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PARTY REMINDER: DIARY DATE
NO TIME TO DIE BREAKS MORE RECORDS…
…AS UNIVERSAL READIES HOME ENT RELEASE
NETWORK INKS MAJOR STUDIO DEAL…
… AND HAMMERS THE MESSAGE HOME
MORE BASE AWARDS…
…INDUSTRY PAYS TRIBUTE TO ANNE MILES
SONY “THRILLED” AT AWARDS HAUL
MORE CATEGORY HEROES…
…KEY FIGURES AWARDED
I WANT CANDY
WENDY FLIES AGAIN
QUEENS’ GREATEST FLIX
VET’S THE WAY TO DO IT
DO GO IN THE STORE…
…NASTIES AND MORE FROM ARROW IN FEBRUARY
…AS COMPANY LAUNCHES FIRST AUDIO DESCRIPTION TITLE
TIGER’S KING FOR EUREKA
TOMB IT MAY CONCERN…
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Before we kick off in earnest, just a reminder: we're hosting a Raygun Christmas drinks bash in London but need names and umbers before we reveal full details on the next newsletter… It's due to take place on December 16, all are welcome, but if you want to come along, please let us know on the usual email address as soon as possible…
Seconds after we pressed send on the last newsletter, we received word that the latest Bond film, No Time To Die, announced for December 20 release in physical formats, has now passed another milestone, as it became the fourth highest-grossing film ever at the UK box office, usurping Avatar, and it’s poised to soon become the third, according to the Film Distributors’ Association. The organisation’s latest update said: “October 2021 produced an impressive 16.4m admissions in UK cinemas, the largest monthly returns since January 2020. The theatrical business delivered its best October performance since 2012 and the third biggest October footfall this century. Admissions for the year to date now stand at a healthy 51.6m, 20 per cent ahead of 2020 at the same point. No Time to Die led the pack throughout, following a delayed release due to the pandemic. The 25th Bond film is now on the cusp of becoming the third highest grossing release in UK and Ireland cinema history. Currently behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Skyfall, it will overtake previous Bond outing Spectre in the coming days. Worldwide, No Time to Die is also the highest grossing English language release of the pandemic era.”
Meanwhile, sticking with Bond and we’ve been speaking to Universal this week about consumer marketing for the title’s imminent release on December 20. Comment and update came from the company's Stephanie Don, who said: “We were delighted to see No Time To Die overtake Avatar last weekend to become the fourth-biggest film of all time, with to-date a UK box office of £95m. We're looking forward to seeing this extraordinary success translate to our Home Ent release as we continue to ramp up our campaign following on from our launch announcement last week through to its release on December 20. With three weeks till release we are going full speed ahead with an all-encompassing media & PR campaign that will be absolutely unmissable, and the support and collaboration we're had from our partners has been unprecedented as we all strive to ensure No Time To Die is on everyone's wish lists this Christmas.”
Big deal news from Network Distributing, the long-standing independent operation, which has specialised in, among other things, restoring and reviving long-forgotten titles from the darkest recesses of film libraries and giving them a new lease of life on Blu-ray. For the company has signed a deal with Hammer Films that sees the creation of Hammer Studios Ltd, a company that will have two strands going forward – restoring and exploiting the existing Hammer catalogue of films and developing new film projects based on existing IP. The new company will be headed up by Network md Tim Beddows and his financial director Jonathan Lack alongside Hammer ceo Simon Oakes. Beddows said: ‘This partnership is a really exciting opportunity to merge Hammer’s amazing library with Network’s infrastructure. While we work our way through restoring its entire back catalogue for future generations’ enjoyment, we’re equally excited about the development of new productions from the Hammer canon.’ Hammer’s Oakes added: “This new partnership will, for the first time, professionalise the restoration and creation of elements that are essential for distribution of the Hammer library across all media. At the same time we will, with Network, be able to build on the legacy of Britain’s most iconic film brand, one that started in 1934 and is alive and kicking in 2021.”
