On the Shelves: DVD Releases for Aug 21, 2012

Some of the DVD/Blu-Ray releases this week.

The Dictator – Honestly, after Bruno, I was over Sacha Baron Cohen.  However, this movie looks funny and I’ll probably watch it.  It can’t be worse than Bruno.

Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Summer Vacation – I’m a huge fan of Tiny Toons and I love this Tiny Toons movie.  It was released direct-to-video in 1992. I’ve nearly worn out my VHS copy I got in college. It was split into 4 regular episodes and aired in the syndication run, but I prefer this long-form video. This is the perfect example of why Tiny Toons was so good.

Joysticks – Cheesy, B-Movie, 80s, teen sex, comedy. This was along the lines of Porky’s, Screwballs or Spring Break. But I think it’s much, much cheaper. However, it takes place mostly in an old arcade. And it’s dumb funny. The movie is almost hilarious even when it doesn’t want to be. Check it out.  Plus, I love the poster.

Thinner – The book this is based on is amazing. I love Stephen King’s early novels. They are just so creepy and horrifying. This movie doesn’t really live up to the novel but it’s not a bad adaptation. I enjoyed it, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I’d not read the book.

Frankenstein 80 – Italian exploitation horror. The synopsis says, “Taking place in modern times Dr. Frankenstein is creating a monster in a secret laboratory hidden within a functioning hospital. But when the monster breaks loose and starts graphically murdering sexy women, the good doctor is discovered.” That sounds pretty schlock-y and awesome.  Of course the monster is only going to graphically murder sexy women.  Why bother otherwise?

Several classic Disney Blu-Rays – I bet these look really good in High Def. It’s been years since I’ve seen Rescuers or Aristocats.  I like that they include both Rescuers movies on that disc.  I need to give them another watch. However, the classic Disney movie I’m anxiously awaiting is The Great Mouse Detective on Blu-Ray. It drops Sep 18.