slowly building up to the action until finally it's time for the cameramen to start shaking their cameras around and the characters to start freaking out while the behemoth lobs its appendages at them.  As Professor Walsh works his tired old bones to a frazzle trying to rescue the infuriatingly-stupid Zoe, the big finale features the behemoth sticking its giant, roaring head out the top of Mt. Lincoln while tentacles writhe around it.  This is a sight that will either stupify viewers or have them rolling on the floor in bad-movie delight. 

The DVD from Vivendi is in widescreen with English Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.  Closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.  No extras.

BEHEMOTH is the kind of monster movie that used to run on a drive-in double bill before turning up years later on "Mystery Science Theater 3000."  If you can appreciate bad movies of recent vintage in addition to the finely-aged ones, you'll probably find it a somewhat enjoyable viewing experience.  If not, however, you should follow the advice of the town sheriff and evacuate the area around Mt. Lincoln as soon as possible. 



Buy it at Amazon.com

BEHEMOTH -- DVD review by porfle

Film Chest and Virgil Films & Entertainment Proudly Present on the HD Cinema Classics and CULTRA Labels …"THE TERROR"

In the Classic Tradition of Dracula, Frankenstein & House of Wax, Roger Corman's Horrorfest Sets its Trap!

Starring Boris Karloff & Jack Nicholson, in HD for the 1st Time Ever!
DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack Out April 26th 

NEW YORK CITY - April 1, 2011 - For Immediate Release - Roger Corman's 1963 thriller The Terror - restored and in HD for the first time ever - will be available in a special DVD/Blu-ray combo pack April 26 from Film Chest on the HD Cinema Classics and CULTRA labels (distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment).

In 18th century France, Lt. Andre Duvalier (three-time Academy Award-winner Jack Nicholson, The Departed, As Good As It Gets, A Few Good Men), an officer in Napoleon's army, has been separated from his regiment. Wandering near the coast, he spies a young woman (Sandra Knight, Frankenstein's Daughter, Blood Bath) and calls out. When she fails to acknowledge him, he follows her into the dark surf and loses consciousness.

He awakens in a house, tended by an old woman, Katrina (Dorothy Neumann, Sorry, Wrong Number, The Ten Commandments), who claims not to know the mysterious lady. On his way again, Andre comes upon the castle of Baron Victor Frederick Von Leppe (Boris Karloff, Frankenstein, The Mummy, How the Grinch Stole Christmas).

There he learns that the girl is in fact the spirit of the Baron's late wife being used as a pawn by the witchy Katrina, who is bent on driving the elderly Baron to suicide.

Famous for being shot on leftover film sets from other productions, The Terror, produced and directed by Roger Corman, has been released under several titles (Lady of the Shadows, The Castle of Terror and The Haunting) and more recently aired as episodes of the syndicated TV series Cinema Insomnia With Mr. Lobo and Elvira's Movie Macabre (Oct. 3, 2010).

The Terror, restored from original 35mm elements, is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16 x 9 and 5.1 surround sound mix. Enclosed is a collectible postcard reproduction of the original movie poster and special features include Spanish subtitles, before-and-after film restoration demo and trailer.

About Film Chest:
Film Chest, headquartered in New York City, boasts one of the world's largest digitized libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio, which it continues to grow aggressively. Founded in 2001, the company offers high-quality content (much in HD) for a wide variety of production and distribution needs and produces collector's sets for consumers. In 2010, Film Chest unveiled three new labels. HD Cinema Classics are films that have been painstakingly restored in HD and 5.1 stereo - utilizing state-of-the art digital technology - from original film assets. American Pop Classics restores classic American film and TV shows from the '30-70s. CULTRA showcases the best (and worst) of cult cinema, a cinematic cesspool of films that are surreal, eccentric, controversial, comical and scary but ultimately engaging and entertaining. With directors who were both visionaries and crackpots, these films were originally misunderstood and rarely a box office success, achieving status by word-of-mouth and underground distribution. Film Chest releases theatrically, on DVD (distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment) and digitally on iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Verizon FIOS and more. Visit us online at www.FilmChest.com.

