Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Bad Grandpa Feature Film Review

A character originally created and seen on Jackass and the subsequent movies, Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa actually has more in common with Borat than it does Jackass in that outside of the closing credits, the fourth wall is not broken as is the case with the gonzo style of Jackass. This is Irving Zisman's story with Candid Camera like bits sprinkled throughout, but never does Knoxville look into the camera and break character. This is a film where if you know too much, the experience will be ruined so I am keeping this short by stating, so long as you know this is a semi scripted film with Knoxville playing a character throughout then there's definitely some laugh out loud moments. However some may prefer the short bits featuring the character in the Jackass movies over a feature length film starring the character. The film is dedicated to Ryan Dunn. Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa is in theaters now from Paramount Pictures and has a running time of approximately 96 minutes.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Maniac Cop 2 & 3 Combined First Look Blu-ray Disc + DVD Combo Pack Review

 

With Halloween tomorrow at the time I am writing this combined first look Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack Review, I want to start of by stating these discs just arrived today and do not street until November 19, 2013.Yet I would rather get these horror film reviews up now before Halloween passes to psych fans up for the release of these two cult classics next month.

Now there are two points I want to make. As an undergraduate in film school James Glickenhouse visited my Film Producers class as a guest lecturer and one of the pieces of wisdom he imparted to us was that the reason so many horror films are produced is because they are the safest investment. At the worst they break even. He contrasted this by stating comedy was the riskiest because even if you make a bad horror film, people will rent it. However no one wants to see a comedy that is not funny. So the next time you ask yourself why are there so many horror sequels in theaters and on home video, remember what you've read above.

Now my second point is there are many filmmaker's and enthusiasts that deserve credit for the high quality home video releases of cult films that were once left to languish until these guys showed Hollywood the gold mine in the vaults. Two big names that come to mind are Don May, Jr., who pioneered the movement through Elite Entertainment in the mid 1990s on laserdisc and along with his business partner Jerry Chandler continues to release some of the best cult films on DVD and Blu-ray Disc through Synapse Films. As DVD took off as a format, Director William Lustig produced some of the best classic Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD releases before forming his own high profile cult film distribution company, Blue Underground. So whenever any of you buy a film you love that is a guilty pleasure or not, I want you all to remember Don and Jerry and William Lustig because these guys are a big part of the reason why you can get your favorite genre films on Blu-ray Disc and DVD today regardless of the home video distributor.

Known for his gore classic Maniac, which was written by and starred the late Joe Spinell, Lustig is also responsible for the Maniac Cop series of films. With the original already available on Blu-ray Disc, collectors will soon be able to add Maniac Cop 2 and the unrated version of Maniac Cop 3: Badge Of Silence on Blu-ray and DVD combo pack from Blue Underground.

Officer Matt Cordell was once a hero, but after being framed by corrupt superiors and brutally assaulted in prison, he sets out on a macabre mission of vengeance, teaming up with a vicious serial killer to track down those that wronged him and make them pay... with their lives!

Maniac Cop 2 stars Robert Davi, Claudia Christian, Michael Lerner, Charles Napier and Bruce Campbell with a screenplay by Larry Cohen and directed of course by William Lustig. With a brand new 4K Master taken from the film's original negative, these definitive home video releases of Maniac Cop 2 and 3 feature a ton of extra value features that include English DTS-HD MA 7.1 Digital Lossless Theatrical Surround Sound for Maniac Cop 2 along with English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and Dutch, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish Language Subtitles to accompany the 1080p high definition presentation on both films. An English DTS HD MA 5.1 Soundtrack is provided for Maniac Cop 3: Badge Of Silence.

Extra value features on Maniac Cop 2 include a screen specific Audio Commentary with Director William Lustig and Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, Back On The Beat - The Making Of MANIAC COP 2, Cinefamily Q&A with Director William Lustig, a Deleted Scene, Theatrical Trailers, Poster & Still Gallery and an Isolated Music Track. The disc is also enhanced for D-Box Motion Control Systems.

Maniac Cop 3: Badge Of Silence includes Wrong Arm Of The Law - The Making Of MANIAC COP 3, Deleted and Extended Scenes, the Theatrical Trailer, a Poster & Still Gallery, the Original Synopsis and it is also enhanced for D-Box Motion Control Systems.

Both Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac Cop 3: Badge Of Silence will debut on Blu-ray Disc + DVD Combo pack at retailers on and offline on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 courtesy of Blue Underground.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved. 

Happy Howl-oween Everyone!

GenreOnline.net is now 14 years old!

On October 29, 1999, I started GenreOnline after a year of working for several publications. I've grown. It's grown. It's great. Thank you.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Hands Of The Ripper: The Hammer Horror Collection Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack Review

Hands Of The Ripper: The Hammer Horror Collection: Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack Review

In the States there are very few Hammer horror pictures on Blu-ray Disc. You could count them on one hand. Warner Home Video released Dracula: Prince Of Darkness earlier this year, Shout Factory released the Vampire Lovers and then there are the motion pictures distributed by Synapse Films under the company's Hammer Horror Collection banner, which includes Vampire Circus, Twins Of Evil, and Hands Of The Ripper.

Hands Of The Ripper is an offbeat thriller featuring Angharad Rees as Jack The Ripper's daughter, who is obsessed with memories of her father's grisly murders and possessed by his spirit too. Eric Porter is a Freudian Psychologist trying to help her overcome her killer cravings. 

Synapse Films has released their best looking entry in the Hammer Horror Collection yet with a completely restored high-definition AVC encoded (1.66:1) aspect ratio presentation in 1080p/24fps on Blu-ray complete with full HD bonus content too. The presentation Hands Of The Ripper on Blu-ray as well as on standard definition DVD, which is also included within the two-disc Blue BD Case, contains footage not seen in U.S. Theaters. This is important since Hands Of The Ripper is one of the most gruesome Hammer horror films ever made. The cover within the case is reversible with alternate artwork as well.

