Big Screen News: See Fulci's ZOMBI in theaters this weekend; PIRANHA 3DD delayed til 2012?

Ok, tonight I have good news and bad news regarding some awesome cult films that are hitting the big screen. First up, Lucio Fulci's ZOMBI, which is coming out in a deluxe 2-Disc "Ultimate Edition" Blu-ray from Blue Underground on October 24th (pre-order it HERE), is getting a limited nationwide theatrical release on October 21st and 22nd. (And on other dates, which will be noted on the list below.)

If you live in or near any of the following cities, I envy you. I've seen ZOMBI (a.k.a. Zombie, Zombie Creeping Flesh, Zombi 2) on the big screen once and it was a magical experience.

Here's the list of lucky cities who will get to enjoy the flesh-eating, eye-gouging, and shark-battling insanity of Fulci's most notable film:


ALBUQUERQUE
Guild Cinema (Oct. 28 & 29)

ATLANTA
Plaza Theatre (9:30pm, Oct. 21 only)

AUSTIN
Alamo The Ritz (9:30pm, Oct. 24 & 7:00pm, Oct. 31)

AUSTIN
Alamo S. Lamar (7:00pm, Oct. 30)

BOSTON
Coolidge Corner Theatre

CHICAGO
Music Box Theatre

CLEVELAND
Capitol Theatre (Oct. 15)

DALLAS
Landmark Inwood Theatre

DENVER
Landmark Esquire

DETROIT
Landmark Main Art

HOUSTON
Landmark River Oaks

JACKSONVILLE, FL
5 Points Theatre (11:30pm, Oct. 21 only)

KANSAS CITY
Tivoli Cinemas (9:00pm)

LAS VEGAS
Theatre 7 (7:00pm, Oct. 31)

LAWRENCE, KS
Liberty Hall (10:00pm, Oct. 21 only)

LOS ANGELES
New Beverly Cinema

MESA, AZ
The Royale (10:00pm, Oct. 21 & 9:00pm, Oct. 22)

MINNEAPOLIS
Landmark Uptown (Nov. 4 & 5)

NEW YORK CITY
Landmark's Sunshine

OTTAWA, ONTARIO
Mayfair Theatre (11:30pm, Oct. 21 only)

PHILADELPHIA
Landmark Ritz Bourse (10:00pm)

PITTSBURGH
The Oaks Theater (11:59pm, Oct. 21 & 7:00pm, Oct. 22)

PORTLAND, OR
Hollywood Theatre (9:30pm)

SACRAMENTO
Crest Theatre

SAN ANTONIO
Alamo Westlakes (10:00pm)

SAN DIEGO
Landmark Ken Cinema

SAN FRANCISCO
Roxie Theater (Various Times, Oct. 29 - 31)

SEATTLE
Landmark Egyptian
(Ian McCulloch in person on Oct. 21!)

ST. LOUIS
Hi-Pointe Theatre

ST. PETE BEACH, FL
The Beach Theatre

TORONTO
The Revue Cinema (Oct. 22 & 31)

TUCSON, AZ
The Loft Cinema

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Landmark E Street Cinema

WICHITA, KS
Warren Old Town Theater (7:00 & 9:00pm, Oct. 24 & 25)

WINCHESTER, VA
Alamo Drafthouse Winchester

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA
Park Theatre Cafe (8:00pm, Oct. 13)

YELLOW SPRINGS, OH
Little Art Theatre (9:00pm, Oct. 22 only)

Sigh.... the closest place to me is Philadelphia, but I don't have the money or the time to rush down there this weekend. Well... at least I saw it in a theater once in my lifetime, I guess I should be content with that. CLICK HERE to visit Blue Underground's website and double check to see if they added any other screening locations or changed movie times between now and Friday.

Anyway, the next bit of news is not so joyous. John Gulager's PIRANHA 3DD will not be in theaters next month. Renn Brown over at CHUD.com has reported that the film was unceremoniously yanked from its original release date and shelved by the powers that be at Dimension. While some speculate that they are saving it for a (perhaps) late Spring/early Summer 2012 release (which makes some sense), others say that it will probably go straight to DVD. This sort of bums me out because even though I didn't actually like the previous film, I still had fun watching it, plus I was actually anticipating the sequel, which looks to be completely batshit insane. I want to see Ving Rhames return as a paraplegic with guns for legs dammit!

I'll post more info about the eventual solid release date for PIRANHA 3DD. Here's hoping to see it sooner rather than later.

Help indie film maker complete "CURSE OF THE PHANTOM SHADOW." Watch "KIDS GO TO THE WOODS... KIDS GET DEAD" free for a limited time!

