Image Entertainment goes "BENEATH THE DARKNESS" starring Dennis Quaid -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD February 28th

Dennis Quaid Stars In A Thriller That Will Take Your Breath Away

IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT GOES "BENEATH THE DARKNESS"

Coming to Light on Blu-ray™ and DVD February 28, 2012

CHATSWORTH, CA – The rural bliss of small town life has been celebrated as part of the American dream, but sometimes a small town is the perfect place to hide one’s secrets, one’s mistakes, one’s sins. And once discovered, it doesn’t take long for the American dream to become the American nightmare. On February 28th, Image Entertainment unleashes the small-town shocker Beneath the Darkness on Blu-ray™ and DVD. Starring Golden Globe™ nominee Dennis Quaid in a rare villainous turn and coming off a recent national theatrical release, this gripping psychological thriller entwines cold-blooded murder, sinister secrets and modern hauntings on Maple Street.  SRP is $27.97 for the DVD and $29.97 for the Blu-ray™, with pre-book on January 31st.

Directed by Martin Guigui (My X-Girlfriend’s Wedding Reception, National Lampoon’s Cattle Call) and written by the late Bruce Wilkinson, Beneath the Darkness is a taut thriller pitting high school kids against a psychotic killer in a community where adults blindly refuse to see the ominous dangers right before their eyes.  Along with Quaid, Tony Oller (Nickelodeon’s “Gigantic,” Disney’s “As the Bell Rings”) co-stars as Travis and Aimee Teegarden (Scream 4, “Friday Night Lights”) co-stars as Abby. 

In the film Quaid plays Ely, the well-respected mortician of rustic Smithville Texas, where he was once a heralded high school football star.  Among the kids, however, he is legendary for a more sinister reason -- rumors that his house is haunted.  The truth is, this pillar of the community is actually a flesh-and-blood monster who buries his victims alive; a sociopath who befriends adults and police while openly flaunting his murderous intentions to the youths.  Beware Ely’s charming smile – it may be the last thing you see, looking up from your freshly dug grave...

Bonus features on Beneath the Darkness Blu-ray™ and DVD include a behind-the-scenes featurette and the original theatrical trailer.

ABOUT IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Image Entertainment, Inc. is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,200 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 6,000 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California. For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to www.image-entertainment.com.

Beneath The Darkness Blu-ray™
Genre:                         Horror, Thriller, Slashers/Serial Killers
Rating:                        Not Yet Rated
Language:                   English 
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)  
Audio:                         DTS HD Master Audio 5.1               
Subtitles:                     English, Spanish 
Year:                           2011
M SRP :                        $29.97
Street Date:                 February 28, 2012
Pre-Book:                    January 31, 2012
Length:                        96 minutes
UPC:                           014381782059
Cat#:                           BTD7820BD

Beneath The Darkness DVD
Genre:                         Horror, Thriller, Slashers/Serial Killers
Rating:                        Not Yet Rated
Language:                   English 
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)  
Audio:                         Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                     English, Spanish 
Year:                           2011
M SRP :                        $27.97
Street Date:                 February 28, 2012
Pre-Book:                    January 31, 2012
Length:                        96 minutes
UPC:                           014381780628
Cat#:                           BTD7806DVD

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Image Entertainment goes "BENEATH THE DARKNESS" starring Dennis Quaid -- coming to Blu-ray and DVD February 28th

Acorn's Biggest Contest Ever is Chance of a Lifetime for Mystery Lovers and Agatha Christie Fans

QUEEN OF CRIME SWEEPSTAKES OFFERS MYSTERY FANS CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

Grand Prize includes trip to London, visit to television production, tour of Agatha Christie’s holiday home, trip on Orient Express, and more

Leading Distributor of British TV in the U.S. Acorn Media Launches Its Biggest Contest Ever on January 15, 2012

Silver Spring, MD — Offering Agatha Christie and mystery fans the chance of a lifetime, Acorn Media announces the launch of the “Queen of Crime Sweepstakes” beginning January 15, 2012. This celebration of all things Agatha Christie marks the largest contest ever from Acorn Media, the leading distributor of British TV in the U.S. The Grand Prize package features a trip for two to London, England (5 days/4 nights) and Paris (1 day/1 night); a visit to the set of a Poirot or Marple production; a tour of Greenway, Christie’s holiday home; tickets to see The Mousetrap, the world’s longest-running play; one-day rail trip to Paris on the Orient Express; and a DVD library of Agatha Christie programs.

Between Sunday, January 15 and Monday, April 30, fans can enter via Acorn’s popular catalog, www.acornonline.com/Christie, with one entry per day. At the end of the sweepstakes, one lucky fan will be chosen to win the Grand Prize (Value: $12,000). One runner up will receive a DVD library of Agatha Christie programs with more than 50 DVDs (Value $1,100).

The “Queen of Crime Sweepstakes” is open to legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Winner drawn at random. Please visit www.acornonline.com/Christie for official rules and prize information.

