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1st September 2010 ZETA MINOR NEWS We have three new competitions this week, offering the chance to win the latest Doctor Who Blu-ray (Series 5 Volume 4) or smash hit new drama series Sherlock on Blu-ray, or a pair of audio plays featuring DC superheroes Batman and Robin, from BBC Audio. Click on the images - above and right - to go to the competition pages! 17th August 2010 ZETA MINOR NEWS I've added an interesting Q&A transcript of a press conference for The Expendables, which features Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren and other cast members. You can find it here. The film opens in UK cinemas tomorrow. 11th August 2010 INCOMING I've added press release details for a number of significant releases to our forthcoming releases database today, including: Dennis Potter's memorable period drama series Lipstick on Your Collar; Ewan McGregor (again) and Pierce Brosnan's critically-acclaimed political thriller The Ghost (on Blu-ray and DVD); a fiftieth anniversary Blu-ray edition of John Sturges' landmark Western The Magnificent Seven; British film festival favourite Running in Traffic; the recent supernatural comedy from the team behind Bend it Like Beckham, It's a Wonderful Afterlife (which, despite what some etailers are claiming, is not being released on Blu-ray); Star Wars-inspired comedy Fanboys (on DVD and Blu-ray); and a long-overdue DVD release for cult classic Dougal and the Blue Cat. 9th August 2010 INCOMING
Park Circus have James Mason and Ava Gardner in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman; Ian McKellen and Clive Owen in the award-winning love story Bent; as well as two Charlie Chaplin films The Gold Rush and Modern Times. The BFI is releasing Tony Scott's Loving Memory (which set also includes two short films by Tony and Ridley Scott). Also from the BFI in August are Blu-ray only releases of Michael Powell's bewitching The Edge of the World, Peter Greenaway's deliciously barmy A Zed & Two Noughts and Jack Clayton's superb ghost story, The Innocents. These titles have already been released on DVD. Eureka! Entertainment are releasing the 1944 fantasy epic Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and two Masters of Cinema entries: The Burmese Harp and Shijie (The World). From 2 entertain come high definition releases of the first series of BBC Three hit comedy Mongrels and the recent BBC adaptation of Little Dorrit. Warner are issuing a five-film Clint Eastwood: The Director's Collection (including Gran Torino, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Mystic River and Unforgiven), while Fox are following suit with a four-film Clint Eastwood Collection (which mostly duplicates their earlier Spaghetti Western Collection).
The 50th Anniversary edition of Hitchcock's
Psycho is available in
Also coming in next few weeks are John
Carpenter's
Elvis TV movie (starring Additional information has been posted for the following titles: the BFI's two Famous Five DVDs (Five on a Treasure Island and Five Gave A Mystery to Solve); Optimum's DVD of Harry Kümel's stylish version of the Elizabeth Bathory-as-vampire legend, Daughters of Darkness; and horror flicks Splintered and what GoreZone magazine called "probably the most graphic gore film ever released in the UK", Meat Grinder. We've also added a Tom Baker Doctor Who story, The Seeds of Doom, which is scheduled for release in October, and an entry for the UK DVD premiere for Andrzej Zulawski's horrific 'Video Nasty' Possession (which, although it lacks the commentary track on Anchor Bay's OOP US disc, will apparently feature a Making of... documentary about the film, The Other Side of The Wall). IMAX NEWS Tickets for the extended version of Avatar are now on sale. Here's the official blurb... From 27 August at BFI IMAX, Avatar fans can return to Pandora and experience James Cameron's groundbreaking epic, now with more than eight minutes of extra, never-before-seen footage, in spectacular IMAX 3D. The Oscar and Golden Globe winning epic, distributed by 20th Century Fox, is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in over $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. It is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time. Director James Cameron takes audiences to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. Avatar delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature of the story. In December 2009, the BFI IMAX sold more advance tickets for Avatar than any other cinema in the world – over 46,000. Once the film opened, public demand kept it playing to packed houses for many months. To date, over 160,000 people have been to see Avatar at the BFI’s giant screen on the South Bank. Dennis Laws, Technical and General Manager, BFI IMAX, says: "We’re certain that many of our customers who were blown away by Avatar the first time around will be coming back again to experience the incredible IMAX 3D version. The new footage will add yet another dimension and from the enquiries we’ve had already, it looks like hundreds of fans want to be among the first to see Avatar: Special Edition." The BFI IMAX is at South Bank, London SE1. Tickets for Avatar: Special Edition are now on sale today and are available from the ticket desk Tel: 020 7199 6000 or online at www.bfi.org.uk/imax 6th August 2010 COMICS NEWS I don't really feel qualified to bring you news about the world of comic strips and graphic novels, because I personally only dabble around the more mainstream end of the market, but I thought this press release from Titan Magazines was worth reproducing...
