Hi,
I don’t know if anyone else has seen it but one film without a DVD release that’s crying out for a preservation is Static, the actual directorial debut of Mark Romanek (I say “actual” because he usually claims his debut is One Hour Photo). The film looks unlikely to hit DVD anytime soon, mainly because: a) it’s owned by MGM, who as with so many films probably have no idea they even own it; b) it’s been unfairly disowned by Romanek, who dismisses it as “juvenilia”, and rumour has it he has blocked any release of it in the last decade. Those who have seen it can join me in attesting otherwise; it’s an unforgettable, strange, very interesting little film that can certainly be seen as a forebearer to films such as Donnie Darko and Pi.

A quirky, out-of-of place worker at a crucifix factory in the Bible Belt invents a device he claims can show pictures of Heaven. Discouraged and confused by the inability of those around him to see anything but a screenful of static, he charismatically hijacks a bus of friendly elderly people in order to get media attention for his invention.

At the moment the only ways to purchase the film are either second-hand ex-rental tapes (the film was never released on retail), second-hand laserdisc or VHS dubs from sites like Super Happy Fun. Is there anyone here who might be willing to invest in the laserdisc to do a preservation from that instead? I’m posting a link to an eBay auction below where you can buy the LD for cheaper than usual, as well as another site that’s selling it for slightly more.

Maybe I’m not offering people much incentive to seek this out and give it a go, but trust me, it’s an excellent film that deserves more attention.

http://www.gohastings.com/catalog/item/item.asp?prodid=32997179
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LASERDISC-Static_W0QQitemZ300022186685QQihZ020QQcategoryZ381QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem