All posts by alanwp

DVDs

Scream Factory unleashes a terrific Blu-ray edition of “The Thing” with hours of extras!

 

The thing escaped in 1982, when legendary filmmaker John Carpenter unleashed The Thing, a chilling sci-fi thriller that raised the bar on shocking special effects and terrified movie audiences worldwide. See it again in a way you’ve never seen it, since Scream Factory will present the landmark horror film in a 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release which includes a brand new 2K scan of the film (supervised by Director of Photography Dean Cundey) and more than 5 hours of extras. Save the date:  You’ll have to watch the old DVD until you scream for the Scream Factory release on September 20.

Remember? In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror and takes on the appearance of those it kills.

The Thing stars Kurt Russell and features special visual effects by Albert Whitlock and special makeup effects by Rob Bottin. This definitive set includes a collectible slipcover featuring newly rendered artwork and a reversible cover wrap featuring original theatrical key art. A must-have for movie collectors, sci-fi horror enthusiasts and loyal fans, The Thing Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set is available for pre-order now at ShoutFactory.com.

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What makes this thing so special? Some things we should tell you:

  • NEW 2K scan of the inter-positive supervised and approved by director of photography Dean Cundey
  • NEW 4.1 created from the original 70mm Six Track Dolby Stereo soundtrack
  • NEW Audio Commentary with director of photography Dean Cundey
  • NEW The Men of Outpost 31: Interviews with Keith David, Thomas Waites, Peter Maloney and others
  • NEW Assembling and Assimilation: An interview with editor Todd Ramsay
  • NEW Behind the Chameleon: Interviews with visual effects artists Peter Kuran and Susan Turner, special make-up effects artist Rob Burman and Brian Wade
  • NEW Sounds from the Cold: Interviews with supervising sound editor David Lewis Yewdall and special sound effects designer Alan Howarth
  • NEW Between the Lines: An interview with novelization author Alan Dean Foster
  • Audio Commentary by John Carpenter and  Kurt Russell
  • John Carpenter’s The Thing: Terror Takes Shape: A documentary on the making of The Thing featuring interviews with Carpenter, Russell, special effects make-up designer Rob Bottin, legendary matte artist Albert Whitlock plus members of the cast and crew (80 minutes – SD)
  • Outtakes (5 minutes – SD)
  • Vintage featurettes from the electronic press kit featuring interviews with John , Kurt and Rob Bottin (12 minutes – SD)
  • Vintage featurettes: The Making of a Chilling Tale and The Making of The Thing (1982 – 14 minutes – SD)
  • Vintage Product Reel: Contains a promotional condensed version of the film with additional footage not in the film (19 minutes – SD)
  • Vintage behind-the-scenes footage (2 minutes – SD)
  • Annotated Production Archive: Production Art and Storyboards, Location Scouting, Special Make-up Effects, Post Production (48 minutes – SD)
  • Network TV Broadcast version of The Thing (92 minutes – SD)
  • Teaser Trailer
  • Theatrical Trailers (U.S. and German trailers)
  • TV spots
  • Radio Spots
  • Still Gallery (behind-the-scenes photos, posters and lobby cards)

 

Avid fans of the film will want to take note of two exclusive offers on the release—which are only available at shoutfactory.com while supplies last.

STANDARD OFFER

♦ Receive the Collector’s Edition Blu-ray with slipcover

♦ Receive a limited-edition 18” x 24” poster of the newly-designed art from artist Paul Shipper

♦ Product will be shipped two weeks earlier than National Street date of September 20th

Pre-order @ www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/the-thing-collector-s-edition

DELUXE OFFER (Limited to 1,500 orders only – pictured below)

♦ Receive the Collector’s Edition Blu-ray with slipcover

♦ Receive a limited-edition 18” x 24” poster of the newly-designed art from Paul Shipper

♦ Product will be shipped three weeks earlier than September 20

♦ Receive a second slipcover made exclusively for this promotion and newly-designed from artist Nat Marsh

♦ Receive a second 18” x 24” poster of the newly designed art from Nat Marsh

Pre-order @ www.shoutfactory.com/film/film-horror/the-thing-deluxe-limited-edition

 

 

 

 

 

