The Return of the Living Dead (Collector's Edition)

Description

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the cemetery'those brain-eating zombies are back and hungry for more tasty mortals. A fiendish mix of outrageous humor and heart-stopping terror, The Return of the Living Dead is a veritable smorgasbord of fun (LA Herald-Examiner) filled with skin-crawling jolts, eye-popping visuals and relentless surprise! On his first day on the job at an army surplus store, poor Freddy unwittingly releases nerve gas from a secret U.S. military canister, unleashing an unbelievable terror. The gas re-animates a corps of corpses, who arise from their graves with a ravenous hunger for human brains! And luckily for those carnivorous cadavers, there is a group of partying teens nearby, just waiting to be eaten!

Customer Reviews:

Old School Zombie Goodness...Buy This..........2007-09-16

I've alway's enjoyed this movie. In fact I put it into the catagory of my "cable classics" as I was too young to see it when it hit the theaters. The combination of carnage, boobies, and gore based humor was awsome at the time and still stands up to this day although the wardrobe and some of the slang dates it.

I'll preface this by saying that I've got the DVD version that came out in 2002, and that was great. I was very happy at it's special features at the time. This edition is great in it's own right. I won't expound on the features carried over from the first DVD offering, so if you want to hear about that go to one of the other reviews.

New Special Features include:

1. The first new feature is a great retrospective with a good many of the cast and crew. Great fun seening what they look like now and how they view the film in retrospect. I'd liked to have seen more, but it was well done.

2. The second new feature is a really cool documentery about the status of horror in the 1980's which interviews quite a few prominent film directors about thier experiences of making horror films in the '80s. Almost worth the price of the DVD by itself.

3. Commentary by some of the cast and crew. Loads of fun until someone decides to impersonate a zombie. That gets old really fast, but thankfully the commentaters cut it short (although not early enough for my taste, as I feel we've missed out on some info, but we'll never know). Otherwise it's very fun hearing the various cast members relate their experiences from the filming and reactions from the public even years later.

To address a few things I've seen online about this version:

1. Yes, the cover artwork isn't great, but that's just the cardboard slipcover; which is forgivable given the rest. The actual DVD wrap art is sweet and worthy. Additionally, the cardboard slipcover is glow in the dark, which I've submitted a photo of to Amazon, although I don't know if they will publish it.

2. I can't speak to earlier comments about the soundtrack and over dubbing. I've never watched the movie on VHS, and only have vague, but fond memories of seeing it on cable as a young lad. You'll have to make up your own mind as to whether this affects the viewing experience for yourself.

3. The Zombie audio track. I didn't bother listening to this, and feel a bit bad about writing a review of the DVD without doing so, but if it's anything like the zombie intrusion on the cast track I can live with that.

All in all this is the superior of the DVD releases for this film. If you have not seen this Zombie movie, then you really owe it to yourself to add it to your collction, and if you own the original release and love the film, then it will enlighten you to a few more aspects and broaden the experience which will be worth the double dip.

My only real disappointment is that they did not include the full interviews with the cast and crew used for the retrospective feature as a bonus feature. That would have been a boon and I suspect a lot of fun. Otherwise it's a great package.

Either way, if you are a zombie movie lover you should definately own this film.

P.S. Send more paramedics, send more cops!

My favorite zombie film, with one minor complaint..........2007-09-14

I'll get the complaint out of the way first... THE EDITED SOUNDTRACK! I know it seems minor, and compared to what Warner Bros. did to Part II, it's miniscule, but I'm still kind of irked that MGM can't seem to correct the soundtrack from their original DVD release. This IS, after all, one of my favorite movie soundtracks ever. It only happens in three scenes, and two of them are just shortened. The only one that's actually replaced is 'The Damned' - 'Dead Beat Dance', that originally played in the scene when the group is going to pick up Freddy... Why they edited and replaced some songs, I have no idea. Possibly something to do with the rights. So I'm glad 'Return of the Living Dead' was one of the few VHS's I didn't sell... Wish I could say the same about Part II. Although the sequel is nowhere NEAR as clever or horrifying...

SPOILERS

Still, the movie remains the classic it was in '84. I'll give a brief plot synopsis. Freddy is being given the rundown on life in the MEDICAL SUPPLY WAREHOUSE business (the back of the package says it's an Army surplus store) by his boss, Frank. The two unwittingly unleash a toxic chemical developed by the Army that causes the dead to become reanimated. On their way to pick up Freddy from his first day on the job, his punk-rock friends decide to stop off in the loacal cemetary and the horror ensues, especially when our would-be victims discover that these zombies are a little harder to kill then the ones George Romero cooked up in his classic 'Night of the Living Dead', of which this might be considered a very loose spin-off... Along with some GREAT tombstone action from Linnea Quigley, there's also a fair deal of humor along the way, but I gotta admit... This movie still gives me chills. Far more so than any other zombie movies, with the exception of Romero's films. The zombie interrogation scene, where the zombie explains that it hurts to be dead, and you can feel yourself rot... I mean, just the IDEA of that STILL creeps me out. Although the reaction to this from Spider always gets a laugh out of me. Also, the ending is pretty chilling. The Army's "plan" is classic, and in a way, coldly realistic.

The cast and characters are excellent. Everybody in the film hands in a memorable performance. I really love Clu Gulager in this. I mean, his portrayal of the average middle-aged joe, with that old members-only jacket and everything (Did anyone else's dad used to wear that? Besides Al Bundy, I mean...), suddenly cast into this incredible situation is a sight to behold. I think the rest of the cast is just as great, but he makes this working-class guy so memorable.

The picture and audio of the DVD and all that stuff is perfect. I already had the other DVD, but I got this one hoping the soundtrack would be corrected, but I gotta say the two featurettes more than justified it. I'm glad they were able to get interviews with so many of the cast members. Anyway, I first saw the film probably about fifteen years ago, I've seen it numerous times since then, and it's still one of the funnest horror flicks I've ever seen. Definately in my top 5.

Save your money!.......2007-09-12

If you never seen Return of the Living Dead in your whole life, then get this. Most likely your going to enjoy it. I'll give a brief summary to those who haven't seen this. It combines the zombie thriller with some mild comedy. Its very serious but has its comedic side. Two workers tamper with a canister that contains a chemical which brings the dead to life. The dead then begin to feast on the living, by eating their brains. A group of teenagers have their night of partying in a cemetary turned into a nightmare. They spend most of the night trying to survive with the help of a couple of others. Its a very good movie with a pretty good soundtrack. Like I said, if you never seen it before then you'll most likely enjoy it.

Now the part I really want to hit. I'm sick to death of amazon allowing people to review and rate an item, whether its high or low before it even comes out. It can be so misleading. This has gotten way out of hand. And getting worse as of late. These first three reviews couldn't be anymore off. The same alterations on the first movie, still exist here! Such as shortened songs(Franks cremation), songs playing late(when they escape the tar zombie), and the zombie who orders to send more cops. Still does not have the original voice!

The extras are a waste of time to me. They consist of commentary, trailers, to this movie and for some dumb reason jeepers creepers 1&2. And hidden in the special features. There is an icon the shape of a red brain. If you scroll up you will hit this. This is the "zombies thought" option. This option allows you to read the zombies thoughts in a green text located in the bottom of the screen. Basically when the zombies are not talking, this subtitle will pop in every single zombie scene. Literally expressing their thoughts. This could have been cool and added a new sense of creepiness. But they kill it by adding lines such as, "brains are good, but could use more ketchup though". The scene with the paramedics heading to the van, "I got dibs on the one on the left","lets party", "being a cadaver sucks". Or something stupid to that effect. It even went so far to give the split dog some dialogue. The chopped up body inside the bags was still dishin' out ridiculous thoughts. Some funny but then eventually I was thinking. Who's dumb idea was this? It just got to the point I had to shut it off because it really didn't add nothing to the movie. I mean, I just don't believe zombies would say s*** like that.

