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Quick Links'Murder by Decree' Links Jack the Ripper to the British Royal FamilyJames Mason Is a Splendid Dr. Watson in 'Murder by Decree''Murder by Decree' Is From the Director of 'Black Christmas' and 'Porky's'

The famous detective duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson was introduced in the 1887 Arthur Conan Doyle detective novel A Study in Scarlet. The characters were later widely popularized through a series of films starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, beginning with the 1939 Gothic mystery film The Hound of the Baskervilles, in which Rathbone’s Holmes is introduced as a dry-humored, obsessive follower of logic and reason, while Watson, played by Nigel Bruce, appears as Holmes’ lovable but often clueless assistant.

One of the first and best films to abandon this formula is the 1979 mystery thriller filmMurder by Decree, in which Holmes, played by Christopher Plummer, and Watson, played by James Mason, are approached to...

Bob Clark made a name for himself in the early 1970s with a trio of low-budget horror films that soon attained cult status: Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, the rough-hewn tale of a group of actors contending with zombies on an abandoned island; Deathdream, a scathing Vietnam-era twist on “The Monkey’s Paw”; and Black Christmas, a blackly humorous proto-slasher flick. Enticed by a larger, though still modest, budget and a sterling cast of British and Canadian actors, Clark relocated to England to produce and direct Murder by Decree, an alternate-history period piece dripping with atmosphere that puts Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and Dr. Watson (James Mason) on the trail of the notorious serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

The film cleverly indicates one of its key themes in its opening scenes by cross-cutting between two very different locations. Each of these scenes contains a startling juxtaposition between...

Murder By Decree (4Kuhd) (4K Uhd) From Bob Clark, the acclaimed director of Dead of Night, Black Christmas, Breaking Point, Porky’s and A Christmas Story, comes this horrifying murder-mystery which pits legendary detective Sherlock Holmes against the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper! When Scotland Yard is unable to stop the gruesome rampage of Jack the Ripper, a citizens’ committee asks Sherlock Holmes and his trusted associate Dr. John H. Watson to investigate. Now the brilliant pair must follow a terrifying trail of clues that includes a frightened psychic, a suspicious inspector (David ... Read more...

Sherlock Holmes investigates Jack the Ripper in Murder By Decree, hitting 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on January 14 via Kino Lorber.

From Black Christmas director Bob Clark, the 1979 murder-mystery has been newly mastered in 4K by StudioCanal.

Christopher Plummer and James Mason star as as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively, alongside David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Anthony Quayle, John Gielgud, Frank Finlay, Donald Sutherland, and Genevieve Bujold.

Disc 1 – 4K Uhd:

Uhd Sdr Master by StudioCanal Audio Commentary by Director Bob Clark Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell Theatrical Trailer 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

HD Master by StudioCanal Audio Commentary by Director Bob Clark Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell Theatrical Trailer 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio

John Hopkins (Thunderball) penned the script, inspired by Elwyn Jones & John Lloyd‘s 1975 book The Ripper File, Stephen Knight‘s 1976 book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution,...

After a long battle with illness, it’s been announced this afternoon that the legendary, Emmy-winning actor Donald Sutherland has passed away in Miami, Florida at the age of 88.

Son Kiefer Sutherland writes on Twitter, “With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived.”

Donald Sutherland made a handful of notable pit stops in the horror genre throughout his multi-decade career on the screen, which kicked off back in the early 1960s. Here in the horror world, Sutherland is known for his roles in Don’t Look Now (1973), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), and most recently, Stephen King adaptation...

The Story: H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) does the impossible – after writing about a time machine he actually builds one. Too bad then that one of his dearest friends is secretly Jack the Ripper (David Warner) and uses the machine to escape justice by going into the future – 1979 San Francisco to be exact. Left with no choice and believing that he’s unleashed a monster upon a utopia (ha!), Wells pursues him through time, but winds up being a lot more out of his element than his nemesis.

The Players: Starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner & Mary Steenburgen. Written and directed by Nicholas Meyer.

Oh, I love that part. I love that film, actually. Well of course, I was in love during the filmmaking—how could you not love the damn film? And I’ve always loved San Francisco since. – Malcolm McDowell – Random Roles

The History: Long before he became the colorful...

