The fact that this is captured in his new three-disc set from WWE Home Entertainment, “The Life Story of the Dragon” proves that it is a success, but several missteps along the way make it a DVD that isn’t as special as his storied career was.

The main reason why the documentary section of this collection falls flat at times is because Steamboat himself is such a decent person. Make no mistake about it, Steamboat does not have the dangerous past of Jake Roberts or the inspiring story of Brian Pillman. Instead, he’s just an extremely hard worker that carved his own path to success. Hearing his story, you’ll understand he wasn’t like anyone else in the business. However, it’s not the most entertaining story told and as a result, you’ll prefer to watch some of the excellent matches featured on discs two and three rather than hearing the Steamer discuss his life.

Nevertheless, while the dozen or so matches are chock full of drama, featuring everyone from “Cowboy” Bob Orton, Roberts, Ric Flair and Rick Rude, there’s no reason why some of his earlier matches with Flair, before he went to the WWE, shouldn’t have been included.

As well, many of the matches are long and of the epic variety. The fact that Steamboat doesn’t and never did exactly have a finishing move doesn’t help the pacing of some of these matches, which while being a testament to his prowess in the ring, don’t exactly have as much action as you’d like.

It’s almost impossible to knock any match the guy participated in, but after seeing what feels like three dozen knife-edge chops in a match, it doesn’t take Mike Tenay to tell you these matches haven’t aged as well as they could have.

Nevertheless, after watching, you’ll see what an impact Steamboat had on a business he never exactly fit into.

Because of that, the set is worthy addition to any WWE fans’ DVD library, even if it isn’t as enjoyable as it could have been.

Link to ‘Riding Free’ song in PSYCOMANIA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjW81M3sO68

Link to Harvey Andrews interview and playing ‘Riding Free’ song today: http://vimeo.com/13151322

Masterfully directed by Mike Hartman (DETROIT BLOOD CITY), HEAVY MENTAL comes with tons of hardcore features, including Hartman’s commentary and a behind-the-scenes special. Prepare to be rocked with mind-blowing FX, head-banging action, suspense, violence and one killer soundtrack, all on Amazon.com!

Bauval was born in Egypt but he, himself, is not an Egyptian. In order to have the title of Egyptian, one must be of Egyptian blood. Bauval is of Persian ancestry.

Bauval grow up in a family of carpenters and construction workers, but he always had an interest in the Egyptian history and started his quest into the unknown with a trip to the Cairo museum and to the infamous three pyramids. He noticed right off the bat that only two of the three were perfectly aligned. The third was a little offset. For years, he wondered why until he took a look up at the night sky and saw the constellation of Orion. The alignment of the pyramids matched up with Orion’s belt, two stars are evenly aligned and the third is offset. The pyramids and the Orion constellation are not the only coincidence that Egypt has to offer.

A few years later, Bauval had another encounter with outer space and Egyptian monuments. The notable memorial of the Sphinx was his next major discovery. Bauval uncovered that the Sphinx faces the constellation of Leo, the lion. Bauval concluded that the Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs had a desire to ascend back into the heavens; we are now learning that building their monuments to face certain areas in the night sky were their approach to achieving that desire.

The film also beings up the issue that many people attempt to avoid which is the reason behind the existence of the human race. Examining this could be grounds for an uncomfortable discussion or of people attempted to discover answers from things that are external from the human body. Bauval believes that the human race may never discover or truly understand their purpose of being here.

In Gardiner film, Bauval is the only person being interviewed in what looks to be a hotel room and the interview is accompanied by photographs of real Egyptian artifacts and graphic designs, which are borderline amateur, to full empty space throughout the interview. As a result, it’s lacking the credibility needed to be taken  as seriously as it should.

If you are looking for information on the history and mysteries of Ancient Egypt, you might want to give this documentary a once over. However, considering the bland presentation and lack of charismatic information sharing, this isn’t a production for everyone.

DEAD EYES OPEN boasts a special appearance by the legendary George A. Romero. Shot in a style that pays homage to the raw and terrifying horror flicks of the ‘70s, this film is loaded with special features including a behind-the-scenes slideshow and a German-language version.

Watch for it on Amazon.com!

For that reason alone, “Allied Powers: The World’s Greatest Tag Teams” is a must own for any hardcore fan of the sport.

Nevertheless, those same fans may be a bit upset with the final product, which in spite of being chock-full of content (nine hours on three DVDs) misses the mark at times, partly thanks to shoddy match segways and the exclusion of several great teams.

For one, the pre-match banter from The Miz and John Morrison is extremely annoying. While they have their moments, listening to them constantly refer to themselves as the greatest tag team gets tiresome quickly. While no one would ever doubt how talented the team is, it’s easy to name at least a dozen other teams that were a better pair than these two.

After a while, it gets so bad that you’ll either choose to fast forward through their diatribes completely or laugh at them and wait for it to pass.

Aside from that, the fact that many of the other great tag teams from ECW, such as the Impact Players, Perry Saturn and Kronus and the Pitbulls weren’t featured or are barely shown at all, while marginal and gimmick teams like the Bushwackers and Billy and Chuck are.

Talk about crazy.

In the end, all this shows is that popularity had more to do with making the list than pure skill did.

The same thing goes for tag teams like Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko not being included. Lost in both the political shuffle historically after Benoit’s suicide and the state WCW was in during their rise, it’s a true shame not one of their matches wasn’t included on this documentary and somewhat limits the credibility of the compilation as a whole.

On the other hand, seeing teams the likes of the Fabulous Freebirds, the Steiners, Harlem Heat, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson and the Road Warriors all featured and a nice helping of extras [such as the Freebirds original music video and a handful of great interviews] makes the overall package, in spite of its shortcomings, a must buy for true fans of the sport and anyone who has never seen a great tag match before.

The right wording is, however, “a secret that was meant to be hidden” and accordingly, a “documentary that should be remade to be successful,” for several reasons.

During the first five minutes of the film, you literally follow Gardiner to Norway. You visit an airport and then get into a car and prepare yourself for the trip to a small town in the mountains. By the way, you are informed that you will be told about “an incredible discovery.” If you are not bored yet, you will find out in about 20 minutes what the discovery is.

Even though the documentary is based on “The Viking Serpent,” a book by Harald Boehlke, the book itself is not mentioned. The viewers can only glance at it for a couple of seconds at one moment during the film. Moreover, we are not informed who the author is and why his discovery should be trusted. Gardiner just keeps showing Boehlke’s house, his study and repeats over and over that Boehlke’s discovery is outstanding.

Informed that we will learn about “Secrets of the Celtic Church,” “Serpent Worship” and “Sacred Pentagram Geometry,” which we already know from the cover of the DVD, we keep wondering who this guy is and why we should believe that his discovery is worth our attention. At the same time, we slowly get involved into the documentary when Boehlke himself starts talking about The Golden Section and draws a Sacred Pentagram he discovered on the map of Norway. At this moment, we glance at a book with his name on it and Boehlke’s credibility is finally established. By this time, our attention has already been attracted by mysterious churches Boehlke and Gardiner visit.

Speaking about the churches, they are shown in such a detailed way that a viewer forgets that he or she is looking at a TV screen. You are shown that serpent is an important symbol, as it is depicted on multiple surfaces. Even the roof of The Serpent Church of Saint Thomas looks like a serpent’s skin. This variety of details with historical and artistic value is a huge asset to the documentary, as well as the music accompaniment. Whenever there is a large speech on the topic, the authors add mysterious chords. It suits the subject and does not allow the viewer to get bored with all the talking.

Even though it substantially enriches the viewers’ knowledge about the places of interest in some cases, the authors’ passion for details should not be consistent. For example, a boat ride to one of the places of interest and a hairy boat driver with no shirt on may be left out without hurting the content. At times, the viewers feel like they watch an advertisement of a travel agency that attempts to sell them a tour to a beautiful land. No matter how marvelous it is, the scenery should be nothing more than a background in the documentary about religious symbolism.

At a first glance, natural beauties seem to be covering the lack of information. Googling Boehlke and his work, we learn that there is much more to his book than sacred geometry and serpent symbol. For example, we learn that serpent, pentagram and number 666 are related not to the Devil, but rather to Jesus, which Gardiner mentions at the very end, but does not explain clearly why it is so. Boehlke also reveals that Celtic Church converted the Vikings, but not Catholic Church, which is not present in the documentary at all.

In other words, with its multiple landscapes and little facts, the documentary could be a 5-10 minute video advertisement for Boehlke’s book. It grasps the main ideas of his work and entices the viewers to learn more without giving away all the content. However, to become a popular documentary about a historically significant discovery, the film should be reviewed and remade.

The final night of Megadeth’s historic month-long Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour has been captured for the upcoming Rust In Peace Live Blu-ray, DVD and CD, due out September 7 on Shout! Factory. On March 31, 2010, at this incredibly special show at the legendary Hollywood Palladium, not far from where Dave Mustaine formed the band in 1983, Megadeth played their landmark, genre-defining 1990 Rust In Peace album in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth favorites. Rust In Peace Live also marks the return of original bassist David Ellefson (Megadeth 1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group after eight years. Ellefson (bass), joins Mustaine (lead vocals, guitar), Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar).

Rust In Peace Livefeatures the entire Rust In Peace track listing, including all-time classics “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” and “Hangar 18” along with bonus fan favorites from various other Megadeth releases such as “Symphony For Destruction,” “Peace Sells,” and “Skin O’ My Teeth.”

Megadeth founder/frontman/guitarist Dave Mustaine explains, “We are pumped to be able to share the RIP Live concert with you all around the world. The anniversary and David Ellefson coming back was better than a facelift and a bottle of Viagra for old Vic.”

The 80-minute Rust In Peace Live DVD (5.1 Dolby Surround 16:9 Widescreen) and Blu-ray (5.1 DTS Master Audio 1080p High Definition) were directed by Kerry Asmussen (Green Day, Jay-Z, Coachella). The DVD and Blu-ray will also include behind-the-scenes footage, including a rare glimpse of the band rehearsing in their dressing room as they prepare to take the stage.

Rust In Peace is considered one of the best metal albums of all time by fans and critics and debuted at #23 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart in the U.S. and #8 in the U.K. The album showcased a much tighter sound, with Mustaine’s writing style adopting a rhythmically complex progressive edge, prompting All Music Guide to cite Rust In Peace as “Megadeth’s strongest musical effort.” The album received Grammy nominations in 1990 and 1991 for “Best Metal Performance.” Emphasizing the massive impact of Rust In Peace in the July 2010 issue of Guitar World, writer Richard Bienstock calls it “one of the pinnacles of the first wave of thrash metal.” He continues, “A defining quality of Megadeth’s sound—and the one that perhaps most sets them apart from their ‘Big Four’ thrash brethren, Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax—has always been the band’s fiery mix of speed-metal ferocity and progressive instrumental virtuosity…nowhere has this combination been displayed better than on Rust In Peace.”

The full track listing for the Rust In Peace Live CD, DVD and Blu-ray is as follows:

Rest In Peace Live:

Holy Wars…The Punishment Due
Hangar 18
Take No Prisoners
Five Magics
Poison Was The Cure
Lucretia
Tornado Of Souls
Dawn Patrol
Rust In Peace…Polaris

Bonus Content:

Skin O’ My Teeth (Countdown To Extinction)
In My Darkest Hour (So Far, So Good…So What!)
She-Wolf (Cryptic Writings)
Trust (Cryptic Writings)
Symphony Of Destruction (Countdown To Extinction)
Peace Sells (Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?)
Holy Wars – Reprise (Rust In Peace)

For more information, go to www.megadeth.com and www.shoutfactory.com.

To make a long story short, it was very informative, but extremely boring.

How long can you watch two people speaking? Moreover, Frandsen and Hamill are always shown from the same angle, from one side, so you hardly get to see the faces.

Occasionally, the camera would bring our attention to some objects in the room, which is very refreshing. However, there are moments where the interviewer looks at an object and the camera does not change its position in order to show the viewers what the object is. For example, a ceiling in one of the rooms, something that Frandsen describes as an amazing work of art, remains a mystery for the viewers, as well as some pieces in the museum at the end of the film.

Still, provided that a viewer is particularly interested in the Freemasons, the documentary is worth watching. It is based on the knowledge of one of the members of the society, who describes the symbols inside the Grand Lodge and reveals what the society’s ideology is, how to become a member, how to stop being one of the Freemasons if one chooses to and we learn about some events of the Freemasons’ history.

The good thing is that the interviewer asks almost all the questions the viewers themselves wonder about. How wide-spread is Freemasonry? Is it still relevant nowadays? Can a woman become a member? Frandsen gets Hamill to answer all of these questions and many more. The viewers can see that she researched a lot on the topic and planned her interview beforehand.

As Frandsen is knowledgeable about art, she pays a lot of attention to symbolism and design of the Lounge, which makes the documentary valuable not only for someone who researches on Freemasons, but also for those who study the society’s art in particular. Some of the images are clearly shown by the camera operator and explained by Hamill, while others are left out, which is not a bad thing when we deal with a limited time period.

However, as it was mentioned before, some objects that the Communications Director devotes his time to and the interviewer gazes at escape the camera’s “eye,” which makes the viewers think they were not the primary guests on the journey and it hurts their feelings.

Even though Frandsen is clearly well-informed, she seems to be nervous from the beginning of the interview, as she starts out the conversation as though she is not quite confident about the topic. During the interview, she laughs occasionally when Hamill does not say anything funny, which looks a bit inappropriate. Sometimes she also interrupts the speaker with her laughter and comments, not related to the conversation, which only shows that she is nervous, indeed.

As long as everyone is naturally uncomfortable in front of the camera, the fact that she was filmed for about an hour from the same angle, may have made Frandsen’s personal experience at the Grand Lounge less pleasant. It may have been avoided if the camera would move from one object to another, as there is definitely a lot to show inside of the Lounge, especially if the viewers were initially invited “inside” the building.

At the end of the interview, Hamill informs the viewers that the Grand Lounge is a public space and lets them know during what hours it can be visited, so that if everyone is enticed to see everything with their own eyes, they are always welcome to do so.

Since not everyone who is curious about the Freemasons has a chance to visit the Grand Lounge in London, the documentary is a great way to learn about this “society with some secrets.” Still, be prepared to interrupt your viewing, as it is doubtful that you can watch it all in one shot.

The premise could easily be ripped from today’s headlines, and focuses on a nuclear leak that creates a mutant sea monster. Imagine Troma’s “Class of Nuke ‘Em High,” minus the lively energy, high-school setting and lowbrow humor, which is replaced by a creepy monster and inept scientific research.

In an early scene, where a scaly piece of the monster is examined by Dr. John (J.C. Claire), it is stated that the creature is organic, and yet somehow also inorganic. It is quite possibly that type of logic that lovers of bad movies will relish.

Of course, anyone that remembers the monster films of the early 1950s, can also remember that aside from inept scientific research those films also showcased some of the worst acting in movies, and “Slithis” is no different. The film follows Wayne Connors (Alan Blanchard), who resembles Steve Guttenberg, minus the charm and personality. Connors is a high-school journalism teacher that for some bizarre reason decides to investigate the strange murders in the Venice area.

The creature has been killing winos and hippies, which is a dirty job, but somebody has to do it, so why not leave Slithis alone?

Aside from Blanchard, none of the actors rise above mediocrity, with the notable exception of Mello Alexandria. Alexandria plays the sea captain and adds a bit of respectability to the picture. He is obliviously the one in the cast with some ability to act, and that is why his career has endured. The film should have focused on him as the main protagonist, and that would have created a better picture.

The film bounces back and forth between Connors’ mission to uncover the truth, and the perspective of Slithis, which feels like you’re looking through a Coke bottle. And maybe the biggest distinction between this monster movie and ones from the bygone era is that this film contains more of the red stuff that gore hounds love. The unique dual perspective and gore make “Slithis” a cut above the rest of the monster movies on the market.

Another special treat to audiences that were luckily enough to catch this in theaters was the “Slithis Survival Kit.” This contained everything one would need if they went into shock while witnessing the horrors of this picture.

The picture never takes itself seriously, and that enables the viewer to shut his brain off and relax. That light tone is set early by Stephen Traxler, who made this movie shortly after serving in Vietnam. It was an attempt to make something lighthearted after the harshness of what he had seen in Vietnam. It would have been great if Code Red could have gotten his participation on the DVD, but his interview in Stephen Thrower’s “Nightmare USA,” contains all the information you need to know on this 12-day production.

Code Red did an excellent job in creating a pristine picture out of long-lost negatives. It is clear to see the love and care that went into this restoration job. The only extras on the DVD are the original theatrical trailer and trailer reel of Code Red titles.

The trailer reel contains some memorable titles that one can look forward to. The reel gets started with “Horror High,” which is a combination of monster and high-school flicks that seems like a real treat. (It will hit stores in August.) “The Black Klansman” is exactly what the title states, and seems like a true piece of exploitation heaven. “A Long Ride from Hell” and extended trailers for “Family Honor” and “Brute Corps” are included. But the most interesting trailer is for the incestuous Robert Klein vehicle called “Rivals.”

In spite of all of this, “Slithis” is not a film for everyone. In fact, the casual moviegoer will not be interested in seeing this. This is simply one of those movies that is so bad it is good, and the audience for this picture will get to discover it again with a crisp, clear picture that surpasses the Media Home Entertainment VHS of the early ‘80s.

Embodied in the three-disc set “The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin,” the WWE has done a great job making this DVD the definitive collection of one of its brightest stars. Deviating from its traditional method of story telling, it’s a refreshing departure from the “documentary on one disc and two discs of matches” formula the company uses on most of its releases, making it a truly special compilation.

As a result, if you’ve ever found yourself chanting “3:16,” this is a documentary worth owning.

Feeling like your standard WWE documentary at first, this collection spices things up by quickly getting to some of Austin’s early singles matches in WCW against Ricky Steamboat and a handful of other opponents, which Austin introduces as some of the most important of his career. Soon after, a nice transition is made to his memorable tag team run with Brian Pillman, followed up by more discussion on his time with the company and his eventual arrival in ECW.

It is here where the DVD begins to shine, as Austin’s frustration with WCW’s management is made apparent  not only by his new testimony, but some of the best promos ever produced in the history of ECW. Used by ECW chairman Paul Heyman to publicize Eric Bischoff’s tactics of keeping the young talent in WCW down, Austin not only brought an extra level of controversy to the company, it’s arguably here where the seedlings of his future “Stone Cold” character was born.

To see this development unfold is yet another reason to pick this set up.

Unfortunately, discs two and three, in spite of being chock full of content, lack the same amount of charisma and depth. While the match selection isn’t the best (his epic with Scott Hall isn’t included, while a throwaway match from a Smackdown taping between he and Eddy Guerrero, is ), there is no mention as to how Austin decided to use the stunner as his finisher, a move that essentially was just as important as his persona change.

These small missing pieces aside however, this set has virtually every memorable match featuring the quintessential anti-hero and more than enough candid conversation to satisfy any hardcore fan.

Get your Steveweisers ready, this is a compilation to have a drink with.

The beginning of this DVD breaks down the several possibilities as to who Robin Hood may be. It then goes into who Marion represents and the surrounding Celtic and pagan myths that they have been infused with. Initially audiences have been led to believe that it matters whether or not they are real figures in history and “not metaphors for something entirely different.”

In actuality, what this documentary suggests is that the Robin Hood myth has been utilized to propagate values and defy them simultaneously. When he is associated with pagan mythology such as Beltane or as an aspect of a sun god, then he is relegated to fictional status. However, he is real when his legend could be used as a political pawn.

What is interesting about this documentary is the connection it makes to Egyptian and Indian myths. It’s in a sense what Joseph Campbell would discuss with Bill Moyers in their talks about the purpose of myth in people’s everyday lives.

We also come to know that there are actual scholars on Robin Hood, and whether or not he is a real person or a social construct.

On the other hand, this is a documentary in the sense that it is a dry rendition of who Robin Hood may be. There is no swashbuckling here, or actual footage of past film and television series of this character and his merry men. Instead we are met with narration and actors milling around scenes. Bows and arrows are drawn, but never seem to be shot. The most eventful part is when maid Marion is abducted. It is also extremely brief.

With the exception of the different mythological connections there is nothing here that you have not thought of before. If you want to get a sense of what you want Robin Hood to be, then rent Errol Flynn’s version. There hasn’t been a better film made before or since that can stand up to it.

The DVD opens with a cheesy scene of a man dressed in late 19th century clothing carrying a sword. This live action sequence shifts to a computer-generated female vampire. And if you still don’t know what’s going on, then there is the morose, heavy-handed music to have you understand that this is a grave undertaking. After all, this is serious business about a world-renowned writer and a genre of fiction that is currently being ripped off and watered down through other mediums of entertainment. The first few minutes and stilted narration aside, this is an informative and interesting way of viewing Stoker’s work.

We are told a brief history of his family and the possible ideas behind his fascination with the undead. As a child, he suffered from a debilitating illness that for a stretch of time left him bed ridden and gave him the ability to daydream about the stories his mother would tell him of fairies. These weren’t the nice kind, instead they were malevolent beings who would steal your soul. Later on, we are told of one of his papers he wrote. The title “Sensationalism in Fiction and Society“ gives another glimpse into why Stoker would write about a vampire who had the ability to transform into beasts, mesmerize his victims and form psychic bonds with them. It also revealed that Stoker would know how to sell it to an audience who was mired in the stagnant Victorian age.

In his adulthood, Stoker manages a famous actor and the Lyceum theater. He marries and is associated with several people (including one of his brothers) who belonged to secret orders in Britain. One was the Secret Order of the Dawn, another is the freemasons. For secret orders much is known about their practices and this DVD makes a clear and logical connection between these secret societies and what occurs in Dracula.

Essentially Stoker was able to utilize folklore, literature, linguistics, Eastern European history, religion, politics and the occult into what is accepted into the literary canon today. “Diary of a Vampire’s” bare bones production may not exactly excite you, however, if you are intrigued by the possibility of seeing death as a way of “leaving the material world” or viewing it as a traumatic change and not a physical demise, then you should give it a chance.

Unfortunately, the DVD chronicling the first 15 years of the show isn’t as amazing as its run has been, featuring several throw-away moments and some matches that will leave you puzzled as to why they were included. Even though it still provides a great trip down memory lane, it lacks the punch you’d expect from such a powerhouse.

For one, there are only about a dozen matches on the three-disc set and while most of them are rock solid, featuring talent the likes of Curt Hennig, Sean Waltman, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Stone Cold and countless others, a few other matches, such as the Mean Street Posse’s bout with Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson [which in spite of being a hilarious moment on the show] don’t necessarily belong on this set. In the end, it’s a shame that the WWE has essentially blacklisted certain competitors, mainly Chris Benoit, from appearing on any more DVDs and in the history books, but what about other talent such as Eddy Guerrero? The same thing goes for the Undertaker, who isn’t on this set nearly as much as he should be.

The same thing goes for the little attention the original ECW invasion was given [stolen directly from the Rise and Fall of ECW DVD as well]. What about the WCW/ECW Invasion as well? For over a month, Raw had some classic dream matches as a result of that event, why isn’t there at least one match from that storyline on here?

When you have to ask so many questions when referring to what is supposed to be a “Best of” compilation, you know someone was way off the mark.

Simply put, if the set had been more eclectic and featured more matches, its overall quality would have been much better.

However, a few bad matches don’t necessarily spoil the show, it’s the segments that put this set in a sleeper it can’t get out of. While seeing the early romps of Degeneration X and Stone Cold are a blast, why was Big Bossman’s rant about Big Show’s father on this set? Who cares about Vader choking Gorilla Monsoon? Why is Dustin Rhodes making out with Ahmed Johnson an amazing moment? With all of these boring little moments sandwiched in between the matches, it’s hard to not want to skip ahead.

As a result, you have a set that will still cater to the hardcore fan, but one that casual ones will want to ignore.

“Has poetry to match its sex and gore.”
The New York Times

June 11, 2010 (New York, NY) – Body piercing. Kinky sex. Dismemberment. The things that made Shakespeare great! Troma Entertainment announced today the June 15 release of Lloyd Kaufman’s TROMEO & JULIET on Blu-ray. Written by James Gunn (DAWN OF THE DEAD, SLITHER, and the upcoming SUPER), TROMEO & JULIET moves the classic tale of star-crossed lovers from 16th century Verona to a crumbling mid-nineties New York, where young Tromeo (Will Keenan) and Juliet (Jane Jensen) must defy their families’ endless feud in order to be together for eternity.

“TROMEO & JULIET came to me in a visionary burst,” recalls director Lloyd Kaufman. “First the title, which I found humorous. Second, the desire to do a romance. True love has always been in the sidelines of Troma movies but never in the forefront. Third, I felt some debt to Shakespeare. I was bored with the baby-food adaptations that were being released. Shakespeare was a shit disturber.”

Featuring Lemmy from Motorhead as the narrator and a kick ass soundtrack that includes Motorhead, Sublime, and The Meatmen, TROMEO & JULIET is the most over-the-top erotic action comedy since Romeo & Juliet debuted on the stage in 1596. Fans of the ultimate cult classic Shakespeare adaptation will rejoice over the new HD transfer from the original 35mm elements! A hit in theaters and on home video, TROMEO & JULIET was instrumental in bringing a large number of female fans to Troma, whose fans prior were mostly male.

Highlights from the disc include as follows: four audio commentaries with cast and crew including director Lloyd Kaufman, writer James Gunn, editor Frank Reynolds (IN THE BEDROOM) and co-star Sean Gunn (GILMORE GIRLS), deleted scenes, interviews with cast and crew, fan reenactments of classic scenes, Slithering Through Hollywood: Lloyd Kaufman’s video diary of James Gunn’s SLITHER, Getting Hostel with Hollywood: James Gunn and Lloyd Kaufman visit Eli Roth’s birthday party, and more!

The premise for this picture is centered around Alex Bolt, (David Niven) who is a Nobel Prize winning linguist from England. He has created a universal language, which will allow the world to communicate with each other, and because of his hard work, they are creating a statue to honor him.

A point of interest for the viewer, it would have been great if when people were speaking this universal language that they translated it for the audience. Just speaking the language doesn’t necessarily make it funny and this idea really needed to be expanded upon.

Naturally, they feel his wife, Rhonda (Virna Lisi) can best capture the essence of this humble man. She creates a statue that captures her husband perfectly with one large exception, that exaggerates just how well endowed her husband actually is. Bolt, who is often traveling, obtains a list of names that have visited his house while he was away, and sets out to discover the model for the statue.

The movie’s humor comes from just how funny it is to see Niven trying to sneak a peek at men in various locations, such as spas, and bathrooms. Eventually and logically, the United States army, headed by Robert Vaughn, become involved and this for some reason or another leads to public strip searches across the world.

