Ten Great MGM/UA Films Criterion Should Issue On
Blu-ray Now That They Are Collaborating Again!
In a move that made many
movie fans unhappy, MGM pulled the rights to any titles they licensed to
Criterion including The Silence Of The Lambs, This
Is Spinal Tap and a few others early in the DVD days. In addition,
they were just about to issue an elaborate edition of The Usual Suspects, never reissued The Graduate, and never reissued their special edition of Brian
DePalma’s Carrie (1976) that
includes a solid audio commentary by film scholar Laurent Bouzereau (who wrote
the book The De Palma Cut) and screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen, publicity
stills, posters, and lobby cards, plus a study of De Palma's filmmaking
techniques that never appeared on the MGM Blu-ray. They only shared the
same trailer.
With Kubrick’s Paths Of Glory
coming to Blu-ray with new extras and an upgraded transfer (Paths Of Glory, Killer’s Kiss and The
Killing that Criterion issued a long time ago on the old 12” LaserDisc
format), the companies will have plenty to issue including the other Kubrick
films. The James Bond films will not be among them, as the deluxe
editions made of the first three Bonds by Criterion were pulled because
Producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli objected to some of the content and new
mega-editions have been produced of all the films since.
We would like to suggest
the following films be issued in the best possible deluxe editions on Blu-ray,
including a few we suggested a few years ago and were never issued in any Blu-ray
version:
You can
read the list at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10127/Ten+Great+MGM/UA+Films+Criterion
We would
like to thank all those who have been ordering products from AMAZON.COM because
of the work on this site. We appreciate
it, glad we are encouraging you to do it and want you to know it supports the
site. All purchases are appreciated.
Thank
you!
As we
always say, we offer a rich, alternative website for Blu-ray, DVD, book and
film coverage that extends to music and television; we are in our seventh year
and invite you to search for anything you are interested in. At this point, you are likely to find
something on just about anything you can think up. Now for our latest………….
An Interview with Independent
Filmmaker Christopher Golon
In a parade of quick-buck production
companies, hacks thinking they’re filmmakers and posers amuck, it is always
nice when we find a real filmmaker serious about telling stories and not only
loves film, but actually knows something about it. Though film schools can teach “fast food
filmmaking” and the biggest studios can put out flashy, overproduced, empty
product and pass it off like it is good, getting anything good made is much
tougher than ever and even the independent scene has been on the empty side.
Christopher Golon is a filmmaker who
has actually achieved something interesting with his new film Knock 'Em Dead, Kid, which we reviewed as
our first online-only distributed feature (see link below), so we decided to
interview the man about filmmaking, the industry, his work and why so many of
the films you are seeing are disposable….
1) As an independent filmmaker, what are current issues and problems you
are facing now that you might not have been facing a few years ago? How has digital video helped and hurt
independent production?
The biggest challenge would be to
figure out where to aim your movie. What
I mean by that is with the Internet and mobile media markets expanding daily,
you have to know how to market your film and to whom. Trying to get a theatrical release is a
million to one shot unless you have name talent in your film or you 'four wall'
the film yourself [, i.e., the producer(s)/filmmaker(s) rent the whole theater
out (every seat) and charge admission on their own. Tom Laughlin’s 1971 hit Billy Jack (reviewed elsewhere on this site) is an example how this
lead to a blockbuster]. Digital Video
has allowed filmmakers with little to no money, like myself, to go out and make
a feature. I would've loved to have shot
in 16mm or 35mm but due to the costs associated with that - it never would've
happened. There's a movie called 'SMS Sugar Man' which was actually
shot on a cell phone! The director was
quoted as saying that now no one has any excuse as to not having the equipment
to make a movie. I totally agree - pick
up whatever camera you have available and go make something, anything. It may not be the best idea or story but it
keeps you creative. And by taking
matters into your own hands, you create your own breaks. Just try and make
something that has something to say or is somewhat original.
