A while back, I found myself in a strange predicament. Confined only to my bed, I was unmovable, unanimated, and unaware of the fact that my wife was saddened by my state of being. So, being the good lass she was, she immediately hired a local Hypnotist, a man whose opinions were entirely suspect. As his clock swung back and forth, an aberrant world appeared before my own eyes, but not before I was able to see this Shyster take my wife into his own hands. The fact of the matter was that I was simply dead, and my anger knew no bounds. At least it boiled enough for me to do the same.
So F’in Hot
The original House of Wax (buy it from CHUD!) was most notable for some stilted and charming 3-D work, a devilishly captivating turn by Vincent Price, and a director (Andre De Toth) who only had one eye (irony!). So it would only make sense for Joel Silver to want to reshape that fairly entertaining mold into his own concoction – the end result of being a tad too adequate for my own tastes (Nick liked it, though – his DVD Rack review is here and don’t forget to check out Devin’s review). The erstwhile Paris Hilton, a "star" not unlike the ones you got in grade school for being "special", does get the pointy end of a cocked stick (Rick Salomon’s notwithstanding) and the end is not unlike your own life, where you waited 62 minutes for a complete sputter, even when she answers her cell phone. Enough about that, however, as a local backwoods Southern town (in Australia!) is transformed into a creepy crawly center for molestation, demonstration, and mastication against the various forms of hot wax on display. Elisha Cuthbert and Cinderella Story‘s Chad Michael "ex-Bush" Murray play the siblings who must battle the deformed Brian Van Holt, a killer of the utmost degree, when they get stuck with their cadre of slowly disappearing friends in that severely deranged town. Faces melt, guns explode and tiny little fingers are lanced into bloody pulps. While it doesn’t quite mesh together in the end (I shrugged it off), it does have some great gruesome moments that should shake your imaginary girlfriend into your arms. Victory probably never felt so fake-real.
A Joel Silver featurette (arguably why you should seek and observe this title!), some B-Roll/Blooper footage, 2 more featurettes (The Design of House of Wax and The Visual Effects of House of Wax), on top of an Alternate Opening await your undulating loins.
Gus Van Sant continues his plunge into the style of Bela Tarr (you’re most likely wondering "who?" – look it up!) with his Kurt Cobain-inspired Last Days (a movie Devin calls ‘a minor masterpiece’ in his review). Those looking for a more straight-forward approach to the said dwindling hours in the life of Rock musician Blake should probably look elsewhere, as Van Sant continues his regression into long tracking shots and drawn-out relations. These inspired touches add a level of objectivity that denies us Blake’s own subjectivity, that is, as Devin adds, until he sets himself down to record a screeching song with a variety of instruments (bone flute not being one of them). Van Sant allows a couple of characters to interact here and there, but this is Michael Pitt’s show all the way, as we predominantly follow his Blake sulking and being wanderlust around the grounds of his hauntingly empty New York mansion. But as the names and places have been changed to protect the innocent (i.e. you!), the general idea stays the same, and the journey you can embrace with Van Sant and his talented group of filmmaking crazies might be as rewarding as watching a man about to die can be. That usually means prepare for some awesome depression.
Here you’ll get The Making of Gus Van Sant’s Last Days, On the set of Gust Van Sant’s Last Days: The Long Dolly Shot, an exclusive music video – "Happy Song" by Pagoda and the very secretive Deleted Scene 38X.
