Mill Creek Entertainment Targets Oct. 29 As The Street Date For A 20-Disc Blu-ray Set Of Charlie's Angels: The Complete Collection

After the success of her trio of Pitch Perfect movies — as a producer — actress-turned-director/producer Elizabeth Banks (three-time Emmy-nominee for her comedy performances in 30 Rock and Modern Family) has now turned her magic touch to a re-boot of the legendary Charlie’s Angels.   The theatrical launch date will be Nov. 15, with Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as the new “Angels.”

If you’ve been to your local multiplex in the past week or two to catch Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood you have likely seen the trailer for Banks’ Charlie’s Angels.   It looks like a lot of fun and with that star-power cast and the Thanksgiving-period release window it should be a solid theatrical hit with fans.

Speaking of those “Angel” fans, Mill Creek Entertainment has also been looking at the forthcoming theatrical release calendar and has something very, very special line-up for fans of the original Charlie’s Angels television series.   And with all of this theatrical buzz for the new re-boot, the timing of Charlie’s Angels: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray — yes, you read that right, Blu-ray — this coming Oct. 29 could not be better!

All 110 episodes of Charlie’s Angels come packed in a massive 20-disc Blu-ray collection.   All six of the lovely Angels — Farrah Fawcett (season one, with “guest” appearances in seasons three and four), Kate Jackson (seasons one through three), Jaclyn Smith (all five seasons), Cheryl Ladd (replacing Farrah Fawcett in season two and completing the series), Shelley Hack (season four) and Tanya Roberts (season five) — are joined by David Doyle as Bosley and, of course, the voice of John Forsythe as Charlie.

Joined the fun on Oct. 29 with the Blu-ray launch from Mill Creek Entertainment of Charlie’s Angels: The Complete Collection.

Vinegar Syndrome Announces Its August 2019 Film Restoration Slate

In a post-apocalyptic future there are beautiful fertile women, mutant frog creatures and one man who can repopulate the human race, Sam Hell.

That news alone will inspire oohs and aaahs from genre fans as Vinegar Syndrome has put a new 4K restoration (from the film’s 35mm interpositive) of director Donald. G. Jackson’s Hell Comes to Frogtown in the front-runner position of its Aug. 27 slate of new film restorations destined for release as Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack product offerings. 

Sex-slaves held by human-sized mutant frogs, the very thought of it makes the skin crawl.   But that’s exactly what has happened and all attempts to retrieve the breeding stock, oops, I mean the helpless women hostages, has failed.   

That’s the set-up for this wacky sci-fi romp starring the late WWE legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (They Live, Terminal Rush, etc.) as Sam Hell, a super-fertile man — who has left an easy-to-follow trail of pregnant women during his travels — and those kind acts of just being helpful in re-populating the planet has made him the target of a group of “nurses” (tongue firmly planted in cheek) who want to use his love-making talents for their own purposes.

In no time, Spangle (Sandahl Bergman — Red Sonja, Conan the Barbarian), the head “nurse,” has him outfitted with an explosive chastity device and given the task of rescuing the breeding stock — damn it, did it again, I meant helpless women hostages.  

If the truth be known, the “nurses” have collected enough samples from Sam Hell that whether he succeeds in his mission or not is beside the point.   Saving the “helpless women” would be just be a bonus!!

Bonus goodies include a vintage commentary option from filmmaker Donald G. Jackson (Roller Blade, Twisted Fate, Rollergator, etc.) and writer/producer Randall Frakes, an extended scene and four featurettes — “Mean and Green,” “Grappling with Green Gargantuans,” “Amphibian Armageddon” and “Creature Feature Creator.”

Joining the Aug. 27 film restoration parade are three additional films that are just a bit off of center.   Take for example Deep Throat director Gerard Damiano’s 1976 experiment adult film, Let My Puppets Come (a 2K restoration from 35mm archival elements), which is best described as (drum roll please) … puppet porn!   Yes, puppets having sex with puppets and … well, let your imagination fill in the rest.

Bonus features include commentary from film historians Heather Drain and Samm Deighan, a video session with puppeteer James Racioppi and more.

