The Time Is Now To Save SPACE WARRIORS 2000 And Bring It To DVD!

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Richard Gladman

Do you love Ultraman? Do you love giant Japanese monster movies? Do you love really weird obscure movies?

Well odds are if you are reading Monster Island News the answer is pretty obvious isn't it!

Let me tell you about a a very cool little film that you probably have never heard of called "Space Warriors 2000" which is a mish-mash of clips from old "Ultraman" episodes, and from the looks of it other Japanese monster movies, combined with new footage to create a stand alone movie.

Think of it like "Power Rangers", "Gamera Super Monster" or how Turkish sci fi films are made.

Anyway the film was produced in the mid 1980s and released to TV here in the United States. After the movie aired it disappeared into obscurity never to be seen again.

That is, until now. It seems that a distributor called Spectrum Ventures has gotten a hold of a print of "Space Warriors 2000" and has plans to possibly release it to DVD. Only one problem, the print has deteriorated to a point where it is no longer of any quality for such a release. Being that there would be both time and money issues in restoring SW2000 Spectrum is wavering on their plans.

This is where you come in.

Richard Gladman of the Cyberschizoid blog has engineered a campaign via email and Facebook to let Spectrum see just how much fan support there is for a "Space Warriors 2000" DVD release.

Here are the links:

Space Warriors 2000 on Facebook
Spectrum Ventures
Cyberschizoid
Spectrum Ventures Email

Plot summary/info:

Apparently cobbled together in the mid-eighties from footage taken from two Ultraman movies (one in fact a TV special called Ultraman Zoffy:The Ultra Warriors vs The Great Monster Army!!!) and released to American television, this is an immensely entertaining giant monster fest which is perfect for lovers of bad movies and trash cinema!

Here is a clip:



As Ultraman fans we all have a duty to persuade Spectrum Ventures to release "Space Warriors 2000" on DVD! Remember .... you have the power!

For Your Double D Viewing Pleasure Elvira's Movie Macabre: Night of Living Dead / I Eat Your Skin

Sources: Elvira Mistress of the Dark Website / Amazon.com

Like a specter rising from the grave, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is back – providing her signature, unflinching, tongue-in-cheek commentary of some of the “greatest” B-movies of all time! This double feature DVD set includes two all-time classics:

Night of the Living Dead

Just as Elvira’s television career rises once again, so do the ghouls on-screen in George A. Romero’s zombie masterpiece.

I Eat Your Skin

Elvira takes us on a trip to Voo Doo Island and gives us a few culinary tips along the way – bon appetit!

Special Features

Movie Macabre Behind-the-scenes
Photo Shoot with Christopher Ameruso
“Mistress of the Dark” Music Video by Ghoultown
Making the Ghoultown Video
Sneak Peek Previews

ELVIRA MISTRESS OF THE DARK

When you hear the name Elvira only one person comes to mind... Halloween icon and quintessential symbol of all things spooky, the one and only Mistress of the Dark.

Back in 1981, who could have imagined the hostess of a local Hollywood Horror movie show would grow to become a household name? Elvira was the first horror host ever to be syndicated nationally and has emerged as one of the most original and outrageous characters in popular culture today.

Elvira's reign as 'Queen of Halloween' has now spanned twenty-nine years and includes two feature films, an IMAX film and 2 motion control rides. She has appeared in National ad campaigns for Pepsi and Coors, recorded 5 music CDs, published 4 books and licensed over 400 products, including 2 Bally pinball machines, BC Rich guitars, 3 comic book series, Elvira’s ‘Night Brew’ beer, ‘Evil’ perfume and a slot machines from IGT. Elvira also boasts the best selling female costume of all time.

In the last two decades she has given thousands of radio, newspaper and magazine interviews and made hundreds of film, television and live appearances - everything from The Grammy Awards, Saturday Night Live, MTV Specials and Monday Night Football to NBC's Today Show, The Tournament of Roses Parade and even a U2 Concert with Bono! She most recently produced and starred in the Fox Reality show “The Search for the Next Elvira”.

As synonymous with Halloween as Santa Claus is with Christmas, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark has carved out a niche in popular American culture that is sure to endure for decades to come.

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it grossed $12 million domestically and $18 million internationally. Night of the Living Dead was heavily criticized during its release because of its explicit content. However, it eventually received critical acclaim and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as a film deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

The plot of the film follows Ben (Duane Jones), Barbra (Judith O'Dea), and five others, who are trapped in a rural farmhouse in Pennsylvania and attempt to survive the night while the house is being attacked by mysteriously reanimated ghouls, otherwise known as zombies. Night of the Living Dead is the origin of six other Living Dead films directed by George A. Romero and became the inspiration for two remakes of the film, a film of the same name directed by Tom Savini, and Night of the Living Dead 3D, which was directed by Jeff Broadstreet and contained a much different storyline.

I Eat Your Skin (Original title: Zombies) is a 1964 horror film directed by Del Tenney.

