The King Kong Collection (King Kong 2-Disc Special Edition/Son of Kong/Mighty Joe Young)

DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

Starring:  Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong...
Directed by:  various

Rated NR

For those of you who can remember countless thanksgivings of the past... King Kong movies running throughout the day in classic grainy black and white...  choking back the tears for that damned Mighty Joe Young...  peeling off drumsticks while Kong tears open some rex-jaw...  ahh yes.  Well those days can be yours again this turkey day, as about every Kong known to man from 1933 to 1976 is being released, either as a stand alone, or in combo packs...  the eye catcher this Tuesday is the King Kong 2-Disc Special Edition - which includes Son of Kong and Mighty Joe as well.  It has every extra feature you could ever want.  Listed below are the special features you'll find in the King Kong Collection 4-disc edition...

• Original 1933 Film classic in Glorious Black and White, Newly Restored and Digitally Mastered
  Commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston, with Merian C. Cooper and Fay Wray
• I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper -- 2005 documentary
• Merian C. Cooper Movies Trailer Gallery
• Disc 2: King-Sized Special Features
• RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World - 7 Part Documentary including...
  The Origins of "King Kong"
  Willis O'Brien and "Creation"
  Cameras Roll on Kong, The Eighth Wonder
  A Milestone in Visual Effects
  Passion, Sound and Fury
  The Mystery of the Lost "Spider Pit" Sequence
  King Kongs Legacy
• Creation Test Footage with Commentary by Ray Harryhausen
• Mighty Joe Young
• Commentary by Terry Moore and visual effects veterans Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston, with interpolated interviews excepts of Merian C. Cooper
• A conversation with Ray Harryhausen and the Chiodo Brothers
• "Ray Harryhausen and Might Joe Young"
• Son of Kong
• Mono soundtrack
• Theatrical trailer
• Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French
  Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

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War of the Worlds (2005)
DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

116 min
Starring:  Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto
Directed by:  Steven Spielberg

Rated PG-13 - for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images

They're already here...  Regardless of how its categorized, this film is science-fiction/horror - Speilberg's version packs a much more violent punch, and theoretically contains more blood than any other movie Ive seen this year.  The extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it. Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop of his teenage son Robbie and young daughter Rachel for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.  Cruise fits the role well - and the scene in Queens, with the lightning storm and the alien ships rising above the skyline was movie making at its best.  I highly recommend this to all fans of science-fiction/horror.  Available in full and widescreen formats, as well as a limited edition 2-disc pack.

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AVP - Alien Vs. Predator (Unrated Director's Cut) (2004)
DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

115 min
Starring:  Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen
Directed by:  Paul W S Anderson 

Rated PG-13 - for violence, language, horror images, slime and gore

Whoever wins, we lose...  During an archaeological expedition in Antarctica, a team of scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. Soon, the team realises that only one species can win, and they're foced to choose side if they intend to survive.  One of the most loathed endings in the business - hopefully the directors cut CUT that sad crossbreed at the end.  One can only hope...  On a budget of $45 million, the theater-released AVP made about $80 million in the US, and $169 million worldwide.

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Evil Dead 1 & 2 Limited Edition (1987)
DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

86 min/85 min
Starring:  Bruce Campbell
Directed by:  Sam Raimi 

Rated NC-17 - for substantial graphic horror violence and gore

Can they be stopped... Evil Dead has been re-released and re-released in so many different formats, its senseless to go over the plot again.  Ash battles deadites in nifty "Book of the Dead" DVDs with several extra features that'll have you sayin "groovy!".  Some of the extra features included are listed here...

The "Book of the Dead" edition of The Evil Dead features:

• 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
• English DTS-ES 6.1
• English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
• English Dolby Surround 2.0
• French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Audio Commentary by Director/Writer Sam Raimi and Producer Robert Tapert
• Audio Commentary by Actor Bruce Campbell
• Theatrical Trailer
• 4 TV Spots
• Poster And Still Gallery
• Talent Bios
• "Fanalysis" documentary
• "Discovering Evil Dead" featurette
• Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes
• 24-Page Collector's Booklet

The "Book of the Dead" edition of Evil Dead II features:

• Hi-Def Divimax Transfer
• 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround
• Audio commentary with director/co-writer Sam Raimi, actor/co-producer Bruce Campbell, co-writer Scott Spiegel, and special make-up effects artist Greg Nicotero
• "The Gore The Merrier" featurette
  "Evil Dead II: Behind The Screams" featurette
• Theatrical trailer
• Bonus trailers: "Man with the Screaming Brain", "Dead & Breakfast", and "Evil Dead: Regeneration (video game)"
• Photo & poster gallery
• Cast & crew filmographies and biographies

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Dark Shadows Collection 21 (1966)
DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

115 min
Starring:  Joan Bennett, Jonathan Frid, Alexandra Isles
Directed by:  Dan Curtis, Pennberry Jones...  

Rated NR

Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera, which follows the Collins family of Collinsport, Maine.  The show features everything from vampires, to witches, werewolves, you name it.  With over 400 episodes originally aired, this classic tv horror show of the past continues to pack the shelves with their 21st release in the Dark Shadows series...

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The X-Files Mythology, Vol. 4 - Super Soldiers (1993)
DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

659 min
Starring:   David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick
Directed by:  Gillian Anderson, Cliff Bole...  

Rated TV-PG

For those somehow unfamiliar, this television series follows the adventures and lives of FBI agents investigating those cases that involve the paranormal or previously unsolved (especially by conventional means).  Anyone who remembers this series can attest to the fact that it was horror as much as it was science-fiction.  Although many of these episodes are science-fiction related (and not directed by Carter), Chris Carter is in my opinion one of the driving forces that brought horror back to popularity, when it seemed to have been censored to death and dragged away.  Super Soldiers follows the storyline of an bi-alien war within a global conflict, as the US goverment attempts to avoid world colonization.

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OTHER DVD RELEASES THIS WEEK:

Alfred Hitchcock (2005)
Baron Blood (1972)
Cannibal Holocaust (2005) Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Final Terror (1983)
Horror Express (1974)
Skeleton Man (2004)
Werewolf Hunter - Legend of Romasanta (2004)

ALSO BEING RELEASED ON UMD MINI FOR PSP:

Children of the Corn (1984)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Hellraiser (1987)
Leeches (2003)