"Blood Lad" Anime on Limited Edition Blu-ray DVD Combo Sept. 2nd

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY AND DVD COMBO PACK FOR THE PARANORMAL ANIME ACTION COMEDY BLOOD LAD

An Otaku Vampire Obsessed With The Human World Falls For a Pretty Girl That Becomes A Ghost; 10-Episode Anime Series Also Features Talented English Dub Cast

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, gives fans and viewers the opportunity to add BLOOD LAD to their personal home media collections as it announces the release of the complete anime series as a special Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, and also as a Standard Edition DVD set, on September 2nd. VIZ Media is the exclusive North American master licensor for the BLOOD LAD anime property.

The 10-episode paranormal action comedy about a nerdy vampire that is obsessed with the human word is rated ‘TV-14’ and will be offered as a Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with an MSRP of $69.99 U.S. / $89.99 CAN. The special set comes packaged in a full-color chipboard box featuring 4 discs containing the entire series as well as the BLOOD LAD “BLOOD LAD-EX” OVA short film and a 96 page premium art booklet featuring episode guides, art, interviews and more. Other combo pack bonus features include an interactive art gallery,  nearly a half-hour of English dub session outtakes, an Anime Central convention chalk art video along with series trailers and clean opening and ending segments.

The Standard Edition 2-disc DVD set for BLOOD LAD features the complete series and OVA film and will be offered at an MSRP $44.82 U.S. / $43.24 CAN. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and standard DVD set both feature English dubbed and original Japanese stereo audio selections (with English Subtitles).

The Demon World: a place where it's good to be bad. Werewolves, zombies, and even the Abominable Snowman fight day and night for the title of Territory Boss. The vampire Staz, however, finds the whole thing to be a serious pain. He spends his time watching anime, playing video games, and daydreaming about going to the Human World. That all changes when he meets Fuyumi, a human girl who instantly wins Staz's heart but subsequently loses her life to a man-eating plant. Staz refuses to give up on the girl of his dreams and travels across the Demon and Human Worlds in search of a way to bring Fuyumi back to life by any bloody means necessary.

The English dub cast for BLOOD LAD notably stars Bryce Papenbrook as Staz and Xanthe Huynh as Fuyumi and also features talented voice actors such as Johnny Yong Bosch, Kyle Hebert, Cristina Vee and Wendee Lee in key supporting roles.

“BLOOD LAD was adapted from Yuki Kodama's bestselling manga series and offers a hilarious, action packed story featuring plenty of adventure and laughable situations, and fans won’t want to miss the chance to own the complete series as a special Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Animation Marketing Manager. “The combo pack also features a wealth of entertaining bonus material including the BLOOD LAD OVA which picks up right after the series’ final episode and follows Staz and Fuyumi as they journey to the Demon Acropolis. Don’t miss this special release coming next month!”

For more information on BLOOD LAD, or other award-winning anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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Robert Zemeckis' "The Walk" Due October 2015

TRISTAR ANNOUNCES TITLE AND WRAP OF PRODUCTION FOR "THE WALK"

3D / IMAX 3D CAPER FILM DIRECTED BY ROBERT ZEMECKIS STARRING JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT BASED ON PHILIPPE PETIT’S BOOK "TO REACH THE CLOUDS"

This is the 40th Anniversary of Petit’s August 7, 1974 Walk Between the Twin Towers

MONTRÉAL, Canada, Principal photography has wrapped on the inaugural film from Tom Rothman’s TriStar Productions, now officially titled The Walk. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film is a true story based on Philippe Petit’s book "To Reach the Clouds," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the young dreamer who dared the impossible: an illegal wire walk between the World Trade Center towers. Zemeckis wrote the screenplay with Christopher Browne. Producers are Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, and Jack Rapke. The film will be released on October 2, 2015.

August 7 was the 40th anniversary of the astounding event, now being brought back to vivid life in the third act climax of the film.

Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Robert Zemeckis, the director of such marvels as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future, Polar Express, and Flight, again uses cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. With innovative photorealistic techniques and IMAX 3D wizardry, The Walk is true big-screen cinema, a chance for moviegoers to viscerally experience the feeling of reaching the clouds. The film is a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, but most of all, to the Towers of the World Trade Center.

