New UMD shopping section

By: BRIAN THOMAS
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2005

You may notice something different down at the bottom of the Shopping List from now on. We're going to give Universal Media Discs their own little section. I've been listing UMDs since they started selling them, but up to now I've only given them token mention mixed into the usual List. However, some readers have told me that they've gotten confused by them, or have no interest in them. Others are looking for them and haven't found them easily enough in the main List. So now they're all in their own little ghetto down at the bottom of the column where they can hold secret meetings.

I've been checking them out more lately, and will probably devote some full length reviews to some of them. It's kind of a kick to watch a movie you can hold in your hands, and I'm amazed at how much detail comes through on that little LCD screen which is bigger than you think. Only occasionally do I see a scene where the screen doesn't have enough color shades to handle an area and some banding occurs, and at times it's a bit dizzying when there's a lot of movement, but it's surprising just how good it looks and sounds.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

You know all those gags and stunts in your favorite movies that you just love to watch over and over again? Chances are, they were all done first back in the silent era by pioneering performers and filmmakers like the great Harold Lloyd.

(O) THE HAROLD LLOYD COMEDY COLLECTION (New Line) A 6-disc, 3-volume (also available separately) set celebrating the work of a comedy genius. Includes features, shorts, commentraks, featurettes and more. Available separately, or get the full set and get a bonus disc with home movies, 30 more featurettes, interviews, 3-D gallery and more.

NEW RELEASES

(O) ALIEN FIEND (Retromedia) Includes Don Dohler's FIEND and THE ALIEN FACTOR, plus commentraks, deleted footage, blooper reel and more.
(O) AMERICAN GOTHIC (Trinity) A planeload of yuppies is forced to land on an island inhabited by weird farming couple Rod Steiger and Yvonne De Carlo. Delayed from last week.
(O) ANDROMEDA Season 5 Collection 2 (ADV) Episodes 506-510, plus interviews, behind-the-scenes, deleted footage, bloopers and more.
(O) A BEAR NAMED WINNIE (Monarch) The true story of a Canadian soldier who adopts an orphaned bear cub inspired A.A. Milne's WINNIE THE POOH.
(O) BIKINI CHAIN GANG / BIKINI AIRWAYS (Retromedia) Educational double feature, with bloopers and outtakes.
(O) BLUE (Tai Seng) Korean underwater rescue adventure.
(O) BONESETTER RETURNS / FINAL CURTAIN (Tempe) Child-killing wraith is re-animated for sequel / Actors start dropping dead while rehearsing a cursed play.

