Film Buff Friday: The Passion Of Darkly Noon

The Desire...The Obsession...The Nightmare...

IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TONIGHT... Described by critic Mark Kermode as an "extraordinary filmmaker" and "one of the UK's most imaginative talents", visionary British director Philip Ridley followed his sensational debut The Reflecting Skin with another surreal incursion into the dark heart of the 'American dream' in The Passion of Darkly Noon. Darkly Noon (Brendan Fraser) is the sole survivor of a military-style attack on an isolated religious community. Stumbling through a forest in a daze, he is rescued by the free-spirited and enigmatic Callie (Ashley Judd). Darkly finds himself feeling strange new desires for Callie as she nurses him back to health... only to watch her jump into the arms of her returning mute lover Clay (Viggo Mortensen). Lost in the woods with only his fundamentalist upbringing to make sense of his unrequited passions, Darkly soon descends into an explosive and lethal rage. Now available for the first time worldwide on Blu-ray™, Ridley's talent for spellbinding, hallucinogenic dream imagery is on full display in a glittering new transfer of his most formally inventive and electrifying film. The mesmerising soundtrack includes two songs co-written by Ridley for the film, "Look What You've Done (To My Skin)" performed by Gavin Friday and "Who Will Love Me Now?" performed by PJ Harvey.

Bonus Materials

• New 2K restoration by Arrow Films from the original camera negative, approved by Philip Ridley
• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
• Original 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD MA audio
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary by writer/director Philip Ridley
• Isolated score track in lossless stereo, including never-before-heard extended and unused cues, and the two songs from the film
• Sharp Cuts, a newly filmed interview with editor Leslie Healey
• Forest Songs, a newly filmed interview with composer Nick Bicât
• Dreaming Darkly, an archive featurette from 2015 featuring interviews with Ridley, Bicât and star Viggo Mortensen
• Previously unreleased demos of the music score, written and performed by Bicât before filming started
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring new and original artwork
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring a new Philip Ridley career retrospective written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Sales Points

• Starring Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), Ashley Judd (Double Jeopardy), Viggo Mortensen (Green Book), Loren Dean (Enemy of the State) and Grace Zabriskie (Armageddon)
• For the film Director Philip Ridley was awarded the Best Director Prize at the 1995 Fantasporto Film festival.
• Fangoria magazine praised the film, citing especially the performance of Brendan Fraser.
• Like Philip Ridley's previous film 'The Reflecting Skin', 'The Passion of Darkly Moon' has developed a cult following!
• In 2014, 'The Passion of Darkly Moon' made the top 10 in The Daily Telegraph's list of the 50 most underrated films of all time.

Order Here: https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV284

Saturday Sinema: Laurel & Hardy

Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations

coming to DVD and Blu-ray on June 16th 

"It's no exaggeration to say that the films haven't looked this good since 

they were first released in the 1930s." - Leonard Maltin

The comedy films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have been beloved around the world since they were first released between 1927 and 1940. So beloved that many of the available copies are blurred dupes printed from worn-out negatives. Now, the best of their short comedies and two of their finest features have been fully restored. They look and sound as spectacular as when they were first released... Here are a few videos that prove it:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP6iG4k4zoQ 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDjaDaELXO0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCSELv-koGo

FEATURES

* NEW! 2K and 4K transfers from the finest original 35mm materials in the world. 

* WORLD PREMIERES! Laurel and Hardy's legendary 1927 silent "pie fight" film THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY makes its video debut after being "lost" for 90 years! The only reel of L&H bloopers and out-takes, THAT'S THAT!

* Classic short comedies BERTH MARKS, BRATS, HOG WILD, COME CLEAN, ONE GOOD TURN, HELPMATES, THE MUSIC BOX (the legendary Academy Award winning "piano moving" short), THE CHIMP, COUNTY HOSPITAL, SCRAM!, THEIR FIRST MISTAKE, TOWED IN A HOLE, TWICE TWO, ME AND MY PAL, THE MIDNIGHT PATROL, and BUSY BODIES in addition to the feature films SONS OF THE DESERT and WAY OUT WEST (which includes the team's famous soft shoe dance routine).

