Nifty trailer compilation DVDs half off at Amazon…

Updated on April 18, 2008 By Ken Begg 2 Comments

 Pretty much everybody who saw Grindhouse during its theatrical run–and I’m talking literally hundreds of people here–agreed that the faux exploitation trailers were the best part of the movie. So much so that Eli Roth (who made some of those fake trailers, including that for the ersatz slasher flick “Thanksgiving) is supposedly making an entire film composed of similar material. Word has it this will be out in August.

However, the real things are even better, and now Amazon is selling the best known such series of sleazy ’70s trailer complilations at a bit under half price, for $9.50.  (The next cheapest retailer is selling them for $11.50, and two buck shipping actually makes it $13.50.)

I own the first two, and they’re fab.  I’ll be ordering the latest one today.  Now, you might think they’d be running out of good material by now, but not according to this glowing review from the reliable folks at DVDdrive-in, who gush “this is the first mandatory purchase of 2008 for DVD Drive-In readers.”

And at $9.50, they also make good emergency birthday and Christmas presents (at least for a certain, er, elite demographic). It never hurts to have something like that in reserve, even this early in the year.

Remember that Amazon offers free shipping for orders over $25. I know I beat that drum a lot, but I loooove free shipping. (Note in the link below that a private party is selling a copy through Amazon a little bit cheaper, but that would not include free shipping.)

Oh, and actual, you know, content will be posted later today. I hope.

 

Pin It



Related Posts

  • Ed Richardson

    They called him Machete….

    Watching those faux trailers for Grindhouse I was curious about the X-ratings and wondered how many action films had an X-rating during the 70s. That’s what Wikipedia is for. What’s surprising is how many “serious” films were X-rated. As per Wiki:

    * The 1968 film Greetings, directed by Brian De Palma, and starring Robert De Niro in his first film role, was the first film to receive an “X” rating in the United States. It has since been re-rated “R”.

    * Midnight Cowboy (1969) is the only X-rated film ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. At the time the X-rating did not have the stigma it later took on. Midnight Cowboy has also been deemed “culturally significant” by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Due to a degree of relaxation in attitudes regarding sex in film, the (unchanged) film was re-rated “R” in the 1970s.

    * I Drink Your Blood (1970) was the first film to receive an X-rating based on violence alone as well as for some nudity. It took a lot of editing to get it back down to an “R.” At the invitation of the film’s producer Jerry Gross, this work was done by projectionists across the United States.

    * A Clockwork Orange (1971) originally received an “X” rating from the MPAA for its sexual content. Today, many critics recognize it as one of Stanley Kubrick’s most important films. The uncut version of the film has been released on DVD with an “R” rating.

    * Ralph Bakshi’s Fritz the Cat, released in 1972, was the first animated film to receive an “X” rating in the US, promoted with the tagline “He’s X Rated and Animated!” The material in the film itself wasn’t pornographic, and the film was later released unrated on VHS and DVD.

    * In 1973, Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein became the first 3-D movie to be officially rated “X” for its extreme violence and sexuality.

    * 1974’s The Street Fighter, starring Sonny Chiba, was the first film to receive an “X” rating for violence in the US.

    * 1900 (1976) was originally rated “X” and had over an hour of footage cut for an R-rating before its US release in 1977. The uncut version was released on VHS in 1993 with an “NC-17” rating. In 2006, Paramount Pictures surrendered the NC-17 rating for the uncut version and released it on DVD.

    * Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes (1977) was given an X-rating. Several of the most violent/graphic moments were edited out to get an “R” rating. The uncut version is now available on all US DVD releases.

    * 1980’s “Friday the 13th” and its sequels (except the 4th installment) were all cut for violence to get an “R” rating. Uncut editions can be found only in certain countries, while all known US releases currently contain the theatrical cuts.

    * My Bloody Valentine (1981) infamously had 9 minutes cut for an “R” because of the gore.

    * Scarface (1983) was given an “X” rating 3 times (original, 2nd, and 3rd cuts) for extreme violence and graphic language. Director Brian De Palma pulled in a panel of experts, including real narcotics officers, stating that the film was an accurate portrayal of the real-life drug underworld and should be widely seen. This convinced the 20 members of the ratings board to give the 3rd cut an “R” rating by a vote of 18 to 2. However, De Palma surmised that if the 3rd cut was judged an “R” then the original cut should have been rated “R” as well. He asked the studio if he could release the original cut, but was told that he couldn’t. However, since the studio executives really didn’t know the differences between the three submitted cuts, DePalma released the unedited and intended version of the film to theaters anyway.

    * The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), was intended for an “R”, but given an “X” for graphic violence, prompting the filmmakers to release it as “Unrated.”

    * RoboCop (1987) was originally given an “X” rating by the MPAA for scenes of “excessive violence.” To satisfy the requirements of the ratings board, director Paul Verhoeven trimmed blood and gore from the most violent scenes for an “R” rating. The unrated version is available on the Criterion laserdisc and DVD releases (both now out of print) and the RoboCop Trilogy boxset.

    * Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990) was originally rated “X” for its brutal, gory violence. 5 minutes of the film was cut for an “R” rating. The unrated version is now available alongside the R-rated version on DVD.

    * In 1990, the ultraviolent cult thriller King of New York received an “X” rating for graphic violence and crude language. It was edited and appealed to “R”. Shortly after it was released, the “NC-17” rating was introduced.

    * Total Recall (1990) was given an “X” rating for excessive violence. Some violence was trimmed and different camera angles were used in some of the more over-the-top scenes for an “R” rating.

  • sardu

    Let’s not forget that Troma masterpiece, Bloodsucking Freaks. The MPAA basically said there was NO way to ever cut the film to an “R” rating. Lloyd Kaufman simply copied an R from a newspaper ad, put it on the film and sent it out. When the ruse was discovered (by a woman that brought her pre-teen son to the film” Troma was sued for copyright infringement for using the letter without permission.