|
GHOSTS SCARES UP BIG NUMBERS
ZAVVI IN ADMINISTRATION… …AS SITE STOPS TRADING TRIBUTES PAID TO STAFFERS HMV TO EXIT OXFORD STREET… …HIGH COSTS CITED… …AS RETAILER HIGHLIGHTS STRONG FIGURES BASE NOMINATIONS RECAP… …GET READY FOR THE BIG NIGHT… …STUDIOCANAL LEADS THE WAY WHO WILL WIN? BASE LOOKS FORWARD TO EVENT RISING STAR AWARD SPIDER-MAN’S BRAND NEW RELEASE INSIDIOUS ADDS TO BUSY SONY SLATE THE ODYSSEY MAKES IT WAY TO HOMES COMEDY DVD RETURNS… …AS STEWART LEE HEADS TO STORES DRAC’S BACK CRITERION HAS THE RIGHT STUFF… …AS MIDNIGHT APPROACHES AND DELIVERANCE DELIVERS RADIANCE OUTLINES THREE MONTHS’ WORTH OF RELEASES HELL FOR EUREKA IN THE NEW YEAR SPOTTED OUT AND ABOUT
SUPPORT THE RAYGUN
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK 
If you can't read this newsletter or see the ads, please click here.
It’s been a good week for… Good to see Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House doing great business at the box office…
It’s been a bad week for… Director Edgar Wright, star Simon Pegg and the rest of the Spaced team, who seem pretty miffed about news the cult series that effectively launched their careers is getting a Blu-ray release without their knowledge or involvement. “Finding out about this on for the first time is... disheartening. I had been pushing to do a Blu-Ray of SPACED for years, so to find out that someone just went ahead without our involvement is.... a bummer. Not authorized by anyone involved in making the show. Finding out what happened as we speak...” More on this soon, we suspect…
We have been watching… We've caught up with the latest Spider-Man at home, and it looks a treat. There were also a whole host of London Film Festival titles, almost all of which were winners. And screenings too for Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House (see below), the excellent Godzilla Minus Zero (now at cinemas and well worth anyone’s time, can’t wait for the home ent release, especially if there’s a retooled black and white version on the disc, as there was for its predecessor) and reviewing loads for Film Stories. Keep up with our recent viewing here.
Starting with some positive news ahead of some grimmer tidings and good to see Lionsgate’s smart timing for its TV sitcom to feature film title Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House scoring big in its second weekend at cinemas, adding to its impressive opening haul (number one in its first weekend and a strong performance during half-term weekend), with its spooky theme giving it another bite of the cherry over the Halloween weekend taking its total receipts at UK cinemas up to around the £6.5 million mark. And it’s a thoroughly deserved box office too – we went with our late teens junior correspondent who also gave it a resounding thumbs up. Kids – and parents – including older teenagers and beyond have grown up not just with Ghosts on TV across its five series, but with the ensemble cast’s hugely popular Horrible Histories too, meaning Jim Howick, Simon Parnaby and co are instantly recognisable, and bankable names. Expect a long shelf life at cinemas and a huge home entertainment opportunity too. And don’t just take our word for it: as The Guardian said, “Often when British sitcoms get a spin-off what happens is the gag-to-runtime ratio dips. But breaking out of the 30-minute episode structure seems to have freed up the writers to unleash new levels of giddiness with added spoonfuls of silliness. The jokes keep coming, and it’s every bit as warm and comforting as on TV. To say anything about the plot would ruin the fun. (I watched with a nine-year-old who hooted throughout.) It really is a delight.
A terse statement on what was once the bustling and busy website for online retailer Zavvi went live on October 12, kicking off the week with the bad news that many in the industry had been fearing for some weeks, as rumours (and more) had continued to swirl around the business: the retailer had gone into administration. “Chris Skey and Kerry Bailey of BDO LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of ZavviGroup Ltd (the “Company”), which trades as Zavvi, on 12 October 2026,” read the notice, which while not entirely unexpected, surprised many with its swiftness and suddenness. It continued: “The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators. Administration is a formal insolvency process. As a result of the Company’s financial position, the Company has ceased trading with immediate effect. The Company is unable to fulfil any outstanding orders or pre-orders. Customers should not place any new orders through the Company’s website. Please also note that we are unable to accept any returns for items of any kind.”
