Archive for category DVD Releases
After – jeez, what is it? nearly two years? – of being jerked around by The Idiot Brothers, Greg Mclean’s killer croc film Rogue finally hits the US street on DVD today. Although it does go a bit over-the-top towards the end, particularly in the area of Hero’s Death Battle Exemption (so what else is new?), Rogue is a commendably straight-faced effort full of good special effects, interesting character touches (you won’t guess who lives and dies) and some absolutely spectacular cinematography. Recommended.
If you don’t feel like lining the Weinsteins’ pockets, the Region 4 version will be released September 4th.
In related news, Urban Cinephile reports that the other Australian killer croc film, Black Water, has now secured distribution in 76 countries. Nice if ours were among them, hey? Black Water is notable for, among other things, having “the Northern Territory” played by a southern Sydney area two suburbs away from where I live. And the bastards didn’t invite me!!!! Aw, hell, I guess I’ll see it anyway…..always supposing.
Hey, cool! Another DVD release I can embarrass myself over in public!
On October 28th, Grindhouse will release a double-disc Collector’s Edition of Juan Piquer’s Mil Gritos Tiene La Noche / Pieces. This will be uncut and widescreen anamorphic, with an optional Spanish soundtrack featuring the original score by Librado Pastor.
After Metropolis, this probably only counts as a minor miracle, but who’s complaining? Severin Films will be producing the first official DVD release of Mario Caiano’s Amanti D’Olltretomba / Nightmare Castle, starring Barbara Steele, after a good quality, uncut negative of the film was discovered in a storage vault in Rome.
This just in! On July 29th, Warners will be releasing a trio of science fiction double-bills: World Without End + Satellite In The Sky (I’ve always felt that was a good place for a satellite); When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth (yo, Keith!!) + Moon Zero Two; and Battle Beneath The Earth + The Ultimate Warrior. The bad news for those of us who don’t happen to live down the street from the Brothers Warner is that these releases will be Best Buy exclusives. Thank Jabootu for eBay.
Incoming!
Jul 11
There are a zillion DVDs slated for upcoming release, but here are the ones I’m currently most excited about. Which probably tells you more about me than you need to know.
So in chronological order and/or descending degrees of classiness:
On July 22nd, Criterion will re-release Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Vampyr in an expanded 2-disc edition. The film will be in 1.19 “pillarbox” format. Supplementary material will include commentary from film scholar Tony Rayns, a documentay by Jorgen Roos about Dreyer’s career, a visual essay by film scholar Caspar Tybjerg on Dreyer’s influences, a radio broadcast by Dreyer on film-making from 1958, new essays on the film itself from Mark Le Fanu and Kim Newman, notes by Martin Koerber on its restoration, an archival interview with Nicolas de Gunzburg, the original screenplay, and a copy of Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla”.
September 9th will see the long-awaited release of Classic Media’s double-disc presentation of Rodan and War Of The Gargantuas. The Japanese (English subtitles) and Americanised versions of both films will be included, along with the documentary “Bringing Godzilla Down To Size”.
After numerous delays, Code Red DVD will release the widescreen, uncut (European) version of Chi Sei? / Beyond The Door on September 22nd. Extras include two commentaries, one featuring Ovidio G. Assonitis and the other Juliet Mills (!!); a video interview with Richard Johnson; the featurette “Beyond The Door: 35 Years Later”; and the original trailers. (Edit: – now I’m hearing September 16th.)
And last, and least, but no less dear to my heart, on September 30th Dark Sky Films will release their latest “Drive-In Double Feature”, Barracuda plus Island Fury.
Courtesy of DVD Drive-In: “On October 14th, Sony Home Entertainment will release ICONS OF HORROR: HAMMER FILMS, which will contain the following Hammer film classics: THE TWO FACES OF DR JEKYLL, THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB, THE GORGON and SCREAM (TASTE) OF FEAR. Expect the set to include commentaries, trailers, supplements and newly remastered transfers.”
I don’t know about “classics”, but all four films are very welcome. No cover art as yet, so in the meantime, here’s one of my personal heroes. Actually, two of my personal heroes:
Back in the Saddle
Jun 3
OK, my ten day Highland motoring tour through Scotland (I did not find a man-frog in the middle of a hedge maze, though) is over, and as a result of it, I am dead broke. $100 to fill up a Ford Focus??? Anyway, luckily, while I was away eating haggis and drinking a positively staggering amount of single malt scotch whisky, the rest of the crew kept the home fires stoked:
VOODOO ISLAND
The irrationality of the film is in some ways before its time. I think this is part of its ultimate failure; the writers clearly wanted to create a sense of un-reality at a time when there weren’t many films whose lead they might follow. Bleeding plants, the voodoo ragdoll which serves no apparent purpose, the “death wishes” based on real magic which don’t end up being lethal, the trouble with the radio, etc…. These have been criticized elsewhere as loose ends of a script that never had a final draft. I’ll throw out the possibility that, in fact, they were more deliberate attempts to undermine Knight’s stolid positivism because–and I’m not trying to be cute here–there was no unity to their disunity.
Todd saves us from becoming the “all skull mask guys, all the time” website.
Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams
Blossoming Night Dreams is the first in the Delinquent Girl Boss series, as well as Toei’s first entry in the Pinky Violence genre. Spurred to jump into the game by the success of Nikkatsu’s Stray Cat Rock series of female delinquent films, the studio would go on to make the PV genre their own through more brazenly exploitative franchises like the aforementioned Terrifying Girls’ High School and Female Prisoner Scorpion films. At the time of this film, the template that those later films followed had yet to be set, and so, while there is a fair share of boobs and blood on display, there’s nowhere near as much as would become standard within a couple years. Furthermore–and again unlike perennial PV stars Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike–Oshida was not required to shed her clothing for her role, leaving the burden of baring all upon her supporting stars.
Big DVD sale…
Nov 13
Deepdiscountdvd.com is holding its semi-yearly 20% off sale–an additional 20% off all non-advance items, that is. Their regular discounts are not always as deep as they used to be, but even so, this is the best time of year to grab big box sets. For instance, they are selling that James Bond Ultimate set for $179 (about a hundred bucks off list), so with an additional 20% off, it’s more like $145, for 22 movies on 44 discs. Not too shabby. And don’t forget all the recent “full run” DVD sets on TV shows like Land of the Giants, the X-Files, Twin Peaks, etc.
Something I never knew is that DVD Planet does this at the same time. Sometimes their prices are cheaper, so I’d check your list on Dvdpricesearch, see which site is selling each item cheapest, and make two orders.
These sales require codes that you input at checkout. For DVD Planet, there’s one code, but it may be resusable through Nov 21st: 20offsale.
In contrast, Deepdiscountdvd has numerous codes, which may be used once each. SUPERSALE I know works, as does PRICESEARCH, and in the past DVDTALK and USATODAY have as well. There are probably others should you need them, just Google for them.
As far as I know, DVDPlanet’s sale runs through the 21st, and DDD’s through the 25th. Certainly they will both be running through this weekend. Anyway, don’t forget the holidays are approaching, so you could do worse than use this for presents.
In fact, let me start with what I still consider the biggest DVD release of the last several years, the 60 cartoon Popeye The Sailor 1933-1938. Just astounding stuff. Even better, you can for the next week or so really knock a hefty amount off the price tag via Deepdiscountdvd’s 20% off sale. They currently list the set at $42.89 (from the $64.95 list), so an additional 20% would reduce that by a further eight bucks and change. So that’s about $35!! You can’t beat that.