First of all, welcome to someone who joined us a while ago and didn't receive any formal acknowledgment. Belated greeting are extended to Kelly Linenberger. You may have the beautiful young lady on the arm of Mitch Klein or remember her voicing some interesting ideas at our meetings. We offer a formal, and tardy, welcome. 
    Next we have Rick Rieve from Fairfax, Va. Rick visited our table at the mini-dealers room in Timonium last June. Welcome aboard Rick! 
    Then we have Norman Prentiss, who lives in Towson, Md. Norman has been to I.C.S. meetings before. He also met us as a result of the table we had at the mini-dealers' room in June. Glad to have you Norman. 
    Mike Holy found a flyer about us at Border's. He visited us at our September meeting and joined on the spot! Ata' boy Mike! Glad to have you. 
    Lately a meeting just seems empty without the wisecracks seeping out of the Steve & Beth Vaught corner of the room. They made it formal in September. They're now full-fledged members of the Imaginative Cinema Society. Welcome Steve & Beth.

20.BUFFY SPOILER ALERT: TARA ABOUT TO BE "OUTED" 
    Marti Noxon, the co-executive producer of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, said that viewers can expect Tara's (Amber Benson) secret to be revealed this season. Fans of the show know that Tara is Willow's (Alyson Hannigan) lesbian girlfriend and fellow witch. In a spoiler for the fifth season, Noxon said that there's a "very strong possibility" Tara could be a demon the likes of which Sunnydale has never seen. "There definitely is a secret, and we're going to explore what that is in episode six, which Joss Whedon is directing and writing," Noxon said. 
    She added that The WB has given the show strong guidelines about the depiction of the Tara-Willow storyline. "I think that basically they want to draw the line at any real physical intimacy, so we have to be crafty in the way that we show their relationship," Noxon said. "I think that in this situation, [Willow and Tara] were more of an organic thing, where we realized that these two characters have a lot in common and might actually fall in love. So I think that, in some ways, the concerns that the network has about them being intimate doesn't really feel like it's hindering us, because we can show romance without having to show the bada-bing, bada-boom." 

21.ELIZA DUKSHU'S PERFORMANCE ON BUFFY'S A LITTLE TOO CONVINCING 
    BUFFY star Eliza Dushku fears her role as the evil Faith may be a little too convincing - she has become an icon for some of America's worst criminals. The 19-year-old actress has been inundated with piles of fan mail from legions of prisoners, but is less than flattered with her new-found following. She says, "I've been getting fan mail from maximum security penitentiaries, and death row. What are the authorities thinking of in playing a show with young teenage girls to death row inmates? They write everything - disgusting things that you don't even want to know about. And they send me pictures - 'Oh, here's a picture of me before I was incarcerated!' and there's some guy sat on the sofa with a bottle of beer and a mustache, and a big gut. It's so creepy. Way more creepy than Buffy." 
    I wonder if the guys who play demons get fan mail from Hell. The postage has got to be outrageous! 

22.BUFFY HAS A NEW MEMBER OF THE SCOOBY GANG 
    Well, ok, she's not new. In fact she's 1,120 years old. In case you've been waiting for Anya (played by Emma Caulfield) to be eaten by marauding monkeys or ripped asunder by demonic beetles, well this is BUFFY, so anything could happen, but don't count on it. Anya is now officially "in."  According to Joss Whedon, "Making someone a regular is not something that we take lightly. Somebody can do really well, but it's a question of 'How do they fit into the group dynamic? What need do they fill?' It's a delicate thing." Whedon said that Caulfield's character fills the void left when Charisma Carpenter's Cordelia left Sunnydale to join ANGEL. "[Anya] speaks her mind rather bluntly and feels a little bit on the outs with people, so it makes perfect sense," Whedon said. "And Emma's extremely funny.You don't usually get that much funny in a girl that pretty." As for whether Anya - the former patron saint of scorned women - will get her powers back, Whedon said, "There's always a chance. This is BUFFY!" But, he added, "Her relationship with Xander is something that we really want to explore, and we also think she has such a fascinating history." 

23.FOR ALL THOSE WHO'VE BEEN CHATTING WITH SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR ONLINE 
    Sarah Michelle Gellar is launching a Website - because she's fed up with people pretending to be her Online. She admits that she doesn't even have a personal e-mail address - being a firm believer in conventional mail. But a spate of fake Gellar's going Online and persuading fans the impostors are in fact the real life Gellar has driven her to plans to launch her own site. She says, "Once or twice a week I hear about people pretending to be me. If anyone says they have my e-mail address or they talked to me in a chat room, it's not me. And that's one of the reasons I want to launch a Website. I want people to know that there's an official place, and that's the only place I will be." Geez, next thing you know she'll tell me that it's not her that I've been talking with on that 1-900 line. 

24.ANGEL STARS SHARE THEIR PHOBIAS 
    ANGEL star David Boreanaz battles armies of vampires, legions of demons and monstrous minions beyond all comprehension. But in real life there's one critter that sends him into phobic shock - chickens. Poultry sends waves of terror through his vampiric heart. Boreanaz believes his poultry phobia stems from a childhood trauma. He says, "Chickens. I'm serious. There's just a cluckiness about them." Hmmm. 
    Meanwhile his co-star, Charisma Carpenter (who plays "Cordelia"), has separation anxiety - from her paycheck. She has a phobia about getting fired from ANGEL. She says, "You've got to know your lines, be on time and do the best you can." Her fear stems from the exit of Doyle - played by Glenn Quinn - just nine episodes into their first season. Creator Joss Whedon says, "I make jokes that their characters are being killed all the time." But Carpenter retorts, "We never laugh. It's not funny." 

    CHILLER THEATER will take place in New Jersey's Meadowlands on October 27-9. At this point guests include Billy Dee Williams (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK), James Doohan (STAR TREK), Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris on STAR TREK: VOYAGER), Ethan Phillips (Mr. Neelix on STAR TREK: VOYAGER), Andrew Robinson (STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9), Bob May (The Robot from TV's LOST IN SPACE), Dick Tufeld (The Robot's Voice from TV's LOST IN SPACE), Carel Struyken (Lurch from the movie THE ADDAMS FAMILY), three cast members from the 1965 Russ Meyer classic-FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL KILL (Haji, Tura Satana & Lori Willams), Tina Krause (actress, director, model - "Fracture Films"), Pamela Hazelton (author, designer & The Black Dahlia Web Site), Richard Lynch (BAD DREAMS, INVASION USA), Jospeh M. Monks (author, Cry For Dawn, Agony In Black) and BernieWrightson (legendary horror artist). Tickets ordered before September 29th are $25 for the weekend. Otherwise they're $15 a day. If you're interested hit the above link or write to P O Box 23, Rutherford, NJ 07070. 

    ELECTICON will be held November 10-12 at the Ramada Hotel in Newark, New Jersey. This is a unique convention. It has its focus on fanzines, TV and movies. They have panels, trivia contests, dealers, and most of the things that you'd expect for a convention to have.What they don't have, and have sworn never to have, are guests! This is strictly fan run and fan attended. Registration is $40. For information on attendance contact Kathy Agel; 9-11 Ayres Court; Bayonne, NJ 07002-3510; E-mail: Eclecticon@aol.com or Eclecticon@juno.com

    PHILCON 2000 takes place November 17-19 at the Adams Mark hotel in Philadelphia. The guests are yet to be announced. This seems to be more of a celebration of literary science fiction than the visual image. There'll be a ball on Friday night, a belly dancer on Saturday and a masquerade that will have the theme of "Out with the Old Millennium and In With the New Millennium." Registration is $35 until October 25th, $40 afterwards. They can be reached at Philcon 2000; P.O. Box 8303; Philadelphia, PA 19101 or by e-mailing Rich Kabakjian: registration@philcon.org. 

