Monday, July 31, 2017

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 35th Anniversary Gift Set Coming to Blu-ray and 4K on 9/12


STEVEN SPIELBERG’S TIMELESS CLASSIC CELEBRATES 35 YEARS AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST BELOVED FILMS 


E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
35th ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION GIFT SET


AVAILABLE WITH 4K UHD AND BLU-RAY™ ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2017
FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT

In 1982, acclaimed director Steven Spielberg created iconic movie magic with his classic film, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the unforgettable and emotional adventure of an adorable alien lost on Earth and the lonely boy who befriends him. Winner of four Academy Awards®, including Best Music, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial has become a cinematic touchstone for generations of moviegoers and one of the most beloved films of all time. Now, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates the film’s original theatrical release with a special gift set, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 35th Anniversary Limited Edition on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray™ + Digital available on September 12, 2017. This special gift set features premium packaging, includes a re-mastered CD soundtrack of the original Grammy Award®-winning album, is packed with over three hours of bonus features and includes a collector’s booklet with behind-the-scenes stories and rare images from the archives. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 35th Anniversary Limited Edition retains all the excitement, drama and warm-hearted humor that made it an instant worldwide classic.

Fans can also relive the adventure and magic of one of the most beloved motion pictures of all-time, with the 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack along with the new Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD editions that showcase new artwork of the beloved cast on September 12, 2017. All releases include  a code to redeem the film on Digital plus over three hours of bonus features such as deleted scenes and revealing interviews that bring back the film’s humor, suspense and wonder, making this a must-own movie for everyone’s library.

Captivating audiences of all ages, this timeless story follows the unforgettable journey of a lost alien and the 10-year-old boy he befriends. Join Elliot (Henry Thomas), Gertie (Drew Barrymore) and Michael (Robert MacNaughton) as they come together to help E.T. find his way home. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is “one of the great American films” (Leonard Maltin) that forever belongs in the hearts and minds of audiences everywhere.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial returns to movie theaters nationwide for a two day cinema event on Sunday, September 17, and Wednesday, September 20. These special event screenings will feature an exclusive commentary from TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz. Tickets and participating theaters are available at www.FathomEvents.com.


BONUS FEATURES on BLU-RAY™ and DVD:
The E.T. Journals - Retrace the day-to-day experience of creating E.T from behind-the-scenes footage shot by Academy Award®-winning cinematographer John Toll.  
Steven Spielberg & E.T. - Watch an interview with Steven Spielberg, as he reflects back on the film and discusses his experience working with the actors, as well as his overall and current perspective on E.T.
The Music of E.T.: A Discussion with John Williams - Interviews and footage focused on the long-standing relationship between John Williams and Steven Spielberg.
Designs, Photographs and Marketing of E.T
E.T. Designs by Production Illustrator Ed Verreaux
E.T. Designs by Carlo Rambaldi
Spaceship Designs by Ralph McQuarrie
Designs by Production Illustrator Ed Verreaux
Production Photographs
Marketing E.T. A Look Back - A special insider’s look into the making of E.T. featuring interviews with Steven Spielberg, the cast, and others intimately involved with the film.     
The E.T. Reunion - The cast and filmmaker reunite to discuss their thoughts on the impact of the film.
The 20th Anniversary Premiere - Composer John Williams played the score of E.T. live at the Shrine Auditorium for the re-release premiere of E.T.   This featurette gives us a behind the scenes look at this presentation.
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Malcolm McDowell's Shocking Rock-n-Roll Thriller/Horror Film


AMERICAN SATAN!


From the son of legendary Academy Award winning director John Avildsen (ROCKY, THE KARATE KID) comes the highly anticipated supernatural thriller AMERICAN SATAN, and its new trailer just reached over two million views in less than 2 days. AMERICAN SATAN is shaping up to be the next rock-n-roll classic, starring Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), BooBoo Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past),Mark Boone Jr. (Sons of Anarchy), Andy Biersack(Black Veiled Brides), and John Bradley (Game Of Thrones). In theaters everywhere on Friday, October 13th, we'd love to set up an interview with director & writer Ash Avildsen and/or the film's stars (depending on availability) to discuss the evil twists and turns within.   

Please view the new trailer here: AMERICAN SATAN TRAILER 


Set in the land of dreams, AMERICAN SATAN tells the story of a young rock band, half from England half from the US, who move to the Sunset Strip to chase their music dreams.  Living in a van, their passion and talent exceed their means to survive when an enigmatic stranger (Malcolm McDowell) preys on the emotional turmoil lead singer Johnny Faust (Andy Biersack) finds himself in turmoil after learning of his mother's (Denise Richards) illness.  Manipulating this time of weakness for the band, he offers them a deal that will set them on a path of fame, fortune, and ultimately dark destruction. Caught in the middle of a pact with the devil himself, their music and controversial  altercations end up influencing society beyond anything this century has seen.


Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Embark on a Musical Pilgramage to the Deep South to Visit with America's Last Generation of Blues Devils in the Acclaimed Doc I AM THE BLUES, on DVD/Digital HD on 8/8

"An engaging, must-see documentary." 
-- Melinda Newman, Billboard

"Heartache never sounded so good." 
-- Chris Knight, National Post

EMBARK ON A MUSICAL PILGRIMAGE TO THE DEEP SOUTH
AND VISIT AMERICA'S LAST GENERATION OF BLUES DEVILS
IN THE ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARY

I AM THE BLUES


Directly following its national theatrical release, this feature-length doc - which captured the "Best Feature-Length Documentary" and "Best Cinematography" honors at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards -- 
Will Arrive on DVD and Digital HD on August 8, 2017

This August, hit the road with Film Movement for a vibrant, reverential, and nostalgic musical tour of the juke joints, back roads, and church halls of the Mississippi Delta with Daniel Cross' feature-length documentary, I AM THE BLUES.  Diving deep into America's last generation of blues devils, the film takes the audience on an enthralling journey through the swamps of the Louisiana Bayou, the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta, and moonshine-soaked BBQs in North Mississippi Hill Country to visit with many unsung living legends of blues, including 83-year old Bobby Rush - whose latest recording, "Porcupine Meat," won him his first GRAMMY Award for Traditional Blues Album in February. 
 
Following its national theatrical release, I AM THE BLUES, an official selection of Hot Docs International Film Festival and South by Southwest, will be available to documentary and music aficionados on DVD and Digital HD on all leading platforms. The DVD features 30 minutes of deleted scenes, including interviews and performance footage.
 
Crisscrossing unseen byways and back roads, I AM THE BLUES highlights a generation of veteran blues musicians rooted from the genre's heyday, many of whom are now in their 80s, still living in the American deep south and touring the Chitlin' Circuit, including Barbara Lynn, Little Freddie King, Lazy Lester, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Bilbo Walker, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, RL Boyce, LC Ulmer and Lil' Buck Sinegal.  I AM THE BLUES is directed by award-winning writer-director Daniel Cross, a multi-disciplined filmmaker who also produced the award-winning Canadian films UP THE YANGTZE and LAST TRAIN HOME.
 
Daniel Eagan of Film Journal International calls I AM THE BLUES "pure magic" and says, "For blues fans, these are irreplaceable moments." And Barry Kerzner of American Blues Scene says, "This movie should not be missed. It is a gift on so many levels....this is an invaluable glimpse into the past, and a living record of the blues as it was, and as these greats lived it." 
 





Tuesday, July 25, 2017

A Rare Glimpse at Johnny Cash Through His Longtime Manager's Eyes


NEW BOOK REVEALS THE UNTOLD STORY OF JOHNNY CASH’S LONG-TIME MANAGER SAUL HOLIFF

In 1973, at the zenith of Johnny Cash’s career, his manager of thirteen years quit. Until now, no one knew why.
Before there was Johnny and June, there was Johnny and Saul. THE MAN WHO CARRIED CASH chronicles a relationship that was both volatile and affectionate between Johnny Cash and his manager Saul Holiff. From roadside taverns to the roaring crowds at Madison Square Garden, from wrecked cars and jail cells all the way to the White House, the story of Johnny and Saul is a portrait of two men from different worlds who were more alike than either cared to admit.
After Holiff’s death his son discovered a key to a storage locker, revealing a whole other side to Cash: Holiff kept a meticulous record of his life—which included audio diaries as well as taped phone calls with Cash. In addition to audiotapes, Holiff’s personal archive included hundreds of letters and photos and rare magazine and newspaper clippings, which give insight and perspective that interviewing people decades after the fact does not.
THE MAN WHO CARRIED CASH explores the dizzying success and rock-bottom depths the Cash-Holiff partnership faced over two decades, and reveals the differences that eventually pulled them apart. The book sheds light on several facets of Johnny Cash's legacy, including:
  • Offering rare new material on the musical idol, illuminating a previously unknown but major side of his professional and personal life
  • Exploring one of the least-known but most influential men in music; Holiff was one of the first promoters of many rock n’ roll artists such as Bill Haley, Paul Anka, Little Richard, Carl Perkins and Buddy Holly. He also managed Tommy Hunter and June Carter
  • Presenting not only an in-depth exploration of the relationship between a famous client and his manager, but of two men faced with a variety of inner demons and conflicts
Part memoir/part showbiz drama due to the incredible fireworks the two shared, THE MAN WHO CARRIED CASH is the most in-depth and insider look at the unlikely, rocky relationship between an American country superstar and his straitlaced business manager!

THE MAN WHO CARRIED CASH
Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash, and the Making
of an American Icon
by Julie Chadwick
Dundurn Press
June 20, 2017

Monday, July 24, 2017

CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER | Theatrical Doc starring Tom Hanks & John Mayer In Theaters Beginning Aug 18th


CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER is a documentary portrait of artists, writers, and collectors who remain steadfastly loyal to the typewriter as a tool and muse, featuring Tom Hanks, John Mayer, David McCullough, Sam Shepard, and others.It also movingly documents the struggles of California Typewriter, one of the last standing repair shops in America dedicated to keeping the aging machines clicking.In the process, the film delivers a thought-provoking meditation on the changing dynamic between humans and machines, and encourages us to consider our own relationship with technology, old and new, as the digital age’s emphasis on speed and convenience redefines who’s serving whom, human or machine?


Those who haven’t adjusted ecstatically to all the wonders of modern technology will revel in the unorthodox and delightful documentary California Typewriter, one of the major discoveries at this year’s Telluride Film Festival...a loving valentine to all the iconoclasts who resist what the rest of the world defines as progress.” - Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter

“If California Typewriter doesn’t make you cry, laugh or experience an unexpected desire to bear hug actor Tom Hanks, call the police: Someone has stolen your heart and ability to recognize genuine soulfulness.”  - Lou Fancher, Oakland Tribune 

“Pure Typewriter Heaven”  - Don DeLillo


Sunday, July 23, 2017

JAWS and ELVIRA Collections On Sale from Fright-Rags


Jaws & Elvira collections on sale now from Fright-Rags
Shop now at Fright-Rags.com

Fright-Rags' ever-growing line of horror apparel has two exciting additions. Expand your summer wardrobe with Jaws apparel and prepare for the fast-approaching Halloween season with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark shirts.