If you already have this movie, then I recommend not wasting your money. Your buying the same thing twice. But then again its your cash, if you really need this widescreen or your just curious then pick it up. Personally, I feel like I wasted my money.

Edit; 9-13-07
I don't want to confuse any potential buyers in the slighest. It appears by the comments that were left. Some things were left out. So I'll address these questions openly.

If you seen ROTLD and liked or loved it but don't own it. Either on DVD or VHS then of course you should get it, if you don't have it. Especially if you loved it. I love the movie in its original form. Not this right here, thus my 2 star rating! No there is no extended version. Its the exact same movie from the original DVD format. If you never seen this on vhs then you won't exactly understand the differences. Fans of the original will know what I'm talking about. Some may feel its nitpicking but I don't care. And many others don't care if its nitpicking. Thats the way the movie is suppose to be.

A MAJOR MOMENT in MODERN HORROR CINEMA!!!!.......2007-09-02

Although it is overlooked by many horror fans, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is a very important film for it updates the "zombie movie" into a fully mature sub-genre inside horror cinema. We all know Romero's great trilogy NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD and DAY OF THE DEAD. These were great films for they were the true beginning of the "zombie movie". But in the 80's, the zombies lost terrain to the slasher movies (in the FRIDAY THE 13th tradition) and more compeling villains (in the Fred Krueger tradition).

Being a zombie fan, O'Bannon knew that the zombies needed an updating. This is why RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is so important: it brought the zombies into the 80's character/action oriented horror films. With this thought, he wrote a great screenplay that rewrote the "zombie genesis". So, in this film, the zombies of George A. Romero are refered as a mild version of something that was really true: a chemical accident in India that ended as an Army cover-up operation; and the Romero's zombies just a way of putting it into films without being bothered by the U.S. Army.

Having established that point, O'Bannon introduces us to the REAL zombies: living dead that talk and move (they run!) just as living people do. They are extremely dangerous because they are not those dumb slow-moving zombies people used to walk through (like in the Romero's films). They are also intelligent as they devise ways of getting what they want - brains. And this is where O'Bannon makes a new wonderful twist: the zombies do not die by destroying their brains (for they are already dead and the brain has nothing to do with it). Instead it is the zombies who try to eat living brains!

Having said that, it is also important to point that the screenplay is a beautiful piece of cinematic storytelling for two reasons. FIRST because the whole story works flawlessly in the sense that the inicial incident, the characters' actions and the consequences are very well constructed. SECOND because the story weaves a sense of loneliness and confinement (I am talking about the way they treat the narrative space in relation to the story) that works wonders with the characters and what happens with them (this treatment of space echoes Romero's masterpiece DAWN OF THE DEAD).
The ending is great (so great that the sequels didn't touch it)and the soundtrack is very good. The actors are well cast and the film boasts a lot of dry humour.

The extras in this DVD special edition are fine and they show that a good edition of a film who's by now more that 20 years old is a matter of wanting it. Congratulations to MGM! RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD is not the best horror movie ever, but inside the zombie sub-genre it is one of the best things ever made. Scarry and fun!

The only flaw (for me) in this movie is a female zombie who speaks without lips. I never found it credible.
But who cares!?!?!?

Finally a collectors edition, but whats included?.......2007-08-24

Return of the Living Dead finally gets a Collectors Edition release on September 11th 2007 but whats included?

Here is what you will get with the special collector's edition: (Yes WIDESCREEN is included)

- Cast, crew and undead commentary
- "Remembering The Dead: Cast Recollections" featurette
- "From The Underground: The Rise of Horror in the 80s" featurette
- Zombie subtitle stream

Also:

- Run Time: 114 minutes (Could this contain the previously unreleased workprint material?)
- Rating: R
- Audio: Dolby Stereo 2.0 / Spanish Mono / French Stereo
- Screen Format: Widescreen
- Subtitles: English / Spanish
- CC: Yes

Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains!

Average customer rating:

"We Need to Make More Movies Like Dr. Doolittle"
I can't believe I just discovered it
Easy Rider
You'll either love it, or hate it.
enjoyed

Easy Rider
Starring: Luana Anders , Luke Askew , Robert Ball , Tita Colorado , and Warren Finnerty
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000022TSY
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Amazon.com essential video

This box-office hit from 1969 is an important pioneer of the American independent cinema movement, and a generational touchstone to boot. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper play hippie motorcyclists crossing the Southwest and encountering a crazy quilt of good and bad people. Jack Nicholson turns up in a significant role as an attorney who joins their quest for awhile and articulates society's problem with freedom as Fonda's and Hopper's characters embody it. Hopper directed, essentially bringing the no-frills filmmaking methods of legendary, drive-in movie producer Roger Corman (The Little Shop of Horrors) to a serious feature for the mainstream. The film can't help but look a bit dated now (a psychedelic sequence toward the end particularly doesn't hold up well), but it retains its original power, sense of daring, and epochal impact. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

"We Need to Make More Movies Like Dr. Doolittle".......2007-08-19

If you haven't seen Easy Rider... you should. It is a great movie. It is a bit dated now but it is still a legendary flick. I am a motorcyclist and I grew up with this movie. Most people that have seen it already will love this DVD version. But what I wanted to talk about is the added documentary Easy Rider: Shaking The Cage. This alone is worth the price of the DVD. I would have bought it and paid full price just to see Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Luke Askew and the rest of the people involved talk about the movie, how it was thought up and how it was done from beginning to end. I loved this documentary and have watched it about 10 times. Peter Fonda and Hopper alone are just great and it is cool watching these guys now in their 60's talking about making this movie.

Easy Rider: Shaking The Cage... make sure you watch this if you get this DVD. It is AWESOME.

I can't believe I just discovered it.......2007-07-07

Well I'm 38 years too late but I just discovered this movie. This is not one of my most favorite movies. There really aren't any hippy movies like it. I mean you have Cheech and Chong, Half baked, and a handful of other comedies. But nothing serious, hippies weren't just bumbling morons. This portrays hippies in a real dramatic light. Let's you in their world and wanting more. I liked it and highly recommend it.

Easy Rider.......2007-06-27

This film represents myself, and my generation from the early 60's. I understand and identify with it it completely. Sometimes those timess become a little fuzzy in my memory, but a film like this brings it all back. It was actually made during that time also, with actors in it who truly felt their parts. Whenever I feel like like revisiting my 60's adventures, I watch this movie.

You'll either love it, or hate it. .......2007-05-11

This film is wildly popular with a certain type of person, but it's just as easy to find "that" other type of person who can't stand Easy Rider and see nothing positive about it. After watching this film, you will no doubt have realized that there was two main kinds of characters in this story. One was the character that was open minded, tolerant, and accepting of the world. The other type of character was hateful, close-minded, violent, and very scared of character number one and all the things that those kind of characters represent.

First off, this is what today we would call an independent film. This movie was very renegade when it came out in the market. This particular DVD has a documentary called "Shaking the Cage" inside the extras sub menu. Great documentary, and the title says it all. Hopper and Fonda showed classic American balls by making this movie, and making it in the manner they did. Can you tell whose side I'm on yet?

The photography is amazing. All of the road shots in this movie are stunning to look at, and the locations throughout the film are real, gritty, and distinctive. I imagine that even if this film would have had a huge budget, it still would have appeared to be very raw. Hopper obviously wasn't making a fantasy movie here, he crafted a very real story and placed it in the real world. This is a film that is intended to get the audience thinking, get them asking questions, and yes, probably make you a little angry. The activism that was born and raised in the 60's is still there in Hopper and Fonda's creation. These two men have always been involved in what has been called the "counter-culture" movement, and I guess this film is what made them household names for doing so.

Awesome soundtrack as well, and how could there not be. I own the double CD of this film's soundtrack, and it's just beautiful music to listen to. Again, listening to it makes me think, and it makes me ask questions about my country and my world. In my opinion, anyone who considers themselves a truly free U.S. citizen should be a thinker, and should always have a little skeptic sitting on their shoulder asking questions about what is going on in the world around them.

I think this film will stand the test of time as not only an entertaining film, but a fairly accurate historical document that covers a very turbulent and important time in our nation's social history. If for no other reason than to take a glimpse into the late 60's to early 70's, this film is worth watching. You will no doubt find yourself clearly on one side of the fence or the other about Easy Rider, there is no fence sitting. If you like it, it's brilliant, but if you hate it, it's boring hippie garbage. It is what it is.

enjoyed.......2007-04-06

thanks for getting the movie to me so fast my dad enjoyed watching it for his b-day

Average customer rating:

FUN IN CARTOONS
An oldie but goodie!!
FRIZT THE CAT
So awful its funny!
Love it

Fritz the Cat
Starring: Skip Hinnant , Rosetta LeNoire , John McCurry , and Phil Seuling
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00003CWQI
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Amazon.com

Advertised as "X-rated and Animated," Fritz the Cat earned an impressive $25 million in 1972. Screenwriter-director Ralph Bakshi based the film on three of Robert Crumb's stories about a superficial college student who tried to seduce anything in a skirt. The gritty, often gross film shocked U.S. audiences accustomed to innocent flirtations and slapstick comedy in cartoons. Thirty years later, Fritz looks less shocking than puerile. The violence grafted onto Crumb's innocent stories feels gratuitous, and the racial imagery tasteless. As dated as a Nehru jacket, the film will interest students of animation history and American pop culture. Crumb detested the film: he drew Fritz as a decadent Hollywood star, who was exploited by caricatures of Bakshi and producer Steve Krantz--and murdered by a bitter ex-girlfriend. "Another casualty of the '60s..." --Charles Solomon

Description

Maverick writer-director Ralph Bakshi (Heavy Traffic) made his feature-length film debut with this "startling and audacious" (The Hollywood Reporter) foray into adult-content animation,creating the first X-rated cartoon and one of the most successful animated features of its time! Based on a legendary character created by underground comic book artist-writer R. Crumb, Fritz the Cat is a brilliant commentary on '60s life and a "snarling satire that stubbornly refusesto curl up in anyone's lap" (Playboy). It's the age of awakening and Fritz, one way-cool cat and NYU student, loves to embrace every experimental experience that crosses his path. Embarking on a fantastic journey of self-discovery, he indulges in everything from multiple bedroom follies to a wild joy ride through a dangerous Harlem. But when Fritz joins a group of radically aggressive hippies, he finds himself holding the dynamite that will detonate the ultimate '60s statement one that could cost him his life!

Customer Reviews:

FUN IN CARTOONS.......2007-07-21

This was my first time seeing this movie. It was really good. I liked it because it had sexual scenes but they weren't like total hardcore porn. It was really funny. This definatly isn't for children.

An oldie but goodie!!.......2007-06-25

Takes me back to my student days in London, when you could actually smoke in the cinema!!! Can't remember how many times I saw it. It thoroughly deserves its place as a cult classic. The first ever x-rated animated movie full of social comment. Who can forget the death of the crow!!

FRIZT THE CAT.......2007-05-13

I SAW THIS MOVIE WHEN I WAS A TEEN AND I LIKE IT THEN AND I LIKE IT MORE NOW!

So awful its funny!.......2007-02-13

I loved this animation, even though the creator (the awesome R. Crumb) hated it so much he killed the character off! And, unlike "Wizards", I don't feel guilty liking it.

Ah, Fritz, so much a lot of young, single guys see in themselves when they see it. Fritz was mainly out to get laid, and 'went with the flow' to be smooth with the ladies. However, he also got actually into the real issues and concerns of the sixties, along with the dark underside.

Sexy, funny, dark, violent and ugly, it is truly a classic!

Love it.......2007-01-19

I was so excited to be able to find this lost icon. I gave it away as a Christmas gift to a friend on Christmas Eve. We all sent the kids out of the room and we all watched it. We were amazed at how the politics ring true almost 40 years later. We all had a blast! Fritz is still a cool cat!

Cult Camp Classics 1 - Sci-Fi Thrillers (Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman 1958 / Giant Behemoth / Queen of Outer Space)

Average customer rating:

Great Classics
Terrific quality DVD is well worth the price
Cult Camp Classics-Sci- Fi Thrillerc-Its About Time----
So Stupid They're Funny
50'S SCI-FI GEMS NOT TO BE MISSED!!

Cult Camp Classics 1 - Sci-Fi Thrillers (Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman 1958 / Giant Behemoth / Queen of Outer Space)
Starring: Allison Hayes , William Hudson , Yvette Vickers , Roy Gordon , and George Douglas
Director: Nathan Juran , Eugène Lourié , and Douglas Hickox
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000OHZJGO
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Amazon.com

Featuring three enjoyably "awful" movies from 1958-59, Cult Camp Classics, Vol. 1: Sci-Fi Thrillers turns nuclear radiation into cause for celebration, especially if you enjoy movies with extra cheese. With the Cold War in full swing and society's worries blamed on the threat of nuclear annihilation, sci-fi buffs (like future filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and John Landis) could see a new monster movie almost every week. Many of them came from Allied Artists, the low-budget B-movie production company (formerly Monogram) that rose from the ghetto of "poverty row" distribution to produce countless exploitation thrillers between 1946 and 1979. The '50s saw the rise of nuclear monster thrillers, and Allied popularized the trend with its own menagerie of giant, irradiated creatures. The key to Allied's success was its crowd-pleasing combination of exploitable ingredients, and what better way to combine sci-fi, sex, and horror than to unleash a towering babe with an attitude problem? That's exactly what Allied did with Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, a now-classic campfest in which a spurned wife (Allison Hayes) is irradiated by a glowing alien space-ball, grows to a height of (you guessed it), and exacts revenge upon her cheating husband (William Hudson). A year before she bared her shapely backside as Playboy's Playmate of the Month for July 1959, Yvette Vickers costars as Hudson's scheming mistress, giving the film an extra boost of sex appeal. With bargain-priced effects including a giant floppy-fingered hand, hilarious process shots, and cheesy models destroyed by the world's biggest bitch (for whom it is still possible to feel some sympathetic compassion), the movie's not as good as its celebrated poster (which now adorns movie-geek T-shirts around the world), but it's still a lot of fun.

