Scream Factory, Anchor Bay Release New Teaser Pic For Halloween Box Set

Posted on July 1, 2014 by philspicks

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Scream! Factory

Scream Factory and Anchor Bay Entertainment released a special teaser image Monday to build excitement over the upcoming release of the Halloween Complete Collection on Blu-ray.

On Monday, the companies released a picture of original Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis sitting with Halloween H2O director Steve Miner and moderator Sean Clark during a tracking session for a new audio commentary and interview that will be included in the upcoming fifteen-disc Deluxe Edition. Miner is on the right and Clark is in the center rear.

Courtesy: Scream Factory/AnchorBay Entertainment

The Halloween Complete Collection will be available on Blu-ray Tuesday, September 23^rd. The box set will be released in a special 15-disc deluxe Blu-ray box set and a standard 10-disc set. More details will come soon on this upcoming release. Audiences can keep up with the latest updates on the Halloween Complete Collection through Scream Factory’s Facebook and website respectively at http://www.facebook.com/ScreamFactoryDVD and http://www.shoutfactory.com/screamfactory. More information is also available online via Anchor Bay’s Facebook page, Twitter account and website at http://www.facebook.com/AnchorBay, http://twitter.com/Anchor_Bay, and http://www.anchorbayent.com.

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Scream Factory/Anchor Bay Entertainment

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Scream! Factory, Anchor Bay Partner To Release New Halloween Box Sets

Posted on June 13, 2014 by philspicks

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Scream! Factory

It’s not October. But don’t tell that to the people at Anchor Bay Entertainment and Scream! Factory. That’s because the two companies have partnered to bring audiences a very special collection of movies this fall.

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Scream! Factory/Anchor Bay Entertainment

Scream! Factory, a division of Shout! Factory, has partnered with Anchor Bay Entertainment to release the Halloween Complete Collection on Blu-ray Tuesday,

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Scream! Factory/Anchor Bay Entertainment

September 23^rd. The box set will be released in a special 15-disc deluxe Blu-ray box set and a standard 10-disc set. More details will come soon on this upcoming release. Audiences can keep up with the latest updates on the Halloween Complete Collection through Scream! Factory’s Facebook and website respectively at http://www.facebook.com/ScreamFactoryDVD and http://www.shoutfactory.com/screamfactory. More information is also available online via Anchor Bay’s Facebook page, Twitter account and website at http://www.facebook.com/AnchorBay, http://twitter.com/Anchor_Bay, and http://www.anchorbayent.com.

Halloween 35th Anniversary BD One Of 2013’s Best Re-Issues

Posted on September 23, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: Trancas Films/Anchor Bay Entertainment

Thirty-five years. That is how much time will have passed since John Carpenter’s modern horror flick Halloween originally premiered as of this October. In the three decades plus that have passed since this modern horror classic made its debut, it has not lost any of its luster. Rather, it has garnered who new generations of fans the world over. It has seen multiple sequels and re-issues over those years. It’s even been re-made with honor by horror aficionado Rob Zombie. And now in celebration of its upcoming thirty-fifth anniversary, Anchor Bay Entertainment is rewarding the loyalty of the movie’s fans with a brand new thirty-fifth anniversary Blu-ray re-issue. The upcoming Blu-ray re-issue will be available in stores and online this Tuesday, September 24^th. There are those that might have their say about this latest re-issue of Halloween, complaining about this or that about it. What those complainers might not realize is that over the decades, the movie has garnered so many new fans, thus making re-issues necessary. No one re-issue is going to be perfect. Audiences on both sides of the fence need to keep this in mind before complaining. That is in itself a massive statement about this movie. And directly tied in to that is this generation and previous generations getting to potentially learn new facts about the movie possibly never before known thanks to the movie’s bonus features. More than anything else, this latest re-issue is a welcome addition to any horror fan’s home library because by comparison, so many of today’s horror flicks are dry, shallow shadows of this classic. They pale in comparison. Having this one still available to the masses is a huge boon not only to movie lovers and horror lovers, but to the movie industry itself. It serves to all as a reminder of horror done right. All this kept in mind, this brand new thirty-fifth anniversary Blu-ray re-issue of Halloween is one not just for one generation but for a whole new generation.

The thirty-fifth anniversary Blu-ray re-issue of Halloween is a re-issue for not just one generation but for the generations that have all grown up with this slasher horror flick. There are so many people out there that seem to make it their duty to do nothing but complain about it. Those people are obviously not true fans of the movie. Only so much bonus material can be crammed into a movie with each re-issue before it’s been seen before. That needs to be understood right here, right now. Anyone that already owns the movie in its previous releases will likely see many of the same bonus features in this re-issue as those re-issues. But there are those that have never before had the chance to add this movie to their home library. So keeping that in mind, for those people this re-issue is a brand new experience save for the movie. Even with the movie alone, it could be like taking a trip back in time to a better time in some audiences’ eyes.

