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I have been looking for this one for a long time. To give some background:
1995 is my favorite year for film. I know a lot of people will say 1982, 1984, 1999, 2008, and 2019 are among their favorites but my favorite is 1995. I had been deep in the film game for years at this point and 1995 just had the type of films I was seeking. 1995 is probably one of the best years for cult films. You have films like TANK GIRL, LORD OF ILLUSIONS, SHOWGIRLS, and HACKERS are among the glut of films that failed at the box office but went on to be huge hits on home video. I fell in love with all of these films and have so many fond memories of seeing them for the first time.
JOHNNY MNEMONIC was poised to be a huge summer film for Sony and Keanu Reeves. Reeves was coming off the surprise hit, SPEED and Sony saw MNEMONIC as their own SPEED. The film was based on a short story by cyberpunk writer William Gibson and had a decent sized budget ($26 million), which was just $4 million short of SPEED'S budget, and an interesting cast. We got Ice-T, Dolph Lundgren, Henry Rollins, Takeshi Kitano, and Dina Meyer. None of these actors were box office draws but it is a strong cast for a cyberpunk flick.
The film was not a hit when it debuted in theaters on May 26th, 1995. It grossed $19 million and was out of the first run theaters within a few weeks of its release.
The film hit VHS on November 21st, 1995 with some very interesting packaging. The film is about a data courier who is paid by companies to transport information that is considered too hot for the internet. The information is stored in Reeves' head and extracted by the recipient with a special code. The VHS was styled after this plot point. The VHS box itself was plastic with Reeves' head on the front. The part of the box where his forehead is, is blank. When you put the orange VHS tape into the box, one of the spools of tape fits into blank area, giving the impression of the storage in his head.
I have looked for this tape for a long time. I could have bought it online but I like to hold and feel the stuff I am trying to buy. I could look at pictures but its not the same. I found this thing for a pretty damn good price too so it was a win-win in my eyes.
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This one is going to be quick because I have never seen this film.
DR. JEYKELL AND MS. HYDE is a comedy from 1995 that takes the classic story and changes the sex of Hyde. Judging by the trailer, it looks like there are tons of wacky hijinks to be had. The film got terrible reviews and bombed at the box office. I bought this because I am trying to collect as many 1995 movies on all the different formats I can.
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We go back to Sony with this awesome VHS release. 1996 saw the release of the Tony Scott directed THE FAN. Starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes, the film tells the story of a knife salesman (De Niro) as he begins to stalk a baseball player (Snipes). The film is the typical stalker film that DeNiro has done before. The film is good but it is familiar territory where Scott does his best to stand out from the crowd.
This VHS release is unique in that it doesn't feature a plot synopsis like most home video releases do. This release features Snipes wearing glasses that De Niro while the other side features De Niro looking at Snipes with binoculars. This release relies on the two stars to sell the film. Imagine that, you have a video box that doesn't tell very much about the film outside of two taglines. Instead, the box relies on the film's two stars to sell the film to people at the video store. They do not do that shit nowadays. This is the only VHS release I have ever seen do this but I am sure there are others. I applaud Sony for creating memorable home video release that stands out from the crowd.
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I have written about my love for Troma many times on this site. They have provided me with so many hours of entertainment and they don't ask for much in return. One of the things I love about Troma is their willingness to show us all the aspects of filmmaking even if it is not the prettiest of sights. I have read every book Lloyd Kaufman has written and I encourage any film fan, no matter if like Troma or not, to read EVERYTHING I LEARNED ABOUT FILMMAKING, I LEARNED FROM THE TOXIC AVENGER. In my opinion, this is the best book on filmmaking.
In 2005, to coincide with the release of Kaufman's second book, MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE, Troma released a 5-disc boxset of filmmaking goodness. Every disc is jam packed with interviews with filmmakers from all around the world along with some very famous ones, including James Gunn, Hershell Gordon Lewis, Eli Roth, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and so many others. There are also lessons about running a movie theater, shooting a music video, and running a video store. They have also included three of their amazing documentaries, ALL THE LOVE YOU CANNES, THE FARTS OF DARKNESS: THE MAKING OF TERROR FIRMER (also found on the TERROR FIRMER blu-ray), and APOCALYPSE SOON: THE MAKING OF CITIZEN TOXIE (found on the CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER IV 4K Blu-ray). These making ofs are some of the best in the business and I hold them in the same light as HEARTS OF DARKNESS and AMERICAN MOVIE. Kaufman has also included his first feature-length film, THE BATTLE OF LOVE'S RETURN. You also get a diploma for completing the box set.
I bought this when it was released and I watched everything in it including THE BATTLE OF LOVE'S RETURN which is not a good film. I had to sell it a few years later as I needed the money and it has always been a regret of mine. I was able to find it recently at a used shop near me for a great price and I knew I needed to jump on it. I highly recommend this set for all filmmakers.
So there wwe have it. Four more home video releases I recently picked up. I am really loving doing these hauls so look for more in the future.
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