Since we’re all still recovering from Comic-Con 2008, and tons of new home video details dropped at the Largest Nerd Gathering in the World, it’s time for RT on DVD: Geek Edition! Read on for more about Ghostbusters, Rambo, and Hulk vs. Wolverine news and get ready for a week packed with new releases like Doomsday, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and the long-awaited Dark City Director’s Cut!
The Real Ghostbusters DVD set is coming
Children of the ’80s, start saving your pennies — The Real Ghostbusters animated series is coming to DVD for the first time in its entirety, after the scattered releases of select episodes in the past few years. The 25-disc set will be available November 1 and will include all 147 re-mastered episodes, 12 hours of bonus material, the complete spin-off series Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters, a never-before seen pilot episode, commentary tracks, and more bits of trivia than you could fit in the Ecto-1. Click here for more information.
Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo Director’s Cut confirmed
It was a bit surprising when Rambo actor-writer-director Sylvester Stallone announced his desire to make a director’s cut of his 2008 sequel (also known as John Rambo) while promoting the film’s DVD release last May. (We will admit, we hardly saw the need for it, other than to allay those pesky rotten reviews.) Now it seems that director’s cut is indeed in the works, as producer Cliff Stephenson confirmed at a Comic-Con producer’s panel. “There’s a slightly different, slightly longer version of Rambo coming out next year,” said Stephenson. “It’s definitely more emotional, more effective and it’s Stallone’s favorite cut of the film.” To which we ask: will the Rambo Director’s Cut up the ante and increase the number of on-screen deaths per minute (tallied at 2.59 bodies per 60 seconds by the LA Times‘ John Mueller)?
(Also from the producer’s panel: expect Battlestar Galactica on Blu-Ray!)
Hulk Smash, Wolverine Slash…Hulk vs. Wolverine DVD previewed
It’s one of the ultimate geeky hypothetical what-ifs: who would win in a fight between Wolverine and The Hulk? (Yes, we know Wolverine was first introduced in a Hulk comic.) Fans saw the pair duke it out onscreen last weekend when Lionsgate and Marvel joined forces to present a preview of their 2009 DVD film, Hulk vs. Wolverine, a 40-minute animated release pitting the two Marvel Universe characters against each other. (Another Hulk vs. film will see him fighting Thor.) According to IGN DVD editor Christopher Monfette, well-staged fight action and cameos by familiar faces will please fans…peep some of said action in Marvel’s teaser trailer below.
Click for this week’s new releases!
Tomatometer: 48%
Writer-director Neil Marshall goes all Mad Max on Hollywood with his third feature film (after the well-received horror flicks Dog Soldiers and The Descent), in which a team of specialists infiltrate a Scotland that’s been quarantined off for 30 years, where inside survivors have devolved into a race of lawless, tribal cannibals. Marshall based Rhona Mitra‘s tough chick agent Eden Sinclair on such bad-ass heroes as Snake Plisskin, but does his reverent homage to sci-fi action flicks rival the classics from whence Doomsday was borne?
Bonus Features:
While the movie itself may be distractingly derivative, it’s the high-octane, post-apocalyptic action that we’re after. Especially if you watch Doomsday on Blu-Ray. It’s Universal’s very first release in the HD format after joining the Blu-ray camp, and though the Picture-in-Picture Blu-ray feature allows for learning fun tidbits while watching the film, there are only a handful of mildly entertaining bonus features.
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Tomatometer: 54%
When Tomatometer ratings are high, a movie is most likely good; when they’re in the teens, it’s most likely Razzie-worthy. But in some cases, a Tomatometer in the 50s denotes a film that split critics. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is such a film. You probably already know if you’ll like this sequel about stoner BFFs Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn); the bigger question to ask yourself about renting this on DVD is, “What Would NPH Do?”
Bonus Features:
Where Harold and Kumar are concerned, one must go Unrated. The H & K faithful should definitely pick up the Unrated 2-Disc release, which includes the Choose Your Own Adventure-like “Dude, Change the Movie!” feature; choose alternate plotlines for the boys and see a whole new movie unveil at your fingertips, using specially shot extra footage. What if Kumar didn’t bring a bong onto the plane? Forget bottomless parties — go with a topless party instead! The pot-ibilities are endless.
Tomatometer: 25%
Like a Kickboxer for the Facebook generation, Never Back Down tackles an up-and-coming sport phenomenon: Mixed Martial Arts. Unfortunately, star Sean Faris is no Jean-Claude Van Damme (but then, who is?) and director Jeff Wadlow’s “underground high school fight club” flick comes off as a cheesy, aggressive version of The Karate Kid, with Djimon Honsou as Faris’ Mr. Miyagi. Wax off, readers.
Bonus Features:
Summit Entertainment is releasing a 2-Disc Unrated and Extended “Beat Down” edition, and considering Never Back Down‘s triumphant “Best Fight” win at the MTV Movie Awards, perhaps that’s what some of you want. Others should just rent the single-disc DVD.
