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House of the Dragon: The Complete Second Season Makes Disc Debut Nov. 19

BURBANK, CA (August 5, 2024) – The reign of House Targaryen continues as Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is set to release the HBO Original drama series HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: The Complete Second Season. Following the unprecedented success of its first season, which captured hearts and imaginations worldwide, this latest installment promises even more drama, intrigue…and dragons!  The physical release includes all eight heart-pounding episodes from the second season of the hit HBO series, with over an hour of bonus content, including two all-new, never-before-seen exclusive featurettes, plus extended “The House that Dragons Built – Inside the Episode” pieces for each of the (8) Season 2 episodes.  HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: The Complete Second Season will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD™ Steelbook Edition, 4K Ultra HD™ Standard Edition, Blu-ray™, and DVD on November 19, online and in-store at major retailers. And for a limited time, while supplies last, collectible character cards are being developed for insertion into 4K UHD and Blu-ray sets making this release a must-have for fans.  Pre-order your copy today. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: The Complete Second Season is also available to own on Digital today.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.  Following King Aegon II’s coronation and the death of Queen Rhaenyra’s son, House Targaryen is divided in two. In King’s Landing, Aegon II rules from the Iron Throne, supported by Alicent and the Green Council, under the protection of the largest dragon in Westeros. From exile on Dragonstone, Queen Rhaenyra, and her Black Council consider their next move. Civil war looms as both sides seek support from the great houses of Westeros, ultimately amassing armies — and dragons. 

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 2 has captured acclaim from critics for its “breathlessly exciting and gripping tale” (TheWrap) that “really is a return to Thrones’ golden age” (GQ). Esquire has deemed the second season “the biggest show of the summer,” while TV Guide has hailed the series as “the grandest TV available,” and Collider declared it as “the best fantasy television show of the decade.”  HOUSE OF THE DRAGON is currently HBO’s #1 New broadcast series and has been renewed for a third season.

Season 2 stars Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban and Jefferson Hall.  Additional Season Two cast includes Abubakar Salim, Gayle Rankin, Freddie Fox, Simon Russell Beale, Clinton Liberty, Jamie Kenna, Kieran Bew, Tom Bennett, Tom Taylor, and Vincent Regan.  Co-Creator/Executive Producer, George R.R. Martin; Co-Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer, Ryan Condal; Executive Producers Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere, Vince Gerardis. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.”

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE (2) NEVER-BEFORE-BEEN SEEN FEATURETTES EXCLUSIVE TO 4K UHD, BD and DVD:

  • Family Tree (TRT 05:12)

Westerosi family ties can be confusing.  This primer will help viewers keep track of the complex and far-reaching branches of House Targaryen.

  • Divided Kingdoms (TRT 09:05)

Join Co-Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer Ryan Condal and the cast and crew as they provide an overview of Season 2 and a glimpse of the war to come.

PRODUCT
Digital, 4K UHD, BD and DVD
Run Time Feature: Approx. 480 min.

4K Ultra HD Limited Edition Steelbook
(4) UHD-100s
4K UHD Audio: English Dolby Atmos TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
4K UHD Subtitles: English, French

4K Ultra HD National Standard Edition
(4) UHD-100s
4K UHD Audio: English Dolby Atmos TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
4K UHD Subtitles: English, French

Blu-ray™
(4) BD-50s
BD Audio: English Dolby Atmos TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
BD Subtitles: English SDH, French

DVD
(4) DVD-9s
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
DVD Subtitles: English SDH, French

REVIEW: Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way

Apple+ debuted in November 2019 but needed a hit show to become synonymous with the streaming service, and they had to wait until August 14, 2020, when Ted Lasso arrived. The series features a fresh take on a character created by Jason Sudeikis for NBC Sports’ 2013 coverage of the Premier League. His then-girlfriend Olivia Wilde suggested two years later that he do more with the character, but it took until 2019 before a series was green-lit.

Long before I subscribed, everyone was buzzing about the show—about how original it was, how charming and funny it was, and how brilliant the cast was. When we finally added it to our programming mix, it was the first show my wife and I watched. We binged our way through the three seasons in a matter of weeks and were delighted. For a change, everyone was uniform in their beliefs and all correct.

Warner Home Entertainment released Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way, a Blu-ray set of the complete 34-episode series, last week, so you don’t need to subscribe to enjoy it.

The fish out of water concept carried the first season as Ted and his partner Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) were hired by Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) to come run AFC Richmond, which she won in a divorce settlement from her husband Rupert Mannion (Anthony Stewart Head). She wanted to ruin the team to spite her ex, but within weeks, she changed her mind as Lasso’s methods turned the team into competitors.