Comics by two of the UK’s most outspoken TV personalities and burgeoning writing talents – Jonathan Ross and stand-up comedian Frankie Boyle – will feature in CLiNT Magazine, an exciting new joint venture between Kick Ass creator Mark Millar and Titan Magazines. Millar’s sequel to his cult comic and smash hit movie will also feature in the monthly title to form a stunning line-up of stories. “This is The Eagle for the 21st Century,” declares Millar, whose genre-busting Kick-Ass scooped the number one movie spot in America and whose previous work includes Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman. “I’ve worked on everything from Spider-Man comics to the Iron Man movie for Marvel in New York, but what really excites me is the gap I see in the UK market at the moment. There are absolutely no comic-books aimed at 16-30 year old guys and I think CLiNT has potential to make an enormous impact, bringing a new type of magazine to a new generation. “I want this to be edgy and irreverent, the kind of thing guys will be passing around lunch-halls and common rooms, and there’s nobody I’d rather have creating new characters for CLiNT than Jonathan and Frankie. They’re both brilliant writers and will surprise a lot of people with this stuff. The last thing you’d expect from Jonathan, for example, is a vampire strip, but he pulls it off amazingly. People are going to love this.” Millar is also launching his sequel to the hit Kick-Ass movie in the first issue of the comic. Kick-Ass 2: Balls To The Wall has been scheduled for production in 2011 for a 2012 cinema release, but fans of the first movie can find out what happens two years in advance by picking up CLiNT. The 100-page magazine will be packed with interviews and features from movies, games and television as well as four serialized comic-strips. The biggest names in entertainment will be featured every month and some will even be sticking around to write sci-fi, humour or horror stories after they’ve been interviewed and quizzed. “We can’t say who else is involved at this stage,” says Millar. “Jonathan, Frankie and I will have our stories serialized over the first six months, but we have the most insane line-up of creators ready to come in and join us. You’d be amazed how many people who work in film and television want to be comic-book writers. It’s very exciting and we think we’re creating something potentially enormous here.” Further information on who is involved can be found at twitter.com/clintmag, where future developments will be revealed on a regular basis. CLiNT #1 will go on sale on September 2nd in the UK from all good retailers and specialist comic stores. It will be available in the US by subscription. 3rd August 2010 INCOMING Recent additions and amendments to the database include the film based on the comic strip Largo Winch (some etailers have it priced at less than half its £15.99 RRP, suggesting a mis-price); the sixth series of popular genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?; Jacques Demy's captivating Lola; the Blu-ray and DVD versions of Neil Marshall's bloodthirsty Roman thriller Centurion; the third series of Welsh detective series A Mind To Kill; the Jet Li martial arts movie The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk; a Japanese horror film with hints of Saw, Death Tube (aka Satsujin Douga Site); a box set featuring two crime series produced by Verity Lambert, Widows and She's Out, The Lynda La Plante Collection; an award-winning slasher movie featuring Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Mercedes McNab and American Gothic's Nick Searcy, which is listed as XII on IMDb, but is being promoted as Twelve; various incarnations of fantasy movie The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Blu-ray / DVD combo, Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy combo, and just the DVD); complete series box sets for BBC sitcoms Are You Being Served? and In Sickness and In Health; a new batch of Blu-ray titles from Optimum and Studio Canal, including Delicatessen, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and The Third Man; an extended Director's Cut version of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood (on limited edition Blu-ray Steelbook, Blu-ray and DVD); a new BFI Flipside title from 1968, Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush; and a British thriller about a stand-up comedian, Crying With Laughter. CINEMA NEWS
Eureka Entertainment are pleased to announce a series of special event screenings to celebrate the release of one of the biggest of all film finds – Fritz Lang's 1927 science fiction masterwork, Metropolis, newly reconstructed and restored, featuring 25 minutes of footage previously thought lost to the world. To mark the end of the BFI Southbank’s Future Human season, they are delighted to present a very special UK premiere of Metropolis on 26 August 2010. Lang's 'captivating symphony of movement' can finally be seen, for the first time in the UK in 83 years, as its director originally intended. This event is now fully booked. On 29 August 2010 there will be an open-air sunset screening of Metropolis in the idyllic setting of Grantchester Meadows as a prelude to the Cambridge Film Festival. Cinema goers can arrive by a chauffeured punt with a glass of bubbly in hand, warm blankets and the promise of a memorable and magical event. Once a month the Curzon Midnight Movies team bring us the best in cult classics, trash