Arrow Video To Release A Restored Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Edition Of Writer/Director Buddy Cooper’s 1985 Slasher Classic, The Mutilator

Arrow Video, with sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has selected Sept. 29 as the street date for a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack edition of writer/director Buddy Cooper’s 1985 slasher classic, The Mutilator.

A tragic accident has left a father (Jack Chatham) and his son (Matt Mitler), both named Ed, estranged.   The father’s hatred for his son has grown exponentially over the years until it has now reached the breaking point!   

He’s going to kill him and has come up with a plan to do just that!   It begins with a simple phone call, come out to the beach house and lock it up for the winter.   That sets everything in motion.

It’s going to be easy, when Ed, Jr. gets there Big Ed will simply murder him.  But as luck would have it — for slasher fans — the son hits upon a plan to use his trip out there to have his friends along for the entire weekend.   Imagine this lunatic’s delight — when he awakens from a drunken stupor — to discover that Ed, Jr. has brought his friends with him!!   

It’s the classic “victim pool!”  The Mutilator presents us with a nice blend of sweet young things, Pam (Ruth Martinez), Linda (Frances Raines — Breeders, Bad Girls Dormitory) and Sue (Connie Rogers) and their horny young stud companions, Ralph (Bill Hitchcock) and Mike (Morey Lampley).  And if that isn’t enough to satiate his slasher desires, the curious also feel his deadly wrath.

Bonus features include both the R-rated and an uncut viewing option for the film, newly prepared video sessions with members of the cast and crew and the featurette, “The Mutilator Locations Visit.”

Icarus Films Teams With The KimStim Collection For The Sept. 1 DVD Release Of Documentary Filmmaker Belinda Sallin’s Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World

Icarus Films and the KimStim Collection have teamed for the Sept. 1 DVD debut of documentary filmmaker Belinda Sallin’s Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World.

A continuing arthouse run has generated ticket sales of $37,639 and the ARR for the Sept. 1 release date works out to 102 days.

The life and art of the H.R. Giger, who is perhaps best known to American audiences for his work with Ridley Scott on the landmark movie, Alien (he won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects), is the subject of Sallin’s film, who had access to the artist during his last days.   These short interview sessions are mixed in with an examination of his unique art and vintage shots of the younger man.

Bonus features included with the DVD release of Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World are extensive photo gallery of Giger’s works and a making-of documentary.

Cinema Libre To Release Dusty's Trail: Summit of Borneo On DVD This Coming Aug. 25

Documentary filmmaker Catherine Jayasuriya’s insightful film on the devastating effects of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Dusty's Trail: Summit of Borneo, will be making its DVD debut courtesy of Cinema Libre on Aug. 25.

Dusty Brandom suffers from Duchenne, he’s 20-years old and the progression of the disease all but guarantees that his days are numbered.   DMD is caused by a genetic defect and currently there is no cure, but that doesn’t stop those — the afflicted, their families and friends — from celebrating life and looking forward to the day when research unlocks a cure.

The film follows Dusty’s daily battles with the DMD, interviews with experts on the disease, coupled with testimonials from those who lives have been impacted by DMD.    

These segments are intercut with the chronicling of events leading up to the annual assault on Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo … hikers gather from around the world to pay tribute to the boys (and young men) by climbing the rugged 13,435-foot high mountain.  In doing so they raise both awareness and funding for the fight against DMD.

Dusty's Trail: Summit of Borneo is not a “disease of the week” movie; pity me, pity me, but a celebration of life, an awareness builder and an inspirational tale all combined into a heartfelt presentation.  

Midnight Releasing Announces The July 14 DVD Release Of A Director’s Cut of Writer/Director Thomas L. Phillips’ Sanctuary: Quite a Conundrum

Midnight Releasing will be delivering a director’s cut of writer/director Thomas L. Phillips’ Sanctuary: Quite a Conundrum to the DVD world on July 14.

Tabitha (Erin Cline — Cam Girl, The Housewife Slasher) and Mimi (Sasha Ramos — Sex Drive) are nihilists in every sense of the word.  Of privilege, without cares or incentive … butterfly wings are to be plucked, just for fun.

Tabitha and Mimi decide to throw a party!   That’s a skill, I guess.  With Mimi, who is smokin’ hot, you just have that feeling that if she’s involved — party or no party — things will get properly weird in no time.   

Sure enough, after a quickie with a pirate (well, not really a pirate, but just some middle-aged guy with an eye patch), some booze and some “Jesus Bingo,” the pirate returns (naked) and blows his brains out (who’s gonna fish him out of the pool?).  

Soon, his distraught wife shows up and is eventually tied to a chair (who did that?) and from that point on things start to get strange … and then stranger!  

Sanctuary: Quite A Conundrum is an emotional joyride, in the kinkiest sense, that is blessed with some gut-busting dialog, quirky performances and more twists and turns than a garter snake on a hot stove.

Released last August by Midnight Releasing, this “director’s cut” version provides an even clearer vision of Phillips’ evening of fun (and horror).   Bonus features include a gag reel and filmmaker commentary.

