Monthly Archive: November 2018

The House With a Clock in its Walls Disc Releases Dec. 18

Universal City, California, October 30, 2018 – Enjoy the delightfully thrilling tale of a mysterious house where things, including the inhabitants, are not what they seem to be. The House With a Clock in its Walls arrives on Digital and via the digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on November 27, 2018, as well as on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM, DVD and On Demand on December 18, 2018. Based on the classic children’s book and praised as “creaky, freaky haunted-mansion fun” (LA Times), The House With a Clock in its Walls features over 60 minutes of bonus content including an alternate beginning and ending, stunning featurettes, deleted scenes, a hilarious gag reel, and feature commentary. Enchanting from start to finish, it’s the perfect adventure for families during the holidays.

Full of wonder and adventure, The House With a Clock in its Walls mesmerizes audiences of all ages and keeps the magic alive when stars Jack Black (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Kung Fu Panda), Cate Blanchett (Ocean’s 8, Thor: Ragnarok) and Owen Vaccaro (Daddy’s Home, Mother’s Day) arrive as Uncle Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmerman and Lewis Barnavelt. In the most unexpected places, fantastical events, miraculous twists and suspense filled moments ensue in this “zany kids adventure” (The Hollywood Reporter) that soon captivates adults as well. In the tradition of Amblin classics, master frightener and director Eli Roth’s The House With a Clock in its Walls is a family-friendly fantasy film that “stands alongside the ‘just for kids’ classics of the 1980’s and 1990’s” (Forbes).

In The House With a Clock in its Walls directed by Eli Roth (The Green Inferno, Cabin Fever), Lewis Barnavelt (Vaccaro) goes to live with his Uncle Jonathan (Black) in a creaky and creepy mansion with an eerie tick-tocking heart. But when Lewis soon finds out he’s in the presence of magic practiced by his uncle and neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman (Blanchett), his new town’s dreary aura boosts to life in an exciting and dangerous way. Based on the beloved children’s classic book written by John Bellairs and illustrated by Edward Gorey, The House With a Clock in its Walls is written by Eric Kripke (creator of TV’s “Supernatural”) and co-stars Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks,” Inside Out), Colleen Camp (Clue), Renée Elise Goldsberry (“One Life to Live”), and Sunny Suljic (Mid90s, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). It is produced by Mythology Entertainment’s Brad Fischer (Shutter Island) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), as well as Kripke.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM, DVD & DIGITAL:

  • Warlocks and Witches – Go behind the scenes with the enchanting cast of The House with a Clock in Its Walls
    • Finding Lewis – A look at the casting of Owen Vaccaro
    • Jack’s Magical Journey – A look at the unique dynamism and magic that Jack Black brings to the character of Jonathan Barnavelt
    • The Great Cate – The cast discuss Cate Blanchett’s wonderful performance as Florence Zimmerman
    • The Terrifying Isaac Izard – Watch Kyle MacLachlan’s creepy evolution from living icon to undead-warlock
  • Movie Magic
    • The Ultimate Haunted House – Join filmmakers for a guided tour through the incredible house at the center of the film
    • Automatons Attack – A behind-the-scenes look at the mechanical horrors involved in this chilling sequence
    • Pumpkin Puke – Behind the scenes with the cast and an army of spooky, snarling, vomiting pumpkins
    • Moving Pieces – Filmmakers and cast discuss the amazing clock room set
    • Baby Jack – A behind-the-scenes look at the creepy Baby Jack sequence
  • Tick Tock: Bringing the Book to Life – Filmmakers discuss how they adapted the book for the big screen
  • Eli Roth: Director’s Journals – Director Eli Roth takes viewers behind the scenes
    • Candler Mansion
    • Newnan, GA
    • The Chair
    • Comrade Ivan
    • New Zebedee Elementary
    • Wrap Day
  • Owen Goes Behind the Scenes – Armed with his own camera, Owen guides viewers on his own journey behind-the-scenes of the movie
    • Around the Set
    • Behind the Camera
    • The Big Interview
    • Downtime on Set
  • Theme Song Challenge – Eli Roth and the cast are challenged to come up with a theme song for the film
  • Do You Know Jack Black? – The cast compete with each other to see who knows Jack Black the best
  • Abracadabra! – Eli Roth performs a magic trick for Owen Vaccaro
  • Jack Black’s Greatest Fear – Eli Roth and Owen Vaccaro play a prank on Jack Black
  • The Mighty Wurlitzer – Composer Nathan Barr discusses how he created the film’s unique and distinct score

BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAYTM DVD & DIGITAL:

  • Alternate Opening and Ending with Commentary by Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black available
    • Alternate Opening
    • Alternate Ending
  • Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black available
    • More Books, Please
    • A Horrible Practical Joke
    • Tarby Ditches Lewis
    • Eat Up
    • Play for Him
    • Get Out of the Way
    • Time Is of the Essence
    • The Clock That Never Breaks
    • 12 Minutes to Go
  • Gag Reel
  • Feature Commentary with Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black

The film will be available on 4K Ultra HD in a combo pack which includes 4K Ultra HD Blu-rayTM, Blu-rayTM and Digital. The 4K Ultra HD disc will include the same bonus features as the Blu-rayTM version, all in stunning 4K resolution.

