*****************************
ONVIDEO E-MAIL NEWS
******************************

6/22/04 V8.25

This is an automated mail list; please do not reply to this
message. Messages should be sent to mail@....

ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES
FOR TUESDAY, June 22 -- MONDAY, June 28

BAD SANTA
He's naughty, not nice, and he's coming to town. Billy
Bob Thornton is Willie T. Stokes, a washed-up, wise-cracking
department store Santa who can't help but be more naughty than
nice. Underneath his ill-fitting red suit, Willie is actually a
safecracker who makes one big score every Christmas Eve. As
shoppers head home from the mall, this Santa and his ingenious
Elf -- Willie's smaller partner-in-crime Marcus (Tony Cox) --
crack the store safe and make off with their holiday stash. But
then comes Phoenix. Here Santa and his Elf find their annual
heist endangered by a pesky store manager (John Ritter), a savvy
mall detective (Bernie Mac), a sexy Santa fan (Lauren Graham) and
an innocent but beleaguered 8 year-old misfit (Brett Kelly) who
decides to believe that Willie -- as intoxicated, acid-tongued
and felonious as he seems to be -- is the real Santa he's
seeking. Director: Terry Zwigoff. Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony
Cox, Lauren Graham, Brett Kelly, Lauren Tom, John Ritter, Bernie
Mac. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Comedy, Box office gross:
$59.371 million, Dimension, $24.99 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date.

BLOODY TERRITORIES
From cult Japanese action director Yasuharu Hasebe comes this
stylishly colorful yakuza tale set against the backdrop of
Tokyo's gangster underworld. A once-powerful yakuza clan disbands
as a result of a police crackdown, but one small group refuses to
bow to police pressure, and launches a campaign to take over
Tokyo's drug, prostitution, and gambling rackets. Someone wants
to stop them. Is it the police? Rival gang members? Or is it an
entirely new group of hired killers who will stop at nothing to
gain complete control of Tokyo's "bloody territories?" Director:
Yasuharu Hasebe. Stars: Tsuneo Aoki, Rika Fujie, Tatsuya Fuji.
1969, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 88 min., Action, Home Vision
Entertainment. DVD: Only.

LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA, THE
In the grand tradition of such immortal masterpieces as "Plan 9
From Outer Space" and "Robot Monster" comes this schlocky,
low-budget parody of 1950s sci-fi/horror movies. Performed
completely straight-faced, shot on location in fabled Bronson
Canyon in glorious black-and-white (and in the new screen miracle
"Skeletorama!"), and scored entirely with ancient library music,
"The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" is a wild outing that would make
B-movie kings Ed Wood and Sam Katzman proud. The convoluted plot
begins with heroic but dim-witted scientist Dr. Paul Armstrong,
aided by his clueless wife Betty, searching for a recently fallen
meteor containing the rare radioactive element atmosphereum. Also
seeking the meteor is evil scientist Dr. Roger Fleming, who's
looking for Cadavra Cave, mysterious home to the dreaded Lost
Skeleton, whom he hopes to restore to life with atmosphereum.
Then a spaceship crashes in the woods, letting loose a mutant who
ravages the countryside. A stranded alien couple not only must
retrieve their mutant, but can only repower their ship with --
you guessed it -- atmosphereum. After the aliens disguise
themselves as Earth people with the aid of their "transmutatron,"
Dr. Fleming steals the gizmo and turns four different forest
animals into his beautiful sidekick, "Animala" (aka "Pammy").
With everyone after the atmosphereum, the Armstrongs find they
have their hands full as they try to capture the radioactive
monster, stop the evil scientist, and vanquish the power-mad
Skeleton who wants to rule the world. Director: Larry Blamire.
Stars: Larry Blamire, Fay Masterson, Brian Howe, Andrew Parks.
2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 89 min., Camp Horror, Box office
gross: $0.110 million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for
rental. DVD: Day & Date.

