Fun City Editions

[jah13]

You're right, it would be a really good extra, so long as it were available for those purposes and affordable.

Originally Posted by Yami

It seems like the original distributor is still selling it on VHS to educational venues, but I think I last had the ability to play VHS tapes back in around 2004! Hopefully it becomes available in a digital format one of these days, ideally as an extra on another Perry feature as it doesn't seem like something that would really sell itself but I'd probably pay a few bucks to stream it if that was an option.

[jah13]

JEREMY is featured on Trailers from Hell today. Larry Karaszewski commentary.

[Jerry_Dam]

Can't wait for JEREMY, thank you Fun City.

[jah13]

Nor I. It was a special film to work on. Glad there is some excitement for it.

Originally Posted by Jerry_Dam

Can't wait for JEREMY, thank you Fun City.

[Frightener22]

@jah13, would Happy Birthday, Gemini (1980) be a possibility for a future release?

[jah13]

Originally Posted by Frightener22

@jah13, would Happy Birthday, Gemini (1980) be a possibility for a future release?

I can't say it's been on my shortlist, but it appears to be a title that MGM controls, so it's feasible, given their openness to sub-licensing their back catalog. Out of the Richard Benner catalog, though, OUTRAGEOUS would seem to be more bankable.

[Frightener22]

Originally Posted by jah13

I can't say it's been on my shortlist, but it appears to be a title that MGM controls, so it's feasible, given their openness to sub-licensing their back catalog. Out of the Richard Benner catalog, though, OUTRAGEOUS would seem to be more bankable.

Both would be splendid. Thanks for the response. Keep up the terrific work!

[El Sleezo]

Hard to pick, but Jeremy might be the film I'm most excited for from the BF reveals. Can't wait for the next unsung gem.

[jah13]

That’s really saying something. Glad to hear all of this enthusiasm for JEREMY. 👍

Originally Posted by El Sleezo

Hard to pick, but Jeremy might be the film I'm most excited for from the BF reveals. Can't wait for the next unsung gem.

[kieranx]

Originally Posted by Looks like a fabulous set of extras.

I mentioned Arthur Barron's short films above and I've found a couple on the Internet Archive that people might be interested in. [url=https://archive.org/details/ItMustBeLoveCauseIFeelSoDumbShortStoryFilm1975

It Must Be Love Cause I Feel So Dumb[/url] was his follow up to Jeremy and features a very Robbie Benson-like Alfred Lutter III (who played the younger version of Woody Allen's character in Love and Death) as a kid trying to impress the cheerleader he has a crush on. Death of a Gandy Dancer is a more sombre affair about a young boy coming to terms with the impending death of his grandfather.

Oh wow, those are ABC Afterschool Specials. The versions on Internet Archive are were edited for school use. I loved that series and bought all of the releases when they came out on DVD several years ago. I wish they had done more, but getting to see these, even in edited mode, is very cool. Thanks for linking.

[kieranx]

Originally Posted by Yami

Yes, of course! One of Scorsese's most underrated films; I haven't seen it in years.

I don't know what the rights are like but I've been wanting to see Frank Perry's final film, On the Bridge, a documentary self-portrait following his diagnosis of cancer. Jonathan Rosenbaum gave it a good review at the time. I've mentioned it to Indicator too as it would be great to see as an extra on a release of one of his films and I know you have Rancho Deluxe in the pipeline.

I would love to see this. I'm a doc filmmaker and I also used to write for Fandor's online magazine Keyframe. I did a piece on the cinema of Frank Perry and I tried like crazy to find a copy of this.

I was NOT a fan of Rancho Deluxe, but I will definitely pick it up when Fun City releases it, to be a Perry completist and to support the label. I AM a big fan of Jeremy, though, and will be grabbing that ASAP.

[jah13]

Well, here's a post that encapsulates just about every reason why we do what we do. I'm speaking for FCE, but I'm pretty sure the same is true for VS.

Originally Posted by eleane

I've finally watched I Start Counting (1969). It was a thrill. This film managed to make me smile, laugh and cry. And the voice of the female lead… My heart melts.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this release at Fun City and Vinegar Syndrome. This shouldn't come as a surprise but it doesn't hurt to repeat it: the picture and sound quality is consistently excellent and above all true to the source.

VS has become my favourite film distribution company because through each of their BD editions they prove to be reliable and conscientious. Colour or black and white film, shot in 16 mm or 35 mm, the results always meet the highest standards:
– all of their films are scanned in-house in 2K or 4K from the best sources available (camera negative or interpositive), no old master recycled from the DVD era;
– the encoding process is masterfully handled. Hats off to the person in charge of the compression. Grain structure is perfectly preserved and compression artefacts are indiscernable;
– the original mono/stereo track sounds clear and is always encoded in 24 bits 48 kHz or 24 bits 96 kHz. Thus, you can really appreciate the original mix as intended. The only limitations are due to the source (how the sound was originally recorded/mixed). No 5.1/7.1 upmix, no added effects, no revisionism (I'm looking at you Lionsgate and Columbia who can't even sell us a proper original mono track for Halloween, The Evil Dead and Psycho).

