Lower Decks

Fall is nearly here and the season for the annual DVD deluge is upon us, the time when all the studios and independent DVD labels flood the market in eager anticipation of the approaching holiday season. If you’re like me, you limit your purchases throughout the year just so you’ll have the cash for the really good stuff come fall. If you’re like me, you’ll also have far more things you want to buy than money with which to buy them.

This week, the big news for fans of Daikaiju Eiga – or loosely translated, Giant Monster Cinema – is the long awaited arrival of Toho’s 1966 epic War of the Gargantuas, known originally in Japan as Furankenshutain no kaijû: Sanda tai Gaira (Frankenstein’s Monsters: Sanda vs. Gaira). Released on DVD for the very first time, it will be packaged as part of set along with another classic giant monster from Toho studios, 1956’s Rodan AKA Sora no daikaijû Radon (Radon, Monster from the Sky). Rodan saw release on DVD once before, but in a no frills budget release. Now, as they have done with the Godzilla films in their catalog, Classic Media has gone all out in providing tons of extras for both these films, as well as the American and original Japanese versions for both features. A definite must have for fans of Japanese monsters.

Monster fans may also find interest in the collector’s edition of Pumpkinhead, which finally has the film available in wide screen format, unlike the full screen version foisted off on the public a few years back. The late Stan Winston’s first feature-length directorial effort is often overlooked and categorized with lesser efforts and should be given a second chance by horror aficionados. Another horror flick worth a second look (depending on one’s tastes) is the Sam Neill film, Event Horizon. While not always living up to its potential, it does provide a nice spin on the dark, abandoned spaceship motif. On the WTF side of things comes the House of the Dead – Director’s Cut Funny Version. Odd, I thought the version of the film I saw in the theater was the Cut Funny Version or at least, the Cut Crappy version. Do we really need another version of this Uwe Boll crapfest? Western fans have new versions of both The Outlaw Josey Wales as well as How The West Was Won, the latter of which comes in two different special editions, while superhero fans have the seventh season of Smallville, which arrives on both DVD and Blue-Ray.

Note: this is not a comprehensive list of all DVD releases for September 9th, 2008. Rather, it reflects titles that may be more of interest to genre fans.

Animation
The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog – DiC’s Animated Christmas Blast
Alvin & the Chipmunks – Daytona Jones and the Pearl of Wisdom
Casper – The Spooktacular New Adventures, Volume 2
Legion of Super-Heroes – Volume 3
Spectacular Spider-Man, The – Attack Of The Lizard
Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, The – Season 1

TV
C.S.I.: Miami – The 6th Season
Grey’s Anatomy – The Complete 4th Season – Expanded Edition (DVD and Blue-Ray)
Gulliver’s Travels – (mini-series)
Haunting, A – Season 4
Medium – The Complete 4th Season
Smallville – The Complete 7th Season (DVD and Blue-Ray)

Film
The Big Lebowski (10th Anniversary Edition) 2-disc set
Child’s Play (Collector’s Edition)
Don’t Go In The House collection 3-disc set
Event Horizon (reissue) 2-disc set
The Forbidden Kingdom (Single-disc Edition)
The Forbidden Kingdom (Special Edition) 2-disc set
Fox Horror Classics volume 2
The Hills Have Eyes 2006/ The Hills Have Eyes II 2007 – 2-disc set
House of the Dead (Director’s Cut Funny Version)
How The West Was Won (Special Edition) 2-disc set
How The West Was Won (Ultimate Collector’s Edition) 2-disc set
The Outlaw Josey Wales (Reissue)
The Ring (Reissue)
Pet Semetary (Collector’s Edition)
Pumpkinhead (Collector’s Edition)
Rodan/War of the Gargantuas 2-disc set
The Species collection 5-disc set