LOWER DEPTHS, THE
In this special double-disc set, Criterion presents two
dramatically different interpretations of Maxim Gorky's classic
play by two of cinema's greatest masters. In Akira Kurosawa's
1957 version, the director demonstrates another side of his
remarkable versatility. In contrast to his usual broad canvas and
kinetic filmmaking style, here he explores the possibilities of
the stage, finding intimacy in his examination of a group of
destitutes set, ironically, within Japan's prosperous Edo period.
Starring an ensemble cast that includes Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu
Yamada, and Minoru Chiaki, this adaptation is a Buddhist
meditation on the human condition, a poignant yet comic
investigation of one of Kurosawa's favorite themes -- the
conflict between illusion and reality. Made amidst the rise of
Hitler in Germany and the Popular Front in France, director Jean
Renoir had need to take license with Gorky's source material for
his 1936 adaptation of the play. Aware that the plight of the
desperate characters might sit uneasily in his own country on the
edge of war, the director never lets his derelicts sink quite to
the depths, offering them -- like in so many of his other films
-- the possibility of hope. Marking the first time the director
would work with Jean Gabin and featuring the great Louis Jouvet,
Renoir's film demonstrates one of cinema's greatest directors
transforming a classic play into his own terms for a distinct
time. The disc also includes an introduction to the film by
Renoir. Director: Akira Kurosawa. Stars: Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu
Yamada, Kyoko Kagawa, Ganjiro Nakamura. 1957, CC, MPAA rating:
NR, 137 min., Drama, The Criterion Collection. DVD: Only.
Director: Jean Renoir. Stars: Jean Gabin, Junie Astor, Suzy Prim,
Louis Jouvet. 1936, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 90 min., Drama, The
Criterion Collection. DVD: Only.

MAMA ROMA
Anna Magnani stars as Mamma Roma, a middle-aged prostitute who
attempts to extricate herself from her sordid past for the sake
of her son. Filmed in the great tradition of Italian neorealism,
the film offers an unflinching look at the struggle for survival
in postwar Italy, and highlights director Pier Paolo Pasolini's
lifelong fascination with the marginalized and dispossessed.
Though banned upon its release in Italy for obscenity, today
"Mamma Roma" remains a classic, a glimpse at a country's most
controversial director in the process of finding his style, and a
powerhouse performance by one of the cinema's greatest actresses.
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini. Stars: Anna Magnani, Ettore
Garofolo, Franco Citti, Silvana Corsini. 1962, CC, MPAA rating:
NR, 110 min., Drama, The Criterion Collection.
DVD: Only.

SCOOBY-DOO AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
Scooby-Doo and the gang travel to Scotland to co-host the famous
Highland games, where they get more than fun when they discover
the Loch Ness Monster. Before the games begin, the gang must
unravel the secret behind the fabled monster, who is angry that
they're holding the games on her sacred nesting ground. Voices of
Casey Kasem, Mindy Cohn, Frank Welker, Grey Delisle, Sheena
Easton. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 74 min., Animated, Warner,
$14.94 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date.

SECRET WINDOW
Based on the best-selling suspense-filled novel "Secret Window,
Secret Garden" by Stephen King. Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp), an
eccentric writer just coming off of a troublesome divorce with
his ex-wife, Amy (Marla Bello), finds himself stalked at his
remote lake house by a psychotic stranger named John Shooter
(John Turturro) who claims Mort stole his best story idea,
changing just the ending for his version. As his wife pushes Mort
to finalize their divorce and Shooter systematically destroys his
life, he struggles to restore order to an increasingly insane
situation. Mort discovers that this story holds a deadly secret
that comes to life, a secret that even he can't imagine, that
will force his life to spiral out of control, ultimately leading
to a shocking twist ending. Director: David Koepp. Stars: Johnny
Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Charles Dutton, Timothy Hutton.
2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 96 min., Psychological thriller,
Box office gross: $46.214 million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP,
Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

STRAY CAT ROCK: SEX HUNTER
This, the third in a series of five
"Stray Cat Rock" films, stars hard-as-nails Meiko Kaji as the
leader of a gang of vicious teenage schoolgirls who get their
kicks with gang fights, street muggings, and rock and roll.
Directed by Japanese action master Yasuharu Hasebe -- whose
violent style was an influence on Quentin Tarantino's "Kill
Bill," "Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter" is a nonstop thrill ride of
action and suspense, filmed in dazzling color. Director: Yasuharu
Hasebe. Stars: Meiko Kaji. 1970, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 85 min.,
Action, Home Vision Entertainment. DVD: Only.

