NUTCRACKER, THE MOTION PICTURE -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 12/14/17

 

I don't remember ever sitting down and watching a production of Tchaikovsky’s classic musical fantasy (derived from the E.T.A. Hoffmann story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”) all the way through, so I was surprised to find that the 1986 screen adaptation, NUTCRACKER, THE MOTION PICTURE (Olive Films), is a lot less Christmassy than I imagined. 

It's also less skillfully rendered than I expected from director Carroll Ballard, who gave us the exquisite THE BLACK STALLION as well as NEVER CRY WOLF.  I think this is because Ballard excelled at more natural, realistic storytelling (albeit through a beautifully artistic eye) and was out of his element taking on a stagey ballet with an almost non-linear storyline that's told through music and dance.

He made a sort of metaphorical dance out of the boy and the horse getting to know and love each other in THE BLACK STALLION, and it was beautiful. Here, he's a bit at a loss as to how to shoot literal dance sequences, often editing a bunch of tight shots together in rapid succession to convey movement but losing the effect of the group choreography in doing so.

These sequences are at their best during the moments when Ballard pulls back and gives us a nice, wide master shot of the dancers doing their thing. Yet this is where his talent as a visual film artist is least utilized and the film is at its most stagey and uncinematic.  Throughout NUTCRACKER, THE MOTION PICTURE this uneasy juxtaposition of the cinematic and the theatrical seldom makes for a pleasing blend.

Indeed, I often found myself zoning out and simply enjoying Tchaikovsky’s brilliant music, rendered beautifully by the London Symphony Orchestra, as the images played out before me.  I found myself recognizing most of these oft-heard musical themes and savoring each one anew, gifts of the composer's genius that keep on giving across the centuries.

The story proper concerns a young girl named Clara (Vanessa Sharp) attending her parents' opulent Christmas party and hoping that finally this year she'll be old enough to join in the dance.  She especially looks forward to seeing her extremely eccentric godfather Herr Drosselmeier (Hugh Bigney), a clockmaker who never fails to bring the most special, magical gifts that he has fashioned himself.

This year Drosselmeier has outdone himself by building a toy castle in which one might actually see tiny figures dancing inside.  As an older Clara tells us in voiceover, he has a tendency to invade her dreams somehow, turning them into frightening but strangely wonderful nightmares.  This night is no different, and Clara's dream sleep becomes a wondrous journey through the magic castle and then into exotic foreign lands with the handsome Nutcracker Prince (Wade Walthall).

The opening act of the film contains the only real Christmas atmosphere, the rest being Clara's frightening encounter with some toy figures come to overgrown life (including production designer Maurice Sendak's grotesque animal creations) and then the balletic adventures of Clara's grown-up fantasy self, played by lissome ballet dancer Patricia Barker, in a sort of "Arabian Nights" world with Drosselmeier as an evil sheik or something. 

Barker bears a close resemblance to the younger Clara and is a pleasing surrogate figure with ample balletic skills.  It's nice watching her and the Nutcracker Prince during their elegant specialty numbers as well as a "snowflake" dance by members of the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

I prefer these moments to the more chaotic ones with too many toy soldiers, anthropomorphic animals, and other characters leaping about in a confusing blur of closeups and rapid editing.  The story finally comes to a climax of sorts (including a noticeably bad flying effect) which I actually found rather intriguing--it really does end the way nightmares often do, and Clara, awaking with a start, seems well pleased by her odd godfather's most unusual gift.

NUTCRACKER, THE MOTION PICTURE will please fans of Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous music even if they only listen to it. Those who look at it as well may find the images to be as much a mixed bag as the one from which Herr Drosselmeier produces his eclectic array of homemade Christmas gifts.  Try as he might, director Ballard just never quite gets a handle on this one. 



YEAR: 1986
GENRE: DANCE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
LABEL: OLIVE FILMS
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 86 mins
RATING: G
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
AUDIO: STEREO

NUTCRACKER, THE MOTION PICTURE -- DVD Review by Porfle

DONNIE DARKO -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

(Originally posted 3/27/17. Information about public showings no longer applies.)

 

DONNIE DARKO (2001) is kind of like an ultra "Twilight Zone" episode by way of "The X-Files" as filtered through the mind of David Lynch and decorated by Tim Burton.  With some Robert A. Heinlein, Clive Barker, and John Irving thrown into the mix as well.  (The director has called it “The Catcher in the Rye as told by Philip K. Dick.")

And yet it's also its own unique, one-of-a-kind sort of funhouse mirror with all the giddy fear and dark exhilaration of a malfunctioning spook house ride.

Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, ZODIAC) gains our sympathy right away because he's a nice teenaged kid with a nice family, and he'd like to be a normal guy, but he isn't--I mean, really, really isn't--and he can't help it.

His befuddled psychiatrist (Katherine Ross) tells his parents he's schizophrenic.  Sometimes he skips his meds.  He knows he's "crazy", and that his attempts not to be are probably doomed. 

So, occasionally, he just goes with the flow and sets the fires and vandalizes the things that the tall guy in the scary-looking bunny costume and mask tells him to do. 

Why?  Because the scary bunny, who goes by the name of Frank, is a time traveler, helping Donnie to fulfill his destiny and maintain the space-time continuum by influencing the lives of everyone around him in very fundamental ways before the world ends, which will occur at the end of the month on Halloween night.

The incredible event that sets all of this into motion occurs early in the film, after we've met Donnie and the other Darkos and things have settled down for the night, and suddenly, there's a tremendous crash that shakes the house like an earthquake. 

