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‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Blu-ray Giveaway!
I’m very excited to announce that I have Five (5) Blu-rays of Sonic The Hedgehog up for grabs. The discs, all of which are sealed, also come with the Digital Code and the DVD! Entry details are below!
Kayleigh Matthews Talks ‘The Voice,’ Passion for “Traditional Country Music” And Exploring The “Hard Road”
Kayleigh Matthews’ blind audition performance of the Vince Gill staple “When I Call Your Name” led to a four-chair turn on The Voice. It was an amazing accomplishment for Matthews, and she ultimately chose Queen Latifah as her coach. Matthews reflected on that moment during the interview, and she also elaborated on a personal journey that was encapsulated on her reflective song “Hard Road.” Plus, she also talks about her passion for “traditional country music.” Check out the full interview with Matthews below!
Read more: Kayleigh Matthews Talks ‘The Voice,’ Passion for “Traditional Country Music” And Exploring The “Hard Road”“I love the storytelling aspect of traditional country music,” said Kayley Matthews on ‘When I Call Your Name. ‘We had this opportunity and I knew I wanted to at least turn a chair. I wanted a song that I was really comfortable with, and this is a song I’ve played out so much being a touring musician. So I was comfortable with it. And so I knew that being able to share a song like that, it has a lasting impact because you don’t hear it on mainstream platforms anymore.”
Even with all the praise from the coaches, Matthews was still critical of her rendition. “Even when I walked off the stage, getting all four chair turns, I was still in my own head like ‘It didn’t go this way (and) it wasn’t perfect.’ Watching it back on television allowed me to really process it, because it put the whole story into perspective.”
If you want a closer look into Kayleigh Mattews’ artistic journey, give Hard Road a listen. ”I lived in Nashville until 2025, and my husband and I made a decision to move back to Arizona,” said Matthews, who has been ‘gigging like crazy’ for the past six years. “And I had written a song right before we left, and it was Hard Road, which was talking about the journey of being an independent artist. I had written this song as we were leaving just about how the road is sometimes hard, but I’ve loved every single second of the journey up until this point.”
With her time The Voice, Matthews has seen witnessed an altogether different chapter. “All I’ve ever wanted is just honestly to make music that people wanted to hear and listen to and connect with and tell stories,” added Matthews. “Thats all I’ve ever wanted to do and so getting to kinda see that come into play in this new chapter has really been – honestly it’s life changing.”
Full interview with Kayleigh Matthews:
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday at 8/7c with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.
Sean Gunn Talks ‘Appofeniacs’ And Acting Journey: “I Still Love It”
Sean Gunn’s career has taken him in directions he never anticipated. The guiding principle behind that journey, however, has remained pretty simple. If he could make a living doing something he loved, that would be enough. During our Appofeniacs interview, Gunn reflected on his relationship with acting and the work that goes into portraying another person. After three decades of earning his living through the craft, his enthusiasm has not faded.
Read more: Sean Gunn Talks ‘Appofeniacs’ And Acting Journey: “I Still Love It”
Clinto Binto (Sean Gunn) is an artist whose cosplay, weapons, and wardrobe creations catch the eye of a cagey individual named Duke (Aaron Holliday). When Clinto refuses to do Duke a solid (Holliday) regarding a business transaction, Duke seeks revenge with the use of AI and deepfake technology. Duke’s actions have a devastating domino effect on several Appofeniacs characters, and Clinto finds himself in precarious position towards the end of the narrative.
“I really responded to the script the first time I read it,” said Gunn, whose previous credits include the TV series Creature Commandos and The Hive. “I’m like, ‘Oh, this is very current.’ It does what good horror movies need to do, which is speak to what people are actually afraid of right now.”
Speaking of the present, Gunn is grateful for his career and has lived by the following guiding principle: “If I love doing this so much (and) if I can make my living doing it, I’ll be happy.”
“I try to remind myself of that all the time, because I’ve been making my living doing it for 30 years, and I love it,” he said. “I still love it. I love tackling a character. I love getting a new role. I love trying to truthfully portray other human beings.”
“I would have never guessed where my career could have gone,” added Gunn who played performed the motion capture for Rocket Raccoon for the Guardians of the Galaxy films. “I would have never thought that I’d be doing superhero movies. It’s crazy. But I try not to focus on that stuff and just move forward.”
Asked what he wished audiences better understood about acting, Gunn pointed to the discipline behind the finished performance.
“Everybody is out here, for the most part, trying to make good stuff,” said Gunn. “The job of trying to truthfully portray another human being is tricky in a lot of ways. I wish people would be easier sometimes on actors. But it’s easy for me to say. I’m an actor.”
Full interview with Sean Gunn:
Written and directed by Chris Marrs Piliero, Appofeniacs is now playing in select theaters.
