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BAFTA WINNERS…
FEST TO MARK LONGEST RUNNING RENTAL STORE…
…FLICKS TO THE FUTURE
RENTAL “BEATS COST OF LIVING CRISIS”
BATMAN SPARKS ORDERS…
…AS CRITERION OFFER GROWS
SECOND SIGHT FOR SORE EYES
KING STILL RULING
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
ACORN PLAYS BY THE RULES
BROADCAST GOES WIDER…
…AS FRIGHTFEST-SUPPORTED TITLE MAKES WAVES
CYBERKEANU RETURNS
DOBERMANN UNLEASHED
WATCH OUT THERE’S A HUMPHREY ABOUT
TED COMES TO TOWN
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
We held over this week’s newsletter after sitting at home watching the BAFTAs last night. You should have tuned in, or at least followed or checked the winners… Perhaps the most potent part of the awards ceremony saw Kenneth Branagh celebrate the both streaming and the success of his Belfast in cinemas, proclaiming that seeing films with an audience in theatres was “alive”, alongside the streaming giants who, in the shape of the likes of The Power Of The Dog and Coda, scored big too. You can see the full list of winners here.
1982, The nascent video rental industry was growing faster than anyone could imagine – stores and outlets, as well as mobile vans, were popping up on every high street, estate, village and even taking to the streets on the aforementioned vehicles, to rent out video cassettes to a British public desperate to hire films to watch at home. One of those joining the great video boom was Bristol’s 20th Century Flicks. Fast forward 40 years and the store is still going, with a vast library of discs and cassettes, as well as in-store screening rooms to cater for parties and customers keen for that home viewing experience in comfortable surroundings. And to mark its 40th birthday, the store has hit on a wizard wheeze. It is hosting its own film festival at the city’s long dormant IMAX theatre, reopened especially for the event. The three-day fest takes place in May and will solely be screening films from the year of its launch, 1982. This means the likes off Blade Runner and Poltergeist will air alongside video rental faves such as Basket Case. There’ll also be a few more treats along the way. You can find out more about it here.
Commenting on the anniversary and event, David Taylor, co-owner of 20th Century Flicks said: “To celebrate the unlikely event of our 40th birthday we wanted to do something special, so we are hosting a film festival for the whole city as a way to say thanks! Bristol has such a vibrant film-loving community and it's hard to imagine a shop like ours surviving this long anywhere else. Forbidden Worlds will complement the many film festivals that already operate in this city such as Slapstick and Cinema Rediscovered, tapping into the more disreputable type of cinema that video shops made such fertile territory of back in the early days. If the festival is successful, we hope to make this an annual event with a different theme and line-up each year. It’d be quite something if a video shop’s birthday party could bring the largest cinema in the south-west back into use for the city!”
And seeing as we’re talking about rental, we thought we’d have a chat with another of the country’s surviving rental stores in Dave Wain, of Snips Movies on The Wirral. Wain found time between running the store, providing audio commentaries for the likes of Arrow Video and 88 Films and writing features, books and more on his The Schlock Pit site and beyond, to talk us through the current state of play in the north west’s prime rental outlet. He said: “Greetings from Wirral, where if 2022 has taught us anything so far, it’s that a place to rent movies for no monthly subscription, and for less than half the price of what Messrs Murdoch and Bezos charge, can play a key role in the film-watching routine of your average belt-tightening family. In the wake of a cost-of-living hike, that will see most of us huddling to get warm next to a wood-burner loaded with unsold issues of the Daily Mail, it’s certainly an option for a graciously delivered tactic to harness a little more support in the aftermath of an average winter. I’m lucky enough to have fingers in other pies, so with a steady stream of customers coming through the turnstiles to shop in the other half of the business and remarking over ‘how quaint’ it is to see a movie rental store, the question of, “Is there a better way to rent movies?”, is a good conversation starter. The answer is usually a long pause, and after a convivial chat I’ve usually signed up a new member who’s spent ten minutes nodding in agreement about how their multiple subscriptions are unsustainable, and their frequent forays into premium rental where they pay fifteen quid for Sing 2 could well be a thing of the past. Not least when their local video store will have multiple copies come April for only a quid. How quaint.”