About Virgil Films & Entertainment:
Virgil Films & Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America, was founded in 2003 as Hart Sharp Video by Joe Amodei to develop, acquire, market and distribute DVD product in the theatrical film, documentary, special interest and sports categories. The company has built partnerships with such high-profile entertainment brands as Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, ESPN, MLB Productions, Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Morgan Spurlock's Warrior Poets, among others. For more information, please visit: www.VirgilFilmsEnt.com.

The Terror (2 Discs)
Film Chest / Virgil Films & Entertainment
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Original Release: 1963 (Color)
Not Rated
Format: DVD/Blu-ray Combo pack
Running Time: Approx. 79 Minutes (Plus Special Features)
Suggested Retail Price: $15.99
Pre-Order Date: March 22, 2011
Street Date: April 26, 2011
Catalog #:  APC-007
UPC Code:  #851169003070

Buy it at Amazon.com 

Film Chest and Virgil Films & Entertainment Proudly Present on the HD Cinema Classics and CULTRA Labels …"THE TERROR"

Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan star in the Oscar-nominated THE WAY BACK coming to Blu-ray and DVD April 19 from Image Entertainment

"As big as a film can be. As big as life itself." — Los Angeles Times

"Few films can match Peter Weir’s epic escape movie for sheer adventure, danger and, ultimately, the triumph of the human spirit." — The Hollywood Reporter

IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT PROUDLY PRESENTS "THE WAY BACK"

THE OSCAR®-NOMINATED STORY OF A COMPELLING JOURNEY, A TEST OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT

From the Best-Selling Memoir by Slavomir Rawicz--Arriving on DVD and Blu-ray™ April 19, 2011



Chatsworth, CA – Incredible but true… These conflicting words shouldn’t be describing a single event…yet they do.  On April 19, Image Entertainment releases The Way Back, the thrilling story inspired by real events of seven escapees and the agonies they endured as they cross a brutal landscape towards a distant, safe haven. Directed by six-time Academy-Award® nominee Peter Weir (Witness, Master and Commander:  The Far Side of the World), the film wowed critics and audiences during its theatrical run earlier this year. Oscar® nominated for Best Makeup, The Way Back will be available on DVD for an SRP of $27.97 and on Blu-ray™ for an SRP of $29.97.  Special features (both formats) include the original theatrical trailer, with a behind-the-scenes featurette. Pre-book is March 22.

Starring four-time Oscar® nominee Ed Harris (Apollo 13), Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe), Oscar® nominee Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) and Colin Farrell (In Bruges), this is an epic saga of survival; a trial of humanity and strength.  The year is 1940, and seven prisoners have daringly escaped from a brutal Siberian gulag.  But they find that having escaped one prison they are now surrounded by another:  the brutal, unforgiving Siberian landscape. But freedom is tempting and the men begin a treacherous 4,500-mile trek, with little food and supplies.  Their trust in each other is even less, but in order to withstand nature at its most terrifying extremes, they must learn to rely on each other and overcome their suspicions.  Their compassion is further tested when they meet a teenage runaway who begs to join them on their quest.

The Way Back is an exhilarating testament to human courage and endurance, a wilderness adventure that spans miles as well as emotions.  Vast and powerful, it has been called “Peter Weir at his hypnotic best.” (Cinematical.com)

The Way Back is the first film produced under the Exclusive Films label to be distributed through Exclusive’s subsidiary, Newmarket Films, in partnership with Wrekin Hill. National Geographic Entertainment and Imagenation Abu Dhabi co-produced the film as part of their joint production agreement. 

About Image Entertainment:
Image Entertainment, Inc. (OTCQB: DISK ) is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and more than 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights, as well as digital download rights to over 2,100 video programs and approximately 400 audio titles containing more than 6,000 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth , California . For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to www.image-entertainment.com.

