Let’s not forget there’s more to entertainment than what comes out of the collective Hollywood brain trust. And thank goodnesss for that or we would constantly be bombarded with movies like Battleship and endless other Transformers clones.

Fortunately, there’s more independent-minded production companies that try to make more original and edgy fare. One of those companies is Anchor Bay, and while it’s not indie in the strictest sense of the word (it’s owned by Starz), it still tries to bring some edgy and creative work to the table.

One example of this is the upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller The Collapse. In the movie, an “unknown event has catapulted civilization into a fatal downward spiral. The Weaver family — father Scott (John Fantasia), young adult son Aaron (Steve Vieira), mother Emily (Lise Moule) and teenage daughter Rebecca (Anna Ross) — desperately tries to survive.”

Check out the trailer and clips after the break. Look for The Collapsed to arrive on June 5.

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Catch .44 is the embodiment of style over substance.

The film looks great. Writer/director Aaron Harvey clearly has a good eye. If the budget is as low as he implies in the audio commentary, Harvey needs to marry his production designer and his cinematographer. A lot of the visual effects are a little clunky (think the fight sequences in Deadliest Warrior), but good for the budget (which bodes well for the future of indie film).

The acting is also very strong, which is not unexpected given a cast that includes veterans Bruce Willis, Brad Dourif, and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker. Most of the fun that can be squeezed from watching Catch .44 is seeing the actors play.

But the twisty crime thriller genre is all about story, and there just isn’t one here. Unlike The Usual Suspects and Reservoir Dogs, to which the marketing compares the film, Catch.44 doesn’t have any surprises, any secrets, or any tension. It’s mostly just people saying they are going to shoot each other and then, in fact, shooting each other.

The characters are poorly drawn and, with the possible exception of Whitaker’s confused psycho, unmemorable. Most have no arcs to speak of. The script doesn’t even keep you entertained with clever banter or intimidating tough-guy talk, another staple of the genre. The dialogue in Catch .44 is clumsy and lacking originality.

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The Big Bang looks like a bug nutty movie, totally the kind of crazy that is either inspired or down right horrible. I appreciate that the film takes stylistic risks to stand out, and the cast assembled is pretty stacked, so I am willing to give it a shot.

In anticipation of the May 13th limited release, Anchor Bay has released 2 new clips from the film. In the first clip we get to see a pair of the stellar character actors that populate the film playing the cops firing on our hero. The awesome Thomas Kretschmann and the awesomer Delroy Lindo unload a barrage of bullets into Banderas’ car. He, of course, responds in kind.

In the second clip we see a far more important piece of the story. Banderas is at his private eye desk, doing his private eye things when a mysterious giant appears. This is likely an important moment from earlier in the film, setting up the main action for the rest of the movie.

These clips are pretty standard for the private eye genre, but the trailer has promised something far more interesting and generally nuts. Hopefully these new tidbits will fit into the context of the film in a satisfyingly crazy way. Check out both clips after the jump.

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Possibly one of the most critically praised films of the year, and potentially a heavy hitter at this year’s Academy Awards, The King’s Speech has already made plenty of headlines as of late. Well you can add one more, as the film’s DVD and Blu-Ray details have been announced courtesy of a press release from Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Co.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company announced today the highly anticipated Blu-ray™ and DVD release of THE KING’S SPEECH, the first release under the two companies’ new agreement.  Heading to retail on April 19^th, 2011, THE KING’S SPEECH has dominated the nomination lists for the Oscars^®, Golden Globes^®, Critics Choice Awards and BAFTA awards, earning widespread critical acclaim and grossing over $73 million at the North American box office thus far.

Its 2011 honors to date include two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (Colin Firth); the PGA Award for Outstanding Producer of a Theatrical Motion Picture; the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film (Tom Hooper); and the Golden Globe^® for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama (Colin Firth).

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Just when you thought Christmas was coming to an end in a few weeks, it looks like a few elves over at Anchor Bay have a surprise in store for us on March 15, as the SyFy Channel original hit film Sharktopus is getting an official release on Blu-ray and DVD.

That’s right, you get to relive those classic moments of the Sharktopus destroying landmarks, devouring sea-bound travelers, and running amok all over again in glorious 72op. From the producing team of Roger and Julie Corman, the film is the cherry on top of Corman’s ice cream Sunday of a B-movie career, becoming the highest rated SyFy original film in the channel’s history with over 2.5 million viewers back in September.

For those of you who missed it, here’s the official synopsis.

An eight-tentacled nightmare hybrid of shark and octopus, “S-11” was created by genetic scientist Nathan Sands (Eric Roberts) as the U.S. Navy’s next super-weapon. But when its control implants are damaged during a training experiment off the Mexican coast, the beast escapes to Puerto Vallarta to sample the local fare — bikini babes, jet-skiers, and spring-breakers.

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There are tons of cult horror films for fans to look back on and cringe, but there are very few that can still be considered solid pieces of cinema. Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films are easily on the top of that list, and the first of the trilogy is finally getting the Blu-ray treatment, all thanks to Anchor Bay Films.

For the first time, Raimi’s Evil Dead is making it’s high definition debut, with two astounding 1080p anamorphic transfers (1.85 and 1.33 aspect ratio, for you who know what that means). Not only will you get the film with both audio and visual restoration, but the disc also comes with a brand new commentary by Raimi, long-time producer Rob Tapert, and the man himself, Bruce Campbell.

The release also comes with a second disc full of extra features, including:

•    One By One We Will Take You: The Untold Saga of The Evil Dead
•    The Evil Dead: Treasures from the Cutting Room Floor
•    The Ladies Of The Evil Dead Meet Bruce Campbell
•    Book of The Dead: The Other Pages
•    Discovering The Evil Dead
•    Unconventional
•    At The Drive-In

Check out an exclusive clip from the commentary after the jump, in which Bruce Campbell discusses his Viet Nam-like flashbacks he had after finishing the first film. Catch The Evil Dead Blu-ray in stores on August 30th.

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Spartacus: Blood and Sand is back with a vengeance, with more blood and you guessed it – more sand. In addition to shooting what will be a glorious Season 2, Starz is also shooting a six-part prequel that will be covering The House of Batiatus’ rise to arena awesomeness and air in January 2011.

In anticipation of the new episodes, The Flickcast was there to catch up with Andy Whitfield who plays none other than Spartacus himself. He achieved the greatest victory of all by defeating cancer, and we’re glad to hear he’s going to be back and better than ever with a small part in the prequel and a starring role once again in Season 2.

As buff gladiators strutted the Comic-Con convention floor towards the Anchor Bay Entertainment booth, I happily took a seat in a cozy room alongside the protein-packed actor. Starz certainly knows how to keep a woman’s interest.

Sitting down with Andy Whitfield was a delight. Besides being easy on the eyes, Andy was humble and charmingly insightful. But, don’t take my word for it. Following the jump, take a seat as the bringer of rain answers questions about fighting alongside his brethren and filming on location under the hot sun of New Zealand.

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