Upcoming DVD Releases

In addition to the numerous titles listed below, there are two DVD titles being released in the fall that I am really looking forward to. One of them is the release of the complete series of the 1971 Saturday morning cartoon Groovie Goolies!! The DVD boxset is slated for an October 14th release, in plenty of time for Halloween! ($30)

For those who may not be familiar with the show, here's a synopsis courtesy of TV Shows On DVD.com: Groovie Goolies" features a cast of legendary monsters who get themselves in all sorts of wacky predicaments, as they joke, dance and sing their way through each episode. The hyper-colorful series stars the residents of Horrible Hall; Frankie, Wolfie, Drac, Mummy, Hagatha, Bella LaGhostley, Boneapart and a wealth of other animated tributes to classic monster movie icons. In each episode, the Goolies offer an abundance of goofy gags in "Weird Window Time," a segment reminiscent of the classic "Laugh-In" series. Each episode ends with an original Groovie Goolies rock song presented in the form of a wildly animated music video.

Next up is an original "movie" that aired on Comedy Central back in 2003, called Windy City Heat. For those who have either not heard of it or seen it, I must INSIST that you locate, rent, purchase a copy as soon as they are available on September 26th.

I attempted to write my own synopsis of the "movie,", but just can't seem to get it quite right, so here is a synopsis courtesy of Comedy Central: This made-for-cable movie may well stand the test of time as one of the most elaborate practical jokes ever televised -- or, at the very least, one of the cruelest. Perry Caravello is an actor whose talent does not quite reach the level of his ambition, but that has not stopped him from pursuing the vain bitch goddess success for nearly ten years. During this time, comedians Tomy Barbieri and Don Barris, proclaiming their undying friendship for Caravello, promise him that, some day, they would help him get his big break in a high-budget action film. The dream seems within Caravello's grasp when, at long last, he lands the starring role of "sports private eye" Stone Fury in the upcoming Chicago-based film Windy City Heat. There's only one problem: There is no such film. The movie, and the grueling events leading up to its "production date" (including an outrageous meeting with the supposed Japanese "money men"), are all part of an outsized hoax, cooked up by Barbieri, Barris, and director Bobcat Goldthwait. Need we add that the hapless Caravello is kept in the dark right up the moment that the director shout's "That's a wrap"?

I know it may seem hard to believe, esp. with how jaded we can all get when it comes to what's scripted and what's 'reality' what with the slew of "reality" shows thrown at us on a regular basis. HOWEVER, rest-assured this is real. I don't care what anyone over at IMDB thinks, you can tell this is happening for real. You'll agree once you see the 'star' Perry Caravello's personality. I've talked to friends at length about this show and we all 'get' it and agree we went to school with or have known someone like Perry at some juncture in our lives.

When I first saw this movie, I laughed so hard I nearly choked, I cried, I almost pissed my pants (wait'll you get a load of the movie tie-in 'action figures' of the cast!!!). This is some seriously GOOD SHIT. I've since shown it to several friends and they told two friends and so on and so on and so on... You can check out Perry's MySpace page here. If you read his blog comments or the comments on his profile page, you'll get a small glimpse of just how oblivious he really is. He's definitely a personality to be reckoned with. Guaranteed hilarity!!

