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NEWS – Caroline Munro and Joe Spinell Come to Blu-ray for StarCrash

Christian Sellers — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:52:43 +0000

Italian cinema during the late 1970s was notorious for its shameless plagiarism of successful American productions. Two years before capitalising on Ridley Scott’s masterpiece Alien with the guilty pleasure Contamination, Dario Argento associate Luigi Cozzi ripped off George Lucas’ 1977 blockbuster Star Wars provided ample material for his own low budget effort StarCrash. Co-starring Caroline Munro and Joe Spinell, both of whom would appear together soon afterwards in the sleazy slasher Maniac (also heading to blu-ray), the cast would also include Christopher Plummer, David Hasselhoff and Mr. Munro, Judd Hamilton. According to Blu-ray.com, Shout Factory are set to release the movie on blu-ray on September 14th as part of their Roger Corman Cult Classics.

The special features will be as follows:
- Two feature-length commentaries by StarCrash historian Stephen Romano
- The history of StarCrash, the making of the film and its importance in 1970s fantastic cinema
- StarCrash scene-by-scene: production trivia, anecdotes and critical analysis
- Interview with writer/director Luigi Cozzi
- StarCrash: the music of John Barry, a detailed analysis of the score by Mars of Deadhouse Music
- Behind-the-scenes image gallery, featuring storyboards, art, and rare, never-before-seen photos
- Promotional art gallery, featuring photos, posters, lobby cards and early poster designs by Drew Struzan
- Fan art gallery, featuring an exclusive look at the all-new, sexy Stella Star art from fantasy illustrator Robin Greenville Evans
- Theatrical trailer with commentary by Eli Roth from Trailersfromhell.com and an all-new exclusive trailer commentary by filmmaker/editor Joe Dante
- TV spots and radio Spots
- Interview with actress Caroline Munro (60 min)
- 17 Deleted and alternate scenes
- The complete, original StarCrash screenplay, illustrated with original storyboards and early, full-color concept art
- Exclusive 20-minute behind-the-scenes footage reel, with commentary
- The making of the special effects of StarCrash by Armando Valcauda with exclusive, never-before-seen special-effects footage

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NEWS – V: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Set to Arrive in November

Christian Sellers — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:42:24 +0000

As with Battlestar Galatica, another cult sci-fi show that recently enjoyed something of a revival was Kenneth Johnson’s action satire V. Warner have revealed that season 1 of the new show is set to make its way onto Blu-ray on November 2nd.

All twelve episodes will be included, along with the following special features:
- Commentaries
- The Visual FX of V
- The Actor’s Journey
- An Alien in Human Skin: The Makeup FX of V
- Unaired scenes

The following is a synopsis of the show first announced by ABC last summer:
“While the world quickly becomes fascinated with the V’s and their link to wonders just beyond the reach of human understanding, FBI Counter Terrorist Agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) discovers a secret hidden beneath the skin of every V – a secret that may threaten the lives of everyone close to her. Yet for her teenage son, Tyler (Logan Huffman), the V’s are his ticket to something big and hopeful — a new chance for mankind to unite in common goals. To Chad Decker (Scott Wolf), a career-hungry news anchor, his exclusive interview with Anna (Morena Baccarin), the leader of the V’s, is crucial to his dominating the airwaves. Also unsure about the Visitors is Father Jack (Joel Gretsch), a priest questioning his faith in the wake of the Visitors’ arrival. Seeking answers outside the church, Father Jack discovers there are other dissidents who believe the Visitors are not who they say they are, including Ryan Nichols (Morris Chestnut), who is faced with his own life-altering decision when the V’s show up. Never has there been more at stake — it truly is the dawning of a new day.”

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NEWS – The Goonies 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Announced

Christian Sellers — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:33:34 +0000

Any kid who grew up during the 1980s would have been seduced by some of Steven Spielberg’s work, either movies that he directed himself (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark) or one of the many countless films that he produced, such as Gremlins, Back to the Future. One of the most successful was The Goonies, in which he joined forces with Superman director Richard Donner and a cast of up-and-coming child stars: Corey Feldman, Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Martha Plimpton and Ke Huy Quan, amongst others.