The Raygun spoke to Network’s Tim Beddows after the announcement, who said the reaction to the news had been hugely positive and he’d been inundated with messages and queries about the catalogue and deal. “If anyone can breathe life into Hammer,” he noted, “we can.” He said the long process of negotiation had started after Network negotiated to release the original TV take of Hammer classic The Woman In Black, a hugely successful lockdown release of what Beddows calls “one of the great lost films of the video age:, “The more we talked with Hammer [and Oakes] we realised we had much more in common than one film. He wasn’t aware of what we’d done since we set the label up 25 years ago – we do restorations, we’ve always been self sufficient and do them in-house. It fitted with what he wanted to do with the library." While Oakes will concentrate on new productions, Beddows noted, “we’re getting our hands dirty with the library, getting it into shape”. He added that with the restoration work, they’d be looking to remaster the entire catalogue and release everything they could onto Blu-ray. The restoration work would help preserve the library for the future too. “It’ll be in an exploitable shape for anything we want to do with it, and it will be safeguarded for the future," Beddows noted. The deal covers some 100 films, with 160 different titles in total taking in other shorts and TV episodes. “We'll release everything in one form or another.” He said the aim was to do justice to some of the jewels in the catalogue that had previously been available, as well as releasing titles that may have been out on DVD or VHS but had yet to see a Blu-ray bow, as well as finding obscure gems in there too. Beddows also noted how Network’s relationship with its customers meant the company could discover obscure gems and tell them ”you may not have heard of this, too may not have seen this, but it’s great”.
More on last week’s BASE Awards and one key highlight only touched on on the last newsletter was the special tribute paid to Anne Miles, who sadly died last year, by industry stalwarts Robert Callow and Emma Evans, the former running Spirit and the latter a former staffer at Abbey, the company where Anne and her late husband helped define the children’s market first on VHS and then DVD. It was a moving tribute and what’s more, those with long memories will be pleased with just how respectful the attendees were during the on-stage eulogies to a key figure in the industry’s history. Callow said: “I last saw Anne a few months before when she was still totally focussed on generating sales and opportunities in the children’s home ent market although she was in her eighties. I first met Anne when I joined the BVA council in 1996. Always extremely elegantly dressed, very posh, a bit scary, and with a glint in her eye, little did I know at the time that this remarkable lady would become a long term colleague and great, great, friend. Anne was always very clear of her opinions and not afraid to share them she was also an ardent supporter of the independent sector. I will always remember her saying to Phil Jackson, then BVA chair and Disney md at that first meeting I attended ‘there is a lot more to the children’s market than Disney'!”
Emma Evans continued the tribute to Anne Miles at the BASE Awards, adding: “Anne Miles, was absolutely and passionately committed to this wonderful industry for nearly 40 years. She was a huge supporter of the BVA/BASE Council which she sat on its board for most of that time. Both Anne and her husband Ian, were pioneers of both the music and video industries, being the first to create compilation albums and videos way back in the 80’s. Throughout her time at Abbey, she took charge of co-ordinating the video industry’s children’s charity compilation videos and DVDs of which, I worked on many with her. I can tell you, she was utterly dedicated, determined, and focused on raising as much money as she could to helping the youngest and poorest in our society, and over the years helped to raise millions of pounds for Action For Children, the NSPCC, BBC Children In Need to name just a few.”
More too from the big awards winner on the night, as Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has responded to its mammoth haul of seven gongs on the night, taking in its marketing excellence as well as industry initiatives and more. Kate Jeremy, Head of Feature Film Marketing, UK Distribution, said: “Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees and thank you to BASE for staging such a fantastic event. It was definitely a special night for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment! To win seven awards is a brilliant achievement and we are incredibly proud. It’s testament to the innovation and dedication of the entire SPHE team, and we would like to also thank our retail partners for their continued support.In a year that’s been so challenging for everyone, we are absolutely thrilled to be honoured in this way.”
Oh, and we’ve also been chatting to one or two of the key figures who picked up Category Hero awards on the night. Our old pal Bobby Dhani, formerly at the likes of Fremantle and a long-time staffer at Elevation, was one of those and he said: “I was utterly shocked to see my face on the screen, totally unexpected, and incredibly humbling. I felt so proud to represent the company on that stage when collecting the award - the team behind me are instrumental to my work, so I'm calling this a win for us all at Elevation Sales. Congratulations to all the winners across the industry. And well done to BASE for pulling off an incredible evening. It was a sheer delight catching up with so many people that I've come to know over the years. Roll on next year!”
Another Category Hero was Strike ceo and founder Wez Merchant, who said: “After 18 months whereby our very existence as a business was under threat, my fiancé and I had twins and everything else in between, being put forward for Category Hero, and to win it alongside the other winners, means such an enormous amount to both my team and I at Strike professionally but also me personally. What was a 4am brainwave in late March 2020 went on to be something we received a lot of love for and I believe as much as our newsletter helped the industry both distributors and media, it also helped us navigate through the chaos. First trophy on my shelf since the Under 16s Southend League title.”
