Mill Creek Entertainment Selects May 1 For The 40th Anniversary Edition Release Of Thank God It's Friday On Blu-ray

Last week Mill Creek Entertainment revealed its first priced-to-collect Blu-ray selection for the month of May with the announcement for the double-disc collection titled John Travolta: 4-in-1 Drama Collection on May 1, which includes Perfect (with Jamie Lee-Curtis), Basic, A Love Song for Bobby Long and Lonely Hearts.

Now, with Grease celebrating its 40^th Anniversary this year, the timing for this package for Travolta films is spot-on.   And speaking of Travolta, what comes to mind when you think of John Travolta from the 1970s?   Tick tock, tick tock … Disco; Saturday Night Fever; John Travolta the King of Disco of course!

And so it appears that Mill Creek Entertainment is thinking along the same lines with their latest priced-to-own Blu-ray announcement this week … the 40^th Anniversary celebration on May 1 of director Robert Klane’s summer of 1978 smash, Thank God It's Friday, starring the “Queen of Disco,” Donna Summer.

The film had a long-and-winding pre-production history, going through a series of titles — Discotheque, Disco, After Dark, etc. — before it finally went into production during the summer months of 1977 in West Hollywood as Thank God It's Friday.   Test screenings followed and it finally opened theatrically in May of 1978 … as they say, “The Rest is History.”

Donna Summer, a singing sensation with “Last Dance” (Oscar-winner for Best Song), a super soundtrack from the period that includes Lionel Richie and The Commodores with “Too Hot ta Trot” and “Easy,” Donna Summers delivering five numbers and more … sizzling!    And yes, that’s Debra Winger before Urban Cowboy and An Officer and a Gentleman … and yes, that’s Jeff Goldblum before The Big Chill!!!

Also on May 1 from Mill Creek Entertainment is the double-disc DVD, 11-film collection titled Deadly Beyond: 11 Movie Collection.  Priced at just $14.98 (and that’s before discounts at retail), collectors can lay their hands on Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (with Molly Ringwald), Krull, The Hearse (Trish Van Devere), My Mom’s a Werewolf (starring Susan Blakely) and Warriors of the Wasteland.   Plus there are six more films … Lurkers, Slipstream, Mutant, Alien Contamination, Pulse and Eternal Evil.

MVD Entertainment Group Restores Director Jim Wynorski’s The Return of the Swamp Thing For Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Release On May 8

Once upon a time — in the swamp — a movie star was born!

MVD Entertainment Group announced this past week that the next installment in its popular MVD Rewind Collection will be the Blu-ray debut of director Jim Wynorski’s 1989 horror-in-the-bayou classic, The Return of the Swamp Thing.

This new 2K transfer arrives on May 8 as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack edition (a first for the Blu-ray format).

The Swamp Thing (aka: Dr. Alex Holland — played by Dick Durock) is back and there is a new terror in the bayou that comes in the form of Leechman, who makes quick work of five federal agents during the opening sequence (well, he has a little help).   But as deadly as this human hybrid might be, the mad scientists who are working on some miracle drug are far more deadly (and sinister).

Dr. Anton Arcane (Louis Jourdan) — who transformed himself into a wolf-like creature and was killed off in the climatic battle with Swamp Thing in director Wes Craven’s 1982 original, Swamp Thing — has been resurrected (you can’t keep a good villain down) and is busy creating new creatures for his army of “Un-Men.”  Into this comes Abigail Arcane, his stepdaughter, played by none other than Heather Locklear, who makes her first theatrical starring appearance here … she was a TV star as Officer Stacy Sheridan in the series T.J. Hooker, but her cult performance in The Return of the Swamp Thing took her to the next level!!!

Abigail has arrived in the swamp to find out what happened to her mom, and just as quickly she becomes the target of Anton’s obsession … her blood, he needs her blood!!   Will Swamp Thing be her champion, or will the beautiful Heather Locklear be drained dry?   On May 8 grab your Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack edition and enjoy the action!

Bonus features include commentary from director Jim Wynorski (Not of This Earth, The Haunting of Morella, Munchie, etc.), plus there are three newly-filmed video sessions featuring Jim Wynorski, editor Leslie Rosenthal and composer Chuck Cirino. 

