Bubba Ho-Tep: New DVD; Nothing New

It goes without saying that Bubba Ho-Tep is a modern masterpiece, and something which belongs on the DVD shelf of every serious horror fan. So normally, news of an upgrade would be great, since the US release from MGM was decent, but inferior to the now Out of Print 2-disc set from Anchor Bay UK. But that isn’t the case. Here, all the specs are supposed to be the same as the original US release, with the only difference being new, but very cool, packaging. Take a look at how the disc stacks up now:

#
Commentaries:
Audio Commentary by Director Don Coscarelli and Star Bruce Campbell
Audio Commentary by “The King” (Bruce Campbell, who talks over the film from an undisclosed location as if he is Elvis)
Extras:
“Bubba Ho-Tep: Short Story Reading” featurette (7:56)
3 Deleted Scenes (with Optional Commentary):
- “Hallway” (2:25)
- “The Lady’s Room” (0:49)
- “Footage From The Temple Room Floor” (2:09)
“The Making Of Bubba Ho-Tep” documentary (24:37)
“To Make A Mummy” featurette (6:07)
“Fit For A King: Dressing Bruce Campbell” featurette (7:51)
“Rock Like An Egyptian: The Music Of Bubba Ho-Tep” featurette (12:41)
Photo Gallery
Music Video by Brian Tyler (2:27)
Theatrical Trailer (2:15)
TV Spot (0:32)
Additional Trailers:
- MGM DVDs
- “Osama”
- “Barbershop 2: Back In Business”
- “Touching The Void”
- “Jeepers Creepers”
- “Jeepers Creepers 2″
Subtitles: English, French, and Spanish
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic
Soundtrack(s): English Dolby Digital 5.1

Presumably the other trailers on the disc will change. And there is no word on whether the 12-page booklet that was included in some of the earlier copies of the disc will be found here. For those of you who want it, you’ll be pleased to know that it comes in at around $18 on Amazon, and drops on August 7. Personally, I’d rather get the aforementioned British release. Just look at what it has to offer:

DISC ONE
The Film
Audio Commentary by Director Don Coscarelli and Actor Bruce Campbell
2 Easter Eggs (see below)

DISC TWO
4 Deleted Scenes:
- “Hallway” (2:20)
- “The Lady’s Room” (0:47)
- “Footage From The Temple Room Floor” (2:03)
- “Elvis & Jack Ruminate” (1:12)
Joe R. Lansdale reads from Bubba Ho-Tep (7:25)
The Making Of Bubba Ho-Tep:
- “The Making Of Bubba Ho-Tep” documentary (22:33)
- “To Make A Mummy” featurette (4:4
- “Fit For A King: Dressing Bruce Campbell” featurette (6:27)
- “Rock Like An Egyptian: The Music Of Bubba Ho-Tep” featurette (12:10)
Interviews (UK Exclusives):
- ‘The King And I: An In Depth Excavation with Don Coscarelli’ (20:29)
- ‘UK Premiere Screening and Q&A with Don Coscarelli’ (10:24)
- ‘Bruce Talks Bubba: An Interview’ (11:30)
2 Cast & 1 Crew Biographies/Filmographies (13stills)
Theatrical Trailer (2:16)
Stills Gallery (58stills)
Brian Tyler Music Video (2:21)
4 Easter Eggs (see below)
12-Page Collector’s “Scrapbook” Booklet (with Production Photos and a letter from Bruce Campbell)
Subtitles: English HoH
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic
Soundtrack(s): English DTS 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Easter eggs:
*DISC ONE: On the Main Menu, select “Audio Setup” and press [Right] to highlight the Phone on the Bedside Table. Press [Enter] to see a Message from Bruce Campbell (1:58).
*DISC ONE: From the Main Menu, enter the “Audio Setup” menu, select “Resume” and press [Right] to highlight Elvis’ Shades and make the ‘with “The King”‘ Commentary option appear. Press [Enter] to hear a bonus Audio Commentary from beyond the grave (Bruce Campbell, who talks over the film from an undisclosed location as if he is Elvis).
*DISC TWO: From the Main Menu, enter the “Deleted Scenes” menu, select “Footage From The Temple Room Floor” and press [Right] to highlight the Pharoah. Press [Enter] to access a Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary menu.
*DISC TWO: From the Main Menu, enter the “Biographies” menu, select “Don Coscarelli”, and press [Right] to make 3 Character Biographies appear (10stills).
*DISC TWO: On the Main Menu, select “Biographies” and press [Left] when the Jackal is illuminated to highlight it. Press [Enter] to see a Behind-the-Scenes Video Segment (3:18).
*DISC TWO: On the Main Menu, select “Biographies”, WAIT for the menu to cycle almost to the end and then press [Left] when the Hieroglyphics on the far left of the screen are illuminated to highlight them. Press [Enter] to see a TV Spot (0:31).