It’s almost impossible to talk to anyone about Titanic without mentioning the film’s box office haul, considering since so much has been written about it and pondered for years to come. Personally, I consider much of it a victim of happenstance, succumbed by legions of pre-pubescent teenage girls (hell, a family member saw it 7 times and that’s saying something) that will most likely never be repeated again. I don’t ever see the film losing its official box office crown to anything in the near future, since the destructive power of technology has gently grabbed away at your own movie watching habits. Ticket prices and theater going experiences being as they are, it’s no fluke that most films are struggling even straight out of the gate to find their own audience and make a dent in recouping their budgets. There are other factors, of course, but Titanic‘s glory shall be for its own, and Cameron can continue to do whatever it is he likes to do (fly helicopters and be suave if Entourage has anything to say). I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he slept on a bed of money with the best hookers money can buy. Or maybe T-1000’s, since they’re sexy as hell, too. I’ve held off talking about the plot thus far simply since we all know where you stand, quivering in its wake. As spectacle, Titanic firmly retains its moments of awe-inspiring entertainment, while as a love story set against a rather large canvas (filled with some risqué drawings) there are some lacking segments. The true test of this release will be whether or not the hordes of moviegoers who ventured to see this (1/16th are probably six feet under, especially that bus load I saw in ’98) will return back. I’d pay to see the platoon of those Zombies watching this.
One Discs One and Two: James Cameron, the cast and crew, and various historians all get three separate commentaries, nine minutes of extra footage spliced back into the film, and some behind-the-scenes branched footage (Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio glance into what really happened behind-the-scenes of this multi-million dollar production and much more.)
On Disc Three: more than 45 minutes of deleted footage (with optional commentary), some production and special effects featurettes (that take from the actual wreckage of the ship in its watery grave to the building of the set in Mexico to the shooting of Cameron’s opus), the ‘Breaking New Ground’ TV Special – which chronicles the life of making the film all the way through its box office success, some scriptments (script/treatment hybrid), storyboard sequences, production artwork, photographs, Ken Marschall’s Painting Gallery, the electronic press kit, Celine Dion’s infamous video about her heart, and some concept 
posters and one sheets.
But alas, for the super deluxe hardcore fan, having a Region Free player will be your only ticket to get you Disc Four. Only available OVERSEAS (uh, what? click here to buy it from CHUD!), presumably where Titanic made the most coin, you’ll get:The HBO First-Look, some Titanic Parodies (Cameron and Paxton on SNL, the MTV Movie Awards spoof, and Titanic in 30 seconds with Bunnies), and vertible plethora of teasers and regular theatrical trailers (more than 10 that run for 25 minutes).
The mind boggles as to why the various studios distributing this disc didn’t slap this onto the US release. Space issues and rights might have played a factor, but when this film was so insanely huge here, it just seems weird. Really, really weird.
It’s more than well known that Woody Allen sort of drifted away from moviemaking into this weird gray area where many felt a clone made Small Time Crooks, Hollywood Ending, and the abominable Anything Else. His latest, Melinda and Melinda, is supposedly a return to form (along with the upcoming Match Point) for the man who gave us so many interesting characters (for the new crop of film fanatics, Annie Hall and Manhattan are must-sees). Devin enjoyed the film tremendously, so check out his review here. The plot has two stories running parallel with one another – one a comedy, in which Will Ferrell plays the well-known neurotic Woody Allen character, who instantly is smitten in love with Melinda (Radha Mitchell). The other a drama, in which Melinda (still played by Mitchell) gets involved with a piano player (Chiwetel Ejiofor, who’s quickly picking some great turns in some vastly different films). As both stories intertwine with one another, relationships are refined and stories played out. As grand as that might sound to some of you, consider that Allen hasn’t had a film this good in a long time, so this might be cause for celebration. Or not.
This is one barebones US release. Only 5.1. Surround. Yikes.
David LaChappelle’s been around for a while (he studied with Warhol, jerk) but if you don’t know the name you’ve probably stumbled across a few of his creations – videos such as Christina Aguilera’s (very) Dirty and most recently Gwen Stefani’s Rich Girl. You’ve probably seen more than a few of his photographs as well, since his sexy incorporations of fantastical elements have graced the pages of magazines, exhibit halls, and bedroom ways (I know you’ve got the Naomi Campbell or the Pamela Anderson spreads up somewhere). Now he focuses on the seemingly ignored-by-our-culture dance craze of Krumping. A sort of rhythmic release inspired by the 1992 Rodney King riots, it has since been molded into the version on display in Rize (CHUD’s DVD review is forthcoming!). The real story is the life of Tommy Johnson, whose daily release against the pressures of life by his interpretive dancin’ style is something that brings hope to several others struggling in his own South Central community. I feel like that sounds like a mish-mash of an after school special, but it’s really not. Simply because it’s always good to expand your own closed minded worldview, take in what other people across the country, or even your neighborhood are doing, especially if it involves art, dudes.
