December 26, 2005
Best of Schlock 2005
This could be known as The Year of the Reissue or The Year Hollywood Made Good. Three flicks on my Top 10 were previously available on lesser DVDs -- two even ranked on past Best of Schlock lists ('00, '01, '02, '03, '04).
The pull between old and new was also revealed in reader voting for the CineSchlockers' Choice award honoring 2005's best genre title. All told, The Devil's Rejects was edged out by Fox's two-disc dive into a veritable plasma pool of bonus features -- earning The Fly: Collector's Edition this year's CineSchlockers' Choice mantle!!!
Congrats to all who made this long-awaited ode a reality! It's certainly on MY list along with nine other must-haves. Here they are in very particular order:
1. High Tension -- Exploiteers have long traded in cheeky warnings or breathless disclaimers pleading with audiences to beware before laying peepers on the flickering horrors ahead. Insta-auteurs Alex Aja and Greg Levasseur could've done the same for High Tension -- and actually meant it. This flick still has yours truly rattled! Huzzah to Lions Gate for laying aside its pride by offering an Unrated alternative to their dubbed disaster, plus enough behind-the-scenes and commentary time with Alex and Geg to make Hills Have Eyes devotees like yours truly anxious to see the Craven classick through their, um, eyes.
2. The Devil's Rejects -- FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEBIRD!!! Rob Zombie's murderous motley crew certainly did fly in his impressive sophomore effort that feels less like a House of 1000 Corpses sequel and more like Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch as interpreted by Charlie Manson. This highway to hell alongside three midnight riders on the lam, otherwise known as The Devil's Rejects, also packed on the extra goodies.
3. The Fly -- Fans fussed. Even fumed. Now, there's real reason to buzz. After five long years, Fox finally revisited their double-feature release of The Fly with a double-disc reissue so irresistible that many a CineSchlocker nearly snapped an arm rifling through oodles of extras -- including the infamous monkey-cat scene!!! That's reason alone to earn this year's CineSchlockers' Choice award.
4. Inside Deep Throat -- Documentarians Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato joyfully (and brilliantly) chronicle the Triple-X cultural climax which pushed porn from 42nd Street to Main Street and, more critical to schlockmeisters, abruptly ended the peek 'n' tease era of the Dave Friedmans and Doris Wishmans of the sinema scene. The disc's also packing enough below the digital belt to make Linda Lovelace nervous.
5. Land of the Dead -- Resident Evil. 28 Days Later. A certain remake. We zombiphiles tolerated 'em. OK, even embraced them. But for all their glitter and grue they lacked The Master's touch. That Romero twinkle. No more! Finally, finally -- FINALLY! -- 20 years after Day of the Dead, George made his triumphant return with Land of the Dead and an extra ooey-gooey DVD that hardly disappoints! But my favorite extra? When Shaun met George. The priceless pilgrimage of Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg to geek out on set with their hero.
6. Predator 2 -- Two years ago, CineSchlock-O-Rama's Most Wanted celebrated the capture of a bare-bones release after an exhausting 62-week critter hunt. This substantial special-edition retrofit revisits that disc's transfer, adds a DTS mix, two commentaries and a second disc of goodies that -- for good or ill -- perhaps only a CineSchlocker would love. Not the least of which being a breathless babblefest by crazy-talk king Gary Busey.
7. Seed of Chucky -- Jennifer Tilly's hilariously self-deprecating and downright brave return as both herself and Chucky's pint-sized paramour makes this a fave. Not to mention that 86-minutes of Ms. Tilly's heaving cleavage can be quite dizzying, especially when compounded by gobs of gore, gut guffaws and the extras to match. Don't miss Jennifer's on-set diary.
8. Skinned Deep -- First-time director Gabe Bartalos crafts a surrealist slasher that's both unique and deceptively familiar. The beyond-bizarro terror tale is populated by a plate-flinging midget, a lovelorn mutant, a geriatric biker gang and a bunch of other freakified stuff CineSchlockers won't believe. Even the final credits are a scream!
9. Triple B Collection Vol. 2 -- Andy and Arlene rebooted their long-stalled, 12-flick Andy Sidaris Collection with a pair of 3-flick bundles of jigglin' joy. Both bodacious sets are packed with the same explosive extras we've come to expect from Andy -- at a bargain 3-for-$20 price point! The nod goes to Volume 2 featuring The Dallas Connection because yours truly opines from Big D (and fears the randy wrath of Julie "Black Widow" Strain).
