"May the Fourth Be With You" Day Kicks off Countdown to Fan Expo Dallas

May the Fourth Be With You Day Kicks off Countdown to Fan Expo Dallas

Unofficial Star Wars Holiday Means Only One Month to Texas’ Biggest Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, Anime and Gaming Convention

DALLAS, April 29, 2016 – As every true Star Wars fan knows, Wednesday, May 4, is not just any day – it’s May the Fourth Be With You Day, the unofficial international holiday celebrating everything that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It also marks, nearly to the day, the month-long countdown to FAN EXPO DALLAS™, the largest convention for lovers of comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, gaming and more in the State of Texas, running from Friday, June 3, through Sunday, June 5, 2016, at the Dallas Convention Center.

FAN EXPO DALLAS will feature a Super Star Destroyer amount of celebrities, replicas and more for every fan of Star Wars, science fiction and pop culture. Among the celebrity guests will be Carrie Fisher, the actress who created the immortal character of Princess Leia, along with:

·         Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett, Star Wars Episodes III, V and VI)
·         Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett, Star Wars Episode II)
·         James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
·         The 501st Legion (world’s largest costumed fan club)
·         Rebel Legion (international costumed fan club)
·         Astromechs Builders (droid and prop builders)
·         Mandalorian Mercs (international costumed fan club)
·         Park Sabers (hand-made light sabers with electro-luminescent blades)

In addition, the 1,000-pound, 17-foot-long Roxy the Rancor – Jabba the Hutt’s terrifying “pet” from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – will be on hand for free photos and to help raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. Also at the expo will be a life-size replica of the Luggabeast from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and a full-scale replica landspeeder, just like Luke used in Star Wars: A New Hope. All of the replicas, as well as the celebrities and fan clubs, will be available for photos.

Other appearances will include Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi, Michelle Gomez and Jenna Coleman together for the first time in North America; Stan “The Man” Lee (co-creator of Spider-Man, the Avengers, X-Men and innumerable other Marvel Comics characters); original Star Trek cast members William Shatner, George Takei and Nichelle Nichols; Hollywood icons John and Joan Cusack; creative genius Frank Miller (Dark Knight III); and performers from Batman, SpongeBob SquarePants, Netflix’s Jessica Jones, Angel, The Vampire Diaries, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Arrow, Pretty Little Liars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Agent Carter, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and more.

“May the Fourth Be With You has become an international day to celebrate not just Star Wars but also the childlike sense of awe and wonder in all of us,” said Andrew Moyes, show director for FAN EXPO DALLAS. “Helping to create that same feeling for the fans at Fan Expo Dallas is one of the greatest joys of the event.”

For the full list of appearances and family-friendly activities, tickets and other information, please visit www.fanexpodallas.com. Stay connected with the show for announcements and updates by registering for their newsletter, and following them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For vendor information, please click here. Those interested in volunteering can find more information here. Accredited media can request press passes by applying for accreditation at www.fanexpodallas.com/press.

About FAN EXPO DALLAS

FAN EXPO DALLAS is the largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event in Texas and is quickly growing into one of the largest events in North America. It is packed with exciting, family-friendly activities and celebrity guests. The pop culture extravaganza is host to 50,000 fans at the Dallas Convention Center for the three-day annual event.

FAN EXPO HQ is one of the largest entertainment convention groups in North America. Collectively it hosts over 300,000 fans annually at FAN EXPO CANADA™, FAN EXPO VANCOUVER™, FAN EXPO REGINA™, Toronto ComiCon, MegaCon Orlando, FAN EXPO DALLAS and two other Dallas shows.

For more information, please visit the FAN EXPO DALLAS website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. General inquiries can be sent to info@fanexpohq.com, exhibitors can contact exhibitor@fanexpohq.com and questions about tickets can be sent to tickets@fanexpohq.com.

"May the Fourth Be With You" Day Kicks off Countdown to Fan Expo Dallas

TELEIOS -- Movie Review by Porfle

Remember in GATTACA when normal "inferior" human Ethan Hawke dreamed of going into space like the genetically-altered "superior" humans who got to be astronauts? 

In the suspenseful sci-fi thriller TELEIOS (2016), we get to see a whole crew of such perfect specimens on a mission to Saturn's moon Titan to recover the cargo from an ill-fated mining expedition.  But what happens to them is far from "perfect."

The first thing I noticed is that the look of the film is somewhere between a graphic sci-fi novel and the cover of ELO's "Out of the Blue", with shades of Chesley Bonestell and Ralph McQuarrie.

The limited sets--most of the story takes place aboard either salvage ship Teleios or derelict mining vessel Atromitos, in orbit over Titan--hint at a relatively modest budget, yet everything's finely-rendered and eye-pleasing.

When the crew awaken from their two-year suspended animation, we meet straight-arrow Commander Linden (Lance Broadway, OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN), first mate Iris Duncan (Sunny Mabrey, SNAKES ON A PLANE), Doctor Orson (Mykel Shannon Jenkins, DRIFTER: HENRY LEE LUCAS), engineer Chris Zimmer (T.J. Hoban, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", "The Wankers"), and navigator Emma Anderson (Christian Pitre, BOUNTY KILLER).

These genetically-enhanced people have a somewhat doll-like appearance which skirts the edge of the "uncanny valley."  They remain outwardly calm during a crisis--such as the one that greets them minutes after awakening--with only widened eyes betraying their inner anxiety.  After the danger passes, they do allow themselves some mild levity and a sigh of relief.

When they board the Atromitos, we get the familiar trope of listening to the doomed captain's log which starts out normal and then gets progressively worse with each update.  Apparently, there was a mutiny in which the crew killed each other and jettisoned the cargo, supposedly a compound capable of repairing Earth's decaying atmosphere, to Titan's surface.

Only one survivor remains, a lowly engineer named Travis O'Neill (Weetus Cren, CUTTING ROOM, W.M.D.), and he's in an apparent state of mute psychosis.

The tension mounts as the Teleios crew begin to experience a rapid increase in negative emotional responses (violence, anger, hostility, and, in the case of Zimmer and Anderson, uncontrollable sexual desire) and a deterioration of their mental faculties.  When the situation becomes life-threatening, they consider torture or worse to force O'Neill to enlighten them as to what the hell's going on.

It's sort of gratifying to watch these genetically superior humans who smugly refer to unmodified stiffs like the Atromitos crew as "pre-mans" (a non-P.C. term) coming apart at the seams for whatever mysterious reason as their brisk efficiency gives way to irrational behavior, indecision, and fear. 

Their predicament continues to deepen and become more fascinating as the gravity (so to speak) of the situation gradually reaches critical level.  The emphasis here is on mystery and suspense over action (most of which takes place in the last ten or fifteen minutes) and dazzling special effects, but this makes the film no less rewarding of an experience.

Performances are good, especially Sunny Mabrey as Duncan, the only crewmember who seems to be holding it together despite a bad case of the shakes, and Weetus Cren as "inferior" Atromitos survivor O'Neill, who's either crazy as a loon or just putting on an act.

Ursula Mills (PETER PAN) does a terrific pantomime as Lulu AH-320, a mannequin-like robot who serves as O'Neill's love interest and to whom he whispers things in Russian and Mandarin when he thinks no one else is listening.  Michael Nouri (FLASHDANCE, THE HIDDEN) appears on the Teleios' monitor screen periodically as Nordham, the Earth-based mission coordinator who seems to be hiding crucial information from the crew. 

