THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS:
LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH
1971; DVD $14.95, UR
A classic from the drive-in days, nicely spiffed up for DVD. This creepy little gem plops Zohra Lampert (freshly hatched from the booby-bin) and her aging hippy friends in an idyllic country farmhouse with all the usual amenities — like talking wallpaper and guitar-strummin’ reincarnated vampire chicks on the porch-swing! Is it all in her head? Are they all just a bunch of heads? Could this movie have been made in any year but 1971? With Kevin O’Conner, Mar-Claire Costello and a bunch of nasty old people.
TRILOGY OF TERROR
1975; DVD $19.98, UR
Director Dan “Dark Shadows” Curtis and fantasy writers Richard Matheson and William F. Nolan created these three scary tales for actress Karen Black. The most memorable is “He Who Kills,” where Karen is terrorized by a small African fetish doll. Possibly the scariest thing ever made for American TV; a must-own and now in a nicely restored and fleshed-out Special Edition.
JOAN RIVERS (STILL A)LIVE AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM (ALLEGEDLY)
2006; DVD $19.95, UR
As bizarre as it seems, Joan Rivers is actually FUNNY in this, her First Annual Farewell Tour filmed October 2005. Hey, we wouldn’t have believed us either, but there it is.
APOLLO 13: JOURNEY TO THE MOON AND MARS
2005; DVD $35, UR
A three-disc set from NOVA’s Apollo 13 series: “To the Edge and Back,” “To the Moon” and “Mars: Dead or Alive.”
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: SEASON THREE
2005; DVD $29.95, UR
The final 13 episodes with bloopers and behind-the-scene hijinx of Fox’s unique — and occasionally damned-funny — sitcom that was a darling of the critics but never garnered enough audience to keep it afloat.
COLOSSAL SENSATION
2004; DVD $29.95, UR
Twin brothers/circus clowns wind up insulting the Communist Party after a gag goes bad in 1950s Hungary, landing one of them in the gulag. The other accidentally sets in motion the 1956 Budapest revolution, and in the ensuing chaos attempts to free his brother with the help of a sexy hitchhiker. Oh, those wacky Hungarians! Subtitled.
DARKWING DUCK: VOLUME 1
2006; DVD $34.95, UR
We are BIG fans of this lively Disney cartoon series that encourages kids to join the overenthusiastic daddy/supersleuth when he says, “Let’s get DANGEROUS” ... only to need his tweeny daughter rescue him. Man, we need to get lives.
GEORGE CARLIN: JAMMIN’ IN NEW YORK
1993; DVD $19.98, UR
One of George’s very best, this was filmed in several venues over the course of a year. He’s at his funniest when he’s angry, and he’s seriously P.O.’ed here. About what? Check it out for yourself.
HOT TAMALE
2006; DVD $26.95, R
Silly indie flick with a great cast about a young man driving from Wyoming to L.A. and all the wackos, nut-jobs and salsa bands he meets along the way. Stars Randy Spelling; with Diora Baird, Carmen Electra, Jason Priestley and James “Rosco P. Coltrane” Best .
LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
2006; DVD $27.95, PG-13
Albert Brooks has made some funny movies, though we have to admit that they’re an acquired taste. This one, however, is a perfect bull’s-eye: The United States sends Albert to India and Pakistan to find out what the more than 300 million Muslims in the region find funny. It’s an eye-opening experiment, to say the least.
LORD OF THE RINGS LIMITED EDITION
2006; DVD $86.95, UR
The entire Peter Jackson three-movie boxed set containing both the theatrical and extended versions of each. Nice price.
PRETTY IN PINK: EVERYTHING’S DUCKIE EDITION
1986; DVD $14.95, PG-13
This perfect Molly Ringwald/Harry Dean Stanton standard for ’80s high-school angst gets the full Special Edition treatment including a cleaned-up version of the film, commentaries, a half-dozen featurettes, alternate endings and all the other things that studios pile on. Written by John Hughes, it made a star of Ringwald and jump-started the careers of Jon Cryer (as Duckie), Annie Potts, James Spader, Andrew McCarthy, Andrew Dice Clay and Gina Gershon. As good as we remembered after all these years.
TAKE THE LEAD
2006; DVD $28.95, PG-13
Wonderful Antonio Banderas vehicle inspired by a true story. A famous ballroom dancer volunteers to help out in NYC schools, changing the lives of otherwise-lost inner-city kids by boosting their self-esteem through dance. Hokey? Boy Howdy! But a lot of fun.
THE BEST OF MR. BEAN
2005; DVD $14.95, UR
Five episodes plus “The Story of Bean” documentary.
THE SENTINEL
2005; DVD $29.95, PG-13
A better-than-average conspiracy actioner that didn’t get much time at the box office. Senior Secret Service agent Michael Douglas is accused of acting against America by Kiefer Sutherland, who essentially does his character from “24.” With Eva Longoria and Kim Basinger as eye-candy.
WASHINGTON THE WARRIOR
2006; DVD $24.95, UR
What do you know about our first president other than he’s on the dollar bill and had wooden teeth? This exciting doc shows that GW was a major player who lived a life of excitement bordering on the unbelievable. Warrior, statesman, babe-magnet, millionaire, a likeable yet savage man of action and daring who saw America as the only hope against global tyranny. A great look at an amazing guy.
WAYANS FAMILY PRESENTS: THUGABOO SNEAKER MADNESS
2006; DVD $19.95, UR
The Wayans Bros. dip into Cosby territory, updating his Fat Albert series in this feel-good animated special for Nickelodeon. D-Roc, DJ, Soo Young and other dim-bulb pseudonyms make up the Thugaboo Crew, a bunch of punk-assed street kids who think they know it all until they learn a lesson about self-respect and how important it is to have a sense of humor.
OTHER DVDS OF INTEREST
BAGHDAD ER
2006; DVD $24.95, UR
FLAVOR OF LOVE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
2006; DVD $39.95, UR
NIP/TUCK: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON
2006; DVD $59.95, UR
ROSEANNE: HALLOWEEN EDITION
2006; DVD $14.95, UR
SURVIVOR PALAU — THE COMPLETE SEASON
2000; DVD $49.95, UR
THE TICK: SEASON ONE
1994; DVD $34.95, UR
A more complete listing and free vids at www.videotapeworm.com!