* EIGHT HOURS of EXCLUSIVE extras - 2,500 rare photos and studio documents, audio and film interviews with L&H co-workers, original music tracks and trailers plus a full restoration of their one surviving color film, THE TREE IN A TEST TUBE.

* Commentaries by L&H historians Randy Skretvedt and Richard W. Bann

*Restorations provided by Jeff Joseph/SabuCat in conjunction with UCLA Film & Television Archive and Library of Congress.

Sunday Sinema: Kansas City

Returning to the city of his birth for inspiration, legendary maverick director Robert Altman helms an evocative, bullet-riddled tribute to the music and movies of his youth in Kansas City, a Depression-era gangster flick as only he could make one. Blondie O'Hara (Jennifer Jason Leigh) resorts to desperate measures when her low-level hood husband Johnny (Dermot Mulroney) gets caught trying to steal from Seldom Seen (Harry Belafonte), a local crime boss operating out of jazz haunt The Hey-Hey Club. Out on a limb, Blondie kidnaps laudanum-addled socialite Carolyn (Miranda Richardson), hoping her influential politician husband can pull the right strings and get Johnny out of Seldom Seen's clutches. Nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and featuring a remarkable soundtrack performed live by some of the best players in contemporary jazz, one of Altman's most underrated and idiosyncratic films finally makes its long-awaited Blu-ray™ debut.

Bonus Materials

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
• Original 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by director Robert Altman
• Newly filmed appreciation by critic Geoff Andrew
• Gare, Trains et Deraillement, a 2007 visual essay by French critic Luc Lagier, plus short introduction to the film narrated by Lagier
• Robert Altman Goes to the Heart of America and Kansas City: The Music, two 1996 promotional featurettes including interviews with cast and crew
• Electronic press kit interviews with Altman, Leigh, Richardson, Belafonte and musician Joshua Redman, plus behind-the-scenes footage
• Four theatrical trailers
• TV spots
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jennifer Dionisio
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Dr Nicolas Pillai, original press kit notes and an excerpt from Altman on Altman

Sales Points

• Produced, written and directed by four-time Academy Award Nominee Robert Altman (The Player, Nashville, M*A*S*H*)
• Stars Oscar Nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Oscar Nominee Miranda Richardson (Damage), Harry Belafonte (BlacKkKlansman), Michael Murphy (Magnolia), Steve Buscemi (Fargo), Dermot Mulroney (Zodiac) & Brooke Smith (Silence of the Lambs)
• First Time Available on Blu-ray!
• Comp to other critically acclaimed Robert Altman Criterion Collection Blu-rays including Nashville, 3 Women, Short Cuts, McCabe & Mrs. Miller and The Player.

Order Here: https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AA056

Saturday Sinema: Deadly Manor

An old, dark house... A maniac on the loose... An orgy of bloodlust! All the hallmarks of late master of Spanish macabre José Ramón Larraz (Edge of the Axe, Vampyres) are present and correct in 1990's Deadly Manor - the final horror movie from one of the genre's most unheralded filmmakers. Whilst en route to a lake, a group of youngsters make an unscheduled stop-off at a remote, seemingly abandoned mansion where they plan to spend the night. But the property is full of foreboding signs - a blood-stained car wreck in the garden, coffins in the basement, scalps in the closet, and photographs of a beautiful but mysterious woman adorning every corner of the house. Before daybreak, the group will unwittingly uncover the strange and terrifying truth that lurks behind the walls of this dreadful place. The last in a trio of transcontinental slice-and-dice co-productions helmed by Larraz towards the end of the 80s (all of which which he directed under the anglicized moniker of Joseph Braunstein), Deadly Manor - released on VHS in the US under the title Savage Lust - is a fitting capper to the director's prolific career in fear, now finally unearthed for the first time on Blu-ray.

