"IMMORTALS" on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD March 6

EPIC BATTLES COME TO LIFE ON STUNNING BLU-RAY

Featuring Alternate Beginning and Endings Visually-Striking Film Explodes on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Triple Play and DVD March 6

LOS ANGELES, CA (Jan. 10, 2012) – One brave warrior, touched by the gods, must overcome all odds to save mankind from a merciless and powerful tyrant when IMMORTALS comes to Blu-ray and DVD on March 6th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Directed by visionary filmmaker Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and written by Charles Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides, the home entertainment release is chock-full of must-see bonus features including an alternate beginning, two alternate endings, deleted scenes and an amazing graphic novel, creating the ultimate viewing experience.

From the producers of 300, Mark Canton, Gianni Nunnari, and Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, IMMORTALS explodes off the screen with action-packed battles, mythological adventure and an all-star cast including: Henry Cavill (Superman: Man of Steel), Luke Evans (Robin Hood), Kellan Lutz (Twilight), Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Dorff (Public Enemies), John Hurt (Hellboy) and Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2).

In this epic tale of vengeance and destiny, power-mad King Hyperion (Rourke) threatens to destroy all of humanity on his maniacal quest to obtain the ultimate weapon – the legendary Epirus Bow that gives the power to unleash war on both Heaven and Earth. But Theseus (Cavill), a heroic young villager chosen by the gods, rises up to stop Hyperion’s brutal rampage. With supernatural help from the beautiful oracle Phaedra (Pinto), Theseus embraces his destiny and leads a fierce band of warriors in a desperate fight for the future of mankind.

IMMORTALS is available on Blu-ray and DVD on March 6th and was theatrically-released by Relativity Media on November 11, 2011.

SPECIAL FEATURES (Blu-ray plus Digital Copy):
--Alternate Opening
--–    Young Theseus
--Two Alternate Endings
--–    This Is Our Last Embrace
--–    Theseus Kills Hyperion
--Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes
--–    It’s No Myth
--–    Caravaggio Meets Fight Club: Tarsem’s Vision
--Deleted Scenes
--Immortals: Gods & Heroes (Graphic Novel)

SPECIAL FEATURES (DVD):
--Deleted Scenes
--Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes
        –    It’s No Myth

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

"IMMORTALS" on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD March 6

"BATTLE ROYALE" and "BATTLE ROYALE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION" -- First North American DVD and Blu-ray Release March 20th From Anchor Bay Entertainment

“If you love The Hunger Games, BATTLE ROYALE sets the stage.  One of the best – and most violent – genre films ever made.  It’s also a hell of a lot of fun.” --Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly

“BATTLE ROYALE is not just a fantastic film, but an important work on a precipice of the most dangerous period facing cinema in the last 40 years.” -- Harry Knowles, Ain’t It Cool News

ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMS IN HISTORY FINALLY ARRIVES! "BATTLE ROYALE"

Available for the first time in North America on Blu-ray™, DVD and digital download on March 20th from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Beverly Hills, CA – Battle Royale.  A title that has shocked, thrilled and unnerved audiences.  A film whose fiendishly simple premise has inspired many imitations, including the upcoming The Hunger Games motion picture. Based on the 1999 global best-seller by Koushun Takami, the futuristic tale first came to the screen in 2000, directed by the legendary Kinju Fukasaku. Authors, filmmakers and film fans the world over consider the film and its 2003 sequel Battle Royale II: Requiem sacred cinematic classics.  And now, fans can own them on high-definition Blu-ray™ and DVD!

On March 20th, Anchor Bay Entertainment proudly brings the Battle Royale: The Complete Collection to Blu-ray™ and DVD for the first time in North America. Featuring state-of-the-art HD transfers, hi-res audio and a wealth of bonus features that delve deep into this truly international phenomenon - the three disc Blu-ray™ plus bonus DVD set has an SRP of $49.99 and an SRP $44.98 for the four disc DVD.  Battle Royale will also be released separately on Blu-ray™ for an SRP of $29.99 and DVD for an SRP of $24.98.  Pre-Book on both is February 22.  Battle Royale will be available digitally via select outlets including iTunes® and Xbox LIVE®.

42 students, Three days, One survivor – No Escape.  Welcome to the world of Battle Royale!

Battle Royale
In the near future, the economy has collapsed, unemployment has soared and juvenile crime has exploded. Fearful of their nation’s youth, the Japanese government passes The BR Law:  Each year, a 9th grade class is sent to a remote island where they will be locked into exploding neck collars, given a random weapon, and forced to hunt and kill each other until there is only one survivor left. Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill) and screen legend Takeshi Kitano (Boiling Point, Brother) star in the movie that has been argued, acclaimed and banned around the world. More than a decade later, it remains one of the most savage, shocking and emotionally powerful films of all time. Now experience the complete Director’s Cut of Kinji Fukasaku’s uncompromising masterpiece – nominated for 10 Japanese Academy Awards® – available uncensored and unrated for the first time ever in America.

Battle Royale: The Complete Collection
In 2000, director Kinji Fukasaku unleashed Battle Royale, his violently poetic epic about an innocent group of Junior High students forced by the government to hunt and kill their classmates for sport. It was nominated for 10 Japanese Academy Awards®, launched a global phenomenon, and banned from screens by frightened civic groups and distributors across America. Three years later, the equally disturbing sequel – featuring a new class, new rules, and a brutal terrorist plot by the first film’s young survivors – triggered its own tragic firestorm around the world. Now for the first time ever, you can see it all: Experience the entire Battle Royale saga on 4 discs that forever blasts open one of the most potent, shocking and savagely influential sagas in motion picture history.

Battle Royale: The Complete Collection’s four disc set in collectible high-end packaging will include:
·        Battle Royale Director’s Cut with both Japanese and English language tracks and English subtitles
·        Battle Royale Theatrical Cut with both Japanese and English language tracks and English subtitles
·        Battle Royale II with Japanese language and English subtitles
·        Battle Royale Bonus Content with Japanese language and English subtitles

SPECIAL FEATURES:
·        The Making Of BATTLE ROYALE
·        BATTLE ROYALE Press Conference
·        Instructional Video: Birthday Version
·        Audition & Rehearsal Footage
·        Special Effects Comparison Featurette
·        Tokyo International Film Festival 2000
·        Battle Royale Documentary
·        Basketball Scene Rehearsals
·        Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
·        Filming On-Set
·        Original Theatrical Trailer
·        Special Edition TV Spot
·        TV Spot: Tarantino Version

The Battle Royale release will include:
·        Director’s Cut with Japanese and English language and English subtitles

With impeccable direction by three-time ‘Director of the year’ Kinji Fukasaku, and featuring high-quality acting performances from every angle, Battle Royale: The Complete Collection is as cunning as it is ruthless, offering a unique and brutal depiction of what people are capable of when imminent death is everywhere you look.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment:
Anchor Bay Entertainment is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children’s entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on Blu-ray™ and DVD formats. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LMCA).


