2008: The Digital Rummage

[Brian Thibodeau]

I wouldn't be surprised if Roth admited to be inspired by "Black Christmas," "Communion," "Halloween," "Friday the 13th," "Prom Night," "My Bloody Valentine," "The Prowler," "The Slumber Party Massacre," "Silent Night, Deadly Night," "April Fool's Day" and dozens of others.

SILENT NIGHT, PROM NIGHT, BLOODY VALENTINE and PROWLER for sure, with a little SLUMBER PARTY frosting. The rest, quality-wise and minus the spoofery of APRIL FOOL'S, were probably a bit above where Roth was aiming with his spoof. THANKSGIVING, had it been made circa 1980, would be precisely the kind of cash-in movie that rode on the coattails of firsties like HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13TH and BLACK CHRISTMAS without blazing any new trails of it's own. But there's no doubt Roth has seen 'em all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02n0koHeQZw

Personally, my fave of the fake trailers was MACHETE
"But they soon realize . . . they just fucked with the wrong Mexican."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_fcuOxAYF8

Same Youtube user has uploaded all four trailers from the Japanese disc. Cool.

[Mike Thomason]

All this talk of old eighties horror films instigated me to dig out FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5: A NEW BEGINNING and watch it today. Funny how nostalgia can sometimes paint a "rose-coloured" memory of some films, isn't it? As a teenager, the film seemed a fun, gory timewaster -- as a forty year old, the film is a poor scripted and acted relic of yesteryear. It's obviously slight on plot as the film is pretty much just an excuse to cram as many creative screen deaths into its running time as was then possible and the majority of characters are so poorly fleshed out as to just end up being amorphous machete-fodder. I think I'm over-stretching my levels of endurance going on a nostalgia bent like this...

[Brian Thibodeau]

Funny how nostalgia can sometimes paint a "rose-coloured" memory of some films, isn't it? . . . . . . I think I'm over-stretching my levels of endurance going on a nostalgia bent like this...

I gotta hand it to you with your "bents". While my tastes run to a whole lot of everything from everywhere, I've yet to be able to plow through a certain genre or filmmaker on a steady basis the way you seem to! Kudos . . . I think? Perhaps we just get less satisfaction out of repeat viewings as we get older? Or maybe these films really weren't that good to begin with! Sometimes I think it's not the memory that's rose-coloured so much as the original experience itself, instantaneously when we had it! Perhaps we were just to young then to realize it at the time! I know I sure get that feeling when I read reviews of contemporary movies, at places like IMDB or Amazon or what have you, that I just know are written by people under 25 years old. Not a lot of context there sometimes!

I suddenly remember going to see FRIDAY THE 13 VIII in the theatre with a couple of friends based almost entirely on an amusing early trailer that started off, if I recall correctly, with a panoramic fly-in to (or pan across?) the nighttime New York City skyline accompanied by a big orchestra version of the song "New York, New York" and then the camera stopped on Jason with a machete in his hand before cutting to a tagline of some kind. At that point I hadn't seen PARTS 5, 6, or 7 as I'd seen enough through PART 4 (I did catch them all a few years later just so I could say that I did!). It really seemed like PART 8 might be something a little smarter, a little more self-referential along the lines of that trailer, but no dice. I'm not even sure how much of it was actually shot in New York and the humour, as always, was largely of the unintentional variety (such as the acting that Mike notes)! I really should've known the slasher genre wasn't ready yet for a dose of mild wit. It wasn't until FREDDY VS. JASON before they figured out it could work, but by then it seemed like some of the steam had been taken away by other films that took the same approach to genre.

So will PART V soon be making an exit stage right from Casa Thomason?

[Mike Thomason]

So will PART V soon be making an exit stage right from Casa Thomason?

Nah, I'm funny like that. Even if the movie doesn't turn out especially memorable, or is a bit of a dud, or proves bland enough for a one-off viewing, they all seem to just stay here! I figure if I wanted to see something enough to spend money on it then it's somehow worth keeping whether it's good or bad.

Plus, if I got rid of Part 5 that'd leave a gap between Part 4 and Part 6...

[Brian Thibodeau]

Plus, if I got rid of Part 5 that'd leave a gap between Part 4 and Part 6...

True . . . plus that could frustrate your son when he's finally old enough to watch them.