It’s some kind of paradox — he probably thought of it as a joke played on him by the gods — that Christopher Plummer, the impishly irascible, velvet-voiced star of stage and screen who died Friday at 91, was one of the great Shakespearean actors of the 20th century, as well as a notorious rapscallion who spent decades living the dissolute high life, yet the first thing that most people think of when they hear his name is “The Sound of Music,” the timelessly beloved 1965 musical that’s the sugary quintessence of G-rated Hollywood wholesomeness. “The Sound of Music” is not a hip movie to like. Critics have spent half a century taking snide swipes at it, and Plummer himself liked to call it “The Sound of Mucus.” Yet as an unashamed fanatic for it, I’d argue that “The Sound of Music” carries the hint of a more turbulent inner quality...

Distinguished Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, best known for his role as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, has died at the age of 91.

He won an Oscar in 2012 for the film Beginners and was also nominated for The Last Station in 2010 and All the Money in the World in 2018. In the latter film, he replaced Kevin Spacey, whose performance as billionaire J Paul Getty was removed.

According to reports, Plummer died peacefully at his home in Connecticut with his wife Elaine Taylor at his side. Lou Pitt, his long-time friend and manager of 46 years, remembered him as "an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession", the BBC reported.

Plummer's many other films included The Man Who Would Be King and Knives Out.

He was a memorably villainous Klingon in the sixth Star Trek film and played TV anchorman Mike Wallace in 1999's The Insider.

He also...

Plummer in "Battle of Britain" (1969).

By Lee Pfeiffer

Christopher Plummer, the world-acclaimed star of stage, screen and television, has passed away at age 91. Complications from a fall in his Connecticut home were cited as the cause of death. Plummer never had to make his way up the ranks on the big screen. He received prominent billing in his movie debut in Sidney Lumet's 1958 production of  "Stage Struck"- and henceforth he would generally enjoy starring roles. Plummer moved with ease between films, stage and TV, earning critical plaudits along the way, as well as winning two Tony Awards and a late career Oscar for the film "Beginnings" in 2010. He was especially acclaimed for his work in Shakespearean productions in the U.S., England and Canada. Plummer, a native Canadian, became a legend by playing the male lead, Captain von Trapp, in the 1965 Oscar-winning film production of "The Sound of Music...

The director of Palmer helps us kick off our new season by walking us through some of his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Bloodhounds Of Broadway (1989)

Salvador (1986)

True Believer (1989)

Palmer (2021)

Wonder Wheel (2017)

A Face In The Crowd (1957)

On The Waterfront (1954)

No Time For Sergeants (1958)

The Confidence Man (2018)

Lolita (1962)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

The Ghost Of Peter Sellers (2018)

The Marrying Man (1991)

The Ruling Class (1972)

The Krays (1990)

Let Him Have It (1991)

The Changeling (1980)

On The Border (1998)

Murder By Decree (1979)

Bigger Than Life (1956)

The Night of the Iguana (1964)

Fat City (1972)

Angel (1984)

Animal House (1978)

My Science Project (1985)

Lucía (1968)

Paper Moon (1973)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

The Great McGinty (1940)

I Married A Witch (1942)

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Raging Bull (1980)

Once Upon A Time In America (1984)

The Rider (2017)

The Mustang (2019)

Nomadland (2020)

Murmur of the Heart (1971)

Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

The Conversation (1974)

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

The Magnificent Ambersons...

A Study in Terror

Blu ray

Mill Creek Entertainment

1966 /1:85 / Street Date April 3, 2018

Starring John Neville, Donald Houston, Anthony Quayle

Cinematography by Desmond Dickinson

Written by Donald Ford, Derek Ford

Directed by James Hill

From master criminals like Professor Moriarty to Sebastian Moran, Sherlock Holmes faced his fair share of danger – but his greatest nemesis may have been the man who created him, Arthur Conan Doyle. Exasperated by his brainchild’s overwhelming popularity, the weary scribe groused, ”I think of slaying Holmes… and winding him up for good and all. He takes my mind from better things.”

Doyle tried to kill off his cash-cow on at least one occasion but the great detective had the last word, maintaining a firm grip on our imagination decades after other seemingly invincible literary characters dropped down the memory hole – perhaps because Holmes is far more mysterious than any mystery he himself might have...

Canadian director Bob Clark (A Christmas Story, Murder By Decree) tragically left this mortal realm in a car crash in 2007, but his legacy of work lives on. He worked in several genres, but in horror, his 1970s masterpiece Black Christmas is revered by both fans and filmmakers. It's easy to see why when you watch the movie. Its fantastic cast John Saxon, Olivia Hussey, Art Hindle, Keir Dullea, and Margo Kidder stars in a film that's both scary and pushes hot topic buttons (abortion) that are sadly still relevent today. A 2006 remake had a chilly reception, and the original remains unsurpassed. After all, Black Christmas is said to have influenced John Carpenter's Halloween. The dread that Clark created was palpable and still quite effective; in fact, the...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Well, this is lousy timing. Several horror movies, including "The Exorcist," "Night of the Living Dead," and "Interview with the Vampire" are leaving Netflix on October 1, right before Halloween.

Also leaving October 1, some spooky TV titles, including "The Dead Files."

More than 150 titles are leaving Netflix in October; here's the entire list of movies and TV shows that will disappear from Netflix streaming in October.

Leaving Oct. 1, 2015

"Aces High" (1976)

"A Fond Kiss" (2004)

"Agata And The Storm" (2004)

"A Good Day to Die" (2013)

"Alakazam The Great" (1960)

"All Is Lost" (2013)

"An Affair to Remember" (1957)

"Agora" (2009)

"A Liar's Autobiography" (2012)

"America Declassified" (2013)

"Analyze This" (1999)

"Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues " (2013)

"Angela's Ashes" (1999)

"Annie Hall" (1977)

"Another Woman" (1988)

"Apocalypse Now" (1979)

"Apocalypse Now Redux" (2001)

"Axed" (2012)

"Baby's Day Out" (1994)

"Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession" (1980)

"Baron Blood" (1972)

"Beaufort" (2007)

"Belle of the Yukon" (1944)

"Big Night" (1996)

"Blue Velvet" (1986)

"Brewster's Millions" (1945)

"Buying & Selling" (2013)

"Caesar and Cleopatra" (1945)

"Caprica" (2009)

"Carve Her Name With Pride" (1958)

"Casanova...

From spoofs to point-and-click adventure games, here are 10 of the most memorable unusual incarnations of Sherlock Holmes...

We don’t know a great deal about the content of the 90-minute Sherlock special set to air later this year, but one thing has emerged from the set photos and tantalising titbits of information we’ve seen so far. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson will be in nineteenth-century garb, pitching them back into the setting of the legendary detective’s original adventures: 1895, to be precise. Why that happens is as yet unclear, but all will be revealed.

For those still craving their Holmes fix in the meantime, the new film Mr. Holmes offers us Ian McKellen’s take on the character, musing upon an old case as he looks back on his long career from the vantage point of retirement. Jonny Lee Miller’s ultra-modern, Us-based Sherlock will be entering his fourth...

'Sherlock Holmes' movie found at Cinémathèque Française (image: William Gillette in 'Sherlock Holmes') Sherlock Holmes, a long-thought-lost 1916 feature starring stage performer and playwright William Gillette in the title role, has been discovered in the vaults of the Cinémathèque Française. Directed by the all-but-forgotten Arthur Berthelet for the Chicago-based Essanay production company, the approximately 90-minute movie is supposed to be not only the sole record of William Gillette's celebrated performance as Arthur Conan Doyle's detective, but also the only surviving Gillette film.* In the late 19th century, William Gillette himself wrote the play Sherlock Holmes, which turned out to be a mash-up of various stories and novels featuring the detective, chiefly the short stories "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "The Final Problem." ("May I marry Holmes?" Gillette, while vying for the role, telegraphed Conan Doyle. The latter replied, "You may marry or murder or do What you like with him.

125 years ago the streets of London were host to perhaps the most infamous series of murders in human history. Prostitutes were found mutilated with their organs removed, leading to sensational newspaper articles and mass speculation as to the identity of who would later become known as ‘Jack the Ripper’.

While the crimes have long since subsided, the mystery about who the killer was has not, with countless books being released and re-released positing various theories about who the Ripper may be. In this article I will examine 10 of the suspects to these crimes and the various reasons why they may or may not be seen as ‘the smoking gun’.

10. Sir William Gull & The Masonic Conspiracy

This is possibly the most well known theory thanks to the films From Hell and Murder by Decree as well as the connections the theory has to royalty, which have ensured many people know something about this idea.

Oscar winner Christopher Plummer (Beginners, The Last Station) joins the cast of heist film, The Forger, starring opposite two-time Academy Award nominee and two-time Golden Globe winner John Travolta and recent Venice Film Festival Award winner for Best New Young Actor Tye Sheridan (Joe, Mud), it was announced today by producers and co-financiers Code Entertainment’s (“Code”) Al Corley and Bart Rosenblatt and Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel of The Solution Entertainment Group (“The Solution”).

The film, to be directed by BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning director, Philip Martin (BBC’s “Wallander”), will begin shooting in Boston in October.