[R]= Rental [P]= Purchase [PVC]= Buy Previously-Viewed if Cheap
• Galaxy High: Vol. 1 © 1986. Now Available [P]
Comments: I loved watching this cartoon on Saturday morning in the 80's, so boy was I surprised when I read that volume 2 was coming out (July 25th). I didn't even know volume 1 was out! I better get crackin'!
• The Ellen Show: The Complete Series © 2001-2002. Now Available [P]
Comments: Actually, I just bought this DVD "boxset" this last weekend, so technically this went from a 'want' to a 'have.' I loved this show and had all the episodes recorded on VHS, so I was happy when I saw that it was being released to DVD. The only that kinda irks me about this DVD release is that there are just TWO discs, so why put them in two slim cases when they could have just as easily been put into a duel DVD case. All that excess packaging seems useless.
• Basic Instinct 2 (Unrated) © 2006. Now Available [R]
• She's the Man © 2006. Now Available [P]
Comments: I won this DVD since I wrote this post, so now it too goes from 'want' to 'have!' Wheee! I'm sure it'll be corny, plus I can't stand Amanda Bynes for the camera, but there are cute guys in this movie, so I'm appeased.
• Flash Gordon: The Complete Series © 1979-1980. Now Available [P]
• The Incredible Hulk: Season 1 © 1978-1982. Now Available [P]
Comments: Naturally, this would be released right after I just bought the elusive "Best of" boxset. Whatever. I still contend it's not a "Best of" boxset without the episode Alice in Disco Land. I LOVE that episode! It's Discoriffic!
• The Benchwarmers © 2006. Available July 25th [R]
• Final Destination 3 © 2006. Available July 25th [R]
The Beast Must Die © 1974. Available July 25th [P]
Comments: I love this movie. It was previously released on DVD but eventually went OOP (out of print) before I got around to picking up my copy. One of the reasons I love this movie is because of the campy 'Werewolf Break' that takes place halfway through the film, where the movie comes to a hault and a big clock comes up on the screen, giving you time to figure out who the werewolf is! What a great gimmick! I love it!
• The Comback: The Complete Series © 2005. Available August 1st [R]
Comments: I never got around to seeing this series, but PopBytes raved about it so much, and I love Lisa Kudrow so much, that this is a must-see. Can't wait!
• I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer © 2006. Available August 1st [R]
Comments: I know, I know. You're probably thinking "God, could they milk this franchise any further?" Well, I can't help myself. I love teen slashers and I love the killer in these movies, so I know I'll be checking this one out.
• The Mr. Moto Collection: Vol. 1 © 1937-1939. Available August 1st [P]
Comments: I LOVE the Mr. Moto movies! So, on the one hand I'm really excited/glad that they are finally being given an official release to DVD, however, it does piss me off that they are not releasing them all once. They only made 9 of them, which could have easily been released as a boxset (2 disc, 2 movies on each disc), but instead it appears that 20th Century Fox would rather rape potential customers by stringing it out into TWO volumes, so instead of charging $42 for ALL the movies, they can charge $42 for FOUR of the NINE movies, then turn around and do it again when they eventually release the remaining 5. Grrrrr!
• Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth © 1992. Available August 8th [P]
Comments: Fun movie. Never-before-released to DVD. Hot main character, J.P. Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt)
• Prison Break: Season 1 © 2005. Available August 1st [P]
Comments: Dominic Purcell. Need I say more...okay, okay...Wentworth Miller ROWR! Oh, and also a great, suspenseful television series!
• Brick © 2005. Available August 8th [R]
Hong Kong Phooey: The Complete Series © 1974-1975. Available August 15th [P]
Comments: I love Hong Kong Phooey. Always wanted the HKP lunchbox. Can't wait to get this one, though the Hanna Barbera DVDs are considerably overpriced. For fans, only. P.s. I just read that there is going to be a HKP movie released in 2008. I don't even wanna think about how shitty it's going to be. Look what they did with Scooby-Doo. SIGH.
• Scary Movie 4 (Unrated) © 2006. Available August 15th [R]
Comments: I want to see this movie for three reasons: Craig Bierko, Anna Faris and Regina Hall as Brenda. She cracks me UP!
• Some Kind of Wonderful: Special Edition © 1987. Available August 29th [P]
Comments: You know how I feel about all these "special" editions that keep being churned out, long after you've already bought the "old" edition. Well, this is one of those rare movies that I like well enough to buy the 'special edition' of. We'll see. It depends on what the special features are. Love this movie, though.
• Friends With Money © 2006. Available August 29th [R]
• Nip/Tuck: Season 3 © 2005. Available August 29th [P]
Comments: First off, I dunno why there are TWO covers for the Season 3 boxset unless they are doing that bullshit like Sex and the City did with season 6, where they released it on TWO sets of DVDs (Season 6: Volume 1/Volume 2), for a total of 8 fuckin' episodes, for $40? I don't think so. Man, people are still pissed about that shit (re: Sex and the City Season 6 packaging/price gouging). If you don't believe me, read all the negative feedback it got over at Amazon.com.

