Fringe (Season 1)

By John Fountain

I’d heard good things about this series; current geek-meister JJ Abrams latest foray into television.  Fringe’s basic premise is that there are some areas of scientific progress that are tantamount to the supernatural.  Cutting edge science, or “Fringe” science, is reaching the point where technology becomes able to supersede the current parameters of the Known.  So far, so good. 

The way this plot thread is woven into the series is by way of a young, beautiful FBI agent (are there any other kinds?) Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv).  She and her partner, John Scott (Mark Valley) are having an illicit affair.  They are called in to investigate a horrific terrorist event on a flight from Germany.  The attack itself is extremely well done, with some seamless and wonderfully drippy special effects, as the passengers and crew melt before out eyes.  Great stuff. 

Unfortunately, it is right after this that things start to unravel into a poorly written mess: Dunham needs to get hold of Dr Walter Bishop (John Noble), incarcerated in a mental hospital these last 17 years, as she believes Bishop holds the key to unravelling the incident.  To do this, she needs to track down Bishop’s errant son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), a jack-of-all trades shady character with rough edges by a heart of gold (yawn).  Even though Peter is on the run from some “people”, he’s easily found by Dunham in Iraq.  Peter is a blank slate of a character, he is essentially a get-out-of-jail-free card with the writers being able to dredge up some past experience or underworld contact to use. 

Drawing this group of characters together is Broyles (Lance Reddick) who walks everywhere like the bastard child of a predatory cat and a cartoon by R.Crumb, head of the Fringe division.  Broyles and Dunham have a complex relationship…or is it just that different writers sketch him out differently minute by minute?  Throw in mysterious robot-handed Nina Sharp (Blair Brown), deputy head of the sinister multinational Massive Dynamic, wonderful goggle-eyed FBI agent Charlie Francis (Kirk Acevedo) and young, beautiful trainee FBI agent (really, another one?) Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) and you have the main players in this tale. 

So begins the first season of Fringe, in which we learn that Scott may be a traitor or not, Nina Sharp may be a baddie or not, Broyles is continually grumpy or not, Bishop is crazy and can’t remember Astrid’s name (oh the hilarity), and Peter is, well, just there.  The character of Olivia Dunham is well played by Torv, who brings some real emotion to the role, especially when her sister and niece enter the story and her life by moving into her apartment.  The problem is that even though you are asked to suspend your disbelief to a certain degree (yeah, sure, a chemical that turns someone into a were-porcupine, ok fine), the plots seem to revolve around finding a stupid pseudo-science means of solving the mystery. 

A case in point: using a “special” camera to photograph the impulses travelling along the optic nerve of a corpse to see the last thing they saw.  NO!  Bad Scriptwriter!  Go outside to do that!  The other main annoyance is the conceit that Dunham has a portion of Scott’s consciousness in her brain, that can be accessed by drugs and an isolation tank.  Wisely, they ditched this particular script-crutch after a few episodes, but not before it already reached it’s clunky annoyingly-convenient stage.  Bishop is there to spout techno-babble that Star Trek writers would be envious of and to come up with an elaborate and implausible way to save the day.  Lazy, lazy writing.  The introduction of the terrorist organisation ZFT is a welcome one, with a star turn by Oliver Reed sound-a-like David Robert Jones (Jared Harris) playing the incarcerated head. 

The other great part of the series is the character of The Observer (MichaelCerveris); obviously included to give fans something to talk about on the internet.  The Observer plays the Man In Black from UFO mythology, only this guy is from another dimension.  Or is he?  He is a good guy.  Or is he?  The main problem with Fringe, aside from the really annoying last minute pop-science salvations, is that it is suffering from Lost syndrome.  “Ooh, look how mysterious we’re being” is the main cry through the series. 

