Writer/Director Danny Cotton's No More Lights In The Sky On DVD From Bayview Entertainment On Sept. 08

Bayview Entertainment has set Sept. 8 as the DVD debut date for writer/director Danny Cotton’s award-winning dystopian tale, No More Lights in the Sky.  

This is the second film that Bayview Entertainment has snapped up for domestic distribution from British filmmaker Danny Cotton … Soldiers of Embers was just released on DVD on June 30.

Presented as something of a cinema verite document of what is transpiring in the United Kingdom in the future.   A reporter by the name of Justin Truman (Monty Jordan — Fighting Heart, Soldiers of Embers) has decided to prepare a video “documentary” of what has transpired in England since the country made the decision to wall itself off from the rest of the world — Hadrian's Wall, if you will, on a grand scale.

Chaos ensues, but the “Government,” operating under the “Rehabilitation Act,” has a solution.   They, meaning the government, have developed a special drug that not only tamps down common diseases but has a “calming” effect on those who take it.   Healthy … Zombie … Work Force.

Truman wanders the countryside documenting what he sees — he acts as sort of an advocate, asking questions, more questions … but gets precious few answers.  He also discovers that those who refuse to submit to the process are dealt with, often in a violent way, or they simply disappear.

With No More Lights in the Sky, filmmaker Danny Cotton has constructed a half-sci-fi, half-documentary, that serves as a thought-provoking vehicle to get audiences to think about small things that happen today, in the moment, which can have profound consequences going forward.   

Ironically, Cotton may have actually created something of a film metaphor for what is actually unfolding in Hong Kong at this very moment … China, walling this former British enclave off from the rest of the world.   Those who disobey are dealt with … or they simply disappear.

Paramount Home Media Teams With Nickelodeon On Sept. 22 For The DVD Debut Of Fantastic Fall

Paramount Home Media and Nickelodeon are looking at the post-Labor Day period for a beginning-of-fall promotion with the DVD collection titled Nick Jr: Fantastic Fall!, which will be available for Nick Jr. fans to enjoy on Sept. 22.

Nearly two hours worth of animated tales are packed in this DVD release, all with a focus on fun-filled fall activities.   For starters, from Blue’s Clues we have Blue having a special costume party, but Magenta doesn’t have a costume to wear … the little ones have to help Blue solve the problem.

Or, how about “truck or treat” from Blaze and the Monster Machines, which has Blaze and his friends ready to celebrate Halloween, but Crusher is out to steal their candy … what to do?  What to do, indeed!!

More adventures from Blue’s Clues, PAW Patrol, Butterbean's Café and more.   So circle Sept. 22 on your viewing calendar and join in on the fun with the DVD release Nick Jr: Fantastic Fall!

Arrow Video Celebrates The 25th Anniversary Of Mallrats On Sept. 29 With A Double-Disc Blu-ray Release

Oh for the days of shopping malls and the slackers — the “Mallrats” — who populated them for lack of anything better to do!!   They had their moment.

Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has selected Sept. 29 for the release of a double-disc Blu-ray Limited Edition of writer/director Kevin Smith’s 1995 homage to all-things slacker, Mallrats.   A 25^th Anniversary celebration!!

What Arrow Video has locked in are film restorations for both the original theatrical cut and the “extended” cut of the film.   Plus, and this might be even funnier than either of these two versions, is the “newly-assembled” television cut of the film, with some of the most creative “over-dubs” that have ever been put together … those nasty words just had to go!!

Besides the three distinct viewing options, Arrow has packed this double-disc collection with so many bonus goodies that the slacker mind will be on overload overload.   For starters, there is a new introduction to the film by Kevin Smith, plus a commentary option that features Smith, producer Scott Mosier, archivist Vincent Pereira, plus actors Jason Lee, Ben Affleck and Jason Mewes.

Additionally, there are deleted scenes (with commentary by Kevin Smith and Vincent Pereira), outtakes, archival cast interviews, the vintage featurette titled “Erection of an Epic: The Making of Mallrats” and newly-produced video sessions with actor Jason Mewes and cinematographer David Klein.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment To Release 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack Eiditon Of Writer/Director Damien Chazelle's Whiplash On Sept. 22

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced this past week that writer/director Damien Chazelle’s 2013 Best Picture nominee, Whiplash (which saw an Oscar win for J.K. Simmons in the Best Supporting Actor category), will be getting a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack release on Sept. 22.