We review Once Upon A Time in The Middle East and The Beast on CinemAddicts:
Koumba Diallo Talks ‘The Voice,’ Learning From Kelly Clarkson, And Being A Perfectionist
Koumba Diallo received a four-chair turn during her Blind Audition on The Voice. Performing the Demi Lovato track “Stone Cold,” Diallo performed the song in a confident manner and simply nailed the performance. Diallo, who described herself as a “perfectionist,” is also proud of her Guinean and Filipino heritage. As a fellow Pinoy, I had to ask about her favorite dishes. Our interview runs the gamut, and check out the full discussion as Diallo delivers some important insights that she learned from Coach Kelly Clarkson!
Read more: Koumba Diallo Talks ‘The Voice,’ Learning From Kelly Clarkson, And Being A Perfectionist
Kelly Clarkson described “Stone Cold” as a “big song” at the beginning of Koumba Diallo’s performance. “It’s a pretty difficult choice,” said fifteen-year-old, who has performed national anthems in over 300 events. “You’re going up on stage in front of some of the biggest names in the industry, and you have to choose something that’s going to show people who you are. Choosing that song was important to me, because I got to tell my story and convey my message through it.”
Diallo ultimately chose Clarkson, and during her time on The Voice she gained some valuable tips from the powerhouse artist. “This is actually a piece of advice that Kelly gave me that I’m always going to remember and keep in mind, is that if you’re singing, you don’t want to really give all of yourself away yet,” said Diallo, who has been singing since she was nine years old. “You kind of want to show people ceratin parts of your voice, but also impress them at the same time. Another thing that I had to learn was that emotion can be conveyed in all kinds of sorts of different ways, but performing on stage doesn’t just mean singing a song. You really have to get the feel of the song.”
Much of Diallo’s hard work comes from the inspiration of her immigrant parents and being a perfectionist. Even with success on The Voice and having a natural talent does not mean that she has her sights on another career. “I really do want to become a singer in the future, and I know it doesn’t work out for everyone, so I’m always keeping that in mind,” she added. “I need to set boundaries and be realistic. Another thing I would love to do if I’m not going to use my voice to sing and storytell, is I’m going to use it to defend people as a lawyer.”
Catch Koumba Diallo and fellow Team Kelly memeberr Lance Tenazas perform on the Battles round tonight!
Full interview with Koumba Diallo, in which she talks about her favorite Filipino dishes and making close friends on The Voice:
Catch The Voice on NBC Mondays and Tuesday nights (8/7c) with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.
Dara Van Dusen on Her Passion for ‘A Prayer for the Dying’: “My Brain Was on Fire”
One movie we did not get to cover on the latest CinemAddicts episode was A Prayer for the Dying, a drama headlined by Johnny Flynn, John C. Reilly, and Kristine Kujath Thorp. I’m assuming co-host Eric Holmes forgot he had seen the movie when we taped last week, and that is also why his interview with filmmaker Dara Van Dusen is running a day late (and a dollar short!). The feature is now playing in theaters via Quiver Distribution, and check out Eric’s full interview with Van Dusen in our post.
Read more: Dara Van Dusen on Her Passion for ‘A Prayer for the Dying’: “My Brain Was on Fire”
A Prayer for the Dying centers on Jacob Hansen (Johnny Flynn), a Civil War vet who aims for a new life in Friendship, Wisconsin. Acing as the town’s sheriff, clergyman, and mortician, Jacob has a ton of responsibilities. When a plague hits the area, Jacob does whatever it takes to protect his community.
The feature is based on Stewart O’Nan’s novel of the same name which came out in 1999. ”Kind of by accident, my father handed me this book in an English language bookstore and said, ‘You should read this,’ said Dara Van Dusenh, . “Little did I know that it would consume my life for 20 years after that moment. But I read it in one sitting, and it just completely overwhelmed me, and it shocked me.”
Reading A Prayer Before Dying certainly put the filmmaker in a state. “I remember putting it down, and I was wandering around,” said Van Dusen. “I just couldn’t understand what had happened. It was such a visceral, strange experience of reading just words on paper. And I felt like my brain was on fire.”
The impact went beyond being captivated by a good story. O’Nan’s novel left Van Dusen examining her own beliefs, and that experience sparked her desire to bring it to the silver screen.
“There were unanswered questions, and there were things that made me think about myself, my own beliefs, about the big questions, ego, faith, and morality,” said Van Dusen, who made her feature directing debut with A Prayer Before Dying. “And as a 19-year-old at the time, it was just overwhelming that something so short and brief could do that to me. And I thought how amazing if a film could do that.”
Van Dusen emailed O’Nan, expressing admiration for his book. That initial exchange developed into years of conversations and a friendship that helped sustain her through the adaptation.