[Mike Thomason]

I gotta hand it to you with your "bents". While my tastes run to a whole lot of everything from everywhere, I've yet to be able to plow through a certain genre or filmmaker on a steady basis the way you seem to! Kudos . . . I think?

Btw, thanks for that! I think that yes, it is a rare trait to be able to go off on the tangents I do in relation to my viewing habits. I too like a lot of different things from a lot of different places and genres -- but every once in a while I get stuck on a small "bender" (like the Jess Franco one that kicked my year off -- then the Lucio Fulci one -- then the mainstream American movies -- and now back to new Korean and old Shaw Brothers films). Thankfully, though it's taken a while, my wife understands my interests and occasional flights of fancy, so all is cool. Doesn't make her like Jess Franco films any more though...

As for our boy...I'm sure we'll be teaching him the right thing; ie: naked people and sex are not bad things, but killing people and glorifying violence is. I've watched a lot of dross because I've grown up in a certain era -- but now that I'm a bit older I'd much rather watch something a bit cheeky than something a bit splattery. Genre fans are usually such an asexual (or sexually immature) bunch. I think there's a lot less harm done from watching people make sweet love* than blasting heads off and ripping brains out in graphic detail, but that's just me. As many of my friends have said...I am going to make for a rather cruisy, and wacky, parent.

* not of the X-rated variety though, as pr0n has never done anything for me and probably never will. Like most filmed entertainment I watch, sometimes it's better to leave some things to the imagination...

[Chungking_Cash]

SILENT NIGHT, PROM NIGHT, BLOODY VALENTINE and PROWLER for sure, with a little SLUMBER PARTY frosting.

I don't know, Brian. I just revisited some of the trailers (many of which I haven't seen in decades) and am of the presumption "Thanksgiving" is a confection comprised from the likes of "My Bloody Valentine," "The Prowler," and "The Slumber Party Massacre" with "Silent Night, Deadly Night" and "Prom Night" spread on top.

The rest, quality-wise and minus the spoofery of APRIL FOOL'S, were probably a bit above where Roth was aiming with his spoof. THANKSGIVING, had it been made circa 1980, would be precisely the kind of cash-in movie that rode on the coattails of firsties like HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13TH and BLACK CHRISTMAS without blazing any new trails of it's own. But there's no doubt Roth has seen 'em all.

Absolutely, in retrospect I am guilty of largely naming slasher flicks of that particular period whose campy titles coupled with equally tongue-in-cheek taglines were built on or around holidays and events a la "Thanksgiving." I imagine this is why I listed "Communion" instead of its far more recognizable reissue title "Alice Sweet Alice."

Personally, my fave of the fake trailers was MACHETE
"But they soon realize . . . they just fucked with the wrong Mexican."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_fcuOxAYF8

Then you must be looking forward to the currently in-production film based on the trailer that will be marketed for video.

Same Youtube user has uploaded all four trailers from the Japanese disc. Cool.

Last I heard an all encompasing "Grindhouse" box set will hit store shelves in North America some time in 2008.

[Mike Thomason]

Good heavens! How banal was Edmong Pang's EXODUS?

[Brian Thibodeau]

Good heavens! How banal was Edmong Pang's EXODUS?

Not so banal that I didn't find enough to enjoy , but I'd definitely have to qualify that by saying I felt that it needed more refinement before he sent it out there, at the very least to make the tone a little more consistent. Personally, I love these kinds of films, but they don't seem to come out Hong Kong very often (or often enough). I absolutely believe there's a certain kind of intentional banality that Pang was aiming for (and which he tried to verbalize, via a rather awful translator, at the film fest screening here ), and pulled off in modest doses throughout, but I'll admit I came away with mixed (but generally positive) feelings from a screening where others in the audience clearly felt the same way, like it had more potential than Pang was capable of realizing. Oops, I think I'm turning this into a discussion for the "What have we been watching" thread!

[Brian Thibodeau]

April Purchases

The Fog: Unrated edition (US) (DVD)*
House of Wax (US) (DVD)*
Thirteen Ghosts (US) (DVD)*

* yes, these are all the remakes

I'd be curious to read your take on THE FOG someday (time permitting, of course ) I have a feeling the generally low response it garnered could mean an interesting EWS review in which some praises are sung. Or perhaps not!

Thought THIRTEEN GHOSTS and HOUSE OF WAX were rather good, though, as was their older sibling HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.