The Blu-ray Disc features a clear English DTS-HD MA Mono Soundtrack with the Blu-ray exclusive option of watching the film with an isolated Music and Effects Track too. The DVD features an English Dolby Digital Mono Soundtrack. Both feature English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as an option. The Blu-ray Disc is Region A encoded while the DVD is Region One.

Extra value features include The Devil's Bloody Plaything: Possessed By Hands Of The Ripper (28:21), which covers the making of the film complete with Hammer Film Historians and Journalists discussing the film along with Filmmaker Joe Dante. The audio from the original U.S. television introduction (7:07) is also included along with a motion still gallery covering the history of Hammer Gore (6:08) and a film specific motion still gallery (5:43). The film's original theatrical trailer (1:57) and a reel of two TV Spots (:59) wrap up the bonus features included within this two-disc set.

Hands Of The Ripper: The Hammer Horror Collection: Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Synapse Films.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

X-Men: Days Future Past Trailer Now On YouTube.

Cut and paste link below into your browser.

http://m.youtube.com/xmenmovies?uid=-RakYU-f2yvmYoSVfR011w&desktop_uri=%2Fxmenmovies

Monday, October 28, 2013

Snuff Blu-ray Disc Review

Snuff is a notorious cult film from the mid 1970s that was believed to have been a real "snuff film" and in fact created an urban legend around itself when it was released upon movie goers and as a result the film was often vilified and even a criminal investigation into the making of the movie added to it's cult status. 

The film is not a "snuff film." It was a hoax that in hindsight sounds pretty obvious when one reeds the synopsis to the film. An actress arrives in South America to shoot a movie on location where she becomes the target of a cult leader named Satan, who sends his biker chicks out to kill her in his name. 

The film's graphic violence, which includes a sacrifice of an unborn baby was inspired by headlines in the press related to the Manson family murders and in spite of the obviousness of this in the mid. 1970s, people still believed the movie was real, which says something about how even in the 1970s, when people were looking back at the 1950s fondly as a more innocent time, the reality is that societal innocence never ceases to end. 

People can be convinced of anything when they cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not. I would suggest that it is harder to distinguish reality more so today than in the 1970s in our ever changing post-media-holic society where oxymorons are commonplace and infamy seems to be traded coin for coin with the famous in a society obsessed with celebrity.

Mirroring the DVD release from years earlier, Blue Underground has released Snuff in a special blood red Elite BD Case to contrast it's notorious status by making it stick out in one's cult film Blu-ray library. 

The film is presented in 1080p HD (1.85:1) aspect ratio with an English DTS-HD MA Mono Soundtrack and English Subtitles. The special features include image galleries of promotional stills, newspaper clippings, original VHS artwork, poster art, etc. Several interviews offer intriguing insight into the making of this film.

For hardcore cult film collectors, Snuff" is available now on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Blue Underground.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

No biggie, but still kinda cool to hear it.

My landlord's girlfriend is reading my book and likes it. Kind of cool when someone you don't know says something nice like that. :)

Saturday, October 26, 2013

A short excerpt from my book The Final Arbiter.

"Tragic coincidence? Arranged murder or simple karma? The choice is yours. I just know she's gone. Like the others. Another rehabilitated soul."


From The Final Arbiter

By Mark Rivera.


(C) By Mark Rivera

All Rights Reserved.


Like It or Not, Dracula is alive, but will he stay that way?

Readers take note: There are spoilers here that would ruin the experience of watching the series premiere on your own time so if you have not watched it yet, I suggest you watch NBC's Dracula first before reading my review below. Thank you.

Jonathan Rhys Myers could arguably be described as his generation's Malcolm McDowell in that the actor is able to take difficult protagonists in dramas and even antagonists and make the viewer both like and dislike him at the same time. His previous roles include Chiron in Titus, Steerpike in Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast and what he is perhaps best known for on the American side of The Pond, as King Henry VIII in The Tudors. So it should be no surprise that when a new television series is developed based on the classic tale of Dracula, Myers is cast in the title role as the Count who in this incarnation passes himself off as an American in Victorian London out to avenge himself on the Order of the Dragon, a group that has thwarted the vampire before and has now become akin to secret society of blue bloods more interested in securing their own wealth than necessarily killing vampires though it is clearly noted in the premiere in dialogue and action that it is indeed something they do.

There are some twists on the tale that make things a bit more interesting like having Thomas Kretschmann is an amoral Van Helsing, who is responsible for freeing Dracula from his prison. Renfield is not a bug eating, raving madman, but rather a calm familiar played by Nonso Anozie, who appeared in the second season of HBO's Game of Thrones. Jonathan Harker (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is a Journalist in this version while aside from Dracula's origins dating back to the historical Vlad Dracula, the only element that seems familiar to the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola version, which to date is supposed to be the most faithful film produced based on Bram Stoker's novel is Mina Murray (Jessica De Gouw) being a kind of literal physical reincarnation of Dracula's late wife, who was burned alive by the very group he now has come to destroy. Please note that the entire Vlad Dracula sequence in the Coppola film was an addition made by both screenwriter James V. Hart and Director Francis Ford Coppola and the Stoker book has no origin story like that within.

I like the period look of the show and not all of the changes bother me and it certainly feels less like a typical network broadcast show than it does a hybrid overseas import, but I can't decide whether I liked it or hated it and I think that this is the type of show it is going to be. Either viewers will tune in and or record it every week or they will simply tune out and Dracula's resurrection won't last another two weeks. Such is the nature of primetime broadcast free over the air American network television. If it doesn't pull in viewers quickly it simply will at best be shelved till an off viewing season. 

The series is co-production between creative forces behind both Downtown Abbey and The Tudors, which account's for it's distinct and refreshing non American primetime network TV feel. Hopefully the fate of this show will be that it develops a loyal following if only because a lot of network television drama is either hospital, lawyer, or police detective soap operas and the last thing I want to see return is more reality TV. So I am going to watch it and see what happens. Hopefully it won't disappoint and you all will watch it too.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Friday, October 25, 2013

The Third Time Is Not A Charm For Carrie.

