Category Archives: Movies

DVDs, Movies

“Extraordinary Ordinary People” is a music-fueled journey through folk and traditional arts in America 

Another First Run Features gem . . .

Extraordinary Ordinary People is a music-fueled journey through folk and traditional arts in America.

At a time when the existence of the National Endowment for the Arts has never been more threatened, this new documentary focuses on one of its least known and most enduring programs: the National Heritage Fellowship, awarded annually since 1982.

Featuring a breathtaking array of award-winners including musicians, dancers, quilters, woodcarvers and more, the film demonstrates the importance of the folk and traditional arts in shaping the fabric of America. From Bill Monroe and B.B. King to Passamaquoddy basket weavers and Peking Opera singers; from Appalachia and the mountains of New Mexico to the inner city neighborhoods of New York, the suburbs of Dallas, and the isolated Native American reservations of Northern California–each of the artists share exceptional talent, ingenuity and perseverance.

DVDs, Movies

Benedict Cumberbatch narrates the riveting “Naples ’44”, a look at a war-torn city in Italy

New from First Run Features . . .

In 1943 a young British officer, Norman Lewis, entered a war-torn Naples with the American Fifth Army. Lewis began writing in his notepad everything that happened to him during his one-year stay, observing the complex social cauldron of a city that contrived every day the most incredible ways of fighting to survive. These notes turned into his masterpiece, a memoir titled Naples ’44.

With narration by Benedict Cumberbatch, this new documentary based on Lewis’s memoir imagines him returning many years later to the city that charmed and seduced him.

Combining archival war footage with clips from movies set in Naples from the ’50s and ’60s (featuring Marcello Mastroianni and Ernest Borgnine among others) we see a thrilling and unpredictable parade of unforgettable stories and characters: women in feather hats milking cows in the rubble, statues of saints carried by hysterical crowds attempting to stop Vesuvius erupting and impoverished citizens impersonating aristocrats. But this unusual and riveting evocation of a timeless city is also a powerful condemnation of the horrors of war, whether just or unjust.

DVDs, Movies

The breakthrough “Shakespeare Wallah”, with a gorgeous 2K digital restoration, is now on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms 

One of the first Merchant Ivory productions, the sumptuous Shakespeare Wallah established the tone for so many of the collaborations to come from producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory: the deft, multilayered screenplay by their frequent collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, luminous cinematography, a wry sense of humor and a cast of characters rich in their very human complexity.
Cohen Film Collection’s new restoration of the film, released in theaters nationwide in 2017, came from the 35mm composite fine grain master held at the archive of the George Eastman Museum. The scan and 2K digital restoration was completed in conjunction with the British Film Institute’s Unlocking Film Heritage program. This breakthrough film is now on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms.
The true story of British actor-manager Geoffrey Kendal and his family of traveling theatrical players is used as a fascinating lens into the ever-evolving relationship between Great Britain and India. The film follows Tony Buckingham (Geoffrey Kendal) and his wife, Carla (Laura Liddell), as the actor-managers of a troupe who travel through ’60s post-colonial India staging Shakespeare’s plays. But the Buckinghams come to realize to their dismay that classic English theater is falling out of favor in a changing country where the public has become more excited by the explosion of vibrant Bollywood films – and, more deeply, is looking to move beyond everything British. Meanwhile, the Buckinghams’ daughter Lizzie (future Britcom favorite Felicity Kendal) becomes involved in a love triangle that would fit perfectly in both a Shakespeare drama and a Bollywood musical.
With music by the great Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray and memorable performances by cinema icons Shashi Kapoor and Madhur Jaffrey (who won the Silver Bear award for Best Actress at the 1965 Berlin International Film Festival), Shakespeare Wallah remains a one-of-kind gem of modern world cinema.
Both the Blu-ray and the DVD editions are supplemented with a wealth of bonus material, including a conversation with the filmmakers, featuring Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, Shashi Kapoor and Felicity Kendal; the film’s original trailer; and its 2017 rerelease trailer.
DVDs, Movies

“My Friend Dahmer” tells the fascinating story of Jeffrey, before he went on his infamous killing spree

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was known as the Milwaukee Cannibal—more precise, he was a serial killer and sex offender, who committed the rape, murder and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Many of his murders involved necrophilia, cannibalism and the preservation of body parts. Ugh.

My Friend Dahmer is the story before that story. It’s based on the acclaimed graphic novel about him; its screenplay landed a spot on the coveted “Black List,” ranking it as one of the best un-produced screenplays (at the time) before becoming a hit movie.