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media Group is the leading distributor of British television in the U.S. Acorn Media has released several DVD sets of television productions based on Agatha Christie’s works, including Agatha Christie’s Poirot with David Suchet, Agatha Christie’s Marple with Geraldine McEwan (Series 1-3) and Julia McKenzie (Series 4 and 5), The Agatha Christie Hour, Agatha Christie Mystery Lovers Collection, among others. In 2012, Acorn Media is releasing Agatha Christie’s Poirot in its original U.K. broadcast order and on Blu-ray for the first time; starting with Series 1 and 2 on January 31st with additional seasons to follow throughout 2012.

Having just celebrated its ten year anniversary, the Acorn catalog and its companion website offer Acorn Media U.S. DVDs along with third-party home video products and other high-quality gifts. The catalog’s 2011 circulation was 15 million.

In July 2011, Acorn Media launched Acorn TV, the first British TV focused streaming service, which offers a full season of 10 critically acclaimed, classic and contemporary British series to watch online. The content is refreshed weekly and has included several Agatha Christie programs.  

Acorn's Biggest Contest Ever is Chance of a Lifetime for Mystery Lovers and Agatha Christie Fans

"CORMAN'S WORLD" Invades Blu-ray and DVD March 27th From Anchor Bay Entertainment

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT PROUDLY INVITES EVERYONE TO ENTER "CORMAN’S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL"

Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD March 27th

“CORMAN’S WORLD is for anyone who’s in love with the movies...” -- Peter Gutierrez, Twitchfilm

“A hellzapoppin’, surprisingly heartfelt look at one of cinema’s most creative (and frequently overlooked) visionaries...” -- Drew Taylor, IndieWire’s The Playlist

“A delightful tribute...” -- Dennis Harvey, Variety

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Films proudly announces the March 27th Blu-ray™ and DVD release of one of the best reviewed films of 2011: Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. Fresh from its theatrical release – where it received rave reviews from The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety, The Village Voice and more – Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel presents a tantalizing and star-studded tribute to Roger Corman, Hollywood’s most prolific writer-director-producer, and seminal influencing force in modern moviemaking over the past 60 years. SRP for the Blu-ray™ is $29.99, and $26.98 SRP for the DVD. Pre-book is February 29th.

Roger Corman is perhaps the most prolific and influential Hollywood filmmaker in the history of the medium. His immeasurable imprint on American cinema not only spans over six decades, but has resulted in creating an indelible cinematic body of work as well as a legacy of training the next generation of actors, writer, directors and producers – many of whom have created cinema masterpieces of their own. 

Directed by Alex Stapleton, Corman’s World interview roster boasts such modern Hollywood icons and cinematic luminaries as Oscar® winners Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jonathan Demme, and Ron Howard; Eli Roth, David Carradine, Peter Fonda, William Shatner, Pam Grier, John Sayles, Brett Ratner, Bruce Dern, Paul W.S. Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, and many more actors and filmmakers.

Bonus features on the Corman’s World Blu-ray™ and DVD include extended interviews, special video messages to Roger from select interviewees and the theatrical trailer.

About Anchor Bay Films
Anchor Bay Films is unique in that it offers the creative community a fully integrated distribution capability on all platforms and an international solution extending beyond the U.S. Anchor Bay Films is a division of Anchor Bay Entertainment and is on the ground providing quality distribution with operations in the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, as well as distribution capabilities in other key territories. The company focuses on a platform release strategy for its films with an eye toward maximizing their potential across all ancillary distribution platforms. The company recently released the critically acclaimed comedy City Island starring Andy Garcia and Solitary Man starring Michael Douglas, Kill the Irishman starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, as well as Sundance Audience Award Winner happythankyoumoreplease starring Josh Radnor, Malin Akerman, Kate Mara, Tony Hale and Pablo Schreiber.  Upcoming releases include, Meet Monica Velour with Kim Cattrall and Toronto International Film Festival award-winner Beautiful Boy with Maria Bello and Michael Sheen.  Anchor Bay Entertainment is a subsidiary of Starz Media, LLC (www.starzmedia.com) which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Starz tracking stock group.

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"CORMAN'S WORLD" Invades Blu-ray and DVD March 27th From Anchor Bay Entertainment

NEW TRICKS: SEASON SIX -- DVD review by porfle

We rejoin the crack--and slightly cracked--team of UCOS (Unsolved Cases something something) where we left off with Acorn Media's NEW TRICKS: SEASON SIX, and find out that the fun just keeps on going as these three retired geezers and their lady boss hit the streets to close those nagging still-open cases. 

Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman) is put in charge of unsolved crimes after her career hits a snag.  The low-priority, no-glamour position also forces her to act as den mother for the trio of crotchety ex-cops who bring both their extensive expertise and unpredictable personalities to the job. 

James Bolam (since retired from the show) plays Jack Halford, the most stable of the three despite the fact that his wife was run down by one of the criminals they're trying to get the goods on.  Dennis Waterman, who sings the show's theme song "It's Alright", is politically-incorrect ladies' man Gerry Standing, still getting along famously with his three ex-wives.  As uber-geeky, obsessive-compulsive, recovering alcoholic Brian Lane, Alun Armstrong is as technically brilliant as he is emotionally unstable, as his long-suffering wife Esther (Susan Jameson) will attest.

