Post by Mark (Webmaster) on Mar 21, 2005 12:43:59 GMT
Bubba Ho-Tep: 2 Disc Collector's Edition DVD
(Anchor Bay UK)[/color]
Purchase with 25% off from AMAZON.CO.UK
Picture: 1.85:1 Anamorphic
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; DTS 5.1
Discs: 2
Region: 2
Features:
Disc 1:
Audio Commentary by the King
Audio commentary by Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli
Bruce Campbell Intro (2m)
Disc 2:
Joe R. Lansdale reads from Bubba Ho-Tep
Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell- Hallway (2m 30s)- Ladies Room (1m)- Footage from Temple Room Floor (2m 9s)- Elvis and Jack Ruminate (1m 14s)
The Making of Bubba Ho-tep
To Make a Mummy Make-up and Effects Featurette
Fit for a king - Elvis costuming Featurette
Rock Like an Egyptian
Music Video
The King and I: An in Depth Excavation with Don Coscarelli (20m)
UK Premiere Q&A (10m)
Bruce Talks Bubba - An Interview
Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spot
Biographies
Story: Hoping to find a new and better life away from the media spotlight, the King of Rock 'n' Roll switches identities with an Elvis impersonator, only to see any possibility of switching back go up in flames in a freak barbeque accident. Jump to the present day and Elvis (Bruce Campbell) is alive and, apart from a rather sensitive personal ailment, fairly well, residing in a rest home for the elderly in Mud Creek, East Texas. But Elvis's relatively idyllic existence is disrupted when the home is visited by an evil Egyptian mummy back from the dead and intent on sucking out the souls of the rest home's residents. Refusing to take this threat lying down, Elvis teams up with fellow resident Jack (Ossie Davis), who believes himself to be former President John F. Kennedy, and the pair go head-to-head in a deadly battle against the ancient supernatural evil that is Bubba Ho-Tep.
Review: The film sticks incredible close to the original source story even to the point where entire set-pieces and dialogue are replicated. This is not a hindrance and the movie moves along at a steady pace taking time to pass partial social comments such as neglect of the elderly and the value of human life. Enough of the heavy stuff though because the movie is very well put together and the years of effort put into it clearly comes across in Coscarelli's movie. There's a lot for genre fans to get into here with quotable dialogue, memorable set pieces and a fantastic score by Brian.
Some argue that the middle section lacks pace or substance but as a whole the centre of the film is it's most important. Without this section we wouldn't be aware of Elvis's motivations and it's here that Campbell's performance can be quantified. Plus, he really does a fantastic job of recreating Elvis' demeanour: mannerisms, expressions etc. This is Bruce Campbell's defining moment. He is simply brilliant as the aging Elvis. If you thought the extent of Bruce's acting abilities lay in comedic television or in the black styling of Evil Dead II then this will open your eyes. Of course having the late Ossie Davis alongside him as an African American John F. Kennedy (¡§they dyed me black¡¨) only helps Campbell's performance as he handles the absurdity of his character with such believability you don't know if he's telling the truth or two sandwiches short of a picnic.
Memorably original and surprisingly touching this is one movie that is impossible to forget, for all the right reasons!
The DVD Review:
Picture: Outstanding. Dedicating a whole disc to the movie has done nothing but benefited it. Outlines are clear and crisp; colour hues are perfect as are both contrast and brightness (something suspect on US disc. Overall it's a vast improvement on the MGM region 1 release from May of 2004.
Sound: Fantastic DD 5.1 mix. All channels used to perfection. Listen, absorb and enjoy. Unable to test the DTS track but I can't imagine it adding anything more to the experience.
Menu: A true mark of perfection here. Landmark 3D menus just make the package all that more sweet. The main movie disc has a perfect recreation of the nursing home room inhabited by Elvis. Highlight and select the ringing phone and the focus will swoop in to it in inch perfect detail. The features disc is based on Bubba's Egyptian tomb, complete with buzzing flies, with every selected option you move around the tomb. If ever you need proof of Anchor Bay's attention to detail then it lies here.
