KillerFilm » A Clockwork Orange

New Kubrick, Clockwork Orange Blu-rays announced

Jon Peters — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:10:13 +0000

Reissue time! But I doubt if many of you will complain since they’re new Kubrick Blu-rays from Warner Bros. Warner Home Video have just announced A Clockwork Orange: 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray for May 31st in their two-disc DigiBook set with all-new extras.

* Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman

* Malcolm McDowell Looks Back: Malcolm McDowell reflects on his experience working with legendary director Stanley Kubrick on one of the seminal films of the 1970s (new)

* Turning like Clockwork: the film’s ultra-violence and its cultural impact (new)

* Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange

* Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making A Clockwork Orange

* Theatrical Trailer

* Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures: Kubrick’s career comes into sharp focus in this compelling documentary narrated by Tom Cruise. Fascinating footage glimpses Kubrick in his early years, at work on film sets and at home, augmented by candid commentary from collaborators, colleagues and family (new to Blu-ray)

* O Lucky Malcolm!: Documentary about the life and career of actor Malcolm McDowell produced and directed by Jan Harlan

The 40th Anniversary Edition will be packaged in a 40-page Blu-ray Book with rare photos, production notes and more.

Also on that date, WB announced the Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection that will include Universal’s Spartacus disc and Sony’s Dr. Strangelove. No new extras on the films (2001: A Space Odyssey; Eyes Wide Shut; The Shining; Lolita; Barry Lyndon; and Full Metal Jacket), but the set will include a 40-page book.

Source: Blu-ray

Monty Python film voted most controversial film of all time…Why!?

Daniel Herrera — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:45:09 +0000

One of the Monty Python troop’s most successful and hilarious films has just been voted the most controversial film of all time by fellow movie lovers in London. The news comes on the eve of an upcoming 40th anniversary reunion planned for the comedy troupe this fall in which Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam will all appear for a short musical based on Monty Pythons Life of Brian entitled Not the Messiah (He’s a very naughty boy). The only member of Python which will not be in attendance will be Graham Chapman who sadly passed away back in 1989.

It is Life of Brian which was voted the most controversial film of all time besting films like A Clockwork Orange and The Last House on The Left with the polls spokesmen stating: “The success of films like Life Of Brian proves that scandal sells.”

-The Mirror

1. The Life of Brian

2. A Clockwork Orange

3. The Last House on the Left

4. The War Game

5. Pink Flamingos

Now of course this is not the first, nor will it be the last time a most controversial film of all time list is done, so the fact that films like Caligula, The Cook The Thief His Wife and Her lover,Salo,The Last Temptation of Christ,Crash,Kids,The Birth of a Nation, The Passion of the Christ,Lolita,Deep Throat or Bad Lieutenant were forgotten to be mentioned is heresy. It does though make you wonder who, in fact, classifies a film to be controversial or inappropriate. Is it mere coincidence that 2 of the films mentioned are comedies while the other a pseudo documentary and not a full length narrative film, or does it say more about ourselves that films of that nature or ‘quality’ do not get made today? It is more often than not religion and sex, more so than violence that seems to anger certain viewers such as is the case with every film mentioned previously. With the sole exception of The War Game which was deemed too frightening and graphic so much so that the film was made for television viewing back in August of 1966 and the same year won an Oscar for best documentary but was banned by the BBC for viewing until 1985 a full 11 years later due to ”the effect of the film has been judged by the BBC to be too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting”.

Or maybe its the filmmakers themselves that are too afraid to make controversial films like in the case of Theo Van Gough who directed the 10 minute film Submission about muslim women which got him stabbed to death (as seen below)

There is even to this day rampant discussion as to whether Pier Paolo Pasolini had been murdered out of sheer vengeance from his captor or if it in fact had been done due to his final film Salo: The 120 days of Sodom. Either way it is up for debate that if films that can cause such outright hate and debate are more controversial than a biblical comedy by the famed British troupe.

Did Heath Ledger want to quit The Dark Knight

Daniel Herrera — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:49:49 +0000

In a rather baffling piece Vanity Fair has revealed Heath Ledger may in fact have wanted to leave the set and his role in The Dark Knight. In the article Vanity Fair states that Ledger actually took the job so as to have a break from doing other work. The actor knew the shoot would be a long one and actually had a pay or play deal which in essence means that no matter the outcome the actor would still in fact be compensated. It is in that regard that Ledger went so far over the top into A Clockwork Orange territory that assumed would not matter if he in fact would get fired as he would still be paid for the piece.

Among the piece the article states that the actor who had been suffering from insomnia had been taking sleep medication to combat the tiredness as well as learning techniques to stay awake after such lack of sleep. A friend and vocal coach for Ledger even stated: “From my perspective, and knowing him as well as I did, and being around him as much as I was, it was a combination of exhaustion, sleeping medication … and perhaps the aftereffects of the flu. I guess his body just stopped breathing.”

Among other things blamed for the Oscar winners sudden passing include his failed relationships with former girlfriend Michelle Williams,drug problems, and issues with his on again off again sobriety.

It is with odd timing that Vanity Fair chose to write the article as no anniversary of the actor or Dark Knight is on the horizon, it seems as though they may just be looking for some press and reactions to such a piece.

Source: Vanity Fair

Yahoo’s 100 movies you have to see before you die.

Daniel Herrera — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:04:27 +0000

Yahoo! has just released its choices for the 100 films you must see before you die, and like most other lists there are many glaring omissions. Of course you can always be glad so see such time honored films such as M*A*S*H, Raging Bull, and the priceless The 400 Blows, but you would think some of the lists omissions such as Aliens, Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange and The Deer Hunter would have found a spot over films like Titanic, Wild Strawberries, and Enter the Dragon. It is with every 10 best list, best movies of all time,etc,etc that there will always be debate over films that were omitted and films that were placed on the list, but that is what makes a list great.

Check out their picks on the top 100.

12 Angry Men (1957)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The 400 Blows (1959)
8 ½ (1963)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
The African Queen (1952)
Alien (1979)
All About Eve (1950)
Annie Hall (1977)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Battle of Algiers (1967)
The Bicycle Thief (1948)
Blade Runner (1982)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Blow Up (1966)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Breathless (1960)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Casablanca (1942)
Chinatown (1974)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Die Hard (1988)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Duck Soup (1933)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
The French Connection (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather, Part II (1974)
Goldfinger (1964)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1968)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Graduate (1967)
Grand Illusion (1938)
Groundhog Day (1993)
In the Mood For Love (2001)
It Happened One Night (1934)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Jaws (1975)
King Kong (1933)
The Lady Eve (1941)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The Lord of the Rings (2001,2002,2003)
M (1931)
M*A*S*H (1970)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Matrix (1999)
Modern Times (1936)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
Network (1976)
Nosferatu (1922)
On the Waterfront (1954)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Paths of Glory (1958)
Princess Mononoke (1999)
Psycho (1960)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Raging Bull (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Raise the Red Lantern (1992)
Rashomon (1951)
Rear Window (1954)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Rocky (1976)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler’s List (1993)
The Searchers (1956)
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Star Wars (1977)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Third Man (1949)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Titanic (1997)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Toy Story (1995)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Vertigo (1958)
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Wings of Desire (1988)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
The World of Apu (1959)