Tagged: Sherlock Holmes

Comedy, Mystery, Pulp, and More….all from RADIO ARCHIVES!


July 1, 2011

It’s a Download Bonanza at RadioArchives.com!
* New Downloads: The Lost Episodes of Fibber McGee and Molly
* Python Isle: Reviews Are Coming In
* New in Pulp Fiction
* Who Knows What Evil…
* New: Classic Whodunits with Sherlock Holmes
New Downloads: The Lost Episodes of Fibber McGee and MollyFor over two decades, whenever the front doorbell rang at 79 Wistful Vista, millions of radio listeners could be sure that laughter was soon going to follow. For behind that door lived a memorable couple whose misadventures entertained audiences both young and old for more than twenty years.

Fibber McGee and Molly were an institution on radio, bringing us belly laughs thru the dark days of the Great Depression, the challenging years of World War II, and well into the prosperity of the 1950s. And now, thanks to a new series of Digital Downloads from RadioArchives.com, you can enjoy hour after hour of smiles and chuckles with the irrepressible Fibber, sweet and patient Molly, and all of their bizarre neighbors – including Wallace Wimple, the Old Timer, and McGee’s friend and sometimes nemesis Doc Gamble.
With the discovery of literally hundreds of long-lost NBC master recordings, RadioArchives.com has brought you twelve collections of “The Fibber McGee and Molly Show” on audio compact discs. Now all of these great sets can also be purchased as Digital Downloads – and at a price considerably lower than the comparable CD set! Just visit RadioArchives.com today and browse our new Digital Downloads section, where you’ll find Fibber and Molly, “The Lux Radio Theater”, Orson Welles in “The Lives of Harry Lime”, and many other radio and audiobook favorites. Place your order, download your sets, and in just minutes you’ll be enjoying some great audio entertainment.

Digital Downloads from RadioArchives.com come to you as high bitrate MP3 files to ensure that you’ll enjoy the same sparkling audio fidelity as in our CD sets. You can play them on your computer, on most mobile phones, or on your favorite portable device – and, whether you live in Seattle, Stockholm, or San Juan, each downloadable collection is available worldwide with immediate delivery and NO postal charges to pay!

So stop by RadioArchives.com today and enjoy our new and ever-expanding array of Digital Downloads – and watch out for that closet door!

Python Isle: Reviews Are Coming In At Radio Archives, we always like to please our customers. But we’ve truly been overwhelmed by the compliments we’re receiving about “Python Isle”, the Doc Savage adventure that introduces our new line of pulp audiobooks!

Dale from Littleton, Colorado writes:
Absolutely fantastic! The narrator did all kinds of different voices for all the characters and kept everything very well paced. All audiobooks should be like this one.

Larry Scheflin writes:
I’ve been listening to “Python Isle” and I must say that Michael McConnohie has done an excellent job. His voice characterizations are a joy. Kudos to all and thanks for a wonderful listening experience.

From the All Pulp Blog, reviewer Tommy Hancock writes:
“Python Isle” is the stuff pulp dreams are made of. From fistfights and gun battles to harrowing chases in various locales all the way to an epic conflict aboard a zeppelin, “Python Isle” delivers all the thrills and chills anyone could want. It’s more than a treat, better than a nice surprise. It is simply New Pulp storytelling at its best.

If you thrill to the excitement and suspense that only a great adventure story can provide, you’ll want to visit RadioArchives.com today and pick up your copy of “Python Isle”. Written by Will Murray and directed and produced by Roger Rittner – the same team that brought you “The Adventures of Doc Savage” radio series – this eight hour collection also features two exclusive and newly recorded interviews with the author and striking cover art by Joe DeVito. Priced at just $25.98 for the 8-CD set or $17.98 for the Digital Download, this action-packed tale is one we know you’ll want to share with your entire family. And, next month, be sure to watch this newsletter for our next exciting audiobook, in which the Man of Bronze faces one of his most challenging foes: the mysterious White Eyes!