One of the joys of watching this BBC show is the relationship between these characters, which is often much more interesting than the cases they're called upon to reopen.  We get to know them so well as people that their scenes shift easily from comedy to drama and back several times during each episode, within a comfort zone of familiarity that makes them fun to hang out with.  More often than not their workday ends with a trip to the local pub, despite the fact that their professional interactions can be abrasive, overly intimate, and sometimes downright volatile.

Episode 1, "The War Against Drugs", begins with Brian entering a rehab clinic run by monks.  Naturally, he stumbles across an unsolved murder which took place there several years earlier, and against his wife's wishes the team infiltrates the place in hopes of finding the killer.  Episode 2, "The Truth Is Out There", starts out well with an alleged UFO crash near a U.S. Air Force base eliciting some lighthearted skepticism from all but space-case Brian, but becomes rather turgid as the story gets a little too dramatic and soapbox-y for its own good.

Episode 3, "Fresh Starts", is a scintillating mystery with a distraught young widower insisting that he's seen his dead wife walking around.  "Shadow Show" is a good one for film fans with newly-released outtakes from an aborted movie project showing up on the net and allegedly depicting what may be clues to an unsolved murder.  This episode gives us a behind-the-scenes look at fabled Pinewood Studios (home of the 007 soundstage) and ends with a hostage situation with Brian, of all people, acting as negotiator.

"Death of a Timeshare Salesman" is one of those stories in which the busy and not-all-that-interesting plot takes a backseat to our enjoyment of simply spending time with these characters as they try to sort it all out.  Episode 6, "The Last Laugh", heats things up again as the alleged killer of Jack's wife, a loathesome crime boss named Hanson, pops up on UCOS' radar once again and gives the team another crack at finally nailing him for good.  James Bolam gives yet another fine performance as Jack and displays the full depth of his emotionally scarred character, while David Troughton as Hanson plays the kind of smug, sociopathic thug you really want to see taken down hard.

"Blood Is Thicker Than Water" is one of the more interesting mysteries of the season, with the question of who was responsible for the deadly collision of a tugboat and a yacht leading to some searing revelations within two opposing families.  This is topped, however, by the season capper, "Meat is Murder", which goes from a gruesome unsolved murder in a butcher shop to one of the most devastating events in DS Pullman's life.  A jarring blow-up between her and Gerry Standing adds heat to the dramatic flames fanned by this cracking story, but it's Sandra's overwhelming personal discovery that serves as a tantalizingly unresolved season ender. 

As usual, this set of "New Tricks" tales is well-mounted and filled with outstanding guest performances.  Series regular Anthony Calf is on hand again as the team's supercilious overseer, D.A.C. Strickland, who takes the team lightly until their diligence garners accolades for him to bask in.  The show's evocative musical score is the work of talented and prolific father-son team Brian and Warren Bennett, the former being not only a member of Cliff Richard's group The Shadows but also once part of 007 composer John Barry's band.

The 3-disc, 8-episode DVD set from Acorn Media is in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby Digital sound and English subtitles.  As a bonus, a 20-minute behind-the-scenes featurette gives us the lowdown on the show's ADR and foley elements along with an interview with the Bennetts on scoring the show.

I've seen three seasons of "New Tricks" so far and still find it effortlessly engaging, even when I don't know what the hell's going on with the occasionally overly-busy plots (too many rapid-fire details to keep up with and my mind shuts down).  As usual, it's what goes on between the plucky Sandra and her geriatric but inexhaustably lively charges that make NEW TRICKS: SEASON SIX an open-and-shut case of murder most fun.


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Season Three review
Season Four review

NEW TRICKS: SEASON SIX -- DVD review by porfle

Film Chest Proudly Presents "ZAAT" on the CULTRA & HD Cinema Classics Labels

Taking Cult to a Whole New Level … You Can't Keep a Bad Monster Down!

Sought-After '70s Classic Never Before Available on Video is Newly Restored & Remastered in HD

DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack Out Feb. 21st

NEW YORK CITY - Feb. 1, 2012 - For Immediate Release - Is the monster man, fish or devil?  Everyone's dying to know (literally) in ZAAT - restored and in HD for the first time ever - available in a special DVD/Blu-ray combo pack Feb. 21 from Film Chest on the CULTRA and HD Cinema Classics labels.

Find out why ZAAT is an underground cult favorite, amassing an ever-growing legion of loyal followers over the past 40 years. See why scores of fans have refused to let this funky classic from the '70s die in obscurity! 

In ZAAT (also known as The Blood Waters of Dr. Z), an obsessed scientist, Dr. Kurt Leopold (Marshall Grauer) - who has been scorned by his peers - is convinced he can transform humans into fish. In his isolated backwoods laboratory, he proves his hypothesis by turning himself into a horrible, vengeful creature (played by Wade Popwell) that is part man, part walking catfish!

