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OPPENHEIMER OFF TO EXPLOSIVE START…
…AS NOLAN STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL MEDIA…
…DEL TORO WEIGHS IN TOO…
…AS US GOES SHORT ON 4K…
…”UNPRECEDENTED SUPPORT” FOR UK OPPENHEIMER
HMV RETURNS TO SPIRITUAL HOME…
…MADNESS AT OXFORD STREET OPENING…
AND RETAILER CRUSHES CANDY STORES…
…AND HEADS TO EUROPE
YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME…
…BASE WINNER TIM RECALLS LONG INDUSTRY CAREER
CELINE’S ON SONG FOR PAST LIVES
GEORGE MICHAEL TALE IS FOR THIS CHRISTMAS
DARKNESS LOOMS FOR LIGHTBULB…
…AND COMPANY SET TO RETALIATE
SECOND RUN’S NEW WORLDS
ACORN’S BRACE ARRIVES
BFI UNVEILS Q1…
…WITH SCALA LEADING THE WAY
PRE-ORDER ALLIGATOR AND MAKE IT SNAPPY
EUREKA UNVEILS JANUARY TITLES…
…AND FEBRUARY TOO
THE RAYGUN STARS IN PODCAST…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
If you can't read this newsletter or see the ads, please click here.
It was a good week for… Oppenheimer becomes one of the year's biggest home entertainment releases…
It was a bad week for… But US retailers run out of 4K stock…
We’ve been watching… We finally caught up with Napoleon and had a blast at the lovely Finsbury Park Picturehouse… With one of the biggest first week performances of the year, bested only by the likes of Avatar Way Of The Water and the fourth instalment of John Wick, Universal’s birth of the atomic bomb drama Oppenheimer landed in stores and shifted just under 114,000 units across physical and digital units. And while the James Cameron sequel (175,000) and the Keanu Reeves starrer (125,000) both bettered it, the performance of Christopher Nolan’s epic out of the gates is similarly impressive. The title has been given a boost by ongoing debates over the relevance of physical media, as the director himself came out in support of disc-based product. Among the many quotable items the director made, he said: “If you buy a 4K UHD, you buy a Blu-ray, it’s on your shelf, it’s yours. No company is going to break into your house and take it from you and repossess it. It’s yours, and you own it. That’s never really the case with any form of digital distribution…”
More of Nolan’s comments on physical media included him adding: “Obviously Oppenheimer has been quite a ride for us and now it is time for me to release a home version of the film. I’ve been working very hard on it for months. I’m known for my love of theatrical and put my whole life into that, but, the truth is, the way the film goes out at home is equally important… The Dark Knight was one of the first films where we formatted it specially for Blu-ray release because it was a new form at the time. And in the case of Oppenheimer, we put a lot of care and attention into the Blu-ray version […] and trying to translate the photography and the sound, putting that into the digital realm with a version you can buy and own at home and put on a shelf so no evil streaming service can come steal it from you… I'm beginning to have conversations with filmmakers who have made successful films that have gone full streaming sites that have been taken off those sites and don't exist in any form and there's no control. It's scary for filmmakers who don't have that release right now. It's going to be an increasingly big issue for filmmakers, and it's something that we're going to have to address with the streamers at some point… There is a danger, these days, that if things only exist in the streaming version they do get taken down, they come and go.”
Nolan’s comments started a further debate on the benefits of physical media, among those weighing in was Guillermo del Toro, who said: “Physical media is almost a Fahrenheit 451 (where people memorised entire books and thus became the book they loved) level of responsibility,” he said. “If you own a great 4K HD, Blu-ray, DVD etc etc of a film or films you love... you are the custodian of those films for generations to come.”
Maybe it was Nolan’s words, maybe it was the size of the blockbuster and Universal’s support for it since its marketing campaign started some months ago, but the film has not only enjoyed success in the UK, as noted above, but in the US too, where, according to numerous reports, American retailers were selling out of 4K UHD SKUs of the film, which were rapidly earning those who were lucky enough to have a copy big bucks if they started flogging them on ebay, where 4K Steelbooks were earning double their retail price for quick-minded folk after a quick back. But Universal un the US this week issued a statement on supplies, saying: “We are happy so many consumers are embracing Oppenheimer in 4K Ultra HD and understand that some retailers may currently be out of stock,” the studio’s home entertainment division said in a statement provided to Deadline. “Universal is working to replenish those retailers quickly so fans can watch the film at home in the best picture quality possible.”
