Title: The Abominable Dr. Phibes
Year: 1971
Director: Robert Fuest
Rating: PG-13
Length: 95 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, French: Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: French, Spanish

Stars:
Vincent Price as Dr. Phibes
Joseph Cotten as Dr. Vesalius
Virginia North as Vulnavia
Terry-Thomas as Dr. Longstreet
Sean Bury as Lem

Plot:
Vincent Price plays a diabolical doc seeking the ultimate in revenge with precision creepiness...and surgical wit! After a team of surgeons botches his beloved wife's operation, the distraught Dr. Phibes unleashes a score of Old-Testament atrocities – from a plague of locusts to an attack of rats – on his enemies that climax in what may be one of "the eeriest endings on screen record" (Syracuse Herald-Journal)!

Extras:
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailers
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This is one of the many in my collection I never seen before today. Though it is one that was suggested to me on many occasions by many people. Vincent Price has become a favorite of mine. I have to admit... I had my concerns about this one as soon as it started. Since I am not a fan of music of any kind. And this one opens with some strange orchestra. The movie itself... while good... I was expecting better. Maybe because of how people have gone on and on about it to me... causing my expectations to be higher then they should have been. But over all it is worth watching and I am glad I have it in my collection.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Toon Time!


"The Jungle -- here I was born, and here my parents died when I was but an infant. I would have soon perished too, had I not been found by a kindly she-ape named Kala who adopted me as her own and taught me the ways of the wild. I learned quickly and grew stronger each day. And now I share the frendship and trust of all jungle animals. The Jungle is filled with beauty and danger, and lost cities filled with good and evil. This is my domain, and I protect those who come here for I am Tazan, Lord of the Jungle."

Tarzan and the Colossus of Zome
Season 2 - Episode 3
When one city of miniature people build a giant robot to fight another city of miniature people, Tarzan must make peace between them.

My Thoughts:
When I seen this listed in the set... for the life of me I couldn't remember this cartoon. Then as soon as I saw the intro of the show it all came flooding back to me. As it was actually one of my favorites from my childhood. Now the question is did it hold up? In my opinion it definitely did! I enjoyed it very much and felt like a kid again watching it. Of course it reminds me of many other cartoons from the time. Same style, same familiar background music (yes... sometimes I do notice this... if the same stuff is used often as it is in the toons of the '70s) and same morals to the story-lines. The characters always learn a lesson in the kid shows back then. It is a shame that all the episodes to this classic toon is not on DVD.

Sorry you didn't like Dr Phibes as much as you'd hoped Pete - that's the problem sometimes, though. When things are hyped up so much you go in expecting a masterpiece!  The sequel (imo) is not as good, but is still a lot of fun.

As for the cartoons you have some Hong Kong Phooey and Scooby Doo coming up, which I've been pretty partial to on occasions... 

I'm looking forward to reading more of your reviews. 

I feel that I should do more marathons rather than just grabbing films off the shelves at random. 

Toon Time!


Josie and the Pussycats followed the adventures of an all-girl rock and roll group as they travelled the world playing gigs and along the way thwarted the weird diabolical plots of several megalomaniacs looking to rule the world.

The Nemo's a No-No Affair
Season 1 - Episode 1
While on a low-economy cruise to Pago Pago Island, the gang's ship is attacked and sunk by Captain Nemo's super submarine. The great-grandson of the original Nemo reveals his plans of using his sub to sink any ship in his path in order to rule the seas. After being captured and dropped to the bottom of the ocean, the Pussycats escape, locate Nemo's headquarters on Volcano Island and set out to stop his plans in their unusual, madcap fashion. 

My Thoughts:
OMG... the torture my own daughter put me through! How could she! This is basically nothing more then a Scooby Doo rip-off set to music. I mean some of the characters are even drawn to look like the characters of Scooby Doo (Fred/Alan) And even sounds like they had the same actors on a couple of the voices. This is definitely not one I would recommend seeing. Very very bad! 

Title: The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen
Year: 1973
Director: William Friedkin
Rating: R
Length: 132 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround EX, English: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil
Max von Sydow as Father Merrin
Lee J. Cobb as Lt. Kinderman
Kitty Winn as Sharon
Jack MacGowran as Burke Dennings

Plot:
Brace yourself as one of the all-time spellbinders possesses you all over again. Director William Friedkin and producer/screenwriter William Peter Blatty have revisited The Exorcist to integrate 11 minutes of scenes and images deleted before the film's 1973 release and digitally restore the picture and audio elements. The result is an experience more gripping than ever.