David LaChappelle contributes audio commentary, along with 3 featurettes: A Filmmaking Insight with LaChappelle and his Director of Photography, Dance Moves by the Dancers, and a new Krump Session, along with a music video for K.R.U.M.P.
Rumor has it that Walt Disney Production Chief Nina Jacobson sat Ms. Lindsay Lohan down before taking on Herbie: Fully Loaded (you know you wanted it! – CHUD’s DVD review is Coming Soon!) and basically instructed her not to give partying her all while working on their film. And while no one is entirely sure what exactly happened, the one thing that Herbie will undoubtedly become is a strange time capsule of the future shedding of the original Lohan to make way for the Lohan-18000, something of an enigma stretched over a skeleton blanket. Angela Robinson, who made the rickety, yet charming D.E.B.S. (read Dave’s DVD Rack review) makes her second go-’round with more tricks of the trade. Michael Keaton, returning from God knows where, gives Ms. Lohan a souped-up People’s Wagon for her birthday and little does anyone know, it has secretive powers that threaten to destroy the World. Cunning and entirely too deadly for its own good, Herbie’s attempts for domination are met with a scramble from DEFCON-4 as it putters along and infiltrates the Daytona 500, the type of sporting event that should instantly turn many a progressive CHUD fan off immediately. Will thespians Justin Long, Matt Dillion and Breckin Meyer help save the day? As long as you get them some coffee, you worthless P.A.
Commentary by Director Angela Robinson, some deleted scenes with optional commentary, some bloopers, 3 featurettes: A Day At The Races – with NASCAR Racer Deborah Renshaw, Breaking the Rules: The Stunts of Herbie, and Bringing Herbie to Life, shack up with the Lohan music video for "First" to bring you talkback-style shenanigans.
Finnish-man Renny Harlin came out blazing with his mediocre version of the Exorcist prequel (Nick says it "was as subtle as a Mack Truck to the genitalia" – agreed!), but most of you smarties in the know already knew of the original jettisoned Paul Schrader version, curiously titled Dominion: The Prequel to the Exorcist (read Nick’s steaming "pile" of a DVD Rack review). This time the Swedish destroyer of Stellan Skarsgård has come to pick up the frayed and emotionally dissolved cloth of Father Merrin from VON SYDOW (seriously, this insane manly man cheats death on the hour by punching it in the face – so naturally, I strive to be like him everyday). As it was in Harlin’s resonant film, Merrin is summoned to the depths of Africa to cradle his own civilization and fight the beasties of evil in a fully preserved church. A few surprises are in store and they’re ruined by the shoddy special effects, which might have been rushed into theaters. Coupled with Schrader’s so-called plotting, it appears to have gone for a more thrilling sense of dread than the pea-soup upchucking scariness of the previous films (like the terrifying III). Make no mistake, both versions have been meticulously bequeathed upon unsuspecting audiences ready for the hurt, and whether or not they want to embrace it like a twelve dollar whore or cuddle up with it like they did with Teddy Ruxpin last night is entirely up to them.
A rather straightforward commentary track from Paul Schrader, some additional scenes, and a stills gallery come attached with the shadowy Evil.
Speaking of intensive pain, the Will Ferrell/Nicole Kidman audience pummeler of Bewitched arrives, although I think quite possibly only one person is truly excited. I saw enough trailers and posters and destructive dreams to know how truly awful this film was destined to become (read Devin’s review to understand why). And I suppose it’s my duty as a nerd, or a geek, or a scary sexual deviant to pass judgment quickly on items that don’t contain Bruce Campbell or Joss Whedon or Leeroy Jenkins or whatever else has been embraced by those lording over us. The unnecessarily bad plot has Actor Ferrell going on the skids and attempting to jump-start his hot streak with an updating of Bewitched, as told through the eyes of money, money, and more money. But just as he can’t seem to find anyone to play the mystically inclined Samantha, he stumbles upon Kidman, who, by chance/fate/a supremely fake coincidence actually is – get this – a witch! The mind reels with the possibilities and the gag reflux understands them all too well. I suppose I should stop right there before I hurt myself. If Ms. Ephron reads this, I hope she’s not that mad.
