All posts by alanwp

Enter “ORBS”, a trio of books guaranteed to be a masterful blend of horror and science fiction

Ready to begin a new chapter in your life? Thinking of writing a book and self-publishing? Not everyone needs to convince a major publishing house to praise their prose . . .  sometimes a house will find you. Witness the success of Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s ORBS (Simon & Schuster/Simon451), a bestselling trilogy that is (according to those in the know) “a masterful blend of horror, science fiction and pulse-pounding thrills” as they follow the last survivors of an alien invasion. Not bad for someone who worked for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management in disaster mitigation before switching careers to focus on his one true passion . . . writing.51T9CW+rFSL

When it was first released online, ORBS was a phenomenon of independent publishing. Selling tens of thousands of copies since its online release in October 2013, it reached as high as No. 71 on Amazon. Now, for the first time ever in print, this unprecedented and immensely popular trilogy is back. All are $12.99.

When the series begins, the year is 2061, and the planet is dying. Cataclysmic solar storms have forced leaders from around the world to finally put aside their differences and agree on one thing—to jump ship. The human race is headed to Mars.

Just days after Dr. Sophie Winston is hired by New Tech Corporation to help prepare for the three-year flight to Mars, things immediately start to go wrong. When she and her crew unlock themselves from their lab, they discover a changed world. Two things have vanished without a trace: Humans and all of the planet’s water.

One shocking discovery leads to the next, as Sophie and her team of survivors discover luminous blue orbs lining the streets. The orbs are not what they seem, and spur a nightmarish yet compelling journey for the crew, discovering a more startling universe than they could have ever imagined . . .

The trilogy includes ORBS; ORBS II: Stranded and ORBS III: Redemption.

A bird? A plane? Nope. It’s Melissa Benoist and Supergirl flying onto Blu-ray and DVD

It’s a bird! it’s a plane! It’s Super . . . girl!

A new superhero will begin flying into homes on Tuesday, as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases Supergirl: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray and DVD on August 9.  Fans can purchase the set which, in addition to all 20 exhilarating episodes, contains more than an hour of extra content, including the 2015 Comic-Con panel, featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.


The show, starring Melissa Benoist as Supergirl, is a delightful high-soaring romp; it’s no surprise Supergirl was the winner of the 2016 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama.

The plot is the stuff meant for the Daily Planet. Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped at the same time as her cousin, Superman, but didn’t arrive on Earth until years later after being lost in the Phantom Zone. Raised by her adopted family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex, and learned to hide the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin.
107117_D0437bc_36a54143_566b7159c0be06.95399558Years later, at age 24, and now living in National City while working as an assistant for Catco Worldwide Media mogul Cat Grant, Kara has spent so many years trying to fit in that she forgot to ever stand out. All that changes when she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and become the hero she was always destined to be. With the help of Daily Planet photographer James Olsen, her bioengineer sister Alex, and the research of the super-secret, off-the-grid Department of Extra-Normal Operations (DEO), who are tasked with keeping the Earth safe from aliens, Kara takes to the skies to protect her world.

 

106641_D_0833r_dd5a9040_566b70f8251f06.86574174In addition to Melissa Benoist, Supergirl  stars Chyler Leigh, Mehcad Brooks, Jeremy Jordan, David Harewood and Calista Flockhart.  Season One guest stars include Dean Cain, Peter Facinelli, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Laura Benanti and Helen Slater.  Die-hard Superman fans will know at least two of the guest stars make appearances!

We leave with some insight into how Melissa Benoist plays Supergirl; she knows young people look up to her, so she is careful how she plays her character, keeping a certain purity and goodness in your performance.

“I think that’s the driving force behind her. That makes it easy because I always know what to fall back on when I’m playing Supergirl. She does get angry, she does have flaws. But what ultimately is the most important about her is that she always finds the silver lining. She always finds a way to be heroic and good and pure at heart. So, there’s a pressure, but it’s something that’s kind of constant about her that I rely on.”