BATTLE ROYALE: The Complete Collection Blu-ray (3 disc plus bonus DVD)
Genre:                          Action/Drama, Thriller
Street Date:                  March 20, 2012          
Pre-book:                     February 22, 2012
SRP:                            $49.99
Cat #:                           BD24401
UPC:                            0 1313 24401-9 4

Disc 1 – Battle Royale Director’s Cut:
Run Time:                     122 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Japanese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles:                       English

Disc 2 – Battle Royale Theatrical Cut:
Run Time:                     113 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Japanese and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles:                       English

Disc 3 – Battle Royale II: Revenge Director’s Cut:
Run Time:                     133 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio:                          Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles:                       English

Disc 4 – Battle Royale Special Features DVD:
Run Time:                     194 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
Format:                        Full-Frame (1.33:1)
Audio:                          Japanese Dolby Surround 2.0
Subtitles:                       English

BATTLE ROYALE: The Complete Collection DVD (4 disc)
Genre:                          Action/Drama, Thriller
Street Date:                  March 20, 2012          
Pre-book:                     February 22, 2012
SRP:                            $44.98
Cat #:                           DV24566
UPC:                            0 1313 24566-9 0

Disc 1 – Battle Royale Director’s Cut:
Run Time:                     122 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Japanese and English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                       English

Disc 2 – Battle Royale Theatrical Cut:
Run Time:                     113 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Japanese and English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                       English

Disc 3 – Battle Royale II: Revenge Director’s Cut:
Run Time:                     133 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio:                          Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                       English

Disc 4 – Battle Royale Special Features:
Run Time:                     194 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
Format:                        Full-Frame (1.33:1)
Audio:                          Japanese Dolby Surround 2.0
Subtitles:                       English

BATTLE ROYALE Director’s Cut Blu-ray
Genre:                          Action/Drama, Thriller
Street Date:                  March 20, 2012          
Pre-book:                     February 22, 2012
Cat. #:                          BD23767
UPC:                            0 1313 23767-9 0
Run Time:                     122 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
SRP:                            $29.99
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Japanese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles:                       English

BATTLE ROYALE Director’s Cut DVD
Genre:                          Action/Drama, Thriller
Street Date:                  March 20, 2012          
Pre-book:                     February 22, 2012
Cat. #:                          DV23762
UPC:                            0 1313 23762-9 5
Run Time:                     122 minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
SRP:                            $24.98
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Japanese and English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                       English

"BATTLE ROYALE" and "BATTLE ROYALE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION" -- First North American DVD and Blu-ray Release March 20th From Anchor Bay Entertainment

DIVISION III: FOOTBALL'S FINEST -- DVD review by porfle

As an Andy Dick fan, I may not be qualified to review an Andy Dick movie because I have a tendency to think he's really funny, which gives normal people the impression that it's a good movie even though they may actually find it quite the opposite.  Regarding the recent college football comedy DIVISION III: FOOTBALL'S FINEST (2011), for example--I loved it.  Please take this into consideration.

Anyway, for a low-budget comedy, this is not only well-made and loaded with funny gags and good performances by a gaggle of talented comic actors, but it's also a pretty decent football flick. Dick stars as hotheaded and controversial coach Rick Vice, known for once trying to murder his entire Pee Wee League team and now hired to shape up the "Blue Cocks", the losing team of a small liberal arts college whose ditzy football-hating president Georgia Anne (Mo Collins) hopes Vice's infamy will net her school some publicity.

Dick's volatile and tightly-wound character is a perfect vehicle for his brand of comedy as Coach Vice mercilessly berates, threatens, and physically attacks his players at every opportunity while also reeling off a series of nonsensical spittle-spewing diatribes filled with botched metaphors.  The obligatory training montage finds him either breaking clipboards and folding chairs over his players' heads or riding a bicycle onto the field wielding a yardage marker like a jousting lance as the team runs for their lives.
 


Director and co-writer Marshall Cook nicely underplays the role of benchwarming quarterback Mitch DePrima, who gets his big chance when the star QB defects to a rival team, the Cougars (we know the Blue Cocks and the Cougars will clash in the big game at the end--that's just how these things work).  Mitch gains confidence and a sense of purpose over the course of the film in addition to awkwardly courting the team's pretty medic, Jennifer (Alison Haislip), and his pleasantly amusing story arc doesn't intrude on the more farcical goings-on.

Michael Jace is fine as Roy Goodwyn, hired by Georgia Anne as a back-up coach because he actually knows what he's doing, and the jealous rivalry between Roy and Rick provides some good moments.  Co-writer Paul Henderson shines as Rick's obese, endearingly crude assistant Bob, especially when asked to deliver a pre-game prayer in the locker room that turns into a ringing assault against "evilution" ("Now I don't know about you, but MY Jesus...he didn't slay those Philistines with the jawbone of a brontosaurus rex!")  Rounding out the main cast is Bru Muller as linebacker Joe Jansen, who, at 38, is apprehensively facing the prospect of his final college football season.

Making the most of its meager budget, DIVISION III: FOOTBALL'S FINEST breezily yocks up all the familiar football film cliches as the team battles its way to the championship game (which is actually pretty suspenseful), infusing the usual situations with Andy Dick's own peculiar brand of off-kilter comedy.  Much of it is improvised, with the bonus menu's deleted and extended scenes containing reams of good material that didn't make it into the final cut. 



The delightful and somewhat MILF-a-licious Mo Collins contributes her share of these comic moments, along with fellow "MADtv" alumni Debra Wilson as nympho head cheerleader Mandy and Bryan Callen as inept sportscaster Denny "D-Dog" Dawson.  Will Sasso and a wickedly sarcastic Adam Carolla bring on the funny as sparring sports commentators for a local cable channel.  The venerable Sally Kirkland appears briefly as Rick's politically-incorrect landlady, Crystal. 

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 surround.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  In addition to a funny and engaging commentary track by Andy Dick and Marshall Cook, bonus material includes outtakes, several deleted and extended scenes, and a trailer.  (Just to be extra nitpicky, the word "extended" is spelled wrong on the DVD menu.) 

Like a poor man's THE LONGEST YARD crossed with "The Andy Dick Show", DIVISION III: FOOTBALL'S FINEST manages to succeed both as a modest gridiron flick and a series of off-the-wall gags, tirades, outbursts, assaults, and ridiculous monologues.  If you like Andy Dick, you'll definitely have fun watching this.  If not, then you probably won't watch it anyway.  And if you don't know who Andy Dick is, well, don't say I didn't warn you.  Even though, technically, I didn't.


Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

DIVISION III: FOOTBALL'S FINEST -- DVD review by porfle

A LOVER'S REVENGE -- movie review by porfle

 (This review was originally posted in 2005.)

What happens when a radio psychologist who spews relationship advice to others on a daily basis finds herself in the middle of her own sordid "life crisis"?  If there's a dangerous psycho involved, it can get pretty scary.

No, I'm not talking about Dr. Laura and those nude photos.  In this made-for-Lifetime thriller A LOVER'S REVENGE (2005), it's Dr. Liz Manners (Alexandra Paul), and she's just found out that her husband Rob (Gary Hudson) is a big dummy who charges dinners-for-two on their mutual credit card when he's supposed to be out of town on business.  Yes, he's been getting a very different kind of relationship advice from another woman. 

Dr. Liz throws him out of the house and then seeks out the woman who produces her radio show so they can discuss the problem over a couple of International Coffees.  Rob, however, still loves Liz and wants to move back into the house, because that's where all of his clean underwear is.  So he breaks it off with Ashley, the blonde floozy he's been sheet-surfing with, buys a big bunch of long-stemmed roses, and comes crawling back.  But when he walks in, he's surprised to find some crazy guy with a gun in his house. 

