Santa Claus
© Wellspring
Xmas Shopping List
By: BRIAN THOMASDate: Tuesday, December 12, 2006
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 edition out of a bargain bin at a low price. However, the labels are way ahead of you. They put out all of them in new packaging every year and keep the price at the level of a new release. Merry messing Xmas.
In the same vein, that wonderfully odd 1960 Mexican Santa Claus movie seems to be trapped in limbo. This crazy flick, distributed to US matinees by K. Gordon Murray throughout the ‘60s, picked up a lot of fans when it was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. It was given a DVD release on Wellspring in 2004, followed by many dollar DVD knock-offs and DVD-R bootlegs of varying quality. But like many of those Murray-distributed titles, it was withdrawn due to legal action by the Mexican studios, which have been very active in protecting their old libraries the past few years. You can still find it up for auction at inflated prices (watch those shipping charges!), but you might end up with a blurry to unwatchable copy. I’m hoping Casa Negra has it on their slate for a deluxe presentation, but for now I guess this is A Year Without A Santa Claus.
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Those that attended last month’s After Dark Horrorfest and/or read my blog reports on same all wondered when these nine indie flicks would receive their DVD release. Well here’s the scoop: plans are in place to send forth seven of these horrors all on the same day! Lionsgate will issue Unrest, The Hamiltons, Penny Dreadful, Gravedancers, Dark Ride, Reincarnation, and Wicked Little Things on March 27. I recommend the first four at least. As for the other two titles, we’ll all get a chance for another look at them early next year. Xenon/Vivendi will release the DVD of Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horrors on March 6, which he will no doubt be promoting if he can keep out of jail. Nacho Cerda’s The Abandoned will be receiving another limited theatrical run starting on January 12 from Freestyle Releasing.
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
By now, we all know that we can expect to see the entire 007 library re-released in some format every time a new movie is released. And every year or so in between. And it’ll be better than the ones you already have.
(O) JAMES BOND ULTIMATE COLLECTION Volume 3 (MGM) When the first two volumes of these 007 box sets came out, a reader who worked on the transfers wrote in to tell me that Sony retained rights to MGM’s Bond franchise, but these boxes bear the Fox logo. Whatever, each collection is a hit & miss grouping of titles from various 007 eras. Includes From Russia With Love, For Your Eyes Only, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Live and Let Die and Goldeneye in deluxe 2-disc editions.
(O) JAMES BOND ULTIMATE COLLECTION Volume 4 (MGM) Includes Dr. No, You Only Live Twice, Moonraker, Octopussy and Tomorrow Never Dies in deluxe 2-disc editions.
NEW RELEASES
CAVE OF THE SILKEN WEB © Image THE KUMITE © Lionsgate TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY © Sony
(O) AIR BUDDIES (Buena Vista) The adorable talking offspring of canine sports star Bud have an adventure with Don Knotts and Michael Clark Duncan.
(O) ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW Complete Final Season (Paramount) The series ends in 1967 on a disturbing note, as Andy discovers the bodies in Goober’s cellar. Also available in a complete series mega-bundle.
(O) BLACK ANGEL 1 / BLACK ANGEL 2 / PISTOL OPERA (Media Blasters) Takashi Ishii’s crime drama trilogy.
(O) BLACK DEMONS / THE OGRE / THE OTHER HELL (Media Blasters) Eurohorror “Demons Triple Feature”.
(O) CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Extended Edition (Buena Vista) Look, they spent a lot of money on this fantasy epic, so you’re going to have a 4-disc extended edition and you’re going to like it. Includes three commentraks, Making-Of feature documentary, featurettes, bloopers, trivia, booklet and more. Also available in a gift set with bookends.
(O) THE CIRCLE (Tai Seng) Chinese supernatural thriller.
(O) COOL DIMENSIONS: Innocent Assassin (Geneon) A career assassin tries to quit the biz.
(O) A DEAD CALLING (Lionsgate) Devil’s Rejects stars Sid Haig, Leslie Easterbrook and Bill Moseley reteamed for a haunted house supernatural thriller. Includes commentrak.
(O) THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (Fox) Insider novel skewers fashion industry. Movie adaptation embraces same in exchange for access to locations, guest stars and costumes. Widescreen and “fullscreen” editions include commentrak, featurettes and deleted footage.