Writer-director Ian Truitner (CUTTING ROOM, THE INTERVIEW) renders his screenplay with fluid, creative camerawork and fills the screen with lots of colorful future-world eye candy. 

While hardly the space-opera rollercoaster ride of STAR WARS or the deeply cerebral mindwarp of 2001, TELEIOS is thoughtful, satisfying sci-fi with an absorbing mystery and some startling plot twists.  And like a good book, it stays with you after the final page is turned. 


Sci-Fi London Film Festival World Premiere:
5:00 pm, May 1, 2016
Stratford East Picturehouse
Salway Rd, London E15 1BX, United Kingdom

Encore Screening:
9:00 pm, May 4, 2016
Stratford East Picturehouse
Salway Rd, London E15 1BX, United Kingd

Tickets: http://sci-fi-london.com/festival/2016/programme/feature/teleios

Watch the trailer

Official site

TELEIOS -- Movie Review by Porfle

"12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection" 3-Disc DVD Collector’s Set Out May 31

Film Chest Media Group Proudly Presents
12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection

Aliens … Monsters … Brain Swapping …
Anything Was Possible on the Cusp of the Atomic Age

15+ Hours of Science-Fiction From the 1920s to 1960s
3-Disc DVD Collector’s Set Out May 31st
  
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — May 1, 2016 — For Immediate Release — From the late ’20s through the ’60s, there was a time when the cinematic idea of the future bordered on visionary and down-right absurd. Now, blast into the past with more than 15 hours of film, which paved the way for the science-fiction genre, with the 12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection, available in a special, three-disc DVD collector’s set  May 31 from Film Chest Media Group.

On the cusp of the atomic age when rockets were launching into space and anything was possible, the science-fiction genre exploded onto the big screen, exploiting the curiosities and fears of the cosmic unknown.

Sci-fi producers pandered to the public with questionable discoveries and partial truths involving science of the future. The plots, while not completely believable, offered situations that featured different laws of science, separate from those known from past  or present, and embraced the concepts of environmental change, space travel and life on other planets, among a variety of topics, making great fodder for filmmakers of the time.

 

Featured in this special, 3-disc DVD collector’s set are Metropolis (1927), Phantom From Space (1953), The Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959), The Giant Gila Monster (1959),  The Killer Shrews (1959), Teenagers From Outer Space (1959), The Wasp Woman (1959), The Amazing Transparent Man (1960), The Phantom Planet (1961), The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962), The Atomic Brain (1963) and Destroy All Planets (1969).

12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection is presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 4 x 3 and original sound.  Special features include synopses and a photo gallery.

About Film Chest Media Group:
Founded in 2001, Film Chest Media Group offers high-quality content for a wide variety of
production and distribution needs, boasting one of the world’s largest libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio—much of it restored and digitized in HD. Headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., with offices in New York City, the company also produces and distributes collector’s DVD sets. Visit us online: www.filmchestmediagroup.com

12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection
Film Chest Media Group
Genre: Sci-fi/Horror/Thriller/Cult/Classic
Original Release: 1927-1969 (B&W/Color)
Not Rated
Format: DVD (3-Discs)
Running Time: Approx. 15 ¼ Hours
Suggested Retail Price: $19.98
Pre-Order Date: May 10, 2016
Street Date: May 31, 2016
Catalog #:  FC-526
UPC Code:  #874757052694

Buy it at Amazon.com

"12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection" 3-Disc DVD Collector’s Set Out May 31

"TELEIOS" Takes Off May 1: Sci-Fi London Film Festival World Premiere

Ian Truitner's "Teleios"
A Sci-Fi Action Thriller in Deep Space

World Premiere at the Sci-Fi London Film Festival May 1
   
Los Angeles, CA - Thousand Mile Media is excited to announce the world premiere of Ian Truitner's Teleios.  The action-packed sci-fi thriller will screen for the first time at the 16th London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film on May 1st.  

Teleios stars Sunny Mabrey (Species III, "Once Upon a Time"), Michael Nouri (Flashdance, "Damages"), Lance Broadway (Olympus Has Fallen), TJ Hoban ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") and Mykel Shannon Jenkins ("The Bold and the Beautiful").  A rescue mission for one man turns into a battle for survival as the "perfect" rescue team starts to fracture.

Sci-Fi London Film Festival World Premiere:
5:00 pm, May 1, 2016
Stratford East Picturehouse
Salway Rd, London E15 1BX, United Kingdom

Encore Screening:
9:00 pm, May 4, 2016
Stratford East Picturehouse
Salway Rd, London E15 1BX, United Kingd

Tickets: http://sci-fi-london.com/festival/2016/programme/feature/teleios

Watch the trailer
 

 

 

The deep space mining vessel Atromitos has been adrift for two years. It is suspected that most of the crew had brutally killed each other for reasons unknown.  Genetically modified "superior" humans are sent to investigate the marooned ship and recover the only survivor. Under the stress of isolation in outer space, the crew begins to exhibit unexpected character flaws. Cracks appear within the group which threaten the success of the mission and their chances of getting home alive.

"TELEIOS" Takes Off May 1: Sci-Fi London Film Festival World Premiere

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Horror Classic Gets Immersive Facelift in 4K UHD/Auro-3D Blu-Ray Re-Release

Classic Horror Story gets an immersive release in Auro-3D®

Turbine Media Group releases The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Auro 13.1 on 4K UHD Blu-ray™ in select territories

‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ remains one of the best horror films in cinema history and the 1974 movie now gets another release. From Turbine Media Group, this time on 4K UHD Blu-Ray™, the most controversial and influential horror movie becomes immersively scary as it will come with a 13.1 Auro-3D® mix.

Remixed specifically for the home theater environment, the Auro-3D® mix creates an exciting three-dimensional soundscape thanks to the addition of a Height layer in front, above and all around the listener. Auro-3D® is an exciting move from two-dimensional surround sound formats to three-dimensional sound. The Auro-3D® sound format is the next generation in audio, marking an exciting leap forward from standard Stereo and Surround sound that increases the dramatic impact of feature films such as THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.

Wilfried Van Baelen, CEO of Auro Technologies, states, “To have such an iconic and influential movie released again in Auro-3D, is truly worth the excitement. We are glad to have worked with Turbine Media Group to have this movie mixed at Galaxy Studios and to soon release this on 4K UHD Blu-Ray™. Having 4K image combined with true 3D sound, will uplift this classic tale to a new dimension’. 

‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is a 1974 American horror film, directed and produced by Tobe Hooper. As one of the best and scariest horror films in history, the movie is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons and the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, faceless figure. Though initially branded as perverted and glorifying violence, only the courageous critics at that time saw it as “the film that redefined horror”. ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ has shocked and stunned audiences worldwide, but set a standard in its genre, making Leatherface and his chainsaw one of the most iconic characters in the horror scene.

