The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Extra Frills Edition
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: R
Starring:
Terence Stamp as Ralph/Bernadette Bassenger
Hugo Weaving as Anthony ‘Tick’ Belrose/Mitzi Del Bra
Guy Pearce as Adam Whitely/Felicia Jollygoodfellow
Bill Hunter as Bob
Rebel Penfold-Russell as Logowoman
John Casey as Bartender
June Marie Bennett as Shirley
Murray Davies as Miner
Frank Cornelius as Piano Player
Bob Boyce as Petrol Station Attendant
Leighton Picken as Young Adam
Maria Kmet as Ma
Joseph Kmet as Pa
Alan Dargin as Aboriginal Man
Julia Cortez as Cynthia
Special Features:
Audio Commentary by Director Stephan Elliot
Birth of a Queen Featurette
Deleted Scenes
Tidbits from the Set
Bloopers
Fabulous Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
Theatrical Teaser Trailer
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound
French Language
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official DVD description:
“They came. They conquered. They looked fabulous. This wonderfully inventive, visually stunning and incomparably funny Australian import about three drag performers braving the vast, rugged outback won the 1994 Academy Award for Costume Design. Veteran actor Terence Stamp (‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’), Hugo Weaving (‘The Matrix’), Guy Pearce (‘L.A. Confidential’) all give hilarious – and heartfelt – performances in a three-fishes-outta-water story that’s “one of the wildest movies ever made” (Rex Reed, New York Observer)! With a contract to perform a drag show way out in the Australian desert, Tick (Weaving), Adam (Pearce) and Ralph (Stamp) each has his own reason for wanting to leave the safety of Sydney. Christening their battered pink tour bus “Priscilla,” this wickedly funny and high-drama trio head for the Outback…and into crazy adventures in even crazier outfits. You go, girls!”
CS Comment:
It’s hard to believe General Zod and Agent Smith ever dressed in drag, but here’s the visual proof. Fans of the movie should be happy to get these new bonus features and deleted scenes.
Available Tuesday, June 5
The Outer Limits: The Original Series – Season 1, Volume 1
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: Not Rated
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Mono Sound
Running Time: 736 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“The best program of its type ever to run on network TV!” – Stephen King
Perhaps marked for its opening sequence and eerie voice-over “There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission,” ‘The Outer Limits’ pushed the boundaries of television and viewers minds by introducing a new caliber of science fiction.”
CS Comment:
Here’s a great DVD offering for sci-fi fans. Unfortunately, they didn’t bother to put any bonus features on this TV classic.
Available Tuesday, June 5
Trading Places “Looking Good, Feeling Good” Edition
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: R
Starring:
Eddie Murphy as Billy Ray Valentine
Denholm Elliott as Coleman
Dan Aykroyd as Louis Winthorpe III
Jamie Lee Curtis as Ophelia
Ralph Bellamy as Randolph Duke
Don Ameche as Mortimer Duke
Kristin Holby as Penelope Witherspoon
Frank Oz as Corrupt Cop
James Belushi as Harvey
Al Franken as Baggage Handler #1
Tom Davis as Baggage Handler #2
Special Features:
Insider Trading: The Making of Trading Places
Trading Stories
The Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Executive Producer George Folsey, Jr.
Dressing The Part
The Trade in Trading Places
Trivia Pop-Ups
Industry Promotional Piece
Other Info:
Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French, Portuguese, and Spanish Languages
Running Time: 116 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official DVD description:
“What happens when you combine the comic genius of Eddie Murphy (‘Norbit,’ ‘Dreamgirls’) with Dan Aykroyd (‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Christmas With the Kranks’) and director John Landis (‘Animal House,’ ‘Coming to America’)? You get a timeless comedy classic laced with sidesplitting, satiric humor. Murphy stars as a small time con artist who gets a chance to switch lives with Aykroyd’s big time stock market maven. But their reversal of fortunes is just a cruel joke perpetrated by two bored mega rich brothers (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy) as part of an idle bet. And when the truth comes out .the consequences are sheer comedy gold!”
CS Comment:
Just in time for the “Norbit” DVD release, they reissue the Eddie Murphy classic “Trading Places.” A few bonus features are also included.
