|
DUNE: PART TWO – “INCREDIBLE 4K RELEASE”
BLACK DAYS AHEAD…
…AS AMY DATES ANNOUNCED
COSTNER: “DVD IS NOT DEAD”
FILM STORIES ISSUE 50 LANDS…
…WITH LOADS OF PHYSICAL MEDIA COVERAGE
MAD NEW PODCAST LAUNCHES…
…AS MANCUNIAN MAN TOURS THE COUNTRY
TRINITY CINEASIA STRIKES GOLD
YOU WILL SEE THE DOCTOR NOW
OFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY JOINS BASE/DEGI
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
If you can't read this newsletter or see the ads, please click here.
It was a good week for… Dune: Part Two continues to dominate ahead of its physical bow on May 27…
It was a bad week for… Cinema exhibitors in the US won't be happy about The Fall Guy reportedly landing on PVOD in the US just 17 days after its theatrical bow…
We have been watching… We're still recovering from the finale of A Man In Full on Netflix, with a scene that we would rarely dream of seeing at 18, let alone 15. More on next week's newsletter…
Dune: Part Two is, as we write this, spending its fourth consecutive week in the top slot in the Official Film Chart purely on the back of its digital release, while the film, the biggest of the year in box office terms at UK cinemas, lands next Monday (May 27) on physical formats. And if the early reviews of Warner’s 4K release of the Denis Villeneuve sci-fi epic sequel are anything to go by, then the film is set for a further run at number one once the assorted SKUs land on the shelves next week. Here’s one, from Hi Def Digest, which said: “Dune: Part Two rides the worm with an incredible 4K release from Warner Bros. From its character-driven plots within plots to the numerous action sequences, the narrative in this sequel outshines the first film in every way possible. The Dolby Vision video presentation is flawless while the Dolby Atmos track sounds boisterous and demo-worthy. The extras are a ton of fun to watch and feature the entire cast and crew, along with some incredible behind-the-scenes footage. There are 67 minutes of amazing bonus material that feature interviews from virtually every cast member and big crew member. The behind-the-scenes footage is phenomenal and the topics are fun and informative. While the lack of an audio commentary is a shame, the quality of the extras, even for their brief nature is how extras should be made. What they lack in length, they make up for in quantity.”
Talking of big releases, as The Raygun was ready to publish this week, we received notification that Studiocanal has officially confirmed the release date of the highest grossing British film of the year so far, Back To Black, the much-talked about film of Amy Winehouse’s intense rise to fame in early 2000s London. The Sam Taylor-Johnson film, featuring a star turn from Marisa Abela as the music icon, will make its home premiere on May 27, when it will be available to buy and rent. In physical media terms, the film is due on July 1, across DVD, Blu-ray, 4K and a 4K Steelbook, while hmv is offering up one of its First Editions of the film, complete with exclusive slipcase artwork, three artcards, production notes booklet, A3 theatrical poster and exclusive disc artwork. As the Guardian’s review noted: “There are other, tougher, bleaker ways to put Winehouse’s life on screen – but Abela conveys her tenderness, and perhaps most poignantly of all her youth, so tellingly at odds with that tough image and eerily mature voice.” The Wall Street Journal added: “The film is detailed, vivid, enthralling -- and necessarily full of pain. The performances are top-notch, led by Ms. Abela, who does her own singing in an amazing re-creation of Winehouse’s muscular soul vocals.”
Further comment on Back To Black came from director Taylor-Johnson, who said: “Discovering a talent like Marisa Abela is akin to finding gold dust. The moment she looked into the lens at her first audition I knew she was the perfect actor to play Amy Winehouse. She put in an enormous amount of work, attention to every detail and she trained daily for hours to be able to sing throughout the entire movie. She doesn’t impersonate Amy, she inhabits her.” Studiocanal’s Will Fraser added: “We are delighted to announce that Back To Black will be releasing on Home Premiere on May 27 and physical formats on July 1. This film truly is a powerful tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent, and we are delighted people can experience and celebrate Amy’s legacy at home.