If you're a Perry Mason fan, you'll recognize the crazy guy as "Ken Malansky" (William R. Moses) from a whole slew of "Perry Mason" TV-movies that aired back in the 80s and 90s.  Here, he plays Kyle, an obsessive-possessive husband who discovers that his wife is the "Christine" who's been calling Dr. Liz regularly and telling her what a creepy, overbearing control freak her husband is.  Kyle morphs into Mr. Hyde and throws a fit, so "Christine" flees from the house and gets run over by Father Drake from Melantha Blackthorne's SINNERS AND SAINTS (Jason Cavalier), although here he is billed as "Motorist."  His wife's death drives Kyle the rest of the way over the edge, and he vows to get revenge--a lover's revenge, that is--on the person he blames for it.  And that person, of course, is Dr. Liz.



What follows is pretty entertaining.  Kyle bugs her house and gets all sorts of juicy stuff to use against her, including a phone conversation that just might mean a whole heap o' legal trouble for Dr. Liz, especially if it falls into the hands of a sleazy tabloid journalist, which it does.  And it turns out that he hired Ashley to seduce Rob, so the marriage woes Dr. Liz has been suffering are his doing as well.  He even keys her car. 

But even this isn't enough to satisfy his lust for revenge--a lover's revenge--and his plans soon take a deadly turn that leads to murder.  I won't tell you who gets murdered, because you aren't supposed to know that yet.  But the murders make a fairly interesting story even more interesting, especially when Dr. Liz herself becomes a prime suspect.  And to make things worse, she soon realizes that her own life is in grave danger.

I enjoyed watching A LOVER'S REVENGE because the script by Christine Conradt (GHETTO DAWG 2, A KILLER UPSTAIRS) and Nelson Williams keeps all of these elements humming along rather nicely toward a suspenseful conclusion.  Prolific Canadian producers Pierre David (SCANNERS, A KILLER UPSTAIRS) and Tom Berry have turned out a lot of films like this, and here they've come up with an above-average thriller that sustains interest all the way through. 

The cast is capable as well, especially William R. Moses as the creepy Kyle and Gary Hudson, whom I've always liked as Steve, the guy Patrick Swayze tells to stay on his break in ROADHOUSE.  Alexandra Paul looks swell here--hard to believe it was decades ago when I first saw her as an aspiring female bodybuilder in the TV-movie GETTING PHYSICAL--and she makes a good Dr. Liz.  "Beverly Hills, 90210" alumnus Gabrielle Carteris is also good as Detective Sparks, the cop who eventually sorts everything out.

So, if you're looking for a fun movie to watch while enjoying a delicious cup of International Coffee and trying to remember what that waiter's name was, you could do a lot worse than A LOVER'S REVENGE. 


Buy it at Amazon.com

A LOVER'S REVENGE -- movie review by porfle

"THE TERROR EXPERIMENT" from Anchor Bay Entertainment -- coming April 12th to Blu-ray and DVD

They caused it. Now they must kill it...

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT CONDUCTS "THE TERROR EXPERIMENT"

There Is No Control

April 12th on Blu-ray™ and DVD

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Reaching into the heavens, the Federal Building is the ultimate symbol of government authority, power and security. But for some, it’s the perfect target to expose our nation’s vulnerability to attack – as well as expose potentially deadly secrets kept from its citizens. It’s only a matter of time...

Anchor Bay Entertainment begins The Terror Experiment April 12th on Blu-ray™ and DVD. Featuring an all-star cast including Jason London (Out Cold, Dazed and Confused), C. Thomas Howell (E.T. The Extraterrestrial, The Hitcher, The Outsiders, Camel Spiders), Alicia Leigh Willis (“7th Heaven”, “The L Word”, “General Hospital”), Lochlyn Munro (Freddy Vs. Jason, White Chicks, Scary Movie), Alexander Mendeluk (Twilight and Twilight: New Moon), with Robert Carradine (“Lizzie McGuire,” Revenge of the Nerds franchise), and Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), The Terror Experiment will take viewers on a pulse-pounding journey through a towering hell above Earth and into an inferno of unstoppable thrills! SRP is $19.98 for the DVD and $24.99 for the Blu-ray™. Pre-book is March 14th.

A terrorist sets off an explosion that rocks the Federal Building and unleashes a toxic gas throughout the ventilation system. His purpose: to expose the Government's secret biological warfare weapon, a deadly virus that instantly attacks a person's adrenal system, causing them to become inhumanly aggressive, with an uncontrollable urge to kill each other.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children’s entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray™ formats. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: LMCA).

THE TERROR EXPERIMENT Blu-ray™
Street Date:                 February 14, 2012
Pre-book:                     March 14, 2012
Cat. #:                         BD23683
UPC:                           0 1313 23683-9 9
Run Time:                   82 minutes
Rating:                        Not Rated
SRP:                            $24.99
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                         Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles:                     English SDH, Spanish
Bonus Features:          Filmmakers’ audio commentary

THE TERROR EXPERIMENT DVD
Street Date:                 April 12, 2012
Pre-book:                     March 14, 2012
Cat. #:                         DV23679
UPC:                           0 1313 23464-9 6
Run Time:                   82 minutes
Rating:                        Not Rated
SRP:                            $19.98
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                     English SDH, Spanish
Bonus Features:          Filmmakers’ audio commentary

"THE TERROR EXPERIMENT" from Anchor Bay Entertainment -- coming April 12th to Blu-ray and DVD

A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS -- movie review by porfle

Writer/director Dito Montiel (THE SON OF NO ONE) based his film A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS (2006) on his autobiography of the same name, though he says the movie is a fictionalized version that alters and combines characters and events.  What he mainly wanted to convey was what it was like growing up in Astoria, Queens in the mid-80s, when racial tensions, violence, and an overall air of hostility and hopelessness seemed to be part of the fabric of everyday life. 

The adult Dito (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) has long since escaped the clutches of his old neighborhood and found success in California.  But when his mother Flori (Dianne Wiest) calls one day and implores him to come home--his father, Monty (Chazz Palminteri), has grown ill and she can't get him to go to the hospital--Dito must return to the place and the people he left behind.  In doing so, he realizes how much they mean to him, how their influence helped shape the person he would become, and what a void was left in his life when he turned his back on his roots and cut off all contact with his past.

As he makes the trip back home, he relives old memories.  We see the young Dito (Shia LaBeouf) aimlessly roaming the streets with his pals Antonio, Nerf, and Guiseppe.  Antonio (Channing Tatum), Dito's best friend, is an unstable, hotheaded tough guy who is beaten regularly at home and takes out his aggression by punching his way through life as though they were opponents in the ring.  But he's a loyal friend, and anyone who messes with Dito has to answer to him.  Even when a shocking personal tragedy turns Antonio against Dito temporarily, all it takes is for Dito to be threatened by a mutual enemy for Antonio to come racing to his defense once again. 



Antonio hangs out at Dito's house a lot because Monty and Flori Montiel are the parents he wishes he could have had.  Monty, especially, is a pal to all of Dito's friends, holding court and basking in their company.  They, in turn, hold him and Flori in very high regard--more so than Dito, in fact, whose burning desire to break away from home and escape to a new and better life often puts him at odds with Monty, who fears losing not only a son but a best friend.  Dito's final break from his father, after life in the neighborhood has become intolerable for him, is ugly and bitter.  It's a wound that has never healed, and the adult Dito dreads seeing Monty and dredging it all up again.