That's the detached jet airplane engine demolishing Donnie's bedroom from above, mere minutes after he's been awakened and summoned safely out of the house by Frank.

For me, this weird and wonderful event is the sort of thing that just makes me fall in love with a movie right off the bat and stay with it every step of the way if it continues to be that wonderful, which DONNIE DARKO does the way a mindbending page-turner of a novel or comic book does.
 

Mary McDonnell (DANCES WITH WOLVES, INDEPENDENCE DAY, SCREAM 4, "Battlestar Galactica") and Holmes Osborne (THAT THING THAT YOU DO!, BRING IT ON, AFFLICTION) are ideal as Donnie's long-suffering but loving parents Rose and Eddie, and Gyllenhaal's real-life sister Maggie (THE DARK KNIGHT) is his sister Elizabeth.  Their younger sister Samantha is played cutely by Daveigh Chase (AMERICAN ROMANCE, SPIRITED AWAY).

Executive producer Drew Barrymore makes a strong impression as Donnie's progressive, perceptive English teacher, Miss Pomeroy, whose methods will be called into question by stiff-assed fellow teacher Miss Farmer (Beth Grant, OPERATION: ENDGAME, SPEED), an emotionally backward harpy whose classes seem to consist solely of videotapes by New Age self-help guru Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze, ROADHOUSE, DIRTY DANCING, GHOST).

Other supporting players in this very interesting cast include Noah Wyle, Seth Rogan, James Duval (AMERICAN ROMANCE, THE BLACK WATERS OF ECHO'S POND, INDEPENDENCE DAY), and Patience Cleveland (PSYCHO III) as Roberta Sparrow, aka "Grandma Death", a crazy old recluse who, it turns out, may know a thing or two about time travel herself.

High school life is a daily parade of the usual nerdy friends and scary bullies, as well as a pretty but troubled new student (Jena Malone as "Gretchen") who catches the eye of lonely but attractively enigmatic Donnie. 

I tried the lonely but attractively enigmatic thing in high school but it never worked for me.  It does, however, work for Donnie as he and Gretchen form a sympatico relationship that will become crucial in the scheme of things as time counts irrevocably down to Frank's mysterious end-of-world deadline.

As Donnie, Jake Gyllenhaal maintains just the right attitude throughout--bemused, puzzled, sad, resentful, fearful, and yet deeply intrigued by what's happening to him, because who knows?  It just might be real.

Visually, DONNIE DARKO is an eye-pleasing, idealized evocation of everyday life, sort of an updated Kodachrome version of Capra's small town in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE or the deceptive veneer of normalcy in Lynch's BLUE VELVET, all shot through with a warm nostalgia for the 80s. (Donnie takes Gretchen to see THE EVIL DEAD at the neighborhood bijou, while familiar 80s songs enhance the soundtrack.)

 

Richard Kelly directs the whole thing with the skill of a craftsman and the sensibility of an artist who likes to turn everyday things inside out and explore the beauty and mystery within, occasionally uncovering the ugly side of things as well. 

He also imbues the film with a sense of dark, magical fun that makes the serious aspects and underlying humanity of the story resonate even more.

This is exemplified by the loving but impishly humorous interactions between Donnie's parents, who sometimes act like a couple of kids, and between Donnie and his sisters.  It's nice to see a functioning family unit in a movie these days, even though this family does have one huge dysfunction, which is Donnie.

It's been a while since I was this totally caught up in a film and entranced by it until the very last frame.  DONNIE DARKO is like a big, juicy Tootsie Pop made of mystery and imagination, and you savor the act of seeing how many licks it takes to get to the chewy cult movie center.


Donnie Darko: English / USA / 113 min (theatrical) /
134 min (Director's Cut)


Here's our original coverage of the upcoming re-release:

Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko Returns to Theaters
Arrow Films Debuts 4K Restoration of Theatrical & Director's Cuts
 
Weeklong Runs in Los Angeles, New York and More

"Excitingly original indie vision" - Entertainment Weekly
"A mini-masterpiece" - Empire
   
Los Angeles, CA - Arrow Films has announced the March 31st domestic theatrical debut of the 4K restoration of Richard Kelly's cult hit Donnie Darko. Following a wildly successful re-release in the UK for its fifteenth anniversary, the film will return to theaters in cities across the United States. Fifteen years before "Stranger Things" combined science-fiction, Spielberg-ian touches and 80s nostalgia to much acclaim, Kelly set the template and the benchmark with his debut feature, Donnie Darko. Initially beset with distribution problems, it would slowly find its audience and emerge as arguably the first cult classic of the new millennium. The 4K restoration of Donnie Darko will premiere at the Vista in Los Angeles on March 30th, and officially open in Los Angeles at the Cinefamily and in New York at Metrograph on March 31st.

Described by director Richard Kelly as "The Catcher in the Rye as told by Philip K. Dick", Donnie Darko combines an eye-catching, eclectic cast: pre-stardom Jake (Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain, Nocturnal Animals) and Maggie Gyllenhaal ("The Honourable Woman", The Dark Knight), Jena Malone (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Neon Demon), the late heartthrob Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing, Ghost), Drew Barrymore (E.T., "Grey Gardens", "Santa Clarita Diet") Oscar nominees Mary McDonnell (Dances With Wolves, Passion Fish, "Battlestar Galactica") and Katharine Ross (The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Stepford Wives), and television favorite Noah Wyle ("ER", "Falling Skies") and an evocative soundtrack of 80s classics by Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran.