Now seen are moments deepening the impact of the performances by Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow and Lee J. Cobb. They include a "nervous disorder" diagnosis, expansion of Father Merrin's arrival before the ritual, priestly doubts during the ritual, an epilogue with Lt. Kinderman and Father Dyer and most notably, a shattering staircase descent by Regan. Winner of Oscars® for Best Adapted Screenplay (by Blatty) and Sound, The Exorcist astonishes time and again like no other movie.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Theatrical Trailers
Production Notes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
Let me start out this review by letting you all know that this film holds a special place in my heart. This was Dawn's (my late wife) all time favorite movie. We watched this together countless times. And it never failed to scare her every time. Scared her to the point that after watching it she made me follow her around the house as she didn't want to be anywhere alone. I always felt it was unfortunate she never saw this version of the movie. While the movie never scared me. I could see how it would scare people.

The above reminds me of something else. Several years later my niece spent the night with us. And she came to me saying... "Uncle Pete, Show me a movie that will scare me!" So I instantly thought of The Exorcist... and can you believe she sat there and laughed through the entire movie!?!? Kids now a day! Which bring us to the point that it was Brittany who chose this movie to watch next. But I already told her.... if she laughs at this movie... I am calling a psychiatrist!

To me this is a great movie. Sure it is a bit slow in parts. But the story is of such interest to me that it didn't "feel" slow. I of course love the head spin scene... and then there is the whole spider walk down the stairs scene... very cool. I am afraid that my problem reviewing this movie is determining how much of my fondness is for the quality of the movie and how much of it is how it just holds a special place in my heart. So how true is the rating I am giving it? I am questioning myself on this matter. But one thing I would never question myself on is the fact that I would definitely recommend this movie!

My Rating: 4.5/5

Title: The Night Stalker
Year: 1972
Director: John Llewllyn Moxey
Rating: NR
Length: 75 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak
Carol Lynley as Gail Foster
Simon Oakland as Vincenzo
Ralph Meeker as Bernie Jenks
Claude Akins as Sheriff Butcher

Plot:
This unforgettable first entry in the "Night Stalker" series introduced the world to the quirky reporter with a penchant for the paranormal and became "one of the top-rated TV movies of all time" (Chicago Tribune)! Investigating a series of Las Vegas murders, Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) discovers that each victim has been bitten in the neck and drained of blood. Though Kolchak's outlandish theory about the murders gets him nowhere with the police, his initiative to apprehend the killer himself gets him into hot water... with a modern-day vampire!

Extras:
Scene Access
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This is a TV movie from the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Obviously being from the early '70s and originating on TV it doesn't show any gore or anything like that. But I think it is a really good start to the series that came from this movie (and The Night Strangler). I really enjoy the character of Karl Kolchak. I am willing to bet that this show is where they got the idea for the X-Files series.Kolchak going after a vampire in this movie is of course a bonus for me.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Toon Time!


Hong Kong Phooey
Animated childrens show about a dog who is the janitor for a police station...until danger threatens, at which point he turns into the martial arts superhero Hong Kong Phooey! 

Car Thieves
Season 1 - Episode 1
A stolen car ring has recently been operating in town, so Hong Kong Phooey decides to take it upon himself to infiltrate the group in order to shut it down once and for all.

My Thoughts:
Hong Kong Phooey is another one that I watched all the time as a kid. So it was a lot of fun revisiting it. Brittany watched it with me. It turns out she knows this series as it comes or came on one of the channels she watches over at her grandmother's house. I must admit it really adds something to the nostalgia when you can now share the shows you loved as a kid with your own kids. Thankfully I taught Brittany at a very young age that just because something is old don't necessarily make it bad.

Title: The Night Strangler
Year: 1973
Director: Dan Curtis
Rating: NR
Length: 90 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak
Jo Ann Pflug as Louise Harper
Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo
Scott Brady as Capt. Schubert
Wally Cox as Mr. Berry

Plot:
Supernatural phenomena, baffling murders and offbeat humour mark this second "Night Stalker" offering with a "great cast" (Leonard Maltin) and suspense so palpable, it'll feel like a presence right there in the room with you! Surfacing in Seattle, Kolchak (Darren McGavin) uncovers another maddening mystery: every 21 years – for the past century (!) – a serial killer commits a spree of murders, drains his victims' blood and then quietly disappears. But Kolchak is on to this monster and is about to discover a shocking underground lair... an army of rotting corpses... and the ageless madman behind it all!

Extras:
Scene Access
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
Thought I would finish off this double feature dvd. I enjoyed this one as well. Though I do like the subject of The Night Stalker a little more. But you all know how I like my vampire movies! Once again it is a good story... and I enjoy the characters. I must admit I do enjoy the way Kolchak and his editor is always arguing.

My Rating: 3.5/5