Film Movement, the New York-based distributor of arthouse and independent films, has released Geoffrey Murphy’s sci-fi cult classic The Quiet Earth. It’s news that shouldn’t remain quiet: The 1985 flick is now available for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray.
Bruno Lawrence stars as scientist Zac Hobson, a mid-level scientist working on a global energy project who wakes up to a nightmare. After his project malfunctions, he discovers that he may be the last man on Earth. As he searches empty cities for other survivors, Zac’s mental state begins to deteriorate, culminating in the film’s iconic and hotly debated ending.
Called “the best science fiction film of the ’80s” by the Los Angeles Daily News, The Quiet Earth is loosely based on Craig Harrison’s novel of the same name. With this film Geoff Murphy ushered in a renaissance of classic New Zealand films in the ’80s. The film, which was originally screenwriter and producer Sam Pillsbury’s project, was sold to 80 countries, gained a cult following and won Murphy attention in the United States.
The DVD and Blu-ray editions feature a unique bonus: Commentary by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Director of the Hayden Planetarium of the Natural History Museum in New York, together with rogerebert.com film critic Odie Henderson. FYI: The Quiet Man is one of deGrasse Tyson’s favorite science fiction films.
I have such cherished memories of spending time with Mary Travers throughout the years. Then, on September 16, 2009, one day before my birthday, something happened to Mary: She died.
Now Peter and Paul, apostles of folk music, continue the legacy.
50 Years with Peter Paul and Mary (MVD Entertainment Group) is a new documentary by four-time Emmy-winning producer/director Jim Brown that focuses on portions of the trio’s career not included in previously aired PBS specials. This program features rare and previously unseen television footage including a BBC program from the early ’60s that embodies many of the trio’s best performances and most popular songs. This is Peter Paul and Mary at the peak of their artistry, a time when this popular and influential trio dominated the Billboard music charts. From the group’s emergence in Greenwich Village, to the Civil Rights and Antiwar era of the 1960s, through the decades of their later advocacy and music, to Mary’s moving memorial, and finally to the present, where their legacy continues to inform and inspire successive generations, this far deeper and more intimate exploration of the trio reveals the impact of their artistry and activism on their generation and the world. Celebrate the trio whose anthems provided America’s soundtrack for generations. And still do.
Broad City is an odd couple comedy about two best friends navigating their twenties in Madhattan. Their (mis)adventures always lead down unexpected and outlandish paths. They’re broke, flawed and don’t shy away from the sticky situations NYC throws at them . . . they dive right into the shi…, er, muck. But no matter how bad it gets, these young broads are always down with whatever hits them.
Think of it as comedy central.
Upright Citizens Brigade alums Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer came up with the idea for the show; the gals also star and their dynamic relationship, combined with their impeccable comedic timing and chemistry, has been described as “passionate, funny and sometimes raunchy” by The New York Times.
Broad City: Season 3 hits stores on January 10. The two-disc set brings back TV’s baddest BFFs for a whole new set of adventures. Join Abbi, Ilana and a lineup of special guests as they find true love (or one-night stands), get high on life (among other things) and show New York City how it’s done. Just ask one of the season three’s guest stars, Hillary Clinton.
Leave it to Time Life to make the New Year the time of your life. And in color! And with such guests as Clem Kadiddlehopper and Freddie the Freeloader!
Welcome, with open arms, The Red Skelton Show in Color. Home audiences will be entertained by America’s Clown Prince with brilliant full-color episodes of The Red Skelton Hour, some of which have been unseen for more than 50 years.
After purchasing an old movie studio and converting it for TV productions, Skelton was the first CBS host to begin taping his weekly programs in color. And now Time Life brings viewers back to a simpler time, showcasing never-before-released shows as they were originally broadcast more than five decades ago.
One of the country’s most treasured comedians, Skelton kept TV audiences in stitches for 20 groundbreaking seasons on The Red Skelton Show. The son of a circus clown, Red always had a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step (often accompanied by a cowbell sound effect); his heart was pure gold, his jokes were silly and his gifts for physical comedy remain priceless. And from his inimitable comic mind also came a memorable lineup of zany characters including the country bumpkin Clem Kadiddlehopper, the lovable hobo Freddie the Freeloader and Sheriff Deadeye.
The Red Skelton Show in Color is available in two configurations. The three-disc collector’s set features 12 never-before-released episodes, including best-loved sketches with Freddie the Freeloader joining a love-in with hippie Tim Conway; Sheriff Deadeye facing off with Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne); and Clem Kadiddlehopper being mistaken for a robot by mad scientists Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. Other fan favorite sketches include classics such as “Dial M for Moron” with Phyllis Diller, “Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Dumb” with George Gobel, and “Eenie Meenie Minee Schmo” with Mickey Rooney. The single disc release includes 4 complete episodes. Additionally, both releases include exclusive new interviews with Bobby Rydell and Vicki Lawrence.
