Twilight Time Announces Releases Sept/Oct/Nov, 2013 (1 Viewer)

[David Weicker]

According to their FB page, they don't go on sale until the 23rd

 

[bujaki]

Thanks. I wish they'd announce the date on their press release. It just makes good business sense to help customers find information without having to dig for it. I know; I used to work in retail. FB and I do not have a relationship.

 

[lukejosephchung]

Maybe not. I just checked....it said pre-orders are available 25 days in advance:
October 11th - OLIVER! (1968) BLU-RAY - Nov 12th, THE WAY WE WERE (1973) BLU-RAY - Nov 12th, and JANE EYRE (1944) BLU-RAY - Nov 12th. Please be advised that PRE-ORDERS begin approximately 25 days BEFORE the release date listed next to each title. Dates are subject to change without notification.

Ah...didn't see that part of the announcement!!! That means pre-orders should begin in 11 days!!! Thanks for the correction!!!

 

[battlebeast]

Good to know; I NEED OLIVER

 

[ahollis]

Just a reminder that OLIVER and THE WAY WE WERE go up for pre-orders at 4pm edt today.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Can anyone tell me where the link will be found on Screenarchives.com when Oliver goes on sale today? I want to be sure to get a copy.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Can anyone tell me where the link will be found on Screenarchives.com when Oliver goes on sale today? I want to be sure to get a copy.

Right HERE, Robert. This is SAE's Twilight Time list.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I just pre-ordered Jane Eyre!

I already own Oliver! as I ordered it from Italy months ago.

 

[ROclockCK]

I'll admit, when I first heard that Twilight Time was releasing the esoteric, gorehound-targeted, almost direct-to-video Mindwarp, I bleated a rather woebegone little "W-T-F???"

I'll just have to defer to Julie Kirgo's customarily savvy and sassy insert essay for the reasons why that was such a hasty misjudgment. I certainly never would have sought out something like this, nor taken a chance on it blind, had TT not chosen it for their collection. Nevertheless, I had a lot of unexpected and unapologetic fun with this surreal-crazy little genre Cuisinart*. I thought it was smart, inventive, and ambitious w-a-y beyond its means, especially in terms of its synecdochical, post-apocalyptic design. Also some funky-effective performances, with a grand slam delivered by the phantasmatic Angus Scrimm (that voice!), and of course, that iconic "Wazzzamatta Judy?" from the always cheeky-interesting Bruce Campbell. Heck, I even liked Mark Governor's economical yet persuasive score...so bonus there too in the IST department (could this have been one of the hooks compelling TT to run with such an obscure oddity?)

Although not likely a classic-to-be, Mindwarp sure had enough good moments, and such a cheesy-imaginative spirit that I had a right on blast with the crazy thing.

* Any accident that at one point Campbell wields a blender blade as a weapon?

 

[BPullen]

I'll admit, when I first heard that Twilight Time was releasing the esoteric, gorehound-targeted, almost direct-to-video Mindwarp, I bleated a rather woebegone little "W-T-F???"

I'll just have to defer to Julie Kirgo's customarily savvy and sassy insert essay for the reasons why that was such a hasty misjudgment. I certainly never would have sought out something like this, nor taken a chance on it blind, had TT not chosen it for their collection. Nevertheless, I had a lot of unexpected and unapologetic fun with this surreal-crazy little genre Cuisinart*. I thought it was smart, inventive, and ambitious w-a-y beyond its means, especially in terms of its synecdochical, post-apocalyptic design. Also some funky-effective performances, with a grand slam delivered by the phantasmatic Angus Scrimm (that voice!), and of course, that iconic "Wazzzamatta Judy?" from the always cheeky-interesting Bruce Campbell. Heck, I even liked Mark Governor's economical yet persuasive score...so bonus there too in the IST department (could this have been one of the hooks compelling TT to run with such an obscure oddity?)

Although not likely a classic-to-be, Mindwarp sure had enough good moments, and such a cheesy-imaginative spirit that I had a right on blast with the crazy thing.

* Any accident that at one point Campbell wields a blender blade as a weapon?

Mark Governor's score is the gel sealing this together. Somber, nostalgic, with more than a passing glance to Kubrick, the music mourns then anticipates. Mindwarp (1992) delivers a metaphysical send-up. A whim within whim undercurrent, a tour of Freudian standards, an a offbeat view of denial. Just as you find balance, the rug is pulled. Scrimm and Campbell perform admirably. This leaves a mark. Existential dread, a dependency on tech, a Manhattan Project/George Miller nightmare taken even further. The drive swerves well past genre. The Matrix (1999) wouldn't be the same. Cerebral, inhuman, bursting with sentiment, I'm clueless where to place this. I'm glad it happened. Though perhaps not a popular choice, the film works. TT always transcends. No matter the genre. My verdict? Mission accomplished.

 

[ROclockCK]

It was so many trippy, ambitious things all at once Bruce, I hardly knew how to take it.

Yet therein lies most of its daft pleasure. I just get so tired of cookie-cutter genre product which you can pretty much predict through climax after the first few scenes. Sure, Mindwarp was messy, and constrained by its you've-got-to-be-kidding budget, but at least it was genuinely creative.

