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Who Digitized Roger Rabbit?

Got a long list this week, so let's dive right on in!

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

From the beginning, Walt Disney promoted the image of his breakthrough cartoon character Mickey Mouse as an actor who appeared in a series of successful short musical comedies. Gary K. Wolf ran with the idea in his novel WHO CENSORED ROGER RABBIT?, in which comic strip characters were real, and simply acted as models posing for photographed strips. Director Robert Zemeckis and company ran with the idea even further in a 1988 feature film (geez, has it been 15 years?) that combined animation and live-action sensationally:

[ ]     WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? - SPECIAL EDITION (Buena Vista) This 2-disc set delivers a gorgeously restored and remastered transfer of the film (both wide- and fullscreen), plus enough extras to satisfy the most rabid RABBIT fan. Included is a commentrak by Zemeckis and others, two making of featurettes, games, the deleted "Pig Head" scene, galleries, f/x featurettes, booklets, and three Roger Rabbit shorts.

NEW RELEASES

[ ]     ALUCARDA (Mondo Macabro) Juan Lopez Montezuma's legendary 1975 witchcraft shocker, with both English and Spanish tracks (and English subtitles), plus two making of featurettes, director interview, gallery, filmography and trailer.
[ ]     BLACK DEMONS (Media Blasters) 1991 Umberto Lenzi zombie splatterfest, sometimes sold as DEMONS 3.
[ ]     BLOOD HARVEST (Retromedia) Bill Rebane (GIANT SPIDER INVASION) brings the world what it's always wanted: Tiny Tim playing a serial killer in clown makeup. Includes making of featurette and gallery.
[ ]     CRIME SCENE (MTI) Serial killer thriller starring Amber Smith previously released as THE BAPTIST and REASONABLE DOUBT.
[ ]     DAY OF THE NIGHTMARE / SCREAM OF THE BUTTERFLY (Image) Something Weird Video wipes the crud off of this 1965 sex & violence double feature, along with a pile of nudie shorts, trailers, and a gallery of underground sexploitation magazine covers.
[ ]     DO OR DIE (Ventura) The canon of T & A action/spy thrillers, once a staple of late night cable TV, has been making its way onto DVD, and this is a typically silly example.
[ ]     18 BRONZEGIRLS / 18 GOLDEN DESTROYERS (Ground Zero) First, Doris Lung and Kam Kong lead the cast in a zany martial arts flick that features monks in drag, deadly giant flowers, and the title distaff versions of the robotic 18 Bronzemen of Shaolin. The second feature stars Casanova Wong in more kung fu shenanigans.
[ ]     FEMME FATALE (Warner Bros.) Last year's hit Brian De Palma thriller in which thief Rebecca Romijn-Stamos causes trouble for Antonio Banderas. Includes 2 featurettes and trailers.
[ ]     FIEND (Retromedia) Don Dohler's 1980 horror cheapie about a killer zombie on a rampage. Includes still gallery and blooper reel.
[ ]     FIGHT AMONG THE SUPERSTARS / NINJA FANTASY (Ground Zero) A kung fu comedy starring Chiang Sheng and Lu Feng from FIVE DEADLY VENOMS, plus some low-grade mid-'80s ninja nonsense (in other words, top entertainment).
[ ]     FIST OF THE DOUBLE K / KUNG FU STARS (Ground Zero) An early 1970s martial arts thriller (aka FIST TO FIST) starring Henry Yu Yung, backed with a flick I couldn't find any info on, at least under that title.
[ ]     FLASHBACK: THE PAST IS KILLER (Trimark/Lions Gate) [IMG2R]A woman who saw her parents murdered is let out of the asylum, perhaps a bit too soon, in this German horror thriller.
[ ]     FUTURAMA: VOLUME ONE (Fox) The creators of the little known SIMPSONS cartoon series had better luck with this sci-fi satire series. The 3-disc set includes commentary on all episodes, animatics, deleted scenes, storybords, and more.
[ ]     GHOST SHIP (Warner Bros.) Gabriel Byrne stars in this recent floating haunted house epic. A handful of behind-the-scenes featurettes and a Mudvayne music video are included on both the widescreen and fullscreen editions.
[ ]     HARD HUNTED (Ventura) Another silly Girls with Guns epic from the Sidaris Family. All these films star Dana Speir, Playboy's Miss March of 1984.
[ ]     HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM (VCI) This 1959 British shocker makes for a much better trailer than a full feature. The performance of Michael Gough as a mad criminologist, who reproduces murders based on exhibits in London's Black Museum of crime, is the main attraction. Anamorphic widescreen, biographies, trailers.
[ ]     JACKASS: THE MOVIE (Paramount) Dorks hurt themselves for our amusement. Really, that's pretty much it. Includes 2 commentraks, 27 minutes of additional footage, music videos by Andrew WK and Roger Alan Wade, galleries and trailers.
[ ]     KUNG FU FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE / CHINESE VAMPIRE (Ground Zero) Billy Chong and Lo Lieh star in a supernatural kung fu comedy that followed the lead of Sammo Hung's ENCOUNTERS OF THE SPOOKY KIND. Not sure which hoppin' vampire flick is hiding behind the other feature's new video title.
[ ]     LADY JAYNE: KILLER (Universal) Erika Elaniak stars as a sexy mob assassin in this action entry. Also with Adam Baldwin and James Remar.
[ ]     LEXX: Series 4, Volume 2 (Acorn Media) This goofy Canadian sci-fi series about the crew of a living spaceship stars Xenia Seeburg and reminds me a bit of BARBARELLA. The episodes on this volume have a somewhat gothic tone.
[ ]     THE LONE RANGER Box Set (Rhino) First 19 episodes, plus interviews.
[ ]     LUST IN THE MUMMY'S TOMB (EI Cinema) EI starlet Misty Mundae fights an Egyptian mummy and takes her clothes off.
[ ]     THE NEW WOMEN (Ariztical) Sci-fi/fantasy in which a huge rainstorm puts the human race to sleep, and only the women wake up.
[ ]     POLICEWOMEN (Rhino) Lee Frost's 1974 cop action movie starring Sondra Currie.
[ ]     PORN STAR: THE LEGEND OF RON JEREMY (New Video/Docurama) Documentary that's just what it says it is, available in both Unrated and R-rated versions.
[ ]     THE PSYCHO LOVER / HEAT OF MADNESS (Image) Something Weird presents this vintage double feature. PSYCHO is about a mad psychiatrist who tries to use his psychopathic patient as a weapon. MADNESS concerns a photographer over the edge. Plus the usual great trailers, shorts and gallery section.
[ ]     SCARECROW (York) The teen slasher movie lives.
[ ]     SECRET AGENT( aka DANGERMAN) Set 6 (A&E) Patrick McGoohan's classic spy TV series continues. Plus deleted scenes and more.
[ ]     SECRET AGENT X-9 (VCI) Dashiell Hammett's 007 predecessor became a hit comic strip, then two serials. This is the 1945 version.
[ ]     SIGHTS FRIGHTS & TIGHTS (Image) A triple feature of films by Philippe Mora HOWLING 3, RETURN OF CAPTAIN INVINCIBLE, and COMMUNION.
[ ]     SPASMO (Media Blasters) Solid 1974 Umberto Lenzi giallo thriller.
[ ]     STRAW DOGS (Criterion) [IMG3R]Sam Pekinpah's harrowing classic about an American mathematician who has to fight off British rednecks gets the full 2-disc Criterion Collection treatment. Uncut HD anamorphic transfer, commentrak, isolated music track, full length Peckinpah documentary, vintage featurettes and behind-the-scenes footage, and more.
[ ]     TOMB RAIDERS / GODFATHER'S DAUGHTER (Ground Zero) Long before Lara Croft came the 1973 kung fu feature IMPERIAL TOMB RAIDERS. At the other end we've got what appears to be 1991's GODFATHER'S DAUGHTER'S MAFIA BLUES, starring Yukari Oshima.
[ ]     VOYAGE TO THE PLANET OF PREHISTORIC WOMEN (Retromedia) Mamie Van Doren stars in this 1968 science fiction epic, one of several Roger Corman productions that plundered f/x footage from the Russian feature PLANET OF STORMS. Director Peter Bogdanovich likely prefers to be remembered for THE LAST PICTURE SHOW rather than this credit.
[ ]     WEREWOLF WOMAN (Media Blasters) Female empowerment werewolf revenge fantasy, now released for the first time in the USA in its full 115 minute version.
[ ]     THE WIND (Image) Mystery writer Meg Foster gets involved in a real mystery in a Greek village. Gallery, trailer, and documentary on director Nico Mastorakis.
[ ]     WITCHUNTER (Dead Alive) Horror thriller with Eric Maurer and Glori-Anne Gilbert.
[ ]     YELLOW HAIR AND THE FORTRESS OF GOLD (Rhino) Indiana Jones knock-off starring Laurene Landon (HUNDRA).