The choice seems pretty clear.

Note: The UK release pictures above was is the later 2-disc offering which offers the same content as the first round of discs, but lacks a slipcover.

Emmanuelle Clips Vol 2

It’s been quite some time since I did one of these. But looking over the search terms that draw the most traffic, it seems pretty clear that you demand more Em(m)anuelle clips. With that said, I give you the second installment.

First up, the German trailer for the classic nera entry Emanuelle And The Last Cannibals with Laura Gemser:

Next, we’ve got the classic fecal fighting scene from Violence in a Women’s Prison:

Then, we’ve got the opening and closing for the classic French film that inspired so many knock-offs (but which itself came after IO Emanuelle):

And finally, we’ll finish this viewing experience with the opening and closing for the sequal to the aforementioned stunner:

I hope you enjoyed that. Volume 3 is coming soon.

DVD Aficionado 2.0 Launches…What to Do Now?

As I’m sure most of you have come to realize by now, DVD Aficionado now redirects to Film Talk Forums. Now, in order to use version 2.0, one must go to the new site and migrate their account as detailed by their instructions. This new version, to put it mildly, sucks. And, as if to add insult to injury, the old version is no longer accessable, and your collection has to be imported for anybody to see or use it. Why shut down the old, albeit stable and well liked, version of the site when the new (much delayed) release is so far from being complete? According to their support forums:

I think they are saving like $235 a month or something like that by taking the old server offline. Seeing as how the alternative might soon have been making members pay, I assume everyone can appreciate this as a priority

And that makes sense. But it doesn’t address the underlying concern that many have voiced: DVDAF 2.0 sucks! Apparently, some of Ed’s fundamentalist supporters take issue with anybody saying as much:

Ed is doing a lot for us right now and every complaint that he gets undermines his efforts for us.

Well sorry, but I don’t buy that. Launching this new version before it was complete has done nothing other than piss off users. Just take a look at the discussion going on at DVDTalk, and you’ll see what I mean. Alot of long time users ignored some of the service’s shortcomings, but find this too much, and are seeking alternatives. And frankly, who can blame them? The folders can’t even be changed. And if you want to edit your title’s notes, you’d better be using the right browser. Opera, which is one of the most popular browsers, and boasts more than 15 million users cannot do so, since the only way to make such changes is through a context menu, which said browser does not support. And it seems that they couldn’t care less, as shown by a quote from part of Ed’s inner circle:

You’ll have to use a different browser to use 2.0.

So, what is a person displeased with the new version to do? One option is to wait. But given how long it has taken to even get this far into its development, I wouldn’t count on it becoming functional any time soon. So to me, it suggests a need to switch to a different service. But that is easier said than done, since as far as I can tell, they don’t actually offer any way in which to export your data. My fairly tiny collection would already take plenty of time to rebuild elsewhere, so I shudder to think how long those with truly sizable collections would have to spend redoing it from scratch. But, at least in my mind, the status of the site, as well as the financial situation which threatens its long term feasibility, make switching to something else worth the hassle.

Now, having decided to switch, one must consider the options. As Guzzlefish is long dead, the clearest options are: DVD Profiler and DVD Spot. Beyond that, there are several premium options, but those tend to be focused more on private, computer-side collection management, and often lack the online sharing functionality that made DVD Aficionado so appealing. And finally, there are homemade solutions. I’ll elaborate a bit on each.

DVD Profiler used to be great. In many respects, it proved superior to DVD Aficionado, and had a comparable database. But with the launch of 3.0, an issue arises: cost. It is true that you can still use DVD Profiler for free, but most of the functionality just isn’t there. You can’t even display your entire collection online without spending $29.95. Only the first 50 titles will appear. That is even less functional than DVDAF 2.0. So in my mind, it is a non-option. I don’t consider the program worth that much, and I wouldn’t use a Warez version, because that would be theft.

DVDSpot is not really a good choice. There are many DVD companies which trend towards not obtaining proper licenses for their releases, and are accordingly excluded from their database. And outside of R1, they are missing quite a few titles. I’ve not yet signed up, but from what I gather, I can’t just edit a title with notes to list all of the DVD-R titles I own not yet on DVD. That said, it is totally free, and is probably the best pre-built option around. I may just break down and use it myself.

The premium options, which are quite numerous, are fine for internal record keeping. But one way in which I use it is to share my list online, making DVD trading easier. I can’t really do that with the premium programs. And, even if I can, I find that these programs rarely justify their costs. So I’m not going to go down that road, and spend money on an underwhelming product that doesn’t meet my needs.