Let’s stick with the high street and in stores, as this week has seen a flurry of new promotional activity landing in stores and online, as well as the pre-orders going live for The Batman (as noted here last week). Let’s start with the latest outing for the Dark Knight on the back of its mammoth opening weekend which further helped signify a return to normality after that pesky pandemic thing. We sough comment from the retail side on how the pre-orders had gone and The Hut Group’s Steve Cook, head of buying for Blu-ray at the group’s Zavvi site, said: “We had an amazing response to The Batman and all things DC Comics last weekend. It was especially good to have Warner dipping into the Batman catalogue to launch five new 4K collectors editions for retailers to pre-order so not just relying on previously released product as drafting opportunities, they went down really well with our customers. Zavvi also launched two very limited exclusive collectables which both sold out soon after launch, again showing our strengths across cross category for superfan franchises.” You can see some of its exclusives here and here.
The Criterion sale, arguably the grandaddy of the boutique label promotions, has been one of the biggest successes for the imprint in the US and it’s good to see the social media buzz around the launch of the UK version of the promotion over the past week. The initiative sees the likes of hmv and Zavvi, alongside Amazon, offering titles from the label’s impressive catalogue at a reduced price. And we’ve seen plenty of UK consumers getting as excited as their American counterparts because of the activity offering titles at around the £17.99 mark. Again, The Hut Group and Zavvi's Steve Cook reported on its success, saying: “Criterion Collection new title launches and promotions have been a key label on zavvi for several years now, and with their ever growing UK catalogue the promotions have become stronger and stronger and have allowed them to be more creative with campaign mechanics. We have a very loyal customer base that really buy into every new offer such as the latest Award Winners promo.”
Meanwhile, hmv also kicked off its biggest ever promotion with one of our favourite imprints, long-running specialist label Second Sight. The company’s Chris Holden said: “Really pleased to see the reaction on socials for our new campaign across hmv and Fopp stores. It’s the biggest campaign we’ve run in some time and the feedback and sales to date have been excellent.”
Over in the charts, the latest instalment of the comic book-inspired series, The King’s Man, continues to hold on to the top slot in the Official Film Chart, nosing ahead of Encanto by less than 1,000 units. The sole new entry in the top 10 is West Side Story, with the Steven Spielberg remake entering at number seven on the strength of its digital sales only.
Monday March 14 releases now and the biggest title of the week sees the arrival of animated kids’ fave turned live action feature film star in the shape of Clifford The Big Red Dog, who arrives in suitably compact-sized DVD and Blu-ray-sized packaged courtesy of Paramount via Elevation. It follows Clifford storming into cinemas in December 2021 and sees Jack Whitehall taking on a meaty Hollywood role alongside the massive CGI hound. It’s backd up by parental approval, kids’ loves and some strong reviews too, as Empire noted: "“It’s a strange concoction, but there’s something pleasingly old-school about Clifford’s approach — there’s real warmth and intention beyond a mere cash-grab here. Tonally, it feels like a tribute to sweet ’90s dog-antic comedies like Beethoven and the live-action 101 Dalmatians, just with a colossal canine at its core. That means you get all the usual dog-movie antics, this time played out on a comically large scale: Clifford wrecks the apartment! Clifford sniffs a plumber’s butt-crack! Clifford chases Zorbs in the park… he’s an undeniably cute creation, sure to be a hit with the intended audience. A sort of kiddie creature-feature with a big red heart, Clifford offers solid family fare with moments of throwback charm. Not quite a 12/10 on the WeRateDogs scale, but still a good boy.”
Meanwhile, Acorn has a juicy slice of office politics gone haywire in the form of the acclaimed drama Rules Of The Game, which marks another strong performance from the excellent-in-everything Maxine Peake. The series aired to acclaim earlier thus year and as Acorn’s Helen `Squire noted: “A riveting performance from Maxine Peake who keeps us guessing to the last frame in this murder-mystery meets sexual politics drama.”
One of the best films we saw in 2021 is making its way towards cinemas and home entertainment soon as Lightbulb brings the excellent genre-hopping sci-fi cum film noir cum conspiracy thriller Broadcast Signal Intrusion to the market. The title is arriving at cinemas on March 25, with an ever-expanding selection of screens, as well as on to Blu-ray on March 28. And don’t just take our word for it, the film found its way on to many critics and online writers’ year-end lists of the best of the past 12 months and also earned a strong reception at film festivals, most notably our very own FrightFest. And making it even more relevant is the involvement not just of FrightFest itself, but a familiar industry face in Giles Edwards, formerly at the likes of Metrodome and now at Queensbury Pictures. The long-time FrightFest attendee worked with the team at the festival on the New Blood initiative, aimed at finding talented writers from the massive fanbase for the event. Film ideas and scripts were submitted to FrightFest and the team there, alongside Edwards and a host of experts, whittled the hundreds of entries down to likely prospects, which were then further supported and nurtured, with Broadcast Signal Intrusion making it all the way to release.
