THIS WEEK’S NOTABLE DVD & BLU-RAY RELEASES:

Against the Dark [DVD] – Steven Seagal stars as Tao, a katana-master in a post-apocalyptic world where vampires have pretty much exterminated humanity. Tao, along with a squad of “highly trained soldiers” battle the futuristic bloodsuckers in order to save human survivors trapped within an old hospital. As awful as this sounds, this is at least a huge departure from Seagal’s other films, if only because it contains vampires. The DVD is pretty much bare-bones with only some trailers and a short behind-the-scenes documentary.

Boondock Saints [Blu-ray] – This awesome cult sleeper hit makes its way to Blu-ray. Along with a nearly pristine audio and video transfer (should we expect any less on Blu-ray?) this bad boy has two audio commentaries, the Director’s cut of the film, outtakes, seven deleted scenes, the original theatrical trailer, cast filmographies, and the “Boondock Saints” script! I’ve had this flick on DVD forever and it is high time that I make the upgrade to Blu-ray, and so should you fellow Boondock fans!

Chocolate [DVD & Blu-ray] – Since Tony Jaa is taking his ever-loving sweet time finishing Ong-Bak 2, I’ll just have to enjoy this insane kung-fu flick from the makers of the original Ong-Bak! This story centers around an autistic girl who has some very special abilities, particularly a “photo-reflexive” memory that allows her to learn martial arts by watching kung-fu flicks! With her sudden mastery of multiple martial arts styles and skills, the young girl violently collects some old gang debts in order to pay for her mother’s mounting medical bills! The audio and video presentation here is perfect, but the disc is almost bereft of extras. All we get is a short “making of” featurette about the film’s up-and-coming star, Yanin Wismitanant, and trailers for other Magnolia releases.

Dragon Ball Z: Season 8 [DVD] – I’ve been hankering to continue watching the adventures of Goku and the gang for a while, but being a fan of anime can be expensive. While I still need to get Season 2, all of you other DBZ fans can check out the totally insane Season 8, which stars the dreaded Majin-Buu! The episodes for this set (like all the rest) are high-def masters of original vault materials, and have multiple audio tracks. The only extras for this set are some anime trailers and a 24-page booklet with notes about Season 8′s episodes. Also, if you are a DBZ completionist, Season 2 of Dragon Ball GT is also now available on DVD from Funimation!

My Name is Bruce [DVD & Blu-ray] – WOOHOO! I’ve been waiting for this freakin’ movie for so long and now it will be mine! Made almost primarily for his fans, this new Bruce Campbell horror/comedy has the b-omvie actor getting abducted by “Evil Dead” fans who have a monster problem in their home town. They soon learn however that Bruce is nothing like the heroes he potrays on film, leading to lots of death and hilarity! The DVD and Blu-ray are packed with extras including an audio commentary, a mockumentary about the making of the film, and about six or seven featurettes! There’s also hidden easter eggs and, if you get the Blu-ray, a 24-page comic book is included. Groovy!

Street Fighter: The Movie (Extreme Edition) [DVD & Blu-ray] – Yeah I know, this movie sucks total ass, but it holds a special place in my heart. This new edition of the film boasts improved audio and video over the original DVD release, but gives us nothing new in regards to extras. Aside from promo trailers for the upcoming Street Fighter IV video game, there is nothing here that owner’s of the “Collector’s Edition” DVD haven’t seen before. And as bad as this movie is, from what I’ve seen, it could actually be better than the upcoming Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li flick hitting theaters at the end of the month.

THIS WEEK’S CULT DVD & BLU-RAY RELEASES:
36 Pasos [DVD]
* Against the Dark [DVD]
Are You Scared 2 [DVD]
Back to the Future [DVD]
Back to the Future Part II [DVD]
Back to the Future Part III [DVD]
Batman (1989 – Single disc & 2-disc Collector’s Edition) [DVD]
Batman and Robin (Single disc & 2-disc Collector’s Edition) [DVD]
Batman Forever (Single disc & 2-disc Collector’s Edition) [DVD]
Batman Returns (Single disc & 2-disc Collector’s Edition) [DVD]
* Boondock Saints [Blu-ray]
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920 – Remastered Edition) [DVD]
* Chocolate [DVD & Blu-ray]
Djinn [DVD & Blu-ray]
Dorothy Mills [DVD]
Dragon Ball GT: Season 2 [DVD]
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13 / Bojack Unbound [DVD & Blu-ray]
* Dragon Ball Z: Season 8 [DVD]
Drive-In Cheezy Movie Collection [DVD]
Dungeons & Dragons / Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God [DVD]
The Enforcer [DVD]
Fist of the Warrior [DVD]
Friday the 13th: The Series (Season 2)
Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu, Volume 3 [DVD]
Grindhouse Double Feature: Binge and Purge / Killers by Nature [DVD]
A Haunting – Demon Angels [DVD]
A Haunting – House of Fear [DVD]
Imprint [DVD]
I Was a Teenage Ninja [DVD]
The Lodger (2009) [DVD]
Moribito Part 1: Guardian of the Spirit Vol. 3 [DVD]
* My Name is Bruce [DVD & Blu-ray]
Najica Blitz Tactics: Complete Collection [DVD]
Naruto Uncut Box Set, Volume 12 (Regular and Special Edition) [DVD]
The Orphange [DVD]
Otto; or, Up With Dead People [DVD]
Pet Shop of Horrors: Complete Collection [DVD]
Red Mist [DVD]
Red Victoria [DVD]
The Skulls Trilogy [DVD]
* Street Fighter: The Movie (Extreme Edition) [DVD & Blu-ray]
Suzie Heartless / Phoenix – Exploitation Double Feature [DVD]
Svengali (1931 – Remastered Edition) [DVD]
Tales from the Darkside: Season One [DVD]
Terminal Invasion [DVD]
Van-Damme Four Feature Film Set [DVD]

THIS WEEK’S NEW THEATRICAL RELEASES:
Friday the 13th – The hockey-masked slasher that all of us “children of the 80′s” adored and feared is now ready to hack and slash his way into the hearts of a new generation of horror fans. Reviews and overall buzz on this film have been kept bottled up pretty tightly, but from the little info that has leaked out, this is destined to (supposedly) be the best “Friday” of them all. I’m seeing a midnight screening of this on Friday the 13th (seeing it Saturday the 14th is not an option!) and I’m extremely excited! “He’s back! The man behind the mask! And he’s out of control! He’s back! The man behind the mask, and he’s after your soul!”

Well that’s it for this edition of the B-Movie Film Vault Genre Watch! Check back next week for a dreary report on the latest batch of cult offerings on home video, since theatrically, there is nothing to look forward to at all, even for normal filmgoers. (Fired Up is the best Hollywood could give us next week? Sigh….) As for the new releases on DVD and Blu-ray next week, our choices are pretty slim, and there’s only a handful of decent titles, including Feast III: The Happy Finish, Midnight Meat Train, and Quarantine.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone; I’ll see you next week! – Vault Master