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  1. #76
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    [repeat post - deleted]
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 07-25-2017 at 05:15 AM.

  2. #77
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    Best Buy - December 20th, 2015



    Minons Scraf
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    Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
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    Mission: Impossible - Ultimate Collection
    Exclusive steelbook; BD/DC combo $39.99

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    Ted 2
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    Last edited by JohnIan101; 06-22-2017 at 03:52 AM.

  3. #78
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    Past Tense - I Part I


    [An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on December 29th, 2011 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

    This week we get moist and paranoid. Are you, you? Is your neighbor the same person you knew from yesterday? This outing we get an "Invasion"...



    "Invasion: The Complete Series" was released on home video on August 22nd, 2006. An ABC program.

    It streeted against "Blue Thunder: The Complete Series", "Beyond The Poseidon Adventure" and "Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season".

    The release originally came with an insert, a ten page catalog for various Warner Bros. television sets; thirty-nine titles on DVD and HD DVD (only two for the latter).

    - - -



    There was only one store which had an exclusive, Target. They sold it for $39.99.

    The bonus disc came in a printed cardboard sleeve.

    It was attached to the back of the packaging.



    The disc has a lone featurette, "Bright Sounds, Small City: Scoring Invasion" (18:58 minutes). The second menu screen is the DVD credits. Not much more than that. I had no trouble finding it on street.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Rant.

    The show lasted one season, a total of twenty-two episodes. The finale is an unresolved cliffhanger - they went out HUGE. As mapped by series creator, Shaun Cassidy (yeah, that Cassidy), it was planned for a five year run. There was an initial announcement of a second season, but that changed. When they filmed the finale, they didn't know it was the end. Anyhow, the then newly formed network, The CW was going to pick up the show for season two, but dropped it because of its high production dollar.

    Most know about this show, but few watched it. "Lost" was its lead-in series. It was getting 'okay' ratings, but the problem was the cost of producing the program outweighed the viewers, pretty cut and dry. Which is sad, it was a good show.

    The same can be said for another "Lost" type series on the same network, "Day Break" (remember that?). Damn good show too, I own it (BBC Eclipse, not the Echo Bridge re-release).

    Okay for those who are clueless or those who need a reminder...



    Florida park ranger, Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian) and his extended family (current girlfriend and ex-wife) rebuild after hurricane Eve hits their town of Homestead. But soon it becomes apparent that the storm blew far more than wind and rain. There's something in the water, something in the swamps and marshes that fell from the sky. And it's related to their Sheriff, Tom Underlay (William Fichtner).

    Think of it as a wet version of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" (1956).

    Some of them are good, some indifferent and some just evil. General paranoia all around. It's a sci-fi show that wasn't so much about science fiction. It was about how two families reacted to a very improbable situation. THIS is how you do family sci-fi; actions have consequences and are not done as weak-ass PG. The world is not safe, bad things happen and sometimes VERY BAD things happen.



    In it, Russell's ex-wife, a doctor, Mariel (Kari Matchett) is replaced with... *smile* She doesn't know. All her memories carried over. She is aware that something is off about herself and has an affinity to water. Much of what we find out about the invasion is through her eyes.

    Nobody is taking her aside and explaining - one of us.

    This wasn't the kind of series folks were expecting. No car chases, guns blazing or explosions. A slow burning drama that unfolds, a bit each week - another piece of a growing mystery. Taking the concept and playing it quite seriously, this is how it would happen, if it happened for real.



    A great element of the show was Sheriff Underlay; you were never certain which side he was on. Not random flip flops; he had his own motives and schemes. A cool antagonist. Fichtner certainly chewed up his scenes.

    While the series' budget was a factor in the show's cancelation, there was another reason; a memory that was still fresh in Americans' minds. I'll cover this in detail next Past Tense since one of the exclusives is directly related to the series, a pulled television promo, that doesn't happen too often.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 09-05-2019 at 05:55 AM.

  4. #79
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    Past Tense - I Part II


    I am disappointed in the DVD box set. There was various content on ABC's website for the show that could've been added here. The extras present are so few. The featurette, "Inside the Mind Of Shaun Cassidy" was nice. But I wanted more - like the design of the creatures and effects.

    The deleted scenes were interesting as were the bloopers. A commentary would have been nice; a commentary answering all the dangling questions in the finale, would have been a lot even better. And missing is that promo. Why? It's not like they don't have room.

    There was a glimmer for fans - of what would've been. Spoilers...

    As reported by TV Guide, their August 14th - 20th, 2006 issue. It featured a quick interview with actor Tyler Labine, played Dave Groves. He was being interviewed for his new role as Jonathan Winant on the then series, "Boston Legal" (also on ABC). He was asked about what was planned for season two had it not been axed.