But the downside is, with digital video
being so affordable; this can create a glut in the direct-to-DVD marketplace of
inferior garbage. I'm not saying that I
made ‘Citizen Kane' or 'Gone With The Wind’ but I made a movie
with substance and for distributors to try and compare it to whatever
horror-comedy Joe Hack makes with his digital video is unfair. That's the problem facing low budget
filmmakers today. Everything gets put in
the same basket and compared as 'the same.'
How is my film the same as all of these torture-porn rip-offs shot in
someone's basement? Just because they
show a naked woman for 90 minutes, tied up in a chair, wearing nothing but fake
blood, they get a distribution deal? I
could go on and on but I'm sure you understand my point. I took inspiration from real life and great
films whereas the hacks are trying to make a quick buck, most don't even care
about the craft.
2) DVD
sales are down and Blu-ray is slowly replacing them because they are low
definition and the HDTV era is here. Is
the DVD market in decline and that is causing a glut or is the narrower than
ever Horror productions pulling it down?
For the rest of the interview, go to
this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9628/An+Interview+with+independent+film
Somerhill, Charles Constantino on 52nd Grammy Entry List
‘Free Your Mind (Tara Na),’ ‘Today or Tomorrow’ in categories
of Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best Rock Song
The Recording Academy has
selected Free Your Mind (Tara Na) and Today or Tomorrow,
both performed by Somerhill,
for inclusion on the 52nd Grammy Entry List in the category of Best Rock
Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The category of Best Rock Song
on the 52nd Grammy Entry List includes producer Charles Constantino and
Somerhill members Chad Gontkovic and William Rose for writing Free Your Mind
(Tara Na). Constantino and Rose are also in the category of
Best Rock Song for writing Today or Tomorrow.
Click
here to listen to a low-fidelity clip of Free Your Mind (Tara Na).
Click
here to listen to a low-fidelity clip of Today or Tomorrow.
Winner of the 2006
Rockin’ in the Valley original music contest held by Our Town, Somerhill was
the closing act for American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry in March 2007
in Pittsburgh.
In 2008, Core Media House L.L.C. released Free Your Mind (Tara Na)
and Today or Tomorrow, both of which were digitally tracked, mixed
and mastered at 24 bits/96 kilohertz at Treelady Studios. Members of the Recording Academy vote
from the 52nd Grammy Entry List, also known as the 52nd Grammy Awards
Nominations Ballot, for the nominees for the 52nd Grammy Awards.
Somerhill
is
Chad Gontkovic: lead vocal;
backing vocals; electric guitar
Greg Kehl: backing
vocals; electric rhythm guitar; electric guitar solo; synthesizer strings;
synthesizer electric grand piano
Bill Rose: backing
vocals; six-string and twelve-string acoustic steel guitars
With Somerhill
were
Charles Constantino:
electric bass guitar; acoustic nylon guitar; acoustic drum kit; synthesizer
piano solo; synthesizer electric pianos; synthesizer shaker/triangle
and other performers
Charles Constantino and
Chad Gontkovic wrote the lyrics for Free
Your Mind (Tara Na)
that include the phrase, “Tara na,” which is
“Let’s go” in the Tagalog language of the Philippines.
William Rose and Charles Constantino wrote the music for Free Your Mind (Tara Na) and the lyrics and music for Today
or Tomorrow. The guitar-and-drum-driven Free Your Mind (Tara
Na) and Today or Tomorrow combine rock,
funk and jazz elements with four-part vocal harmony, vintage keyboard sounds,
and unconventional mixdown touches.
“I learned a lot just
being around him during pre-production and recording sessions. I also
learned the definition of meticulous,” remarked Chad Gontkovic
of Somerhill
about Core Media House cofounder Charles Constantino, who mixed and produced Free
Your Mind (Tara Na) and Today
or Tomorrow. “He’s awesome.” Greg Kehl noted, “Charles
showed us how to turn our basic riffs and melodies into layers and layers of
beautiful sounds. It was fun to see someone with so much knowledge of
music in his element while we were in pre-production and in the studio.”