Let’s face it: The Faces had quite a life. They were an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer/guitarist Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (bass guitar) and Kenney Jones (drums and percussion)—were joined by Ronnie Wood (guitar) and Rod Stewart (lead vocals), both from the Jeff Beck Group, and the new line-up was renamed Faces.
Whew!
Now, the definitive story of one of Britain’s best-loved bands has found a groove. Had Me a Real Good Time: Faces, Before, During and After(Overlook Omnibus, $29.95) by music journalist Andy Neill examines the Faces as never before, exploring their roots and contribution to 70’s rock and beyond.
Formed in 1969 from the remnants of the Small Faces and the Jeff Beck Group, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Kenny Jones presented a uniquely authentic musical act at a time when aestheticized disco and glam rock were in vogue. With lead singer Stewart’s raspy voice and the band’s unpretentious, direct approach to music, the famously madcap Faces cultivated both their own brand of rock and a worldwide following.
Updated to include a chapter on the legacy of keyboard player MacLagan (who died in 2014) the book provides the most comprehensive account of the Faces from their working class upbringings in Britain, through hits such as “Stay with Me,” and into their illustrious solo careers, including collaborations with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Joe Cocker. Neill synthesizes original research and first-hand interviews to form this immersive account of the distinctive group.
Rod Stewart is a big fan of the book: “It’s amazing,” he says. “It’s got a huge amount of information.”
Looking to begin the New Year with New Ideas, New Success, New Fulfilled Potential?
Katie Couric recommends (highly) Jeremy Cage’s book, All Dreams on Deck: Charting the Course for Your Life and Work (Greenleaf Book Group, $19.95). The work, says she, is “a great book that everyone who thinks about how to better balance work–life issues would benefit from reading. Everything starts with a dream– but Jeremy really shows us how to get started on making these dreams come to life.”
Writes he: “Most businesses and most people die full of potential. I strongly urge you to pluck up the courage and take the action required to realize your dreams, instead of sitting back and saying ‘I could have or should have’ for the rest of your life.”
An entrepreneur, executive coach and former Fortune 100 executive, Cage believes that “dreams are the most powerful force on our planet and yet they are simultaneously incredibly vulnerable. If not prioritized, protected and nurtured, they wither and die.”
Cage is an expert in turning dreams into reality. One of his more ambitious dreams was to sail around the world with his wife and their two children. They spent four years preparing for their 16-month, life-changing voyage. Since returning, Cage has become an advisor to thousands of people, showing them how to fulfill their dreams for their businesses and for themselves.
Basing his advice on his years of corporate success as well as his around-the-world sailing adventure, Cage uses a boat metaphor to articulate his process in All Dreams on Deck. A person’s dreams are the hull of the boat. Intentionality is the rigging and the sails. Planning and preparation are the training necessary to sail and navigate the boat. Courage is the wind that must be harnessed to propel the boat forward. He brings these concepts to life, illustrating them with true stories and anecdotes, in separate chapters that include:
Dream Like You Mean It Sailing around the world, starting a business or winning a competition are all amazing dreams. However, dreams need to be specific. When dreams are vague, people tend to focus on obstacles, fears, and dreads. Being specific about your dreams enables you to clearly define the steps you need to make them a reality.
Climb Your Ladder of Intentionality Having specific dreams is not enough. You need to become intentional. Commit. Write them down. Declare them out loud. Get others talking about them. This helps you climb your ladder of intentionality.
Ready Yourself, Your Crew and Your Ship The better you plan and prepare, the more likely it is that you will succeed. Understand what you need to know, do, and know how to do, to accomplish your business and personal dreams.
Summon Your Courage Venturing into the unknown is not easy. Whatever your dream, you will encounter obstacles and challenges. Overcoming your fears will allow you to achieve your goals. Trust yourself and your team. Be optimistic. Listen carefully. Accept reality quickly.
The book includes a “Chart Plotter” workbook so people can easily articulate their dreams and start taking immediate action. All aboard!
