UPCOMING BLU-RAY /DVD RELEASES: AWESOME BOND COLLECTION
Bond 50: James Bond celebrates fifty incredible years with golden anniversary Blu-ray collection. The world’s most successful secret agent meets the world’s best home entertainment experience available for worldwide pre-order starting today.
In celebration of James Bond’s monumental golden anniversary, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today unveiled BOND 50, a collectible box-set featuring all 22 James Bond films on Blu-ray Disc for the first time in one complete offering. The longest running film franchise of all time, the Bond 50 collection marks the debut of nine James Bond films previously unavailable in high definition Blu-ray. Fans around the world can pre-order now with participating online retailers.
Fantastic trailer for the set here.
ARMOND WHITE’S AWESOME BETTER-THAN LIST
I used to think White said he what said for the attention, but even if you disagree with his reviews, the thinking behind them is sound. He’s also a rarity in the entertainment media, someone willing to stick his finger in the eye of the Hollywood establishment:
Colombiana>The Help
Winnie the Pooh>Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Iron Lady>J. Edgar, My Week with Marilyn
Jack and Jill>The Descendants — Adam Sandler’s affectionate, very broad, ethnic satire defies Alexander Payne’s smug denial of America’s ethnic history. Humility vs. Sanctimony
Real Steel>Moneyball — Shawn Levy explores fatherhood and masculinity in professional competition while Bennett Miller and Brad Pitt take the fun out of baseball. Entertainment vs. Sophistry.
According to a witness, this happened at the BYFCC Awards:
This year, White didn’t have the hosting gig to make his opinions known, but he shouted out his opinions and non sequiturs from the crowd nevertheless, yelling “The Good Shepherd!” while Robert De Niro was speaking and shouting the name of the second black actress to be nominated for an Oscar — “Ethel Waters!” — twice while Viola Davis was on the stage.
White is now writing for New York Press. Well worth a bookmark. He’s one of the smart/good guys and when you complain about the entertainment media as much as I do, that comes with the responsibility of amplifying notable exceptions.
2012 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: FINALLY! FESTIVAL DARLING PARKER POSEY TO HOST AWARDS
I adore Parker Posey and still think she can be the big star she deserves to be (if she wants). Of course, I still think Rick Perry is due for a second wind, so…
Anyway, Posey is pure movie star: charisma, beauty and talent. I encourage you to check out her work.
MORE UPCOMING DVD/BLU-RAY RELEASES: IMMORTALS, FOOTLOOSE, MORE…
—One brave warrior, touched by the gods, must overcome all odds to save mankind from a merciless and powerful tyrant when IMMORTALS comes to Blu-ray and DVD on March 6th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Directed by visionary filmmaker Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and written by Charles Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides, the home entertainment release is chock-full of must-see bonus features including an alternate beginning, two alternate endings, deleted scenes and an amazing graphic novel, creating the ultimate viewing experience.
IMMORTALS is available on Blu-ray and DVD on March 6th and was theatrically-released by Relativity Media on November 11, 2011.
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The FOOTLOOSE Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes over an hour of bonus features such as deleted scenes, a look back at the original film, featurettes on the stars and their dancing, commentary by Brewer, music videos and more. In addition, all Blu-ray and DVD releases available for purchase will be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – safely and securely – to a variety of devices.
Called “fantastic” (People), “exciting” (Ain’t It Cool) and “high energy fun” (US Weekly), the contemporary re-telling of the beloved classic FOOTLOOSE debuts in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with UltraViolet™ and a Digital Copy, On Demand and for Digital Download on March 6, 2012 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Boasting high-energy dancing, an inspirational story and an impressive cast of rising stars and screen veterans, writer/director Craig Brewer’s (Hustle & Flow) modern update thrilled audiences of all ages with its combination of youthful spirit and infectious fun.