New in Pulp FictionDuring the 1930s, both kids and grown-ups alike would often rush to their favorite newsstands to anxiously await the delivery of the latest magazines featuring their three favorite adventure heroes: Doc Savage, The Shadow, and The Spider! Now RadioArchives.com offers you a series of double-novel reprints featuring the timeless stories of these crime fighting icons, all featuring full-color covers and many special features! The new arrivals include:

“The Shadow, Volume 50”, priced at just $14.95, an extra-length special issue showcasing three of the Dark Knight’s most thrilling stories: “The Man from Shanghai”, “The Golden Dog Murders”, and “Jabberwocky Thrust”. Then, in “Doc Savage, Volume 45”, priced at just $14.95, The Man of Bronze returns in two of his most engrossing adventures: “Merchants of Disaster” & “Measures for a Coffin”. Finally, The Spider – pulp fiction’s legendary Master of Men – returns in two thrill-packed adventures, combined into one volume for the low price of just $14.95: “Slaves of the Dragon” and “The Spider and his Hobo Army”.

Often neglected and unrecognized in their own time, the stories of these three influential superheroes are now seen as classics of popular culture. If you love pulp fiction – or if you’re just discovering it for the first time – be sure to visit RadioArchives.com today and order copies of these and our other classic pulp fiction titles for your personal library.

Who Knows What Evil… “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Knows!”…and so does John Olsen, whose insightful reviews share the web pages for every double-novel Shadow reprint offered by RadioArchives.com. John is the only fellow we know who has read, re-read, and re-re-read every adventure of this crime fighting foe of the underworld – all 325 of them – and, thanks to his generosity, he regularly shares his thoughts and opinions about the novels of the Knight of Darkness with the visitors to RadioArchives.com.

If you share John’s love of The Shadow, you may or may not share his opinions, but you’re sure to agree that he knows his subject and writes about it very well. If you’re only casually acquainted with this iconic vigilante of justice, we know you’ll appreciate John’s insightful reviews of his many adventures. And if you’ve never read a Shadow novel – well, there’s no one like John Olsen to entice you to get started right away!

So the next time you come to RadioArchives.com for entertainment, visit the Pulp Fiction section and read a few of John Olsen’s reviews. If you’re like us, we bet you’ll soon be just as big of a fan of The Shadow as he is – and understand completely that “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay! The Shadow Knows!”
New: Classic Whodunits with Sherlock HolmesIn the annals of detective fiction, there are many investigators who could lay claim to legendary status. But, for many, the most famous, the most unique, and the most emulated would be the pipe smoking, violin playing, and deer-stalker clad gentleman known as Sherlock Holmes.

Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes and his faithful friend and companion Doctor Watson have been a significant part of popular culture ever since their adventures first appeared in the Strand Magazine in 1887. In the years that have followed, Holmes and Watson have made their way to the stage, the movies, television, and even graphic novels – but, for fans of classic radio, “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” remains among the best interpretations of these two unforgettable characters and their often baffling cases.

The two actors most associated with the roles during radio’s Golden Age were, of course, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. But Rathbone’s departure from the series in 1946 resulted in another actor taking on the part: Tom Conway, the suave and handsome leading man who had recently been seen as The Falcon in the popular RKO movie series. Though long-time fans were understandably dubious of the change, Conway’s talents fit the role like a glove and he, along with Nigel Bruce, continued to broadcast the series from Hollywood for another successful season.

In “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1”, RadioArchives.com brings you ten exciting and fully restored episodes from this little-known chapter in the life of the World’s Greatest Consulting Detective, just as originally aired in 1946 and starring Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce. Priced at just $14.98 for the five audio CD set, or $9.98 for the digital download, this collection also features original cover art by Timothy Lantz. Visit RadioArchives.com and add Sherlock Holmes to your personal library of mystery favorites right away!

(Note for long-time customers: this 5-hour collection is a repackaged re-release of the first half of a 10-CD set which we previously offered in our catalog. In addition to new cover art, all of the shows in this collection have been newly restored from the original masters to ensure outstanding audio fidelity.)
We’d love to hear from you! Send an e-mail to Service@RadioArchives.com or call us toll free at 800-886-0551 with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

Listen to this Newsletter!


