Author: Tom Stockman

DOOM ASYLUM Available on Blu-ray July 17th From Arrow Video


DOOM ASYLUM will be available on Blu-ray July 17th from Arrow Video


If you thought Sex and the City 2 was a stomach-churner, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Long before playing one of Carrie Bradshaw’s best gal pals, actress Kristen Davis found herself up against an altogether different kind of horror in 1987’s Doom Asylum: a riotous mix of gore, gags and goth girl groups galore! When a group of horny teens wind up on the grounds of a creepy abandoned asylum, they think they’ve found the perfect place to party. Little do they know that inside the building’s crumbling walls lurks a freakishly deformed maniac, driven to madness by the tragic loss of his fiancée in a car accident. With an array of grisly surgical tools at his disposal, it’s only a matter of time before the youngsters begin meeting various splattery ends at the hands of the ghoulish Coroner.


Helmed by director Richard Friedman (Scared Stiff and Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge), and also starring Penthouse Pet of the Year 1988 Patty Mullen (Frankenhooker), Doom Asylum combines outlandish gore and a wise-cracking villain to create one of the most wildly entertainingly blood-spattered slashers of the late ’80s.

Bonus features include:

  • Archival Interviews with producer Alexander W. Kogan, Jr., director Richard Friedman and production manager Bill Tasgal
  • Morgues & Mayhem – a brand new interview with special make-up effects creator Vincent J. Guastini
  • Movie Madhouse – a brand new interview with director of photography Larry Revene
  • Tinas Terror – a brand new interview with actress Ruth Collins
  • Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues
  • Brand new audio commentary with screenwriter Rick Marx
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Original uncompressed PCM mono audio , 1.85:1 and 1.33:1 versions of the feature
  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
  • Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative
  • Still Gallery
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourne
  • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully-illustrated collectors booklet featuring new writing by Amanda Reyes

THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960) Screening at Urban Chestnut July 11th


“Now, no novocaine. It dulls the senses.”


Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series has moved! The new location is Urban Chestnut in the Grove (4465 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis 63110). This month’s film is the 1960 version of THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS . It’s this Wednesday, July 11th. The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5.


Roger Corman, who allegedly could negotiate the production of a film on a pay phone, shoot the film in the booth, and finance it with the money in the change slot, shot THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960) in two days and one night on a set that was left over from someone else’s production.


It is a classic featuring a very young Jack Nicholson as an undertaker who loved pain in his third film. The face that was to later become famous in THE SHINING was quite evident. Jonathan Haze played the lead as the clumsy Seymour who invents the man-eating plant. Haze worked exclusively for Corman until he quit acting for behind the stage work.


THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960) was an extremely low budget feature, but it is funny and many of the laughs are from Seymour’s girlfriend Audrey (Jackie Joseph) and his mother. They alone are worth the price of admission. Don’t miss the screening July 11th at Urban Chestnut


A Facebook invite for the screening can be found HERE
The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5. There will be food to order and plenty of pints of Urban Chestnut’s famous home-brewed beer.

Paula Patton in TRAFFIK Arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand July 17


A romantic weekend getaway spirals out of control when Traffik arrives on Digital July 10 and Blu-ray (plus Digital), DVD, and On Demand July 17 from Lionsgate. Starring and produced by Paula Patton (Precious, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), and written and directed by Deon Taylor (Meet the Blacks, Supremacy, Dead Tone), the jarring thriller explores the gritty world of human trafficking and follows a couple’s fight for survival.

A romantic weekend getaway spirals out of control when Traffik arrives on Digital July 10 and Blu-ray™ (plus Digital), DVD, and On Demand July 17 from Lionsgate. Starring and produced by Paula Patton (Precious, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), and written and directed by Deon Taylor (Meet the Blacks, Supremacy, Dead Tone), the jarring thriller explores the gritty world of human trafficking and follows a couple’s fight for survival. Traffik also stars Omar Epps (TV’s “House” and “Shooter,” Love & Basketball), Laz Alonzo (Detroit, Fast & Furious, Avatar), Roselyn Sanchez (The Game Plan, Rush Hour 2, Act of Valor), with Missi Pyle (The Artist, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and William Fichtner (Crash, Drive Angry, Armageddon, TV’s “Prison Break”).

In this action-packed thriller, a weekend getaway at a secluded mountain estate turns deadly for Brea (Patton) and her boyfriend, John (Epps), after they accidentally discover the hidden world of a brutal biker gang. Joined unexpectedly by their friends, Darren (Alonso) and Malia (Sanchez), Brea and John wage a desperate fight for their lives against a gang who will stop at nothing to protect its shocking and murderous secrets.