Quote of the week comes from Kevin Costner, originally from US trade Deadline, but we were alerted to it by our pals at Film Stories magazine. While being interviewed about his new Western epic, Horizon: An American Saga, he talked about studios, distribution and more, noting: “The reality… is the film lives and whatever are the viewing habits, I own it for the rest of its life. Would you want to own these two pieces for the rest of your life? Hell yeah. And every five years, license them around the world. Relicense them here in America. The difference is I own that, because of the risk I’ve taken. Why is Vegas there? It’s for all the people that lose to the house. Why are studios there? It’s because those movies continue to make money, well beyond their opening weekends.” And when asked that if this was still the case, despite the death of DVD, he countered: “Death of the what? DVD is not dead, at all. That’s what they’d have you believe. Maybe it’s not making the same amount of money, but just try to go ask for that from the studio. They won’t give that up. A lot of people that like my movies, they can’t get to a theatre, and they’re waiting for that moment. You can’t make your film for the opening weekend. You have to make it for its life.”
Mention of Film Stories brings us on to our favourite UK film magazine and the publication has celebrated the publication of its 50th issue, a milestone for any publication, but made all the more notable by the fact it has been achieved outside normal publishing companies or routes to market. Independently produced by Simon Brew, who said in unveiling the issue, which features William Shatner as its cover star: “Instead, you’re getting this version. I’m both proud and staggered, as well as knackered, to introduce issue 50 of Film Stories magazine. A film magazine that’s now the biggest in the UK at 168 pages, but also jammed with as broad a range of indie and mainstream cinema as I think you’ll find anywhere else. I made a very early decision when launching the magazine back in 2018 that I didn’t think superhero films and Star Wars needed any more print coverage, given the breadth and strength of what’s already out there. Instead, I wanted Film Stories to be a British-based magazine that celebrated pretty much everything else about cinema. The filmmakers who hadn’t had covers before. The big and smaller films that weren’t getting the limelight they deserve. All with a rule that’s worked for almost every issue that we didn’t want to put something or someone on a cover if they were also heading up another film publication at that time.”
The latest issue of Film Stories includes contributions from The Raygun’s Tim Murray, who is the publication’s physical media correspondent, with major features including an interview with Peter Strickland celebrating his forthcoming Curzon Blu-ray boxset, as well as an interview with the BFI’s Ben Stoddart, and his dad Hugh, about the release of Remembrance – the disc put together by the former and featuring the latter, who penned the early Film 4 release. There’s also reviews of titles from Lionsgate, Arrow, Dazzler, Icon, Studiocanal, Criterion, the BFI and Radiance. You can get a copy here. And to potentially get your physical media title in the next issue, make sure you send press releases, links, screeners, check discs etc to Tim at The Raygun…
Some old pals of ours at The Raygun – and of the industry – Paul McEvoy, one of the founding fathers of FrightFest, and director (and a leading light in Nucleus Films, alongside Marc Morris) Jake West, have created a new podcast, Stark Raving Cinema, a “film and pop culture” excursion, with new episodes dropping weekly. They question key talent and creatives about their film, music and TV loves and influences. The first two episodes, featuring duo Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson (Something In The Dirt, Loki) and actor, director, novelist Andy Nyman (Ghost Stories, The Warlock Effect) are here, with future guests set to include such names as Ti West (x, Pearl), Brandon Cronenberg (Infinity Pool, Possessor) and Issa Lopez (Tigers Are Not Afraid, True Detective: Night Country). In the announcement, McEvoy said: “Stark Raving Cinema’s mission is to entertain and showcase the most exciting guests working in all sectors of the creative industries. The podcast will cover movies, music, TV, songs, bands, books and graphic novels and our guests will talk about the experiences of the pop culture that influenced them to become the creators they are today.” West added: “Listeners will soon be compiling lists of the recommendations that influenced some of the most creative people working in the industry today.” More comment came from McEvoy, who told The Raygun (in between Cannes screenings, if you will): “If you love films, music, books or TV we have created a podcast for you. Exploring our brilliant guests careers and personal pop culture picks to ensure essential listening for all podcast fans worldwide. Stark Raving Cinema has been nearly 18 months in the making and we are all so proud of our hard work in bringing the show to our audience. The feedback so far has been sensational and we are all absolutely delighted, it has been overwhelming..Season One has a fantastic line-up of guests that we are thrilled to unveil. and we have some incredible names for Season Two already recorded and lined-up. We hope everyone enjoys the show.”
