"BLACK BUTTERFLY" Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Rhys Meyers to Star in Psychological Thriller

ANTONIO BANDERAS AND JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS TO STAR IN PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER “BLACK BUTTERFLY”; BRIAN GOODMAN TO DIRECT

Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s AMBI Group is Financing and Producing the Film with Silvio Muraglia’s Paradox Studios and Marc Frydman

Los Angeles, CA - April 14, 2016 – It was revealed today that Antonio Banderas (“Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” “The Expendables 3”) and Golden Globe® winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“Mission: Impossible III” “The Tudors”) will star opposite one another in the psychological thriller “Black Butterfly,” directed by Brian Goodman (“What Doesn’t Kill You”).

Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s AMBI Group and Silvio Muraglia’s Paradox Studios are financing and producing “Black Butterfly.” Mikael Wiren and Alexandra Klim are Executive Producing. Producer Marc Frydman is also producing.

The movie is based on the French film “Papillon Noir” written by Hervé Korian. Justin Stanley (“Stigmata”) and Steve Hilts are adapting a new screenplay for the film.

In this taut psychological thriller, Paul (Banderas), a down on his luck screenwriter, picks up a drifter (Rhys Meyers) and offers him a place to stay. However, when the deranged stranger takes Paul hostage and forces him to write, their unhinged relationship brings buried secrets to light.

AMBI Distribution, the worldwide sales arm of the AMBI Group, is handling global sales and will be introducing the project to buyers in Cannes.

Principal photography is slated to begin next month in Italy.

Said Andrea Iervolino, “This is a film where emotions cascade as the story unfolds with twists and turns that create unrelenting drama and thrills. To pull it off, you need an actor with real gravitas and proven connectivity with audiences so we feel fortunate to have Antonio step into this incredible role and do what he does best – own a role and deliver amazing performances.”

Monika Bacardi added, “We are thrilled to be producing a film with such amazing talent on both sides of the camera. Antonio is a powerful force on screen and has a role here that will tap into his amazing versatility as an actor. On the other side of the camera, we couldn’t be happier to put this film in the hands of Brian, whose vision and passion for this project is tremendously inspiring.”

Silvio Muraglia commented, “Black Butterfly’ is a roller coaster ride of suspense, twists and turns that relies on superb writing, sophisticated acting and character work. Antonio Banderas intensity and versatility and Jonathan Rhys Meyers depth and range are the key to bring this film to life.”

Antonio Banderas is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency, Management firm Media Art Management, and law firm Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Brian Goodman is represented by APA.

About AMBI

AMBI Group is a consortium of vertically integrated film development, production, finance and distribution companies wholly owned and operated by Andrea Iervolino and Monika Gomez del Campo Bacardi, Lady of Bayfield Hall, better known as “Monika Bacardi.”

AMBI has quickly emerged as one of the industry’s most prolific financing, production and sales companies with the capacity to develop, package, finance, produce and sell a broad array of films for worldwide distribution. Among the films on AMBI’s burgeoning film slate are a remake of Christopher Nolan’s iconic film “Memento”;  “Lamborghini – The Legend,” a biopic on Lamborghini founder Ferruccio Lamborghini to be written by Bobby Moresco; the faith based children’s film “Beyond the Sun,” featuring His Holiness Pope Francis; “Septembers of Shiraz,” starring  Salma Hayek and Adrien Brody; the contemporary fairy tale “This Beautiful Fantastic” starring Jessica Brown Findlay and Tom Wilkinson; a documentary feature about Federico Fellini titled “The Man of La Dolce Vita;” James Franco’s “In Dubious Battle,” featuring an ensemble cast that includes Franco, Nat Wolff, Selena Gomez, Vincent D’Onofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, Josh Hutcherson, Zach Braff and Sam Shepherd; the 3D CGI family animated film “Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad,” featuring the  voices of Jamie Foxx, John Cleese, Alec Baldwin, James Franco, Angelica Huston and Heidi Klum; the sci-fi thriller “Rupture” starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Chiklis and Peter Stormare; the psychological thriller “Lavender” starring Abbie Cornish and Dermot Mulroney; the romantic comedy “All Roads Lead to Rome,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker;  Barry Levinson’s acclaimed drama “The Humbling,” starring Al Pacino; and the sci-fi action thriller “Andron: The Black Labyrinth,” starring Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover, among several others.

In 2015, AMBI acquired the Exclusive Media Group film library, which includes an incredibly diverse portfolio of critical hits, commercial blockbusters and cult favorites such as “Begin Again,” “Cruel Intentions,” “Donnie Darko,” “End of Watch,” “Ides of March,” “Hit & Run,” “Memento,” “The Mexican,” “Parkland,” “Rush,” “Sliding Doors,” “Snitch,” “Undefeated” and “The Way Back,” to name a few.  In addition to the library titles, AMBI now has the rights to a number of titles within EMG’s active movie development slate, as well as all sequel and remake rights to the popular EMG films.

Andrea Iervolino has produced, funded and distributed over 50 feature films including “The Merchant of Venice” and “The Humbling.” He is considered one of the youngest and most accomplished entrepreneurs in the Italian film industry and was the recipient of the coveted Mimmo Rotella Award for his contributions to the Italian cinema industry - presented to him at the 2014 Venice Film Festival, alongside fellow recipients Al Pacino and Barry Levinson. Iervolino most recently received the Honor of Recognition as Ambassador of Italian Cinema in the World at annual Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF).

Lady Monika Bacardi is the widow of Luis Adalberto Facundo Gomez del Campo Bacardi, Lord of Bayfield Hall, known as Lord Luis Bacardi (descendent of the Bacardi founder, still a family-run company). Renowned for her passion of modern art and love of photography and movies, Monika Bacardi is a highly successful businesswoman who is now committed to producing films, through AMBI, on top of her numerous philanthropic activities.

For more information on AMBI please visit http://www.ambipictures.com/en/

About Paradox

Paradox Studios, Inc. is a boutique production company that specializes in independent film financing and International co-productions. Their most recent project All Roads Lead to Rome is currently in post-production and starred Sarah Jessica Parker, Raoul Bova, and Paz Vega and was shot in Rome in 2014. Studios produced and financed Reclaim, starring John Cusack, Jacki Weaver, and Ryan Phillippe was released on September 19, 2014 by Lionsgate as well as Ain't Them Bodies Saints, staring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, which was acquired by IFC Films at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.   Also produced and financed by Paradox is the Samuel L. Jackson and Dominic Cooper thriller Reasonable Doubt, released by Lionsgate on January 26, 2014.  Paradox has produced and financed over 10 films since 2008, including The Frozen Ground, Fire with Fire, and Setup.

Silvio Muraglia is a respected international producer and television executive who possesses extensive knowledge of both the European and the American entertainment industries and film markets, and has served as president of production at Paradox Studios since 2013.  He has produced over 20 films over the course of his career.

In addition to producing independent films, Paradox Entertainment owns the Robert E. Howard library (Conan the Barbarian, Kull of Atlantis, Dark Agnes) and produced the 2010 film Conan the Barbarian: 3D with Lionsgate and Millennium.  Paradox also boasts a strong licensing program surrounding the Robert E. Howard IP, including comic books, video games, toys, and collectable figurines. 