THE WAY BACK  Blu-raytm
Genre:             Drama, Feature Film, Based on the Book “The Long Walk, Inspired by True Stories, MIA/POW
Rating:            PG-13 for violent content, depiction of physical hardships, a nude image and brief strong language
Languages:      English
Format:            Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio:             DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles:         English, Spanish
Year:               2010
SRP :                $29.97
Street Date:     April 19, 2011
Pre-Book:        March 22, 2011
Length:            132 minutes
UPC :               014381693959
Cat#:               NMF6939BD

THE WAY BACK DVD
Genre:             Drama, Feature Film, Based on the Book “The Long Walk, Inspired by True Stories, MIA/POW
Rating:            PG-13 for violent content, depiction of physical hardships, a nude image and brief strong language
Languages:      English
Format:            Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio:             Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:         English, Spanish
Year:               2010
SRP :                $27.97
Street Date:     April 19, 2011
Pre-Book:        March 22, 2011
Length:            132 minutes
UPC :               014381693829
Cat#:               NMF6938DVD

Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan star in the Oscar-nominated THE WAY BACK coming to Blu-ray and DVD April 19 from Image Entertainment

GANG LAND -- DVD review by porfle

Based on actual events, Randolph Kret's GANG LAND, aka "Pariah" (1998), is powerful indy filmmaking whose reach just barely exceeds its grasp.

With rival white and black gangs in a constant race war in L.A., the interracial couple of Steve (Damon Jones) and Sam (Elexa Williams) suffer the wrath of both sides.  The final outrage comes when Sam is brutally gang-raped in a parking garage by David Lee (David Lee Wilson) and his skinhead cronies while Steve is beaten and forced to watch.  Sam commits suicide later that night, and the grief-stricken Steve swears revenge.

Writer-director Randolph Kret gives us an uncomfortably close look at the racist skinhead culture as we spend time hanging out with these dregs of society--slam-dancing, gang-banging, and generally being hostile toward the world and each other.  These lost souls have nothing better to do with their lives, so they convince themselves that their violent intolerance of blacks, gays, Jews, and other "different" people has some kind of meaning. 

Their leader, Crew (Dave Oren Ward) has a drug dealer for a dad and Adolph Hitler as a hero, quoting "Mein Kampf" as though it were the Bible.  The barely-human David Lee is such a sociopath that even the other skinheads can scarcely tolerate him, yet these wretched cretins band together because they don't belong anywhere else.

Into this volatile atmosphere comes the vengeful Steve, now transformed into a swastika-tattooed skinhead and putting on a tough-guy act in order to infiltrate the gang.  Damon Jones, who appeared in the Seinfeld episode entitled "The Maid", is believable as Steve's "Joe College" self but seems jarringly out of place as an enigmatic, spaghetti-western-type badass. 

This isn't entirely Jones' fault, since he was a last-minute replacement for the actor originally cast for the role and delivers a highly intense performance.  The growing empathy between him and Crew's girlfriend Sissy, along with a falling-out with his religious sister, are explored in some powerful scenes that are emotionally explosive.  Still, Jones' miscasting calls attention to itself throughout the film.



Even the less technically-skilled members of the cast play their roles with conviction.  Standouts include Ann Zupa as overweight misfit Babe, Brandon Slater as the mentally-challenged naif Doughboy, and Angela Jones, who was Esmerelda the cab driver in PULP FICTION, as a spaced-out heroin addict who perilously straddles the fence between the warring factions.  As Sissy, Aimee Chaffin's portrayal of a sexually-abused runaway with nowhere else to go is harrowing.

Jewish actor Dave Oren Ward invests the character of Crew with just enough intelligence and charisma to make him dangerous--at times he seems almost reasonable, especially in his philosophical debates with Steve, but then he does something vile to remind us that he's beyond hope.  (Sometime after filming, Ward was tragically murdered in a road rage incident.) 

Most of all, though, it's David Lee Wilson's portrayal of psychotic neanderthal David Lee that keeps the film humming like a high tension wire.  In his commentary, director Kret describes Wilson as "a cancer on the set of this film", yet their conflicts seem to have added rather than detracted to the character's effectiveness.