Sit back, relax, and enjoy this newsletter as an Audio Podcast! Click anywhere in the colorful banner at the top and you’ll automatically hear the Radio Archives Newsletter, enhanced with narration, music, and clips from our latest collections! This audio version of our regular newsletter is a pleasant and convenient way to hear all about our latest products, as well as the newest pulp fiction reprints, special offers, and much, much more!


The releases we’ve described in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s pulp fiction classics, our new line of audiobooks, colorful and exciting items from Moonstone, timeless movies and television shows on DVD, or the over 150 compact disc collections and downloads containing thousands of sparkling and fully restored classic radio shows, we hope you’ll make RadioArchives.com your source for the best in timeless entertainment.

HOLMES AND HARRY LIME AND MORE FROM RADIO ARCHIVES!

June 24, 2011

It’s a Sherlock Holmes Weekend at RadioArchives.com!

* Just Released: Classic Whodunits with Sherlock Holmes
* In the Treasure Chest This Week
* New in Pulp Fiction: Doc Savage Volume 45 and The Shadow Volume 50
* Now Available: Doc Savage in Python Isle Audiobook
* New: Orson Welles in The Lives of Harry Lime, Volume 3
Exciting News! Thanks to an arrangement with Diamond Distributors, you’ll soon be seeing audio compact disc collections from RadioArchives.com available from booksellers and on-line book stores world-wide! So the next time you visit your favorite bookseller or comic book store, ask for “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, “The Adventures of Doc Savage”, and other great audio collections from RadioArchives.com!

Just Released: Classic Whodunits with Sherlock Holmes

In the annals of detective fiction, there are many investigators who could lay claim to legendary status. But, for many, the most famous, the most unique, and the most emulated would be the pipe smoking, violin playing, and deer-stalker clad gentleman known as Sherlock Holmes.

Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes and his faithful friend and companion Doctor Watson have been a significant part of popular culture ever since their adventures first appeared in the Strand Magazine in 1887. In the years that have followed, Holmes and Watson have made their way to the stage, the movies, television, and even graphic novels – but, for fans of classic radio, “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” remains among the best interpretations of these two unforgettable characters and their often baffling cases.

The two actors most associated with the roles during radio’s Golden Age were, of course, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. But Rathbone’s departure from the series in 1946 resulted in another actor taking on the part: Tom Conway, the suave and handsome leading man who had recently been seen as The Falcon in the popular RKO movie series. Though long-time fans were understandably dubious of the change, Conway’s talents fit the role like a glove and he, along with Nigel Bruce, continued to broadcast the series from Hollywood for another successful season.

In “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1”, RadioArchives.com brings you ten exciting and fully restored episodes from this little-known chapter in the life of the World’s Greatest Consulting Detective, just as originally aired in 1946 and starring Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce. Priced at just $14.98 for the five audio CD set, or $9.98 for the digital download, this collection also features original cover art by Timothy Lantz. Visit RadioArchives.com and add Sherlock Holmes to your personal library of mystery favorites right away!

(Note for long-time customers: this 5-hour collection is a repackaged re-release of the first half of a 10-CD set which we previously offered in our catalog. In addition to new cover art, all of the shows in this collection have been newly restored from the original masters to ensure outstanding audio fidelity.)

In the Treasure Chest This Week
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson have appeared in many mediums – but two of their most fascinating cases were recently featured in an exciting graphic novel from Moonstone, offering tales of two of their most challenging foes: Dracula and The Invisible Man!

“Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, Volume 1”, a colorful 200 page softcover book, is normally available for sale on our website for $22.95. But, from Friday June 24th thru Monday June 27th, these suspenseful stories of crime and terror can be yours for Just 99 Cents with any purchase of $35.00 or more.

