Archive for the ‘DVD/ PLAYERS/ NEXT GEN CONSOLES FOR SALE’ Category

Viz Pictures to release Nana 2 on DVD

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
VIZ Pictures, which focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the release of NANA 2, the feature film sequel to the popular rock and roll drama NANA, which is based on Ai Yazawa’s best-selling manga series. NANA 2 debuts on DVD on July 29, with an estimated retail price of $24.98.

In support of the release, VIZ Pictures is holding a special NANA 2 poster giveaway promotion. Fans are encouraged to visit the film’s dedicated official website at www.nanathemovies.com/and enter the contest before August 20 for a chance to win a full-color poster featuring the cast of the film. Ten random winners will be selected.

NANA 2 continues to follow the highs and lows of two young beautiful women both named Nana. While they share the same name, they couldn't be more different. After meeting randomly on a commuter train, becoming close friends, and moving in together in the first film, NANA 2 focuses greatly on Nana "Hachi" Komatsu (played this time by Yui Ichikawa), who has become trapped in a love triangle with Takumi Ichinose, the bass player of her favorite band TRAPNEST, and Nobu, the handsome guitarist of The Black Stones. Things become really sticky because The Black Stones are fronted by the other Nana – Nana Osaki (Mika Nakashima), who continues to struggle to find musical success while she continues to harbor a secret relationship with TRAPNEST’s guitarist Ren, who was The Black Stones’ original bass player.

J-pop icon Mika Nakashima reprises her role as the punk rock beauty Nana Osaki and continues to develop that character’s conflicted emotions and hard exterior but sensitive inner self. Actress and model Yui Ichikawa is freshly cast as Nana Komatsu and adds a new dimension to the characters from the extremely popular shojo manga, which has become a social phenomenon in Japan. The film was directed by Kentaro Otani, who also directed the original NANA, with the original theme song produced by Takuro from the popular J-rock band GLAY.

NANA and NANA 2 were inspired by a wildly successful shojo manga (graphic novel) series of the same name by Ai Yazawa, which has sold over 22 million copies in Japan. The English version of the manga, rated 'M' (for mature) is published domestically by VIZ Media.

“NANA 2 builds on the engrossing drama and conflicted characters that made the original such a favorite with Japanese as well as domestic audiences and we are excited to now debut the sequel,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President & CEO of VIZ Pictures. “There are some new faces in the cast of NANA 2 but they continue to present the compelling multi-layered personalities and complex romantic dramas that made the manga series such a critical and commercial success. And the film moves to a hip J-rock beat with a roster of hard rocking songs. NANA and NANA 2 continue to show the ability of a wide array of manga-based stories to make the successful leap to the big screen in areas outside the stereotypical science fiction or action genres. We look forward to fans of the NANA manga and the original film enjoying this next chapter in the saga.”

For more information on NANA, NANA 2 and other VIZ Pictures films please visit www.viz-pictures.com.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series on DVD

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
It was the height of the Cold War, a time when most Americans had only the vaguest understanding of international espionage. Then, in 1964, the televised spy genre exploded on the screen in the U.S. and around the world when the groundbreaking series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. pulled the covers off of the spy game in what became must-watch television for the next four years on NBC. Now, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, Warner Home Video (WHV) releases The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series, beautifully packaged in a 60’s style high tech attaché case, complete with all episodes along with hours of viewing extras.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series offers fans and collectors all 105 complete series episodes with more than 10 hours of special features in a 41-disc set. AND YES, IT IS AVAILABLE FROM THE FILMFETISH.COM STORE.

From 1964 to 1968, at a time when James Bond was defending the Free World for the British Secret Service, two brilliant and dashing spies joined forces to combat international crime as agents of the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. From U.N.C.L.E.’s New York headquarters, cleverly hidden behind Del Floria’s Tailor Shop, they journeyed to every corner of the earth to battle the evil plans of a vast organization, Thrush, and other power-hungry villains and scoundrels. It was a unique collaboration between an American and a Russian.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. represented a series of firsts. It wasn’t just the first successful spy show on American television, it was one of the first TV series to become an international phenomenon, the first to gather a rabid cult of lifelong fans around the world—long before Star Trek, Dark Shadows and other, lesser series gained their following. And, perhaps most importantly, it was the first to demonstrate that American viewers would embrace heroes who did not spring from the traditional John Wayne mold—and who, in some cases, weren’t even American.

The series was nominated for seven Emmy Awards® during its four-year run.

