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  1. #751
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    Target - February 23rd, 2021


    The Croods: A New Age
    Exclusive gallery book packaging; BD/DVD/DC combo $24.99

  2. #752
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    Mulan (2020) (available now)
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  3. #753
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    Past Tense - Catch The Blue Wave Part I


    Another band new entry and quite unique - in the nine years I've done this (current and previous iteration), never did a write up for such an exclusive. This outing were gonna be talking about a parody, a porn parody that was "Maxine" (1988)...



    This shot on film XXX feature came out in 1988. My data is quite limited. Have no budget stats or box office numbers. Yes, this was shown on the big screen back in the day at Pussycat Theatres. Many moons ago porn was show in specialty theaters. Can't imagine how terrible it was to be the clean-up person in between screenings. My city had one in the downtown area; was in business till the early 1990s.

    I have some data, can tell you this came on DVD on April 30th, 2002.

    It streeted against (yes, keeping it clean) "After School Asians", "Booty Talk 26", "Covergirls 3" and the double feaure "Totally Nude Yoga & Tai Chi". I have "Totally Nude Aerobics" by the way, directed by Ron Harris.

    This is a Manufacture On Demand release; official DVD-R. There was no slipcover or insert issues.

    - - -

    Look guys, I wrote a lot - not so much on the exclusive itself, it's hard to find info. That's why it's in three parts.

    As stated, this came out on DVD in 2002 - it is an exclusive to the adult video (DVD and BD), marital aid and lingerie online store, Excalibur Films. NOW don't think it, unless you're over eighteen. Play nice!

    Man did this title took me days to research. So little is availble online, bits here and there - collating the relevant trivia. The most obvious bit went over my head - why is this an exclusive?

    The blue movie was released in '88 from Excalibur Films, the same company who reinvented itself as an online adult store (no longer making skin flicks). So it makes sense that they would hold this as an exclusive.

    I ordered the DVD through the mail on February 3rd, 2021 and arrived on February 12th. It was sold for $8.94, but has an original retail price of $19.95.



    I've been a great fan of the ABC TV show. I own the complete series on DVD that was released from Shout! Factory in 2010 for $49.97. The first pressing came with a lenticualar slipcover and an insert booklet; episode guide and extras listing. Hell, I even have the limited, foil trading card sticker set from 1986, thirty-three cards from Topps/Chrysalis.

    Man, I highly recommend this science fiction series. But know what year you're getting. You want the '10 release. The box set was re-released in 2020 with a lower price, $34.99. They made it so by taking out the fifth disc (where the extras were) and removing the slip and book. It's basic. Don't fall for the reduction.

    The set includes an episode that didn't air on ABC during its original run.



    Yes - at one point in U.S. history, before home video - if you wanted to see a porno, you had to have a projection room; old school home theater OR go to your local Pussycat Theatre. That was it. Above is an image from 1973; Fairfax, California. The song "Girls On Film" by Duran Duran pops to mind. God, all the seats must have been gummy. *shutter*

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Rant.

    Like I wrote, I am a fan of the show. At the time I was a teen, having my mom rent for me movies on tape from the local video rental shops. I had the cinema bug back then too. Back then video stores didn't often have an adult section. So they had 'the binder'. A binder filled with cut outs from VHS slipcases, the front. Flip through the binder and rent XXX titles that way. One day I saw this open and my mom was looking elsewhere so was the owner. It was open to that page.

    Teen me: "Max Headroom has a porno? I want to see this."

    But couldn't was underage, the end.

    The time is 69 minutes into the future and there's been a dramatic increase in population copulation. Enter Allison Karter, ace investigative reporter for Network 30 [XXX]. Ms. Karter quickly discovers that the culprit is the SexVerts being aired on her very own channel. But, in head of her investigation, she is captured by a goon squad sent after her by the SexVert advertising conglomerate. They commence to take erotic advantage of her till Alllison is in a state of sexual delirium. Network 30, fearing the loss of ratings if Allison Karter doesn't come around, decide to dump her memory into their mainframe - and she begins the erotic computer life of her alter-ego, Maxine Bedroom!
    - VHS back cover

    Well... that sounds kinda rapey. Things were different back then.

    Okay, lets break this plot into non-porn, normal speak...