Also starring in the film are James Badge Dale, Ben Schwartz, Charlotte Le Bon, Clément Sibony and César Domboy.

The production’s creative team includes director of photography Dariusz Wolski, production designer Naomi Shohan, editor Jeremiah O’Driscoll, and costume designer Suttirat Larlarb. The composer is Alan Silvestri.

Moviegoers can follow the film on the official movie site at www.thewalkmovie.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheWalkMovie or on Twitter @TheWalkMovie.

Photos from the film were made available at www.sonypicturespublicity.com on Thursday, August 7th at 9AM Pacific time.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

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A Negromancer/September (2014) to Remember 13 Years Strong

We made it to another September... 2014 to be specific.  Welcome to Negromancer 2.0.  This is the rebirth of Negromancer, the former movie review website as a new movie review and movie news site.

By the way, the first Negromancer debuted 13 years ago this month.

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.

The Berkeley FILM Foundation Gives $130,000 in Grants to 16 Filmmakers for 2014

2014 Berkeley Film Foundation Awards

$130,000 in grants given to 16 East Bay filmmakers

BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Berkeley FILM Foundation (BFF) announced that it has just awarded $130,000 from its 2014 film and video grant program to 16 filmmakers, including two student filmmakers. The BFF gave this year’s $25,000 Saul Zaentz Award to Ghost Town to Havana by filmmaker Eugene Corr.

    “In our six-year history, BFF has awarded nearly $800,000 to almost 90 film projects. We are extremely proud that several films funded by the BFF have found audiences at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca, DocuWeeks, Silver Docs, and one has garnered an Oscar nomination”

The film is an intimate portrait of two coaches and their youth baseball teams. Nicolas Reyes, a coach in Havana, Cuba, and Roscoe Bryant, a coach in Oakland, CA, mentor their boys through the toughest of circumstances.

In May of 2010, the two coaches meet and their teams get the chance to play together in Havana. It is a celebration of life, community, boyhood and baseball.

At its core, Ghost Town to Havana is a film about poverty, mentorship, sports and race.

Corr and coach Bryant have been asked to speak at the annual Berkeley FILM Foundation gala fundraiser on October 1, 2014 at The David Brower Center in Berkeley. For ticket purchase: https://bff2014gala.eventbrite.com

“More than ever, our filmmakers are relying heavily on the Berkeley FILM Foundation for financial support as funding is drying up for independent films,” said David Bergad, executive director of the BFF. “In our six-year history, BFF has awarded nearly $800,000 to almost 90 film projects. We are extremely proud that several films funded by the BFF have found audiences at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca, DocuWeeks, Silver Docs, and one has garnered an Oscar nomination,” he added.

The total list of 2014 BFF winners is:

Eugene Corr, Ghost Town to Havana ***Saul Zaentz Award

Amir Soltani, Dogtown Redemption: In Trash We Trust
Gregory Scharpen, Buchla
Karina Epperlein, Finding The Gold Within
Kim Anno, Water City, Berkeley
Marlene Morris, A New Color
Raymond Telles, A Photographer's Journey
Rick Goldsmith, Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw
Rick Tejada-Flores, The Road to Chulumani
Robin Fryday, Riding My Way Back
Sarolta Cump, The Gold Fish Casino
Sheri Shuster, Child Sex Trafficking: A Story About Love
Snitow-Kaufman Productions, Do Not Track
Judy Montell/Emmy Scharlatt, In The Image

Student Grant Winners:
Dorothy Atkins, The Battle Over Thompson Divide
Leah Dubuc, Zora

The Berkeley FILM Foundation, is a 501(c)3 grant program for independent filmmakers funded by the City of Berkeley, Wareham Development, and the Saul Zaentz Company with a mission to nurture, sustain and preserve the thriving local film community while attracting the next generation of filmmakers. The BFF focuses on supporting social, historical and innovative documentary and dramatic works. Many of the BFF grant winners have gone on to screen at U.S. and international film festivals, been recognized with prestigious awards, received television broadcasts, and are making a difference around the world.