The skinheads live from one outbreak of senseless violence to the next, a cycle of attacks and retaliations more immediate and unsettling than the antics of Kubrick's "Droogies" in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.  Like the acting in this film, Randolph Kret's direction is unpolished but intense, and he realistically stages these episodes in messy, chaotic bursts that often come out of nowhere. 

Steve's initiation into the group results in the stabbing of a transvestite, blurring the line that separates him from the others and casting him into even deeper turmoil.  We're never really sure what he's eventually planning to do (if he indeed has a plan), or what shape he'll be in when the time comes.

The DVD from Indican Pictures is in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 in English and 2.0 sound in English, Spanish, and French.  No subtitles.  Randolph Kret gives a frank account of the making of the film in his commentary, readily admitting to his various influences and describing the difficulties of working within a highly restricted budget and schedule.  The extras also include a trailer and TV spots, deleted scenes, actor audition tapes, a photo gallery, storyboards, and a detailed text history of the skinhead movement and its various factions. 

I didn't really like GANG LAND all that much the first time I watched it, but upon second viewing I began to better appreciate what Randolph Kret had accomplished with this sincere effort.  With more conviction and imagination than actual finesse, he's made a scary, unpredictable action flick with a message that resonates.

GANG LAND -- DVD review by porfle

Coppola/Corman Classic "DEMENTIA 13" DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack Out April 26th

Film Chest and Virgil Films & Entertainment Proudly Present DEMENTIA 13 on the HD Cinema Classics and CULTRA Labels

Which Mourner Has a Motive for Murder?

Roger Corman & Francis Ford Coppola Explore the Demented World of the Seedy, Greedy & Insane, all in HD for the 1st Time Ever!

NEW YORK CITY - April 1, 2011 - For Immediate Release - Produced by celebrated B movie icon Roger Corman and directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, 1963's terror-ific Dementia 13 will be available in a special DVD/Blu-ray combo pack, April 26 from Film Chest on the HD Cinema Classics and CULTRA labels (distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment).

Considered Coppola's first mainstream, "legitimate" directorial effort, this gothic psychological
thriller - based on a story idea Corman penned in one night - was shot for a budget of $42,000. The majority of the American actors were college pals of Coppola, many of whom paid their own way to Ireland for the opportunity to appear in a film. Although Coppola promised "lots of sex and violence," Corman later battled with Coppola and hired director Jack Hill to shoot additional scenes of carnage. For years, it was rumored that the film's print had mysteriously disappeared. Now, Film Chest makes Dementia 13 available to fans, restored and in HD for the first time ever!

 After inadvertently causing her husband's fatal heart attack, Louise, a scheming young woman (Luana Anders, Easy Rider, The Last Detail, TV's Santa Barbara), attempts to have herself written into her wealthy mother-in-law's will. 

Forging a letter from her deceased spouse to convince his family he's away on business, Louise - determined to get into their good graces - pays a surprise visit to the ancestral home in Ireland. With other family members gathered at the foreboding castle, she joins in a morbid ritual to honor Kathleen, her sister-in-law who died mysteriously seven years earlier.



When an axe-wielding lunatic begins murderously stalking the gatherers, her plans are permanently interrupted. But which one is the killer?  Is Louise - or one of the other peculiar mourners, each with a dark motive - willing to do anything to gain fortune?

Also starring William Campbell (Cannonball, Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte), Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange, Chariots of Fire), Bart Patton, (THX 1138, TV's Riverboat) and Ethne Dunne (No Resting Place, The Mutations).

Dementia 13, restored from original 35mm elements, is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16 x 9 and 5.1 surround sound. Enclosed is a collectible postcard reproduction of the original movie poster. Special features include Spanish subtitles, before-and-after film restoration demo and trailer.