It is impossible to imagine what producers had in mind when making this debacle, but what is even more perplexing is the participation of Niven. Niven had an interesting career, and appeared in some lousy films, “Casino Royale” (1967) but never a picture this bizarre. However, he is a major reason why this picture is entertaining, and his conviction in this role is why audiences should see this picture. A lesser actor would have made this a DVD that goes straight in the trash, but Niven and his inability to give a bad performance manages to retain your attention throughout.

Only one other actor in this picture manages to steal the scene away from Niven, and that is a very young John Cleese. Cleese plays Harry, who is a psychiatrist that hates people and uses his degree to exploit needs in advertising. Bolt is best friends with Harry and often seeks comfort in his advice often tricking him back into being a psychiatrist. This original bit of comedy and the chemistry between Niven and Cleese gels in these few scenes.

The best scene the two share is when Harry is desperately trying to shoot a commercial and Bolt lays down in one chair to seek advice. As Harry sets up the commercial in the various rooms surrounding, Bolt carries the chair to each room, lays down, and begins talking again. The scene ends with Harry realizing Bolt is trying to trick him into being a psychiatrist.

However, a major downfall to the picture is the miscasting of the luscious Lisi. While Lisi is delightful to look at, her acting abilities are practically nonexistent. Niven and Lisi have absolutely no chemistry to hang this picture on. One even wonders if Bolt is gay, simply because he rarely seems to be around his wife, and would prefer traveling the world checking out men.

Another bit of miscasting was Vaughn, who is not suited for comedy. His demeanor is always serious and he often drags down the comedy that surrounds him. Just take a look at his work in this picture and “C.H.U.D. 2: Bud the Chud.” Then again, it is hard to imagine what type of role does best suit him, since he is the man that forced “The A-Team” to jump the shark.

Rod Amateau takes these good and bad elements and creates a breezy, care-free, 91 minute film, that keeps things fast-paced. Phallic-orientated jokes are thrown at the audience constantly, few work but the film never dwells on the misfired humor. When the film is over, you may realize that you rarely laughed, but oddly enough that doesn’t provide a sluggish-paced picture. “The Statue” is a bad movie in a majority of aspects but has strong value to those that admire this strange chapter in cinema history.

Code Red provided a warning before the picture started, which was regarding the fact the source elements for the DVD were not in the best shape for a pristine video restoration. However, people that love this specific genre, hold a little bit of nostalgia for that crackling, grimy feel to an older movie. In the case of “The Statue,” the presentation isn’t that bad, and you will still be able to enjoy the movie.

Extras on the DVD are scarce, and include the original theatrical trailer, along with Code Red’s usual reel of trailers for previous, and upcoming releases. The reel includes, “Family Honor,” “A Long Ride From Hell,” “Changes,” “Rivals,” “Stigma,” “Derby,” “Choke Canyon,” “The Visitor,” and “The Black Gestapo.” This reel is great fun to view prior to the movie to give that Grindhouse theatre quality and get your hopes up on the forthcoming titles from the company. “Stigma” featuring Phillip Michael Thomas will be released on 6/8 and “A Long Ride From Hell” will hit stores on 8/3. But the strange, “Rivals,” featuring comedian Robert Klein, has the stepfather for a little boy that seems to be in love with his mommy, is maybe the strangest upcoming release.

In spite of all of this, what makes “The Statue” stand out is the work of Niven and Cleese, providing stellar performances in a movie that is far from stellar. Those performances and an exceptional reel of trailers make this DVD a worthy purchase for anyone that is a cult film aficionado.

Some believe that the storylines on ECW today aren’t as raunchy, while others feel the matches aren’t as violent. Well, now with the release of “Blood Sport: ECW’s Most Violent Matches,” ECW fans now have the most extreme matches all in one collection. Blood Sport not only delivers the goods as far as serving up some of the bloodiest battles ever seen in ECW, it’s chronologic presentation serves as a great addition to the backbone of the history of the promotion featured on “The Rise and Fall of ECW.”

ECW fans will also be happy to know that not one match from any previous DVD is found on this collection, making it a one of a kind gem for any nostalgic fan or collector. Featuring classics such as the Raven vs. Terry Funk match for the World heavyweight title, the main event from ECW’s first pay per view and the infamous I Quit match between CW Anderson and Tommy Dreamer in addition to 17 other matches, this DVD is unlike any other wrestling collection out right now.

However despite the high amount of action on the collection, the matches on the first disc are from the first few years of ECW, with poor production value and camera work that only real fans of the promotion can enjoy. Some fans may opt to just throw in the second disc of the collection, which filled with matches including Taz, Shane Douglas, Tommy Dreamer and the Dudley Boys that are sure to satisfy the most blood thirsty of fans.

Another shortcoming of the collection is the way Paul Heyman chose to introduce each match. While no one doubts the fact that the Bill Alfonso- Beulah McGillicutty match was a violent one, saying things like, “It was one of the most important five minute stretches in wrestling history,” is just that, a stretch and a bad one at that. If this collection didn’t have any commentary from Heyman, none of the rich history of the promotion would be lost or tarnished, but for some reason, the WWE decided to have Heyman exaggerate his exploits in ECW before every single match, making his voice annoying and tiresome by the end of the collection.

In the end however, things like that really don’t take away how violent the matches are in this collection and how well they represent an almost lost era in wrestling history, making “Blood Sport: ECW’s Most Violent Matches” a must own DVD for any devoted fan of the promotion.

(New York, NY) – As the world watches the clean up efforts in the Gulf, movie fans can see that BP isn’t the only polluter around when they pick up the new blu-ray of CLASS OF NUKE ‘EM HIGH!

The classic satire of the nuclear age is now going high-def! Troma Entertainment announced today the June 1 Blu-ray release of CLASS OF NUKE ‘EM HIGH. Directed by Richard Haines and Lloyd Kaufman (THE TOXIC AVENGER), CLASS OF NUKE ‘EM HIGH takes place in the radioactive halls of Tromaville High School, where a dangerous radiation leak turns great minds into great mutants!

CLASS OF NUKE ‘EM HIGH combines the anarchic teen spirit of ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL and the action of THE WARRIORS to send up the nuclear power movement, lazy bureaucrats, and everyone else in Reagan’s America.

“CLASS OF NUKE ‘EM HIGH was written is response to a nuclear power plant being built in Long Island with drunken labor” recalls Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and co-director of CLASS OF NUKE ‘EM HIGH. “This was not long after Three Mile Island. It wasn’t enough that the corporate elite were draining money out of a nuclear power plant that was only a stone’s throw away from New York City, but they were building it with shoddy materials too!”

Highlights from the disc include as follows: audio commentary by co-director Lloyd Kaufman, deleted scenes, picture commentary by stars Robert and Jennifer Prichard, and trailers.

The second part however has less to do with Jay and more about business.

Not available on DVD for the majority of that time, the film gained a reputation being traded on bootleg VHS copies around the country and in Canada, which too, were incredibly hard to find, making an already amazing documentary able to create a mystique around itself like almost no other.

However, in spite of being available for home consumption now, the production doesn’t lose any of its luster and when combined with an added documentary “The Life and Death of Owen Hart,” this two-disc DVD set, put together to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of its release, is a must own for wrestling fans and anyone who appreciates good drama.

If you thought the drama inside the ring was something special, just wait until you see what goes on behind closed doors.

A five-time WWF champion, Bret Hart is forced by company chairman Vince McMahon to flee to a rival company in WCW after he refuses to meet his demands monetarily or creatively. It’s not that Hart wants to go, it’s more like he’s trying to keep his family’s best interests at heart, while keeping his legacy intact. Upset with what the company is doing with his character, Hart thinks he’s leaving the WWF on his own turns when McMahon throws a curveball that ends up creating one of the most important moments in the history of the sport.

Looking back now, it’s fair to say that McMahon had to sacrifice the career of one of his biggest stars in order to create his villainous television persona and get his company back on track. Nevertheless, in spite of his motives to save his company, you’ll never feel his pain. Instead, you’ll choose the side of Hart, who never saw the changes in the sport that occurred in the late ’90s coming. An excellent wrestler, but a product of the golden era of the sport, where athleticism easily beat out charisma, Hart was a traditionalist that was never as dominant in WCW as he was in the WWF.

Extremely charismatic in his own right, Hart could have easily done the things that McMahon wanted him to and continued to blaze a trail in the sport. That, however, would have meant him becoming a puppet and a man who would have been going against his morals to survive in the only field he’s ever worked in.

That’s obviously wasn’t the verse Hart wanted to leave in the play of professional wrestling and as a result, you see a man fighting so hard for what he believes in, against forces that he can not begin to contend with, all the while, fighting the demons of his childhood and the thoughts of what his future has in store for him.

If he only knew.

Chronicled in “Hart & Soul,” this three-disc, nine-hour DVD compilation by WWE home entertainment is packed with tons of matches and a brand new documentary that sheds more light on the Hart dynasty than ever before. In spite of that however, this collection fails to live up to the same standard as the family it’s based on.

The documentary portion of this set is an interesting one, but ends up taking a nose dive when it becomes more about the family and less about the family’s involvement in wrestling. Sure, the little side stories are heart-warming and show how close they all were and still are to this day, but the majority of wrestling fans want to hear something else. As well, the introductions to every member of the family, many of whom never stepped in the squared-circle, hurt the overall fan appeal of the set. That doesn’t mean that it’s not enjoyable to watch as a whole, it’s just not as engaging as it could have been.

While a weaker documentary isn’t a horrible thing, the matches featured on this set have their problems as well.

Aside from the Owen Hart matches, that have never seen the light on DVD, many of the matches included in this collection have been seen before and are featured on other boxed sets. Take the infamous 10-man tag match or the Bret Hart/British Bulldog battle for the Intercontinental title. Hardcore fans of the sport and this family’s work over the years most likely own the other box sets these matches are featured on, so why the WWE chose to have some of the same matches on this set is puzzling. Also, considering the fact that the family made a name for itself in the STAMPEDE promotion before hitting the WWE, it’s also mind-boggling that more of those matches weren’t included.

As well, there wasn’t one Stu Hart singles match on the entire collection. With all of the footage the WWE owns, they couldn’t find one of his matches to include on this set? Instead, the set feels more like a tribute to Owen, as nine of the 12 matches include the youngest member of the Hart Clan.

Because of this, if you’re a huge fan of “The Rocket,” “Hart & Soul,” is a must buy. Those looking for a more complete history of the family however, appear to be out of luck.

From the first episode, which features both Mickey Mouse and the Jonas Brothers, to the last, which forces Kenny to deal with his phobia of urination in water parks, the show still maintains the same brevity that makes it so endearingly pompous and hilarious.

Simply put, if you’re in the public eye and Parker and Stone have an opinion on what you’re doing, you’ll be featured on the show. Seeing the duo parody both “Dark Knight” and “Avatar” during the season, as well as show Kanye West’s inability to get jokes and Carlos Mencia’s ability to steal them, “South Park” is a beacon of absurdity, wit, charisma and politically incorrectness that touches on a variety of levels.

For example, the episodes “Margaritaville,” “Fat Beard” and “Whale Whores” delve deep into Parker and Stone’s feelings on the state of American culture, youth and the economy and do so in a way that shows like “The Daily Show,” never can and never will. However, the duality of seeing Stan, Kenny, Kyle and Cartman deal with their daily lives [which includes playing “Rock Band” and basketball] is what makes the show so special. Everything and everyone around them is familiar and comfortable, not only because if you’ve watched the show from the beginning, you identify and relate to all the characters, but because of the writing in general.

Stone and Parker do an excellent job of channeling the little moments in adolescence, like your first kiss and your first wrestling show and making them come alive in a way that you don’t have to agree with their political opinions or insinuations to get a laugh out of them. As a matter of fact, if you’re open-minded enough, you might even realize the tag team is making fun of you and your beliefs, while you’re actually laughing.

This especially rings true if you’re someone who is “bike-curious.”

If you do agree with their sentiments and beliefs however, the show makes for a tasty duality, creating something not available anywhere else on TV.

Toilet humor with a message?

Damn skippy.

Seeing this trend continue and the formula behind the show continue to get tighter, more focused and gain even more luster is proof that “South Park” is still alive and kicking.

“Fish dicks” never tasted so good.

On its own merits, it’s a well-told story that is made that much better thanks to candid interviews from Jeff Dunham, Jay Johnson and Lynn Trefzger, among countless others.

Needing no introduction, Dunham is the modern-day star of the art form, consistently challenging himself to come up with new and interesting characters and off the wall comedy. Through the interviews of some of the older stars, you see how much of an impact Dunham has had in the industry over the last 20 years and how pivotal he is to its continued survival. Even if you’ve lived under a rock and have never seen him perform, there are enough clips during this documentary to showcase his talent and convert you into an ardent fan.

With much of the documentary circling around the future of the medium, it’s only fitting that someone like Dunham is prominently featured. With all of his segments a complete success, it’s easy to see why “I’m no Dummy” is a quality piece of cinema.

A bit older than Dunham, Johnson, however, is no slouch either, paving the way for Dunham and others in the ’70s during his amazing run on the mega-hit sitcom “Soap.” Equally hilarious, but a bit more brash [Dunham has his moments, but Johnson's main puppet, “Bob” is one nasty piece of oak], Johnson’s segments on the documentary prove that the art of ventriloquism possesses far more depth and charisma than most would have thought otherwise.

While Trefzger’s parts in the documentary don’t have the same staying power as her predecessors, the amount of historical content, clips and great sources drown out what could have otherwise hurt the overall product. Like any documentary, the research has to be extensive and paint a picture, otherwise the material won’t be as interesting as it needs to be. In the case of this documentary, Simon has without a doubt did his homework and made his subjects charming, thoughtful and fun, from start to finish.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that ventriloquism is a form of comedy that doesn’t have the same following it used to. Nevertheless, after watching this documentary, you’ll wonder why that is exactly the case. Unlike the performers featured in this film, you’ll find it quite impossible to keep your mouth closed while watching.

At the center of everything is Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), an illiterate, obese 16-year-old who lives in Harlem with her mother, Mary (Mo’Nique). She used to have a father, but he walked out on her after putting her through years of sexual abuse, leaving her with one child and pregnant with another. Mary’s convinced that the whole thing is her daughter’s fault, and lets her know it through different kinds of abuse. All of the beatings and insults become so routine that she trains herself to black out during some of them.

Her surroundings at school are only slightly better, and when she gets suspended and has to transfer to an alternative school, she expects it to be no different than the old one. Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), a teacher who’s easy to like but not without a temper, understands how difficult life is for Precious and tries to bring some kind of stability to it, as does Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey), a social worker who’s touched by her story. Precious knows it’s not just her life that’s on the line, though – she has a responsibility to her new son, and wants to be a better parent than the ones she got.

No one at this late date needs to be told just how much Mo’Nique does with her role (she was pretty much a lock for the best supporting-actress Oscar this year), but what’s really great is how little she does with it. You’d think that with all of the drama that wound up in the trailer, Mo’Nique would’ve went over the top through the whole film. Not at all. Although it must’ve been hard to put the reins on a character like Mary, Mo’Nique understands that she isn’t there just for the sake of being evil, and that there’s still a person behind all that barbed wire. If Mo’Nique hadn’t given her the control she deserved, Mary might’ve come off as some kind of a super villain from a cartoon.

Everybody else here does a good job making the material work too, though you have to admit that Carey steals the show as the social worker who delves into Precious’ life. It’s a role that requires more nerve than you’d expect – when she asks Mary to explain the years of abuse that her daughter’s been through, she’s ready to deal with all the heartbreak and protests and rationalizing and tears.

So many gifted people were involved with this film that there are times when it seems it has more talent than it knows what to do with. Consider Lenny Kravitz’s performance as the nurse who takes a liking to Precious after delivering her newborn son – a relationship begins to develop but then dribbles off into the ether, which makes you wonder why it had to be there to start with. The story is so concerned with its main character that most of the people in her world don’t get the same gravity that she does, leaving everybody else in the cast with so little to play off of.

Still, if there’s any one thing that this movie does well, it’s finding enormous things in tiny packages. How else could it have found so much depth in a book that’s only 192 pages long?

As a matter of fact, after watching this poor excuse for a compilation, you’ll wonder why it was even released in the first place.

With narration by Lord Alfred Hayes, who appears to be shoddily reading from cue cards during the introduction, the DVD has a rustic WWF feel [it was obviously ported from VHS to DVD in an effort to bring the company extra revenue] that has aged worse than an open can of spam in the summer sun. Simply put, Hayes’ commentary is a disaster. While he attempts to discuss Andre as a person, he fails miserably, and in the process, embarrasses himself and the legendary wrestler. Chatting about his love of children and the fact that he’s “a ladies man indeed,” Hayes fails to put a level of professionalism on the mic work, making the dated matches even more difficult to stomach.

Overall, it feels like someone reading a poor, dog-eared script to worn-out matches.

Speaking of the matches, of the already small handful that are featured on the disc, none fail to captivate and show Andre at his best. What a travesty, considering the man made a living for nearly three decades winning battle royals and handicap matches at seemingly his own whim. While there are a few glimpses on the disc that show what he is capable of in the ring, for the most part, this collection is a farce and a total bore.

Bad commentary alone would be enough to keep this collection off your shelf, but the poor selection of matches seal the deal. Even if you are the biggest fan of Andre’s work, stay away from this set and wait for something better to come along.

Because it’s only a matter of time until the WWE understands the huge injustice they’ve made by bringing this sad case to DVD in the first place.

However, the past few DVDs they’ve released have been a bit different, featuring only the matches and barely any back story.

In the case of the new “History of the Intercontinental Title” release:

These matches speak volumes, all by themselves.

Encompassing nearly 30 years of excellent matches, this collection is a must own for any hardcore wrestling fan, as it encompasses some of the best action in the history of the industry and does so for the modest price of $24.99.

In these tough economic times and an era where the sport lacks the same captivating content it used to, you’re not going to get a better package for that much money.

With so many matches and over nine hours of content overall, there is simply something for every type of wrestling fan on this three-disc set.

Seeing matches between Don Muraco and Pedro Morales may take some time to get used to for younger fans, but those who are patient will understand why some of the older battles were and still are nearly as influential as those between Scott Hall and Shawn Michaels. Other matches between HHH and Ric Flair may not have been huge when they were first announced, but watching them now is a testament to the overall weight the title carries in the industry and a great way of filling out the collection without adding any fluff.

Sure, some of the matches have been released on other documentaries by the company and a few aren’t nearly as stellar as some of the marque matches like the Bret Hart and British Bulldog epic, but overall, the package is filled with quality action from start to finish, making it hard to put down once you get started.

In the end, regardless of how many matches you loved- and there will be more than a few, you’ll understand how important the Intercontinental title is to the WWE and the sport itself, making the compilation a wild and undeniable success.

Still, at least they knew how to take a premise and run with it, which is more than can be said for a movie like this. Although “The House of the Devil” depends on a setup that looks promising enough, no one here seems to know the first thing about dramatic tension – instead of keeping things moving with some kind of conflict, everybody just waits for something interesting to happen, as if they were pawns hoping for somebody to come along and push them around.

The funny thing is that for as scary as the title makes the house sound, the movie’s most uninspired moments take place there. Our heroine, a college student named Samantha (Jocelin Donahue), shows up there one evening for a babysitting job, which she takes to earn the down payment she needs to secure her new apartment. She assures her friend Megan (Greta Gerwig) that it’ll be a cinch, but when she’s greeted at the door by Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan), who says he wants her to watch over his mother instead of the kid she’d expected, it takes a little more money to convince her to stick around.

With Mr. Ulman’s mother asleep in her bedroom upstairs, Samantha finds herself with lots of time on her hands, which she passes with a bunch of mundane activities. Not that shooting pool or watching TV is no fun, but you’d think that staying in a house inhabited by Satan would be enough to keep any babysitter’s hands full, particularly on a night when there’s a lunar eclipse to worry about.

Part of the problem here is that we see everything from her point of view, which doesn’t give us much material to work with. Because the bad guys are more or less absent until the eclipse comes around, there’s a nagging lack of expository dialogue, requiring us to learn everything from empirical evidence. Sure, nuance has become a lost art in horror films, but faith in our ability to fill in the blanks can only be taken so far.

You’ve got to admit, though, that art on the DVD cover looks pretty cool, kind of like something that might’ve stared at you from an old video-store shelf. As a matter of fact, there’s a very good chance of finding a copy there now, and although someone’s bound to rent it sooner or later, it doesn’t seem likely that whoever takes it out will get charged with a late fee.

The great thing about “Blue Harvest”" was how it was less of a parody and more like Star Wars with jokes. They pretty much kept the same story, made some great choices of which Family Guy character played which Star Wars character, and  threw in some jokes by tweaking the scenes from the movie to fit the Family Guy atmosphere. If you’re  a fan of both Family Guy and Star Wars, it was impossible not to be entertained.

“Something, Something, Something, Dark Side” follows the same basic formula as it’s predecessor carrying everything over from the last one even the renegade paragraphs floating through space, though this time armed with big budget CGI effects. The “casting” is the same as last time with some additions. Carl, the owner of the convenience store, comes in as Yoda. Him and Luke pretty much talk about movies the whole time, just like regular episodes. The best is the Giant Chicken as Boba Fett. Just as the Fett man is Han’s enemy, the Chicken is Peter’s, an excellent choice. Though they actually make it work pretty well, the hardest get over is Mort Goldman as Lando Calrissian. The only Jew on Family Guy becomes “the only black guy in the galaxy,” which just looks weird. From a purely aesthetic perspective, MacFarlane and company could have made Joe R2D2, he’s in a wheelchair and therefore shorter than the rest of the characters like R2, and saved Cleveland to be Lando, however it’s hard to say if the personalities would have matched up. Besides that everything is great. The few celebrity and Family Guy character cameos work very well, and Meg even gets a line. If you didn’t guess who Meg is, when you find out, you’ll hate yourself for not getting it.

Throughout the hour, there are a few really funny observations about the actual movie. (Minor spoiler)The one that will garner the most attention is of course at the very end when Chewy (Brian) asks Lando (Mort) why he is wearing Han’s clothing. The he looks to the audience and tells us to look at the actual movie to see Lando wearing Han’s clothing. That certainly prompted everyone whose seen this to check out the end of The Empire Strikes Back.

The biggest complaint about Family Guy in general is that they don’t know when to quit on a joke. Like the awful Conway Twitty appearances, there’s one part where they do a training montage copied from Rocky IV, which goes on for way too long. It’s a nice chuckle for a few seconds, but after a minute and a half, you want it to be over. The other problem Family Guy consistently has is how they just throw out joke after joke, hoping you’ll find some of them funny, it’s a very hit and miss type of comedy.

Not being on television yet, MacFarlane was able to let loose and cross the line they so often touch. There are plenty of expletives throughout, even taking the place of one of the most famous lines in the film, and a ton of over the top gay jokes, about half of which are funny.

Any fan of Blue Harvest will enjoy this parody. It’s not quite as good as the first one, but the jokes that hit are quite funny, the animation is a good as you’re going to see, and the story is so Star Wars like, it’s hard not to be entertained. Hopefully the third one doesn’t take another two years to come out.

While the new WWE home video “The History of the World Heavyweight Championship” does an admirable job of telling the story of not only this title, but the beginnings of the sport and how it transgressed from legitimate to the opera it is today, it isn’t nearly as interesting as it could have been early on. The beginning of the documentary feels more like something you’d watch on the history channel and lacks the same fun and behind the scenes feel of some of the company’s other DVD offerings. Sure, hearing the stories of the first few NWA champs is interesting for the hardcore fan, but it’s not very sexy to newer ones. Nevertheless, it’s extremely educational for casual wrestling fans and will show them how much the sport has changed since 1904. In spite of this however, it isn’t until the documentary hits its middle point where it starts to pick up the pace and become as enjoyable as it should be.

This is where you see the formation of the territories that were later absolved when WCW and WWE took their hold of the industry, the territories where the NWA World Heavyweight champion would have to travel in order to keep the sport as credible as possible. Hearing some of the stories from Dory Funk Jr. and Harley Race, in addition to several other former World champions is what makes this documentary a memorable one. It is through this that you see how much time and energy went into getting all the right interviews and make this thing flow as well as it does at times. Seeing how much the sport has changed, that the determination and hunger that these amazing athletes once had makes it easy to wish for those days to return.

Knowing that they will not, it makes the words they say that more special.

After the documentary, there are over 20 matches that highlight the title. On disc one, there are some classics from the old NWA days, that miraculously, have aged beautifully over time. The two out of three falls match between “The Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers and Pat O’Connor is a classic and shows that even though the sport has changed tremendously, the charisma that is Rogers and the amazing in-ring ability of O’Connor are still vividly shown here, making for an unbelievable viewing experience. The second disc chronicles some of the great WCW matches with stars the likes of Vader, Goldberg, Ron Simmons, Sting and Hollywood Hulk Hogan that make the set a must buy.

Unfortunately, disc three highlights matches when the belt was brought back by Eric Bischoff, well after the floundering of WCW and lack the same nostalgia of the first two discs. Seeing HHH take on Rob Van Dam is always a welcomed treat, but that doesn’t mean that it’s an accurate representation of what the title stood for. Far from it.

Even with that being said however, this set is a still a rare gem that has just enough quality encompassed with in it to warrant a purchase. It’s not exactly what you would expect by looking at the box, but it’s not far off enough to make it passable either. Fanatics will love the older and classic matches, while newer fans will find themselves with a deeper appreciation of the industry after watching. All in all, there’s something in here for every wrasslin’ fan out there.

“A MILESTONE MOVIE…

In the grand tradition of ‘DIRTY DOZEN’.”

The Hollywood Reporter

(New York, NY) – While the eyes of the world follow the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, audiences can watch the film that tackled the issues of those wars years in advance. Troma Entertainment today announced the 1/26 release of Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz’s TROMA’S WAR on special edition DVD. Misunderstood upon initial release for its ruthless satire, audiences have since embraced TROMA’S WAR as one of the great anti-war films. The film’s controversial depictions of violence and AIDs, a subject virtually swept under the rug by the media and popular culture in 1988, led to a long battle with the MPAA that resulted in a butchered R-rated cut of the movie. For the upcoming special edition DVD, Troma has lovingly restored the uncut version of the film, making it more than a worthy follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Troma Retro re-release of COMBAT SHOCK.

After achieving major success around the world with the satires THE TOXIC AVENGER and CLASS OF NUKE ’EM HIGH, Kaufman and Herz set out to make the ultimate action satire criticizing Reaganism. Rick Washburn (ANGEL HEART) and Jessica Dublin (FELLINI SATYRICON) lead an ensemble cast of American tourists who crash land on a remote Caribbean island that is home to a ruthless terrorist group. The survivors retaliate against the threat of improvised explosive devices and mass poisonings such as anthrax, making TROMA’S WAR a film ahead of its time. With a multi-million dollar budget, TROMA’S WAR is the famed independent studio’s most expensive and elaborate production. Exclusive bonus features on this special edition DVD include “Veteran’s Day: A Post-Tromatic Reunion,” “Kill-O-Meter” (all the carnage of TROMA’S WAR with none of the story!), a commentary by director Lloyd Kaufman, vintage interviews with cast and crew, and much more.

“I have long maintained that TROMA’S WAR is our undiscovered masterpiece,” recalls Lloyd Kaufman. “Originally released during the 1980s, a decade of American Cold War machismo, TROMA’S WAR was our answer to Reagan and Rambo… We felt that ‘war’ was a word that seemed to be on everyone’s lips these days. We thought it would be interesting to drop some typical ‘harmless’ citizens of Tromaville into a war environment. We also had some things to say about who is ‘pulling the strings’ concerning war and terrorism.”

However, in the process of telling this story in “Starrcade: The Essential Collection,” WWE Entertainment has lost something in translation. While the three-disc set is chock full of excellent matches, the documentary itself is lackluster at best. Of course, hearing about the creation of the event from Rhodes, Barry Windam and other WCW/NWA front office personnel is great, but after a while, the documentary runs flat, jumping around to various points in history, failing to address all of the reasons why the program failed.

As a result, this offering isn’t for everyone.

Sure, it’s interesting to hear about what Eric Bischoff thought of the show and how Magnum T.A.’s near-lethal car accident affected both the event and the company, but it’s all put together in a way that makes it feel less polished than some of the other DVD offerings available and even a bit jumbled.

The end result is a compilation that is best judged on the quality of the extra features.

With 25 of the best matches in the program’s history, this set will be a treasure to behold for old school wrestling fans and those that miss the days of WCW. Everyone from Hulk Hogan to Great Muta and Harley Race are featured in the set and even better sleeper matches like a more “Stunning” Steve Austin vs “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes are classics in their own right.

At the same time, seeing things like “The Battlebowl,” which for those who have yet to experience it, is easily one of the most bizarre battle royals in the history of the industry, and is a bit weird, considering this is supposed to be an essential collection. While it’s an important footnote in the history of the program, one can think of many other matches that could have made this set in its place. A small handful of the matches featured also appear on other sets, making this a questionable buy for the wrestling fanatic that owns a plethora of other documentaries.

Nevertheless, the set is an interesting one and one that is full of content and as a result, there’s something every wrestling fan can enjoy here. It may not be enough to warrant a purchase, but it will be enough to induce a few moments of nostalgia.

The rest, they say, is history.

Nevertheless, while “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show” was a blast when you were a kid, it hasn’t aged well now that it’s on DVD. After watching 12 hours of the show on four discs, it’s fair to sat you’ll never want to watch the show again. The fact that it’s currently available on the Netflix Instant Queue as well means you technically don’t have to spend your money on it to get your ’80s fix either.

It’s not that the show is bad, it’s the fact that most of the jokes and jargon aren’t prevalent today and everything about the show is so entrenched in ’80s pop culture. The same way you can still listen to a band like Squeeze and appreciate the music and the message, but laugh your innards off at their videos, is the same feeling you’ll get from this show.

You’ll want to play the song or watch the show, but the time in between from when the show was aired and where we are today make it so tough to do so. You’ll just end up with another nail in your heart that is desperately trying to reclaim a part of your youth by watching the show- to remember the times when it was cool to play your Nintendo with a bunch of pals until 2 A.M. And forget about life.

Or the times when the chick from “Wonder Years” was hot.

Sadly, this DVD compilation can not make that dream a reality. As a result, watching this set proves the ’80s were great, but they are never coming back.

Beneath the ’80s feel that will remind many of their childhood, the live action sequences have aged much worse than the cartoon, which was nothing fantastic when it was originally released anyway. In 10-20 minute bursts, the show still has some nostalgia, but after that, there’s little reason to watch. Great with a group of friends, it’s easy to provide your own commentary to the show and the cartoon, a-la “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

That alone may be the best reason to pick this up.

However, if doesn’t prove how poorly the hands of time have handled this show, nothing else will.

Because of that, the wild man will always hold a soft spot in millions of hearts around the world.

Oh, yeah.

Just like Jake “The Snake” Roberts, the man who invented the DDT, the most imitated move in wrestling history, Savage’s big elbow drop from the top rope too has been copied by countless other wrestlers. For this reason, he’ll always be one of the most captivating entertainers in the sport. Add in the first lady of wrestling, “Miss Elizabeth,” who appears on a hefty chunk of the set, and you have enough history to throw a book at. These elements alone make the set a worthwhile one.

Chronicling his career from start to finish, WWE home video’s “Macho Madness: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection” is a great addition to any hardcore wrestling fan’s collection, as it boasts almost nine hours of matches that show just how talented Savage was. With everything from his days as a free agent, to the Elizabeth years and the NWO featured, this set has it all.

With commentary by the always witty, Matt Stryker, who surprisingly does a damn good Macho Man impersonation, and the lovely Maria, in between the matches is chock full of interesting tidbits about “the most dangerous man in sports today.” Never annoying, the duo do a fun job of keeping the DVD moving at a brisk pace. Even though it’s nine hours long, the set never feels monotonous and continues to deliver throughout.

A big part of that has to do with Stryker and Maria in between each match, setting the scene.

However, seeing how well the matches were chosen for this set, as all of Savage’s biggest feuds are present here, with Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase, Shawn Michaels and Diamond Dallas Page, this compilation is without a doubt a step above all the other DVD highlight collections out there. Sure, it’s not the tell-all documentary many fans would have loved to see, but there are so many matches here that you see first-hand the development of not only Savage’s on-screen character, but as a wrestler as well, adding  moves into his arsenal during the latter years of his career that he’d never think about using in 1985.

For this reason alone, some will say that this collection serves a larger purpose than any other DVD offering based on Savage could.

But smart wrestling fans know better.

Again, while this is an amazing set, it’s merely a prelude to the DVD that everyone wants to see.

Nevertheless, it’s easily one of the best ever released by the company.

Andrei Tarkovsky – a particularly prolific and controversial Soviet director who was known for his politically-rebellious, metaphysical and highly symbolic pictures, as well as his eventual exile – had to start somewhere. As a recent graduate of film school, he had not yet had the name or funding to pursue his own unconventional form of filmmaking and had to adhere to the cultural norm – which Criterion DVD commentator Vida T. Johnson dubbed “Soviet Realism.”

So, when offered to take over “Ivan’s Childhood” after the dismissal of its previous director, he hungrily jumped at the chance, but not without bestowing his own unique stamp of approval.

This was Tarkovsky’s great attempt at propaganda-filled realism. Needless to say, the result was hardly satisfactory to the requirements, but more than fulfilling cinema.

So when an Italian newspaper criticized the work, the likes of Sartre, Ingmar Bergman and other established cultural icons readily jumped to the defense.

The plot takes place at some point during the Second World War, focusing on 12-year-old orphan Ivan (Nikolai Burlyayev), who impetuously acts as a scout for the local troops. He is able to fulfill these missions with greater success than the soldiers due to his size and unassuming age. Eventually, the enemy catches up.

The story may sound touching – though ultimately forgettable – but it’s Tarkovsky’s subtle touch of symbolic depth that makes it truly memorable and one-of-a-kind. When Ivan has a dream of his mother explaining that one sees stars in a well because it’s “nighttime” there, and the camera immediately pans inside the well before Ivan awakens, we get a distinct understanding that this is the “nighttime” in his childhood – or perhaps for the country, or the world.

Another scene depicts a dream in which his dead sister hides behind a dead tree as he searches for her during a game of hide-and-seek. She runs away, but he surpasses her. Ivan is chasing death.

And this is the beauty of Tarkovsky’s works. They feel as though great literature come to life. All the symbolism, the depth, the metaphysics is there – but it’s animated. The pictures are incredibly real and quite moving.

So maybe “realism” didn’t quite work out, but if it did, “Ivan’s Childhood” would not have been a work of art.

Throughout the story, the director continues to innovatively use sight and sound – fire mingled with water. There are many candles and bells – all Tarkovsky trademarks. Horses, his symbol for life, only appear in the idyllic dream sequences, in contrast to the industrial ruin that is the waking world.

An ominous message on the way consistently shouts in Ivan’s head. According to Johnson, Tarkovsky made a vow to never isolate sound to conventional use – since it has become available since the silent film era, it should be used more stylistically than a simple crutch to help tell a story.

The acting is simply compelling. Burlyaev’s depiction of the tortured, raging youth is almost definitive of pathos. We see his pain – his anger – and while we understand it, we cannot help but desperately vie against it. Here is a child who – more than anything else – wants to die; but if he does, he’ll take as many Nazis with him as possible.

DVD features include the aforementioned interview with Johnson, as well as video interviews with an adult Burlyaev and the film’s cinematographer, Vadim Yusov.

The aftertaste of “Ivan’s Childhood” is quite strange. Although the film is certainly tragic in nature, it does not leave its viewer in the throes of pangs. Instead, like any commendable work of philosophy, it mesmerizes.

As far as in-ring style went, Warrior was “balls-out” the entire time. The few times he wasn’t, you saw just how green he was, which, in sense, put a black eye on the performers who were in love with their craft.

In a career full of ups and downs, he took advantage of every opportunity he could, shooting to the top faster than anyone else before him. However, just as fast as things rose for Jim Hellwig, they crashed just as fast, as he burned virtually every bridge he crossed on the way to the top.

Chronicled in the 2005 WWE documentary “The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior,” his career is put into perspective by the people who watched his tumultuous ride to the top and his disaster-filled free fall. Very different from the other WWE documentaries out there in the fact that Warrior [Hellwig legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993] isn’t anywhere to be seen in the documentary or the interviews on the two-disc set. Because of this, many of the allegations made about him can be looked at as skewed. However, with over a dozen wrestlers, and such reputable names as Bobby Heenan, Ted DiBiase, Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross sharing their thoughts on the enigma, the allegations being made seem absolutely plausible.

This is not your usual wrestling documentary in the fact that Warrior is not a hard luck story with heart like Brian Pillman, a tragedy like Jake Roberts or a mixed bag like Brett Hart. Blessed with an amazing body, Warrior refused to put the time and energy into his craft and still found a way to the top. Rather than realize this, he continued to demand more and more from the marrow of life, without putting what he needed into it, which of course, ended up costing him his spot in the industry.

However, if the Beatles song rings true and “In the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make,” then the Warrior sure had a blast on his way to the top. This is evidenced by numerous accounts by former wrestlers that his attitude was atrocious and aside from having his own dressing room [an unknown at the time, considering even Hulk Hogan got dressed with the rest of the boys], he even allegedly held up Vince McMahon for an absorbent amount of money before a pay per view. Listening to all of these stories and the various impersonations of the black sheep make this set a must own for any wrestling fan or anyone obsessed with ’80s pop culture, as the dude is a living embodiment of it.

With a second disc filled with extra content such as interviews, matches and promos, any fan of the Warrior will appreciate the set and will forget about the fact that the man behind the paint wasn’t nearly as indestructible as he thought he was. Four hours may seem like a ton of time to invest in someone like the Warrior, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more complete telling of anyone’s career than “The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior.”

Now compiled onto DVD, “Domo: Vol. One” is an excellent introduction to the character and his world. As far as the characters and series go, “Domo” is a departure from everything out now and is a complete blast from the past. There are no foul-mouthed children or talking milkshakes in the shorts, and the ideas and concepts developed there are anything but controversial. The shorts themselves aren’t all that funny, but they do take you back to a time when simplicity meant more than outright hilarity. There’s a wholesomeness and feel to them that both children and adults alike can enjoy.

That is possibly Domo’s biggest strength.

That, and his charm.

Regardless of what it is he is doing, Domo has an uncanny ability to make you smile. It doesn’t matter if he’s upset about losing his balloon or plugging his headphones into the ground, he’s utterly irresistible. The same thing goes for his trusty friend, Mr. Usaji, who serves as a father figure, and his energetic and equally adorable pals, Tashanna, Bear Boy and Hungry Bear, always find a way to join in on the fun.

Add in solid animation that fans of films such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Corpse Bride” will fall in love with, and you have more than enough levity to quench any animation fan’s appetite.

Fifteen bucks may be a bit much to shell out for a 50-minute DVD, but the feeling you get when all is said and done is one that doesn’t come along often. Not only do you want to see more of Domo and his pals, but you don’t mind going on the same adventures with them all over again.

Because of that, “Domo: Vol. One” is a sleeper hit and is a DVD that is sure to satisfy.

And while this film does stand on its own in terms of storytelling, it does not in any way compare to some of the finer episodes of the series – especially “Crossroads Part II,” after which it was supposed to come as craved salve.

But fans become desperate in a long BSG-absence and the withdrawal fills almost any mention of Colonial frocks and Cylons with thoughts of sweet Ambrosia.

Fortunately, this is precisely what “Razor” does.

It explores the explosive potential left behind by Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes) and the haunting history of the Battlestar Pegasus.

Here, we follow Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Chavez-Jacobsen), a protégée of Cain’s who was subsequently demoted to kitchen duty for insubordinate behavior and then curiously elevated to X.O. by Lee (Jamie Bamber) as a Major to “carry Cain’s torch.”

Naturally, Shaw’s stringent demeanor causes more than a slight scuffle with Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), but this is not where the heart of this tale lies. Through her interactions with her skeptical superior officer and abrasive C.A.G., Kendra flashes back to the atrocities aboard the Pegasus, many of which she personally committed. We see the alarming scene where Cain shot her X.O. and the notorious massacre aboard the Scylla. Hearing about them from Colonel Fisk (Graham Beckel) was disturbing but actually seeing the events and the cold countenance with which Cain orders the assault, while watching a brutalized Gina Inviere (Tricia Helfer) is downright chilling.

And yet, there is almost nothing new, save for the belated revelation in the last 20 minutes of the nearly two-hour event.

Sure, we learn some interesting tidbits about Cain’s past on Tauron in the extended version and how hybrids were actually made, but any season finale – or even mid-season gems like “Maelstrom” and “Unfinished Business” – holds more spine-tingling, nail-biting appeal.

Ultimately, we see just how Cain and her crew transformed into her definition of a “razor,” for better or worse and – perhaps surprisingly – we see that these horrific choices even haunt the seemingly coldblooded “Pegasus” team.

On the acting front, it is fantastic to have Forbes back as the merciless Rear Admiral. Chavez-Jaconsen, however, could have used some work – especially since she’s the protagonist of this epic tale. While her portrayal of the conflicted officer is commendable, her speech patterns are lacking. She would often swallow entire syllables and consistently spoke in a quiet, monotonous manner. Although subtitles easily solve the problem – and the sharp dialogue more than makes up for it – it deters from the potential perfection that could have been this gem of a Major.

Still, in a period of “Battlestar” withdrawal, almost anything featuring Vipers and Raptors (and of course, Starbuck) is nice.

This is presumably the appeal of “The Plan.” So, until those frakking creators in Vancouver do their jobs and finish “Caprica,” 20 cubits says that this is precisely what the die-hard frakheads will do: re-watch the series as though on rotation, with occasional healthy helpings of “Razor.”

So say we all.

That is a quote from Admiral Adama himself, Edward James Olmos, and if that didn’t make you eager to see “The Plan,” nothing can. Unfortunately, “The Plan” doesn’t quite live up to Olmos’ hype.

The events of “The Plan” take place over the course of the miniseries and first two seasons of “Battlestar Galactica,” and focus mainly on the two Brother Cavils (Dean Stockwell) who first met in the season two finale, “Lay down Your Burdens.” As revealed in the later episodes of the series, Cavil was Cylon Number One and, for the most part, in charge of the other Cylon models.

The story is split between these two Number Ones, telling the tales of the one who fought against humanity from within the Galactica, the other who became a part of Samuel T. Anders’ rebellion on Caprica. While the story is primarily about the two Cavils and how their respective circumstances affected their feelings towards humanity, “The Plan” also shows what happened to the other Cylon models around the two Number Ones.

What “The Plan” does wonderfully is juxtapose the situation of the Cavil in the fleet and the Cavil on Caprica. Throughout the movie, we see exactly what is going through each of their minds. This works so well because of the outstanding job by Dean Stockwell. Though only in 14 episodes in the series, by the end, there was no doubt that the Number Ones had become the primary antagonists in “Battlestar Galactica.”

Here we have Stockwell playing the villain we know, the child angry at the limitations put on him by his parents while simultaneously playing a character wanting to learn from his mistakes and better understand why he was created the way he was. With Cavil as the central figure, everything was put on Stockwell to move the story along, and he pulled it off.

Being from the Cylons’ perspective, what “The Plan” tries to do is fill in the blanks and answer some of the questions that were left open throughout the series. In that respect, “The Plan” succeeds; it does what it set out to do and answers those questions, while even touching on other aspects of Cylon life after the attack that was previously unmentioned.

The largest difficulty to undertake a project like this is meeting the expectations. For four seasons we heard “…and they have a plan” before each episode and when coupled with Olmos’ quote, fan expectation was high. All of us wanted a grandiose and over-the-top story that fits within the context of “Battlestar,” which is simply not possible.

We understand that the explanation cannot match the setup and how could it? “Battlestar Galactica” was the story of the last 50,000 humans from billions. How could any explanation be as momentous as the holocaust of the human race?

That is where “The Plan” ultimately falls flat. It’s an entertaining two hours, but there is no moment that leaves you awestruck as the series did countless times. There are certainly some interesting scenarios throughout, but nothing truly momentous.

For big time fans, the little things will put a smile on your face, especially the parts about Boomer (Grace Park) in the first season when she’s still conflicted over whether or not she really is a Cylon. Other parts of interest will be how Leoben (Callum Keith Rennie) became so infatuated with Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) and for the first time some actual details about Cylon Number Four, Simon (Rick Worthy), who was probably the least used in the series.

There’s really nothing bad in the story. Everything makes sense and it’s well written; it just happens to be a bit underwhelming. Really, everything in this movie is fairly predictable which takes away from the purpose for creating it. The tidbits are nice, but the plan itself isn’t anything the average fan didn’t already figure out.

When watching “The Plan,” you truly have to commend the job Olmos did directing as well as that of the entire makeup, wardrobe, and editing crew, who fused the new scenes nearly seamlessly with the old.

Using footage that is years old and blending it with new recordings must have been a massive undertaking, but the result is nearly flawless.

Perhaps the only somewhat sad part is that Kara “Starbuck” Thrace, Lee “Apollo” Adama (Jamie Bamber, Gaius Baltar (James Callis) and others don’t have any new footage and are barely in it at all. Even Admiral Adama has little to do in this movie, which is disappointing as fans want to see their favorites at least one more time.

From a technical standpoint, “Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” is close to perfect.

On Blu-ray, the recorded visuals are spectacular. Especially on Caprica, the picture is sharp and the colors are vibrant, which makes for an extremely enjoyable visual experience. The only blemish in this aspect is the parts where they show complete CGI representations of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. It’s only about a minute long, but the cities that were shown in each of the Colonies looked a bit too cartoonish, more like cities in a video game than real metropolises.

Much like the video, “The Plan” sounds absolutely wonderful in five speaker surround sound. It’s a pleasure to hear Bear McCreary’s brilliant music once again.

The extras on the Blu-ray are all enjoyable, as well. Like any self-respecting release nowadays, there is commentary here with Olmos and writer Jane Espenson. Deleted scenes are also present, which is always nice, but they are not in high-definition.

The other features, however, are and include “From Admiral to Director” with Olmos talking about going from an actor on the show to directing the movie and two features that discuss the Cylons (one looks at the individual Cylons in the movie entitled “The Cylons of ‘The Plan’” and another which is about the attack itself called “The Cylon Attack.”)

The best extra is probably “Visual Effects: The Magic Behind ‘The Plan,’” which gives a behind-the-scenes look at how all the fights and the world of “Battlestar” was created. On the Blu-ray version, there is of course the BD-Live feature and a “Battlestar Galactica” trivia game.

Overall, “The Plan” is definitely worth seeing.

The only question is whether or not you should buy it now or wait until it airs on SyFy next year. If you’re a diehard, you pretty much have to have it just to complete the collection; otherwise, you’ll probably want to wait.

The extras are worth watching and this is the only way to get the full experience. There will definitely be cuts on the SyFy version – specifically to the parts with nudity.

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” isn’t the missing link in the story everyone wanted it to be, and many will see it as an unnecessary addition to the Battlestar mythos.

With that said, the movie is a nice excuse just to sit down and get taken back into that universe that you fell in love with six years ago. “The Plan” is a good movie, and if you don’t expect too much, you’ll surely enjoy it.

Initially released in 1960 and remastered by Criterion in 2001, Kurosawa’s most influential film continues to fascinate audiences even to this day, in spite of its arguable faults, few as they may be.

As with most jidaigeki films, it takes place during the Land of the Rising Sun’s Edo era, with a distinct focus on class conflict between the peasants and nobility, as well as that of rival clans.

At the forefront of our story are two peasants, Matakishi (Kamatari Fujiwara, “Yojimbo”) and Tahei (Minoru Chaki, “Gray Sunset”), who – in an effort to attain great wealth during the war – sell their homes to buy arms prior to the start of the film, only to ultimately lose everything when they are mistaken for members of the defeated side.

After encountering various mishaps, they find some cleverly concealed gold, as well as a stoic man claiming to be the renowned Azuki general, Rokurota Makabe (Toshiro Mifune, “Seven Samurai”) and a brash, young, independent girl in men’s clothing.

Little do the bumbling blunderers know that in this wandering warrior truly is the acclaimed general and the mute youth is in reality the incorrigibly vocal Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara, “Desperado Outpost”), sole survivor of the Azuki clan.

And the price on her head is astronomical, especially for those with a taste for gold.

Kurosawa’s approach to this charming tale is perhaps more accessible and lighter fare than his other films, as the focus on comedy is considerably greater.

As mentioned in an interview with Lucas, the story is told from the perspective of the “lowliest characters.” Although the film’s perceived protagonists may be the regal Matabe and the fiery Yuki, the plot – in reality – is moved by the morally ambiguous peasants.

And Kurasawa’s attitude toward the dynamic duo is certainly one of wit.

Matakishi and Tahei are hardly sympathetic characters. Even when they befall all sorts of atrocities at the start of the film, they rarely garner pathos. When they abuse what little power they have toward the end, they incite even less. Even Matabe insists that although they are incredibly shifty, he “can rely on their greed.”

But they are genuinely funny, as it’s almost impossible to suppress the gut-splitting guffaws compelled by their darkly comedic scenes.

That does not at all imply that the notion of empathy is absent from the inspirational epic. Toshiko Higuchi (The Rose in the Mud), as the captured Azuki peasant girl draws emotional support from more than just the audience – her plight reaches the princess, who boldly orders a sacrificial move for her freedom.

Kurosawa’s simultaneously profound and lighthearted take on the Edo adventure is almost flawless in its execution, from its brilliant, long takes to the phenomenal acting by its lead characters.

Mifune is so astounding as the regal Makabe that it’s difficult to imagine that he does not carry this level of grace and poise with him everlastingly. (One only needs to see “Seven Samurai” to see its inverse.) It’s almost as though the actor dreamed this disciplined, aristocratic man into existence – so lifelike is his interpretation of the devoted guardian.

With Criterion’s masterful restoration, the vivacious visuals in this vertiginous visage for the mind are even more impeccable. Along with the digital restoration, the DVD features the aforementioned interview with Lucas and the original theatrical trailer – which is available in the film’s original quality, in case anyone is curious to see the difference.

Kurosawa’s epic tale of high adventure behind enemy lines elicits more than simple thrills or chuckles — it awes with its mastery, it engages with its cleverness – but most importantly, it moves with its tremendous heart.

The biggest piece of Vince McMahon’s empire prior to purchasing WCW, his eventual conquest over the AWA made it possible for the industry to grow as much as it did in the ’80s. Ironic, considering how the demise of the AWA took opportunities away from athletes by consolidating the amount of places performers could travel and offer their services.

Rich in history, the AWA is still an important footnote in the industry’s history and thanks to a six-hour DVD from WWE entertainment, “The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA,” many of the holes and hard to put together information needed to get a true idea of the company’s impact on the sport have been compiled on this two-DVD set. Nonetheless, while the documentary itself is an interesting romp through the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s world of professional wrestling, with a ton of interviews from many of the main players of the company, the extra features haven’t aged well, giving this set a stale feel when compared to many of the other WWE home entertainment offerings.

For instance, watching the plummet of the company, mainly due to the Gagne’s refusal to change with the times, is a great watch, but watching a Verne Gagne vs Baron Von Raschke match is a complete bore for anyone who isn’t a student of the sport or someone who appreciates the history behind the glitz and glamor. The same thing goes for watching Greg Gagne try to replace his father as a single’s star and the company attempting to push youngster stars when they finally realized the error of their ways. It is tragic, but again, nothing is more tragic than watching a 55-year-old Verne Gagne defend the AWA title against an older Nick Bockwinkel when the company had so many future stars that the WWF and WCW would use to help lead their companies.

The tone of the documentary cements this tragic notion even more as every wrestler interviewed and even the Gagne’s themselves voice their dissatisfaction with the decisions that were made. It’s not the most enjoyable WWE documentary because of this, but it’s honest, informative and thorough and well worth a watch. Had the extra’s besides the interviews held up a little better over time, this set would have been much better, but just like the AWA itself, time has not been particularly friendly to this set. It’s still a solid choice for wrestling DVD collectors, just not the best one.

In the immortal words of Stan Lee, “Nuff Said.”

Completely capturing the inner-geek in all of us, Robot Chicken’s second “Star Wars” special is a treasure to behold. It’s not often that one can play off of pop culture and stereotypical comedic devices and intertwine them so well with science fiction, but Seth Green and company do it with near perfect precision.

Examples of this are frequent throughout and help the DVD be much more than a cash-milking sequel. The more you watch the DVD, the more you understand this notion, as the references, camera angles and language are totally authentic to the series, yet irresistibly charming and witty in a way that is the complete opposite.

Only a group of hardcore “Star Wars” geeks could come up with half the stuff Green and his pals do.

However, the DVD is about more than that, as even the smallest scenes in the series are fleshed out and played with, such as the one that has Lando Calrissian disagreeing with Darth Vader about their agreement in Cloud City. The end result is one that real fans of the series will appreciate and those who have even a nominal influence in the films will find hilarious.

Other scenes that portray Anakin as “Little Orphan Ani” and show us who’s behind the wheel of that little car that Chewie growls at are also pretty damn funny and lend even more to the idea that this DVD is for everyone and not just for the geek with “Star Wars” figures still in their original packaging.

This notion is brought out even more after multiple viewings. Only an hour and a half long, but bouncing around a lot, it’s easy to miss certain scenes and the only way to truly enjoy this DVD is to watch it a few times. While watching, you can either shut your brain off and enjoy the absurdity and debauchery or try to break down the puns and references. Being able to do this and effectively cater to both types of audiences, the younger “this Star Wars stuff is boring” crowd, and the hardcore fan, simultaneously, Robot Chicken’s second “Star Wars” offering has a high midichlorian count and is equally as hip.