Available Tuesday, June 5
Coming to America Special Collector’s Edition
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: R
Starring:
Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul
Arsenio Hall as Semmi/Extremly Ugly Girl/Morris/Reverend Brown
James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer
John Amos as Cleo McDowell
Madge Sinclair as Queen Aoleon
Shari Headley as Lisa McDowell
Paul Bates as Oha
Eriq La Salle as Darryl Jenks
Frankie Faison as Landlord
Vanessa Bell Calloway as Imani Izzi
Louie Anderson as Maurice
Allison Dean as Patrice McDowell
Sheila Johnson as Lady-in-Waiting
Jake Steinfeld as Cab Driver
Calvin Lockhart as Colonel Izzi
Special Features:
Prince-ipal Photography: The Coming Together of America
Fit For Akeem: The Costumes of Coming to America
Character Building: The Many Faces of Rick Baker
Composing America: The Musical Talents of Nile Rodgers
A Vintage Sit-Down with Eddie and Arsenio
Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer HD
Other Info:
Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French Language
French, Portuguese, and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 116 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official DVD description:
“Join Eddie Murphy (‘Norbit,’ ‘Dreamgirls’) on an unforgettable comic quest to the New World. As an African prince, it’s time for him to find a princess and the mission leads him and his most loyal friend (Arsenio Hall) to Queens, New York. In disguise as an impoverished immigrant, the pampered prince relishes the chance to test his mettle in the urban wilderness. Keep an eye out for both Murphy and Hall in some unforgettable cameo roles!”
“Coming to America” is rated R.
CS Comment:
Along with “Norbit” and “Trading Places,” “Coming to America” also gets reissued. If you don’t already have it for you collection, here’s your chance.
Available Tuesday, June 5
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection – Vol. 2 (You’re Never Too Young / Artists and Models / Living It up / Pardners / Hollywood or Bust)
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: Not Rated
Starring:
Dean Martin
Jerry Lewis
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Sound
Running Time: 8 Hours 9 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official DVD description:
“Living It Up: The 1954 Martin-and-Lewis romp ‘Living It Up’ is an amusing remake of the 1937 comedy classic Nothing Sacred. More specifically, it is the film version of the Broadway musical Hazel Flagg, which was based on Nothing Sacred. The heroine of the original undergoes a sex change to become feckless Homer Flagg (Jerry Lewis), who is led to believe that he’s dying of radiation poisoning. Manhattan newspaperwoman Wally Cook (Janet Leigh), hoping to improve circulation of her paper, convinces her boss, Oliver Stone (Fred Clark), to fete Homer as a hero with an all-expenses-paid trip to the Big Apple. Meanwhile, Homer learns from local doctor Steve (Dean Martin) that he isn’t dying at all. But Steve talks Homer into taking advantage of the celebrity treatment bestowed on him by Wally, and a good time is had by all until medical specialist Dr. Egelhofer (Sig Rumann) insists upon examining Homer. Highlights include a hilarious bit at Yankee Stadium, and an energetic jitterbug number featuring Jerry Lewis and Sheree North. The handful of songs retained from Hazel Flagg include “Every Street’s a Boulevard in Old New York.”
You’re Never Too Young: ‘You’re Never Too Young’ is a slapstick-with-songs remake of the 1944 Ray Milland/Ginger Rogers vehicle ‘The Major and the Minor.’ Dean Martin plays the Milland part, while Ginger’s shoes are filled by…Jerry Lewis? Lewis plays an apprentice barber who inadvertently crosses a homicidal jewel thief (Raymond Burr), and equally inadvertently hightails it out of town with the crook’s jewels in his possession. Desperate to escape the crook’s clutches, and lacking the necessary funds for a train ticket, Lewis disguises himself as a 12-year-old boy so he can travel half fare. He latches onto Dean, a music teacher heading for an all-girls school. After innumerable routines sparked by Lewis’s adolescent disguise, the jewel thief catches up with him, leading to a rollicking climactic speedboat chase. Dean Martin has plenty of opportunities to serenade leading lady Diana Lynn (who’d played a supporting role in ‘The Major and the Minor’), while Jerry Lewis is in peak form doing his usual “waah-waah-waah” schtick. The original Billy Wilder/Charles Brackett script for ‘The Major and the Minor’ was reshaped into ‘You’re Never Too Young’ by future bestselling novelist Sidney Sheldon.