Consumers can maximize the Auro-3D® immersive experience at home with Auro-3D® enabled AV receiver and speakers or enjoy the soundtrack in 5.1. Territories featuring the Auro audio technology include Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Synopsis:  Back in 1974, writer, director and producer Tobe Hooper unleashed his dark vision on humanity with a story about five young friends whose innocent trip into the woods on a summer’s afternoon became a horrible nightmare. The film follows this group of friends as they fall victim to a family of cannibals whilst on their way to visit an old homestead. For an entire generation, Leatherface became a horror icon and the film became a cult hit.

Country/Year: USA / 1974
Actors:Marilyn Burns, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen,…
Director:Tobe Hooper
Distribution:Turbine Classics
Genre:Horror
Release date:May 27th 2016

Technical data UHD Blu-Ray™:
Audio: German: Auro-3D 13.1, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Surround,
    DTS 2.0 Mono
    English: Auro-3D 13.1, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Surround,
    DTS 2.0 Stereo, DTS 2.0 Mono
    Music and effects: DTS-HD 7.1
Image: 4K (3840 x 2160 Pixels)
Subtitling: Main movie: German for the hearing impaired, German, English
                   Commentary: German

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Horror Classic Gets Immersive Facelift in 4K UHD/Auro-3D Blu-Ray Re-Release

FSLC Announces Sound + Vision Presents, Two Live Music and Film Events, June 19 & 21

THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER ANNOUNCES
SOUND + VISION PRESENTS, TWO LIVE MUSIC AND FILM EVENTS, JUNE 19 & 21

Serge Bromberg’s family program Saved from the Flame: Amazing Slapstick Comedies on Father’s Day

New York premiere of L’Inhumaine with the Alloy Orchestra

New York, NY (April 26, 2016) – The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces two Sound + Vision Presents summer programs, exploring the connections between music and film through a series of intimate concerts paired with rare screenings.

On June 19, renowned film preservationist Serge Bromberg will present Saved from the Flame: Amazing Slapstick Comedies, a collection of newly restored silent shorts with live piano accompaniment. This family program showcases rare films with comedy icons such as Laurel and Hardy and Buster Keaton, as well as a number of special surprises. Complimentary popcorn will be provided in celebration of Father’s Day.

The prestigious Alloy Orchestra returns to Film Society to perform an original score with Marcel L’Herbier’s L’Inhumaine on June 21. Recently restored by Bromberg’s Lobster Films, this experimental sci-fi spectacle showcases opera singer Georgette Leblanc, Art Deco sets, sumptuous ballet choreography, and stunning sequences of tinting and toning, and makes its New York premiere with this one-night-only screening.

Acknowledgements:
For Saved from the Flame: Cultural Services of the French Embassy; Cinémathèque Française; Národní Film Archive; Library of Congress; MoMA; Jon Mirsalis; Motion Picture Academy; Archives du Film du CNC; and Lobster Films (Paris)

For L’Inhumaine: Marie-Ange L’Herbier and Mireille Beaulieu; Cultural Services of the French Embassy; Hermès, Paris; Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC); Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique (SACEM); ARTE; Nadia Couvert, Alice Dusong, Vanessa Helou, Maxime Laiguillon, David Shepard, Jeffery Masino, Joshua Morrison, Kimberly Bastin, Nate Sutton, Starr Scesniak, Sam Mujica, and Taz Morgan

Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 5. For Saved from the Flame, tickets are $20; $10 for Film Society members and kids. For L’Inhumaine with the Alloy Orchestra, tickets are $30; $25 for students, seniors (62+), and Film Society members. Visit filmlinc.org for more information.

FILMS & DESCRIPTIONS

Serge Bromberg’s Saved from the Flame: Amazing Slapstick Comedies
A world-famous film preservationist and entertainer, Serge Bromberg brings his traveling show Saved from the Flame to the Film Society of Lincoln Center with “Amazing Slapstick Comedies,” a program of rare shorts with live music that conjures the dazzling wonder and excitement of early cinema exhibition.

Bromberg and his company Lobster Films hold one of the most important private collections of films. Culling from the best surviving prints and negatives from around the world, Bromberg and collaborators use the latest digital technology to painstakingly restore each work and present them as if they were screening a century ago. This year’s program, for which Bromberg also accompanies on piano and provides fascinating commentary, presents amazing discoveries The Battle of the Century, the legendary Laurel and Hardy short previously thought lost, and Daydreams, the classic Buster Keaton short restored from materials found in the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, and the United States, and had survived only in mediocre copies until now! The program will also feature a “behind-the-scenes” look at the Lobster Films restoration process, which includes previously missing scenes from famous silent shorts by the Great Stone Face. With additional surprise movies up Bromberg’s sleeve, this very special event promises to be a blast from the past, yet one that is thoroughly modern and unforgettable.

Bromberg is an Officer of Arts and Letters, a member of the Board of Directors of the French Cinematheque, and the Chairman of the Board ECPAD (the French Army Film Unit), and has been the Artistic Director of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival for 15 years.

The Battle of the Century
Clyde Bruckman, USA, 1927, 19m
This early Laurel and Hardy film in which the two scheme and fail to pocket insurance money features the duo before they officially took on their recognizable characters. Notorious for using over 3,000 cream pies in its climactic scene, The Battle of the Century survived for many years only in fragments until its complete reel was discovered in 2015.

Daydreams
Buster Keaton & Eddie Cline, USA, 1922, 18m
A young man leaves home to earn enough money to marry his hometown love, but when he sends letters to his sweetheart about his various odd jobs, she hilariously glorifies each one in her imagination. Restored from materials found in the Czech Republic, France, The Netherlands, and the United States, Daydreams survived only in mediocre copies until now!
Sunday, June 19, 4:00pm

L’Inhumaine with the Alloy Orchestra

L’Inhumaine
Marcel L’Herbier, France, 1926, 125m
French intertitles with English subtitles
While initially a financial and critical disaster, Marcel L’Herbier’s science-fiction melodrama remains one of the most extravagant cinematic experiences of the 1920s and a singular invention from a miscellany of leading visual and musical stylists of the time. Starring opera diva Georgette Leblanc (who helped finance the film) as Claire Lescott, a famous singer courted by an eclectic assortment of men, including a bawdy American, a Russian mystic, a Hindu maharaja, and a young scientist (Jaque Catelain, L’Herbier’s close friend and protégé). In many ways, the spectacle of L’Inhumaine eclipses the narrative itself, instead hypnotizing audiences with one visual feast to the next. Feverish Cubist Art Deco sets abound, with costumes by the legendary fashion designer Paul Poiret and spellbinding dances performed by the Swedish Ballet. L’Herbier hired Darius Milhaud to score a mostly percussive composition that has been tragically lost. Meticulously restored by Lobster Films, with the participation from the L’Herbier estate and the National Center for Cinematography and the Moving Image, this phantasmagoric film from the French avant-garde will have its East Coast premiere with live, original accompaniment by the audacious Alloy Orchestra, making this a cinematic experience unlike any other!

