MOVIES:
- The Hornet's Nest
- Maleficent
- A Million Ways to Die in the West
- Night Moves
- We Are the Best! (Vi Är Bäst!)
Friday, May 30, 2014
The Movie Report #770, May 30, 2014
MOVIES:
Friday, May 23, 2014
The Movie Report #769, May 23, 2014
MOVIES:
- The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
- Blended
- 50 to 1
- Kochadaiiyaan: The Legend
- Half of a Yellow Sun
- Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
- Words and Pictures
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
Monday, May 19, 2014
Movie Music Monday: Laura Palmer would die for love
With the long-awaited release of the comprehensive Blu-ray set announced by CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution last Thursday, May 15 -- my birthday, appropriately enough -- I've had my favorite television series of all time, David Lynch and Mark Frost's still-influential 1990-1991 ABC serial drama Twin Peaks, on the forefront of my mind the last few days--largely in the form of music. Anyone who has any vague familiarity with the series and its 1992 feature film prequel, Fire Walk with Me, knows that its ever-enduring legacy owes as much to Angelo Badalamenti's spectacular score as it does Lynch's abstract auteurism. The unique way Badalamenti's ever-hypnotic melodies can evoke both intense joy and crippling dread, often simultaneously, is most famously embodied by the series' Grammy-winning title theme, which many are aware is actually the instrumental version of Julee Cruise's vocal track "Falling", originally featured on Cruise's album Floating into the Night, with the singer breathily, ethereally whisper-crooning deceptively simple but incredibly evocative lyrics penned by Lynch himself.
What many people aren't aware of, however, is that the moodier, jazzier main title theme for Fire Walk with Me is itself an instrumental version of a Cruise track that appears only on her follow-up album, The Voice of Love. Even the song's very title points up the most distinct tonal contrast between the more balanced and (its own eccentric way) romantic television series and the far grimmer feature film. "Falling" refers to falling in love, while the proper title of the Fire Walk with Me theme is... "She Would Die for Love." Lynch's somber lyrics and Cruise's matching delivery not only reflects the overall downbeat vibe of Badalamenti's tune but also the incredibly tragic plight of the film and series' ill-fated central figure, Laura Palmer. In fact, the lyrics themselves more or less summarize the helplessness and defeat of those final days of Laura's existence--a desperate cri-de-coeur for a release, not only for herself but her own tormentor from their respective demons, both literal and figurative. Listen and read on...
She said she wouldn't stay
She said she couldn't say
She told me she would die for love
She said she would go someday
She said she would go away
She told me she would die for love
Don't you think he knows?
Don't you think he cares?
Don't you think he dreams?
Don't you think he cries?
She said she would run away
She said she would fly away
She told me she would die for love
Don't you think he knows?
Don't you think he cares?
Don't you think he dreams?
Don't you think he cries?
The Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery Blu-ray set hits shelves on July 29, 2014 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution.
Buy the Twin Peaks--Fire Walk with Me motion picture soundtrack here.
Buy Julee Cruise's The Voice of Love album here.
Pre-order Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery Blu-ray set here.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Thursday, May 15, 2014
F3PR: David Lynch & Mark Frost's groundbreaking cult epic arrives on Blu-ray in Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery
I typically post press releases on here without commentary, but this one I cannot let pass without a word, for I find it appropriate that on my birthday, May 15, this long-awaited announcement for the Blu-ray premiere of my favorite television series of all time would be released, and in a box set more comprehensive than any of us die-hard/obsessive fans could have ever imagined or wished for. Read on as I try to contain my shameless fanboy giddiness and seriously try not to cry...
DAVID LYNCH & MARK FROST'S GROUNDBREAKING CULT
PHENOMENON ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY IN
TWIN PEAKS THE ENTIRE MYSTERY
WITH THE LONG-AWAITED DEBUT OF
NEARLY 90 MINUTES OF DELETED/ALTERNATE SCENES
FROM TWIN PEAKS--FIRE WALK WITH ME
For The First Time Ever, Acclaimed Television Series
And Feature Film Arrive In One Complete Box Set
With Upgraded Picture, Newly Produced
And Archival Special Features …
All Under the Personal Supervision
of David Lynch on July 29, 2014
HOLLYWOOD --Twenty-five years after the shocking murder of Laura Palmer in the acclaimed series from legendary filmmaker David Lynch and writer/producer Mark Frost, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution will release Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery.
Arriving for the first time on stunning High Definition Blu-ray with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio on July 29th, this comprehensive collection contains every episode from the complete television series; both the U.S. and international versions of the series’ Pilot; the North American Blu-ray debut of Lynch’s follow-up feature Twin Peaks--Fire Walk with Me; and nearly 90 minutes of deleted and alternate scenes from the film. The set also features newly transferred Log Lady introductions for each episode; picture upgrades to many shots in the TV series; a new featurette with Lynch and the actors who portrayed the Palmer family which includes a mesmerizing return to the lives of their characters today; and hours of never-before-released material that dives into the fascinating story behind the celebrated pop culture classic.