But that’s not the only bargain you’ll find this week in the Radio Archives Treasure Chest:

On Tuesday, June 28th, you’ll enjoy two action-packed tales of The Man of Bronze in “Doc Savage, Volume 18”. Normally priced at $12.95, for one day only, this book can be yours for Just 99 Cents with your purchase of $35.00 or

more. And, if detective stories are your passion, you can’t do better than Bob Bailey starring in “Let
George Do It, Volume 1″, a 10-CD set featuring twenty long-lost radio shows from the 1940s. This collection is normally priced at $29.98 but, on Wednesday June 29th and Thursday June 30th, it too can be added to your personal library for Just 99 Cents with any purchase of $35.00 or more.

Whether it’s tales of mystery and suspense with Sherlock Holmes, the thrilling adventures of Doc Savage, or the detective cases of George Valentine, you’ll find some great bargains in the Treasure Chest this week at RadioArchives.com!
New in Pulp Fiction: Doc Savage Volume 45 and The Shadow Volume 50
Great news! Two brand new double novel pulp reprints have just been released and are now available from RadioArchives.com!

In “The Shadow, Volume 50”, priced at just $14.95, Sanctum Books celebrates the publication of its 100th Shadow novel with an extra-length volume showcasing tales by each of the pulp wordsmiths who wrote as Maxwell Grant. First, “The Man from Shanghai” is caught in the web of a murderous mastermind in one of Walter Gibson’s greatest thrillers. Then, blood sapphires drip a deadly trail across Manhattan in Theodore Tinsley’s “The Golden Dog Murders”. Finally, Lamont Cranston and Joe Cardona go undercover to investigate murders at an Alice in Wonderland ball in Bruce Elliott’s “Jabberwocky Thrust”.

Next, in “Doc Savage, Volume 45”, you’ll thrill to two original pulp adventures as the Man of Bronze returns in two action-packed thrillers by Harold A. Davis and Lester Dent, writing as Kenneth Robeson. First, the War Department calls in Doc Savage after a weird wave of mass suffocations decimates the U. S. military. Can the Man of Bronze defeat “Merchants of Disaster” to restore national security? Then in “Measures for a Coffin”, Doc Savage announces his retirement to a stunned world after a fiery accident. This alternate cover edition, issued with a classic cover earlier this year, features artwork by Bantam artist James Bama.

When it comes to thrills, chills, and excitement, there’s nothing like a great pulp fiction story to really get your heart racing. Visit RadioArchives.com and pick up these new releases right away!

Now Available: Doc Savage in Python Isle Audiobook
For over eighty years, the name Doc Savage has meant thrills and excitement to millions of readers worldwide. Now, for the very first time, the Man of Bronze comes to vivid life in “Python Isle”, the first audiobook adventure from RadioArchives.com!

In “Python Isle”, a long-lost pioneer flyer returns to civilization accompanied by an exotic woman who speaks in a lost tongue. From his towering skyscraper headquarters in New York, through a dangerous Zeppelin journey to Cape Town, climaxing on a serpent-haunted island in the forbidden reaches of the Indian Ocean, Doc Savage and his iron comrades race to untangle a weird puzzle so deep that the only clues can be found in the Bible!

Written by Will Murray and produced and directed by Roger Rittner – the same team that brought you “The Adventures of Doc Savage” radio series – “Python Isle” features dramatic narration by Michael McConnohie, cover art by Joe DeVito, and two exclusive interviews with Will Murray on the history of Doc Savage and the discovery of author Lester Dent’s long lost manuscripts.

“Python Isle”, the first in a new series of unabridged audiobooks from RadioArchives.com, is available now as an eight audio CD set, priced at just $25.98, or as a digital download for just $17.98. In the weeks to come, be sure to visit RadioArchives.com often for more exciting audiobook adventures featuring the top heroes of pulp fiction, including The Spider, Secret Agent X, and many, many more. If you’re looking for adventure, excitement, and suspense, you’ll find it on “Python Isle”, available now from RadioArchives.com!

New: Orson Welles in The Lives of Harry Lime, Volume 3

For film buffs, it’s a memorable image: Harry Lime – criminal, thief, and black market racketeer – has been killed by a runaway car in the ravaged streets of postwar Vienna. But suddenly, out of the darkness of a moonlit night, a stray spotlight happens upon a doorway – and there he is: Harry Lime, in the flesh, alive…and smiling.

