PEANUTS 1960S COLLECTION hits DVD July 7 along with DVD/Blu-ray releases of thrillers KNOWING, PUSH and THE UNDEAD, plus MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: Volume XV on DVD.
KNOWING on DVD and Blu-ray
A college professor (Nicolas Cage) opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son s elementary school. In it are some chilling accurate predictions of disasters... when, where, and how many will die. Most of these events must uncover the details of the next disasters in hopes of preventing them. If he fails, who knows how many will die? KNOWING is now on DVD and Blu-ray from Summit Ent.
KNOWING, Alex Proyas' latest film, has some 400 visual effects shots recreate various disasters with an unprecedented level of detail. The catastrophes range from local tragedies -- plane crash, subway collision -- to global phenomenon.
In order to create those large-scale disasters -- and many other vfx, Proyas turned to Sydney-based Animal Logic and Overall Visual Effects Supervisor Andrew Jackson. The initial vfx shot count was around 200, with seven months of postproduction. Jackson and VFX Producers Michael Twigg and Luke Hetherington assembled a team that included 3D Supervisors Alfie Olivier, Andreas Wanda and Will Reichelt, and Compositing Supervisors Charlie Armstrong and Dave Dally.
Although the script called for some very spectacular imagery, Proyas wanted the entire movie to have a strong realistic feel. "It should all feel like someone with a camera had been there, on location, when the events took place," Jackson observes.
"It meant that we couldn't do anything that a real person manning a real camera couldn't have done in each particular location. Alex didn't want any fancy 3D camera move. The shots were all hand-held, and had to feel like the cameraman was trying to follow the action the best he could, just like in news footage. Even for the space shots, Alex requested that it all looked like the footage had been captured by a human cameraman."
DVD Special Features Include:
-- Featurette: 'Knowing' All: The Making of a Futuristic Thriller-- Featurette: Visions of the Apocalypse-- Director's Commentary by Alex Proyas
Blu-ray Special Features Also Include:
-- BD-Live
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: Volume XV on DVD
In space, no one can hear you laugh. Unless, of course, you are aboard with the hilarious and beloved space travelers on The Satellite of Love from MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 to skewer B-movies. To further celebrate Mystery Science Theater 3000's cinematic chuckle fest, Shout! Factory, in association with Best Brains, Inc. proudly presents MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: Volume XV 4-DVD box set on July 7, 2009.
The side-splitting 15th collection of the famed MST3K features the show's never-before-released film episodes THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY, THE GIRL IN LOVERS LANE, ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE and RACKET GIRLS, four limited-edition mini-posters, along with a wealth of new bonus content, including new interviews with the stars from ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE Frank Dietz and Jon Mikl Thor in ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE = MST3K Dream featurette, GLIMPSES Of KTMA: MST3K Scrapbook Scraps I (original wrap-around segments from the KTMA season), Behind The Scenes: MST3K Scrapbook Scraps II, Kevin Murphy And Trace Beaulieu In A Sneak Peak From The Upcoming Hamlet A.D.D., and Promos.
Join Joel, Mike, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot as they supply their own playful brand of commentaries on some of cinema's most misunderstood "masterpieces" in Shout! Factory's MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: Volume XV. This collectible 4-DVD box set is priced to own at $59.99.
MST3K: THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMYThe battle between machine and the undead comes to a chilling conclusion when an insane scientist invents a robot for the sole purpose of stealing an ancient artifact guarded for eternity by an Aztec mummy!
Only the second show produced after MST3K's original year on KTMA, this remarkable episode features J. Elvis Weinstein as a virtually unrecognizable Tom Servo, plus the first part of the classic short COMMANDO CODY & THE RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON.
MST3K: THE GIRL IN LOVERS LANEAfter his spoiled protege's frequent missteps leave him with the responsibility of making things right with the law, local pimps and hoodlums, Bix Dugan's life as a drifter may finally be coming to an end. And what a shocking ending it is!
Join hosts Joel Hodgson, Servo and Crow as they send up the movie that divided the MSTie nation. Love it or hate The Girl In Lovers' Lane, this memorable episode's song -- "What A Pleasant Journey" -- is guaranteed to have you in stitches!
MST3K: ZOMBIE NIGHTMAREWhen a young baseball player is struck and killed by a car full of rambunctious teens, his grieving mother convinces a mysterious voodoo priestess to resurrect her son, allowing his zombied corpse the vengeance necessary to finally rest in peace.
The Satellite of Love crew -- Mike, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot -- takes on this 1986 zombie classic starring Adam West and Tia Carrere in her very first feature film role!