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Jake West has just completed a nationwide tour for his new documentary Mancunian Man, ahead of a summer home entertainment release. He told The Raygun: “I’ve had a fantastic time touring Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow in some beautiful cinemas around the UK from Exeter to Glasgow. Each unique screening had a bespoke Q&A hosted by Paul McEvoy (FrightFest/Stark Raving Cinema) and featured different Twemlow collaborators from actors to stuntmen and producers, as well as the talented technical crew from the documentary including composer Simon Boswell and animator Ashley Thorpe. It has genuinely been a joy to share the experience of the film and see the cinema audiences and guests react so positively and often emotionally to the piece, which from the point of view of the director is a rare gift. It is truly a treasured experience seeing the film in these amazing cinemas with some incredible audiences. For those at home who missed it at the cinema here’s the great news, the documentary and full collection of Cliffs films and many rarities is scheduled for a Summer release on a very special Blu-ray set from Severin Films.”
A busy few days ahead for Trinity CineAsia, with this week bookended by a big home entertainment release on Monday May 20, followed by a theatrical opening on the Friday. The former comes in the shape of The Goldfinger, an epic tale of corrupt business that has swept the board in Hong Kong. It has echoes of Wolf of Wall Street, a somewhat ironic note given that its key player – stars Tony Leung and Andy Lau and writer and director Felix Chong all worked on Infernal Affairs, which in turn inspired Wolf… director Martin Scorsese’s remake The Departed. The Goldfinger picked up six gongs at the Hong Kong Film Awards, dominating proceedings, and lands on Blu-ray, DVD and digital on Monday. The double whammy is completed at cinemas on Friday May 24 with the release of Twilight of The Warriors: Walled In. It's one of the most expensive films ever shot in Hong Kong and is a tough tale of corruption and crime in 1980s. The South China Morning Post said it was an “exhilarating display of bone-crunching violence”. Trinity md Cedric Behrel said: "We are very proud of both these titles which reaffirms our commitment to bringing the most exciting Asian films to the big screen. Our home debut of The Goldfinger follows a successful release across cinemas at the start of the year, and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In just enjoyed an amazing reception in Cannes, certainly one of the most eagerly awaited action films of the year. We are thrilled to be bringing it to UK and Irish cinemas."
