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11th March 2010 INCOMING
...the 1952 British comedy Laxdale Hall; the 1937 George Formby film Keep Fit; Mexican thriller I'm Gonna Explode (aka Voy a explotar); a new horror film from the producers of Outlander and Die Hard 4, Stag Night (on Blu-ray and DVD); a re-mastered edition of Robert Stevenson's 1944 adaptation of Jane Eyre (which starred Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine); and the first season of John Sullivan's dark sit-com, Dear John (a box set containing both seasons and the Christmas special, is apparently exclusively available from HMV). The announcement that Dear John is finally getting a release is going to make a lot of people very happy! EVENTS NEWS Mark Millar and John Romita Jr will be signing copies of Titan's Kick-Ass books (two editions of the graphic novel, and the book about the forthcoming film version) at the Forbidden Planet Megastore on Sunday the 21st of March, between 2 and 3pm. 9th March 2010 ZETA MINOR NEWS We have a new BBC Audio competition starting this week, offering you the chance to win the latest collection of episodes of vintage comedy The Goon Show, lovingly re-mastered, and available in chronological order for the first time. Click on the image, right, to go to the competition page! The Optimum British Classics and Doctor Who DVD competitions have been extended, so there's still time to enter, if you haven't already done so! 2nd March 2010 IMAX NEWS The South Bank IMAX has had a record-breaking run with James Cameron's 3D spectacular Avatar, taking more money than any other IMAX cinema except for the one in Moscow, apparently. Speaking as someone who has recently tried to get a ticket for one of the dwindling number of screenings, I can certainly vouch for its popularity. Even with screenings that start just before midnight, and ones that start at three o'clock in the morning at weekends, it was very difficult to find a show that hadn't sold out (or, at least, find one where any good seats were available!)
I have to admit, as a collector and connoisseur of various different adaptations of Carroll's two Alice novels, (including the Anglia Television version I wrote about here), I approached Burton's re-visioned version with a fair degree of trepidation. The film is neither a straight recounting of the novel (not even one that, as is common practice, borrows liberally from the second book, too), nor is it a new story, nor a sequel. A somewhat baffling plot point is that no-one seems sure if the young woman called Alice who has arrived in Wonderland is the same Alice that visited as a child. Incidents from Carroll's novels are borrowed when it suits, so clearly, the production wants to have their Eat Me cake and... err... eat it. Mia Wasikowska is a rather beguiling grown-up Alice, supported by a strong, largely-British supporting cast, including Helena Bonham Carter as the manic Red Queen; and Timothy Spall and Tim Pigott-Smith as Oxford gentry. Several others provide voices (and, perhaps, motion capture): Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Barbara Windsor as the Dormouse, Paul Whitehouse as the March Hare, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, Christopher Lee as the Jabberwock, Michael Gough as the Dodo, and Stephen Fry, as the Cheshire Cat, amongst others. American talent comes in the shape of Anne Hathaway, as a very regal White Queen, and Crispin Glover as the villainous Knave of Hearts. Johnny Depp, who gets top billing, walks a perilous cliff-edge, very nearly toppling the production as a clearly bonkers Mad Hatter. The production design is stunning, but curiously conventional. It's as bizarre as any version of Alice you'll find, but perhaps less outré than might have expected from Burton. Since Burton and Alice have been mentioned in the same breath for many, many years, perhaps it would have been impossible to live up to our daydreams of what the combination might be like? Some elements, like the Queen's armoured soldiers have certainly got Burton's stamp on them. The effects work - an entire fantasy landscape, replete with fauna and flora - is heavily-stylised, but quite convincing. There are some lovely touches, little details that made me smile, like various heart-shaped