Bonus Materials

• Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary with Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan
• Newly-filmed interview with actress Jennifer Delora
• Making a Killing - a newly-filmed interview with producer Brian Smedley-Aston
• Extract from an archival interview with Jose Larraz
• Original “Savage Lust” VHS trailer
• Image Gallery
• Original Script and Shooting Schedule (BD-ROM content)
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais (TO BE REVEALED)
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author John Martin

Order Here: https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV257

Saturday Sinema: One Missed Call Trilogy

One Missed Call

An iconic trilogy of J-horror films comes to Blu-ray for the first time! Tapping into the same brand of terror as the Ring and Grudge movies, visionary director Takashi Miike (Audition, Blade of the Immortal) presents a modern, high-tech twist on that mainstay of Japanese folklore, the yurei or vengeful spirit, in the form of its own iconic antihero - the terrifying Mimiko. In the first installment in the trilogy, 2003's One Missed Call, student Yoko (Anna Nagata, Battle Royale) receives a phone message from her future self, ending with her own death scream. Two days later, she dies in a horrific rail collision. As the mysterious phone curse spreads, claiming more young lives, Yoko's friend Yumi (Ko Shibasaki, Battle Royale, 47 Ronin) joins forces with detective Hiroshi (Shinichi Tsutsumi, Space Battleship Yamato), whose sister met the same gruesome fate. But can they unravel the mystery before the clock runs out on the next victim - Yumi herself? Mimiko's curse continues to wreak bloody havoc in two sequels - 2005's One Missed Call 2 and 2006's One Missed Call: Final, in addition to spawning a TV series and an American remake. This lavish collection from Arrow Video gathers together the original trilogy and a swathe of in-depth bonus features for the ultimate spine-tingling experience.

Bonus Materials

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations
• Lossless Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 soundtracks
• Optional English subtitles
• New audio commentary on One Missed Call by Miike biographer Tom Mes
• The Making of One Missed Call, an hour-long archival documentary on the film’s production
• Archival interviews on One Missed Call with actors Ko Shibasaki, Shinichi Tsutsumi and Kazue Fukiishi, and director Takashi Miike
• Archival interview on One Missed Call with director Takashi Miike
• Archival footage from the One Missed Call premiere
• Live or Die TV special
• A Day with the Mizunuma Family
• One Missed Call alternate ending
• The Making of One Missed Call 2, a half-hour archival documentary on the film’s production
• Gomu, a short film by One Missed Call 2 director Renpei Tsukamoto
• One Missed Call 2 deleted scenes
• One Missed Call 2 music video
• The Making of One Missed Call: Final, an hour-long archival documentary on the film’s production
• Maki and Meisa, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette on One Missed Call: Final with actresses Maki Horikita and Meisa Kuroki
• Behind the Scenes with Keun-Suk Jang, an archival featurette with One Missed Call: Final’s South Korean star
• The Love Story, a short film tie-in for One Missed Call: Final
• Candid Mimiko, an archival location tour with the series’ iconic villain
• Theatrical trailers and TV spots
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin

Order Here: https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV222

Film Buff Friday: House By The Cemetery

HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY 3-Disc Limited Edition / 4K Restoration coming January 21st The outrageous Italian shocker from The Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci  Watch TRAILER Pre-order HERE Read The Fine Print... You May Have Just Mortgaged Your Life   A young family moves from their cramped New York City apartment to a spacious new home in New England. But this is no ordinary house in the country: the previous owner was the deranged Dr. Freudstein, whose monstrous human experiments have left a legacy of bloody mayhem. Now, someone - or something - is alive in the basement, and home sweet home is about to become a horrific hell on earth.   Catriona MacColl (THE BEYOND), Paolo Malco (THE NEW YORK RIPPER), Ania Pieroni (TENEBRE), Carlo De Mejo (CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD), and Dagmar Lassander (HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON) star in this outrageous Italian shocker from 'The Godfather of Gore,' Lucio Fulci (ZOMBIE). Blue Underground is now proud to present THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY in a new 4K restoration from the original uncut and uncensored camera negative, fully loaded with exclusive new and archival Extras!

