DVD Playhouse—November 2011
By Allen Gardner
Tree Of Life (20th Century Fox) Terrence Malick’s latest effort is both the best film of 2011 and the finest work of his (arguably) mixed, but often masterly canon. A series of vignettes, mostly set in 1950s Texas, capture the memory of a man (Sean Penn) in present-day New York who looks back on his life, and his parents’ (Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain) troubled marriage, when word of his younger brother’s suicide reaches him. Almost indescribable beyond that, except to say no other film in history so perfectly evokes the magic and mystery of the human memory, which both crystalizes (and sometimes idealizes) the past. Like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, this is a challenging, polarizing work that you must let wash over you. If you go along for the ride, you’re in for a unique, rewarding cinematic experience. Also available on Blu-ray disc.
By Allen Gardner
Tree Of Life (20th Century Fox) Terrence Malick’s latest effort is both the best film of 2011 and the finest work of his (arguably) mixed, but often masterly canon. A series of vignettes, mostly set in 1950s Texas, capture the memory of a man (Sean Penn) in present-day New York who looks back on his life, and his parents’ (Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain) troubled marriage, when word of his younger brother’s suicide reaches him. Almost indescribable beyond that, except to say no other film in history so perfectly evokes the magic and mystery of the human memory, which both crystalizes (and sometimes idealizes) the past. Like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, this is a challenging, polarizing work that you must let wash over you. If you go along for the ride, you’re in for a unique, rewarding cinematic experience. Also available on Blu-ray disc.
- 11/25/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Welcome to another edition of Home Invasion where we compile the horror and genre releases for the current week. All descriptions are from Amazon.com unless otherwise listed. We also included a button in case you wanted to purchase the items that leads you to Amazon.com. By purchasing these items through these links instead of searching through Amazon.com, you ensure we get some small kickback to help support the site (Thank You In Advance).
The Bad Seed [Blu-ray]
A single mother discovers that within her seemingly angelic daughter beats the heart of a cold-blooded serial murderer. One woman must make a terrible decision about the daughter she loves and desperately wants to protect in this classic thriller.
Buy the Blu-Ray @ Amazon.com Biker Collection: Volume One (Angels Die Hard / Black Angels)
Angels Die Hard Synopsis:
At least Angels Die Hard strives to be something different. The usual motorcyle bums are in attendance,...
The Bad Seed [Blu-ray]
A single mother discovers that within her seemingly angelic daughter beats the heart of a cold-blooded serial murderer. One woman must make a terrible decision about the daughter she loves and desperately wants to protect in this classic thriller.
Buy the Blu-Ray @ Amazon.com Biker Collection: Volume One (Angels Die Hard / Black Angels)
Angels Die Hard Synopsis:
At least Angels Die Hard strives to be something different. The usual motorcyle bums are in attendance,...
- 10/10/2011
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
Everyone’s favorite undead cop on a mission is getting itself an HD upgrade thanks to the folk at Synapse. William Lustig’s Maniac Cop, which was originally released back in 1988, has long been a fan favorite (and a favorite of mine) so it is good to see it finally get a Blu-ray release. This bad-boy will be hitting the street on October 11th.
Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell, TV’s Burn Notice and The Evil Dead Trilogy) finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered. As Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins, Drive Angry and Lethal Weapon) investigates, the death toll rises and he suspects a mysterious police cover-up. This “maniac” cop must be stopped, but it might not be so easy. He seems inhuman, and ready to...
Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell, TV’s Burn Notice and The Evil Dead Trilogy) finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered. As Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins, Drive Angry and Lethal Weapon) investigates, the death toll rises and he suspects a mysterious police cover-up. This “maniac” cop must be stopped, but it might not be so easy. He seems inhuman, and ready to...
- 9/8/2011
- by Jude
- The Liberal Dead
We are huge fans of Synapse Films at Destroy the Brain. Don May Jr. and his assorted bunch of film misfits really cater to genre fans with quality releases. For example, Synapse is putting the previously mistreated-on-dvd title The Exterminator next Tuesday, September 13th (Review coming soon). Synapse keeps the exploitation Blu-Ray train rolling with William Lustig’s Maniac Cop, which stars Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins, and a revenge flick called South of Heaven which played at the now expired CineVegas Film Festival back in 2008. Click below for the details!