27.HUGO WINNERS ANNOUNCED 
    Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky won the 2000 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel during ceremonies at the World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago on Sept. 3. The 2000 Hugos, recognizing work from 1999, were voted by the membership of Chicon 2000. The Hugo Awards--named in honor of Hugo Gernsback, "the father of magazine science fiction"--are presented annually by the World Science Fiction Society. The Hugo Awards are also known by their more formal name, the Science Fiction Achievement Awards. A list the principle recipients follows. 
                  Best Novel 
                  •A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge 
                  Best Novella 
                  •"The Winds of Marble Arch" by Connie Willis 
                  Best Novelette 
                  •"1016 to 1" by James Patrick Kelly 
                  Best Short Story 
                  •"Scherzo with Tyrannosaur" by Michael Swanwick 
                  Best Related Book 
                  •Science Fiction of the 20th Century by Frank M. Robinson 
                  Best Dramatic Presentation 
                  •GALAXY QUEST, directed by Dean Parisot (SEE STORY BELOW) 

28.WILLIAM SHATNER MOVED TO WRITE THE LATEST TREK BOOK BY HIS GRIEF 
    William Shatner was inspired to write his best-selling novel, Star Trek Preserver, by his grief over the death of his third wife in August of last year. In the book, Captain Kirk struggles to save his dying wife. "When someone dies, for a while you want to make some meaning out of a life," Shatner says. He adds, "You go on a spiritual journey. And hopefully, you don't stop." Shatner's wife Nerine drowned in the family's swimming pool in August 1999. The coroner ruled that alcohol and the sedative Valium contributed to the accidental drowning. He adds, "The loss of someone you love is horrible enough. But to do it with the public, with the media at your heels, is almost unendurable." 

29.RAY BRADBURY TO GET LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 
    Legendary author Ray Bradbury will receive a lifetime achievement medal at the National Book Awards ceremony. The award will recognize Bradbury's tremendous effect on every genre of writing. "Since the 1930s he has been one of America's great literary talents," according to Neil Baldwin, executive director of the National Book Foundation. The award will be presented in November. 

30.ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS 
    Looking for a fun read? Drop by http://www.astoundingspacethrills.com/ for "Astounding Space Thrills." It's a golden-age style comic available for free Online. The premise behind it is that a few years into the 21st century, the laws governing the universe change - time flows at a different angle, space folds against the grain and positive particles aren't so sure! Astounding Space Thrills is action and adventure, satire and social commentary, humor and heroes hopping from medium to medium - designed to entertain a worldwide audience and take full advantage of the evolving capabilities afforded by the Internet. Join Argosy Smith and his network of friends and adversaries in their constant struggle to triumph. 

32.DiCAPRIO TO PLAY ABBREVIATED BALTIMOREAN 
    Leonardo DiCaprio has signed to play twin brothers (he did so previously in MAN IN THE IRON MASK). He'll play Johnny Eck, a famous sideshow performer who was missing his lower limbs. He's famous to cult movie fans as one of the performers in Tod Browning's 1932 film, FREAKS, as "Johnny, the Half Boy." The real Eck was born John Eckhardt in Baltimore in 1911. He died in the home that he was born and raised in 1991. In his post-performance life he became a screen painter. He lived much of his life as a circus sideshow freak. His twin brother, Robert, who died in 1995, was physically normal. The film is expected to focus on Eck's exploitation at the hands of magician John McAslan. 

33.THE STORES ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF JAR JAR 
    Sony will release "The Ultimate Edition" soundtrack set from STAR WARS: EPISODE I on Nov. 14, featuring more than 120 minutes of music from composer John Williams' score. The two-CD, 68-track set will include every musical note Williams composed for the 1999 movie. The set also includes a bonus track with the signature "Duel of the Fates" theme, complete with sound effects and movie dialogue, and another track entitled "Desert Winds," with music that was recorded but eliminated from the film's final cut. The set will also come with new cover art, picture discs and a 60-page booklet with photographs from the film. No price has been listed for the set. 

34.WESTWORLD TO BE RE-MADE 
    The Michael Chrichton 1973 film, WESTWORLD, the story of a high tech resort, set in the past, where the highly engineered attractions go wrong and start killing the patrons (hey, didn't I just give the synopsis for JURASSIC PARK?) is about to get a fresh coat of paint from producer Joel Silver (THE MATRIX). Silver has hired writer Richard D'Ovidio to give the movie a few modern twists. Silver also intends to give the robots a new look. However, he has said that he wants to be true to the original story. The start date on the project is a little loose, depending on the outcome of next year's expected strike. 

35.MIB II WILL HAPPEN 
    Tommy Lee Jones is all set to star in a second episode of MEN IN BLACK. Jones has revealed a sequel to the film, which co- starred Will Smith, "will happen" and that director Barry Sonnenfeld also wants to make the sequel to the 1997 original. However, the problem is finding a time when all three are available because Jones says, "The business aspects are all there. The team will be exactly the same as in the first episode. Now we're just trying to find a time when Barry, Will and myself are all free." Jones confirms the screenplay for the sequel has been written, but is being worked on until Sonnenfeld is completely happy with it. 

36.NOTHING YOU CAN DO, BATMAN'S STUCK LIKE GLUE, TO PI GUY 
    Darren Aronofsky, a young director who generated allot of talk with his edgy science-fiction film PI, will direct the fifth installment in the beleaguered BATMAN movie franchise. This one will be BATMAN: YEAR ONE. Aronofsky will write and develop the screenplay with Frank Miller, author of the graphic novel of the same name. Miller's series chronicled the evolution of Bruce Wayne into Batman, paralleled by the rise of police lieutenant James Gordon as he battles corruption in the Gotham City force. Warner is also developing a live-action movie based on The WB Kids Networks' animated series BATMAN BEYOND with director Boaz Yakin and series creators Paul Dini and Alan Burnett, with help from cyberpunk novelist Neal Stephenson, author of Cryptonomicon. 

37.GEORGE CLOONEY ADVOCATES A DARK, TROUBLED BATMAN 
    George Clooney, survivor of BATMAN & ROBIN, said that he's got a great idea for the next installment in the franchise: It's all in Bruce Wayne's head. "You do the movie cheap, in film noir style," Clooney said. "Make Batman the dark knight, something Tim Burton didn't even do." Clooney's version of the film would begin with the funeral of Alfred, and an aging Bruce Wayne waking up in a hospital. "What you have is that since he was eight years old and his parents were killed, he's been comatose," Clooney said. "He has lived his entire life - all of this hatred - in this room. . . . And he's saying, 'Am I to believe that my life, everything, all these people, lived in my imagination, in this room? No. I will not accept it.' The camera slowly pans the room, it comes around and you hear him saying, 'I am Batman. I am Batman. I am Batman.' Then you see him, Michael Keaton, whoever you want. White hair, sitting up, just totally crazy, out of his f--ing mind."Clooney added, "Do it for $30 million. You reinvent the franchise. What they want to do instead is this BATMAN BEYOND, and just like with Anthony Hopkins in MASK OF ZORRO, you have this guy create the whole thing all over again with someone new. I think they are going to do BATMAN BEYOND, but they should use my ending to start the movie." 

38.BATMAN & ROBIN RESULTED IN A DARK, TROUBLED JOEL SCHUMACHER 
    You could tell that BATMAN & ROBIN director Joel Schumacher was despondent after his disasterous tangle with the Caped Crusader. He needed the Vietnam War to cheer him up! He said in a recent interview that he wanted to make the upcoming low-budget TIGERLAND, in part because of the pasting he took following the release of the 1997 movie. "After BATMAN & ROBIN I felt I . . . was getting lost; the box office had become more important than the movies, and I needed to pull back. When TIGERLAND came along, it seemed the perfect movie to get far away from the Hollywood way of making films." Schumacher also said in the interview that the film, which could reignite controversy over American involvement in the Vietnam War, was greenlighted because "we made the movie for very little money [less than $10 million], and a lot of times when you keep the costs very low, it offers people less of a risk." 