beauties and art house jaw droppers alongside exclusive previews. On 3 September 2010, Midnight Movies presents Metropolis at the stunning Curzon Mayfair venue featuring a Metropolis themed burlesque-style dance performance from Suri Sumatra on stage and a 1920's factory themed bar creating some very special cocktails. The Midnight Movies team will also take Metropolis to a special screening in the Little White Lies-curated Cinedrome at the End of the Road Festival on 10 September 2010, alongside other Masters of Cinema titles La Planete Sauvage [aka Fantastic Planet] and House [aka Hausu] The Irish premiere of the restored original version of Metropolis, takes place on 4 September 2010 at the National Concert Hall in Dublin featuring a newly adapted music score for a salon Orchestra closely based on the original Huppertz score from 1927, under the direction of conductor Helmut Imig. This event will be part of an accompanying Fritz Lang season being held at the Irish Film Institute. On 11 September 2010, Metropolis will be the penultimate film screened in a derelict petrol station on Clerkenwell road which will be transformed into a cinema, designed to celebrate the extravagance and ceremony of the picture palace. Primarily constructed using donated and found materials; The Cineroleum will be an improvisation of the decadent interiors that greeted audiences during cinema’s golden age. Popcorn, paper tickets, elaborate signage and flip-down seats will collectively recreate the familiar excitement of cinema-going. Enclosed by an ornate curtain strung from the forecourt roof, The Cineroleum will host screenings from sundown four nights a week. Just as the drive-ins of 1950’s America brought cinema out from its enclosures and into suburbia, The Cineroleum will be a street-side cinema that is truly exposed to the city. For more info about the screening please see www.cineroleum.co.uk The Roundhouse in London is home to an exciting programme of live music, theatre, dance, circus, installations and new media. Included in this programme on Sun 10 October 2010 there will be a live orchestral screening of Metropolis accompanied by the London Contemporary Orchestra. The LCO bring together London’s brightest young talent, with an aim to stimulate and enlighten through their fresh approach and dynamic performances. For more info about the event please see www.roundhouse.org.uk Eureka will also be working with the charitable organisation Film Education with special screenings for schools in early September to tie-in with the film’s release and the a bespoke resource for schools. Later in the year, Metropolis will also feature as part of the National Schools Film Week. Other special preview events include a special screening as part of the Barbican’s Silent Film & Music Series on 3 September 2010 and a couple of screenings at the Chichester International Film Festival on the 3rd and 4th September 2010. Metropolis opens theatrically in over sixty cinemas nationwide on the 10th of September 2010 in towns and cities throughout the UK and Ireland. Full details of these screenings and the event screenings can be found here http://www.metropolis1927.com/#screenings 19th July 2010 INCOMING Several forthcoming titles have been added to the Incoming database in the last couple of days, including the DVD and Blu-ray versions of Michael Winterbottom's controversial serial killer movie The Killer Inside Me, which stars Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson; the complete FlashForward TV series (on DVD only, sadly); and - finally! - Joseph Losey's culty, campy 60s spy classic Modesty Blaise (but, again, only on DVD, for some inexplicable reason). I know I speak for many Zeta Minor visitors (and members of Roobarb's Forum), when I say that I'm done buying movies (and TV series made in HD) on DVD! Releasing a title like Modesty Blaise on DVD only at this point seems, at best, short-sighted, and, at worst, a cynical move to wring every last penny out of DVD, before announcing a double-dip on Blu-ray. It's been a year of huge growth for HD TV set sales (the World Cup - hello!) and prices of Blu-ray players have been tumbling: things are definitely moving in the new format's favour. There seems to be some resistance to reducing the cost of the discs, particularly catalogue titles, which is preventing adoption, but even those are being eroded. Some decent three-for-£20 deals wouldn't go amiss! Thanks to Graves for the updates this week (and, indeed, every week!) 15th July 2010 BLU-RAY NEWS Twentieth Century Fox has announced the details of their forthcoming Alien Anthology Blu-ray box set, which will contain hours of new material, including an apparently-unedited version of the controversial documentary charting the behind-the-scenes conflict that occurred on Alien³, between the studio and director David Fincher. Full details can be found in the set's Incoming record. Other recent Incoming additions include the BFI's Blu-ray edition of Jack Clayton's masterful 1961 ghost story The Innocents, and the DVD and Blu-ray versions of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. IMAX NEWS
