USPS-DVD

By: Brian Thomas
Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2006

While visiting my local Post Office to send out packages from our Prize Closetr recently, I was surprised to find a new item available at the counter. DVDs! The U.S. Postal Inspection Service produced a series of public service films in the style of TV crime series called DELIVERING JUSTICE starting in 2003 which are now available free at Post Offices or this address:
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/dvdorder.htm

The series stars character actors Leigh Hill and Robert Pralgo (both of which can be seen in the monster movie VICIOUS) as dedicated Postal Inspectors. Episodes vary in length and, while not as flashy as CSI, boast slick techniques like shaky-cam and split screen to tell cautionary tales of scam artists using the mail in their schemes. "Long Shot" is a modest 8-minute episode about foreign lottery scams, while the 25-minute "Dialing for Dollars" has Hill's Inspector Niece fearing for the pension of her cancer-ridden father when he's approached by stock scamsters. There are five other discs available covering subjects as varied as internet fraud and identity theft. If the two I found are an indication, none of them are particularly thrilling. The TV movies about THE INSPECTORS starring Louis Gossett and Jonathan Silverman did a better job making Postal Inspectors seem exciting, but the aim of this series is warning the public about fraud, so I guess these DVDs accomplish their mission if they can get anybody to watch them.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK


With TCM: THE BEGINNING sitting at Number 2 at the box office, our spotlight falls on another link in the Sawyer family chain.

(O) TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (MGM/Fox) Some fans of Tobe Hooper's gritty 1974 horror classic were disappointed in this 1986 sequel, but I've always loved it for its gonzo spirit. Special "Gruesome" edition includes 2 commentraks, feature length Making-Of, interviews, featurettes, Tom Savini home movies, deleted footage and more.

