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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection 1 & 2
The Mole People (1956) Tarantula (1955)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Monsters on Campus (1958)
Cult of the Cobra (1955) Dr. Cyclops (1940)
The Land Unknown (1957) The Deadly Mantis (1957)
The Leech Woman (1960)
The Monolith Monsters and Monsters on Campus from Eureka's 'Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror' is compared on Blu-ray HERE
Titles
The Mole People
Excerpt of Capsule by Jonathan Rosenbaum at the
Chicago Reader Located HERE
Tarantula
The Incredible Shrinking Man When Grant Williams is subjected to a radioactive mist while on holiday with his wife, he falls ill and then starts to shrink. It's a simple premise, but the result is a masterpiece of the science-fiction genre that plays to the human emotion of the situation rather than overwhelming the audience with special effects. First his wife begins to order him around, then, as he gets inexorably smaller, the household cat becomes a savage predator, a splash of water threatens to destroy him and he fights to the death against a spider before advancing to the next stage in his strange and lonely existence. Director Arnold came to science fiction from a background of documentary-making (he later moved again, to comedies), and his sparse direction allows the tension to build naturally so that the terror and poignancy of the story work their way into the audience's brain without being forced. A total classic. Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE
The Monolith Monsters Excerpt from Time Out Film Guide located HERE
Monster on the Campus
Excerpt from Time Out Film Guide located HERE
Cult of the Cobra
Gary Tooze
Dr. Cyclops
Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE
The Land Unknown
Gary Tooze
The Deadly Mantis
Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE The Leech
Woman
Gary Tooze |
Posters
Theatrical Releases: 1940 - 1960
DVD Review: Universal (6-disc) - Region 1 - NTSC
DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: |
Distribution | Universal Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC | |
Runtime |
Respectively: 1:20:06 + 1:17:24 + 1:20:39 + 1:07:32 + 1:16:27 1:19:51 + 1:17:03 + 1:18:27 + 1:18:03 + 1:17:00 |
|
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio (except The
Incredible Shrinking Man that is 1.78 anamorphic
and Leech Woman, Cult of the Cobra 1.85 anamorphic and Land
Unknown 2.35 anamorphic) Average Bitrate: 6.3 - 8.69 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
|
Audio | English (original) | |
Subtitles | English (Hoh), French, None | |
Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details:
• Theatrical Trailers for each feature
DVD
Release Date: May 13th, 2008
Chapters: |
Comments: |
The Monolith Monsters and Monsters on Campus from Eureka's 'Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror' is compared on Blu-ray HERE We are making a not-so-extraordinary assumption that this is, as advertised, a package combing the first Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection (now, way out-of-print) and The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection Vol. 2. The 10 films are spread over 6 single-sided discs - 4 dual-layered and 2 single layered. They are encoded in the NTSC standard for region 1. All are progressively transferred and have trailers. Each have original audio and optional English, or French, subtitles. They look very good with Monsters on the Campus and The Leech Woman looking the best followed closely by Monolith Monsters and Tarantula. There is some digital noise in The Incredible Shrinking Man and even less so in The Mole People. From Vol. 2 - all look quite consistent. Minimal damage and decent contrast help round out these transfers as well above-average (considering the age of the films).
No extras save the theatrical trailers for each which remain quite a hoot in their own right. NOTE: Although on The Deadly Mantis it's the same one they added to the VHS edition which has no representation of the film. Pretty smart of Universal to release these together as so many people are desirous of the unavailable Vol 1. If you are keen on this genre and don't already own either (how would that be possible?) then this package is essential in my mind - at a good price (around $40.00 - $4/film). The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Mole People, Tarantula, Cult of the Cobra and The Deadly Mantis standing out as the most fun - the latter must have been the inspiration for Joe Dante's Matinee (1993). I prize this part of my DVD library with these flawed gems which resonate such innocence and evoke personal memories of childhood bliss. If these titles have any appeal for you then we can vouch that this DVD collection is great fun - the type of nostalgic cinema that I love to recommend... and all in one large package! out of |
DVD Menus (Samples)
Subtitle Sample
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Screen Captures
Tarantula
|
The Mole People
The Monolith Monsters
The Monolith Monsters and Monsters on Campus from Eureka's 'Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror' is compared on Blu-ray HERE
Cult of the Cobra
Dr. Cyclops
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The Land Unknown
DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: |
Distribution | Universal Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC |