That DVD Bastard

By: BRIAN THOMAS
Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2005

I'm still getting emails on the subject of Mexican movies arriving on US DVD without the benefit of subtitles that I wrote about back in April. US video labels like Ground-Zero and Brentwood have been picking up these Mexican features, often genre favorites like horror flicks and Mexican superhero wrestler titles, and dumping them onto DVD aimed at the Spanish language sections of video stores. What they don't seem to realize or don't care is that these movies have a huge fan following among English speaking viewers. Even Spanish speakers have written in to complain about this, as they often like to share these movies with their Anglo amigos. Now I understand that it costs to translate and add subtitles to these features, but failing to do so just doesn't make economic sense. It's as if ADV, Geneon, Manga or Central Park Media decided to just sell Japanese anime titles to Japanese immigrants, without bothering to add an English track or English subtitles. Or if AnimEigo and Home Vision decided non-Japanese would have no interest in their Zatoichi movies. Is Spanish more difficult to translate than Japanese? Far from it. It's just lazy or dumb to ignore such a huge potential group of buyers. Even Mexican labels are starting to add English subtitles to their more exploitable titles for distribution north of the border.

So I have a proposition for competing labels. These features must be cheap or in the public domain, otherwise these labels couldn't afford them anyway. How about if you pick up a random Santo title for distribution even MYSTERY IN BERMUDA, which both these labels have released already in Spanish only. Get a decent translation done and program in sharp, legible subtitles. Then get in touch with me via psycho@psychotronic.info , and I will not only promote the hell out of it, but I'll write the liner notes for free. I'm betting this title will outsell any of the non-subtitled Mexican DVDs by at least twice as many copies. Maybe that will send a message or at least create a profitable new line for whatever label takes on the challenge.

We've got two giveaways for you this week, both for great TV comedy. To get a look at the UK hit LITTLE BRITAIN (courtesy of BBC), send an email to psycho@psychotronic.info that contains your mailing address and "LI'L BRIT'N" in the subject line. For your very own copy of THE OFFICE Season One (courtesy of Universal), do the same only put "SCHRUTE" in the subject. Winners will be judged on punctuality, team spirit and observance of proper workplace attire.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

This week, our spotlight falls on a new classic. Watch it and read the comics it's based on, too.

(O) SIN CITY (Buena Vista/Miramax) Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's simply amazing adaptation of Miller's graphic novels transforms film noir comics into live-action. Includes behind-the-scenes featurette and one of four different covers. A more deluxe edition is promised for the near future.
(O) SIN CITY (Buena Vista/Miramax) UMD

