Home Video Exclusives

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Not Our Feathered Friends Part II




Okay, release drama - not fluff, this IS noteworthy.

The first DVD happened on February 22nd, 2000 (for $24.99). It came with an insert - various trivia and chapter listing.

But as you read above was not the only time on DVD.

From left to right...



The first re-released happened on August 28th, 2012; part of "Universal 100th Anniversary" collection with foil slipcovers that opens up with some film trivia and that film's position in Universal's movies released that particular year. This also came with a Digital Copy. The wraparound mostly mirrors the slipcover, it does not have those banners on the top and bottoms. No insert issued, minus that DC instructions and code.

On the following year, July 9th, 2013 - it happened again, "Best Of the Decade" re-re-release. This was the same as the 2012 edition. No Digital Copy and no insert once more. Came with a matted slipcover. Unless I'm mistaken, the same wraparound as 2012.

The next on July 12th, 2016; the "Pop Art" re-re-re-release. No insert or Digital Copy. It did come with a slipcover (matted) which mirrored the wraparound. A re-package of the 2012 edition.

I keep saying 2012 edition for a good reason.

You see, the 2012 re-release was altered and did not get much attention.



The Hitchcock movie was remastered. The aspect ratio from the 2000 DVD is changed, now with more info on the horizontal and slight less on the vertical in addition, better image quality; not underexposed and better bit rate too. The 2000 DVD had a soft image as if this came from a laser disc transfer - which is old if that was the case.

To make it clear, that comparison has no enhancements - I took those screen snaps and edited together, that's it.

Sure - for the most part, every picture in my Past Tense posts have had some kind of tweaking to make them the best as possible; from color, contrast corrections to full out, image restoration (gotten quite good at that, the power of being anal!). Anyhow...

Something has to give for it to happen. The movie is two hours long.

What was omitted?



Gone is the nearly eighty minute documentary, "All About The Birds" featuring interviews with living crew members and stars Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor and Veronica Cartwright as well as Hitchcock's daughter Pat and others too.

In mid August (2017) I got off my ass and bought a mint copy (with insert) of the 2000 special edition. Then when the 2017 exclusive came out, bought that too - for the slipcase. Made it very clear - I'm anal.

Was going to get rid of that extra disc copy. But before I would do that, I wanted to see the doc...

And nothing. You see, while I had that DVD, a month before; I still had not gotten around to watching it.

That menu for special features (2012) is a single screen. I could not find it. WTF? So I pull out my 2000 release and there it was - two screens of options. The 2012 just crammed it all (minus the documentary) on a single screen.

My solution was getting a two disc transparent case. Putting the original wraparound on the inside (to be seen) and the 2012 wrap on the outside, inserting the booklet. This way I have the best of both worlds. One to watch for movie and one to watch for extras. Sway.

And topping it all, the new glow-in-the-dark slipcover.

By the way, I'm not including the box set (streeted March 6th, 2001); "The Alfred Hitchcock Collection: The Best of Hitchcock, Vol. 2" which was a slipcase holding the 2000 edition along with "Vertigo", "The Trouble With Harry", "Frenzy", "Marnie", Saboteur", "Torn Curtain" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol. 3" (four episodes of his TV show). DVD special editions, minus "Saboteur" and "Presents".

Oh yeah, the film poster on top, that's not Hedren screaming, it's Jessica Tandy from the scene where the birds are coming down through a chimney.

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Recommendation.

Just one.

"Life After Beth" (2014)
Zach Orfman is heartbroken when his girlfriend dies, a fatal snake bite - hiking in the woods. But is shocked to see her after the funeral; the family is keeping her resurrection a secret. She's quite human, slowly decaying - until her higher brain functions widdle way into full Romero territory. A different take on the zombie genre. This is a tale of a man who comes to understand that his love was an illusion. Beth didn't genuinely care for him, alive or undead; sometimes seconds chances are not worth it. She becomes patient-zero in a ghoul outbreak. A mostly low-key comedy with some horror. Funny and tragic at times.
Lionsgate - 2014 - R

See you back next week... *muahahaha*

[JohnIan101]

Best Buy - October 10th, 2017


Baby Driver
Exclusive steelbook; 4k BD/BD combo $29.99

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Exclusive steelbook; BD/DVD combo $24.99 (available now)
Exclusive steelbook; 4K BD/BD/DC combo $34.99 (available now)

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Moist And Deadly Part II




I enjoyed it. Quite silly at times and works well. As I wrote in a different message board, these critters are the new Krites. Sway alternate poster. I need to get that CD soundtrack.

In a lot of ways this reminds me of "Black Sheep". The 2006 New Zealand horror/comedy, not the '96 Chris Farley movie. Out on DVD from Dimension Home Video, unrated.

Not zombies, but murderous sheep transformed by genetic experiments; they have developed a taste for humans. Just so you know in New Zealand, sheeps greatly outnumber humans on the island. They are infectious and can turns people into weresheep. Yes, you read correctly.



Like "Zombeavers", over the top with its ridiculousness. There's a great moment when our characters witness a massive heard of infected sheep racing over a hill towards them. Be afraid.

A nice quote the director:

This may very well be the most important film you will ever see about zombie beavers.

- Jordan Rubin

Oh yeah, let there be no confusion, Rubin got there first. In 2003 there was a direct to video release called "Beaver Lake Zombies" which in fact has no zombie-beavers. Just so you know.

- - -

Not a plot hole.