Lasso’s approach was a gosh, darn it approach, rarely raising his voice and never really cursing, but offering bromides and homilies to one and all. He listened to everyone from team president Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift) to kit man Nathan “Nate” Shelley (Nick Mohammed), hiring the latter as a coach.

His rag-tag football team (soccer to you, Yanks) was filled with the arrogant, the wanna-be’s, the egotists, and those who just wanted to play. All felt betrayed by Lasso’s hiring so it took time, but one by one, he won them over and the joy of the show is watching how they all fall under his spell, becoming better people for the effort.

What’s impressive in watching the series straight through, as opposed to being doled out from 2020 to 2023 is to see how rich the entire cast is, with brilliant casting all the way through. We cheer as aging veteran Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) accepts his body can’t keep up and moves to become a coach and wonderful uncle to Phoebe (Elodie Blomfield) while his girlfriend Keely Jones (Juno Temple) blossoms as a marketing guru, running her own firm. Across the seasons, everyone gets a moment to shine and a story arc to pursue. Still, some of the best moments are when the cast come together, such as season two’s “Carol of the Bells” (written to fill in when the season was expanded from 10 to 12 episodes).

One of the joys of streaming, more so than cable, is that run times are whatever is needed. Episodes can go from 29 to 78 minutes, usually in the 30-40 minute range. Stories can breathe, and characters can be fleshed out, giving the performers a chance to shine. It is filled with wonderful actors given strong material to work with, so it can range from the silly howling of the Diamond Dogs to Lasso’s struggles with panic attacks.

While the series focuses on football, it addresses far more universal themes about love and loss, what it means to be a competitor, and the sacrifices one makes for family.

The 1080p transfer is excellent, and the Blu-ray set comes complete with a “Believe” mini-poster. The set lacks any Special Features, which is a shame.

The Eyes of the Cat by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Moebius

I don’t have the highest opinion of the work of Alexandro Jodorowsky, to put it mildly. (See my post on the Moebius/Jodorowsky product Madwoman of the Sacred Heart  for a fuller rant.) I tend to think Moebius had massive tendencies towards self-indulgence at best, and that Jodorowsky fed into those, adding a soupy Euro mystic vagueness on top, like a light fog that makes everything unclear.

But I like books that I react strongly to – even if that reaction is not actually positive. The point of art is to make people feel, and revulsion and disdain is a feeling, he said somewhat puckishly. So I keep giving Jodorowsky chances, in large part because other readers – people who I otherwise respect – said consistently for decades that there really was a there there.

Thus The Eyes of the Cat , their 1978 collaboration – I think the first time they worked together, a couple of years before The Incal began. It’s published as a comics album these days, but it’s more experimental than that, and a slimmer, smaller thing – it was originally a giveaway in France, which is oddly appropriate. 

It’s about fifty pages long, alternating full-page illustrations and pages with a single tall minimalist panel – that panel seems not to change for most of the length of the book – and a few words. It’s more like a picture book than a comic: not quite words on one side and image on the other, but almost that.

The words are all in one voice, and we realize eventually it is the boy we see in the tall panels speaking. The boy is speaking to a bird of prey, Meduz, as it stalks – well, you can guess from the title and see from the cover. And the title will tell you what Meduz is looking to take from its prey.

This is a book of mood and atmosphere, one that implies things rather than saying them, creating a tone of horror and creepiness rather than telling a fuller story or describing a world. The boy is deeply creepy: that’s the point. But it takes a little while for the reader to realize it: that is also the point.

The Moebius art is from his prime period, detailed and precise, from the vertiginous ruined cityscape to the intricate crosshatching on Meduz’s feathers. And Jodorowsky’s words are few enough and allusive enough that they work perfectly well – for me at least.

And, before I forget and end this post, the edition I read was the 2013 Humanoids English-language edition, which was translated by Quinn & Katia Donoghue.

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

Ryan North & Alan Davis FF Story Backs Up Marvel’s Trick or Read Releases

New York, NY— July 25, 2024 — Marvel Comics’ Trick-Or-Read titles return this October, and this year, there’ll be an extra treat! The three Trick-Or-Read titles set in the Marvel Universe will contain a bonus FANTASTIC FOUR backup story written by current Fantastic Four scribe Ryan North and drawn by the legendary Alan Davis. Titled FANTASTIC FOUR: YESTERDAY, these two superstar creators revisit the Fantastic Four’s thrilling early days in a way that invites new readers and astounds longtime fans! 