Back to the UK, and on these shores, Universal’s Theo Seddon talked about the major’s support for the title on its home entertainment bow. He said: “We were delighted to see Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer end its Box office run as the highest grossing biographical movie of all time surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody. We're confident this extraordinary success will translate to our Home Ent release as we blast off with an all-encompassing media AND PR campaign that will be absolutely unmissable. The retail support and collaboration we're had from our partners has been unprecedented as we all strive to ensure Oppenheimer is at the top of the Christmas watchlist for every film fan.”
It’s back. After a few years in the wilderness – albeit with sister retail outlet FOPP still based somewhere between Covent Garden and Soho – hmv has at last returned to the West End of London. And, what's more, the retailer has come back to its real home in the capital, 363 Oxford Street. It was the site of hmv's first retail outlet, more than 100 years ago and, after a brief move across the road in the 2000s, was its home for almost a century, before closing in 2019 after the chain's rescue by Doug Putman's Sunrise operation. Its other Oxford Street store, at 150, had closed in 2014. The return, which saw the store opened by British legends Madness, makes hmv the largest entertainment retailer in the capital and also marks another phase in reclaiming London's busiest shopping thorougfhare back from the scourge of American candy stores, which have been accused of money laundering and other dubious practices. What’s more, it's another signifier of the enduring nature of physical media, with more than 8,000 4K, Blu-ray and DVD titles on offer, alongside 20,000 vinyl offerings and 4,000 pop culture lines.
Comment on the reopening came from hmv owner Doug Putman, who said ahead of the reopening: "Our new hmv shop concept and fan-focused offer is really working for us, with hmv once again becoming a mainstay on the UK high street. The return to Oxford Street and re-opening of our flagship is a culmination of the team’s hard work over the past four years and as a business we see it as the launchpad for an exciting new era for hmv. We want our new Oxford Street shop to become a home for like-minded pop-culture fans and music lovers to come together under one roof, as it memorably has been in the past for so many people. We can’t wait to open our doors on the 24th with a host of exciting entertainment planned for our customers.”
Further comment came from Doug Putman in The Guardian on how the retailer can help revitalise Oxford Street, saying: "We think our return shows the positive direction things are going in here. here is no problem having the odd candy store here but people don’t need tens of them, but also want to see an HMV or a Waterstones. One retailer is not going to change it but it is a step in the right direction. Ikea is coming next year and hopefully more and more retailers will come as it’s an iconic street.”
Meanwhile, another landmark for hmv came with the opening of a store in Antwerp, Belgium, with the retailer expressing an intention to look for more territories to expand into. Putman said: “Having developed and refined our offering over the past twelve months, we feel ready to become the next big UK export, delivering our pop culture-meets-music proposition to a wider audience.” He added that more shops will follow, both in Belgium and elsewhere in mainland Europe.
hmv picked up the best physical retailer gong at this year's BASE Awards and, harking back to the night a few weeks ago, and one of the key awards – and one of the evening’s most moving moments – saw industry stalwart Tim Friend earning a category hero award. It came just after the creative retired from agency Spark, so The Raygun caught up with him to ask about the awards – and get his final thoughts after spending so long in the home entertainment and film sectors. He said: “This year's BASE Awards party was a wonderful event. I’ve been coming to the BVA/BASE awards since 1991 - and I've had an absolute ball at every one. I retired from the London agency, Spark, two months ago - and at that point I left my beloved Home Entertainment industry. But my lovely ex-colleagues at Spark invited me back, as guest-of-honour on the Spark table at the party. Nearing the end of the awards presentation, I was shocked and confused when I suddenly heard my name come across the PA… After a few seconds of disorientation I learned that I was the recipient of one of the Category Hero awards - namely the BASE Awards Champion. I was bowled-over (and emotional!) by the warm ovation which greeted me when I stepped onto the stage - people were even standing. I cannot thank the BASE judges enough for giving me my own individual award ... at my last-ever BASE Awards Party. The BASE Awards Party has always been my favourite night-out of the year, but this one was the most special evening of my career.”