Tomatometer: N/A
The Coreys are back! Both Corey Feldman and Corey Haim make appearances (though Haim’s part was reportedly cut out of the final edit) in the long-awaited, but not necessarily asked-for, sequel to 1987’s cult vampire flick. Feldman reprises his role as Edgar Frog, now a seasoned vampire hunter who comes to the aid of a teenager and his bloodsucker sister in this direct-to-video release. (And in a bizarre MPAA ruling, Lost Boys: The Tribe is rated R for “strong vampire violence.”)
We’re bringing you two exclusive clips from Lost Boys: The Tribe…click here to watch the sinister beach bum vamps and Edgar Frog’s triumphant return to the screen!
Bonus Features:
Lost Boys: The Tribe comes in three versions: Standard, Uncut, and Blu-ray Uncut. Each version also has the same Corey-tastic extras, including Alternate Endings with the Frog Brothers, Edgar Frog’s Guide to Coming Back Alive, a behind-the-scenes featurette and music videos.
Tomatometer: N/A
While we’re on the subject of direct-to-DVD resuscitations of 80’s franchises we all thought were long gone, there’s a new WarGames flick out — and before you ask, no, Matthew Broderick is not pulling a Corey Feldman and won’t appear in this sequel. Hunky Matt Lanter stars as a computer whiz kid who accidentally hacks into a government defense computer and…well, you pretty much know the story already. Fun throwback trivia: Director Stuart Gillard started out as a writer for The Sonny and Cher Show, helmed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III and one of the best episodes of The Road to Avonlea (“How Kissing Was Discovered”).
Bonus Features:
A retrospective look at the original WarGames film might have made an interesting feature, but the sequel’s creators keep it short and simple with only a photo gallery, a making-of featurette, and commentary with star Lanter and director Gillard.
Tomatometer: 86%
Between 2006’s Oscar-winning The Departed and his upcoming fall thriller Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese found time to make a critically-acclaimed rock documentary about go-to soundtrack contributors The Rolling Stones. (Believe it or not, you won’t hear “Gimme Shelter” in this Scorsese flick.) Incredibly, Scorsese got a slate of filmmaking rock stars of his own to help out behind the camera, nabbing Oscar-winning cinematographers Robert Richardson (The Aviator), Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood), Andrew Lesnie (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), and John Toll (Legends of the Fall), Oscar-nominee Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men), and other award-winning lensers to capture footage for the film.
Bonus Features:
Look for special appearances by Christina Aguilera, Jack White, Buddy Guy, former President Bill Clinton and former Presidential Democratic party primary candidate Hillary Clinton, documented further in a making-of documentary. Four additional songs accompany the release.
Tomatometer: 98%
Eran Kolirin’s fish-out-of-water tale garnered incredible reviews and was a front-runner for Best Foreign Oscar last year when a controversial Academy ruling declared it ineligible; now’s your chance to see what the fuss was all about, as it makes its way to DVD.
Bonus Features:
There’s unfortunately not much in the way of extras beyond a photo gallery and making-of featurette. Still, cinephiles and Oscar-hounds should find it an interesting watch, if only to decide once if it could have been a contender.
Tomatometer: N/A
With shades of noir, Metropolis, Blade Runner and the later-released Matrix series, Alex Proyas’ Dark City has earned cult status among the most popular science fiction films in recent memory. Ten years after its initial theatrical release, Dark City is finally getting the treatment it deserves — in a multilayered, extra-packed Director’s Cut that eliminates the film’s opening narration and adds never-before-seen footage.
Bonus Features:
At 15 minutes longer than the original version, Dark City The Director’s Cut is presented how writer-director Proyas intended and with enhanced picture and sound. Three new commentary tracks feature Proyas with a host of guests, including writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer and film critic Roger Ebert, recorded years ago in addition to his commentary on the theatrical DVD release. You’ll also find making-of documentaries introduced by Proyas, essays and Neil Gaiman’s review of Dark City. **Only the Blu-Ray release features both the Director’s Cut and the Theatrical Cut.**
Tomatometer: N/A
And finally, one more piece of revived cult cinema: Inglorious Bastards, the 1978 World War II cult movie about American soldiers on a suicide mission, is now available in a three-disc release presented by none other than Quentin Tarantino. QT, of course, is currently updating Enzo G. Castellari’s flick, with Brad Pitt and Leonardo di Caprio rumored to play the leads. Here he takes on the familiar role of curator, introducing a new generation of movie lovers to the rock ’em, sock’em, shoot ’em up war movie starring ’70s icons Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson.
Bonus Features:
Severin Films has put together a three-disc celebration of Inglorious Bastards that includes a a remastered cut, a retrospective reunion with Castellari, Williamson, Svenson, and more cast and crew members, Tarantino and Castellari in conversation, a tour of the shooting locations, trailers, audio commentary by Castellari, and a previously unreleased bonus soundtrack CD.
‘Til next week, happy viewing!