The brand-new 4K restoration was produced by Arrow Films from the original camera negatives and supervised and approved by Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster. The 4K restoration premiered to a packed audience at the National Film Theatre in London on December 17th, 2016, with an introduction by Richard Kelly. A screening of the Director's Cut followed the next day. The re-release opened nationwide in the UK on December 23rd, eventually grossing £70,000.

Both the theatrical cut and the director's cut are being made available to venues via a partnership with Cartilage Films, and locations will vary. 

Donnie Darko will also return for weeklong runs in Denver, Columbus, Cleveland, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Tempe, Tulsa and San Francisco on March 31st, and in El Paso, Portland and Detroit on April 7.

Special screenings include Jacksonville, Austin, Dallas, Honolulu, Lubbock, Baton Rouge, Sioux Falls, Oklahoma City, Tucson, Durham and Stamford throughout March and April.  A full list of screenings is available at Cartilage Films.
http://www.cartilagefilms.com/donnie-darko.html?utm_source=Copy+of+Donnie+Darko+Theaters&utm_campaign=Outfest&utm_medium=email

March 31st Theatrical Release:
The Cinefamily
611 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Metrograph
7 Ludlow St
New York, NY 10002

Donnie is a troubled high school student: in therapy, prone to sleepwalking and in possession of an imaginary friend, a six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. During that time he will navigate teenage life, narrowly avoid death in the form of a falling jet engine, follow Frank's maladjusted instructions and try to maintain the space-time continuum.

DONNIE DARKO -- Movie Review by Porfle

HANCOCK -- Movie Review by Porfle

(NOTE: This review was written during the film's initial theatrical run and originally posted on 9/3/11.)


HANCOCK (2008), this year's big-budget 4th of July offering from Will Smith to his fans, is neither as much fun as MEN IN BLACK or INDEPENDENCE DAY, nor as horrible as WILD, WILD WEST.   It sorta bounces around between those two extremes, entertaining me for a few moments here and there before lapsing into passages that had me not really caring whether or not I even finished watching the whole disappointing thing.

Hancock (Smith) is a surly, alcoholic bum whom we find sleeping on a sidewalk bench as the movie opens.  But when he's told that there's a van full of heavily-armed criminals in a high-speed pursuit on the freeway, he grabs his bottle of cheap booze and drunkenly flies to the scene.  While he succeeds in stopping the bad guys, his crude, haphazard methods also cause millions of dollars worth of damage and public outrage. 

Later, when kindhearted, green-livin' public relations man Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) finds himself stuck on the tracks with a freight train bearing down on him, Hancock flings his car away and stops the train cold, causing--you guessed it--millions of dollars worth of damage.  Unlike Superman, this sad-sack superhero just doesn't bother to think his heroic deeds through before wading into action.  However, the grateful Ray invites Hancock home to dinner to meet his lovely wife Mary (Charlize Theron) and admiring son Aaron (Jae Head), and to give Hancock some pointers on how to improve his public image and more efficiently use his super powers without leaving such wanton destruction and negative publicity in his wake.



The superhero stuff, of course, is what makes HANCOCK intermittently entertaining.  It's fun to watch this comic variation of the Bruce Willis character in UNBREAKABLE blundering his way into tense situations and handling them in the most egregious, irresponsible ways possible.  It's also exciting and funny when, after finally donning the superhero costume Ray gives him and following some of his helpful advice, Hancock polishes his image by heroically saving the day when a group of ruthless bank robbers with hostages wired to explode begin shooting up a whole city block. 

Unfortunately, the movie doesn't really know what to do with itself when fun things like this aren't happening.  An earlier sequence which finds Hancock in prison for his misdeeds doesn't really go anywhere, and one particular scene in which he inserts a convict's head into another convict's ass, aside from being rather juvenile, is downright farcical.  I might accept such gross absurdity in a MEN IN BLACK-type live-action cartoon (maybe), but HANCOCK also wants to turn all heartrending and semi-realistic before it's through.  It's almost like a collision between "Heroes" and POLICE ACADEMY. 

A surprise plot-twist that occurs shortly before the halfway mark leads to vague, mystical revelations about Hancock's HIGHLANDER-esque past and some increasingly straight-faced melodrama.  It also results in a superhero battle right out of the tiresome Neo vs. Agent Smith showdown in MATRIX:REVOLUTIONS (complete with half-baked CGI weather effects slathered on for no good reason), by way of SUPERMAN II, with the sort of supercharged personal conflicts that are better suited to an X-MEN story.  To make up for the fact that there's no super-villain, we also get a bland trio of regular criminals out for revenge against our hero, but they end up serving merely as a plot contrivance.



Thank goodness, Will Smith is good enough to finesse his way through it all without much trouble.  Charlize Theron is also effective as Mary, mainly because her character is pretty consistently serious throughout, although she has her share of absurd moments. I was surprised when the closing credits revealed that Ray Embrey was played by Justin Bateman--wow, I thought he was still a teenager or something.  Anyway, he does a good job of making Ray warm, likable, and funny.  As Ray and Mary's son, Aaron, Jae Head has an appealingly natural quality.  Nancy Grace appears as herself in an unwelcome cameo.

Most of the special effects are pretty good, especially in the opening freeway chase, the train rescue, and the bank robbery sequence.  But then there's that hinky, cartoonish CGI that takes me out of the movie every time.  When multiple tornados and other weather anomalies descend upon the city during the big battle scene, it's just plain crummy-looking.  Really, this kind of stuff needs considerable refinement if filmmakers are going to continue relying on it so much.  Worse, Peter Berg's direction of the quieter scenes is clumsy, and the poor cinematography and editing often make the movie look much cheaper than it is. 

