Icarus Films Preps Two New DVD Releases For March • Celebration (Mar. 17) And Time Thieves (Mar. 10)

Icarus Films will be teaming up with the KimStim Collection on Mar. 17 for the DVD rollout of French documentary filmmaker Olivier Meyrou’s Celebration.

Meyrou was given access to the world of fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent and spent three years documenting the process of — and the preparation for — his final show.   Once Celebration was finally completed, it was screened at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival … and then banned!!

Yes, forcibly withdrawn from circulation by Yves Saint Laurent’s business partner and long-time love interest, Pierre Berge (they would have a same-sex civil union ceremony just days before Yves Saint Laurent succumbed to brain cancer).   It is reported that he saw the film at the Berlin Film Festival screening as was shocked by the frail appearance of his friend … no longer the jet-setter, vibrant, but in decline, near the end and “not quite all there” (Yves Saint Laurent would pass the following year).

From 2007 until 2015, Celebration remained in limbo.   Perhaps faced with his own mortality, Pierre Berge (who died in 2017) finally relented and the film was allowed to be released in France in 2018 … various film festival dates quickly followed and in early October of 2019 the film received a very limited arthouse run in the domestic marketplace.

For the record, the ARR for Celebration works out to 165 days.

For fashion fans, French-language film enthusiasts, the curious and those who followed the career of the legendary haute couture designer Yves Saint Laurent, Celebration is a must-see experience.   

Celebration is presented in French with English subtitles.

Icarus Films has also added to the release calendar this past week documentary filmmaker Cosima Dannoritzer’s provocative Time Thieves  … it will be released on DVD on Mar. 10.

Known for her work about ecology and technology (If Rubbish Could Speak, The Light Bulb Conspiracy, The E-Waste Tragedy), Dannoritzer was literally gobstruck one day when glancing through her date book … she called it “the dictatorship of the clock in my life” and set about to make a film on how businesses have turned time, like water, or oil, or energy into a commodity. 

She then began a globe-trotting quest to interview politicians, union officials, consultants, academics and business leaders on the subject of time.   She shows examples of how businesses have subtly (or not so subtly) transferred work to the consumer — printing your own airline boarding passes, self-check-out stands and more.

Among those interviewed are mathematician Spencer Greenberg, Marie-Anne Dujarier (Sociologist, La Sorbonne, Paris), Magali Combal (time management consultant), Klaus Müller of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, Jawad Qasrawi (Hazards Magazine) and more.

Time Thieves is presented in multiple languages and comes with English subtitles where appropriate.

Paramount Home Media Tabs Feb. 25 For The DVD Debut Of Director Ron Scalpello's The Corrupted

Paramount Home Media Distribution announced this past week that director Ron Scalpello’s crime thriller, The Corrupted, starring Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Huntsman: Winter's War, etc.) and Timothy Spall, will be making its way to DVD on Feb. 25.

As an ex-con, the last thing you want to do is to get involved with crime and violence, but that’s exactly what Liam (Claflin) must do to untangle his brother (played by his actual brother, Joe Claflin) and his involvement with crooked East London developer Clifford Cullen (Small).    

Cullen, as we learn in an opening sequence, was responsible for the murder of Liam’s father when he, Liam, was a child … years after now passed, but the desire for revenge remains.

Meanwhile, DS Neil Beckett (Noel Clarke — Brotherhood, The Anomaly) is out to bring Cullen down and has been methodically putting the pieces of his criminal activity together … the question is, will Liam and his brother be collateral damage.

In other release news from Paramount Home Media this week, Mar. 20 will see the release of a Mondo X SteelBook 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack edition of director John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place.

Bonus features include a trio of production featurettes — “Creating the Quiet,” “The Sound of Darkness” and “A Reason for Silence.”

Bayview Entertainment Sets The DVD Debut Of Writer/ Director Will' Terran's The Murderers For Mar. 10

Bayview Entertainment announced this past week that writer/director Will’ Terran’s 2017 thriller, The Murderers, will be making its domestic DVD debut on Mar. 10.   

This Black Barn Productions indie film worked the festival circuit in the U.K. during 2018 and 2019, with stops at the London Lift-Off Film Festival, The Quay Film Festival and the Bristol Film Festival.   It arrives in the domestic market virtually unseen … waiting to be discovered by fans drawn to Brit detective and murder mystery series.

His name is Joseph (Joe McGann — making a rare feature film appearance … best known for his Brit TV series work, Night & Day, The Upper Hand, Hollyoaks, etc.) and from just one look at his face, you see the look of a man who is world-weary, tired, gaunt.   He is retired, well, as “retired” as any former contract killer can be.   