On Monday night I was lucky enough to attend a screening of Inception, the highly-anticipated new film from Memento's Christopher Nolan, at the BFI Imax theatre at Waterloo. Inception is a film probably best experienced before you know too much about the plot, or it's stunning set-pieces (at least two of which are being given away by advertising posters and TV clips). The film is based on a relatively straightforward concept, but it's been given layers of depth and Rubik's Cube-like complexity, and demands close attention from the viewer. It's a film that almost casually blends reality with dreams, and very little of what you see is "real", so you have to keep on your toes. I saw the film at the end of a long working day, and, by the end of the film, was somewhat fatigued, but felt that it all made sense. Sort of. More or less. The film features a team of people who have discovered a way to infiltrate the dreams of others. Quite how they achieve this isn't explicitly explained, but all the rules and tech paraphernalia give it enough verisimilitude that you're quickly and effectively sold on the idea. Led by Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), the team has been using this ability to sell protection to wealthy, powerful clients with murky secrets. One such potential client (The Last Samurai's Ken Watanabe) hires Cobb to plant an idea in the mind of a business rival. This is a job requiring a delicate touch, because the victim must not suspect that the idea is not his own. Cobb re-assembles his team, including wingman Arthur ((500) Days of Summer's Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who will be barely recognisable to those of you who have only seen him as Tommy in 3rd Rock From The Sun), and a new "architect", the appropriately-named Ariadne (played by Juno's Ellen Page), to create the operation's labyrinthine - but, by necessity, highly plausible - dream landscape. The team is also joined by a shady mind-manipulator, Eames, compelling portrayed - as usual - by the mesmerising Tom Hardy (Bronson). Platoon's Tom Berenger, an actor who has deserved much more than the straight-to-video dreck he's been mired down by for the last couple of decades, also makes a memorable appearance. Hopefully this will mark a turning point in his career. A strong skein of emotional drama weaves through the film, spinning from Cobb's guilt about the death of his wife, played beautifully by La Vie en Rose's Marion Cotillard. Her relationship with Cobb is at the very heart of the film, and prevents the film from becoming just another slick, hi-tech, testosterone-fuelled Summer Blockbuster. After much explanation and demonstration about what it is that the team are aiming to do, the film steps up several gears: from then on it's pure action. The film spans an array of exotic locations (including a lengthy sequence that seems to pay direct homage to Blofeld's lair in On Her Majesty's Secret Service), and offers a string of highly-impressive special effects set-pieces. Inception is a film that defies easy pigeonholing: its science fiction and fantasy trappings are set dressing in a film that's equally comfortable being an Ocean's Eleven-style heist movie and a Mission: Impossible-style spy thriller. Nolan's fondness for James Bond movies is certainly evident. The film is certainly impressive, and, refreshingly, doesn't pander to the audience's lowest common denominator. True, it's not terribly original (there are strong echoes of Dark City, the recent Japanese anime Paprika, and 1984's Dreamscape, to name but three), but none of these had the benefit of Nolan's sheer panache, or his $200m budget. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with certain aspects of the film's presentation at the IMAX. The cinematography (cropped from it's Panavision 2.35:1 original) is frequently quite ugly, with many scenes exhibiting a grim oiliness (perhaps that's exactly the look Nolan wanted, of course). Flesh tones are sometimes unpleasantly ruddy, and no-one, not even DiCaprio or Cotillard, looks at their best. No-one should go into the film expecting the clarity and sharpness of the IMAX scenes in The Dark Knight. I've seen many films at the IMAX, but this is the first one with a soundtrack that the IMAX's mighty audio setup didn't seem to be able to handle effortlessly. Inception had moments where it seemed to be really struggling (especially with some of the rib-rattling ultra-low bass). Hans Zimmer's percussive score propels and services the film adequately, but it isn't especially memorable. Those caveats shouldn't dissuade you from seeing the film on a big screen (or, at the IMAX, the biggest!) That's assuming you can get a ticket at the IMAX - they're heavily pre-booked, and precious screen time is being limited by Toy Story 3, which is running during the day, and by other forthcoming commitments, like Tron: Legacy. The BFI IMAX is at South Bank, London SE1. Tickets are on sale now and can be bought in advance from the ticket desk in person, by telephone on 020 7199 6000 or online at www.bfi.org.uk/imax. 7th July 2010 DVD NEWS Our friends over at the Mausoleum Club Forum have spotted a couple of significant problems with the newly released The Avengers - Series 4 DVD box set, released on Monday. The first is a video glitch about 43'20" into The Gravediggers, which knocks the audio way out of sync for the remainder of the episode. The second is what looks like a nasty tape playback fault, in The Strange Case of the Missing Corpse bonus feature. It manifests itself in a couple of seconds of audio and video disruption, just before the end captions. Both faults would seem serious enough to warrant re-authoring, and a disc replacement scheme, like the one that Optimum arranged for the first season set.
