Mad Max On Blu-Ray In June

One of the greatest Australian film successes, and directed by the guy who almost made Justice League, and starring the guy who I always thought would’ve been a great Wolverine, comes news of the complete Mad Max Bluy-Ray release.

As a barely interesting side-note, I should also point out that last year I won a copy of the first film on Blu-Ray when my rather geeky letter was published in Empire magazine, pointing out their many mistakes regarding their article on The Amazing Spider-Man film. Now, on to the high-def details.

THE MAD MAX TRILOGY

BLU-RAY™ COLLECTION DEBUTS JUNE 4

FROM WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Mel Gibson Stars in the Franchise that Made Him a Star

Mad Max, the sci-fi franchise that introduced Mel Gibson to the world, will come together for the first time as a Blu-ray collection when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) debuts the Mad Max Trilogy on June 4th.

The three films – Mad Max (1979), Mad Max Road Warrior (1982) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) – are all set in the near-future in Australia. From the very first film, Oscar® winner George Miller (Happy Feet, 2006) proved a master at creating the gritty, bleak dystopian world and staging the incredible car stunts and crashes in the era when stuntmen, not computers, achieved the effects. All three movies starred Mel Gibson, virtually unknown until after the second film, as Max Rockatansky, a highway cop traveling through the Outback in a society descending into chaos. The films started Gibson on his road to international superstardom, led to his signature Lethal Weapon series, and later two Academy Awards® for his roles as producer and director of Braveheart (1995).

This must-own collection for action fans is available in limited premium tin packaging and makes a perfect gift for Father’s Day. The collection will sell for $49.99 SRP on Blu-ray Disc™. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, which is making its Blu-ray debut, will also be available as a single along with Mad Max Road Warrior. Order due date for all is April 30th.

 

About The Films

Mad Max (1979)

George Miller’s first entry in the trilogy, Mad Max packs brutal action and insane stunts as it follows the inevitable downfall of relentless cop Max Rockatansky (Gibson) in a world gone mad. Living on the edge of an apocalypse, Max is ready to run far away from it all with his family. But when he experiences an unfortunate encounter with a motorcycle gang and its menacing leader, the Toecutter, his retreat from the madness of the world is now a race to save his family’s life.

 

Mad Max Road Warrior (1982)

The sequel to Mad Max, Mad Max Road Warrior provides action-packed, “automotive” entertainment, telling the story of a selfish-turned-selfless hero and his efforts to protect a small camp of desert survivors and defend an oil refinery under siege from a ferocious marauding horde that plunders the land for gasoline.

 

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Mel Gibson returns for his third go-round as the title hero who takes on the barbarians of the post-nuclear future – and this time becomes the savior of a tribe of lost children. Music superstar Tina Turner co-stars as Aunty Entity, a power-mad dominatrix determined to use Max to tighten her stranglehold on Bartertown, where fresh water, clean food and gasoline are worth more than gold.

THE MAD MAX TRILOGY

ON BLU-RAY

Street Date: June 4, 2013

Order Due Date: April 30, 2013

Catalog/UPC #: 1000334058 / 883929266661

Pricing: $49.99 SRP

Mad Max Run Time: 94 minutes; Rated R

The Road Warrior Run Time: 91 minutes; Rated R

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Run Time: 107 minutes; Rated PG-13

Mad Max Blu-Ray

First Henry Cavill Superman Image

British actor Henry Cavill (The Tudors, Immortals) is Superman in Zack Snyder’s (300,Sucker Punch) 2013 Superman reboot. Laurence Fishburne was officially cast as his boss at The Daily Planet, Perry White. Yes, White is..white, but I can see Fishburne in the role.

The suit is obviously textured, for easier special affects use I’d assume, and there’s no sign of the famous spit curl or red undies. The cape looks huge too, but overall, I like it. It’s darker, like the original comics costume, and the smashed safe wall seem to allude to a powerful fight for the Man of Steel. Finally!

The noticeable thing is that by the time this gets to the screen, the new comics costume, as designed by Jim Lee, will have already been out for 2 years, but I guess this film costume is what most people associate with the Man of Steel, plus the more armoured new comics version would probably look rather odd in action.

