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Midsomer Murders is a classic British detective series by Caroline Graham focusing on outrageous murders. Whether someone is being skewered or eaten alive, the show never fails to entertain. The show also attracts audiences because of some surprising guest stars who make an appearance before they achieved movie star status. Celebrity cameos from some of the industry's greatest actors are not uncommon on Midsomer Murders, and one of those guest stars even went on to play Superman. On Henry Cavill's journey to Hollywood's A-list, he appeared in a moving Midsomer Murders episode called "The Green Man."...

Studiocanal are proud to announce the release of a spectacular 4K restoration of the gripping mystery thriller An Inspector Calls (1954) for its 70th Anniversary this year, available on 4K Uhd, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital from 7 October, so to celebrate we are giving away a 4K Uhd & Blu-Ray to a lucky winner!

Based on J.B. Priestley’s classic stage play, the film stars the incomparable Alastair Sim (A Christmas Carol), Arthur Young (The Lady with a Lamp), Jane Wenham (The Teckman Mystery), Olga Lindo (Sapphire), Brian Worth (Holiday Week) and Eileen More (The Green Man). The new restoration will be available for the first time on 4K Uhd plus 4K Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 7 October.

The Birling family are rich, pampered and complacent. It is 1912, and the shadow of the impending war has yet to fall across their lives. As they sit down to dinner one night, a knock at...

In Robin Hardy's supremely creepy 1973 cult picture "The Wicker Man," a cop named Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) travels to a remote island called Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The citizens of Summerisle are secretive and strange and still abide by ancient Celtic religious rites. Howie, a devout Christian, is put off by their pagan weirdness. During his investigation, Howie stays at a local inn, The Green Man, overseen by Mr. McGregor (Lindsay Kemp) and his comely daughter Willow. Willow is sexually forward with Howie, something else he finds discomforting.

Later that night, while Howie attempts to sleep, Willow strips nude in her own room and gyrates seductively against the wall that neighbors Howie's. Howie can't see or hear it, but he seems to sense something strange is happening. Is she casting a spell of some kind?

It turns out that the nude body audiences saw dancing wasn't Ekland at all,...

To celebrate the release of The Ship That Died of Shame coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on September 11th we have 2 Blu-Rays to give away!

The ‘1087’ is a British Royal Navy boat that navigates its crew through the worst that World War II can throw at them. With war over, George Hoskins (Richard Attenborough) convinces former skipper Bill Randall (George Baker) and Birdie (Bill Owen) to buy their old boat and use it for what he persuades them is some ‘harmless’ smuggling to supply the black market.

Soon, however, the crew find themselves mixed up with the corrupt Major Fordyce (Roland Culver) who leads them to transport ever-more sinister cargoes, including counterfeit currency and weapons. As the jobs become more nefarious, the once robust and reliable 1087 begins to protest and frequently breaks down, seemingly mirroring the crew’s descent into the criminal underworld…

Produced by the great Ealing Studios...

Midsomer Murders is a British detective drama that began in 1997 and it has a wide variety of great mystery episodes. It’s based on Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby book series. It’s set in several villages within the fictional English county of Midsomer and is known for its occasional lighthearted jokes and moments of dark humor. Seasons 1-13 starred John Nettles as the eponymous Dci Tom Barnaby, and since season 14 it has starred Neil Dudgeon, who plays Tom Barnaby’s nephew John.

Midsomer Murders episodes often follow a case-of-the-week format, so the case takes center stage rather than the detectives investigating them. Because of that, the focus for most of the best episodes of the series is the nature of the mystery or the surprises an episode might have in store for the viewers. It has remained spectacularly popular, and even after more than 20 seasons, ratings have hardly dropped,...

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“A Comedy Of Errors”

By Raymond Benson

Alastair Sim was a national treasure in Great Britain, a comic actor who never failed to make one smile or outright guffaw. His Scrooge proved that he could also take a serious turn as well. This reviewer likens him to an early sort of John Cleese—an irreverent player who could do irony, surrealism, farce, wicked delight, and pure outrageousness within the confines of a somewhat realistic human being of a character.

As the star of The Green Man (1956), Sim plays an assassin named Harry Hawkins. Yes, that’s right, Alastair Sim is a mad bomber who takes it upon himself to get rid of the pompous blowhards in Britain, whether they be boring politicians or unctuous professors. He even has a Peter Lorre-like assistant, McKechnie (John Chandos), who is willing to obey Harry, even...

