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SPIDEY HEADS NEW TRAILER
MAGPIE EYES ARE HUNGRY FOR THE PRIZE
GUESS WHO'S BACK…
DR LEADS BUSY SLATE FOR STUDIOCANAL…
TITLES HAVE A DISCREET CHARM
HIT THE NORTH
PIZZA'S ON ITS WAY
GOT TO HAVE A BELIEF IN BELFAST
SINGING AGAIN
JUNGLE IS MASSIVE
GAZZA'S BACK
A LOAD OF TOSH
PHENOMENON ARRIVES
HELLO FREEVEE
AT THE MOVIES
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Just ahead of the Easter holiday weekend, trade organisation BASE unveiled its latest quarterly trailer, featuring some go the biggies currently dominating the Official Film Chart – including Spider-Man No Way Home – and forthcoming TV and movie blockbusters set to hit the shelves in the coming weeks and months. We’ll have more on this in the next newsletter, but it’s well worth having a look at now, as the BASE trailer helps get the public excited about new and future releases. You can see it here. It comes as No Way Home continues to sit in the top slot of the Official Film Chart and is joined in the top 10 of the current listing by a triple pack offering up not only the latest web-slinging and wall-crawling exploits from Spidey, but the two previous outings, Far From Home and Homecoming, a new entry at number five…
Recommerce site musicMagpie, a haven for people getting rid of old unwanted DVDs and Blu-rays, either when they declutter or make room for new editions, which the company then sells to other collectors, has launched a smart new collection on its site. The Not On Streaming Collection features almost 1500 titles which, as the name suggests, are not available on any streaming service in the UK and can only be viewed via physical media or by paying for digital downloads, with the added benefit of being reasonably priced, in watchable condition and with free postage. The range includes recent releases and classic titles – the latter being a source of constant annoyance for film fans who bemoan the lack of older films on services such as Netflix. Commenting on the initiative, musicMagpie’s Head of Media, Darryl Gaskin said: "With the streaming services becoming more and more fragmented, it’s hard to know where to look when you’re wanting to settle in to a good film – sometimes, by the time you’ve found one you could have watched half a movie! With many services also prioritising their own productions it can be difficult to find some of the classics. We wanted to give our customers somewhere where they can find movies currently not available on streaming services in the UK, all in one place, with our Not On Stream collection.”
It’s been a big week for Whovians and fans of the Timelord, with the latest outing for Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor returning to screens and, over at Studiocanal, the company unveiling a new 4K restoration for the original two featuring film outings for Dr Who, which saw Peter Cushing starring as the travelling sci-fit hero. The Studiocanal releases form another selection of big catalogue releases and restorations from the company and come with the kind of gorgeous packaging, extra material and stunning restoration work that the company regularly conjures up. Outlining the plans for the pair of films, the company’s Alison Arber said: “They are beyond reason! They only wish to conquer! the merciless Daleks make a comeback in two out of this world 4K restorations of the original Dr. Who films; Dr Who and the Daleks and Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150, both featuring the film legend Peter Cushing as everyone’s favourite timelord. This was the first big screen film adaptation of British TV’s most iconic sci-fi hero, and the first time Dr. Who was ever seen in colour! Both versions will be released as 4K UHD collector’s editions on June 20 and July 18, packed full of amazing extras included a collectable coin and a Titan mini book, with fantastic new artwork from artist Johnny Dombrowski. Fans can also look forward to a very special screening event at the BFI on June 19, with lots of special guests, plus both films will also be released as a retro double bill in cinemas from July 10.”
And there’s more this quarter from Studiocanal too, as explained by the company. Here’s Carys Gaskin on some of the titles. She said: “On June 6 we have three cult favourites coming to Blu-ray for the first time ahead of Father’s Day, featuring a set of bespoke art cards within. The Spaghetti Western classic Kill Them All and Come Back Alone and the godfather of the poliziotteschi genre High Crime with Franco Nero – both directed by Enzo G. Castellari – have been restored in 4K with English and Italian language options available as well as a wealth of new special features. In addition to these we have Nick Nolte starring as a Texas Ranger out for blood in the Neo-western classic Extreme Prejudice, also starring Powers Boothe, Michael Ironside, María Conchita Alonso, Rip Torn and Clancy Brown. Directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors, Red Heat & The Driver), the film is an explosive homage to Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch, similarly finishing on a thrilling gunfight and would be the perfect gift for any Western fans.”
Continuing with the forthcoming Studiocanal slate and there’s also activity on Studiocanal’s Vintage Classic imprint. Alison Arber said: “With our recent acquisition of the prestigious Romulus library, we are excited to be adding even more titles to the Vintage Classics range this Q2, including classic comedies Innocents in Paris starring the incomparable Alistair Sim and The Wrong Arm of the Law from 1963 starring comedy legend Peter Sellers.” And another of Studiocanal’s classic labels is busy too, as outlined by marketing assistant Mona Schlotter. She said: “We’re adding two exciting releases to our Vintage World Cinema range this Q2. We’re releasing an boxset as part of our auteur collection to celebrate the life of Bertrand Tavernier with eight of his films newly restored which are a crucial part of French Cinema. It’s available from Monday on Blu-ray with lots of extras and artcards featuring a great cast including Philippe Noiret, Gaspard Ulliel and many more. In addition we’ve restored Luis Buñuel’s surreal classic The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie in stunning 4K to mark its 50th Anniversary. It’s widely considered to be one of his most successful and iconic films and it will be available with a wealth of new extras and is a must-see for any French Cinema fan."