“The Third Man” is a film noir classic, combining a stellar cast, an intriguing story, and images of a once glamorous European city damaged by war, greed, and intrigue. Though brief, Orson Welles performance as Harry Lime remains one of the most memorable characterizations in his long and varied career. Luckily, for fans of audio entertainment, Welles revisited his role in “The Lives of Harry Lime”, a radio series that recounted the adventures of this memorable scoundrel in a series of tongue in cheek adventures that remain some of the best and most imaginative programs ever produced for radio.

In “The Lives of Harry Lime, Volume 3”, RadioArchives.com brings you ten more light-hearted and colorful tales of crime and criminals starring the legendary Orson Welles. Available as a five-CD audio collection for just $14.98 or a five-hour digital download for just $9.98, these fascinating programs have been transferred directly from original transcriptions and fully restored for sparkling audio fidelity. Visit RadioArchives.com and pick up your copy right away!
We’d love to hear from you! Send an e-mail to Service@RadioArchives.com or call us toll free at 800-886-0551 with your comments, questions, or suggestions.

Listen to this Newsletter!

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this newsletter as an Audio Podcast! Click anywhere in the colorful banner at the top and you’ll automatically hear the Radio Archives Newsletter, enhanced with narration, music, and clips from our latest compact disc collections! This audio version of our regular newsletter is a pleasant and convenient way to hear all about our latest CD sets, as well as the newest pulp fiction reprints, special offers, and much, much more!


The releases we’ve described in this newsletter are just a small fraction of what you’ll find waiting for you at RadioArchives.com. Whether it’s pulp fiction classics, our new line of audiobooks, colorful and exciting items from Moonstone, timeless movies and television shows on DVD, or the over 150 compact disc collections containing thousands of sparkling and fully restored classic radio shows, we hope you’ll make RadioArchives.com your source for the best in entertainment.

FARMER PULP CLASSIC AVAILABLE AGAIN SOON WITH ECKERT AFTERWORD AND MORE!

FARMER PULP CLASSIC AVAILABLE AGAIN SOON WITH ECKERT AFTERWORD AND MORE!

Reposted from http://www.sherlockholmesbooks.org/2011/06/coming-soon-further-adventures-of.html

Coming soon: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Peerless Peer

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Peerless Peer

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Peerless Peer

by Philip Jose Farmer
Holmes and Watson take to the skies in the quest of the nefarious Von Bork and his weapon of dread… A night sky aerial engagement with the deadly Fokker nearly claims three brilliant lives… And an historic alliance is formed, whereby Baker Street’s enigmatic mystery-solver and Greystoke, the noble savage, peer of the realm and lord of the jungle, team up to bring down the hellish hun!

This edition also contains a brand new afterword by Win Scott Eckert and a bonus preview of the new Kim Newman novel, Moriarty: The Hound of the D’Urbervilles.

AIRSHIP 27/CORNERSTONE FLIES HIGH WITH NEW HOLMES VOLUME!

PRESS RELEASE
THE BAKER STREET SLEUTH RETURNS
Airship 27 Productions & Golden Hammer Press are delighted to announce the next chapter in their best selling series with Volume III of “Sherlock Holmes – Consulting Detective” and present a brand new quintet of terrific, classic Holmes mysteries written in the tradition of his creator; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Five brand new puzzles to challenge the Great Detective and his ever loyal companion, Dr.Watson.  Within these pages they will encounter mythological fairies seeming to plague a beautiful country estate, man-eating tigers on the loose in the streets of London and a stolen museum mummy.  These are only some of the mysteries awaiting the famous crime solving duo as penned by today’s most gifted writers; Aaron Smith, I.A. Watson, Joshua Reynolds and Andrew Salmon.  Both Salmon & Watson having won the prestigious Pulp Factory Award for their earlier Holmes tales in volumes one and two respectively.
Airship 27 Productions is thrilled to be continuing this extremely popular series which Sherlock Holmes fans around the globe have made an overwhelming success. “Of all the books we’ve done in the past six years, this series generates the most reader mail,” Airship 27 Managing Editor Ron Fortier reports.  “For months we’ve been bombarded by our Holmes fans wanting to know when this book was coming out.  I’m truly happy to say the wait is over.” Volume III features a wonderful new cover painting by Brian McCulloch plus eleven interior illustrations by the book’s designer, Rob Davis, another Pulp Factory Award winner for his work on volume one.  So load your revolvers, hail a hansom and prepare yourself for page turning thrills aplenty.  Once again, the game is afoot!
Airship 27 Productions; Pulp Fiction for a New Generation!
ISBN:  1-613420-09-9
ISBN 13:  978- 1-613420-09-6
Produced by Airship 27
Published by Golden Hammer Press
Release date: 05/27/2011
Retail Price: $21.95
On-Line Store (http://www.gopulp.info/)
Digital Store
http://homepage.mac.com/robmdavis/Airship27Hangar/index.html#holmes3
Happy 160th Birthday, Detective Stories!