Dito's everyday world is vividly evoked by gritty, authentic locations--I would hate to live in this sweltering mass of conflicting humanity--and a uniformly excellent cast.  Chazz Palminteri has never been better, and it's great seeing him play this lovable, gregarious "my old man"-type instead of the usual gangster role that even he seems tired of.  Dianne Wiest, always a skilled actress, is quietly effective in her own subtle way.  The younger cast members really get into their roles, especially Channing Tatum, whom some critics have compared to a young Brando, as Antonio. 

They bring their characters to life so well that it's sometimes jarring when Robert Downey, Jr. and Rosario Dawson (as Laurie, the girl Dito left behind) take over as the adult versions.  Anthony DeSando is particularly good as the flamboyantly-gay Frank, who employs Dito and his Scottish friend Mike O'Shea (Martin Compston) in his dog-walking service.  Frank is wonderfully talkative, animated, and full of life until his spirit finally succumbs to the harshness of his surroundings.  Another casualty is Antonio's mentally-unbalanced brother, Guiseppe, played brilliantly by Adam Scarimbolo. 



First-time director Dito Montiel does a great job bringing his own story to life, and he's good at telling it in visual terms that are often very compelling.  Sometimes his characters speak directly to us ("My name's Dito...I'm gonna leave everybody in this film" we're told at the beginning, while Antonio, who's had his self-respect beaten out of him on a daily basis, later sums himself up by informing us: "I'm a f**king piece of shit.  And that's who I am.") 

An important subplot concerns their increasingly vitriolic conflict with a Puerto Rican graffiti artist who calls himself The Reaper, who finally attacks Dito one night with a baseball bat.  This is too much for Antonio to bear and he loses it, giving full rein to his violent tendencies.  What happens then is not only startling, but also leads to one of the most unexpected musical segues ever to the lush strains of Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street."

The older Dito eventually reconnects with the survivors of his past life, including Laurie, Monty, and finally, Antonio--all the people he left, but who never left him--and a painful succession of suppressed feelings and emotions are brought to the fore once again.  Some of them are left unresolved, at least for the time being.  But when he sees Antonio, the luckless friend whose neverending bout with life has left him on the ropes, it's cathartic.  (I won't tell you who plays the older Antonio, in case it comes as a pleasant surprise to you as it did me.) 

If you wait through the closing credit crawl of A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS you'll hear the real Dito and Antonio in a phone conversation.  And at the very end, there's about twenty seconds of video footage featuring the real-life Monty Montiel, talking about Antonio.  "He's a good guy, though," says an off-camera Dito.  "Oh, yeah, I like 'im," the frail Monty affirms.  "But, good guys don't get out of here."


Buy it at Amazon.com

A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS -- movie review by porfle

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" on Blu-ray and DVD February 21

GET CAPTIVATED BY ELIZABETH OLSEN IN THE GRIPPING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

Featuring the Award Winning Short Film “Mary Last Seen”
Only On Blu-ray and DVD February 21

Los Angeles, CA (December 20, 2011) – From 2011 Sundance Film Festival “Best Director” winner Sean Durkin, in his feature film debut, and featuring breakout star Elizabeth Olsen in her “Best Female Lead” Film Independent Spirit Award nominated role, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE arrives on Blu-ray and DVD February 21 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

After escaping from a dangerous cult and the watchful eye of its charismatic leader, a young woman named Martha (Olsen) tries to reclaim a normal life with her family. But the haunting memories from Martha’s past trigger a chilling paranoia — and nowhere seems safe as the fragile line between her reality and delusions begin to blur.

Supported by unforgettable powerhouse performances from Academy Award® nominee John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone, American Gangster) and Sarah Paulson (Down With Love, What Women Want), the MARTHA MARCY MARY MARLENE Blu-ray and DVD is rich with feature special features, including “Mary Last Seen,” the chilling short film by writer/director Durkin that started it all.

Pre-book date is January 25.

MARTHA MARCY MARY MARLENE Blu-ray Features:
--Mary Last Seen
--Spotlight on Elizabeth Olsen
--The Story
--The Making of Martha Marcy May Marlene
--A Conversation with Filmmakers
--The Psyche of a Cult
--"Marcy's Song" Music Video by John Hawkes
--Theatrical Trailer

MARTHA MARCY MARY MARLENE DVD Features:
--Mary Last Seen

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE BLU-RAY: (Catalog # 2277170)
Street Date: February 21, 2012
Pre-book Date: January 25, 2012
Screen Format: 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD-MA
Subtitles: English / Spanish
U.S. Rating: R
Total Run Time: 02:36:27
Closed Captioned: Yes

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE DVD: (Catalog # 2277163)
Street Date: February 21, 2012
Pre-book Date: January 25, 2012
Screen Format: 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio: 5.1 DD
Subtitles: English / Spanish
U.S. Rating: R
Total Run Time: 2:02:03
Closed Captioned: Yes

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"Martha Marcy May Marlene" on Blu-ray and DVD February 21

On DVD Jan. 3rd from Acorn - U.S. Debut of "Windsors" Doc, Joanna Lumley Soap Series, and Conclusion to "Man in a Suitcase"

Absorbing 2011 documentary traces the recent history of the British monarchy; From the real King George VI (Portrayed in The King’s Speech) Through Prince William’s recent wedding

THE WINDSORS: FROM GEORGE TO KATE

U.S. Debut on DVD from Athena January 3, 2012

Silver Spring, MD —Providing a window into the captivating lives of the British Royal Family, The Windsors: From George to Kate, makes its U.S. debut with the DVD release from Athena on January 3, 2012. The intriguing 2011 documentary gathers archival film footage and photographs from nearly a century of the House of Windsor’s history. Narrated by actor Brian Blessed (I, Claudius), The Windsors presents a unique look at the pomp and pageantry that surround these fascinating figures. The DVD comes with a wealth of bonus materials, including a 16-page viewer’s guide, clips from the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, archival footage about King George VI, the subject of the 2011 Oscar® winner The King’s Speech; biographies, and more ($29.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

While most monarchies have crumbled, the British royal family remains essential to the nation’s identity. Today, the House of Windsor continues to capture the world’s imagination, most recently for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, watched by a global audience of millions.

This documentary gathers archival film footage and stills from nearly a century of official events. Highlights include the Silver Jubilee of King George V (1935); the coronation of George VI and Queen Elizabeth, formerly Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1937); the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip (1947); the coronation of Elizabeth II (1953); the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer (1981); Diana’s funeral (1997); and the announcement of Prince William’s engagement to Catherine Middleton (2010). Full of pomp, pageantry, ritual, tradition, and sheer splendor, these historic films portray the Windsors at their most noble.