For more information on these awards and on the October 1, 2014 annual gala fundraiser, please e-mail David Bergad, Executive Director BFF at david@berkeleyfilmfoundation.org. Visit us on the web: www.berkeleyfilmfoundation.org, www.facebook.com/BerkeleyFilmFoundation and https://twitter.com/berkeleyfilmfdn

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for August 24th to August 30th 2014 - Update #15

NEWS:

From TheWrap:  Team behind 22 Jump Street to reboot old ABC television series, "The Greatest American Hero," for television.

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From DeadlineHollywood:  A&E cancels its most popular scripted television series, "Longmire."

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From DeadlineHollywood:  Emma Roberts is set for the horror-thriller "February."

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From TheHuffingtonPost:  See Miley Cyrus' bathing suit for the cover of V Magazine.  You can't swim with that!

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From the AP via Yahoo:  Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reportedly, secretly married in the France on Saturday, August 23, 2014.

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From TheHollywoodReporter:  A complete list of winners at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards

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From the WashingtonPost:  Fix the Emmys?

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From PostandCourier:  Emma Stone set to make Broadway debut in "Cabaret."

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From TheTelegraph:  Idris Elba and Chiwetel Ejiofor renew awards "rivalry" at tonight's (Monday, August 25, 2014) 66th Primetime Emmy Awards.

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From TheVox:  "True Blood" never figured out what it wanted its vampires to be

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From YahooMusic:  Amber Rose's chain-link dress at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards

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From TheWrap:  Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is not gone, nor is it forgotten.  It stole the August 22nd to 24th, 2014 weekend box office, according to early estimates.  It returns to #1 after spending two weeks at #2 behind Paramount's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, which is at #2 for this weekend.  Guardians won the box office for its debut weekend, before the Turtles returned to cinemas.  Guardians is also the #1 box-office hit of the Summer 2014, moving past Transformers: Age of Extinction.

The teen-oriented, If I Stay, opens at #3, according to early estimates and could end up battling the Turtles for #2, when the finally tally comes about sometime Monday afternoon.  Sin City: A Dame to Kill For," a sequel to the 2004 film, Sin City, is likely a bomb with its $6.6 million debut.

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From BleedingCool:  With all the good news Marvel is getting, I thought that I'd bring back this classic bit of bad press.

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From TheWrap:  Five Freaky Facts about the Fractured Summer Box Office.

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From YahooCelebrity:  "Sleepy Hollow" actor, Orlando Jones, puts a powerful twist on the "ice bucket" challenge.  Call it "Bullet Bucket Challenge."


STAR WARS:

From HuffingtonPost:  Episode VII cast members take "ice bucket challenge," including Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford.


COMIC BOOKS - Movies and Comics:

From EW InsideMovies:  Marvel still trying to talk Joaquin Phoenix into portraying the title character in their planned "Doctor Strange" film.  It's a close call, apparently.

From Yahoo:  Images from the set of "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

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From CinemaBlend:  Rumors, spoilers, and speculation about "Captain America 3."

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From YahooMovies:  See Evangeline Lilly's "wasp-y" haircut for "Ant-Man."

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From The Hollywood Reporter via YahooMovies:  "Ant-Man" adds new cast members:  Rapper T.I., John Slatterly, Judy Greer, and Bobby Cannavale.


OBITS:

From Variety:  Actor, director, and producer, Sir Richard Attenborough died today, Sunday, August 24, 2014.  He was 90 years old.  In 1982, Attenborough won two Oscars for producing and directing the 1982 film, Gandhi.  [Sir Ben Kingsley won the best actor for playing the title role.]  Attenborough was probably best known for playing park creator John Hammond in the 1993 film, Jurassic Park, and in the sequel, The Lost World.

Attenborough's other directorial efforts included Cry Freedom, Chaplin, and Shadowlands.  In the 1960s, he won a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe for his acting.

Attenborough chronicled his 20 year struggle to make Gandhi (which won 8 Oscars) in the book, In Search of Gandhi.  Negromancer sends condolences to Attenborough's family and friends. R.I.P. Sir Richard.


TRAILERS AND PREVIEWS:

From 20thCenturyFox:  First official trailer for Alexandre Aja's The Pyramid.


MISC:

From GMA via Yahoo:  A great story about two men who were friends as boys in Ottawa, Canada, who found out six decades later that they were brothers.

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From TheVox:  This pie chart GIF shows how we have paid for music over the last 30 years.