It’s All About Green Lantern

With the live action film just days away from its June 19 debut, Warner Bros. have unveiled an unprecedented 8 clips from the film. Most are over a minute long and aren’t heavy on the action. I must say, seeing these clips doesn’t fill me with extreme confidence though. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively really lack chemistry, but I’m happy that he says, “By the power of Greyskull,” in his attempt to state the GL oath (that’s from the He-Man cartoon for those of you who aren’t Gen Xers) and his ring constructs certainly look diverse. In the first clip Reynolds and Likely couldn’t call each other Highball and Sapphire more, though perhaps the latter is a nod to Lively’s Carol Ferris’ transformation into Star Sapphire in a sequel. I must also say that the Earth bound scenes (in what is the reverse of Thor’s film) seem to be the lowlights.

The tie-in videogame is available now. Below is the latest trailer, plus the official description.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is set in the universe of the film with an original story by award-winning comic book writer Marv Wolfman.  Players will take flight across the universe to planets Oa, Zamaron and Biot, and utilize an arsenal of constructs to restore intergalactic order by wielding the ultimate weapon: the Green Lantern Power Ring.  Gamers playing the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions will also have the option to join forces with a friend to play as Hal Jordan or Sinestro to battle the Manhunters.

The Nintendo 3DS version of the game is designed specifically to take advantage of the system’s stereoscopic 3D capabilities and deliver multi-plane graphics that delve players further into the Green Lantern universe.

In addition, players on Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 system will be given the option to play in anaglyphic 3D with technology that is compatible with high definition TV sets and visible to players wearing the 3D glasses that will be available for the video game.  Fans can also enjoy the game in stereoscopic 3D when playing on any 3D HDTV while wearing active shutter glasses that are compatible with the television.

Also now available is the Green Lantern: Emerald Knights animated anthology film, on BluRay and DVD. This one – I am excited for. See the latest clip below, spotlighting Hal and Arisia in space.

GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD KNIGHTS, the 11th film in the popular series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies, is AVAILABLE TODAY — JUNE 7, 2011 — from Warner Home Video on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download.

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, and distributed by Warner Home Video, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights weaves six legendary stories of the Green Lantern Corps’ rich mythology around preparations for an attack by an ancient enemy. As the battle approaches, Hal Jordan (voiced by Castle’s Nathan Fillion) mentors Arisia (Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss) in the history of the Green Lantern Corps, telling tales of Avra (the first Green Lantern) and several of Hal’s comrades – including Kilowog, Abin Sur, Laira and Mogo. In the end, Arisia must rise to the occasion to help Hal, Sinestro and the entire Green Lantern Corps save the universe from the destructive forces of Krona.

ThunderCats DVD

Since we discussed the new He-Man/ThunderCats covention in last week’s podcast, this is good timing. I’ve wanted to get ThunderCats on DVD for ages, but it’s always been fairly pricey, considering there were a massive 65 episodes in its first season. Now we have a cheaper alternative. Official info below.

ThunderCats, Ho!
ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1, Part 1
The Legendary 80’s Cartoon Comes to DVD on July 12, 2011
This summer, the Code of Thundera will live on when Warner Home Video releases ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1 Part 1 July 12, 2011 on DVD – just ahead of the
all-new series premiere of ThunderCats on Cartoon Network. The 2-disc collection set, priced to own at $19.97, includes the first 12 action-packed episodes, as well as a special featurette entitled “Feel the Magic, Hear the Roar,” where fans speak out about their incredible
passion for the classic animated series.
One of the 1980s’ most popular animated series, ThunderCats spawned fan-driven conventions and a wide array of highly sought-after consumer products – from action figures and video games to lunch boxes and comic books. ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1 Part 1 introduces the first animated adventures of the feline-inspired fantasy! A noble band of survivors from the peaceful world of Thundera bravely faces off against vicious mutants intent on destroying them.
Make way for exotic creatures, mystical powers and action-packed battles of good versus evil in the exciting saga of the ThunderCats! ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1 Part 1 follows the heroic groups’ early adventures as they adopt Third Earth as their new home
and encounter alien beings galore – some friendly, some looking for a fight! And while they brave their strange surroundings, their young leader Lion-O struggles with his new responsibilities as head of their foundling civilization. The result is more than four hours of classic cartoon thrills.
“This release is perfectly timed to engage devoted fans eagerly awaiting the new ThunderCats series debut on Cartoon Network this summer,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Director, Family & Animation Marketing. “We are excited for this great opportunity to
introduce the series to a brand new generation a quarter of a century after the original premiere.”
Episodes
Disc 1
1. Exodus
2. The Unholy Alliance
3. Berbils
4. The Slaves of Castle Plun-darr
5. Pumma-Ra
6. The Terror of Hammerhand
Disc 2
7. Trouble with Time
8. The Tower of Traps
9. The Garden of Delights
10. Mandora the Evil Chaser
11. The Ghost Warrior
12. The Doomgaze