“He’s not only, like, my favorite author who wrote the best book ever, but he’s an unbelievable supporter, cheerleader, and friend now,” said Van Dusen. “And I’m just grateful that he was by my side the entire time.”
Keeping the novel’s core intact remained a priority. The film’s camera work, colors, and visual style offered Van Dusen a way to express what the book made her feel all those years earlier.
“I think they’re very much in line with the experience I had as a reader of it,” she added. “And I hope that other readers feel the same.”
Watch CinemAddicts co-host Eric Holmes’ interview with Dara Van Dusen below.
A Prayer for the Dying is now playing in theaters.
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***I give away Blu-ray or Digital code each week to members of our CinemAddicts Movie Club. Join our Facebook Group and become part of our community. Any questions please email me at editor@deepestdream.com.
***We review Deathgasm II: Goremageddeon and Once Upon a Time in the Middle East on the latest CinemAddicts episode:
Friday Blu-Ray News: ‘The Crowd,’ ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ ‘Walk Hard’ (PM Weekly Issue #14)
In 1989 the Library of Congress picked the first twenty-five films for the National Film Registry. That list had to prove the whole idea, so it was stacked: Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Best Years of Our Lives, Sunrise, Snow White. And King Vidor’s The Crowd, from 1928.
In the thirty-seven years since, The Crowd has never had an authorized American release on DVD or Blu-ray. It missed the entire disc era.
Read more: Friday Blu-Ray News: ‘The Crowd,’ ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ ‘Walk Hard’ (PM Weekly Issue #14)That ends on the eighth of December. Flicker Alley announced last Friday that it is putting the film on Blu-ray in a new restoration from Blackhawk Films, all-region, made possible, in the label’s words, through the generous support of the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts. David Mackenzie of Fidelity in Motion authored the disc. Three accompaniments come with it: a piano composition by Antonio Coppola, an orchestral score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, and a xylophone accompaniment by Illya Amar.
The gap is the story. There was an MGM VHS in the 1980s, in the Silent Classics line with a Carl Davis score, and a laserdisc that double-billed it with The Wind. Then the format changed and the film did not come with it. Silent Era keeps an edition history, and what fills the last three decades is grey-market and foreign DVDs out of Hong Kong, Spain, France and England, plus a US DVD-R this year the reviewer believes was struck from pirated files. A film in the inaugural class of the national registry, and the way Americans have owned it since the laserdisc died is an import or somebody’s burn.
There is a joke in here that is not really a joke. The Crowd is about a man named John Sims who arrives in New York certain he is going to be somebody, and spends ninety-eight minutes becoming nobody in particular. Vidor used hidden cameras for some of the New York scenes so the people on the street would not perform. The shot everyone remembers finds Sims at one desk among hundreds, identical and numbered, and it is the shot Billy Wilder borrowed thirty-two years later to introduce Jack Lemmon in The Apartment. A film about disappearing into an undifferentiated mass spent a generation circulating as an unlabelled copy of itself.
What makes this worth leading with rather than listing is that the disc puts the absence on the record instead of papering over it. One extra is a 2026 piece called The Paths of The Crowd, about the film’s deleted sequences and alternate endings, which is to say about the parts of it that are gone now. There is also a new visual essay, a Kevin Stoehr commentary, Robert Florey’s Skyscraper Symphony from 1929 out of the George Eastman Museum collection, and a booklet by Jordan Young, who wrote a book about the making of the film. That is a release built by people who know exactly how long this took.
One caution, and it is the kind this journal exists to make. Flicker Alley’s copy says the film “comes to home entertainment for the first time in a brand-new restoration from Blackhawk Films.” Read one way, that sentence claims the film has never been on home video at all, and the VHS and the laserdisc say otherwise. Read the other way it only claims this is the first time in this restoration, which is fine. The accurate thing to say is that this is the first authorized American edition on a digital disc. Smaller claim. Still a thirty-year wait.
Flicker Alley also does not state the resolution, the source elements, or which archives supplied them. So nobody should write “4K scan of the negative” until somebody says so.
Welcome to PM Weekly. Let’s get into the week.
THIS WEEK ON DISC
- Halloween (1978), Limited Edition 4K UHD SteelBook, Scream Factory
- Halloween II (1981), Limited Edition 4K UHD SteelBook, Scream Factory
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Limited Edition 4K UHD SteelBook, Scream Factory
- Child’s Play 2 (1990), Limited Edition 4K UHD SteelBook, Scream Factory
- Aces Go Places Collection (1982-1989), five films, ten discs, Shout! Factory
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986), 40th Anniversary 4K UHD, theatrical and director’s cut, Warner Bros.
