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NATIONAL CINEMA DAY TO WOO BACK PUNTERS
BASE SHORTLIST REVEALED
BIG DAY APPROACHES
BIG FALL AT FRIGHTFEST
DOG RULES
NETWORK TAKES OUT THE TRASH
IN THE MOOD FOR CRITERION
MOUTH OPENS AT LFF
SUPER TIMES FOR CRUNCHYROLL
AT THE MOVIES TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
This Saturday sees cinemas trying to lift the cloud that seems to be over their heads in the post-COVID world – certainly if the uncertainty surround Cineworld is anything to go by – with National Cinema Day. Taking place on September 3, with more than 600 cinemas around the UK involved, it will remind the public of the benefits of seeing a film in person, as well as charging a mere £3 to try and tempt consumers back into the habit. It's being organised by cross-industry group Cinema First and as the full support of the likes of Film Distributors’ Association and the UK Cinema Association. Iain Jacob, Chair of Cinema First, said: “There seems no better time than now to celebrate UK cinema-going, one of the nation’s favourite out-of-home leisure activities. Coming off the back of a very strong summer for the sector and looking forward to further film highlights over the rest of the year, we wanted to give everyone a chance to enjoy the big screen experience. While all the evidence confirms that cinema-going is amongst the most low-cost, best value-for-money leisure opportunities, we also of course recognise that there are significant impacts on household finances, brought about by the current cost of living crisis and wanted to do our bit to make a trip to the cinema even more affordable for the whole family We look forward to National Cinema Day being a huge success.”
Some 30 different companies. Sixteen different categories. Yes, it’s time for the 42nd annual BASE awards, and the trade organisation has announced the shortlist for the event, due to take place at the Roundhouse in London’s Camden on October 6. We won’t give you the full list here, but the categories include a bunch of new areas to recognise changes in the industry and the breadth on offer. These include such categories as Hidden Gems, celebrating non-blockbusters that have performed above and beyond expectations (the 10 nominees for these are Ammonite (Lionsgate), Another Round ( StudioCanal), Last Night in Soho (Universal), Navalny (Dogwoof), Nineteen Eighty-Four (BFI), Promising Young Woman (Universal), Riders of Justice (Vertigo), Spencer (STX), The Father (Lionsgate) and The Mitchells vs. The Machines (Sony). Another new award is the Campaign of the Year for Independent Film, sponsored by indie film organisation BIFA, with the nods for After Love (BFI), Arsène Wenger: Invincible –(Noah Media), Altitude’s Minari and MUBI’s Petite Maman. You can see the full list of nominations here https://base-awards.org/categories/
Comment on the awards nominations came from BASE chief executive Liz Bales, who said: “The 2022 Awards will, as always, champion the powerhouse of creativity, expertise and commercial success that is the UK Home Entertainment sector. It is wonderful to see such a diverse and inclusive range of organisations on the shortlist this year, new and familiar, which can only mean it will be another spectacular night for friends and colleagues to celebrate the tremendous successes of our industry.”
And, of course, the August bank holiday weekend is all about Arrow FrightFest, as the annual horror marathon, spread over five days in London’s Leicester Square, took place. What came with it were a wealth of premieres, first viewings of films which will, over the coming months, be winding their way to home entertainment formats. Chief among the distributors showing off their wares was Signature, who drew the curtain on the festival with Fall, one of the sextet of films it had on show at the event. Comment on its success came from the indie's Emilie Barra, who said: “Fall was a bombastic closing film and a perfect additional set-up for our wide UK theatrical release on Friday. We were so proud to have 6 films at the festival including 3 world premieres (Terrifier 2, Control and Hounded). The festival is stronger than ever and it was an immense pleasure to be back in person and showing off the best of our genre slate to one of the best horror audiences in the world.”
Also airing over the FrightFest weekend was the new 4K restored version of classic video hit Dog Soldiers, recently revived by Second Sight for its lavish, deluxe August 22 release and presented at the event to mark the occasion. Director Neil Marshall and stars such as Sean Pertwee were in attendance for a Q&A too and the package has gone down a storm with fans. Commenting before the event, Second Sight's Chris Holden said: “Dog Soldiers has been a particularly tricky restoration and the team at Silver Salt have done a fantastic job. Combining the scan of the original negative with a scan of the interpositive to incorporate the FX shots was a challenge but the end result will bring this cult classic to disc as it's never looked before. We were particularly pleased with director Neil Marshall’s feedback: ‘Had a sneak peak of the new 4K transfer of Dog Soldiers from Second Sight and I’m pleased to say it looks absolutely stunning, like we shot it yesterday! We’re also pleased the FrightFest team were equally excited about the release and gave our new restoration its big screen debut on August 28 with Neil Marshall introducing. The reaction from fans has been great and reflected in the sales ahead of the release.” More on the event on the next newsletter…
Meanwhile, Network Releasing is celebrating its 25th birthday this year and it’s just announced its first major release following the acquisition of the Rapido TV library last year. And it’s a goodie too, as outlined by the company’s Juan Veloza, who said: “We were delighted to announce the release of the late night much-loved, outrageous, 90s series, Eurotrash, on DVD and digital, 26th September. This is the first instalment after Network’s acquisition of the Rapido Television library in 2021. Online reactions have been incredibly positive, with Eurotrash trending in the top 30 topics on Twitter in the UK for almost 24 hours after the launch of its own handle as well as taking the release to the top 5 on Amazon’s TV chart.”