Packaging: Standard clear two disc box with the same box art as the US release. It comes in a cardboard slipcase with alternate artwork (US theatrical poster art I believe) so in essence a nice package.
Special Features.
Audio Commentary by the King: Bruce Campbell passes comment in character as the legendary Elvis. What can you say? Bruce is in his element! He plays it as if he is the man himself watching a movie about him having had no previous involvement. What you get is both hysterical and informative as Bruce throws out the Elvis trivia as quick as he passes judgement on the movie. Listen and enjoy a true ¡¥audio commentary¡¦ master at work.
Audio commentary by Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli: Informative, humorous and unrelenting. Bruce and Don bounce off each other effortlessly as the spill almost every ounce of trivia on this labour of love.
Bruce Campbell Intro (2m): Pop the movie disc in and highlight the ringing phone and you'll get this two minute intro from the man himself. Shown as a prelude to the UK premiere in September 2004, a showing Bruce was supposed to attend, it's full of the playful hamming that he's renowned for. Interesting, but ultimately a ¡¥throw away¡¦ addition.
Joe R. Lansdale reads from Bubba Ho-Tep: See where such a tale stems from as original source story author Lansdale reads a small portion from his cult gem. Interesting to view as a curiosity but not a feature likely to be revisited.
Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell
- Hallway (2m 30s), Ladies Room (1m), Footage from Temple Room Floor (2m 9s), Elvis and Jack Ruminate (1m 14s): Great commentary provides the reasons needed for these removals although in some instances it's easy to see why they were excised. The ¡¥Temple Floor¡¦ scene is an extended sequence of the mummy's origins shown in the full movie.
Featurettes: The Making of Bubba Ho-tep, To Make a Mummy Make-up and Effects Featurette, Fit for a king - Elvis costuming Featurette, Rock Like an Egyptian: Excellent collection of featurettes covering alot of the production (pre/post) with a small section of interviews with the people that count. Because of the independant nature of the making there's no annoyingly stylisitc, and short, E! entertainment 'making of' or such low-grade prime time crap. What you ahve are featurettes with the fan in mind.
Music Video: Montage of 'young' Elvis footage combined with live recording to an excerpt from the movies score. I love the score so this was a nice showcase but in the grand scheme of things you probably won't find yourself revisiting it as often as others.
This section of features is rounded of with the standard Theatrical Trailer and a TV Spot. Worthy additions to this collectors package.
UK Exclusive Features:
The King and I: An in Depth Excavation with Don Coscarelli (20m): Something sadly lacking from the Region1 version was an up close interview with director/writer Don Coscarelli. Here the UK DVD delivers ten fold even if Don's version of how Bruce became involved differs from his own it's till worth watching. If you were cynical you could say that there's nothing here that you don't learn in the audio commentary but not everyone is akin to such a feature, which is where this one wins.
UK Premiere Q&A (10m): Short but sweet look at the UK premiere in September 2004, a screening introduced by Coscarelli himself followed by a short Q&A session. Look for SHAUN OF THE DEAD director Edgar Wright passing brief comment.
Bruce Talks Bubba - An Interview: He is legend. He is Bruce. A neat, but short, collection of questioning spanning what looks like two locations. Always nice to see Bruce contributing is usual all to DVDs but again there's nothing you can't get in more detail on the audio commentary. The usual abstract, deadpan humour is shown in abundance. No wonder we love him so.
Rounding off this exclusive collection is a standard ABUK Photo Gallery with some great behind the scenes and promotional stuff worthy of a view. This is followed by a list of biographies for Bruce, Don and the late Ossie Davis.
Overall package: 5 out of 5 Possessed Cheryls
Summary: Sparkling slice of original filmmaking that shows the true talent of lead man Bruce Campbell and director Don Coscarelli. Obscure? Yes. A must see? Absolutely!