About Film Chest:
Film Chest, headquartered in New York City, boasts one of the world's largest digitized libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio, which it continues to grow aggressively. Founded in 2001, the company offers high-quality content (much in HD) for a wide variety of production and distribution needs and produces collector's sets for consumers. In 2010, Film Chest unveiled three new labels. HD Cinema Classics are films that have been painstakingly restored in HD and 5.1 stereo - utilizing state-of-the art digital technology - from original film assets. American Pop Classics restores classic American film and TV shows from the '30-70s. CULTRA showcases the best (and worst) of cult cinema, a cinematic cesspool of films that are surreal, eccentric, controversial, comical and scary but ultimately engaging and entertaining. With directors who were both visionaries and crackpots, these films were originally misunderstood and rarely a box office success, achieving status by word-of-mouth and underground distribution. Film Chest releases theatrically, on DVD (distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment) and digitally on iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Verizon FIOS and more. Visit us online at www.FilmChest.com.

About Virgil Films & Entertainment:
Virgil Films & Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America, was founded in 2003 as Hart Sharp Video by Joe Amodei to develop, acquire, market and distribute DVD product in the theatrical film, documentary, special interest and sports categories. The company has built partnerships with such high-profile entertainment brands as Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, ESPN, MLB Productions, Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Morgan Spurlock's Warrior Poets, among others. For more information, please visit: www.VirgilFilmsEnt.com.

Dementia 13 (2 Discs)
Film Chest / Virgil Films & Entertainment
Genre: Horror
Original Release: 1963 (B&W)
Not Rated
Format: DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack
Running Time: Approx. 75 Minutes (Plus Special Features)
Suggested Retail Price: $15.99
Pre-Order Date: March 22, 2011
Street Date: April 26, 2011
Catalog #:  APC-005
UPC Code:  #851169003056

Buy it at Amazon.com

Coppola/Corman Classic "DEMENTIA 13" DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack Out April 26th

THE ULTIMATE WAVE TAHITI -- DVD review by porfle

The tropical beauty of Tahiti helps make up for the lack of 3D in the flat DVD version of the IMAX film THE ULTIMATE WAVE TAHITI (2010).  As a surfing documentary, though, it has a similar lack of depth.

As we join surfing champions Kelly Slater and Raimana Van Bastolear, they're sitting next to Raimana's beachfront shack watching the ocean and waiting patiently for the waves to come in.  The viewer must wait as well, since there really isn't all that much surfing in this movie and most of it doesn't take place until around the halfway point. 

Till then, we get some nice helicopter views of the heavenly Tahitian landscape and watch the assembled surfers pass the time by skiing and riding outrigger canoes.  The camera takes us underwater to observe them lugging rocks around on the bottom to keep in shape, while schools of fish, a few sharks, and even some humpbacked whales glide by.  We also get a look at some of the ships and airplanes that have sunk beneath the waves over the years.

These picturesque views are periodically interrupted by animated science lessons which teach us things such as how the solar system's gravitational ebb and flow affects ocean currents on Earth, how waves are created and shaped, and how the Pacific islands came to be in the first place.
  


Tahiti's culture is touched upon with some weird animations of their ancient gods floating around an old shack before flying at the camera (which no doubt looks cool in 3D) and a Polynesian cookout around the campfire which features indigenous costumes, music, and dancing. 

Things begin to pick up when the surfing finally starts, with Kelly and Raimana trying their skill at what's known as "the demonic wave", one of the biggest and most dangerous in the world.  It's pretty exciting stuff although not always up to some other surfing docs I've seen.  The best parts feature a surfboard-mounted camera that places the viewer right in the middle of things.  Other shots put us inside the wave as it washes over us.

Unfortunately, the surfing sequence is over way too soon for me.  We get a number of good rides and some amusing wipeouts, and that's about it.  This is disappointing since I was expecting massive amounts of awesome surfing footage from this film.
 


The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with English, French, and Spanish Dolby 5.1 sound.  No subtitles.  In addition to several trailers for this and other documentaries, extras include five brief vignettes--"Board Design", "Kelly", "Raimana", "Tahiti", and "Wave Science"--and a short film, "About Tahiti", designed to attract tourism.