NEW RELEASES


(O) ANDY MILONAKIS SHOW Complete Second Season (Paramount) Wow, he still looks like a kid. A crazy, crazy kid. Includes commentraks, unaired skits, outtakes and more.
(O) ARMY OF DARKNESS (Universal) DVD/HD-DVD flipper.
(O) ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL (Sony) What begins as a wicked satirical skewering of art schools becomes a farce about art itself involving a serial kiler with a great technique. With Making-Of, deleted footage, bloopers and more.
(O) THE A-TEAM Season Five (Universal) The final 13 adventures from 1986, plus interviews.
(O) THE AZTEC MUMMY COLLECTION (BCI Eclipse/Brentwood) The entire 1957 Mexican horror trilogy: ATTACK OF THE AZTEC MUMMY, CURSE OF THE AZTEC MUMMY and THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY.
(O) BABY BLOOD (Anchor Bay) Gory 1989 French horror in which a woman becomes a killer possessed by a creature in her uterus.
(O) BAD SANTA (Buena Vista) Third edition aleady of the 2005 Billy Bob Thornton/Terry Zwigoff comedy. Director's cut includes new commentrak, deleted footage, featurettes, outtakes and more.
(O) BIKINI GIRLS FROM THE LOST PLANET (Retromedia/Image) Latest version of the old story about lesbian aliens invading Earth in search of breeding males.
(O) BLACK DAHLIA (Lionsgate) Ulli Lommel's version of the 1947 unsolved murder. Includes commentrak.
(O) BLACK RAIN (Paramount) Special collector's edition of the 1989 Ridley Scott thriller starring Michael Douglas includes commentrak, Making-Of, featurettes and more.
(O) BRAIN TWISTERS / PRIME EVIL (BCI Eclipse) Crypt of Terror series
(O) THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT 2 (New Line) "Thematic" sequel to the 2004 hit has Eric Lively going back in time to save his girlfriend from a deadly car wreck. Includes commentrak, featurettes and more.
(O) THE CHARLES BAND DVD COLLECTION Volume 1 (Full Moon) Includes Band's MERIDIAN, CRASH AND BURN, DR. MORDRID and HEAD OF THE FAMILY.
(O) CINDERELLA 2000 (POPcinema) 1977 Al Adamson sexploiter puts the classic fairy tale in the far-off, far-out future year 2000. Also includes commentrak, the dirtier Euro-version, booklet and more.
(O) CLICK (Sony) Well-off executive Adam Sandler uses a magic remote control to find out he'll get richer at the cost of his family. It's all a dream. Opps gave it away! Includes commentrak, deleted footage, featurettes and more.
(O) COMPLETE BLACK COBRA SERIES (Alpha) Fred "Hammer" Williamson in the late '80s action trilogy.
(O) DEATH CAGE (Image) 1991 Hong Kong fight flick starring Robin Shou.
(O) DIVER DAN (Alpha) 15 episodes of the 1961 syndicated kids puppet adventure comedy serial about a deep sea diver and his underwater pals.
(O) DOLL GRAVEYARD (Full Moon) Yep, it's another killer toy movie from Full Moon.
(O) DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE (BCI Eclipse) Uncut edition of the repellent 1980 slasher flick. With interview and more.
(O) DON'T GO IN THE WOODS... ALONE (Code Red/Media Blasters) 1982 slasher vs. campers epic. Includes 2 commentraks, Making-Of, vintage talk show interview with the director and more.
(O) EASTERN HORROR 4 MOVIE SET (BCI Eclipse/Brentwood) 2-disc set includes VAMPIRE RESURRECTION, DEVIL SHADOW, CALAMITY OF SNAKES and DEVIL'S BOX.
(O) EDGE OF YOUR SEAT COLLECTION (Paramount) Includes DOUBLE JEOPARDY, KISS THE GIRLS and ALONG CAME A SPIDER.
(O) EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS First Season (Paramount) Chris Rock narrates stories of his childhood with the Rock Kids. Includes commentraks, deleted footage and featurettes.
(O) THE EXORCIST: The Complete Anthology (Warner Bros.) Now you can possess enough EXORCIST movies to make your head spin! Includes the original THE EXORCIST, EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC, EXORCIST 3 and EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING. Hmmm. That's hardly complete. Oh, and EXORCIST: DOMINION. Plus commentraks, Making-Of and more.
(O) FARSCAPE Starburst Edition Season 4 Collection 3 (ADV)
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (Universal) DVD/HD-DVD flipper.
(O) 5IVE GIRLS (Genius) Five Catholic schoolgirls with supernatural powers fight to escape from a demon possessed puritanical fascist academy hellbent on making proper young ladies out of them. Sory, make that "5ive" Catholic schoolgirls.
(O) GARFIELD: A TALE OF TWO KITTIES (Fox) An animated cat meets his British lookalike.
(O) GENTE DECENTE (Image) Chilean erotic thriller.
(O) GHOST OF MAE NAK (Tartan) Ghost story based on a well known Thai legend starring pop star/model Pataratida Pacharawirapong. Excuse me, folks my spellcheck triers to strangle me every time I list a Thai movie. Includes wacky blooper reel!
(O) JU-ON 2 (Lionsgate) Original Japanese sequel to the original Japanese version of THE GRUDGE.
(O) KAZUO UMEZZ'S HORROR THEATER 3 (Media Blasters) Includes Christmas episode.
(O) KINKY KONG (POPcinema) The makers of PLAYMATE OF THE APES get simian again. Includes booklet, behind-the-scenes and mail-in offer for a bonus DVD.
(O) MAGNUM P.I. Complete Fifth Season (Universal) Every Season 5 episode plus a bonus show from Season 6.
(O) MONSTER NIGHT (Anchor Bay) On Halloween, a teenage boy who is grounded and forced to baby-sit his brother and sister discovers, along with his siblings, that his house is haunted.
(O) MPD-PSYCHO Complete Miniseries (BCI Eclipse/Brentwood) Takashi Miike's TV production about a homicide detective with multiple personalities.
(O) THE MUNSTERS: AMERICA'S FIRST FAMILY OF FRIGHT (Image) Documentary on the sitcom favorite.
(O) NUMB3RS Complete Second Season (Paramount) All 24 episodes, plus commentraks, bloopers and more.
(O) REDS (Paramount) Special 25th anniversary edition of Warren Beatty's Oscar winning epic about a journalist who gets involved in the Russian revolution. With Making-Of feature.
(O) SAN FRANPSYCHO (Image) Serial killer thriller with Joe Estevez and Todd Bridges. Includes outtakes.
(O) SANTA CLAWS (POPcinema) 10th anniversary edition of John Russo's el cheapo holiday horror includes new interviews and booklet. And yes, it's too early.
(O) SCRUBS Complete Fourth Season (Buena Vista) The 2004 season, plus commentraks, featurettes, interviews, deleted footage and more.
(O) SIMON & SIMON Season 1 (Universal) Jameson Parker and Gerald McRaney in this dull 1981 detective series.
(O) SKEETER (Image) Insect menace.
(O) STUART GORDON PRESENTS (Full Moon) Includes PIT & THE PENDULUM, CASTLE FREAK and DEATH BED.
(O) SUBSPECIES: The Epic Collection (Full Moon) Charles Band's SUBSPECIES series, a revision of common vampire folklore, is better than his usual fare, and has a sizeable following. Includes all four entries plus THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
(O) SUPERSTITION (Anchor Bay) A witch put to death in 1692 swears vengeance on her persecutors and returns to the present day to punish their descendants.
(O) TIKI (Retromedia/Image) A Hawaiian girl gets revenge on evil schoolmates with the help of a killer tiki.
(O) TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL: The John Hughes Collection (Paramount) Includes PRETTY IN PINK, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF and SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL.
(O) TOXIE'S BLOOD BANK (Troma/BCI Eclipse) 10-disc set includes BEYOND EVIL, CHILLERS, NIGHTMARE WEEKEND, MOMMY'S EPITAPH, PLAY DEAD, DEATH BY DIALOGUE, NIGHTFALL, SCREAM BABY SCREAM, EVIL CLUTCH and HORROR OF THE HUNGRY HUMUNGOUS HUNGAN.
(O) TOXIE'S TOP TEN (Troma/BCI Eclipse) Includes CROAKED, CURSE OF THE CANNIBAL CONFEDERATES, DEAD DUDES IN THE HOUSE, DEADLY DAPHNE'S REVENGE, DEMENTED DEATH FARM MASSACRE, FERTILIZE THE BLASPHEMING BOMBSHELL, THE NEWLYDEADS, SPACE ZOMBIE BINGO, STUFF STEPHANIE IN THE INCINERATOR and VIDEO DEMONS DO PSYCHOTOWN.
(O) TRANCERS BOX SET (Full Moon) Comedian Tim Thomerson found cult stardom as time traveling bounty hunter Jack Deth in this five part franchise, the first two of which costarred a young Helen Hunt. Includes behind-the-scenes featurettes.
(O) VERMILION PLEASURE NIGHT Volume 3: Creme De La Crème (ADV) More madness from late night Japanese TV.
(O) WAIST DEEP (Universal) Ex-con Tyrese Gibson is determined to go straight, but goes on an action-packed rescue mission across the ghetto when his son is kidnapped by gangsters. Includes deleted footage, music video and featurettes.
(O) WITCHERY (Media Blasters) 1988 chiller with David Hasselhoff, Catherine Hickland and Linda Blair investigate an evil witch in a haunted hotel.
(O) WONDER SHOWZEN Season 2 (Paramount) Puppet, live-action and animated segments combine in a bizarro parody of SESAME STREET that uncovers the ugly truth behind society's façade. Enjoy! Includes commentraks, outtakes, activities, games and more. It's entertainment, and by golly, it hurts plenty!

HD-DVD CORNER

(O) ARMY OF DARKNESS (Universal) DVD/HD-DVD flipper.
(O) BATMAN BEGINS (Warner Bros.) Includes video commentrak, Making-Of featurettes and more.
(O) CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Warner Bros.) Includes commentrak, Making-Of featurettes and much more.
(O) FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (Universal) DVD/HD-DVD flipper.
(O) WAIST DEEP (Universal) DVD/HD-DVD flipper. Includes deleted footage, music video and featurettes.
(O) WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Warner Bros.) With commentrak, Making-Of, sing-alongs and more.

BLU-RAY DISC CORNER

(O) AEON FLUX (Paramount) Includes two commentraks, Making-Of, deleted footage and more.
(O) CLICK (Sony) Includes commentrak, Making-Of, deleted footage and more.
(O) 16 BLOCKS (Warner Bros.) Includes commentrak, deleted footage and more.
(O) SYRIANA (Warner Bros.)

UMD CORNER

(O) CLICK (Sony)


And 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 (© 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 DVDShoppingList@cinescape.com.