Alloy Orchestra is a three-man musical ensemble—Terry Donahue, Ken Winokur, and Roger C. Miller—who write and perform live accompaniment to classic silent films. Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects, they thrash and grind soulful music from unlikely sources and have performed at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers around the world (including the Telluride Film Festival, the Louvre, and the National Gallery of Art). Utilizing their famous “rack of junk” and electronic synthesizers, an unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable.
Tuesday, June 21, 7:30pm

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
Founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, the Film Society of Lincoln Center works to recognize established and emerging filmmakers, support important new work, and to enhance the awareness, accessibility, and understanding of the moving image. The Film Society produces the renowned New York Film Festival, a curated selection of the year’s most significant new film work, and presents or collaborates on other annual New York City festivals including Art of the Real, Dance on Camera, Film Comment Selects, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, New York African Film Festival, New York Asian Film Festival, New York Jewish Film Festival, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, and Scary Movies. In addition to publishing the award-winning Film Comment magazine, the Film Society recognizes an artist's unique achievement in film with the prestigious Chaplin Award, whose 2016 recipient is Morgan Freeman. The Film Society’s state-of-the-art Walter Reade Theater and the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, located at Lincoln Center, provide a home for year-round programs and the New York City film community.

The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from American Airlines, The New York Times, HBO, Stella Artois, The Kobal Collection, Variety, Loews Regency Hotel, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on Twitter.

FSLC Announces Sound + Vision Presents, Two Live Music and Film Events, June 19 & 21

"GHOSTBUSTERS" Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) Celebrates Administrative Professionals Day (Video)

GHOSTBUSTERS
Comedy
July 15, 2016

Columbia Pictures--A Sony Company
Village Roadshow Pictures

April 27th is Administrative Professionals Day, and the new Ghostbusters' assistant, Kevin (Chris Hemsworth), is here to remind you to celebrate your assistant tomorrow.

Ghostbusters makes its long-awaited return, rebooted with a cast of hilarious new characters.  Thirty years after the beloved original franchise took the world by storm, director Paul Feig brings his fresh take to the supernatural comedy, joined by some of the funniest actors working today – Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth.  This summer, they’re here to save the world!

Directed by:    Paul Feig

Written by:                    Katie Dippold & Paul Feig
Based on the film “Ghostbusters”
Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
and Directed by Ivan Reitman

Produced by:                    Ivan Reitman
Amy Pascal

Executive Producers:                Michele Imperato Stabile
Paul Feig
Jessie Henderson
Dan Aykroyd
Tom Pollock
Joe Medjuck
Ali Bell

Cast:                        Melissa McCarthy
Kristen Wiig
Kate McKinnon
Leslie Jones
Charles Dance
Michael Kenneth Williams
and Chris Hemsworth

This film is not yet rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.  For future rating information, please visit www.filmratings.com.  Credits not final

"GHOSTBUSTERS" Kevin (Chris Hemsworth) Celebrates Administrative Professionals Day (Video)

"VAMPIRES" -- 80s B-Movie Rarity on DVD May 10

Film Chest Media Group
Proudly Presents 
VAMPIRES

Don’t go in the Basement After Dark …

Cult 80s B-Movie Rarity on DVD May 10th

 BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — May 1, 2016 — For Immediate Release — At a prestigious, all-girls prep school, things go terribly awry in the underground, horror flick Vampires, resurrecting on DVD May 10 from Film Chest Media Group.

Originally filmed as the second part of the 1989 cult anthology classic Fright House, this would be the last film of Len Anthony (Murderous Intent, Document of the Dead). Principal cinematographer Ernest Dickerson went on to shoot Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and direct several episodes of AMC’s iconic horror series The Walking Dead.

With a unique spin on the vampire genre, full of camp, heavy synth music and thought-provoking horror, Vampires is the perfect timestamp of ’80s, schlock cinema. 

An eager, young student, Ione (Orly Benyar, Fright House, Ninja Academy) is excited to begin the next chapter of her life when she is awarded a scholarship to attend the prestigious art school at the Abadon estate in New England … Which happens to have a distant history of working with the criminally insane. 

Soon after arriving on campus, she begins to realize something is amiss with the student body. When some classmates go missing – and no one can seem to account for their whereabouts – Ione decides to investigate. 

While searching for clues, Ione encounters Dr. Charles Harmon (Duane Jones, the doomed hero from the horror classic Night of the Living Dead, Ganja & Hess, To Die For), who tells her about Madeline Abadon (Jackie James, Over the Brooklyn Bridge, Fright House) and her quest to suck the youthful energy from students in order to gain immortality. 

Charles is then encumbered with the harrowing task of disarming Madeline and her “mad scientist” machine … But will he be able to end the demonic foray on campus before it’s too late? 

Vampires is presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 4 x 3 and original sound.  

About Film Chest Media Group:
Founded in 2001, Film Chest Media Group offers high-quality content for a wide variety of production and distribution needs, boasting one of the world’s largest libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio—much of it restored and digitized in HD. Headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., with offices in New York City, the company also produces and distributes collector’s DVD sets. Visit us online: www.filmchestmediagroup.com

Vampires
Film Chest Media Group
Genre: Horror/Vampire/Drama
Original Release: 1986 (Color)
Not Rated 
Format: DVD
Running Time: Approx. 80 Minutes 
Suggested Retail Price: $17.98
Pre-Order Date: April 19, 2016
Street Date: May 10, 2016
Catalog #:  FC-527
UPC Code:  #874757052793

Buy it at Amazon.com

"VAMPIRES" -- 80s B-Movie Rarity on DVD May 10

BLOODY WEDNESDAY -- DVD Review by Porfle

A steamy slab of low-budget exploitation, BLOODY WEDNESDAY (1987) knows just what kind of movie it's aiming to be and hits the target dead center.

This is director Mark G. Gilhuis' only film but he really knows how to work the material, keeping the plot moving along nicely while serving up the kind of imagery you'd see in a cheap horror comic. 

The screenplay about a man slowly going insane--which culminates in a shocking sequence inspired by the McDonald's massacre in San Ysidro, California back in 1984--is by Philip Yordan, whose long list of credits includes JOHNNY GUITAR, DETECTIVE STORY, BROKEN LANCE, THE MAN FROM LARAMIE, EL CID, KING OF KINGS, and BATTLE OF THE BULGE.

Thanks to Yordan, the film boasts dialogue that is sharply-written and keeps us interested between the more lurid and visceral moments. 

As Harry (Raymond Elmendorf) descends inexorably into madness, he has some intense conversations with his brother and caretaker Ben (Navarre Perry), his bitchy estranged wife Elaine (Teresa Mae Allen), his beautiful Swedish shrink Dr. Johnson (Pamela Baker), a street punk named Animal who has a grudge against him (Jeff O'Haco), and even his childhood teddy bear, voiced by Billy Curtis. 

The long-sufferering but short-tempered Ben does his best to keep Harry out of trouble, setting him up with a free room in a broken-down abandoned hotel that becomes the spooky setting for some of Harry's worst encounters, be they real (Animal and his gang of punks keep trying to break in and attack him) or imagined.

As for the latter, Harry thinks there are people staying in the hotel and that an aging bellman (John Landtroop) keeps popping in to dispense world-weary quips and lurid tales of former guests who have died there.  But are they ghosts, or just delusions?  (This part of the film is reminiscent of THE SHINING.)

The somewhat murky low-budget look (sometimes you may get the feeling you're watching an old VHS tape) works just fine since we get the feeling that's how life looks to Harry.  He pretty much lives inside a nightmare anyway, unable to tell reality from the fevered figments of his overheated imagination. 