Happy 160th Birthday, Detective Stories!

Facsimile of Edgar Allan Poe's original manusc...

Facsimile of Edgar Allan Poe's original manuscript for "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", from the Susan Jaffe Tane collection, Cornell University. Image via Wikipedia.

On this day in 1841 in Philadelphia, PA, Edgar Allen Poe’s first detective story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” was published in Graham’s Magazine.

It has been called the first detective story ever, with C. Auguste Dupin as the first true detective in fiction, the precursor of everyone from [[[Sherlock Holmes]]] to [[[Scooby Doo]]], from [[[Veronica Mars]]] to [[[Angel Investigations]]], from [[[Castle]]] to [[[Psych]]]. The Dupin character established many literary devices which authors have used ever since:  the brilliant detective, his friend who serves as narrator, and the last revelation being presented before the reasoning that leads up to it.

And of course, without detective stories, we don’t have Detective Comics… which means we don’t have either DC or Batman. Nor do we have the Elongated Man, [[[GrimJack]]], [[[Dick Tracy]]], Tim Trench, Richard Fell, Jason Burr, The Dead Boy Detectives, Jessica Jones, [[[The Maze Agency]]], or Detective Chimp.

So here’s to you, sleuths! To you we raise a glass (free of exotic poisons, we hope). May your locked room mysteries always have a way in and out.

Read “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” here.

Review: ‘Sherlock’, The New Kid On The Block

 

You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who’s made his second fantastic comeback in seven months.

Last Christmas Robert Downey Jr.’s [[[Sherlock Holmes]]] was great fun, featuring a contemporary approach
that actually had a lot more to do with the original stories than the subsequent movies and teevee shows. I’m looking forward to the sequel.

Last week, the BBC debuted its new series of [[[Sherlock]]] teevee movies, created and produced by [[[Doctor Who]]] showrunner Stephen Moffat, who also wrote the pilot. He took the great detective and set him in contemporary times.

Yeah, I know. 
As Rocket J. Squirrel famously stated, “But that trick never works.”
There’s nothing new about this: Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock battled Nazi spies during World War II. We watched Moffat’s Sherlock strictly because of my overwhelming enthusiasm for Moffat as a writer, and we weren’t disappointed. It was a non-stop thrill ride with a perfectly obsessed
Holmes deploying cell phones and nicotine patches in his exhibitions of genius.

As Sherlock, actor Benedict Cumberbatch was right on the
money: intense, possessed, and brilliant. He’s a bit like Moffat’s Doctor Who,
Matt Smith, although he’s actually older and less restrained. Evidently, he
turned down an offer to play Doctor Eleven because he didn’t want his face on lunch boxes. Still, it doesn’t take a fanboy to wish for a crossover.

His comrade-in-sleuthing Dr. Watson was admirably portrayed by Martin Freeman, of [[[The Office]]] fame (that’s the original one, not NBC’s Americanized version). His performance reminds me a bit of John Simm’s work on [[[Life On Mars]]]; that’s high praise in my book.

The updating went well. Everybody is acting as though it
is really 2010 and the cast is expanded to reflect current reality. It’s been a
long time since I had so much fun watching a teevee pilot, and I highly
recommend it. It will show up stateside on PBS’s [[[Masterpiece]]] whenever they feel like running it.

