The DVD of the week is Russ Meyers’ masterpiece Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! The disc costs a hunk of coin, with the list price being $40, but no B-movie fan should miss this one.
Next is Bo Derek’s ludicrous softcore epic Bolero, co-starring George Kennedy (!) and directed, of course, by Derek’s then husband, John Derek. The film finds a virginal Bo (that’s right) seeking to help heal her bullfighter boyfriend, who’s been gored in, er, an inconvenient spot.
This week’s Misty Mundae softcore release is Bikini Girls on Dinosaur Island. The film is apparently short enough for the disc to require an ‘extra’ film, Bikini Goddesses.
In what seems to be a theme in the making, Carmen Electra returns with Carmen Electra’s NWWL #2: Tag Team , the second volume of her new Nude Women Wrestlers League.
Meanwhile…geez, somebody’s feeling their oats this week. The Sylvia “Emmanuelle” Kristol of Lady Chatterly’s Lover is out courtesy of MGM, at their typical bargain price of about $10. Kristol’s Mata Hari is also out.
Anchor Bay seeks a bit more coin by packaging some previously released discs into cheap sets. Fright Pack: Camp Classics features Elvira, Mistress of the Dark; Sleepaway Camp; Transylvania 6-5000; Vamp; Return to Horror High and Return of the Killer Tomatoes (featuring a young George Clooney). Fright Pack: Devil Made Me Do It collects The Antichrist, Fear No Evil, Hell Night, To the Devil a Daughter, The Church and Curse of the Devil. Both sets can be found on the web for $21-$25.
Just Before Dawn is a ‘classic’ ’80s slasher flick, i.e., it’s well regarded by fans of the breed. The disc is the work of Media Blasters, so it’s probably a good package. Like Bolero, this stars George Kennedy.
Prison A Go-Go is one of those Troma camp-on-purpose deals, which seldom work. This one features Roger Corman (in an acting part). Rhonda Shear and Mary Woronov, however.
The recently mentioned DTV sci-fi killer shark movie Raging Sharks is out today, starring Corey Nemec and Corbin Bernsen.
Then there’s the, you know, actually good stuff.
Gate of Flesh is the latest Criterion release, a Japanese flick about a gang of prostitutes seeking to survive in post-war Japan. I guess it’s theme week even at Criterion, because another release is Story of a Prostitute, another Japanese film.
The Errol Morris Collection features a set of Morris’ documentaries. The individual films—Gate of Heaven, The Thin Blue Line and Vernon, Florida are also available separately.
If you haven’t caught up with the Peter Sellers/Blake Edwards Pink Panther series, the various films are receiving a re-release tomorrow. Presumably this was originally meant to coincide with the theatrical premiere of the horrendous looking Steve Martin remake of the original film, which is now been dumped to a February 2006 release. The two best films in the series are A Shot in the Dark and The Pink Panther Strikes Again, but you might want to start with the first film, The Pink Panther. MGM is also releasing three discs of Pink Panther cartoons.
The second season of Star Trek: Enterprise (well, I liked it) is now out.