Disc 1 (Blu-ray) Feature Film + Extras NEW! Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films Deleted Scene Theatrical Trailers TV Spot Poster & Still Galleries Disc 2 (Blu-ray) Extras: Meet the Boyles - Interviews with Stars Catriona MacColl and Paolo Malco Children of the Night - Interviews with Stars Giovanni Frezza and Silvia Collatina Tales of Laura Gittleson - Interview with Star Dagmar Lassander My Time With Terror - Interview with Star Carlo De Mejo A Haunted House Story - Interviews with Co-Writers Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti To Build a Better Death Trap - Interviews with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati, Special Make-Up Effects Artist Maurizio Trani, Special Effects Artist Gino De Rossi, and Actor Giovanni De Nava NEW!House Quake - Interview with Co-Writer Giorgio Mariuzzo NEW! Catriona MacColl Q&A NEW!Calling Dr. Freudstein - Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci Disc 3 (CD): THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Walter Rizzati BONUS! Collectable Booklet with new essay by Michael Gingold    Reviews: "A truly frightening horror film... Any fan of Italian horror should see it!" - Bloody Disgusting "Horror exploitation at its best... Plenty of blood, gore, impalements, decapitations, and maggots!" - Classic-Horror "Nasty, lurid and surprisingly scary... Arguably Fulci's strongest movie!" - Total Sci-Fi Online "The claustrophobic mixture of chills and supernatural poetry would do Mario Bava proud!" - Mondo Digital

Film Buff Friday: Slaughterhouse-Five

BILLY PILGRIM LIVES - FROM TIME TO TIME TO TIME... Past, present and future collide in darkly satirical fashion in Slaughterhouse-Five! Based on Kurt Vonnegut's classic 1969 novel, this tale of time travel and alien abduction emerged as part of a wave of more cerebral science-fiction films in the late 60s to early 70s, elevating the genre beyond the B-movie fare of previous decades. Upstate New York, 1968. Mild-mannered Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks, The Sugarland Express) finds himself "unstuck in time". Traveling back and forth across the entire span of his existence, he experiences key events of his life in a random order, including his formative years, the firebombing of Dresden and finally, at some undefined point in the future, his surreal adventures on a distant planet. Praised by Vonnegut himself for its fidelity to his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five boasts assured direction by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and a memorable score by renowned concert pianist Glenn Gould. Now exclusively restored in 4K, Slaughterhouse-Five shines like never before, reinforcing its timeless appeal.

Bonus Materials

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation
• Original lossless mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary by author and critic Troy Howarth
• New video appreciation with author and critic Kim Newman
• Pilgrim's Progress: Playing Slaughterhouse-Five, a new video interview with actor Perry King
• Only on Earth: Presenting Slaughterhouse-Five, a new video interview with Rocky Lang, son of executive producer Jennings Lang, about the film's distribution
• Unstuck in Time: Documenting Slaughterhouse-Five, a new video interview with behind-the-scenes filmmaker/producer Robert Crawford, Jr.
• Eternally Connected: Composing Slaughterhouse-Five, a new video interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley

Press Quotes

Kurt Vonnegut's compelling source novel about life, war, and faith is turned into a stellar film adaptation in 1972's Slaughterhouse-Five.      —DoBlu.com

Order Here: https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV250   

Apprentice To Murder

Not to be confused with "Redrum"

WAS IT MAGIC, MURDER, OR MADNESS? In early twentieth-century Pennsylvania Dutch Country, young Billy Kelly (Chad Lowe, Highway to Hell) falls in with a charismatic "powwower" or folk magic healer, Dr. John Reese (Donald Sutherland, Don't Look Now), shunned by the rest of the community for his non-conformist beliefs. Together, they investigate the mysterious sickness that is blighting the area, which Reese believes to be the work of a sinister local hermit. But as the plague spreads and the wide-eyed Billy falls ever deeper under Reese's spell, are they doing God's work or the Devil's bidding? Also starring Mia Sara (Legend) and featuring a powerhouse performance by Donald Sutherland - reunited here with Don't Look Now screenwriter Allan Scott - Apprentice to Murder is a chilling and unforgettable tale of the macabre that blurs the lines between conventional notions of "good" and "evil".

