STONE with two-time Oscar winner Robert DeNiro and Oscar-nominee Edward Norton comes to Blu-ray and DVD January 18th from Anchor Bay Entertainment

“Powerful and Provocative.” - Stephen Whitty, The Star-Ledger

Academy Award® Winner Robert De Niro and Academy Award® Nominee Edward Norton Star in the Suspense-Filled Thriller STONE

Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 from Anchor Bay Entertainment


BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro and Oscar® nominee Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined in Stone, available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 from Anchor Bay Entertainment.  Directed by John Curran (The Painted Veil, We Don’t Live Here Anymore) and written by Angus MacLachlan (Junebug), the Fall 2010 Overture Films release’s superb ensemble features Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element) and Golden Globe® winner Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”). 

Steve O’Brien of WCBS-FM calls Stone a “gritty and engrossing thriller.”  Adds Edward Douglas of ComingSoon.net, Stone is “captivating.”  KNBC’s Jeffrey Lyons says “Norton is amazing”, while SSG Syndicate’s Susan Granger calls Stone “a superbly crafted, smartly acted, suspense-filled thriller.”

In Stone, Jack Mabry (De Niro), a parole officer days away from retirement, is asked to review the case of Gerald “Stone” Creeson (Norton), who’s in prison for arson.  Now eligible for early release, Stone needs to convince Jack he has reformed, but his attempts to use his wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) to influence the older man’s decision have profound and unexpected effects on them both.  This tale of passion, betrayal and corruption skillfully weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin.

Jovovich delivers a startlingly raw, breakout performance as Lucetta, the sexy, casually amoral woman both men desire. Conroy, a Golden Globe® winner, completes the talented ensemble as Madylyn, Jack’s devout, long-suffering spouse.

Available for an SRP of $39.99 for the Blu-ray™ and $29.98 for the DVD, the Stone Blu-ray™ and DVD bonus features include a “The Making of Stone” featurette and the theatrical trailer.

STONE BLU-RAY™
Street Date:               January 18th, 2011
Pre-book:                   December 29th, 2011
Cat. #:                         BD21681
UPC:                           0 1313 21681-9 7
Run Time:                   105 Minutes
Rating:                        Rated R
SRP:                           $39.99
Format:                       2.40:1 / 16x9
Audio:                         Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles:                    English SDH, Spanish
Bonus Features:        “The Making of Stone” featurette and theatrical trailer

STONE DVD
Street Date:               January 18th, 2011
Pre-book:                   December 29th, 2011
Cat. #:                         OV21678
UPC:                           0 1313 21678-9 3
Run Time:                   105 Minutes
Rating:                        Rated R
SRP:                           $29.98
Format:                       2.40:1 / 16x9
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                    English SDH, Spanish
Bonus Features:        “The Making of Stone” featurette and theatrical trailer

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DVD
Blu-Ray

STONE with two-time Oscar winner Robert DeNiro and Oscar-nominee Edward Norton comes to Blu-ray and DVD January 18th from Anchor Bay Entertainment

R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen, gone?  Surely you can't be serious.

The 84-year-old Canadian-born actor who made his name in serious roles before becoming a surprise comedy legend with AIRPLANE! and the NAKED GUN films has passed away due to complications from pneumonia. 

Best known by many sci-fi fans from his starring role in the classic FORBIDDEN PLANET, Nielsen was a familiar face not only in films but in his many television appearances, often as a hard-bitten cop.
 

Spoofing this image in the Zucker brothers' smash laugh-fest AIRPLANE!, he proved to be even more adept at comedy than drama and became one of the most popular comic stars of all time (while giving us one of the most oft-quoted lines in film history: "I am serious...and don't call me Shirley.") 

He followed up this newfound success with the hilarious NAKED GUN trilogy (based on his short-lived cult TV series "Police Squad!") in which he played bumbling police detective Lt. Frank Drebin.  Other films in the same vein included SPY HARD, WRONGFULLY ACCUSED, and the recent STAN HELSING.
 


While fondly remembered for his dramatic work, his absence will be felt most keenly in the world of comedy where he scored such a triumphant comeback late in his career.  We here at HKCFN offer condolences to his family and friends and bid an affectionate farewell to one of our favorite funny men.  And, surely, we are serious.

R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen

Feral House Unleashes Mike Howlett's THE WEIRD WORLD OF EERIE PUBLICATIONS

Feral House has unleashed THE WEIRD WORLD OF EERIE PUBLICATIONS, a book that looks at the sickest comics to ever disgrace the newsstands!

Eerie Publications’ horror magazines brought blood and bad taste to America’s kids from 1965 through 1975. Ultra gory covers and bottom of the barrel production values lent an air of danger to every issue, daring you to purchase them.
 

THE WEIRD WORLD OF EERIE PUBLICATIONS introduces the reader to Myron Fass, the gun-toting megalomaniac publisher who, with tyranny and glee, made a career of fishing pocket change from young readers with the with the most insidious sort of exploitation. You’ll also meet Carl Burgos, who, as editor of Eerie Publications, ground his axe against the entire comics industry. Slumming comic art greats and unknown no-names were both employed by Eerie to plagiarize the more inspired work of pre-Code comic art of the 1950s.

Somehow these lowbrow abominations influenced a generation of artists who proudly blame career choices (and mental problems) on Eerie Publications. One of them, Stephen R. Bissette (Swamp Thing, Taboo, Tyrant), provides the introduction for this volume.


Here’s the sordid background behind this mysterious comics publisher, featuring astonishingly red reproductions of many covers and the most spectacularly creepy art. Researched and written with love by Mike Howlett and featuring an all new Dick Ayers 6-page horror comic, THE WEIRD WORLD OF EERIE PUBLICATIONS delivers the gory goods to those twisted enough to take a peek.