Collider has revealed that Warner Bros. are set to release the movie on Blu-ray on November 2nd. The Goonies 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition will include the following special features:
- Cast commentary with Director and all seven actors
- The Making of the Goonies documentary
- Cyndi Lauper music video “The Goonies ‘R Good Enough”
- Outtakes
- Includes new board game, original movie storyboard reproductions, 1985 souvenir magazine reprint, and reprint of 2009 Empire Magazine article with cast photos and updates

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NEWS – A Nightmare on Elm Street Remake Blu-Ray Announced

Christian Sellers — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:58:22 +0000

Samuel Bayer’s A Nightmare on Elm Street was one of the most pointless, soulless and ridiculous of the recent horror remakes and saw Platinum Dunes reach a new low, lifting scenes directly from Wes Craven’s original but lacking both the intelligence and style.

Despite this, the movie earned over $105m at the box office on a budget of $35m, guaranteeing that Freddy Krueger will return yet again.

Details of a Blu-ray, set to be released on October 5th, have been announced, which will include the following special features:
- Freddy Krueger Reborn
- Maniacle Movie Mode
- Alternate opening
- Alternate ending
- Deleted scene

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NEWS – The Return of the Living Dead Comes to Blu-ray

Christian Sellers — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:01:05 +0000

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary since its original release yet Dan O’Bannon’s zombie classic The Return of the Living Dead is arguably more popular than ever. What could have been dismissed as a poor imitation of Romero was instead hailed as a cult classic and spawned its own franchise, whilst becoming one of the best blends of horror and comedy.

Fans were demanding a worthy DVD release for years before MGM treated them to the Collector’s Edition but now it seems that the movie is set to make its way to Blu-ray later this year. According to Blu-ray.com the movie will be released on September 14th, although it has not been revealed whether or not special features – new or old- will be included.

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NEWS – The Blair Witch Project Set for Blu-ray

Christian Sellers — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:32:50 +0000

One thing that is more frightening than The Blair Witch Project is the fact that it is already eleven years old.

First released in January 1999, the ultra low budget sleeper hit (it cost just $22,000 to produce and made an alleged $248.6m) took the world by storm and created around itself the perfect urban legend: was it true or just a movie?

Whilst the three principals – Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams – have been rarely seen since and its 2003 sequel was inferior in every way, the movie was since ushered in a slew of hand-held horror movies including The Last Horror Movie, [Rec], Diary of the Dead and Cloverfield.

Lionsgate have announced that The Blair Witch Project will be released on Blu-ray in October with the following special features:
- Audio commentary
- Four never-before-seen alternate endings
- Featurette
- Extra footage

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NEWS – Corman’s Galaxy of Terror and Forbidden World Come to Blu-ray

Christian Sellers — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:50:58 +0000

There is no denying that Roger Corman has been responsible for some real shit over the years. In fact, come to think of it most of what he has done falls in that category. Still, just like with Troma, there is something about his ‘get out there and shoot it’ attitude that demands respect. Whilst now in his 80s his hey day is far behind him, Corman has remained an influential producer and has given many acclaimed filmmakers their first start in the industry.

Two successful movies that Corman had produced during the early 1980s are set to make their way to Blu-ray. Both Forbidden World and Galaxy of Terror will be released in American on July 20 from Shout! Factory, with both movies loaded with extras.

The special features will be as follows:

Galaxy of Terror
- Commentary with Cast and Crew
- New Worlds: producer Roger Corman, screenwriter Marc Siegler and director Bruce D. Clark discuss the origins of the film
- The Crew Of The Quest: Actors Robert Englund, Sid Haig, Taaffe O’Connell and Grace Zabriskie discuss their experiences as crew members of the U.S.S. Quest
- Planet of Horrors: A detailed look into the creation of the film’s memorable sets and alien landscapes
- Future King: Memories of co-production designer (and future visionary filmmaker) James Cameron from members of the cast and crew
- Old School: A journey into the complicated mechanical and makeup effects with artists Allan A. Apone, Douglas J. White, Alec Gillis and others
- Launch Sequence: Co-editor R.J. Kizer walks us through postproduction and a profile on composer Barry Schrader
- Theatrical trailers
- Extensive photo galleries including posters, production sketches and designs
- Theatrical trailer with commentary from writer/director Joel Olsen, courtesy of Trailersfromhell.com
- Original screenplay