By the way, Mike, what company put out the DVD of OUTLAW BROTHERS? Might try to upgrade my VCD at some point.


A recent purchase:

THE GRACE LEE PROJECT (2006). Been hoping to get this for ages, and after a needlessly lengthy delay caused the distributor's website, it finally arrived. The company is a small one, which sadly means they send out their movies on DVD-Rs, which would worry me if I was a filmmaker with a film under their care, but I guess smaller docs like this don't exactly entice big studios!

[Mike Thomason]

I'd be curious to read your take on THE FOG someday (time permitting, of course ) I have a feeling the generally low response it garnered could mean an interesting EWS review in which some praises are sung. Or perhaps not!

Believe it or not, a review of THE FOG may be closer rather than farther away! It might actually be the first new review on EWS in some time (as I'm working on one of it). Suffice to say, I thought the remake sucked -- whether or not it had Carpenter's approval or not.

Thought THIRTEEN GHOSTS and HOUSE OF WAX were rather good, though, as was their older sibling HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.

These, however, as you said were rather good. Even if HOW is pretty much the original concept fed through the TEXAS CHAINSAW idiom by way of a high-budget rerun of TOURIST TRAP.

By the way, Mike, what company put out the DVD of OUTLAW BROTHERS? Might try to upgrade my VCD at some point.

It comes from Malaysia and is available on the AOE Worldwide label; they seem to sublicence titles from Media Asia and all of those that I've bought have been 16:9 anamorphic transfers (though not necessarily cleaned up at all -- but if you're widescreen compatible, they scrub up okay). The disc can be had from the below link...

http://eastern.com.my/dvd_search.asp?id=81064d

...I'm trialing the store out at present, so I'll let everyone know how I go. So far they've taken ages to action my order and shipping ended up costing double the cost of the discs themselves (but in Malaysian ringgit that pretty much means nothing). Not sure if the disc itself will be uncensored, but with the average Malaysian's attitudes towards our little animal friends I think the nasty scene with the chickens and machineguns might coast through intact...

[Brian Thibodeau]

Believe it or not, a review of THE FOG may be closer rather than farther away! It might actually be the first new review on EWS in some time (as I'm working on one of it). Suffice to say, I thought the remake sucked -- whether or not it had Carpenter's approval or not.

Gotta agree with you on this one, though I felt it wise not to influence expectations. It's been a while, but I seem to recall an interview with Carpenter (perhaps it's even on this disc??) where he claimed to be satisfied with the remake. He must have really needed the money . . . My biggest problem—among many—with the whole thing was the fact that the female lead was a reincarnation of the dead girl from the boat, but all the other people from the boat didn't reincarnate; they just came back as ghosts! Nice logic there.

These, however, as you said were rather good. Even if HOW is pretty much the original concept fed through the TEXAS CHAINSAW idiom by way of a high-budget rerun of TOURIST TRAP.

Good analogy. There's definitely too many worn-out templates being used by a lot of today's horror producers. Nonetheless, I thought it was rather clever that this particular HOUSE OF WAX was literally a house of wax! I thought GHOST SHIP was OK as well. I think the only Dark Castle film I haven't seen is GOTHIKA, but maybe some day . . .

It comes from Malaysia and is available on the AOE Worldwide label; they seem to sublicence titles from Media Asia and all of those that I've bought have been 16:9 anamorphic transfers (though not necessarily cleaned up at all -- but if you're widescreen compatible, they scrub up okay). The disc can be had from the below link...

http://eastern.com.my/dvd_search.asp?id=81064d

That explains why I had no luck finding it at the usual retail suspects! Perhaps I'll wait for your feedback on this one before taking the plunge. It's not a must at the moment, but if it turns out alright, perhaps I'll give that place a try.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Believe it or not, a review of THE FOG may be closer rather than farther away! It might actually be the first new review on EWS in some time (as I'm working on one of it). Suffice to say, I thought the remake sucked -- whether or not it had Carpenter's approval or not.

Gotta agree with you on this one, though I felt it wise not to influence expectations. It's been a while, but I seem to recall an interview with Carpenter (perhaps it's even on this disc??) where he claimed to be satisfied with the remake. He must have really needed the money . . . My biggest problem—among many—with the whole thing was the fact that the female lead was a reincarnation of the dead girl from the boat, but all the other people from the boat didn't reincarnate; they just came back as ghosts! Nice logic there.