"BLACK BUTTERFLY" Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Rhys Meyers to Star in Psychological Thriller

JOURNEY OF THE DOOMED -- Movie Review by Porfle

Compared to a Shaw Brothers film such as HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD, 1985's JOURNEY OF THE DOOMED seems positively sedate.  Despite some comedy here and there, it's mainly a tale of tragic romance with intermittent swordplay and some surprisingly adult elements.

The madame of a classy brothel, Big Sister, gets in hot water with an evil client named Mr. Duan after he cruelly breaks in a new girl whose best friend, Shui-erh, an orphan whom Big Sister has raised since childhood, throws a snake at him. 

Shui-erh is actually the illegitimate daughter of a prince who's next in line to become Emperor, and Big Sister figures that this scandalous information will be valuable to the second-in-line prince so she reveals it to him in return for squaring things with Duan. 

Second Prince sends the Three Knights--Fei-hsia, Xi Ma Cross, and Swallow 13--to capture Shui-erh so he can show her to Dad, while First Brother sends bad warrior Shan and two murderous Black Dragon Order swordswomen, Spicy Double Wind Eel and Monkey Lin, to kill everyone in the brothel.

Shui-erh escapes into the woods and is helped by a handsome young fisherman whom she calls "Knight."  It turns out that he is the younger brother of Spicy Double Wind Eel, which complicates things a bit. 

Shui-erh and Knight fall in love while living in the secluded beach shack of a kindly mute girl, but Shui-erh becomes jealous of her and runs away, falling into the hands of the Three Knights. 

Fei-hsia, who is in love with Shan and under his hypnotic spell, makes off with Shui-erh before she can be taken to the palace and delivers her to Shan at the Mysterious Fire Village, where a fierce battle between Shan and the Knights takes place over the fate of the future princess.

Director Chuen-Yee Cha's JOURNEY OF THE DOOMED has few major action setpieces compared to most Shaw Brothers films, and there isn't a lot of effort put into making the characters' fighting skills look all that convincing. 

The main emphasis is on the love story, which is less than riveting.  Much of the middle part of the film resembles one of those BLUE LAGOON-type flicks about young lovers cavorting in the wild, with Shui-erh's spoiled brattiness getting a bit trying after awhile. 

The lack of chemistry between the two actors is obvious when they kiss--she keeps her lips pressed firmly together as though being forced to eat spinach, while he practically tries to suck her entire face into his mouth.

Still, leather-clad babe Monkey Lin is entertaining whether taking on a bunch of inept guys just for fun or having it out with Spicy Double Wind Eel when she tries to kill her brother.  Most startling is the sequence in which Monkey and Spicy slaughter the prostitutes of Big Sister's brothel, and the final battle at Mysterious Fire Village is impressively staged. 

There isn't much wirework here and fantasy elements are kept to such a minimum that when animated light beams eminate from Shan's eyes as he hypnotizes Fei-hsia, it seems almost out of place.

What sets this film apart is the nudity and softcore sex.  An early scene with Big Sister and her brothel partner gettin' it on is totally gratuitous, but the fact that she's so gorgeous makes it my favorite part of the movie. 

Mr. Duan's session with the virgin Xio Cai is considerably less romantic, as he whips and even brands her while roughly availing himself of her supple body.  Later, things get sappy during Shui-erh and Knight's idyllic wilderness interlude, which even includes one of those cutesy montages set to the tune of a bad 80s power ballad.  This entire sequence slows the movie down and it doesn't pick up again until we get to the Mysterious Fire Village.

After recently watching several Shaw Brothers films which are loaded with wall-to-wall action and fantasy, JOURNEY OF THE DOOMED comes as a letdown.  It does have its charming moments and a certain amount of excitement, but it isn't a film I'll feel compelled to revisit any time soon.

Read our review of the
SHAW BROTHERS COLLECTION VOL. II

JOURNEY OF THE DOOMED -- Movie Review by Porfle

CARVED: THE SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN -- Movie Review by Porfle

Much of Japan's creepiest film horror is derived from their popular ghost stories and urban legends. CARVED: THE SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN (2007) is a prime example, beginning with the rumor of the titular ghost being passed from child to child at school until the entire populace is on edge.

Before long, kids start disappearing as the terrifying slit-mouthed woman, a trench-coated apparition with long black hair and a hideous visage, appears with her long, razor-sharp scissors. "Am I pretty?" she asks cryptically before snatching them away.

Two young elementary school teachers end up on the ghost's trail for various reasons--Ms. Yamashita (Eriko Satô) seeks to make amends for abusing her own daughter, while Mr. Matsuzaki (Haruhiko Katô) has a terrible personal connection that enables him to sense the ghost's next attack before it happens.

They encounter her several times before a final battle in her hidden cellar of death becomes an ordeal of unspeakable horror.

CARVED isn't nearly as blood-curdlingly terrifying as some of the Asian ghost stories I've seen, but it's the kind of macabre tale that brings back that childhood feeling of walking home in the twilight after trading too many scary stories with your friends.

With her staring snake eyes and gaping ear-to-ear gash of a mouth (the makeup is great), the slit-mouthed woman is an imposing presence.

The acting by the kids is very good, but if seeing children getting wasted is too much for you, you might want to skip this one. Because of this factor, much of the film is more disturbing than scary.

Kôji Shiraishi's direction is smooth and unobtrusive, with some cleverly executed shots. He stages the fright scenes well and maintains an unsettling aura of fear without relying solely on jump scares.

The finale is tense and suspenseful, and CARVED: THE SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN fades out on a disturbing open-ended note.

Read our review of the
PALISADES TARTAN TERROR PACK VOL. 1

CARVED: THE SLIT-MOUTHED WOMAN -- Movie Review by Porfle

TRY AND GET ME! -- DVD Review by Porfle

One of the more emotional film noirs I've seen, 1950's TRY AND GET ME! (aka "The Sound of Fury") is alternately tragic and terrifying, and altogether absorbing from start to finish.

Suffering from a jobless malaise that must've afflicted many returning WWII vets, Howard Tyler (Frank Lovejoy, HOUSE OF WAX, SHE'S BACK ON BROADWAY) is so desperate to improve the hardscrabble living conditions of his pregnant wife Judy (Kathleen Ryan) and young son that he falls in with small-time stickup man Jerry Slocum (Lloyd Bridges) as his getaway driver. 

Howard's basically a kindly, decent sort who dearly loves his family, making his rapid descent into the "dark side" all the more tragic.  Things inevitably escalate beyond his control when Jerry's big kidnapping scheme turns brutally lethal, at which point he not only finds his family slipping away from him but also sees himself portrayed by ambitious young local newspaperman Gil Stanton (Richard Carlson) as one of society's most vile monsters in a series of lurid and inciteful articles.

Much of TRY AND GET ME! is a wallow in richly-photographed film noir that can be appreciated by those who love a good black-and-white movie.  As Howard's situation worsens, the film takes on the anxious inevitability of a nightmare that's awash in deep shadows. 