BONUS FEATURES: Clips from the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (8 min.); archival footage about King George VI; the subject of the 2011 Oscar® winner The King’s Speech (17 min.); biographies of select Windsors; and a 16-page viewer’s guide with a Windsor family tree; articles about royal titles and last names, coronation regalia, and protocol; and fascinating facts about the Windsors. Additional timeline and royal fun facts at AthenaLearning.com  

Street Date: Jan. 3, 2012                              SRP: $29.99  
DVD Single - Approx. 106 minutes, plus bonus – Documentary - SDH subtitles

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Conclusion to the thrilling 1960s spy series; Features candid and unfiltered, 69-minute interview with star Richard Bradford

MAN IN A SUITCASE, SET 2

Debuts on DVD January 3, 2012

A Rogue Agent for Hire in 1960s Europe

“Stylish action-adventure series” —The Independent
“Intrigue and suspense…not to be missed” —Library Bookwatch

Silver Spring, MD — Brimming with mystery and suspense, the conclusion to the atmospheric Cold War-era spy series, Man in a Suitcase, Set 2, debuts on DVD from Acorn Media on January 3, 2012. Richard Bradford (The Untouchables, Cagney & Lacey) stars as the savvy and adventurous “Mac” McGill, a cynical yet honest spy who has been disavowed by his American bosses and is on the run from a host of international enemies. Sharply written and featuring a host of superb guest stars, the intriguing drama had national broadcast exposure on ABC in 1968. Set 2 includes the last 15 episodes of this stylish series, plus a bonus 69 min. interview with star Richard Bradford offering a frank and unfiltered look at the series and his career (DVD 4-Disc, www.AcornOnline.com, $59.99).

After 10 years working for U.S. intelligence, “Mac” McGill knows a thing or two about living by his wits and getting the job done. But after his employment is terminated under mysterious circumstances, he has to look for work among those prepared to pay for his services. From his base in London, McGill travels all over Europe and beyond, taking on the jobs no one else can handle, tracking down the people no one else can find.

This action-packed drama features a host of superb guest stars, including Donald Sutherland (Pride & Prejudice), Felicity Kendal (Rosemary & Thyme), Peter Arne (The Return of the Pink Panther), Ray McAnally (My Left Foot), Colin Blakely (The Beiderbecke Affair), Philip Madoc (A Mind to Kill), and Edward Fox (Gandhi).

Bonus Features: Photo gallery and interview with Richard Bradford (69 min.; 2005)

Street: January 3, 2012                                SRP: $59.99
DVD 4-Disc Set: 15 episodes - Approx. 780 min., plus bonus – British drama – SDH subtitles

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Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) stars in the hilarious soap send-up

DR. WILLOUGHBY

Debuts on DVD January 3, 2012

“Wonderfully witty” —Manchester Evening News
“Sharp, literate…a memorable British sitcom” —Sunday Herald

Silver Spring, MD — A hilarious behind-the-scenes television satire in the vein of The Larry Sanders Show and Soap, Dr. Willoughby, starring fan favorite Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous), debuts on DVD from Acorn Media on January 3, 2012. Lumley stars as Donna Sinclair, an actress desperately clinging to her fading career. On the sleazy daytime soap in which she stars, Sinclair plays the competent and compassionate Dr. Willoughby. Off-screen, Sinclair is a holy terror—conniving, vain, and utterly insincere. The series is from the production team behind the long-running hit Brit-com Birds of a Feather, and it broadcast in 1999 on ITV and was syndicated on public television. The DVD Single includes all six episodes of this sharply written comedy ($29.99, www.AcornOnline.com).

On-screen, she’s Dr. Willoughby, a compassionate surgeon who saves lives with skill and a scalpel. Offscreen, she’s Donna Sinclair, a ruthless actress fighting to control her fading career and the sleazy daytime hospital soap in which she stars.

Joanna Lumley is deliciously bitchy as the aging, vain Sinclair in this hilarious send-up of British television. She’ll stop at nothing to keep her place in the spotlight, from betraying her fellow actors to terrorizing her producer, pilfering toilet paper from the supplies closet, and lying her way out of a charity gig. Dr. Willoughby also stars Brian Protheroe (Holby City, North & South), Isobel Middleton (Cracker), and Paula Bacon (Bad Girls). 

Street Date: Jan. 3, 2012                                         
SRP: $29.99              
DVD Single - Approx. 144 min. – 6 episodes - British comedy - SDH subtitles
Contains coarse language

About Acorn Media
Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media U.S. distributes distinctive home video releases to North America with a special focus on the best of British television. 2011 releases include Upstairs, Downstairs: 40th Anniversary Edition and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; U.S. debuts of new series Garrow’s Law, Vera, and Single-Handed; more episodes from New Tricks, Doc Martin, Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Marple, George Gently, Murdoch Mysteries; and the Blu-ray debut of Brideshead Revisited. Athena releases provide an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, documentary programming. Athena’s 2011 releases include The Making of the President: The 1960s, HBO’s The Battle for Marjah, Art of the Western World, The Genius of Design, Discovering Hamlet, Genius of Britain, Weapons Races, Joseph Campbell: Mythos III, and several acclaimed programs from Bill Moyers and Mike Wallace. Clips are available at www.athenalearning.com.

Acorn’s and Athena’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com and www.athenalearning.com. For the complete press releases, please visit: www.acornmedia.com

On DVD Jan. 3rd from Acorn - U.S. Debut of "Windsors" Doc, Joanna Lumley Soap Series, and Conclusion to "Man in a Suitcase"

"KILL LIST" Opens February 3, 2012 at IFC Center In NYC -- Available Jan. 4th on VOD

IFC MIDNIGHT PRESENTS "KILL LIST"

WINNER -- 4 AWARDS AT FILM4 FRIGHTFEST
(Best Film / Best Screenplay / Best Kill / Best Actor)

WINNER -- SITGES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Melies d’Argent for Best European Film

NOMINATED -- 6 BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS
(Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor,
Best Screenplay, Best Achievement in Production)

WINNER -- BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS
(Best Supporting Actor – Michael Smiley)

Official Selection -- SXSW Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and AFIFest

Eight months after a botched job in Kiev, Jay (Neil Maskell) is an out-of-work hitman with no job, money, health insurance and a wife constantly on his case. But when his business partner Gal (Michael Smiley) comes over for dinner and pressures Jay into taking a new assignment, Jay quickly finds himself back in the game with the promise of a big payoff after three assassinations. Although the hits start off without incident, soon things begin to unravel and Jay's paranoia reveals itself as he is plunged into the heart of darkness.

The second feature from British director Ben Wheatley (DOWN TERRACE) KILL LIST (which premiere at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival) features incredibly natural rich performances, jet black humor and nail-biting suspense that work to keep the audience always off-guard. Moving from kitchen-sink drama to character study to crime thriller, KILL LIST ends up at something more fundamentally profound and wonderfully disturbing.

"KILL LIST" Opens February 3, 2012 at IFC Center In NYC -- Available Jan. 4th on VOD

"THE SON OF NO ONE" with Channing Tatum, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD February 21st from Anchor Bay Films

ANCHOR BAY FILMS AND MILLENNIUM FILMS PROUDLY PRESENTS A NU IMAGE PRODUCTION "THE SON OF NO ONE"

Written and Directed by Dito Montiel

STARRING CHANNING TATUM, TRACEY MORGAN, KATIE HOLMES, RAY LIOTTA, JULIETTE BINOCHE, AL PACINO and JAKE CHERRY

“Exhilarating and Powerful” -–Avi Offer, NYCMovie Guru

Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD February 21, 2012

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Films is proud to announce the release of The Son of No One on Blu-ray™ and DVD, February 21, 2012.  A 2-disc Blu-ray™+DVD combo pack will also be available.  Hailed  as   “A riveting piece of filmmaking [featuring] one of the best casts of the year” by Joel Amos, MovieFanatic.com, The Son of No One is a gripping thriller about how far one police officer will go to keep his dark past hidden and protect his family.  The release also contains deleted scenes and audio commentary with Writer/Producer/Director Dito Montiel and Editor/Executive Producer Jake Pushinsky.