Books

“When Mountain Lions are Neighbors” . . . coexisting with wildlife

Did you know that a mountain lion, known as P-22, lives in the middle of Los Angeles? Did you know that on the Facebook campus in Silicon Valley, Mark Zuckerberg and his staff have provided a home for an endearing family of wild gray foxes? Or that wolves have returned to California after a 90-year absence, led by the remarkable journey of the wolf OR-7? The important book When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors: People and Wildlife Working It Out in California (Heyday, $18) shares dozens of stories highlighting the work of individuals, groups, organizations and communities throughout California that help foster place-based connections for wildlife to thrive alongside people, even in highly urbanized areas. The author receives no royalties from this book, and proceeds will benefit the National Wildlife Federation’s conservation work in California.
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The book, created in partnership with Heyday and the National Wildlife Federation, written by National Wildlife Federation’s California Director, Beth Pratt-Bergstrom, is an entertaining read of true tales about people and wildlife championing a new paradigm for conservation: coexistence.
“The truth is that we can each play an important role in ensuring a bright future for wildlife, no matter where we live, and these California stories serve as examples of how we can each take action, from anywhere across our country and around the world,” says Collin O’Mara, President, CEO, National Wildlife Federation.

Many do not realize that California, with its many successful wildlife stories, provides a great example in understanding ways that people can conserve and better co-exist with wildlife that can function as a model worldwide. This “new nature” is personal, urban, social, and diverse, and California has given birth to it.

“When the number-one threat to wildlife worldwide is loss of habitat, we can no longer think of our cities or towns or neighborhoods, or even our backyards, as exempt from the natural world—or as off-limits to wildlife,’ says Beth Pratt-Bergstrom. “We need to expand our view and realize that our shared spaces are as essential to conservation as our traditional protected lands. We need to create a new model of suburban and urban wildlife refugia.”

Pratt-Bergstrom has worked in environmental leadership roles for more than 25 years, and in two of the country’s largest national parks: Yosemite and Yellowstone. As the California Director for the National Wildlife Federation, she says, “I have the best job in the world—advocating for the state’s remarkable wildlife.” Indeed! Connect with Beth at BethPratt.com.
Books will be sold in bookstores, libraries, museums, parks and other retail locations. It will also be sold on IndieBound.com, Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com, as well as on the National Wildlife Federation’s site (NWF.org) and Heyday’s (HeydayBooks.com).
Books

Yearning to learn more about the Vietnam War? Enter here.

Most people called it a war. Most still do, except for the more than three million people (including 58,000 Americans) who were killed in the Vietnam War; more than half were Vietnamese civilians. The war was actually a costly armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. It began in 1954 (though conflict in the region stretched back to the mid-1940s), after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist Viet Minh party in North Vietnam, and continued against the backdrop of an intense Cold War between two global superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union.  The video is graphic!

People who still yearn to learn about the event will find out how it developed, learn about the main battles and meet the key figures involved in 50 Things You Should Know About the Vietnam War (QEB Publishing, $15.95). This new title from the 50 Things You Should Know About series is packed full of infographics, illustrations, maps and color photographs from the Vietnam War.
9781609929619Not only identifying major political and military figures from both sides of the conflict with the ‘”Who’s Who” pages, this title also documents the significance of medical workers, protesters, and civilians who were also a part of this tumultuous time. Photos of memorabilia, such as patches, pins and bracelets, add a personal aspect to the war. Yes, it’s much less graphic that the footage seen here.

DVDs, TV

Dead body found in The Chunnel. We guarantee an addiction to “The Tunnel”.

From the makers of Broadchurch comes a new thriller that has to have mass appeal.  The Tunnel is set against the backdrop of Europe in crisis . . . and what a crisis it is. When a prominent French politician is found dead in the middle of the Channel Tunnel, straddling the border between the UK and France, detectives Karl Roebuck (superbly played by Stephen Dillane) and Elise Wassermann (an excellent  Clémence Poésy) are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries. The case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership. As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, Karl and Elise are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.

The Tunnel has already addicted PBS viewers (the series airs Sunday through August 21); the Blu-ray and DVD will be released on August 9 by PBS Distribution. The DVD and Blu-ray editions also include 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, cast interviews, and more. The program will also be available for digital download.

We won’t reveal anything else, except to remind you that faces may look quite familiar: In addition to Dillane and Poésy, The Tunnel also features Angel Coulby as Laura Roebuck, James Frain as John Sumner, Joseph Mawle as Stephen Beaumont, Keeley Hawes as Suze Beaumont, Tom Bateman as Danny Hillier, Jeanne Balibar as Charlotte Jubin, Thibaut de Montalembert as Olivier Pujol, Jack Lowden as Adam Roebuck, Cedric Vieira as Philippe Viot and Sigrid Bouaziz as Cecille Cabrillac.