The Giant Behemoth was director Eugene Lourie's obvious attempt to capitalize on his 1953 hit The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, starring a gigantic paleosaurus rising from the Atlantic with a bad case of atomic radiation. London is the monster's eventual stomping ground, but the lumbering lizard is camera-shy for nearly an hour; you can imagine Beaver Cleaver and his pals groaning through seemingly endless scenes of talky exposition, anxiously awaiting the climactic stop-motion creature effects supervised by the legendary Willis (King Kong) O'Brien. Scoring much higher on the camp-o-meter, and far more entertaining, is the cult classic Queen of Outer Space, which borrows props and costumes from Forbidden Planet, Flight to Mars and World Without End for its outrageously kitschy plot about manly astronauts who crash-land on Venus and discover an underground society of mini-skirted space-babes. Unfortunately the disfigured Venusian queen (Laurie Mitchell) is a man-hater supreme, so the spectacularly costumed Zsa Zsa Gabor (as a Venusian scientist, no less) leads a revolution against her. With a screenplay by Twilight Zone veteran Charles Beaumont and a story credited (almost incredibly) to legendary playwright/screenwriter Ben Hecht (who surely never suspected his idea would eventually yield this movie), Queen of Outer Space is exactly what you'd expect it to be: So bad it's good, and more than worthy of inclusion in this irresistibly priced triple-feature set. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
Three feature-length commentaries accompany the sci-fi thrillers in Cult Camp Classics, Vol. 1. Two of the commentaries are hosted by Tom Weaver, a noted authority on sci-fi and horror films whose historical acumen is more casual than academic: While sharing the commentary on Queen of Outer Space with the film's titular star Laurie Mitchell (who became a mainstay at fan conventions at Weaver's invitation), Weaver fails to explain how the production came to use props and costumes from the classic Forbidden Planet, and that's a glaring oversight. He compensates as an amiable interviewer with the equally good-natured Mitchell, and it's a treat to hear them enthusiastically reading unfilmed scenes from the film's original screenplay. For the commentary on Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, Weaver is joined by the film's comely costar Yvette Vickers (another regular at sci-fi conventions), and their combined anecdotes provide an adequate oral history of this camp-classic production. Star Wars veterans and special-effects masters Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett provide the loose-and-lazy commentary on The Giant Behemoth, which consists mostly of Muren making sarcastic jokes about the film's glacial pacing. It's hardly the authoritative commentary that some fans might've hoped for, but Muren and Tippett are well-versed in special-effects history (Muren even owns the original stop-motion Behemoth creature model), and they share an infectious enthusiasm for the films that inspired them to excel in their profession. --Jeff Shannon

Description

One woman - 25 pairs of shoes?!? It's impossible not to have fun with this all-time kitsch classic which, as fans know, is actually about a very big woman with a very bad attitude. The woman is wealthy Nancy Archer (Allison Hayes), fresh from the looney bin and ticked off. Her rat of a husband (William Hudson) has been at play while the feline's away, putting the moves on Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers, Playboy's Miss July 1959) and scheming about the day when Nancy's fortune will be theirs. That day will never come - not after Nancy has an alien encounter that zaps her metabollism into overdrive. Soon, Nancy's size matches her rage. She'll prove big girls don't cry, they get even.

Customer Reviews:

Great Classics .......2007-09-13

All 3 are really great old (Classic) B-Movies. I can watch em over and over again. Thank's for the collection.

Terrific quality DVD is well worth the price.......2007-09-10

Someone compared these movies to "Plan 9 From Outer Space." That's not really fair. Sure, they're low-budget '50s movies, but their production values are far higher than anything Edward Wood ever managed; moreoever, they lack Wood's deranged free-associations. Whatever, right? They're still fun movies and worth a look.

I must compliment this DVD release: these movies are pristine. This is an encouraging development for us lovers of cheese; Universal's recent Sci-Fi Classic box set (Incredible Shrinking Man etc) was also very high quality. It's a pleasure to watch movies that look this good.

Okay. First up: THE GIANT BEHEMOTH, which was the reason I got this set. I'm a big fan of stop-motion monsters, especially when they trash the urban landscape (in this case, London). This movie is pretty good, though hampered by a dull know-it-all hero and too much talk for the first hour or so. Still, things happen the way you know they're gonna (a fisherman gets attcked; a ferry boat turns up empty). A fun paleontologist shows up to enliven things a little. When Beastie finally comes ashore in London, we get a pretty effective rampage sequence that shows extensive monster. And yes, that attack on the Thames ferry is effective aftr all these years. Compared to, say, Best from 20,000 Fathoms, the Behemoth itself is a somewhat less charismatic and expressive critter. Nonetheless the work is well done. I found the ending somewhat confused and difficult to follow. (Visually, I mean; in terms of the plot, it's not exactly a surprise.) 3 AND A HALF STARS.

2. QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE. Fun but dumb. Or if you prefer, dumb but fun. I read in Bill Warren's excellent book, Keep Watching the Skies!, that this was written as a satire, but the director didn;t get the joke and played it straight, along with the actors. It certainly seems plausible... the movie keeps being almost funny, so you wonder, "Did they mean to do that?" Anyway, astronauts go to Venus (sure!) and find Zsa Zsa Gabor, among other people. Men are illegal, so our space gals have lots of free time to get into, uh, trouble. There's a twist or two at the end, but nothing that could realistically be called "suspense." Production values are great though; full color, good sound, clean print. Costumes and sets lifted from Forbidden Planet and (apparently) spacecraft footage from World Without End, which I've never seen. TWO AND A HALF STARS, or, if you're in the mood for groan-inducing unintentional humor, THREE STARS. (You decide.)

3. ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN. This one surprised me; I was expecting utter dreck but it was, in some ways, well done. The effects are awful and the characterization is, in fact, Ed Wood-ish; but the performances aren't bad. Yvette Vickers in particularly just cracked me up; she really attcks her role as the Evil Other Woman, and just about makes it believable. There's a surprising cynicism here; everyone is motivated by their worst instincts--greed, lust, selfishness. The only one who isn't is the 50 foot woman herself, and she's fresh out of a mental institution. I don't mean to overblow this, it's not Citizen Kane or anything. But it's an oddly compelling mix of really really bad and strangely compelling. Oh but the "rampage" of the woman herself is a huge anticlimax. Just so you're prepared. THREE STARS.

Overall, 3 stars for the movies, 5 plus for the presentation. I don't know about the extras, they're less important than the films. Go have fun.

Cult Camp Classics-Sci- Fi Thrillerc-Its About Time----.......2007-09-02

I just recently bought this dvd set, and it's about time these movies were released on dvd--For years the only option to get these were either laserdisc,vhs tape, or bootlegs dvds on ebay.
"Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman"-What can you say--who needs a budget?
What worst than a women scorned ?-How about a 50 foot woman scorned!!-- I remember watching this on Chiller Theatre(here in NY on WPIX 11) on Saturday nights when I was a kid, and it still hold up.- The special effects are hilariously bad, but that's part of the charm.
"Queen Of Outer Space",Starring Zsa Zsa Gabor(Dahling), and written by Charles Beaumont as a spoof--but the director, and some of the actors don't seem to be aware of that-they play it straight.
"The Giant Behemoth"-- kind of a slow moving picture about dumping radioactive materials at sea disturbing a giant prehistoric sea creature.
The set offers good prints and features commentary by Yvette Vickers & Tom Weaver-film historian-(on Attack),Laurie Mitchell & Tom Weaver(on Queen) and Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett(special effects gurus) on Giant.
The only minor drawback is that they could have put these dvds into slimcases and taken up 1/2 of the space.

So Stupid They're Funny.......2007-08-30

These camp classics are, like many others, so stupid that they're funny. If you enjoyed "Plan Nine From Outer Space," you'll love these. Great for laughs. The sad thing is that those who made them probably took them seriously.

