Home Video Exclusives

[JohnIan101]

Best Buy - August 17th, 2021


The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD/DC combo $31.99
Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD combo $19.99

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone
Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD combo $31.99

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Nuclear Apocalypse '80s Style Part II




Same moment above - the differences are huge. A lot of artifact distortions and jagged edges. Plus the film is cropped. I did not expect that. Why? I don't know. On the right is the Kino version - holy crap so much was cropped out. You can now see all the various details like those pipes and fallout shelter sign.

There not much more to say. If you want to own this movie, don't bother with the MGM DVD. Oh - those still were just after the first nukes impacted.

I should, this is for some - unseen.

The movie is mostly focused on a middle of America town of Sweetsage, Missouri. We follow families and individuals who are dealing with the after effect of a nuclear exchange. Why Sweetsage? It was next door to a U.S. missile defense silo and near Kansas City - one of Russian targets.

This is a farm lands. We follow the Dahlberg family who was at the time getting ready for the wedding of their eldest daughter, various dress rehearsals. Nope. Nuke happens. Then this gears towards the dying and what happens when authority break down, even the loss of technology - the explosion created an EMP killing everything with a computer chip.

We are witnessing society coming undone. This is bleak, people die. And no, no happy ending. As I wrote, the living would envy the dead. [smiles] And no SkyNet.

This has some Hollywood tropes, but held strong in presenting a realistic 'what if', few punches pulled. Can imagine this movie made a lot of people upset and scared. Not just from the war, but from man's inhumanity to man. If you could put a label on it - 'life isn't fair'.

- - -

Okay I'm gonna shift a bit, but not by much. Once again, story...

So after the mega hit that was "The Day After", the Brits wanted their own version - what would happen to England if such a nuclear exchange happened? They opted to go more graphic with more gut punches with "Threads". The BBC (Two) aired on September 23rd 1984. This was a two hour movie.

Both "The Day After" and "Threads" are considered companion movies.

Their production could be considered a docudrama - what could happen to a working class city of Sheffield, England as society unravels from the deaths, hoarding and utter chaos.



Above is the home video ad; this was released as a remastered, special edition on DVD ($19.95) and Blu-Ray ($25.95) from Severin Films, Inc on January 30th, 2018. Extras are the same on each format.

Commentary with director Mick Jackson - moderated by film writer Kier-La Janisse and Severin Films’ David Gregory. Interview with actress Karen Meagher. Interview with director of photography Andrew Dunn. Interview with production designer Christopher Robilliard. Interview with teleplay writer Stephen Thrower and U.S. trailer.

Four months after broadcasting in England it aired in America and was the most watched basic cable program of its day, making history; [B]Superstation TBS[B] on January 13th, 1985. Unlike the U.S. film, this included the harsh after effects of a nuclear winter. Later it would air on PBS. It was a big deal, TBS presented the film without commercial breaks.

I have both TV movies on DVD; Kino and Severin. There is more. The movie was repeated on BBC (One) on July 31st, 1985; aired as part of their fortieth anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

They didn't want just to re-air the program, they wanted more and found it. In 1966, during the Cold War, documentary filmmaker Peter Watkins was commissioned to do a docudrama about what could happen after a nuclear attack on Great Britain - to inform folks. It was called "The War Games". He didn't pull punches. The BBC said it was too much and refused to air it (too graphic).

Now it's '85. They were looking for additional content and rediscovered this unaired program. It took nineteen years, but Watkins' docudrama finally aired - aired before the movie. Sway.



On July 25th, 2006 it was released on DVD as a double feature - "The War Games/Culleden: The Cinema Of Peter Watkins" from New Yorker Video for $29.95. I have it, but have yet to watch. I paid thirty bucks for it in September of 2018. Now this is going for 'like new' for $50.39, used. It came with a commentary by Patrick Murphy and a booklet on the history of the production.

To be clear - this was screened at several film festivals, just not aired on TV.

There you go. Yeah, it's a gloomy post. Depressing stuff, but not woes are negative. Seek them out. Okay.