CDs, Celebrity Chatter

Sean Combs combs through Bad Boy’s inventory to release a cursed box set

Someone’s got to take the rap, so we figure Sean “Diddy” Combs, known to too many people as Puff Daddy. Combs will be puffing his pride as he celebrates his 20+ year legacy as the ruling authority on hip hop and R&B with the release of the Bad Boy 20th Anniversary Box Set Edition, escaping on August 12.  Bad Boy Entertainment, whose founder and chairman  is Combs, is also puffing the fact that they relish explicit lyrics. How can they accept a song (let’s take the ditty “Blessings”; how can we mix God with the lyric Man, the clique is the tightest, the pussy’s the tightest pussy?

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Disturbed music fans will find the CD constipated with tunes such as “I Need a Girl,” “Juicy,” “I Don’t Wanna Know,” “Hypnotize,” “Money, Power, Respect,” “Peaches & Cream,” “Can’t You See,” “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix),” “Love Like This,” “Feel So Good,” “Pop That,” “Damaged” and “I’ll Be Missing You,” from a lineup of “artists” including Puff Daddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack, Faith Evans, Total, Carl Thomas, Mase, 112, The Lox, Cassie, Janelle Monáe, Danity Kane, Machine Gun Kelly and French Montana.  The Bad Boy 20th Anniversary Box Set Edition is available for preorder now digitally and physically at iTunes and Amazon.

Accompanied by a 64-page historiography and foreword by hip hop journalist Michael A. Gonzales, the collection will take readers on a journey through the history of Bad Boy Entertainment, reminding fans of the label’s reputation as hip hop’s most notorious vanguards.  With contributions from music industry veterans, readers and listeners alike will gain a 360 view of the rise of the label and their revolutionary sound.

Following a painstakingly thorough selection process, which was curated by Bad Boy President Harve Pierre, the collection arrives at the perfect time, the announcement of Puff Daddy & the Family’s highly-anticipated Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, set to kick off August 25.  Tickets for the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour are available at Livenation.com. For additional information about the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, click here.

Coos Combs: “Bad Boy helped make hip hop what it is today and this collection highlights all the music, history and vision that made Bad Boy number one. We want to thank our fans, celebrate the music, the people and the Bad Boy lifestyle that have defined the past two decades.  We’ve always made music that makes the people dance; this collection does all that and more, and it is a celebration of all things Bad Boy.”

Earplugs not included.

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Setting such a good example

 

DVDs

Proof that men have balls . . . on and off screen

No one has more balls than Richard Linklater, who wrote and directed the the critically-acclaimed sports comedy Everybody Wants Some!!, unless you count  the film’s star Tyler Hoechlin who recently played in the MLB All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game at Petco Park in San Diego. His co-stars, Glen Powell, J. Quinton Johnson and Juston Street also have balls: They, were on hand to cheer him on in support of the Blu-ray/DVD release of the fratboy frenzy film.

The film, now available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand, follows freshman pitcher Jake as he arrives at college in the summer of 1980 and meets his new rowdy teammates. Together, they must navigate their way between girls, parties and baseball, all in the last weekend before school begins.

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Jake (Blake Jenner) puts the moves on Beverly (Zoey Deutch). Think his balls will take over?

Maybe the film is so good because two cast members have balls in their blood: Tyler Hoechlin began playing baseball at the age of seven; Juston Street is a  former professional baseball pitcher.

Got the balls to watch a preview?

Kids' Books

Pulling strings to reveal a marvel interactive book for kids of all ages

What a marvel! Wolf Tales: Read & Play Puppet Theater (Walter Foster Jr., $14.95)  allows you to not only read your favorite fairy tales, but also act them out on stage. The box for the Wolf Tales can be used as a stage and contains puppets, set pieces and a book of three fairy tales: Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf and the Young Kids and The Three Little Pigs.
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Each tale includes a shortened script and will capture the attention of event the youngest children. Just set up the pieces, get the puppets ready, and let the performance begin. The boxed set contains: a fold-out puppet theater, a book of three fairy tales with shortened scripts and prompts, 5 colorful set backdrops and 9 double-sided paper puppets. A four-star delight!

Celebrity Chatter, DVDs

MVD Entertainment Group unleashes two classic, sick Arrow Video flicks on Blu-ray/DVD

examiner.com never allowed us to say what we really wanted to say . . . so now we say it: MVD Entertainment Group is one fucking great company and they distribute Arrow Video macabre masterpieces that are so sick and (often) so bloody they are fucking mandatory movies to see and own.