    Network 30's premier reporter, Allison Karter (Porsche Lynn) uncovers a conspiracy at her work over gaining additional ratings by having erotic zipped commercials (subliminal manipulation) to keep people watching (and get frisky), plus add new viewers. The increase in ratings was so out of the norm, Karter investigates. Before she can broadcast her story, Karter is kidnapped by network executives; Helena Rox (Sharon Mitchell) and Blaze Packard (Robert Bullock) who want this kept a secret. Their plan backfires as she is incoherent from their attempt to intimidate.

    Thinking on the fly, opt to make her into a virtual copy of her to keep up appearance and to have this duplicate under their thumb. It also backfires badly. Her digital copy, Maxine Bedroom can't be commanded even as they attempt to out maneuver and assassinate their creation. Maxine promps nationwide shenanigans and helps Allison back to her senses to expose the network for their nefarious scheme.

    Now this sounds like a serious plot. A serious plot in a porno! Yeah, you're gonna be disappointed. This is pretty much a meat and potato blue flick. It's a decent-ish homage to the vanguard cyber punk TV series, "Max Headroom" (1987). Which I'll get into in a few.

    Over the years tried to remember the name. For decades thought it as "Maxine Bedroom" or "Maxine Legroom", no luck. And no luck for good reason. You can't find this anywhere other than from Excalibur Films. Flash forward to late January '21. Was looking for an original retail price on an adult DVD I bought. Yes, I do buy and collect XXX titles; true ownership.

    I use their website since they have original prices listed; used for my collection price index. I went wrong and hit their home page by accident. And there it was - the cover pix with the text "Exclusive Classics" under it. WTF? *click* There it is. And is affordable. It was ordered a few days later. Only when doing my research waiting for it to arrive did I discover this is not a pressed disc. Damn it.

    Looking about that web page, discovered other exclusives from such 1980s XXX studios as Essex Home Video, AFV, Hollywood Video, Arrow Films, VCA Video, Seduction Productions and a few others. To be honest, not much I want to see. Lots of garbage, "Maxine" being the exception.

    Some might recall another blue movie spoken about in the Past Tense for "Bring It On: All Or Nothing" (2006). How finding a lost title to me was NOT a trip down nostalgia. The flick did not age well at all, various shades of cringe.



    The 1985 porno, "Amber Aroused" from Caballero. Bought the DVD and regretted it. My would-be memory was far superior to the actual film. Here?

    Man, restoring that poster image above took me far longer than I want to admit.

    Didn't have much expectations for "Maxine" - it was a product of its time. Yes - it is definitely dated. But still hold just enough nostalgia to be a bit entertaining. Just. There is no menu, it just plays. By the way, Lynn is trying way too hard to act, emote. Acting isn't her strenth.



    My biggest grip is that feature wasn't remastered or something, something done to improve the picture. The quality is watchable, but should have been better. It's like it was ported from an old VHS copy, above. Look, this was a big money maker at Excalibur. That said, I made zero effort to improve the image quality. What you see above and examples is what you get.

    Their release is practically bare bones, not even the trailer is included.

    She talks in stereo, she sounds so good to me.
    - Gary Myrick

    Another gripe - the movie was shot in stereo, but is presented here in mono. Was the original audio tracks lost? That's bizarre. The only extras are two trailers. Before it starts - has the trailer for "Ten Little Maidens" (1985) and finishes with "Sex Wars" ('85).

  4. #754
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    Past Tense - Catch The Blue Wave Part II




    Yet more. Excalibur was so cheap in producing these DVD-Rs. The wraparound is quite generic. Above is the front and rear images. WTF? Why did they photo shop Porsche Lynn's face onto that blonde? Unless most of the rear covers have that same body, just insert face on head? Can't say, could be. And the disc is as generic as the cover art, it has a printed bar code on with text.

    To be safe, I've blurred out the web and street addresses. Also made sure there was zero nudity in the release montage on the cover. And yeah, those cover images do repeat.

    I made an effort to find the original trade ad for "Maxine", no luck. How? I have a collection of "AVN" (Adult Video News) magazines. For those who don't know - it's an industry mag for video stores and adult shops to know what XXX inventory to buy; seeing various reviews and new releases. Turns out my collection misses most of the 1980s, no '88s. It's beyond my reach.