This is the ultimate edition of the movie with both picture and sound proving a marked improvement over the MGM region 1 version with a host of additional and exclusive extras. The audio commentary provides every bit of trivia you'll need but the additional interviews are superb for those who just can't stomach the talk track
(Anchor Bay UK)[/color]
Purchase with 25% off from AMAZON.CO.UK
Picture: 1.85:1 Anamorphic
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; DTS 5.1
Discs: 2
Region: 2
Features:
Disc 1:
Audio Commentary by the King
Audio commentary by Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli
Bruce Campbell Intro (2m)
Disc 2:
Joe R. Lansdale reads from Bubba Ho-Tep
Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell- Hallway (2m 30s)- Ladies Room (1m)- Footage from Temple Room Floor (2m 9s)- Elvis and Jack Ruminate (1m 14s)
The Making of Bubba Ho-tep
To Make a Mummy Make-up and Effects Featurette
Fit for a king - Elvis costuming Featurette
Rock Like an Egyptian
Music Video
The King and I: An in Depth Excavation with Don Coscarelli (20m)
UK Premiere Q&A (10m)
Bruce Talks Bubba - An Interview
Photo Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spot
Biographies
Story: Hoping to find a new and better life away from the media spotlight, the King of Rock 'n' Roll switches identities with an Elvis impersonator, only to see any possibility of switching back go up in flames in a freak barbeque accident. Jump to the present day and Elvis (Bruce Campbell) is alive and, apart from a rather sensitive personal ailment, fairly well, residing in a rest home for the elderly in Mud Creek, East Texas. But Elvis's relatively idyllic existence is disrupted when the home is visited by an evil Egyptian mummy back from the dead and intent on sucking out the souls of the rest home's residents. Refusing to take this threat lying down, Elvis teams up with fellow resident Jack (Ossie Davis), who believes himself to be former President John F. Kennedy, and the pair go head-to-head in a deadly battle against the ancient supernatural evil that is Bubba Ho-Tep.
Review: The film sticks incredible close to the original source story even to the point where entire set-pieces and dialogue are replicated. This is not a hindrance and the movie moves along at a steady pace taking time to pass partial social comments such as neglect of the elderly and the value of human life. Enough of the heavy stuff though because the movie is very well put together and the years of effort put into it clearly comes across in Coscarelli's movie. There's a lot for genre fans to get into here with quotable dialogue, memorable set pieces and a fantastic score by Brian.
Some argue that the middle section lacks pace or substance but as a whole the centre of the film is it's most important. Without this section we wouldn't be aware of Elvis's motivations and it's here that Campbell's performance can be quantified. Plus, he really does a fantastic job of recreating Elvis' demeanour: mannerisms, expressions etc. This is Bruce Campbell's defining moment. He is simply brilliant as the aging Elvis. If you thought the extent of Bruce's acting abilities lay in comedic television or in the black styling of Evil Dead II then this will open your eyes. Of course having the late Ossie Davis alongside him as an African American John F. Kennedy (¡§they dyed me black¡¨) only helps Campbell's performance as he handles the absurdity of his character with such believability you don't know if he's telling the truth or two sandwiches short of a picnic.
Memorably original and surprisingly touching this is one movie that is impossible to forget, for all the right reasons!
The DVD Review:
Picture: Outstanding. Dedicating a whole disc to the movie has done nothing but benefited it. Outlines are clear and crisp; colour hues are perfect as are both contrast and brightness (something suspect on US disc. Overall it's a vast improvement on the MGM region 1 release from May of 2004.
Sound: Fantastic DD 5.1 mix. All channels used to perfection. Listen, absorb and enjoy. Unable to test the DTS track but I can't imagine it adding anything more to the experience.
Menu: A true mark of perfection here. Landmark 3D menus just make the package all that more sweet. The main movie disc has a perfect recreation of the nursing home room inhabited by Elvis. Highlight and select the ringing phone and the focus will swoop in to it in inch perfect detail. The features disc is based on Bubba's Egyptian tomb, complete with buzzing flies, with every selected option you move around the tomb. If ever you need proof of Anchor Bay's attention to detail then it lies here.
