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DVD Releases - WC Feb 21st 2005
21st Feb 05
 No genre releases at all this week in the US of note, but thankfully there are a shedload of Region 2 releases to make up for it. First off, and best value of the bunch, is the terrific Tigon Collection DVD boxset, featuring 6 classic Brit horrors from the studio that too often lived just under Hammer's headlights.
Other than that, it's great to see Hero receiving it's DVD debut (easily one of the best films of last year), and following on from The Grudge remake release last week, there's now a double-disc special edition for Takashi's original which goes on sale from monday.
Alex Garland and Oxide Pang team up to give us The Tesseract, a stylish thriller set in Thailand, and there's also The Manson Family, but we're not going to say too much about that one.
Re-releases include Creepshow 2 (a sub-par follow-up to the enjoyable original), Flowers in the Attic, and, for all you Asian fans, there are three Shaw brother releases, The Heroic Ones, Heroes 2 and Spiritual Boxer.
 The Tigon Collection
Region 2 - Anchor Bay UK - £29.99
This six-disc DVD box set features the very best from the British film production company whose name has become synonymous with cinematic terror.
Specially packaged in a stunning coffin shaped presentation box, The Tigon Collection includes the films The Body Stealers, The Beast In The Cellar, The Haunted House of Horror and Virgin Witch along with two undisputed classics, Blood on Satan's Claw and Witchfinder General.
Special Features across the collection include audio commentaries by directors and stars, gallery of Tigon distributed films, "Tigon Tales of Terror" featurette, "The League of Gentlemen" featurette, poster and stills galleries, liner notes, biographies, stereo 2.0 audio plus optional 5.1 and DTS. Full details can be found on the official Anchor Bay UK website.
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £22.49 (correct at time of publishing)
 Hero
Region 2 - Buena Vista - £19.99
This epic, martial arts adventure from director Zhang Yimou finally makes its way to DVD on these shores with the following features present on the disc...
* Inside the action – A conversation with Quentin Tarantino and Jet Li
* Hero Defined
* Storyboards:
o Golden Forest
o Library
o Ring of Iron
o Lake
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £13.99 (correct at time of publishing)
 The Grudge : Platinum Edition
Region 2 - Premier Asia - £19.99
Written and directed by Shimizu Takashi The Grudge (Ju-On) is coming to DVD as a two-disc Special Collector's Platinum Edition to coincide with the DVD release of the American remake.
Special Features include:
* 16:9 anamorphic transfer enhanced for widescreen TVs
* Dual language format (Japanese language with re-mastered English subtitles and English dubbed)
* Dolby Digital and DTS audio tracks
* SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
* Feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert, Bey Logan
* Trailer gallery (including preview teaser for The Grudge 2)
* "The Cutting Room Floor" – five deleted scenes plus an alternative ending, all with director's commentary
* Four behind-the-scenes montages each focusing on one character (Rika; Hitomi; Azumi; Toshio)
* "Walking In The Shadows – The Making of The Grudge" featurette
* "Through a Glass Darkly" – an exclusive interview with director, Shimizu Takashi
* "Whispers in the Dark" – an exclusive interview with leading lady, Megumi Okina
* "Fade To Black" – an exclusive interview with co-star, Kayoko Shibata
* "Ju On: True Stories" featurette
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £14.99 (correct at time of publishing).
 The Tesseract
Region 2 - Momentum Asia - £19.99
The latest film from Oxide Pang Chun, the acclaimed director of the horror sensation The Eye, is based on the bestselling novel by Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later). Starring Johnathan Rhys-Myers and Saskia Reeves this is a stylish, edgy thriller about four individuals whose destinies collide with violent and tragic consequences.
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £14.99 (correct at time of publishing).
Read our review of Tesseract from our Frightfest 2004 report.
 Flowers in the Attic
Region 2 - Anchor Bay UK - £14.99
Based on Virginia C. Andrews' phenomenally successful novel of the same name, Flowers In The Attic stars Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest), Kristy Swanson (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Victoria Tennant (L.A. Story) in a sinister, neo-Gothic tale of brutal cruelty, forbidden passion and murder.
Features include a widescreen presentation, trailer, film notes, talent biographies, original mono sound mix, optional 5.1 and DTS sound, and SHD subtitles.
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £11.24 (correct at time of publishing).
 Creepshow 2
Region 2 - Anchor Bay UK - £16.99
Following the success of their 1982 anthology Creepshow, in 1987 writer Stephen King and director George A. Romero served up a second helping of EC Comics-inspired horror in Creepshow 2, this time opting to co-write the script and handing over directorial duties to Romero's regular cinematographer, Michael Gornick.
3 tales of horror reside within this set which offers the following features:
* Anamorphic Widescreen presentation
* 2.0 Stereo
* Optional DD5.1 & DTS 5.1 Surround
* SDH Subtitles
* Audio commentary by director Michael Gornick moderated by DVD producer Perry Martin
* Nightmares In Foam Rubber – an all new documentary featuring interviews with special make-up effects artists Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger
* My Friend Rick – Howard Berger on Rick Baker
* Theatrical trailers
* Film notes
* Biographies of George Kennedy, Lois Chiles and Tom Savini
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £12.74 (correct at time of publishing).
 The Manson Family
Region 2 - Anchor Bay UK - £19.99
A movie as controversial as it is relentlessly shocking, Jim VanBebber's The Manson Family tells the story of the most infamous cult of all time, examining one man's twisted vision and how it turned the hippy dream into a nightmare. The film recreates, in graphic detail, the story of Charles Manson and his notorious ‘Family', from their early hippie cult beginnings to the shocking Tate/La Bianca murders and beyond.
This two-disc special edition offers the following features:
* 2.0 Stereo
* Optional DD5.1 & DTS 5.1 Surround
* "The VanBebber Family" – 74-minute documentary featuring all new interviews with the cast and crew
* "In The Belly Of The Beast" – documentary from the Fant-Asia Festival in Montreal featuring Jim VanBebber and other independent filmmakers
* Interview with Charles Manson
* Stills galleries
* Theatrical trailers
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £11.99 (correct at time of publishing).
 The Spiritual Boxer
Region 2 - Momentum Asia - £19.99
Fight choreographer Lau Kar Leung's astonishing directorial debut, the action-comedy The Spiritual Boxer stars Ti Lung, Jimmy Wang and Chan Koon Tai and concerns a pseudo-ghost catcher and apprentice to a spiritual boxing master, whose bogus ceremonies and demonstrations result in him falling foul of both his fellow townsfolk and the local gangsters. Severely lacking in the spiritual boxing skills necessary to invoke the gods and give him the power to withstand all weapons, he does, however, possess an awesome talent for kung fu fighting. It's a gift that proves to be more than essential when his seemingly small-time confidence tricks bring him more trouble than he bargained for.
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £14.99 (correct at time of publishing).
 The Heroic Ones
Region 2 - Momentum Asia - £19.99
A spectacular historical martial arts epic set during the decline of the Tang Dynasty. Boasting a talent pool that includes the "Iron Triangle" of director Chang Cheh and stars David Chiang and Ti Lung, The Heroic Ones is, perhaps, the quintessential Shaw Brothers film and one of the all-time classics of Hong Kong action cinema.
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £14.99 (correct at time of publishing).
 Heroes Two
Region 2 - Momentum Asia - £19.99
A true landmark feature in kung fu film history from the Shaw Brothers Studio, Heroes Two showcases the inimitable talents of director Chang Cheh, choreographer Lau Kar Leung and star Alexander Fu Sheng at the height of their powers. Of the dozens of great martial arts films made by the prolific Chang Cheh, Heroes Two is considered one of his best thanks, in no small part, to the work of his two aforementioned collaborators.
Buy this DVD at Amazon.co.uk for £14.99 (correct at time of publishing).
Posted by
Rawshark
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