The Weird World of Eerie Publications:
Comic Gore That Warped Millions of Young Minds

Mike Howlett | Introduction by Stephen R Bissette
8 x 11 • 310 pages • ISBN: 978-1-932595-87-1 • $32.95 • Pub date Jan 10, 2011 • A Feral House Original Hardcover

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Feral House Unleashes Mike Howlett's THE WEIRD WORLD OF EERIE PUBLICATIONS

BENEATH STILL WATERS -- movie review by porfle

I have a thing about big, dark bodies of water--I hate 'em.  Especially lakes.  So BENEATH STILL WATERS (2005) should've creeped me out big-time.  But aside from some mildly entertaining effects and situations here and there, it never really made much of a splash with me.  (Get it?  "Waters"?  "Splash"?  Hold on, there are some more hilarious jokes in the last paragraph, too.)

The movie opens with a flashback of two little boys exploring an abandoned town in rural Spain that is gradually being flooded by a newly-built dam.  This will create a huge lake that will supposedly be a financial boon to the surrounding areas, although Mayor Borgia has pushed the deal through for other reasons, which will become frighteningly apparent later in the movie.  Meanwhile, the two boys discover a house that looks to be still occupied, and inside they find some people chained in a dungeon-like cellar.  After letting one of them go, he rips off his hood and is revealed to be an evil-looking, glowing-eyed warlock who resembles Angus Scrimm's "Tall Man" as played by an undernourished Eric Roberts on valium.  He grabs one of the boys and rips his jaws apart.  Wow, he sure is mean!  The other boy, Luis, gets away--for now.

Flash forward forty years (that always gives me such a rush) and we find Mayor Borgia's granddaughter Clara (Charlotte Salt) having creepy visions of his ghost, warning her of an impending catastrophe.  Later we'll find that the evil warlock, Mordecai Salas (Patrick Gordon) has sworn vengeance on the people who flooded his town, and picked the occasion of the dam's fortieth-anniversary celebration to carry it out.  The dam, as a visiting journalist named Dan Quarry (Mike McKell) and Clara's TV news reporter mom Teresa (Raquel Meroño) soon discover, is developing a huge crack that threatens to blow wide open at any moment, and the lake seems to be inhabited by evil seaweed that grabs people, in addition to recently-deceased corpses coming back to life to attack swimmers.  Oh, and grotesque monsters, too. 

This threatens to put a crimp in the big celebration, and the sleazy new mayor, Luca (Ricard Borrás), in the tradition of guys like Murray Hamilton's Mayor Vaughn in JAWS, wants the local cops to sweep all this bad news under the rug.  But this becomes more and more difficult to do as more people start dying horribly and Salas starts popping up all over the place, ripping people's jaws apart and stuff. 

Director Brian Yuzna (the RE-ANIMATOR sequels, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD III) never really manages to build up any steadily-increasing sense of dread or suspense here--it's mainly just a series of set pieces that don't come together all that well.  There is some interesting stuff along the way, though--the underwater scenes of Quarry diving to the bottom of the lake and investigating the sunken town are eerie, and the creature effects are passable.  I found the part where Teresa stumbles upon a possessed cop gleefully sawing his own legs off to be rather startling, especially when he starts crawling after her, laughing. 

This film is somewhat reminiscent of John Carpenter's THE FOG, as both movies involve a town being overrun by the vengeful dead during an ill-fated anniversary celebration.  In fact, it kinda made me wish I was watching THE FOG.  The big party itself, attended by local civic leaders, clergy, and other upstanding citizens, degenerates under the influence of the encroaching evil forces into a violent, perverse orgy that provides some entertainment, although the sequence feels like it belongs in another movie. 

BENEATH STILL WATERS at times has the feel of a cheap Italian horror flick that will do anything, logic be damned, to gross you out or make ya go "huh?"  This occurred to me in particular as Salas was magically causing a certain character to twirl around in the air after slicing through his own Achilles tendons. (Yowch!)  And what do you think Salas does to him after that?  Well, he rips his jaws apart, of course.  There's a lot of gore in this movie, and it's mostly pretty well done.  And a couple of shock cuts that might make you jump an eighth of an inch or so.

McKell is a likable lead as Quarry, the scuba-diving journalist, and Meroño and Salt make an okay mother-daughter team who, being direct descendants of Salas' nemesis, Mayor Borgia, find themselves the main targets of the evil warlock's vengeance.  (Which means, as you might guess, that he's just achin' to rip their jaws apart.)  But while a few amusing vignettes occur here and there, the whole is disappointingly less than the sum of its body parts.  Even the timeworn "gotcha!" ending didn't quite get me.  So while BENEATH STILL WATERS isn't all wet, it didn't exactly make me wet my pants, either. 


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BENEATH STILL WATERS -- movie review by porfle

HARPOON: WHALE WATCHING MASSACRE -- DVD review by porfle

After the success of DIE HARD came a slew of action flicks billing themselves as "DIE HARD on a plane", "DIE HARD on a bus", etc.  (The story goes that some brainiac eventually came up with the bright idea of doing "DIE HARD in a building.")  In the same vein, you might describe the Icelandic splatterfest HARPOON: WHALE WATCHING MASSACRE (2009) as "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE on a whaling ship."  With a little THE HILLS HAVE EYES, MOTHER'S DAY, and whatever else you can think of thrown into the mix.  If you think that sounds just about dumb enough to be fun, I'd agree with you.

Even "Leatherface" is here, although this time Gunnar Hansen isn't one of the crazies.  He plays the captain of a small fishing vessel in Iceland who augments his dwindling income by taking tourists out on the ocean to gawk at whales.  His current customers are a real mixed bunch and it doesn't take long for us to start picking out who we like and who we wouldn't mind seeing harpooned. 