Added to this is director Cyril Endfield's (ZULU DAWN, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, TARZAN'S SAVAGE FURY) use of techniques such as Dutch angles, shooting from inside moving vehicles, and, in the final scenes, a stark, almost documentary style that heightens realism while reflecting a growing sense of fear and disorientation.

Frank Lovejoy's realistic, sincere performance perfectly conveys Howard's likable everyman qualities as we helplessly witness each stage of his growing despair and eventual downfall.  We feel his loving devotion to his family, and can almost forgive him when he falls in with Jerry Slocum in order to improve their lot. 

Lloyd Bridges, on the other hand, is perfect as the wiry, hyperactive, narcissistic sleazeball Slocum, a petty criminal itching to move up into kidnapping and extortion.  Interestingly, his courting of Howard to join him borders on the sexual--he almost seems to seduce Howard into his "alternate lifestyle" of crime, luring him back to his apartment and posing shirtless for him while he preens in the mirror and flaunts his indulgent fashion accessories.  

The rest of the cast is fine including Adele Jergens (ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED) as the ideal blonde goodtime girl-slash-moll who thinks Jerry is "nature's gift to women."  In a touching performance, Katherine Locke is Hazel, a "lonely hearts" type to whom Howard reaches out for comfort and who sees him as potential soulmate material until his shocking secret comes out. 

THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON'S Richard Carlson is effective as well in one of his best non-monster-movie roles.  Sharp-eyed viewers may spot Joe Conley (Ike Godsey of "The Waltons") as a lynch mob extra and Yvette Vickers (ATTACK OF THE FIFTY-FOOT WOMAN) as a dancer in a nightclub where Joe E. Ross appears as an abrasive burlesque comic.

The script by Endfield and author Jo Pagano, who wrote the original novel "The Condemned", contrasts the darker material with nostalgic glimpses of a time long past in which bowlers tipped the pinsetter by rolling coins down the alley and people gathered in a neighbor's darkened livingroom to watch his television together. 

The unrelieved tragedy which ensues is like a slow-motion trainwreck that can't be avoided, and ultimately is almost as downbeat and disheartening in its own way as EDEN LAKE.

At roughly the halfway point, the film is almost marred by a sudden lapse into preachiness when a new character, Dr. Vito Simone (Renzo Cesana), begins to pontificate about the damage caused by Gil Stanton's rabble-rousing, sensational news articles. 

The story's main theme is thus stated: "Violence is a disease caused by moral and societal decay," and we should not be quick to judge. (Although Bridges' character is such an evil little rat bastard that I doubt he was shaped by such esoteric influences.)

In a way this reminded me of IN COLD BLOOD, another bleak black-and-white "true crime" drama that is fascinating in itself but expects the viewer to draw certain conclusions from the story that he or she may find arbitrary.

Such concerns, however, are largely overwhelmed by the searingly powerful final sequence in which the two accused men are trapped in their cells while a frenzied lynch mob of hundreds lay siege to the courthouse.   

It's here that TRY AND GET ME! most resembles a horror movie along the lines of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD--with its army of zombies finally forcing their way into the house where the living have barricaded themselves--but with the added impact of being based on a real-life event and populated by the very people we see every day.

The DVD from Olive Films is in 1.33:1 widescreen with Dolby 2.0 sound and subtitles in English.  No extras. 

At a time when message movies were coming into vogue, TRY AND GET ME!'s "nurture, not nature" theme may occasionally seem a bit heavy-handed.  But that matters little when compared to the film's overall impact.  It starts out as a genuine tear-jerking tragedy and ends up--almost before we even know what hit us--like a slow-motion punch to the gut. 

Buy it at Amazon.com:
Blu-ray
DVD

TRY AND GET ME! -- DVD Review by Porfle

"Crush The Skull" - In Theaters in May From Breaking Glass Pictures

BREAKING GLASS CRUSHES THE SKULL

Breaking Glass Pictures will release the horror comedy CRUSH THE SKULL in theaters, On Demand, and DVD this May. From the director of “iZombie,” Viet Nguyen, CRUSH THE SKULL follows a pair of thieves who become trapped in a serial killer’s house.

CRUSH THE SKULL will open in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland on May 13. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2015 where Indiewire raved the film is “a bone chillingly good time full of laughs and thrills.”

CRUSH THE SKULL stars Katie Savoy, Chris Dinh, Chris Riedell, Tim Chiou, Lauren Reeder, Walt Bost, Lincoln Hoppe, Jessica Bailey, Justin Ray, Nathan Moore, and Katrina Nelson.

Official Synopsis:
A group of thieves find themselves trapped in a house they intended to rob, only to discover they've inadvertently wandered into the lair of a deranged serial killer. Forced now to navigate his sadistic torture den, will they survive?

Starting May 17 CRUSH THE SKULL will be available on the following platforms: iTunes, Amazon Instant, Blockbuster, Google Play, Xbox, PlayStation, Vudu, and Cable On Demand.

"Crush The Skull" - In Theaters in May From Breaking Glass Pictures

"The Empire of Corpses" Trailer Now Available

FUNIMATION FILMS

TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR PROJECT ITOH’S “THE EMPIRE OF CORPSES”

Film Based on Award-Winning Novel to Screen in U.S. and Canada on April 19 & 20

FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS – March 29, 2016. Funimation® Films announced today that advanced tickets for the English dub release of Project Itoh’s “The Empire of Corpses are now available for purchase at funimationfilms.com/theempireofcorpses.  The film is the first in a series of three movies based on novels by award-winning writer Project Itoh and is directed by Ryotaro Makihara.  “The Empire of Corpses” will screen in more than 60 theaters across the United States and Canada on April 19 and 20, 2016.

“We’re pleased to bring this first in the series of films based on Project Itoh’s novels,” said Gen Fukunaga, founder and CEO of Funimation. “‘The Empire of Corpses’ is a truly captivating sci-fi action thriller – perfect for the big screen – and one that fans will certainly enjoy.”

 

“Moviegoers will be transported to Itoh’s steampunk vision of an alternate 19th century world occupied by Frankenstein-like laborers,” said Mike DuBoise, EVP and COO of Funimation. “Anime and sci-fi fans alike won’t want to miss this limited, two-day theatrical release and we encourage them to purchase tickets in advance.”

“The Empire of Corpses” was produced by WIT STUDIO – producers of the world-wide, hit anime series “Attack on Titan” and “Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign.” Director Ryotaro Makihara is best known for directing the anime film “Hal.” 

Film Synopsis

In an alternate version of 19th century London, the world has been revolutionized by “corpse reanimation technology” creating armies of undead who serve the living as laborers across the globe.

In an attempt to revive his dearly departed friend, young medical student John Watson becomes obsessed with replicating the work of Dr. Victor Frankenstein—the legendary corpse engineer whose research produced the only re-animated corpse to possess a soul. But when his illegal experiments put him at odds with the British government, Watson is drafted into a worldwide race to find the lost research notes of Victor Frankenstein before the secrets of the human soul fall into the wrong hands.