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—Called “crazily inventive and totally irresistible” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), the touching, beautiful and romantic drama LIKE CRAZY debuts March 6, 2012 on Blu-ray and DVD with UltraViolet™, for Digital Download and On Demand from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Director Drake Doremus expertly captures the thrilling exuberance and heartbreaking fragility of first love in “the rare love story that honestly conveys the giddy joys and sorrows of two people besotted with each other” (Claudia Puig, USA Today). Featuring “star-making performances” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) by the incandescent Felicity Jones–who was given Breakthrough Awards by the National Board of Review and the Gotham Awards, as well as a Special Jury Prize at Sundance for her performance–and the terrifically earnest Anton Yelchin–who received a Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival and Special Recognition for a Breakthrough Performance at the Hamptons International Film Festival– LIKE CRAZY explores how a young couple faces the very real challenges of being apart…and of being together.
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—CINEMA VERITE: Available April 24, 2012 on Blu-rayTM, DVD and Digital Download Starring Diane Lane, Tim Robbins & James Gandolfini
When reality became entertainment, everything changed. “Packing an emotional punch that’s as surprising as it is eloquent” (The Wall Street Journal), Cinema Verite is the compelling behind-the-scenes story of the revolutionary 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family which catapulted an ordinary family to notoriety and captivated audiences with the launch of a new television genre – reality TV. Releasing on April 24, 2012 from HBO Home Entertainment , the Blu-ray Disc ($24.99) and DVD ($19.97) contain the featurette “The Making of Cinema Verite,” which delves into the production of the film, along with an audio commentary from directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor) and Academy Award nominee Diane Lane (Unfaithful), who received an Emmy nomination for her performance in the film.
ALTERNATE OPINION ON FUTURE OF STREAMING
Film School Rejects:
It’s been my opinion for a while now that all-you-can-eat subscription services like Netflix are going to be a temporary thing with a limited window of success. Back when movie streaming was a minor thing aimed at a niche, tech savvy audience, it probably made sense for studios to sign deals with Netflix giving them access to their film libraries. Even five years ago high speed Internet wasn’t so ubiquitous, and if you wanted to stream something over the Internet, that pretty much meant you were streaming it to your computer monitor. But in today’s world of omnipresent wifi and apps that allow everyone to stream movies to smart TVs, video game consoles, app-enabled Blu-ray players, smart phones, and tablet computers, the entire game has changed. …
The first shots in that war may have very well just gotten fired. A report from Deadline Reseda says that, at this year’s CES, Warner Bros. has announced that the window between when a movie gets released on DVD and when Netflix can begin offering it to its subscribers has just been doubled from 28 days to 56. Warner Home Video North America president Mark Horak said, “Since we implemented a 28 day window for subscription and kiosk, we have seen very positive results with regard to our sell-through business. One of the key initiatives for Warner Bros. is to improve the value of ownership for the consumer and the extension of the rental window — along with our support of UltraViolet — is an important piece of that strategy.”
I respectfully disagree: Home video sales FELL last year even though the economy improved and despite the facts that the majors had already increased the Netflix/Redbox wait time. And if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphor, this argument also takes the position that you can put the Streaming genie back in the bottle after people have already gotten a taste of Shangri-la.
Our free market simply doesn’t work that way. Of course, all bets are off with that argument if Obama’s reelected.
Warners’ strategy of moving to 56 days is only going to backfire. There is nothing that makes sense about releasing your product to two of the biggest outlets on the planet 56 days after the release-hype is over.
Furthermore, there are too many alternatives out there. We have plenty to do while those 56 days tick off and the more we get used to not seeing movies, the worse it is for the industry as a whole.
In related news:
Virgin Media to Double Current Broadband Internet Speeds
Recorded and Internet-Delivered Content Surpasses Live TV Viewership
And finally…
WILL THE INTERNET ABSORB HOME VIDEO?
Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings predicted on Monday that “the era of broadcast TV is going to evolve to click-and-watch with the Internet.” Hastings made the comment in an interview with the London Independent as Netflix launched a low-cost streaming service in the U.K. and Ireland costing just 5.99 ($9.25) per month.
