Dusty B

While I was crazed with moving and looking for work, it seems as though Lionsgate released a couple of DVDs with absolutely zero fanfare for the community. Obviously, they underestimated these discs' worth as collectors are working themselves rabid trying to find them. The reason these are so desired is that they contain many films that have never been released here in the States, previously you would have had to import them from other countries, or on the disc for the first time ever. And some of them are sequels that are needed to keep OCD collectors (like me) breathing happy when looking at their shelves.

The trick, apparently, is to keep checking your local Walmart's $5 dump bins, with a few cases of them actually being placed on a shelf. However, since so little stores actually have them at this point, scalpers are taking advantage by taking a $5 item and selling them on ebay for anywhere between $30 and $70. I'd recommend just biding your time and keep checking. It's probably just a matter of some stores releasing stuff before street date, but we would know that if Lionsgate actually had an idea of what they had on their hands and had filled us in on their plans.

Keep in mind, special features for any of these, if they existed, have pretty much been stripped bare.

On the first 6 film set (why one has six films and the other has eight, we'll never know and just add it to this how confounding mystery), we have:
Blood Diner- On disc for the first time, even if it pretty much means Lionsgate's cancelled the solo release Red Shirt Pictures had already started creating special features for. Word is that it's anamorphic and looks great.
Parents- A wonderfully underrated dark comedy, in widescreen.
Earth Girls Are Easy- Kind of out of place on either disc, but it's fun and in widescreen.
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat- A fun movie that for some reason is in fullscreen (the only one like that on this disc) even though the big single release with the special features by Red Shirt Pictures was in widescreen, meaning they had to go out of their way to slap a fullscreen copy on this. Fucking baffling. I'd suggest just picking up the single release if you like it.
Fido- One of the only unique zombie movies released in the last ten years. Sounds like it's the same transfer as the single release.
Boy Eats Girl- I don't know. I haven't heard good things but who knows?

On the 8 disc set, we have:
Waxwork- In fullscreen, but it is the uncut version even though the back of the box is labeled R.
976-Evil 2- On disc for the first time, even though it's fullscreen, much like how Sony screwed up the first film's disc.
Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go To College- On disc for the first time in the States. Supposedly, it looks great even if it's fullscreen, which means it must look better than the German copy I ordered years ago which was a straight VHS rip.
The Unholy- On disc for the first time and is one of the only widescreen movies on this set.
C.H.U.D. 2- For the first time domestically and is the only other movie in widescreen, already better than the R2 I imported.
Chopping Mall- Fullscreen and missing the commentary from the previous release, but still a fun movie.
Slaughter High- Pretty much the same as Lionsgate low-end release from a few years ago.
Class of 1999- Fullscreen when its solo disc was wide. You can make the call.

In addition, there seems to be another set out there containing
Night of the Living Dead 3-D
Return of the Living Dead 3
Return of the Living Dead 4
Return of the Living Dead 5
Bride of Re-Animator
Beyond Re-Animator
which the big questions on that set are whether the Bride of Re-Animator and Return of the Living Dead 3 copies are the uncut versions. Still no word.

There's also this set which no one seems to give a shit about:



Just goes to show you that even though we're supposedly on the brink of destruction as far as physical media is concerned, there's still some surprises out there, even if the decisions behind them are frustrating as all hell. I would like Lionsgate to continue things like this so that we can get some new titles either back in print or on disc for the first time ever. It'd be nice if they re-released Fright Night 2 since I just had to sell mine for $70 and definitely do not feel like paying that much to get it back.