39.DON'T LOOK FOR THE X-MEN SEQUEL ANYTIME SOON 
    THE X-MEN executive producer Tom DeSanto said that the expected sequel to this year's movie remains in the early stages of development. "Just taking some time off for the first time in four years," DeSanto said. Marvel Comics chief Avi Arad, meanwhile, said that he hopes to have a writer for the sequel in place in the next month. X-MEN director Bryan Singer has yet to sign on to the sequel. 

40.THE NEXT MATRIX MOVIES WILL FEATURE BIGGER AND BETTER FIGHT SCENES 
    The fight scenes in the next two MATRIX movies are set to be more explosive and breathtaking than the sequences featured in the first. Directors Larry and Andy Wachowski have called on the stunt team to choreograph even more high kicking action, which proved a highlight in the flick with Keanu Reeves. Fight co-ordinator Woo-Ping Yuen (who is a noted director of more than thirty high-profile martial arts films) is already at the drawing board stage for the fight scenes, even though he's filming another movie in Hong Kong - BLACK MASK 2. And Yuen is already auditioning potential fight doubles and actors for the martial art scenes. British martial art stunt agent Anthony Jones, of Zeon Management, says, "Woo-Ping is looking for a really crack team of fighters. He's out to make the most compulsive fight scenes at the movies - and that's before the special effects. He said he's looking for people, as he's not found the right faces yet... I suppose it's not easy finding 100 kilogram, martial arts trained actors. BLACK MASK 2 will be a rehearsal place for the scenes." 

41.THE MATRIX INFLUENCED ANG LEE 
    Director Ang Lee said that he credits THE MATRIX with influencing his upcoming martial arts film CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. "THE MATRIX showed me it was time to have an Asian martial arts film to come in a big way," Lee said. "I sense it's a big subculture here in the West - people relate to this kind of film more through action, less so with emotion. So I'm hoping my movie will bring in the connection." Once again, the genius credited with the fighting in the coming film is THE MATRIX's fight choreographer Woo-Ping Yuen. 

42.MARS TO BE MERCIFULLY LOW-TECH 
    Director John Carpenter has said that his upcoming GHOSTS OF MARS won't be a high-tech romp. "Most of it takes place in this little outpost, a frontier type town on Mars that's near a mine," Carpenter said. "There's no trace on the surface that there was any past civilization on the planet, but the mines have uncovered this . . . well, basically a trap." He added, "It's a Land of the Pharaohs kind of situation, where these doors open and out comes this almost unkillable evil that sweeps across the planet. That's our dilemma. It takes us over. You're not human anymore. You become an ancient Martian warrior, and you gather together and start attacking, wiping out anything on the planet that you perceive as an invader." 
    Ice Cube plays Desolation Williams, an outlaw, and Natasha Henstridge (SPECIES) takes on the role of Melanie Ballard, a Martian cop on Williams' trail. Henstridge took over for Courtney Love, who is supposed to have left the project after injuring her ankle during training for the fight scenes. British actor Jason Statham plays Jericho Butler, whom Carpenter described as "a seasoned cop on his first escort squad assignment." Joanna Cassidy (BLADE RUNNER) plays science officer Darlene Whitlock, and Clea Duvall plays Bashira Kincaid. 

43.MUMMY 2 TO BE MERCILESSLY HIGH TECH 
    Makers of THE MUMMY 2 will pay a huge portion of their budget for Industrial Light & Magic's special effects. Of their total budget of $88 million, $20 million is allocated for effects. Director Stephen Sommers said that "the special effects have to be bigger, better and different [from the first film]. The pygmy skeletons will be worth the price of admission." The movie also features a $1 million cavern set for the character of the Scorpion King, played by professional wrestler The Rock. 

44.STAR WARS: EPISODE II IS IN THE CAN 
    After traveling across five countries in three continents over the course of 61 days, STAR WARS: EPISODE II is a wrap, finishing ahead of schedule. Now the film returns to the good ol' US of A, California (to be exact) for its extensive post-production work. Here's where it gets interesting. Here's where the light sabers are lit. Here's where the rocket engines visibly rock. Here's where Jar Jar comes ali-- Hmmm. Hey George, any chance we could take a look at that footage now? 

45.HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FALLS VICTIM TO DINOSAUR ATTACKS! 
    The cast and crew of JURASSIC PARK 3 have been causing chaos at Hawaii's main airport by shooting dinosaur attacks on its most central runway. The flick continues the tale of the re-birth of dinosaurs into the modern world. The cast of the latest sequel, including Sam Neill and William H. Macy, caused chaos at the island's airport as massive dinosaurs roamed on the runway. Local Steven Size says, "They have been causing mayhem at the airport. Giant dinosaurs have been wandering around whipping up planes and eating people. It just looks so crazy and led to the airport being shut down for some time. I don't think people were so happy with that." 

46.'E.T.' RE-RELEASE NEXT MARCH 
    Steven Spielberg's E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL will be re-released next March in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The Universal release will get the special edition treatment, with new footage and enhanced effects. This version will restore all of the violence and nudity omitted from the original release (heh, heh - just kidding). 

47.DECKARD NO REPLICANT, ACCORDING TO FORD 
    Previously, in the August "ICS FiIes," it was reported that Ridley Scott, director of BLADE RUNNER, contended that his central character, Deckard, was a replicant. The man who portrayed Deckard on the screen disagrees. Harrison Ford  said "My argument with Ridley was that we had agreed that he definitely was not a replicant." Ford added that he wasn't a big fan of BLADE RUNNER, "because I play a detective who does no detecting. I open four drawers and look in them." 

48.LIFE IMITATES ART? 
    Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan have recently, and noisily, separated. The split came as the result of a steamy affair that Ms. Ryan had with her co-star, Russell Crowe. Dennis Quaid has apparently decided to exorcise his demons by writing a film about adultery. Dennis has composed a movie script about a man who thinks his wife has been unfaithful. The script, titled SHAME ON YOU, tells the tale of a celebrity who murders his wife because he suspects she's having an affair. A spokesperson for Quaid says, "I'm not going to say it's not true. All I will say is that a finished movie script is a bit premature." One Hollywood executive says of the script, "It's not very commercial." But Quaid's not letting the husband in the movie off easily - he gets killed too. 

49.THE KITCHEN HAS JUST BECOME A DANGEROUS PLACE 
    You've seen him as the Headless Horseman in SLEEPY HOLLOW, as a murderous angel in PROPHECY, as a psychotic gangster in TRUE ROMANCE and as a deranged veteran in THE DEER HUNTER. Now Christopher Walken wants you to see him in a whole new light - in the same light that you'd see Julia Child and the Frugal Gourmet. The actor famous for his dark intensity wants to be a TV chef. The 57-year-old actor, famed for his tough guy roles, is believed to have had meetings with a number of TV stations about the possibility of him fronting a cooking series. However, most networks, including MTV and Bravo, have opted against the idea. So instead, Walken has decided to set up broadcasting facilities in his own kitchen and plans to showcase his culinary skills over the Internet. Walken says, "You know, I could turn it on whenever I felt like it and it would just be me cooking. Once in a while I'd have a mystery guest. Maybe Joe Pesci comes over and, you know, makes his tomato sauce." Walken and Pesci in the kitchen? Quick, somebody hide the knives. 

50.JENNIFER LOPEZ FACED WITH TRUE HORROR 
    A horrified Jennifer Lopez was forced to attend the British premiere of THE CELL with chipped nails - because her favorite boutique was too busy to fit her in. The actress made a last minute call to Super Nails of L.A. in London just hours before the premiere - but was left fuming when unfazed staff brazenly told her they were just too busy. Oh, the humanity! Lopez pleaded for a 20 minute French manicure, costing just $25, to tidy up her dainty digits - but her fame failed to impress staff. A nail technician for the company says, "We were fully booked for the day when she called up. We looked through the books to see if we could squeeze her in but there was nothing we could do. "We even asked some of the technicians if they could do her in their lunch hour but they were all rushed off their feet. We just had to tell her sorry but we can't help. She was a bit upset." But her celebrity status still had clout in the Body Shop. Lopez made another panic call to procure some body butter. The shop opened late especially so she could make sure her skin was silky smooth for the big night. 
    Had they looked, they might have found the missing nail fragments in her bodyguard's back! The two were discovered in bed together hours before the premiere. Teaches her boyfriend right for not making the trip with her. 