Indican Pictures Targets Mar. 27 For The DVD Debut Of Writer/Director Greg Zekowski’s ZBurbs

Shelly (Marieh Delfino — Jeepers Creepers II, Dorm Daze … and as Niki in the TV series All About Us) is happily married to Bill (Ian Alda — Divorce Invitation, Seven Hell, etc.), which is important … their marriage will tested in ways that are totally unexpected!

Indican Pictures announced this past week that writer/director Greg Zekowski’s tongue-in-cheek (chomp … zombies love cheek, yum) horror tale, ZBurbs, will be making its DVD debut on Mar. 27.

It begins innocently enough with a late night noise in the quiet suburbs, which Bill goes to investigate.  It’s probably nothing (cat on the prowl, that sort of thing), but when he doesn’t return to bed, Shelly goes in search of him and is attacked by a strange man.   Bill to the rescue as he rips open the intruder’s skull and rips out his brain … thump, Shelly passes out at the sight of that!

Next morning, the dead guy is gone and hubby Bill is looking a little on the seen-better-days side of life.  He has, as it turns out, been the victim of a zombie attack.   He spent the pre-dawn darkness devouring the intruder (ham and eggs for breakfast anyone?) and now poor Shelly has some marriage issues to face.

No problem, love triumphs over all obstacles, and Shelly quickly puts Bill to work cleaning up the neighborhood and its nasty neighbors, but that soon brings someone knock, knock, knocking at her door.   It’s a CIA agent by the name of Pick (played by “the face” — character actor Bill Oberst Jr., who can also been seen in Stressed to Kill on Blu-ray this coming Apr.  10).  He wants to recruit Bill as a “weapon,” which immediately puts him at odds with Shelly!    

Who gets the zombie?   Check out ZBurbs on DVD from Indican Pictures on Mar. 27 to find out who has Bill’s heart and soul!!

Paramount Home Media Prepares 4K Ultra HD Presentation Of Saving Private Ryan For Delivery On May 8

Paramount Home Media announced this past week that there will be three new high-profile 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack selections ready for release during the month of May.

Leading the way the way on May 8 is a 20^th Anniversary Edition of director Steven Spielberg’s 1998 film masterpiece, Saving Private Ryan, which remains one of the most powerful screen presentations in the history of cinema.   

It was also the victim of the most egregious Oscar-voting shenanigans in the history of such things.  The hand of Harvey Weinstein weighed heavy on the ballot box — come on people, now that he is totally disgraced and can no longer affect your career in Hollywood, admit your sins in voting for Shakespeare in Love as Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan.    There has to be a hash-tag movement in there somewhere … #iwasadope, #ivotedfoolishly, #harveymademedoit, etc.

In any case, Saving Private Ryan arrives as a 4K Ultra HD/2 Blu-ray Combo Pack and features all of the previously released bonus goodies, including an introduction by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, the Tom-Hanks narrated feature-length documentary by Richard Schickel titled Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen and eight production featurettes, including the one titled “Re-Creating Omaha Beach.”

The following week, May 15, Paramount Home Media is back with 4K Ultra HD presentations of Best Picture winners, Braveheart (with two Blu-ray discs) and Gladiator (also with two Blu-ray discs).

Arrow Video Targets May 29 For The Double-Disc Blu-ray Release Of Director Wes Craven's The Last House On The Left

Wes Craven, as writer and director, and Sean S. Cunningham, as producer, teamed in 1972 for a low budget genre film.   Filmed largely in and around Cunningham’s Westport, Connecticut home (for budgetary reasons), with Wes Craven making his directorial debut and featuring a cast of largely unknowns — although the late Fred J. Lincoln, who played Fred “Weasel” Podowski, would go on to become one of the most prolific adult filmmakers in the history of cinema — The Last House on the Left has ultimately become what both fans and critics agree … a horror masterpiece!

Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution support from MVD Entertainment Group, has tabbed May 29 for the release of a double-disc Blu-ray special edition.    A new 2K restoration (from the original film elements) features three separate cuts of the film — the original theatrical presentation of The Last House on the Left, an uncut presentation (roughly an additional two minutes in running time) and the British Krug & Company cut of the film (trims for censorship in the UK and a reordering of several scenes).

As to bonus goodies, which are numerous, the Uncut version of The Last House on the Left (Disc One) features two archival commentary tracks — one with writer/director Wes Craven and producer Sean S. Cunningham and the second with actors David Hess (as Krug Stillo), Marc Sheffler (as Junior) and Fred Lincoln (as Fred 'Weasel' Podowski) — plus there is a newly-minted commentary option with Bill Ackerman and Amanda Reyes.