6th July 2010 INCOMING Recently added and augmented titles include: Charlie's Angels (Blu-ray); a slew of stand-up comedy titles due in November (Chris Addison, Russell Howard, Al Murray, Russell Brand and Dylan Moran); a Complete Collection box set of Foyle's War (which has a much lower RRP than the etailers seem to think); the Jane Seymour mini-series East of Eden; the second series of Ralph Bates' sitcom Dear John; Atom Egoyan's Chloe on Blu-ray and DVD; a box set featuring Dennis Potter's final works, Karaoke and Cold Lazarus (they'll also be available separately, although I can't imagine many people would want one without the other; battling angels fantasy Legion (on DVD and Blu-ray); and Ricky Gervais' family drama Cemetery Junction (on DVD and Blu-ray). 1st July 2010 EVENT NEWS Belated congratulations to Special Effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, who celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this week. Ray's been one of my heroes for more than thirty years, and films like Jason and the Argonauts (being released on Region Free Blu-ray in the US next week) and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad are enduring favourites. Ray's career is being celebrated with a season of his films at BFI Southbank. On Saturday BAFTA played tribute to Ray by presenting him with a special award "for a unique and outstanding contribution to cinema". The event was attended by a number of colleagues and admirers, including Rick Baker, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, John Landis, Ken Ralston, Randall William Cook, Peter Jackson, Caroline Munro and Nick Park, with special video messages from James Cameron, Tim Burton, Ray Bradbury, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Guillermo Del Toro, and Aardman animations. Here are some photo's from the event, courtesy of BAFTA and the BFI.
Ray has also been honoured by Sony Pictures Digital Productions in California, where they have named one of their screening theatres after him! Here's the report from the PR Newswire (which I've Anglicised, for the sake of readability)...
On the eve of his 90th birthday, Sony Pictures Digital Productions is excited to announce the renaming of its 119-seat screening theatre after visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen. The honour comes just days after the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) paid tribute to the creative legend in London with a special award feting his contributions to film. The Ray Harryhausen Theatre will be formally dedicated on Monday, July 12, 2010, with the unveiling of a sign displaying the theatre's new name, a reception, and the screening of one of Harryhausen's seminal hit films, Jason and the Argonauts. The 1963 classic, originally produced and released by Columbia Pictures (now part of Sony Pictures Entertainment), has been lovingly restored to its original splendour by Sony Pictures. The film makes its debut on Blu-ray Disc on July the 6th - the fifth Harryhausen Blu-ray title from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the most of any filmmaker from the label. The disc features new commentaries by Harryhausen himself, as well as Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, along with film historian Tony Dalton and visual effects expert Randall William Cook, and a new interview with Harryhausen with filmmaker John Landis. "It's an incredible honour to have this theatre named at the studio I called home," says Harryhausen. "It means as much to me as my Academy Award and the BAFTA honour I just received, especially knowing that it is a working theatre where visual effects artists and animators work every day." The theatre, located on the Culver City, Ca. campus of Sony Pictures Digital Productions, is the screening theatre of Sony Pictures Imageworks, Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Imageworks Interactive. Used on a daily basis in the creation of modern visual effects and animated features, the theatre represents the living legacy of Harryhausen's lifelong career, as Sony's artists continue to develop and practice new animation techniques for bringing fantasy to life, much as the facility's namesake did throughout his career.
In keeping with the innovation Harryhausen continually introduced throughout his career, the Harryhausen Theatre has undergone a significant state-of-the-art technical upgrade, with capabilities for projecting digital 3D stereoscopic content via Sony's industry-leading 4K CineAlta projector system and RealD cinema technology, 2D digital content and analogue (filmed) content, along with a modernization of the THX-rated theatre's audio reproduction system for 7.1 Surround sound. In addition, the projection system is tied directly to the animation and visual effects computer production infrastructure, enabling direct access to the artists' work in progress at any time. But it is the Harryhausen name which will no doubt continue to inspire Sony's artists as they see the name which has instilled a sense of excitement for the visual effects and animation crafts for over 60 years – not the least of which is Sony Pictures Imageworks' own Creative Head, five-time Academy Award-winner Ken Ralston. Long before working on such films as the original STAR WARS trilogy and as Visual Effects Supervisor for Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and, more recently, Beowulf and Alice in Wonderland, Ralston found himself face-to-face with Harryhausen at the age of 14. "I was invited to the house of Forrest J. Ackerman, who did a magazine called Famous Monsters of Filmland," he recalls. "I was dumbfounded." His relationship with his mentor is now entering its fifth decade. After seeing The 7th Voyage of Sinbad at a young age at a local theatre in Los Angeles, the budding visual effects wiz was mesmerized. "Ray's films took me to these fantastic worlds, with these incredible creatures and characters, in a way I had never experienced before. I'd never seen anything like it, and it really stuck to me."