    Larkin [Lisa Sheridan] was going to be presumed dead. Russel and I were going to join forces against Tom. Tom was going to find out that his first wife was alive and running this whole military operation, and she was Szura's boss.
    You see - the finale had the local military overtaken, a new hurricane is on the verge of hitting. Szura (James Frain) was culling the entire population of Homestead into the sea for a mass embrace. If you cared, it was jaw dropping.

    That took balls.

    Want more answers??? Like the end game? Sure you do!



    Labine said this while rounding questions with co-star Alan Tudyk; promoting their then new movie, "Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil" - 2010 Sundance Film Festival...

    Invasion, I was very upset. We didn't know it was the end. We filmed it because we were absolutely certain we were going to get a second season. Which we were at the time. And then things changed. So it was bummer 'cause I knew, I mean, I knew what the second season was going to be. We knew the whole idea. Well the whole - I'll just tell you this. The whole idea of the show was that we were never going to win, it was an evolutionary step. What was happening, this re-seeding; this invasion itself was not an invasion at all. It was our next evolutionary step. So we were basically going to spend five seasons, which is what Shaun Cassidy wanted to do - trying to win this battle we couldn't win. It was the end of human nature or human kind as we knew it. So that was going to be the end. And I was going to have to basically have to beat my sister Larkin - who was going to come back as an evolved hybrid, not a hybrid, she was going to be a full evolved and I was going to have to organize a militia together to kill her, which was going to be cool. But it's not what happened, so, yeah. So basically the whole show would be - we were dead, we were always dead 'cause it's the next evolutionary step.
    - January 25th, 2010

    I do like the idea of Larkin turning evil; fully drinking the Kool-Aid.

    But that was not to be. Not the first time either...

    Moving forward, faster, into my imagination.
    - Jes



    Shaun Cassidy has a previous series in 1995 on CBS, "American Gothic".

    "Someone's at the door."

    The show is centered on the South Carolina rural town of Trinity and a series of murders which seems to be tied to their Sheriff, Lucas Buck played by Gary Cole. It is the newly transferred doctor, Matt Crower (Jake Weber) who begins to uncover the mystery about their peace keeper and how it relates to a local young boy, Caleb Temple (Lucas Black).



    The sheriff is once again the antagonist, but this time... he might be The Devil. As in Beelzebub.

    Thrown in ghosts and other supernatural things that go bump in the night. It should've been a hit, but wasn't. In fact it was axed before all the episodes aired; eighteen of the twenty-two. The show was produced by Sam Raimi.

    By the way actress Sarah Paulson (played Merlyn Temple, Caleb's dead sister) looks like a young version of Juliette Lewis. *nods*

    - - -

    Back to "Invasion".



    If you want a decent book with a similar story line try Frank M. Robinson's "Waiting". The story was published 1999 by Forge. Not a replacement species, but an older race who want their world back, they're human looking. Pretty cheap on hardcover (pictured - I own this) and paperback.

    Yeah it ends with an unresolved cliffhanger, but the trip there is a worthy one. The series started slow and ends with a bang. And we did get a full season. Check it out; the six disc set is very affordable on Amazon ($4.28 on resellers) and while you're at it, check out "Day Break" DVD (ends with a conclusion); think of it like a murder/conspiracy version of "Groundhog Day" (1993). It SO rewards on repeated viewings. And one character a minor one, so stands out - there may be a second person stuck in the loop.

    One final bit, Nathan Baesel played the one armed deputy, Lewis Sirk on "Invasion". He's also played the title character in "Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon" (2006), last week's Past Tense. Sway.

    And there you go. Return here on December 31st, 2015 for the final Past Tense of the year; five women get caught up in their own drama and create wakes of damage behind them. Sounds like a winner. See you then and Merry Chrismas.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 09-05-2019 at 06:01 AM.

  5. #80
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    CD

    "Rachel Platten - Wildfire" with 3 exclusive bonus tracks $10.99

  6. #81
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    Best Buy - December 27th, 2015


    Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
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    Ant-Man
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    - - -

    CD

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  7. #82
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    Past Tense


    [An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on December 29th, 2011 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

    The death of a loved one, brings friends together, closer still when that suicide might not be so in "Desperate Housewives"...



    "Desperate Housewives: The Complete First Season" was released on home video on September 20th, 2005.

    It streeted against "From The Earth To The Moon: The Signature Edition", "Major Dundee: The Extended Version", "Battlestar Galactica: Season One" [2003 reboot] and "Mallrats: 10th Anniversary Edition".