One of the years biggest horror releases, the much-delayed but critically acclaimed Candyman, arrives in stores on Monday November 29, a reboot that hit all the right notes, a tough thing to do for a horror remake. Comment on the release came from Universal senior product manager Steve Wright, who said: “Candyman is a horror icon and we’re thrilled to bring this bold re-imagining to home audiences. The new film from Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele really captured the imagination of cinema audiences, and the DVD and Blu-ray release gives a great reason for fans to revisit, offering an extended ending for the film and a brace of in-depth bonus features.”
Monday November 29 sees the third release from the fledgling Elysian Film Group Distribution, adding to a small but perfectly formed library for the company launched by, among others, former Optimum and Studiocanal bigwig Danny Perkins. Wendy is the title, a new take on the Peter Pan story, as outlined by the company’s head of distribution Nick McKay, who said; “"We are thrilled to be releasing Benh Zeitlin's follow up to Beasts Of The Southern Wild with the UK blu ray release of Wendy, his magical realist take on the classic Peter Pan tale. Featuring a talented young cast lead by a wonderful performance by Devin France in the role of the eponymous heroine, viewers can escape with her to the film's incredible locations in an ageless story of never growing up that provides thrills for young and old alike.”
There’s a brace of titles due from Acorn in stores on Monday November 29, with the first outing of a new series especially created for its subscription video on demand service Acorn TV, the other a returning series that offers up a reboot of a classic property. New series first, and The Queens Of Mystery is explained by the company’s Helen Squire, who said: “Acorn TV commissioned Queens of Mystery for our SVOD service, and it’s been delighting our subscribers its launch in April last year. Monday sees the second series premiere on Acorn TV - and audiences will also be able to buy Series One on DVD for the first time. This acclaimed 'comic take on murder and mayhem' (Sunday Express) has already gained an Emmy-nomination and stars Julie Graham (Shetland), Siobhan Redmond (Unforgotten), Sarah Woodward (The Pale Horse) and Olivia Vinall (The Woman in White) as a young detective cracking cases with the interference of her three crime-writing aunts. Aim Publicity’s Debbie Murray has been promoting the show for Acorn TV from the beginning which has ensured that we have a beautifully integrated launch plan across the different areas of the business. We’re excited to bring this show to a new audience."
On to the second release from Acorn on Monday November 29 and it’s the second series of the new take on James Herriott’s adventures as a vet in Yorkshire. Again, Acorn’s head of marketing Helen Squire outlined the release, saying: “The All Creatures Great and Small reboot really is 'the comforting TV we all need' (The Guardian) and not only have audiences been catching up on Series 1 and watching Series 2 we’ve also seen them pre-ordering the DVDs with our retailers (thank you). There’s also a complete series 1 and 2 boxset which includes last year’s Christmas Special which will make the perfect gift. With another Christmas episode on the way next month we expect this series to keep on going.”
Over on social media and across the Internet, it being the final Friday of the month, as happens every four weeks or so, Arrow Video took to the digital soaked to announce its slate of titles for February. And here’s the company’s head of acquitted content Kevin Lambert to outline the releases due in the second month of 2022. He said: “Our February slate was revealed Friday afternoon, with everything from an 80s slasher oddity to a legendary Video Nasty and an Italian giallo classic, all topped off with some classic French cinema. First up a legendary title from the Video Nasties era, Joseph Ellison’s relentlessly bleak and disturbing Don’t Go In The House has lost none of its power to shock in the decades since it was first censored by the BBFC and seized by UK authorities. We have two variants available – a trade wide two-disc limited edition and an Arrow store exclusive version which recreates the original video nasty artwork and includes a third limited edition disc.Then from the master of horror Dario Argento comes Phenomena – one of his most eccentric and unique thrillers, featuring telepathic insects, maggots galore, and even a razor-wielding chimp! Again released in multiple version, this two-disc Limited Edition UHD will be released in three versions – tradewide two-disc version, an Arrow store, Amazon and Zavvi exclusive Arte Originale edition, and a two-disc Creepers edition featuring the classic Graham Humphreys Creepers artwork and title. All three are wrapped in a deluxe rigid slipcase and include a book, poster and art cards. Next out of the gate, a wonderful slasher starring Steve Railsback (famed for his unhinged performance as Charles Manson in 1976’s TV mini-series Helter Skelter) at his sinister best as a troubled Vietnam Vet in 1982’s Deadly Games - a tale of madness, murder and adultery from writer/director Scott Mansfied. Again there are two versions featuring different o-cards, the newly created artwork going trade wide and the original poster art available exclusively on the Arrow store.”