Audio commentary with Director Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle), some deleted scenes with optional director commentary, a Witch Vision trivia track, 4 featurettes (Casting A Spell: The Making Of Bewitched, Eight Star Shots Including: Nicole Kidman -Witch Star, Michael Caine, Shirley Maclaine, Will Ferrell, Why I Love Bewitched Featurette, and An Actor Prepares: The Penetrating Craft Of Jack Wyatt), along with a Bewitched trivia game should have a few people running for the safety of explosions, t&a, and Andy Sedaris.
The Rebel Samurai come out to chop, slice, and dice your motherfucking heads all over their lands with a bunch of Bushido-code films courtesy of the fine assed folks over at Criterion. Since my love of their work knows no bounds, and might be illegal in 8 Southern States, it’s best to step back and see what they have to offer. First up is the aforementioned Samurai Rebellion, which has Toshiro Mifune living the quiet life (alas, not out in the San Fernando Valley) until a local War Lord orders his son to marry his mistress, then changes his mind. Chaos surely ensues, all the way through Sword of the Beast, in which Gennosuke, a lowly Swordsman whose comrades turn on him, but not before he can send his minister packing into the afterlife. That doesn’t stop the Samurai Spy (a cover I think is spectacular, so good job art team!), a man who longs for peace, but must seek and destroy another swordsman who defects violently to the other side. And finally, there’s the apropos Kill!, where Kihachi Okamoto basically updates Kurosawa’s Sanjuro and throws in some bits of black comedy. That should be sufficiently enough, right? I can’t tell you how much I’d love to learn the Samurai code right now and chop a lot of people into shredded wheat.
Samurai Rebellion comes with a new high-definition transfer, new and improved English subtitle translation, a new essay by Japanese-film historian Donald Richie, an excerpt from a 1993 interview with director Masaki Kobayashi, and the film’s original teaser and theatrical trailers. Sword of the Beast rips forth with a new high-definition transfer, new and improved English subtitle translation, and a new essay by Japanese-film and -culture critic Patrick Macias.
Samurai Spy has a new high-definition transfer, new and improved English subtitle translation, a new essay by film scholar Alain Silver, an exclusive new video 16-minute interview with director Masahiro Shinoda, and a gallery of key characters in the film. Kill! exclaims a new high-definition transfer, new and improved English subtitle translation, a new essay by film and culture critic Howard Hampton, and the film’s original teaser and theatrical trailers.
1939 was a banner year in filmmaking, and arguably one of cinema’s finest achievements came in the divine form of Frank L. Baum’s The Wizard of Oz (Ian’s DVD review is Coming Soon!). Granted, the film had been attempted before via silents, but it was the serendipitous casting of the young Judy Garland, a Lion, a Good Witch, and a Technicolor Wardrobe that really sparked the fires of history all the way through the dark side of the moon. American childhoods are born with the clockwork-like precision of Oz showings on cable, and as such it’s been ingrained in our culture, for good or for bad. If you agree with the latter, I’m sending a horde of flying ass-less pants wearing monkeys after you. The stand-alone moments from this masterpiece are too many to mention, but your Grandmothers and Overlords have probably been caught humming a theme of two from Dorothy’s adventures, which range from a psychedelic Yellow Brick Road filled with Munchkins (sadly, not Dunkin’) to a melting pot of Witch’s clothes. I’d rather not like to pay attention to the Man behind the curtain, but when there’s so much artistry and craft on display all throughout the sublimely inspired Technicolor palate, it’s tough to not fall charm to one of the best films ever made. Since Warner Brothers is releasing two versions of this onto DVD with their patented breathtaking Ultra Resolution, it’s best if you have a brain (and a little dog, too!) to get the Three-Disc Collector’s Edition.
