I'm really liking the upgraded, revamped Brentwood, now known as BCI Eclipse. Lots of cool stuff out and coming out, and from what I've seen so far, the quality is exponentially improved.

I picked up their "Maximum Action Double Feature," with 9 DEATHS OF THE NINJA and KILLPOINT. NINJA is 1.85:1 with no indication of anamorphic enhancement (I just have a flatscreen, not a widescreen), while KILLPOINT is 1.78:1 and anamorphic. I caught KILLPOINT years ago as a rental (it would've been nice to see that old Vestron logo before the movie!) and it was a Showtime mainstay for a while, but it's been a good 20 years since I've seen it. Much like William and Marty discussed on the now 15-page cult thread, it's a terrible movie, but it's definitely a favorite bad movie of mine. I like Cameron Mitchell's ridiculous performance, Stack Pierce's Nighthawk is a total badass, and Leo Fong is the worst martial-arts icon ever. The real-life police captain and ATF agent hired to play, respectively, a police captain and an ATF agent, are obvious non-actors who stop the movie dead in its tracks every time they show up (especially the mush-mouthed ATF guy). I gotta say, Mitchell has some funny moments in this, especially after Pierce blows a woman's brains out, and Mitchell looks at him and says "Ya think ya got her....a--hole?" Mitchell cuddling with Sparky the poodle and growing increasingly irate over a screaming baby in a coffee shop are priceless moments. The film is completely politically incorrect and full of some truly reprehensible violence, but I dunno...it's a guilty pleasure for sure.

And thank you, Marty....I'll be laughing at the term "Fongsploitation" all night.

BCI Eclipse also has a double feature DVD of NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES and CURSE OF THE DOLL PEOPLE, as well as VAN NUYS BLVD (with director commentary) and LITTLE LAURA AND BIG JOHN. I don't know that I'm picking these up, but I'll certainly throw them on the Netflix queue. VAN NUYS BLVD was a late-night TV staple when I was a kid and it'd be nice to see it again. I like this new Brentwood, I gotta admit.

Sounds like that 9 DEATHS OF THE NINJA is improperly framed. My friend sent me a copy of the German DVD of this and it is a gorgeous 2.35:1 aspect ratio. I have their other Mexican double feature (the one with CEMETERY OF TERROR on it) coming to me. I'm excited to check that one out as the one review I read about it made it sound like a lot of fun.

Even though KILLPOINT stinks, I ordered this disc anyway from Deep Discount DVD for about $7. At least it saves me the trouble of dubbing my VHS to DVD-R, and I've never seen NINJA (not that anyone has anything good to say about it).

It stinks, but you can't resist ordering it...


That, my friend, is the power of.....


FONGSPLOITATION!!!!!

Oh man Marty, you will love 9 DEATHS OF THE NINJA. The best part is Blackie Dammet as the wheelchair bound villain. He may look familiar when you see him because he is the father of Anthony Keidis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And you can't beat the opening titles with Sho Kosugi and ballet dancers running around in some fog.

I only watched KILLPOINT so far because, for some reason, I wanted to check out the preseason NFL action, but after that glowing recommendation, 9 DEATHS OF THE NINJA just went straight to the top of my viewing list.

Don't forget the Special Edition of DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE!

I thought this was already out on DVD. What's "special" about this disc? Other than the movie, which is a startlingly sleazy mad-strangler flick with Nicholas Worth providing one of horror's most gonzo performances and James Westmoreland as one of the genre's most insouciant cops.

The Rhino disc was a cut tv-print.

Ugh. Thanks, Jeff. I presume the OOP VHS prerecord that I own is uncut.

Does anyone know why none of these titles are on BCI's Web site?

Could someone please provide a link to BCI's website? Thanks.

BCI Eclipse

Yay, they finally added the new titles. Although I don't know why they bothered. There's little to no information on them. Nice marketing, BCI (I'm a professional copywriter who would consider a freelance assignment, if you're reading this), although that site looks as though it's for retailers' use.

9 DEATHS OF THE NINJA is pretty bad. Well, that's not the end of the world, but I didn't enjoy it very much either. It seems as though I should have. It has a laughable title sequence, lots of action, and plenty of intentional camp (I think the epoxy gun and Sho dispatching his underwater attacker by pulling her top off were the best). Emmett Alston directs poorly, though, with the actors moving and talking a little too slowly and the editing not as tight as it should be. It would help if the actors were better. When professional himbo Brent Huff is the best performer in the movie, you know it's in trouble. I hated the villains; they weren't menacing enough, and the performances are awful. I loved the guy who stopped a bullet by placing his hand over Sho's gun barrel though.

BTW, this disc is clearly framed wrong. It's presented at 1.85, but the closing crawl is squeezed, and one shot where we're supposed to be reading a ransom note doesn't work because the misframing has part of the note cropped off the left of the screen.

What I really like about this DVD is that it contains eight trailers for other Crown International releases. KILLPOINT isn't included, but Fong's LOW BLOW is. The 9 DEATHS OF THE NINJA trailer makes it look much better than it actually is. So does SCORPION, which I saw theatrically and again a couple of years ago on VHS. It's not good, but has a good trailer. Others include TERROR IN THE JUNGLE, THE HOSTAGE (which is a decent little thriller), HOT TARGET, HELL ON WHEELS (coming soon from Netflix with Marty Robbins and John Ashley as stock car racers!) and TOP COP.

Thanks for the link, Terry. I hope that they will consider a double-bill DVD of THE BABYSITTER and WEEKEND WITH THE BABYSITTER. Tom Laughlin directed the first film under another name, before he hit the big time with BILLY JACK.

Fangoria's Michael Gingold put together a nice news blurb for their website about the upcoming DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE DVD and my participation in the creation of its supplements, along with an advance look at its cover art. Be sure to swing by and check it out:

http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=2776

The final official street date is now October 10th. Deep Discount DVD has a ridiculously low preorder price of $7.07, though it's now available for purchase at all vendors:

http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemid=BHV047092

I’ve received some emails asking about the Easter Eggs on DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE, and since review copies have apparently made their way out and the film is now available on store shelves (I saw it on an end-cap at Best Buy yesterday for $7.99) I figured a few quick messageboard posts would be the easiest way to get the information out there.

Our hidden Nicholas Worth segment (a collection of short anecdotes and thoughts about other films on his resume) can be found as an Easter Egg on the “Bonus Features” menu page. Navigate your cursor to the “Off” option for the audio commentary. Press Up on your remote, and your cursor will disappear. Then press Right, which will highlight a previously hidden icon (which sort of looks like a movie camera, or somethin’). Press Enter on your remote and Viola! Ten full bonus minutes of Nicholas Worth.

Another hidden treat involves director Robert Hammer and commentary moderator Shane M. Dallmann, goofing around a little bit, discussing the audio commentary they just recorded. This one can only be viewed when the film is finished with the commentary track turned On. After the MPAA card finishes, you’ll automatically be treated to the on-camera bit.

Hopefully everyone enjoys the disc! I mean, how could you not love a film with thoughtful, insightful dialogue like, “Who the f*ck you callin’ dumb? A**hole-breath!”

Thanks, Bruce. I received mine in yesterday's mail and am looking forward to digging into it.