The final option is to go in alone. What do I mean? To go in alone would involve using a free webpage of sorts, ranging from Geocities to WordPress.com. There would be no structured data, and it would require a person to come up with their own organizational system, notation methods, and so forth. It isn’t ideal. But it doesn’t have the constraints many of the aforementioned solutions do. So it is worth considering.

What do you think? Which solution is best?

Update

As should be clear, I stopped my activity with this blog. I intend to reverse that trend and return to actively adding content. Time constraints prevent me from making frequent and substantive updates, and will continue to do so for several weeks. Yet slowly, my posting volume here will increase. In turn, a complete re-design of the blog is coming, and the volume of reference material will expand. Additionally, I may return to writing reviews for another site. If that takes place, they will be cross-posted here.

Dementia 13 - Entire Movie

What do you know? Google video has this Public Domain classic, so I can embed it inline. Nothing to download, no lag time, and the file should never break. And you can play it all right here. Enjoy!

The Video:

Army of Darkness - Shooting Script

How’s this for a kick off to the Special Features catagory? I’ve got the Shooting Script of Army of Darkness for you. And in multiple formats. Below are several links containing downloadable .doc files (can be read with Microsoft Word or Open Office). There are also links to online text mirrors I’ve set up for those of you who can’t read the file type I used.

Script Sample:

WARRIOR #1
                  Hail to him who has come from the
                  sky to deliver us from the terror
                  of the Deadites!  Hail! 

23      ASH                                                             23 

stares in confusion at the strange medieval figures. 

24      TWENTY-FIVE WARRIOR                                             24 

join in the chant and hail Ash, but suddenly stop as... 

25      ARTHUR                                                          25 

the muscular commander of the group, gallops his horse into
        frame, followed by FOUR HORSEMEN who are his lieutenants. Arthur
        lifts his iron visor and evaluates Ash. 

26      ARTHUR'S P.O.V.                                                 26 

The Delta 88 Oldsmobile. The chainsaw, strapped to Ash's back.
        The handless stump of Ash's right arm.  The Shotgun. 

27      A FRIGHTENED ASH                                                27 

waves a shaky hand. 

ASH
                  Take is easy now chief. I don't
                  know how I got here and I'm not
                  lookin' for any trouble.

Want the rest of the script?

Downloadable .Doc File:

File Factory

Share Big Files

Your File Host

Online: 

Writeboard

If you mirror it to (which I’d encourage), then post a link to the mirror in the comments. If you blog it, remember to use a trackback or link to this post. 

Krull - Rare 2 CD OST (James Horner)

Title: Krull
Year: 1983
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy
Director: Peter Yates
Score: James Horner

Soundtrack Summary:

This is one of Horner’s most massive efforts. It is a bridge between his experimental and growing orchestral talents heard in in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and the masterful complexity of themes heard in Willow. It was one of Horner’s most ambitious projects, working around the clock with several orchestrators and assisting copyists. His enthusiasm for the project, though, was unhindered, and he produced a remarkable score considering the time constraints and director’s requests for substantially more music. Both the score and the film hold huge cult status, and the great desire of film music fans to experience this score on CD has led to three releases of it over eight years. [via Film Tracks]

The version I’ve got for you is the rare 1998 Super Track release, containing 21 tracks over two discs.

Disc 1
1. Main Title and Colwyn’s Arrival
2. The Slayer’s Attack
3. Quest For The Glaive
4. Ride To The Waterfall
5. Lyssa In The Fortress
6. The Walk To The Seer’s Cave
7. The Seer’s Vision
8. Battle In The Swamp
9. Quicksand
10. The Changeling
11. Colwyn And Lyssa (Love Theme)

Disc 2
1. Leaving The Swamp
2. The Widow’s Web
3. The Widow’s Lullaby
4. Vella
5. Ynyr’s Death
6. Riding The Fire Mares
7. Battle On The Parapets
8. Inside The Black Fortress
9. The Death Of The Beast and The Destruction Of The Black Fortress
10. Epilogue and End Title

Download URL: http://rapidshare.de/files/25200459/Krull_-_James_Horner.zip.html

Now For Some Tunes

As this site gets along nicely, and the only inactive catagory thus far is “Special Features” (mostly because I need something special to writ about), I’ve decided to add another catagory that I thought fans would enjoy, entitled Soundtracks and Scores. I’d hope the name explains quite clearly what it is, but just in case you’re confused:

In this catagory will be posted links to the soundtracks and scores of various genre films. This will only encompass obscure stuff like the soundtrack for My Name is Shanghai Joe or Love at First Bite. So only films without mainstream music and widespread soundtrack releases will be spread.

