DVD Marathon

As I mentioned in last week's column, I spent a chunk of my weekend at the world's longest (and longest running) movie marathon, the madness incarnate known as B-fest [www.b-fest.com]. I'm still a bit wiped from the experience as I write this, but exhilarated. This was the most successful B-fest ever SRO through much of the 24-hour event and I had a great time.

I was going to say something here about how one could easily put together a home version of B-fest on the cheap by getting some of the new bargain bin multi-movie packs available from Brentwood this week, then this item caught my eye:

(O) HORROR CLASSICS 50 MOVIE MEGAPACK (?) Here's a bargain bin find to beat them all. Most, if not all, of these titles have been released more than once on DVD by public domain video [IMG7R]labels, and many of them are available in much better editions, but online retailers are selling this 12-disc cinder block for under $30. At an average of 2.08333 movies per side, the video quality isn't promising, but it works out to under 60 cents per movie! Who knows? It might even be worth it. I haven't been able to track down which label put it together, but it seems to correspond with the series of triple feature discs Navarre began selling last year. They also have megapacks in the family, mystery, and TV show categories. Contents: CARNIVAL OF SOULS, ATOM AGE VAMPIRE, CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA, NIGHTMARE CASTLE, BLACK DRAGONS, INVISIBLE GHOST, ONE BODY TOO MANY, WHITE ZOMBIE, ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, THE SCREAMING SKULL, BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS, THE TERROR, REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES, GIANT GILA MONSTER, THE FATAL HOUR, DEAD MEN WALK, MAD MONSTER, MANIAC, METROPOLIS, THE VAMPIRE BAT, THE APE, MONSTER MAKER, KILLER SHREWS, BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE, KING OF THE ZOMBIES, DR. JECKYLL & MR. HYDE (BARRYMORE), BLUEBEARD, THE CORPSE VANISHES, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DOOMED TO DIE, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN, HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, NOSFERATU, SWAMP WOMEN, WORLD GONE MAD, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, TORMENTED, MONSTER WALKS, MONSTER FROM A PREHISTORIC PLANET, THE GORILLA, A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT, BLOODLUST, AMAZING MR. X, LAST WOMAN ON EARTH, THE BAT, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, LAST MAN ON EARTH, DEMENTIA 13, PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES.

(O) ALFRED HITCHCOCK: 4 Tales of Suspense (Brentwood/BCI) Bargain bin two-disc set includes YOUNG & INNOCENT, BLACKMAIL, the drama JUNO & THE PAYCOCK and the odd RICH & STRANGE, plus a bonus short
(O) ALFRED HITCHCOCK: 4 Tales of the Macabre (Brentwood/BCI) Well, not quite macabre, but suspenseful entries in the master's 1930s filmography. Includes SECRET AGENT, LADY VANISHES, MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and SABOTAGE on two discs, plus a bonus [IMG1R]short.
(O) AMERICAN SPLENDOR (Warner Bros.) Good Old Harvey Pekar's autobiographical comic-book series becomes an innovative feature film. Includes commentrak, DVD-ROM features, five Easter Eggs and insert comic.
(O) THE ANIMAL: Uncut Special Edition (Columbia Tristar) Rob Schneider always wanted to be a cop, but can't pass the test until a mad scientist rebuilds him with animal parts. Unsophisticated comic hijinks ensue, now in an unrestrained R-rated version. Includes commentrak by Schneider and director Luke Greenfield, deleted scenes, featurettes and more.
(O) ATTACK OF THE MONSTERS (Brentwood/BCI) One of several multi-movie sets from BCI out today. As always, many of these features are available in better editions elsewhere, but not at these low prices. This 10 movie set includes PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES, GIANT GILA MONSTER, EEGAH!, MONSTER MAKER, ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, KILLER SHREWS, CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA, THE APE MAN, SNOW CREATURE and INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN.
(O) THE BEAST WITHIN (Brentwood/BCI) Bargain bin indie horror set includes COLLINSVILLE, SEARCHING FOR HAIZMAN, HARDCORE POISONED EYES and IN THE LITTLE MANSION.