THE ULTIMATE WAVE TAHITI is fairly engaging although I felt it could've taken better advantage of its subject, with the science lectures and travelogue elements taking up too much valuable surfing time.  But if you're interested mainly in a scenic travelogue and aren't all that keen on watching people surf, you should enjoy it.


Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray 3D

THE ULTIMATE WAVE TAHITI -- DVD review by porfle

Bonus-packed "Upstairs, Downstairs" 40th Anniv. DVD; BBC docs' "The Genius of Design" and "Cosmos" on DVD March 29

UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS COMPLETE SERIES: 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION--On DVD March 29, 2011

Iconic British series seen on PBS and A&E;

Featuring more than 25 hours of never-before-seen bonus material;

New BBC revival begins April 10th on PBS Masterpiece

“Great fun and marvelous television” —New York Times
“One of the brightest gems ever to come over the ocean from the British”—Washington Post

Silver Spring, MD — The most popular and successful British drama series in television history, Upstairs, Downstairs Complete Series: 40th Anniversary Edition arrives on DVD from Acorn Media on March 29, 2011, featuring more than 25 hours of never-before-seen extras and collectible packaging with gold foil. Winner of seven Emmy® Awards, two BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody, Upstairs, Downstairs tells the epic saga of life in Edwardian England. The series inspired the recent ITV hit Downton Abbey and the highly-anticipated BBC revival starring Jean Marsh in her original role begins on PBS’ Masterpiece on April 10th. The beloved ITV Studios’ drama series captivated viewers for five heart-tugging, humorous and satisfying seasons from 1971 to 1975 and has been seen by a billion people in 40 countries worldwide. The 21-disc collection contains all five series, in addition to a 5-part behind-the-scenes documentary, 24 episode commentaries, 25th anniversary retrospective, interviews with the stars and creators, subtitles, and much more ($199.99; www.AcornOnline.com).

Upstairs: the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys. Downstairs: their loyal and lively servants. For nearly 30 years, they share a fashionable townhouse at 165 Eaton Place in London’s posh Belgravia neighborhood, surviving social change, political upheaval, scandals, and the horrors of the First World War.

The ensemble cast of top British actors includes Jean Marsh (Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse), Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), David Langton (The Spoils of War), Gordon Jackson (The Professionals), Simon Williams (Sword of Honour), and Lesley-Anne Down (North and South, The Bold and the Beautiful).

Bonus Features: 5-part documentary, The Making of Upstairs, Downstairs; 24 episode commentaries; 25th anniversary retrospective, Upstairs, Downstairs Remembered; interviews with the stars, composer, and editor; alternate pilot episode; essay by star and co-creator Jean Marsh; and more

Acorn Media will concurrently release Upstairs, Downstairs, Series 1 and 2 as 4-Disc standalone sets ($49.99). Series 3 (4-Disc, $49.99), Series 4 (4-Disc, $49.99), and Series 5 (5-Disc, $49.99) will be released later in 2011.

Street Date: March 29, 2011                                          SRP: $199.99
DVD 21-Disc Set: 68 episodes on 20 discs, plus bonus disc – Approx. 57 hrs., plus bonus – SDH subtitles



THE GENIUS OF DESIGN--Debuts on DVD from Athena March 29, 2011

New, in-depth BBC documentary explores the creativity behind everyday design; As seen on the Smithsonian Channel

“Elegant history of design” —The Daily Telegraph
“Fascinating” —The Times
“Brilliant, insightful” —The Guardian

Silver Spring, MD — Fun, fast-paced and always informative, The Genius of Design debuts on DVD from Athena on March 29, 2011, exploring the personalities and technology that shape our modern life. From the creators of the award-winning series The Genius of Photography and broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel in fall 2010, this in-depth BBC documentary series celebrates the discipline that shapes the world’s environment, economy, and culture and traces the history of design from the Industrial Revolution to the present. With spotlights on industrial design giants, such as Braun electronics, Ford, and Apple, this fascinating five-part documentary examines the art and science of design and the stuff it shapes –- from computer chips to cityscapes and everything in between (DVD 2-vol., 5 episodes, $49.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

