Mill Creek Entertainment Sets Blu-ray Debut Of Snow White: A Tale Of Terror For Release On Sept. 15

Mill Creek Entertainment has a stunning, first-time-on-Blu-ray release lined up for consumers to enjoy on Sept. 15.   Not only is it making its Blu-ray debut, but Mill Creek has set the SRP at a very attractive priced-to-collect $14.99 (and that’s before discounts at your various retail options).

Directed by Michael Cohn (Interceptor, When the Bough Breaks), Snow White: A Tale of Terror was originally slated for a theatrical release.   It had been filmed in and around Prague in the Czech Republic, with Mike Southon (Replicant, the Air Bud movies, etc.) handling the cinematography (he was nominated by the American Society of Cinematographers for his work here), but during the production Polygram Filmed Entertainment was beginning to breakdown and would eventually fold into Universal Pictures).

So instead of getting a theatrical push, Snow White: A Tale of Terror ended up on Showtime in late August of 1997.   The DVD format had just been launched and so a VHS and DVD day/date push was slated for November of 1998, but the DVD was delayed until December 8, delayed again until January 12 and finally made its way to the DVD marketplace on January 26, 1999 at the bargain price of just $29.95.   

The film itself proceeded to snag three Emmy nominations, including one for the film’s star, Sigourney Weaver, who is the ever-increasingly wicked stepmother (with her deadly magic mirror), and two more for Makeup and Consume Design.   

So if you missed this Sigourney Weaver gem way back then (or the re-issue by Universal under its own label), here’s your chance to finally get a high-def up-grade at a sweet price from Mill Creek Entertainment.   Mark the date, Sept. 15, on your calendar now!!

MVD Entertainment Group To Release A Director's Cut Of Filmmaker Tom DeCillo's Delirious On Both DVD And Blu-ray On Oct. 13

Insanity, celebrity and petty revenge plots all make for a devilishly wicked black comedy that MVD Entertainment Group has scooped up for delivery as both DVD and Blu-ray product offerings on Oct. 13.

This would be writer/director Tom DeCillo’s Delirious, starring Steve Buscemi as Les Galantine, a big-ego celebrity stalker — better known as paparazzi.   He’s in the business of taking pictures of stars, who are often famous for being famous, which, in some odd way, rubs off on him.

He recruits a somewhat simple homeless guy by the name of Toby (Michael Pitt — Funny Games, The Dreamers … as James 'Jimmy' Darmody in Boardwalk Empire) to be his assistant.   It’s a win-win for both of them — for Toby it is something to do (and a roof over his head, even it means sleeping in Les’ closet), for Les, it’s free help.   

But things take a turn for the weird when Les’ picture-taking escapades cross paths with casting agent Dana (Gina Gershon), who sees Toby as a potential client.   This all happens when Les is doing his paparazzi thing on up-and-coming starlet, K'Harma Leeds (played by Alison Lohman — Drag Me to Hell, Matchstick Men), who makes eye-contact with Toby … and then one thing leads to another and before you know it Toby is on his way to being celebrity-famous.    

Les is stunned.  All his work, his career, and suddenly his “apprentice” is on his way to being famous.   Something has to be done!!

Delirious, and make no mistake about this, is Steve Buscemi’s movie.   He is absolutely on his game.  He’s living in a very lonely world — like a hungry cat looking in the window of a fish market.   

The film plays both as a black comedy and as a satire on the entertainment industry, a business where so many clueless people are famous for simply being famous ... and they need people like Les to get them there, and yet they resent him as he does his job. 

First time on Blu-ray, Delirious is presented as the never-before-seen “director’s cut” of the film, complete with commentary from filmmaker Tom DiCillo (Living in Oblivion, Johnny Suede), the featurette titled “Stalking Delirious,” the Alison Lohman music video, “Shove It,” and three “promotional” short films — “Casting Michael Pitt,” “Steve Buscemi is Pissed” and “The Gina Gershon Sex Tape.” 

Director David Mambouch's Maguy Marin: Time To Act On DVD From Icarus Films This Coming Aug. 18

Icarus Films will joining forces with France’s premiere film distribution company, Distrib Films, on Aug. 18 for the domestic DVD debut of documentary filmmaker David Mambouch’s Maguy Marin, Time to Act.

Maguy Marin, born to Spanish parents — who had fled their native land after the Spanish Civil War — in Paris, she established herself as a dancer, having studied at the Toulouse Conservatory and then under the tutelage of Nina Wyrubowa in Paris (among others).   By the 1980s Maguy Marin had transformed into a choreographer, with a flair for the modern and the works of none other than writer Samuel Beckett.

Mambouch’s focus — and he is no stranger to Marin, having collaborated with her as a sound designer and performer himself — here is on Marin’s masterwork, “May B” — sculptures; clay figures … coming to life.   We get insights into Maris thought her comments, plus the many dancers and technicians that have performed her amazing dance productions over the years.   

A mesmerizing artist, her life and work, is captured perfectly by Mambouch’s documentary, which will certainly thrill fans of Marin’s work, but Maguy Marin, Time to Act is also a film that non-dance audiences can enjoy as well.

Maguy Marin, Time to Act is presented in French with English subtitles.

Glass House Distribution Selects Sept. 15 For The DVD And Blu-ray Debut Of Director Tyler Graham Pavey's Trauma Therapy

Glass House Distribution, with sales and domestic distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has locked into a Sept. 15 street date for the DVD and Blu-ray debut of director Tyler Graham Pavey’s Trauma Therapy.

