Finally: Iconoscope's next releases and other sundries
August Newsletter
Please do no adjust your tracking… it’s true… the next two Iconoscope titles have been announced!
OMG, guys! I can’t believe it’s here! I feel like there’s so much to say, but now I can’t think of the words! I’m so pleased to be a part of these releases and honored to have been asked by the mighty Brandon Upson to help produce some of the extras! I admit that I learned an awful lot about the process of putting together a disc, and it ain’t easy. But, at the same time, it was a total joy. And I’m really proud of these!
Here’s what’s available for pre-order:
Death of a Cheerleader is one of the most fondly remembered telefilms of the 1990s, featuring Kellie Martin as the unhinged Angela, a high school student who just wants to belong. Tori Spelling is Stacy, Angela’s main object of affection and greatest source of jealousy. The film features both actresses in roles that proved what great talents they are, and while it is loosely based on a true crime, the film becomes something more, exploring the ways in which young women feel pressured “to be the best.”
Here’s a list of the extras that I produced:
-Audio commentary with author and film historian Amanda Reyes
-“A Friend to Die For: Margaret Langrick Is the Accidental Actor in a Floppy Hat” - an interview with actress Margaret Langrick
-“To Be the Best? The Dark Side of Establishment Values in Death of A Cheerleader“ - a visual essay by author and critic Scott Humphries
-”An Actress to Die For: A Look at the Telefilm Career of Valerie Harper” essay by Amanda Reyes
I had so much fun working on this film, and I was so pleased with how it all turned out. This is a 4K release, and you can pre-order it now at Vinegar Syndrome.
Disappearance was originally made for TBS in 2002, and is an absolutely eerie and unsettling film that mixes movies like The Blair Witch Project and Hills Have Eyes with a little bit of Lovecraft, baking it into something truly unique. The cast is divine and the desert setting is as creepy as it gets. The story is simple - a family on vacation stumbles upon a ghost town that is more ghostly than they’d hoped. A real enigmatic late-entry telefilm that I find spookier with every watch.
Here’s a list of the extras I produced:
-Audio commentary with director Walter Klenhard, moderated by author and film historian Amanda Reyes
-Audio commentary with film historian Rob Kelly and author Daniel Budnik
-”The Outback in Australian Film Culture” essay by Simon Foster
You can pre-order this Blu Ray release at Vinegar Syndrome.
Vinegar Syndrome’s release of the First Deadly Sin was also announced this past weekend, and I provide a commentary track. The film is based on Lawrence Sanders novel and features Frank Sinatra in his last starring role on the big screen. Weird to say about a New York set cop thriller from this era, but First Deadly Sin is a warm, emotional film with Sinatra putting in a quietly moving performance as the much loved Edward X. Delaney, a beleaguered cop nearing retirement. This film just hits me in all the right ways, and I’m thrilled that I get to be a part of this release. You can look at all the extras and pre-order through Vinegar Syndrome’s website.
Finally, I wanted to promote a fabulous auction at the world-renowned Julien’s, which is all about the women of vintage television. Aptly titled Ladies of the 80’s, this collection of drool-worthy items was curated by the wonderful Ben Sher, a film lover and passionate champion of the women whose items he’s put up for auction. There’s some really, really amazing stuff on hand. Auction ends August 12th. What will you bid on?