Right off the bat, my pick for "final girl" was Annette (Pihla Viitala), a pretty but shy blonde who'd rather eyeball large fish than party.  Her bad day begins early when Gunnar's helper tries to rape her in his cabin.  The emotionally-fragile Marie-Anne (Miranda Hennessy), whose fiance' was recently killed just before their wedding, is so lost in her own world she doesn't even try to help Annette when she walks in on the assault.  Leon (Terence Anderson) is a handsome young black guy who attracts Marie-Anne's attention and looks like our best bet for a hero.  There's also a trio of bitchy older women and an Asian couple consisting of a misogynist husband, a terminally submissive wife, and their timid servant Endo (Nae).
 

A playfully drunk Frenchman named Jean Francois (Aymen Hamdouchi) heads the expedition straight south when he inadvertently incapacitates Captain Gunnar.  When the first mate abandons ship in a motorboat, the helpless tourists are stranded on the high seas until they're taken aboard a decrepit whaling ship populated by a family of inbreds you'd expect to see roaming around the backwoods stalking city folk.  Big, bearded Tryggvi (Helgi Björnsson), peabrained hunchback Siggi (Stefán Jónsson), and cackling crone Mamma (Guðrún Gísladóttir) start sizing up their "catch" the moment they're brought onboard, and it isn't long before the bloody slaughter is under way.

Júlíus Kemp's direction is workmanlike and the photography, while a bit cheapish-looking, has a nice documentary feel to it.  The splatter effects are meat-and-potatoes stuff for the most part but there are a few moments that display some wit and style, such as a rather impressive flying-hatchet decapitation and an unusual three-way configuration involving a killer with a harpoon, two simultaneously-speared victims, and an explosive kamikaze finish.  Flare guns, sniper rifles, shotguns, and even a killer whale (definitely not Shamu) also figure into the action at various times.
 

While the situation is rather absurd and the bad guys a tad over-the-top, I thought the performances of most of the beleaguered main characters were realistic enough to keep things genuinely suspenseful.  Some of the dialogue is dumb but in a tongue-in-cheek way--in fact, the film's humorous touches are often so dry that (according to Wikipedia) producers eventually replaced the tagline "The first Icelandic thriller" with the disclaimer "Should only be seen if you have a sense of humor" in the ads.  I had no problem with the film's tone, and found the more outlandish elements well balanced by an underlying sense of tragedy which, at times, was slightly reminiscent of EDEN LAKE.  On the whole, however, HARPOON simply struck me as dark but lighthearted fun from beginning to end.

The DVD from Image Entertainment, which contains the unrated version of the film, is in 2.35:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.  There are no subtitles.  Extras consist of a trailer and a "making of" featurette hosted by Gunnar Hansen. 

With an interesting premise, unusual locations, and a variety of kills, HARPOON: WHALE WATCHING MASSACRE serves up a generous helping of potential victims to be dispatched in fine style by a suitably grotesque bunch of crazies.  (And in case you're wondering, yes--that big ol' deck-mounted whale harpoon does come into play.)  The question of who lives and who dies yields some surprising answers and kept me guessing right up to the fadeout.  While some will undoubtedly consider it a dreary misfire, I found this lively, unassuming little splatter flick to be unexpectedly entertaining.


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HARPOON: WHALE WATCHING MASSACRE -- DVD review by porfle

Image Entertainment presents BULLSHOT from HandMade Films -- Saving the Day on DVD and Digital Download February 1st

“A daft and often delightfully nutty send-up.” - The Hollywood Reporter

FOR KING AND COUNTRY…AND COMEDY! IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS: "BULLSHOT"

The Heroics Begin On Digital Download And DVD February 1, 2011

Directed by Emmy® and BAFTA® Award-Winner Dick Clement - Featuring BAFTA® Award-Nominee Billy Connolly

Chatsworth, CA – He is dashing, determined, daring, and debonair.  Part aristocrat, part athlete, part amateur sleuth: he is the complete Englishman and an all around good sport. On February 1, 2011 Image Entertainment will release Handmade Films’ Bullshot, a delicious and deliriously funny satire of the gentleman detective who will do anything to protect his country, defeat the always dastardly criminal and save the girl who is always in distress. Available via digital download and DVD, Bullshot is a romp through post-World War I England, depicting a world of high adventure, low life, patriots and villains. SRP is $9.98 for the digital download, and $14.98 for the DVD. Pre-book is January 4.  

Captain Hugh “Bullshot” Crummond (Alan Shearman – Happy Feet, Eragon) is an Olympic athlete, flying ace, car racer and a suave sleuth. He’s an expert in all brave, masculine pursuits, including the seduction of lovely Rosemary Fenton (Bullshot co-writer Diz White – Eragon, Jackie Chan’s First Strike).  When Bullshot finds out that her scientist father has been abducted by his wartime adversary Count Otto Van Bruno (Ronald E. Law – “L.A. Law”, Escape From New York) nothing will stop him from rescuing Mr. Fenton,  no matter what the cost!

An affectionate parody of the detective stories of the 1930’s, Bullshot is based on the adventures of the popular British hero, Bulldog Drummond. A combination of Monty Python, Austin Powers and Inspector Clouseau, Bullshot is like a bull in a tea shop:  bumbling yet brave, elegant yet slapstick, witty and silly, very British and very, very funny!

Image Entertainment, Inc. (OTCQB: DISK ) is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and more than 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights, as well as digital download rights to over 2,100 video programs and approximately 400 audio titles containing more than 5,600 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth , California . For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to www.image-entertainment.com.