Rounding out the quartet of new film restorations from Vinegar Syndrome on Aug. 27 are the German underground film from 1984, director Muscha’s Decoder (a fast food restaurant employee discovers that he can manipulate the behavior of the customers by changing the background music) and adult filmmaker Jimmy Boy L.’s (aka: Abel Ferrara — more famous for mainstream films like The Driller Killer, Ms. 45 and Bad Lieutenant) 1976 vignette-film romp through New York City titled 9 Lives of a Wet Pussy.

Icarus Films Selects Oct. 1 For The Domestic DVD Debut Of Director Lars Kraume's The Silent Revolution

Icarus Films will be teaming up with France’s premiere film distribution company, Distrib Films, on Oct. 1 for the domestic DVD debut of director Lars Kraume’s film adaptation of Dietrich Garstka’s 2006 biographical book, “Das Schweigende Klassenzimmer,” which arrives in the home entertainment marketplace as The Silent Revolution.

1956, East Germany, the iron fist of Communist rule and the well-oiled propaganda machine can’t contain news filtering in from the outside.   This will be tested at a prestigious high school when students learn of the Hungarian Uprising and decide to hold a silent protest.

Organized by a student by the name of Erik (Jonas Dassler), the simple plan is to just hold one minute of silence in the classroom to protest the brutal crackdown on dissidents in Hungary.   It might have gone unnoticed — and in one sense it was pretty feeble — but little things can have major consequences as the students involved in the protest will soon learn.

The act of defiance takes place and their teacher, Lehrer Mosel (played by Rainer Reiners), thinks initially that the protest is directed at him.   Erik confesses its true purpose and Mosel immediately reports him to the headmaster of the school, Direktor Schwarz (Florian Lukas), who tries to downplay the incident.   Nothing to see here … move along, move along!!

Little do Erik and his fellow students, most notably Lena (Lena Klenke), Paul (Isaiah Michalski) and Theo (Leonard Scheicher), realize what is about to unfold.  The state will take notice, family members — with their own special interests — will be set against them and forces will be put to work to breakup the group and crush them one by one.

The Silent Revolution speaks of an era where protests and questioning of authority were meet with terror.   No matter how small or seemingly insignificant, these actions must be crushed and the people responsible dealt with harshly and made examples of — cross the line and this too will be your fate.   

This powerful story, based on actual events, is presented in German with English subtitles.

Also heading to DVD from Icarus Films is award-winning documentary filmmaker Sandhya Suri’s Around India with a Movie Camera.   The street date for this unique historical “behind-the-scenes” of India leading up to its independence after World War II — using the “new technology” of the motion picture — will be Sept. 24.

Sandhya Suri, working with the British Film Institute’s National Archive, has assembled an impressive collection of India-focused films, from both amateurs and professionals, which showcase the day-to-day life of the subcontinent’s citizens from the dawn of filmmaking up to 1947.   Silent films, travelogues, some home movies and small documentaries with a unique focus on the lives of the people of India have been assembled into a narrative that shades light on what it was like to be Indian when India was the “Crown Jewel” of the British Empire.

Bonus goodies included with director Sandhya Suri’s Around India with a Movie Camera are a 31-minute silent film titled Home Life, the 11-minute short title Indian Scrapbook and six minutes of a silent montage titled Scenes at His Excellency the Viceroy’s Garden Party at Belvedere. 

Arrow Video's 4K Film Restoration Of Director John Landis' An American Werewolf In London Heads To Blu-ray On Oct. 29

Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, looks to Oct. 29 — on the cusp of Halloween — for the release of a new 4K restoration — from the original camera negative — auteur filmmaker John Landis’ 1981 werewolf masterpiece, An American Werewolf In London.

This Blu-ray presentation from Arrow comes absolutely loaded with bonus treasures.   Even if you already have a nice copy of An American Werewolf In London, starring David Naughton, Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter, in your home library, you should seriously consider this magnificent upgrade … it is worth every penny.

So let’s get to it … we start with two commentary options.   The first is a vintage commentary teaming actors David Naughton and Giffin Dunne, while the second is a newly-prepared commentary track featuring filmmaker Paul Davis … he was the documentary filmmaker who delivered Beware the Moon: Remembering An American Werewolf in London back in 2009 on the 25^th Anniversary of the film’s theatrical release.   The complete documentary is included here as a bonus.