You're gonna need a bigger closet for Fright-Rags' Jaws collection. There are three new shirt designs - comic book-style art by Timothy Lim, a mechanical shark crew shirt by Christopher Franchi, and an ominous piece by Dan Mumford - and five enamel pins, including the iconic poster artwork with sliding shark action. Four older Jaws shirts have been reprinted as well.

Fright-Rags busts out a collection dedicated to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. It consists of three shirts by Ralf Krause featuring the likeness of Cassandra Peterson as the beloved horror hostess. Select designs are available as tank tops and baseball tees as well.

Jaws and Elvira collections are on sale now at Fright-Rags.com. Quantities are limited.


Saturday, July 22, 2017

ADIOS, MOTHERFUCKER by Michael Ruffino (Anthony Boudain/Ecco; On-sale August 29)


ONE BAND. 250,000 MILES. METAL. 
From Anthony Bourdain and Ecco comes ADIOS, MOTHERFUCKER: A Gentleman’s Progress Through Rock and Roll (Anthony Bourdain/Ecco On-sale August 29, 2017)

The riotous and unbridled confessions of a Michael Ruffino, a debauched veteran of the 80’s hair-metal nostalgia circuit. An incendiary memoir, now updated and expanded from the version published in 2004 as Gentlemanly Repose!

With Ruffino on bass, The Unband emerged from the suburbs of late ‘80’s New England and drank, drugged, crashed, and burned their way across the United States. On the brink of the new century and with the help of their dominatrix manager, a drug-dealing patron bent on revolution, and a willful record executive or two, the band got their big break, in a collapsing music industry where boy-band pop ruled and rock music had been declared dead. ADIOS, MOTHERFUCKER is the epic chronicle of the Unband’s experience drinking, fighting, and playing loud music with ‘80s metal bands like Dio and Def Leppard, decades after their heyday. Into the volatile mix, the Unband brought illegal pyrotechnics, a giant red inflatable hand for making giant inflatable gestures, a roadie dubiously named Safety Bear, a high tolerance for liver damage, and an infectious love of rock & roll and everything it stands for. 

In this hilarious and candid account, which Anthony Bourdain recently called “the best Rock and Roll memoir of all time,” Ruffino takes readers along on a raucous tear across a surrealistic American landscape that includes mute Christian groupies, crack-smoking Girl Scouts, beer-drinking chimps, and thousands of head-bangers who cannot accept that hair metal died twenty years earlier--while offering uncensored portraits of Ronnie James Dio, Anthrax, Sebastian Bach, Lemmy, and others. From partying with OPEC executives in Lubbock, Texas to surviving--quite literally--off Def Leppard’s left-overs, ADIOS, MOTHERFUCKER is a reader’s backstage pass to the other side of rock & roll: a Mad magazine world infused with an unbridled, absurdist spirit.

Equal parts This Is Spinal Tap and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, ADIOS, MOTHERFUCKER is gonzo rock storytelling at its finest—excessive, incendiary, intelligent, hilarious, and utterly original. 

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention's Revolutionary 1967 Album, "Absolutely Free," Celebrates 50th Anniversary With Expanded 2 LP Edition Featuring Rare and Unreleased Material, Due September 29 via Zappa Records/UMe

FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION’S REVOLUTIONARY 1967 ALBUM, ABSOLUTELY FREE,CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH EXPANDED 2 LP EDITION FEATURING RARE AND UNRELEASED MATERIAL AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 29 VIA ZAPPA RECORDS/UMe


The Zappa Family Trust will mark the 50th anniversary of Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention’s politically-charged, envelope-pushing sophomore album, Absolutely Free, with an expanded vinyl-exclusive edition on September 29 via Zappa Records/UMe. This double 180-gram LP version will include the original record mastered by Bernie Grundman cut directly from the original analog master tapes and a second disc with 20 minutes of rare and unreleased bonus material, including the “Why Don’tcha Do Me Right?”/“Big Leg Emma” single as well as vintage remixes and radio ads from The Vault on side one and a laser etching of Zappa’s visage from the album cover on side two. The package features Zappa’s original layout and a reproduction of the rare, highly sought-after “libretto,” an 18-page booklet with a foreword by FZ and lyrics to all the compositions, that was offered only by mail order when originally released. Absolutely Free is available for pre-order now: https://UMe.lnk.to/FZAbsolutelyFree

Released 50 years ago on May 26, 1967 on Verve Records, Absolutely Free was the Mothers of Invention’s follow-up to their landmark debut album, Freak Out! Brash, challenging and exhilarating, the record was revolutionary as it pushed the limits of what an album could be. A pop culture pastiche, the album leaps through genres – from psychedelic pop and progressive rock to free-form jazz and avant-garde noise to doo-wop and garage rock, often in the same composition as on album highlight, “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It,” and is filled with Zappa’s trademark biting political and social satire. Hailed by All Music as a “fabulously inventive record” that is “by turns hilarious, inscrutable, and virtuosically complex,” the album is divided into two “oratorios” or song suites – “Absolutely Free” and “The M.O.I. American Pageant” – and is rife with complex instrumentation, cutting edge experimentation and unconventional editing.

