MVD Entertainment Group Tabs June 8 For Two DVD Releases From Documentary Filmmaker Shimon Dotan

MVD Entertainment Group has tabbed June 8 as the street date for two films on DVD from award-winning Israeli documentary filmmaker Shimon Dotan.

Raised in the Kibbutz system, Dotan knows the land, the people and sees his adopted country of Israel (born in Romania) from a different point of view than the city-dwellers.   Before becoming a filmmaker, he was in the Israeli military as their equivalent of a “Navy SEAL” and a graduate of Tel Aviv University where he distinguished himself as a student filmmaker ... and later in his life an NYU Professor of Political Cinema.

Included in this June 8 selection is his 2007 award-winning Sundance Film Festival documentary, Hot House, which is an in-depth exploration of the Israeli jail and prison system, which — at the time of the Dotan’s film — was “home” to something like 10,000 Palestinian prisoners.

We learn from the interviews that the system has its own factions, often at war with other.  Also, that the prisoners are educated by the Israelis — in Hebrew, ironically — often getting University degrees while incarcerated.   

And, we also get a glimpse of how callous life can be viewed … a former newscaster, Ahlam Tamimi, describes how she went on air to report on a suicide-bombing … moments earlier she had dropped the bomber off near his target (talk about “first hand” reporting).

Also heading to DVD on June 8 from MVD Entertainment Group is Shimon Dotan’s 2016 documentary, The Settlers, which traces the history of the 70-year history of the West Bank settlements.  

Not only does Dotan deliver a rich and detailed history of the area, but there are extensive interviews with the Israelis living in the area … and the Palestinians who are constantly at odds with them.

 

 

 

 

Fun City Editions Restores Director Michael Ritchie's 1975 Smile For Release On Blu-ray This Coming May 25

Fun City Editions has a new 2K film restoration (the film’s 35mm interpositive) of director Michael Ritchie’s savagely-funny 1975 comedy, Smile, ready for a Blu-ray release on May 25.

Michael Ritchie had been a beauty contest judge at one time, so he knew how it all worked.   According to the trade press coverage back in 1974, Ritchie went so far as to cast something like two dozen Santa Rosa teenagers and then and literally went out and got some of the hottest young talent in movies at the time to be the center focus of his actually beauty pageant.  

Counted among the cast members — the beauty contestants — is Melanie Griffith (as Miss Simi Valley), who was 17 at the time and this was only her second film after her official debut in Night Moves.

Interestingly, Smile and Night Moves opened about the same time in 1975, but the film production on Smile was actually before that of Night Moves, so technically-speaking, Smile is Melanie Griffith’s film debut.

Another young actress also making her theatrical film debut (she had done television series work for some years leading up to Smile) is none other than Annette O’Toole, who was a typical “Hollywood” teenager — 22 years of age at the time of the film’s production.

Others in the “professional” cast for the Young American Miss Pageant are: Denise Nickerson — as Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory); Colleen Camp (The Swinging Cheerleaders, Funny Lady, Valley Girl, etc.), Caroline Williams in her film debut (later in such films as Days of Thunder, Leprechaun 3, director Rob Zombie’s Halloween II, Hatchet III and most recently in writer/director Erik Bloomquist’s Ten Minutes to Midnight); Maria O'Brien, also in her film debut (daughter of Edmond O’Brien) and Joan Prather (The Single Girls, Big Bad Mama, The Devil’s Rain … and as Janet Bradford in the Eight is Enough television series).

Leading the “adult cast” are the likes of Bruce Dern, Barbara Felton and Geoffrey Lewis, with Eric Shea from The Poseidon Adventure cast as the mischievous “Little Bob.”

As to bonus goodies, there is commentary from actor-filmmaker Pat Healy and film curator Jim Healy and a newly-filmed video session with Bruce Dern that is titled “Dernsie's Credo.”

 

 

 

 

 

Full Moon Features Restores Emmanuelle And The White Slave Trade And Emanuelle: Black Velvet For DVD And Blu-ray Releases On July 06

Full Moon Features, with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment, will be showcasing the talents of the sultry Laura Gemser in two of her starring roles as Emanuelle — Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade and Emanuelle Black Velvet.  Both remastered DVD and Blu-ray product offerings will be available on July 6.

In director Joe D’Amato’s uncut 1978 film release of Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade, Gemser’s Emanuelle is a photojournalist who is out to get an exclusive on a Mafia kingpin.   Instead, she stumbles upon a slave-trading operation run by the notorious Madame Claude (Gota Gobert) and decides to go “undercover” for an exclusive expose.   “Undercover” for Emanuelle can only be applied loosely.