Anyway, I'm still not sure what the deal is with the two cover art versions of Season 3 of Nip/Tuck, but according to Amazon.com, it will contain 6 discs, which is about par with the previous seasons, so maybe when I saw the covers they were still in limbo about which one to use.
• The Other © 1972. Available September 5th [P]
Comments: This is one of my favorite creepy movies. Not necessarily bloody-creepy, but psychological-creepy. Even if you don't buy it, at least put it in your NetFlix queue.
• Escape to Witch Mountain/Return to Witch Mountain ©1975-1978. Available September 5th [P]
• Kinky Boots © 2005. Available September 5th [R]
• Supernatural: Season 1 © 2005. Available September 5th [P]
Comments: I love this television series. Could Jensen Ackles get any more beautiful? Ai yi yi. A must-have tv series boxset.
• Star Wars © 1977. Available September 12th [PVC]
Comments: SIGH...{deep breath} Though I am not a hardcore Star Wars fan, I do like the movie for it's pop culture contribution as well as being a fond childhood memory of growing up in the late 70's. However, I think that walking goiter, George Lucas is a real shitbag for fucking over his movies' fans yet again by releasing yet another version of the original Star Wars movies (which he vowed he would never do) to DVD. I wanted the original versions of the movies (not with the "new & improved" shittacular CGI effects added in back in '97) to begin with. Now that they are finally being released a mere thirty years after their release, my interest is waning. I'll buy these eventually, but I will never pay full price for the shit. Ever.
• The Empire Strikes Back © 1980. Available September 12th [PVC]
• Return of the Jedi © 1983. Available September 12th [PVC]
• Inner Sanctum Mysteries © 1954. Available September 19th [P]
• Grotesqueries © 1930's-1940's. Available September 17th [P]
Comments: Though this DVD release is strictly for the fans of the 30's and 40's, it's one that I am very much looking forward to. Here's a quick synopsis: Before the classic monsters were immortalized on the silver screen there were Grotesqueries; a devilish collection of chilling short reel features both animated and live-action from the dawn of cinema through the 1930s, Interred here are the eerie telling of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, the Germanic conjuring of Dukas’ famed and frightful The Wizard’s Apprentice and the ghoulish, graveyard merrymaking tale, The Ghosts’ High Noon. Also featured are more macabre tales of ghouls, ghosts, goblins and mummies in classic animation shorts from the likes of the legendary Felix the Cat and Tom & Jerry. So prepare to journey into the beginnings of cinema’s netherworld with this collection of things that go bump in the dark of the theater and the confines of nickelodeon.
• Little Boy Blue © 1997. Now Available [P]
Comments: I didn't even know this was being released to DVD until I saw it at Target recently. I've been holding onto my VHS copy for years, never expecting that such an obscure title would ever make it to DVD. Well, it finally did, and even though I'll still be holding onto the VHS (it has better cover art), I'm happy to see that this Ryan Phillippe favorite is now available in DVD format.
• Rock 'n Roll Nightmare © 1987. Now Available [P]
Comments: Though I'm still looking for this one (no one around here is selling it), I'm determined to get it. I sold the VHS on eBay ages ago, when it was long OOP and going for a lot of money. Now that it's on DVD, I can bask in the hunkitude that was John Mikl Thor of the 80's heavy metal band, Thor. I say was because...well, let's just say times (and people) change. Ahem.