HANCOCK has its crowd-pleasing moments of big summer fun, but they're scattered within an inconsistent hodgepodge of comic book superheroics, somber pathos, and outlandish farce.  Although the ending tries to evoke stirring memories of SPIDERMAN, Tim Burton's BATMAN, and, surprisingly, DAREDEVIL, I found my interest in this particular tale waning long before any hopes for a sequel.  Not only did I not walk out of the theater eager for the impending DVD release, but the main image from the movie that lingered in my mind--regrettably--was that of a guy with his head rammed up another guy's ass.

HANCOCK -- Movie Review by Porfle

Gothic Thriller "WHITETAIL" Comes Home October 19th

 

MUSCULAR PUPPY ANNOUNCES THEATRICAL RELEASE OF

SOUTHERN GOTHIC HORROR ‘WHITETAIL’

Marks The First Theatrical Feature Release For The Texas Based Production Company, Trinity Creative Partnership Takes Ancillary Rights

“A sinister and multi-layered parable” - The Movie Blog
“An intense and violent thriller” - Matt's Movie Reviews
“Raw as nature can be” - Ganiveta Magazine 

 

(LOS ANGELES) –Muscular Puppy, the independent film company based out of Fort Worth, Texas will distribute their feature film WHITETAIL, a southern gothic horror. 

The film will premiere theatrically at the famous Texas Theatre in Dallas on July 2, 2021 followed by a limited run in select theaters.

WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER:

 

WHITETAIL follows the broken family of Donnie Mann, his father and uncle as they embark on a weekend hunting trip. Donnie’s mother has recently died of an overdose and the trio hope to get away to spend some time in nature and clear their heads. 

Instead, they find a mysterious man shot in the stomach and clutching onto a backpack full of money.

A southern gothic thriller with flaring tempers and warped relationships, the story takes place over one day and one night in the brush land of West Texas.

The film is written and directed by Muscular Puppy Partner, Derek Presley (Red Stone, Boon) and co-produced by Alfa Whiskey Entertainment. 

 

WHITETAIL stars rising talent Dash Melrose (Ida Red, Run With The Hunted, Red Stone), Tom Zembrod (Ouija 3, From the Dark), Paul T. Taylor (Hellraiser: Judgement, Sin City), Jason Coviello(“Deputy,” “Roswell, New Mexico”), Billy Blair (Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), Jason Douglas (“Preacher,” “Walking Dead”) and Ted Ferguson (Logan, “Preacher”).  

Trinity Creative Partnership has acquired ancillary rights of the feature for the UK, Turkey and North America, set to be released on Digital, VOD, DVD and Blu-Ray this fall. The deal was brokered by Alan Green of OneTwoThreeMedia on behalf of Muscular Puppy and Trinity Creative Partnerships. 

FILM INFORMATION 

Release Date: October 19, 2021 (Digital, VOD and DVD)
Written/Directed By: Derek Presley
Produced By: Bart Collins, Garrett Schwindt, Jason Starne, Jorg Viktor Steins-Lauss, Austin Williams
Starring: Dash Melrose (Ida Red, Lost Kings), Tom Zembrod (From The Dark, Knucklebones), Paul Taylor (Hellraiser: Judgement, Sin City), Jason Coviello (Roswell, New Mexico, In Plain Sight), Billy Blair (Alita: Battle Angel, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For), Jason Douglas (The Walking Dead, Cruel Summer), Ted Ferguson (Doom Patrol, Preacher)
Distributor: Reel 2 Reel Films
Production Company: Alfa Whiskey Entertainment
Genre: Southern Gothic Thriller
Rating: N/A
Language: English
Runtime: 123 minutes

Synopsis: Whitetail follows a broken family consisting of a father, an uncle and the son as they embark on a weekend hunting trip out in West Texas. The mother has recently died of an overdose and the trio hope to get away from it all by being out in nature and hunting. Instead they find a mysterious man shot in the stomach and clutching onto a backpack full of money. This film is a southern gothic thriller, drama and survival film. All taking place over one day and one night in the brush land of Texas. 

For more information about WHITETAIL:

IMDB
OFFICIAL HASHTAG: #WhiteTailFilm

ABOUT MUSCULAR PUPPY

Muscular Puppy is an independent film company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Founded by Texas natives and partners Jason Starne, Alex Blackmon, Derek Presley, and Garrett Schwindt, the company focuses primarily on production and development. Recent projects include the thriller Red Stone, starring Neal McDonough, as well the film’s “spiritual sequel”, Boon, starring Neal McDonough and Christiane Seidel. Boon also stars Demetrius Grosse, Jason Scott Lee, Tommy Flanagan, Christina Ochoa, Jake Melrose, John Patrick Jordan, James Madio, Pat Monahan and Gabrielle Carteris. WHITETAIL is the first of three featurefilms to be released this fall.

ABOUT TRINITY CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP

Trinity Creative Partnership is a leading, independent Film, Documentary and TV series sales and distribution business. TCP works across all physical (DVD & Blu-ray), digital, SVOD and TVplatforms worldwide. They represent numerous UK and international Producers, Independent Distributors and Sales Agents. Trinity works with its clients to help them develop and distribute new content each year, as well as enabling them to exploit their libraries containing thousands of hours of material.The Trinity team has managed the acquisition, production and release of thousands of titles around the world for over 20 years.

