UFC FIGHTER JON FITCH TO DO LIVE INTERVIEW WITH COMEDIAN Professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter Jon Fitch will be part of a live comedy talk show titled "Steel Cage Comedy Night" July 15 at the San Jose Improv. The first half of the show will feature stand up comedy and the second half will conclude with an interview of John Fitch done by Comedian Kristopher Tinkle. After the show there will be a meet and greet and a chance for autographs and photos. The event will take place at 8:00 pm on Tuesday July 15. Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana but now fighting out of San Jose, Jon Fitch saw his star rise after it was announced he will fight in the main event for the UFC Welterweight title August 9th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fitch is riding a 16 fight win streak and has tied the UFC record of most consecutive wins set by legend Royce Gracie. The former Purdue wrestling captain still remains unknown to casual fans and a huge underdog to hard core fans. Jon's opponent on the night of August 9th is George St. Pierre, one of the most popular stars in the sport. He has a reputation for not only winning fights, but doing it in a brutally convincing fashion every time. "It's unfortunate critics are writing Jon off before the fight even starts. This fight is going to be much closer than people think. There is nothing more dangerous than a guy everyone underestimates and this show is the oppurtunity for all MMA fans in the Bay Area to come out get to know Fitch and let him know that we all have his back." says Tinkle. "This is a great chance to wave goodbye before our guy goes off to war, so to speak." "The thing that I find interesting about Jon and about the fight is that he is the first to admit that he is not a naturally gifted athlete. He struggled early in his college wrestling career and again when he started his professional fighting career. This is a guy who, through hard work and a strong sense of self, has almost willed himself to be where he is at right now. It's going to be interesting to get to know how a person gets to that point. Although never a performer, Fitch is excited about the show. "After watching Kris perform I knew that doing an interview with him would be a great chance to do something original" says Fitch. With all of the photo shoots and press that comes with headlining in the main event, the questions always seem to be the same to Fitch. "This is going to be far different from the usual line of questioning so my fans can get to know me better on a more personal level. It's going to be fun." "This sport is still in it's infancy and I don't think in a few years these mma athletes are going to as accessible as they are right now." Tinkle continues, "There is not another professional sport today where a guy in Jon's position would be willing to go on stage and open up about everything in front of an audience. And many times can you say you got to hang out with the future UFC Welterweight Champion?" Tickets can be purchased at www.improv.com and at the San Jose Improv box office. All other inquiries can be emailed to steelcagecomedynight@yahoo.com. Jon Fitch is a professional mixed martial artist with a record of 21 wins 2 loses 0 draws and 1 no contest. He is currently the number one contender to the UFC Welterweight Title. For more information on Jon Fitch, visit: www.fitchfighter.com Kris Tinkle is a comedian from San Francisco. He recently performed for the troops in Iraq as part of the USO Tour with David Alan Grier and can be heard on XM and Sirius Radio. For more information on Kris Tinkle visit www.myspace.com/ktinkle

Holy shitballs - the trailer for "Gingerdead Man 2: The Passion of the Crust" is now online... and this could be possibly the greatest movie ever made!

NEW NAZI TERROR FLICK “BLITZKRIEG: ESCAPE FROM STALAG 69” SEIGES ACROSS US WITH THEATRICAL PLAYDATES! NEW YORK, NY – From Keith Crocker, director of 1997’s “The Bloody Ape” comes a brand-new Nazi exploitation flick for 2008! For nearly 30 years no one has dared tackle the genre, leaving us rerunning Ilsa in our VHS, laserdisc and DVD players. Now, dressed in authentic period costumes and refashioning New York, Long Island locales, Crocker has fathomed a return to the glorious ’70s when the Nazi genre was more grindhouse fodder rather than a political nod. Handing his feature opus over to Wild Eye, the film has been pistol-whipped into shape for a limited theatrical release. During the final days of World War II, Helmut Schultz and his cohorts in Nazi crime terrorize the prisoners with biochemical weapons experiments and shoot-on-sight torture for entertainment. After a captured showgirl, the voluptuous Southern belle Candice, escapes her captors and hides out in the women’s camp, other ragamuffin defenders bolster up their wits to overthrow on the Nazi demons, even if it means leaving the camp on a slab… while Russian POW Natasha takes on soldier after soldier using only her body and her wits as she tackles the brown and black shirts all on her naked own. Featuring fan favorite Brandon Slagle (guest at the 2008 Austin Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors), and a cast willing to get naked and bloody, “Blitzkrieg: Escape from Stalag 69” has all the violence, gore and torture you would hope for a Nazi exploitation flick, filtered through the underground auteur sensibility of Nathan Schiff contemporary Keith Crocker. Which means it’s got just a teench (okay, maybe a pinch) of that good ol’ John Waters camp touch. Wild Eye Releasing is platforming the release with several playdates across the US with professional movie posters and lobby card sets, just like they used to make ‘em. This grindhouse treat comes complete with absolutely no rating system in place, no judge nor jury except for the viewers themselves. Sign on to www.blitzkriegthemovie.com to check out the hot n’ gruesome 60-second trailer, stills, lobby cards, and more and the official MySpace page: myspace.com/blitzkriegthemovie. While we wait to see if “Werewolf Women of the SS” will actually be developed into a feature, in its stead we’ve got “Blitzkrieg: Escape from Stalag 69,” ready and willing to use YOU as its experimental guinea pig along the way to victory. JOIN US!

Adventure adversary Dolph Lundgren (The Russian Specialist, Universal Soldier) stars in Missionary Man being released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This hard-core action film, which Lundgren also wrote and directed, is a modern-day Western about small town injustice by the hand of a greedy wrongdoer, and the mysterious, renegade stranger who single-handedly saves them all. The film pays homage to older Westerns by referencing Shane (1953), Billy Jack (1971) and High Plains Drifter (1973). Dolph Lundgren has directed and starred in The Defender, The Mechanik (Russian Specialist) and Missionary Man. His acting credits include roles in Showdown in Little Tokyo, A View to Kill, Diamond Dogs, Detention, Hidden Agenda, Bridge of Dragons, Rocky IV and Cover Up. Lundgren also wrote the screenplays for Maximum Potential, Russian Specialist and The Mechanik. To date, he has starred in over 30 action films. Missionary Man is his latest writing and directorial effort. Full confession: I am a huge Dolph Lundgren fan. Ever since I first saw his career-making performance as the unbelievably intense Ivan Drago in "Rocky IV" in my little home town theater, I've been captivated by Dolph's sheer presence. I own every one of his films (even the hard-to-find home workout video "Maximum Potential"), I launched the first - and still most popular - fan site dedicated to Mr. Lundgren (DOLPH - The Ultimate Guide) back in 1998 before handing the reigns to the site over to another huge fan back in 2003, and I even had the opportunity to interview Dolph once before, at the time of the DVD release of "The Russian Specialist." Well, fast forward to January 2008 and Dolph has once again wrote, directed & starred in another hard-hitting action flick, "Missionary Man." Once again, the fine folks @ Sony Pictures Home Entertainment coordinated some time for yours truly to have a conversation with his favorite actor, the gems of which are outlined below... Once connected with Dolph, there was that strange, unsettling sense of deja vu - being able to talk to one of my cinema idols for a 2nd time in as many years made this small town kid from small town northern Canada pretty damned excited. The butterflies were going nuts in my stomach, but immediately subsided when Dolph expressed a very heartfelt and sincere greeting, making me realize at once that he appreciated the time that I was taking (!!) to talk with him to help promote his film, and that despite his expansive career, here was a guy who was still very grounded and down-to-earth. Plus, once I introduced myself and reminded him that we had spoken a couple years ago for an interview with my previous movie web site, he remembered me! (be still, my beating heart) Having just watched "Missionary Man" the night before, the film was fresh in my mind, and I (sincerely) congratulated him on a great film - I really enjoyed it and was genuinely impressed by the very tangible "western" feel it had. The rawness & bleakness of the film seemed to capture the authentic vibes of a true western. Dolph expressed that he was glad I felt that way, as he did indeed set up to capture the magic of those old westerns. A couple years back, he had the thought that it might be fun to direct a western, and figured that shooting a contemporary movie on an Indian reservation would allow for a bit of a nostalgic look with modern day conveniences (i.e. motorcycles instead of horses, which would also save a few bucks in production.) Dolph's character in the film, Ryder, was quite unique - I don't believe Dolph has ever played this type of character in any of his previous films, seeming to let all of the supporting cast be outgoing while his character was much more subdued, almost floating from scene to scene. I asked if that was intentional and Dolph replied that it was, that he wanted to keep him mysterious, wanting to recapture that sense of genuine tough guy code from the '40s and '50s. Back then, tough guys were born tough, they didn't just act it - they were mysterious, and the ones who didn't talk too much were the ones you had to look out for. Dolph felt that in modern cinema, the tough guy characters have to try very had to be tough - puff up their chests, talk a lot, act hardcore - but he wanted to inject some realism into his film, and his central character. I commented to Dolph that I also appreciated how he didn't feel the need to spoon-feed the audience with the story - i.e. we never really learned the background of Ryder, we didn't have to see the lovemaking scene, etc. Dolph replied that sometimes imagination is better than actually seeing it, and that he wanted to engage the audience's imagination, feeling that if he was successful in doing so, the end result would be much more powerful than simply showing it all on-screen. I also noted that, at the same time as I appreciated the subtleties of his characcter development, I also appreciated the balls-out action sequences, especially the shotgun blast to the face that doesn't cut away at the moment of impact (yikes!) Dolph impressed me with his response to that one (after the chuckle and "Thanks man" for the praise) - he referenced famous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa ("The Seven Samurai"), noting that in his films all the blood comes at the end. There may be lots of swordfights, but there's no blood until the end, and when it comes, it's big spray sof blood shooting out. Dolph wisely acknowledged that you have to wait until later in the film to bring the blood, otherwise there's nowhere for the audience (or the film) to go. Inquiring what's next on his plate, Dolph said that he is currently working on a script about an assassin. He shared that he's interested in playing a bad guy once again, as he hasn't done it in 15 years (since his classic role as the Street Preacher in "Johnny Mnemonic.") He said that people seem to like him as a "heavy" so he's coming up with the story himself to write, direct & star in. In the film, the bad guy is the main character - like "Scarface" or "Leon" - following someone on the other side of the law, but yet still having something likeable about him. Dolph noted that when you make bad guy/criminal a multi-faceted character, it plays a bit with the audience's emotion - i.e. make them wonder who is good and who is bad. Typically, bad guys are despicable and have to die, but if you get to know the criminal, you can like him a little bit, all the while still knowing he's probably not going to make it. Dolph is also going to be doing some "regular" acting gigs (in which he's hired talent, as opposed to also writing & producing) so we should be seeing him in a few new films in the near future. I wrapped up the conversation asking how I would go about getting him to pass through lovely northern California to star in an independent b-movie (just as I ended my 1st interview, except I had to try and get him all the way up to Canada then) - he once again gave a good-natured chuckle and said that if I had a script I could send it to his assistant and we'd see what we could work out.... Damn, to dream... Once again, Dolph proved himself to be a thoughtful, engaging personality, with a non-stop creative drive and a genuinely friendly personality. Once again, I am reminded why he's my favorite actor. Thanks Dolph - it was a pleasure and I look forward to the next one! For some more Dolph, check out the audio interview over at DOLPH - The Definitive Guide.

