HK AND CULT FILM NEWS

Monday, September 21, 2009

WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU -- DVD review by porfle

Another one of those sad "runaway kids surviving on the mean streets of L.A." tales, WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU (1992) is a decent enough flick whose main interest is a spot-the-stars cast loaded with young up-and-coming actors.

Dermot Mulroney gives a solid performance as King, an older street kid who's more thoughtful and responsible than most and tries to take care of the younger, more naive ones. His best friends are Greg (Sean Astin), a self-destructive speed freak, and the more laidback Crasher (James Le Gros, who played the goat roper who escapes from the bar slaughter in NEAR DARK). King is especially protective of the vulnerable, unstable Little J (Balthazar Getty) and a pretty new arrival, Heather (Lara Flynn Boyle).

The kids are always on the run from the cops, including Adam Baldwin and Rachel Ticotin as Officers Black and Landers. Meanwhile, Greg grows ever closer to being seduced into heroin use by vile drug dealer Ted (Kyle MacLachlan) while Little J reluctantly begins earning extra cash as a boy-toy for an aging perv (Stephen Tobolowsky, best known as "Sammy Jankis" in MEMENTO) and becomes a danger to society when he finds a gun. King, wanting to escape to a better life with his new girlfriend Heather, eventually finds himself unable to keep on protecting his friends from both society and themselves.

Not nearly as gritty as some other films of its kind, WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU is a somewhat romanticized take on the subject which eschews cinema verite' for a slicker pictorial style from director and co-writer Marc Rocco (adopted son of actor Alex Rocco). The kids may sleep under a bridge but they seem happy enough and don't look all the worse for wear--girls like Heather and Kimmy (Alyssa Milano) are perky and pretty, Ricki Lake's "Brenda" doesn't seem to be missing any meals, and most of the guys wouldn't look out of place at your typical keg party. (They often tell each other that they smell bad, but they don't look like they do.)

Sean Astin's character seems to be on the fastest track to oblivion--he hits rock bottom when he wakes up in his own vomit on the floor of Ted's filthy apartment after his first heroin trip--yet he comes from a non-abusive middle-class home to which he could return at any time, so I found it hard to feel all that sorry for him. Will Smith as "Manny", on the other hand, has it the hardest since he's missing both legs and is confined to a wheelchair, yet he's one of the most cheerful and self-reliant characters. Smith appears only briefly in a few scenes, but his attack by a brutal pimp named Tommy Ray (Peter Dobson) who's out for revenge against King sets up Tommy Ray's murder by one of the group, which ultimately leads to tragedy.

It's surprising (and a little distracting) how many familiar faces pop up during this movie in addition to all those previously mentioned. Laura San Giacomo appears throughout as a video interviewer trying to get King to open up to her about life on the streets. Christian Slater is the director of a rehab center where Greg stays for a brief time before escaping. Nancy McKeon, effectively casting off her "Facts of Life" image, plays Ted's foulmouthed girlfriend. Leo Rossi is Greg's father, and David Arquette plays Kimmy's boyfriend Rob.

There seems to be no escape for these kids even when some of them finally decide to take a bus out of town. Not only do they have no actual destination in mind, and are thus unlikely to be heading for any kind of a better life, but fate continues to work against them. Here, during a climactic bus station sequence, the film could've used a grittier and more natural style in order to give greater impact to what happens. As it is, much of the effect is diluted by self-conscious direction, too much slow motion, and a mood-killing Melissa Etheridge song that's meant to be deeply moving but isn't. A prolonged epilogue also tries to give the ending more emotional weight than it has actually earned.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Surround 2.0, and offers subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. The theatrical trailer is included.

While not a perfect film, and not quite as powerful as it intends to be, WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU is still an engaging and sometimes moving story with characters you can care about, and numerous young actors giving noteworthy performances. It's definitely worth checking out as long as you're not expecting to be blown away.

Buy it at Amazon.com

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Warner Archive -- September Mid Month New Releases

A RARE SELECTION OF SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT SPANNING SEVEN DECADES OF FILM MAKING DEBUT ON THE WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION THIS MONTH

--Contemporary Films Come to the Archive Including “Wrestling Ernest Hemingway” Starring Robert Duvall and “Men Don’t Leave” Starring Jessica Lange
--The Bark Out Loud “Dogville Comedies,” a Collection of Comedy Shorts Directed by Zion Myers and Jules White Presented Together for the First Time on DVD
--Film Noir Takes Center Stage Among Mystery and Suspense Classics Including Anthony Mann’s “The Tall Target,” King Vidor’s “Lightning Strikes Twice” and Jacques Tourneur’s “Berlin Express”

Burbank, Calif., September 15, 2009 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) announced today an impressive variety of films are making their debut as part of the Warner Archive Collection this month including Robert Duvall in “Wrestling Ernest Hemingway,” “Men Don’t Leave,” starring Jessica Lange and Director King Vidor’s “Lightning Strikes Twice.” Also this month, two highly requested collections of classic short subjects are making their DVD debut – Zion Myers and Jules White’s unforgettably hilarious “Dogville Comedies” and all 52 of the famous “Our Gang Comedies” produced by MGM from 1938-44.

After receiving a tremendous amount of requests from fans, the Warner Archive Collection is proud to bring the complete collection of MGM’s popular “Dogville Comedies” to DVD for the first time. Released to theaters during 1930 to 1931, the Dogville shorts became an instant hit with audiences, representing one of the many kinds of unique novelties that came to movie screens with the arrival of ‘talking pictures.’ These shorts were jokingly billed as “All-Barkies” since each film featured an all-dog cast (with human voiceovers) serving up wild parodies which satirized the motion picture styles of the era.

Filmmakers Zion Myers and Jules White oversaw the making of nine different Dogville shorts, many of which directly lampooned some of the biggest feature films of the period, including “The Big House” (“The Big Dog House”), “Trader Horn” (“Trader Hound”) and the Oscar® winning “The Broadway Melody” (“The Dogway Melody”). Dogville also poked fun at movie genres of the era, with Detective “Phido Vance” named as the hero out to solve a murder in “Who Killed Rover,” while romance in exotic locales served as the laugh-filled subject in “Love Tails of Morocco.” Dogville fans can wag their tails with this first-ever home video release of all nine Dogville shorts, now available to own in one two-disc DVD collection from the Warner Archive Collection.