It continued to note that customers who “have paid for goods that have not been received will be concerned about their orders and payments” and suggested they contact their banks, card issuer or relevant party and they may be protected there, adding that it had set up an email address (Zavvigroupltd@bdo.co.uk) to receive an FAQ sheet producing information about claiming from the administrators. Few expected it to end like this. Insiders say that even in the days before the announcement, it looked like a buyer might be found and the company might be saved, but the deal was believed to have collapsed on the Friday before the announcement. And many thought that the company would trade through the administration, not least to dispose of stock and try and monetise what assets Zavvi had, rather than what actually happened – the closure of the site. More on this in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, The Raygun would like to pay tribute to the staffers, both past and present, at Zavvi, whose genuine enthusiasm for the business and the product they were selling, notably for physical media in film, was palpable. For long-established industry observers, the passion for the product has always set apart the great retailers from the so-so ones, and Zavvi staffers had a genuine love for what they were doing. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by the company’s woes.
Chief among those affected is Zavvi’s Steve Cook, a long-time supporter of The Raygun’s and, as everyone in the industry will acknowledge, a thoroughly decent person. He’s currently exploring opportunities in and around the industry and can be contacted on stevecook0161@gmail.com, he’ll be able to put you in touch with other staffers too. Among those paying tribute to Cook was ERA chief Kim Bayley, who said: “We are extremely saddened to hear the news about Zavvi. The business has been a valued part of the UK entertainment retail landscape, and our thoughts are particularly with its employees, and everyone affected by last week’s announcement. We would also like to pay special tribute to Steve Cook, who has been a valued member of the ERA Board. Steve has made an important contribution to our work, bringing insight, experience and a genuine passion for entertainment retail. We are enormously grateful for his support, commitment and contribution over the years. This is a blow for the physical entertainment industry where Zavvi had carved out a unique position in entertainment retail, particularly through its focus on collectible and exclusive products that appealed to passionate fans and collectors.”
Meanwhile, also in retail, and a move that led to some lazy assumptions about the future of physical media, was news about hmv’s decision to exit its 363 Oxford Street flagship store just a few years after returning to its spiritual home on London’s busiest shopping thoroughfare. The outlet had, of course, been synonymous with the retailer for a century or so, The retailer was there for much of the 20th century, then exited to move over the road to another more practical site around 2000 or so. It left Oxford Street altogether during its financial difficulties at the end of the last decade before returning to its original home after the business’ saviour Doug Putman stepped in to save the high street giant. And while certain negative voices might be trying to paint its current departure as a further signpost of issues at the retailer, hmv's exit is down to one of the biggest problems faced by retailers at locations around the country – soaring rents. It’s been suggested that landlords who owned the prime retail location wanted to double the rent, which would, hmv admitted, have made the business “unviable”. Anyone with any knowledge of the wider retail business will confirm that rental costs are rocketing, alongside hefty increases in energy bills and other costs, making physical retail and increasingly risky business.
While whispers and snide remarks may have been spotted across social media, hmv has been not just forthright in its comments about its business and open about its viability and the future of high street retail. While naysayers and conspiracy theorists will have enjoyed the move, the retailer has been clear. Phil Halliday, managing director of hmv, said: “This is a special store, it’s where we began 100 years ago and bringing it back to life in 2023 was a big moment in our recent history. It’s frustrating that it has been made commercially unviable. However, we are looking ahead, and our focus is now on what we do to make exciting steps for hmv in 2027." hmv’s Halliday noted that the Oxford Street closure plans come despite robust trading, with like-for-like sales up 15 per cent across the group in the first nine months of 2026 and revenues for both shops and online trading set to total more than £240 million this year, up from £212 million in 2025. The group said it remained committed to high street stores. Halliday added: “We hope to redeploy affected team members through other London stores and head office roles and are exploring ways to minimise the impact on jobs while we seek a new flagship site. We’re actively looking for a new location in the West End and are determined to give London a store that music fans can be proud of,” he added. The sister FOPP store in Covent Garden will remain (and it’s still one of London’s finest outlets.)