MST3K: RACKET GIRLSWhen lowlife wrestling manager-turned-gangster Umberto Scalli takes $35,000 from the wrong crime boss, he's forced to run for his life. Real-life female wrestlers Peaches Page, world champion Clara Mortensen and Mexican champion Rita Martinez -- as you've never seen them before -- star in this sinister tale of deceit, drugs, prostitution and smack downs!
In this hysterical episode from MST3K's sixth season, Mike Nelson, Crow and Tom Servo challenge the "gorgeous gals of the ring" for the comedy championship of the galaxy! But what's funnier? The riffs onboard the Satellite of Love -- or the Racket Girls themselves? Also includes the popular short ARE YOU READY FOR MARRIAGE?
The MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 series was created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Jim Mallon. After a year on KTMA TV in Minneapolis, its national broadcast life began in 1989 on the Comedy Channel (later to become Comedy Central), where it ran for seven seasons. The show's final three seasons aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. The premise of the series features a hapless man who is trapped by mad scientists on a satellite in space and forced to watch old B-movies of questionable worth. To keep sane, he's built two robot sidekicks, and together they do a running commentary on the films, affectionately mocking their flaws with inspired wisecracks and acting as a demented movie theater peanut gallery. Series creator Hodgson originally played the stranded man, Joel Robinson. When he left in 1993, series head writer Mike Nelson replaced him as the new B-movie victim Mike Nelson, and continued in the role for the rest of the show's run. The format proved to be popular. During its eleven years and 198 episodes (including one feature film), MST3K attained a loyal fan base and critical acclaim. The series won a Peabody Award in 1993, and was nominated for writing Emmys in 1994 and 1995.
PEANUTS 1960S COLLECTION on DVD
Snoopy will keep the dog days of summer cool and breezy this July with a six pack of the delightful PEANUTS television specials from the 1960s, which will be released by Warner Home Video on July 7, 2009. The PEANUTS 1960S COLLECTION set showcases all six heartwarming TV specials in a two-disc set, as well as all-new enhanced content. PEANUTS 1960S COLLECTION will retail for $29.98 SRP.
PEANUTS 1960S COLLECTION is comprised of the first six animated PEANUTS television specials that aired between 1965 and 1969, several of which earned either Emmy Award nominations or wins. This is the first time all six specials are available to consumers in one set. Two of the specials, HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN and IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN make their DVD debut. All six specials have been re-mastered for beautiful picture and sound quality.
Featured Specials:
-- A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (1965) -- In this Emmy and Peabody Award winning classic, Charlie Brown is upset by how commercial the Christmas holiday has become. To coax him out of his holiday blues, Lucy suggests he direct the school's Christmas pageant and decorate a glorious tree. Charlie Brown concedes. The tree he finds however, is puny, prompting everyone to ridicule him.
-- CHARLIE BROWN'S ALL-STARS (1966) -- Nominated for two Prime Time Emmys, in this delightful special, Charlie Brown is faced with a difficult moral dilemma; should he accept brand new uniforms and give the rest of the gang a chance to be part of an official little league baseball team even if it means that due to policy, Snoopy, Lucy, Patty, Violet and Frieda must be kicked off?
-- IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN (1966) -- This Emmy Award-nominated special, finds the Peanuts gang outfitted in costumes, ready for trick or treating and crashing Violet's Halloween party. Charlie Brown is in a ghost costume (with more eyeholes cut out than needed), Lucy dressed as a witch and Snoopy in a World War I flying ace costume. Linus decides to steadfastly hold vigil in the pumpkin patch as he awaits the Great Pumpkin.
-- YOU'RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN (1967) -- This Emmy Award-nominated special finds Charlie Brown trying to work up the courage to meet his school-girl crush, the little red-haired girl. He enlists the help of his pals Linus and Peppermint Patty but they only aggravate the situation.
-- HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN (1968) -- This Emmy Award-nominated special finds Snoopy returning to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for a refresher course in obedience training after his mischievous behavior lands Charlie Brown in trouble. On his way to the puppy farm however, Snoopy finds refuge in Peppermint Patty's house, that's until Charlie Brown gets a call from the puppy farm telling him Snoopy never showed up.
-- IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN (1969) -- At summer camp, the Peanuts gang put up with poor food and the girls winning all the sports competitions. To get even, the boys challenge them into a wrist-wresting contest between Lucy and "The Masked Marvel" -- aka Snoopy in disguise.
DVD Special Features Include:
-- "The Maestro of Menlo Park -- Profiling Composer Vince Guaraldi" -- This short documentary film provides a glimpse into jazz musician Vince Guaraldi's life, and how his music was so much more than just the theme to Peanuts.