"What's amazing – and unique – about his work is that he often brought a sympathetic quality to the creatures, especially during their demise," notes Grover Crisp, Sony Pictures' Sr. VP, Asset Management, Film Restoration and Digital Mastering. "It's never just a shock-and-awe thing – he gave them some feeling and humanity." One of the most respected film archivists and restoration specialists in the world, it was Crisp and his team who undertook the meticulous restoration of Jason and the Argonauts. Upon entering the newly named theatre and seeing Harryhausen's name, Ralston hopes for one thing for those who use the facility. "As they walk in, just seeing his name and contemplating for a minute the inspiration he's been to so many – not just effects people, but filmmakers in general. Ray Harryhausen has had a global influence. And we're glad he has a home with us." Ray also attended the official opening of an exhibition of some of the creature models from his films, which is running at the London Film Museum. 23rd June 2010 BOOK NEWS
Based on Bethesda Game Studios’ award-winning Elder Scrolls series, Titan Books presents The Infernal City [Titan Books, 25 June 2010, £6.99]. Written by New York Times bestselling fantasy writer Greg Keyes, this is the first of two exhilarating novels that continue the story from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, named 2006 Game of the Year by numerous outsets including the Golden Joystick Awards and the Associated Press. Four decades after the Oblivion Crisis, Tamriel is threatened anew by an ancient and all-consuming evil: Umbriel, a floating city, casts a terrifying shadow - for wherever it falls, people die and rise again. Inside Umbriel’s shadow, a great adventure begins - and a group of unlikely heroes meet. A legendary prince with a deep secret. A daring spy on the trail of a vast conspiracy. A mage obsessed with his desire for revenge. And Annaïg, a young girl in whose hands the fate of Tamriel may rest... The book is available at Amazon.co.uk and Play.com for £4.99. 22nd June 2010 INCOMING Titles recently added to our forthcoming DVD and Blu-ray database include the Channel 4 drama series A Dance to the Music of Time; various versions of superhero action hit Kick-Ass (a lavish limited edition Blu-ray Collector's Box Set, a steelbook DVD/Blu-ray combi pack, regular Blu-ray and DVD versions, Play.com's Blu-ray and DVD exclusives (with interchangeable art cards), and HMV's exclusive Blu-ray edition, which comes with an illustrated screenplay); Afterwards, a thriller starring John Malkovich and Lost's Evangeline Lilly; the second film featuring Emma Thompson's creation Nanny McPhee, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (on DVD and Blu-ray); the first series of crime series White Collar; and recent BBC cop show Luther, which stars The Wire's Idris Elba (sadly, only available on DVD, it seems). 12th June 2010 CULT TV I've updated our look at Anglia Television's 1985 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, with a scan from a 1999 book about the company. The text from the book reveals little - that Giselle Andrews (Alice) was thirteen when the series was made, and that she was a pupil at a school in Norfolk - but it does feature a couple of nice promotional photo's of Giselle with the court puppets, and four of the voice actors. 7th June 2010 BOOK NEWS Titan Books has released a novel based on the best-selling video game series God of War. Here's the press release...