Armed with his mutagenic chemical compound, ZAAT, the monster is bent on revenge, determined to turn the tables on humanity by making his fishy friends the dominant species on Earth.  All that stands in his way are a small town sheriff (Paul Galloway), a dedicated young biologist (Gerald Cruse) and a couple of swinging agents (Sanna Ringhaver, Dave Dickerson) from the Inter-Nations Phenomenon Investigations Team (INPIT).  Also starring Archie Valliere and Nancy Lien. 

It's a southern fried fight to the finish (Florida style!) with the ecological state of the entire planet at stake!

Available on video for the first time in its original glory, digitally restored in HD and transferred from original 35mm elements, this DVD/Blu-ray combo pack contains a whole tackle box full of extras, including: feature-length audio commentary by cast and crew; original 35mm trailer; television spots; outtakes; radio interview; before-and-after restoration demo; and an original movie art postcard.

Produced and directed by Don Barton and written by Ron Kivett and Lee Larew. 

Zaat is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16x9 and Standard Dolby Audio.  Includes Spanish subtitles.

About Film Chest:
Founded in 2001, Film Chest offers high-quality content for a wide variety of production and distribution needs, boasting one of the world's largest libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio-much of it restored and digitized in HD. Headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., with offices in New York City, the company also produces collector's DVD sets, released on three labels. HD Cinema Classics are films painstakingly restored in HD - utilizing state-of-the art digital technology - from original film assets. American Pop Classics features classic American film and TV shows from the '30-70s. CULTRA showcases the best (and worst) of cult cinema, a cinematic cesspool of films that are surreal, eccentric, controversial, comical and scary but ultimately engaging and entertaining. With directors who were both visionaries and crackpots, these films were originally misunderstood and rarely a box office success, achieving status by word-of-mouth and underground distribution. Film Chest releases theatrically, on DVD and digitally on iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Verizon FIOS and more. Visit us online at www.FilmChest.com

ZAAT (2 Discs)
Film Chest
Genre: Science Fiction/Horror
Original Release: 1971 (Color)
Not Rated
Format: DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack
Running Time: Approx. 100 Minutes
Suggested Retail Price: $19.99
Pre-Order Date: January 13, 2012
Street Date: February 21, 2012
Catalog #:  HDCC-010
UPC Code:  #851169003100

Buy the Blu-Ray/DVD combo at Amazon.com

Film Chest Proudly Presents "ZAAT" on the CULTRA & HD Cinema Classics Labels

THE NINES -- movie review by porfle

 

THE NINES (2007) is a hard movie for me to talk about because I really don't want to tell you anything about it.  I derived a great deal of pleasure from watching this scintillating mystery unfold and go places I never could have imagined at every turn, so I'm hesitant to reveal anything that might deprive those of you inclined to like it as much as I did of the same experience. 

If you're still curious, keep reading and I'll give away stuff that you shouldn't know in the next four paragraphs.  But you can skip them if you want because I'll tell you up front:  this is definitely one of my favorite movies that I've seen in a long time.

Part One (of three) is the story of a young TV actor named Gary who burns his own house down while torching some stuff his ex-girlfriend left there.  The accidental arsonist is placed under house arrest, which he serves in the temporarily vacated home of a scriptwriter who's off shooting a television pilot.  His "warden" is a smiling-but-stern publicist named Margaret who's determined to make sure Gary serves his time without further incident or damage to his career.  Sara, a mysterious blonde woman next door, displays an aggressively romantic interest in Gary and then turns weird when he and Margaret begin to form a strong attachment. 

During this time, Gary starts to notice some very strange things going on.  He hears noises and feels as though someone else is in the house.  A little blonde girl who can't speak shows up one night and beckons to him, then disappears.  He turns around one day and, for an instant, sees himself standing there.  He finds a note that reads "Look For The Nines", which is in his handwriting although he didn't write it.  Every time he rolls a pair of dice, he gets a nine.  Sara tells him to stay away from Margaret because he's a nine and she isn't.  He overhears a heated exchange between Sara and Margaret which indicates that they know what's going on, and when the increasingly distraught Gary questions Margaret about it and demands the truth, she calmly explains that he is actually a...darn it, I just can't bring myself to give it away. Sorry.

Part Two is about a scriptwriter named Gavin who just shot a television pilot and is trying to sell it to a network with the help of an aggressive blonde producer named Susan.  The pilot, called "Knowing", is about a couple and their little girl who break down in the middle of nowhere.  When the husband goes off for help he never comes back, and the wife suspects that their mute daughter somehow knows what happened to him.  Gavin tries hard to get his close actress friend Melissa cast as the wife, but when he's told that she's been dropped from the show, he has to break the news to her and they have a bitter falling out.  Matters get worse when Gavin and Susan blow up at each other over the issue, and then they get really weird when he starts to see numbers floating over people's heads.  He's a nine, by the way.

