Support Assassin 9 on IndieGoGo

My friend Chad Jones has created what promises to be a really cool spy comedy web series, Assassin 9, and he and his partners have turned to Indiegogo to raise finishing funds. I've read the script, and personally I can't wait to see Chad's somewhat warped vision realized. The five-part series follows Agent J9, Janine, an "offensive security specialist" in the SPECTRE-like S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Corporation, a multinational conglomerate whose business model happens to include world domination. Janine is an expert when it comes to killing, but never lands the big assignments because she doesn't have the seduction skills necessary for more delicate missions. She's got to get her act together or face termination—literally. To overcome her shaky relationships with HR director Gladys and sociopathic CEO the Komodo, Janine will have to seek help from her chief rival, Bogdana, an Eastern-European vixen with nothing but contempt for J9. Assassin 9 has something for just about everyone who's ever toiled as a corporate drone to relate to: disagreeable coworkers, nondisclosure agreements, insurmountable corporate bureaucracy, lasers, ninjas, sexy spy babes, evil acronyms... you know, the daily grind. Think of it as The Office set inside Hydra. Go poke around the project site, check out the videos, read the pitch, peruse the premiums, take seduction tips from Bogdana, and if you like what you see, please support Assassin 9 on Indiegogo! After all, global domination is always a good cause, right?

Reminder: Last Day to Enter Contest to Win SuperSeven DVDs!

Today is the last day to enter the contest to win the 5-disc set of SuperSeven DVDs. If you haven't entered, do so by midnight tonight! SuperSeven is a fantastic web series that pays homage to the Eurospy movies and Italian superhero movies of the 1960s. Eurospy fans should definitely check it out! Click here for full details on how to enter.

CONTEST: Win The Adventures of SuperSeven on DVD

Yesterday I urged readers to support the terrific web series The Adventures of SuperSeven on Kickstarter. I still urge that. (There's now a day and a half left in their campaign.) And if you haven't yet checked out this action-packed Sixties spy parody on YouTube, and you prefer watching things on your big TV, then here's your chance. I have three DVD sets to give away of The Adventures of SuperSeven 5-disc set, containing the series' first 28 episodes along with with bonus material including blooper reels, interviews, photos galleries and music videos. (If you don't win, you can order the DVD set here. It's a bargain at $19.95!)
To enter to win this DVD set, all you need to do is send me an email with the subject heading "SUPERSEVEN CONTEST" including your name and mailing address by 11:59 PM, Pacific Time on Thursday, May 16, 2013.* The winner will be announced next Friday, May 17. And remember to support SuperSeven on Kickstarter!

*The Fine Print: One entry per person, please. Double entries will be disqualified. One prize-winner will be drawn at random and announced on Friday, May 17, 2013. The winner's first name will be posted here and he or she will be notified via email. All entries will be deleted immediately after the contest’s close, and no personal information will be retained or transmitted to any third parties. This contest is open to anyone, in any country, but foreign readers should note that these are Region 1 NTSC DVDs and be sure they have the proper equipment for playback. Unfortunately, the Double O Section cannot assume responsibility for items lost or damaged in transit.

Support the SuperSeven Kickstarter in Its Final Week!

Do you watch the fantastic web series The Adventures of SuperSeven? If not, you really should! It's likely to appeal to just about anyone reading this blog. SuperSeven is a parody of and homage to not only Sixties Eurospy movies, but also that very specific subgenre of them that I identify as "costumed adventurer" movies (better known in some circles as fumettis), those movies where the Eurospy heroes wear masks. And skin-tight costumes. Movies like Fantastic Argoman and Flashman, to name two of the most must-see examples. But The Adventures of SuperSeven certainly isn't limited to those flicks! In any given week, you might catch multiple nods to The Man From U.N.C.L.E. or The Prisoner (really, Prisoner fans, be sure you check out the wonderfully bizarre SuperSeven homage "The Captive!") or any number of other examples of Sixties pop culture at its poppiest or most obscure. SuperSeven makes the most of its shoestring budget, boasting shockingly high production values in the form of nifty spy props and gadgets, hilarious performances that perfectly capture the essence of the era, bevies of beautiful women, and, perhaps best of all, tremendous fights and stunts performed and coordinated by some of the best stuntmen and stuntwomen in the business. (Yes, most of the cast as well as creator Scott Rhodes are professionals, and it definitely shows!)