Also this month, murder, mystery and suspense are afoot in the archives! Film Noir favorites, and noir-tinged melodramas are now available to own with the release of a slew of crafty crime capers and nifty who-dun-its. Among this month’s Warner Archive new release offerings are Jacques Tourneur’s “Berlin Express,” starring Robert Ryan and Merle Oberon in a story that finds a group of railroad passengers terrorized by neo-Nazis in the midst of an assassination plot. Mickey Rooney casts off the trappings of his ‘Andy Hardy’ persona as a prizefighter swept into the crime world in “Killer McCoy.” Jack Palance takes on Humphrey Bogart’s role of Mad Dog Earle in “I Died a Thousand Times,” a color and CinemaScope remake of Bogie’s “High Sierra.”

The great Anthony Mann was at the helm for MGM’s long-overlooked thriller “The Tall Target,” starring Dick Powell as a man searching for the truth behind Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Ernest Borgnine gives a standout performance in the gritty Mafia-themed opus “Pay or Die,” while Barry Sullivan stars opposite the screen seductress Belita in the 1946 screen hit “Suspense,” one of Monogram Pictures few attempts at A-level filmmaking.

Dangerous roads are ahead for film fans with the rarely-seen noir gem “Highway 301.” A gang of robbers terrorize and rob banks and payrolls in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. The gang's leader, George (played by the brooding Steve Cochran), seems to take particular delight in ‘bumping off’ women who cross him. Legendary Director King Vidor gives us greed, passion and mad love in the 1951 romantic murder mystery “Lightning Strikes Twice.” Starring Richard Todd and Mercedes McCambridge, viewers will ultimately judge if the man on death row actually did commit savage murder.

Also available this month are landmark dramas that feature unforgettable performances. Montgomery Clift made his film debut as a GI in post-World War II Berlin who takes on a personal mission by aiding a young boy whose family was killed in the concentration camps, in Fred Zinnemann’s 1948 classic “The Search,” (winner of 2 Academy Awards) and Laurence Olivier shares the screen with Simone Signoret and Sarah Miles in “Term of Trial.”

The Warner Archive Collection is also offering a special selection of recent films, many of which have ardent fan followings who have long requested the DVD release of these favorites. Cinephiles are sure to welcome the DVD debut such gems including Robert Duvall and Richard Harris in the charming drama “Wrestling Ernest Hemingway” (also featuring an early screen performance by Sandra Bullock), Oscar® winner Jessica Lange starring as a young mother confronting widowhood in “Men Don’t Leave” and a very young Seth Green (Family Guy, Robot Chicken) starring with Shane McDermott and Jack Black in the cult skateboarder fave “Airborne.” This much sought after comedy skater film features amazing skating stunts and a thumping soundtrack that includes tracks from Ugly Kid Joe, Jeremy Jordan, Steve Miller Band and others.

Also available this month is “Angus,” a poignant and unforgettable story of a young adolescent outcast who struggles for acceptance despite a myriad of obstacles. The film features a superb cast including Oscar winners Kathy Bates and George C. Scott, Long a cult favorite, and unavailable since the days when VHS was the technology of choice, “Angus” finally is back and finally on DVD courtesy of the Warner Archive Collection.

This month there’s something for everyone in the Warner Archive Collection! Check out this exciting lineup:

Berlin Express
Highway 301
I Died a Thousand Times
Lightning Strikes Twice
Our Gang (collection)
Pay or Die
Suspense
The Tall Target

Available Starting September 15:
Angus
Airborne
Crossroads
Dogville Shorts (collection)
Experiment Perilous
The Heavenly Body
I Take This Woman
Ice Palace
Killer McCoy
Men Don’t Leave
Penn and Teller Get Killed
The Search
Term of Trial
Wrestling Earnest Hemmingway

Spanning more than 60 years of filmmaking, the Warner Archive Collection offers movie fans access to Warner Bros. Entertainment’s unparalleled film library consisting of pre-1986 MGM, RKO Radio Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures films. These timeless classics can be downloaded or purchased on DVDs that are made to order for the customer using a state-of-the-art manufacturing on Demand (MOD) process. For a complete list of titles visit WarnerArchive.com.

To order their movies, fans visit WarnerArchive.com, select their titles, and upon purchase, a state-of-the-art manufacturing on demand (MOD) system creates a made-to-order DVD. The system places the DVD into a hard plastic Amaray case featuring custom artwork; and ships the finished package to the customer which arrives in approximately five days. The cost per title is $19.95, plus shipping. Alternatively, consumers can purchase digital downloads of these classic films to enjoy immediately on their PC. The cost for a digital download is $14.95 per title. Warner Archive Collection is currently available only to consumers in the United States.

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About Warner Bros. Digital Distribution
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) manages Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group’s electronic distribution over existing, new and emerging digital platforms, including pay-per-view, electronic sell-through, video-on-demand, wireless and more. WBDD also oversees the WBHEG’s worldwide digital strategy, partnerships in digital services and emerging new clients and business activities in the digital space.

About Warner Home Video
With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment/videogames, direct-to-DVD production, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels, and is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

BEAST WITHIN -- movie review by porfle

An interesting biological horror flick that starts out slow but ends with a lively zombie attack, the 2008 German production BEAST WITHIN (aka VIRUS UNDEAD) is a worthy effort that I found quite entertaining mainly because I wasn't expecting much from it in the first place.

Robert (Philipp Danne) and his friends, party-boy Patrick (Marvin Gronen) and timid nerd Eugen (Nikolas Jürgens) drive to a small German village to settle the affairs of Robert's late grandfather, a famous biologist who died mysteriously while studying avaian flu. After clashing with Robert's old enemy Bollman (Ski), they run across his former girlfriend Marlene (Birthe Wolter), who still smarts from being dumped years before when Robert left town. Marlene and her sexy friend Vanessa (Anna Breuer) are invited to the rustic mansion of Robert's grandfather for the evening.

Meanwhile, various villagers are becoming infected by a horrible bird-related virus and turning into raging homicidal zombies. When they start showing up at the mansion, Robert and his pals are forced to scare up a few guns, axes, etc., bolt the doors and windows, and fight off the slavering undead hordes. Unfortunately, some of them start coming down with the virus as well, and things go rather badly in general.

The story is deliberately paced at first as co-directors Wolf Wolff and Omuthi take their time putting all the pieces in place and building up suspense before pulling out all the stops in the latter half. The spooky old mansion and isolated forest locations add a bleak and ominous atmosphere, with Heiko Rahnenführer's slick cinematography and the directors' creative visual sense adding greatly to the film's overall effect. A really nice musical score by Max Wuerden and Dominik Schutes is another plus.