From the Press Release:
Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell, TV’s Burn Notice and The Evil Dead Trilogy) finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered. As Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins, Drive Angry and Lethal Weapon) investigates,...
From the Press Release:
Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell, TV’s Burn Notice and The Evil Dead Trilogy) finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered. As Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins, Drive Angry and Lethal Weapon) investigates,...
- 9/8/2011
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
Somewhere right now the Foywonder is doing the Rapid Irish Jig of Video Goodness™ as Synapse Films has announced the release of Maniac Cop in glorious high definition and more! Read on for the skinny!
Maniac Cop - Blu-ray release: October 11th.
Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell, TV's Burn Notice and The Evil Dead Trilogy) finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered. As Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins, Drive Angry and Lethal Weapon) investigates, the death toll rises and he suspects a mysterious police cover-up. This "maniac" cop must be stopped, but it might not be so easy. He seems inhuman, and ready to take on the entire police force, hell-bent on revenge! Restored and remastered from original vault materials by Synapse Films, Maniac Cop looks and...
Maniac Cop - Blu-ray release: October 11th.
Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell, TV's Burn Notice and The Evil Dead Trilogy) finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered. As Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins, Drive Angry and Lethal Weapon) investigates, the death toll rises and he suspects a mysterious police cover-up. This "maniac" cop must be stopped, but it might not be so easy. He seems inhuman, and ready to take on the entire police force, hell-bent on revenge! Restored and remastered from original vault materials by Synapse Films, Maniac Cop looks and...
- 8/11/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Fango just heard from Jerry Chandler of Synapse Films, who gave us the scoop on a pair of new acquisitions that reflect his and Synapse partner Don May Jr.’s renewed commitment to independent genre features. “We stayed away from new indie films for a number of years, because they weren’t selling,” Chandler tells us, “but [their 2009 releases] Header and Sick Girl were too good for us to not put them out—when a title is as compelling as those two are, we have to handle them.
“That’s why Don and I got into this business, not just to throw stuff out there that isn’t as good, but might be an easier sell,” he continues. “Don and I debated about coming up with a name for a line of these titles, and for the life of us, we could not come up with anything that sounded right. However, we...
“That’s why Don and I got into this business, not just to throw stuff out there that isn’t as good, but might be an easier sell,” he continues. “Don and I debated about coming up with a name for a line of these titles, and for the life of us, we could not come up with anything that sounded right. However, we...
- 7/16/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
While it may not be a film itself, this one’s film related on two fronts and too much fun to pass up. We wrote a lot about Jl Vara’s South Of Heaven over the past year and last night we received an email from Jason Polstein, one of the producers on that film. Seems Polstein is involved in a t-shirt company called Dutch Southern, a company that specializes in movie related shirt designs. Their latest effort? Old Big Boy, a recreation of the hallway hammer fight from Park Chan Wook’s Old Boy with all of the characters re-cast as American fast food icons. Call it their tribute to the upcoming Us remake.
- 1/30/2009
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
Year: 2008
Release date: Unknown
Director: J.L. Vara
Writers: J.L. Vara
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Review by: quietearth
Rating: 6 out of 10
Technicolor neo-noir was how I described this, and I think that's appropriate considering the flamboyant nature of not only the acting, but the entire production design. Technicolor? The costumes were bright solids, reminiscent of the 1950's and with a heavy country twang. The acting? Mad Dog insanity (and I mean Mad Dog, not Crazy Dog), barbershop quartet gangsters, the pre-requisite femme fatale, and polite quiescence. For all the films sensations, the first hour hinted at something much bigger, but remained dull and flat. However, after this hour all the loose ends came together and the story ended on an enjoyable note.
Beginning with a cartoon explanation and credits, my friend turns and asks, "Is this the beginning?". I wasn't sure, but you'd better pay attention because it is. Moving into...