 

That maniacal murderer of the Third Reich hatched plans for a diabolical weapon. Witness “Bombing Hitler’s Supergun”

Spring 1943. World War II is slowly beginning to turn in favor of the Allied forces. But madman Hitler, growing desperate, hatches plans for a diabolical weapon: A bank of “superguns” housed in a massive underground complex in Nazi-occupied northern France. All together, the guns would be able to pump 300 heavy high-explosive shells into downtown London every hour—a target 100 miles away. This weapon could spell doom for the Allies. But how can such a massive gun possibly work?

Discover the DVD NOVA: Bombing Hitler’s Supergun (PBS Distribution) on which you will discover the two audacious missions designed to destroy the seemingly impregnable supergun complex, one of which is led by none other than Joseph Kennedy, Jr. Can these hair-raising missions save the Allied forces?

 

Boo! Fright nights unlimited: “Tales of Halloween” will escape on Blu-ray and DVD

We could begin to chat about Halloween with a riddle: What do you call an empty hot dog? A hollow-weenie. (We’re waiting for you to stop laughing.)

That was our trick. We shift to talk about a treat most wonderful than a big sloppy kiss from our pooch. Though Halloween is weeks away,we have news that Tales of Halloween (Epic Pictures Group) will escape onto Blu-ray and DVD collector’s sets on September 13. The horror anthology, bringing together an all-star lineup of horror heavyweight directors and stars, premiered to strong critical acclaim at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival. Epic Pictures Releasing, the U.S. distribution division of Epic Pictures Group, released the film in theaters and on digital platforms on October 16, 2015. 

Named “the best horror anthology since Trick ‘r Treat” by Fangoria and “among the Best Halloween-themed horror movies ever made” by DailyDead, this critically-acclaimed film weaves together 10 chilling tales from horror’s top directors. Ghosts and ghouls, monsters and madmen, the devil and the dead delight in terrorizing unsuspecting residents of a suburban neighborhood on Halloween night. The all-star directorial lineup includes Neil Marshall, Darren Lynn Bousman, Lucky McKee and Mike Mendez. Cameos by horror heavyweights include Barry Bostwick, Lin Shaye, John Savage, Adrienne Barbeau, John Landis, Joe Dante, Barbara Crampton, Booboo Stewart, Keir Gilchrist, Grace Phipps, Pat Healy, Kristina Klebe, Greg Grunberg, Alex Essoe and Pollyanna McIntosh.

In addition to the feature film on both Blu-ray and DVD, the limited-edition collector’s set will also contain a DVD chock-full of bonus features and a CD of the film’s soundtrack featuring original tracks by Lalo Schifrin, Jimmy Psycho, Christopher Drake and Christian Henson. Among the highlights of the bonus features are exclusive, never-before-seen short films from Tales of Halloween directors, including previously unreleased “Brain Death,” an early student film from director Neil Marshall. Other highlights include video diaries for each segment of the anthology, featuring interviews with the directors, cast, and crew, and sneak peeks behind-the-scenes on set. Additional bonus materials include deleted scenes, director commentaries and photo galleries.

The set is currently available for pre-order the set here. It will also be available on Amazon.com.

First Run Features releases a slew of fascinating must-have documentaries

Everyone who knows our obsession over films, knows we always embrace the goodies released by First Run Features.  Let’s take a look at four recent must-haves.

When Justice isn’t Just
The film, directed by Oscar-nominated and NAACP Image Award winner David Massey, addresses the concept and reality of justice in the United States, particularly in regard to racial disparities in the American criminal justice system. Filmed in cities across the country, this dynamic documentary explores why so many unarmed black people have been targeted and killed by law enforcement officers, an issue that has taken center stage in the national consciousness. unnamed (2)The filmmakers talk to legal experts, activists and law enforcement officials who speak to the inequality within our criminal justice system. The film asks the crucial question of how to prevent more violence in this country, including Black on Black deaths. Activists, law enforcement officials, legal scholars, and the family members of victims offer a range of responses. At its heart, When Justice Isn’t Just confronts our broken criminal justice system, focusing on the incarceration rate of people of color. As the Black Lives Matter movement—and citizens nationwide—question the accountability of our justice system in cases of police violence, the film is an essential addition to the ongoing discussion about reform and renewal. Available September 13.