- An American Werewolf in London (1981), 45th Anniversary 4K UHD, Universal
- Welcome II the Terrordome (1995), Blu-ray, Criterion
- Moana (2026), 4K UHD, Walt Disney
- Van Helsing (2004), Limited Edition 4K UHD SteelBook, Universal
- Disclosure Day (2026), Limited Edition 4K UHD SteelBook, Universal
- Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert (2026), 4K UHD, Well Go USA
- Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026), Limited Edition 4K UHD SteelBook, Universal
- Wizard of Oz: Dead Walk, DVD, Shout! Factory
(Next Tuesday is heavier: Ryan’s Daughter from 8K scans of the 65mm negative, the thirty-two-disc Maverick, Criterion’s The Shout, and Arrow Limited Editions of The Monster Squad, Cujo and The Last Boy Scout.)
MARKET SIGNAL
On Tuesday, Paramount closed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The combined company began trading as Skydance, WBD came off Nasdaq the same day, and the release announcing it described the result as “the most diverse film and television library of any studio.”
The words home entertainment do not appear in that release. Neither do physical, Blu-ray, DVD or archive.
That is worth noticing, but on its own it is an absence, and absences make bad arguments. What makes it a signal is what happened eight weeks earlier, which almost nobody on this beat connected at the time.
On the fourth of August, Universal and Warner Bros. sold Studio Distribution Services to Conectiv Supply Chain Solutions, a disc manufacturer owned by Variant Equity. SDS was the joint venture the two studios formed in January 2020 to merge their physical distribution into one operation, and it was the thing that actually moved every Universal and Warner DVD, Blu-ray and 4K in North America: sales, retail marketing, distribution, the whole pipe. Conectiv did not only buy the operation. It also took exclusive long-term licenses to run both studios’ physical home entertainment businesses going forward.
So put the two in order. In August, two of the six majors handed their disc business to a contract manufacturer under license. In October, one of those two was absorbed into a company that did not exist in its current shape in September, and the documents never mentioned discs.
This is what consolidation actually looks like from down here. It is not a studio announcing it has stopped making Blu-rays, because nobody will ever announce that. It is the slow separation of the people who own films from the people who put films in boxes, until the box business is a service contract between two parties, neither of whom has any particular reason to care which titles get pressed.
The counterweight is real, because this journal has spent four months arguing that the disc business is healthier than the obituaries say. Alliance Entertainment’s physical movie revenue rose 22 percent to $339 million in the fiscal year ended June, in filed numbers, during a half-year when American consumers’ disc spending fell 6.9 percent. Both are true at once, and they are the same fact seen from two ends. Volume is holding up. It is just consolidating into fewer pipes, owned by companies whose business is logistics rather than cinema.
One more line is worth sitting with. The consent decree that cleared the merger is specific and itemized about production: thirty theatrical films a year for two years and thirty-two a year for three after that, $300 million a year in domestic production, a workforce fund, a news independence board, and a thirty-million-dollar penalty attached to missing the film target. Twelve state attorneys general and the Writers Guild negotiated protections for films that have not been made yet.
They negotiated nothing for the ones that already exist. The library is not mentioned. Catalogue licensing is not mentioned. Preservation is not mentioned. It would be unfair to call that a failure, because nobody asked for it. It is a statement about what the public interest in a studio merger is currently understood to cover, and right now that does not include the hundred thousand hours already in the vault.
STORE OF THE WEEK
Orbit DVD (Asheville, NC)
Orbit DVD opened on the thirteenth of October, 2003, in a thousand square feet on the corner of Haywood Road and Mildred Avenue in West Asheville, next door to a record shop called In Your Ear Music Emporium. It has never moved. In 2006 it took the record shop’s space and knocked down the wall, which got it to the 2,400 square feet it has now, and around 2010 Marc McCloud, who founded it and still owns it, bought the building. Its twenty-third birthday is next Tuesday.
This column teased Orbit last week on the grounds that it publishes the street-date calendar this desk keeps checking its own work against. That is true, and the truth is better than the tease.
The calendar is a third-party Shopify app. It is called The Shop Calendar, it costs about ten dollars a month, and Orbit switched it on at the start of August. Nobody compiles it and no editor is credited, because there isn’t one. Every entry is a product record with a street date on it, dropped automatically onto a grid. It runs twelve weeks forward and thins fast: 228 dated entries in August, eighty-one in October, five in December, nothing in 2027. It is a pre-order book, not a release calendar.
And it has been right when we were wrong. It put Magic on 29 December, which is where this column landed it last week against JoBlo. It put Mannaja on 15 December, matching the correction in Issue #12. A video shop in Asheville running a ten-dollar widget agreed with this desk twice in a row while three national aggregators did not.