Chloe Grace Moretz plays the title role in Carrie, the third adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel that may seem timely in the wake of travesties nationwide related to bullying of students by their peers. Whether it is the 1976 Brian DePalma classic starring Sissy Spacek or the 2002 TV version starring Angela Bettis, Carrie has become the iconic image of victimization and revenge. The fantasy of discovering one has special powers, but because of low self esteem, fanatical parenting and the cruelty of the young, which knows no bounds, these powers unleashed are like a force of nature when combined with extreme emotions. Carrie is essentially as much a tragedy as it is a horror tale.
The film is less faithful to the book than the 2002 version, which featured a teleplay co-written by Stephen King. It is more like an homage to the DePalma version, but it lacks the emotional underpinnings and scares of the 1976 original. Yet if you have never seen the 1976 or 2002 versions, the 2013 version is not without it's charms with Julianne Moore phoning in her performance as Carrie's religious fanatic and tyrannical mother who projects all her fears and resentments onto her daughter. Carrie is so beaten down emotionally and psychologically that up until her maturation from a teenage kid to a teenage woman in the shower menstruation scene at the beginning where Carrie freaks out and is mercilessly abused and laughed at by her fellow gym students in the girls' shower, Carrie begins to discover her latent telekinetic abilities. Something else she never expected, but now is manifesting itself. Yet she is no more able to control her powers than she can the extreme hormone shifts of being a teenager.

Julianne Moore is such a great actress that even when it seems like she is simply calling in a performance, she steals the scene from everyone else in the film. Judy Greer also stands out as Carrie's sympathetic Phys Ed Teacher, but the updated performances by Ansel Algort, Alex Russell, Portia Doubleday and Gabriella Wilde do not match the respective performances that William Katt, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, and Amy Irving delivered in the same character roles in the 1976 version. In fact there are scenes with dialogue that is verbatim from the DePalma film, which may be because the film credits Laurence D. Cohen, who co-wrote the 1975 feature film screenplay with Stephen King as a co-writer of the script for the 2013 version. King who co-wrote the previous adaptations did not participate to best of my knowledge in the 2013 version. 

However the weakest link is Chloe Grace Moretz not because she is a bad actress, but she seems miscast or simply not able to deliver the character performances that both Sissy Spacek and Angela Bettis delivered in the first two. I also feel her journey from being this maligned ugly duckling that slowly becomes a beautiful swan on prom night seems rushed. Moore's performance as Carrie's mother is not nearly as frightening or believable at Piper Laurie's in the original or Patricia Clarkson's portrayal in the 2002 version. Plus Carrie comes off almost sadistic and evil rather than frightened and enraged on the border of psychosis as Spacek so beautifully portrayed in the 1976 version and DePalma captured with cinematic style and a true mix of visual and auditory nuances that brought King's words to life in a way that only cinema can.

The closing scenes in the film felt cheap rather than delivering that final emotional punch the original famously delivered. I hate to state this, but those who never saw the 1976 film, but do go and see this version should then rent out the DePalma version and the 2002 version and compare how different mediums with different writers, directors, actors and actresses interpret what is at the core still the same material. 

Carrie (2013) is not a horrible film at all despite my comments above. It is just not a great one.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Abrams & Kasdan rewriting Star Wars Episode 7 Link Below Courtesy of EW.COM

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/10/24/star-wars-episode-vii-j-j-abrams-and-lawrence-kasdan-now-rewriting-screenplay-breaking/

Cool things I discovered today online.

I was doing some research into one of my favorite Editors on CNET.COM, which is not only a website, but a multimedia resource for just about anything in consumer technology with a channel on ROKU and more. So I decided to Google myself because I had not done so in a while and let's face it, it is just one of those things we have all done but usually don't talk about and I will leave it there, okay... ;)

Among the stuff I discovered were a few new places where my book is being sold around the world and  a listing or two I did not know existed, but never the less am happy  to discover so here is what I found:

Kalahari is a large bookseller in Africa with an App in the iTunes App Store too.

http://m.kalahari.com/Books/The-Final-Arbiter_p_41735055?referrer=/

My book is also available at Better Read Than Dead:

http://www.betterread.com.au/book/the-final-arbiter-book-9781461040514.do

Finally between my book and blogging, reviewing and more at GenreOnline.net I now have a profile on Newsie with followers too I didn't know I had, but am happy to learn, welcome and embrace. Thank you.

http://newsle.com/person/markrivera/6987335


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Dead In Tombstone: Unrated Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet HD Digital Copy Review

Danny Trejo, Anthony Michael Hall, Dina Meyer and Mickey Rourke star in Dead In Tombstone, which has just recently been released on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack from Universal Studios Home Entertainment just in time for the theatrical release of Robert Rodriguez' Machete Kills. Trejo plays a ruthless outlaw who returns from beyond the grave to avenge his own murder in a Gold Rush boomtown filled with unsavory characters and unlikely heroes. The Devil (Rourke) offers Gang Leader Guerrero Hernandez (Trejo) the opportunity to escape eternal damnation in return for the six souls of those who betrayed him since presumably they are worse than Guerrero. Given only a certain amount of time to avenge his own murder, Guerrero becomes a force to reckon with souls on the line.  Dead In Tombstone is a supernatural archetypal western filled with a mix of violence and otherworldly imagery. 

The Blu-ray Disc presents the unrated version of Dead In Tombstone in a full 1080p HD (1.78:1) widescreen aspect ratio with English and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks and English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded as options. Aside from the standard definition presentation enhanced for 16 by 9 televisions, the Soundtracks and Subtitles included on the DVD are the same as the Blu-ray. A redeemable for a limited time insert is included within the Elite Blue BD Case for both an Ultraviolet HD Digital Copy and an iTunes HD Digital Copy with extras that can be streamed from the cloud or downloaded for viewing on various mobile and set top media devices.

A detailed and screen specific feature length audio commentary with Director Roel Reine as well as a behind-the-scenes making of short and both a montage and a gallery of deleted scenes are included on both the Blu-ray Disc and DVD versions of the film. 