  • 4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience.
  • Blu-rayTM 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.
  • 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: Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sunny Suljic, Kyle MacLachlan
Visual Effects Supervisor: Louis Morin
Music By: Nathan Barr
Costume Designer: Marlene Stewart
Edited By: Fred Raskin ACE
Production Designer: Jon Hutman
Director of Photography: Roger Stoffers ASC, NSC
Executive Producers: William Sherak, Tracey Nyberg, Laeta Kalogridis, Mark McNair
Produced By: Bradley J. Fischer p.g.a., James Vanderbilt p.g.a., Eric Kripke p.g.a.
Based on the Novel By: John Bellairs
Screenplay By: Eric Kripke
Directed By: Eli Roth

TECHNICAL INFORMATION 4K ULTRA HD:
Street Date: December 18, 2018
Selection Number: 61201229 (US) / 61201252 (CDN)
Layers: BD-66
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor and language.
Video: 2160p UHD / HDR 10
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Languages/Sound: English Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French DTS-HD High Resolution Audio 7.1
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

DOLBY ATMOS® SOUNDTRACK
The House With a Clock in its Walls Blu-ray™ and 4K Ultra HD will feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAYTM:

Street Date: December 18, 2018
Selection Number: 61198236 (US) / 61199978 (CDN)
Layers:  BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor and language.
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Languages/Sound: English Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French DTS-HD High Resolution Audio 7.1
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD:
Street Date: December 18, 2018
Selection Number: 61198234 (US) / 61199979 (CDN)
Layers: DVD 9
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 16:9 2.39:1
Rating: PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor and language.
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Languages/Sound: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Book-A-Day 2018 #305: Mage: The Hero Discovered (2 vols) by Matt Wagner

I’m pretty sure this has been published in one volume, at least once. But the current edition is two volumes, and that’s what I read. (Long before that, it was published as fifteen comic book issues, and I had those as well, before my 2011 flood. But all things must pass.)

“This” is the first volume of Matt Wagner’s epic transmuting-his-life-into-heroic-adventure trilogy Mage. Mage: The Hero Discovered was one of Wagner’s first major comics projects in the 1980s and was followed by The Hero Defined at the end of the ’90s and, eventually, by The Hero Denied, planned to wrap up by the end of this year.

Since that third volume is about to finish up, and I expect to read it, I thought I might as well go back for the first two: when a creator takes 15-20 years between installments, you can do him the favor of reminding yourself of the old pieces before coming to the new ones. So I re-read Hero Discovered this month (Volume One , Volume Two ), plan to hit Hero Defined next month, which should get me ready for the first Hero Denied collection…which I see was published a few days ago. (I doubt I’ll be able to hold off until the second half of Denied is published as a book in February, but I did skip buying all of the floppies, so maybe I will. As I get older, the appeal of story-pieces has gone down precipitously.)

Very early in the life of this blog, I had a breathless review of Defined , which I’m linking here for completeness’s sake — I really hope you don’t go back and read those burblings, which I am now embarrassed by. Otherwise, I’ve mentioned it, but not gotten into any depth.

It starts with overwriting two guys meeting on a city street — one may be drunk, and pretends to be happy, and one may be a bum, or pretends to be one. (Their dialogue is wince-inducing: if you decide to read Mage, you need to remember that it was nearly the first thing Wagner did in comics, and that he got better quickly — though ponderous unbelievable dialogue is an occasional hazard throughout the Mage stories.)

The not-drunk guy is Kevin Matchstick, who is so sad because he’s all alone. The not-bum calls himself Mirth, and he’s the mage of the title — there will be a different one for each series. Right after their conversation, Kevin sees a man attacking an actual bum in an alley, and surprises himself by running to intervene. He’s even more surprised to find the assailant is a hairless pale-skinned humanoid with sharp points on his elbows and that Kevin suddenly has super-strength and speed. The bum dies; the humanoid gets away.

And Kevin goes back to his apartment, confused, to find Mirth, who starts the official Hero’s Journey by explaining (well, a little) who he and Kevin are. Mirth is the World-Mage, opposed to the evil Umbra Sprite and his sons, the Grackleflints (the humanoids), who do the usual evil thing of corruption and destruction. Kevin has another fight with three (of five) of the Grackleflints in a subway car before he gets the next round of explanations from Mirth.