Important Notes:

• Whenever possible, track lists, cover art, and supplemental info will be provided in the post that contains the files.
• The files will all be remotely hosted by sites like Rapidshare.
• I didn’t rip these songs, nor am I hosting them. I’m merely linking to them.

To Copywrite Owners: I did not rip these files, nor convert or interact with them in any way. I don’t even have them in any way, shape or form. Similarly, I am not hosting said files. Taking both factors into account, I am not legally responsible for an IP violation which may incidentally occur. Please speak with the host to get copywrited material removed if it has been uploaded illegally. I cannot help you secure your copywrite.

Profile: Maila Nurmi - aka Vampira

Basics:

Born as Maila Syrjäniemi on December 21, 1921 in Petsamo, Finland (now Pechenga, Russia), and later known as Vampira, Maila Nurmi was one of the most influential horror hosts in history, serving as a source of inspiration for the equally famous Elvira. At age two, she moved to Ashtabula, Ohio, reaching LA at age seventeen. Once there, she began to model, eventually making her cinematic debut in an uncredited role in the 1947 film If Winter Comes. Over the next decade, she went on to forge friendships with a number of celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Elvis.

Origins of the Character:

The idea for the Vampira character was born in 1953 when Nurmi attended choreographer Lester Horton’s annual Bal Caribe Masquerade in a costume inspired by a character in The New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams. Her appearance with pale white skin and tight black dress caught the attention of television producer Hunt Stromberg, Jr., who wanted to hire her to host horror movies on the Los Angeles television station KABC-TV, but Stromberg had no idea how to contact her. He finally got her phone number from Rudi Gernreich, later famed as the designer of the topless swimsuit. The name Vampira was the invention of Nurmi’s husband, Dean Reisner (1918-2002), screenwriter of Dirty Harry, Charley Varrick, Play Misty For Me and numerous other movies and TV episodes. [via Wikipedia]

Career:

On Friday night, April 30, 1954, KABC-TV aired a preview, Dig Me Later, Vampira, at 11:00pm. The Vampira Show premiered on the following night, May 1, 1954. For the first four weeks, the show aired at midnight, and it moved to 11:00pm on May 29. Ten months later, the series aired at 10:30pm, beginning March 5, 1955. As Vampira, Nurmi introduced films while wandering through a hallway of mist and cobwebs. Her horror-related comedy antics included talking to her pet spider Rollo and encouraging viewers to write for epitaphs instead of autographs. When the series was cancelled in 1955, she retained rights to the character of Vampira.

Nominated for an Emmy Award as “Most Outstanding Female Personality” in 1954, she returned to films with Too Much, Too Soon (1958), The Big Operator (1959), The Beat Generation (1959) and Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959). In the following decade, she appeared in I Passed for White (1960), Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) and The Magic Sword (1962). [via Wikipedia]

After:

Her last film was I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998). She is now retired and living in a small California apartment.

Trivia:

• Once sued Cassandra Peterson, claiming that her “Elvira” persona was modeled after what she created as Vampira.
• Niece of Paavo Nurmi, legendary long-distance runner known as “The Flying Finn.”
• Measurements: 36B-21-35
• Is believed to be the first television “horror host.”

Click here to listen to the song “Vampira” by The Misfits, which was done in tribute to her.

Disclaimer: The song linked to was not uploaded by me, nor was it hosted by me. If your IP rights are being violated, I am not the person to contact. I am merely linking to another site which hosts the file.

Emmanuelle Clips Vol 1

Sadly, since WordPress.com only allows inline embedding of Google, Youtube, and Grouper videos (as they are worried about malicious HTML), I can’t embed the two clips I’ve got to share with you. That said, enjoy! (Obviously NSFW.)

To start it out, a softcore 90’s White Emanuelle entry with Krista Allen:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/129582/emmanuelle_sex_scene

And who hasn’t joined the Mile High Club:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/132099/a_scene_from_emmanuelle

Watching can be fun too:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/132091/a_scene_from_emmanuelle/

Can’t foget about space:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/132902/emmanuelle_first_contact/

Jesus Christ: Serial Rapist (Review)