Tim Friend continued: “For the last 32 years I have worked for the same creative agency, and I have always serviced the video industry. The agency has gone through several ownership changes and many name changes, including TM, ASG, AGI and Spark. I have been lucky enough to have managed design and artwork projects for many of the studios in the industry, including Universal, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, VCI, MGM, Disney, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, BBC, and Hit Entertainment. And I can honestly say that it was always a pleasure – the video industry always managed to attract such very nice people – so, despite the stress of deadlines and approvals, we always had fun and laughter together ... and there was seldom a sign of ego in sight.” Friend listed some of his career highlights, many with senior graphic designer Adam Walters, with such elements as going round Alfonso Cuaron’s London flat to get his approval for new key art for the DVD release of Children Of Men (“he actually said the words ‘I love it’!”); a similar response from musical theatre impresario Cameron Macintosh for an alternative DVD design fro Les Miserables; getting access to Hitchcock’s archive for the 2012 14-film Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection; getting Tom Cruise to sign off the Oblivion DVD sleeve; working on kids’ properties such as Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob `the Builder; designing all four of the smash-hit Marvel Cinematic Universe box sets – and the subsequent Infinity Saga 23-film collectors set; Clint Eastwood loving the design for the 61-film Clint Eastwood Signature Film Collection so much, that he ordered 12 copies to give to his family and employees for Christmas; and the recent Film Vault collaboration with Warner and Universal. Friend concluded: “I’m proud to say that our Vault Wave 1 box sets were Highly Commended in the recent BASE Awards – in the Best in Class: Packaging & Artwork category. And, I was so pleased to see our clients at Warners and Universal win the Campaign of the Year for Catalogue for the same products. I have been VERY fortunate in my working life. I have had the privilege of working on premium properties – and, been blessed with having lovely, supportive and caring colleagues and clients.”
New release news now and this Monday’s biggie, out on December 4, is one of our favourite films of the year, Studiocanal’s excellent Past Lives, the A24-produced love story that earned critical and audience plaudits. Comment on the release came from Studiocanal’s Mona Schlotter, who said: “We are thrilled to release Celine Song’s debut feature Past Lives, a beautiful and heartrending modern romance about destiny, love, the choices that make life and all those lingering ‘what ifs’. We have supported the release with an extensive digital and publicity campaign as well as working with Girls on Tops to give this stunning film the recognition it deserves. Past Lives is out now on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital Download.”
It's nearly 40 years since Wham's Last Christmas was originally released (it celebrated its 39th anniversary at the start of December) and that anniversary neatly coincides with the release on Monday December 4 from Peccadillo. For the distributor is releasing what it calls the definitive documentary celebrating the life and times of Wham singer and songwriter George Michael, the still much missed star who went on to enjoy a massive success with a solo career and also become tabloid fodder. Directed by his former manager and pop impresario Simon Napier-Bell, George Michael: Portrait Of An Artist comes in a hefty special edition package, including a health of extras including tons of additional footage and comes complete with a weighty booklet. Comment came from Peccadillo’s Tom Abell who said: “It’s a genuine privilege for Peccadillo to create the physical collector’s edition of what has been described as the definitive documentary on George Michael. Not only did we assemble an hour’s worth of unused interview material and a 44 page accompanying booklet we also have a 60 minute in depth exclusive interview with director manager Simon Napier-Bell about his time as the manager of WHAM!. It’s the perfect Christmas gift for every George Michael fan.”
There’s a brace of releases due from the Lightbulb operation in the coming weeks, with the first, a limited collector's edition Blu-ray of Welcome To The Darkness, landing today. It’s a warts ’n’ all doc about the British rockers, which received a one-night-only theatrical outing last month. The film charts the rise and fall and subsequent return of the band, who shot to fame in 2003 with their single I Believe In A Thing Called Love before splitting up and falling off the radar three years later, before once again and the award-winning, chart-topping, multi-platinum debut album Permission to Land. Then, at the height of their fame in 2006, the band split up and fell off the music radar. The film follows the band as they aim to return to the fray in 2015 and earned acclaim for its honest portrayal of the band, their problems and their repeat quest for fame. Lightbulb’s Matthew Kreuzer said: “We have listened to the fans and put together a beautiful, limited edition Blu-ray pack containing over an hour of outtakes of the band, six very cool art cards and a poster.
This has without doubt been the most exciting and rewarding project we have worked on since Lightbulb’s inception over five years ago. Pleasingly, the hard work and effort is paying off with good box office results, and strong pre-orders registering on Amazon, in fact the strongest we’ve ever seen. Thanks must go to Bobby Dhani and the team at Elevation for advising and working with us on the special packaging and inserts for the Blu-ray. Hopefully, with the public’s healthy appetite for documentaries right now, this film won’t just be for Christmas, but will prove to be a best-seller for a while.”
