Coming Attractions:DEADLINE's Bottom Line

We're still upset over Brittany Murphy's untimely passing last month, which ever since has become the source of speculation and controversy.  We're also a little upset about her last completed film,  Deadline --- just not for the same reasons a lot of other people are.  We agree with 'other people' that the movie's awkward title has proved unfortunate and eerily ironic considering the circumstances of Murphy's death.  We'd never disagree that the same could be said about the film's promotional artwork.  abbracadabbling has used that art at the top of our blog;  Deadline's  marketing department used that art for the box of the movie's recently released DVD.

No one can blame the film's promoters for what's only in retrospect poor taste, despite the fact that Deadline's  December 1st release was three weeks before Murphy's death.  Still, the imagery has disturbed so many people that Red Box, the company that operates those unmistakably ubiquitous dollar-a DVD rental kiosks you've undoubtedly seen,  has removed   Deadline DVDs from each of the 19,000 kiosks it operates nationwide  so that alternative imagery could be used.  Amazon.com is currently selling Deadline on DVD and Blu-ray, although they've pulled images of the box cover art from their site. [If you'd like to purchase a copy of Deadline on DVD, click HERE.  On Blu-ray, click HERE.]

Both Red Box and Amazon - of which abbracadabbling is a proud Affiliate - have shown Brittany Murphy respect, and for Red Box, doing so was a considerable effort on the company's part.  Our problem, what gets us upset, is that removing the box art isn't honoring Brittany Murphy.  It's dishonoring her, and we presume, dishonoring her wishes.

Murphy was Deadline's lead; it was her movie. And while we can't even presume to know her, it's hard to imagine Murphy posed for the now-removed pictures against her will. More than likely, she probably thought they were pretty cool, and probably a lot of other people did, too.  Certainly, no one found cause to object to them before she died. 

Of course,  it's the circumstances of her death that cast Deadline's DVD in such a negative and not-PC  light.  Given the timing, the two make for one very uncanny coincidence -- if indeed there really are such things as 'coincidences.'  And anyway, isn't that what this controversy is really about?

Deadline's artwork, in much the same way as Dubai's Burj Khalifa, isn't fiction anymore; it's fantasy become reality.  It's The Final Destination come to life.  Maybe it's coincidence, maybe it's some kind of message, or maybe it's even something more. It might not be anything at all.  There may not be an answer.  No matter how well Deadline succeeds as a psychological thriller and borderline horror on-screen, it's succeeded to be both off-screen amazingly well.  Horror movies might be scary, but nothing scares people more than the Unknown -- or reality.

Breaking News: Sin City's BRITTANY MURPHY (1977-2009)

Comics fans are among the great many people today mourning the death of actress Brittany Murphy, who suffered full cardiac arrest in her home last night and was declared dead at 10:04am PST upon her arrival to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center early this morning, Sunday. She had just turned 32 year old on November 10th.

Aside from her role as 'Shellie' in Sin City, most of us, including myself, were probably first introduced to her in Clueless. But Murphy's list of credits, which included acting, writing, and production, are extensive. A few of her other notable works include four films still in post-production and scheduled for 2010 release, as well as 8 Mile, Spun, and the cult-fave, Freeway. She also appeared in television sci-fi series, SeaQuest DSV and one of my old personal favorites, Parker Lewis Can't Lose.

Murphy was an actress well-known by my generation, X, but clearly had fans and admirers both young and old. And the news of her death has been received my most of her fans not as just a shock, but a disturbing shock. While celebrities like her ex-boyfriend Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, and former Buffy The Vampire Slayer and current Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku have been tweeting their condolences and memories of Brittany Murphy throughout the day, The San Francisco Examiner reported not two hours ago that the Los Angeles has launched a full-scale investigation into the cause of her death.

Immediately -- and I'm sure I'm not alone in this -- thoughts of Heath Ledger as well as Michael Jackson's investigation spring to mind, and I'm just as sure they've crossed the minds of LAPD's medical examiners, too. It's an odd fact that Murphy's husband, screenwriter Simon Monjack, has stated he doesn't want an autopsy performed, but the LAPD Coroner's Office is moving ahead despite his wishes. Apparently, the latest news is her autopsy will happen by Tuesday.

Rumors of alleged drug use have been circulating all day, and they're likely at least part of the motivation behind the LAPD's moves this afternoon. I recall Murphy was thought to have an eating disorder several years ago. That bit of gossip came to a head in 2005, when she accused of cocaine abuse. Regarding that, Radar Online quoted Murphy as saying: "I have never tried it in my entire life. I've never even seen it...I am also way too high-strung. I can't even take a Sudafed. Can you imagine? My God. I think my heart would explode."

It's disturbing to think that might be exactly what happened. But news and answers of any kind will be coming fast and furious all night, it seems. Right now, for example, the newsfeeds are gushing all kinds of updates, from foul play not being suspected and Murphy's death being attributed to natural causes, to revelations that she had a history of Type I diabetes, to her heart attack being the result of a diabetic condition made severe by the use of drugs.

Meanwhile, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, the working title of the 2005 Sin City sequel, has been moving steadily but slowly toward production. MTV reported last March that creator Frank Miller and director Robert Rodriguez had already completed the film's script, and that the cast was all set to reprise their comic book characters. Brittany Murphy's 'Shellie' didn't survive the first Sin City, but it seemed likely that she, along with co-stars Jessica Alba and Michael Clark Duncan, would return nevertheless for the sequel.

By the time the next Sin City arrives - if it does - the speculation surrounding Brittany Murphy's death will be over, no matter the cause. Instead, only fond remembrances will remain. In the words of Sin City's John Hartigan, "Sometimes the truth doesn't matter like it ought. But you'll always remember things right."