Alright, this is an old review. And I hadn’t planned to post any. But I figure the blog needs at least one review to get it started, and since this is of a film I paid for, I feel it is my right to reprint this review I originally shared on Horrorreview.com. (Do excuse the lack of quality. I was young and lazy. I promise future reviews will be better. And I hope to include screenshots in them as well.)
Spoilers herein:
The cinematography makes it painfully obvious that the opening sex scene is not real, but is instead simulated. Not a very good start for a porno. Cut to the piss poor looking crucifixion of a very flat chested girl. They stand there with the camera not moving for an absurd amount of time. Then, in a most annoying fashion they overuse the widely hated replay technique. Following that, they elect not to show the rape scene promised by the text card (a la silent films, so as neatly to avoid dialogue) that preceeded it, then cutting to yet another fucking text card. Cut to the next scene, where he decides to punish a theology professor who barely looks old enough to attend a university, lat alone teach at one. The shaky camera (as operated by the alcoholic crew) stays focused on the handcuffed woman for several dull minutes. After that, Jesus chooses to skip the punishment he was supposed to deliver, and instead make a gospel. How does he do that? By yet again mishandling the camera which, for an insane amount of time focuses on the scantily clad woman of the scene. And since he has no clue what he’s doing, the cameraman (or Jesus holding a camera) partially appears onscreen when he’s evidently not supposed to. The film then moves to a scene where there are three topless women lying on a bed for no apparent reason, and doing absolutely nothing. Then, they begin to squirm, which tells us that they either all have itchy asses, or as indicated by the shadow, they’ve been tied up by the J-man. Then, 15-20 minutes later we finally fucking move on. He is supposed to have sex with a somewhat hot woman, but they leave it out. Instead, it cuts to said woman nailed to a wall in a pathetically fake manner. Then finally they move on. What follows is a pointlessly long barrage of some mild crucifixion pictures, wherein we finally see some full frontal nudity. In this entire segment, there is only one hot chick, who looks like a flat version of Angel Williams, and whose pussy is never exposed. Inserted within this segment is a frame or two of mild bondage (but remember, its just photos, nothing good is shown). And then it finally ends, at which point I cried tears of relief.

So in this film, they managed to be one of the only feature length films in the post-silent film era that lacked any dialogue whatsoever. They carefully avoided any plot, and shot the film for about $5, and it shows. Worst of all, its a porno without the porn. And it has nothing to do with Jesus. That was just added to the name to gain controversy and subsequently sell additional copies (hell, that’s why I bought it). This film was so bad, that not even a Z-grade porn distributor like Bill Zebub Entertainment wanted their name anywhere on the film or its packaging. Even after having seen KKK vs Neo Nazis, this film remains the worst movie I have ever had the displeasure of sitting through. Avoid it at all costs.

Note: For those who feel that they must see it, watching it on fast forward would be much less painful, though still not recommended.

Turner Classic Movies Presents “TCM Underground”

For those without cable, here is yet aother reason to get it.

Turner Classic Movies is taking a walk on the wild side as it welcomes auteur filmmaker and legendary rocker Rob Zombie as the host of the network’s newest weekly movie showcase, TCM UNDERGROUND. The late-night franchise, which will feature off-the-wall movies chosen and introduced by Zombie, is set to launch in October.

“TCM UNDERGROUND will serve as home to some of the truly visionary cult films that have been made over the past century, from stylish horror movies to offbeat black comedies,” said Tom Karsch, executive vice president and general manager for TCM. “We are proud to have a talent like Rob Zombie hosting this showcase, which is certain to broaden TCM’s appeal beyond our loyal core audience.”

Among the movies set to be featured in the TCM UNDERGROUND are Russ Meyer’s iconic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, horror master George Romero’s The Crazies, Ed Wood’s Bride Of The Monster and Brian De Palma’s creepy Sisters, as well as Leonard Castle’s offbeat The Honeymoon Killers, the story of which also serves as the basis for the new thriller Lonely Hearts, starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto and Laura Dern.

Zombie has made a name for himself challenging audiences by stretching the boundaries of film, music and publishing. He recently took film to a new level with his critically acclaimed House of 1000 Corpses and its high-octane follow-up The Devil’s Rejects, and he is now working on his next film project, the animated horror film The Haunted World of Superbeasto starring Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti, slated for release later this year.

As the longest active artist on Geffen Records and the most prolific Geffen artist when it comes to Gold and Platinum discs, Zombie has sold in excess of fifteen million records worldwide. This past March, his new album Educated Horses entered the billboard charts at #5. Zombie is also a seasoned video director, with more than 25 videos to his credit. In 1995, he won an MTV Music Video Award for “More Human Than Human,” becoming the first self-directed artist to win such an award.