Blu-ray Exclusives include a profile on Director Roel Reine's filmmaking technique, a production design featurette about creating the town of Tombstone for the film, a visual effects exploration of the Hell effects and a look at how the movie's stunts were produced. 

Dead In Tombstone: Unrated Blu-ray Disc + DVD + Ultraviolet HD Digital Copy is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Curse Of Chucky Unrated Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Review

After Leatherface, Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger perhaps the most successful horror franchise icon to come out of the last quarter of the twentieth century is none other than Chucky. Introduced in the Child's Play series in the late 1980s and breaking through to a larger audience as well as a new generation with the films Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky that added a bit more dark humor, which may have bordered on camp, the Child's Play/Chucky franchise is a bit of a guilty yet refreshing pleasure. Now after what seems like a decade of torture porn, zombie flicks, and supernatural found footage films, there is a quaint and comforting feeling to returning to a movie series about a doll possessed by a serial killer trying to steal the body of a new living boy.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Child's Play, franchise creators Don Mancini and David Kirschner return with Mancini writing and directing the new installment that also brings back Brad Dourif as the voice of Charles Lee Ray, the serial killer, whose soul inhabits Chucky. The film is a bit of a family reunion too with Brad Dourif's daughter Fiona (The Master) starring in the film as Nica, the recipient of a mysterious package containing Chucky that quickly becomes her niece's favorite new toy. After her Nica's mother dies from suspicious circumstances, she begins to suspect that there may be more to Chucky than she ever imagined, including a mysterious connection drawing them together.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment's Blu-ray Disc, DVD and Digital Copy set features both a full high definition 1080p and standard definition copies of the film's unrated cut and the R-rated version in a widescreen (1.78:1) aspect ratio presentation complete with an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Soundtrack as well as Spanish and French Language DTS 5.1 Digital Theatrical Surround Soundtracks while the DVD features English, Spanish and French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks as listening options.

Both the Blu-ray Disc and DVD include English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as French and Spanish Language Subtitles too. A limited time only redeemable coupon for an i'Tunes HD Digital Copy and an Ultraviolet HD Digital Copy is included within the Elite Blue BD case and the i'Tunes Digital Copy features some extras too.

Both the DVD and Blu-ray Disc copies share special features that include a screen specific feature length audio commentary with Writer and Director Don Mancini, Puppeteer Tony Gardner and Star Fiona Dourif. Also included on both discs is a behind-the-scenes making of featurette, a gag reel and deleted scenes.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc are Storyboard Comparisons, a look at the award-winning animatronics company Alterian's detailed work on the film as well as a retrospective on Chucky's film legacy from Child's Play to Curse of Chucky.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has also released a Chucky: The Complete Collection Limited Edition Blu-ray Set with all six films. That set and Curse of Chucky Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy are available now at retailers on and offline just in time for Halloween.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Monday, October 21, 2013

From My Novel The Final Arbiter.

Now, because of my gift... I was known as The Final Arbiter.

(C) By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

After Earth: Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet HD Digital Copy Two-Disc Set Review


M. Night Shyamalan, the director of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and other films, collaborated with Will Smith in developing an ecologically minded science fiction story that would call to mind basic archetypes from classic literature while telling an important father and son story. Intended as a vehicle showcasing Smith's son Jaden Smith, who is no stranger to sci-fi since he appeared in the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still starring Keanu Reeves, the result of the project became After Earth.

The film takes place one thousand years in the future and long after humanity has colonized a new home world called Nova Prime. Jaden Smith plays a cadet eager to live up to the expectations of his father (Will Smith), who is famous for developing  ghosting, a technique for controlling one's fear, which prevents bodily chemical reactions from taking place and thus renders the individual invisible to hideous predatory creators bread to hunt and kill humans by an alien race in contention for control of the planet.

He also has a guilt after his sister saved his life, but lost her own at the claws of one of these creatures. He feels in order to redeem himself that he must become a Ranger like his father, but despite his excellent physical training and evaluation scores, he does not work well with the rest of the cadets and as a result he fails to become a ranger.

In an effort to bring father and son together, the two go on a voyage that ends up crashing on Earth, which is quarantined since life has evolved that is dangerous to humans and the atmosphere is toxic. With only a few days to track 100 kilometers to where the tail end of the ship crashed and retrieve a distress beacon to be rescued or face certain death, both father and son must learn to rely and trust in each other in order for the quest to be successful

A great deal of world development went into the creation of the backstory, which at times one wishes was focused on more because it seems more compelling, but first and foremost After Earth is not so much a sci-fi adventure as it is a father and son adventure and if one views After Earth in that light, I think it would be hard to deny that this is a good family film for middle school aged kids and their parents. Aside for some potentially scary moments involving an alien predator and scenes with Earth creatures that look somewhat prehistoric and taken into mind that not all of the creatures are the attack on sight type, the film has little to no gore, no nudity, no human on human violence, and no profanity. This is really a family film for kids in their "Tweens."

The transfer is excellent with deep colors and taken from a 4K master, which is the source material the Blu-ray was created from. Much like DVDs used to advertise "Mastered in High Definition," it means that the source material was 4K and not the actual product itself. It will probably look great on a 4K set, but this is not a 4K Blu-ray Disc and it will work just fine in it's 1080p (2.40:1) aspect ratio. The DVD included presents the film in a standard definition anamorphic presentation. Well rounded and distinct English DTS Digiital 5.1 Lossless High Defintiion Theatrical Master Audio Sound is provided and with an English Descriptive Audio Track, French (Dubbed In Quebec) DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack options. The DVD features English, French and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound as well as an English Descriptive Audio Track. Both discs feature English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and English, French and Spanish Language Subtitles.

Blu-ray Disc Exclusive content includes an alternate opening (2:19), which is sort of like a very well rounded motion comic and ultimately the opening the film has is better than this. A featurette on Building The World (12:00) of the film adds extra appreciation for the forethought put into the creature design, technology, production design and costume design for the film. Storyboards and CGI development are explored in depth within The Animatics of After Earth (8:39) and Pre-visualizing The Future (5:50) featurettes respectively. 

