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101 Films to Launch Black Label in May With ‘The Grifters’ and ‘eXistenZ’
101 Films the UK genre label we last talked about when they released their wonderful version of Black Christmas are launching a brand new series that they’ve dubbed the Black Label. In their own words, the Black Label will be “curating a numbered series of dual format limited editions, complete with original artwork and newly-commissioned extras. The Black Label is dedicated to fully doing justice to the very best cult and classic films from some of cinema’s most renowned directors, and unearthing hidden gems in luxury packages for the first time. The first 3,000 copies of each title will come complete with a slipcase, and include a booklet featuring newly written material.”
Ok, 101 Films, you have got my attention.
The Black Label will launch on May 21st, 2018 with the releases of Stephen Frears’ The Grifters and David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ. Not a bad pair to kick start things with. I’m all in on the Black Label. The more distribution companies that specialize in genre films, the better it is for us genre fans. And with this new branch of 101 Films tackling more modern films we should see a lot of releases we haven’t seen elsewhere. I’m excited.
To help celebrate the launch, 101 Films will be presenting a 35mm screening of The Grifters with a Q&A after with Frears, DP Oliver Stapleton and editor Mick Audsley. The screening will be May 15th at the Prince Charles Cinema in London. If you’re in London, go buy tickets! For everyone else you can just pre-order your copies of The Grifters and eXistenZ today!
THE GRIFTERS (Stephen Frears, 1990)
From director Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons) and producer Martin Scorsese, comes The Grifters, a taut thriller in which seduction and betrayal could lead to murder. When small-time cheat Roy Dillon winds up in hospital following an unsuccessful scam, it sets up a confrontation between his estranged mother Lilly and alluring girlfriend Myra. Both Lilly and Myra are con artists playing the game in a league far above Roy, and always looking for their next victim. As Roy finds himself caught in a complicated web of passion and mistrust, the question is who’s conning who?
The Grifters features a stellar cast including John Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank), Anjelica Huston (Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Addams Family) and Annette Bening (American Beauty, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool).
SPECIAL FEATURES
Brand New Extras
• Seduction. Betrayal. Murder: The Making of The Grifters: A brand new feature length documentary on the film’s production, including new interviews with director Stephen Frears, cinematographer Oliver Stapleton, editor Mick Audsley, executive producer Barbara De Fina and co-producer Peggy Rajski
• Limited edition booklet includes: ‘Jim Thompson, Noir, and the Popular Front’, an essay by David Cochran, and ‘Elmer Bernstein: Grit not Grift’, a review of the legendary composer’s career by Charlie Brigden
EXISTENZ (David Cronenberg, 1999) UK Blu-ray debut
Visionary director David Cronenberg (Videodrome) challenges the boundaries of reality in sci-fi thriller eXistenZ. During a closed-door demonstration of her new virtual reality video game, brilliant game designer Allegra Geller survives an attempt on her life by a crazed assassin. On the run with Ted Pikul, a young marketing trainee who falls into the role of bodyguard, Allegra convinces Ted to join her in her game, eXistenZ. As the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur, the real-life dangers they sought to escape start to merge with their virtual world.
eXistenZ stars Jennifer Jason Leigh (Annihilation), Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley), and a stellar supporting cast including Ian Holm (Alien), Willem Dafoe (Platoon), Christopher Eccleston (28 Days Later) and Sarah Polley (Splice).
SPECIAL FEATURES
Brand New Extras
• The Leader: An interview with Christopher Eccleston
• Commentary with Kim Newman and Ryan Lambie
• Commentary with Mondo Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson
• Limited edition booklet includes: ‘Enemy of Reality: David Cronenberg’s
eXistenZ’ by Alex Morris, and ‘Of Fabrics and Flesh: An interview with Denise
Cronenberg’ by Phillip Escott.
Additional Extras
• Audio commentary by David Cronenberg
• Making-of documentary
• Promo Featurette
• Special Effects Featurette
• Backstage interviews with Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Willem Dafoe, Jim Isaac (visual effects) and David Cronenberg
• Trailer
After releasing in theaters last month, NEON announced today that horror romance Leviticus will arrive on digital platforms to rent or own beginning July 28, followed by a Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD Combo and DVD release on September 8, 2026.
Leviticus marks the feature debut by writer/director Adrian Chiarella.
Joe Bird (Talk to Me) and Stacy Clausen play star-crossed teenage boys who must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.
Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak), Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie (The Nightingale), and Davida McKenzie (Silent Night) round out the cast of horror movie Leviticus.
“Leviticus is a strong debut with an incisive voice at the helm,” I wrote in my review out of Sundance. “We care deeply about Naim and Ryan’s survival, making Leviticus a tense, atmospheric, and claustrophobic vision of young love in a hateful world.”
“Leviticus is the perfect title for writer-director Adrian Chiarella‘s powerful feature debut,” Meagan’s review explains, “a searing anthem against the corrosive nature of fear and bigotry.”
The physical media release comes packed with exclusive bonus features, the home entertainment release includes a feature commentary with Adrian Chiarella, interviews with Chiarella, Stacy Clausen, and Joe Bird, an exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette, and the official trailer.
Look for Leviticus on Digital next week, and check out the box art for September’s Blu-ray release this September.
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