The story will detail the team’s origin, making it a perfect entry point for readers who want to get acquainted with the characters and the FF mythos. This is also the perfect time to jump into this incredible FF story ahead of Marvel Studio’s highly anticipated Fantastic Four film, arriving in theaters next summer!

TRICK-OR-READ is the popular program that gives fans a chance to grab special reprints of recent stories starring today’s hottest characters. In the same spirit as Free Comic Book Day, participating local comic shops can give these comics to customers during the Halloween season. The issues are selected to offer spellbinding trips to the Marvel Universe that anyone can enjoy. From the latest adventures of the Fantastic Four to breakout character Spider-Boy’s headlining debut—this year’s selections feature something for every reader including newcomers and young children!

Check out the covers for the three Trick-Or-Read titles that will contain FANTASTIC FOUR: YESTERDAY and inquire with your local comic shop regarding availability!

FANTASIC FOUR: THE DINOSAUR FANTASTIC FOUR #1
Written by RYAN NORTH
Art by IBAN COELLO
Cover by ALEX ROSS

SPIDER-BOY: THE WEB-LESS WONDER #1
Written by DAN SLOTT
Art by PACO MEDINA & TY TEMPLETON
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS

VENOM: BEDLAM #1
Written by AL EWING
Art by CAFU & PERE PEREZ
Cover by BRYAN HITCH

Upcoming Animated Series Based on Infinity: Paradise Lost Table Top Game Announced

Screenshot

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 24, 2024) – Corvus Belli’s worldwide table top game sensation Infinity, an intense wargame of counter-espionage set in a sci-fi, high-tech future universe, is expanding the franchise with an organic foray into animation – courtesy of renowned producer/director Jay Oliva, the animator responsible for nine Warner Bros. hit films, including the universally acclaimed two-part Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Produced by Lex+Otis Studios and TeamTO, the series – Infinity: Paradise Lost – had its industry unveiling in France at the Annecy Film Festival last month, and is currently entertaining distributors.

Infinity, the game and its animated series, finds mankind nearly 200 years into an alternate future where humanity has departed Earth and colonized multiple star systems. While there is a shared, albeit tense unity among these planetary factions, conflicts still exist as great nations attempt to maintain control of resources in order to further enhance their grip on power. Aliens are believed to have gone extinct in these star systems – until they begin to arrive. This is where Infinity begins.

“I played – and loved – the game, so I reached out to the Corvus Belli team, introduced myself, and then flew to Spain to make my pitch,” Oliva explains. “We developed the series over a week in Spain and, though Covid held us up for a beat, the animated Infinity was born. 

“Most table top games are either big armies or smaller models, but Infinity is more like a skirmish game with tons of terrain, like you’re playing on a little diorama – and that visual side really drew me to the game and inspired the animation. There’s a cyberpunk aspect, but also a very Ghost in the Shell feel with holograms and futuristic weaponry. The influences include Dune and some classic sci-fi of the past. It all translated very easily to animation.”

Screenshot

Fans will get their first glimpse at the Infinity: Paradise Lost cast, top production talent and action-packed footage during a panel at Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 27 at 10:00am in Room 6A of the San Diego Convention Center. The panel, entitled “Corvus Belli’s Infinity Comes to Animation,” will feature animation from the new series, including an exhilarating trailer and an immersive music video spotlighting the Infinity scoring session at Abbey Road Studios, as well as a lively discussion amongst renowned producer/animation director Jay Oliva (Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Zack Snyder’s Twilight of the Gods), producer Gutier Lusquinos, actors Zehra Fazal (Young Justice, Halo Infinite, Starfield) and Jason Spisak (Arcane, Batman: Hush), composer Frederik Weidmann (Star Trek: Picard, The Death of Superman), casting/voice director Wes Gleason (Batman: The Killing Joke) and creative consultant Matt Motschenbacher (Deadpool, The Boys). Publicist Gary Miereanu will moderate the festivities.

Every attendee at the panel will receive a Comic-Con exclusive Infinity mini-figurine of Kassad, one of the key characters in the series. In the new animation, Kassad is voiced by Raffi Barsoumian (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Seal Team, The Code). 

The cast of Infinity: Paradise Lost also features includes Abubakr Ali (Grendel, Law & Order: Organized Crime), Emily O’Brien (Days of Our Lives, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham), Nick E. Tarabay (Spartacus, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Roshelle Simpson (Gather by the Ghost Light).