I always do what I can for independent film makers who are either trying to promote their films, or find funding to complete their project. And speaking of which, I received an e-mail today from a one Mark Ross, who is currently working on a retro tribute to pulp heroes and classic serials called CURSE OF THE PHANTOM SHADOW. He has paid for most of the movie out of his own pocket, but he needs just a little more help to complete it. Mark is trying to raise $5,000 to finish his film and needs your help to get there.

Head on over to his Kickstarter page and pledge a dollar or more towards CURSE OF THE PHANTOM SHADOW. You'll need a credit card and you WON'T be charged unless he hits his goal. I know the economy is tough (believe me I know) but will donating a buck really put a dent in your bank account? Also, if you donate more ($25, $50, $100, etc.) you will get listed in the film's credits and get all sorts of cool goodies. I've said all I can, so let Mark and company try to convince you with some footage from their project:




I think it looks pretty damned cool and will gladly pledge some money towards it. And.... there. I pledged $25.00! Good luck Mark; hope you guys pull enough funds together!

Speaking of indie films, the folks behind KIDS GO TO THE WOODS... KIDS GET DEAD are showing their film for free over at their official website (for a limited time). CLICK HERE to watch this shot-on-digital-video Horror flick. If you like what you see, you can buy the DVD (with a bunch of extra features) for $8.99, or download it to keep for $3.99. CLICK HERE to purchase the film and support independent cinema!

Stay tuned for some actual new content at the Vault, and get ready because Halloween is now less than two weeks away! Blog ya later b-movie fans!

Spielberg's 'A.I.' as alien communication allegory

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

Haley Joel Osment and pal in Spielberg's A.I. (2001)

Over at the Daily Grail, recent Silver Screen Saucers guest blogger Red Pill Junkie shares some very interesting UFOlogical musings on Spielberg’s 2001 ‘love-it-or-hate-it’ sci-fi epic A.I. Artificial Intelligence (personally, I love it – and so does Red Pill Junkie).

So, go now to the Daily Grail and read Spielberg's AI: Blue Fairies as Alien Ambassadors.

Hollywood to revisit ‘The Twilight Zone’ in 2012

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

Cloverfield director Matt Reeves has been selected by Warner Bros. Pictures to direct a new movie based on the classic TV series, The Twilight Zone, which originally ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964 and later underwent two revivals (1985–1989 and 2002–2003).

According to Deadline, a script has been penned by Jason Rothenberg, and life-long Twilight Zone fan Leonardo DiCaprio is onboard as a producer. This won’t be the first time The Twilight Zone has received the silver screen treatment: in 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie (directed in part by Steven Spielberg) flopped at the box-office due to bad publicity stemming from a helicopter crash during filming that killed three of the movie’s actors. Even without the blight of this tragedy, the episodic structure of the movie -- as well as the jarring styles and sensibilities of its multiple directors -- made it decidedly hit-and-miss.

The new Twilight Zone is being described as a "big science fiction action movie with a single freestanding story." No further details have yet been released by Warner Bros., however, online speculation suggests that the movie may be based on the classic TZ episode ‘To Serve Man’, in which a race of seemingly benevolent nine-foot-tall aliens lands on Earth and proceeds to solve humanity’s most pressing problems, including hunger, energy, and the threat of nuclear war. Soon, many Earthlings are volunteering to visit their alien saviours’ home planet where --oops-- they learn that they are ingredients in an alien cookbook titled... To Serve Man!

Warner Bros. aims to start shooting in summer 2012, which means the movie won’t hit cinemas until sometime in 2013. Whether or not the new Twilight Zone movie will actually be based on 'To Serve Man' remains to be seen, but an alien-themed story of some kind seems likely given the current popularity of the UFO movie at the Hollywood box-office.

Incidentally -- and perhaps more intriguingly -- Deadline also notes that director Matt Reeves has “a deal at Universal to write and direct a film based on the Ray Nelson short story 8 O’Clock in the Morning, about a man who awakens with the realization that aliens are all over the place and control society.” 8 O’Clock in the Morning, of course, was the story on which John Carpenter’s brilliant 1988 movie They Live was based. Universal has just released a prequel to Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing to poor reviews and disappointing box-office returns. Silly Universal -- leave the Carpenter classics alone!

Halloween Giveaways! Win "The Omen" on Blu-ray or "Basket Case 2" & "Terror in the Aisles" on VHS!

I'm currently having a pair of giveaways at the Vault. Starting today, and ending at midnight EST on Oct. 26th, you can enter to win either a Blu-ray (opened but never watched) of "The Omen," or two VHS tapes (previous rentals hailing from the 80's!) of "Basket Case 2" and "Terror in the Aisles." How do you win either prize? Well, it is actually quite easy!