“He’s just a musical genius,” Bill Rose said of Constantino in an interview for
Our Town. According to Rose, Constantino added “multiple
harmonies, different back-up vocals, different types of singing, and different
instruments that we hadn’t even considered.” “The determination of Somerhill to evolve as musicians and songwriters impressed
me. I enjoyed my time with the group,” Constantino stated.
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Besides our constantly changing sidebar highlighting the best new discs
available, we have a master list of key Blu-ray titles we constantly update. The link to these highlights can be found at
this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4249/Highlights+of+software
You can also put “Blu-ray” in our search engine for the
latest coverage of software releases, at about 1,300 titles and counting
including import titles you will not hear about anywhere else. Keep checking in for exclusive analysis of all
the latest releases, including many that most other sites and magazines have
not covered!
Eliminating
analog audio cables? The industry might
try it out!
We
recently read about a very dumb idea by electronics manufacturers to eliminate
analog component inputs, outputs and cable so they could go all-digital, from
component audio inputs to S/PDIFs (coaxial and likely optical). That may sound like a good idea to some and
the companies would save some money, but the fact is, too many great components
are out there and some only have analog interfaces. In addition, digital sound is not always
better than analog, especially if you are an audiophile with an ear and a
brain. Vinyl record fans and SA-CD
(Super Audio CD) fans will particularly object, but part of this is over
copyright control.
It sounds
like a very bad idea and to be blunt, digital chords and cables are not really
there yet in terms of overall performance.
We hope the better electronics manufacturers will object and stop this
before they all regret this decision. If
not, we believe it will backfire in profound ways and eventually hurt their
bottom line.
The 16mm Film/HD Debate
In the
meantime, we are still keeping our eyes on the subject of what is or is not
coming to Blu-ray and how 16mm plays into this.
Though we
do not have a longer piece to deal with it yet, there is a controversy brewing
over how compatible with High Definition and Blu-ray anything shot in 16mm
is. The latest on this comes out of
Fox’s decision not to release The Shield in Blu-ray because the Super
16mm production is deemed not sharp enough or clear enough for Blu-ray despite
being shown on cable, satellite and broadcast HD all these years.
We can
see why a show that denatures its image and has a grainy production look like
the show would concern the studio over potential returns, so we can see why
they would veto the release, keeping it a DVD-Only affair. However, do not think for a minute this means
anything shot in 16mm is not HD compatible or ready. Some have tried to make this argument, but it
is a false one and we will get back to this subject soon. With several titles on Blu-ray shot in 16mm
(including some 35mm films with 16mm footage), it is important to get more
specific in this matter.
Thanks
for the early response on this one. We’ll
keep you posted.
The Best Film Magazine On
The Market!
Though
it is hard to argue the importance of film publications like American
Cinematographer, Indie Slate, Cineaste or Moviemaker
and what they deliver, but so much of film history and production is not being
covered properly or of key films that deserve whole new audiences. If you love film, you’ll love the new hit
magazine Cinema Retro, which is getting bigger and bigger. You may want to see about subscribing now
while supplies last on the latest issue. You can visit their site at:
www.CinemaRetro.com
“CINEMA RETRO" IS THE NEW MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO CLASSIC
& CULT FILMS OF THE '60S & '70S. WRITTEN ABOUT AND BY THE ACTORS &
FILMMAKERS OF THE ERA. EVERY ISSUE A LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR'S ITEM!
Their site offer film news you cannot even find on IMDb,
Variety or The Hollywood Reporter websites.
Then there is their amazing magazine, one of the best of its kind on the
entire market and a must for any serious film fan, so good that many issues are
selling out. ISSUE #17 includes:
Interview
with cover girl Valerie Leon about her fascinating career including roles as a
Bond girl and Hammer horror star.
Ten page
tribute to the classic horror film The
Haunting featuring Todd Garbarini's unpublished interview with director
Robert Wise and John Exshaw's fascinating history of the film, including
insights from star Richard Johnson.