October’s Mutant Tiles Higlights Phoenix vs. Gorr the God Butcher

New York, NY— July 22, 2024 — The mutant landscape of the Marvel Universe has changed dramatically! With the fall of Krakoa, the new From the Ashes era is on the horizon—home to new team books and solo series, each embracing different missions and methods to survive a world that fears them now more than ever. Harkening back to classic X-Men storytelling while embracing the franchise’s modern evolution, From the Ashes is an exciting fresh start for longtime fans and newcomers alike!

October will be a thrilling month for X-Men readers as the From the Ashes era’s most prominent threats make their entrance, two mutant icons begin new solo adventures in STORM and MYSTIQUE, a team of mutant hunting cyborgs make their debut in SENTINELS, and much more. Here’s what fans can look forward to:

DAZZLER #2
Written by JASON LOO
Art by RAFAEL LOUREIRO

LONDON CALLING!

Dazzler and her entourage travel across the pond for the next stop on her world tour. But when a live studio session goes dangerously awry, it’s time for Domino and Strong Guy to shine! But who is the mystery villain out to cancel Dazzler’s performances – permanently?! Featuring action, heartbreak and another original set of song lyrics!

EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #2
Written by EVE L. EWING
Art by CARMEN CARNERO

THE WHITE QUEEN MAKES HER MOVE!

Kate Pryde’s continued attempts at living a normal, non-mutant life go laughably wrong as she finds herself in the middle of a brawl started by a couple of headstrong teens with remarkable abilities – which, of course, they’re terrible at controlling. She’s sworn off being anybody’s teacher, mentor, professor, sensei or anything that reminds her of her old life. But will the White Queen force her hand?

MYSTIQUE #1
Written by DECLAN SHALVEY
Art by DECLAN SHALVEY

REMINDING THE WORLD TO HATE AND FEAR HER!

How do you track a subject with a history that contradicts itself? How do you stop a force whose motives change like quicksilver? How do you stop a target that can be anyone? That’s the question that confronts Nick Fury as he stumbles upon a web of lies and espionage leading back to Mystique. From the ashes of Krakoa, the shape-shifting mutant sifts through the dark underbelly of the Marvel Universe to tell a tale of action and espionage targeting Marvel’s most mysterious mutant.

NYX #4
Written by COLLIN KELLY & JACKSON LANZING
Art by ENID BALÁM

THE FUTURE OF MUTANTKIND FALLS TO PRODIGY!

Genius. Student. New Mutant. Young Avenger. X-Man. As Proidgy, David Alleyne has been all these things and more – but now he faces his most difficult challenge yet. Facing down his past and looking his present in the eye, Prodigy must fight to understand what mutant culture really means to those left behind by Krakoa… and how far he’ll go to protect the mutants of New York City from a devastating – and dangerous – conspiracy of their own. Featuring guest art by Enid Balám!

PHOENIX #4
Written by STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
Art by ALESSANDRO MIRACOLO

BEWARE…THE GOD BUTCHER!

His call has gone out across the universe: He will have his retribution. He will bring his awful vengeance to bear. Gorr the God Butcher is going to kill the Phoenix. Plus: Captain Marvel comes to call…

SENTINELS #1
Written by ALEX PAKNADEL
Art by JUSTIN MASON

WHO ARE THE NEW SENTINELS?

The original Sentinel Program was human supremacy and fear coded into circuitry. But now their legacy falls into the hands of mutantkind! Powered by cutting-edge nanotech, this new generation of Sentinels protects a fragile peace between mutants and humans. But when being a Sentinel is your job – your life – is it possible to stay human? Meet a brand-new team of heroes that will take on the most heinous mutants! Their first mission: Capture Omega Red!

STORM #1
Written by MUREWA AYODELE
Art by LUCAS WERNECK

EARTH’S MIGHTIEST MUTANT, NOW HEADLINING HER OWN SOLO SERIES!

Ororo Munroe has lived many lives. She’s been a thief, a goddess, an X-Man, a queen and now an Avenger! She is the most prominent, most respected and most powerful mutant on the world stage – and in that role, she intends to be a force for positive change! First up: A major meltdown at a nuclear facility in Oklahoma City draws Storm from her Sanctuary in Atlanta – and into a moral conflict that will test her iron resolve!

UNCANNY X-MEN #4
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by DAVID MARQUEZ

ROGUE STANDS ALONE AND A MUTANT PROPHECY REVEALED!