One of the most appealing things about BEAST WITHIN for me is the fact that it feels like a throwback to the horror films of the 70s and 80s. There's a slight Dario Argento vibe in the way it's directed and photographed, especially in the early scenes, while the more gruesome and over-the-top stuff later on reminds me of the RABID-era Cronenberg. Some of the later scenes, naturally, are influenced by NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE BIRDS. And the whole thing seems to be topped by a generous layer of finely-aged 80s cheese.

The actors are speaking English but they all seem to have been poorly dubbed anyway. Despite this, their performances are pretty good. This is especially true of Anna Breuer as soon as her character, Vanessa, mounts Patrick and takes off all her clothes. Now that's great acting! As for the zombies, they've got more personality than your usual cinematic undead. They're sort of a cross between the slow-moving Romero ghouls and the modern hyperactive strain, with some good old-fashioned applied makeup that look pretty cool. Even the CGI manages to not be overly horrible, especially in the shots of huge flocks of virus-infected black birds eerily traversing the sky.

The final attack is a lively free-for-all that features a steady supply of zombies laying siege to the mansion where our heroes are holed up. Much of what happens is tongue-in-cheek--especially when a fed-up Vanessa suddenly turns into Rambabe--but there are some startling developments as well. One death scene is particularly beautiful.

The film was shot on super 35mm and the DVD from Barnholtz Entertainment and Lionsgate is presented in 16 x 9 anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital sound. I watched a movie-only screener but bonus features should include a stills gallery and Spanish subtitles.

One thing--why the title change? VIRUS UNDEAD has a nice ring to it if you ask me. Be that as it may, BEAST WITHIN probably isn't in any danger of attaining classic status anytime soon, but it has enough going for it to make it well worth a look. From some of the other comments I've read, I may be the only person expressing this sentiment, but hey--I know what it's like to be sitting in a movie theater all by myself.

Buy it at Amazon.com

Cameron Romero's "STAUNTON HILL" on DVD October 6th from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Silently, they prey…

Anchor Bay Entertainment brings you an excursion into
unrelenting horror from director Cameron Romero

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – This Halloween, Anchor Bay Entertainment celebrates a legacy of fear with the release of Staunton Hill, a visceral and vicious thriller of merciless suspense and shock. Street date is October 6th. Pre-book is September 3rd, and SRP is $19.97.

Directed by the son of legendary cult filmmaker George A. Romero, Cameron Romero is clearly following in his father’s fearful footsteps as a master of terror and suspense. When a group of hikers take off for a weekend of fun and adventure in a remote mountain region, they unwittingly stumble across the Staunton family – for whom the hill is named – and find themselves at the mercy of a depraved, diabolical brood that will stop at nothing to rid their property of these “trespassers.”

The only law on Staunton ’s Hill is the law of the Stauntons … and, in this case, the penalty for defying that law is death. This Hill has eyes -- and the eyes have it!

An unforgettable shocker for the Halloween season, Cameron Romero’s Staunton Hill stars Kathy Lamkin (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, No Country for Old Men), Cristen Coppen (Road Trip, Art School Confidentia), Kiko Ellsworth (“Heroes,” “Dexter”) and Cooper Huckabee (Space Cowboys, Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse).

* * *
About Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children’s entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray® formats. It is the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of the theatrical titles from Overture Films. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Starz Media (http://www.starzmedia.com/) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

STAUNTON HILL
Street Date: October 6, 2009
Pre-book: September 3, 2009
Catalog #: DV16742
UPC #: 0 1313 16742-9 3
Run Time: 90 Minutes
Rated: Not Rated
SRP: $19.97

Buy it at Amazon.com

Friday, September 11, 2009

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" Season Five - on DVD October 6th

The News Crew Returns When The Collectible Three-Disc DVD Set Arrives October 6From Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

“One of the best shows ever to air on TV”- USA Today

LOS ANGELES, CA. – Winner of 29 Emmy Awards® including three for Outstanding Comedy Series and three Golden Globe Awards®, this groundbreaking series consistently ranked among television’s top-rated programs during its seven-year run. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” Season Five debuts October 6 as a collectible three-disc DVD set from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Audiences follow the daily trials and tribulations of Mary Richards, an up-and-coming associate producer at WJM-TV fighting to make a place for herself in a man’s world. At work, she befriends her tough-but-lovable boss Lou Grant (Edward Asner; Up), compassionate long-suffering news writer Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod; “The Love Boat”) and pretentious anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight; “The Love Boat”). At home Mary’s corky acquaintances include upstairs neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper; “Rhoda”), a self-deprecating ex-New Yorker who becomes her best friend and their neurotic, self-involved landlady, Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman; “Dancing with the Stars”).

In this fifth season, Mary and her hilariously eccentric friends at WJM-TV weather a few storms -- sometimes literally. If her love life isn’t challenging enough, Mary takes a crack at producing the news, and even has a brush with the law! Laughs are the lead story when a consultant turns the newsroom on its ear, Lou becomes Mary’s neighbor, and Ted starts a rumor that he and Mary are dating. Featuring some of television’s most memorable characters and story lines, this inimitable series belongs in every DVD collection. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” Season Five DVD collection is available for the suggested retail price of $29.98 U.S. / $37.98 Canada. Prebook is September 9.

DVD Specs:
Disc One
· Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?
· Not Just Another Pretty Face
· You Sometimes Hurt the One You Hate
· Lou and That Woman
· The Outsider
· I Love a Piano
· The New Sue Ann
· Menage-a-Phyllis

Disc Two
· Not a Christmas Story
· What Are Friends For?
· A Boy’s Best Friend
· A Son for Murray
· Neighbors
· A Girl Like Mary
· An Affair to Forget
· Mary Richards: Producer

Disc Three
· The System
· Phyllis Whips Inflation
· The Shame of the Cities
· Marriage Minneapolis Style
· You Try to be a Nice Guy
· You Can’t Lose ‘em All
· Ted Baxter’s Famous Broadcaster’s School
· Anybody Who Hates Kids and Dogs

Buy it at Amazon.com

"BODYGUARD: A NEW BEGINNING" -- British Hong Kong Action Film Set For North American Release 9/15

After the successful release of director Chee Keong Cheung’s UK/ Hong Kong action-thriller ‘Bodyguard: A New Beginning’ through the label Action Extreme in the UK, Intense Productions are proud to announce the forthcoming North American DVD release by Lionsgate on Sept 15th 2009.