The most talked about show on television this past week – certainly terrestrial – has been Doctor Who, as the latest incarnation of the Timelord landed, first on the iPlayer and then on traditional telly. The launch of this latest iteration, rebranded as season one but seeing a return of one of the Doctor’s best ever guiding hands, Russell T Davies, sees the BBC partnering with Disney+, which also debuted the first two episodes on the service in other territories. Two went up on May 10, with a further one added on Friday May 17. The first two episodes saw Ncuti Gatwa debuting in the new season as the 15th version of the Doctor and was not only much talked about, but also earned praise in all the right quarters (as well as annoying the right people too, it must be noted. The Independent said: “Gatwa’s Doctor feels like a greatest hits of Time Lords past. He has inherited immediate predecessor Jodie Whittaker’s humanity and empathy. But he also has an air of fervent eccentricity that recalls the best of David Tennant and Peter Capaldi (and, if we’re doing a deep dive, Fifth Doctor Peter Davison).” The Guardian said: “The first double bill, comprising Space Babies and The Devil’s Chord, points to a stellar future for Who as a youthfully chaotic playground of the imagination, far more fancy of foot and light of outlook than it has been for years. It only takes baby steps, for now, towards that new destination, but we can see it. Gatwa establishes himself as a cracking Doctor immediately. What an obviously perfect piece of casting he is: commandingly hench in his colourful costumes, and naturally able to express the dazzling extremes the Doctor has to embody. He glowers, and the end of the world descends; a nanosecond later, he grins and we’re having the most fun in the universe. He’s delightful.” Meanwhile, BBC Studios is readying itself for the home entertainment bow for the latest incarnation, due in stores on August 17 in assorted formats, although ahead of that, there’s the release of The Celestial Toymaker, one of the Timelord’s earliest adventures, most of which as lost or destroyed. It has been brought back to life using animation, and is due on June 10. BBC Studios’ Rob Crowe said: “It’s fantastic to have Doctor Who back on our screens with a full season this year, with the incredible Ncuti Gatwa in the lead role, and we’ll be bringing this to DVD, Blu-ray and Limited Edition Steelbook in August this year. First though for Doctor Who, in June we have the release of our latest animation, bringing back the largely missing First Doctor adventure, The Celestial Toymaker. These are always hugely popular with fans, and that’s sure to remain true with this latest release, especially after the Toymaker’s return to our screens in the Fourteenth Doctor special, The Giggle, last year.”
This week’s news from BASE sees the trade organisation revealing its latest hybrid member is the Official Charts Company, which is now officially signed up to BASE and its partner organisation DEGI: The Digital Entertainment Group International. It comes on the back of the lengthy partnership between the two for chart information, as well as the Official Charts Video Online digital offering which, as the announcement noted, “launched on April 3, [and] integrates EST, VOD, and physical data for the first time into a faster, user-friendly experience.” The statement continued: “The portal allows users to build bespoke reports combining digital and physical data for any title, analyse release windows using new title-by-title data on UK SVOD availability spanning 14 SVOD platforms, and theatrical box office data and market statistics. This data supports the Home Entertainment industry, contributing to weekly and monthly reports for BASE.”Official Charts Company chief executive Martin Talbot said: “We at the Official Charts Company are delighted to become the latest hybrid members of the British Association for Screen Entertainment. Liz and the BASE team do a fantastic job, fighting on behalf of all film and TV rights-holders and we are delighted to underpin our strong, long-standing relationship in this way, just as we enhance our services for the sector through the launch of Official Charts Video Online 2.0. The insights delivered via this new platform are genuinely market-leading and are among a range of innovations that we have planned for the vibrant and innovative Home Entertainment sector over the coming months and years.” BASE and DEGI chief executive Liz Bales said: “The Official Charts Company joining BASE and DEGI is a natural next step for us all, strengthening and building on a partnership that spans decades. The Official Charts Company provides an innovative and essential source of data for the UK Home Entertainment Sector and specifically for BASE/DEGI members, allowing for informed decision-making to progress the ever-growing Home Entertainment industry.”
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Not a Police biopic…
Due from Lionsgate…
This looks, er, Wicked…
Ultraman returns…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
You're on The Raygun newsletter mailing list, which has been running for eight years, because you requested it, have been recommended to us or sent us emails. You can unsubscribe at any time, if you're daft, using the link elsewhere or by emailing as below. But of course, you don't want to do that, do you? We don't share your information with anyone else, we don't like cookies and we're the good guys. We care because you do…
To subscribe to The Raygun newsletter, please email info@theraygun.co.uk
with subscribe in the subject matter
To unsubscribe, email info@theraygun.co.uk with unsubscribe in the subject
line
For editorial or advertising queries, contact tim@theraygun.co.uk
The Raygun,
31 Corrib Court,
49 Crothall Close,
London N13 4BG
|
 | Powered by YMLP.com | |
| | ||