Schedule (EST) (Subject to Change):

Friday, October 13
2:00 AM Plan 9 from Outer Space (’59)
3:30 AM Bride of the Monster (’55)

Friday, October 20
2:00 AM Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (’65)
3:30 AM Mudhoney (’65)

Friday, October 27
2:00 AM Night of the Living Dead (’6
3:45 AM The Crazies (’73)

Friday, November 3
2:00 AM Sisters (’73)

Friday, November 10
2:00 AM Electra Glide in Blue (’73)

Friday, November 17
2:00 AM Freaks (’32)
3:15 AM Mark of the Vampire (’35)

Friday, November 24
2:00 AM The Sadist (’63)
3:45 AM Wild Guitar (’62)

Friday, December 1
2:00 AM The Conqueror Worm (’6

Friday, December 8
2:00 AM The Honeymoon Killers (’70)

Friday, December 15
2:00 AM Deranged (’74)

Friday, December 22
2:00 AM West of Zanzibar (’2
3:45 AM Unholy Three (’25)

Friday, December 29
2:00 AM Madhouse (’74)
3:45 AM The Last Man on Earth (’64)

Media Blasters Puts Out “Raincoat Theater” Collection

Media Blasters, the company behind Anime Works, Code Red, Exploitation Digital, Guilty Pleasures, Shriek Show, and Tokyo Shock, has decided to release a new line dedicated to classic early porn, called Raincoat Theater. As no titles have been released at this point, it remains unclear if they will fuck up yet again. So far though, we have every reason to be optomistic given the details recently leaked abot their first two titles.

First up:

(Buy It)

SRP: $29.95
Actual Cost: $20.99 (Amazon)
Runtime: 68 min
Status: Uncut
Date: October 31, 2006

Plot: Sexually frustrated, disillusioned and in her mid-30s, Justine Jones (the incomparable Georgina Spelvin) decides suicide is her only escape. Too sinful for Heaven and too chaste for Hell, she’s returned to earth where she must rethink her existence. Given a second chance at life, she chooses Hell as her ultimate destination and opts for a life of unbridled lust and sexual depravity!

Additional Info: Featuring a newly remastered transfer, the set promises lots of extras including a commentary with director Gerard Damiano and an interview with Georgina Spelvin. It spans 2 discs.

 

Then:

(Buy It)

SRP: $29.95
Actual Cost: $26.99
Runtime: 80 minutes
Status: Uncut
Date: November 7, 2006

Plot: Beautiful young Debbie Benton (Bambi Woods) wants to audition for a spot on the “Texas Cowgirl” cheerleading squad. But she doesn’t have enough money to get there and her family isn’t willing. So she and her friends devise a plan to raise the money themselves. They soon realize there’s a lot of money to be made by performing sexual favors for men. DEBBIE DOES DALLAS received Hustler Magazine’s highest rating and is one of the top-selling adult titles of all-time.

Additional Info: No actual specs have been revealed yet, but the porn classic will feature a newly remastered transfer and loads of extras. Single disc set.

Personally, I’m very excited. I’ve never seen any of the classics, and these two have been at the top of my list in terms of pornos to eventually see, alongside Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door. As often as Media Blasters fucks up, they’ve been getting better. And with films like this, the odds are against cuts or poor cropping. Since it is in English, no inaccurate dub issues either. And supposedly, they aren’t going to be barebones releases like many of their other films. In other words, unless there is some type of misprint, the odds are against them making their usual mistakes, meaning there’s hope for these films, and for that matter, the entire line.

Black Emanuelle - Uncut & Cut Releases

Without a doubt, this film has long been regarded as the Holy Grail of Emanuelle films. That is, it is coveted by many, some of whom have spent years searching for it, but have been unable to find an uncut copy of Gemser’s first starring role as Emanuelle (though she did have a small, and very sexy role in Emmanuelle 2). Recently, this was solved. Now that the blog is back, I feel compelled to cover it somewhat.

(Buy It)

Director: Bitto Albertini
Genre: Exploitation
Country: Italy
Year: 1975
Label: Vision Film
Region: 0
Video: PAL
From: Poland (?)
Due: July 31st
Cost: $23.95

Plot: In her first onscreen adventure, journalist/photographer Mae Jordan (Laura Gemser) (known to her readers as “Emanuelle”) travels to Africa on assignment. Questions of her own racial and sexual identity come to a head as she observes the troubled marriage of her hosts, Ann (Karin Schubert) and Gianni Danieli. Matters are complicated further when Emanuelle finds herself in affairs with both of them, after which she flees Africa, only to be pursued by Gianni, who had earlier rejected her and ridiculed her advances.

Edition Details:

Presentation: Anamorphic (16:9) Widescreen (1.85:1) PAL
Audio: Italian 5.1 and Polish 5.1 Audio Options
Subtitles: Polish subtitles
Extras: Original Trailer, Trailers for other releases (Other Emanuelle films from Vision Films)

So do note, there is no English.