 

For more information on “The Empire of Corpses” and to purchase tickets, please visit funimationfilms.com/theempireofcorpses.

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/funimation, and follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/funimation and Twitter at twitter.com/funimation.

About Funimation Films
Funimation Films, the theatrical division of Funimation Entertainment, acquires both anime and live action movies from prominent international filmmakers that appeal to the interests and passion of all types of fans and distributes them throughout North America. The division was launched in December 2014 following the box office success of "Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods" that same year. Funimation Films released "Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'" a year later and which became #9 highest-grossing anime movie in North America. Funimation Entertainment is a subsidiary of Group 1200 Media, a fully integrated, next-generation, independent entertainment studio based inDallas. For more information on Funimation Films, visit funimationfilms.com.

                                              Watch the Trailer

"The Empire of Corpses" Trailer Now Available

Vinegar Syndrome Presents "DOLEMITE" in Fully Restored DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack April 26

Vinegar Syndrome Proudly Presents
DOLEMITE

Special ‘Blaxploitation’ Blu-ray/DVD Series Launches With Dolemite, April 26th  
From the World’s Most-Renowned Distributor of Cult & Underground Films 

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — April 8, 2016 — For Immediate Release  — As the premiere release in a special series of six fully restored “Blaxploitation” cult classics, Dolemite hustles onto a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, April 26 from Vinegar Syndrome (VS). 

Emerging in the U.S. in the early 1970s, Blaxploitation films – the first to regularly feature soundtracks of funk and soul music and primarily African-American casts – were originally made specifically for a Black, urban audience. However, the genre’s appeal soon broadened across racial and ethnic lines. The term was coined by the head of the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP, ex film publicist Junius Griffin. 

Dolemite, an outrageously funny and action-packed classic released theatrically in 1975, stars acclaimed, African-American comedian and filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore – who also co-wrote the film and its soundtrack – and was directed by D’Urville Martin, who also stars.  Making its worldwide Blu-ray debut, the film has been fully restored in 2k from a recently discovered, long-lost 35mm negative and is loaded with extras. 

About the Film: Dolemite (Moore), the baddest pimp in town, has just been released from prison, ready to take revenge on notorious gangster Willie Green (Martin), who set him up on a phony drug charge and stole his club, The Total Experience. With the help of his friend Queen Bee (Lady Reed) and their bank of Kung Fu fighting vixens, Dolemite takes on every “rat soup eatin’ mother#%$*er” in South Central. 

Special Features:  I, Dolemite making-of documentary by Elijah Drenner (American Grindhouse); Lady Reed Uncut featurette; Locations: Then & Now featurette; historical commentary track from Moore’s biographer Mark Jason Murray, featuring interviews with Moore as well as co-stars Jerry Jones, Lady Reed and John Kerry and cinematographer Nick Von Sternberg; original theatrical trailers; original cover artwork by Jay Shaw; reversible cover artwork; and English SDH subtitles. 

Look for four more Blu-ray/DVD combo releases in the Vinegar Syndrome Blaxploitation series, coming soon, including:  Moore’s The Human Tornado (1976), the sequel to Dolemite, being released May 31; Petey Wheatstraw (1977), out June 28; and, finally, his absurdist classic, Disco Godfather (1979), available July 26.
 
Also, a don’t-miss double-feature (together in one release) with Matt Cimber’s The Candy Tangerine Man (1975), reportedly Samuel L. Jackson’s all-time favorite Blaxploitation film, and Lady Cocoa (1975), out June 28.   

Dolemite is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (with an alternate, full-frame “boom mic” version) and DTS-HD MA mono sound.   

About Vinegar Syndrome
Vinegar Syndrome was founded in 2012 by film archivists Joe Rubin and Ryan Emerson to preserve and  release genre films, independent features and cult classics. In just over four years, VS has restored hundreds of feature films on Blu-ray and DVD and has won international praise for their restorations of lost and forgotten works of genre cinema. Visit us online at www.vinegarsyndrome.com  

Dolemite (2 Discs)
Vinegar Syndrome
Genre: Blaxploitation/Action/Comedy
Original Release: 1975 (Color)
Rated: R
Format: Region-Free Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
Running Time: Approx. 90 Minutes (Plus Special Features)
Suggested Retail Price: $29.98
Street Date:  April 26, 2016
Catalog #:  VS-113
UPC Code:  # 814456020327

Buy it at Amazon.com

Vinegar Syndrome Presents "DOLEMITE" in Fully Restored DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack April 26

"FARE" -- Newport Beach Film Festival World Premiere April 26

Thomas Torrey's
"FARE"
A Dark Thriller With Two Lives on a Collision Course

World Premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival April 26
   
Newport Beach, CA - Bad Theology Pictures is excited to announce the world premiere of Thomas Torrey's Fare.  The tense thriller will screen for the first time at the 17th Newport Beach Film Festival, at 8:30 pm on April 26th at Island Cinemas.  

Fare stars writer-director Thomas Torrey, Katherine Drew, J.R. Adduci and Pat Dortch.  Filmed entirely inside a moving car over three days, Torrey's debut feature follows a cab driver whose chance encounter with a passenger spirals into a night of darkness.  Fare explores the darkest depths of love, betrayal and the fight for a committed relationship.

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/

Ride-share cab driver Eric begins his day like any other, responding to the many fares of the city that hail him from their smartphones. Hiding his depression due to a marriage that has long grown cold, Eric entertains small talk and discusses his "real job" of real estate. He even finds his own notions of love and marriage challenged by one fare in particular.

As Eric's day turns to night and he takes one last fare, he finds himself face to face with the source of his troubles. When Eric recognizes this passenger as the man who is secretly sleeping with his wife, events are set in motion that threaten the lives of everyone who sets foot inside the car.

                                            Watch the trailer


 

"FARE" -- Newport Beach Film Festival World Premiere April 26

FSLC Announces King Hu's "DRAGON INN" North American Theatrical Premiere in 4K Restoration, May 6-19

Film Society Lincoln Center Presents

DRAGON INN

4K restoration of the King Hu classic makes its North American theatrical premiere in a two-week exclusive engagement, May 6-19

“A startling triumph.”—Andrew Chan, Film Comment

DRAGON INN is set during the Ming dynasty. The emperor’s minister of defense is framed by a powerful court eunuch and executed. Soon after, the minister’s children are hunted by a clan of elite assassins known as the Black Arrow Troop.

The ensuing chase takes them to the remote Dragon Gate Inn, where mysterious strangers begin to gather and paths—and swords—soon cross.

Cinematographer Hua Hui-ying’s (A Touch of Zen) masterful compositions capture tightly choreographed set pieces, each one more splendorous than the last, and Chen Hung-min’s innovative editing makes characters appear to literally fly through the air.

A clear inspiration for Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and many others, this thrilling landmark of film history was named one of the top 10 Chinese films of all time in the 2011 Golden Horse Film Festival survey of filmmakers and industry professionals.

Dragon Inn forever changed the Chinese wuxia genre, and now returns to the screen in a new, beautifully restored digital transfer created from the original negative.