    Why bring it up then? I saw something in those old issues from the early 1990s and a bit of the ladder 80s - the advertising. Yes there was nudity, sure. But a good chunk of it was not - made so that video stores could have them out for display, sometimes from behind the counter on the wall, the bolder stores.

    These adult ads and subsequent VHS covers have porno chic, glamour. Yes, glamour. They appear like magazine covers - what you would find in "Cosmopolitan", "Vogue", "Allure" or "Elle". These images could be framed as art. They took the time to make them attention getters, elegant. Dressed in sexy lingerie, swimsuits or nude having strategically placed objects WITH accompanied backgrounds and props.

    The ad for "Sand Dunes" would make a great poster for framing. It stars Savannah, dressed in a baby-blue one piece, semi-sheer swimsuit, high cut. She's laying down on desert sands, there are various waves in the dunes. It's sexy and graceful. None of that is around today. All about getting in your face, the more blatant the better.

    *shakes head*

    I can't find it. It's like "Sand Dunes" never existed. True I have the magazine, but I have since put it away back in storage which was a pain to get to - and restore. Not doing it again to scan the ad. I can't find a listing anywhere for that adult vid. It's not for sale on DVD. If I recall proper, this was a Plumb Production porno. It could very well be that Plumb no longer exist and their entire catalog has... evaporated.

    When folks talk about The Lost Hollywood, they speak of all the movies and cuts which have been lost to time. Shot on nitrate stock, the masters and copies dusted. Or was not popular enough at the time and was trashed to make room for more marketable flicks. Or was just the victim of a studio that faded - taking away with them all their movies. A ton of lost features and shorts from the 1920s, '30s and '40s. Not even talking about all the silent titles, lost.

    What is seldom talked about is the other side of that disappearance - XXX releases. So many blue flicks, more than imagined from the 1970s and 1980s are gone - and early 90s. The stuff from the '70s was NOT shot on video, but on film. These were treated as disposable entertainment and improperly stored. And often shot on discarded stock - to get it cheap. Done by studios which didn't survive the transition from film to video tape. Gone.

    You may not care, but it's a part of cinema history. What remains today is still on VHS somewhere in someone's aged collection. Add "Sand Dunes" to that pile - that dead format is the only way to watch. If you care about films, you care about this too. It's sad.



    There I go again, sounding like I went to finishing school... on a teamster's scholarship.
    - Maxine

    *long pause* Okay.

    Music here was done by the The Mentors. They were quite metal - poorly crafted heavy metal. You know; you're in the teens and have some band equipment or access and decided to start a band. But nobody can actually sing and all the songs composed are juvenile - that's The Mentors.

    Songs used for the production; "Suck It Fu¢k It, Cook & Clean" [sung twice], "Do What You Do", "Sandwich Of Love" [sung twice], "Adultery", "Find Her, Feel Her, Fu¢k Her, Forget Her" and one instrumental.

    There were seven actions scenes. The movie has eighteen chapters and a run time of 1:17:06 minutes.



    Had to do a zoom on that picture. She 'appears' to be showing a bit of her areola, nope - nothing exposed. The black bra has a lacy trim; the shadow seen was from the lace. But to play it safe, I cropped it out. Anyhow, long story short, yes. Much of this blue flick is cringy. What makes it even worse is few edits were used on Maxine, so Lynn had to do her own stuttering.

    And yes, you can see the boom mike in shadows and just about the performers heads. The film concludes with a notice "To Be Continued - Maxine: Head Reporter, Part 2" a part two that didn't happen.

    - - -

    This needs to be covered since I can imagine so many are in the dark. What was the source of that porn parody?

    Before you say; no - this show existed BEFORE the role playing book game, "Cyberpunk" existed. That happened in 1988, the series came out in 1987. Max and "Blade Runner" (1982) inspired that playable universe.



    The series took place - "Twenty Minutes Into The Futue", a world dying - pure dystopia. A world covered in rampant poverty run by corporations. Few tech is new, most are repurposed, mods, retrofitted to function. Like using old typewriter keyboards as computer keys. Or having a tiny monitor using a big magnifying glass to see. Unlike "Blade Runner" no flying cars. Among the many big businesses which rule is network television. TV shows and channels are sold and bought on their stock market.