Jeff Dahmer (portrayed by Lynch) is an awkward teenager struggling to make it through high school with a family life in ruins. He collects roadkill, fixates on a neighborhood jogger (Kartheiser), and copes with his unstable mother (Heche) and well intentioned father (Roberts). He begins to act out at school, and his goofball antics win over a group of band-nerds who form The Dahmer Fan Club, headed by Derf Backderf (Wolff). But this camaraderie can’t mask his growing depravity. Approaching graduation, Jeff spirals further out of control, inching ever closer to madness.
The flick played extensively on the festival circuit, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival and going on to play at LA Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival and American Film Festival. The film features an all-star cast that includes Emmy Nominee Anne Heche, Vincent Kartheiser, Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff and Dallas Roberts.
DVDs, Movies

Johnny Orlando, Ambyr Childers and Jon Heder star in a reimagined “Pinocchio”

We never tell a lie. We know what happens if we do . . . our nose starts to grow and we being taking on the look of a famous wooden wonder.

The colorful family adventure Pinocchio includes new wonders you’ve never imagined. This witty, wondrous version of the classic family adventure has been reimagined for a new generation and bursting with songs, color, laughter and thrills. Carved by a lonely woodcutter longing for a real son, playful Pinocchio is eager to do good and become human—but he keeps getting distracted from his quest. Constantly captured by con men, creatures and constables, he finds rescue courtesy of the helpful souls who recognize the wooden puppet’s kind heart.

Awarded the Dove Seal of Approval, this “wonderful family film” (The Dove Foundation) is a modern-day retelling of the timeless fable of a boy puppet and the lessons he learns from his misadventures. It comes to DVD, Digital and On Demand April 10 from Lionsgate.

The film features the voice talents of YouTube sensation and musical artist Johnny Orlando, Ambyr Childers and Jon Heder. Added bonus: The DVD includes a never-before-seen featurette, “Bringing the Characters to Life: At the Recording Studio with Johnny Orlando, Jon Heder and Ambyr Childers”.

This is an adventure you wooden believe!

DVDs, Movies, TV

“Secrets of the Dead: Scanning the Pyramids” solves a 4,500-year-old mystery

The secrets the dead reveal!

Following the publication of Nature‘s article acknowledging the greatest discovery in Egypt’s Khufu pyramid for more than 1,000 years, Secrets of the Dead: Scanning the Pyramids (PBS Distribution) unveils the adventure behind this revelation in this new documentary. The only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing, the Great Pyramid of Khufu has fascinated people for centuries. Tracing the origin of the legends of secret chambers hidden in the heart of the pyramid, the program shows what lies within, solving a 4,500-year-old mystery, by following the first scientific mission in 30 years to be authorized by the Egyptian government to examine the pyramids of Egypt.

Passionate about ancient history, the global team of Scan Pyramids consists of particle physicists, experts in innovation and 3D technologies, and engineers in thermal imaging from Egypt, France, Japan and Canada. For more than two years, they explored every corner of the pyramid, using non-invasive technologies including infrared cameras, 3D scanners and cosmological particle detectors located inside and outside the monument. Their search detected unknown cavities in the Great Pyramid of Khufu for the first time since the Middle Ages. Viewers are able to witness Scan Pyramid’s adventures and successes in this extraordinary scientific and historical journey through time and space that led to this historic discovery.

DVDs, Movies, TV

The harrowing journey of Sudan, the last male of his sub-species, the Northern White Rhinoceros, is told in “The Last Rhino”

Meet Sudan, the last male of his sub-species, the Northern White Rhinoceros. NATURE: The Last Rhino (PBS Distribution) tells his harrowing journey through the international cast of characters who have been involved in Sudan’s life, from when he was snatched as a calf from his mother’s side in war-torn Central Africa, to his captivity as a prized exhibit in a cold, concrete zoo behind the Iron Curtain while poaching devastated his kind to extinction back home.

Now at 43 years old and half-blind, Sudan is living out his days under 24-hour armed guard, on a protective sanctuary in Kenya. As his kind nears its last hour, scientists and animal experts turn to technology in a race to save the Northern White Rhino before it dies out forever.

DVDs, Movies

Sid Haig! Pam Grier! Christopher Lee! Bruce Lee! Greats from my childhood . . . in a slew of great flicks from VCI/MVD Entertainment

Sid Haig! Pam Grier! Christopher Lee! Bruce Lee! Greats from my childhood . . . in a slew of great flicks from VCI/MVD Entertainment.