We’ll have more on this next week, but in the meantime, Giles Edwards told The Raygun: “As BSI was born at Frightfest, where I discovered the script through Queensbury/Frightfest's New Blood initiative back in 2017, it seems only fitting that the International Premiere should have happened on one of Europe's largest screens, where, for the first time anywhere in the world, an audience got to experience the film, in person, projected onto a cinema screen. FrightFest was incredibly supportive of this new writing talent we helped nurture in Phil and Tim. They loved (and they were certainly under no obligation!) the first film that bears the New Blood seal of approval and which, true to the ethos of both Queensbury and FrightFest, gives its viewers a challenging, audacious, sinister, beautifully shot mix of thrills, smarts, chills and provocative ideas, a slamming together of Pakula, Cronenberg, De Palma and Fincher with a defiantly 1970s-meets-21st century sensibility.”
Our chums at 101 Films continue to mine a strong seam of commercial gold for their excellent Black Label series of older titles given a new lease of life, complete with newly-designed sleeves, booklets and pristine looking Blu-rays and the imprint has announced another winner this week – and the 25th title to be released under this banner. Johnny Mnemonic, a futuristic sci-fi that preceded Keanu Reeves’ turn as Neo in The Matrix by a few years, sees him starring as the titular hero in this adaptation of cyberpunk guru William Gibson’s novel of the same name/. The film marked its 25th anniversary last year – and is even set int the year 2021. As ever, the Black Label release comes with gorgeous new artwork, artcards and more, with the HD presentation of the feature being coupled with the rarely seen Japanese version compete with an alternative ending, as well as a raft of other extras and booklet with new writing. Commenting on the release, the company’s Tim Scaping said: “Adapted from his own short story by legendary sci-fi writer William Gibson, Johnny Mnemonic is an overlooked ‘90s cyberpunk gem that paved the way for Keanu Reeves’ role in the Matrix series and introduced several interesting ideas and themes to the cinema just as we were entering the age of the internet. It has been undergoing something of a critical and fan reevaluation in recent years, and fits the bill as a Black Label release as a film that is worth a fresh look and deserving of a wider audience.”
New announcement from the fledgling Fractured Visions imprint and it’s a goodie too. We at The Raygun keenly remember the premiere of old Tartan title Dobermann on its original launch sometime in the late 1990s. For the attendees at the premiere included a number of Arsenal players; the team then brimming with French nationals who turned up to the north London event also attended by Gallic stars of the film, Vincent I'm stoked to be bringing it back to UK shelves. It's a film I've admired since viewing it via the awful old Tartan DVD - which was a VHS port. It's not been available here for some years now, so being able to re-introduce the film to a new wave of film fans is very exciting - as is giving the older fans the chance to finally see the film in all its HD glory! French cinema has given us many gems over the years, especially in the action and horror genres, and we're excited to share these films with unsuspecting viewers. Dobermann will be our second French title are Bruno Dumont's horror Twentynine Palms (pre-orders went live last week: https://bit.ly/35VrpyC)
One of the finest deluxe Blu-ray series to come out in recent years has been Powerhouse’s Indicator imprint and its marvellous Columbia Noir collection, four boxes containing film noir obscurities and rarely seen titles from the major’s catalogue. And Indicator has this week announced the fifth in the series as part of its June announcement, made via its newsletter and social media this week. And what a belter it’s going to be, for the next Columbia Noir, #5, will be devoted entirely to the maestro of the form, Humphrey Bogart. It contains half a dozen of his lesser known, but no less impactful titles, taking in Reckoning, Knock On Any Door, Tokyo Joe, Sirocco, The Family Secret and The Harder They Fall. As usual, it comes in sumptuous packaging, complete with a hefty booklet looking at the man and his films. It’s due on June 20, and released alongside it is the Blu-ray premiere of Pastor Hall, a Roy Boulting directed British film that was one of the first anti-Nazi wartime outings released in 1940, but rarely seen. Commenting on the releases, Powerhouse’s Sam Dunn said: “We're delighted at the reaction to our June titles. Our Columbia Noir box set range has become a staple of our offer, and, as with previous volumes, this not only contains six essential feature films, but also a selection of rarely seen archival shorts, new interviews, and expert commentaries. For the sadly ever-relevant Pastor Hall, we have created a new restoration from the best elements preserved at the BFI National Archive, and have pulled together an extensive array of new and archival extras, including short documentaries by the film's celebrated director, Roy Boulting.”
