B-yond Your Usual Movie Experience

Usually at this time I'd be plugging B-Fest 9 (www.b-fest.com), the 24-hour B-movie marathon I attend every year. I'd be crowing about how this show combines a love for trashy cinema with a grueling endurance test, and explaining how MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 was probably based on B-Fest. But I won't, since for the first time ever B-Fest sold out over a week beforehand. Folks will likely be able to get in by Saturday, but those wishing to enjoy/suffer through the entire experience from the start are out of luck!

This week, our spotlight falls on the long-awaited, adequately amusing clash of monsters and an unexpected gem.

(O) ALIENS VS. PREDATOR (Fox) Dumb but fun clash of [IMG6R]two sci-fi/horror franchises which have already met in comics and games. Widescreen and fullscreen editions include two commentraks, Making-Of, deleted scenes, featurettes and more.
(O) SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (Paramount) Jude Law plays an aviator hero in this retro-futuristic sci-fi adventure set in the 1930s. Underperformed at the box office, but due to become a cult hit much like the similar BUCKAROO BANZAI. Fullscreen and widescreen editions include Making-Of featurettes, the original short, deleted scenes, gag reel and more.

(O) ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (Warner Bros.) This above average 1938 crime melodrama, with James Cagney and Pat O'Brien as childhood friends who end up on opposite sides of the law, became a huge hit, launching the careers of the East Side Kids and boosting the visibility of supporting player Humphrey Bogart.
(O) ARTWORKS (MTI) Police chief's daughter Virginia Madsen and her art dealer boyfriend give in to temptation and plan a heist.
(O) THE BEASTMASTER (Anchor Bay) Cult hit 1982 feature from Don Coscarelli (BUBBA HO-TEP) with Marc Singer as a sword and sorcery Dr. Dolittle. Special edition includes commentrak, new Making-Of documentary, script, poster and more.
(O) BENNY HILL COMPLETE & UNADULTERATED: The Naughty Early Years Volume 2 (A&E) That seems like a long title for a TV series that's mostly simple T&A jokes. Whatever it works. Includes trivia quiz and a BIOGRAPHY episode on comic genius Hill.
(O) THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE (VCI) Folks in the 1970s were mad for all manor of supernatural phenomena, and this Mexican-made feature cashed in on one of the most prevalent. John Huston is the American star who tries not to get lost at sea among weird phenomena and Latinos.
(O) BLAZING STEWARDESSES (EI Cinema) '70s sexploitation comedy about naughty air hostesses at a dude ranch (played by the infamous Spahn Ranch). With special guest stars the Ritz Brothers! With commentrak, interviews, booklet and more.
(O) BUDO: THE ART OF KILLING (Synapse)

ALIEN VS. PREDATOR: Widescreen Edition.

