Micah's October 2005 DVD Pics

1. Campy Christmas Curiosities
2. Hill's Trinity Collection
3. Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
4. High Tension
5. Legend of Zelda: The Complete Series
6. Unleashed
7. Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
8. Land of the Dead
9. The Sabata Trilogy
10. Bird with the Crystal Plumage (2 Disc Special Edition)
11. Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park
12. Strip Nude for your Killer

Hey people, Micah here. The DVD release line-up this month are kinda slim, but there are a couple of movies worth checking out. Twelve to be exact. If anyone tries to tell you there's more or less than one dozen movies to purchase this month, they are wrong. I'm talking Making-Out-With-Your-Grandmother Wrong. You don't want to make out with your Grandmother... do you? For all you non-Grandmother kissers, here's the movies you need to check out this month:

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Campy Christmas Curiosities

"Deck the halls with the strangest, most bizarre Christmas films and cartoons you’ve ever seen! Peculiar puppets! Offbeat animation! Strange Santas in even stranger situations! You’ve never seen anything like it! Definitely notifor the kiddies! Includes whacky stuff like Monkeyland Christmas, Pink Girl Christmas, and even Howdy Doody's Christmas!"

I love these kind of oddity clip show collections, and although I'm focused on Halloween stuff right now, I'm definately going to pick this one up. The info on the actual content of the DVD is very scarce, so it's basically a shot in the dark. But it's only $8, so what the hey.

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Hill's Trinity Collection

Terance Hill is one of my favorite actors, and these films (They Call Me Trinity, Trinity Is Still My Name, Boot Hill) are perfect examples of why. I love them all, and if you've never seen them, please do yourself a favor and pick them up. Don't listen to people who complain about the transfer quality or crap like that... these films are gems and deserve to be in your collection, no matter what their condition is. At an insanely low price of $7 you really have no reason not to pick this up.

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Santa Claus Conquers The Martians

I already own this movie. Two copies actually. I've got an old VHS copy I've had for years, and a MST3K DVD of it that my wife bought me for my birthday last year. Watching this movie on Christmas Eve has become a yearly tradition at my house. (Want Proof?) You can stuff your 'It's a Wonderful Life'... Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is where its at. Its the kind of movie that gets better with each viewing. For some unknown reason, the sellers of this DVD always hype up the fact that it's the first performance of a young Pia Zadora, as if that means anything to anyone these days. What they should be focused on is the fact that this movie has a killer theme song, great quotable lines, and the most awesome toy-fight sequence of all time. Grab it today and start your own tradition. Your family will thank you.

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High Tension

I enjoyed this movie when I saw it last year. Of course, the version I saw was the unedited foreign cut... I'm not sure if this US version has any differences. Hopefully not, because the version I saw had a lot of tense moments, and a smoking hot lead.

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Legend of Zelda: The Complete Series

I used to watch this show all the time growing up. It was one of my favorite segments of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. I'm managed to track down several episodes on VHS, so I'm glad they finally released them all on DVD. This DVD contains all 13 episodes, Selected Original Live-Action Segments from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Interactive Legend Of Zelda Match Game, Legend Of Zelda Trivia Quiz, and more.

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Unleashed

Apart from the fact that the Powers that Be made the boneheaded move of renaming this movie before releasing it (it's original title was the much catchier Danny the Dog) this is a movie worth checking out. Despite the movie's marketing campaign, this is less a Jet Li action movie and more a gritty British gangster Bob Hoskins movie. With that being said, there is a kickass fight sequence where Li fights a thug in increasingly shrinking spaces, until they're finally duking it out in one of the tightest spaces I've ever seen. Not a great movie, but enjoyable.

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Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession

This DVD has been a Netflix exclusive for a while, and I'm glad to see it's finally available for sale. It the rise and fall of the pre-HBO, pre-VCR movie channel in LA known only as The Z Channel. Z would play obscure Hollywood classics, foreign masterpieces, directors cuts... it was pretty much a non-stop barrage of essential cinema. The movie spends a lot of time with big name directors and actors who all, in one form or another, credit their obsession of movies to the Z Channel. Truly amazing documentary that makes me wish I had a TiVo and a time machine.

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Land of the Dead

I've already reviewed this movie, and I stand by my original assessment. Very enjoyable movie that I look forward to adding to my zombie collection. If you're a fan of horror and haven't seen this yet... what the crap are you waiting for?

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The Sabata Trilogy

If you're only getting one box set this month, make it this one. It features the Sabata Trilogy of films (Adios Sabata, Return Of Sabata, Sabata), all of which are spectacular examples of the spaghetti western genre. Adios Sabata is a QT Fest favorite, and with guys like Van Cleef and Brynner it's not hard to see why. These are the kinds of movies you'll watch over and over. And over. And over...

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Bird with the Crystal Plumage (2 Disc Special Edition)

This film (the first by writer/director Dario Argento) is generally credited as creating the giallo genre. It is a bona fide classic movie, loved both by critics and average Joes. If you've never seen this movie, you are in for a real treat. And, Blue Underground has done giallo fans a true service by loading up this 2 disc special edition with tons of extras: additional footage, four all-new featurettes with Argento, cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, composer Ennio Morricone, star Eva Renzi... Just amazing.

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Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park

Believe it or not, I actually saw this movie last month in the theaters... it was a self-made double feature at the Alamo Drafthouse of this and the Aristocrats. Add in the fact that one of my good college friends was in town joining me, and several of the Alamo's famous $9 Schlitz buckets, and you've got an afternoon of comedy gold. In this live action movie (produced by Hanna & Barbera) Kiss has to perform at the Magic Mountain amusement park. And there's an evil robot Kiss band trying to stop them. And Kiss has magic powers. Apparently Gene & crew hated making this movie so much that most of them didn't even show up to re-record dialog or shoot some of the special effects scenes... of couse the fact that Ace's voice is clearly a black man's voice makes the movie even better. Through in great lines like 'musicians don't take baths' (spoken by the crotchetiest old man you've ever seen) and you've got a minor masterpiece.

Strip Nude for your Killer

I know nothing about this movie, but it has 3 things going for it: (1) 70's Sexploitation/Horror/Giallo; (2) Blue Underground is releasing it, and they're one of the most dependable peddlers of undiscovered genre gems around; (3) The title 'Strip Nude for your Killer' ranks up there with 'Devil Fetus' and 'Children Shouldn't Play With Toys' on the 'Most Eye-Catching Titles' list.

For what it's worth, the DVD describes the movie this way: "The stunning Edwige Fenech (CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS, THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH) stars in this infamous shocker that packs more grisly violence and sexual depravity into each frame than most any other film in the entire giallo genre. There's succulent flesh aplenty as a mysterious killer dressed in black leather and wearing a motorcycle helmet begins butchering beautiful young fashion models with no mercy and one deranged request: STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER!"

Hell. Yes.

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Well, that does it for this month. I'll see you guys in 30 days with another month of DVD releases!

- Micah P

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