Bonus features found on both the Blu-ray Disc and DVD include a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film (8:51) on location shooting (5:25) as well as Jaden Smith announcing the winners of the XPRIZE After Earth Challenge (3:35). There is also a landscape short (5:22) that can be used as a disc in player screensaver.

The Blu-ray + DVD set also includes a redemption code for an Ultraviolet HD Digital Copy of the film. Trailers for Grownups 2, White House Down, One Direction: This Is Us, Battle Of The Year and The Kings Of Summer as well as a Blu-ray Disc spot wrap up the extra value material. The menus on both discs are standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. 

After Earth: Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet HD Digital Copy Two-Disc Set is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Possible Return Of Morse?

This should only be taken with less than a grain of salt despite the listing where I got this rumor. According to the pre-production listing on IMDB at the time of this publication, Actor Danny Webb may be reprising his role as the sole surviving prisoner Morse from Alien 3 for the Prometheus sequel. Guess they are going to tie into the Alien mythology more in the next one. I hope they answer a few questions left over from the first film while they are at it. 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Halloween: 35TH Anniversary Blu-ray Edition Review

In film school one of the cinema studies classes I took was Film Genres: Horror Films, which began with The Cabinet of Doctor Caligary and ended with the original A Nightmare On Elm Street. We had a choice between the original Friday The Thirteenth and A Nightmare On Elm Street and it was 1991 so classic Freddy was still cool and I guess that motivated us, but up until that final class the Professor, Foster Hirsch, had chosen all the other film prints exhibited and the second to last film was John Carpenter's classic Halloween. The 1970s in general was a great time for film. So many great young filmmaker's that would be worshipped by film geeks for generations to come broke out during that decade and I think in some ways a lot of genre films have been dumbed down in the decades since. Not all. Just some. Carpenter's Halloween is a classic that may seem rather tame by modern standards, but a good horror film should scare you. Whether it does it with a bare minimum of violence, gore and disturbing images or with lots of all of the above plus some is really a matter of how the filmmaker's use the tools they have. Even Tobe Hopper's original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with it's scenes of sadism is really not a gory film. It actually uses an economy of shots that suggest more than it shows so much so that people who have seen it decades later often react as though a scene was cut, but it was the mind that filled in the image that viewers thought they saw.

John Carpenter's Halloween though stylistically different from Hooper's film never the less uses shadow to hide much of the actual knife stabbing and where it really grabs the viewer is in the build up of psychological tension combined with Carpenter's widescreen compositions and actor placement. What is more horrible in Halloween is seeing the expressions on the victim's faces as Michael Myers AKA The Shape strangles the life out of the characters while finishing them off with a slash or stab. The blood is minimal. Some action occurs off screen and early on the audience only witnesses the aftermath of the carnage whether it is a silent pan to a dead mechanic who Myers obtains his signature clothes from, seeing the police outside a shop where a mask and knife were robbed and the dog's body slowly going limp in Myers' grip. The viewer only sees the bottom half of the canine. In fact most of the scenes in the film up until the very last half hour only show you glimpses of Myers and often his head is just out of frame to make him seem like an even more imposing force of malevolence.

There have been many home video releases of Halloween over the years. My personal favorites are the Criterion Collection Laserdisc from the mid 1990s and the THX certified two-disc limited edition DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment that included a 16 by 9 enhanced version of the film with the footage John Carpenter directed for the broadcast television version during the making of Halloween II, edited into the theatrical cut to create a kind of extended version. That two-disc release must be a hot collector's item now.

Anchor Bay Entertainment has a great history of bringing classic and cult genre films to home video and in particular, Halloween, Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers have all received stellar DVD and now Blu-ray Disc releases from Anchor Bay. The fourth and fifth parts in the original franchise were released on Blu-ray Disc last year while the original Halloween was among Anchor Bay's first releases on Blu-ray Disc.

The recently released 35TH Anniversary Blu-ray Disc of John Carpenter's Halloween is a must own for any fan of the original film because it features the best presentation of Halloween ever released to date on any domestic home video release. Supervised by Academy Award nominated Cinematographer Dean Cundey, Halloween just looks amazing. There is hardly any evidence of any shimmering, artifacts or noise to be seen. Halloween does not look like a film made today, but it shouldn't. The clarity and somewhat muted tone of the colors is practically flawless, but it retains the feel of the film as if one were seeing it on the big screen back in 1978 and perhaps even better than what was exhibited then. 

The 35TH Anniversary Blu-ray Disc release of a John Carpenter's Halloween is presented in an AVC encoded anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio presentation with a full 1080p/24fps high definition resolution. A new Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Surround Soundtrack has also been created for this release and it retains a very nice atmospheric range while never sounding hollow. An English Two-Channel Mono Soundtrack is also provided along with English Subtitles for the Dead and Hearing Impaired and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded as options. A brand new feature length audio commentary with John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis is included and it differs significantly from the original Criterion Laserdisc audio commentary from the 1990s mostly because in the twenty years or so since that commentary was recorded both the director and actress have not only continued to work on many projects, but they have a kind of wisdom and appreciation that can be sensed from their comments that I guess only comes with age.

Bonus features include a new documentary featuring Jaime Lee Curtis entitled The Night She Came Home (59:43) that depicts a very down to Earth Curtis as she greets fans before and during a charity event for admirers of her and the Halloween franchise. Ms. Curtis still looks great too. Filmmaker Sean Clark is also a big part of this documentary as you see him and his associates, who also truly have a passion for the genre, supervise and conduct the event to great success.

The On Location 25 years later featurette (10:25) is also included along with the original theatrical trailer (2:42) and three TV spots that run at about 32 to 12 seconds for the third one. Three Radio Spots that run approximately 28 seconds each are also included along with the scenes Carpenter directed for the television version presented in their entirety in anamorphic widescreen (10:45). A trailer for Rob Zombie's The Lords Of Salem (2:12) proceeds the classy interactive menu system set up for navigation of the Blu-ray Disc.