From the producers that brought us Persepolis and Delicatessen comes this family road trip comedy. Claire and Maurice, both survivors of previous marriages, have to take their whole family on a road trip to Claire’s father’s funeral. This tightly knit family is composed of Claire’s vegetarian son, Alex, who’s secretly fond of Maurice’s daughter, Lucie, the teenage rebel. Meanwhile Claire’s poet brother is along for the ride. unnamed (2)And of course don’t forget young Prune, Claire and Maurice’s daughter, who will develop a passion for France’s emblematic cows. Will this family of misfits survive the trip?

Weight
You beat the weight or the weight beats you–it’s the test every powerlifter faces when approaching the bar. But the weight that’s been pressing down on coach and gym owner Paul Steinman is something far more challenging than sport.  Bombing out on his squats at the 2012 American Open was just one more failure for Paul. It had been a bad stretch for him both in and out of the gym–now it’s time to make good.
unnamedOne year later, he’s back in the same place and competing at the same meet, with his wife and partner Rebecca at his side. As a super heavyweight Paul will lift in the day’s final flight, leaving time to sit and think about all that’s happened. What do you do when the weight feels heavy? Can you get up? Andrew Filippone Jr.’s Weight is a dramatic, character-driven documentary set in Brooklyn, following Paul and Rebecca over a challenging year.
DVD Extras: Epilogue • Biographies • Audio Commentary with Rebecca Steinman

Dark Diamond is a poised, stylish, assured thriller about a man who, out of retribution, vows vengeance against his relatives who abandoned him. Pier Ulmann comes from a family of powerful diamond dealers, who he believes are responsible for his estranged father’s death. To take revenge, he insinuates himself back into the family enterprise, with an elaborate caper in mind.unnamed (3)

The Professor: Tai Chi’s Journey West
A film by Barry Strugatz, The Professor is a documentary about Tai Chi and one of its great masters, Cheng Man-Ching, a man who brought Tai Chi and Chinese culture to the West during the swinging, turbulent ’60s. Featuring a rich array of vintage archival footage, the film tells the story of his remarkable life and features Tai Chi as a martial art and a spiritual practice.images
DVD Extras: Cheng Man-Ching performs his 37 Movement Form • The Origin of Tai Chi • Medical Science & Tai Chi: Interview with Peter M. Wayne, PhD, Harvard Medical School

Spring & Arnaud
Marcia Connolly and Katherine Knight’s “artful and art-filled love story” (The Globe and Mail) is a documentary about two unique characters is also an unforgettable look at art, love and mortality. Influential photographer Arnaud Maggs, turning 85, embarks on a series of self-portraits that wryly depict his life’s work.unnamed (1) Spring Hurlbut at 60 is creating haunting works that evoke mortality while harboring the certainty that Arnaud’s time is limited. Together more than 25 years, each grapples with the nature of an artist’s creativity where the drive for invention and discovery resists life’s finite reality.
DVD Extras: Seven Short Films

The ground-breaking “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” continues to prove its cinematic importance

It’s a film ripe for rediscovery. While Mike Nichols was shooting scenes with Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, and Candice Bergen at what was then known as Folkestone Studios in West Vancouver for Carnal Knowledge. Nearby, Robert Altman and his crew were building Presbyterian Church, an actual Old West mining town for his period western, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, starring the then real-life couple, Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. Remember René Auberjonois? The man best-known for the Broadway musical flop Coco and who appeared in the Altman film says McCabe & Mrs. Miller is the best film he’s ever been in. “That is the one that will be on my tombstone,” he coos.
mccabe--mrs.-miller

With its fascinating flawed characters, evocative cinematography by the great Vilmos Zsigmond, and soundtrack that innovatively interweaves overlapping dialogue and haunting Leonard Cohen songs, McCabe & Mrs. Miller brilliantly deglamorized and revitalized the most American of genres. The screenplay is based on Edmund Naughton’s 1959 novel McCabe; Altman referred to it as an “anti-western film” because the film ignores or subverts a number of Western conventions.

So important is McCabe & Mrs. Miller that in 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.Criterion is releasing the flick on Blu-ray and DVD on October 11.