Next week, December 11, sees something all together different landing for the band, as brutal revenge thriller The Retaliators lands in stores. The FrightFest approved tale features a strong metal-based soundtrack, which further boosts its chances. And as the company’s Matthew Kreuzer explained: "The demand for a Region B Blu-ray across the territory has been strong and so we decided to pull together 80 mins of extras for the fans including: footage of the bands and cast, the music video created especially for the film, a bloopers reel, BTS footage, and specifically for British audiences some FrightFest vox pops and a Q&A with Paul McEvoy. We’re very proud of what we have created in such a short space of time to ensure it hits shelves and websites pre-Christmas. For me, the quote that best describes the films is: ‘Se7en mixed with Death Wish with a dash of Tarantino’, I’d even add a slice of Evil Dead in there too. If you like blood, guts and gore The Retaliators delivers all three in spades! Just released by Second Run DVD is a set dedicated to the experimental films of British artist Ben Rivers and to support the release, there’s a screening of some of his works this week at the ICA in the Mall in London (it’s on Thursday night. Commenting om the release of Worlds: Selected Works By Ben Rivers 2003-2022, the company’s Mehelli Modi said: “British artist and filmmaker Ben Rivers is internationally renowned for creating a body of bold experimental films which are an entirely unique personal vision. Using vintage cameras and processing his short films by hand, they have played in festivals and retrospectives around the world during these past twenty years. We are delighted that for the first time ever the entire collection of Ben Rivers’ short films is being released by us in a Special Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray set. Covering the period 2003 – 2022, the release contains all his 24 short films together with a booklet with writing on each of the films by the filmmaker himself. We hope that this release will also reach and create a new audience to admire Ben Rivers’ work."
A double salvo of releases has just landed from Acorn, with a new outing joining an old favourite. The duo landed on November 27 and here's the company's Helen Squire on the brace of London Kills and Dark Winds. She said: "London Kills Series 4 is the final series in this exciting police drama from the creator of Suspects and it also sees us bringing a boxset to market for completists. Dark Winds Series 1 is another slice of high quality, well received US drama from the AMC Studios stable in which a tribal police lieutenant teams up with the FBI in a knotty, atmospheric drama that’s largely populated by indigenous talent. The Guardian gave it 4 stars and said it begs to be binged!”
The BFI has unveiled its Q1 plans, with a ridiculously diverse but cracking slate of films, which includes one of our current favourites, the wonderful documentary Scala!!!, the sleazy London rep cinema that was part of the whole Palace Pictures and Palace Video set-up, as well as current theatrical release The Eternal Daughter, which is wowing audiences and critics alike. Here’s the organisation’s John Ramchandani on the first quarter line-up. He said: “We’re kicking 2024 off with two new films from powerful female directors. January sees the Blu-ray release The Eternal Daughter, Joanna Hogg’s gothic mystery from A24 starring Tilda Swinton in a beautifully composed drama that centres on a middle-aged filmmaker and her mother as they spend a few nights in an old country hotel. For cinephiles we are proud to release Scala!!!, directed by BFI alumna Jane Giles and Ali Catterall. The hilarious and irreverent doc contains archive footage, clips and acid-crazed animation alongside famous names telling their stories of London’s infamous, influential Scala cinema.”
Here's more on the BFI’s Q1 slate as John Ramchandani continued: “Continuing with the theme influential cinema, February sees the release of Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer which shines a light on one of the most iconic artists of our time through a range of interviews with the likes of Chloe Zhao, Nicole Kidman, Wim Wenders and Robert Pattinson. We are also excited to bring the critically hailed classic by Henri-Georges Clouzot, The Wages of Fear, to UHD audiences, alongside the Blu-ray release of Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande, a brand new documentary about the group of Black South London musicians who initially faced indifference from a racially turbulent UK of the early 70s before going on to influence the likes of Soul II Soul, MC Solaar and The Fugees. Rounding off BFI’s Q1 is Jonathan Harvey’s 90’s classic, Beautiful Thing, a teenage story of love and self-discovery set on the South London Thamesmead estate with an unforgettable soundtrack by The Mamas & The Papas. This year is the 30th anniversary of Harvey’s stage play so it seems a timely launch for the UK Blu-ray premiere of his landmark feature.”
More forthcoming product announcements and just unveiled by 101 Films is another addition to its excellent Black Label imprint, with a dual pairing of creature features in the shape of Alligator and its sequel Alligator II, with the former available in all its scaly 4K glory. As ever, it comes with all the extras you’d expect from a title on this label, both in terms of content on the discs and packaging and booklet. The company’s Tim Scaping said: “Following its screening at FrightFest back in August we're glad to have fixed a date for our long overdue first 4K UHD release: ALLIGATOR! A B-movie masterpiece, Alligator remains a standout picture from the post 70s creature feature boom, with surprising depth and an overtly critical take on the inaction on environmental issues of the time that is still relevant. The limited edition package also includes the extended TV cut and the 1991 sequel, along with a wealth of interviews with cast and crew.”