Take home Traffik and go behind the scenes with the cast and crew in two featurettes exclusive to the home entertainment release, offering a revealing account of what it took to create this harrowing tale of human trafficking. The Traffik Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $34.99 and $29.95, respectively.

 

BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

  • “Journey into the Depths: Making Traffik” Featurette
  • “Deon & Dante: The Look of Traffik” Featurette

LEAVE NO TRACE – Review


Writer/director Debra Granik, whose 2010 art-house hit WINTER’S BONE introduced us to Jennifer Lawrence, has far less success with her follow-up LEAVE NO TRACE, a plodding and forgettable war-at-home  drama. Ben Foster stars as Will, an Iraq vet who’s given up on a conventional lifestyle and lives in the woods, away from the burdens of civilization. Though the audience is given few details about his past, it’s clear Will and his other forest-dwelling friends suffer from PTSD and just want to be left alone. The problem is Will has his 15-year old daughter Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) living out there with him, and though he may want to raise his daughter his own way, the authorities have other ideas. Will is a decent teacher for his daughter, teaching Tom to fend for herself in the wild and she is being educated, but what she’s lacking is any peer companionship. Another problem is that they’re living in Forest Park, a wilderness preserve near Portland, Oregon, so he’s not as far off the grid as he needs to be, making it fairly easy for the police to track them down. The pair is placed in ‘society’, with structure and responsibility and everything suddenly changes for Tom. They find housing on a Christmas Tree farm but it’s not an adjustment that Will can make and he decides, for both, to leave the security and resume their former life, but that plan stalls when he suffers a serious injury.  Tom is taken in by a commune of strangers and while her dad recovers, she is embraced by the simple life and affection of its members.

Based on the novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock, LEAVE NO TRACE has been made with obvious devotion and sincerity, but I found it overly-familiar and meandering. Granik gives her actors and story more than enough room to breathe by adopting a calm, observational shooting style and allowing scenes to run naturally and find their feet. It’s just that they never do. It takes two-thirds of the film for any scene of real emotional truth or power to emerge – and by then, I’d lost interest. I never felt any true father-daughter chemistry between the two leads, or the strong feeling of trust and affection that illustrate the love of a parent and child. Ben Foster excels at playing these tightly-wound combustible types, but his Will is given little dialog so the actor must express himself through pursed lips and haunted eyes. This works for a while, but eventually Will emerges as a rather one-note character. Ms McKenzie has received a lot of praise for her performance here, but to me Tom is just another of the type of overly-wise youth we too often see in film. The actress is fine but the script is weak and the character doesn’t ring true. LEAVE NO TRACE is a well-meaning film that never quite pulls itself together and I can’t recommend it.

2 of 5 Stars

Amy Schumer in I FEEL PRETTY Available on Blu-ray and DVD July 17th

Renee’s life is changed forever when she accidentally slips and falls in the laugh-out-loud comedy, I Feel Pretty, arriving on Digital on July 3, 2018 and on Blu-rayTM, DVD and On Demand on July 17, 2018 from STXfilms and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Filled with heart and humor from beginning to end, I Feel Pretty on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital comes packed with exciting bonus features including deleted scenes, a gag reel and special featurette that take fans further into the hilarious and moving story.


Amy Schumer (Trainwreck, Snatched) stars as Renee, a woman who struggles with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy on a daily basis.  After suffering a fall she wakes up believing she is suddenly the most beautiful and capable woman on the planet. With this new found confidence she is empowered to live her life fearlessly and flawlessly, but what will happen when she realizes her appearance never changed?


Hailed by critics as “fiercely entertaining” (Dustin Putman, The Film File), I Feel Pretty is produced by McG (Charlie’s Angels, Terminator Salvation) and also stars an outstanding cast including Academy-Award® nominee Michelle Williams (Manchester By The Sea, The Greatest Showman), Rory Scovel (The House, “Those Who Can’t”), Busy Philipps (“Cougar Town,” He’s Just Not That Into You), Aidy Bryant (“Saturday Night Live,” “Girls”), Emily Ratajkowski (Gone Girl, We Are Your Friends), Naomi Campbell (Zoolander 2, “Empire”), Tom Hopper (“Game of Thrones,” “Black Sails”), Sasheer Zamata (“Saturday Night Live,” Sleight) and Lauren Hutton (“Nip/Tuck,” Once Bitten).


BONUS FEATURES on BLU-RAY, DVD AND DIGITAL

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel
  • Being Pretty: Featurette – The cast reflects on what it means to feel pretty.

I Feel Pretty will be available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.

  • Blu-ray unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

“OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes: T.K.O.” Arrives on DVD July 17th, Featuring Select Episodes from the Animated Series’ First Season

Revisit the action-packed adventures of the Cartoon Network series when OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes: T.K.O. arrives on DVD July 17th.