Part Three is about a couple, Gabriel and Mary, and their little girl, Noelle, who break down in the middle of nowhere.  When the husband goes off for help he never comes back, and...well, you get the picture.

Trying to figure out what's going on in this movie and how it all ties together makes for one of the most fun and involving viewing experiences I've had in quite a while.  It starts out with a deceptively lighthearted attitude which gets darker and more serious as things get more complicated, finally reaching an emotional level that lingers after the fadeout.  Although there's no single revelatory moment as in THE SIXTH SENSE--in fact, much of the secret is revealed along the way--there's still a lot of satisfaction in watching the pieces of the puzzle fall into place one by one.

It helps to know that the six main characters are played by only three people.  Ryan Reynolds (VAN WILDER, BLADE:TRINITY) is Gary/Gavin/Gabriel, always the guy who's in the dark about the strange things happening around him.  Hope Davis (AMERICAN SPLENDOR, HEARTS IN ATLANTIS) is Sarah/Susan/Sierra, the blonde woman who keeps trying to clue him in.  And Melissa McCarthy ("Gilmore Girls") plays Margaret/Melissa/Mary, who, for some reason, doesn't seem to want him to find out the truth.  They all give excellent performances, while Dakota Fanning's younger sister Elle is very good as the little mute girl, Noelle.

This is the second directorial effort (after 1998's GOD) by John August, who also scripted.  His other screenplays include BIG FISH, CORPSE BRIDE, and both CHARLIE'S ANGELS movies.  The latter two seem to indicate that August is prone to turn to the dark side now and then, but otherwise he has a wonderfully vivid imagination that's on full display here. 

With its mind-bending "through the looking glass" premise, THE NINES reminded me somewhat of THE MATRIX.  But once Neo takes the red pill, the mystery is revealed and it turns into an action movie.  Here, the main character doesn't fall down the rabbit hole.  He's already in it--he just doesn't know it yet.  Although early on, he comes closer than he realizes to figuring it all out when it dawns on him, for the first time, that he doesn't have a bellybutton.



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THE NINES -- movie review by porfle

"The Killing" Season One on Blu-ray and DVD March 13

DISCOVER AMC’S RIVETING EMMY® AND GOLDEN GLOBE ®NOMINATED CRIME DRAMA

The Complete First Season Comes to Blu-ray and DVD on March 13

LOS ANGELES (Jan 12., 2012) – Season 1 of AMC’s critically acclaimed new show “THE KILLING” comes to Blu-ray and DVD on March 13 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. With exclusive Blu-ray and DVD features, including an extended season finale, loyal fans and new viewers alike will dive deeper into the captivating mystery and complex characters that garnered the freshman series six Primetime Emmy® nominations and one Golden Globe® nomination. Catch up on the show that everyone will be talking about when “The Killing” returns to AMC for season two this Spring.

From writer, executive producer and series showrunner Veena Sud (“Cold Case”) “The Killing” ties together three distinct stories around a single murder including the detectives assigned to the case, the victim's grieving family, and the suspects. Set in Seattle, the story also explores local politics as it follows politicians connected to the case. As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents; everyone has a secret, and while the characters think they've moved on, their past isn't done with them.

“The Killing” stars Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominated Mireille Enos (“Big Love)” as Sarah Linden, the lead homicide detective that investigates the death of Rosie Larsen; Billy Campbell (“Once and Again”) as Darren Richmond, Seattle's City Council President and now running for Mayor; Joel Kinnaman (“Snabba Cash”) as Stephen Holder, an ex-narc cop who joins the homicide division in the investigation to find Rosie's killer; Emmy® nominated Michelle Forbes (“True Blood”) as Rosie's mother, Mitch Larsen; and Brent Sexton (“W.”, “In the Valley of Elah”) as Rosie's father, Stan Larsen. The pilot was directed by Patty Jenkins (“Monster”).

“The Killing” Season 1 Blu-ray and DVD features all 13 episodes and is loaded with exclusive special features including extended season 1finale, unaired deleted and extended scenes, gag reel, featurettes, director and cast commentaries.

SPECIAL FEATURES (Blu-ray and DVD)
--Commentary on the Pilot with Veena Sud
--An Autopsy of The Killing
--Deleted Scenes
--Gag Reel
--ORPHEUS DESCENDING - extended season finale
--Commentary on ORPHEUS DESCENDING

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

The Killing Season 1 Blu-ray: (Catalog #2274800 U.S. / Canada)
Street Date: March 13, 2012
Pre-book Date: February 1, 2012
Screen Format: 16:9
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
U.S. Rating: TV-14
Total Run Time: 11:27
Closed Captioned: Yes

The Killing Season 1 DVD: (Catalog #2274797 U.S. / Canada)
Street Date: March 13, 2012
Pre-book Date: February 1, 2012
Screen Format: 16:9
Audio: English 5.1 DD
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
U.S. Rating: TV-14
Total Run Time: 11:17
Closed Captioned: Yes

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"The Killing" Season One on Blu-ray and DVD March 13

20-Century Fox and MGM Present Six Timeless Classics on Blu-ray For The First Time Ever January 24

HITCHCOCK, ALLEN and WILDER TITLES MAKE BLU-RAY DEBUT THIS MONTH WITH SIX MOVIE CLASSICS

AVAILABLE FROM TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT JANUARY 24

Los Angeles, CA (January 13, 2012) – Another round of MGM must-see fan favorites comes to Blu-ray January 24, 2012 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Six classics make this month’s new-to-Blu-ray releases some of the most exciting yet.