    The original release came with a clear, plastic printed slipcase. Imagine that poster, but the women are now leveled - the same size. Just their skin is printed, same concept.

    Inside is a digipak holding the six discs. The front of that is a lenticular, showing - white, rippled, satin sheet. A nice effect under the slipcase.

    There were two inserts. 1) A small booklet, an advertisement for ABC series on DVD; eleven shows are showcased. 2) A six page episode guide booklet, which have NO air dates. I hate that. Should be noted that the guide does not list any of the special features. The back of that guide is an ad for the CD soundtrack.

    These are within a flap, inside the digipak. Printed under the flap the letter addressed to Mary Alice's - the threat.

    - - -

    Three exclusives...



    Best Buy on street had a mini (DVD case sized) 2006 calendar, it sold for $37.99 (the set). This was a fifteen month compendium. They had a minimum of fifty copies per store.

    The item was not attached to the case - as I recall it was a rack with the DVDs. I'm lucky to have this, got mine for free without having to rebuy. I was returning another DVD for an exchange (damaged), was told to stand out of line; waited for about close to thirty minutes before the person who was helped me returned.

    Had the calendar in hand, asked how much, she said keep it. Sway!

    I'll be honest, the calendar is probably the weakest offering of the lot. This is just a bit above novelty. But hard as hell to find now - a decade old. Mine is mint, sealed in magazine protective sleeve, cut and folded to fit around the calendar. Yes, I'm that anal. I think we've covered that many times over.

    There was as a second Best Buy offer - a discount.

    Purchase this and season one of "Lost" ($39.99 that week) on the same receipt, save $10.00.

    - - -



    That day Target offered an exclusive bonus disc inside a printed cardboard sleeve. The set sold for $36.99. I bought my first copy here.

    The DVD was sealed on the back. The rear of the sleeve mimicked the back of the release, mostly.

    There is no menu screen, it auto plays and has a run time of 22:31 minutes, minus an advertisement at the start for ABC dot com (full screen).

    This is the TV special, "Desperate Housewives: Sorting Out The Dirty Laundry" (presented in full screen, though the series is widescreen). It has nine chapters - a recap of season one, thus far.

    It aired on April 24th, 2005; four weeks before the finale.

    - - -

    Lastly Wal-Mart sold the set with their own bonus disc for $38.99.



    This too came in a printed cardboard sleeve. Also packed on the back of the season set, the rear too mimicked the back of the release (mostly).

    The DVD has nothing but promos for other ABC shows premiering that Fall. It has a run time of 17:14 minutes. And starts with an advertisement for ABC dot com (full screen), the same one that's on the Target bonus.

    It has something that was erased; the recalled TV trailer for "Invasion" (last week's PT).

    What happened?

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Tangent.

    Even though at one point "Invasion" aired after ABC's hit, "Lost" (2004 - 2010), it fell in the ratings.

    A big reason, in my opinion for its cancelation is the show's premise; it was its own worst enemy. The series is based around a hurricane which devastates the Florida town of Homestead. But within Hurricane Eve was something else. Something not us, the start of an invasion.

    The problem was poor timing, terrible actually.



    ABC's promo showed Eve hitting the community and its aftermath. When it aired, it was happening for REAL - hurricanes Katria and Rita were bashing the South East. I don't need to explain further, a lot of people died; during and after.

    The network's ad, their main promo was pulled on August 31st, 2005, twenty-one days before the show premiered. The new one focused on the "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" (1956 & 1978 & 1993 & 2007; it's been remade a few times) aspect of the program, ignoring the hurricane.

    At the time the nation was hurting and angry at what had happened - it's still being talked about, the failure of FEMA to adequately help and it's response time (heads should've rolled, but didn't). The audience just didn't want to see a show where the centerpiece is wounded people and devastation by a tropical cyclone. Too soon.

    Which is sad, it's an excellent show that should've gotten a longer run. But you can or have read my thought in last week's Past Tense.

    This Wal-Mart exclusive is among my prized possessions. What remains, deleted television history.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Rant.



    The new millennium will be remembered for fantastic television; broadcast and cable. A new Golden Age as it were. So many good shows:

    "Twenty-Four" (2001 - 2010, 2014)

    "The O.C." (2003 - 2007)

    "Battlestar Galactica" (2003 - 2009, 2012)

    "Lost" (2004 - 2010)

    "Veronica Mars" (2004 - 2007)

    "Weeds" (2005 – 2012)

    "Dexter" (2006 – 2013)

    "Heroes" (2006 – 2010, 2015 - 2016)

    "Mad Men" (2007 - 2015)

    "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (2008 - 2009)

    "True Blood" (2008 - 2014)

    "Community" (2009 - 2015)

    "Boardwalk Empire" (2010 - 2014)

    "Archer" (2010...)