ANIME ADDITIONS

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

[ ]     BERSERK #5: Requited Desires (Media Blasters)
[ ]     BLACK ANGEL COLLECTION (Media Blasters) Part 1 and 2.
[ ]     DRAGONBALL Z Perfect Cell Box Set (FUNimation)
[ ]     FIST OF THE NORTH STAR Volume 1 & 2 (Manga)
[ ]     FRUITS BASKET: Puddles of Memories (FUNimation)
[ ]     GENESIS CLIMBER MOSPEADA Box Set (ADV Films)
[ ]     HELLO KITTY'S PARADISE Volume 4 (ADV Films)
[ ]     KIMBA Volumes 1 and 2 (Rhino) Also available together as a box set.
[ ]     MAGIC KNIGHTS RAYEARTH #6: Wake (Media Blasters)
[ ]     MAGIC KNIGHTS RAYEARTH #7: Rise (Media Blasters)
[ ]     MAGIC KNIGHTS RAYEARTH #8: Learn (Media Blasters)
[ ]     MAGIC KNIGHTS RAYEARTH #9: Grow (Media Blasters)
[ ]     MAGIC KNIGHTS RAYEARTH #10: Sleep (Media Blasters)
[ ]     MAGIC KNIGHTS RAYEARTH #11: Dream (Media Blasters)
[ ]     MAGIC KNIGHTS RAYEARTH #12: Live (Media Blasters)
[ ]     MAHOROMATIC: AUTOMATIC MAIDEN #2: Haunting Past (Pioneer)
[ ]     RAHXEPHON, Orchestration One: Threshold [IMG4R](ADV Films) Also available with a collectors' box, which includes a t-shirt.
[ ]     SAMURAI X: Volume 4: Reflection (ADV Films)
[ ]     X Volume 5 (Pioneer)

And be sure to check back next weekand every weekfor CINESCAPE's DVD Shopping List!

DVD Shopping List is our weekly DVD column.