More announcements and a statement plops in our inbox from Criterion about its November releases, with two slots earmarked for releases, taking in Asian cinema ranging from romance to more crime-driven fare and also cementing its links with Netflix by giving another physical release to one of the streamer's classier outings. Taken from the announcement, Criterion said: "On November 14 comes WONG KAR WAI’s In the Mood for Love, a masterful evocation of romantic longing and fleeting moments, the film has been a major stylistic influence on the past two decades of cinema. Following on November 28 The Infernal Affairs Trilogy, the explosively stylish, gripping saga of two rival moles that jolted the Hong Kong crime drama to new life - all three films will now be available in one box set. Also out on November 28, JANE CAMPION plumbs the darkest recesses of the masculine psyche in the Academy Award–winning film The Power of The Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and Kodi Smit-McPhee."
The BFI has already announced a special edition of Gary Oldman’s directorial debut Nil By Mouth to mark the 25th anniversary of the release, with the title due on December 5 as part of its Q4 slate, but the organisation has now announced further plans for the film’s quarter century. The title, which famously stars Ray Winstone as the brutal south London husband who takes everything out on wife Kathy Burke, has been given the full 4K treatment, remastered by the BFI National Archive, and will air at the forthcoming London Film Festival. The world premiere, on October 12, will be followed by a Gary Oldman season at the BFI, airing some of his greatest outings, as well as an In Conversation event featuring him talking through his career. Nil By Mouth, Oldman's one and only film behind the camera, will then receive a theatrical release in November, ahead of the home entertainment bow, acting as the perfect platform for the BFI's physical release.
Friday August 19 saw the biggest ever theatrical release from the company formerly known as Manga, as the Japanese anime giant Crunchyroll, part owned by Sony, and still one of the country’s top distributors of physical Japanese anime alongside its streaming service and other arms, unleashed the latest Dragon Ball feature outing, Dragon Ball Super Super Hero, on to cinema screens. The film opened at more than 500 screens, a huge number for a film of its ilk, as Crunchyroll worked with its colleagues at sister company Sony Pictures Entertainment on the title to ensure its high profile. Those in the know are tipping it for a stronger than anticipated performance, with the profile the film is earning paving the way for home entertainment across streaming, digital and physical further down the line. And given the loyalty and devotion of fans, the title from arguably one of the best known Japanese animation franchises is likely to be eagerly devoured by a majority of anime devotees. The Guardian’s review noted: “A big hit domestically where the whole Dragon Ball Super manga book/TV series/movie franchise is immensely popular – but beyond Japan and its near neighbours this feature, the second after Dragon Ball Super: Broly, will appeal mainly to hardcore fans. Uninitiated viewers will probably be utterly baffled by the bewildering cast of brightly coloured characters: a mix of humans, androids, aliens and a couple of creatures that look like bipedal versions of a chubby house cat and hairless sphinx, but in the latter’s case with a gold earring and the fierce attitude of a Drag Race contestant… If you can relax and just let it wash over you, Super Hero’s eye candy animation is mesmeric. Blending traditional character design and finely rendered expressions with supersmooth computer effects and subtle lighting, the whole package offers a state-of-the-art shop window for the skills of its makers, director Tetsuro Kodama and production company Toei Animation. The set designs are especially glorious, all industrial chic but with a Montessori school palette.” You can see the trailer here…
AT THE MOVIES
House of The Dragon has been a soaraway hit on Sky since it launched little more than a week ago, breaking a shedload of rating sat the TV giant, all of which bodes w3ell for digital and likely physical media release in the future. So it’s no surprise then, given the profile, that the series has now been commissioned for a second season. Zai Bennett, MD of Content at Sky said: "House of the Dragon is already proving to be a ratings hit, and we predict it will go from strength to strength due to the captivating storytelling and incredible production values. We look forward to sharing a second series with our customers on Sky and NOW.”
We love Stephen Graham and writer Stephen Knight has a strong track record given his CV includes, among others, Peaky Blinders. So it’s worth keeping an eye out for the forthcoming drama commissioned by Disney+, A Thousand Blows. Created by Knight, it centres on illegal boxing in Victorian London and stars Graham, who said: “To be able to work with Steve again and the talented team of writers we have for this project is truly wonderful, and to tell the story of these incredible characters during this period of time in London is a joy. Aside from having the privilege of bringing the role of Sugar Goodson to life, I am also extremely proud that Matriarch is co-producing this show whilst helping to create opportunities for people in front of and behind the camera, instilling the ethos of providing training within production that otherwise would be difficult for some to pursue as a career. ‘Don't count the days... Make the days count.’ - Muhammad Ali.” Lee Mason, Director of Scripted Content, EMEA, Disney+, added: “It’s a privilege to work with this extraordinary group of talent, helmed by our fearless creator Steven Knight. A Thousand Blows tells a story that we rarely get to see on screen, and we are delighted to have the inimitable Stephen Graham and visionary Tinge Krishnan help bring this incredible world of richly diverse characters to life.”
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK More rings… https://youtu.be/bLirO_Vq7Xo He’s back…
The best Sidney…
I’m going to Vietnam and I’m bringing ‘em beer!
Aka Liar Liar
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