A Janus Films release | 1967 | 111m | Mandarin with English subtitles |
Color | DCP | 2.35:1

FSLC Announces King Hu's "DRAGON INN" North American Theatrical Premiere in 4K Restoration, May 6-19

"NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING" with Chloë Moretz -- Newest Trailer

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Release: 05/20/2016

Returning stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne are joined by Chloë Grace Moretz for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the follow-up to 2014’s most popular original comedy. Nicholas Stoller again directs in a film that follows what happens when the will of parenthood goes against the bonds of sisterhood.

Now that Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Byrne) have a second baby on the way, they are ready to make the final move into adulthood: the suburbs. But just as they thought they’d reclaimed the neighborhood and were safe to sell, they learn that the new occupants next door are a sorority even more out of control than Teddy (Efron) and his brothers ever dreamed of being.

Tired of their school’s sexist, restrictive system, the unorthodox ladies of Kappa Nu have decided to start a house where they can do whatever the hell they want. When Shelby (Moretz) and her sisters, Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), find the perfect place just off campus, they won’t let the fact that it’s located on a quiet street stand in their way of parties as epic as the guys throw.

Forced to turn to the one ex-neighbor with the skills to bring down the new Greeks next door, the Radners—alongside best friends Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) and Paula (Carla Gallo)—bring in charismatic Teddy as their secret weapon. If he can infiltrate the sorority and charm his way through it, the thirtysomethings will shutter the Kappas’ home. But if they think that their neighbors are going down without a fight, they have severely underestimated the power of youthful ingenuity and straight-up crazy. www.neighbors-movie.com

 

 

Genre:        Comedy  
Cast:        Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Chloë Grace Moretz,
        Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo,
        Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kiersey Clemons,
        Beanie Feldstein and Lisa Kudrow
Directed by:        Nicholas Stoller
Written by:        Andrew Jay Cohen & Brendan O’Brien & Nicholas Stoller & Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen
Based on Characters
  Created by:         Andrew Jay Cohen & Brendan O’Brien

Produced by:        Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver
Executive Producers:        Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake, Ted Gidlow,
Andrew Jay Cohen, Brendan O’Brien

 

 

"NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING" with Chloë Moretz -- Newest Trailer

Rooster Teeth's "RWBY: Volume 3" Hits Home Entertainment Platforms On May 3

JOIN THE BATTLE WITH RWBY: VOLUME 3
ON HOME ENTERTAINMENT PLATFORMS MAY 3rd

Latest action-packed season of the internationally acclaimed anime series available for the first time on DVD, Blu-Ray+DVD Combo Pack, and Digital Download

Austin, TX - April 6, 2016 -  On May 3rd, Rooster Teeth and Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) bring you the continuing adventures of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and all the monster-slaying warriors-in-training at Beacon Academy, as RWBY: VOLUME 3 debuts on DVD, Blu-Ray+DVD combo pack and Digital Download. 

The third season of RWBY, the hit anime series from the creators of acclaimed web series Red vs. Blue and sci-fi feature film Lazer Team, set Rooster Teeth records for views and social media reach, and fans haven't seen anything yet!  The home entertainment release of RWBY: VOLUME 3 includes all 12 of the season's action-packed episodes, and comes loaded with bonus features including the season's four "World of Remnant" episodes, commentaries, and behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the award winning series.

In RWBY: Volume 3, the action, excitement, and drama hit an all-new level!  The Vytal Festival Tournament is the ultimate battle of skill, pitting the world's most powerful Huntsman and Huntresses in training against one another... and it's finally here. Team RWBY is back in a season of bare-knuckle brawls and over-the-top action, and they're not coming alone. New fighters from around Remnant are ready to throw down and bring glory to their kingdom, but there are those among them with a far more sinister goal in mind.

RWBY: Volume 3 Bonus Features

Behind-the Scenes Features:
- Let's Make a Show: The Legacy of RWBY
Join the cast and crew as they talk about how RWBY was first created and how it has evolved over the past three volumes.
- CRWBY Photo Video
Photo sequence of the crew of RWBY3
- 3, 2, 1: Begin! (Blu-Ray only)
Take a closer look at the Vytal Festival Tournament with in depth interviews with the cast and crew.
- No Heroes in the End (Blu-Ray only)
Join the cast and crew as they explore the Journey of team RWBY and how the experience has affected the characters and the artist who create the show.

"World of Remnant" Episodes:
- The Vytal Festival Tournament
- Huntsmen
- The CCT System
- The Seasons

Audio Commentaries:
- Crew Commentary (Blu-Ray only)
- Director Commentary
- Cast Commentary

DVD Product Information                          
Genre: Action/Anime
Rating: NR, some violence
Language: English
Prod. Year: 2015
MSRP: $14.93
Street Date: May 3, 2016
Length: 144 mins + extras
UPC: 883476150895
Item #: RT5089

BD Product Information                            
Genre: Action/Anime
Rating: NR, some violence
Language: English
Prod. Year: 2015
MSRP: $24.95
Street Date: May 3, 2016
Length: 144 mins + extras
UPC: 883476150901
Item #: RT5090


About Rooster Teeth
Rooster Teeth is a pioneering studio responsible for some of the biggest online series in history, such as the award-winning and longest-running web series, "Red vs Blue." Rooster Teeth also produces the globally acclaimed animated series "RWBY," the first western anime series to be distributed in Japan, the award-winning "Rooster Teeth Podcast," and "Immersion," a reality format that brings video game theory to the real world. With a massive global footprint of more than 25 million subscribers to its YouTube Network, 3 million unique monthly visitors to its RoosterTeeth.com hub and 1.8 million registered community members, Rooster Teeth was founded by Matt Hullum and Burnie Burns in 2003, and is now a subsidiary of Fullscreen, Inc., a global youth media company that develops online creators and produces multi-platform entertainment experiences. Discover more at http://www.roosterteeth.com.

About Cinedigm
Cinedigm is the leading independent content distributor in the United States, with direct relationships with over 60,000 physical and digital retailers, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon.  The company's library of over 32,000 titles and episodes encompasses award-winning documentaries from Docurama Films®, next-gen Indies from Flatiron Film Company®, acclaimed independent films and festival picks through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and Tribeca Films and a wide range of content from brand name suppliers, including National Geographic, Discovery, Scholastic, WWE, NFL, Shout Factory, Hallmark, Jim Henson and more.  Cinedigm proudly distributes numerous Oscar®-nominated films, including The Invisible War, Hell and Back Again, GasLand, Waste Land and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory; current and upcoming theatrical releases include Destin Daniel Cretton's highly acclaimed Short Term 12,  Godfrey Reggio's Visitors, Penny Lane's Our Nixon and Shaul Schwarz's Narco Cultura.
Cinedigm™ and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp™ are trademarks of Cinedigm Corp www.cinedigm.com. [CIDM-G]

http://www.cinedigm.com/                                       http://www.facebook.com/cinedigm
http://www.twitter.com/cinedigm                             http://www.youtube.com/cinedigm

Rooster Teeth's "RWBY: Volume 3" Hits Home Entertainment Platforms On May 3

Quentin Lee's "THE UNBIDDEN" To Premiere at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

The Unbidden Summons New Clip For April 22nd World Premiere
Lee's Female Driven Horror Film Will Screen as Part of
The 32nd Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
   
Los Angeles, CA-- Margin Films is excited to announce the world premiere of Quentin Lee's The Unbidden.  The female-centered paranormal horror film will screen Friday, April 22nd as part of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.  A quartet of longtime girlfriends come together in the hopes that a séance will protect them from a dark presence that won't rest until one of them is destroyed.