I did not want to say anything either, but I did not enjoy the remake of The Fog. Yes, Carpenter in an interview on the Fog disc seems to have nice things to say about that film (unfortunately he looks more ghost like than much of the special effects).

Bought:
Enter the Phoenix (2004: Hong Kong)
The Mountain Patrol (2004: China) -- already watched.
Project A2 (1987: Hong Kong) -- already watched.

Ace in the Hole (1951) Criterion 396 -- already watched.
Last Man on Earth (1964)
Gladiator (2000) Extended Edition

and more Criterions

[Mike Thomason]

Progress report on Eastern Records...

It's been one week since I placed my order for the three discs. The day after I placed my order I received an email advising that shipping would be by express int'l post and that would cost me double the cost of the discs -- which I okayed as it's still pretty small cost all up for the order.

As of today, still no word -- no email advising shipping or anything similar -- and nothing apparently charged to my credit card (though an amount similar to the order's cost has appeared in my online balance, I think I can account for that elsewhere). Thus, I'd say if you're impatient or expect superlative customer service from an online retailer then you can safely surmise that ER might not be the most efficient of businesses.

Update 20/04: They finally charged through the cost of the order; let you know when the discs arrive.

If the discs magically appear in the next few working days, I'll post back and advise and as well as chime in with how the discs shape up.

[Mike Thomason]

The Malaysian R0 PAL DVD of TAXI HUNTER: Because Brian asked, here it is...


Oddly, the "trailer" is for Lawrence Cheng's film MURDER (1993) with Carol Cheng!









The disc is distributed by AOE Worldwide Sdn Bhd, and the title is sublicenced from Media Asia in Hong Kong (so blame them for supplying these guys with a fullscreen/pan & scan print). It can be had for RM12.90 from the below link...

http://eastern.com.my/dvd_search.asp?id=73802

...but just be aware that they may slug you up to three or four times the cost of the disc on its own for shipping, dependant on where you live in the world and, as noted, they aren't particularly fast in supply.

NB: I've only just received my copy, so I just took grabs from the beginning of each chapter to give a basic idea of how the disc looks (if that's a concern to some).

[Brian Thibodeau]

Thanks for posting those, though I think you might be mixing my inquiry up with someone else's, as I had inquired about OUTLAW BROTHERS! I'm curious to know if that one arrives fullscreen as well.

Still, as the owner of TAXI HUNTER on an old VCD only, I suppose even this disc would be somewhat of an improvement (despite the ugly menu screens). Wonder what the reasoning is behind going the pan & scan route? Does Media Asia charge higher fees for the widescreen versions?

Judging from your experience with shipping costs to someplace relatively nearby, I have a feeling getting something sent all the way to Canada might require me to sell my car . . .


.

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Needed some To:
Election (2005)
Triad Election (2006)
PTU (2003) -- Dragon Dynasty

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972) -- Image/Celestial

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Taste of Cherry (1997)

[Mike Thomason]

Thanks for posting those, though I think you might be mixing my inquiry up with someone else's, as I had inquired about OUTLAW BROTHERS! I'm curious to know if that one arrives fullscreen as well.

Whoops! Sorry...here you go...









As you can see, it's a kind of wacky 16:9 image and I'm not sure just how Media Asia went about creating this transfer. Common sense tells me that they took a fullscreen master and squashed it down to 16:9! The image is proportionate and balanced when you view the view the source before conversion from PowerDVD, so I'm guessing that's exactly what they did...

The top six images have been converted to their 16:9 ratio so you can see how they look when the disc plays -- the last image is the full 16:9 image unconverted, which, as you can see, is a fullscreen image and proportionate. If you've got a TV that can scale it back...

NB: If you've got a 4:3 TV and want it to playback correctly, just go into your DVD player's menu and set the image to 16:9 and it'll playback properly in its correct fullscreen ratio.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Some new stuff:

SPARKLE IN THE DARK
LINGER
YES I CAN SEE DEAD PEOPLE

and some old stuff

THE OCCUPANT (84) reissue
BOAT PEOPLE (1982)
LOST SOULS (89) reissue
SILENT LOVE (86) reissue
ONCE UPON A RAINBOW (82) reissue??