Along with a newly transferred version of Twin Peaks--Fire Walk with Me, created from a 4K scan of the original negative, Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery Blu-ray box set boasts the long-awaited missing pieces from the original version of the film – nearly an hour-and-a-half of deleted/alternate scenes from Twin Peaks--Fire Walk with Me – often referred to as the “holy grail” of Twin Peaks fandom. This feature-length experience has been directed and edited by Lynch exclusively for this release. Capping off more than 30 deleted/alternate scenes is an epilogue providing a fascinating glimpse beyond the cliffhanger finale of the TV series.
“During the last days in the life of Laura Palmer many things happened, which have never been seen before,” said David Lynch. “They're here now alongside the new transfer of Twin Peaks--Fire Walk with Me and Twin Peaks, the television series.”
“We set the bar very high with our prior complete series Twin PeaksDVD Gold Box,” said Ken Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CBS Home Entertainment. “The Entire Mystery Blu-ray had to be spectacular in terms of both content and presentation. We are confident that we hit the mark and are bringing the fans something very special. None of this could have been possible without the day-to-day involvement of David Lynch.”
Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery is loaded with special features. In the two-part feature “Between Two Worlds,” Lynch himself interviews the Palmer family (Leland, Sarah and daughter Laura) about their current existence in this life and the next, and follows up with a discussion with the actors who portray them. Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery also features “Moving Through Time: Fire Walk with Me Memories,” an exclusive retrospective documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew who recount the making of the Twin Peaks movie and working with David Lynch. The collection also features high-definition versions of the Log Lady episode introductions, transferred from recently unearthed 16mm film negative, a selection of newly discovered deleted scenes and outtakes from the television series, and three Twin Peaks photo galleries with over 130 behind-the-scenes images from David Lynch’s personal never-before-released collection. Also new to this release are 10 vignettes of iconic Twin Peaks themes called “Atmospherics.” Each features a unique montage of music, dialogue and video (including some rare outtakes) that appear as both menu backgrounds and as their own textless experience to further immerse fans in the mysterious world of Twin Peaks.
Additionally, the set features a massive collection of pre-existing special features, some of which have been re-mastered in high definition exclusively for this release, including the award-winning four-part documentary “Secrets From Another Place: Creating Twin Peaks,” and a newly extended version of the Gold Box featurette “A Slice of Lynch,” featuring the complete and uncut conversation between David Lynch and actors Kyle MacLachlan and Mädchen Amick. Additionally, this 10-disc set houses an extraordinary archive of special features culled from the entire history of Twin Peaks on home video, including featurettes, cast and crew interviews, promotional reels, archival deleted scenes...and much, much more.
Winning a Golden Globe® for Best Television Series - Drama in 1991, and a fixture in all-time top TV series lists from TIME, Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide, Twin Peaks follows the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town who are stunned after the homecoming queen Laura Palmer is suddenly found murdered. The investigation that follows engenders an eerie chain of events with cataclysmic results felt across the entire town. The series features an ensemble cast including Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Sheryl Lee, Sherilyn Fenn, Lara Flynn Boyle, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Richard Beymer, Ray Wise, Peggy Lipton and Warren Frost. Although shot after the series ended, Twin Peaks--Fire Walk with Me is the prequel to the television series and focuses on the seven days leading up to Laura Palmer’s death. Many of the TV series cast members reprise their roles in the film and are joined by others including Kiefer Sutherland, David Bowie, Chris Isaak and Harry Dean Stanton.
Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery will be available in 1080p with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (Series and Feature), original English Stereo 2.0 (Series and Feature), Latin American Spanish Mono (Series), Latin American Spanish Stereo (Feature), Brazilian Portuguese Mono (Series), French Mono (Series), French 5.1 (Feature), Italian Mono (Series), Italian Stereo ((Feature), German Mono (Series), German 5.1 (Feature), Castilian Mono (Series), Castilian Stereo (Feature), Japanese Mono (Series), and Japanese Stereo (Feature). The 10-disc collection also includes English SDH, Latin American Spanish, French, Italian, German, Castilian, Japanese, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Finnish subtitles (Series and Feature).
It will be available for the suggested retail price of $109.99 U.S. and $129.99 Canada.
Pre-order Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery Blu-ray set here.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Movie Music Monday: Greatest. Disney. Cover. Ever.
I've been a big fan and follower of French soul singer Ben l'Oncle Soul since discovering his work--including great, often unexpected covers of familiar English language tunes--on YouTube a few years ago. In the last couple of years, he has been steadily building a following beyond the French borders, and "Être un Homme Comme Vous," his French language cover of "I Wan'na Be Like You" from Disney's The Jungle Book shows exactly why. As someone who (blasphemously?) admits that I am not exactly the biggest fan of the beloved 1963 animated feature while recognizing and understanding its historical significance and esteem, not to mention the appeal of the music, it says a lot about his version (recorded for the French tribute album We Love Disney) that it makes me actually want to rewatch the film. (Now, if only Jon Favreau can somehow use this track over the end credits or elsewhere in his upcoming, live action/CG update of the tale for Disney...)
Buy Ben l'Oncle Soul's "Être un Homme Comme Vous" here.
Buy the We Love Disney album here.
Friday, May 9, 2014
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