Staring down his prey with sunken eyes and a sinister smile, Alastair Sim was the fiend Charles Addams never got around to drawing. Sim was a quick-change artist who didn’t need makeup to transform from a grasping monster into your favorite uncle – it’s why he remains the greatest interpreter of Ebenezer Scrooge. Whether playing a cold-blooded assassin in The Green Man or a kindly army chaplain in Folly to be Wise he understood as well as anyone why the masks of tragedy and comedy are intertwined.

Sim is one of those figures who’s been consigned to the history books for decades. But by releasing a Blu ray set of the great man’s comedies in 2020, Film Movement Classics, like Scrooge, hasn’t lost their senses – they’ve come to them.

Alastair Sim’s School for Laughter

Blu ray

Film Movement Classics

1954, ’60, ’51, ’47 / 1.67:1, 1.37:1 / 86, 97, 93, 82 min.

Starring Alastair Sim,...

To mark the release of The Green Man on 18th May, we’ve been given 2 copies to give on Blu-ray.

Alastair Sim plays Hawkins, a timid watchmaker with a part time job – he is also a professional assassin who bumps off the people we love to hate. But when the philandering MP Sir Gregory Upshott (Raymond Huntley) is the intended target, vacuum cleaner salesman William Blake (George Cole) and Hawkins’ new neighbour Ann Vincent (Jill Adams) repeatedly get in the way. As the time of the assassination draws ever closer and Hawkins tracks his victim to a dilapidated seaside hotel called the Green Man, the laughs and the tension steadily rise to a brilliant climax.

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

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Open to UK residents only The competition will close 18th May 2020 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at...

Michael Palin will be The Green Man, creator of the scarecrows, in the Mackenzie Crook adaptation of “Worzel Gummidge.” The specials will be a modern retelling of the classic stories of the eponymous walking, talking scarecrow. Kew Media has landed the distribution rights and will sell the series internationally.

“The Office” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Crook is writing, directing, and taking the title role in the drama, which will play on BBC One later this year in two one-hour installments. “It’s a lovely part for me, but the whole script is very memorable and touching, and very funny,” Palin said. “It quite skillfully weaves in something for everybody all the time.”

Barbara Euphan Todd wrote the Worzel Gummidge books, which were the basis for a classic British series starring Jon Pertwee in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Leopard Pictures has partnered with Treasure Trove Productions and...

Mackenzie Crook will write and direct the BBC’s upcoming “Worzel Gummidge” dramas. He will also star as the lead character – a walking, talking scarecrow – in Worzel’s return to British screens in two hour-long specials. They are expected to bow at the end of the year.

Barbara Euphan Todd wrote the Worzel Gummidge books, which were the foundation for a classic British series starring Jon Pertwee in the title role in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Leopard Pictures, part of the Argonon Group, has partnered with Treasure Trove Productions and Lola Entertainment for the new adaptation.

The first episode in the new run, “The Scarecrow of Scatterbrook,” sees two youngsters, Susan and John, encounter Worzel Gummidge, the Scarecrow of Ten Acre Field. Their world is sent spinning into confusion when they realize Gummidge comes to life. The only person more shocked is Worzel when he discovers that the...

Pirates of the Caribbean star Mackenzie Crook is writing, directing and starring in an adaptation of classic British scarecrow story Worzel Gummidge.

Crook, who made his name in the BBC comedy The Office and created The Detectorists, is adapting Barbara Euphan Todd into two-hour long films. He will star as Gummidge, a scarecrow that can come to life.

The first film, The Scarecrow Of Scatterbrook, sees two young strangers, Susan and John, arrive in the village of Scatterbrook, where they encounter Gummidge. Their world is sent spinning into confusion when they realize Gummidge comes to life. The only person more shocked is Worzel, when he discovers that the children are not in fact fellow scarecrows but humans.

The second film, The Green Man, welcomes another mysterious arrival to Scatterbrook. The Green Man is the creator of scarecrows and keeper of scarecrow lore. He isn’t at all happy that Worzel is consorting with humans.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is obviously not meant to be taken 100% seriously. Some of the crazy antics that the group gets into are more nefarious than any the viewers would ever experience. With some of their activities being beyond both illegal and dangerous, they get into some very crazy situations. The entire group is certifiably insane. Charlie enjoys dancing as “The Green Man” and Dennis is a sociopath. Dee cannot keep a car in good shape to save her life, and Mac is incredibly self-obsessed. Not to mention that no one is entirely certain how Frank makes his money. However, together they create one of the most hilarious group of friends to watch get in to trouble.

While this is all well and good when it comes to entertainment value, It’s Always Sunny's episodes are not without their inconsistencies. Through all of the crazy situations that the group goes through,...