51.DON'T GET OLIVIA WILLIAMS TO PICK YOUR LOTTERY NUMBERS 
    In fact, you may not want to trust her on anything having to do with future events. Olivia Williams, who played Bruce Willis's wife in THE SIXTH SENSE, claims she was amazed by its success. The British actress was convinced that moviegoers wouldn't want to see Willis in anything other than an action spectacular. Williams says, "I made the movie and then a year later I was heard to say at a dinner party in Los Angeles that THE SIXTH SENSE would open and close and no-one would go to see it. I thought it wouldn't be successful because Bruce Willis doesn't have a shag or a gun in the movie . . . THE SIXTH SENSE has now taken about six hundred billion dollars at the box office and I have been made to eat my hat many, many times." 

52.GOOD NEWS FOR ANIMATION LOVERS 
    If, like me, you're a fan of feature-length animated films, there's now an Oscar with your mind in mind. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will establish an Oscar category specifically for feature-length animated films, the first new award category that they've created since 1981. The new category will apply to animated movies 70 minutes or longer, which would cover such films as TOY STORY and CHICKEN RUN. Since this year's 3/4 over, the first year of eligibility will be next year. This means that the first animated-feature Oscar would be presented during ceremonies in March 2002, Reuters reported. The award will be handed out only if eight or more eligible films are released in a calendar year. Under the new rule, if 8-15 features are released in a year, three would be eligible for nominations. If 16 or more are released, five would be eligible. 

53.DR. DOOLITTLE DID LITTLE WITH LIVE CRITTERS 
    Eddie Murphy is so scared of furry animals he never came into contact with them while filming DR. DOOLITTLE. Murphy has demanded even more precautions to keep him away from the beasts during filming of the movie's sequel. During the first film Murphy reportedly shot his scenes on one movie set and then had technical experts add a menagerie later - using a blue screen to allow the actor to be superimposed on the screen. 

54.AN AMERICAN IN PARIS? 
    Director Robert Altman has vowed to quit America and move to France if George W. Bush wins the presidential election in November. The four-time Oscar nominee, whose films include M*A*S*H (1970) and THE PLAYER (1992), says a Republican victory in November "would be a catastrophe for the whole world". Speaking at the Deauville film festival in France, Altman said, "If George Bush is elected I'm leaving for France. 
    A similar claim was attributed to Alec Baldwin. He later denied it. However Alec does claim that if Bush wins, he'll dedicate his time to raising as much money as he can, to ensure his term of office is as short as possible. 

55.ELECTION YEAR TANGO: HOLLYWOOD NO-NO 
    Well, finally I understand why the movies have been so lousy! I know now why they have a Crayola palette of pretty colors, a hyperactive sugar-rush of action and all the character and story depth of Teletubbies. THE GENIUSES IN HOLLYWOOD ARE DELIBERATELY MARKETING R-RATED MOVIES TO TEN YEAR OLDS. Details of the Federal Trade Commission's probe of Hollywood marketing practices were published including excerpts from confidential documents of the National Research Group, described as the studios' dominant market research organization. An example sited NRG's work on the sequel to Columbia TriStar's I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. The report stated, "Although the original movie was R rated and the sequel will also be R rated, there is evidence to suggest that attendance at the original dipped down to the age of 10. Therefore, it seems to make sense to interview 10- to 11-year-olds as well" as moviegoers between 12 and 24. Other research documents cited indicated that children younger than 16 made up a large part of the test audiences for such R-rated fare as Disney/Hollywood Pictures' JUDGE DREDD, MGM/UA's DISTURBING BEHAVIOR, and Disney/Touchstone's ENEMEY OF THE STATE. The co-chairman of the NRG, insisted that the company's research methodology is "prescribed by the studios" and maintained that parents are required to accompany children 14 and younger to test screenings. The marketing plan for one unnamed R-rated, violence-packed film, which stated, "Our goal was to find the elusive teen target audience and make sure everyone between the ages of 12-18 was exposed to the film." Asked about the FTC's determination that 33 of 44 R-rated films produced between 1995 and 1999 were screened for underage children as young as 9, Farrell replied, "I don't know anything about that." MPAA chief Jack Valenti also said he was unaware that young children were being recruited for studio test screenings. "I didn't know it was happening," adding that the "practice of going to 10- and 12-year-olds is really not acceptable." At a news conference, Valenti said that the eight major studios had set a "goal of not inappropriately specifically targeting children in its advertising of films rated R for violence" and would no longer include them in focus-group tests unless accompanied by a parent. 
    Here's my editorial response to this practice. "HEY, GENIUSES! WHY DON'T YOU LET KIDS BE KIDS INSTEAD OF CASH COWS FOR YOUR OVERBLOWN BUDGETS? WHY NOT MAKE MOVIES TARGETED AT PEOPLE THAT HAD A SHOT AT GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL, INSTEAD OF DUMBING DOWN ALL YOUR PRODUCT TO THE POINT THAT ONLY TEN-YEAR OLDS AND THE ADULT PINHEADS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THIS GARBAGE CAN APPRECIATE IT?" 
    Now, on with our show. 

56.ELECTION YEAR TANGO: THE DEMOCRATS HOWL 
    Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, remarked, "This practice is outrageous. It is deceptive, and it has to stop." Both Al Gore and running mate Joe Lieberman warned that if the entertainment industry does not voluntarily stop marketing sex and violence to kids, they will urge legislation that will prevent them from doing so. Although Lieberman has taken the position previously, analysts noted that it was the first time that Gore had taken such a tough stance. "If the industry violates its own rules and actively misleads parents with advertising, then the industry should be held accountable," the vice president said. "If the industry promises parents that it will not market violent material to children and then proceeds to do so, then the industry's practices could constitute false and deceptive advertising." Asked whether he didn't risk alienating supporters within the entertainment industry, Gore replied, "Those who don't like it, well, they don't like it." 
    Republican Senator John McCain, a longtime critic of the film industry said that he is wary of Gore's proposals. McCain conceded that he doesn't know what the best means may be to deal with sex and violence in entertainment. He added, "I'm reluctant right now to say I'm ready to pass some kind of law that imposes some sort of censorship on the industry." He added that before any such law is passed, "we'd better make very sure where this all leads." 

57.ELECTION YEAR TANGO: THE REPUBLICANS GROWL 
     Senate Commerce Committee chairman John McCain charged that Hollywood's ratings system was nothing more than "a smoke screen to provide cover for immoral and unconscionable business practices." Not to be outdone, Lynn Cheney, wife of the Republican vice-presidential candidate maintained that the issue was not how films are marketed. "There is a problem with the product they market, no matter how they market it," she said. She also pointedly remarked that Lieberman and Al Gore attended a fund-raising party thrown by Harvey Weinstein, head of Miramax, the Disney company that has produced films that many conservatives regard as the scourge of the industry. She urged them to ask Weinstein "to pledge in the future he will not fund works that debase our culture and corrode our children's souls." 
    MPAA chief Jack Valenti later fired back, "I know that when you trash the entertainment business, your polling numbers go up." He said that the legislators should instead "feel an immense pride in this unique American creative asset and the daily contributions of the movie and television industry to this nation's art and commerce and the endurance of its responsibility to American parents." 