Produced by Tom Wilson (Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, Sun Ra), who first worked with the band on Freak Out! the year prior, Absolutely Free featured an expanded cadre of musicians working with Zappa and vocalist Ray Collins and included Jim Fielder on guitar, Roy Estrada on bass, Don Preston on keyboards, Bunk Gardner on woodwinds, and drummers Jim Black and Billy Mundi. The album was recorded the week before Thanksgiving, November 1966 in Los Angeles at the Sunset-Highland Studios of T.T.G. Inc., in a series of four sessions. It was edited and re-mixed in New York City at the MGM Studios in five sessions the following week. In Clash’s appreciation of the record, they exclaimed: “Amidst this high-brow inspiration and aggressive musical arrangement we have beautiful passages of melody, laugh-out-loud lyrics about vegetables and lacerating cynicism. Nonconformist, comedic and maverick, Absolutely Free establishes Zappa as a fantastical musical mutineer and pioneering bandleader.”

As Zappa wrote in the “libretto,” “The music of the MOTHERS speaks of the feelings of what might be described as THE VAST MINORITY. The feelings of the people on the fringe of everything . . . the ones who don’t care if they’re IN or OUT … don’t care if they’re HIP, HEP, SWINGIN’ or ZORCH. This is the audience the MOTHERS want to reach … those few have the power within themselves to cause or motivate social change but have never used it for one reason or another. If you are reading this and understand it (even if you have short hair and watch TV 18 hours a day), it is time that you realized WHO and WHAT YOU ARE. It is time you realized what the words to our songs mean.”

50 years later Absolutely Free resonates as strong as ever and has proven itself to be prescient and wildly ahead of its time.

ABSOLUTELY FREE TRACK LISTING

LP1 – Side 1
1. Plastic People
2. The Duke Of Prunes
3. Amnesia Vivace
4. The Duke Regains His Chops
5. Call Any Vegetable
6. Invocation And Ritual Dance Of The Young Pumpkin
7. Soft-Sell Conclusion

LP1 – Side 2
1. America Drinks
2. Status Back Baby
3. Uncle Bernie’s Farm
4. Son Of Suzy Creamcheese
5. Brown Shoes Don’t Make It
6. America Drinks & Goes Home

LP2 – Side 1
1. Absolutely Free Radio Ad #1
2. Why Don’tcha Do Me Right
3. Big Leg Emma
4. Absolutely Free Radio Ad #2
5. “Glutton For Punishment…”
6. America Drinks – 1969 Re-Mix
7. Brown Shoes Don’t Make It – 1969 Re-Mix
8.  America Drinks & Goes Home #2 – 1969 Re-Mix

LP2 – Side 2
Laser Etching

Friday, July 7, 2017

THINGS ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THEM: Life Advice for Creatives by Adam J Kurtz & NOCTURNAL JOURNAL by Lee Crutchley

THINGS ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THEM: Life Advice for Creatives
By Adam J. Kurtz (aka @adamjk)
On Sale October 3, 2017
Tarcher Perigee Paperback, an imprint of Penguin Random House

From the creative mind and heart of Adam J. Kurtz comes this quirky, upbeat rallying cry for modern day creators of all stripes, with a foreword by Grace Bonney. Expanding on a series of popular guides he's created for Design*Sponge, this is a heartfelt collection of hand-lettered notes that read like little self-affirmations you’d post to your mirror, laptop or cubicle wall, giving you direction and peace of mind when you’re floundering about in procrastination, struggling to comprehend your client’s harsh critique, or comparing yourself to your peer whose career is taking off while you’re getting rejection after rejection.

Sharing wisdom and compassion (and a fair share of snark), Adam acknowledges the dark underbelly of the creative lifestyle – self-doubts, fear, jealousy, obsessive comparisons to others, shifting technologies that can help or hurt your career, and the horror of looking back at past work –and then gives a swift kick in the pants to address those terrifying problems and move on. But most importantly, he lifts his readers up to explore and celebrate their creative community, to support one another, and to just be you in all your glory and neuroses. Things Are What You Make of Them is The Artist’s Way for this new generation of creatives and reads like a foul-mouthed struggling creative muppet on Avenue Q (bet you’ve never heard of a book described that way!).
Adam J. Kurtz (aka @adamjk) is an artist and author of 1 Page at a Time and Pick Me Up, which have been published in over a dozen languages. His “very personal” work for clients like Strand Bookstore and Urban Outfitters has been featured in NYLON, PRINT, VICE, BuzzFeed and more. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. View the complete media kit here for additional content (excerpts, images, facts sheet, etc.): kit.adamjk.com


What’s hiding under your bed? Kids aren’t the only one kept awake at night be scary monsters. Adults fight their own demons that keep them up too. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of 3 Americans aren’t getting enough sleep, “enough” being the recommended 7 hours a night to “promote optimal health and well-being.” There are many causes for sleep deprivation: from dietary choices to stress and anxieties to sleep disorders to excitement and a creative mind that won’t turn off when the lights go out.