So many plot threads, so little cohesion.  What is the Pattern?  Eventually, you won’t know or care, because the characters don’t seem to.  Is Massive Dynamic is real bad-guy?  Dunno…does it matter?  Who are Broyles and Sharp really working for?  Do the writers even know?  Are the writers playing a game with each other?  All in all, the plot lines, especially the metanarrative, seem cobbled together, loosely written, with no sense of any real cohesion.  Almost as if they were all written late at night when everyone was tired. 

Is there a stand-out episode in the season?  Well, not really, they are all a little bit “meh”.  None have the throat grabbing tension of the early X-Files, nor any or the well toned humour of that series.  Fringe feels like X-Files Lite, a poor cousin, a fart in a bath-tub.  Fringe feels like X-Files of around season 4-5 when it really started losing it’s way.  None of the Fringe episodes rate more than a 6 out of 10. 

That being said, they are entertaining.  I recently bought the box-set of S1 and spent 2 days watching them back to back.  When the box-set of S2 gets cheap, I’ll probably buy that too, because no matter how clunky the scripts, how throwaway the plots, there is something in the performances (except that of Peter, but to be fair Joshua Jackson isn’t really given much to work with) that makes you want to see what happens next.  Speaking as the co-writer of a soon to be published RPG that jumps between alternate realities (subtle plug) the multiverse aspect appeals to me.  So all in all, Fringe is a likeable, if simple, series that is entertaining.  You just have to keep your hand poised over the Bullshit Button…

King Of The Hill (El Rey de la Montana)

By John Fountain

(2007)

Meet Quim (don’t laugh, it’s his name, pronounced Keem.  Although every time it pops up in the subtitles, I did giggle).  Quim is driving across a mountainous part of Spain, and has recently had girl-trouble.  His girlfriend won’t talk to him on the phone, and although we never find out why, it is easy to sympathise with the unseen woman, because Quim really is a whiny bitch.  Quim (played to perfection by Leonardo Sbaraglia) is a twitchy, sweaty, nobody who really doesn’t engender sympathy for his plight.  Struck by Modern Horror Movie Cliché #1 (poor mobile phone reception) Quim is forced to pull in at an isolated gas station to use the land-line.  Is it run by psycho hill-billies?  No.  Instead, Quim meets mysterious,sexy kleptomaniac Bea, (Maria Valverde) and they hitch up in the bathroom.  Yes, folks, Quim really is an unsympathetic man.  And yet, Sbaraglia manages to get us on his side, simply by the charisma of his performance: Quim is not evil, nor is he a saint.  He’s just…there.  Like an Everyman character, full of flaws, but with a good heart.  Of course, he is still on his way to try and win back his girlfriend, despite his quick knee-trembler in the toilets of the gas station.  But Quim, inept that he is, gets lost in the mountains. 

And that is where his life is irrecoverably changed.  His car begins to experience difficulties.  Why?  Quim finds a bullet hole.  Something is not right in the mountains of Spain.  It’s not long before Quim realises that he is being hunted by one or more gunmen.  A little while after that, Quim catches a bullet from a hunter with a black dog.  Fleeing, Quim panics and runs the hunter down in his car.  He runs into the mysterious Bea, also having car trouble.  But there are things that are suspicious about Bea.  He car has a baby seat in it, yet Bea doesn’t seem to have a baby.  Has she stolen the car?  Is she on the run?  Is she involved with the hunters?  Bea and Quim are forced to trust each other as they go on the run.  When help seems to arrive, in the form of local police, Quim and Bea are arrested and Quim is handcuffed into the back of the police Land Rover.  So everything is fine and peachy now?  Far from it.  There is no help here.  When the hunters return, Quim and Bea must run again and their path will take them into a landscape where every tree could be hiding a murderer…

