Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - (Page 20) NEWS www.homemediamagazine.com JUST ANNOUNCED A Weekly Product Update* Pictured at the Four Seasons Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, Calif., are (L-R) Frozen River actress Misty Upham, writer-director Courtney Hunt, actress Melissa Leo and Staci Griesbach, director of worldwide publicity for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. ‘Frozen River’ Proves An Unlikely Indie Success By Chris Tribbey OS ANGELES — Frozen River garnered the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner and comes to DVD and Blu-ray Disc Feb. 10 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. First-time writer and director Courtney Hunt shopped the script around Hollywood for years before deciding the only way to get it done was to find money outside of the studios. “It was grueling,” Hunt said about getting her film from script to screen. The film — about two desperate, broke and rundown single mothers who smuggle people over the Canadian border to make ends meet — was shot on a shoestring budget in less than a month in sub-zero conditions in upstate New York. Featuring many firsttime actors, it’s become a surprise indie hit with 16 awards and counting. Quantum of Solace STREET DATE Australia BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) The Haunting of Molly Hartley TITLE PREBOOK GENRE PRICE Quantum of Solace 3/24 2/25 $167.5 Action DVD $29.98, BD $39.99 L “The film touches so many in so many different ways,” said actress Melissa Leo (“Homicide: Life on the Streets,” 21 Grams). “The response has been amazing. Am I surprised? No, because I knew it was a great story.” Leo said playing Ray, whose husband runs off with the money for a new home, leaving her with two kids and no full-time income, was arguably the most enjoyable role she’s had. Actress Misty Upham — who was found by director Hunt on a Native American actors Web site — said her role opposite Leo may prove to be a launching pad for her career. Extras include a director’s commentary. As it was shot in HD, it was only appropriate Sony give the film a Blu-ray release. Leo expressed mock concern about being seen in 1080p. “Shot in HD, shown in Blu-ray. That’s the end of my career!” she joked. Fox/MGM. 2008. Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench. The film picks up where Casino Royale left off, with James Bond intent on avenging the death of the woman he loved. Also available in a two-DVD special edition at $34.98. Australia 3/3 2/11 $48 Drama DVD $29.98, BD $39.99 Fox. 2008. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown. Set during World War II, an aristocratic woman travels to Australia to take possession of the cattle ranch she inherited, but faces many challenges. The Haunting of Molly Hartley 2/24 1/28 $13.5 Horror DVD $29.98 DATE CHANGE. Fox. 2008. Chace Crawford, AnnaLynne McCord, Haley Bennett, Shannon Marie Woodward, Shanna Collins. A young girl hopes to put her violent past behind her in her new private school but soon is haunted by a terrifying secret. Cadillac Records 3/10 2/5 $8.2 Drama DVD $27.96, BD $39.95 Sony Pictures. 2008. Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyoncé Knowles, Cedric the Entertainer. A musical biopic about Chess Records, and the lives of the legendary artists it represented, including Chuck Berry, Etta James and Muddy Waters. Synecdoche, New York 3/10 2/5 $2.8 Comedy DVD $28.96, BD $39.95 Sony Pictures. 2008. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson. A theater director who fears he is on the brink of death gathers an ensemble cast in New York City, hoping to create a masterpiece of brutal honesty. The Sam Elliott Western Collection 2/10 Now Re-release Western DVD $19.97 Warner. The three-DVD set includes the films The Desperate Trail (1995), with Linda Fiorentino and Craig Sheffer; Rough Riders (1997), with Tom Berenger and Gary Busey; and You Know My Name (1999), with Arliss Howard and Carolyn McCormick. True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet 3/3 1/29 Cable Drama DVD $19.97 Adult Biz Seeing a Slowdown Continued from page 4 Anchor Bay. 2008. Joanna Levesque, Valerie Bertinelli, Shenae Grimes. A Lifetime channel original movie about a teen actress who, after spending time in rehab, hides in Indiana, posing as an average high schooler. Exit Speed 3/3 2/3 DTV Action DVD $29.99 Hustler.com) growing to more than 75 million per month. Steve Orenstein, president of Wicked Pictures, said DVD sales of his larger productions, The Wicked and Fallen, are doing well despite the economy. “For 30 years in this business, I’ve used the term recession-proof