It can be easy to let these things become obstructions that rule your night and block you from much needed sleep, but as artist and illustrator Lee Crutchley proposes in his new 2-color release THE NOCTURNAL JOURNAL: A Late-Night Exploration of What’s Really On Your Mind (on sale September 5, 2017; TarcherPerigee Paperback), if you decide to accept and explore those late-night thoughts and feelings, you can benefit from a fresh perspective, assuage your fears, explore your creativity, confront your darkest feelings, and reconnect with your truest self. Here are just a handful of sample prompts from the journal that help rein in and navigate the night mind:
·       Write a resume that consists only of your failures and rejections. Which of these are still holding you back?
·       Fill this box with all of your worries. Now sort them into these boxes: productive worries & unproductive worries.
·       Write down every amazing idea you have tonight. Tomorrow, highlight the ideas that are still amazing.
·       What would you save in a fire? What would you burn to the ground?
·       What will you be remembered for? What would you like to be remembered for?

When the sun rises you will again be the version of you that people know and love, but armed with a fresh energy and perspective about what you want, where you are going, and who you are. 

Thursday, July 6, 2017

IT’S ALIVE!: CLASSIC HORROR AND SCI-FI MOVIE POSTERS FROM THE KIRK HAMMETT COLLECTION

IT’S ALIVE!

Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Movie Posters from the Kirk Hammett Collection

Text by Daniel Finamore, Joseph LeDoux, and Steve AlmondHardcover 
9” x 11⅞”/ 120pages 88color and black & white illustrations



Uttered in several Frankenstein films since 1931,and titling Larry Cohen’s 1974 horror classic, “It’s alive!” is one of those kitschy, catchy phrases that become part of the vernacular.IT’S ALIVE: CLASSIC HORROR AND SCI-FI MOVIE POSTERS FROM THE KIRK HAMMETT COLLECTION—in both exhibition and book form—offers an unconventional look at the world of horror and science fiction art. Through an international selection of the greatest film posters of this genre, fans and aficionados are invited to explore the  power  of  graphic design and  the  manner  in  which  poster  art  communicates  and  evokes  emotion.This handsome volume showcases the impressive personal collection of Metallica guitarist and horror movie buff Kirk Hammett, which also accompanies  an exhibition at  the  Peabody  Essex  Museum  in  Salem,  Massachusetts, scheduled to run from August 12 through November 26, 2017.From the age of six, Hammett gathered toys, ephemera, and memorabilia from his favorite films, and a plethora of  these  gems  made their way into IT’S ALIVE! Complementing  the  archival  materials  is PEM’s Russell Knight Curator of Maritime Art and History Daniel Finamore’s essay investigating the horror poster from an art historical perspective, delving into how the works convey horror graphically, and how the genre itself reflects on societal issues and fears. Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux’s text draws on  recent  findings  to  reveal  why  we  enjoy  the  thrill  of  watching horror flicks and what happens to the brain when the fear response is triggered. Writer Steve Almond’s section of the book takes an in-depth look at Hammett’s passion on the subject,from his eclectic collection of movie art and magazines to founding an annual fright fest.

From  classics  like Dracula, Frankenstein,  and The  Wolf  Man to  cult favorites  like Blacula and Barbarella;from blockbusters such as Rosemary’s Babyand Aliento lesser-known pictures like Invasion of the Saucer Men and I Walked with a Zombie—and,of course, The Day of the Triffids, the motion picture cited as launching Hammett’s lifelong obsession with horror—IT’S ALIVE is the ultimate collection of horror and sci-fi movie posters amassed by the dark mind of Kirk Hammett.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS:
Daniel Finamore is the Russell W. Knight Curator of Maritime Art and History at the  Peabody  Essex  Museum.

Joseph  LeDoux is  the  Henry  and  Lucy  Moses  Professor  of  Science  at  New  York University in the Center for Neural Science and directs the Emotional Brain Institute of New York University and the  Nathan  Kline  Institute.

Steve Almond’s essays  appear  regularly  in  publications  including T  Magazine and the Boston Globe. He is the author of ten books, co-hosts a podcast, and is a frequent contributor on NPR.

Kirk Lee  Hammett is  the  lead  guitarist  and  contributing  songwriter  for  the heavy  metal band Metallica,  and  has been a member of the band since 1983. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stone's list of “The 100 Greatest  Guitarists  of  All  Time.” He  is  the  creator  of  the annual  horror  convention Kirk  Von  Hammett's  Fear Fest Evil, and has been an avid collector of horror film memorabilia.

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

KING KONG Alive on Broadway

King Kong

To Open on Broadway in Fall 2018
At the Broadway Theatre


Written by
Jack Thorne

Score Composed and Produced by Marius de Vries
With Songs by Eddie Perfect

Direction & Choreography by
Drew McOnie

Producers Global Creatures (CEO Carmen Pavlovic) and Roy Furman are pleased to announce that King Kong, will arrive on Broadway in the fall of 2018 at the Shubert Organization’s Broadway Theatre.



King Kong’s first preview, press opening, and on-sale dates will be announced in the coming months. King Kong will play the Broadway Theatre following the limited engagement of Miss Saigon which as previously announced will begin its North American tour in September 2018.

King Kong is written by Jack Thorne, who received the 2017 Olivier Award and the Evening Standard Award for Best Play for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and wrote the critically acclaimed play Let the Right One In.

The show will be directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie, an Olivier Award winner for the London production of In the Heights and an Olivier Award nominee this year for Jesus Christ Superstar. McOnie directed the U.K. premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, and the recent London productions of The Wild Party and On the Town.