This is a great film.  Quim is a whiney bitch, but his presentation is entirely naturalistic, and Sbaraglia plays it so realistically, that on occasion you feel as if he isn’t an actor, but just some guy off the street being hunted.  That is to the benefit of the film.  The other central performance, that of Bea, is likewise engaging.  Bea is mysterious, strong but vulnerable, and Valverde plays her as a capable young woman who finds herself in a situation she cannot control and doesn’t understand.  The third major player in this film is the landscape: Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego, the director of this movie, should be congratulated in his ability to marry beauty and menace in his portrayal of the magnificent Spanish mountains.  His use of the camera is also fantastic: the camera is always on the move, mirroring Quim’s twitchy, hunted nature.  More impressive is his ability to bring a sense of claustrophobia to the outdoor spaces: this is achieved by using two key shots: close-ups and long-shots.  Quim’s face is intercut with long shots of impressive vistas.  The director invites us to empathise with Quim as his eyes search the distance for a sign of the hunters.  The cat and mouse game is played for about 3/4 of the films running time, whereupon the film delivers a revelation that stops your heart dead in the chest.  In doing so, sympathy with Quim is lost, only to be recovered by the power of Sbaraglia’s performance.  The film’s viewpoint abruptly shifts to follow the hunters as they track their prey.  It will only be later that Quim will once again take centre stage, and as an audience we will feel his pain as he has to make terrible choices to save his life.

This is a film that once or twice hammers it’s message home with a sledgehammer when a simple breeze would have sufficed, but it is a powerful piece of cinema that will shock and make you tihink.  Despite all the horrors, the real tear-jerking moment comes a mere second before the credits.  Quim’s ordeal throughout the film is leading up to the final seconds of the movie, a moment of ordinary life that merely underlines the terror.  I will not spoil the film for you.  I will not tell you of the revelations or of the heart-wrenching final moment.  All I will tell you, is that this is a fine example of the new wave of Spanish horror films sweeping cinema over the last few years.  You will probably cry (I know my girlfriend would, which is why I’m not showing it to her), but it is worth the tears to see such a good piece of simple, character driven cinema.

We are in fact equal opportunity here at Fangirl Magazine.  And now we have Jay here to prove that point as well as share with us some film reviews!

Let em have it Jay!

The Blackout.

Film Review: by John Fountain

(2009)

(I wish I had).

There are works of art in the world that raise hope for the survival of the human race, and speak volumes about the state of the human condition.  Some of these are paintings, such as works by Goya; some are theories, such as those postulated by Darwin, Einstein, and Hawking.  Some may even be movies, such as The Seven Samurai.  However, there are also things released into the world that not only do not contribute to the vault of humanity’s achievement, but somehow manages to make those advancements and philosophical journeys seem worthless.  The thought that humanity could excrete something as pitiful and remorselessly shabby as The Blackout should make you wonder if we shouldn’t just give up on this whole “having lungs” business and crawl back into the sea.  Those involved in this turgid excuse for a movie need to be hauled up in front of some kind of hastily convened tribunal, forced to watch the original Halloween, then have burly men repeatedly smash their heads into the screens, screaming “Do You See How It’s Done, Yet?” before being fed to some hyenas.

The basic plot, care of the writer, Jim Beck revolves around a group of fairly unlikeable tenants of an old New York (I’m assuming) apartment building, who bumble about their tedious “getting to know you scenes” with about as much believability and ability as lobotomised mice being taught how to play a piano.  Chief among these is Elizabeth Pierce (played by Barbara Streifel Sanders…who suspiciously has the same last name as the producer…weird) from whose perspective the story is loosely told.  She has a husband and a pair of bratty kids, and a lot of neighbours who veer from one character trait to another, never really settling on any particular stereotype for more than a few minutes.  In to this maelstrom of tedium comes a problem: no, not the script, although that really is a major issue.  It’s monsters.  Well, lets be honest, it’s a guy in a poorly fitted rubber suit with a terrible CGI tail.  And that’s about it. 

