THE PUNISHER (Mark Goldblatt, 1989)

[Jox]

Promo shot from my collection

[Jox]

Kinda off topic but the PUNISHER music composer and orchestrator* Dennis Dreith is releasing a 'reunion' jazz album of his band from Perseverance Records, the label that released THE PUNISHER soundtrack as well the independent horror flicks that Dreith scored, GAG and CREEP VAN.
http://www.perseverancerecords.com/releases.html
http://www.fortytwotradingco.com/reunion-cd/
article:
http://musicconnection.com/signing-story-dennis-dreith/

*Dreith arranged JURASSIC PARK, BRAVEHEART, THE ROCK, ALIEN 3, MISERY, as well composing additional music for THE SHADOW and... HOWARD THE DUCK.

[bomaz]

And let's not forget he scored a great short movie from our valuable website manager.
(I didn't know he worked on The Shadow, one of my gulity pleasure, with a great music).

[Jox]

And let's not forget he scored a great short movie from our valuable website manager.

Ah thank you!

[savagesketch]

The latest episode of The B-Movies Podcast ranks THE PUNISHER as being one of the best underrated movies. They rank it as being easily the best PUNISHER movie to date, as being the only one to truly get the character right. They even mention the subtle makeup on D to make his face resemble a skull. Scroll to roughly the 24-minute mark to hear their review:

http://craveonlinefilm.podbean.com/e/ep ... ek-movies/

Personally, I've long thought this to be the superior PUNISHER film. Glad it's finally get the cred it deserves, especially after being maligned for so many years. It also makes me smile hearing them diss the 2004 Thomas Jane version (the one that I never liked; how do you place a PUNISHER movie in Florida?!).

[Jox]

The movie has been misunderstood and dismissed as "cheap" too easily, not only in terms of the comic book but in terms of everybody expecting a more spectacular "Hollywood" film, whereas Goldblatt set out to make a film noir with the exploitation tones of Mario Bava and even Dario Argento to some extent. The cinematographer Ian Baker is one of the best out there but certainly didn't lit it like a Hollywood film, hence people thinking it's cheap and ugly, whereas the contrast between the night exterior scenes and the red, bright and minimalist final showdown sequence shows his range.

Fact-wise, they got it wrong in saying that Marvel didn't authorize them to use the skull or that they didn't suppor the movie: actually even though at that time they didn't care as much as they would today but they were involved and supported the production of the film even though Marvel actually was bought a couple years prior by the production company, New World Pictures. Stan Lee himself (credited on the film) and Marvel editors Tom DeFalco and Carl Potts were all consulted. DeFalco even just recently told me how there was a meeting about the matter of the skull and he came up with a story point solution to explain and validate the Punisher wearing skull t-shirt: they all aplauded and approved but ultimately Robert Kamen and Mark Goldblatt still went against it when they shot it: at the time they really thought even though they were making a comic book film they better had to go in a more grounded direction, overall being more influenced by Mad Max (and Rambo as the action authority figure). It also shows that unlike BATMAN, the studio didn't know what they had on their hands (which they really didn't according to writer Boaz Yakin who's the one who pushed to launch the movie) and what they could so merchandising-wise with the skull... Godblatt now admits he regrets that decision.

[Jox]

http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news ... r-1989-176

[Jox]

I thought I had all the magazines covering THE PUNISHER (two pages of bibliography) but I just found out about a magazine article/interview with Mark Goldblatt in "Back Issue" vol.1 #5, August 2004.

You can read an exerpt here which also features a rare pic from the set:
http://issuu.com/twomorrows/docs/back_issue__5/25

http://image.issuu.com/131005221232-fd2 ... age_24.jpg
http://image.issuu.com/131005221232-fd2 ... age_25.jpg

A digital copy can be order from the publisher's site:
http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_pa ... cts_id=423

[Jox]

Vintage ad I scanned for the upcoming French edition, from L'Officiel des Spectacle (Parisian equivalent of Time Out), October 25th 1989.



The French distributor had a contest to win a Harley Davidson even though they weren't sure they they'd get one... The boyfriend of an employee was a biker and lended them one to fake it (and he didn't get payed so he got pissed and threatened them for a while)!

[Jox]

Austrian distributor NSM RECORDS (DARK ANGEL digibooks) announces a new mediabook edition with these three covers all in 333 units each:

https://www.facebook.com/NSMRecords/pho ... 21/?type=1

They may or may not have the same content as the Koch Media edition...

[bomaz]

Jon Benrthal (The Walking Dead, Fury ...) has been announced as the new Punisher (on Daredevil netflix show), and it's funny to see how most reactions underline Dolph's take on the part over Jane's and Stevenson's.

[Jox]

Finally a reassessment with a bit of homework done beyond the Internet (one of the three 1989 Comics Scene articles notably)... (even though "superhero" isn't appropriate)
http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/the-puni ... hero-movie

EDIT:
Yes, Boaz Yakin based the Yakuza on "The Hand" from Frank Miller's DAREDEVIL, and indeed there's an influence from Fritz Lang's THE BIG HEAT.

Austrian distributor NSM RECORDS (DARK ANGEL digibooks) announces a new mediabook edition with these three covers all in 333 units each:

https://www.facebook.com/NSMRecords/pho ... 21/?type=1

They may or may not have the same content as the Koch Media edition...

Available July 31.

[Jox]

Austrian distributor NSM RECORDS (DARK ANGEL digibooks) announces a new mediabook edition with these three covers all in 333 units each:

https://www.facebook.com/NSMRecords/pho ... 21/?type=1

They may or may not have the same content as the Koch Media edition...

Available July 31.

Same extras as the previous Koch Media edition (BEST edition of this film hands down):

20-Pages Booklet by Thomas Witzler
Exclusive Audio Commentary with Mark Goldblatt
Gag Reel (6 Min)
Photo gallery (with rare material)
R-rated Version (89 min)
Unrated Version (90 min)
Workprint (94 Min)

http://www.medienversand.at/DVD/Demnaec ... SK-KJ.html

[Jox]

3D Packshots:

[dolphage]

I am surprised that only one of the covers has D, cut out of the photo-studio background and pasted into a more fitting setting. Why not all of them? Why is the Punisher standing in some low-rent studio posing with a gun/siting on a motorcycle on the covers of the film? What would the Punisher be doing in said studio?