A twenty page booklet within the packaging features black and white behind-the-scenes photographs and an essay by Halloween Historian Stefan Hutchinson.

Halloween 35TH Anniversary Blu-ray Disc is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Pacific Rim: Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital HD 3-Disc Set

Pacific Rim: Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital HD 3-Disc Set

I am going to get to the point here because there is a lot to cover. Pacific Rim was in my opinion the best popcorn sci-fi summer film of 2013 and Warner Home Video's Pacific Rim: Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital HD 3-Disc Set is one of the best Blu-ray releases of 2013. The film by master genre filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro tells a story about cooperation between different people learning to trust each other in order to stop an ever increasing mass of invading inter-dimensional alien beasts bred to exterminate humanity for aliens intending to terraform our world for themselves. After 12 years of war only four Jaegers, (German for hunter), giant robots as tall as a skyscraper are left to fight the giant alien Kaiju, (Japanese for beast or monster.)

Inspired by anime, Japanese Kaiju or monster pictures while drawing upon archetypes from sports films that according to Del Toro himself range from the Basketball team unification to victory story to classic old Mexican wrestling films that Del Toro watched in his youth.

Warner Home Video's Pacific Rim: Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital HD 3-Disc Set presents the film in a flawless outstanding AVC encoded 16 by 9 (1.85:1) widescreen aspect ratio, 1080p/24fps high definition picture and it is rich with color and detail. I am so amazed at how good this film looks that I almost have to ask myself if this was the same feature I attended a screening of during the summer because not even the digital 3D theatrical exhibition looks as good as this Blu-ray Disc. I wish I got the Blu-ray 3D to review for comparison, but as great as Blu-ray 3D can be for feature films, the reality is more often than not, the two-dimensional Blu-ray high definition disc experience will be the version I will be watching for years to come and it is truly for the sake of this review the one I think readers will be most interested in because not everyone likes 3D like me.

A choice of either a full booming and enveloping English DTS-HD MA 7.1 Lossless Digital Theatrical Surround Soundtrack or an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Soundtrack as listening options coupled with French (Dubbed In Quebec), and Spanish (Latino) and Portuguese Language Soundtracks and English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as French, Spanish and Portuguese Language Subtitles are encoded on the the first Blu-ray Disc as options.

Director Guillermo Del Toro gives one of his signature screen specific audio commentary tracks for both the high definition Blu-ray Disc and standard definition DVD included within the set that brings to light so much of the layers of subtext within the film that I would state you have not seen the entire film in it's entirety yet until you watch it on Blu-ray or DVD with Del Toro's audio commentary. Del Toro even acknowledges the support of people he admires that were not involved in the actual production of the film, but those who gave support upon it's release including Authors Brett Easton Ellis and William Gibson as well as Howard Stern.

Thirteen Focus Point featurettes totaling in over an hour of full 1080p/24fps high definition  additional content and that is not including all the bonus content included on the second Blu-ray Disc of Special Features is included on the first Blu-ray Disc as well. The extras on the second Blu-ray Disc included with the set are also presented in AVC encoded 1080p/24fps with English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as French, Spanish and Portuguese Language Subtitles.

The DVD features a standard definition copy of the film in a widescreen 16 by 9 enhanced (1.85:1) aspect ratio with English, French and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks and English, French and Spanish Language Subtitles as well. The feature length audio commentary with Del Toro on the Blu-ray Disc is also available on the DVD too. Both the DVD and first Blu-ray Disc include an Ultraviolet Digital Copy spot and trailer for The Seventh Son while DVD also contains trailers for Prisoners and Man of Steel and Video Game trailers for Batman: Arkham Origins and Guardians of Middle Earth.

The menus on all three discs are standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. An insert containing a limited time only redemption code of an Ultraviolet HD Digital Copy of Pacific Rim is included within the Elite Blue BD case that itself comes in a cardboard slip with a holographic cover.

The second disc contains the interactive Director's Notebook with text, still and video shorts with Del Toro explaining his ideas and how they evolved into the final feature film. Also included are galleries containing the propaganda art and advertisement seen in the film as well as a look at the maquettes of the Kaiju designed for the film under the menu heading "The Shatterdome."

A featurette focusing on The Digital Artistry of Pacific Rim (17:10), a reel of four deleted scenes (3:45) and a blooper reel (3:52) wrap up the too many to list in one review extra value materials included within this home video set. Pacific Rim: Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital HD 3-Disc Set will debut on Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at retailers on and offline courtesy of Warner Home Video.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Tonight is the fourth season premiere of The Walking Dead. Otherwise known as Undead Vegan Nightmare!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

A short excerpt from my novel, The Final Arbiter.

"If there was a true leadership, it did not lie within the dreams of one man, but in the collective consciousness of humanity rediscovering itself in our post technological era."


(C) By Mark Rivera

All Rights Reserved.


Available in Trade Paperback at bookstores on and offline globally and digitally at Amazon.com. Download and read the first chapter for free.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1461040515/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1381635689&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70



Meet the Inquisitor, the New Face of Evil in Star Wars Rebels!

The next great villain from a galaxy far, far away is here. Fans attending Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Rebels panel today at New York Comic Con got the world’s first look at the Inquisitor, a black-clad, intimidating figure who will play a prominent role in the upcoming animated series.

 

In a new video screened at the end of the panel,Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni officially revealed the character, showing design sketches, a sculpted maquette, and disclosing that the Inquisitor is “tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down the remaining Jedi Knights.”

 

You Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX1uCXVg9ug&feature=youtu.be

or

full story link: http://starwars.com/news/nycc-2013-meet-the-inquisitor-the-new-face-of-evil-in-star-wars-rebels.html

 

The panel, hosted by Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo, focused on the Empire and how it is central to the story of Star Wars Rebels. Hidalgo revealed that the series takes place about 14 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, a time in which the Emperor’s rule is secure and the Empire is seeking to expand its power to Outer Rim territories.  Further details about the panel can be found on www.starwars.com.

 

If anything was made clear at today’s panel, it’s that the Empire is back -- thanks to Star Wars Rebels.

