Play All 9.23.08
by Brian Tallerico

What's scarier - vampires or dancing tweens in High School Musical? Personally, I'd rather come to face to face with a creature of the night than the ones that know every single word of Disney's smash-hit phenomenon but Play All isn't about me. It's about giving something to everyone. Like vampires? We got something for you. Cheesy 1980s TV? Check. In the mood for an unrated comedy based on a TV show? You got it. Play All can bring together Bruce Campbell, Reno 911!, and High School Musical fans under one roof. It's not always likely that someone would be interested in EVERYTHING in our weekly column but there's usually something that should grab your attention. Vampire or dancing tweens - it's your call. Get your dancing shoes on and find your cape before you hit Play All.

Bloodsucking Cinema
Studio: Anchor Bay
Starring: John Carpenter, Len Wiseman, Stan Winston, Joel Schumacher, and Stuart Townsend
Features: None

One of two vamp-centric titles in Play All this week, Bloodsucking Cinema is an intriguing 57-minute documentary that originally aired on Starz, a network that is slowly dipping its foot into the world of original programming so often associated with HBO and Showtime. Yes, Starz has more than just movies now. This original documentary was written and directed by Barry Gray and focuses on the impact of the vampire from the silent era through today's blockbusters. What is it about the vampire that has made the character a focus of everything from Nosferatu to Underworld? Gray focuses on interview footage with people who know a thing or two about the creatures of the night. Subjects include directors John Carpenter (Vampires), Len Wiseman (Underworld), and Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys); actors Kristanna Loken (Bloodrayne) and Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned); special effects artists Stan Winston (Interview with the Vampire) and Greg Nicotero (From Dusk Till Dawn); writers Marv Wolfman and David Goyer (Blade); critics Leonard Maltin and Harry Knowles, and film clips from some of the most famous and influential vampire movies in history. There are going to be dozens of horror releases between now and Halloween. This is a good way to start.

Friday the 13th: The First Season
Studio: Paramount
Starring: Louise Robey, John D. LeMay, Steve Monarque, and Chris Wiggins
Features: Original Network Launch Promos, Sales Presentation

There was a time when Jason Voorhees ruled the world. That time could come again early next year when the reboot to the franchise opens up. Until then, those of us who remember how HUGE the Friday the 13th movies were in the '80s can kick start our Halloween season with the first season of the TV show. That's right, boys and girls, there actually was a Friday the 13th TV series. And it was no flash in the pan. But, get this, the show really had nothing to do with the movies, other than being a blatant trick to try and get fans of the Jason movies to tune in. Imagine a show called Saw in syndication that had nothing to do with the Jigsaw Killer. It's kind of remarkable in its audacity. The show was originally called The 13th Hour and then changed to Friday the 13th: The Series and ran for three years and produced 71 episodes. The first 26 hours are included in a wickedly good set from Paramount this week of this long-delayed series that fans have been clamoring to get on DVD for years. The show may not have direct ties to the movies - Jason never appears - but it does feel oddly thematically consistent with them. The show's producer, Frank Mancuso Jr., was the producer of the '80s movies and the star even went on to appear in Jason Goes to Hell. Friday the 13th: The Series is about an antiques dealer named Lewis Vendredi who makes a deal with the devil to sell cursed antiques out of his ship. His niece and nephew inherit the shop and must track down the cursed items episode by episode. It may not be a great show but it's about time Friday the 13th finally hit DVD. Episodes in the first season include chapters directed by Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) and David Cronenberg.

High School Musical 2: Two-Disc Deluxe Dance Edition
Studio: Disney
Starring: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, and Mark L. Taylor
Features: High School Musical 3 Sneak Peek, Interactive Dance-Along, Deleted Scenes, Music Video: "All For One", The Making Of The Exclusive Music Scene, Cast Favorites: Behind-The-Scenes Featurette, On-Location Shoot, In The Kitchen: Set Tour, High School Confidential: Never-Before-Seen Scrapbook, And Much, Much More!

High School Musical 2 was HUGE. How huge? Big enough that the franchise that started on The Disney Channel is moving to the big screen this fall for its third chapter. To tie in with the release of High School Musical 3: Senior Year in October, Disney has released a "2-Disc Dance Deluxe Edition". If you already own a copy of High School Musical 2, I can't imagine that you'd really need to upgrade, but this is the kind of phenomenon where there are little girls out there buying more than one copy of the CDs and DVDs just because they know they're going to wear one out. There's a tween screaming like she's seeing The Beatles for the first time as she watches this DVD right this very minute. If you're curious what all the chaos is about, check out High School Musical 2 and the impressive collection of special features that are included on this set, including a sneak peek at the new film. 17.3 million people watched High School Musical 2 when it aired on The Disney Channel last summer. They can't all be wrong, can they?

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat
Studio: Lionsgate
Starring: Bruce Campbell, David Carradine, Maxwell Caulfield, Jim Metzler and Morgan Brittany
Features: Audio Commentary with Director Anthony Hickox and Director of Photography Levie Isaacks, A.S.C., "A Vampire Reformed" Interview with David Carradine, "Memories of Moab" Interview with Bruce Campbell, "A True Character" Interview with M. Emmet Walsh, and Photo Gallery

The last film that Vestron Pictures ever produced was an ambitious horror/comedy that never quite comes together but has had a HUGE following over the years, in large part because it was so hard to find. David Carradine plays Count Jozek Margulak, a leader of a colony of vampires in the town of Purgatory. David and Sarah Harrison (Jim Metzler and Morgan Brittany) move to Purgatory to fix the machine that creates the synthetic blood that keeps the vamps alive (hints of HBO's excellent True Blood almost two decades earlier). All Hell breaks loose when some of the vampires start craving real blood and try to overthrow the Count. Need more reason to see it? Bruce Campbell plays Robert Van Helsing. Awesome. According to Wikipedia, used VHS copies of this cult classic have been sold for over one hundred dollars on eBay and Amazon. An odd mix of horror, comedy and western, Sundown is a movie that should appeal to all fans of weird genre cinema and everyone who adores the once and future king of horror/comedy, Bruce Campbell. The massive collection of special features for a movie that didn't even get a theatrical release should tell fans unfamiliar with Sundown just how big of a cult hit and rarity this movie has become. Sell your VHS copy and upgrade to DVD.

Reno 911!: Miami - More Busted Than Ever! Unrated Cut!
Studio: Fox
Starring: Carlos Alazraqui, Mary Birdsong, Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, and Cedric Yarbrough
Features: Audio Commentary by Director/Writer Robert Ben Garant and Writers Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver, Special Introduction to the "Lost Version" or Reno 911!: Miami not shown in theaters, Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, and Kerry Kenny-Silver, Hilarious "Public Service Announcements", and Theatrical Trailer

Poor Reno 911!: Miami. Is it a great comedy? No, it's got some weak spots, but it deserved a better fate at the box office. It's certainly funnier than Sex and the City. But with two versions of the film already on DVD, are fans getting double dipped with this release? Believe it or not, they aren't. This edition includes a "Lost Version" cut of the film, which completely re-edits the largely improvised movie into basically something new. It features new scenes, alternate takes, and extended scenes. Some of it should have clearly been left on the cutting room floor but fans will be thrilled to have what is basically "take two" of one of their favorite comedies. What essentially happened here is that there were so many deleted scenes for Reno 911!: Miami that they cut them into a new movie instead of just including them like most special features. That's pretty cool. The original version is still funnier, but providing this one for fans is still pretty cool. This edition also comes with the new and trendy digital copy in case you can actually watch unrated comedies on the go. Good luck not getting kicked off the school bus.

-- Brian Tallerico

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