Parker Posey Shines In Virgil Films And Entertainment's Sept. 17 Release Of And Now A Word From Our Sponsor

Parker Posey stars in Virgil Films & Entertainment’s Sept. 17 DVD debut of director Zack Bernbaum’s And Now a Word From Our Sponsor.

That’s it.  That’s all you need to know.   Parker Posey is in it.   Buy it.  Rent it.

OK, you need more?   

Adan Kundle (Bruce Greenwood — Double Jeopardy, Star Trek, Flight, etc.) is an advertising genius and head of a major ad agency, but like Billy Pilgram, he has become unstuck — not so much in time, but in reality.   It seems that he stopped in front of a multi-TV display one day and that was it … next thing you know he’s recovering in the hospital.

Maybe it was something that he ate.   Perhaps he was just exhausted.   That could explain him passing out.   The “unstuck” part is that when he is awake the only words coming out of his mouth are advertising slogans … “a little dab will do ‘ya.”

This real-life genius suddenly has the wisdom of Chauncey Gardiner; the clicker to the TV is his guide to the world and the conversations he has with people — mainly with Parker Posey as a hospital worker named Karen — are banal, but somehow seem appropriate to whatever subject is at hand.   He’s like an encyclopedia of one-liners.

This guy is a big shot and Karen — who is some sort of hospital facilitator — immediately recognizes him and does her best to get him out of the hospital and into a local rehabilitation center (rest home) where he might have a better chance of recovery.  When that doesn’t work out as planned, she ends up taking him home, where she lives with her teenage daughter, Meghan (Allie MacDonald — The House at the End of the Street, The Riverbank), who thinks mom might have gone over the edge by bringing a “crazy” stranger into their home.

Back at the agency the vacuum of Aden’s absence is being filled by a company weasel named Lucas (Callum Blue) and Karen finds herself being recruited to help declare her new friend incompetent.   

This is nice romantic comedy that neatly combines deadpan humor with satirical jibes.   Greenwood is pitch-perfect as the ad executive who delivers his lines with a straight face as if he were citing passage from the Bible.  And, of course, Parker Posey is amazing.

There, as you can see you didn’t need know anything other than Parker Posey is in Virgil Films & Entertainment’s Sept. 17 DVD debut of director Zack Bernbaum’s And Now a Word From Our Sponsor.   Just put it in your queue for purchase or rental.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Iron Man 3 From Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment On Sept. 24

The first summer blockbuster to get an official post-Labor Day release was announced for a Sept. 24 delivery.   It is none other than Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s multi-SKU presentation of director Shane Black’s Iron Man 3.

The ARR for this late Sept. slot works out to 144 days.   Ticket sales are an out-of-this-world $403.2 million.

As for SKU configuration, Walt Disney Studios has a “3D Super Set” planned, which features both 3D and 2D versions of the film, plus a DVD and a Digital Copy option.

There are two Blu-ray/DVD Combo Packs — one with and one without the Digital Copy option (premium is five bucks) — and lastly, a stand-alone DVD SKU.

Bonus features include commentary with director Shane Black, who is joined by screenwriter Drew Pearce, plus there are a gag reel, deleted and extended scenes and featurettes titled “Deconstructing the Scene: Attack on Air Force One” and “Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Unmasked.”  

There is also a sneak peak at Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World (due in theatres on Nov. 8 of this year). 

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Wolfe Video Has Ash Christian's Petunia Ready For DVD On Sept. 3

Writer/director Ash Christian’s Petunia, slated for a DVD release from Wolfe Video on Sept. 3, is a New Yorker comedy that would make Woody Allen proud.

The Petunia family has issues … lots of issues!   Those issues prove to be a rich source for filmmaker Ash Christian to mine.   That they are New Yorkers — in every sense of the word — makes Petunia a gold mine; a mother lode of comedy bits and quips.   

A terrific ensemble cast works their way through a jumble of stories that begins with Charlie, the gay son of Vivian (Christine Lahti) and Percy (David Rasche), who has fallen hard for one of his neighbors, but is trying very hard to resist the temptations.   Much of what he struggles with has a good deal to do with the incredibly bad advice that his mother and father have given him and his brothers over the years.

As it turns out, mom and dad are both psychoanalysts, which means that the bad advice they’ve dealt out carries quite a bit of weight.   Professionals, you know.   Their home life however is no bed of roses as their marriage is on the rocks (drama, with plenty of laughs down that particular tunnel of the gold mine).   

Oh yes, Charlie’s neighbor, George — played by Michael Urie — is married, which doesn’t come to light right off the bat, but it does make for some very awkward (read: funny) moments as the story (and relationship) develops.  We won’t even get into Robin (Brittany Snow), his wife, but there’s one little cutie with some issues — but please don’t turn to Charlie’s mom and dad for advice!

