Hi Folks.
This right here would be a week of serious poverty for The Duke, if it weren't for the fact that The Scorsese Collection don't reach The United UK till October, and I don't feel like forking out for the import charges.
Here goes then, let's celebrate the best week for DVD releases since The Duke started covering this malarkey. Look at those damn Corman double sets, would you ever?
The Duke's 5 Picks
Da Ali G Show - Series One
The funniest show on telly right now, is what this set contains. I've been loving this disc since it was released here just around Christmas. Of course, over here it's called Ali G In The USAiii, since they don't want us getting confused. There's a bonus disc devoted entirely to extra material, and it's brilliant, with loads more of Borat's adventures. This is the best thing Sacha Baron Cohen has put his name to since his debut as Ali G on The 11 O'Clock Show. Almost makes a man forget about that diabolical fucking film.
Incidentally, the second series is currently showing on HBO, I believe, and it is truly marvelous.
The Scorsese Collection
Here's all you need to know, folks. Mean Streets now has a commentary, and not only have Who's That Knocking On My Door, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and After Hours finally arrived on disc, but they've got the commentaries too! Plus, the 2-disc Special Edition of Goodfellas is in here as well. What in God's name are you waiting for?
Goodfellas 2-Disc Collection
If you ain't got the money for to grab the box-set, you can always pick up the discs individually, and top of the list should be this spanking new release for the best gangster film of all ever. Fuck you, The Godfather, Goodfellas is easily the superior flick. Up till now, we've had to make do with a shitty, extras-free version that made you turn it over half way through. Now, we get the film on one side, plus documentaries and so on, a commentary from Scorsese and another one from Henry Hill himself! The real one!
Duel
Spielberg made this flick about a man gets chased by a psycho in a truck for TV back in 1971, and then had to go and release it theatrically on account of it was brilliant. He later reworked the premise, exchanging the truck for a shark. Can't remember the name of his shark film. Deep Blue Sea, it might have been.
The Ring Virus
The Ringu saga can get mighty confusing if a fella isn't careful. Let's get this straight;. Ringu was followed up by the diabolical Spiral, which was then forgotten about in favor of the not-much-better Ringu 2, which was followed by a prequel, Ringu 0. Meanwhile, the Koreans had remade Ringu as The Ring Virus, ie, this flick here, before the Americans went ahead and did the same, except they slapped a nonsensical "The" on the title.
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Article comments
1 - judy the obscure
"Duel" on dvd! Yes! There is a God! Now if we can just get Spielberg to do a commentary, for pete's sake!
And a trainload of Benji movies. Sheesh. They're making a new Benji movie, "Benji Unleashed" or some such, so I guess that's why, maybe, they're releasing all these on dvd. I've never seen a Benji flick, so I guess now's my chance to catch up.
2 - Eric Olsen
Duel is a classic: the anonymous malefactor has become something of a cliche, but the tension was almost oppressive in this one
3 - Chris Kent
Everyone seems to happily masturbate to Duel, including little Stevie boy himself. Myself, I would love to find Spielberg's other made-for-TV flick Something Evil. I believe it starred Darren McGavin and Sandy Dennis as a stressed couple cursed with the unfortunate luck of moving into a haunted house (yup, the predecessors to Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams). I saw it as a child (around 1970) and to this day still have nightmares about the scene where they discover a beating heart pickled in a dusty jar that cries like a baby - I kid you not. Now if anyone can find that on video or DVD, please let me know.....