Teaser Trailer for Jason Reitman's "Men, Women and Children" Released

Discover how little you know about the people you know.

Watch the teaser trailer for Jason Reitman's MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN

http://www.menwomenchildrenmovie.com

Share your thoughts and reactions to the trailer with the Whisper App using #MWC

Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ansel Elgort, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Dean Norris, Adam Sandler
Based on the Novel by Chad Kultgen
Screenplay by Jason Reitman & Erin Cressida Wilson
Directed by Jason Reitman

Synopsis:
MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives. The film attempts to stare down social issues such as video game culture, anorexia, infidelity, fame hunting, and the proliferation of illicit material on the internet. As each character and each relationship is tested, we are shown the variety of roads people choose - some tragic, some hopeful - as it becomes clear that no one is immune to this enormous social change that has come through our phones, our tablets, and our computers.

About Whisper:
Whisper is the best place to express yourself online. Connect with likeminded individuals, and discover the unseen world around you. With Whisper, you’re free to anonymously share your thoughts with the world, and build lasting, meaningful relationships in a community built around trust and honesty.

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN will make its world premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival

#MWC
Official site: http://www.menwomenchildrenmovie.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/MWCmovie
Twitter: Twitter.com/MWCmovie
Instagram: Instagram.com/MWCmovie

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"If I Say" Inspired Song and YouTube Sensation Now on iTunes

WaterTower Music Announces Release of “If I Stay – Song Inspired by The Book” by Fan Abigail Wate, Discovered on YouTube

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music today announced the release of the digital single “If I Stay – Song Inspired by The Book” by Abigail Wate.

If I Stay author Gayle Forman, who served as an executive producer on New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ film of the same name, found a video of Abigail singing the song on YouTube and immediately shared it by social media. WaterTower Music, who released the soundtrack for “If I Stay,” also embraced the song and has released it digitally on iTunes.

Miss Wate, an aspiring musician living in Nashville, Tennessee, stated, “Reading has been the inspiration for my songwriting for years. I read If I Stay for the first time when I was thirteen and the story was so captivating and moved me so much that I had to write a song just to get out ‘all the feels.’ While I was composing the song “If I Stay” my mind was still caught up in all the emotion of Mia and Adam’s world. It goes beyond anything I could have imagined for my first single to be a part of this amazing project.”

Released on August 29, the single for “If I Stay – Song Inspired by The Book” is now available at iTunes.

The soundtrack for the film is also now available at iTunes and Amazon.

About WaterTower Music
WaterTower Music, the in house music label for Warner Bros., has been releasing recorded music since 2001. Distributed through InGrooves Fontana, WTM has released over 150 titles, including the film soundtracks to “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Gravity,” “Man of Steel,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Game of Thrones,” “The Lego Movie,” and “If I Stay” among others.

About “If I Stay”
Gayle Forman’s best-selling novel comes to the big screen in New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ drama “If I Stay,” starring Chloë Grace Moretz (“Carrie,” the “Kick-Ass” films), Mireille Enos (TV’s “The Killing,” “World War Z”); Joshua Leonard (“Higher Ground”); Jamie Blackley (“Snow White and the Huntsman”); and Stacy Keach (“Nebraska”).

Mia Hall (Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.

Also starring are Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard as Mia’s parents, Kat and Denny, and Stacy Keach as Gramps. Rounding out the main cast are Jakob Davies as Mia’s little brother, Liana Liberato as her best friend, Gabrielle Rose as Gran, and Aisha Hinds as Nurse Ramirez.

R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue,” TV’s “Nashville”) directed the film from a screenplay by Shauna Cross (“Whip It”) based on Forman’s novel. “If I Stay” was produced by Alison Greenspan (“The Lucky One”), with Denise Di Novi, Forman and Brad Van Arragon serving as executive producers.

Cutler’s behind-the-scenes team included cinematographer John de Borman (“An Education”), production designer Brent Thomas (“The Big Year”), editor Keith Henderson (TV’s “Justified”), costume designer Monique Prudhomme (TV’s “Bates Motel,” “Juno”) and composer Heitor Pereira (the “Despicable Me” films).

New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures present a Di Novi Pictures Production, “If I Stay.” Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some sexual material, the film is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. ifistaymovie.com