Continuing with its busy February slate, Arrow Video’s Kevin Lambert said: “If all that horror has you reaching for something a little less on the bloody side, we have Lies and Deceit: Five Films by Claude Chabrol. With brand new digital restorations, this inaugural Arrow Video collection of Claude Chabrol on Blu-ray brings together a wealth of passionate contributors and archival extras to shed fresh light on the films and the filmmaker. Dark, witty, ruthless, mischievous: if you’ve never seen Chabrol before, you’re in for a treat. If you have, they’ve never looked better. This five-disc limited edition box set, features a lengthy book and comes packed in a rigid slipcase. Finally, we come back to the gory stuff with a Zavvi exclusive 4K UHD of An American Werewolf in London, this super deluxe edition is certainly one for the mega fans coming packaged in a statuette featuring the iconic hand transformation. Stay tuned for more news on tradewide editions next year.”
Back to Arrow Video’s slasher release and it marks another first for Arrow as, following from its move into 4K and other areas, Don’t Go In The House is the first time the company has audio description on one of its titles. From what we’ve seen on social media, visually impaired people are crying out for this on classic and genre fare to go with big budget blockbuster audio description, and it’s good to see Arrow’s progressive move in this area. Marketing director Jerome Mazandarani said: One cool aspect of our February release of Don't Go in The House is that it contains audio description and we are very pleased with the end result. It's fantastic to be able to contribute a key horror title to the growing library of film content being adapted to AD for the VIP community (The visually impaired community). I hope this will be the first of many.”
Also announcing its wares for the month of February is the ever-busy independent Eureka and its Masters of Cinema and other imprints, with, as ever here on The Raygun, the company’s national accounts manager Marcus Garwood unveiling its titles due in the second month of 2022. He said: “Triad crime syndicates and an unfaithful wife make up the intriguing elements contained within our February films line-up. Our ongoing roster of lavishly presented martial arts gems continues apace as we present a two-disc limited edition set of Lau Kar-wing’s 1990 action crime comedy Skinny Tiger & Fatty Dragon. The film stars Sammo Hung (Millionaires Express, Encounters of the Spooky Kind) alongside Karl Maka (The Aces Go Places series) as a balding detective and his rotund partner who go up against a triad crime syndicate. The resultant fight sequences and physical comedy acts as a tribute to the films of Bruce Lee. It’s a double disc release with the second limited edition bonus disc containing I Am The White Tiger a 2018 documentary on the career of stuntman, martial artist, and action director Mark Houghton. Other limited edition elements of this release include an O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling, plus a collector’s booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver.”
Onto that unfaithful wife now as we bring 1921’s 243-minute German silent opus The Indian Tomb (Das indische Grabmal) to the Masters Of Cinema Series. The film is directed by Joe May (Asphalt); one of the founders of the German cinema and responsible for giving a certain Fritz Lang his first start in films by employing him as a screenwriter. Conrad Veidt (The Man Who Laughs, Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) stars as a dominating maharajah who commissions a German architect (Olaf Fønss) to build the most magnificent mausoleum ever constructed, where he intends to imprison his wife whilst she is still alive as a terrible revenge for her infidelity. The film is presented across two Blu-ray discs, fully restored in 2K and available for the first time ever in the UK.”
AT THE MOVIES
“Because I wanted to.” With those words, explaining the reasons behind his comeback, noted anime director Hayao Miyazaki announced he was returning to directing, with a new project in the works in his native Japan,. The creative force behind manga greats such as Spirited Away, who helped popularise the genre and made families look beyond Hollywood, is back in the seat overseeing a new project. It’s an adaptation of one of his favourite books, How Do You Live?, a tale of a boy who goes to live with his uncle in Tokyo following the death of his father. More is certain to be revealed in due course…
If films have taught us anything, it’s that when people go into space, they often struggle to differentiate between reality and fantasy and all kinds of weird stuff happens – see, if you will, the likes of Gravity and Moon for further proof. More will come in the sci-fi thriller Slingshot, a new picture that is set to star Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne. Filming is set to start next week…
After a brief hiatus, Midas Man, the film looking at Beatles manager Brian Epstein, the first (and most commonly agreed) “fifth Beatle” after director Jonas Akerlund exited the project. A new director has been appointed in the shape of Sara Sugarman, previously behind the camera for Confessions of A Teenage dDrama Queen. The Queen’s Gambit’s Jacob Fortune-Lloyd will star as Epstein, with a supporting cast including familiar Brit faces such as Eddie Marsan and Emily Watson. And now former talk show host Jay Leno has been added to the cast, starring as a, er, talk show host, Ed Sullivan, on whose show the Beatles effectively broke America in one fatal appearance. Among the film’s producers, incidentally, is former Lionsgate staffer and industry stalwart Nicola Pearcey.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Singing from the same hymn sheet…
Another souvenir…
Due as a Sky Original…
Bona fide video legend
Bone, Fido legends…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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