SAVIOUR (1980)
COPS & ROBBERS (1979)
CRAZY 17 (1985)

These last three are interesting. They're from a company called Pearl City, and the print quality is very bad. Grain, dirt, discoloration, burned in subs, cropped, the whole nine yards. I'm content with that, believe it or not, since I've always put being able to see these things first and foremost! (besides, there're other sites for pedantry like that). But what kinda bummed me out about Pearl City's was the discs I left on the shelves because they had no subtitles, including the two films that preceded CRAZY 17! I'll get those eventually, and decipher as I go along, but I gotta wonder if they couldn't have at least found subbed (English and Chinese) prints for all these releases.

Almost bought the more recent HONG KONG BRONX with Jordan Chan as well, but the store's only copy was loose in the case, so that one can wait.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

By the way Mike, thanks for the images from OUTLAW BROTHERS. Looks buyable enough by my low standards, but the shipping concerns have kinda put me off for now. Who knows, maybe it'll turn up on DVD in another region some day, maybe even the one it was made in!

[dleedlee]

These last three are interesting. They're from a company called Pearl City, and the print quality is very bad. Grain, dirt, discoloration, burned in subs, cropped, the whole nine yards. I'm content with that, believe it or not, since I've always put being able to see these things first and foremost! (besides, there're other sites for pedantry like that). But what kinda bummed me out about Pearl City's was the discs I left on the shelves because they had no subtitles, including the two films that preceded CRAZY 17! I'll get those eventually, and decipher as I go along, but I gotta wonder if they couldn't have at least found subbed (English and Chinese) prints for all these releases.

I'm guessing that they just ported over their old vcd catalog onto DVD. They did something similar a few years back with the early Bruce Lee films, the two Ten Brothers titles and the Torrent Trilogy Family/Spring/Autumn, the Buddha's Palm set and others. I never upgraded from the vcds but i recall hearing that the later DVD versions were similar to what you describe, i.e., no improvement.

On the other hand, Pearl City last year also released a huge number of Cheung Ying golden era titles on DVD that are simply treasures for b/w film fans like myself.

[Brian Thibodeau]

I'm guessing that they just ported over their old vcd catalog onto DVD. They did something similar a few years back with the early Bruce Lee films, the two Ten Brothers titles and the Torrent Trilogy Family/Spring/Autumn, the Buddha's Palm set and others. I never upgraded from the vcds but i recall hearing that the later DVD versions were similar to what you describe, i.e., no improvement.

That's too bad. But beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. There's actually a weird kind of charm to the quality of these prints. It really feels as if each film has been playing some Chinatown theatre circuit for a few years.


.

[Mike Thomason]

May Purchases

30 Days of Night (US) (DVD)
The Abandoned (Spain) (DVD)
An American Haunting: Unrated (US) (DVD)
Black Christmas: Unrated (US) (DVD)**
Borderland: Unrated Director's Cut (US) (DVD)
Dark Ride (US) (DVD)
Dead Silence: Unrated (US) (DVD)
The Descent: Unrated (UK) (DVD)
Fear Dot Dom (US) (DVD)
Feast: Unrated (US) (DVD)
Frontiere(s): Unrated (France) (DVD)
The Girl Next Door: Unrated (US) (DVD)*
The Hamiltons (US) (DVD)
Hannibal Rising: Unrated (US) (DVD)
Hard Candy (US) (DVD)
Haute Tension: Unrated (France) (DVD)
Hostel Part II: Unrated (US) (DVD)
Gravedancers (US) (DVD)
Inside: Unrated (France) (DVD)
Lake Dead: Unrated (US) (DVD)
Planet Terror: Unrated (US) (DVD)
Pulse: Unrated (US) (DVD)**
The Punisher (US) (DVD)**
The Return (US) (DVD)
Someone Behind You (South Korea) (DVD)
Surf's Up (US) (DVD)
Vacancy (US) (DVD)
Walking Tall (US) (DVD)**
Welcome to the Jungle (aka: The Rundown) (US) (DVD)
Wrong Turn (US) (DVD)

* this is the "teen" movie with Elisha Cuthbert, btw...
** remakes

[Brian Thibodeau]

As per every month -- build as I go...

Great. More backtracking ahead.