    We follow the exploits of tele-journalist, Edison Carter (Matt Frewer), his hit show, "What I Want To Know". The pilot was remake of the Channel Four program. Working on a story, he uncovers a conspiracy involving his boss at Network 23, Ned Grosburg (Charles Rocket). They've been experimenting with a new kind of commercial to pack more ads per program. The problem is it's killing some viewers. He sets out to expose it, but is caught. It's decided to kill him, but he's on the most popular show they have. Their tech supervisor, Bryce Lynch (Chris Young) has an idea - create a virtual copy of Carter, have it continue to do the show.

    Edison's brain is scanned into their massive mainframe and generated, but it's a mess. He was in a motorcycle accident trying to flee his abduction. The last thing he saw before blacking out was being thrown off his bike and flying into border rail - "Maximum Headroom" - Max Headroom. To their shock, Max's A.I. have weaved itself into their entire network. You can't take him out unless you pull the plug on everything - killing their company. They attempt to use a virus hunter to eradicate Max, but he's jumping in and out of airing program and nodes to evading their efforts.

    For the adult parody; its a hotel room - our reporter is reading the sign outside the door before being taken; "Room 12 Maximum Bedroom Occupancy 4 Adults".

    Max IS Carter's alter ego and has no buffer. Think of him as a comedic commentator with a dark streak. Edison is dropped, left for dead for organ harvesters - legal here; mainstream venders that take in bodies, no real questions asked ("Nightingale's Body Bank"). He is rescued and nursed back to health by his Controler, Theora Jones (Amanda Pays).

    Controller?

    This was before Suri; Jones' job is to guide Edison to various places, avoiding dangers - scanning metropolitan blueprints and hacking secrurty cams that litter the city. Few places had privacy. She guides him and provides computer skills as needed.

    Edison has the damning footage in his camcorder, those big units from the '80s, but can't get it out of the busted camera. He can still exposed the scheme, wanting to know if he can - or truly get himself and Jones killed, contacts their network vice president, Ben Cheviot (George Coe) hoping he's not part of it.

    The loss public trust and revenue would be massive, but Cheviot agrees. You see - Max isn't just video on a screen, he can see through any TV he's on. And televisions are everywhere. In fact - later in the series, it's revealed that having an off button on a television is life time prison sentence. You put something over the box to cover the screen and lower the volume, never off.

    They use Max to watch the footage that Edison recorded, broadcasting it to the world. Grosburg is fired and arrested, Cheviot is installed as network president. Max can't be undone and having him proves to be a postive thing as he comments on the shows they air = more viewers, higher ratings. And he talks to viewers, one on one conversations.

    This is a whole messed up world to explore and the series ran with it. One of the things that set it so apart, besides the visuals is the writing; they wanted it to be memorable. True - at times the show feels dated with obsolete tech, the dialog remains fresh. The more I think on it, Edison Carter was a video blogger for Network 23.

  5. #755
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    Past Tense - Catch The Blue Wave Part III




    Among my "Max" stuff is this book based on the original program. Man, "Max Headroom" had a long road to become an iconic part of the 1980s.

    20 minutes into the future, television is the only growth industry as the networks grapple with one another in an unrelenting ratings battle. Network 23 has become the top station due to the creative genius of its manipulative producers, who have developed the mind-blowing Blipverts. But Edison Carter, crack reporter, aims to expose the deadly side effects of Blipverts. Follow Edison through his nightmare journey to the truth and into his future as the world's first computer-generated TV host, Max Headroom.
    - back cover

    This book was published twice. First for the United Kingdom market from Corgi Book in 1985, the source nation. And later in America by Random House, Inc. in 1986. I own that; retailed for $5.95.



    From left to right; Max on screen, Edison Carter (Frewer), Bryce Lynch (Young), Theora Jones (Amanda Pays), Murray (Carter's TV producer; actor Jeffrey Tambor) and Network 23 President Ben Cheviot (Coe).

    For the TV series, Bryce was made an unwitting victim of Grosburg who redeems himself. In the original program, Bryce (Paul Spurrier) he was just as wicked as his boss and was arrested too.

    The road...

    This whole thing started as a telefilm (well one hour long with commericals) in England on Channel Four; aired April 4th, 1985 (fifty-seven minutes long). This was so different and popular at the time, an original. Naturally it would come to America. The cable channel, Cinemax bought the U.S. rights and ordered more footage - twenty-six minutes of new scenes were added, bringing to mostly feature length at eighty-three minutes.

    Cinemax didn't air it as a movie; they broke it into four episodes. These parts aired on October 16th, 23rd and 30th with the last on November 6th of 1986.



    No joking this was highly popular - viewers didn't know how it was done. It''s an actor with a glued on foam head with vinyl, partial, two part - business suit top, above. That arm isn't his. That's the make-up person, sealing up the seam, material on their hand. As you can see, the top hasn't been cleaned up yet. Add to this simple effect was the moving, CGI multi-colored wireframe in the background (added in post, a blue screen) to complete with reflective contact lenses. His speech and motion were jumbled, like losing a video connection on your mobile.

    After the program aired in England in 1985; Max was given his first show - a music video program where he was the virutal host who would interrupt and jump into various videos giving his commentary. This ran two seasons on Channel Four, a total of nineteen episodes. For the second season, Max interviewed artists and bands, a precursor to his later talk show. Sadly, it appears all those episodes were lost.

    The second show happened in 1986 and it happened again, but this time, some episodes survived, some. Max's talk show was co-produced by Channel Four and Cinemax and aired on both. It ran for two seasons with a Christmas special; eighteen shows.



    Something I discovered while researching - when "Max Headroom: The Original Story" was released in American from Lorimar Home Video (VHS, Betamax and LD - above left) in 1986 it wasn't the expanded version. But the original fifty-seven minute program. As far as I can tell in my research it was never given a home video treatment. Yes - that Shout Factory box set, does not include the original program. The laser disc above had a price tag of $24.95, CLV single side. I have that LD. The same version was also released on laser disc in Japan in 1987 from TDK Super Video (above right), CLV too - sold for 9800 JPY.

    Those old VHS and Betamax copies had a gate folded box; it opened up to show scenes from the program.

    What remains of this talk show was released exclusively on laser disc in Japan, a few episodes each on four three. Plus a 'Best Of' from those episode pool.

    1986 was the year of Max. He reached media awareness with a series of national commeircals for Coca Cola, the virtual personality became their cyber spokes person. His catch phrase, "Catch The Wave, Coke". This was for "New Coke". Many of these commericals can be found on YouTube.

    Then comes 1987 and ABC aired the sci-fi show, expanding the universe. The show was so ahead of the curve. It predicted the internet, crypto-currency, terrorists become reality TV stars even had an episode with a rival network trying to create a false flag for ratings. It had something else, the instant ratings on media, plus for profit news. And of couse 'reality TV'.

    There was a short return - one more time; 2007, four commercials on Channel Four; an elderly Max telling folks about the upcoming switch to digital only TV broadcasts. Somewhat bitter he's been left being when he was on the forefront of the video revolution.

    There is something that I discovered while researching. There were three scripts made before the plug was pulled on the show. The entire cast is still alive. Why not just animate it? Could be life-like CGI or flat like "Archer". "Theora's Tale"...

    As a corporate shooting war breaks out in Antartica between Zik Zak and Zlin, Theora is missing and Murray tries to calm Edison and get him aboard a special Air Corridor shuttle to cover the story. Theora has, in fact, been kidnapped by mercenaries of the Video Freedom Alliance who have found out about Theora's true identity and are demanding a huge ransom for her release.
    - internet synopsis

    I would love to see that.



    He was so popular even appeared on the cover of "Mad Magazine", their March 1987 issue ($1.35).

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Footnotes.

    For the 1989 Adult Video Awards - the XXX version of the Oscars. "Maxine" was nominated for six awards. But won just one, "Best Art Direction".

    It was nominated for "Best Actress for Shot-On-Video Feature" - Porsche Lynn; "Best Actor for Shot-On-Video Feature" - Robert Bullock; "Best Suporting Actress for Shot-On-Video Feature" - Sharon Mitchell; "Best Shot-On-Video Feature" and "Best Video Editing".

    The feature was directed by Joseph F. Robertson a.k.a. Adele Robbins with a story by Arthur King; written by King and Steve Sayer.