motifs that pop up in various places. The clever 3D framing dictates almost every shot, and some of it is very impressive indeed (certainly the best I've seen so far). There are numerous shots that, naturally, rush by too quickly for the brain - or, at least, my brain - to latch onto, but otherwise Burton's staging is generally excellent. Clearly this is a director who understands the 3D process, and knows how to make the best of it. There are many, many beautifully composed shots, expertly captured by Sweeney Todd's Dariusz Wolski. The 3D depth of field in some shots is quite breath-taking. I certainly can't imagine the film looking quite so impressive in more conventional venues, though! Full booking details can be found here. Alice in Wonderland at the IMAX has inspired a season of Alice-related screenings at the BFI, including multiple opportunities to see the first ever film adaptation, from 1903. Sadly, there's little on offer that isn't available on DVD, one way or another. I'm sure fans would have liked to have seen more obscure productions, like the BBC's 1974 Christmas extravaganza Alice Through The Looking Glass, or their 1986 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, or the aforementioned Anglia Television version, none of which have been seen in public since they originally aired. More information can be found here. Alice fans might like to know that two previously-unreleased versions of Alice in Wonderland have been released on DVD in the US to coincide with the release of Burton's movie. The first is the misconceived 1933 Paramount studios adaptation, which features a star-studded cast, largely buried under inches of prosthetic make-up. It's a fascinating production, as much for the interesting production design as for the top-notch acting talent involved (Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields, etc). The script was by two of the best writers working in Hollywood, too: Joseph Mankiewicz and William Cameron Menzies (who's probably best known now as production designer and director of the original version of Invaders from Mars). The second is Jonathan Miller's 1966 BBC version, which was been released here in the UK by the BFI. The American edition has the considerable bonus of also including Dennis Potter's 1965 Wednesday Play, Alice (aka The Life of Lewis Carroll), which blended episodes from the novel with a biography of the author. This adaptation features Doctor Who companion Deborah Watling as Alice, and George Baker as the Reverend Dodson. EVENTS NEWS Two forthcoming signings at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London: Brian and Wendy Froud will be signing copies of their book The Heart of Faerie Oracle on Friday the 26th of March, between 6 and 7pm; and Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards will be signing the first issue of their comic book Turf, on Wednesday the 14th of March, between 6 and 7pm. Signed copies can be ordered from the shop's mail order department, on 020 7803 1900. 15th February 2010 INCOMING I've added a few press releases to the Incoming database today, including ones for: Michael Keaton's directorial debut, the thriller The Merry Gentleman; romantic comedy Adam (out this week); the Blu-ray and DVD versions of Terry Gilliam's marvellous fantasy The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; the inspirational documentary The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off; the Russian science-fiction film from the makers of Nightwatch and Daywatch, Interceptor on DVD and Blu-ray; the Blu-ray version of Wim Wenders' masterpiece Wings of Desire; the Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman TV movie; and seasons two and three of Kojak. Here's a look at the sleeve art for the Kojak and Six Million Dollar Man releases...
EVENTS NEWS Details of the next Kaleidoscope meeting: KALEIDOSCOPE EVENT Saturday 6th March 2010, 12:00 - 7:00 pm
Function Suite, The Talbot Hotel, Free Admission THE MAIN ROOM * 12:00 pm ATV Start-up film
* 12:05 pm The Likes of Sykes -
Later work written by and starring Eric
* 1:00 pm Guest Presentation - Steve Bryant
- TV's Credit Crunch: The
* 1:30 pm Sooty - a classic BBC episode
from the 1950s, including * 1:45 pm Break
* 2:00 pm Guest Panel - Paul Stewart Laing.