Jonathan (Channing Tatum 21 Jump Street, The Vow) is a second-generation cop who gets in over his head when he’s assigned to re-open a double homicide cold case in his Queens neighborhood. An anonymous source feeding new information on the long-unsolved murders to a local reporter (Juliette Binoche Cosmopolis, Dan In Real Life, ) leads to evidence suggesting a possible cover-up by the former lead detective (Al Pacino The Godfather, Scarface) who was on the investigation. As Jonathan digs deeper into the assignment, a dark secret about the case emerges, which threatens to destroy his life and his family.

Channing Tatum delivers a gritty and memorable performance, while New York mainstay writer and director Dito Montiel (Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) is at the top of his game. Also starring Tracy Morgan (NBC’s “30 Rock”), Katie Holmes (Batman Begins), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) and Jake Cherry (Night at the Museum), The Son of No One is a tense and powerful thriller filled with suspense, secrets and lies.

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"THE SON OF NO ONE" with Channing Tatum, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD February 21st from Anchor Bay Films

"GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL SEASON 2 PART 1" on DVD March 13th from Image Entertainment

COMING TO DVD FROM IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT: “GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL SEASON 2: PART 1”

Syfy hit series is back for its second season!

On March 13, Image Entertainment invites you on a second exploration of the series that debuted as the number one reality series telecast in Syfy channel history with “Ghost Hunters International Season 2:  Part 1,” a collection of 13 episodes bringing the world’s most frightening supernatural locations to your home entertainment system.  This three-disc DVD set will be available for an SRP of $24.98. Pre-book is February 14.

Fans can’t get enough of “Ghost Hunters” - celebrating eight seasons as the #1 paranormal franchise on cable television. In the second season of this hit spin-off of Syfy’s popular series, witness the fearless investigators exploring an ancient castle in Czech Republic, an 18th Century prison in Ireland, the Palazzo Ducale in Italy and even a castle said to be constructed over a portal to Hell.  With these and many other unique locations, who knows the kinds of twisted discoveries awaiting these paranormal enthusiasts!

The bone-chilling investigations taken in “Ghost Hunters International Season 2: Part 1” will arouse curiosity in even the most skeptical of viewers:

Wicklow’s Gaol
Skeleton in the Closet
Gate to Hell
Witches Castle
Spirits of Italy
Holy Ghosts
Hitler’s Ghost
Silver Shadow
Quarantine Station
Port Arthur Penitentiary
Tasmania Death Sentence
San Lucas Prison
The Legend of Rose Hall   

So prepare yourself for another round of supernatural experiences spanning the globe as “Ghost Hunters International Season 2:  Part 1” reminds you the important details are found in what you can sense, not what you can see. 

“Ghost Hunters International Season 2:  Part 1”
Genre:              Mystery/Suspense, Special Interest, Television, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Myths/Legends
Rating:              Not Rated
Languages:       English 
Format:             1.78:1 (16x9 enhanced)
Audio:              Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:          N/A
Year:                2011
SRP:                $24.98
Street Date:      March 13, 2012
Length:             572 minutes (approx.)
UPC:                014381793222
Cat#:                ID7932PGDVD

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"GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL SEASON 2 PART 1" on DVD March 13th from Image Entertainment

I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT -- DVD review by porfle

In order for me to enjoy it to any degree, I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT (2011) already had three major strikes against it.  One, it's a chick flick.  Two, it has Sarah Jessica Parker in it.  And three, it's a chick flick with Sarah Jessica Parker in it.  The fact that I didn't totally hate it, and even sorta liked most of it, means that it must be doing something right.

Of course, being about a harried working mom it has to portray harried working moms as the most harried and overworked people in the universe.  Kate (played by you-know-who) has two kids and a between-jobs husband (Greg Kinnear as "Richard") who, naturally, has everything easier than she does.  (Why, he doesn't even keep a mental "to-do" list!) 

We first see her after a hard day's work, buying a pie for her daughter's kindergarten bake sale because the deli was out of baking supplies.  "Out of baking supplies"?  You get the feeling that Allison Pearson, who wrote the novel upon which this is based, hasn't done a whole lot of baking.  And in the entire city of Boston, there isn't a single all-night WalMart?



Kate's housewife acquaintances, whom she refers to as "mini Martha Stewarts" and "The Momsters", are barely a step away from cows on the evolutionary scale, whiling away their time at the fitness spa with no burdens or responsibilities while Kate toils like a rower on a Roman galleon (albeit one with a 9-to-5 nanny).  Needless to say, this paeon to working mothers is massively front-loaded in their favor. 

Fortunately, Kate's best friend Allison (Christina Hendricks) is there to verbalize all of this stuff about how they have it tougher than the blatantly-caricatured Momsters (and, of course, men in general) so that certain viewers can nod and tsk-tsk "That is sooo true" while Kate herself doesn't come off as a whiny, self-pitying bore.  Allison is beautiful, smart, funny, and sassily sarcastic, qualities that non-working moms apparently have liposuctioned out of them soon after high school.

Kate works at a "high-powered law firm" where she has to try twice as hard as her conniving rival, Bunce (Seth Meyers), because, you guessed it, he's a guy, and when she gets a shot at a big business deal involving a high-level executive named Jack Abelhammer (Pierce Brosnan) it causes her to miss out on even more family-type stuff.  Her kids resent her for this and we keep expecting Richard to go totally guilt-trip on her, although to the film's credit this aspect of the story is handled rather well. 

Sarah Jessica Parker deftly applies her acting and comedy skills to their best advantage to create a fairly likable and sympathetic character.  Her scenes with the always impeccable Brosnan are done just right (even during the inevitable awkward proposition) and she and Kinnear, also a fine actor, make an appealing couple.



Kelsey Grammer and Jane Curtain come off nicely in smaller roles.  Olivia Munn's subplot concerning Kate's overachieving coworker Momo is an interesting diversion which, surprisingly, fails to endorse abortion as the ideal answer to a working woman's unexpected pregnancy. 

Director Douglas McGrath keeps the pace popping like microwave popcorn and the script is dotted with funny gags.  (I like that this movie isn't afraid to have its heroine suddenly come down with a severe case of head lice.)  I was also pleased that the dreaded infidelity plotline--indeed, any of the usual maudlin, tacked-on plot twists that often crop up in stories of this nature to laden them with added dramatic weight--failed to materialize even though all signs seemed to point in that direction.

Instead, we get a very nice scene in a bowling alley and some believable complications in Kate and Richard's relationship that aren't straight out of a bad drama class exercise.  While the story's resolution isn't exactly straight out of reality, the whole thing's more of a fairytale than a docudrama anyway--it could almost be a vehicle for Hilary Duff. 

The DVD from the Weinsteins and Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  The sole extra is a brief conversation with author Allison Pearson.