Starring as Travolta’s father and Sheridan’s grandfather, Plummer will play Joseph Cutter, the patriarch of the family that spans three generations in the film.

Written by Richard D’Ovidio (The Call), The Forger tells the story of a former child art prodigy and second generation petty thief, Ray Cutter (Travolta...

Geneviève Bujold is back: Canadian Screen Awards 2013 [See previous post: "Canadian Screen Awards: Oscar-Nominated War Witch Tops."] In addition to War Witch‘s Rachel Mwanza, the Canadian Screen Awards 2013 Best Actress nominees are Evelyne Brochu for Inch’allah, Marilyn Castonguay for L’Affaire Dumont, Suzanne Clément for Laurence Anyways, and Geneviève Bujold for Still Mine. In the Michael McGowan-directed drama based on real-life events, the veteran Bujold plays farmer James Cromwell tough-but-ailing wife whose physical frailty sets in motion the film’s plot: Cromwell’s desire to build a better, more comfortable house for Bujold pits him against government inspector Jonathan Potts. (Photo: Geneviève Bujold, James Cromwell Still Mine.) The Montreal-born Geneviève Bujold is best known for her Hollywood movies: Charles Jarrott’s Best Picture Academy Award nominee Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), which earned Bujold a Best Actress Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Anne Boleyn; Mark Robson’s Earthquake, playing Charlton Heston...

To celebrate last week's DVD release of Murder by Decree (1979), Bob Clark's classic Sherlock Holmes thriller starring Christopher Plummer and Donald Sutherland, the wonderful team at StudioCanal have kindly provided us with Three copies of the film to give away to our Holmes-loving readers. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook fans, so if you haven't already, head over to facebook.com/CineVueUK, 'Like' us, and then follow the instructions below.

Read more »...

The Hunger Games passed the $250 million milestone at the North American box office on Monday, April 2, according to figures found at Box Office Mojo. Although Gary Ross' futuristic adventure tale reached that milestone one day after the studio had predicted, that's an impressive feat all the same. After 11 days, The Hunger Games has collected $253 million in the Us/Canada. Ignoring inflation, only six movies have reached $250 million at the domestic box office in 11 days or less. In addition to The Hunger Games, the others are: Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight in 8 days (Christian Bale / Heath Ledger / Maggie Gyllenhaal) David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 9 days (Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes / Emma Watson / Rupert Grint) Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 9 days (Shia Labeouf / Megan Fox / Josh Duhamel) Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 10 days (Orlando Bloom...

★★★★☆ This week sees the DVD re-release of Bob Clark's hugely enjoyable 1979 Sherlock Holmes crime drama Murder By Decree courtesy of StudioCanal, and starring recent Oscar winner Christopher Plummer and the magnificent James Mason. The film lifts Conan Doyle's world famous crime fighting duo straight of the page, pitting Holmes (Plummer) and Watson (Mason) against one of history's most notorious criminals - Jack the Ripper.

Read more »...

Jennifer Lawrence / Josh Hutcherson's The Hunger Games Box Office: $250M Milestone Not Reached Last Weekend. Another consequence of The Hunger Games' lower-than-expected weekend box-office performance was that its drop-off rate was slightly higher than originally thought. At close to 62%, The Hunger Games drop was about the same as that of Catherine Hardwicke / Robert Pattinson / Kristen Stewart's original Twilight movie in fall 2008 — even though Ross' film version of Suzanne Collins' novel received much better reviews. For comparison's sake, among non-sequels: James Cameron / Sam Worthington's Avatar was down a minuscule 2% on its second weekend. Sam Raimi / Tobey Maguire / Kirsten Dunst's original Spider-Man was down 38%. Chris Columbus / Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was down 36%. Michael Bay / Shia Labeouf / Megan Fox's Transformers was down 47.5%. Tim Burton / Mia Wasikowska's Alice in Wonderland was down 46%. When it comes to sequels, David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2...

Hugo

A children's movie directed by Martin Scorsese is an interesting proposition. Rather than try to get down with the youth of today or give us a Goodkiddies or Raging Calf, Scorsese has instead made a rather sweet and fantastical movie loosely about the childhood version of himself: a lonely child who loves movies.

Hugo is an orphan secretly living in a Parisian train station, where he tends the clocks while trying to repair an automaton his father left him. His friendship with a fellow orphan and her toy kiosk-owning guardian reveals many life-changing secrets. While the script seems a little undercooked, the same cannot be said for the visuals. It's great to see a master such as Scorsese take full advantage of CGI and 3D; it never looks anything less than stunning. The 1930s setting means no product placement and the film feels less like an advert for toys...

by Nick Schager

What's new is always old, and in this recurring column, I'll be taking a look at the classic genre movies that have influenced today's new releases. In honor of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, this week it's Bob Clark's 1979 Holmes-vs.-the-Ripper thriller, Murder by Decree.