(O) BEST OF THE MUPPET SHOW (Columbia TriStar) Bob Hope, Dom DeLuise and George Burns are the guests in this special memorial edition- oh, wait, DeLuise is still alive.
(O) THE BLACK PIRATE (Kino) Douglas Fairbanks, the silent era's biggest action star, swashes a buckle in this 1926 pirate classic in Technicolor!
(O) BRITISH HORROR COLLECTION (Elite) This grab bag box set includes 4 titles produced by Richard Gordon: TOWER OF EVIL, INSEMINOID, HORROR HOSPITAL and CURSE OF THE VOODOO.
(O) CAPTURED ALIVE (Ardustry) Survivors of a plane crash are captured by a secret mountain enclave that puts them to work on their evil scheme.
(O) THE DEAD WALK (Brentwood/BCI) 10 movie vintage horror set includes SHE BEAST (with Barbara Steele), KING OF THE ZOMBIES, DEAD MEN WALK (with George Zucco), BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE, THE APE (Boris Karloff), BLOODY PIT OF HORROR, SCREAMING SKULL, REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES, ATOM AGE VAMPIRE, BRIDE OF THE GORAILLA (with Lon Chaney, Jr.) and 10 episodes of the Karloff-hosted anthology TV series THE VEIL.
(O) DR. SEX / WANDA THE SADISTIC HYPNOTIST (Image) Two sleazy '60s features from Something Weird Video present medical professionals behaving badly. Plus eight twisted shorts and a pack of bizarre trailers.
(O) DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS COLLECTION (Kino) A box set of six classic features from the top action hero of the silent era. Includes MARK OF ZORRO / DON Q: SON OF ZORRO, THREE MUSKETEERS, ROBIN HOOD, THIEF OF BAGDAD and THE BLACK PIRATE.
(O) FARSCAPE: Season 4 Collection 2 (ADV Films) Four episodes on two discs.
(O) THE FINAL FRONTIER (Brentwood/BCI) Ten movie vintage sci-fi set includes ASSIGNMENT OUTER SPACE, Flash Gordon in ROCKETSHIP, PHANTOM PLANET, DAY THE SKY EXPLODED, UNKNOWN WORLD, PHANTOM FROM SPACE, Rocky Jones in CRASH OF THE MOONS, WARNING FROM SPACE, THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN and all 12 chapters of the [IMG2L]serial FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE.
(O) FREAK SHOW BOX SET (Image) A four disc set from the Something Weird Video collection presents BASKET CASE, SHE FREAK, BLOOD FREAK, and FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS the freakiest bargain of the week, plus commentraks, tons of trailers and shorts, and more.
(O) GASLIGHT (Warner Bros.) Classic Victorian psycho thriller. Strange things are happening in Ingrid Bergman's house. Is she going crazy, or is husband Charles Boyer behind it?
(O) GILLIGAN'S ISLAND: Complete First Season (Warner Bros.) Seven people endure the hellish ordeal of trying to survive on an uncharted desert island. 36 episodes, plus unaired pilot and more.
(O) THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY 1 & 2 (Columbia TriStar) In this 1980 worldwide indie comedy hit from Africa, a Bushman named Xixo finds a Coke bottle that changes everything for his tribe. Includes the less thought provoking sequel and featurettes (but not the bizarre Hong Kong semi-sequel CRAZY SAFARI, which includes vampires!).
(O) THE GOOD SON (Fox) Macauley Culkin as a Bad Seed type.
(O) GOOD TIMES: The Complete Second Season (Columbia TriStar) Remember how much fun it was to live in Chicago housing projects during the 1970s with another season of dy-no-mite episodes.
(O) HELL IN THE FAMILY (Brentwood/BCI) Two-disc set includes four horror features from the early 1970s: MURDER MANSION, NIGHT OF BLOODY HORROR, IT HAPPENED AT NIGHTMARE INN and LEGACY OF BLOOD.
LOCKED IN (MTI).
(O) KARATE: THE HAND OF DEATH (Image) This Something Weird presentation is a rare 1961 feature, likely the first real American martial arts movie. Disc comes packed with fifty(!) trailers for vintage kung fu action movies!
(O) LABYRINTH: Collector's Edition Box Set (Columbia TriStar) George Lucas and Jim Henson teamed up to produce this epic fantasy starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie as the devil. Includes animation cel, booklet, sketch cards.
(O) LONE WOLF & CUB 5: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (AnimEigo) Available from the AnimEigo [IMG3R]website.
(O) LOST IN TRANSLATION (Universal) Two Americans with time on their hands in Tokyo spend it together. Critically acclaimed art house hit in wide or full editions, plus deleted/extended scenes, featurettes, music video, and interviews.