Hope this odd duck eventually finds its audience.

 

[Bill Coolidge]

And I just received "Oliver!" today. Looks nice. I'm very happy. Can't wait to check it out.

 

[EddieLarkin]

Going to try for a free copy of Mindwarp next Wednesday, so along with my order of the two Sinbad's and The Other, I need a fourth title. I've narrowed it down to The Wayward Bus, High Time, The Rains of Ranchipur, Alamo Bay or Lost Horizon. But I can't decide which! Any suggestions?

 

[ROclockCK]

Going to try for a free copy of Mindwarp next Wednesday, so along with my order of the two Sinbad's and The Other, I need a fourth title. I've narrowed it down to The Wayward Bus, High Time, The Rains of Ranchipur, Alamo Bay or Lost Horizon. But I can't decide which! Any suggestions?

Depends on what you're in the mood for Nick, but if I didn't already have these discs, I'd rank them in the following 'geek appeal' order:

[*]In terms of both film and disc quality, the clear winner for me here is Louis Malle's Alamo Bay, with an outstanding score by Ry Cooder (has he ever contributed anything less?), and transferred from Sony's recent 4k remaster. Fine, largely forgotten film and expertly produced disc...along with Hard Times, among the year's best Blu-rays.
[*]For a prime example of lost-in-the-vault Hollywood plus some [very] candid behind-the-scenes dish via the commentary track, you can't do much better than John Steinbeck's The Wayward Bus. Also another superb example of 50s 'Scope in monochrome, with expert scoring by Leigh Harline. Tabloid geek appeal +++.
[*]Blake Edwards' High Time is simply a charm-the-pants-off-any-curmudgeon hoot, with Mancini's infectious score carrying the whole thing along with such breezy grace...the only thing missing was a superimposed 'bouncing ball'. Could also be viewed as Edwards and Mancini's ramp up to their signature style for the Clouseau films. Just a classy entertainment from end to end.
[*]After more than a year trying, I still can't quite explain why The Rains of Ranchipur remains such a guilty pleasure and recurring indulgence...although I absolutely loved Eugenie Leontovich's wry and spry performance as the Maharani. Its early 'Scope blue-screen and rotoscoping effects were a patchwork of surprisingly good and wince-inducingly bad, but Hugo Friedhofer's score was a B-I-G plus in tying it all together. Even in the day, this was an unapologetic popcorn-munching romantic potboiler, yet it does have a curious allure which continues to draw me back (I've seen it 3 times now, once with score isolated). So it could go either way for you.
[*]Although Lost Horizon '73 also has its devoted fans, I don't happen to be one of them. I never cared for it in its previously truncated form, but here at least, we have the full cut and it plays much better. Despite an over reliance on cheesy Vegas-redux choreography and crapshoot vocal looping for the (mostly) non-singing actors (I didn't believe a single note supposedly coming from Peter Finch's mouth), it still has some good moments, and looked very nice on TT's disc.
[/list]
As always, my abiding caveat would be "go with your own instincts." These are just my personal prefs.

 

[EddieLarkin]

Thanks for run down Steve, much appreciated!

I'll think I'll ditch The Rains of Ranchipur for now, and maybe Lost Horizon too (it's really only morbid curiousity that's drawing me to it). Alamo Bay's chances have risen due to your post, though now I'm reconsidering Jane Eyre which I originally left out over concerns of the image quality.

This is difficult!

 

[ROclockCK]

Sure is. This label has been such an eclectic journey of discovery I've actually had more 'blind buys'* than not. It definitely helps sway your choices if you have an interest in the art and craft of movie scoring.

* Although just as often they haven't been 'deaf buys'. Jane Eyre is a perfect example of a film I've never seen, yet have been listening to Bernard Herrmann's classic score for a couple of decades now. Ditto for Alex North's The Sound and the Fury score, which was a mainstay among my soundtracks for nearly 40 years before I finally had a chance to see the source film.

 

[Bryan^H]

It was so many trippy, ambitious things all at once Bruce, I hardly knew how to take it.

Yet therein lies most of its daft pleasure. I just get so tired of cookie-cutter genre product which you can pretty much predict through climax after the first few scenes. Sure, Mindwarp was messy, and constrained by its you've-got-to-be-kidding budget, but at least it was genuinely creative.

Hope this odd duck eventually finds its audience.

I hope so too. I'm spreading the word to my horror loving friends, but so far they are of the 'never heard of it, so it can't be good' opinion. But the proof is in the pudding, If I show them 10 minutes of it they will be the first to ask how they can get a copy from Screen Archives

 

[ROclockCK]

Sometimes that's all the push a cult gem like this needs Bryan...heard often enough...from multiple sources...eventually that word of mouth gets through. I mean, I wouldn't have sought out something like this had TT not chosen to present it...so I'm glad I trusted their taste and insight enough to take a chance.

The evidence is always the film itself though, especially its ideas. I think Steve Barnett and company should be very proud of what they achieved on such a shoestring budget here.