The score for King Kong is composed by four-time Grammy nominee Marius de Vries (the films La La Land, Moulin Rouge, and Romeo + Juliet) with songs by Helpmann Award winner Eddie Perfect, composer and lyricist of the Broadway-bound Beetlejuice, Strictly Ballroom The Musical and Shane Warne The Musical.

Pioneering creature designer Sonny Tilders developed Kong for the show, bringing together the worlds of animatronics and puppetry that has never been seen on stage before. Tilders was honored by the Helpmann Awards, Australia’s highest theatrical honor, for Outstanding Theatrical Achievement.

Carmen Pavlovic said, “I’m thrilled that King Kong will be coming to Broadway next season led by Drew McOnie and Jack Thorne, who will bring a new dimension to the telling of Kong’s story. Drew’s physical world will allow Kong to live in ways we never thought possible, propelled by Jack’s text and the score and songs written by Marius de Vries and Eddie Perfect.”

Producer Roy Furman said, “King Kong is a quintessential New York story and I’m proud to be involved in this historic production. Our team is creating a theatrical experience that we hope will astound audiences, while delighting them with its heartfelt storytelling."

Based on the novel of the original 1933 screenplay, the stage show of King Kong is a contemporary take on the classic tale of beauty and the beast.



King Kong’s design team for Broadway will include Peter England (Set Design), Sonny Tilders (Creature Design), Roger Kirk (Costume Design), Peter Mumford (Lighting Design), Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), Gavin Robins (Aerial and King Kong Movement Director),

King Kong is authorized by the Merian C. Cooper Estate.

Casting, additional members of the creative team, and ticketing details for King Kong will be announced at a later date.

BIOGRAPHIES

JACK THORNE (Text) writes for theatre, film, television, and radio. His theatre credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hope, and Let The Right One In, all directed by John Tiffany; Junkyard, a Headlong, Rose Theatre Kingston, Bristol Old Vic and Theatr Clwyd co-production; The Solid Life of Sugarwater for Graeae Theatre Company and the National Theatre; Bunny for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Stacy for the Trafalgar Studios; 2nd May 1997 and When You Cure Me for the Bush Theatre. His adaptations include Woyzeck, Old Vic; The Physicists for the Donmar Warehouse and Stuart: A Life Backwards for Hightide. On film his credits include Wonder, War Book, A Long Way Down, and The Scouting Book for Boys. For television his credits include “National Treasure” (2017 BAFTA winner), “The Last Panthers,” “Don’t Take My Baby,” “This Is England,” “The Fades,” “Glue,” and “Cast-Offs.” He won 2016 BAFTAs for Best Mini-Series (“This Is England ’90”) and Best Single Drama (“Don’t Take My Baby”), and in 2012 won Best Series (“The Fades”) and Best Serial (“This Is England ’88”).

DREW McONIE (Director, Choreographer) is one of Britain's most sought-after emerging directors and choreographers. He is the Artistic Director of The McOnie Company and a proud Associate Artist at The Old Vic theatre. Drew won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreography for In the Heights in 2016 and he was nominated for the same award in 2017 for the ground-breaking production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Theatre credits as director/choreographer include: On the Town (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); The Wild Party (The Other Palace); Strictly Ballroom (Toronto/West Yorkshire Playhouse). Theatre credits as a choreographer include: Jesus Christ Superstar (Olivier Award Nomination for Best Theatre Choreography 2017 – Regents Park), Kinky Boots (Malmo Opera), In the Heights (Olivier Award Winner for Best Theatre Choreography, WhatsOnStage Award Nomination for Best Choreography, Winner of the Off West End Theatre Award for Best Choreography – Southwark Playhouse and Kings Cross Theatre), The Lorax (Old Vic), Hairspray (BroadwayWorld Award Winner for Best Choreography – U.K. national tour), Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith), Oklahoma! (U.K. national tour), The Sound of Music (Curve Theatre Leicester), Little Red Riding Hood (NYB), Chicago (Curve Theatre Leicester), West Side Story (NYMT), British Style (collaboration with Matthew Bourne at Buckingham Palace – BBC), Laurel and Hardy (The Watermill), James and the Giant Peach (U.K. national tour), 13 (directed by Jason Robert Brown – West End), Tommy (European tour), Spring Awakening (German premiere – Frankfurt), The Full Monty (German premiere – Frankfurt), Kes (Liverpool Playhouse & U.K. national tour). For The McOnie Company: Jekyll and Hyde (BroadwayWorld Award Winner for Outstanding Achievement in Dance – Old Vic Theatre), DRUNK! (Curve Theatre Leicester/ The Bridewell Theatre London) which lead to him being nominated for the Emerging Artist Award at the National Dance Awards, Making Midnight (Jermyn Street Theatre/ Latitude Festival) Slaughter (Audience Choice Award Winner – The Place Prize), and Be Mine! (Robin Howard Theatre). Film credits include: Me BeforeYou (directed by Thea Sharrock) and Recordare: Days of Remembrance (pre-selected for the Cannes & Berlin Film Festivals). Upcoming projects include: choreographer of Stephen Sondheim’s Company (directed by Marianne Elliott for the new Elliott Harper Theatre Company in the West End).


