Monday, February 15, 2016

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Targets Mar. 29 For DVD And Two Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Editions Of Ericson Core's Point Break


DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will be serving up DVD and two Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack editions of director Ericson Core’s Point Break on Mar. 29.

The ARR is a quick-to-market 95 days and ticket sales for this all-action heist flick were $28.6 million.

Planned for release are a stand alone DVD SKU and two Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack editions — one with and one without a 3D viewing option (the premium is nine dollars).   The VOD window is fourteen days earlier on Mar. 15.

As to bonus goodies, all three viewing options included deleted scenes.   

 Exclusive to the Blu-ray SKUs are four production featurettes — “Rock Climbing,” “Wingsuit Flying,” “Snowboarding” and “Motocross.”

Mug-Shot Productions And MVD Entertainment Group Team For The Blu-ray Debut Of Zydeco Crossroads: A Tale Of Two Cities On Mar. 25


DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
“Laissez le bon temps rouler” is an expression that you will likely hear when the music of the bayou is being enjoyed.   Let the good times roll!

And that is precisely what will be happening on Mar. 25 when Mug-Shot Productions, with sales and distributional direction provided by MVD Entertainment Group delivers a Blu-ray edition of filmmaker Robert Mugge’s Zydeco Crossroads: A Tale of Two Cities to Creole music fans nationwide.

This unique music tradition of Louisiana Creole community — zydeco — is documented by Mugge with extensive interviews that covers the history and the performers who have defined the format over the years.

Included in this toe-tapping presentation are 19 songs performed by the likes of C.J. Chenier, Creole United, Rosie Ledet, Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and Soul Creole.

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
As a bonus, the Blu-ray presentation of Zydeco Crossroads: A Tale of Two Cities includes the 55-minute documentary titled Rosie’s in the House Tonight, which showcases a ten-song selection from famed zydeco recording artist Rosie Ledet.

And if this tickles your music bone, then you are just going to love what else is on the release calendar from Mug-Shot Productions and MVD Entertainment Group on Mar. 25.   Scheduled for release on that date is the newly-prepared Blu-ray edition of documentary filmmaker Robert Mugge’s 1994 film, The Kingdom of Zydeco, which includes as a bonus feature his 1996 short film, Iguanas in the House.

On the DVD release front, Robert Mugge’s 2000 documentary titled Rhythm 'N' Bayous: A Road Map To Louisiana Music will also be available for fans to enjoy.

Icarus Films Teams With Bullfrog Films On Apr. 19 For DVD Editions Of Biophilic Design And Shadows Of Liberty


DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
Icarus Films will be teaming with Bullfrog Films on Apr. 19 for two new-to-DVD releases.

First up is Biophilic Design from filmmakers Bill Finnegan & Stephen R. Kellert, which examines the inherent need by human beings to connect to nature, even when confined within the drab surroundings of big cities.    

Green architecture and a reconnection to the natural world are detailed in their film with plenty of examples how corporate needs for functionality and nature can coexist.

Examples include: Genzyme Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin; Cook+Fox Architects office building in New York City and Johnson Wax Building in Racine, Wisconsin (and many more).

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
Also heading to the DVD market place on Apr. 19 is documentary filmmaker Jean-Philippe Tremblay’s Shadows of Liberty.   Based on Ben Bagdikian’s book, “The Media Monopoly,” the film — from a Canadian POV — examines current trends in the news media in the United States.   The dangers of “media monopoly” are raised and many examples of journalism bowing to corporate and government influences are covered.

Icarus Films and Bullfrog films are presenting two viewing options for Shadows of Liberty — a shorter 53 minute cut and the full theatrical cut of 93 minutes.

Paramount Home Media Targets Apr. 5 For The DVD Debut Of Matthew Perry And Thomas Lennon Starring In The Odd Couple: Season One


DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
Paramount Home Media expands its TV-on-DVD product offerings in April with the announcement this past week that The Odd Couple: Season One (starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon) will be joining Episodes: The Fourth Season (a two-disc set) and House of Lies: Season Four (also a double-disc set) on the Apr. 5 release calendar.

For 50 years the love/hate relationship between Oscar Madison and Felix Unger has endured.   First, The Odd Couple was a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, with Walter Matthau and Art Carney in the roles of Madison and Unger.   Then came a feature film in 1968 with Jack Lemmon as Felix Unger and Walter Matthau reprising his Tony-winning performance as Oscar Madison — Neil Simon was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay (he had previously won the Tony for the writing of his stage play).

With these back-to-back hits it was only natural that The Odd Couple would migrate to the small screen, which it did in the fall of 1970 with Tony Randall as the fastidious Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar.   The series ran for five full seasons and 114 laugh-filled episodes … 16 Emmy nominations, with wins for both Klugman (two) and Randall (one) in the Best Actor category.