God of War I, II and III have been amongst the most successful games of all time: the first two instalments of the adventure have sold over five million copies and God of War II was named by IGN as “the best action game ever made”. Since its release on the PS3 system in March, God of War III has become the 3rd best-selling game of 2010. Co-written by Matt Stover, the New York Times Bestselling writer of many Star Wars adventures, and science-fiction author Robert E.Vardeman, this novelization of God of War sheds a brutal new light on the legend of Kratos. A brutal warrior, Kratos is a slave to the gods of Olympus. Plagued by the nightmares of his past and yearning for freedom, the Ghost of Sparta would do anything to be free of his debt to the gods. He is on the verge of losing all hope when the gods give him one last task to end his servitude. He must destroy Ares, the god of war. But what chance does a mere mortal have against a god? Armed with the deadly chained Blades of Chaos, guided by the goddess Athena, and driven by his own insatiable thirst for vengeance, Kratos seeks the only relic powerful enough to slay Ares . . . a quest that will take him deep into the mysterious temple borne by the Titan Cronos! Matthew Stover is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars New Jedi Order:Traitor, Star Wars: Shatterpoint, and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, as well as The Blade of Tyshalle, Heroes Die and Jericho Moon. Robert E. Vardeman writes science fiction, fantasy, mysteries and high-tech thrillers and has published more than 100 books, including several Star Trek novels. The book has an RRP of £6.99, but you can order it from Amazon.co.uk or from Play.com for £5.49. 2nd June 2010 INCOMING More titles and press releases have been added to our forthcoming releases database, Incoming, including: a new film from the producers of Ong Bak, Force of Five (on DVD and Blu-ray); the first season of the new version of alien invasion TV series V; the second season of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse (and a box set of both seasons); one half of Dennis Potter's swansong, Karaoke, from Acorn; Joe D'Amato's shocker Love Goddess of the Cannibals; a new edition of Enzo Castellari's Eagles Over London from Optimum (apparently replacing the one announced by Severin earlier this year, but sadly apparently missing the promised commentary track, and not available on Blu-ray, as the Severin one would have been); a "digitally restored" new DVD edition of Jorge Grau's The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (aka Let Sleeping Corpses Lie); a restored version of Fulci's Lizard in a Woman's Skin, overseen by Marc Morris; an extended version of Jude Law's body organ-trading science fiction movie Repo Men (on DVD and Blu-ray); a National Geographic documentary looking at the science behind films like Twilight and TV series like True Blood, Vampire Forensics; Blu-ray editions of The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid II; the Jennifer Aniston / Gerard Butler comedy The Bounty Hunter (on DVD and Blu-ray); a feature-packed 15tth anniversary Blu-ray edition of Apollo 13; the Village People's camp classic Don't Stop The Music; the seventh seasons of Larry David's comedy of errors, Curb Your Enthusiasm and CSI Miami; Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated drama A Single Man (on DVD and Blu-ray); and "arousing comedy" Holy Water (which features and odd cast including Linda Hamilton and John and Susan Lynch). 31st May 2010 INCOMING I've added press release details to many of the titles in our forthcoming releases database, Incoming this week, including: budget releases for three war movies - Roger Corman's Ski Troop Attack (1960), Sergio Martino's Casablanca Express (1989) and Michael Curtiz' Dive Bomber (1941) - and King Vidor's epic Western adventure Northwest Passage; two volumes and a box set of Britain's Greatest Machines, the National Geographic series presented by Red Dwarf's Chris Barrie (series 1, series 2 and the box set); Alexander Mackendrick's 1963 coming of age drama Sammy Going South; hippie romantic drama Hideous Kinky (there's an official press release, but the etailers don't seem to be listing it yet); the recent movie adaptation of Robert E. Howard's stories about demon hunter Solomon Kane (on DVD and Blu-ray); the Robert De Niro family drama Everybody's Fine; the film that gave Jeff Bridges his long-overdue Oscar, Crazy Heart (on DVD and Blu-ray); acclaimed French dramas The First Day of the Rest of Your Life and Seraphine; an Extended Director's Cut edition of the Jason Statham fantasy film In The Name of the King (which adds more than half an hour to the film's running time); the first season of Lenny Henry's sitcom The Fosters, and the spin-off series from Bill Maynard's Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt, Selwyn; the 1976 ATV adaptation of Arnold Benett's sweeping epic Clayhanger; Todd Solondz's award-winning black comedy Life During Wartime; the well-reviewed 2002 supernatural film Demon Under Glass (under the bandwagon-jumping title Vampire); Oscar-nominated Tolstoy biopic The Last Station (on DVD and Blu-ray); Cantonese revenge thriller Vengeance (on DVD and Blu-ray) and yet another release for George Romero's vampire movie Martin, which comes with alternate sleeves, postcards and a poster (below). New Blu-ray releases include: a 15th anniversary edition of Apollo 13; and a two-disc Ultimate Edition of Donnie Darko (which includes the original and Director's Cut versions of the film);
HAMMER DVD and BLU-RAY NEWS It looks like Eureka will be the first company to issue a Hammer movie on Blu-ray, when they release Freddie Francis' psychological thriller Paranoiac!, which stars Oliver Reed, on July the 26th. Full details have been added to Incoming (DVD and Blu-ray). IMAX NEWS
