THE BLAIR THUMB
© 2002 Image Entertainment

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Video This Week: Jan. 22nd

VIDEO NEWS

If you happened to catch a trailer for Columbia's 2001: A SPACE TRAVESTY not long before Christmas, you'll be happy to know you can save a few bucks on the Leslie Nielson spoof. Columbia has just announced the film which features the NAKED GUN star as a bumbling cop in the near future - will be released directly to video 3/19. The trailer seemed to take place in a near future, but featured a Bill Clinton impersonator as the president in peril whom the plot revolves around. Of course, the really attentive Vidiot not only saved the cost of a theatre ticket but also a video rental and caught the film's premiere last week on the Sci Fi Channel.

Paramount has recently announced that they will not only be soon releasing the first season of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, but that all seven years worth of episodes will arrive on DVD within the next 15 months. The first season's seven-disc set will feature four episodes per disc plus a disc with various documentaries on the series and members of the cast and crew discussing various episodes and events. It is expected the sets for years two through seven will follow a similar format.

Ask a

George Romero's classic DAWN OF THE DEAD

© 2001 Laurel Group

As if that's not enough, Anchor Bay told patrons at a recent Fangoria convention that they'll be releasing a three-disc set of DAWN OF THE DEAD, which will feature all three cuts of the film (U.S. release, European release and the director's cut) along with commentary tracks and more. It ought to be one hell of a deal.

NEW RELEASES OF NOTE

THE 6^TH DAY special edition is yet another example of one of my pet peeves at the moment. Studios that release basic version DVDs and then turn around a few months later and release the same title with extra features in order to get fans to buy the same movie twice. It's hard for me to imagine anyone who is that big a fan of this mediocre Schwarzenegger action/sci-fi tale, but I'm sure there's somebody. For the record, the special edition features nine behind-the-scenes featurettes, a Showtime special on the film, some storyboard to film comparisons, a couple of animatics and a few lesser extras. It seems eminently resistible to me.

THE BLAIR THUMB special edition is the latest in director Steve (KUNG POW! ENTER THE FIST) Oedekerk's insane "Thumb" film series. Like THUMB WARS, this is a truly wacky retelling of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, with all the characters replaced by human thumbs featuring tiny, animated face. Words simply don't do justice to the lunacy of this concept, but trust me that Oedekerk delivers an imaginative and amusing variation on the infamous BLAIR WITCH story, which should entertain fans and foes of that film alike. The special edition features storyboards and a few outtakes.

HARVESTERS is an ultra-low budget, shot-on-video tale that marks the return of '80s outlaw moviemaker godfather Don Dohler. This one is a thinly veiled remake of Dohler's little seen BLOOD MASSACRE, with that film's zombie flesh-eaters replaced by a family whose business involves killing people and harvesting their organs for sale. This one boasts a much stronger cast than most such features, gruesomely effective gore sequences and a surprising and very twisted ending. If you enjoy checking out outlaw efforts like this, HARVESTERS just might surprise you.

KISS OF

THE BLAIR THUMB

© 2002 Image Entertainment

ROCK STAR is one of those big budget, high concept Hollywood projects that looked like it couldn't fail. You just pair up-and-coming hunk Mark Wahlberg with TV super-cutie Jennifer Aniston in a plot about a starving, bar band musician who suddenly finds himself lead singer in one of the hottest bands in the world. The producers could have gone several ways with the concept - wild, raunchy and fun or dark, destructive and demented or even the rise, fall and reborn method of countless BEHIND THE MUSIC episodes. All of which could have worked just fine. Instead, they went with a sappy love story and a dull film. What's worse, Aniston keeps her clothes on. A real misfire, making it two duds in a row for the likeable Wahlberg.

VENOMOUS is the latest offering in the ongoing "Lizard Cinema" that has been so popular of late. While most of them feature oversize snakes or lizards, this one delivers conventional looking rattlesnakes which happen to carry a deadly, communicable disease in their bite. While this won't make anyone forget the great snake movies of the past... wait a minute, there are no great snake movie! VENOMOUS is a solid little B film that should satisfy most viewers. And don't miss CINESCAPE's talk with the film's director on how he made a snake movie that doesn't bite (check the link below).

EASER EGG HUNT

I caught a little fan-flak for my praise of JEEPERS CREEPERS in last week's column, but even those who hated the film should appreciate the hidden goodies the DVD REVIEW website uncovered on the film's disc. On the movie side of the DVD, if you highlight "Languages" and then press "Left," you'll highlight a piece of rope. Press "Enter" and you'll get an alternate menu featuring the "Creeper Eye." In addition, if you select "Special Features" and then "Cast & Crew" and then select "Victor Salva" and press "Up" you'll highlight a streak of blood and access a scene from the movie which features a cameo by director Salva. Lastly, if you choose "Scene Selections" and then highlight "Chapter 1-4" and press "Up," you'll highlight a stitch which will offer a short interview with writer Richard Matheson, whose classic DUEL has been cited by many as having inspired JEEPERS CREEPERS' opening moments.

SPECIAL GUEST STAR

Veteran, and

VENOMOUS director Fred Olen Ray

© Fred Olen Ray - AIP

"We'd had a lot of interest from people wanting to license HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS and EVIL TOONS, but I own something like 18 films and I wanted to sell the whole lot, but the offers weren't good enough," he says. "So, I told my wife, I'm going to start a little DVD company. I didn't want to run out of titles overnight, so I also began acquiring other people's movies. It's all stuff that I would want to see, and I'm hoping others will want to see them too."

So far, Ray's company has released forgotten curiosities like THE CREMATORS, better off forgotten dreck like TEENAGE ZOMBIES and J. R. Bookwalter's recently produced WITCHOUSE 3: DEMONFIRE, as well as Ray's own EVIL TOONS and others. Some of the discs contain fun extras such as an interview with CREMATORS star Maria De Aragon, or behind-the-scenes material on EVIL TOONS. In addition, many offer Ray's NIGHT OWL THEATER, whose inspiration he shared with us.

"For a lot of years I sort of had an identity thing that I wrestled with," he says. "I wanted to be taken seriously as a director, so I kept my love of old films and cheesy cheap films a personal thing. I didn't want it to reflect on me as a filmmaker. But when we started Retromedia, I wanted to have a host, because I always loved the old Horror Hosts. My wife told me that I ought to be the host and make it a caricature of what people think my life is like. So, when I walk in the door there's chicks in negligees lighting my cigars and others doing chores and cleaning my house naked. The trick was that I insisted she come on too as a cartoon version of my wife. We've had a lot of fun doing them and I really hope people are enjoying them."

Upcoming titles from Retromedia will include KING DINOSAUR, THE BRIDE AND THE BEEAST, THE GIANT SPIDER INVASTION, KONG ISLAND and Don Dohler's first film, THE ALIEN FACTOR. Ray also plans on producing a few new titles exclusively for the label. Up first, 13 EROTIC GHOSTS, in 3-D no less. I don't know about you guys, but I can hardly wait.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Next week: Eddie Murphy takes a bite out of crime and a bit out of Angela Bassett. Disney gets all wet and Bill Murray has the longest day of his life. Be there.

Vidiocy is our weekly Video & DVD column.