There is another release coming up:

SRP: $24.95
Deep Discount DVD: $16.59
Runtime: 85M
Audio: English
Release Date: 09/12/06 (Tuesday!)
Studio: Telavista (Also releasing Linda Lovelace For President on Tuesday)
However, as I discovered from Tony of Xploited Cinema:

1) Xploited Cinema won’t be stocking the disc, though Tony has seen it, and can confirm that it does exist, and has already been printed.
2) According to the US rights holders of the films, it is an unauthorized release, and the release violates their IP rights. Telavista didn’t pay licensing fees.
3) Based on the low quality of the source, it appears to be a VHS to DVD dub.
4) The XXX footage is missing. This is a softcore release.
5) It is confirmed Widescreen (whether it is cropped or not I can’t say).

As for me, I’ll hold off a little longer for an uncut release with English. Though I fear I’ll soon break down and buy the Polish disc.

Introducing: The Emmanulle Category

As I mentioned just a couple of posts ago, this site is changing, and in a big way. It is focusing on the less mainstream side of cinema, especially erotica/porn, b-movies, cult, horror, sci-fi, and exploitation cinema, with a large degree of emphasis on DVDs. Most people who are reading the blog right now, probably know me from a horror or dvd forum, and as such, know that two things I know plenty about are dvds and exploitation films. But what do I know better than damn near anybody on Earth? Emmanuelle.

When I logged in, I noticed a few things:

• This blog still gets traffic. In fact, it logged 36 unique users in 24 hours in late August. Is that great? No. But for a then inactive blog, it was odd.
• Looking further, I noticed that the Emmanuelle guide got the most activity on the site.
• The top site referrals came from search engines, with the most common term being gprime. But otherwise, every other search engine driven user searched for something related to Emmanuelle.
• The comments that have been recieved, all cover Emmanuelle movies.

So, what does this tell me? The first thing is that Emmanuelle is grossly underrepresented on the web, since this blog seems to dominate search engines for alot of Emmanuelle related queries. And the second, and more important point, is that alot of people are interested in Emmanuelle. Since I too share that passion, and since, if I do say so, I know a hell of alot on the subject, it seems reasonable to add a category dedicated to the subject.

What good is an empty category though? Well, quite frankly, it would be pretty damn useless. Thankfully, the Emmanuelle guide already exists on the site, and a huge revision is forthcoming. More importantly, the first Q & A post, which I hope will grow as I get more questions (warpedcelluloid@yahoo.com or see the About page for contact info), covers an Emmanuelle film. And there is plenty more to come on this subject. Since you all love these films, I’ll be making sure to keep this catagory a very active one.

Q & A 1: Where to Find Emmanuelle 4 Uncut

Believe it or not, when I logged in today to restore the blog, I discovered a “spam comment” according to the Askimet auto-filter (Note: It only seems to show the latest instance of “spam”. If you have a legitimate comment or question that has yet to appear, send an email to warpedcelluloid@yahoo.com.). And it asked what the title implies: where an uncut copy of Emmanuelle 4 could be obtained.

First, I’ll give a bit of background on the film: Made in 1984 and starring the most famous of the white Emmanuelle actresses, Sylvia Kristal, and her replacement in the series, Mia Nygren, the plot is a bit different than the 3 French softcore films that came before it. “In order to escape from her former lover Marc, Sylvia goes to Brazil where Dr. Santamo transforms her into the beautiful Emmanuelle. With this new identity comes a sexual awakening which is complicated by her memories of Marc.” [Eric Conrad]

Now, that we’ve got that out of the way, I’ll remind you all that this is indeed a softcore Emmanuelle film, and thus, there isn’t much to cut. As such, there are two uncut DVD releases: R0 US release from Digital Entertainment, and the R2 UK disc from Momentum.

Interview With Slaughter Disc Star Caroline Pierce (aka Andromeda Strange)

I did this interview in 2005 to coincide with the review I wrote for Horrorreview.com upon the film’s release. While I have no intention of reprinting old material of mine (mostly due to its general lack of quality), I have opted to reprint my interview both to help jumpstart this blog, and because I own the implied copywrite. Do note that I believe this version of the interview to be somewhat modified by Horror Bob, but as I cannot locate the original transcript, I’ve been forced to share this version.

(Her site)

Where’d you get the name Andromeda Strange?

Andromeda Strange is the name of the anti-hero in the movie Slaughter Disc. I didn’t come up with the name, but once I read the script I definately wanted to play this character.

Given what you’ve said about XXX horror on THC, wasn’t Slaughter a bit light?

Consider Slaughter Disc similar to dipping your toes into an icy cold lake… things will get harder and more violent in the future as we plunge in over our heads with additional movies.

Perhaps I missed something, but why was your character getting older with each disc?

Andromeda gets a little more decayed everytime we see her…more slime filled veins and more rotting around her wounds.

How much influence did you have in the overall design and construction of the film?

David Quitmeyer is the guy who created the story and was nice enough to hire me for the part. He wrote, produced and directed the film. I have some ideas for further exploits of Andromeda which we will put on AndromedaStrange.com

Are there any plans for a sequel?