Watching the movie itself on a brand new re-issue for some may not seem like much. For others, it’s a wonderful trip back in time, as some of the fans point out in this re-issue’s bonus documentary, “The Night She Came Home.” Those fans really show just what the movie means to them years later. They even talk about it with their own children right there. These testimonials are just part of what makes this a welcome addition to this re-issue’s bonus features list. Audiences discover through this bonus feature that star Jamie Lee Curtis is in fact not a horror movie fan. She openly admits this early on in the documentary. That’s a huge surprise to this critic at least. There’s even more historical perspective added to the movie thanks to the book style case in which the Blu-ray is packaged. The “book” style packaging includes copious notes written by Stef Hutchinson. The notes in question take viewers even deeper into the movie’s history alongside the vintage set photos.

It should be clear by now just what makes the new thirty-fifth anniversary Blu-ray re-issue of John Carpenter’s Halloween such an important re-issue. This is especially the case being that not only is the thirty-fifth anniversary of this landmark horror movie right around the corner, but because Halloween itself is right around the corner. So many movies since Halloween have tried, but failed to live up to the legend that surrounds this classic. Those movies pale in comparison. And now with its in depth bonus features, a whole new generation will discover just how important and timeless this classic horror movie is and always will be. It is available now in stores and online and can be ordered direct from the Anchor Bay website at http://www.anchorbayent.com/detail.aspx?ProjectId=972a6546-4a98-459c-81a2-9c0800e596f5#. More information on this and other titles from Anchor Bay is available at the Anchor Bay website, http://www.anchorbayent.com and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AnchorBayEnt. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Anchor Bay Offers More Frights This Fall With Halloween Blu-ray Re-Issue

Posted on July 24, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: Trancas International Films/Anchor Bay Entertainment

Michael Meyers returns again this Fall. No, not the actor, but the infamous serial killer. Anchor Bay Entertainment will release the thirty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic slasher/horror flick, Halloween on Blu-ray on Tuesday, September 24^th. The release comes just in time for the countdown to October 31^st. The timeless film was originally created on a budget of three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, and has gone on to earn millions worldwide thanks to its original theatrical and later home releases since its original theatrical premiere.

Malek Assad is the President of Trancas International Films and son of the original film’s executive producer Moustapha Akkad. He shared his thoughts on the upcoming thirty-fifth anniversary release. “Anchor Bay Entertainment has been home to Halloween for almost 20 years,” he said. “I’m so happy that we’re partnering with them to present the definitive edition of what is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal horror films of the 20^th century.”

Halloween was the starring debut for now veteran actress Jamie Lee Curtis (A Fish Called Wanda, Freaky Friday, True Lies). Along with making her an instant household name, Halloween also solidified the careers of those behind the cameras including writer/director John Carpenter, producer Debra Hill, and film editor/production designer Tommy Lee Wallace (Halloween III: Season of the Witch, It).

The new thirty-fifth anniversary Blu-ray edition of Halloween will include as bonuses:

All-new commentary track with writer/director John Carpenter and star Jamie Lee Curtis;
“The Night She Came Home” new featurette with Jamie Lee Curtis (HD);
On Location;
Trailers;
TV & Radio Spots;
Additional Scenes from TV Version

Disney/Pixar’s Brave is anything but

Posted on June 25, 2012 by philspicks

Courtesy: Disney/Pixar

Once you reach the top, there’s nowhere to go but down. Who hasn’t heard or spoken that old adage or some variant thereof? It’s an adage that applies to so many avenues of life. That also includes movies. And it especially applies in the case of Disney/Pixar’s newest movie, “Brave.”

“Brave” is little more than another update of Disney’s classic 1976 movie, “Freaky Friday.” That original starred Barbara Harris and a young Jodie Foster. It was most recently updated with a reboot in 2003 starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in the shoes of the previous pair. Now with “Brave”, the mother/daughter team has been filled by Emma Thompson and Kelly Macdonald. The only thing that separates the previous pair of movies from “Brave” is that in the case of Merida and her mother, Elinor, they don’t switch brains. Rather, in this update, Merida comes of age when she asks a witch to conjure up a spell that would “change” her mom. After the spell turns her mom into a bear, she finally begins to realize things in a different light.

Merida’s not the only one who learns some valuable lessons, either. Her mom learns some lessons, too. Elinor realized that it was wrong of her to press her views on Merida. She learns that needs to honor Merida’s decision on when or if she’s ready to marry. Even the princes brought for the betrothal competition agreed with Merida and voice that opinion, too. They state that they were all pushed into things by their fathers.

The story behind “Brave” is anything but brave. It’s not the only problem with the overall presentation, either. Being that it bears a “PG” rating, parents should be aware that the reasoning behind that rating is justified. There is some partial nudity in the movie. To be more exact, audiences get glimpses of some bare backsides at a couple points. Those moments were really unnecessary.

“Brave” is not Disney/Pixar’s best work. That honor goes to the companies’ 2009 movie, “Up.” But while it’s not the best from the pair, it’s not the worst, either. Merida is a wonderfully positive role model for today’s younger female audiences. She’s a very confident, strong willed and independent figure. That’s a big change from most of Disney’s classic princesses. As much as Merida’s a great role model for today’s yougner female audiences, there’s no denying her link to at least two classic Disney princesses. She has Ariel’s hair and Jasmine’s strong willed personality. Keeping that in mind, and that it lifts liberally from Disney’s 1976 original “Freaky Friday” proves that as good as “Brave” may be, there is still no beating the classics. Parents would be much better served sharing the original Freaky Friday with their children before blowing their money on this not so new movie from Disney and Pixar.

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