IndiePix Unlimited, the signature streaming subscription service from world cinema label IndiePix Films, has opened its highly-curated catalog of cinematic classics to Prime members through Amazon Channels. With the IndiePix video subscription from Amazon Channels, cinephiles will have access to a dazzling and daring world of exclusive, award-winning films from both international auteurs and visionary new voices alike for $5.99 per month, with a seven-day free trial.From 2009 Cannes Camera D’Or winner, Samson & Delilah; Iranian artist Shirin Neshat’s Golden Lion-nominated Women Without Men and the highly-acclaimed, Ryan Gosling-produced White Shadow, to Mouton, a Locarno Opera Prima Award-winner and the post-apocalyptic sci-fi fable, Crumbs, IndiePix Unlimited offers discriminating movie lovers some of the most acclaimed independent films of the past decade, as well as award-winners and festival favorites from Cannes, Tribeca, Venice, Sundance, SXSW and Rotterdam, popular indie classics and more.
And via Amazon Channels, these films will be available to Prime members anywhere and anytime through Amazon’s numerous streaming platforms including Playstation and Roku, the Amazon Video app, Amazon Fire TV, sticks and tablets and online at Amazon.com/channels.
“Since 2004, it’s been our mission to introduce cineastes to compelling independent cinema,” explains CEO Barnet Liberman. “Teaming with Amazon Channels opens up the IndiePix vaults to Prime members, and we’re excited to share some truly magnificent dramas, documentaries and shorts from around the world with them.”
Fiercely committed to sharing new cinematic voices and experiences from under-represented regions such as Africa, IndiePix will continue to add to its digital subscription service with gems from around the world each month. Being released shortly will be nearly 50 discarded classics of African cinema through a partnership with Retro Afrika Bioscope, an independent label of Gravel Road Entertainment dedicated to locating, acquiring, restoring and re-releasing retro South African films from the ’70s and ’80s.
Want to start the New Year off with an exciting new chapter in your reading? It’s elementary dear readers.
In Arthur and Sherlock: Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes(Bloomsbury, $27), acclaimed author Michael Sims traces Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s circuitous path to becoming the father of the modern mystery. Follow Doyle’s early days in Edinburgh surrounded by poverty and violence, through his escape to university to study medicine, his first several years of limited success in both medicine and writing, and finally, the emergence of the character of Sherlock Holmes, in Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet.
Sims deftly shows Holmes to be a product of Doyle’s varied adventures in his personal and professional life, as well as built out of the traditions of writers Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Émile Gaboriau and (one of our faves, and still so underrated!) Wilkie Collins—not just a skillful translator of clues, but a veritable superhero of the mind, reminiscent of Doyle’s esteemed teacher, Dr. Joseph Bell.
Sir Arthur . . . penning another Sherlock saga?
As a young medical student, Doyle studied under Dr. Bell, a veritable diagnostic genius and Doyle’s favorite professor. Bell could often identify a patient’s occupation, hometown, and ailments from the smallest details of dress, gait, and speech. Although Doyle was training to be a surgeon, he was impressed and inspired by Bell’s detective-like abilities, which laid the groundwork for Doyle’s creation of Holmes several years later. Filled with details that will surprise even the most knowledgeable Sherlockian, Arthur and Sherlock is a literary genesis story for detective fans everywhere.
We must never forget.
And we won’t. From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert For Orlando–recorded and filmed live on July 25, 2016 at the Disney Theatre at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and released by Broadway Records–has been released on DVD, Blu-ray and CD. Net proceeds raised from the sold-out concert were donated equally between the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida, Hope and Help Center of Central Florida and Zebra Coalition.
Michael J. Moritz, Jr. served as Music Director. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra accompanied the performers. “Everyone generously donated their time and flew to Orlando to make this happen for an incredibly important purpose,” says Van Dean, one of the evening’s co-producers. Noteworthy to know: Broadway Records honcho Dean was the producer and co-conceiver of the first From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert for Sandy Hook.
Ol’ pal Liz
The special double CD/DVD/Blu-ray (from Broadway Records) includes rousing performances of “Sugar Daddy” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, performed by Darren Criss; “Sun Is Gonna Shine” from Broadway’s Bright Star, performed by Carmen Cusack; Carole King’s “Beautiful,” performed by Jessie Mueller; “The Wizard and I” from Wicked, performed by Carrie Manolokas; “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha, performed by Brian Stokes Mitchell; “All That Jazz” from Chicago, performed by Chita Rivera; “Don’t Rain On My Parade,”
Seth and ol’ pal Priscilla, who still raises the roof with “Nothing”
performed by Lillias White; “Slide Some Oil to Me” from The Wiz, performed by Joshua Henry; and “They Don’t Let You in the Opera If You’re a Country Star,” performed by Kelli O’Hara.
Savor the talents of Christine Pedi, who went New Rochelle’s Iona College . . . same as me! But she is much more famous . . .