This announcement comes hot on the heels of the films recent success at The Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival (http://www.theyfiff.ning.com/), where it received the Audience Choice Award for Best Film. This ambitious and energetic modestly budgeted British independent has been impressing audiences worldwide with its unique East meets West story combined with impressive action sequences that blend East & West styles of fight and stunt choreography.

The film was Produced by Intense Productions in association with Radius Pictures and ScreenOps as a UK/HK co-production. 'Bodyguard: A New Beginning' tells the story of Leung, a man of unrivalled loyalty who has given his life to protecting Wong (Richard Ng)a powerful leader of an elite Chinese underground society. Leung is asked to travel overseas to protect a young British woman whose identity is known only to Wong. Even Wong’s own delinquent son Yuen is kept in the dark. This shadowy secret leads to Yuen’s betrayal of his father and he along with a rogue Yakuza boss Kai (Cary Tagawa) tries to overthrow his reign. Now the fate of Wong’s dynasty has landed in the hands of Leung his trusted bodyguard.

The film’s cast includes well known Asian actors Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (whose credits include everything from ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ to ‘MortalKombat’ and the upcoming live action film ‘Tekken’ based on the hugely successful computer game) and Hong Kong legend Richard Ng (‘My Lucky Stars’‘Winners and Sinners’)in a rare purely dramatic role. The film also includes exciting new talents Vincent Sze (‘Dragon Tiger Gate’, Johnnie To’s ‘Vengeance’) Carl Ng (‘Boarding Gate’, ‘Colour of theTruth) British actress Stephanie Langton (‘Holby Blue’) and British martial arts stars Mark Strange (‘Underground’‘The Medallion’ withJackie Chan) and three times World Kickboxing Champion Nathan Lewis (‘Batman Begins’‘Underground’). ‘Bodyguard: A New Beginning’ also features the late great Hong Kong actor Shing Fui On (John Woo’s 'A Better Tomorrow' and 'The Killer') in one of his final movie roles.

‘Bodyguard: A New Beginning’ is the highly anticipated second feature film from British-Chinese writerdirector and producer Chee Keong Cheung, after his impressive directorial debut the acclaimed and award winning British martial arts/ action tournament film ‘Underground’ acclaimed for its cast of real life martial arts champions & high impact fight sequences.

Producing the film is Hong Kong based Producer/Casting Director Mike Leeder whose credits include everything from Jet Li's 'Fearless', 'TheMummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor', Baz Luhrman's 'Australia' and most recently Yuen Woo-ping's highly anticipated 'True Legend', along with Ean Tang ('The White Wall', 'Fearless') of Screen Ops, and from the UK Mark Strange ('Displaced') and Oliver Morran, as well as Jim Howell & Simon Barnes of Park Entertainment & Chris Atkins & Luke Montagu of Met Film.

The films action sequences were staged by Anthony Carpio, who brings over 20 years experience as a member of the illustrious Jackie Chan Stunt Man Team (working on almost every Jackie Chan movie since 'Police Story 2' through to 'Rob-B-Hood'), along with Chan Man-ching, another member of the Jackie Chan team whose credits include everything from 'Angel 2' to 'Hellboy 2'.

Worldwide sales on ‘Bodyguard: A New Beginning’ are handled by London based sales agent Park Entertainment.

'Bodyguard: A New Beginning' has screened to much acclaim impressing audiences at a number of national and international film festivals including the recent ‘Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival’NorthernIreland Notting Hill Film Festival at The Kensington Odeon Cinema, the cult ‘Phantasmagoria Festival’ the ‘Bi-National Independent Film Festival’ held in Mexico and Texas where the film picked up an Honourable Mention and the ‘15th Oldenburg International Film Festival’ in Germany who hailed the film as “A magnificent martial arts movie... Pushes the tempo in the stunning action scenes...Intense, innovative and daring!”

‘Bodyguard: A New Beginning’ is currently available in the UK through HMV and online via Play.comAmazon.co.UK and Lovefilm. Also available is the soundtrack for ‘Bodyguard: A New Beginning’ courtesy of Moviescore Mediawith the epic score composed by Stuart Hancock. For more information visit http://www.moviescoremedia.com/

“Bodyguard: A New Beginning is one of the most remarkable Chinese thrillers of recent yearsa test of strength for the mind and a genre highlight for even non-HK fans. Not to be missed.” – (Video World)“With Brutal Action Scenes… Action fans will not be disappointed at theresult.” 4/5 - (Albert ValentinKung Fu Cinema)“The UK’s independent action movie making scene has grown from strength to strength in recent years… Bodyguard: A New Beginning has raised the bar even further… A dramatic thriller and solid entertainment.” – (Ricky Morris Impact Magazine) “Capturing a dark unsettling tone of drama and a fast paced brutal and stylish flair for the action sequences the film treads new ground and blends multi-genre conventions.” (HK Cinemagic)“Sharp tight and delivered with brutal impact.” - (Andrew SkeatesFar East Films)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmSgb9ArEWg

Buy it at Amazon.com

"Fame!" Seasons 1 and 2 - on DVD September 15

“I’M GONNA LIVE FOREVER.... I’m gonna learn how to fly”

FAME: SEASONS ONE & TWO--The Award Winning Musical TV Series Performs On DVD September 15 From MGM Home Entertainment

See The Reinvention Of The Original Oscar® Winning Film In Theaters Nationwide September 25

LOS ANGELES, CA – Take a seat for the opening act as the students of the New York City High School for the Performing Arts take center stage when “Fame” Seasons One & Two steals the spotlight on DVD September 15 from MGM Home Entertainment. Known for its outstanding choreography and popular original songs, the critically acclaimed 1980’s hit earned rave reviews and garnered multiple awards, including a Golden Globe® for best TV series comedy/musical in 1983 and again in 1984, instantly establishing a dedicated fan base across the world. Based on the beloved motion picture with the same name, “Fame” brings drama, music and dance to life; Emmy®-award winning choreographer Debbie Allen stars as Lydia Grant, a faculty member who guides the gifted students through discouragement and disappointment as they struggle for a spot in the cutthroat entertainment industry. Ultimately, they learn that although there are many set backs on the treacherous road to stardom, they must follow their dreams to achieve fame.

The DVD releases is timed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.’s reinvention of the original Oscar®-winning hit film FAME debuting in theaters September 25, 2009.

The “Fame” Seasons One & Two nine-disc set includes 38 highly energized episodes, including the Emmy® award winning installments “Tomorrow's Farewell,” “Alone In A Crowd,” “Class Act,” “To Soar and Never Falter,” “The Strike” and “Come One, Come All,” plus an exclusive “Fame: Then and Now” featurette and will be available for the suggested retail price of $39.98 U.S./$54.98 Canada for a limited time only.