Navigating the deserted misty streets of 1880s London from the point of view of its notorious villain, Jack the Ripper, Bob Clark's camera delivers an immediate jolt of Black Christmas-style malevolence to Murder by Decree, the director's superlative Sherlock Holmes adventure. Armed with John Hopkins' smart script (based on Elwyn Jones and John Lloyd's book The Ripper File), Clark situates his iconic sleuth in the midst of England's most infamous crime spree, pitting him against the Ripper and, in doing so, a social hierarchy as inflexible as it is entrenched. It's a tale...

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked, and Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel.

This weekend a trio of song-singing chipmunks will do box office battle with a charming super sleuth and the ultimate Hollywood rebel. But if the weather outside’s too frightful for you to venture out, enjoy these selected streaming adventures that feature beguiling gumshoes, screwball siblings and brilliant and bizarre showbiz docs — all from the comfort of your couch!

The to sequel Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes has the dapper detective (Robert Downey Jr.) and his devoted Watson (Jude Law) chasing down Holmes’ malevolent nemesis Moriarty (Jared Harris). Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams co-star.

Screen Sherlocks through the ages:

Sherlock Holmes: Dressed to Kill (1946) Basil Rathbone,...

It’s Tuesday! That means it’s time for another Home Invasion post. Home Invasion is a list of DVD & Blu-Ray releases for the week. All descriptions are from Amazon.com unless otherwise noted. We have included buttons for you to order that product which not only makes it easy on you but also helps us pay the bills around here.

Batman: Year One (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

Batman: Year One is an animated adaptation of the four issue story arc Batman: Year One. The premiere was at Comic-Con on July 22 and the official release date is October 18, 2011. The film was directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu. It is the 12th film released under the DC Universe Animated Original Movies banner. (from Wikipedia.org)

Buy the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy @ Amazon.com Beware

Shady Grove has many dark secrets among them is the sadistic legend of Shane,...

It's October, kids, and that means everyone and their grandmother are looking for cool things to turn you on to. Next up to the plate - Scorpion Releasing with two little seen gems starring some true horror heavyweights.

From the Press Release

Masters of horror Sir Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing pair up in this spine-tingling Gothic thriller! When a Scottish island orphanage is inundated by a rash of cold-blooded murders, Special Bureau Chief Bingham (Lee, Dracula Prince Of Darkness, The Wicker Man, The Mummy) of Scotland Yard is dispatched to investigate. He and his ally (Cushing, Star Wars, The Creeping Flesh, She, Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell), a hospital pathologist, begin to uncover a series of bizarre and baffling clues.

Special Features

Play with or without Katarina's Nightmare Theater Liner Notes by Christopher Gullo, author of Peter Cushing biography, "In All Sincerity...Peter Cushing". Original Trailer Reversible sleeve...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: The legendary Christopher Plummer, who has been earning raves for his performance in Mike Mills’ “Beginners” as a widower embracing his homosexuality, will receive the “Hollywood Supporting Actor Award” at this year’s 15th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz Entertainment. The event is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 24, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Plummer, an Academy Award nominee for his recent performance in “The Last Station,” has been enjoying even more awards chatter as of late for his turn as Hal, a closeted gay man who didn’t choose to come out until his wife passed away … much to the surprise of his son (Ewan McGregor).

Plummer, who can be seen in “Barrymore” and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” later this year, will be on hand to accept the award.

His bio is below:

Christopher Plummer...

With ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows’ set for release this December you have plenty of time to brush up on the great detective and his trusty partner Dr Watson. Only problem is that in his 124 year history, Holmes is one of, if not ‘the’, most portrayed fictional character of all time – so where to start?

Luckily you readers I have compiled a list of the 10 must see Sherlock Holmes Interpretations.

10. Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

I’ll start with this underrated and often overlooked entry from executive producer Steven Spielberg and writer Chris Columbus (who went on to direct ‘Home Alone’ and the first two ‘Harry Potter’ pictures). This original adventure which re-imagines Holmes and Watson as teenagers who meet at boarding school and team up to solve a mystery involving a spate of murders around London.

Intended to kick off a franchise, this movie, while not based on any of Doyle’s stories,...