The new year is a a mere fast forward away, but PBS Distribution has already a list of upcoming DVDs they are releasing that demand you to write “Save the Date” on your new 2017 calendar . . . and spend the you found in your money found in stocking hanging from the mantle.
Secrets of the Dead: After Stonehenge (Available now) Three thousand years ago, the Egyptians were building the pyramids, but little is known about what was going on in Europe during this same time. Scholars have long believed that nothing nearly as advanced was happening in Britain. Could a new discovery prove historians wrong?
On the edge of Must Farm Quarry in an area southeast of Britain known as the Fens, archaeologists are uncovering the charred remains of a 3,000-year-old English settlement.
http://https://youtu.be/edt6Jd_1RLo
The program follows a team of archeologists, scientists, historians and specialists, as they shed new light on the ancient history of the western world. Perfectly preserved in mud, the prehistoric British Bronze Age Village–built at least one thousand years after Stonehenge–has been called the “British Pompeii.”
Because the site is so delicate, the experts have been working in secret inside the quarry. But now they are rushing to complete their work and map the site before the land is returned for its owner’s use. Have their findings forever changed what we know about life in Bronze Age Britain? What revelations about the villager’s lives can be gleaned from the cache of finds, unprecedented in number and quality, emerging from the marshy Fens?
NOVA: Treasures of the Earth (on sale January 3)
All around us is Earth’s bounty—spectacular mountains, Caribbean blue oceans and abundant, delicious food crops. But what we can see is only a part of the riches Earth provides. Its hidden assets are some of our most important natural resources and they have helped shape humankind.
The program is a three-part series that takes us on a journey deep inside the Earth to uncover the mysteries of how these treasures were created and explores how they have allowed humans to evolve and build great civilizations.
Projections of America (January 3) During the darkest hour of WWII, a team of idealistic filmmakers hoped the power of the movies could reshape the world. Led by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Robert Riskin, the filmmakers created 26 short documentaries about American life shown to millions of people around the world. The films told stories of cowboys and oilmen, farmers and window washers, immigrants and school children, capturing the optimism and messiness of American democracy.
The gorgeously crafted films were idealized versions of what America could be, created by politically engaged filmmakers who while fighting tyranny abroad, wanted also to fundamentally change America itself. But 70 years later, the films have disappeared. John Lithgow narrates this story of war, idealism and the power of cinema. This emotionally charged story is told through rare and evocative archival materials, including pristine new transfers of the propaganda films themselves, interwoven with interviews with filmmakers, audience members, and film critics.
FRONTLINE: Confronting Isis (January 3) One of the biggest foreign policy challenges America’s next president will face is the battle against ISIS. Where does the U.S.-led fight against the terror group stand today?
In the special, FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith travels to five countries with key roles in the anti-ISIS fight—Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Turkey—to report on successes, failures and challenges as ISIS loses ground in the region but strikes out with attacks abroad. Beginning with the fall of Mosul to ISIS in 2014, the program deeply examines two years of American-led efforts to defeat ISIS, taking viewers step-by-step through a number of initiatives involving different regional players. Smith gains rare access across the region and beyond. In the process, he finds a fundamental problem: At times, the White House’s narrow focus on defeating ISIS hasn’t always aligned with the top issues faced by America’s allies—om how to deal with Bashar al-Assad in Syria, to Saudi Arabia’s fears about Iran, to the war in Yemen, to the Kurdish-Turkish conflict.
Puppy Power (January 10) This fun-filled DVD includes four puppy-packed Super Why! adventures. Join Woofster and the Super Readers for exciting adventures where they save other troubled pets, explore a comic book that Whyatt created called “The Missing Princess of Pet City,” and learn to concentrate by overcoming distractions! This collection of stories features tons of new furry friends and will inspire kids to go on reading adventures. Super Why! helps kids learn the fundamentals of reading through interactive storybook adventures. The program features a team of superhero characters with reading powers who jump into books to find answers to everyday preschool challenges.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: Command and Control (January 10) A cautionary tale of freak accidents, near misses, human fallibility and extraordinary heroism, the program exposes the terrifying truth about the management of America’s nuclear arsenal and shows what can happen when the weapons built to protect us threaten to destroy us.
The film recounts, in chilling, minute-by-minute detail, the story of a deadly 1980 accident at a Titan II missile complex in Damascus, Arkansas. Through the first-person accounts of Air Force personnel, weapon designers and first responders who were on the scene, the film reveals the unlikely chain of events that caused the accident and the feverish efforts to prevent the explosion of a ballistic missile carrying the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States—600 times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
On the evening of September 18, 1980, Airmen David F. Powell and Jeffrey L. Plumb were performing routine maintenance at the Titan II silo in Damascus, Arkansas. At the age of 21, Powell was considered a highly experienced missile technician; Plumb, who had just turned 19, was still in training. As the two stood on a platform near the top of the Titan II, a socket fell from Powell’s wrench, plummeted 70 feet and, shockingly, punctured the missile. A stream of highly explosive rocket fuel began pouring into the silo.