The rest of the run time is concerned with getting out of the building through dark corridors, dark staircases, and dark rooms, blah blah blah.  The few interesting moments in the film; a character noticing the flash of gunfire from another tower block; the fact that the presence of the creatures causes lights to blow; and the non-hollywood splatter of one particular character, are totally subsumed by the relentless drab malaise of the film.  Poor acting; poor scripting, bad cinematography; characters being terrified one minute then deciding to have a smooch the next.  It all becomes like a wet towel being lowered onto your head.  As a movie lover, I committed the cardinal sin: I had to fast forward after about 45 minutes, waiting for something to happen.  It didn’t.  Until the end, when you get a pathetic and telegraphed “revelation” shot that a 12 year old could probably knock up in photoshop. 

I was looking forward to watching this film: that’s what I can’t forgive.  I was suckered by the cool DVD artwork, the claustrophobic promises of the synopsis, the desperate need for some decent horror after the disappointment of recent monster movies.  That’s what should have triggered the cynic in my brain:  the DVD artwork.  It was just too similar to the packaging of the original Feast.  Slavering maw poised menacingly above pretty female face, dripping saliva and the hope of a thrill packed ride.  All of which the original Feast provided.  None of which The Blackout offered.  What is more annoying is that the movie holds the seeds of a good idea: creatures that cause darkness, the thing humans seem to be hard-wired to fear.  And then they strain and deliver this straight to DVD nugget into the lavatory of the wider world. 

Wow, yeah…this hasn’t been done before

Oh wait, it has

Someone else just got on top.

I cannot stress enough how poor this movie is: it makes me yearn for the bland, painful nonsense of Ghostbusters 2, and that is something I thought would never happen.  For this alone, everyone involved in this movie should be fed parts of themselves before being encased in concrete for the sake of the world.  In fact, whenever I refer to this dross as a “movie” or a “film” please feel free to replace those words with the sound of a cat vomiting.

For the love of humanity: do not buy this “movie”; do not watch this “movie”.  Above all: DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE.

My girlfriend just read this back to me, and noted that “This isn’t a review, it’s just a way for you to articulate pain.”  And she’s right.  The film gave me pain.  Pain in every fibre of my being.  Remember, I watched this shit so you don’t have to.

– “This planet is a game preserve, and we’re the game.” The ultimate hunters are back when Robert Rodriguez’ PREDATORS arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on October 19th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment with all new special features, bringing you deeper into the Predator universe. Robert Rodriguez also presents a series of exclusive prequel motion comics on the Blu-ray and DVD that take you beyond the movie and deliver a truly one-of-a kind PREDATORS experience. The Blu-ray version, harnesses the power of BD Live to extend the experience even more with exclusive PREDATORS content and interactive entertainment.

ON BLU-RAY, EVERYONE WILL HEAR YOU SCREAM

• 1979 Theatrical Version
• 2003 Director’s Cut with Ridley Scott Introduction
• Audio Commentary by Director Ridley Scott, Writer Dan O’Bannon, Executive Producer Ronald Shusett, Editor Terry Rawlings, Actors Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and John Hurt
• Audio Commentary (for Theatrical Cut only) by Ridley Scott
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith
• Composer’s Original Isolated Score by Jerry Goldsmith
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

• 1986 Theatrical Version
• 1991 Special Edition with James Cameron Introduction
• Audio Commentary by Director James Cameron, Producer Gale Anne Hurd, Alien Effects Creator Stan Winston, Visual Effects Supervisors Robert Skotak and Dennis Skotak, Miniature Effects Supervisor Pat McClung, Actors Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Carrie Henn and Christopher Henn
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score by James Horner
• Composer’s Original Isolated Score by James Horner
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

• 1992 Theatrical Version
• 2003 Special Edition (Restored Workprint Version)
• Audio Commentary by Cinematographer Alex Thomson, B.S.C., Editor Terry Rawlings, Alien Effects Designers Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., Visual Effects Producer Richard Edlund, A.S.C., Actors Paul McGann and Lance Henriksen
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score by Elliot Goldenthal
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