58.ELECTION YEAR TANGO: HOLLYWOOD LEARNS THE ALPHABET! 
    Responding to Washington critics who have accused the movie industry of marketing violent films to underaged children, the Motion Picture Association of America unveiled a number of proposals that it hopes will mollify its antagonists. At least one studio, Warner Bros., plans to offer a plan that goes beyond MPAA policies. Reports said that the studios intend to provide better explanations of R-rated films in their advertising, refrain from showing trailers for R-rated films in theaters playing G-rated films, encourage exhibitors to be more diligent in enforcing the ratings, bar children from research screenings of movies that are likely to be rated R, and enlist video retailers in a campaign to prevent R-rated movies from being rented to underage children. Warner Bros. announced that it will stop buying ads for R-rated movies on TV shows that attract a large (35 %) audience of children under 17 and include additional letters, similar to those used on TV ("L" for language, "V" for violence and "S" for sex) in ads for R-rated films. One unidentified "mogul" said, "Of course we'll take a hit at the box office, but I can't let it concern me, because I have no control over it. . . . We'll have to be smarter about what we green-light." 

59.ELECTION YEAR TANGO: HOLLYWOOD SUITS TURN INTO THE KEYSTONE COPS 
    Suddenly the Hollywood lords-of-the-universe who, like the Control Voice on THE OUTER LIMITS, control "all that you see and hear" have adopted all the grace of Lucy Ricardo when Ricky catches her in her latest scheme. They failed to put up a united front as they confronted angry U.S. senators who charged them with intentionally marketing violent movies to children. Four studio execs, representing Disney, DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., insisted that they had already begun taking steps to stop such practices, acknowledging that their previous marketing strategies were inappropriate. "There have been times when we allowed competitive zeal to overwhelm sound judgment," stammered Disney president Robert Iger during his testimony. But executives from MGM, Paramount, Sony and Universal expressed reluctance to reply positively to Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain's repeated question, "Will you or will you not market movies rated R to children under 17?" Universal chairman Stacey Snider observed that there were many R-rated films that are "suitable for mature teenagers to see with their parents." MGM vice chairman Chris McGurk noted that his studio is producing two R-rated films set during World War II that "could be of great value to mature teens." Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Friedman argued that each film should be judged on its own merit. None of the execs would agree to impose sanctions against exhibitors who failed to enforce movie ratings. For their part, the senators expressed doubt about new studio policies to restrict marketing practices and to provide additional information about R-rated product to parents. McCain said that the policies were "full of loopholes," while Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas warned, "I am sending a signal across the bow that if you don't try to make this really work that you are going to see some kind of legislation because parents are throwing up their hands in frustration." The hearings took place only days after the R-rated horror films, URBAN LEGENDS: THE FINAL CUT and THE EXORCIST, both attracting a sizable teen audience despite their ratings, became Hollywood's biggest weekend moneymakers. 

60.SUMMER BUMMERS I: BOX OFFICE SLUMPS 
    For the first time since 1991, a summer season has failed to surpass the previous summer season in box office sales, final figures indicated. Despite a rise in ticket prices, total sales fell six percent this year to $2.7 billion from $2.9 billion a year ago. Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian remarked, "By comparing it to last summer, which was the granddaddy of all summers, anything was going to pale in comparison." Sadly this leads to . . . 

61.SUMMER BUMMER II: "AN ENTIRE INDUSTRY IS GOING BANKRUPT" 
    United Artists Theater Co. has become the latest movie theater chain to seek Chapter 11 protection from creditors. While the chain has not been involved in the kind of massive construction programs that have all but brought down its rivals, UA's CEO Kurt Hall blamed the company's problems on its having to compete with the "unprecedented ... over-screening" of those exhibitors. Within the past two months Edwards Cinemas and Carmike Cinemas filed for bankruptcy protection and Loews Cineplex warned that it might default on its interest payments. Entertainment analyst Barry Hyman remarked, "This is a unique situation where an entire industry is going bankrupt." 

62.SUMMER BUMMER III: THEATERS FAIL TO WIN THE GOLD 
    As if the theater-owners and the movie industry needed more bad news, the Olympics killed theater attendance in September. Box office receipts were down by as much as 45% on the same month last year. Speculation was that this would close out as the worst third quarter in memory. Here's hoping for a better Fall. 

63.IMAGINATIVE CINEMA FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 
    OCTOBER 6TH: GET CARTER - This Sylvester Stallone flick is actually the second re-make of the 1970 Michael Caine movie. The first was a blaxploitation film from 1971 called HIT MAN with Bernie Casey and Pam Grier. In the 2000 model, Stallone is vicious hit man, Jack Carter (not the comic, we presume), returning home for his brother's funeral. He's soon investigating the events that led to his death, seeking revenge. There's a wide number of people to talk to, including the widowed sister-in-law (Miranda Richardson), her daughter (Rachel Leigh Cook), the owner of the club his brother managed (in a cute peice of casting, Michael Caine), a mysterious woman (Rhona Mitra), a computer millionaire (Alan Cumming), and a mobster (Mickey Rourke). 

    OCTOBER 13TH: LOST SOULS - This film has been held for a year, waiting for release. That's usually not a good sign.  A young woman who belongs to a group of exorcists (Winona Ryder) discovers a conspiracy that would lead to the unleashing of Satan on Earth, free to do his nastiness, and at the heart of the problem is a courtroom writer (Ben Chaplin). As a man who prides himself on his foundation of logic and reason, he can't accept her warnings that he's been chosen to be a vessel for Satan and allow the Dark One to reign on Earth. After the box-office meltdown of BLESS THE CHILD, END OF DAYS and STIGMATA New Line may be a little wary about releasing this film at all. 

    OCTOBER 20TH: BEDAZZLED - This is a re-make of a very funny 1967 film starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. In the current version, a suicidal technical adviser (Brendan Fraser) sells his soul to the devil (Elizabeth Hurley) so that he may have the seven wishes that will allow him to win the adoration of the woman he loves (a coworker in his office). The problem? Each wish goes wildly wrong. None of them seem to have the effect that he'd intended. 
    THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER - The release date may change, but there is an intention to give this 1994 Jackie Chan film wide theatrical play. It's based on an actual legendary figure in Chinese history whose fighting skills would improve the drunker he got (sort of like spinach and Popeye). I'll quote liberally from an enthusiastic review that I found on the film. "Jackie Chan proves that he is the greatest screen fighter in the history of cinema (sorry, Bruce Lee). Since the fights and stunts are the main attractions in all Jackie Chan movies, this is no exception. The fights in this movie are more intricate, creative, and astonishing than any other Chan film to date. Chan's character has amazing combat abilities that increase ten times when Chan is drunk, hence the title. This premise gives way to an incredible scene where Chan's character must get drunk as he is battling with some thugs. The finale is a twenty minute war between Chan and his real life body guard Ken Lo. This fight scene contains the most complex choreography in any one on one fight in the history of movies. Both agile combatants flip, kick, spin, and jump around the warehouse setting trying to destroy each other. This finale leaves viewers breathless and in awe of Chan's abilities to amaze us. Any skeptics of Chan's genius who have not seen this scene must prepare to be proven wrong!" 

    OCTOBER 27TH: BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2 - The sequel occurs in present day Burkittsville. Four young people are going on a Blair Witch tour. They set up camp near the spooky abandoned house where the last film concluded. They awake with no memory of having fallen asleep and five hours for which they can't account. Slowly, legend and reality combine for them as their lives and sanity begin to fall apart. 
 

65.DOES IT GO ZIP WHEN IT MOVES AND POP WHEN IT STOPS? 
    The mysterious East just got slightly mysteriouser. Sony announced in Tokyo that it plans to unveil a new wireless device for the home that will provide entertainment "which cannot be categorized into any existing genre." The device reportedly will go on display at the CEATEC Japan 2000 electronics show, according to the company, which declined to provide further details. The show will take place October 3-7. 

66.MOVIES FOR FREE 
    Watch movies 'til the cows come home on CinemaNow.com. It boasts that it is THE Online home of the indie film community. It also offers a chance for up and coming artistes to get their work seen and network with industry folks. All of you budding Hitchcocks, Tarrentinos and Ed Woods need to check this site out. 