With one X-Man down and hell coming for the rest, Rogue finds herself alone against a power of darkness she is completely unprepared for. No backup, no lifeline and NO WAY OUT. And as she fights alone, a secret of the new recruits is revealed – is one of them the Endling that will destroy all mutantkind?

WOLVERINE #2 
Written by SALADIN AHMED
Art by MARTÍN CÓCCOLO

WHERE GOES THE WENDIGO?!

Who stalks Wolverine in the Canadian North? And what mysterious designs does the Wendigo have on the Best There Is? Logan just wants to be left alone, but a war on two fronts will evolve with an unexpected turn! Don’t miss the debut of the all-new Wendigo, as the secret it hides will shape Wolverine’s mission…

X-FACTOR #3
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art by BOB QUINN

X-FACTOR GOES TO THE MOON!

A computer-controlled lunar base has gone out of control! How can Havok and Frenzy stop a foe that can predict the team’s every move? And does the key to victory lie with the team’s most mysterious new member: Granny Smite?!

X-FORCE #4
Written by GEOFFREY THORNE
Art by MARCUS TO

MAN-THING STRIKES AS THE NEXUS OF ALL REALITIES IS AT STAKE!

The Nexus of All Realities is in danger – meaning if X-Force can’t seal this Fracture Node, they’ve got more to worry about than just one ol’ Earth!  What extradimensional forces stand ready to take down Forge’s team? And the Nexus’ guardian, the Man-Thing – is he friend or foe? The all-new X-Force series continues to turn up the heat…and wait’ll you see what we’re cooking!

X-MEN #5
Written by JED MACKAY
Art by RYAN STEGMAN

TELEPATHIC TEAM-UP!

While the X-Men engage the social-media sociopath Upstarts, Kid Omega and Psylocke dive deep into the mind of a troubled mutant. Silence: Psychic Rescue in Progress! But Quentin Quire has never been good at keeping his mouth shut…

X-MEN #6
Written by JED MACKAY
Art by NETHO DIAZ

SECRETS BEHIND THE X-MEN’S NEW HOME REVEALED!

While the X-Men attempt to unravel the globe-spanning conspiracy arrayed against them, Temper and Magik work to investigate one closer to home. Merle, Alaska, holds more secrets than just the ones kept within the Factory, and the two mutants must leave the safety of their headquarters and hit the streets for answers.

Super Friends: The Complete Collection and 85th Anniversary Box Set Coming in Sept.

Celebrate the 85th anniversary of Batman with two new collections coming this month.

Batman is one of the most iconic characters in the world and is recognized across the globe thanks to his portrayal in universally beloved comics, TV shows, cartoons and movies since The Caped Crusader first appeared in 1939’s Detective Comics #27. Since then, the Dark Knight has stood as a symbol of determination, courage, and justice to generations of fans for 85 years. 

Batman is notable not for having any super powers but for his intelligence, skill, and technical savvy— born out tragedy, Bruce Wayne’s relentless pursuit of justice and will power to protect others made him an instant icon. 

Batman Day is celebrated the third Saturday of September of every year, and this year will be on September 21, 2024. Stay tuned for more and be on the lookout for Batman 85th activations this year!

Super Friends: The Complete Collection – Blu-ray and DVD

Available September 10, 2024

The greatest of the DC superheroes work together to uphold the good with the help of some young proteges. Produced by Hanna-Barbera, Super Friends is an animated TV series, featuring the Justice League of America, that ran, with varying names, from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part the Saturday morning cartoon lineup.

The collection features 93 episodes of the animated television series and is remastered on Blu-ray disc for the first time!

Batman 85th Anniversary Collection – 4K UHD

Available September 10, 2024

The Batman 85th Anniversary Collection includes 10 epic animated movies in 4K UHD celebrating 85 years of Gotham City’s finest. 

  • Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) 
  • Batman Year One (2011)
  • Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
  • Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
  • Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)
  • Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
  • Batman: Hush (2019)
  • Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)
  • Batman: The Long Halloween (2021)
  • Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (2023)

40th Anniversary of Body Double gets 4K Treatment

SYNOPSIS
Brian De Palma invites you to witness a seduction… a mystery… a murder. It’s BODY DOUBLE — a spine-tingling look at voyeurism and sexuality from the modern master of suspense. Jake Scully (Craig Wasson), an unemployed actor, is asked to house-sit at a luxurious hillside apartment. As a bonus, the home offers Jake a telescopic peek into the bedroom of Gloria Revelle (Deborah Shelton), who performs an arousing striptease. When Jake discovers another man is also spying on Gloria, he begins an obsessive surveillance of her. Soon a grisly murder leads him into the world of X-rated film where he meets adult film star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith), who is a key to the crime. De Palma has created a gripping adult thriller of eroticism and horror!