The Unbidden World Premiere:
Friday, April 22 at 8:30 pm
Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
 244 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Director Quentin Lee & Cast in Attendance

Quentin Lee (White Frog, The People I've Slept With) directed from a script by Narhee Ahn (Purity).  Tamlyn Tomita ("Teen Wolf", The Joy Luck Club), Julia Nickson (Rambo: First Blood Part II, Half-Life), Amy Hill (50 First Dates, "UnREAL") and Elizabeth Sung (Memoirs of a Geisha, Lethal Weapon 4) star as the group of friends desperate to save one of their own from her dark secret. Michelle Krusiec, Akemi Look, Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Karin Anna Cheung appear as the women's younger selves, joined by Hayden Szeto and Jason Yee as the men at the heart of the deadly mystery.

The Unbidden (Official Clip)

"If you're a fan of the horror, psychological thriller, family melodrama or Asian American film genres, you're in for a treat, not a trick," director Quentin Lee expressed of his first horror film.  "Our intention was to create a wildly original independent feature with an all Asian-American cast that aims to not only entertain with shocks and thrills, but bring on the debate about difficult emotional issues. This is a female-driven film that deals with domestic violence and the morality of retribution."

Mystery novelist Lauren Lee (Tomita) is haunted by the ghost of a tortured, bloodied man. She tries to forget the apparition's terrifying warnings and her unstable mental state by hosting dinner with her best friends (Nickson, Sung and Hill). Each of the women has her own idea and opinion to make Lauren feel better. In the midst of a séance that Rachel believes will exorcise Lauren's demons, a mysterious young man (Szeto) arrives brandishing a gun. He holds the women hostage in order to get to the truth of the whereabouts of his missing father (Yee).


The Unbidden (Festival Trailer)

Buy Tickets for the World Premiere

Xiaoming Yan executive produced.  Producers are Charles Lei, Stanley Yung, NaRhee Ahn and Quentin Lee.

Quentin Lee's "THE UNBIDDEN" To Premiere at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

BROTHERS FIVE -- Movie Review by Porfle

BROTHERS FIVE (1970), a raucous frenzy of clashing swords and impossible feats of derring-do, has just enough story to string together one blade brawl after another.

We're back in ancient China again, where evil Long Zhen Feng (Feng Tien) and the villainous cutthroats of Flying Dragon villa keep the countryside in a state of terror.  Young swordsman Gao Wei (Yueh Hua) travels there to settle an old score with Long Zhen Feng, who murdered his father and took over the villa from him.

On his way there, he meets beautiful Miss Yan (Cheng Pei Pei), who informs him that he has four brothers and that it was his father's dying wish that they someday reunite and avenge him. 

Eventually the five brothers--Gao Wei, burly blacksmith Gao Hao, scholar Gao Zhi (Kao Yuan), dashing bandit Gao Xia (Lo Leih), and Security Bureau chief Gao Yong (Chang I)--join forces to take on the bad guys.

Once the exposition is taken care of, the story barely gets in the way of a succession of battle scenes that seem to crop up every few minutes or so.  Blacksmith Gao Hao settles an altercation in the street with the Flying Dragons by swinging his mighty hammer with deadly effect, while Shaolin-trained bookworm Gao Zhi has a nifty battle against two of them in a restaurant. 

Gao Yong's Security Bureau men are ambushed and wiped out on an isolated road, and his assistant Chu, played by a very young Sammo Hung, is killed.

Most of the fighting takes place in and around the Flying Dragon villa, with the brothers going up against impossible odds time after time. 

The group choreography is excellent, with foreground fighters surrounded by several other fairly realistic battles going on all around them.  There's plenty of sword-clanging action and some pleasingly fake wirework, including one astounding shot in which kung fu mistress Miss Yan makes her escape by suddenly and inexplicably flying away like Superman. 

The drawback here is that a monotonous sameness begins to set in after awhile, with one drawn-out clash beginning to pretty much resemble the next.  But it's all solidly directed by Wei Lo and expertly performed.

The topper comes after Miss Yan introduces the brothers to the special Five Tigers kung fu technique ("Five tigers, one heart") which requires five men with different skills to pull it off. 

During their climactic free-for-all against a seemingly invincible Long Zhen Feng, they go into their rotating Five Tigers formation, which resembles one of those razzle-dazzle cheerleader formations and is pretty funny to look at. 

The five brothers whirl around in this position for awhile, which seems to confuse Long Zhen Feng and leave him open to attack, so they start leaping at him.  I won't give away the exciting conclusion.

With nice period atmosphere, furious swordplay and martial arts mayhem, and likable characters (Miss Yan is particularly captivating and the brothers are a robust bunch), BROTHERS FIVE overcomes a tendency toward occasional monotony and is ultimately a pretty colorful and entertaining adventure. 

Read our review of the SHAW BROTHERS COLLECTION VOL. 2

BROTHERS FIVE -- Movie Review by Porfle

Saban Films Acquires US Rights to Stephen King Adaptation "CELL" Starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and Isabelle Fuhrman

SABAN FILMS ACQUIRES US RIGHTS TO STEPHEN KING ADAPTATION  “CELL”

STARRING JOHN CUSACK, SAMUEL L. JACKSON AND ISABELLE FUHRMAN

LOS ANGELES – March XX 2016 – Saban Films has acquired the US distribution rights to sci-fi horror film Cell starring Golden Globe® nominee John Cusack (Love & Mercy, Being John Malkovich, 2012), Academy Award® nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction) and Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan, The Hunger Games). Directed by Tod Williams (Paranormal Activity 2, The Door in the Floor), Cell is based on the apocalyptic novel of the same name by Stephen King, who adapted the screenplay along with Adam Alleca (The Last House on the Left).

When a mysterious cell phone signal is broadcast across the network and turns the population into mindless animals, struggling graphic artist Clay Riddell (Cusack) bands together with a small group of fellow survivors to trek across a decimated New England to seek answers and reunite with his son.

Saban Films President Bill Bromiley said, “Stephen King is widely recognized as a master of the horror genre. Combining his talent along with Todd’s vision and this dynamic cast, which reteams King, John Cusak and Samuel L. Jackson for the first time since 1408, delivers a truly unique modern tale of survival.”

“I enjoyed working on Cell and love the way it turned out,” said Stephen King. “Kip Williams has made a scary and thoroughly entertaining movie. But you may want to put your cell phone in the freezer after seeing it.”

Producer Michael Benaroya said, “Working on a film based on a book by such a legendary master of this genre, Stephen King, is truly a honor. Mr. King was a wonderful partner and the film benefited in a number of ways from his insights and experience. Director Tod Williams delivered on the film by really sticking to the book and maintaining all its finest elements and creating a film that I believe will truly please King's fans.