ANNIE HALL FAST FACTS:
UPC: 883904256427
Rating: PG
Total Run Time: 93 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1

ANNIE HALL SYNOPSIS:
Considered to be "Woody Allen's breakthrough movie" (Time), Annie Hall won four ACADEMY AWARDS® ® including Best Picture and established Allen as the premier auteur filmmaker. Thought by many critics to be Allen's magnum opus, Annie Hall confirmed that Allen had "completed the journey from comic to humorist, from comedy writer to wit [and] from inventive moviemaker to creative artist" (Saturday Review).

Alvy Singer (Allen) is one of Manhattan's most brilliant comedians, but when it comes to romance, his delivery needs a little work. Introduced by his best friend, Rob (Tony Roberts), Alvy falls in love with the ditzy but delightful nightclub singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). When Alvy's own insecurities sabotage the affair, Annie is forced to leave Alvy for a new life – and lover (Paul Simon) – in Los Angeles. Knowing he may have lost Annie forever, Alvy's willing to go to any lengths – even driving L.A.'s freeways – to recapture the only thing that ever mattered...true love.

MANHATTAN FAST FACTS:
UPC: 883904259671
Rating: R
Total Run Time: 96 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.35:1

MANHATTAN SYNOPSIS:
Nominated for two ACADEMY AWARDS® ,and considered "one of [Woody] Allen's most enduring accomplishments" (Boxoffice), Manhattan is a wry, touching and finely rendered portrait of modern relationships set against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously photographed in black and white and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score, Allen's aesthetic triumph is a "prismatic portrait of a time and a place that may be studied decades hence" (Time).

Forty-two-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), he doesn't love, and a lesbian ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who's writing a tell-all book about their marriage...and whom he'd like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend's sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in lust! Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginnings of Isaac's quest for romance and fulfillment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake – and the gateway to true love...is a revolving door.

NOTORIOUS FAST FACTS:
UPC: 883904252498
Rating: NR
Total Run Time: 102 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen 1:33:1

NOTORIOUS SYNOPSIS:
From legendary director Alfred Hitchcock comes this "torrid, tense, tinglingly suspenseful" (Cosmopolitan) film that ranks as one of his best. ACADEMY AWARD® Winner Ingrid Bergman* "is literally ravishing" (Pauline Kael), and Cary Grant and Claude Rains give "excellent performances" (Variety) in this "taut spy movie that delivers a romantic punch" (The New Yorker).

When troubled beauty Alicia Huberman (Bergman) is recruited by American agent Devlin (Grant) to infiltrate a German spy ring in postwar Rio, she accepts…but soon finds herself falling in love with Devlin. And when she receives orders to seduce a Nazi kingpin (Rains), Alicia must sacrifice the only happiness she's ever known for a perilous mission that could ultimately cost her and Devlin their lives.

REBECCA FAST FACTS:
UPC: 883904252542
Rating: NR
Total Run Time: 131 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen 1:33:1

REBECCA SYNOPSIS:
For his first American film, Alfred Hitchcock teamed up with producer David O. Selznick (Gone With the Wind) to create a "spine-tingling" (LA Weekly) romantic thriller that Won the ACADEMY AWARD® for Best Picture. Based on Daphne Du Maurier's timeless novel, this dark, atmospheric tale of fatal obsession features Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson, as well as a "haunting score by Franz Waxman" (Leonard Maltin).

After a whirlwind romance, mysterious widower Maxim de Winter (Olivier) brings his shy, young bride (Fontaine) home to his imposing estate, Manderley. But the new Mrs. de Winter finds her married life dominated by the sinister, almost spectral influence of Maxim's late wife: the brilliant, ravishingly beautiful Rebecca, who, she suspects, still rules both Manderley and Maxim from beyond the grave!

SPELLBOUND FAST FACTS:
UPC: 883904252528
Rating: NR
Total Run Time: 118 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen 1:33:1

SPELLBOUND SYNOPSIS:
"The secret recesses of the mind are explored with brilliant and terrifying effect" (New York Herald Tribune) in this fascinating psychological thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. Featuring powerful performances from Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, this masterpiece of mystery, romance and suspense boasts an ACADEMY AWARD® -Winning score by Miklos Rozsa and a haunting dream sequence by Salvador Dalí.

Dr. Constance Peterson (Bergman) is a dedicated psychiatrist who puts all her passion into her work — until she falls in love with Dr. Edwardes (Peck). Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that Edwardes is an impostor — an amnesiac — who may or may not be a cold-blooded murderer. Pursued by the police, Constance must decide whether to turn in her mysterious lover...or risk her life by trying to unlock the dark secrets in his mind.