James Bond Is A Goner?

A couple months ago it was a simple suspension. The world continued to revolve, the property owners continued to license new books, and everybody thought one of the most
successful movie franchises – and one of the most successful reboots in modern media – would return after a short delay.

Today? Not so sure.

Bond 23 (that’s how they title them, until they actually title them) was suspended last April due to “financial troubles” on the part of the
studio, MGM. This is code for “we’re broke and we’re for sale.” Director Sam
Mendes, writer Peter Morgan, and star Daniel Craig were all lined up and
waiting for a start-date.

All they needed was a mere $200 million to make their budget and their 2012 release date. But now the London Mirror is reporting it’s all over, and the production crew has been told to seek work elsewhere.

Logic and history dictate eventually there will be a new James Bond movie – after all, they’re still making new Tarzan movies (occasionally) and just about every franchise is relaunched from time to time. Remember Sherlock Holmes? But, according to the Mirror, it could take years.

Sadly, I thought Daniel Craig was a keeper. So were Judi Dench and Jeffrey Wright. And it would have been nice to see John Cleese take another turn as “Q.” An indefinite delay of any real length jeopardizes the return of these performers.

I’ve spent my entire life going from James Bond movie to James Bond movie, and I’ve seen a lot of crap in the process. Loyal supporters – all of us aging baby boomers, I’m sure – deserve better. I’m just glad Warren Zevon didn’t live to see this.

Are ‘Green Hornet’ and ‘Jonah Hex’ in Trouble?

Are ‘Green Hornet’ and ‘Jonah Hex’ in Trouble?

IESB is among the several sites reporting that after years in development, the now shooting Green Hornet film has been underwhelming the suits at Sony. The phrase “displeased with the results” was used. Another was quoted as saying the “tone is too campy, they’re not happy with the work from director Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen does not look the part. At all. In fact, the feeling at Sony is the movie is a disaster.”

Sony of course declared the reports “complete garbage” and went on to say the executives have screened one third of the movie and find the results “outstanding… remarkable”. We’ll get a clearer idea based on what the studio cares to show fans at Comic-Con International in July.

Speaking of films in trouble, the lack of presentations at WonderCon and this weekend’s C2E2 does not bode well for Jonah Hex, the June 18 release based on the DC western anti-hero. After a splashy presentation in San Diego last summer complete with teaser footage and poster, there has been nary a bit of promotion for the Josh Brolin-led production.

Warner Bros. website offers up a synopsis and a link to a Yahoo site showing off the teaser poster from last July. In January it was confirmed that 10 days of reshoots would occur involving Brolin and costars John Malkovich, Megan Fox and Michael Fassbender. Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter noted  “Although no test screenings have taken place, the studio has decided to work on story and action during the shoots, working in 12 pages of additional script mixed in with some reshoots.”

Joining director Jimmy Hayward for the reshoots was Constantine director Francis Lawrence, listed as a consultant.

THR’s Heat Vision blog said, “Some insiders said the new infusion of scenes and money was designed to fix certain problems with the movie; others have said it’s being done to beef up the moderately budgeted pic so that it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the big-budget tentpole crowd.”

Since then, there remains no obvious marketing campaign to make audiences aware of the movie which was moved from the relatively safe August 6 into the more competitive June 18 slot. That normally shows a sign of confidence in the finished product but temper that with the lack of appealing to the fan masses as convention season continues.

While Hex does not have direct comic book-based competition, it does follow remakes of  The A-Team and  The Karate Kid by a week and will open the same day as Toy Story 3 and is followed less than two weeks later by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Rumors continue to point to disappointment with Hex which may have cooled the studio’s ardor for adapting Lobo. Guy Ritchie had been on board to direct the film but he dropped out to shoot a sequel to Sherlock Holmes. Producer Akiva Goldmsman has yet to land a replacement and Warners doesn’t appear to be in a rush.