Bullshot – DVD
Genre:             Comedy, 80s, Parody, Screwball, Slapstick , United Kingdom
Rating:             PG
Languages:       English
Format:            Anamorphic Widescreen (1.33:1)
Audio:              Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Subtitles:           No
Year:                1983
SRP :                $14.98
Street Date:      February 1, 2011
Pre-Book:        January 4, 2011
Length:             86 minutes
UPC :                014381657029
Cat#:                ID6570HHDVD


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Image Entertainment presents BULLSHOT from HandMade Films -- Saving the Day on DVD and Digital Download February 1st

Anchor Bay Entertainment lets LET ME IN onto Blu-ray and DVD February 1, 2011

“The BEST American horror film in the last 20 years.” – Stephen King

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS THE HAUNTING AND PROVOCATIVE THRILLER "LET ME IN"

Available On Blu-Ray™ And DVD On February 1, 2011

Jam-Packed with Bonus Features, the Blu-Ray™ and DVD Boast an Exclusive
Let Me In Comic Book and Fan-Favorite “Car Crash Sequence” Visual Effects Piece!

Beverly Hills, CA – A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire in the thriller,  Let Me In, available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 1st, 2011 from Anchor Bay Entertainment.  Written and directed by filmmaker Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), Let Me In is based on the best-selling Swedish novel Låt den Rätte Komma In (Let The Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and the highly acclaimed film of the same name.  The film’s score is by Oscar®-, Emmy®- and Grammy®-winning composer Michael Giacchino (Up, “Lost”).

Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road), Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass), Elias Koteas (Shutter Island), Cara Buono (“The Sopranos”), and Oscar® nominee Richard Jenkins (The Visitor),  Let Me In is a poignant coming-of-age story as well as a bone-chilling horror film.  In a pop-culture landscape littered with the bloodthirsty undead, the 2010 release from Overture Films Let Me In stands out as a very different kind of vampire movie – a haunting meditation on the difficult and often painful transition into adolescence.  SRP is $39.99 for the Blu-ray™ and $29.98 for the DVD.


Genre fans and DVD aficionados will be thrilled with the generous amount of bonus features on the Let Me In Blu-ray™ and DVD, including the much-talked-about visual effects piece, “Car Crash Sequence Step-By-Step”, with commentary from Director Matt Reeves; “From The Inside: A Look at the Making of Let Me In”; “The Art of Special Effects”; Unrated Deleted Scenes; Trailer Gallery: Greenband Trailer, Redband Trailer; and a Poster and Still Gallery. The Blu-ray™ edition also includes the Blu-ray™ exclusive: “Dissecting Let Me In”, as well as a digital copy of the film.  And if that wasn’t enough, both editions include a Let Me In comic book with an exclusive cover designed by award-winning comic book artist Sean Phillips.  A graphic novel will be released next year.

Here’s what the critics have to say about Let Me In:

Lou Lumenick of the New York Post calls Let Me In, “The scariest, creepiest and most elegantly filmed horror movie in years.”  Says TIME’s Richard Corliss, Let Me In is “Seductive and shocking.  A film people will talk about!” Adds Bloody-Disgusting.com’s Brad Miska, “It will be nearly impossible for any vampire film, ever, to measure up.”  Scott Bowles of USA Today calls the film “chillingly real,” while Cinematical describes it as “one of the best horror films of the year,” and Pete Hammond of Boxoffice Magazine says Let Me In is “a haunting, touching and unforgettable thriller.”

In bleak New Mexico, a lonely, bullied boy, Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), forms a unique bond with his mysterious new neighbor, Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz), who moves from town to town with the man who appears to be her father (Richard Jenkins).  Trapped in the mind and body of a child, however, Abby is forced to hide a horrific secret of bloodthirsty survival.  But in a world of both tenderness and terror, how can you invite in the one friend who may unleash the ultimate nightmare?

Based on the Swedish novel, Let the Right One In, “Let Me In is a dark and violent love story, a beautiful piece of cinema and a respectful rendering of my novel for which I am grateful,” says the book’s author, John Ajvide Lindqvist.


LET ME IN BLU-RAY™
Street Date:               February 1st, 2011
Pre-book:                   January 5th, 2011
Cat. #:                         BD21464
UPC:                           0 1313 21464-9 2
Run Time:                   115 Minutes
Rating:                        Rated R
SRP:                           $39.99
Format:                       2.40:1 / 16x9
Audio:                        Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles:                    English SDH, Spanish
Bonus Features:        Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Matt Reeves
From the Inside: A Look at the Making of Let Me In
The Art of Special Effects
Car Crash Sequence Step-By-Step
Blu-ray™ Exclusive: Dissecting Let Me In
Unrated Deleted Scenes
Trailer Gallery: Greenband Trailer, Redband Trailer
Poster & Still Gallery
Digital copy of the film

LET ME IN DVD
Street Date:               February 1st, 2011
Pre-book:                   January 5th, 2011
Cat. #:                         OV21461
UPC:                           0 1313 21461-9 5
Run Time:                   115 Minutes
Rating:                        Rated R
SRP:                           $29.98
Format:                       2.40:1 / 16x9
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                    English SDH, Spanish
Bonus Features:        Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Matt Reeves
From the Inside: A Look at the Making of Let Me In
The Art of Special Effects
Car Crash Sequence Step-By-Step
Unrated Deleted Scenes
Trailer Gallery: Greenband Trailer, Redband Trailer
Poster & Still Gallery

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Blu-Ray
DVD

Anchor Bay Entertainment lets LET ME IN onto Blu-ray and DVD February 1, 2011

LOVE AT FIRST KILL with Margot Kidder and Michael Bowen -- coming February 15th on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment

From the producer of Platoon and The Terminator

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT FALLS FOR "LOVE AT FIRST KILL"

Secrets Will Be Revealed On DVD February 15th

BEVERLY HILLS , CA – On February 15th, Anchor Bay Entertainment premieres the provocative thriller Love At First Kill on DVD. Directed by John Daly, the Oscar-nominated producer behind such classic films as Oliver Stone’s Platoon, James Cameron’s The Terminator, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor and Robert Altman’s Images, Love At First Kill stars Margot Kidder (Lois Lane of Superman, Halloween II, The Amityville Horror), Noah Segan (Fanboys, Deadgirl, Adam & Steve), Lyne Renée (The Hessen Conspiracy), Michael Bowen (Magnolia, Kill Bill: Volume 1) and Onalee Adams (The Lazarus Project). SRP is $26.98 and pre-book is January 19th.

