Rhino continues to release episodes of this still popular cult favorite in more economically acceptable 4-disc sets, rather than their initial practice of serving them up one show at a time. Unfortunately, since this series incorporated the screening ...
The second MYSTERYSCIENCETHEATER 3000 episode released on DVD skewers THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE. It is also the first episode in which Mike Nelson took over as head of the Satellite of Love from Joel Hodgson, the series creator. The film is a perfect ...
Well, the show was cancelled last year, but thanks to the miracle of home video it lives on in a new and (dare one say it?) improved form. Several episodes have been released on videotape, but now for the first time the MYSTERYSCIENCETHEATER 3000 televi...
Here Today! by Robert T. Trate, Columnist (Tue 02-05-2008)
A couple of weeks back one of loyal readers, ‘swansong’, posted a blog about several Special Editions he was looking for. One of which I had. I thought the special edition was still available for purchase in retail stores. Let&r...
I was going to review the latest boxed set of MysteryScienceTheater shows that Rhino has released, but it has gone out of print (due to the inclusion of a Godzilla movie most probably). It doesn’t seem fair to review an item that people ...
ANIME
AIR MASTER VOLUME 3 DVD
ANGELIUM DVD
1ANIMEPLAY: ISHIKA & HONORI INTERACTIVE DVD
ARC THE LAD VOLUME 2 DVD
ASTRO BOY: THE COMPLETE SERIES DVD
BEYBLADE SEASON 3 VOLUME 6: SAME OLD DIRTY TRICKS DVD UNCUT
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS VOLUME 2 DVD
CASE CLOS...
In last week's column, I ranted against studios touting "un-censored un-rated extended special collector's edition" DVDs of movies they've already sold us before. "Un-needed" is more like it. It's one thing to upgrade your masters and re-release a film wi...
This December 5, Disney will release the first titles in their interactive "Disney DVD Game World" series. These will be a sort of combination of traditional board games and interactive DVD play similar to the sort of DVD movie trivia games you see in boo...
Last week David X. Cohen answered the first five of my questions about his cancelled-but-not-forgotten animated TV series FUTURAMA and today I'm back with the final part of my talk with Cohen. If you haven't heard, Fox Home Video has just released Volume ...
While access to the massive film library compiled by Ted Turner is provided by the TCM cable channel (and home video releases), another section of this archive has had a troubled road toward creating an identity for itself. Turner owns rights to a huge co...
There were a lot of great entries, but Stephen Smith's defense of MALLRATS was judged to be the most concise, to the point, and in keeping with the Essence of Smith. Plus, his name is Smith, thereby fuelling several conspiracy theories if I pick him, so h...
Why does everyone have a great big plasma HDTV but me? Well, not really, but that's the impression you get if you flip through a few nights of network television lately. Manufacturers of high end entertainment electronics are doing their best to place pro...
I'm writing this week's column with a bad head cold, and my blocked sinuses make me feel like watching movies with a lot of head trauma (decapitation, shotgun explosion, screwdriver to the temple, etc.). Luckily, here's something made to order. SPOTLIGHT ...
What They SayDeep within the confines of a secret State laboratory Ed\'s morality will be put to the ultimate test, even as elsewhere Al is left to battle for both his life and his sanity. As rumors of military corruption and conspiracy draw others into t...
His name, his face, and his voice are synonymous with Horror, however Vincent Price began his career on Broadway, but where it would end was far cry different then he could have ever predicted. Vincent Price would go on to become the Master of the Ma...
I really seem to have touched a nerve with my column last week – the installment that announced the honeymoon was over with DVD. My initial peeve (that I didn’t have enough time for all the extras on some DVDs) was purposely lame in order to stir up more ...
This week, I’m going to talk about something near and dear to my own inner child. It’s going to be about someone in our Hollywood scene who has been a personal favorite of mine since I was a kid and it’s someone who made an impact in ...
In honor of Kermit the Frog's 50th anniversary, we've got 4-packs of the new Muppet movie DVDs in the Prize Closet. It's funny the frog doesn't look a day over 40. How does he do it? Some folks say he's had a lot of "work" done. For your chance to win TH...
Last Friday, the new Steven Soderbergh murder mystery opened in theaters in "select markets" (translation: probably far away from you). Today it's being released on DVD. This may be the shortest time gap between theatrical release and DVD, but I'm not so ...
Has the DVD marketplace reached a saturation point? With the two Hi-Def DVD formats struggling to make their way into your homes, it’s no wonder they’re having trouble making progress. We’re already swimming in product! Labels are p...
viz-in vol. 12, no. 7 Your One-Stop Monthly Manga & Anime Connection! ITEMS SHIPPING OCTOBER `00 featuring...
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION BOOK FIVE, #1 REGULAR and SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION 7-issue monthly series story & art by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto original ...
Despite the fact that Fandom covers science fiction, fantasy, and horror, I resisted the urge to title this article `The Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films of 1999.` The reason for the shorter, simpler title is that the films on this list tru...
As you may have noticed, Halloween is coming up this week and- what, you didn’t know? Well take a look at a calendar, genius! Now that you’re way behind in making a costume, let me offer a couple Shopping List suggestions. Cut a big circle out of cardboar...
Next month, ADV is releasing the first volume of a new series called Air Gear, about kids who zip around the streets on motorized skates. But you can catch a peek at the entire first episode, in English, on the IGN website. Just tune your browser in h...
Well, it's been a few weeks, so it's about time for another installment of everyone's favorite Dub Column, Lost in Translation. (Well, it's my favorite Dub Column, so that makes it all right.) Now that summer is here, many of you are probably making you...
ADV ANNOUNCES JANUARY 10 RELEASES
Featuring Launch of Deluxe New Macross
HOUSTON, December 9, 2005—ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime in North America, is pleased to announce six hot titles for January 10, beginning with the ...
Hands down absolutely one of the greatest achievements in the horror genre—ever. Evil Dead 2 is literally one of those films that have to be seen to be believed—it’s outrageous, over-the-top, and beyond what you could possibly imagine, if you haven’t alre...
Usually at this time I'd be plugging B-Fest 9 (www.b-fest.com), the 24-hour B-movie marathon I attend every year. I'd be crowing about how this show combines a love for trashy cinema with a grueling endurance test, and explaining how MYSTERYSCIENCE THEAT...
This week (unofficially) kicks off the holiday shopping frenzy with the release of ‘Spider-Man 3’. I was checking the weekly flyers on Sunday to see what gimmicks the retail stores would be offering to entice you to buy ‘Spider-Man ...
Hiroyuki Morioka Panel & Interview In March of 2002, I watched Crest of the Stars for the
first time and immediately regretted not picking it up when it first came out.
When Otakon announced they were having Hiroyuki Morioka as a guest, I was quite
...
I know that you're as appalled as I am to see Christmas DVDs creeping onto the list while we're still roasting in the summer sun. We can all teach these video labels a lesson by ignoring even the ones we really really want until at least November. C'mon, ...
It was a bit surprising to hear that former rivals Bandai and Manga had teamed up to produce the anime series GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX, which is being distributed through Anchor Bay. Now three other anime importers have formed a partnership...
The theme is a familiar one. The mighty, stalwart chords of brass, the trilling woodwinds, the driving rhythm of the violins, the strident siren of electric guitar… Wait a minute? Electric guitar? What’s that doing in the middle of the STAR WARS theme?...
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror films has announced the nominations for the 32nd Annual Saturn Awards. Leading the pack is George Lucas' genre epic "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith" with 10 nominations. "Batman Begins" fol...
In response to an apparent uproar from loyal fans, Cartoon Network has brought DRAGON BALL Z back to its nighttime lineup at 9:30 CT Mondays through Thursdays. They may have thought that the show's mostly young audience didn't stay up that late on school ...
I know we’re coming up on a holiday, so I’d like to take a moment to give thanks for the technology that gives us things like satellite TV and DVDs. But as I write this, I can’t help but be distracted by something I’m not thankful for – incompetence. (Uh ...
LOAD UP SAMURAI GUN!
TAKE A RIDE TO THE WILD, WILD EAST FROM 16th OCTOBER 2006
LONDON, UK, 12TH SEPTEMBER 2006
ADV Films, the leading producer-distributor of anime in the U.K., are proud to bring you on 16th October 2006 a new kind of justice: Samurai ...
With two weeks to go before Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull I got a chance to look at the new editions of the Indiana Jones trilogy. To be honest with you I was disappointed that they weren’t released on Blu-Ray. I felt ...
The post-Halloween horror doldrums are still keeping the release of new terror titles to a minimum, but mid-November has a nicely eclectic mix of movies that should offer something for almost any fan. The cream of the video crop for the week is far remov...
HOUSTON, Deccember 13—ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime in North America, is pleased to announce five exciting titles set to hit the streets on January 17, beginning with the tenth and final volume of Gantz! Other Jan 17 relea...
Another Xmas Peeve! Every year about this time, folks get the urge to see all those classic Christmas movies like A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation. You’d think that with warehouses full of these titles that you could just grab the last editi...
Not too long ago, I acknowledged the sad untimely passing of filmmaker and former Cinescape columnist John Thonen. Well, the story gets sadder, as John’s widow is a cancer patient left with overwhelming bills. To help out, friends from the Kansas City fil...
Reading and enjoying epic genre literature requires, unfortunately, a great deal of patience. Though we love our favorite authors for their mind-expanding work, their creation of new worlds and imaginative storytelling ability, we can be the first to bran...
George Lucas is one of the world's most controversial filmmakers. Oh, it's not that the subject matter of his films pushes the boundaries of social tastes or challenges our way of life the last time he did that was with his first film THX-1138 (released ...
Friday, July 2nd
Convention day at last! Being the prompt people that Melanie and I are, we head off from outside of Philadelphia around 7 AM and drive down to Baltimore. While driving down I-95S, I shake my fist in the direction of Washington D.C. and ...
Last week I wrote about big DVD bargain packages. This week, we've got a whole bunch more from relative newcomer St. Clair. I'd tell you more about them, but I haven't been able to get much information beyond tiny images of the cover art on their website,...
What They SayWhen evil aliens kill Poemy Watanabe’s parents, she doesn’t get mad, she gets revenge… but first she moves in with seven crazy Aasu sisters, discovers the magic power of dead fish, develops a serious crush on a local octopus...
viz-in vol. 1,no. 1 Your One-Stop Monthly Manga & Anime Connection!
ITEMS SHIPPING JANUARY '01
featuring
MARIONETTE GENERATION, VOL. 1 Animerica Extra graphic novel, story and art by Haruhiko Mikimoto, b&w, 192 pages, $15.95 USA/$24.95 CAN, GMG001, Shi...
This week I saw another one of those ads in a theater in which a "regular joe" (carpenter, stuntman, etc.) tells us how video piracy is picking his pocket. This is a serious issue, and I think we should all do our best to keep the digital video arena from...
HOUSTON, April 16, 2007 "ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime outside of Japan, is pleased to bring you the first volume of the futuristic sci-fi thriller 009-1 as well as the third volume of this year's premiere title, Le Chevalier D'...
So you`ve read all of James M. Cain`s hard-boiled novels. But have you heard of Paul Cain, the `hardest of the hardboiled`? Of course you`ve read William S. Burroughs, but what about Clarence Cooper Jr., `the black William Burroughs`? If you think you`ve ...
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 exhilar...
Drat! In my list of seasoning-worthy TV series in last week’s column, I forgot to include the ultra-strange ‘60s Japanese science fiction series ULTRA Q, which has never been released in the USA. SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEKNot since Godzilla and King Kong faced...
The Sword of Truth series debuted in 1994 with Wizard’s First Rule and has been chugging on ever since. Translated into 20 foreign languages with 10 million copies in print, Terry Goodkind’s leviathan of an epic clocks in at over 7700 pages an...
Greetings, and welcome to another week of COMICSCAPE, where I make sequential art matter. Last week, I expounded upon the relative merits (and lack thereof) of Marvel and DC's new plan to accept advertiser money for ostensibly discreet product placement i...
`And now for something completely different,` is the theme of this review. We expect, after all, horror fiction from horror writers. We don`t expect mystery novels or horror poetry. But perhaps our expectations need to be expanded, and different genres an...
What They SayThe crew of DICE Fortress F-99 continues their adventures throughout the galaxy. A planet with enormous gravity is their first stop, and Jet and the Phantom Knight race for a precious artifact. This time, however, the Phantom Knight plays rou...
Last month, MGM released DVD box sets of both GREEN ACRES and MISTER ED, two zany sitcoms from the 1960s which now enjoy relatively equal cult popularity. Both contain two discs full of episodes, and come in boxes with googie retro-fun, Nick at Nite type ...
Not long ago we published my interview with the Film Crew, a revival of sorts of MysteryScienceTheater 3000 in which final cast members Kevin Murphy, Mike Nelson and Paul Corbett would riff on obnoxious psychotronic flicks in a series of DVDs. The g...
OPINION: First of all, you're probably wondering why this week's comics reviews are so far out of date. Well, there's a good explanation for that, and it all has to do with an itty bitty hurricane named Ivan. I've occasionally mentioned the fact that I'm ...
Jim Butcher propels the Dresden Files, Janine Cross’s dark fantasy series reaches its conclusion, and entertainment journalist Edward Gross takes a stab at chronicling the development of all things Harry Potter in a very weighted edition of this ...
It’s nearly the end of January (already!) and despite the Bears being in the Superbowl this year, this week my attention is fixed on Friday, when once again I’ll be attending the annual B-fest 24-hour B-movie marathon. Some folks claim to l...
Woohoo! We're back to a big long list, so we've just got room to get into the Prize Closet. We have 2 copies of BLACKBALLED: THE BOBBY DUKES STORY to give away, courtesy of Shout Factory. To enter, send an email containing your name and address to psycho...
Opening Ceremonies
Hosted by: Adam Ferraro
The opening ceremonies for Anime Boston took place in a grand theatre room. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and an upper level let some special guest sit from above and watch the people who were seate...
Comic Con 2007 in San Diego has listed their full lineup. I'll be posting the movie and television sections of the COMIC CON event.. This will include lots of information for you to judge on what to see if you happen to go to it.
Another thing, if ...
HOUSTON, March 27, 2007 "ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime outside of Japan, is pleased announce the release dates of three titles! The Gilgamesh Complete Collection will be available on May 22. The Misaki Chronicles Complete Coll...
Critical whipping boy Uwe Boll recently gave us yet another reason to dislike him: He's a bully. He recently made good his offer to let his critics get in the boxing ring with him. Boll selected four young men who have been extremely critical of his work ...
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATION A new soundtrack record label named Nicabella had made its debut with John Frizzell's excellent score for STAY ALIVE, William Brent Ball's eerie thriller about a group of teens who stumble upon a new video game called Sta...
Since the dawn of speculative literature, fiction has held the power to exemplify facets of our world and shed light on the complexities of human nature. Orchestrating truth through lies, SF, fantasy, and horror have become some of the strongest vessels f...
Previously on DVD Shopping List: My prize closet needed cleaning out, so I gave the beloved readers a chance to win some DVDs. As a result, Pat Monahan and Tracie Howard will be feelin' the Noise when their copies of WHITE NOISE arrive at their homes. As ...
Last week we talked about DVD-Rs – those computer-recorded DVDs that some smaller labels are using as an economic format to get their material on disc. Something Weird Video is featured often in this column due to their frequent DVD releases through Image...
With Timur Bekmambetov’s latest Night Watch film adaptation smashing box office records in Russia (yet again) and the film still fresh in the states from its US debut this past June, author Sergei Lukyanenko has officially put Russia on the map for ...
One would think that everybody would be scrambling to churn out tie-in merchandise to WAR OF THE WORLDS (see below for some of that). Paramount has a deluxe edition DVD of the 1953 George Pal version ready to go, but reports say Steven Speilberg requested...
With the 4th of July looming on the summer horizon, Transformers fans won’t have to wait the next seven weeks to find out what happens in Michael Bay’s film adaptation of the franchise giant. Random House Publishing Group and novelization guru...
Despite its reputation as an extremely erudite festival far more inclined to show the latest Iranian docu-drama than the newest in genre films, the annual Telluride Film Festival, nestled in Colorado's bucolic San Jacinto Mountains, unspooled a diverse ar...
We put aside our usual DVD discussion this week for a shameless plug! There’s a new book hitting the shelves entitled VIDEOHOUND’S DRAGON: ASIAN ACTION & CULT FLICKS, and critics are already calling it the Bible of Asian psychotronic cinema! A spin-of...
In our Prize Closet this week, we have two copies of The Hunt, courtesy of Image. To enter, just send an email to which includes your name and address DVD Shopping List, and in the subject line put the words “BE VEWY QUIET”.
Not to be out...
Aqua Teen Hunger Force opens on Friday, 4/13. Oh, excuse me. I mean Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. We should have a review up on Mania this week, but the short of it is that it begins strong, has trouble keeping from rambling aw...
I'd like to write a bit about our Prize Closet this week. Yes, I thought that might perk you up but we'll be getting to our giveaway down below a bit. We've been running giveaways in this column fairly regularly for the past year or so, and I try to get ...
What They SayThe world-famous thief, Lupin the Third, has faked his death to pursue the most valuable treasure of all- eternal life! However, Fujiko, lured by the promise of eternal youth and beauty, hands the stone over to the mysterious mad scientist kn...
Hey, Happy All Saints Day/Day of the Dead! Hope everybody had a fabulous scary (but not TOO scary) Halloween. Speaking of scary stuff, I didn't list them in the column, but last week Triumph Marketing released a series of DVDs that I find truly frightenin...
What They SayWhen intergalactic private eye Millie Nocturne ends up on the block at a shady auction, her troubles are only beginning! Unwillingly partnered with Kain Blueriver, the cape-obsessed, psi-blade-bearing master of the Lost Ship Swordbreaker, and...
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATION
England’s Tadlow Music has released a splendid new recording – and world premiere of the complete score – of Miklós Rózsa’s elegant music to Billy Wilder’s ...
Last night my lovely wife suggested we convert an entire wall in our living room into shelves for DVD storage.SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEKThis week, our spotlight falls like a deep dish pizza on one of the most satisfying theatrical releases of the year, paired ...
FULL OF SUPER YUMMY ANIME GOODNESS - YOURS TO OWN ON 16th OCTOBER 2006
LONDON, UK, 20TH SEPTEMBER 2006
ADV Films, the leading producer-distributor of anime in the U.K., bring you on the 16th October 2006 a new concept in 'taster' discs - ADV's Anime B...
This week it's all about trying something new. Keeping with the tradition of critiquing English Dubs, I thought I would do something a bit special with this one. Thanks to a mutual friend, I've been in contact with Monica Rial, voice actress for ADV. W...
What They SayFull of exciting adventure and great passion, this animated Japanese favorite tells the legendary tale of the mythological hero Hermes. The creator of the world orders Hermes to defeat the evil King Minos, tyrant of Crete. With his beautiful ...
Amazing, Too by Randall D. Larson (Thu 08-31-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATION The anthology series has come and gone in television, from GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATRE and ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS in the 1950s, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, THRILLER, and ONE STEP BEYOND in the 1960s, THE NIGHT GALLERY in the 1970s, to re...
Last Friday, five years after Sam Raimi’s Ghost House purchased the film rights to Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s three-issue IDW miniseries, 30 Days of Night, the movie hit theaters and destroyed its box office competition. With a tal...
Warning: Spoilers Ensue!Though many people expected Voyager‘s November sweeps telefilm to presage or possibly show the vessel’s homecoming, the producers have decided instead to return to an adversary and a dilemma from several seasons past. Startrek.com,...
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS While the song soundtrack for Bruce Hunt's underground horrorshow, THE CAVE, is also on Lakeshore Records, I suggest you pass it by and grab the true score soundtrack instead. The sinewy orchestral strands that open the Johnny ...
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Available as a Region-3 DVD from Hong Kong, Jingle Ma's 2004 superhero spectacular, SILVER HAWK (FEI YING), stars Michele Yeoh as a crime fighting martial arts heroine hiding from a painful past and hoping the attentions of a w...
Months of acrimony between Viacom, Inc. and Chris-Craft, who jointly owned UPN until Viacom forced Chris-Craft to sell earlier in the year, came to a head this week when Chris-Craft shocked Viacom by revealing a deal with another media giant, Rupert Murdo...
Although American publishers have no problem churning out movie novelizations on time and en masse, some great genre literature is falling through the cracks, getting too little publicity or attention to garner the widespread praise it rightfully dese...
We got great response to my offhand musing in last week’s column about how folks use the DVD function of their gaming systems. Most readers that responded claim that they consider playing movies on their PS2, X-Box, or whatever, a terrific bonus. Some eve...