Home Media Magazine - April 13-19, 2008 - (Page 38) NEWS www.homemediamagazine.com Lionsgate In New Horror Deal Tom Woodruff, the creature effects designer for AVP: Requiem Taking ‘AVP’ to TV By Chris Tribbey SCI-FI When brothers Colin and Greg Strause found out they were getting their first feature film directorial shot with Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, the DVD was one of the first things they thought about. “We actually talked about it before the shoot … we talked about it a year ago,” Greg Strause said. “There was a really cool thing with the skinned [police officer.] We’d been told it wouldn’t be allowed in the theatrical, and we said ‘this would be great for the DVD.’ Unfortunately, we never got around to shooting it.” While that little bit of blood and gore can’t be found on the April 15 Blu-ray Disc and DVD releases of AVP:R, plenty more is included. The special-edition DVD and Bluray Disc includes a dozen featurettes, commentaries and more. That doesn’t mean anyone who worked on the film has watched any of them, or even had a chance to check out the film in its Blu-ray 1080p glory. “My understanding is Fox is sending us both a Blu-ray player soon,” joked Tom Woodruff — the man in the alien suit for AVP:R — about himself and his fellow creature effects designer and special effects supervisor Alec Gillis. “I have to admit, we haven’t fired it up on TV yet,” Colin Strause said. “I have the Blu-ray on my desk,” his brother added. As for their personal DVD collections, Colin said his totals more than 1,000. “We go out and buy five to 10 DVDs at a time, all kinds. And we’ll replace them with … Bluray,” Greg Strause said. “I think I have five different copies of Army of Darkness.” By Thomas K. Arnold HORROR The horror genre on DVD is getting a big boost with the launch of Ghost House Underground, a new film acquisitions company that will extend the Ghost House brand to home entertainment. The new venture will release 12 to 20 films a year, mostly through Lionsgate, the feisty mini-major that has established itself as a force in the horror field through its “Saw” franchise and “After Dark” DVD series. Ghost House Underground teams Ghost House Pictures, a horror genre company led by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Mandate Pictures president Nathan Kahane, with Grindstone, a major distributor of direct-to-video films. The brand officially launches in October, with a focus on films by cutting-edge young talent. Among the initial slate of eight films will be Dark Floors, from Eurovision Awardwinning rock group Lordi. Helmed by Pete Riski, the film — about a father and daughter trapped inside a hospital and fighting evil forces from a dark world — had its international premiere at the European Film Market in Berlin last February. “We believe the next great horror film is going to come from fresh, bold voices working outside the system,” Tapert said. “We aim to find these films and share them with genre fans everywhere.” Also in the pipeline for the fall are Room 205, The Substitute, Trackman, Last House in the Woods and The Brotherhood of Blood. Ghost House Pictures is behind The Grudge, which grossed more than $110 million in 2004, as well as more moderate theatrical successes 30 Days of Night, The Grudge 2, The Messengers and The Boogeyman. Through the home entertainment medium, Ghost House Underground “will give life to terrifying films that the fans would otherwise never have an opportunity to see,” according to Raimi. Ron Schwartz, EVP of Lionsgate and GM of the company’s home entertainment division, praised Ghost House for its “phenomenal track record of success at the box office,” and said he looks forward to working with the company to “extend their brand into the home entertainment market.” He notes that Grindstone “has been an important partner of Lionsgate for a number of years.” Ghost House Underground will support its releases online at www. ghosthousepictures.com, providing fans with exclusive interaction with the filmmakers and cast, video blogs and webisodes. JUST ANNOUNCED A Weekly Product Update* Gallery Out of Chapter 11? Continued from page 1 Be Kind Rewind STREET DATE Charlie Bartlett BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) Diary of the Dead The reorganization plan, structured last year with Sopris Capital Advisors LLC, includes conversion of $325 million in 11% senior notes and $72 million of Gallery’s $175 million second lien (held by Sopris) into equity in the new company. Gallery’s first-lien indebtedness remains in place on the restructured terms. Sopris will invest up to an additional $50 million to purchase new equity of the reorganized company. Shares of Gallery’s existing common stock will be canceled. “Movie Gallery is now poised to emerge as a competitive and financially stable company,” said cofounder and CEO Joe Malugen, in a statement. “We are very proud of what we have been able to accomplish during our short time in Chapter 11 and look forward to working with all of our stakeholders through the remainder of our restructuring and beyond.” TITLE PREBOOK GENRE PRICE Be Kind Rewind 6/17 5/13 $11.0 Comedy DVD $27.95 New Line. 2008. Jack Black, Mos Def, Mia Farrow, Danny Glover. When a magnetized man accidentally erases all the VHS tapes in his local video store, he sets out to refilm the movies with the help of the neighborhood. Charlie Bartlett 6/24 5/28 $3.9 Comedy DVD $27.98 Fox. 2008. Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis. The new kid in high school becomes the self-appointed psychiatrist to the rest of the student body. Includes commentaries, deleted scenes, a music video and more. Diary of the Dead 5/20 Now $0.9 Horror DVD $24.95 Genius/Weinstein. 2008. The fifth sequel to Night of the Living Dead features a group of film students who encounter zombies while shooting their own horror movie. The story is told through first-person video footage, security cameras and news coverage. Bonneville 6/24 5/13 $0.5 Drama DVD $27.98 ‘21’ Showcases HD Clarity Continued from page 14 camera systems to shoot in high definition, mixed with a few filmed shots. He insists you can’t tell the difference. HD made shooting on the fly in casinos a viable option for the film. Oscar-winning cinematographer Russell Carpenter used high-definition cameras for the first time, but it looks no lesser than his filmed movies. “What’s great about the Genesis system is it uses the same lens, the same beautiful handmade Panavision lenses that we’ve been using for years,” Luketic said. “Each one is very individual and very perfect. So there’s a filmic feel you get with Genesis that other systems don’t have. And the crew has a wonderful familiarity with it immediately. They know what they’re doing. It all looks the same.” Fox. 2008. Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, Tom Skerritt. A widow persuades her two best friends to go on a road trip to deliver her husband’s ashes to his daughter. Includes behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, gag reels and more. American Idol: Season 6 Finale 5/13 Now TV Reality DVD $19.99 Koch. 2007. The two-DVD set features the entire season six finale performance show, including three performances by Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis and the guest appearance by former contestant Chris Daughtry. Extras include two featurettes, an audition guide and more. The X-Files: Revelations 7/8 6/11 TV Sci-Fi DVD $22.98 Fox. The two-DVD set has eight episodes hand-picked by series creator Chris Carter with introductions explaining how they relate to the upcoming theatrical sequel. Includes the February 2008 WonderCon talent panel session and a Hollywood Movie Money ticket to see the new film. * In order of box office, then prebook date 38 Home Media Magazine April 13–19, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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