Home Entertainment Guide: December 2021, Special Editions | TV/Streaming

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Special Features
NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE UNRATED INTERNATIONAL CUT OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
NEW Interview with Director John Woo
NEW Interview with Actor Lance Henriksen
NEW Interview with Actress Yancy Butler
NEW Interview with Stunt Coordinator Billy Burton
NEW Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Brandon Bentley and Mike Leeder
NEW Restored Theatrical Trailer

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“Neon Genesis Evangelion”

I was relatively familiar with the world of “Ghost in the Shell” and “Cowboy Bebop,” but a complete newbie to that of the third part of the holy trinity of ’90s Japanese animated television until this week. Shout Factory has released a beautiful collector’s edition series that assembles all 26 episodes of this massive hit with art cards, an exclusive book, and more. Now that I’ve seen “NGE,” I get it. It’s incredibly sharp in design and writing, taking a classic mythological structure and making it feel futuristically new. It’s easy to see its influence on all kinds of entertainment in the last quarter-century. And the transfers look and sound great to this rookie eye who hadn’t seen the show before. Shout Factory rules when it comes to satisfying a fan base, and this is just another example of their dedication to their consumers.

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Special Features
Complete TV Series (26 Episodes)
EVANGELION:DEATH (TRUE)2 Feature Film
THE END OF EVANGELION Feature Film
Series & Feature Classic Dub Versions
Exclusive 40-Page Book
Animatics
Art Cards
Music Videos
Textless Opening
Japanese Cast Auditions
Trailers And TV Spots
And More!

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“Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge” (Arrow)

If a horror film is out long enough, it will find its audience. Just consider the insane fact that this 1989 critical and commercial failure has one of the most impressive special editions of the season, one that includes multiple cuts of the film, a poster, a new audio commentary, and new featurettes. How much did people hate this riff on “Phantom of the Opera”? Here’s one of my favorite quotes from a review in the Los Angeles Times: “There’s a perfection of awfulness here that almost commands respect; it can’t have been easy to keep going on this picture after a look or two at the rushes.” And yet every horror film finds its fan base. I wish I was in this one (I love a good B-movie but it has to be competent), but maybe you are. It’s the season of giving, after all. 

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Special Features
Three versions of the feature: Original Theatrical Cut, TV Cut and bonus Integral Fan Cut!
Original uncompressed mono audio on all cuts
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on all cuts
60-page fully-illustrated perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Daniel Budnik and Amanda Reyes
Large fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn
Six postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn
DISC ONE – THE THEATRICAL CUT (BLU-RAY)
Brand new 2K restoration of the Original Theatrical Cut from original film elements (90 mins)
Brand new audio commentary with director Richard Friedman, moderated by filmmaker Michael Felsher
Brand new audio commentary with disc producer Ewan Cant and film historian/author Amanda Reyes
Shop Til’ You Drop!: The Making of Phantom of the Mall – brand new making-of documentary featuring interviews with director Richard Friedman, screenwriters Scott Schneid and Tony Michelman, actors Derek Rydall and Gregory Scott Cummins, filmmaker Tony Kayden and special make-up effects creator Matthew Mungle
The Vandals Go to the Mall – an interview with Joe Escalante of The Vandals on the creation of the Phantom of the Mall theme song
Alternate and Deleted Scenes from the TV Cut
Domestic and International Trailers
Image Gallery
Scott J. Schneid and Tony Michelman’s original script and associated special effects storyboards by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. [BD-ROM Content]
DISC TWO – THE TV & INTEGRAL FAN CUTS (BLU-RAY)
Brand new 2K restoration of the TV Cut with Standard Definition inserts for the footage unique to this version (89 mins)
Integral Fan Cut combining footage from both the Original Theatrical and TV Cuts for the ultimate Phantom of the Mall experience! (96 mins)