PUSH on DVD and Blu-ray
LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN director Paul McGuigan takes the helm for this action thriller concerning a group of telekinetic American ex-patriots who band together in an attempt to take down the clandestine government agency that's genetically transforming normal citizens into powerful psychic warriors, now on DVD and Blu-ray from Summit Ent. The Division is a shadowy government operation devoted to making humankind the ultimate weapon.
Those who accept this transformation have the power to move objects with the mind, see the future before it happens, create new realities, and dispense of their enemies without so much as a single touch; those who are unwilling to participate are immediately terminated. Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is a mover, a second-generation telekinetic who went into hiding after the Division killed his father more than a decade earlier. He lives a life of anonymity in Hong Kong, a densely populated place where fugitive psychics such as himself are safe as long as they can keep their unique gift secret.
Suddenly into Nick's life comes 13-year-old watcher Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning), a clairvoyant who needs his help in tracking down escaped pusher Kira, who may hold the key to bringing down the Division once and for all. A pusher is the most powerful kind of psychic due to their ability to influence the actions of others by planting thoughts in their minds. Now, as Nick emerges from hiding in order to help Cassie find Kira, the Division's human bloodhounds are hot on their trail. In order to elude the authorities, they'll need to disappear into the seedy underbelly of the city while relying on a team of rogue psychics to help cover their tracks. But Division Agent Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou) is a powerful pusher who has made it his mission to stop them at all costs, regardless of the collateral damages that may occur in the process.
Originally, director Paul McGuigan's intent was to use practical effects as much as possible, and minimize the use of visual effects. But as it often happens, the modest initial shot count grew to more than 400 vfx shots. Visual Effects Supervisor Kent Houston and VFX Producer Mary Stuart divided up the sequences between London-based Peerless Camera Co. and Digiscope in California. At Peerless, the project was shepherded by Digital Supervisor John Swinnerton, Digital Producer Marianne Speight, CG Supervisor Ditch Doy, 2D Supervisor John Swinnerton, and Animation Supervisors Tim Ollive and Jamie Tremelling.
The telekinetic fights presented some serious challenges, as characters had to be seen hitting walls, crashing into ceilings and falling down staircases in a most brutal manner. "We worked very closely with Second Unit Director and Stunt Supervisor Nick Powell to do as many of these effects as possible in camera," Houston explains. "We assisted where needed doing wire removal, painting out specially-prepared pieces of set, and enhancing bodily impacts where required. The stunts were very physical and extremely brutal. In some cases, the sets were built to yield slightly to prevent injury to cast or stunt crew. In post, we made everything look much more rigid by either painting out or replacing anything that appeared to give. This made the bodily impacts appear much more jarring. In general, the wire rigs were designed to be well concealed, in or above the set. We did do a lot of additional paintwork covering up the various slots, arms and wires, and favored this technique over construction of CG sections of the set. In the end, we didn't need any CG doubles for those scenes."
Special Features Include:
-- Commentary with director Paul McGuigan and actors Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning-- Featurette: PUSH: The Science Behind the Fiction-- Four deleted scenes with optional director commentary
THE UNBORN on DVD and Blu-ray
Enter a world of unrelenting evil as terror finds a new form in THE UNBORN, now on DVD and Blu-ray from Universal Studios Home Ent. From the producers of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and the co-writer of THE DARK KNIGHT comes this shocking supernatural thriller about a young woman (Odette Yustman) plagued by chilling dreams and tortured by a demonic ghost that haunts her waking hours. Her only hope to break the debilitating paranormal curse is in an exorcism with spiritual advisor Sendak (Gary Oldman). See what lies beyond the doorway of our world in this non-stop nightmare of the undead.
When it comes to eliciting oohs and ahs with vfx, broad strokes tend to do the trick, but to really scare an audience is another matter entirely. That's one of the key principles behind Nathan McGuiness and Mitchell S. Drain's approach to THE UNBORN, on which they served as visual effects supervisors through the Santa Monica-based effects house, Asylum Visual Effects.
"A lot of movies I've worked on have giant monsters stomping down the street or giant spaceships or that kind of thing," says Drain, "Myself, I'm a horror movie buff. For a lot of horror movies these days, it's more about gore and about limbs being cut off and about being tortured than it is about the subtle scare... To me, subtlety is the real art of visual effects."
DVD Special Features Include:
-- Deleted Scenes
Blu-ray Special Features Include:
-- Deleted Scenes-- BD Live - Download Center-- BD Live - My Scenes Sharing