Nothing like this had ever happened to a Titan II before and the Air Force had no procedures in place to deal with the event. For the next eight hours, the leadership of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) frantically struggled to figure out how to prevent a massive explosion and retain control of the thermonuclear warhead—a weapon so powerful that it could destroy much of Arkansas and deposit lethal radioactive fallout across the East Coast.
A cautionary tale filmed in an abandoned Titan II missile silo in Arizona, Command and Control forces viewers to confront the great dilemma that the U.S. has faced since the dawn of the nuclear age: How do we manage weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them?
Odd Squad: The Movie(January 24) Odd indeed! This is the first-ever movie from the Emmy-winning live-action PBS KIDS series from The Fred Rogers Company. When a rival agency called Weird Team, led by Weird Tom, arrives on the scene with a gadget that fixes any odd problem, Odd Squad suddenly finds it doesn’t have any cases to solve and goes out of business.
The agents close shop and go back to their lives as regular kids. Using math and teamwork, they soon uncover that Weird Team’s gadget isn’t actually fixing the problems around town, but only covering them up. Olympia and Otis join forces with Olive and Otto to stop Weird Team–and save the world from destruction!
MASTERPIECE: Victoria (January 31) Jenna Coleman stars as the young Queen Victoria at the outset of her epic reign, which set the stage for an entire era that would be named in her honor. Scripted by bestselling novelist Daisy Goodwin, the series follows Victoria from her accession to the throne at age 18, through her education in politics, courtship and marriage, Victoria paints a portrait of a monarch who was raised to be the pawn of her powerful elders but who wasted no time in showing the empire who was in charge.
http://https://youtu.be/OS19gVw1Qbs
Goodwin imaginatively depicts what it was like for an ill-educated, emotionally deprived teenager to wake up one morning and find that she is the most powerful woman in the world. That it happened at all was practically a miracle. Victoria was queen only by virtue of ill luck and unfruitful marriages on the part of her uncles, who failed to produce legitimate heirs to the crown. Furthermore, her immediate predecessors were so disliked as kings that the institution of the monarchy seemed to be doomed.
Goodwin has been careful to stay faithful to the facts, while reading between the lines to fill in the gaps where the early Victorians were scrupulously silent. The result is a gripping historical pageant that reveals a side of Victoria that is at odds with her later reputation for prudery and a high moral tone.
This is Peter Paul and Mary at the peak of their artistry, a time when this popular and influential trio dominated the Billboard music charts. From the group’s emergence in Greenwich Village, to the Civil Rights and Antiwar era of the 1960s, through the decades of their later advocacy and music, to Mary’s moving memorial, and finally to the present, where their legacy continues to inform and inspire successive generations, this far deeper and more intimate exploration of the trio reveals the impact of their artistry and activism on their generation and the world. Celebrate the trio whose anthems provided America’s soundtrack for generations. And still do.
and Clem Kadiddlehopper being mistaken for a robot by mad scientists Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. Other fan favorite sketches include classics such as “Dial M for Moron” with Phyllis Diller, “Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Dumb” with George Gobel, and “Eenie Meenie Minee Schmo” with Mickey Rooney. The single disc release includes 4 complete episodes. Additionally, both releases include exclusive new interviews with Bobby Rydell and Vicki Lawrence.
From 2009 Cannes Camera D’Or winner, Samson & Delilah; Iranian artist Shirin Neshat’s Golden Lion-nominated Women Without Men and the highly-acclaimed, Ryan Gosling-produced White Shadow, to Mouton, a Locarno Opera Prima Award-winner and the post-apocalyptic sci-fi fable, Crumbs, IndiePix Unlimited offers discriminating movie lovers some of the most acclaimed independent films of the past decade, as well as award-winners and festival favorites from Cannes, Tribeca, Venice, Sundance, SXSW and Rotterdam, popular indie classics and more.
Follow Doyle’s early days in Edinburgh surrounded by poverty and violence, through his escape to university to study medicine, his first several years of limited success in both medicine and writing, and finally, the emergence of the character of Sherlock Holmes, in Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet.
Super Why! helps kids learn the fundamentals of reading through interactive storybook adventures. The program features a team of superhero characters with reading powers who jump into books to find answers to everyday preschool challenges.