Wow. Is it that time again already? Seems like it was just yesterday. Oh well, let’s check and see what’s in the bag for us this month. Ooh, I like this one.

A good low budget zombie film that is certainly not getting the credit it deserves. When it comes to zombie films, I’m all about the blood and guts. The more graphic the better, so the fact that this remains one of my top three favorite zombie movies despite an almost complete lack of blood says something.

Let’s take a look back at Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things!

It’s late at night and egotistical stage director Alan (Alan Ormsby) and his band of abused actors have just landed on an island for a little voodoo ceremony. They make their way through the forest, past the cemetery, and finally stop at a deserted cottage.

TV and film make-up artist with a gift for applying prosthetics

The television and film make-up artist Jane Royle, who has died aged 78, was admired by fellow professionals for her all-round ability to bring a look to the screen that was as important as that contributed by the director of photography or production designer. She could go from ensuring Izabella Scorupco looked stunningly beautiful as a Bond girl in GoldenEye (1995) to making actors appear hideous, old, scarred, bruised, bearded or bald. Royle particularly enjoyed applying prosthetics – to which she referred as "the stickies".

For the 1979 Sherlock Holmes film Murder By Decree, she simulated the wrenched-out innards of prostitutes killed by Jack the Ripper. One of her most memorable transformations was the complete prosthetic makeover – wrinkled face, bulbous nose, pointy ears and flowing hair and whiskers – she gave Billy Barty for his cowardly dwarf character, Screwball, in the fantasy film Legend (1985).

Later,...

It has been a long time coming, and I don't just mean this review. Fiction's greatest detective is back on the big screen at last. Although Sherlock Holmes is one of the most filmed characters in literary history, it seems like an age since Hollywood last added to the character's celluloid canon.

Part of the reason for that delay is that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Holmes stories do not translate easily into mainstream movies. Most of Holmes' major film outings, from the Rathbone-Bruce classics to The Great Mouse Detective, have been based on stories written specially for the screen and are of variable quality. As a Holmes fan, I was skeptical about Hollywood's latest attempt to make the character into blockbuster material, not least because of the casting and the hints in the trailer that deeper levels of depravity had been added to Holmes' list of vices.

I...

by Alan Kistler

The new film "Sherlock Holmes," starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, has been entertaining many. And today, January 6th, is Holmes' actual birthday (as established in the original books).

Even after his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stopped writing fiction, Sherlock Holmes continued to appear in new stories for several decades, in all sorts of media. And sometimes he's been teamed up with other famous characters, fictional creations with their own worlds and fans. Here are some of the wilder crossovers featuring England's greatest detective.

Sherlock Holmes v. Dracula

The title may seem silly, but "Sherlock Holmes Vs Dracula" by Loren D. Estleman is a fantastic story that takes place parallel to the original "Dracula" novel by Bram Stoker. Remember how Stoker's book was made up of journal entries, letters and newspaper articles? Here, we see Holmes and Watson investigating those same news stories, leading them...

Plot: Master detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.), and his partner Dr. Watson (Jude Law), must stop a murderous occultist, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), who has seemingly risen from the dead. Review: I.ve always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes. I used to read the short stories in grade school, and I.ve always enjoyed the various Holmes films/ TV shows, particularly the under appreciated Holmes Vs. Jack the Ripper film, Murder By Decree, with Christopher Plummer in the title...

Its beginning to smell a lot like Christmas but its not too late to get some great DVD’s for the movie lovers on your list. To help you decide just what to get, here’s a list of some of the new movie and TV shows coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week that we’re looking forward to seeing. Also, there’s some classic, and not-so-classic, movies hitting Blu-ray for the first time.

Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Blu-ray versions of movies and TV shows such as The Hangover, The Goods, Star Trek: the Original Series and the Blu-ray debut of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (shown above with Brad Pitt and Eli Roth).

Check them out:

Movies

Cake Boss ~ Buddy Valastro, Joey Faugno, Mary Sciarrone (DVD)

G-Force (Single Disc Widescreen) ~ Nicolas Cage, Jon Favreau (DVD and Blu-ray)

The Goods: Live Hard,...

Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves hunting Nazis. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs. So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs. Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don't forget to check out Neil Miller's hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases! The Hangover Pitch: The funniest movie released this past June... Why Buy? Personally, I think it's probably funnier than anything else this year, but comedy is subjective so I scaled the pitch back a bit. The...

