DVD Guide 1 A to Accidental Tourist

This is the first of a likely lengthy series of capsule notes on various DVDs; all are ones I own or have owned in the past so I may be able to check on any disagreements.  In many cases other editions may be available (e.g. a separate Fullscreen and Widescreen version).

A

VERSION: Facets Video; Fullscreen

CAST: Hiroshi Araki

DIRECTOR: Tatsuya Mori

GENRE: Documentary

NOTES: Looks at Japan`s religious cult Aum Shinrikyo, including theuir 1995 gas attack into Tokyo’s subway system in 1995

BOOKLET: 8 pages

LANGUAGES: English (spoken); Japanese (sub-titles)

FEATURES: Trailers (A, A2)

DATE/TIME/RATING: 1998, 135/2h16, unrated (about 14A Can)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241146/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a/

A2

VERSION: Facets Video; Fullscreen

CAST: Hiroshi Araki

DIRECTOR: Tatsuya Mori

GENRE: Documentary

NOTES: Aum Shinrikyo members try to maintain their faith during the trial over the gas attack in Japan’s subway

BOOKLET: 8 pages

LANGUAGES: English (spoken); Japanese (sub-titles)

FEATURES: Trailers (A, A2)

DATE/TIME/RATING: 2001, 131/2h11, unrated (about 14A Can)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318960/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a2/

AAAH! ZOMBIES!!

AKA: Wasting Away

VERSION: MVD Visual, Level 33 Entertainment; Widescreen

CAST: Matt Davis, Colby French, Juliana Robinson, Michael Grant Terry, Betsy Beutler, Richard Riehle, Tracey Walter

DIRECTOR: Matthew Kohnen

WRITER: Matthew Kohnen, Sean Kohnen

GENRE: Horror, Comedy

NOTES: A zombie attack as seen from both the perspective of the zombies and their victims

LANGUAGES: English (spoken); no sub-titles

FEATURES: Trailers, Music Video

DATE/TIME/RATING: 2010, 90/1h30, unrated (about R)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1027762/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wasting-away/

ABANDON

VERSION: Paramount; Widescreen

CAST: Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt, Charlie Hunnam, Zooey Deschanel, Gabrielle Union, Gabrielle Mann, Melanie Lynskey, Will McCormick, Fred Ward

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Stephen Gaghan

GENRE: Drama

NOTES: A young woman is troubled after her boyfriend’s disappearance

BOOKLET: 2 pages

LANGUAGES: English/2 types, French (spoken); English (suib-titles)

CHAPTERS: 24

COMMENTARY: Writer/Director Stephen Gaghan (also optional in Deleted/Extended Scenes)

OTHER FEATURES: A Look at the Dark Side – The Making of Abandon (22m), Deleted/Extended Scenes, Theatrical Trailer (this, Four Feathers)

DATE/TIME/RATING: 2002, 98/1h38 PG US/Can

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267248/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/abandon/

THE ABDUCTORS

VERSION: Monterey Video; Fullscreen

CAST: Cheri Caffaro, Jennifer Brooks

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Don Schain

GENRES: Action, Softcore Comedy

NOTES: Secret agent Ginger takes on white slavery

LANGUAGES: English (spoken); no sub-titles

FEATURES: Phoito gallery, production notes

DATE/TIME/RATING: 1972, 90/1h30, unrated (about R)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068164/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/abductors/

ABRAXAS: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE

AKA: Abraxas

VERSION: Front Row, Fullscreen

CAST: Jesse Ventura, Sven Ole-Thorsen, Marjorie Bransfield, Jerry Levitan, Damian Lee, Ken Quinn, Marilyn Lightstone, Moses Znaimer, Robert Nasmith, Kris Michaels, Layne Coleman, Francis Mitchell, Sonja Belliveau, Jim Belushi, Erica Heenan

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Damian Lee

GENRE: Science Fiction

NOTES: An alien cop battles his ex-partner on Earth

LANGUAGES: English (spoken); no subtitles

CHAPTERS: 7 

FEATURES: None 

DATE/TIME/RATING: 1990, 90/1h30, PG-13 US

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0101264

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/AbraxasGuardianoftheUniverse-1040840/preview.php

ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE

VERSION: Docurama; Fullscreen

CAST: Peter Adair, Peter Canavan, Greg Cassin, Johnnie Norway, Marlon Riggs, Eric Sawyer, Mary Corwin, Alice Terson, Doris Butler, Juan Alejandro

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Peter Adair

GENRE: Documentary

NOTES: Interviews with a number of HIV-positive people by a filmmaker who himself was HIV-positive

LANGUAGES: English (spoken); no subtitles

CHAPTERS:

FEATURES: Interview (Peter Adair; 15m);  Peter Adair: Filmmaker, Artist, Storyteller (13m), Updates (text)

DATE/TIME/RATING: 1991, 87/1h27, about PG

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101266/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/absolutely_positive/

ABSOLUTELY SAFE

VERSION: Alive Mind; Fullscreen

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Carol Ciancutti-Leyva

GENRE: Documentary

NOTES: Examines breast implants

LANGUAGES: English (spoken); no sub-titles

FEATURES: Interviews (surgeons, former breast implant patients)

DATE/TIME/RATING: 2008, 83/1h23, Unrated (about R)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0476953/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/absolutely_safe/

ABSOLUT WARHOLA

VERSION: TLA; Fullscreen

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Stanislaw Mucha

GENRE: Documentary

NOTES: Looks at the town Andy Warhol grew up in

LANGUAGES: Slovakian, Ruthenian (spoken); English (sub-titles)

FEATURES: Making of Absolut Warhola, Trailers

DATE/TIME/RATING: 2001, 80/1h20, Unrated (about 14A)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303603/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/absolut_warhola/

THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST

VERSION: WB

CAST: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis

DIRECTOR: Lawrence Kasdan

WRITER: Frank Galati, Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay); Anne Tyler (novel)

GENRE: Drama, Comedy

NOTES: A writer of business travel books falls for a dog-trainer

LANGUAGES: English, French (spoken); English, French, Spanish (subtitles)

CHAPTERS: 36

COMMENTARY: Actor Geena Davis (38m)

OTHER FEATURES: Introduction (Lawrence Kasdan; 3m), It’s Like Life, 18 Deleted Scenes (38m), Theatrical Trailer

DATE/TIME/RATING: 1988, 121/2h1, PG US/Can

It’s Like Life

CAST: Geena Davis, Lawrence Kashdan, Kathleen Turner

DATE/TIME: 2004, 13

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094606/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/accidental_tourist/ (film);

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0973815/ (It’s Like Life)