Disc One has the Ultra-Resolution restored 1939 movie with new 5.1 audio, audio commentary by: John Fricke and cast, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook, the feature: Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz, We Haven’t Really Met Properly…: Character bios, a MUSIC ONLY track, the original mono track for purists like me, and some theatrical trailers.
Disc Two comes with The Wonderful World of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic (1990 TV special), Memories of Oz (2001 TCM documentary), The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz, Because of the Wonderful Things it Does: The Legacy of Oz, Harold Arlen’s home movies, Outtakes and deleted scenes, Special effects sequences, From the Vault: Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power (1938 MGM short), Cavalcade of Academy Awards (1939 newsreel), Texas Contest Winners 1939 trailer, Audio vault (selection only), Leo Is on the Air radio promo, Good News of 1939 radio show, 12/25/1950 Lux Radio Theater broadcast, and some stills galleries.
Finally, Disc Three has L. Frank Baum: The Man Behind the Curtain, The Wizard of Oz (1910 short), The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914 short), His Majesty, The Scarecrow of Oz (1914 feature), The Wizard of Oz (1925 feature),and The Wizard of Oz (1933 animated short).
Also there’re these Collector’s Edition Exclusives: The Wizard of Oz Comes to Life – Grauman’s Chinese Theatre Souvenir Premiere Program (August 15, 1939), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio News – IntraCorporate House Organ/Newspaper for the week beginning Monday, August 14, 1939. Specifically Celebrating the Release of The Wizard of Oz, Photoplay Studies – Rare Secondary Education Scholastic In Honor of The Wizard of Oz. Magazine, Volume V, Number 12 (circa August 1939), The Studio’s Invitation to The Grauman’s Premiere That Included Tickets to the Original Opening Night (plus a newly designed commemorative ticket), and a Deluxe Collector’s Portfolio – Reproductions of Original 1939 Kodachrome Publicity Art — nine portraits and on-set photographs. Spiffy excellence.
Each week has a cavalcade of titles, that for some reason or another, I just don’t have space to go into detail. You might be angry that I’ve regulated a particular title here, but at least it’s been mentioned. And in case you haven’t realized it yet, you always can click right on the Cover Art to be brought to Amazon.com, where you can purchase the title for on the cheap. A portion of it even gets its way back to CHUD, thus keeping the website you come to all of the time around well after you’ve passed out in an alcohol-induced stupor.
Last Minute Correction!
Just a couple of days ago, the amazingly excellent Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film 1894-1941 was released and true to form – I forgot. Now’s the time to rectify this grave mistake and bring you a boxed set that’s damned well worth your time. Complied by the denizens of Anthology Film Archives (including founder Jonas Mekas), the disc has a stunning amount of films from many who pioneered the narrative industry back in the day. Lubitsch, Welles (on Hearts of Age, a very excellent short), Berkley, Fairbanks & Fleming, alongside several pioneers of the photographic image – from Man Ray to Paul Strand, all have short films spilled across this 7 DVD set. With me focusing on the more well-known names, there’s a plethora of other contributors as well, and just because most readers of this site won’t know their names, it doesn’t mean that the artistry on display here isn’t spectacular. These were artists applying their unique crafts to the birth of motion pictures, using their intuitions and innate know-how to attempt to wow you with imagery and story from the beginning of the medium up until WW2. Anthology has gathered up an amazing amount of sheer innovation on display, and this should definitely be a must see for anyone even remotely interested in filmmaking. Especially if you’ve never been there – chances are you have and haven’t noticed, considering it was the outer wall of their facilities that doubled as Doc Ock’s HQ last summer. Either way, Unseen Cinema should be your own personal gateway and whether or not it’s heaven or hell is up to your own sensibilities.
You’ll get biographies on all of the creators, some rare photos, some film notes, an essay from Curator Bruce Posner, along with some text and photo galleries.