Writer Tom Harris arrives on a beautiful island in search of material on voodoo legends for his novel. He unfortunately stumbles onto the secret laboratory of a mad scientist who is experimenting on reversing the aging process.

The film was not released until six years after it was made. Film distributor Jerry Gross bought it and paired it on a double bill with I Drink Your Blood and renamed it I Eat Your Skin, although the two have nothing in common. Previous titles of the film include Zombie Bloodbath and Voodoo Blood Bath.

See Also: Elvira Mistress Of The Dark Model Kit / 100 Most Popular (Sexiest) Women In Movies, TV, SciFi And Fantasy #61- #70 /Celluloid Philosophers - Elvira / Now For Your Halloween Viewing Pleasure - Elvira Presents - 'Count Dracula's Great Love' / What Is Elvira Doing For Halloween? / Elvira Haunts Pennsylvania...No, Not Transylvania!...This Halloween / The Witch's Dungeon 40 Years Of Chills An Amazing Tribute To The Golden Age Of Horror /

PAUL DVD News And Simon Pegg Book Signings

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Simon Pegg via Twitter

Two really important notes for all of you Simon Pegg fans out there. First off Simon will be doing a three stop mini tour to promote his book "Nerd Do Well" here in America.

This is what Pegg posted to Twitter on Saturday:

America. D'you like books? Would you like my book. Would you like me to sign said book? Well here's how that can happen http://bit.ly/jciHer

Here is a list of the locations where you, the lucky Pegg worshiping maniac that you are, can meet him:

NEW YORK, NY
STRAND BOOKSTORE, 828 Broadway, Fl 3, New York, NY 10003
Monday, June 13 - 7:00 PM - author event. Talk/Signing
http://www.strandbooks.com/

AUSTIN, TX
BOOKPEOPLE, 603 North Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78703
Wednesday, June 15 - 7:00 PM - bookstore.

LOS ANGELES, CA
BARNES & NOBLE #2089, The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Friday, June 17 - 7:00 PM - bookstore. Talk/Signing
http://www.bn.com

No word on whether the Dalek will be on tour with Pegg or not. He sure seems to like the book though.

Secondly, it has just been announced that "Paul" will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on June 13th. No news on a US release yet, but I'm sure that is right around the corner. Here is the press release:

From the team that bought you Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead comes an out-of-this-world gift for Father’s Day and the must-own comedy adventure of the year… PAUL. Comedy duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again in this inventive, laugh-out-loud film as Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost); two sci-fi geeks who embark on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. Join Graeme, Clive and Paul on their road-trip adventure as Working Title and Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd bring you the hilarious PAUL on two disc DVD, two disc Blu-Ray Triple Play and two disc Limited Edition Blu-ray Steel Book on 13 June 2011.

For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen; Superbad, Knocked Up) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. When he discovers he's been taken prisoner, the quick-witted, smart-ass alien decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town-a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost) who are on a pilgrimage to America’s UFO heartland. Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. As the two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.

Co-written by Pegg and Frost, and directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad), PAUL features a fantastic supporting cast of Hollywood actors including Jason Bateman (Up in the Air, Juno), Bill Hader (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Superbad) and Kristian Wiig (Despicable Me, Knocked Up). Packed with brilliant special features, PAUL is the perfect comedy to share with your dad this Father’s Day on DVD and Blu-ray Triple Play!

Blu-ray and DVD Details
Title Paul
Certificate 15
Feature Run Time 1 hour 47 mins
Genre Comedy
RRP (DVD) £19.99
RRP (Blu-ray) £26.99
RRP (Blu-ray Steelbook) £29.99

DVD Special Features:
Extended feature
Audio commentary with Greg Mottola, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
Bloopers
The Evolution of Paul
Simon Silly Faces
Who the hell is Adam Shadowchild?
Galleries
Between The Lightning Strikes: The Making Of Paul
Audio Description

Blu-ray Special Features:
Extended feature
Audio commentary with Greg Mottola, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Producer Nira Park
BTS Featurette (8 featurettes)
Between The Lightning Strikes: The Making Of Paul
The Evolution of Paul
Bloopers
Who the hell is Adam Shadowchild?
Simon Silly Faces
Galleries

See Also: SHAUN OF THE DEAD In 60 Seconds Scott Pilgrim Style / Paul (2011)(Universal) /Univerasl Picks Up the Tab For PAUL Roadtrip / Shaun of the Dead - Bash 'Em In The Head - T-Shirt / Celluloid Philosophers - Shaun / Hot Fuzz (2007)(Rogue Pictures) / Star Trek (2009)(Paramount) / Pegg Makes His Portrayal Of Scotty A Tribute To Doohan / Simon Pegg Reaches Out To Star Trek Fans / Has Simon Pegg Burned His Star Wars Bridge? / Is Edgar Wright Planning A Gorgo Remake? / Pegg, Wright, And Frost Set To Cause The Worlds End