Actress Jessica Szohr has landed on the hit USA series, COMPLICATIONS. She fills us in on all the action, why you should be watching and talks about her upcoming roles, too. Plus we look at what may TV’s most unique concept, Comedy Central’s DRUNK HISTORY. How do they do that?
In a few days, Denis Leary joins us to talk about SEX, DRUGS and ROCK AND ROLL, Be sure and follow us on Twitter now here.
New York, N.Y., July 23, 2015 – When it originally debuted in September of 1965, Get Smart, the multiple Emmy®winning classic spy-spoof comedy series from comic geniuses Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, generated countless catchphrases like “Would you believe?” and “Missed it by that much.” This fall, to mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary series, HBO Home Entertainment® is bringing those catchphrases to a new generation when all five seasons of Get Smart are made available for digital download for the very first time. With the digital release, longtime fans will have a chance to watch the series in an exciting new format, while new fans will be introduced to the antics of Maxwell Smart for the first time. Get Smart will be available as a digital download August 10, 2015 across all major retailers. Suggested retail price is $1.99 for each SD episode and $19.99 for each SD season.“You lucky dogs. You’re gonna get to see Don Adams talking on his shoe telephone and watch the unbelievable antics of Maxwell Smart and The Chief trying to hear each other under The Cone of Silence,” said Mel Brooks. “Can’t wait to see it myself!”
Full of bumbling spies, gadgets and gags, Get Smart features the beloved characters Maxwell Smart/Agent 86 (Don Adams), Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon), and the Chief (Edward Platt) – members of a top secret U.S. government agency called CONTROL, who battle the forces of their nemesis KAOS, an equally inept foreign spy agency. The series was ahead of its time in the way that it created a vast, complicated mythology and mastered the art of self-referential comedy to reward its loyal audience for tuning in week after week. The series originally debuted on NBC in 1965 and enjoyed popularity and a cult following before moving to CBS for its final season. Since ending, it has inspired numerous spinoffs, sequels and remakes, including a 2008 summer box office hit starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway.
Burbank, CA, July 21, 2015 – In the end, only the mad will survive when Mad Max: Fury Road arrives onto Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on September 1 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Directed by Oscar®-winning filmmaker George Miller (“Happy Feet”) and starring Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) in the title role and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron (Monster, Prometheus) as Imperator Furiosa, Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth film in the franchise’s epic history. The film will available early on Digital HD starting on August 11.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ Mad Max: Fury Road also stars Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Days of Future Past) as Nux; Hugh Keays-Byrne (Mad Max, Sleeping Beauty) as Immortan Joe; and Nathan Jones (Conan the Barbarian) as Rictus Erectus. Collectively known as The Wives, Zoë Kravitz (Divergent) plays Toast; Riley Keough (Magic Mike) is Capable; Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Transformers: Dark of the Moon) is Splendid; supermodel Abbey Lee is The Dag; and Courtney Eaton is Fragile. Also featured in the movie are Josh Helman as Slit, Jennifer Hagan as Miss Giddy, and singer/songwriter/performer iOTA as Coma-Doof Warrior. The cast is rounded out by well-known Australian actors John Howard and Richard Carter, supermodel Megan Gale, Angus Sampson, Joy Smithers, Gillian Jones, Melissa Jaffer and Melita Jurisic.
Miller directed “Mad Max: Fury Road” from a screenplay he wrote with Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris. Miller also produced the film with longtime producing partner and Oscar nominee Doug Mitchell alongside executive producers P.J. Voeten, Iain Smith, Graham Burke and Bruce Berman.
Mad Max: Fury Road will be available on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack for $44.95, Blu-ray Combo Pack for $35.99 and 2-disc DVD for $28.98. The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack features the theatrical version of the film in 3D hi-definition, hi-definition and standard definition; the Blu-ray Combo Pack features the theatrical version of the film in hi-definition on Blu-ray; and the DVD features the theatrical version in standard definition. Blu-ray 3D Combo and Blu-ray Combo Pack include Digital HD with UltraViolet. Fans can also own “Mad Max: Fury Road” on Digital HD via purchase from digital retailers.
Also available on September 1 will be the Mad Max 4-Film Blu-ray Anthology. The anthology includes Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road on Blu-ray disc. The anthology also includes the documentary “Madness of Max” on DVD along with “Mad Max Anthology” trading cards and will be available for $89.98.
SYNOPSIS
Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa. They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.
BLU-RAY AND DVD ELEMENTS
“Mad Max: Fury Road” Blu-ray Combo Pack and Standard Definition 2-Disc DVD contain the following special features:
– Maximum Fury: Filming Fury Road
– Mad Max: Fury on Four Wheels
– The Road Warriors: Max and Furiosa
– The Tools of the Wasteland
– The Five Wives: So Shiny, So Chrome
– Fury Road: Crash & Smash
– Deleted Scenes
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS
On August 11, “Mad Max: Fury Road” will be available to own via streaming and for download in high definition and standard definition from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, Flixster, Google Play, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others. Mad Max: Fury Road will be available to rent digitally via Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and other digital retailers beginning September 1.
ABOUT DIGITAL HD WITH ULTRAVIOLET
*Digital HD with UltraViolet allows fans to watch a digital version of their movie or TV show anywhere, on their favorite devices. Digital HD with UltraViolet is included with the purchase of specially marked Blu-ray discs. Digital HD with UltraViolet allows consumers to instantly stream and download movies and TV shows to TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones through UltraViolet retail services like CinemaNow, Flixster, VUDU and more. For more information on compatible devices go to wb.com/ultravioletdevices. Consult an UltraViolet Retailer for details and requirements and for a list of HD-compatible devices.
BASICS
PRODUCT SRP
Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack $44.95
Blu-ray Combo Pack $35.99
DVD Amaray (WS) $28.98
Blu-ray Anthology $89.98
Standard Street Date: September 1, 2015
DVD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French
BD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese
3D BD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Parisian French, Thai
DVD Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French
BD Subtitles: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese
3D BD Subtitles: English SDH, Latin Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Parisian French, Thai, Chinese, Korean
Running Time: 120 minutes
Rating: R for intense sequences of violence throughout, and for disturbing images
DOLBY ATMOS DOLBY AUDIO [CC]
Ashley Williams is teaming up with comedian Jim Gaffigan to bring his home life to sit com life. She talks about the challenge and the fun she has had usually being a “good girl”. Plus more on JUSTICE LEAGUE GODS AND MONSTERS as actress Paget Brewster explains just how different her Lois Lane really is.
More in a few days with our look at Comedy Central’s DRUNK HISTORY and ANOTHER PERIOD. Be sure and follow us on Twitter now here.
First rule of pro wrestling(*) – you NEVER know what’s going to work.
Mick Foley spent years breaking his body in the indies, but he became a superstar when he put a sock on his hand.
Steve Austin barely avoided being called the “Ice Dagger”, made fun of a bible passage at King of the Ring, and people had “Austin 3:16″ signs in the audience the next night.
You can spend weeks pushing someone, but another performer can say something in the ring, or do a move in a weird way, and the fans will pull them to their collective breast and never let go.
So is the tale of Blue Pants.
Leva Bates has been doing journeyman work in the indies for some time, establishing a solid reputation.
So one day the gang from WWE’s developmental brand NXT gave her a call, asking her to come by as do a stint as “Enhancement talent”, better known as “a jobber”, even better known as “the guy paid to lose the match”.
So Leva finished her shift as a costumed character at Universal Studios, grabbed her bag, and went to Full Sail University to play…well, another costumed character.
She was set to face Carmella, a new member of the Women’s Division, newly teamed up with hot tag-team Enzo Amore and Colin “Big Cass” Cassidy, a pair of old school NYC paisan tough guys. Leva’s character didn’t even have a name, so Cass took a look at her bright blue ring gear (actually a cosplay outfit inspired by X-Men regular Kitty Pryde) and introduced her as “Old Blue Pants”, hailing from “The back of the clearance rack”. She didn’t have an entrance theme – Cass just hummed the theme to The Price Is Right.
And that’s when things got weird.
Yes, she lost the match. Maybe some of the educated wrestling fans in the audience recognized her, maybe they just felt like being silly. But they watched her smiling, peppy attitude, the “I’m just happy to be here'” smile plastered across her face, watched her deliver solid moves, and decided she was the one to watch.
So she came back a couple weeks later, to lose again to Carmella…and the cheers were even louder. By the third visit, she DID have an entrance theme – a recording of Cass humming the (no longer quite, for copyright purposes) theme to The Price is Right.
And she won.
And the place exploded.
This day-worker was getting bigger pops than the contracted superstars. And everybody was loving it.
Leva’s made a few more appearance on NXT over the past few months. She’s yet to win another match, but there’s a point where you’re so over with the crowd you don’t need to win, they’re just happy you showed up.
So, exactly how big a splash is Blue Pants making? Would this article in Rolling Stone answer your question?
She’s everything wonderful about wrestling, and more importantly, wrestling fans. We’re an odd crowd – we don’t often engage in the hooliganism you see in other “real” sports. Indeed, sometimes the fans will go to great lengths to make sure a five-year-old fan at her first show gets to meet her favorite wrestler. And we don’t always do what the marketing department want us to. And the smart company will know when to cut bait and go where the fish are biting.
Just this week, WWE elevated three of NXT’s best women wrestlers to the main stage at Monday Night Raw. Charlotte (daughter of legend Ric Flair), Becky Lynch, and current NXT women’s champion Sasha Banks premiered on RAW with a bang, laying waste to the current stable of WWE “Divas”, as the women are branded. And true to form, they ripped the place up.
Now, when wrestlers move from the “Farm league” of NXT to the main roster of WWE, two things happen. One, there’s a deep and abiding hope that they won’t get lost in the much larger pool of the main roster. But it also means a new opportunity for the folks in NXT to move into the limelight. NXT has a great roster of women, including the ever-perky Bayley, the aforementioned “Queen of Staten Island” Carmella, and more in training, ready to make their premiere.
Is this a chance for Leva to make the move to regular talent?
If she does, I’ll cheer till I’m blue in the…
well, you know.
(*) OK, we know what the REAL first rule of pro wrestling is, but work with me here…
Leva’s youtube channel is home to her show The Geek Soapbox, where she dishes on comics and video games.
BURBANK, CA (July 15, 2015) – Prepare yourselves for a thrilling ending to an incredible series as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) and DC Entertainment release Batman: The Complete Third Season to own on DVD. The final, completely remastered, 26 episodes of the iconic series hits shelves for fans old and new on November 3, 2015 for $39.98 SRP.
Leap into the third and final season where the felonious and foul must be stopped to keep Gotham safe, and a newly formed Terrific Trio must turn chaos to calm! With rogue wrongdoers like the sly Siren, lethal Louie The Lilac and unethical Egghead running rampant, Batman (Adam West), Robin (Burt Ward) and Batgirl (Yvonne Craig) have their Super Hero hands full. Now completely re-mastered, all the originality, crime-fighting action and arch-villainy of special guest villains like Milton Berle, Eartha Kitt, and Joan Collins, are on DVD in pristine splendor like never before — for those who were there, and a new generation of Bat-fans!
“For decades, Batman has proven its popularity and it all started with this live-action television title that had Batman leaping off the comic book pages to the silver screen for the first time” said Rosemary Markson, WBHE Senior Vice President, TV Marketing. “We are thrilled to release Batman: The Complete Third Season on DVD for longtime bat-fans to go back in time and relive their favorite ‘pows’ and ‘zaps’ while also introducing the series to younger generations.”
What interesting timing that after an Avengers spring, the summer suddenly is about the mutants. The current Entertainment Weekly previous next summer’s Apocalypse film and we also get to revisit the previous installment.
Last year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past has been pretty much accepted as the best of the five X-Men movies from 20th Century-Fox. After all, Bryan Singer did a great job on the first two and used the fourth to wipe the bad taste of Brett Ratner’s effort from memory. It blended the casts from the past and present, while still introducing new characters and making us want more. It also faithfully paid homage to the source story from Chris Claremont and John Byrne while remaining true to the cinematic continuity. Not an easy trick to pull off.
One glaring problem was the diminished role for Anna Paquin’s Rogue and we learned in the pre-release hoopla that her storyline was excised for a number of reasons. Then, in the wake of the film’s success, it was revealed a Rogue cut would be offered and now, it has finally arrived.
There are seventeen minutes of new material in the new edition, out now from 20th Century Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray comes with a digital HD code and boasts an additional 90 minutes of extra features.
X-Men: Days of Future Past: The Rogue Cut is interesting to watch but you come away realizing the original edit was probably for the best. Not that there’s much wrong with the Rogue scenes, but it does lengthen the film and bogs down some of the pacing. We get to see her here and there early on but she really doesn’t take her proper place with the team until the final act.