Filmmaker Damien Chazelle parlayed his short film, also titled Whiplash, into the feature-length version.  With that success, Chazelle was able to turn his La La Land script into the best picture of 2015 — even though it lost the Oscar for Best Picture in one of the most embarrassing live broardcast screw-ups in the history of television.   He did win Best Director that evening.

As to bonus goodies for the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack edition of Whiplash, we have commentary featuring filmmaker Damien Chazelle and J.K. Simmons, Chazelle’s original short film of Whiplash, a deleted scene, footage from the Toronto International Film Festival and the featurette titled “Timekeepers.”

For the period ending June 26, 2020 ... New DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD selections added to the DVD & Blu-ray Release Report's database

 

 

DVD New Additions

 

Acid Bath Productions (MOD)

06/16/20 — Released Catch of the Day 2

Aflick TV (MOD)

06/09/20 — Released Anger, Inside Hollywood: Ada & Halima, Inside Hollywood: Belinda & Rachael, Inside Hollywood: Esther & Felix, Inside Hollywood: Tana & Frederick and Inside Hollywood: Yemi & Franca

Alpha Video (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Cavalcade of Stars, Devil Plays, Devil's Harvest, Enchanted Cottage (silent-1924), Euro-Adventure Double Feature (2 film set: White Fang, White Fang to the Rescue)Fixer: The Power of Balance, Lawless Border, Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia: Midget Zombie Takeover, Rescue Squad and Woman of Paris (silent-1923)

BSX Records, Inc.

06/23/20 — Released Beyond Justice

Bosko Group, LLC (MOD)

05/19/20 — Released Athens County Massacre and Goocher

06/23/20 — Released Wood Witch

CBS Home Entertainment (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Longest War

Championship Productions

06/23/20 — Released Drills to Build Your Man-to-Man Defense

Chemical Burn Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released Fox Force

Conquest (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Stand By Me: The Ben E. King Legacy Live

Eagle Rock Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released INXS: Live Baby Live - Wembley Stadium (ARR of 200 days; box office: $161,750)

Erik Stahl Studios (MOD)

06/09/20 — Released Other Side of the Lake: The Purple Girl VII - Vatican Underworld (4 disc set)

06/16/20 — Released Erik Stahl Fashion Collection 2017-2020 (2 disc set) and Other Side of the Lake: The Purple Girl - Season One (3 disc set)

06/23/20 — Released Erik Stahl in Concert: MTV Latin 90's hits

Film Movement

06/23/20 — Released Good Woman is Hard to Find

Five Carat Films (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Lily and Player

Freestyle Digital Media (MOD)

06/16/20 — Released Chameleon and School Spirits

06/23/20 — Released Flip Side and For We are Many

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Braking for Whales, Daddy Issues, Immortality or Bust, Jasper Mall, Ship of Human Skin, The Tent and Warpath

Greenwich Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy

I-Cine

06/23/20 — Released Quan Ly Kim (10 disc set), Truy Tim Ke Sat Nhan, Part 1 (14 disc set) and Truy Tim Ke Sat Nhan, Part 2 (14 disc set)

Icarus Films

08/18/20 — Sets Maguy Marin: Time to Act (French)

Image Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released Stuck With You, Season One

Image Entertainment/Shudder (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Jessica Forever (French)

Joma Films (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Phoenix, Oregon (ARR of 417 days; box office: $41,969)

Kaczmarek Digital Media Group (MOD)

06/16/20 — Released Drive Me to the End

Kino Lorber

06/23/20 — Released Caravans and Last Valley

Kyyba Films, Ltd. (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge

Lifeway Christian Resources

06/16/20 — Released Gospel Project for Kids: A People Restored

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

06/16/20 — Released 2 Minutes of Fame

06/23/20 — Released Inheritance

06/30/20 — Sets Force of Nature

MHz Home Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released Arde Madrid: Burn Madrid Burn (2 disc set), Detective Montalbano: Part 12 (2 disc set) and Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves

MVD Entertainment Group

10/13/20 — Sets Delirious: Director’s Cut

Magna Sound Home Video

06/16/20 — Released Padikkadavan (Tamil)

Menemsha Films

06/23/20 — Released Last Supper (German)

Movie Land

06/16/20 — Released Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam (Tamil)

NCircle Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released Magic School Bus Rides Again: Blast Off!