68.LOOK FOR YOUR BLOCKBUSTER CD-ROM IN THE MAIL 
    Blockbuster Video will be distributing a free CD-Rom that will offer previews of coming releases, game demos and customer special offers. It will also direct the user to select e-commerce sites Online (such as Blockbuster.com). It will come with an optional program called "ValueFlash" (or "VFlash") that will invite consumers to describe their entertainment preferences and allows them to request specific information. When an item becomes available that fits the customer's profile, a special e-messaging system is triggered. They'll be sending the disc out to select customers this Fall. 

69.AN ONLINE SOURCE FOR DVD'S THAT DOESN'T SELL YOU ANYTHING! 
    Believe it or not, that's how BargainFlix.com works.They shop the Net looking for sales and coupons. When they find a deal, they put it on their Website. They generate a commission from your purchase at the site where you've been directed. They're an Online shopping service, scouring the WorldWideWeb to save you money. They'll also include deals on books, music, toys and whatever else they can find. They're worth checking out! 

70.VIDEOCY 
Rental titles releasing 10/3: LUCINDA'S SPELL is a quirky independent film from a couple of years ago that got rave reviews in the limited play that it received. A great sorcerer (played by Englishman Jon Jacobs, who also wrote and directed the film) is coming to Earth. A mate is selected with whom to bear an heir. He doesn't realize that this prostitute (and witch) is the same woman that he had a dalliance with eight years before, which has already resulted in a son. When realizations start flying, well, let's just say all hell breaks loose. The DVD's available for $22.95. . . . PITCH BLACK is the story of a crash landing on a planet that is almost always flooded in blinding light. The survivors make two discoveries. First, they wouldn't want to be there in darkness. Vicious predators come out to feed. Secondly, an eclipse is about to happen. A rental-priced DVD is also available. . . . TREASURES FROM AMERICAN FILM ARCHIVES: 50 PRESERVED FILMS showcases orphan films - newsreels, silent-era films, home movies, avant-garde works, documentaries, and independent productions - that have intimately documented our history and culture for over 100 years.  This four volume rental-priced DVD opens the vaults of 17 archives across our country and lets us take a peek inside. It encourages us to look and try to understand how we got here today. . . . THE SKULLS tells us what we already know - all rich people are evil and belong to a gigantic secret conspiracy. We find this out when a new pledge discovers that his Ivy League school's secret society is involved with more than just money and power. . . . U-571 recounts the daring WWII attack of a German sub and the confiscation of the "Enigma" coding machine. With it we were able to read all German encrypted communication. The story is loosely based on facts (the most notorious omission was attributing the raid to the Yanks - the Brits, who actually confiscated Enigma, were quite upset). So be an American fatcat, rent this film and feel smug about how WE won the war (at least, according to the movies). . . . 

Rental title releasing 10/10: SHANGHAI NOON; the Western with with Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson and Lucy Liu; gets released today. . . . MIRACLES, another Jackie Chan film (written, directed and starring Mr. Chan back in 1989) mixes elements of THE GODFATHER, A POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES and a healthy dose of "Horatio Alger" as Jackie plays a backwards country boy back in the thirties who (as only he could) stumbles into the job of crime boss while assisting a poor rose seller. It's available in both VHS and DVD. . . . RULES OF ENGAGEMENT is a military courtroom drama featuring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. The VHS is rental-priced. The DVD is $29.99. . . . Quiz time. THE BOGUS WITCH PROJECT is a Pauly Shore parody of what film? You can rent the tape today (or buy the DVD for $24.99 and find out. . . . 

Rental titles releasing 10/17: PICKING UP THE PIECES is a controversial film, starring Woody Allen, previously seen on the cable channel, Showtime. Woody plays "Tex," a Texas butcher who has had enough of his wandering wife. He goes to bury her dismembered body parts only to have her hand fall out of his pick-up. It's soon discovered, thought to work miracles, and despite the garish rings and nail polish, it's declared "The Hand of the Virgin," by residents of a small border town. The Catholic chrurch hated this film.You can rent the video or buy the DVD for $24.98. . . . ANCIENT EVIL: SCREAM OF THE MUMMY shows what happens when six archeology students discover the ancient remains of a mummy. They accidentally unleash the fury of an evil god determined to annihilate mankind. This little ditty is cooked to a fine crisp by director David DeCoteau. The DVD is available for $24.95. . . . BOLTNECK has an oddly familiar sounding plot. It's about teenage nerd/genius Frank Stein bringing back to life a goth outcast named Karl. He's unknowingly re-animated Karl with the brain of a mass murderer. Now I know I've seen this plot somewhere else. Give me a minute. . . . BEOWULF is a sci-fi update of the eighth century Saxon poem. The title character, played by Christopher Lambert, mixes it up with Grendel and his vengeance-seeking mother. Those who've previously "enjoyed" this version of the epic have hailed it thusly: "this f--ing piece of bulls--t crap is worse than BATTLEFIELD EARTH," "just a waste of time!, "A total disaster," and my personal favorite, "Beware of the darkness - in shape of this movie!" If you're in need of the pain, you can pick up the DVD for $32.99 and watch it over, and over, and over, and . . . HEAVY METAL 2000 releases today, and it offers a fairly complex pricing system. The VHS is rental priced. There's a twin-pack of the original and the sequel. They're also rental priced. The DVD is $24.95. You can buy the original and the sequel on DVD for $47.95. Got it? Phewww! . . . 

Rental titles releasing 10/24: THE DOORWAY is about a discovery of four college students. The house that they're fixing up is built directly over a doorway to Hell. That doorway has just been opened. DVD is available for $19.99. . . . EYE OF THE KILLER (originally released as AFTER ALICE) offers Keifer Sutherland as an alcoholic cop with psychic powers tracking a serial killer who has re-emerged after ten years of dormancy. The killer has chosen, as his next target, the cop who is tracking him. The DVD is $24.99. . . . THE DUMMY is a 1917 silent drama, available on VHS only. A ventriloquist and his dummy seem to have trouble figuring out who is the dummy and who is the human when murders begin to take place in their isolated mansion. . . . VIRTUAL GIRL is basically a skin flick with a sci-fi veneer. A cyber-geek has to "enter" the virtual girl that oversees his company's computers. She decides that she likes him and doesn't want to let him go. At the moment this is VHS only. 

Rental titles releasing 10/31: DEAL OF A LIFETIME is the embodiment of every losers dream. A lonely teen gets a chance to date the hottest girl in high school. All that he has to do is sell his soul. The DVD is $19.98. . . . FREQUENCY is about a phenomenon of nature that allows a police officer to reach back in time and save the life of his father. But changing the past leads to a string of brutal, serial homicides and now father and son must stop the killer. The DVD will be $24.98. 