Enhanced content featured on The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series includes:

SEASON ONE:
Featurette – The Cloak and Swagger Affair: The Untold History of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
Solo – The Original Color Pilot
Bonus Featurette – U.N.C.L.E. V.I.P.S: A Celebration of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Guest Stars

SEASON TWO:
Featurette – The Spy-Fi Tour: Archives, Art and Artifacts
Featurette Film – One Spy Too Many, 1966
Bonus Feature - U.N.C.L.E. V.I.P.S: A Celebration of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Guest Stars

SEASON THREE:
Interview – Double Agents: The David McCallum and Robert Vaughn Reunion
The Secret Tapes of Illya Kuryakin: Home Movies from the Set of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”
Bonus Feature - U.N.C.L.E. V.I.P.S: A Celebration of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Guest Stars”

SEASON FOUR:
Featurette – MGM’s Secret Operations
Bonus Feature - U.N.C.L.E. V.I.P.S: A Celebration of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Guest Stars

BONUS DISC ONE:
Six Original Featurettes
Official Debriefings: Interviews with U.N.C.L.E. Actors and Production Staff

BONUS DISC TWO:
Official Debriefings: Interviews with U.N.C.L.E. Actors and Production Staff
TV Appearances and Spots
Photo and Image Galleries

“The Man From U.N.C.L.E. remains one of the most influential series in television history, whose impact can still be seen in contemporary genres,” commented Rosemay Markson, WHV Vice President, TV and Special Interest Marketing. She added, “We anticipate strong consumer response to this collection from the show’s loyal, enthusiastic fans.”

Highest grossing GLBT film in 2007Itty Bitty Titty Committee coming to DVD

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
Comedy by director Jamie Babbit (But I'm a Cheerleader) and producers Stacy Codikow, Andrea Sperling, Lisa Thrasher (D.E.B.S.) has been picked up by Lesbian Distribution specialists Wolfe Video for DVD release September 2008.

This film is an all female production produced by multi Award winning film production company POWER UP, the only non-profit indie studio, was released theatrically by their own Pocket Releasing and stars Melonie Diaz (Be Kind Rewind, Hamlet 2, Assassination of a High School President), Daniela Sea (L Word), Nicole Vicius (Half Nelson), Jenny Shimizu (Foxfire), Guinevere Turner (Go Fish), Melanie Mayron (thirtysomething) and Carly Pope (Dirt, Popular).

"Itty Bitty Titty Committee," winner of 2007's South by Southwest Best Narrative Feature Jury Award has proven popular at the box-office as well taking in $11,505 in its opening weekend at Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, California. The film had already broken Laemmle's pre-sale record of all time according to Laemmle sources. This is the highest grossing GLBT film opening, on a per screen average in 2007 according to Box Office Mojo and fourth highest grossing film in the Country, on a per screen average for opening weekend, Rentrak Theatrical reported.

This is an amazing feat for a small indie especially since the film was not even listed on any online ticketing sites opening weekend due to a computer error. Generous word of mouth and guerilla marketing helped this film succeed.

Director Jamie Babbit holds the all time best lesbian film box-office per screen average with "But I am a Cheerleader" nine years ago and now her new feature "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" ranks number 2 all time best per screen average for a lesbian film.

"Itty Bitty" had its world premiere at the 2007 Berlinale Film Festival and was nominated for Teddy Award for Best Narrative Feature. It had its American Premiere in Competition at South by Southwest Film Festival where it was the WINNER of the Best Narrative Feature Jury Award.

Additional awards include: Q Cinema: FT. WORTH G&L Int'l FILM FESTIVAL, WINNER - Best Lesbian Feature -Jury Award; Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, WINNER - Outstanding Artistic Achievement: Jamie Babbit; FilmOut San Diego 2008, WINNER - Audience Award Narrative Feature; WINNER - Best Soundtrack;, WINNER - Best Narrative Feature - Jury Award; Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, WINNER - Best Women's Feature - Jury Award; 2007 Afterellen.com Visibility Awards, WINNER- Best Theatrical Release Film with Lesbian/Bi characters and was nominated for BEST FILM - LIMITED RELEASE at the 19th Annual GLAAD MEDIA AWARD 2008. International awards include: Melbourne Queer Film Festival, WINNER - Best Narrative Feature Audience Award; OUTTAKES NEW ZEALAND GLBT FILM FESTIVAL, WINNER - Best Narrative Feature Audience Award; Mostra Lambda Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, WINNER Best Lesbian Feature Audience Award; ZINEGOAK Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2008, WINNER - BEST FILM - Lesbian & Gender Special Award

The DVD is available for pre-order with FREE Shipping and T-shirt at www.ittybittydvd.com

A Christmas Story Ultimate Collector’s Edition on DVD & Blu-ray

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
On November 4, Warner Home Video serves up an old-fashioned holiday treat with DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def Ultimate Collector’s Editions of celebrated humorist Jean Shepherd’s A Christmas Story to commemorate the film’s 25th Anniversary. Ingredients in the Two-Disc DVD version ($39.99 SRP) include five collectible cookie cutters in iconic Christmas Story shapes; a 48-page cook book filled with recipes inspired by the film; photos and quotes and a custom-designed chef’s apron.

