PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
© Buena Vista

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Pirate Jones!

This week in our Prize Closet we’ve got a copy of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Complete First Season, courtesy of Universal. I remember that there wasn’t much buzz about the show – it was considered an alternative to local affiliate broadcast of old movies at the time – and I only watched the premiere after seeing John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd talking to Tom Snyder the night before (it’s on the DVD!). The first few shows had an experimental air to them, far from the locked down format the program has now, and these were still the days when having a comedy newscast was something fresh. To enter, send an email to psycho@psychotronic.info containing your name and mailing address, and include the name of the first host in the subject line.  

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK 

This week, our spotlight is irresistibly drawn to the year’s biggest blockbuster.  

(O)   PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST (Buena Vista) Bigger, crazier, more fantastic second installment of the blockbuster action adventure franchise in which various parties vie to possess the secret of maritime boogeyman Davey Jones’ supernatural power. Monsters, cannibalism, decapitation, black magic, disgusting monsters – in other words, a roller coaster of fun for the whole family. Includes commentrak and bloopers. . 2-disc special edition adds on a big pile of Making-Of featurettes. 

NEW RELEASES

 
(O)   ACTIONGIRLS.COM Volume 4: Water & Fitness (Scotty JX) The girls take time out from their battle for survival in a post-apoc world to stay fit with a good workout. Followed of course with a shower. 
(O)   ALIEN NATION / ENEMY MINE (Fox) Sci-fi double feature. 
(O)   AMSTERDAM CONNECTION / BLOODY FIGHT (Warner Bros.) Kung fu double feature. 
(O)   ATTACK FORCE (Sony) These Steven Seagal action movies must still be turning a profit somewhere (Guam?), because they keep churning ‘em out. 
(O)   BEERFEST (Warner Bros.) Zany comedy about an underground beer drinking competition. In rated and unrated widescreen & “fullscreen” editions that include two commentraks, deleted footage and featurettes. 

BEYOND DREAM’S DOOR

© Cinema Epoch

(O)   BEYOND DREAM’S DOOR (Cinema Epoch) Rare 1988 indie horror made in Ohio about a college student who finds the lines between dreams and reality blurred. With two commentraks, 3 featurettes, 3 bonus shorts, deleted footage and more. 
(O)   BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA (Cheezy Flicks/MVD) Legendarily bad 1965 horror/western hybrid starring John Carradine. 
(O)   BLACK CHRISTMAS (Koch) Special edition of Bob Clark’s notorious 1974 Canadian horror about a psycho killer hiding out inside a sorority house on Xmas break. Includes two newly-discovered original scenes with a new vocal soundtrack, featurette, interviews, and a Midnight screening Q&A with director and stars. 
(O)   BLEAK FUTURE (Cinema Epoch/Koch) A travelling salesman of relics from the 21st century teams up with a tongueless Scottish warrior, a stupid blonde actress, and a hippie to battle madmen and savage mutants as they cross the post-nuclear wastelands in search of a legendary place called "The Source," an oracle of ancient wisdom rumored to hold the power to enlighten the world...or destroy what's left of it. With 2 commentraks, lots of behind-the-scenes featurettes, 3 bonus shorts, deleted footage, outtakes, bloopers and more. 
(O)   BLOODLETTING: THE VAMPIRE SCROLLS (Anchor Bay) College students uncover a nest of vampires. 
(O)   CANNIBAL (Unearthed) German horror shocker based on the incredible true story of a man who placed an online classified ad to find someone to eat – and the man that answered the ad to volunteer.  
(O)   CHAIN REACTION / VANISHING (Fox) Suspense thriller double feature. 
(O)  CHAOS & CADAVERS (Image) UK black comedy in which a honeymooning couple end up staying in a hotel hosting an undertakers’ convention and are embroiled in a murder mystery. 
(O)   COCOON / COCOON: THE RETURN (Fox) Sci-fi drama double feature. 
(O)   DINOSAUR VALLEY GIRLS (Cinema Epoch) Special Collector's Mammoth Edition of Don Glut’s 1995 debut feature, a comic fantasy in which an action movie star finds real life adventure when he’s transported to a prehistoric world. Includes commentrak, deleted footage, auditions, Making-Of, featurettes and more. 
(O)   DUKES OF HAZZARD Complete Seventh Season (Warner Bros.) 17 episodes on six discs, plus featurettes, music videos and more. Also available bundled with seasons 1-6. 
(O)   THE FEARLESS AVENGER (AnimEigo) Second installment of the "Mikogami" Trilogy, a 1972 epic of betrayal and vengeance. 