Robert Day, the British director whose long list of credits includes multiple 1960s Tarzan movies and dozens of TV series and telefilms, has died. He was 94. His family said Day passed away March 17 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. Born on September 11, 1922, in Sheen, England, his first film was the dark comedy The Green Man (1956), and from there Day would helm movies starring the likes of Boris Karloff (1958’s The Haunted Strangler and Corridors of Blood), Shirley…...

Robert Day, the British director whose long list of credits includes multiple 1960s Tarzan movies and dozens of TV series and telefilms, has died. He was 94. His family said Day passed away March 17 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. Born on September 11, 1922, in Sheen, England, his first film was the dark comedy The Green Man (1956), and from there Day would helm movies starring the likes of Boris Karloff (1958’s The Haunted Strangler and Corridors of Blood), Shirley…...

Brian DePalma’s Carrie (1976) has cast a very wide shadow since it hit theatres. Many horror films have used the trope of telekinesis for the greater bad following its release, including Jennifer, The Fury, Patrick, The Medusa Touch (all ’78), Scanners (’81), and several more. (You can’t make me mention Friday the 13th Part VII. Oh. Dammit.) Of course, television is anything if not inclusive, and the networks scrambled to come up with their own takes on teenage angst. However, ABC’s The Initiation of Sarah (1978) took a slightly different tact and sent the girl off to college – and ended up serving a strong dose of female empowerment.

First broadcast on Monday, February 6th, Sarah had her work cut out, not so much from NBC, who provided their own Monday Night at the Movies, but from CBS’ juggernaut of M*A*S*H/One Day at a Time. Regardless of ratings,...

Equal parts ghostly thriller and sexual farce (who doesn’t love those?), UK miniseries “The Green Man” is finally getting its due on DVD this coming October thanks to Simply Media. We have the release details, plus a trailer, right here… Continue Reading →

The post Adult Ghost Story The Green Man Heading to UK DVD in October appeared first on Dread Central.

Exclusive: Rhys Ifans and singer Charlotte Church star in Edinburgh-bound drama.

Metrodome Distribution has acquired UK and Ireland rights to the feature version of Dylan Thomas classic Under Milk Wood from Metro International.

Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man) and singer Charlotte Church star in the drama, which will debut at this month’s Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Kevin Allen (Twin Town) directs the surreal story in which Blind Captain Cat (Rhys Ifans) is tormented in his dreams by his drowned shipmates, and the innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of a fictional small Welsh fishing village Llareggub.

The deal was negotiated by Metrodome MD Jezz Vernon and Metro International’s head of sales Natalie Brenner.

The film adaptation, from wrtiers Murray Lachlan Young, Michael Breen and Allen, is the first of Thomas’ classic 1954 radio drama since Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s 1972 feature.

Under Milk Wood is presented by fFatti fFilms and Metro International, in association...

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! On this day, we honor the culture of the Emerald Isle by adorning ourselves in its hues. But green is not just the color of holiday-themed accessories. It also has an illustrious history of playing critical roles in our films and television programs. Below are some of the greatest appearances green has made on our screens. Erin go bragh! – All the way to the box office! 17. The Curtains in "Sound of Music" What better way to introduce a family of neglected children to the concept of fun clothes than with a little splash of green, even if it is from the furniture. 16. The Green Man in “Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Green may not be proud of Paddy's pub, but Paddy's is proud of it. 15. Luke’s lightsaber in “Return of the Jedi. For episode six, Skywalker’s blue lightsaber got an extreme makeover. Two green thumbs way up!

Seal Team 666 eliminates evil in its darkest forms around the world, from violent cults to dangerous demons, and in Reign of Evil, the third novel in the Seal Team 666 series due out on October 14th from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Weston Ochse, King Arthur comes back from the dead with a vengeance. We’ve been provided with the prologue and first two chapters of Reign of Evil that you can read now:

“Legend holds that when Britain is in its darkest hour, King Arthur will return to save the country, if not the world. That legend is dead wrong. When a Grove of Druids sacrifice the lives of a group of innocents, including the fiancée of a member of Seal Team 666, the ancient king is brought back from the dead and sets his sight on subjugating humanity and cleansing his land of all who are not true Britons. Because of political sensitivities,...

Tags: Jessie JMeryl StreepAmy PoehlerJane LynchSarah SilvermanLindsay LohanIMDbPink

Good afternoon!

Happy birthday to The L Word's Erin Daniels and Sharon Osbourne!

Erin Daniels in Los Angeles

Photo by Chad Buchanan/Getty Images

Pink rocks a suit on the cover of Elle Canada. Why is she screaming? Did she not want to have her picture taken?

Glee's Jane Lynch teamed up with Amy Poehler and Jessica Alba for the comedy A.C.O.D., due out in theaters next year. I can't wait!

