Friday, June 29, 2007

iPhone Gets Released



Today the iPhone by Apple is hitting the market. Much like the iPod, or the Mac, or any number of other Apple creations, I think it'll revolutionize a lot. What that will be we may not see for a few years to come. I would love to get one but the price tag is too much. Plus these new things are always buggy. I'll probably wait until (I can afford it) the third generation comes out. I am interested to see how they change the iPod. I wonder if the next generation of iPods will have the touch screen?



People are waiting in line to get one of these. It's amazing to me how people are getting excited over this. Like it was a new Playstation or 'Star Wars' movie. It'll be interesting to see what initial users think. But as I mentioned I think the exciting things will be what other things this will inspire in the future.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Update On The Halloween DVD

Looks like the upcoming rerelease of the original 'Halloween' on DVD is the same one that was already out. Just new packaging. No need to upgrade if you have the last release. Unless you want the new packaging. Or like with 'Evil Dead' you feel the need to have every version of it on DVD.

The Burning Soundtrack Released On CD

I love soundtracks so this is great news. From Fangoria:

MVD Entertainment sent along word that it will reissue the long-out-of-print soundtrack for 1981’s slasher fave THE BURNING August 28, as part of a series of CDs showcasing the work of composer/performer Rick Wakeman from YES. The disc arrives in time to tie in with the uncut DVDebut (see details here) of the film, which features shocking gore FX by Tom Savini and early appearances by Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens and others, and was one of the very first movies produced by Miramax’s Harvey and Bob Weinstein. The CD contains 36 minutes of remastered music, consisting of 11 tracks.


Sunday, June 24, 2007

The Dark Crystal Soundtrack Rerelease

On July 17 there will be a new 25th anniversary release of the soundtrack of the Trevor Jones score to 'The Dark Crystal'. Here is the cover and the track listing.




1. The Dark Crystal Overture (3:11)
2. The Power Ceremony (3:57)
3. The Storm (1:03)
4. The Mystical Master Dies (0:51)
5. The Funerals/Jen's Journey (5:25)
6. The Skeksi's Funeral (2:42)
7. The Pod Dance (3:14)
8. Love Theme (3:17)
9. Gelfling Song (2:22)
10. The Gelfling Ruins (2:43)
11. The Landstrider Journey (0:44)
12. The Great Conjunction (4:13)
13. Finale (7:14)

Synapse and Impulse Release Anita On DVD

Probably one of the most beautiful women to ever walk God's green Earth is Christina Lindberg. So it's always a great day when one of her movies comes to DVD. This is from the Synapse blog about the upcoming release.



SYNAPSE FILMS will be distributing ANITA in the USA with IMPULSE PICTURES. We all know that THRILLER kicks major ass and we were excited to find out we could release yet another Lindberg film (oh yeah... EXPOSED is finishing up now, too, for maybe November from SYNAPSE). Anyway, here's the info (ain't that cover just a major turn-on?)...

A young girl named Anita (Lindberg) suffers from psychological problems and sexual promiscuity due to her troubled childhood and uncaring parents. She meets Erik (Skarsgård) , a student at a local university, who tries to help her through her troubles by analyzing her past relationships. After revealing her most intimate and violent encounters to Erik, he determines that, in order for her to overcome her nymphomania, she first must experience a “true” orgasm! ANITA is a classic of controversial Swedish exploitation starring cult film starlet Christina Lindberg (THRILLER: A CRUEL PICTURE) and a very young Stellan Skarsgård (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END) in one of his first ever film roles!


ORIGINAL UNCUT SWEDISH VERSION!
16:9 ANAMORPHIC TRANSFER
NEWLY TRANSLATED REMOVABLE ENGLISH SUBTITLES

STREET DATE: JULY 24, 2007
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $24.95

The Dark Crystal DVD Specs




THE DARK CRYSTAL 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION


Pre-order The Dark Crystal 25th Anniversary Edition and save 25% off the regular price.
Become part of Jim Henson’s world and experience the mystical realm of imaginative creatures, fantastical journeys, and the fight between light and dark with The Dark Crystal 25th Anniversary Edition, available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on August 14th for the SLP of $24.96. Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz (Little Shop of Horrors, Indian in the Cupboard), The Dark Crystal 25th Anniversary Edition sets the highest standard for audio and video available on DVD.

This special 2-disc anniversary edition features a new high definition film transfer, new commentary by Brian Froud, stylized new packaging, previously unreleased footage from the Henson archives and “Reflections on The Dark Crystal” featurettes that include all-new interviews with writers and performers behind the magic such as Brian Henson (son of Jim Henson and co-CEO of The Jim Henson Company), David O’Dell (Co-Writer) and many others.