DISC DETAILS AND BONUS MATERIALS

4K ULTRA HD DISC
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision
English Dolby Atmos + English 5.1 + English 2-Channel Surround

BLU-RAY DISC™
Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
English 5.1 + English 2-Channel Surround

Special Features:
NEWLY ADDED: Archival EPK Interviews with Brian De Palma, Craig Wasson and Melanie Griffith
NEWLY ADDED: Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Relax” Music Video (BODY DOUBLE Version)
4 Featurettes:
The Seduction
The Setup
The Mystery
The Controversy
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
CAST AND CREW
Produced and Directed By: Brian De Palma
Story By: Brian De Palma
Screenplay By: Robert J. Avrech and Brian De Palma
Cast: Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith

SPECS
Run Time: Approx. 114 minutes
Rating: R
4K UHD Feature Picture: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 1.85:1
4K UHD Feature Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible) | English 5.1 DTS-HD MA | English 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD MA

Tentacles at My Throat by Zerocalcare

You know how, when you’re a kid, there are rigid rules to life that just seem to be there: generated by the kids themselves, random, unquestionable and bedrock?

Zerocalcare’s graphic novels are set in a world – well, they’re memoirs, officially, so it’s the world inside his head, the real world as he sees it or the way he thinks it’s more entertaining to pretend he sees it – based on that logic. It’s a world full of internal voices – society, peer pressure, desires, the weight of kid opinion – demanding that the main character must do X or Y in this situation, and must never do P or Q, no matter what.

Most of us grow out of that kind of thinking, or at least build different obsessive-compulsive structures in our adulthood. But Michele Rech – the Italian cartoonist who works as Zerocalcare – is not most people.

Tentacles at My Throat  was his second graphic novel, after The Armadillo Prophecy ; it was published in Italy in 2014 and this edition, translated into English by Carla Roncalli di Montorio, came out in 2022. I’ve also seen Forget My Name , which I think was his third book. They’re all that sort of thing: mining the mindset of an obsessive, inward-focused childhood and young adulthood, a life intensely examined.

Of course, Zerocalcare constructs each one of these books carefully and deliberately; this isn’t just a rush of “how I really feel.” One major clue to that construction is that the specific internal voices are very different in each book – the internal voice, the superego if you will, of Armadillo was, yes, an armadillo. But here basically the same role is played by “David the Gnome,” the main character of the TV show based on the ’80s illustrated books. And the internal voices are much less central this time – they pop up to stop Zero from doing things, but aren’t the everyday companion the armadillo was.

So this one is a more typical memoir, made more dramatic and serious – in the way that kids do, when telling stories about their own lives – but mostly realistic and grounded. (There is what I think is a burst of fiction at the end, to tie off one loose end that I suppose Zero never learned the real history of, but nothing like the dive into pure fantasy at the end of Forget.)

Tentacles is a three-part story, centered on his school. The main characters are a group of kids, most centrally Zero himself, his friend Slim – who I suspect may be a composite; he’s appeared in every book so far and has been central in all of them – and their friend Sarah. The three sections are of equal length, taking place when Zero is seven, sixteen, and twenty-seven. The first two center on sneaking out of the school to do something – both in that vaguely transgressive and somewhat ritualized way kids have: “prove you’re brave by sneaking under the fence you’re never supposed to cross, and doing this specific thing to prove you did it.” And the third section is the usual reason former students come back to their old school: someone has died.

Of course Zero obsessed about what happened for years afterwards; that’s what he does. The fact that he “betrayed” one of his friends at the age of seven – as always with Zero, his internal dialogue obsessively focuses on that, on how horrible and unreclaimable he is, how everyone would hate him forever if only they knew the truth, and on and on and on.

And, of course, it’s never as bad as he assumes. That’s the point of this spiraling: it can’t possibly be as bad as the person spiraling worries. I do wonder if the “Zerocalcare” of his stories is going to move forward into that realization at any point, or if they’ll stay stuck in that childhood/young adulthood nexus of fear, doubt, and shame. My understanding is that he’s shifted formats over the past few years – moved from telling these stories in graphic novel form into telling them in animated TV-show form, so he can run through them all again and do the same thing over – but, eventually, the character of Zero will have to move out of the conflicted, neurotic twenty-something life, right?