Speaking of Amy Poehler, she and a few of her famous friends, including Sarah Silverman, Olympia Dukakis and Meryl Streep, star in this PSA for DrawTheLine.org.

Want to vacation with Melissa Ferrick (and hundreds of lesbians)? Then book your trip to the Hard Rock Vallarta in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Ferrick, Natalia Zuckerman, Edie Carey and Shann Carr will keep you entertained from April 7-14.

Watch the teaser trailer...

If any readers are interested in chipping in with us and starting a pagan community, the actual pub from The Wicker Man is now for sale.In the classic movie, it was known as the Green Man, but in reality, it’s called the Ellangowan Hotel. The hotel is located in Creetown, Scotland, features 9 bedrooms, and has been put on the market for £200,000.

Alistair Letham is selling the property and noted that it is being offered at a reduced price. He also mentioned that the place is popular with fans of the movie: “The Ellangowan attracts a significant number of film fans who visit the area to take in the locations seen in The Wicker Man…. Sadly, Britt Ekland is no longer working behind the bar, but the visitors to the bar partake in a lot less sacrifice than seen in the film, making it a popular local venue.”

Here...

The BBC reports a famous location from Robin Hardy's '70s cult classic The Wicker Man is up for sale.

The Green Man Pub - or, the Ellangowan Hotel - is going for £200,000.  That's $316,000 thousand here in the States.  If you buy it, I can't guarantee you'll get a cute Pagan nymph to dance around in one of the rooms naked and pound on the walls while you try to sleep.  That might cost you extra.

Read more...

A pub in Wellington, New Zealand is serving apple-infused horse semen shots for a limited time. The Green Man Pub is currently participating in this year's Monteith's Beer & Wild Food Challenge, and has submitted the horse semen to complement the Asian duck, pork and spring rolls. The concoction, available on the drinks menu until early July, has been described as "like custard" by the Jason Varley, the pub chef. He added to the Dominion Post: "Ladies thought it was great. "The men were very standoffish. (more)...

Start you week off with today's TV news in 300 words.

Two TV Stars Tie the Knot

Congratulations to Bones' Emily Deschanel and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's David Hornsby on beginning their new life together. The couple wed over the weekend in Los Angeles. This cute pair seems like a match made in TV heaven; two lovable TV stars finding love off screen. How cool would it be if the couple agreed to a Bones/Sunny crossover episode? I already have a title: The Green Man in the Pub [TV Guide]...

Unlike The Clientele’s typically slight between-album EPs, Minotaur runs eight songs and 30 minutes, which makes it almost an album unto itself. And one of those songs, a spoken-word piece called “The Green Man,” written by bassist James Hornsey, practically serves as a Clientele thesis statement, with its lines about how the dust of the past hangs in the air, ready to be inhaled. Minotaur’s back half is fairly trifling, but the Ep’s first five songs are as strong as any in The Clientele’s catalogue, starting with the title track, which has lightly plucked acoustic guitar ...

The Green Man Festival, a Welsh fest known for folk music and family friendliness (with no connection, as far as we can tell, to this green man), just announced Joanna Newsom will close the August festival as Sunday night’s headliner, joining The Flaming Lips who are set to play Saturday. The August 19-22 event takes place at Glanusk Park Estate. The festival has a designated area for kids to hang out and discounted ticket rates for teens. Tickets are available here and cost £120 ($179) for adults, £104 ($155) for students, and £50 ($75) for teens. Check out the line-up...

Since kicking Dennis (Glen Howerton) in the nuts on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," The Green Man has struck golf tournaments, football games, even renaissance festivals, and now the green man strikes again (and he brought a green friend) at a hockey game in Vancouver!

Watch the attack on Nashville Predators' Dave Scatchard below. Awkward!

A Philadelphia Eagles fan created The Green Man concept, but it gained worldwide notoriety after appearing in "It's Always Sunny" on FX.

Check out the show clip and fan tribute below.

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The sheer quantity of festivals on the calender in the U.K alone has begun to reach far into the hundreds. Every 60's throw back farmer with a field in Suffolk or any double-barreled named family with an estate in some sparse woods between villages in Norfolk seem to be more than happy to allow the cider swilling, barefoot, dancing masses to camp with them for three days. What's becoming harder and harder is deciding which ones to get yourself to. Green Man Festival in Glanusk Park, Wales felt right this time around; It was my birthday weekend, it was a relatively young festival (6 years old), only 15000 tickets and 100 bands on a small beautifully kept site which, as local legend would have it, harbors 3,000 mischievous spirits... cool. All of this and, as a completely independent music festival, not a pint of Carling or a pink skinned, sun stroked Oasis fan in sight.