In a rational world, when someone goes off to a self-help weekend retreat — usually in a pleasant, remote, serene location — they don’t expect to be terrorized by their spiritual guru.   That would be crazy, right?   Insane?  

Lording over his self-help disciples is Tobin Vance (Tom Malloy — The Alphabet Killer, Terror House, Fair Haven … who also co-wrote the script), he’s famous for being famous … and maybe he even knows that.   So he decides to develop a “new program” and to that end he needs some guinea pigs.

Since Tobin is amazing and famous, he has no problem recruiting two men and two women to join him for the weekend to test out his “new program.”   They even pay big bucks for the privilege.   

Joining him are Matt (Chase Colman — as Billy Winslow in Boardwalk Empire), who is suffering from some deep trauma, the “soft spoken” John (David Josh Lawrence — who co-wrote the script), the bundle-of-nerves Beth (Emily Humble, in her film debut), who has a difficult time with the truth — a regular little fibber — and finally we have the sultry Danni (Luciana Faulhaber — Don’t Look, Pearl).

After the meet and greet, Tobin starts in on the “new program” — which you suspect that he is making it up as he goes along and that we are not here for any self-help program.    First, everyone get naked.   If Tobin says get naked, he’s the “guru,” you get naked.

Hey, how about everyone doing drugs!   Let’s shoot guns for therapy!!   So you have naked people, doing drugs and shooting guns, what could possibly go wrong with that?  And we’re just getting started!!

If you are looking for a self-help DVD or Blu-ray on Sept. 15, you might want to skip Glass House Distribution’s Trauma Therapy.   But if you are looking for some truly twisted goings on, then you’ve found your guru.   

Paramount Home Media Looks To Sept. 01 For The DVD Release Of Magnum P.I.: Season Two

Paramount Home Media has circled Sept. 1 on its DVD release calendar for the delivery of a five-disc collection of Magnum P.I.: Season Two, starring Jay Hernandez (Hostel, World Trade Center, Max, Bad Moms, etc.) as Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL, now using his skill-set as a private investigator.

This “reboot” of the famous Tom Selleck series, which ran for eight seasons beginning in December of 1980, has attracted its own fan base and has been renewed for a third season.

All 20 episodes — the complete production schedule, no Covid-19 shutdown — are included here.   Sept. 1, Magnum P.I.: Season Two … enjoy!!

Vinegar Syndrome Announces July 28 2020 Film Restoration Release Calendar

This past week, Vinegar Syndrome announced a three-strong slate of new film restorations destined for release to the Blu-ray marketplace on July 28 … so let’s see what is in the works.

Topping the list is a new 2k film restoration (from the 35mm interpositive) of auteur filmmaker Larry Cohen’s 1985 film release of Perfect Strangers, filmed entirely on location in New York City and starring Brad Rijn (Smithereens, Special Effects, Return to Salem’s Lot) as mob hitman Johnny Ross. 

This is something of a neo-noir crime thriller, which opens with Johnny executing a low-level drug dealer, which under normal circumstances the cops — or anyone else for that matter — would have much interest in.   However, there is a witness!!

Get this, the witness is a two-year kid by the name of Matthew (newcomer Matthew Stockley) and this gets Johnny worried, along with his boss, but slaughtering a little kid is perhaps a bridge-too-far.   But, let’s see if the kid is old enough to be a real witness.

This is where Cohen, who also wrote the script, takes us down a rabbit hole that is both creepy and amusing.   Johnny starts stalking Matthew and his mom, Sally (Ann Carlisle — Liquid Sky, Desperately Seeking Susan, etc.), who takes a liking to the attention, not realizing that it is her son that our boy Johnny is really interested in.

Now into this weird mix comes Sally’s ex-husband, Fred (John Woehrle), who gets jealous of Johnny and hires a detective to scope him out.   Meanwhile, the pressure is building for Johnny to “tie up loose ends.”   The snoopy detective soon gets in the way … but not for long.   

So, does Johnny kill the kid?   Cohen turns up the heat and puts the little in guy in danger (of having an accident) time and again … each time getting just a little closer to that loose end being eliminated.

Bonus goodies include a pair of featurettes — “A True Artist” (featuring Anne Carlisle) and “Shadow in the City,” an archival video session with director Larry Cohen.

Also on the July 28 release calendar from Vinegar Syndrome are director Robert Sickinger’s 1975 “adult” presentation of The Naughty Victorians (scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm negative), and director Paul Leder’s 1987 film release of The Eleventh Commandment, starring Bernard White and Dick Sargent.

Sunrise Targets Sept. 1 For The Blu-ray Debut Of Anime Filmmaker Shinya Watada's Gundam Build Divers

Sunrise International, with domestic sales and distribution provided by Bayview Entertainment, has tabbed Sept. 1 for the four-disc Blu-ray collection anime filmmaker Shinya Watada’s Gundam Build Divers.

All 25 episodes in the series are included here, including clean openings and closings and episode prologue.

A new networking game is all the rage, “Gunpla Battle Nexus,” or just “GBN,” which allows players to go missions with their favorite Gunplay avatars in a virtual cyberspace.   Players become “Divers” and this series follows the adventures of Riku Mikami, Yuko Hidaka and Momoka Yashiro, who meet a mysterious virtual girl named Sarah, who at first seems to be their Gunpla friend, but things are not always as they seem.

Gundam Build Divers is presented in both Japanese, with English subtitles, and English.