Right, it’s the BASE Awards tonight, almost certainly the biggest event in the industry’s calendar, which takes place at its new home of The Londoner in Leicester Square. it’s worth reminding our readers about the nominees and shortlisted companies and titles due to pick up awards. There are 17 categories in all, including the new Best In Class SteelBook one, which, the organisation said, “recognises the creativity and craft behind one of the sector’s most distinctive premium formats”. Leading the way with another record haul of nominations is Studiocanal, with 12 in all, five of which came from one film alone, I Swear, with nods in the Best In Class Producers Award and Best In Class Social/PR categories, as well as two Campaign Of The Year categories, one for Independent Film and the other for New Release Film Up To £15m Box Office and a further nomination in the Social Impact award too. Its other nominations took in numerous Best In Class categories, such as Blu-ray 4K (for Hearts Of Darkness Collector’s Edition), Bonus Features (Dead Of Night Collector’s Edition and The New Avengers Series 1&2), and Packaging & Artwork (The Agatha Christie Collection and Ran Collector’s Edition), SteelBooks (Luc Besson). Ran also picked up another nomination in Campaign Of The Year for Catalogue.
Other big winners included Warner with seven, two of which came alongside three time nominee, hmv, both for the pair’s Superman partnership, which were nominated in in Commercial & Audience Engagement Initiative of the Year and Creative Initiative of the Year with further nominations for Ben Hur 4K in Best In Class Blu-ray and A Nightmare On Elm Street Collection in Best In Class SteelBook and three in Campaign of the Year categories (one for One Battle After Another in New Release Film: Up to £15m Box Office, Sinners in Over £15m Box Office and Specialist & TV for A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms). Universal and Paramount had six apiece. The former boasted Best In Class nominations in Social/PR (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale) and Video Asset (Jurassic World Rebirth) categories, with the latest Jurassic outing picking up another nomination in the Campaign of the Year for New Release Film: Over £15m Box Office, while Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale also recognised in the Commercial & Audience Engagement Initiative of the Year. Two Universal titles, Black Phone 2 and Wicked For Good were nominated in the Social Impact Award. Paramount’s nominations were for The Warriors (Best In Class Packaging & Artwork), The Running Man talent Tour (alongside Elevation in the Best In Class Social/PR category), Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Best In Class SteelBook Case), Primate (Best In Class: Video Asset) (and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Campaign of the Year for New Release Film: Over £15m Box Office and for its corporate volunteering partnership with Hestia in the Social Impact category.
The BFI scored an impressive four nods, taking in Best in Class: Bonus Features (La Haine), Best in Class: Producers Award (Battleship Potemkin rescored by Pet Shop Boys), Campaign of the Year for Catalogue (Slade In Flame) and Campaign of the Year for Specialist & TV (Cinema Expanded: The Films of Frederick Wiseman). Also earning four nominations were Sky Store – these included one in Best in Class: Insights for its Premiere Pricing initiative, where it’s going up against AI Strategy Planner from Looper Insights; Commercial & Audience Engagement Initiative of the Year for its Best of 2025 Campaign; Creative Initiative of the Year for its Jurassic World Rebirth campaign and Digital Retailer of the Year, where it is battling it out against Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google and Rakuten TV. Three nods went to the sales experts at Spirit, now looking after, among others, the physical media releases for Universal. Two of its nominations were for its work on titles from the studio – Best in Class: SteelBook for The Wild Robot Ultimate Collector’s Edition and Best in Class: Packaging & Artwork for Back to the Future 40th Anniversary Editions – with a further nomination for Campaign of the Year for Specialist & TV for its 50th anniversary editions of The Sweeney, partnership with Old Gold Media and Fetch PR. Also picking up a trio were Vertigo (Campaign of the Year for Catalogue for Dogma: Resurrected! A 25th Anniversary Celebration; Campaign of the Year for Independent Film for Dead of Winter and Commercial & Audience Engagement Initiative of the Year for the launch of its Visions Home Video physical media imprint) and Sony, for Commercial & Audience Engagement Initiative of the Year for Rediscovering Hidden Gems, Campaign of the Year for New Release Film: Up to £15m Box Office for GOAT and Best in Class: Video Asset for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Agency DnA picked up two nominations for its work with Sony on One of Them Days and
Sisu: Road to Revenge in the Best in Class: Social/PR category.