Gothic Thriller "WHITETAIL" Comes Home October 19th

Saban Films Acquires North American Rights To Archstone Entertainment's "THE HYPERIONS"

 

SABAN FILMS ACQUIRES NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS TO ARCHSTONE ENTERTAINMENT’S 

"THE HYPERIONS"

Theatrical release is set for February 2022

[LOS ANGELES, CA] —Saban Films has acquired North American rights to Archstone Entertainment’s superhero film The Hyperions starring Cary Elwes (Saw, The Princess Bride), Penelope Mitchell (Hellboy), Tanner Buchanan (“Cobra Kai”), Elaine Tan (Tully), and Alphonso McAuley (“Walk of Shame”). Saban Films is planning a theatrical release in February of 2022.

The Hyperions was written and directed by Jon McDonald, and produced by American Millimetre’s McDonald, Justin Bell Productions’ Justin Bell and ReKon Productions’ Jon Michael Kondrath. Executive producers are ReKon Productions’ Lisha Yakub, and Archstone Entertainment’s Jack Sheehan, Scott Martin, and Michael Slifkin.

In 1960 Professor Ruckus Mandulbaum invented a device that enables humans to have a super power and took in three down-on-their-luck youths, creating an unusual family of superheroes who quickly rose to fame and prestige. 

Over time, the family fractured and the Professor replaced them with a new set of superheroes. However, now adults, they seek their Titan badges back, even if it means robbing the Professor's museum and taking a few hostages.

The deal was negotiated with Steve Break on behalf of Saban Films and Jack Sheehan on behalf of the filmmakers.  Archstone Entertainment is representing the worldwide rights to the film.
Archstone Entertainment and Saban Films previously collaborated on the 2020 film Death of Me starring Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth.

About Saban Films:

 
Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group (“SCG”), is a film acquisition and distribution company that has continued to grow its presence in the industry, expanding into the production space. Founded in 2014, the company focuses on commercial, high-quality, talent driven films, boarding projects at all stages of production and through release across multiple platforms in North America, including a day and date theatrical/VOD release strategy.  The venture also recently entered the UK market via a partnership with Altitude Media Group.  Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and is led by Bill Bromiley who serves as President, and Shanan Becker, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

Saban Films has continued to grow its presence in the industry, expanding into the production space.  The company’s successes have run the gamut from theatrical triumphs such as the horror reboot Wrong Turn starring Charlotte Vega and Matthew Modine, and Josh Duhamel’s Buddy Games, to acclaimed films such as Brad Furman’s City of Lies starring Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker and Ian Nelms and Eshom Nelms’ Fatman with Mel Gibson.  Saban Films is a major force in the eventized theatrical space, being behind the biggest Fathom events with horror icon and heavy metal mastermind Rob Zombie’s 3 From Hell and Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.

About Archstone Entertainment:

 
With more than 80 years of collective experience in motion picture and series financing, development, production, delivery, sales, and distribution, the Archstone Entertainment team brings strategic partnerships and alliances with some of the industry’s top services providers and distributors. With a focus on delivering high quality theatrical films to the world-wide marketplace, Archstone was founded in 2009, is based in Los Angeles, and oversees a library with over 200 titles.​

Saban Films Acquires North American Rights To Archstone Entertainment's "THE HYPERIONS"

Psychological Horror Feature Film "SOMETHING" in Select Theaters Friday, March 1st - Starring Michael Gazin, Jane Rowen, Joel Clark Ackerman, Eric Roberts

"SOMETHING"
A film by Stephen Portland

Written and directed by Stephen Portland
Starring: Michael Gazin, Jane Rowen, Joel Clark Ackerman, Eric Roberts

Opening in Select Theaters - Friday, March 1, 2019
Los Angeles | Laemmle Music Hall

New York | Cinema Village
*On Demand | Digital | VOD -  Tuesday, March 5th

VIEW OFFICIAL TRAILER

iTunes Pre-Order link:  Coming Soon

86 minutes | Color | HD | English 

SYNOPSIS
A man and woman are struggling to adjust to life with their new baby. The woman, possibly suffering from post-natal depression, breaks down and afterwards begins feeling as though there is someone at their house, watching them.

She claims to have seen an intruder in the baby’s room over the baby monitor, but the man blames it on her stress and tiredness. Despite her pleas, the man refuses to cancel an upcoming business trip.
She continues to do irrational things she doesn’t remember doing, frustrating the man who accuses her of trying to sabotage his trip to keep him at home.

But that changes when he also glimpses the intruder inside their house.   Now, unsure of whether they are being hounded by a stranger or being driven insane, the two of them fear for their safety and that of their new baby.

Social Media:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/something.film
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/something.film
Website:     www.something.film
IMDb:         www.imdb.com/title/tt6185266/

Psychological Horror Feature Film "SOMETHING" in Select Theaters Friday, March 1st - Starring Michael Gazin, Jane Rowen, Joel Clark Ackerman, Eric Roberts

Universal Pictures' "BLUMHOUSE'S TRUTH OR DARE" Opens In Theaters April 13th

Blumhouse's "TRUTH OR DARE"

“There are four rules: 

Once you’re asked, you’re in.   You must tell the truth, or you die.   You must do the dare, or you die. If you stop playing the game, then you die.” —Jason Blum

LUCY HALE (Pretty Little Liars) and TYLER POSEY (Teen Wolf) star as college seniors Olivia and Lucas in Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare, the terrifying new supernatural thriller from Blumhouse Productions (Happy Death Day, Get Out, Split).   When a tightly knit group of friends embark upon their last undergraduate getaway and engage in a harmless game of “Truth or Dare,” the game follows them home, forcing them to play or face the deadly consequences.