WOMAN IS A WOMAN, A
Jean-Luc Godard's 1961 film is a sly, playful tribute to -- and
interrogation of -- the American musical comedy, showcasing the
director's signature wit and intellectual acumen. Exotic dancer
Angela (Anna Karina) attempts to have a child with her unwilling
lover Emile (Jean-Claude Brialy). In the process, she finds
herself torn between him and his best friend Alfred (Jean-Paul
Belmondo). A dizzying compendium of color, humor, and the music
of renowned composer Michel Legrand, "A Woman Is a Woman" finds
the young Godard at his warmest and most accessible, reveling in
and scrutinizing the mechanics of his great obsession -- the
cinema. Director: Jean-Luc Godard. Stars: Jean-Claude Brialy,
Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo. 1961, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 84
min., Musical, The Criterion Collection. DVD: Only.

For more release info, check out our calendar pages at
<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar.htm>


------------------------------------------------------------

NEWS

COMING SOON:
Due August 3 from Paramount is "The Reckoning" starring Paul
Bettany, Trevor Steedman, Simon McBurney, Tom Hardy, Brian Cox
and Willem Dafoe, on VHS rental and DVD, from Paramount ... On
August 10 Paramount will release the teen girl romance "The
Prince & Me," directed by Martha Coolidge and starring Julia
Stiles, Luke Mably, Ben Miller, James Fox and Miranda Richardson,
on VHS and feature-laded DVD ... Due August 17 is "Mayor of the
Sunset Strip," a documentary on rock legend Rodney Bingenheimer,
featuring Cher, David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Deborah Harry, Alice
Cooper, Ray Manzarek and Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay,
Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani, Brooke Shields, Brian Wilson, Keanu
Reeves, Neil Young, Pete Townshend, Beck, Joey Ramone, Green Day,
Rob Zombie, Sarah Michelle Gellar, The Mamas and The Papas, Davy
Jones and The Monkees, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mick Jagger, The Doors,
John Lennon, Linda Ronstadt, Joan Jett, Elvis Costello, Phil
Spector, Sex Pistols, Coldplay, Van Halen, Oasis, Tori Amos and
Paul McCartney; on VHS rental and DVD from First Look Home
Entertainment ... And, on November 16, New Line will release
"Elf," 2003's smash Christmas hit directed by Jon Favreau and
starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Edward Asner,
Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel and Peter Dinklage, on $14.95
VHS and a loaded-with-extras two-DVD set.

DVD COLLECTIBLES:
Home Vision Entertainment will release this week two interesting
Japanese cult films: First up is "Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter"
(1970), the third in a series of five "Stray Cat Rock" films,
starring hard-as-nails Meiko Kaji as the leader of a gang of
vicious teenage schoolgirls who get their kicks with gang fights,
street muggings, and rock and roll. Directed by Japanese action
master Yasuharu Hasebe, whose violent style was an influence on
Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill." "Bloody Territories" (1969),
also from cult Japanese action director Hasebe, is a stylishly
colorful yakuza tale set against the backdrop of Tokyo's gangster
underworld. A once-powerful yakuza clan disbands as a result of a
police crackdown, but one small group refuses to bow to police
pressure and launches a campaign to take over Tokyo's drug,
prostitution, and gambling rackets. Someone wants to stop them.
Is it the police? Rival gang members? Or is it an entirely new
group of hired killers who will stop at nothing to gain complete
control of Tokyo's "bloody territories"? ... Meanwhile, the folks
at The Criterion Collection will release Jean-Luc Godard's New
Wave take on the Hollywood musical, "A Woman Is a Woman" (1961),
starring Jean-Claude Brialy, Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
Extras include an early short film by Godard; excerpts from a
French television interview with Karina, Brialy and Serge
Gainsbourg; a poster gallery; more.