This week's DVD release line-up may not be huge in terms of quantity, but it makes up for it with quality. Inglourious Basterds, The Hangover and G-Force will all probably be hot items to throw under the Christmas tree this year. Also out this week is Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock and The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (previously only available for rental), along with the fourth season of Adult Swim's Robot Chicken. On Blu-ray, it's the third and final season of Star Trek: The Original Series and The Mel Brooks Collection, meanwhile Best Buy has the exclusive debut of Boogie Nights in high-def. Will you be doing any DVD shopping this week? The Hangover [1] (DVD, Blu-ray [2]) Inglourious Basterds [3] (DVD, Blu-ray [4]) G-Force [5] (DVD, Blu-ray [6]) Taking Woodstock [7] (DVD, Blu-ray [8]) The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard [9] Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie [10] The Other Man [11] (DVD, Blu-ray [12]) The Girl from Monaco [13] Murder by Decree...

You can definitely tell DVD companies are counting on everyone to have already bought all the videos they plan to give out this holiday season -- with the highlight of this week's releases being C Me Dance, I think you can see where this is going.

Actually, there are a couple of diamonds in the rough such as a two batches of Sherlock Holmes flicks (yeah, we know they're not full-on horror, but they're still loads of fun) with such masters as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee along with Murder by Decree from 1979 starring Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, and Susan Clark. We've also got a trio of one-namers like Fallen, Throttle, and Trunk. But without a doubt the pick of the week is Santa Claus Conquers the Martians from Cinema Insomnia's Slime Line.

Happy shopping!

- Debi Moore

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

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In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) now on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp.

DVD Releases for December 1, 2009

Ben 10: Alien Swarm (Warner, $19.97 DVD; $29.99 Blu-ray): The alien swarm is upon us. Our world is threatened with an imminent invasion from a swarming alien menace. And there is only one hero brave enough, smart enough and tough enough to fight back—Ben Tennyson! But when Ben teams up with an outsider, he breaks ranks with Gwen, Kevin and Max and risks losing against the toughest enemy he has ever faced. This is the live-action incarnation of the hit animated series, a TV movie directed by Bill & Ted’S Excellent Adventure’s Alex Winter.

Gremlins (Warner, $28.99 Blu-ray): Don’t get them wet, keep them out of...

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) now on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp.

DVD Releases for November 24, 2009

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season Four (Universal, $39.98): Legendary, award-winning and suspenseful, Alfred Hitchcock Presents set the gold standard for all TV mystery series to come and has remained a part of popular culture. And now, the complete fourth season—all 36 episodes—is available on DVD for fans to enjoy.

Angels & Demons (Sony, $28.96 DVD; two-disc Extended Edition $36.95; $39.95 Blu-ray): In Ron Howard’s follow-up to The Da Vinci Code, expert symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) follows ancient clues on a hunt through Rome to find the four Cardinals kidnapped by the deadly secret society, the Illuminati. With the Cardinals’ lives on the line, and the Camerlengo (Star Wars’ Ewan McGregor) desperate for help,...

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) now on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp.

DVD Releases for November 17, 2009

Ben 10: Alien Force: Volume Five (Warner, $14.98): Hold on tight as Ben, Gwen and Kevin take off on a new series of adventures. Saving mankind can be tough, especially when you’re grounded. Ben’s on house arrest after he gets busted by his parents for turning into Swampfire, Kevin is captured by the DNAliens and Ben teams up with Grandpa Max to battle an old enemy in the Null Void. It’s more danger than they bargained for and the stakes are high as the crew fights for the fate of the planet.

The Best Of Star Trek: The Next Generation: Volume Two (Paramount,...

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) now on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp.

This week’s releases:

Batman: The Brave And The Bold: Volume Two (Warner, $14.98): Batman isn’t going it alone (or with just Robin) this time. The caped crusader is now teaming up with heroes from across the DC Universe, delivering nonstop action and adventure with a touch of comic relief. Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Aquaman and countless others get a chance to uphold justice alongside Batman. Though still based in Gotham, Batman frequently finds himself outside city limits, facing situations that are both unfamiliar and exhilarating. With formidable foes around every corner, Batman still relies on his stealth, resourcefulness and limitless supply of cool gadgets to bring justice home.

Cars Gift Set (Disney,...

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) now on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though any clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.

DVD Releases for November 3, 2009 (Posted late due to our recent Fango event in Vegas)

Aliens In The Attic (Fox, $29.99 DVD; $39.99 Blu-ray): It’s summer vacation, but the Pearson family kids are stuck at a boring lake house with their nerdy parents. That is until feisty, little, green aliens crash-land on the roof with plans to conquer the house and then Earth. Using only their wits, courage and video game-playing skills, the youngsters must band together to defeat the aliens and save the world—but the toughest part might be keeping the whole thing a secret from their parents!

