Rocky, James Bond and the Pink Panther are among the classic MGM franchises that will continue to be distributed on DVD and Blu-ray by Fox.
MGM has renewed its long-term distribution deal with Fox that will allow the latter studio to continue to release MGM titles on DVD and Blu-ray through 2016. Click here for more
The latest worthy but unheralded film to get a second life on burn-to-order DVD is director Michael Apted's 1977 thriller The Squeeze, recently made available by the Warner Archive. It's a top-notch movie in the Get Carter tradition and is representative of the type of gritty British crime dramas that have resonated with the public over the years. It's rather puzzling why Apted's film never got a major release. Perhaps it was lack of star power. Although the cast is comprised of outstanding actors, none of them were considered box-office draws at the time.
The film improbably finds Stacey Keach cast as Jim Naboth,an ex-Scotland Yard detective who has fallen on hard times due to alcoholism. Before you scoff, Keach acquits himself quite well by covering up his American accent. He also gives one of the best performances of his career in this film. Naboth is clearly on the road to ruin when we first see him staggering through a London underground station and having to be hospitalized by the police when he tumbles down an escalator. After undergoing intense rehab for his alcholism problem, Naboth is released from the clinic and celebrates by heading to the nearest pub. His life takes an even more dramatic turn, however, when he discovers that his ex-wife, Jill (Carol White) has been kidnapped along with her young daughter by her second husband, a wealthy businessman played by Edward Fox. The gangsters behind the plot are a ruthless bunch headed by outwardly charming David Hemmings, whose apparent social graces mask a truly sadistic personality. The gang demands one million pounds from Fox, who reluctantly accepts the aid of Naboth due to his once enviable reputation as a competent detective.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Entertainment One:
(Port Washington, NY) – Leading independent distributor Entertainment One (eOne) has acquired North American home video and digital rights for the nationally syndicated series ELVIRA’S MOVIE MACABRE, which will arrive in its first two installments of hilariously horrifying “Double Feature DVDs†this June. Presented by Elvira: Mistress of the Dark – the world’s sexiest, most outrageous and original movie hostess – ELVIRA’S MOVIE MACABRE was re-launched on over 120 stations across the country this past fall and was instantly praised as “a dream come true for horror fans†(Fangoria).
Featuring Elvira’s signature, unflinching, tongue-in-cheek commentary of some of the “greatest†B-movies ever to unspool, eOne’s release of all-new ELVIRA’S MOVIE MACABRE “Double Feature DVDs†kicks off with the zombie-themed pairing of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead with I Eat Your Skin and a double-bill of Hammer Film’s The Satanic Rites of Dracula with The Werewolf of Washington. Future DVDs will pair such camp classics as The Terror (starring Boris Karloff and Jack Nicholson) with Eegah! and Scared to Death (starring Bela Lugosi) with Manster.
When you hear the name Elvira only one person comes to mind – Halloween icon and quintessential symbol of all things spooky, the one and only Mistress of the Dark. The first horror host ever to be syndicated nationally, Elvira has seen her reign as “Queen of Halloween†span an amazing twenty-nine years, highlighted by two feature films, an IMAX film and two motion control rides. She has appeared in national ad campaigns for Pepsi and Coors, recorded five music CDs, published four books and licensed over 400 products, including two Bally pinball machines, BC Rich guitars, three comic book series, Elvira’s “Night Brew†beer, “Evil†perfume and a slot machines from IGT. Elvira also boasts the best selling female costume of all time and has just launched a new iPhone App and an online fan club at www.elvira.com.
ELVIRA’S MOVIE MACABRE is a 34D Production and is written and produced by Cassandra Peterson and Ted Biaselli. The series’ Executive Producer is Anita First.
Elvira is played by actress/writer Cassandra Peterson.
Regular readers of Cinema Retro know that we routinely promote the great soundtracks released by Screen Archives. Now the company has gone one better by securing the rights to retro film favorites that they are releasing as limited edition DVDs. Film historian and documtenary maker Nick Redman is working with Screen Archives to bring an exciting batch of titles to the market, some of which are already available. Each DVD is a limited edition. Nick provided us with the following titles and release dates:
THE KREMLIN LETTER (released March 15th)
VIOLENT SATURDAY - April 12th
FATE IS THE HUNTER - May 10th
WOMAN OBSESSED - June 14th
THE EGYPTIAN - July 12th
THE FLIM-FLAM MAN - August 9th
These are available exclusively from the Screen Archives web site. Click here to order
After our recent plea to Universal to release the 1965 Charlton Heston-Richard Boone film The War Lord on DVD, several readers were kind enough to inform us that it is available in the UK through Amazon. Good news indeed. The film had been released very briefly on DVD by Universal in the States years ago but has not been available since. C'mon, Universal- give American fans of this fine film the opportunity to enjoy it once again.
British readers and Americans with multi-region DVD players can order the film through Amazon UK by clicking here