(O) MACH 2 (Fox) Brian Bosworth has to save the President from hijackers on board the Concorde in this action epic directed by Fred Olen Ray. No, you don't have to worry about seeing MACH first.
(O) MIDNIGHT MADNESS (Buena Vista) Memorable 1980 teen comedy in which Michael J. Fox is among a group of students participating in a wacky all-night scavenger hunt.
(O) THE MISADVENTURES OF MERLIN JONES (Buena Vista) 1964 comedy in which Tommy Kirk is a supergenius who invents a mind-reading machine that allows him to find out if girlfriend Annette Funicello knows he's gay.
(O) MONSTURD (Elite) Re-release of the horror stinker includes commentrak, behind-the-scenes and more.
(O) MY SCIENCE PROJECT (Buena Vista) 1985 sci-fi comedy in which high school students find an alien orb in a junkyard that distorts reality.
(O) NEWSRADIO: The Complete First & Second Seasons (Columbia TriStar) CTHE cuts the crap by releasing two seasons at once of this superior sitcom.
(O) NIGHTMARES FROM THE CRYPT (Brentwood/BCI) 10-disc, 20 movie set includes MOON OF THE WOLF, SISTERS OF DEATH, DOMINIQUE IS DEAD, MESSIAH OF EVIL, DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE, CATHY'S CURSE, HORROR HOTEL, GOD TOLD ME TO, DEEP RED, CHRISTMAS EVIL, DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT, SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA, WEB OF THE SPIDER, CIRCUS OF FEAR, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK, JACK THE RIPPER, DIE SISTER DIE, LADY FRANKENSTEIN, WEREWOLF & THE VAMPIRE WOMAN and WOLFMAN.
(O) PLANET OF THE APES: 35^th Anniversary Edition (Fox) [IMG4L]Two-disc set celebrating the sci-fi classic features commentraks by cast and crew members and composer Jerry Goldsmith, text annotation, documentary features, trailers and galleries.
(O) RAW DEAL (Fox) Governor Schwarzenegger reveals he has little regard for the law as a renegade FBI agent seeking vengeance on mobsters.
(O) RED DWARF: Seasons 3 & 4 (BBC) Cult hit sci-fi spoof, with cast commentraks on every episode, documentary featurettes and more. Also available separately.
(O) RETURN OF THE WARRIORS (Brentwood/BCI) 10-disc, 20 kung fu movie set includes SCREAMING TIGER, STREET FIGHTER, RETURN OF THE STREET FIGHTER, STREET FIGHTER'S LASTREVENGE, SISTER STREET FIGHTER, DRAGON PRINCESS, KARATE WARRIORS, RAGE OF THE DRAGON, CRIPPLED MASTERS, NINJA TURF, DRAGON ON FIRE, GOLDEN DRAGON SILVER SNAKE, KILLING MACHINE, 36 CRAZY FISTS, BLIND FIST OF BRUCE, BLACK DRAGON, DEADLY KICK, FISTS OF BRUCE LEE, TATTOO CONNECTION and MILITANT EAGLE.
(O) SHERLOCK HOLMES CASE FILES (Brentwood/BCI) 10 movie set includes TERROR BY NIGHT, WOMAN IN GREEN, SECRET WEAPON, DRESSED TO KILL, DEADLY NECKLACE, STUDY IN SCARLET, TRIUMPH OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, MURDER AT THE BASKERVILLES, SIGN OF THE FOUR, SPECKLED BAND and five episodes of the Holmes 1954 TV series.
(O) SHOWER OF BLOOD (Brain Damage) College students on a road trip decide to visit a relative, but find... terror!
(O) SPACE QUEST (Brentwood/BCI) 10-disc, 20 movie set includes SLIPSTREAM, ABRAXAS, CREATURE, LASER MISSION, ALIEN SPECIES, EYES BEHIND THE STARS, COSMOS: WAR OF THE PLANETS, VOYAGE TO A PREHISTORIC PLANET, THEY CAME FROM BEYOND SPACE, WAR OF THE ROBOTS, IN THE YEAR 2889, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF TIME, IDAHO TRANSFER, THE DAY TIME ENDED, STAR ODYSSEY, WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND, WAITING FOR THE GIANTS, KILLERS FROM SPACE, NEOPHITES & NEON LIGHTS and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS(?).
(O) TROMA TRIPLE B-HEADER (Troma) Three movies crammed onto one disc. Includes BLOOD HOOK, BLADES and ZOMBIE ISLAND MASSACRE.
(O) WHAT'S HAPPENING!! Complete First Season (Columbia TriStar) No, it's not a question. This '70s sitcom about black teens was based somewhat on the film COOLEY HIGH and was a surprise hit, bringing fat jokes to a new generation. 21 episodes on three discs.
(O) VANISHING POINT (Fox) Cult classic about a self-destructive courier's race to oblivion. Includes both American and UK versions with director's commentrak.