Harry Teberg (Segan) is a brooding young artist who collects cardboard boxes of all sizes and shapes, draws and paints them. He still lives with his possessive and over-protective mother Beth (Kidder), a widow of twenty years who dominates him. Harry suffers from recurring nightmares, a blocked-out memory of something horrific from his childhood. When Marie Dupont (Renée), a pretty young European divorcée, moves into the house next door with her daughter Kiki (Annika Moffat), Harry begins to experience thoughts and feelings he never knew he had.

Beth starts losing her mind as Harry tells her that he loves Marie, and is leaving with her. Beth will do whatever it takes to stop her from running off with her son. With her paranoia now at full throttle, Beth puts a plan into action to keep them apart – a plan loaded with twists, turns and revelations as Harry begins to recall the events that led to his father’s death.

LOVE AT FIRST KILL DVD
Street Date:                  February 15, 2011
Pre-book:                     January 19, 2011
Cat. #:                          DV22048
UPC:                            0 1313 22048-9 5
Run Time:                     94 Minutes
Rating:                          Not Rated
SRP:                            $26.98
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                       English SDH, Spanish


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LOVE AT FIRST KILL with Margot Kidder and Michael Bowen -- coming February 15th on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 1978 and 2010 on Blu-ray and DVD February 8, 2011 from Anchor Bay Entertainment

“It’s unrated. Can you handle it? I don’t think you can.” – Kyle Smith, New York Post

“Despicable remake of the despicable 1978 film…” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
 
ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT UNLEASHES "I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE"

1978 ORIGINAL AND 2010 REMAKE

Dual Blu-ray™ and DVD releases February 8th With All-New Bonus Features

Beverly Hills , CA – In 1978, Meir Zarchi’s I Spit On Your Grave shocked audiences all over the world. Critics reviled it, but audiences embraced its “Day of the Woman” empowerment message. Three decades later, lightning struck again with the 2010 remake, which shocked 21st century moviegoers. Now, Anchor Bay Entertainment completes the grisly circle of revenge with the February 8, 2011 release of the unrated I Spit On Your Grave – both the 1978 original classic and the state-of-the-art 2010 remake on high-definition Blu-ray™ and DVD. This release marks the U.S. Blu-ray™ debut of the original cult classic. SRPs for the 2010 DVD are $29.97, and $34.99 for the Blu-ray™; the 1978 version SRPs are $24.99 for the Blu-ray™ and $19.98 for the DVD. Pre-book is January 12th.

Produced by CineTel Films’ Lisa Hansen and Paul Hertzberg in association with Anchor Bay Films, and directed by Steven R. Monroe, 2010’s I Spit On Your Grave tells the story of Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler), a city girl who rents an isolated cabin in the country to write her latest novel. On one terrifying evening, a group of local lowlifes break into the cabin, overpower and assault Jennifer, ultimately leaving her for dead. But Jennifer miraculously survives her ordeal; consumed with hell-borne vengeance for those who so violated her, she repays their heinous acts in gruesome ways that these lowlifes never thought imaginable. The cast includes Jeff Branson (“The Young and the Restless”), Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls, Bully), Rodney Eastman (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 & 4), Chad Lindberg (“Supernatural,” The Fast and the Furious), Tracey Walter (Erin Brockovich, Batman, Repo Man) and Andrew Howard (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen). Meir Zarchi, the writer/producer/director of the 1978 original, served as Executive Producer.

Unlike with the original film, mainstream and genre critics alike have embraced the new version from the very beginning. The New York Times called it “extremely efficient grindhouse,” while New York Magazine’s David Edelstein extolled “Each killing is as protracted, humiliating, ingenious, gory and downright poetic as any I’ve seen, and I’ve seen it all.” Bloody-Disgusting’s Brad Miska said “The audience gasped, screamed and cheered as they watched Sarah Butler drop the axe on her assailants,” while Rue Morgue Magazine declared it “a cinematic bulldozer…it handily trumps the original in the ferocious revenge sequences.”


Bonus features on the 2010 I Spit On Your Grave Blu-ray™ and DVD include a filmmakers commentary track with Hansen and Monroe, an in-depth behind-the-scenes featurette, the original theatrical teaser and trailer, deleted scenes and much more. The 1978 I Spit On Your Grave Blu-ray™ features an all-new high definition transfer, Dolby TrueHD audio and an all-new interview with writer/producer/director Meir Zarchi about the making of this infamous cinematic landmark and its legacy for the past three decades.

