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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 – Music Video Director Joseph Kahn to Helm Detention

Christian Sellers — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:22:30 +0000

Joseph Kahn has built up a strong résumé over the last few years with an array of music videos for such artists as U2 (Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of), Britney Spears (Toxic) and Blink 182 (Always). Following on from his directorial debut, the 2004 flick Torque, Kahn is set to return behind the camera once again for his sophomore effort, Detention.

The movie will star seventeen-year old Josh Hutcherson (also in the upcoming remake of the ’80s classic Red Dawn) and Dane Cook, who previously worked with Kahn on Torque. Detention will begin shooting in Los Angeles next month and, according to Variety, the plot is as follows: “Story centers on teens who must survive their final year of high school. Standing in their way is a slasher-movie killer who has seemingly come to life. Kahn and Mark Palermo penned the script.”

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NEWS – Lost Creator Damon Lindelof Negotiating to Write Alien Prequel

Christian Sellers — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:05:06 +0000

With Lost having finally been laid to rest earlier this year, co-creator and occasional writer Damon Lindelof is apparently working on a deal to pen Ridley Scott’s prequel to the horror classic Alien, whilst also being attached to the planned Star Trek sequel.

According to Deadline: “In a development as vexing as a Lost plotline, studio insiders said that while Lindelof indeed met with Scott and the studio for that rewrite job, the exchange of ideas between them sparked a take that could well turn out to be a free-standing science fiction film. The studio will decide when Lindelof turns it in. Scott Free is producing and Lindelof’s CAA reps closed his deal last night.”

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NEWS – Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman Spoofs BP CEO Tony Hayward

Christian Sellers — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:23:43 +0000

You’ve got to love Lloyd Kaufman! Having built the independent empire that is Troma with such schlock classics as The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke ‘Em High, Kaufman has taken every opportunity to exploit the ludicrous, the explicit and even the tragic all in the name of comedy.

His latest spoof sees him star as BP CEO Tony Hayward addressing the nation regarding the controversial oil spill that took place in the Gulf of Mexico in April. Appearing in a three-and-a-half minute video downplaying the incident, Kaufman states: “The Gulf spill is a tragedy, just like The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Hello, I am Tony Hayward, CEO of British Petroleum, and as you can see I’m dressing casual, I’ve dispensed with my Armani suits and I’ve dropped the snobbish British accent so I can get down in the dirt with you low class Americans.

To watch the full video click here!

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NEWS – Miramax Find New Owners

Christian Sellers — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:01:10 +0000

The fate of Miramax has been the subject of debate for some time. Following the purchase of the company by Disney in 1993 and the decision by founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein to venture out on their own in 2004 Miramax has moved further away from its independent roots (which began in 1981 with the low budget slasher The Burning) and further into Oscar-winning period dramas and blockbusters. When Disney announced earlier this year that they would be selling Miramax rumours began to circulate that the Weinsteins would take over once again but it has bee revealed that the company has instead been obtained by Filmyard Holdings Llc.

Following some success in the 1980s with Working Girls and Sex, Lies and Videotape, Miramax hit its commercial peak through its association with up-and-coming director Quentin Tarantino, distributing such popular titles as Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. After Disney purchased the company Miramax became more known for its critically acclaimed movies, including The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love. Miramax did not forget its horror roots, however, and began to release direct-to-video sequels to Halloween and Hellraiser. Whilst continuing to distribute movies by Tarantino and Kevin Smith (commencing with Clerks in 1994), the company enjoyed both commercial and critical success with Bridget Jones’s Diary, Chicago, Cold Mountain and No Country for Old Men.

Filmyard have reportedly inherited over seven hundred titles through their purchase of Miramax. Disney’s chief executive Robert Iger stated: “Although we are very proud of Miramax’s many accomplishments, our current strategy for Walt Disney Studios is to focus on the development of great motion pictures under the Disney, Pixar and Marvel brands… We are delighted that we have found a home for the Miramax brand and Miramax’s very highly regarded motion picture library.”

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NEWS – Underworld’s Len Wiseman to Remake Total Recall

Christian Sellers — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:26:06 +0000

Once upon a time, fresh from their success with Alien, writers Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett commenced work on an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. Videodrome director David Cronenberg was lined up to helm the picture, whilst Dino De Laurentiis balanced his producing chores with David Lynch’s equally troubled science fiction epic Dune.

Having passed through several different directors and stars the movie, Total Recall, eventually saw the light of day courtesy of action star Arnold Schwarenegger and RoboCop director Paul Verhoeven. But it seems that Dick fans will never find out what Cronenberg’s vision would have been as, according to Heat Blog, Columbia are reportedly hiring Underworld and Die Hard 4.0 director Len Wiseman to shoot the picture.

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NEWS – Guillermo del Toro Now Set to Direct Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness in 3D

Christian Sellers — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:35:08 +0000

Every day Guillermo del Toro seems attached to a different movie and the latest is an adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft tale At the Mountains of Madness. Universal will be handling the movie and del Toro will apparently be shooting in 3D. Whilst the project has been at a standstill for some time Deadline have revealed that James Cameron, who directed last year’s 3D blockbuster Avatar, will join the project as a producer.

As with Stuart Gordon’s 1985 classic Re-Animator, which was also based on the writings of Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness was set at the fictional Miskatonic University in Arkham, whilst its title was an influence on John Carpenter’s 1995 horror In the Mouth of Madness. Pre-production will commence over the coming weeks for a summer 2011 shoot.

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NEWS – Guillermo del Toro Discusses Frankenstein

Christian Sellers — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:58:32 +0000

Guillermo del Toro seems rather restless and indecisive on what project to take on next, having passed up The Hobbit before rumours of The Haunted Mansion began a few days back. One movie he is gearing up for is yet another adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein. First adapted in 1910 by the Edison Manufacturing Company, the first feature length movie to be shot with sound was James Whale’s 1931 classic starring horror legend Boris Karloff.

In an interview with MTV del Toro has revealed that he is set to run some makeup tests in the coming weeks with regular collaborator Doug Jones (Abe Sapien in Hellboy): “We have been designing the creature, sculpting it… Bernie Wrightson designed the creature. That’s the man, the go-to guy for Frankenstein. My idea is to try to shoot that movie exactly as… Almost like an illustration [in] black & white. It would be done very differently than the other Frankenstein movies. But it’s in the future; we’re doing tests in a couple weeks.”

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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 – Poster Released for Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go

Christian Sellers — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:33:19 +0000

Mark Romanek spent over a decade creating some of the most unique and fascinating music videos of recent times. Through his work with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson and Johnny Cash he became one of the most promising and in-demand young filmmakers. Following his feature debut One Hour Photo in 2002 (which boasted an eerie performance from Robin Williams) Romanek was set to direct the remake of The Wolf Man before wisely backing out and being replaced by Jurassic Park III’s Joe Johnston.

Instead, Romanek decided to adapt Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel Never Let Me Go with the assistance of writer Alex Garland, the acclaimed creator of The Beach and 28 Days Later. According to the film’s official site the story tells of, “Kathy (Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, AN EDUCATION), Tommy (Andrew Garfield, BOY A, RED RIDING) and Ruth (Oscar nominee Keira Knightley, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, ATONEMENT) live in a world and a time that feel familiar to us, but are not quite like anything we know. They spend their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. When they leave the shelter of the school and the terrible truth of their fate is revealed to them, they must also confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.”

The movie, which co-stars Charlotte Rampling, is set for release in September and HeyUGuys have released the poster for the movie.

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