50'S SCI-FI GEMS NOT TO BE MISSED!!.......2007-08-27

Three of the best Allied Artists 50's sci-fi films finally come to DVD, and it is about time!! First up is Giant Behemoth which stars Andre Morell and Gene Evans as two men who try and stop a giant radioactive monster from stomping London flat. Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a truely wonderful piece of sci-fi camp that shouldn't be missed. The always sexy Allison Hayes plays a woman who, due to radiation from an alien, grows 50 feet tall and goes looking to kill her two timing husband. Queen of Outer Space stars Zsa Zsa Gabor as a woman who leads a rebellion on the planet Venus when 4 men crash land on her planet. All of these are presented in widescreen with excellent picture and sound quality. If you're a fan of 50's sci-fi this is easily one of the years best sets. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Average customer rating:

kind of disappointing
Classics To Be Sure...
horrible quality of the physical discs
On a 1 to 10 scale, this collection is rated: 4.8
All Not Exploitation ,Some For Serious Social Change

Cult Classics 20 Movie Pack (4 DVD)
Starring: June Carlson , Fifi D'Orsay , Teala Loring , Mary Bovard , and Margia Dean
Director: Albert Herman , Leon Leonard , and Elmer Clifton
Manufacturer: Mill Creek Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
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Product Features:

Cautionary and unintentionally hilarious features with public service, morality or exploitation themes, you reel from the horrors of drug use in "Reefer Madness" and "Cocaine Fiends".

ASIN: B000FS9FI0
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Product Description

For movie buffs and collectors alike...20-movie, star-filled packs remastered on DVDs for hours of home entertainment.

Includes:
Assassin of Youth Star: Luana Walters
Chained for Life Star: Daisy and Violet Hilton
Child Bride Star: Shirley Mills
Cocaine Fiends Star: Lois January
Delinquent Daughters Star: June Carlson
Escort Girl Star: Betty Compson
The Flesh Merchant Star: Joy Reynolds
Mad Youth Star: Betty Compson
Marihuana Star: Harley Wood
Omoo-Ommo, The Shark God Star: Roy Randell
Reefer Madness Star: Kenneth Craig
The Road to Ruin Star: Helen Foster
Sex Madness Star: Vivian McGill
She Shoulda Said No Star: Lila Leeds
Slaves in Bondage Star: Lona Andre
Ten Nights in a Barroom Star: William Farnum
Terror of Tiny Town Star: Bill Curtis
Test Tube Babies Star: Dorothy Duke
Trapped By Mormons Star: Evelyn Brent
The Wages of Sin Star: Constance Worth

System Requirements:
23.7 Hours Run Time

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

kind of disappointing.......2007-06-27

I got this at my husband's request. He thought it was a hoot. I didn't like the few shows I watched, couldn't justify spending more time watching. Poor quality,repeating scenes in spots. Glad I didn't pay much for it.

Classics To Be Sure..........2007-06-09

...but temper your expectations. The movies in this collection have suffered the ravages of time. Many of the story lines are difficult to follow; there are missing segments that make watching these movies similar to listening to a record that skips with every full rotation. If you're looking for quality, look elsewhere. If you have a morbid curiosity about early anti-drug and temperance propoganda, look no further.

horrible quality of the physical discs.......2007-04-13

some great content here, and I didn't expect great video quality, but the DVDs themselves are in terrible shape, like they were just burned on a bad computer. Several titles skip and hang so badly they won't play at all. Too bad, as there's some great stuff I'd love to see on here!

On a 1 to 10 scale, this collection is rated: 4.8.......2007-04-09

MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT packages offer unusual (and often rare) cinema at bargain prices. In their box set CULT CLASSICS 20 MOVIE PACK, vice is nice (or so it seems). Topics of these films include drugs and alcohol (when booze was illegal), love for a price, and out-of-control teens. There's human oddities like little people and conjoined twins. In fact, for fans of the luridly bizarre this movie collection has a lot to offer.

Polling was done on these titles at a film website, and on a 1 to 10 scale the current average score for CULT CLASSICS is: 4.8.

The following alphabetzed list includes individual ratings, original titles (when necessary), years of release and principal actors.

(3.5) Chained For Life (1951) - Violet & Daisy Hilton (Siamese twins)
(6.0) Child Bride (1938) - Shirley Mills/Bob Bollinger
(4.8) Cocaine Fiends ("The Pace That Kills") (1935) - Lois January/Noel Madison
(5.3) Delinquent Daughters (1944) - June Carlson/Fifi D'Orsay
(3.8) Escort Girl (1941) - Wheeler Oakman/Betty Compson
(5.5) Gambling With Souls (1936) - Martha Chapin/Wheeler Oakman
(7.2) Joyless Street (silent/Germany-1925) - Renate Brausewetter/Greta Garbo (uncredited)
(5.1) Mad Youth (1940) - Mary Ainslee/Betty Compson
(3.7) Marihuana (1936) - Harley Wood/Hugh McArthur
(5.4) The Marijuana Menace ("Assassin Of Youth") (1937) - Luana Walters/Arthur Gardner
(5.4) Omoo-Omoo The Shark God (1949) - Ron Randell/Devera Burton
(3.1) Reefer Madness ("Tell Your Children") (1936) - Dorothy Short/Kenneth Craig
(6.4) The Road To Ruin (1934) - Helen Foster/Nell O'Day
(3.6) Sex Madness (1938) - Vivian McGill/Rose Tapley
(4.5) She Shoulda' Said No (1949) - Alan Baxter/Lyle Talbot
(5.2) Slaves In Bondage (1937) - Lona Andre/Donald Reed
(4.9) Ten Nights In A Barroom (1931) - William Farnum/Tom Santschi
(2.4) The Terror Of Tiny Town (1938) - Billy Curtis/Yvonne Moray
(5.0) Test Tube Babies (1948) - Dorothy Duke/William Thomason
(4.7) The Wild And The Wicked - Joy Reynolds/Geri Moffatt

All Not Exploitation ,Some For Serious Social Change.......2007-01-22

I haven't viewed the entire set but so far the photography and sound are quite good and, in fact, excellent in Chained For Life and Child Bride. Chained For Life deals with actual Siamnese twin sisters who are wonderful singers/entertainers (in real life, too) in vaudeville. One is courted and exploited by another entertainer in the show much to the chagrin of the other twin. What eventually occurs is somewhat far-fetched but still possible. I won't ruin it but the twins are treated with dignity throughout the story which also features an actual very entertaining variety/vaudeville show. Child Bride concerns the dignity and rights of young pre-teen and teenage girls and, as the title denotes, a very serious social issue in the U.S.A. at one time. A teacher from the same mountain community (and in peril) advocates for a law forbidding this practice. There are also other conflicts within the mountain community, some quite ugly, but it's an interesting story, especially the unexpected ending/solution.

Average customer rating:

SUPERB !!! RIVITING 50'S BIKER FILM !!!
Revolutionary
"The Wild One" introduces the motorcycle as the symbol of youth rebellion...
I've had it with this jive, Daddy-O; I don't know where I'm going, I just GO
Cute Bikes and Cute Kids in 1950's Inland California

The Wild One
Starring: Marlon Brando , Mary Murphy , Robert Keith , Lee Marvin , and Jay C. Flippen
Director: László Benedek
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0767818172
Release Date: 1998-11-10

Amazon.com essential video

This is the original motorcycle movie, starring Marlon Brando as the brooding leader of a biker gang that invades a small town. The film always looked like one of those synthetic Hollywood ideas of subculture life in the 1950s, which means it looks even more artificial today. But it is an actor's piece more than anything, and toward that end Brando's performance really is an important one in the context of his revolutionary reinvention of film acting during that decade. Directed by Lásló Benedek (Namu, the Killer Whale) and produced by the socially conscious Stanley Kramer. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

SUPERB !!! RIVITING 50'S BIKER FILM !!!.......2007-06-24

I strongly disagree with the previous negative reviews of "The Wild One".