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2010 Blu-ray™
Street Date:                  February 8, 2011        
Pre-book:                     January 12, 2011
Cat. #:                          BD21696
UPC:                            0 1313 21696-9 9
Run Time:                     108 minutes
Genre:                          Horror / Action
Rating:                          Unrated
SRP:                            $34.99
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio:                          Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Buy it at Amazon.com

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2010 DVD
Street Date:                  February 8, 2011        
Pre-book:                     January 12, 2011
Cat. #:                          AF21693
UPC:                            0 1313 21693-9 2
Run Time:                     108 minutes
Genre:                          Horror / Action
Rating:                          Unrated
SRP:                           $29.97
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio:                          Dolby Digital 5.1
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I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) Blu-ray™
Street Date:                  February 8, 2011        
Pre-book:                     January 12, 2011
Cat. #:                          BD22340
UPC:                            0 1313 22340-9 0
Run Time:                     101 minutes
Genre:                          Horror / Action
Rating:                          Unrated
SRP:                            $24.99
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Buy it at Amazon.com

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) DVD
Street Date:                  February 8, 2011        
Pre-book:                     January 12, 2011
Cat. #:                          DV22335
UPC:                            0 1313 22335-9 8
Run Time:                     101 minutes
Genre:                          Horror / Action
Rating:                          Unrated
SRP:                            $19.98
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio:                          Dolby Digital 5.1
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I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 1978 and 2010 on Blu-ray and DVD February 8, 2011 from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Two New Titles Coming to DVD From Green Apple Entertainment

Green Apple Entertainment Proudly Presents: DYING GOD starring James Horan & Lance Henrickson

A Corrupt Cop Tracks a Brutal Serial Killer… Who Just May Not be Human

The Hunt Begins on DVD Dec. 28th

BOCA RATON - Dec. 1, 2010 - For Immediate Release - The search for a brutal serial killer becomes other-worldly in the suspenseful horror film Dying God, coming to DVD Dec. 28 from Green Apple Entertainment.

When a series of bizarre and violent killings haunt a dark and decadent city, a corrupt cop, Sean Fallon (James Horan, Flags of Our Fathers), must face his own demons to put an end to the brutal string of rape-murders.

With the help of an unsavory band of pimps, headed by Chance (Lance Henrickson, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Millenium, Aliens, The Terminator) - his only allies - Fallon tracks the mysterious assailant … who just may not be human!

Directed by French director Fabrice Lambot (Le Sang du Chatiment, Insanity), Dying God is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16 x 9 (1.2.1) and stereo. Bonus material includes trailer.

Dying God
Green Apple Entertainment
Genre:  Horror
Rated:  R
Format:  DVD Only
Running Time:  Approx. 85 Minutes (Plus Special Features)
Suggested Retail Price:  $24.98
Pre-Order Date:  December 3, 2010
Street Date:  December 28, 2010
Catalog #:  GAE-F07
UPC Code:  #855982002067

Buy it at Amazon.com 


  

Green Apple Entertainment Proudly Presents BREAD CRUMBS

Some Fairy Tales are True …

Heart-Pounding Thriller Comes to DVD Jan. 25th

"Terrifying and original. A macabre retelling of Hansel & Gretel." - Independent Film Quarterly

BOCA RATON - Jan. 1, 2011 - For Immediate Release - Mama was wrong … some fairy tales are true in Bread Crumbs, a heart-pounding thriller coming to DVD Jan. 25 from Green Apple Entertainment.

An aging star, Angie (Marianne Hagan, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Perfume), reluctantly goes on one last shoot for a seedy, B-movie producer. On location -  lodging in an enchanting, old cabin deep in the shadowy forest - the cast and crew encounter Henry (Dan Shaked, Counting to Infinity) and his little sister, Patti (Amy Crowdis, The Melancholy Fantastic), two odd children who mysteriously seem to live in the woods. 

A violent attack on the second evening of shooting sends Angie, her handsome lead Billy (Steve Carey, Jack and Jill vs. the World) and the rest of the crew into a frightened frenzy. Barricading themselves in the secluded cabin, they are trapped by an unknown assailant and, one by one, being horrifically slaughtered.

Could these two children be responsible for such brutal slayings?  A rollercoaster ride to the terrifying conclusion, Bread Crumbs is a fairy tale of terror, the classic fable of Hansel & Gretel re-imagined. Eat the candy, if you dare!

Directed by Mike Nichols (Dead Calling), Bread Crumbs - which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival - also stars Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie's Halloween).

Bread Crumbs is presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 4 x 3 (1.33:1) and Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0.  Bonus material includes trailer.

Green Apple Entertainment is a leading international distributor of quality, independent entertainment on DVD, Blu-ray, download and streaming platforms and cable VOD. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., Green Apple works directly with filmmakers to cultivate superior filmmaking for a variety of genres - including action, drama, romance, thrillers, horror/sci-fi, documentaries, family and animation - and fresh new viewing experiences for a diverse array of audiences. Green Apple was founded in 2005 by industry veteran Tim Warren.

Bread Crumbs
Green Apple Entertainment
Genre:  Horror
Not Rated
Format:  DVD Only
Running Time:  Approx. 88 Minutes (Plus Special Features)
Suggested Retail Price:  $24.98
Pre-Order Date:  January 4, 2011
Street Date:  January 25, 2011
Catalog #:  GAE-F13
UPC Code:  #855982002135

Buy it at Amazon.com

Two New Titles Coming to DVD From Green Apple Entertainment

SONDHEIM! THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT -- DVD review by porfle

I wasn't looking forward to SONDHEIM! THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT (2010) because I didn't really know how I'd respond to a gala evening of musical theater selections from plays I'd never seen.  After awhile, though, it starts to heat up and get interesting.  Even for a non-fan like me, the wide range of material and the passion with which it's performed can become infectious if you're willing to give in to it.

Recorded on March 15-16, 2010 in the Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, the concert is a celebration of composer Steven Sondheim's 80th birthday and features tunes from througout his long career.  With longtime collaborator Paul Gemignani conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the vocal talent on display here is top-notch and the songlist is filled with some of Sondheim's finest and most popular works.  Tony Award winner David Hyde Pierce (of "Frasier" fame) provides the segues between numbers with his usual droll style which, unlike the forced humor of most emcees, is actually funny.