Forbidden World:
- Interview with producer Roger Corman
- Interviews with cast and crew including director Allan Holzman, composer Susan Justin and actor Jesse Vint
- A look at the special effects of Forbidden World with John Carl Buechler, Robert Skotak, Tony Randal and R. Christopher Biggs
- Poster and still Gallery
- Original theatrical trailer
- Additional New World trailers
Audio commentary with director Allan Holzman on the director’s cut

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NEWS – Shutter Island Coming to Blu-ray

Christian Sellers — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:44:02 +0000

Fans of Martin Scorcese maybe pleased to hear that his latest feature, Shutter Island, is making its way to Blu-ray this summer. The thriller, which was released back in February, co-starred new regular Leonardo DiCaprio and Zodiac’s Mark Ruffalo as U.S. Marshals who are sent to a mental hospital on a remote island to investigate the disappearance of a young woman.

Based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River), the movie saw Scorcese flirt with the horror genre again for the first time since 1991’s Cape Fear. The supporting cast included Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Elias Koteas and Ben Kingsley.

Shutter Island will debut on Blu-ray on June 8, courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. According to Blu-ray.com, no special features have yet been announced, but with the release date in less than two months there should be more information forthcoming.

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NEWS – ‘Scary Movie’ Showgirls Set for Blu-ray Release

Christian Sellers — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:41:33 +0000

Whilst one would not normally consider it a horror, when Randy was asked in Scream 2 what his favourite scary movie was, his reply was none other than Showgirls. Troll 2, Battlefield Earth… there are movies so bad that it is any wonder that there was a time that someone thought it was a good idea. One such movie was Showgirls. Written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Paul Verhoeven, who had both enjoyed major success several years earlier with the notorious erotic thriller Basic Instinct, Showgirls was produced for a staggering $45m and would start hot new talent Elizabeth Berkley (Saved by the Bell), whilst the likes of Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Gina Gershon (Red Heat) and Robert Davi (Die Hard) would co-star.

The overblown and over-hyped feature would threaten to destroy Verhoeven’s career (although Eszterhas’ lucky streak would suddenly grind to a halt), whilst outspoken critic Roger Ebert would describe it as ‘Joe Eszterhas’ masturbatory fantasies.’ Despite the huge budget, the movie would only earn around $20m at the box office and would be universally panned by critics. Regardless, the graphic nudity and ridiculousness of the movie would guarantee it cult status.

Blu-ray.com have announced that Showgirls is set for a ‘15th Anniversary,’ which is set to make its way to Blu-ray on June 15. This edition is set to include the following special features:
- The Greatest Movie Ever Made: Audio commentary by Showgirls connoisseur David Schmader
- Pole Dancing: Finding Your Inner Stripper
- Lap Dance Tutorial Featuring the World-Famous Girls of Scores
- Showgirls Fact-Up Trivia
- A Showgirls Diary

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NEWS – Artwork for Polish Alien Quadrilogy Box Set Revealed

Christian Sellers — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:28:00 +0000

Danish site DanskHjemmebioForum has posted images for the artwork of an upcoming Polish Blu-ray box set of the Alien quadrilogy. No word as yet as to whether or not this will be an international release or restricted to certain parts of Europe, and no special features have been announced as yet, but fans of the franchise are bound to go crazy for this.

There have been countless releases on DVD for the four movies from the classic franchise (as well as the truly dreadful Alien vs. Predator spin-offs), with perhaps the best to-date being the Definitive Editions that came in metal tin boxes, complete with director’s cuts for each movie. Other releases have included The Ultimate Alien And Predator Collectors Edition, Alien (20th Anniversary Edition Box Set) and a string of single disc editions.

First released back in 1979, Ridley Scott’s Alien (based on a script by Dan O’Bannon) became a phenomenal success and would be followed seven years later by James Cameron’s action-packed sequel Aliens. Whilst David Fincher’s Alien 3 would divide audiences, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Alien Resurrection would bring the series to an end.

Those eager to pick up the franchise on Blu-ray may want to hold on to see what this new release has to offer.

Click on the images to enlarge…

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