In writer/director Brunello Rondi’s 1976 film release of Emanuelle: Black Velvet, world-famous model Emanuelle (Laura Gemser), who goes by simply “Laura,” heads to Egypt for a photo-shoot with her “boyfriend” Carlo (Gabrielle Tinti — Lisa and the Devil), an abusive sort with weird ideas about fashion model photography. 

They end up staying at Emanuelle’s mysteriously wealthy friend Crystal’s (Nieves Navarro — Death Walks at Midnight) estate, where Emanuelle soon finds herself falling under the sexual spell of Crystal’s daughter, Pina (Annie Belle — House on the Edge of the Park).   Carlo keeps himself busy with other pursuits.

The cut presented here is the extended European version of the film.

 

 

 

 

Kit Parker Films Targets Aug. 10 For The DVD Release Of Charley Chase: At Hal Roach - The Talkies, Volume Three

Kit Parker Films announced this past week that the next round of funny man action from the legendary Charley Chase will be on Aug. 10 with the DVD release of Charley Chase: At Hal Roach: The Talkies Volume 3 – 1934-1936.

After co-starring with Laurel and Hardy in director William A. Seiter’s Christmas of 1933 comedy hit, Sons of the Desert, Chase did a series of theatrical comedy short films for Hal Roach beginning in January of 1934 and running through May of 1936, when the studio decided to exit the short film marketplace.

Kit Parker has assembled all 21 films from this two-and-a-half year run, beginning with The Cracked Iceman, co-starring Betty Mack, who would also co-star in the next five short comedies.   Later in 1934, Dorothy Appleby would be his comedy foil for a couple of shorts, before Betty Mack reteamed with him for the Christmas season release of The Chases of Pimple Street.

Beginning in 1935, Constance Bergen co-starred with Charley Chase for the first four comedy shorts of the year and then Joyce Compton joined the fun for a trio of comedy short films.

April of 1936 saw Laurel and Hardy team with Chase for On the Wrong Trek and 1936 also saw the release of the troubled feature-film production of Neighborhood House, co-starring Rosina Lawrence and Our Gang regular Darla Hood … it ended up being cut down and sent out to theatres as a short film, Chase’s last at Hal Roach.

Bonus features include commentary by Richard M. Roberts and the Spanish-language version of Girl Shock (1930, with Edgar Kennedy and Carmen Guerrero) titled ¡Huye, Faldas!

 

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Announces It May Of 2021 Slate Of New Film Restorations Being Released On Blu-ray

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced its film restoration calendar for the month of May this past week and it turns out to be a nine-strong slate that will be filtered out to the Blu-ray marketplace over the course of the month.

Included in the mix is the new 4K film restoration (from the original nitrate negative) of director H. C. Potter’s 1948 film adaptation of the Eric Hodgins’ novel, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse, starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas.   It will be available on May 18.

What makes the film so funny is that Hodgins based the story on his own experiences … two years of frustration and he was finally forced to file for personal bankruptcy, but he turned that sow’s ear into a silk purse with his book.

RKO built a series of sets depicting the construction of Jim Blandings’ dreamhouse, and it is reported that the final “house” still exists today as part of the Malibu Creek State Park.

As to the film itself, Jim Blandings (Cary Grant) is a mid-level advertising executive living in Manhattan in very cramped quarters with his wife Muriel (Myrna Loy) and their two young daughters, Joan (Sharyn Moffett — The Falcon in San Francisco, The Judge Steps Out) and Betsy (Connie Marshall — Dragonwyck, Home, Sweet Homicide, The Green Promise).   The solution, purchase a nice little house in Connecticut and commute to work.

They do, and soon discover, that the structure is unsound … and needs to be torn down and rebuilt.  Things rapidly go downhill from there.  It is one disaster after another, which makes for some great fun at the expense of Mr. and Mrs. Blandings!! 

Bonus goodies include the 1949 Tex Avery theatrical cartoon, House of Tomorrow, the 1949 Lux Radio Theatre broadcast teaming Cary Grant with Irene Dunne and the summer of 1949 Screen Director’s Playhouse broadcast featuring Cary Grant and Betsy Drake.

Also on the release calendar in May from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is the Blu-ray debut of director Irving Pichel’s 1947 film noir release of They Won’t Believe Me, starring Robert Young and three femme fatales, Susan Hayworth, Jane Greer and Rita Johnson.  

The street date is May 11 for this new 4K restoration of the original 95-minute theatrical cut (not the 80 cutdown version) from the preserved nitrate film elements.