After the overture, the current cast of West Side Story kicks things off with a dash through "America."  (I know that one!)  Director Lonny Price goes a little nuts with the rapid-fire camera angles here, but fortunately he settles down as the evening progresses.  This is followed by "Something's Coming", another one that I recognized from West Side Story, sung by the conductor's son, Alexander Gemingnani. 

A number of noteworthy duets include Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley's "We're Gonna Be Alright" and Audrey McDonald and Nathan Gunn with "Too Many Mornings."  Joanna Gleason and Chip Zien's cheerful "It Takes Two" lightens things up.  In between are solo performances by Victoria Clark ("Don't Laugh") and familiar film actor John McMartin ("The Road You Didn't Take").
 

Mandy Patinkin gives us "Finishing the Hat" in his usual oddball style, then is joined by the still-gorgeous Bernadette Peters for the emotional "Move On."  It's at this point, thanks in large part to the divine Bernadette, that the event really starts to ignite.  Some frivolous fun finally lights up the place with a raucous "Sweeney Todd" medley ("Pretty Women", "Little Priest") by Patti LuPone, George Hearn, and Michael Cerveris. 

After a few more songs, the main reason for watching this concert comes when Pierce steps out from behind his emcee's podium and croons "Beautiful Girls", bringing a group of the evening's female singers onto the stage in what will be a series of dazzling solo performances.  Patti LuPone's belts out "The Ladies Who Lunch" in classic show-stopper style and is topped only by the venerable Elaine Stritch, showing that she still has it despite her advanced age with the delightfully triumphant "I'm Still Here."  These two ladies really bring the house down with what are easily the most exciting performances of the entire evening.

The only way to go out after that is to bring in performers from shows currently playing all over New York for a final tribute.  Seated in the audience, Sondheim reacts with extreme emotion as scores of people file down the aisles and congregate onstage singing the elegaic "Sunday."  (I think I even recognized "Benny" from TOTAL RECALL up there!)  Then comes the inevitable "Happy Birthday To You", a tearful thank you from Sondheim, and the show's over.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.  There are no subtitles or extras.  This show originally aired on PBS' "Great Performances" (most likely interrupted every ten minutes by pledge breaks) and runs almost two hours. 

You probably have to be familiar with Sondheim's musicals to get the most out of SONDHEIM! THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT, and it's a sure bet that some viewers aren't going to get anything out of it at all.  But despite a few numbers that aren't all that exciting, and taking into account the fact that I'm about as familiar with musical theater as I am with nuclear fission, I found a lot to be entertained by in this set.  Especially in that second half, which contains some performances that are just plain impressive no matter what kind of music you're into.


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SONDHEIM! THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT -- DVD review by porfle

January Releases From CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment

MANNIX: THE FOURTH SEASON (1970-1971)

Street Date:  January 4
Prebook Date:  November 23
Studio:  CBS Home Entertainment / Paramount Home Entertainment
Genre:  Crime/ Drama/ TV
Stars:  Mike Connors, Gail Fisher, Ward Wood, Robert Reed, Joseph Campanella

Synopsis  The fourth season of Mannix chronicles the weekly adventures of private detective Joe Mannix (Mike Connors) in Los Angeles and his  faithful  assistant Peggy Fair  (Gail Fisher).   Hard-boiled  and  gritty, Mannix  is  constantly  putting  his  life  on  the  line  to  boldly
encourage justice for his clients, even outside of the law.

•  Full Frame
•  English Mono
Rating  Not Rated
Additional  Running Time: 1216 minutes
6 x DVD 9          
S.R.P.: $54.99
6 Discs      

Buy it at Amazon.com

 

MATLOCK: THE SIXTH SEASON (1991-1992)

Street Date:  January 25
Prebook Date:  December 14
Studio:   CBS Home Entertainment / Paramount Home Entertainment
Genre:  Crime/ TV
Stars:  Andy Griffith, Clarence Gilyard, Jr., Nancy Stafford, Julie Sommars

Synopsis  Ben Matlock (Andy Griffith) is a Harvard-educated defense attorney and fiery Southerner who wins almost every case he has ever taken,  especially  murder  cases.  Known  for  his  thriftiness,  love  of  hot  dogs  and  the  extremely  high  demands  he  places  on
investigators, Matlock charges a hefty sum of $100,000 for each case to brilliantly defend his client.

•  Full Screen Format
•  English Stereo Surround
Rating  Not Rated
Additional  Running Time: 1030 minutes
6 x DVD  9
S.R.P.: $54.99
6 Discs

January Releases From CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment

THE LIGHTKEEPERS -- DVD review by porfle

Holy ****, when did Richard Dreyfuss turn into a little old man?  I know he and I haven't been running around in the same circles much since JAWS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, but geez.  He's playing actual "crotchety old geezer"-type roles now, or at least he does in the pleasantly autumnal romantic comedy THE LIGHTKEEPERS (2009).
 
Since he actually is an old man now, Dreyfuss should have no trouble playing one.  At first, however, he seems to treat the role as though he were still a young actor who's done research for it by observing old people and then mimicking them in a theatrical manner.   With a little Lionel Barrymore and a dash of "Popeye" and "Mr. Magoo" thrown in.  His "Seth Atkins" initially reminds me of an old-salt character who might've dropped in on Captain Kangaroo in between visits from Mr. Greenjeans.  Thankfully, though, he gets better as the story grows more substantial and he's given more to work with.

