Wtf-film: cult cinema and video reviews

From the Shout! Factory press release:

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ROCK ’N’ ROLL HIGH SCHOOL
30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY™ AND DVD
&
SUBURBIA COLLECTOR’S EDITION DVD
DVDs In Stores Nationwide May 4, 2010;
Rock’n’ Roll High School on Blu-ray May 11, 2010

Gabba gabba hey! Two hugely popular Roger Corman rock films that have long been out of print will hit the home-entertainment shelves this May 2010: the Rock ’N’ Roll High School 30th Anniversary Special Edition and Suburbia Collector’s Edition, the first two titles launching the highly anticipated Roger Corman’s Cult Classics home entertainment series from Shout! Factory. Rock’n’Roll High School 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD and Suburbia Collector’s Edition DVD debut on May 4; the first-ever Blu-ray release of Rock’n’Roll High School is set for May 11. Newly remastered and available for the first time in Anamorphic widescreen (16:9), Rock ’N’ Roll High School Special Edition and Suburbia Collector’s Edition provide the outrageous candor of teenage angst and nostalgic reverie of a counterculture rock movement that captured the hearts of many generations. With explosive musical performances from the Ramones, T.S.O.L., The Vandals and D.I., and extensive bonus content including all-new interviews and commentary with cast and crew, rare behind-the-scenes footage and much more, these two definitive home entertainment releases from Shout’s Roger Corman’s Cult Classics line are a must-have for Roger Corman fans and film aficionados as well as anyone who remains young at heart. Blu-ray is priced to own at $26.97 SRP. Each DVD title is sold separately and has a suggested retail price of $19.93.

Executive produced by Corman and directed by Allan Arkush (Heroes), Rock ’N’ Roll High School boasts performances by the Ramones and stars P.J. Soles (Halloween) in the lead role of Riff Randell, Vince Van Patten (Hell Night), Clint Howard (Grand Theft Auto), Dey Young (Spaceballs), Mary Woronov (Death Race 2000), Dick Miller (Piranha) and Paul Bartel (Hollywood Boulevard).

Based on Arkush’s own high school fantasy, the 1979 cult film takes place at Vince Lombardi High School — the wildest, most rockin’ high school around! That is, until a thug of a principal, Miss Togar, comes along and tries to make the school a totalitarian state. With the help of the Ramones, the students of Vince Lombardi battle Miss Togar’s iron-fisted rule and take their battle to a truly rockin’ conclusion!

Rock ’N’ Roll High School quickly developed a devoted following after its release in 1979 and became a mainstay of the midnight movie cult circuit. As with films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, audience members began to dress up like the cast and the Ramones for screenings. Arkush, a self-described “unabashed rock ’n’ roll fanatic,” chose the Ramones to star as the film’s musical heroes, as he felt they epitomized pure rock ’n’ roll. As Arkush remembers, “We staged a live, marathon show at the Roxy Theatre that consisted of 22 hours of nonstop Ramones,” and the tireless quartet also wrote two songs for the film: “I Want You Around” and “Rock ’N’ Roll School.” The Ramones were fans of Corman as well. Johnny Ramone said in an interview at the time, “When we found out Roger Corman was behind the picture, we said, sure, we’ll do it because we knew he had a reputation and we knew he made good movies.”

ROCK ’N’ ROLL HIGH SCHOOL 30th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION
EXTENSIVE SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
New Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.85:1)
Special Introduction And “Thank You” From Director Allan Arkush
Audio Commentary With Director Allan Arkush, Producer Mike Finnell And
Screenwriter Richard Whitley
Audio Commentary With Roger Corman And Dey Young
New Audio Commentary With Director Allan Arkush, P.J. Soles And Clint
Howard
Back To School: A Retrospective Including All-New Interviews With Allan Arkush, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Dey Young, Marky Ramone And More . . .
Staying After Class: A Roundtable Interview With P.J. Soles, Vincent Van Patten And Dey Young
Interview With Roger Corman Conducted By Leonard Maltin
New Interview With Director Allan Arkush Including A Look At Rare, Behind-The-Scenes Stills From His Personal Collection
Audio Outtakes From The Roxy – Audio Recording Of The Ramones Shooting
The Final Scene
Original Radio Ads And TV Spots
Original Theatrical Trailer
Original Theatrical Trailer With Commentary By writer/director/actor Eli Roth Courtesy Of Trailers from Hell.
Additional Roger Corman Trailers
And more TBA!

Written and directed by Penelope Spheeris (Wayne’s World), featuring live performances by T.S.O.L., The Vandals and D.I., and starring Bill Coyne, Chris Pederson, Jennifer Clay and Christina Beck, 1984’s Suburbia deftly explores the punk rock generation and follows the unforgettable journey of two teenage boys who escape their unhappy home and join a group of runaways, punks who have banded together to form their own family. Dubbing themselves “The Rejected,” (aka T.R.), the teens have taken squatters’ rights in a filthy, abandoned house, and are bound together by tragedy and punk rock until they’re confronted by the “Citizens Against Crime,” a group of irascible adults from the suburbs who blame the punks for the ruin of their town. During the course of filming, the production used real kids for many parts in addition to professional actors (and includes the acting debut of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea).

SUBURBIA COLLECTOR’S EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
New Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.85:1)
Audio Commentary With Director Penelope Spheeris
New Audio Commentary
Theatrical Trailers
And more….

Following the release of the Rock ’N’ Roll High School 30th Anniversary DVD and Suburbia Collector’s Edition DVD, Shout! Factory will continue to present Roger Corman’s Cult Classics home entertainment releases on a monthly basis. Upcoming highlights include Death Race 2000, Battletruck (aka Warlords Of The 21st Century), Deathsport, Forbidden World, Galaxy Of Terror, Attack Of The Crab Monster, Not Of This Earth (1957), Piranha and Humanoids From The Deep, among others.

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These first Roger Corman’s Cult Classics titles are sounding better and better all the time!  And what’s that?  Where’s the disc art you say?  Have a look:

Rock ‘N’ Roll High School (DVD / Blu-ray) and Suburbia (DVD) are both up for pre-order now at Amazon.com at a savings of 10% to 25% off retail.