But a shoestring can only go so far, and now Rhodes and his team are seeking an extremely modest goal to help fund the next season of Sixties spyjinx and shenanigans. That's where you come in. I've never shilled for a Kickstarter before, but I firmly believe that this one is a very worthy project to contribute to. Check out some of the episodes if you haven't seen them already, and if you're a Eurospy fan, I think you'll probably agree. (I happen to know for a fact that SuperSeven is a favorite among actual-factual, real-life spies in at least one branch of the Intelligence Community, which is pretty high praise... and shows that spooks do have a sense of humor.) But do it soon! There are only three days left in this campaign. Please visit Kickstarter and support this fantastic web series!

Support The Adventures of SuperSeven here!

And if you need further encouragement, check back tomorrow for a terrific SuperSeven contest!

New Spy DVDs Out Recently

This catch-up post keeps growing longer and longer the more it keeps getting put off. I missed quite a few weeks of new spy DVDs in January and February, and in hopes of getting back on track for weekly Tuesday posts, here's a great big roundup of some choice titles from the past month and a half.

The Michael Brandt/Derek Haas spy thriller The Double, starring Richard Gere, Topher Grace and Quantum of Solace's Stana Katic, received a limited theatrical release last fall on its way to a DVD debut at the end of January from Image Entertainment. Consequently, it's probably new to most spy fans on DVD, and comes with an impressive pedigree: The Double was penned by the writers of 3:10 to Yuma and Wanted (as well as the as-yet-unproduced spy movies The Matarese Circle and Matt Helm).
The DVD and Blu-ray hit stores a few weeks ago. Extras include a commentary with writer Haas and writer/director Brandt, producer interviews, and a reportedly spoiler-filled trailer. Here's the studio's description of the film:

When a United States Senator is brutally murdered, the evidence points to a Soviet assassin code-named Cassius, who was long-thought to be dead. Two men who know Cassius best are thrown together to catch him. Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere, An Officer and a Gentleman) is a retired CIA operative who spent his career tracking Cassius around the globe. Ben Geary (Topher Grace, Spider-Man 3) is a hotshot young FBI Agent and family man who has studied the killer's every move. Ben thinks he knows Cassius, but Paul knows he is dead wrong. Now, time is running out to stop this merciless killing machine before he finds his next target. Martin Sheen (The Departed), Odette Yustman (Cloverfield) and Stana Katic (Castle) costar in this tense thriller from the co-writers of Wanted and 3:10 to Yuma that will keep you guessing until the very last shot.

Retail is $27.97 for the DVD and $29.97 for the Blu-ray, though of course both are available much cheaper on Amazon.

One of the weirdest and coolest corners of the spy genre has to be the decidedly odd fumetti and fumetti neri subgenre of the mid-to-late Sixties, an offshoot of the Eurospy movement which found the Italian James Bond wannabes dressing up in tights and masks. (The Fantastic Argoman and Diabolik are prime examples; you can read all about them and others of their ilk in my Costumed Adventurer Week recap.) Hollywood stunt man-turned-director Scott Rhodes very obviously shares my affinity for this unique marriage of spy and superhero, and as I first wrote about last summer when the series debuted, he's single-handedly revived it with his web series homage to the likes of Superargo and Argoman, The Adventures of Superseven! (No direct relation to the eurospy Super Seven - two words - who liked to call Cairo.) Hopefully you've already seen Superseven in action on YouTube, but if you haven't, the web series' entire first season is now available on DVD! And it's brimming with special features, too, including interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, bloopers, and even a gallery of artwork designed in the style of Sixties lobby cards by my fellow spy blogger, Permission To Kill's David Foster. Superseven is a very entertaining series with impressive production values and acting, sure to thrill fans of Sixties Eurospy and costumed adventurer movies. The 2-disc set can be ordered for $14.99 plus $3 shipping and handling directly from the Superseven website. Stay tuned in the coming week or so for an interview with Scott Rhodes and a chance to win this DVD!