FROM TV TO VIDEO:
Due this week are two series from Paramount: "The Joe Schmo Show:
Season One Uncensored!" a three-disc set with eight broadcasts,
priced under $40; and "Reno 911!: The Complete First Season," a
two-disc set with 14 episodes, priced under $20 ... Acorn Media
brings two British series to video this week, "Poirot 9
Collector's Set," containing three hour-long episodes ("Dead
Man's Mirror," "Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan" and "The
Adventure of the Clapham Cook") from the popular Agatha Christie
series starring David Suchet, on a single disc for $29.99; and
"Mapp & Lucia, Series Two," featuring five episodes of the much-
sought-after Britcom about two formidable matrons who vie for
social supremacy in a provincial 1920s English village using
unconventional weapons such as gardeners and lobster recipes, in
a two-disc set for $39.99.

BUZZIN' THE 'B's:
Razor Digital Entertainment will release this week the 2002
mockumentary, "Superguy: Behind the Cape," which explores the ups
and downs of SuperGuy, a regular guy with supernatural powers and
the arduous task of helping people day and night, seven days a
week. The film asks the questions: "What if there was a real-life
super hero? And what if he had real human problems?" The trials
and tribulations of such a man are examined using news clips,
interviews, commercials, appearances and file footage. Directed
by Bill Lee and starring Mark Teague and Charles Dierkop,
"SuperGuy" is available on DVD for $24.99.

SPECIAL INTEREST:
Two interesting historical videos will be released this week:
From R2 Entertainment comes "Bob Hope: Laughing With the
Presidents," a DVD compilation of shared moments between Hope and
11 U.S. presidents (from 1933-2001, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to
Bill Clinton) as well as classic Hope standup routines, skits and
jokes about each president; $12.99; and from Ardustry Home
Entertainment comes "Gettysburg: Three Days of Destiny," which
examines the Civil War's Battle of Gettysburg using the dramatic
accounts -- via dispatches, diaries and after-battle reports --
of Union and Confederate commanders. The epic saga was filmed at
the massive 140th annual reenactment of the infamous battle;
$24.98.


------------------------------------------------------------

THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:

Weekly listings of DVD releases can now be viewed on mobile
devices at www.tagtag.com/onvideo