What comes after World War III? A spaceship returns from deep space to find the Earth in The Aftermath of a nuclear and biological war. The streets are filled with mutated survivors feeding off the weak and a Manson-like figure called Cutter (Sid Haig) is reigning terror down on all others. Aftermath, The [Blu-ray + DVD]Cutter and his gang of mercenary thugs are systematically murdering all the male survivors and enslaving women and children. This cult classic 1982 post apocalyptic sci-fi movie makes its Blu-ray debut. The Aftermath was originally banned in the UK and labeled a “Video Nasty” and contributed to its cult status!

Animal desires . . . human lust! Such is the glory and gore of Twilight People. Matt Farrell (John Ashley) is plucked from the sea while skin-diving and taken to the foreboding fortress of Dr. Gordon. He is to become part of the doctor’s diabolical experiment to create a race of super people. This twisted and maniacal doctor’s experiments have so far only created terrifying and hideous creatures.

His human guinea pigs, freed by the doctor’s own daughter, turn the island hideaway into a bloodbath of revenge and terror! Cult Film Queen Pam Grier is featured as “Panther Woman”.

A college student Nan is researching the history of witchcraft in City of the Dead. Taunted by her brother and fiance, who have voiced their concerns, Nan arms herself with resolve and drives to the small New England village of Whitewood. She is glad she was able to count on the support of her professor. A bit anxious but consumed with curiosity, she will soon embark herself on the journey of her life! Legendary Christoper Lee stars; this remastered edition includes a 45-minute interview with him, as well as a feature length commentary by Lee.

https://youtu.be/VVgpCqmlrlQ

 

Bruce’s Deadly Fingers, finally released  for the first time ever in widescreen high definition and produced from a new 2K scan from the 35mm original negative. If you are a fan of the master, Bruce Lee, and other “Bruceploitation films,” then this deluxe Blu-ray + DVD combo is a must for your film collection! After malicious gangsters capture Bruce Lee’s ex-girlfriend, a young martial artist attempts to rescue her and the late master’s book containing lethal techniques for killing with one’s fingers. Plenty of Kung-fu action and mayhem including a particularly gruesome scene involving the torture of a girl with a deadly snake!

DVDs, Movies

“Daughter of the Nile” is a rediscovered gem in the filmography of Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien, courtesy of Cohen Film Collection

Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Daughter of the Nile is the groundbreaking 1987 drama from one of modern world cinema’s most acclaimed filmmakers, and Cohen Media Group celebrates the film’s 30th anniversary with 4K digital restoration.
A rediscovered gem in the filmography of Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien, Daughter of the Nile is a neon-lit, contemporary drama inspired by the heroine of a Japanese manga series. With Hou’s gentle but keen observation, the film follows a young woman and her brother as they float along the periphery of the Taipei underworld, intriguingly blending gangster tale with mood-drenched introspective drama. Based on the personal experiences of frequent Hou screenwriter Chu T’ien-wen, the film is a profoundly moving observation of marginalized youth.
The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 1987 Turin International Festival of Young Cinema and was entered into the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.
Hou Hsiao-hsien emerged in the ’80s to become one of the leading figures, along with Edward Yang and Chen Kunhou, of the New Taiwanese Cinema, a movement away from the kung fu films and overwrought melodramas of the past to an emphasis on realistic portrayals of everyday life, a style often compared to Italian neorealism. Hou’s Daughter of the Nile sits among a string of masterpieces-A Summer at Grandpa’s, A City of Sadness, The Puppetmaster, Flowers of Shanghai-that led him to be voted Director of the Decade for the 1990s in a poll of American and international critics put together by The Village Voice and Film Comment. His most recent film, The Assassin,brought him the Best Director prize at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
In addition to offering digitally restored picture and sound, Cohen Film Collection’s release boast a wealth of extras. Both the Blu-ray and DVD include an audio commentary track by film scholar Richard Suchenski, a new interview with Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns and the 2017 rerelease trailer.
DVDs, Movies

Danny Trejo, Lance Henriksen and Tom Berenger headline “Gone Are the Days”, an epic Western saga of a fading gunman’s quest for justice

Gone are the days of classic westerns, right? Nope.

Danny Trejo, Lance Henriksen and Tom Berenger headline Gone Are the Days, an epic Western saga of a fading gunman’s quest for justice. Seeing his days are growing short, Taylon (Henriksen) rises from his deathbed, puts on his spurs, and hits the trail in search of redemption. He crosses the desert to a gold-rush town, where he finds his estranged daughter working in a brothel.

But to earn her freedom, he must confront the town’s vengeful sheriff (Berenger)—who has an old score to settle with Taylon. With his days winding down, the aging gunman sets out on an epic quest to perform one last good deed, hoping to save his soul.

Including a never-before-seen behind-the-scenes featurette along with cast and crew interviews, the Gone Are the Days arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD and On Demand April 10 from Lionsgate.