    Why was a shot on film movie, nominated for Video Editing? All the 'Maxine' footage was pre-recorded on cassette to play with the actors to interact with. Plus the complex editing done for the SexVerts. But to be honest, the flick is so amateur, shouldn't gotten any noms, let alone wins.



    Well this was different - an exclusive for a porno, what a time to be alive. And yeah, she doesn't wear those sunglasses in the movie. In a couple of scenes you can see early Apple computer products. On the desk of Packard is an early Macintosh computer. And the trailer of "Sex Wars" is every porn cliché wrapped in a poorly produced sci-fi package. Back in the day - was anybody convinced? Roger Corman had better production values. *nods* Come back here on March 11th, 2021 for something different - not another Past Tense, but a cinematic comparison. Been wanting to do that for a long time.

  6. #756
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    Best Buy - March 2nd, 2021


    Beauty And The Beast (2017) (available now)
    Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD/DC combo $29.99

    Beauty And The Beast (1991) (available now)
    Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD/DC combo $29.99

    Mulan (1998) (available now)
    Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD/DC combo $32.99

    The Arrival (available now)
    Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD combo $19.99

  7. #757
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    Best Buy - March 9th, 2021


    Beauty And The Beast (2017) (available now)
    Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD/DC combo $29.99

    Beauty And The Beast (1991) (available now)
    Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD/DC combo $29.99

    Mulan (1998) (available now)
    Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD/DC combo $32.99

  8. #758
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    Lingering Thoughts - A Comparison Part I


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

    Since there is no 'Past Tense' this week I decided on something different; taking a pause. And yeah, I had to break this into two part since I'm limited to ten images pers post.

    This was something I wanted to do for awhile, but not as a one time entry. Had it for years - then recently found my second comparison, that will be a future write up. Hint - it involves a mummy.

    So what is this?

    Back in January of 2007, I bought the two disc special edition of "The Towering Inferno" (1974) from Circuit City for ten bucks. A good deal when you count that the release came with a slipcover, a replica of the press book, lobby cards and a DVD booklet. *nods*

    Up until then I hadn't really seen the movie since I was a little kid (I remember it airing on NBC as a two part event at the time) and hadn't bothered watching it again since '07. I was impressed, the interior design of 'The Glass Tower' was very swift. Effort was made to make it unique, not generic. I would like to live there, minus the whole fire and shoddy construction things.

    Sure. The plot is about the gala opening of the world's tallest skyscraper, 'The Glass Tower'. The contractor came way under budget (pocketing the dough) by cutting a lot of corner (crappy and flammable materials) - a fire starts from faulty wiring, plus the sprinklers aren't working. We follow the efforts of the trapped party goers (on the top floor) and firemen trying to overcome the blaze.

    Things go from bad to worse to suicidal.

    The movie is 164 minutes long. Usually Irwin Allen features are pretty mindless. This had stronger characters and some brains to it, I was surprised. It's still a bit cheesy, but not like "Poseidon"; higher quality dialog.

    Okay. So?

    I was watching this and the opening credits catch my attention. WTF?

    I've seen this before. No, not like that. I've seen this in a different movie, a Steven Spielberg classic - "Jurassic Park" (1993). I wonder if Spielberg was influenced by Allen; it is a disaster flick after all - dinosaurs run amok. Or perhaps it's an homage?

    By the way, the score for both blockbusters were composed by the same man, John Williams.

    Here we go...

    Observations


    Jurassic Park - A lone helicopter flies above the sea.


    The Towering Inferno - A lone helicopter flies above the sea.


    Jurassic Park - The InGen transport carries scientists Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, Ian Malcolm; lawyer Donald Gennaro and park owner John Hammond.


    The Towering Inferno - The Duncan Enterprise transport carries architect Doug Roberts.

  9. #759
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    Lingering Thoughts - A Comparison Part II



    Jurassic Park - The mysterious island of Isle Nublar.


    The Towering Inferno - The not mysterious, non-island of San Francisco.


    Jurassic Park - The craft flies above the trees.


    The Towering Inferno - The craft flies above the trees.


    Welcome to Jurassic Park.


    Welcome to the Glass Tower.

    Now you may be asking what about the screen writers - same person? Nope.