ULTRAVIOLET TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE FOR OLDER TITLES
Talk about burying the lede:
Also announced were some new developments that could help UltraViolet pick up steam. Panasonic and Samsung are both launching Blu-ray players that can read a compatible disc and automatically add the film to a user’s digital locker online.
The Samsung device will even let consumers add certain movies they bought on DVD or Blu-ray before UltraViolet existed to their online collection for what a news release described as a “nominal amount” of money.
Studios need to hype UV as a way to back up your current DVD collections. That’s the real pitch and a potentially huge selling point for this technology.
MORE ‘FOUND FOOTAGE’ MOVIES IN THE OFFING
Overall, this is a good thing. The track record thus far, both at the box office and with respect to the quality of these films, is impressive. This sort of down and dirty style of storytelling forces the creators to focus on plot and delivering something more than just the thunder and fury of CGI.
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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING
Real Steel (2011): Review is coming soon.
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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR
‘CHUCK’ CREATOR JOSH SCHWARTZ GETS INTO THE SUPERHERO GENRE WITH ‘MISFITS‘
MICHAEL FASSBENDER TALKS ‘X-MEN: FIRST CLASS SEQUEL‘
‘BRIDESMAIDS’ DIRECTOR PAUL FEIG TO HELM ‘THE BETTER WOMAN‘
THE 10 CHEESIEST MOVIE MOMENTS OF 2011
‘PROMETHEUS’: NEW, POTENTIALLY SPOILER-Y IMAGES
THE 7 BEST UNPRODUCED BATMAN SCREENPLAYS
10 PERSISTENT HORROR FRANCHISES
HOW THE OSCARS DROPPED THE BALL WITH THEIR NEW DOCUMENTARY RULE
YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO ‘THE AVENGERS‘
SEVEN MINUTES OF ‘RED TAILS’ FOOTAGE; GEORGE LUCAS TALKS BLACK CINEMA
5 WAYS TO MAKE JANUARY A GREAT MONTH FOR MOVIES
‘HOUSE’ SEASON 9 RENEWAL UNLIKELY
THE 10 GOLDEN RULES OF SUPERHERO MOVIES
JAMES CAMERON’S 3D CIRQUE DU SOLEIL MOVIE PICKED UP BY PARAMOUNT
THE DISNEY ‘JOHN CARTER’ ADAPTATIONS THAT NEVER WERE
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO ATTEND SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2012
PJ MEDIA TAKES A LOOK BACK AT ‘MIAMI VICE‘
USA RENEWS ‘PSYCH’ FOR A SEVENTH SEASON
MOVIES AND THE VIRTUE OF AMBITIOUS FAILURE
ABC: ‘WORK IT!’, ‘BODY OF PROOF’ LOOK TO BE CANCELED; ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’ STOPS ITS SLIDE
MORE ARTWORK FROM TIM BURTON’S UNPRODUCED ‘SUPERMAN LIVES‘
WHY WAS J.R.R. TOLKEIN DENIED THE NOBEL PRIZE?
20 FACTS ABOUT RIDLEY SCOTT’S ‘ALIEN‘
A LOOK BACK AT PETER O’TOOLE IN ‘MY FAVORITE YEAR‘
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CLASSIC PICK FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 12
TCM:
8:00 PM Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The (1943) — An aging military man looks back on the loves and friends who shaped his life. Dir: Michael Powell Cast: Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook. C-163 mins, TV-G, CC.
An absolute masterpiece too few people have seen. You must, though, hang in there. The first 40 minutes or so are a little off-putting, but this is necessary for what turns out to be an unforgettable climax that stays with you for days.
Just talking about this classic makes me want to stop what I’m doing and watch it right now. Hey, I work from home… Who would know? I could say it was for work. Yeah, they’d buy that. Sure they would.
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