Release date: Unknown
Director: J.L. Vara
Writers: J.L. Vara
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Review by: quietearth
Rating: 6 out of 10
Technicolor neo-noir was how I described this, and I think that's appropriate considering the flamboyant nature of not only the acting, but the entire production design. Technicolor? The costumes were bright solids, reminiscent of the 1950's and with a heavy country twang. The acting? Mad Dog insanity (and I mean Mad Dog, not Crazy Dog), barbershop quartet gangsters, the pre-requisite femme fatale, and polite quiescence. For all the films sensations, the first hour hinted at something much bigger, but remained dull and flat. However, after this hour all the loose ends came together and the story ended on an enjoyable note.
Beginning with a cartoon explanation and credits, my friend turns and asks, "Is this the beginning?". I wasn't sure, but you'd better pay attention because it is. Moving into...
- 9/20/2008
- QuietEarth.us
The Next Wave Spotlight!
Amd has a long history of working with young creative filmmakers such as Robert Rodriguez to provide tools and equipment that make the creative process easier. With the Amd "Next Wave" spotlight, we have chosen 8 films by young, up-and-coming filmmakers. These are filmmakers who are beginning their careers and may well become the next wave of talent shaping the industry in the decades to come. These eight films will be judged by the Next Wave jury, the winning film will be awarded a $1000 cash prize as well as Dell/Amd editing hardware. All eight of the "Next Wave" films will be have filmmakers and/or performers in attendance at Fantastic Fest.
Next Wave films/filmmakers:
Gadi Harel & Marcel Sarmiento (Directors), USA, Deadgirl
Javier Albarran (Actor/ Miscellaneous Crew), Spain, Doctor Infierno
Norihiro Koizumi (Director), Japan, Gachi Boy: Wrestling with a Memory
Reynald Bertrand (Director), France, La Crème (Creme)
Eric Shapiro (Director), USA,...
Amd has a long history of working with young creative filmmakers such as Robert Rodriguez to provide tools and equipment that make the creative process easier. With the Amd "Next Wave" spotlight, we have chosen 8 films by young, up-and-coming filmmakers. These are filmmakers who are beginning their careers and may well become the next wave of talent shaping the industry in the decades to come. These eight films will be judged by the Next Wave jury, the winning film will be awarded a $1000 cash prize as well as Dell/Amd editing hardware. All eight of the "Next Wave" films will be have filmmakers and/or performers in attendance at Fantastic Fest.
Next Wave films/filmmakers:
Gadi Harel & Marcel Sarmiento (Directors), USA, Deadgirl
Javier Albarran (Actor/ Miscellaneous Crew), Spain, Doctor Infierno
Norihiro Koizumi (Director), Japan, Gachi Boy: Wrestling with a Memory
Reynald Bertrand (Director), France, La Crème (Creme)
Eric Shapiro (Director), USA,...
- 9/8/2008
- by noreply@blogger.com (Lars Nilsen)
- FantasticFest.com
We'll have lots of guests at Fantastic Fest this year, more than ever before. Here are just a few of the many interesting people who'll be joining us this year, in no particular order. We'll continually update our roster so keep an eye on this page.
Filmmakers and Actors
Norihiro Koizumi (Gachi Boy: Wrestling With A Memory)
A young, talented director who is quickly making his mark in the Japanese filmmaking scene. At the tender age of 25, he directed his first major feature-length film, “Midnight Sun.” “Midnight Sun” was not only critically-acclaimed, but became a commercial hit, grossing over 1 billion yen at the Japanese boxoffice. His latest film, “Gachi Boy Wrestling with a Memory,” won the grand prix at the Udine Far East Film Festival.
Nacho Vigalondo (Shorts Program)
Last year at Fantastic Fest noted Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo won the Next Wave competition, later securing domestic distribution for Timecrimes...
Filmmakers and Actors
Norihiro Koizumi (Gachi Boy: Wrestling With A Memory)
A young, talented director who is quickly making his mark in the Japanese filmmaking scene. At the tender age of 25, he directed his first major feature-length film, “Midnight Sun.” “Midnight Sun” was not only critically-acclaimed, but became a commercial hit, grossing over 1 billion yen at the Japanese boxoffice. His latest film, “Gachi Boy Wrestling with a Memory,” won the grand prix at the Udine Far East Film Festival.
Nacho Vigalondo (Shorts Program)
Last year at Fantastic Fest noted Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo won the Next Wave competition, later securing domestic distribution for Timecrimes...
- 9/8/2008
- by noreply@blogger.com (Lars Nilsen)
- FantasticFest.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.