(O) DOC HOLLYWOOD / MR. WONDERFUL / MICHAEL (Warner Bros.) Angelic John Travolta falls to earth, plus two other comedies that just have to be better.
(O) EYE FOR TERROR (Fat Cat/Tempe) Five features on four discs: Bonesetter Returns, Final Curtain, Hell Asylum, Satanic Yuppies and Shock Cinema Volume 1 & 2.
(O) FLOWER AND SNAKE 2 (Media Blasters) Disturbing Japanese thriller about a couple exploring the darker side of their sexuality.
(O) GALACTICON (Tapeworm) 25th anniversary “look back” at Battlestar Galactica.
(O) GOMER PYLE USMC Complete First Season (Paramount) Mayberry village idiot Jim Nabors joins the Marines in this 1964 sitcom. All 30 episodes on five discs, plus commentraks, pilot, interview and more.
(O) JOHN WAYNE IN COLOR (Genius) Colorized versions of the early Wayne oaters Stolen Goods, Gold Strike River and An Innocent Man.
(O) THE LAST BOY SCOUT / DEAD-BANG / ACTION JACKSON (Warner Bros.) Action triple bill.
(O) LIVING DEATH (Lionsgate) Kristy Swanson’s brutally violent husband goes into a deep coma and is thought dead. When he wakes up, he comes hunting for her.
(O) MARKED FOR DEATH (Fox) 1990 Steven Seagal action romp.
(O) MASTERS OF HORROR: Fair Haired Child (Anchor Bay) In William Malone’s entry, a couple abducts a girl to sacrifice in a black magic ceremony to resurrect their dead son. With commentrak, interviews, featurettes, scripts and more. ABE reports they’ve sold a million DVDs in the Masters of Horror series.
(O) NINJA VIXENS: Crimson Blades (Geneon)
(O) NINJA VIXENS: Devilish Angels (Geneon)
(O) NINJA VIXENS: Flame of Seduction (Geneon)
(O) NINJA VIXENS: Vixen Dropouts (Geneon) Japanese sex & violence martial arts fantasy series.
(O) SHAFT / SHAFT’S BIG SCORE / SHAFT IN AFRICA (Warner Bros.) Richard Roundtree is the Man.
(O) SOMEONE BEHIND THE DOOR (Lionsgate) Unusual 1971 French psychological thriller in which Dr. Anthony Perkins’ wife Jill Ireland leaves him for another man, and he tries to convince amnesiac patient Charles Bronson that he’s the one she left so he’ll get revenge for him.
(O) STACKED Complete Series (Fox) Another show for Pamela Anderson. This time she’s a “reformed party girl” who gets a job in a book store. Yep, that’s the premise. Includes five episodes unaired before the show got the hook. Not everything with Pam’s name (and chest) on it sells. Now maybe if she hadn’t struggled so much and married Borat…
(O) THIS FILTHY WORLD (Red Envelope) John Waters doing stand-up, live from New York. Available exclusively via Netflix.com.
(O) TOO TIRED TO DIE (Tai Seng) Mira Sorvino stars as Death in this Hong Kong drama and tells Takeshi Kaneshiro he has 12 hours to live.
(O) ULTIMATE FIGHT (Tai Seng) 2004 Hong Kong kung fu action directed by Tony Leung Siu-hung.
(O) WONDER SHOWZEN Gift Set (Paramount) Seasons 1 & 2 in a special lunchbox.
(O) WORLD TRADE CENTER (Paramount) Nicolas Cage is one of the heroic New York firemen on 9/11/01 in Oliver Stone’s reenactment. Widescreen and “fullscreen” editions include deleted footage and commentrak from Stone and actual participants. Special edition adds on a second disc with Making-Of, featurettes and more.
BLU-RAY DISC CORNER
(O) KUNG FU HUSTLE (Sony)
(O) TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (Sony) Unrated edition.
(O) WORLD TRADE CENTER (Paramount) Includes director commentrak, Making-Of, interviews, deleted footage, featurettes and more.
HD-DVD CORNER
(O) FIELD OF DREAMS (Universal) DVD combo. With commentrak, featurettes, roundtable and more.
(O) HULK (Universal) With commentrak and featurettes.
(O) WORLD TRADE CENTER (Paramount) Includes director commentrak, Making-Of, interviews, deleted footage, featurettes and more.
UMD CORNER
(O) TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (Sony)
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!