20th nicely includes both versions of the film so you may decide for yourself. You will admire some of the extra character bits for Bishop and Blink in the extended versions of their scenes and that’s welcome. And as we saw in the deleted scenes from the first version’s DVD release, there’s more Mystique stuff that better sets up her change of heart towards the end.
As for the Rogue material, last year I complained Ellen Page’s Kitty Pryde had little to do and here she has less and Rogue taps her power to give her a break. Unfortunately, Kitty doesn’t gain extra screen time in the new cut.
There is fresh commentary from Singer which addresses the value of different cuts of the film and his preference for the variety. He’s joined by editor John Ottman, who also offers his thoughts behind the changes between cuts. Additionally, the extended edition has labeled the various chapters as alternate or new scenes so you can find whatever you most want to see. Although, seeing the film all the way through will remind you of how powerful the overall story is.
The AVC encoded 1080p transfer is lovely to watch, with good rich colors and a fine sound mix to match.
Disc one has both films and the original cut’s commentary from Singer and Simon Kinberg is still here. Disc two offers us Mutant vs. Machine (52:41), collecting the featurettes that goes into detail on the making of the film. There’s also X-Men: Unguarded (30:11) as cast and crew have a particularly casual discussion about the property. There are galleries of interesting visual information as well.
If you have the first home video release is the second one needed? It all depends on why you bought the first and how much you want to see the differences between the two. If you have the one, you might not need this one but it’s certainly well worth a look.
After his long run on SMALLVILLE, Michael Rosenbaum is back on series television with the new TV Land project, IMPASTOR. He, and adorable co-star Sara Rue, talk about the show and show off the amazing chemistry that makes it work. Plus we begin our look at JUSTICE LEAGUE GODS AND MONSTERS, DC’s daringly different new DVD.
More in a few days with more on JUSTICE LEAGUE GODS AND MONSTERS. Be sure and follow us on Twitter now here.
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection is coming this holiday season and you can ore-order this limited edition now, only at Amazon.
During Pre-Order Period
The limited-edition, 13-disc Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection invites you to hold the greatest power in the cosmos in the palm of your hand.
Contents includes:
Marvel’s Iron Man 3 (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
Marvel’s Ant-Man (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
PLUS
Top-Secret Bonus Disc and more!
This Marvel fan’s dream features collectible, specially designed disc holders and exclusive Marvel memorabilia!
Minions has been taunting me for weeks. As part of the promotional campaign for this movie Universal decided to cover the old Cinerama dome on Sunset Boulevard with inflatable versions of the films stars reaching for a giant banana. It’s a cute enough gimmick I suppose but I go to the gym in a building directly behind the dome so for about an hour a week three times a week the view from my gym has been dominated by massive inflatable Minion asses. If the exercise bikes I prefer somehow became untethered I would pedal myself directly in to the backside of a five story Minion.
After seeing the film I think I got most of the experience just watching them endlessly reach for that banana, as that’s about as much story as the movie Minions actually bothers with.
The Minions, as characters, are empty vessels. Their personalities only extend one adjective deep before you get to the common Minion traits like hungry or covetous. In a way this has led to the success of the characters as they are whatever the viewer imagines them to be (this is why they’re so perplexingly meme-able) but there’s no actual character underneath. Each scene is driven either by external factors or an often-nonsensical want. Sometimes Bob is really emotionally invested in the safety of his teddy bear but when that isn’t driving him through a scene it’s never even pictured. I feel like I’m asking too much of a silly little kids move that is such a transparent cash grab but when the characters don’t resonate the actions have no stakes and I just can’t laugh at these jokes past the first fifteen minutes. Something has to make you care about the story and it never happens.
The humor of Minions is not for me but I don’t think it wants to be. This is slapstick humor for a generation who don’t have Saturday morning cartoons to watch. People fall over, people het hit with stuff, people slip and fall, all the hits really. There’s nothing wrong with this per se; it’s been the foundation of comedy for all of recorded history but there’s precious little new ground to break and I’m not sure I think Minions is even trying.
There’s no effort apparent throughout Minions but honestly, why would there be? This is a franchise born from another successful franchise, it’s sold countless t-shirts and toys and even has a theme park ride, and everything from here on out is found money for Universal. It’s a monster that feeds on its own popularity and nothing we can say or do will stop it. Or it’s just a silly kids movie and I should really just relax.
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
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