Synopsis:

Fame Soars! The Emmy® and Golden Globe®-award winning TV series portrays the lives of a diverse group of talented high school students at New York's School of the Arts. Filled with exciting dance sequences and original musical numbers, this double-set includes all 38 original episodes from the first two seasons.

DVD Specifics:

The “Fame” Seasons One & Two DVD is compiled on nine discs and is presented in full screen format (1.33:1 aspect ratio) with English audio and English and French (season one only) subtitles. In addition, the following episodes and special features are exclusive to each disc:

DVD Episodes and Special Features:

Disc 1 / Season 1

• “Metamorphosis”

• “Passing Grade”

• “Tomorrow's Farewell”

• “Alone in a Crowd”

• “To Soar and Never Falter”

Disc 2 / Season 1

• “The Sell -Out”

• “The Strike”

• “Street Kid”

• “But Seriously Folks”

• “Come One, Come All”

Disc 3 / Season 1

• “The Crazies”

• “Exposé”

• “A Musical Bridge”

• “A Big Finish”

Disc 4 / Season 1

• “Reunions”

• “A Special Place”

Disc 5 / Season 2

• “And the Winner Is”

• “Your Own Song”

• “Feelings”

• “Class Act”

• “Teachers”

Disc 6 / Season 2

• “Beginnings”

• “Solo Song”

• “Winners”

• “Words”

• “Childhood’s End”

Disc 7 / Season 2

• “Homecoming”

• “ Tough Act to Follow”

• “Relationships”

• “Star Quality”

• “Sunshine Again”

Disc 8 / Season 2

• “Love is the Question”

• “Blood, Sweat & Circuits”

• “Friendship Day”

• “Not in Kansas Anymore”

“..Help From My Friends”

Disc 9 / Season 2

• “Ending On A High Note”

• “U.N. Week”

• Special Features

o Fame: Then and Now

Buy the Complete Seasons 1 & 2 at Amazon.com

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

MUTANTS -- movie review by porfle

Not a really awful movie, the low-budget sci-fi thriller MUTANTS (2008) is neither ridiculously funny nor jaw-droppingly stupid enough to be entertaining. It's just exceptionally mundane.

The main gist of the story is that an evil sugar manufacturer has found a way to make the stuff even more addictive than it already is--as addictive as, say, heroin--but the secret additive invented by the company's resident evil Russian scientist, Sergei (Armando Leduc in full "Boris Badanov" mode), has an unfortunate side effect. It turns people into slavering, homicidal mutants, and their condition is highly contagious. So naturally, the company's dastardly CEO orders his underlings to kidnap runaway junkies off the streets for Sergei to experiment on until they get the formula just right. Which is fine with Sergei since he loves to create mutants.

One of the people kidnapped is the son of a broken-down security guard named Griff (Louis Herthum) who is still suffering from the death of his wife. His daughter Erin (Sharon Landry) works for the sugar company and begins getting strange emails that clue her in to her boss' evil doings. When she discovers that her brother is being held, she enlists the aid of Griff and a company strong-arm named Sykes (Tony Senzamici), who's sweet on her. Together they break into Mutant Central and get themselves into a whole heap of trouble.

Much of MUTANTS consists of people sitting in rooms and saying a lot of uninteresting dialogue. This is punctuated by a few meager action scenes in which a runaway junkie gets chased down or a mutant pops out and is subdued. Mainly the title creatures are seen only in their cells until the final minutes, when the good guys are shooting their way out of the facility and mutants spring out of the shadows every few seconds and are cut down. The makeup on most of them consists of some boils and not much else.

Direction, cinematography, and other elements are bland. The lead actors, however, are fairly good. Herthum (Griff) and Senzamici (Sykes) are probably the best of the lot--Herthum even had a small role in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON--and they resemble each other enough to have played father and son in CARNIVOROUS the same year. Sharon Landry is fairly appealing as Erin. The rest of the cast is unremarkable.

The producers do score some points right off the bat by managing to wrangle Michael Ironside (SCANNERS, STARSHIP TROOPERS) and Steven Bauer (SCARFACE, TRAFFIC) to come in and do some scenes so that their names can be featured prominently in the credits. Bauer, sporting a weirdly nerdish makeup job, almost literally phones his performance in since he's seen mostly via a computer screen as he checks in with Michael Ironside's "Colonel Gauge" character. Ironside plays some kind of special ops guy who's onto the big sugar conspiracy, and in the film's finale he actually gets out of his car and participates in a fight scene with one of the bad guys. If you're a fan of Ironside or Bauer and the sight of their names in the credits gets you all excited, you might want to lower your expectations a bit.

I watched a screener so I can't comment on the final release version from North American Motion Pictures. The picture is 16 x 9 full-screen with stereo audio. Special features should include behind-the-scenes, stills gallery, and closed captioning.

I can't recommend MUTANTS, but I wouldn't urge you to flee from it in mortal terror, either. It just doesn't make much of an impression one way or the other.

Buy it at Amazon.com

Fringe Season 1 DVD Review by Jessica Friedman

Fringe Complete First Season DVD Review

Jessica Friedman

J.J Abrams—the name conjures up many reactions for many people. He has his diehard fans (Lost, Alias, etc.) and his extreme haters. While Ian and I have often wavered from apathy to complete disgust for his popular programs, the release of Cloverfield made Ian a lot more susceptible to giving his shows a chance (how could a giant monster movie like that not affect my husband?).

When it comes to the sci-fi television show, Fringe, Ian and I would constantly see previews for the show that looked really cool during our beloved 24, but we never felt like putting in the effort to actually watch Fringe when it aired. “We’ll see it when it comes out on DVD,” we always said. Well, after devouring the episodes in the span of a few days, we both have decided to never make that mistake again and have deemed this show appointment TV that cannot be missed.

Why the sudden change of heart? For starters, this show is fantastically dense and is fascinating to watch again and again. The only other show that I enjoyed deciphering to such a degree was the sadly departed Arrested Development. There are minor clues hidden in each episode that become incredibly important later on in the season. I will not discuss any of them here, but one needs to watch each episode in succession in order to gain a complete understanding of the mythology Abrams and others have plotted within the universe the characters inhabit.