Bonus Materials

• Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original 35mm interpositive
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original lossless mono soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary by author and critic Bryan Reesman
• New video interview on religious horror cinema with Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine
• New video interview with cinematographer Kelvin Pike
• New video interview with makeup supervisor Robin Grantham
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love

Order Here:

https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV230

Film Buff Friday: Robocop

I caught this again recently on HBO, still hold up, still a great film.

PART MAN, PART MACHINE, ALL COP. RoboCop, from Orion Pictures, marked director Paul Verhoeven's (Flesh + Blood) Hollywood debut and instantly became an enduring sci-fi/action classic when it landed in theaters in the summer of 1987. Verhoeven's peerlessly exciting and kinetic visuals were matched by a sharp script, iconic cast and exceptional special effects by Rob Bottin (The Thing) and Phil Tippett (The Empire Strikes Back). The film takes place in Detroit in the not-too-distant future. Heroic cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai) is gunned down in the line of duty, only to be resurrected as RoboCop - a cybernetic mix of spare human parts and Motor City steel, and the latest defense against crime designed by the all-powerful OCP Corporation. As RoboCop's memories of his former life as Murphy resurface, only his ex-partner (Nancy Allen, Dressed To Kill) stands beside him to fight against the vicious thugs responsible for his death, as well as a nefarious top-level OCP executive orchestrating the chaos from above. Unsurpassably thrilling, unexpectedly moving and unforgettably hilarious in equal measure, the future of law enforcement is back in a definitive Blu-ray™ presentation packed with hours of brand new bonus features.

Bonus Materials

• 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by MGM, transferred in 2013 and approved by director Paul Verhoeven
• Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film on two High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ discs
• Original lossless stereo and four-channel mixes plus DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround sound option on both cuts
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
• Limited edition collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by Omar Ahmed, Christopher Griffiths and Henry Blyth
• Archive commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer Jon Davison and co-writer Ed Neumeier (originally recorded for the Theatrical Cut and re-edited in 2014 for the Director’s Cut)
• New commentary by film historian Paul M. Sammon
• New commentary by fans Christopher Griffiths, Gary Smart and Eastwood Allen
• The Future of Law Enforcement: Creating RoboCop, a newly filmed interview with co-writer Michael Miner
• RoboTalk, a newly filmed conversation between co-writer Ed Neumeier and filmmakers David Birke (writer of Elle) and Nick McCarthy (director of Orion Pictures’ The Prodigy)
• Truth of Character, a newly filmed interview with star Nancy Allen on her role as Lewis
• Casting Old Detroit, a newly filmed interview with casting director Julie Selzer on how the film’s ensemble cast was assembled
• Connecting the Shots, a newly filmed interview with second unit director and frequent Verhoeven collaborator Mark Goldblatt
• Composing RoboCop, a new tribute to composer Basil Poledouris featuring film music experts Jeff Bond, Lukas Kendall, Daniel Schweiger and Robert Townson
• RoboProps, a newly filmed tour of super-fan Julien Dumont’s collection of original props and memorabilia
• 2012 Q&A with the Filmmakers, a panel discussion featuring Verhoeven, Davison, Neumeier, Miner, Allen, star Peter Weller and animator Phil Tippett
• RoboCop: Creating a Legend, Villains of Old Detroit and Special Effects: Then & Now, three archive featurettes from 2007 featuring interviews with cast and crew
• Paul Verhoeven Easter Egg
• Four deleted scenes
• The Boardroom: Storyboard with Commentary by Phil Tippett
• Director’s Cut Production Footage, raw dailies from the filming of the unrated gore scenes
• Two theatrical trailers and three TV spots
• Extensive image galleries
• Archive commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer Jon Davison and co-writer Ed Neumeier (originally recorded for Theatrical version of the film)
• Two Isolated Score tracks (Composer’s Original Mix and Final Theatrical Mix) in lossless stereo
• Edited-for-television version of the film, featuring alternate dubs, takes and edits of several scenes (95 mins, SD only)
• Split screen comparison of Theatrical and Director’s Cuts
• Robocop: Edited For Television, a compilation of alternate scenes from two edited-for-television versions, newly transferred in HD from recently-unearthed 35mm elements

Order Here: https://mvdb2b.com/b2b/s/AV218