I suppose if films were made during the pre-Victorian era, we would have reviews bashing them because most (any?) of the current reviewers did not live during those times and are unlikely to understand the dialog from those times!!!

I do agree the dialog will seem a bit "corny" when viewed in 2007, however
having lived through the 1950's, "Hipsters" or "Beatniks" were some of the only "cool" people around and they DID speak this way!

Please don't confuse this film with the actual "corny" "B" sci-fi junk films released in the 50"s

This film is the definitive landmark biker film of the 1950's era.
As high tech as possible using 50's tech.

Superb costumes, music, acting, dialog, editing!! Supreme crisp black & white filming!!

If you are a collector of biker/cult films, as I am, you collection IS NOT complete WITHOUT this movie!!!

Revolutionary.......2007-04-02

This movie defined what generations of bikers would wear. Not a great plot, but pretty good for a 1950's film.

"The Wild One" introduces the motorcycle as the symbol of youth rebellion..........2007-01-17

The 1950's was a period of review and questioning, as a new postwar generation sensed that much was wrong but could not grasp what it was nor offer any solution... It was, in fact, a generation with a sensitive exposed nerve that gave constant pain...

Marlon Brando, a young 'Method' actor (the "Method' was itself a manifestation of the times) began his film career with 'The Men' (1950) and continued with 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951), 'Viva Zapata' (1952) and 'Julius Caesar' (1953), all roles concerned with rebellion... Then, in 1953, he made 'The Wild One' and his rebel image crystallized...

Brando plays Johnny, leader of a motorcycle gang calling itself the Black Rebels, which terrorizes Wrightsville, a little American town...

The gang members release their frustrated emotions by racing, overturning a car, and by vicariously participating in a savage fight between Johnny and Chino (Lee Marvin), formerly a part of Johnny's gang but now a rival club...

Violence escalates when the town forms a vigilante committee, and inevitably there is an accidental killing... Johnny is saved from wrongful arrest by Kathie (Mary Murphy), a local girl who, in spite of herself, falls in love with him, as he does with her... She senses beneath his cruel exterior an innate gentleness, and is attracted by his sexuality, an element that was increasingly to become a factor in the evolution of the rebel hero...

Johnny and the gang finally leave town and life returns to normal, but many questions that the film poses were left unanswered...

Brooding, and compulsive, the film created a noisy tumult partly because it failed to show 'why' youths were this way, ending up, in the words of one critics "violent for violence's sake." However it is an important film... It reflected the problems of the period and it marked a step in the progress of the rebel hero... It also introduced the motorcycle as the symbol of youth rebellion foretelling such films as 'Wild Angels' (1966) and 'Easy Rider' (1969).

I've had it with this jive, Daddy-O; I don't know where I'm going, I just GO.......2006-11-14

Marlon Brando's "The Wild One" from 1953 (black & white) could arguably be called the first biker flick, even though parts of the story/dialogue come off artificial, amusing and tame, especially compared to the first REAL biker flick, Peter Fonda's "The Wild Angels" from 1966.

THE STORY: Two bike gangs clash in Hollister, California, Marlon Brando's Black Rebels and Lee Marvin's The Beetles. (I'm not sure if Hollister is the name of the town in the film, but that's where it was actually shot; Hollister is about 70 miles SE of San Francisco).

WHAT WORKS: Needless to say, Marlon Brando is superb as the taciturn Black Rebels' leader. At the opposite end of the dispositional spectrum Lee Marvin is just as exquisite as the merry, fun-brawling leader of The Beetles. Mary Murphy is also very good as the cafe worker that shares a few romantic sparks with Brando.

Brando was 30 years old at the time of this picture's release, so it's not very appropriate that he's constantly referred to as "boy" in the film. Regardless, Marlon as the titular 'wild one' is definitely the prototype of Fonzy-like "cool," a full 2 years before James Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause" would materialize. His "Whaddaya got?" response to the question "What are you rebelling against?" is priceless, to say the least.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Although the plot is good (loosely based on a real event), the story's dramatic stagings and shifts, not to mention the trying-to-be-hip non-genuine lingo, provoke an amused "Yeah, right" response. Such phoniness will naturally hinder modern viewers from becoming enraptured by the story ("modern viewer" includes anyone who grew up on post-50s cinema -- i.e. mid-60s to the present).

Still, a couple of story elements work well, like the ending [minor SPOILER alert] when a police officer encourages Brando to thank Mary and her father; Marlon appears to try but ultimately maintains his silent 'cool' demeanor. Mary then responds, "It's okay, he doesn't know how." Although she's right, Brando comes back a day or so later to indeed express his thanks, albeit in a non-verbal manner.

BOTTOM LINE: If you're looking for a classic biker flick, don't expect "The Wild One" to remotely resemble the infamous late 60's/early 70's biker films, such as "The Wild Angels" or "Hell's Angels on Wheels." Keep in mind that cinematic "gritty realism" didn't come into vogue until the 60s. Hence, it should come as no surprise that "The Wild One" largely comes off as lame, tame, artificial and amusing, you know what I'm saying, Daddy-O? Still, Marlon Brando towers over the material and there are a few worthwhile qualities, as noted above. Needless to say, a must for Brando fans and those interested in classic cinema or amusing old-fashioned dialogue.

Cute Bikes and Cute Kids in 1950's Inland California.......2006-08-27

Contrary to what is seen in the "clips", the film does contain
The Best Line in Film.

The old guy asks Brando "Where are you kids going, anyway?"

Brando: "You don't go anywhere, dad. You just go."

A lot of the film may appear quaint in a world where images of extreme violence, and unchecked self-interest are pervasive - I haven't seen it in well, something like 40 years. I remember it as being a bit dated even in the 60's. But, as a social document, I have a hard time believing that the gulf between what one reviewer here calls "the cast of the Blob" (a good and probably literally accurate ascription) or "Middle America" (as in What's Wrong with Kansas? or Schwarzeneggerville? - Hollister, CA, et al.) and those who seek the "open road", beats, bikers, and other souls who are able to recognize the source human freedom, is any closer to being bridged than it was back in those good ol' days, when we were more innocent and no less benighted.

Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics (The Colossus of Rhodes / Land of the Pharaohs / The Prodigal)

Average customer rating:

Epic in all ways
Better than the title suggests
cult camp
They Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore!
The best of the boxsets

Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics (The Colossus of Rhodes / Land of the Pharaohs / The Prodigal)
Starring: Rory Calhoun , Lea Massari , Georges Marchal , Conrado San Martín , and Ángel Aranda
Director: Sergio Leone , Howard Hawks , and Richard Thorpe
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000OHZJI2
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Amazon.com

Who says history has to be boring? Warner Bros.' series of "cult classics" is a cheese-popcorn fiesta just waiting to pop. This set includes three "historical" epics long on action and cleavage and proudly short on those dull pesky facts. The Colossus of Rhodes (1961), a splashy toga party starring Rory Calhoun, marks Sergio Leone's credited directorial debut. As sword-and-sandal films go, it's a rollicking tale with excellent special effects, especially the earthquake and its resulting devastation.