Disney has released the cult favorite 1983 Margot Kidder spy movie Trenchcoat on DVD as part of their made-on-demand "Disney Generations" line. Trenchcoat, which also stars Robert Hays and features Raiders of the Lost Ark's Ronald Lacey and Poirot's David Suchet in smaller parts, caused a bit of controversy when it came out in 1983, as it was the first film Disney had aimed specifically at the adult market. (Not that it's that adult, but it's not designed for kids.) Ultimately it led to the creation of the Touchstone brand so the studio could differentiate such fare. Kidder stars as a mystery writer who goes on vacation in scenic Malta (another undeniable star of this show) and finds herself caught up in a web of international espionage and terrorism, where no one is who they seem to be. It's long been demanded on DVD by its fans, so this release is sure to please quite a few people. Now I hope Disney uses their Generations label to put out a few more of their 80s spy capers, like the 1987 Walt Disney's World of Color TV movie Double Agent, starring Michael McKean (which I saw on the same day I first saw Thunderball - and I preferred the Disney movie!*), or perhaps a reissue of the long out-of-print latter-day fumetti Condorman, with Bond Girl Barbara Carera.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 spy masterpiece Notorious made its Blu-ray debut a few weeks ago courtesy of Fox and MGM. Besides an impressive HD transfer (really, I don't know what some Amazon reviewers are complaining about), the Blu-ray boasts two commentaries by film historians, an isolated music and effects track, "The Ultimate Romance: The Making of Notorious" featurette, "Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster" featurette (a must-see for fans of the genre), an AFI Tribute to Hitchcock, a 1948 radio play starring Joseph Cotton and Ingrid Bergman, a Peter Bogdanovich audio interview, a second audio interview with François Truffaut quizzing Hitch on a number of subjects including both Notorious and the auteur's earlier spy movie Sabotage, a restoration comparison and a still gallery. Retail is already a bargain at $24.99, but, unsurprisingly, it's significantly less on Amazon.

After an extraordinarily prolonged drought, another James Bond movie materialized on Blu-ray a few weeks ago... but not, I'm afraid, one of the titles that many fans have long been hoping for, like The Spy Who Loved Me, You Only Live Twice or On Her Majesty's Secret Service. (We'll finally see those in high-def as part of a massive 50th Anniversary box set this fall.) Instead, Fox and MGM have made the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale widely available. The title was previously available on Blu only as a Best Buy exclusive. Casino Royale '67, starring David Niven, Woody Allen, Peter Sellers and Orson Welles (among many others), can now, at last, be found everywhere (including Amazon). The SRP is $19.99, and the disc contains the same extras available on the last DVD edition: an audio commentary with Bond historians Steven Jay Rubin and John Cork, the original theatrical trailer, and a five-part documentary produced by Rubin on the unbelievable behind-the-scenes shenanigans that went on during the making of Casino Royale.

The latest in Shout! Factory's series of multi-DVD set reissues of out-of-print Roger Corman exploitation movies, Lethal Ladies Collection: Volume 2, includes the low-budget Seventies spy movie Cover Girl Models. According to the studio copy, "a fashion photography assignment teams three American models and inadvertently plunges them into the mystery and danger of international espionage. When an invaluable roll of microfilm is sewed into one of the girls’ fashion gowns, they are drawn into the violence and intrigue of a spy-vs.-counterspy conspiracy." It's all just an excuse for T&A in cheap Manila locations, of course, but that's the Seventies for you. Cover Girl Models was previously issued on a Region 1 disc from Televista for Latin American companies. The Shout! set also includes the stewardesses-vs-hijackers movie Fly Me and a most welcome reissue of the long unavailable (and very pricey on the collector's market) Pam Grier gladiator classic The Arena. Extras include trailers and TV spots as well as all the Arena special features from the out of print New Concorde DVD, plus a new director's commentary on that one. Retail is an affordable $24.97 for the 2-disc set.

*Of course I was 10, and haven't had the opportunity to see it since. It's probably terrible.