on many occasions,” Orenstein said. “Unfortunately the current economic situation makes it impossible to say this business is still recession-proof.” Veteran performer Stephanie Swift said the declining quality of content also contributed to the general malaise in adult entertainment. “There are too many girls in the business who don’t care what they’re doing,” Swift said. At this year’s AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, exhibitor attendance was down 11%, and fan attendance was expected to fall as much as 20% after the final tallies, said spokesperson Sean Devlin. The show, which attracted 25,000 visitors in 2008, generates 90% of its traffic from walk-in registration, compared to pre-registration. “With [the concurrent Consumer Electronics Show] reportedly down 22% in attendees, that impacted us,” Devlin said. “That’s a very significant potential audience that just wasn’t in Las Vegas that weekend.” As a result booths were smaller, Devlin said, with some previously solo exhibitors sharing spaces and giving away fewer freebies. “Considering the economy and the state of the industry, we feel pretty good about the show,” he said. So did FyreTV, a Miami-based distributor of subscription-based ($9.95 monthly) adult streamed content through a free proprietary set-top box. After sharing a booth last year, Fyre hosted a large stage presence this year, complete with live shows and an MC to showcase its new wireless “BoXXX.” Fyre founder and CEO Estefano Isaias said the wireless innovation resulted from beta tests that he said revealed that most users have Ethernet access in their living room or office, but not in the bedroom, where they generally prefer to watch adult content. Peace Arch. 2008. Lea Thompson, Desmond Harrington, Alice Greczyn, Fred Ward. Bus passengers traveling across Texas are attacked by a meth-addicted motorcycle gang and must fight for their survival. Includes a digital copy, two featurettes and more. * In order of box office, then prebook date Circuit City Accepting Bids Continued from page 1 Pliego last November acquired more than 30 million shares (28%) of the chain, becoming its largest shareholder. Pliego, whose Grupo Salinas owns a chain of electronics stores in Latin America and Mexican broadcast channel TV Azteca, among other properties, bought 5.3 million shares Nov. 12 for 22 cents per share (for a total of $1.1 million), 19.8 million shares Nov. 13 for 24 cents each ($4.7 million), and 5.2 million shares Nov. 14 for 26 cents each ($1.3 million), according to regulatory filings. Former majority shareholder Wattles last June forced the board to replace CEO Philip Schoonover with James Marcum as part of a settlement deal. The retail executive has a long history with Wattles, including a stint with his Denver-based Ultimate Electronics chain. “I suspect the whole firm will be bought, but there is potential to split the U.S. and Canadian operations,” Arnold said. “That may not happen in the auction, but could happen shortly after the purchase to raise cash.” Arnold said the Jan. 16 deadline likely meant Circuit City would be sold as a complete entity. “If a sale was not likely, I don’t see why Circuit City would have decided to go with the auction strategy because of the risk of liquidation,” he said. The new buyers reportedly would reduce the number of stores from 565 stores to 350. Circuit City last week said the interested parties were close to making an offer for the company that included possibly providing additional financing to sustain operations, restructuring through a standalone plan and/or purchasing the company or select assets. It marked the second time since last May that outside parties expressed interest and proceeded with due diligence of Circuit City’s finances. Last year Blockbuster Inc. initiated a $1 billion acquisition offer for Circuit City, which the Dallas-based No. 1 DVD rental subsequently withdrew, citing market conditions. Circuit City posted losses for seven of the last eight quarters and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last November, citing $3.4 billion in assets and $2.32 billion in liabilities. Home Media Magazine January 19–25, 2009 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.Hustler.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Contents News News News News Commentary Reviews Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Commentary (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Commentary (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - January 19-25, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 24)
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