As always with Zerocalcare, I find it’s a bit too overwrought for me. I want to reach into the page, shake Zero, and tell him to just mellow out – nothing is as earth-shaking or as central as he’s sure every last bit of it is.

(Or maybe he’s right, because this is the world he constructed. As far as I can tell, his group of friends have already utterly ruined the lives of two of their schoolmates, and that’s played for laughs. Ha ha! Lifelong trauma because they happened to be there, and aren’t the heroes! It’s funny!)

I guess I’m saying that I appreciate the skill and craft and energy of Zerocalcare’s work, but I hope he’s massively exaggerating a lot of this stuff, because otherwise he and his buddies come across, frankly, as a bunch of horrible little monsters. More than most kids, even.

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

Columbia Classics Vol. 5 Features Tootise, On the Waterfront

CULVER CITY, Calif. (July 16, 2024) – Celebrate 100 years of Columbia Pictures and complete your Columbia Classics collection as Sony Pictures Home Entertainment proudly debuts six more iconic films from its library on 4K Ultra HD disc for the first time ever, exclusively within the COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 5, available October 1. This must-own set includes a variety of powerful and moving award-winning favorites: ALL THE KING’S MEN, ON THE WATERFRONT, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, TOOTSIE, THE AGE OF INNOCENCE and LITTLE WOMEN (2019). Each film is presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range, and five of the films include immersive Dolby Atmos mixes.

The six films in the COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 5 are only available on 4K Ultra HD disc within this special limited edition collector’s set. Included with the collection is a gorgeous hardbound 80-page book, featuring in-depth sections about the making of each film within the set via six all-new incisive essays from renowned writers and journalists, plus rare photos from deep within the Columbia Pictures archives. The set also includes hours of special features across the films, including memorable glimpses behind the scenes, in-depth feature commentaries, an all-new discussion featuring filmmaker Greta Gerwig and star Saoirse Ronan reflecting on LITTLE WOMEN, and much more! Plus, as part of the Columbia 100th celebration, the set includes an exclusive bonus disc highlighting four rare Columbia films from the 1920s, with several presented in full 4K resolution!

The six main feature films will also be available for purchase at digital retailers in 4K with HDR, and the physical set includes Movies Anywhere redemption codes for each film. With redemption of the Movies Anywhere codes, the movies are available in your digital collection, across your linked and participating digital accounts, to enjoy at home or on the go.

ALL THE KING’S MEN
Synopsis:
In a bravura performance, Broderick Crawford won the 1949 Academy Award® for Best Actor with his stunning portrayal of bull-headed, backwoods lawyer Willie Stark, in this powerful drama about political and personal corruption. A somber but realistic chronicle of raw, brutal power in force, All The King’s Men is based on Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name and won Best Picture of 1949. Celebrating its 75th anniversary.

ALL THE KING’S MEN Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
NEW: Audio Commentary Featuring Film Historians Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff
NEW: Force of Will: The Making of All The King’s Men Featurette
Theatrical Trailer

ALL THE KING’S MEN has a run time of approximately 109 minutes and is not rated.

ON THE WATERFRONT

Synopsis:
Marlon Brando gives one of the screen’s most electrifying performances in his Oscar®-winning role as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront (Best Picture, 1954). Ex-fighter Malloy (Brando) could have been a contender but now toils for boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) on the gang-ridden waterfront. Terry is guilt-stricken, however, when he lures a rebellious worker to his death. But it takes the love of Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the dead man’s sister, to show Terry how low he has fallen. When his crooked brother Charley the Gent (Rod Steiger) is brutally murdered for refusing to kill him, Terry battles to crush Friendly’s underworld empire. Directed by Elia Kazan (A Streetcar Named Desire) and written by Budd Schulberg (What Makes Sammy Run?), this unforgettable drama about Terry’s redemption is among the most acclaimed of all films. Celebrating its 70th anniversary.

ON THE WATERFRONT Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HDs Include:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
3 separate 4K presentations of the film, with 1.66, 1.37 and 1.85 aspect ratios, plus noted audio options
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition at 1.66 aspect ratio, sourced from the 4K master
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:
NEW: Budd Schulberg: A Righteous Indignation Featurette
NEW: Boris Kaufman: A Vision Beyond Borders Featurette
Audio Commentary Featuring Critic Richard Schickel and Film Historian Jeff Young
Contender: Mastering the Method Featurette
Interview with Director Elia Kazan
Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones Featurette
Eva Marie Saint Interview
Thomas Hanley Interview
On the Aspect Ratio
Stills Gallery
Theatrical Trailer

ON THE WATERFRONT has a run time of approximately 108 minutes and is not rated.