Add in the two brothers, Adrian (Jimmy Heck) and Michael (Eddie Kaye Thomas), who share something in common (no giveaways here, but it certainly does complicate things) — the former is a sex addict with a penchant for collecting a certain type of art, while the latter is married to a shrew named Vivian (played marvelously by Thora Birch, who also co-produced the film).

There’s more, lots more, but you get the basics of this delightful comedy that Ash Christian has brewed-up this time out … his best work to date that is blessed by some terrific dialog and some wonderful, if ever-so-skewed situations (if you have a chance and haven’t caught his Fat Girls or Mangus! do so).

The film is getting a limited theatrical break beginning this week (June 28) and has also worked the festival circuit.   The home entertainment push by Wolfe Video is probably the best bet for catching this one.

Bonus features include deleted scenes and commentary from Ash Christian, who is joined by cast members.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Pain and Gain From Paramount Home Media Arrives On DVD And Blu-ray This Coming Aug. 27

What an interesting choice for a film project by the usually likeable Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson.   

That would be director Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain, which is headed to the home entertainment market place on Aug. 27 courtesy of Paramount Home Media Distribution.

The ARR for the DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack (with UltraViolet) product offerings works out to 123 days and the box office take was $49.3 million.

The Pain & Gain script is based more or less — with the appropriate filmmaking licenses taken for dramatic and storytelling purposes — on the crimes committed by the infamous “Sun Gym Gang” of the Miami area (circa 1994 - 1995).   Details of their violent activities were chronicled in newspaper accounts prepared by Peter Collins right around the time of their sentencing — two ended up on death row.

So who ended up on death row (where they sit today)?   That would be giving away the main plot elements, but let us just say that the Sun Gym Gang consisted of Mark Wahlberg’s character, Daniel Lugo, the character played by Dwayne Johnson (character named Paul Doyle) and the third member of the gang, Adrian Doorbal is portrayed by Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker, Million Dollar Baby, etc.).   

Two of these three were sentenced to death and the third turned on his partners-in-crime in exchange for a lighter sentence — did eight years of a 15-year jolt.

The trio, with some accomplices, hit upon the scheme of kidnapping and extorting unsavory “businessmen” in the area.   To these bodybuilding knuckleheads — all of which had previous criminal records — it seemed like a pretty good plan.  Shakedown high profile wheelers and dealers, who would, they reasoned, be reluctant to go to the police because of their own criminal activity.

With that kind of a set-up you quickly realize that there are no likeable characters — hence the interesting choice of a film project by Wahlberg and Johnson.    That aside, Pain & Gain nevertheless turns out to be a fascinating film to watch … simply because it is plucked from real life events that are both frightening and downright bizarre.

Also on the release docket from Paramount this week is the Dennis Quaid/Michael Chiklis ‘60s era Las Vegas crime series titled simply Vegas.  On Sept. 17 look for the five-disc collection titled Vegas: The DVD Edition, which features all 21 episodes of this short-lived series that was loosely based on the exploits of legendary Sheriff Ralph Lamb.

Since the Las Vegas of the period portrayed in the series is long gone, extensive use of CGI and clever set designs delivered both the look and “feel” of the city, especially the classic Fremont Street casinos in the old downtown area.   Bonus features include production featurettes and deleted scenes.

And speaking of Las Vegas, Sept. 17 is also the street date for the six-disc DVD set of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Thirteenth Season — all 22 episodes featuring Ted Danson and Elisabeth Shue, with long-standing series regulars, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall.

The following week, Sept. 24, Paramount has both Hawaii Five-O: The Third Season (a seven-disc selection) and South Park: The Complete Sixteenth Season (three-disc set) ready for release as Blu-ray and DVD product offerings.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert From Eagle Rock Entertainment On Sept. 3

It’s hard to imagine that 72,000 people packed Wembley Stadium on the evening of Apr. 20, 1992 for a night-long event concert that included the likes of David Bowie, Elton John, Annie Lennox, George Michael, Axl Rose and the surviving members of Queen (and more, many more).   Putting that kind of a line-up together for a four-hour concert celebration just seems so mind-boggling, but that’s exactly what happened.

On Sept. 3, Eagle Rock Entertainment will deliver a Blu-ray and a three-disc DVD set commemorating this concert event with the remastered presentation of The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

Freddie Mercury had succumbed to AIDs in November of the previous year and this concert was both a tribute to him and his music and a fundraiser for the newly founded Mercury Phoenix Trust — the event exceeded all expectations.   Not only did the concert sell out on the day it was announced (with the line up not even set), but the event itself was broadcast worldwide (over 70 countries) and reached an audience estimated at over one billion people.   WOW!

The concert itself is divided into two distinctive sets.   It begins with an introduction by Queen members Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor and then launches into performances by Metallica, Def Leppard and Guns 'n' Roses, with video montages used between these groups respective on-stage performances as the roadies stage preparations for the next group.

That segment in itself would have been enough to please concert-goers, but that was just the beginning.