(O) BOOK & SWORD (Tai Seng) 2002 swordplay action with Vincent Zhao and Cheng Pei-Pei.
(O) BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: The Chosen Collection (Fox) All seven seasons on a 39-disc set, plus an bonus disc full of new extras! I need this because I think I missed an episode back in 1999.
(O) CHARMED Complete Third Season (Paramount) The sisters try on cute outfits. All 22 episodes.
(O) CHEERS Complete Seventh Season (Paramount) Best sitcom set in a bar since DUFFY'S TAVERN. Also available bundled with seasons 1-6.
(O) CYCLONE (Synapse) 1978 disaster movie from the makers of BERMUDA TRIANGLE in which a big storm blows an international cast into shark-infested waters. Gruesome survival drama ensues.
(O) DEATH FACTORY / GOTH (Brain Damage) Lab worker becomes monster / Black-clad crew turns ugly.
(O) DEMONS IN MY HEAD / TO BECOME ONE (Brain Damage) A headband from space produces visions / A teen is stalked by the masked killer that murdered her mom.
(O) DOLL GRAVEYARD (Full Moon) Charles Band comes up with more killer toys.
(O) EMERGENCY SQUAD (NoShame) Tomas Milian and Ray Loelock star in a tense 1974 Italian crime flick from Stelvio Massi, plus interviews and more.
(O) FACE TO FACE (Tai Seng) HK horror in which a man who marries his best friend's widow and suffers dire consequences.
(O) FANTASY ISLAND Complete First Season (Sony) Ricardo Montalban is the mysterious but benevolent master of a tropical resort which lets guests live out their eccentric fantasies. All 16 episodes on four discs, featurettes, interviews and more.
(O) 42nd STREET FOREVER (Synapse) Ban 1 Productions' compilation of amazing trailers for mind-bending horror/exploitation flicks, mainly from the prime 1970s grindhouse/drive-in era, and all presented in their original aspect ratios. Truly, one of the best party discs to be released. Note: this is NOT a re-release of the DVD issued by Ban 1 last year they've retained a few trailers from that disc and added a whole pile of new ones for over 2 hours of fun.
(O) FOR YOUR HEIGHT ONLY (Mondo Macabro) Weng Weng stars as a midget 007 in this 1980 action comedy from the Philippines. Includes bonus feature CHALLENGE OF THE TIGER starring Bruce Le.
(O) FRASIER Complete Seventh Season (Paramount) All 23 episodes. Also available bundled with the first six and last seasons.
(O) FRIENDS Complete Tenth Season (Warner Bros.) With commentraks, extra scenes, featurettes, interviews and gag reel.
(O) FRIENDS: The One with All Ten Seasons Collector's Box (Warner Bros.) Massive box set. Don't forget to leave room on your shelf for JOEY Season One.
(O) GINGERDEAD MAN (Goldhil) After his electrocution and cremation, the ashes of a psycho killer find their way into the batter of a delicious cookie. And you thought Chucky was a stretch.
(O) GODZILLA Box Set (Classic Media/Sony) Remastered widescreen editions of GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS, MONSTER ZERO, MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA, TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA and GODZILLA'S REVENGE, all available separately.
(O) GRANNY (Brain Damage) Over the river and through the woods, to the asylum for axe murdering psycho senior citizens we go.
(O) THE GREAT SMOKEY ROADBLOCK (Trinity) Henry Fonda starred in THE GRAPES OF WRATH, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, MISTER ROBERTS, and this 1977 redneck trucker movie. He dragged Eileen Brennan, Robert Englund, Dub Taylor, Susan Sarandon and Melanie Mayron along with him. Includes Making-Of and more.
(O) HIGH SCHOOL HORRORS SURVIVAL KIT (Media Blasters) Box set collects HELL HIGH, THE MAJORETTES and HITCHER IN THE DARK.
(O) IRON THUNDER (Trinity) Hi-tech tank and driver Richard Hatch get scrambled by a lightning strike during a test and go on a rampage. 1998 action flick ripped off by STEALTH.
(O) KIREI? TERROR OF BEAUTY (Media Blasters) A plastic surgeon is harassed by a woman obsessed with cosmetic surgery in this J-horror oddity.
(O) KUNG FU THEATER: MR.X / NINJA CONNECTION (Brentwood) Joe Lewis in an old HK Triad movie, plus interview & featurette / Wacky 1984 ninja action.
(O) KUNG FU THEATER: SHAOLIN DOLEMITE / BLACK SAMURAI (Brentwood) Rudy Ray Moore in a re-edited and redubbed version of Rober Tai's already bizarre NINJA THE FINAL DUEL, plus deleted scenes / 1977 Al Adamson action flick starring Jim Kelly.
(O) LAST EXIT (Heretic) A loser accepts what looks like an easy job for a Copenhagen crook, but starts cheating on his wife with the boss' girl and of course big trouble starts in this Danish thriller. Includes commentrak, deleted footage, featurette and more.
(O) THE LAST ROUND (NoShame) Gritty 1976 Italian police action from Stelvio Massi, plus featurettes and a bonus CD of '70s Italian crime movie music by Entropia.
(O) LEGEND OF DIABLO (Trinity) A small town sheriff unwittingly unleashes an ancient Mexican demon.
(O) LOVE AT STAKE (MGM) 1988 supernatural family comedy with Barbara Carrera brewing up trouble as a witch visiting Salem.
(O) A MAN CALLED MAGNUM (NoShame) 1977 Italian thriller with action star Luc Merenda as a cop caught in the middle of an underworld war. Includes commentrak, interview and more.
(O) O.C. AND STIGGS (MGM) Off-kilter 1985 comedy about a pair of slacker pranksters, based on a series of stories from National Lampoon. Includes interview.
(O) OLD YELLER / SAVAGE SAM (Buena Vista) 1950s Disney dog movie stunners that caused a lot of distress for kids and parents alike over the years, plus sequel, commentraks, featurettes, interviews, shorts and more.
(O) ONE DARK NIGHT (Media Blasters) Meg Tilly gets more frights than she bargained for when she spends the night in a crypt as part of an initiation. Got good reviews when released in 1983 as MAUSOLEUM.
(O) RED BLOODED AMERICAN GIRL (Trinity) Heather Thomas catches a virus that escaped from a lab and it turns her into a vampire in this offbeat 1990 horror item.
(O) SCRUBS Complete Second Season (Buena Vista) Consistently funny and creative hospital comedy. With interviews, deleted footage, featurettes, outtakes and more.
(O) SERIAL KILLERS: THE REAL LIFE HANNIBAL LECTERS (Trinity) True Crime documentary.
(O) SHADOW HUNTERS (Brain Damage) Demon hunters track a fallen angel inside an abandoned hospital.
(O) SHOCKUMENTARIES Volume 1 (Blue Underground) BU splits up the features from their terrific MONDO COLLECTION. This one has MONDO CANE, MONDO CANE 2 and WOMEN OF THE WORLD.
(O) SHOCKUMENTARIES Volume 2 (Blue Underground) And this one has AFRICA ADDIO, GOODBYE UNCLE TOM and GODFATHERS OF MONDO.
(O) SKELETON KEY (Universal) Kate Hudson faces ghosts and stuff in Louisiana. Widescreen & fullscreen editions include commentrak, featurette, behind-the-scenes and more.
(O) SNOW WHITE: A TALE OF TERROR (Universal) 1998 gothic horror version of the fairy tale with Sigourney Weaver.
(O) SS CAMP WOMEN'S HELL (Media Blasters) 1977 Italian WIP flick.
(O) STARGATE ATLANTIS Season 1 (MGM) 20 episodes on three discs, plus commentraks, featurettes and more.
(O) STEALTH (Sony) Typical flashy testosterone-fest from Rob Cohen has a trio of cocky ace fighter pilots threatened by a rebellious new robot plane that learns too well from their maverick leader, but the film backs off from an anti-tech stance when the cyberjet helps out against corrupt brass. In fullscreen and widescreen editions
(O) A THIEF OF TIME (Paramount) As seen on PBS, Navajo cops try to find out who is killing native pottery poachers. Includes commentrak and featurette.
(O) TREES / TREES 2: ROOT OF ALL EVIL (Razor) A tale of a man-eating pine, plus the Christmas sequel.
(O) TRIPLE B COLLECTION Volume 1 (Brentwood/Navarre) Andy Sidaris fills in the blanks in your Sidaris DVD collection with FIT TO KILL, MALIBU EXPRESS and HARD TICKET TO HAWAII.
(O) TRIPLE B COLLECTION Volume 2 (Brentwood/Navarre) Sidaris madness continues in PICASSO TRIGGER, GUNS and THE DALLAS CONNECTION. Each movie comes with commentrak, interviews, deleted footage, instructional behind-the-scenes featurettes and more.
(O) TRU CALLING Season Two (Fox) Eliza Dushku tries to change the future from a magic morgue. All seven episodes.
(O) THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS EVE (First Look) Steven Weber and Molly Shannon in a magical Xmas comedy.
(O) WAR OF THE PLANETS (Lions Gate) No, it's not the 1958 American or 1977 Japanese or 1966 Italian space operas of that title, but a brand new show. Sort of. A dozen space pioneers awake from their cryo-sleep to find their ship has crashed and there's a hungry monster on board.

UMD CORNER

(O) ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY & LAVAGIRL (Buena Vista) Robert Rodriguez attempts to start another kid action franchise in the tradition of SPY KIDS.
(O) THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (Universal) Superspy Matt Damon is tricked into striking back at his old bosses in this crackerjack sequel.

(O) CARLITO'S WAY: RISE TO POWER (Universal) Unasked for crime sequel. Includes Making-Of, deleted scenes, featurettes, gag reel and more.
(O) CLERKS (Buena Vista) Kevin Smith's breakthrough comedy about guys hanging out at a seedy strip mall.
(O) 8 MILE (Universal) Eminem's semi-remake of PURPLE RAIN. Includes Making-Of and trailer.
(O) HAPPY GILMORE (Universal) Adam Sandler is a hockey player who becomes a golf pro. With deleted footage and outtakes.
(O) STEALTH (Sony) See above for description. Includes playable demo of WIPEOUT PURE racing game.

Be sure to check back next weekand every weekfor CINESCAPE's DVD Shopping List! And don't forget Anime Avalanche every Saturday!

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!

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