Told in flashback at his murder trial, we learn that Larry Ballentine (Robert Young) is a two-timing philander, trapped in a loveless marriage to the wealthy Greta (Rita Johnson — Nick Carter, Master Detective, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Big Clock).   He tries to get out of it and run off with Janice Bell (Jane Greer — The Falcon’s Alibi, Out of the Past, The Prisoner of Zenda), but is bribed off by Greta who sets him up in a lucrative brokerage business.

Enter the third woman, Verna Carlson (Susan Hayworth … scenes were shot separately over a 12-day period as she was in the middle of another film production at the time), who seduces Larry and convinces him to run off with her. 

Through a series of events (some very clever writing), Larry is charged with the murder of Verna (she actually died in an accident), not Greta (who committed suicide) and as the film concludes and he awaits the verdict he knows that he is doomed … and justice is served, ironically-speaking.

Arriving on May 18 is director John Sturges’ 1953 “Western,” Escape from Fort Bravo, starring William Holden, Eleanor Parker and John Forsythe.

This new 4K film restoration from the original camera negative is the first film from MGM featuring the studio’s newly developed widescreen aspect ratio of 1.66:1.

Since the action takes place during the Civil War, Escape from Fort Bravo falls into that “frontier” category and is not technically a Western, even though it has all the trappings of a Western.   Charlton Heston’s Major Dundee and John Wayne’s The Horse Soldiers are similar transition films.   Indeed, the plot elements for Escape from Fort Bravo are somewhat similar to those of Major Dundee in that Confederate prisoners are being held at a territorial prison (Arizona) and end up joining forces with their Union captors against a common enemy.

Rounding out the May new-to-Blu-ray film restorations are the May 11 arrivals of Bachelor in Paradise and The Yearling; the May 18 release of Drunken Master II and Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex and two more on May 25, Athena and Tender Trap.

 

 

New DVD • Blu-ray • 4K Ultra HD Activity For The Period Ending April 16, 2021

 

 

New DVD Additions:

 

Adult Source Media

04/06/21 — Released Hentai Whores Out of Control

 

Big Pieces

04/13/21 — Released Bellwether

 

Bill Zebub Productions

04/13/21 — Released Sleaze or Art?

 

Bull Frog Films

04/13/21 — Released Beatrix Farrand's American Landscapes

 

CBS Home Entertainment (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Survivor: Winners at War (5 disc set)

 

CMI Education/PESI Publishing

04/13/21 — Released Affective Neuroscience for Clinicians: Emotion-based Strategies for the Treatment of Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression (2 disc set), Moral Injury Following Traumatic Events: Working with Clients Who Have Violated Their Conscience and Tele-Play Therapy: Techniques to Help Kids Increase Trust & Safety, Unlock Emotions, Ignite Imagination and Boost Resilience (2 disc set)

 

Criterion Collection

07/06/21 — Sets Bringing Up Baby (2 disc set) and Mirror (Russian) (2 disc set)

07/13/21 — Sets Deep Cover and Working Girls

07/20/21 — Sets La Piscine (French)

 

Cult Epics

04/13/21 — Released Debut (Dutch)

 

DreamScape Media, LLC

04/13/21 — Released Search for the Great Sharks and To the Limit

 

EWTN

04/13/21 — Released @ Home with Jim & Joy: Jim and Joy Pinto Answer Viewer Calls, Questions, And E-Mails Live From the Pinto House, Called to Communion, EWTN Live: Brian Scarnecchia & Jane Adolphe / human rights and Catholicism,  Journey Home: Dr. Ryan Mcdermott / Former Episcopalian and Women of Grace: Fr. Edward Looney - 'Making the Most of Holy Communion: Meditations forReflection'

 

Elvis DVD Collector & Movie Store (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Elvis: Sold Out! - Volume 2 (2 disc set), Elvis: Sold Out! - Volume 3 (2 disc set) and Hurricane Smith

 

Film Movement

04/13/21 — Released Far Western and My Little Sister (German)

 

Gedeon Enterprises, LLC - Movie Vault (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story

 

Glasshouse Distribution (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Hamlet/ Horatio, Man and His Prostate and Ultimate Submission Showdown

 

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released All About Sex (aka: Natural Disasters), Ballad of Billy McCrae, Ocean of Obstacles and T11 Incomplete

 

Hallmark Channel

04/13/21 — Released Wedding Every Weekend

 

Hope of the World (MOD)

03/23/21 — Released Reopening and Passover Communion Mystery

03/30/21 — Released Bring Him In!