The honest limit: UK and Region B titles sit on their own Monday dates, which is more careful than most American calendars manage, but region-free UK SteelBooks do land mixed into the US Tuesdays. Of eleven entries on the sixth of October, four were UK-sourced. These are the dates Orbit expects to have a specific item in hand, which is not the same as a trade street date, and that distinction is the reason it is useful.
Orbit is not a rental store, which matters because it keeps getting written up as a rental survivor. Rentals ended in 2020, confirmed on Orbit’s own About page and by the Mountain Xpress piece that says it went to a hundred percent sales model after the COVID closures. The student paper at UNC Asheville got the reason on the record a year later: rentals were about three percent of sales, and the growing games section had taken the back room where the rental cases lived. The Better Business Bureau still files Orbit under Video Tape Rentals, which is probably where the confusion starts.
McCloud has a motto and it is printed on his own About page in capitals. ADAPT OR DIE. He said it to Mountain Xpress in 2023, along with the thing that goes with it: “I outlasted all of them.” He also said the quieter part. “People think that physical media is dying, and it is if you look at the grand scope of things.” To WLOS a year earlier he put it better than anyone has since: “I like calling it collecting dead media.”
(Next week: Eyesore Cinema in Toronto, where Daniel Hanna invented Video Store Day in 2010, the day before its sixteenth edition.)
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THE STACK
What I pulled off the shelf this week.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
Format: Two-disc Unrated Special Edition DVD, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 8 April 2008
Bonus Features: both the theatrical version (96 minutes) and “American Cox: The Unbearably Long, Self-Indulgent Director’s Cut” (120 minutes); audio commentary with director Jake Kasdan, writer-producer Judd Apatow, executive producer Lew Morton and John C. Reilly; sixteen full song performances (41:22); ten deleted and extended scenes (19:23); Line-O-Rama (6:22); “A Christmas Song from Dewey Cox”; “Cox Sausage Commercial with Outtakes”; song demos performed by the songwriters themselves; “Tyler Nilson: A Cockumentary”; “Bull on the Loose”; “The Music of Walk Hard” (16:42); “The Making of Walk Hard” (15:03); “The Real Dewey Cox” (14:03); “The Last Word with John Hodgman” (25:58)
It cost thirty-five million dollars and took twenty and a half worldwide, then did a reported $15.7 million on DVD by 2010. In 2008 a flop could still be half-rescued by a shelf.
The reason it is still on mine is the twenty-four minutes.
American Cox is not an alternate ending or a handful of restored scenes. A shot-by-shot comparison counts seventy-six individual changes, thirty-six of them alternative takes, nineteen recuts, and four places where the theatrical version actually has footage the longer one drops. On the Blu-ray both cuts play off the same disc side through seamless branching, with a pop-up marker telling you when you are in new footage, which was a very 2008 way to solve a problem and is still better than making you buy two copies.
I went looking this week to see whether that version has escaped the disc in eighteen years. Every digital storefront and streaming service I could find lists ninety-six minutes and an R rating, which is the theatrical cut. Tubi, Pluto, Amazon, Apple: all ninety-six. None of them, as far as I can determine, has ever offered the hundred-and-twenty-minute version. I will not say it is impossible to see any other way, because absence of evidence is not a confirmed negative and this desk has been caught on that before. What I will say is that I could not find it, and the only copy I am certain of is the one in the case.
There is a second disappearance here. The Blu-ray was one of Sony’s first BD-Live titles, and the downloadable extras were three mini-featurettes with Bill Hader playing a “Coxologist” named Derek Stone. They lived on a server. They are not on the disc, the server is gone, and so are they. The 2024 Mill Creek SteelBook reissue dropped three more extras, so the 2008 Sony release remains the only complete edition that has ever existed.
The film itself has quietly gotten better since nobody went to see it. Metacritic had it at 63 and Ebert gave it three stars, but it landed in the culture as a flop the critics had buried. Rotten Tomatoes now has it at 75 percent across 138 reviews, and Rolling Stone put it sixth on its list of the best comedies of this century. The songs took Golden Globe and Grammy nominations, and Reilly sang every one of them himself.
And the thing everybody says about it is not quite true, which is the other reason I keep the disc. The received wisdom is that Walk Hard killed the straight music biopic. Reilly’s own version, from a 2019 oral history, is funnier and more accurate: “Oh, we tried to kill the musical biopic with this movie. And it turns out it’s a very resilient cliché.” James Mangold, who directed Walk the Line and is therefore the actual target, was asked again in 2024 while promoting A Complete Unknown, and refused the premise outright. He found the film hilarious, he said, and then: “I also never understood why satire would negate making the real thing anymore. That seems a little ludicrous to me.” The only filmmaker on record saying Walk Hard constrained him is Eric Appel, who had to design Weird: The Al Yankovic Story around it, because you cannot make the same parody twice.