I'm glad to see that Fun City follows the same path: two releases so far, two successes in my book. Very good choice of films. What a relief to see that it still exists competent people in this business! Keep up the good work! I'm impatient to watch Jeremy (1973).

[liveandletmarblerye]

I would just like to echo the praise for the I Start Counting bluray. Watched it last night and was enthralled.

I'm excited for what Fun City Editions has in store. If I Start Counting is to go by, they have VS quality but with films that are closer to my sensibilities. I've ordered Alphabet City and preordered Jeremy during the VS BF sale. Can't wait to watch them, Jeremy especially.

[gimmeshelter]

Any details about how the FCE launch is going so far? I get the impression that both Alphabet City and I Start Counting had decent sales out of the gate, so hopefully that is true. They are both still "genre" films, though ('action' and 'thriller') so Jeremy might be a better test of what films may be part of the future of FCE. Also, will these all stay in print indefinitely once the slips are sold out? I'm really looking forward to see what's coming up for the label and want you to do well.

[jah13]

This is also great to hear, thank you for the positive feedback.

As you all know, stepping outside of the familiar genre confines is or can be risky, but it's also kind of necessary because so much of that fare has been mined and is being done quite well by labels like VS. We certainly appreciate those adventurous viewers / collectors who stick with us, when we dip a toe or two into non-horror or non-thriller waters.

Originally Posted by liveandletmarblerye

I would just like to echo the praise for the I Start Counting bluray. Watched it last night and was enthralled.

I'm excited for what Fun City Editions has in store. If I Start Counting is to go by, they have VS quality but with films that are closer to my sensibilities. I've ordered Alphabet City and preordered Jeremy during the VS BF sale. Can't wait to watch them, Jeremy especially.

[jah13]

Thank for saying so, gimmeshelter.

Frankly, it's a little premature to say, but it looks like ALPHABET CITY moved some slipcover units during the sale. There will be standard editions for awhile after the slips sell out, but obviously things will vary from title to title. We have a limited license period, of course, so they won't stay in print indefinitely. How long there's available quantity will hinge on combination of demand on a given title and license period.

Originally Posted by gimmeshelter

Any details about how the FCE launch is going so far? I get the impression that both Alphabet City and I Start Counting had decent sales out of the gate, so hopefully that is true. They are both still "genre" films, though ('action' and 'thriller') so Jeremy might be a better test of what films may be part of the future of FCE. Also, will these all stay in print indefinitely once the slips are sold out? I'm really looking forward to see what's coming up for the label and want you to do well.

[jah13]

Sure thing and thank you.

Originally Posted by Frightener22

Both would be splendid. Thanks for the response. Keep up the terrific work!

[jah13]

I'll have to check out your Fandor piece...is it readily available?

Good to see these admitted JEREMY fans coming out of the woodwork that are not named Kermode.

Originally Posted by kieranx

I would love to see this. I'm a doc filmmaker and I also used to write for Fandor's online magazine Keyframe. I did a piece on the cinema of Frank Perry and I tried like crazy to find a copy of this.

I was NOT a fan of Rancho Deluxe, but I will definitely pick it up when Fun City releases it, to be a Perry completist and to support the label. I AM a big fan of Jeremy, though, and will be grabbing that ASAP.

[jah13]

I finally watched IT MUST BE LOVE via YouTube last week and it's pretty special. There are definitely some fun echoes of JEREMY within its short running time. I even think that the exterior location of the school in IT MUST BE LOVE is the same one that was used for an almost identical scene in JEREMY.

Originally Posted by kieranx

Oh wow, those are ABC Afterschool Specials. The versions on Internet Archive are were edited for school use. I loved that series and bought all of the releases when they came out on DVD several years ago. I wish they had done more, but getting to see these, even in edited mode, is very cool. Thanks for linking.

[Atomic Frog]

Would Fun City have any interest in giving the deluxe treatment to Pieces Of April ?


I suppose its with Warner now. Its never made it to blu ray. I saw the DVD years and years ago for $3 but never bought it. In fact I never saw the movie until this Thanksgiving on a movie channel.

Its definitely an unusual "Thanksgiving" film but its funny with an eclectic mix of weird characters. Katie Holmes and the on location shooting and SOV are BIG pluses in my book. Sets it apart from other crisp bright and shiny holiday movies.

I kind of understand why it gets overlooked, hell I did just that to it for 17 years. Really glad I finally watched and would love to see interviews with Katie, Patricia Clarkson and the crew about working on it.