THE APARTMENT: COLLECTOR’S EDITION FAST FACTS:
UPC: 883904252627
Rating: NR
Total Run Time: 125 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2:35:1

THE APARTMENT: COLLECTOR’S EDITION SYNOPSIS:
Winner of five 1960 ACADEMY AWARDS®, including Best Picture, The Apartment is legendary director Billy Wilder at his most scathing and satirical best. With audio commentary from film producer and AFI member Bruce Block and two featurettes— including a loving tribute to actor Jack Lemmon—this special Collector’s Edition is your chance to own one of "the finest comedies Hollywood has turned out" (Newsweek)!

C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) knows the way to success in business...it's through the door of his apartment! By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of undeserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well. For Sheldrake's mistress is the lovely Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), elevator girl and angel of Bud's dreams. Convinced that he is the only man for Fran, Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl...or his job.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

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

20-Century Fox and MGM Present Six Timeless Classics on Blu-ray For The First Time Ever January 24

KILL LIST -- movie review by porfle

One of those bad-vibes flicks that stays in your gut after you watch it like a meal that doesn't agree with you, KILL LIST (2011) is a movie that may not agree with you, either.  But it's well worth staying with till the end if you have a strong stomach.

Director Ben Wheatley's mix of traditional and documentary style camerawork keeps us right in the story of an out-of-work hitman named Jay (Neil Maskell, ATONEMENT) whose relationship with fiesty wife Shel (MyAnna Buring, THE DEVIL'S CURSE, THE DESCENT) grows more volatile each day.  During a disastrous dinner with old military buddy Gal (Michael Smiley, BURKE AND HARE) and his creepy girlfriend Fiona (Emma Fryer), Jay is offered a lucrative job in which he and Gal will eliminate a number of targets on a list given to them by a mysterious client.

After a long buildup showing Jay going through his everyday life with Shel and their beloved son Sam, the start of his murderous mission with Gal takes the movie down a dark path that gets more twisted and frightening with each new revelation.  The first victim is a priest, whom the two hitmen assume must be guilty of some sexual transgression and thus deserving of his fate.  The second is a man who refers to himself as a "librarian" and possesses some horrifying snuff DVDs that prompt an irate Jay to dispatch him as brutally as possible.  This sequence, involving some very realistic gore effects, will either have you glued to the screen or scrambling for the door.

What first appears to be simply an ultra-violent thriller makes a sudden detour through the twilight zone before veering into full-out horror territory after Jay and Gal begin to realize just how sinister their unknown clients are.  One tip-off for Jay is when victims 1 and 2 thank him for killing them.  Another, during a meeting in which a dubious Gal tries to pull out of the deal, is the threat that both they and their families will die if they don't complete their mission. 

Thus follows a descent into paranoia that infects every aspect of their lives as it becomes clear that they're part of a larger and more terrifying agenda than they could've imagined.  The final scenes, which take place in a dark forest in the dead of night, have an almost BLAIR WITCH vibe only much more visceral.

Lead performances are all fine, with Neil Maskell totally convincing as a violent man who's not inhuman--he loves his family--but frightening because he's a human capable of the most monstrous acts.  MyAnna Buring is a strong presence as Shel, making her love-hate relationship with Jay convincing and giving her character a no-nonsense resolve that will be amply displayed later on.  As Gal, Michael Smiley has a less showy but equally pivotal role, while Emma Fryer's Fiona is just plain spooky.  Much of the dialogue is improvised to give it a natural quality.

An early clue to where the story will eventually go is ominous: Fiona, excusing herself to go to the bathroom during dinner, scrawls a strange pagan symbol on the back of a mirror and then pockets a bloodstained tissue that she finds on the sink.  To give away any more of the plot would be a disservice to potential viewers, so I'll just say that the rest of KILL LIST is a journey into some really dark, claustrophobic horror that's both pulse-poundingly tense, relentlessly downbeat, and, finally, downright grotesque. 


(KILL LIST opens February 3, 2012 at IFC Center In NYC.)

Amazon Video-On-Demand

KILL LIST -- movie review by porfle

MAN IN A SUITCASE: SET 2 -- DVD review by porfle

Richard Bradford's "McGill" returns for round two in Acorn Media's 4-disc DVD, MAN IN A SUITCASE: SET 2, containing the final 15 out of 30 episodes of this one-season wonder from 1967-68.

England's ITV network churned out some of the most popular shows of the 60s, such as "Danger Man", "The Saint", and "The Prisoner", and "Man in a Suitcase" is another popular though short-lived title in their illustrious roster.  The main character, known only as McGill or "Mac", is a former American intelligence agent framed for treason in order to protect the identity of a Russian double agent.  Unable to return to the US and still branded a traitor, McGill must now earn a living by hiring himself out to whoever has use for his unique talents.