Speaking of documentaries, also included with this Blu-ray is documentary filmmaker Daniel Griffith’s newly-prepared film, Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf.

Not done yet!!

In addition to outtakes, there are no less than nine featurettes (a mix of new and archival) — “An American Filmmaker in London,” “I Think He's a Jew: The Werewolf's Secret,” “The Werewolf’s Call,” “Wares of the Wolf,” “Making An American Werewolf in London,” “An Interview with John Landis,” “Makeup Artist Rick Baker,” “I Walked with a Werewolf” and “Casting of the Hand.”

And just to sweeten the pot, Arrow Video has included an extensive collection of trailers, teasers and radio spots, plus an image gallery with over 200 entries (stills, posters and more).

Like we said, even if you already have a copy of An American Werewolf In London it will be hard to say no to this up-grade come Oct. 29.

Director Jared Cohn's Devil's Revenge From Cleopatra Entertainment Arrives On Both DVD And Blu-ray This Coming Oct. 15

Prolific indie filmmaker Jared Cohn will see both DVD and Blu-ray editions of his just completed film, Devil's Revenge, released by Cleopatra Entertainment — with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group — on Oct. 15.

Filmed in and around Louisville, Kentucky, Cohn has assembled an impressive list of Star Trek alumni to star in this tale about an archaeological discovery that has provided a portal for the Devil to unleash demons from Hell itself.    

Once the seriousness of the situation becomes apparent, the patriarch of the family, played by William Shatner, teams with his son, John (Jason Brooks — Star Trek, the 2009 version), daughter-in-law (Jeri Ryan — Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager) and their children to put the artifact back in its proper place.   Of course the Devil has other plans … and John is his pawn.

More details on the film should emerge in the next week or so, including any bonus features, but for now mark Oct. 15 on your viewing calendar for this mini-Star Trek reunion … co-produced by William Shatner himself.

Director Olivia Wilde's Booksmart Arrives Home On Sept. 3 From 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment

20^th Century-Fox Home Entertainment announced this past week that actress-turn-director Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart, her first film as a director, will be heading home on Sept. 3 as both DVD and Blu-ray product offerings.

The ARR for this high school girl-buddy film, starring Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird) and Kaitlyn Dever (as Loretta on the Justified television series), works out to 102 days.   Domestic ticket sales were $22.2 million.

As to bonus goodies, filmmaker Olivia Wilde (Rush, Tron: Legacy) provides commentary, plus there are deleted scenes and a trio of featurettes — “Booksmart: The Next Best High School Comedy,” “Pliés and Jazz Hands: The Dance Fantasy” and “Dressing Booksmart.”

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Tabs Sept. 10 For The Launch Of Aladdin In The Packaged Media Marketplace

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will have a 4K Ultra HD blitz planned for Sept. 10, which will be led by director Guy Ritchie’s live-action remake of Aladdin, starring Will Smith as the Genie and Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine.

The ARR comes in at 109 days — leisurely by today’s industry quick-turn standands — and domestic box office receipts currently stand at a robust $346.2 million.   Just as with the animated series, this live-action presentation has film franchise written all over it.

Planned for release are Combo Pack editions for both the 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray) and Blu-ray (with DVD) formats, plus there will be a bare-bones DVD edition.

As to bonus treasures, there are six deleted scenes, a trio of production featurettes — “Aladdin’s Video Journal: A New Fantastic Point of View,” “Guy Ritchie: A Cinematic Genie” and “A Friend Like Genie” — a deleted song presented with full production values, “Desert Moon,” and three music videos —  Naomi Scott does “Speechless” and the performing artist, ZAYN teams with Zhavia Ward and Becky G. for English and Spanish language versions of “A Whole New World” respectively.     

Also arriving on Sept. 10 is a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack of the 1992 animated Aladdin with Robin Williams.   New bonus features include a sing along feature, a “what if” realm featuring alternate “possible” endings and two newly-prepared featurettes — “Aladdin on Aladdin” and “Let’s Not be too Hasty.”

There is more!!   Also getting 4k Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack upgrades on Sept. 10 are Ratatouille, Inside Out, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, Good Dinosaur, Cars and Cars 2.