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

(O) ALLEGRO NON TROPPO (Home Vision) Advertised as "the Italian FANTASIA", this animation concert feature by Bruno Bozzetto was a cult hit in the 1970s. Includes 10 bonus Bozzetto shorts and a documentary from Italian TV.
(O) ANDROID KIKAIDER Volume 4: Silent Journey (Bandai) Saburo gains control over Jiro with a whistle.
(O) CAPTAIN HARLOCK Volume 1: The Legend Returns (Geneon) Everybody's favorite space pirate is back. Four episodes.
(O) CHOBITS Volume 7: Chat Room (Geneon) Three episodes.
(O) CRYING FREEMAN Complete Collection (ADV Films) Three-disc set collects this entire series adapted from the hit manga about a brainwashed hitman for the 108 Dragons yakuza who tries to break away.
(O) CYBORG 009 (Columbia TriStar) CTHE joins [IMG5R]the anime bandwagon with a two-disc collection of this series about a team of nine crimefighting cyborgs, presenting uncut episodes that apparently were edited for the Cartoon Network, plus 2 collectors cards.
(O) CYBORG 009: The Battle Begins (Columbia TriStar)
(O) CYBORG 009: Good vs. Evil (Columbia TriStar) Sci-fi adventure inspired by the work of Osamu Tezuka (ASTRO BOY), available separately or as a two-pack.
(O) DRAGON BALL Z: Cell Games A Moment's Peace (Funimation)
(O) DRAGON BALL Z: Cell Games Starter Set (Funimation)
(O) G.I. JOE: Season 1 Part 1 (Rhino) Includes interviews and animation cel.
(O) HAPPY LESSON: Mom-Ageddon (ADV Films) Orphaned Chitose is driven crazy by the five beautiful schoolteachers that adopt him. Five episodes plus a mini poster.
(O) INFINITE RYVIUS Volume 3: Tension (Bandai) Kids left alone aboard a spaceship continue to battle space invaders.
(O) KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC: The Power of Pegasus: Volume 1 (ADV Films) All kinds of knights fighting for the Silver Armor.
(O) L/R MISSION FILE 2: Targets (Geneon) Jack and Row track down the terrorist known as Angel.
(O) NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: Director's Cut (ADV Films) The first three of six episodes, remastered with additional footage never before available in the USA.
(O) SAMURAI X: OVA Collection (ADV Films) Trust, Betrayal and Reflection.
(O) SD GUNDAMFORCE: The Hero Arrives (Bandai) This latest incarnation of the revered sci-fi war series is targeted at young [IMG6L]kids.
(O) SUPERMAN: The Last Son of Krypton (Warner Bros.) Pilot for the recent animated series.
(O) YU-GI-OH!: Battle City Duels The Mystery Duelist (Funimation)
(O) YU-GI-OH!: Battle City Duels Obelisk the Tormentor (Funimation)