    "Downton Abbey" (2010 - 2015)

    "Pretty Little Liars" (2010...)

    "Game Of Thrones" (2011...)

    "Once Upon A Time" (2011...)

    "Masters Of Sex" (2013...)

    And among those title is "Desperate Housewives" an addictive program covering the goings of a street, Wisteria Lane in Fairview (the state was never given).

    The death in a close net of friends brings about an amateur investigation and slowly uncovers something quiet wrong with the suicide of Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), a gunshot to the head.

    Things bubble to the surface as other 'secrets' are exposed in their quest for answers. It was a well written series with lots of humor and drama.

    Back in 2013, eighty people were allegedly executed for watching banned South Korean soap operas. This show was among them - that should give you a good scope of its popularity.

    And in 2009, "Desperate Housewives" was the seventh most-pirated TV show on the internet.

    That good.

    - - -



    If you want. There is... I guess you could call it a proto-version of "Desperate Housewives", the 1949 classic, "A Letter To Three Wives".

    It centers on a three women who are stuck in a charity; chaperoning a kids afternoon out - on a boat then on an island. Who were told by way of a letter from their best friend; the charismatic, Addie Ross (voiced by Celeste Holm) has stolen one of their husbands and left town. But the note doesn't say which.

    The movie is a series of flashback where the women recall the place in their relationships where it may have gone south. Don't let the film's age deter you. It still has teeth and wit. It's out on DVD and BD.

    The ending goes into an unexpected direction.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Just Because.

    But girl you're so hot its like you're on fire.
    - Trevor Something

    For me and I don't believe I'm alone on this.



    The star of the show was Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis. A great character with lots of faults and... vices. The show pretty much launched her career. Indeed.

    You want more, you say? Very well. Come back here on January 7th, 2016 - da future!
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 09-05-2019 at 06:09 AM.

  8. #83
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    CDs available now

    "Adele - 25" with 3 exclusive bonus tracks $15.99
    "Nashville - The Music Of Nashville - Soundtrack" exclusive store release $16.99
    "Rachel Platten - Wildfire" with 3 exclusive bonus tracks $11.99
    "Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Soundtrack" with exclusive cover and 2 collectible cards $13.99
    "Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $16.99

  9. #84
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    Best Buy - January 5th, 2016




    True Detective: The Complete Second Season
    Exclusive BD packaging; Colin Farrell or Vince Vaughn - BD only $39.99 (each)
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 06-22-2017 at 03:53 AM.

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    Past Tense - Perdition Vs. Damnation Part I


    [An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on January 5th, 2012 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

    The first post of the New Year take us to the very source; have a sit down with our pal "Hellboy"...



    The motion picture opened on April 2nd, 2004. It was made with a budget of $66,000,000 (estimated) and grossed over $99 million during its U.S. theatrical run. The film opened number one at the box office, the following week it dropped to number two.

    The feature opened against "Dawn Of The Dead", "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" and "The Passion Of The Christ".

    For the intent of this PT, I'm covering the "2 - Disc Special Edition", but I'll go a bit into the "Director's Cut" further in. *nods*

    This release originally came with a non-embossed cardboard foil slipcover which mirrored the case's wraparound. It also came with a ten page folding booklet showcasing the bonus content.

    - - -

    There were two exclusives, both from Best Buy.



    What you see above is the VERY FIRST exclusive bonus disc; it came inside a regular DVD case (no insert). This was pre-release promo.

    It was available for free with any media purchase on March 9th, 2004.

    Best Buy did it first.

    Since this is the source, I'm showing each of the menu screens.



    This is another rare item for me - I nearly missed out. Wow, well over a decade ago. I remember reading about it online (Movie Web), but a couple weeks after the fact.

    This was very early in my DVD collecting. I went to my local store and looked about for the exclusive. All gone. I asked a clerk; he went into the back room. A few minutes later he came back with a copy, the last one in the store. I'm lucky to have that. As I recall I didn't have to buy anything to get it.

    The "Free Special Sneak Preview" has a run time of 33:59 minutes (widescreen and full screen content).

    That preview is really an EPK shown at theaters while you wait for the movie to start - in the lobby.

    Well...

    If you were a Reward Zone member you could have it for free. If not, this cost you a whole penny. So I saved one cent.

    - - -

    The next was a free trading card (which I won't pursue) this came with the DVD on July 27th (same year) for $15.99, packed with the case. Sorry, I don't have a picture of it.