There were two nominations for Lionsgate titles, with one of the year’s biggies at cinemas and at home, The Housemaid, nominated for Campaign of the Year for New Release Film: Over £15m Box Office and another, Now You See Me Now You Don’t nominated in Campaign of the Year for New Release Film: Up to £15m Box Office. In the Physical Retailer of the Year category, the aforementioned hmv sits alongside amazon.co.uk, Frontline and Rarewaves. There are a trio of nominees in agency of the year, taking in Silk Factory, WLP Vision and OC, the latter creative agency also picking up a nod in the
Comment on this lot came from BASE chief executive Liz Bales who said: “The shortlist captures an industry at its most inventive – ambitious in its thinking, meticulous in its execution and constantly finding new ways to connect audiences with the entertainment they love. What stands out is not only the quality of the individual entries, but the depth of collaboration behind them, across distributors, retailers, agencies, creatives and partners. Congratulations to every finalist. We are hugely looking forward to bringing the industry together at our new venue, The Londoner, and giving this exceptional work the celebration it deserves.”
Keep an eye out too for the Rising Star award. These are the next generation of industry staffers who will drive the business forward into the future and each of those shortlisted, BASE said, was recognised as “a future leader who consistently goes above and beyond to drive their organisation forward, supports and elevates colleagues, and contributes to the advancement of the wider Home Entertainment industry”. Those on the shortlist include Vertigo Releasing’s Abby Phippen, Catarina dos Santos from Paramount Pictures, Gary Rawlings at Spirit Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Georgia Carr and Kayleigh Stevens from SKY Store. BASE chief executive Liz Bales said: "This shortlist is a brilliant reflection of the talent coming through our industry. What stood out across the nominations was not only the impact these individuals are already making within their organisations, but the way they support their colleagues, bring others with them and contribute to the wider sector. Those are the qualities of future leaders. Congratulations to Abby, Catarina, Gary, Georgia and Kayleigh. We look forward to celebrating with them at The Londoner in November.”
Meanwhile, October was a busy month for Sony Pictures’ home entertainment arm, with a brace of big digital releases landing on the same day. First up was one of the biggest films of the year in the shape of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the blockbuster film arriving as a home premiere. The film is a bona fide box office behemoth, raking in an almighty £99.8 million at the UK box office, a figure just short of the magic £100 million mark and making it the third highest theatrical gross ever at cinemas on these shores. Its global total now stands at some $2.5 billion, a huge haul, and its arrival on home formats will be eagerly awaited by Spider-fans and comes just as the film starts dropping out of cinemas (although it’s still playing at some multiplexes. The physical media release was announced at the same time as the buy or rent home premiere release, with a December 14 date earmarked for the 4K UHD, Blu-ray and standard DVD SKUs, with further specials, such as an HMV Steelbook exclusive for the 4K UHD. No word yet on the extras…
Released at the same time is Insidious: Out Of The Further, the latest in the ongoing horror franchise that has now been going for some 15 years or so. And for such a well-established franchise, it’s picked up some strong reviews into this, the sixth film in the series, not least from Empire. The magazine’s review said: “Director Jacob Chase creates some atmospheric set-pieces that feel tangible in their terror, and delivers the well-crafted jump scares that Insidious fans have come to expect. There are definitely moments here that rival the iconic shock of the Lipstick-face Demon from the first film, but there's more devious dread here too. doesn’t reinvent the franchise, but when it leans into its eerie set‑pieces and fresh family dynamic, it delivers exactly the kind of polished, popcorn‑friendly terror that fans come for”. It further added (and we’re quoting in full here as the language is important, not just for the granular detail and wording signifies its importance as a home entertainment release, but also the strategy and, one would suspect, the close involvement of director Nolan, who has real attention to detail across formats): “Get exclusive access on digital retail platforms and on 4k Ultra HD and Blu-ray on November 18 2026, months before [it’s] available on subscription streaming services.”