To the Picturehouse Central, for a preview screening of the big blockbuster Easter weekend theatrical release from Universal, The Northman, directed by Robert Eggers, the man behind two of our favourite films of recent years, The Witch (more on this below) and The Lighthouse. If ever a film was made to be a video hit, then it’s The Northman, the kind of epic swordplay and Viking tale that consumers have bene lapping up for a couple of decades. Given Universal’s estimable marketing support for the release, as well as the five-star reviews, this fully deserves to be a box office hit and should be a storming hit on home entertainment later this year. As director Eggers said in a podcast supporting the release (over here): “I don’t know if I’ve made the definitive Viking movie, bit that was certainly my intention. Since Wagner first put horns in helmets, people have been reinventing Vikings in pop culture, thankfully for me, because of the interest in History Channel’s Vikings show, other shows and video games, there is an appetite for Viking stuff out there which helped make this movie financeable.”
Sticking with Universal, and the major has officially announced details of another of the year’s finest films, Licorice Pizza, which, like The Northman, will almost certainly be on our best of 2022 year-end list. The acclaimed film, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is due on physical media on June 6 and Universal is pushing the boat out for the DVD and Blu-ray to appeal to cineastes and fans of the director too. For both SKUs will come with a reversible sleeve offering choices for the consumer (and retailer) as well a a set of art cards to accompany the release. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’ll also be extra content on the discs, including the full version of one of the commercials featured in the film, some camera tests, a deleted scene and behind the scenes action and interviews.
Closer to then, Universal has just issued the awards-friendly Kenneth Branagh film Belfast, based on his early life in the eponymous city, to Download and Keep ahead of its forthcoming physical release a week Monday, on April 25. Comment on the release came from Universal’s Johanna Beaven, who said: ‘Kenneth Branagh’s BAFTA and Academy award winner BELFAST is out now to Download & Keep and will be available to Buy & Rent everywhere in the UK and Ireland on Monday April 25. Throughout the campaign we’re highlighting the awards success and fantastic reviews as well as showcasing how heart-warming and charming the film is via Radio, Print, Facebook, and VOD. Exclusive to the Blu-ray and DVD are a host of bonus features including an alternate ending featuring Kenneth Branagh himself in a nostalgic appearance that’s not to be missed.”
And also just out as a digital release ahead of its own physical bow from Universal is another biggie in the shape of its latest animated outing, Sing 2, the sequel to the hugely popular and wonderful family title. Comment on the release came from international senior marketing manager at the company Theo Seddon, who said: “Sing 2 dances its way onto Digital platforms this week and will be available to Buy & Rent everywhere in the UK & Ireland from Monday April 25. We’re excited to offer families across the nation front row sofa seats for this all- singing, all-dancing animated spectacle. We’ve a comprehensive campaign spanning Broadcast VOD, Radio, Spotify, Tik-Tok, Meta platforms, Kids safe media and YouTube. We’ll be going heavily after families and animation fans to ensure nobody misses the hottest home ents ticket in town.”
Another theatrical opening this weekend worth keeping an eye on is the latest from Asian cinema specialist Third Window Films, with Onoda: 10,000 Nights In The Jungle being its latest impressive title to add to its expanding catalogue. The film follows a young Japanese soldier in 1944 who is sent to a remote Philippines island to wage guerrilla war against US troops. But he doesn’t know the war is over and refuses to surrender – as per his instructions. It’s already garnered some great reviews, including a four-star notice from the Guardian, whose Peter Bradshaw wrote: "Here is a really well-made, old-fashioned anti-war epic in a forthright and robustly enjoyable style from director and co-writer Arthur Harari. I can imagine David Lean or Steven Spielberg making this, or even John Sturges or J Lee Thompson, and it becoming the kind of movie that would get shown every Christmas on TV.” A Blu-ray and VOD release will follow in May and Third Window’s Adam Torel told The Raygun: “I'm happy to see the UK critics rave over ONODA, a film which for years was actually something Werner Herzog was trying to make (he wrote a book about it instead, which is out soon) and instead was taken on by the incredibly talented French director Arthur Harari. Thanks to cinemas like the ICA, Cine Lumiere, Showroom, Tyneside and others, this wonderful film (which opened the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes last year) will get the chance for people to watch it on the big screen, which is where it needs to be seen!”