Packaging: Standard clear two disc box with the same box art as the US release. It comes in a cardboard slipcase with alternate artwork (US theatrical poster art I believe) so in essence a nice package.
Special Features.
Audio Commentary by the King: Bruce Campbell passes comment in character as the legendary Elvis. What can you say? Bruce is in his element! He plays it as if he is the man himself watching a movie about him having had no previous involvement. What you get is both hysterical and informative as Bruce throws out the Elvis trivia as quick as he passes judgement on the movie. Listen and enjoy a true ¡¥audio commentary¡¦ master at work.
Audio commentary by Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli: Informative, humorous and unrelenting. Bruce and Don bounce off each other effortlessly as the spill almost every ounce of trivia on this labour of love.
Bruce Campbell Intro (2m): Pop the movie disc in and highlight the ringing phone and you'll get this two minute intro from the man himself. Shown as a prelude to the UK premiere in September 2004, a showing Bruce was supposed to attend, it's full of the playful hamming that he's renowned for. Interesting, but ultimately a ¡¥throw away¡¦ addition.
Joe R. Lansdale reads from Bubba Ho-Tep: See where such a tale stems from as original source story author Lansdale reads a small portion from his cult gem. Interesting to view as a curiosity but not a feature likely to be revisited.
Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell
- Hallway (2m 30s), Ladies Room (1m), Footage from Temple Room Floor (2m 9s), Elvis and Jack Ruminate (1m 14s): Great commentary provides the reasons needed for these removals although in some instances it's easy to see why they were excised. The ¡¥Temple Floor¡¦ scene is an extended sequence of the mummy's origins shown in the full movie.
Featurettes: The Making of Bubba Ho-tep, To Make a Mummy Make-up and Effects Featurette, Fit for a king - Elvis costuming Featurette, Rock Like an Egyptian: Excellent collection of featurettes covering alot of the production (pre/post) with a small section of interviews with the people that count. Because of the independant nature of the making there's no annoyingly stylisitc, and short, E! entertainment 'making of' or such low-grade prime time crap. What you ahve are featurettes with the fan in mind.
Music Video: Montage of 'young' Elvis footage combined with live recording to an excerpt from the movies score. I love the score so this was a nice showcase but in the grand scheme of things you probably won't find yourself revisiting it as often as others.
This section of features is rounded of with the standard Theatrical Trailer and a TV Spot. Worthy additions to this collectors package.
UK Exclusive Features:
The King and I: An in Depth Excavation with Don Coscarelli (20m): Something sadly lacking from the Region1 version was an up close interview with director/writer Don Coscarelli. Here the UK DVD delivers ten fold even if Don's version of how Bruce became involved differs from his own it's till worth watching. If you were cynical you could say that there's nothing here that you don't learn in the audio commentary but not everyone is akin to such a feature, which is where this one wins.
UK Premiere Q&A (10m): Short but sweet look at the UK premiere in September 2004, a screening introduced by Coscarelli himself followed by a short Q&A session. Look for SHAUN OF THE DEAD director Edgar Wright passing brief comment.
Bruce Talks Bubba - An Interview: He is legend. He is Bruce. A neat, but short, collection of questioning spanning what looks like two locations. Always nice to see Bruce contributing is usual all to DVDs but again there's nothing you can't get in more detail on the audio commentary. The usual abstract, deadpan humour is shown in abundance. No wonder we love him so.
Rounding off this exclusive collection is a standard ABUK Photo Gallery with some great behind the scenes and promotional stuff worthy of a view. This is followed by a list of biographies for Bruce, Don and the late Ossie Davis.
Overall package: 5 out of 5 Possessed Cheryls
Summary: Sparkling slice of original filmmaking that shows the true talent of lead man Bruce Campbell and director Don Coscarelli. Obscure? Yes. A must see? Absolutely!
This is the ultimate edition of the movie with both picture and sound proving a marked improvement over the MGM region 1 version with a host of additional and exclusive extras. The audio commentary provides every bit of trivia you'll need but the additional interviews are superb for those who just can't stomach the talk track