    "The Towering Inferno" had its screenplay by Frank M. Robinson (based on the novels, "The Tower" by Richard Martin Stern and "The Glass Inferno" by Thomas N. Scortia & Frank M. Robinson). "Jurassic Park" had its screenplay by Michael Crichton and David Koepp (based on the novel of the same name by Crichton).

    A bit of trivia for you guys, "Inferno" inspired the television syndicated mini-series, "Condominium" (1980). Anybody remember that? A newly opened apartment complex in Florida gets bashed by a massive hurricane, trapping the tenants inside. Inside a poorly made structure. Oh noes!!!

    They don't get rescued, most get killed when the building crumbles from the storm. It's too bad that's not out on DVD, haven't seen it since it aired in syndication. Can't remember which came first; was a book then mini-series or mini-series then novel adaptation.



    The poster for each feature.

    Sorry about the day delay. Was suppose to go up last night, but it was heavy rain - as if the power would go out at any moment. The only thing missing was thunder and lightening; better just unplug my computer and put her to sleep. I can do this the next night.

    There you go folks; food for thought - not much more than junk food. It is interesting though. Come back here on March 25th, 2021 for beloved animated series with a "Star Trek" connection.

  10. #760
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    Game Of Thrones: The Complete Series (available now)
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    Beauty And The Beast (1991) (available now)
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    Soul
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    Past Tense


    [An earlier version of this PT was originally posted on November 27th, 2014 on JoBlo's "DVD, Blu-Ray & Home Theater Discussion" forum.]

    Scissors - cuts paper; rock - covers sentinel; this outing we get stoned with "Gargoyles"...



    "Gargoyles: Season 2, Volume 2" was released on home video on October 14th, 2014.

    It streeted against "Penny Dreadful: The Complete First Season", "The Complete Mr. Peabody & Sherman Collection" and "Bronco: The Complete Second Season" (MOD).

    Let me address this first; yes I know the image above is from the series' first season. I tried, really - to find a promo image for the second, could not. Bunch of fan made pixs and comic book illustrations.

    This came in a did not come in a 'standard' DVD case. While it was the right size, the inside was different. Inside was a spindle for all three discs, stacked. So easy to get scratched - rotate freely, rubbing against each other.

    There was no slipcover issued nor is the wraparound foiled (as was "The Complete First Season"). It came with two inserts. 1) "Disney Movie Rewards" points (I see no expiration). 2) Ad for the Disney Movie Club; four releases (DVD or BD) for a dollar with membership. Just call it their version of Columbia House Music Club, which isn't so much a scam as it is over priced titles to fulfill your contract. And yeah, got suckered - eleven cassettes for a penny. Took me nearly a year to satisfy Columbia's requirements. Never again, negative option billing hell.

    - - -



    This was a limited time exclusive from Wal-Mart; sold for $9.97. As said above, the case situation was awful; not the last time I came across that monstrosity. I was fortunate my discs were mint. At the time I had a genuine three disc case in waiting and migrated the release.

    The national release for "Season 2, Volume 2" happened on January 13th, 2015. Sorry, don't know the retail price, probably close to $19.99, but that's speculation. At the time, this wasn't something I wasn't expecting. I was there to pick up "Penny Dreadful", found by accident - a happy accident (twenty-six episodes). This is one of a other Disney DVD exclusives in store.

    Others in this limited Wal-Mart run were "Tale Spin: Volume 3", "Goof Troop: Volume 1" and "Goof Troop: Volume 2"; all four are priced the same and national street. Wait - second installment of "Goof Troop", national release came on January 27th, 2015.

    At one point - all of these titles were exclusive to the Disney Movie Club. These re-releases have new wraparounds which in my opinion is superior to their club offers.



    Above is the cover art for "Season 2, Volume 2" DMG version - which came out June 25th, 2013. This has gotten me looking each time I'm at the store - hoping.

    What I want to find is "Kim Possible" seasons 1 and 2, which were also Disney Movie Club exclusives. AND I would love to find "Tron Uprising". I would buy them in a heartbeat. There was a seller on Ebay that's selling both Kim DMG seasons for $79.99 (free shipping). Would be all shiny if Wal-Mart did that... for much cheaper. I'm still looking when I'm at their media area in store, fingers crossed.

    AND I would like to find "Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles" too, thirteen episodes. This doesn't have an national release nor Disney exclusive.