** Bad Santa (2003) Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Lauren Graham,
Brett Kelly, Lauren Tom, John Ritter, Bernie Mac. Extras: Deleted
scenes, behind-the-scenes special, a John Ritter tribute,
outtakes/bloopers, more. (Dimension).
** Bloody Territories (1969 -- Japan) Dir.: Yasuharu Hasebe;
Tsuneo Aoki, Rika Fujie, Tatsuya Fuji. New digital transfer,
enhanced for 16x9 televisions; new subtitles. Extras: Director
biography and filmography, original Japanese trailer, liner notes
by Japanese film expert Chris D. (Home Vision Entertainment).
** The Joe Schmo Show: Season One Uncensored! Three-disc set with
eight broadcasts, under $40. Extras: Five uncensored deleted
scenes, extended cast interviews, extended and unblurred
"Chocolate Sauce on Models" sequence, "The Making of the Meal"
gross food stunt. (Paramount).
** The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story (1996) Documentary on
the famous artists and caricaturist. New digital transfer,
enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Extras: Essay by Michael Kimmelman
of the New York Times. (Home Vision Entertainment).
** The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2004) Larry Blamire, Fay
Masterson, Brian Howe, Andrew Park. Extras: Commentary by cast
and crew; blooper reel; "Obey the Lost Skeleton!" making-of
featurette; acclaimed retro-style trailer; "Virtual Skelectable"
gallery; American Cinematheque Q&A with cast and crew; classic
1937 color cartoon "Skeleton Frolic," directed by the legendary
Ub Iwerks, which was a highlight of the film's theatrical
release"; bonus trailers of vintage horror films. (Columbia
TriStar).
** The Lower Depths (1957/1936) Two-disc set with two versions of
Maxim Gorky's classic play, by Akira Kurosawa (starring Toshiro
Mifune) in 1957 (with audio commentary by film expert Donald
Richie, a documentary on the making of the film, and more) and
Jean Renoir (starring Jean Gabin) in 1936 (with an introduction
to the film by Renoir). (The Criterion Collection)
** Mama Roma (1962 -- Italian) Dir.: Pier Paolo Pasolini; Anna
Magnani, Ettore Garofolo, Franco Citti, Silvana Corsini. Extras:
Three new interviews about Pasolini: with director Bernardo
Bertolucci, cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli and biographer
Enzo Siciliano; an hour-long documentary about Pasolini; "La
Ricotta," a 35-minute film by Pasolini about a director who sets
out to make a film about the Passion of Jesus; trailer; poster
gallery; more. (The Criterion Collection).
** Reno 911!: The Complete First Season. Two-disc set with 14
episodes, under $20. Extras: Alternate and deleted scenes,
commentary on four episodes by cast and director. (Paramount).
** Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster (2004) Animated. Extras:
Eight-minute National Geographic documentary "Scooby-Doo's Inside
Scoop." "The Case of the Missing Scooby Snacks" 3-D challenge set
in Blake Castle at Loch Ness, "Learn the Lingo: Speak Scottish
With Scooby-Doo!" outtakes and bloopers. (Warner).
** Secret Window (2004) Dir.: David Koepp; Johnny Depp, John
Turturro, Maria Bello, Charles Dutton, Timothy Hutton. Extras:
Commentary by director David Koepp, four deleted scenes, three-
part "The Making of Secret Window" documentary ("From Book to
Film," focuses on director David Koepp's challenge to adapt the
Stephen King Novella into a film; "A Look Through It," about the
filmmaking process itself; and "Secrets Revealed," in which Koepp
reveals who the Johnny Depp character really is), animated
storyboards. (Columbia TriStar).
** Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (1970 -- Japan)Dir.: Yasuharu
Hasebe; Meiko Kaji. New digital transfer, enhanced for 16x9
televisions. Extras: Director biography and filmography, original
Japanese trailer, liner notes by film critic Richard Kadrey.
(Home Vision Entertainment).
** A Woman Is a Woman (1961 -- French) Dir.: Jean-Luc Godard;
Jean-Claude Brialy, Anna Karina, Jean- Paul Belmondo. Extras:
Early short film by Godard; excerpts from a French television
interview with Karina, Brialy and Serge Gainsbourg; poster
gallery; trailer; more. (The Criterion Collection).

For more DVD info, check out our DVD calendar pages at
<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/cal_dvd.htm>


------------------------------------------------------------

THIS WEEK'S VHS SELL-THROUGH RELEASES:

** Bad Santa (2003) Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Lauren Graham,
Brett Kelly, Lauren Tom, John Ritter, Bernie Mac (Dimension):
$24.99
** Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster (2004) Animated (Warner):
$14.98

For more sell-through info, check out our Sell-Through/Repriced
pages at <http://www.onvideo.org/reprice.htm>


------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2004 CyberPod. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1094-3676

An archive of past issues of the OnVideo E-Mail News can be found
at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/onvideoguide

Messages and missives: e-mail: mail@...

Thanks to the Woo family of Culver City, Calif. and Leslie
Rigoulot for helping support this issue of the news.

Subscriptions to OnVideo E-Mail News are
free for the asking by sending an e-mail request to
onvideoguide-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
No subject or body text is required.

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you can
un-subscribe by sending an e-mail message to
onvideoguide-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
No subject or body text is required.

And don't forget to bookmark our major OnVideo Web site located
at http://www.onvideo.org