04/06/21 — Released Mystery of The Lamb

04/13/21 — Released Anti-Mythological Redemption

 

I-Cine

04/13/21 — Released My Nhan Mo Bach Thu (15 disc set)

 

Indican Pictures

04/13/21 — Released Beyond Hell

 

IndiePix

04/13/21 — Released My Mexican Bretzel

 

KimStim

04/13/21 — Released Fire Will Come (Spanish) and This is Not a Movie: Robert Fisk and the Politics of Truth

 

Kino Lorber

04/13/21 — Released I Blame Society, Oliver Sacks: His Own Life and Producers

 

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

04/13/21 — Released Ancient Aliens: Season 13 (3 disc set) and Penthouse

05/25/21 — Sets Chaos Walking (ARR of 81 days; box office: $12,683,521)

 

MPI Home Media

04/13/21 — Released Concrete Plans and Fukushima 50 (Japanese)

 

MVD Entertainment Group

07/06/21 — Sets Last Time I Committed Suicide

 

Problem Child Double Feature (2 film set: Problem Child, Problem Child 2)

 

National Geographic (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released National Geographic: Dr. K's Exotic Animal E.R.: Season 9 (2 disc set)

 

Nostalgia Family (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Q Planes (aka: Clouds Over Europe)

 

PBS Direct

04/13/21 — Released Nature: Pumas - Legends of the Ice Mountains

 

Paramount Home Entertainment

05/11/21 — Sets Pixie (with Digital Copy)

06/01/21 — Sets Vault (with Digital Copy)

07/06/21 — Sets Defending Jacob (2 disc set)

 

Rarefilmsandmore.com (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Beauty and the Beast (Czech), Double Feature (2 film set: Public Nuisance No. 1, After Dark), Fahrmann Maria (German), Hell River, Pills for Aurelia (Polish), Resurrection (Russian) and Stormy Waters (French)

 

Reality Entertainment

04/13/21 — Released Alien Agenda and Atlantis: The Future of Mankind

 

Rock ‘N Learn, Inc.

04/13/21 — Released Preschool Phonics

 

Ruthless Films, LLC (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Bigfoots and Yetis and Darla's Book Club: Discussing The Handmaid's Tale

 

SRS Cinema

04/13/21 — Released Virus Shark

 

Scream Team Releasing

04/13/21 — Released Straight Edge Kegger

 

Showtime Networks, Inc. (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Just Another Immigrant: Season 1 (2 disc set)

 

Smart Mark Video (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released H2O Wrestling: Subterranean Violence, Vol. 9: The Showcase - Williamstown, NJ, IWA Mid-South: Battle Broads - Battle of the Sexes - Jeffersonville, IN, IWA Mid-South: Double Death 2021 - Connersville, IN, Pro Wrestling Trainwreck: Death Race for Blood - Connersville, IN and Zona 23; Homenaje a Ovett

 

Synapse Films – Impulse Pictures

04/13/21 — Released Around the World With John "The Wadd" Holmes and True Story of a Woman in Jail: Hell of Love (Japanese)

 

Synergetic Distribution

04/13/21 — Released Boboiboy: Elemental Heroes, Covid 19: Inside Job, Robolove and Sibel (Turkish)

 

The High School Sports Network (MOD)

04/13/21 — 2021 MHSAA Div 1 Boys Basketball Championship, 2021 MHSAA Div 2 Boys Basketball Championship, 2021 MHSAA Div 3 Boys Basketball Championship, 2021 MHSAA Div 4 Boys Basketball Championship, 2021 WIAA Div 1 Girls Alternate Volleyball Semifinals #1 and 2021 WIAA Div 2 Girls Alternate Volleyball Semifinals #1

 

Tomcat Releasing

04/13/21 — Released Knights of Newgate

 

UMN, LLC

04/13/21 — Released Bay Area Godfathers II

 

Uncork’d Entertainment (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Dawn of the Beast and Inheritance

 

Vertical Entertainment

04/13/21 — Released Phobias

 

Vision Films

04/13/21 — Released Lady of Guadalupe

 

Walt Disney Studios Home Ent.

04/27/21 — Sets Nomadland (ARR of 67 days; box office: $2,143,000)

 

Wild Eye Releasing

04/13/21 — Released Flakka 666, Jesus, I was Evil, Nightshot, Slayers and War Is Hell

 

World Wide Multi Media

04/13/21 — Released Forbidden Science: The Complete Series (2 disc set)

 

WOWNow Entertainment

04/13/21 — Released Train School: Learning For Tots

 

Zeus DVDs (MOD)

04/06/21 — Released I, A Woman (Danish) and Lady Godiva Rides Again (aka: Bikini Baby)

04/13/21 — Released 100 Feet, Bride for Henry, Right to Romance, Rogue's March, Spy 77, Unknown Man, Way of a Gaucho, Where's Charley?, Whose Life is it Anyway? and Why Would I Lie?

