Australian label Via Vision Entertainment has informed us that it plans to release various classic and cult films on Blu-ray. Amongst them are David Cronenberg's
Shivers, Rabid and
Dead Zone, Carl Schultz's
The Seventh Sign, and Stanley Kubrick's
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Based on the book by Peter George with a screenplay by George, Terry Southern and Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove remains the uproarious final word on cold war paranoia. When rogue top brass of Strategic Air Command (Sterling Hayden) orders B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union a British military attache (Peter Sellers) attempts to get the code to reverse the order from the general who shoots himself leaving US President (Sellers again) and advisor to the Chiefs of Staff (George C. Scott) with one helluva of diplomatic incident on their hands – nuclear annihilation.
Extras include:
- The Cold War: picture-in-picture an pop up trivia track
- No Fighting in the War Room: or Dr. Strangelove and the nuclear threat
- Inside Dr. Strangelove or: how I Learned to Stop Worrying and love the bomb
- Best sellers or: Peter Sellers and Dr. Strangelove
- The art of Stanley Kubrick from short films to Strangelove
- An interview with Robert McNamara
- Split screen interviews with Peter Sellers and George C. Scott
STREET DATE: MAY 4.
The Seventh Sign
Apocalypse has come to pass. Now only one woman can stop The Seventh Sign in this taut suspense thriller. Demi Moore stars as Abby Quinn, a young woman who discovers that she and her unborn child play a terrifying part in the chain of events destined to end the world. Already troubled with a difficult pregnancy, Abby grows more distraught when she and her husband (Michael Biehn) rent their studio apartment to David, a mysterious drifter (Jurgen Prochnow). Now submerged in violent metaphysical experiences, Abby realizes that David is carrying out the mystical prophecies of Judgement Day and that she has been chosen as the instrument of The Seventh Sign. But can one woman alone stand between the wrath of God and the future of mankind? In the tradition of The Omen, The Seventh Sign takes you on an ominous, unforgettable odyssey to the edge of life and death.
STREET DATE: MAY 4.
Glory
The heart-stopping story of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War, GLORY stars Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman. Broderick and Elwes are the idealistic young Bostonians who lead the regiment; Freeman is the inspirational sergeant who unites the troops; and Denzel Washington, in an Oscar-winning performance (1989, Best Supporting Actor), is the runaway slave who embodies the indomitable spirit of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts.
STREET DATE: MAY 4.
The Mothman Prophecies
From the director of Arlington Road comes a spine-tingling, super-natural thriller based on actual events that will rattle your nerves and shake your beliefs. Distraught by the sudden, tragic death of his wife (Debra Messing), John Klein (Richard Gere), a journalist for The Washington Post, finds himself mysteriously drawn to a small West Virginia town when he soon learns that many of the town's residents have been beset by bizarre events, including sightings of an eerie "moth-like" entity. Investigating further he is conflicted with the question: Is this a psychic delusion brought on by his grief or can he convince the police sergeant that there's a tragedy that must be averted?
STREET DATE: MAY 4.
Ghosts of the Abyss
Prepare yourself for an experience like no other. Disney and James Cameron, the Academy Award-winning director of TITANIC (1997), present the groundbreaking cinematic achievement GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS in stunning Blu-ray HD. Joined by Bill Paxton and a team of the world's foremost historical and marine experts, Cameron journeys back to the site of his greatest inspiration -- the legendary wreck of the Titanic. During the voyage, you will encounter mysteries that have remained hidden for a century as you peer deep into the haunting remains of the once-great ship. Loaded with bonus footage, revealing interviews and eye-popping Blu-ray 3D, this unprecedented motion picture event is a must-own companion for anyone who loves TITANIC.
STREET DATE: MAY 4.
The David Cronenberg Collection
The three-disc set will feature the early classics
Shivers,
Rabid and
The Dead Zone, two of which have never before been locally available on Blu-ray.
Shivers
The residents of a suburban high-rise apartment building are being infected by a strain of parasites that turn them into mindless, sex-crazed fiends out to infect others by the slightest sexual contact.
Rabid
A young woman develops a taste for human blood after undergoing experimental plastic surgery, and her victims turn into rabid, blood-thirsty zombies who proceed to infect others, which turns into a city-wide epidemic.
The Dead Zone
David Cronenberg's adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is a school teacher who, after surviving a terrible road accident, emerges from a five-year coma cursed with psychic powers which enable him to see into the future. When he then meets Presidential candidate Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), Johnny has a vision of the apocalyptic disasters which would befall the world if this man should ever win office, and realises that it is his destiny to prevent such a thing from ever happening.
STREET DATE: MAY 4.