Paul is a prolific producer and director who began his career as a
cameraman on Thank Your Lucky Stars, The Golden Shot and many other
shows. He went on to work with all the greatest artistes on New Faces,
London Night Out, Wednesday * 3:30 pm Afternoon Tea
* 4:00 pm The Famous Five - "Five Run Away
Together". For a generation
* 4:30 pm Guest Panel - Three Come Back For
a Reunion! They are back! * 5:30 pm Break
* 5:45 pm The Golden Shot - An edition of
the much loved game show
* 6:30 pm Men Behaving Badly - A rare
chance to see the untelevised * 6:55 pm Closedown
SECOND VIEWING AREA
* 12:00 pm I'm Bob He's Dickie - 2388/77 -
entertainment show starring
* 1:00 pm This is Your Life - Douglas
Bader. A special edition of the * 1:45 pm Break
* 2:00 pm Sunday Night Theatre - "Man and
Boy". Telly Savalas heads
* 3:30 pm Night Time - untransmitted pilot
made by Paul Stewart Laing
* 4:30 pm Celebrity Squares - An edition of
the long running game show
* 5:30 pm The Making of New Faces - a
documentary behind the scenes on
* 6:30 pm I Wish I Had Said That - An
untelevised pilot made by Paul * 7:00 pm Closedown
All material at Kaleidoscope events is
screened with the permission of
In 2010, Kaleidoscope is supporting the
Royal National Lifeboat
The Talbot Hotel is offering a special room
rate for anyone coming to Tel: 01384 394350 - www.talbothotelstourbridge.co.uk
Full details of this event and
Kaleidoscope's other activities can 10th February 2010 INCOMING I've added press release details to many records in our forthcoming releases database today, including: Thames Television's TV adaptation of Dick Clement's Thatcher satire Anyone for Denis?; mafia movie The Level; Oscar hopeful An Education on DVD and Blu-ray (go Carey!); the third season of gay vampire series The Lair (which features scream queen Sybil Danning); Street Hawk - The Complete Series (making its world DVD debut here in the UK); Cabin Fever 2, the sequel to Eli Roth's surprisingly popular horror hit; Revelation's new edition of science-fiction series Chocky (which features a new interview with star Andrew Ellams); ship-board slasher flick Triangle (on DVD and Blu-ray); a thirty-three disc box set of one of the finest TV series ever made, Homicide: Life on the Street; a two-disc edition of Day of the Dead on Blu-ray, which celebrates the film's 25th anniversary; exploitation movie spoof Bitch Slap (which reunites a group of Hercules and Xena stars); supernatural thriller Not Forgotten (which stars The Mentalist's Simon Baker, on DVD and Blu-ray); season four of Fox's action series The Unit. Here's a better look at Arrow's Day of the Dead - 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray, with the various alternate sleeve designs (including the new artwork by Rick Melton)...
8th February 2010 SOUNDTRACK REVIEWS Film Score Monthly (FSM) has kindly sent three of their recent soundtrack CDs for review...
Somewhat amazingly - and I assume this will come as something of a shock for many people who own a copy of Bullitt on CD - the original score (that is, the actual music used in the film itself) has never been released, until now. All previous LP and CD releases, including the expanded version released in 2000 on the composer's own label, have been re-recordings. Even more surprisingly, the new Film Score Monthly release marks the score's CD debut in the US (the Ford Puma advert, which was the catalyst for much interest in the film's music, was a campaign created for the European market). Film Score Monthly's new Silver Age Classics release of Lalo Schifrin's score features both the complete original score (42'17") and the original late-60s album recording (the twelve-track, 34'00" programme used for the LP-based releases). Their disc features both the original album recording, (which, incidentally, featured a number of jazz greats doing session work), and the film recording, in stereo, from the original 1" eight-track and ½” three-track masters, respectively. The disc comes with a twenty-four page illustrated booklet which includes extensive background information and detailed track notes, by John Bender and Alexander Kaplan. With such a broad potential customer base, which will surely extend well beyond hardcore film score collectors, the limited edition pressing of three thousand copies seems a touch conservative. Buy it now to avoid disappointment!
The beautiful, melodic score primarily explores variations on a single theme, which is for the film's main character, Hudson, a thinly-veiled avatar for the author of the novel the film was based on, Ernest Hemingway. Islands in the Stream was one of the composer's great collaborations with director Franklin J. Schaffner (Planet of the Apes, Patton, The Boys From Brazil, etc). It was previously only available as a mid-80s re-recording conducted by Goldsmith himself, (Intrada's much admired, but ultimately unsatisfying, Excalibur Collection edition). Although the track list on the new disc is broadly similar to that of the Intrada disc, it re-instates one significant section of music, from the boat chase cue Eddy's Death (omitted from the Intrada version because the composer wasn't happy with the performance of the orchestra). Until FSM's disc was announced, source tapes for Islands in the Stream were widely thought to have been lost, and the original score was often spoken of in hushed, reverential tones. The new disc was created from a stereo, 15ips, quarter-inch tape supplied by soundtrack producer Bruce Kimmel, who fortuitously made a copy of the masters in 1979, before they disappeared from Paramount's vaults (a story recounted here). The disc was mastered by Goldsmith's long-serving engineer-of-choice, Bruce Botnick, and the results are outstanding. The disc comes with a twenty-page booklet, featuring in-depth notes by Jeff Bond and Alexander Kaplan, studded with evocative images from the film, and topped with a cover painting by one of the the all-time great film poster artists, Bob Peak. The disc is a limited edition of five thousand copies.