Why did Smyth (Rex Linn), the hunter turn faster than the rest?

It's was established that he hunts beavers and trapped them - more than likely he was infected by one early one.

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Tangent.

It's that time of the year. Yes indeed.

Time for sexy Halloween costumes!



Winter's coming!

I bet she is. *smiles* Kinda surprise it took this long for "Game Of Thrones" sexy costume. She's sassy!

Oh my god! Too Sexy. Too sexy!!!

Said 'no one' to the "Pierrot Clown". Frack me, that's just sad. On her way to a Max Hardcore video shoot? Yeah I went there.

Be more melancholy.

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Recommendations.

More titles to consider this Halloween season.

"The Blob" (1958)
Downingtown, Pennsylvania; Steve Andrews and Jane Martin are making out on 'Lover's Lane' when they witness a falling star. Curious, they seek out the meteorite which crashed in the nearby woods. The couple isn't alone; an elderly vagrant living in the forrest finds it first, regrets immediately. The small rock opens, revealing a transparent, gel-like substance which he pokes with a stick. A moment later, it lunges at the man's hand, latching onto his flesh. In intense pain, he runs into the road where Steve nearly runs him over. The couple take him the local doctor - shocked by the injury, an unknown parasite. In short, what fell to Earth was a cosmic ameba; consuming all living creatures. As it digest, it grows and becomes a dark red from our blood. In one night, what started as a bowling ball sized life form - became the size of a house. Able to move on its own and displaying stalking mentality. The film was remade with considerable skill and gore in 1988 (same name). The original film, while campy at times still retains enough of its horror to make this list.
The Criterion Collection - 2000 - NR

"The McPherson Tape" a.k.a. "UFO Abduction" (1989)
This is a low budget, independent, shot on tape, found footage horror film. It had a limited VHS release back in the day. Other than that, there hasn't been another official release - be it VHS, Laser Disc, DVD, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray; anything out there now is a bootleg. This was remade in 1998, aired as a TV special on the former network, UPN (January 18th, '98) as "Alien Abduction: Incident In Lake County". The one hour broadcast was re-aired with additional footage. Though (the original) made with a budget of $6,500; it is a tense feature about the mass abduction of the Van Heeses, a Connecticut family who were celebrating Thanksgiving when a 'Fourth Kind' encounter happens in the worst way. Why is it called McPherson? A carry over, most people know it as such since the family taken in the remake were the McPhersons - a common mistake that stuck. Both versions were produced by Dean Alioto. Why see this hard to find flick? Dripping with atmosphere and dread, though the ending is a bit weak - corrected for the remake. The redo doesn't show the full length tape, rather it is mock scientific analysis of the footage. People thought it was real, some still do. Go with the original, it can be found on YouTube. Quick side note, the remake has never been release on home video; there was a warehouse fire that consumed the master print - insert your conspiracy theory.
Axiom Films - 1989 - NR

"Outlander" (2008)
At war with a species, known as the Moorwen, a solider finds his spacecraft damaged. The co-pilot picks the nearest inhabitated world, a place called Earth. The ship crash lands into a lake, Kainan is the only survivor or so he believes; there was a stowaway. The vessel has landed in Norway; the year is 709 AD. A series of violent deaths strike the Viking countryside of Herot. Kainan, a foreigner is taken to King Hrothgar to be sentenced for the supposed crimes. But the stranger claims that something else is responsible, a Moorwen - a creature humans would call... a dragon. Haunted by guilt, he leads the primitive to slay the beast, only to find out things are much worse than he thought. A re-imagining of the Beowulf tale.
Genius Products, LLC - 2009 - NR

Pandorum (2009)
In the distant future, Earth is longer able to sustain long term human life; we are facing extinction. Scientists discover with long range probes, a far away planet which could suport us, Tanis. In 2174, the world's largest spacecraft was launched, Elysium - an interstellar ark. A voyage that will take 123 years to complete. But in it's eighth year out, disaster strikes Earth; Elysium is all that remains of the human race; 60,000 people in suspending animation. The year is now unknown; Corporal Bower wakes up to a nearly dead ship along with his commander, Lieutenant Payton, part of the the ship's automatic systems. What happened? Where is the main crew? How far are they away from Tanis? All of which become moot when they are hunted by a cannibalistic, aliens inside the craft.
Anchor Bay Entertainment - 2010 - R

"Without Warning" (1994)
Made for CBS TV movie (October 31st, 1994). It aired once. A special news broadcast of the end of the world. The news bulletin is anchored by real news anchor Sander Vanocur. A meteor impact happens in Wyoming which caused a quake. Then reports come flooding in of two additional impacts in China and France - all crashing in isolated areas. But things get odder when all three rocks start broadcasting; a triangulation siginal for another, larger meteor on its way. It's a race to stop this foreign threat, but it results in three additional significantly bigger meteors (two miles wide each) on its way to Earth. All have a specific target; Washington, D.C., Moscow and Beijing. This was a tense, real time feature that incorporated commericals into the program. There was some minor controversy as some people thought this was real. A lot happens; we are given no real answers other than First Contact was made that night and we blew it, big time. The bumpers for it, 'brought to you by...' were actually foreshadowing the conclusion. The DVD is long out of print.
Madacy Entertainment Group - 2003 - NR

Hate to tell you, but all your bullets are gone. And yet it still comes for you, unfazed and so determined - next week, witness a beast from the depths.

Look at it this way; you're very popular! And tasty. Okay, mostly tasty.