MARIUS DE VRIES (Composer) has won two BAFTAs, an Ivor Novello award, and four Grammy nominations.  He is best known recently for his music direction and production on the multi-award-winning musical La La Land, which won 2017 Academy and Golden Globe Awards. Beginning his career playing keyboards for The Blow Monkeys, he has worked with artists such as Madonna, Bjork, David Bowie, Rufus Wainwright, Chrissie Hynde, Neil Finn, Annie Lennox, Bebel Gilberto, David Gray, P.J. Harvey, U2, Massive Attack, Elbow, Perry Farrell, Josh Groban, and many others. In the film and theatre world, he has collaborated with Baz Luhrmann, George Lucas, Andrew Lloyd Webber, A.R. Rahman, Zack Snyder, Daniel Kramer, and Stephan Elliott.  De Vries' long collaborative relationship with Nellee Hooper was responsible for landmark recordings with Massive Attack, Björk, Madonna, The Sneaker Pimps, Tina Turner, and U2, and ultimately the soundtrack and score for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and the groundbreaking Moulin Rouge.  Marius composed the score for Stephan Elliot’s The Eye of the Beholder and Easy Virtue. In musical theatre, Marius has worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber on Bombay Dreams and the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera: Love Never Dies. He also produced the cast album for Jerry Springer The Opera. In 2010, Marius contributed score and song productions to Kick-Ass and Sucker Punch, as well as co-producing an LP with Robbie Robertson. Another collaboration with Rufus Wainwright arrived in early 2016, an album of musical settings of nine Shakespearean sonnets, released to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, entitled Take all My Loves. Marius worked on George Lucas' animated fairytale musical, Strange Magic. He is now attached to Teen Spirit, starring Elle Fanning, directed by Max Minghella, and earlier this year he signed an agreement with the English National Opera to develop new and adventurous opera-related projects. He is also completing an album with The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde.


 EDDIE PERFECT (Songwriter) is one of Australia’s most diverse, respected and prolific writer/composer/performers, having made his mark in the fields of comedy, music theatre composition, playwriting, screenwriting, classical music, jazz and acting for stage and screen.  Perhaps best known for his portrayal of Mick Holland on Ten’s Offspring, a judge on Australia's Got Talent, and as the new host of Play School, Eddie has won multiple awards for his work both as a performer and a writer. His stage credits include Baz Lurhmann and Global Creatures’ Strictly Ballroom, Malthouse Theatre Company (Babes InThe Wood, Drink Pepsi Bitch, The Big Con), Shane Warne The Musical, Keating! The Musical, Songs From The Middle in collaboration with ANAM, Iain Grandage and the UK’s Brodsky Quartet, Opera Victoria’s The Threepenny Opera and Opera Australia’s South Pacific.  His solo music comedy shows (Angry Eddie, Drink Pepsi Bitch, Misanthropology) have received Helpmann and Green Room Awards, touring Australia, New Zealand, Edinburgh and London. His first play The Beast (for Melbourne Theatre Company) was a commercial and critical hit, before touring Australia with Ambassador Theatre Group in 2016. Eddie is currently writing a new play (Vivid White) for Melbourne Theatre Company, a musical adaptation of Beetlejuice for Warner Bros. Theatricals in New York, and is co-Artistic Director of Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

BREAKING GLASS PICTURES CELEBRATES HIP-HOP WITH THE STORY OF WU-TANG


Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired World Rights to Gerald “Gee-Bee” Barclay’s nostalgic, hip-hop documentary WU: THE STORY OF THE WU-TANG CLAN. Breaking Glass acquired World Rights to the film in February in a deal negotiated between Breaking Glass CEO Rich Wolff and director Gerald “Gee-Bee” Barclay of Gee-Bee Productions. Breaking Glass is planning the re-release of the film on all major North American TVOD platforms July 25, 2017.

Called “one of the 25 best Hip-Hop Documentaries of all time” (Complex), WU: THE STORY OF THE WU-TANG CLAN will reach VOD platforms just in time for the 20th anniversary of the iconic album, ‘Wu-Tang Forever’; an album that’s been called “one of the greatest hip-hop LPs of all time” (Melody Maker), and which earned the group the title of “musical revolutionaries” (Entertainment Weekly).

WU: THE STORY OF THE WU-TANG CLAN begins in the summer of 1993, when the Wu-Tang Clan emerged from the slums of Staten Island, NY and took the hip-hop world by storm. Their legacy spanned over a decade, selling more than 20 million albums. Their talents brought them success and their music made them legends. This is their story...

The film is directed and narrated by Gerald K. Barclay. Professionally known as Gee-Bee, Barclay settled in New York after fleeing the devastating civil war in his home country of Liberia. He gained early filmmaking experience on Abel Ferrara’s “King Of New York”, Spike Lee’s “Jungle Fever” before enrolling into a mentorship under Emmy award-winning filmmaker Tony Lover at Liberty Studios. Barclay later formed Gee-Bee Productions and went on to helm hundreds of music videos for artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Master P., Snoop Dogg, Bounty Killa, Mystikal, Pig Pun, Ill & Al Skratch and The Gap Band. Barclay’s first feature film, “Bloody Streetz”, a gritty urban thriller that won critical praise and a Vision Award at the 2002 Pan African Film. In 2001, Gee-Bee directed the visionary and critically-acclaimed feature length documentary, “Liberia: The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here”. His more recent works include the award-winning short film entitled; "The Bully", as well as “Liberia Will Rise”, the sequel to “The Love of Liberty”. Barclay is currently working on an autobiography chronicling over 30 years with the Wu-Tang Clan, entitled “Shooting the Clan” and co-authored by Gerlach-Petrovic.

“I met the members of the Wu-Tang Clan in the summer of 1983, and, during that time, we managed to forge a very strong creative relationship”, said director Gerald “Gee-Bee” Barclay. “From ‘36 Chambers’ to ‘Wu-Tang Forever’, I am honored to capture many of those moments on film to memorialize one of the greatest hip-hop groups in history.”

