Have you ever had one of those experiences in life that would be worthy of being on "The Outer Limits"? Something so strange, so odd, so beyond the concept of normalcy, that you question your own mind? Many have. Quite possibly, many more than most folks realize. And you can count me as one of their number........
I was sitting on my sofa in the living room watching TV, and got up to go to the kitchen. I placed my remote control on the top of the glass table sitting in front of the couch.
Standing up, I picked the remote off the table to turn up the volume so I wouldn't miss what was happening in the game I was watching. I then placed the remote, once again, on top of the table and went to the kitchen.
Returning to the living room, I immediately noticed that the remote was not on the table!? I thought that possibly I took it into the kitchen with me so I went back and looked, and it wasn't in there.
This is when I started looking in ridiculous places, like the 'fridge, because my mind could not comprehend how the remote was missing. I even looked in the trash can under the sink. Walked into the bathroom and checked in there! Each time walking back into the living room and looking again.
Pulled all the cushions off the sofa, looked under the sofa, combed that damn living room like a head of hair.
Nothing.
The wife drove up and I went downstairs to the basement to tell her what was going on. She gave me this weird look and started doing the Twilight Zone theme. She wasn't kidding.
Went back upstairs, walked back into the living room, and there, sitting on the table where I left it, was my remote control.
Just way too strange. Easily a conversation Serling would enjoy. And now that I know about the string theory, it's a lot more feasible.
THE MONSTERS ARE HERE!!!
Just got back from vacationing in Amity Island..er..Martha's Vineyard (where REAL Jaws fans go), and my much-anticipated package of Monster DVDs I wrote about previously, had finally arrived.
As these were collection box sets, I was a little concerned with how DVD Planet would package them to ship. Especially given the Sideshow Toy Monster Busts that are included in the Monster Legacy Collection. Happily, DVDPlanet.com is an organization that believes in getting the goods to its customers in primo condition, as BOTH sets arrived in boxes much larger than the sets, and loaded with packing paper to keep them safe.
To add to my pleasure, they arrived when DVD planet said they would, and I'm void of the hassles you can sometimes encounter with internet purchases. When you consider the amazing price they had these for, I'm supremely satisfied.
As for the sets themselves......WHOA!!
The sideshow busts of Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman are spot-on perfections. They are pretty commonplace to see on the web, and in fact a previous Rail had that image up not long ago. But up close and personal, looking at every nook and cranny of the image...almost too sweet.
The packaging of the DVDs is also very well done. While I definitely prefer cases to digipacks, these just reek of monsterdom, with the inside casing having a image from the main legacy draw. These are kept in a protective sleeve that has a see-thru image which enhances the cover of the digipack.
As for how Universal did with these sets, I can only comment on the Wolfman set up to a point as that's the one I started with. I'm unimpressed that they did not treat "The Wolfman" and "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" with more love and affection, decided to reuse the much-maligned print on the previous DVD double-feature editions. I have heard that "Bride of Frankenstein" was done from a cleaner print, and some are raving about it. I'll eventually do a rundown of all these so you'll know what you're getting, but really...these busts are worth twice what I paid, if not the total price, they are just that cool.
The Hammer Horror collection is a basic box set, but Universal used European Movie Posters for their covers, so even the basic is cool. Again it's digipack, and not as impressive as the legacy collections in that regard, but I have heard rumors that "Taste the Blood of Dracula" is a magnificent DVD transfer in every way. Can't wait to check that out.
Yepper, it's a great first day back from the land of Jaws. And, oh yeah, I almost forgot, some pretty cool news coming soon from the Mattster about this "Greatest Movie of All Time"!! Be on the lookout!
Well, it's time to un-pause "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" so I can continue my carnage.
Till next time, take care, and God bless,
Matthew
