Two Evil Eyes dvd

[StatCat]

Anyone buy the recent release by blue underground of Two Evil Eyes? Its a 2 disc limited edition set which is very nice. I watched it yesterday (haven't seen it in years) and liked it a lot. Romero's story is weaker but still is pretty good and Argento's remains entertaining. Looking forward to Dead and Buried which will be released soon. Only have this dvd and Shock Waves by them but I'm really impressed with this company.

[Chris K.]

TWO EVIL EYES is a fine release from Blue Undeground. Yet, I am quite curious as to why it was released in a "2 disk Limited Edition" set. Is their going to be a regular edition sometime in the near future? In anycase, I liked both Romero's and Argento's segments. They both display some great moments and it saddens me that these guys aren't given a chance in the the major mainstream film department. And TWO EVIL EYES really deserved a wider release here in the U.S. back in 1990; it was only released in New York and Los Angeles, yet had worldwide release internationally.

Either way, Blue Underground did a nice job with the extra material. And like with StatCat, I am all excited about DEAD AND BURIED. My Dad, who fondly remembers the film, is quite excited about it coming out on DVD after we both tried searching the flick out on video with no luck.

[StatCat]

It's limited to a certain number and then their gone. 2 discs is fine with me when I only payed $18- pretty much how much I payed for a one disc set (shock waves.) Blue Underground do great work on everything but they seem to be releasing mostly trash. We have a few exceptions with this and some others but who would really want to watch crap like Snuff? I taped dead and buried when it played on sci-fi awhile back to remember it. Its pretty hard to find.

[Chris K.]

We all need some trash now and then. Yet I have to agree, I can't envision Blue Underground releasing SNUFF (1978) on a Special Edition DVD. This is a title that seems to be more in range with Mike Vraney's Something Weird Video company (the reason I say this is that SNUFF was by the Michael and Roberta Findally group; Something Weird Video has most of the Findally titles).

As for the "2 disk Limited Edition" set of TWO EVIL EYES, I really don't have a problem with it. I really enjoyed the release, but I'm just suprised that Blue Underground is only released a Limited Edition of the film.

Yet my hat goes off Blue Underground for undertaking the release of DEAD AND BURIED. It will be great to see it for the first time remastered from vault negative materials rather than viewing it on a crappy pre-record VHS with transfer taken from a terrible print.

[Steven Millan]

            Yeah,Chris,it really p***ed me off when "Two Evil Eyes" was only theatrically released in both L.A. and New York,but the video release made up for it,as does this two-disc  set(which I have yet to obtain),even if it's a limited edition(for now,anyway),although Best Buy has way more copeis of this than of Sypanse's "Blue Sunshine"(also a limited edition,which has 20 times editions more than "..Eyes",but it doesn't look like it).

[StatCat]

I'm guessing they'll release a regular edition later after the limited one but who knows, it is a little weird.

[Chadzilla]

First, let me say that 30 to 40,000 discs IS NOT a 'Limited Edition'.  I don't care what the cover box says, I think that that is just cagey marketing to the collector, nothing more.  Now if it was 5,000 discs.  That is far closer to limited.

Why a two disc set?  Probably to insure that the bonus material does not greatly reduce the picture quality of the movie (with layer change freezes and what not).  Dead & Buried is doing the same excellent job they did with Two Evil Eyes, I cannot wait for that disc.  It and Day of the Dead are the two must have releases of the summer for me.

As far as Blue Underground's library, it plainly consists of, as their motto states, Guilty Pleasures for Movie Lovers.  I think that sums it up quite nicely.  Also, what some person thinks is trash is somebody else's treasure - who am I to whine that Snuff is getting a nifty release.  I just thank whatever b-movie god there is that Bill Lustig has managed to get a company up and running that treats these practically forgotten grindhouse movies with a level of respect and love that is usually only found on websites such as this.  While I may pass on some of their offerings, the ones I do pick up invariably turn out to be a feather in the cap of my collection.  Blue Underground has raised the bar on b-movie DVD releasing as far as I am concerned.  One look at the eye popping work they have done with the likes of Shock Wave, The Prowler, and Contamination puts just about everybody else to shame.

[Chris K.]

Chadzilla wrote:

> As far as Blue Underground's library, it plainly consists of,
> as their motto states, Guilty Pleasures for Movie
> Lovers.  I think that sums it up quite nicely.  Also, what
> some person thinks is trash is somebody else's treasure - who
> am I to whine that SNUFF is getting a nifty release.  I
> just thank whatever b-movie god there is that Bill Lustig has
> managed to get a company up and running that treats these
> practically forgotten grindhouse movies with a level of respect
> and love that is usually only found on websites such as this.
> While I may pass on some of their offerings, the ones I do pick
> up invariably turn out to be a feather in the cap of my
> collection.  Blue Underground has raised the bar on b-movie DVD
> releasing as far as I am concerned.  

Hey, don't get me wrong. I agree, what some person thinks is trash is somebody else's treasure. I'm not putting Blue Underground down for that. I just didn't expect them to pick up a film like SNUFF for their upcoming releases. If somebody out there likes it, no problem with me. Just didn't see it coming, that's all.

And hey, if Blue Underground is going to release SNUFF, I do hope that they have plans for obtaining THE LAST SHARK (1980; U.S. Title: GREAT WHITE).