A diary date for the forward thinkers and creative types who read The Raygun (yes, we know that’s most of you, along with the odd reprobate), but save the date on May 30. For that Monday will see the first ever TEDxSoho event, an independently organised spin-off from the popular worldwide events for creative types. The day will see a whole host of speakers, conversations and debates, with guests from in and around the heart of London’s thriving media industry. Among those confirmed are Phil Clapp, from the UK Cinema Association, and Variety international editor Manori Ravindran, giving it a film-style flavour. Further guests from the creative community will be announced in the coming weeks. It takes place at the Cambridge Theatre and kicks off at 10am, you can find out more ticket information here.
AT THE MOVIES
Just ahead of its BAFTA success with the likes of Coda, Apple was busy unveiling a busy slate of feature films due on its streaming service Apple TV+ under the Apple Original Films banner, boasting a wealth of star involvement. The slate includes Cha Cha Real Smooth, starring Dakota Johnson about a graduate striking up a friendship with a young mum and her teenage daughter; an Oprah Winfrey-produced documentary about Sidney Poitier; Skydance Animation title Luck, featuring an impressive cast of voice talents taking in everyone from Jane Fonda to Simon Pegg; documentaries such as Black And Blue: The Colourful Ballad Of Louis Armstrong and The Sound Of 007 celebrating James Bond’s 60th anniversary; Raymond & Ray starring Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke as half-brothers and Zac Efron and Russell Crowe in Peter Farrelly’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever. There’s also, at opposite ends of the spectrum, a new musical retelling of A Christmas Carol, Spirited, again boasting an all-star cast including Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, and Emancipation, a tale of freedom from slavery brought to the screen by Will Smith and Antoine Fuqua. Even further down the one there’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro together in Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon Matthew Vaughn spy thriller Argylle; Sharper, a New York set suspense thriller and Tetris, the story of the computer game starring Taron Egerton. More biggies include Ridley Scott’s Napoleon; more animation from Skydance in Spellbound; The Beanie Bubble, a drama looking at the 90s craze; two documentaries celebrating leading black men and women in Hollywood under the Number One On The Call Sheet banner.
Over in Texas, where the annual SXSW event is taking place, premiering all manner of weird and wonderful films and showcasing weird and wonderful music, Shudder has picked up a brace of horror comedy titles, both of which were among the most-talked about titles ahead of their debuts. Sissy is an Australian outing that sees two former tween pals reuniting for a bachelorette party in a remote location, with the expected disastrous consequences. The film has been picked up by the genre-specialist streamer for UK, US and other territories. Craig Engler, Shudder’s general manager said: “Directors Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes’ script crafted something special, a stylish and thoroughly modern horror comedy with bite, led fearlessly by Aisha Dee. We can’t wait for audiences to meet SISSY.” “Shudder is the perfect home for SISSY and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them. The team at Shudder are the best at bringing elevated horror to engaged audiences across major territories. As filmmakers, to know SISSY will be celebrated by a genre-loving audience like Shudder's is a dream come true,” said Lisa Shaunessy from Arcadia.
There was more horror comedy too with Deadstream, a tale of a disgraced Internet personality who tries to revive his fortunes by spending the night n a haunted house. It’s the debut from husband and wife team Joseph and Vanessa Winter and Shudder general manager Craig Engler said “Deadstream is wickedly crowd pleasing, the rare horror comedy as frightening as it is funny. We're thrilled to welcome Joseph and Vanessa Winter’s creative, creepy and relentless gem to Shudder.” The Winters added: “Deadstream was a true collaboration from our small and dedicated crew, who took big swings with limited resources. We're huge fans of Shudder’s wildly unique and exciting content and we couldn’t be happier to be partnering with them for the release of our film.”
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Due from 101 on digital…
Now on Arrow Video Player, gets a recommend off us…
Due from Dazzler…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwFCBAmZWzM
Heading for the moon…
There’s only one Obi-Wan…
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