Sandwiched between the recent home premiere release of Spider-Man Brand New Day and its December physical media bow comes what will certainly be vying with the web-crawling blockbuster to be the year’s biggest home entertainment title across physical formats and digital – Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. As the announcement for the November 18 bow for the title noted, Christopher Nolan’s cinematic triumph makes its journey home”, adding: “With more than 90 minutes of exclusive special features you can only experience at home taking you behind the scenes of the making of this epic film”. The title, which has become not just Nolan’s biggest ever worldwide hit, but Universal’s too (current UK box office is just shy of £90 million), has been the year’s most talked about film, boasts and all-star cast and the game release contains a wealth of extras. Of course, the announcement added that 4K is the best way to see it – again, one senses the hand of Nolan in helping push this factor – and the collection of special features is equally impressive, with Nolan overseeing these too, ensuring impeccable standards. The list is endless, but there are 12 “in-depth” special features available, which take in every aspect of production, including exclusive behind the scenes material and thoughts from Nolan and his cast and crew. The announcement added: “Together, these pieces showcase the artistry, innovation, and craftsmanship behind the landmark adaptation of Homer’s legendary tale.” They include Plotting A Course (how Nolan set about adapting the classic tale into a digestible film); Icons (casting, costume, hair, and makeup); The Widest Window (how Nolan turned his dream into reality`); On Location (shot, as the name suggestions, on location); The Horse (how the Trojan Horse was made a reality for the screen); The Fall OF Troy (on the vast set piece)l Ithaca (building castle in Italy); Battle Ready (how Matt Damon, Tom Holland and stunt workers created the combat scenes); Apparent Magic (the creation of the special and visual effects); The Sea People (creating the ships and sea battles); The Score (on the soundtrack); Bringing It Home (on how the post-production, editing and sound design got it screen ready; The Journey Of Film On The Odyssey (with Nolan talking about the filmmaking process once filming was finished), the exclusive IMAX prologue, a music video and trailers.
Those with a long memory will remember the days of Q4 comedy DVDs, when the shelves were awash with scores of different live stand-up releases featuring all manner of comedians. The VVL imprint (previously known as Virgin Vision) pioneered this going right back to the first Billy Connolly live outings and they became a Q4 staple throughout the 90s and 2000s for the gifting market. Many comedians have now migrated to streaming, where they get big upfront cheques, although there are still releases available for physical media fans to buy and receive as presents. But it’s interesting to see a new kind of stand-up release. Stewart Lee, who should need little or no introduction, has collaborated with magazine and book operator Weird Walk to release a DVD of some of his previous live outings. Under the heading of “DVDs, yesterday’s technology, today!”, Weird Walk has unveiled a first ever DVD of Basic Lee, Stewart Lee’s first post-lockdown live show, which comes as a double disc set in a limited edition “book-back” format, complete with a 20-page essay and liner notes by the comic. One disc features the live set recorded at the Lowry in Salford on DVD, the second is a CD, Basic Leads, which features an “80-minute audio archive of work-in-progress, abandoned routines, early versions of key sections, political material lost to time and one-off exchanges that existed only in the room”. It’s available at standard retail as well as Weird Walks own shop, and sees the brand further expanding into physical media alongside its books and a soon-to-be-released triple album from Julian Cope.
There’s more too – it’s the first release in The Comedian Collection, which, Weird Walk said, is a “13-release archival publishing series of deluxe double-disc hardback book-style packages, forming a complete library of Stewart’s live shows and Comedy Vehicle TV series, plus work-in-progress material. Designed and art-directed by WEIRD WALK, The Comedian Collection will be an exclusive, cohesive assemblage of the finished shows, the hidden workings, and the material left behind: archived.” Meanwhile, Stewart Lee himself is helping spearhead the campaign for the release and helping the DVD get into stores that don’t usually stock this kind of release, notably record shops, by heading off around the UK to do PAs and signings in selected stores. The mini tour has already been to Rough Trade in Nottingham and hmv in Birmingham, with Brighton, London and Bristol still to come.