I’ll be blunt here, though Kevin doesn’t find this out for a long time: he’s The Eternal Champion King Arthur kind-of King Arthur, in that he’s the latest incarnation of a mythic hero and was once little Wart. He will gather allies — a teenage girl with a bat and a dead public defender — and, together, they will help him battle the Umbra Sprite and all of the supernatural creatures that the Sprite can summon and throw at him. The Sprite is searching for the Fisher King — another reincarnation, though not a hero — and if his Grackleflints can kill the Fisher King, it will bring a new era of death and destruction to earth.

And that’s the story of Discovered: this is explicitly a Hero’s Journey book, so Kevin learns bits and pieces of the setup over about four hundred pages, punctuated with fights against dragons and giants and redcaps and other mythical beasties, and occasionally broken up by attempts to actually figure out what the forces of evil are doing, where they’re headquartered, and how to stop them.

Before the end, there are major sacrifices so the Hero can stand alone, quite a lot of epic fight scenes, and a surprisingly nuanced view of the relationships among the forces of evil. Wagner started this series a little shakily, but it had great bones right from the beginning, and both his drawing and writing skills got stronger very quickly. It’s unfortunate that the two very worst pages in the whole Mage saga are the first two, but at least you can know that going in.

Somewhere along the line, the original 1980s-era coloring disappeared and was replaced by a more modern treatment by Jeromy Cox and James Rochelle — I think this is from the Defined era, but don’t quote me. I should also note that Wagner is inked by Sam Kieth, starting with the sixth (of fifteen) chapters, and that lines up with one of several leaps forward in the strength of the art. (So it’s not all Wagner, as the cover makes it seem — very few comics are that much of an auteur medium; there’s always some collaboration going on.)

Mage is a strong urban fantasy story in comics form, clearly in a mythic vein but with a lot of individual touches. It’s classy enough to have titles from Hamlet (and never say so, or explain them), and street enough to be about the reincarnation of King Arthur beating up monsters to save the world. And, if you’ve been waiting for the whole Mage saga to be done, you are nearly in luck.

antickmusingsdyil2auoc8za-2571931 antickmusingsd63t7ie-lg7y-5542569 antickmusingsdqj6idk7rits-2451356

Reposted from The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

The Predator & Predator 4 Movie Collection Coming for Christmas

LOS ANGELES, CA – The hunt for the perfect holiday gift is over. The universe’s greatest hunter returns in The Predator on Digital and Movies Anywhere November 27 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD December 18. Fans can bring home a special edition Predator 4-Movie Collection, which includes Predator, Predator 2, Predators and The Predator on 4K Ultra HD™ and Blu-ray.

The hunt has evolved – and so has the explosive action – in the next chapter of the Predator series, from director Shane Black (Iron Man 3). Now, the most lethal hunters in the universe are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before….and only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biology professor can prevent the end of the human race.

With the special edition Predator 4-Movie Collection, fans can experience four times the terror with a killer collection of action-packed Predator movies, plus four collector cards of the original film poster re-issue with some of the franchises most iconic quotes on the back. In Predator, Arnold Schwarzenegger wages an all-out war against an extraterrestrial that hunts humans for sport. Then in Predator 2, Danny Glover battles the fearsome creature in the urban jungle of Los Angeles. In Predators Adrien Brody leads a group of elite warriors on an alien planet targeted by a new Predator breed. Finally, in The Predator, Boyd Holbrook discovers that the most lethal hunters in the universe are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever.

The Predator Digital, 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ & DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Deleted Scenes
  • A Touch of Black
  • Predator Evolution
  • The Takedown Team
  • Predator Catch-Up
  • Gallery

The Predator 4K Ultra HD™ Disc Specification
Street Date:                December 18, 2018
Prebook Date:            October 30, 2018
Screen Format:          Widescreen 16:9 (2.39:1)
Audio:                         English Dolby Atmos / English AD DD 5.1 / Spanish DD 5.1 /
French DTS 5.1
Subtitles:                    English SDH / Spanish / French
Total Run Time:          Approximately 107 minutes
U.S. Rating:                R
Closed Captioned:      No

The Predator Blu-ray™ Disc Specification
Street Date:                December 18, 2018
Prebook Date:            October 30, 2018
Screen Format:          Widescreen 16:9 (2.39:1)
Audio:                         English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1,
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:                    English SDH, Spanish, French
Total Run Time:          Approximately 107 minutes
U.S. Rating:                R
Closed Captioned:      No