** PRESS RELEASE ** WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE ITS HIGH-DEFINITION DVD TITLES EXCLUSIVELY IN THE BLU-RAY DISC FORMAT BEGINNING LATER THIS YEAR Decision Made in Response to Strong Consumer Preference for Format (January 4, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “Warner Bros.’ move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want,” said Meyer. “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers.” Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008. “Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices,” said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. “Today’s decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner.” “A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry,” said Tsujihara. “Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future.”

Unbelievable - the mighty Charles Band of Full Moon fame is going to unleash a 2nd helping of freshly-basked gingerdead excitement upon us!! DUDES!!! WE ARE FINALLY SHOOTING GINGERDEADMAN 2: PASSION OF THE CRUST!!! I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE FILM - AND IT'S FULL OF SURPRIZES INCLUDING 6 NEW OUTRAGEOUS (MEANT TO BE ABSURD!) GROSS/BIZZARRE/NEVER SEEN BEFORE UNIQUE CREATURES SOON TO BE KNOWN AS THE "TINY TERRORS!" AND THEIR NAMES SAY IT ALL: FEMAROID! PERCULATOR! TREASURE CHEST! SHIT FOR BRAINS! NOB GOBLIN! AND HAUNTED DILDO!!! I'LL PUT SOME PICTURES OF THE TINY TERRORS UP SOON!!!AND FINALLY ALL OF YOU 'EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS" FROM LAST YEARS ROAD SHOW WILL GET YOUR CREDITS!!!!