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) now on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though any clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.

DVD Releases for October 27, 2009

Adult Swim In A Box (Turner, $69.98): This set includes six full seasons of Adult Swim’s most popular series: Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume Two, Space Ghost: Season Three, Moral Oral: Season One, Robot Chicken: Season Two, Metalocalypse: Season One and Sealab 2021: Season Two. Five never-before-released pilots are also included.

The Asphyx (Hen’s Tooth, $19.95): The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes’ Robert Stephens stars as Sir Hugo Cunningham, a 19th-Century amateur scientist and dabbler in psychic phenomena. His experiments in the new art of photography lead him...

One of the real joys of Back Catalogue is getting to sift through movies I actually want to watch instead of whatever happens across my desk. This look at the older titles available through Vci Entertainment offered a little bit of everything. Mario Bava, made for TV fare, cult classics, exploitation and even documentary. Needless to say this was quite a viewing party.

Kiss Of The Tarantula was a definite first into the DVD player for me as I loves me some campy spider action. The film follows the mold of other movies like Willard, and Stanley, leaving out the supernatural element. Poor misunderstood, constantly picked on Susan isn't able to control spiders, she just raises them in the family mortuary. And when the locals (and her lecherous uncle) get a little too aggressive poor Susan pops a few of her eight legged friends in for visit.

Death by spider...

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS & Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles now being released (or re-released) on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though any clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.

This week’s DVD releases:

Blood: The Last Vampire (Sony, $24.96 DVD; $34.95 Blu-ray): Based on the cult anime series, Blood: The Last Vampire takes place in a world where demons have infested Earth. Only one warrior stands between the dark and the light: Saya, a half-human/half-vampire samurai who preys on those who feast on human blood. Joining forces with the shadowy society known as the Council, Saya is dispatched to an American military base, where an intense series of swordfights leads her to the deadliest vampire of all. And now after 400 years, Saya’s greatest hunt is about to begin.

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS & Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles now being released (or re-released) on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though any clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.

This week’s DVD releases:

Drag Me To Hell (Universal, $29.98 DVD; $39.98 Blu-ray): Director Sam Raimi (Spider-man) returns to the horror genre. Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is on her way to having it all: a devoted boy friend (Justin Long), a hard-earned job promotion and a bright future. But when she’s forced to make a tough decision that evicts an elderly woman from her house, Christine becomes the victim of an evil curse. Now she has only three days to dissuade a dark spirit from stealing her soul before she’s dragged to hell for an eternity of unthinkable torment.

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS & Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles now being released (or re-released) on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though any clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.

This week’s DVD releases...

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Warner, $29.99 Blu-ray): The classic Peanuts Christmas cartoon is a holiday perennial favorite, and now it’s available on Blu-ray.

Contact (Warner, $28.99 Blu-ray): Robert Zemeckis directed this adaptation of Carl Sagan’s bestseller about a radio astronomer who may or may not have discovered an extraterrestrial radio transmission. Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey star. Look for our Foster interview on the film (from issue #241) to be posted online soon.

Get Smart: Season Four (Warner, $24.98): Maxwell Smart is back...and loving it! And so are Agent 99, the Chief, Fang...

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) now on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though the clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.

DVD Releases for September 29, 2009

The Dark Crystal (Sony, $27.95 Blu-ray): In this 1982 fantasy from directors Jim Henson and Frank Oz, travel back in time to the faraway planet of Thra where the Mystics fight to overthrow the evil Skeksis and take back control of their planet. When Jen, a member of the Gelfling tribe, sets out to find the Dark Crystal’s missing shard, his dangerous journey brings him face to face with monsters at every turn. Determined to restore peace to their planet, Jen will not back down in this tale of good vs. evil that has become a cult favorite.

In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though the clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.

DVD Releases for September 22, 2009

Battle For Terra (Lionsgate, $19.98 DVD; $29.99 Blu-ray): When environmental destruction forces people to leave Earth, the remaining survivors rocket through space on a quest to find a new home. At first, it seems like the beautiful planet Terra is the perfect place to take over. But when a fighter pilot (voice of Luke Wilson) crashes on Terra, he forms an unlikely friendship with a rebellious Terrian girl named Mala (Evan Rachel Wood). Now, putting aside their differences, the young heroes join forces to protect Terra from destruction in this animated Sf adventure that also features the voices of Dennis Quaid,...