Howard Hawks took time in between Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Rio Bravo to direct Land of the Pharoahs (1955), with a cast of thousands, led by the heaving bosoms of Joan Collins. No expense was spared, with nearly 10,000 extras "and 1600 camels in the production!" as the marketing materials of the time proclaim. William Faulkner co-wrote the screenplay, which features delicious turns of events like a lying, scheming so-and-so getting comeuppance by, yes, being sealed alive in a pyramid: "A structure to house one man--and the greatest treasure of all time."

And The Prodigal (1955), directed by Richard Thorpe, tells the ancient biblical tale of two toiling brothers, but ups the ante for the wandering son with a decidedly ungodly pagan temptress in the form of Lana Turner (it's a wonder he ever made it back to his father's farm!). Originally an MGM release, The Prodigal hearkens to the mid-'50s era of the great biblical epic (which many fans believe is due for a renaissance), though it takes extreme liberties with Jesus's parable. Then again, if Lana Turner's figure doesn't signify "debauchery" and "riotous living," what does?

The boxed set also includes some very instructional extras, like vintage interviews with Hawks and contemporary interviews with Peter Bogdanovich and film historians. Let the catapulting begin! --A.T. Hurley

Customer Reviews:

Epic in all ways.......2007-08-15

There is nothing more fabulous than Joan Collins trapped in a pyramid, screaming "I don't want to die - I don't want to die". The Land of the Pharoahs is worth the price alone; an excellent angle on the building of the pyramids and Egyptian society.

Lana Turner is all hot and steamy and hammy in The Prodigal.

Colussus is colossal.

Get this for a winter weekend and have plenty of popcorn on hand.

Better than the title suggests.......2007-08-10

Though these movies can be viewed as campy sword 'n sandle flicks, two of the three are actually pretty good. All three are in color and anamorphic 'scope, and two even have multi-track sound. The images are crisp and clear, with no sign of fading.
The Colossus of Rhodes was directed by Sergio Leone, with impressive visuals and a huge cast of extras. The weakest (and most laughable) part of the film is Rory Calhoun's leading character, but the rest of the cast is fine - though the plot is overly-complex. Rory, a visiting hero from Athens, leads a slave revolt, amid treacherous plots to enslave peaceful Rhodes.
Land of the Pharaohs was produced and directed by Howard Hawks and written by no less than William Faulkner. The leads are played by Jack Hawkins and Joan Collins. Hawkins portrays a king obsessed with accumulating wealth for the afterlife, along with building a tomb to house himself and the gold. Collins plays a scheming princess who wants the gold for herself. Joan Collins is far from the stereotype she became in later years, and her acting ability leaves no doubt as to why Hawkins' Pharaoh falls for her.
The Prodigal, retelling the Biblical story of the prodigal son, is the only truly campy film among the three. There are lots of processions, ponderous dialog, pagan temples, and a beautiful pagan priestess to tempt the hero. Lana Turner may be beautiful, but she needs to take tempting-the-hero lessons from Joan Collins. Speaking of camp, at one point we see a long wall where various slaves are lined up for sale, with descriptions and prices written on the wall next to each slave - written in english of course. Now that's camp!

cult camp.......2007-08-06

This movies were fun for what they were..Cult Movies.Lana and JOan were both beautiful and interesting to watch with a so so story line.

They Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore!.......2007-07-25

Cult Camp Classics, indeed! They just don't make movies like this anymore! Big budget, widescreen, lots of extras, and not a CGI special effect in sight! Those are real people running around on all those sets, mister! The color is gaudy, the costumes are skimpy, and the music is loud. What more can you ask for from Hollywood in its heyday!

Actually, of these three, "Colossus of Rhodes" is actually an Italian production, the first directorial credit for Sergio Leone, no less, later famous for his so-called "spaghetti westerns," like "Fistful of Dollars," etc. Here he seems to handle the crowds well, though Rory Calhoun looks out of place in a mini-skirt. Still, it's all good fun, as the good people plot to overthrow this year's tyrant, and the statue looks good.

"Land of the Pharaohs" is more of a paradox. The first part is all about the building of a pyramid, with massive crowds of workers struggling away. Then it devolves into a plot of intrigue, involving malicious bad-girl Joan Collins, some would say type-cast, trying to take over the Pharaoh's heart and his treasure. Frankly, the pyramid part is more interesting than Ms.Collins' tight bodice, let alone her acting. But the visuals are fun, the music is by classic film score master Dimitri Tiomkin, the direction is by no less than Howard Hawks, and the script is I understand the only film credit ever issued to, you'll never guess, no less than William Faulkner! True.

Lastly, we have "The Prodigal," with Lana Turner giving her all as the "High Priestess of Astarte." Really. This was one of two costume epics which caused the end of her career at MGM. (The other was "Diane.") Here Ms.Turner applies her considerable wiles to so-called impressionable Edmund Purdom, in what is essentially a gussied-up version of the Biblical parable of The Prodigal Son. Mr.Purdom is just as earnest here as he was the previous year, in "The Egyptian," and, as many have said, just as wooden. But it's all good fun. See the Temple Virgins! See the Pagan Idol! See the Human Sacrifice! See Lana Turner's skimpy costumes! Actually very entertaining.

All three of these films are available in a boxed set, costing considerably less than each of them separately. Not only fun entertainment, but a great buy into the bargain!

Enjoy!

The best of the boxsets.......2007-07-13

Of the four boxsets, this is the best of Camp Classics series.

Land of the Pharaohs isn't that campy. It just lacks the umph in casting and dynamics. it's like watching a TLC show about how to build pyramid. Joan Collins does get whipped. Bogdanovich's commentary includes tapes of his interviews with director Howard Hawks.

The Colossus of Rhodes is an out of control Italian epic about the statue. it's loaded up with fighting and bare chests. Sergio Leone keeps the weirdness coming at Rory Calhoun. Mr. Burns loves this.

The Prodigal is the camp best. You have the Prodigal son fighting a vulture! Plus Lana Turner....yummy. Slaughter the calf to get this film in your collection.

Average customer rating:

A REALLY CRAZY AND SICK CARTOON OF THE 70'S!!! COOOL!!!!!
Nastalgic
Fun for a laugh
The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat
awful

The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat
Starring: Skip Hinnant , Reva Rose , Bob Holt , Robert Ridgely , and Fred Smoot
Director: Robert Taylor (III)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005PJ6S
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Description

That infamous cat and his twisted life are back! Staying within the tradition set by the audacious and racy Fritz the Cat, director-co-writer Robert Taylor takes Robert Crumb's way-cool felinecharacter from the boundary-pushing '60s to the harsh realities of Vietnam, racial riots and Watergate of the '70s in a sequel ripe with "pure silliness [and a] hip story-telling style" (Variety)! Fritz has got the post-college blues he's married to a mouthy wife who beats him constantly, and he's out of work and on unemployment! To escape his sad, nagging reality, Fritz launches himself into a psychedelic haze with a mind-blowing catnip that takes him to his eight other lives. There, he lives out fantasies as an out-of-this world astronaut, an aide to President Kissinger and worse...an orderly to Hitler! But as his star-crossed hallucinations put him on a collision course with reality, Fritz becomes a casualty just waiting to happen!

Customer Reviews:

A REALLY CRAZY AND SICK CARTOON OF THE 70'S!!! COOOL!!!!!.......2007-05-20

Man I love the 70's (that's the main reason that I bought this film), they also say that the first film is about the 60's but I DON'T CARE! I only care about the 70's!!

