XLRATOR MEDIA Acquires “SUN CHOKE” for North American Distribution on its Acclaimed MACABRE Label

XLrator Media has acquired North American distribution rights to the thriller SUN CHOKE and will release the film this Summer on its acclaimed “MACABRE” genre label. The film has played over a dozen festivals including FrightFest and the Stanley Film Festival.

Written and directed by Ben Cresciman (Negative Space), SUN CHOKE stars iconic horror film actress Barbara Crampton (You’re Next, Re-Animator, Lords of Salem), Sarah Hagan (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Sara Malakul Lane (17 & Life: Jailbait, the upcoming Kickboxer: Vengeance) along with Evan Jones, Joe Nieves and Jim Boeven. The film features a haunting score by noted musician/producer Boom Bip (aka Bryan Hollon).

“SUN CHOKE is a deeply unsettling psychological thriller in the vein of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion that will leave audiences emotionally shaken and questioning the line between reality and nightmare. It’s an impressive, assured work that marks Ben Cresciman as an important filmmaker to watch,” said XLrator Media CEO Barry Gordon.

ABOUT SUN CHOKE
Janie (Sarah Hagan) is just trying to get well. As Janie recovers from a recent violent psychotic break, she’s subjected each day to a bizarre holistic health and wellness regimen designed, and enforced, by her lifelong nanny and caretaker, Irma (Barbara Crampton). Janie begins to veer off the road to recovery when she develops an obsession with a young woman, Savannah (Sarah Malakul Lane), whom Janie feels an inexplicable yet profound connection to. The obsession turns increasingly invasive and wedges all three women into an ever-tightening and terrifying struggle for control. Will Janie pull herself back from the precipice of insanity? Or will she go over head-first, taking everyone down with her?

SUN CHOKE is produced by George Kallert, Rob Schroeder and Peter J. Nieves of Lodger Films with Wandie Kabule, Leigh Jones and Ian Keiser.

ARROW VIDEO RELEASE DETAILS OF THE MOVIES THEY ARE BRINGING TO NORTH AMERICA

Arrow Films have revealed more information about the expansion of its celebrated Arrow Video label into North America this coming March.

Arrow Video were a huge success in the UK for their various cult and horror releases. They have, over the last few years, also won several ‘Label of the Year’ awards by The Guardian (2011, 2013) and Home Cinema Choice Magazine (2010/2013/2014) as well as awards from other institutions and festivals around the world.
There were also plenty of film collectors aware of their great restoration work and exclusive extras this side of the pond! So it's great news that while Hollywood studios seem to be dialling back on physical media, Arrow will join the ranks of Shout Factory, Blue Underground, Grindhouse Releasing and others, giving us hungry, rare and genre film fans what we want!

Arrow Video are launching in North America with a host of cult titles, receiving the usual deluxe treatment in video, audio, supplements and artwork.
Launch titles include:

Tonino Valerii’s Spaghetti Western Day of Anger [I Giorni dell’ira, aka Gunlaw] starring genre icons Lee Van Cleef and Giuliano Gemma;

Michael Armstrong’s bloody and brutal critique of state-funded religious corruption Mark of the Devil in a director-approved release;

and the thrillingly bizarro yakuza-samurai-ghost story-horror hybrid from Teruo Ishii, Blind Woman’s Curse (1971, also known as Black Cat’s Revenge).







Future releases include films never-before-released on DVD and/or Blu-ray from European and Japanese cult directors.

The release dates of these North American Blu-ray premieres are:
Mark of the Devil on 17th March,
Blind Woman’s Curse on 24th March
Day of Anger on 31st March.

Massacre Gun,

Blood and Black Lace

and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne
will all follow in April 2015 with further titles to be announced and released throughout 2015.







The UK Artwork is shown as US packaging was not available at the time of writing this.
Genre Blu & DVD seller DiabolicDVD.com has the titles for pre-order HERE and we will be reviewing the titles on the blog here at AfterMovieDiner.com

About Arrow Video:
Started as an offshoot label of Arrow Films in 2009, the label began with two cult titles: Lucio Fulci’s The House by the Cemetery (1981) and Lamberto Bava’s Macabre (1980). Arrow Video releases hark back the video store glory days when VHS covers were lurid and exciting. The Label employs top illustrative artists to create brand-new oil-painting covers featuring reversible original key art as an alternate option. The label releases definitive editions that include complete uncut versions, multiple audio tracks, copious extras, cutting edge design and informative booklets. The collection now spans more than 100 releases and includes films by a host of major auteurs from Argento to Yuzna!

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http://www.arrowvideodeck.blogspot.co.uk/

Magnolia Takes US Rights to Richard Ayoade’s THE DOUBLE

The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnolia Pictures announced that they have acquired US rights to THE DOUBLE, the new film directed and co-written by Richard Ayoade (Submarine), starring Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre).

