MGM Midnite Movies

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rwaits · #76 Post by **rwaits** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 1:27 am

This news on Witchfinder is very sad. Can anyone in the know tell me if it would even be worth taking the time to write in to Sony? This was one of the most anticipated titles in the line (for me anyway) and I'm truly upset with this news.

A bit off topic, but just how bad is the Burn! release? I've been thinking of making it one of my next purchases.

ben d banana · #77 Post by **ben d banana** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 7:04 am

It's the shortened, English dub in full screen instead of 1.85. The only plus side is you get Brando's actual dialogue track.

rwaits · #78 Post by **rwaits** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 3:17 pm

WTF?

That's pathetic--maybe I won't be picking it up after all. I can't find any threads on this site about the release--anyone have any links?

Sorry to post here--back to Midnite Movies.

Lino · #79 Post by **Lino** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:53 am

http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/i-m/ ... irates.htm

There, that settles it - I'm not buying those two. Crappy covers...

Gordon · #80 Post by **Gordon** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:36 pm

Why don't Sony release Roman Polanski's pirate film, the imaginatively titled, Pirates. Cannon owned the rights, so that made it an MGM property, right? There are currently Polish and Spanish edition. The only Polanski film I have not seen and it has Walter Matthau as a pirate, in short, I have to see it at some point - in 2.35:1 anamorphic, of course.

cafeman · #81 Post by **cafeman** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:35 pm

It`s a curio, but not an altogether bad one. I`d pick it up, if it were given a decent treatment (and not too high a price).

Lino · #82 Post by **Lino** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:59 am

George Reis over at DVDdrive-in continues the fighting for more MGM Midnite Movies. Go here to join him:

http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/i-m/ ... aign06.htm

rwaits · #83 Post by **rwaits** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:40 pm

I signed this petition a while ago, but just went to check its progress. You'd think that with nearly 4200 signatures Sony would be taking a petition like this a bit more seriously. Sad really, looking over all the great titles in the line makes Sony's acquisition all the more disappointing.

Gordon · #84 Post by **Gordon** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:09 pm

Yay! Sony are to continue the MM line;

Because of the overwhelming amount of e-mails sent to the executives at Sony by the fans concerning the Midnite Movies, they responded to me yesterday. They assured me that the Midnite Movies series will continue, and they have no plans to discontinue it, as long as fans support it. My only fear is that they'll only release several a year, when MGM was at one time releasing a dozen or so double features at a pop. I stressed that there are many more titles that fans would like to see released as Midnite Movies, and I believe the point has been noted.

Sony also stated that they have more Midnite Movies in the works, so only time will tell. I got positive feedback from them, such as "It is certainly something we are noting and we appreciate your persistance and attention to the franchise!" and "...the point has absolutely been made" in terms of requests of continuing the series in a productive manner.

- George Reis

From: www.clubtokyo.org

They really ought to get Witchfinder out for October if they have any sense.

DrewReiber · #85 Post by **DrewReiber** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:15 pm

My biggest concern is that Sony/MGM now own a good chunk of the remaining, notable 80's horror films. Among them...

Deadly Blessing (Wes Craven, 1981)
Full Moon High (Larry Cohen, 1981)
Night of the Creeps (Fred Dekker, 1986)
From Beyond (Stuart Gordon, 1986)

Plus, they have a few of the late, great Hammer films like Twins of Evil and Vampire Circus. I'm no longer surprised at the studio's apathy towards the DVD market, though, as they continue to inexcusably sit on Cassavetes, Welles and Leone titles. And then the rest of the great spaghetti's....

I simply can't keep to the subject, because it's all so frustrating!

Lino · #86 Post by **Lino** » Tue May 02, 2006 2:54 pm

That's great news, Gordon! But I do hope they don't change the classic Midnite Movies cover design - I loathe the new one!

Lino · #87 Post by **Lino** » Sat May 06, 2006 8:18 am

More Midnite Movies good news. Kind of.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6332297.html

HerrSchreck · #88 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Sat May 06, 2006 8:45 am

Going forward, Sony will raise the price of the Midnite titles from $14.95 apiece to $19.94.

Not welcome.