Dean
Brierly's unpublished interview with David Carradine, who discusses the Kung Fu years and the Kill Bill films.
Producer
David V. Picker recalls the filming of the cult comedy classic Smile starring
Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon.
Tony
Dalton provides exclusive photos from Ray Harryhausen's amazing archive of
original film props.
Christopher
Gullo looks at the cult Blaxploitation/voodoo film Sugar Hill and interviews director Paul Maslansky and star Don
Pedro Colley.
Storm in
a D Cup: Dave Worrall celebrates the career of buxom beauty June Wilkinson.
How the West Was Won: Tom March takes us on a road
trip to visit the present day locations seen in the Cinerama classic.
Cinema
Retro reunites The Men From U.N.C.L.E.
at the Players Club when David McCallum makes a surprise appearance at our
black tie dinner for Robert Vaughn - exclusive photos.
Raymond
Benson provides with his choices for the best films of 1976.
Gareth
Owen looks at the shooting of Billy Wilder’s highly underrated The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes at
Pinewood Studios.
Plus the
usual extensive news about movie soundtracks, film-related books and
hard-to-find DVDs. And that is just a single issue!!!
Contact
the producers and get any issue to see for yourself. By the way, back issues are running out as
the magazine expands and does so worldwide.
They also
have a special one-shot limited edition issue on the underrated thriller Where Eagles Dare and are about to
issue a second on the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood “Man With No Name” Trilogy (A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad & The Ugly), so be
sure to check things out over there if you love movies.
In the
meantime, back to the site:
FulvueDrive-in.com is about
providing the most direct, expert, detailed (without ruining anything for first
time viewers and listeners, as we are not into spoilers), informative, fun, bold,
vital information we can come up with.
That fun, yet College-level and all accessible way in which we cover
material here benefit all our readers.
Some of them are getting the hang of our technical section, but others
are starting to catch on. We are doing
our best to stay on top of the latest releases and what is happening or being
released that you may not have heard about.
If it is something you know about, we will likely have information and
observations you will get nowhere else.
Now for some other sites worth
checking out…
The newest of a growing trend of sites covering only the
high definition websites is High Def Disc News, whose primary content is
authored by two big, enthusiastic fans: Justin Sluss and Brendan Surpless. They have been up for less than a year and
the site is already loaded with a surprisingly large number of reviews and news
items. See more at http://www.highdefdiscnews.com/
Our current theatrical film (and sometimes DVD) writer
Dante Ciampaglia’s Crazy From The Heat
blog is always worth checking out for comments on film, media and the world at
large. You can read him up at:
http://ciampaglia.typepad.com/crazedheat/
Daniel Johnson also has a solid movie blog. He is a fine writer and implores “For amazing
movie articles, crazy cinematic lists, and riveting reviews go to Film Babble
Blog!" The link is:
http://filmbabble.blogspot.com/
If you are interested in wild, wacky productions or
something more ambitious and serious, you can check out the new website for
Stone Phoenix Productions. We figured it
was worth including instead of the usual review and theory coverage:
http://www.stone-phoenix.com/
Continuing
their winning ways is DVDBeaver, a site that covers DVDs and films from all
over the world like no other, and is one of the only other sites besides ours to
do so. Their link is:
www.DVDBeaver.com
We
believe that we are one of the few sites that manage to cover both the
technical parts of filmmaking, as well as the content and form of the films
themselves more thoroughly than you would usually find on other sites or in
print. They have reviews as well, but
our favorite section is their ever-growing DVD Comparisons section, which
features very technical details on several versions of a given film. Often, they are even from different DVD
Regions, but they are always accompanied by still images from each DVD
covered. Gary W. Tooze’s site is
everything the net is supposed to deliver and we will be adding anything we can
to contribute to their efforts as they do ours.
www.cinegeek.com is run by Stephen Lackey
and has its own love of anything Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy or Cult. The web needs more alternative sites like
this, so be sure to visit them.
-- The Management