“As a longtime fan of the Wu-Tang Clan's music, it is a great pleasure to bring this origin story to the digital space for audiences to view”, said Michael Repsch, VP of Sales & Distribution at Breaking Glass. “We are proud to have this enlightening piece, especially as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of their legendary album Wu-Tang Forever!'

Monday, July 3, 2017

T2 TRAINSPOTTING" OUT NOW On Digital and 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray And DVD



T2 TRAINSPOTTING, the critically acclaimed sequel to the pop culture phenomenon Trainspotting, debuts on digital June 13 and on 4K Ultra HD™/Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray™ and DVD June 27 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Ewan McGregor (Angels & Demons, Big Fish), Ewen Bremner (Snatch, Black Hawk Down), Jonny Lee Miller (TV's "Elementary," Dark Shadows) and Robert Carlyle (TV's "Once Upon a Time," The Full Monty) return in their signature roles as Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie twenty years later, for the on-screen reunion critics are calling  "funny, touching, and vital" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, T2 TRAINSPOTTING was directed by Academy Award® winner Danny Boyle (Best Director, Slumdog Millionaire, 2008) and co-stars Shirley Henderson (Marie Antoinette), Kelly Macdonald (TV's "Boardwalk Empire") and Anjela Nedyalkova (The Paradise Suite).

The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and digital releases of T2 TRAINSPOTTING include over 30 minutes of deleted scenes, commentary with Danny Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge and the featurette "20 Years in the Making: A Conversation with Danny Boyle and the Cast," where Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle hold a candid and lively discussion about the 20 year journey that brought them full circle with their iconic characters.

Synopsis: First there was an opportunity... then there was a betrayal. Twenty years have gone by. Much has changed but just as much remains the same. Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to the only place he can ever call home. They are waiting for him: Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), and Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Other old friends are waiting too: sorrow, loss, joy, vengeance, hatred, friendship, love, longing, fear, regret, diamorphine, self-destruction and mortal danger, they are all lined up to welcome him, ready to join the dance.

T2 TRAINSPOTTING
was written by John Hodge (The Beach, Trainspotting), based on the novels by Irvine Welsh. It was produced by Andrew Macdonald (Ex Machina, Trainspotting), Danny Boyle, Christian Colson (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire) and Bernard Bellow (Steve Jobs, 127 Hours). Executive producers are Irvine Welsh and Allon Reich.

Bonus Materials Include:
Deleted Scenes
"20 Years in the Making: A Conversation with Danny Boyle and the Cast" Featurette
Commentary with Director Danny Boyle and Screenwriter John Hodge
T2 TRAINSPOTTING has a run time of approximately 118 minutes and is rated R for drug use, language throughout, strong sexual content, graphic nudity and some violence.

Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com
 Artwork and digital clips are available for download at www.sphepublicity.com

Sunday, July 2, 2017

GUNS N ROSES FAQ PAPERBACK OUT SOON!



Guns 'N' Roses FAQ (Backbeat Books)

Thirty years ago, five L.A. punks unleashed their debut album upon the atrophied and decadent rock charts of Reagan's America. Within weeks, Appetite For Destruction ascended to #1 on the U.S. charts; to date, Appetite has sold more than 30 million copies, making it the bestselling U.S. debut album of all time. To say that Guns N' Roses redefined rock 'n' roll is akin to asserting that Jimi Hendrix revolutionized surf music – a statement that, while technically true, does more to conceal the truth than elucidate it. GN'R turned back the tide of MTV-spawned New Wave/synth pop by infusing the blistering hard rock of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith with a punk sensibility that hearkened back to the onstage anarchy of the Stooges, New York Dolls, and Sex Pistols. In Guns N' Roses FAQ: All That's Left To Know About The Bad Boys Of Sunset Strip, Rich Weidman charts the amazing journey of this seminal record and the band behind it. From the gutters of West Hollywood to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, from Appetite to The Spaghetti Incident?, these 400 pages of hedonistic nihilism, salacious debauchery, and raw, unadulterated rock are guaranteed to turn your head, blow out your eardrums, obliterate your comfort zone, and leave you begging for more.

Written in Backbeat's popular FAQ format, Guns N' Roses FAQ breaks the band's story into a series of chapters equally suitable for a straight-through read or piecemeal consumption. Weidman's treasure trove of facts, trivia, stories, and photographs touch on every topic imaginable. Subjects explored include the band's earliest influences and venues, most notorious concerts and opening acts, highlights from their seemingly endless Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion tours, bizarre TV appearances (like the time they destroyed the set of MTV's Headbangers Ball!), public and private feuds, music videos, best and worst covers (Pat Boone, anyone?), and much more. From the golden years of the late eighties and early nineties to the outrageous antics and self-destructive tendencies that to irreconcilable inner turmoil, from the band's West Hollywood club days to the reunion of three of the five classic band members during the 2016 Not in This Lifetime Tour, Guns N' Roses FAQ paints a portrait replete with sheer talent, raw power, dangerous rivalries, rock excess, and sudden reconciliation that's simply unrivaled by anything else on the market.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT: Woodhaven Media Giveaway coming soon!


MORE INFO COMING SOON!


Til then check out their site at woodhavenmedia.com and Social media, Woodhaven Media on Facebook and @Woodhaven_Media on instagram,