A darkly funny and moving dystopian vision loosely based on the novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, THE DOUBLE boasts a terrific supporting cast, including Wallace Shawn, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor, James Fox, Cathy Moriarty, Chris O’Dowd, Sally Hawkins, Craig Roberts and Paddy Considine. Co-written by Avi Korine, THE DOUBLE was produced by Amina Dasmal and Robin Fox, with executive producers Michael Caine, Graeme Cox, Tessa Ross and Nigel Williams. It bowed to critical acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.

Eisenberg plays Simon, a timid, isolated man who’s overlooked at work, scorned by his mother, and ignored by the woman of his dreams (Wasikowska). The arrival of a new co-worker, James (also played by Eisenberg), serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon's exact physical double and his opposite - confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon's horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.

Said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles, “THE DOUBLE is an incredibly assured, confident and visionary film. Richard Ayoade is a talent to be reckoned with—he firmly establishes himself as an dynamic and important auteur with this uncannily entertaining, stylish and compulsively watchable film.”

Producer Amina Dasmal states "Magnolia's proven ability to work so well with the leading filmmakers and original voices of our time, makes them the perfect partner for this urgent film"

Producer Robin Fox adds "Magnolia's passion for the film and for Richard's work give us a great comfort the film will be handled with strength and thought needed to give it the platform it richly deserves"

Magnolia is eyeing a 2014 theatrical release for THE DOUBLE following a robust domestic festival run.

The deal was negotiated by Magnolia Director of Acquisitions John Von Thaden, with WME Global and Protagonist Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers.

The Double is Film4 and BFI presentation of an Alcove Entertainment production in association with Protagonist Pictures.

facebook.com/thedoublefilm

#TheDoubleFilm

New documentary 'Muscle Shoals' looks at musically rich area of Alabama

New from Magnolia Pictures, Muscle Shoals is directed by Greg 'Freddy' Camalier and features Aretha Franklin, Bono, Greg Allman, Clarence Carter, Mick Jagger, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge and more!

Located alongside the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music. Under the spiritual influence of the "Singing River," as Native Americans called it, the music of Muscle Shoals has helped create some of the most important and resonant songs of all time. At its heart is Rick Hall who founded FAME Studios. Overcoming crushing poverty and staggering tragedies, Hall brought black and white together in Alabama's cauldron of racial hostility to create music for the generations. He is responsible for creating the "Muscle Shoals sound" and The Swampers, the house band at FAME that eventually left to start their own successful studio, known as Muscle Shoals Sound. Greg Allman, Bono, Clarence Carter, Mick Jagger, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge and others bear witness to Muscle Shoals' magnetism, mystery and why it remains influential today.

I am, personally a huge fan of this kind of music and so can't wait to watch the documentary, also I have a whole new place to add to my list of 'places to visit' in The States.
Watch the trailer:

Here's a clip from the film:

and you can watch The Swampers, Candi Staton, Jason Isbell & John Paul White perform “I Ain't Easy To Love” on David Letterman:

MUSCLE SHOALS is now available on iTunes/OnDemand and in select theaters.

For a list of play dates and theaters, please go HERE

For more info:

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muscleshoalsmov

Official Website: http://www.magpictures.com/muscleshoals/

#MuscleShoals 

Star of Magnet Releasing's Bad Milo is doing a Reddit AMA - Mon Oct 7th

Bad Milo Star Ken Marino (The State, Role Models) is doing a Reddit AMA on Monday, October 7^th 

Where: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/

When: 3:00pm-4:30pm PST/6:00pm-7:30pm EST

The film is directed by Jacob Vaughan and stars Ken Marino, Gillian Jacobs, Patrick Warburton, Mary Kay Place, Stephen Root and Peter Stormare

The Press Release describes it as:

Duncan's (Ken Marino) life is a real pain in the ass. Tormented by a manipulative, crooked boss (Patrick Warburton), a nagging mother (Mary Kay Place), a deadbeat new age dad (Stephen Root), and a sweet, yet pressuring, wife (Gillian Jacobs), his mounting stress starts to trigger an insufferable gastrointestinal reaction.

Out of ideas and at the end of his rope, Duncan seeks the help of a hypnotherapist (Peter Stormare), who helps him discover the root of his unusual stomach pain: a pintsized demon living in his intestine that, triggered by excessive anxiety, forces its way out and slaughters the people who have angered him. Out of fear that his intestinal gremlin may target its wrath on the wrong person, Duncan attempts to befriend it, naming it Milo and indulging it to keep its seemingly insatiable appetite at bay.

From the trailer this looks to be a pretty awesome and I hope it's genuinely 'John Dies At The End' fun and odd, Ken Marino is ALWAYS good value and the supporting cast is strong. 

I am really happy that, this year especially, more interesting horror comedies are being made and actually released. From John Dies, to You're Next and now this, maybe we're finally turning that corner away from found footage movies, remakes and torture porn...

BAD MILO is available on iTunes/On Demand and in theaters today!

For a complete list of theaters and play dates, please go HERE
The film is rated: R

For more info:

Official Website: http://www.magnetreleasing.com/badmilo/

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badmilomovie