These hour-long episodes are pretty nifty little yarns that can be anything from Cold War spy stories, action-adventures, mysteries, or whatever McGill happens to be involved in at the time.  Sometimes he has to go undercover ("No Friend of Mine"), and sometimes he acts as a bodyguard for someone in danger ("Blind Spot").  "Night Flight to Andorra", the final episode of the series, is interesting because it's a vastly scaled-down version of the familiar "breach the fortress" story which demonstrates how to get the most out of a limited budget and resources.

Due to his vulnerable position as an official pariah, McGill is often doublecrossed not only by the bad guys but by those who have hired him as well, causing him to be perpetually wary of just about everyone.  But unlike the cold, ruthless anti-heroes we're used to seeing, McGill has a soft spot for people in trouble and an easygoing manner that usually emerges around the ladies.

As usual, the most interesting thing about the show is simply watching the quirky Texas-born actor Richard Bradford act.  Never just walking through an episode by rote like many television series stars, the prematurely-grayhaired Bradford tries to find little things for his character to do in every scene to perk up the usual dialogues.  Sometimes it may be something as simple as a weird expression or unexpected attitude or reaction--one often wonders if it's McGill or Bradford who seems so amused by it all at times. 

I'm not even sure if Bradford's acting is all that consistently good, but it's always fun to watch.  He reminds me of another TV method actor, Michael Parks of "Then Came Bronson", who at times also seemed to be on an altogether different plane from his costars.  Bradford is constantly finding bits of business or interesting ways of interpreting his lines which will lend some added freshness to the standard situations in which his character finds himself. 

While far from lavish, the shows are well-produced and are helmed by talented directors such as John Glen (FOR YOUR EYES ONLY), Don Chaffey (JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, ONE MILLION YEARS, B.C.), and Hammer Films mainstay Freddie Francis.  The scripts, some of which are recycled from other shows, take McGill all over the world although in fact he rarely leaves the backlot. 

Although filmed in the late 60s, we rarely see the usual lame attempts to play up the "mod" angle so prevalent in shows of that era (a couple of exceptions prove rather awkward, however, with McGill bopping around amidst an undulating gaggle of ersatz hipsters).  As always, one of the best features of the series is its cool theme music by Ron Grainer. 

Familiar faces abound in guest roles, many of them much younger than we're used to seeing them.  Felicity Kendall ("Rosemary & Thyme") is cute as a button playing a blind girl in need of Mac's protection ("Blind Spot").  Colin Blakely, who also appeared in the first episode aired ("Brainwash"), does a fine job as a priest trying to avert a revolt by aggrieved Africans against their unscrupulous white employer in "The Whisper."  In a comical episode that is one of the series' worst, "The Jigsaw Man", actor-director Michael Sarne (MYRA BRECKINRIDGE) appears as a kooky sculptor sponging off of a free-spirited heir to a fortune in order to buy clay to complete his "masterpiece." 

Ferdy Mayne is menacing in "The Revolutionaries", which also features Bruce Boa ("General Rieekan" of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK).  In his second series appearance, Donald Sutherland is a trigger-happy psycho killing his way through his former crime partners to get to a fortune in stolen gold ("Which Way Did He Go, McGill?")  A star of his own successful series many years later ("A Mind to Kill"), a barely-recognizable Philip Madoc does two guest shots in this set.  50s and 60s horror/sci-fi stalwart Robert Hutton (THE MAN WITHOUT A BODY, THE SLIME PEOPLE, COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK) plays a man who hires McGill to find out whether or not his wife is going insane in "Who's Mad Now?"

The 4-disc set from Acorn Media is in 4:9 full screen with Dolby sound and, unlike Set 1, English subtitles.  Along with a photo gallery on each disc, the main bonus feature is a recent 69-minute interview with Richard Bradford which fans will not want to miss.  Honest, intimate, sometimes wistful, and occasionally rambling, the soft-spoken Bradford recounts his history as an actor and talks of his battles with indifferent execs and coworkers on "Man in a Suitcase" and his struggles to improve the show.  Happily, he seems content with his life as an actor: "I'm truly just one blessed human being on this planet."

Not quite a cop, secret agent, or P.I. but with qualities of all three, the McGill character engages in a pleasing variety of cases that are always surprising in some way.  While not as flamboyant as some of the other ITV series of its time, MAN IN A SUITCASE: SET 2 is solid entertainment that's heavy on 60s atmosphere and nostalgia. 



Buy it at Amazon.com
Read our review of  Set 1

MAN IN A SUITCASE: SET 2 -- DVD review by porfle

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

EPIC BATTLES COME TO LIFE ON STUNNING BLU-RAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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



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

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

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


Buy it at Amazon.com:
DVD
Blu-Ray

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

A LOVER'S REVENGE -- movie review by porfle

 (This review was originally posted in 2005.)

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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


Buy it at Amazon.com

A LOVER'S REVENGE -- movie review by porfle

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

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

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT CONDUCTS "THE TERROR EXPERIMENT"

There Is No Control

April 12th on Blu-ray™ and DVD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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