    I bought my copy from Wal-Mart.

    And I don't have the weekly ads for either exclusive, both predates my archive.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Rant.

    If you know, you don't ask; if you ask, you don't know what is up with me.
    - Joydrop



    That's how you do villainy right. Left to right; Ladislav Beran as Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, Bridget Hodson as Ilsa Haupstein and Karel Roden as Grigori Efimovich Rasputin.

    Any film's heroes are only as strong as their foe. Kroenen and Rasputin are so wicked and need to be put down, stopping their sinister scheme.

    I had a great time watching this. The sequel "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" was good too.

    The documentary was something I really enjoyed. And I wish they all did that, but it's pretty rare.

    The making-of is longer than the movie; theatrical 2:01:50 minutes, "The Seeds Of Creation" is 2:22:43 minutes and is quite entertaining. Good stuff.



    I'm glad that since this film del Toro lost A LOT of weight. The man is so large, Peter Jackson large - well was; he too lost considerable pounds since "Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring" (2001).

    By the way, del Toro has an uncredited voice role. He gave the voice to Ivan Klimatovich, the torso zombie found in Russia.

    Did not know this until researching.

    There is digital alteration from the original filming. At 1:25:36 Hellboy walks into the Russian cemetery. There is a pointed tombstone on the left.

    New engravings were added. The name on the grave reads Mike Mignola in Russian. Mignola being the comic book creator from which the movie is based on.

    It also carries an epitaph: "Born in fire, died in fire" (also in Russian). That's pretty sway.

    What bums me out is what could've been.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Tangent

    Guillermo del Toro was working on a big screen adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's celebrated horror novel, "At The Mountains Of Madness" (published in 1936, serialized in issues of Astounding Stories).

    This almost happened, but fell apart due to Ridley Scott. He was making the prequel to "Alien" (1979), "Prometheus" (2012). In the early stages of pre-production, the sci-fi feature had a similar story line with "Madness". The sad fact is that Scott abandoned that plot (Elder Gods) for the final film.

    But by that time it was far too late.

    The plug had been pulled.

    A screenplay was co-written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins in 2006. Add to their woes, the story did not have a happy ending. We're are doomed. Warner Bros. was having a hard time dealing with that especially with the budget it needed to get on the silver screen.

    And he had the balls to demand it be rated R, not PG-13. Bad things happen, the stuff the nightmares (their screenplay can be found online). Later del Toro tried to get it made at Universal, but that failed. Then later at 20th Century Fox, but this too failed.

    I so want to see this.

    For those in the dark.

    The story centers on a doomed 1930 Antarctic expedition; their discovery of an ancient alien race which ruled the world before Man. It was a slave labor society, their creation (Shoggoths) revolted, killing most of them. These Elders Things won and wanted their civilization back.

    So they created a new slave labor force... Us. But by then it was too late, their culture was in decline and they faded into oblivion. We were set free in their absence.

    But a few of them remain, in hibernation - awaiting to retake the planet.

    This was the first book - I read as a teen; not for a school assignment. Read for pleasure.

    The best adaptation we have now is the 2006 audio production by H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Done as a 1930s radio program, full cast and sound effects. Under the banner of "Dark Adventure Radio Theatre". I have that. Quite good. Seek it out.

    They have done various other Lovecraft audio productions. A lot of love went into them. I need to get them all. There are thirteen shows on CD. I only have three.

    Anyhow, del Toro says he want to try again.

    Maybe this next time, the stars will align.

    What I would like to see in the movie (it's not in the screenplay) is the "Antarctic Snow Cruiser" also known as Penguin 1...



    What you see above are the cutaways of this early 20th century marvel. This is REAL and built - it did roam the Antarctic for a short time.

    It mostly failed - amazing planning, but a key piece was so head slapping absent. WTF?

    But I'll get into that in a moment.



    Here is the Snow Cruiser on tour before going to the South Pole; giving some scale on how massive this transport was.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 09-05-2019 at 06:30 AM.

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    Past Tense - Perdition Vs. Damnation Part II




    This has four wheel drive and four wheel steering, hydraulic jack on each wheel (raise or lower) and enough fuel (2,500 gallons of diesel) to trek the icy environment for 5,000 miles. Plus held an additional 1,000 gallons of gasoline for the areoplane.

    It was fifty-five, nine inches long. And could crew five for one year under extreme conditions.

    It had two,150 horse power, six cylinder engines which also ran electric generators. The massive vehicle cost an estimated $300,000.00 in 1930s dollars!