    Sure - if you're into the show (I wasn't, still not), volume one of "Goof Troop" is an upgrade. Its original exclusive release was a single disc; the re-release has the episodes presented on three DVDs. Man, the original must have had poor bit rate.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Rant.

    Like most fans, bought Season One and Season Two, Volume 1 of Disney's "Gargoyles" when they came to DVD in 2004 and 2005.

    Okay. I should. Don't know if this show is in syndication - there could be folks in the dark. This was a weekday, afternoon show (Monday - Friday) in syndication. It premiered on October 24th, 1994 and ran for three, half hour seasons.

    It told the story of a clan of Gargoyles lead by Goliath living in the modern world trying to right wrongs and getting caught in a vast conspiracy. It began in 994 in Scotland where Goliath and his kin were cursed to become stone until the day that their castle "rises above the clouds."

    Their punishment was a frame job by prejudice men who sought to ride the lands of the creatures. Jump forward to 1994, billionaire David Xanatos has bought their castle and had it rebuilt atop his New York City skyscraper. The curse is lifted - for a few hours. Each time at dawn they return to stone until night falls. NYPD detective, Elisa Maza discovered their existence, befriends and assist them.

    What set this apart from so many animated shows of its time was the writing and running story lines. This was a complicated, dark series, people died - granted not on camera (you know what I mean). It wasn't just a kids' show, sure they can be entertained, but it wasn't made exclusively for them. The people here were not perfect, they screwed up royalty; their actions had serious consequences.

    Another high point was the voice actors, it had Keith David, Jonathan Frakes, Ed Asner, Marina Sirtis and Kate Mulgrew among others. Alumni of various "Star Trek" (post Next Gen) series made voice appearances.

    Fans like myself wondered when volume two would come out, years went by and nothing. Glad this happened, sway.

    As mentioned above; what's missing is the third season. "Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles" aired Saturday mornings on ABC in 1996. This took away the mystery as the public at large now knows about their existence; the good and bad that follows with such knowledge. Season three was thirteen episodes.

    There is no DVD release (as of yet). It's considered the bastard of the lot. I liked it, but it was a bit removed from the rest; "Goliath Chronicles" had new animators and writers. The series ended with a solid conclusion and acceptance. It had a good run and is fondly remembered like "Batman: The Animated Series", a competing TV show at the time.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Footnotes.

    A retooled season one of "Gargoyles" had a home video release before it streeted on DVD on December 7th, 2004.

    The five episode pilot/mini-series was edited into a single program; "Gargoyles: The Movie - The Heroes Awaken". It was released on laser disc on January 31st, 1995 for $29.99 from Buena Vista Home Video (UPC# 7 86936 39366 8). This was an eighty minute presentation in CLV (full screen), two sided LD in Dolby Surround.

    While researching, discovered something...



    There was a VHS release (also full screen), this streeted on February 3rd, 1995 for $19.99 which included a VCR interactive board game, remember those? Above is the trade ad.

    The LD is eighty minute long. The VHS is ninety minutes. I guessing this includes the animation for the game. Kinda wondering why this wasn't made available on laser disc, perhaps since it would be problematic for the game pieces. The video cassette is in a thick cardboard box to hold the interactive elements.

    The laser disc cover? Just imagine the picture in the ad as the LD cover. Same difference.

    If you're curious, David Xanatos is saying in the advertisement, "Stop! Move Back 4 Spaces!" and the players acting all hyper excited. Probably needed some kind of A.D.D. meds, the dad too. Well, we can hope that was the dad and not some creepy guy off the streets; 'Hey kids want to play a VCR game and later wrestle?'

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Tangent.

    This popped on my radar, the middle of last month. That DVD cover looks mighty familiar. Indeed.



    I guess the imagery was catchy enough to get repeated.

    The left is the novel, "Unfed" by Kirsty McMay. It came out on August 27th, 2013; hardback. The right is a recent DVD, "College Pranks"; streeted on February 23rd, 2021. Guys do love cheerleaders, never out grow them. *nods*

    There you go, not one of my bigger entries, but does get the job done. Come back here on April 14th, 2021 for another helping of... nostalgia? Collector's nostalgia?
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 05-13-2021 at 04:57 AM.

  13. #763
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    Wonder Woman 1984
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    Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar
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