While Studios are once again repackaging John Hughes movies in to yet another compilation Blu-Ray, and re-releasing “Grease” for the umpteenth time, there are still a laundry list of movies that have only ever been released on VHS and Laserdisc. Continuing from the last list, here are five more movies that deserve a Deluxe Physical release for collectors.
The Cannon Film Guide: An 80s Odyssey
Get ready to relive the wild and wacky output of Golan and Globus’ Cannon Group, the most raucous movie studio of the 1980s! On this “Online Movie Show” episode, our guest is Austin Trunick, author of “The Cannon Film Guide: Volume 1.”
Dirtwoman (2018)
In this documentary, filmmaker Jerry Williams investigates the life and events that have made Dirtwoman famous and infamous in the Richmond area from birth until death, including her very own pinup calendar release, her collaboration with GWAR, and the yearly Hamaganza spectacular to name but a few.
Freaky (2020)
Blumhouse has found a little niche market in taking classic comedies and turning them in to bonafide horror movies. After “Happy Death Day 2 U,” they take the creaky Disney classic “Freaky Friday” and add a slasher twist to it. Shockingly, it works more times than it doesn’t. Christopher Landon doesn’t just embrace the classic narrative, but he tops it off with a gory slasher movie, and even injects so many LGBTQ overtones that it wouldn’t surprise me if it picked up steam as a LGTBQ classic very soon.
Blade (1998) [4K UHD/Blu-Ray/Digital]
Stephen Norrington’s 1998 adaptation of the comic book “Blade” is a movie that’s often overlooked and or ignored as one of the comic book movie hits that broke ground. While it was never as mainstream as “X-Men” or “Spider-Man” it was a hit movie starring an African American hero, with an R rating. And while it hasn’t aged quite well since its initial release (it’s aged about as well as “X2,” which is good and terrible), it’s still a trailblazer worth seeking out right this second.
The Bootleg Files: The Divine Mr. J
BOOTLEG FILES 749: “The Divine Mr. J” (1971 religious satire starring Bette Midler as the Virgin Mary).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On a VHS label in 1984.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Legal threats by Bette Midler have kept this out of circulation.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Unlikely.
In May 1974, newspapers in New York City began to carry advertisements for a film opening at the Festival Theater called “The Divine Mr. J.” The advertisements alerted moviegoers this was the film debut of Bette Midler, who achieved her career breakthrough two years earlier with the album “The Divine Miss M,” and the caricature of Midler used on her eponymous second album was the featured image of the film’s promotion.
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Glengarry Glen Ross (1992): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray]
David Mamet and James Foley’s adaptation of the stage drama is a remarkable and intense look at a room full of men in various stages of a job where the clock is consistently ticking down. As a salesman, you begin as Al Pacino’s Richard Roma, a slick and swift salesman who is absolutely cut throat. Then the time begins running out and you invariably turn in to Shelley Levene, a man who is desperately trying to keep his job, clinging to one big deal that may or may not save his job.