Aim High Debuts in October

Aim High Debuts in October

McG's teen spy web series Aim High, starring Jackson Rathbone,  finally has a new premiere date: October 11. Hopefully this one will stick! The series will air on Facebook, but will only be available (for now) to North American audiences. Watch the trailer here.

Aim High Premiere Pushed Back

McG's teen spy web series Aim High was supposed to debut this week on Facebook, but according to a posting on the site, it's been pushed back. A new premiere date will be announced soon. In the meantime, you can watch the teaser below. As previously reported, Aim High stars The Twilight Saga's Jackson Rathbone (no relation to Basil, sadly) as an ordinary high schooler with an extraordinary after school job: he's been trained by the government as a counter-terrorism agent. Yet he's still got to maintain his cover and put up with teachers and bullies during the day. It's very simple and we've seen plenty of variations on it in books and films, but as I've said before, I love this premise and I'm excited to see it done as a series--even if it's a web series that I have to go to Facebook to watch. Coming from one of the producers of Chuck and with a pretty impressive supporting cast lined up, I'm eager to see how this one turns out. (Plus, I like that poster!)

Jackson Rathbone Aims For McG's Teen Spy Series Aim High

Ace Showbiz reports that McG's high school spy web series we first heard about a few months ago, Aim High, has been cast.  The Twilight Saga's Jackson Rathbone (who actually might have been the best thing about the Twilight movie that my sister forced me to see, though I was sad to learn he's not actually related to Basil) stars as student spy Nick Green.  According to the website, "Nick is one of the US government's 64 trained teenage operatives and just blew a hit he had on a Russian mercenary named Boris the Bear (Clancy Brown). He's juggling the ripple effects of that with his secret love for Amanda Miles (Friday Night Lights' Aimee Teegarden). The girl takes the chance to flirt with him but problem is, she's got a jealous and overprotective boyfriend (Jonathan McDaniel) who just so happens to be the swim team captain."  I love the convergence of the spy and teen soap genres!  This sounds great to me.  Lost's Rebecca Mader and Ally McBeal's Greg Germann play two of the school's faculty members.  While this "digital series" will debut online in 2011, WB also has plans to compile all the episodes into a feature film and release that on DVD.

Tradecraft: Finally, A Series About High School Spies

Today's Second New Spy Show: I'm not kidding with that "finally."  I can't believe it's taken this long for a series to materialize about high school secret agents!  The clock's really been ticking since Buffy the Vampire Slayer took off in 1997.  A friend of mine developed a really cool series about teen spies that was basically The OC meets Alias at the height of those shows' popularity, and frankly I couldn't believe it didn't sell.  It was a great premise, as clearly evidenced by the popularity of Alex Rider and the slew of teen spy and spy school related Young Adult book series that followed in his wake.  "Spies in high school" just seems like such a no-brainer premise that I can't believe it's taken this long for such a series to materialize.  And now, it's not really a TV show, unfortunately, but a "multi-platform digital series."  To be honest, I'm not really sure what that even means.  I can't keep up with the platforms available for digital content.  But, basically, I think it amounts to a web series, although it's coming from Warner Premiere, who I know mainly as Warner's direct-to-DVD division, so I guess eventually we'll see it on that format as well. 

Deadline reports that Warner Premiere has committed to co-finance and co-distribute Aim High, a digital series about a high school secret agent. According to the press release, "Aim High is the story of a young man leading a double life - juggling his studies by day and serving as a government agent by night. This series chronicles the life of Nick Green, a sophomore who’s just starting a new school year as one of the country’s 64 highly trained teenage operatives. When he’s not handling international spies, Nick is dreaming of Amanda Meyers, the most popular girl in school who’s cool, intelligent and very alluring." McG produces (with Lance Sloane), which is good news as far as I'm concerned.  Who better to produce a series about spies in high school than the man who produced The OC and Human Target - not to mention Chuck? (Er, and Nikita.) The series is written by Heath Corson and Richie Keen, who will executive produce along with Peter Murrieta.  Thor Freudenthal (Hotel for Dogs) directs. Aim High is already in pre-production will start shooting in Los Angeles next month.