Hammer Films, now under the stewardship of John Gore Studios, is continuing with its ongoing efforts to mine its vaults of horror films and more and bring them back in to the public eye and latest to get the treatment is Dracula. The classic early Hammer iteration of the Bram Stoker tale sees Christopher Lee effectively making the role of the Prince of Darkness its very own, was originally released in 1958 and has been “painstakingly restored” by Hammer Films and Silver Salt Restoration working with Warner. What’s more, out has also seen once excised material – too shocking for the UK and US audiences, but included in its Japanese release – now put back in, the first time it’s been seen in full on these shores. It played at more than 100 cinemas around the UK, giving the perfect platform for a weighty home entertainment release in November. This will see a 4K limited edition collector’s set landing with a thump in stores – spread across seven discs (two 4K UHD ones, five Blu-rays) it will include five different versions of the film, with new 5.1 mixes and the original mono versions, as well as a raft of extras, including three documentaries. As if that wasn’t enough, the set also includes a 200-page book, 60-page comic, artcards and more, and all come wraps up in a “high-end, leather-feel slipcase with debossed foil titling” and a rigid inner box. Hammer Films and John Gore Studios executive chairman John Gore said: “Dracula changed horror forever. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing created iconic performances that still define the genre, and this restoration brings audiences closer than ever to the film as it was originally intended to be seen. Seeing the long-lost director’s cut finally return to cinemas feels like the right way to celebrate one of Britain's greatest ever horror films.”
SPOTTED OUT AND ABOUT
We've been seeing Ghosts for the last few weeks and, unlike the series and current film biggie, we're pretty sure loads of other people have seen them too…
Some more product announcements and the Criterion label under Spirit’s stewardship continues to bring a varied slate of titles to market. Its December package on the way features a typically broad range of titles from the edge of the earth to Alaska and Budapest. Here's Spirit's JP Partridge outlining the month. He said: "A genuine favourite of mine sees a long awaited 4k re-release with Philip Kaufman’s 1983 epic The Right Stuff, an astonishing account of the space race with an enviable cast that includes Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Hershey and Lance Henriksen. Jeff Goldblum and Harry Shearer even turn up as NASA recruiters. From one American dream to another, Grizzly Man is Werner Herzog’s frankly unforgettable study of Timothy Treadwell, a self-styled environmentalist who, for thirteen summers, lived among grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness, forging an intense bond with the animals and ultimately losing his life to one of them. It is a strange, profound and affecting experience. A palate cleanser to all this heady stuff rounds of the month in the form of The Shop Around the Corner, a delightful confection starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan that provided the inspiration for You’ve Got Mail. Set at Christmas, this stunning 4k presentation makes a perfect companion to It’s a Wonderful Life as the season of goodwill approaches."
On to January and Spirit’s JP Partridge takes up the story, outlining the first releases of the year from the company. He said: “Criterion kicks off 2027 with two defining American films from the very end of the countercultural Sixties and the very start of the disillusioned Seventies that belong in every serious cinephiles collection on 4k for the first time. Both are bleak visions of America but the friendships at the heart of them offer a glimmer of hope. John Schelsinger’s Midnight Cowboy won three Academy Awards (still the only X-rated picture to win an Oscar) and while neither were for Best Actor, Hoffman and Voight are simply mesmerising here. Voight is also excellent in John Boorman’s Deliverance, a grim horror film oft misinterpreted on release as an adventure film. Watching it today, it feels more like a Hollywood version of Wes Craven’s ultra-indie, Last House on the Left, made in the same year! Both films are simply essential.”
A trio of announcements from Radiance as we cover off the next three months’ worth of releases from the thriving independent imprint, which has also taken other labels under its umbrella, taking us into the New Year. Here’s the company’s Bruno Savill de Jong on its November titles: “We were delighted with the response to our November releases, particularly the eagerly anticipated second volume of Radical Japan. This collection focuses on Shohei Imamura, bringing together six of his films, including three classics presented on UHD alongside his first three features. We’ve also been thrilled by the positive reactions to Simone Barbès or Virtue, a thrilling and atmospheric portrait of Parisian nightlife. There was particular excitement around A Free Woman and its director Vittorio Cottafavi, an under-appreciated filmmaker whose melodramas inspires a particularly devoted following. And, of course, there was the 4K UHD upgrade of an early, riotous Radiance title, Miami Blues. November also sees three titles outside the Radiance label. We’re excited to bring Nadja to 4K UHD following its recent premiere at Cinema Rediscovered; Mulberry Street, a turn towards the gritty world of New York independent horror filmmaking from Chasms; and The Ghost, marking the return of the Raro Video label with a classic Gothic Eurohorror title, also presented on UHD.