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

Synopsis:
Winner of six 1966 Academy Awards® including Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture! Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield), England’s Roman Catholic Chancellor, is forced into a difficult position when corrupt King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) demands his approval to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. Torn between his conscience and duty to the crown, Sir Thomas chooses to say nothing, sparking the rage of the king. What unfolds is a battle of wills packed with palace intrigue, political brinksmanship and the fate of man, church and country. In the end, his silence spoke loudest of all.

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:
Audio Commentary Featuring Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman
NEW: Moral Clarity with Bishop Robert Barron Featurette
The Life of St. Thomas More Featurette
Theatrical Trailer(s)

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS has a run time of approximately 120 minutes and is rated G.

TOOTSIE

Synopsis:
Michael Dorsey is a talented actor, but his demanding nature and stubborn temperament have antagonized every producer in New York. Now his agent insists no one will hire him. But Michael needs money – eight thousand dollars to be exact – and to earn it, he’s willing to play the role of a lifetime. Dustin Hoffman stars with Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray and Geena Davis in director Sydney Pollack’s heart-filled classic that heralded a new era of Hollywood wig-flipping and set a new standard for unpredictable laugh-out-loud comedy.

TOOTSIE Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, from the 4K master
5.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:
NEW: Audio Commentary with Film Critic Cerise Howard & Filmmaker Rohan Spong
A Better Man: The Making of Tootsie 3-Part Documentary
Dustin Hoffman Interview
9 Deleted Scenes
Screen Test Footage
Theatrical Trailer

TOOTSIE has a run time of approximately 116 minutes and is rated PG.

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE

Synopsis:
Martin Scorsese, one of the great directors of our time, directs Oscar®-winner Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor – 1989, My Left Foot; 2007, There Will Be Blood; 2012, Lincoln), Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder in a brilliant adaptation of Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. A ravishing romance about three affluent New Yorkers caught in a tragic love triangle, the ironically-titled story chronicles the grandeur and hypocrisy of high society in the 1870s. At the center of the film is Newland Archer (Day-Lewis), an upstanding attorney who secretly longs for a more passionate life. Engaged to the lovely but ordinary socialite May Welland (Ryder), Newland resigns himself to a life of quiet complacency. But when May’s unconventional cousin returns to New York amid social and sexual scandal, Newland risks everything for a chance at true love. The Age of Innocence is a spellbinding portrait of hidden romance and regret.

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative
Dolby Atmos English audio
High Dynamic Range and Dolby Atmos audio approved by editor Thelma Schoonmaker
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:
Martin Scorsese Interview
Jay Cocks Interview
Original 1993 Making-Of
Moments from Set: B-Roll
Theatrical Trailer

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE has a run time of approximately 138 minutes and is rated PG for thematic elements and some mild language.

LITTLE WOMEN

Synopsis:
Writer-director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) has crafted a Little Women that draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott, and unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life. In Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life on their own terms – is both timeless and timely. Portraying Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, with Timothée Chalamet as their neighbor Laurie, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.

LITTLE WOMEN Disc Breakdown
4K Ultra HD Includes:
Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Special Features:
NEW: Audio Commentary Featuring Writer / Director Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan
NEW: Revisiting Little Women: A Conversation with Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan
Theatrical Trailer
Blu-ray Includes:
Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:
A New Generation of Little Women Featurette
Making a Modern Classic Featurette
Greta Gerwig: Women Making Art Featurette
Hair & Make-Up Test Sequence
Little Women Behind the Scenes
Orchard House, Home of Louisa May Alcott

LITTLE WOMEN has a run time of approximately 135 minutes and is rated PG for thematic elements and brief smoking.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISC INCLUDES:
Four rare 1920s feature films from the Columbia Pictures library:
The Belle of Broadway (1926) – presented in HD resolution
Ladies of Leisure (1926) – presented in 4K resolution (SDR)
The Desert Bride (1928) – presented in 4K resolution (SDR)
The Scarlet Lady (1928) – presented in 4K resolution (SDR)
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

CAST AND CREW
Produced and Directed By: Brian De Palma
Story By: Brian De Palma
Screenplay By: Robert J. Avrech and Brian De Palma
Cast: Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith

SPECS
Run Time: Approx. 114 minutes
Rating: R
4K UHD Feature Picture: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 1.85:1
4K UHD Feature Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible) | English 5.1 DTS-HD MA | English 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD MA

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