While going a bit overboard in elevating the working mom above all the other cows in the lowing herd, I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT manages to keep a breezy tone most of the time and barely wades in up to its knees in the melodrama pool.  Once I got over the initial horror of watching a chick flick with Sarah Jessica Parker in it, I found myself grudgingly admitting that this is one movie of its kind with a few of its baking supplies in the right place.


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I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT -- DVD review by porfle

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN: THE SINATRA LEGACY -- DVD review by porfle

Every once in a while we get something like this to review, and while my initial reaction is decidedly less than enthusiastic, it usually ends up appealing to that small part of me which actually enjoys this kind of stuff.  First it was Barry Manilow, then Stephen Sondheim, and now comes Image Entertainment's MICHAEL FEINSTEIN: THE SINATRA LEGACY (2011), a concert film that fans of Frank Sinatra and/or Michael Feinstein should like at least as much as I did.

Five-time Grammy winner Feinstein, referred to by many as "the keeper of the classics" and an authority on what's known as The Great American Songbook, takes the stage of the beautiful and spacious Palladium in Carmel, Indiana for this tribute to Sinatra and his musical legacy.  Backed by musical director Bill Elliott and an orchestra which is, as you might assume, impeccable, he pays homage not only to the man himself but also to the many influences that shaped his style and those that he himself influenced.



The show opens with the rousing "Once in a Lifetime", which introduces novices such as myself to the energetic singer and his easy way of connecting with the audience.  Feinstein doesn't have the powerhouse pipes of Sinatra, Tony Bennett, or Dean Martin, but he loves to belt out a pop standard or showtune with emotion and a style that alternates between hammy and intimate.  His performance never gives way to empty bombast, thank goodness, although a song's finale will sometimes find him standing on the piano working one of those sustained breath-busting end notes.

This lively opening segues into the cool jazz of the Sinatra standard "I Thought About You", followed by "Fly Me to the Moon", which Feinstein performs as a slow ballad the way it was originally intended.  The arrangement is very sparse--guitar and plucked bass only--and it's interesting to hear the song done in this way.

After doing a dead-on impression of Paul Lynde that should please his fans (myself included), he delivers a simmering version of "Put On a Happy Face/A Lot of Livin' to Do" from "Bye Bye Birdie" which starts with him showing off his considerable skills on the piano.  The Lynde imitation is our first sample of Feinstein's knack for both mimicry and getting laughs out of his listeners. 

After explaining why Cole Porter, a Gentile, wrote the most Jewish-sounding pop songs of his era we get a demonstration by way of a virtuoso piano intro to Porter's "So In Love."   A later instrumental number, Ary Barroso's "Brazil", will be an even bigger workout for Feinstein's nimble fingers.



Taking time out to recount a funny anecdote about the first time he actually met Sinatra as a young up-and-comer, he performs a lesser-known Sinatra tune, "There'll Be Some Changes Made", which was first recorded by Billie Holliday and Ethel Waters.  Feinstein uses this as an example of how musical influences are passed down from one singer to another over the years.  Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine", a hit for Sinatra in the 40s which he then dropped from his repertoire, is given a fantasy arrangement in the style of Sinatra's collaborations with Nelson Riddle in the 50s.  

"For Once In My Life", a later hit for the legendary singer, is included to show his desire to keep adding new songs to his arsenal rather than resting on his laurels.  Feinstein then performs "Maybe This Time" from "Cabaret" as a nod to his friend Liza Minelli, and finally finishes with the usual bells and whistles of "New York, New York" while standing on the piano and belting out another one of those final notes that almost make you run out of breath yourself just listening to it.  The show ends with Feinstein making a quick exit and leaving them wantin' more.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 16x9 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound.  There are no subtitles or extras.

If The Great American Songbook doesn't do anything for you, then you probably should regard MICHAEL FEINSTEIN: THE SINATRA LEGACY the same way a little kid does when presented with a hot, heaping plateful of spinach.  I happen to like spinach, though, and this batch goes down pretty easy.


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MICHAEL FEINSTEIN: THE SINATRA LEGACY -- DVD review by porfle

SINNERS AND SAINTS -- DVD review by porfle

Yet another cop flick set in post-Katrina New Orleans, 2010's SINNERS AND SAINTS thankfully dispenses with the blah-blah politics this time and simply takes advantage of the stricken city's inherent appeal as a gritty and noirish backdrop for war in the streets. 

Much of the film is the usual run-of-the-mill renegade cop vs. vile villains stuff which, in itself, is far from interesting or imaginative enough to hold our interest.  What really makes this one worth watching is the fact that when the cop(s) and the bad guys clash the result is bullet-riddled, bone-crushing 80s-style action.

Johnny Strong (BLACK HAWK DOWN, GET CARTER) stars as Detective Sean Riley, one of those fearless, hardbitten cops with nothing to lose whose file gets a lot of wear and tear down at Internal Affairs.  A series of horrific murders in which victims are set alight, extinguished, and then ignited again repeatedly prompts inexperienced homicide detective Will Ganz (Kevin Phillips) to seek Riley's help, and these unlikely partners get involved in a (mostly negligible) web of intrigue woven by a group of ex-military assassins led by stone-cold killer Crowe (Costas Mandylor, DINOCROC, the SAW series).



Once we learn a bit about Riley's tragic history, Ganz' idyllic home-and-family life, and something about why the bad guys are going around offing people, that's about all we need to know.  After that, we can just sit back and wait for the four or five kickass action setpieces that come along every now and then to raise the film to a higher level.  The opening sequence gets things off to a rousing start as Riley and his associates track down some perps to their hideout and get caught up in a blazing shootout that ends with Riley executing their leader (he deserved it), which then gets him in hot water with his stern-but-sympathetic precinct captain (PLATOON's Tom Berenger in a minor role). 

Before long the bullets start flying again when Riley and Ganz interrupt an immolation and get into another gunfight, this time with the villains being led by Louis Mandylor (BARE KNUCKLES, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING) doing a bang-up job as Crowe's psychotic second-in-command, Cole.  Ordinance aplenty is expended by pistols and machine guns as innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire and a gum-chewing Riley coolly pops caps. 

Later, mayhem ensues again in a mostly abandoned neighborhood as more automatic weapons fire chews up a number of ravaged houses along with various unfortunate people on both sides, ending in a good old-fashioned explosion.  The final action scenes are highlighted by a delightful exchange in which Riley is in the clutches of a whole group of big ugly mofos and manages to take them all out Bruce Willis style before going after the Big Cheese himself.



As Riley, Johnny Strong reminds me somewhat of William Petersen's "Chance" in TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.--another cocky, renegade cop with a casual disregard for the rules--only not quite as good.  Kevin Phillips, for whom SINNERS AND SAINTS is a definite step up from the horrible ROCK THE PAINT and the boring PRIDE, does an okay job as the more sedate, by-the-book Ganz, while Costas Mandylor excells as Crowe by not overplaying the part. 

Making brief cameo appearances are Jürgen Prochnow as the Russian crime lord behind it all and the great Kim Coates (who will always be "Chet" from THE LAST BOY SCOUT to me) as a cop who zigs when he should've zagged.  "Star Trek: Enterprise" co-star Jolene Blalock turns up in one scene about halfway through, and Method Man is effectively scary as a vengeful drug dealer named Weddo whose little brother falls victim to the heinous baddies.

