Nov DVD Releases from Anchor Bay

November releases from Anchor Bay look promising.

Among them are two of Bob Clark’s best films, MURDER BY DECREE and BLACK CHRISTMAS.

Watch for capsule reviews of these two films in November.

Release Date: November 4

COMIC BOOKS UNBOUND
From superheroes to superstars, Hollywood has always turned to comic books for imagination and inspiration. In this Starz Inside documentary, discover the history of comics from page to screen through the evolution and revolutions that have changed entertainment forever. It’s a heroes’ journey of hits, misses and unstoppable superpowers, featuring the SPIDER-MAN, SUPERMAN, X-MEN and BATMAN films (including THE DARK KNIGHT), IRON MAN, HELLBOY II, SIN CITY, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, FRITZ THE CAT, BLADE, AMERICAN SPLENDOR, FANTASTIC FOUR, WANTED, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, CAPTAIN AMERICA, 300, PERSEPOLIS and beyond, plus revealing interviews with Guillermo del Toro, Stan Lee, Robert Downey, Jr., Zak Penn, Edward Norton, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Neal Adams, Bryan Singer, Roger Corman, Avi Arad, Mike Mignola, Paul Pope, Richard Donner, Jim Steranko and many more.

The Documentary is comprised of 8 parts: The Early Years: The 1930s, 40s, and 50s; Comic Counterculture: 1960s; The Super ‘70s; Back to the Future: 1980s; The Seekers: 1990s; Modern Times: 1990s – 2000s; The New Wave: 2000s, and; The Future!
14A DOCUMENTARY 59 Mins. CC 2008

REBIRTH OF A NATION
DJ Spooky’s Provocative ‘Remix’ Of D.W. Griffith’s Infamous Masterpiece
First released in 1915, D.W. Griffith’s BIRTH OF A NATION ignited worldwide controversy with its graphic depictions of racism and white supremacy in the post-Civil War south. Nearly 100 years later, Paul D. Miller – also known as conceptual artist/musician/writer DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid – creates a daring ‘remix’ of Griffith’s epic to expose the film’s true meaning and relate it the socio-political conflicts of America today. Originally commissioned as a live multimedia performance, REBIRTH OF A NATION – now featuring an original score by Miller performed by Kronos Quartet – is ‘a DJ mix applied to cinema’ that challenges our legacy of revisionist history as it deconstructs one of the most influential and inflammatory movies of all time.

“French-literary-theory-meets-Grandmaster-Flash-on After Hours.” –Rolling Stone
“An audio-visual ride and intellectual party…DJ Spooky is asking Griffiths’ movie – and the world – some pretty tough questions.”
~Scoop Independent News
“DJ Spooky spins out a glaring, futuristic, open-source meta-vision, a perfect filter and repudiation of this celluloid black mark.” ~ Wired

Includes Audio Commentary with Writer/Director/Producer Paul D. Miller
14A, Music/Documentary,100 Mins,CC, 2008

TOO TOUGH TO DIE: A TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY RAMONE
“if the Ramones invented punk rock – and they did – then Johnny Ramone was the man who created punk’s guitar style. The band is gone forever, but the music will never die.” ~ Kurt Loder, MTV News

On September 12th 2004, just two and a half days before Johnny Ramone’s death, a group of musicians and friends staged a benefit concert in Los Angeles to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Ramones’ first performance and raise money for cancer research. That unforgettable night – along with Johnny’s subsequent memorial service – is captured in this combination concert film hosted by Rob Zombie, and Ramones documentary featuring interviews with and performances by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eddie Vedder, Deborah Harry, The Dickies, X, Henry Rollins, Pete Yorn, Lisa Marie Presley, Dicky Barrett, Joan Jett, Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols, Thurston Moore, Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Tommy, Marky & C.J. Ramone, Nicolas Cage and many more.

The Ramones are widely regarded as the source from which American punk rock emerged. The group has had a tremendous influence on today’s musicians and they released 21 studio and live albums between 1976 and 1996.

Includes Audio Commentary with Producer/Director Mandy Stein, Johnny Ramone’s wife Linda Cummings Ramone and punk rocker Joe Sib.
Aired on Starz Cinema on 9/15/07
NR, Music/Documentary,76 Mins., CC, 2006

FLASHBACKS OF A FOOL
Joe Scot (Daniel Craig) is a washed-up Hollywood star whose hedonistic lifestyle of sex, drugs, and celebrity has taken its toll. Flash back to his childhood and small-town English seaside life set to the beat of Roxy Music and Bowie. Joe’s rites of passage as a young man lay the foundations for the Hollywood dream he goes on to experience. Confronted by tragedy, he is forced to flee in search of a new life, and only now does he finally face up to the ghosts of his past.

Stars:
Daniel Craig (Layer Cake, Casino Royale, The Golden Compass)
See him New James Bond film Quantum of Solace in theaters Nov 7th &
Defiance starring Ewan McGregor onscreen this December

Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense, To Kill A King, Peter Pan)
She will star with Eliza Dushku in Joss Whedon’s new Fox TV show,
“Dollhouse,” scheduled to air in January

Harry Eden (2003’s Peter Pan, Roman Polanski’s Oliver Twist)

Eve (Barbershop 1 & 2, xXx, The Woodsman, TV’s “Eve”)

Claire Forlani (Mallrats, Meet Joe Black)

Soundtrack featuring popular music by Roxy Music and David Bowie

Drama 113 min.  18A 2008

Release Date: November 11

HILARIOUS HOUSE OF FRIGHTENSTEIN: GORY GORY TRANSYLVANIA
Hilarious House of Frightenstein is an offbeat mix of educational segments, crazy horror parody, and just plain ghastly fun. Join the Count (Billy Van) and Igor (Fishka Rais) as they introduce you to Grizelda ‘The Ghouly Gourmet’, The Wolfman, The Librarian, Bwana Clyde Batty, Dr Pet Vet, The Oracle (also all played by Billy Van!), Harvey C Wallbanger The Mosquito, and many others. The introduction of each episode of Hilarious House of Frightenstein will have you mesmerized by the haunting rhymes of the horror master himself, Vincent Price, who returns for short segments throughout each episode.  Hilarious House of Frightenstein is live action hour-long show created at CHCH Studios in Hamilton, Ontario in 1971.

This 3 disc set features 9 hilarious episodes new to DVD including a brand new bonus documentary, “Return to Transylvania” Directed by Ben Kane giving insight into the comedic genius of Billy Van and the production of the show.
Individually packaged DVDs are contained in great new colour-your-own-cover artwork by artist ‘Ghoulish’ Gary Pullin.
Comedy 447 Mins PG

Release Date: November 18

BLACK CHRISTMAS
The College town of Bedford is receiving an unwelcome guest this Christmas.  As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sig prepare for the festive season, a
demonic stranger begins to stalk the house. A series of grisly obscene
phone-calls start to plague the residents of the sorority and soon they will each meet their fate at the hands of the psychotic intruder. As the Police try to trace the calls, they discover that nothing is as it seems during this Black Christmas.
Starring: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder,John Saxon

Bonus Features Include:
Two original scenes with a new vocal soundtrack that were recently uncovered
The 12 Days of Black Christmas documentary featuring current interviews with cast members
Midnight Screening Q&A session with John Saxon, Bob Clark & Carl Zittrer
Horror, 98 mins, 18A, 2008

MURDER BY DECREE
London, 1888: When Scotland Yard is unable to stop the gruesome rampage of Jack The Ripper, a citizens committee asks Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer, in the role that won him Canada’s award for Best Actor) and his trusted associate Dr. Watson (a deliciously sly performance by James Mason) to investigate. Now the brilliant pair must follow a terrifying trail of clues that includes a frightened psychic (Donald Sutherland), a suspicious Inspector (David Hemmings), an institutionalized woman (Geneviève Bujold) and the Prime Minister of England (Sir John Gielgud). But even if Holmes and Watson’s remarkable powers of deduction can unmask the maniacal fiend, are they prepared to face the most shocking secret of all? Sherlock Holmes hunts his deadliest adversary the madman known as Jack the Ripper!

Extra Features:
Audio Commentary with Co-Producer/Director Bob Clark
Theatrical Trailer
Behind the Scenes Still Gallery
Talent Bios
Thriller,124 mins,18A, 2003

HEATHERS LIMITED EDITION BOX SET
Welcome to Westerburg High, where Veronica Sawyer is beginning to tire of her membership in the powerful yet cruel clique of ‘Heathers.’ When Veronica falls for the mysterious new kid Jason Dean, their dislike for the Heathers quickly escalates into a savage cycle of murder, suicide and Slushies. Now that her teenage angst has a body count, are Veronica and JD headed for the prom...or hell?
“The best high school black comedy ever made!” ~Entertainment Weekly
Limited Edition Box Set Includes:
Metal locker with working combination lock/latch and individually numbered plates
Disc 1 and 2 from the Heathers 20th High School Reunion Edition
Brand New Heathers Blu-Ray (releases same day)
Hardcover Heathers Yearbook
Heathers Themed Magnets
Compressed “Big Fun” T-Shirt in a textbook box
Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannon Doherty
Written by Daniel Waters, the Writer/Director of Sex and Death 101!
Comedy, 103 min., 18A, 1989

HEATHERS BLU RAY
Blu-Ray Includes:
Feature presentation with Trivia Track and Picture-in-Picture
Interviews with Daniel Waters & Director Michael Lehmann
Featurette revisiting the high school where Heathers was filmed
Audio Commentary with Director, Producer, and Writer
27-Minute Documentary with the cast and crew
Talent Bios, Screenplay Excerpt, and more!