10. Death Race 2000 -- It's also the year the King of Bs met the King of Cheese. Roger Corman teamed with Mickey Mouse for the first several special edition revamps. What better starting line than David Caradine and Sly Stallone Cannonball Run-ing from coast to coast mowing down pedestrians on a point system? (With geriatrics and infants being the most valuable!) Warms my little black heart to hear Roger and Mary Woronov get all wistful about the good ol' days on their commentary. Hail to the king!
Well, that's my take. Hope you'll check out any flicks you missed. But before wrapping Best of Schlock 2005 completely -- here's a few reader-submitted CineSchlockers' Choice nominees worth sharing with the class ...
Scott nominated:
Cannibal Holocaust 25th Anniversary Edition -- Many have been holding on to hope for quite awhile for this ultimate and definitive CineSchlocker set. And the wait has been incredibly worth it.
For people like me who have never seen the movie, but has heard so much chatter about it, it was a must blind buy purchase. Even if the movie is reviled the world over, for a horror fan, this was a no brainer. Thus, when the announcement was made by Sylvester Stallone's son himself, Sage, and his Grindhouse films, fans clamored and prayed that the release would see the light of day. The light of day it did and it couldn't have been presented in a better set.
2-Discs of nastiness, crudeness, dismemberment, animal sacrifice, human sacrifice, exploration into sanity's requiem, and the most infamous movie making of all time. Ruggero Deodato wanted to shock the world and he did. The movie itself is grotesque, repulsive, and yet you can't look away (and after all isn't that what shocking is all about?).
With interviews and commentary from the director, stars, and others, featurettes, remastered presentation, fandom exploits, collectibles, and so much more...this set is a genre fan's wet dream.
Eric nominated:
Panik House's Pinky Violence Collection has totally tweaked my
brain... if my fellow CineSchlockers saw these films (especially Girl Boss Guerilla and Terrifying Girls' School), they'd be voting right along with me here, I think. I'm just so glad that the third (and 4th, 5th, etc.) generation VHS tapes I've been struggling to watch are being replaced with clean, well-transferred DVD versions. Kinda pricey, but a set worth the $$$. Now if only someone would commit to reissuing the entire Nikkatsu catalog.
Joe nominated:
The Stink of Flesh -- This wild wacky sexy zombie bash was a labor of love by my friend Scott Phillips (who wrote the cult classic Drive). If you haven't seen it get a copy now and be sure to listen to the commentary and watch the extras. If you have then you know he somehow made this little gem here in ABQ for $3000 which is less then most people pay for a car.
Lafe nominated:
House of Wax (2005) -- A remake in name only. A great twist on an old title; nice wordplay too. Paris Hilton's demise is worth seeing. The waxification process has been updated for 2005. This movie gave me the creeps; mostly because of the setting -- I'm scared thinking of the place. Great villain too. Good end chase. Great innovative wax special effects. An updated plot for the age of video cameras and cell phones. The DVD is decent; I'm glad to own it.
Jon nominated:
Fire and Ice from Blue Underground. the movie is decent, but the care in the a/v, the extras like the painting with fire documentary, rotoscoping featurette, have been the deciding points of interest to me. I think this award should go to a DVD that highlights a rare or underappreciated title, not something new (although, there's a lot of great discs out there). Blue Underground seems to understand there's little interest out there for an unheard-of animation film, but with the talents of Bashki and Rosletta, they made an amazing retrospective extras that are actually worth watching.
DVD TALK'S TOP DVD LISTS FOR 2005
- Top Twenty DVDs of 2005
- Top Ten TV on DVD Releases of 2005
- Top Twenty Adult DVDs of 2005
- The Best Films Not in Theaters or DVD in 2005
- Top Ten Hollywood Mainstream Movies on DVD in 2005
- Top Ten Independent Releases of 2005
- Top Ten Foreign Releases of 2005
- Top Ten Double-Dip DVDs of 2005
- Top Ten Anime DVDs of 2005
- Top Ten DVD Documentaries of 2005
- Top Ten Best Packaging 2005
- Top Ten Sports DVDs of 2005
- Top Ten DVDs You Won't Find On Any Other Top Ten List in 2005
- Top Ten Obscure/Homemade/Outsider Titles in 2005
- DVD Savant's The Most Impressive DVDs of 2005
Posted by G. Noel Gross at 10:46 PM
December 18, 2005
Re: Mourning Misty
Warm soul that he is, Seduction Cinema grand poobah and CineSchlocker idol Mike Raso attempts to dry my tears with a cheery bit o' Yuletide news: Misty Mundae will appear as Misty Mundae at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in Chicago this March ...
Noel,
I have to admit it, your R.I.P. Obit of Misty Mundae has caused quite a bit of confusion in the fan community and a bit of stir in our offices. While all news is good news, I do think that your proclamation that MISTY MUNDAE IS DEAD was a bit dramatic and, from our corporate/brand perspective, not true.