 

Star Wars Rebels is scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel, it will be followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.

Friday, October 11, 2013

New York City a Horror Film Festival - November 14 - 17, 2013 At TriBeCa Cinema, NYC.


NEW YORK CITY HORROR FILM FESTIVAL


THE NEW YORK CITY HORROR FILM FESTIVAL
SPLATTERS SCREENS WITH GUESTS STUART GORDON AND TROMA’S LLOYD KAUFMAN
 IN ATTENDANCE!

 

Oct. 11, 2013 – New York, NY – Now in its 11th year the spectacular 
New York City Horror Film Festival, giving a platform to new and independent international horror film, returns for another grand weekend, November 14–17 on the twin screens of the Tribeca Cinemas, at 54 Varick Street, just south of Canal. Honoring the grand career of Mr. Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Nevermore), the festival is put together by Fangoria’s Tony Timpone and Ronnie Hein, and filmmakers Alan Rowe Kelly and Bart Mastronardi among the
guest presenters.

 

The festival opens Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7 pm with a gala opening-night US premiere screening honoring Troma’s fortieth anniversary with their latest feature RETURN TO NUKE ‘EM HIGH, VOL. 1 with director Lloyd Kaufman in attendance to accept a Lifetime Achivement Award from the festival. The festival continues throughout the weekend with Lionsgate/After Dark presenting the world premiere of Travis Barker’s feature MISCHIEF NIGHT, the east coast premieres of Blair Erickson’s BANSHEE CHAPTER and IFC Films’ release of Eric England’s CONTRACTED, and the New York premiere of Craig and Peter DiFolco’s VISCERA, along with other New York and east coast premieres, including several short film world premieres. Byron Turk’s THE BATES HAUNTING, Dyland Banks’ CAPTURED HEARTS, and the film of Teller's (of Penn & Teller) live spookshow PLAY DEAD starring Todd Robbins accompany the premieres.

 

In addition, the 2013 Michael J. Hein Award for Personal Achievement in Direction will be given to director Stuart Gordon, helmer of several classics including Re-AnimatorFrom Beyond, and Dolls on Saturday, Nov. 16. Michael J. Hein created the New York City Horror Film Festival in 2002 to offer a needed platform for the independent filmmakers of modern horror films and continued his work until his untimely passing in 2012. Now helmed by his mother Ronnie Hein and Fangoria’s Tony Timpone, the New York City Horror Film Festival continues Michael’s legacy, bringing revered filmmakers, newcomers, and short film makers together for a long weekend of camaraderie, thrills, and chills.

 

The New York City Horror Film Festival is held at Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St., New York, NY.

 

For more information, http://nychorrorfest.com/

 

###

Uncle Grandpa Sings The Classics!

 

Cartoon Network Studio’s newest original comedy, Uncle Grandpa, is rapidly becoming Cartoon Network’s next big hit. For the month of September, Uncle Grandpa was the #1 program on Mondays vs. all TV with boys 2-11, 6-11, & 9-14.This Monday, October 14 at 8/7c during the episode “Uncle Grandpa for a Day,” everyone’s favorite mustachioed goodwill ambassador shows his musical chops in a special short, “Uncle Grandpa Sings the Classics.”

 

This short harkens back to the good old days when celebrities took to the airwaves to hock their albums with infomercials full of little musical snippets and a mile of scrolling song titles. But this time, in true Uncle Grandpa-style, the songs are lighthearted and absurd, covering topics such as his love for mustard, digging holes and balloons. Showing his ability to be a crossover artist and covering songs of every genre, Uncle Grandpa pays homage to everyone from MC Hammer to GG Allin. 

 

In other Uncle Grandpa news, his wondrous facial hair has been recognized by the American Mustache Institute! Uncle Grandpa has been nominated for the Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year Award. Show your love by voting for Uncle Grandpa on theironline ballot!

I saved Raiders Mr. Lorre!


I saved Raiders. It was never about the Ark. It was about what Indy learns and gains from the experience. He gets Maryanne.

In Temple of Doom he learns that there are more important things in life than fortune and glory. The Last Crusade he learns his father always loved him and cared.

And even in Crystal Skull life may have taken things away, but in the end he gets Maryanne and Mutt, the son he never knew he had.

The Ark, the Stones, Holy Grail, and the Crystal Skull are all McGuffins. It was never truly about those items. It was about Indy's journey trying to find them and or unlock a mystery as it pertains to his own life lessons.

That's it. I saved Raiders!
(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. gets a full season order.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is getting a full season order. ABC has picked up the show for a complete 22-episode season. The series joins NBC's The Blacklist, which has also been given a full season order and Fox's Sleepy Hollow that has been renewed for a 13-episode second season. This information comes courtesy of EW.com.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

So bad it has to be seen.

Had I not seen RedLetterMedia discuss it on Half In The Bag, I could not have watched this wonderfully bad movie. I mean very bad. Watch it before it gets taken off YouTube. Then pass it on so someone else can suffer/laugh and be bewildered by Things....

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kVebu6yqYk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Arrow: The Complete First Season On Blu-ray Disc, DVD, And Ultraviolet Digital Copy 9-Disc Set Review

Arrow premiered on The CW in the fall of 2012, only a few months after Smallville completed it's ten season run. Smallville in it's later seasons featured Green Arrow as a regular character. So when I heard there was going to be a TV series based on Green Arrow I thought it was a spinoff from Smallville. I was wrong. 

While not as brooding as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, Arrow takes a more serious tone than the previous incarnation from Smallville while still featuring facets I think fans like to see in live action adaptations of comic book characters and that includes costumes. Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow wears a somewhat more utilitarian and darker version of the costume as compared to the one used in Smallville. However it is reminiscent of it enough that we can revel in the character's heroic adventures that feature DC Comics characters like China White, Dead Shot, Deathstroke, Huntress, and the major nemesis for the first season, Merlin.This is a reboot of the Green Arrow story so despite my frequent mentions of Smallville above, the two shows are not related. 