THE FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION Volume 1

© Warner Bros.

(O)   THE FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION Volume 1 (Warner Bros.) This set dips into the Turner Classic Movies archives for a trio of racy Pre-Code 1930s gems: Barbara Stanwyck sleeps her way to the top in Baby Face (plus the even hotter pre-release version), Jean Harlow does likewise in Red Headed Woman, and prostitute Mae Clark scrambles for post-War survival in James Whale’s Waterloo Bridge.  
(O)   FRANK CAPRA COLLECTION (Sony) Includes American Madness, It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, You Can’t Take It With You and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. 
(O)   HI-5 ACTION HEROES (Well Go USA) Superhero team provides educational fun for preschoolers. In a unique handled package. 
(O)   HOLIDAY (Sony) 1938 romantic comedy/drama, in which free spirit Cary Grant finds things getting tough when he tries to marry a wealthy society girl, while her sister Katherine Hepburn roots for him a little too hard. Daring and fun social commentary at the time plays a bit corny today. Includes a featurette on a deleted original opening sequence. 
(O)   INSIDE MAN / THE INTERPRETER (Universal) Suspense thriller double feature. 
(O)   KEBAB CONNECTION (Lifesize/Koch) An action comedy about the culture clash involving Turkish immigrants in Germany.  
(O)   LONE RIDER OF THE PLAINS (Alpha) One of 17 Lone Rider B-westerns Sam Newfield directed for PRC in the early 1940s.  
(O)   MAD COWGIRL (Cinema Epoch/Koch) Health inspector Sarah Lassez is already on the edge between her affair with televangelist Walter Koenig and her unhealthy obsession with old school kung fu flicks. What would happen if she became infected with mad cow disease? Some pretty strange stuff! 

MIAMI VICE

© Universal

(O)   MIAMI VICE (Universal) Michael Mann’s feature reboot of his iconic 1980s cop TV series – and Colin Ferrell’s second TV show adaptation - comes to DVD in a R-rated edition that includes Mann commentrak and featurettes, and an unrated dirtector’s cut edition. 
(O)   MILITANT EAGLE / PRODIGAL BOXER (Warner Bros.) Kung fu double feature. 
(O)   MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Complete First Season (Paramount) 1967 suspense adventure TV series about a secret team assigned to complete difficult secret missions around the world. All 28 episodes on seven discs. 
(O)   MOONLIGHT SWORD & JADE LION / BLOODY FIST (Warner Bros.) Kung fu double feature. 
(O)   NINJA VIXENS: Forbidden Paradise (Geneon) 
(O)   NINJA VIXENS: Web of Passion (Geneon) A series of sexy and violent Japanese direct-to-video fantasy features about a team of female assassins.  
(O)   PLANET OF THE APES / QUEST FOR FIRE (Fox) Sci-fi drama double feature. 
(O)   PULSE (Weinstein) A quote on the back of the case (from Earl Dittman of Wireless Magazine) says this is “unlike any horror film you’ve seen before or will ever see!” Great quote, but it completely ignores the fact that this is a somewhat faithful remake of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s great 2001chiller Kairo, in which the dead get lonely and start invading the living world to get us all to cross over. Rated and unrated editions include two commentraks, Making-Of and deleted footage.  
(O)   THE QUICK & THE UNDEAD (Anchor Bay) Post-apoc horror western about a bounty hunter tracking down zombies. Includes Making-Of, deleted footage, outtakes and more. 
(O)   RECON 2020: THE CAPRINI MASSACRE (Maverick) Space soldiers encounter werewolves, zombies and vampires created by hostile aliens. A sequel is already finished. 
(O)   ROCKY ANTHOLOGY (MGM) Box set of all five boxing adventures. 
(O)   ROSEANNE Complete Sixth Season (Anchor Bay) 25 episodes on four discs. 

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Complete First Season

© Universal

(O)   SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Complete First Season (Universal) Wow. After all the syndicated reruns, TV specials, and recycled video Best-Of collections, I never really expected they’d season SNL. But here it is, all 24 episodes from the 1975-6 season, including a lot of material that’s never been rebroadcast or released on video, plus screen tests, photo book and the cast showing up to chat with Tom Snyder on the Tomorrow Show the night before the premiere.  
(O)   SHADES OF DARKNESS (Koch) Anthology of six tales of the supernatural adapted for UK TV on two discs.  
(O)   SILENT SCREAM (Lionsgate) A group of college students join their psychology professor on a weekend retreat deep in the Michigan woods. College students should NEVER go in the woods. 
(O)   SOLAR ATTACK (Lionsgate) A storm on the Sun threatens to destroy the Earth. What will President Louis Gossett do? 
(O)   SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM (Criterion) Strange and intriguing 1968 experimental feature in which a film crew is gathered in New York’s Central Park to create… they know not what. Includes interviews, featurettes and the 2005 sequel.  
(O)   24 Season Five (Fox) The only four people who know Kiefer Sutherland is still alive become targets for assassination. 7 discs. Includes commentraks, 23 deleted scenes, Season 6 prequel, DVD-ROM content and more. 
(O)   TOWERING INFERNO / VOLCANO (Fox) Disaster double feature. 
(O)   WALT DISNEY LEGACY: TRUE LIFE ADVENTURES Volume 1: Wonders of the World (Buena Vista)  
(O)   WALT DISNEY LEGACY: TRUE LIFE ADVENTURES Volume 2: Lands of Exploration (Buena Vista)  
(O)   WALT DISNEY LEGACY: TRUE LIFE ADVENTURES Volume 3: Creatures of the Wild (Buena Vista)  
(O)   WALT DISNEY LEGACY: TRUE LIFE ADVENTURES Volume 4: Nature’s Mysteries (Buena Vista) Deluxe DVD series collects the award winning nature documentaries produced by Disney from 1948 through 1960. Although the results were notoriously manufactured, the behavior captured by the camera is based on fact, and the films are surprisingly engaging. Shown in theaters and on television, these films gave a lot of people their first look into the natural world.  
(O)   THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS (Warner Bros.) Live-action adaptation of the Rankin-Bass animated TV special stars John Goodman as Santa, with Chris Kattan, Delta Burke, Ethan Suplee, Carol Kane and Eddie Griffin. Might be worth checking out to see Michael McKean as Snow Miser and Harvey Firestein as Heat Miser.  

BLU-RAY DISC CORNER 

(O)   BULLETPROOF MONK (MGM) 
(O)   A CHRISTMAS STORY (Warner Bros.)

CHRISTMAS VACATION

© Warner Bros.

HD-DVD CORNER 

(O)   A CHRISTMAS STORY (Warner Bros.) 
(O)   CHRISTMAS VACATION (Warner Bros.) 
(O)   CHRONOS (Goldhil) Includes commentrak. 
(O)   MIAMI VICE (Universal) DVD combo.  
(O)   POSEIDON (Warner Bros.) DVD combo. 

And be sure to check back next week—and every week—for Mania’s DVD Shopping List! And don’t forget Anime Avalanche every Monday!

DVD Shopping List (© 2006 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 DVD Shopping List.