 

New Green Lantern: Emerald Knights Images

The next DC animated film is an anthology centering on six different ring bearers in the Green Lantern Corps and is called Emerald Knights. It is released on June 7, just before the film starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Martin Campbell and has a great voice cast including Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle) as Hal Jordan, Henry Rollins as Kilowog, Jason Isaacs as Sinestro, Arnold Vosloo (the bad guy in The Mummy) as Abin Sur, and former wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper as Bolphunga. Yep, the Green Lantern names are almost as cool as those in Star Wars.

See more images here and below is a lost of the extras included on the Blu-Ray.

– Featurette:“Only the Bravest: Tales of The Green Lantern Corps”
– Featurette: “Why Green Lantern Matters: The Talent of Geoff Johns”
– Feature Film Commentary with Dan DiDio and Geoff Johns
– Pod: “From Comic Book to Screen: Abin Sur”
– Pod: “From Comic Book to Screen: Laira Omoto“
This short pod will take a peek into Geoff John’s Green Lantern: Secret Origin book, which for the first time, showed fans what really happened to Abin Sur before he crashed landed on Earth, and passed on his ring to Hal Jordan.
– Bruce Timm’s Picks: Excerpt from “The Siege of Starro! Part One” from Batman: The Brave and The Bold, “Revenge of The Reach!” from Batman: The Brave and The Bold
– Digital Comic: Green Lantern
– Sneak Peek at upcoming DC Universe animated movie
– Sneak Peek at All-Star Superman

Upcoming DC DVDs

Warner Bros. have just released 2 new pics of back cover box art for their upcoming releases. On sale on November 9 is Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, which will also feature the first 3 animated shorts, with previously unseen footage.

Also being released on November 9 is a new doco narrated by actor Ryan Reynolds which chronicles the 75 year history of DC Comics. Here’s the back cover of Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics.

The premiere for the next full length animated feature Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is September 21, but the rest of us can grab it on September 28. Based on the classic comics story arc by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner which re-introduced Kara Zor-El AKA Supergirl into the current DC universe, the film looks set to be just as awesome. New pics from the film below.

75 Years of DC Comics

My favourite comic publisher is also the coolest pensioner since Sean Connery. Now they’re celebrating their 75th anniversary with digital downloads of some of their best films, TV shows and animated series. You can see DC/Warner Bros’ best at the new DC iTunes Experience page or the Warner Bros online shop.

DC Shake-Up

Hot on the heels of the Disney/Marvel merger comes this news, and here’s Marvel head honcho Joe Quesada talking for the last time about that deal. It started with the announcement that long-time DC Publisher (and before that, writer and editor) Paul Levitz was stepping down to focus on his writing career again, returning to Adventure Comics as of the seventh issue. Levitz made his name with the The Legion of Super-Heroes so it’s good to see him back on the characters he loves. The bigger picture is that DC Comics is becoming part of the new DCE (DC Entertainment). Apparently the deal has been in the works for about 2 years, but as Warner Bros. have jealously eyed off Marvel’s film successes and looked at their own untouched or botched cinematic properties they’ve realised something is wrong. So, now Warner Bros. are finally making DC their priority. This makes me happy, not only because now Marvel and DC may just gain new audiences from these bigger initiatives, but also because I’ve always favoured DC. They need big screen epics, not like Superman Returns and Catwoman that don’t represent the characters faithfully. For more details on the news, check out DC’s blog, The Source.

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