All will be festively packaged in a collectible retro holiday cookie tin. Also in a nostalgic tin, A Christmas Story UCE Blu-ray Hi-Def ($49.99 SRP) will include a Leg Lamp light strand.

The stand alone, previously released single versions of the film are also available. The previously released Two-Disc Special Edition ($26.99 SRP) will be available in new Amaray packing. A Christmas Story Blu-ray Hi-Def will sell for $28.99 SRP.

A Christmas Story, a nostalgic view of Christmastime in Indiana during the 1940s, stars Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, a nine-year-old who has only one thing on his Christmas list: a Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Air Rifle. With his parents unwilling to buy him the gun because he might “shoot his eye out,” Ralphie decides to mount a full-scale, hint-dropping, Santa-begging campaign. He also endures a slew of calamities from snowsuit paralysis to the dreaded tongue-on-a-frozen-flagpole gambit. The New York Times calls A Christmas Story, “maybe the best Christmas movie ever.”

Risky Business 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition: Tom Cruise’s Breakout Classic on DVD and Blu-ray

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
On September 16, in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Risky Business, Tom Cruise again grabs his air guitar, cranks up Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” and dances his way back into the hearts of millions in the film that launched him into superstardom. Warner Home Video will be releasing two sexy new versions of the Risky Business 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. Packaged in a new o-sleeve, the standard definition will sell for $19.97 SRP and the Two-Disc Blu-ray™ Hi-Def for $28.99 SRP. Order due date is August 12.

Both versions of the Risky Business 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition have been restored and remastered with 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio and boast special bonus content including an all-new 25th anniversary retrospective documentary The Dream is Always the Same: The Story of Risky Business in both standard and high definition formats as well as screen tests and the director’s cut of the final scene. An in-depth audio commentary with Tom Cruise, Paul Brickman and Jon Avnet is available on the DVD only. Also available exclusive to the Blu-ray™ Hi-Def Edition is a video commentary with Tom Cruise, Paul Brickman and Jon Avnet and a digital copy of the film compatible with iTunes® and Windows Media devices™ which allows consumers a single non-transferable download of the full-length feature to their PC or iPod.

Risky Business started it all for Cruise who has since been nominated for three Academy Awards® and six Golden Globes®, winning three of the latter (Best Performance by an Actor for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire plus Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Magnolia). His other memorable starring roles include All the Right Moves, Top Gun, Rain Man, Days of Thunder, A Few Good Men, Interview with the Vampire, the Mission Impossible series, Collateral and War of the Worlds.

Animation Classic from the Novel That Enthralled the World Watership Down Deluxe Edition

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
On October 7, Warner Home Video will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the classic fantasy film favorite with the DVD debut of Watership Down Deluxe Edition. Adapted from British author Richard Adam’s first and best-selling novel, Watership Down, set near Adams’ boyhood home of Hampshire, England, is based on stories the author would tell his children to pass the time on family trips. Never out of print, the novel was declared by Penguin Books in 1985 to be their second best-selling novel of all time (the first being “Animal Farm”) and went on to win the United Kingdom’s Carnegie Medal for outstanding children’s literature.

This animated film adaptation is a thrilling allegorical adventure that celebrates traditional values of loyalty, courage and spirit, with a voice cast of well-known British actors such as John Hurt, Richard Briers, Harry Andrews, Simon Cadell, Nigel Hawthorne and Roy Kinnear. The featured song “Bright Eyes” was sung by Art Garfunkel and later released as a single. Watership Down Deluxe Edition will sell for $19.97 SRP.

Synopsis
Nestled among the rolling hills and peaceful meadows of England lives a community of rabbits. When their warren is threatened, a small group of brave rabbits illegally escapes into the unknown countryside in search of a safer home. Led by the visionary Fiver, the courageous Bigwig, the clever Blackberry, and the honorable Hazel, they embark on a danger-filled journey, where they must use their strength and cunning to survive, while pursuing their dream.

Get more info at www.watershipdown.net

An American in Paris, Gigi 50th Anniversary: Both Now Return in Meticulously Remastered Two-Disc Special Editions

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
On September 16, An American in Paris and Gigi, two glorious Best Picture Oscar-winning 1950s classics from the crown jewel collection of M-G-M’s Golden Age of Musicals, join the impressive roster of Warner Home Video’s Two-Disc Special Editions DVDs.