Like the script by co-writer Jay Moses, director William Kaufman is merely okay during the talky parts but first-rate when the action heats up.  A lot of the effectiveness of the performances and dialogue scenes is drained away by an overbearing musical score (composed and performed by Strong) that's slathered all over everything like too much mustard on a ham sandwich.  Production values are modest but efficient. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.35:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras consist of a very brief (about four minutes) "making-of" short and some deleted scenes.

Storywise, SINNERS AND SAINTS is just the same-old same-old that we've seen in countless other mid-level cop flicks.  But once the shooting starts, it's funtime for action fans.


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SINNERS AND SAINTS -- DVD review by porfle

ICE QUAKE -- DVD review by porfle

ICE QUAKE (2010) is one of those made-for-SyFy movies that you can take or leave without it having any noticeable effect on your life either way.  If you take it, the extended forecast is "bland" with scattered moments of mild excitement. 

When a massive ice shelf collapses in the Russian arctic, one consequence is that people in a small town in Alaska start falling into gaping fissures, freezing to death from the escaping gases, or getting nailed by erupting ice geysers.  Most of this is occurring on a particular mountain, which--naturally--is where geologist Michael Webster (Brendan Fehr) takes his whiny family to look for a Christmas tree.  It isn't long before they're all menaced by the aforementioned natural hazards plus an avalanche or two.

Back at the base of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Col. Bill Hughes (Victor Garber) and his geek squad follow the impending disaster in the "Oh, My God" room, the place where people in SyFy Channel movies look at computer screens and say "Oh, my God" a lot.  They discover that a massive amount (gigatons, even) of methane gas is flowing underground and creating havoc wherever it goes.  As is typical of this type of low-budget disaster flick, the event has the potential of ending all life on earth, which gives the characters something exciting to talk about.



ICE QUAKE is the kind of effort that chugs along as well as it can within its limited resources without ever managing to be more than mildly watchable.  A big drawback is the Un-Steadicam camerawork that's distractingly wobbly (not counting the earth-tremor scenes that are supposed to look that way) and tends toward unintentional Dutch angles.  Performances aren't all that strong, either--Fehr is so bland as Michael that one wonders who the heck he beat out for the role, while Holly Dignard as his wife Emily expresses extreme emotion by putting on a "yucky" face. 

As a scientist trying to alert the military to the impending methane menace, Rob LaBelle (WATCHMEN, DARK STORM) isn't bad in his brief screen time.  Jodelle Ferland and Ryan Grantham are also pretty good as kids Tia and Shane Webster--Ferland, who was in THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE and has been on "Stargate" a couple of times, even gets second billing.  The big puzzle is what Victor Garber (TITANIC) is doing in this, especially since he's pretty miscast as a military officer.  He spends much of his time in the "Oh, My God" room with a coffee cup grafted to his hand, and whenever he has a dramatic line he neutralizes it by taking a long swig of java.

The frequent use of CGI is pretty well done because, I suppose, it's hard to mess up snow and ice effects compared to rendering dinocrocs and sharktopi.  There's also an impressive shot of a helicopter in distress while trying to reel in an injured man on a stretcher, although the actual crash looks typically fake.  Some other vehicle-related CGI is similarly unconvincing, while the massive explosions seen in the finale are about as good as can be expected. 



The rest of the action consists mainly of people either running around in the snow dodging fissures or gaping at their computer monitors.  The film does manage to generate a moderate amount of suspense at the end as a series of detonations intended to stop the methane flow threaten to blow up some of our beloved main characters. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and English and Spanish subtitles.  Bonus features consist of "The Making of 'Ice Quake'" and a trailer.

I didn't actively dislike ICE QUAKE, and it serves its purpose as a time-waster, but apart from that there really isn't much to say for it.  It's the kind of movie that you watch because the remote control is out of reach and you don't feel like getting up.


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ICE QUAKE -- DVD review by porfle

H.P. LOVECRAFT'S PICKMAN'S MODEL -- DVD review by porfle

There have been several adapatations of this H.P. Lovecraft short story over the years, including a segment of Rod Serling's "Night Gallery" and a collection from Lurker Films (reviewed here) which includes three different ones on one DVD.  Fierro Films' H.P. LOVECRAFT'S PICKMAN'S MODEL (2008) offers yet another unique interpretation which remains faithful to the original story while condensing or omitting much of the colorful detail.

As usual, the story begins with a severely shaken Thurber telling his friend Eliot of his recent experiences with Richard Upton Pickman, a strange man whose sick, grotesque paintings have gotten him expelled from a high-brow art club ("Ghoul Feeding" being the last straw) while fascinating Thurber with their dreadful realism.  After being invited to Pickman's secret studio in Boston's North End, Thurber sees artworks that go beyond any imaginable horror, and then discovers Pickman's true inspiration for these ghastly visions after visiting the sinister artist's dark cellar.



This twenty-minute short is shot on video, using some particularly well-chosen locations, and the direction and cinematography by Gary Fierro are good considering the miniscule budget.  There are some exceptional moments, including a cool closeup of Pickman's wicked grin as tendrils of cigarette smoke swirl through his nicotine-stained teeth, and another shot of his face slowly emerging from the darkness to leer over Thurber's shoulder.  The camerawork and lighting during the scenes in Pickman's cellar, pitch dark save for the flickering flame of a lantern, are very atmospheric. 

Jesse Murphy as Thurber and Derek Meinecke as Eliot do a capable job with their exposition-heavy dialogue.  But Conor Timmis (KREATING KARLOFF) is the main attraction here, clearly relishing the chance to portray the cackling, repellent Pickman with an old-school acting style similar to that seen in the early Universals.  He's very good here, and I'd like to have seen him get the chance to develop the character over a longer period of time.

A little more time might also have helped in laying the groundwork for the story and building up to its surprise conclusion; as it is, I'm not sure how effective the ending will be for someone unfamiliar with Lovecraft's story.  In it, Pickman is a talkative loon, and the things he tells Thurber give the tale much of its flavor, along with Thurber's horrified descriptions of the subject matter of Pickman's work (nicely represented here by some suitably grisly paintings by Fierro himself).

Justin Tacchi's script, co-written with Fierro, skims over many of the juicy details that might have given richer meaning to Pickman's strange past, the mystery of his cellar, and the reason why Thurber will no longer ride the subway.  And just as this film was starting to grab me with its spooky atmosphere and its effective portrayal of Pickman, it was over. 

A twenty-minute "making of" documentary featuring the cast and crew is informative, though rather static.  More entertaining is "Creating a Villain", a look at the process by which makeup FX artist Norman Bryn (CLOVERFIELD) turned Timmis into the vile Pickman, and a commentary track featuring Timmis, Fierro, and Tacchi.  Also included are a brief behind-the-scenes slideshow, a trailer, and, last but not least, the entire text of Lovecraft's original short story.

H.P. LOVECRAFT'S PICKMAN'S MODEL is neither the best nor the worst adaptation of the story that I've seen.  But for a production whose budget totaled little more than a few hundred dollars--and despite a rushed ending--it's a respectable effort, and worth a look if you're a Lovecraft fan.


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H.P. LOVECRAFT'S PICKMAN'S MODEL -- DVD review by porfle