Created by Ian Jones-Quartey, the high-octane series follows K.O. as he takes on the villains of Lakewood Plaza while training to become one of the world’s greatest heroes. Superfans can jump into all the action with the volume one DVD that includes 18 episodes and a 22-minute special, all from the first season.

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes: T.K.O. will retail for $14.97.

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes follows K.O., a cheerfully eager young boy who wants nothing more than to become the world’s greatest hero while following in his mother’s footsteps. Set in a futuristic world full of robots and aliens, K.O. works at Gar’s Bodega, a hero supply store located in Lakewood Plaza, alongside his friends Radicles and Enid. Whether he’s mopping the floor with evil robots or literally mopping the floor, K.O. is set to take on the world while proving every success or failure to be just another stepping stone to becoming the ultimate hero.

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes’ series premiere was Cartoon Network’s highest-rated 2017 telecast for a Cartoon Network original series among kids 6-11 and has proven to be the perfect hero training ground with the release of OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes, a video game that allows players to take on the role of K.O. and set out on a story-driven adventure to return powers to every hero in Lakewood Plaza.

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes: T.K.O.

18 x 11 MINUTE EPISODES

1 x 22 MINUTE SPECIAL:

1. Let’s Be Heroes 11. T.K.O. – 22 Min Special
2. Let’s Be Friends 12. Stop Attacking the Plaza
3. You’re Everybody’s Sidekick 13. We’ve Got Fleas
4. We Messed Up. 14. Glory Days
5. We’ve Got Pests 15. Villains Night Out
6. Legends of Mr. Gar 16. Villains Night In
7. We Got Hacked 17. Parents’ Day
8. Plazalympics 18. Let’s Not Be Skeletons
9. We’re Captured 19. Actions News
10. Know Your Mom  

THE NAVIGATOR: A MEDIEVAL ODYSSEY Available on Blu-ray July 24th From Arrow Video


Vincent Ward’s THE NAVIGATOR: A MEDIEVAL ODYSSEY will be available on Blu-ray July 24th From Arrow Video


Following the release of his 1984 debut feature, Vincent Ward returned four years later with The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey, a film that would cement his position as one of the most exciting filmmaking talents to emerge during the eighties.


Cumbria, 1348 the year of the Black Death. Griffin, a young boy, is plagued by apocalyptic visions which he believes could save his village. Encouraging a small band of men to tunnel into the earth, they surface in 1980s New Zealand and a future beyond their comprehension but must complete their quest.


Nominated for the Palme d Or at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey is a bold and often startling fusion of medieval fantasy and time travel science fiction, quite unlike anything you ve seen.


SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

  • High Definition (Blu-ray) presentation
  • Original mono audio (uncompressed LPCM)
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
  • Brand-new appreciation by film critic Nick Roddick, recorded exclusively for this release
  • Kaleidoscope: Vincent Ward Film Maker, a 1989 documentary profile of the director made for New Zealand television
  • Theatrical trailer
  • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kim Newman and an introduction by Vincent Ward

 

WAMG Giveaway – Win The BLOCKERS Blu-ray Starring Leslie Mann and John Cena


Hysterical and over-the-top parental trio John Cena (Trainwreck, Sisters), Leslie Mann (The Other Woman, This Is 40) and Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors, Suicide Squad) will do anything to foil their daughters’ prom night sex pact in BLOCKERS, the uproarious hit coming to Digital and the all-new digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on June 19, 2018, and Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on July 3, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Hailed as the “perfect comedy for the current era” by Vanity Fair, BLOCKERS is a gender-swapped spin on the classic teen sex comedy, filled with outrageous antics from the parents as their daughters take control of their epic prom night. The Blu-ray, DVD and Digital feature unrated bonus content with even more wild shenanigans including deleted scenes, gag reel, line-o-rama and more!

Now you can own the BLOCKERS Blu-ray . We Are Movie Geeks has 4 copies to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite movie co-starring Leslie Mann? (mine is THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN!). It’s so easy!


Making her directorial debut, Kay Cannon (writer of the Pitch Perfect series), along with the producers of Neighbors and This Is the End, bring laugh-out-loud moments in the outrageous comedy BLOCKERS. When three parents (Cena, Mann and Barinholtz) stumble upon their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. BLOCKERS also features teenage newcomers led by rising actress, Kathryn Newton (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Big Little Lies), Geraldine Viswanathan (EMO The Muscial), Gideon Adlon (“American Crime,” “Girl Meets World”), Graham Phillips (“Riverdale,” “The Good Wife”), Miles Robbins (“Mozart in the Jungle”) and Jimmy Bellinger (“The Middle”). Also joining in on the fun are comedic supporting cast members Gary Cole (“Veep,” Office Space), Gina Gershon (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Hannibal Buress (“Broad City,” Neighbors 2), Colton Dunn (“Key and Peele,” “Superstore”) and June Diane Raphael (“Grace and Frankie,” “New Girl”).