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 

* New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
* Audio commentary from 2002 featuring director Robert Altman and producer David Foster
* New documentary on the making of the film, featuring actors René Auberjonois, Keith Carradine, and Michael Murphy; casting director Graeme Clifford; and script supervisor Joan Tewkesbury
* New conversation about the film and Altman’s career between film historians Cari Beauchamp and Rick Jewell
* Featurette from the film’s production, shot on location in 1970
* Q&A from 1999 with production designer Leon Ericksen, hosted by the Art Directors Guild Film Society
* Archival footage from interviews with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, in which he discusses his work on the film
* Gallery of stills from the set by photographer Steve Schapiro
* Excerpts from two 1971 episodes of The Dick Cavett Show featuring Altman and film critic Pauline Kael
* Trailer
* Essay by film critic Nathaniel Rich

Krzysztof Kieślowski’s epic masterpiece “Dekalog” opens in a stunning restoration

This is no ordinary opening of a film. This is the stunning new restoration of the legendary 10-part epic Dekalog (also known as The Decalogue). The film opens theatrically for the first time in 15 years.
Time still is friends with Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Dekalog, newly-restored on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the filmmaker’s death. The film begins its U.S. theatrical run at the IFC Center in Cleveland on September 1. The masterpiece will be accompanied by a national roll out to more than 20 cities.  Criterion Collection and Janus Films will release the series on Blu-ray and DVD on September 27; they include longer theatrical versions of the series’ fifth and sixth films, A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love.

Originally made for Polish television, Dekalog focuses on the residents of a housing complex in late-Communist Poland, whose lives become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are at once deeply personal and universally human.The series’ ten hour-long films draw from the Ten Commandments for thematic inspiration and an overarching structure, and grapple deftly with complex moral and existential questions concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and the passage of time. Shot by nine different cinematographers, written alongside longtime collaborator Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with stirring music by Zbigniew Preisner and compelling performances from established and unknown actors alike, Dekalog arrestingly explores the unknowable forces that shape our lives.

Stanley Kubrick was a huge fan of the film, saying that “these films dramatize their ideas with such dazzling skill that you never see the ideas coming, and don’t realize until much later how profoundly they have reached your heart.”

This new digital transfer of Dekalog was sourced from the 35mm original camera negatives provided by Telewizja Polska and stored at Filmoteka Narodow. When possible, the restoration of each episode was supervised and approved by its respective cinematographer.

IF YOU GO
9/1/2016 Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Cinematheque
9/2/2016 NYC: IFC Center
9/2/2016 Montreal, QC: Cinema du Parc
9/5/2016 Vancouver, BC: Pacific Cinematheque
9/9/2016 San Francisco, CA: Alamo Drafthouse New Mission
9/9/2016 San Rafael, CA: Smith Rafael Film Center
9/16/2016 Coral Gables, FL: Coral Gables Art Cinema
9/17/2016 Los Angeles, CA: Cinefamily
9/29/2016 Rochester, NY: George Eastman House
9/23/2016 Pleasantville, NY: Jacob Burns Film Center
9/22/2016 Austin, TX: Austin Film Society
10/14/2016 Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma City Museum of Art

“Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene” offers a look into the life and times of the original shock jock

He was a radio and TV personality like no other, a pioneering shock jock and talk-show host long before the Sterns and Springers sprung into action. Petey Greene took on racism like no one before and become an inspiring voice for understanding.  His true-story is told in Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene (Virgil Films), a riveting documentary featuring rare footage and classic interviews.
In the tumultuous ’60s and ’70s, Greene emerged as a one-of-a-kind voice speaking out against racism, crime and poverty. An ex-con, he used his years in prison as an education in people and society, and as a radio host and later a TV personality in Washington, D.C., spoke the people’s language to point out what needed to be changed to make life better for everyone.

Oscar-nominated actor Don Cheadle (who portrayed Greene in the 2007 award-winning feature Talk to Me) narrates this insightful documentary that explores the life and times of Greene, the bombastic radio DJ-activist who rose to prominence in the ’60s via his groundbreaking show, Rapping With Petey Greene. By the ’70s, he was hosting Petey Greene’s Washington, a similar show on TV,  whose wide range of guests included a young shock jock named Howard Stern, shown here in rare footage wearing blackface and an afro during an interview with Greene. (Stern has called Greene the greatest radio personality of all time.)