Cinema Guild Selects June 23 For The Domestic DVD Debut Of The Zeitgeist Films Of Zero Motivation

M.A.S.H. and Catch 22 have met their match with writer/director Talya Lavie’s award-winning comedy, Zero Motivation.  

Zeitgeist Films, with domestic sales and distribution provided by Cinema Guild, has tabbed June 23 for this Israeli comedy about women — bored women, at that — doing their duty as film clerks for the IDF is some remote desert outpost. 

 

The ARR comes in at an even 200 days and domestic ticket sales from its limited arthouse run (following the film’s festival circuit run) were $101,713.

The winner of 2014 Tribeca Film Festival for Best Narrative Feature, plus the coveted Nora Ephron Prize, Zero Motivation is every bit as funny as both M.A.S.H. (the Korean War) and Catch 22 (World War II) and manages to deliver that humor without conflict or politics.   

Zero Motivation, presented in Hebrew, with English subtitles, includes the following bonus features — a making-of featurette and two short films from Israeli filmmaker Talya Lavie.  These are: The Waitress (2000, animated) and The Substitute (2006, the original short film version of Zero Motivation).

Unfriended On DVD And Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack From Universal Studios Home Entertainment On Aug. 11

The use of various social media platforms (Skype, Facebook, etc.) are used quite effectively by director Levan (Leo) Gabriadze in the Universal Studios Home Entertainment release of Unfriended.   DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack editions are planned for Aug. 11.

The ARR is 116 days and domestic ticket sales were a nice $32.4 million.

In what plays out as a murder mystery — as opposed to an out-and-out slasher film — we watch as a handful of teens desperately try to figure out who is taken revenge on them for an ill-advised video posting that led to the suicide of one of their friends.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Tags Sept. 15 As The Release Date For DVD And Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Editions Of Cinderella

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is the first studio to announce a post-Labor Day theatrical hit for delivery to the home entertainment market place as both DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack SKUs.   The film in question is Cinderella and the street date will be Sept. 15.

Having opened in March of this year, that mid-September release date yields a very long-in-the-tooth ARR of 186 days.   

 It is rare these days to see a major studio asset held up for six months, but Disney knows from experience that a July or August release will not maximize sales as the target audience will be busy elsewhere … best to wait until school is in full cycle after Labor Day, the traditional close to summer.

Ticket sales for this live-action rework of one of the studio’s animation treasures were a robust $198.8 million.

Bonus features include the theatrical companion animated short film, Frozen Fever, an alternation opening sequence and over 12 minutes of deleted and alternate scenes.

In other release news this week from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Aug. 18 will mark the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack debut of Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection.  Included here are a dozen animated shorts that have been produced between 2000 and 2015.

These are (in chronological order): John Henry — 2000, directed by Mark Henn and previously available as part of the 2002 compilation titled Disney’s America Legends. 

Lorenzo — 2004, directed by Michael Gabriel and nominated for an Oscar as Best Short Film, Animated.   It was featured as part of the theatrical release of Raising Helen.

The Little Matchgirl — 2006, directed by Roger Allers … previously released in October of 2006 on both DVD and Blu-ray as a bonus feature with The Little Mermaid.

How to Hook Up Your Home Theater — 2007, co-directed by Kevin Deters by Stevie Wermers-Skelton … Goofy stars in this “throw-back” animated short film that was released theatrically with National Treasure 2 in December of 2007.

Tick Tock Tale — 2010, directed by Dean Wellins … had a few film festival screening during the fall of 2010 and then disappeared.   

Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa — 2010, also co-directed by Kevin Deters by Stevie Wermers-Skelton.   Made its debut on television as a bumper to the December special broadcast of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The Ballad of Nessie — 2011, directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton.   Released theatrically in July as a bumper to the theatrical release of Winnie the Pooh.

Tangled Ever After — 2012, co-directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard.  Was a bumper short to the 3D re-release of Beauty and the Beast in 2012 and has been released on both DVD and Blu-ray as part of the Cinderella: Diamond Edition push later that year.

Paperman — 2012, directed by John Kahrs and it was the Oscar-winner for Best Short Film, Animated.   It made its theatrical debut as a bumper-short to Wreck-It Ralph in November of 2012.

Get A Horse! — 2013, directed by Lauren MacMullan … a Mickey Mouse “throw-back” animated short film that was released theatrically as a bumper to Frozen during Thanksgiving of 2013.

Feast — 2014, directed by Patrick Osborne and it too won the Oscar for Best Short Film, Animated.   It was released theatrically as an animated short bumper to Big Hero 6 in November of last year.

And lastly we have Frozen Fever, which is also being released as a bonus nugget with the aforementioned Cinderella on Sept. 15.   Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, this was the companion animated bumper short film to the theatrical launch of Cinderella in March of this year.  It is, therefore, Oscar-eligible.

Bonus features included with the release of Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection include intros from the various filmmakers, a featurette titled @DisneyAnimation: A Short Story on Shorts and the bonus animated short film Runaway Brain … a Mickey Mouse throw-back cartoon directed by Chris Bailey released as a bumper to George of the Jungle in 1997 and was Oscar-nominated in the Best Short Film, Animated category.