• 1997 Theatrical Version
• 2003 Special Edition with Jean-Pierre Jeunet Introduction
• Audio Commentary by Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Editor Hervé Schneid, A.C.E., Alien Effects Creators Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr., Visual Effects Supervisor Pitof, Conceptual Artist Sylvain Despretz, Actors Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon and Leland Orser
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score by John Frizzell
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience with Weyland-Yutani Datastream

• • Star Beast: Developing the Story
  • The Visualists: Direction and Design
  • Truckers in Space: Casting
  • Fear of the Unknown: Shepperton Studios, 1978
  • The Darkest Reaches: Nostromo and Alien Planet
  • The Eighth Passenger: Creature Design
  • Future Tense: Editing and Music
  • Outward Bound: Visual Effects
  • A Nightmare Fulfilled: Reaction to the Film
• Enhancement Pods

• • 57 Years Later: Continuing the Story
  • Building Better Worlds: From Concept to Construction
  • Preparing for Battle: Casting and Characterization
  • This Time It’s War: Pinewood Studios, 1985
  • The Risk Always Lives: Weapons and Action
  • Bug Hunt: Creature Design
  • Beauty and the Bitch: Power Loader vs. Queen Alien
  • Two Orphans: Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn
  • The Final Countdown: Music, Editing and Sound
  • The Power of Real Tech: Visual Effects
  • Aliens Unleashed: Reaction to the Film
• Enhancement Pods

• • Development Hell: Concluding the Story
  • Tales of the Wooden Planet: Vincent Ward’s Vision
  • Stasis Interrupted: David Fincher’s Vision
  • Xeno-Erotic: H.R. Giger’s Redesign
  • The Color of Blood: Pinewood Studios, 1991
  • Adaptive Organism: Creature Design
  • The Downward Spiral: Creative Differences
  • Where the Sun Burns Cold: Fox Studios, L.A. 1992
  • Optical Fury: Visual Effects
  • Requiem for a Scream: Music, Editing and Sound
  • Post-Mortem: Reaction to the Film
• Enhancement Pods

• • From the Ashes: Reviving the Story
  • French Twist: Direction and Design
  • Under the Skin: Casting and Characterization
  • Death from Below: Fox Studios, Los Angeles, 1996
  • In the Zone: The Basketball Scene
  • Unnatural Mutation: Creature Design
  • Genetic Composition: Music
  • Virtual Aliens: Computer Generated Imagery
  • A Matter of Scale: Miniature Photography
  • Critical Juncture: Reaction to the Film
• Enhancement Pods
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience to Access and Control Enhancement Pods

• Pre-Production
  • First Draft Screenplay by Dan O’Bannon
  • Ridleygrams: Original Thumbnails and Notes
  • Storyboard Archive
  • The Art of Alien: Conceptual Art Portfolio
  • Sigourney Weaver Screen Tests with Select Director Commentary
  • Cast Portrait Gallery
• Production
  • The Chestbuster: Multi-Angle Sequence with Commentary
  • Video Graphics Gallery
  • Production Image Galleries
  • Continuity Polaroids
  • The Sets of Alien
  • H.R. Giger’s Workshop Gallery
• Post-Production and Aftermath
  • Additional Deleted Scenes
  • Image & Poster Galleries
• Experience in Terror
• Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive
• The Alien Legacy
• American Cinematheque: Ridley Scott Q&A
• Trailers & TV Spots

• Pre-Production
  • Original Treatment by James Cameron
  • Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Videomatics with Commentary
  • Storyboard Archive
  • The Art of Aliens: Image Galleries
  • Cast Portrait Gallery
• Production
  • Production Image Galleries
  • Continuity Polaroids
  • Weapons and Vehicles
  • Stan Winston’s Workshop
  • Colonial Marine Helmet Cameras
  • Video Graphics Gallery
  • Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers
• Post-Production and Aftermath
  • Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned
  • Deleted Scene Montage
  • Image Galleries
  • Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive
  • Main Title Exploration
  • Aliens: Ride at the Speed of Fright
  • Trailers & TV Spots