It may be pretty obscure, but the film in question, Jeremiah Johnson, has impeccable credentials. It was directed by the late, great Sydney Pollack, written by Apocalypse Now's John Milius, and it starred Robert Redford. It may not have joined the pantheon of all-time classics, but it is widely regarded as something of a minor masterpiece. The film's two composers, John Rubinstein and Tim McIntire, were actors by trade, but moonlighted as a composer and singer-songwriter on the side. The Jeremiah Johnson CD offers a charming programme of beguiling, folksy Americana, featuring several charming themes, and focussed around several ballad-like songs. The music from the film was previously only available on LP in a presentation peppered with dialogue samples, intended to form a narrative re-telling of the film. FSM's disc offers the complete score, in stereo, without the dialogue. The dialogue-laden versions of the cues are offered as alternates, along with additional score tracks and a collection of original demo tracks. The original LP programme can be more-or-less replicated by making a playlist (as described in the booklet). The music is in stereo, taken from various source elements. The disc comes with a twenty-four page booklet, containing exemplary notes by Nick Redman, which made me order the film on DVD. There's also a typically-revealing track-by-track guide by Alexander Kaplan. The disc is limited to three thousand copies. FSM CDs can be ordered from specialist soundtrack etailers, including the label's distribution partner, Screen Archives Entertainment. 27th January 2010 EVENT NEWS Honor Blackman (Goldfinger, The Avengers, etc) will be signing in the basement of the Vintage Magazine Shop, 39-43 Brewer Street, London on Saturday the 27th of February, between 12-2pm. 25th January 2010 INCOMING
Many other titles have been added to the database this week, including the TV movie Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman; new sitcom Bellamy's People (a spin-off from the radio series Down The Line); Battlestar Galactica: The Plan on DVD and steelbook Blu-ray; the first season of Stargate SG-U (Stargate Universe); and a box set of three recent Clive Barker-related films from LionsGate (Midnight Meat Train, Book of Blood and Dread). 19th January 2010 INCOMING
HAMMER DVD NEWS
The set will feature six rarely-seen Hammer movies: Never Take Sweets from a Stranger (aka Never Take Candy from a Stranger), The Snorkel, Maniac, Cash on Demand, The Full Treatment (aka Stop Me Before I Kill!) and Joseph Losey’s The Damned (aka These Are The Damned). Sony is promising that the films will be restored to their optimum length, including eleven minutes to one of my favourite Peter Cushing films, Cash on Demand. Here's the full text of their In Production press release: Probably one of the best-known companies releasing horror films, Hammer Film Productions was the pre-eminent producer of gothic and lusty favorites such as The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula Has Risen from His Grave [sic], Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, The Horror of Dracula, The Vampire Lovers, Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll... among many others, which still maintain a cult status today. Among Hammer’s voluminous output in the 50’s and 60’s were a number of excellent, albeit lesser known, suspense films directed by the likes of Val Guest, Joseph Losey and Michael Carreras. Hammer titles released by Columbia Pictures have been the subject of previous DVD releases (Icons of Adventure and Icons of Horror sets), and now these stylish black and white Hammer suspense films are set to go to DVD in the upcoming box set, Icons of Suspense (due out in 2010). One well-known issue with films from this period, and for Hammer films in particular, is the fact that they were often censored or edited for either U.S. or international audiences. The restoration work done in order to bring these films to DVD has included the restoration of deleted scenes, and includes the presentation of the longest possible versions. The films in this set include Never Take Candy from a Stranger (the UK release title was Never Take Sweets from a Stranger), The Snorkel, Maniac, Cash on Demand, Stop Me Before I Kill! (UK title The Full Treatment) and the long-awaited release of Joseph Losey's These Are The Damned (UK The Damned). All six of these films feature stark black and white cinematography, and most are Cinemascope titles that will be presented in their original widescreen theatrical aspect ratio. Familiar actors and directors from Hammer grace these films, but Peter Cushing turns in one of his best performances ever, in Cash On Demand. Cushing is the fussy bank manager who is forced to ally himself with a bank robber in this tense story, based on a play. The original film version was cut by nearly