"Working with actors of the caliber and talent of Cusack, Jackson and Fuhrmam really was a pleasure, and brought the story to life in an exciting way. I feel the audience will care about each character and be rooting for them throughout the film!

"Saban is a superb partner for the film. They have released numerous successful films in this space and they absolutely understood our vision and goals for the film. I feel they are highly capable of marketing and releasing the film in a smart and effective way. I feel fortunate to have such a great partner on the film.”

Cell was fully financed by Benaroya Pictures and produced by Benaroya Pictures and The Genre Company.

Jonathan Saba and Ness Saban negotiated the deal on behalf of Saban Films, and Ben Weiss of Paradigm, Ben Kramer and Nick Ogiony of CAA, and Joseph Lanius of International Film Trust on behalf of the producers.

Saban Films most recently acquired domestic rights to Renny Harlin’s action comedy Skiptrace, starring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville, out of Berlin. Upcoming titles, to be dated, in the Saban Films slate are: Tom Tykwer’s A Hologram for the King starring two-time Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks, where Saban will partner with Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions on the theatrical release; Alex and Ben Brewer’s The Trust starring Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood; I Am Wrath with John Travolta; and USS Indianapolis starring Nicolas Cage.

Since the company’s launch in 2014, Saban Films has released The Homesman, starring Academy Award® winners Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank, which world premiered in Cannes; Tracers starring Taylor Lautner; Philip Martin’s The Forger starring John Travolta; American Heist starring Hayden Christensen, Academy Award® Winner Adrien Brody, Jordana Brewster, Tory Kittles and Aliaune “Akon” Thiam; Some Kind of Beautiful starring Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek and Jessica Alba; Man Up starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell; and MI-5 starring Kit Harington, Jennifer Ehle and Tuppence Middleton.

About Saban Films
Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group (“SCG”), is a film acquisition and distribution company which acquires high-quality, feature films to distribute in North America.  Focusing on commercial, talent driven films, the company looks at projects in all stages of production for release across multiple platforms, including a day and date theatrical/VOD release strategy. Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and is led by Bill Bromiley who serves as president, Shanan Becker, Chief Financial Officer and Ness Saban, Director of Business Development.

Saban Films Acquires US Rights to Stephen King Adaptation "CELL" Starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and Isabelle Fuhrman

TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN -- Movie Review by Porfle

Cheh Chang returns with his familiar directorial style in TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN (1978), moving the camera in a dizzying series of lightning-fast zooms and pans that give his action scenes their own unique vitality.  Not to mention some good old-fashioned fists 'n' feet kung fu!

You may want to take notes, because the first scene is loaded with exposition as "courageous but reckless" young Tong Qianjin (Lo Mang) graduates from training in the Shaolin temple (I guess he snatched the pebble) and is told by Master Zhishan that he must locate fellow student and master boxer Hu Huigan (Chiang Sheng) and wait until the time is right for them to move against the rival Wudang Clan. (The Wudangs are loyal to the Qing Court, which the Shaolins wish to overthrow in order to restore the Ming Dynasty.)

All of this is just to get us to the point where the fighting between the Shaolins and the Wudangs begins, which is when the movie takes off.

Tong hasn't been in town for long before Wudang brother Dezong shows up and starts flinging boomerang knives at him, which are pretty cool. The wounded Tong seeks refuge with a sympathetic brother and sister, Jin Tailai and Jin Bier, who teach him how to fend off the dreaded Bloody Knife. The next time Tong and Dezong meet it's a quick and dirty hand-to-hand clash that breathes some life into the movie.

The Wudangs then challenge Tong and Hu to a public one-on-one fight that becomes the most sustained and exciting action setpiece yet, with excellent choreography and lots of quick and skillful moves. Hu fails to endear himself to the Wudangs when he rips the junk right off one of their best guys during a slow-motion leap.

Not surprisingly, this ticks off the Wudangs to the point where they invade the wedding banquet of Tong and Bier and turn it into a massacre in another lively fight sequence.

Things get more complicated as we go along, with a young Wudang named Wei switching allegiance to the Shaolins just as a fearsome badass named Gao Jinzhong shows up with the Yuan brothers, experts in monkey boxing and monkey rod, to take up the Wudang banner against the Shaolins. Also adding to the unpredictability of the plot is the appearance of Dezong's daughter, Li Erhuna, who's out for revenge.

All of this leads to a climax that's a bloody free-for-all in which nobody is safe--you never know who's going to buy the farm next in this movie. Despite its many comedic touches, TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN is filled with somber and downbeat moments that keep the viewer off-guard.

The only downside to this movie is the effort it takes to keep up with all of that exposition, plus a second half that tends to drag until the thrilling finale.

At that point, however, the screen is filled with an extended flurry of bloody kung fu action in which you never know who's going to drop dead next. TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN is a rousing example of old-school martial arts mayhem.

Read our review of the SHAW BROTHERS COLLECTION

TWO CHAMPIONS OF SHAOLIN -- Movie Review by Porfle

HE WALKED BY NIGHT -- Movie Review by Porfle

A true detective story with Jack Webb as an L.A.P.D. cop, in which an opening text informs us that "the names have been changed to protect the innocent"...sounds like "Dragnet", right? 

But this is the 1948 police thriller HE WALKED BY NIGHT, the dark, no-nonsense blueprint for that later radio and TV series. 

The lanky, laconic Webb, in fact, has a relatively minor role as a ballistics expert, although he clearly had his eyes and ears open during filming while formulating the premise for what would become his starring vehicle.

The film even opens with the usual shots of Los Angeles while a world-weary narrator (Reed Hadley intones "This...is Los Angeles") takes us from a travelogue view of the city to its actual crime-ridden underbelly, as depicted by the police department's bustling emergency call and dispatch center.

Then we see the act that starts everything in motion, when an intense young Richard Basehart (who reminds me of Ewan MacGregor circa THE PHANTOM MENACE) is caught trying to break into a radio shop by an off-duty cop, whom he fatally shoots before making his escape in one of the film's more thrilling scenes. 

The victim's fellow officers, of course, make it their business to track down the killer, especially a tough young detective played by Scott Brady.  But Basehart's character, Roy Martin, turns out to be more clever and elusive than they could imagine. 

An electronics expert, Martin's been selling stolen prototypes to an executive (an impossibly young Whit Bissell, here resembling future "Dragnet" regular Olan Soule') in a company that deals in such devices, but when the police make the connection and move in, Martin shoots yet another cop in an eerily dark hallway and escapes.

What follows is classic police procedural stuff, letting us in on the everyday nuts and bolts of police work as well as the more exciting moments, during which cases are often pieced together in small, agonizing increments rather than broad bursts of action. 

(An early scene of witnesses trying to jointly assemble a likeness of the killer using a primitive wall-projected version of the "identikit" is slow, but absorbing.)

Still, HE WALKED BY NIGHT has its share of suspenseful action scenes, especially when cop and criminal stalk each other through the film's many ultra-noirish settings, of a kind that are drenched in darkness and streaked with the shadows of venetian blinds.