The acting isn't superlative but is just as fitting for this type of film as are the unpolished production values.  Elmendorf keeps us guessing what's going on in Harry's confused, twisted mind and what he's going to do next as his life heads toward the inevitable trainwreck.

The DVD from Film Chest is in 4x3 widescreen with 2.0 sound.  No subtitles or extras, but closed captioning is available. 

After dreading it for the entire film, we finally witness the splattery, squib-packed finale of BLOODY WEDNESDAY and are treated to an orgy of senseless violence.  How one reacts, whether with shocked horror or a gorehound's enthusiastic cheers, is up to the viewer since the film doesn't make any overt comment.  It just happens.

BLOODY WEDNESDAY -- DVD Review by Porfle

"THE PRIVATE AFFAIRS OF BEL AMI" -- Olive Films Releases Ahead-of-its-Time Classic

Olive Films Releases Ahead-of-its-Time Classic and Restores Soundtrack of Beloved Film to its Theatrical Version

Chicago, IL – Olive Films, a boutique theatrical and home entertainment distribution label dedicated to bringing independent, foreign, and classic films to DVD and Blu-ray, is excited to announce that May 24th will be the Blu-ray debut of 10 films, including Albert Lewin’s ahead-of-its time classic The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1946) and French Postcards (1979) with its long-awaited theatrical soundtrack restored.

“Albert Lewin was a phenomenal intellectual director, and The Private Affairs of Bel Ami reflects that.,” said Alex Kopecky of Olive Films. “We’re proud to bring such a revered and complex film to Blu-ray, so that cinephiles everywhere can continue to enjoy it.”

THE PRIVATE AFFAIRS OF BEL AMI

Director Albert Lewin is often cited as one of the earliest intellectual directors in Hollywood, spending most of his young adulthood as an English academic. As one might expect, his films were often grossly misunderstood and underappreciated in their time.  Perhaps the best example of this is his 1946 drama The Private Affairs of Bel Ami, adapted from Guy de Maupassant’s novel and starring George Sanders and Angela Lansbury. It received near-unanimous negative reviews at its release, most notably from Bosley Crowther of the New York Times, but it is now widely praised by cinephiles. The film echoes many of the recurring themes in the director's work: artists at war with themselves, harmful obsessions, and a fusion of baroque and surreal styles.

Lewin’s fascination with aesthetics famously manifests itself in The Private Affairs of Bel Ami with a single Technicolor shot juxtaposed against the rest of the film’s black and white. The Technicolor shot in question is of Max Ernst’s grotesque and disturbing The Temptation of St. Anthony. To find this painting, producers held a contest called the Bel Ami International Art Competition in which 11 artists including Salvador Dalí, Leonara Carrington, Eugene Berman, and Dorothea Tanning participated. They each submitted their version of the often-painted story of St. Anthony, which itself reflects the film’s themes. A jury selected Max Ernst’s, and its presence in the film has gone down in film history as incredibly jarring and powerful.

FRENCH POSTCARDS

Fans of the film French Postcards have long been waiting for a DVD or Blu-ray of the film that includes the theatrical version’s beloved soundtrack. Rather than the replacement songs dubbed in for previous releases, Olive Films’ edition features the French language versions of pop songs such as “Do You Believe in Magic” that are integral to the film’s nostalgic atmosphere.

French Postcards was directed by Willard Huyck (Howard the Duck) from a screenplay by Huyck and Gloria Katz (American Graffiti) and stars an ensemble of Miles Chapin, Debra Winger, Valerie Quennessen, Blanche Baker, David Marshall Grant, Marie-France Pisier, and Jean Rochefort.

Other Olive Films April Titles

Blu-ray and DVD debut of Rich Kids (1979), directed by Robert M. Young, starring Trini Alvarado, Jeremy Levy, John Lithgow, Olympia Dukakis, Paul Dooley, David Selby, and Terry Kiser.

Blu-ray debut of Zapped! (1982), directed by Robert J. Rosenthal and starring Scott Baio, Willie Aames, Scatman Crothers, Robert Mandan, Heather Thomas, and Felice Schachter.

Legend of the Lost (1957), directed by Henry Hathaway and starring John Wayne, Sophia Loren, and Rossano Brazzi.

Blu-ray debut of The King and Four Queens (1956), directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Clark Gable, Jo Van Fleet, Eleanor Parker, Jean Willes, Barbara Nichols, and Sara Shane.

Blu-ray debut of Iphigenia (1977), directed by Michael Cacoyannis and starring Irene Pappas, Costa Kazakos, and Tatiana Papamoskou.

Blu-ray debut of The Sum of Us (1994), directed by Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling and starring Russell Crowe, Jack Thompson, Deborah Kennedy, and John Polson.

Blu-ray debut of The Whoopee Boys (1986), directed by John Byrum and starring Michael O'Keefe, Paul Rodriguez, Denholm Elliott, Carole Shelley, Dan O'Herlihy, Eddie Deezen, and Marsha Warfield.

Blu-ray debut of Agent Cody Banks (2003), directed by Harald Zwart and starring Frankie Muniz, Hilary Duff, Angie Harmon, and Ian McShane.

Blu-ray debut of Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), directed by Kevin Allen and starring Frankie Muniz, Anthony Anderson, Hannah Spearritt, Keith David, and Cynthia Stevenson.

About Olive Films

 Olive Films is a Chicago-based boutique theatrical and home entertainment distribution label dedicated to bringing independent, foreign, documentary, and classic films to life. Its catalog boasts over 500 titles ranging from Hollywood classics to contemporary titles. More information about Olive Films may be found at olivefilms.com.

"THE PRIVATE AFFAIRS OF BEL AMI" -- Olive Films Releases Ahead-of-its-Time Classic

"RED BILLABONG" -- New Trailer & Stills Emerge Ahead of Australian Release

Red Billabong Unleashes A New Trailer and Stills
A Monstrous Family Secret Terrorizes the Outback
In Australian Cinemas This Summer
   
Los Angeles, CA - Sparke Films has released a new trailer and stills for Luke Sparke's debut creature feature, Red Billabong.  After a decade working on film sets around the world, Luke Sparke steps into the director's chair with the most ambitious Australian action film of the year.  Combining a legendary monster of the Outback with the intricate web of a family secret, Red Billabong will debut in Australian cinemas this July from Sparke, Pinnacle Films and Darclight Films.

Nick Marshal and his estranged brother Tristan are drawn into a world of secrets and lies when their grandfather's enormous outback property passes into their hands.  Old wounds are reopened as friends arrive to visit and strange things begin to occur around the river's billabong water hole. After visits from an old aboriginal family friend and an unscrupulous property developer, the brothers wonder just who is on their side.

Night falls, tensions rise, friends go missing, and past misgivings come to a head. Tristan finds himself not believing his brother who is convinced something dark is at work on the grounds. As they part ways to look for their friends and answers, revelations are unearthed that will change the course of their lives forever. Every Australian may have heard a story of a terrifying outback monster - the Bunyip - but is it just a story? Could it be real?

