Another trio of titles has been added to the 4xblu online store, all of which are recent in-store debuts that are making their first appearances on 4xblu.com’s virtual shelves. This exciting new slate consists of Ivan Reitman’s “Twins,” Ulrich Seidl’s “Paradise: Hope,” and “David Cronenberg’s Early Works,” a collection by Arrow that gathers the first few films by the nascent master of body horror.
Prior to directing “Twins,” Ivan Reitman got his start in Canada, producing “Spellbound” (a stage play starring Doug Henning that, after being renamed “The Magic Show,” went on to become one of Broadway’s longest running attractions) and the early Cronenberg films “Shivers” and “Rabid” before hitting it big in America as the producer of “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” Reitman then moved into the director’s chair for a trio of comedies that became monster box office hits: “Meatballs,” “Stripes,” and “Ghostbusters.” After the less lucrative “Legal Eagles,” Reitman returned with “Twins,” another smash that proved he still had the Midas touch.
“Twins” is the story of Julius (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Vincent (Danny DeVito), twin brothers who were the products of a DNA cocktail and separated at birth. Whereas Julius was raised on a secluded island to be a paragon of mental and physical excellence, Vincent (who received the experiment’s less desirable traits) was abandoned at an orphanage. The film was something of a risk for both its stars — Schwarzenegger, having negotiated the transition from bodybuilding dominance to action hero stardom, had only starred in the action comedy hybrid “Red Heat” before making the leap into the full-blown comedy of “Twins.” As for DeVito, who became a huge television star playing Louie De Palma on “Taxi,” he’d mostly played supporting roles in the blockbusters he’d signed on for prior to being front and center with “Twins.”
It was a risk that paid off handsomely, as the film wound up as the fifth highest grossing movie of 1988. Reitman would direct two more comedies starring Schwarzenegger, 1990’s “Kindergarten Cop” and 1994’s “Junior” (which also starred DeVito); DeVito would also contribute to Schwarzenegger’s “The Last Action Hero” and the Reitman-produced “Space Jam.”