DVD Bonus Features

Rediscovered footage from Jim Henson’s home in England

“Reflections on The Dark Crystal” exclusive featurettes including all-new interviews with the writers and performers behind the magic including:

David O’Dell (Co-Writer with Henson)
Dave Goelz and Katheryn Mullen (Performers)
Brian Froud (Conceptual Designer/Supervisor)
Brian Henson (Son of Jim Henson)
Jane Gootnick (Senior Puppet Builder)
Mira Velimorivic (Jim Henson’s Creative Assistant)

Monster Squad DVD Trailer

Saturday, June 23, 2007

New Halloween DVD


Looks like Anchor Bay is releasing the John Carpenter original classic 'Halloween' again on DVD. Coming in August, no doubt to cash in a bit on the Rob Zombie version, but nothing about extras at this point. It may just be a rerelease of the previous version.


Alligator, Night of the Demons 2, and Cujo

Fangoria has posted some great news about some upcoming Lions Gate DVDs.

The great DVD news just keeps coming from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The company that has the long-awaited MONSTER SQUAD two-disc set coming next month will give Lewis Teague’s 1983 film version of Stephen King’s CUJO the deluxe treatment in September, and gave Fango the scoop that Teague’s 1980 nature-amok fave ALLIGATOR is coming on special-edition DVD as well! CUJO, due September 25, will have special O-card packaging (cover art coming soon) with a widescreen transfer, plus the following extras:

• Audio commentary by director Teague
• Dog Days: The Making of CUJO, Part One featurette on how director Teague got involved, adapted the screenplay, cast the actors, chose the locations and dealt with the challenging filming conditions
• Dog Days: The Making of CUJO, Part Two featurette on filming with the dogs, choreographing the attacks, working with the actors and finding the right ending
• Dog Days: The Making of CUJO, Part Three featurette on the editing and the scoring, the sneak previews and CUJO 25 years later

The featurettes contain all-new interviews with Teague, producers Daniel H. Blatt and Robert Singer, stars Dee Wallace and Dan Pintauro, King biographer Douglas E. Winter and others. Retail price is $19.98.

ALLIGATOR, meanwhile, will arrive a week earlier on Sept. 18. A source tells Fango that this disc will have a widescreen transfer, the commentary by Teague and star Robert Forster from the previous Anchor Bay UK disc, a new interview with scripter John Sayles and a trailer. Also on the 25th, the Gate will give Brian Trenchard-Smith’s superior 1994 sequel NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2, featuring Steve Johnson’s grisly makeup and monster FX, its DVDebut. We’ll have art and updates on these and other Lionsgate horror titles very soon! —Michael Gingold

Kill Bill, Grindhouse, Dark Crystal, and More

Some DVD news.

Looks like that long in the works edition of the unedited version of 'Kill Bill' will be coming on November 6. It will be a 4 disc set though extras haven't been announcened yet.

'Grindhouse' is sort of coming on September 18. Looks like Quentin Tarantino's extended cut of 'Death Proof' will hit DVD as it's own release while Robert Rodriguez's 'Planet Terror' is rumored to be out around the same time though no official word yet. Not sure what this means, if anything, about the theatrical released version ever seeing the light of day again.

'The Dark Crystal' is hitting DVD again this time in a long overdo 2 disc special edition. I saw this recently at a midnight show and am really excited about this set. 'Labyrinth' will also be coming out in a new 2 disc set as well. I need to double check but I believe both sets are due out in August.

John Boorman's thriller 'Deliverance' is coming out in a new 2 disc special edition on Spetember 19.

Martin Scorsese's brilliant 'Taxi Driver' is coming out in a new special edition. No word on extras but hopefully it'll include either a new commentary track or the excellent one from the old Criterion laserdisc.

On August 7 MGM will be releasing a new 2 disc special edition of the 1978 version of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. The original DVD was a port over from the laserdisc and was not even anamorphic so this is exciting.

And finally, if you have a chance to see it I recommend catching the limited release of 'Daywatch' in theatres the sequel to 'Nightwatch'. It's only in a few theatres but luckily the DVD is rumored to come out on October 23. And once again, as with 'Nightwatch', the way they did subtitles is just as entertaining and creative as the films themselves.

Friday, June 22, 2007

A Gory Place

Welcome to my own blog. A word I never fully understood. It sounds like a burp that happens after you puke. But alas this place is not about burping nor puking. This place is about me a filmmaker in Chicago who loves movies. On occasion I'll be posting some soundtracks that are either out of print or have never been officially released. I'll share news about movies, DVDs, and sorted other odds and ends.

So there it is. My first entry. Wasn't it riveting?