Showing posts with label Paul Verhoeven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Verhoeven. Show all posts

Friday, November 1, 2019

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

Thursday, September 5, 2013

"Is She Serious"?! - Showgirls 2...!
































"They want class. They don't want to fuck a Penny" - Al Torres "Showgirls" 

Well apparently Rena Riffel aka "Penny Slot" (wow that's one cheap jackpot) thinks you do. I received this press release in my in-box this ayem with the blaring headline:


"SHOWGIRLS 2: Penny's From Heaven"
on DVD and VOD September 17th

"Showgirls' alum Rena Riffel creates an epic, erotic satire 
homage to the Paul Verhoeven cult camp classic"


Uh, OK...I must say despite every fiber of my being is saying: "Don't do it, don't watch"!  Being a huge fan of the original "Showgirls" - "Yes" I have watched it twenty plus times, I feel quite compelled to go for it, no matter the consequences....Yep, I am a glutton for punishment when it comes to things associated with a fond movie memory...Read on and see what you think...

Let the show begin... Again! Original Showgirls star Rena Riffel has taken her screen time in the original cult classic and spun in into an elaborate, erotic spin-off featuring cat fights, murder, new quotable dialogue, and plenty of brown rice and vegetables in the film movies.com says "Goes to a manic superstar level all its own."
Look Mom, No Hands
Joining Riffel are other Showgirls veterans, including Glenn Plummer ("Dexter, "Sons of Anarchy"), Dewey Weber, and Greg Travis (Rob Zombie's HalloweenWatchmen) as well as new recruits to the Showgirls legacy Peter Stickles (ShortbusThe Trouble With Barry), Shelley Michelle, Ford Austin and Paula LaBaredas. 

Las Vegas stripper, Penny Slot (Riffel), sets out on an adventure to become the star dancer on a popular television show. With stars in her eyes, she tries to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - but instead finds drama, danger and snuff movies in a town much more wicked than Sin City.  

Penny's longtime fiance/boyfriend (Plummer) warns her that she needs formal technique training if she wants to be taken seriously as a real dancer, so Penny Slot sets out to learn ballet - but, she must pay the price to make it to the top. 

So Cheap: Penny Slot
There are sacrifices to be made at every imaginable level, and it all comes down to... How bad do you want it? 

This special edition DVD release of Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven includes a commentary with Rena Riffel, deleted footage, behind the scenes and more. 

Special Friday the 13th screening in Las Vegas (9/13/13)