The three main characters who go about investigating bizarre and often supernatural “fringe” cases are the protagonist, FBI agent Olivia Dunham (played by Anna Torv), the wacky genius scientist, Walter Bishop (brilliantly portrayed by John Noble), and his sarcastic con-artist son, Peter Bishop (played by the always awesome Joshua Jackson). Jackson was the lure Ian set in front of me to get me interested in the show (he was my teen crush when he played Pacey on Dawson’s Creek), and Ian got me hook, line, and sinker. While I still love watching Josh play his usual cynical self, my favorite character of the three is definitely Noble’s Walter, who always provides great comic relief and really makes you feel for his character’s struggle with the horrible experiments he has conducted in the past and how that affects his present and future. Walter is sympathetic as soon as he leaves the mental hospital where he had been committed for the past 17 years because of a lab accident. Walter’s quirks include an obsession with food (he mentions wanting a root beer float repeatedly in one episode and compares a man’s exposed spinal cord to that of a shrimp in another) and drugs (he constantly talks about taking LSD), but the warmth that Noble brings to his performance makes Walter a joy to watch in every episode.

There are also a number of other important characters in the show that help to flesh out the Fringe universe: Homeland Security special agent Phillip Broyles (played by Lance Reddick), FBI agent Charlie Francis (played by Kirk Acevedo), and FBI junior agent and lab helper for Walter, Astrid Farnsworth (played by Jakisa Nicole). One of my favorite minor characters who appears in a few episodes is David Robert Jones, perfectly portrayed by Jared Harris (who also plays British head Lane Pryce on my other obsession, Mad Men). Jones is a biochemist turned criminal whose personality combines the charisma of Hannibal Lector and the crazy genius of Heath Ledger’s the Joker. Harris is immensely enjoyable to watch on screen during his rare appearances on the show, and his portrayal of Jones is captivating. I particularly enjoyed the double whammy of episodes 10 and 14 (“Safe” and “Ability”) that helps to highlight how massively diabolical Jones is, yet there is a sort of sweetness and vulnerability to his character as well. For example, when he congratulates Olivia for completing a task, there is a real paternal warmth to his voice that is striking and threw me for a loop.

Speaking of “massive,” one of the best parts of the show in my opinion is the futuristic, but always realistic portrayal of the pharmaceutical/medical technology mega-corporation “Massive Dynamic.” With every fringe case that the cast members try to solve, this company always seems to be involved. And for good reason—the founder of the company, William Bell, was Walter’s lab partner at Harvard. Bell appears to have carried on those weird experiments that Walter had worked on previously, and he plays a central role in the later episodes of Season 1 (and will likely be important in Season 2 as well). Since Bell is MIA for the majority of the episodes, the person in charge of Massive Dynamic is the enigmatic Nina Sharp, a woman who has a completely robotic arm and appears to be entranced by Olivia and her capabilities in solving crimes for the FBI. Jones also has an important relationship with the company, but I won’t divulge how or why this relationship affects the mythology of the show itself.

Another great component to the TV show is the glyphs or images that flash on the screen before each commercial break. Ranging from an apple with embryos for seeds to a frog with a phi symbol on its back, these symbols represent the combination of the natural with the man-made, which in itself is a common theme of the show. Although the images are fun to examine, the best part about them is that apparently they work as a code from which one can decipher a clue about the episode (similar to the alien language on Futurama). Needless to say, this is a really fun and interactive feature of the show that is great for cryptography dorks such as myself.

Aside from the amazing and thought-provoking stories that can be found in each episode, the DVD set also includes some fantastic special features: there are sidebars for every episode that decipher a particular scene; unaired scenes and “The Massive Undertaking” Docupods on certain episodes; a hilarious gag reel; a diary by a member of the production crew; and best of all, a feature on Gene the Cow, the animal Walter insisted on having in his Harvard laboratory once he got out of the mental hospital. The copy I reviewed had great picture and sound quality (some of the more gruesome scenes were definitely enhanced in their goriness because of the 5.1 surround sound), and the subtitles were very helpful.

All in all, this show is a must-have for anyone who likes exciting television that is complex, but fun at the same time. I’m not even a huge sci-fi nut, but the mythology established within the show is so intriguing that I have gone out of my way to read up on possible theories about the main three characters and story arcs within the first season. You should definitely not make the mistake Ian and I did before we watched this show: Do not automatically dismiss something because J.J. Abrams is involved with it. That sort of close-mindedness will lead you to miss out on some quality network programming.

The second season of Fringe premieres Thursday September 17 on Fox at 9 PM EST. Do yourself a favor and make it appointment television like Ian and I have. You won’t regret it.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Supernatural Season 4 DVD Review

Supernatural Season 4 DVD Review

Supernatural is a show that can catch you off guard the first time that you hear of it. At first glance it appears to be a teen show that really isn’t more than Dawson’s Creek (or any of its ilk) with some minor horror trappings. First glances are often wrong. Supernatural is actually a well written show that often treads the lines between humor, horror, and violence. It also has a good mythology that forms the main story arc. This season is based more on the main story arc of The Winchester brothers, but does take time out for some excellent side stories (including a very funny b/w Halloween episode that pays tribute to classic Hollywood horror blended with the show's unique style). The writing is by people who are not simply writing to convey to a particular demographic, but across multiple ones, which is why it’s such an easy show to like. Shows often live and die by the quality of their casts, but Supernatural benefits strongly from its two leads (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), especially Ackles who handles drama and comedy both quite deftly. In fact I would honestly go so far as to say that Ackles deserves an Emmy for his acting on the show. This season mostly deals with the gathering conflict between Hell and Heaven, and will be greatly enjoyed by any and all fans of the show and even those just starting out.

Video: The show is 1:78:1 Anamorphically enhanced and spots generally excellent video quality. The image can be soft or grainy at times, but that is mostly due to the deliberate use of filters and not a defect of the transfer.

Audio: The DVD has an excellent 5.1 Dolby soundtrack that conveys both the action, music and the dialogue quite well without one drowning out the other.

Extras: Supernatural Season 4 comes with a nice amount of extras. There is a nice documentary about the mythology of the show. Commentaries are available for three of the episodes, along with Extended/Deleted Scenes too. There is also a very hilarious gag reel.

Overall: If you’re a fan of the show, then there isn’t a reason you shouldn’t get Supernatural Season 4 on DVD or Blu-Ray. It’s one of the few good shows on TV and one that even new fans should give a try.

Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

Saturday, September 5, 2009

LIVE EVIL -- movie review by porfle

If talent, inventiveness, and boundless enthusiasm mean more to you than big-budget gloss, then LIVE EVIL (2009) should be somewhere on your "vampire movies to see" list. Director Jay Woelfel and producer Mark Terry really know how to stretch a buck, filling this shot-on-16mm schlockfest with wall-to-wall blood, gore, babes, stunts, shock value, and a cast that includes B-movie superstars Tim Thomerson, Ken Foree, and Tiffany Shepis.

Tim stars as The Priest, a hardcase holy man who's a one-man vampire killing machine. Wielding a samurai sword, he slices and dices his way through hordes of bloodsuckers, but his sights are set on a particular group of four vampires--two guys and two lovely ladies--for reasons that don't become clear until the end (but aren't that hard to figure out if you've seen a few "vampire hunter" movies). Along the way he acquires a sassy accomplice, Roxy (Kimberly Sanders), who's properly aghast at the carnage she witnesses with their every blood-splattered encounter with the undead.

The vampires include Benedict, the leader (Mark Hengst), his girlfriend Sydney (Osa Wallander), Baxter (Gregory Lee Kenyon), and Yeal (Eva Derrek). Starving for blood that hasn't been tainted by drugs, alcohol, nicotine, AIDS, and other pollutants, they must compete for "pure blood" victims against other species of vampires while struggling to stay one step ahead of The Priest. This results in one of the movie's most ghastly sequences, in which they invade a home and help themselves to the blood of a couple of babies (shades of Bram Stoker's "Dracula"), who then, of course, turn into mewling vampire babies. After dispensing with one of the little bloodsuckers, The Priest keeps the other one sealed in a plastic drum to be used against one of the vampires later on in a particularly bizarre manner.

The opening scene made me all giddy from the git-go. Four redneck truckers are hanging out in a diner when in walks gorgeous blonde Sydney looking for some nourishment that isn't on the menu. Osa Wallander makes an awesome vampiress and wreaks havoc as she feasts on trucker blood and then power-barfs the impure stuff all over the linoleum. Now that's entertainment!

Soon after, Yeal gets her chance to shine as she seduces a pudgy dweeb with a delightful striptease. As she starts to put the bite on him he suddenly blurts out his entire history of STDs, rendering him totally unfit for vampiric consumption, and the livid Yeal rips his throat out with one angry swipe of her claws.

Before we've had a chance to say "WTF?", the vamps are being chased through the desert as The Priest's muscular black Camaro bears down on their wimpy little compact. What you don't see very often in low-budget films is kickass vehicular chases, and LIVE EVIL has two of them, each ending in a spectacular crash stunt. The direction, camerawork, and stunt driving during these sequences are first-rate, easily on the same high-octane level as DEATH PROOF.

The redoubtable Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD, FROM BEYOND) enters the picture as Max, a genial blood-pusher who steals the good stuff from blood banks and sells it to vampires. Benedict's gang attends a party at Max's house, where they meet scream queen Tiffany Shepis and a bunch of fake vampires who are about to come between two seperate species of the real thing. Another encounter with "other" vampires on a dusty highway has a RABID-era Cronenberg feel, with pointy-fanged chompers emerging from unlikely bodily areas.

The finale takes place in an abandoned church in the desert, with more slice 'n' dice action and other gory goodness before we get to find out how The Priest plans to use Baby-in-a-Drum. The not-so-surprise ending is followed by another surprise ending, and by the time this blood-drenched opus fades out I'm one satisfied horror geek.

Make no mistake, this is low-budget filmmaking and it looks it. The gore effects range from good to really fake, but they're outrageous and plentiful. Limbs severed, hearts ripped out, heads lopped off or backed over by minivans, gallons of gore--just about all the bases are covered here. What the filmmakers lack in resources they make up for with lots of ingenuity and imagination. The acting is generally above-average--with Thomerson, Wallander, Sanders, and Foree the stand-outs--and the musical score by Austin Wintory is another plus.

I saw a rough screener so I can't comment on audio-visual quality or any bonus features that may be found on the final DVD release. What I can say is that, as rough-hewn and low-rent as it may be, LIVE EVIL is a whole lot of jaw-droppin', popcorn-munchin' fun to watch.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Kelly McGillis joins cast of “Stake Land"

September 2, 2009 - Dark Sky Films and Glass Eye Pix announced today that Kelly McGillis ("Top Gun," "Witness," "The Accused") has joined the cast of the epic vampire road film "Stake Land," currently filming in New York and Pennsylvania.

The film, written by Jim Mickle and Nick Damici and directed by Jim Mickle ("Mulberry Street"), takes place following a global spread of vampirism. McGillis plays a nun who joins a small team of survivors (including Damici, Danielle Harris of "Halloween" and "Halloween 2" and Conor Paolo of "Gossip Girl") as they make a treacherous journey north to safety through the war-torn U.S. McGillis' character, "Sister," faces a crisis of faith during the vampire bloodshed, ultimately taking up arms to do battle with her newly formed family unit.

Says Dark Sky's EVP Greg Newman, "Jim and Nick have written a uniquely intense part for "Sister", and we are thrilled to see Kelly McGillis in the role. This is a very ambitious project, with a genuinely epic sweep, and we cannot wait to bring it to audiences next year."

The film is produced by Dark Sky Films and Larry Fessenden's Glass Eye Pix with producers Derek Curl, Peter Phok, Brent Kunkle, Adam Folk, and Fessenden, who also appears in the film. Says Fessenden, "I have been wanting to work with Jim Mickle since I saw his short films years ago. My enthusiasm for his approach to genre was peaked with MULBERRY STREET, so when we were putting together the Dark Sky Slate, Mickle was on my short list of directors. I think this one will add legions of fans."

Glass Eye Pix and MPI recently teamed up to produce Ti West's "House of the Devil," which is slated for a fall release from Magnolia pictures and "Bitter Feast," which recently wrapped principal photography.

"Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season" Now on DVD from Warner Bros.

In the tradition of interweaving character drama and the supernatural in such hits as "Smallville", a completely new kind of thrill ride takes viewers on a journey into the dark world of the unexplained.

Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. As a result, their father raised the brothers to be soldiers. He taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Now, they travel the country, encountering creatures that most people believe exist only in folklore, superstition, and nightmares--vampires, spirits, revenants, reapers, even bloody clowns. Wherever they go, the brothers continue their search for the demon that destroyed their family while uncovering the dark secrets buried within their own history.

Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Thai
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 6
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Warner
DVD Release Date: September 1, 2009
Run Time: 945 minutes

Buy it:
DVD
Blu-Ray

"iMurders" -- When Cyberspace Collides With Homicide

Murder has a technology all its own. Tune in, turn on … and drop dead.