Sell through titles releasing 10/3: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL EDITION gets released as a video ($22.99) and a DVD ($26.99). To publicize the release Disney is giving it a limited theatrical run in 35 cities around the country. . . . ROSEMARY'S BABY gets released today on VHS and DVD. The tape is $14.95. The DVD sells for $29.99. . . . SLEEPY HOLLOW, last year's instant classic from Tim Burton, is being re-priced as a "Special Edition." The tape will have many of the same features that the DVD had, but will have them for $14.95. . . . Classic John Woo titles hit the shelves today. THE KILLER and HARD BOILED are $14.98 each for the VHS, $29.98 for the DVD. The tape two-pack is $29.98. The disc two-pack is $49.98. Both titles star Chow Yun-Fat. . . . A pair of erotic horror movies get released today. THE VAMPIRE'S SEDUCTION and MISTRESS FRANKENSTEIN sell for $19.98 each. . . . THE AVENGERS GIFT PACK is available today. Pick up thirteen beautiful black & white Honor Blackman and Patrick Macnee episodes of the classic British series, vintage 1963. The VHS is $29.95. The DVD is $44.95. . . . Today's your chance to scarf the DVD, BLOOD TRILOGY. It features three bloody Valentines from Herschell Gordon Lewis. It includes some of America's most notorious gore films -  BLOOD FEAST, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS and COLOR ME RED. It's yours for $69.99. . . . CONCEIVING ADA features computer wizard Emmy Coer (Francesca Faridany) as a genetic memory expert. Her obsession and inspiration is Ada Byron King (Tilda Swinton), the 19th century mathematician who was the daughter of Lord Byron. Ada wrote what is considered to be the first computer language. Emmy, with the help of her mentor (the late Timothy Leary) finds a way to use a computer to reach across time to contact her icon, with unexpected consequences. The price is $19.95. . . . THE FLASH GORDON BOX SET on DVD offer three episodes from the 1940's serial including "Trip to Mars," "Conquers the Universe" and "Space Soldiers." It's yours for $79.99. . . . GRIM PRAIRIE TALES Stars James Earl Jones and Brad Dowit. In this anthology tape two drifters meet in the western prairie and try to scare each other with four dueling tales of horror. The price is $19.99, VHS only. . . . HABIT is set in autumn in New York. Sam has broken up with his girlfriend and his father has recently died. World-weary and sloppy drunk, he finds temporary solace in the arms of mysterious girl named Anna. Is she a vampire or are they alcoholic delusions? He's got to figure it out. You can help him for just $14.95! . . .  You can pick up either THE KILLER or HARD BOILED, both John Woo/Chow Yun-Fat classics of neo-Chinese noir, on DVD for $29.98. Or you can buy THE JOHN WOO COLLECTION with the two DVD releases for $49.98. . . . HIDEAWAY is loosely based on a Dean Koontz novel about a man pronounced dead and then revived. He brings back a psychic link to a serial killer. It stars Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti and Alicia Silverstone. It's on DVD only for $24.95. . . . IN THE GRIP OF EVIL is a 1997 made-for-TV documentary that serves as a reconstruction of the alleged true story about demonic possession that was behind the book and film, THE EXORCIST. Based on documents, statements and interviews with people who followed the case, including the priests involved in the exorcism. A close look at the events that really happened is shown. The price is $14.98. . . . KING OF HEARTS is a gentle comedy/fantasy that questions the meaning of war and sanity. In this 1966 film set in World War I, a soldier (Alan Bates) has to go disconnect a German bomb set to destroy a French village. Everyone has fled except for the inmates of a local asylum. While hiding there from enemy soldiers, the patients proclaim him the King of Hearts. He struggles to lead his new friends to safety. As he's with them the question arises, who's insane? The innocently playful patients or the soldiers trying to murder each other? You can decide for yourself. Both the VHS and DVD sell for $19.98. . . . The 1948 Orson Welles flawed masterpiece, THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI gets released to DVD today. The flaws come not from Welles but from the meddling at Harry Cohn's Columbia Studios. After CITIZEN KANE Welles would be forever handcuffed by fearful studio hacks. Even with the tampering, check out this Welles' film noir thriller starring the Great Man himself and his (unhappily) married wife of the moment, Rita Hayworth. It sells for $24.95. . . . Are you in the mood for a serious, thoughtful well-done film? Then stay away from MISTRESS FRANKENSTEIN. It's about the beautiful, sexually repressed Baroness Helena Frankenstein. She has been killed in a tragic horse-riding accident and it is up to her husband to give her a new brain and bring her back to life. He re-incarnates her as one hot babe. Both tape and disc are $19.98. . . . Edgar G. Ulmer was an innovative German director who came to this country in the thirties. Many of us remember him for the 1934 Karloff/Lugosi classic, THE BLACK CAT. After a romantic indescretion with a wife of a Universal executive, he was banished from Hollywood Valhalla. Yet he still had a burning desire to make films. He turned to the skidrow studios and for very low budgets made a string of interesting and innovative movies. THE EDGAR G. ULMER COLLECTION celebrates his achievements. Previously released are Volume 1: THE STRANGE WOMAN (1946) & MOON OVER HARLEM (1939), Volume 2: BLUEBEARD (1944) and Volume 3: THE DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL (1957). Today we see the release of Volume 4: PIRATES OF CAPRI (1949) featuring a Zorro-like hero and his quest for justice. These are all available in DVD only for $24.95. . . . So that you don't miss a single precious frame, there's now a new DVD of the 1953 "classic" ROBOT MONSTER. For $24.95 you can marvel at this saga of a deadly robot (an overweight actor wearing a gorilla suit and a diving helmet with "bunny ear" antennae) and his death ray (a bubble machine). The result wouldn't even live up to Ed Woods' standards. One interesting survivor of this little stinker is the man who wrote the score. Before he got the Oscar for THOUROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE or nominations for titles like THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, TRADING PLACES, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, the distinguished film composer Elmer Bernstein wrote music for the slum productions of Hollywood. He did the music for ROBOT MONSTER the same year he did CAT-WOMEN ON THE MOON. . . . Speaking of the master, we have, direct to DVD, THE WORST OF ED WOOD. This four volume set includes PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, JAIL BAIT, BRIDE OF THE MONSTER and GLEN OR GLENDA. It goes at a pricey $79.99, which may have been the combined original budget for all four films! . . .  The game is once again afoot on DVD today as the first four of the PBS Sherlock Holmes series (from 1984) entitled THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES goes on sale for $19.98. . . . Today we get to but the gentle Christmas fantasy, THE BISHOP'S WIFE. Cary Grant is an angel from heaven, sent to assist a tired over-worked bishop (David Niven). He begins to help him a little too well with his beautiful and neglected wife (Loretta Young). It sells for $14.95, VHS only. . . . THE CURIOUS DR. HUMPP:  SPECIAL EDITION (or as it was known when it was first released in its native Argentina in 1967 - LOS VENGANZA DEL SEXO) tells the story of a mad doctor who kidnaps couples who are, uh, coupling. He imprisons them in his mansion where he injects them with a substance to enhance their "coupling" abilities. While they are otherwise engaged he drains a fluid from them. He needs this to prevent himself from being transformed into a monster. Like so many of us, he gets his instructions from a disembodied talking brain. DVD owners are in luck! This gem is being sold in DVD only for just $24.99. Now wasn't it for titles like this that you bought that player in the first place? . . . THE BODY BENEATH: SPECIAL EDITION is another DVD only "treasure." A family of inbred vampires take over Carfax Abbey (a site familiar to DRACULA fans). They need fresh blood in the family or it will soon perish. The movie is about that quest. It's also about $25. 

Sell through titles releasing 10/10:Today is a big day for DVD titles. Two much anticipated titles are hitting store shelves. JURASSIC PARK and THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK go on sale today for $26.98 each. The "Collector's edition" comes full screen.  It has a 2-disc box set with a retail of $53.98. You can pick up a combined box set of the two films as a "limited edition." The limited edition comes in a widescreen anamorphic format. The set is "only" $119.98. . . . A batch of anime' hits today. SHAMANIC PRINCESS: GUARDIAN WORLD, MAZE: WHIRLWIND SHOWDOWN and SLAYER'S TRY: A HERO DESCENDS sell for $19.99 each. SPACESHIP AGGA RUTER: TROUBLEMAKER goes for $29.99. . . . If you really really loved the Steve McQueen classic, THE BLOB, you might want to pass on the L.A. Connection's production of BLOBERMOUTH. This is part of their "Mad Movies" series where they scrap the soundtrack of an old movie and turn it into a comedy. You can own BLOBERMOUTH for $19.95 for the VHS, $24.99 for the DVD. . . . LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE is a 1974 Spanish/Itallian zombie flick with the undead being brought back for their favorite snack (us) by questionable pest-control techniques with unintended consequences. This little epic can be all yours for a paltry $14.98 for the tape and $29.98 for the disc. . . . MENNO'S MIND is a story of Menno, a computer programmer specializing in virtual reality. He finds himself being forced to use his talents to help an unscrupulous politician gain power. The price is $9.98, available in VHS only. . . . TWILIGHT ZONE, Volumes 34 & 35 come out today on DVD. Volume 34 offers "THE LATENESS OF THE HOUR" and "LITTLE GIRL LOST." Volume 35 has "THE LITTLE PEOPLE" and "LIVING DOLL." Each volume is $24.99. 