National Geographic (MOD)

06/16/20 — Released National Geographic: Jane Goodall - The Hope

Naxos

06/23/20 — Released Beethoven's Ninth, Cendrillon and Mahler: Symphony No. 2 - Munchner Philharmoniker

Oscilloscope Laboratories

07/28/20 — Sets Infiltrators

PCN Productions (MOD)

06/16/20 — Released Pennsylvania Country Roads: Diary Farmer & Dennis Wolff

06/23/20 — Released Pennsylvania Country Roads: Honesdale Fire Museum

Paramount Home Media

06/23/20 — Released Legion (with Digital Copy)

Paramount Home Media (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Mean Machine, Permanent Record, Red Garters, Riding High, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Testament, Thief of Hearts, This Property is Condemned and Waterhole #3

Starry Night Publishing, LLC (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Journey to the West (Cantonese) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (Cantonese)

Sundance Now (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Couple Trouble: Season One (2 disc set)

Symphony Home Video

06/16/20 — Released Ayan (Tamil), Mappillai (Tamil) and Uthamaputhiran (Tamil)

Thomas Nelson

06/09/20 — Released Becoming a King (with bonus Study Guide) and Fight to Flourish (with bonus Study Guide)

Vertical Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released Haunted

WOWnow Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released Lil Yogis: Meet the Chakras and Monster Class

Ytinfini Pictures (MOD)

06/09/20 — Released Angels Die Slowly, Cage in Box Elder, Exhibit X and Fighter's Ballad

Blu-ray New Additions

Eagle Rock Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released INXS: Live Baby Live - Wembley Stadium

Film Detective

07/29/20 — Sets Sin of Nora Moran

FUNimation

06/23/20 — Released Eureka Seven AO: The Complete Series (4 disc set), Eureka Seven: The Complete Series (7 disc set), Fairy Gone, Season 1, Part 1 (2 disc set) (with Digital Copy), Karneval: The Complete Series (2 disc set) and Sarazanmai: The Complete Series (2 disc set) (with Digital Copy)

Glass House Distribution

09/15/20 — Sets Trauma Therapy

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Braking for Whales, Daddy Issues, Immortality or Bust, Jasper Mall, Ship of Human Skin, The Tent and Warpath

Kino Lorber

06/23/20 — Released Caravans, Last Valley and Murder by Decree

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

06/30/20 — Sets Force of Nature

MVD Entertainment Group

10/13/20 — Sets Delirious: Director’s Cut

Menemsha Films

06/23/20 — Released Last Supper (German)

Mill Creek Entertainment

09/15/20 — Sets Snow White: A Tale of Terror

Naxos

06/23/20 — Released Cendrillon

New Blood Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released Insight of Evil and Vampire Conspiracy

Oscilloscope Laboratories

07/28/20 — Sets Infiltrators

PCN Productions (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Pennsylvania Country Roads: Honesdale Fire Museum

Screenbound Pictures

06/23/20 — Released Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters

Sentai FilmWorks

06/23/20 — Released Real Girl: Premium Collection (3 disc set)

Shout! Factory

06/23/20 — Released Road to Wellville and The Spider

Starry Night Publishing, LLC (MOD)

06/23/20 — Released Journey to the West (Cantonese) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (Cantonese)

Sunrise, Inc.

09/01/20 — Sets Gundam Build Divers (4 disc set)

Vinegar Syndrome

07/28/20 — Sets Eleventh Commandment, Naughty Victorians and Perfect Strangers

4K Ultra HD New Additions

Eagle Rock Entertainment

06/23/20 — Released INXS: Live Baby Live - Wembley Stadium (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack)

 

The Film Detective Picks July 29 For The Release Of DVD And Blu-ray Editions Of The 4K Film Restoration Of The Sin Of Nora Moran

The Pre-Code world of Hollywood is visited on July 29 with the 4K film restoration of director Phil Goldstone’s 1933 shocker, The Sin of Nora Moran, starring Zita Johann (The Mummy) as the doomed titled character.