Celebrating the musical genre at its peak while magically evoking the joie de vivre of Paris, these two motion pictures captured an amazing 15 Academy Awards® including Best Picture. They also share an impressive pedigree that goes beyond Oscar®. Both films featured the lovely Leslie Caron as their leading lady, had Oscar®-winning screenplays by Alan Jay Lerner (My Fair Lady), were produced by Arthur Freed (Singin’ in the Rain) and directed by Vincente Minnelli (Meet Me in St. Louis). With an assemblage of talent like that, it’s no wonder that both films have been popular for more than a half-century. Each Two-Disc Special Edition will sell for $20.97 SRP.

WHV has also announced that both titles will be released on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def in early 2009.

WHV is toasting these classics with two extensively restored and remastered versions:

An American in Paris, originally photographed in Technicolor, is the latest recipient of Warner Bros.’ proprietary Ultra-Resolution process, which takes the original Technicolor negatives and meticulously combines them to yield a stunning picture with sharpness and depth of field never seen before.

Gigi was produced after the demise of the original Technicolor system, photographed in the industry-standardized Eastmancolor process. For this new DVD release, Gigi has been photo-chemically restored from its original camera negative and safety separations to produce a much sharper and colorful image than has been seen in decades. It also contains a 5.1 audio mix created from the original multi-track source elements.

New World on DVD, Terrence Malick’s Epic With Colin Farrell, Christian Bale & Christopher Plummer Never Before Seen Footage

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
The New World, Academy Award nominated director Terrence Malick’s (The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven) adventure-filled journey of discovery, will be released October 14 on DVD in a new amped-up Extended Cut. This edition of the critically-acclaimed, Oscar®-nominated epic recreating the turbulent first days of the new America now features more than 30 minutes of never-before-seen footage, heightening the viewing experience with more battles, more intensity and more visual splendor. Also included is a comprehensive, ten-part documentary – Making the New World – which captures the unique creative challenges filmmakers faced. The New World Extended Cut will sell for $19.97 SRP.

Synopsis
Powhatan tribal people stare in wonder as three ships approach shore. It’s a story every schoolchild knows: the story of Capt. John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (Q’orianka Kilcher). Now, as told by filmmaker Terrence Malick (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line) in this extended version with more than 30 minutes of footage unseen in theaters -- it’s a story you never imagined. Working in part from first-hand histories and adding his extraordinary sense of image and human drama, Malick crafts a visceral, spellbinding tale of the Jamestown settlement, of cultures connecting and of deadly consequences when connections fray. Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer also star.

Special Features
A comprehensive, ten-part documentary Making the New World capturing the unique challenges of creating this historic epic.

L.A. Confidential Two-Disc Special Edition Coming

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
Everything is suspect, everyone is for sale and nothing is what it seems. Word on the street is that on September 23, Warner Home Video will revisit 1950s Hollywood with New Regency’s intense film noir L.A. Confidential, to be digitally remastered and released as a Standard Definition Two-Disc Special Edition and single disc Blu-ray Hi-Def.

Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, The Usual Suspects), Russell Crowe, (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind), Guy Pearce (Memento, Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Kim Basinger (Batman, I Dreamed of Africa) and Danny DeVito (Batman Returns, Erin Brockovich) star in L.A. Confidential which was directed by Curtis Hanson and based on James Ellroy’s “L.A. Quartet” series of novels. Nominated for seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Director, the film won two Oscars® (Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Ms. Basinger). The evocative and sordid tale of Hollywood back in the day, about three cops, a call girl, a mysterious millionaire and a tabloid journalist, is rife with mystery, ambition, romance and humor. Chicago Sun-Times’ Roger Ebert called the film “seductive and beautiful, cynical and twisted, one of the best films of the year.”

Picture of Dorian Gray First Time on DVD from Warner Home Video

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
The Picture of Dorian Gray never gets old. On October 7, just in time for Halloween, Warner Home Video will introduce one of their most requested titles on DVD – MGM’s gripping 1945 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Victorian horror novel about a man who stays eternally young while his famous portrait ages through the years. The film, starring George Sanders, Angela Lansbury and Donna Reed, was nominated for three Academy Awards,®-winning one for Best Cinematography and a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Miss Lansbury. The Picture of Dorian Gray ($19.97 SRP) has been remastered especially for this release and boasts new bonus features, including cast commentaries, a vintage short plus a special cartoon.

Special Features

  • Cast commentaries by Angela Lansbury and film historian/screenwriter Steve Haberman

  • 1945 MGM short Stairway To Light

  • 1945 MGM cartoon Quiet Please!

  • Theatrical trailer


Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change.