Sell through titles releasing 10/17: Completing the Bond sell-through collection from earlier this year, the final half dozen installment of 007 titles hit the streets today. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, OCTOPUSSY, A VIEW TO A KILL and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE go on sale for $9.94 each for the tapes, or $26.98  each for the discs. You can buy the VHS gift set for $49.98 or the DVD set for $134.96. . . . There are a pair of Itallian horror films debuting on DVD today, in "special editions." There's the BLOODY PIT OF HORROR: SPECIAL EDITION from 1965. The film's homicidal lunatic is played by former Mr. Universe and ex-husband of Jayne Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay. We get to watch him chew up and spit out lines like "Mankind is made up of inferior creatures, spiritually and physically deformed, who would've corrupted the harmony of my perfect body."  Then we've got FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS:SPECIAL EDITION from 1973. It features an evil Neanderthal named "Lugosi." Wonder where they thought up that name? You can enjoy these sterling thespionic displays for $24.99 each. . . . FRIDAY, THE 13TH part 3 and "THE FINAL CHAPTER" go on sale today in DVD for $29.99. . . . THE COSMIC MAN, a tepid 1959 knockoff of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL with John Carradine in the title role, comes out on DVD today. It sells for $24.99. . . . The original Jerry Lewis pic, THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, hits DVD today. It's $29.99. . . . The anime' classic, VAMPIRE HUNTER D, comes out on DVD today. This dubbed version sells for $29.99. 

Sell through titles releasing 10/24: The picture chosen as last year's best by the Motion Picture Academy, AMERICAN BEAUTY, comes to DVD today. The disc sells for $26.99. The video gets re-priced down to $24.99. . . . The anime' title, THE HAUNTED LANTERN, goes on sale today for $29.99. . . .  Today is 70's-Chinese-martial arts-flicks-day on DVD. There's 72 DESPERATE REBELS, 99 CYCLING SWORDS and MAGNICENT FISTS all for $19.95 each. . . . From 1992 we have ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS - BLOOD OF THE LEOPARD, a costume action pic set in old China and loaded with impossibly high flying kicks. It's on DVD only for $29.95. . . . IRON FINGER stars Bruce Li, the actor who was to be the heir-apparent to the Bruce Lee dynasty. You can pick up this 1977 film for $9.99 on tape, $14.98 on disc. . . . DOWNTOWN TORPEDOES is a sort of a 1997 Chinese take on MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. While it does use some special effects and computers worm their way into the plot, what it really relies on is stunning fighting choreography. It's purported to have some of the most heart-stopping scenes of martial arts in recent years (the title, by the way, is  - like many Chinese titles - simply gibberish; a literal translation of its original title is GODLY THIEF SPY SHADOW). It's available on DVD only for $29.95. . . . FIRST OPTION is a fast-paced Hong Kong film pitting the good guys (the Hong Kong SDU) against the bad guys (nasty old mercenaries). It's mostly just action, action, action. The VHS sells for $19.98. The DVD is $29.95. . . . SKINNY TIGER, FATTY DRAGON is a 1990 martial arts movie set in modern day Hong Kong. Guess which one Sammo Hung plays. The DVD is $29.95. . . . SWORDSMAN, SWORDSMAN II and SWORDSMAN III: THE EAST IS RED hit DVD today. They are a series of martial arts fantasies set in a supernatural Chinese past. Every 15 minutes there's a flabbergasting sword fight. All the warriors can fly over, or dismember, their opponents with a flick of the wrist. Eyeballs are extracted, wrists snap, heads explode. We meet a tribe of women warriors who fight with live snakes. We discover an evil martial arts wizard who has castrated himself and assumed female form. Expect brain boiling effects and breathless excitement all the way through. The first film stars superstar Jackie Cheung. The second features the incomparable Jet Li. The third has Brigette Lin as the evil "Asia the Invincible." The action was staged by Ching Siu-tung, the director of A CHINESE GHOST STORY. They're available only on DVD for $29.95 each. . . . MR. VAMPIRE is the first of a series of sequels. A Chinese priest has to battle a growing legion of vampires in his town. One of his two bumbling assistants becomes infected. The other can't leave the embrace of a life-eating she-ghost. If you've never seen a Chinese vampire movie (with hopping vampires) this is the one to see. It offers fast-paced action blended with humor. The VHS is $19.98. The DVD sells for $29.95. . . . DRAGONBALL, the classic anime' title, is releasing 13 episodes on two DVD's. The twin-pack sells for $29.95. . . . FLINT, THE TIME DETECTIVE is a Japanese anime' series for kids that features a 25th century cavemen and his dad discovered in an archeological dig. Once they're de-fosillized they're given the task of saving the universe. Volumes one and two are available, both in VHS and DVD. They're $14.98 Each. . . .  AIRPLANE and AIRPLANE II: THE SEQUEL appears on DVD today for $29.95 each. . . . BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER goes on sale today. The VHS is $19.98. The DVD is $24.98. . . . BUG BUSTER: COLLECTOR'S EDITION: DIRECTOR'S CUT is your chance to own this timeless 1998 classic about a small lakeside town overun by giant killer cockroaches. It stars Academy-ignored actor Randy Quaid. Both the DVD and VHS sell for $19.99. Remember Christmas is coming. This would make a stocking stuffer that will be remembered forever! . . . GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN features Buddy Baer (brother to prizefighter Max Baer) as a 14th century Spanish conquistador in suspended animation until a lightening bolt wakes him up in time to be in this 1958 movie. He terrorizes a small California community until he's stopped by good guy Ed Kemmer (who some of you may remember as "Commander Corey" in the TV show SPACE PATROL). In reality, Buddy Baer was 6'4". I guess the title BIG HUSKY GUY FROM THE UNKNOWN just wasn't going to fly. This title is available on DVD only for $24.99. . . . Troma is offering us the 1981 slasher flick GRADUATION DAY. A high school track team keeps finding creative ways to get butchered at the hands of an unknown maniac. Like all 80's slasher flicks it has lots of blood and lots of nudity. And what a cast! It's got Christopher George, Linnea Quigley and a young Vanna White. It's available on VHS for $14.98. . . . HERCULES IN NEW YORK is Ahnold Schwarzenneger's first attempt at the silver screen. In this 1970 film his voice is dubbed (laughably badly). A totally pumped Ahnold plays the god Hercules having misadventures in 1970 New York City. The VHS is $9.99. The "must-have" DVD is $19.99. . . . PSYCHO SISTERS offers us an interesting reversal. In this one the guys are the innocents. The girls are the homicidal lunatics. A pair of sexy sisters are released from the nut house after witnessing their other sister's murder. Afterwards, any guy that attempts to woo them finds the portion of his anatomy that he was contemplating using floating in a jar in their growing collection. Both the VHS  and DVD are $19.98. . . . SANTA CLAWS is a 1996 holiday/slasher flick. Scream queen Debbie Rochon plays scream queen Raven Quinn making a movie called SCREAM QUEEN CHRISTMAS which is mostly a bevy of bodacious babes peeling off their little elf costumes. Little does she know, her nutlog neighbor is obsessed with her and is determined to kill anyone that he thinks is standing in the way of her movie career. He methodically works his way through cast and crew with a garden tool. The movie is written and directed by John A. Russo, who wrote NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD back in 1968. In the cast are Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman and Bill Hinzman - all veterans of the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - back together for the first time in almost 30 years. The VHS and DVD are both $19.98. . . . THE BONEYARD is a 1991 movie that has group of people trapped in a coroner's building opposing a bunch of kids who've turned into zombies. The group trying to stop the madness consists of a burn