NEW RELEASES

(O) ALIEN PLANET (Sony) Speculative documentary featuring interviews with Big

Thinkers like Stephen Hawking, Jack Horner and George Lucas along with plenty of f/x footage of life on other planets.
(O) THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW Complete Third Season (Paramount) Jim Nabors joins the cast as Gomer Pyle. Also available bundled with seasons 1 & 2.
(O) ASTAIRE & ROGERS SIGNATURE COLLECTION Volume 1 (Warner Bros.) People don't think much of musicals nowadays, but watch these two in action to see some real cinema magic. Includes TOP HAT, SWING TIME, FOLLOW THE FLEET, SHALL WE DANCE and THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY, along with commentraks by Fred's daughter Ava and documentary featurettes.
(O) BELA LUGOSI: King of the Undead (Vintage) WHITE ZOMBIE, THE CORPSE VANISHES and ONE BODY TOO MANY.
(O) THE BIG HIT (Sony) UMD
(O) BLOODSUCKERS (Vintage) NOSFERATU, DEAD MEN WALK and CARNIVAL OF SOULS.
(O) THE BOATNIKS (Buena Vista) Wacky comedy adventure in which a Coast Guard officer investigates mysterious sailors.
(O) BORSALINO & CO. (Kino) 1974 French crime thriller in which deposed mobster Alain Delon is out for epic revenge on the Italian crime boss who ruined his life.
(O) THE BREAKIN' COLLECTION (MGM) You kids might not know it, but hip-hop music used to be very popular, and young people used to wear colorful clothes and dance strangely to it. See the evidence for yourselves in this poppin' box set that includes BREAKIN', BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOBALOO , BEAT STREET, documentary featurettes, shout-outs, music video and more.
(O) THE COSBY SHOW Season 1 (Urban Works)
(O) CREEPIES (Maverick) Know what they do in top secret military installations? Breed deadly spiders. Know what happens to them? They get loose.
(O) DARKNESS TOLLS (Vintage) Another Public Domain collection: SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA, HORROR EXPRESS and HORROR HOTEL.
(O) THE DICK CAVETT SHOW: Rock Icons (Shout Factory) Episodes of the late night 1969-75 ABC talk show, focusing on interviews with rock stars like David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and more.
(O) FEEDING THE MASSES (EI Cinema) A different angle on a zombie outbreak, as the news media conspire to paint a rosy picture of the looming carnage.
(O) FLIC STORY (Kino) 1975 true crime adventure with Alain Delon as a cop on the trail of mad dog criminal Jean-Louis Trintignant.
(O) GHOST KILLERS (Vintage) Another PD collection: TORMENTED, NIGHTMARE CASTLE and SPIRIT HUNTER.
(O) KILLER GORILLA (Vintage) Another PD collection: KING OF KONG ISLAND, WHITE PONGO and BRIDE OF THE GORILLA.
(O) LITTLE BRITAIN Complete First Series (BBC) Smash UK hit TV series is being hailed as the funniest sketchcom since MONTY PYTHON. Includes commentraks, featurettes, deleted footage, live bits, interviews and more.
(O) LOVE BITES (Media Blasters) 2000 vampire thriller starring Asia Argento. With commentrak, Making-Of and more.
(O) THE OFFICE Season One (Universal) Anyone who has ever worked in an office may find this US version of the British sitcomockumentary painfully funny. Includes commentraks and deleted footage.
(O) THE OFF SEASON (Lions Gate) A young couple stays in an old Maine motel during the winter and meet scary ghosts.
(O) PHIL OF THE FUTURE (Buena Vista) First four episodes of a TV series about a future teenager and his time-traveling family that get stuck in the present.
(O) PRIMO AMORE (Strand) Chilling drama about a man who tries to remake his girlfriend into his ideal, and the relationship spins out of control during a retreat to a country house.
(O) THE PSYCHIC (Lions Gate) A man given who's come back from the dead is given prophetic visions of coming tragedies.
(O) PSYCHO KILLERS (Vintage) Another PD collection: BLOODLUST, KISS THE GIRLS GOODBYE and Wes Craven's CHILLER.
(O) THE ROCK (Buena Vista) UMD
(O) SATANIC YUPPIES (Tempe) As a survivor of the 1980s, I always suspected the rich yuppies I saw jogging by every day had made some sort of secret deal. This horror comedy (aka EVIL AMBITIONS) starring Amber Newman and Paul Morris (with guest stars Glori-Anne Gilbert and Debbie Rochon) confirms those suspicions. With commentrak, interviews and more.
(O) SHAOLIN SOCCER (Buena Vista) UMD
(O) TALES OF VOODOO Volume 1 (VideoAsia) Asian horrors JUNGLE VIRGIN FORCE and HELL HOLE.
(O) TALES OF VOODOO Volume 2 (VideoAsia) Asian horrors GHOST NINJAS and PRIMITIVES. None of these have anything to do with voodoo, but the DVDs feature cool reproductions of the sleazy 1970s horror magazine covers.
(O) TWO MEN IN TOWN (Kino) Ex-safecracker Alain Delon finds himself caught between a vengeful cop and his old criminal cronies. Directed by real pardoned death row inmate Jose Giovanni.
(O) THE UNDEAD RISING (Vintage) Another PD collection: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES and HARD ROCK ZOMBIES.
(O) UNDECLARED Complete Series (Shout Factory) Producer Judd Apatow wanted to do a college version of his FREAKS & GEEKS series. And he did, right down to the early cancellation. All 17 episodes (including one unaired) on 4 discs plus commentraks, deleted footage, behind-the-scenes, outtakes and a concert by Louden Wainwright III.
(O) VICIOUS VIXENS (Vintage) Another PD collection: VAMPIRE HAPPENING, LADY FRANKENSTEIN and VICIOUS KISS.
(O) WARNINGS FROM SPACE (Vintage) Another PD collection: ZONTAR THE THING FROM VENUS, SLIPSTREAM and SCI-FIGHTERS.
(O) THE WAY TO FIGHT (Media Blasters) 1996 Takashi Miike flick in which two street fighting rivals grow up to become boxing and wrestling champs.
(O) THE WEDDING DATE (Universal) Debra Messing can't find a date for her sister's wedding. Rather than get really desperate and ask me, she hires handsome escort Dermot Mulroney. Unexpected events ensue, resulting in romance and hilarity.
(O) WICKED CARNIVAL (Vintage) Another PD collection: CARNIVAL OF SOULS, FUNLAND and CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI.
(O) WILL & GRACE Season 4 (Lions Gate) Includes featurettes and outtakes.

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

DVD Shopping List (© 2005 Brian Thomas) is our weekly DVD column. Brian Thomas is the author of the massive book VideoHound's DRAGON: ASIAN ACTION & CULT FLICKS, available now!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at psycho@psychotronic.info.