Marc Sheffler is also featured in a new video session title “Junior’s Story,” wardrobe and make-up artist Anne Paul is featured in a newly minted video session, documentary filmmaker David Gregory’s 2003 film, Celluloid Crime of the Century, is included here as is the archival featurette title “Still Standing: The Legacy of The Last House on The Left.”  

And more, much more on Disc One, including deleted scenes, outtakes and dailies … Disc Two (which includes the theatrical and UK cuts) has a newly-prepared featurette titled “The Craven Touch,” a video session with filmmaker Roy Frumkes and excerpts from Wes Craven’s unfinished short film, Tales That'll Tear Your Heart Out.

Documentary Filmmaker Ilan Ziv’s Capitalism: A Six-Part Series On DVD From Icarus Film On May 1

Icarus Films announced this past week that documentary filmmaker Ilan Ziv’s mini-series, Capitalism: A Six-Part Series, will be making its way to the DVD market place on May 1 as three-disc set.

The production took two years to complete and includes something on the order of 22 globe-hopping video sessions with the likes of Nicholas Philipson (author of “Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life”), the late Philippe Norel (economist at the University of Poitiers in France and a member of the Center for Research on Economic and Financial Integration ), Professor David Harvey (Graduate Center of the City University of New York and author of such books as “The Urbanization of Capital” and “The Enigma of Capital and the Crises of Capitalism”) and Robert Skidelsky (author of “John Maynard Keynes: Hopes Betrayed, 1883–1920,” “The World After Communism: A Polemic for Our Times” and “Keynes: The Return of the Master”).

The series itself is divided into the follow topics, each running 52 minutes.   Episode 1: Adam Smith: The Birth of the Free Market and Episode 2: The Wealth of Nations: A New Gospel? (focusing on the works of Adam Smith); Episode 3: Ricardo and Malthus: Did You Say Freedom? (David Ricardo — British Economist of 18^th Century — and demographer Thomas Malthus, author of the book “An Essay on the Principle of Population”), Episode 4: What if Marx Was Right?, Episode 5: Keynes vs Halyet: A Fake Debate? and Episode 6: Karl Polanyi, the Human Factor.

Director Nicolai Fuglsig's 12 Strong On DVD And Blu-ray From Warner Bros. Home Entertainment On May 1

One of the most interesting military events that took place immediately after 9/11 was classified.  

Americans watching television heard about Afghans — the “Northern Alliance,” “United Front,” etc., etc. — fighting the Taliban, as the our country turned its focus on Osama Bin Laden and his hiding place in Afghanistan.   What was that all about; who are these people?

What American’s didn’t know at the time was that there were U.S. troops on the ground and that the fight was already being taken to those who backed Bin Laden and the attack on the World Trade Center.   The center of this first action was a place called Mazar-i-Sharif in the north of Afghanistan … population of about a half-million people.

The action that took place there finally came to light in 2009 when author Doug Stanton released his tell-all combat book, “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan.”

Director Nicolai Fuglsig, with the help of screenwriters Ted Tally (Oscar-winner for The Silence of the Lambs) and Peter Craig (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, The Town), adapted Stanton’s book for the screen as 12 Strong.  

 
Which brings us to the announcement this past week from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment that 12 Strong will be making its way home on May 1 as DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack product offerings.   The ARR is 102 days and box office receipts currently stand at $45.2 million.

With the help of the Northern Alliance, a dozen U.S. Army Special Forces were inserted into Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 attack to pursue and engage the Taliban.   The mission was hastily put together, so the team had little in the way of support or transportation … the transportation part was solved when they became mounted cavalry and engaged the Taliban head-on on horseback! 

Their main mission, the capture of Mazar-i-Sharif, took place in November of 2011 and the city fell, but internecine fighting between Northern Alliance factions suddenly left the Army Special Forces trapped and outnumbered 40 to one.  12 Strong is the edge-of-your-seat story of how they rallied to hold off the Taliban fighters until help finally arrived.   All true, American horse soldiers in Afghanistan  … and now unclassified for all to see and have and understanding of their story.

Bonus features include a pair of featurettes — “12 Strong: The Making of an Impossible Mission” and “Monumental Effort: Building America’s Response Monument.”