Kaleidoscope has this week confirmed the May release for Gazza, the high profile documentary that premiered recently and follows the talented but troubled genius and his tumultuous career. The title appears as a digital download on May 2, followed a week later by a physical release. Its premiere earned it plenty of coverage ahead of the HE release and Kaleidoscope’s Spencer Pollard said: Gazza is a national treasure. But his story is one tinged with brilliance and sadness. This amazing film, packed with the very best archive shows his true genius but also shows that despite being the best footballer of his generation, too many people were willing to take advantage of such a troubled young man and sadly he never did achieve everything his god given talents bestowed upon him.” Nick Gibbs-McNeil and his kidzcoolit.com team were at the premiere and he said: "I have such a mixture of emotions while watching this documentary. It’s brilliantly made, there’s some incredible footage. But it’s a tough watch in places. Gascoigne’s career was such a rollercoaster ride and you get to live it all out all over again during the film. John Motson said on the red carpet to [kidzcoolit’s] Harrison ‘I’m really pleased that someone’s got to the bottom of the whole Gascoigne thing, because he was a unique personality!’ And Jim Rosenthal called Gazza ‘the kindest soul’.”
Meanwhile, beyond Gazza, Kaleidoscope has lined up another footballing legend for a documentary release, this time looking at the life of Liverpool and Wales star John Toshack, who carved out a successful managerial career beyond the UK too. Tosh is due at cinemas on May 17 and home entertainment formats on June 6. The film was directed by lifelong Swansea City fan Pete Jones and was produced by Daniel J. Harris, who commented: “Making Tosh has been a real labour of love and an honour. John Toshack achieved so much in football and this is where it all began for him. Pete has been a lifelong Swans fan and lived through these moments, whereas I'm a Cardiff City fan and the new story was new to me. It's been incredible to bring this story to life and every person we've filmed with has had something amazing to say. The film really reflects that period of time in football and I hope that football fans from all quarters will enjoy this beautiful story.”
News from Shudder, the specialist SVOD service featuring horror and genre fare and as it unveiled its May line=-up one title stuck out to us at the Raygun. For The Found Footage Phenomenon, a documentary that charts the history of, as the title suggests, found footage horror films, is one we’ve been tracking for a while. Not only is it an exemplary doc, but it has also been put together by Phil Escott and Sarah Appleton, names familiar to the industry for their work on Blu-ray packages and extras for the likes of 101, Arrow, BFI and Second Sight. The film will debut on the service next month and Escott said: “We're thrilled that our lockdown documentary has found a home, we can't think of a better partner for the film than the fine folks at Shudder! In fact, it's the only place we saw the film ending up, so we're thrilled that it came to be. We're both fans of the Found Footage subgenre and are so excited to help show fellow film fans that it's had a bit of a bad rap in recent times, but there's a lot of enjoyment to be had from these films. So yeah, May 19th, we can't wait!”
The Amazon-owned iMDB.tv advertising video on demand service, free but supported with paid-for slots during programming, is to rebrand. The new name for the service from April 27 will be Amazon Freevee, with the promise of an increase of 70 per cent in original programming. “Over the past two years, we have seen tremendous growth for our AVOD service and are committed to bringing our audiences premium, free-to-consumer content,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “We’re looking forward to building on this momentum with an increasing slate of inventive and broadly appealing Originals and are excited to establish Amazon Freevee as the premier AVOD service with content audiences crave.” “Customers are increasingly shifting to streaming ad-supported premium content, and we have developed Amazon Freevee to deliver them highly sought content with limited ads,” said Ashraf Alkarmi, director of Amazon Freevee. “Our new name clearly communicates who we are: An easy-to-navigate streaming service, available to users for free, whenever and wherever they choose to watch some of the greatest Original and licensed content available."
AT THE MOVIES
Whither the next David Lynch film? The director has scotched rumours that he’s made a new film and it will air at Cannes this year during the film festival. But his denials haven’t stopped speculation mounting and inline detectives have been pointing to assorted elements suggesting he may still air something on the Cote d’Azur. Even the announcement as to films that are screening there proves nothing, they say. “I have no new film coming out. It is not happening. I don’t have a project. I have nothing at Cannes,” said Lynch. But Variety reckons it has two sources saying it will happen, while film blogs have been hinting at a new project from a top director… Again, Lynch further said: “They say there’s something new at Cannes, and they don’t say whose it is, and some people thought it was my film, but it’s not. So we’ll wait and see, and see whose it is.”
Meanwhile, definitely screening at Cannes this year is Elvis, the new film by Baz Luhrmann starring Tom Hanks as his manager Colonel Tom Parker, as well as the eagerly awaited and oft-delayed Top Gun sequel Maverick. Oh, and the one we can’t wait for is David Cronenberg’s new film Crimes Of The Future (see below for the trailer).
The third instalment in the Magic Mike franchise, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, has had the equivalent of a wardrobe malfunction early into its shooting after Thandiwe Newton left the production, citing personal problems (which have, incidentally, been splashed all over the tabloids). A Warner Bros Pictures statement said: “"Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Magic Mike’s Last Dance to deal with family matters.” But fear not, for the potential final instalment, due to go straight to the HBO Max streaming service in the US, will not be too delayed, as Salma Hayek is stepping in to replace Newton. The film is currently shooting on this side of the Atlantic…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Trailer of the week…
That Gazza trailer…
Due on Apple…
Press Paws…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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