As this British thriller begins, Joseph suddenly finds that he has become the target of an organized hit squad called “The Murderers,” and soon finds that his life-long friend, Ramona (Abigail Davies — The Pity of War: The Loves and Lives of the War Poets, Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley) is the bait to lure him out.   She lives the life of a recluse, withdrawn from society, an artist with a studio isolated in the English countryside.   The perfect “kill zone.”

But Joseph has been down this road before, he’s knows the territory and killing Ramona, killing him … will not be the cakewalk “The Murderers” seem to think it will be.   It’s a tick-tock race against time to discover the mastermind behind this “Hit.”

Unearthed Films To Release A Three-SKU Helping Of Writer/Director Ryan Nicholson's Gutterballs On Apr. 14

Unearthed Films, with sales and distribution expertise from MVD Entertainment Group, looks to Apr. 14 as the street date for a three-SKU release of writer/director Ryan Nicholson’s 2008 direct-to-video “haunted house” horror thriller, Gutterballs.

Planned for release are both DVD and Blu-ray editions, plus a double-disc Blu-ray “Collector’s Edition,” which comes loaded with all sorts of extras for genre fans to savor (more on that in just a moment).

Gutterballs has all the earmarks of a classic haunted house thriller.   A victim pool, a crazed killer/slasher/maniac and an enclosed structure for the various members of the pool of victims to be picked off one by one … the twist is the “haunted house” takes the form of a bowling alley.

The Xcalibur Bowling Centre is closed late at night, but Egerton, the janitor (Dan Ellis), comes up with a plan to make some cash on the side by renting out lanes to two radically different bowling groups (teams, whatever).   Steve (Alastair Gamble — Hardwired, Trapped, Mind’s Eye) heads up the “frat boy” team, while Jamie (Nathan Witte) is the focal point of a diverse group of lovely ladies, stoners and Sam (Jimmy Blais), a drag queen.

The first night ends in disaster as Egerton actually has to pull a shotgun on the assembly when a brawl between the two warring groups breaks out.   Come back tomorrow night and try it again and out they go.   Things go south when Lisa (Candice Lewald — Hanger) forgets her purse and returns to the Xcalibur to retrieve it, only to be ambushed by Steve and his frat boys who have their way with her.

Are the cops called?   Come on, that would end this late night bowling league and all that follows, so they all return the next night as if nothing had happened.   Steven even brings along a couple of “girlfriends” — Julia (Danielle Munro) and Hannah (Saraphina Bardeaux) — to add to the merriment (add to the number of participants in the victim pool).

We won’t reveal the identity of the “killer,” but even if you played a little game with your friends and wrote down your best guess after the first murder, you’d be wrong.    Gutterballs is full of twists and turns — and brutal blood-letting — to the final reveal.

A long-standing rumor associated with the film is that after it was screened at several horror fests — Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors and Insomnifest Festival — there was a feeling that Gutterballs could get a theatrical run.   The MPAA, apparently, put an end to that plan when they called for roughly 20 minutes worth of footage to be excised or a NC-17 (X) rating would be assigned (hey, that’s a selling point).  

As to bonus features, common to all three release editions are outtakes and two featurettes — “Behind the Balls: Making of Gutterballs” and “Behind the Scenes: Gutterballs.”   

The double-disc Blu-ray “Collector’s Edition” includes commentary from writer/director Ryan Nicholson (best known to genre fans for his makeup and f/x work — The Predator, Deadpool 2, The Chronicles of Riddick, etc.), cast and crew interviews, a photo gallery and the additional featuette titled “Pin-etration Edition.”   And, there are also a “Massive Amount of Outtakes!!!” 

Vinegar Syndrome Prepares Three Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Releases For Delivery On Feb. 25

Vinegar Syndrome announced this past week a trio of new film restorations for delivery on Feb. 25 as Blu-ray/DVD Combo Packs.

Leading the parade is a new 4K restoration (from the original 35mm camera negative) of one-off writer/director Donald Wolfe’s Hollywood Horror House (aka: Savage Intruder; aka: The Comeback).   

This early slasher entry borders on the obscure and if it weren’t for a very interesting cast and some cool Los Angeles street footage it might have remained just that, obscure.

Some sources say that it was filmed in 1968, others say 1970 … in any case, it appears to have resided unseen until either 1974 or 1975 when Joseph Brenner Associates picked it up for a theatrical release.   

That maybe so, but archived editions of Box Office Magazine for the period make no reference to it … sure, there are Joseph Brenner Associates listings for such gems as Harry and the Hookers, Kidnap of Mary Lou, Rape Killer and Cry of a Prostitute, but nothing for Hollywood Horror House (or any alternate title).  

To confuse the issue even more, there is evidence that Avco Embassy might have been the distributor and not Joseph Brenner Associates.