Directed by JEFF WADLOW (Kick-Ass 2, Cry Wolf) and produced by JASON BLUM (Whiplash, Get Out), the film co-stars VIOLETT BEANE as Markie, Olivia’s best friend who is battling demons of her own; HAYDEN SZETO as Brad, racked with a secret he feels his family can’t discover; LANDON LIBOIRON as Carter, the manipulative newcomer who invites the group into his deadly trap; SOPHIA ALI as Penelope, the life of the party who will face a horrific crossroads; and NOLAN GERARD FUNK as Penelope’s boyfriend, Tyson, an aspiring grad student whose ego might be the death of him.  
    

     
Truth or Dare co-stars SAM LERNER as Ronnie, the most immature senior at the school; AURORA PERRINEAU as Giselle, who has been running from the curse for so long she can no longer take it; TOM CHOI as Brad’s father, a stern cop who can’t understand why his son won’t open up; VERA TAYLOR as Inez Reyes, a mysterious woman who holds the key to their fate; and GREGG DANIEL as Detective Kranis, who wants to help but refuses to believe that an unspeakable evil is responsible for these deaths.

Working from a story by MICHAEL REISZ, Wadlow directs from a screenplay by Reisz and JILLIAN JACOBS & CHRIS ROACH (Non-Stop) & Wadlow. The filmmaker is joined behind the camera by a talented group of collaborators including director of photography is JACQUES JOUFFRET (The Purge series), editor SEAN ALBERTSON (Warrior), production designer MELANIE PAIZIS-JONES (Whiplash), costume designer LISA NORCIA (Insidious: The Last Key) and composer MATTHEW MARGESON (Kingsman: The Secret Service). Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare is executive produced by Wadlow and Roach, alongside JEANETTE VOLTURNO (Get Out) and COUPER SAMUELSON (Whiplash).

Release date: April 13, 2018

Genre: Supernatural Thriller

Cast: Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane, Hayden Szeto, Landon Liboiron, Sophia Taylor Ali, Nolan Gerard Funk

Directed by: Jeff Wadlow

Screenplay by: Michael Reisz and Jillian Jacobs & Chris Roach & Jeff Wadlow

Story by: Michael Reisz

Produced by: Jason Blum

Executive Producers: Jeff Wadlow, Chris Roach, Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson

Universal Pictures' "BLUMHOUSE'S TRUTH OR DARE" Opens In Theaters April 13th

The Beatles: 'YELLOW SUBMARINE' In Theaters Across North America This July To Celebrate 50th Anniversary

THE BEATLES’ "YELLOW SUBMARINE"
IN THEATERS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA THIS JULY TO CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Restored 4K Theatrical Version With Remixed 5.1 Stereo Surround Sound

Once upon a time…or maybe twice…there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland…

Watch the trailer HERE

NEW YORK / LONDON / LOS ANGELES – APRIL 04, 2018 – Abramorama announced today a deal with Apple Corps Ltd. and Universal Music Group (UMG) to theatrically release The Beatles’ classic 1968 animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, across North America this July in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Abramorama, Apple Corps Ltd. and UMG have teamed to give Beatles fans of all ages the opportunity to come together and share in this visually stunning movie and soundtrack.

Abramorama originally partnered with Apple Corps, Imagine Entertainment, White Horse Pictures, StudioCanal and UMG’s Polygram Entertainment on the Ron Howard documentary The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years. Abramorama has a proven track record in the music-driven film space, partnering numerous times with Neil Young, Pearl Jam and Green Day and now once again with Apple Corps Ltd.

Credit: © Subafilms Ltd.

Yellow Submarine was restored in 4K digital resolution by Paul Rutan Jr. and his team of specialists at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc. The film’s songs and score were remixed in 5.1 stereo surround sound at UMG’s Abbey Road Studios by music mix engineer Peter Cobbin. Due to the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork, no automated software was used in the digital clean-up of the film’s restored photochemical elements. This was all done by hand, frame by frame.

Richard Abramowitz, CEO of Abramorama said, “We’re thrilled to have the privilege of bringing Yellow Submarine back to the big screen so that 3 generations of happy Beatles fans can enjoy the ground-breaking animation and classic tunes and that have long been part of our collective cultural DNA.”

Directed by George Dunning, and written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Erich Segal, Yellow Submarine began its voyage to the screen when Brodax, who had previously produced nearly 40 episodes of ABC’s animated Beatles TV series, approached The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein with a unique vision for a full-length animated feature.

Yellow Submarine, based upon a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is a fantastic tale brimming with peace, love, and hope, propelled by Beatles songs, including “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “It’s All Too Much.” When the film debuted in 1968, it was instantly recognized as a landmark achievement, revolutionizing a genre by integrating the freestyle approach of the era with innovative animation techniques.

Inspired by the generation’s new trends in art, the film resides with the dazzling Pop Art styles of Andy Warhol, Martin Sharp, Alan Aldridge and Peter Blake. With art direction and production design by Heinz Edelmann, Yellow Submarine is a classic of animated cinema, featuring the creative work of animation directors Robert Balser and Jack Stokes with a team of animators and technical artists.

Information on local screenings can be found here:  http://www.yellowsubmarine.film/

***

About Apple Corps Limited
Apple Corps Ltd. was founded by The Beatles in 1968 to oversee the band's own creative and business interests. As part of its management of The Beatles’ entire intellectual property canon, the London-based company has administered the legendary band’s recorded catalogue, with more than 800 million physical and digital albums sold to date.