As John Brown, Tom Wisdom plays one of those witty young man types who seem forever performing for some unseen audience.  His first scenes with Dreyfuss are like something from a mildly-amusing play that would probably seem more amusing if we could hear other audience members tittering at the dialogue.  Wisdom's character is the worldly, mildly flamboyant outsider in an otherwise doggedly folksy setting.


As the story opens in 1912 Cape Cod, we find that former seaman Seth is now the town's resident lighthouse keeper and a resolute woman-hater due to some secret heartbreak in his past.  When a waterlogged John washes ashore one day, muttering something about having fallen overboard from a steamship, Seth takes him in and offers him the recently vacated job as his assistant, with two conditions--no questions about his past, and no funny business with the opposite sex.  John, who apparently has his own similar issues in addition to a mysterious need for anonymity, readily agrees. 

But before you can say "comic complications", two women--young Ruth (Meryl Streep's daughter, Mamie Gummer) and her older housekeeper Mrs. Bascom (the venerable Blythe Danner)--move into the cottage directly next door for the summer.  Hmm...two confirmed bachelors and two single women in a rustic beachfront setting together.  You can pretty much fill in the blanks after that, except for a not-so-surprising plot twist that's both astoundingly coincidental yet somehow inevitable.

What I did find surprising is that THE LIGHTKEEPERS doesn't turn into the insubstantial, lightly farcical rom-com that I was expecting.  Granted, it's still pretty light stuff, but the story manages to generate a certain resonance as the true histories of certain characters are revealed, giving them and the actors' performances a good deal more depth. 

The young couple, especially Ruth, remain somewhat underdeveloped, although John's backstory is finally revealed late in the film.  Meanwhile, Seth and Mrs. Bascom transcend their initial caricatures and become vibrant.  Writer-director Daniel Adams, in an interview included on the DVD, admits that he finds older people more interesting than young ones due to their wealth of life experiences.


Adams has a simple, competent style that makes this seem like one of those made-for-TNT films, with photography that's all hazy-hued and nostalgic.  Composer Pinar Toprak's overly insistent music keeps trying to tell us what to feel before the scene has a chance to make us feel it, although this becomes less of a problem later on as we settle into the story.  Joining the main cast in the film's second half are the great Bruce Dern as an unwelcome presence from Seth's past who brings some vital conflict into the story, and the equally great Julie Harris in a tiny cameo appearance. 

The DVD from Image Entertainment is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.  There are no subtitles.  Besides a trailer, the extras menu contains interviews with Dreyfuss and Adams. 

As THE LIGHTKEEPERS nears its mildly dramatic climax, Dreyfuss and Danner have settled into their characters enough to give their scenes together a welcome sort of glow.  And only once or twice did I get the feeling that Dreyfuss was on the verge of proclaiming "I don't-like-the panties-hanging-from-the rod!"  Now that he's started playing old guys, he can only get better at it. 


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THE LIGHTKEEPERS -- DVD review by porfle

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED -- DVD review by porfle

A good old-fashioned nailbiter that keeps you on the edge of your seat, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED (2009) is one of the most suspenseful and unpredictable thrillers I've seen in quite a while.

The film opens with a brisk montage of former cellmates Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan) working industriously to lay the groundwork for a kidnapping.  Then comes the abduction, with poor Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton) wrested from her life as a millionaire's daughter and gagged, hooded, and handcuffed to a bed in a soundproofed room. 

After getting her all trembling and teary-eyed with threats of death, the kidnappers videotape her pleas to pay the ransom and use the message as a persuader for her rich father to come across with the cash.  All that remains after that is for the deal to go through so Vic and Danny can start a new life elsewhere with money to burn.

But you just know that something's going to go wrong with this seemingly foolproof plan somewhere along the way.  The inevitable glitch comes from out of nowhere and is a genuine surprise, setting the whole scheme unraveling in all sorts of interesting ways.  Danny, the inexperienced one who seems to be developing some sympathy toward Alice, can barely keep it together while the intimidating and at times overbearing Vic is unnervingly businesslike.  They're bound to clash sooner or later, especially when Danny screws up so badly that at one point he allows their captive to get the upper hand.

Strangely enough, in fact, I found that much of the suspense comes from worrying about what will happen to Danny if Vic discovers the mess he's made of things.  Added to that is the knowledge that Alice's fate hinges upon the success of their kidnapping scheme, since Vic is clearly prepared to do away with her at the slightest sign of trouble.  And as things get more and more complicated, with suspicions mounting in all directions, we're never sure what either of them is capable of.


Alice, meanwhile, keeps us guessing as well.  Frightened and docile one moment, she acts swiftly and decisively the first time she gets a chance.  Will she manage to escape, or simply give coldblooded Vic a reason to kill her?  And what, exactly, does Vic plan to do once he does get all that money?

That's all I'm going to say about the story, because surprise is the key to enjoying all the twists and turns that unfold during this often riveting tale.  Each character gains the advantage over the others at one time or another, so the final outcome remains a toss-up until the very end.  Suffice it to say that I was caught up in it from start to finish, and would be hard-pressed to recall a single dull spot. 

Writer-director J Blakeson's uncluttered, straightforward style is ideal for this material, especially since the story is so good that any added visual spice would be superfluous.  Since it's strictly a three-character film, a vital element in its success is the excellence of the performances, most notably Gemma Arterton in a gruelingly emotional role.  Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan also do a great job and are utterly convincing throughout.


The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  Extras include a director's commentary, a deleted scene, an extended scene, some outtakes, some storyboard-to-film comparisons, and a trailer.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED isn't a blockbuster or a rollercoaster ride, and it won't blow you through the back wall of the theater (or livingroom).  It's just a smart, solid, well-crafted little thriller that's a lot of fun to watch. 


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DVD
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THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED -- DVD review by porfle