A few bargain VCDs I forgot in the previous post:

VENDETTA (owned previously, but broke one of the discs. )
THE NOBLES
KITCHEN
THE ISLAND
PARAMOUNT MOTEL

[Masterofoneinchpunch]

Recent acquisitions:

Flash Point (2007: HK): DD
The Myth (2007: HK)
Organized Crime & Triad Bureau (1994: HK)

If I haven't mentioned already:
Eclipse Series 10 - Silent Ozu

[cal42]

Just ordered:

Fatal Move (hope it's better than the generic action-movie title!)
Triangle
PTU

[Mike Thomason]

June Purchases

Below (US) (DVD)
Between Tears & Smiles (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Black Snake Moan (US) (DVD)
Blood Trails (Germany) (DVD)
Cabin Fever (US) (DVD)
Commando (Director's Cut) (US) (DVD)
Dagon (Spain) (DVD)
Deathwatch (UK) (DVD)
Disturbia (US) (DVD)
Cursed (Unrated) (US) (DVD)
Dark Water (US) (DVD)*
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Unrated) (US) (DVD)
Ghost Ship (US) (DVD)
Gothika (US) (DVD)
The Hills Have Eyes 2 (Unrated) (US) (DVD)
Love Without End (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Madhouse (US) (DVD)
The Messengers (US) (DVD)
The Nun (Spain) (DVD)
Pulse (Unrated) (US) (DVD)*
The Reaping (US) (DVD)
The Replacement Killers (US) (DVD)
Rise: Blood Hunter (Unrated) (US) (DVD)
Song of Orchid Island (Hong Kong) (DVD)
S.W.A.T. (US) (DVD)
Tamara (US) (DVD)
The Toolbox Murders (US) (DVD)*
Tropicana Interlude (Hong Kong) (DVD)
Undead (Australia) (DVD)
The Water Horse (UK) (DVD)

* remake-o-saurus

[Brian Thibodeau]

This month will be light for me -- I've handed in my notice at my present employer and am currently working flat-out to find a new job before my notice period is up.

Best of luck with that. I kind of envy people who get to this stage in a job (hope it's not an ugly situation for you). About two years back, I had been planning for months to give notice at my then-job, but hesitant because I had nothing in the pipeline. Suddenly one Monday I get laid off but with an unexpectedly comfortable severance based on years of service, company loyalty, blah blah blah, so I just didn't have the heart to tell them they could have saved a whole bunch of money if only they'd waited a while longer. Suckers!

Nothing much picked up lately outside of a few used 4/$20 DVDs from nearby rental stores, most of which (RENAISSANCE, HOT FUZZ, ROBOTS, a few others I can't remember) have just as quickly been sold off for about what I paid for them, more in a couple cases (not that they weren't good - they just didn't feel like "keepers"). I've been thinking of starting another thread listing all the DVDs I've been selling off lately and how much I've been getting for them (ebay, Newtownvideo.com and DVDplanet, pretty much in order of profitability), but I feared I might be the only one contributing! Looks like I reached the saturation point after ten years of this! Need to clean house a bit so I can attack the stacks of Hong Kong stuff with a clear mind, I suppose . . .

.

[ewaffle]

Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatso
On sale and by far the cheapest way to get the Phillip Glass scores in decent sound.

Gambling Ghost, Incredible Kung Fu Master, Mandarin Magtician, Burger Cop, Hidden Enforcers, Return of the Fat Dragon.
Since six came in a box that cost 11.97 (US), that I had seen a couple of them wasn't a problem.

Hard Candy

The Conformist (not sure when I got this)

Young Frankenstein
Big Trouble in Little China
Guys and Dolls
Airplane

[Brian Thibodeau]

Guys and Dolls

Hey! My absolute favourite musical of all time. Saw it four times on stage(including once at the Fox Theatre in your neck of the woods, Ed) and countless times on video and DVD. I've always been nuts for Runyon-esque dialogue. Just one of those kooky things, I guess. I saw the newer DVD in a used book shop the other day and was tempted: there's a really nice colour book that comes with it.

[cal42]

Nothing much picked up lately outside of a few used 4/$20 DVDs from nearby rental stores, most of which...HOT FUZZ... have just as quickly been sold off for about what I paid for them.

Oh, I LOVED that! I'll concede that the humour (little old ladies getting flying kicked, etc) is probably a little TOO English for it to travel, but I even thought the story was quite gripping for a comedy. Me and a friend even travelled to the city (believe it or not it IS a city) it was filmed in and visited the locations. Lovely place!