Get ready for some solid DVD entertainment this Halloween! The Tripper - Directed, produced and co-written by David Arquette (Scream trilogy, Eight Legged Freaks), the film is a nostalgic homage to the exploitation films of Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper that follows a group of free-loving hippies who escape to a modern-day Woodstock for a weekend of debauchery, only to be stalked by a radical-minded psychopath with an eerie resemblance to the 40th President of the United States. Hailed by Fangoria.com as a "subversive slasher flick that will have you screaming and laughing, "Angel" box set - For the first time ever, all five seasons of the hit supernatural drama will be packaged together in a 30-disc special collector's box uniquely designed for the ultimate fan. The collection features all 110 episodes, a personally signed letter to fans from creator Joss Whedon and a collectible companion booklet. The sci-fi action-thriller, created by Joss Whedon as a "spin-off" to the international cult sensation "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," became a wildly successful series among critics and fans alike. Danny Roane - After his drunken antics ruin his acting career, Danny Roane (Andy Dick) decides to stage a comeback by sobering up and directing his own movie. Everything goes as planned until Roane suddenly falls back to his partying lifestyle while trying to finish his film about drug and alcohol abuse. Off the wagon and under pressure, Roane spirals out of control while his movie - and his career - sinks to new and unexpected lows. Written and directed by Dick, Danny Roane: First Time Director originally aired on Comedy Central in August 2007.

Just when I thought that anything good/fun/decent had been done (to death - pun intended) with indie zombie flicks, along comes "Insane in the Brain," coming this Oct.30th to DVD from Under the Bed Films: "Goldie and Sloan, two undercover, collar poppin', polyester rockin' cops, are called to a case the likes of which they've never seen in their 'hood. The nearby brothel is the scene of the crime, where zombies are the new clientele and they're feasting on the employees. Summoned from the grave by the aroma of the funky pheromones emanating from the "working crib," these zombies are feasting on body and soul, just waiting for the dynamic duo of Goldie and Sloan to try and end their night of ill repute." Check out the trailer on YouTube and prepare for the carnage!

Ding ding ding!

I don't even know where to begin with this one - the plot summary is so outlandish and so utterly bizarre that I know I'll be picking it up on DVD (if we're not able to get a copy for review): The story of a Christian high school girl caught up in her school's purity campaign--saving herself for marriage, as it were--is part horror film, part erotic/moral debate, and part outrageous assault on male vulnerability and fear. Mitchell Lichtenstein's extraordinary feature debut is galvanized by the vagina dentata mythology (if you don't know what that is, 'Teeth' will forever imprint it on your psyche). The innocent teenager, Dawn--so innocent she's not even aware of her own basic bodily functions--discovers quite by accident that she is anatomically very unique, a state of being that is both victimizing and incredibly empowering. Her boyfriend is getting a little aggressive, and her bad brother is the poster child for immoral teenage conduct. Writer/director Lichtenstein has created a deliciously enjoyable, yet symbolic, tale that will transform even the most resistant viewer into a rapt student of ancient taboos. !!!!! Click here to visit the official site and be amazed.

These guys are living the dream: no budget, no crew, one camera, one big dream -- and they get their DVD released by Elite!! "On a quiet, summer afternoon, a group of friends heads to the isolated campgrounds on Alfred Packer Lake for a weekend of fun. The perfect summer trip turns into a weekend from hell as the friends are brutally slaughtered by an unseen evil, turning into cannibalistic creatures. As a new group of weekenders arrives, they become the new target of terror as an old-school blood bath of gut munching, dismemberment, pitch forking and scalping begins." Check out some clips from the film on YouTube and prepare yourselves!

Elite Entertainment bursts back onto the scene with a stupendous impending release: the history of the greatest movie monsters of all time comes together in the feature documentary CREATURE FEATURES COLLECTION! Collected into 3 episodes on DVD, you get "The Beasts, "The Machines" and "The Dead" -- truly, covering the gamut of what fanboys will squeal in delight to behold... This is going to be an excellent, excellent collection, and we're looking forward to providing you fine schlockers with a review in the next couple months. Shout-outs to the mighty Elite for dropping another stellar release!

No, I'm not talking about the buddy comedy starring Chris Farley & David Spade -- I'm talking about frickin' mutated murdering bloodthirsty sheep from New Zealand!! With a plotline that I'm kicking myself for not coming up with myself, "Black Sheep" is already garnering rave reviews from festivals world-wide. The film is slated to open in the U.S. in late June of this year, so prepare yourself! Check out the official site, and be very afraid!