After Elizabeth Taylor’s speech the concert took on a more personal approach … individual rock legends took to the stage for a 20-song collection of Queen hits.   These ranged from David Bowie and Annie Lennox teaming with Queen for “Under Pressure;” Elton John and Axl Rose delivering “Bohemian Rhapsody;” Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi on stage with The Who’s Roger Daltrey (and of course Queen) for “I Want it All;” Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant serving up “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” to none other than Liza Minnelli capping it all off with “We Are The Champions.”

It is clear throughout the concert presentation that the 72,000 assembled were there to celebrate a life and enjoy the proceedings.   They often joined in unison with those on stage in singing the words to Freddie Mercury and Queen’s hits … a real “WOW” factor.

But wait, there’s more!  Bonus features include a trio of rehearsal performances, a 10^th Anniversary documentary, photo galleries and details on Mercury Phoenix Trust.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

The 3 Geezers On DVD From Green Apple Entertainment On Aug. 13

The cinematic adventures of great trios include the Amigos, Musketeers and Caballeros — screen legends one and all.   

And then there are actors who get into their roles.  It’s no secret that Daniel Day-Lewis literally becomes the character he is playing — as long as the film is in production he is Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Plainview or Christy Brown.   

Brad Dourif went so far as to hire a local to read his lines back to him in writer/director Kevin Barker’s Last Kind Words.   He did that so he could get the Kentucky dialog and voice inflections right for his character ... and that was for a three or four day film shoot on an indie film product.  

That’s how serious good actors can be in getting into the “skin” of their characters!

So what happens when such an actor collides with a trio of legends?   That is the comedy set-up for director Michelle Schumacher’s 3 Geezers, due out on DVD from Green Apple Entertainment this coming Aug. 13.

Veteran character actor J.K. Simmons (Law & Order, Juno, Spider-Man, etc.) is seemingly playing himself as J. Kimball, an actor up for the role of an 85-year-old man.  To get “into” the role he heads over to the nearby Coconuts Convalescent Home with a video crew to document the daily activities of old farts, in this case three old geezers (Lou Beatty Jr., Tony Cummings and Basil Hoffman).   

He will interact with them and study the video … in no time he will have it down pat.   How difficult can this be, he reasoned.   

Damn difficult as it turns out!   When the three geezers get through with him he will wish he was playing anyone but an 85-year-old!  What goes on with these old codgers absolutely boggles the mind!

Of note, Simmons and filmmaker Schumacher are husband and wife … and clearly they have lots of friends in Hollywood as the film is peppered with cameos by the likes of Tim Allen, Sam Rami, Kevin Pollak and Randy Couture (and more).

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

VCI Entertainment Prepares The Feed For A Sept. 3 DVD Launch

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VCI Entertainment has tabbed Sept. 3 as the DVD release date for director Steve Gibson’s clever reality meets horror film, The Feed.

You’ve seen the likes of them on cable television.   Reality shows that showcase ghost hunters and paranormal investigators exploring haunted houses, the Paris underground, spooky forests and all manner of places and things.  

That’s we have with “Ghost Chasers, a wildly-popular TV show that plans to kick off its latest season of chills and thrills with a live broadcast from the Brenway Movie Theatre, a place that has had its share of supernatural experiences.

Gibson takes the approach of having us watch the show as it unfolds — fake reality blended with reality.   We get a look back at the checkered history of tonight’s location, the Brenway, including interviews with former patrons and even a commercial break (yup, that’s Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman in a cameo as a TV huckster).

Once the intro is accomplished our merry band of ghost hunters begin exploring the old theatre and all of its peculiar nooks and crannies … nothing, nada, zilch.  Oh boy, this broadcast is going to be a major embarrassment; a disaster.

But as genre fans we know that filmmaker Steve Gibson wouldn’t go through all of those efforts in setting the tone — and doing a damn good job with the parodying of the whole reality TV genre (oh, so serious) — to leave us flat.   Just when he has the anticipation built up to that of a cheap over-wound watch, he lets it rip with the discovery of the real deal!

Bonus features include two separate commentary options — one with Gibson and producer Jessica Paquin and the second featuring the cast — a featurette on the set decoration of the actual theatre (Campus Theatre in Lewisburg, PA), plus several additional featurettes that explore the makeup and behind-the-scenes and Gibson’s short film, “The Gold Bug.”

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment's Epic Heads Home On Aug. 20

Director Chris Wedge’s animated adventure hit, Epic, based on the children’s book “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs” by William Joyce, will be heading to the home entertainment market on Aug. 20 as a three-SKU release.   

 The ARR is a swift-to-market 88 days and the box office tally was a very nice $101.1 million.

According to retail outlets, 20^th Century-Fox Home Entertainment has a 3D/2D Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (with UltraViolet), a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (also with UltraViolet) and a stand-alone DVD SKU ready for delivery to consumers on that date.  Sales should be brisk … bonus goodies not available at this time.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report