See you here on September 16th, 2021 - back to the normal stuff. And yeah, October is coming. Just saying. *wink*

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Counting Your Money, After The Is Done Part II


What happened? I'm fuzzy on that. It wouldn't be until 1991 that the next installment came out. But not on CBS, now coming from NBC. I'm guessing rights were lost and the other network snatched it up. Like before this was about finding time in Roger's schedule to make it and having solid quality in the teleplay.

"The Luck Of The Draw" aired on November 3rd and 4th of '91. Like the productions for CBS this was another hit too. Can imagine their executives were ticked off for lost ratings.

The final entry was taken back to CBS with "Playing For Keeps" - another two parter, aired on October 2nd and 4th, of 1994. It was once again a solid hit for the network. But ended the decade long franchise. Why? These things even were nominated for emmies.

Kenny Rogers was getting up in age and these productions were hard for him to make; not a young man. He had a knee and shoulder injuries. So bad, during his concerts he would sit down. There were some talks about another installment.

Even coming up with the idea on why the character was moving slower with difficulties - Hawks was in a shootout, nearly was killed and took various injuries happening at the start of the next mini-series. But sadly this didn't happen. He fully retired in 2017 after finishing concert tour (ending in Nashville, Texas).

Kenny Rogers died on March 20, 2020 (10:25 p.m) at the age of eighty-one from bladder cancer.

The other reason for the failure was the drift; networks no longer believed audiences were interested in westerns. That pretty much was the final nail in the franchise.

Many like myself wish there was one more; a final mini-series, even killing off the character. Which would've been grand, a blaze of glory, perhaps done to save the country.

- - -



This wasn't the first time one of his songs were turned into a movie. After the first, CBS did it again with his other popular song, "Coward Of The County" (written by Rober Bowling and Billy Ed Wheeler) 1979. The stand alone TV movie aired October 7th, 1981 with Rogers in the lead role of Uncle Matthew.

He played a beta who after the rape of his would-be girlfriend (Largo Woodruff) rises up to do some justice. It was dark and set in the early 1940s.

You could say this is the sole extra in collection. As of writing, I haven't seen it. Never seen it. So it would be new to me.

I'm reminded of a lost adaptation.



Years ago this almost happened to singer Avril Lavigne; her hit song "Sk8ter Boi" (written by Lavigne, Lauren Christy, Scott Spock and Graham Edwards) 2002. There was going to be a theatrical feature based on it; announced in 2003. Produced by MTV Films and written by David Zabel (producer and series writer for the NBC series "ER") for Paramount.

Would Lavigne had starred in it? Don't know. She did some acting, minor - in various skits on "MadTV" and "Saturday Night Live".

The production was stuck in development hell for years - in April of 2008 the project was dropped. Too much time had passed. When the song first came out, it was an anthem for teens. A song about thwarted love because of cliques and prejudges.

As I understand the song is about her - she wrote about her life, switched the gender.

- - -

"The Gambler" universe is set in the Old West of the 1880s. Established poker player Brady Hawks makes his living by the cards and by his gun. He's hardly looking for trouble, but trouble finds him often. Beyond the deck, he's earned the respect of many, including the red men; a honest fellow.

No super hero, just a decent guy thrown in extraordinary circumstances.

Pretty much the only constant in the franchise is his partner, Billy Montana (Bruce Boxleitner). We meet him in the first one; he's a wanna be poker player - who wants to learn from the best - much to Brady's chagrin. The kid keeps trailing him. But proves to be an asset on his travels. They become friends; he tags along, less about poker, but because of the adventures Hawks gets himself into; excitements and escapades. And the women. *wink*

That's it. Cool exclusive. I'm happy.

Sorry about this being a day late. I'm in Southern California; for weeks it's been 104 -108 degrees here. Too hot to cool down the home. Only parts of the house could be air conditioned, no central air (or heat). Was in no mood to write or research. Did do the image work, but that's about it. So everything got delayed.

Sorry.

Come back here on September 30th, 2021 for another comparison post. Why? They're pretty easy to write and I have all the image work in the can. I need to start working on the 7th "Annual Limited Edition Horror". Yup, it's that time once more.