Apple Corps has also piloted innovative Beatles projects, which have become benchmarks for pioneering accomplishment, including the record-breaking, 30 million-selling album The Beatles 1, the universally acclaimed The Beatles Anthology series, the Grammy®-winning CD, vinyl, digital and streaming release of The Beatles’ 13 remastered studio albums, 2017’s chart-topping remixed and expanded Anniversary Edition for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and in partnership with Imagine Entertainment, White Horse Pictures and Polygram Entertainment/UMG, the Grammy®-winning 2016 feature documentary, The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years, directed by Ron Howard.

In Apple Corps’ first major theatrical partnership, The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil® has played to nearly nine million audience members since its June 2006 opening at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The Beatles’ LOVE also resulted in a double Grammy®-winning album and a Grammy®-winning feature film, All Together Now, which details the fascinating story behind the unique partnership between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the creation and launch of LOVE.

The Beatles debuted for streaming worldwide on December 24, 2015 with the band’s 13 U.K. studio albums and Past Masters (Volumes 1 & 2), The Beatles 1962-1966, The Beatles 1967-1970, and The Beatles 1, followed by The Beatles’ Anthology, Volumes 1-3 music collections and the LOVE album. Songs by The Beatles were streamed more than four billion times in the first two years.

And continuing the commitment to preserving the archives and legacy of The Beatles’ catalogue, The Beatles’ Help!, Yellow Submarine, and Magical Mystery Tour feature films have in recent years been painstakingly digitally restored for DVD, Blu-ray™, and iTunes release. Visit www.thebeatles.com for more information.

About Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: www.universalmusic.com.

About Abramorama
Abramorama is the preeminent global rights management partner for music films today and is recognized for the consistent high quality of its work on award winning feature films. An innovator in the focused, personalized form of film distribution and event cinema, Abramorama provides invaluable alternatives to filmmakers and content owners. An industry leader in marketing, promotion, and global distribution, Abramorama continues to trail-blaze exciting new pathways for filmmakers to find their audience.

Over the course of more than 15 years, Abramorama has successfully distributed and marketed hundreds of films, including Ron Howard’s Grammy Award®-winning The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years; Danny Clinch and Pearl Jam’s Lets Play Two; Amir Bar-Lev's Long Strange Trip – The Untold Story of the Grateful Dead; Paul Dugdale and Myles Desenberg’s Above & Beyond Acoustic – Giving Up The Day Job; Corbett Redford and Green Day’s Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk, John Scheinfeld’s Chasing Trane – The John Coltrane Documentary; Sam Pollard’s Two Trains Runnin’; Brett Bern's BANG! The Bert Berns Story; Brett Morgen and National Geographic’s seminal Jane; Tomer Heymann's Mr. Gaga; Charles Ferguson’s Time To Choose; Asif Kapadia’s Senna; Neil Young’s Greendale; Cameron Crowe’s Pearl Jam Twenty; Sacha Gervasi’s Anvil! The Story of Anvil; Banksy’s Academy Award® nominated Exit Through the Gift Shop; the surprise indie hit Awake: The Life of Yogananda; Laurie Anderson’s astonishing New York Times critics’ pick, Heart of a Dog, Showtime’s National Board of Review Winner Listen to Me Marlon and Draft House Releasing’s 2016 Documentary Academy Award®-nominee and IDA Best Documentary Winner The Look of Silence. Abramorama is a founding partner of The Seventh Art Stand program, an act of cinematic solidarity against Islamophobia, that ran in more than 50 theaters across the United States in May of 2017. For more information visit www.abramorama.com.

The Beatles: 'YELLOW SUBMARINE' In Theaters Across North America This July To Celebrate 50th Anniversary

"SAMSON" From Pure Flix -- Opens Nationwide in Theaters Today

OPENING DAY ALERT--FRIDAY, FEB. 16 FROM PURE FLIX

'SAMSON'

BRINGS EPIC BIBLICAL STORY TO LIFE ON SCREEN NATIONWIDE

It’s one of the Bible’s best-known stories. Or is it? There’s more to Samson than muscles and a haircut.

Official Website

WATCH THE TRAILER:

From Pure Flix, creators of GOD’S NOT DEAD, comes SAMSON, the action-packed biblical epic starring Billy Zane, Golden GlobeÆ winner Rutger Hauer, Jackson Rathbone, EmmyÆ winner Lindsay Wagner, Caitlin Leahy and Taylor James in the title role.

SAMSON is based on the powerful, biblical epic of a champion chosen by God to deliver Israel. His supernatural strength and impulsive decisions quickly pit him against the oppressive Philistine empire.

After betrayal by a wicked prince and a beautiful temptress, Samson is captured and blinded by his enemies. Samson calls upon his God once more for supernatural strength and turns imprisonment and blindness into final victory.

A HERO OF OLD IS RELEVANT NOW
Pure Flix is a faith-film studio taking on contemporary issues in movies such as the hit GOD’S NOT DEAD. Now comes a page from ancient history. Samson’s journey of passion, betrayal and redemption reminds audiences that our failures do not define our future.

Pure Fix is the No. 1 independent producer of faith films, responsible for the phenomenally successful GOD’S NOT DEAD, among other well-known productions.