    It had machine shop, a combination kitchen and darkroom as well as various storage and two spare tires. For cabin heating, engine coolant was used. It was reported that it worked quite well, with the crew only needing light blankets for sleeping.

    This was constructed for Rear Admiral Richard Byrd, Jr. command.

    It did reach Antarctica in 1939. But turned into a clusterfu˘k.

    1) The tires could not get any traction at all - they put ZERO threads on the tires. I kid you not. They ended up using chains, but that only worked so much.

    2) They could only drive the thing backwards; they drove ninety-two miles in reverse.

    3) When it arrived on site, getting off the transport ship (U.S.S. North Star) it nearly broke a wheel getting off the ramp (as seen below).



    They ended up abandoning it. The thing is now considered lost. The reason is WWII, the science budget was pulled.

    The current belief is that it's still there buried under snow and ice. Or at the bottom of the Southern Ocean; ice shelfs move and crack.

    It was last seen in 1958, under the snow.

    Though some rumors say the Soviet took it.

    You can see some videos on YouTube on the craft. It was amazing.



    In a way it reminds me of the Ulysses, the mega submarine from the 2001 animated movie, "Atlantis: The Lost Empire".

    Which by the way, had the most body count of any other Disney animated feature. Soooo many people died.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Footnotes.



    The question you might want to ponder - do I need to keep the "2 - Disc Special Edition" when there is a far better, three disc "Director's Cut" set available? Depends.

    Do you want all the extras?

    Let me take a step back. The Director's Cut (streeted October 19th, 2004, $34.95) is ten minutes longer and features a non-embossed foil slipcase with collectible booklet (excerpt from "The Diary Of Grigori Rasputin"); thirty-two pages.

    Back on track.



    There are two items which did not carry over to the box. The first a theatrical commentary by director Guillermo de Toro and co-executive producer Mike Mignola. A new one was recorded for the DC, de Toro only. The second is "From The Den" four shorts recommended by actor Ron Perlman.

    And of course the actual theatrical cut.

    If you want all the extras, you will need both editions - I have them.

    Man, I remember having to get an exchange on the box set at Best Buy, my copy had scratched up discs. So I get the exchange and the clerk takes the new copy and proceeds to use it as a clipboard to write up the exchange paperwork.

    My jaw dropped. But there was nothing I could do.

    Years later I rebought the DC just to replace the slipcase (eBay). Eleven years later, that still pissed me off.

    [sigh]

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Easter Eggs.

    "2 - Disc Special Edition"

    Disc 1 - > watch the "Introduction" once back to Main Menu, highlight "Introduction", press up; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    A short behind the scenes clip of de Toro talking about his just filmed Introduction; how the cue card guy has messy penmanship.

    - - -

    Disc 1 -> Special Features -> highlight "Main Menu", press down; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    A series of cute on set quotes from de Toro, ranging from directing the actors to production woes; stuff overhead at the monitor while filming. Forty-two director quotes.

    - - -

    Disc 2 -> "Kroenen's Lair" -> "Animatics "- > highlight "Back", press down; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    You get an the animatics for "CPL. George Martin, Combat Photography" his story on how the troop got to Scotland in the beginning of the movie.

    - - -

    Disc 2 -> "Kroenen's Lair" -> "Board-A-Matics"- > highlight "Back", press down; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    A wire frame animation of the apocalypse scene.

    - - -

    Disc 2 -> "Kroenen's Lair" -> "Storyboard Comparisons"- > highlight "Back", press down; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    See footage of the Ragnarok unleashed with Angle option to flip from storyboards to final scene.

    - - - - - -

    "Director's Cut"

    Disc 1 - > watch the "Introduction" once back to Main Menu, highlight "Introduction", press up; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    A short behind the scenes clip of de Toro talking about his just filmed Introduction; how the cue card guy has messy penmanship; same as "2 - Disc Special Edition".

    - - -

    Disc 1 -> Special Features -> highlight "Main Menu", press down; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    A series of cute on set quotes from de Toro, ranging from directing the actors to production woes; stuff overhead at the monitor while filming. Forty-two director quotes; same as "2 - Disc Special Edition".

    - -

    Disc 2 -> "Kroenen's Lair" -> "Animatics "- > highlight "Back", press down; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    You get an the animatics for "CPL. George Martin, Combat Photography" his story on how the troop got to Scotland in the beginning of the movie; same as "2 - Disc Special Edition".

    - - -

    Disc 2 -> "Kroenen's Lair" -> "Board-A-Matics"- > highlight "Back", press down; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    A wire frame animation of the apocalypse scene; same as "2 - Disc Special Edition".