Fearless and provocative, Greene galvanized audiences with his frank and often humorous commentaries on topics like race, religion, poverty, sex and corruption. He was unafraid to state truths that others would rather avoid, such as, “People use drugs because drugs is good!” Numerous prominent figures appear in the film to pay tribute to Greene’s importance and influence, including sportscaster James Brown, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, former Washington Mayor Marion Barry and actor Robert Hooks, who calls Greene “the ghetto jester, the original rapper.”
 unnamed
Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene is an invaluable reminder of the power of speaking the truth loud and clear.

 

Ethan Hawke as Chet Baker . . . sink your teeth (or dentures) into a masterful film

Some say Ethan Hawke was Born to Be Blue. Of sorts. Hawke portrays (quite wonderfully) jazz legend Chet Baker in Born to Be Blue (IFC Films). In the ’50s, Baker was one of the most famous trumpeters in the world, renowned as both a pioneer of the West Coast jazz scene and an icon of cool. By the ’60s, he was all but washed up, his life in shambles due to years of heroin addiction. In his innovative anti-biopic, director Robert Budreau zeroes in on Baker’s life at a key moment in the ’60s as the musician attempts a hard-fought comeback, spurred by a passionate romance with a new flame (portrayed by Carmen Ejogo).
0000 ethan hawke IFC films.jpg

“I didn’t want some pretend jazz movie in a black turtleneck,” says Hawke. “To me, it’s about the music, the person, the period, the place. Look at the nineteen fifties–they have their own charisma and feel, from the cars to the music to the energy. I find it all tying together to create this special time.”

Time was not Baker’s friend.  Hooked on heroin in 1957, his career died after Baker was involved in a drug deal gone so wrong a brutal beating knocked his teeth out. He couldn’t play anymore,” adds Hawke, “until he learned to play with dentures.”

Sink your teeth into a great flick.

Time Life celebrates the legacy of Prince today with a purple pressing of vinyl

When Prince tragically passed away in April, he left behind a legacy as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor.  To commemorate the wildly talented icon, musical innovator and seven-time Grammy-winner behind such chart-topping hits as “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Raspberry Beret,” “Purple Rain” and “Little Red Corvette,” Time Life has released a special, limited-edition of the recently released vinyl album, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Live – Volume 1.
The initial pressing of the album, released on April 29, immediately sold out and rose to #13 on Billboard‘s Vinyl Album chart.  The new pressing, which features Prince’s blistering and unforgettable guitar solo on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” from his 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, will be highlighted by purple vinyl in honor of the influential star.  It went on sale today at a suggested retail price of $25.98 wherever vinyl albums are sold.
 unnamed
“Following Prince’s passing, we recognized that we needed to do something truly special to   commemorate his incredible musical legacy,” says Jeff Peisch, SVP of New Product Development & Marketing for Time Life. “When the first run of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Live sold out immediately, the opportunity presented itself to do a purple vinyl pressing that perfectly captures the ‘Purple One,’ and is sure to resonate with those who loved his music and style.”
Time Life and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have digitally released the filmed performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” from an evening featuring Prince’s own induction by a 23 year-old Alicia Keys. Prince’s three-minute-long blistering solo went viral following his death, and has now entered into legend.  Prince fans and music lovers searching to own the filmed performance can now go to iTunes to download the music video for just $1.99.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Live – Volume 1  is a selection of the most memorable moments from induction ceremony history, featuring the biggest names in rock performing in combinations not seen anywhere else.  This 180 gram vinyl “ticket” is a front-row seat to the very best the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies have to offer.

Aside from “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which also features Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood and Dhani Harrison, the release includes performances from legendary talents like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Cream, Steve Winwood, Metallica, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ron Wood, Joe Perry, Green Day, James Taylor, Al Green, Chuck Berry and more.

Jam-filled performances of chart-busters like “Johnny Be Goode,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” “A Change is Gonna Come,” “Train Kept a Rollin,'” “Ironman,” “Woodstock,” “Blitzkrieg Bop” and “Can’t Get No Satisfaction” make this volume a must-have for any LP library.