eleven minutes, because audiences found it difficult to sympathize with Cushing’s character. The restored footage makes this film even more tense and surprising. Be sure to keep your eye out for this collection! As before, Sony are offering customers the chance to vote for one of three potential sleeve designs. You can see them here (note that the page loads with a trailer for Columbia Classics movies playing!) Click on the Knife Art, Phone Art and Noose Art labels to see the covers. EVENTS NEWS Author Paul Cornell will be attending a signing copies of Marvel's Captain Britain and MI13: Vampire State at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, on Thursday the 28th of January, between 6 and 7pm. As always, signed copies can be ordered from the Mail Order department, on 020 7803 1900. 15th January 2010 INCOMING Press releases added to the database yesterday include: Robbie Coltrane's compelling return to crime drama, Murderland; a "50th Anniversary" edition of Ken Russell's D.H.Lawrence adaptation, Lady Chatterley; the fifth series of genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? (Patsy Kensit, Boris Johnson, David Suchet, etc); and the fourth series of Stephen Tompkinson African drama Wild at Heart. 12th January 2010 INCOMING More press releases have been added to the site, for: the first series of fondly-remembered 80s sitcom Chance in a Million; Ondi Timoner's documentary We Live In Public; block-busting supernatural shocker Paranormal Activity (on DVD and Blu-ray); and the film that represents the nadir of Christopher Lee's lengthy and generally respectable career, Howling 2 - Your Sister is a Werewolf. 11th January 2010 INCOMING New titles continue to be added to the Incoming database, so visit often for the latest updates! In the last couple of days I've added detailed information for many British catalogue films coming from Optimum, as well as adding press release blurb for, amongst others, Jon Amiel's charming study of Charles Darwin, Creation (on Blu-ray and DVD); the Judd Apatow comedy Funny People (which stars Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan, on DVD and Blu-ray); two Satyajit Ray films, currently only being listed by Amazon, Company Limited and The Stranger; Pedro Almodóvar's recent hit Broken Embraces (on DVD and Blu-ray); Derek Jarman's Edward II (on DVD only); an odd Prisoner Cell Block H release showcasing a run of episodes, titled The Edna Pearson Story, which were previously heavily-edited here for legal reasons; a collection of animated nuggets from Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, the Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy; Humberto Solas' Cuban classic Lucia; Chan-Wook Park's off-kilter vampire thriller Thirst, on Blu-ray and DVD; and football hooliganism movie The Firm, on DVD and Blu-ray. 5th January 2010 ZETA MINOR NEWS Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a nice Christmas. I've been incredibly busy over the last few weeks, and this has drawn my attention away from the website, I'm afraid. I apologise for the lack of updates recently. In my absence Graves has been characteristically diligent in keeping our forthcoming releases database, Incoming, up to date. While the PR companies are still sending out press releases for January titles, the etailers have pretty fleshed-out listings for the next three months and beyond, in some cases. It will probably be at least a week before things start getting back to normal, and the press releases pick up momentum again. My thanks to all the companies that have kindly agreed to run competitions with us over the last year, especially BBC Audio, who have been with us week in, week out. Other stalwarts include Optimum, 2 Entertain, Titan Books and Silva Screen Records. Without their support the site would be a lot less interesting! Thanks, too, to everyone who uses our affiliated links to buy their discs. The tiny percentage kicked-back to us by the etailers helps oil Zeta Minor's wheels! I'd also like to thank Karl, who hosts Zeta Minor and Roobarb's Forum, and is always there when I lose all my login cookies! Last month's Zeta Minor News can be viewed here. Previous Zeta Minor News entries can viewed here. |
COMPETITION!
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I've
added press releases to a number of titles in our forthcoming releases
database,
Their
next major presentation, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, looks
set to repeat Avatar's success. I was lucky enough to see the
film at the weekend, on their always-impressive giant screen, in 3D.
Titles
with press release information added in the last couple of days include
the
Press
releases added to the database in the last couple of days include:
Sony
in the US has announced that their next collection of Hammer films,
Icons of Suspense, will be released on April the 6th. 