THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS:
HOUSE OF WAX 3D
1953; $28.98-$35.98; UR
Finally available on Blu-ray 3-D, the best 3-D horror flick ever made — and the best movie ever made by a one-eyed director! (Think about it.) A tremendous hit when released in 1953, it made a horror icon out of Vincent Price and was the inspiration for SCTV’s outrageous “Dr. Tongue’s 3-D House of Slave Chicks” bit back in the ’70s. Co-stars young Carolyn Jones as a hot Joan of Arc, lovely Phyllis Kirk as Price’s would-be candlestick and Charles Bronson as the mute brute. An absolute must-own even if you don’t have a 3-D player: a clear, brilliant 1080p conversion with tons of new bonus goodies, plus a copy of the 1933 b&w Fay Wray original. Duck! Here comes the flying paddleball! Whack! Woosh! Eeyah!
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR TRILOGY
2013; $59.98-$69.98; R
A long-overdue Blu-ray set of the original “Amityville” flicks, including a first-ever full 3-D release of, uh, “Amityville 3-D.” The 1979 original was a worldwide phenomenon that so scared the crap out of audiences that stars James Brolin and Margot Kidder had difficulty finding work afterward. The 1982 sequel, “Amityville II: The Possession,” starred Burt “Rocky” Young and had much the same formula but picked up tricks from both “The Exorcist” and “Evil Dead.” The next year, “3-D” had lots of in-your-face fun with a team of investigators poking the demon in the basement, and a cast that included Lori Loughlin (“Full House”) and Meg Ryan. Beautiful prints and great features make this a Halloween must.
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CHINA BEACH: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE
1988; $22.95; UR
Finally available in local vidstores, “China Beach” was long delayed due to copyright battles over the awesome ’50s-’70s soundtrack that drove every episode. Dana Delany, Nan Woods, Chloe Webb, Marg Helgenberger and Michael Boatman offer a distaff look at the Vietnam war from inside the “Five and Dime”: the 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R Center. Simply put: One of the finest shows ever to grace the tube. This three-disc set includes the two-hour pilot, all six 1988 episodes, a new featurette on the inspiration for the show, and a host of truly entertaining extras including the 25-year cast reunion. Buy two.
FRIGHT NIGHT 2: NEW BLOOD
2013; $14.98-$29.98; UR
A fun, low-rent follow-up to the “Fright Night” reboot, with Jaime Murray as a sexy professor who (literally) moonlights as a vampire. This comes to light when a group of American high-schoolers studying in Romania (don’t ask) gets attacked, sending Will Payne and Chris Waller on the hunt, knowing the demon’s ultimate target is Will’s virginal ex-girlfriend, blonde knockout Sacha Parkinson. Lively, energetic and simple-minded — it’s the perfect date!
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
1953; $14.98-$19.98; UR
The word “classic” doesn’t do justice to this legendary film, now available on Blu-ray. Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra are soldiers battling authority and personal demons in Hawaii while oh-so-wholesome Donna Reed does naughty business in a bawdy house, and Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr enjoy a steamy illicit affair — which includes that oft-seen shot of two lovers rolling in a beach embrace as the tide washes them away. None of them know that the Japanese are about to attack Pearl Harbor. Winner of eight Oscars including Best Picture and Director.
JACK IRISH: SET 1
2012; $27.98-$39.98; UR
Wow! Guy Pierce (who we usually avoid) is awesome as the titular Australian former attorney who now inhabits the urine-soaked backstreets of Melbourne in these two blistering TV movies based on the books of Peter Temple. In “Bad Debts,” he loses his wife to his own incompetence, diving into the forgetfulness of drink until a chance at redemption appears in the form of a murdered ex-client. The second is “Black Tide,” which draws him into the unknown world of his father after a family friend’s son goes missing. Both are dark, powerful, very real and very intense; our highest recommendation.
NEW GIRL: SEASON TWO
2013; $24.98-$39.98; UR
Let’s just say it: Zooey Deschanel is damn hot. We know, that’s not PC, but whachagonnado? Season 2 finds her and Jake Johnson’s goofy relationship getting progressively closer, though something always keeps them from bumping uglies — until Episode 23! That’s the infamous “Virgins” episode where everyone tells how they lost their cherry; one of the funniest, sexiest things we ever saw on broadcast TV — and there’s a longer, more explicit for-DVD-only cut in this video release. Otherwise, the rest of the cast treads water while CeCe deals with a prearranged marriage back home; Schmidt and Winston largely run comic interference.
THE CROODS
2013; $19.98-$48.98; PG
This Dreamworks animated tale of caveman life works by sticking to a simple formula: Any gag worth doing once is worth doing again. And again and again until you can hear it coming — which just keeps getting funnier! Nick “No Talent” Cage voices the father, who must take his family on a scary trek when their comfy cave gets repossessed by Mother Nature. Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds and Catherine Keener are all terrific as the wife and kids, but it’s Cloris Leachman’s continual “I’m not dead yet!” that’ll have you peeing your pants. Lots of fun and funny insights into the human experience. Don’t miss it.
THIS IS THE END
2013; $19.98-$40.98; R
Six drinking buddies — James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig “The Office” Robinson and Danny “Eastbound & Down” McBride — portray their own whiny, pissy little status-hungry actor selves, bound together by fate when the Armageddon reaches L.A. in this screwy comedy. Wonderfully crude, filled with wanker jokes, drug overloads, serious discussions on cannibalism, and that feeling you get when you’re in a tightly crowded elevator and you really have to fart. Lots of great cameos, spectacular special effects and an off-the-wall musical number. Wonderful.
A more complete listing and your last chance to win a set of “Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Complete Collection” at videotapeworm.com.