Explicit, especially for audiences of the time, we know from the get-go that Nora is no longer with us, she was sentenced to death and electrocuted.   Using a film technique called “narratage,” which had been developed by Preston Sturges earlier in the same year, we learn of Nora’s sad fate through a series of “jump-around” flashbacks.   

The governor’s widow, Edith Crawford (played by Claire Du Brey, a prolific character actress, whose career began in silent films and went well into the 1950s) has found love letters among her dead husband’s belongings and takes these to her brother, John Grant (Alan  Dinehart — Charlie Chan at the Race Track, Dante's Inferno, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, etc.), who just happens to be the District Attorney.

From this point, the narrative jumps around in time and we, as the audience, slowly piece together what happened to land poor Nora in the death house.   And what a story it is … rape, blackmail, murder and the death of an innocent woman (with a twist).   Pre-Code Hollywood movies, such as The Sin of Nora Moran, pulled no punches.

As for Nora, played by Zita Johann, she is both sexy and vulnerable … and at times foolish.   Johann, herself, had the breakout role as Helen Grosvenor in The Mummy, opposite Boris Karloff, the previous year, she then worked one more year in Hollywood and exited back to the stage.

Bonus features include commentary from film historian and producer Samuel M. Sherman and a newly-produced documentary on the career of Zita Johann.

Oscilloscope Laboratories Tabs July 28 For The Release Of DVD And Blu-ray Editions Of The Infiltrators

Oscilloscope Laboratories announced this past week that the filmmaking team of Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera’s intense docu-thriller, The Infiltrators, will be makings its way to the home entertainment packaged media marketplace on July 28 as both DVD and Blu-ray product offerings.

“Docu-thriller,” exactly what is that?   In the case of The Infiltrators it is a story telling technique that is part documentary — an actual true story — that is blended with a dramatic re-telling of those portions of the story that the filmmakers could not possibly access.   

The film opened at Sundance in the “Best of Next” competition and grabbed not one, but two awards — the NEXT Innovator Award and the Audience Award.   It was a stunning debut.   For a solid year The Infiltrators worked the film festival circuit, piling up more awards and rave reviews.

Let’s pause here for a second, because to understand the story being told in The Infiltrators, you have to park the politics at the door.   A good example, is writer/director Jonás Cuarón’s 2015 film, Desierto, where we are introduced to illegal aliens, the coyotes and the process of smuggling these hapless human beings across a terrifying no-man’s land and into the country.   A crazed local, who has had too much of it, snaps and goes on a hunting spree.   We, as an audience, quickly identify with the illegals.

Now The Infiltrators is not near as deadly, there’s no crazed killer, but the story is just as dramatic.   There’s corruption, terror and a system that is broken … a system that no one wants to fix, which simply makes it more corrupt.

At the heart of our “real world” story is Claudio Rojas, who has been in an out of the system for as long as anyone can remember.   He goes to court, they hold him in detention, time goes by, and then they cut him loose … the cycle repeats.

“Currently,” he is the Broward Transitional Center in Florida (when our story begins), which is a privately funded detention center, which defines corruption.   For profit, what incentive is there to ever get anything resolved?   Into this world comes the political action group, the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, and real-world activist Marco Saavedra, whose goal is to get picked up by the Border Patrol and tossed into Broward.   We see this actually take place.

Once inside, the real Marco is replaced — for dramatic purposes — by actor Maynor Alvarado, and we see what happens to Marco while he is in the Broward Transitional Center and how he is able to find Claudio.   What goes on inside is like a dysfunctional hell.    The film jumps back and forth between the documentary and dramatic to tell this story.  

Of note, Claudio got kicked loose again, was an advisor on the film — filling in details, going over things with the actors and real people — the Border Patrol got wind of this and scooped him up again.   That, ironically, opened up a whole new can of worms — free speech issues; First Amendment.   

The Infiltrators is about this corrupt, dysfunctional system … politics aside, the story is a real eye-opener.

Oscilloscope has the extended director’s cut of the film presented here, plus there is a making-of featurette as a bonus.