So the parody did not kill the genre. It killed the easy version of the parody, and then sat on a shelf for eighteen years holding twenty-four minutes nobody else has.
THE CORRECTIONS DESK
Ryan’s Daughter is the thirteenth, not the sixth, and we leaned the wrong way. Last week this column printed the date as disputed, Warner Archive’s press release on the sixth against HD Report’s thirteenth. The release went out in two versions. One copy reads “ON OCTOBER 6th!” and another reads “ON OCTOBER 13th!”, and the thirteenth is the one that held: blu-ray.com is counting down to it and it is still a pre-order today. HD Report had it right. Maverick: The Complete Series moved with it, which leaves Warner Archive with nothing at all on Tuesday.
“This Old Man” is American, and we called it Canadian. Last week we corrected Physical Media News for listing it as a 6 October US release, and said it was a Canadian disc from Ruby Max dated the thirteenth. MVD’s distributor record says Ruby Max, territory WORLD, street date 13 October. The original date was wrong and our correction to it was wrong in the other direction.
Three open items closed. Magic is confirmed for 29 December on Shout’s own store, which settles the move we flagged. The Addiction on Arrow is a phantom: that Limited Edition streeted in December 2024 and what is in stock is discounted catalogue. The Cable Guy SteelBook, which Sony announced for the sixth, is still a pre-order at several US retailers today, so it has become the twentieth without anyone saying so.
THE SIGN-OFF
Two things this week that are the same thing.
A silent film in the first class of the National Film Registry sat out the entire disc era, and a label with no studio behind it is fixing that in December. A comedy that lost money in 2007 holds a version of itself that eighteen years of digital distribution has never bothered to carry.
Neither is a story about nostalgia. They are both about the same gap: the difference between what exists and what is available, and who closes it. Studios do not close it. Streaming services demonstrably do not close it. It gets closed by Flicker Alley, by a shop on Haywood Road running a ten-dollar calendar app, by whoever at Sony in 2008 decided the long cut was worth the authoring.
If you know one person who still alphabetizes their shelf, forward this to them. That is the whole engine we have, and it is a good one. See you Friday.
PM Weekly
Sean Reid
Film & TV Production
seanreid@worldonetv.com
Kyle Davis Talks Four-Chair Turn On ‘The Voice’ And Finding Balance With Music Career
Kyle Davis believes there is no time limit in chasing one’s dreams. Case in point was his decision to become one of the artists on The Voice, and he advanced to the next round with his rendition of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” Davis received a four-chair turn on the show and chose Kelly Clarkson as his coach. Check out our interview with Davis as he talks about his experience on The Voice and why having a real estate career has also brought balance to his music.
Read more: Kyle Davis Talks Four-Chair Turn On ‘The Voice’ And Finding Balance With Music Career
Kyle Davis On His Four-Chair Turn
Having recorded albums and opened for Bob Dylan, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow, Kyle Davis was no stranger to performing. On The Voice episode, he also mentioned that, during his early years in the industry, he signed a record deal with Phil Ramone. That said, he also tempered his expectations regarding his performance.
“If I get one person to turn, I’ll be thrilled,” Davis said. “Their teams could be kind of filled up. I was surprised and I just remember thinking, “Okay, Kelly’s turned already.” I think Riley Greene was the second (person) to turn. And then Adam and then Queen Latifah. I tried not to have any expectations. I was just like, ‘I’m going to get up here and do what I do.'”
Reflecting On “In Your Eyes”
“In Your Eyes” was already a song he loved and had performed at his own shows.
”I love Peter Gabriel,” said Davis, who described ‘In Your Eyes’ as ‘ethereal.’ “I love what matters to him and what he tries to do through music and ‘In Your Eyes’ is a great song. It feels good (to sing) and says good things. I felt lucky to get to sing it really, to tell you the truth.”
Listen to Kyle Davis’ 2025 album Jericho:
Kyle Davis’ Balanced Approach To Music
Kyle Davis also carved out a successful real estate career, although he understands artists who focus primarily on their music career. Balancing both, however, has its distinct advantages. “This is a lot healthier,” said Davis. “I can get my mind away from it. and can come back home and write. (Also) I can go out for a few days and do shows with people. I get it, wanting to do just music. I did that for a long time – I’m happiest right now with a little bit of balance in my life.”
One song from Davis that I really love is his reflective song “Not Broken,” a 2019 track which would end up on his album Make It Count.
After The Voice season is finished, Davis plans on compiling a retrospective album which gives listeners an overall look at his previous seven albums. As a newfound lisltener to Davis’ music, here is another track of his that I highly recommend – the catchy and insightful “Better Days.”
Full interview with Kyle Davis:
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday evenings at 8/7c.