DIRECTOR
Bruce Macdonald

SCREENPLAY
Jason Baumgardner
Galen Gilbert
Timothy Ratajczak
Zach Smith

FEATURING
Billy Zane (TITANIC) as King Balek
Rutger Hauer (BLADE RUNNER) as Manoah, Samson’s father
Jackson Rathbone (The Last Ship, TWILIGHT) as King Balek’s son, Rallah
Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman) as Samson’s mother, Zealphonis
Caitlin Leahy (Black-ish) as Delilah
Taylor James (JUSTICE LEAGUE) as Samson

About Pure Flix
Founded in 2005, led by Michael Scott, David A.R. White, Elizabeth Travis and Alysoun Wolfe, Pure Flix is the leading independent faith-and-family studio in the world. Recent releases include: The Case for Christ, God’s Not Dead 2, God’s Not Dead, Do You Believe?, Woodlawn, A Question of Faith and Same Kind of Different as Me. With offices in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Pure Flix has produced, acquired, marketed, and distributed more than 100 faith and family-friendly films. Aiming to influence the global culture for Christ through media, Pure Flix is the industry leader in creating high-quality inspirational feature film content. The studio’s official website is Pureflixstudio.com.  The company also features a leading streaming video on demand service, with thousands of movies, originals, TV shows and more emphasizing faith, family and fun. For more information, go to Pureflix.com.

"SAMSON" From Pure Flix -- Opens Nationwide in Theaters Today

“SHIN GODZILLA” STOMPS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA THIS OCTOBER Toho Produced Film to Screen on October 11 – 18 in More Than 440 Theaters

LOS ANGELES, CA – September 2, 2016. The iconic science fiction monster Godzilla makes land fall in the U.S. and Canada this October with the North American theatrical release of “SHIN GODZILLA” from Toho Company, Ltd. Fans have been clamoring for news of the film’s theatrical dates ever since Funimation® Films made its surprise acquisition announcement in July at San Diego Comic Con 2016. And today, the company revealed that “SHIN GODZILLA” will roar into theaters for a limited engagement on October 11 – 18. The movie will screen in more than 440 theaters across the U.S. and Canada.  Tickets for “SHIN GODZILLA” will be available for pre-purchase on the official film website beginning on September 9.

“We are thrilled to bring ‘SHIN GODZILLA’ to theaters across North America this October,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and President of Funimation. “Toho established Godzilla as one of the most iconic monsters in science fiction history and we’re honored to now be a part of that history with the theatrical release of this new movie. Fans will not want to miss this limited theatrical event.“

Co-directed by Hideaki Anno (creator of “Evangelion”) and Shinji Higuchi (director of Toho’s 2015 “Attack on Titan” live action movies), “SHIN GODZILLA” is the 29^th Godzilla film produced by Toho and represents a brand new chapter in the 62-year history of this celebrated movie monster.  The film stars Hiroki Hasegawa and Satomi Ishihara – both also from the “Attack on Titan” live action movies – as well as Yutaka Takenouchi.

“Movie audiences can look forward to a great time watching ’SHIN GODZILLA’ this October,” said Mike DuBoise, EVP and COO of Funimation. “A larger than life monster like Godzilla has to be experienced on the big screen.  And we expect this movie to sellout in numerous theaters so we encourage fans to purchase tickets in advance.”

SHIN GODZILLA has been a big hit in Japan since its opening on July 29, 2016, which garnered a box office of ¥ 845,675,500 and total audience of 564,332 during its first three days.  To date in Japan, the movie has grossed ¥ 5,302,014,700 at the box office and 3,637,748 in total attendance. 

In advance of the movie’s opening, Funimation will be hosting two premieres of “SHIN GODZILLA” – on October 3 in Los Angeles and on October 5 in New York before opening day of New York Comic Con 2016. Additional details on these two events to be announced.

To purchase tickets to or find more information on “SHIN GODZILLA,” visit   funimationfilms.com/shingodzilla.

  

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/funimation and follow us on Twitter at  twitter.com/funimation and on Instagram at instagram.com/funimation.

About Funimation FilmsFunimation Films, the theatrical division of Funimation Entertainment, acquires both anime and live action movies from prominent international filmmakers that appeal to the interests and passion of all types of fans and distributes them throughout North America. The division was launched in December 2014 following the box office success of "Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods" that same year. Funimation Films released "Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'" a year later and which became #9 highest-grossing anime movie in North America. Funimation Entertainment is a subsidiary of Group 1200 Media, a fully integrated, next-generation, independent entertainment studio based in Dallas. For more information on Funimation Films, visit funimationfilms.com.

“SHIN GODZILLA” STOMPS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA THIS OCTOBER Toho Produced Film to Screen on October 11 – 18 in More Than 440 Theaters

See Cannibal Holocaust in NYC TONIGHT (2/19) in Theaters from Grindhouse Releasing

Cannibal Holocaust Midnight Tonight!

CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST
Landmark's Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston Street
New York, NY

You can buy tickets online at the Landmark's Website.

See Cannibal Holocaust in NYC TONIGHT (2/19) in Theaters from Grindhouse Releasing

Escape from New York+28 series+kung fu=Doomsday=Cool

I have to say after seeing the trailer a couple of times I'm actually impressed with it. It's like an Italian knock-off version of Post Apocalyptic or Escape From New York movies. Thats not a bad thing at all. It looks like it could be pretty fun and I plan on seeing when it comes out. Plus it's got Malcom McDowell and Bob Hoskins.
Here is a link to the trailer and official site
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809834146/info
www.doomsdayiscoming.com

Some stills

Escape from New York+28 series+kung fu=Doomsday=Cool