On the 2nd of July, moviegoers and ogres alike will prepare to journey to Far Far Away when DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s Shrek Forever After opens at BFI IMAX. Audiences of all ages can experience the highly anticipated final chapter of the Shrek story in IMAX 3D – the world’s most immersive movie experience. Digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience through IMAX DMR technology, Shrek Forever After: An IMAX 3D Experience will open alongside the worldwide theatrical release. With crystal clear images, laser-aligned digital sound and maximised field of view, IMAX puts you IN the movie. “In addition to making the ultimate final chapter of the series, we also enjoyed the challenges and rewards of producing Shrek Forever After in 3D, which adds an awesome level of visual immersion that has never before been applied to a Shrek film,” said Mike Mitchell, Director of Shrek Forever After. “Aside from the thrilling roller-coaster ride aspect, like the scene in which Shrek is being chased by a band of evil witches on broomsticks, we also used 3D as a powerful storytelling device to convey the characters’ deepest emotions... and nowhere are these kinds of experiences more engaging and exciting than on huge, IMAX 3D screens.” After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws’ kingdom, what’s an ogre to do? Well, if you’re Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitch forks. What’s happened to this ogre’s roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a “real ogre,” Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumpelstiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it’s up to Shrek to undo all he’s done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love. DreamWorks Animation presents Shrek Forever After starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas. The film is directed by Mike Mitchell and produced by Gina Shay and Teresa Cheng. Executive producers are Andrew Adamson, Aron Warner and John Williams. The screenplay was written by Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke. Shrek Forever After will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. The BFI IMAX is at South Bank, London SE1. Advance tickets are on sale now, in person from the ticket desk in person, or by telephone on 020 7199 6000 or online at www.bfi.org.uk/imax. BOOK NEWS
TANK GIRL: SKIDMARKS Alan Martin & Rufus Dayglo ISBN: 9781848566811 Australia, the near, murky future: in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, the outlaw known only as Tank Girl spends her days drinking, fighting, farting, and engaging in all manner of unspeakable acts and mischief. When her best friend Barney ends up in a coma following a freaky skateboarding accident, Tank Girl juices up her tank and comes to her aid. Only a twenty billion dollar operation can save Barney’s life - and it just so happens that the Watermelon Run, an illegal cross-continental race, has a first prize of that exact amount! Now all Tank Girl needs to do is drive thousands of miles across the burning Outback, while avoiding the homicidal attentions of the other competitors… oh, and hopefully stop her kangaroo-boyfriend Booga from getting off with a shape-changing gnome called Chunky Tumbler... This collected edition also includes two extra stories and a hamper of bonus material! The RRP is £10.99, but Amazon.co.uk have it for £8.24, and Play.com have it for £8.49. Jan - May 2010's Zeta Minor News can be viewed here. Previous Zeta Minor News entries can viewed here. |
COMPETITION!
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August
sees the release of several dual format Blu-ray / DVD sets, including
the film that Sandra Bullock won her Best Actress Oscar for,
Jonathan
Ross and Frankie Boyle comic strips feature in CLiNT, a new monthly
magazine from Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar
There's
lots of activity to report about the recently reconstructed and restored
version of Fritz Lang's Metropolis, which is being screened at
various venues during August and September. Here's the information, from
the distributor's press release...
CULVER
CITY, Calif., June 28 /PRNewswire/
After
being inspired by the work of Willis H. O'Brien, the stop-motion
photography pioneer of 1933's King Kong, Harryhausen eventually
found himself working alongside his mentor for 1949's Mighty Joe
Young. In the mid-1950s, he moved on to Columbia Pictures, where he
created mind-boggling special effects for such films as 20 Million
Miles to Earth (1957), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958),
Jason and the Argonauts (1963), and, later, for M-G-M, the original
Clash of the Titans (1981). His ingenious skill at seamlessly
blending stop-motion puppetry with live action footage - of, for
example, an unbelievable seven articulated skeletons battling Jason in
the 1963 film - continues to inspire visual effects artists to this day.
Ralston
and his friends attempted to recreate the magic in their garages with
small puppets and 8 mm cameras, and, over the years, discovered the most
important aspect of Harryhausen's success. "It was his work ethic – how
hard he disciplined himself to do that work. Those films are all Ray. He
was all of it. For the most part, that was one person doing all of the
effects work we see in his films. That's something that's almost
impossible for younger people to understand, where today, it is an army
of individuals creating a single shot."
Titan
are releasing a novel based on the Elder Scrolls game series.
Here's the press release:
God
of War (4th June, Titan Books, £6.99) is the first official tie-in
novel to the hugely successful God of War series of video games!
The
South Bank IMAX is now taking bookings for the new Shrek movie, Shrek
Forever After. Here's the press release...
Titan
Books has a new paperback Tank Girl collection due on June the 28th:
Tank Girl: Skidmarks. Here's the press release...