On to December for Radiance and Bruno Savill de Jong continued: “As the year comes to a close, we've offered a smaller selection of titles for December's announcements, but no less exciting or impactful. OSSESSIONE is Visconti's debut, a proto-erotic thriller which was banned and censored upon initial release and has lost none of its sensual power. Similarly, THE TEACHER FROM VIGEVANO offers a look at an early work from Elio Petri, teetering between humour and tragedy in a bittersweet commedia all'italiana with a new 4K restoration by StudioCanal. Also available for December pre-order are a UHD upgrade of Petri's work A QUIET PLACE IN THE COUNTRY, and via Transmission, the seminal blaxploitation heist-thriller ACROSS 110TH STREET (also on UHD) that delves into the gritty racial and territorial divisions of 1970s NYC with memorable character actors (Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto star as assigned detective partners), an influential soundtrack and fantastic location shooting.”
And finally, from Radiance, on to 2027. “We're happy to be launching into a new year with our January title announcements,” said the company’s Bruno Savill de Jong. “Following on from previous releases from Kon Ichikawa, we're pleased to showcase Punishment Room. A vital part of the nascent Japanese New Wave, the film remains both controversial and relevant for its depiction of amoral young men. We also have not one but two films about presidential assassinations this month. I. For Icarus is a chilling conspiracy thriller, with Yves Montand investigating a motorcade shooting inspired by the JFK assassination, while we head to Finland for Farewell, Mr. President, an explosive Eurothriller restored from the original negative that takes the perspective of a would-be assassin as he seeks to 'correct' what he deems wrong with the world. Plus, from Transmission, we have the hit cult film Miracle Mile – a potent blend of one-crazy-night excess and nightmarish Cold War paranoia – which includes a new 4K restoration for a world premiere on UHD. All of these (save the Transmission release) are also available on our 2027 Membership, which has just opened, and we're already seeing several members, old and new, racing to join.”
And for the last word in boutique label announcements, the originators at Eureka have a few goodies up their collective sleeves with a clutch of classics pulled together across two releases to kick off the new year Here’s the company’s national accounts manager Marcus Garwood, who said: “We open our 2027 release schedule with a couple of January essentials which will be a perfect fit for the season. First up we have a double bill set from the inimitable cult maestro Larry Cohen, namely Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem. Quintessential examples of 1970s exploitation cinema, Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem are bona fide cult classics – and launched Larry Cohen’s career in the director’s chair, setting him on the path to It’s Alive, Q – The Winged Serpent, The Stuff and The Ambulance. The release is limited to 2,000 copies and will feature a limited edition O-card slipcover featuring new artwork by Sam Gilbey, plus a collector’s booklet featuring writing on Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem and the blaxploitation genre by Mikel J. Koven, author of Blaxploitation Films. Our second release for 2027 is a very special limited edition three-disc 4K Ultra HD SteelBook of Jackie Chan and Stanley Tong's Police Story Trilogy. Featuring some of the most dangerous stunts ever performed on camera, the Police Story trilogy represents the pinnacle of Jackie Chan’s unique style of Hong Kong action filmmaking. A dazzling blend of gritty action cop drama, impeccably choreographed martial arts sequences and bone-crunching stunt work, this series of films revitalised the Hong Kong action genre and established Jackie Chan as a worldwide superstar. Protected by SteelBook case packaging (featuring new artwork by Robert Bruno) the set contains all three films in the series on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. The run will be limited to 2,000 units, so very early pre ordering is essential on this collector’s edition."
 The Raygun, is more than 15 years old and continues to report on the home entertainment industry and its ever-changing face. To ensure we can continue to bring you the latest news, opinion and analysis from a business we love and care passionately about, you can support our independent journalism by donating to us via Ko-fi… Thank you.
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
Let them watch docs
Ebenezer, good?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-n-lqKVr78
Therwulf (yes, we will keep making this joke)
An actual thing
Narnia Business
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZgB5D74ivc
“Folk always find a way to cope”
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 | |
| | ||