    - - -

    Disc 2 -> "Kroenen's Lair" -> "Storyboard Comparisons"- > highlight "Back", press down; highlight 'the three eggs' - ENTER.

    See footage of the Ragnarok unleashed with Angle option to flip from storyboards to final scene; same as "2 - Disc Special Edition".



    Man I wish they would make a "Hellboy 3", but the studio feels it wouldn't be cost effective. It would make money, yes. But not enough to cover production, advertisement and turn a profit.

    Or at least, not enough to warrant the trouble.

    Come back here on January 14th, 2016 for a lady who has a taste for adventure and antiquities. And I'm not talking about "In Diana Jones"; apparently there's a temple of poon. Who knew?
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 09-05-2019 at 06:37 AM.

  12. #87
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    Hotel Transylvania 2
    Excusive glow-in-the-dark stickers; BD/DVD/DC combo $22.99
    Free popcorn and medium soda at Target Café with purchase DVD or BD

    Mr. Robot: Season 1
    Exclusive bonus content (disc?); DVD only $22.99

    - - - - - - - - - -

    CD

    "Kidz Bop 31" with 4 exclusive bonus tracks $9.99 (available Jan 15th)

  13. #88
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    Hotel Transylvania 2
    Exclusive Squishy Blobby Toy gift set; BD/DVD/DC combo $19.99
    Exclusive Squishy Blobby Toy gift set; 3D BD/BD/DVD/DC combo $27.99
    (save $5.00 on "Hotel Transylvania 2" BD with purchase of first film on BD)

    Mr. Robot: Season 1
    Exclusive GWP; BD/DVD combo $29.99
    Exclusive GWP; DVD $24.99

  14. #89
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    Past Tense


    [An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on January 12th, 2012 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

    This week we try to stop a plague and jump off a tower (in a wing suit) thanks to Lady Lara Croft in "Tomb Raider: Cradle Of Life"...



    The motion picture opened on July 25th, 2003 with a budget of $90,000,000 (estimated) and grossed over $156 million during its U.S. theatrical run. The film opened number four at the box office, the following week it dropped to number six.

    The feature opened against "The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "Finding Nemo", "Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines" and "Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl".

    This release originally came with a double sided single sheet insert. One side is the chapter listing, twenty-six of them; the other is promo picture.

    - - -

    There was one exclusive to be had and it was from Best Buy.

    On street, November 18th, 2003, they sold it as a two disc set for $15.99. The bonus disc came in a CD envelope. Sorry no screen snap, there is no menu screen, it just plays.

    Sorry, I don't have an image of the weekly ad - predates my archive.

    The bonus is a single featurette (full screen), "Tomb Raider: The Secrets Of Lara Croft". It has a run time of 12:08 minutes.

    This came out when I started my DVD collection and I was quite the babe when it came to store exclusives. So I did not pick this up when it hit stores. It wasn't until 2010 that I finally made mine complete thanks to Ebay.

    The movie disc was scratched, but the bonus was mint, which was cool since I already owned the DVD - mint. Both are now inside two disc case. *nods*

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Rant.



    This was a decent action flick, but feels somewhat flat compared to the previous, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001).

    That's a pre-famous Gerard Butler as Terry Sheridan by the way with product placement.

    The motive in the first film was over the top, but made sense. The control of time itself. To be like a God. Yeah, okay. I can see that. Manfred Powell (Iain Glen) had a Bond villain purpose.

    But here, Jonathan Reiss (Ciarán Hinds) reason for the quest seems lukewarm - just because. Yes, he's a bio-terrorist, but really?

    There has got to be way easier methods than spending... a lot in search of a mystical container, Pandora's Box. The key to this find is a transparent golden sphere which looks like one of those inflatable toy balls you find at Wal-Mart, the bouncy kind. Not joking. It looked cheap.

    As I wrote this was decent; it did its job and left without much fuss. But it's just above disposable. And it shouldn't be that. The first one was silly as hell, but it lingers with some great imagery. This is kinda generic.

    And ultimately what was the sphere all about other than a key? Sure they wanted to be different, but feels too cumbersome. A pocket sized amulet would've done the trick too.

    Thinking about it; this kind resembles a big budget TV movie, it lacked... the oomph the first had.

    The blame (at least by Paramount) for the lackluster box office is due to "Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness" video game (from Eidos Interactive) which had come out months before the sequel. It had serious problems with glitches and poor visuals. Lots of negative reviews.

    There was plans for a third film; "Cradle Of Life" did well enough, but Jolie didn't want to reprise her role.

    I just don't feel like I need to do another one. I felt really happy with the last one. It was one we really wanted to do.
    - Jolie talking to World Entertainment News Network in March of 2004

    And so the movie franchise died.