This aside, the cast is the real treasure here.   You get Miriam Hopkins in her final film … she was nominated for Best Actress in 1935 for Becky Sharp and was recently showcased in the Criterion restoration of director Stephen Roberts’ 1933 pre-code release of The Story of Temple Drake.   

Here she plays Katharine Packard, an aging silver screen legend who lives up in the Hollywood Hills — recovering from a broken leg, she is wheel chair bound.   

Her “business manager,” Leslie, is none other than Oscar-winner Gale Sondergaard, Best Supporting Actress for Anthony Adverse in 1936 … she was also nominated Best Supporting Actress in 1946 for her performance in Anna and the King of Siam. 

Elsewhere in the City of Angels a serial killer is afoot and the police are trying to track him down before more women are cut to pieces.   Well guess who shows up at the front door one day, Vic (David Garfield … the son of two-time Oscar nominee John Garfield), who is inexplicably hired by Leslie to care for Katharine.

In the creepiest of ways, Vic sets out to seduce the former star … a kill, kill, kill in his spare time.

 

As to bonus goodies, there is a vintage commentary track featuring David Decoteau of RapidHeart.tv and David Del Valle of SinisterImage.com.

Also on the Feb, 25 Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack release calendar from Vinegar Syndrome is director Harry Bromley Davenport's 1995 sci-fi thriller, Xtro 3: Watch the Skies (scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm camera negative), which comes with two featuettes — “Winning and Losing” and “Acting Like a Writer.”

Last, but certainly not least (in any way, shape or form) is adult filmmaker Henri Pachard’s 1983 politically-charged film release of Public Affairs, starring Annette Haven, Kelly Nichols, Annette Heinz, Paul Thomas, Joey Silvera and Robert Kerman.   This new 2K restoration (from the 35mm camera negative) includes the featurette titled “Going Public” and an in-depth audio session with actress Annette Heinz.

 

Nozomi Entertainment Looks To Mar. 3 For The Blu-ray Debut Of Aria: The Animation

Nozomi Entertainment, with sales and distribution support provided by Bayview Entertainment, has tabbed Mar. 3 as the street date for a three-disc Blu-ray presentation of Junichi Sato’s anime series, Aria: The Animation.

We follow the adventures of Akari Mizunashi (voiced by Erino Hazuki — Tonagura!, Amanchu!), a fledgling gondolier, in the mysterious city of Neo-Venezia in this kick-off series of 13 episodes (more seasons to follow).

Both the original Japanese-language track and the English-dubbed version are included here.  Plus there are episode commentaries featuring the various cast members (in English) and two featurettes — “Primas Interview part 1 & 2” and “Satojun’s Venice, I’m Sorry.”

The Criterion Collection Announces Its April Slate Of New Film Restorations For Delivery On DVD And Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection announced its April slate of new film restorations destined for release as both DVD and Blu-ray product offerings during the course of the month.

Topping the list of new films getting a new 4K digital restoration (Universal Pictures teaming up with auteur filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s preservation and restoration of cinema organization, The Film Foundation) is director George Marshall’s 1939 Western, Destry Rides Again, teaming James Stewart with Marlene Dietrich.

Both DVD and Blu-ray editions will be available on Apr. 14.

When the production was first revealed by Universal Pictures in 1938, Joel McCrea was to be in the lead and William K. Howard (Fire Over England, The Power and the Glory) was to handle the direction … and there were even rumors that Paulette Goddard would be Frenchy.   

Obviously none of that happened as Stewart wrapped up Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and pivoted into the role of Thomas Jefferson Destry, Jr., who is called upon by the town’s drunk, Washington Dimsdale (Charles Winninger) — who has been given the job of sheriff as a joke — to put an end to the corruption in Bottleneck.

A Western comedy, with Marlene Dietrich getting the best of the Hays Office with her now famous signature song, “See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have.”   

As to bonus goodies, there are newly-prepared video sessions with author Imogen Sara Smith (“In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City,” “Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy”) and Donald Dewey, author of “James Stewart: A Biography,” plus excerpts from The American Film Institute’s 1973 oral-history interview with director George Marshall.

Also included with Destry Rides Again is the 1945 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation with James Stewart and Joan Blondell.

Also included on the April release calendar from Criterion are director Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 World War II drama, Army of Shadows (double-disc DVD and Blu-ray available on Apr. 7); Czech filmmaker Juraj Herz 1969 film adaptation of the Ladislav Fuks’s novel, The Cremator (Blu-ray and two-disc DVD selections available on Apr. 21); and the month concludes on Apr. 28 with double-disc DVD and Blu-ray releases for director Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (with a new commentary option) and director Miranda July’s 2005 film, Me and You and Everyone We Know.