We start off with Microwave Massacre, escaping onto Blu-ray + DVD on  August 16. The flick stars legendary stand-up comedian Jackie Vernon as Donald, a disgruntled construction worker whose wife’s predilection for haute cuisine drives him to cannibalism.
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Donald unwittingly stumbles upon a solution to his two major problems in his life: his nagging wife and his lack of decent meals; one night, he bludgeons his better half to death with a pepper grinder in a drunken rage. Thinking on his feet, Donald dismembers the body and sets about microwaving the remains, which turn out to be rather delicious. Trouble is, now he has a taste for human flesh that needs satisfying . . .

Eschewing all notions of good taste, Wayne Berwick’s Microwave Massacre is a deliciously depraved exercise in political incorrectness that has gone on to gain a cult following thanks to a characteristically deadpan performance from Vernon, who delivers such choice lines as “I’m so hungry I could eat a whore.” Vegetarians need not apply!

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
– Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
– Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– Brand new audio commentary with writer-producer Craig Muckler, moderated by Mike Tristano
– Brand new making-of featurette including interviews with Muckler, director Wayne Berwick and actor Loren Schein
– Original treatment and 8-page synopsis (BD/DVD-ROM content)
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Wes Benscoter

Hungry for more? The Bloodstained Butterfly flies onto Blu-ray + DVD on August 23. Directed by Duccio Tessari, The Bloodstained Butterfly melds the lurid giallo traditions popularized by Dario Argento and Mario Bava with courtroom drama, resulting in a film that is as concerned with forensic detail and legal process as it is with grisly murders and audacious set-pieces.
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When a young female student is savagely killed in a park during a thunderstorm, the culprit seems obvious: her lover, TV sports personality Alessandro Marchi (played by Giancarlo Sbragia), seen fleeing the scene of the crime by numerous eyewitnesses. The evidence against him is damning . . .  but is it all too convenient? And when the killer strikes again while Marchi is in custody, it quickly becomes apparent that there’s more to the case than meets the eye.
Starring openly bisexual heartthrob Helmut Berger alongside genre mainstays Evelyn Stewart and Carole André and featuring a score by Gianni Ferrio, The Bloodstained Butterfly is presented uncut and in a sumptuous new 4K restoration that allows this unique and haunting thriller to shine like never before!
BONUS MATERIALS
– Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
– High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
– Original Italian and English soundtracks in DTS-HD MA mono 1.0
– Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
– New audio commentary with critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman
– Murder in B-Flat Minor, a new visual essay on the film, its cast and crew by author Troy Howarth.
– Mad Dog Helmut, a new interview with actor Helmut Berger
– Exclusive introduction by Helmut Berger
– New interview with actress Evelyn Stewart/Ida Galli
– Interview with Lorella De Luca, actress and wife of director Duccio Tessari
– Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
– Gallery of original promotional images
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
– Limited edition 36-page booklet (first pressing only) illustrated by Tonci Zonjic, containing writing by James Blackford, Howard Hughes and Leonard Jacobs
Celebrity Chatter, DVDs

Roald Dahl, a true bastard to former wife Pat Neal, may very well be a “BFG”

Our dear friend Patricia Neal once told us how mean her husband Roald Dahl could be . . . regaling us with tales of terror. That was then, and we know Dahl was so beloved for his children’s classic books. Public Media Distribution, LLC has re-released Roald Dahl’s The BFG” on DVD.  This film is also available for digital download. Neal would say the title stands for “Big Fucking Goon.”

It actually stands for The Big Friendly Giant; Dahl’s beloved children’s book comes to life in this classic animated feature, which debuted in 1989, about the amazing power of friendship between a little girl and a big-hearted giant.
One moonlit night, little orphan Sophie is snatched from her bed by an awesome giant who whisks her away on a magical, thrilling, and funny adventure. Unlike scary giants such as the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater, and the Bonecruncher, the BFG is a good giant who blows sweet dreams into the bedroom windows of children as they slumber.

When Sophie learns that a monstrous crew of meanies is off to England to gobble up innocent boys and girls, she sets out to stop them once and for all, with the help of her new, rather large, friend.

This DVD includes the digitally restored version of the animated film along with two special features, a never-before-seen bfg

Dahl documentary and before/after Restoration Video. The documentary features an interview with Dahl in which he talks about several of the well-known books he has written including The BFG, The Witches and Matilda. In this video viewers gain insight into how some of these classics came to life.