For industrial designers, the world is never enough. They give shape and texture to the world to make it livable—indeed, beautiful—for the rest of us.  See the evolution from artisans’ workshops to industrial mass production, and the profound changes it has wrought in our economy, society, and environment. Meet historians, critics, and legendary contemporary designers, including Dieter Rams (Braun electronics), J Mays (Ford), and Jonathan Ive (Apple), who reveal the thinking behind iconic products such as the VW Beetle, the Eames chair, and the computer desktop. Along the way, discover how design has influenced even the outcome of war.

Episode 1: Ghosts in the Machine
Episode 2: Designs for Living
Episode 3: Blueprints for War
Episode 4: Better Living Through Chemistry
Episode 5: Objects of Desire

BONUS FEATURES:

• 12-page viewer’s guide with articles on the parties at the Bauhaus, changing American road signs, Ford’s eco-friendly factor, and a gallery of famous design flops
• Biographical sketches of influential designers, plus discussion questions and more designer biographies and famous flops at AthenaLearning.com 

Street Date: March 29, 2011                                    SRP: $49.99  
DVD 2-Vol. Boxed Set – 5 Episodes - Approx. 242 minutes - SDH Subtitles



THE COSMOS: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE--Debuts on DVD from Athena March 29, 2011

Captivating BBC documentary series explores the mysteries of our universe

“Weighty stuff, presented with a light touch” —Daily Mail
“Lucid, informative, and personable” —The Times

Silver Spring, MD — Revealing revolutionary discoveries about the universe’s composition, history and origin, The Cosmos: A Beginner’s Guide debuts on DVD from Athena on March 29, 2011. Affable presenter Adam Hart-Davis explores how technology is shaping our understanding of the universe, while making these findings accessible and fun with compelling presenters and superb 3-D recreations.  Seen on the BBC in 2007 and available to U.S. audiences for the first time with its DVD release, this eye-opening, six-part series shows how leading scientists are using ingenious tools to achieve breakthroughs in understanding the stars, planets, and our place among them (DVD 2-vol., 6 episodes, $39.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

Where did the universe come from? Where is it headed? Does it harbor intelligent life elsewhere? Today, sophisticated technology is bringing scientists closer and closer to answering those big questions. Join veteran science educator Adam Hart-Davis and his colleagues as they meet investigators probing the very nature of the cosmos—at the edges of space, as well as right here on Earth. Go far beneath Geneva as a supercollider attempts to unlock the secrets of the Big Bang. Follow humankind’s deepest space probe as it travels beyond our solar system. And see the spectacular, often violent events revealed by new-generation telescopes and sensors.

Episode 1: Life in the Cosmos
Episode 2: Building the Universe
Episode 3: Seeing the Universe
Episode 4: Space Exploration
Episode 5: Violent Universe
Episode 6: Other Worlds

Author, broadcaster, and educator Adam Hart-Davis holds a doctoral degree from York University. In addition to presenting numerous television and radio documentaries, he has written more than two dozen books, mostly on popular science.

BONUS FEATURES:

•       12-page viewer’s guide with the life cycle of a star and articles on the European Space Agency, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, communicating with aliens and the search for Earth-like exoplanets 
•       Gallery of Apollo astronauts, plus discussion questions and a timeline of space exploration milestones at AthenaLearning.com

Street Date: March 29, 2011                                    SRP: $39.99  
DVD 2-Vol. Boxed Set – 6 Episodes - Approx. 169 minutes - SDH Subtitles

Bonus-packed "Upstairs, Downstairs" 40th Anniv. DVD; BBC docs' "The Genius of Design" and "Cosmos" on DVD March 29

Anchor Bay Entertainment Premieres the High-Altitude, Hi-Tech Thriller TURBULENT SKIES on DVD June 21

Featuring the first pairing of stars Casper Van Dien (Sleepy Hollow) and Patrick Muldoon (Stigmata) since Starship Troopers

TURBULENT SKIES co-stars Brad Dourif (Child’s Play, Oscar®, BAFTA® nominee, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest), and Nicole Eggert (“Baywatch,” “Charles in Charge”). The spine-chilling Mach 1 thriller arrives with an SRP of $26.98, with pre-book on May 25th.