What IS true is that Misty Mundae has retired from soft-core films. Also true is the fact that ei Independent Cinema owns the name Misty Mundae and although Misty is acting outside the ei Studio system under the name Erin Brown, we indend to continue to produce new feature films with the one, only and original Misty Mundae.
I invite you to announce/promote the exciting news below, which will be announced next week on the Fangoria.com website.
As always, thanks for your interest and support of our films. I am at your service if you have any questions.
Michael Raso
Executive Producer
Production / Marketing
ei Independent Cinema
So, to clarify: What died was the side of Ms. Mundae that made her wanna strip nekkid and tongue rassle Darian Caine in a half dozen flicks a year. (I still say that's a loss worth mourning.)
More on Weekend of Horrors ...
BRETT PIPER & MISTY MUNDAE
AT FANGORIA “WEEKEND OF HORRORS”
Join indie horror label/studio Shock-O-Rama Cinema, cult horror director Brett Piper and ‘B’ movie starlet Misty Mundae (Bite Me, Screaming Dead) for the Fangoria “Weekend of Horrors,” Saturday & Sunday, March 4 & 5, 2006, at the Wyndham O’Hare Hotel, in Chicago, IL. Piper and Mundae will be appearing throughout the weekend to promote the upcoming home video release of Shock-O-Rama (April 25, 2006) ...
ei and Shock-O-Rama Cinema are both pleased and proud to announce that Shock-O-Rama will also screen at the Weekend of Horrors -– its Chicago premiere! This follows up the film’s first ever screening at the September ’05 “Weekend of Horrors,” in the Meadowlands, New Jersey, where convention attendees enthusiastically received Shock-O-Rama. ei Cinema President Michael Raso considers a Fangoria screening, “…quite a privilege and one that Shock-O-Rama Cinema will always strive to treat as such. Fangoria is the number one horror publication in the world, and when they embrace a film that we have produced, licensed or acquired, how can we not be totally thrilled and honored?” ...
The “Weekend of Horrors” represents Misty Mundae’s first convention appearance in over a year with Shock-O-Rama Cinema, who is thrilled to have her participation in what will surely be an exciting promotional event in support of Shock-O-Rama. Heavy duty Misty fans eager to meet their favorite ‘B’ star need wait no longer.
For more information on Fangoria Magazine’s Chicago “Weekend of Horrors,” check out [link] ...
Posted by G. Noel Gross at 5:40 PM
December 4, 2005
CineSchlockers' Choice: Vote today!
POLLS CLOSED!
It's that time again! Last year, readers of CineSchlock-O-Rama selected Anchor Bay's mammoth Dawn of the Dead: Ultimate Edition as the fourth recipient of the CineSchlockers' Choice award for 2004's best genre DVD. Now it's time to honor the finest of 2005!!!
Lots to choose from! Will it be The Fly? High Tension? Predator 2? Maybe Inside Deep Throat? You decide! E-mail your nominee, and when you do, be sure to tell us why you made your selection. Results will be posted along with the top 10 picks of yours truly on Dec. 26th. Vote today!
Update 12/15 ...
LEADING NOMINEES (in alphabetical order):
Cannibal Holocaust
The Devil's Rejects
The Fly
OTHER NOMINEES
The Blind Dead Collection
Fire & Ice
The Fly 2
House of Wax (2005)
Inside Deep Throat
King Kong (1933)
The Pinky Violence Collection
The Stink of Flesh
The Van Lewton Horror Collection
PREVIOUS PICKS
Posted by G. Noel Gross at 12:15 PM
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December 2, 2005
Schlockcast: Roger Corman interview
DOWNLOAD MP3 (14 mins, 8 mb)
In a schlockmeister-meets-schlockmogul dream come true, yours truly talks shop with CineSchlocker royal Roger Corman (!!!) who recently signed an ever-so-shrewd deal with Mickey's Buena Vista Home Entertainment to distribute his historic catalog of more than 400 flicks. In this exclusive interview, discover why the move was key, get schooled by The King of Bs on the economics of successful sequels, ponder the rebirth of creature features and more! Listen using this handy player or download the complete schlockcast (14 mins, 8 mb).
First of the title tidal wave to hit shelves are truly special editions of Death Race 2000, Rock 'n' Roll High School and Big Bad Mama. Plus, proving how with-it Roger's Disney deal is -- just imagine eyeballing Death Race or Rock 'n' Roll High on your PSP!?! Oh, and let us not forget the digital debut of Roger's latest critter run amok -- DinoCroc -- who Corman winkingly wonders might be kin to Carnosaur.
Posted by G. Noel Gross at 9:21 AM
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