The reason for me that this cartoon is SOO COOL is because of the MASSIVE FOUL LANGUAGE!!! The drugs and sex scenes were also cool (but don't worry they weren't THAT intense but still sicky), the concept of making fun of politicians was FUNNY and the cool character desing and animation were GREAT!
I think that the soundtrack could be better but the movie still AWESOME!.

This film is ever WORSE than Ren and Stinpy, Heavy Metal and Meet the Feebles! IS SOOOOO SICK AND DISSGUSTING!! But I like it!! Because is from the 70's and everything that is from the 70's is cool for me!!! (I didn't know that the 70's was such a CRAZY decade).

WARNING: This low-budget movie contains MANY controvertial subjecs and ethnic stereotypes! But we have to understand that it was made ONLY for adults and it was made in a time of great political changes and war!

Adios.

Nastalgic.......2007-05-07

Anyone that lived in the early 70's, can get nastalgic and remember the "good ol' days".......I recommend this for anyone that saw it then...and would like to remember some of the old times.....toke & enjoy!

Fun for a laugh.......2007-02-13

And social insight to the 60's/70's. A bunch of funny, and quite crude and racially offensive cartoons, but still made with talent and good. Don't take it too seriously, though.

Heh, just would love to see the "Freak Brothers" animated, esp. "Fat Freddy's Cat"! Garfield should see it so he'd not give Jon so hard a time.

The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat.......2006-08-03

Not worth your money or time. The sender was excellent but the quality of the DVD (regarding the content) was very racial. Very insulting!!

awful.......2005-09-13

The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cats succeeds in being offensive, but that's about all it does. Unlike the South Park movie, which came out in 99 and had a lot of comparisons to the Fritz the Cat serious, Nine Lives is neither funny nor smart. It's disgusting, just like Crumb's comics.

Cult Classics: Earth vs. the Spider/War of the Colossal Beast

Average customer rating:

Great series that needs to be resurrected!
Double Trouble
WHO CAN RESIST SUCH A DOUBLE FEATURE?
Our Mr. Big
MEMOREIS MEMORIES WOW

Cult Classics: Earth vs. the Spider/War of the Colossal Beast
Starring: Sally Fraser , Roger Pace , Duncan 'Dean' Parkin , Russ Bender , and Rico Alaniz
Director: Bert I. Gordon
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000BYA5IC
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Customer Reviews:

Great series that needs to be resurrected!.......2007-08-15

Great start on this series (despite the apect ratio problems), but Lion's Gate seems to have given up on this line, which is unfortunate, as there are a number of Arkoff titles that haven't yet seen the light of day on DVD. While I'm not 100% sure if Lion's Gate owns the rights to the films I list below, I would venture to guess they do. So how about a pairing of I Was a Teenage Frankenstein/I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Invasion of the Saucer Men/Attack of the Crab Monsters, Voodoo Woman/The Undead, Not of This Earth/It Conquered the World (two of the best AIP titles), and The Amazing Colossal Man (whose sequel, War of the Colossal Beast, is part of this line). Perhaps there are others, though I think I've accounted for the most-wanted Arkoff/AIP titles.

Double Trouble.......2007-05-07

These two movies are a good example of 50s SCI-FI at its best. Earth Vs. The spider is good because it adds a bit of 50s Malt Shop Era to the movie. Its seems the spider shots may have been taken from an earlier Sci-FI movie Tarantula.War Of The Colossal Beast is movie #2 in this Twin Cult Classic Set.I remember watching this movie as a kid and still enjoy it. Would recommend this double SCI-FI Collection to all 50s Sci-Fi Addicts.

WHO CAN RESIST SUCH A DOUBLE FEATURE?.......2007-04-27

Two great cheese fests for the price of one! "Earth vs.the Spider" is excellent. "War of the Colossal Beast" is the sequel to "The Amazing Colossal Man". Strange that the two Colossal films weren't put on this double feature DVD? The Amazing Colossal Man" is not available on DVD at this time. As it is " War of the Colossal Beast" is pretty funny...unintentionally of course! After reading some other reviews, I have learned that the rights to the two Colossal movies are owned by different people....too bad :-( ...I hope they release the first one soon.

Our Mr. Big.......2007-03-18

For this baby boomer who grew up in the 50's, Bert I. Gordon was my George Lucas. He brought amazing creatures right into our movie theatres. In retrospect, I'm very grateful to him for many hours of enjoyment in that dark movie house. Yeah, these effects are nowhere what is done now, but I didn't know that at that time. I was just a kid in awe of what was on the screen. I loved "The Spider" (as it was called back then). The remake was a real letdown for those of us who enjoyed seeing the overhead shot of a girl screaming her head off, with her 50's skirt caught in the door of her car as the spider approaches. I love the idea that rock 'n roll awakens the spider, who then goes on a rampage all over town. And, yeah, that poor baby alone on a deserted street was very a disturbing sight. Mr. BIG was all about bringing entertainment to the massses, ready to scare us, thrill us and giving us our money's worth for an afternoon. "War of the Colossal Beast" was another reason that made going to the movies on a weekend just a thrill. Thank you, Mr. Gordon.

MEMOREIS MEMORIES WOW.......2007-02-08

i remember being 11 yrs old and going to see these movies. the spider one i had to get because way back then i hung around the olive recreation center in burbank ca.
the rock-n-roll band in this movie was headed by my friend dick de augustine ,his brother and paul the sax player. they were old in their early 20's.i watched that again 49 yrs later and what memories. now it looks corny but then it was scary. i wish that the amazing colossal man was available also but the sequel is very good.if you remember these movies. buy them because they are not shown very often
the prints are crystal clear but the price "go for it"

Cult Camp Classics 2 - Women in Peril (The Big Cube / Caged / Trog)

Average customer rating:

Crawford, Turner & Parker light up the screen in B-movie marathon
CAGED is a powerful drama with remarkable performances
Crawford fans rejoice; it's finally coming!

Cult Camp Classics 2 - Women in Peril (The Big Cube / Caged / Trog)
Starring: Joan Crawford , and Agnes Moorehead
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000OHZJGY
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Amazon.com

Second in a series of four box sets, Cult Camp Classics 2: Women In Peril includes three films in which victimized female protagonists provide the viewer hours of entertainment. Watching Caged, Trog, and The Big Cube consecutively provides lots of laughs, but also makes one wonder what exactly satisfies about this archetype while ladies struggle through run-ins with drug dealers, hardened prison matrons, and a hairy cave-dwelling monster, in these cases. Each indicative of the decades in which they were made, these films reiterate how cinematic narratives have long capitalized on the viewer's hope that woman will either escape or get revenge. Caged, considered the first women's prison film, follows Marie Allen (Eleanor Parker), who is imprisoned for acquiescing to her husband's desire to rob a store. Prison cell bar shadows cast across the screen, and repeated close-ups of Allen's horrified face, make Caged a fine example of film noir. With little to laugh at, viewer sympathy mounts as Allen acclimatizes to the rough prison life, and conversely, disappointment sets in when one sees her innocence slipping away. One comes to hate the evil prison matron, Evelyn Harper (Hope Emerson), who believes in iron-thumb treatment. Caged is a rare example in its genre in which sexual exploitation is not at the core of the film. Trog and The Big Cube are less tragic, more schlocky, and fascinating as a pair due their gorgeous stars, Lana Turner and Joan Crawford, cast late in their careers. Trog is a hairy, pre-human cave dweller á la Planet of the Apes, wreaking havoc once unleashed by an anthropologist played by the ravishing Crawford. The Big Cube's greatest assets are the scenes depicting acid trips induced by Johnny (George Chakiris), a medical student who cooks LSD to dose sexy girls and