The only gripe is it’s all over just when you start to get comfortable, but considering how long it takes to make a quality stop-motion animation production like this, it’s a wonder they were able to put as much content on the disc as they did. A hearty helping of extra features commentaries, trailers, animation meetings and outtakes add to the overall experience however and make this disc a must own for any fan of the show and the series.

However, in the end, it’s more than enough content in one sitting to swing a light saber, making the DVD a sequel that definitely doesn’t miss its intended mark.

The film is structured in a very smart way by breaking the stories up into three segments, all centered around the beautiful Candice Rialson, who plays a runaway by the name of Bonnie. Rialson was one of the most beautiful and sensual women in the exploitation genre who, in 1979, decided to give up acting all together. “Pets” is one of the more famous roles for the late actress, whose contribution inspired Bridget Fonda’s character in “Jackie Brown,” which is not a bad legacy to leave behind.

The story begins in a car with a man who is treating Bonnie like a prisoner, and we discover that he is her brother. She manages to flee when her brother frustrates a car full of angry brothers, and her three stories begin.

The first story has Bonnie making an unlikely friendship with a woman who is trying her best to be “Foxy Brown,” but can hardly compare to the beauty of Pam Grier. The two decide to hitchhike and abduct an older gentleman. Well, in all actuality, Bonnie just thought it was a ride and nothing more. She is forced to watch the man while her new “friend” goes and loots the man’s house. In order to distract him at one point, we get to see more Rialson, which allows us to appreciate the actress so much more.

The second story of the world’s sexiest runaway continues as she becomes the muse and lesbian lover for a local artist who becomes extremely jealous of her conversations with other men. We start to understand that Bonnie is lonely and intent on making friendships with everyone – she shows no true identity throughout.

Finally, Bonnie makes friends with a perverted artist named Victor Stackman (played in an odd performance by Ed Bishop). Now, this is the story that ties in with the title because Stackman believes that women should be trapped in cages like pets. (Yes, the movie is that strange.) However, it is this final story in which we see a liberated Bonnie come to terms with who she really is and, of course, the door was left open for a sequel which never happened.

Code Red has released this ultra-rare film and presented it the only way they could with the print they had available – the result is an accidental yet genuine grindhouse experience. The screen jumps occasionally; green lines can be seen throughout, and the audio crackles.

The studio claims that this is a limited release and may become a collector’s item with only 1,500 copies in circulation, which means if you are interested in seeing this, get your copy now and don’t be concerned with the technical flaws. “Pets” has been the holy grail of exploitation collectors and it is good that it is finally released, since VHS copies were selling for $70 and up.

The extras are scarce and include a grainy trailer and a deleted scene that looks like it was found in the sewer, not the cutting room floor.

Code Red trailers for the forthcoming titles “Brute Corps,” “Devil’s Express,” “Family Honor” and “The Statue” are included.

An interesting time capsule into what 42nd Street used to play on movie screens is a major reason to see “Pets,” and you may feel like you just stepped out of a grindhouse after you view Code Red’s “restoration” of this picture.

Edward Zwick’s (Blood Diamond) “The Last Samurai,” however, transcends the typical aspiration of cinematic biographies and lends a clandestine touch of romance of a forgotten period.

Loosely based on the Satsuma Rebellion, following history’s favored “last samurai,” Saigō Takamori, the majority of the plot spans several months as Japan’s samurai attempt to fend off Western influence and maintain their traditional way of life.

In the film, Takamori becomes Lord Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), an honorable and poetic leader of noble rebels and, presumably, the real-life roles of Jules Brunet, Henry Andres Burgevine and William Adams culminate in the form of tortured soldier, Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise).

A veteran of the Indian Wars, Algren suffers from a shame-induced post-traumatic stress disorder. Reoccurring nightmares of his role in the massacre at the Washita River prevent any extended sobriety and social grace. Desperate for some form of financial security, he agrees to train Japanese troops against the rebel samurai and after an impressive display of valor during a battle, is captured by them.

This is where the intricate plot of the sentimental story begins. Although initially an outsider in this remote and culturally foreign village, Algren soon comes to know Katsumoto’s family and love their ways.

He begins to speak their language, adopt their customs and admire their discipline.

More than anything else, “The Last Samurai” is a romantic ode to the honor of Bushido – the samurai’s code of honor – and the jidaigeki feel of the epics of the legendary Akira Kurosawa.

Katsumoto discloses that the word, “samurai,” means “to serve.” In this noble, eternal servitude to a perceivably just leader, the essence of humble heroism is revealed. If the emperor desires, the samurai will take his own life. Otherwise, he will fight for the everlasting preservation of his ways.

Cruise presents a surprisingly powerful performance as the haunted Captain, writhing in the throngs of alcoholic desperation and ultimately serene in his newfound peace.

The true treasure of the title is Watanabe, however, as the regal Katsumoto. His presence bears a simultaneous elegance, grace and might that are seldom seen onscreen by modern audiences.

A particularly charming presence is lent by Shin Koyomada (Wendy Wu: HomecomingWarrior) as Katsumoto’s son, Nobutada. With an engaging smile and an authentically sweet disposition, Koyomada feasibly adds a sense of gentleness to the stoic way of the warrior.

Emphasized by a deeply moving soundtrack and breathtaking cinematography, “The Last Samurai” is ecstasy for the eye and serenity for the soul.

And the special features on the two-disc DVD set aren’t bad, either.

Comprised of “Tom Cruise: A Warrior’s Journey,” “Edward Zwick: Director’s Video Journal,” “Making an Epic: A Conversation with Edward Zwick and Tom Cruise” and “History VS. Hollywood: The Last Samurai,” the only truly interesting bit is the last, even though it focuses more on the overall history of samurai rather than the actual Satsuma rebellion. Even so, this History Channel special is more than worth a glance.

The remaining features, while informative, are only entertaining of to the viewer with preexistent interest in the subject.

In a quiet, somber fashion, this the film inspires as easily as it compels with stunning performances delivered by all. While living samurai were flawed and human, the strict adherence to the code of Bushido and the strict honor of the warriors of yesteryear in the spectacle leaves a sense of hushed inspiration, as would any conceivably moving display of valor against all odds.

To the history buffs, you know why the end is a tearjerker. To those who aren’t, the dignified denizens of modern Japan are hardly a katana-toting, kimono-clad Bushido band these days.

That doesn’t matter. The predictable outcome of this fray should not dissuade an eager viewer. To quote Algren at the end when asked how Katsumoto died: “Let me tell you how he lived.”

And one can only hope that the real Saigō lived that well.

Sure, it succeeds in creating a cold, distant, post-apocalyptic future, but suffers from the major flaw of having the characters appear equally as cold and distant themselves. Viewers are not able to become invested in the protagonists or care for their survival. In the end, that turns this film into one of the most painfully long movie experiences you’ll ever have.

Not even brief cameos by Lemmy and Iggy Pop can save this abysmal mess.

The premise involves Moses Baxter (yes, this is a commentary on religion) as he wanders across the vast, bleak universe created for the picture. He stumbles on a M.A.R.K. 13, which is a robot created by the military for purposes still unknown to the audience or mankind. Baxter brings the robot to his sculptor girlfriend (naturally…?), and within time they discover the purpose of the robot and accidentally unleash it on humanity. Now, humanity in this picture is full of perverts, junkies and anti-social thieves, so it really is no big loss.

Baxter is portrayed by Dylan McDermott, and that casting flaw is a major problem for the picture. He is the most dull and annoying hero for a picture of this caliber. His performance is equally matched by Stacey Travis as Jill, Baxter’s girlfriend. She has locked herself in her apartment and has a problem smoking dope, and one can only wonder what Baxter sees in her. He brings her the M.A.R.K. 13 as a Christmas gift – they bicker and somehow end up in bed together as we watch through the infrared eyes of a pepping tom. You keep waiting for the characters and plot to develop, and yet it never happens.

But one actor steals the spotlight for worst actor of all time, and that is John Lynch as Shades. It is worth renting this movie just to see what an awful actor this guy is, but even then you might be better off finding a clip on YouTube.

To add insult to injury, the back of the box states that this film shocked the MPAA with a certain level of disturbing violence. For starters, the violence is nothing special for gore hounds, and secondly, a movie needs more than gore for a reason to be seen. When violence is crucial to the storytelling, it can be thrilling, but when thrown into a sloppy film of this stature, it is just an insult.

It is clear that this is director Richard Stanley’s bleak outlook and commentary on society, but it is the type of film that holds no purpose to anyone but him and his ego. With all this being said, if you are a fan of this picture, Severin has done an amazing job on the transfer of this movie and the wealth of supplements they provided in this two-disc collection. It starts off with an almost self-praising commentary by director Stanley over the uncensored version of his movie.

On disc two is where the rest of the extras are, including a lengthy and in-depth, hour-long making-of documentary entitled “No Flesh Shall Be Spared.” That is followed by “Incidents in an Expanding Universe,” which is an early Super 8 version of “Hardware” with different actors.

Then there are two very interesting short films by Stanley: “The Sea of Perdition” and “Rites of Passage.” Those are followed by Stanley discussing the what-could have-been sequel to “Hardware” for about eight minutes. The disc is rounded out with a German trailer, a promo piece from the heyday of VHS, and deleted and extended scenes.

It is doubtful that “Hardware” will acquire any new fans, but it does have a cult following that will be more than pleased with this release from Severin, and the only ones that will pony up the $30 sticker price.

Now, with the release of The Best of X-Division Volume 2, all the great matches of 2006 are all on one disc, providing hardcore fans with all the amazing wrestling action they could ever ask for. In addition, TNA commentators Mike Tenay and Don West spend considerable time showing the highlights of the bloody Daniels, Joe and Styles feud that captivated the entire industry during the last half of 2005 and most of 2006, thus providing a well rounded package that will leave TNA fans drooling, while serving as a great introduction to the brand for non-TNA aficionados.

However, the thing that separates The Best of the X-Division Volume 2 from the myriad of other wrestling DVDs flooding the market right now is that it features a host of great wrestlers like Petey Williams, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal and others in addition to chronicling the amazing title reigns of the champions mentioned earlier. As well, it is chock full of everything from high-octane singles matches to six-man steel cage tag matches, providing a healthy balance of diversity and entertainment.

Because of the variety of the matches and different types of wrestlers featured, TNA has created a DVD that has something for everyone. Those who love to see scientific wrestling have a few great matches with Alex Shelley that are sure to satisfy, while those looking for insane high flying action have more than their fair share of Sonjay Dutt and AJ Styles on this DVD as well.

Making the collection even better is the fact that every single match features great finishers like Senshi’s “Warrior’s Way” and Petey Williams’ “Canadian Destroyer,” making the matches worth watching over and over. Wrestling fans that aren’t familiar with TNA or its wrestlers will be amazed at just how athletic and daring these superstars are and will opt to see many of the phenomenal moves over and over again in slow motion. That’s how insane some of them are.

As far as judging its quality as a total package is concerned, TNA’s The Best of the X-Division Volume 2 goes out of it’s way to bring out the best of its superstars and bring it into your living room, providing over two hours of the most intense wrestling action ever seen before and is a welcome addition to any wrestling fan’s collection.

When I compared Kino’s DVD with a copy from Delta Entertainment, the results were devastating: Countless details have been restored, including reinserted title cards and the magnificent soundtrack. (Edmund Meisel’s score adds a pounding rhythm to the excitement.) Footage that was trimmed out has been returned, giving director Sergei Eisenstein’s montages the delirium they were conceived with.

Eisenstein’s film celebrates the Russian uprising against czarism in 1905, beginning with a piece of meat swarming with maggots – it conjures mutiny on a ship of hungry men. More than 50 shots, including the famous close up of squirming maggots, were omitted in 1926. (The restored version is offered here.) Despite its abuse, “Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide” gave “Potemkin” a four-star rating: “Unlike many staples of film history classes, this one has the power to grip any audience. Odessa Steps sequence is possibly the most famous movie scene of all time.”

The Odessa Steps sequence. That’s the scene where troops open fire on innocent citizens. The shot of the orphaned baby carriage bouncing down the steps is one of the most fundamental images in the history of cinema: Brian De Palma sampled it for “The Untouchables,” Woody Allen spoofed it in “Bananas.” A list of movie connections on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) includes “Foreign Correspondent,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The Way We Were,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “28 Weeks Later” and many others. When we watch quick-cutting montages in other films, we’re looking at responses to this one – it’s almost impossible to see “Potemkin” without hearing the echoes of its imitators.

Look for Kino’s high-def transfer of F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” also on DVD: The Murnau film is another landmark of silent cinema, but Eisenstein’s film stands above the others. In a 1998 review, Roger Ebert mentioned that “it was voted the greatest film of all time at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.” That wouldn’t have made much sense to Eisenstein – he insisted that the greatest movie ever made was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Focusing largely police corruption, you’ve seen the premise of this film a million times before with pictures such as “Training Day” and “Street Kings.” These type of picture were perfected by Sidney Lumet (“Serpico” “Prince of the City”) but since that time, they have become the film equivalent of a drug-store novel. They hold no real strength on their own and rest largely on whether or not the cast is capable.

That is largely why “Streets of Blood” works. The leading actors do a great job of moving the flow and pace of this tale along. Set in New Orleans, shortly after Hurricane Katrina,  Andy Devereaux (Kilmer) finds the remains of his partner in a flooded house and shortly meet up with his new partner Stan Green (50 Cent). They have different styles of handling the corruption levels in the department. Green has no problem helping himself to the money to provide for his family, whereas Devereaux is only corrupt by the way he has no problem murdering a drug dealer or cop killer. Devereaux will not touch money that is not his and for the most part is an honest cop in this film that shades the line in morality.

However, the shifting focus hinders the enjoyment of the picture as it tries to focus on to many people when the audience is only invested in Devereaux and Green. Kilmer and 50 Cent have a genuine on-screen chemistry that balance each other out well and that was all the movie should have been about. Those two actors and a sharply written ending make this picture worth seeing. In fact, it is far superior to the theatrically released “Street Kings,” but that isn’t saying much.

An interesting side note is that the on-screen chemistry between Kilmer and 50 Cent leaked into reality because the two bonded over there love for antique cars. 50 Cent even surprised Kilmer by giving him a 1965 Chevy Impala (Worth 100,000).

Kilmer is still a gifted actor and even though his career seemed to take a wrong turn into the world of direct-to-DVD movies, this is not where an actor of his stature should be. He brings a unique flair to each role that he plays and in “Streets of Blood,” that is ever so apparent with his Cajun accent.

Helping matters too is that 50 Cent is one of the few rappers that has what it takes to be a good leading man and shows a lot of promise in this picture. He is an actor to look for in future endeavors. The sexy Stone also enhances the picture making three promising leads giving strong steady performances.

Nonetheless, this direct-to-DVD and the supporting cast and extras are just awful and pull you out of the picture. But what is most shocking is that Biehn seems to have a case of acting amnesia in this movie which is very rare for him. In “Aliens” and “The Terminator” he showed what a good actor he is, but as a corrupt FBI agent here, all he seems to want is a paycheck.

A shaky camera makes this movie feel like the real deal and transport you into the brutal unflinching reality of this world. At a brisk 95 minutes the picture never wears itself out and is an enjoyable popcorn flick. Anchor Bay provides little extras on this DVD with the exception of a trailer and ad for the direct-to-DVD garbage called “Lies and Illusions” featuring Christian Slater and Cuba Gooding Jr.

With a sticker price of over $20 it is hard to recommend this as a purchase, but as a rental, or stumbling upon it in a bargain bin  it is definitely worth your time. A re-teaming of Kilmer and 50 Cent in a better picture than “Streets of Blood” is all we can ask for in the meantime.

Here, Iggy recreates his cameo role from Hardware as Angry Bob the DJ.

Now, what if the company releasing the DVD (Code Red) did no promotional work for the film, leaving viewers in the dark about what they are buying, poorly scamming them out of their hard earned cash with the final result? The truth is that if just some of the people who purchased a copy saw a theatrical trailer of this picture, it might have saved them over $20 for something that many assumed was a slasher/comedy.

As a matter of fact, the slasher elements are played out with cartoonish tomfoolery, and the comedy is no where to be found.

However, there is a premise in this mess concerning a killer with a grinning basketball mask that is an original slasher premise. The picture of the killer is what made so many viewers enticed at the notion of this picture, thinking this was a low-budget Canadian comedy with plenty of violence. However, this movie would get a PG rating if it was ever released theatrically. It cans the violence to be an “Airplane!” slapstick spoof, with the major exception that most of the jokes don’t work and are just inept. So basically what you have is a slasher comedy with no blood or laughs.

The members of the basketball team are slowly being murdered one by one, while the equipment manager comes closer and closer to finally making the team. But who is the killer? Is it Stan Bates (equipment manager and the subject of several Master Bates jokes), Beckula (Bates’ Goth girlfriend) or the father that can’t deal with seeing his son on the sidelines? Of course, there are many more suspects, but you really won’t get caught up in the mystery, and you will figure out the ending long before it happens.

The real star of the “Night of the Dribbler” is frequent “Match Game” guest and impressionist Fred Travalena, playing three separate roles: Coach Cherry, Danny Gibson and Dick Airhead. This is not a great showcase for the late Travalena, but he does seem to enjoy inventing many characters, although he could’ve used some more time to polish them. In fact, the movie was intended as a slasher, but due to Travalena’s Christian morality, its makers agreed to change the film into a comedy if he would appear in it. His impressions do provide the very few scenes of laughter.

Code Red is the first company to ever release this movie in a full-frame presentation, and it is accompanied by a commentary track with Travalena recorded shortly before he died. The track is funny and brutally honest with the finished product, and we get to know a little more about this underrated comedian in his own words.

Then there is an interesting five-minute interview with George Thomas, who plays the Elvis-worshipping team captain High Tops. His performance in the film is solid, but he isn’t onscreen very long, and in his interview he discusses his time in the movie industry and meeting David Lynch.

A theatrical trailer is included, which looks like something from Troma and more Code Red coming attractions. All of the trailers included have been included on better releases, and don’t warrant spending money on this disc.

This movie would be great as part of a double feature or an extra on the DVD of another movie, but as a standalone disc it is clearly a waste of money. (The best bet would be a “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ commentary track)

“Night of the Dribbler” has been hyped up by Code Red in their blogs, but the company really committed a foul play with this poor release. This release was bought by people that believed in the company and their name, and they are the only ones that were hurt in the long run. Code Red needs to stick to releasing rare gems of the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Lemmy recreates his cameo role from Hardware as a cabdriver recalling nostalgic memories from the past as he drives through a now dystopian wasteland.

Check it out!

The documentary based on his career, produced by WWE Entertainment, “The American Dream, The Dusty Rhodes Story,” not only does an excellent job of showing how special a piece he is in wrestling history, but shows the man behind the mystique. A three-disc set, this DVD is a step up from the usual WWE documentary that fails to give its all. Instead, this compilation is the definitive Rhodes set and one that any wrestling fan will be happy with.

Broken up between the main documentary, matches and promos, this set is extensive, lasting nine hours. The documentary lasts about an hour and a half and chronicles his career from start to finish, showcasing some of his great feuds and his travels and exploits in the AWA, WCW and the WWE. Even his rocky relationship with his son is discussed, providing some extremely emotional points and giving the set more depth than most of the other superstar documentaries the company has released over the years.

During his career, Rhodes was billed as someone the average man could relate to and as the documentary develops, you’ll begin to understand why. Candid and rugged, yet irresistibly witty and wise, Rhodes is super cool during his younger days and has aged finer than wine today, giving off a kind of grandfather you’d love to have feel today. Because of that, this documentary is an undeniable success that completely captures the essence of both Rhodes’ ring days and his life outside of it.

The same thing goes for the matches featured on the set, as they do an excellent job of showing some of his feuds with everyone from Ric Flair, Billy Graham and Terry Funk. The matches haven’t aged quite as gracefully as you’d expect, but to see so many people flipping out when Rhodes enters the ring is proof enough that he was an icon. Seeing matches end without a great finishing move is a bit of a disappointment, but seeing him punching guys around and dancing is a blast from the past that every wrestling fan has to see.

Despite possessing an excellent documentary and quality matches, the reason to buy this set is for the interviews and promos. Simply put, there are only a handful of wrestlers in the industry’s history that can work the mic like Rhodes. His trademark catch phrases and banter are second to none and for that reason alone, you’ll hang on every word he says. His promos during the latter years are hilarious and show just how charismatic he really was, even while wrestling in polka dots.

Polka dots or not however, Rhodes’ career is worth celebrating and the best way to do that is by watching this set. Thorough and fun, the WWE could learn a thing or two by patterning the rest of their DVD collections in the same way, as it is easily one of the best they’ve ever produced.

When Luthor extends an olive branch to Superman, we all know it’s a trap. However, Superman goes and chaos ensues. Through some well executed camera splicing, he is now seen as a murderer and thanks to the billion dollar bounty on his head, becomes the most wanted man in America.

From there, the action is non-stop. In a showdown with Metallo, Superman and Batman barely survive – and that’s just within the first 10 minutes. There are also cameos of heroes and villains, which add up to some of the most entertaining scenes in the film. Adding even more entertainment to the story is Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder) who’s put in the unusual position of being Luthor’s Jiminy Cricket. It seems that his vendetta against Superman is getting in the way of the little problem of a Kryptonite meteor hurdling toward Earth. As Waller attempts to keep him on track, we find out that he has a drug problem, causing him to be as unstable as he claims Superman is.

One of the things that make this movie enjoyable is the familiar voices of Luthor (Clancy Brown), Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Superman (Tim Daly). In the midst of their confrontation with Metallo, Daly and Conroy show why they’ve been playing these characters through three television series that have spanned over 15 years. When Superman makes a joke and Batman tells him to “do himself a favor and lose the sense of humor,” Supes replies “do us both a favor and buy one.” In a highly successful, well-written comic that had amazing artwork, you need an edge – and the banter between these two make these characters come alive. Their inflections bring out the humanity, compassion and brotherly issues that can’t be expressed the same way on a page or in a motion comic.

In the end, Superman and Batman, through a little planning and a lot of luck, save the day.

In viewing this DVD, one mourns the cancellation of the “Justice League” animated series. Although a weekly dose of DC universe was enjoyable, it is understandable why the straight-to-DVD format is a better fit.

This two-disc set is chock full of extras. While the previews for the other animations are repetitive, it is the second disc that makes this purchase worthwhile. Disc two contains a psychological look at the relationship between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel and how the history of their team-ups led to this film.

There is also “Dinner with the DCU and Special Guest Star Kevin Conroy.” It’s an unguarded look into what it takes to cast an animated show and the intricacies of the business. This discussion includes a preview to the next DC feature arriving in 2010 that includes the voices of James Woods and Gina Torres. The conversation of the new film is carried over in a special look at what will be called “Justice League Crisis on Two Earths.” As always, Bruce Timm has handpicked two cartoons that bring this two-disc set full circle.

As one of the new trends in animation, this straight to DVD release will no doubt be highly successful – giving viewers many more entertaining storylines to come.

Are the “Nightmare” collections worth the price, though? They’re $19.94 each, which is pretty cheap compared to the eight-disc box set that turned up for $60.98 about 10 years ago. On top of everything, the first collection came out before the release of the eighth film, “Freddy vs. Jason,” so you’ve got a bonus movie right there.

But hold on. When was the last time you felt like watching “Freddy vs. Jason”? Or how about the fifth film, subtitled “The Dream Child”? Or “Freddy’s Revenge” in the second film? Do you remember any of the characters, or the countless attempts that Freddy made to murder them?

Who cares? Hardcore fans, mostly, but everyone else might want to give it some thought before buying them. When you’re dealing with a franchise that inspired eight movies, you can expect more than a few missteps. There are a few good ones, though – deciding which ones outdo the others is up to you.

The only film that deserves your attention is the first one, which director Wes Craven made with a desperate budget and a solid script. Few films have been transformed by the digital treatment as dramatically as this one – if you’ve only seen it on video, you owe it to yourself to revisit it on DVD, where the picture is chillingly clearer. (Besides, after seeing the trailer for the remake, don’t you appreciate the original better?)

Some viewers like the third film the best, “Dream Warriors,” which Craven worked on as an executive producer and co-writer. (Frank Darabont, who would go on to direct “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile,” helped him write it.) Craven came back to write and direct the seventh film, “New Nightmare,” which debuted in theaters 10 years after the original.

“Saw VI” opens soon. Will that series be remembered as fondly as this one 10 years from now? In your dreams.

The “Nightmare on Elm Street” series was one of the pivotal franchises of the ‘80s, along with “Police Academy” and “Friday the 13th.”

However, what originally spawned this series was the original 1984 classic, which is on par with “The Exorcist.” The original, which featured John Saxon and a young Johnny Depp, was without laughs and played strictly on the horror elements.

The follow-up, “Freddy’s Revenge,” was a role reversal, almost carbon copy of the original. A nearly strict horror with one intentional problem – the lead actor Mark Patton was a homosexual – causing the plot to come off more like a drama of a man coming to terms with his sexuality than a “Nightmare on Elm Street” film.

At one point, he decides to hide in his best friend Grady’s house (Robert Rusler) because he is afraid to have sex with the Meryl Streep look-alike, Kim Myers. Fans have all made their own interpretations, though most perceive it as a campy, delightful mid-‘80s movie.

“The Dream Warriors” is the best of the sequels because of the imaginative use of special effects and original concept with the help of Frank Darabont. The cast make it a worthwhile experience and the humorous side of Freddy started to reveal itself.

By part four (“The Dream Master”), the humor totally overshadows the horror, but the actors are capable, the deaths, gruesome and the overall experience is great.

If you don’t want to spend money on the entire collection, the first volume of the fan favorites is well worth your money and you can skip the second.

The series took a turn for the worst after the dark entry, “The Dream Child.” While watchable, the rest are waste of time. “Freddy’s Dead,” “New Nightmare” and “Freddy Vs. Jason” all stink up the winning series.

-Anthony Benedetto

The premise has been executed countless times in television and movies whose need to do something different makes “Weekend Murders” unique. The loss of a wealthy relative unites several so-called relations and friends that only seem to be mourning the money they didn’t inherit. A golf outing leads to the discovery of a corpse, followed by a run-down of the usual suspects. However, the most likely of the suspects, the butler, is actually one of the victims (so, he is innocent). The film manages to be wildly entertaining, effectively spoofing the absurdness of the genre and a fun experience (and maybe one of the best Giallos).

The best performance in the picture comes from Gastone Moschin as Sgt. Aloisius Thorpe, the only decent friend of the deceased. Moschin’s claim to fame is having played Don Fanucci in “The Godfather Part 2,” the man that runs the neighborhood and is murdered by Robert DeNiro. He is one of Italy’s most underrated actors and his performance in this film is delightful. Coming off slightly dumb, Thorpe is actually the only person in the movie smart enough to solve the case, partly because no one takes him seriously. This gives him the freedom to search for clues without making anyone nervous.