An all-star, high-tech horror whodunit from
Anchor Bay Entertainment, just in time for Halloween

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Internet. For some, it’s one of the great innovations of the modern world, a pathway to knowledge, growth and new experiences. But for a group of people who share a common chat room, it could be the instrument of their destruction.

Just in time for Halloween, Anchor Bay Entertainment – the undisputed leader in cult and classic horror home entertainment – will release the star-laden shocker iMurders. Street date is October 13, 2009 . Pre-book date is September 10, with an SRP of $19.97.

From the Producers of the cult hit "Jerome Bixby’s The Man From Earth" comes a horror thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. When the members of an online social networking website are brutally murdered in succession, one person's past holds the key to the gruesome mystery. As the number of survivors decreases, they begin to believe that the killer might be one of the group.

This killer thriller features a star-studded cast: Gabrielle Anwar (“Burn Notice”), William

Forsythe (The Devil’s Rejects, Rob Zombie’s Halloween), Emmy Award® nominee Billy Dee Williams (The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi), Tony Todd (Candyman, “24”), Saturn Award® winner Margaret Colin (“Gossip Girl,” Independence Day), Tony Award® winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Rent, “Medium”), Frank Grillo (“Prison Break,” “The Shield”) and two-time Academy Award® nominee, nine-time Emmy Award® nominee and Golden Globe Award® winner Charles Durning (Dog Day Afternoon, Tootsie).

HorrorSociety.com called iMurders “a must-own film for those who like the suspense mystery flavor of horror movies!”

The film marks the directorial debut of Robbie Bryan (producer and screenwriter of The Stand-In, co-producer of Jerome Bixby’s The Man from Earth) and has been screened at the Eerie Horror Film Festival, Shriekfest, the Big Apple Film Festival and the Downbeach Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.

Street Date: October 13, 2009
Pre-book: September 10, 2009
Catalog #: DV16745
UPC #: 0 1313 16745-9 0
Run Time: 91 minutes
Rated: NR
SRP: $19.97
Format: 1.78 Anamorphic Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1
Bonus Features: Cast Q&A, Alternate Ending

Buy it at Amazon.com

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Prayers of the Dead are About to be Answered in the Mysterious Thriller "NOT FORGOTTEN"

Starring Emmy nominee Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”) & the exotic and beautiful Paz Vega (Spanglish)-- coming to DVD and Blu-ray™ on November 3, 2009 from Anchor Bay Entertainment

"Fascinating…A Tightly-Wound Mystery That Moves Swiftly and Vividly.” -- The Austin Chronicle

Beverly Hills, CA – “The Mentalist’s” Simon Baker must confront his deepest, darkest demons in the nail-biting thriller Not Forgotten – coming to DVD and Blu-ray™ on November 3, 2009 (Pre-Book October 1, 2009). Available from Anchor Bay Entertainment, Not Forgotten also stars the exotic and beautiful Paz Vega (Spanglish, The Six Wives of Henry Lefay), Michael DeLorenzo (A Few Good Men), Chlore Moretz ((500) Days of Summer) and co-stars Ken Davitian (Get Smart, Borat), Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black, “CSI: NY”) and Benito Martinez (Million Dollar Baby, “The Shield”). The DVD is priced at $26.97 SRP and $34.98 for the Blu-ray™.

Not Forgotten was well received by critics during its limited theatrical release. The Daily Texan called it, “Truly unconventional… [Not Forgotten] is worth watching for the ending alone. Variety also touted the film as a “solidly crafted and persuasively acted thriller.”

Jack Bishop is a picture-perfect husband and father in a peaceful Texas border town. But when his 11-year-old daughter is kidnapped, he’ll hunt her abductors no matter what the cost. Quickly he learns he must unleash his own tortured soul into a Mexican hell of barrios and bordellos controlled by the mysterious religion of La Santa Muerte. When a man has too much to hide and nothing to lose, should he dare to search for the truth? Experience this shocking thriller where not everyone is who they seem and the darkest secrets of the past are Not Forgotten.

Both the Not Forgotten DVD and Blu-ray™ include great extras including a behind the scenes featurette, audio commentary with Co-Writer/Producer/Director Dror Soref and Co-Writer/Associate Producer Tomas Romero, and the theatrical trailer.

NOT FORGOTTEN DVD
Street Date: November 3, 2009
Pre-Book: October 1, 2009
Catalog #: DV90008
UPC #: 0 1313 90008-9 6
Audio: Dolby Surround 5.1
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1 / 16x9
Retail Price: $26.97
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Rating: R for strong bloody violence, sexual content/nudity and language
Run Time: 97 Minutes

NOT FORGOTTEN BLU-RAY™
Street Date: November 3, 2009
Pre-Book: October 1, 2009
Catalog #: N3123
UPC #: 0 1313 83123-8 9
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1 / 16x9
Retail Price: $34.98
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Rating: R for strong bloody violence, sexual content/nudity and language
Run Time: 97 Minutes

Buy it at Amazon.com
DVD
Blu-Ray

"LIVE EVIL" in Theaters September 18th--DVD and VOD on November 3

New action-vampire movie "Live Evil" stars genre vets Tim Thomerson (Near Dark, Trancers), Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead, Halloween), and Tiffany Shepis (Nightmare Man)

From producer Mark Terry, "Live Evil" will have a limited theatrical release and play on 300 screens starting Sept 18th. The movie will mostly play on the east coast and mid west. Theaters will be announced in early September. DVD and VOD will have a street date of November 3rd.

SYNOPSIS:

A hunter dressed in black. This cowboy-hat-wearing samurai-sword-wielding Priest is on a quest for blood. Vampire blood. He’s out for revenge on a “clique” of four vampires who are traveling across the country in search of “pure blood.” The human blood stream has become polluted by drugs, alcohol, Aids, Diabetes, anti-depressants, cigarettes; anything that changes the blood even a small amount makes it undrinkable for vampires, who, like hi-performance automobiles, need “hi test” fuel (blood) in order to survive. This has started a sort of underground civil war between various groups of vampires, and vampires themselves have mutated due to the pollution of their life blood.

Live Evil is what is written on playing cards left behind on the bodies of dead vampires that this mysterious Priest/Hunter leaves in his wake as he gets closer and closer to our main group of vampires. He’s out for revenge, and the real reason for this is not revealed until the very end. He’s as cold-blooded or more than the vampire he seeks, because he has to be.

Check out the trailer at the official website!

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