• Pre-Production
  • Storyboard Archive
  • The Art of Arceon
  • The Art of Fiorina
• Production
  • Furnace Construction: Time-Lapse Sequence
  • EEV Bioscan: Multi-Angle Vignette with Commentary
  • Production Image Galleries
  • A.D.I.’s Workshop
• Post-Production and Aftermath
  • Visual Effects Gallery
  • Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive
• Alien³ Advance Featurette
• The Making of Alien³ Promotional Featurette
• Trailers & TV Spots

• Pre-Production
  • First Draft Screenplay by Joss Whedon
  • Test Footage: A.D.I. Creature Shop with Commentary
  • Test Footage: Costumes, Hair and Makeup
  • Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Rehearsals
  • Storyboard Archive
  • The Marc Caro Portfolio: Character Designs
  • The Art of Resurrection: Image Galleries
• Production
  • Production Image Galleries
  • A.D.I.’s Workshop
• Post-Production and Aftermath
  • Visual Effects Gallery
  • Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive
• HBO First Look: The Making of Alien Resurrection
• Alien Resurrection Promotional Featurette
• Trailers & TV Spots

• Two Versions of Alien Evolution
• The Alien Saga
• Patches and Logos Gallery
• Aliens 3D Attraction Scripts and Gallery
• Aliens in the Basement: The Bob Burns Collection
• Parodies
• Dark Horse Cover Gallery
• Patches and Logos Gallery
• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience

AN ICONIC BOARD GAME TAKES ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN – AND TAKES OVER THE LIVES OF THREE OBSESSED PLAYERS

THE DUNGEON MASTERS

A Rare Glimpse Into the World of Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics and the Powerful and Poignant Effect the Role-Playing Game Has Had on Them Comes to DVD From FilmBuff on August 3, 2010

New York, NY (July 7, 2010) – Some board games are merely played. Others are lived. Among the latter, none is more obsessed over than Dungeons & Dragons, the enduringly popular fantasy role-playing board game in which a roll of the oddly angled dice can alter a character’s life. But for some dedicated players, the game has altered their actual lives. Three such fanatics are profiled in THE DUNGEON MASTERS, an eye-opening film from the critically acclaimed director, Keven McAllester (You’re Gonna Miss Me) coming to DVD from FilmBuff and MPI Media Group on August 3, 2010, with an SRP of $19.98.

What the hit comedy feature Role Models did for live-action role-playing game enthusiasts, THE DUNGEON MASTERS does for devoted table-top players. Dungeons & Dragons is no mere game to Richard, Scott and Elizabeth, the people at the center of this entertaining and ultimately moving documentary. Against the backdrop of crumbling middle-class America, these three struggling adults devote their lives to Dungeons & Dragons, the storied role-playing game introduced in 1974. One player is a sanitation worker who lures friends into a “Sphere of Annihilation.” Another is an evil “drow-elf” displaced by Hurricane Katrina. And one is a failed supervillain who starts a cable access show involving ninjas, puppets and a cooking segment.

But the baroque fantasies of these three clash with their mundane real lives, and they gradually come to realize that the game’s imaginary triumphs can’t completely mask the very real disappointments of life. The beauty of Keven McAlester’s film is in revealing his subjects’ real-life heroism: summoning the courage to face hardships head on. Along the way, THE DUNGEON MASTERS reimagines the themes of classic heroic cinema, creating an intimate portrait of struggles and triumphs.

The Austin Chronicle’s Richard Whittaker said of THE DUNGEON MASTERS: “McAlester’s film cuts with sensitivity through the nerdy facade to the dedication its subjects show to their hobby in the toughest of times.” Kevin Kelly of Indiewire called it “a well-crafted film that … gives you an unflinching look at three people who have made gaming one of their creative outlets.”

Since its debut in the 1970s, the role-playing board game Dungeons and Dragons
has sold more than 20 million copies. It has spawned two feature films and dozens of books; all told, sales of the game and related books, DVDs and equipment have surpassed $1 billion.