More forthcoming titles from specialist labels now and we've got not one but two months’ worth of announcements from Eureka and its assorted imprints, starting off with its January titles. As ever, national account manager Marcus Garwood talks us through the sale. He said: “January sees us covering the martial arts disciplines of Kung Fu, Taekwondo and samurai swordsmanship across our three releases. Kung Fu first, as we present Wong Jing's 1993 wuxia extravaganza Kung Fu Cult Master. Starring Jet Li (Romeo Must Die) and Sammo Hung (Skinny Tiger And Fatty Dragon), Kung Fu Cult Master is one of director Wong Jing’s most under-appreciated films and there release is from a new restoration of the original film elements and our Eureka Classics imprint makes it available for the first time ever on Blu-ray. Packaged in a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling, plus a limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Simon Abrams, this is a day one essential purchase. Onwards to Taekwondo now with Huang Feng's 1973 gem When Taekwondo Strikes. Starring Angela Mao (Lady Whirlwind) and the King of Taekwondo Jhoon Rhee, the film takes place in Japanese occupied Korea, where resistance leader Lee (Rhee) is captured by the Japanese occupying forces. It’s the first time this film has been available on Blu-ray here in the UK and the brand new 2K restoration captures all of the action in vivid detail. Our third release for January is a double pack feature of samurai swordsmanship as we bring together Hideo Gosha's Samurai Wolf I and II via a limited edition, two-disc Blu-Ray set – a duo of chanbara masterpieces from one of the genre’s greatest directors. Out of a desire to make what he felt was a truly no-holds-barred sword-fighting film, Gosha took inspiration from the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa as well as the spaghetti Western sub-genre they had inspired. Working with a low-budget to free himself from the restrictive oversight of his producers, the result was Samurai Wolf and Samurai Wolf II, the story of a charismatic ronin. The release is presented in a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella. Disc extras include a brand new audio commentary on Samurai Wolf II by by Robin Gatto, author of Hideo Gosha, cinéaste sans maître, plus a new interview with Asian film expert Tony Rayns / Taichi Kasuga. The release will also contain a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes. Pre-ordering is highly recommended.”
On the next month, February, and Eureka national account manager Marcus Garwood takes up the story again, saying: "It’s a packed February schedule for us here at Eureka Entertainment; so cancel that Valentine’s day night out and sit yourselves down at home with one (or more) or these lovingly created gifts instead. We head back to 1974 to kick things off with Slaughter In San Francisco. Directed by Lo Wei (Fist of Fury) the film makes its worldwide debut on Blu-ray from a new 2K restoration. Starring Chuck Norris (Way Of The Dragon), Sylvia Chang (A Light Never Goes Out) and Don Wong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) Slaughter In San Francisco is a gloriously trashy slice of gritty kung fu action. the release is encased in a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Sam Gilbey. Disc extras include a brand-new feature length commentary by Asian film experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth on the Hong Kong theatrical version) and one from Mike Leeder and Arne Venema on the US export version. Ultra high definition next as we bring Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory into the 4K realm for the first time in the UK. Starring Kirk Douglas, Paths of Glory is a stylistically astonishing, emotionally overwhelming anti-war drama and one of the screen’s most brilliant condemnations of the power structures guiding warfare. The release comes with a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Scott Saslow, plus a collector’s booklet featuring writing by Glenn Kenny, the words of Kubrick and archival imagery. Two-disc Blu ray set action next as we bring together Yakuza Wolf Parts 1 and 2 into an essential collector’s edition. This duo of ultra-violent Yakuza thrillers starring the late great Sonny Chiba is available for the first time ever in the UK. The release has a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring superb new artwork by Chris Malbon. Disc extras include brand new feature length audio commentaries on both films and a brand new featurette by Howard Hughes looking at the Spaghetti Western influences on Yakuza Wolf, and the broader influence Japanese cinema had on the Western genre. The month is rounded off by a couple of essential re-issues for those who might have missed our extremely fast selling limited edition Andrzej Żuławski three-film boxset. We have now split the set up into two separate parts for its standard edition release with The Third Part Of The Night and The Devil in a special two-disc edition Blu-ray and On The Silver Globe, also presented in a special two-disc edition Blu-ray.”
And we’ll end with some trumpet-blowing time, as The Raygun’s very own Tim Murray is appearing on the latest episode of the excellent Britflicks podcast, talking about the newsletter and, more, pertinently, the three films that have influenced him most in his adult lift (and yes, they’re all horrors and they’re all video-related). You can listen to it here https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Due on Apple in January…
When giants collide…
Due from 101…
A Mad Max saga…
Wild swimming…
Good idea this…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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