Artists and Models: Bearing very little relation to the 1937 Paramount musical of the same name, ‘Artists and Models’ is a lavish, girl-filled vehicle for the popular team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Martin plays Rick Todd, a comic-book artist who is under fire from his publisher (Eddie Mayehoff), who complains that Rick’s work isn’t gory enough. Lewis plays Eugene Fullstack, Rick’s roommate, who while asleep dreams up elaborate comic-book plots and garishly costumed superheroes. Eugene’s nightmares help Rick become a success; meanwhile, our two heroes romance their luscious neighbors, artist Dorothy Malone and rambunctious model Shirley MacLaine (who during one song wrestles Eugene to the floor and sits on his chest!) Eugene’s overworked imagination somehow attracts the attention of a group of Russian spies, who attempt to abduct Eugene during the annual Artists and Models Ball. Director Frank Tashlin uses Artists and Models as an excuse for some of the wildest sight-gags seen in a mid-1950s film. At one point, the director contrives to stuff a gag in Shirley MacLaine’s mouth. Tashlin also exhibits his ongoing fascination with female breasts and legs by giving ample screen time to the natural attributes of co-stars Anita Ekberg and Zsa Zsa Gabor. One of the best of the Martin/Lewis efforts, ‘Artists and Models’ suffers only from being about 20 minutes too long.
Pardners: This Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis romp is liberally based on the 1936 Bing Crosby film ‘Rhythm on the Range.’ Set around 1910, the film stars Lewis as the pampered son of female tycoon Agnes Moorehead. Yearning to return to the Wild West where his father was a famed peacekeeper, Lewis purchases a prize bull, destined for the ranch inherited by rodeo star Dean Martin. It so happens that Martin and Lewis’ late fathers were “pardners”, so Martin takes it upon himself to protect Lewis from the various and sundry tough hombres in the region. Through a series of bizarre plot convolutions, Lewis gains a reputation as a rootin’ tootin’ gunslinger, and in his hubris he decides to round up a gang of outlaws headed by Jeff Morrow. As a result, he nearly gets himself blown to smithereens, but Martin shows up in the nick of time to rescue Lewis and help him capture the bad guys. Lori Nelson and Jackie Loughery supply the film’s peripheral romantic angle. ‘Pardners’ ends with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis turning to the camera and promising that they’ll keep on making pictures for their faithful fans; ironically, the team was breaking up even while the cameras were turning.
Hollywood or Bust: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made their last joint film appearance in the girl-filled musical ‘Hollywood or Bust.’ The thinnish plot finds inveterate film fan Jerry making a cross-country journey to Tinseltown for the purpose of meeting his favorite screen star, the buxom Anita Ekberg (the film’s title, need it be added, has a double meaning). Dean goes along for the ride, hoping to expand his bankroll during a Las Vegas stopover. The boys are joined by a third traveller, an enormous Great Dane named Mr. Bascomb; along the way, the trio becomes a quartet when pretty Pat Crowley hitches a ride. The finale takes place in Hollywood, naturally, as Jerry wreaks havoc at a film studio which looks suspiciously like Paramount. All reports indicate that Hollywood and Bust was an unhappy shoot, with Jerry Lewis behaving so obstreperously that director Frank Tashlin ordered him off the set and told him to go home until he learned to behave himself; to this day, Lewis cannot bring himself to watch the film. Happily, the animosity between the two stars never comes across on screen, and as a result Hollywood or Bust is a most enjoyable diversion.”
CS Comment:
This is a great bargain for Martin & Lewis fans. The set includes 5 movies for a reasonable price. Complete your set now!
Available Tuesday, June 5
Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: PG-13
Starring:
Winona Ryder as Dinky Bossetti
Jeff Daniels as Denton Webb
Laila Robins as Elizabeth Zaks
Thomas Wilson Brown as Gerald Howells
Joan McMurtrey as Barbara ‘Barbie’ Webb
Graham Beckel as Les Bossetti
Frances Fisher as Rochelle Bossetti
Robby Kiger as Beannie Billings
Dinah Manoff as Evelyn Whittacher
Sachi Parker as Libby Ohiemacher
Stephen Tobolowsky as Mayor Bill Klepler
Micole Mercurio as Louise Garweski
John Short as Ronald Reems
Robin Thomas as Scotty Sandholtzer
Valerie Landsburg as Miss Day Ashburn
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Widescreen
Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official DVD description:
“It’s been fifteen years since Roxy Carmichael left Clyde, Ohio, for fame and fortune. Now the town is excitedly planning for her homecoming. Among those anxiously awaiting her return: the forgotten boyfriend who fathered Roxy’s child (Jeff Daniels); Roxy’s rival (Dinah Manoff); and Dinky Bossetti (Winona Ryder), a gifted but eccentric 15-year-old girl who feels secretly tied to Roxy’s past.
Sparkling with heartfelt humor and warmth, ‘Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael’ is a tender story of yearning and self-discovery. Of hopes, celebrity and dreams. And the importance of finding acceptance on one’s own terms.”
“Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael” is rated PG-13.
CS Comment:
I’m not quite sure why this film was reissued. There are no bonus features on the DVD and none of the actors have anything notable coming out. But here it is!
Available Tuesday, June 5
Rawhide: The Second Season Volume 1
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: Not Rated
Starring:
Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates
Steve Raines as Jim Quince
Paul Brinegar as Wishbone
Eric Fleming as Gil Favor
James Murdock as Mushy
Rocky Shahan as Joe Scarlett
Sheb Wooley as Pete Nolan
Robert Cabal as Hey Soos
Special Features:
The first 16 episodes from the 1959-1960 season on 4 discs
Other Info:
Fullscreen
Dolby Digital Stereo Sound
Running Time: 13 Hours 42 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Academy-Award-winner Clint Eastwood returns to tame the Wild West in ‘Rawhide: The Second Season Volume 1.’ This 4-disc set, containing 16 digitally re-mastered episodes, features Eastwood in his early TV role as Rowdy Yates, the tough-as-nails cowhand and Eric Fleming as Rowdy’s strong-minded trail boss, Gil Favor. With sweeping locations, a stampede of guest stars and Frankie Laine’s impossible-to-forget, sing-along hit theme song – ‘Rawhide: The Second Season Volume 1’ rustles up one rip-roaring adventure after another! ”
“Rawhide: The Second Season – Volume 1” is not rated.
CS Comment:
Rawhide and Clint Eastwood fans can continue their collections with this second season DVD.
Available Tuesday, May 29
Hogan’s Heroes The Sixth & Final Season
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: Not Rated
Starring:
Bob Crane as Col. Robert E. Hogan
Werner Klemperer as Col. Wilhelm Klink
John Banner as Sgt. Hans Georg Schultz
Robert Clary as Cpl. Louis LeBeau
Larry Hovis as Sgt. Andrew Carter
Richard Dawson as Cpl. Peter Newkirk
Ivan Dixon as Sgt. James ‘Kinch’ Kinchloe
Leon Askin as General der Infantrie Albert Burkhalter
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Mono Sound
Running Time: 10 Hours 4 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official DVD description:
“Firing off one-liners and bang-up hilarity, this sixth and final season of ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ is Number One Entertainment – with a bullet! Re-experience the uproarious escapades of Colonel Robert Hogan (Bob Crane) and fellow POWs of Stalag 13 (Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Larry Hovis, Kenneth Washington) as they relentlessly disrupt the Nazi war effort with their cache of hysterically elaborate schemes. Shot through with laughter, the wacky escapades of Hogan, his motley group of men and the camp’s ham-fisted kommandant, Colonel Wilhelm Klink (Werner Klemperer), and bungling sidekick, Sergeant Hans Schultz (John Banner) provide hours of sidesplitting, classic entertainment! One of the funniest television shows of all time, this collectible 4-disc set contains all 24 digitally remastered sixth-season episodes ..Nussing is Missing!!!”
“Hogan’s Heroes The Sixth & Final Season” is not rated.
CS Comment:
The “Hogan’s Heroes” Saga concludes with this sixth season DVD. No bonus features for you!
Available Tuesday, June 5
Mission: Impossible The Second TV Season
Buy this DVD at Amazon.com
Rating: Not Rated
Starring:
Greg Morris as Barney Collier
Bob Johnson as Voice on Tape
Peter Lupus as Willy Armitage
Peter Graves as James Phelps
Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter
Martin Landau as Rollin Hand
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Language
French, Spanish, and Portuguese Subtitles
Running Time: 20 Hours 54 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the official DVD description:
“Spoken on a tape that self-destructs, these classic words introduce each episode of “Mission: Impossible,” the highly dramatic adventure series that returns to DVD in a set that includes all 25 second season episodes.
New IMF (Impossible Mission Force) leader Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) picks his team of skilled agents for the next covert mission: Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain) is the female seductress, Rollin Hand (Martin Landau) is the master of disguise, Willie Armitage (Peter Lupus) is the muscle, and Barney Collier (Greg Morris) is the electronics whiz.
Tight, clockwork-precision plots… an array of neat gadgetry… all set to jazzy music. Television’s coolest spies take us around the world and beyond!”
“Mission: Impossible The Second TV Season” is not rated.
CS Comment:
The “Mission: Impossible” series continues with this second DVD set. The bonus features must have self destructed.
Available Tuesday, June 5