                                              Watch the Trailer

 

 

"RED BILLABONG" -- New Trailer & Stills Emerge Ahead of Australian Release

Tribeca Film Fest Audience Award Winners

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES "HERE ALONE" AND "THE RETURN" AS THE 2016 AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS, POWERED BY INFOR

New York, NY [April 23, 2016] – The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, announced tonight at the Festival wrap party the winners of the two Audience Awards, powered by Infor. Two awards – one for narrative and one for documentary – were given to the audience choices for the best films. Here Alone directed by Rod Blackhurst, was chosen to receive the Narrative award and The Return, directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, was chosen for the Documentary award. Each award comes with a cash prize of $10,000.  Additionally as part of the Tribeca Film Festival Artists Awards program, Here Alone receives Zak Kitnick’s Untitled (acrylic, ink and phosphorescent pigment on paper) and The Return receives Clifford Ross’s Horizon XI (silver-Gelatin print.)

“It's great to see audiences finding and supporting a true discovery film like Here Alone and the powerful and affecting documentary The Return.  While very different films, both highlight the resilience of the human spirit,” said Genna Terranova, Festival Director, Tribeca Film Festival.

The runners-up were Children of the Mountain directed by Priscilla Anany for the narrative audience award and Midsummer in Newtown, directed by Lloyd Kramer, for the documentary audience award. Throughout the Festival, which kicked off on April 13, audience members voted by using their mobile devices and going to tribecafilm.com/vote and rating the film they just experienced on a scale of 1-5 stars. Films in the U.S. Narrative Competition, International Narrative Competition, World Documentary Competition, Viewpoints, Spotlight, and Midnight sections were eligible.

Audience award winners and runners-up will screen tomorrow, Sunday April 24 at Regal Battery Park Stadium 11, along with the winners selected by the TFF Jury.

·         Here Alone at 12:45pm and 6:45pm
·         The Return at 3:45pm and 9:45pm
·         Children of the Mountain at 3:15pm
·         Midsummer in Newtown at 1:30pm

ABOUT THE AUDIENCE AWARD WINNING FILMS AND RUNNERS-UP:

WINNERS

Here Alone, directed by Rod Blackhurst, written by David Ebeltoft. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. A virus has ravaged human civilization, leaving two groups of survivors: those who have managed to avoid infection, and those driven to madness, violence, and an insatiable bloodlust. Living deep in the woods, Ann, Chris, and Olivia are forced to fend off the infected while foraging for supplies. But when a supply expedition goes terribly awry, one among their number must make a terrible choice. With Lucy Walters, Gina Piersanti, Adam David Thompson, and Shane West.
  ·This film played in the Midnight section

The Return, directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, written by Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway, and Greg O'Toole. (USA) – World Premiere. How does one reintegrate into society after making peace with a life sentence? California’s controversial and notoriously harsh three-strikes law was repealed in 2012, consequently releasing large numbers of convicts back into society. The Return presents an unbiased observation of the many issues with re-entry through the varied experiences of recently freed lifers.
  ·This film played in the World Documentary section

RUNNERS UP

Midsummer in Newtown, directed by Lloyd Kramer. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Midsummer in Newtown is a testament to the transformative force of artistic expression to pierce through the shadow cast down by trauma. From auditions to opening night, we witness the children of Sandy Hook Elementary find their voice, build their self-confidence, and ultimately shine in a rock-pop version of A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
  ·This film played in the Spotlight section

Children of the Mountain, directed and written by Priscilla Anany. (USA, Ghana) – World Premiere, Narrative. When a young woman gives birth to a deformed and sickly child, she becomes the victim of cruelty and superstition in her Ghanaian community. Discarded by her lover, she is convinced she suffers from a ‘dirty womb,’ and embarks on a journey to heal her son and create a future for them both. With Rukiyat Masud, Grace Omaboe, Akofa Edjeani, Adjetey Annang, Agbeko Mortty (Bex), Dzifa Glikpo, Mynna Otoo. In Twi with subtitles.
  ·This film played in the Viewpoints section

Connect with Tribeca:

Facebook: Facebook.com/Tribeca
Twitter: @Tribeca
Instagram: @Tribeca
Snapchat: TribecaFilmFest
Hashtag: #Tribeca2016

About the Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film Festival, now in its 15th year, brings together visionaries across industries and diverse audiences to celebrate the power of storytelling. A platform for independent filmmaking, creative expression and immersive entertainment, Tribeca supports emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning filmmakers, curates innovative and interactive experiences, and introduces new technology and ideas through panels, premieres, exhibitions, and live performance.

Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade Center, Tribeca has evolved from an annual event to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan to a gathering place for filmmakers, artists, innovators, and the global creative community. Through programs that embrace storytelling in all of its expansive forms – from film and music to video games and online work, TFF reimagines the cinematic experience and explores how art can unite communities.

About the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival Sponsors
 
As Presenting Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, AT&T is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking through access and innovation – aiming to make this the most interactive film and storytelling festival in the country, where visitors experience the Festival in ways they never imagined. As one of the largest communications and entertainment companies, AT&T helps millions connect with entertainment, mobile, high speed Internet and voice services – virtually everywhere.

The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce its Signature Sponsors: #ActuallySheCan by Allergan, Accenture, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bai Beverages, Bira 91, Bloomberg Philanthropies’, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), CHANEL, DEAN & DELUCA, EFFEN® Vodka, ESPN, Hendrick’s Gin, IBM, Infor, IWC Schaffhausen, The Lincoln Motor Company, NBC 4 New York, National CineMedia, New York Magazine, Nexxus New York Salon Care, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Samsung, Spring Studios New York, Thompson Hotels, and United Airlines.

Tribeca Film Fest Audience Award Winners

FARE -- Movie Review by Porfle

Martin Scorsese gave us an increasingly psychotic taxi driver making his way through a living hell of crime, slime, and filth.  Writer/director Thomas Torrey's thought-provoking FARE (2016) squeezes everything down to the world inside the cab itself, where there's enough emotional turmoil and existential angst to blow the roof off.

In particular, the true meaning of love as a thing and marriage as a condition is weighing heavily on the mind of cabbie Eric (Torrey) since his relationship with his wife is dying on the vine and he doesn't understand why.

To relieve boredom and satisfy curiosity, Eric indulges in the usual small talk with passengers which tends toward the overly inquisitive.  At other times the passengers make him uncomfortable by prying a bit too much into his own personal life.

A profound conversation with one blithely erudite foreign man (Pat Dortch) on the nature of such things is scintillating, sharply written and played, and gets us thinking about that kind of stuff too. 

Later, Eric is still deep in his own roiling thoughts when suddenly, by sheer chance, his wife's lover Patrick (J.R. Adduci), gets into his cab, unaware of who's driving it. 

After a lengthy cat-and-mouse exchange about illicit love and infidelity, Eric spills the beans to his shocked--and now captive--passenger, beginning a vindictive mind game whose outcome, we fear, will depend on just how deeply his wife's betrayal has warped Eric's psyche.

This leads to the kind of tense, character-driven interplay one would expect, played out with the dramatic intensity of seasoned stage actors pouring it on before a rapt audience (but in dazzling cinematic style).  When Eric's wife Audrey (Katherine Drew) is drawn into the conflict as well, the uneasy triangle generates enough heat to spare. 

Eric leaves the city and carries them all down a lonely road into the dark night, and we wonder how the situation will be resolved.  This is when Torrey's screenplay suddenly takes a sharp left turn and plunges headlong into thriller territory, as though the cab had just entered "The Twilight Zone."  Things escalate quickly from there.