    Oh well.

    It's part of my DVD collection.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Footnotes.

    You know what sucks?

    What sucks is "Revisioned: Tomb Raider Animated Series" has never been released on DVD. It was only available online from GameTap (an internet game service) and only for four months then gone - poof into oblivion.



    In total ten episodes were produced; these were shorts with run times of about six or so minutes each. The animation was done by different artists from Peter Chung, David Álvarez, Cully Hamner, Ivan Reis, Louie del Carmen, Jim Lee and Six Point Harness. This was season one.

    Man, those are some pointy breasts.

    Actress Minnie Driver did the voice of Lara Croft. That promo image is by Chung, the creator of "Ĉon Flux" - a previous Past Tense.

    Some of them can found on YouTube, but only a few. I can hope that these will come out when the new Croft movie comes out (another is in the works without Jolie).

    I've seen a couple episodes, they were sway.

    Sure. This new film will be a reboot, not a sequel. Norwegian director Roar Uthaug has been signed with Geneva Robertson-Dworet doing the screenplay; he co-wrote "Transformers 5" (comes out in 2017), not sure if that's a good or bad thing?



    No word yet who will be the new Lady Croft.

    Something that popped in my mind while looking at that above pix.

    She looks a lot like Olivia Wilde.

    Hmmm. I wonder...

    Nah.

    If you wanted to know; Jolie was twenty-five when she made the first film, Wilde is thirty now.

    - - -



    Some additional info. Above are the DVDs.

    This has gotten a R1 release twice over. As mentioned at the start, the first came out in 2003 (left), it was re-released with a new cover (minus insert) on April 13th, 2007 (same disc contents).

    Why? Don't have an answer, it's not like the '03 DVD was out of print.

    The same thing happened for the first film too, a new cover with a similar color scheme.

    I ended up getting a two disc transparent case; the old wraparound on the inside and the newer one out. The best of both worlds.

    Sure, there was a two disc set of both movies also released on that same street, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Collection". Same extras as the first pressing.

    - - -



    Above is a production still and an image of the corresponding action figure, "Lara Croft In Wetsuit".

    Can you tell what's different?

    While you ponder that, I'll give some specs...

    The action figure was released in 2003 from Sota Toys & Collectibles.



    It features twenty points of articulation and four accessories. I don't own this. But I should, the sculpt job was excellent, looks like her.

    The same can NOT be said for Kate Beckinsale; her figure (Mezco Toyz) for Selene from "Underworld" (2003); looks nothing like her. It's more akin to a tranny. Google it if you dare.

    Anyhow, it's one of those conundrums like with Pilot (Jessica Steen) from "Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future" (1987). I would say Ms. Steen is B a cup. But when her character, Corp. Jennifer 'Pilot' Chase powers up, her chest armor turns into a D. Hmmm, what's going on under there? I suppose we will never know. Food for thought.

    Speaking of breasts... *smile*

    Notice something else? Yes, I see nips, but where do you NOT see them?

    That poster.

    Angelina Jolie's nipples were removed because the producers feared it would be offensive to some and ignite a string of complaints.

    I wanted my nipples to be there to see.
    - Jolie on the subject



    Speaking of which; why are her breasts smaller in the second film than the first? Two answers.

    First is from the studio. Jolie wore a padded bra to pump up her cleavage and bounce in the first movie. For "Cradle Of Life" she wore a lesser bra, making her curves more grounded in reality.

    The second is from the actress herself...

    Last time I took too much protein powder. That gave me lots of curves. This time I ate normally and therefore Lara is slimmer and sexier.
    - Jolie



    Who's correct? Perhaps a bit of both. As for the poster nipple removal, I think it would've made for a sexier print ad. But then again there are people who are offended by nips on mannequins. *head shakes*

    Uptight people are ruining it for everybody else.

    [deep sigh]

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Just Because.



    A photo of a teenage Angelina Jolie taken when she was sixteen; surfaced in 2008. Remember, she's sixteen so - don't be thinking that. She's sixteen.

    Sixteen.

    Oh noes, I just saw the gap.

    And with that I'll close this PT. And don't for get to check up my Night Of The Living Dead DVD Retrospective, a new entry.

    Come back here on January 21st, 2016 for a slice of c-o-n-spiracy. The ASA wants you!
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 09-05-2019 at 06:47 AM.

  15. #90
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    Straight Outta Compton
    Exclusive steelbook case; BD/DVD combo $19.99

    - - - - - - - - - -

    CD

    "Tank - Sex Love & Pain II" with 2 exclusive bonus tracks $9.99 (available Jan 22nd)

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