THE DUNGEON MASTERS was an Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival and the South by Southwest Film Festival.

The entire 24 experience is coming to DVD this December, just in time for the holidays.  Nothing says Christmas like a good gunshot to the knee!!!  The series may be over, but the film franchise is just beginning.  Countdown to the New Year with 24.

PIONEERING, EMMY AWARD®-WINNING SERIES ARRIVES
DECEMBER 7 ON BLU-RAY AND DVD…DON’T MISS A MINUTE!

The Final Day Coming To Blu-ray And DVD & The Complete Series In A Collectible DVD Box Set

LOS ANGELES, CA (May 25, 2010) – Time may be running out on 24, one of the most innovative and acclaimed dramas on television, but fans can relive every heart-pounding minute of the show’s final season when “24” Season Eight arrives on December 7, 2010 to Blu-ray and DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Additionally on December 7, fans will also have a chance to experience all 8 days of Jack Bauer when “24” The Complete Series arrives in a collectible DVD box set.

“24” The Complete Series is a must-own collectible box set, that includes Seasons 1-8, and bursting with bonus features including deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes footage; a comprehensive retrospective that looks back at the show’s unforgettable eight seasons; an alternate ending for the series finale and much more.

In “24” Season Eight, New York City is the backdrop and Emmy Award^® winner Kiefer Sutherland is back as rugged counter-terrorist, Jack Bauer. Just when he thought he was leaving the dangerous life behind to be with his daughter and her family, Jack is once again called on by CTU to uncover a Russian extremist plot to assassinate an Islamic leader during peace negotiations with U.S. President Taylor. Fan favorites Elisha Cuthbert, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Cherry Jones, and Annie Wersching are joined by new faces Anil Kapoor, Katee Sackoff, Bob Gunton and Freddie Prinze Jr. for Jack’s final, nail-biting 24 hours protecting America’s freedom.

The blu ray will only be 2 bucks more than the regular version.  But either one will have fab hair and plenty of lip biting.

The Sequel to the #1 selling DVD of 2009 arrives on a Two-Disc Special Edition DVD and Special Edition Blu-Ray Featuring a Six-Part Behind the Scenes Documentary, Music Videos and More

 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON

Available March 20, 2010

Los Angeles, California, January 15, 2010— One of the most talked about films of 2009, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, will be released on a Two-Disc Special Edition DVD and Special Edition Blu-ray on March 20, 2010 – a Saturday street date that will allow for fans across the nation to celebrate at retailer’s midnight release parties before taking home the film at 12:01 a.m.

Already a worldwide literary phenomenon, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, a post modern Romeo and Juliet story filled with action, suspense and the supernatural, took in an estimated $300 million domestic at the theatrical box office and had the third largest opening weekend box office in movie history at $142 million.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Two-Disc Special Edition DVD has a suggested retail price of $32.99, while the Special Edition Blu-ray is set at $34.99. Both are packed with bonus features that are sure to please even the most-hard core fans, including a revealing Audio Commentary with Director Chris Weitz and editor Peter Lambert; a riveting 6-part documentary that takes you behind the scenes; exclusive band rehearsal footage with Muse; and music videos from Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina and Mute Math.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Michael Sheen and Anna Kendrick. Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone and Kellan Lutz return to their roles in the Cullen family.

SYNOPSIS

In the second chapter of Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling Twilight series, the romance between mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) grows more intense as ancient secrets threaten to destroy them. When Edward leaves in order to keep Bella safe, she tests fate in increasingly reckless ways in order to glimpse her love once more. But when she’s saved from the brink by her friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella will uncover mysteries of the supernatural world that will put her in more peril than ever before.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Audio Commentary by director Chris Weitz and editor Peter Lambert
• Six-Part Documentary takes you behind the scenes of the film
• Rehearsal Footage with Muse, who is featured on the hit soundtrack
• Three Music Videos from Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina and Mute Math
• And more!