As if that weren't enough, the film also takes us into the very heart of the city's sewer system, where Basehart retreats like an animal as a last resort and makes his way surreptiously beneath the city streets.  In the gripping climax, the police discover this avenue of escape and close in on the killer for what turns out to be a fierce shootout.

Before this, however, the film's writers (including Crane Wilber of THE BAT and HOUSE OF WAX) make it clear that the cops aren't just robotic law enforcement drones, but people--something Webb would constantly drive home in his later series.
 


The first policeman killed is a family man on his way home after work, while Brady and his partner (James Cardwell) have their own personalities and quirks (Brady is forever fumbling for a match to light his cigarettes and must bum a light from everyone else). 

Roy Roberts' Captain Breen is the gruff but understanding boss who recalls the frustration and fatigue a young cop feels during a difficult case.

Even Basehart's homicidal fugitive, in addition to being incredibly smart and resourceful, has a warm relationship with his dog, is a veteran, and was once employed by the police department.

This makes his character more interestingly well-rounded while at the same time emphasizing how off the rails his life has become.  Basehart (later to star in the sci-fi TV classic "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea") is superb in this portrayal, his subtlety and restraint making the desperate Martin's cold, calculated cruelty and ruthlessness even more chilling.

The rest of the mostly uncredited cast includes several familiar faces such as Jane Adams (here playing a nurse again as in HOUSE OF DRACULA, but this time without the hunchback), Ann Doran (REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE) as a police dispatcher, "Petticoat Junction" regular Sam Cady, John Dehner, and Kenneth Tobey.  

Six years later, Jack Webb would direct, co-write, and star in the first "Dragnet" feature film, which would be just as dark, tough, hardbitten, character-driven, and realistic as this one.  But HE WALKED BY NIGHT was the prototype, and it stands on its own as a terrific and memorable police story.


(Special thanks to William de Lay)

HE WALKED BY NIGHT -- Movie Review by Porfle

Sundance Cult Documentary "HOLY HELL" Executive Produced by Jared Leto Opens May 20th

FILMRISE Presents
HOLY HELL

A Film by Will Allen

Executive Produced by Jared Leto
Opening Theatrically May 20th, 2016

Sundance Film Festival - Official Selection

“HOLY HELL is never less than enthralling…a unique, captivating look at 22 years inside the Buddhafield Cult.” – Justin Gerber, Consequence of Sound

“An unprecedented close-up look at what goes on in a smaller, quieter, but much more typical cult” ★★★★ – Owen Gleiberman, BBC

“Fascinating and chilling…left Sundance audiences in tears.” – Gregory Ellwood, The Telegraph

 In 1985, Will Allen became a member of The Buddhafield, a Los Angeles area spiritual group. A recent film school graduate, Allen began to chronicle the group’s activities that centered on their leader, a mysterious individual they called The Teacher, or Michel.

Over time, the group’s dark side began to surface, until finally, a shocking allegation against The Teacher tore the group apart – all in front of Allen’s camera. This incredible archive of video footage became the basis for  HOLY HELL.

Sundance Cult Documentary "HOLY HELL" Executive Produced by Jared Leto Opens May 20th

Funimation Entertainment Hosting Live Stream Premiere of 'My Hero Academia' on Sun. April 3

FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT TO HOST LIVE STREAM PREMIERE OF THE NEXT BIG THING IN ANIME “MY HERO ACADEMIA” ON SUNDAY, APRIL 3

Adaptation of Smash Hit Manga Series Debuts on FunimationNow with All-Night Launch Party

Flower Mound, Texas  Fri. April 1, 2016 – Funimation Entertainment will host an exclusive live stream launch party on Sunday, April 3, 2016 leading into the premiere of the most highly anticipated, new anime series of the year – My Hero Academia, available on FunimationNow. Join Dubbletalk’s Justin Rojas, Lauren Moore and surprise celebrity guests for an all-night premiere launch party featuring interviews, contests and giveaways, show clips and much more, followed by the premiere of “My Hero Academia” and an episode recap discussion!  Celebrity guests include Colleen Clinkenbeard (“One Piece”), Clifford Chapain (“Attack on Titan”), Apphia Yu (“Assassination Classroom”), Felecia Angelle (“Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign”) and Michelle Rojas (“Date A Live”).

 “This five-hour event is a first for Funimation, and we are so excited to share this experience with fans -- not only the premiere of ‘My Hero Academia’, but also all of the interviews and extras surrounding the show,” said Gen Fukunaga, Founder and CEO of Funimation. “I’d like to personally invite our fans to join us for this huge event as we celebrate the launch together!”

Produced by Bones, Inc. (“Fullmetal Alchemist”, “Cowboy Bebop”, “Space Dandy”) “My Hero Academia” will quickly join the top ranks of anime classics such as “Dragon Ball Z,” “One Piece,” and “Naruto.” Adapted from the Manga Taisho-nominated Japanese super hero series written and illustrated by Kohei Horikoshi (“Barrage on the Battle Star”, “Oumazoo”), “My Hero Academia” is pegged to be one of the most fan-embraced anime titles of 2016.

Fans can participate in an exclusive launch party contest beginning on April 3 and running through April 16, 2016 by signing up for a free 14-day trial of FunimationNow. The more episodes fans watch on FunimationNow, the more chances they have to win! More details will be shared during the event.

SERIES SYNOPSIS:

“My Hero Academia” is a superhero origin story that soars to the top of the class! Izuku has dreamt of being a hero all his life—a lofty goal for anyone, but especially challenging for a kid with no superpowers.

That’s right, in a world where eighty percent of the population has some kind of super-powered “quirk,” Izuku was unlucky enough to be born completely normal. But that’s not going to stop him from enrolling in one of the world’s most prestigious hero academies.

Now, the only thing standing between him and his first class is the academy’s formidable entrance exam—nothing a little private tutoring from the world’s mightiest hero can’t solve.

WHEN & WHERE:

·         Sunday, April 3 – 1:00 AM EDT: “My Hero Academia” live stream launch party begins. To watch, tune in live at www.funimation.com/myheroclass

·         Sunday, April 3 – 5:00 AM EDT: “My Hero Academia” Episode 1 premiere. To watch, subscribe to FunimationNow and tune in live at www.funimation.com/shows/my-hero-academia/videos

·         Sunday, April 3 – 5:30 AM EDT: “My Hero Academia” Episode 1 recap. To watch, tune in at www.funimation.com/myheroclass

About Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is the go-to destination for extraordinary anime.  By combining its integrated in-house studios along with its technology and distribution partnerships, Funimation leads the industry with its omnichannel approach to offering anime to fans—from streaming and home entertainment, to theatrical distribution and broadcast television. The company's next generation streaming service, FunimationNow, provides subscribers with instant access to their favorite sub and dub shows in ad-free HD on the widest array of devices and platforms—from smartphones and tablets to TVs and gaming consoles. For more information about Funimation, visit funimation.com.

Funimation Entertainment Hosting Live Stream Premiere of 'My Hero Academia' on Sun. April 3