[Chadzilla]

Chris K. wrote:

>  
> And hey, if Blue Underground is going to release SNUFF, I do
> hope that they have plans for obtaining THE LAST SHARK (1980;
> U.S. Title: GREAT WHITE).

Thems my words from my mouth bub, next time ask before you yank 'em and claim 'em as your own!

Okay, serious now.  I am hoping that all the legal woes of Great White will be laid to rest.  Heck, show a judge Great White and Shark Attack 2 in tandem with Jaws 1 and 2 and then ask, which steals most blatantly from the classic shark thrillers?  Huh?  Shark Attack 2 borrows so clearly that I am tempted to use the P word.

I sent Blue Underground a laundry list of titles I would like to seem them try and do.  After what they did with Contamination I would love to see what they would cook up with Star Crash!  Then there's Escape from Death Row, Blood Beach, Evilspeak, Hungry Wives, The Affair, and many. many more that I cannot even begin to try and remember.  Grizzly?  Day of the Animals?  The Manitou?  The Dark?

So many b-movies, so little time.

[Chris K.]

Chadzilla wrote:

> Thems my words from my mouth bub, next time ask before
> you yank 'em and claim 'em as your own!

Ah comon Chad, I share the same enthusiasim with THE LAST SHARK just as you do.

And yes, I too would like to see a special edition of Luigi Cozzi's STARCRASH. However, for what I heard, the U.S. rights are tangled with Roger Corman due to Corman releasing it under his old New World Pictures back in 1979. Yet, if Blue Underground can strike a deal with Corman, I will place $19 bucks in the corner and have it reserved for STARCRASH.

And I also believe that George Romero's HUNGRY WIVES might also be a legal issue. It was distributed by Jack H. Harris Enterprises under it's original title with the complete cut of 130 minutes, yet when re-issued as JACK'S WIFE and SEASON OF THE WITCH it was cut down to 89 minutes. While it's been said that the original Director's Cut is no lobger in existance, it could still be in the hands of Jack H. Harris. I'm not too sure about it so Chadzilla if you have any better info on the legal rights issues and history of HUNGRY WIVES, please feel free to give some insight.

As for THE MANITOU, I do believe it was distributed by Embassy Pictures and is now in the hands of Studio Canal, so it might end up with MGM or Anchor Bay depending on the interest. And again, if Blue Underground can strike a deal with Studio Canal then I'll place another $19 bucks in the corner reserved for the title.

[Andrew]

I picked up this DVD to replace my VHS (which was under the title "Toxic Spawn."  

The DVD is amazingly clear for such a cheap gore movie.  You can actually see things!  I finally got a good look at the cyclops alien and it is pretty cool.  The DVD also runs a bit longer and I think the unchopped film might have helped me enjoy the film (well, that and actually being able to see half the action).

I gave Toxic Spawn a single slime.  If I had been reviewing the DVD, it would have been a high two slimer.

[Chris K.]

Andrew wrote:

> I picked up this DVD to replace my VHS (which was under the
> title "Toxic Spawn.")
>
> The DVD is amazingly clear for such a cheap gore movie.  You
> can actually see things!  I finally got a good look at the
> cyclops alien and it is pretty cool.  The DVD also runs a bit
> longer and I think the unchopped film might have helped me
> enjoy the film (well, that and actually being able to see half
> the action).

Just for historical mention, when CONTAMINATION was released in English internationally it was picked up by The Cannon Group-Cannon Releasing Corporation by producers/distributors Menaheim Golan and Yorum Globus (remember these two). CONTAMINATION had some of the gore trimmed for an R rating, title was changed to ALIEN CONTAMINATION, and the credits were also reworked.

The interview segement with writer/director Luigi Cozzi (billed in CONTAMINATION as 'Lewis Coates') is also very informative. However, most DVD reviews have called Cozzi an ass for telling the story about how the producer wanted an "ugly woman" cast in the role of the heroine. Cozzi was just telling what the producer said. Also, after seeing this interview I appreciate Cozzi as a director more than I ever did before. He is definately passionate about sci-fi and I thought STARCRASH was better than STAR WARS due to having more pulp imagination and wild fun (i.e., the scene in STARCRASH of the stars in different colors was quite good, better than the typical "stars-are-white-all-the-time" in sci-fi flicks). That and the critics need to quite ragging on CONTAMINATION being a rip-off of ALIEN (1979). Not true, ALIEN served as an insperational tool and didn't rip-off Ridley Scott's feature. CONTAMINATION is nowhere similar to ALIEN in any shape or form. And it was also great to see the behind-the-scenes documentary feature that was used by the producers back in 1980 to advertise the film.

In either case, CONTAMINATION was a joy to sit through.

[Chadzilla]

Chris K. wrote:

>
> That and the
> critics need to quite ragging on CONTAMINATION being a rip-off
> of ALIEN (1979). Not true, ALIEN served as an insperational
> tool and didn't rip-off Ridley Scott's feature. CONTAMINATION
> is nowhere similar to ALIEN in any shape or form.

Well, as long as Cozzi kept the alien 'eggs' in it, then the Italian producers were happy.  Besides Alien isn't exactly 'original' in its story either.  There are more than a few b-movies with the exact same plot.

[Chadzilla]

I don't know much about legal woes, just that it can get complicated at times.  I do think, as I said previously, that the problems with Great White can probably get cleared up with very little wrangling.