‘Double Trouble’ Director Shaun Paul Piccinino’s Filmmaking Tips: Why Editing And Collaboration Matter
Filmmaker Shaun Paul Piccinino has worked in practically every aspect of movie production, and his experience behind the camera has given him a unique perspective on directing. For aspiring filmmakers, his advice involves much more than simply having a creative vision. He applied that diverse approach into his latest movie Double Trouble which hits theaters October 9.
Read more: ‘Double Trouble’ Director Shaun Paul Piccinino’s Filmmaking Tips: Why Editing And Collaboration Matter
A Family Film Christmas Tale Set In Vegas!
Sisters Madeleine and Violet McGraw star in Double Trouble as sisters who get unwittingly caught in the middle of a Las Vegas jewelry heist. It’s up to them and a skilled but frustrated security guard (Andrew Koji) to stop the brazen operation. Rounding out the ensemble are Azizi Donnelly and Jack Griffo. Inspired by the Home Alone films of yesteryear, Double Trouble is family fare powered by the McGraw sisters’ star power and the action stylings of Andrew Koji (Warrior).
Shaun Paul Piccinino’s Filmmaking Origin Story
Piccinino began making short films when he was just 11 years old, eventually working in numerous departments throughout film and television production. “When I was coming up through the ranks I viewed it all as an education,” said Piccinino, whose previous film credits include That’s Amor and Wheels of Fortune. “I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker.”
His professional experience includes editing, visual effects, makeup, wardrobe, and grip work. That extensive background has informed his approach to directing, particularly when it comes to understanding the demands placed on his crew.
“I think the thing that has given me the biggest tool in my toolbox is that I have an understanding of almost all these departments, but it’s also I have a respect for them,” he explained.
Get Ready And Stay Ready
Piccinino believes preparation is essential to filmmaking, and he typically arrives on set with detailed shot lists and a clear vision of what he wants to accomplish.However, he also understands the importance of remaining flexible.
“I’m always prepared but I’m also very open-minded and collaborative,” said Piccinino. “I come prepared, I have a vision, but I’m also not like it’s my way or the highway.”
For the director, filmmaking is ultimately a collaborative endeavor in which the strongest creative ideas should prevail.
“It’s best idea wins,” he added.
Don’t Forget The Power of Editing!
Another integral aspect of Piccinino’s filmmaking is his editing prowess. Having spent years working as an editor, he can anticipate how individual shots will eventually fit together during post-production. “I’m editing as I’m filming,” said Piccinino. “And so I do believe that’s a big time saver.”
He urges aspiring directors to develop a strong understanding of editing, even if they are solely focused on being the person behind the camera. “I always tell people who wanna be filmmakers, directors, like really have a good understanding of editing,” he explained. “You also need to understand acting and how to support the actors, so that they can have the freedom to give their best performances.”
Understanding these disciplines can improve production efficiency, allowing directors to finish their projects on schedule and on budget.
Piccinino also stressed that technical knowledge and preparation mean little without the ability to work effectively with others.
“It truly comes down to treating people with respect and kindness,” he said. “And that goes so, so, so far, and has taken me so far.”
***Full interview with Shaun Paul Piccinino:
Double Trouble hits theaters October 9. Share your thoughts on the movie in the comments!
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Johnnie Kapua Was “Terrified”—Then Came His ‘The Voice’ Breakthrough With Kelly Clarkson
Being surrounded by talented singers could have made Johnnie Kapua, who’s a member of Team Kelly, question what he had to offer. Instead, his experience on The Voice helped him recognize his strengths and consider a future in music more seriously.
Read more: Johnnie Kapua Was “Terrified”—Then Came His ‘The Voice’ Breakthrough With Kelly ClarksonJohnnie Kapua performed a memorable rendition of the Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars hit “Die with a Smile” for his Blind Audition. Although he appeared confident during the Blinds, he had his share of nerves. “I was terrified actually,” said Kapua, a New Zealand native who resides with his family in Utah. “But I started realizing like, ‘Hey man, all I can do at this point before I gon on stage is just do my best (and) make myself proud.”
Both Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah turned their chairs within seconds, but even with that immediate praise, Kapua surprisingly didn’t see himself as a top flight singer.
“I think I have a lot of insecurities when It comes to singing,” said Kapua, whose wife entered him on the competition. “I never really thought of myself as like, ‘Oh, I’m a singer.’ So to be able to have someone like Kelly and Queen Latifah turn their chairs, but also get a first in was . . . they didn’t show this on the actual episode, but I was so awkward because I was like, ‘Oh, what just happened?’ It was very surreal. But they did a good job in cutting it so I didn’tlook so awkwared on TV.”
Meeting artists with different styles gave the Team Kelly contestant a new perspective on his own voice. There were country singers, rock performers, and soulful vocalists, and Kapua understood how that environment could feel intimidating.