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph TribbeyIn February of last year CBS re-launched The Odd Couple with Matthew Perry as Oscar Madison and Thomas Lennon as Felix Unger.   

Paramount Home Media and CBS Home Entertainment will be delivering all 12 episodes from the first as a double-disc DVD collection.   The timing of Apr. 5 is no accident as the second season premiere is on Apr. 7!!
DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey 
Bonus goodies include newly prepared cast video sessions, a blooper reel and deleted scenes.

Also added to the TV-on-DVD release calendar this week is Apr. 26 is the five-disc collection of The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official First Season … all 36 episodes from the 1962/63
debut season in one place for the first time!!!

Not done yet!   Paramount has tabbed Apr. 19 as the DVD release date for comedian Daniel Tosh’s latest Comedy Central production, Daniel Tosh: People Pleaser … 60 minutes of pure fun!

Apr. 19 is also the street date for Nickelodeon’s double-disc DVD release of Paw Patrol/Bubble Guppies: Dive in and Roll Out.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Writer/Director Stephen Cone's Award-Winning Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party Gets A May 3 DVD Debut Date From Wolfe


DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
Everything is in place for a really bad trip down tripe lane.   A gay teen, son of a Christian minister to boot, an evangelical pool party, complete with kids who don’t belong and more, lot’s more, but writer/director Stephen Cone turns all of these very obvious things — and preconceived notions — completely upside down.

Wolfe announced this past week that Cone’s award-winning “dramedy,” Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, will be making its DVD debut on May 3.

In the hands of a lesser filmmaker, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party could have been a tedious exercise.   You know, one of those indie nightmares about being gay and how very difficult it all can be … poor me, poor me.   This is not one of those movies!

You are going to spend a day with Henry Gamble (Cole Doman) as he celebrates his seventeenth birthday.   Cast aside your assumptions and just enjoy the party.

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph TribbeyIt’s a pool party and everyone is invited.   His parents are the hosts — his father, Bob (played by Pat Healy — Magnolia, Rescue Dawn, Draft Day, etc.), is a minister and his mother, Kat (Elizabeth Laidlaw), well, she is a woman in crisis (she is becoming overwhelmed by the changes in her world) — and Henry’s sister, Autumn (Nina Ganet), is home from college (she’s been away for her freshman year).  

Henry’s friends from high school are invited.  So too, his friends from church.  And his parents have even invited some of their friends as well … it’s a microcosm of any small town. 

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
One is reminded of filmmaker John Sayles, who has this marvelous ability to write characters three and four levels deep.   In many films, once you get past the chief protagonists, you get to the “supporting” characters and they are often one-dimensional — wallpaper.   Sayles can flush these characters out beautifully, even if they are only in a scene or two (catch Limbo, Lone Star or Passion Fish as examples).   

So too does Stephen Cone … there are terrific bits with “minor” characters that are so reminiscent of Sayles.   Darci Nalepa as Grace, a prim and proper church girl who is dying to jump in that pool (Will she?  No.  Maybe.  Come on Grace!), and then there is Jack Ball as Jon, a gung-ho church teen, complete with guitar, who has this wonderful scene in the pool with two of the “high school” girls.
DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey

Neither of these characters are really essential to the story, but these are the touches that separate good films from the not-so-good ones.

So come spend a day with Henry and his family — and friends — as they navigate their way through life, sex, religion and so much more.   It’s a wonderful party and you all invited by Wolfe for the DVD unwrapping on May 3.

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey



MVD Teams With Arrested Youth Records For The Mar. 11 DVD/CD Combo Pack Release Of The Dollyrots: Family Vacation: Live In Los Angeles


DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
MVD Entertainment Group will be guiding the Arrested Youth Records DVD/CD Combo Pack release of The Dollyrots: Family Vacation: Live In Los Angeles to market on Friday, Mar. 11.

After six albums and 15 years of building a fan base, The Dollyrots (Kelly Ogden, Luis Cabezas and friends), arrived at The Roxy Theatre on the legendary Sunset Strip in September of last year for an evening of fan-pleasing, hard-driving punk rock selections from the group’s repertoire of hits.  
  
Included in the 11-strong set are “My Best Friend's Hot,” ”Because I'm Awesome” and “Brand New Key” (from the group’s “Because I’m Awesome
2007 album) and “Twist Me to the Left” and “Starting Over Again” (from the self-titled 2012 album, “The Dollyrots”).

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
Bonus goodies include a backstage featurette, a commentary track and extended bonus footage of the band’s road trip across the United States.