© Fox

(O) GUINEA PIG BOX SET (Unearthed) Too late for Christmas giving, but gorehounds should consider this 4-disc set of Japan's most notorious videos a must-have.
(O) INBRED REDNECK ALIEN ABDUCTION (Sub Rosa) G-men investigate when aliens prey on witless hillbillies. Includes commentrak, deleted scenes, bloopers and more. Yeee-ha!
(O) THE KILLER MUST KILL AGAIN (Mondo Macabro) 1975 Luigi Cozzi giallo thriller unearthed and presented uncut for the first time, plus commentrak, interview, featurettes, etc.
(O) LETHAL (Velocity) FBI Agent Frank Zagarino hunts down ex-KGB no-goodnik Lorenzo Lamas in this action thriller.
(O) LIDSVILLE: The Complete Series (Rhino) Sid & Marty Krofft's 1979 follow-up series to their Saturday morning hit H.R. PUFNSTUF in which Butch Patrick (THE MUNSTERS) finds a magic hat that transports him to the psychedelic world inhabited by talking hats, which is menaced by evil magician Charles Nelson Reilly. I kid thee not. All 17 twisted episodes, plus commentraks and interviews.
(O) LITTLE CAESAR (Warner Bros.) 1931 landmark gangster picture that made a star of Edward G. Robinson portraying the rise and sudden end of a mobster.
(O) THE LITTLEST HOBO Volume 1 (VCI) 1963 TV series in which an enigmatic vagrant wanders all over the country helping people in trouble wherever he goes. The twist: the lead character is a German shepherd! 12 episodes on 2 discs.
(O) MACGYVER: Complete First Season (Paramount) Popular adventure series about a scientific secret agent. 22 episodes.
(O) MARRIED WITH CHILDREN: Complete Third Season (Columbia TriStar)
(O) MURDER IN THE MUSEUM (Alpha) 1934 Poverty Row mystery marked by it's unusual setting in a "dime museum", a sort of permanent urban sideshow.
(O) THE MYSTERIANS (Media Blasters) The 1956 Japanese version of WAR OF THE WORLDS, on US video in Japanese with English subtitles for the first time.
(O) 9 SOULS (Artsmagic) Nine inmates break out of jail with the goal of finding a horde of loot, but end up finding their own separate destinies. Includes commentrak, interviews and more.
(O) OCTOBER SKY Special Edition (Universal) A boy tries to escape his poor coal mining town by becoming a rocket scientist. Includes commentrak, featurettes and more.
(O) PAULY SHORE IS DEAD (Fox) D-level celebrity fakes his own death to test the public's reaction. With commentrak, deleted scenes, Making-Of and more.
(O) THE PETRIFIED FOREST (Warner Bros.) Bit player Humphrey Bogart had his first starring role in this 1936 thriller in which he reprised his stage role as a crook holding a group of people hostage at a remote service station.
(O) PHONE (Tartan/TLA) Korean chiller in which a reporter receives a string of increasingly menacing phone calls. Heading for a US remake from Maverick Films. Includes commentrak, interviews, Making-Of featurettes and more.
(O) PREDATOR 2 (Fox) Underrated [IMG4R]sequel has LA cop Danny Glover trying to track down whoever or whatever is behind a series of gruesome killings. With commentrak, vintage and new featurettes, hidden gag reel, and more.
(O) PUBLIC ENEMY (Warner Bros.) James Cagney found stardom in this 1931 gangster picture about a rising mobster who meets a hideous end.
(O) RAINBOW MAN / JOHN 3:16 (Facets) Documentary on that weird "media obsessive" who follows his compulsion to appear at televised sporting events wearing a colorful afro wig. Includes three shorts by the same director.
(O) RENEGADE Season One (Anchor Bay) Framed fugitive ex-cop does good deeds. 22 episodes plus interviews.
(O) THE ROARING TWENTIES (Warner Bros.) James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart as army buddies who end up on opposite sides of the law in civilian life.
(O) SCI-FI TWO-FER (Blue Underground) A twin bill of Euro-SF: CONTAMINATION and SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME.
(O) SCARED TO DEATH (MVD) Not the '40s Bela Lugosi weirdy, but the 1982 directorial debut of Bill Malone (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL) about an ex-cop novelist who investigates a murder apparently committed by the subject of an aborted super-soldier experiment.
(O) SEASON OF THE HUNTED (Lions Gate) Bow hunters in the mountains become the prey of a tribe of backwoods cannibals.
(O) SEPTEMBER TAPES (First Look) Filmmakers sneak into Afghanistan in September of 2002 to get the lowdown on the war. 8 hours of footage remain unreleased by the US government, but this documentary presents some interesting results. With commentrak, 45 minutes of bonus footage, Making-Of and interviews.
(O) SEXMISSION (Facets) Polish sci-fi farce in which two guys hibernate for 50 years and awake in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by women.
(O) THE SPIRIT HUNTER (Vintage) Hyped up version of CARNIVAL OF SOULS in which a dead young man races to find his body before a supernatural huntsman can catch him.
(O) S.S. EXPERIMENT (MVD) Nasty 1976 Eurohorror dramatization of Nazi experiments on POWs.
(O) SWITCH KILLER (Artisan/Lions Gate) A woman runs to Vegas to escape her psycho ex, but finds he may have made a few changes when her new neighborhood is plagued by a female serial killer.
(O) TANYA'S ISLAND (MVD) Pop star Vanity and her boyfriend are stranded on an island deserted except for a friendly gorilla. Eventually, a love triangle develops in this bizarre 1980 flick from Alfred Sole (ALICE SWEET ALICE).
(O) TWISTED ILLUSIONS 2 (Bare Bone/Sub Rosa) Sequel to Tim Ritter and Joel Wynkoop's 1985 horror video anthology.
(O) UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: BIZARRE MURDERS (First Look)
(O) UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: PSYCHICS (First Look) Robert Stack hosts two more collections of the long running documentary series. Includes commentrak and more.
(O) VICTORY / THE WICKED DARLING (Image) A pair of rare early films featuring the talents of the great Lon Chaney. DARLING marks his first collaboration with director Tod Browning.
(O) WHITE HEAT (Warner Bros.) James Cagney is amazing in this 1949 Raoul Walsh gangster picture. Also available along with five other gangster movies released on DVD today in a WARNER GANSTER COLLECTION.