 

 

 

New Blu-ray Additions:

 

ABKCO

04/13/21 — Released El Topo (Spanish), Fando Y Lis (Spanish) and Holy Mountain (Spanish)

 

Code Red Entertainment

04/13/21 — Released Ironmaster

 

Criterion Collection

07/06/21 — Sets Bringing Up Baby and Mirror (Russian) (2 disc set)

07/13/21 — Sets Deep Cover and Working Girls

07/20/21 — Sets La Piscine (French)

 

Cult Epics

04/13/21 — Released Debut (Dutch)

 

Flicker Alley

04/13/21 — Released Fanchon the Cricket (silent-1925) (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) and Little Annie Rooney (silent-1925) (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

 

Fred the Blu-ray Dog (MOD)

04/06/21 — Released 1000 Ways to Die: The Complete Series (2 disc set), Tiny Evil: The Complete Series and Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa: The Complete Series

04/13/21 — Released Billy the Exterminator: The Complete Series (3 disc set), Cajun Pawn Stars: The Complete Series (2 disc set), DuckTales: The Complete Series (2 disc set), Girl Meets World; The Complete Series (2 disc set), Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics: The Complete Series, Invisible Man: The Complete Series, Mask: The Complete Series (2 disc set), Paradise City: Season One,  Servant: Season One and Servant: Season Two

 

Giant Interactive (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Grave Encounters: 10th Anniversary Edition

 

Glasshouse Distribution (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Hamlet/ Horatio and Man and His Prostate

 

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released All About Sex (aka: Natural Disasters), Ballad of Billy McCrae, Ocean of Obstacles and T11 Incomplete

 

Image Entertainment

04/13/21 — Released Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist

 

Kino Lorber

04/13/21 — Released Dynasty 3-D, North Shore, Oliver Sacks: His Own Life, Producers, Spaceballs, Two Films by Lois Weber (2 film set: Sensation Seekers (silent-1927), A Chapter in Her Life (silent-1923)) and Wild Life

 

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

05/25/21 — Sets Chaos Walking (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

 

MPI Home Media

04/13/21 — Released Fukushima 50 (Japanese)

 

MVD Entertainment Group

07/06/21 — Sets Last Time I Committed Suicide

 

PCN Productions (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Gettysburg Battlewalks: Battle for Little Round Top & Company K, First Pennsylvania Reserves, Gettysburg Battlewalks: Key Moments: 2nd Massachusetts in Spangler Meadow and Stuart’s Brigade, Gettysburg Battlewalks: Key Moments: Hood’s Division and Little Round Top, Gettysburg Battlewalks: Key Moments: The First Shots and 6th Wisconsin at the Railroad Cut, Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood: Scranton (History and Culture, Part 1), Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood: Scranton (History and Culture, Part 2), Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood: Scranton (Politics and Policy) and Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood: Scranton (Sports)

 

Rising Sun Media (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Killer Pinata

 

Samuel Goldwyn Pictures

04/13/21 — Released This Beautiful Fantastic

 

Scorpion Releasing

04/13/21 — Released September 30, 1955

 

Scream Team Media

04/13/21 — Released Psyborgs

 

Screen Media

04/13/21 — Released Willy's Wonderland

 

Sentai Filmworks

04/13/21 — Released Kids on the Slope (2 disc set) and Laidbackers

 

Silent Hall of Fame (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released Zandar the Great (silent-1925)

 

Smart Mark Video (MOD)

04/13/21 — Released IWA Mid-South: Battle Broads - Battle of the Sexes - Jeffersonville, IN, IWA Mid-South: Double Death 2021 - Connersville, IN, Pro Wrestling Trainwreck: Death Race for Blood - Connersville, IN and Zona 23; Homenaje a Ovett

 

Troma

04/13/21 — Released Children

 

Walt Disney Studios Home Ent.

04/27/21 — Sets Nomadland (with Digital Copy)

 

 

 

 New 4K Ultra HD Additions:

 

Blue Underground

08/24/21 — Sets Two Evil Eyes (with bonus Blu-ray disc)

 

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

05/25/21 — Sets Chaos Walking (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

 

Sony Pictures Home Ent.

05/25/21 — Sets In the Line of Fire (with Digital Copy)