Zatoichi and the Shiny Silver Discs

This week's DVD peeve: UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OF THIS COLUMN MAY RESULT IN FINES AND/OR IMPRISONMENT BLAH BLAH BLAH... Many readers are mighty peeved at discs that don't allow you to skip over the lame FBI warning or any other material - at the start of a DVD.

Before Daredevil there was a much more popular and charismatic blind hero, the personable but deadly sword-wielding outlaw masseur Zatoichi! As played by the amazing Shintaro Katsu, Ichi darted his lightning cane sword across 26 feature films and a 100 episode TV series. April marks the 41^st anniversary of the first Zatoichi film, and aside from the new DVDs listed below, here's another way to celebrate: the Independent Film Channel (IFC) has been featuring films from the Zatoseries for over a year on their Samurai Saturdays program, and they'll be showing them again starting May 3, every Saturday, culminating in a Zatomarathon of the first 7 films on June 21. In addition, you can enter a sweepstakes at IFCTV.com to win DVD Zatobundles! Home Vision slices into the fun with three more volumes of their Zatoichi DVD series, each of which features newly translated English subtitles, sharp new digital transfers (16x9 enhanced), original theatrical trailers and reproductions of the original theatrical posters.

[ ] ZATOICHI AND THE CHEST OF GOLD (Home Vision) The series was really cracking along by the time of this sixth entry, which makes it a great place to get hooked in. Ichi gets involved in defending peasants from the schemes of a crooked village boss, clearing his name in a gold theft, delivering a little boy to safety, fighting off the bandits that really stole the gold, and meeting the challenge of a whip-weilding samurai (played by Katsu's brother. Tomisaburo Wakayama).

[ ] ZATOICHI'S FLASHING SWORD (Home Vision) Ichi is manipulated into using the title implement as the deciding factor in a battle between two yakuza gang lords, but when he learns that he's been used for evil ends, he comes back for more bloodshed.

[ ] FIGHT, ZATOICHI, FIGHT! (Home Vision)

THE CRAZIES

© 2003 Blue Underground

[ ] LONE WOLF & CUB 1: SWORD OF VENGEANCE (AnimEigo) Though today marks the street date of AnimeEigo's DVD of ZATOICHI MEETS YOJIMBO (previously available only directly), this week also marks the American DVD debut of the first incredible Lone Wolf & Cub movie! Wakayama stars in the film, produced by Katsu, which is based on the best-selling manga series about a betrayed royal executioner who takes his young son on the run with him in a tricky baby cart. While working as a freelance assassin, the Lone Wolf plots his revenge and defends himself from attackers in an awesome display of stylish ultraviolence!

[ ] BABYLON 5 The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.) All 22 episodes on 6 discs, 2 episode commentraks, featurettes and promos.

[ ] BOUNTY HUNTRESS 2 (Spectrum) Action sequel.

GAMERA 2: ADVENT OF LEGION

© 2003 ADV Films

[ ] THE CRAZIES

[ ] DIABOLICAL DR. Z (Mondo Macabro) Amazing and bizarre horror thriller from Jesus Franco. This DVD edition boasts an anamorphic transfer, trailers, gallery, lengthy production notes, and a documentary on the eccentric and prolific director.

[ ] ECHO OF BLUE (Pathfinder) Serial killer crime thriller.

[ ] FIST OF VENGEANCE (Crash) 1974 kung fu thriller with Yasuaki Kurata.

[ ] FIVE WIVES, THREE SECRETARIES & ME (Anchor Bay) A Houston trust fund brat hires a documentary crew to capture her eccentric and aged father.

[ ] GAMERA 2: ADVENT OF LEGION (ADV Films)

PATRICK STILL LIVES

© 2003 Media Blasters

[ ] ICEBREAKER (MTI) Bruce Campbell and Sean Astin star in this snowy mountaintop action adventure.

[ ] GLADIATOR SEVEN (VCI) 1962 Sword & Sandal adventure. Widescreen with trailer.

[ ] HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM (VCI) Delayed from last month. This 1959 British shocker makes for a much better trailer than a full feature. The performance of Michael Gough as a mad criminologist, who reproduces murders based on exhibits in London's Black Museum of crime, is the main attraction. Anamorphic widescreen, biographies, trailers.

[ ] JUNK (Unearthed Films) A gang of jewel thieves make a rendezvous with a fence, only to become trapped by an army of flesh-eating zombies! This gory Japanese horror/action flick makes its American debut right here.

[ ] KUNOICHI: LADY NINJA (Media Blasters) 7 ninja girls vs. the deadly Seven Spears.

[ ] LORD OF THE G-STRINGS: THE FEMALESHIP OF THE RING (E.I. Independent) A young throbbit holds the fate of Diddle Earth in this typically campy T&A fest from E.I.

[ ] MR. BEAN: The Whole Bean (A&E) Rowan Atkinson's complete classic comedy series in a box set. plus documentary, deleted scenes, trailer and gallery.

[ ] MY DEAR KILLER (Media Blasters) A hard-edged giallo thriller directed by Tonino Valerii.

[ ]

Two Evil Eyes

© 2003 Blue Underground

PATRICK STILL LIVES

[ ] SON OF THE BEACH: The Complete First Season (Fox) The defiantly dumb spoof of BAYWATCH comes to DVD in a 3-disc set, including audio commentary on several episodes, plus other special features.

[ ] TARGET EARTH (VCI) In this 1954 sci-fi epic, four people find themselves left behind in an evacuated city to face an invasion of robots from outer space (or at least one). Producer Herman Cohen provides a commentrak, plus a "video tribute" to Cohen and trailer.

[ ] THEY CALL ME BRUCE (Madacy) Comic Johnny Yune stars in this mild nonsense about a guy who idolizes Bruce Lee who gets mixed up with crooks.

[ ] TREASURE PLANET (Buena Vista) Disney's visually-engaging animated sci-fi version of TREASURE ISLAND. Includes commentrak, "visual commentary", deleted scenes, games and other features.

[ ] TRUTH OR DARE? (Sub Rosa) Tim Ritter's taught psychological horror low-budgeter gets a commentrak, trailers, Making Of, gallery and trivia game on DVD.

[ ] TWO EVIL EYES (Blue Underground) Two top horror directors tackle two Poe stories George Romero gives a somewhat disappointing telling of "Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", while Dario Argento casts Harvey Keitel in his own disturbingly effective version of "The Black Cat". [IMG7R]2-disc special edition includes trailers, galleries, interviews and other features.

[ ] WEREWOLF WOMAN (Media Blasters) Female empowerment werewolf revenge fantasy, now released for the first time in the USA in its full 115 minute version. Delayed from 3/25.

[ ] XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS - Season One (Anchor Bay) Lucy Lawless' immortal heroine, digitized for your pleasure in this 7-disc box set.

[ ] X-MEN: The Legend of Wolverine (Buena Vista) This special edition of an arc from the animated series tells the origin of Wolverine, along with commentrak by Stan Lee, an interview with X-writer Chris Claremont, plus a bonus episode.

And finally, we close off each weekly list with a rundown of the constant stream of anime imported from Japan:

[ ]

BABEL II #4: FALL OF THE TOWER

© 2003 Media Blasters

BABEL II #4: Fall of the Tower

[ ] DAGGER OF KAMUI (AnimEigo)

[ ] DRAGON BALL: The Path to Power (FUNimation) 10^th anniversary feature

[ ] GUN FRONTIER #1: Hopalong Harlock (Media Blasters)

[ ] .HACK//SIGN Ver. 01 Login (Bandai) Standard Version.

[ ] IDOL PROJECT #2: Final Concert (Media Blasters)

[ ] KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD TV Volumes 1-12 (AnimEigo) All available separately.

[ ] MAGIC USER'S CLUB: Magic Box (Media Blasters)

[ ] RAYEARTH (Manga) bilingual

[ ] STREETFIGHTER II V: The Collection (Manga) Box set of both volumes

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