In the film, a new era in commercial aviation is about to launch. The first passenger plane under the complete control of a state-of-the-art computer is about to undergo its inaugural flight with a high-powered passenger list of potential investors. Bereft of pilots, all goes well until a computer virus compromises the system, and takes the plane far off course.

With the military threatening to shoot down the rogue plane, and the passengers literally prisoners of the air, the only hope of survival falls on the inventor of the aeronautical supercomputer to regain control of the plane and reprogram the computer – all he has to do is board the plane in mid-flight…

You’ll want to stay glued to your seat when you experience Turbulent Skies!

Turbulent Skies DVD
Genre:            Thriller/Suspense
Rating:            Not Rated
Languages:      English 
Format:           Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:             Dolby Digital 5.1
Year:               2010
SRP :                $26.98
Street Date:     June 21, 2011
Pre-Book:        May 25, 2011
Length:            87 minutes
UPC :               0 1313 22888-9 5
Cat#:               DV22888

Anchor Bay Entertainment Premieres the High-Altitude, Hi-Tech Thriller TURBULENT SKIES on DVD June 21

DINOSAURS: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA -- DVD review by porfle

From the very first second of DINOSAURS: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA (2007), things pop, fly, and explode toward the viewer.  The "Ooh! Ahh!" effect of it all is somewhat lost watching the two-dimensional DVD version of this made-for-3D IMAX film, as I did, although it still retains much of its pictorial grandeur. 

Writer-director Marc Fafard's dinosaur documentary is filled with beautiful vistas of Argentina, where the oldest and largest dinosaur fossils have been found.  As Donald Sutherland's familiar voice lulls us into the story, we're taken back 65 million years to the point in which a comet the size of Mount Everest is about to slam into the Earth and spell doom for its inhabitants (in a scene similar to the opening of ARMAGEDDON).  We'll witness the dramatic extinction of the dinosaurs later on, but first we skip back in time even farther to the Early Cretaceous period, where we meet some of the largest animals ever to walk the face of the planet.  

The CGI used to bring these creatures to life isn't quite on the JURASSIC PARK level but it's better than most.  The film follows the progress of two main characters, Strong One the male Argentinosaurus and Long Tooth the female Giganotosaurus, throughout their lives as they search for food and struggle to survive encounters with various predators.  At one point Long Tooth and her hunting pack attack Strong One's Argentinosaurus herd but are no match for the huge beasts.  Several other species of dinosaur are seen along the way, including the ever-popular T-Rex and a flying pterosaur with a wing span of over twelve meters.



These colorful sequences help offset the dry narrative tone and the slower stretches in which we observe real-life paleontologist Rodolfo Coria at work uncovering the fossils from which much of this historical data is derived.  It's interesting stuff, of course, watching this diligent explorer about his meticulous work, but a bit of a letdown after the dinosaur scenes. 

Fafard takes his camera anywhere it can possibly go in order to capture dynamic views of Argentina's most primitive regions.  Dizzying POV shots glide slowly over the landscape, often directly into the frame.  The CGI dinosaurs are extremely well-integrated into these settings. 

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.  There are no subtitles.  In addition to trailers, the bonus menu contains a documentary entitled "The Lizard King" which is equal in length to the main feature and boasts a wealth of additional dinosaur information presented in a seriocomic style. 

While the non-3D DVD of DINOSAURS: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA may seem a little, uhh..."flat" compared to its stereoscopic counterpart--especially during the parts where we're watching people dig up old bones--the visuals remain very impressive and the CGI dinosaur footage is among the best I've seen. 


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DINOSAURS: GIANTS OF PATAGONIA -- DVD review by porfle