First, if you are on Facebook CLICK HERE to "like" The B-Movie Film Vault. Go ahead... I'll wait. Huh? You don't have a Facebook, but have a Twitter? Well, shucks, I'm on there too! Follow me:  @BMovieFilmVault!

Now that you've done that, (and hopefully shared my site with a few friends) send me an e-mail at vault_master [at] bmoviefilmvault [dot] com with OMEN BLU-RAY GIVEAWAY and/or HORROR VHS GIVEAWAY in the subject line. In the body of your e-mail, include your name, address, and if you're aiming to have the Blu-ray, include a few sentences describing your favorite scene from the movie.

I will be collecting entries until the end of October 26th, then choose  winners at random, announce their  names, and mail out their prizes ASAP. (The goal here is to have your stuff arrive on Halloween!) So get those entries in now while there is still plenty of time and good luck Horror fans!

Oh... wait... what's THIS? There's another giveaway? Well ... yeah, actually. To help spread the word about my other web project, THE RIFF BROTHERS, I am giving away five DVDs! First place gets TWO riffed films of their choice, our long lost, never-before-seen Halloween Special from last year, and an autographed photo. Two runners up will walk away with copies of our Halloween Special. For full details on how to win, and to see the list of films you can choose from CLICK HERE! Thanks for entering and good luck!

'The Thing' opens to frosty reviews

By Robbie Graham Silver Screen Saucers

The Thing has opened in US cinemas today with critics failing to warm to the Antarctic-set sci-fi horror prequel. John Carpenter’s 1982 movie of the same name is regarded as a classic of its genre - a perfect movie - and so a frosty critical reception for this new version was to be expected.

Variety notes that, “Apart from [Mary Elizabeth] Winstead's flamethrower-toting paleontologist, bravely battling an extraterrestrial menace that hides inside its human prey, this unfrighteningly icky "Thing" is memorable mainly for illustrating CGI's gross deficiencies relative to old-fashioned makeup f/x.”

Slant Magazine was also unimpressed, finding the movie to be sorely lacking the tension of the 1982 version:

“Rather than attempt to recreate the precarious mix of psychological tension and gore struck by Carpenter's version, The Thing favors the latter, maintaining a sideline interest in suspense but no real devotion to prolonging it.”

The filmmakers can take solace in Salon’s review, however, which describes the movie as “a lovingly constructed tribute and companion to Carpenter’s 'Thing,' not a knockoff or a replica. It’s full of chills and thrills and isolated Antarctic atmosphere and terrific Hieronymus Bosch creature effects, and if it winks genially at the plot twists of Carpenter’s film, it never feels even a little like some kind of inside joke."

Not terrible, then, by any means – but perhaps a little redundant. Check back here at Silver Screen Saucers in a few days for a box-office report, and for more critics’ reviews of The Thing, head on over to Rotten Tomatoes.

Underbelly's FIVE WORST MOVIE MONSTERS + AWESOME DVD & BLU-RAY DEALS!

Halloween will be here in just over two weeks (YAY!) and its time to get in the spooky holiday spirit. Submitted for your approval, here is Underbelly's first Horror-themed video for the month, featuring five of the worst movie monsters to ever grace the silver screen. Check it out!

It warms my heart to see them back in action after the Flood of 2011. Welcome back Underbelly crew!

Next up, here are some awesome deals on Horror flicks from Amazon.com and the awesome folks over at Shout! Factory. Right now on Amazon, you can pick up the "Omen Blu-ray Collection" for a whopping.... $19.99! Four movies, lots of extras, and perfect picture and audio for only twenty bucks! You can't beat that! CLICK HERE to order yourself a copy. C'mon, Halloween's around the corner... TREAT yourself!

Next up, Shout! Factory is selling off bundled DVD and Blu-ray packs of their Roger Corman Cult Classics and Elvira Movie Macabre lines. They have four main deals going right now, the latter of which is super-expensive but damn well worth it. Here are the offers with prices; click on the links for more info!

1. Elvira's Movie Macabre Double Features Bundle - 6 Double Feature DVDs, 12 movies = $42.00 + s/h
2. Elvira's Movie Macabre Singles Bundle - 6 DVDs = $35.99 + s/h
3. Roger Corman Blu-ray Bundle - 4 Discs = $59.99 + s/h
4. Roger Corman Mega DVD Bundle - 20 Films, 13 discs = $149.99 + s/h

YOU WANT THIS! DON'T DENY IT! CLICK THE IMAGE TO ORDER!

You can never have too much Corman!

Well that's all for today! New stuff is coming to the Vault and its satellite blogs soon! Stay tuned! 19 more days until Hall-O-ween! SIL-VER, SHAM-ROCK!