The Predator DVD Disc Specification
Street Date:               December 18, 2018
Prebook Date:           October 30, 2018
Screen Format:         Widescreen 16:9 (2.39:1)
Audio:                        English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1,
Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:                   English SDH, Spanish, French
Total Run Time:         Approximately 107 minutes
U.S. Rating:              R
Closed Captioned:    Yes

PREDATOR 4 Movie Collection 4K Ultra HD™ & Blu-ray™ 8-Disc Specifications:
Street Date:              December 18, 2018
Screen Format:         4K UHD™:
                                 Predator & Predator 2: Widescreen 1.85:1
                                 Predators: Widescreen 2.40:1
                                The Predator: Widescreen 2.39:1

Blu-ray™:
                                 Predator & Predator 2: Widescreen 1.85:1
                                 Predators: Widescreen 2.35:1
                                The Predator: Widescreen 2.39:1

Audio:                       4K UHD™:
Predator: English DTS-HD, Master Audio 5.1, English DTS Master
Audio 4.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1
                                 Predator 2: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby
Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1
                                 Predators: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Descriptive
Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1
                                The Predator: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio 5.1,
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1

Blu-ray™:
                                 Predator: English DTS-HD Master, Audio 5.1, English Dolby
Surround 4.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1
                                 Predator 2: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Dolby
Surround, Spanish Stereo, French Dolby Digital 5.1
                                 Predators: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital
5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
                                The Predator: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English Descriptive
Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:                  4K UHD™ & Blu-Ray™:
                                 Predator: English SDH, Spanish, French
                                 Predator 2: English SDH, Spanish
                                 Predators: English SDH, Spanish
                                The Predator: English SDH, Spanish, French

Total Run Time:        429 Minutes
U.S. Rating:              R
Closed Captioned:    No

PREDATOR 4 Movie Collection Blu-ray™ 4-Disc Specifications:
Street Date:               December 18, 2018
Screen Format:         Predator & Predator 2: Widescreen 1.85:1
                                  Predators: Widescreen 2.35:1
                                 The Predator: Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio:                       Predator: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Dolby
Surround 4.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS 5.1
                                 Predator 2: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Dolby
Surround, Spanish Stereo, French Dolby Digital 5.1
                                 Predators: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital
5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
                                 The Predator: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English
Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby
Digital 5.1

Subtitles:                  Predator: English SDH, Spanish, French
                                 Predator 2: English SDH, Spanish
                                 Predators: English SDH, Spanish
                                The Predator: English SDH, Spanish, French

Total Run Time:        429 Minutes
U.S. Rating:              R
Closed Captioned:    No

National Graphic Novel Writing Month 2018

National Graphic Novel Writing Month 2018! #nagranowrimo

  • News
  • November 1, 2018

National Graphic Novel Writing Month 2018

Yes, we got enough demand from you that we’re doing it again! For the month of November, we’re going to help you learn how to write a graphic novel! Stick with us for 30 days, and we’ll go over just about everything you need to know about writing for the specific requirements of comics!

It is our hope that by the time we’re done, you’re going to be well on your way to being able to show us your work, and be able to guide you to the next steps of creation. We also hope you’ll share these lessons with other folks far and wide.

First: let’s pull out some of the textbooks you’re going to want to read. Your first homework assignment is to get some of these from the library or the store.

We’ll recommend others as we go.

Second, let me tell you what this is NOT going to be.

This is not going to help you create your idea for a graphic novel. We’re starting with the assumption that you already have an idea for a graphic novel, and need help trying to write it.

This is not going to require you to be an artist. While there is a place for the person who can both write and draw, this is intended for the person who is going to be working with a collaborator or two. As such, you’re going to learn the best ways to write in order to make it easy for a collaborator– even it you don’t even know who’s going to draw it.

This is not even going to require you to have any drawing skills. If you can make stick figures, you’re qualified. Yes, you will have to draw stick figures.

This is not going to be genre-specific. Comics contain multitudes– superheroes, mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, humor, porn, educational materials, biography and autobiography, on and on and on. We’re not teaching you how to write Batman, we’re teaching you how to write comics.

And finally: This is not going to be a rah-rah confidence builder. There are plenty of places where you can get the types of affirmations to help during long nights staring at your wall, and you should make use of them if they help you– but this is for the nuts and bolts of writing for comics, and the only way to really learn that is to sit down and write them. These lessons are not to help you power through the creation of a comic, giving you “waytogos!” as you hit particular word counts during the month. In fact, there will be no word count goal in your creation process.

Why? Because it’s impossible to quantify how many words are needed to make a graphic novel. It could take 5000 words– or 500,000.

And on that terrifying note… see you tomorrow.

 

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks