Warhol horrors come to DVD

By: BRIAN THOMAS
Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2005

In the Prize Closet this week we have one copy of MALLRATS to give away. Okay, some of you may think that's extremely lame. Many folks consider MALLRATS slightly below JERSEY GIRL on the Kevin Smith filmography, and you might not think it worth opening the prize closet at all just for one prize. Personally, I've always considered it an attempt by Smith to carefully expand the scope of his projects, going from the strip mall in CLERKS to a bigger shopping environment with more characters while not straying from the slacker comedy venue. Too many young directors jump from college films and music videos straight into overwhelming hundred million dollar projects where they're only following storyboards commissioned by the producers, and it's nice to see that some are still concerned about honing their craft. Plus, this 10th anniversary disc holds a special expanded version of MALLRATS (Oooh! Expanded!), so there's some stuff on there you haven't seen before. So I want this prize to go to somebody that really likes the movie. The reader who sends me an email at psycho@psychotronic.info containing their mailing address and their best defense of MALLRATS gets it. I'll even print the winning entry here, thereby honoring the effort and saving myself some work on an upcoming column. Please put the word "JAY" in the subject line for identification purposes, too.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Both these Italian-made pictures garnered great publicity by tacking on Andy Warhol's name. Warhol had nothing to do with them, really, but they're both great fun nonetheless.

(O) BLOOD FOR DRACULA (Criterion) Paul Morrissey's outrageous 1974 take on the vampire legend has Udo Kier as a whimpering Count desperately seeking the blood of virgins, only to be foiled again and again by deflowering gardener Joe Dellesandro. With commentrak, interviews and more.
(O) FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN (Criterion) Paul Morrissey and Udo Kier return for a sexy and funny 1974 take on the Frankenstein legend, originally in 3-D. With commentrak, interviews, screen tests and more.

NEW RELEASES

(O) ADVENTURES OF SHARK BOY AND LAVA GIRL (Buena Vista) Robert

Rodriguez' superhero fantasy for kids. Includes director commentrak, Making-Of, and both 2-D and 3-D versions of the feature. The only question is: Did they steal the 3-D idea from the latest Barbie DVD, released today also? The answer: No.
(O) AFTER MIDNIGHT (MGM) A wacky college psychology professor tries to scare his students with three spooky stories.
(O) ANDROMEDA Season 5 Collection 1 (ADV) Kevin Sorbo is trapped in a vortex. First 5 season 5 episodes, plus featurettes, bloopers and more.
(O) BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Season One (Universal) The hit Sci-Fi Channel revival in a 4-hour miniseries. Includes commentraks, featurettes, deleted footage and more.
(O) BLUE DEMON (First Look) No, this has nothing to do with the famous Mexican wrestler and crimefighter. It's a shark movie about Great Whites who are trained to defend our offshore borders, but when a crazy general lets them loose, they don't know you from Ossama.
(O) CHINESE EROTIC GHOST STORY (Tai Seng) A spirit rewards an ugly scholar with physical beauty, changing his life forever.
(O) COLD BLOOD (Heretic) A widower tries to flee his grief by visiting his sister's farm, but finds there's a lot of people way too interested in his late wife.
(O) COLOUR OF THE TRUTH (Tai Seng) Anthony Wong and Lau Ching-wan in a police action thriller.
(O) DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (Buena Vista) Whimsical soap hit. Includes extended episodes, commentraks, alternate season ending, Making-Of, featurettes and more.
(O) DIE MONSTER DIE! / THE DUNWICH HORROR (MGM) A Midnight Movies double feature.
(O) DOLLS (MGM) Folks get trapped in a spooky mansion with an old couple that collect dolls. I know, that's scary enough as it is. Includes two commentraks with director Stuart Gordon, cast and writer, plus storyboards.
(O) DON'T BE A MENACE (TO SOUTH CENTRAL WHILE DRINKING YOUR JUICE IN THE HOOD) (Buena Vista) Special unrated edition of the Wayan Bros. spoof of urban hip-hop ghetto gangster flicks. With behind-the-scenes, deleted footage and more.
(O) THE FALLEN ONES (Anchor Bay) Casper Van Dien, Kristen Miller and Robert Wagner uncover the tomb of a gigantic mummy. A fallen angel re-animated it as part of an apocalyptic scheme. Extra points to this one for realizing the plot can't be taken seriously and having some fun with it. Includes commentrak, Making-Of, animatics, screenplay and more.
(O) FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM (MGM) 1987 horror anthology with Vincent Price.
(O) FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON (HBO) New special edition of the 1998 12-hour miniseries about NASA's Apollo missions, plus featurettes and more.
(O) GONE IN 60 SECONDS (BCI/Halicki) The original 1974 car chase classic, now in a pimped out special collectors edition that includes remastered audio & video, commentrak, interviews, featurettes, a DVD-ROM game and collectible license plate frame.
(O) GONE IN 60 SECONDS (BCI/Halicki) UMD
(O) GRIMM (Home Vision) A brother and sister journey to Spain to live with their uncle in a surreal landscape full of odd characters. With commentrak, interviews, bonus shorts and more.
(O) HILL'S TRINITY (Vintage) Hit spaghetti western comedies: THEY CALL ME TRINITY, TRINITY IS STILL MY NAME and BOOT HILL.
(O) THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS (MGM) 1982 horror has Doug McClure and Susan George moving into a haunted Japanese house decades before THE GRUDGE.
(O) THE HOWLING 2: YOUR SISTER IS A WEREWOLF (MGM) All the HOWLING sequels are pretty bad. This one at least has Christopher Lee trying to stop the schemes of werewolf queen Sybil Danning.
(O) INSIDE DEEP THROAT (HBO/Universal) Documentary probes the making and meaning of the iconic '70s shag flick. In edited R-rated and NC-17 deluxe edition that comes with commentrak and numerous featurettes.
(O) JACK O'LANTERN (Lions Gate) A man's returning memories of a deadly accident uncover dark secrets.
(O) LADY IN WHITE (MGM) Pretty good 1988 chiller about a small town boy investigating ghostly doings at his school.
(O) THE LONGEST YARD (Paramount) If you'll buy Adam Sandler as an NFL quarterback, you might buy the rest of this remake which puts him in prison organizing a team to play against the guards. Fullscreen & widescreen editions include director commentrak, deleted footage, music video and more.
(O) MALLRATS (Universal) 10th anniversary edition includes the original and extended versions of Kevin Smith's comedy. And YOU could win it!
(O) MARTIN & ORLOFF (Anchor Bay) Members of the hilarious NYC comedy team Upright Citizens Brigade in their first feature (with some help from some Second City players), in which suicide attempter Ian Roberts is subjected to the offbeat therapy of Matt Walsh. Includes commentrak, alternate ending, deleted scenes, bloopers and more.
(O) THE MASTER KILLER COLLECTION (Tai Seng) 3-pack of kung fu greats starring Gordon Lau: FISTS & GUTS, SHAOLIN DRUNKEN MONK and WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN, all with commentraks.
(O) MIDNIGHT (Lions Gate) Above average 1982 hitchhiker in distress thriller from John Russo, writer of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Watch it beforeAFTER MIDNIGHT.
(O) MINDHUNTERS (Buena Vista/Dimension) Whodunit in which a training mission for FBI profilers is infiltrated by a psycho killer. Is it Val Kilmer? LL Cool J? Christian Slater? Includes commentrak from director Renny Harlin, featurettes and more.
(O) NED AND STACEY First Season (Sony) Strangers Thomas Hayden Church and Debra Messing get married for business reasons in this popular sitcom. 24 episodes on 3 discs, plus commentraks and retrospective featurette.
(O) NIGHT VISITOR (MGM) Richard Roundtree teams up with Eliott Gould to solve some occult murders in this 1989 horror.
(O) PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO / THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (MGM) Two post-apocalypse horror tales from the early 1960s.
(O) PENN & TELLER'S MAGIC & MYSTERY TOUR (Acorn) The masters of illusion hit the road to discover the roots of their trade. Includes additional footage.
(O) PINOCCHIO'S REVENGE (Lions Gate) Psycho marionette.
(O) PUMPKINHEAD 2: BLOOD WINGS (Lions Gate) Inferior sequel, plus director commentrak and featurette.
(O) RAZOR BLADE SMILE (Anchor Bay) Promising but pretentious 1998 UK vampire epic. Includes commentrak, featurettes, outtakes, deleted footage and more.
(O) THE RESURRECTED (Lions Gate) Decent 1992 horror from Dan O'Bannon with a real Lovecraftian atmosphere.
(O) SCARY MOVIE 3.5 (Buena Vista/Dimension) For all those that have been yearning for an unrated version of this comedy. Includes commentrak, deleted footage, outtakes, bloopers, Making-Of and alternate ending.
(O) SEVEN DEATHS IN A CAT'S EYE (Dagored/Koch) Corpses keep turning up in a Scottish village. Is a cat responsible? 1973 Antonio Margheriti giallo horror, aka LA MORTE NEGLI OCCHI DEL GATTO.
(O) SPECIES COLLECTION (MGM) All three movies, lots of extras, and a bonus disc with even more.
(O) SS CAMP WOMEN'S HELL (Exploitation) 1977 Italian WIP flick.
(O) SWAMP THING (MGM) Re-release of the hobbled Wes Craven comics adaptation.
(O) TALES OF TERROR / TWICE TOLD TALES (MGM) Two American International horror anthologies with Vincent Price.
(O) THREE SWORDSMEN (Tai Seng) Andy Lau, Brigitte Lin and Elvis Tsui star in this lavish 1994 swordplay costume action comedy.
(O) UNHUMAN (Tai Seng) Students investigating a meteor shower face a killer alien monster in this Thai horror.
(O) VOODOO ISLAND / FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (MGM) Two late '50s horrors one with Boris Karloff.
(O) WAR GODS OF THE DEEP / AT THE EARTH'S CORE (MGM) A soggy thriller with Vincent Price teamed with a campy Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation with Peter Cushing.
(O) WITCHES OF THE CARRIBBEAN (Image) David DeCoteau's tale of a teen who fears she's a reincarnated witch.
(O) WITCHES OF THE CARRIBBEAN (Image) UMD
(O) XTRO (Image) When his father returns after a mysterious absence, a boy fears that pop might not be human. 1983 cult fave includes featurette, alternate ending and more.

And be sure to check back next weekand every weekfor CINESCAPE's DVD Shopping List!

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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