“What I started realizing … I can see how people can get maybe timid because everybody’s just so good,” he said. “But what I learned for me personally is, like, ‘Okay, I can lean into things that I’m good at.’ Everybody has their own mixture of how they sing.”
The experience also prompted Kapua to think beyond the competition. Hearing what other artists had sacrificed to pursue music made an impression. That commitment encouraged Kapua to reconsider his own possibilities.
“I think that made me think more about, ‘Okay, like I need to take myself seriously,’” he said. “Maybe I can make something out of this.”
Since returning home, his wife has continued encouraging him to move forward. Kapua said he has been making connections while preparing for opportunities to sing in front of an audience.
“For me, I’m just gonna take it one step at a time,” he explained. “Making these connections with people that have influence and then, obviously, physically going out and singing in front of people … it’s a good start for me.”
Those connections are also part of what surprised him most about The Voice. Despite being in a competition, Kapua found friendships with artists who wanted to support one another.
“It’s not just like, ‘Oh, we’re competing against one another,’” he said. “It’s like, ‘Man, we experienced this together, and we’re wishing each other the best.’”
Some fellow contestants even call him “unc,” a nickname he attributes to being one of the older participants. For Kapua, those relationships are another meaningful part of an experience that has expanded his outlook on music.
“Now I have lifelong relationships with awesome people,” he said. “I’m gonna cherish those for the rest of my life.”
As for the road ahead, Kapua has a full time job and a family man. That said, singing has also made a place in his home. “I’m just going to take it one step at a time,” he said. “I think making these connections with people that have had an influence (on me) and then physically going out and singing in front of people is a good start for me. I don’t really know how to navigate it at this point because it’s still new to me. But having those contacts in my back pocket, we’ll see where that leads to, but hopefully someday I’ll get to perform with Kelly. That’d be cool”
Watch our full interview with Johnnie Kapua:
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday evenings at 8/7c. Share your thoughts on Johnnie Kapua in the comments (his tone and connection to the music is pretty awesome imo!).
Brianna Cameron Talks Kelly Clarkson’s Mentorship on ‘The Voice’: “Such a Down-to-Earth Person”
Having a powerful voice is one part of the equation for Brianna Cameron, who is also learning how to choose the right songs and make the most of her performances. The Voice season 30 contestant has Kelly Clarkson in her corner, and working with the singer has given Cameron plenty to appreciate. During our interview, she discussed the lessons she is taking away from being part of Team Kelly.
Read more: Brianna Cameron Talks Kelly Clarkson’s Mentorship on ‘The Voice’: “Such a Down-to-Earth Person”Brianna Cameron was 13 when she performed Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High” for her audition. Taking on that song during the Blinds was a formidable challenge, especially with artists she admired listening just a few feet away. Coaches Kelly Clarkson and Riley Green turned their chairs for Cameron, with the talented singer ultimately choosing Clarkson.
“I was definitely super nervous as the youngest in the competition, and I had all these big idols that I looked up to,” said Cameron, who coincidentally toured the country playing young Tina in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. “I didn’t know if they were gonna turn.”
That nervousness came with excitement. Cameron understood that the performance could introduce her talent to an audience far beyond the people who already knew her music.
Now on Team Kelly, she has found a coach whose enthusiasm extends beyond the work of preparing a performance.
“Well, she was so excited, and she really wanted me on her team,” said Cameron, who hails from Union County, New Jersey. “She’s such a down-to-earth person. And being on her team, I’ve learned to be humble. And also pick the right moments and what song to pick.”
Clarkson’s welcoming personality has made an impression, but Cameron also appreciates the musical knowledge she brings to their time together. For a young singer developing her own approach, knowing where to place a moment within a performance—and which song suits her—is valuable guidance.
“Being on her team I’ve learned to be humble and also, like, picking the right moments and what song to pick,” she said. “Like, she’s such a knowledgeable artist, and I’m so glad that I’m on her team.”
Cameron brings her own dedication to that partnership. All her hard work has helped make her a straight-A student. That level of focus was evident in audition preparation which, in turn, places her in the next round.
She also found an unexpected source of encouragement among the other artists on The Voice. Meeting singers who shared her passion made the experience feel familiar surprisingly quickly.
“So really, I made new friends, and I built a family,” said Cameron, who also starred on an episode of the Queen Latifah series The Equalizer back in 2022.
With Clarkson’s guidance and that sense of community, Cameron has plenty to take away from her The Voice experience. Her excitement about Team Kelly comes through loud and clear.
Watch our full interview with Brianna Cameron below.
Catch The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c (new episodes stream the next day on Peacock)!
‘Her Will Be Done’ Review: French Village Folk Horror Is An “Impressively Made Miss”