Sony plans to take content from the MGM vault and its own library.
Plus, Sony is broadening the film genres included beyond the series' previous horror focus

welcome.

Lino · #89 Post by **Lino** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 9:02 am

I'll just post the links to the reviews of the new discs for posting sake (I'm not buying those pieces of crap, as long as Sony continues to mess up with this classic line of DVDs -- you should do the same)

http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/e-h/ ... te5052.htm
http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/a-d/ ... es8860.htm

manicsounds · #90 Post by **manicsounds** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:45 am

I just bought a whole bunch of their double features during DDD's $6.98 sale. All of them came, and none were discontinued, luckily. I'm very disappointed that Sony didn't really back up this line when they had the chance, and now I'm wondering what Fox will do with this. Does Fox have any campy stuff in their catalog that could go within this line?

#91 Post by **Matt** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:14 pm

A bunch of the Midnite Movies DVDs are now out of print. Grab them while you can:

Comedy Of Terrors / The Raven
Count Yorga, Vampire
Countess Dracula / The Vampire Lovers
Deranged / Motel Hell
Evening With Edgar Allan Poe / The Tomb Of Ligeia
Haunted Palace / Tower Of London
Invisible Invaders / Journey To The Seventh Planet
Masque Of The Red Death / The Premature Burial
Oblong Box / Scream And Scream Again
Psych-Out / The Trip
What's The Matter With Helen? / Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?

Jean-Luc Garbo · #92 Post by **Jean-Luc Garbo** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:04 am

How is Countess Dracula / The Vampire Lover ? I could use more Ingrid Pitt.

Lino · #93 Post by **Lino** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:44 pm

Fantastic! Grab it! One of the best MM double-features ever.

Dr Amicus · #94 Post by **Dr Amicus** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:11 am

I'd just like to add a recommendation for the Scream and Scream Again and Oblong Box disc. The latter is minor but interesting, but the former is one of the highpoints of the British Horror boom of the 50s-70s. Genuinely bizarre, with a plot that requires multiple viewings to make sense of (I know - I wrote about it for my thesis), and some cracking dialogue.

Best of all, this disc restores the original soundtrack and songs which are missing on my VHS copy and most broadcast versions. So the cut from one victim's screams to a nightclub where the Amen Corner are singing the title song actually makes sense...

Gordon · #95 Post by **Gordon** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:55 pm

Oblong Box has great lighting for a low-budget show - by the great John Coquillon (Witchfinder General, Cry of the Banshee, The Changeling, as well as Straw Dogs, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Cross of Iron and The Osterman Weekend for Peckinpah).

His lighting on Scream and Scream Again isn't quite as moody, though, but I agree that it is one of the underrated British time-capsule classics. Alfred Marks' Superintendent Bellaver is hilarious!

patrick · #96 Post by **patrick** » Sat May 26, 2007 12:49 am

I've heard that Witchfinder General (in the Conqueror Worm version) was all set for release under the Midnite Movies banner (a double feature with Burn Witch, Burn!) until the line was canceled by Sony. It's a damn shame too, I wish Anchor Bay (or, in my dreams, Criterion) or some other company who would treat it with the respect it deserves.

God I miss the Midnite Movies line.

Jameson281 · #97 Post by **Jameson281** » Sat May 26, 2007 3:14 am

patrick wrote:God I miss the Midnite Movies line.

You won't be missing it for too much longer.

patrick · #98 Post by **patrick** » Sat May 26, 2007 3:47 am

Any more info? Or is this top secret? Either way I'm practically jumping with joy.

Jameson281 · #99 Post by **Jameson281** » Sat May 26, 2007 5:51 am

patrick wrote:Any more info? Or is this top secret? Either way I'm practically jumping with joy.

All I can say is that a batch is being prepared. Should be out before Halloween. All horror and sci-fi; no beach romps or pirate movies.

Lino · #100 Post by **Lino** » Sat May 26, 2007 1:56 pm

Jameson281 wrote:
patrick wrote:Any more info? Or is this top secret? Either way I'm practically jumping with joy.
All I can say is that a batch is being prepared. Should be out before Halloween. All horror and sci-fi; no beach romps or pirate movies.

Had a feeling this year they'll be out again, what with Fox now handling distribution. Great, great news!

Will they be double-features?

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