He is paired up with Supt. Grey (Lance Percival), who is called to the scene when the body is discovered. Grey believes that Thorpe is slow-witted and treats him like a moron, but the great thing about Thorpe is that he simply wants to solve the case. Grey takes the credit for all of Thorpe’s discoveries and cannot admit that he may be the dumb one of the two. Moschin and Percival share great screen chemistry, which is one of the major reasons the film works.

Now the suspects are formed from the most unlikely of actors including Italian Opera star Anna Moffo as Barbara Worth. How she become involved in the project remains a mystery, but it is one of her few films and she gives a solid performance. Her husband, Peter Baldwin, plays Anthony Carter, providing a decent performance considering his lines were dubbed over and he was unavailable to do so himself when the time came. He may not be known well in the movie industry, but was an important part of television, having directed for several series including “Family Ties,” “Family Matters,” “Full House,” “The Wonder Years” and “Head of the Class.”

At 98 minutes, the film is paced reasonably, allowing you to be drawn into the mystery while getting to know some eccentric characters (like Georgie Kemple, a rapist with an Oedipus complex). Overall, the movie comes off better then you can expect, with a great ending. This is not a conclusion that you would have seen coming and the killer is quite a shock.

Now Code Red has released many titles in the past two months, proving what a great company they have become for cult movie lovers. Their presentation is exquisite considering this film has not surfaced in well over 30 years. Audio and video are better than expected, making it a worthwhile purchase for anyone who is curious about the film.

Baldwin is on hand for the bulk of the extras, including an informative audio commentary with Hostel producer Scott Spiegel and moderator Lee Christian. The commentary is centered on the film then goes off topic into Baldwin’s career, which is fine because this man had an interesting tenure in television.

A solo 19 minute interview with Baldwin discusses his career, his late wife Moffo and many more tidbits. Then comes the original MGM trailer and a nice still gallery.

Of course, no Code Red release would be complete without a sneak peek of what is to come. The already released “Trapped,” “Stunt Rock” and the movie “Final Destination” ripped off, “Sole Survivor” start this off. Then the highly anticipated “Night Warning,” (or “Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker”) “The Statue,” “Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend,” (Coming in November and featuring “Flesh Gordon” himself, Jason Williams), “Devil’s Express,” “Brute Corps” and “Dr. Death: Seeker of Souls” (Which looks like twisted fun) follow up.

“Weekend Murders” would have been taken more seriously if it was not produced as Italian Giallo in the early seventies and contains everything needed for a great mystery while keeping a fast pace.

The movie follows a group of people sent to survey an abandoned mine which caves in and the miners realize they are not alone. A monster with tentacles has inhabited the mine and eats anything that disturbs his home. This is actually the one of the last films to use stop-motion animation to create it’s monster, and that allows the movie to feel like an old-fashioned horror from the 1950s (but with more gore).

There is nothing wrong with modeling the film on past influences, especially when the movie is done right. The star of the picture is the monster, and the acting is slightly amateurish, but completely believable at the same time. The problem with some of the acting is that, for the 92-minute duration of the film, a few slow stretches make the movie hard to watch for some. The monster, which looks like two sex organs attached to each other, is not in the movie as much as one would have liked it to be, and that is due to obvious budget constraints. You can’t help but wait to see the monster, and you are slowly teased throughout and that keeps your interest.

In the right frame of mind, it is very easy to get involved based on the setting and mood created by the filmmakers. Watching a group of miners explore the dark and creepy cave allows a sense of fear, except those with low attention spans. This is not “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and sometimes the excitement is not there, but patience is a virtue, and in the end it will pay off for devotees of the horror genre.

Pure monster flicks have been a part of the genre that got lost in the slasher-driven ’80s, and is definitely in need of a boost today. “The Strangeness” proves that borrowing from an older genre and enhancing it to fit the current decade is a smart choice, but today the market is flooded with useless remakes that are not innovative at all. However, this early-’80s direct-to-video retro-monster film is very innovative, and a welcome treat to DVD.

Code Red has released some of their best titles in the past month, and this DVD presentation is excellent. Originally shot in 16 mm with the director’s supervision, it has been enhanced for widescreens. Also, the details of some of the darker scenes have finally had some light shed on them, making it an improvement over the Trans World Entertainment VHS.

Six short films from Chris Huntley and Mark Sawicki (both acted in and helped create the picture) are on the disc, and that helps to show us the mind frame of the creators. Some of the short films work; others don’t. “Origins” is the best of the six short films, and evidence that Huntley should have directed the picture instead of Melanie Anne Phillips.

Phillips is on hand for an informative discussion in which she talks about the independent-film-making process, and it makes for a very interesting interview.

Huntley is also interviewed, and he seems very unhappy with the finished product because of the fact he feels the picture is boring. He also states that being a closeted homosexual lead to the creation of the monster, and that was not intentional.

The final interview is with Sawicki, who has had the most successful afterlife from this picture. He recently did special effects work for “Tropic Thunder” and “3:10 to Yuma,” and he is very passionate about his early little film (and rightfully so).

All three are on hand for a commentary, which feels like a lesson in making your own movie, and a great and inspiring listen. Then you have an extensive photo gallery, providing one stellar package and presentation.

But save some room for a bunch of Code Red trailers, including the recently released, “Trapped,” “Stunt Rock” and “Weekend Murders.” Then a series of trailers for forthcoming titles includes “Brute Corps,” “The Statue,” (with David Niven and John Cleese) “The Visitor” (featuring Glen Ford and John Huston) and the eagerly awaited “Night Warning.”

“The Strangeness” is an important horror movie for many reasons, and something uniquely different. The slow pace may turn some viewers off, but Code Red’s presentation more then makes up for that.

For starters, it is directed by slasher pioneer Sean S. Cunningham (“Friday the 13th”), and it is safe to say that this is exactly what a slasher film with no murders would be like for anyone that ever pondered over that question. With that being said, Cunningham does show some talent because it is one of the best in the sexploitation genre and inspired a batch of films that were far inferior in every way (“South Beach Academy,” “Hot Moves”).

The plot, while simple, is the perfect springboard for the hilarity that will ensue.  Nelson (David Knell) and Adam (Perry Lang of “1941,” “Alligator”) are slightly nerdy and in desperate need of a break from the college workload, so they head to Ft. Lauderdale.

Once there, their crappy motel is overbooked, and they are forced to share the room with two guys (Paul Land and Steve Bassett) that know how to have a good time and to score with beautiful women (one happens to be from Brooklyn). So the scene is set for fun in the sun with beautiful beach babes and even a romance for young Nelson.

Well, not quite.

Nelson’s stepfather is a politician/greedy land developer that wants to close down the motel there and for Nelson to come home to work on his campaign. This is a classic ‘80s villain, which ultimately leaves one wondering why so many films of that decade used the “greedy land developer” subplot, but that doesn’t hinder the fun.

Knell and Lang are perfectly cast as the loveable nerds with whom most viewers can identify. They are enduring and honest in their pursuits and it’s fun to spend 100 minutes with them. Land and Bassett are equally likeable as the beach studs that help our hapless stars.

One hysterical scene involves Nelson’s first sexual encounter, where he briefly leaves the hotel room for a Coke and can’t remember the room number – a nightmare for any guy. While laughing, you can’t help but feel sorry for him.

It also has a few more points of interest: A wet T-shirt contest, some of the best onscreen camel toe and still manages to not rank to high on the Sleaze-O-Meter. That, in itself, is quite an accomplishment.

Blink. and you may miss a brief appearance by “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Jeff Garlin as a belly-flop contestant.

Anchor Bay’s DVD presentation is excellent and a reminder that maybe they haven’t completely sold out to Starz. But that quickly vanishes when one is forced to watch the trailers for “Virgin Territory” and some other upcoming titles, which will leave you thinking: “Why, oh why, Tim Roth?”

The only other extra is the grainy Columbia trailer for “Spring Break.”

For $14.99, “Spring Break” is a welcome addition for genre enthusiasts, which will leave one hoping Anchor Bay unearths some more of these classics soon and skips making new direct-to-video garbage.

Featuring the likes of current TNA and WWE superstars like Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Jay Lethal, Christopher Daniels, Matt Hardy and Christian Cage, in addition to longtime ROH vets like Brian Danielson and Roderick Strong, this DVD compilation provides a wide range of action that is sure to satisfy every fan that watches it.

Despite the variety of the match types and A-list roster, the DVD isn’t exactly perfect though. Known for having wrestlers who push the envelope in ways not seen in the WWE, most athletes in ROH have finishers that would never see the light of day on primetime television due to the danger that comes with performing them.

However, several of the matches on the DVD are more on the safe side and don’t really show what the company is known for. Nevertheless, out of the eight matches on the DVD, there are at least four that are truly something special. The other four as well are far from mediocre, but they lack the awe factor that makes ROH such an intriguing option for wrestling fans.

Aside from the matches, the bonus features and the overall presentation take away from the luster of the in-ring action. Featuring a shoot interview with Mick Foley and a segment on the ROH appearance of Bruno Sammartino, these extras fail to captivate. The commentary on some of the matches by the wrestlers is also stale and without charisma. To make matters worse, the commentary during matches doesn’t do the amazing action in the ring justice, while the pre-match introductions in the ROH studio lack any real flair, as most of the time, the announcers aren’t looking into the right camera.

Despite these presentation problems, it’s hard to argue with how good the quality of the matches on this DVD are. Anyone sick of bad storylines on the WWE and TNA’s current focus on older wrestlers they’ve acquired from other promotions will find this a breath of fresh air into the wrestling industry and a must-own DVD worth watching numerous times.

The premise is simple – What if an Australian stuntman hung out with an American rock band? – from that, the insanity ensues. As your senses are assaulted with onstage magic from the band, crazy and amazing stunts done with split-screen and slow-motion camerawork, making it a music video long before the days of MTV.

The main characters are not played by typical actors. In fact, the lead is played by Australian stuntman Grant Page. This guy is the real deal, with a résumé that includes the stunt work for the “Mad Max” series and “Mad Dog Morgan” (briefly seen in this movie). Page makes for an excellent lead man, with his natural charm, which is elevated when you witness the death-defying stunts he performs.

In an attempt to get a breakfast date, Page does a high-wire act above a city landscape with a telephone in his hand, stating that if gets a “no,” he will be forced to jump. (How can typical guys compete with that?) When not trying to pick up women, he is providing the stunt work for a female cop show on American television or escaping from a hospital.

The woman that he wants to date is a journalist following the group, poorly played by Margaret Gerard. She is unconvincing in every piece of dialogue delivered throughout.

Now, as for the hard-rock band, a group called Sorcery is used and they’re comprised of Paul Haynes, Curtis Hyde, Greg Magie, Smokey Huff, Richie King, Doug Loch and Perry Morris. However, they are far from a typical rock group because their act included magic, a king of the wizards and a prince of the darkness. The movie shows a fraction of what went into a typical concert from them, and it is spectacle to behold.

Monique van de Ven is the other major character that is the star of the television series in which Page does the stunt work for, and that enables the director to spoof Hollywood in an hysterical way.

With the removal of a plot, the movie gets to do something amazingly freeing by consisting of a series of events. It also serves as time capsule of the late ‘70s in scene after scene. On top of everything else, it is also a fun staple of the grindhouse subculture, and not an easy picture to describe to people that have never seen it.

Trenchard-Smith was a director with flair, who knew how to make excellent, low-budget, drive-in fodder, and this picture is a stunning example of that. This is direction with a large amount of bold creativity that is awe-inspiring to watch. It took guts to put something like this together, which makes one hope that “The Man From Hong Kong” receives a DVD release soon, because his work deserves to be seen.

Code Red has outdid itself with this excellent DVD of this lost classic, which surfaced briefly from Something Weird Home Video. The two-disc DVD houses some of the best special features this side of the Criterion Collection. Fans often get angry at Code Red for the time it takes them to release a movie because the special features take a while to produce, but the wait is worthwhile for people that respect these lost classics.

For starters, on disc one, the picture and sound have never been better since the picture is finally in widescreen. This allows the full band to be seen on stage for the first time on the home-video market.

The film is presented with two informative audio commentaries, the first has Trenchard-Smith stars Page and Gerard, which is fascinating since Page has quite an impressive memory. The second bonus commentary is by Trenchard-Smith producer Marty Fink and star Richard Blackburn.

Then comes more extras on the first disc, such as an on camera interviews with Trenchard-Smith, Huff, Blackburn and Fink. An audio-only interview with Sorcery drummer Perry Morris is followed by the original theatrical trailer. This alone would be a staggering amount of extras, but there is a whole second disc.

The second disc has a vintage documentary on stunt work featuring Page at work called The Stuntman. This was also directed by Trenchard-Smith, and was the inspiration for “Stunt Rock.” Stuntmen are the unsung heroes of Hollywood and what most men are afraid to do. These guys are great, and what most young people dream of being when they grow up. We watch the stuntmen set themselves on fire and drive a motorcycle into a car, and then are informed how that stunt was performed.

That is followed by a funny Q & A at the Alamo Drafthouse in Texas with Trenchard-Smith, in which he recalls stories of his past movies and a concept for a “Leprechaun” film set in the White House which was never made.

An 18-minute Cannes promo reel is shown, but at that point you are worn down from the extras and you don’t feel like watching more clips from the film you already watched.

But save some room for an impressive reel of upcoming Code Red DVDs that include “The Statue,” “Choke Canyon,” “The Visitor,” “Brute Corps” and a few more.

It’s a pretty impressive array of extras that enhance and enlighten the experience of watching the sometimes-incoherent “Stunt Rock,” and makes this a must buy for fans of Aussie exploitation.

Based on a BBC miniseries of the same name, it starts with the murder of Rep. Stephen Collins’ (Ben Affleck) mistress. What she knew and who was trying to silence her is the question that propels the storyline. It then immediately shoots to a newspaper where Cal McAffey (Russell Crowe) exposes the breaking story.

At the center of the scrumptious storyline lies McAffey’s friendship with Collins, which ultimately creates a conflict of interest that fails to deter the detective from conducting some hardcore investigative reporting on the privatization of homeland security- mirroring today’s headlines.

Crowe transforms into the hard-boiled journalist effectively, proving that he is one of the best actors of our generation. His character is an unshaven, long-haired, whiskey-drinking reporter that is strictly dedicated to his job, leaving no time for a personal life, with his love for Collins’ wife (Robin Wright Penn) serving as a hint of its previous existence. The real revelation however comes from the strong supporting performance of Affleck. A state representative with a life that’s falling apart, Collins suffers not only the subsequent public exposure of his affair, but an assassination attempt on his life.

Is Collins who he appears to be? McAffrey wants to clear his name at any cost and that is what builds the bulk of the film’s tension.

The powerhouse acting comes from the two strong performances in the leads and that palpable tension is discussed right away- first in their shared apologies for a previous transgression and then in their semi-volatile relationship. They share some intense and extremely well-acted scenes in the picture that make for one hell of treat to watch.

The supporting cast is nothing short of amazing with Oscar-winner Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels (“The Purple Rose of Cario”) and brief, hysterical appearance by Jason Bateman enhancing the leading performances.

The film comes together because of the sure-fire direction of Kevin MacDonald (“The Last King of Scotland”), who knows how to balance all these great elements in the two-hour movie. Another factor is the expertly handled cinematography, which is shot differently for Collins’ and McAffrey’s story lines. McAffrey is given a dark lighting to create a mood for his piece, while Collins get a hand-held digital film when in the Senate, providing a feel similar to CNN and other news channels.

The DVD extras include an 18 minute talking head fluff piece with the cast and crew and two short deleted scenes, but none of this sheds much light on the production.

“State of Play” may have bombed at the box-office, but it has been given a new life on DVD and deserves your attention, as it is the story of flawed humans trying to make the most the cards they were dealt in life.

Although the “Scream” franchise didn’t do nearly as well, its essential-viewing reputation seems secure. “Scream” was the best slasher film of the 1990s, and it seems appropriate that Wes Craven made it: After all, once you direct “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” you pretty much become a legend of the genre.

All three films follow the very long struggle between a heroine named Sidney (Neve Campbell) and a masked murderer, whose love of slasher movies is such that he (or she) comes up with a plan to execute one in real life. As more people around Sidney start to turn up dead, she and other potential targets get together to unmask the killer by the end of the movie. Although the sequels weren’t as good as the first film, they do add some authenticity to the franchise – when you’re dealing with characters who want to make a real-life version of a slasher film, it only makes sense that more killers would turn up to rip off the first.

A different killer dons the mask in every film, but all the other characters are pretty much the same. There’s the bumbling deputy (David Arquette) who’s on the killer’s trail, only to find out that the killer might be on his; there’s the reporter (Courteney Cox) who’s determined to get the story, no matter how many corpses she has to step over; there’s the movie buff (Jamie Kennedy) who knows so many slasher-film clichés that he gives friends tips on how to stay alive. That shouldn’t suggest that they have the upper hand, though: Even when they make jokes about dumb slasher-movie victims, they can’t help but make the same stupid mistakes.

The setup is more or less the same in each film here, but not all of them manage to go somewhere with it. “Scream 2” can’t hold a candle to the first film, even as it tries to outperform it with more of the same. Things got a little better when “Scream 3” came along, since it didn’t abuse the same clichés as often. More importantly, it knew it probably wouldn’t be able to do anything new with the franchise, and that it was best to just give it one last hurrah. Say what you will about Craven – he knew when to quit.

However, the major difference between the two films is over-the-top acting  and script constraints of “Trapped,” holding it back from being as entertaining a romp as Burt Reynolds’ bow and arrow shooting thriller was.

Henry Chatwill (Henry Silva, “Amazon Women on the Moon”) has a few severe mental problems, but that hasn’t stopped him from acquiring a hot wife and being in charge of the rednecks of Baker County. His wife trots around naked or half-naked and teasing the ”gentlemen” in the area, which leads to the essential dilemma that she will eventually cheat on him. However, when she is caught in the act, Chatwill believes that she was being raped and proceeds to torture the suitor by tarring and feathering him.

Now, an adjacent storyline is centered on a group of college kids who are going up to that spot on vacation. Foreshadowing occurs during their story as a young man named   Roger Michaels (Nicholas Campbell, “The Dead Zone”) discusses in a law class that no one has the right to kill anyone, no matter the circumstances.

Will Mr. Michaels stay true to his original school of thought?

All this information may seem like a slow start, but it is well worthwhile when their trip goes horribly wrong. They witness Chatwill murder the man that slept with his wife, and a vicious game of cat and mouse begins.

This is a well-made independent thriller that manages to keep your attention for the whole running time. The pacing is done so well that the suspense is evident throughout, even when we know the characters are making stupid moves on their perspective parts. For example, the scene where they go back for their camping gear after informing the sheriff they witnessed a murder. The hell with the camping gear, we all know they should just go home and be glad they are alive.

The photography from Mark Irwin (“Videodrome”) is a major reason why the film works so well because he creates a palpable backwoods fear that helps William Fruet (“Spasms”) assured direction. Fruet crafted intelligent horror pictures, well sticking to the issues that often face directors of low-budget cinema. With more money and time, “Trapped” could have been excellent, but you can’t get perfect takes from actors if time is a serious issue.

That issue is apparent in the performance of Silva, who must have attended the same acting school as Christopher Walken because he comes off scary, but not for the reasons he should be. What is scary about him is that he thinks he is giving a good performance, when in fact it is over-the-top scenery chewing.

The opposite can be said for Campbell’s excellent performance as the put upon hero and a man that must confront his own belief structure. It is actors like himself that made the exploitation genre so wonderful because being an unknown actor and wanting to prove himself enhanced his performance greatly.

Away from the action picture, Code Red provided an excellent transfer of the original print with clear audio with no visible static. Extras on the disc include the original theatrical Spanish trailer for “Trapped”. That makes for some brief comic relief to see Silva’s bad performance in Spanish. Three more trailers are included for the kung-fu, monster flick set in New York, “The Devil’s Express”, (Which needs a release soon) the recently released Italian Giallo, “The Weekend Murders” and another “Deliverance” inspired picture “Rituals.”

This 1982 oddity is an excellent release from Code Red for anyone that is interested in the independent horror scene of the early ’80s  and despite some major flaws, it is still a enjoyable picture.

Be glad you can view Baker County without making a trip down there.

Insert rating increasage; outsert female stereotypes of the bad.

1997 saw the premiere of one of the most inspirational shows to hit television, featuring a character who would subsequently be seen as a feminist icon and revolutionize the role of women in action media.
She also happened to have been a tiny, 15-year-old blonde valley girl from southern California –something about being that Chosen One with “the strength and skill to fight vampires, demons and the forces of darkness.”

Having Mr. Pointy around also helps.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” a cult favorite following a disastrous movie of the same name, focuses on the bildungsroman-esque adventure of one Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) –the most recently called Vampire Slayer. Unlike her predecessors, however, Buffy simply wants to live the life of an ordinary teenager – who happens to attend high school on the Hellmouth with witches, werewolves and a wide array of other arcane creatures – most of whom are disguised as regular people, of course.

She inevitably makes friends with fellow classmates, social outcasts Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendan), as well Mr. Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) – school librarian by day; Buffy’s Watcher by night.

Along the way, she encounters tortured love in Angel (David Boreanaz) – the vampire cursed with a soul, a grudging friendship with the adorably snobby Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and an enemy-turned-mercenary-turned-lover-turned-friend-turned-confidante in the dangerously charismatic Spike (James Marsters), making for one of the most unique love stories to hit the small screen in ages.

Predictably, she faces various mundane woes of growing up, under the clever literary guise of demons or other supernatural enemies and ultimately matures over the show’s seven year span.

Aside from high school being located on the Mouth of Hell, Buffy’s first love immediately turns on her after a night of passion, other uses of metaphor-iffic find home in the ironically named fictional town of Sunnydale, California.

Coming-of-age allegories aside “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” saw the birth (or rebirth, realistically) of several tropes, as more and more live action television began to focus on a butt-kicking female hero without the crutch of unnecessary masculinization. Femininity and toughness were no longer contradictory terms.

From the ashes of “Buffy,” rose shows like the “Dark Angel,” “Alias” and “Torchwood.” Gellar and Hannigan became household names and show creator, Joss Whedon, a cult legend.

Never taking itself too seriously, “Buffy” nonetheless triggered the production of numerous books and articles on its internal philosophies – some citing Buffy as a Kierkegaardian hero and Faith is a prime example of Nietzsche’s “nihilism.”

To fully hone the awesome, “Buffy” became one with the creation of unique speech patterns for its respective characters. This, the much-quoted “Buffy-speak” was born.

The show ended in 2003, however, as Buffy reached the drink-tastically ripe age of 21 and each season was subsequently put on DVD.

Unfortunately, with the unpredictable state of our economy, few are able to afford conventionally priced television releases.

August of 2006 saw the release of “The Chosen Collection” – a 40-disc box set featuring each “Buffy” episode, commentary and a bonus featuring interviews with the cast, an analysis on the Buffyverse relationships, a short on the stunt woman who played Buffy and others.

Of course, the bonus disc is hardly notable, so the true targets for this collection should be the fans sans DVDs. (At $168.49 on amazon.com, it’s of the thrifty).

After all, slay-age in bulk can only lead to warm happies of the hugs and puppies variety.

A haphazard documentary, followed by two discs of matches that could have been chosen much better is hardly a way to salute a company that did so much for the wrestling industry. Instead, it barely serves as a way to introduce new fans to the brand that forced the WWE to up its game.

It’s not that this documentary is bad, it’s the fact that it spends way too much time making general comments about wrestlers who can’t defend themselves that makes it mediocre. Guys like Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall are ripped limb from limb and have no way of defending themselves. Unlike the “The Rise and Fall of ECW” DVD that was released nearly five years ago, many of WCW’s wrestlers are in another promotion and aren’t able to contribute their say into the documentary. Also, many of the interviews from guys like Hollywood Hogan, Diamond Dallas Page and Eric Bischoff are dated and have appeared on other documentaries. While he has worn out his welcome in the industry, it would have been amazing to hear what Vince Russo thought about his tenure with the company and what led to him to do some of the wacky things with the brand.

This is the main reason why dedicated fans will find this DVD passable.

Making things even worse is the fact that there are a plethora of other wrestlers and officials who aren’t involved in the sport anymore who weren’t given an opportunity to share their thoughts either. Why couldn’t the WWE put some real time and energy into this documentary and give the fans what they wanted? On the whole, despite being a blast from the past, it lacks any real depth and reveals no new information on the Monday Night War or the company.

“The Rise and Fall of ECW” this is not.

As far as the matches included on the second and third discs go, while they do a serviceable job of showing the time line of the company, the majority of them are either tag team or cruiserweight battles. Sure the company made its mark in both of those divisions, but there is no mention of several great heavyweight feuds between Macho Man Randy Savage and DDP and Sting and Hogan. There are also no matches that show the feud between the two nWo factions and nothing showing the battles between the nWo and the final incarnation of the Four Horsemen. Even the cruiserweight matches they pick feel flat as there is not one match featuring Ultimo Dragon, Shane Helms or Billy Kidman. There’s not one Chris Benoit match on the disc either.

Because of that, the true fans of this company may want to dig out their old, dust-covered VHS copies of “Nitro” and “Thunder.”

When a company is so good that it forces you to become stronger than ever before, the least you can do is give them a proper burial when they meet their demise. The WWE had a golden opportunity to give wrestling fans what they wanted and have failed miserably, creating a collection that serves as a reminder of how much better the business was when “World’s Crappiest Wrestling” was around and kicking back.

While the show had two equally great hosts, Joel Hodgson and Mike Nelson, the four-disc set includes two episodes of each, allowing for a Whitman’s sampler of the series. But all episodes include Tom Servo and Crow, the funniest robots (puppets, actually) in space.

First up, “The Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy,” which is the second episode of the series after their run on the KTMA network. This early episode proves to be very funny despite the fact the mummy and “human” robot to don’t fight until the last 10 minutes. The film is actually a series of incoherent boring conversations that are ripe for their brand of humor.

Second is “The Girl In Lovers Lane,” which is an hysterical movie about two guys that decide to become drifters together. Of course they fall in love along the way and get into some really dumb 1950s adventures in their new town. Hodgson, Crow and Tom Servo are the main reason why this journey is worth taking.

The third one, “Zombie Nightmare,” is the best in the series featuring Nelson. “Zombie Nightmare” is maybe the only film that could be watched without the Satellite of Love commentary. It was made in the late ‘80s and features Adam West (or, according to “Family Guy,” Mayor Adam We). A young man is murdered by a group of rebellious punks, and that young man’s mother happens to know a Voodoo priestess. That zombie of a young man wants revenge, and it is up to West to stop him before it is too late.

This disc features interviews with stars Frank Dietz and Jon Mikl Thor, who prove to be good sports about being featured on “MST3K.” Oddly enough, the DVD company Code Red is planning a release of this movie making one wonder, if there is any reason for a double dip?

And finally, there is “Racket Girls,” which is an awful excursion about female wrestlers. This movie would be unwatchable if it wasn’t for the commentary, and they riff it pretty well.

Other extras in the set include KTMA: Scrapbook Scraps in two parts, some promos and a sneak peak from the upcoming “Hamlet A.D.D.”

The next installment in this series will include the Robert Ginty (“The Exterminator”) and Fred “The Hammer” Williamson debacle “Warrior of the Lost World,” which was one of their best episodes. Maybe the episode of “City Limits” with Robby Benson and James Earl Jones will soon be featured in a set soon as well.

All things considered, this set is well worth your time, and saves you the beer money needed to view these movies on your own.

The  Pilgrim Corporation is dealing with a toxic waste issue of the most extreme matter, and they have decided to hide the problem in the vast wasteland of Choke Canyon. This area is deserted by all human contact, except for one man. Dr. David Lowell (Stephen Collins, better known as the father on “7th Heaven”) has been conducting some very important research on safe-energy in the area and despite reasoning, bargaining and threats, he will not move. This creates a tense and taut deadly game of cat and mouse.

Collins, is excellent as the film’s unusual hero (cowboy/physicist) and would have made a very amicable action star had his career took a different path. He is smart, sensible and an easy hero to root for. Not only that kiddies, but he cares for the environment. He even provides some unintentional humor in the film during a fist fight, as he is spewing physic jargon, which is so out of that place at that particular moment in the picture.

Bo Svenson (“The Great Waldo Pepper”) is stoic as  Captain Oliver Parkside, the hired killer that The Pilgrim Corporation has sent after Lowell. No background information is provided on him and he is not the type of villain that you flat out hate. He is simply a man hired to do a job because he is the best at what he does. Svenson creates a character here that is menacing. Yet you admire his dedication to the profession.

Lance Henriksen (“Aliens”) is completely wasted as a corporate lackey and second in charge of The Pilgrim Corporation. It’s not too smart to have this actor on set and not provide him with some powerful scenes. He basically reads his dull dialogue and leaves.

The cast is rounded out by the luscious Janet Julian (“Humongous”) who could have benefited from a few more acting classes. She plays Vanessa Pilgrim, who starts out as Lowell’s hostage but ends up a love interest.

In spite of the cast, what makes the film work so great is the aerial stunt work that went into some high-flying scenes above the Choke Canyon area. The scenery is beautiful as the audience looks down upon it in the opening credits. Later that same scenery is used as the backdrop of two planes brawling it out in the sky. This creates one thrilling, fast-paced  and fun-filled sequence.

Chuck Bail (“Black Samson”) juggles so many elements in this picture as a director and does it very well, because it is a prime example of great low budget cinema. He is helped substantially by cinematographer Dante Spinotti (“X-Men: The Last Stand,” “The Insider”) who does an outstanding job no matter the budget  (He is currently working on the latest installment of “The Chronicles of Narnia”).

Code Red has also provided a pristine quality to the original negative of the movie which is why the opening credits go under the original title, “On Dangerous Ground.”The movie is far superior to the Media Home Entertainment VHS release of the eighties.

However, the same can not be said about the audio track, which has visible traces of static apparent throughout. This means you’ll need your remote control handy to lower the action and music sequences and make it louder during the dialogue infused moments.

An audio commentary with the late producer Peter Shepard (“Sonny Boy”) is on hand and is moderated by Lee Christian. He provides a wealth of knowledge on the experience of making this picture. The DVD is dedicated to him because he died shortly after doing this commentary track.

An interview is also done with Bo Svenson and he is very informative on some of the production elements in the film. He then becomes a little pompous with his comments about how fans admire his work.

The original grainy trailer is included in this very nice package too.

And of course the true treat to any Code Red release is the addition of upcoming titles from the company. Here we are treated to three great titles including, the Peter O’Toole political thriller, “Power Play”, the underrated James Coburn thriller “The Internecine Project” and the trippy “Stunt Rock.”

Thanks to a heart helping of extras and sound video quality, “Choke Canyon” and the  DVD from Code Red is able to thrive despite some very noticeable flaws and ultimately gives any true cult movie buff a worthy addition to their collection.

Many fans had a huge problem with the lack of development in the first movie and it seems that the problem has been fixed in Ultimate Avengers 2, but only as far as the returning characters are concerned.

The back story of Iron Man and Captain America is explained in much more detail in the sequel, showing the physical problems Tony Stark must deal with everyday and the emotional anguish that has engulfed the life of Steve Rogers. The marital problems of Wasp and Giant Man also play a big part in the film, while Bruce Banner and Thor have big problems of their own they have to cope with.

New to the film to the Black Panther, who’s rich and emotional story has made him a fan favorite for the past four decades. Unfortunately, to the chagrin of many fans, his persona is not totally captured in the film. Being of wise mind and body, Black Panther is a calming influence amongst the Avengers that hold no punches while on the battlefield. While there are scents of this in the film, the character almost feels like someone else by the end of the movie.

For some reason, the producers of this film decided to go with a younger, more irrational Panther, focusing more on his relationship with the people in his village than his relationship with the Avengers; nevertheless, the story does require some attention to Panther’s people, but more attention should have been paid to his friendship with Captain America and the rest of the Avengers.

On the whole, Ultimate Avengers 2 is a solid animated motion picture that hurts itself a tad by straying too far away from the source material it’s based on. By the end however, it feels more like a throwback to the great animated Saturday morning Marvel cartoons that many of us still watch on YouTube.com to this day than anything else.

And that’s a good thing.

Instead, producer Roger Corman gave the audience exactly what he believed they desired.

Sex and laughs.

At T & A High, all the guys dream of Purity Busch, but she is truly an ice queen that refuses to give any guy the time of day. That is all about to change after a chance encounter in dentition between five guys (jock, nerd, fat dude, snobby rich guy and a new guy- all cliches of the genre) who decide it is time to make this the year that somebody gets to third base with Busch. That is all there basically is to the simple, yet somehow hysterical plot that defies reality but is so bizarre and absurd that you can’t help but laugh.

For example, you can’t help but smile when the jock poses as Dr. Pepper and pretends to be in charge of the yearly breast examinations at the school.

Wait a second, when did they start doing that?

The movie will also teach you what Bootsie Goodhead’s secret talent is and why all the boys love her. It’ll also induce memories of hot summer nights in a bowling alley, that lead to strip bowling

Wait a minute. That never happens in real life either.

Who cares- it’s funny.

But maybe the funniest thing in the movie is that it gives new meaning to the phrase, “Ward, I’m worried about the beaver.”

All that you need to know about the characters in this film are present in their names and that explains why they all end up in dentition early on. The chubby Melvin Jerkovski has some control issues. The nerd was fixing mirrors to look up skirts. The jock was providing free breast exams and with no doubt you can only imagine how the rest of the flick proceeds. This is unpretentious, juvenile fun for anyone that remembers life in high school or the ’80s- a free-spirited romp with no hidden agenda that refuses to apologize.

Severin films has also done an amazing job reproducing this DVD because they have provided a wealth of extras that shed light on the production of this 1983 curio from the B-movie mogul Corman.

First up is an enlightening commentary and interview with the director, Rafal Zielinski. He openly admits to how some scenes make him cringe, but overall he is proud of the zany madcap tone to it all.

Co-Writers Linda Shayne and  Jim Wynorski (“Chopping Mall”) provide an 18-minute interview that explains that the movie was intended to be a spoof. Shayne discusses her part as Goodhead also and astonishingly looks pretty much the same as she did back then. Wynorski discusses the early days with Corman and what he looked for in a script. The experience is well worth it for anyone that enjoyed the picture.

Kent Deuters, who plays the rich snob, Brent Van Dusen III, discusses what it is like to be in your twenties making a film that requires a lot of topless women. The funniest is part of the interview is when he admits to getting his Grandma a copy of the VHS before he watched the final product and his embarrassment at the nudity she was subjected to.

Special FX Artist Gerald Lukaniuk and Canuxsploitation scholar Paul Corupe provide short, but slightly dull interviews. Corupe’s interview manages to suck all the fun out of the movie and makes the genre seem very nerdy.

The best interview however is with Mr. Skin and McBeardo who discuss the impact of the teen sex genre and the difficulties of having to fast forward to the nudity on VHS when kids today can just go on-line. Mr. Skin’s funny approach and appreciation for the genre is always a joy to listen to.

Then finally there is an inclusion of several deleted snippets taken from a Spanish VHS. They are a welcome treat after the movie and a fond memory of the old format.

Severin’s stunning transfer of the picture also allows one to forget the Warner Brothers home video of the eighties, making it a great flick to watch with friends and six-pack.

While it’s not your normal teen sex exploitation flick, this film is a laugh riot that isn’t scared to be as raunchy as it wants to be.

Rather than fight it, just sit back and enjoy “Screwballs.”

You might just find yourself a sexy new guilty pleasure.

In the DVD documentary “20 Years Too Soon: The Superstar Billy Graham Story” the WWE has done an excellent job of giving younger fans a crash course of what the wrestling scene was like in the ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s, showing just how far ahead of the learning curve Graham was. It also shows how sooner, rather than later, the rest of the world took notice of his style and in the ultimate flattery, emulated it before even Graham himself knew how revolutionary he was.

This created many problems down the road for Graham, who ended up falling in love with his character so much that when he lost the then WWWF championship to Bob Backlund in 1978, he shunned it and created one that almost ended his career. During his hiatus from the sport, he nearly ruined his life as well and became addicted to several drugs, making his decades-long relationship with anabolic steroids a small one in comparison.

While the DVD does a sound job of showing just how close to death Graham was, it pales to compare the depth of the story to one similar such as Jake Roberts. That’s not to say that Roberts had it tougher than Graham. Their lives were both nearly ruined by drugs and mistakes, but Graham isn’t nearly as open to his fans as “The Snake” is and always has been. But then again, not many possess the openness and candor of Roberts, a trait this collection would have benefited from immensely. It’s not that the story is a flat one, it’s just that most of juicy tales are told in the extra’s section and aren’t fleshed out in the main documentary where it matters most.

One story for instance has a grateful Graham give the Hart family in Canada three color television sets after he was trained in their famous “Dungeon.” Soon after his departure, the police arrived and took them back, seemingly from a hotel Graham was staying at. Several times throughout the documentary as well, Graham’s wife discusses how her husband wasn’t the con-man everyone thought he was, yet there was no real indication of him being one [unless you watch the extras]. Blips like this occur throughout the disc and hurt an otherwise fun experience.

After the documentary, there are four of Graham’s most hyped matches against the likes of Bruno Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes, Backlund [the long-awaited rematch with Graham in his less-famous persona] and Ivan Putski. Two other matches however, against Armando Rodriguez and Angel Rivera are fodder and merely show Graham working through jobbers like any other superstar. These matches aren’t enjoyable for modern day wrestling fans, but students of the history of the sport will see first hand how influential Graham was to the future of the industry and how he paved the way for similar wrestlers who lacked the in-ring ability of guys like Sammartino and Verne Gagne, but made up for it with muscles and brains.

The promos on the disc are also solid and do a great job of proving Graham’s mental capacity, as he weaves raps that John Cena himself would have problems duplicating.

In spite of that, a few more matches against higher profile competition and a few more promos would have made this DVD a can’t miss, rather than a purchase for more eclectic fans of sports entertainment.

For a one-disc documentary, rather small when compared to some of the WWE’s other offerings, “20 Years Too Soon” stands firmly on its own two feet. However, just like Graham’s career, it doesn’t stand for nearly as long as it could have.

“42nd Street Forever Volume 4: Cooled by Refrigeration” is the best in the series because it provides more accessible movies. Prior discs included the hard to find films, whereas this one provided movies you may have heard of. Here, we get a chance to see big names in forgettable movies  and a double dose of Lee Marvin and Michael Biehn.

Due to the economic crisis facing our country, this DVD can even provide a couple of new career goals. You can join Yor and become a hunter from the future, or become king of the witches. It can also help you plan a trip to “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” or Arrow Beach.

The disc also pays homage to the slasher genre by including several great titles including “The Silent Scream,” “Schizoid,” “New Year’s Evil,” “Mortuary” and “Humongous.” These trailers encapsulate a popular genre of the Grindhouse and are a reminder of the fun of renting videos in the ’80s and ’90s.

There is also a large amount of undiscovered horror gems including, “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death,” “It Came Without Warning” and “Rituals.”

Horror is not just a major factor in the United States but we get a good glimpse of what is being produced overseas at that time. “The Psychic,” and “The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman”

Then comes the treat of watching big names in unknown films- John Ritter in “Americathon,” Robby Benson in “Die Laughing”, Gene Hackman in “March or Die”, James Coburn in “Goldengirl”, Peter Sellers in “Undercovers Hero” and a very young Steve Guttenberg, “The Chicken Chronicles.”

Bo Svenson appears in two great little underrated action movies, “Breaking Point” and “Walking Tall Part 2.”

Also on hand is the bizarre Rudy Ray Moore and Yaphet Kotto vehicle, “The Monkey Hustle.” This film has a beginning and an end but forget to put in a middle but manages to teach you what Flim Fam 101 is.

Of course the disc is not without some painful to watch trailers. “Best Friends” is an odd mix of violence and comedy that forgets to place the title anywhere in the trailer. “The Loves and Times of Scaramouche” is a joyless excursion from Italy and “The Boogeyman” is as painful as a trailer as the movie is to watch.

The DVD even provides a commentary from horror film experts, Michael Gingold (Fangoria), Chris Poggiali, and Edwin Samuelson doesn’t provide any new knowledge on the movies. At the beginning, they promise to tell you at the end where the title “Cooled by Refrigeration” came from. Do they believe fans of this genre are that dumb? The term comes from the fact Grindhouse’s advertised during the summer by promising a cool movie theater. Thanks for clearing that up guys.

You’d be better off conducting your own research on the trailers you most enjoyed then listening to them.

Despite the lackluster commentary and a couple of bad trailers, this compilation of trailers has a lot to recommend and is a pleasure to view. A time capsule of films that for a myriad of reasons fell under the radar, “42nd Street Forever: Volume Four: Cooled by Refrigeration” gives these films more recognition than they had otherwise and has the ability to turn even the hardiest of art house fans into B-Movie maniacs.

Much to the satisfaction of his most hardcore fans, Flash is as brazen and rash as ever. Coupled with his speed and charming personality, he acts first and never bothers to ask questions. In this feature, it’s Green Lantern who asks the questions and with Solovar, they attempt to stop Gorilla Grodd from destroying Central City. It’s Grod’s first stop on the road to world domination.

The two-part episodes are more light-hearted than the usual fare. When Grod lays down why the human race needs to be dominated, Flash, with his usual sophisticated and diplomatic air, begins to insult him. As Green Lantern gently reminds Flash of their precarious situation (Grod has the entire Central City under mind control), he leans over and says “Don’t heckle the super villain.”

This is the type of banter that made the series run so enjoyable. Towards the end of the second episode, we are also reminded that before Wally West became the Flash, he was a scientist.

It is rare that a well-plotted storyline is in an animated series, but that is what made the “Justice League” series so unique. The Flash goes from being a wisecracking bit player to a likeable key player and saving the world.

The second two-part episode on the disc features all seven of the Justice League members. It involves Lex Luthor in another attempt to take over the world, by first bringing together his own villain gallery in “Injustice for All.” It seems that the kryptonite Luthor threatened Superman with has turned against him and has given him an incurable deadly disease – so begins this action packed episode.

Luthor’s team matches the Justice League strength for strength; and the witty banter that’s missing from cartoons today also shows that animation is just another visual form of telling a well done story.

It also reveals the dynamics of the Justice League. West is the butt of everyone’s jokes as usual, Superman is his usual “super” self and the remaining team act accordingly. There is also an homage to the precursor to this series, “Super Friends,” that as a viewer of that series one finds hysterical.

However, being the only human with no “super powers” on the team leaves Batman vulnerable.  In this case, his pride gets in the way and causes him to be captured in the first episode.  There is a message here – the ultimate loner needs a team.  Once the Joker gets involved, Batman is captured and is stripped of his utility belt.  His intellect buys him time, but this show is called “Justice League,” not “Batman.” Of course, in the end, we see how every member of the team has an integral part to play.  As a team, the league predictably foils Luthor’s plan and gets to scheme another day.

The extras on this DVD also make purchasing it worthwhile. The behind the scenes of the “The Brave and the Bold” reveals the buddy movie motif and how effective a straight man Green Lantern is to the Flash. There is also a behind the scenes look at the storyboard and how the show is created.  A plethora of trailers for other WB shows, such as “The Batman,” “Codename Kids Next Door” and volume one of “Teen Titans” also appear.

It is also a nice look into the inside jokes of the production team, which gives insight that the viewer is not privy to when watching the reruns on Boomerang.  Perhaps the-powers-that-be will bring yet another reincarnation of these characters to the small screen.  With the sales of “Justice League: The Brave and the Bold” still going strong five years later, we see that there is a void that needs this type of cartoon again.

However, the DVD that documents his exploits in the business, “McMahon” does little in shedding any extra light on his story. Thankfully, there are slews of extra features that add more depth to the overall package that make it a decent purchase.

The second disc, filled with classic matches featuring him, are a blast, especially those with Stone Cold Steve Austin, that still rank as some of the most entertaining in the sport. Having access to all of those alone makes the set a worthwhile one.

Nonetheless, when it’s all over, this collection falls short of lofty expectations.

Aside from showing McMahon’s softer side [seeing how elated he is while holding his first grandchild is a rare treat] and having him discuss how he got his feet wet in his father’s company [the company that he would eventually take over and turn into a media beast] the DVD rehashes much of the history that is explained in others like it. For instance, most wrestling fans today are familiar with how McMahon consolidated all the wrestling territories in the ’80s to create his empire. In order for this to be fresher material, the WWE needed to get more in-depth by conducting rare interviews in addition to having McMahon be more candid than ever.

Sadly, this is not the case here.

While the interviews with Greg Gagne, Les Thatcher and Dusty Rhodes do a great job of showing how McMahon’s conquest has changed the industry forever and reduced its quality, more of this could have been incorporated into the overall package. It would have been nice to see Harley Race’s take on the consolidation, especially considering how involved he was in wrestling in the St. Louis area and how he later went to work for McMahon after the company he owned folded.

The same thing goes for the Monday Night War section of the DVD, which could have benefited by having more interviews and less of the same discussion that was essentially on the Monday Night War DVD the company released a few years before. Again, this isn’t a huge problem for anyone that doesn’t own these DVDs, but for hardcore fans that have amassed a library of WWE content over the years, this compilation may miss the mark.

Aside from the lack of new insight, the DVD is a fun one that shows the inner workings of the McMahon family. Here is easily the best part of the documentary and one that shows the softer side of the family and its patriarch. The interviews with Stephanie, Shane and Linda McMahon also do a better job of uncovering a more sensitive side of Vince. This added much needed emotion to the compilation. The only problem is, most of the time, the older wrestlers interviewed say the complete opposite, making you wonder what the truth really is.

Definitely not the kind of feeling you want to have when watching a documentary about someone.

If the viewer was allowed to know why these people felt this way about him, this set would have been one of the best the company has ever released. Instead, it serves as surface scratcher that entertains due to its amount of content, rather than the overall quality of it.

And one for Kevin Smith, for that matter, whose first foray into the Marvel Universe was subsequently adapted onto a digital comic book. The Digital Comic Book series, on the other hand – well, at least they made it onto the dart board.

“Guardian Devil,” covering the first eight issues of Marvel’s numerical reboot of the “Daredevil” series, begins after long-time on-again-off-again girlfriend, Karen Page’s, departure for the west coast. Although Matt Murdock is justifiably miserable – enough to call up old flame, Black Widow, for carnal comfort, the subsequent series of circumstances make Page’s soul-searching departure woefully pale in comparison.

It begins when Murdock hears the twin beats of a young girl and infant trying to outrace a Lincoln hitting close to 90. Although he loses them initially, the 15-year-old single mother then seeks him out on her own, claiming immaculate conception. She had a dream in which an angel told her that the lawyer Matthew Murdock, the Daredevil, would keep her baby safe. After all, this child is the savior of mankind.
What’s a Catholic boy, on the verge of losing his faith, to do?

What follows is a series of moral, spiritual and emotional trials, as the next day, a man named Macabes seeks him out. Apparently, the child is not Christ-embodied, but rather his anti-thesis and as such will bring harm to any and all in close association with it.

And he seems to be right on the mark.

A dangerous game is played with the Devil, but who is pulling the strings?

Although the Smith’s story is a fantastic tale of suspense, its digital adaptation is hit-or-miss, the bulk of which can be blamed on poor voice acting.

Bearing the brunt of the blame are the two female leads – Natasha Romanoff and Page, with the voice actress of the latter often placing emphasis on the wrong words, creating a whiny, shrieking and often nonsensical mess. Then again, the unfortunate Page plays nothing more than the melodramatic plot device in this otherwise stellar epic.

Widow, on the other hand, is almost salvageable, primarily due to the excellent dialogue Smith provides. While Page’s stand-in voice may incite unintended humor, the femme fatale’s voice actress simply begs for an audio glitch – or at least makes one thankful for the “mute” button. With an accent that sounds more like a router bit than Russian (mechanical as it is), she – with an assassin’s efficiency – consistently mangles every scene in which she’s featured. In this case, Smith’s wit was unfortunately wasted on an inferior replicator of phonology.

Balancing the two, however, are pair of impeccable supporting characters. Sister Maggie is simply charming as Murdock’s mother – an angelically subdued, gentle woman with the weight of the world finally behind her.
A surprising beam of splendor comes in the form of the mysterious puppet-master, orchestrating the quiet demise of the Man without Fear. With a voice reflective of classical training, his inflections evoke the likes of Sir Alec Guinness and Ian McKellen – an absolute pleasure to hear, regardless of dialogue. This man could possibly even sell Karen’s lines.

Extras on the DVD package include character bios, with amusingly poor proof-reading, digital comic book trailers, art and cover galleries and commentary by Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith.

Even the extra features have stars, however and those consist in a documentary and a bonus comic.

Detailing the labors involved in releasing a monthly title, fans are shown the nitty-gritty of graphic literature production.

The true hidden gem, however, is the inclusion of the original “Daredevil” no. one from 1964, complete with campy music and campier voice acting. Page’s actress would have felt right at home.

Aside from quality of talent, the simple pleasure of listening to a beloved graphic tale incites a lazy, comfortable sort of euphoria. Digital Comic Books’ “Daredevil: Guardian Devil” will almost certainly not save your soul, but it will save you a few hours’ worth of boredom.

“Guardian Devil” is easily the best Daredevil run to date and that in itself is saying something. It’s easy to forget that greats like the Romita’s, Gene Conlan, Frank Miller, Brian-Michael Bendis and David Mack have all worked on the series over the years and have used it to springboard their careers. In the case of Kevin Smith, he was already renowned in Hollywood and used this run to prove he had the chops to be a comic book writer and under the direction of Joe Quesada, it’s a well-crafted classic that stands the test of time. The digital comic version is bit hokey pokey at times, but it doesn’t matter. Gilbert Gottfried could have done the voices for every single character and this DVD still would have been a success. Just getting this story out in another medium is a step in the right direction for the comic industry, as it allows non-comic readers to give it a shot. And they should.

-Patrick Hickey Jr.

With a title such as “Hulk Vs,” you’d expect to see the Incredible Hulk battling against someone, right? Well, in this DVD, our favorite green tough guy is teaming up with other super heroes, but due to his equally incredible lack of intelligence and hunger for destruction, he ends up fighting with them at times before vanquishing the baddies.

Hulk not like bait and switch advertising.

Hulk also not expect this when he buy shiny disc with moving pictures inside.

Because of this, the two stories featured on the DVD feel a bit disjointed and take away from what could have been a great viewing experience.

The first story is titled “Hulk vs Wolverine,” but is actually more of an origin story for everyone’s favorite clawed, cigar-smoking, Canadian bad ass. Sure, Hulk has a huge part, as he is the catalyst that sets the events in motion, but with Sabretooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike and the always hilarious Deadpool appearing in the 37-minute feature as well, this story is without a doubt more about Wolverine than the Hulk. While it is entertaining and fun at times, especially with a Manga-like animation to it, it’s the opposite of what you would expect from the title.

As a matter of fact, the feature ends just when things are starting to get juicy, making it more of a tease than anything else.

The opposite can be said for the second feature that has Hulk fighting alongside Thor against Loki in Asgard. Action-packed, this story is a bit more fleshed out and has much better animation [Enchantress is super-hot throughout], but again, calling this “Hulk vs. Thor” just isn’t right.

It’s more like Thor vs Loki, featuring Hulk, as again while he does serve an integral part in the story, more focus is on the heated sibling rivalry between Thor and Loki. Nevertheless, this is a fun romp through the land of the Norse-gods and one that shows just how strong Hulk is and how much of an affect he has on the life of Bruce Banner.

Because of that, this release is worth buying for fans of Marvel’s green monster.

New fans to the series or action-hungry viewers looking for a great introduction to the character may be a bit disappointed however, as this collection fails to provide what it promises.

That’s not necessarily a horrible thing, but it’s bad marketing nonetheless.

If this DVD was called “Hulk Team Up” instead, maybe less people would have bought it, but at least it would have been accurately represented on retailers’ shelves.

But then again, who wants to see Hulk teaming up with anyone? Truth be told, he isn’t famous for playing well with others.

However, that doesn’t mean you should have to fork over your hard-earned money for something that isn’t what it claims to be.

What’s next? Oxy-Clean that makes your clothes purple, rather than clean?

The only person who’d buy that is Bruce Banner.

The only people who should entertain the notion of picking up this DVD are those that love the Hulk so much that they don’t mind him lying to them in a loud monosyllabic voice.

Claudio Osorio, Marc Iacovelli, the voice talent and the rest of the team that brought this story to the screen do a good job of bringing this heartbreaking tale to life.  Also, the score gives just the right sense of foreboding.  We know that a story about one of the most popular characters in the Marvel universe can only end in tears.

However, is this digitalized retelling of his origin necessary?

The characters’ depth and emotions seem no more intense than when they were first produced on the written page and the artwork, though well inked, does not become three-dimensional.  It lays there as flat as if it were still on the page.  When Wolverine pops his claws for the first time, one should at least feel some of the emotion normally seen in animation. Sadly, this is not the case.

As a digitalized comic, while it is not a failure, it does not revolutionize the idea of this type of genre either.  It is a middle-of-the-road retelling of an amazingly written and inked miniseries.  That said, the DVD is worth buying.

This disc is also packed full of extras that are well worth the price of admission.  There are trailers for other digital comics that you will want to take a look at as well.  However, what makes the “Wolverine” digital comic redundant is that the audience knows his story so well that there are no surprises, or keen insights that we might gleam from seeing his history unfold in this type of manner.  However, as encapsulated storylines go, such as the origin of “The Ultimates,” those who are not comic book readers will find these re-imagined characters interesting.

The documentary is also interesting as writers, colorists and others discuss how a comic book comes together.  As a reader, you get a deeper appreciation of how this process works.  One wonders how a monthly series can get out knowing how perfectly orchestrated things have to be in order to get a book out on time.  Notes detailing how the written series came to be are also included.

Tom DeSanto writes about how he wanted to protect the mystique of Wolverine and did not like the idea of Marvel ruining what makes Logan so compelling.  It is interesting to read how DeSanto was happy about how the comic turned out. One wonders what his opinion would be in regards to the digitalized version.

Highly entertaining is the bonus digitalized “Original The Incredible Hulk Issue #181.” Reminiscent of the cartoons of the late ‘60s (Captain America, Thor, and the Fantastic Four for example), done by Grantray-Lawrence Animation, this digital comic successfully brings to life a one-shot that features Wolverine in what is described as a “gaudily” dressed little man fighting alongside and against the Hulk.  The narration is what gives this story its funny and often poignant moments, which show just how successful this genre of comic animation can be.

All this considered, the “Wolverine Origins” DVD is worth purchasing despite several apparent flaws.  The motion comic genre is quickly finding a place in the media world and the additional disc information is sure to entertain everyone- from the sometimes-comic-book-reader to the most rabid fan.

Don’t be a knucklehead- pick this one up.

Very well said Donna-Lyn. While the digital comic version of “Wolverine: Origins” isn’t as sharp as it could be, it puts a great story on another format, which makes it more accessible to non-fans. Simply put, if a non-fan watched this, they’d still fall in love with the character and would not care about the lack of 3D animation and killer sound effects. Because of that, this release is a success. Nevertheless, it fails to truly hit the mark because it doesn’t cater more to the people that are truly connected to the medium. Despite that though, it’s far from a waste of time.

-Patrick Hickey Jr.

In the DVD “First Flight,” Jordan (voiced by Christopher Meloni) is re-imagined as a hot-shot fly-boy who speaks his mind: acts first and questions later.  Although he is rash, Jordan is still a thinking-man who figures out the deception of a well trusted Lantern.  However, it is not Jordan’s temperament or detective skills which make this movie an amazing origin story.

What is at the core of this tale is the creativity it takes to wield the power of the ring.  The power ring enables its wielder to create anything from his imagination.  Throughout this narrative, Jordan effortlessly creates several constructs from his mind.  When the Weaponers give the traitor the device to control the yellow element (the only color in the rainbow spectrum to counter the power of the Green Lanterns’ rings), they give him a warning in which its one limitation is its controller.

Essentially, the Weaponers tell the traitor that you need to have the imagination and creativity to control something with such power.  This is what essentially defeats the betrayer to the Corps.  In an ultimate battle between him and Hal Jordan, there is a clear understanding of what this film is about.  Yes, it is an origin story of a character who has been through many trials, but it is also about the misuse of power and the stagnation of ideas.

The guardians who gave the traitor the opportunity to nearly destroy the Green Lantern Corps through their complacency did so because they remained tied to the old traditions of “protecting the universe.”  Jordan brings a fresh perspective to the Corps and through his brash behavior is able to literally reignite the Green Element’s power (the energy source that charges the power rings).

In this well conceived plot, we also see old favorites of the Corps revitalized alongside Jordan.  Kilowog (voiced by Michael Madsen) is given more of a premiere role than in the recent comic series and Boodikka (voiced by Tricia Helfer) is given a new direction, which gives this animated version a mature edge.  There is violence.  Beings die and are abused and there is strong language.  This gives this new imagining of Green Lantern a different vibe from the usual DC animated fair.

Within this double-DVD set is a load of extras which you will find highly entertaining.  The first disc holds a look at the new “Superman/Batman Public Enemies” DVD along with trailers for other DC animations past and present.  There are also behind the scenes looks at the makings of this film and the “Blackest Night” series from the comics.  Disc two contains back stories of Sinestro and the Guardians.  There is also a Green Lantern themed “Duck Dodgers” episode and two episodes from “Justice League Unlimited,” which feature a cameo of Hal Jordan.

The movie is worth the price of admission, but the features make the “First Flight” DVD collection a must have for any Green Lantern fan.

Timm and his pals have once again created a fun animated feature based on one of DC’s most beloved characters. Nonetheless, they don’t push the envelope as much as they should. However, it doesn’t stand in the way of the DVD being watchable and even enjoyable.

While everyone who knows their comics knows about the heated relationship between Sinestro and Hal Jordan, it’s a great first look into the character for new fans and one that experienced “lanterneers” will be comfortable with.

However, the best part of the feature is the animation. At times, the DVD feels like a combination of the old Rankin and Bass Lord of the Rings movies of the 70s [especially during the scene where the ultimate weapon is shown for the first time] and some sort of futuristic manga, showing the diversity of the animation team and how far they’ve come over the years.

Because of that, it’s a worthwhile romp through the universe.

-Patrick Hickey Jr.

This film is back in the spotlight again because the Quentin Tarantino remake, which features Brad Pitt, is coming out next month to theaters everywhere, and once that is released, it is going to seem futile to compare the two for obvious reasons. The 1978 version is a low-budget Italian-made war picture, and the new one is an epic in scale with an all-star cast. However, that does not mean that the original version is not without its charm, and it will always be worth a viewing to the more adventurous moviegoer.

Luckily, Severin has released a three-disc special edition to the film, which allows audiences to properly view this often bootlegged picture under the title “Deadly Mission.”

A group of criminal World War II soldiers are on their way to be tried for their crimes manage to escape behind enemy lines, and are eventually mistaken for a group of American soldiers on a secret mission to stop a Nazi train. This makes for one of the most thrilling spaghetti war films ever made.

The Italians had an interesting approach to the movies, which allowed them to have a lasting impact on the cult-movie scene. That approach was to take popular American movie concepts and make them on a much cheaper budget. They often peppered the cast with supporting character actors from the United States, by drawing them in with the promise of a leading role.

Enzo G. Castellari (“Eagles Over London”) was one of the Italian directors that did the best, and was often able to put his own creative spin into his films. You have to take in consideration his budget constraints when watching his work, and it is very visible at times in “The Inglorious Bastards.” At one point in the movie, you can’t help but notice the strings pulling a supposedly blown up Nazi in the air.

There is also a perplexing moment where our heroes stumble upon a group of women skinny dipping, only to discover that these women are packing heat and hate Americans. While naked women shooting machines guns comes off extremely funny and campy, it proves to be a wrong detour for this flick.

This film is loaded with wall-to-wall action that never slows down. Explosions and danger follow the main characters as they transform from criminals to heroes. War is often a great backdrop for an adventure, and often allows people to get caught and root for the main characters despite their shady pasts. And it is evident here, thanks in large part to Castellari’s handling. Audiences without a doubt love to see characters that defy the odds and have the bravery to stand up to villains, and that is why despite some shortcomings, this film works.

Bo Svenson (“Breaking Point,” “Choke Canyon”) is solid in the lead as Lt. Robert Yeager. He is one of the more underrated tough guys in cinema. Svenson is probably most famous for filling in the shoes of Joe Don Baker in the sequels to the “Walking Tall” series, and since then has always had a commanding screen presence. Look for him in a cameo in the upcoming Tarantino version.

The secret ingredient to a good Castellari movie has always been Fred “The Hammer” Williamson (“1990: Bronx Warriors”). He seems to be having a ball in this movie, teaching the Nazis a thing or two, and always standing up for what is right. Williamson is a great entertainer and knows how to give audiences what they want, and he certainly delivers here.

A Steve Guttenberg lookalike named Peter Hooten (“The Soldier”) provides some racial tension in the group, but the Hammer quickly puts a stop to that.

Now come the extras, which start on disc one with an informative commentary by Castellari, then an interview with Castellari conducted by Tarantino. Sadly, Tarantino does most of the talking, and Castellari is extremely polite considering the interview was about him and not Tarantino.

Disc two houses a feature-length and very informative documentary on the making of the film, which encompasses almost every aspect. This is exactly what a DVD documentary should be, and not a 20-minute fluff piece that we often see.

Castellari also takes us on a journey of the locations used in the movie.

Disc three is a CD that includes the score to the picture, and is the first time this music was ever released separately.

“The Inglorious Bastards” is easy to admire for the bold and riveting story it attempts to tell, and simply is what it is. It can only be enjoyed if you’re not expecting some brilliant movie that inspired Tarantino to remake it.

Because of that, it was only a matter of time until the NHL released a collectors’ DVD box set, chronicling the team’s 10 greatest games. However, for many hardcore fans of the team, the set is anything but great, as the NHL has made some serious mistakes that tarnish what could have been a once in a lifetime offering. Nevertheless, it’s still an enjoyable compilation that Islanders fans will enjoy, just not as much as they could have.

On the earlier discs in the set, the biggest problem is the video quality. While it has a rustic and nostalgic feel to it, the fact that the NHL didn’t remaster any of these games is a shame. It’s already an amazing experience to see this team play in their heyday, when no other team in the world could touch them, but seeing it in high-definition would have been a dream come true. Even in the epic game seven against the Pittsburgh Penguins in ’93, the quality leaves something to be desired, as you’ll often find yourself frustrated that such amazing hockey wasn’t preserved better.

Another problem is that aside from the last game on the disc and the 1982 Stanley Cup Final on disc three, all the announcing is done by out-of-town broadcasters, robbing the series of the comfortable feel it should have had. Jiggs McDonald and Eddie Westfall’s announcing of the team was a magical tandem that partly earned McDonald a spot in the hockey hall of fame. Not having them in this box set more is inexcusable. Most of the time, the announcers lack the knowledge of the team needed to do a solid job, especially on the ESPN2 feed for the 2002 Maple Leaf series and the CBC feed for the 1993 series with the Penguins.

Simply put, when an announcer doesn’t make a huge note of Pierre Turgeon coming back to the Islanders against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions after getting his shoulder separated in one of the cruelest cheap shots in professional sports history, it’s hard to take them seriously.

Again, the broadcasting hurts the overall quality of the box set as well, but truth be told, having all of these games in one place is an accomplishment in itself. Seeing Steve Webb hit everything that moves against Toronto in 2002 and Kelly Hrudey making more saves than the man upstairs against Washington in 1987, combined with the glory days of the franchise is worth much more than the $50 price tag.

The box set is also a great reminder of how much the sport has changed over the years. Most of the hockey featured on this set is rough and tough, and will put a smile on many older hockey fans’ faces. It also serves as a history lesson for younger Islander fans, as they can see lesser-known but important players on several Islanders teams of the past like Greg Gilbert, Alan Kerr, Mikko Makela and Stefan Persson, making it a video encyclopedia of the team’s rich history.

So in spite of all the problems this set has, it eventually succeeds due to the material being presented and not the presentation of the material. If you can deal with that, then you’ll enjoy every minute of the classic hockey action featured on this box set.

They are always rife with symbolism and thought, though their inherent moral does not always manifest throughout the course of the film. Instead, it’s seen much later and after multiple viewings, with occasional discussion. Essentially, the highly controversial former Soviet director had mastered the art of portraying philosophy on film.

1966 finally saw the completion of one of Tarkovsky’s most controversial epics, “Andrei Rublev,” about the life of a legendary 15th century icon and fresco painter who was later canonized a saint with Russia’s erstwhile chaotic history as its background.

To this day, several different versions of this renowned film exist, since it was almost banned in its home country after its official release and then finally revealed in a censored form for the public in 1971. However, this did not prevent it from winning the FIPRESCI prize at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival. It was not until 1999 that this acclaimed-masterpiece was finally given the chance to be viewed as intended when Criterion formally released the director’s cut as part of its prestigious collection.

Aside from the film, the DVD contains rare interviews with Tarkovsky, an audio essay by Harvard professor Vlada Petric, timelines and various technological improvements. However, the true beauty of this DVD rests in the 205 minutes of uninterrupted storytelling.

Following the tumultuous life of the real Andrei Rublev, the epic spans several decades of some of the harshest times in Russia’s history.

As with previous releases, “Andrei Rublev” is bursting with symbolism and philosophy – ranging from meaningful conversation to its liberal use of horses to indicate life, sight and sound – portrayed through candles and church bells – and a plethora of other devices. Tarkovsky was especially fond of generous uses of fire and water.

Even color plays a pivotal role in the film as Tarkovsky believes that “on the screen color imposes itself on you, whereas in real life that only happens at odd moments, so it’s not right for the audience to be constantly aware of color. Isolated details can be in color if that is what corresponds to the state of the character on the screen. In real life the line that separates unawareness of color from the moment when you start to notice it is quite imperceptible,” according to an interview with “To the Screen,” featured on Nostalghia.com. The film was done entirely in black-and-white with the exception of the epilogue, which features several of Rublev’s better-preserved pieces.

It begins simply with a man flying atop a hot air balloon, with angry villagers chasing him as he basks in bliss. Although his euphoric flight cannot last long, he understands the beauty of its innocence. The villagers, however, do not and the erstwhile pilot’s dreams are subsequently crushed in their ignorance.

The following sequences begin to feature the title character in his bildungsroman journey. The entirety of the film is broken into seven chapters, each focusing in a different, chronologically-appropriate event that serves to move the plot along.

Rublev, played marvelously by Tarkovsky-veteran Anatoly Solonitsyn (Stalker, Solaris) in their first collaboration, is an Eastern Orthodox monk with and incredible and widely-acclaimed talent for painting.

He and fellow monks, Danil (Nikolai Grinko) and Kirill (Ivan Lapikov), search for work and wander into a barn to seek shelter from the rain. A vulgar, socially-deviant jester begins to poke fun at them before putting on – for the time – a decidedly crude act. Kirill briefly disappears and the jester is taken away by authorities.

Outwardly, a scene like this may almost seem meaningless upon first viewing; however, when taken in context with the rest of the film it becomes a phenomenal exercise in philosophy. Kirill’s ulterior reasons for the removal of the jester are not realized until much later and neither is the hint at his true essence – and what it represents.

A particularly thought-provoking scene follows between Rublev and Theophanes the Greek, an established painter who seeks his help in painting the frescoes of the Cathedral of the Annunciation. Rublev wants desperately to believe in the inherent good in people. Theophanes, however, has grown more cynical with age and experience in the secular world.

In the first two chapters, the pace is already set for a wealth of self-realization and development.

Due to its medieval setting, “Andrei Rublev” is never pretty or pleasant. Its characters and residences are perpetually dirty and almost always miserable. At times, the grimness becomes almost unbearable. One such scene portrays a group of artisans being ambushed and having their eyes put out by the Prince’s men after their completion of his church to ensure the uniqueness of his domain’s creation, evoking the legend of the Taj Mahal, where a similar fate was said to befall its masons.

But even this is symbolic. After all, Tarkovsky was an artistic resident of a tyrannical government and who is the Prince if not an authority figure?

The acting in the spectacle is nothing short of superb. Solonitsyn, who was actually discovered by Tarkovsky, is able to portray a wealth of emotion. His sensitive face evokes a sense of trust and compassion within his viewers for a deeply spiritual man yearning to see good in a dark time.

Lapikov’s portrayal as the cunning and jealous, but ultimately talentless Kirill elicits sympathy for this character, who simply wants to be respected and wanted, though is himself the pinnacle of mediocrity. A particularly striking performance is given by Tarkovsky’s erstwhile wife, Irma Raush, as Durochka, a mentally disabled mute, who some characters often deem “Blessed.” She is introduced when she enters a church in Vladimir, where Rublev and Theophanes are scheduled to paint a fresco of the Last Judgment and begins wailing, forcing the protagonist to reexamine his views on sin.

The cinematography within “Andrei Rublev” is starkly realistic as some of its more gruesome scenes are downright disturbing. Devoid of color, the visuals in Tarkovsky’s first acclaimed piece stir conviction and contemplation, as each looks that much more realistic – more poignant. A particularly dark example is a raid on the town of Vladimir; while a comparatively pleasant one is a youth crying in relief for the success of an uncertain endeavor.

Though hardly the last sensational film directed by the Kurosawa fan, it is considered by many to be his finest work, at times rivaled by “Stalker.”

“Andrei Rublev” may incite rage or revulsion – or even cerebral rapture – but it will certainly lead to delectable contemplation.

He was so tough and so iconic that he didn’t need a title to win over fans. With a sneaky smile and quick fists that sometimes looked as if they were made of stone, the former gang member and homeless teen turned himself into a legend.

Simply put, Piper himself said it best in the mid-’80s before a fight with “Cowboy” Bob Orton: “I was rowdy before rowdy was cool.”

Because of all of this, it was only a matter of time until the WWE released a box set of Piper’s career and luckily,“Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story,” despite some bumps and bruises along the way, does an admirable job of showing just how talented he really was.

A three-disc set, “Born to Controversy” not only features a full disc documentary, but also a disc of his best matches, in addition to a disc of memorable spots on his interview show, “Piper’s Pit.” Because of this, it is easily the most comprehensive collection of anyone’s career that the WWE has ever released, making it a must-own for any hardcore wrestling fan.

Nevertheless, the collection has its rough spots that hurt what could have been an amazing compilation.

On the first disc documentary, very little is said about his time in WCW, making it seem like it wasn’t a big moment in his career. That may turn off many fans of that former company and will make the documentary feel a bit incomplete. There could have also been more interviews done with wrestlers that have been affected by Piper. Simply put, no one cares about how Kenny Dykstra feels about Piper. The WWE could have gone out of their way and gotten better wrestlers [Scott “Raven” Levy, for example who is basically a living, breathing combination of Piper and Jake “The Snake” Roberts] to talk about him. The other interviews done with the likes of Bruce Pritchard and a few others like Bob Orton are fun, but the most important one, with Hulk Hogan, lacks the depth and compassion needed to fully understand what Piper was all about.

Does this affect the quality of the documentary? A bit, but not enough for fans to be disappointed with it. Not by a long shot.

However, the second disc, much like the first, while doing a tremendous job of putting together some of Piper’s best matches, misses some of his great ones from the days of WCW, especially the one with Bret Hart where he wins the United States Heavyweight title from Hart in 1998. Hardcore fans will be turned off once again, but the fact that all the great Wrestlemania matches and his infamous match with Goldust in ’96 are on the disc makes up for it entirely.

While his spots on “Piper’s Pit” haven’t aged as well as you would have thought, they are still a blast to watch and make the DVD a special one. Without them, it would be like every other WWE DVD, but because of them, you feel like this is a once in a lifetime compilation.

When someone is as important to an industry as Piper once was, it’s hard to satisfy everyone. In spite of a few small blemishes, this DVD set is a great tribute to one of the most respected and iconic athletes in the history of the sport.

Produced by American International Pictures, this was one of their later attempts to escape the stigma of the horror and exploitation genres that they made famous. Unfortunately, that AIP logo caused the film to go largely ignored upon its initial release and to this day is the type of hidden gem with a strong cast that got swept under the rug of cinema history.

Wakefield, exquisitely played by Scott Jacoby, (“Return to Horror High”) is a track runner that never proved his self-worth to himself or the school and decides that it is his year.  He spends every moment he can get training for the big day.

His goal is to become the school’s track star.

Jacoby creates a character that tries to balance life, school, track and women, while being fiercely driven and never losing sight of his goals. It is impossible not to get caught up in rooting for the hero.

While not as good as, Barry Levinson’s “Diner,” it’s easily comparable to it because of how it deals with the interpersonal relationship of boys on the verge of facing the terrifying world of adulthood. Dennis Quaid  (“G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”) provides a strong, early-in-his-career performance that allows you to see why he’s been able to stay afloat in the rough seas of Hollywood for over 30 years.

Another strong supporting performance is given by Jan Smithers, (“W.K.R.P. In Cincinnati”) as Cathy Wakefield, who plays David’s supportive sister who seems to always know how to get him back on the right track.

While the film was made in 1978, it is set in the late ‘60s and that allows it to deal with issues concerning Vietnam. It also shows us how that war personally affects the Wakefield family. Mix in a sweet love story for Wakefield, as he tries to win over the girl of his dreams, and you have the recipe for a great little independent late ‘70s flick.

Joseph Ruben (“Gorp”) is a tad sloppy in his handling of the picture and allows a few brainless moments to slip into an otherwise great experience. One scene that is a prime example of that shows a car that goes flying through the movie screen at a drive-in. There are also shades of heavy melodrama at times, but the main character is so endearing that these are minor complaints.

MGM took a chance and released this lost film on DVD with a crisp widescreen transfer and the three minute original theatrical trailer.  That trailer is also featured on “42nd Street Forever Volume 4″ and it is confusing as to why this would be on a DVD of Grindhouse trailers.

The only thing that may make it a B-movie is that it was produced by AIP.

“Our Winning Season,” much like its main character, tried to approach many things, but comes out a sweet winner due to a heartfelt and relate-able story and a solid performance by someone who went on to become one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars.

Despite his ability in the ring, TNA has never been able to show fans the personal side of the superstar, that is, until his new best-of DVD, “The Best Of Samoa Joe: Unstoppable” was released.

Chronicling his career in TNA from his debut match against Sonjay Dutt on June 19, 2005, “Unstoppable” even manages to sprinkle in commentary from Joe himself where he addresses everything from his troubled childhood to his long road to wrestling superstardom. Fans will be amazed at just how intelligent Joe is and how forthcoming he was in telling the story of not only his wrestling career, but his life as well.

Featuring matches against Christopher Daniels, A.J. Styles, Jushin Lyger and Chris Sabin, “Unstoppable” has all the great matches in Joe’s first year in TNA that you’d ever want to see…in their entirety. It seems that TNA has finally learned from the mistakes they made in various other best-of DVD compilations and has left everything in for the fans to enjoy this time around.

While the matches are great, getting an inside look at a candid and articulate wrestler that just so happens to choke people out for a living makes this a must-own DVD for anyone that finds themselves salivating when they hear the name of Samoa Joe.

Fans of the Samoan Submission Machine will love “Unstoppable” for the amount of matches TNA has managed to squeeze in, but non-wrestling fans will appreciate the commentary and inside look at Joe’s personal life that set it apart from any other TNA DVD out right now.

Of course, the fare costs you 90 minutes of your life.

Certain exploitation films have had needless padding. “Dollman vs. Demonic Toys” is 68 minutes long and 30 of those are filled with flashbacks to the previous films. “Silent Night Deadly Night 2” is 50 percent footage from the first one in the series.

And they are Criterion-worthy when compared to this flick.

How the makers of this lazy creation managed to find a way to pad a film that is not even a sequel will forever be a mystery, something Sarah McLaughlin could never build.

It features a two and a half minute opening credit sequence, followed by 10 minutes of beach footage. We see things like break dancers on the sand and people walking while awful theme music plays in the background.

Did the director think people wouldn’t notice this? The film really could play out in 65 minutes.

While many accuse Ed Wood (“Plan 9 from Outer Space”) to be the worst film maker of all time, at least he showed passion for his work. Jim Sotos (“Sweet Sixteen”), however, the director of this lovely concoction, demonstrated an utter lack of appeal in the creation of this motion picture, responsible for a dull universe and similarly uninteresting characters.

One wonders if on the morning of the first shoot, he read the scenes for the first time.

This flick features the type of plot you’ve seen a million times before “American Pie” stole it. Four high school buds decide to get laid during summer break.

The beautiful Jill Schoelen (“Cutting Class,” “Stepfather”) has some on-screen charm in her other work, but you would never guess that from watching this film. She plays the one-dimensional nice girl who doesn’t want to have sex. Her boyfriend, Michael, (Adam Silbar, “How I Got Into College”) has dumped her because she won’t put out. He continues to pursue her on and off in the film because she is the “good girl,” but never once during the movie are we shown reasons why this girl is so special.

This is due to the fact that Sotos doesn’t take any time to define these characters, yet wants the audience to root for them in the end.

Great logic, eh?

This awful trend continues in the performance of the portly and Hawaiian shirt clad Michael Zorek, (“Private School”) who has since honored the audience by quitting the industry. During his career, he was a terrible actor with zero charisma. He seems to be aping the great John Belushi poorly in this film.

Code Red has been doing good work on releasing exploitation movies. Many films would never be on DVD if it wasn’t for this company. However, with that being said, one wonders why they bothered releasing this unimportant relic.

Code Red released the DVD with some good extra footage, including interviews with Zorek and Silbar. It also includes a commentary with Sotos, the writer Peter Foldy, Silbar and Zorek. Sadly though, Code Red did not release any of the trailers for upcoming films on this disc, which is one of the best features on their DVDs.

All in all, a pretty good package for the film.

Some people might be curious to see “Hot Moves,” due to its unexpected cult following from its Vestron video days, but don’t let your curiosity get the best of you.

“Hot Moves” may provide giggles to the under twelve years of age crowd, but adults will find it to be a sleazy attempt at an 80′s staple of comedy.

Like most Argento movies, “Mother of Tears” is an incredibly violent film with murders so extreme that they approach parody. In his better movies, Argento finds an art to killing his darlings in the bloodiest and most bizarre manner possible, and supports these moments with atmosphere and composition. This one’s got his style but not his touch, and the whole thing feels brainless and impotent. The funny thing is: Argento’s trilogy is complete, but something seems to be missing from the film itself, or the sensibility that inspired it.

The setup involves Sarah (Asia Argento), an American girl studying art history in Rome. When an old urn is unearthed and sent to her university for research, Sarah and an associate inspect it, which leads to the revival of some ancient demons who kill her while Sarah flees. Disturbing the urn, we learn, has set a series of events into motion that creates chaos in Rome: The Mother of Tears (Moran Atias), who adores misery, puts a spell (or something) on everybody in the city that drives them into fits of random death and violence.

Eventually, Sarah learns that she’s the daughter of a different witch (Daria Nicolodi), whose skill in white magic gave her great powers before she died. Since these powers are hereditary, Sarah has what she needs to challenge the Mother of Tears.

Between the center-stage gore and unmotivated dialogue, the film gets lots of bad laughs. There is suspense, but it’s empty half the time. Consider the scene where Sarah visits an alchemist (Philippe Leroy): He captures her, sends an acolyte to force her eye wide open, examines it and lets her go. Afterward, he tells her that it was all a test, and that he had to be sure of her intentions before he could help her. Meaningless.

Argento missed the mark on this one, but its promoters are sly enough to make up for it. The cover for the DVD includes a quote from The Village Voice, which refers to it as “an instant cult classic.” That claim doesn’t appear in the real review by Jim Ridley, which reads: “Without Argento’s once-trademark elegance, all that’s left is poorly staged, protracted sadism interrupted by expository narcolepsy and unintended horselaughs.”

Ridley goes on to say that “it’s painful to watch the Hieronymus Bosch of ‘70s horror sink this low.” Surely he knew that even gifted minds lose their way from time to time? Oscar Wilde knew it, as demonstrated by his famous review of “The Old Curiosity Shop” by Charles Dickens: “One must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing.” When it comes to “Mother of Tears,” substitute “see” for “read” and “an associate” for “Little Nell,” and you’ve pretty much got it.

This past April, Lionsgate released a new series of DVDs entitled, “The Lost Collection.” In the series are films that are finally being released on DVD, including “Slaughter High,” “Homer and Eddie” and “Morgan Stewart’s Coming Home.”

And of course, “The Night Before.”

“The Night Before” is a hysterical, laugh-out load romp that tries to piece together one crazy night of mayhem.

Winston Connelly (Keanu Reeves, “My Own Private Idaho”) is a high school loser that managed to score one of the hottest dates for the prom.

Sadly, his date Tara Mitchell (Lori Loughlin, “Full House”) is only going with him because she lost a bet, effectively being forced to go to the prom with someone she typically wouldn’t be caught dead with.

Poor Connelly genuinely wanted to treat it like the dream date he always wanted. However, one long detour in the wrong direction lands him and Mitchell on the wrong side of the tracks. Throw in one crazy drug filled cocktail served by a mean-spirited bartender and Connolly is left groggy and lost in the middle of a bad neighborhood. If that wasn’t enough, he also soon discovers that he accidentally sold his prom date to a pimp named Tito.

Now how’s that for a prom night?

“The Night Before” derives the humor much in the same vein as “After Hours.” One man’s comical misadventure is what draws us into the story and the simple variation is that it is intended for the teenage audience.

Thom Eberhardt (“Sole Survivor”) directs with a lot of flair, allowing us to partake and enjoy this teenage story. As a matter of fact, it’s Eberhardt’s handling of the loveable main character is one of the main reasons it works so well.

Reeves turns in a raw energetic early performance that has been missing from some of his recent films. Sadly, he seems to be slumming it in more recent fare and “The Night Before” is a great reminder of a different era in his acting abilities.

The adorable Loughlin also turns in a great performance. At first, you want to hate this snobby rich girl, but as the night progresses, you see this cute, vulnerable side of her that allows you to fall in love with her.
Much like Connelly does.

Pure fun from start to finish, especially since story is not told in order and the use of flashbacks enhances its telling, the film allows the night to flow and its mystery to unravel, while allowing the audience to never lose sight of the enjoyment, creating a well-crafted teenage love story.

How many times can you say that?

As far as the DVD features are concerned, Lionsgate provides a full screen version of the movie, which is fine because most fans grew up watching this picture on television anyway. They also provide a useless trivia track to be played with the flick that doesn’t do much of anything. The information is some history trivia and facts you can find on IMDB, such as earlier credits of its cast members. However, when it’s all said and done, all that matters is that this flick is finally on DVD.

All in all, “The Night Before” is a fun joyride to the wrong side of the tracks that is the simplest and most enjoyable form of entertainment.

Before the new “‘Life of Brian’ – The Immaculate Edition” DVD came out, you might have had to buy the costly Criterion edition ($39.95). The new DVD has just as many special features for about half as much ($24.96), including a bonus read-through of their original screenplay. The best thing about the read-through is that the dialogue alone is strong enough to work without visuals explaining it: Their wording is crucial to the experience, which might explain why fans are able to quote all the words from their films and skits.

The film is a religious parable where all six Pythons – Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin – are effortlessly charming in various roles, all 40 of them. Chapman plays Brian Cohen, a Judean with a vetty British accent. Brian puts up with all kinds of frustrating events: He attends Jesus Christ’s sermon on the mount, but stands so far away that he can’t understand him. (“Blessed are the cheese makers”?) He meets a group of radical Judeans, who let him in on their plan to overthrow Pontius Pilate (Palin). They invite him to join, but being in the People’s Front of Judea is harder than it sounds: “If you wanted to join the PFJ,” they tell him, “you’d have to really hate the Romans.”

You’d be surprised how quickly the greatest story ever told is transformed into a flimsy pretext for infernal lunacy. But this is merely a setup – we don’t watch Monty Python movies for a comprehensible plot. Their comedies are driven by anarchy, shock and contempt for their characters. They’re like the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, who were willing to seduce audiences with brutality and cruelty.

There’s always been a scandal around their films, but “Life of Brian” stands above the others. It offended all denominations of Christianity, who hired protesters to picket theaters when it premiered in 1979. Maybe it was for the best – John Cleese once told Michael Palin that “We’ve brought them all together for the first time in 2,000 years!”

Comedy like this has a style that’s easy to recognize, but hard to define. There’s a quote from Potter Stewart about pornography that works for this kind of material: “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it.”

“Monty Python’s Life of Brian” may be the only film in history to include a musical number on the crucifix. Not only that, but the song is Eric Idle’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” Hard to look on the bright side when you’re about to die a horrible death. This is just one reason why Monty Python is one of the funniest and most irreverent comedy troupes of all time.

Graham Chapman portrays Brian, who was unlucky enough to be born in the stable next to Jesus and spends the rest of his life not being able to live up to people’s expectations.

The movie is littered with inspiring bits of comedy that spoof the boring old Bible stories we all heard a million times before.

A leper actually complains that because Jesus cured him, he can no longer beg for money.

Of the three movies Monty Python made, this stands head and shoulders above the rest as their most intellectual picture. In order to enjoy a majority of the jokes, one has to understand how the Bible is constantly negating its own words throughout.

However, none of it was done mean-spiritedly and the majority of the people that often protested this film didn’t even see it. This was just Monty Python trying to tell us that we need to loosen up and laugh at our own history and beliefs.

-Anthony Benedetto

Due to poor test screenings, 20th Century Fox didn’t give this winner of a film the chance it rightfully deserved. However, in 2006, the DVD surfaced, allowing a whole new generation of movie buffs a chance to see this lost picture.

It opens in a dark alley, reminding the audience of the 1940s era of Film Noir. A Humphrey Bogart impostor approaches the screen and starts to read to the audience the opening credits of the movie.

This introduction allows the audience to perceive that is a new take on a classic genre.

And the film genuinely is a surprising treat that creates the feel of something you would catch on Turner Classic Movies at Midnight.

Michael Caine (“Hannah and Her Sisters”), with his tongue firmly in his cheek, plays the lead role of Peeper, (another word for Private Investigator) Leslie C. Tucker. Tucker is a P. I. from L. A. that, according to everyone, has a funny way of talking – simply because he is British.

Tucker becomes entangled in a world of mystery when a strange man wants to hire him to find his daughter that he abandoned over 20 years ago.

Everyone knows Film Noir’s starts this way, but soon the mystery grows into something much larger. This causes the audience to empathize with the P. I. on the case because we know as much as him.

Caine delivers a wonderful performance that is filled with nice comedic touches that don’t overshadow some of the film’s more serious moments. He’s the rare actor who knows how to utilize the written word to enhance his performance.

His narration also provides charming and amusing dimension to the flick.

The other ingredient to this genre is a strong Femme Fatale. A woman that is beautiful, dangerous and full of mystery.

One whose sheer beauty stops the tough guy in his tracks and renders him a slobbering idiot.

The sexy and talented Natalie Wood (“West Side Story”) becomes the Femme Fatale of “Peeper.” This happens to be one of her last great performances before her untimely death.

As a result, Caine and Wood generate exceptional on-screen chemistry through their witty banter together.

Peter Hyams (“End of Days”) directs this light soufflé incredibly well. The DVD contains a short interview with him where he discusses his disappointment with the film’s reception. He also discusses what it was like to direct his childhood crush, Natalie Wood. Overall, while brief, it is an informative eight minutes.

The other extra is a little under twenty minute long analysis of the Film Noir genre, which features interviews with Hyams and film scholars.

The disc also contains the original trailer as well as those for two other Michael Caine films, “The Magnus” and “Deadfall.”

“Peeper” is only for the adventurous cinephiles in the mood for a change of pace and is a bold and daring fast paced movie that attempts to create a new genre, while paying homage to what inspired it.

Since February, they have not released anything, but were supposed to be a promising two months for the company with releases of “Trapped,” “Choke Canyon,” “Night of the Dribbler,”  “Power Play” and “The Weekend Murders” in June and July.

One major problem was all of these releases were pushed back to August, or with dates to be announced and this was due to poor pre-order sales.

“Choke Canyon”, featuring Stephen Collins (“7th Heaven”) and Bo Svenson, (“Breaking Point”) was set to release on June 23, but according to Code Red, “Due to poor pre-order sales it was never pressed. Under 100 copies were ordered with 30 going to Netflix for the fifty states.” The DVD’s main bonus features was a lengthy conversation with Bo Svenson.

The film will now release on September 1.

“Trapped” and the Italian Giallo, “The Weekend Murders” were pushed back to August 4 and 11. That month will also bring us the long awaited “Stunt Rock” on August 25 and the stop motion creature feature “The Strangeness” on August 18.

Stephen Thrower’s novel, “Nightmare U.S.A.” features a chapter devoted to and analysis of “The Strangeness.” He claimed despite a slow start, the film’s creature is a worthwhile experience to see.

The Peter O’Toole  and Donald Pleasence flick, “Power Play,” has no set date, but looks like a great little political thriller that Code Red has been promoting for quite a while now.

The 1995 never released Horror Comedy, “Night of the Dribbler” which is about a killer with a basketball head. That film is set to be released on September 8.

Sadly, this week marked the passing of “Night of the Dribbler” star and frequent “Match Game” guest, Fred Travalena. He was 66 years old and never got to see the release of this film. He did record a commentary track for the movie.

August is rounded out with two Exploitation Cinema releases, which are always a fun treat. “Deliver Us Evil” and “Fox Affair” is on one release and on the other are “Teenage Graffiti” and “Teenage Mother.”

Code Red and Media Blasters also co-produced two releases, “Riot on 42nd Street” and “Scream” (1981) that were due out, but were indefinitely postponed. Fans are eagerly awaiting release news on these two films to no avail.

However, the saddest DVD news information comes from Warner Brothers, who have seemingly canceled their release of “Ode to Billy Joe.” Already rescheduled twice this year, the Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor (“Jeremy”) film has vanished from Amazon’s listing. The film was based on the hit song of the same title and creates a possible theory as to why Billy Joe jumped off the bridge.

July will welcome Volume 15 from Shout Factory of “Mystery Science Theatre 3000.” Featuring one of their all time best episodes, “Zombie Nightmare,” which will have you howling in delight at the awful Adam West (“The Happy Hooker Goes To Hollywood”) performance.

Severin is setting a high sticker price of $34.95 for the Roger Corman Drive-In classic, “Screwballs.” [A nice change of pace for the company, since they recently have been releasing extremely obscure foreign movies.] They are also working on a double disc of an underrated Science Fiction film, “Hardware” featuring Iggy Pop.

September 15th Paramount will release Deluxe Editions of “Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood” and “Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan.”  The disc will be filled with deleted gore footage on both discs. The only drawback will be some of the newer supposedly funny footage shot by fans which is a fake documentary on the aftermath of Jason Voorhies in the Crystal Lake area. This is something fans really aren’t interested in.

The great DVD series, “42nd Street Forever” will be releasing Volume five on September 29. The series is an oddball collection of various Grindhouse trailers, but also help for anyone looking for a new movie to see.

And finally, Columbia is finally releasing the long awaited Horror classic, “Night of the Creeps” on October 20. Currently, Amazon.com is allowing fans to vote for which DVD cover will be used on the release.

Stay tuned to ReviewFix for the latest in cult news and feel free to e-mail and comment on any upcoming titles.

Luckily, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have the answer.

A three-part episode on the eleventh season of South Park, “Imaginationland” addresses the war on terrorism and the imaginations of Americans and also touches on a few other topics in the South Park universe making it a fairly enjoyable story.

Watching “Imaginationland,” you get the idea that Parker and Stone have decided to address a smorgasbord of ideas, including sub-par movie directors, bad sci-fi movies and the inevitable showdown between Kyle and Cartman. Usually in a situation like this, you’d expect the feature to be structurally flawed, but somehow “Imaginationland” puts all of these ideas together and presents them in a way where they are absolutely hilarious. Watching the transgression of events unfold will be a delight for hardcore South Park fans, while viewers unfamiliar with the series will still find them entertaining.

Featuring the likes of Mel Gibson, Al Gore, Michael Bay and every cartoon character you could imagine, “Imaginationland” has the biggest cast of characters since the South Park movie nearly a decade ago. Again, while many may think it would be nearly impossible to put all of these characters together in a cohesive and fluid work, “Imaginationland” gets it done and is an absolute blast from start to finish. In addition, the plot development involving Cartman, Kyle and Butters throughout the story is extremely fun to watch and gives the story the type of depth that isn’t found in animated sitcoms anymore.

For that reason, “Imaginationland” is a worthy addition to any South Park fan’s DVD collection.

The commentary on the disc is also probably the best ever done on a South Park DVD for the simple reason that it doesn’t pull any punches. On every other South Park DVD available, Stone and Parker give mini-explanations of every episode and don’t get as deep as you’d like them to. On “Imaginationland” however, Parker and Stone talk about the inspiration behind the DVD and a few other things on their minds, which ends up being another great reason to buy the feature.

That being said, “Imaginationland” is an entertaining 64-minute romp that combined with two additional bonus episodes and hilarious commentary is a definite must-own for any fan of the series.

The problem with small pictures like this one is that no one has an interest in seeing a premise that is has been done so many times before. However, it it is the little nuances of a small picture that give it the edge over the better flicks and make for a terrific and fast-paced B-movie.

Danny Hicks, (played by Eric Stolz, “Mask”, “Caprica”) is wrongfully accused of killing his father and is on death row. During that time, he has been receiving love letters from a heavily deluded prostitute named Charlene Andrews, (played by Monica Carrico, “Guilty by Suspicion”). Eventually, Hicks manages to escape from prison and arrives on Andrews doorstep in need of help. To her, this is a dream come true and a chance for her to start a new life.

She’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Stolz and Carrico do a fantastic job, considering these were leading roles for the two actors in the beginning of their careers. Despite the fact Stolz can’t compare to Martin Sheen in “Badlands,” it’s still one of his better performances.

The script paints the portrait of these two bleak and unredeemable characters. Despite this, they don’t have a strong grip on reality. The film takes its time revealing that to the audience. At that point however, we are already along for the ride before that fact sinks in.

In order to enjoy the picture, you have to overlook the major character flaw of Andrews, falling for a prisoner she never met or knows outside of the what is on the news.

However, this is a small nuance and original touch to ”Running Hot.”

The movie allowed character actor Stuart Margolin, (“Death Wish”) a chance to shine as the officer out to catch Hicks. He ends up as one of the meanest cops on screen.

Directed with a fast-paced flair from Mark Griffiths, (“Hardbodies”, “Hardbodies 2″) the film flies past you. It becomes an enduring journey with two characters you normally wouldn’t spend time with.

On top of that, Griffiths’ able directions also fills the picture with some insightful viewpoints into the character of Hicks, while never slowing the momentum of it all.

Code Red, did a wonderful job on the transfer of this 1984 picture. Along with that they got Griffiths to record a commentary and an on-screen interview, which sheds some light on the making of it.

An extensive still gallery and Alternate title track complement the film quite nicely.

Sadly, no trailer or B-movie gallery of other Code Red titles are present on the disc, which is always a welcomed treat on their other DVDs.

Nevertheless, while the movie is far from a masterpiece, it’s still a fun ride that is worth a look for Stolz’s fans who want to see how much he’s developed as an actor over the past 25 years.

However, “Ultimate Avengers,” while still being a solid venture into the world of animation, doesn’t hold water when compared to its source material, leaving die-hard fans of the series to dig up old issues for nostalgia, instead of watching it develop all over again on the small screen.

Based on Mark Millar’s classic series, “The Ultimates,” “Ultimate Avengers” is simply a rehashed origin story of the group to suit modern times. While the personalities of many of the characters in The Avengers have stayed true to their comic book origins, several characters are given smaller roles in the film, taking away some of the spark and comic relief that made “The Ultimates” such an enjoyable read.

For instance, Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, while still retaining some of his “bad-boy” charm, isn’t given nearly enough opportunities to inject his wit and charisma into the story and his famous battle with alcoholism is merely suggested, rather than exposed.

The same goes for the Norse God of Thunder, Thor. Even though we get a small taste of his remarkable power in a great fight scene with the Hulk, he is portrayed more like a Fabio rip-off than an immortal with limitless strength and intellect.

While many lines are taken away from Thor and Iron Man, many are given to the Black Widow and Nick Fury, creating an undoubtedly entertaining aura, but creating something else in the process that looks and feels totally different than what fans have come to expect from the Avengers.

On the whole, “Ultimate Avengers” is an entertaining attempt to bring classic characters to life and is a good starting point for anyone new to the series. Traditional fans of the series however may find that their favorite characters have been changed to an extent that is unacceptable, even if it is still enjoyable to watch.

While there are no special features on these DVDs, a pristine widescreen picture is all a film really needs, right?

“One on One” [1977] is one of the select films that Warner chose to release.

You don’t have to be a sports fan to love “One on One,” but you have to understand what it is to crave something with all your heart.

Robby Benson (“Ice Castles”) gives a marvelous performance as Henry Steele.

Steele is a talented young basketball player that accepts a scholarship at Texas’ A & M University.

He soon discovers that being a jock comes with many perks, including do-nothing jobs around campus for absorbent amounts of cash. Despite the fact that he is serious about his studies, he doesn’t have to attend classes when it interferes with practice.

Enter, his tutor, Janet Hays, played by Annette O’Toole (“It”). She feels that he is just another dumb jock trying to score easy answers. O’Toole and Benson create a believable love/hate relationship, offering another pleasant dimension for the film.

After being introduced to this fascinating world and these characters through the first half of the film, the second half is where Steele’s love of basketball is put on the line. After a few bad games, his sadistic coach, played by G.D. Spradlin (“Nick of Time”), asks him to renounce his scholarship.

His refusal causes his life to become a living hell.

The coach tries to break him every chance he gets, never giving Steele a fair shot in practice. He endures, however, creating a character that is reminiscent of Rocky Balboa, but is younger, far more intelligent and forced to prove himself against even more insurmountable odds than the “Italian Stallion.”

Regardless of what obstacle stands in his way, Steele refuses to be broken- that gives the film many awe-inspiring moments.

This is a hero worth rooting for.

That also makes “One on One” a real treat.

Spradlin’s performance also concocts one of the greatest on-screen villains and gives the film the air of brevity and depth it needs to thrive.

A well done soundtrack by Seals and Croft also creates a heartfelt and warm ambiance to the film that never loses sight of the story.

While “One on One” is far from perfect, as a few scenes give you the distinction of the 70s, with leisure suits and part scenes sprinkled throughout, the bulk of the movie is about our young hero Steele and his journey for glory.

Because of that, one thing is for sure- this is a winner.

Fuller always wanted to explore the issue of racism in America and even wrote a first draft for the distasteful 1974 picture, “The Klansman.” A difference of opinion with Paramount on the script however forced him to walk away. He nevertheless had high hopes to return to the subject matter someday.

Enter, 1982′s “White Dog,” which has been lovingly restored by the Criterion Collection. This was Fuller’s unsung project that never received the attention it deserved.

Although the film never received an American theatrical release due to Paramount’s concern with the race issues within, the company misunderstood its inherent message. “White Dog” was not racist at all; rather, it tried to explore this topic and present it as a major problem to its audiences.

Many thought the title referred to the star German shepherd’s white fur, but it has more to do with the white dog that happened to be bred by an extremely racist group of people. When they are puppies, a black junkie or hobo is generally hired to beat them until they are enraged whenever they see a black person, triggering a psychological self-defense response within the animal.

The story’s focus is on the lovely Kristy McNichol (“Empty Nest”) and the beautiful “white dog” that she accidentally hits with her car. In an act of kindness, she decides to shelter it.

When she eventually discovers the truth about the canine, she brings him to one of the best animal trainers in town to see if it can be cured.

That animal trainer happens to be a black man.

That creates an intriguing inner struggle for the title character and a unique way to tackle racism.

The underrated Paul Winfield (“Sounder”) provides the best performance in the film as the dog’s new trainer. He is compassionate toward the dog. but also understands that it is vicious killer.

The greatest asset to this character is his ability to endure the hardships and eventual truth about this poor animal. He tries to remain optimistic despite the fact that this old dog might not be able to learn new tricks.

The main question proposed here is: should the dog be saved? Unfortunately, that question is not easy to answer.

In fact, Fuller wanted the audience to decide how they felt themselves.

That may be the biggest controversy in the film as title character isn’t exactly labeled a bad dog.

While it is easy to see how at first glance this film may be labeled “racist garbage,” a closer look will reveal its mature and intelligent message:  racism is an atrocity still dominant within our culture.

Criterion provides a few extras that shed some light on the process of this production. First up are video interviews with  producer Jon Davison, (“Airplane”) co-writer Curtis Hanson (“8 Mile”) and Fuller’s widow, Christa Lang-Fuller. They discuss Fuller’s feelings on how the film was perceived.

Next we have a short interview with the animal trainer on the set, Karl Lewis Miller. He explains his work with the five dogs used for the main character. Each dog could only act a certain way and were therefore used in different scenes according to their abilities.

The disc also comes with an informative booklet with reviews from film experts and critics. But the real treat is the rare interview between Fuller and the canine star.

A light touch to a heavy film.

Criterion has also given the highest video and audio qualities for a title that has been out of circulation for a long time, allowing this dog to finally have his day

Just remember though, this movie is not of the horror genre and its terror comes from an organic place – one we truthfully may never understand.

Even though it didn’t take long for him to get there, by the time he appeared in “Delirious,” he was at the top of his game.

Of course, the comedian has come a long way since then. Murphy eventually left standup to star in a bunch of movies, which did pretty well at the box office during the ’80s and ’90s. His recent works, on the other hand, have gotten kind of silly: Now he’s playing a dad whose daughter gives him business advice with some help from her make-believe friends in “Imagine That,” which hit theaters in enough time to cash in on Father’s Day. Projects like this have cost him a great deal of respect, which might be why there’s a new edition of “Delirious” on DVD – to remind everyone why they had respect for him in the first place.

His routine worked because he allowed people into his life. When he recalled some of the stuff he went through as a kid, he came up with some of his most successful material, like the bit he did about his family’s barbecue. Lots of kids have to deal with fathers who get drunk and yell at everyone, which is something they might learn to laugh at when they get older. Murphy trusted his audience enough to let it feel his pain, and was insightful enough to understand why it was funny. It helped that Murphy’s impersonation of his father felt truthful – that’s not something you get when you see him as the dad in family comedies.

Although a great deal of what Murphy said that night was pretty edgy (even his celebrity impersonations were kind of off-color), some of it was so extreme that he would regret saying it. Part of his act included gay jokes that sound pretty awkward today, even though he probably wasn’t thinking about who he was offending back then. He made things worse, though, when he talked about people with AIDS, which was kind of dangerous at a time when lots of people knew next to nothing about it.

Years later, he said he was sorry for being insensitive to the gay community and people with HIV, but it’s a shame that material like this tarnished one of the most popular standup routines of all time.

Some good came out of it, however – his followers learned from his mistakes. Chris Rock, whose success in standup picked up where Murphy’s left off, dealt with homophobia during his “Bigger & Blacker” special in a way that got big laughs without being mean-spirited. “Bigger & Blacker” did for Rock what “Delirious” did for Murphy: Transform a young star into the king of comedy. For what it’s worth, though, “Delirious” was bigger…and probably blacker, too.

However, in its waning popularity over the past three years or so, Tag Team wrestling in most promotions have started to look like a thing of the past.

One promotion however, Total Nonstop Action, has made Tag Team Wrestling a priority over the past few years and as a result, is probably one of the only promotions left with a healthy roster of teams that fans find exciting. Recently releasing “The Best of the Tag Teams” on DVD, TNA has put over 15 amazing matches from five different teams on one disc, which ultimately ends up being a must own for any wrestling fan who misses the good old days of the sport.

Chronicling the best matches of America’s Most Wanted, Team 3D, The Voodoo Kin Mafia, The Naturals and The Latin-American Exchange, this DVD is living proof that tag team wrestling still has a place in the sport. Other great tag teams appearing in the DVD are AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal and Team Canada, which all have their own different styles and give the collection of brevity not found in many wrestling compilations today.

Also adding to the multifaceted nature of the DVD are the matched selected, ranging from standard tags, to hardcore matches and six sides of steel blood fests, giving the purists and the hardcore fans exactly what they.

However, while the matches themselves offer plenty of diversity for the eclectic wrestling fan, the amount of finishing moves shown in this DVD is absolutely fantastic. It sees that almost every wrestler featured on the compilation gets to pull off their finisher on more than a few occasions, giving every match a sort of main event feel to it. Watching Homicide pull of the “Gringo Killer” or Team 3D’s finisher through a table a few times is definitely an easy way of gluing an audience to their seats.

With that being said, this DVD has a luster and polish that will make those that could care less about Tag Team Wrestling or the sport as a whole, instant fans.

After watching 210 minutes of some of the best wrestling today, one thing becomes painfully clear, this DVD is a must own. Anyone who misses the days of the Monday Night Wars or just wants to watch some of the most athletes in the world do what they do best owes it to themselves to pick up what is easily one of the best wrestling DVDs out right now.

For over 20 years, the world of sports entertainment featured this type of individual, Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

Never the most athletic, or ever in the best shape, Roberts mastered the art of ring psychology and was one of the first wrestlers in his era truly able to captivate an audience in an interview, becoming a true pioneer in professional wrestling, amassing millions of fans in the process.

In a DVD by WWE home entertainment entitled “Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts: Pick Your Poison,” Roberts’ storied and tragic career is chronicled by none other than “The Snake” himself, giving details about how he created the most imitated move in wrestling history, the DDT and how he fought and lost his battle with drugs and alcohol.

When you listen to Roberts tell his story, it’s obvious to see that his accomplishments in the ring, no matter how fantastic they were at one point in his life, will always play second fiddle to the amount of pain and suffering he endured as a child due to tremendous family problems and his problems with drugs and alcohol.

Rather than just play for the viewing audiences pity with a somber story of regret and pain, Roberts truly understands what he has done in his life and doesn’t try to hide the truth from anyone. Roberts even goes as far as to explain the reasons how he got addicted to drugs in the first place, trying to escape from a horrible neck injury that forever ruined any chance he had to maintain the super-stardom he worked so hard to accomplish in his career.

Aside from the two-hour documentary that gives a never before scene look into the life of Roberts, this two-disc collectors set contains great matches from Roberts’s days in WWE, WCW, ECW and Smokey Mountain Wrestling with wrestling greats Ricky Steamboat, Justin Credible, Rick Rude and Sting.

By the end of the 2-disc collectors set, any wrestling fan will realize just how talented Roberts was and what a shame it is that drugs and alcohol ruined a great career that could have been so much greater.

Often imitated, but never duplicated, the greatness that once was Roberts will forever live on in this great DVD compilation.