(more…)

‘Sherlock Holmes’ Blu-ray Events

‘Sherlock Holmes’ Blu-ray Events

Warner Home Video released Sherlock
Holmes
yesterday and tomorrow, those
possessing the combo pack can participate in a Live Community Screening
of the film with star Robert Downey Jr. participating. The event is
scheduled for 9 p.m., April 1 (no fooling) and people can sign up here.

Additionally, in support of the DVD release, WHV held a contest where a fan was chosen to learn the same sorts of stunts Downey mastered for his role as the detective. Take a peek at the results.

(more…)

Review: ‘Sherlock Holmes’ on Blu-ray

Review: ‘Sherlock Holmes’ on Blu-ray

[[[Sherlock Holmes]]] has been indelibly etched in the mass consciousness of pop culture consumers thanks to a steady stream of adaptations and homages of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories almost since they were first published. As a result, you say Holmes and a certain set of images come to mind beginning with the deerstalker hat and the cloak. Watson is always seen as comic relief, more bumbling aid than professional doctor.

As a result, Guy Ritchie’s take on the duo in 2009’s Sherlock Holmes was cause for debate. Some felt he was being blasphemous; others applauded how much more closely this interpretation hewed to the source material. The film opened to mixed reviews, skewing more positive than not but it also failed to ignite the box office. Still, earlier this month, the sequel went into pre-production and today, Warner Home Video releases the movie in a combo pack complete with Blu-ray, standard and digital discs.

The tale of Holmes and Watson dealing with the occult-minded Lord Blackwell is larger than most any other story, certainly larger in scope and menace than any of the original stories. Story writer/producer Lionel Wigram explains in the extras how he wanted to touch on the occult, then a popular subject in English society but without turning Holmes into a horror story. Instead, the clever Blackwell has spent months planning what is essentially a coup only to cross paths with Holmes, out to stop him.

Holmes and Watson are playing catch up, constantly finding new clues and adding them on the fly as the hunt for Blackwell continues. Meantime, complications arise as Watson is in the process of moving out of 221B Baker Street and preparing to marry Mary while Irene Adler, the one woman in his life, returns unexpectedly. The intertwining sub-plots are intended to flesh out the characters and relationships along with making it certain Holmes doesn’t catch Blackwell too quickly.

The problem is, Ritchie made a somewhat lifeless movie. His previous works are filled with memorable characters and inspired performances; here, everyone is fine and solid, not spectacular. Robert Downey Jr. is a fine Holmes, mumbling and wide-eyed as befits the constantly distracted character and his pairing with Jude Law’s Watson works well on the buddy level. Law, though, seems to lack the inner strength to do what is necessary, always having a weary look as he constantly comes back to Holmes’ side to finish the case. Similarly, Mark Strong is cool and evil, but flat as Blackwell and Rachel McAdams can’t make Irene sparkle, not enough to convince us she’s really the woman of Holmes’ dreams.

What had some diehard fans in an uproar was the action quotient. After all, Holmes is a cerebral detective, seeing everything and making deductions that stagger the imagination. Seeing him in numerous fights was the largest change from previous adaptations and Ritchie is a good action director. But, here things were too large and there was at least one fight too many. The entire sequence at the shipyards could have been excised since it doesn’t fit the rest of the film and was overlong and overdone.

The most effective thing in the film may be the production design which largely relies on CGI to transform modern day England into its earlier 1891 incarnation. The city lives and breathes and feels right. Hans Zimmer’s score helps as well.

Overall, the movie looks great on Blu-ray with solid visuals and fine 5.1 Dolby sound. The Blu-ray also offers us the film in the Maximum Movie Mode, wherein Ritchie appears throughout the film and discusses how things were shot or why decisions were made. The split screens and pausing for explanation are interesting with some nifty tidbits tossed in. This version runs just three minutes longer and is an interesting way to see it a second time. There are 31 minutes of assorted behind-the-scenes featurettes discussing how the source material and era informed the film. An additional 14 minutes has Ritchie and Downey discuss Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented. Surprisingly, there are no deleted scenes offered.

This is a perfectly serviceable adaptation of Holmes but as a film experience, it is lacking in the qualities one has come to expect from Ritchie.

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