Meanin’ No Harm
A lot of hate has been spewed forth upon Jay Chandrasekhar and Broken Lizard’s The Dukes of Hazzard, my favorite being L.A. Times’ Kenneth Turan, who quotes – "It can’t really be reviewed because it doesn’t really exist. It is not empty calories, which implies pleasure, but simply empty. It’s a cosmic void where a movie ought to be." Them’s fighting words, I’m sure (for a couple of Producers out there), and even Devin mentioned in his scathing hellfire review that Burt Reynolds should fire his agent. So get ready to experience one of the worst reviewed movies in quite some time on 12.06.05, a day that might live in infamy as retribution for the three of you who actually enjoyed the film and will foist it upon your friends. Their slowly oncoming pain is palpable, enough that heads must be bowed in silence. Seann William Scott is Bo and Johnny Knoxville is Duke, the fighting, fussin’ and funnin’ Duke brothers who just want to have a good time, but find themselves going up against the over-the-top Boss Hogg (Reynolds) who wants to strip mine their town into something not unlike the reviews the movie received. Jessica Simpson makes her theatrical debut, which should cause some of you horn dogs out there to stand up and take notice. For the rest of normal America, we could simply care less. For there is no reason, in my mind, that this girl has done anything that allows her to be in the position she’s in. In reality, I’m jealous (I want her PR people and agent!) and partly scared (I hear the wrath of Mr. Simpson is incredibly incogitable enough to make he wish I wasn’t born), but as a whole, I just don’t get it. You might, so make sure to let me in on it.
The two version syndrome strikes, so we’ll jettison anything with the words Full Screen on it, leaving you with several featurettes: Daisy Dukes: The Short Short Shorts (Learn how they made the shorts so short and how to make your own); The General Lee Lives (A close look at the beloved car); How to Launch a Muscle Car 175 feet in 4 Seconds (How they pulled off such a large scale car jumping stunt), both the unrated and rated gag reels, Jessica Simpson’s sizzling "These Boots are Made for Walking" music video, The Hazards of Dukes – Behind the scenes look, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
We’ve all experienced enough movies (and life) to know there’s always a guy who gets dumped at the last minute for another more worthy adversary. In my case, it was my college roommate. And we shared bunk beds. Needless to say, the man the Marines would take pity on is called The Baxter, or at least that’s what The State‘s Michael Showalter has termed the unlucky schlub. Devin nails everything that you need to know about the film in his review, so I suppose I’ll just bat clean-up and mention it all over again to the people who ignored it the first time. This one’s arriving on 12.13.05, a day currently with eighty billion titles all duking it out for your time. I feel that The Baxter might be well-worth it, if the mythical word-of-mouth has anything to say, which it told me it was a sweet film with some great performances before bitchslapping me into seeing Dreamer. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive it. Meanwhile, Showalter himself plays the lead, a man who’s been burned before and suddenly finds himself engaged to a rather stunning significant other. We’ll see how long that lasts, as along comes Michelle Williams to screw everything up and give a nod and a wink to Shirley McClaine in the process. And no, for those still growing up, she’s not John’s mother.
Special Features are still TBA, so check back sometime around the release date for all the goodies.
Region Free A La Carte
Currently making the festival circuit rounds before unloading itself into a local art house theatre (so if you live in the fly over states – good night, and good luck!), Lars von Trier’s film of Manderlay starts right off after the interesting plight of Nicole Kidman, this time she’s been replaced with Ron Howard’s spawn, Byrce Dallas Howard. Still, she’s regulated to wandering the south with Willem DaFoe, a man odd enough to shield you from some of the weird things that go on there. It’s in Alabama of all places where the duo stops, coming upon a pseudo-plantation where the inhabitants are still under the guise of slavery. Ruling over the homestead is Mam (played by Lauren Bacall), and the wheels of change are jumpstarted when Mam suddenly perishes into what I can only hope is the fires of hell. It’s then when a group of slaves (including Danny Glover), along with Howard, band together to assist them into a new transition of freedom. One thing’s for sure, and that’s von Trier is being his ol’ argumentative, thought-provoking self, and whether or not you care for his films, he pushes buttons. They could be yours or someone you know, but he seems to push them well enough for fisticuff altercations. Screaming at your own TV is optional, although if you end up doing it, send me a photo. I’ll post it.