I don't want to give anything away--suffice it to say that the darkness that the cab's headlights have been struggling to pierce suddenly becomes terrifying, and our attention is riveted to the screen as we try to glean any available clue as to what the hell is going on.

Torrey's climactic sequence is tense and powerful, building masterfully to one stunningly symbolic moment that may stay in your memory long after the movie is over.  It's a breathtaking image, worthy to stand alongside some of the most indelible images in film. 

Following this edge-of-your-seat sequence is a curiously unresolved ending which first had me feeling unfulfilled, even cheated.  But then I realized that the story's impact is just as strong, and perhaps even more so, with some of its dark areas left unilluminated. 

As a debut director, Thomas Torrey does an impressively deft job of handling the visuals in an interesting way--this is most satisfying low-budget filmmaking--while turning in a gripping performance in the lead role.

Katherine Drew and J.R. Adduci are also first-rate, as is Pat Dortch as the mysterious foreign passenger who not only gives Eric a few new angles to ponder but also seems to foreshadow what is to come.  

FARE takes its limited premise and works it for all it's worth, until we forget that it's all taking place inside one vehicle with only a few characters.  As for the ending--the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was enjoying thinking about it.  And putting some of the pieces together myself.


Newport Beach Film Festival World Premiere:
8:30 pm, April 26, 2016
Island Cinemas - Screen 5
999 Newport Center Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Tickets:  http://www.newportbeachfilmfest.com/event/fare/

Website
Trailer 1/ Trailer2
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

 

FARE -- Movie Review by Porfle

Bruce Willis in "PRECIOUS CARGO" - Now Available In Theaters, On Demand and iTunes

PRECIOUS CARGO
LIONSGATE PREMIERE

Genre:                 Action           
Rating:        Rated R for language throughout, some violence and sexual material.
U.S. Release Date:         April 22, 2016 (In Theaters and On Demand)   
Run Time:            95 Minutes   

Cast:    Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Bruce Willis, Claire Forlani, Daniel Bernhardt, Nick Loeb, Lydia Hull, John Brotherton, Tyler J. Olson, Sammi Barber, Jenna Kelly

Directed by:    Max Adams
Written by:    Max Adams and Paul Seetachitt
Produced by:     Randall Emmett, p.g.a., Norton Herrick, George Furla, p.g.a., Scott Mann, p.g.a., James Edward Barker
Executive Producers:    Wayne Marc Godfrey, Robert Jones, Barry Brooker, Stan Wertlieb, Mark Stewart, Martin Richard Blencowe, Benedict Lee, Anthony Jabre, Vance Owen, Steven Saxton, Ted Fox, Corey Large
Co-Executive Producer:    Ryan Black   
Co-Producers:    Tim Sullivan, Anthony Callie
Director of Photography:    Brandon Cox
Production Designer:    Nate Jones
Edited by:    Robert Dalva
Costume Designer:    Bonnie Stauch, CDG
Line Producer:    William B. Steakley
Original Score by:    James Edward Barker & Tim Despic
Music Supervisor:    Mike Burns
Casting by:     Anne McCarthy & Kellie Roy

Credits Not Contractual


                                  
SYNOPSIS:

After a botched heist, Eddie (Bruce Willis), a murderous crime boss, hunts down the seductive thief Karen (Claire Forlani) who failed him. In order to win back Eddie’s trust, Karen recruits her ex-lover and premier thief Jack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) to steal a cargo of rare precious gems. But when the job goes down, allegiances are betrayed and lines are crossed as Jack, Karen, and Eddie face off in a fateful showdown. Lionsgate Premiere will release the action thriller in theaters and on demand on April 22, 2016.  

Lionsgate Premiere, Grindstone Entertainment Group and Emmett Furla Oasis Films present in association with Herrick Entertainment, an Emmett Furla Oasis Films production, a Mann Made Films production.

Bruce Willis in "PRECIOUS CARGO" - Now Available In Theaters, On Demand and iTunes

"EMERGENCY! THE COMPLETE SERIES" on DVD in July

Emergency! The Complete Series
Release Date: 7/12/2016

EMERGENCY! THE COMPLETE SERIES

Hit the streets with Squad 51 in Emergency!, the pioneering series that was the first to portray the real-life drama of those who devote their lives to saving others.

With sirens blaring, dedicated paramedics Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe) and John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) respond to the most desperate calls in the City of Angels.

A heroic medical team, including Nurse Dixie McCall (Julie London) and doctors Kelly Brackett (Robert Fuller) and Joe Early (Bobby Troup) await them at Rampart Hospital, where life-and-death decisions are all part of a day's work.

From legendary producer Jack Webb (Dragnet) come all six seasons of this gripping and suspenseful series that captivated viewers and launched a genre of television.
   
    

"EMERGENCY! THE COMPLETE SERIES" on DVD in July

"THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN" Trailer & Photos

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Action
September 23, 2016


Director Antoine Fuqua brings his modern vision to a classic story in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ and Columbia Pictures’ The Magnificent Seven. 

With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns – Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). 

As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.

 

Directed by:    Antoine Fuqua
       
Screenplay by:  Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk

Produced by:   Roger Birnbaum
                        Todd Black

Executive Producers:  Walter Mirisch
                        Antoine Fuqua
                        Bruce Berman
                        Ben Waisbren
           
Cast:               Denzel Washington
                        Chris Pratt
                        Ethan Hawke
                        Vincent D’Onofrio
                        Byung-Hun Lee
                        Peter Sarsgaard

This film is not yet rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.  For future rating information, please visit www.filmratings.com.  Credits not final


                                  Watch the Trailer

"THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN" Trailer & Photos

SLAUGHTER NIGHT -- Movie Review by Porfle

The Dutch horror film SLAUGHTER NIGHT, aka SL8N8 (2007) seems at first to be your typical "teens getting stalked and slaughtered" bore, but it turns into one killer spookhouse ride as soon as our stereotypical group of good kids and party animals find themselves trapped in an abandoned mine and terrorized by the vengeful ghost of a maniacal serial killer.

A prologue detailing the gruesome murder spree of one Andries Martiens (Robert Eleveld) centuries ago gets the movie off to a shocking start as he captures several children, then lops off their heads and mounts them on poles (advance warning here to those who find child murders hard to watch).

Killing eight people in this way will allow Martiens to enter Hell and return, for reasons made clear later on. His plan is thwarted as he is captured and put to death.

Switch to present day, as our fun-loving youngsters take a tour of a vast system of mine tunnels that is haunted by Martiens' ghost.

After the elevator goes on the fritz and they're trapped underground, Martiens begins to possess them one by one and resumes his headhunting expedition that was interrupted centuries before.

The result is a series of extremely unnerving stalk-and-kill sequences with some gruesome and very inventive deaths (the shovel beheading is truly memorable).

Victoria Koblenko stars as Kristel, the level-headed girl whose father was recently killed in a (spectacularly staged) car crash and who is now helping them from the other world via a Ouija board.

Kurt Rogiers is also good as her would-be boyfriend Mark, and Linda van der Steen is quite convincing as the spoiled bratty girl, Estrild, who becomes one hot monster later on.

The EXORCIST-style makeup on the possessed characters is chilling and the actors do a great job as either terrified victims or crazed psycho-killers.

The movie looks great and directors Frank van Geloven and Edwin Visser stage everything beautifully. Even the Shaky-Cam is used to good effect most of the time.

SLAUGHTER NIGHT is one of the best movies of its kind that I've seen in a long time, maintaining a high level of fear and suspense with a pace that never lets up.

SLAUGHTER NIGHT -- Movie Review by Porfle

Restoration of Godard's "BAND OF OUTSIDERS" Opening May 6

JEAN-LUC GODARD'S
BAND OF OUTSIDERS

NEW RESTORATION
AT FILM FORUM, MAY 6-12
STAR ANNA KARINA IN PERSON FRIDAY, MAY 6 AT 7:30PM

SIDEBAR SERIES “ANNA & JEAN-LUC”
FEATURES GODARD & KARINA’S
6 OTHER COLLABORATIONS

Jean-Luc Godard’s BAND OF OUTSIDERS (1964), starring Anna Karina, Sami Frey, and Claude Brasseur,will be shown in a new restoration at Film Forum from Friday, May 6 through Thursday, May 12. Star Anna Karina will appear in person for an onstage interview and audience Q&A following the 7:30 show on Friday, May 6.

In the dreary Parisian suburb of Joinville, Brasseur and Frey (“Belmondo’s suburban cousins” – Godard) take turns romancing English language student Karina, then light up when she mentions the big pile of cash stashed at her aunt’s villa. A piece of cake burglary, but of course things go memorably awry.

A jeu d’ésprit — extracted from one of the blackest of Série Noire novels, Fools’ Gold by Dolores Hitchens — with echt Godardian set pieces including the trio line-dancing “Le Madison” (later “homaged” by Tarantino in Pulp Fiction)and then “doing” the Louvre in record time.

Along with Band, Karina’s collaborations with boyfriend/husband/ex-husband Godard (they married in 1961 and divorced in 1965) include Le Petit Soldat, Vivre Sa Vie, Alphaville, Pierrot Le Fou, Made In U.S.A., and A Woman is a Woman, which won her a Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival. “Anna & Jean-Luc,” a one-week festival of their films together, will be shown as a sidebar to the Band of Outsiders run (see below for schedule).

In addition to her films with Godard, Karina has appeared in Visconti’s The Stranger, Rivette’s The Nun, George Cukor’s Justine, Tony Richardson’s Laughter in the Dark, Fassbinder’s Chinese Roulette, and many other films.

Born in Denmark, Anna arrived in Paris at age 17, unable to speak a word of French. Sitting at the café Les Deux Magots, she was spotted by a woman from an advertising agency, which led to a successful career as a fashion model. A picture of Karina in a bubble bath in an ad for Palmolive soap was seen by young film critic Godard, then casting his first feature, Breathless. Offered a part that would include a nude scene, Karina turned him down, but then accepted a role in his second feature, Le Petit Soldat.

Karina will also appear at BAM Cinematek on May 3 and The Museum of the Moving Image on May 4.

Band of Outsiders is presented with the support of the French Cultural Services and Unifrance.


Approx. 97 min | A Rialto Pictures Release

Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Screenplay: Jean-Luc Godard

Music: Michel Legrand | Cinematography: Raoul Coutard


Showtimes

DAILY (except SUN) 1:10, 3:20, 5:30, 7:30

SUN 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30

“A COCKEYED CAPER MOVIE!

Has the same power to intoxicate all these years later.”

- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“A REVERIE OF A GANGSTER MOVIE… It’s as if a French poet took a banal American crime novel and told it to us in terms of the romance and beauty he read between the lines; Godard re-creates the gangsters and the moll with his world of associations – seeing them as people in a Paris café, mixing them with Rimbaud, Kafka, Alice in Wonderland.”

– Pauline Kael

“Godard at his most off-the-cuff takes a 'Série Noire' thriller (Fool's Gold by Dolores Hitchens) and spins a fast and loose tale that continues his love affairs with Hollywood and with Karina. One of Godard's most open and enjoyable films.”

–Time Out (London)


Repertory calendar programed by Bruce Goldstein

For more information, links and showtimes, visit www.filmforum.org

Restoration of Godard's "BAND OF OUTSIDERS" Opening May 6

SHEITAN -- Movie Review by Porfle

While the DVD cover of SHEITAN (2006) is clearly a ripoff of Anthony Hopkins' leering visage as HANNIBAL, I'd be hard-pressed to think of anything that the film itself could be compared to. This French "WTF?"-fest is one seriously, and I mean seriously, deranged movie.

Three unlikable, perpetually-horny party boys--Bart, Ladj, and Thai--get thrown out of a hip-hop club and follow a mysterious girl named Eve (Roxane Mesquida) home to her large family mansion in the country. The club's bartender, a nice Middle Eastern girl named Yasmine (Leïla Bekhti) tags along. The guys lust after the girls and compete for their attentions while Eve goads and teases them.

Into this scene blusters Eve's groundskeeper, Joseph (Vincent Cassel, BLACK SWAN), a garrulous, overbearing, invasive force of nature who's always grinning like a loon. With his bulging eyes, handlebar moustache, and freakish demeanor, Joseph is a nerve-wracking presence whom the youngsters find alternately fascinating and disturbing. Bart is especially put off when Joseph keeps inviting him to go skinny dipping in a nearly hot spring.

Like a French version of DELIVERANCE or TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, the film places a bunch of city kids in the middle of inbred hillbilly hell and then ratchets up the "weird" factor with each new character and situation.

We know something strange is going on between Joseph and his pregnant sister, whom we never see until later on, and a wild story he tells during their feast of a freshly-slaughtered goat--something about a man who makes a deal with the Devil ("Sheitan") in order to become invincible and then impregnates his sister to create a Devil child--has an uncomfortable ring of truth.

By the time our protagonists finally discover the real reason why they've been invited to the house, all hell has already broken loose and there's nothing left to do but scream.

Much of SEITAN is sneaky build-up, with Joseph and the other locals being weird and the boys vying for the girls' affections (with Eve deviously egging them on). It's intriguing enough that the promise of what's to come sustains interest until a point about three-quarters through when I finally thought to myself, "This is really starting to drag."

It's right about that time, however, that the Sheitan hits the fan and all that build-up suddenly starts paying off like a bank of slot machines.

The last fifteen or twenty minutes of this film are an explosion of mind-bending bizarreness that had me shaking my head in giddy disbelief. I don't want to ruin it by describing it in too much detail, but we finally get to see Joseph at his full power, and we find out what eyeballs have to do with everything, and, last but definitely not least, we meet Joseph's sister. In a word, "yikes."

First-time director Kim Chapiron does a beautiful job of putting all of this on the screen in interesting and dynamic ways, and the highly-capable cast does a convincing job with the characters. Cassell, of course, is the standout as Joseph, having a field day with the role and instantly becoming one of the most fascinating maniacs in genre history.

Alternately shocking, funny, sexy, gory, and incredibly perverse--with a final shot that will be seared into your memory--SHEITAN is one of those movies that seems relatively harmless at first and then knocks you right on your ass.

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PALISADES TARTAN TERROR PACK VOL.1

SHEITAN -- Movie Review by Porfle