GOD DAMN!! In what qualifies as possibly the biggest DVD news of 2007 (even though it's only February), I've just read that manna from Heaven will indeed be raining down on us patient souls: "The Monster Squad" is finally going to be released onto DVD! (Yes, you read that correctly - it WILL be released this year!) Apparently, the mighty Lionsgate will be delivering this long-awaited and oft-bootlegged title to shiny disc for us patient fanboys who grew up mesmerized by the cool-as-hell Andre Gower as he & his buddies battle Dracula and other Universal-era monsters. Best of all, the DVD is expected to be jam-packed with extras, all of which are being supervised by the same dude who recently put together the kick-ass "Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Ultimate Edition" extras -- how freakin' cool is that?! Man am I excited - this film was probably going to be the next addition to "The Want List" so I'll consider this one a victory of sorts. Amazon.com should be adding the title for purchase any day now!

I still recall, with fond glory and a warm heart, how utterly my mind was blown the first time I sat down to watch "Phantasm" - truly a film unlike any other, this is one of the most original, creepy, wacky, out-there films you will ever have the pleasure of watching... and Anchor Bay (U.S.) is finally going to do right by it! Anchor Bay UK put out a 5 disc collection of all 4 "Phantasm" movies - complete with a flying ball as the case - last year, but they are PAL-formatted and Region 2 only. (That being said, I still ordered my copy like a good little fanboy - now if my wife would just let me watch them all!) -- now, we are going to be treated to parts 1 & 3, courtesy of the mighty Anchor Bay (U.S.A.)! New anamorphic widescreen transfer, DTS 5.1 remix, audio commentary with all the key characters, deleted scenes, 2005 feature-length documentary "Phantasmagoria," featurettes, original 1979 interviews, trailers, and more!! Click here to pre-order "Phantasm" from Amazon.com!

"Star Trek" too geeky for ya? "Star Wars" a little heavy on the philosophy? Then here's a series you'll definitely want to check out -- coming May 8th onto DVD from the fine folks @ BCI Eclipse is the full series of "Jason of Star Command." The show starred notable actors James Doohan (Star Trek), Sid Haig (Kill Bill Vol. 2, The Devil’s Rejects) and Tamara Dobson (Cleopatra Jones). Working from within a secretive section of Space Academy, a daring soldier of fortune named Jason joins with his friends to combat the sinister forces that conspire to dominate the stars. Jason is aided on his missions by Commanders Carnavin and Stone, computer expert Nicole, strong alien Samantha, eccentric scientist Dr. E.J. Parsafoot, and two robots, Peepo and the portable W1K1. Together they face the evil machinations of Dragos — the self-proclaimed "Master of the Cosmos" — and his alien minions aboard the Dragonship. Click here to order your copy from Amazon.com!

OOOOH yeah -- Papa can't wait for this one to come out! The full-length trailer for the upcoming Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez homage to drive-in grindhouse flicks (aptly titled "Grindhouse") is now online! Click here to check out the grindness!

Another one of my childhood faves is getting a special edition DVD release very soon: Porky's! The first film (which is the best, save for the opening scene in Part 2 in the cemetary -- "Boogedy boogedy boogedy!") will receive a deluxe release as th e"Porky's One Size Fits All Edition." A new 1.85x1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, audio commentary with director Bob "A Christmas Story" Clark, featurettes, 80s video game sales presentation (!!), trailers and photos are all included. True fans of this iconic series can also purchase the "Porky's Ultimate Collection" with all 3 entries in the trilogy bundled together. Fantastical!

Not a huge surprise here, but Sony Pictures has announced a double-dip for "Spider-Man 2" with their plans to release "Spider-Man 2.1" on DVD on April 17th (just in time for "Spider-Man 3" to come out a couple weeks later.) What goodies are included with this release? Well, there's 8 minutes of additional footage (mostly extended fight scenes) inserted into the film, as well as producers' introduction, commentary w/ producer and screenwriter, inside look at the new footage, and a sneak peek at "Spider-Man 3." Y'know, I was pretty underwhelmed by this sequel when I first saw it, but maybe I'll give it a 2nd go (pun intended) once this DVD streets. click here to pre-order from Amazon.com!

A boyhood dream has now been realized -- not only is the beautiful family classic from my childhood "Harry and the Hendersons" going to be released on glorious DVD, but it's going to get the SPECIAL EDITION TREATMENT! Streeting on April 24th, this long-awaited and soon-to-be-prized addition to my collection will deliver this eager fanboy a REMASTERED widescreen print, so there'll be even more Harry on the screen to behold! I can't wait. My pre-order is already in - click here to pre-order from Amazon.com!