And finally, we close off each weekly list with a rundown of the constant stream of anime from around the world:

(O) BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Volume 2 (Warner Bros.) [IMG5R]28 episodes on 4-disc set, plus commentraks and featurettes.
(O) BURN UP EXCESS Volume 1: To Serve & Protect (ADV) Female action team takes on new adventures.
(O) DEBUTANTE DETECTIVE CORPS: 5 Bombshells and A Bomb (ADV) OVA in which a bunch of heiresses fight crime.
(O) DOMINATOR (MVD) Female rockers accidentally summon a rock & roll demon, who is pursued by others from his dimension.
(O) DUEL MASTERS: The Good, the Bad and the Bolshack (Paramount) Based on the card game.
(O) FIGURE 17 (Media Blasters) 6-disc box set collection of this popular series about a girl and her clone fighting off an alien invasion.
(O) FLAME OF RECCA Volume 2: Secrets of the Hokage (Viz) Recca's studies are interrupted by bizarre foes.
(O) GALAXY FRAULEIN YUNA (ADV) New fantasy comedy.
(O) GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX Volume 4 (Manga/Bandai/Anchor Bay) Section 9 faces kidnappers, assassins and mysteries. With interviews and more.
(O) GREGORY HORROR SHOW Volume 3: Nightmare Train (Geneon) Gregory travels by rail to another dimension. An antidote for POLAR EXPRESS. 30 episodes.
(O) HAPPY LESSON Volume 1 Mini-DVD (ADV)
(O) HAPPY LESSON Volume 2 Mini-DVD (ADV)
(O) INVADER ZIM MINI-DISC (Media Blasters) First episode sampler.
(O) INVADER ZIM MINI-DISC 2 (Media Blasters) Second episode sampler.
(O) KALEIDO STAR Mini-DVD Volume 1 (ADV)
(O) KALEIDO STAR Mini-DVD Volume 2 (ADV)
(O) MAPS (ADV) A boy and girl have space adventures.
(O) MARMALADE BOY Volume 3: Ultimate Scrapbook (Tokyopop) 19 episodes on three discs.
(O) MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO Volume 3 (ADV) Another "Essential Anime" release. Final 8 episodes on two discs, plus commentraks and more.
(O) NEW KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD Volume 1: Summer's Beginning (ADV) A favorite anime series returns in this intriguing time travel adventure.
(O) NOIR Volume 1 Mini-DVD (ADV)
(O) NOIR Volume 2 Mini-DVD (ADV)
(O) PANYO PANYO DI GI CHARAT Mini-DVD Volume 1 (ADV)
(O) POKÉMON ADVANCED Volume 7: Abandon Ship (Viz)
(O) POKÉMON ADVANCED Volume 8: Jump For Joy (Viz)
(O) PRINCESS TUTU Volume 1: Marchen (ADV) A duck transforms into a human princess. With two commentraks, outtakes and more.
(O) SHURA NO TOKI Volume 2: Age of Chaos (Media Blasters) Continuing the anime adaptation of a turning point in Japanese history.
(O) SLAYERS: The Book of Spells (ADV) More sexy magical adventures.
(O) SONIC X: Sonic Scream Test (Funimation)
(O) SORCERER HUNTERS Volume 2 (ADV)
(O) SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES: Extreme Threat (Columbia TriStar) Three CGanime arachnid episodes, previously available as part of the complete series.
(O) SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Volume 1 (Warner Bros.) 2-disc set includes commentraks, Making-Of, interviews, annotation track
(O) TOXIC CRUSADERS: The Television Series Volume 1 (Troma) The Toxic Avenger made "safe" for Saturday Mornings.
(O) WEDDING PEACH Mini DVD (ADV)
(O) ZOIDS: CHATIC CENTURY Volume 6: Beast (Viz)