If you really want to see this, be forewarned that this is a Russian Region 5 PAL DVD, that has unremoveable Russian Subtitles when accessing the English language track.
I’m not entirely sure if Big White is getting a theatrical release here (just like Undertaking Betty, if and when it comes out), as I thought that Robin Williams was a big enough ‘name’ to justify bringing a film to your local screen. But if you don’t feel like waiting about the adventures of a local Alaskan travel agent with a Lady MacBeth wife who finds the solution to his penniless existence with a get-rich-quick scheme involving a dead body. Honestly, this dark comedy sounds a bit like a hell of a lot of other dark comedies out there, as a dead body surely means comedic hi-jinx will somehow ensue. As a few things stand in Williams’ way, it’s up to you if this thing sounds interesting enough to merit a viewing, let alone a purchase (it’s only $11.99). If not, you can always eagerly await Mrs. Doubtfire 2: The Shunting. I enjoy shamelessly pilfering jokes from those with more talent.
This is a Region 3 PAL release, in English and presented in Anamorphic widescreen.
HKFlix.com is having a great Halloween sale (click!), with many scary Asian titles currently going for less than $10.00. Be warned, however, that you’re going to need a Region Free Player to watch some of them.
Where do they get those wonderful DVD reviews?
Right here, obviously.
10/18: Land of the Dead (Dave’s DVD review), Batman Begins (Nick’s DVD review), The Batman Motion Picture Anthology
(Nick’s DVD review), Big Lebowski: Collector’s Edition
(not quite), Mad Hot Ballroom, Legend of Zelda: Complete Animated Series,
Dot
the i, Le Samourai: Criterion, Wages of Fear: Criterion, Lifeboat,
Elektra:
DC, Saw: Uncut Edition, Ma Mere, Tarzan: Special Edition
(CHUD’s
DVD review is Coming Soon), Emperor’s New Groove: Special Edition
(CHUD’s
DVD review is Coming Soon), Tell Them Who You Are, Saving
Face, Batman Serials, Sabata Trilogy, Excessive Force II: Force on
Force (CHUD’s
DVD review is Coming Soon), Chained Heat 2 (CHUD’s
DVD review is Coming Soon), Felony and Unscripted. There was no
room in hell in last weeks Special Edition, so the Dead are walking the Earth.
10/11:
Kingdom
of Heaven (Ian’s DVD review), High Tension, Unleashed,
Kicking
& Screaming, Arrested Development: Season Two
(Nick’s DVD Rack), Me and You and Everyone We Know,
Undead,
Z-Channel,
Sisterhood
of the Traveling Pants (David’s DVD review), Veronica
Mars: Season One (David’s DVD review), 11:14, Bridge
of San Luis Rey, Izo: Special Edition, Hondo:
SE, McLintock!: SE, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Season Two,
South
Park: Season Six, Imagining Argentina, and The
Dark. This Special Edition is two weeks old, so it’s been re-dubbed in
Italian and released as Zombi 2.
Abortion!
Now that I’ve got your attention, this section is primarily focused on saving you some of your much-needed cash. I received a few e-mails thanking me for providing this service to you. It’s the least I can do. Ponce De Leon knows that I enjoy doing it, as well as ducking and weaving his treacherous presence. The last thing I’ll mention is that you should consider purchasing the above DVDs from our links at Amazon.com, as it allows us to continue to stick around and for you to complain about us not giving away enough free shit.
Run and hide with Fred Ward from the multi-region DVD retailers and their slimy slithery Tremor bodies.
xploitedcinema.com, HkFlix.com, diabolikdvd.com, DDDHouse, and YesAsia.com
deepdiscountdvd.com:
House of Wax is $21.38 (The original is $8.04)
Last Days is $20.82
Wizard of Oz: CE is $34.84
Wizard of Oz: SE is $20.40
Titanic is $21.54
Herbie: Fully Loaded is $19.86
Bewitched is $18.29