Yes there are. If this first film goes well then we’ll do a sequel. We’re not going to do a typical sequel either - the second story focuses more on who Andromeda is and what makes her tick. We’ll throw in some of the more outlandish stuff that was kept out of the first movie due to the zero-budget it was filmed on.

Would you ever make a non-adult horror film?

I would love to. I’ve had many offers since this movie was released, so we’ll see what happens. It should be known also that not every tale from the Carnal Morgue will be as explicit as this one. Every thing is plot driven, so some stories will be harder and others won’t have any adult content. This movie was about a porn addict, so Dave thought it was only fitting to actually include some porn.

What was your first starring role?

Yes it is. I’ve starred in a few short films and I’ve been featured in a number of adult videos, but I’ve never had my name prominently positioned in the opening credits the way Slaughter Disc does.

Do you enjoy this line of work? Do you ever intend to direct some of these films? Switch professions?

I don’t dislike it and I’ve found that it is a same way for me to explore my sexuality. I’ve actually directed a few films in the past under Breathless Films, but producing and directing adult movies can be difficult when you’re not in Porn Valley. A “porn star” has a very short lifespan. I’m fortunate I’ve been able to do this for ten years, but sooner or later I’ll do something else.

What is your connection to The Carnal Morgue and Steel Web Studios?

Andromeda Strange will be the host of future Tales from the Carnal Morgue… she’s kind of like a combination between The Cryptkeeper and Elvira.

Is there any cast or crew member you aspire to work with?

I would love to be in a Clive Barker movie - especially if he gets the rights back to his Hellraiser characters. I love Pinhead and the Cenobites and I think they are very beautiful creatures.

What has been your most fulfilling project?

I would have to say Slaughter Disc. Andromeda is a very stong female character and the movie is very different from standard porn fluff. She is a creature motivated by a deeper, darker cause and it’s extremely satisfying to play a character who can commit murder and get away with it.

Which forthcoming films can we expect to see you in?

I don’t really do movies anymore. Our next Tale from the Carnal Morgue is due out around the Fall.

How did you get into these cinematic and sexual oddities?

I’ve always liked to experiment with many different aspects in my life. I’m fairly open minded and I’ll try anything once. If you are too afraid to try something new, you’ll never know if you’re missing out on the experience of a lifetime.

What was a source of inspiration for you?

I’ve always had a darker streak inside of me and it was fun just to reach inside of myself and let it loose.

Editor’s Note: Since then, other Carnal Morgue films have come into being. Mail Order Bride, the first of them, is available only in partial form as of now, and shall remain that way for quite some time. It is supposed to hit film festivals in 2007. Mr. Buttons, the other film, is still looking through cast applications, and should begin production in the coming months.

Site News: Big Update

As is clear, I abandoned this a while back. But I feel like reviving it. There will however be some major changes, which are as follows:

1) Catagories have been reformed. Technology and Politics have been deleted, and will no longer be covered here.
2) The links have been modified. To swap links, or to have yours added, send me an email to warpedcelluloid@yahoo.com.
3) The name has been changed to Warped Celluloid to reflect the change in the blog.
4) The About page has been changed to focus on the blog, instead of me.

At this point, that’s all I’ve got to say. If the blog starts to gain traction, then perhaps a TLD domain will be acquired, and the blog will get moved to a paid host. If you enjoy this blog and want to help with such, or want to see this expand beyond a blog, then email me at warpedcelluloid@yahoo.com. For more info, please see the about page.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Ultimate Edition

This morning details about the long awaited Dark Sky R1 re-release of the 1974 version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were revealed. Among the information leaked was its due date: September 26th. The two disc set will feature a brand new anamorphic widescreen print of the film created from a new high-definition transfer of the 16mm camera negative. To match will be newly remixed 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio tracks, as well as the film’s original mono track. Two commentary tracks will be featured on the disc. The first is with the film’s director Tobe Hooper, cinematographer Daniel Pearl and star Gunnar Hansen, as first seen on past Pioneer releases of the horror classic. The second, created exclusively for this release, features several cast members, including Marilyn Burns, Alan Danziger, Paul A. Partain as well as production designer Robert A. Burns. Also included will be several extras considered standard on “high end” releases, including: deleted & alternate footage, trailers, TV spots, radio spots and still galleries. Included on the second disc will be the excellent “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth” with outtakes, which very few North American fans have seen. You’ll also see the new “Flesh Wounds” featurette which contains interviews with various cast & crew members, a tour of the TCM house with Gunnar Hansen, and much more. SRP has been set at $29.99, though you can expect it to go for much less on Deep Discount DVD or Amazon.