BONUS FEATURES:

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel – The entire cast contributes to these on-set flubs.
  • Line-O-Rama – The laughs continue after the take!
  • Rescue Mission – Being a parent isn’t easy, as Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, and John Cena make abundantly clear. Hear them and director Kay Cannon discuss parental mistakes and lessons learned. They even top it off with a good old-fashioned car explosion!
  • Prom Night – Filmmakers and cast discuss how they achieved the perfect prom look and also share some of their own personal prom stories.
  • The History of Sex with Ike Barinholtz – Ike Barinholtz explains the origins of human sexuality and its evolution through time.
  • John Cena’s Prom Survival Kit for Parents – John Cena shows off a survival kit filled with items that will help parents survive the most stressful time of year – prom season!
  • Chug! Chug! Chug! – The film introduced the world to the concept of “butt chugging.” Hear cast, crew, and butt-chugger John Cena discuss how they handled this standout scene.
  • Puke-a-Palooza – One memorable scene involves copious amounts of projectile vomit. See what cast, filmmakers, and crew went through to make sure the puke was as authentic as possible.

 Now you can own the WOLFCOP WOLFPACK. We Are Movie Geeks has 1 copy to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite werewolf movie? (mine is CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF!). It’s so easy!


BLOCKERS will be available on Blu-ray combo pack which includes Blu-ray, DVD and Digital, and Movies Anywhere.

  • Blu-ray unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
  • DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
  • Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
  • Movies Anywhere is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-rayTM and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. MOVIES ANYWHERE is only available in the United States. For more information, visit https://moviesanywhere.com.

 

FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena

Casting By: Jeanne McCarthy, Nicole Abellera

Music Supervisor: Manish Raval, Tom Wolfe

Music By: Mateo Messina

Costume Designer: Sarah Mae Burton

Edited By: Stacey Schroeder

Production Designer: Brandon Tonner-Connolly

Director of Photographer: Russ Alsobrook ASC

Produced By: Evan Goldberg p.g.a, Seth Rogen, James Weaver p.g.a, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Chris Fenton

Written By: Brian Kehoe & Jim Kehoe

Directed By: Kay Cannon

RIVER TO THE HEART Screens This Weekend at Webster University


RIVER TO THE HEART directed by Eddy L. Harris screens this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights (July 6th, 7th, and 8th) at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood) as part of its St. Louis Earth Day Film Series. The film begins each night at 7:30pm.


Former St. Louisan Eddy L. Harris is the author of the lauded travel book “Mississippi Solo” (1988), which chronicled his canoe trip down the length of the Mississippi River, from its headwaters in Minnesota to its terminus in the Gulf of Mexico. In “River to the Heart,” Harris retraces that journey as a 60-year-old, and the film explores what he discovered about both the country that was and the country that is. As he paddles the long miles, Harris contemplates the meaning of the river to the country and to the people who populate it. In the process, he meets and interviews representative folks along the way and tackles a wide range of topics.

Admission is:

$7 for the general public
$6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$5 for Webster University staff and faculty

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.

Animator/Artist Philo Barnhart at the Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis July 8th


The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for almost 30 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun now takes place nine times a year at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, MO 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!


The next Toyman Show is this Sunday, July 8th from 9:00a to 3:00p and artist and animator Philo Barnhart, best known for known for his work on The Little Mermaid (1989), The Secret of NIMH(1982) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990) will be there!


Also, Comic Book Creator, Artist & Actor CHARLES D. MOISANT will be on hand as well.

And I’ll be there handing out FREE movie Swag!


Come to The Toyman Toy Show and see over 140+ Vendors on 225+ tables of Toys, Comics, Games, Movie posters, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Die-Cast, Models, Pop Culture and NEWLY ADDED ARTIST ATTIC (Balcony) with SEVERAL Illustrators, Authors, Artists, Pop Culture Crafts, WPW Wrestling, Curvy Kitty Cosplay, along with A.P.G. Grading, and DOOR PRIZES with CASH EVERY HOUR.

Adult Admission at the Toyman Show: $5.00 – Children 16 & under free. Sunday: 9:00am – 3:00pm. Early Bird @ 8:00a – $12.00 – * FREE PARKING *

The Toyman Toy Show site can be found HERE

A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE

https://www.facebook.com/events/258774641543488/