Oliver Queen returns to Sterling City following being marooned on an island and presumed dead. As the series progresses we see Oliver Queen work out and develop into his Green Arrow persona and as is the case of shows like this, there is always someone who misunderstands the hero and hunts him as a vigilante. The fight choreography for the show is excellent and the production values are better than average for a CW original series. 

Warner Home Video presents Arrow: The Complete First Season in a 9-Disc Blu-ray, DVD, Ultraviolet Digital Copy Combo pack housed in a nine-disc Elite Blue BD case with in a cardboard slipcase. An insert containing episode details and disc content information is included for both the Blu-ray and DVD discs. There are four Blu-ray Discs and five DVDs within the set. Aside from the differences in screen and audio resolution, the extra value features are identical on both formats. A second insert containing a limited time redemption code for an Ultraviolet Digital Copy of the complete first season is also included within the case. 

The Blu-ray Discs present all of the first season  episodes of Arrow in AVC 16 by 9 widescreen format encoded at 1080p/24fps and the picture quality is crystal. English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound is provided for all of the episodes along with optional dubbed language soundtracks in French, Castilian Spanish, Japanese and Portuguese. English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired along with French, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Latin Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Portuguese, Finish, Swedish, Japanese, and Korean Language Subtitles are encoded onto the four Blu-ray Discs too.

The DVDs contain standard definition presentation of all season one episodes across the remaining five discs in 16 by 9 enhances widescreen with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Sound and a Portuguese Dubbed Language Soundtrack. English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and Chinese, Portuguese, Latin Spanish, French, Thai and Korean Language Subtitles are encoded onto the five DVDs as options.

With the exception of an Arrow panel at Paley Fest 2013 (27:24), which is presented in 1080p/60p, all the bonus content is presented in AVC encoded 1080p/24fps high definition with Dolby Surround Sound. Deleted scenes for 9 of the 23 episodes are presented in short reels for their respective episodes with the largest of which contains a reel of five deleted scenes (6:25) for one episode. It would have been a lot easier to just have the deleted scenes as one long reel that can be viewed with optional individual chapters per episode rather than spreading them out across the four Blu-ray Discs. 

The balance of the extra value materials are on disc four and include a documentary about the development of the series for television (29:34), a featurette about the stunt work (18:53) and a gag reel (2:28). The interactive menus are easy to navigate.

Arrow: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and Utraviolet Digital Copy is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Warner Home Video. The second season premieres on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 on The CW.

(C) Copyright 2013 By Mark Rivera
All Rights Reserved.   

Can you build a creature worthy of The Jim Henson Creature Shop?

SYFY GREENLIGHTS JIM HENSON’S CREATURE SHOPCHALLENGE (working title) FROM THE JIM HENSON COMPANY, SHOWCASING THE CREATION OF ELABORATE AND AWE-INSPIRING LIFE-LIKE CHARACTERS

 

BRIAN HENSON TO JUDGE NEW REALITY-COMPETITION SERIES COMING TO SYFY IN 2014

 

NEW YORK – October 8, 2013 - Syfygreenlights an eight episode order for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge(working title), a competition series featuring ten aspiring creature creators competing to out-imagine one another in a series of challenges where they will build everything from mechanical characters to whimsical beasts, bringing high-end inanimate creature designs to life.   The contestants compete for $100,000 and the opportunity for the job of a lifetime – a contract working at the world-renowned Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™.  The announcement was made today by Mark Stern, President of Original Content, Syfy.

 

Brian Henson serves as lead judge on the series. Henson is the Chairman of The Jim Henson Company and the Creature Shop.  An award-winning writer, director and producer, he is also a creature designer and performer taught by the master, his father Jim Henson.  His long resume in movies and television includes iconic roles like Hoggle in the fantasy classic Labyrinthand the dog in the groundbreaking anthology series The Storyteller.  Henson has also produced and directed such television projects as FarscapeMuppetsTonight and Dinosaurs.  His film directing credits include The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island.  Henson was part of the team that first created and utilized the Henson Performance Control System, a powerful custom-based interface for puppeteers, which won an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Scientific and Engineering) Award in 1992.  He also led the Shop’s work in creating the revolutionary digital puppeteering technology, the Emmy Award-winning Henson Digital Puppetry Studio. 

 

"As Face Off does with SFX makeup application, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge showcases the incredible imagination and artistry of lifelike creature construction,” said Stern.  “We are honored to partner with The Jim Henson Company and Brian Henson on this series.  The Creature Shop has set the bar for a caliber of work that is unmatched in quality, design and sheer imagination."

 

Serving as mentors on the series will be world-renowned designer Peter Brooke, mechanization and animatronics masterJohn Criswell and fabrication and artistic specialist Julie Zobel. The three are longtime Creature Shop artists who have dedicated their talents to the Henson legacy. Their tenures with The Jim Henson Company span decades and they bring a specialized knowledge having collaborated directly with Jim Henson himself.  Working alongside the creature creators inside their workplace at the Creature Shop, they will be available for consultation and hands-on assistance. 

 

The creative challenges in the series will showcase the fascinating process behind creature building, from conceptual design to sculpting, fabricating and mechanization. Each episode will end with on-set performances involving the elaborate and life-like creations.  The creature creators will be tasked to create everything from hand puppets to large-scale theatrical creatures that can master the balance between realism and fantasy. 

 

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challengeis a production of The Jim Henson Company.  Brian Henson will executive produce with his sister Lisa Henson, the company’s CEO.  In addition to her time at The Jim Henson Company, Lisa’s prolific career in entertainment includes serving as president for Columbia Pictures where she oversaw films like Men In Black and The People vs. Larry Flint.  Before that, she was a production executive at Warner Bros. where she worked on projects like Batmanand Lethal Weapon.  Lisa is currently in production on the upcoming family filmAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner.

 

Also serving as executive producers onJim Henson’s Creature Shop Challengeare Joseph Freed (Little People Big World, Rachael Ray) and Rob Bagshaw (Paradise Hotel, Top Chef Masters, Project Runway All Stars). Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge is set to debut in first quarter 2014 on Syfy